word origin helps expand learners’ vocabulary english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee word origin helps expand learners’ vocabulary a vocabulary teaching approach li jing beijing sport university, china e-mail: eddie_lj@sina.com apa citation: li, jing (2012). word origin helps expand learners’ vocabulary a vocabulary teaching approach. english review: journal of english education, 1(1), 1-5 received: 05-09-2011 accepted: 01-10-2012 published: 01-12-2012 abstract: word origin (motivation) deals with the connection between name and sense, explaining how a word originated. with the knowledge of how words are originated, learners can grasp a word easier and thus expand their vocabulary more quickly. the introduction to word origin (motivation) by teachers can also help the learners gain interest in the process of learning and learn more about the cultural and historical background of the english-speaking countries. this paper tries to clarify this method of teaching from four aspects: onomatopoeia, word formation, cultural and historical background and cognitive linguistics. keywords: word origin (motivation), vocabulary, word formation, onomatopoeia, cognitive linguistics. introduction according to lu (1981) in his lexicology textbookmodern english lexicology, motivation which can also be defined as word origin deals with the connection between name and sense. since the word motivationmay be confused with other senses of the term in applied linguistics, this paper will use word origin instead of motivation for clarity. in fact, word origin is not an isolated concept in lexicology. it has connections with word formation, change of meaning, cultural and historical background. in short, word origin explains how a word originated. new words and expressions which evolve in civilized society are not arbitrary, and do not develop randomly. even for a folk adage, linguists can find its origin (xu, 1992). therefore, there is practical significance in studying word origin. word origin deals with a word’s origination, so with the connection between the meaning and the word itself, learners can grasp a word more easily and thus they can expand their vocabulary more quickly. onomatopoeia onomatopoeia is one kind of word origins, which means defining the principle of origin by sound (lu, 1999). many words of this kind simply imitate natural sounds, so people find it easy to spell them. however, with the development of language, these onomatopoeic words or their derivation, do not merely refer to the sounds they imitate. they can express a lot of meanings that are related to the sounds which are not difficult for learners to grasp. on the contrary, students can double or redouble their vocabulary in no time, so long as they spend some time in understanding the word origin. a large number of onomatopoetic words have been changed into nouns, some by means of word formation. mailto:eddie_lj@sina.com li jing word origin helps expand learners’ vocabulary a vocabulary teaching approach firstly, an onomatopoetic word might denote the object that gives out the sound. this is a kind of association by contiguity. the words “cuckoo”, and “cricket”, for example, at first, referred to the sounds cuckoos and crickets make, whereas now they’ve become the names of the bird and the insect which make the sounds. secondly, by adding the suffix “-er”, the original onomatopoetic word, if it is a verb, can be used as a noun to denote the object giving out the certain sound. the words “cracker” and “splashier” can be regarded as examples of this kind. thirdly, an onomatopoetic word is also designed to show the result of making sound or the place where sound is made. for instance, “bubble” as a noun now means the result of bubbling; “dump” as a noun now indicates the place where rubbish is thrown out. fourthly, an onomatopoetic word sometimes assumes a metaphorical character. for example, “crash” now has a meaning of failure; “crack” refers to a defect and sometimes a mental or physical breakdown, which are both extension of the original meaning (li, 2000). from an analysis of word origin along these lines, learners can easily grasp the key point of a word; thus it takes them less time to expand their vocabulary. however, there are still a lot of other kinds of word origin involved in the development of onomatopoetic words, which this paper does not include. word formation another kind of word origins is called morphological origin, where a direct connection can be observed between the morphemic structure of a word and its meaning (zhang, 1986). both english learners and teachers should attach importance to word formation for it can help to double or redouble vocabulary with half or even less effort. when morphological origin is used to help expand vocabulary, derivatives and compound words should be given special attention. a derivative is created by adding a prefix, or suffix, or both, to the base (zhang, 1986). an affix may have a certain feature called polysemy, which means the same affix does not have the exactly same meaning (huang 2001). for example, the latin prefix “sub-” has different meanings in “submarine” and “suborn”. the former one means “under, beneath”, while the latter one is extended with a metaphorical character meaning “secretly”. there are also examples of two or more different affixes having the same meaning, which can be shown in the suffixes “-er” and “-or” in words “teacher” and “visitor”. both suffixes indicate the person who does a certain thing. when using morphological origin to help expand vocabulary, learners need to identify pseudo-prefixed words and pseudo-suffixed words. some words may happen to contain letters that seem to be an affix, while in fact, they have no relation to the usual meaning of that particular affix. the letters “-er” in “daughter” and the letters “re-” in “result”, for instance, are not suffixes or prefixes (huang, 2001). compound words are easier to identify and their origin is very clear. two words, for example, “girl” and “friend” being combined together, form a new word that is semantically transparent. however, there are also quite a few compound words which are semantically opaque or difficult to english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee understand. a word such as “eggplant”, for instance, seems to have no relationship to what it denotes. however, it still has its origin: the shape of an aubergine is like an egg, so “eggplant” is used to denote aubergine (huang, 2001). as an english learner, when coming across a new word which may be a derivative or a compound word, or neither of the two kinds, one should not take the words at their face value. adequate understanding of a word is a presupposition of using word origin to grasp it. many students of english are quite familiar with the traditional methods of word formation, however, nowadays, with the development of modern english, some new methods of word formation have emerged and they play an increasingly more important role in the development of english. the first one is analogy, which uses the root of an original word to create a new word that relates to the original one in meaning. for example, “heliport”, which means a certain area for helicopters to land, derives from “airport”. “cold line” is created from “hot line”, which was a popular expression during the cold war. another important method of word formation is aphaeresis, which means getting rid of the first several letters of the original word, usually an unstressed syllable, to create a new one. “vantage”, coming from “advantage”, is a typical example of this kind. besides, in order to adapt to a rapidly developing society, people have already simplified a lot of words, usually with two methods: retaining initial letters, and abbreviating. by retaining the initial letters of the phrase “water closet”, people get “wc” instead. when abbreviating the word “university”, people get “uni(v).” for short (hong, 1997). briefly, getting to know the new methods of word formation is another effective way to expand vocabulary, especially when learners try to learn english through newspapers, magazines, the internet and other media where new words frequently appear. cultural and historical background quite a lot of new words and expressions came into english from cultural and historical backgrounds. knowing the related culture and history, learners will not only find it easy to grasp the word, but also to gain interest in the process of learning. in modern american english, there are many popular words with “mc-” as their initial letters. “mc-” appeared in names of ancient times, originating in scotland and ireland. since the two peoples were famous for their diligence, thrift and stinginess at that time, the compound word with “mc-” means something that is economical, or something that can save money. in early times, it was only used as a name of a trading company to attract customers. however, since the birth of mcdonald’s and the popularity of hamburgers, “mc-” has become active in making new words. most of the new words are closely related to mcdonald’s, so the typical meaning of “mc-” is efficiency and convenience. “mcamerica” is to suggest that america is a country that pays great attention to efficiency. in recent years, people have said they do not like mcdonald’s any more and they call it “junk food” as the food is mass-produced without any speciality. as a result, “mc-” now is used to denote something that is mass produced for general consumption and li jing word origin helps expand learners’ vocabulary a vocabulary teaching approach thus appealing to the lowest common denominator of the masses, such as “mcnews”, “mccinema”, “mcmovie” (zou 1996). after watergate in 1972, a new suffix “-gate” emerged to denote any scandal. former u.s. president bill clinton’s scandal was called “monicagate”, “lewinskygate”, “interngate”, and so on (zhou 2001). many words have changed their meanings with the passing of time and the effect of cross-cultural communication and social movements. this kind of word origin is widely used in the development of modern english. more than 100 years ago, the word "black” was humiliating. however, in later years, black people used “black power” to struggle for their rights and now “black” is a very honorable term (wang and li, 1983). as a result of cross-cultural communication, quite a few words were borrowed from china. the words of this origin are much easier for learners whose mother tongue is chinese. some of them are transliterated; others are free translation. for example, the word of “pipa”, a chinese traditional musical instrument, “weichi”, a chinese traditional chess, and “typhoon (台风)”, just sound like chinese. after the revolution of 1911, especially after the p.r.c. was founded, many new words from china came into english with free translation such as “paper tiger” and “special economic zone” (tao and gu, 2001). an introduction to the cultural and historical background of words can open up new horizons for the learners and it may seem an enjoyable way for them to grasp the english words. cognitive linguistics liang (2002) confirms that cognitive linguistics is a recently developed branch of linguistics, contributes to vocabulary teaching by laying special emphasis upon semantic development. it is based on experientialism, holding a view that meaning has an indissoluble bond with cognitive experience. according to this point of view, semantic evolution is concerned with vocabulary acquisition. many words, especially words denoting the position of body parts, have been greatly extended into a large range of meanings based on human cognition. the word “head” initially denoted a certain part of the human body. then it evolved to denote an animal’s head such as “head of a tiger”. that was not the end, for “head” in “head of a river” has been developed to indicate a spatial relationship. the word “head” has also been used as an abstract noun denoting “a leader” such as “head of state” (liang 2002). this kind of semantic evolution is not difficult to grasp, and sometimes it is interesting to discover the evolution. in this way, vocabulary learning can be more effective. conclusion new things and new thoughts are developing day by day, which is a basic reason for the emergence of new words. not one of these new words has been formed randomly. most of them find their origin from old words (ge, 1981). this paper has only discussed a small part of word origin and how understanding the origin of words can help students expand their vocabulary. teaching or learning word origin is really an effective way to promote efficiency in vocabulary expansion. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee references hong, w. (1997). the trend of simplification in modern english vocabulary. foreign language teaching and learning 2, pp 46-50. huang, y. (2001). the relevance of morphology and acquisition of vocabulary. foreign language teaching and research 6, pp 21-26. li, g. (2000). the development of the meanings of onomatopoetic words in both english and chinese’. foreign language and foreign language teaching 3, pp 4-8. liang, x. (2002). ‘insights of the english vocabulary teaching from cognitive linguistics’. foreign language and foreign language teaching 2, pp 15-21 lu, g. (1981).word formation in modern english. shanghai: shanghai translation publishing house. ___________. (1999).modern english lexicology. shanghai: shanghai foreign language education press. shao, z. (1993). ambiguity of word origin in cross-cultural communication. foreign language teaching and research 2, pp 38-43 stuart, b. f. (1975). how to increase your word power. hong kong: reader’s digest association far east ltd. tao & gu. (2001). a study of the loan words and phrases from china-their origins in social culture and characteristics in grammar and pragmatics. foreign language and foreign language teaching 11, pp 27-31. wang, z. (1980). changes of the meanings of onomatopoetic words. foreign language teaching and research 1, pp 8-11 wang & li. (1983). practical english lexicology. liaoning: liaoning people’s press. wang, r. (2001). ‘an introduction to a coursebook of modern english lexicology’. foreign language and foreign language teaching 5, pp 78-82 xu, g. (1991). on language by xu guozhang. beijing: foreign language teaching and research press. zhang, y. (1986). a brief introduction to modern english lexicology. beijing： beijing normal university press zhou q. (2001). the characteristics of common ways in word formation of english and chinese. foreign language and foreign language teaching 5, pp 54-58 zou, w. (1996). a study of modern english slangs: form, origin and communication functions’. foreign language teaching and research 1, pp 23-36 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee presupposition analysis in some selected consumer advertisement slogans of the jakarta post sinta ananda department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia email: ananda.sinta15@gmail.com marwito wihadi department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia email: m_wihadi@yahoo.com yayan suryana department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia email: ysuryana2008@gmail.com apa citation: ananda, s., wihadi, m., & suryana, y. (2016). presupposition analysis in some selected consumer advertisement slogans of the jakarta post. english review: journal of english education, 5(1), 141-148 received: 20-10-2016 accepted: 17-11-2016 published: 01-12-2016 abstract: this research investigates the presupposition in the slogans of consumer advertisement of the jakarta post newspaper on march 2016 edition. this research aimed at finding the types of presupposition and describing the functions of presupposition in advertisement found in consumer advertisement slogans of the jakarta post newspaper. yule’s theory and descriptive qualitative research method applied in this research. 20 slogans of consumer advertisement of the jakarta post newspaper on march 2016 edition selected to this research. the result of this research showed that the writer found 20 presuppositions. 11 existential presupposition or 55%, 4 factive presupposition or 20%, 3 lexical presupposition or 15%, and 2 non-factual presupposition or 10%. regarding the function of presupposition in advertisement, the writer found 17 slogans advertisement contains implicit competition, and 11 slogans advertisement contains making the advertisement short and memorable. in conclusion, not all type of presupposition and function of presupposition in advertisement are found, it is influenced by various types and functions in advertisement causing different assumption and presupposition. the writer hopes that further researchers who are interested in observing presupposition to explore more about presupposition in other types of advertisement. keywords: presupposition, consumer, advertisement, slogan introduction this research investigates the presupposition in the slogans of consumer advertisement of the jakarta post newspaper. the writer wants to make an interesting research by choosing the data source from slogans of advertisement, because advertising slogan is one of manifestations of language use in human social life particularly through media. in daily activities, sometimes people are looking for and need some information from the advertisement, whether it is to fill of spare time or perhaps has become a necessity. the 141 sinta ananda & marwito wihadi presupposition analysis in some selected consumer advertisement slogans of the jakarta post advertisement can be found almost everywhere, such as newspaper, magazine, television, radio, etc. the advertisement is one of ways used by the advertisers to convey information, with purpose to introduce and to promote their products or services to consumers. in other words, the advertisement is inescapable parts of modern life that can influence others. the readers need advertisement when they want to see or to buy something, which usually accompanied by picture and slogan form. indirectly, the slogan purposes to offer the potential product and service to consumers. “the slogan is intended to motivate the potential consumer of the goods or services” (batyrovna, 2014, p. 262). however, when conveying the message through slogan, the readers do not realize that what is behind the slogan in the advertisement has a meaning, function even type that can attract public attention. they do not realize that behind an advertisement, all the advertisers are competing to make an advertisement with display or interesting language use in order to make the consumers interested in buying the products or the services advertised. the success of the advertisers in marketing products cannot be separated from how the advertisers promote the products. “the advertisers should know who their customers are, what media is used, what message that would appeal to them, and how to get their attention” (griffin & ebert, 2007, p. 368). to attract the consumers’ attentions, language has an important role in advertising. through language, the message of the advertisers can be delivered and can be accepted by the consumers. to achieve these objectives, the advertisers promote their products by using persuasive language. griffin and ebert (2007) states that persuasive language in advertising is a strategy of advertising influence consumers to purchase a particular product. persuasive language is used to persuade others who become the advertisement target to be interested toward the products or the services advertised. when the advertisers will convey information through the advertisement, previously, the advertisers make the beginning assumption or inference of what will be delivered. it is purpose in order to the readers can understand the intent of the advertisers. the assumption or inference above on pragmatic study is called presuppositions. the advertisers implement pragmatic approach in communicating purpose to persuade the readers use or purchase the products advertised. “presupposition is something the speaker assumes to be the case prior to making an utterance” (yule, 1996, p. 25). it means that how people can describe their process of thinking in analyzing implicit meaning, and how listeners or readers can catch other information beyond their interpretation. in this research, the writer tries to find out the types of presupposition and describe the functions of presupposition in advertisement are found in the slogans of consumer advertisement of the jakarta post newspaper. the writer thinks that the types and the functions of presupposition in advertisement slogans are important to be understood deeply. method the research method which used in this research is descriptive qualitative method. fraenkel, wallen and hyun (2012, p. 427) states that “qualitative data are collected in the form of words or pictures rather than numbers.” this 142 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee research is classified as descriptive qualitative method since the data in the form of words, utterances, pictures rather than numbers. as yin (2011) states that qualitative research involves defining something to investigate, collect the relevant data, analyze and interpret the result, and draw a conclusion. it means that descriptive qualitative is a method of research involving method of collecting, classifying, interpreting, describing, and drawing conclusion. data source in this research, the writer took the data from the jakarta post newspaper during a month. the data were all consumer advertisements in the jakarta post newspaper on march, 1st-31st 2016 editions. the writer selected 20 data slogans of consumer advertisement from the jakarta post newspaper on march 2016 edition. the writer chose the jakarta post newspaper because it was one of a daily english newspaper in indonesia. technique of collecting data technique of collecting data is the way of writer to collect and to get the data. there are some steps to collect the data. first of all, the writer collected the jakarta post newspaper containing of consumer advertisements. then, the writer identified one by one the consumer advertisements containing slogan. after identifying the consumer advertisement slogans, the writer selected the consumer advertisement slogans containing presupposition. next, the writer scanned the pictures of selected consumer advertisement in order to make the readers see the pictures of advertisement slogan easily and clearly. technique of analyzing data technique of analyzing data is the way of writer to analyze and to get the result. there are some steps to analyze the data. first step, the writer read one by one selected slogans of consumer advertisement from the jakarta post newspaper on march 2016 edition. second step, the writer classified the data based on the types and the functions of presupposition in advertisement. third step, after classifying the types and the functions of presupposition, the writer interpreted the types of presupposition from each slogan in the advertisement. fourth step, the writer counted the occurrence from each type of presupposition and converted the occurrences into percentage. in determining the result of the types of presupposition in form of percentage, the writer used the formula based on the theory from subana (as cited in oktoma & mardiyono, 2013, p. 79), as follow: x 100% fk rel in this formula means frequency of relative cumulative (the result of percentage), fk means frequency of cumulative (the number of the occurrences of certain type of presupposition), means frequency of total (the number of the whole occurrences of presupposition) and 100% means percentage. fifth step, the writer gave pictures of consumer advertisement in every classification the types and the functions of presupposition. then, the writer described the types and the functions of presupposition from each slogan in advertisement. the last step, the writer drew a conclusion from the analysis. ∑ = f fk relfk 143 sinta ananda & marwito wihadi presupposition analysis in some selected consumer advertisement slogans of the jakarta post results and discussion yule (1996) divides presupposition into six types. they are existential presupposition, factive presupposition, lexical presupposition, structural presupposition, non-factive presupposition and counter-factual presupposition. in this research, the writer found 70 consumer advertisements in the jakarta post newspaper on march, 1st-31st 2016 editions, and selected 20 data slogans of consumer advertisements. the result of the type of presupposition in the consumer advertisement slogan is shown in the form of table below. table 1. the result of the types of presupposition types of presupposition frequency percentage existential 11 55% factive 4 20% lexical 3 15% non-factive 2 10% total 20 100% (yule, 1996) the result of analysis above, the writer found 20 presuppositions and only found four types of presupposition in the slogans of consumer advertisement of the jakarta post newspaper on march, 1st-31st 2016 editions. four types of presupposition are 11 existential presupposition or 55%, 4 factive presupposition or 20%, 3 lexical presupposition or 15%, and 2 non-factive presupposition or 10%. in conclusion, existential presupposition is type of presupposition often used by the advertisers to convey their products or service to consumers. the advertisers often use the type of existential presupposition in delivering the product or the service. probably, the advertisers assume that the type of existential presupposition more easy to promote the product or the service advertised, compared with other types of presupposition. the advertisers use some exaggerated words, phrases and expressions to describe and to achieve sales promotion of products and services advertised. existential presupposition is one of types of presupposition the exaggeration in delivering information. however, if the information transmitted through presuppositions, the exaggeration properties it will facilitate in promoting the products (yingfang, 2007). meanwhile, the writer did not find structural presupposition and counter-factual presupposition as listed in yule’s theory. the advertisers do not use structural presupposition and counter-factual presupposition. probably, the advertisers fear if the readers have assumption of contrary to facts stated in the advertisement and also difficult to state inserted information. so it will becomes ambiguous and cause mistrust of the consumers towards the advertisers. yule (1996) states that counterfactual presupposition is the opposite of what is true or contrary to fact. structural presupposition is obtained from the sentence structure of “wh-question” followed state contains inserted information. regarding the process of analyzing the function of presupposition in the slogans of consumer 144 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee advertisement, the writer used lam’s discussion about the functions of presupposition in advertisement. lam (2009) divides the functions of presupposition into three functions. they are implicit competition, causing reader to consider the existence of product and service, and making the advertisement short and memorable. the result of the function of presupposition in advertisement is shown in the form of table below. table 2. the result of the function of presupposition in advertisement no. slogans implicit competition causing readers to consider the existence of the products or services making the advertisement short and memorable 1. the best or nothing √ √ 2. convenience, a luxury few can enjoy √ 3. wide coverage, fast, and stable √ 4. mix it up! √ 5. the essence of infinite innovation √ 6. when you expect the very best √ 7. gastronomy and art √ 8. ready unit & fully furnished √ 9. the ultimate sport utility truck √ 10. the total living environment √ 11. let’s get together! √ √ 12. incredible india √ √ 13. going places together √ √ 14. smooth as silk √ √ 15. unlimited aesthetics √ √ 16. wish you were here √ 17. art in your hand √ √ 18. imagine your korea √ 19. the mainstay true business √ 20. moving service √ √ total 17 0 11 (lam, 2009) the result of analysis above, the writers only found two functions of presupposition in advertisement. two functions are implicit competition and making the advertisement short and memorable.17 slogans advertisement containing implicit competition and 11 slogans advertisement containing making the advertisement short and memorable. in conclusion, implicit competition is the function often used by the advertisers in the slogans of consumer advertisement of the jakarta post newspaper on march 2016 edition. probably, the advertisers assume that implicit competition is an easy and optimal function in delivering the message of advertisement clearly to compare the advantages of a product. lam (2009) states that the advertisement message has to be delivered clearly but implicitly, and often used for the ease of delivering message. one of strategy in advertising is comparing two or more products directly, it purpose to steal sales from competitors (griffin & ebert, 1996/2007). 145 sinta ananda & marwito wihadi presupposition analysis in some selected consumer advertisement slogans of the jakarta post in addition, there are some slogans of consumer advertisement of the jakarta post newspaper on march 2016 edition has more than one function presupposition in advertisement, such as the function of implicit competition and making the advertisement short and memorable. implicit competition and making the advertisement short and memorable are the functions which often used by the advertisers to make the language of advertising is important. persuasive advertisement, comparative, short but memorable are needed to make the language of advertising is more important (lam, 2009). however, the writer did not find the function of presupposition causing the readers to consider the existence of the products or services. the advertisers do not use it function because probably the advertisers assume that it will make the readers confuse to consider existence the object advertised. so it will affect toward marketing and revenue the advertisers. the research about using of presuppositions as a research topic a lot of conducted by researchers, with different objects and media. when reading references about presupposition, many researchers talk about type and meaning of presupposition. therefore, the writer is interested in researching the types and the functions of presupposition in consumer advertisement slogans of the jakarta post newspaper. the writer uses some previous studies as references in this research. for examples of previous studies from bonyadi and samuel (2011), lam (2009), zare, abbaspour and nia (2012), kurniawan (2014), puspitasari (2015). from the results of several research above, the writer finds that the result of some research are different and similar with the result of research conducted by the writer. the research is conducted by bonyadi and moses (2011) focuses on comparison toward the using of types of presupposition used in two different newspaper, america newspaper and persian english newspaper. one of purposes from this research is to find out the types of presupposition with use yule’s theory and qualitative method. non-factive presupposition is the type of presupposition which often used in both of newspaper, america newspaper and persian english newspaper. this research has different result with the research is conducted by the writer. probably, the difference happens because different object as well as the use of language to certain purpose and certain circumstance. people speak or writer uses language with a certain purpose and in a certain circumstance. some advertisements are designed to all readers, but some to a set of readers. therefore, the advertiser designed advertisement for the people who intend to read them. (yingfang, 2007, p. 59). in other side, the research is conducted by kurniawan (2014) has similar result with the result of research conducted by the writer. this research focuses on the types of presupposition in the slogan of outdoor advertisement. yule’s theory and descriptive qualitative method are applied in this research. the type of presupposition which often found in this research is existential presupposition. it has similar result. probably, it happens because the writer analyzes the type of similar object, consumer advertisement. in conclusion, consumer advertisement focuses on type of existential presupposition because it refers to existence of product and service or contains referential expressions. 146 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee “existential presupposition is associated with referential expressions, arises simply because of an assumption that a person who uses such an expression intends to refer to something. all referential expressions give rise to existential presuppositions” (hashim, 2014, p. 58). meanwhile, the discussion about the types and the function of presupposition in advertisement based on lam’s discussion is same with the discussion conducted by puspitasari (2015) but different research object. the result of her research shows that non-factive presupposition is the type of presupposition which often used in mobile phone brochure. implicit competition and making the advertisement short and memorable are the functions of frequently used in mobile phone. lam (2009) states that persuasive advertisement, comparative, short and memorable are needed to make the language of advertising is important. conclusion the research investigates the presupposition in consumer advertisement slogans of the jakarta post newspaper on march, 1st-31st 2016 editions. this research focuses on identifying the types and the functions of presupposition in advertisement. yule’s theory and lam’s discussion are used in this research. in the process of collecting data, the writer finds 70 consumer advertisements and selects 20 consumer advertisements containing slogans and presuppositions. from 20 slogans of consumer advertisement, the writer finds 20 presupposition and four types of presupposition in the jakarta post newspaper on march 2016 edition. there are 11 slogans containing existential presupposition or 55%, 4 slogans containing factive presupposition or 20%, 3 slogans containing lexical presupposition or 15%, and 2 slogans containing nonfactive presupposition or 10%. the dominant type of presupposition found in the selected consumer advertisement slogans of the jakarta post newspaper on march 2016 edition is existential presupposition. however, two other types of presupposition such as structural presupposition and counter-factual presupposition are not found by the writer. meanwhile, in the function of presupposition in advertisement, the writer only finds two functions are implicit competition and making the advertisement short and memorable. there are 17 slogans advertisement containing implicit competition and 11 slogans advertisement containing making the advertisement short and memorable. implicit competition is the function which frequently used in consumer advertisement slogan. meanwhile, the writer does not find the function of presupposition that cause the reader to consider the existence the product or service. in conclusion, not all type of presupposition and function of presupposition in advertisement are found in the slogans of consumer advertisement of the jakarta post newspaper on march 2016 edition. it happens because the advertisers make various types and functions of advertisement in the jakarta post newspaper. it affects the advertisers to have different assumption about what they want delivered, and allow the advertisers to have different presupposition. the advertisers make the advertisement in jakarta post newspaper focuses on consumer advertisement showing the existence and the advantages of products or services. it 147 sinta ananda & marwito wihadi presupposition analysis in some selected consumer advertisement slogans of the jakarta post is influenced by consumer needs and sales target which purpose to achieve sales promotion of products and services advertised. references. batyrovna, b,a. (2014). semantic and pragmatic presuppositions in advertising slogans. life science journal, 11(4), 261-263. retrieved from http://www.lifesciencesite.com bonyadi, a., & samuel, m. (2011). linguistic nature of presupposition in american and persian newspaper editorials. international journal of linguistics, 3(1), 1-15. retrieved from http://www.macrothink.org/ journal/index.php/ijl/article/viewfil e/55 4/pdf fraenkel, j. r., wallen, n. e., & hyun, h. a. (2012). how to design and evaluate research in education (8th ed.). new york, ny: the mcgraw-hill companies, inc. griffin, r. w., & ebert, r. j. (2007). bisnis: edisi kedelapan (s. wardhani, trans.). jakarta, indonesia: erlangga. (original work published 1996). hashim, s. s. m. (2009). existential presupposition in religious islamic text: pragmatic implicature. international conference on arts, economics and management, 57-61. retrieved from http://icehm.org/upload/5289ed03 14011.pdf kurniawan, r. (2014). an analysis of presupposition in selected slogan of outdoor advertisements. university of kuningan: unpublished. lam, k, y, c. (2009). what is useful about presupposition in advertisements and what does it reflect?: a sociolinguistic study of hong kong culture, lcom papers, 2009(2), 45–55. retrieved from http://www.english.hku. hk/lcom %20paper/lcom%20papers%20new, % 20rev/2009%20vol2/ 4carr ielam. pdf oktoma, e., & mardiyono, s. (2013). the analysis of presupposition in the short stories of silvester goridus sukur. english review: journal of english education, 2(1), 76-86. puspitasari, n. (2015). presuppositions in mobile phone advertisements (masters thesis, state islamic university of sunan ampel, surabaya). retrieved from http://digilib.uinsby.ac.id/2976/ the university of sydney library. (2014). your guide to apa 6th style referencing (k. masters, rev.). retrieved, from https://www.library.usyd.edu.au/su bjects/download s/citation/apa% 20complete 2012.pdf universal college of learning. (2011). a beginner’s guide to the apa referencing style (6th ed.). retrieved from https://repository.wi.edu.au/alfresco /d/d/ workspace/s pacesstore/b9ea99d1-7b374f7cb909e5d8e413632c/ apa% 20referencing%20guide 6th%20edition2012.pdf yin, r. k. (2011). qualitative research from start to finish. new york, ny: the guilford. yingfang, w. (2007). analysis of presupposition and its function in advertisement. canadian social science, 3(4), 55-60. retrieved from http://www.cscanada.net/inde x.php/css/article/view/j.css.19236697 200 7030 4.012/438. yule, g. (1996). pragmatics. oxford, england: oxford university press. zare, j., abbaspour, e., & nia, r. m. (2012). presupposition trigger-a comparative analysis of broadcast news discourse. international journal of linguistics, 4(3), 734-743. retrieved from http://www.macrothink.org/ journal/index.php /ijl/article/view/ 2002/pdf 148 http://www.lifesciencesite.com/ http://www.macrothink.org/%20journal/index.php/ijl/article/viewfile/55%204/pdf http://www.macrothink.org/%20journal/index.php/ijl/article/viewfile/55%204/pdf http://www.macrothink.org/%20journal/index.php/ijl/article/viewfile/55%204/pdf http://icehm.org/upload/5289ed03%2014011.pdf http://icehm.org/upload/5289ed03%2014011.pdf http://digilib.uinsby.ac.id/2976/ https://www.library.usyd.edu.au/su%20bjects/download%20s/citation/apa%25%2020complete%202012.pdf https://www.library.usyd.edu.au/su%20bjects/download%20s/citation/apa%25%2020complete%202012.pdf https://www.library.usyd.edu.au/su%20bjects/download%20s/citation/apa%25%2020complete%202012.pdf https://repository.wi.edu.au/alfresco/d/d/%20workspace/s%20pacesstore/b9ea99d1-7b37-4f7cb909e5d8e413632c/%20apa%25%2020referencing%20guide%206th%20edition2012.pdf https://repository.wi.edu.au/alfresco/d/d/%20workspace/s%20pacesstore/b9ea99d1-7b37-4f7cb909e5d8e413632c/%20apa%25%2020referencing%20guide%206th%20edition2012.pdf https://repository.wi.edu.au/alfresco/d/d/%20workspace/s%20pacesstore/b9ea99d1-7b37-4f7cb909e5d8e413632c/%20apa%25%2020referencing%20guide%206th%20edition2012.pdf https://repository.wi.edu.au/alfresco/d/d/%20workspace/s%20pacesstore/b9ea99d1-7b37-4f7cb909e5d8e413632c/%20apa%25%2020referencing%20guide%206th%20edition2012.pdf https://repository.wi.edu.au/alfresco/d/d/%20workspace/s%20pacesstore/b9ea99d1-7b37-4f7cb909e5d8e413632c/%20apa%25%2020referencing%20guide%206th%20edition2012.pdf https://repository.wi.edu.au/alfresco/d/d/%20workspace/s%20pacesstore/b9ea99d1-7b37-4f7cb909e5d8e413632c/%20apa%25%2020referencing%20guide%206th%20edition2012.pdf http://www.cscanada.net/inde%20x.php/css/article/view/j.css.19236697200%207030%204.012/438 http://www.cscanada.net/inde%20x.php/css/article/view/j.css.19236697200%207030%204.012/438 http://www.cscanada.net/inde%20x.php/css/article/view/j.css.19236697200%207030%204.012/438 http://www.macrothink.org/%20journal/index.php%20/ijl/article/view/%202002/pdf http://www.macrothink.org/%20journal/index.php%20/ijl/article/view/%202002/pdf http://www.macrothink.org/%20journal/index.php%20/ijl/article/view/%202002/pdf english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 177 improving english speaking ability through hypnocative speech method ninin herlina universitas trilogi jakarta, indonesia e-mail: nininherlina@trilogi.ac.id apa citation: herlina, n. (2018). improving english speaking ability through hypnocative speech method. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 177-184. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1567. received: 24-08-2018 accepted: 26-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: the objective of this research is to identify the improvement of students’ english speaking ability through hypnocative speech. the research was conducted at mantika language center. this action research was carried out in two cycles in which each cycle consists of four phases of planning, action, observation, and reflection. here, the researcher guided the instructor as students’ collaborators in implementing hypnocative speech method to improve students’ english speaking ability. the data collection techniques used were observation, questionnaire, test, teacher's diary, observer’s daily journal, interviews, and audiotape recordings. the data consist of collected accent, grammar, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. the data have been collected through a critical comparative analysis technique by combining and simultaneously comparing the result of the first cycle until the last cycle. as result, it was found that implementing hypnocative speech in the teaching and learning process can improve students’attitudes and the outcome of their speaking ability. here, the students can communicate fluently, do not feel afraid, and have more courage to speak the language communicatively, harmoniously, and correctly. precisely, the implementation of hypnocative speech method can increase students’ speaking ability, at least 30.31. keywords: action research; speaking ability; hypnocative speech. introduction in an effort to improve the quality and purpose of learning as one of the foreign languages in indonesia, english gets an increasingly interesting space and interest by a number of participants of education. it is evidenced by the development of english training institutions with various methods that are created in supporting the teaching and learning process. the method was created with aims to overcome various challenges faced by students in learning english. the challenge faced by students is related to the lack of methods that train students to improve their ability to speak english. english is not yet a daily language and is still regarded as a foreign language in indonesia that is difficult to practice in everyday conversation. there is a lot of recognition of learners that they are not brave enough to speak english, they need maximum stimulation in order to succeed out words or speak english. unreasonable fear has always been the subject of discourse in the low level of the ability to speak english. fear is something natural and everyone has it. yet, reconciling these fears and believing that fear is a learning process will lead to new awareness that can motivate students to be braver, comfortable, and especially enjoy the process. this condition really shapes the students to relax and become more motivated in learning. speaking is an activity of delivering an information and it is done by speaker to produce a mutually understood information between speaker and speech partner (harmer, 2000). basically, speaking has three purposes, among others, those are to inform something, toentertain, and to attract sympathy. speaking is also defined as the ability to bring the discourse interactively in accordance with the objectives expected by the speaker or who is invited to speak (brown, 2007). moreover, djiwandono (2008) adds the ability to speak is the ability to express one’s thoughts and content through the sounds of language and mailto:nininherlina@trilogi.ac.id ninin herlina improving english speaking ability through hypnocative speech method 178 words composed in complete language arrangements, such as phrases, sentences, and longer verbal discourses such as stories, speeches, etc. speech ability can be enhanced with hypnocative speech method. hypnocative speech stands for hypnosis technology for mastering communicative speech. hypnosis itself comes from the word hypnos which means sleep, but hypnosis itself is not sleep (wong & hakim, 2009). hypnocative speech is found based on the experience in producing speech through hypnosis style. hypnocative speech is english communication training by using hypnosis and nlp (neuro linguistic programming) technology (hidayat, 2013). hypnosis provides enjoy condition in relaxing the feel and mind. hypnosis is a state of focused concentration and natural relaxation, that is how to relax and override the conscious mind (conscious mind, the will) as well as move the subconscious mind (subconcious mind) (goldberg, 2007). figure 1. hypnocative speech procedure (hidayat, 2013) in the level of 'unlocked your potential', a teacher must formulate what positive things are the key to strengthening students to learn english. besides, it also explores various obstacles found when learning english. in subconscious competence, the subconscious will produce more things that are put into the mind. so, suggesting positive, uplifting things for self-development is better. neuro linguistics programming was introduced by bandler physicist and professor of linguistics named dr. john grinder. both combine the concept of language skills in the method of programming the nerves of each individual (ghannoe, 2010). in the same book, nlp is defined as a science that studies the behavior of the human brain and how we use it, either to improve our thinking capacity or to communicate with others. the activity of human thinking is very important in determining the ability of a person to communicate because the balance of real brain work must be combined with the smooth motor in response. while in the process of neuro linguistics programming, students are very important to stimulate themselves into what they want to be. here, there will be anchor stage and modeling. anchoring language can be interpreted as anchoring, tethering, or approach. yet, in the context of this nlp, the anchoring here is only a metaphor of the language used in nlp to refer to one of the methods in nlp. in nlp, anchoring is one method of communication that uses a certain way so that the other person "does not go anywhere", stay focused and pegged to the origin or the base of the conversation. these ways can be words, sounds, smells, mood, view or gestures. this anchoring becomes the formula of each student in learning to manage their own potential in the best way or in accordance with the ability of students in learning. in modeling, the student will determine how he needs to appear to master the situation. the circumstances give effect to the students to be able to master the material to be conveyed, for example when students learn english then he will try to find a suitable subconscious competence unlocked your potential communicative language learner receptive & productive skill neuro linguistic programming english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 179 model, whether a presenter who fluent in english or a fluent lecturer give an explanation in english. the next process embodied in the hypnocative sequence is receptive and productive skill. in this stage, someone is certain to have been able to practice and speak in english. receptive that is all the steps that must be passed by students and continuously programmed subconscious mind to form a special ability, as in the stages of neuro linguistics programming. here, students are really trained and transposed to form the ability of self with full of spirit. only then becomes easy in communication or productive skill formed. mantika is one of the institutions of english course that has been using hypnocative speech method as an effort to improve students’ ability in learning english. in the preliminary observations conducted in mantika as a foreign language training institute, the state of adults who have gained knowledge in formal educational institutions do not have enough ability to speak english in the real world or just make english as a communication tool with friends. hypnocative speech method is used since it can explore the neurological factors which can balance the study with the management of motivation. therefore, this research tries to identify the effectiveness of using hypnocative speech method to improve students’ english speaking ability. method the approaches used in this research were both quantitative and qualitative approach. this research used kemmis and mctaggart model to conduct action research on improving english speaking ability through hypnocative speech method. this action research was carried out in two cycles in which each cycle consists of four phases of planning, action, observation, and reflection. this research involved students of employees’ class in mantika with a total of 15 students consisting of 6 female students and 11 male students. the study was conducted during the course schedule, i.e., tuesday night and friday night. then, the data collection techniques used are: observation, questionnaire, test, teacher's diary, observer’s daily journal, interviews, and audiotape recordings. moreover, the criteria of success in this study is if 80% of the subjects were able to speak english with a total score of at least 70 or adjusted to the guidelines of the institution of the course and the average number determined is 15 points for the minimum score, while for the maximum average score is equal to 20 points, this is adjusted with the determination of success criteria in mantika. results and discussion the pre-test score was obtained from the test given at the beginning of the meeting to the students. in this pre test, the highest score was 15 and the lowest was 10. the results indicated that the students' english speaking ability was still far from the standard of success criteria determined by the researcher based on the mantika institute assessment guide. cycle i the first cycle was done with a total of four meetings. each meeting lasts for 120 minutes consisting of teaching and learning activities, student portfolio (self evaluation, self reflection and impression of teaching and learning process), analysis and reflection. at the end of the first cycle, the instructor described the procedure in hypnocative speech method. as a follow up step, instructors and collaborators inventoried and responded to suggestions provided by students. the suggestions given by the students were used as the basis for planning in the second cycle. improved capabilities were kept in line with the signs which include accents, grammar, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension. the first meeting is a continuation of the research process after the researchers made observations. at this meeting, the collaborators and instructors discussed about the lesson plan. collaborators and instructors agreed to enter the classroom together during the learning process. instructors entered the class on time at 07.00 p.m. at this meeting, the instructor opened the meeting with a motivational greeting and ninin herlina improving english speaking ability through hypnocative speech method 180 buzzing passionate phrases in english. instructors encouraged students by introducing hypnocative methods as a suitable method for improving english language skills. the instructor explained that speaking is an important ability in learning english. this meeting is a preliminary meeting in teaching and learning that lasts for approximately 120 minutes. at this inaugural meeting, the instructor delivered the material on 'personal mastery (introduction)'. the instructor asked students to mention the desired target scale from 1 to 10, the purpose of life, used for what, etc. the instructor also explained what is expected to achieve from each level of the elementary until the advanced level (target scale per level). in this session, the instructor performed a placement test to determine the level of ability of each student. students are able to measure their current ability and what will be achieved afterwards. this placement test is conducted by distributing paper questions to all students and students directed to solve a numbered problem. the instructor noted the basic assumption of constraints that are often experienced by english learners. two things to sort out are the constraints of software and hardware. constraints software of english learners consists of shy, unconfident, afraid of making mistake, uncomfortable, able to understand but can not express, etc. in contrast, the constraints of hardware consist of tenses, vocabulary, listening, speaking, reading, and writing. these basic constraints must be solved by using hypnocative speech method in learning english. instructors described how the human brain is very sophisticated (amazing human brain). this knowledge is known as super memory, which explains the theory of brain intelligence and introduces the concept of nlp anchoring over symbols such as yellow flags, red lights, mathematics, and so forth. this explanation is very important to dissect the sophistication of the human brain and give hypnosis to every student that all human beings have great potential to improve english proficiency. after delivering the material at length, students were asked to respond to the basic spirit of learning english. students were required to mention the purpose of learning english by using english as best as they can. each student must also mention the perceived obstacles in each of them as well as mention firmly and loudly the expected target after following the learning by using hypnocative speech method. the instructor listened carefully to what each participant was delivering while giving input or assisting students in expressing ideas in english. after all the students expressed their ideas one by one, the instructor gave feedback and reassurance that the students need not have any doubts or concerns in expressing their ideas because learning the language must be courageous to speak. just speak and practice. the last 15 minutes were used to do relaxation. each student took a special chair and lay down on the chair. the instructor rotated the relaxation music and turned off the lights so as to create a quiet class condition. the instructor started his hypnosis sentence by constantly speaking and directing the subconscious of the students to relax, calmly and instill in their minds that they can speak english fluently. they have tried to speak english well and correctly. the fourth meeting was the same as the previous meeting, lasting for 120 minutes. however, at this meeting, instructors and collaborators tested the capabilities achieved from the first meeting to the third meeting referred to as the first cycle. this is important as it is a benchmark to know the smoothness, accuracy, vocabulary, and mastery in speaking. besides, it was also done to find out how far the progress of students during the teaching-learning process and the extent to which students master the material that has been taught and learned during cycle 1. the results of the assessment were combined between the assessment of the instructor's collaborative assessment. the results of the assessment are depicted in table 1. at the end of the first cycle, the instructor described the procedure in hypnocative speech method. instructors have much to say about the substance that is expected of the hypnosis english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 181 process to improve students’ speaking ability and train them to be truly confident. students also always ask for stimulus and guidance to the instructor to develop more sentences in english and increase their vocabulary in every meeting. table 1. test results of speech capability in cycle i no. name of objects aspects of assessment total a g v f c 1. object x1 3 2 4 3 3 15 2. object x2 3 2 3 2 2 12 3. object x3 3 3 4 2 4 16 4. object x4 3 4 4 2 3 16 5. object x5 4 3 4 4 3 18 6. object x6 3 3 4 3 3 16 7. object x7 3 3 4 3 3 16 8. object x8 3 3 4 2 3 15 9. object x9 3 2 4 3 3 15 10. object x10 3 3 3 3 3 15 11. object x11 3 3 3 2 3 15 12. object x12 4 3 4 2 3 16 13. object x13 4 3 4 3 3 17 14. object x14 3 4 4 3 4 18 15. object x15 4 3 4 3 3 17 total 236 average 15.73 the result of speech test in cycle i showed that the highest score was 18 points and the lowest score was 15 points. from the results of the test cycle i, it was seen that there were five students whose value reaches a minimum standard. there were 10 students whose value has reached above standard. in this cycle, there has been an improvement in students' english speaking ability. however, researchers continued to take action in the second cycle as an effort to strengthen the ability to speak english. based on the quantitative analysis using ttest for non independent samples at the end of cycle-1, it was obtained t-test 7.27. the t-table value at the level α 0.05 with n = 15 was 1.75. thus, since the value of t-test was greater than t-table, then the test result was stated very significant. it can be concluded that there was a difference or an increase between the initial test result and the final test result of cycle i on english language proficiency test in mantika language center. based on the results of reflection in the first cycle, a class action plan was planned for the second cycle. in this action plan, the instructor prepared the lesson plans that were used to carry out the learning in accordance with the steps that had been set. cycle ii based on the results of the reflection on the first cycle, a class action plan was planned for the second cycle. in this action plan, the instructor prepared the lesson plans that were used to carry out the learning in accordance with the steps that have been set. implementation of action in this second cycle is a continuation of the first cycle. learning in the first cycle was not yet reached the set standard. thus, it is considered necessary to continue to the next cycle. learning in the second cycle was held in three meetings and one meeting to conduct test. implementation of action in cycle ii is a re-training of cycle i with different materials and held in two meetings a week. the learning materials were about super memory, the introduction of quick tenses mastery, quick tenses mastery simple past, quick tenses mastery simple present, quick tenses mastery simple future, and practicing quick tenses mastery. at the end of the second cycle, students had been able to conceptualize and up date information with good sentences. students asked for many stimuli that can develop their speaking skills. the instructor was able to manage the class well. ninin herlina improving english speaking ability through hypnocative speech method 182 as a follow-up step, instructors and collaborators inventoried and responded to suggestions provided by the students. the enhanced capabilities were kept in line with the signs mentioned earlier, which include accents, grammar, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension. the researchers and collaborators then perform data tabulation as an overview of the student's ability to speak during the second cycle. table 2. test results of speech capability in cycle 2 while the results of speech test in cycle ii showed that the highest score was 22 points and the lowest score was 18 points. from the results of the test cycle ii, it was seen that students had experienced improvement in the ability to speak with the acquisition of test scores reached maximum standards. thus, it showed that the students' condition improved for the better. based on the quantitative analysis, it was obtained t-count 30.13. the t-table value at the level α 0.05 with n = 15 was 1.75. thus, since the value of t-test was greater than t-table, then the test result was stated very significant. it can be concluded that there was a difference or an increase between the initial test results with the final test result of cycle ii on the english language proficiency test in mantika language center. in the second cycle, it was proved that the improvement of students' english speaking ability had increased along with the maximal level of action in combining the learning method by using hypnocative speech method. this step further answers the hypothesis that the application of hypnocative speech method increased the students’ ability to speak english at mantika language institute. conclusion implementation of learning by using hypnocative speech method in improving students' english speaking ability of mantika language center tebet run well and smoothly. initially, it is still experiencing difficulties and has not run effectively. however, after running 4 meetings in cycle i and entering cycle ii, the learning by using hypnocative speech method can run smoothly and interesting. the actions taken in each cycle are performed by students with enthusiasm and full motivation. here, the students began to actively participate in the teaching and learning process. the students have already understood about the benefits of hypnocative speech method in learning. the hypnocative speech method included several techniques that were integrated into it and it can improve students' english speaking ability. this was indicated by an increase in the number of students who had increased their ability to speak from cycle i to cycle ii. the increase occurred in the students' speaking no. name of objects aspects of assessment total a g v f c 1. object x1 3 4 4 4 3 18 2. object x2 3 4 4 4 3 18 3. object x3 3 4 5 3 4 19 4. object x4 3 4 5 4 4 20 5. object x5 4 3 5 4 4 20 6. object x6 4 4 4 4 4 20 7. object x7 5 3 4 4 3 19 8. object x8 4 4 4 4 3 19 9. object x9 5 4 4 4 5 22 10. object x10 3 3 5 4 3 18 11. object x11 4 5 5 3 4 21 12. object x12 5 3 5 4 3 20 13. object x13 5 3 4 4 3 19 14. object x14 3 4 4 4 4 19 15. object x15 5 3 4 3 4 19 total 291 average 19.4 english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 183 ability that was from 14.77 percent in the first cycle and reached 17.2 percent in the second cycle. thus, there was a significant increase from cycle i to cycle ii. in the second cycle, it was proved that the improvement of students' english speaking ability had increased along with the maximal level of action in combining the learning method by using hypnocative speech method. this step further answers the hypothesis that the application of hypnocative speech method increased the students’ ability to speak english at mantika language institute. references brown, d. (2007). language assessment: principles and classroom practice. white plains, ny:pearson education. bygate, m. (2001). researching pedagogic tasks: second language learning, teaching, and testing. uk: longman. harmer, j. (2001). the practice of language teaching. white plains, ny: pearson education. harmer, j. (2000). how to teach english. london: longman. heaton, j. b. (1989). writing english language test. london: longman. kember, d. (2000). action learning and action research: improving the quality of teaching and learning. london: biddles ltd. nunan, d. (1992). research methods in language learning. cambridge: cambridge university press. sugandi, a. (2004). teori pembelajaran. semarang: upt mkk unnes. tarigan, h. g. (1985). berbicara sebagai suatu keterampilan berbahasa. bandung: angkasa. valette, r. m. (1967). modern language testing. new york: harcourt brace javanovich. ninin herlina improving english speaking ability through hypnocative speech method 184 analysis of presidential inaugural addresses using searle’s taxonomy of speech acts paulus widiatmoko universitas kristen duta wacana yogyakarta, indonesia e-mail: widiatmoko@staff.ukdw.ac.id apa citation: widiatmoko, p. (2017). analysis of presidential inaugural addresses using searle‟s taxonomy of speech acts. english review: journal of english education, 5(2), 275-282 received: 10-04-2017 accepted: 12-05-2017 published: 01-06-2017 abstract: this study analyzes the performance of searle‟ speech acts in presidential inaugural addresses. five presidential inaugural addresses taken as the samples of this study were analyzed using searle‟s speech act taxonomy and different distinctive features of illocutionary acts. the findings of this study revealed the frequency and comparison of the speech act performance. each inaugural address possessed distinctive characteristics influenced by sociopolitical, economic, and historical situation of the countries. in addition, some commonalities in relation to the performance of searle‟s speech act taxonomy were also observed. keywords: speech acts, taxonomy, presidential inaugural address introduction the study of how people speak and write about the world has been an important part of social science of language. searle‟s work is a part of the study of language, especially of what can be called the philosophy of language. as it is known that the focus has been on performance of the speech acts, its investigation from the starting point of social science concerns with explaining social behavior. acting by speaking or acting by other means have important aspects in common. in the words of john searl: “a theory of language is part of a theory of action, simply because speaking is a rule-governed form of behavior” (searle, 1969, p. 17). keifer and bierwisch (1980) state that the theory of speech acts starts with the assumption that the minimal unit of human communication is not sentence or other expression, but rather the performance of certain kinds of acts, such as making statements, asking questions, giving orders, describing, explaining, apologizing, thinking, congratulating, and some other language functions. accordingly, searle (1969) states that speech act theory is concerned with the use of language to do things and it provides a universal characterization between „uttering‟ and „doing‟. searle‟s taxonomy of speech acts is said to be the improvement of austin classifications of verdictives, exercitives, commisives, expositives, and behabitives. therefore, searle (1979) comes up with five categories of what he calls illocutionary acts, namely: 1. assertives. searle puts it: “the point or purpose of the members of the assertive class is to commit the speaker to something‟s being the case” (searle 1979, p. 12). assertives can be found true or false. they are speech acts because the speaker wants the hearer to believe that the speaker believes what he says about the world, and thus the speaker performs a speech act. examples are stating, complaining, and claiming. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v5i2.542 275 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 2. directives, which are attempted by the speaker to get the hearer to do something. they can be modest, such as ask or strong such as order. 3. commissives. the point of these speech acts is to commit the speaker to some future course of action. examples are promising and offering. 4. expressives. they express the speaker‟s psychological attitude towards a state of affairs that the illocution presupposes. examples are thanking, congratulating, and apologizing. 5. declaratives: when successfully performed these speech acts brings about the correspondence between the propositional content and reality. the saying is the doing, like „you are fired‟ or „i resign‟. such utterances often include „hereby‟, to emphasize this effect. the above conceptions of differentiating speech acts serve as the framework of this study. on the other hand, inaugural address in this paper is seen as a communicative event involving the new president to deliver his/her speech to the whole nation and the world. the term inaugural refers to „marking of a beginning” (http://www.merriam-webster.com). a presidential inaugural address cannot be detached from its political nature. harrison and tony (2003) claim that politics is primarily about the acquisition and maintenance of power. it is further stated that power is inherent in the relationship between individuals, groups, the state and a wide range of what are known as „actors‟ in international politics. in other words, the actors of this event are the president as the one conveying the speech, the people of the country and the whole world as the audience. baumeister in miller and stiles (1986) claims that the two central selfpresentational, among others, concerns of pleasing the audience and constructing a public self. thus, speeches are seen as a means to convey their relative power or status, and their intimacy, closeness, and solidarity. another scholar, bourdieu as cited in kvasny and truex (2001), proposes that slogans, commentaries, commitments, and promises are often used by politicians to form a labor of representation by which they attempt to construct and impose a particular view of the world while at the same time they attempt to mobilize support of those upon whom their power ultimately depends. the content delivered can be interpreted as containing a very crucial point for the new elected president to begin his/her leadership. specifically, it marks an ending of the previous president‟s term and the transfer of power from one president to the next. regarding to this context, a presidential inaugural address then might be categorized as a political speech in which the agents seek to form and transform their vision of the world and thereby the world itself. words become actions and the symbolic character of power is at stake (bourdieu in kvasny & truex, 2001). taking the above concept of presidential inaugural address to the framework of philosophy of language, therefore this study is designed to answer the following questions: 1. what speech acts performed in the presidential inaugural addresses? 2. what commonalities and differences identified in (relation to) the application of speech acts in the inaugural addresses? method as stated previously, this study analyzed performance of speech acts of the corpus data from the presidential inaugural addresses using searle‟s taxonomy. five inaugural addresses were chosen based on the availability of the script and possibly the streaming audio or video of the inaugural addresses in the internet as not every country publishes them. certainly, other considerations such as different features 276 paulus widiatmoko analysis of presidential inaugural addresses using searle’s taxonomy of speech acts comprising sociopolitical contexts, and availability of resources for analyzing the context were also taken into account. the five presidents are the president of country a (abbreviated as gwb), country b (gma), country c (sby), country d (nm), and country e (csb). the performance of their speech acts were identified and classified using searle‟s taxonomy of the speech acts. however, some utterances were not easily classified. therefore, as it has been described earlier concerning the importance of other factors and context in the interpretation of speech act performance, examinations of experiential, relational and expressive values of the words, terms or expressions used by the presidents in their inaugural address were conducted where necessary. the necessity depends on some extent with the sufficiency of clues and context that contribute and underlie the interpretation. taken from critical discourse analysis (norman, 1989), by examining at experiential values, the analysis attempts to show how „the text producer‟s experience of the natural or social world‟ and is shown in a text. a person‟s views of the world can be identified by assessing formal features with experiential value. relational values may identify the perceived social relationship between the producer of the text and its recipient. the third dimension, expressive value, provides an insight into „the producer‟s evaluation (in the widest sense) of the bit of the reality it relates to.‟ linguistically, those clues partly might be drawn from the usage of certain terms, words, or expressions that make up the general schemes or contrasted ideas or ideology in the discourse. each occurrence of the speech act performance was identified and a descriptive analysis was then applied to identify the most frequently performed speech act for each inaugural address. finally, the findings were compared to draw commonalities and differences in relation to the speech acts and context contributing to the performance. results and discussion discussion of the findings in the subsequent sections would reveal the frequency of the speech acts performance and relate them with the context of each country. commonalities and differences shown by the inaugural address were then could be analyzed. table 1. speech acts of gma inaugural address illocutionary acts n % assertive 26 23.85 directive 35 32.11 commisive 45 41.28 expressive 3 2.75 declarative 0 0.00 total 109 table 1 portrays the total number of speech acts performed by president gma in her inaugural address. from the findings, it can be inferred that the most frequently performed speech act was commissive which is slightly above 40%. it is identified that gma performed 45 commissive speech acts ranging from providing job opportunities to resolving past political events at edsa i, ii, and iii. concerning to directive speech acts, gma mainly encouraged and asked components of the nation to work together, to unify, and to dismantle obstacles for the development of the country. furthermore, gma also asked the citizen to pay taxes and invite investors 277 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee to conduct their business. in relation to assertive speech act, gma performed slightly above 23% of showing her commitment to the truth of the expressed proposition covering various topics. table 2. speech acts of gwb inaugural address illocutionary acts n % assertive 96 68.09 directive 26 18.44 commisive 18 12.77 expressive 1 0.71 declarative 0 0.00 total 141 table 2 exemplifies the percentages of speech acts as performed by president gwb. as it can be seen, the president, to some degree, committed himself to the truth of his proposition in almost 69% of the total speech acts performed. moreover, less than fifteen percent of the speech acts deal with committing himself and the government to future actions. small percentages were identified in the performance of expressive speech acts. table 3. speech act of sby inaugural address illocutionary acts n % assertive 50 46.30 directive 20 18.52 commisive 26 24.07 expressive 12 11.11 declarative 0 0.00 total 108 table 3 exemplifies types of speech acts performed by president sby. as can be inferred from the table, sby performed almost half of the total speech acts as statements that can be measured in terms of true and false. in this type of speech act, sby exemplified the success of general election, the hard working general election commission, the national principles, the country current democracy, and other issues. furthermore, above twenty percent of his speech acts deal with his commitment for future action dealing with national issues and problems. however, in some of this speech acts, instead of stating himself for doing the action, he used the term „my administration‟ which refers to the government. as commonly can be seen on the other inaugural address, the sby also performs directive speech acts mainly containing encouragement to work together in maintaining unity and achieving the national goals. furthermore, the percentage of expressive speech acts are performed by this president is almost equal to the ones performed by another president (nm). table 4. speech act of nm inaugural address illocutionary acts n % assertive 22 50.00 directive 10 22.73 278 paulus widiatmoko analysis of presidential inaugural addresses using searle’s taxonomy of speech acts commisive 7 15.91 expressive 5 11.36 declarative 0 0.00 total 44 the numbers of speech acts performed by president nm are not as many as the other because of the length of the inaugural address. as portrayed in table 4, half of the speech acts performed belong to the assertive type. in this speech act, nm conveyed his proposition and beliefs on south african situation related to the history and the country‟s future hope. then, slightly above than 22% of the speech acts are directives and slightly under 16% belong to commissives. in contrast, more than 10% of the total speech acts performed relate to his expressions of psychological state. table 5. speech act performance of csb inaugural address illocutionary acts n % assertive 119 74.84 directive 21 13.21 commisive 14 8.81 expressive 5 3.14 declarative 0 0.00 total 159 president csb performed almost 75% on assertive type of speech acts. he mainly delivered the history, development, and future of taiwan as a new independent country. as it is described in the table, the gap between the assertive speech act and the other ones were very big. table 6. comparative percentage of the five presidents’ speech act performance illocutionary acts gma gwb sby nm csb assertive 23.85 68.09 46.30 50.00 74.84 directive 32.11 18.44 18.52 22.73 13.21 commisive 41.28 12.77 24.07 15.91 8.81 expressive 2.75 0.71 11.11 11.36 3.14 declarative 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 based on the table above, it is observed that none of the presidents performed declarative speech act. similarities are also identified concerning the performance of assertive speech acts for four of the presidents; gwb, sby, nm, and csb. the other speech acts are found out varied in the percentage of their performance. in his inaugural address, gwb exemplified and announced to the world that his country really concerns to fight for liberty and freedom. in conveying the idealism, gwb at the early part of the speech stated his proposition that what he intended to struggle had been started by their predecessors. then, it was also observed that he mentioned certain key phrases repeatedly, over and over again, centering on the god-given mandate of the country to intervene anywhere in the world to advance the cause of “freedom.” in the 20-minutes speech, the president uttered the words “free” or “freedom” 34 times, and the 279 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee word “liberty” 12 times. as can be inferred from the finding of this study, the use of those terms, as contrasted with the term tyranny, obviously signifies the major schemes of the inaugural address in which most of the assertive speech act deal with their idealism and rhetoric of free nation and liberty. another interesting finding is related to gwb performance of the other searle‟s speech acts. it was observed that other speech acts were put under the framework of his idealism of creating the world free from oppression and tyranny. after series of assertive speech acts on that idealism, bush clearly emphasized that the country would struggle for liberty and freedom for the people in other countries. concerning this commissive speech act, among others he stated, “all who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the country will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors.” the idealism of freedom was also directed to its citizens in the form of commissive speech acts that they would extend this vision by reforming great institutions to serve the needs of their time. the subsequent performance of commissive speech acts specified this promise more by giving highest standard to schools, building ownership society and widening home and business, retirement of saving, and health insurance. furthermore, his performance of directive speech acts could inferred in the context of the above idealism as he put, “ i ask the youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes... make the choices to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself…” putting himself to the fulfillment of propositions for the country, gwb finally stated, “…we will give our fellows the citizens greater freedom from want and fear, make our society more prosperous, just, and equal.” unlike gwb, different schemes were identified in gma and sby inaugural addresses. in her speech, in which on majority consists of commissive speech act, gma after expressing her gratitude immediately conveyed her promises to people of the country. the commissive speech acts performed by gma were observed as the ones in which the achievement are observable and could be measured. some of her promises among other deal with providing more job opportunities, providing loans for entrepreneurs, expanding agriculture lands, and other benefits. traced back to the country in 2001, one of the prominent newspaper in the country stated that there are five fundamental problems faced by this country, namely poverty, a non-performing economy a debased education, law and order (lack of absence) and graft and corruption (benigno & benigno, 2001). in other words, it seems obvious why those agendas were put into priorities and raised as the major issues in gma inaugural address. similar to gma, sby also performed a lot of commissive speech acts, although the percentage was not that much. however, different agendas obviously underlie this fifth of the country president‟s inaugural address. it seems that sby attempted to accomplish reconciliation for various groups and communities in the country. sby right at the beginning related his inaugural event with the general election and his expressive speech acts for the government as they had successfully held the general election. then, it was followed by commissive speech act to preserve brotherhood with the president. partly, the performance of these speech acts could be traced back to the atmosphere of competition during the general election after the country‟s second president era. at the 1999‟s general election, there were around 48 parties participated (used to be 3 big parties) and it was acknowledged as the first democratic general election in the country (the jakarta post, 2001). the next general election in 2004 was also markedly the country‟s great achievement for democracy learning since was the first direct general election. the election is conducted by choosing not from the political parties but 280 paulus widiatmoko analysis of presidential inaugural addresses using searle’s taxonomy of speech acts directly the individuals to be seated in certain political institutions for the president. furthermore, the fact that there are numbers of groups entitling different tribes, political parties, and religions urge the necessities to be accommodated and collaborated. aside from what has been stated earlier, this intention can also be seen from his speech acts of directives that in almost all of these illocutionary acts he appears to emphasize togetherness and collaborative works by means of pronoun us, we, or the ones involving himself and other components of the nation. some examples of these would be, “it is the time for us to walk together, we have passed our moment of competition, now it is time for unity, we must overcome this problem together, and other similar tones. even, at the other part of his address he stated, “with the mandate i received from you, i am determined to be become, not only the president of the country c, but also the president of all of the people, all of the country people.” as has been stated in the finding of this study, president nm performed speech acts of assertive in fifty percents of his total speech acts. conveying his concepts of liberty and being the owner of their own land, the speech acts cannot be detached from his political struggle against the racial discrimination practiced in his country. nm spent 27 years in prison on convictions for crimes that included sabotage committed when he struggled against apartheid (yadav, 2007). the concept of freedom is observed in both inaugural address delivered by gwb and nm. however, different from gwb‟s concept, the proposition of freedom in nm inaugural address can be inferred to build patriotism, feeling of togetherness, and gratitude for being freed from racism and apartheid. thirty four occurrences of pronominal we and the ones referring to it (us, our) signify the feeling of being one destiny experiencing hard time in the past. furthermore, his performance of speech acts mostly can be inferred back to their past history. at the end of the speech, it is clearly observed that, through directive speech acts, nm invited the collaborative participation of south african to work together, develop their nation as the ideal one based on their past experiences. sharing some similar features as country d (nm), country e had been struggled for its independence from china. on march 2000 presidential race, voters elected pro-independence candidate csb of the democratic progressive party, ending more than 50 years of nationalist rule (chu, 2008). therefore, most of the assertive speech acts performed in the inaugural speech reflected historical and current situation of taiwan as well as the future expectation of the country. aside from what has been presented, some points are worth to note related to other commonalities of searle‟s speech act performance. first, to some degree it was observed that speech acts were performed by all of the presidents to affirm national principles, linking their history to their present situation, reconstituting people and groups, and presenting national policy of administration. second, the series of speech act performance appeared to be arranged to show coherence of the idea presented. for instance, assertive speech acts on national principles and history were commonly performed prior to directive or commissive ones to ascertain their strength. conclusion an inaugural address as a starting point for the elected president to lead the country and run the government certainly marks an important event as it represents the president‟s vision on many crucial issues, conveys the government agendas, and moreover builds his/her establishment to the whole country and the world. reactions, criticism, and comments toward what the content of the speech show its significance 281 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee towards socioeconomic and political situation of the country. observing the status of the speaker and the listeners in the event, then the language used in the inaugural address serves not only to announce the existence of the new president, but also to perform various illocutionary acts. searle‟s taxonomy of speech acts seem to be able to provide analysis of what the president mean and trying to say. the contexts, historical and current conditions, indeed contribute in providing foundation towards the analysis. therefore, combining some features of other analysis such as critical discourse analysis (cda) in the framework of speech act study appears to give more comprehensive examination of various interrelated aspects in the discourse. further investigation employing cda would likely contribute to the richness of discourse analysis study in this field. references benigno, g., & benigno, p. (2001). monetary policy rules and the exchange rate. cepr discussion paper no 2087. chu, y. h. (2008). taiwan in 2007: the waiting game. asian survey, 48(1), 124-132. harrison, & tony. (2003). understanding political ideas and movement. new york: manchester university press. kvasny, l., & truex, d. (2001). defining away the digital divide: a content analysis of institutional influences on popular representations of technology. in realigning research and practice in information systems development (399414). us: springer. miller, n. l., & stiles, w. b. (1986). verbal familiarity in american presidential nomination acceptance speeches and inaugural addresses (1920-1981). social psychology quarterly, 72-81. norman, f. (1989). language and power. new york: longman. searle, j. r. (1969). speech acts: an essay in the philosophy of language. cambridge: cambridge university press. searle. (1979). expression and meaning. cambridge: cambridge university press. yadav, a. k. (2007). nelson mandela and the process of reconciliation in south africa. india quarterly, 63(4), 49-84. 282 paulus widiatmoko analysis of presidential inaugural addresses using searle’s taxonomy of speech acts english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee endorsing sense of identity for college students’ english language performance yuehong wei li zhang department of english, north china electric power university, baoding, china email: wyh231@163.com apa citation: yuehong, w., & zhang, l. (2016). teaching research of college students’ sense of identity in regular class. english review: journal of english education, 5(1), 149-158 received: 06-10-2016 accepted: 11-11-2016 published: 01-12-2016 abstract: triggered by the lack of students’ sense of identity in english regular class effects their language achievement, this research aimed at developing a kind of teaching mode for building students’ sense of identity with a series of teaching activities. targeted at 55 nonenglish major students for one semester, the experiment was to explain the effectiveness of this kind of mode in endorsing student’s sense of identity. here, the researcher used teaching observation and students’ feedback to collect the data. it revealed that the kind of mode can help improve students’ sense of identity, intrigue their interest, and improve their english learning efficiency. keywords: sense of identity, college english, regular class, english class, teaching research introduction sense of identity, also called identification is a kind of complicated mental phenomenon. among researches about sense of identity in china, scholars usually interpret sense of identity as the concept of internalization or concept of imitation and regard it as the change of emotions, attitude and cognition (wang, 1998). currently, researches show that engineering major students are low in sense of identity and they have no sense of achievement or interest during english classes so that they are unable to meet the basic requirement of english class whether from the point of cognition, emotion or attitude. especially for freshmen who are forced to learn english for college entrance examination, their attitude toward english learning have been changed since they feel less stressful when entering college. according students’ sense of identity has been much lower and they have little confidence, therefore, they lack enthusiasm and sense of achievement. besides, since the number of students has been much higher and teachers fail to supervise and guide each student just as teachers do in high school, students could not fully concentrate on classes. for some students, they can pass the cet4 by cramming for it, while some students just fail it. for teachers, they have the responsibility to guide students to solve this kind of problem. vygotsky(1978) held that the development of advanced cognitive function depends on the interaction between human and society and the negotiating relationship between language and other sociocultural products. that is to say, people’s cognitive activities are mediated through the cultural products and symbols and 149 http://cn.bing.com/dict/search?q=cognition&form=bdvsp6&mkt=zh-cn yuehong wei & li zhang endorsing sense of identity for college students’ english language performance are to be developed, which is the central part of mediation. according to lantolf and thorne(2006), the mediation in l2 learning refers to:1) the mediation in the social interaction with other (interpersonal mediation or other regulation); 2) the mediation by artifacts or object regulation; 3) the mediation through private speech as mediation by self or self-regulation. the zone of proximal development(zpd) refers to the distance between the learner’s language level dependent on self and the level developed under the help of cooperative assistant (lantolf & thorne, 2006).zpd is adapted to the human cognitive development process and can guide the teaching. but it is difficult to be applied to the practice. scaffolding theory refers to the cooperative behavior between any adult or child and experts or novice (lantolf & thorne, 2007). wertsch (1985) put forward that scaffolding theory is the interaction between peers or a collective unit. this theory combined with the zpd can be applied to the teaching process and can guide the learners to develop their cognitive ability. in this study, sense of identity is students’ emotion and attitude towards english learning, which belongs to social identity. according to the theory of social psychology, sense of identity consists of recognition, emotion and attitude (zhang & jin, 1996). therefore, teacher should focus on the improvement of recognition, development of emotion and building of confidence when conducting teaching activities. guided by social-cultural theory including the three main concepts introduced above, teachers should attach great importance to the role of english as bridge and platform, as well as the role of zone of proximal development. method the subjects of the experiment are 55 freshmen of the second semester. students are divided into the regular class according to their normal or poor performance despite the fact that some of them may get high grades by chance. some of the students are of high learning motivation, while other students, and though with good knowledge in english, are of low motivation and lacking the sense of identity. the teaching materials of the experiment are thenew horizon college english, cet-4 special training text paper and english vocabulary of new oriental, and questionnaire of the teaching performance. english classes are twice a week and two class hours for each class. the experiment design includes the holding of the seminar about students’ attitude toward english. after one week, teachers find that students are inactive and even indifferent towards classes and homework. after negotiation between teachers and students, the themes of the second seminar are about “is english learning important?”, “what should we do during classes?”, “how should we overcome the difficulties of english learning?”, “do students have their learning target?” teachers can assign some homework within students’ reach, for instance, dictation with english explanation, dictation of cet-4 vocabularies which should be corrected every time by mutual correction among students or the selective correction by teachers; presentation of each unit, discussion on a certain topic which aims to lead students to learn new knowledge, build confidence and strengthen their sense of identity, english debate to inspire students’ potential. in order to get a better interaction between students and teachers, the reflection journals are 150 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee requested for twice. most of them wrote the journal in chinese and some of them wrote them in english. for the purpose of analysis in the research paper, all the reflection journals in chinese have been translated into english (shown in appendix i). results and discussion collecting data by written and oral feedback from students and monitoring students’ learning outcomes by observation during classes. during the seminar, some students think that teachers are too strict with them compared with the first semester and feel it hard to adapt to. whatever purpose behind the words, it does cause a great responding among students. teachers positively acknowledge the fact and lead students by posing the question that what’s the consequence without any pressure. for this question, most students say that they only think about the great trouble left by heavy homework instead of its consequences. they hold that they are confused about the role of english in their future career and do not want to devote themselves to it. when asked about whether they want to pass cet-4 this semester, most students give a positive answer since they could only get their academic degree with the cet-4 certificate. in fact, some students are able to pass the exam by hard working while others are in great trouble. given their current performance, whether students with good or poor english, there is a high possibility that they won’t pass it. after fierce discussion, students come to the conclusion that they will suffer great losses if they do not change their attitude towards english learning. they should know that they learn english for themselves instead of teachers. both teachers and students are fulfilling their duties, one for teaching and another for learning. after the discussion, students have changed their attitude and emotions. students who are hard-working have been praised and students who are a little inactive have realize the consequence of their inappropriate behavior. it proves that self-adjustment of students is better than the push or the compulsory measures of teachers. homework should be within students reach. for instance, word dictation can give students great encouragement. even though students only get several words right, they will be encouraged and feel that they can make further improvement. some students talk with teachers that they find dictation is not that difficult and they are even anticipated for it. for presentation, students can get the topic they are interested in and get more exercise. after the accumulation of achievement, students can get comprehensive improvement. for regular homework, students need to write 5-7 pages’ words with a4 paper and teachers will check whether students have memorized those words by dictation. for some students who are unwilling to cooperate, teachers will take a flexible attitude. if you can memorize all words, it does not matter whether you write it or not. after two weeks’ practice, some students require that they want to follow this kind of training and even insist on it for the whole semester. for teachers, they should provide a good platform and help students develop good learning habit. the basis for the development of sense of identity is that students have realized the vital role they have played in english learning. english debate help students enjoy their time and enhance their confidence. since it puts a high requirement on 151 yuehong wei & li zhang endorsing sense of identity for college students’ english language performance students’ english ability, english debate is held on the end of each semester. while debate rules and relevant sentence structure will be told to students in advance so that they can make better preparation and know how to be logical. students are positive but not confident about the debate. debaters will be divided into two teams and the top debater of each team will give a conclusion after each team member expresses their own opinion in english separately. debate relies on the clarity of words and logic of thinking. as the carrier of debate, english plays very significant role and acts as the tool for checking students’ english learning. some students are even surprised that they should debate in english and it has strengthened their confidence and sense of identity. students’ written feedback (see appendix i) shows that they have initially built their sense of identity and the reasons are as follows: 1. common efforts of both students and teachers. at first, some students felt it hard to adapt to teachers’ teaching method or the change of teacher. and some teachers are not so strict with students that students regard english learning as a kind of recreation instead of an important way of gaining knowledge. but the joint efforts of teachers and students make english leaning more relaxed and enjoyable. some students hold that they feel good about classes in this semester and gained a lot. 2. effective selfadjustment. in the very beginning, some students hold negative attitude towards english homework. in spite of their unwillingness, students are forced to write english words. gradually, they recognized that they have memorized some words. though difficult, students feel it effective if they insist on writing word every day. 3. establishment of sense of identity at the end of semester. some students said that english classes give them a chance to express their views in english and intrigue their interest. teachers’ great responsibility help them won appraise from students. helping students set the sense of identity is very important in the teaching process. some activities are needed to be designed in improve it and let the students get some experience of to be good and a sense of achievement. meanwhile letting the students selfmonitor their learning process and getting themselves in the class activities are equally important. the teacher should establish a good environment and guide the students with some interesting topics and set the proper steps for their learning. it turns out that students should devote themselves to the classes. otherwise, they will fail the expected outcome. effective teaching activities can enhance student’s cognition and consolidate their knowledge. with the improvement and achievement, students’ sense of identity has been greatly intrigued. zpd and scaffolding can be applied in this teaching process and put the theory into practice and can be the basis of the teaching plan. it is necessary for the teacher to make a teaching plan following some psychological theory and provide a social interaction chances for students. then students can benefit from the cognition development when they are be involved in the activities with some interaction between students and teachers or students and books,even students and some medias. conclusion there are great numbers of excellent english learners in china, but college english teaching and learning 152 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee face great difficulties. dummy english has discourages us and most people of higher education regard english as the most difficult course. all of these shows that the shortage of sense of identity causes english learning are more difficult. centered on sense of identity with the effective teaching activities and specific learning method, the research aims to help students build confidence and change their attitude towards english. targeted at students with average english performance, all teaching activities and goals are designed for students which can help them improve their performance, strength their sense of identity and confidence. with qualitative study, the research has its own restrictions which are the narrow target of partial english learners. therefore, more quantitative research could be done with the target of more excellent students and comparative study between regular class and advanced class. acknowledgment this research was supported by “fundamental research funds for the central universities (grant# 2016ms135) and the excellent youth teacher supporting project. references wang, j. (1998). the psychological process of social norm learning identity. education research,1, pp. 36-42. zhang, z.,& jin, s.(1996). social psychology. beijing: people’s education press. pp. 186-190. lantolf,j.p.,&thorne,s.l.(2006). sociocultural theory and the genesis of second language development. oxford: oxford university press. qin, lili., &dai weidong. (2013). the construction of motivational self system in college english learning from the aspect of activity theory. foreign language world. 6, pp. 23-31. lantolf. j. p.,&thorne, s. l. (2007). sociocultural theory and second language learning. in b. vanpatten&j. williams (eds.),theories in second language acquisition(pp.20123).mahwah,nj:lawrence erllbaum associates. wertsch,j. (1985). vygotsky and the social formation of mind[m].cambridge: harvard university press. 153 yuehong wei & li zhang endorsing sense of identity for college students’ english language performance appendix 1. suggestion: after finish section a of each unit, teacher should require students to memory some translations. it could benefit both our study and exams. teacher should dictate the words from section a and section b instead of checking the words from the pet4 book because in fact we are too busy to memory many. when explaining the text, it will be better if teacher could translate some long and difficult sentences or carefully explain in chinese. teacher should modify the essays according to the requirements of pet2 instead of pet4. 2. all the english lessons have been finished, and i have some inspiration for this term’s learning. english learning has its’ own tasty and most of student dislike it. in fact, it is not so boring like we have thought. once doing well in the vocabulary, grammar, and practicing the oral english, listening, you will find it is easy than the chinese. we practice the chinese every moment, while do not have time to learn english. so we should have the confidence. 3. this term, the difficult of learning is down. and i felt more relaxed than last tern’s, but it was a little nervous. the teacher’s strict treatment made me realize that this is collage and the english was still important. this term, i enjoyed finished the work and also learned some new knowledge. not only that, i fully used those knowledge in the cet4. thanks the teacher’s guide this term. 4. in a word, the teacher’s guide is successes. as the college teacher, not only did she put pass the cet4 as the teaching goal, of course itwas not means important, she told us learnt english was important in our working, life and training the ability through the example of her life in america. besides, the best part of my learning had been the change of thinking. the interested class and interaction with teachers made me think the english study is not so difficult and even is interesting. in the future, i will learn english continually even graduated because i should have the realize that learning english. 5. the whole term’s learning makes me get progress and also learn some american culture. i am interested in learning english. and the teaching way and attitude fully meet my need. i think it was same as my senior english teacher because you are all so strict and have the sense of responsibility for the job. at the beginning, the class was a little quiet, but through the effort, the english learning was relax and interesting. and i learnt more knowledge. wishing you the best of health and success, and i can make an improvement and get progress in my study. 6. first, i want to make self-examination. this semester, i cut class once and went to class late once, which i think are really impolite and irresponsible. as for english study, i feel just so and of course, my condition is not as good as in high school. however, considering that i am in university now, it is acceptable. in general, the state in which i feel about teacher you has been divided into three parts: good-badgood (the bad state refers to the time when you asked us to copy the words). your teaching level is very high and your teaching is full of your own features. all in all, i think highly of your class. finally, i wish teacher you the work of your heart and happy every day. 7. i think english classes this semester are pretty good, teacher is stricter than last semester and i have learnt a lot. sometimes i was not that careful but teacher really taught well. for example, teacher spoke in english all the time and sometimes i could understand but sometimes could not. all in all, i made some progress. at the 154 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee same time, i like some activities, like dramas before class, and debates. when having those, i felt very joyful. nevertheless, my behaviors were not that good, my statements were few and my english was poor still. 8. i’ve been caught using my cell phone in the first class so i never did that again. generally speaking, you are an excellent and responsible teacher. i felt really happy in your class. wishes teacher you have students everywhere someday. 9. your teaching style really differs from other teachers. at first, i think you were strict (maybe it was because the pet4 is coming). then i gradually got used to the style and become outgoing. 10. in this semester, i have learnt a lot of extra-curricular knowledge. to some degree, this class is the most unforgettable. you have shown us some pictures you took in the us, which left me a profound impression. this class has told me what the us looks like. i believe that one day i may go and settle there. thank you very much, my teacher. 11. this semester i worked harder than last semester to learn english and before the cet – 4i remembered a lot of words, and did some exercises. your teaching methods fit in very well with us, which improves our enthusiasm of learning english. in my opinion, english learning is nothing more than listening, speaking, reading and writing. however, i feel we have little opportunity to speak in class. even if i want to say something, words usually fail me. besides, i think reading english articles works well, and remember the words requires daily accumulation. 12. this semester’s english courses let me have a sense of fullness. because the learning rhythm is a little tough, i felt a sense of pressure. i think the study did not seem that easy like last semester, but i take it more serious than last semester. 13. it seems as if i have never studied english after i enter my college. i often studied one or two days to prepare for the exams, but after the exams i would remember nothing. therefore, i think i have learned almost nothing in english. but i promise i will make it up in the future. 14. i have learned a lot in english in this semester. i not only remembered a lot of words for tem-4, but also gained much progress in listening and writing. however, due to the large amount of learning terms, i spared less time for english. as a result, my grades have showed this. the current english learning problem is after the tem-4, there is no motivation for me to learn english. however, as long as i agree with english learning has a great benefit to my future life; i will generously input time and energy to learn english. 15. at the beginning of this term i feel not very adaptable for a new english teacher. compared to last semester, more severe teacher teaching increased a lot of pressure, perhaps it was because we just wanted to take the examination of tem-4.teachers held us too tight, though from the point of view of the results, it indeed played a certain role. we did remember a certain number of words, and also did many papers. although we cannot say how much progress has been made, but at least we keep the stability of the english level. thank you for the whole year’s hard work. 16.i have gained a lot through the half-term’s learning. there are many interesting things in each class, especially some funny things that you have experienced in america. from my perspective, there is nothing can be compared with the happiness that i have gained in the sharing process though there are only some pictures and explanations. 155 yuehong wei & li zhang endorsing sense of identity for college students’ english language performance in my opinion, i think it is very relaxed in this term. as time going by, i think i can communicate with you more convenient. due to lots of listening exercises, i have made great progress in it. what impressed me most was once i saw an english film with chinese subtitles, i could understand the meaning of the film by seeing the scene and listening to the english words. i do hope i can make more progress in english in the future. i wish teacher can lead a healthy and happy life. 17. to be honest, i couldn’t fix well with your teach methods at first, because it was quite different from the last teacher’s. but i can adapt to it gradually and i think it is good to teach us strictly. may health and happiness be with you. 18. generally speaking, i have gained a lot, not only some english knowledge, but also some foreign customs and methods of dealing with things during the one year english learning in the college. compared with boring grammars, college english is more interesting. what’s more, i have made a great progress in listening. at first, i would lose interest in studying and miss myself with low efficiency because of mandatory requirements. 19. i really hope that teacher can strengthen communicating with all of us, but not just some of us and stand in the perspective of students. i would like to have a teacher who is not only our teacher, but also our friend who is not serious. besides, thank you very much to teach us authentic english knowledge and classes which can help us learn a lot about america and english directly. 20. thank you very much for your tolerate and care in half of the year. i think teacher is very kind and gentle and care about our learning at the same time. however, somehow i feel that our teacher is a bit serious to us. actually, in terms of learning, i haven’t made too much progress. i think it’s mainly due to my own fault and i pay little attention to english studying so that my english is worse and worse now. 21. in my opinion, i think that the english classes of this term are quite different from last term. compared with last term, we can answer more questions in class, learn knowledge more effective and think independently for longer time. however, it’s really a pity that we don’t have our words listening anymore which make us lazier after classes. actually, i think all these are because of me, my will-power is not strong enough and i am not hard-working. i really hope that teacher can explain the exercises to us in the following days. 22. at first, thank you very much for your teaching of this term. i have gained a lot this term, not only knowledge, but also some foreign cultures and life styles in your class. i feel regret that i pay little attention to english this term. in fact, i couldn’t fix well with the new teaching method, but we can see that you have invested a lot on us. so i feel really sorry for my slight. from my perspective, i hope we can begin from some practical exercises. 23. for loose people like us, it’s really effective to teach us strictly. actually, each day a list of words can remind us of learning english more. however, i can’t understand what teacher means sometimes though teacher taught us a lot in classes, so do other classmates. so i hope teacher can translate and explain some difficult sentences to us. what i regret most was that i didn’t work hard before the cet-4, so i didn’t get good grades and i had no idea whether i could pass the cet-4. 24. i think teacher wei is very serious and responsible in english teaching of this term, but teacher isn’t lack of humor so that our class is lively compared with other 156 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee classes. what’s more, the way of words test is really special because we cannot predict which way our teacher will use to test us------teacher will read tell us the words’ english explanations to test us, but not the chinese meanings. in fact, i always got up late so that i would be late for classes and i didn’t receive my classmates’ messages. in today’s class which is also the last class of this term, we know a lot about your experiences in america. at last, i hope that you can meet your classmates in the future. 25. our teacher is really a good teacher. i feel teacher is very considerate and patient in half of a year. i like the american life which teacher has told us very much and i really look forward to this kind of life. however, i also correct the wrong mind that america is better than china in every aspect because i realize that we have our own life styles and we also can make great efforts. there is no need for us to admire other countries blindly. actually, i am not a good student because i didn’t come to have classes for many times. but i was moved when teacher encouraged and persuaded me with patience. at last, thank you very much! 26. i think you are very good. i like the debate competition very much. you teach us very seriously. it makes me keep up with my english. i think being serious is very important. 27. i don't know how your feeling is but i think you feel that being very responsible for us may be idealistic. don't worry. just hold on to it. perhaps you could do everything perfectly. but i think you could do everything better. don't blame yourself. it's our fault. our attitudes make us study not so great. 28. very good! english is very perfect! i will study english hardly. 29. while learning foreign language is boring sometimes i think english learning is useful, not only can it provide us with grace but let us relax. i think our teachers teaching is very interesting, but i think we should pay more attention to our textbook only by learning more about textbook can we get good grades. 157 yuehong wei & li zhang endorsing sense of identity for college students’ english language performance sherlock holmes and watson sherlock holmes and dr watson went on a camping trip. after a good meal and a bottle of wine they lay down for the night, and went to sleep. some hours later, holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend awake. "watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see." watson replied, "i see millions and millions of stars." "what does that tell you?" holmes questioned. watson pondered for a minute. "astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. astrologically, i observe that saturn is in leo. horologically, i deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. theologically, i can see that god is all powerful and that we are small and insignificant. meteorologically, i suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. what does it tell you?" holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke. "watson, you retard. it tells me that some bastard has stolen our tent!" (source: http://www.study-express.ru/humour/funny-stories.shtml, picture: www.google.co.id) 158 maya nurmayanti the use of pair composition method 158 the use of pair composition method on students’ descriptive writing skill maya nurmayanti galileo english course, indonesia e-mail: nurmaumarro@yahoo.com apa citation: nurmayanti, m. (2014). the use of pair composition method on students’ descriptive writing skill. english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 158-166 received: 01-04-2014 accepted: 27-04-2013 published: 01-06-2014 abstract: this research was aimed to find out roles of pair composition method on students’ behaviour in learning processes and their writing assessment, and also to find out students’ attitude toward learning process of pair composition method in writing descriptive text in the classroom. descriptive qualitative method was used in this research. the participants were 33 students of x grade of senior high school. the data were collected from observation, the result of analysis showed that 66% of the seriousness of students during learning process was high, 78% of enthusiasm of students in doing task was high, and 58% of students’ participation was high. the increasing of students’ assessment was 18,7 from the average score before. the data collected from interview and questionnaire indicated that pair composition method provided the opportunities for sharing ideas, developing text, corresting writing errors, motivating students being active, and 50% students strongly agreed that pair composition method on writing descriptive text was lively and enjoyable. keywords: active learning strategy, cooperative learning, pair composition method, descriptive writing, descriptive text. listening, speaking, reading, and writing. those four skills are explored in the classroom activities using active learning strategy. from active learning strategy, teachers used various techniques and methods depends on the goal of teaching. one of active learning techniques is cooperative learning. however, the strategies used must give the effect and change for every language skill of students, and pair composition method as one of cooperative learning techniques focuses on the desire outcome for the participants group and individual as a result of learning activity, especially on students’ writing assessment. writing as one of productive skills is a set of thinking, expressing the feeling, proposing idea and knowledge, creativity in words processing are included of writing development learning process. brown (2001: 335) writes that “written product is often the introduction teaching strategies that teachers apply in the classroom support students learning process emphasizing to be more responsive and active in the classroom by various methods. also, to make teaching and learning aimed on the planning lesson in order to achieve the goal of teaching and learning. brown (2000: 131) states that “teachers can benefit form an understanding of what makes learners successful an unsuccessful and establish in the classroom a milieu for the realization on successful strategies.” many teaching strategies have been applied in teaching process. teachers choose various techniques of teaching strategies as specific ‘attack’ on given problem (brown, 2000: 122). one of teaching strategies is active learning strategy, where students do everything in learning process from 159 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee result of thinking, drafting, and revising procedures that require speacialized skill, skills that not every speakers develop naturally.” in the process of writing some text at school, students may be get a little problem, it can be from theirselves or from the other factors out of them. the ability to write depends on the ability to think creatively and put it into written text. this research focused on students’ writing descriptive text which one of materials in english lesson for ten grade students at one of senior high school in kuningan. it is using pair composition method that part of cooperative learning techniques, where students doing exercises in pairs, giving idea each other, giving feedback, and correcting each other their text composition included of content, structure, error analysis, and completing the compotion of the text. students sometimes get difficulties when starting to write, they got stuck to develop their ideas in writing how to describe person, thing or place detailed, or writing something in particular structures such as orientation and description. pair composition as a method of cooperative learning is used to solve the difficulties writing the text. in order to get good writing, pair composition method was important in the learning process of writing than independent learning. teaching and learning language process is not the simple sets, both of them have own characteristic and relationship each other. communication, interaction and other activities built in this learning and teaching language, between teacher and students. scarino and liddicoat (2009: 41) states that “in planning for interaction, teachers plan the sorts of things that students will be able to say, whether in speaking or in writing.” learning and teaching language is the complex activities that influence on teacher and students’ skills. many factors appearance guide teacher and students to be mastered in learning and teaching language, aspecialy english as the foreign laguage. two of language skills in learning english are speaking and writing. both of the skills called productive skills. according to bashrin (2013: 3), the productive skills consist of speaking and writing, because learners need to articulate words and write to produce language. teaching writing means guiding the students to explore their idea, feel, and knowledge in written. heaton (1990: 135) states that “the writing skills are complex and sometimes difficult to teach, requiring mastery not only grammatical and rethorical devices, but also of contextual and judgement element.” in order to measure the students ability in any language skills, included writing skill, need to be examined and take the students assessment. pinter (2006: 131) notes “assessment refers to the process of data analysis that the teachers use to get evidence about their learners’ performance and progress in english.” method of scoring composition included some components, those are; content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics (heaton, 1990: 146). teacher needs some strategies in order to support teaching and learning process. activities in the classroom must be planned as good as possible and being effective activities to achieve the goal of teaching and learning language. brown (2000: 113) note “strategies are specific methods of approaching a problem or task, modes or operation for achieving a particular end, planned design for controlling and manipulating certain information.” learning is an active process, when children are motivated to do something, they will try the new thing and doing the experiment of their ideas or discussing maya nurmayanti the use of pair composition method 160 with adults and teachers (pinter, 2006: 5). according to prince (2004: 1), active learning is generally one of instructional method that engages students in the learning process. in short, active learning requires students to do meaningful learning activities and think about what they are doing, learning by doing. one of active learning technique is cooperative learning. cooperative learning focuses on grouping study, but the target is comprehension of students in applying the assigment individually. one of cooperative learning methods is pair composition that guides students to be more active to make some composition in pair. according to johnson, johnson, & smith (1998) in felder and brent (2004: 4), pair composition works when students work in pairs to complete individual writing assignments such as summary of article, research paper, position or reflection paper. using pair composition method, students can change their idea each other, analyzing and correcting in pair to get the good result in writing descriptive text. descriptive text is defined as “domain writing that develops images through the use of precise sensory words and phrases and through devices such as metaphor and the sounds of words.” gerot and wignell (1994: 208) notes “the social function of descriptive text is to describe particular person, place, or thing.” there are some criteria for assessing the task of genre of text based on appropriate generic structure and grammatical features, those are: genre based criteria deal with generic features of the text, textual criteria deal with the way that the text is held together, the way that the text is held, syntactical language criteria deal with the internal structure of the sentence used (knapp and watskin, 2005: 119). there will be several stages of pair compossition method provided. firs, the teacher devided students into pair groups; one class consists of 34 students. second, the teacher doing review by giving some questions about descriptive text to the students, and ask them to making summary of descriptive text. third, the teacher explain what the students to do and how students must do their assignment in pairs but for individual descriptive writing assessment. fourth, student a describes to student b what he or she is planning to write related to descriptive text (describing person, thing or place). after asking probing and clarifying questions, student b outlines student a’s composition and gives it to student a. then the procedure is reversed. each student researches the topic. fifth, the two students together write the first paragraph of each composition. then each student writes his or her composition individually. sixth, when completed, the students read each other’s compositions and make suggestions for revision included generic structure (identification and description) and language features (using specific participant, using noun phare, using relational process, using adjectives, using simple present tense). seventh, after individual revision, students proofread both compositions and sign them to indicate there are no errors. this process of learning using pair composition is important to investigate in order to know about the roles of the method in students behaviour during learning processes, and then finding out the good outcomes from the learning process in writing skill, especially in descriptive writing assessment, and also to know the students’ attitude toward learning processes of pair composition method. 161 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee method the research conducted was descriptive qualitative research design. qualitative method investigated the quality of relationships, activities, situations, or materials (fraenkel and wallen, 2009: 422). in this descriptive qualitative method, data analyzed was described and explained in detail. creswell (2009: 175) states that, “description involves a detailed rendering of information about people, places, or events in a setting.” this research was conducted in a class that consists of 33 students at one of senior high school in kuningan in the academic year 2013/2014 from april until may. this research used some techniques to collect the data to be analyzed then, those are documentation, observation, interview, and quesionare. creswell (2009: 164) write, “qualitative researchers collect data themselves through examining documents, observing behavior, or interviewing participants.” using documentation in collecting data was private document to obtain result of participants’ language and words (creswell, 2009: 168-169) , in this research was students’ descriptive writing. students’ descriptive writing was taken before and after implementing pair composition method (pre-test and post-test), in order to get data would be investigated to know students’ descriptive writing assessment. in learning processes, the actions of the students are the important thing to be observed, it could be their behaviour or their productive skill. according to fraenkel and wallen (2009: 440), “certain kinds of research question can best be answered by observing how people act or how things look.” during the observation, this research used an observation sheet for taking the data during learning processes. the observation sheet applied was checklist table of students’ behavior in the learning processes (sa’diah, vol. xl : 171-172). the following step to collect data in this research was interviewing. fraenkel and wallen (2009: 446) state “the purpose of interviewing people is to find out what is on their mindwhat they think or how they feel about something.” the interview conducted in order to get more information about students’ attitude toward the use of pair composition method that the teacher used in the classroom. not only using interview, but also quesionnaire for students was used in this research to know students atittude toward the use of pair composition method. according to oskamp and schultz (2005: 9), there are three components of person’s attitude about something. those components are affective, behavioral, and cognitive component. results and discussion the findings of this research were about roles of pair composition method on students’ behaviour in learning processes and their writing assessment, and about the students’ attitude toward learning process of pair composition method on writing descriptive text in the classroom. the roles of pair composition method on students’ behaviour in learning processes the data analyzed showed that pair composition method had roles on increasing students’ behaviour in learning processes, included of seriousness of students, enthusiasm students in doing task, and their participation in the classroom during learning processes. it was drawn by the seriousness of students that can be observed from the data analyzed that 50% in the second and third meeting was high, and in the fourth meeting was 100% maya nurmayanti the use of pair composition method 162 table 1. the observation result of students’ behaviour in learning processes learning process 2nd meeting 3rd meeting 4th meeting h m l h m l h m l 1. the seriousness of students during learning process: a. giving attention to the teacher explanation and instruction √ √ √ b. making comments or asking question about explanation and instruction √ √ √ c. *giving attention to the material, examining them seriously √ √ √ d. *making comments or asking questions about the material (to the teacher or their friends) √ √ √ 50% 0% 50% 50% 50% 0% 100% 0% 0% 2. the anthusiasm of the students in doing the task a. trying to understand the instruction by using various learning aids (dictionary, text book, etc., asking the teacher or their friends whenever they do not understand) √ √ √ b. moving to form small group √ √ √ c. taking notes on whatever they think important √ √ √ d. using various aids to accomplish their task, for examples: dictionary, text book, work-sheet, etc. √ √ √ e. actively observing the material to elicit idea √ √ √ f. actively having discussion with the teacher and friends √ √ √ 50% 20% 30% 83% 17% 0% 100% 0% 0% students’ participation 1. the students’ participation in asking question √ √ √ 2. the students’ participation in suggesting idea √ √ √ 3. the students’ participation in group work a. taking the initiative to do the task √ √ √ b. helping their friends to understand the instruction √ √ √ c. helping their friends in examining the material √ √ √ d. helping their friends to generate idea and to find the vocabulary needed to do the task √ √ √ e. actively involved in group discussion √ √ √ f. helping motivate their friends √ √ √ 50% 0% 50% 50% 38% 13% 75% 25% 0% note: h = high m = medium l = low 163 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee high. it meant that almost all students gave attention to the teacher’s explanation and instruction, and gave attention to the material, examining them seriously, or at least not more than five students who were reluctant to pay attention. the enthusiasm of students increased when the pair composition method was implemented; second meeting was 50%, third meeting was 83%, and in the fourth meeting was 100%. it was indicated by the observation data showing that the enthusiasm of students was in the high level. almost students tried to understand the instruction by asking the teacher or their friends whenever they did not understand, and using some learning aids such as dictionary, text book, etc. also, there were some students actively having discussion with the teacher and friends, and observing the material to elicit their ideas. implementing pair composition method in writing descriptive text also could activate the students’ participation. from the data analyzed showed that in the second meeting the students’ participation was 50% high and 50% low, there were half students being high participation, and half students were less of their participation. then in the fourth meeting the students’ participation was getting increased tobe 75% high. the observation data showed that there were several students participate in giving ideas, and in group working there were many students who participated in taking initiative to do the task, helping their firends to understand the instruction, to generate idea in pair to make good descriptive writing, to find vocabulary needed to write descriptive text, and actively having pair discussion. the students were supported to find help of their friends each other to complete their writing, share idea, and correct errors analysis each other. they tried to understand how to write descriptive text well, construct the text by good identification and description. the students tried to find out the difficult words to translate from bahasa indonesia into english using dictionary, or asking teacher or friends. it was caused pair composition method was done to build the cooperation between two students (pair) in form of cooperative learning that members held accountable for doing their share of the work and mastering all materials (felder and brent, 2004: 2). the role of pair composition method on students’ descriptive writing assessment pair composition method had the role as a method that can be applied to improve students’ descriptive writing skill. it was showed by the data analyzed of students’ assessment before implementing (pre-test) pair composition method and after implementing (posttest) pair composition method. the data clearly could be seen as below: table 2. result of students’ descriptive writing assessment stage average of total score pre-test 63,8 post-test 82,5 increase in score 18,7 from the above table, the average of students’ score in pre-test or before implementing pair composition method is 63,8 and the students’ score after implementing pair composition method was getting increased with the average score was 82,5. the increasing of students’ assessment was 18,7 from the score before (pre-test). the result of students’ score before implementing pair composition method was classified into four categories. there were 6% students’ score that was categorized as excellent, 24% students’ score categorized as good, 12% students’ score categorized as fair, and students’ score dominated 58% as poor category. maya nurmayanti the use of pair composition method 164 before implementing pair composition method, almost students’ assessment were poor, because there were some students who have not known the construction of descriptive text detail, especially description part on generic structure, and there were some errors on their language features. there were still several students using simple past, and incorrect in using simple present tense. the students’ descriptive writing skill improved after implementing pair composition method. it could be described from the students’ descriptive writing post-test assessment. the score of students were increased. there were 17 students (more than a half of students in the class) got score more than 85, 12 students got score for about 71-84, 2 students got 68 and 70, and 2 students got score less than 65. the students’ score after implementing pair composition method was classified into four categories. there were 52% (more than a half of students in the class) students’ score that was categorized as excellent, 36% students’ score categorized as good, 6% students’ score categorized as fair, and 6% students’ score categorized as poor. here, excellent category was dominated than in the result of students’ score before implementing pair composition method. then, when they tried to make good descriptive writing using pair compoosition method, they also tried to understand what the descriptive text is and how to write it well by implementing generic structure and language feature of descriptive text that they have learnt, it regarded doing by learning in active learning, such as prince (2004) said that active learning requires students to do meaningful learning activities and think about what they were doing, learning by doing. so, after implementing pair composition method in writing descriptive text, they were getting more understand how generic structure and language feature construct the descriptive writing. the students’ attitude toward learning process of pair composition method this research found that the students gave positive attitude toward learning process using pair composition method in writing descriptive text. more than a half of students strongly agreed that they felt enjoy learning descriptive text using pair composition method and they were interested in implementing it. the students’ attitude toward learning process was observed from the data collected using interview and questionnaire. table 3. categories of students’ score before implementing pair composition method no interpretation score student % 1 2 3 4 excellent (85-100) good (71-84) fair (66-70) poor (0-65) 86, 86. 77, 77, 79, 78, 75, 76, 72, 83. 70, 69, 68, 70. 57, 52, 50, 52,58, 52, 52, 51, 49, 56, 59, 58, 55, 58, 51, 62, 62, 61, 61. 2 8 4 19 6% 24% 12% 58% table 4. categories of students’ score after implementing pair composition method no interpretation score student % 1 2 3 4 excellent (85-100) good (71-84) fair (66-70) poor (0-65) 88, 89, 97, 98, 89, 95, 91, 87, 89, 89, 86, 87, 86, 89, 89, 96, 88. 80, 83, 73, 84, 74, 76, 78, 73, 79, 84, 75, 77. 68, 70. 61, 63. 17 12 2 2 52% 36% 6% 6% 165 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee based on the interview, the students have never learn descriptive text using pair composition where they could write the descriptive text in pair, giving ideas, correcting, and evaluating each other to complete the writing. pair composition method had several advantages for students in writing descriptive text; (1) providing the opportunities for sharing ideas, developing the text, giving and asking the vocabulary (2) correcting the writing errors each other (3) increasing the knowladge in writing descriptive text, how to write the descriptive text well based on the generic structures and language features (4) to motivate students being active to write and understand about descriptive text (5) to make easy finding the difficult vocabulary because the students were able to ask and share each other. almost all the students who were interviewed stated that pair composition method had no disadvantages, and only one student stated that sometimes it made the atmosphere of class noise. from ten statements of questionnaire presented by researcher, the students’ attitude toward learning processes using pair composition method was dominated strongly agree and agree. it meant the students gave positive attitude toward pair composition method. 70% students strongly agreed that learning english increase the knowledge in learning foreign language, 64% students strongly agreed that learning english aspecially in writing descriptive text using pair composition method made students more active in pair group work, so that could help students to develop their descriptive writing. 55% students strongly agreed that pair composition method made students understand how to write descriptive text well, and agreed that students felt enjoy learning english and they could focus to the material given by teacher. and only 6% students stated that they disagreed that pair composition method can make them brave to write descriptive text in english. these happened because pair composition method creates alive and enjoyable condition and increases participation among the students demanded to be more active in learning, moreover having discussion with their partner, felder and brent (2009: 5) said “instructors who switch to active learning and follow those recommendations almost always say that their classes are much more lively and enjoyable and the quality of learning goes up dramatically”. conclusion the research objectives of this research were to find out and describe the roles of pair composition method on students’ behaviour in learning processes and their descriptive writing assessment, and to know students’ attitude toward learning processes of pair composition method. the data was collected from observation data of students’ behaviour, students’ descriptive writing asessment, interview and questionnaire for students. based on the data processing and discussion, the roles of pair composition method are increasing students’ behaviour in learning processes and their descriptive writing assessment, as drawn on data that 66% the seriousness of students during learning process was high, 78% the enthusiasm of students in doing task was high, and 58% the students’ participation was high. the increasing of students’ assessment can be seen when before implementing pair composition method there were 58% students categorized poor and after implementing there were 52% students’ score categorized as excellent. from students’ attitude along with interview and questionaire found that more that 50% students gave positive attitude as strongly agreed that pair composition method on writing maya nurmayanti the use of pair composition method 166 descriptive text was lively and enjoyable, supporting the students to be more active and understand how to write descriptive text well. references bashrin, s. d. (2013). productive skills: teaching beginners in english medium school. unpublished report, brac university, dhaka, bangladesh. brown, h. d. (2000). principle of language learning and teaching. fourth edition. new york: addison wasley longman, inc. brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principle: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. second edition. new york: longman creswell, j. w. (2009). design qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approach, third edition. united states of america: sage publication inc. felder, r. m. and brent, r. (2004). cooperative learning. national effective teaching institute, 2004, pp. e-1 – e-22. felder, r. m. and brent, r. (2009). active learning: an introduction. asq higher education brief, 2(4), pp. 1-5. fraenkel, j. r. and wallen, n. e. (2009). how to design and evaluate research in education, seventh edition. new york: mcgraw-hill companies, inc. gerot, l. and wignell, p. (1994). making sense of functional grammar. sydney: gerd stabler. heaton, j. b. (1990). writing english language tests. england: longman group (fe) ltd. johnson, d. w., johnson, r. t., & smith, k. a. (1998). active learning: cooperation in the college classroom (2nd ed). edina, mn: interaction book co. knapp, p. and watkins, m. (2005). genre, text, grammar: technologies for teaching and assessing writing. sydney: university of south wales press. oskamp, s, and schultz, w. p. (2005). attitudes and opinions (third edition). new jersey: lawrence erlbaum associates, inc. pinter, a. (2006). teaching young language learners. new york: oxpor university press. prince, m. j. (2004). does active learning work? a review of the research. j. engr. education, 93(3), 223-231. sa’diah, h. improving students’ ability in writing descriptive text through a picture series-aided learning strategy. the english teacher, vol. xl: 164-182. scarino, a. and liddicoat, a. j. ( 2009). teaching and learning languages: a guide. australia: geon impact printing pty ltd. the students’ and teachers’ perception on the english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the students’ and teachers’ perception on the use of computer in efl classrooms anni kristanti yunandami sma negeri 2 cimahi, indonesia email: annyky@yahoo.co.id muhammad handi gunawan indonesia university of education, indonesia email: handi_gunawan@yahoo.co.id apa citation: yunandami, a. k. & gunawan, m. h. (2012). the students’ and teachers’ perception on the use of computer in efl classrooms. english review: journal of english education, 1(1), 71-79 received: 01-08-2011 accepted: 03-09-2012 published: 01-12-2012 abstract: this study is aimed to investigate the students' and teachers’ perception on the use of computer in the efl teaming process based on questionnaire and interview. by exploring the strengths and weaknesses on the use of computer in efl classrooms as perceived from students' and teachers' perception. it concludes that a large number of students enjoyed learning english using computer because it was fun and interesting. although, they had to share one computer with the class, but they enjoyed learning together with friends. the teachers enjoyed teaching english using computer because it could make them experience a different way of teaching. in addition, the computer use could challenge the teachers to be more creative. the computer could be used as an alternative learning device in learning. keywords: students’ and teachers’ perception, english as a foreign language, computer. introduction curriculum in indonesia has gone through several changes and development since 1945. it was developed in 1954 and revised in 1961, 1964, 1968, 1975, 1984, and 1994. in 2001 competence-based curriculum (cbc) was implemented (departemen pendidikan nasional, 2004). in year 2007, the government starts to implement the new curriculum, kurikulum tingkat satuan pendidikan (schoolbased curriculum). this curriculum is based on the law no. 20 year 2003 on national education system, which gives the government and local government to have full authority to guide, manage, help, and supervise their own education. furthermore, the educational framework must follow the national education law. in addition, the law number 14 year 2005 on teachers and lectures put high priority on the teachers/lectures professionalism (departemen pendidikan nasional, 2006). it is obvious that teachers should be more professional and skillful in teaching. that is why the government must put high priority on teachers' certification to enhance the purpose of national education and to fulfil the demand of qualified human resource. teachers are recommended to develop themselves so that they have to upgrade their skill through training and developing teaching material in the classroom. anni kristanti yunandami & muhammad handi gunawan the students’ and teachers’ perception on the use of computer in efl classrooms moreover, teaching methodology develops well, more teachers are aware of the use of technology in the classroom. teachers realize that teaching is not merely transferring the teachers' knowledge but also giving a lot of exposures for their students. the teaching method is more to communicative methodologies and moreover the most important thing is the informal 'acquisitionrich' learning environment (skehan, 1985: 13). the learning environment or the stimulus is very important to make the students learn well. computer becomes one of the alternatives besides language laboratories. kenning & kenning (1983:20) said that computer can be used as an effective teaching tool if teachers know how to use it. a computer is nothing more than a tool, an aid, to be used or not, moreover teachers can decide to use computer if it is necessary. the use of computer has been known for years in the field of education. though, it was always argued that the computer cannot replace the main role of teacher in the classroom (stemplesky, 2002 in richards. and renandya, 2002:364), computer is needed to make the process of learning and teaching easier and faster. computer has been notified with the variety of form, from the simplest one to the most complicated one. it is said that the use of high technology tends to be expensive, and complicated, the hightech media gives more and more facilities. in additional, teachers are being able to use the hightech media to support the instructional design in the classroom. the use of computer in efl classroom has opened the new way of the use of learning media. since it can combine the varieties media (such as text, sound, picture, numerical, animation and video) in one digital software, and also because of the capability of being interactive, the computer becomes a sophisticated alternative to improve the quality of elt. the use of computer can help the students to be autonomous learners (brown, 2001: 51). bret (1998: 301) says that multimedia language learning environments can deliver authentic input, provide meaningful language learning tasks, deliver feedback on those tasks and can be manipulated according to the needs of the user. this makes it ideal for independent study, and the learner perhaps having the opportunity to work through the exercises at their own pace moreover, multimedia can help the students learning to learn, developing language skills (listening, reading, writing, and pronunciation or speaking). the use of technology in efl classroom is very crucial since our government has put the high priority to the use of instructional computerbased teaching (ict). the national education department mentions the importance of the use of technology in classroom as in written down in "rencana strategi (renstra) pembangunan pendidikan nasional 2005-2009" (the strategic plan in developing the national education 20052009). it is said that one of the programs that will be conducted in 20052009 is implementing information technology (it) in the classroom (departemen pendidikan nasional, 2066). the government realizes the lack of the facilities but this program will be conducted step by step. moreover, the pusat teknologi dan komputer has used the television as a media to broadcast the educational program in 2004. the educational program reached 80 cities in english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee indonesia (including village and district area). furthermore, the use of computer can be considered a learning media that gives the different kinds of intelligent as proposed by gardner (1983 in brown, 2001:113). gardner's theory about multiple intelligence, that people have more than one intelligent such as musical/rhythmic, verbal/linguistic, visual/spatial, motoric /kinaesthetic, logic/mathematic, intrapersonal, and interpersonal, opens the chance of multimedia in the classroom in order to facilitate the students' differences in learning. the research tries to portray the possibility of the computer uses in the efl classroom, particularly in senior high school. the focus is on the students' and teachers' perception on the use of computer in efl classroom. the study is very important in order the answer the demand of the importance of english as one of skill that students should acknowledge in the future. furthermore, this study can give a new enlightment in english teaching learning to improve the students' mastery. in addition, the lack of using the computer in the classroom (especially in efl classroom and senior high school) becomes the main reason why this research was conducted. hopefully, this research gives the benefit for the national educational in our country. purpose of the study the research focused on two things; they are the students' and teachers' perceptions to the use of computer to improve the teachinglearning process and to explore the possibility of using computer in senior high school. these are the following purposes: 1. finding out the students' perception on the use of computer in the efl teaming process based on questionnaire and interview. 2. finding out the teachers' perception on the use of computer in efl teaching process based on questionnaire and interview. 3. exploring the strengths and weaknesses on the use of computer in efl classrooms as perceived from students' and teachers' perception. 4. exploring the contributions of the learning situation to the students' and teachers' perception. as outlined in purpose of the study there are three research questions to be answered: 1. what is the students` perception on the use of computer in efl classrooms? 2. what is the teachers' perception on the use of computer in efl classrooms? 3. what are the strengths and weaknesses as perceived from the students' and teachers' perception? 4. what are the contributions of the learning situation to the students' and teachers' perception? the study is intended to survey the students' and teachers' perceptions on the use of computer in the efl classroom, the strengths and weaknesses, and the implications of learning situation towards the students' and teachers' perception. moreover, it can give a new perspective in english teachinglearning, such as: a) the use of computer for elt in senior high school. b) the material development for computerbased learning to improve the quality of elt in senior high school. anni kristanti yunandami & muhammad handi gunawan the students’ and teachers’ perception on the use of computer in efl classrooms c) this research is largely descriptive statistics meaning that it involved measuring data using graphs, tables, and basic descriptions of numbers such as averages or means. the sub ects of the study were the first year students of one senior high school in cimahi of academic year 2005/2006. there were 100 students and 6 english teachers. in addition, the research was conducted during the curriculum 2004. this study was limited to survey on the use of computer in efl classroom in which each student and teacher were required to answer a questionnaire about their perceptions on the use of multimedia in efl classroom. the questionnaire and interview were based on the theory of perception proposed by sperling (in fransiska: 2000) and curriculum 2004. the interview data will complete, clarify, support or even contradict with the result of questionnaire. method the study was intended to reveal and describe the students' and teachers' perceptions on the use multimedia in efl classrooms. this research is largely descriptive statistics meaning that it involved measuring data using graphs, tables, and basic descriptions of numbers such as averages or means (coolidge, 2000). the subjects of the study were the first year students of one senior high school in cimahi of academic year 20052006. there were 100 students and 6 english teachers. in addition, the research was conducted during the curriculum 2004. this study was limited to survey on the use of computer in efl classroom in which each student and teacher were required to answer a questionnaire about their perceptions on the use of multimedia in efl classroom. the questionnaire and interview were based on the theory of perception proposed by sperling (in fransiska, 2000) and curriculum 2004. the interview data will complete, clarify, support or even contradict with the result of questionnaire. the setting was a senior high school in cimahi. this school has a multimedia laboratory so that the main reason why this research was conducted at this particular school. moreover, this research tries to figure out the potential asset in local area especially in cimahi. the participants were students and english teachers at a high school in cimahi. the students' level were grade one. there were 100 students and 6 english teachers. in addition, the 100 students were chosen because it was their first time using computer to learn english in multimedia laboratory. moreover, the 100 students initiate the transfer into percentage in data analysis. the 6 teachers were chosen because there are 6 english teachers in that school. results anddiscussion the students' perceptions the computer gave them fun learning through games, presentation, and interesting pictures. moreover, they could learn autonomously. the computer provided them a fun learning compared to teacher's explanation in the classroom. they said computer used to vary the learning and teaching process so the students did not have to listen to the teacher's explanation. through computer, they could watch movie, and play games. in addition, they could learn together with friends in the classroom. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee computer encouraged the students to learn english because through computer they were able to get so many exposures; such as the examples of communicative dialog. moreover, the computer helped them to develop their english vocabulary. the students also said that they enjoyed playing games so that it provided them the challenging situation to learn more and more. 6% of the respondents were not sure whether it encouraged them to learn english or not. the interview revealed that they considered the material was too difficult for them and there were also too many new vocabularies that they were not familiar with. the students sometimes felt ashamed if they made mistakes in pronouncing words. it can be concluded that in term of the sensory of stimulus, the respondents gave positive answers. the table shows that the pictures, sounds, and text in the computer could help the students to learn english well, especially reading, listening, vocabulary and grammar. it can be concluded that in term of the learning process the respondents enjoyed learning within the group because it was fun and they could ask their friends if they did not know something. and they liked to learn by themselves too because they did not have to rely on the teacher. but, they felt whenever they worked with the group some of their friends kept silent. this could be happened because (1) the big size of the students, (2) there was only one computer to share with the whole class. the strengths and weaknesses this section concerns with the discussion from research findings which are about the students' perceptions and strengths-weaknesses on the use of computer in efl classroom. based on the findings, it can be concluded that the students enjoyed learning english using computer because was fun and interesting. this fact is in line with kayser (2002); he says that the benefit of the use on computer in efl classroom is students are able to learn how to use technology more effectively. although, they had to share one computer with the class they enjoyed working together with their friends. the class seemed noisy and uncontrollable but they could learn from others without being afraid of making mistakes. they liked to compete with their friends among the group. although, some of them kept silent they actually involved in the learning process. they shared their opinion with the group. although, they seemed enjoy the learning, some of them still afraid of making mistakes and the limited vocabulary mastery made them think that the use of computer did not give them any support to learn english well. luis reis (1995) has proven this through six-month experiment on the impact of using multimedia in his class. he finds out that his students feel less motivated because they did not interact directly with the computer. moreover, he says that his students tend to use their mother tongue whenever they learn english through computer because they have a very limited mastery of english vocabulary. the computer could be used as an alternative learning. though the facility was so limited they could learn well. the students still needed the teacher to guide them using computer in the classroom. reis (1995) states that a classroom equipped with one computer need the anni kristanti yunandami & muhammad handi gunawan the students’ and teachers’ perception on the use of computer in efl classrooms teachers' guidance because teachers still need to drill students with tutorial grammar. in addition, galavis (1998) adds that computers and other equipment are just tools, so teachers have to make them work for the teachers. not against the teachers. the students thought that computer helped to learn english well. besides, it helped them to use english words, phrases, tenses, vocabulary, pronunciation sentences correctly. moreover, according to oxford university press (2004) multimedia can help the students learning to learn, developing language skills (listening, reading, writing, and pronunciation or speaking). they admitted that the pictures, sounds and text in the computer helped them to comprehend the dialogue which represented by the native speakers. they got a lot of exposures from the computer especially dealing with the variety of english expressions. moreover, they could create a communicative dialogue and the subtitle helped them to understand the different kind of text and this could help the students to guess the meaning from the context. this is proven by brett (1998, in jackson:2002) states that multimedia language learning environments can deliver authentic input, provide meaningful language learning tasks, deliver feedback on those tasks and can be manipulated according to the needs of the user. but still there were some problems dealing with how the computer helped the students to reach their goals in learning english, such as; (1) the limited mastery of vocabulary, (2) the lack of tenses knowledge, (3) the computer program only focused on speaking and listening, (4) the learning program was too difficult to follow, (5) no speech media (like microphone or headset), (6) no equal chance in using computer because they had to share one computer with the whole class. the pictures, sounds, and text in the computer could help the students to learn english well, especially reading, listening, vocabulary and grammar. the students learnt english using computer in multimedia laboratory. mostly they had to share one computer with the class. then they preferred learning english using computer once in a month or even unscheduled because they would experience a different situation. moreover, sharing one computer with the class was no big problem for them as long as they could learn together with friends. they realized that the school had only limited computer facilities. but sometimes they felt disappointed that they could not use computer individually. the students enjoyed learning within the group because it was fun and they could ask their friends if they did not know something. and they liked to learn by themselves too because they did not have to rely on the teacher. but, they felt whenever they worked with the group some of their friends kept silent. this could be happened because (1) the big size of the students, (2) there was only one computer to share with the whole class. harmer (2002:150) says that teachers have to remember there are still so many problems dealing with using computer. the teachers' perceptions this section concerns with the second research problem i.e. the teachers' perceptions on the use of computer in efl classroom. the data collection was taken in two ways by questionnaire and interview. the english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee questionnaire was given on may 2006. after classifying the answers form the respondents, the interview were conducted on july 2006 (2 respondents were interviewed). the respondents (there are 6 english teachers) gave positive perception. it means that the use of multimedia in efl classroom has given positive impacts. the analysis is classified based on the variable in the questionnaire. there are 4 categories: (1) students' personal feelings, attitude drives and goals, (2) the sensory nature of the stimulus (3) learning experience that the students have. the category is based on the theory of perception proposed by sperling (in fransiska: 200 1). it can be concluded that the teachers enjoyed teaching english using computer could make them; (1) experience a different way of teaching, (2) more creative, (3) challenge themselves to prepare the material well, (4) present a fun learning for the students, (5) motivate the students to learn better, (6) give so many exposures of communicative dialogue. it comes to the conclusion that teaching english using computer supported the students to learn english well and this could help the students to experience a fun, and interactive learning. it can be concluded that the teachers gave a positive view towards the computer. they said computer could help teachers to teach better since it provided motion pictures. the students had a different way of learning. the exposures were so many especially for speaking, listening, and vocabulary so that the students were able to create a communicative dialogue. but since the one who used the computer was the teacher, they could not see whether the computer could increase the students being confident. the mastery of vocabulary was the main problems for the students. besides, computer was only a tool; it could not replace the main role of teachers. it comes up with the conclusion that computer helped the students to learn both in group and individually. the teachers could let their students to learn individually. but still the teachers must guide their students. the problem that the students needed to guide was vocabulary. moreover, the teachers must pay attention that not all the students could use the computer. the contributions of learning situation to the students' and teachers' perception most of the students learnt english using computer in multimedia laboratory. they had to share one computer with the class. moreover, they preferred learning english using computer once in a month or even unscheduled because they would experience a different situation. in addition, sharing one computer with the class was no big problem for them as long as they could learn together with friends. they realized that the school had only limited computer facilities. but sometimes they felt disappointed that they could not use computer individually. the students learnt the computer by the it can be concluded that most of the teachers used multimedia laboratory to teach english and they only used one computer for one class. they used lcd so that their students could see the pictures clearly. the schedule was varied, too. sometimes it could be once in a month, unscheduled, and once in a week. the schedule could be made by the school staff or by the teachers. the teachers used computer anni kristanti yunandami & muhammad handi gunawan the students’ and teachers’ perception on the use of computer in efl classrooms based on the necessities. in addition, they had to share the multimedia laboratory with other subjects. moreover, most of the teachers got the computer skill by learning on their own since there is no special training about computer use in the classroom. conclusion this study concludes that a large number of students enjoyed learning english using computer because it was fun and interesting. although, they had to share one computer with the class; it but they enjoyed learning together with friends. the computer could be used as an alternative learning. furthermore, the teachers enjoyed teaching english using computer because it could make them experience a different way of teaching. in addition, the computer use could challenge the teachers to be more creative. the teachers had a lot of opportunities to prepare the material well. moreover, the computer provided a fun learning for the students and motivated the students to learn better. the computer gave so many exposures of communicative dialogue. moreover, using multimedia in efl classroom can help with some difficulties associated with the efl situation, such as a large class sizes and mixedability classrooms. therefore, teachers must acknowledge the function of media in efl classroom. through the use of media, the learning process can be increased to reach the goal of learning process. there are some strengths and weaknesses on the use of computer in efl classrooms as perceived from the students` and teachers' perception. it can be concluded that the learning situation was interactive and fun. on the other hand, the learning program was too difficult to follow. they needed the teacher's encouragement to make themfeel more confident. besides, the students thought that the teacher did not know how to use the computer well so that the learning process was not smooth. the students sometimes felt afraid of making mistakes. they said it was difficult to think critically because the limitation of grammar and vocabulary mastery. they could think critically if the material led them do so. moreover, the learning situation notably; the place, the computer facilities, the frequency, and the computer skill influenced the students' and teachers' perception on the use of computer in efl classrooms. this study is not without any limitations. therefore, in drawing conclusions there are several limitations that should be kept in mind. firstly, the research was done in one school in one city. it is suggested that the number of public senior high school be increased and cover several cities so that the generalizations of the result of the research are wider to draw. secondly, most of the analysis of the students' and teachers' perception was done through questionnaires and interview. the analysis would be more thorough if supported with classroom observation recordings conducted by the researcher. overall, the results of the study show that using media in efl classroom is very important to increase the students' motivation and attention. moreover, using computer as a teaching media is a must since it helps the students get the exposures that the teachers can not give in the classroom. in addition, teachers must be wise using the computer, just remember that the english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee computer is only a media. teachers must be more creative in teaching by developing the computer as a media of teaching and learning which supports the new curriculum "ktsp" (schoolbased curriculum). references alwasilah, a. c. (2002). pokoknya kualitatif: dasardasar merancang dan melakukan penefitian kualitatif. jakarta: pustaka jaya. brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. second edition. new york: longman brown, h. d. (2000). principles of language learning and teaching. new york: longman. coolidge, f. (2000). statictics: a gentle introduction. london: sage publication. departemen pendidikan nasional. (2004). invervice training kbk bagi guru penerima. dana bantuan operasional mutu management: bahasa inggris. lembaga penjamin mutu pendidikan, jawa barat. departemen pendidikan nasional. (2006). rencana strategi pembangunan pendidikan nasional 20052009. jakarta: departemen pendidikan nasional eysenck, m. w. (1983). principles of cognitive psychology. lawrence erlbaum associates ltd. forgus, ronald h. (1966). perception: the basic process in cognitive development. mcgraw-hill bookcompany fransiska, s. (2000). students' perception on ebe. unpublished paper. bandung indonesia university of education. harme. j. (2002). the practice of english language teaching. 3rd edition completely revised and updated. harlow: pearson education limited. harvey, j. h. and smith, w. p. (1977). social psychology: an attributional approach. sain louis cv mosbo, co. jackson, p. (2002). multimedia in the classroom at http://www.pt.britishcouncil.org/i nenglish/ie2002a32pj.htm. [june 17th 2004]. kenning, m. j. and kenning m-m. (1983). an introduction to computer assisted language teaching. oxford: oxford university press. kenning, m. m & kenning, m. j. (1990). computers and language learning: current theory and practice. new york: ellis horwood. lukmana, iwa. 2003. language teaching media (modul 1): pembelajaran bahasa inggris. bandung: universitas terbuka. mar'at. (1982). sikap manusia perubahan serta pengukurannya. jakarta: ghalia, indonesia. maxwell, j. a. (1996). qualitative research design: an interactive approach. california: sage publications, inc. oxford university. (2004). using multimedia in the efl classroom. at http://www.oup.com/elt/global/mult imedia/cataloque/multimedia/multim edia_article/. [june 17th 2004] partridge, b. (2000).making sense of discourse analysis: making sense of language seriesbook 3. queensland: gerd stables antipodean education enterprises. richards, j. c. and willy a. r. (2002). methology in language teaching: an anthology of curren practice. cambridge: cambridge university press. schiffman, h. r. (1982). sensation and perception: an integrated approach 2nd edition. john wiley and sons, inc. skehan 1985. computers in english language teaching. elt document,122. stern, h. h. (1983). fundamental concepts of language teaching. oxford: oxford university press http://www.pt.britishcouncil.org/inenglish/ie2002a32pj.htm http://www.oup.com/elt/global/multimedia/cataloque/multimedia/multimedia_article/ the effect of using email on enhancing iranian efl learners’ grammar development english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the effect of using email on enhancing iranian efl learners’ grammar development seyed jalal abdolmanafi-rokni department of english language and literature golestan university, iran e-mail: j.abdolmanafi@yahoo.com apa citation: rokni, s. j. a. (2013). the effect of using email on enhancing iranian efl learners’ grammar development. english review: journal of english education, 1(2).129-138 received: 09-04-2013 accepted: 22-04-2013 published: 01-06-2013 abstract: there has been much debate over the use of computers and the internet in foreign language teaching for more than two decades. education, especially foreign language teaching, has to adapt and renew itself to be compatible with the globalized world. the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of using email on improving efl learners' grammar development and to highlight the benefits of using email in an efl grammar class. the participants of the study were 52 female students, aged 13-18 who were randomly assigned to an experimental and control group. each group consisted of 26 participants. the course lasted for three weeks and was held in one of the institutes in gorgan, iran. the experimental group sent their assignments through emails in addition to the traditional class activities but the control group receiving a placebo had the traditional class and assignments were handed in hard copies. for measuring the grammar proficiency, a pretest and posttest was administered to both groups. the pretests and posttests were tests based on the materials covered in the class. the results of the study show that the experimental group outperformed the control group in the posttest. keywords: electronic mail, efl, grammar development, e-learning introduction computer is the most effective pedagogical instrument which helps to enhance motivation of the students to learn language especially grammar. by using different parts of the computer, especially email, and having continuous online connection between the teacher and students, it will be hoped that the improvement of the students’ grammar is demonstrated. alabad (2010) stipulated that using computer for language learning and teaching has an important positive effect on them. it causes to engage learners in meaningful learning activities both in and outside the classroom. he also found in his study that learners were enjoyed and exciting when their learning was across from the use of computers in the classroom. in addition, they expressed that they were active in the class when their learning mixed with technology. he also mentioned that by using computer in the classroom, learners are able to be more exposure to the culture of the target language. as roberts (2005) pointed out, collaborative learning plays central role in language learning. so language learning with the help of computer in the classroom, at home, or at any place and time create an environment for effective interaction among students. it also has another effect on language learning as it can be expressed that it causes to achieve seyed jalal abdolmanafi-rokni the effect of using email on enhancing iranian efl learners’ grammar development language highly and help to reach high and positive attitude toward the subject matter. according to al-ghazo (2008), technology is the best instructional tool to help learners enhancing their knowledge of the target language. he also added that technology plays an important role in enhancing the process of language learning and teaching. ttcc stated that technology has a special feature which can be expressed as it can be used in different ways in the classroom without any attention to the level of students or the subject of teaching. hollenbeck and hollenbeck (2004) maintained that there are three advantages of using computer-internetin the classroom: first, teachers are able to develop students' ability in writing letters through using e-mail and to develop their fluency in target language through chatting especially with native speakers. second, teachers are able to provide various environments which are related to instruction. and third, using internet causes to bring authentic materials. however, teachers should be careful and aware of how to use the internet and the available resources in teaching effectively. clyde and delohery (2005) mentioned that email is an asynchronous tool which can be used for different purposes and it consists of many instructional uses which help to enhance teaching and learning english. warschauer (1995) added that it provides opportunities for efl learners to have real life communication. moreover, using email in teaching a foreign language can improve learner’s grammar, vocabulary and writing skill (nagel 1999 as cited in al-mekhlafi 2004). similarly, the study of edasawa and kabata (2007) indicated how an email exchange projector had improved esl students at the vocabulary and syntactic levels through message exchanges. according to wikipedia (2010), email or electronic mail can be termed as a method which exchange digital messages and cause to communicate by personal computer, mobile phone, or other tools. it also expressed about the content of email which includes form, message, picture, photo or video clip. similarly, it indicated how an email works for the purpose of learning and teaching a language. e-mail systems are based on a store-and-forward model in which e-mail computer server systems accept, forward, deliver and store messages on behalf of users, an e-mail server, with a network-enabled device for the duration of message submission or retrieval. an electronic mail message consists of two components, the message header, and the message body, which is the e-mail's content. the message header contains control information, including, minimally, an originator's email address and one or more recipient addresses. as nagel (1999) pointed out, how to use e-mail in the classroom, how to be most effective and to get optimal results are the focus of the paper “e-mail in the virtual esl/efl classroom”. moreover, he explained in his study the difference between email and traditional grammar assignment. he discussed about the effect of computer-email functionson language learning and teaching and more specifically, how much it effects on promoting language ability of language learners. chan and kim (2004) maintained that nowadays sentence-based and grammar-oriented tasks are used commercially by the help of call software but it is tried to use in a english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee communicative context. hubbard and siskin (2004) also found in their study that there are some grammar-focused activities which are used in someweb sites such as english town, http://www.englishtown.com/online/h ome.aspx. in addition, these activities focus more on both form and meaning. chhabra (2012) propounded that internet actually is a source of information in the form of courses, articles, conferences and etc. teachers send their assignments to the students through email and parents can view their children's work online at any time. schools are also linked in a network and prepare materials online. there is lots of free software which are available on internet and students can use them. one of the software is named as spelling bee which helps the students to spell english words. according to brown (1980), second language education has changed considerably, pointing out the importance of the use of an “electric enlightened approach” to theory building but cautions that classroom contact is still very necessary for second language learners to give real-world validity to their theory building.brown’s theoretical comments about the classroom vignettes contribute to the attainment of this goal as major methodological approaches and current issues in language teaching are depicted in these vignettes, first with the direct method, grammar translation and the audio-lingual method (viatonu & kayode 2012). similarly, randall (2006) has admitted thattechnology has become a major component; a must-have in many homes around the world, with its concomitant influence permeating all facets of human lives, including education.this is a welcome development by many as it shows the direction in which language instruction will be driven by new advancements in technology (viatonu & kayode 2012). information and communication technology helps the students to perform better in language learning than with regimented traditional classroom teaching. online learning has the potentials to offer anyone with an internet connection access to a wide expanse but inexpensive education just as e-learning and computer allow schools to deliver classes to students anywhere in the world (educause, 2010). in their study, mestre et al. (1997) concluded that classroom communication technologies provide useful feedback to students and the teacher on how well the students understand the concepts being covered and whether they can apply them in novel contexts. in a 2000 study commissioned by the software and information industry association, sivinkachala and bialo (2000) reviewed 311 research studies on the effectiveness of technology on student achievement. their findings revealed positive and consistent patterns when students were engaged in technology-rich environments, including significant gains and achievement in all subject areas, increased achievement in preschool through high school for both regular and students with special needs, and improved attitudes toward learning and increased self-esteem. roschelle, pea, hoadley, gordin and means (2000) identified four fundamental characteristics of how technology can enhance both what and how children learn in the classroom: (1) active engagement, (2) participation in groups, (3) frequent interaction and http://www.englishtown.com/online/home.aspx seyed jalal abdolmanafi-rokni the effect of using email on enhancing iranian efl learners’ grammar development feedback, and (4) connections to realworld contexts. ghabanchi and anbarestani (2008) conducted a study concerning the effects of call program on expanding lexical knowledge of efl iranian intermediate learners. it was found that learning via typical system has better short term results, but learning via computerized facilities is more beneficial in long term situation; and the rate of forgetting is much lower in technological vocabulary learning. bordbar's (2010) study explored the reasons and factors behind teachers’ use of computer technology in the classroom. his study also explored teachers’ attitudes toward computer and information technology and how they apply their practical computer-assisted language learning experience and knowledge to their language teaching. the results of his study showed that the majority of the respondents had positive or highly positive perceptions about the relevance of information and communication technology to iranian society and schools. according to quan-hasse, cothrel, and wellman (2005), the introduction of computer technologies such as the internet, e-mail, chat, etc., into educational environments has made it possible for learners to communicate ideas, information, and their feelings without any limit on time and space. similarly, zhao (2006) refers to the application of the internet saying that it is the first significant medium of communication providing people new social contacts outside the face-to-face contexts.carter (1997) also states that the emergence of faxes, e-mail communications, and word-processed texts has changed the ways in which written language can be utilized to maintain interpersonal interaction among different interlocutors within their social, cultural, and learning context. according to (warschauer 2001), cmc or “on-line communication refers to reading, writing and communication via networked computers” and it comprises of: a) synchronous computer-mediated communication, whereby people communicate in real time via chat or discussion software, with all participants at their computers at the same time; b) asynchronous computer-mediated communication, whereby people communicate in a delayed fashion by computer, e.g. by e-mail; and c) the reading and writing of on-line documents via the internet. as levy (1997) pointed out, the internet has been supplemented with books, television, computer and any other technology in the classroom faster than ago. he also stated that by increasing use of computer, language learners must learn how to use it to learn grammar online. according to jones (1986), elearning is a type of educational content via any electronic media such as the internet, intranet, extranet, satellite broadcast, audio/video tape, interactive tv, cd-rom, interactive cd, and computer-based training which is sent to the language learners. e-learning has many different forms of educational programs including online courses, web enhanced learning and distance education. iranian students have many grammar mistakes by the existing of many useful methodologies in the world. in addition, there are many computers in each house and most of the people know english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee how to work with a computer and its different part. so, i thought that it will be better to connect technology with language learning, especially grammar to enhance such proficiency. thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the effects of e-mail on improving efl learners' grammar skill and to show the benefits of using email in an efl grammar class for students. the research questions addressed in this study were: 1. does emailing have any effect on enhancing efl learners’ grammar proficiency? 2. what are iranian efl learners’ attitudes about the efficacy of using email for enhancing their grammar development? method to answer the research questions, 44 female lower-intermediate efl learners, aged 13-18, learning english at abrar english language institute in gorgan, iran in 2013 took part in the study.in order to homogenize the participants and to make sure about their level of general proficiency, a nelson test was administered to the participants. after analyzing the data, participants were selected and randomly assigned into experimental and control groups, each 26. for the purposes of the present study, three instruments were utilized: nelson test of proficiency. it consisted of 50 multiple-choice items in three parts of grammar and structure, vocabulary and reading comprehension. the time allotted was 40 minute. the reliability index of this test was estimated through kuder-richarson formula 21 as 0.82. as the aim of this study was to examine the effect of emailing on grammar development, a test including grammar was developed by the researcher (researcher-made test). the source for making the test was a lower intermediate book entitled “interchangeintro”(richards, 2005). this researcher-made test was piloted on 25 students of the same level in another english language institute. having analyzed the data, the result showed that the reliability calculated through kuder-richarson formula 21 was 0.79. then, the item analysis was done and poor items were discarded and some others were modified. the grammar test consisted of 40 items. since the time interval between the pretest and posttest was long enough, the same pretest was used as posttest too (hatch & farhady, 1982). thus the grammar test was conducted again as posttest at the end of the course in order to measure the progress of learner’s grammar skill. at first, a nelson test as a homogenizing tool was administered to 65 lower-intermediate efl participants. those participants who were located one standard deviation above and below the mean were selected to participate in this study. having analyzed the data, 52 participants were randomly chosen forthe purpose of this study. they were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups with 26 in each group. participants in both experimental and control groups took a pretest. the researcher explained the project to the participants of the email group, introduced the possible use of email in foreign language learning, and expressed the hope that the students would choose to participate. the participants of experimental group received step-by-step instructions on using email. the control group only seyed jalal abdolmanafi-rokni the effect of using email on enhancing iranian efl learners’ grammar development received place. finally, a posttest was administered to both groups and then data were analyzed by spss version 18. during the 10 sessions of treatment, fifty english sentences were given to students. in the experimental group, the researcher sent five new sentences via email three times a week. totally, 10 email messages were sent during three weeks. in the control group, the participants were given a list of five sentences on paper three times a week. simple present and present progressive tenses were chosen in this study as target forms for two reasons. first, pre intermediate efl learners were already familiar with the basics of these structures. thus, in this study, the emphasis was put on increasing awareness over the correct use of present tenses rather than on instructing the learners how to use them. second, these structures are known to be problematic as learners frequently fail to use them properly. therefore, this study attempted to enhance the learners’ ability to correctly apply simple present and present progressive tenses through email corrective feedback. the participants of the present study were presented with their regular course books the pre intermediate course book (interchange intro). it comprised of five units and each unit is further divided into two sections. every grammar section was covered in two sessions lasting for 45 minutes. session one was devoted to conversation, grammar, and vocabulary. session two covered reading, grammar, and listening. classes were held twice a week. the total of ten sessions covered the part of a term for each of the two classes. the participants in the experimental class were required to submit an email and the modified version of the same email after receiving corrective feedback from the second session on as home assignment every week after covering every unit, using computer or laptop out of the classroom. all the participants in two groups received the same assignment every week but experimental group received them via email. the experimental group received corrective feedback via email, i.e., the instructor indicated that an error had been made, identified the error and provided the correction, to which repetition was required by the participants as modified output. in the control group no modified output was required. the teacher provided corrective feedback for the experimental groups mainly focusing on the correct use of simple present and present progressive tenses. other grammatical deviations were corrected without bringing the participants’ attention to them. results and discussion in the present research, based on the type of data, some techniques including paired samples t-test and independent sample t-test were used to compare the output of the two tests (pretest and posttests). in order to answer the first research question, descriptive statistics regarding the experimental and the control groups was calculated first. as table 1 displays, both control and experimental groups had almost the same mean score on the pretest and there was no significant difference between the two groups. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 1. descriptive statistics related to both groups' performances on the pretest groups n mean sd sig t experimental 26 7.577 3.431 0.719 0.361 control 26 7.923 3.474 as the findings in table 2 show, there was a highly significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the posttest-pretest total gain scores (t=7.637, p<.001).the result shows an increase from the pretest to the posttest and improvement in learning occurred more significantly in the experimental group than in the control group. thus, the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group by showing significantly higher gain scores from the pretest to the posttest. table 2. descriptive statistics related to both groups' performances on the posttest groups n mean sd sig t experimental 26 26.731 4.779 0.000 7.637 control 26 16.769s 4.624 one outstanding factor that made the two groups different was motivation. the control group seemed to have a weaker motivation in learning, compared with the email group or experimental group. this could be seen from the number of participants in the experimental group who managed to complete all the grammar tasks. this was not so in the control group. this, of course, does not mean that the english training programmed via the traditional classrooms cannot be recommended. with regard to the first research question, the findings of the study are congruent with those studies done by quan-hasse, cothrel, and wellman (2005), zhao (2006), and carter (1997). according to quan-hasse, cothrel, and wellman (2005), the introduction of computer technologies such as the internet, email, chat, etc., into educational environments made it possible for learners to communicate ideas, information, and their feelings without any limit on time and space. moreover, zhao (2006) refers to the application of the internet saying that the internet provides people to have new social contacts outside the real context, although it allows them to have physically presence during the process of communication among the people. further, carter (1997) also states that the emergence of faxes, email communications, and word-processed texts has changed the ways in which written language can be utilized to maintain interpersonal interaction among different interlocutors within their social, cultural, and learning context. similarly, this study complies with the one conducted by randall (2006) who admitted that technology has become a major component; a must-have in many homes around the world, with its concomitant influence permeating all facets of human lives, including education. this is a welcome development by many as it shows the direction in which language instruction will be driven by new advancements in technology. with regard to the second question, it can be stated that learners in experimental group expressed satisfaction about the positive effect of the use of email. they stated that the seyed jalal abdolmanafi-rokni the effect of using email on enhancing iranian efl learners’ grammar development treatment had an effect on the enhancement of their grammar proficiency during and at the end of the course. they cited that the use of email and having constant contact with the teacher were all really beneficial and motivating to them. in sum, there are many advantages of using email for enhancing grammar skill of efl learners. analysis of the data has indicated that there is a positive relationship between the usage of email and improvement of grammar skills. learners had been engaged to use email to enhance their grammar skills and learn many factors that is related to english grammar structures. conclusion based on the research objectives, the researcher undertook the present study to determine the effectiveness of the email facility to help students to improve their grammar skill. this was done by comparing the improvement gained by the experimental group. both groups were given several grammar tasks at the low level of intermediate level. the analysis revealed that the achievements obtained by the two groups were, to a certain degree, different. the number of mistakes associated with certain aspects of the language decreased as students worked with email. most students believed that sending assignments via email provided excellent opportunities for them to ask their writing or grammatical problems whenever they need, so it is apparent that the number of mistakes decreased in some certain areas. where the advantages of the email facilities in relation to the rate of student participations are concerned, it is necessary to conduct further research involving other subjects within the context of efl learning. it is nevertheless to be expected that these findings will be beneficial to efl learners. findings of the study showed that the use of technology for enhancing language learning proficiency, especially grammar proficiency was effective. there are many reasons why using email is advantageous for the student and the teacher and education. first, by using email students become familiar with a communication tool that is vital to their survival in the 21st century. in the world of business, education, politics, and technology, electronic mail is quickly taking the place of voice, paper, and fax communication. secondly, a teacher can interact with a student or a group of students working on a project at times that are more convenient to the student, group, and the teacher. the vital interaction and feedback that take place between a teacher and student (or group of students) over a writing task is not limited to the confines of a classroom. finally, using email can also save class time for some assignments. teachers can send assignments and announcements electronically to the group. for example, if a teacher has to remind the students of a certain assignment due or of a particular procedure, the teacher can send one message to entire group. this can save valuable class time. references alabbad, a. m. (2010). interactive computer/network-based program for teaching english as a foreign language in the elementary levels in saudi arabia. doi: 10.1109/icmcs.2011.5945699. al-ghazo, a. m. (2008). technology integration in university teacher's education programs in jordon: english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee comparison of competencies, attitudes and perceptions toward integrating technology in the classroom. unpublished doctoral dissertation. retrieved from pro questllc. (umi no: 3310999). al-mekhlafi, a. (2004). the internet and efl teaching: the reactions of uae secondary school english language teachers. journal of language and learning, 2(2), 88-113. bordbar, f. (2010). english teachers' attitudes toward computer-assisted language learning. international journal of language studies, 4(3), 27-54. brown, h. d. (1980). principles of language learning and teaching. eaglewood cliffs ny: prentice hall. carter, r. (1997). investigating english discourse. london: routledge. chan, w.m., and d. h. kim. (2004). towards greater individualization and processoriented learningthrough electronic self-access: project “e-daf.”computer assisted language learning, 17(1), 83-108. chhabra, p. (2012). use of e-learning tools in teaching english. international journal of computing & business research, (22296166). retrieved from http://etec.hawaii.edu/proceedings/2 010/kiriakidis.pdf. clyde, w., and a. delohery. (2005). using technology in teaching.new haven and london: yale university press. edasawa, y. & k. kabata. (2007). an ethnographic study of a key-pal project: learning a foreign language through bilingual communication. computer assisted language learning, 20(3), 189-207. educause. (2010). horizon report. retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_t ech.january 15, 2012 ghabanchi, z., and m. anbarestani (2008). the effects of call program on expanding lexical knowledge of efl iranian intermediate learners. the reading matrix, 8(2), 86-95. hatch, e., and h. farhady. (1982). research design and statistics for applied linguistics. u.s.a: newbury house publishers inc. hollenbeck, j. e., and d. z. hollenbeck. (2004). technology to enhance learning in the multilingual classroom, east lansing, mi, eric document ed490629. retrieved from:http://eric.ed.gov/ericwebporta l/contentdelivery/servlet/ericservlet? accno=ed490629.march 2nd, 2012. hubbard, p., and c. bradin siskin. (2004). another look at tutorial call. recall journal, 16(2), 448–461. levy, m. (2009). technologies in use for second language learning. the modern language journal, 93, focus issue, (2009)0026-7902/09/769–782. mestre, j. p., w. j. gerace, r. j. dufresne, et al. (1997). promoting active learning in large classer using a classroom communication system. in the changing role of physics departments in modern universities: proceedings of international conference on undergraduate physics education. woodbury, ny: american institute of physics. nagel, p.s. (1999). e-mail in the virtual esl/efl classroom. the internet tesl journal, v(7). retrieved from http://iteslj.org/articles/nagelemail.html. (accessed 13/03/2011). quan-hasse, a., j. cothrel, and b. wellman (2005). instant messaging for collaboration: acase study of a high-tech firm. journal of computer mediated communications, 10(4). retrieved from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol10/issue4/ quan-haase.htm. may 9, 2010 randall, d. (2006) the impact of technology on language teaching usa. tesl journal, xii (ii). retrieved from http://www.iteslj.org. richards, j. c. (2005). interchange intro (3rded.). cambridge: cup. roberts, t. s. (2005). computer-supported collaborative learning in higher education.in t.s.roberts (ed.), computer-supported collaborative learning in higher education (pp. 1 -18). hershey, pa: idea group pub. http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech http://eric.ed.gov/ericwebportal/contentdelivery/servlet/ericservlet?accno=ed490629 http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol10/issue4/quan-haase.htm seyed jalal abdolmanafi-rokni the effect of using email on enhancing iranian efl learners’ grammar development roschelle, j. m., r. d. pea, c. m.hoadley, et al. (2000). changing how and what children learn in school with computerbased technologies. the future of children, 10(2), 76-101. sivin-kachala, j., and e. bialo (2000). research reports on the effectiveness of technology in schools.(7th ed.). washington, dc: software and information industry association viatonu, o., and e.t. kayode. (2012). improving the teaching and learning of english language through the use of information and communication technology: prospects and challenges. international conference “ict for language learning” 5th edition. warschauer, m. (1995). e-mail for english teaching. alexandria, va: tesol publications. warschauer, m. (2001). on-line communication. in r. carter, and d.nunan (eds.),the cambridge guide to teaching english to speakers of other languages (pp. 207-212). cambridge: cambridge university press. wikipedia.(2010). email. retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/email. december 2, 2010. zhao, s. (2006). do internet users have more social ties? a call for differentiated analyses of internet use. journal of computer mediated communications, 11(3), 844–862. retrieved from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue3/ zhao.html. may 9, 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/email investigating chinese efl students’ perceptions of writing prompts of different amounts of information su you investigating chinese efl students’ perceptions of writing prompts of different amounts of information investigating chinese efl students’ perceptions of writing prompts of different amounts of information su you school of humanities, beijing university of posts and telecommunications e-mail: suyou@bupt.edu.cn apa citation: su, y. (2015). investigating chinese efl students’ perceptions of writing prompts of different amounts of information. english review: journal of english education, 3(2), 230-238 received: 11-04-2015 accepted: 26-04-2015 published: 01-06-2015 abstract: this study aims to explore how chinese efl students perceive the advantages and disadvantages of prompts providing different amount of information, namely prompt with more information and prompt with less information. both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through questionnaire survey and semi-structured interview. research results indicate that: 1) respondents hold a mixed attitude towards the prompt effect on their task accomplishment. 2) students believe that prompt type can affect their expression in writing; 3) students generally agree that prompt with more information facilitate their writing in terms of content and organization; 4) students’ preference for the prompt type differs across different english proficiency level. keywords: prompt effect, english writing, testing writing, perceptions introduction since the role of writing in second language education increases, there is also a greater demand to test writing in a valid and reliable way. in writing assessment, writing prompts are designed with a view to providing an adequate sample of written discourse to make appropriate and reliable assessments of the linguistics skill of the candidate (o’loughlin &wiggleworth, 2007). however, there is also the risk of “construct-irrelevant variance” (messick, 1996) or what jenning, fox, graves, and shohamy (1992:456) have called a “prompt effect”. in other words, in writing performance assessment, prompts are systematically varied for different students, raising the possibility of a prompt effect and thus affecting the validity, reliability and fairness of these tests. however, the question of the extent to which the specific task prompt affects writing in a foreign language is “a vexed one” (o’loughlin &wigglesworth, 2007:380). weigle (2011:69) also points out that it is still not clear in terms of which specific differences in writing prompts affect examinee’s performance and in what ways. testing specialists (bachman and palmer, 1996; alderson et al, 2000; weigle, 2011) point out the usefulness of task specifications in terms of test objectives and test takers’ interpretation. meanwhile, some scholars (li, 2001; wu, 2008; gu & gao, 2007) worried that too much amount of information in chinese provided in the prompt might result in test takers’ direct translation of the prompt and it might deduce the validity of the writing test. this raises the question that whether the prompt with or without an outline will affect test takers’ writing performance and how prompts with different amount of information affect test takers’ english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee performance. besides, one of the objectives in developing assessment prompts is to ensure comparability across different administrations. in order to achieve this, it is crucial that we understand better about the effects of prompts, how test takers approach them, and what affect the difficulty of a prompt. whether the changes to the task specification affect test takers’ performance, has received some amount of attention. according to hinkel (2002), prompt wording affect test takers’ writing performance since they insert language from the prompt into their essays. in brossell and ash’s (1984) study, they examined the possible effect of the wording of essay topics by looking at whether phrasing the task as a question or as a statement make a difference in test takers’ writing performance. they also analyzed whether it matters when a topic is addressed to the writer in personal way (“you”) or is addressed in impersonal or neutral terms. this study provided no evidence to support the claim that small changes in the wording of essay test topics affect test takers’ outcomes. studies have also dealt with the amount of information given in prompts and the extent to which task difficulty and test takers’ performance will be affected by it (kroll and reid,1994; brossell, 1983; o’loughlin and wigglesworth, 2007). o’loughlin and wigglesworth (2007) investigated the extent to which the difficulty of ielts academic writing task 1 is affected by the amount of information provided to the candidate and the extent to which the difficulty of the task is affected by the presentation of the information to the candidate. analysis revealed that there were no substantial differences in difficulty between the tasks and it appears that tasks providing less information actually elicit more complex language. brossell (1983) discovered that the information load apparently can affect a test taker’s tendency to begin writing purposefully by helping or hindering the focusing and organizing of a test taker’s thoughts. another investigation conducted by oh and walker (2007) evaluated whether new scholastic assessment test’s essay prompt type (either a simple one-line prompt or a prompt including a short passage) affects test-takers’ essay production. research findings indicated that the one-line prompt and the prompt with a passage providing more information have a similar impact on the test-takers’ essay performance. other studies have revealed that test takers do take the generality and specificity of prompts into their consideration when it comes to decide which one to choose (polio & glew, 1996; powers & fowles, 1998). chiste and o’shea (1988) found that esl writers preferred the shorter prompt but esl writers studied did not perform significantly better on short questions because such questions may limit writers’ range of topic choices and offer less insight into an essay’s development and structure. thus, it is claimed that prompt should be phrased as succinctly as possible and prompts should be comparable in length (chiste and o’shea, 1988). besides, brossell (1983) claims that a medium level of specification and information load is the best choice for prompt design as this facilitates examinees focus without overloading them with information or narrowing their thoughts. based on the review of theoretical concerns on writing and writing assessment, one can see that prompts su you investigating chinese efl students’ perceptions of writing prompts of different amounts of information can be systematically varied for different test takers, raising the possibility of a prompt effect and thus affecting the validity, reliability and fairness of writing performance tests. however, research on the designing of writing prompts, specifically, the prompt effect, has not been well addressed. as prompt with necessary content and structure support is the format frequently used in the writing assessment in china(gu, yang & feng, 2009), there is the necessity to investigate chinese efl students’ perceptions of different writing prompts. considering the issues and problems mentioned above, this study aims to explore how test takers may perceive the relative advantages and disadvantage of writing prompts with different amount of information. to achieve the research purpose, the research questions of this study are: 1) what are students’ perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of the prompts that provides more information (specific-points prompts)? 2) what are students’ perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of the prompts that provides less information (basic-points prompts)? method participants a total of 102 chinese efl students took part in this study. among the 102 participant, 61 of them were male while 41 were female. they are all non-native speakers of english and speak chinese as their mother tongue. the average age of these participants is 17. all the participants started to learn english when they entered junior high school and they have just started the third year’s study of the senior high school at the time when they participated in the present study. as third-year senior high school students, they were required to write coherent and well-structured short essays to express their opinions and attitudes (necs: 2001). to prepare them for college entrance examination, prompt with necessary content and structure support is the format frequently used by the teachers. data collection method to serve the purpose of the present study, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews. the questionnaire was designed in the form of likert scale, which is adapted from xu (2006) whose research was on identifying and controlling writing task difficulty factors in english tests. the questionnaire intends to extract students’ perceptions in terms of task fulfillment, vocabulary use, structure organization, cohesion, expression and grammar use. participants were asked to number from 5 to 1 to indicate the degree they agreed with each statement (5=strongly agree, 4=mostly agree, 3=not sure, 2=mostly disagree 1=strongly disagree). for the accuracy of responses, the questionnaire was designed in chinese. the reliability of the questionnaire was reliable with a cronbach alpha of .8127. based on the results of the questionnaires, it was intended to use interviews to gain deeper insight into participants’ conceptions of some specific issues related to the advantages and disadvantages of the amount of information provided in the prompt. interviews with the students were conducted after the questionnaire survey. six students across three proficiency levels, basic, intermediate, and advanced, were chosen as the participants for the interview. the average time length of the interviews was about 15 minutes. all interviews were recorded and later transcribed by the researcher. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee results anddiscussion questionnaire responses on the liker scale were presented after data processing with spss (16.0). one thing worth noting here is that we combine “agree” and “strongly agree” on the scale in the following discussion. the specific areas under investigation were: language use, writing process, and writing quality. as for the writing quality, it includes content, structure and organization, cohesion, expression and word choice, and grammar. perceptions of the specific-points prompt language use data from the questionnaire survey showed that only 35% of the students felt that their writing on the specific-points prompt can reflect their english writing ability objectively (no. 1). for a closer examination of the statistics on language use, one can see that less than 20% of respondents felt that prompts with specific points could make their expression more native-like (no. 6) and around 40% of them believed that this kind of prompt hindered the variety of vocabulary in their writing (no.7). however, around half of the respondents to the questionnaire felt that the specific-points prompt enabled them to write more (no.3). table 1 presents the specifics of statistics including the frequency, mean score, and standard error. table 1. students’ perceptions of specific-points prompt: language use i think the prompt with more information: frequency (%) n=102 sd d n a sa m s.d. 1 reflects my english writing ability objectively. 6.0 13.0 46.0 24.0 11.0 3.21 1.01 3 enables me to write more. 5.2 16.7 31.3 36.5 10.4 3.30 1.04 6 makes my expression more native-like. 4.0 28.7 47.5 15.8 4.0 2.87 0.87 7 hinders the variety in vocabulary. 7.9 24.8 26.7 25.7 14.9 3.15 1.19 note: sa = strongly agree; a = agree; n = not sure; d = disagree; sd = strongly disagree writing process more than half of the respondents to the questionnaire felt that they were more familiar with the prompt with specific points and had inherent routines to complete the task (no.5). for a closer examination of the statistics on the writing process, one can see that 75% of the respondents agreed that specific-points prompt made them tend to directly translate the chinese prompts into english (no.8). this echoes some scholars’ (li, 2001; wu, 2008; gu & gao, 2007) assumption that too much amount of information in chinese provided in the prompt might result in students’ direct translation of the prompt and it might deduce the validity of the writing test. besides, more than half of the respondent felt that the prompt with more information restricted their thoughts and hindered the performance of their wiring ability (no. 4). additionally, we are surprised to find that there were still 44% of the respondents felt that the specific-points prompt actually restricted their writing in terms of the content (no.9). the interview indicated that students thought sometimes they found it hard to cover all those information provided in the prompts while some others held that they could nor write other things that they would really want to write if the prompt gave too much information. this could be the reason whymany students still felt this kind of prompt challenging (no.2). table 2 presents the specifics of statistics. su you investigating chinese efl students’ perceptions of writing prompts of different amounts of information table 2 students’ perceptions of specific-points prompt: writing process i think the prompt with more information: frequency (%) n=102 sd d n a sa m s.d. 2 is not challenging, decreasing my interest in writing. 18.8 38.6 30.7 8.9 3.0 2.39 0.99 4 restricts my thoughts, thus hinders the performance of my writing ability. 8.0 21.0 12.0 40.0 19.0 3.41 1.24 5 makes me more familiar with this mode of writing and i have inherent routines to complete the task. 2.0 17.8 23.8 48.5 7.9 3.43 0.94 8 makes me tend to directly translate the chinese prompts. 5.0 12.0 8.0 51.0 24.0 3.77 1.10 9 restricts my writing in terms of the content. 5.0 26.0 25.0 32.0 12.0 3.20 1.11 writing quality as for writing quality, the investigation focuses on students’ perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of specific-points prompt from the perspectives of organization, coherence, and grammar. table 3 presents the specifics of statistics. table 3. students’ perceptions of specific-points prompt: writing quality i think the prompt with more information: frequency (%) n=102 sd d n a sa m s.d. 10 helps me develop the overall structure. 2.0 6.9 17.8 62.4 10.9 3.73 0.82 11 enables me to pay more attention to the transition between sentences. 1.0 18.8 33.7 37.6 7.9 3.33 0.91 12 makes the writing structure more complete. 4.0 17.0 24.0 47.0 8.0 3.38 0.99 13 makes my writing more coherent and logical. 3.0 17.0 43.0 31.0 6.0 3.20 0.90 14 promotes the accuracy of grammar. 5.0 24.0 46.0 22.0 3.0 2.94 0.89 15 reminds me of constant checking of the accuracy of grammar while writing. 2.0 32.3 42.4 21.2 2.0 2.89 0.83 16 promotes the variety of grammatical structures. 5.0 26.7 49.5 16.8 2.0 2.84 0.83 17 promotes my accuracy of tense. 2.0 21.8 42.6 29.7 4.0 3.12 0.86 the questionnaire survey indicated that another advantage of the specific-points prompt is that it facilitates students in writing in terms of organization and structure. around 80% of the respondents believed that prompt with more information helped them develop the overall structure (no.10) and more than half of the respondents agreed that it made their writing structure more complete (no.12). this result echoes with the findings of the empirical study conducted by xu (2006) which indicated that providing stimulus may help students with idea generation. in addition, 45% of the students felt that specific-points prompt enabled them to pay more attention to the transition between sentences and 37% of them believed it made their writing structure more complete. however, one can see that respondents hold very neutral attitude towards the advantages and disadvantages of prompt with more information from the perspective of grammar use (no.14, no.15, no.16, and no.17). perceptions of the basic-points prompt the specific areas under investigation were: language use, writing process, and writing quality. as for the writing quality, it includes content, structure and organization, cohesion, expression and word choice, and grammar. language use data from the questionnaire survey indicated that more than 63% of the respondents believed that their writing on the basic-points prompt reflected their english writing ability more objectively english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee (no. 1). this is a sharp contrast with respondents’ perceptions of specific-points prompts (35%). in other words, in the test takers’ eyes, prompt with less information is a better way to measure their english writing ability. besides, 34% of the students thought that prompt with less information enabled them to write more (no.3). table 4. students’ perceptions of basic-points prompt: language use i think the prompt with more information: frequency (%) n=102 sd d n a sa m s.d. 1 reflects my english writing ability more objectively 5.0 5.0 26.7 37.6 25.7 3.74 1.06 3 enables me to write more 5.0 25.0 36.0 28.0 6.0 3.05 0.99 6 makes my expression more native-like 5.0 21.0 53.0 14.0 7.0 2.97 0.92 7 promotes the variety in vocabulary 5.0 6.0 31.0 50.0 8.0 3.50 0.92 for a closer examination of the statistics on language use, we can see that more than half of the respondents felt that the basic-points prompt promoted the variety of word choice in their writing (no.7). this might because it is possible for students to avoid direct translation of the chinese prompt. follow-up interviews revealed that students usually found it hard to choose the exact word to translate the prompt if there were too much information, but it would be easier for them to try other ways of expression or other similar words to directly express their opinions when dealing with the prompt with less information. as for the expression, it seemed that students held a neutral view on whether basic-points prompt made their expression more native-like (no.6). table 4 above presents the specifics. writing process another advantage of the basic-points prompt students considered was that it broadened their thought and thus promoted the performance of their writing (no.4, 69.3%). besides, around half of the respondents thought that basic-points prompt is more challenging and increases their interest in writing (no. 2). this might be the reason why many students believed that their performance on the prompt with less information reflected their writing ability more objectively. however, there were 59% of responses showed that the missing of outline in the prompt made it difficult to complete the writing task (no.5). this is different from students’ perception of the prompt with more information which was believed to be easier for students in terms of task fulfillment. table 5 below presents the specifics. table 5 students’ perceptions of basic-points prompt: writing process i think the prompt with more information: frequency (%) n=102 sd d n a sa m s.d. 2 more challenging, increasing my interest in writing 5.9 6.9 36.6 33.7 16.8 3.49 1.05 4 broadens my thought, thus promotes my writing 4.0 4.0 22.8 48.5 20.8 3.78 0.96 5 makes it difficult to complete the task since the outline is missing 8.0 21.0 12.0 53.0 6.0 2.98 1.10 8 makes it possible for me to avoid direct translation of the chinese prompts 4.0 12.9 14.9 49.5 18.8 3.66 1.05 9 makes my writing more free and open in terms of content 4.0 2.0 16.0 58.0 20.0 3.88 0.89 su you investigating chinese efl students’ perceptions of writing prompts of different amounts of information by examining the statistics closely, we can see another obvious advantage of basic-points prompt was that it made students’ writing more free and open in terms of content (no.9, 78%). besides, most students felt that it is possible for them to avoid direct translation of the chinese prompt (no.8). this result is consistent with participants’ perception of specific-points prompt where 44% of the respondents felt that prompt with more information restricted their writing. the interview also revealed that students, especially those of high english proficiency, felt that there was more flexibility in terms of what to write instead of being limited by the information provided in the prompt. table 18 below presents the specifics. writing quality as for the quality of students’ writings, respondents to the questionnaire felt that it was difficult for them to organize the structure and make the writing coherent and logical when responding to the basic-points prompt. only 28% of the students felt that basic-points prompt helped them develop the overall structure and 16% of them believed that this kind of prompt made their writing structure more complete. besides, around 30% of the students thought that basic-points prompt enabled them to pay more attention to the transition between sentences. however, we can see that students held a neutral attitude towards the advantages and disadvantages of basic-points prompts from the perspective of grammar use (no.14, no.15, no.16, and no.17). table 6. students’ perceptions of basic-points prompt: writing quality i think the prompt with more information: frequency (%) n=102 sd d n a sa m s.d. 10 helps me develop the overall structure. 3.0 20.0 49.0 20.0 8.0 3.10 0.92 11 enables me to pay more attention to the transition between sentences. 2.0 19.8 46.5 23.8 7.9 3.16 0.90 12 makes the writing structure more complete. 3.0 21.0 60.0 13.0 3.0 2.92 0.76 13 makes my writing more coherent and logical. 3.0 23.8 51.5 16.8 5.0 2.97 0.85 14 promotes the accuracy of grammar . 2.0 28.0 48.0 18.0 4.0 2.94 0.84 15 reminds me of constant checking of the accuracy of grammar while writing.. 3.0 20.8 46.5 22.8 6.9 3.10 0.91 16 promotes the variety of grammatical structures. 3.0 20.8 41.6 27.7 6.9 3.15 0.93 17 promotes my accuracy of tense. 3.0 22.8 53.5 15.8 5.0 2.97 0.84 the prompt type that students preferred participants were also asked which prompt type they prefer. results indicated that perception of students differed across different english proficiency level as they self-rated. in the interview, the interviewee of advanced english level expressed that the prompt with less information gave them more freedom to write and they felt that the choice of words was not limited so that the accuracy of their writing was ensured. as for the reason why they preferred the prompt with less information, some students also thought that it gave them opportunity to write something of themselves instead of writing things that shared high similarity with other students. when asked why they preferred the prompt english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee with more information, some students responded that they didn’t have to generate ideas and this saved much time in a time-controlled testing situation while others thought that more information provided in the prompt could enable them to write long sentences and have a better control over the structure of their essay. the reason for the difference is that student of lower proficiency have more demand for content and outline support than those of higher proficiency who don’t want to get restricted by the information provided in the prompt. this is also in line with previous studies which revealed there is interaction between prompt preference and proficiency level (chiste & o’shea, 1988; jennings, et al., 1999). this indicated that students’ language ability can be an important factor that determines their perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of the two different prompt types. conclusion this study investigated into participants’ perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of writing prompt with different amount of information. the areas explored include students’ general opinions on task accomplishment, and factors considered important in writing such as content, structure and organization, cohesion, expression and word choice, grammar, and mechanics. research results indicated that respondents held a mixed attitude towards the prompt effect on their task accomplishment. students also felt that prompt type can affect their expression in writing. they agree that translation effect may appear when they are taking the prompt with too much information. besides, students agreed that prompt with more information facilitates their writing in terms of content and organization. most students believed that the prompt providing structure and content support made their writing more free and open in terms of content. it also reveals that students’ preference for the prompt type differs across different english proficiency level. students of advanced level preferred the prompt with less information while many students of the basic level would like to write on the prompt with more information. in terms of future research, quantitative and qualitative analysis of students writing performance on different prompts could be conducted to further examine the prompt effect. acknowledgements this paper is supported by the fundamental research funds for the central universities (2014rc0703) and 2014 research projects for national college foreign language teaching (s2014175). references alderson, j. c., clapham, c., & wall, d. (2000). language test construction and evaluation. beijing: foreign language teaching and research press. bachman, l., & palmer, a. (1996). language testing in practice. oxford: oxford university press. brossell, g. (1983). rhetorical specification in essay examination topics. college english, 45(2), 165-173 brossell, g., & ash, b. h. (1984). an experiment with the wording of essay topics. college composition and communication, 35(4), 423-425 chiste, k. b., & o'shea, j. (1988). patterns of question selection and writing performance of esl students. teachers of english to speakers of other languages, 22(4). gu, x., & gao, x. (2007). an investigation into the writing tasks of nmet 2007. china examinations, (12), 28-36. su you investigating chinese efl students’ perceptions of writing prompts of different amounts of information gu, x., yang, r., & feng, n. (2010). a study on the quality of the writing tasks of nmet. educational measurement and evaluation , (12), 47-50. hinkel, e. (2002). second language writer’s text: linguistic and rhetorical features. mahwah, nj: lawrence erlbaum. jennings, m., fox, j., & graves, b. (1999). the test-takers' choice: an investigation of the effect of topic on language-test performance. language testing (16), 456-462 kroll, b., & reid, j. (1994). guidelines for designing writing prompts: clarifications, caveats and cautions. journal of second language writing. 3(3), 231-255. li, x. (2001). the science and art of language testing. changsha: hunan education press. ministry of education. (2001). national english curriculum standards. beijing: beijing normal university press. messick, s. (1996). the interplay of evidence and consequences in the validation of performance assessments. educational researcher, 23(2), 13-23. oh, h., & walker, m. e. (2007). the effects of essay placement and prompt type on performance on the new sat. new york: the college board. o’loughlin, k., & wigglesworth, g. (2007). investigating task design in academic writing prompts. in taylor, l. (ed.), ielts collected papers: research in speaking and writing assessment. 379-418. cambridge: cambridge university press. polio, c., & glew, m. (1996). esl writing assessment prompts: how students choose. journal of second language writing, 5(1), 35-49 powers, d. e., & fowles, m. e. (1998). test takers' judgment about gre writing test prompts (rr 98-36). nj: princeton: ets. qi, l., (2004). a study on the washback of nmet. foreign language teaching and research, 36(5), 357-363. weigle, s. c. (2011). assessing writing. beijing: foreign language teaching and research press. wu，z. (2008). theory and practice of english language testing. beijing: foreign language teaching and research press. xu, y. (2006). identifying and controlling writing task difficulty factors in english tests. unpublished phd dissertation, shanghai international studies university. 183 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee teaching communicative translation: an active reception analysis between the translation and reader’s reception venny eka meidasari department of english education, faculty of language & art university of indraprasta pgri, indonesia e-mail: venny_xiaofen@yahoo.com apa citation: meidasari, v. a.(2014).teaching communicative translation: an active reception analysis between the translation and reader’s reception. english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 183-191 received: 15-03-2014 accepted: 27-03-2013 published: 01-06-2014 abstract: literary theory sees reception theory from the reader response that emphasizes the reader’s reception of a literary text. it is generally called audience reception in the analysis of communications models. in literary studies, reception theory originated from the work of hansrobert jauss in the late 1960s. communication only means that the original message will be clearly sent in its equivalent context to the target receptor. similarly, the main role of translators is to send the message across without any form of distortion or emphasis. it is delivering the genuine context of the message to the language that the active receptor understands. a single mistake in a context translation can result to offensive message that can eventually lead to misunderstandings between active receptors. this paper proposes on the role of translator as the mediator between a writer of the original text and the active target language receptors of translated version in the course of communication which definitely affects the process and result of translation practice. it also reveals the emphasis on the creation text of the translation theories originated from the strategic communication theories, which hopefully leads to a dream of the most equivalence between the text and the translated version. keywords: translator, active receptor, mediator, strategic communication, equivalence. literary theory sees reception theory from the reader response that emphasizes the reader’s reception of a literary text. it is generally called audience reception in the analysis of communications models. reception theory focuses on the role of the audience in the interpretation of a text, instead of on the text itself. in other words, the theory suggests that audiences play an active role in reading texts, that each person has the ability to interpret the same text differently, and that a text by itself – i.e. without a reader – has no specific meaning. in this paper, i try to explore the role of translator as the mediator between a writer of the original text and the active target language receptors of translated introduction most people learn a foreign language to communicate. through communication, they send and receive messages and negotiate meaning (rubin and thompson, 1994: 30). translation is considered an act of communication. to translate most effectively, the translator should analyze the messages; to do so, he/she should have some tools at hand; such tools can be the well-known communication strategies which prevents a communication from disruption. this is what turns communication strategies into a very important issue in translation studies and attracts the attention of many teachers, scholars and foreign language learners. venny eka meidasari teaching communicative translation 184 version in the course of communication which definitely affects the process and result of translation practice. it also reveals the emphasis on the creation text of the translation theories originated from the strategic communication theories, which hopefully leads to a dream of the exact equivalence between the text and the translated version. as a teacher and also a translator, i see that schools as institutions and all professional translators have to react to the emergence of this active reception theory as a new perspective on discourse since is a literary work is neither completely text nor completely the subjectivity of the active receptor, but a combination or merger of the two. the work is more than the text, for the text only takes on life when it is realized, and furthermore the realization is by no means independent of the individual disposition of the receptor. holub (1984) characterizes reception theory as “a general shift in concern from the author and the work to the text and the reader.” reception theory reflects a paradigm shift in the history of literature, and it is considered “a reaction to social, intellectual, and literary developments in west germany during the late 1960s.” according to holub (1984), reception theory was a revolutionary approach to contemporary literary criticism. this new paradigm of literary criticism pays attention to the function of the reader in a process of literary experience. jauss (1982), one of the main contributors to reception theory, published an essay, “the change in the paradigm of literary scholarship” in 1969. in this essay, jauss (1982) points out that the rise of the new paradigm and emphasizes the importance of interpretation by the reader, replacing the obsolete literary scholarship methodology which involved the studies of accumulated facts. jauss’ (198)2 theory views literature “from the perspective of the reader or consumer” and treats literature “as a dialectical process of production and reception.” in his article “literary history as a challenge to literary theory,” jauss (1982: 15 ) states the following: …the relationship of work to work must now be brought into this interaction between work and mankind, and the historical coherence of works among themselves must be seen in the interrelations of production and reception. put another way: literature and art only obtain a history that has the character of a process when the succession of works is mediated not only through the producing subject but also through the consuming subject—through the interaction of author and public. iser (1926), who is considered to be one of the most prominent figures in reception theory, points out the importance of this literary process, as well. iser takes a phenomenological approach to reception theory and he “decontextualizes and dehistoricizes text and reader.” iser (1926: 274-5) argues that the reader’s involvement coincides with meaning production in literature: “…the convergence of text and reader brings the literary work into existence, and this convergence can never be precisely pinpointed, but must always remain virtual, as it is not to be identified either with the reality of the text or with the individual disposition of the reader”. this suggests that reception theory defines literature as the process of how the reader and the text interact with each other, and it was a revolutionary way of looking at the history of literature and literary criticism. reception theory introduces the necessity of the reader’s involvement in the interpretation to be included in the process of literary experience. 185 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee translation competence the concept of translation competence has existed but has had different labels; there are some definitions of translation competence, which are the following: bell (1991: 43) defines translation competence as “the knowledge and skills the translator must possess in order to carry out a translation”. wilss (1982: 58) says translation competence calls for “an inter-lingual super-competence based on a comprehensive knowledge of the respective sl and tl, including the textpragmatic dimension, and consists of the ability to integrate the two monolingual competencies on a higher level;” and finally, the other definition is that of pacte research. according to pacte, translator competence which is the underlying system of knowledge needed to translate includes six interrelated and hierarchical sub-competencies: 1) communicative competence in two languages, hymes (1971) first used the term “communicative competence” to denote an integrated concept accounting for both underlying knowledge of a linguistic code and language use for communicative purposes within a community. the goal of language teaching is to develop what hymes (1972) referred to as communicative competence (richards and rodgers, 2002: 159). hymes’ multidimensional concept of communicative competence includes elements of linguistic, cultural, and sociolinguistic knowledge, as well as cognitive, physical, and environmental constraints on communication, extralinguistic competence as implicit or explicit knowledge about the world in general and specific areas of knowledge: knowledge about translation (its ruling premises: types of translation unit, the processes required, etc); bicultural knowledge; encyclopedic knowledge and subject knowledge in specific areas (pacte, 2000). another definition of communicative competence can be: communication competence is the ability to send messages which promote attainment of goals while maintaining social acceptability. competent communicators attempt to align themselves with each other’s goals and methods to produce a smooth, productive, and often enjoyable dialogue. 2) transfer competence (difficulty in finding the dynamic equivalence). 3) instrumental/professional competence (deriving from the translation brief, or documentation difficulties). 4) psycho-physiological competence (relating to creativity, logical thought). 5) strategic competence (all the individual procedures, conscious and unconscious, verbal and nonverbal, used to solve the problems encountered during the translation process). all these the above mentioned sub-competencies make up translation competence and they are integrated in every translation act, establishing interrelations, hierarchies and variations. the inter-relations are controlled by the strategic sub-competence because its role is to monitor and compensate for the other sub-competencies, as it makes up for weaknesses and solves translation problems. communication strategies as richards and rodgers (2002: 160) maintain, strategic competence refers to the coping strategies that communicators employ to initiate, terminate, maintain, repair, and redirect communication. according to richards and schmidt (2002: 91), strategic competence is venny eka meidasari teaching communicative translation 186 defined as knowledge of communication strategies that can compensate for weaknesses in other areas or an aspect of communicative competence which describes the ability of speakers to use verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to compensate for breakdowns in communication or to improve the effectiveness of communication. this sub-competence plays an essential role in relation to all the others, because it is used to detect problems, make decisions, and make up for errors or weaknesses in the other sub-competencies (pacte, 2000). rubin (1981, 1987) defines communication strategies as those strategies used by a learner to promote and continue communication with others rather than abandon it. they are strategies used by speakers when they come across a difficulty in their communication because of lack of adequate knowledge of the language. bialystok, in her book communication strategies, cites four definitions relating to the strategies of second-language learners (bialystok, 1990: 3): systematic technique employed by a speaker to express his ideas when faced with some difficulty (corder, 1977); a mutual attempt of two interlocutors to agree on a meaning in situations where requisite meaning structures are not shared (tarone, 1980); potentially conscious plans for solving what to an individual presents itself as a problem in reaching a particular communicative goal (faerch & kasper, 1983a); and techniques of coping with difficulties in communicating in an imperfectly known second language. methodology: equivalence in translation through communication strategies methodology: equivalence in translation through communication strategies rechecking meaning analysis re-express meaning meaning founded transfer meaning the process of translating a text larson (1984) lexicon grammatical structure communication situation cultural context communication situation cultural context grammatical structure lexicon source language text meaning/ message translated text larson (1984) asserts three main reasons: “when doing a process of translating above, the translator wants to be sure his translation is accurate, clear and natural.” these are three determining and widely accepted criteria in assessing the quality of any translation as explained below: a) accuracy: conveys all the information that is in the source text. sometimes 187 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the translator struggles with reformulating the message and may include information that is not in the source text or meant in the source text. this information should be removed from the translation. b) clarity: the translation must be understandable to the people who are depending on it for information. a translation may be accurate without being clear. it tends to contain ambiguity. ambiguity is when a phrase or sentence could have more than one meaning in a specific context so the target audience is not sure of the intended meaning. c) naturalness: a translation can be accurate and clear and still not be natural. a natural translation is idiomatic and uses the grammatical forms ordinarily used in the target language. to test for naturalness, does the translation flow easily? does it sound right to speakers of the language or does it sound foreign? ideally the translation does not sound like a translation, instead it sounds like a text originally created in that language. design and procedure here is a check list design for having equivalence in translation through communication strategies based on tarone’s (1977) typology of conscious communication strategies (tarone, 1977 cited in bialystok, 1990: 39) and translation criteria proposed by larson (1984). see the procedure below the checklist for what should be considered at each stage. communication strategy type translation criteria equivalence frequency (%) avoidance a. topic avoidance b. message abandonment paraphrase a. approximation b. word coinage c. circumlocution conscious transfer literal translation language switch appeal for assistance mime analysis: an active reception analysis between the translation and reader’s reception in literature, the interaction between text and reader occurs within a framework that controls and limits the interaction, through genre, tone, structure, and the social conditions of the reader and author. cultural theorist, stuart hall, is one of the main proponents of reception theory, having developed it for media and communication studies from the literary-and history-oriented approaches mentioned above. this approach to textual analysis focuses on the scope for “negotiation” and “opposition” on the part of the audience (procter, 2004). this means that a “text”—be it a book, movie, or other creative work—is not simply passively accepted by the audience, but that the reader/viewer interprets the meanings of the text based on their venny eka meidasari teaching communicative translation 188 individual cultural background and life experiences. in essence, the meaning of a text is not inherent within the text itself, but is created within the relationship between the text and the reader. reception theory suggests the new role of the reader in the literary process and categorizes the term “reader” into “implied reader” and “actual reader.” holub (1984) argues that the concept of the “implied reader,” introduced by iser (1926), was one of the most controversial ideas that he adapted from other theorists. holub (1984) defines the implied reader “as both a textual condition and a process of meaning production.” iser (1926) makes a point that the concept of the implied reader is fundamental to reception theory. iser (1926) states, “this term [implied reader] incorporates both the prestructuring of the potential meaning by the text, and the reader’s actualization of this potential through the reading process. it refers to the active nature of this process.” the term implied reader is defined as “the reader whom the text creates for itself and amounts to a network of response-inviting structures, which predispose us to read in certain ways.” in contrast, the actual reader is defined as the reader who “receives certain mental images in the process of reading; however, the images will inevitably be colored by the reader’s existing stock of experience.” realizing the importance of understanding how the reader’s interpretation is produced, jauss introduces the concept of “horizon of expectations” in order to reveal the way in which the text interacts with the reader’s interpretation. as to have the same response as the first target language reader, communication strategies remain an important element in translation. compensatory strategies, in particular, will undoubtedly promote learners’ communicative competence. teachers can play an important role in conveying communication strategies to students and thereby assisting them to practice the target language. neubert (2000: 3-18) claims that the practice of translation and, hence, teaching translation requires a single competence that is made up of or could be considered to integrate a set of competencies that include, for instance, competence in both the source and the target languages. the work of the translator is, undoubtedly, somewhat thankless. as opposed to the conference or business interpreter (in some cases), he hardly ever obtains public acknowledgment for his efforts. his place remains in the shadows, buried in dictionaries, glossaries, in the labyrinths of large or small libraries or within the endless branches of the internet. therefore, the main quality of a good translator is his endless love of his profession, which is characterized by continuous search and non-stop work. and this quality, whose absence will inevitably lead to poorquality translations, should be inculcated in the mind of the would-be translator. the student who simply arrives in the classroom, makes his translation merely paying attention to language, then goes back home and returns next class to work with whatever material his professor has decided to bring to class, without any sort of preparation or conscious work, will never go beyond the limits of mediocrity. if a professional translator must go from the field to the text, and vice versa, countless numbers of times, then that is precisely the order we should give to our students’ tasks. right from the start, the future translator should acquire the habit of insatiable research and learn to look for any piece of information necessary for his work. these habits and skills will develop only as a result of the professor’s guidance, orientation, instruction, and encouragement. 189 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee accordingly, the teacher should first guarantee that his students get hold of extralinguistic notions, a background on the field, the subject matter at hand. this stage of “familiarization” with the field or subject matter may be developed either in the target language (tl), the source language (sl), the translator’s mother tongue—should it be other than either the sl or the tl—in any other language known by the translator, or in all of them. the essence of this process is that our translator acquires a background that will allow him either to know the content of the text or, at least, grasp the elements that will facilitate his understanding thereof. the process as such should not be viewed as a linguistic analysis of the subject but rather as a cognitive approach to the notions it comprises. the inversion of the dynamics of this process would result in the apprehension on the part of our students of just a few phrases, collocations, and terms only in the form of equivalents. the processes and notions they identify, however, will never be understood, which in turn will probably lead to lexical misuse and loss of reference. if, on the other hand, the professor focuses his work on the learning of sciences and not merely on their nomenclature, the result will be that students will understand the whats, hows, whens, wheres, and whys of the processes and, implicitly, the terms that denote them, the ways to say things, the style, i.e. the linguistic means specialists like the author they translate employ to convey messages like his. in order to have a qualified translation, the teacher must teach his students some procedures that used as a tool in the process of translating. these procedures will help him as a guidance to create an equivalent meaning in the receptor language. whatever the difficulty in the translation process, procedures must aim at the essence of the message and faithfulness to the meaning of the source language text being transferred to the target language text. in theory, communicative translation addresses itself solely to the second reader who does not anticipate difficulties or obscurities, and would expect a generous transfer of foreign elements into his own culture as well as his language where necessary, communicative translation is likely to be smother, simpler, clearer, more direct, more conventional, conforming to a particular register of language and tending to under translate. basically, communicative translation emphasize the sift of massages. this method, pay attention to the reader or listener of target language that hope there is no difficulties and unclearly in text of target language and also effectiveness of target language for example: “awas anjing galak!” it can translate become: “beware of dog!” rather than “beware of the vicious dog!” because the first sentence was beckon that the dog is vicious. in the communicative translation of vocative texts, equivalent effect is not only desirable, it is essential; it is the criterion by which the effectiveness, and therefore the value, of the translation of notices, instructions, publicity, propaganda, persuasive or eristic writing, and perhaps popular fiction, is to join the party, to assemble the device-could even be quantified as a percentage rate of the success of the translation. in information texts, equivalent effect is desirable only in respect of their (in theory) insignificant emotional impact; it is not possible if sl and tl culture are remote from each other since normally the cultural items have to be explained by culturally natural or generic terms, the topic content venny eka meidasari teaching communicative translation 190 simplified, sl difficulties clarified. hopefully, the tl reader reads the text with the same degree of interest as the sl reader, although the impact is different. however, the vocative (persuasive) thread in most informative texts has to be rendered with an eye to the readership, i.e., with an equivalent effect purpose. communicative translation being set at the reader level of language and knowledge is more likely to create equivalent than is semantic translation at the writer’s level. in communicative as in semantic translation, provide that equivalent effect is secured, the literal to word for word translation is not only the best. it is the only valid method of translation, there is no exercise for unnecessary synonyms or elegant variations, let alone for a phrase, in only type of translation. there is no one communicative or one semantic method of translating a text. these are in fact widely overlapping hands of methods; a translation can be more or less, semantic, more, or less. communicative even a particular section or sentence can be treated more communicatively or less semantically. given these assumptions, a translator must know about the nature of meaning, possible adjustments, the nature of text, and sl decoding and rl encoding. meaning: translators are required to study semantics—to learn about different types of meaning and how to investigate meaning. considerable attention is given to lexical semantics while little (if at all) is given to pragmatics, and none to formal semantics. considerable attention is given to possible adjustments: a passive may be changed to an active (possibly explicating the subject), a metaphor may be changed to a simile, a rhetorical question may be changed to a statement, and so forth. students are taught to recognize the conditions under which each adjustment might be made. this instruction is reinforced with exercises, sometimes to the point that the trainee acquires a natural reflex. text: the concern to know about text has fueled enthusiasm for the study of discourse. this enthusiasm, however, has been larg ely directed toward approaches that are text-centric (e.g., ones that look for structures, ones that take co-text to be the context); little has been directed at approaches more oriented toward the social, pragmatic, or cognitive aspects of discourse. conclusion like any communicative activity, translation has its own set of communication strategies, which are chosen (whether consciously or unconsciously) in order to achieve communicative goals. some strategies are well-established in translators’ repertoires and are deployed deliberately, while others are used less consciously, more instinctively. therefore, translation is a problemsolving activity, and communication strategies are used to address problems at all levels of linguistic representation in order to deliver the genuine context of the message to the language that the active receptor understands. communicative translation attempts to reproduce the exact contextual meaning of the sl text. but both content and language should be acceptable and comprehensible to the readership. it is a usual practice in translation to render expressive texts very freely and informative texts very literally. but if we consider the above functions we find the expressive texts more author-centered, informative texts more content-centered and vocative texts more reader-centered. moreover, the unit of translation in expressive texts is always smaller compared to other text-types. the finest 191 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee nuances of meaning are contained in words rather than sentences. as translators we should note this and attempt to retain the beauty of the original. care should be given to transfer the cultural components of an expressive text intact. in case of informative texts they may be transferred and explained whereas replaced by cultural equivalents in vocative texts. the informative and the vocative texts are more suitable for a communicative translation. reception theory enables a text not simply passively accepted by the audience, but also allows the receptor interprets the meanings of the text based on their individual cultural background and life experiences. the revolutionary of reception theory approach to the role of the reader in relationship to the notion of interpretation was one of the most important contributions to the history of literature, and its new perspective on the literary experience established a new paradigm for writers and theorists. although it is difficult to fully understand how powerful and revolutionary this paradigm shift was at that time, it is easy to see that the concepts which came out of reception theory are now part of how we try to understand literature, art, and the world. in fact, we still function in the same paradigm, so to speak, and it is mind boggling to imagine how exciting it will be to witness the eruption of new paradigm. references bell, r. t. (1991). translation and translating: theory and practice. london: longman bialystok, e. (1990). communication strategies: a psychological analysis of second language use. london: blackwell. holub, r. c. (1984). reception theory: a critical introduction. london: routledge. hymes, d. h. (1971): on communicative competence. philadelphia: university of pennsylvania press. hymes, d.h. (1972). on communicative competence. in j.b. pride and j. holmes (eds.). sociolinguistics: selected readings. middle sex: penguin books. iser, w. (1974). the implied reader: patterns of communication in prose fiction from bunyan to beckett. baltimore and london: the johns hopkins university press. jauss, h. r. (1982). toward an aesthetic of reception. trans. timothy bahti. minneapolis: university of minnesota press. larson, m. l. (1984). meaning-based translation: a guide to cross-language equivalence. lanham: university press of america. neubert, a. (2000): “competence in language, in languages and in translation,” in b. adab and c. schaffner (eds.). developing translation competence. amsterdam: john benjamins. pacte (2000). acquiring translation competence: hypotheses and methodological problems of a research project. in a. beeby, d. ensinger, m. presas (eds.). investigating translation. 99-106. amsterdam: john benjamins. procter, j. (2004). stuart hall. london: routledge. richards, j. c. and rodgers, t. (2002). approaches and methods in language teaching (2nd edition). cup: united kingdom. richards, j. c. & r. schmidt (2002). longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics, london: london group uk limited. rubin, j. (1981). the study of cognitive processes in second language learning. applied linguistics, 1, 117-131. _______. (1987). learner strategies: theoretical assumptions. research history and typology. in a. wenden & j. rubin (eds.). learner strategies in language learning. cambridge: prentice-hall. rubin, j. and thompson, i. (1994). how to be a more successful language learner. boston: heinle & heinle publishers wilss, w. (1982). the science of translation. problems and methods. tübingen: gunter narr. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 93 problems hindering student teachers’ elt materials development: a study in the internship program in eastern indonesia yakob metboki english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education science, artha wacana christian university, indonesia e-mail: jacobmetboki@ukaw.ac.id apa citation: metboki, y. (2018). problems hindering student teachers’ elt materials development: a study in the internship program in eastern indonesia. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 93-104. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1498. received: 03-08-2018 accepted: 13-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: in the sense of running qualified teaching and learning, teacher education institutions place their student teachers at schools to experience real teaching practices through the internship program. this study aims to give a comprehensive portrait of problems the student teachers of english have when they develop elt materials and how the problems vary according to different areas. the present study applied qualitative method. it utilized survey as data collection technique. twenty-five student teachers are recruited as participants. having conducted the survey, the results showed that most student teachers have several problems in developing elt materials during internship program. the biggest problem lies on developing material for practicing grammar elements (2.98 level of difficulty). the participants simply felt it easy to develop material for grading and recycling, and supporting materials with ranging from 3.22 and 3.10 level of difficulty. the following problem lies on how the material promotes the development of language skills and communicative abilities. overall, the present study indicates that the student teachers are still lacking of grounded concepts on what and how to develop elt materials that fit to students’ needs. keywords: english language teaching; materials development; internship program; studentsteachers’ problems; survey. introduction the issue of having well-developed good material for mostly teaching and learning practices has received considerable critical attention in the mainstream platform of endeavor to prospective teachers’ quality improvement, in that, it embraces such an all-inclusive aspects. far weighting on the complexity the teachers face in preparing learning program is an issue. in 2015, bolitho undertook a study that attempts to find out the attainment of the educational quality of a teacher-training institute. he emphasized the importance of understanding the key issues that encapsulating the entire educational system in every program of activity is a very important element. the research results show that most of the teacher's students seem not ready. their teaching performance simply portrays the model of their language teachers. he also suggested that educational institutions should undertake more in-depth study to find out the preparation of prospective teachers and a number of aspects that affect the quality of education. the internship program or ppl (praktik pengalaman lapangan) is organized by most teacher centers at the faculty of teachers training and education sciences of higher education institutions in indonesia. generally speaking, this program aims to train prospective teachers to develop full and holistic teaching skills (parveen & mirza, 2012). while regular training nurtures student teachers with theoretical and technical knowledge from the first year up to the third year studying, the process of yakob metboki problems hindering student teachers’ elt materials development: a study in the internship program in eastern indonesia 94 humanizing prospective teachers at teachertraining program will last with teaching placement, where they have real experiences ahead of getting into their own classrooms (kulkarni & hanley-maxwell, 2015). viewed through the basis of legal foundation of developing well-prepared materials of teaching that accounts for learning has been concerned in the indonesian government regulation (peraturan pemerintah) year 2005 number 19 on the national educational standards, particularly, on the standard of content. having this basis, teachers training faculties attempt to design the internship program for training student teachers beyond holistic mechanism. commonly, internship program covers several activities, such as field observation, the formation of skills, and real teaching practices. to undertake the internship program activities, there are requirements for the student teachers to have a set of basic teacher skills that would enable them to reflect tasks and roles of teachers from different unit level, starting from primary school up to high school level. as they are placed at the unit levels, there must be common internship program activities such as field observation and micro skill formation, then, prior to real classroom teaching applications. more extensively, most mentor teachers believe that the student teachers are more capable helpers to whom a number of task are obligated to do, including curriculum and materials development. their knowledge and skill will also enable them to prepare not only instructional plan, but also classroom teaching applications across the length of period of an internship program at schools. taking into account the efforts to improve the quality of graduates in higher education in indonesia, creating competent prospective teachers in their fields requires every teacher training institution to raise the quality control, including efforts to improve the capacity of student teachers according to academic profile. bearing this motion in mind, it is an essential need to keep this study into two parallel views. on the one hand, being a student-teacher (so called a prospective teacher), having experience in material development is, of course, one of the keys to successful field practice. on the other hand, teachers’ (also supervisor) experiences and understanding of their students is very important in materials development (patel, 2017). these understanding lay on the fact that good materials are needed for teaching, in that, teachers’ involvement in materials selection and development is necessary (richards, 2001). theoretically speaking, materials development refers to “all the processes made use of by practitioners who produce and/or use materials for language learning, including materials evaluation, their adaptation, design, production, exploitation and research” (tomlinson, 2012, p. 143144). while teachers are all required to cope with all these processes, it seems clear that considering them of practice must sound complex for non-native teachers of english, though. long before, there has been a report on indonesian english teachers at tertiary to utilize internationally published coursebooks as part of their supplementary materials (zacharias, 2005, cited in tomlison, 2012). mohammadi and abdi (2014) affirmed that “using only textbooks, from cover to cover, without any supplemental material is not the most satisfactory method for meeting students’ needs.” it can be assumed from this report that the teachers’ dependency on the books is high. to put it another way, their creativity in efl materials development and/or design is certainly challenging. as recommendation, teachers need to utilize more selected textbooks with adaptation in order to answer learner’s expectation in classroom teaching and learning chunks (badea & iridon, 2015; khodabakhshi, 2014). turning now to view on the education curriculum framework of indonesia, there is a number of documents contained in an instructional plan. two popular documents that hinder most teachers’ nights and days english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 95 teaching practice might be syllabus and lesson plan. in addition, they must prepare learning materials that are appropriate to their students’ needs. considering the importance of understanding to develop learning materials, especially english, becomes important for the writer as a supervisor to conduct an indepth study of the guidance behavior of the student teachers to prepare a comprehensive instructional plan, including learning materials development for efl classroom teaching practices. in this sense, pardo and téllez (2009, p. 174) summarized that “materials development requires designers to be reflective, resourceful and receptive (rrr) agents with regard to their teaching practice.” this is the premise that promotes this study to presents an instrument for a supervisor to know the readiness of the student teachers in every single internship program. once the student teachers are in charge of practicing what they have learnt in their home campus, there is always high tendency of expectation from their mentors and supervisors that they would establish good real teaching practices at school, covering good planning of instructional documents as well as successful teaching practices. in this sense, mentoring and advising shapes the student teachers’ teaching practicum plans. in so doing, both mentor and supervisor must work hand in hand in scaffolding student teachers’ projection. long before, richards (2001) claims that today’s researchers are much more cautious about the kinds of advice they give. what is more alarming from this claim is stemmed from the fact that there have been numerous amount of general disciplines that most researchers present which might not make the same practice for different others. the present study, therefore, attempts to personalize the problems the student teachers face in elt materials development and to provide a reliable source of information to the teacher education institution, teachers, supervisors, and in reflecting student teachers’ readiness in taking the internship program at school. initially, it characterizes an enquiry research under the umbrella of self-study as proposed by kells (1988) and carkin (1997) (cited in richards, 2001) with its main concern in the quality control of a running education program by teacher, students and administrators. previous studies on complexes in material development have treated student teachers across education settings. the complexes are vary, for example lacking of understanding on teaching materials development, limit amount of time the student teachers spent to consult to both their mentor and their supervisor (rahayuningsih, 2016; parveen & mirza, 2012). the need for survey in this respect is determined by the fact that most student teachers simply focus their teaching practicum on the range of time they would have passed through teaching practices in the classrooms rather than how their instructional material development are wellprepared. to put it another way, this study seeks to shape teacher education institution’ view of agenda to move up from technical to essential and significant maters that hinder student teachers’ professional growth. it is, therefore, the present study aims to demonstrate the problems faced by student teachers in efl materials development and how the problems are vary according to two different ranks (easy and/or difficult). stemmed from the background and the overview in relation to student teachers’ material development, this study aims to answer the following research question, “what are the problems hindering student teachers’ elt materials development in the internship program?” method this study applied qualitative research (state, 2010), as it puts into importance the participants’ judgment and understanding of the core subject of the study – problems of efl materials development. yakob metboki problems hindering student teachers’ elt materials development: a study in the internship program in eastern indonesia 96 the participants of the present study consist of 25 student teachers of english education study program of artha wacana christian university of kupang, east nusa tenggara province, indonesia. they are purposively recruited based on their homogeneity of taking the internship program in the even semester year 2017, where fourteen of them are placed at the secondary level, while eleven others are at senior high level. in an attempt to make each participant feel as comfortable as possible, they are, personally, approached and being convinced with significant aim that is to present a reflection about the underlying problems which attach to their internship projections. data collection technique is survey, which contains of statements adapted from the checklist for evaluating teaching materials prepared by cunningsworth (1995) cited in tsiplakides (2011). the survey required the participants to determine the statements, and how they are virtually vary by range of complexity according to aspects given. bearing this in mind, the participants marked their choices on likert scale ranging from 0 (very difficult), 1 (fairly difficult), 2 (difficult), 3 (fairly easy), 4 (easy), 5 (very easy). every chosen score represents the participants’ personal judgments on their level of complexity in regards of initiatives they might have planned in order to develop english material. having collected the data, there was a computation on each aspect to gain the average value. the value describes the level of difficulty as figured out in the form of charts. the datum seen from the charts are then analyzed qualitatively (cohen, manion, & morrison, 2007). results and discussion having conducted the survey, the results of the present study were shown in the form of charts and discussed according to eight main aspects. first, language content the first aspect embraces four areas, namely: 1. language form 2. language function 3. patterns of communicative interaction 4. use of various references or sources. the following chart depicts the trend of the participants’ response on language content. chart 1. language content the result shown in chart 1 indicates that the participants have no difficulty in developing language content on the materials. the problem they face simply falls on how to create materials with various references to cope with language elements. second, grading and recycling on this section, the participants give their response on how they develop materials under two headings, namely: 1. learning steps 2. students’ average level of language skills chart 2 depicts the result. chart 2. response on grading and recycling the trend seen from chart 2 traces that the participants found it moderate to grade and recycle elt material. third, presentations and practices of language elements the third aspect contains of two components, namely: english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 97 a. approach of learning material development. 1. the behaviorism theory of learning 2. the cognitivism theory of learning 3. combination of both underlying theories. 4. other influences. the survey result on this component is shown in chart 3. chart 3. features of approach of the material the result displayed on chart 3 shows that to some extent the participants are about to find it easy in internalizing learning approach beyond material development; somehow, the complexes seemed to reveal the fluctuation. b. characteristics of learning process. in this part, the participants are asked to judge on three areas, namely: 1. developing learning materials inductively (specific to general) 2. developing learning materials deductively (general to specific) 3. combination of the two ways above. chart 4 figures out the result. chart 4. making materials for learning process the easy motion of materials development peaks on only deductive process, while the other two components are turning down. fourth, practice grammar elements there are three areas to seek for the evidence on how students face problems in developing materials for practicing grammar elements, namely: a. material management 1. connecting material with previous learned one 2. making meaningful material (meaningful in context) 3. develop systematic material 4. introducing grammar rules 5. adapting the needs and interests of students 6. regular and easily controlled of its progress in accordance with allocated teaching time (sufficiently controlled) having the six statements above, the participants’ responses are drawn in chart 5. chart 5. material management the trend of the result shown above figures out two critical points among the statements. this infers that the participants’ complexes in motions related to management of materials development is intertwining. b. create material for practicing new language structures: 1. making sufficient material based on the scope 2. creating material that promotes various learning activities 3. make meaningful material 4. developing material in systematic way yakob metboki problems hindering student teachers’ elt materials development: a study in the internship program in eastern indonesia 98 5. introducing grammar rules in the material 6. adapting the context in the material 7. adapting the material to the needs and interests of students 8. preparing material in organized way to easily control the teaching progress. the chart below describes participants’ present ability in material development for practicing new language structures. chart 6. practicing new language structures c. develop material for practicing new words: 1. develop material that introduces the way of learning english word 2. develop material that introduces the meaning of new words 3. develop learning materials that students can use words in several activities 4. develop material that introduces new words in unit obviously, the participants found it easy to develop material for practicing new words as shown in the chart below. chart 7. practicing new words developing material for pronunciation 1. that introduced the sound 2. that practice sounds 3. that introduces stress and intonation 4. to practice stress and intonation it seems clear from the chart below that participants felt it difficult to develop materials, which introduce sound and practicing micro skills of speaking. chart 8. developing audio based-materials fifth, develop language skills and communication skills the fifth area contains of three minor components, namely: a. freely using english 1. develop learning materials that encourage students to produce the language in a conversation 2. develop material due to time allocation for language production and practices. chart 9 figures out the participants’ present ability in developing materials for students to use english as the target language. chart 9. material for language production b. develop material with each single skill: 1. that meets to the nature of reading and its practice 2. that meets to the nature of listening and its practice 3. that meets to the nature of writing and its exercises chart 10 displays the participants’ choices. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 99 chart 10. material with one skill c. develop material with four integrated skills with: 1. summary of the four skills 2. introduction of real english use 3. exercises for students to recognize english use in immediate context. the trend in chart 11 shows how hard the participants faced in developing efl materials with four language skills. chart 11. materials with four integrated skills sixth, supporting materials there are four components under this area, namely: a. creating material that 1. introduces visual (visible) 2. introduce the recording 3. introduce native speakers 4. utilizes teacher's handbook 5. contains of grammar loads 6. contains of vocabulary list the result is shown in chart 12 chart 12. creative based-authentic materials b. create material for: 1. test before the material begins 2. progress tests 3. achievement of learning outcomes the result shows that the participants felt it easy to develop test-based materials. chart 13. test based-materials c. creating learning materials for assessment 1. assessing students’ need of english communication 2. assessing what has been learnt before the result appears in the chart 14. chart 14. evaluation based-materials d. other considerations to material development 1. fit to the standards 2. appropriate to the teacher's ability 3. fit to the ability of native teachers 4. addresses all shortcomings in the classroom. 5. figure out its characteristics 6. has summaries chart 15 exhibits the result with such an unsteady trend. chart 15. materials with other considerations yakob metboki problems hindering student teachers’ elt materials development: a study in the internship program in eastern indonesia 100 seventh, create motivational material in this area, the participants are asked on how complex they face in developing materials that, 1. fit to the background of age, ethnicity, culture, student learning objectives, etc. 2. answer students’ expectations 3. has an interesting layout 4. encourage student participation in private 5. gives students sense of responsibility in person or group. 6. promote competition 7. introduce a particular culture 8. characterizes british or american culture the trend of participants’ choices is given in chart 16. chart 16. motivation based-material eight, conclusions and overall evaluation the last area comprises five statements from which the participants have in developing material that: 1. has learning objectives 2. answers learning objectives 3. has advantages for students 4. introduce problem solving 5. fits to a particular learning situation. chart 17 points out the trend. chart 17. material for conclusion the participants felt that they got difficulty in developing english materials when taking the internship program. the overall data is shown in table 1. initially, this study set out with the aim of demonstrating the problems faced by student teachers in efl materials development and how the problems are vary according to two different ranks (easy and/or difficult). there are several possible explanations for this result. on the aspect, the participants have difficulty in developing language content on the materials, particularly, how to create materials with various references to cope with language elements. if we now turn to the second aspect, grading and recycling, the participants felt it easy to develop efl materials that revealed the target students’ average level of competence. the next aspect of the survey was concerned with presentations and practices of language elements. it is somewhat surprising that no data was noted in this aspect to show the participants’ theoretical and pedagogical understanding in developing english materials prior to efl teaching and learning applications. leading to the fourth aspect, practice grammar elements, out of the four subaspects, the participants simply felt one subaspect is easy that is to develop material for practicing new words (easy), while the three other ones are considered difficult. on the fifth aspect of the survey, developing language skills and communication skills, the results of this study did not show any positive remark. while sts found it easy to develop material with each single skill (3.15), it is difficult for them to develop efl material for freely using english (2.98). the reason must rest heavily on that fact they are unable to integrate four integrated skill on materials development (2.77) in order to promote factual english practices. the next aspect is supporting materials. overall result shows that the average level of participants’ ability in developing english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 101 supporting materials is relatively easy with level of difficulty of 3.08. however, the trend shows that the other two sub-aspects, respectively, range at difficult level with 0.32 points between the lowest easy level and that of difficult level. the study survey on the seventh aspect concerns in participants’ ability in creating motivational materials. the most striking result to emerge from the data is that the participants are familiar with the target learners’ needs; however, they are lacking of ability in introducing cross-cultural barriers; for example, the materials with british and american culture. it is, therefore, the overall response to this aspect was difficult. in the final part of the survey, when the participants were asked to pose their judgments on their complexity in developing materials for conclusions and overall evaluation, the majority of participants responses ranged at the average level of 2.93, which is, of course, difficult. returning to the question posed at the beginning of this study, it is now possible to state that in general the participants encountered it as of an existing problem if they had to create well-developed materials for contextual efl teaching applications at schools, mainly, those in the south eastern part indonesia. the overall data of the current study is shown in table 1. table 1. overall result aspects level legend c. presentations and practices of language elements 2.62 difficult e. develop language skills and communication skills 2.77 difficult g. create motivational material 2.83 difficult h. conclusions and overall evaluation 2.93 difficult a. language content 2.96 difficult d. practice grammar elements 2.98 difficult f. supporting materials 3.08 easy b. grading and recycling 3.22 easy it is clear that overall aspects are felt difficult in terms of materials development. rooted from this view, the present study, then, provides additional evidence with respect to the trend of the overall conclusion with a range of fluctuation as shown in the chart 18. chart 18. trend of students’ problem rooted from the trend above, overall response to this survey was negative. the biggest problem is on materials for presentation and practice of new language items with their level difficulty of 2.62, followed by the next five aspects ranging between 2.77 and 2.98 or 36 points upper than the biggest problem. the participants simply felt it easy to develop supporting materials as well as those for grading and recycling. despite these findings, an empirical study indicated that st’s unpreparedness of teaching material with solely 8.5% brings problematic source for the classroom management (merç & subaşı, 2015). the study, then, described sts’ reflective repent on what they should have been aware of the problems prior to teaching practices. for holguín and morales (2014), having dept understanding on student teachers’ problem on materials development provides reliable input to enrich them in materials development for their professional extension. this result may be explained from different factors. one of the influencing factors is their lack of the grounded concepts on elt materials development. the most yakob metboki problems hindering student teachers’ elt materials development: a study in the internship program in eastern indonesia 102 striking result to emerge from the data is that student teachers need an alternative approach to personalize themselves as the ones with ground knowledge and skills, and so, mentoring and/or supervising might manipulate them through such a constructive pedagogic negotiation. it is believed that the negotiation would figure out such an encouragement between supervisors and student teachers to have collaborative planning (parven, 2012) and appropriateness of instructional materials (van den akker, 1998; ottevanger, 2001) cited in (gakki, 2012). the second factor is caused by lack of time they spent to share their ideas with both mentor and/or the supervisors. the other supporting factor is the number of incidental tasks from mentors that corrupt their time to work out of their organized instructional. in the same vein, materials design may take time and, so does, the cost to spend for; therefore, course books selection is necessary (nikoopour & farsani, 2011); of course, selecting the recommended books and/or materials from schools. the results of this current study, also, brings a reflection of the stated constraints they face prior to develop efl materials. more importantly, the reflection shapes a picture of need in engagement with strategy (s) that enable the student teachers in decision making processes when planning and/or creating english materials in appropriate to their target students’ need under the atmosphere of teaching practicum settings. conclusion this study found that generally the participants felt that they got difficulty in developing english materials when taking the internship program. the evidence from this study suggests that sts need more scaffolding from both their mentor teachers and supervisors. findings in this study are subject to at least three limitations. first, these data apply only to needs analysis on student teachers’ competence in efl materials development for internship program during the period. second, the sample size is purposively limited. third, it was not specifically designed to evaluate factors related to academic competences. the current study has gone some way towards enhancing our understanding of equipping the sts with theoretical as well as empirical view about curriculum and materials development that could make noteworthy contributions to efl materials development. the findings of this study suggest that mentor and supervisor should bring into form of negotiation that help guiding the student teachers to come away with a new perspective on the internship program as whole set of education practices in the mainstream of their placement period at school. conversely, there would chance to hold a hearing with the student teachers on what short of knowledge and skills they still need and/or what they really want to put into their classroom teaching and learning practices. it is believed that the hearings would account much for such a worth of doing professional adjustment of ideas while preparing instructional documents prior before their teaching practices. more practically, those of sts may be partnered with more capable others to work for materials design and/or development. by way of illustration, augusto-navarro (2015) exemplified that joining sts with graduate students, more capable others, brings about development in material designs. acknowledgment the author would thank the twenty-five participants of this study, and to the mentors who have shared their inspiring ideas to support this study. the author addresses his sincere gratitude to english education study program of teachers training and education science of artha wacana christian university for the grant to conduct the study. also, the author would appreciate the conelt 2018 conference for selecting this article for publication. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 103 references augusto-navarro, h. l. (2015). the design of teaching materials as a tool in efl teacher education: experiences of a brazilian teacher education program. ilha desterro, 68(1). doi: 10.5007/2175-8026.2015v68n1p121. badea, m.., & iridon, c. (2015). students’ evaluation of a romanian language textbook. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 303–309. retrieved september 15, 2018, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/p ii/s1877042814026196. bolitho, r. (2015). the ingredients of quality in teacher education. in g. pickering & p. gunashekar (eds), ensuring quality in english language teacher education. the fifth international teacher educator conference hyderabad, india, 27 february-1 march 2015. retrieved october 10, 2018, from https://www.britishcouncil.in/sites/default/files/t ec15_papers_final_for_web_new.pdf. cohen, l., manion, l., & morrison, k. (2007). research methods in education (6 th ed.). new york: routledge. khodabakhshi, m. (2014). choose a proper efl textbook: evaluation of "skyline" series. procedia social and behavioral sciences 98, 959–967. retrieved october 15, 2018, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/p ii/s1877042814025968. kulkarni, s. s., & hanley-maxwell, c. (2015). preservice teachers’ student teaching experiences in east africa. teacher education quarterly – fall 2015. retrieved october 12, 2018, from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1090470. merç, a., & subaşı, g. (2015). classroom management problems and coping strategies of turkish student efl teachers. turkish online journal of qualitative inquiry, 6(1). retrieved october 11, 2018, from: http://dergipark.gov.tr/tojqi/issue/21406. nikoopour, j., & farsani, m. a. (2011). english language teaching material development. journal of language and translation, 2(2), 112. pardo, a. n., & téllez, m. f. t. (2009). elt materials: the key to fostering effective teaching and learning settings. profile, 11(2), 171-186. retrieved february 23, 2018, from https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/profile/art icle/view/11449. parveen, s., & mirza, n. (2012). internship program in education: effectiveness, problems and prospects. international journal of learning & development, 2(1). doi:10.5296/ijld.v2i1.1471. patel, d. s. (2017). significance of materials development in language teaching. a journal of teaching english language and literature. peraturan pemerintah nomor 19 tahun 2005 tentang standar nasional pendidikan. retrieved march 2, 2018, from https://kemenag.go.id/file/dokumen/pp1905.pdf rahayuningsih, d. (2016). student teachers’ challenges in developing teaching materials during teaching practicum in vocational school. journal of english and education, 4(2), 24-34. retrieved may 23, 2018, from: http://irlibrary.ku.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/11 388/developing%20instructional%20materials %20that%20address%20challenges%20facing% 20teachers.pdf;sequence=4. richards, j. c. (2001). curriculum development in language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. tomlinson, b. (2012). materials development for language learning and teaching. language teaching, 45(2), 143-179. doi: 10.1017/s0261444811000528. tsiplakides, i. (2011). selecting an english coursebook: theory and practice. theory and practice in language studies, 1(7), 758-764. doi:10.4304/tpls.1.7.758-764. http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-8026.2015v68n1p121. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s1877042814026196.%20on%2015/10/2018 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s1877042814026196.%20on%2015/10/2018 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s1877042814025968.%20on%2015/10/2018 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s1877042814025968.%20on%2015/10/2018 https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1090470 http://dergipark.gov.tr/tojqi/issue/21406.%20on%2011/10/2018 https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/profile/article/view/11449.%20on%2023/2/2018 https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/profile/article/view/11449.%20on%2023/2/2018 http://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/11388/developing%20instructional%20materials%20that%20address%20challenges%20facing%20teachers.pdf;sequence=4 http://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/11388/developing%20instructional%20materials%20that%20address%20challenges%20facing%20teachers.pdf;sequence=4 http://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/11388/developing%20instructional%20materials%20that%20address%20challenges%20facing%20teachers.pdf;sequence=4 http://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/11388/developing%20instructional%20materials%20that%20address%20challenges%20facing%20teachers.pdf;sequence=4 http://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/11388/developing%20instructional%20materials%20that%20address%20challenges%20facing%20teachers.pdf;sequence=4 yakob metboki problems hindering student teachers’ elt materials development: a study in the internship program in eastern indonesia 104 english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 99 interaction patterns in english as foreign language classroom at lower secondary schools hanna sundari english education department, universitas indraprasta pgri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: hanna.sundari@gmail.com zainal rafli language education, postgraduate of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: zainal.rafli@gmail.com sakura ridwan language education, postgraduate of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: sakura.hattamarrasjid@gmail.com apa citation: sundari, h., rafli, z. & ridwan, s. (2017). interaction patterns in english as foreign language classroom at lower secondary schools. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 99-108. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.775. received: 29-08-2017 accepted: 31-10-2017 published: 01-12-2017 abstract: interaction plays an important role in language learning process in classroom setting. this present study aims at investigating the patterns used in classroom interaction by english lower secondary teachers. using qualitative approach, this study was carried out in eight lower secondary schools (smp) in jakarta. moreover, twenty english language experienced teachers with three to thirty-six years of teaching experiences were recruited as participants. interviews, classroom observations/recording and focus-group discussion were instruments to collect data. for analyzing the data, qualitative data analysis was selected in developing categories and sub-categories of the data. the findings showed that the teachers apply at least three identified interactional patterns in efl classroom in which modify the irf structure. teachers initiate interaction to the entire class (t-whole class interaction) by giving questions and instruction. then, they also point out one specific student to answer the question or do the required task (teacher fronted student interaction). in addition, teachers set the classroom activity to make the students interact each other (student-student interaction). moreover, the student responses and other interactional features identified in language classroom are also discussed. keywords: interaction patterns, efl classrooms, secondary school introduction illustration: once in language class, a language teacher calls name and gives questions to the students sitting in the front row; other time, she points out one student at the back seat. otherwise, she throws them away for those who can answer freely. in one time, she corrects the error made by the student by yelling “is it correct?”. in another time, she just ignores it. at one lesson, she sets the class in individual task; next lesson, the students are grouped in 3 or 4 to do the activity. language learning can be taken place in and through interaction with others in various social contexts. in sociocultural theory views on language learning, the major aspects of language is related to and formed by the ways in which the people interact with others in various communicative contexts; therefore, in learning language, interaction is not only as a learning facilitator but also primarily is as a resource for what to learn and how to learn (thoms, 2012). in short, interaction can be viewed as both the tool and the object in which language used in interaction is the medium as well as the goal to be learned. classrooms are one of social environment mailto:hanna.sundari@gmail.com/ mailto:zainal.rafli@gmail.com mailto:sakura.hattamarrasjid@gmail.com hanna sundari, zainal rafli & sakura ridwan interaction patterns in english as foreign language classroom at lower secondary schools 100 which language lesson could be complex. language classrooms are complicated places where social events and social relationship between teacher as the knower and students as the learners may influence their social interaction and classroom practices as a part of process in language learning. different from other social context, in language classrooms, language used is intentional and purposeful as walsh (2011) states that discourse in the classroom has to follow the teacher’s agenda. the delivered questions, correction and feedback by the teachers are set to help the students achieve language competences. meanwhile, the students’ responses are also to fulfill the task given. in general, interaction is dual communication acts between two people or more that have implication among them. in short, interaction can be stated as action and reaction of two people. according to brown (2007, p. 212), interaction is “collaboration of thought, feeling, or ideas between two people, resulting in a reciprocal effect on each other”. reciprocity as the implication indicates that interaction involving both parties as active interactants instead of passive ones. in the pedagogy field, allwright noted that a process of interaction is necessarily involved in a fruitful classroom pedagogy (seedhouse & jenks, 2015). it can be stated that successful pedagogical process in the classroom proceeds by successful interaction management. in the english language teaching (elt) enterprise, interaction has a prominent role in language acquisition and learning process. in the view of social interaction, child acquires language through social interaction with parent in her first life. interaction is important in natural language acquisition (choudhury, 2005). moreover, parental language as a model influences language complexity acquired by the child now and years after (sundari, 2016). meanwhile, in the classroom setting, interaction between teacher as a competent person and students as learners, or student-student interaction, leads them to get competences in knowing and using the language in the classroom. in the other words, language learning is mostly interactive process (richards & lockhart, 2007). classroom interaction is mostly in the form of conversational exchanges or dialogue between teacher and students in target language. markee and kasper (2004) cited by kharaghani (2013, p. 859) wrote that “interaction is a form of institutional talk which is locally managed but cooperatively constructed speech exchange system”. concerning to interaction in language classroom, the moves are mostly starting with teacher initiates the communication by asking the students questions to get them involved to the lesson. after that, the students are required to respond the questions. the last is feedback as immediate evaluation or correction for students’ responses (rustandi & mubarok, 2017). the pattern of interaction in language classroom, postulated by sinclair and coulthard (1975) cited by murray & christison (2011), is then called irf (initiation-response-feedback) exchange. moreover, hall (2003) exemplified this basic unit of classroom interaction in which involves the teacher, as expert, eliciting information (initiation) from students to confirm if they understand the materials by asking questions. then, the students are expected to deliver targeted responses (response). after that, the teacher examines the student’s response by giving feedback with such particular phrases as “good”, “well done”, “no, that’s not correct.” in addition, this pattern of classroom interaction as two-way a process between interactants in the learning process is depicted in figure 1 (dagarin, 2004; rustandi, 2013 in rustandi & mubarok, 2017, p. 241) depicted interaction in two-way process between participants in the learning process as seen in figure 1. figure 1. classroom interaction pattern teacher students english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 101 furthermore, the teachers have also a significant role in managing classroom communication. based on who communicates with whom, dagarin (2004, p. 129) formulated the four forms of interaction in the following: teacher-learners, teacher – a group of learners, learner-learner, learners-learners. in these forms of interaction, the teachers alternately change their roles as a controller, language model, guide, evaluator, and advisor in pair-work or group-work types of communication in the classroom. in addition to dagarin, malamah-thomas (1987 cited by (nisa, 2014) propose seven types of classroom interaction: teacher – whole class, teacher – individual student, teachera group of students, student – teacher, student-student, student – a group of students. a variety of interactional patterns in language classroom may affect the language learning process as well as the development of language proficiency. in classroom interaction, the teacher initiates communication by asking a question. teacher questions are mostly in display question in which the answer is already known to the teacher (choudhury, 2005; farahian & rezaee, 2012; petek, 2013; pujiastuti, 2013; suryati, 2015). even though teacher gives opportunities to students to involve verbally in the class in many ways, not all students participate verbally and actively in classroom communication by giving response for some reasons. factors in and outside the classroom may affect how the classroom discourse occurs. what kind of questions teachers deliver and how much teachers talk during the lesson may eventually influence how the students acquire and develop their language progress (hermanto, 2015; seedhouse & jenks, 2015). moreover, cultural background and personality may cause the student reticence (choudhury, 2005, p. 78). besides, teacher looks more focusing on the students sitting in the front, middle row, as illustrated by richards & lockhart (2007, p. 139-140). figure 2 shows when the teacher stands in the front of the class during the lesson and deliver the questions to all students. however, students in edge row sound no responses. figure 2. teacher interaction in the classroom the study of interaction in language classroom and its implication for language learning have been widely conducted in the field of english language teaching (elt). applying discourse analysis approach, rashidi & rafieerad (2010) investigated interaction patterns and its effect on gender in shiraz university iran. they concluded that the interaction patterns between participants vary with the participants making use of variety of discourse acts and male students are willing to be more interactive than female in language classroom. in 2013, nasruloh conducted a study to 30 elementary students hanna sundari, zainal rafli & sakura ridwan interaction patterns in english as foreign language classroom at lower secondary schools 102 in bandung and reported that teacher dominates the lesson verbally by giving direction, lecturing, and criticizing or justifying authority. the students seem to have great opportunity to talk; however, they keep restricted in some ways. by analyzing classroom interaction in efl speaking class, nisa (2014) concluded that the teachers facilitate the student-fronted speaking activities such as class discussion, presentation, simulation and communication games, yet, in fact, students’ first language during the lessons was often used. furthermore, rustandi and mubarok (2017)’s study on classroom interaction in efl speaking class at university sum up that irf pattern is fully implemented in the class. teacher initiates the interaction by giving questions, soliciting information, and identifying next students’ turn. besides, responses from the students are dominance; yet they depend on the content materials and teacher strategies in provoking students. related to study on questioning strategies as one of interaction features, rido (2017) also reported that teachers in vocational english classrooms nominated specific student to answer questions, asked questions to the entire class, and repeated questions when there were no response. on the other side, the study examining the interaction pattern in english as foreign language classroom at lower secondary schools based on teacher’s perspectives is still rare and restricted. present research on second and foreign language learning from sociocultural perspective mostly come from university-level classrooms; meanwhile, only a little is known to explore what occurs in elementary or secondary schools (hall, 2003). indeed, lower secondary students are mostly learning english as beginner; at the same time, they will take english national examination to continue their study. interaction and communication in the classroom, as the heart of language learning become necessary to understand and the constraints have to be solved. the way teacher interacts with the students determines the way student respond it; at the end, it influences how proficient the students are to communicate in target language. classroom interaction in the early years of learning process can be a foundation to the next language development. the fully understanding of its process becomes necessary and helpful. to devote to these views, this study addresses to the following research questions: what patterns are used in classroom interaction by english lower secondary teachers and why they use the patterns. method this present study, as a part of research in classroom interaction of efl setting, was carried out by qualitative research approach to investigate the interaction patterns in english as foreign language classrooms. to accommodate the research objective, twenty english language experienced teachers were recruited as participants from eight lower secondary schools (smp) in jakarta. they were three male and seventeen female teachers with three to thirty-six years of teaching experiences. for collecting data, classroom observations/recordings, semi-structured interviews and focus-group discussions with the teachers were instruments. 10.5 hours of classroom observation/recording conducted only with teacher’s approval was to identify specific patterns in oral communication in the classroom. flint protocol analysis of classroom observation (moskowitz, in brown, 2007) was applied to capture interactional features completed by memo writings. meanwhile, interviews and fgd were to elicit teachers’ reasons, opinion and perspectives of their interaction practices in the classroom. the interviews and fgd then were transcribed verbatim and analyzed. after that, to analyze the obtained data, the researcher followed the steps in opencoding, developing categories, and triangulating data. at first, the data were carefully labeled and named into several categories. secondly, the categories were then divided into sub-categories. at last, the categories and sub-categories found were triangulated with the interview transcript and memo writings. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 103 results and discussion this study is an attempt to identify interaction patterns in english as foreign language classrooms at lower secondary schools and discover the reasons why the patterns applied from the perspectives of english language experienced teachers in jakarta. the findings of the study will be presented in combination of interactional patterns and several causes of selected patterns from teachers’ perspectives. from classroom observations/recordings and interviews added by focus-group discussion, it is resulting in several interactional patterns in which is grounded by irf structure. modified irf structures can be apparent when teachers initiate the interaction in several ways, students respond in several ways; however, feedback by the teachers is not always available. to not strictly follow the irf structure, this finding is consistent to the study by rashidi & rafieerad (2010) in which not only teachers but students initiate conversation exchange. furthermore, question and answer routine are mostly emerged as the most dominated pattern. asking question is the most effective tool to initiate interaction and take immediate verbal response. mrs. lil starts the interaction with the students by delivering questions who likes sport? who usually plays badminton? (co-08). teacher asks who is absent today and divides the class into groups then asks you choose the group or i choose the group? (co-04). after 5 minutes, the teacher asks questions related to the poem, who writes the poem? what is the content of the poem? (co-02). then, teacher reviews previous lesson by asking question, what have we learned yesterday? (co-03). this result may support the study by rido (2017) and suryati (2015). they found english lessons were dominated by question and answer routine and the most popular interaction strategy is asking display question. meanwhile, giving directions or instruction is also apparently salient feature in initiating interaction in language classroom. by giving directions, the students are expected to do the required activity as response. teacher greets the students and gives some instructions of how to do the test. (co-01). teacher shows a poem on the lcd screen and directs the students to read it silently. (co-02). then, teacher gives instructions what to do with slow pace. (co-03). teaching can be said as talking in the classroom setting. teachers use speech to direct, lead, guide, instruct and persuade the students to act many things as well as to make them silent (robinson, 2005). by giving instructions, teachers act as controller and manager to manage the classroom. on the other side, the students listen and do the required tasks. the teachers are the subject of the learning process; while students are mere object (robinson, 2005). it depicts the fact that the relationship between teacher and students in the classroom is asymmetrical (consolo, 2006; walsh, 2011). the first pattern identified from the data is teacherwhole class interaction. it is when the teachers ask questions, direct the students, and communicate to all students in the classroom without nominating one specific student. the teacher lets any student to response. then, the students will yell and shout in responding teacher questions. teacher asks at least four times to the class: do you know television? do you have television. (co-01). again, teacher provides text about television on the lcd screen, asks the students to memorize it, and deliver several questions. then, she repeatedly asks “finish?” until she hears “yes” sound loudly. (co-02). moreover, teacher give instructions what to do with slow pace. all instructions are in english… teacher reads the text a loud and gives more examples on the board. (co-03). then, teacher directs the students to count 1-5… she explains how to do the whispering games. when the class look noisy and messy, teacher repeatedly shout “but” to get students’ attention. again, hanna sundari, zainal rafli & sakura ridwan interaction patterns in english as foreign language classroom at lower secondary schools 104 she asks a question: do you know what to do? (co-04). after the video was finished, the teacher suddenly asked question what are they, the students were just in silence with no response. (co-09). teacher-students (whole-class) interaction, according to harmer (2007), is the most widely used in various culture. this pattern is beneficial in giving long explanation and evaluating language progress because teachers easily control and handily manage the classroom. teacher speaking to the whole class is also revealed in study by nisa (2014) in which teachers use this mode in opening the lesson, giving feedback, and presenting information. the interactional pattern from efl classroom is teacher-student fronted interaction. in the front of the class, as the conventional standing position, the teachers sometimes choose to point out one student to answer the questions in purposes. furthermore, they also walk around the class and converse to certain student individually or in group for some reasons. the teacher walks around the class and comes to each student one by one to monitor their activities. (co-04). teacher displays some pictures of sport and its instruments on the lcd screen and asks the students to determine the names by pointing them out. (co-08). teacher calls several names to open their notebook. (co-09). rarely sitting in her desk, mrs. an keeps walking around to have a chat with the students. (co-11). sometimes, the teacher is calling students names, such as ryan, arif, to hear their answers. (co-12). after the video is finished, the teacher asks the questions to certain students one by one: what do you like to do, emma? what do you like to do, naya? what do you like to do, zahra? while approaching their desks. (co-03). the similar result also comes from the study rido (2017, pp. 203-204). he wrote that nominating specific students to answer questions was a common practice by master teachers in the classroom. in addition to nominating specific student, teacher mobility is one of the interaction feature showed in the language classroom. having finished giving directions, teachers walk around the class and come to each student or group. monitor and evaluation of student’s activity are the reasons as well as building rapport to the students. mrs. rah approaches one student to monitor her activity. (co-13). mr. am walks around one student to another, one group to another. (co-10). rarely sitting in her desk, mrs. an keeps walking around to have a chat with the students. she gives feedback to the students by saying: ok, i see, it’s ok. (co-11). the teacher approaches students’ desks one by one, monitors their activities, gives more explanation, and responding student’s questions. (co-03). teachers move around the class is also stated in several research findings. wachyudi, srisudarso, and miftakh (2015) reported that during the session, teachers stand and move around to make the lesson interesting. teachers approach the students who looks confused on the topic or task given. next, the similar result is also showed the study by rido, ibrahim, and nambiar (2014). they wrote that teachers move around the class and approach the students when delivering questions and paying attention to student’s response. another identified pattern in language classroom interaction is student-student interaction. while learning language in the classroom, teacher sometimes designs the classroom to make the student interact with other students. some classroom activities are set to stimulate them as peer or speaking partners for classmates. speaking activities seem quite difficult, the students do in pair, ask like/dislike to other students sitting next to her diagonally, and record them on note. (co-03). in whispering horse games, the class is so noise. in group, students are competing to be the fastest and the rightest. (co-04). having continued the lesson, the teacher gets the students to do in group of 4-6…. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 105 the students then move the desk to make the group. (co-10). mrs. an distributes worksheets to the students so that they do the activity in group. (co-11). setting classroom activity in pair or in group brings advantages for both teachers and students. as harmer (2007, pp. 116-117) stated, pair and group activity provide a plenty room and opportunities to use the language with peers; meanwhile individual activity stimulate autonomy and independence in learning language. almost the same result is also apparent in research by nisa (2014). on her study, pair work and group work are used to stimulate the use of language among students in speaking classes. concerning to the responses, the teachers are waiting expected responses either verbal or non-verbal in which are in accuracy, fluency, and acceptance in the line with the learning objectives. however, the students, in fact, as language learners, respond in several ways: in verbal, in action, and no response. verbal responses are the most noticeable feature in language classroom. it primarily is for responding teacher questions. then, the students say it together with loud voice. (co-01). all students at once answer loudly the teacher question. (co-08). beside verbal responses, the students also providing action or activity as required and directed by the teachers. some of the students stay calm and quite as taking the test; while, the others are discussing with their classmates. (co-01). the students are walking around the class and asking their classmates about the required expressions, and taking note. (co-03). nonetheless, not all students give expected response. because of some causes, they do not answer the questions, answer the questions with wrong answer, or do something else. students are allowed to add the answer or give other different opinions. nevertheless, no student arises. teacher let any student to do question no. 4. yet, no one comes forward to. (co-02). mrs. rah asks the students to do the exercises on the worksheet. some of them are discussing; meanwhile, some others look confused and do something that is not instructed, such as drawing and keeping silent. (co-13). as the matter of the student response, rustandi and mubarok (2017) also reported that interaction in speaking class at university level, students are less initiative to start the conversation because of shyness and reluctance. these results may not be consistent to the research findings by nisa (2014) that, beside student response and initiation, silence and confusion in interaction during speaking session are when the teacher wrote the materials and confusion occurred as more than one person talking. however, related to how students interact with and responses to teacher’s communication in the classroom, it is also surprisingly identified that several students in particular situation initiates interaction with the teachers by asking questions or requesting something, though it does not frequently happen. students ask several questions related to content materials and vocabulary. (cw06). during the lesson, the students often ask “mom, i don’t understand about it” or “i’m confused, mom. can you explain more?”. else, for those who have limited language, they say “mom, how…how…” to require more explanation. (cw-10). some of the students often asks about vocabulary, “bapak, banyak bahasa inggris nya apa, pak?” (sir, what is many in english?). (lo-10). one student yells “why is it advice instead of advise?”; then the teacher explains the differences among those two words. (lo-12). one of the students says “another song, mom”. teacher accepts the student’s request and finds another song to play before the lesson starts. (co-03). the interaction patterns in efl classrooms can be schemed on figure 3. hanna sundari, zainal rafli & sakura ridwan interaction patterns in english as foreign language classroom at lower secondary schools 106 teacher-students (whole-class) interaction is as one pattern in which teachers initiate interaction to entire class by giving questions or directions. then, pattern two is teacher-confronted student interaction. teacher starts interaction by nominating one specific student or students in group. pattern three is when the teachers set the students in pair or group to make them to interact each other, called studentstudent interaction. these patterns add the types of classroom structures of interaction observed by suryati (2015) at lower secondary schools in malang, east java. she wrote two types of classroom interaction: teacher fronted interaction and student-student interaction. the similar patterns of classroom interaction can be taken from the research by nisa (2014). the types of classroom interaction during speaking activities are teacher-whole class, teacher-student, teacher-a group of students, studentteacher, student-student, and student whole class. figure 3. interaction patterns in efl lower secondary classrooms teaching is probably on the teacher’s hand as controller who usually initiates the interaction in language classroom. nonetheless, teacher has several considerations underpinning her selection and preferences used in the classroom. classroom interaction and dynamic result from teacher choices in classroom activity (richards & lockhart, 2007). based on the interviews, smooth and effective teaching process is the priority for teachers. to make each student speak, mrs. li prefers calling names and pointing the students out. when they are responding, there is time i call by names or calling names. else, when i deliver the question to entire class, no student responds or there are great responses with loud, shouted voices that make unclear noisy echo. i decide to select one by one. besides, i want them to produce much language. at this time, i will point out… (tw-02). calling names is not just random pick. excellent students are more preferable because they can be a good language model for others. at this time, i will point out the excellent student to stimulate less student. (tw-02). teacher delivers the questions to entire class; sometime she points out one student. especially excellent student is selected as language model for other students. (cwfgd-01). for instance, one student looks competent at the discussed topic. therefore, i point english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 107 him out. sometimes, he explains it in english or indonesian. (tw-12). nominating specific students was also revealed in study by rido (2017). he reported that teachers point out specific students to make proficient students help less proficient students. moreover, this strategy is to make student more alert and attentive to the lesson as well as to give equal opportunity for each student to practice english. conclusion this current study aims at describing the interaction patterns in efl classroom at lower secondary schools and some reasons underpinned the pattern selection. when interacting and communicating with the students in the classroom, teachers do not strictly follow the irf structure. they greet, ask, direct, and lead to the entire class, called teacher-whole-class interaction. to publicly communicate, the teachers feel more effective and saving time. then, they also nominate and call one specific student, as teacher-fronted student interaction, to stimulate individual language production and evaluation as well as a good language model. at last, teachers set the classroom activity to make the student interact each other. pair-work and group-work help the students communicate and improve their language. concerning to the interaction patterns in language classroom, the research found that at least three modified irf structure. firstly, teacher – whole class is as the most common pattern in the class, then students give various kinds of responses. the second pattern is teacher – individual student by nominating specific students; the student’s response can be expected and targeted response, confusion or giving non-verbal response. the last, teachers also set the class in pair work or group work to build communication and interaction among students. these research findings may not explicitly describe the importance and the quality of interaction in the efl classroom; neither may these assess the teachers’ interaction competences in language teaching. however, the results depict the teachers’ roles in language classroom in foreign context. they play the prominent roles. they control the moves of lesson, they manage who talks, when and how much, and they also become student’ speaking partners and language model. references brown, h. d. (2007). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. new york: pearson education. choudhury, s. (2005). interaction in second language classrooms. brac university journal, ii(1), 77–82. consolo, d. a. (2006). classroom oral interaction in foreign language lessons and implications for teacher development. linguagem & ensino, 9(2), 33–55. dagarin, m. (2004). classroom interaction and communication strategies in learning english as a foreign language. elope: english language overseas perspectives and enquiries, 1(1–2), 127– 139. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.4312/elope.1.1-2.127-139. farahian, m., & rezaee, m. (2012). a case study of an efl teacher’s type of questions: an investigation into classroom interaction. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 47, 161–167. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.631. hall, g. (2011). exploring english language teaching: language in action. new york: routledge. hall, j. k. (2003). classroom interaction and language learning. ilha do desterro, 44, 165–187. harmer, j. (2007). the practice of english language learning. malaysia: pearson education limited. hermanto, h. (2015). understanding teacher talk to support students’ communicative competence. jurnal sosial humaniora, 8(2), 143–159. kharaghani, n. (2013). patterns of interaction in efl classrooms. in the global summit on education (pp. 859–864). kuala lumpur: worldconferences.net. murray, d. e., & christison, m. (2011). what english language teachers need to know volume ii: facilitating learning. new york: taylor & fancis e-libaray. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203846292. nasruloh, m. i. (2013). teacher-student interaction in a project-based learning classroom. journal of english and education, 1(1), 142–153. nisa, s. h. (2014). classroom interaction analysis in indonesian efl speaking class. english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 124–132. petek, e. (2013). teacher’s beliefs about classroom interaction and their actual practices: a qualitative case study of a native and a non-native english teacher’s in-class applications. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 70, 1195–1199. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.01.176. pujiastuti, r. t. (2013). classroom interaction: an hanna sundari, zainal rafli & sakura ridwan interaction patterns in english as foreign language classroom at lower secondary schools 108 analysis of teacher talk and student talk in english for young learner (eyl). journal of english and education, 1(1), 163–172. rashidi, n., & rafieerad, m. (2010). analyzing patterns of classroom interaction in efl classrooms in iran. journal of asia tefl, 7(3), 93–120. richards, j. c., & lockhart, c. (2007). reflective teaching in second language classrooms. usa: cambridge university press. rido, a. (2017). questioning strategies of master teachers in indonesian vocational english classrooms. teflin journal, 2(28), 193–211. rido, a., ibrahim, n., & nambiar, r. m. k. (2014). investigating efl master teacher’s classroom interaction strategies: a case study in indonesian secondary vocational school. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 118, 420–424. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.02.057. robinson, h. a. (2005). the ethnography of empowerment: the transformative power of classroom interaction. london: taylor & fancis elibaray. rustandi, a., & mubarok, a. h. (2017). analysis of irf (initiation-respon-feedback) on classroom interaction in efl speaking class. edulite: journal of english education, literature, and culture, 2(1), 239–250. seedhouse, p., & jenks, c. j. (2015). international perspectives on elt classroom interaction. hampshire: palgrave macmillan. sundari, h. (2016). pengaruh input bahasa orangtua terhadap kompleksitas bahasa anak: studi kasus pada anak usia 5 tahun melalui interactive shared reading. jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra, 16, 110–121. suryati, n. (2015). classroom interaction strategies employed by english teachers at lower secondary schools, 247–264. retrieved from http://journal.teflin.org/index.php/journal/article/ download/268/252. thoms, j. j. (2012). classroom discourse in foreign language classrooms : a review of the literature. foreign language annals, 45(s1), 8–27. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.111/j.19449720.2012.01177.x.foreign. wachyudi, k., srisudarso, m., & miftakh, f. (2015). analisis pengelolaan dan interaksi kelas dalam pengajaran bahasa inggris. jurnal ilmiah solusi, 1(4), 40–49. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781107415324.004. walsh, s. (2011). exploring classroom discourse: language in aaction. oxon: routlege taylor & francis group. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 77 commitment, community and bravery: the core activities in endorsing speaking skill by english camp program nanan abdul manan elementary teacher education, teacher training and education stkip muhammadiyah kuningan, indonesia e-mail: nanan@upmk.ac.id apa citation: manan, a. m. (2018). commitment, community and bravery: the core activities in endorsing speaking skill by english camp program. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 77-84. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1255. received: 14-02-2018 accepted: 23-04-2018 published: 01-06-2018 abstract: speaking skill is the prominent thing in verbal communication due to most students of university got the difficulties in practicing it. english camp program becomes a way out to boost students’ speaking performance. hence, this research is aimed to know the english speaking competence by means of english camp program (ecp). by applying a case study, some students of mathematic education of stkip muhammadiyah kuningan were chosen as the participants. the research concerns on the three categories of ecp activities; commitment, community, and bravery. those factors are so simple but they are very important to lead the students to practice english speaking, to create natural situation in practice and to strengthen their english speaking performance. this study revealed that ecp gives a positive impact on students’ speaking skill. ecp can give a new experience of students who join the english program without any obstacles in practicing; many chances, free topics and experience exploration. ecp is a simple activity that can create a big result in speaking english skill. keywords: english camp program, speaking skill, commitment, community, bravery introduction teaching and learning process in formal situation is the usual activity of university students. they have a high awareness to attend the class and allow to some academic regulations on it. in case of learning english as the second language, a learner should use some strategies willingly. their willingness is then indicated by means of exercises. the learner should have a high motivation to communicate and have a positive attitude to the target language. the motivation, itself, doesn’t appear apparently without any intervention of other factors. lectures or teachers are part of factors to give a support. because motivation appears as interaction between students and teachers/lecturers, it is essentially aimed to develop the students’ competence in learning (zaikina, et al., 2017). motivation indicates the stability situation in learning process (davoudia & parpouchi, 2016). english learning in higher school or university has a different concept and understanding. the university students, of course, have been in adult condition. the ultimate purpose of language practice tends to communicative language teaching. it means that language is used for communication effectively (akdemir, barin, & demiroz, 2012). communicative competence relates to communicative language proficiency that is the most important thing in language practice. communicative language proficiency, at least, has two parts of language divisions; language knowledge and language strategies (srikaew, tangdhanakanond, & kanjanawasee, 2015). it implies teaching speaking relates to other skills and objectives. as an english teacher, one should combine some skills interwined in practicing of english speaking. assessment is an important step that must be done in a process of teaching and mailto:nanan@upmk.ac.id nanan abdul manan commitment, community and bravery: the core activities in endorsing speaking skill by english camp program 78 learning. this assessment will provide information about the condition of the students related to the understanding of the context of a particular discussion. speaking is a productive skill that can be directly and empirically observed (brown, 2004). this means that students’ speaking activities can be observed by a teacher from their speaking activities in the class. in this case, assessment is used for ensuring the classroom activities. so, classroom assessment needs the test provider that is required to ensure the use of the test is appropriate for its stated purpose and target population (fulcher & davidson, 2007). for more understanding, assessment is meant as the activity that one hope to get the information about students’ performance in one competence. related to this, the researcher relates it with speaking competence. assessment in the pursuit of a language is a series that is not integral to the process of language teaching. assessment will be a barometer as a means of information about developments in the understanding of language learners. assessment, test, evaluation and measurement have the same goal, which is to get an understanding of the development of learners in the learning process. the general evaluation (in this case also related with assessment) in the implementation of learning is understood as an effort to gathering information about the implementation of learning as the basis for making decisions (djiwandono, 2008). such information is not limited to matters directly related to the progress and results of learning by the learners in achieving learning objectives, but can also be related to the learning organization as a whole. speaking skill assessment means assessment on one aspect of language skills, namely speaking. however, in the assessment of english speaking skills, there are several criteria that can be used as a basis to conduct assessment. the assessment tasks itself are classified into several tasks; imitative speaking, responsive speaking, interactive speaking, and extensive speaking (brown, 2004). here, the researcher chooses the assessment tasks in interactive speaking task related to discussion and conversation, and extensive speaking task related to oral presentation. both types of tasks in speaking assessment will be continued into evaluating and scoring speaking tasks. in this research, the scoring involves accuracy and fluency. accuracy involves clear in speaking, articulation, phonologically and grammatically correct. meanwhile, fluency is classified into flowing explaining and natural language as a custom of english in a daily. the practice of english communication was conducted in english camp program. it has a core purpose that the students can concern in one place, one theme and one goal, exactly, improving english communicative competence. it has the same purpose what another academic camp has. academic camp, actually, is an approach for improving the students’ learning problems in the class, improving self confidence and understanding advance knowledge (yusop, et al., 2015). method this research applies a case study design. the case study design is based upon the assumption that the case being studied is a typical of cases of a certain type and therefore a single case can provide insight into the events and situations prevalent in a group from where the case has been drawn (kumar, 2011). the researcher explores an area where little is known about ecp. the situation of ecp was carried out, episode of ecp was scheduled, and community were gathered at ecp. in this case study, the data were collected through interview and observation. gaining information from secondary records were also conducted as the completing data. the secondary records were gained from the data that instructors had. the data was about the progress of students’ speaking skills, especially in accuracy and fluency categories. results and discussion clear and articulation in speaking performance the students of mathematic education joined ecp with many reason. some of them wanted to be better in english for presenting the english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 79 students of university contest carried out by public university coordination of jabar banten in 2018 and some others wanted to develop their knowledge relating to english for mathematics. in a term of clear and articulation, the students indicated the good speakers. they could start and finish conversations well. some students still used the common sentences in opening the communication as the researcher found out through observation as indicated in the following simple conversation between ato (boy) and intan (girl). a : hello, how are you today? i : i am fine, and you? a : fine. by the way, you have eaten? i : not yet. a : i have breakfast with nasi uduk not lontong sayur. i : why? not lontong sayur? a : i don’t like it, yes i don’t like. i : yes, why? a : because, there is lemak. what lemak in english? i : o, lemak is fat. hehe, lontong sayur is very delicious, i like it. a : but i don’t like, hehe. from the simple converstion, ato as the first speaker tried to open the conversation to intan (the second speaker). they talked about kinds of sundanese food for breakfast. actually, it was the same as other places if talking about nasi uduk and lontong sayur. and, of course, nasi uduk and lontong sayur were kinds of morning foods in several places in java or especially west java. clear articulation of this communication indicated that speaker 1 and speaker 2 could understand the purpose of converstaion one another. eventhough, ato had a difficulty to say ‘lemak’ in english but the communication partner, intan, responded and gave its translation in english. on the other situation, there were discussion about the preference places for carreer in the future. they responded in many reasons. every student gave an opinion about their career. the following as the result of their discussion. moderator : hello every body, this time, we are going to open our discussion by reciting basmallah. in this opportunity, i am anggi as moderator, i will guide you to discuss about our future after we have finish our study in stkip muhammadiyah kuningan. i will give you time to speak about your opinion. for the first, i give a time to cika, please. cika : ok, thank you, i will explain my plan for future. actually, i want to continue my study to strata 2 or s2. i will take test in upi bandung. because, there, mathematic education there is. i am believe that i can pass the test. after that, i will become lecture. i think enough from me. moderator : ok, thank you cika for your opinion. i am agree with you that we must to have plan for future. and for next opinion, i give time to vera. vera : ok, thank you moderator. in my opinion, after i finish my study from stkip muhammadiyah kuningan, insha allah, i will apply to sd islam terpadu al-istiqomah, al multazam or husnul khotimah. why i choose it. because, i think, in there i can have many experience with many teacher who have many knowledge in teaching. i want to the best mathematic teacher. from the simple sight of their discussion, they had a good and clear articulation. every speaker could convey their opinion as they found from their mind and their experiences. they had a good understanding in speech production; conceptual preparation in term of lexical concept, lexical selection morphological encoding, phonological encoding, phonetic encoding, articulation, and sound wave (traxler, 2012). they had produced their language into a good utterance. yet, there were still found mistakes in using some words, phrases and sentences. they forgot the crucial things about verb in past participle, verb without to be additional, article use, and countable and uncountable nouns. they got lost of understanding in a crusial thing because it was a simple case of them. nanan abdul manan commitment, community and bravery: the core activities in endorsing speaking skill by english camp program 80 phonological and grammatical competence in phonological competence, the students had practiced an english conversation promptly. they imitated the sound vocal and consonant as they got from their instructors. eventhough, they still found the sundanese dialect. it was so difficult to practice english conversation with native english perfectly. the influence of sundanese language as a source language was difficult to be omitted. moreover, the big problem of sundanese people was how to differ from ‘f’, ‘p’ and ‘v’. they took many times to exercise the better phonology differently and distinctly. the following table figured the exercises relating to phonologycal competence. table 1. the difficult words for practice vacation fly play veil funny pardon vegetable forget peace violin four pump violet from promptly vehicle some sundanese got difficulty in pronouncing the three alphabets; ‘f’, ‘p’ and ‘v’. they were accustomed with ‘p’ in many communication. then, english was inflected with their habit in communication. in ecp, the students used to use many different words. they used several sentences containing the three words. in this case, they got a good phonology step by step. in other side, grammatical competence was one of the targets in ecp. one activity was ended by one correction of grammar. to avoid boring, the instructors practiced the grammar with many interesting topics. in this case, the instructor has function in a source of competences; cognitive, affective and psychomotor (usman, silviyanti, & marzatillah, 2016). the three important competences relate his capacity as the intructor, balance the feeling and emotion, and how to act speaking. the students are lead to understand the grammar without a burden in communication. for the first time, the students found difficult to combine between grammar competence and conversation skill. they got lose of parentheses of grammar while speaking. even simple present tense was the lose one. flowing explaining and natural language some findings of this research view the situations of students’ speaking skill. they enjoyed with their topics choosen. what we call as flowing and natural language is when practicing without scandal. they practiced their language had been contructed on their mind. they conversed with daily theme or topic. they found relax situation. some topics they discussed well were related with their english learning experinces, something they prefered, some perceptions about the current issues and other interesting topics. the speaking situation was carred out in some mixing words and sentences between indonesian and english. the practice had a well running. eventhough, they still used mix languages. in the view point of this case is that some students could share some information in their discussion flowing and natural language. they were easy to express or deliver into language communication. ecp guided them to practice more and more without getting a strick regulation in speaking. the important target was practice. they were free to practice without considering some tenses and structures. the correction of their grammar and structure were explained in the end of their speech in every section of individual opportunity. in this research, the researcher find a good achievement of english speaking skills. the students of mathematic education indicate the progressiveness in speaking skill. they have joined the english camp program (ecp) in the some place where the concentration of learning is carried out. the english camp program is conducted to sharpen speaking skill. ecp was carried out in the special place. the place was divided into two houses, for men and women. the schedule in ecp had three sections; morning, afternoon and evening. in the morning section was started from 06.00 am to 09.00. afternoon section was carried out at 04.00 pm to 06.00 pm and evening section started from 08.00 to 10.00 english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 81 pm. the discussion of the three sections had the discussion about grammar materials (morning) and presentation (afternoon and evening sections). on the other hand, the experience of students’ learning in english is when they attend at english course program (ecp). ecp is one of the choices of the students of university to join twice or three times in a week for english. many places or courses carry out the english course. the program is various; basic grammar, speaking, reading, toefl and all related with the english comptences. ecp is chozen by students who do not have any satisfaction in achieving english mark at university. they enrich their knowledge and skill of english at ecp. ecp gives many offers to whom enriching their english. it has been an alternative study to overcome the difficulty in english, either grammar or speaking. to know more about the english speaking skill, the resercher observes english camp program (ecp). this program is conducted by the learning basedcommunity. the program is carried out in the certain place where the students can enjoy and keep calm from the crowded situation. they can develop and enrich their english speaking skill by means of gathering. this program as the response from the difficulty of students’ learning is intended to focus on the language learning vision. the vision means that the students have the same time and place, opportunities to speak, topic to practice and wishes to be good in english speaking. combining both grammar and speaking competences are rarely difficult. the students sometimes get lose of grammar understanding while they are practicing speaking. and they have problems in adapting speaking topic related with grammar. ecp has given the different study experience of the students. they step by step start to combine the grammar and speaking competences. that’s way ecp can give more satisfaction of the students commitment the students of ecp formerly do not accustom to live together with others in the same place for more than one day. ecp was carried out in one week. they live in the same house, study together, make the same commitment in increasing english speaking skills and share one another to make progress. one of the students’ learning experience is the same vision. vision of this is only to increase speaking skill and grammar as the basis understanding to support the speaking practice. there are 10 boys and 10 girls who join this program. of course, they have various competences and skills in english. they have different background of learning culture. they have to adapt for a while to be stay together. but, they are tied by one vision to be in the sameness vision, namely increasing english speaking skill. in this program, for 1 month, they concern to broader their knowledge in english. mostly, they haven’t got english course before joining ecp. they got the difficulty in understanding related with english. whereas they had finished some english materials when they were at junior high school and senior high school. the materials that are given in ecp are about the grammar and speaking. those materials are the same as the materials that were got earlier. but, they still don’t have any understanding much. even, they forget all as if they never learn about it. ecp focuses on the materials given with the concsiousness of themselves. they can enjoy the program as they want and they determine their discipline for supporting it. one vision, in this case, is the same as a ‘commitment’. a commitment means that how the students can lead their learning as good as possible. they determine their target in speaking skill by sharing one another. it is accordance with the learning conception and learning orientation; personal goals, intentions, motives, expectations, attitudes, concerns, and doubts with regard to their studies (negovana, sterianb, & colesniucc, 2015 ). they have only one purpose in this program, being a good speaker in english. they support one another. they have a high responsible to get a good english speaking skill together. so, they nanan abdul manan commitment, community and bravery: the core activities in endorsing speaking skill by english camp program 82 support and drive one another to be actively engangement in english class. they realize that to achive the better one in english should be in togetherness.mostly students in this program have a good schedule to practice english. they have many preparation before presenting topics choosen, make an activity matrix to do and not to do. of course, the prohibition in english time is to speak another language but english. this one is the big reason that they have a high ambition to be better one in english either in grammar or in speaking. the commitment above is implemented to in some ways that the researcher finds. the students have a good management in english practice; english time, punishment with various ways like memorizing vocabularies or making a speech as they want, and reward for whom full practicing by means of getting free activities in a half day as an obligation of ones in a day. english time is a schedule made of the students themselves. they make some regulation to be followed by all members. the regulation is agreed for implementing. all regulations related with improving their english; building vocabularies, tenses practicing, chatting, speaking, discussing, and so on. meanwhile, reward and punishment are the anticipation for members in practicing english. those are intended to lead the members in order to keep a commitment to some regulations agreed. community the second one the researcher finds at ecp activities is enganging among the students. they had a close relationship, like a family. they were in the same place creating the same custom and habitual activity. from the morning to the evening, they were in an english place. they were forced to the situation and condition forming them to be able to practice english. an english circumstance had shaped the students principle of english. the comfort place had lead the students to open their mind. developing their language competence and skill was influenced with a good place. the good place where the students were at home was the calm situation, not noisy and of the distance. to focus on english skill derived from supporting a good situation. the next part of community reason is a partnership. having a partner in communication supports the students sharing and increasing their speaking skills. the process of practicing (speaking, discussion, presentation) is carried out with partners. they can share strange vocabularies bay means of discussion or presentation. buiding vocabularies is a difficult one for whom being more than 20 years old. in this age, they aren’t easy to memorize news vocabularies in english. they need some tricks or strategies to memorize vocabularies in practicing. the tricks or strategies were sharing and receiving vocabularies in some discussions and presentations. everyone performed in many occasions and used english language step by step. the first meeting, the regulation of practicing was 30% in english and 70% in indonesia. the second meeting and next were determined with more english practice than indonesian practice. the students had many inputs of new words while discussion and presentation section. in many discussion and presentation sections, not all members of those practice could start it with a perfect sentence or full english sentences. in every sentence, they found problems in conveying english words. they used indonesian language when they got lose the english word and the members of discussion directly gave a noticed to translate it into english. the presenters or speakers who had an speaking occasion repeated the indonesian words delivered into english words and so on. in this practice, the students wrote the strange words they found in many communication activities. they had a small book for stange words. the strange words lead them to make some sentences using the new words. from moment to moment, they could use the words in accordance with the topics discussing. the more the students did the repetation stange words the more they cought the words. they could easily practice with many vocabularies. this activity was apparently as a good practice for building english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 83 vocabularies. even they didn’t realize their progressiveness in speaking skills. by practicing time to time and sharing in a community, they found many words to be contructed into some sentences perfectly. they were difficult to demonstrate some words memorized before into sentences if they didn’t start to participate in discussion or presentation section. there were different competence between mastering vocabulary and practicing speaking. some of them tried to memorize words before performing in presentation but they often got difficult to create in speaking. of course, ‘community’ culture was a good construction in ecp. it had bridged vocabulary building and practicing speaking. this condition indicates that the students can encourage their english competence one another by means of collaborative competence (jinesh, 2014). bravery the next findings in ecp was ‘bravery’ attitude. bravery was a bridging between commitment and community. it was more difficult to figure out how the two cases (commitment and community) went together. ecp forced the students being confident to speak. the difficult performance of students in speaking was how to start. how to start was not about how to open the speaking activity but more than it. one who joined in ecp felt shy speaking in front of their instructors and their friends. a lack confident of some one had disturbed the preparation having been made before. they lose of words to be presented because of lack of bravery. ecp lead the students to be brave. many factors had influenced to the students better in speaking, namely many occasions to practice, interesting topics, and every time corrections. the occasions the students got were speaking and conversation activities wherever they wished. this is to avoid the students get unpleasant emotional condition characterized feelings of tension and apprehension (karatasa, et al., 2016). ecp activities contingented to the informal situation. the students didn’t feel awkward as formal situation, they flew and spoke naturally. the occasions were creatively contructed in many different places; in front of home, in the terrace, on the street beside the house. they underwent happily and full inspirations. the next factors of bravery was interesting topics. the topics could be determined as the agreement of the members of ecp. different members had different preferences in choosing the suitable topics of them. the instructors gave the free choices of the topics. mostly topics choosed were life style and common activities they had found easily. before starting to practice, the instructors, firstly, constructed the understanding of language concept in source language. it wasn’t directly practiced in englih language. the students were guided how to open their mind, open the imagination, construct their concept in indonesian. after catching the things of minds, the students could convert the concept of source language into english utterances. most english practice always forced students to practice more and more without giving an opportunity to the students in order to fill their mind in source language formerly. it was very difficult for them to find out which words and sentences would be delivered. but, by means of filling and strengtening the language concept of mind in source language, it was easy to practice step by step. in this ecp, the students captioned a quite simple trick to practice english; finding ideas, maping ideas, selecting ideas, converting ideas into english to be practiced. their bravery in practicing arouse from time to time because of mastering their topics, knowing to make a step and mixing language for the strange vocabularies. bravery was the most important thing for ecp students. bravery was as if an urgent instrument to unite a commitment and a community to be real in english group. the more advantages of bravery was all time corrections. the students could easily get the corrections from their friends and their instructors while practicing. but, the correction, in this case, was not directly done while practicing. many methods were agreed in this ecp. the students could get the correction by writing on white board and by audience movement (right or wrong statement nanan abdul manan commitment, community and bravery: the core activities in endorsing speaking skill by english camp program 84 had different movement). so, the students speaking repeated the correct sentences given from audience. this happy activities made the situation relax and high input. conclusion ecp is a program giving the progressivenes of students’ speaking skills. there are some good keys in this program, they are one vision, commitment, community and bravery factors. those factors are so simple but they are very important to lead the students to practice english, to create natural situation in practice and to strengthen their english speaking practice principles. the difficulty of english speaking practice derives from the missperception of english learning goals. some students have perceptions that english is a science not a custom. english as science gives a strengtening in some languages regulation that must be obeyed. meanwhile, english as a custom gives the students enjoy with their practice. exploring their experiences, enganging the english partner, articulating their minds, converting their ideas into language practice are some process that are in this ecp activities. ecp has created the students gain one vision, commitment, community and bravery. those factors are the important things in supporting their speaking skills. they have realized the difficult one in english is how to practice. before practicing, they have got a good commitment. making one vision to increase speaking skill, having a gather commitment, staying in the disciple community, lead the students to be better one in english speaking skill. ecp is a simple activity that can create the big result in speaking english skill. references akdemir, a. s., barin, m., & demiroz, h. (2012). broadsheet english: teaching speaking through newspaper articles. procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 46(2), 3967-3971. davoudia, a. h. m., & parpouchi, a. (2016). relation between team motivation, enjoyment, and cooperation. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 230(4), 184-189. brown, d. h. (2004). language assessment-principles and classroom practices. new york: pearson longman. usman, b., silviyanti, t. m., & marzatillah. (2016). the influence of teacher's competence towards the motivation of students in learning english. studies in english language and education, 134-146. srikaew, d., tangdhanakanond, k., & kanjanawasee, s. (2015). development of an english speaking skill assessment model for grade 6 students by using portofolio. procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 191(2), 764-768. djiwandono, m. s. (2008). tes bahasa: pegangan pengajar bahasa. jakarta: pt. indeks. fulcher & davidson. (2007). language testing and assessment and advanced resource book. new york: routledge. karatasa, h., alcia, b., bademcioglub, m., & ergin, a. (2016). an investigation into university students’ foreign language. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 382 – 388. yusop, h., foo, f. y., jumadi, a., mahadi, s., ali, m. n., & johari, n. (2015). the effectiveness of excellence camp: a study on paired sample. procedia-economics and finance, 31(3), 453461. jinesh, j. j. (2014). enhancement of speaking skills: a collaborative learning perspective. international journal of english: literature, language, skills, 284-287. kumar, r. (2011). research methodology: a step-bystep guide for beginners. london: sage publication inc. zaikina, o., malinowskab, m., bakhtadzec, n., & żyławski, a. (2017). motivation and social aspects of competence-based learning. procedia computer science, 112(3), 1092-1101. traxler, m. j. (2012). introduction to psycholinguisticsunderstanding language science. uk: wileyblackwell. negovana, v., sterianb, m., & colesniucc, m. h. (2015). conceptions of learning and intrinsic motivation in different. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 187(3), 642 – 646. communicative competence relates to communicative language proficiency that is the most important thing in language practice. communicative language proficiency, at least, has two parts of language divisions; language knowledge and language strategies... in this case, assessment is used for ensuring the classroom activities. so, classroom assessment needs the test provider that is required to ensure the use of the test is appropriate for its stated purpose and target population (fulcher & davidson, 20... assessment in the pursuit of a language is a series that is not integral to the process of language teaching. assessment will be a barometer as a means of information about developments in the understanding of language learners. assessment, test, eval... the general evaluation (in this case also related with assessment) in the implementation of learning is understood as an effort to gathering information about the implementation of learning as the basis for making decisions (djiwandono, 2008). such in... english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 101 digital comic: an innovation of using toondoo as media technology for teaching english short story asri siti fatimah english education, faculty of teacher training and education, siliwangi university, indonesia e-mail: asrisitifatimah@unsil.ac.id santiana english education, faculty of teacher training and education, siliwangi university, indonesia e-mail: santiana@unsil.ac.id yuyus saputra english education, faculty of teacher training and education, siliwangi university, indonesia e-mail: yuyussaputra@unsil.ac.id apa citation: fatimah, a. s., santiana, s., & saputra, y. (2019). digital comic: an innovation of using toondoo as media technology for teaching english short story. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 101-108. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1526. received: 24-01-2019 accepted: 23-03-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: this study investigates the use of toondoo as media technology for teaching english short story. toondoo as the newest technology for creating comic or picture story is very beneficial helping teacher to creatively provide innovative strategy providing better classroom environment for the english learners, especially for those studying english short story. as the invented prose narrative shorter than a novel dealing with a few characters, short story can give an important content raising cultural awareness, linguistic awareness, motivation, and is claimed to improve all four skills. therefore, this study aims at knowing how the implementation of toondoo in teaching english short story and finding out the benefits of this tool for teaching performance. to gain the data, reflective journal created by a pre-service teacher who becomes the participant of the study and interview were used to reflect the process of creating toondoo and the process of teaching english short story using this tool. the findings showed that this tool can be used to promote students’ speaking skill. toondoo is very helpful to facilitate students’ imagination promoting their speaking ability, producing better learning experience, and creating a good classroom atmosphere. keywords: english short story; pre-service teacher; reflection; technology; toondoo. introduction the use of instructional media for teaching is really important helping teachers to deliver the material and create interesting activities in the classroom. teachers may not only use traditional media such as pictures, cards, authentic materials and boards for teaching english, but they can also use song, audio visual, and instructional technology for helping them give instruction to the students. today, there are so many instructional media for teaching english which have been introduced by several experts. it is certainly proven that technology used for teaching english grows very fast so that teachers are really helped to provide better classroom experience for the student (fatimah & santiana, 2017). thus, they will be very easy to find the media technology provided on mobile application and web-based internet that give different environment. as a result, teachers are encouraged to creatively give the suitable instructional tools in the classroom in order to guide students to achieve the learning objectives. toondoo as one of the web-based applications provided on the internet is known as easy and appealing application which can be used as instructional tool the teachers to create picture and use it for teaching. kirchoff and cook in fatimah and santiana (2017) point out that toondoo is a free, fully online comic creator, one that offers many options for comic strip creation through a user-friendly interface. this web-based application tool is really beneficial allowing teachers to create cartoon by only choosing comic strips components, such as setting, characters, props, clip, art, and text bubble provided on its application. its component is categorized to help users find what they are looking for and select just the right image. moreover, they can upload pictures taken from internet or their own if they want. this feature is useful and easy to use. asri siti fatimah, santiana, & yuyus saputra digital comic: an innovation of using toondoo as media technology for teaching english short story 102 similar to other web-based technology, teachers need to create an account by submitting name and email address to use toondoo. it provides fifteen options for panel layout, from one to four panels of equal or varying sizes. it also has option to create individual comic strips or to combine panels to form books (i.e., collections) of multiple strips (kirchoff & cook, 2015). moreover, this tool also consists of sharing options allowing the users to share their comic on internet. students can select from public (where anyone can view), private (where only they can view), and shared (where they can select who views) for their product. this can create different setting and experience for the students which can increase their motivation to study. gonzalez (2016) has found that the elaboration of the comic in toondoo was something very motivating for the students. the use of comics in efl setting is not new since it provides chronological images that provide narrative to their audience. this media is useful to stimulate students’ ideas. comics are art form that features a series of static images in fixed sequence, usually to tell a story. typically, comics are printed on paper and text is often incorporated into the images (yunus, et al., 2012). however, the use of comics in education context has surprisingly long history. since the early 1940s, many scholars in the usa have investigated that the use of comic books did not give meaningful benefits. it was also stated that comics were a harmful literacy tool. in the 1970s, however, teachers began to dare to use comics books again and it becomes influential when art spiegelman’s comics book, maus, won the pulitzer prize in 1992. it proves that it can be artistically mature and literate works (retalis as cited in yunus et al., 2012). actually, there are many strengths of using comics in teaching english. comics consist of pictures which are usually interesting for the students. children have a natural attention to comic because of its elements. comics can intrisically motivate the students to learn and take advantage from the extraordinary motivating power of this media. furthermore, comics are known as a permanent, visual component, in contrast to film and animation, where the medium dictates the pace of the viewing process. the text medium is similarly permanent, but not ‘pictorial’. ‘visual permanence’ is distinctive to comic, as time within a comic book progresses at the pace of a reader (willian & yang, as cited in yunus et al., 2012). garcia cited in gonzalez (2016) argues that there are some advantages of using comics in the classroom, specifically in the foreign language classroom in which comics can provide different content: phonetic-phonological, language or grammatical, lexical-semantic, functional and communicative, cultural or strategic. however, although comics only provide several pictures and a few words, but teacher can use this kind of media to teach elements of language. in addition, teacher is also allowed to use comics for teaching five skills: listening, understanding reading, oral interaction, speaking, and writing. as a medium used to express idea by pictures, comics can be used for teaching both receptive and productive skills. finally, it is also interesting for people in which its playful component favors the teachinglearning through playing. therefore, it really motivates students to study using this media. therefore, the use of cartoon created by this web 2.0 technology is really appropriate to use for teaching english short story. as the invented prose narrative shorter than a novel, short story can give important content raising cultural awareness, linguistic awareness, motivation, and are claimed to improve all four skills (parkinson & reid thomas, cited in khatib & nasrollahi, 2012). the use of toondoo for teaching english short story can allow teachers to facilitate their imagination in which they can create unfamiliar story for the students. in addition, it also makes students learn easier and provides permanence. toondoo can reduce repetition and make remembering words easy, promote creative skills and motivate students to learn (jylhä-laide cited in wilujeng & lan, 2015). previous research conducted by gonzalez (2016) has found that comic in toondoo provides the opportunity for doing collaborative learning and becomes a visual literacy resource to evidence vocabulary learning with emphasis in action verbs. this study proves that toondoo provides the possibility of articulating technology and english contents promoting the creativity, positive perception of english classes, and interest for showing good results. pictures produced by toondoo can provide visual platform engaging the students to learn and promote their interest on the material given. especially for teaching english short story, toondoo is very suitable to give a chance for the teachers to creatively design pictures by themselves. teaching english short story by using toondoo will also be more interesting english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 103 because the students will not be familiar with the story given. in addition, students also have the opportunity to create cartoon books in a group and publish it in any social media. as a result, their imagination and ability to create english short story will be enhanced. considering the previous background, therefore this study aims to answer the following questions: 1. how is the use of toondoo for teaching english short story? 2. what are the benefits of using toondoo for teaching english short story? method this study applied reflective practice to investigate the use of toondoo in teaching english short story. boud in lewis (2013) argues that reflective practice is a generic term for those intellectual and affective activities in which individuals engage to explore their experiences in order to lead to a new understanding and appreciation. forty-two students coming from the fourth semester in one of universities in indonesia are the participants of the study. they have guided to teach short story by using toondoo in efl classroom. however, one of the students was chosen as the sources of the data. he was asked to reflect his teaching performance when using toondoo in teaching english short story. to collect the data, reflective journal and interview were used. he was asked to write his reflective journal three times; after the lecturer introduces toondoo; after he creates toondoo; and after he teaches using it for teaching english short story. to help him do reflection, reflection template proposed by smith adapted by widodo and ferdiansyah (2018) is used. the template is shown in table 1. table 1. reflection template a. describing write what you felt when you began your teaching or what you taught from the previous lesson b. informing explore what the theme/topic you were teaching, in what ways you taught it c. confronting describe how you reacted to it and also how you performed the task. d. reconstructing highlight the idea as a result of your self-reflection on and for action that you believed would be useful for your next teaching the collected data were then analyzed by using thematic analysis proposed by braun, clarke, and rance (2014). firstly, the data taken from reflective journal and interview were transcribed. in this phase, the data were read and re-read in order to be familiar with the depth and breadth of the content. after being familiar with the data, the data were classified into several codes. in this phase, important points related to research objectives were colored and identified whether they were relevant or not. then, the codes were grouped which possibly have the same theme. then, the themes were also colored differently in order to ease the process of including the codes into the appropriate theme. furthermore, the themes were reviewed to ensure whether the themes were appropriate or not. in addition, if the themes were not appropriate, it was omitted or replaced. finally, the themes were named as the representation of its following sub-themes. those became the findings of this study. at the end, the data were reported in a way which can convince the reader of the merit and validity of the analysis. results and discussion as one of the free comic-creating websites, toondoo allows teachers to easily make cartoon strips or comics and share them to their students. however, the use of comics for teaching english is not new and can be used for developing all language skills. comics consists of pictures combined with text and other visual information which facilitate the students not only to receive information but also express ideas from those elements. in this study, the use toondoo in efl setting is investigated in order to find out the use of it for teaching english short story. from the reflective journal and interview, it is found that in this study, comics are used for teaching english speaking skill. in process of teaching english short story, i use picture that i created using toondoo to stimulate the students to speak. i firstly show the pictures without inserting any words. i instruct the students to discuss what expression which is probably given by the characters on the picture in this study, the participant uses his imagination to create the cartoon strips without any text and bring it to the classroom. asri siti fatimah, santiana, & yuyus saputra digital comic: an innovation of using toondoo as media technology for teaching english short story 104 figure 1. toondoo furthermore, the students are asked to guess the story and try to mention the expressions given by the characters. by using this activity, the students are encouraged to give their arguments about the expressions given by the characters on the comics. the findings also show that this activity engages the students to be active in the classroom. since the goal of teaching english as a foreign language is to help students increase their communicative skills, short story provided on comics is really effective to stimulate them to speak. in the next activity, the teacher divided the students into several groups and asked them to discuss and guess the story on the comics. at the end of the activity, the students are given the opportunity to stand in front of the class to retell the story in the group. the use of toondoo as free online cartoon maker gets positive response from the participant as depicted in the following excerpt. .... i am so excited to create cartoon by using toondoo.... i really enjoy creating comic using this tool... ...using toondoo for creating cartoon story is really simple creating comics using this app is really easy. as the free cartoon maker, the participant can create free account by submitting username, password and email (figure 2). toondoo consists of hundreds characters, backgrounds and clip art which can be chosen easily by the participant (figure 3). as stated by tahsaldar and seeman (2018), toondoo comics to wiki books is a great way to assess students’ comprehension of story lines, and main ideas as it allows them to easily create cartoons by dragging hundreds of ready-made backgrounds, props, text boxes, and characters into the cartoon panel chosen by them. figure 2. how to create toondoo figure 3. characters on toondoo figure 4. background on toondoo toondoo also provides several features which are interesting for the participant. he does not need to have a skill of drawing to create the characters. in addition, the facial expressions and body positions also can be changed easily using this tool. there are several emotions provided on the app, such as happy, angry, sad or disappointed (figure 5). english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 105 figure 5. facial expressions on toondoo moreover, there are also some benefits of this tool found based on themes on the data analysis. the benefits are as follows. stimulating imagination to promote speaking skill the use of literature in teaching english has been previously a great debate since it provides unrealistic nature which is rarely found in daily activities. however, nowadays it has been noticed that this kind of material gives the authenticity which provides cultural augmentation and promotes linguistic awareness of the students (parkinson & reid thomas cited in khatib & nasrollahi, 2012). especially in teaching english short story, teacher can use this kind of material as the media to improve english language skill especially speaking ability. in process of teaching english short story, i use picture that i created using toondoo to stimulate the students to speak. i firstly show the pictures without inserting any words. i instruct the students to discuss what expression which is probably given by the characters on the picture. the students look so enthusiastic to do these tasks. almost all of the students give their arguments about the expressions from the characters. the statement shows that actually teacher can use literature as media to facilitate students enhancing their language skills, especially speaking. it is supported by khatib and seyyed (2013) who state “short stories are claimed to improve all four skills. it can, if selected and exploited appropriately, provide quality text content which will greatly enhance elt courses for learners at intermediate levels of proficiency.” furthermore, the use of digital comic created by toondoo provides the opportunity for the students to express their ideas by guessing the story on the pictures. as stated on the participant’s reflection, the comic was created without any words in order to stimulate the students to guess the story and expressions which are probably given by the characters. on the other hand, it is stated by kibedi varga cited in conard (2016) that comics are defined as a form where images and words are received simultaneously and in series. comics usually consists of pictures providing visual narrative and the words as the textual narrative. comics are frequently characterized by the combination of pictures with a relatively small number of words, organized into graphically separated units in sequential order. some researchers also agree that balloons on comic are the essential or crucial feature containing speech, text, or a caption that presents the character’s voice, giving the story or ‘life’ to the comic. without the text in the balloons, the reader is unable to follow the narrative of the comic. in this situation, by not providing the words on the bubbles, the students are encouraged to give their arguments to guess the expressions and also the story on the media. it is really appealing because the students can use their imagination to express their opinion about the story. to teach english story to the students, the participant believed that using student-centered learning should be used in the classroom. this approach is known as innovative method promoting learning in communication which takes the students as active participants in their own learning. in this meeting, i try to make the student active in the class. i do not like if they only listen to what i explain. as my lecturer says that i should use student-centered learning when teaching in the class. therefore, this media really helps me to engage the students. after the students give their opinion about the expressions which probably occur, i ask them to guess the story of the pictures. some of the students can guess the main idea of the story. after that, i show the expression which i previously made and tell what the story is. i also appreciate the students who can guess the story of the picture. the students look so happy and classroom situation is managed well. finally, i ask the students to retell the story orally and write it on their handbook. as shown on the excerpt, it is essential to use student-centered learning in the classroom. especially when using cartoon created by toondoo, student-centered learning becomes asri siti fatimah, santiana, & yuyus saputra digital comic: an innovation of using toondoo as media technology for teaching english short story 106 effective since the students are encouraged to be the main characters of the classroom tasks. by providing situation in which the students express their ideas about the picture, toondoo helps teacher to engage the students behaviorally. as it is seen on the excerpt that almost all of the students give their argument about the story. these visual images provide textual information adding attractiveness on the atmosphere of the classroom. wright in lavalle and briesmaster (2017) asserts that using pictures encourages students to use their imaginations. thus, their ideas will be expressed easily. exploring illustration to create better learning the use of toondoo for teaching english short story is appropriate since it facilitates teacher to easily create cartoon without having skill of drawing. toondoo consists of several features, such as background, characters, props and emotions which can be chosen effortlessly. when my lecturer firstly introduces toondoo as one of technological tool for teaching, i am so interested. i like cartoon and in my opinion, it will be interesting for me to teach using this media. i am so excited to create cartoon by using toondoo. i do not need to draw pictures for creating this cartoon. i only need to choose the background and characters on this application. when my lecturer shows me the way to create cartoon by using toondoo, i feel happy because it is very easy and simple. i hope that i can create interesting cartoon by using this application and use it for teaching in the future. as it is shown in the excerpt, the pre-service teacher feels excited to use this tool for teaching. this kind of application allows her to easily create the appealing instructional media for teaching. bustamante, hurlbut and moeller (2012) argue, “toondoo proved be a valuable feature of the technology as students who are not so good at drawing their ideas with paper and pen, because they feel more comfortable creating their comic using characters from the online library located in toondoo”. however, this tool forces her to be creative on creating the story. this application consists of several features which allow the participant to freely create her own story. to create cartoon using toondoo, my obstacle is only about the story that i made. i am a perfectionist person. so that i want to create a very good story. i change the story several times because i feel not satisfied with the story. i am sometimes difficult to put my story on my cartoon because there are no character’s activities that i want. therefore, i am perforce to change the story which is suitable with the characters and its activities provided on toondoo. this situation forces the participant to reflect and learn how to use this tool in order to provide a good story for the students. ramos in tahsaldar and semaan (2018) highlights the importance of planning properly when using toondoo comic so that students can achieve better results in learning. for more details, he added that the outline of the balloon indicates the intonation of the voice and the shape of letters indicate feelings or actions, while a larger letter indicates a screaming character and the shaky handwriting resemble a scared character and so on. as the pre-service teacher who has less experience in teaching, the participant frequently feels anxious before coming to the class. she usually feels afraid of making mistake in teaching and cannot manage the classroom well. however, this tool helps her to be confident because it is new for the students so that it can increase their’ curiosity. this web 2.0 technology allows the participant to be creative producer providing a chance to explore illustrations to create a good instructional media. by using tool, the students can also learn language well by integrating new ways of communication and expression. ramos in tahsaldar and semaan (2018) explains that, if used properly and planned, the comic “can achieve concrete results in learning, such as instigating the debate and reflection on a particular theme” creating appealing classroom atmosphere creating a good classroom atmosphere becomes essential since it has a big effect on the students’ behavior and motivation to learn. in this situation, teacher is encouraged to usually provide innovative strategy and tool which can make appealing classroom situation. especially in the process of teaching short story using toondoo, teacher can provide unique pictures which can give different flow of the story increasing the students’ curiosity and engagement in learning. teaching using picture especially cartoon is usually interesting. especially when i provide story that i create by myself, the students feel english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 107 curious. it will be different if i give the famous story, such as fable story, legend or fairy tale that are familiar for the students. they will easily know the story and will not be interested with the material that i give. as it is shown in the previous excerpt, toondoo can help pre-service teacher to create new story based on her imagination. by using the media, students’ emotions are easily provoked because of the flow of the story. crumbley and smith in saka (2014) state that short stories connect education with entertainment in order to make learning easier and interesting. it provokes emotions, informs how people can behave and teaches something about human psychology. furthermore, it cannot be denied that the use of pictures created by toondoo is really appealing. there were so many researches previously investigated the use of picture on teaching english and findings are frequently similar that it usually motivates the students and create a good classroom atmosphere (wright in lavalle & briesmaster, 2017; mokarrama, 2017). especially in the use of toondoo, sequence of pictures can add attractiveness to the classroom’s atmosphere since it provides learning in a fun situation. gonzalez (2016) argues that the elaboration of the comic in toondoo was something very motivating for the students as far as learning, not as significant to use it in their free time but indeed to recommend it to other students and professors as well as to use it for other subjects; also to use it as a technological tool and learn through a more fun way. ....this tool can help me to create a good classroom atmosphere... additionally, it has been found from the reflective journal that the classroom atmosphere is appealing since the students are engaged and active in the class. the use of toondoo which is new and innovative influences the students’ curiosity and it develops interaction and communication in the classroom. ramos in tahsaldar and semaan (2018) also added that toondoo comic can be used for several education purposes, such as producing knowledge, enhancing creative writing skills, developing foreign language skills, motivating students to participate, and making classes more attractive. conclusion toondoo as one of the applications to create cartoon is very beneficial helping teachers to provide different platform and appealing media in teaching english short story. as the newest technology provided on the internet, teacher can easily create cartoon using toondoo by only choosing background, characters and clipart provided on application. however, different with the use of picture on the book or internet, this tool encourages the teachers to be creative creating the content of the story in which the students will not be familiar with the plot of the cartoon. a student-teacher, the participant of the study, argues that this tool is really appropriate to be used for teaching english short story. to use it for teaching, bubbles on the pictures are empty in order to stimulate the students to speak by guessing the expressions which is probably given by the characters. here, the students look so enthusiastic to give their arguments about the characters’ words and also the story from the cartoon. the findings prove that literature can also be used to facilitate the students enhancing their language skill. furthermore, the classroom situation is also interesting in which the students are engaged with the activities given by the teacher. on the other hand, teacher’s professional development is also promoted in this study. it is proven form the way the teacher learns to avoid his teaching anxiety and improve creativity on creating digital comic. by using this app for teaching, she is encouraged to provide innovation in her teaching performance to create better students’ language competence and ground breaking classroom situation. references braun, v., clarke, v., & rance, n. (2014). how to use thematic analysis with interview data (process research). in a. vossler & n. moller (eds.), the counselling & psychotherapy research handbook. london: sage. bustamante, c. hurlbut, s. & moeller, a. (2012). web 2.0 and language learners: moving from consumers to creators. university of nebraskalincoln. retrieved march 14, 2018, from http://www.csctfl.org/documents/2012report.pd f#page=125. conard, s. (2016). lively letters and the graphic narrative: revisiting comics theory on word and image through the lens of two avant-garde children’s books. image & narrative, 17(2). fatimah, a. s., & santiana, s. (2017). teaching in 21st century: students-teachers’ perceptions of technology use in the classroom. script journal, 2(2), 125-135. http://www.csctfl.org/documents asri siti fatimah, santiana, & yuyus saputra digital comic: an innovation of using toondoo as media technology for teaching english short story 108 gonzalez, a. m. v. (2016). comic in toondoo and collaborative learning: a visual literacy resource to evidence vocabulary learning with emphasis in action verbs in an efl group of seventh graders in a cajicà school. unpublished thesis. universidad santo tomás. khatib, m., & nasrollahi. (2012). enhancing reading comprehension through short stories in iranian efl learners. theory and practice in language studies, 2(2), 240-246. doi:10.4304/tpls.2.2.240246. khatib, m., & seyyed, h. s. (2013). short story based language teaching (ssblt): a literaturebased language teaching method. international journal of basic sciences & applied research, 2(2), 155-159 kirchoff, & cook. (2015). overviewing software applications for graphic novel creation in the post-secondary and secondary classroom. sane journal: sequential art narrative in education, 2. lavalle, p. i., & briesmaster, m. (2017). the study of the use of picture descriptions in enhancing communication skills among the 8th-grade students—learners of english as a foreign language. inquiry in education, 9(1). lewis, a. v. (2013). reflective practice: what is it and how do i do it? journal of clinical practice in speech-language pathology, 15(2), 70-74. saka, ö. (2014). short stories in english language teaching. international online journal of education and teaching (iojet),1(4), 278-288. tahsaldar, & semaan. (2018). the impact of toondoo comics on undergraduate students taking creative writing and children literature courses at the lebanese university faculty of pedagogy. international journal of humanities social sciences and education (ijhsse),5(8), 203-226. doi: 10.20431/2349-0381.05080019. widodo, h. p., & ferdiansyah, s. (2018). engaging student-teachers in video-mediated selfreflection in teaching. in k. j. kennedy & j. ck. lee (eds), the routledge handbook of schools and schooling in asia. london: routledge. wilujeng, & lan. (2015). online comic in mandarin chinese’s vocabulary learning: a case study of budi utama multilingual school in yogyakarta, indonesia. the iafor journal of education, iii(ii). yunus, et al. (2012). effects of using digital comics to improve esl writing. research journal of applied sciences, engineering and technology 4(18), 3462-3469. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee writing about what we see: ekphrasis today josie arnold department of media and communication swinburne university of technology, australia email: jarnold@swin.edu.au apa citation: arnold, j. (2016). writing about what we see: ekphrasis today. english review: journal of english education, 5(1), 1-10 received: 13-10-2016 accepted: 18-11-2016 published: 01-12-2016 abstract: visual media presents us with an opportunity to enter into the written scholarly discussions about an understanding of the paradox that what is seen and what is written are different representation. in this paper i investigate the importance of audience today; i discuss how global communications via new media challenges traditional views of the concept of an audience. i look at how communication is now from one to many, from many to many and from one to one, and how this challenges the term ‘audience’ with ‘users’. this paper enters into the scholarly debate about how interactivity in new media places singular interpretive actions by individuals at its center rather than as the more traditionally peripheral audience. in doing so it suggests that existing audience theory can and should be extended in regard to new media audiences, players or users. this paper also discusses how audience theory remains apposite when it adapts and changes. keywords: visual media, audience, new media, audience theory. introduction today we live in a very visual world. we are surrounded by signs from billboards to television, from cinema to gaming, from art to graffiti, from ebooks to interactive multimedia and from still photography to 3 dimensional experiential photography. one thing, however, that all media have in common is that they are all written about as we use ekphrasis: language at the service of vision. yet such words cannot bring the actual visual before us: ‘words can “cite” but never “sight” their objects’ (mitchell 1994:3). it is not to be thought that the art/visual talks for itself in words rather than images, but rather that the person viewing the art/visual describes it in a different but complementary medium. this could best be described as ‘the discourse of viewing’ (goldhill 2007:2), that may also be called ekphrasis. in critiquing and analysing the seen, we question the visual representation and enter in this paper into scholarly discussion about the seen and/or about describing the seen in words. human interaction is the basis of all communications, and discourse is central to this. from earliest times, such discourse was essentially person to person: as well as talk, there was dance, body decoration, song, cave, sand and ash paintings, live entertainment oral histories, lores, laws and legends, and ceremonies. speech and interactions were the main factors in communication and obviously this meant that the tyranny of distance held sway. once this distance was overcome by print communications, time and space began the long period of shrinkage which has resulted in the communications age and the dominant electronic culture. 1 josie arnold writing about what we see: ekphrasis today ekphrasis: writing about what we see cultural narratives define both our lives and ourselves argues robyn fivush (2010); and this is also true of visual cultural narratives. visual texts arise from and reside in networks of meanings that are culturally learned. they are thus inevitably involved in the power relations that surround both the commercial production and the personal consumption of images. visual narratives are involved in the representation of culture as are the words that describe them. originally, ekphrasis had a singular meaning about witty poetic representations of the visual that is best described as the language we use to describe the seen (goldhill 2007). it is now more broadly how the image relates to what is written about it, and vice versa (francis 2009). so today it is used more broadly to describe how we write about what we see and how we place what we see into words so as to make a further narrative of meaning. we write about what we see for many reasons, but perhaps the dominant reason is that print is a powerful and far-reaching tool that is readily available both on paper and online. whilst it may well be argued that ekphrasis is based upon the illusion that we can depict the seen in text, it remains the most dominant way of communicating visual experiences away from their presence. it is ‘as much a venture into descriptive narrative as into description per se’ (elsner 2002: intro). such ekphrasis provides us with creating a sense of wonder about a given visual and bringing the seen to the imaginations of others to whom it is not necessarily available. it provides tools for the dissemination of critical analyses of a visual work or experience as well as conveys and shares the immediacy of the visual being experienced and the emotive responses called upon to the visual experience. such critical analyses inevitably involve an understanding of the pleasure of reading both the written and seen texts, an understanding that writing about the seen is always a personal act of translation. in interpreting and critiquing visual texts, we build a bridge between the seen and the imagined as evoked through words, we analyse a visual world dominated by the seen so as to understand the gap between the seen and the described. thus: ‘the reality referred to and promised by but never accessible in itself through ekphrasis may be said to stand (depending on the interests of the listener or reader) for a reality beyond the social and material world of our actual lives’ (bartch & elsner 2007:vi). nowhere could this be more true than in new media interactive visual texts. discourse through written communications as societies became more complex, written communications began to occur, so that the need for face to face discourse was less important. such interactions emphasised the inwardness of authorisation and control of communication as storage: the closed book is a good metaphor for this, as are the chained libraries and bibles held by church authorities. the utilisation of moveable type for multiple printings moved western culture into the orderly, the sortive, the taxanomic which has led to industrialisation and cultural dominance through colonisation. rather than doing or displaying things, we began to write about them. we have moved on to represent our experienced world through photographs, drawings, artistic 2 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee endeavours, t.v., the cinema and utilising interactive multimedia. of course, we also write on, about and alongside those representations. since the late 19th century, the camera and movie camera have introduced into our lives new ways of seeing the world and extended ways of living our own lives through mediated experiences. with the introduction of ‘talkies’ in the 1930’s, of television in the 1960’s, and of computers in the 1990’s, words related to visuals have become every-day. this has been emphasised in the 21st century by the increase in digital visualised communications (hobbs 2004; cho et al 2009), particularly interactive visual experiences. writing what we see why do we choose to write about visual experiences, and how do we write about what we see? the visual world surrounds us in both formal representations such as architecture, art and interactive multimedia, and in nature itself including people, animals and the environment generally. there are clearly many ways that we can write about what we see as we move through our built and natural environments ( buell 2009; elsner. 2010). in writing about what we see on/in multimedia and its elements, we can ask and seek to answer questions about interactivity, virtuality, three dimensionality and immediacy, and how they provide challenging components to critique or describe (harrow 2010). modern eurowestern multimedia means that there is a generational change from print to becoming also very highly visually literate. today, modern media and multimedia act to extend our life experiences, enabling us to participate in something bigger than ourselves alone as individuals. indeed, we lead multiple virtual or possible lives through the mediated experience rather than the firsthand one. this emphasises further the more traditional sense of being lost in a book. we have become familiar with watching a movie on tv or online, and this experience is different from suspending disbelief in the dream experience of the cinema, where you share your inner imaginative life with strangers in an external environment. in cinematic movies, visual action reveals character, but the cinematic action itself and the act of being in a darkened theatre with strangers sharing a dream experience reveals as our own and others’ thoughts, feelings, plans and so on through the plotline and the characters’ personalities. today we have moved on to digitised new media and we see that computers, e-watches and mobile phones are pervasive; alongside their powerful influence is that of gaming. are mobile phones and games ‘amusing ourselves to death’ as the american critic neil postman asserts? certainly they provide another form of the ‘culture industry’ that seeks only to make money while pretending to extend our worlds. multimedia devices provide entertainment through interactivity within virtual realities, but do they stifle interactivity with people? postings such as facebook spaces offer global relationships as well as local social units or urban tribes; we are bombarded with information related to news from citizen journalists as well as traditional ones, and there are multiple platforms for work information. how do we write about the visuals that occur online? gaming in gaming, the goal is to capture a huge global audience of the young street-smart and cool market for online 3 josie arnold writing about what we see: ekphrasis today games playing. at the same time, the new wireless technologies make mobile consoles able to be accessed without any national legal control much less parental control. the borderless world of the internet makes virtual gaming communities unreachable as far as regulations are concerned. in 2003, according to douglas lowenstein president of the american interactive digital software association, the average age of a computer gamer was 29 years with the most passionate being in their early 20’s and male; 17% were over 50 years of age and women of over 18 years made up 26% of the gamers. many new games aren’t about violent power (now about 15%), but about social dynamics, with the player acting in a ‘god-like’ manner. today, there is also more co-operative play, in games that are massively multiple player role playing games such as ‘every quest’. they are aimed at both male and female gamers. games where societies, cultures and people are constructed are called ‘god-games’. they act to build and construct through endless possible permutations that permit multiple combinations. such games are based on strategic thinking and planning, involve creative input and laterality as they invent open-ended universes that aren’t constrained by narrow rules or actual realities (heffernan 2004. pop 2010). interactivity for rob cover (2004) ‘achieves a new stage in the democratisation of user participation with the electronic game’. it signals, he states, a need for scholars to form new theories about textuality and discourse as ‘the author-creator function and the audience-user or recipient, can be said to be engaged in a struggle for control over the text in terms of participation, cocreation, transformation and distribution’ (n.p). it is, then, a concern of controlling the narrative in a nonlinear text that is not presented to the user as finished but that invites multiple possibilities of immersive interactive play. indeed, cover describes this as ‘the author-audience struggle’, and agrees that it is not new to scholarship. print: a powerful communication tool visual representations speak for themselves: we are very familiar with the saying that one picture is worth a thousand words. we do not have to follow an imperative of redescribing the seen in words. at the same time, there is a strong relationship between visual and verbal representations (hollingworth 2005). for example, millions of words and many books are written about art. artists themselves long to understand their work through verbal descriptions as well as the intrinsic visual representations themselves. vincent van gogh provides strong insights into this in his letters to his brother about his art works: ‘at present i absolutely want to paint a starry sky. it often seems to me that night is still more richly coloured than the day; having hues of the most intense violets, blues and greens. if only you pay attention to it you will see that certain stars are lemon-yellow, others pink or a green, blue and forget-me-not brilliance. and without my expatiating on this theme it is obvious that putting little white dots on the blue-black is not enough to paint a starry sky’ we write about what we see because print remains the dominant communication tool even on the internet (kavoori & chadha 2009). print has had a very real influence on the cultural mindset not only of europeans but on the ways in which post-industrial capitalism has developed into the 4 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee dominant (almost sole?) cultural model up to today (hollingworth 2005). print made discourse very inward and subject to an authority. the individual can use the book or online information in print anywhere and at any time within reason to be instructed, to gain information, to have knowledge and opinion delivered to the reader. the poet gerard manley hopkins is also engaged in describing the visual in his written works: ‘drops of rain hanging on rails etc. seen with only the lower light rim like nails (of fingers). screws of brooks and twines. soft chalky look with more shadowy middles of globes of cloud on a night with a moon faint or concealed. mealy clouds with a not brilliant moon. blunt buds of the ash. pencil buds of the beech. lobes of the trees. cups of the eyes, gathering back the lightly hinged eyelids. pencil of eyelashes. juices of the eyeball. eyelids like leaves, petals, caps, tufted hats, handkerchiefs, sleeve’s, gloves. also the bones sleeved in flesh. juices of the sunrise. joins and veins of the same. vermilion look of the hand held against a candle with the darker parts as the middles of the fingers and especially knuckles covered with ash’ (gerard manley hopkins the penguin poets) visual experiences the pictorial represents a voyage of the imagination as we enter into the representation seeing it not as canvas or an epad but as an experience in which we are involved: ‘we do not see paintings, as much as we see according to them’ (mcgilchrist 2001: 183). visual experiences lead us beyond the media in which they exist to the world that they picture. the human imagination can also evoke a pictorial element through verbal description. as ian mcgilchrist says in his discussion of the role of the relationship of the hemispheres of the brain: language is ‘a living something that allows us to move through it and beyond…’ the visual, then, can be presented within the verbal albeit through 2 different codes of knowing. simon goldhill calls this ‘the language of sight’ (2007:6). for gregory ulmer (1985) new technologies provide a new form of textual discourse that he calls electracy because it is as important and powerful as literacy and numeracy. words and visuals contentiously, art history is described by jas elsner as ekphrasis because it ‘…represents the tendentious application of rhetorical description to the work of art (or to several works or even whole categories of art) for the purpose of making an argument of some kind to suit the author’s prior intent’ (2010:11). for him ‘the description of objects’ acts to ‘conspire to translate the visual and sensual nature of a work of art into a linguistic formulation capable of being voiced in a discursive argument’ (12). thus, writing about what we see can be called ‘a descriptive fiction’ that makes a visual object falsified: …the conceptual apparatus into which the object has been rendered, and its transformation from a thing that signifies by volume, shape, visual resonance, texture into one that speaks within the structures of grammar, language, verbal semiotics (call it what you will) and can be appropriated to numerous kinds are quite simply vast. in fact, they are so vast that the truly responsible viewer might balk at the prospect of so falsifying the object by the act of its verbal rendition’ (12). we can take issue with elsner’s argument is that the attempt to describe 5 josie arnold writing about what we see: ekphrasis today in words what is represented visually is ‘inevitably a betrayal’, for verbal descriptions of the visual are able to be seen as complementary rather than as betraying the artistic realisation of one through utilising the other. is there a false dichotomy here? clearly the seen differs from what is written about seeing it, but the intentions of each action are intentions of definition, of understanding. the earliest representations of language are still recorded in the ancient cave drawings across the world. elements of dance and song, of ritual performances and beliefs, are also forms of discourse. dramatic representations of reality meant that the religious plays and liturgies, sermons and publications were a very important ‘mediated experience’. they took the congregation from their everyday life and enabled them to experience other ‘higher’ ideas and ideals. mediated experiences in the dominant western culture in which we live, and which is growing globally, it was the invention of moveable type that began the ‘mediated experiences’ we have come to enjoy through print. of course, it was first envisaged by the inventor that moveable type would spread christianity by enabling everyone to own a bible. less religious people soon saw its market opportunities in printing cheap newspapers. these often contained serial stories that were later sold as books. cheap books containing biographies, stories about the european ‘discoveries’ of the colonies, and expositions about proper social behaviour were also printed in large numbers. it is easy to see why so many pamphlets and books were published about, for example, captain cook’s voyages. the imaginary ‘mediated experience’ of circumnavigating the world and building the empire was something few people could do in reality. the publication to a broad audience of creative writing such as short stories and novels is relatively recent. there was an upsurge in such publishing in the nineteenth century. this has been slightly diminished since the spread of cinema, t.v. and computers as modes of delivering ‘mediated experience’ quickly, easily, cheaply and in an entertaining fashion. reading about what is visual provides us with multiple lives and experiences that would otherwise be inaccessible. the book the book is an outstanding technology. it’s compact, being able in many cases to be fitted in the pocket or held quite comfortably in the hand. it can be stored: the thin spine gives it an easy access as well as a small amount of storage. it contains a great deal of information in a small space: the typography ensures its readability; there are references and cross-references, bibliographies and blurbs; pictures, graphs and diagrammatic representations. the reader can enter and exit at will and make connections within the book and between books which are quite individual. the book is information waiting to be turned into knowledge by the reader. this has been made even more explicit by the ebook. in the late 20th century, discussions about the book by such thinkers as roland barthes, jacques derrida, luce irigary, helene cixous,and, have led us to question the nature of meaning and discourse. roland barthes, for example, sees the book as: …not a line of words releasing a single ‘theological’ meaning (the message of the 6 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee author-god’ but a multi-dimensional space in which a variety of writing, none of them original, blend and clash. the text is a tissue of quotations drawn from the innumerable centres of culture (barthes, 1977: 142-143). helene cixous says of the writing of prose, of very words themselves, that they are reliable only in so far s they support a certain cultural power structure related to(by) the masculinist hegemony: ‘what would become of logocentrism, of the great philosophical systems of world order in general if the rock upon which they founded their churches were to crumble? if it were to come out in a new day that the logocentric project had always been, undeniably, to found (fund) phallogocentrism, to insure for masculine order a rationale equal to history itself? then all the stories would be told differently, the future would be incalculable, the historical forces would, will, change hands, bodies, another thinking, as yet not thinkable, will transform the functioning of all society (cixous, 1988:361). jacques derrida, too, asks that we question the hitherto culturally unquestionable power of textuality and discourse, and most especially the empowerment of the authoritative text over the reader’s writing of it: ‘i will not work very hard to compose the thing, it is a rough draft of confused tracks which i leave in their hands. certain ones will put it into their mouths, to identify the taste, sometimes to spit it out with a grimace, or to gnaw at it, or to swallow it in order to conceive, even, i mean, a child (derrida, in ulmer 1985:ix). thinking such as this has paved the way for both print and electronic textuality to be intellectually understood. these theorists have shown the difference between the word (sign) and its meaning (signification). in doing so there has been a problematising of the very nature of authority itself. discourse is shown to be evanescent rather than definitive, authority is shown to reside in the reader rather than the author. barthes’s famous essay ‘the death of the author’ tells us that in all forms of discourse the author as god is dead. the power of print we write about what we see because print is still the most powerful of communication tools. print has had a very real influence on the cultural mindset not only of europeans but on the ways in which post-industrial capitalism has developed into the dominant (almost sole?) cultural model of the late 20th century. print made discourse very inward and subject to an authority. the individual can use the book anywhere and at anytime within reason to be instructed, to gain information, to have knowledge and opinion delivered to the reader. it also made it extremely commercial: industries of printing, publishing, selling, creating, education and information grew. so discourse was no longer public, first-hand, open and personal conversation or the consultation of chained books in public places like churches. after the sixteenth century, it was seen as extremely one-sided: the author informed the reader. the utilisation of print to describe the visual is an act of translating one medium into another. verbal descriptions of the visual are an act of interpretation by the writer of what has been viewed. elsner describes this act of 7 josie arnold writing about what we see: ekphrasis today interpretation and translation as based on an assumption that verbal text can represent the visual. for him, ekphrasis is ‘an act of betrayal’ (2007:13), an ‘appropriation of the object for ends that suit the interests of the interpreter…’(22). the story of the visual told through other media, however, can be seen otherwise, for any mediated representations are appropriations and translations whether in art, mass media or virtual reality. indeed the very term ‘virtual reality’ displays how the act of seeing and doing is able to be made through multimedia translations. new media new media opens up opportunities for new scholarly research into media relationships that are of digital non-linear and interactive form. user participation is increasing its extent into everyday activities such as, for example, driving a car; finding one’s way; playing interactive 3d games and discoursing with friends locally and globally. clearly, the relationship between authorship and audience is significantly different when the user participates in the activity in ways that were denied by previous technologies. the user enters into and can transform the interactive text. this new form of personalised authorial discourse inevitably involves social change. as users we are involved in what sonia livingstone calls ‘the wider ecology of communication’ (2015:np). she sees this as involving us in a move beyond the yardstick of face-toface communication to the adoption of ‘a multi-and trans-cultural gaze’ that understand the audience complexity without polarizing past communication techniques and ‘today’s more dispersed, participatory, globalized, peer-to-peer social media. she asserts that this is necessary as ‘polarizations of the “then” and “now” kind, especially those that bracket history as “how things were before now” rarely enrich our understanding of social change’. audience & audience theory in considering the new media interactive role of the audience, we can see how theoretical prisms can alter and change, and do not need to be defended as static. this period of new media development of 3d interactivity has led to the ‘end of the receiving end of a media system that ran one way, in a broadcasting pattern, with high entry fees and a few firms competing to speak very loudly while the rest of the population listened in isolation from one another’ (carpentier 2011:520). the current ideal audience today the imagined audience, the ideal audience brings us to a new mental construction of an interactive audience. that brings about an apparently paradoxical situation of audience autonomy. this means that the audience participates in the mediated experience rather than being given information. new media, then, has changed traditional views of audience and hence has added dynamic new possibilities for audience theory. it has moved from a realisation of the passive audience in the sender-messengerreceiver model, where the audience is the final point of the message to an introduction of the active audience that participates in the online media production interacting with the media content. this offers audience theory a number of new ways in which to develop understanding of methodological perspectives that develop as global communications offer 8 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee new ways to interact with creativity. this is particularly evident in the field of journalism as well as media research. mass communication is shown as very personal, subjective and singular in many digital interactions. the new media user has different work to do as an interactive audience. conclusion theoretical perspectives provide us with scholarly critical tools that enable knowledge to be taken forward as well as to be built. bryan turner (2010) says that ‘social theory provides the necessary analytical and philosophical framework which the social sciences can develop. social theory both sustains the achievements of the past, notes needs and limitations of the present, and points the way to future research issues and questions’ (1). cultural theories such as audience theory offer us prisms that enable us to magnify our societal and cultural practices, views and metanarratives. these are too often taken for granted even in our scholarly analytical work. by identifying their existence, we can begin to understand how they are constructed and empowered. we can ask about these cultural metanarratives why are they seen as ‘normal; what group benefits from such ‘norms’ and what group is locked out through the unscrutinised application of such ‘norms’? identify through such theoretical prisms as audience theory the ways that cultural metanarratives contribute to the welfare of certain groups or even individuals in our society also involves us in identifying their the negative correlative. that is, in bringing into focus the ways that they act against other groups or individuals or groups. these cultural givens, when read against, provide the focal point that highlights the cultural metanarratives that enable dominant social practices and expectations: they inevitably influence scholarship. reading against these ‘givens’ benefits scholarship by highlighting the ways in which societies operate. new media offers challenges and opportunities to writing about what we see (harrow 2010; cunningham 2007). visual media, then, not only presents us with an opportunity to enter into the written scholarly discussions about an understanding of the paradox that what is seen and what is written are different representation. it also emphasizes the importance of audience today when global new media challenges traditional views of the concept of an audience. references bartch, s. & elsner, j. (2007). introduction: eight ways of looking at an ekphrasis (eds). classical philology, 102(1), pp. i-vi. barthes, r. (1977). image, music, text. london: fontana. buell, l. (2009). writing for an endangered world: literature, culture, and environment in the us and beyond. harvard: harvard university press. carpentier, n. (2011). contextualizing author-audience convergences. cultural studies, 25(4-5), pp. 517-533. cho, c.h., phillips, j.r., hageman, a.m., & patten, d.m. (2009). media richness, user trust, and perceptions of corporate social responsibility: an experimental investigation of visual web site disclosures. accounting, auditing, & accountability journal, 22(6), pp. 933-952. cixous, h. (1988). readings from the seminar of helene cixous. writing differences (ed.). milton keynes: open university press. cover, r. (2004). new media theory: electronic games, democracy and 9 josie arnold writing about what we see: ekphrasis today reconfiguring the author–audience relationship. social semiotics, 14(2), pp. 173-191. cunningham, v. (2007). why ekphrasis? classical philology, 102(1), pp. 57-67. elsner, j. (2002). introduction: the genres of ekphrasis. ramus, 31(1-2), pp. 1-18. elsner, j. (2010). art history as ekphrasis. art history, pp. 10-27. fivush, r. (2010). speaking silence: the social construction of silence in autobiographical and cultural narratives. memory, 18(2), pp. 88-98. francis, j.a. (2009). metal maidens, achilles' shield, and pandora: the beginnings of ekphrasis. american journal of philology, 130(1), pp. 1-23. goldhill, s. (2007). what is ekphrasis for? classical philology, 102(1), pp. 1-19. harrow, s. (2010). new ekphrastic poetics. french studies, 64(3), pp. 255-264. heffernan, j. a. (2004). museum of words: the poetics of ekphrasis from homer to ashbery. chicago: university of chicago press. hobbs, r. (2004). a review of school-based initiatives in media literacy education. american behavioral scientist, 48(1), pp. 42-59. hollingworth, a. (2005). the relationship between online visual representation of a scene and long-term scene memory. journal of experimental psychology: learning, memory, and cognition, 31(3), p. 396. kavoori, a., & chadha, k. (2009). the cultural turn in international communication. journal of broadcasting & electronic media, 53(2), pp. 336-346. mcgilchrist, i. (2001). the master and his emissary. yale university press. mitchell, w. (1994). ekphrasis and the other: picture theory. chicago: university of chicago press. livingstone, s. (2015). from mass to social media? advancing accounts of social change. social media + society, pp. 13. lowenstein, d. (2003). the sydney morning herald. may 22 news review p. 2. pauly, n. (2003). interpreting visual culture as cultural narratives in teacher education. studies in art education, 44(3), pp. 264-284. pop, d. (2010). introduction: representation and its relationships to reality and illusion. ekphrasis, (1), pp. 5-8. postman, n. (2005). amusing ourselves to death: public discourse in the age of show business. new york city: penguin books. turner, b.s. (2010). the new blackwell companion to the sociology of religion (ed.). new york: john wiley & sons. ulmer, g. (1985). applied grammatology. baltimore: john hopkins press. 10 a struggle for love of bella swan reflected in new moon movie: an individual psychological approach english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee a struggle for love of bella swan reflected in newmoonmovie: an individual psychological approach ayu riska lestari sdn ii cimangu kuningan, indonesia aiiu.rile@gmail.com apa citation: lestari, a. r. (2012). a struggle for love of bella swan reflected in new moon movie: an individual psychological approach. english review: journal of english education, 1(1), 47-56 received: 03-09-2012 accepted: 03-10-2012 published: 01-12-2012 abstract: this paper described the struggle for love of bella swan reflected in new moon movie by using alfred adler’s individual psychology and analyzed the plot of the movie. it used qualitative research method and the object of this study was a major character named bella swan. primary data sources were the new moon movie directed by christopher weitz and the script of the movie, while secondary data sources were collected from many sources such as dictionary, articles from internet, and books related to this study. methods of data collecting were observation and library research. the method of data analysis was descriptive analysis. based on the analysis, it reflected the condition of a person who had a goal and struggle to get it. it concluded that bella had high struggles to reach her goals. the plot of new moon movie is complicated and stimulating, therefore it made the story was not flat and boring. by analyzing the plot, the viewers could easily understand the story and the message of the movie and catch up the moral lesson of it. keywords: bella swan, new moon, alfred adler’s individual psychology, plot, struggle for love. introduction love is a part of life. we can not live without it. because of love, we can do everything. it makes people do everything to get their love. love is something we have to fight for. when we experience deeply love, we will struggle to reach it. it is very ironical if there is someone who loves you but he or she does not fight for getting your love. therefore, love needs struggles and sacrifices. for example, a mother struggles between life and death to give birth her children. a father seeks a living for his wife and his children. even, when people love someone, they are willing to sacrifice their life for the sake of someone they love. those are a struggle for love. love is a struggle as described in new moon movie which tells about a struggle for love of bella swan to maintain her love. new moon movie is the continuation of twilight movie. this paper analyzed the new moon movie directed by christopherweitz because of three reasons. the first is it shows unusual story. although this movie is about vampire, it is not horrormovie. it is about a teenage romancemoviewhich includes elements of vampire mythology and elements of romance. the second is the characters of new moon movie. the characters of this movie are awesome. kristen stewart as bella swan and robert pattinson as edward cullen can play role as a couple of lover well, so they canmake the ayu riska lestari a struggle for love of bella swan reflected in new moon movie: an individual psychological approach characters alive. the third is a struggle for love of bella swan. bella’s love to edward is so deeply, so shewill do everything to maintain her love, even she is willing to sacrifice her life to be a vampire like edward. this paper analyzed the movie by using individual psychological approach. it explored a theory which related to problem in the movie, which was a struggle for love of bella swan. in analyzing a struggle for love of bella swan, it used individual psychology theory proposed by alfred adler. the use of alfred adler’s theory since it reflects the condition of a personwho has a goal and struggles to get it. individual psychology is “adler’s theory of personality that emphasizes the uniqueness of each individual and the processes by which people overcome their limitations and struggle to reach their life goals” (adler in hjelle & ziegler, 1992: 183). individual psychology emphasized how people reach goals that influence their behavior to reach the goals (adler in pervin, et al., 2005: 139). in brief, individual psychology is adler‘s theory of personalitywhich explains about human striving (adler in schultz & schultz, 2005: 127). individual psychology can be categorized into six basic concepts: (1) fictional finalism; (2) striving for superiority; (3) inferiority feelings and compensation; (4) social interest; (5) style of life; and (6) the creative self (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 128). fictional finalism is an imagined goal (adler in cloninger, 2004: 109). it is a very real spur to reach the goal of human’s life (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 129). fictions are “ideas that have no real existence, yet they influence people as if they really existed” (adler in feist & feist, 2006: 73). for example, when someone imagines tasting a lemon, he/she tastes the lemon "as if" there was really a lemon to lick (www.durbinhypnosis.com/adler.htm). thus, fictional finalism clarified that what a person wants to achieve in the future which affects present behavior (adler in feist & feist, 2006: 73). adler (1927) concluded that people are motivated by their expectations of the future, not by their experience in the past (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 129). for example, if a person believes that there is heaven for good people and hell for bad people, it will affect how the people live (adler in hall, et al., 1985: 146). striving for superiority is “an innate drive that propels us toward perfection” (adler in phares, 1984: 92). every people havemanyways differently to reach superiority, and human does efforts to compensate his bad or less characteristics in order that he/she reaches the goal (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 130). it means that striving for superiority is to overcome inferiorities that make us do efforts to reach our goals (adler in hall, et al., 1985: 149). by this concept, “adler (1927) does not mean being better than others, but he means continually trying to become something better, to become nearer and nearer to one’s ideal goals” (adler in hall, et al., 1985: 147). inferiority feelings are “the normal condition of all people and the source of all human striving” (adler in schultz & schultz, 2005: 127). by nature, people are prone to develop feelings of inferiority because the human being is born weak and helpless (adler in phares, 1984: 92). therefore, inferiority feelings are feelings appear because psychological and social deficiencies felt subjectively or feelings appear from http://www.durbinhypnosis.com/adler.htm english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee weakness or physical defect (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 131). then, compensation is a motivation to overcome inferiority by strengthening his/her weakness, or by developing other organs or something else instead of his/her weakness (adler in pervin, et al., 2005: 138). for example, demostheness who stuttered as a child, but finally he became one of the world’s greatest orators after practicing continuously (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 131). then, when adler was child, he was a weak and sickly child, it motivates him to defeat death by becoming a doctor (adler in feist & feist, 2006: 74). in addition, a person with a weak body is not necessarily to become a strong athlete but to compensate it may become an intellectual, an artist, an actor, a writer, and so on (adler in feist & feist, 2006: 72). for example, someone with a defect in vision may attempt to develop special listening sensitivities (adler in pervin, et al., 2005: 138). social interest is relationship individual between society which forms individual’s personality to reach the goal (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 132). it means that an individual must interact with the others in society because the society can form individual’s personality and help him toward striving for superiority (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 132). social interest does not appear spontaneously, but it must be guided and practiced (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 132). according to adler (1927) in feist & feist (2006: 75), social interest is “the natural condition of the human species and the adhesive that binds society together”. society is a necessity to human beings for protection and survival (adler in schultz & schultz, 2005: 133). for example, without perfection and nourishment from a father or a mother, a babywould perish (adler in feist & feist, 2006: 75). both father and mother give powerful contribution to the developing social interest of their children (adler in feist & feist, 2006: 76). style of life is formed by the age of four or five years (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 134). style of life can be defined as unique ways of individual to reach the goal (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 132). everyone has different style of life, and it is impossible that there are two people who develop the same style of life (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 132). for example, style of life of an intellectual and an athlete are different (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 133). style of life of an intellectual is reading, studying, and thinking (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 133). his life is more sedentary at home and to stand apart, while style of life of an athlete is practicing andmore active (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 133). a person develops style of life to overcome feelings of inferiority (adler in phares, 1984: 93). for example, if a child has physical weakness, so his style of life will do things to get strong physical such as by liftingweights, whereas style of life of a stupid person will strive to reach intellectual superiority (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 135). then, napoleon’s style of life that was fond of conqueringwas caused by his slight physical stature, andhitler’s rapacious craving that wanted to dominate the worldwas caused by his sexual impotence (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 135). creative power of the self is “the ability to create an appropriate style of life” (adler in schultz & schultz, 2005: 131). creative self gives meaning in human’s life, it creates the goal, and it becomes a tool to reach the goal (adler ayu riska lestari a struggle for love of bella swan reflected in new moon movie: an individual psychological approach in hall, et al., 1998: 135). creative self can be defined as “concept used by adler to reflect his belief that each person is empowered with the freedom to create his or her own personality” (adler in hjelle & ziegler, 1992: 183). in other words, “we are free to choose and create it ourselves” (adler in schultz & schultz, 2005: 132). creative self asserts that “they are responsible for who they are and how they behave” (adler in feist & feist, 2006: 79). moreover, it is interesting that “adler (1927) offered a portrait of humans that was more satisfying, more hopeful, and far more complimentary to humans” (adler in hall, et al., 1998: 136). then, adler (1930) emphasized that “we are in control of our fate, not victims of it” (adler in schultz & schultz 2005: 131). plot is “a structure of events arising out of a conflict” (kennedy, 1991: 7). plot includes all the story events that are directly depicted (bordwell & thompson, 2008: 76). plot has a beginning, a middle, and an end (kennedy, 1991: 6). therefore, plot can be defined as a series of events in a story that incorporate the beginning to the end. there are four parts of plot, namely exposition, complication, climax, and resolution (klarer, 2004: 15). exposition is “the opening portion that sets the scene, introduces themain characters, tells us what happened before the story opened, and provides any other background information that we need in order to understand and care about the events to follow” (kennedy, 1991: 6). it means that exposition is a beginning or an introduction of the story. complication introduces a conflict, and it creates suspense (kennedy, 1991: 7). climax is the turning point of the story (klarer, 2004: 15). in this portion, viewers want to knowwhat happens next. resolution is the outcome or conclusion of the story (kennedy, 1991: 7). it refers to the resolution of the complication or conflict (klarer, 2004: 15). therefore, it gives problem solving of the events in the story. based on the rationale, research questions of this study are as follows: (1) how is a struggle for love of bella swan in new moon movie reflected by using alfred adler’s individual psychology theory?; (2) how is plot constructed in new moon movie? this study is expected to be able to give information and knowledge about alfred adler‘s individual psychology theory described through a character named bella swan in new moon movie. therefore, the readers can know and understand howadler’s theory reflected in themovie. in addition, they can use this study to compare it with another. then, this study is expected to be able to give message to the readers that it is not easy to get whatever we want to. it is needed a struggle to get it because sometimes you have to face great challenges to get happiness. nevertheless, if you do not fight for it, you can lose your happiness. method this study applies descriptive qualitativemethod. descriptive research is a research which is used to describe subject, phenomena, or characteristics about what is being studied (mason& bramble, 1978: 31). it can be used to understand anddescribe human behavior (yin, 2011: 4). then, qualitative research involves defining something to investigate, collecting relevant data, analyzing and interpreting the result, and drawing conclusion (yin, 2011: 49). based on the explanations, descriptive english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee qualitative research is amethod of research involvingmethod of collecting, describing, analyzing, classifying the data and then drawing conclusion. the data can be sentences, pictures and spoken words of observed object. by using the descriptive qualitative research, this research is aimed to describe a struggle of bella swan in new moon movie based on alfred adler’s individual psychology. the object of this study is a major character named bella swan in new moon movie. the data sources of this study can be divided into two categories, namely primary data source and secondary data source. primary data sources are new moon movie directed by christopherweitz and the script of themovie. in addition, secondary data sources are collected frommany sources such as dictionary, articles from internet, and books related to this study. there are two methods of data collecting: observation and library research. observation is a way of collecting data which gets data by way of what you see with your own eyes and perceive with your own senses, not by what others report to you (yin, 2011: 143). it is the researcher gathers data by watching the respondent in a research (fox, 1969: 51). by using method of observation, it enables the researcher to collect direct information about human behavior (borg & gall, 1979: 28). meanwhile, library research is a research which is done to get books related on the research topic by going to a library. library research is used when you need much information to find data needed. the data are collected from the books related to the research topic. there are some steps of library research. first of all, go to the some libraries. next, find out books related on research topic and read the relevant data. then, write and put all the collected data into a document. after that, write down the references. the data both primary data source and secondary data source are collected and recorded in a formof document andpicture as evidence. after the data had been collected, the researcher began to analyze them. the method used to analyze the data is descriptive analysis. by using descriptive analysis, a researcher wants to get better understanding about a research topic. it describes a struggle for love of bella swan in new moon movie by using alfred adler’s individual psychology and analyzes plot of new moon movie. first, the data will be analyzed are collected. second, after the data are collected, it begins to describe a struggle for love of bella swan in new moon movie by using alfred adler’s individual psychology, and it analyzes plot of new moon movie. in analyzing a struggle for love of bella swan and plot of the movie are needed dialogues and pictures of the movie as evidence. third, the data have been analyzed are arranged into each categories and developed into a good unit. finally, the researcher draws conclusion from the data. results anddiscussion based the investigation, it was found that struggles for love of bella swan in new moon movie analyzed by using alfred adler’s individual psychology are as follows: ayu riska lestari a struggle for love of bella swan reflected in new moon movie: an individual psychological approach fictional finalism bella wanted to be immortal. she wanted to live together with edward happily ever after. she wanted to see edward. striving for superiority bella stayed together with edward although he was a vampire. she went to italy and met the volturi to foil edward’s suicide plan. she was willing to sacrifice her soul to save edward. she chose edward rather than jacob although she also loved jacob. inferiority feelings and compensation as a human being, bella was weak and her strength was limited. she couldn’t fend for herself, and she depended on others. first, she was unable to protect herself when the cullens (edward’s vampire family) threw a birthday party for bella at their house. bella got a paper cut while unwrapping a gift from esme and carlisle, and spilt blood. jasper who has not been able to resist his urge to drink human blood lost control and immediately attacked her. she was unable to protect herself, so she was saved by others such as edward, emmett, and carlisle. second, bella was unable to protect herself when she met laurent who attempted to kill her. when he wanted to kill her, she didn’t try to fight him because she realized that she was unable to protect herself without the help of others. in the scene, she was saved by a pack of werewolves. after that, she ran away instead. third, bella was unable to protect herself when she slapped paul’s face who immediately turned into a werewolf and attacked bella. she couldn’t do anything, so instead she ran away from the werewolf, and then jacob who turned into a werewolf saved her. fourth, bella was unable to save herself when she did cliff jumping into the ocean and almost drowned. the wave was so great, and jacob saved her from drowning. she felt that she didn’t suit edward because she felt nothing. she was afraid that she could get older because she was afraid that edward didn’t love her anymore when she looked like a grandmother. she was afraid that she lost edward. social interest bella was close with jacob who was able to make her smile anymore and helped her repair motorcycles which she got from the junkyard. due to jacob, bella found herself capable of smiling again. she kept a secret about who the cullens were true to other people in order that their existences were safe in society and for the sake of her relationship with edward because she didn’t want to separate of him. even, she wanted to become a part of them, namely to be a vampire. she was different with others. she preferred interacting with vampires and werewolves to interacting with humans such as her friends. she wasn’t close with her friends. even, she refrained from all social activities since edward left her, and her friends avoided her because of her strangeness. style of life bella did reckless things such as by jumping on the back of an unknown motorcyclist, riding a motorcycle by herself, and doing cliff jumping. she remained to interact with the cullens although they were vampires. she english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee remained to interact with jacob although he was a werewolf. she didn’t like shopping, and she was not interested in fashion. creative self bella wanted to be a vampire like edward in order that she could be immortal. she put herself in danger to see edward. she looked for the rush of danger because it could take to see edward. that’s why she put herself in danger although it could threaten her soul. the research found that plot is constructed in new moon movie is as follows: exposition exposition is a beginning or an introduction of the story (kennedy, 1991: 6). a beginning of new moon moviewas that bella dreamt an old woman and apparently the old woman was herself. she was shocked that she saw herself as the old woman. after she had woken up, she got a birthday surprise from her father and he gave her gifts. complication complication introduces a conflict, and it creates suspense (kennedy, 1991: 7). the complication occurredwhen the cullens (edward’s vampire family) threw a birthday party for bella at their house, bella got a paper cut while unwrapping one of her gifts, and spilt blood. jasper who still struggled to resist his urge to drink human blood lost control and immediately attacked her. the accident made edward realize that if bella stayed closewith vampires, it was dangerous for her. he thought that shewould be better without him. therefore, he decided to leave her because he didn’t want to put her in danger anymore. he convinced her that he no longer loved her. climax climax is the turning point of the story (klarer, 2004: 15). the climax occurredwhen edward left bella, her whole life turned upside down. she felt her life was over. since edward’s departure, bella’s life became heartbroken and depressed. then, she discovered that when she did reckless things, she could see visions of edward. thus, to see edward, she had to put her in dangerous situations. bella constantly put herself in danger in order that she could see edward. for example, she jumped on the back of an unknown motorcyclist. after that, she tried to ride a motorcycle by herself. finally, she tried to do cliff jumping into the ocean and nearly drowned, but jacob rescued her. due to alice’s futureseeing skills, she saw bella to jump off a cliff into the ocean, and she supposed that bella committed suicide. then, alice met bella, and she was shocked to see bella alive because she supposed that bella has passed away. edward heard the false news of bella’s death, and it made edward want to commit suicide because his existence in the world was not worth anymore if bella passed away. he decided to commit suicide in volterra, italy. then, bella who was accompanied by alice went to italy to save him. finally, edward’s suicide plan was successful to be stopped by bella. when bella, edward and alice met the volturi and aro was about to kill bella, alice stopped it. through alice’s vision of bella’s future, aro who was able to read thoughts through touch saw bella would become ayu riska lestari a struggle for love of bella swan reflected in new moon movie: an individual psychological approach a vampire, and finally the volturi released her. resolution resolution is the outcome or conclusion of the story (kennedy, 1991: 7). in the end of the story, bella and edward were eventually reunited and the cullens returned to forks. edward realized that apparently bella was in more danger without him. he also swore that he would never leave her anymore. then, edward told bella that he agreed to change her into a vampire, but only if shemarried him first. based on the analysis, bella had high striving to reach her goals. struggles for love of bella swan in new moon movie reflected by using alfred adler’s individual psychology are as follows: 1) she was willing to sacrifice her soul for edward. 2) she stayed together with edward although he was a vampire. 3) she wanted to be a vampire in order that she was immortal and always stayed young, so she could live together with edward happily ever after. 4) she constantly put herself in danger to see edward by jumping on the back of an unknown motorcyclist, riding a motorcycle by herself, and doing cliff jumping into the ocean. 5) she went to italy and met the volturi to foil edward’s suicide plan because she couldn’t imagine her existence in the world if edward passed away. 6) she remained to interact with vampires although it could threaten her soul. 7) she kept a secret about who edward and the cullens were true to other people for the sake of her relationship with edward because she didn’t want to separate of him. 8) she chose edward rather than jacob although she also loved jacob. she kept choosing edward although he has ever left her. in addition, dealing with plot analysis, plot of new moon movie was complex and stimulating. it makes the story is not flat and interesting. by analyzing plot, the viewers can easily understand the story and the message of the movie. conclusion this research analyzes a struggle for love of bella swan in new moon movie by using individual psychology proposed by alfred adler. based on the analysis, this research concludes that bella has high striving to reach her goals. in addition, this research shows that there is close relationship between bella swan and alfred adler’s individual psychology, namely they equally describe about human striving to reach their goals. in new moon movie, this research focuses on a struggle for love of bella to reach her goals. this research describes a struggle for love of bella swan in new moon movie based on the six basic concepts of individual psychology. they are fictional finalism, striving for superiority, inferiority feelings and compensation, social interest, style of life, and the creative self. the six elements are interrelated and have important roles. fictional finalism related to goals which bella wants to reach for. she has goal to be together with edward, so she sets her sights to reach her goals. she does striving for superiority by doing everything for edward, even she is willing to sacrifice her soul. nevertheless, english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee she has to control inferiority feelings as a human being such as she can get old, she is weak and her strength is limited. then, she has social interest which is different with others. she is not close with humans such as her friends. she prefers interacting with vampires and werewolves to interacting with humans such as her friends. even, she refrained from all social activities since edward left her. she has unique style of life, that is, she does reckless things which can threaten her soul. her style of life will do things to reach her goals. then, she has creative self to reach her goal. therefore, this study reflects the condition of a personwho has a goal and struggles to get it. in addition, this research analyzes plot of new moon movie. plot of new moon movie is complex and stimulating, so it makes the story is not flat and interesting. by analyzing plot, the viewers can easily understand the story and the message of the movie. therefore, after analyzing this study, it is expected to be able to give moral value that it is not easy to get whatever we want to. it is needed a struggle to get it because sometimes you have to face great challenges to get happiness. if you do not fight for it, you can lose your happiness. references bordwell, d. & kristin t. (2008). film art: an introduction. eighth edition. new york: mcgraw-hill borg & gall. (1979). educational research, third edition. new york: longman cloninger, s. c. (2004). theories of personality: understanding persons, fourth edition. new jersey: pearson education durbin, p. g. tribute to alfred adler. retrieved june 24, 2012 from http://www.durbinhypnosis.com/ adler.htm accessed on april 20, feist, j. & gregory j. f. (2006). theories of personality, sixth edition. new york: the mcgraw-hill companies film definition (2012). retrieved may 27, 2012 from http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/fil m#_ fox, d. j. 1969. the research rrocess in education. new york: holt, rinehart and winston, inc. hall, c. s., gardner l. & john b. c. (1998). theories of personality, fourth edition. canada: john wiley & sons hall, c. s., gardner l., john c. l., martin m. & virginia o. l. (1985). introduction to theories of personality. canada: john wiley & sons hjelle, l. a. & daniel j. z. (1992). personality theories: basic assumptions, research, and applications, third edition. new york: mcgraw-hill kennedy, x. j. (1991). literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, and drama, fifth edition. new york: harpercollins publishers klarer, m. 2004. an introduction to literary studies, second edition. london: routledge mason, e. j. & william j. b. (1978). understanding and conducting research. new york: mcgraw-hill new moon script. (2012). retrieved june 24, 2012 from http://www.script-orama.com/movie_scripts/t/twilight -saga-new-moon-script.html pervin, l. a., daniel c. & oliver p. j. (2005). personality: theory and research, ninth edition. new york: john wiley & sons phares, e. j. (1984). introduction to personality. columbus: bell & howell company schultz, d. p. & sydney e. s. (2005). theories of personality, eighth edition. australia: thomsonwadsworth supriyadi. (2010). struggle for love of bella swan in twilight films: an individual psychological approach. unpublished research paper. surakarta: muhammadiyah university of surakarta http://www.durbinhypnosis.com/adler.htm%20accessed%20on%20april%2020 http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/film http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/t/twilight-saga-new-moon-script.html ayu riska lestari a struggle for love of bella swan reflected in new moon movie: an individual psychological approach wardani, l. h. (2010). a struggle for love of isabella swan in catherine hardwicke’s twilight movie: an individual psychological approach. unpublished research paper. surakarta: muhammadiyah university of surakarta yin, r. k. (2011). qualitative research from start to finish. new york: the guilford press yoga, p. (2011). konseling alderian. retrieved june 24, 2012 from http://konsikum.wordpress.com/20 11/05/01/konseling-alderian/ http://konsikum.wordpress.com/2011/05/01/konseling-alderian/ teachers’ questioning strategies to elicit students’ verbal responses in efl classes at a secondary school sri wuli fitriati universitas negeri semarang e-mail: sriwuli.fitriati@mail.unnes.ac.id gabby allen vica isfara universitas negeri semarang e-mail: gabbyallenvicaisfara@gmail.com novia trisanti universitas negeri semarang e-mail: novia.santi@mail.unnes.ac.id apa citation: fitriati, s. w., isfara, g. a. v., & trisanti, n. (2017). teachers‟ questioning strategies to elicit students‟ verbal responses in efl classes at a secondary school. english review: journal of english education, 5(2), 217-226 received: 19-04-2017 accepted: 23-05-2017 published: 01-06-2017 abstract: this article reports on a study aimed at exploring and examining english language teachers‟ skills in questioning to enhance students‟ verbal repsonses in efl (english as a foreign language) classes. this was a qualitative case study, employing discourse analysis, conducted in one junior high school in a town in central java province, indonesia. the research participants were two indonesian teachers of english language. they taught year eight students in the academic year of 2015/2016. the data were collected from audio-video recordings, transcripts of the lessons, classroom observations notes, and teachers‟ interviews. the transcriptions were analysed by using wu‟s taxonomy of questioning strategies (1993) as it gave a detailed categorization of teachers‟ questions to stimulate students‟ verbal responses. the findings showed that the teachers used mostly four questioning strategies. the first teacher often applied decomposition strategy where the initial question was elaborated into some questions, while the second teacher tended to use repetition strategy. this study has shown that teachers‟ questioning skills is crucial to successfully make students engaged in the classroom interaction, enhance students‟ verbal responses, and lead to the comprehension of the lesson. therefore, it is suggested that teachers should be more aware of their questioning skills to assist students achieve better proficiency in the english language. keywords: teachers’ questioning strategies, students’ verbal responses, efl classes, classroom discourse analysis. introduction the main goal of learning english as a foreign language (efl) is not only gaining good understanding of the language grammar, but also using the language directly to communicate. language learners are considered successful learners when they are able to use it communicatively. the common problem happened in schools in efl context is lack of speaking practices for students. it might be caused by many factors, including that students have not got adequate exposure in english; they are shy to speak; or, teachers lack providing them a chance to speak english. furthermore, some teachers focus more on teaching grammar than leading them to practise the language directly. as a result, many students are only good in the theory of grammar, but they cannot apply it appropriately and fluently in https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v5i2.537 217 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee context. this makes many students are passive in speaking english, even in the english language classes. many researchers have shown that efl teachers‟ questioning highly influence their students‟ speaking ability. teachers play a main role to control and manage the class, especially solving the students‟ passiveness. according to white and lightbown (as cited in toni and parse, 2013), teachers are dominating the class, controlling the topics, speaking turns of the conversation, and giving most of the questions; they provide a lot of questions and help students respond on it as well. teachers totally can control the class in which they find and use some questioning strategies that are appropriately applied on students. they actually have strategies to solve the students‟ speaking problems. in a teaching and learning process, teachers always involve the use of questioning skills for any kinds of teaching goals. teacher‟s questions become the main tool to achieve the teaching and learning purposes (boyd, 2015). to elicit students‟ responses and encourage their participation in class, questions are frequently used by teachers to stimulate them. chaudron (as cited in tan, 2007) urges that teachers‟ questions dominated the class talk for 20%-40%. questions potentially make students engaged to speak because questioning produce oral interaction between teacher and students. when a teacher asks, students who know the answer will try to respond. essberger, rubin and thompson (as cited in haron et al., 2012) state that students can perform and participate in classroom activities by answering teacher‟s questions. swain (as cited in tan, 2007, p. 89) asserts that: for language students, responding to teacher questioning is a learning opportunity in which they are presumed to devote to thinking and producing comprehensible output, testing their hypotheses about how the language works and modifying their output when getting negative feedback. (swain as cited in tan, 2007, p. 89) by responding to teachers‟ questions, students can know and also apply directly how the language really works. teachers‟ questioning is the skill frequently used, more powerful to create the talk move (boyd, 2015). questioning is usually found when language teachers apply communicative language teaching method. questioning influences students‟ participation and comprehension as well. through questions, the talk or discussion will be created in the classroom. talk will be dominating during the teaching and learning process so the discussion is created between teacher and students. toni and parse (2013) state that in language education, teachers should direct students to questioning, provide them to think at high level, enhance students‟ participation, and improve their listening ability. teachers‟ questioning also stimulate students to speak because teachers are found to speak more frequent in questions while students will speak in answers (dillon, 1981). therefore, students can practice to speak english properly when answering the teachers‟ questions. in addition, their speaking ability will improve through responding to the questions. in fact, teachers‟ questions do not always successfully stimulate all students to respond. this problem might be caused by many factors. one of the factors is that english remains an unfamiliar language for most students in indonesia, particularly in rural areas, like the site of this present study. not knowing the meanings of words will be a difficult thing; it makes them difficult to understand the lesson as well. hence, asking unclear questions will make students more confused and silent. teachers should find or use strategies to ask the students. however, they must be careful about the techniques used in delivering questions. ornstein (1987, p. 74) asserts that “teachers should know how well and effective their 218 sri wuli fitriati, gabby allen vica isfara, & novia trisanti teachers’ questioning strategies to elicit students’ verbal responses in efl classes at a secondary school questioning strategies and techniques are”. this is because how teachers deliver the questions will influence students‟ understanding. strategies in questioning are used to give guidance for teachers in giving questions to students. kerry (as cited in tekene, 2006) states that types of questions which are used and formulated by teachers are very important processes for students‟ achievement and their level of engagement in teaching and learning. unclear questions will not make them participate well; furthermore, students‟ verbal responses are not elicited well. teachers may use other techniques to encourage students to respond to their questions by rephrasing the questions or changing the complex questions into simple and understandable constructions (cole & chan, ekasingh, wu as cited in dumteeb, 2009). when students cannot catch the meanings of the initial questions that have been given, teachers must look for another way to express it. using different types and ways of giving questions is very important to make students understand. nisa (2014) focused her study on the classroom interaction analysis in the efl speaking class. her findings provided evidence that teachers should promote their students‟ communicative skills and encourage students to use english during speaking activities by asking questions. according to wu (1993), there are a range of questioning strategies that can elicit students‟ speaking practices. wu‟s taxonomy of questioning strategies is vital and effective to extend students‟ verbal responses. as proposed by wu (1993, pp. 55-56), the five questioning strategies that teachers should use to generate verbal responses from students include: rephrasing (a question is expressed in another way), simplification (this may be regarded as a kind of rephrasing by means of which a situation is simplified so that students can cope with it), repetition (a question is repeated in the hope that a verbal response will be elicited), decomposition (an initial question is decomposed into two or more parts so that an answer may be obtained), and probing (a question is followed up by one or more other questions so that the teachers can solicit more responses from a student). using strategies in giving questions for students is important to help teachers elicit students‟ verbal responses as questions can make them attentive and engaged in a lesson. questioning strategies provide ways how to make students clear about teachers‟ questions. students are quiet because they probably do not understand what have been asked, how to answer it, or feel shy. by applying questioning strategies, teachers can solve these problems. it can encourage students to answer and help them to arrange utterances, so they are motivated to speak confidently. against this backdrop, this present study attempts to examine how english language teachers give questions to their students. particularly, this study explores teachers‟ questioning strategies in the classes, and how their questions could enhance the students‟ oral reponses. following the literature review and the aims of the study, this study has two main research questions: what questioning strategies are used by english language teachers to stimulate students‟ oral responses in the classes? and, how do the teachers‟ questioning strategies enhance students‟ responses? in the following section, the methods of this study will be briefly and clearly explained. method this was a classroom discourse study which employed qualitative research methods. this study was conducted in a state secondary school in a suburban in the province of central java, indonesia. the research participants were two indonesian female teachers of english, aged 43 (teacher a) 219 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee and teacher b, 44 years old. in the daily life, the two teachers spoke indonesian language, the national and official language of the country, along with the javanese language, their native language. they got a bachelor‟s degree in the english language education from local universities. teacher a taught class viii a which consisted of 30 students. teacher b taught class viii h which consisted of 32 students. all the school community members were javanese. the data of this study were drawn from audiovideo recordings of four english lessons. each lesson ran in 80 minutes. three methods were used to collect the data: 1) classroom observations: in the classroom observations audiovideo recordings were used to capture the teachers‟ questioning and students‟ oral responses. the observation sheets were also used to take notes on the teachers and students‟ behavior during the lessons regarding the teachers‟ questioning and the students‟ oral reponses. the lessons were audiovideo recorded by a research assistant, while the other researcher sat queitly at the corner of the classroom and took notes. 2) interviews: interviews were done with the teachers and their students. interviews were aimed to find and explore their perceptions on the teachers‟ questioning to engage students‟ oral responses. the two teachers and ten students (five from each class) were interviewed. the english teachers were interviewed twice: the first interview was held before classroom observation, and the second interview was done after the classroom observation, that is after obtaining initial interpretation of the data. 3) questionnaire: to get complementary data, questionnaire was used to find out the students‟ perceptions and opinions on their teachers‟ ways of giving them questions then, the audio-video recordings were analyzed in three steps as follows: transcribing the lessons, identifying and categorizing the teachers‟ questions as well as the students‟ responses. the identification, coding, and categorization were based on wu‟s (1993) taxonomy of questioning strategies because the taxonomy particularly aimed at describing teachers‟ questioning strategies to elicit students‟ verbal responses. after the teachers‟ questions were categorized, the identification of questioning strategies frequently used by the teachers were conducted. the transcription of the students‟ oral responses was important to know to what extent the questioning strategies used by the teachers could stimulate students to give answers. to triangulate the data analysis, the teachers‟ interview data and observation notes were used to complement the findings. results and discussion this section will start by describing the findings of the first research question: what questioning strategies are used by the teachers to stimulate students’ verbal responses in the classes? the findings show that the teachers in this present study used mostly four questioning strategies out of five proposed by wu (1993). those are: rephrasing, simplification, repetition, and decomposition. probing strategy, that is a question is followed up by one or more other questions so that the teachers can solicit more responses from a student, was found very few in the lessons observed. the interview findings indiciated that the teachers might think that probing question was difficult for the students as this type of question required students to think deeper. such a question usually needs long answers containing arguments, opinions, or explanation. the teachers admitted that probing questions had to be prepared and arranged in advance before the lessons; like preparing a scenario of a particular sequence of questions. the interviews also revealed some implicit reasons why the teachers lack using probing questions. according to the teachers, the students were lack of speaking 220 sri wuli fitriati, gabby allen vica isfara, & novia trisanti teachers’ questioning strategies to elicit students’ verbal responses in efl classes at a secondary school practice, and they were not accustomed to use english more often. another problem was that students‟ limited vocabulary attainment. this resulted in the difficulty for them to respond to the teachers‟ questions which required deeper and critical thinking. the teachers clarified that if complex questions (like probing) were used, the students often respond hesitantly. therefore, they mostly used questioning strategies which did not function to probe or ask deeper thinking from the students. the four strategies that were used by the teachers in this study will be illustrated with some extracts as follows: 1) rephrasing rephrasing means that a question is expressed in another way. the following is an example of a rephrasing strategy used by teacher a: extract 1: t : then, the next… how was nyi mas inten character? how was nyi mas inten? ss : stingy [chorusing] s : she is stingy [in soft voice/almost inaudible) the teacher‟s utterances which are in bold show the rephrasing strategy. anticipating that the students did not know the meaning of the word „character‟, teacher a omitted it and rephrased it into “how was nyi mas inten?” this question eventually was able to elicit her students‟ response. another example of rephrasing is as in extract 2. extract 2: t : then, what happened to the village? ss : [silence] t : when there was big flood, what did they do? what did they do? s : they run away t : they run away! ya, they run away. in extract 2, it was evident that there was no response when the teacher asked “what happened to the village?” then, when she rephrased her initial question into “when there was big flood, what do they do? what do they do?” a student responded it quickly. from the whole data, it appeared that rephrasing strategy was frequently used by making the questions shorter where the teachers expected that their students would understand the question easily. 2) simplification simplification is a questioning strategy which is similar to rephrasing strategy, but in simplication the teachers simplified the meanings of their questions. in this strategy, teachers would use many methods such as giving examples, clues, and focusing words to make the previous question become more specific, clearer, and understandable for students. the example of simplification strategy can be seen in extract 2. extract 3: t : the purpose is? s : to make the readers... um...um.... [hesitant] t : to make the readers? ayo! ss : [silence] t : okay… yang pertama to amuse the...? ss : readers [chorusing] t : yang kedua, to…? enter...? entertain the…? [raising intonation] ss : readers [chorusing] in extract 3, the simplication strategy was used by the teacher by mixing the question with the indonesian language, and this seemed to have generated the students‟ verbal responses. in addition, in the teacher‟s utterance “yang kedua, to…? enter...? entertain the…? [with raising intonation], she expected the students to continue her unfinished sentence. this type of questioning strategy which is called response slot (martin, 2005) was also often found in the lessons observed. 3) repetition repeating the same question for 2-3 times appeared to be the teachers‟ favourite strategy to stimulate students‟ responses. 221 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the example can be seen in the following extracts: extract 4: t : okay, dan sekarang, would you like to listen to a short story? ss : [silence] t : hello? ss : hi.... [chorusing] t : would you like to listen to a short story? ss : yes [chorusing] extract 5: t : question number one is…where did the story happen? t : iqbal? [pointing to a student, named iqbal] where did the story happen? s1 : [silence] t : ardian? s2 : [silence] t : ya? layla? where did the story happen, layla? s3 : west java t : in west java [confirming the student‟s answer]. in this case, repetition happened because the students who were called by the teachers did not repond to her question, so the teacher might think that she needed to repeat it to make sure that other students understood her question. below is another extract showing repetition. extract 6 t : what day is it? ss : [silence] t : what day is it? ss : saturday. [chorusing] repetition might be caused by at least two reasons. first, it could be because the teacher‟s question has not been heard clearly by the students, and second, the students might have low ability in listening skills. they needed much more time to think before answering. my observation also suggests that the teacher gave a little time to think for the students whose names were called. therefore, in this case, the teacher needed to wisely have a wait time, that is, pauses to wait for responses. the students needed to take their guts to produce loud and clear answer. 4) decomposition decomposition strategy means that the teacher broke down their initial question (which is quite complex) into several simple questions in order to assist the students understand the question‟s meaning. the evidence can been seen in the extract 7. extract 7: t : okay, come on, what is narrative text? s : [raising hand] t : ya? s : umm... telling a story.... t : and next? what is the purpose of narrative text? extract 8: t : and then, the generic structure? ss : orientation, complication, resolution.... t : orientation, yes.... ss : complication. t : complication.... ss : resolution.. t : resolution, yes.... what is orientation? ss : tokoh..., tempat.... t : yes, the characters, the time, the place. complication? s : conflicts. s : konflik, permasalahan dalam cerita. t : okay…and then the resolution? s : solution. decomposition strategy was very useful and helpful for the teachers in order to elicit the students‟ verbal responses. they make different questions based on the initial ones. it could provide enough chances for students to give their own opinions or arguments. furthermore, there were many students who tried to give responses. next, the following discussion will answer the second research question of this study: how do the teachers’ questioning strategies enhance students’ responses? the findings show that repetition and decomposition were the most used strategies employed by the teachers. repetition was 222 sri wuli fitriati, gabby allen vica isfara, & novia trisanti teachers’ questioning strategies to elicit students’ verbal responses in efl classes at a secondary school very often used by the teachers as this technique seemed to be the easiest strategy to elicit the students‟ oral responses. it was also helpful for the teachers because the teachers did not have to change, rephrase, or simplify their questions. they simply restate the same question until they got their students‟ responses. although this strategy seemed simple but both the teachers and the students got a benefit – the teachers could elicit the students‟ answers, and the students had an opportunity to hear the teachers‟ english utterances again as to make them confident to respond. another good point from repetition strategy was that the students were more active because repetitive questions made them became focus. in implementing repetition strategy, it was not only about repeating the same question but the teachers also attempted to make it much clearer for students. it would not be able to elicit students‟ reponses if the teachers asked a difficult, long, or complex question for several times. it was because the students still did not understand and were confused about what they had been asked. the teachers tried to make the repetitive questions more meaningful by using non-verbal clues, like using body gestures (nodding, raising hands, pointing at something), facial expressions (smiling), or voice audibility (raising intonation, stress, speak slowly, whispering). these non-verbal clues from the teachers were important as they help students to have better understanding towards the teachers‟ questions. the second most frequently used questioning strategy was decomposition. both of the teachers delivered relatively varied questions through this decomposition strategy because, according to the interview findings, it was easy for the teachers to elicit more responses from the students. many students raised hands and tried to answer when the teachers decomposed the question into some simple questions related to the initial question. furthermore, the classroom observation shows that decomposed questions succeeded in making the students more active in the discussions. another function of the decomposition strategy used by the teacher was that it could lead to the conclusions of the lesson (teacher b interview). as mentioned in the earlier part of this section, the probing strategy was almost not used by the teachers. this strategy seemed quite challenging for the teachers to apply as this needed a skill to make students used their higher level thinking. the illustration below shows one evidence in which probing was not successful: extract 9: t : what happened then? what happened after the beggar prayed? what happened then? what happened, raihan? s : yang terjadi… [a student raised his hand. he translated into indonesian, then silence] t : what happened then? [to a student who raised his hand] s : she prayed.... [he seemed hesitant and then silence] t : no... no… after the beggar prayed? “oh god, give her punishment…” [the teacher quoted an utterance from the story] ss : flood….flood… [chorusing] t : yes. there was a big flood. and then, what happened? [pointing to a student, and the class was silent]. this extract provided evidence that the teacher‟s probing question “what happened after the beggar prayed?” required the students to think critically which demanded their understanding of the topic of discussion. there was another prominent finding in this study. some non-verbal supportive techniques were also used, such as: calling the students‟ names and using body gestures, strong intonation, and facial expression. one teacher often used these non-verbal supportive questioning 223 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee techniques, as can be seen in the extract below: extract 10: t : okay, the last question. what can you learn from the story? what can you learn from the story? ss : [silence] t : what can you learn from the story? [teacher uttered the word „learn‟ with high intonation] s : don‟t be stingy t : don‟t be stingy? okay! the emphasis of the word „learn‟ by uttering it with high intonation aimed at giving a stress of her question. this could attract her students‟ attention because it strengthened the meaning of the question. moreover, the students seemed like having the clue which helped them find the correct answer. as a result, they were brave to raise hands and gave the verbal responses. turney et al. (1983, p. 116) called these features “voice variations” (i.e. raising intonation, falling intonation, changes in the tone, pitch, volume and speed of speech). the findings discussed above have provided evidence that questioning strategies the teachers used have helped in improving students‟ engagement in the classes. the ways the teachers structured their questions influenced the students‟ oral responses. the teachers‟ varied questioning strategies could eliminate students‟ passiveness and stimulate them to speak english more frequently. in addition, to prevent the students from being passive in the classroom interaction, the teachers often called their names one by one. this strategy is called “distributing” (turney et al., 1983, p. 66). turney et al. (1983) also suggest that “teachers should carefully select students to respond to questions, giving as many as possible the chance to contribute, because by increasing the number of responses from each individual student in a lesson, learning is enhanced” (p. 66). another finding indicates that both of the teachers tended to ask students to respond in short answers, such as about the examples, facts, things. this is a display question type (kayaoglu, 2013). a display question refers to a question which the teacher already knows the answer. the purpose is “to make the students display some previously-learned knowledge” (wu, 1993, p. 51). this finding is in line with the study conducted by james and carter (2006) that commonly students in a school actually tend to respond more often through short and literal level of questions. this study also gave evidence that rephrasing strategy could decrease students‟ speaking passiveness. first, the teachers summarized the initial question which had long or complex structures. second, they strengthened particular parts of their sentences that were important to be emphasized. third, they repeated the same questions in different ways, forms, or structures without changing the purposes of the questions. fourth, the use of indonesian language was still used by both of the teachers in their questions. in the teachers‟ interviews, they considered that indonesian and javanese languages were sometimes used because the students had not accustomed to english. furthermore, they were lack of vocabulary and lack of english pronunciation practice. to solve this problem, besides the four strategies, the teachers used a questioning strategy in the form of codemixing or codeswitching to stimulate students‟ speaking participation. in this study, the teachers gave questions to the students for certain purposes; one of the purposes was to encourage students to speaking english. yet, students‟ responses could not be obtained easily. this made the teachers aware that they had to change the ways they delivered the questions. morover, as the teachers stated in the interviews, many students have different characteristics. there were fast and slow learners, high and low achievers in the classes. consequently, some students were silent and others were active 224 sri wuli fitriati, gabby allen vica isfara, & novia trisanti teachers’ questioning strategies to elicit students’ verbal responses in efl classes at a secondary school in responding to the teachers‟ questions. not all of them could respond quickly; they needed to be stimulated and given time to think as well. the teachers decreased the students‟ passiveness in the class by using safe talk which dominantly gained students‟ chorused responses where they answered together towards teachers‟ questions and cues. moreover, elongating and raising intonation of the last word of the questions were also employed to trigger the students‟ responses. this confirms the findings of fitriati‟s study (2015). the teachers also often used the indonesian language in their questioning. the use of indonesian was absolutely easy to understand, but the students could not develop their english skills well. apparently, the teachers sometimes needed to translate their questions into indonesian to be quickly answered by the students. in the context of teaching english as a foreign language, particularly in the indonesian educational context, where english is not used for everyday communication, indonesian teachers who teach the english language should have adequate competence to establish and maintain classroom interaction to extend the students‟ opportunities to speak and enggaged in the lessons (fitriati, 2015). with regard to the empirical evidence found in this current study, it could be concluded that teachers‟ questioning strategies used in the classes were varied. classroom interaction is a complex phenomenon; therefore, the teachers‟ questions are also influenced by many factors, including the teachers‟ english proficiency. the observations indicated that the teacher in this study who performed mostly repetition strategy seemed to show lack of grammatical competence in constructing her questions. she tended to repeat the questions, whereas the other teacher who used more rephrasing and decomposing strategies show more accuracy in her grammar. therefore, it is evident that teachers‟ linguistic competence influence their questioning skills in eliciting students‟ oral responses. in addition, the teachers in this study need to develop types of question they posed. not only did they ask display questions to check the students‟ comprehension of the learning materials, but they also needed to pose referential questions, that is, a question that the teacher does not already know the answer (wu, 1993, p. 51). referential question would usually generate more responses from the students. eventually this study shows that the teachers apparently succeeded in encouraging their students to engage and interact actively in the whole class discussion. they used a varied strategies of questioning. however, it is suggested that the teachers develop their questioning skills, particularly in giving probing question, as this strategy will solicit more responses from the students and stimulate student thinking (davoudi & sadeghi, 2015). conclusion the findings of this study show that teachers should be aware that their questioning skills would have an impact on improving students‟ verbal responses in the classroom interaction. teachers can apply comfortable and appropriate questioning strategies that are suitable for students and the class‟ context of situation. therefore, some pedagogical purposes of questioning can be achieved, including developing students‟ english proficiency, measuring their abilities, and motivating them to speak the language. this study has shed some light on the importance of teachers‟ questioning skills. these skills need to be taught explicitly in english language education, particularly for student teachers, i.e. university students majoring in english education and prepared for being future teachers. for further research, it is suggested 225 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee that studies on teacher questioning should be broaden, for example, by comparing and contrasting questioning skills between english-native-speaker teachers and nonenglish-native-speaker teachers to provide complementary evidence and theoretical knowledge about questioning strategies. references boyd, m. p. (2015). relations between teacher questioning and student talk in one elementary ell classroom. relc journal, 47(3), 370404. doi: 10.1177/1086296x16632451. davoudi, m., & sadeghi, n. a. (2015). a systematic review of research on questioning as a high level cognitive strategy. english language teaching, 8(10), 76-90. retrieved from: files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1078735.pdf dillon, j. t. (1981). to question and not to question during discussion. relc journal, xxxii(5), 51-55. retrieved from: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0 02248718103200605?journalcode=jtea. dumteeb, n. (2009). teachers’ questioning techniques and students’ critical thinking skills: english language classroom in the thai context. (doctoral dissertation, oklahoma state university, oklahoma, usa). retrieved from gradworks.umi.com/33/72/3372164.htm fitriati, s. w. (2015). teachers’ language ideologies and classroom practices in english bilingual education: an ethnographic case study of a senior high school in central java, indonesia. (doctoral dissertation). university of southern queensland, queensland, australia. haron, s. c., ahmad, i. s., mamat, a., & mohamed, i. h. a., (2012). strategies to develop speaking skills among malay learners of arabic. international journal of humanities and social science, 2(17), 303-310. retrieved from: www.ijhssnet.com/ journals/ vol_2_no_17...2012/34.pdf james, i., & carter, t. s. (2006). questioning and informational texts: scaffolding students comprehension of content areas. forum on public policy 1, 1-13. retrieved from: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1099153.pdf martin, p. (2005). 'safe' language practices in two rural schools in malaysia: tensions between policy and practice. in a. m. y. lin, & p. martin (eds.), decolonisation, globalisation: language-in-education policy and practice (pp. 74-97). clevedon: multilingual matters. nisa, s. h. (2014). classroom interaction analysis in indonesian efl speaking class. english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 124-132. retrieved from: https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee/a rticle/view/99/60. ornstein, a. c. (1987). questioning: the essence of good teaching-part ii. nassp bulletin, 7-80. retrieved from: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0 19263658807250514?journalcode=buld tan, z. (2007). questioning in chinese university el classrooms: what lies beyond it? relc journal, 38(1), 87-103. doi: 10.1177/0033688206076161. tekene, m. l. (2006). enhancing teachers‟ questioning skills to improve children‟s learning and thinking in pacific island early childhood centres. new zealand journal of teachers’ work, 3(1), 12-23. retrieved from: http://www.teacherswork.ac.nz/journal/volum e3_issue1/mauigoa_tekene.pdf. toni a., & parse, f. (2013). the status of teacher‟s questions and students‟ responses: the case of an efl class. academy publisher, 4(3), 564569. doi:10.4304/jltr.4.3.564-569. turney, c., eltis, k.j., hatton, n., owens, l.c., towler, j., & wright, r. (1983). sydney micro skills redeveloped (series 1 handbook). sydney: sydney university press. wu, k. y. (1993). classroom interaction and teacher questions revisited. relc journal, 24(1), 4968. doi: 10.1177/00336882930240020. 226 sri wuli fitriati, gabby allen vica isfara, & novia trisanti teachers’ questioning strategies to elicit students’ verbal responses in efl classes at a secondary school learning to teach writing through writing english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee learning to teach writing through writing svetlana suchkova samara state aerospace university, russia suchkova_s@yahoo.com gulnara dudnikova povolzhskaya state academy of social sciences and humanities, russia dudnick@mail.ru apa citation: suchkova, s. & dudnikova, g. (2013). learning to teach writing through writing english review: journal of english education, 1(2),159-170 received: 09-03-2013 accepted: 30-04-2013 published: 01-06-2013 abstract: this paper discusses some major issues concerning teaching writing to future teachers. there are a lot of efl/esl textbooks focused on teaching writing. however, those that are intended for trainee teachers are rare on the market. the goal of this paper is to share the result of several years of work on the writing syllabus and materials that is effective in the process of teaching future teachers. it contains sample of tasks based on certain principles that may promote teachers to become effective writers for themselves and, at the same time, to acquire initial professional skills necessary in their future career. a course book can not address any audience in general. it must focus on a particular learner, the objectives, and content of the process of learning. in the situation when no textbook meets these requirements, the problem of providing students with an appropriate textbook must be solved by creating new textbooks. keywords: writing skills, strategies, professional needs, syllabus, teaching/learning materials. introduction mastering writing skills is crucial not only to students’ success at the university, but getting a good job after graduation, too. acquiring this skill is of paramount importance, especially now, in the internet era. in all major fields of study, research, and business, it is absolutely necessary for a person to be able to communicate well in writing. no wonder, every efl/esl course book offers materials aimed at developing effective writing skills. some universities also run online and blended courses focused on academic writing. with all the abundance of materials on the educational market, it looks like there is no need to create something new in the field of teaching writing. however, to be able to write well and to successfully teach how to write are two different competences. both, obviously, should be developed in teacher training institutions. after many years of experience in training would-be teachers, methodology research, and struggle with students’ papers, we decided to create a new university course on writing, different from what is usually offered on the curriculum in russian pedagogical universities. it is different both in the underlying philosophy and approach. the work on the syllabus and materials involved several stages: (1) a thorough analysis of major difficulties russian university learners experience in writing in english – learners’ needs; (2) identifying professional skills future teachers should acquire to be able to teach writing in english to high school students – professional needs; (3) a syllabus design; (4) a students’ survey of mailto:suchkova_s@yahoo.com mailto:dudnick@mail.ru svetlana suchkova & gulnara dudnikova learning to teach writing through writing the topics they would like to write about; (5) collecting students’ materials and creating activities based on them; (6) piloting the materials and revision; (7) getting students’ feedback; (8) a course book publication. it took us several years to collect and pilot materials, modify and improve tasks, write and rewrite them. the product of years of work and piloting the materials was the course book learn to write with us: a process-based writing textbook (suchkova et al, 2013), which is now used in the course of writing in several russian universities. the course book is intended for students, future teachers of english, whose level of language proficiency corresponds to b2+ according to the common european framework of reference (council of europe, 2011). it is a process-based course book that invites students to master the skill of writing in english gradually, step by step, from a paragraph to longer pieces. writing is seen as a skill of expressing ideas on paper clearly and effectively. the purpose of the course is to help students develop essential writing strategies and apply their knowledge to writing assignments they will receive in the university courses in the future, taking language exams, or teaching writing to their own students. the unique feature of the textbook is that almost all the activities are based on students’ written papers who gave their consent to use their papers as a basis for teaching/learning materials. the students of samara state pedagogical university, samara state aerospace university, and povolzhskaya academy of social sciences and humanities can be called co-authors of this book. the article contains the description of the writing course syllabus, the course book principles. it considers the major difficulties russian students have when writing in english. the article also provides information about the content and organization of the course book written for future teachers of english. finally, the authors offer some writing strategies and tasks from this course book. syllabus of the writing course the syllabus below is offered here to illustrate the main elements of the writing course as part of the curriculum at the english language department of povolzhskaya state academy of social sciences and humanities, samara, russia. target group: students majoring in english and teaching methodology duration: three semesters, 96 face-to-face academic hours in class/120 outside class aim:  to enable students to write clear, detailed, well-structured texts on a wide range of subjects (from paragraph to more extended pieces of writing) objectives:  to provide students with a variety of effective writing strategies, thus facilitating development of their writing skills  to form initial teacher’s professional skills in needs analysis, creating materials for teaching writing, and assessing written papers topics for consideration:  identifying strengths and weaknesses as a writer; setting goals  pre-writing strategies  paragraph writing: topic, main idea, paragraph structure and purpose, paragraph types  unity, cohesion, and coherence of the paragraph english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee  punctuation and mechanics  drafting, editing, and proofreading  essay writing  article writing  review writing  report writing  resume writing  letter writing  story writing  avoiding plagiarism, paraphrasing strategies  assessment criteria, self-check, peer reviewing  written feedback functional language:  concluding and summarizing  giving examples and focusing  expressing opinions  suggesting solutions  introducing main ideas  introducing listing  showing sequence and time  showing comparison/contrast  introducing cause-effect  phrases for reviews  phrases for report  phrases for letter writing  action verbs  narration verbs materials  suchkova, s., dudnikova, g., adayeva, o. (2013). learn to write with us: a process-based writing textbook (student’s book). samara. controlling end-of-semester activities: semester 1 – paragraph writing, letter writing semester 2 – options: review / essay writing semester 3 – options: report / article writing assessment criteria: 1-5 scale  content  text organization  word range  sentence fluency (sentence length and structure variety, appropriate connectives)  accuracy (spelling, grammar and usage, use of capitals, and punctuation) the syllabus requires an explanation of how one can learn to teach writing during the process of being taught. to do this, it is necessary to describe the materials used in the course and provide samples to illustrate the points. this will be done in other sections of the article. the syllabus was designed to cater for the learning needs of russian students. observation and analysis of papers written by russian learners of english (2003-2011) shows that students’ major difficulties are (1) inability to structure a text properly: divide it into meaningful parts, formulate the main idea clearly and develop it, (2) lack of cohesion or coherence, (3) inconsistent register, (4) poor vocabulary and primitive grammar, (5) plagiarizing. partly, the difficulties result from the fact that students tend to think that writing in english is much like writing in their native language, which is far from it. a paragraph in english normally follows a straight line of development (the paragraph often begins with a statement of its central idea, followed by a series of subdivisions of the central idea with the purpose of developing the topic sentence). conversely, the thoughtpattern of russian speakers is a zigzag line, sometimes interrupted by rather complex digressions: irrelevant, off-topic material is introduced in a paragraph (kaplan, 1966, p. 15). the analysis also shows that the writing problems also account for certain gaps in pre-university training, i.e. underestimating of teaching such things as paragraph structure: introduction, main body, and conclusion; basic svetlana suchkova & gulnara dudnikova learning to teach writing through writing features: unity, coherence, and cohesion; writing purpose and paragraph types: description, process, opinion, comparison/contrast, narration, and problem-solution; text organization models: listing, sequence, comparison/contrast, and cause-effect. there is clear evidence that they all require special focus in instruction and practice. for this reason, all of these problems are highlighted in the course. as can be seen from the syllabus, the biggest part of the course is devoted to writing on a paragraph level as a paragraph is a prerequisite for writing longer pieces. the problem of accuracy is dealt with in special units of the materials. the problem of plagiarism and how to avoid it is tackled separately, too. professional needs as the main intent was to target the materials on professional requirements for the teacher, certain skills have been identified as major ones. the authors of the article share the opinion of k. b. yancey who states the fact that “in the 21st century, people write as never before – in print and online. we thus face three challenges that are also opportunities: developing newmodels of writing; designing a new curriculum supporting those models; and creating models for teaching that curriculum.” (yancey, 2013, p. 1) writing as “an object of study has been neglected until recently, but today it is an essential part of the pedagogical institutions curriculum”. unfortunately, however, we have to agree with scane and doerger (2010, p. 51) that “while pre-service teachers receive explicit instruction in methods for teaching writing to elementary and secondary students, they are less likely to receive explicit instruction about the writing skills necessary to be a successful, professional educator. the writing skills of many teacher candidates often do not align with expectations for professionals and most introductory courses in writing offered at universities do not address the specific needs of those planning to become teachers.” on the one hand, modern educators are expected to write in the way that will enable them to communicate professionally with colleagues from the world, sharing ideas and discussing challenges and teaching experience, via professional blogs, forums, and conference papers. on the other hand, in addition to academic writing skills they acquire themselves, teachers should be able to develop materials in order to train students how to write effectively with the reader in mind. they should know how to develop such skills of their students as generating and arranging ideas, drafting and editing, overcoming drawbacks and difficulties, they should be in the know of a variety of methods and techniques, and, of course, teachers should be trained in carrying needs analysis and correction techniques. the partnership for 21st century skills together with the national council of teachers of english worked out the skills necessary for a modern student and teacher. some of them are creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration, information and literacy. to enable future teachers to acquire the above mentioned skills, we implemented this course and are using the textbook. later in the article we offer a number of activities that are aimed at developing the skills. the course book’s underlying philosophy the underlying principles of the offered course are integration of language skills, reflective practice, english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee individual approach to students, and collaborative learning. a certain system of activities is designed to make the process of acquiring this most challenging language skill gradually, from easy to more complicated tasks. the teaching /learning process is built on students’ background learning experience; the prior knowledge is elicited, and the process is targeted on the learners’ needs. moreover, the activities are directed towards getting students to think for themselves; they are always provided options to choose from. setting their own goals and monitoring their own progress (which is part of the teaching methodology used) is often referred to as learner-centeredness and learner autonomy (harmer, 2008). the skills of reading and writing are integrated with a focus on developing critical thinking skills, stimulating creativity, and fostering learner autonomy. good reading samples, used with the purpose of their analysis and evaluation, further serve patterns for writing. learners first make discoveries and perceive differences of ideas arrangement, consolidate their understanding of text structuring, and then create meaningful texts of their own. the book also follows some principles which are very important for future teachers. first, students are recognized as individuals with their own learning style, background, pace, and interests. their initiative is appreciated; they are encouraged to take on an active role in the process. second, students are involved in different modes of classroom management: individual, pair, and group work, which are indicated in the instruction to the exercises. this teaches them how to organize an activity in a more efficient way. what is also professionally-oriented is the fact that students are invited to evaluate their peers’ works. such peer review “encourages students to monitor each other and, as a result, helps them to become better at self monitoring” (harmer, 2008, p. 150). the material itself has certain educational value, too: there is a great variety of tasks and topics; many activities are creative and focused on applying strategies. what the book includes learn to write with us starts with an introduction written for students that explains the ideas behind the textbook. the course book contains 18 units; each places an emphasis on a certain issue of the writing process. each unit starts with a preliminary activity which provides a stimulus to thought and introduces the subject under discussion. the main points of each unit are emphasized in special tables, where explanatory comments are provided. the book is also abundant in useful language presented in the boxes. a particular focus of the book is learning how to handle various tasks; that is why, it has a lot of helpful tips and effective strategies. the students are offered a variety of different activities to be done both in class and at home. moreover, the book comprises several appendixes that are meant to assist students in evaluation their own work and the papers of their peers. they are aimed at encouraging students to use the guidelines until they get into the habit of editing their papers. there is a bibliography list which contains both methodology books and textbooks, printed and electronic resources that can be used for further reference in order to develop writing skills. each unit is structured in such a way as to first start students’ thinking and elicit what they already know; then, svetlana suchkova & gulnara dudnikova learning to teach writing through writing through a variety of exercises they acquire more knowledge about writing conventions, effective strategies, format characteristics, etc. at the beginning of the course, students write on the level of phrases and sentences, then continue with a complete paragraph, and next proceed to longer pieces of writing such as letters, stories, essays, articles, reports, etc. each unit has a wrapping up exercise to emphasize the most important points of the unit. topics to write about discussion of topics selected according to students’ interests and concerning different spheres of their life and professional activity makes for raising their cooperation, communicative competence, and motivation. it is known that teachers may expect better results if they invite students to write on the topics that are relevant and involving to them. we tried to consider our students’ worlds of thought and experience in order to provoke their engagement with the material. that is why, before creating teaching materials, a survey was conducted in the pedagogical university of samara, which allowed having a list of topics students are likely to be interested in writing about. the questionnaire contained one open-ended question: what topics would you like to write about? among the most favorite topics were films, food, outstanding people, favorite places and travelling, technology and the internet, and others. all these topics can be found in the course book activities. some of the topics, such as societal problems, cultures around the world, creativity, were added by the authors as they are considered to be thought provoking and developmental. as we see our role, the teachers’ job is not only to teach a language, but also to educate their students. the real education value of learning can be achieved by discussing culturally educational and social content. the principles at work this section aims to illustrate the principles underlying the course with samples taken from the course book. the first and most important basis for professional progress is simply your own reflection on any issues that arise. reflection is the necessary basis for further development: it is the “hallmark of the conscientious professional” (ur, 1996, p. 319). the book has a lot of tasks which invite students to reflect. here are some of them.  how is an essay genre different from a letter, report, diary, and other pieces of writing? what can you compare it with? what is the difference between an essay and a paragraph?  think back on the types of paragraphs you have already learned. what is the underlying principle for their classification?  work in small groups and discuss the following questions. 1. what is the purpose of a resume/cv? 2. have you ever written one in english/in russian? 3. are the conventions of writing a resume/cv in english and in russian similar? if yes, in what way? 4. can you write a resume/cv once and use it to apply for different jobs? why /why not?  think of all possible types of letters and create a mind-map. mark those you have an experience of writing. as for the integrated skills approach, it seems the most natural as it reflects a real-life process of communication in which it is impossible to separate one skill from another. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee many activities begin with a series of discussion questions which aim at activating students’ pre-existing knowledge of the world and engaging them in a topic that they are going to read or hear about. speaking sessions allow students to investigate their personal experience, thoughts, and feelings about a topic.  work with a partner and discuss the following questions. 1. what is the purpose of a review? 2. how is it different from a letter, essay, or diary? 3. where will you find a review? 4. what kind of information does a review usually include? much language production work grows out of texts that students read. at the next stage students are asked to read a review and answer questions. together with focusing on certain points, the text serves as a model and can be the basis for a written task. thus, texts are used to stimulate students into some other kind of work.  read the review and answer the questions below. 1. what kind of film is being reviewed? 2. what is the film about? 3. where does the action of the film take place? 4. who are the characters of the film? 5. what names are used in the review? what for? 6. is it a positive or a negative review? how do you know? 7. would you like to see the film? why/why not? the next stage involves the second reading of the same review and filling in the chart.  read the review again and complete the chart below. note down what kind of information is presented in each paragraph paragraph 1 film title, director … paragraph 2 paragraph 3 paragraph 4 paragraph 5 summary … after students have worked on the review structure, its language, students are invited to discuss with their partner the book/film of their choice. thus, knowledge about what is a review is incorporated into the process of communication and, consequently, into a language skill, which makes its mastering conscious. this activity is also important as a preparation for writing itself.  think of the best and worst films/books/shows you have seen/read recently. list their good and bad points. then tell your partner about each film/book. the final product of students’ work is a creative writing task which can be treated as a wrap up of the exploration of the topic. it is writing a review. when students are asked to write creatively, they usually strive harder than usual to produce a greater variety of correct and appropriate language than they might tip: for question 6, highlight words and expressions that helped you answer it. svetlana suchkova & gulnara dudnikova learning to teach writing through writing for more routine assignments. students are offered some options and guidelines to assist them, which makes the task more learner-friendly.  choose one of the options and write a review (about 220-260 words). option 1 a review of a must read book for your university newsletter. option 2 a review of your favorite film to post it on a web page “films that are always with us.” option 3 a review of the worst ever tv show for the rating “no-show”. the following guidelines can help you follow the review format. 1. don’t fail to give background details of the product reviewed: the author, name, theme, main characters, etc. in the introductory paragraph. also, indicate your purpose of writing and the addressee, and general impression. 2. in the body part of your review, present the main points that guided you in your evaluation, e.g. soundtrack, actors’ performance, style of writing, etc. remember to touch upon one topic in each paragraph (the plot, characters, language, etc.). focus on good/bad features of the book/film/show and consider the following questions: how did i feel reading/watching it? what makes it enjoyable/dull? why and whom would i recommend / not recommend it? 3. in the conclusion, express your positive or negative opinion and give recommendations to the reader. summarize the reasons why the film/book/show is recommended or not recommended. tip: for more guidelines use appendix ii “paper self-evaluation list.” the integrated skills approach gradually builds students' confidence in applying different strategies, stimulates them to obtain and present concepts and ideas, develops a feel for the use of the language in various tasks, and, consequently, leads students to meaningful communication in english. an individual approach to students is reflected in tasks which offer a choice of options in terms of topics. moreover, they are asked to produce a piece of writing on their own, at their own pace, thus working in a pattern of individualized learning. this is a very important step in the development of learner autonomy. as harmer (2008: 394) suggests, “giving students agency (enabling them to be the doers rather than the recipients of learning action) is one way of helping to sustain their motivation”.  write down 5-7 topics you would like to write about. share them with your group mates.  choose one of the topics below and write the topic sentence around it. think of how you would like to develop your topic sentence.  a favorite place to relax  nights owls vs. early birds  the best part of the day  a societal problem  dreams and reality  an ideal partner english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee tip: remember that the topic sentence is a general statement which is supposed to cover the content of the paragraph.  look at the topics below and decide how you would develop them: with details, examples, or explanation. discuss the ideas with your partner. are the answers the same? why/why not?  a learning style  an unusual adventure  russian wedding traditions  a genius  a blog  a card game the textbook has a lot of tasks built around collaborative learning, where students work in pairs or groups, trying to achieve the best results they can. they have a chance to exchange ideas with their group mates, thus learning from each other. in many cases, students’ work is read and commented on by their fellow students, as two or more minds are often more creative, effective, and efficient in solving problems than an individual mind. in collaboration, students contribute to each other’s work, on the one hand, and are made more aware of their own, on the other. work in groups of 3-4. discuss all the stages that come into writing. create a mindmap together. compare it with other groups’ mind-maps. a) in pairs, brainstorm ideas to compare and contrast  people: _________ and ______________;  places: _________ and ______________;  things: _________ and ______________. b) agree on the topic, add aspects to discuss, and write a paragraph together.  work in groups of 3 or 4 and discuss how to close an essay effectively. consider the following questions. 1. what makes an essay complete? 2. how can you help the reader feel satisfied? 3. how can you signal that you have finished? one of the many roles a teacher has to play is that of a materials designer. although there are many resources available, many teachers continue to produce their own materials for classroom use. teachers need to create effective teaching materials to ensure that students are learning to their maximum potential. materials development is a major skill a future teacher must possess. the course book provides many opportunities for students to develop this skill. 1. write a paragraph of five to six sentences on one of the following topics.  how to cook pizza  going on a package tour  reasons for going abroad  why to have/not to have plastic surgery begin with a topic sentence and develop it in the form of steps or examples. 2. now add one sentence that is off target to the paragraph you have written and put your sentences in a less effective order. number them. 3. work with a partner. read each other’s paper. find the sentence that is off target. suggest a more effective order for the sentences. in terms of professional competence, it is also very important for a future teacher to be able to see mistakes and to correct them, which is peer correction or review. the textbook has tasks aiming at practicing the skill of commenting, assessing, making amendments, proofreading and editing a piece of work. trainee teachers need to be able to learn svetlana suchkova & gulnara dudnikova learning to teach writing through writing to read critically for style, content, and language accuracy. they must be ready to give each other feedback. below are several samples that illustrate this idea. a) write a comparison paragraph (pointing out likenesses) or a contrast paragraph (pointing out differences) on one of the following topics. a. two movies or two television shows b. two cafes/restaurants c. two jobs d. two dictionaries e. other b) write comments on your partner’s paragraphs. suggest ideas for improvement. use appendix i to guide you through the editing process.  together with your partner, evaluate the essays above using the questions below as guidelines. 1. was it interesting to read the essay? why/why not? 2. what is the main message? is it clear? 3. is the information relevant to the thesis? 4. are there enough facts and examples to support ideas in the paragraphs? 5. does the author know who s/he is writing for? why/why not? 6. does the essay have a good opening? 7. does the writer finish the essay in style/strongly? 8. is the purpose achieved? 9. is the organization appropriate to the topic and purpose? 10. what can be improved?  exchange the essays with your partner and assess each other’s paper using “assessment criteria” given in appendix iv. give feedback: state good and weak points and recommend ways to improve the essay.  study the texts with the teacher’s comments. editing your friend’s paper can help you improve your writing skills, too. in pairs, think of how you can improve the paragraphs taking the teacher’s notes into consideration. 1. is it the topic sentence or one of the reasons? add a link. i travel a lot and for me going somewhere on my own is quite boring. why? in addition punctuate. i always joke: in a new and unknown place it’s always better to have someone who starts panic correct collocation? earlier than you do – it usually makes me feel more confident. can you specify the idea? link? traveling with friends is always fun: i would’ve never had so much excitement in vegas if i were grammar there alone or with my family. why? some details could be added. but even close friends’ interests may differ. so it may turn out to be a real pain in the neck to figure how to reach a compromise and make everybody happy. check. are you sure it’s relevant? touching upon not clear. traveling alone again, i would say it’s not for everyone: you would never think of visiting china on your own without knowing the language for example, check punctuation. though some real trill-seekers might find it to be a good idea to get new impressions. vocabulary and structures are varied, but it’s not clear whether you are for or against traveling with friends. the paragraph also needs a conclusion. 2. my former classmate is my best friend. make the topic sentence more specific. for one thing, we have almost the same interests. some details could be added: what interests? and go everywhere where? together. another thing i value about her is that i can tell her everything not being worried that she will betray me. we’ve been together long enough how long? to confide our secrets to each other. great make it a sentence. to have a person whose opinion you can trust. moreover, i’m not sure the link is good here. she is a very loyal and reliable person. there is no conclusion. how about making it strong to show that you can’t imagine your life without your friend? why don’t you give him/her a name? english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the book also has lots of tasks which encourage students to search and research – another necessary skill for teachers. by making a “systematic, selfcritical enquiry” (rudduck & hopkins 1985: 8), students open something new in terms of language as well as advance their educational level perceiving it in the course of learning.  google the net for samples of recommendation letters and collect phrases you think useful. exchange the lists of phrases with your partners.  google for samples of invitation and apology letters. collect useful phrases, bring them into the classroom, and share with your group mates.  make up a collection of the internet resources with anagrams, riddles, rhymes, poems, etc. include those that provide an opportunity to post your own. have a try! the use of such tasks reflects an upto-date tendency in education – focusing on discovery learning (joolingen 1999: 385). these tasks are definitely conducive to developing critical thinking and, besides, they are professionally relevant to future teachers. students’ feedback although many russian learners find writing the most difficult skill to acquire, by the end of the course, students feel far more confident about their ability to cope with the writing demands. the process of becoming a good writer requires time, hard work, and perseverance. and yet the reward is well worth the wait. being “essential” and “valuable”, is a general opinion of the students who have been taught this course. some more quotes from students’ feedback are as follows: “the course is very comprehensible and involving,” it is “thoroughly drawn up,” “simultaneously challenging and entertaining,” “it undoubtedly meets the needs of future teachers,” “writtеn in a straightforward manner, and it fеels a bit like being taught by a knowledgeable friend.” we value the opinion of our students and feel grateful for such appreciation of our work. conclusion to sum up, a course book cannot address any audience in general. it must focus on a particular learner, the objectives, and content of the process of learning. in the situation when no textbook meets these requirements, the problem of providing students with an appropriate textbook must be solved by creating new textbooks. in our understanding, the textbook learn to write with us, oriented towards the audience of future teachers of english is optimal and effective because it combines language learning and professional training. while learning to write at the level required at tertiary level, would-be teachers also acquire basic professional skills of how to teach writing. a systematic approach to training these skills helps to achieve this two-fold goal; a variety of tasks and topics, well thought over introduction of materials make the way to this goal enjoyable and efficient. references council of europe. (2011). common european framework of reference for languages: learning, teaching, assessment. retrieved from http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/education /elp/elp-reg/cefr_en.asp harmer, j. (2008). the practice of english language teaching. harlow: pearson longman. kaplan, r. b. (1966). cultural thought patterns in inter-cultural education. language learning, 16(1). svetlana suchkova & gulnara dudnikova learning to teach writing through writing joolingen, w. van. (1999). cognitive tools for discovery learning. international journal of artificial intelligence in education, 10. rudduck, j. and hopkins, d. (1985). research as a basis for teaching: readings from the works of lawrence stenhouse. london: heinemann educational books. scane m., doerger, d. (2010). good teachers need to be good writers: designing and implementing a professional writing course for pre-service teachers. studies in learning, evaluation, innovation and development 7(1). suchkova, s., dudnikova, g., adayeva, o. (2013). learn to write with us: a processbased writing textbook (student’s book). samara. syllabi: направление 050100.62 педагогическое образование. профили: «иностранный язык» и «иностранный язык»; направление 050100.62 педагогическое образование. профиль «иностранный язык»; направление 035700.62 лингвистика. профиль «теория и методика преподавания иностранных языков и культур». the national council of teachers of english at (ncte) http://www.ncte.org/. retrieved on march 24th, 2013. the partnership for 21st century skills at http://www.p21.org/index.php. retrieved on march 24th, 2013. ur, p. (1996). a course in language teaching: practice and theory. cup. yancey, k.b. a report from the national council of teachers of english. writing in the 21st century. http://www.ncte.org/library/nctef iles/press/yancey_final.pdf. retrieved on march 24th, 2013. http://www.ncte.org/ http://www.p21.org/index.php http://www.ncte.org/library/nctefiles/press/yancey_final.pdf english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 105 e-learning for learners’ comprehension in linguistics: a need analysis frimadhona syafri english language and literature department, universitas negeri semarang, indonesia e-mail: frimadhona_lt15s3@mahasiswa.unj.ac.id zainal rafli applied linguistics, postgraduate of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: zainal.rafli@unj.ac.id emzir applied linguistics, postgraduate of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: emzir.unj@.ac.id apa citation: syafri, f., rafli, z., & emzir. (2018). e-learning for learners’ comprehension in linguistics: a need analysis. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 105-118. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1260. received: 14-02-2018 accepted: 23-04-2018 published: 01-06-2018 abstract: the study focuses a need analysis towards the use of elena basis on calla approach as a media in enhancing learners’ comprehension in introduction to linguistics course. universitas negeri semarang has website for e-learning that is named elena (electronic learning aids). using elearning by web to provide information of the course will be real time and interactive. the subjects of the study were learners in fifth semester in academic year of 2016-2017 in english department in universitas negeri semarang. the semi-structured interview, observation, and descriptive survey were done to gather the data. the data were transcribed, identified, classified, analyzed, and interpreted to gain the answer of the research problem. the problem posed in the research is to analyze a need analysis towards the use of online learning: elena basis on calla approach as a media enhance learners’ comprehension in introduction to linguistics course. based on the overall data analysis and interpretation, a need analysis towards the implementation of elena basis on calla approach as a media can provide learners’ comprehension in learning linguistics concepts. the result showed that; 1) learners need to gain knowledge at a glance about the scope of linguistics; 2) learners need to be stimulated to observe and analyze the development of the language around it; 3) learners need media and means of communication forums and discussions both offline and online; 4) learners need to be facilitated with adequate bandwidth and infrastructure for internet use; and 5) learners are strengthened by e-learning and there are assessments in the use of e-learning. it can be concluded that need analysis is necessary in designing the instructional model, due to it is a process to determine the learners’ needs based on their wants, lacks, and necessities. keywords: a need analysis, e-learning, introduction to linguistics introduction this study aims to analyze a need analysis towards using e-learning for introductory linguistics course in english language and literature department, universitas negeri semarang. a need analysis is a process to assess students’communicative needs in order to achieve specific learning objective. hutchinson et al. (1987, p. 19) declare that an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and methods are based on the learner’s reason for learning. as brown (1995, p. 25) states that in terms of goals and objectives which, in turn, can serve as the bases for developing tests, materials, teaching activities and evaluation strategies. it is assumed that needs analysis (also known as needs assessment) has a vital role in the english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 107 process of designing and carrying out any language course. one of the basic assumptions of curriculum development is that sound education programs should be based on the needs analysis of learners. the basic procedure used to gather information about the needs of the student is known as needs analysis. according to seels and glasgow in sanjaya (2010, p. 93), needs analysis is a plan to gather information about gaps and use that information to determine priorities for existing gaps to find a solution. information is important to know the language skills that have been mastered by learners, and language skills that must be taught to them to achieve the target. meanwhile, hutchinson and waters in the nation and macallister (2010, p. 24) divide the need into the needs of the goal (i.e. what the learners need to do in the target situation) and the learning needs (what the learners need to do in order to learn). therefore, the needs of learners are divided into three namely lacks, wants, and necessities. figure 1. three types of needs 1) necessities: what does the learner need in language usage? 2) disadvantages (lacks): what are the learner deficiencies? 3) wants: what do learners want to learn? needs analysis should be in accordance with the characteristics of learners. in general, students who follow the course introduction to linguistics in the department of english language and literature universitas negeri semarang are 20 years and over. this means that learners are adults who learn selfawareness. essentially, adult learning is a nonauthoritarian, more informal, lesson-based learning that essentially aims at finding understanding and/or thought-seeking in order to formulate a standardized attitude (lee & owen, 2004). therefore, adult learning is how to make the learning program in harmony with real life.there are some components of adults that must be observed in the planning of learning, that is the relationship between the information obtained with the real world, involvement in tasks, and the needs to be achieved. the process of learning at the university is a series of process activities by teachers and learners on the basis of reciprocal relationships that take place in educational situations to achieve certain goals. interaction or mutual relationship between teachers and learners is a major requirement for the ongoing learning process. therefore, one of the ways pursued by universitas negeri semarang in intensifying the online learning process. therefore, a review of the characteristics of each course offered in each department, so that the management and learning process can be presented appropriately and achieve the learning objectives. english language and literature department as part of universitas negeri semarang look at the characteristics of each course given to the students. one of the subjects that need to be examined is introduction to linguistics because this subject is a prerequisite subject for subsequent linguistic courses, such as morphology, syntax, and semantics. understanding of linguistic concepts becomes the main foundation for learners to study linguistic-oriented courses for higher levels. in line with the report of seminar on evaluation of linguistic teaching in higher education compiled by kridalaksana (1978), that introductory linguistics course aims to learners have basic knowledge about the nature of language, its function, and its relation with other sciences. this course, in addition to providing a basis for further study in linguistics, also provides sufficient insight into the field of linguistics for those interested in other disciplines this study explores learners’ perceptions and examines their point of views in studying linguistics and how to comprehend basics of linguistics. this analysis will be concerning in developing model of learning in frimadhona syafri, zainal rafli, &emzir e-learning for learners’ comprehension in linguistics: a need analysis 108 introduction to linguistics course. besides, it will inform to lecturer about what strategies, design instructional, and media that are appropriate to encourage the learners’ knowledge in study introduction to linguistics course. method referring to this research, the right method of research is descriptive method. in carrying out this research, in general, it has taken several steps to obtain data related to the descriptive analysis that includes, (a) analysis of online learning model needs for introductory linguistics course and (b) learning conditions introduction to linguistics. descriptive method is used to describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon being studied. it does not answer questions about how/when/why the characteristics occurred. rather, it addresses the "what" question (what are the characteristics of minnesota state population or situation being studied?)the characteristics used to describe the situation or population are usually some kind of categorical scheme also known as descriptive categories. thus, descriptive research cannot be used as the basis of a causal relationship where one variable affects another. dulock (1993) stated that descriptive research to describe sistematically and accurately the facts and the characteristics of a given population or area of interest. results and discussion the need of learning model of introduction to linguistics by using online is done by capturing input from participants of pbi program even semester 2016/2017 who have followed the course of introduction to linguistics by using questionnaire. the results of the questionnaire analysis consisted of several aspects, namely (1) the identity of the participants of the pbi program in the even semester of 2016/2017 that followed the course of introduction to linguistics; (2) content requirement/course subject introduction to linguistics; (3) learning needs introduction linguistics using the principles of calla approach; and (4) the need of electronic learning aid (elena) learning model to support learning process of introduction to linguistics, and (5) open question to the need of online learning implementation using electronic learning aid (elena) based on calla approach in introduction to linguistics course. the identity of the participants of the pbi program in the even semester of 2016/2017 that followed the course of introduction to linguistics the survey was conducted by distributing questionnaires to students of english education study program (pbi) even semester of 2016/2017 department of language and english literature universitas negeri semarang. the results of the questionnaire show the identity of learners viewed from the age and sex, as shown below. figure 2. age description students aged less than 20 years consists of 26.67% and learners aged between 20 to 25 years consisting of 73.33%. based on the age of learners then the learning used is adult learning (andagogy). figure 3. sex description meanwhile, the sex of the men who collected the survey consisted of 6.67% and the female sex collecting survey consisted of 93.33%. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 109 these data suggest that female learners are more involved in the study. content requirement/subject material introduction linguistics course in analyzing the needs of the content /subject matter of linguistic introduction, the researcher uses twelve aspects contained in the questionnaire. as a reference, these aspects refer to the subject matter contained in the rps (semester learning plan) of introduction to linguistics. these aspects consist of (1) a statement that refers to the extent to which the learners need for the statement, (2) learners understand the subject of the structure of human language, (3) learners understand the subject of phonetics, (4) learners understand the subject of phonology , (5) learners understand the subject of morphology, (6) learners understand the subject of syntax, (7) learners understand the subject of semantics, (8) learners understand the subject of pragmatic, (9) learners understand the subject language change, (10) learners understand the subject of the nature of human language, (11) learners understand the subject language variation, and (12) learners understand the subject of language acquisition. the twelve aspects are chosen by learners based on options that are not required, less needed, needed and much needed. for clarity can be seen in the figure below. *green = no needed *dark blue = less needed *yellow=needed *light blue=required is needed figure 4. needs analysis of the subject matter of linguistic introduction the first statement, that learners understand the linguistic scope. the data in the graph above shows that 57.14% of the respondents are urgently needed, 35.71% of the respondents are needed, and 7.14% of those who answered are less needed. this illustrates that over eighty percent of learners consider this material as very important and indispensable to be developed and reviewed in more detail. the second statement, namely learners understand the subject of the structure of human language. the graph above explains the percentage of choices to the statement of learners to understand the subject of the structure of human language. the data indicate that 21.43% choose is needed, 71.43% stated required, and 7.14% stated less needed. this illustrates that most of the learners consider this material as important and necessary to be developed and reviewed in more detail. the third statement, learners understand the subject of phonetic. based on the graph above, there are 35.71% who choose the option is much needed, 57.14% choose required, and 7.14% of learners choose less needed. it illustrates that most of the learners consider this material very important and very english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 109 necessary to be developed and reviewed in more detail. fourth statement, learners understand the subject of phonology. the graph above shows that 35.71% of learners say it is urgently needed, 64.29% of them claim that the material is needed and none of them says it is unnecessary and unnecessary. this condition illustrates that all learners think this material is very important and very necessary to be developed and reviewed in more detail. fifth statement, learners understand the subject of morphology. the above figure explains that 57.14% of learners choose the option very much in need, 42.86% of them stated that the material is needed and none of them stated less needed even not needed. this condition illustrates that all learners think this material is very important and very necessary to be developed and reviewed in more detail. sixth statement, learners understand the subject of syntax. the graph above illustrates that 50% of learners choose the option is much needed and the other 50% choose the required option. none of them stated less and not needed. this condition illustrates that all learners consider this material as very important and indispensable to be developed and reviewed in more detail. the seventh statement, learners understand the subject of semantcs. the graph above illustrates that in the statement there were 42.86% of learners opting for the much needed option, 57.14% of them stated the option was needed and none of them stated less needed and unneeded. this condition illustrates that all learners think this material is very important and very necessary to be developed and reviewed in more detail. eighth statement, learners understand the subject of pragmatics. the graph above explains that this statement was chosen for 42.86% of the students for the needy option, 57.14% with options required and none of them stated less needed and unnecessary. this condition illustrates that all learners think this material is very important and very necessary to be developed and reviewed in more detail. the ninth statement, learners understand the subject of the language change. for this statement, the graph above illustrates that 35.71% of learners who choose the option are urgently needed, 50% of them stated that the material is needed, and the remaining 14.29% stated that the material is less needed. this illustrates that most of the learners consider this material as important and necessary to be developed and reviewed in more detail. the tenth statement of the learner understands the subject of the nature of human language. the above graph clarifies that 21.43% of learners choose the muchneeded option for this statement, 57.14% of them stated voting is required, and 21.43% of them stated that the statement is less needed. this illustrates that most of the learners consider this material as important and necessary to be developed and reviewed in more detail. the eleventh statement of the learner understands the subject of language variation. the graph above explains that there is a 21.43% option badly needed for this statement, 78.57% say that the statement is needed, and none of them says it is unnecessary and unnecessary. it illustrates that all learners consider this material important and necessary to be developed and reviewed in more detail. twelfth statement, learners understand the subject of language acquisition. the graph above shows that 35.71% of learners choose the much needed option for this statement, 57.14% of them stated required, and 7.14% of them stated less needed. it illustrates that most of the learners consider the content /subject matter of this subject important and necessary to be developed and reviewed in more detail. from the twelve aspects of the above statement it can be seen that six aspects explain that all learners desperately need the subject to be developed and reviewed in more detail. six subjects are phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and language variation. five of the six subjects are major branches of linguistics. therefore, the subject matter of this subject becomes the starting point as an introduction to advanced linguistics courses such as morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and sociolinguistics. frimadhona syafri, zainal rafli, &emzir e-learning for learners’ comprehension in linguistics: a need analysis 110 learning needs introduction to linguistics using the principles of calla approach to analyze needs of the introduction of learning introduction to linguistics using the principles of the calla approach, there are nineteen statements that largely adopt calla principles. to facilitate the elaboration of these nineteen aspects are grouped into three elements, namely learning objectives, learning process, and evaluation. 1) learning objectives is reflected in the following graph. *green = no needed*dark blue = less needed *yellow=needed *light blue=required is needed figure 4. analysis of learning implementation needs (learning objectives) the first statement, the course lecturer provides the linguistic introductory lecture contract at the beginning of the lecture. based on the data on the charts, 28.57% of learners choose the much-needed option of availability of lecture contracts at the start of the lecture, 64.29% of learners choose the required option, and 7.14% of learners choose the less-needed option. it proves that most learners assume the availability of lecture contracts at the beginning of the meeting is essential to know the purpose and coverage of the introductory linguistics course. the second statement, the lecturer of the course lecturer provides the linguistic introduction lecture unit (sap) at the beginning of the lecture. the data in the graph shows that 21.43% of learners choose the most needed option for the statement, 50.00% of learners choose required, and 28.57% of learners choose less needed. this explains that most learners consider sap as important to know what topics and subtitles of linguistic introduction material will be learned at each meeting. 2) learning process is described in the following figure. *green = no needed *dark blue = less needed *yellow=needed *light blue=required is needed figure 5. analysis of learning implementation needs (learning process) the third statement, the course lecturer provides subject matter in the form of a ppt and a summary of material topics introduction to linguistics at each meeting. the data on the graph shows that 50% of learners choose the option is very necessary, 50% of learners choose the required option, and none of the learners who answered less need and did not need this aspect. it proves that all learners argue that the availability of subject matter in the form of ppt and the essence of introduction to linguistics at every meeting is very urgent. fourth statement, the presentation of lecture material at each meeting must be in order of course with linguistic introductory english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 111 lecture at the beginning of the lecture. the data on the graph shows that 50% of learners choose the much needed option for this statement, 42.86% of learners choose the required option for this statement, and 7.14% of learners choose the less needed option. it proves that most learners assume the suitability of lecture materials with lecture contracts at the beginning of the meeting is important to understand the relevance of one subject to another. the fifth statement, the lecturer in the course gives a greeting at every meeting. the data on the graph shows that 28.57% of learners choose the much needed option for this statement, 42.86% of learners choose the required option for this statement, and 28.57% of learners declare the option less necessary. it proves that most learners assume the greeting at the beginning of every meeting is very important to provide stimulus and readiness of participants in receiving learning. the sixth statement, the lecturer develops the metacognitive awareness of the learner by giving the introduction of learning objectivity and introducing new vocabulary as well as the function of academic language according to the subject matter /subject which will be studied. the data in the graph illustrate that for that statement, there are 64.29% of learners choosing the option is urgently needed, 21.43% of learners choose the required option, and there are 7.14% of learners choosing less needed and 7.14% unnecessary. it proves that three quarters of learners assume that this aspect is essential to understanding linguistic concepts. the seventh statement, the lecturer explains new information, new skills, and learning strategies. the data on the graph shows that 64.29% of learners choose the much needed option for this statement, 21.29% of learners choose the required option, and 14.29% of learners choose the less needed option. this explains that most learners assume that the teaching professor explains new information, new skills, and learning strategies in varying ways is essential to accommodate different learners' learning styles. eighth statement, active learners practice new concepts, skills and learning strategies such as cooperative learning activities. the data in the graph shows that 28.57% of learners choose the much needed option for this statement, 57.14% of learners choose the required option, and 14.29% of learners choose the less needed option. this explains that most learners argue that cooperation and discussion with peers is important for exchanging opinions and checking understanding of the material learned. the ninth statement, the course lecturer provides structured and timely assignments. the data in the graph shows that 14.29% of learners choose the much needed option for this statement, 64.29% of learners choose the required option, and 21.43% of learners choose the less needed option. it explains that most learners assume that this aspect is important to train organized learners in performing tasks and sequences in understanding linguistic concepts. the tenth statement, the task given in accordance with the competence of skills to be achieved. the data in the graph illustrates that 21.43% of learners voted indispensably for this statement, 71.4% of learners voted required, and 7.14% of learners chose less needed. this explains that most learners assume that understanding of the material needs to be done with the exercises and tasks assigned so that they can self-assess the mastery of the material learned. eleventh statement, lecture material presented communicatively. the data in the graph explains that 64.29% of learners choose the much-needed option for this statement, 35.71% of learners choose the required option. it shows that all learners need presentation of lecture material presented communicatively. twelfth statement, how to present interesting and communicative material by using video/ppt/link to other sources. the data in the graph illustrates that 64.29% of learners choose the much-needed option of this statement, 35.71% of learners choose the required option, and no learner who chooses is less needed and does not require. it explains frimadhona syafri, zainal rafli, &emzir e-learning for learners’ comprehension in linguistics: a need analysis 112 that all learners desperately need an interesting and communicative learning media. the thirteenth statement, the lecturer on the subject, poses high-level questions that encourage students to do. the data in the graph shows that 64.29% of learners choose the required option for this statement, 35.71% of learners choose less needed. it explains that three-quarters of learners need the lecturers' lectures to provide high-level questions that encourage students to do. however, there are one-third of learners expressed less need for such statements. fourteenth statement, learners are actively involved in the discussion forum provided by the teaching lecturer either group or classical. the data in the graph shows that 7.14% of learners choose the option is much needed for this statement, 78.57% choose the required option, and 14.29% choose less needed. this explains that most learners desperately need their active involvement in discussion forums both group and classical. the fifteenth statement, the lecturer of the course lecturer gives feedback or comments in the class discussion. the data in the graph shows that 64.29% choosing the option is urgently needed and 35.71% selecting the required options against this statement. it explains that all learners desperately need the actions of lecturers to give feedback in class discussion. the seventeenth statement, the lecturer of the course learner provides the learning that produces the work of the learner. the data in the graph shows that 7.14% of learners voted indispensable for this statement, 64.29% of learners chose the required option, 21.43% chose the less needed option, and 7.14% chose the unnecessary option. it explains that the various opinions of learners on this aspect. however, most of them require that lecturers provide subjects that produce the work of learners. eighteenth statement, the topic on discussion forums allows learners to construct their own ideas or knowledge. the data on the graph shows that 15.38% of learners choose the much needed option for this statement, 76.92% of learners choose the required option, and 7.69% of learners choose less needed. this explains that most learners desperately need topics in discussion forums allow learners to construct their own ideas or knowledge. 3) evaluation of learning is illustrated in the following graph. *green = no needed*dark blue = less needed *yellow=needed *light blue=required is needed figure6.analysis of learning implementation needs (evaluation of learning) nineteenth statement, learners conduct self-evaluation by filling out evaluation blogs and conducting discussions with groups to review their understanding of the material being mastered. the data in the graph shows that 7.14% of learners voted indispensable for this statement, 57.14% of learners chose the required option, 28.57% of learners chose the less needed option, and 7.14% chose unnecessary option. it explains that learners are different opinions in this regard, but the option requires still more than in part requiring this aspect. twentieth statement, learners integrate what is learned in the learning including the knowledge framework, edit the previous knowledge needed, apply the knowledge, study the situation in the real context. the data in the graph shows that 21.43% of learners choose the much needed option for this statement and 78.57% of learners choose the required option. nobody chooses less and unneeded options. it explains that all learners desperately need the skills to integrate what is learned in the learning including the knowledge framework, edit the prior knowledge needed, apply the knowledge, learn the situation in the real context english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 113 broadly speaking, it can be seen that learners need the learning principles contained in calla, starting from the preparation stage up to the evaluation stage. these calla principles provide skills in the learning process of learners in developing metacognitive, cognitive and social capabilities. if the principles of calla are implemented properly and appropriately, then learners will be able to construct the knowledge they learn. the need of online learning facilities by using electronic learning aid (elena) for introduction to linguistics course the following needs analysis is an electronic learning aid (elena) learning analysis found in universitas negeri semarang to support the introduction to linguistic learning process. the data used to conduct the survey consists of twelve statements namely, (1) elena facilitate learners with the desired speed level so that learners can learn with the intelegent quotes (iq) owned, (2) elena facilitate learners to learn on difficult subjects as often as the learners wish, (3) elena facilitates learners without time limitations. whenever students learn and how long they want to study, there are no problems and no limitations (when compared to regular regular classes), (4) elena facilitates learners to increase knowledge outside of class time, (5) elena facilitates repeat learners, (6) elena facilitates learners to assist in improving supervision of the use of learning materials, (7) elena facilitates learners to monitor, (8) elena facilitates students to conduct online discussions in order to provide feedback to learners, (9) systems contained in the elena helps lecturers to monitor the progress of learners by assessing the understanding of learners who participate in the discussion online, (10) assignment through elena makes my material sense, and (11) participation and liveliness of learners at question and answer sessions in online discussions help students understand better the material being studied. these conditions can be seen in the following graph. *green = no needed*dark blue = less needed *yellow=needed *light blue=required is needed figure 7. learning analysis of electronic learning aid (elena) the first statement is the elena facilitates learners with the appropriate level of pace that is desired so that learners can learn with intelegent quotes (iq) owned. the data contained in the graph shows that 21.43% of learners choose the option is much needed and 78.57% of learners choose the need, even no learners who choose the less option and do not need this aspect. the data explains that all learners assume elena facilitates learners with the desired speed level so that learners can learn with their own intelegent quotes (iq). the second statement is that elena facilitates learners to learn on difficult subjects as often as the learners want. the data contained in the graph shows that 35.71% of learners choose the option is much needed, 57.14% of learners choose the required option, and 7.14% of learners choose the less needed option. the data explains that most learners desperately need elena as a facility to learn on difficult subjects as often as students want. frimadhona syafri, zainal rafli, &emzir e-learning for learners’ comprehension in linguistics: a need analysis 114 the third statement is that elena facilitates learners without time constraints. whenever students learn and how long they want to study, there are no problems and no limitations (when compared to regular regular classes). the graph data above explains that 28.57% of learners choose the option is much needed and 71.43% of learners choose the required option. the data explains that all learners desperately need elena as a facility for learning without time constraints. whenever students learn and how long they want to study, there are no problems and no limitations (when compared to regular regular classes). the fourth statement is that elena facilitates learners to increase their knowledge beyond class time. based on the data on the charts it is clear that 21.43% of learners choose the option is much needed and 78.57% of learners choose required. the data explains that all learners desperately need an elena that facilitates learners to gain knowledge outside of college hours. the fifth statement is that elena facilitates learners to repeat the newly learned knowledge. based on the data on the charts, it is clear that 58.71% of learners choose the option is much needed, 57.14% of learners choose needed, and 7.14% choose less needed option. the data explains that most learners desperately need elena as a facility for learners in repeating newly learned knowledge. the sixth statement is that elena is a learning tool available whenever it is accessible and everywhere. based on the data on the graph explains that 50% of learners choose is needed and 50% of learners need it. the data explains that all learners desperately need elena for available learning tools whenever accessible and anywhere. the seventh statement is that elena facilitates learners to assist in improving the supervision of the use of the subject matter. based on the data on the graph explained that 28.57% of learners choose the option is much needed and 71.43% of learners choose the required option. no learner chooses less needed and unneeded options. the data explains that all learners desperately need elena to facilitate learners in order to assist in improving the supervision of the use of the subject matter. the eighth statement is that elena facilitates learners to assist in improving the supervision of the use of the subject matter. the graph data explains that 21.43% of learners choose the option is much needed and 64.29% of learners choose the required option. furthermore, 14.29% of learners who choose less options are needed. the data explains that most learners desperately need elena to facilitate learners in order to assist in improving the supervision of the use of the subject matter. the ninth aspect of elena facilitates learners to conduct online discussions in order to provide feedback to learners. based on the data in the graph above, it is clear that 14.29% of learners choose the option is much needed, 71.43% of learners choose the required option, 7.14% of students choose the option is less needed and 7.14% is not needed. the data varies options, but most learners need elena as a facility for online discussion in order to provide feedback to learners. the tenth statement, the elena system helps lecturers monitor the progress of learners by assessing the understanding of learners who participate in online discussions. based on the data in the graph above it is explained that 7.14% of learners choose the option is much needed, 71.43% of learners choose the required option, 21.43% of learners who choose the option less needed. the data illustrates that most learners need a system in elena to help lecturers monitor the progress of learners by assessing the understanding of learners who participate in online discussions. the eleventh statement is the assignment through elena makes the understanding of the lecture material more effective. based on the data on the charts it is clear that 7.14% of learners choosing the option is urgently needed, 35.71% of learners choose the required option, 57.14% of learners who choose the option are less needed. the data explains that only some of the learners need the assignment through elena to make the understanding of the lecture material more effective. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 115 the twelfth statement is the participation and participation of learners at a question and answer session in online discussion to help students understand better for the material being studied. based on the data in the above chart 21.43 it is shown that learners choose the option is much needed, 64.29% of learners choose needed, 14.29% of learners who choose the option less needed. the data explains that most learners need the participation and participation of learners in a question and answer session in online discussions that help students understand better for the material being studied. the above data summary can be stated that use and availability of elena can facilitate learners to learn on difficult subjects as often as the learners wish. elena facilitates learners to repeat newly learned knowledge. elena is a learning tool that is available anytime can be accessed and anywhere. open question to the need of online learning implementation using electronic learning aid (elena) based on calla approach in introductory linguistics course for an open question, there are four questions asked, namely (1) what do you think needs to be improved from the material? (2) what do you think needs improvement from the introduction to linguistics? (3) what do you think needs to be improved from the media used in the current introduction to linguistics? (4) what resources/tools should you use in your introduction to linguistics? the four open questions were responded by respondents with various opinions and suggestions related to introduction to linguistics. the response of respondents to four open questions indicates that learners need the presentation of simplified material to be easily understood. in addition, the media used are expected to be more varied. that is, not only using ppt, but the sampling can be a video or image related to the topic. meanwhile, there are also learners who want online discussions, blogs, or other sources in the form of links. it shows the sincerity of learners in achieving a maximum understanding of the concepts and scope of linguistics. besides questionnaire and observation, taking interviews with lecturers and learners, there are some obstacles to material tackling. the lecturer tries to complete the twelve subjects of agreed upon in sixteen meetings. however, lecturers find it difficult to explain each subject in one or two meetings. as an alternative, the lecturer gives the task to check the understanding of learners. the same thing is also subject to completion of discussions on the matter. they also complained about the narrow time constraints. the tasks given by the lecturer can not do well because the material understanding introduction to linguistics course has not been properly understood. learners want a solution, one of them with linguistics. for more details, the following table describes want (what they want learners), lack (the weaknesses in learners), and necessity (things or items that learners need) as illustrated by nation (2010). in this diagram below, as the result of need analysis of the pbi study program of the semester four 2016/2017 which has been in introduction to linguistics courses by using interviews, questionnaire, and observation. frimadhona syafri, zainal rafli, &emzir e-learning for learners’ comprehension in linguistics: a need analysis 116 elena basis on calla approach for learners’ comprehension linguistics: a need analysis material method learning support system: elena · materials “simple” · using module · some topics are reviewed and developed · course materials are presented in a communicatio n manner · lectures provide subject matter at every meeting · elena facilitates learners to learn on difficult subjects as often as the learners’ wish · elena is an available learning tool whenever it is accessible and everywhere. · learners are not familiar with the use of e-learning (elena) · learners hampered the availability of bandwidth (quota) for interest usage · students are facilitated with adequate bandwith and infrastructure for internet use · learners are strengthened by e-learning and there are assessment in the use of elearning. · learners do not read other references related to the subject · learners are not used to doing critical analysis of the development of the language around them · learners need media interactive to learn linguistics · learners are stimulated to observe and analyze the development of the language around it. · materials too broad and long-winded · textbook is complicated · lack of knowledge and information on linguistics · learners need simple material linguistics · learners need to gain knowledge at a glance the scope of linguistics want lack necessity want lack necessity want lack necessity figure 7. the result of need analysis towards the the participants of the pbi study program of the semester four 2016/2017 based on the chart, there are three aspects that were analyzed to fullfil the need analysis of the learners in taking introduction to linguistics course; (1) material, (2) method, and (3) learning support system: elena. the result of the respondents' responses indicate some considerations. first, learners lack learning time in the classroom to explore concepts and examples in order to better understand the basic concepts of linguistics presented. second, most learners do not read the material before the teaching and learning process so they are not ready to accept many new terms. third, the majority of learners tend to depend on the lecturer's explanation because it is difficult to understand the linguistic concepts of the reference booksthat learners need a simplified presentation of the material for easy understanding. fourth, the media used are expected to be more varied. that is, not only using ppt, but the sampling can be a video or image related to the topic. meanwhile, there are also learners who want online discussions, blogs, or other sources in the form of links. it shows the sincerity of learners in achieving a maximum understanding of the concepts and scope of linguistics. internet facilities provided by the university have not been used optimally by lecturers and learners for the process of teaching and learning activities. conclusion to sum up, the results of the needs analysis are necessary for lecturer to identify the learners’ professional needs, the learners’ needs in terms of language skills and the learners’ deficiencies in the area of language skills. after analyzing the students’ needs and determining the objectives of the language course, continue to select a material that meets the needs of the learners. thus, needs analysis is the foundation indeveloping curriculum content, teaching materials and methods that can lead to increasing the learners’ motivation and success. in implementation of elena english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 117 basis on calla approach for learners’ comprehension in linguistics is a need of learners to enhance their knowledge about linguistics by using media online (elena) as blended learning. references brown, j. (1995). the elements of language curriculum: a systematic approach to program development. new york: heinle & heinle publishers. dulock, h. l. (1993). research design: descriptive research. journal of pediatric oncology nursing, 10(4), 154-157. hutchinson, t., & waters, a. (1987). english for specific purposes: a learning-centered approach. new york: cambridge university press nation, i.s.p., & macalister, j. (2010). language curriculum design. new york: routledge. frimadhona syafri, zainal rafli, &emzir e-learning for learners’ comprehension in linguistics: a need analysis 118 english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1 developing esl/efl learners’ public speaking skills through pecha kucha presentations romualdo a. mabuan lyceum of the philippines university e-mail: romualdo.mabuan@lpu.edu.ph apa citation: mabuan, r. a. (2017). developing esl/efl learners’ public speaking skills through pecha kucha presentations. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 110. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.765. received: 18-08-2017 accepted: 21-10-2017 published: 01-12-2017 abstract: in the 21 st century workplace, there has been an increasing demand for graduates to possess communicative competence particularly in speaking. anchored on the 21 st century learning framework (partnership for 21 st century skills or p21, 2006) and the tpack framework (koehler & mishra, 2009), this study reports findings on the pedagogical viability of utilizing pecha kucha 20x20 presentations in developing students’ competence and confidence while presenting in the language classroom. research participants include 43 english as second language (esl) learners taking speech communication classes in a private university in manila, the philippines during the second semester of the academic year 2016-2017. research data from students’ reflections, interviews, survey, and focus group discussion (fgd) suggest that despite some format and technological limitations, delivering pecha kucha presentations may help students develop their english speaking and oral presentation skills, build their confidence in speaking before an audience, and practice their english macro skills such as listening and reading. in the light of these findings, pedagogical implications are provided for esl (english as a second language) and efl (english as a foreign language) teachers, communication educators, and researchers. keywords: teaching speaking, pecha kucha presentations, esl public speaking, tpack introduction one of the significant concerns in developing communicative competence among esl/efl learners is their reluctance to speak in the classroom – a pedagogical challenge that english language teachers face in the context of 21 st century learning, which espouses the development of 4cs among students to prepare them for success in life and in their profession: critical thinking skills, creativity, collaboration, and communication (partnership for 21 st century skills, 2006). of these skills, many people put premium to communication, because in most cases, a person’s ability and value to the organization is judged not so much on what he can do, but on how well he can explain what he does (souter, 2007). however, no matter how much teachers work hard to develop their students’ english public speaking skills, speech anxiety remains to be a hurdle to many students. anxiety is defined as an unpleasant feeling similar to fear (lader, 1975), or “the subjective feeling of tension, apprehension, nervousness, and worry…” (horwitz, horwitz, & cope, 1986, p. 125). in the context of public speaking, anxiety is defined as “those situations when an individual reports that he or she is afraid to deliver a speech” (ayers & hopf, 1993, p.4) as cited in (ciarrocca, 2015). mccroskey (1984) refers to this as communication apprehension (ca), an area of inquiry extensively researched since mid-1930s but remains to be relevant up to present. in the current curriculum where active oral language practices only take place for about 5% of daily class time in the typical english classroom (milner, milner, & mitchell, 2012), there is a need to provide more opportunities to the students to engage in meaningful and effective oral communication activities and to help them develop competence and confidence in public speaking. presentations play a large role in the business world today; they are the daily rituals romualdo a. mabuan developing esl/efl learners’ public speaking skills through pecha kucha presentations 2 of the corporate life (souter, 2007). despite the ubiquity and constant hum of computermediated communication (cmc), people continue to spend more and more of their lives engaging in face-to-face communication, interacting with others, giving and receiving information, sharing and selling ideas, and laying the groundwork for important decisions. presentations are how people do business in corporate world, and in the context of outcomes-based education (spady, 1994), communication teachers face the challenge of reflecting this reality in their language classrooms so that their students develop effective communication skills and graduate fully-equipped, competent, and confident to face the world of work. practicing public speaking in the classroom, whether individually or in small groups, can help students develop their confidence in preparing and delivering oral presentations (king, 2002) as cited in (nguyen, 2015), help them plan, prepare, and perform better for their future professionrelated tasks (nguyen, 2015), and overcome their public speaking anxiety (liao, 2014). practicing oral presentations can also develop students’ listening, speaking, reading, writing, critical thinking, and higher order research skills (iberri-shea, 2009; manchey, 1986) as cited in (ciarrocca, 2015). this is supported by al-issa and al-qubtan (2010) as cited in (nguyen, 2015) who claimed that aside from building students’ confidence and decisionmaking skills in topic selection, performing oral presentations is an integrative approach that helps develop students’ english macro skills as they practice writing notes and scripts for their slides, read texts related to their presentation, speak to audience, and listen for questions and feedback cues from the audience. finally, munby (2011) as cited in (nguyen, 2015) argued that performing oral presentations can develop self-directed learning and empowerment among students, help them identify their individual capacities, and enhance their presentation skills through peer feedback mechanisms. developed by british architects astrid klein and mark dytham in tokyo, japan in february 2003, pecha kucha (pronounced pechuk-cha, more commonly heard as pe-chaku-cha) is a japenese term for chit-chat or informal and friendly talk. it is a fast-paced presentation that uses microsoft office powerpoint slides in a 20 x 20 format, which corresponds to 20 pictures or images shown for 20 seconds each, for a total presentation time of 6 minutes and 40 seconds (www.pechakucha.org/faq, 2016). upon timing setup in the advance slide section of the powerpoint, the images transit automatically and the presenter talks along with the slides, carefully matching his words with the images, but also focusing on the topic and the audience. the pecha kucha presentation format has been popularly adopted around the world. it has become a global phenomenon: there are pecha kucha training and workshops, pecha kucha nights in over 900 cities in the world (www.pechakucha.org/global, 2016), and almost 19,000 pecha kucha videos on youtube (smith, 2013). it has been adopted by universities, industries, and professional conference organizers, has been regularly voted as the most popular session and a novel way of presenting (downing & martindale, 2011; hass, 2011) as cited in (tomsett & trott, 2014), and has received positive reviews: ‘excellent, succinct, informative’; ‘great format, really well done’ (smith, 2013). the format is regarded as an “amazing cure for death by powerpoint” and is recommended for use in business presentations based on how it “forces speakers to refine, and refine, and refine again” (berkun, 2010) as cited in (christianson & payne, 2011). pecha kucha presentations have also been popularly used in presenting class work and projects in academia (foyle & childress, 2015) as cited in (nguyen, 2015) and are now commonly integrated in the classroom across a range of disciplines. pecha kucha presentations have been explored and investigated in different contexts. in her postgraduate certificate in higher education class at a university in united kingdom, smith (2013) decided to liven up her class sessions by asking her students to create and deliver pecha kuchas on class topics such as learning theories and theorists. post-presentation evaluation revealed that http://www.pechakucha.org/ english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 3 despite concerns on long preparation, strict structure, and challenging delivery, students described pecha kuchas as an ‘interesting approach to gain an overview of complex topics’ and a ‘good way of identifying the essentials’. smith concluded that pecha kuchas could be a powerful means of developing students’ synthesis, summary, and time-keeping skills as well as adding excitement to presentations. in an american university, soto-caban, selvi, and avila-medina (2011) as cited in (nguyen, 2015) adopted the original pecha kucha 20 x 20 format in asking their engineering students who had experience using powerpoint presentations but had no experience using pecha kucha in presenting their research project results. findings suggested that compared to other traditional presentation formats in the classroom, utilizing pecha kuchas developed their students’ communication skills more effectively. this is supported by the work of chritianson and payne (2011) with their engineering students, which showed the effectiveness of pecha kuchas in enhancing students’ presentation skills and creating engaging presentations compared to traditional presentations with a time limit. other studies also compared the effectiveness of pecha kuchas compared to powerpoints. klentzin et al. (2010) claimed that in a lecture context, pecha kucha proved to be a better instruction method. this corroborated with the findings in the study carried out by beyer (2011) and beyer, gaze, and lazicki (2012) which suggested that pecha kuchas were favored by the students, had quality similar to or better than powerpoints, were “more appealing”, and were an effective tool in developing students’ presentation and image design skills. in efl contexts, pecha kuchas have also been studied. ryan (2012) as cited in (nguyen, 2015) claimed that pecha kucha presentations can help improve students’ pronunciation and intonation, pointing out that pecha kucha’s fixed and controlled timing and the english language’s characteristic of being stress-timed may help students “achieve natural sounding connected speech” (p.25). nguyen (2015), in an efl reading class of engineering majors in japan, used pecha kuchas in asking students to create presentations based on topics from the class readings. results revealed that despite some negative feedback on presentation pacing and personal shyness among students, pecha kuchas were considered beneficial in improving students’ reading comprehension, speaking, and oral presentation skills. the foregoing foreign studies underpin benefits of using pecha kuchas in various academic contexts, but provide no specific findings on the use of pecha kuchas in local esl settings in the philippines particularly in oral communication classes. pecha kucha nights are held in different venues in urban manila and other parts of the country, yet there is dearth of literature discussing pecha kucha’s applicability and viability in pedagogical contexts. drawing from the 21 st century learning framework (partnership for 21 st century learning, 2006) and the technological pedagogical and content knowledge or tpack framework (koehler & mishra, 2009), this study aims to fill that research gap, as it explores and examines students’ views and attitudes towards the use of pecha kuchas in an esl speech class in a private university setting in the philippines. conceptualizing, designing and implementing the current study as guided by the principles of the foregoing paradigms require careful planning and decision making. the technological pedagogical and content knowledge (tpack) framework developed by koehler and mishra (2009) informs this study on how to successfully integrate pecha kuchas into the filipino esl speech class context. tpack attempts to capture some of the essential qualities of knowledge required by teachers for technology integration in their teaching. it shows the complex interplay and interconnections of the three primary forms of knowledge – content (c), pedagogy (p), and technology – that results in the following intersections: pedagogical content knowledge (pck), technological content knowledge (tck), technological pedagogical knowledge (tpk), and technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpck). romualdo a. mabuan developing esl/efl learners’ public speaking skills through pecha kucha presentations 4 tpack guides this study in developing sensitivity to the dynamic and transactional relationship among all three components and in flexibly navigating the spaces defined by these key elements in the utilization of technology in a speech class. with the pedagogical aim of developing and enhancing students’ communication skills particularly their english oral presentations skills, this ict-embedded study on the utilization of pecha kucha presentations in the speech communication class intends to answer the following questions: 1. how do students view the use of pecha kuchas in the speech communication class? 2. what are the students’ attitudes towards the use of pecha kuchas in delivering their oral presentations in the class? method this study utilized a qualitative research design to unpack students’ experiences in delivering pecha kucha presentations. the pecha kucha presentation format was introduced to the speech communication subject for two different sophomore classes at a private university in manila, philippines during the second semester of the academic year 2016 – 2017. the participants were 43 pre-intermediate/intermediate level students based on toeic scores, aged 18 to 22, majoring in bachelor of science in accountancy. the textbook used was speak well…get connected (custodio, ambida, & nolasco, 2015). classes convened twice a week for 90 minutes over approximately 4 months or 18 weeks, totaling 54 hours of mixed lecture and laboratory sessions. the pecha kuchas were implemented once for both classes during the midterm period as part of class graded recitation. class orientation, demonstration, and practice were conducted before the class’ pecha kucha day. the teacher delivered his own pecha kucha to the class in order to demonstrate how it is done. instructions on how to create pecha kuchas using the microsoft powerpoint application were provided, and student practiced making their own pecha kuchas in the speech laboratory. students were encouraged to use their original photos and were advised to cite sources when using images online. as part of class practice, students were asked to create their individual short pecha kuchas containing at least five slides (with one image and no more than three words per slide) that were automatically set to transition every 20 seconds and present them in pairs or in triads for feedback, suggestions, and recommendations for improvement. a rubric for pecha kucha performance assessment was presented and discussed. the rubric consisted of six categories scoring from one to three on the following criteria: slideshow, speech organization, preparation and presentation of ideas, visual appeal and creativity, topic treatment, and presentation skills. students wore corporate attire to simulate real-world presentations and were advised to demonstrate effective linguistics (verbal) and paralinguistics (nonverbal, body language, gestures, facial expressions, pacing, pitch, volume, pronunciation, intonation). presentations were video recorded and uploaded on the class’ facebook group for post-presentation viewing and assessment. individually, students performed peer evaluation of their classmates’ presentation using a presentation rubric. boud (1995) and sadler and good (2006) posit that selfevaluation and self-grading are necessary skills for lifelong learning and are an integral part of the learning process, while spiller (2012) suggests that peer evaluation can encourage collaborative learning through interchange about what constitutes good work. students submitted individual reflections on their pecha kucha experience. they described or narrated how they felt before, during, and after the presentation; the preparations they made; their learning from the activity; and the challenges that they encountered as well as their means of addressing them. students were also asked to respond to a survey created via survey monkey and posted on the class’ facebook group. finally, the teacher asked for volunteers for individual interviews and focus group discussion (fgd) about their pecha kucha experience. forty-three students took the survey and submitted their reflections, english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 5 while 10 students volunteered for individual and group interviews and allowed for their recording. by reflecting on their pecha kucha experience, students may enhance their learning (moon, 1999) and deepen their understanding of the task (akbari, 2007). the interview recordings were transcribed, coded, thematized, and analyzed following guest, mcqueen, and namey’s (2012) thematic analysis framework. the survey data was analyzed qualitatively to identify themes and patterns. this data was triangulated with the data from students’ reflections, and they were presented in tables and supported with excerpts. results and discussion student ratings on the impact of pecha kucha presentations items 1 to 7 in table 1 below explored what students believed to be the impact of performing pecha kucha presentations in the speech communication class. the majority of the respondents of item 1 agreed that pecha kucha presentations improved their english speaking and oral presentation skills (69.8% strongly agree and 27.9% agree). this finding supports findings from previous studies on improved english speaking and presentation skills (beyer, gaze, & lazicki, 2012; christianson & payne, 2011; nguyen, 2015) and improved communication skills (soto-caban, selvi, & avila-medina, 2011). for 6 minutes and 40 seconds, each of the speakers was required to deliver his/her presentation using english – a class presentation rule that had been agreed upon by the class during the pecha kucha orientation. this allowed them to use the global language in delivering their topics and exercising selfexpression. furthermore, students reported that pecha kucha presentations developed their presentation skills, which include selecting the topic carefully, organizing and outlining the ideas, selecting appropriate images, creating powerpoint presentations, rehearsing the presentations, and delivering them in front of audience. as reported by s11 and s23, pecha kucha has taught them to consider the linguistic and paralinguistic, as well as the technical and technological aspects of presenting. similarly, in item 2, most respondents agreed that pecha kucha presentations improved their listening skills (55.8 strongly agree and 39.5% agree). by carefully listening to over 40 pecha kucha presentations of their classmates using the pecha kucha presentation rubric, students did not only improve their english listening skills, they also learned valuable ideas from various topics in the presentations. for item 3, the majority of the students agreed that preparing for their pecha kucha presentations encouraged them to read more about their topics (41.9% strongly agree and 41.9% agree), while 16.3% disagreed, which contradicted the researcher’s expectation that students would do a lot of reading and research to create informative pecha kuchas. nguyen (2015) reported a similar finding and attributed it to students’ limited exposure to pecha kucha, which happened only once during the semester. table 1. results of the questionnaire pecha kucha presentations… strongly agree agree undecided disagree strongly disagree 1. improved my english speaking and presentation skills. 30 (69.8%) 12 (27.9%) 1 (2.3%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2. improved my listening skills. 24 (55.8%) 17 (39.5%) 0 (0%) 2 (4.7%) 0 (0%) 3. encouraged me to read more about my topic. 18 (41.9%) 18 (41.9%) 7 (16.3%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 4. developed my selfconfidence. 36 (83.7%) 6 (14.0%) 1 (2.3%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 5. improved my non-verbal communication skills. 27 (62.8%) 15 (34.9%) 1 (2.3%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 6. encouraged cooperative 29 12 2 0 0 romualdo a. mabuan developing esl/efl learners’ public speaking skills through pecha kucha presentations 6 learning. (67.4%) (27.9%) (4.7%) (0%) (0%) 7. provided a fun learning environment. 37 (86.0%) 6 (14.0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) responses to item 4 show that delivering pecha kucha presentations developed students’ confidence in delivering english oral presentations before an audience. this finding corroborates with the findings of previous studies suggesting that pecha kuchas can “develop presenters’ sense of confidence in their ability” (christianson & payne, 2011, p. 8) and build their “speaking confidence and fluency” (nguyen, 2015, p. 6). similarly, in item 5, most respondents agreed that pecha kucha presentations improved their nonverbal communication skills (62.8 strongly agree and 34.9% agree). series of pecha kucha preparations allowed students to practice applying effective body language skills (posture, facial expressions, body movements, and hand gestures) and linguistic skills (correct pronunciation, intonation, volume, and voice projection). however, 2.3% was undecided, which may be from students who were shy and diffident to use non-verbal skills during their presentations. data for item 6 shows that majority of the students (67.4% strongly agree and 27.9% agree) believed that pecha kucha presentations encouraged cooperative learning, which may be attributed to peer teaching and peer assisting in the preparation and practice of their pecha kuchas. however, 4.7% (n=2) was “undecided” about this, which may have come from shy and/or reluctant students (nguyen, 2015, p. 139) who preferred to prepare and practice their pecha kuchas by themselves. the researchers also observed that low english proficiency students tended to do the practice task on their own, avoiding feedback or criticism from their peers. they only participated in the group during the final presentation. these findings are supported by the following students’ avowals. table 2. students’ avowals showing the impact of pecha kucha presentations pecha kucha presentations… interview transcripts and students’ reflections showing students’ perceptions on the benefits of pecha kucha improve english speaking and oral presentation skills it taught me how to present well like preparing for my topic, designing my ppt and delivering it well to my audience. (s34-f-18) i believe that it’s a very good way to improve my english speaking skill because i had to speak in english all the time during my presentation. (s20-m-19) improve listening skills i was able to listen to over 40 pecha kucha presentations of my classmates and i think that it improved my english listening skill because i needed to do peer evaluation using our pecha kucha presentation rubric. i also learned a lot about them and their experiences. (s1-m-20) encourage reading before presenting my pecha kucha, i researched about my topic and read a lot of materials online and at our library so that i could present my topic well. (s36-f18) develop self-confidence pecha kucha helped me build my self-esteem and self-confidence to stand in front and express my ideas about my topic. (s11-m-18) at first i was so nervous and scared to stand in front of my classmates because it was my first time to do a presentation, but i’m happy that i made it successfully. it was very memorable for me…one of the best things in my college life so far. (s5f-18) improve non-verbal communication skills during my pecha kucha, i applied what sir told us to project a confident and correct posture, use appropriate and effective hand gestures, and engage eye contact with the audience. (s38-m-19) encourage cooperative learning another thing i really like about our pecha kucha is that when we were required by sir to do peer evaluation with the rubric provided. after my pecha kucha presentation, i received immediate feedback from three of my classmates showing my strengths and my areas for improvement. this made me happy because i felt that they care for me and they want me to be at my best. (s43-m-22) english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 7 provide a fun learning environment presenting a pecha kucha and watching my classmates present their own are fun and enjoyable. of course, i was nervous when it was my turn to present, but after a while, i managed to smile and just enjoyed the moment. it was also very entertaining and at the same very informative to watch my classmates’ presentations because i learned new things and i discovered the other side of them. i strongly recommend pecha kucha for future speech students. (s14-f-21) students’ attitudes towards the use of pecha kucha in the speech class an open-ended question was asked to the students to provide their overall description about their pecha kucha experience in the class. generally, students showed positive views and attitudes towards pecha kuchas, as they described their pecha kucha experience as ‘amazing’, ‘awesome’, ‘remarkable’, ‘exciting’, ‘fun’, etc. some respondents such as s12 and s33 reported that it was “an amazing experience” to present their topics and share their ideas with the class, which was affirmed by s26 and s40 who shared that it has been an “awesome” and “unforgettable” moment of their college life. table 3 lists all of the students’ description of their pecha kucha presentation experience. table 3. students’ attitudes towards the use of pecha kucha in the class students’ attitudes towards pecha kucha responses % amazing 8 18.60 awesome 6 13.95 challenging 3 6.98 remarkable 3 6.98 unforgettable 3 6.98 exciting 2 4.65 fun 2 4.65 wonderful 2 4.65 engaging 1 2.33 extraordinary 1 2.33 extreme 1 2.33 fantastic 1 2.33 happy 1 2.33 interesting 1 2.33 marvelous 1 2.33 metamorphic 1 2.33 refreshing 1 2.33 satisfying 1 2.33 stunning 1 2.33 supercalifragilisticexpialidocious 1 2.33 supreme 1 2.33 thankful 1 2.33 total 43 100 however, as with other educational endeavors, pecha kucha presentations have limitations that may implicate its applicability and acceptability in the academic english classroom setting. seventeen students in this study pointed to some disadvantages of using pecha kucha based on their experience in the class. eight of them (47.06%) reported that their major concern with the pecha kucha format was the twenty-second-per-slide time romualdo a. mabuan developing esl/efl learners’ public speaking skills through pecha kucha presentations 8 limit, which was ‘very strict’, ‘limiting’, and ‘unrealistic’ because it prevents them to discuss the topic deeply considering that not all of the ideas are of equal value or importance. other students’ concerns with the use of pecha kucha include difficulty in topic selection (n=5, 29.41%) as it was challenging to think and decide on a presentation topic that is interesting and engaging; powerpoint application issues (n=3, 17.65%) as auto-run and other set-ups sometimes did not work properly; and difficulty in image selection (n=1, 5.88%) as it was time-consuming to select images or photos that will complement with the presenter’s ideas. this finding echoes christianson and payne (2011) observation that there are “some trade-offs between the benefits of a fixed format and the drawbacks” of pecha kuchas. these findings have important implications for future functions and adaptations of pecha kuchas in the esl public speaking classroom and in other relatable contexts elsewhere. pedagogical implications in the recent past, technology integration into the classroom was considered only as an option; now, it is becoming a sine qua non in the modern classroom (rabah, 2015) for optimized delivery of the curriculum. technology can now be utilized to “substitute, augment, modify, and redefine” (puentedura, 2014) classroom practices to “enhance and transform” students’ learning experiences. the changing nature and needs of the 21 st century learner coupled with the challenging demands of an increasingly competitive knowledgebased society implicates a reconfiguration in our pedagogical practices if we are to stay relevant, responsive and meaningful in the context of 21 st century education. while some educators and practitioners may be skeptical about the educational value of integrating technology into the classroom, the author argues that it can be one of the feasible and effective means to engage the modern learners – the ‘digital natives’ (prensky, 2001) and the ‘digital residents’ (booth, 2009) – and address their learning styles in the context of today’s digital era. as the industry increases its demands for skilled and well-rounded graduates, our pedagogical practices must be conscientiously and carefully designed and implemented to respond and relate to the call of the times. teachers can enhance the learning experience of their students by designing and delivering lessons and enriching them with the right choice of technology that helps achieve the target educational outcomes. as koehler and mishra (2009) recommended – teachers need to go beyond the “functional fixedness” of technology, and instead need to creatively repurpose it to make it pedagogically viable. conclusion this study investigated students’ perceptions and attitudes towards the use of pecha kucha presentations in an esl public speaking class in a private university setting in urban manila, the philippines. the results revealed that the students generally view the use pecha kucha positively because it can build their confidence in oral presentations, practice their english speaking skills, and develop other english macro skills (i.e., listening, reading, and writing). these findings corroborate with the results of previous studies (al-issa & al-qubtan, 2010; christianson & payne, 2011; beyer, gaze, & lazicki, 2012; smith, 2013; ciarrocca, 2015; nguyen, 2015) that delineate the pedagogical viability of utilizing pecha kucha presentations in a classroom context. although beneficial to the students, teachers should consider the appropriacy and applicability of the pecha kucha format in the classroom (smith, 2013) and some of its drawbacks that may affect students’ performance such as time limitations, amount of practice and preparation, topic and image selection, and powerpoint application settings. careful class design, implementation, and evaluation are of utmost significance in the success of this technology integration. finally, it is important to note some limitations of this study. first, this study was implemented with two esl public speaking classes among sophomore students in only one semester at one private university in an urban setting. hence, the results of the study may english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 9 limit their external validity to other contexts, populations, and settings. second, students presented their pecha kuchas only once in the middle of the semester; thus, it may have limited their preparation, readiness, and confidence in delivering oral presentations. lastly, although filipino students use english as a second language, asking them to write their reflections and respond to the survey in english may have put some low proficiency students at a disadvantage, which may have caused limitations in eliciting their viewpoints on the use of pecha kuchas in the class. future studies may explore other subject areas with different sets of learners, levels, and curricula, may employ pecha kuchas in the beginning, middle and end of the class term in order to determine its effectiveness in students’ performances across time, and may consider providing students options to write their reflections and respond to survey questions using the lingua franca in order to explore deeply their insights on their pecha kucha experience. finally, to establish validity and reliability of the current findings with quantitative data, mccroskey’s (1984) personal report of public speaking anxiety (prpsa) may be administered to the students before and after their pecha kucha presentations. references akbari, r. (2007). reflections on reflection: a critical appraisal of reflective practices in l2 teacher education. systems, 35(2), 192-207. al-issa, a. s., & al-qubtan, r. (2010). taking the floor: oral presentations in efl classrooms. tesol journal, 1(2), 227-246. beyer, a. a., gaze, c., & lazicki, j. (2012). comparing students’ evaluations and recalls for student pecha kucha and powerpoint presentations. journal of teaching and learning with technology, 1(2), 26-42. beyer, m. (2011). improving student presentations: pecha kucha and just plain powerpoint. teaching of psychology, 38(2), 122-126. booth, c. (2009). informing innovation: tracking student interest in emerging library technologies at ohio university. usa: american library association. boud, d. (1995). enhancing learning through selfassessment. london: kogan page. christianson, m. (2011). 20 questions: can pechakucha 20x20 help students improve presentation skills? mark’s learning blog. retrieved from http://markchristianson.blogspot.jp/2011/08/20questions-can-pecha-kucha-20x20-help.html. ciarrocca, r. (2015). fostering public speaking through pecha kucha in the high school english classroom. studies in teaching research digest, 1, 13-18. custodio, e., ambida, r., & nolasco, m. f. (2015). speak well, get connected. malabon: mutya publishing house. horwitz, e. k., horwitz, m. b., & cope, j. (1986). foreign language classroom anxiety. modern language journal, 70, 125-132. klentzin, j., et al. (2010). pecha kucha: using lightening talk in university instruction. reference services review, 38(1). koehler, m. j., & mishra, p. (2009). what is technological pedagogical content knowledge? contemporary issues in technology and teacher education (cite journal), 9(1), 60-70. lader, m. h. (1975). the nature and clinical anxiety in modern society. in ed. spielberger, d. charles & i. g. sarason, stress and anxiety. new york: john wiley & sons. mccroskey, j. c. (1984). the communication apprehension perspective. in j. a. daly & j. c. mccroskey (eds.). avoiding communication: shyness, reticence, and communication apprehension (13-38). beverly hills, ca: sage publications, inc. milner, j. o., milner, l. f. m., & mitchell, j. f. (2012). bridging english (5th ed.). boston, ma: pearson. moon, j. (1999). reflection in learning and professional development. london: kogan page. nguyen, h. (2015). student perceptions of the use of pecha kucha presentations for efl reading classes. language in education in asia, 6(2), 135149. partnership for 21 st century skills. (2006). a state leader’s action guide to 21 st century skills: a new vision for education. tuczon, az: partnership for 21 st century skills. pecha kucha global. (2017). retrieved from http://www.pechakucha.org/global. puentedura, r. (2014). learning, technology, and the samr model: goals, processes, and practice. retrieved from http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/201 4/06/29/learningtechnologysamrmodel.pdf. rabah, j. (2015). benefits and challenges of information and communication technologies (ict) integration in québec english schools. the turkish journal of educational technology, 14(2), 24-31. sadler, p., & good, e. (2006). the impact of selfand peer-grading on student learning. educational assessment, 11(1), 1-31. smith, k. (2013). pecha kucha or creatively crafting chit chat presentations with concision and precision. compass: journal of learning and teaching, 4(7). http://www.pechakucha.org/global http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog romualdo a. mabuan developing esl/efl learners’ public speaking skills through pecha kucha presentations 10 souter, n. (2007). persuasive presentations: how to get the response you need. new york, usa: sterling. spady, w. g. (1994). outcome-based education: critical issues and answers. arlington,va: american association of school administrators. spiller, d. (2012). assessment matters: self-assessment and peer assessment. teaching development unit, university of waikato, new zealand. retrieved from https://kennslumidstod.hi.is/wpcontent/uploads/2016/03/assessment-matters-selfassessment-and-peer-assessment.pdf. tomsett, p. m., & trott, d. (2014). multimodal pedagogy in international business education. international journal of research in social sciences, 4(2), 50-56. what is pecha kucha 20x20. (2017). retrieved from http://www.pechakucha.org/faq. http://www.pechakucha.org/faq english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 237 developing teaching material of poetry appreciation based on students’ competency analysis satinem department of indonesian language and literature education, stkip pgri lubuklinggau, indonesia e-mail: satinemyohana@gmail.com juwati department of indonesian language and literature education, stkip pgri lubuklinggau, indonesia e-mail: watiaja56@ymail.com noermanzah postgraduate program of indonesian language education, university of bengkulu, indonesia e-mail: noermanzah@unib.ac.id apa citation: satinem, juwati, & noermanzah. (2020). developing teaching material of poetry appreciation based on students’ competency analysis. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 237-246. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2707. received: 22-01-2020 accepted: 24-03-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: the aim of this research was to develop the material of poetry appreciation at the department of indonesian language and literature education of stkip pgri lubuklinggau. the type of this research was research and development (r&d) which was developed by the dick, carey, and carey. data collection was conducted through questionnaire, interviews, and tests. the data analysis and validity test were performed by using pretest and posttest of performance. the data is then processed by using a simple paired t test with the spss 20 program. the result of this research can be measured asym.sig. (2-tailed) 0,000... < 0,05. therefore the value of t-hit 36,956 and t-tab 2,045 to (d) 17 and alpa 0,05, so it can be concluded t-hit <t-tab, so ho has rejected, an hi was accepted, its’ meaning that the average value of students' ability to appreciate poetry after using instructional materials as a result of development was equal to 70 or more than 70. thus, the model of instructional materials developed has been feasible and effective for lecturers. keywords: teaching material; poetry appreciation; competency analysis. introduction the use of teaching material in poetry appreciation greatly affected the students' achievement. a number of studies on this have made us aware of optimizing the use of teaching materials so as to be able to boost the students’ academic performance. mahayana (2015) warned us that “the essence of literary learning is appreciation, and that only can be realized if teacher and student read those literary works.” a teacher must have an innovative breakthrough in presenting teaching material that makes students can enjoy reading literature as a fun activity. warsiman (2015) believed that poetry appreciation material urges the students to find and comprehend the literature meaning of the literary works. the similar study was conducted by setyorini & rizkiana (2019) shows that most students do not yet have poetry appreciation textbooks. another research regarding poetry appreciation textbooks also conducted by puspita, andayani, waluyo, & rohmadi (2017). the study explored that the use of poetry appreciation textbooks supports students’ ideas regarding the critical thinking and self-appreciation. in addition, by implementing poetry appreciation in the class, it affects students nuance of learning to be more cooperative due to the discussion process of appreciating poetry itself. khatib (2011) explained the same statement of implementing poetry in learning process. the students tend to be active participants rather than being passive in order to make their own interpretation of the poetry. the results are clear that teaching materials have an important role to improve students' abilities while at the same time accustom them to study independently without any dependence on lecturers. therefore, in order to increase the students' interest, it needs to create teaching materials that suitable for their needs. this research is based on the problem of the third semester students facing the difficulty to understand the meaning of poetry as a whole. poetry requires special understanding from the reader. in this case, poetry has a choice of words with typography with connotation meaning so that the poetry appreciation teaching material is based on the analysis of competencies that are truly satinem, juwati, & noermanzah developing teaching material of poetry appreciation based on students’ competency analysis 238 mastered by students (khan, jehanzeb, ulah, & irfan 2016). mulyasa (2003) and mulyasa (2017) also stated that competence is mastery of a task, skills, attitudes, and appreciation needed to support success. in this case, competence is seen as a set of knowledge, skills, and behaviors that must be possessed, internalized, mastered, and actualized by the teacher or lecturer in carrying out their professional duties. competence is also the knowledge, skills, and basic values reflected in the habits of thinking and acting (yayat, 2017). kim, xie, & cheng (2017) stated that teacher competency is often defined in literature as teachers' capacity to deal with a typical task or challenge (e.g., evaluation). it is also believed that teacher competences involve intellectual ability as well as affect-motivation characteristics to cope with real-world problems. the habit of thinking and acting consistently and continuously enables a person to be competent, in the sense of having basic knowledge, skills, and values to do something. the indicators used to measure lecturers’ competencies mostly consist of pedagogical competence, professional competence, personality competence, and social competence. however, there are only a few lecturers who aware that one of the basic pedagogic competence is creating their own teaching material (fathorrahman, 2017). the lecturers who already created their teaching material can be seen as the one who have a great competency due to the fact that they put a lot of effort to revise the result of their teaching process. anisa, ansari, & solin (2019) add that the development of teaching materials is done as an effort to improve learning outcomes and determine the material based on the context of the situation that exists in schools. in addition, many lecturers are reluctant to create their teaching material that should be consisted of (1) instructional, (2) competences to be achieved, (3) supporting information, (4) exercises, (5) worksheets, and (6) evaluation as being stated by lestari (2013). in accordance with the statement, aji, pratiwi & widiarti (2018) also added that it is important to create teaching material that contains material conceptualized which will be able to support a fun learning. prastowo (2011) states that many teachers still use conventional learning materials, teaching materials are bought by them without any effort. furthermore, depdiknas (2008) also wrote that teachers/lecturers need to develop their own teaching materials so that it will be in accordance with the curriculum, target characteristics, and problem-solving demands. a lecturer is required to be able to produce teaching materials in various sources through theoretical study as a basis for developing high-quality teaching materials. lestari (2013) said that teaching materials are a set of learning materials referring to the curriculum in order to achieve competency standards and basic competencies. in addition, arifin & kusrianto (2013) assert that it is unfortunate if a teacher/lecturer has never composed their own teaching material once in their career. in this case, nadeak & naibaho (2019) add that this kind of problem existed due to the limited number and the competitive nature, limited ability, and also lack of the enthusiasm of the lecturers themselves. furthermore, the results from the interview, showed that lecturers used learning resources following the literature written in the rpkps, without any assistance in preparation, and making their teaching materials. based on these facts, it has become an obligation for lecturers to design teaching materials themselves. teaching materials that produce from the development will be more beneficial for students because the material delivered is in accordance with the wishes and the students’ needs. by the development of teaching materials, students are able to dissect poetry in depth. due to the fact that poetry belongs to the literature field, puspita, andayani, waluyu, & rohmadi (2017) argue that literature reveals the human life, but the process of poetry creation requires the power of writers’ imagination and creativity. in line with the statement, sayuti (2002) says that poetry is an aesthetic work that utilizes unique language facilities. the statement is in line with daniel (2013) and noermanzah, rais, & muslihah, 2013) argues that poetry is an artistic form of writing that meant to be woken up human’s senses. although ritonga & halimatuhsa’diah (2019) argued that appreciating poetry can be seen as the literary activity with overflowing expression of thoughts and ideas, but based on observations in real life, reading books related to poetry in the library of stkip pgri lubuklinggau are still very rare. it means that material related to literature especially poetry has characteristics itself, it is not a priority compared to the development of literature in general. satinem & juwati (2018) state that from the data obtained inform us that the highest score on the pretest was 85 the highest value and the lowest value was 40, whereas in the posttest, the highest value was 95 and the lowest value was 60. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 239 there was an increase in the ability of students after using the results of the development of teaching materials writing poetry with pictures. in addition, folklore teaching materials on poetry types have also been developed using a thematic approach and the results are effective in increasing folklore women poetry type students (satinem, 2015). the poetry appreciation material based on competency analysis has never been conducted. based on these considerations, it is necessary to compile and develop teaching materials of poetry appreciation that are in accordance with the students’ characteristics of stkip pgri lubuklinggau. the problems of this research are as follows: a) what is the need for teaching materials of poetry appreciation according to lecturers and students; b) what is the model of teaching material of poetry appreciation developed for students; c) what is the feasibility of teaching material of poetry appreciation; d) what is the effectiveness of teaching materials of poetry appreciation? method this research used research and development (r & d) method. according to sugiyono (2012), r & d is research method used to produce particular product and tested the effectiveness of the product. r & d was “a process used to develop and validate educational products” (borg & gall, 2003). thus, development research was a method for producing products or completing learning material products based on competency analysis. this research used developing model by dick, carey, & carey (2005). the development steps as follows 1) identification of learning objectives; 2) identification of learning; 3) identification of students' behavior and characteristics; 4) write specific learning goals; 5) write test items; 6) develop learning strategies; 7) developing learning materials; 8) carry out formative evaluations; 9) revision; 10) carry out summative evaluation. the subject at this research was the third students’ of stkip pgri lubuklinggau as many as two classes. furthermore, data collection techniques was carried out into 2, quantitative data and qualitative data. the data analyzed qualitatively such as: 1) lecture appreciation poetry information; 2) input, responses and suggestions from the design of teaching materials; 3) information from small group respondents and; 4) suggested respondents. while quantitative data were obtained through a questionnaire of student needs and product assessment from 3 experts/validators. there are three types of methods used, namely descriptive methods, evaluative methods, and experimental methods. descriptive method is used to collect data about existing conditions, evaluative methods are used to evaluate the product development trial process, while the experimental method is used to test the reliability of the product produced (sukmadinata, 2009). product designs that have been evaluated by experts are tried on research subjects. the results of these treatments will know the level of product acceptance. in the final stage of development also used an experimental method, which is to measure the acceptability of products that have been revised on a larger scale. results and discussion the results of the identification stated that in lectures the appreciation of poetry needs to be created that have teaching qualities. lecturers not only rely on existing literature books but are able to create their own teaching materials. table 1. gaps before and after doing the research present the expected conditions 1. there was no teaching material for lecturing appreciation of poetry. 2. students find it difficult to get reading material that is relevant to the course. 3. students were fixated on the explanation of the material by the lecturer. 4. the appreciation power was still very low due to the limited reading material. 5. students were less motivated to study poetry in greater depth. 6. understanding of students was limited to certain materials. 1. the availability of poetry appreciation teaching materials in accordance with the wishes of students and lecturers. 2. students are able to learn mandarially with available teaching materials. 3. students are more creative in developing bright ideas through teaching materials. 4. students are more creative in appreciating. 5. students become active and motivated to read the material in depth. 6. students have very broad material insights. satinem, juwati, & noermanzah developing teaching material of poetry appreciation based on students’ competency analysis 240 after identifying at the research stage, information was obtained that stkip-pgri lubuklinggau had implemented a competencybased curriculum or kkni. the semester program plan has been designed in accordance with applicable regulations. rps is equipped with learning objectives, learning outcomes, a description of the material for each meeting and ends with training. table 2. competencies that must be mastery by students on poetry appreciation courses the previous lecturing material lecturing material in kkni 1. definition of poetry 2. intrinsic elements in poetry 3. extrinsic elements 4. the nature and method of poetry 5. structural approach 6. semiotic approach 7. cultural approach in literature 8. the literary religious approach 9. intertextual in poetry 1. poetry and sonnets 2. semiotic structural approaches and applications in poetry 3. structural approach and application 4. semiotic approach and its application 5. structural genetic approach and application 6. anthropological approach and application 7. religious approach and application 8. intertextual approach and application 9. psychological approach and application in poetry 10. strata norm approach and application the function at this stage to determine the abilities of students, learning styles, interests, responses, and attitudes of students in lecturing activities. the response can be seen through the activity and interest in poetry. the developing was carried out on the description of the course for 1 semester, the learning objectives, and the learning outcomes. learning objectives was carried out to measure student achievement and mastery of lecture material. the final step of development was to measure learning outcomes through formative and summative tests. the evaluation and revision stage was carried out through: a) evaluation of individual experts; b) small group evaluation; and c) field trials. evaluations and revisions were made by linguists design experts, and material experts. expert evaluation results of language validation the questionnaire consists of ten questions, namely: 1) simplicity of sentence structure; 2) language is easy to understand; 3) information clarity; 4) the use of indonesian language rules; 5) the language used is effective and efficient; 6) linkages between sentences and between paragraphs; 7) completeness of supporting presentation; 8) use of eyd; 9) use of sentences; 10) straightforward sentences. simplicity of sentence structure (unambiguous) and in accordance with indonesian sentence patterns the sentence is stated as complete if it already has the s-p-o-k element. based on the results of the study, it is stated that the third semester students have been able to write sentences that meet the s-p-o-k. they have been able to compile paragraphs that contain one main idea. language validators provide an assessment that the sentences produced by students in poetry appreciation activities are very suitable with theoretical studies. the results of the analysis need state that students and lecturers hope that the teaching materials of the research results are easily understood and in accordance with the rps. it turned out that after evaluating the language validator, the teaching material produced was stated both in terms of language. the results of the validator assessment can be interpreted teaching materials produced from research can be developed into quality teaching materials. the results and responses from linguists on teaching materials can be seen in table 3. table 3. recapitulation of language validator assessment value range percentage category 42 49 p ≥ 85% excellent 34 41 65% ≤ p<85% good 26 33 40% ≤ p < 650% moderate 18 25 25% ≤ p <40% less 10 17 10% ≤ p <25% very less english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 241 from the results obtained it can be concluded that the component of language eligibility is included in the excellent category with a value of 46 (92%). it can be interpreted as the quality of teaching materials in terms of language that has been tested and declared to be very good. design/graphic validation results teaching materials have been designed in accordance with the learning objectives contained in the syllabus and rpkps. the purpose of the lecture has been mutually agreed between the lecturer and the student during the lecture contract. the validator stated that the teaching materials were very appropriate. teaching materials consist of instructions for the use of teaching materials for lecturers and students, course descriptions, learning objectives, learning outcomes, and lecture appreciation lecture material for one semester. the validator stated that the teaching materials were very appropriate. providing motivation teaching materials have provided motivation for students. in teaching materials there were various methods to be able to dissect poetry. in addition, teaching materials use language that is easily understood and communicative. the validator stated that the teaching materials were very appropriate. teaching materials have a stimulus and response for students. the validator states that teaching materials are very appropriate. teaching materials have used the right type and size. teaching materials have complete information in terms of content or lecture material. teaching material was mutually agreed upon during the recovery contract. the validator stated that the teaching material developed was very appropriate. the type of letter used was times new roman, with a size of 12, and a space of 1.5. the size and type of letters were in accordance with the standards required in writing scientific papers. the validator provides an assessment of the results of development in terms of size and type of letters said to be good. complete illustrations of images cover was designed according to the students’ needs which attractive and full color. the cover of teaching materials was dominated by light blue combined with white. it looked a very contrasting color blend. the front cover was illustrated with a very neat and abundant pile of literary books. the picture contains an invitation to them to later become nerds. the validator provides an assessment that the teaching materials resulting from the development in terms of the accuracy of the illustrations in graphics, graphs, and tables are stated to be good. the teaching material produced has a simple but elegant appearance. light blue dominates teaching. a beautiful young woman is reading surrounded by various types of books. the validator gives an assessment that teaching material seen from physical appearance can be said to be very suitable. paper used a4 with a thickness of 80 grams. paper on teaching materials has been standardized with the rules of writing scientific papers. the paper was white and does not shine so it did not make the reader dazzled. cover blue combined with white made a very contrast. the shape of the cover was equipped with a picture of a woman who was pondering. behind a beautiful girl there were various types of neatly arranged books, meaning that there was no day without reading. design/graphic experts gave the following advice: 1) add multiple images that match the content. 2) made boy tex in the poem quoted. 3) overall teaching materials were good can be used according to suggestions and revision. table 4. recapitulation of design/graphic validator assessment value range percentage category 42 49 p ≥ 85% excellent 34 41 65% ≤ p<85% good 26 33 40% ≤ p < 650% moderate 18 25 25% ≤ p <40% less 10 17 10% ≤ p <25% very less from the results obtained it can be concluded that the component of design/graphic feasibility was included in the very good category, which is 46 (92%). the results of the evaluation of the validator can be interpreted that teaching materials are very well used for learning poetry appreciation. content/material expert teaching materials in accordance with the syllabus contained in the rpkps were delivered at the beginning of the lecture contract. the satinem, juwati, & noermanzah developing teaching material of poetry appreciation based on students’ competency analysis 242 validator provides an assessment that teaching materials were in accordance with the rpkps so that they are declared good. teaching materials according to student needs. the validator gives a good rating. the material contained in teaching materials was in accordance with rpkps and has character values. the validator giving an assessment of teaching materials was stated to be very in accordance with the characteristics of the students. teaching materials provide benefits to add insight into science. before the development of poetry appreciation teaching materials only used literature in the library. the validator provides an evaluation of the instructional materials the results of the development are expressed both in terms of conformity with the existing reality. the material on teaching materials has been equipped with exercises and examples of poetry appreciation activities. training is given at the end of each subject. the validator gives an assessment of the teaching material in terms of the suitability of the material can be stated accordingly. the material has been completed with the final evaluation and also the weighting of each question. the validator provides an assessment in terms of the suitability of the material with the final evaluation declared good. all material and appreciation activities contain new insights with various literary methods. validator provides judgments in terms of insight into knowledge otherwise very appropriate. lecture material on teaching material was easy to understand and in accordance with the characteristics. the validator provides an assessment that the material was very appropriate. the material presented already has character values. the validator provides an assessment that teaching materials are very suitable for use. the material has a very high cultural value. the validator provides an assessment of teaching materials that were very culturally appropriate. the results of the material validator can be seen in table 5. table 5. recapitulation of the content validator’s assessment value range percentage category 42 49 p ≥ 85% excellent 34 41 65% ≤ p<85% good 26 33 40% ≤ p < 650% moderate 18 25 25% ≤ p <40% less 10 17 10% ≤ p <25% very less the results of the assessment of the material validator can be interpreted that the teaching material produced was very good. recapitulation of the overall results of the three validators can be seen in table 6. table 6. recapitulation of evaluation of three validators no. validator rating result percentage category 1 linguist 46 92% excellent 2 graphic expert 46 92% excellent 3 material expert 46 92% excellent average 46 92% excellent implementation of one to one evaluation poetry appreciation courses are one of the advanced courses. they are allowed to take poetry appreciation courses after graduating from the literary theory course. this means that in theory all approaches used to analyze poetry have been mastered by students. the objectives to be achieved through this course are so that students will be able to study a number of literary theories for the final project. teaching materials produced in the study, will be packaged into a book that has an isbn. student final assignments related to literature can cite books that have been produced in research. the results of the implementation of the one to one test did not improve from the suggestions of the validators, this could mean that teaching materials could be used without revision and then a practical test would be carried out on small groups. small group evaluation implementation the practicality of the teaching materials resulting from the development was carried out by means of one-to-one tests and small group evaluations. one to one evaluation was conducted by english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 243 interviewing 3 students. while the small group test evaluation was given the provision of a questionnaire containing the practical use of teaching materials. the results are very much in accordance with the percentage of 83%. implementation of broad trials the research was carried out in accordance with the r&d stages. after several revisions in accordance with input from the validators and users of teaching materials, the teaching materials resulting from the development can be tested in broad groups. the results of the implementation of the test that the teaching material declared effective in terms of language, material, and in terms of design. the assessment criteria determined, students were declared able to appreciate poetry if the value obtained. from t ≥ 70 the results of data processing obtained an average value of 72.88. there are 3 students who scored below 70. students who scored an average above 70 totaled 14 people (82,355). based on these results it can be stated that the teaching material with the title "appreciation poetry: theory, approach and application" is effectively used in poetry appreciation courses. the following describes the results in detail about the reliability, validity, and effectiveness of teaching materials developed. the extensive trials were conducted to see the effectiveness of poetry appreciation teaching materials based on competency analysis. furthermore, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the teaching materials resulting from the development can be seen from the results of the final semester examination test. students were said to be able to appreciate poetry if they get a value of ≥ 70. the average value of student poetry appreciation reaches 72.88. there were 17 students taking the final test. students who score below the average are 3 people (17.65%), while those who score above the average are 14 people (82.35%). thus the teaching material titled "poetry appreciation: theory, approach, and application" has been effectively used for lecturing appreciation of poetry. the following detailed results are described regarding the calculation of reliability, validity, and effectiveness by calculating spss. extensive trials were conducted to see the effectiveness of poetry appreciation teaching materials based on competency analysis. furthermore, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the teaching materials resulting from the development can be seen from the results of the final semester examination test. students were said to be able to appreciate poetry if they get a value of ≥ 70. the average value of student poetry appreciation reaches 72.88. there were 17 students taking the final test. students who score below the average are 3 people (17.65%), while those who score above the average are 14 people (82.35%). thus the teaching material titled "poetry appreciation: theory, approach and application" has been effectively used for lecturing appreciation of poetry. the following detailed results are described regarding the calculation of reliability, validity, and effectiveness by calculating spss. table 7. calculation of reliability, validity, and effectiveness descriptive statistics n minimum maximum mean std. deviation var00001 17 60.00 83.00 72.8824 8.13082 valid n (listwise) 17 one-sample test test value = 0 t df sig. (2-tailed) mean difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper var00001 36.958 16 .000 72.88235 68.7019 77.0628 one-sample statistics n mean std. deviation std. error mean var00001 17 72.8824 8.13082 1.97201 satinem, juwati, & noermanzah developing teaching material of poetry appreciation based on students’ competency analysis 244 one-sample kolmogorov-smirnov test var00001 n 17 normal parametersa mean 72.8824 std. deviation 8.13082 most extreme differences absolute .179 positive .179 negative -.173 kolmogorov-smirnov z .737 asymp. sig. (2-tailed) .649 a. test distribution is normal. after processing the data using the kolmogorov smirnov z one-sample test, the average value of poetry appreciation was 72.8824 with a mean standard deviation of 8.13082. that is, the data are normally distributed with the asym.sig (2tailed) value of 0,000 <0.05. thit values were 36.958 and t tab was 2.045 for (d) 17 and alpha 0.05. based on the test results, then ho is rejected and ha is accepted. this can be interpreted that the average value of poetry appreciation after using teaching materials that have been developed has exceeded the set standards. the minimum assessment standard of poetry appreciation courses is ≥ 70. from the above table, it can be seen the average value of poetry appreciation of students is 72.88. there were 3 students who scored below the established criteria (17.65%) and 14 students (82.23%) had scored above the set standard. consider the following chart. not complete complete figure 1. percentage of completeness based on these data, the teaching materials resulting from the development are effective and can be used for a broad audience. this shows that competency-based poetry appreciation teaching materials that are prepared are able to provide students with an understanding of the meaning of poetry because poetry is built by simple word choices and unique line and line typography so as to present deep meaning (khan et al., 2016). poetry appreciation teaching materials are also compiled by taking into account the competencies that must be mastered by students at the tertiary level, starting with the introduction of the nature of poetry, the characteristics of poetry, types of poetry, poetry writing techniques, and the development of poetry in the modern era, as well as examples of analytical results from the meaning of poetry. particularly from several examples of the meaning of poetry in this teaching material provide students with direct understanding of how to write good poetry and understand the meaning of poetry (noermanzah & friantary, 2019). in each material presented also provides learning experiences both cognitive, affective, and psychomotor through exercises (yayat, 2017). conclusion some conclusions from the results of this development research are as follows. first, students and lecturers need teaching materials that are complete, interesting, and easy to understand to do poetry appreciation activities. teaching materials are designed with an attractive cover. the design of teaching materials gives a cooler english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 245 and neat impression. book size that is not too large is more practical. second, the design has changed after evaluation by a validator and a colleague. the teaching materials already have completeness, namely: 1) there were instructions for the use of teaching materials both lecturers and students; 2) has an assessment rubric for each subject; 3) in accordance with the iqf curriculum; 4) have an interesting approach. third, the validators concluded that the poetry writing teaching material entitled "appreciation of poetry: theory, approach, and application" was stated to be very appropriate (92%) so that it could be used for lubuklinggau stkip-pgri students. the validator also provides recommendations so that lecturers and students can use these teaching materials because teaching materials have been tested both in terms of language, graphics, and materials. fourth, teaching materials using t-test statistical analysis with the spss program is effective. spss test results are normally distributed data, indicated by the value of asymp.sig. (2-tailed) 0.000<0.05. as for the t-hit, it is valued of 36.958 and t-tab 2.045 for (d) 17 and alpha 0.05. thus it can be concluded t-hit> ttab, so that ho was rejected, and hi was accepted, meaning that the average value of a student's ability to appreciate poetry after using teaching materials from the development is equal to 70 or more than 70. thus, the teaching material model developed has been feasible and effective from academic/expert studies, practically the teachers, and effective use in the field. acknowledgement this research is funded by stkip-pgri lubuklinggau entitled "development of poetry appreciation subjects based on competency analysis". acknowledgments to the lubuklinggau stkip-pgri institute (2017 budget year research contract). furthermore, gratitude was conveyed to reviewers who have read, corrected, and provided inputs on this paper. references aji, g. p., pratiwi, y., & widiarti, n. (2018). development of instructional materials writing poetry based on nature tourism for poetry learning. isslac: journal of intensive studies on language, literature, art, and culture, 2(1), 3539. anisa, h., ansari, k., & solin, m. (2019). development of poetry writing learning module assisted by religious songs for junior high school univa medan. advances in social science, education and humanities, 384, 596-599. arifin, s., & kusrianto, a. (2013). sukses menulis buku ajar dan referensi. jakarta: grasindo. borg, w. r., & gall, m. d. (2003). educational research: an introduction (7th ed.). new york: longman inc. daniel, i. o. a. (2013). a critical look at the teacher factor in senior secondary school students’ poetic appreciation skills development. theory and practice in language studies, 3(2), 222-232. depdiknas. (2008). kurikulum tingkat satuan pendidikan. jakarta: depdiknas. dick, w., carey, l., & carey, j. o. (2005). the systematic design of instruction. new york: longman inc. fathorrahman. (2017). kompetensi pedagogik, profesional, kepribadian dan kompetensi sosial dosen. jurnal akademika, 15(1), 1-6. khan, s., jehanzeb, s., ulah, i., & irfan, m. (2016). a stylistic analysis of “the rime of the ancient mariner.” english review: journal of english education, 5(1), 37-48. khatib, m. (2011). a new approach to teaching english poetry to efl students. journal of language teaching and research, 2(1), 164-169. kim, m. k., xie, k., & cheng, s.-l. (2017). building teacher competency for digital content evaluation. teaching and teacher education, 66, 309-324. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2017.05.006. lestari, i. (2013). pengembangan bahan ajar berbasis kompetensi: sesuai dengan kurikulum tingkat satuan pendidikan. padang: akademia permata. mahayana, m. s. (2015). apresiasi sastra indonesia di sekolah. insania: jurnal pemikiran alternatif kependidikan, 13(3), 382-393. doi: 10.24090/insania.v13i3.304. mulyasa. (2003). kurikulum berbasis kompetensi. bandung: remaja rosda karya. mulyasa. (2017). menjadi guru profesional menciptakan pembelajaran kreatif dan menyenangkan. bandung: pt. remaja rosdakarya. nadeak, b., & naibaho, l. (2019). managing lecturers' competence development at universitas kristen indonesia. proceeding: celscitech-umri, 4, 4550. noermanzah, & friantary, h. (2019). development of competency-based poetry learning materials for class x high schools. international journal of recent technology and engineering, 8(4), 6631. noermanzah, n., rais, m. n., & muslihah, n. n. (2013). perbandingan penerapan strategi critical incident dengan strategi mind mapping dalam pembelajaran menulis puisi siswa kelas viii smp negeri l sidoharjo. jurnal perspektif pendidikan, 7(2), 14-28. prastowo. (2011). panduan kreatif membuat bahan ajar inovatif. jakarta: diva press. satinem, juwati, & noermanzah developing teaching material of poetry appreciation based on students’ competency analysis 246 puspita, o. w., andayani, waluyo, h. j., & rohmadi, m. (2017). a needs analysis for poetry appreciation textbooks in universities: an exploratory study. american journal of educational research, 5(4), 357-361. ritonga, a. z. & halimatuhsa’diah, s. (2019). development of poetry appreciation materials based on character education in class vii students state 2nd private vocational school ix-x. iosr journal of research & method in education, 9(2), 39-43. satinem & juwati. (2018). development of teaching materials of poetry writing using pictures for the elementary students. advances in language and literary studies, 9(3), 1-2. doi: 10.7575/aiac.alls.v.9n.3p.1. satinem, s. (2015). teaching materials model folklore in learning indonesian based on thematic approach. ijlecr international journal of language education and culture review, 1(2), 27–34. doi: 10.21009/ijlecr.012.03. sayuti, s. (2002). pengajaran sastra: pengantar pengajaran puisi. yogyakarta: pustaka pelajar. setyorini, n., & rizkiana, s. (2019). pengembangan bahan ajar apresiasi puisi berbasis nilai bela negara bagi mahasiswa semester iii pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia di universitas muhammadiyah purworejo. lingua rima: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 8(1), 48. sugiyono. (2012). metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r&d. bandung: alfabeta. sukmadinata, n. s. (2009). metode penelitian pendidikan. bandung: remaja rosdakarya. warsiman. (2015). the development of inductive model in learning poetry appreciation. international journal of social and local economic governance (ijleg), 1(1), 75-84. yayat, y. (2017). implementasi rencana program pembelajaran berbasis kompetensi pada pembelajaran kompetensi dasar menulis program cnc. innovation of vocational technology education, 6(2), 559-568. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 49 grice’s maxims in humour: the case of “home with kids” zhao xue faculty of language and linguistics, university of malaya, malaysia e-mail:852977313@qq.com kuang ching hei faculty of language and linguistics, university of malaya, malaysia e-mail:kuangch@um.edu.my apa citation: kuang, c. h., & zhao, x. (2017). grice’s maxims in humour: the case of “home with kids”. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 49-58. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.770. received: 30-08-2017 accepted: 31-10-2017 published: 01-12-2017 abstract: sitcoms provide entertainment, one of which is through humour. using grice’s (1975) non-observance of cooperative principles – flouting, violating, infringing, opting out, and suspending as framework for analysis, this study aims to investigate whether the non-observance of grice’s (1975) maxims can contribute to the humorous effects seen in the chinese sitcom “home with kids (season 4)”. specifically, this study aims to detect which of the maxims play an important role in creating humour. data were compiled from 96 episodes of the show. a comparison of the non-observance was made before findings were qualitatively presented. the findings revealed that flouting and violating were used most frequently to create humour. the outcome of this study will have beneficial effects for l2 learners of mandarin by enabling them to comprehend chinese humour. the implications derived from this study suggest that humour may be created differently due to cultural differences. keywords: chinese sitcoms, humour, flouting, violation, non-observance, maxims introduction humour is ubiquitous and cosmopolitan, existing throughout every culture, race and region. humour has been conceptualized in various ways as “a specific type of communication that establishes an incongruent relationship or meaning”, “it is presented in a way that causes laughter” (berger, 1976, p.113). humour can be reflected in meetings, classrooms, films and television programs but koestler (1993) gives a general classification of humour which can be better understood for this paper. humour is classified by koestler (1993) as verbal humour and situational humour. the former, verbal humour, refers to linguistic-oriented humour; that is humour which is felt or experienced as a result of some faux pax or unconventional use of language. the latter, situational humour, refers to situation-oriented humour that is related to some situational contexts. since situational humour is very distanced from language and it has almost no influence on language, it is excluded from the focus of this paper. thus, only verbal humour is given attention. verbal humour can be found in all languages and in all cultures but little has been written about the chinese culture and how humour is created through the chinese language of mandarin, particularly in local sitcoms of china. in that regard, this paper attempts to explore how humour is achieved in a chinese sitcom so that the outcome obtained can be used to better understand the humorous phenomenon of the chinese culture, thereby, contributing to literature on humour. with that in mind, the research question posed is: “how do grice’s (1975) maxims contribute to the humorous effects noted in a local chinese sitcom, “home with kids (season 4)” and which of these maxims are more or less zhao xue & kuang ching hei grice’s maxims in humour: the case of “home with kids” 50 frequently observed in creating the humorous effects?” among the various studies conducted in the domain of humor, studies focusing on situation comedy (sitcom) are central to furthering the understanding of humor. this is because situation comedy, hereby also termed as sitcom, is more appreciated within homes as entertainment among families. the term also refers to a series of humorous shows shown on television that makes the audience laugh. in this context, the situations that made the audience laugh tend to originate from daily life situations, hence, the conversations shared by the characters can be considered as the representative sample of real life. as a matter of fact, most humorous topics noted in modern-day sitcoms are based on current events happening within our society. depending on the era of the sitcom, some may even be able to reflect a particular kind of living style that is reminiscent of such an era. this reflection is revealed not just by the attire, food, display of artifacts but also by the topics mentioned in the humour (lu, 2014). most previous studies (murata, 2014; rogerson, 2007) looking at humour revealed that majority of researches investigated crosscultural differences or cross-linguistic similarities and distinctions such as in workplace context. only a few studies focused on sitcom humour as is evidenced by the outcomes noted in caesilia’s study (2015) and shu’s research (2012). these two studies focused mainly on american sitcoms and they concluded that failing to observe grice’s (1975) maxims can create humor while some studies (zhen, 2013; wu, 2005) chose to make comparisons of humour between american sitcoms and chinese sitcoms. zhen (2013) developed a framework of contextual dimensions -physical, temporal and experiential, to analyze humorous conversations in an american sitcom “friends” and a chinese sitcom “i love my family”. she found that compared with “i love my family”, “friends” depended more on linguistic knowledge and less on social and cultural knowledge to create humour. wu (2005) also compared humour between “friends” and “i love my family” by using grice’s (1975) maxims. likewise, she concluded that flouting grice’s (1975) maxims is the most popular way to achieve the humorous effects in the two sitcoms. owing to the aim of this paper which attempts to investigate how humour in a local sitcom, “home with kids – season 4” was created, the model provided by grice (1975) is used. within the cooperative principle, grice (1975) proposed four types of maxims to be observed: 1) the maxim of quantity; make your contribution as informative as required and do not make your contribution more informative as required; 2) the maxim of quality; try to make your contribution one that is true, do not say what you believe to be false, and do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence; 3) the maxim of relation; be relevant; 4) the maxim of manner; be perspicuous and specifically, avoid obscurity of expression, avoid ambiguity, be brief (avoid unnecessary prolixity), and be orderly (grice, 1975, p. 46). there exist some conditions whereby speakers may not observe these maxims during conversations. for instance, someone who is incapable of speaking clearly or who deliberately chooses to tell a lie. in his study, thomas (1995) noted that there are five types of non-observance of grice’s (1975) maxims which include; 1) flouting: to blatantly fail to observe a maxim with no intention of misleading the hearer but with the intention of creating a conventional implicature; 2) violating: to quietly and purposely fail to observe a maxim with the intention to mislead the hearer; 3) opting out: to be unwilling to cooperate and withdrawing from the interaction; 4) infringing: to unintentionally fail to observe a maxim due to limited language capabilities and understanding; and 5) suspending: to force speakers not to observe a maxim because of certain circumstances, i.e. cultural specification. the model will enable this study to detect how the humour was created and which of the maxims were more or less observed in creating the humorous effects noted in the identified sitcom. it is assumed that analyzing the humorous language of chinese sitcoms may facilitate non-native chinese audiences, english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 51 especially learners of mandarin as a second or foreign language, to appreciate the nature of the language, in comparison to other languages. in this regard, second language speakers of mandarin will be able to appreciate the humour as well as the chinese culture, thereby, deepening their insights into the chinese language (mandarin) and idiosyncrasies. there are three major theories of humour: superiority, incongruity and relief and they are widely depicted by most researchers in humour studies. the three theories clarify the purpose of using humour in daily lives and they have been used by others such as caesilia (2015), shu (2012) and sri (2006). the superiority theory of humour originated from the perception that laughter can be said to be an expression of the feeling of superiority over another person or situation. this form of humour provides enjoyment and amusement for self and others through the means of suppressing and lowering other people who are in a weaker situation (keithspiegel, 1972). the incongruity theory of humour is possibly the one that is most widely used in describing humour. the theory proposes that someone laughs at something because of its impropriety when compared to the conventional patterns of things. consequently, this difference can lead to amusement. the relief theory of humour facilitates the relieving of tension and nervous energies caused by laughter and mirth. the basic principle of the relief theory is that laughter supplies psychological support, reduces pressure and provides supreme energy whilst caught in a nervous situation. consequently, the usage of humour in tense conditions helps to release the nervousness contained within the person thereby assisting the person to return to a stable condition after a struggles, stress and tension (raskin, 1985). past studies (caesilia, 2015; murata, 2014; rochmawati, 2012) looking at humour have covered a variety of contexts, such as, workplace, jokes, and sitcoms. these studies have focused on similar issues, focusing on how grice’s (1975) maxims contribute to the humorous effects. rochmawati (2012) explored humour strategies in 30 short jokes published in the readers’ digest section for world’s funniest jokes. it was noted that the speakers in the jokes had also employed irony, absurdity, exaggeration or simple lies to cause misunderstandings, thereby, violating grice’s maxims. in another study focusing on american sitcoms, latan (2013) investigated the humorous language used in the “the big bang theory”. likewise, it was discovered that the humour was created due to the nonobservance of all the five maxims proposed by grice (1975). apparently, the audience’s amusement could be traced to the flouting of grice’s maxim which totaled 66.86% of the time while infringing and violating of grice’s maxim accounted for only 16.57% and 13.71%, respectively. slightly different from the findings of latan (2013), the outcome noted in caesilia’s (2015) study found that humour was the result of the non-observance of four of grice’s (1975) maxims and the most important way of failing grice’s (1975) maxims so as to create humour was through violating grice’s maxim rather than flouting. previous studies (caesilia, 2015; latan, 2013) also indicated that humour was not always created through the non-observance of all the five types of grice’s (1975) maxims. this has been confirmed by latan (2013) who noted the non-observance of all the five maxims whereas caesilia (2015) noted only four. while latan (2013) observed flouting as the most commonly used strategy to create humour, caesilia (2015) noted that it was violating the maxims and this implies that situations and contexts of the sitcoms may be two possible factors that affect this difference. in addition, caesilia (2015) also noted that opting out a maxim in the situation comedy does not appear to be humorous. in fact, when this occurs, it appears to be a disappointment or curiosity for the hearer. replicating what previous studies (sri, 2006; latan, 2013; caesilia, 2015) have done, this study is an attempt to shed light on the creation of humour in one chinese sitcom by studying the relationship between humour and the non-observance of grice’s (1975) maxims to see which of these was more commonly used. zhao xue & kuang ching hei grice’s maxims in humour: the case of “home with kids” 52 method the sitcom selected for collecting data in this study is “home with kids (season 4)” which was released to the audience in mainland china in 2007. as a popular sitcom, the show was released for several seasons and the one selected for the current study comprise the most recent season shown in the tv sitcom, amongst the four seasons of “home with kids” (at the point of this study) and it includes 67 episodes with each episode lasting about 25 minutes, thus, 67 episodes would comprise a total of 1675 minutes. for the purpose of this study, a total of 96 conversations occurring in the living room in “home with kids (season 4)” were extracted for analysis. the following are reasons justifying the selection: firstly, all the examples chosen for analysis are included in the laugh tracks which had been inserted into the tv series. the laugh tracks indicate where the humour in the sitcom occurs, thus, it is considered as one of the unique features of sitcoms (brock, 2008). in this regard, the laugh track is treated as the criterion to determine the verbal humour (koestler, 1993). secondly, these humorous conversations tend to occur in the living room of the sitcom and it appears that this setting carries the highest frequency of occurrences (62.7%) in the sitcom. creswell (2012) says that the larger the sample, the more reliable the results, therefore, selecting the humorous conversations that had occurred in the living room as data can make the results of this study more reliable. for the purpose of analysis, only portion of the data are presented in the study to illustrate the non-observance (e.g. flouting, violating, infringing, opting out, suspending) of grice’s (1975) maxims. this study is developed based on the following steps: step 1: firstly, download all the 67 episodes of the sitcom from www.youku.com via internet. then watch all the 67 episodes of the chinese sitcom “home with kids (season 4)” which have been downloaded. next, identify the parts where the laugh track exist and then take note of the conversations that occurs regardless of where the setting (living room, kitchen, bedroom etc) is. since most of the conversations that occurred in the living room were accompanied by laugh tracks as well as subtitles, the conversations were thus, selected and then manually transcribed until all the 67 episodes were completed. transcriptions were done verbatim but where there are some nonverbal actions, these will be indicated in brackets. step 2: secondly, after the data were identified, selected and manually transcribed in chinese, the transcriptions were compared to the conversations again to ensure accuracy. these chinese conversations were then translated into english with microsoft word. as mentioned earlier, since situational humour (koestler, 1993) almost has no influence on language, this paper only focuses on the portrayal of verbal linguistic humour (koestler, 1993). step 3: thirdly, in order to validate the data to ensure that it is reliable, all the transcriptions were further verified by a bilingual person, who understands chinese and english well. in order to identify the speakers’ nonobservance of grice’s maxims, data were analyzed via the five types of non-observance of grice’s (1975) cooperative principle which encompass: flouting, violating, infringing, opting out, and suspending of grice’s maxims. following the analysis, a discussion is provided, linking the findings to previous studies in order to better understand how humour was created in “home with kids (season 4)”. data were then accounted for based on occurrence of frequency before being presented in percentages. results and discussion flouting grice’s maxims among the occurrences noted in the analysis, it appears that flouting occurred more often than the other non-observances of grice’s (1975) maxims. example #1: (episode 38, home with kids) context: s1 (liu xing), s2 (xia yu), and d (xia xue) played badminton together, but d always couldn't get the ball and this made s1 and s2 feel disappointed. when they reached home, s1 and s2 complained about d. turn 1: 刘星：小雪，你这协调性可真够 呛。你别老闷屋里看书了，你多运动运 english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 53 动。 (s1: xiao xue (d), look at your poor physical coordination. you should not be staying indoors and just reading books. you should do more sports.) turn 2: 夏雨：女生嘛，小脑不发达。 (s2: cerebellum of girls are not so advanced when compared to boys.) turn 3: 夏雪：小脑不发达也比你没有大脑 强。（laugh track） (d: my cerebellum does not develop as well as the cerebellum of boys. however, it is still better than you who don’t have a brain.） in example 1, in turn 3, d’s utterance obviously flouted the maxim of quality through expressing that s2 has no brains, which is untrue. it is clear that d is really not good at exercising, as is noted in turn 1. therefore, in turn 2, s2 teased d, saying that her cerebellum is not completely developed. this was used as a hint to d to suggest that she is a stupid person. therefore, in turn 3, d fought back to save face by satirizing s2 as having no brains. as we all know, s2, as a person, could not have survived if he had no brains. hence, in turn 3, d’s untrue words flouted the maxim of quality by delivering a sarcasm. this flouting generated a conversational implicature which suggests that s2 is more stupid than d, thereby making the audience laughed. brumark (2006) noted that amongst teenagers, flouting is often used by adolescents either through ironic speech or through teasing others, as a means to create humorous conversations. this observation is also similar to the example highlighted by caesilia (2015) who noted that the teacher in her study also used sarcasm to regulate the student’s behavior by flouting the maxim of quality. example #2: (episode 27, home with kids) context: while s2 (xia yu) was doing homework in his room, he was required to see f (xia donghai) playing marbles in the living room. turn 1: 夏雨：爸，您快点弹吧? (s2: dad, can you play the marble right now?) turn 2: 夏东海：哎，好，看着啊。那个弹 之前，爸爸必须再跟你说几句啊。虽然爸 爸是当年人见人夸的"弹球大王"，但是毕竟 这么多年不练了，手可能有些生了，爸爸 就不再给你再现当年百发百中的惊人场面 了。就是爸爸弹三次，如果有一次弹中爸 爸就算赢。就是让你感受一下爸爸当年的 风采就行了啊。(laugh track) (f: ah, ok, look. before playing, dad has something to say. although as i was crowned the "king of playing marbles" during my younger years, and because i haven't practiced for years, your father now cannot fling the marbles accurately or successfully every time. so, give me three tries, and as long as i fling one marble accurately, it will be counted as my win. i just want to show you how good your father used to be in those days.) turn 3: 夏雨：爸，我想问问你这弹球是用 嘴弹还是用手弹呢。 (s2: dad, i just want to ask if you are playing marbles with your hands or with your mouth.) in example 2, the flouting of the maxim of quantity occurred in turn 2 where f said too many words. in turn 1, when s2 asked f to play the marble “right now”, all m needed to reply was “ok”, which would have been sufficient for an answer. however, in turn 2, f went into a long-winded utterance about how invincible he was at playing marbles during his younger years and he went on to boast about his being the "king of playing marbles" and yet he was also making excuses about why he was not able to show the amazing skills “right now”. probably to avoid his incompetence in playing marbles, f tried to negotiate with s2 in turn 2 by saying “so, give me three tries, and as long as i fling one marble accurately, it will be counted as my win” as a way of saving his own face. thus, by turn 3, s2 showed his intense impatience with f who provided too much unnecessary and redundant information by satirizing f. in turn 2, f said too many words and this caused humour to be created as it also carried a conversational implicature which suggests that f’s skill of playing marbles was not as excellent as he claimed. this explains why f zhao xue & kuang ching hei grice’s maxims in humour: the case of “home with kids” 54 offered so much explanation as a means of preventing s2 from laughing at him. in wang’s (2014) research which examined how the characters in the american sitcom “friends” flouted the four maxims of the cooperative principle and how the humorous effect was derived, it was mentioned that the characters flouted the maxim of quantity by offering too much information when giving answers to others’ questions. the abundant information had led to the humorous effects. wang (2014) also noted that sometimes, more information does not guarantee a better understanding for the hearer. in the context of the present study, f’s abundant explanation in turn 2 was unnecessary and it caused impatience in s2 impatient. thus, it flouted the maxim of quantity and created humour. violating grice’s maxims violating grice’s (1975) maxims was noted to be the second common according to the occurrence of frequency. example #3: (episode 11, home with kids) context: m (liu mei) bought a great calligrapher's work as a decoration. d (xia xue), s1 (liu xing), and s2 (xia yu), found that calligraphy was terrible and laughed at the calligrapher. turn 1: 刘梅：自己不会欣赏, 就在这瞎狂. 我告诉你们, 欣赏墨宝也是要学的要品味的, 要胸怀的。这里面包含着很多容量的呢。 (m: you don't know how to appreciate art and you act like one who knows. let me tell you this, only those who have knowledge, great taste, and an open mind are able to appreciate the beauty of calligraphy. this calligraphy contains lots of meaning.） turn 2: 夏雪：妈，您懂啊？ (d: so mom, do you know how to appreciate it?） turn 3: 刘梅：当然了。 (m: of course.） turn 4: 夏雪：那您懂，你说说它哪好？ (d: since you know how to, could you please enlighten us on its beauty?) turn 5: 刘梅：它......多好啊。(laugh track） (m: it is ......sooooo beautiful.） this example demonstrates the violating of the maxim of quantity in turn 5 where m provided lesser information than required. in turn 4, d’s question to m was “could you please enlighten us on its (calligraphy) beauty?” expecting m to elaborate on how she found calligraphy to be an art. however, in return, d received an unsatisfying answer from m. in turn 5, all m said was “it is ......soooo beautiful” instead of giving enough details which can explain why and how she appreciated the calligrapher's work, instead, her response was totally different. as an example, m could have said, “the calligraphy is vigorous and forceful” as one reason in expressing the beauty of calligraphy but nevertheless, in turn 5, m purposely provided less information in reply to d’s question. this, therefore, created humour and made the audience laughed because now they are doubting if m really knew how to appreciate the beauty of calligraphy. in this case, m may have just wanted to save face as a “knowledgeable” mother. likewise, rochmawati (2012) found that in the jokes published in readers’ digest, humour was created when people violated the maxim of quantity and did not provide what the addressees were expecting. in most cases, humour is usually contained in the speakers’ absurd responses. in this regard, m’s absurd utterance in turn 5 violated the maxim of quantity because she offered too little information about the appreciation of calligraphy, thereby creating humour. example #4: (episode 61, home with kids) context: m (liu mei) was suffering from menopause, so she was easily irritated and made angry. one day, she quarreled with a man outside. upon returning home, she complained to f (xia donghai), d (xia xue), and s1 (liu xing). m hoped that her husband and children could do something as an act of justice for her. turn 1: 刘梅：刘星，这个时候你是不是应 该站起来，跑出去，为妈妈打抱不平啊,说 “谁啊谁啊谁啊，谁欺负我妈了”？ (m: liu xing (s1), shouldn’t you stand up for me now and run out, saying “who? who? english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 55 who bullied my mom?”) turn 2: 刘星：我觉得我还是回屋复习一会 吧。(laugh track） (s1: i think it's better for me to stay at room and do some revision.) turn 3: 刘梅：小雪，你是不是应该替妈妈 说几句话啊？ (m: xiao xue (d), shouldn't you speak up for your mom?) turn 4:夏雪：嗯，我觉得我也应该回屋看 会书了。(laugh track) (d: eh, i think that i should stay in my room and read books.) turn 5: 刘梅：夏东海，你老婆在外面可是 受人欺负了...... (m: xia donghai (f), your wife was bullied by a man outside.....) turn 6: 夏东海：这电视看时间久了，我发 现脑袋特别疼。真的，我回屋躺一会。脑 袋怎么回事? (laugh track) (f: i spent too much time watching tv, and i feel i have a terrible headache. yes, i think i had better return to my room and lay in bed for a while. what's wrong with my head?) this example showed how the maxim of relation could be violated by uttering about other topics as a means of evade the current situation. from the context, it is noted that m was bullied by a man outside, so she had hoped that her family could support her. in turn 1, m was questioning s1 for not backing her when she was bullied. s1 chose to give an irrelevant reply which is that he had better return to his room and review the lessons, as shown in turn 2. then, m turned to d for comfort. like s1, d also replied that she had to study, in turn 4, and she too ran away because she clearly knew that she did not want to irritate m especially when she was in such a bad mood. when m’s attempt to get d failed, she pinned her hope on her husband, f. similarly, being afraid of m’s bad temper at this juncture, f, in turn 6, also made up an excuse to evade the situation. it seems clear that all the family members avoided m by using ridiculous reasons at the same time, and this provided amusement to the audience. in the example given, f, d, and s1 violated the maxim of relation by talking about other affairs when answering m’s question. rochmawati (2012) stated that violating the maxim of relation was employed by making irrelevant statements and changing the topic and speakers would use the strategy to escape from an embarrassing situation or from answering some awkward questions. in the context of this example, it appears that f, d, and s1 answered m but they purposely provided irrelevant answers so as to avoid answering m’s embarrassing question as well as to avoid annoying her. this had thus created a humorous effect for the audience. infringing grice’s maxims the third most common non-observance of grice’s (1975) maxims was infringing grice’s maxims. example #5: (episode 14, home with kids) context: s1 (liu xing) bought a bird then persisted in teaching his bird to say “mommy”. turn 1: 刘星: 妈。妈。妈。妈。 (s1: mommy. mommy. mommy. mommy.) turn 2:刘梅：哎。干嘛？你叫我干嘛？ (m: hey, what is the matter with you? why are you calling me?) turn 3:刘星：我没叫您，我叫它“妈”呢。 (laugh track) (s1: i didn’t call you, i am calling it (the bird) “mommy”.) turn 4: 刘梅：叫什么? (m: what?) turn 5: 刘星：不是, 我让他叫我“妈”。 (laugh track) (s1: no, i mean, i am training it (the bird) to call me “mommy”.) in this example, the humorous effect was created in turn 3 and turn 5. here, s1 infringed the maxim of quality because he was nervous and excited at the same time and so he was unable to say something coherently whilst answering his mother, m. in turn 3, s1 replied that he called the bird “mommy” and in turn 5, s1 replied that he wanted the bird to call him “mommy”. this ridiculous answer made the audience laughed, because we all know that s1 is a male person who therefore, cannot become a mother for a bird. s1 was unable to speak zhao xue & kuang ching hei grice’s maxims in humour: the case of “home with kids” 56 clearly or make his point clear because he was a little afraid of his mother. this was the main reason that made him nervous. thus, s1 had infringed the maxim of quality to create the humorous effect. caesilia (2015) had also concluded that when a speaker becomes too excited (in the sitcom), the speaker tends to infringe the maxims. comparison of the non-observance of grice’s maxims in total, this study was able to extract 96 humorous examples from “home with kids (season 4)”. based on the analysis of the nonobservance of grice’s (1975) maxims, the findings are further divided into the respective categories, as shown in table 1. table 1. comparison of non-observance of grice’s maxims in “home with kids” four maxims flouting violating infringing opting out suspendin g non-observance number percentage the maxim of quantity 5 3 0 0 0 8 8.3% the maxim of quality 26 23 2 0 0 51 53.1% the maxim of relation 8 8 0 0 0 16 16.7% the maxim of manner 10 11 0 0 0 21 21.9% total 49 45 2 0 0 96 100% from the table, it is noted that amongst the five types of non-observance of grice’s (1975) maxims, flouting is the most commonly used, hence, the most important strategy used to create humour as almost half or 49% of the data consisted of this. the second and third strategy used are violating and infringing. opting out and suspending of grice’s maxims were not detected in the chinese sitcom, “home with kids” (season 4) for creating humour. based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that out of the five types of nonobservance of grice’s (1975) maxims, only three were used to create humour in the chinese sitcom, “home with kids” (season 4). it appears that flouting, violating, and infringing the maxims contributed in creating the humorous effect for the sitcom whilst opting out and suspending the maxims were not employed by the characters at all. the findings of this study differ from the outcomes noted by latan (2013) who stated that flouting and infringing grice’s (1975) maxims played an important role in american sitcom. nevertheless, the latter work of caesilia’s (2015) appears to share some similarity with the present study as it too noted that flouting and violating the maxims played an important role in creating humour in the sitcom she studied whilst infringing had little influence on creating humour. it is further noted that caesilia (2015) had also asserted that opting out of grice’s maxims did not appear to be humorous for the hearer which was not noted in the current study. according to sri (2006), suspending grice’s (1975) maxims means concealing the truth owing to the cultural code and it rarely occurred. likewise, in the chinese sitcom, “home with kids (season 4)”, suspending the maxims was not detected. conclusion this study has highlighted the outcome noted from investigating how humour was created in english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 57 a popular chinese sitcom, “home with kids” (season 4). data were analysed according to grice’s (1975) maxims to see if all the five types of non-observance were employed by the characters to create humour. unlike previous studies which noted four types of non-observance, the current study detected only three types of non-observance: flouting, violating, and infringing of grice’s (1975) maxims, which play an important role in creating the humorous effect for the sitcom. the chinese sitcom in study, “home with kids (season 4)” is a popular entertainment programme for the mainland chinese viewers. it is a sitcom that is loaded with humorous language, cultural knowledge and social values, and so it contains the ideal material that can be used to enhance both language and culture learning for non-native mandarin learners. in this regard, the chinese sitcom has the following advantage to offer learners of mandarin as a second or foreign language. first, language and culture were interwoven in the sitcom so it is a good source of material to use for helping to develop learners’ communicative and linguistic competence. second, the sitcom is immersed in the chinese (mandarin) language, it reflects real-life situations and so when used as a resource for learning, the outcome not only relaxes learners, thereby, lowering their affective filters, the sitcom can also offer learners a more authentic language-learning atmosphere. it is also an interesting language-learning context with interesting conversations and this can enable learners to become more competent in using the target language. as pointed out by shifman (2007), humour could be a key to comprehend social and cultural processes, and by incorporating humour into the learning of mandarin as a second language for non-native mandarin learners, the benefits gained are not only cultural, social but also personal. references berger, a. a. (1976). anatomy of the joke. journal of communication, 26(3), 113-115. brock, a. (2008). humour, jokes and irony versus mocking, gossip and black humour. handbook of interpersonal communication, 2, 541-566. brumark, a. (2006). non-observance of gricean maxims in family dinner table conversation. journal of pragmatics, 38, 1206–1238. caesilia, c. (2015). an analysis of non-observance maxims in humorous conversation in how i met your mother season 2. unpublished master’s thesis. department of language and arts education, sanata dharma university. creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). boston: pearson. grice, h. p. (1975). logic and conversation. cambridge: cambridge university press. keith-spiegel, p. (1972). early conceptions of humour: varieties and issues. in goldstein, j. h., & mcghee, p. e. (eds.), the psychology of humour: theoretical perspectives and empiricial issues (pp. 4-34). united states of america: academic press. koestler, a. (1993). humour and wit. in robert, m. (eds.), encyclopedia britannica (pp. 684-685). chicago: encyclopedia britannica. latan, c. (2013). a study of non-observance of grice’s cooperative principle found in humor discourse: a case analysis of the situation comedy the big bang theory. humanities journal, 20(2), 223-249. lu, w. f. (2014). a pragmatic approach in humour and non-observance of cp in sitcom--home with kids as an example. unpublished master’s thesis. department of english: shanghai international studies university. murata, k. (2014). an empirical cross-cultural study of humour in business meetings in new zealand and japan. journal of pragmatics, 60, 251-265. raskin, v. (1985). semantic mechanisms of humour. dordrecht-boston-lancaster: dordrecht reidel. rochmawati, d. (2012). violation of grice’s cooperative principles as humour strategies in short-joke text. literature, culture and language teaching, 1, 108-117. rogerson, p. (2007). humour in business: a doubleedged sword: a study of humour and style shifting in intercultural business meetings. journal of pragmatics, 39, 4-28. shifman, l. (2007). humour in the age of digital reproduction: continuity and change in internetbased comic text. international journal of communication, 1(1), 23. sri, r. p (2006). an analysis of humour types and grice’s maxim in the situation comedy friends episode of the one with that could have been.unpublished master’s thesis. department of english: sebelas maret university. shu, q. h. (2012). an analysis of humour in the big bang theory from pragmatic perspectives. theory and practice in language studies, 2(6), 11851190. thomas, j. (1995). meaning in interaction: an introduction to pragmatics. harlow: pearson education. zhao xue & kuang ching hei grice’s maxims in humour: the case of “home with kids” 58 wang, l. h. (2014). an analysis of verbal humour in friends from the perspective of cooperative principle. overseas english, 2, 279-282. wu, q. (2005). the cooperative principle and humour in sitcoms. journals of southern yangtze university (humanities & social sciences), 3(2), 107-110. zhen, x. (2013). contextual dimensions in interactional humour: how humour is practiced in selected american and chinese situation comedies. journal of pragmatics, 60, 24-35. 111 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee a probe into comprehension and use of assessment by secondary efl teachers in china huang jian school of foreign studies central university of finance and economics, beijing, china e-mail: summerofhj@sina.com apa citation: huang, j. (2014). a probe into comprehension and use of assessment by secondary efl teachers in china. english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 111-123 received: 15-03-2014 accepted: 27-03-2013 published: 01-06-2014 abstract: the purpose of this study is to explore chinese secondary efl teachers’ comprehension and use of assessment, including formative assessment (fa) and summative assessment (sa). assessment has a great impact on students’ learning. the role of fa for improving learning has been well documented (black & wiliam, 1998, hattie & timperley, 2007, shute, 2008; wiliam et al., 2004) and teachers’ summative assessment practices also have the potential to positively influence students and teachers (biggs, 1998; mcmillan, 2003). thanks to its value for learning and teaching, assessment has been emphasized in many national educational documents in china such as national english curriculum standards (moe, 2001 & 2011). yet little researches have been done so far to investigate how secondary efl teachers in china understand and implement fa and sa. this study, via a qualitative and quantitative analysis of questionnaire questions, reveals some specific patterns in teachers’ understanding and application of assessment: their consistency and inconsistency with the discourse of mainstream assessment literature. the findings are expected to provide implication for development of professional teacher preparation program and teachers’ self-reflection. keywords: formative assessment, summative assessment, secondary efl teachers 2013). what’s more, teacher assessment, whether summative or formative, takes places on a daily and on-going basis in the form of classroom tests, quizzes, questioning, papers, projects, and other measures, constituting a key part of students’ learning experience. thus, it can be argued that assessment is the most powerful type of measurement in education that influences student learning (shepard, 2013). because of the above-mentioned impacts, assessment has been written into many national educational policies of efl in china such as national english curriculum standards (moe, 2001 & 2011), national english curriculum standards for senior high school (moe, 2003) and college english curriculum requirements (cecr) (moe, 2004 & 2007). thanks to this policy promotion, introduction assessment, a natural and automatic activity, permeates every aspect of our lives (rowntree, 1987). it can be argued that assessment is one of the basic skills for survival: judgments enable an understanding of our environment, what we do, how we do it and how we can change and/or improve what we do (taras, 2012). when it comes to the context of education, its value and significance has been increasingly recognized and stressed. it is estimated that teachers spend one thirds or half of their time doing assessment-related work (stiggins, 1991 & 1999) and it is believed that what teachers assess and how and why they assess sends a clear message to students about what is worth learning, how it should be learned and how well they are expected to learn it (moss, huang jian a probe into comprehension and use of assessment 112 a lot of efforts have been invested into research and education regarding assessment with a view to improving assessment quality and therefore education quality at large (huang & luo, 2014; lin & gao, 2011). one of the agreed findings is that teachers don’t do assessment well because of their poor assessment literacy. as quality of assessment depends to a large extent on teachers’ assessment knowledge and skills, it is very significant to help teacher improve their assessment ability. to achieve this, the first step is for us to be informed about the current status of teachers’ assessment literacy. unless we better understand teachers’ strengths and weaknesses to use evidence of student learning to support instruction and learning, professional development specialists and researchers will be unable to determine optimal methods of supporting teachers in this endeavor (schneider, egan & julian, 2013). but as for where exactly the teachers are in their mastery of assessment knowledge and skills, there have been few empirical researches. so far we know little about how secondary efl teachers in china conceptualize and implement assessment, which makes a sound teacher development program in this regard impossible. given this situation, this study attempts to investigate how secondary efl teachers in china understand and use assessment (fa and sa). which is expected to contribute to the knowledge base for further efforts to enhance teachers’ assessment competence. method questionnaire data was collected in beijing normal university in 2013. the questionnaire is a further development on questionnaire on summative and formative assessment (taras, 2008). the further development includes addition of items absent in taras’ version such as students peer assessment, deletion of items not relevant for purpose of this study such as relation between theory and practice as well as modification of questionnaire layout. the final questionnaire of this study is composed of two parts: open-question part and close-question part. the 5 open questions are aimed at investigating teachers’ understanding of fa and sa while close-question part, made up of 34 yes or no questions, is targeted at examining teachers’ use of fa and sa. after a pilot study of the questionnaire among three university teachers and small modification of the layout and wording, the questionnaire was given to the 98 participants. a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis of the responses is used to give a comparatively more accurate picture of participants’ understanding and use of assessment than qualitative or quantitative analysis alone. the participants were 37 efl secondary teachers pursuing m. ed. degree in beijing normal university and 61 efl teachers attending a short-term workshop there. participants of two different educational backgrounds were selected in the hope that the findings could be more representative rather than reflecting the specific situation of a particular sub-group. results and discussion to answer the question of how do secondary teachers in chinese efl classroom understand assessment: fa and sa, teachers’ responses to the 5 open questions are analyzed in a qualitative way in terms of six dimensions: agent, construct, timing, instrument, use and relation between fa and sa. the first five dimensions are selected as the unit of qualitative analysis because they are basic elements involved in description of assessment process: agent refers to who are doing the assessment; construct what 113 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee is to be assessed; timing when fa takes places; instrument the tools used for assessment; use how assessment results are dealt with for various purposes. the sixth dimension (relation between fa and sa) is added because of its essential role in conceptualization of fa and sa and its controversial nature in assessment literature. agent of assessment fa: most of the participants regard teachers as the major agent of fa. 89 participants stated clearly or implied that fa should be carried out by teachers. only nine participants mentioned student’s involvement in the process of fa via either self-assessment or selfreflection. of these nine participants, one claimed that fa could be conducted by students, teachers or even parents. in other words, in the eyes of most of the participants, students are only the objects to be assessed in the fa process, serving as source of information to be used by teachers for instructional adjustment. most participants fail to realize that in addition to adjustment of instruction, teachers ought to help students become assessors of their own learning (sadler, 1989; stiggins, 2010). although there are some scholars emphasizing teachers as the agent of fa (kahl, 2005; stiggins, 2002; tunstall & gipps 1996), there has been an increasing consensus in dominant fa literature that fa should be carried out by both teachers and students (bachman & palmer, 1996; black & wiliam 1998; black et al, 2003; perie, marion, gong, & wurtzel, 2007). while rea-dickins (2001) believes that fa may be taken by any of the key stakeholders in the assessment process, for example, a teacher, a learner or a school, recent years have seen more and more stress on active role of students in the process of fa as self-regulating theories are gaining momentum (andrade, 2010). sa: similar to fa, an overwelcoming majority of the participants think that sa should be conducted by teachers, implicitly or explicitly. most of definitions implied that teachers should be agent of sa. there is one participant who explicitly stated: “sa refers to the objective assessment conducted by teachers of students’ performance or achievement at the end of a certain period of learning.” another participant emphasized teachers as the developer of assessment task: “sa is the evaluation of students’ task performance after students completing the task designed by teachers.” only two of the 98 participants mentioned students as agent of sa. in describing sa, one participant said that the students were asked to peer review essay for each other and the other articulated that sa should be based on end-semester, student regular performance and student-self assessment. an examination of sa definitions in assessment literature shows that there is few explicit mentioning of agents (neither teachers nor students). it is probably because it is not important who conduct sa or it is self-evident that teachers should be main agent of assessment in the eyes of the participants. the latter assumption can find its support in the various specification or standards of teacher competences in educational assessment where teachers’ role in the whole sa process is clearly articulated (e.g. aft, ncme, & nea, 1990). in general, teacher’s understanding of sa agent is in line with existing literature. construct of assessment fa: construct is concerned with what is to be assessed. the construct of fa is understood by the participants in the following ways: (1) the participants tend to believe that the fa has a wider construct than sa. according to the huang jian a probe into comprehension and use of assessment 114 participants, students are to be assessed on their learning achievement, attitudes towards learning, attendances, morality, learning strategies, affects in fa while to be tested only on their learning gains in sa; (2) some participants think that fa refers to the assessment of teachers’ instruction instead of students’ learning; and (3) fa focuses on smaller learning targets, or each step of completing a specific task. the first two ways of understanding is inconsistent with the discourse in assessment literature. while the participants would like to assess a list of things when it comes to fa, it is almost always students’ learning that is clearly expressed as construct of fa in assessment literature. teachers’ instruction is not what is assessed in fa. the relation among students learning, teacher instruction and fa can be simply put like this: fa takes place as students’ learning is assessed during instruction to provide information for teachers to adjust their instruction and for students to regulate their learning for the final purpose of improving students’ learning. in other words, fa assesses students learning (either process or product) instead of teachers’ instruction, though teachers’ instruction might be improved as the result of fa. however, the third way is justified for it is echoed by harlen and james (1997) who emphasized that fa was concerned about the small ideas and skills that could be developed in specific classroom activities. sa: a close examination of participants’ responses reveals a division that figures quite prominently on the construct of sa: whether sa is focused on teacher instruction or student learning. although it was either implied or clearly stated by most participants that sa should be aimed at assessing students learning or learning outcome, there are 26 participants who explicitly emphasized that the focus of sa should be on teacher instruction or teaching effect. a representative definition of sa is: “sa is an assessment of the outcome of instruction, which is aimed at evaluating the effect of teaching at the end of instructional activity.” such a view might reflect to some extent teachers’ concern about their teaching quality as judged by assessment activities. just as one participant explicitly pointed out: “sa is made at the end of class for the purpose of future instruction.” in addition to this major disagreement among participants, there is a participant who holds that sa is assessing not only cognitive achievement but also students’ behavior. there is another one believing that sa is the assessment of the whole learning process at the end of instruction and two participants defined sa as assessment on education quality of a discipline or a school, which kind of equals assessment with evaluation. the view of objects of sa as teacher instruction, student behavior, the whole learning process and education quality of discipline or school deviates from what the assessment literature says about the construct of sa. like fa, sa is aimed at judging students learning outcome. it is pointed out by harlen (2004) that unlike assessments that are formative or diagnostic, the purpose of summative assessment is to determine the students’ overall achievement, in a specific area of learning at a particular time—a purpose that distinguishes it from all other forms of assessments. from this it can be seen that sa is not only aimed at assessing cognitive achievement, but more importantly at overall achievement, similar to big targets or big ideas (harlen & james, 1997)，which distinguishes sa from fa in terms of construct. unfortunately this difference doesn’t stand out in the participants’ responses. 115 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee timing of assessment fa: it is universally acknowledged among participants that fa takes place in the process of teaching or learning. but they seem divided on how frequently fa should be carried out. the time interval ranges from “minute by minute” to “on semester basis”. 19 participants explicitly mentioned the word “periodical”. 15 participants used such words as weekly, end of unit, quiz, monthly test, mid-semester test and end of semester to express the specific frequency. there are also some participants holding that fa takes place on the minute by minute and day by day basis. they didn’t use the exact wording but 23 participants mentioned that fa happened during the completion of a specific task, or during classroom instruction or at the end of a specific class. in addition to the 23 participants, five participants said that the assessment should be conducted in a timely or prompt way. the rest of participants did not talk about the specific time for implementing fa but all mentioned that it happened in the process of teaching or learning. according to the participants’ responses, timing seems to be an inevitable part in their conceptualization of fa. the participants tend to take timing of assessment as one of the distinguishing features of fa. this is in line with many definitions of fa in assessment literature where fa is specified as taking place during the instruction or in the process of leaning (bloom, hastings, & madaus, 1971; moe, 1994; scriven, 1967). however, there have been different views regarding the role of timing in conceptualization of fa. sadler (1989 & 1998) thinks that it is feedback not timing that distinguishes fa from sa. in the recent authoritative definitions of fa (black & wiliam, 2009; wiliam 2011), timing is absent and therefore can’t be held as a factor that determines whether an assessment is formative or not. sa: the participants’ pattern of understanding regarding time of sa is quite similar to the pattern for fa. there is a universal agreement among participants that sa takes place at the end of instruction as compared to fa happening in the process of instruction. however, the range of the period is quite wide too, varying from participant to participant. it can extend from the length of a classroom instructional activity to the whole three years of senior high school learning culminating at gaokao of english (national matriculation english test). it seems that majority of participants think that sa takes place in the middle of semester, at end of semester or at the end of one year. in addition to the majority, there are some participants stressing the end of class as the time for sa. and what seems strange is that only one participant mentioned gaokao, the most important summative assessment in china and largestscale one in the world. it might be because that the participants tend to confine sa to classroom sa where they are more deeply involved. the mainstream literatures’ specification of timing of sa is “at a particular time”(e.g. harlen, 2004 ). this means that there is no requirement of the length of instructional time. it could be a class, a unit, half-semester, and one semester etc. what is more, what is implied by “at a particular time” might be that sa should be planned beforehand against fa that can be unplanned and can arises spontaneously as instruction is going on. instrument of collecting information fa: elicitation of information is the first step of assessment process. as for the instruments of collecting information for fa, the participants’ answers show an obvious pattern of huang jian a probe into comprehension and use of assessment 116 order: portfolio is mostly frequently mentioned, followed by homework and classroom performance. beside these three popular instruments, there is one participant who mentioned selfassessment checklists at the end of unit instruction. and there are some participants using tests as fa instrument such as small quizzes, monthly text, mid-term and end-of-term tests. the message here is that the participants do not separate fa from sa in their assessment practice, which coincides with the findings of some empirical studies (black et al., 2003; carless, 2011). what deserves special attention is that there is an inclination of not regarding above-mentioned instruments as tools of collecting information but as fa itself. some participants even articulated that fa was just about recording various kinds of information about students with no need for further interpretation and use of it. this position goes against the mainstream fa literature. it has been clearly pointed out that portfolio itself does not constitute fa (llosa，2011), nor do frequent summative tests administered at regular intervals (stiggins & chappuis, 2006). what makes an assessment formative is the way that the collected information is interpreted and used. according to wiliam (2011: 43): “an assessment functions formatively to the extent that evidence about student achievement is elicited, interpreted, and used by teachers, learners, or their peers to make decisions about the next steps in instruction that are likely to be better or better founded, than the decisions they would have made in the absence of evidence.” sa: there is an obvious difference between fa and sa in terms of instrument as understood by teachers. the most frequently mentioned instruments (portfolio, homework and classroom performance) are almost completely absent in teachers’ discourse of sa. as for the instrument for sa, participants tend to link it with traditional tests laden with stakes. for example, one participant states clearly that: “sa refers to traditional test administered at end of semester or end of year.” specifically, the instruments mentioned by participants include: classroom instructional task, unit quiz, mid-semester tests, semester tests, graduation examination. of these instruments, semester tests, end of semester test, and unit quiz are mentioned frequently, followed by classroom instructional task and graduation examination. putting the sa and fa instruments together, we will find there are some overlapping between sa and fa instruments mentioned by the participants. the implication is that teachers don’t separate them clearly. this conception of fa and sa instruments is echoed by the mainstream assessment literature, which tends to encourage teachers to collect students learning evidence in various ways for decision-making, either summative or formative. however, that doesn’t mean that all these instruments boast the same suitability for summative or formative purpose. the common knowledge is that standardized testing is more suitable for large-scale testing purpose and different types of instruments can have different degrees of potential formative power (mcmillan, 2011). use of assessment result fa: feedback is the main form of formative use of assessment information (black & wiliam, 1998; black et al., 2003; sadler, 1989). however, it is not perceived as such by most of the participants. only 27 participants mentioned feedback in their response and most of them take feedback as collecting information from assessment of students for the purpose of adjusting instruction. in other words, the feedback 117 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee is not given to students but to teachers. there are only five participants who explicitly stated that feedback should be given to students and only one participant mentioning students giving feedback to themselves (self-assessment). what is more, no participant used “descriptive” or “detailed” to modify feedback required of fa. in comparison with the data about timing of fa, it is clear that timing is the feature of fa that figures more prominently in the minds of participants than feedback. while it has been downplayed to a large extent in the participants’ definitions, feedback has been consistently stressed as an important part of fa in assessment literature (bloom et al, 1971; heritage, kim, vendlinski, & herman, 2009; irons, 2008; mcmanus, 2008; tunstall & gipps, 1996). there are some scholars who even equal fa with feedback. for example, harlen and james (1997: 369) claimed that “formative assessment, therefore, is essentially feedback (ramaprasad, 1983), both to the teacher and to the pupil about present understanding and skill development in order to determine the way forward.” sa: for summative assessment, the assessment information is mainly used to measure students’ achievement of learning for grading, placement and/ or accountability. but one participant mentioned the use of sa for feedback and improvement of instruction. the original statement goes like this: “sa is to use some testing methods to measure students’ achievement for a certain period of time for the purpose of feedback and improvement of instruction in next stage or make decision on whether to move into next stage.” this is similar to the idea of formative use of summative assessment (black et al., 2003; carless, 2011). relation between fa and sa the data shows that all participants believe that fa and sa are related to each other and a closer look reveals that they are related mainly in two ways: (1) fa enhances students’ performance in sa. the reasoning behind this idea is that fa takes place in the process of learning and good process will result in good product; (2) fa can be aggregated into sa. this is an idea suggested by many participants in various wordings: “fa in different phases will constitute sa.” “sa should take into consideration some evidence provided by fa.” some participants even suggested that fa could promote the quality of sa by saying “sa will be more scientific by including many fa.” the relationship between fa and sa has been a hot topic since the beginning of fa among assessment researchers. generally speaking, there are two contrasting views about it. there is one group of scholars who think that fa and sa are in a competing relationship and incapable of co-existence. this view originated from sadler (1989) who sees fa as means of intervention or regulation in learning while sa is essentially passive and don’t normally have “immediate impact” on learning (sadler 1989: 120). wiliam & black (1996) and roos & hamilton (2005) also advocated the bipolarity and uneasy coexistence. gipps (1990) even claimed that sa would ultimately overcome fa. standing in contrast with this competition view is the complementary view, which has been supported by both theoretical reflection and empirical research. for example, biggs (1998) called for an integration between fa and sa so as to bring about a powerful enhancement to learning. many studies have reported combination of fa and sa in practice (chetcuti et al. 2006; ceri, 2005; dysthe & englesen, 2004; harlen, 2004; hutchinson & huang jian a probe into comprehension and use of assessment 118 hayward, 2005; kenowski, 2002). the practice is usually carried out in two forms: formative use of sa and summative use of fa (harlen, 2006). participants’ conceptualization of fa and sa seems to be more in line with the complementary view than the competing view. however, they don’t seem to be well informed about how to carry out them to the complementary effect. teachers tend to believe fa can promote sa and it is not necessarily the case. fa can improve students’ learning but may not enhance students’ score in sa. stobart (2008) has pointed out that there is a logic step between improved learning and improved scores in sa. what is more, participants believe that fa can be aggregated into sa. this reflects to some extent that they take fa as mini-summative assessment. as a matter of fact, fa and sa are different in many ways, especially in terms of validity and reliability (bonner, 2013; parkes, 2013). therefore, aggregation of fa into sa entails some important and complicated issues such as change of criteria in interpreting assessment information (harlen, 2006). while to answer the question of how do secondary teachers in chinese efl classroom use assessment: fa and sa. the participants’ responses are analyzed in a quantitative way in following dimensions: 1. assessment tasks used with students; 2. information given to students on assessment tasks; 3. information on student self-assessment (ssa); 4. information on student peerassessment (ssa); 5. assessment used for endor mid-course grades; 6. assessment assessing product and/or process. 7. assessing for validation or for learning; 8. assessment providing useful feedback. the eight dimensions are chosen because they represent the common key assessment practices (taras, 2008). below are the detailed analysis and discussion. assessment tasks used with students as shown in table 1 below, 79.2% participants use fa task with students. specifically, 78.9% use it in class and 54.6% use it for homework. 44.3% participants do fa and sa separately while there are 63.9% participants who combine fa and sa together. it is good to see that a large proportion of participants use fa and more participants integrate sa and fa. this is in line with the findings of black et al. (2003) that the teachers feel it is neither necessary nor logical to separate them. yet, near half of secondary efl teachers here separate them. however, there are a small part of participants who never use fa tasks with students, indicating that there is still a long way to go for promotion of fa practice in classroom in spite of the recent efforts at research and policy levels (huang & luo, 2014). information given to students on assessment tasks as shown in table 2, only 29.5% participants tell students that the task is fa task and only 25% participants explain how it is formative. more participants mark the work (57.3%) than grade it (47.9%). most of the participants relate fa to the sa work (89.7%). the participants don’t seem to make use of fa quite well. informing students of the purpose and features of fa is an important part of teachers’ job for students need to have assessment literacy to be efficiently involved in assessment process (stiggins, 2010). however, only a small proportion of participants do that. what is more, marking without a grade allow learners to focus on their work without the pressure of the grade has been proven to help students’ learning (black & wiliam, 1998; black et al., 2003). yet, 47.9% participants grade fa. the good thing is a large majority of participants relate fa work to sa work, consistent with their responses to open questions. 119 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 1. assessment tasks used with students question 1-5 1. fa task used 2. in class 3. for homework 4. fa sa separate 5. fa and sa conflated yes 79.2% 78.9% 54.6% 44.3% 63.9% no 20.8% 21.1% 45.4% 55.7% 36.1% table 2 information given to students on formative assessment tasks question 6-10 6.tell students task is fa 7. explain how task is fa 8. is fa work marked? 9. is fa work graded? 10. is fa work related to sa. yes 29.5% 25% 57.3% 47.9% 89.7% no 70.5% 75% 42.7% 52.1% 10.3% table 3 information on student self-assessment (ssa) question 11-14 11. do students do ssa 12. do you present ssa as fa 13. do you present ssa as sa 14. does ssa use both fa and sa yes 65% 60.4% 35.1% 42.3% no 35% 39.6% 64.9% 57.7% table 4. information on student peer-assessment (spa) question 1518 15.do students do psa 16.do you present psa as fa 17.do you present psa as sa 18.does psa use both fa and sa yes 76.0% 52.1% 27.4% 27.7% no 24.0% 47.9% 72.6% 72.3% table 5 assessment used for endor mid-course grades question 19-22 19. sa can be used for end of course grades 20. fa can be used for end of course grades 21. sa can be used for mid course grades 22. fa can be used for mid course grades yes 83.3% 59.4% 55.7% 72.2% no 16.7% 40.6% 44.3% 27.8% information on student self-assessment (ssa) as shown in table 3 below, 65% participants use self-assessment with their students. specifically, 60.4% participants use selfassessment as fa while 35.1% present self-assessment as sa; however, 42.3% participants believe that self-assessment can be both sa and fa. more participants take ssa as fa rather than sa. this is in line with popular view of putting students at the center for fa and ssa as main strategy of fa (black et al. 2003; carless, 2011; wiliam, 2011). as a matter of fact, research community is divided on the concept of ssa. according to the generally accepted theoretical frameworks of sadler (1989 & 1998) and scriven (1967), self-assessment is the student equivalent of sa, requiring the explicit step of providing feedback for it to become fa. on the other hand, brown & harris (2013) supports a wider concept of ssa, including descriptive, improvement-oriented formative dimension and quantitative evaluationoriented summative dimension. the difference among the participants might be partly caused by this inconsistency in assessment literature. information on student peer-assessment as seen from table 4 below, 76% participants use peer-assessment with their students. specifically, 52.1% participants use selfassessment as a huang jian a probe into comprehension and use of assessment 120 part of fa while 27.4% present selfassessment as sa; however, 27.7% participants believe that peer-assessment can be both sa and fa. spa is used by more participants than ssa and more participants use it as fa than sa. this is understandable because in recent fa literature spa is often listed as formative strategy (careless 2001; wiliam & thompson 2008). but this is not the whole picture of spa in assessment literature. according to topping (2013), the function of peer assessment can be formative, summative or both. he suggests that in practice, teachers could start with peer assessment for formative purpose and then move to peer assessment for summative purpose as the students are very familiar with peer assessment and its reliability can be reassured. assessment used for endor mid-course grades as shown in table 5 below, 83.3% participants believe that sa can be used for end of course grades while 55.7% think it can be used for mid-course grades. 59.4% agree fa can be used for end of course grades while 72.2% believe that fa can be used for mid-course grades. much more participants (83.3%) believe sa can be used for end of course grades than for mid-course grades (55.7 ％). similarly, less participants hold fa can be used for end of course grades than for mid-course grades. for the end of course grades, more participants choose sa than fa while for the midcourse grades, more participants choose fa over sa. it seems that the participants associate time interval with the use of fa and sa: sa tends to be used at longer time interval while fa at shorter interval. this is in line with participants’ responses to open questions that show they regard timing as a distinguishing feature for fa and sa. however, mainstream assessment literatures distinguish fa and sa mainly from its function or use rather than timing (sadler, 1989; wiliam, 2011). assessment assessing product and/or process as shown in table 6, 81.2 % participants see sa as assessing a product while 28.1% participants see it as assessing a process. fa shows the opposite pattern: 88.5% see it as assessing process while 19.8% as assessing the product. in general, the participants tend to link sa with final product and fa with process, which is consistent with participants’ stress in definition of fa and sa on fa taking place during the instructional activity while sa at the end of various time stretches. however, the existing literature has shown clearly that both sa and fa can assess either process or product (sadler, 1989 &1998; black & william, 2006; taras, 2005, 2007& 2008). assessment assessing for validation or for learning as shown in table 7 below, 67% participants use sa for validation (grading) while 62.5% use it for learning. only 23.2% participants use fa for validation (grading) while 96.9% for learning. almost the same number of participants uses sa for both validation and learning, showing that the participants have a comparatively strong faith in role of sa in promoting learning. this can be understood positively that the participants tend to tap the potential of sa for learning. another positive thing is the participants’ almost universal agreement that fa is for learning. what seems strange that 33% participants don’t think sa is for validation, the major function of sa. it reflects that some participants are short of basic assessment literacy. 121 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee assessments providing useful feedback as shown in table 8 below, 84.4% participants think sa provides useful feedback while 96.9% participants hold that fa provides useful feedback. what is more, 82.3% see feedback as corrective and 96.9% as non-judgmental. there appears an obvious difference between the participants’ responses to open questions and close questions. in answers to open questions, 27 participants stated feedback for fa while only two participants mentioned feedback for sa. this shows at least the feedback is not the salient part in participants’ conceptualization of assessment. it might also reflect that participants are better at good practice than formulating accurate definitions. as for the nature of feedback, most participants agree on its corrective and non-judgmental nature, thus dismissing grades as feedback leading to learning improvement. conclusion the study is aimed at finding out on how teachers, one of the major agents of fa, understand and use assessment: fa and sa. a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the participants’ responses has shown that: (1). the participants are not well informed in their understanding of assessment: fa, sa and their relationship. (2). they don’t use assessment properly in many ways as suggested by assessment literature. in addition, the study has revealed the participants’ specific misconception and misunderstanding of assessment and their varying strengths and weaknesses in different aspects of assessment practice. these findings highlight the importance and urgency of improving teacher’s assessment literacy and can serve to illuminate and offer useful references for teacher training and education for secondary efl teachers in relation to assessment in the chinese context and hopefully in even wider context. however, the study is a small scale one of 98 participants and it is self-report one, which limits its representation and accuracy. it is hoped that in the future studies of larger-scale with observational component will be carried out to form a better picture of how teachers understand and use assessment. table 6. assessment assessing product and/or process question 23-26 23. sa assesses product 24. sa assesses process 25. fa assesses product 26. fa assesses process yes 81.2% 28.1% 19.8% 88.5% no 12.8% 71.9% 80.2% 11.5% table 7. assessment assessing for validation or for learning. q u e s t i o n 27-30 27. sa assesses for validation 28. sa assesses for learning 29. fa assesses for validation 30. fa assesses for learning yes 67.0% 62.5% 23.2% 96.9% no 33.0% 37.5% 76.8% 3.1% table 8. assessment provide useful feedback question 31-32 31. sa provides useful feedback 32. fa provides useful feedback 33. feedback is corrective 34. feedback is nonjudgemental yes 84.4% 96.9% 82.3% 96.9% no 15.6% 3.1% 17.7% 3.1% huang jian a probe into comprehension and use of assessment 122 reference andrade, h. (2010). students as the definitive source of formative assessment: academic self-assessment and the self-regulation of learning. in h. l. andrade, & g. j. cizek (eds.), handbook of formative assessment. new york: routledge. bachman, l. f., & palmer, a. s. (1996). language testing in practice. oxford: oxford university press. biggs, j. (1998). assessment and classroom learning: a role for summative assessment? assessment in education: principles, policy & practice, 5(1), 103110. black, p., & wiliam, d. (1998). assessment and classroom learning. assessment in education: principles, policy & practice, 5(1): 7-74. black, p. j., & wiliam, d. (2003). ‘in praise of educational research’: formative assessment. british educational research journal, 29(5), 623-637. black, p., & wiliam, d. (2006). developing a theory of formative assessment. in j. gardner (ed.), assessment and learning: an introduction. thousand oaks, ca: sage. black, p., & wiliam, d. (2009). developing the theory of formative assessment. educational assessment, evaluation and accountability, 21(1): 5-31. bloom, b. s., hastings, j. t., & madaus, g. f. (eds.) (1971). handbook on the formative and summative evaluation of student learning. new york: mcgraw-hill. bonner, a. m. (2013). validity in classroom assessment: purposes, properties, and principles. in mcmillan, j.h. (ed.), sage handbook of research on classroom assessment. london: sage publications ltd. brown & harris (2013). student selfassessment. in mcmillan, j.h. (ed.), sage handbook of research on classroom assessment. london: sage publications ltd. carless, d. (2011). from testing to productive student learning: implementing formative assessment in confucian-heritage settings. new york: routledge. ceri (2005). formative assessment: improving learning in secondary classroom. paris: oecd. chetcuti, d., murphy p. & crima, g. (2006). the formative and summative uses of professional development portfolio: a maltese case study. assessment in education, 13(1): 97-112. dysthe, o. & englesen, k. s. (2004). portfolios and assessment in teacher education in norway: a theory-based discussion of different models in two sites. assessment and evaluation in higher education, 5(1): 131-137. gipps, c. (1990). assessment: a teacher’s guide to issues. london: hodder & stroughton. harlen, w., & james, m. (1997). assessment and learning: differences and relationships between formative and summative assessment. assessment in education: principles, policy & practice, 4(3), 365-379. irons, a. (2008). enhancing learning through formative assessment and feedback. london: routledge. kahl, s. (2005). where in the world are formative tests? right under your nose! education week, 25(4), 11. kenowski, v. (2002). developing portfolios for learning and assessment. london: routledge falmer. lin, d.l. & gao, m. (2011). teacher assessment literacy: theory and practice. foreign language teaching in theory and practice, (4),29-37. mcmanus, s. (2008). attributes of effective formative assessment. washington, d c: council of chief state school officers. retrieved october 6, 2013, from http:// www.ccsso.org/publications/ details. cfm?publication id=362] mcmillan, j. h. (2003). the relationship between instructional and classroom assessment practices of elementary teachers and students scores on high-stakes tests (report). (eric document reproduction service no. ed472164). moss, c.m. (2013). research on classroom assessment. in mcmillan, j.h. (ed), sage handbook of research on classroom assessment. london: sage publications ltd. ramaprasad, a. (1983). on the definition of feedback. behavioural science, 28(1), 4-13. rea-dickins, p. (2001). mirror, mirror on the 123 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee wall: identifying processes of classroom assessment. language testing, 18(4), 429462. sadler, d. r. (1989). formative assessment and the design of instructional systems. instructional science, 18(2), 119-144. sadler, d. r. (1998). formative assessment: revisiting the territory. assessment in education: principles, policy & practice, 5 (1), 77-84. scriven, m. s. (1967).the methodology of evaluation. in r. w. tyler, r. m. gagne, & m. scriven (eds.), perspectives of curriculum evaluation (aera monograph series on curriculum evaluation, 1, (pp. 39-83). chicago: rand mcnally. schneider, m.c., egan, k.l. & julian, m. w. (2013). classroom assessment in the context of high-stakes testing. in mcmillan, j.h. (ed.), sage handbook of research on classroom assessment. london: sage publications ltd. shepard, l. a. (2013) foreword. in mcmillan, j.h. (ed), sage handbook of research on classroom assessment. london: sage publications ltd. the effectiveness of jigsaw strategy to improve students' skill in writing a recount text english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the effectiveness of jigsaw strategy to improve students' skill inwriting a recount text iranita sitohang department of english education, faculty of language and literature education, indonesia university of education email: ira.leonie@hotmail.com) pupung purnawarman department of english education, faculty of language and literature education, indonesia university of education email: purnawarman@upi.edu) apa citation: sitohang, i & purnawarman, p. (2015). the effectiveness of jigsaw strategy to improve students' skill in writing a recount text. english review: journal of english education, 3(2), 183-189 received: 09-04-2015 accepted: 25-04-2015 published: 01-06-2015 abstract: this study was intended to investigate the use of jigsaw technique and the improvement of students’ skill in writing a recount text and their challenges in writing. it was conducted at a vocational high school in bandung, involving students of eleventh grade as the participants using a quasi-experimental design. in this study, the data were obtained through questionnaires, preand post-tests. the data from the pre-test and the post-test were analyzed by using independent t-test. spss 20.0 program was used to do the statistical test. based on the findings, it was revealed that the challenges faced by students in writing a recount text were the use of past tense, limited vocabulary, and the schematic structure of recount text. the quantitative finding of the study shows that significance value is lower than 0.05 (p = 0.000 < 0.05), which indicates that jigsaw technique can improve students’ writing skill in the class investigated. jigsaw helps students to deal with their inability of writing a recount text because each student supports each other member in the home group in order to gain their group’s achievement. in addition, jigsaw helps students to gather more knowledge when sharing the information and knowledge of their part in the expert group. keywords: jigsaw strategy, writing, recount text introduction learning english means learning four basic skills of the language: speaking, listening, reading and writing. the students should have abilities in reading and listening to support their speaking and writing. grabe and kaplan (1996, p. 5) stated that writing is particularly the most complex composing skill valued in the academy which involves training, instruction, practice, experience and purpose. eventhough writing is often considered as a more difficult skill than other language skills, it still can be learned and mastered. in line with this, langan (2008, p. 10) says that the more students practice writing, the better they will write. in the context of indonesian school, writing is often directed toward writing a text. based on the text structure or overall design, there are two different written texts: report and recount text (feez & joyce, 1998, p. 3). they further pointed out that recount text is designed to tell a series of events which happened iranita sitohang & pupung purnawarman the effectiveness of jigsaw strategy to improve students' skill in writing a recount text one after the other. it means that when writing recount text the doer who relates with the event will be known. to stimulate the students’ writing skill, especially writing recount text, teacher can use several sources such as student experience, book, magazine, television or movie. teacher can also use different teaching technique for example jigsaw. jigsaw is one of learning techniques in cooperative learning. nastasi and clements (1991) view cooperative learning as a group learning process, built on the belief that students learn better when they learn together. jigsaw is similar with group to group exchange with an important difference: every student tends to teach. mattingly & van sickle (1991) as cited in slavin (2009, p. 57) state that there is positive effect from jigsaw strategy in student achievement. elliot aronson who developed the jigsaw in 1978 (slavin, 2009, p. 14) suggested that jigsaw preferred use for some subjects including literature, especially in written form. generally, this research is aimed to find out whether jigsaw strategy is effective to improve students’ skill of english language in writing a recount text. moreover, it is intended to find out students challenges in writing a recount text and how jigsaw strategy can improve students’ skill in writing a recount text. it uses quasi experimental procedures. the sample in this research is 60 students of a vocational school in bandung. the 60 students come from two classes. the 30 students are the experimental group (eg) and other 30 students are the control group (cg). method using a quasi-experimental design, two classes of vocational high school students were investigated in this study: one class consisting of 30 participants was made as an experimental group (eg) which was taught using jigsaw strategy as a treatment and the other class of 30 students was grouped into a control group (cg). a pre-test was administered to both groups before the experiment and a post-test was administered to both groups after the treatment. the data for the study were collected from the samples through questionnaires, pre-test and post-test results. the questionnaires were distributed to find out the challenges that the participants encountered while writing a recount text. the pre-test and post-test results were analyzed to find out the effectiveness of jigsaw strategy in improving students’ skill in writing a recount text. the questionnaires in this study consisted of ten questions which were intended to obtain information about students’ opinion towards the challenges in writing a recount text. the pre-test in this study was administered to capture the initial differences between the experimental and the control groups while the post-test served to find out the improvement of their writing quality. before administering the pre-test and the post-test, a pilot test was conducted to find out the students level of knowledge before actually starting the experiment. in this study, the pilot test was given to the students who were identified to have the same or similar grades with the students in the experimental and the control groups and they already learned how to write a recount text. in this test, the students were asked to write a recount text. three aspects of writing ability in recount text were measured using a scoring rubric: content, schematic structure, and language use. the collected data through pre-test and posttest then were computed using ibm spss program. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee results & discussion the analyzed data show that the challenge faced by students in writing a recount text is grammar, particularly in using appropriate tenses such as the past tense. students were not aware about the changes of verb from present to past. the pre-test analysis shows that they were not consistent in the use of past tenses. this may be influenced by the students’ native language; bahasa indonesia, which there is no particular difference between the verb in present and in past. this is illustrated in the follows students’ writing result: (student i) ra.:when i was went to my grand mother house, i went with my family (the correction): iwent to my grandmother’s house with my family. (student ii) ig.: suddenly the motor is knocking our bikes and we fell into the river. (the correction): suddenly the motor crashed our bikes and we fell down into the river) (student iii) dd.: a time when we’ve finished enjoying the mountain tangkuban parahu we went home. (the correction): after we had finished enjoying the mountain tangkuban parahu, we went home. the examples above show that the students’ lack of understanding of past tense and need more explicit teaching about past tense. the result of questionnaire also shows that half of students in the investigated class realized that grammar is one of the challenges in writing a recount text. this finding is in line with cyril weir (in elt documents: 129, 1988, p. 17) who detects grammatical error as the first challenge of writing problems of efl students. other challenges are the vocabulary and students’ mastery of schematic structure of recount texts. in the vocabulary challenges, students had difficulty in translating the idea and choosing the right words in their writing. whereas, vocabulary is one of writing aspects which should be considered by students in order to help readers to understand the meaning of their writing (brown, 2001). this is illustrated in the follows students’ writing result: (student i) ra.:my mother said if you took a motorcyle don’t too fast... (the correction):my mother said, “if you ride a motorcycle, don’t too fast...” (student ii) ig.: suddenly the motor is knocking our bikes... (the correction): suddenly the motor crashed our bikes... (student iii) dd.: ... he told i replace the damage but i do not have the money to replace (the correction): ... he toldme to pay for the damage but i did not have money for that. the examples above show that the students’ lack of vocabulary and the way to use it. even though they were allowed to use dictionary, it was still difficult for them to look for a word and chose the right one. based on the questionnaire result, students admitted that the challenges of writing a recount text are the choosing of iranita sitohang & pupung purnawarman the effectiveness of jigsaw strategy to improve students' skill in writing a recount text vocabulary and the way they use appropriate vocabulary. more than half of the students realized this difficulties. moreover, most of students discovered that the difficulties are because they did not practice more frequently (60.7%) and the class situation does not support them to write more (53.5%). the study found that students also had difficulties in schematic structure of a recount text. according to the concept of a recount text, students could retell the whole story but the details of events were not clear enough to make the reader more interested. the way they organize the story is still inadequate in order to elaborate the event of the story. students had shown their efforts in writing from the schematic structure’s view. yet, the chronological sequence of the story is confusing. in addition, the story is also not coherent. based on the result of pre-test and post-test, this research also discovers that jigsaw improves students’ writing skill in writing a recount text in the class investigated. in relation to the use of jigsaw, the research finds that it can stimulate students to be more active in the learning process and provide proper environment to write. based on the analyzed data, the mean of writing score of experimental group increased 21.07 point, from 56.07 to 77.14. while control group mean point which does not receive jigsaw as the learning strategy only increased 0.36 point, from 65.00 to 65.36. the increase on the writing score means that students’ mastery of writing recount text is improving. after the treatment students could retell the event clearly and add some important information that readers need to know. they could write a recount text chronologically and coherently. in addition, students could give evaluation and personal comment in their writing even though not too significant. this is illustrated in the follows students’ writing result: “dear mom, how are you there? i hope you are fine right there. mom i want to tell you about what i get as long as i’m in the village. two weeks ago, when i went to the village with my uncle on my trip got adverse events, the car that we were riding crashed into a motorcycle. we are all very shocked but uncle to apologize directly to the motor driver. during the trip we were very careful. and then we finished to village at 14.00 and we arrived safely. next time i will send you letter again. good bye, mom. miss you... i.g” the writing above shows that students’ grammatical error in writing decreased. students became more aware of the use of past tense. since they had discussions frequently, their awareness in applying the vocabulary appeared to increase significantly. it proves that jigsaw gave positive result in order to improve students’ skills in writing a recount text in the class investigated. jigsaw strategy has two groups; home group and expert group. the study shows that jigsaw as the learning strategy stimulated students to be more active in looking for the information that were needed for their own group benefit. besides, students also became active in discussing and sharing their part in the expert group with other students from different group. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the home group became students’ social interaction room. in this group, they participated in every aspect such as making a decision about the choosing of the chief of the group, the choosing of which part that every member will focus on, and also how to support their group. it assured that every student was involved in the learning process. this group also facilitated them to share their knowledge and conclusion from the discussion in the expert group without feeling ashamed about their english ability. it is because they had known each other. the study found that there was a different result among the experimental group and the control group. the mean score of the experimental group was higher than the control group. in addition, the mean score of the experimental group also increased significantly after receiving the treatment. generally, the learning process using jigsaw strategy proceeded well. however, students were not used to learning using jigsaw strategy. firstly, they asked many questions to the teacher but after they got the explanation they could study in a cooperative manner and showed self-reliant in doing the task. in the 2nd 6th meeting, students had adapted to jigsaw strategy that made the learning process went smoothly. the questionnaire analysis shows that students had been aware about their frequency of writing. they realized that the more they practice, the better they can write. instead of supporting them to write more, the class situation became one of the factors that made them not motivated to write. jigsaw strategy can help to solve this problem. it is because jigsaw facilitated them to learn together in which each student had their own task in order to support their group and at last it gave effect to themselves (slavin, 2009). the research reveals that in the class investigated the grammar challenges about the use of past tenses, the vocabulary and the way to use the vocab appropriately could be overcame by jigsaw. it is because jigsaw stimulated students to build cooperation between themselves. students could share and discuss their knowledge without feeling ashamed of their limited vocabulary. jigsaw as one of the cooperative learning strategies can build cooperative circumstance between teacher and students. the students could directly ask some questions about the lesson to the teacher on behalf of their group. it means that the communication became two ways communication between the teacher and the students. furthermore, students were encouraged to be more active to look for the information that are needed. it is because every group’s member had their own task to accomplish which was counted as a contribution for the group’s achievement (johnson, johnson & holubec, 1990). jigsaw as one of the cooperative learning is believed to have a positive effect on relationship setting (slavin, 1987). it was revealed that jigsaw helped them to build positive relationship with their group member. students could state their opinion freely without feeling that they will be judged for their insufficiency in their home group. actually, the aim of home group is to make students felt homey. meanwhile by continuously discussing and sharing, students built their knowledge about the lesson. the result indicates that jigsaw class improve better than conventional class where students only listened to the explanation of the teacher. this result is in line with iranita sitohang & pupung purnawarman the effectiveness of jigsaw strategy to improve students' skill in writing a recount text the study conducted by phelps in 1990 (slavin, 2009, p. 57) that the achievement of average score in jigsaw class was highe r than in traditional-teaching class. in this research, it had been proven that jigsaw as a learning strategy is suitable not only to improve students’ reading skill (adawiyah, 2011), (dens, 2010), (erviana, 2012), and sari (2012) but also students’ writing skill in writing a recount text. this is in line with aronson (2000) as the first user of jigsaw who pointed out that jigsaw can be used across grade levels and content areas (barkley, cross & major, 2005). particularly, this research supports that jigsaw is useful to increase students’ skill in english language (kagan 1990, cited in huda, 2012). conclusion based on the results, the conclusion can be drawn as jigsaw is effective to improve students’ skill in writing a recount text. it succeeded in making the good result. it is because students in the home group give support and share their knowledge to their member in order to get the higher score. it can be concluded that teaching recount text by using jigsaw is an effective way to solve the challenges faced by students in term of building and developing their knowledge of writing a recount text. jigsaw can also be effective to increase students’ knowledge of recount text schematic structure. students help one to another by sharing and getting detail information about their part in the expert group, so that each student gets the lesson specifically during the writing class. there are some suggestions in implementing jigsaw in the class. jigsaw gives students opportunities to involve in teaching-learning process actively. every student has time to brainstorm ideas, discuss and solve problems, and practice what they have learned with their group member. therefore, english teachers are suggested to use jigsaw as a learning strategy to improve students’ skill in writing a recount text. future researchers are suggested to conduct the research on the use of jigsaw in teaching writing in other kinds of texts genre or in teaching other language skills. in addition, further research is suggested to be conducted longer to get more detailed results, and to use different types of instructional media when using jigsaw strategy. references adawiyah, s. w. (2011). the use of jigsaw in teaching reading for junior high school students. a research paper of fpbs upi bandung: unpublished. barkley, e. f., cross, k. p., & major, c. h. (2005). collaborative learning techniques: a handbook for college faculty. san fransisco: john wiley & sons, inc, brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. usa: addison-wesley publishing company, inc. dens, d. j. (2010). the effectiveness of cooperative learning: jigsaw technique in improving students’ reading comprehension. a research paper of fpbs upi bandung: unpublished. erviana, m. e. (2012). the implementation of jigsaw technique in improving students’ reading ability: a classroom action research at the fifth grade students of an elementary school in bandung district. a research paper of fpbs upi bandung: unpublished. feez, s., & joyce, h. (1998).writing skill: narrative and non-fiction text types. australia: shannan books grabe & kaplan. (1996). theory and practice of writing. england: pearson ed. huda, m. (2012). cooperative learning: metode, teknik, struktur dan model penerapan. yogyakarta: pustaka pelajar. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee johnson, d. w., johnson, r. t., & holubec. (1990). circles of learning: cooperation in the classroom. edina, minn: interaction book company. langan, john. (2008). exploring writing: paraghaphs and essays. new york: the mcgraw-hill. nastasi., b. k., & clements, d. h. (1991). research on cooperative learning: students read and write? illinois: urbana. sari, r. a. (2012). the use of jigsaw technique in improving students’ achievement in reading exposition text. a research paper of fpbs upi bandung: unpublished. slavin, r. e. (1987). cooperative learning: can students help students learn? instructor 96(7), 74-76. slavin, r. e., (2009). cooperative learning: teori, riset dan praktik. bandung: nusa media. weir, c. (1988). academic writing-can we please all the people all the time? in academic writing: process and product. elt documents 129. edited by pauline c. robinson. hong kong: modern english publications in association with the british council. directive speech acts realization of english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee directive speech acts realization of indonesian efl teacher yulianti wulansari department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia email: yulianti.wulansari30@gmail.com cucu suhartini madrasah tsanawiyah negeri sindangsari, kuningan, indonesia email: syifaunnida.annaqita@yahoo.co.id apa citation: wulansari, y. & suhartini, c. (2015). directive speech acts realization of indonesian efl teacher. english review: journal of english education, 3(2),223-229 received: 10-04-2015 accepted: 27-04-2015 published: 01-06-2015 abstract: this research examines the types and functions of directive speech act performed by an indonesian efl teacher in one senior high school in kuningan, indonesia. this study uses qualitative method. the data of this research were taken from the video transcription which contains directives spoken by the efl teacher and analyzed based on kreidler’s (1998) theory. the findings show that there are three types of directives used by the teacher. they are commands, requests, and suggestions. the most frequent type of directives performed is commands with 233 occurrences (94.8%). it was also found that there are five functions seized by the directives, they are elicitation, instruction, advice, threat, and attention-getter. the most frequent function of directives used is elicitation with 108 occurrences (44%). from the findings, it is concluded that the using of commands shows teacher’s dominance. yet, this type of directives is not easily understood by the students. therefore, it is suggested that the teacher should use other types of directives more, such as requests and suggestions, to encourage students’ participation. keywords: pragmatics, speech act, directive speech act. introduction communication is an essential part of humans’ life. by communication, people can send their messages, such as ideas, feelings, or thoughts to others. in delivering their messages, people can also request others to do things which they want through particular utterances. by doing so, the utterances that the speaker produces are not for describing the request, but to carry out the act of ‘requesting’. furthermore, austin (1962: 6) states “to utter the sentence in appropriate circumstances is to do it, not to describe the act nor state that the speaker is doing it”. it means that people can perform some kind of actions, such as ordering, promising, refusing, thanking, etc, by uttering certain sentences in appropriate circumstances. austin (1962: 6) proposes these kinds of utterances as “performative”. this idea is supported by searle (1969: 22) who mentions that ”talking is performing acts according to rules”. those uses of language are commonly classified as “speech acts”. concerning speech acts in particular context, such as classroom, searle (1969, in merdana, seken, & putra, 2013) states that directives is a speech act that is frequently used in a classroom interaction. the teachers use it to make the students do something. the types of cucu suhartini & yulianti wulansari directive speech acts realization of indonesian efl teacher speech act used are command, request and suggestion (kreidler, 1998: p. 190191). the use of the speech acts is related with a teacher’s role, because when the teacher commands the student, he/she is carrying out his/her role as a leader in the class. besides being a leader, a teacher has other roles to fulfill in their class, such as being “authority figure, knower, director, manager, counselor, guide, and even such roles as friend, confidante, and parent” (brown, 2001: 200). to perform those roles, the teacher surely will use the speech act that functions to get the hearer to do (or not to do) something, namely directives. according to austin (1962), directives are used by the speaker to get the hearer(s) to do or not to do something and it can be in the form of ordering, warning, urging, directing, and advising. in this context, the speaker is the teacher, and the hearer is the students. kreidler (1998: p. 190-191) classifies directives into three kinds, namely commands, requests, and suggestions. each type of directive has different purpose and function. furthermore, directives performed by a teacher have some functions, such as elicitation, instruction, attention-getter, suggestion, tactfulness, advice, conditional and threat (amalsaleh et al., 2004). amalsaleh et al. (2004) states that the same form of directives may imply different functions or conversely, the same function may be expressed via a variety of forms. for example, imperative form has functions as attention-getter and instruction. meanwhile, the directive’s function as instruction can be done not only by imperative, but also by interrogative, declarative, modals, and passive. based on the explanations, the researcher is interested to find out what kinds of directive speech act commonly performed by an efl teacher in one senior high school in kuningan and what functions are held by those directives. the main issues addressed in this study are the kinds and functions of directive speech acts performed by an efl teacher in one senior high school in kuningan. the enquiry towards these issues is formulated in the following research questions: 1. what types of directives are commonly performed by an efl teacher in one senior high school in kuningan? 2. what are the functions of the directives performed by the efl teacher? method the study is conducted in kuningan, west java, in august 2014. in this study, an efl teacher of one high school there is involved. she is chosen because she already has more than five years experience of teaching english in the senior high school. she also has multi-lingual competence in sundanese, indonesian, and english so that she can communicate with her students not only in the national and target-language, but also in their mother’s tongue. it emerges more interaction between the teacher and the students, so hopefully the teacher can provide the data for this study. the data of this research consists of the efl teacher’s directive utterances that are collected by using video recording and observation. the recording is done to help the researcher to find out the directive speech act thoroughly, while the observation is done to see the whole situation of research site and to take notes on important things occurred there. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee according to creswell (2009: 181), “qualitative observations are those in which the researcher takes field notes on the behavior and activities of individuals at the research site”. in the observation, the researcher is the complete observer. it means that she presence at the scene of action but does not interact or participate in the activity of the class. this is done so that the teacher as the main participant can focus on her teaching activity. the researcher also uses wray et al. (1998) method of transcribing speech orthographically. the transcribing process is done to gain the written document of what the participants in the research site said. the phonetic details of the speaker’s accent will be omitted, because it is not relevant with the study. therefore, the transcription only consists of the utterances uttered by the participants. after collecting the data through observation and data recording, the data will be transcribed and read closely to find the utterances included to directive speech act which are used by the efl teacher. the procedure of the study are conducted as follows: (1) identifying and classifying the utterances which contain directives, such as commands, requests, and suggestions (kreidler: 1998); (2) analyzing the functions of the directives based on the researcher’s own interpretation and ground theory found by amalsaleh et al. (2004); and (3) quantifying the occurrences of the types and functions of directives to see the trend in their use. in the identifying stage, the data are identified and classified based on the kinds of directives found by kreidler (1998), while to identify the functions of the directives, it will be based on the researcher’s interpretation and eight functions of directives proposed by amalsaleh et al. (2004), namely elicitation, instruction, attention-getter, suggestion, tactfulness, advice, conditional, and threat. in the stage of analyzing the data, the researcher counts the frequency and percentage of each kind of directives performed by the efl teacher, so it will be known what type of directives mostly used by the participant. then, the researcher also will count the frequency and percentage of each function of the directives. finally, the distribution of directive forms and functions will be tabulated and discussed thoroughly. results anddiscussion according to kreidler (1998), there are three types of directives, namely commands, requests, and suggestion. commands are the utterances that express the speaker’s wish that the hearer should act as the speaker wants him to act. requests are the utterances that express the speaker’s want that the addressee doing or not doing something. furthermore, suggestions are the utterances used by the speaker to give his opinion to the addressee as to what the addressee should or should not do. the general finding of types of directives is summarized in table 1. table 1. the types of directives performed by the efl teacher types frequency percentage (%) command 233 94.8 suggestion 10 4 request 3 1.2 total 246 100 cucu suhartini & yulianti wulansari directive speech acts realization of indonesian efl teacher the data that are collected in this study include 246 utterances. commands are the most frequent type which occur 233 times (94.8%), followed by suggestion with 10 occurrences (4%) and request with 3 occurrences (1.2%). the definition of each type and some examples are given below for further clarification: 1. command in issuing a command, “speaker, in authority, expresses a wish that addressee should <not> act as speaker wants addressee <not> to act” (kreidler, 1998: 190). in making command, the speaker has some degree of power over the actions of the addressee. it is the most compulsive kind of the directives. a. okay . . . i will ask you ((pause)) i will push you to speak english. b. write down what i say. 2. request “a request is an expression of what the speaker wants the addressee to do or refrain from doing” (kreidler, 1998: 190). the speaker who utters a request does not have a control or authority towards the addressee. a. other question maybe? b. other question please? 3. suggestion “suggestions are the utterances we make to other persons to give our opinion as to what they should or should not do” (kreidler, 1998: 191). in making suggestions, the suggestee or the person whom we give suggestion has the choice of performances whether to do or not to do the act. a. nah (.) yang di sini pun (.) ketika punya hobi dikit(.) terus digeluti di situ. nah(.) the people here as well, when you have a hobby, keep doing it. b. kita tetap harus mencoba menggeluti sesuatu ya. we still must try to keep doing something consistently okay. the main function of directives is to get the hearer to do something. however, the directives which are performed by the efl teacher have more specific functions. the functions mentioned here are based on the researcher’s own interpretation and supported by amalsaleh et al. (2004) study. in amalsaleh et al. (2004), directives have 8 functions, namely elicitation, instruction, attention-getter, suggestion, tactfulness, advice, condition, and threat. however, there are only 5 functions found in this study. they are elicitation, instruction, advice, threat, and attention-getter. the general finding of the functions of the directives is summarized in table 2. table 2. the function of directives performed by the efl teacher function frequency percentage (%) elicitation 108 44 instruction 106 43 advice 22 9 threat 8 3.2 attention-getter 2 0.8 total 246 100 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the data collected in this study include 246 utterances. elicitation is the most frequent function which occur with 108 occurrences (44%), followed by instruction with 106 occurrences (43%), advice with 22 occurrences (9%), threat with 8 occurrences (3.2%), and lastly, attention-getter with 2 occurrences (0.8%). the definition of each function and some examples of directive functions are given in the following for further clarification: 1. elicitation elicitation is the function of directives which makes the hearer provides the required information for the speaker (amalsaleh, 2004: 34). the main objective of this function is to get the required information and sometimes to test the students’ knowledge about the subject a. yes? that’s enough? b. why we have to learn english? 2. instruction instruction is the functions of directives which “refer to utterances which are issued to get the addressee to perform an action” (amalsaleh et al., 2004: 34). the main difference between instruction and elicitation is the thing that the speaker wants from the hearer. in elicitation, the speaker requires information, while in instruction, the speaker wants action. a. be brave to ask question if you want to know more about me. b. find out from internet(.) from book(.) from your brother from your sister fromanywhere(.) from anyone. 3. advice advice is “an opinion or a suggestion about what somebody should do in a particular situation” (hornby, 2003: 20). a. nah (.) yangdi sini pun (.) ketika punya hobi dikit(.) terus digeluti di situ. nah(.) the people here as well, when you have a hobby, keep doing it. b. english is not difficult but english is very easy(.) asalkan tadi you have to study hard.english is not difficult but english is very easy, as long as you study hard. 4. threat threat is “a statement in which you tell somebody that you will punish or harm them, especially if they do not do what you want” (hornby, 2003: 1408). a. jadi kalau kamunya tidak siap untuk active (.) untuk belajar cepet (.) . . . pasti minimal poinnya akan dapetnya c terus. so if you are not ready to be active, to learn quickly . . . you will certainly keep getting c. b. saya paling tidak suka (.) i don’t like someone who like cheating. i don’t like the most, i don’t like someone who like cheating. 5. attention-getter attention-getter refers to utterances which are used “to attract students’ attention” (amalsaleh et al., 2004: 34). a. and then ((pause)) hello(.) i’m here! ((flicks her fingers to warn the students who are chatting in the back)) b. okay next (.) number ten! this study finds that the functions of directives used by the efl teacher are elicitation, instruction, advice, threat, and attention-getter. in addition, it is noted that one function of directives can cucu suhartini & yulianti wulansari directive speech acts realization of indonesian efl teacher be realized through various types. for example, elicitation can be realized through commands and request. the distribution of directives’ types and functions is summarized in table 3. table 3. distribution of directives’ types and functions elicitation instruction advice threat attentiongetter command 107 104 12 8 2 suggestion 10 request 1 2 total 108 106 22 8 2 as shown in table 3, elicitation and instruction are realized by command and request, whereas advice is realized by command and suggestion. meanwhile, the two last functions, threat and attention-getter, are only realized through command. the findings of the functions of directives and its distribution may be different for each research, depending on the data that are collected. conclusion it is found that there are three types of directives performed by the efl teacher. three types of directives performed by the efl teacher are commands, requests, and suggestions. the most frequent type is commands with 233 occurrences (94.8%), followed by suggestion with 10 occurrences (4%), and lastly requests with 3 occurrences (1.2%). from the first findings, it is concluded that the teacher is very dominant in teaching the students. it is noticed from the way the teacher mostly uses command in directing the students. yet, the teacher uses command for the benefit of the students themselves, which is so that the students can do their task as a learner well. it is proven from the findings that the commands used by the teacher have the purpose to give instruction for the students’ learning activity. the teacher also does not hesitate to give the students suggestions which often function as advice. it can be understood because the teacher is usually perceived as someone who is wiser and have more knowledge than the students. the lack of using requests in the class is probably caused by the context of culture in indonesia, in which a teacher is seen as the leader in the class, so that almost every utterance that is said by the teacher is considered a command. meanwhile, for the second findings, this study finds that there are five functions of the directives that are performed by the efl teacher. the most frequent function is elicitation with 108 occurrences (44%), followed by instruction with 106 occurrences (43%), advice with 22 occurrences (9%), threat with 8 occurrences (3.2%), and lastly attention-getter with 2 occurrences (0.8%). from the second findings, it can be concluded that the teacher tries to make the students speak out by producing utterances which act as elicitation. the teacher also uses instruction to make the students perform an action, such as to speak in english, to change their mindset about english, and sometimes to forbid them from doing something bad, like cheating. advice is produced mainly to make the students not only focus on their academic point, but also on their attitude and behavior, while threat is english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee used as a reinforcement to motivate the students to be more active and to behave. lastly, attention-getter is only used when the students start getting loud while the teacher is explaining something. references amalsaleh, e., yamini, h. & yarmohammadi, y. (2004). directives used in university classrooms. journal of literature and language 5 (1) p. 1-27. retrieved january 28, 2014 from: www.ensani.ir/storage/files/20120506 112631-5138-96.pdf austin, j. (1962). how to do things with words. cambridge: cambridge university press. brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy (2nd ed.).white plains, ny: longman. creswell, j.w. (2009). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). thousand oaks, california: sage publications, inc. hornby, a. s. (2003). oxford advanced learner’s dictionary of current english. oxford: oxford university press. kreidler, c. w. (1998). introducing english semantics. london: routledge. merdana, seken, k., putra, n.a.j. (2013). an analysis of speech acts produced by elementary school teachers and students to facilitate teaching and learning at sdn 10 pringgasela east lombok. e-journal program pascasarjana universitas pendidikan ganesha program studi pendidikan bahasa inggris 1. retrieved july 5, 2014 from: pasca.undiksha.ac.id/ejournal/index.php/jpbi/article/downl oad/.../508 searle, j. (1969). speech act: an essay in the philosophy of language. cambridge: cambridge university press. wray, a., trott, k., bloomer, a. (1998). projects in linguistics. new york: oxford university press. introduction method resultsanddiscussion conclusion references english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee cohesive devices in efl students’ expository writing hanif nurcholish adiantika department of english education, indonesia university of education, indonesia e-mail: hanifadiantika@gmail.com apa citation: adiantika, h. n. (2015). cohesive devices in efl students‟ expository writing. english review: journal of english education, 4(1), 94-102 received: 15-09-2015 accepted: 23-10-2015 published: 01-12-2015 abstract: this study aims to investigate the use of cohesive devices in students‟ expository writing. in particular, the study focuses on types of cohesive device used by the students and how cohesive devices contribute to their writing. this study employs qualitative research through a case study design. public senior high school in kuningan is chosen as the site for this study. nine students of twelfth grade are involved in the study as the respondents. documents of nine students‟ expository writings are the data of this study. the data are analyzed by using the concept of cohesive devices proposed by halliday and hasan (1976) which covers reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, and lexical cohesion. analyses show that the respondents only use four cohesive devices in their writing i.e. reference, substitution, conjunction, and lexical cohesion. these devices also contribute to the process of keeping track of the participants, avoiding repetition and text redundancy, enhancing logical connection between parts of text, and engaging the readers to the core argument of the text. the study infers that it is still problematic although most of the students apply many cohesive devices in their writing. this is because students have not received sufficient training concerning how to use appropriate cohesive devices. therefore, they should be guided to utilize appropriate cohesive devices in their writing. keywords: cohesive devices, cohesion, efl students, expository writing, case study introduction in presenting ideas in writing, students should be encouraged to make sure that their text flows through a sequence of sentences. hence, it is fundamental to direct them to the ideas they wish to express, as well as the sentences they use to express those ideas (holloway, 1981). in order to make the sentences readable, they should be connected to each other because a good sentence or text is not determined by its length but it depends on its connectedness and its unity (brostoff, 1981; but et al, 2006). therefore, efl teachers should guide students to compose many kinds of text. a text can either be written or spoken (halliday and hasan, 1976; matthiessen, 2004; butt et al., 2006). a text stands for a complete linguistic interaction from beginning to end as the manifestation of any instance of language that makes sense to someone who knows the language (eggins, 1994; halliday and matthiessen, 2004). this suggests that the fundamental in a text is not its length or medium but its meaning or sense to be identified by its receivers. for this reason, as it is aforementioned by halliday and hassan (1976 cited in eggins, 2004) text is best regarded as a semantic unit, a unit not of form but of meaning. 94 mailto:hanifadiantika@gmail.com hanif nurcholish adiantika cohesive devices in efl students’ expository writing moreover, the text should have texture that makes words „hang together‟ or become fixed meaningfully in a unity of text (halliday and hasan, 1976). it is in line with eggins (2004), i.e. that texture refers to the interaction of two components which are called coherence and cohesion. hence, to be a text, those minimum units of meaning should be related in a coherent and cohesive way. the coherence of the text is determined by the connection between its social and cultural contexts while cohesion is the way the text‟s elements are bound together as a whole. in other words, a text is a passage that becomes meaningful because its coherence and cohesion are intertwined to create the text as a whole. texture will help readers to understand the semantic relation of the text. furthermore, the writers‟ knowledge of semantic relation will potentially determine readers‟ comprehension (thompson, 1996). hence, writers should have the ability to master the concept of texture. cohesion is, according to halliday and hasan (1976), one of the crucial aspects of texture to improve the connectedness and unity of sentences in a text. it is fundamental for the students to join ideas between sentences to create texture (halliday and hasan, 1976). cohesion is one of the fundamental elements of texture defined as non-structured resources for discourse to hold the text together and give the text a meaning (halliday, 1994). cohesive devices enable a text to preserve consistency and connectedness throughout a passage. cohesive device are texts-specific linguistic elements employed to assemble an integrated, interpretable, and meaningful text. cohesion is achieved through cohesive device domains, i.e. reference, ellipsis, substitution, conjunction, and lexical cohesion (halliday and hasan, 1976). these domains intertwine the text together into a unified whole to help the readers understand the text. halliday and hasan (1976) as cited in hoey (1991) divided cohesive devices into five categories i.e. reference, conjunction, substitution, ellipsis, and lexical cohesion. these are referred to as non-structural resources that are used in the surface structure of texts. the models of cohesion as used by halliday and hasan (1976) are obvious between sentences as those within the sentences can also function as structural elements. halliday and hasan (1983) also refer to cohesion as a semantic relation between elements in the text and some other element that is crucial to the interpretation of it. cohesion as described by halliday (1976) is one of features that combine to make up the textual component in grammar. the textual components include the structural components (theme-rheme), information and focus structure (the given and new) and cohesion (grammatical and lexical). halliday and hasan (1976) refer to grammatical cohesion as including reference, substitution, and ellipsis while the lexical refers to the different forms of lexical cohesions. therefore, cohesion as halliday and hasan (1976) describe is a semantic relation that is realized through the lexicogrammatical system. these elements as pointed out determine the texture of a text. mcarthur (1996), describes cohesion as a term derived from latin word coheasio which means cling together. he points out that in linguistic it is the language forms used to indicate semantic relations between elements in a discourse. these relations as halliday and hasan (1976) describe previously are not concerned with structure (unifying 95 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee relation, part of a sentence or clause) but non-structural resources which are used for organization of a text which has been described as including reference, ellipsis, conjunction, substitution, and lexical. these are resources used to create text. butler (1985), in similar manner observes that halliday and hasan (1976) refer to cohesion as belonging to the system of a language and not simply something arising from outside, concerned merely with, for example the subject matter by text. cook (1992) also agrees with halliday and hasan (1989) and butler (1985) on the fact that cohesion is a non-structural resources used for creating texts. he refers to the cohesive devices as formal links that create relationship between sentences and clause. these formal links enable the writer to hang stretches of language together and create unity. according to halliday and hasan (1976), cohesion is a semantic concept which refers to how parts of a text relate meaningfully. it has an important role to give texture to a text. it occurs where the interpretation of some element in the discourse is dependent on presence of another. cohesion is part of the system of language and its potential lies in the systematic resource of references, ellipsis, and so on that built in language. therefore, cohesion is not a structural relation that holds the different part of clauses, but rather is a semantic one that links text part based on their meaning relations and in such case element is interpretable by resource to another. in other word, is defined as the way the element within a text bind it together as a unified whole (eggins, 2004). the fundamental concept behind cohesion is a semantic tie between an item at one point in a text and an item at another point so that both items and elements are potentially integrated into the text (halliday & hasan, 1976, gerrot & wignell, 1994; eggins, 2004). in other word, the ties encourage us to integrate one item for its full interpretation to another since there is a certain dependent relation between the two. moreover, it is stated that cohesion refers to relationship between items in a text such as words, phrases, and clauses, and other item such as pronouns, nouns, and conjunctions (paltridge, 2006). it is supported by carter and mccarthy (2006) that a text is cohesive as a whole if the sentences and spoken utterances are semantically linked consistently. and it will be useless if the readers or listeners are not able to see the connection of the sentence and spoken utterances. botley and mcenery (1996) state that a cohesive tie occurs between a particular meaning, realized as a surface marker such as noun and noun phrase, and another instance of that meaning, realized usually by linguistic units such as pronouns and definite noun phrase. cohesion, therefore, is achieved through cohesive ties, which can be found within or across sentences. this is also relevant with halliday and hasan (1976) by classifying cohesive ties into five major categories: reference, substitution, ellipsis, lexical cohesion, and conjunction, although in halliday (1994) these cohesive ties have been reclassified into four types, with ellipsis being a subcategory of substitution. halliday and hasan (1976) regard cohesion as a semantic concept. it is mainly achieved through the availability of two types of cohesive categories, grammatical and lexical. grammatical cohesion is created by reference, substitution, ellipsis, and conjunction. lexical cohesion is brought by reiteration and collocation. 96 hanif nurcholish adiantika cohesive devices in efl students’ expository writing reference items are those items which are interpreted by relating them to something else instead of being interpreted semantically in their own right, or in other words, it refers to the situation where the identity of an item is retrieved from either within or outside text (halliday, 1994, gerot and wignell, 1994, salkie, 1995, eggins, 1994; paltridge, 2006). in english, these items are personals (i.e. john, he, the book, it), demonstratives (i.e. here, there and comparative (i.e. fewer). accordingly, this interpretation is achieved via two ways of reference either internal reference in which the refereed-to items are inside the text or by the aid of the outer context. in both cases a phoric relation is set up, but in each case, certain phoric relation is made. within the text an endophoric reference is made while beyond the text borders an exophoric reference is used (halliday & hasan, 1976). substitution occurs when one linguistic item is replaced by another that contributes new information in a text (halliday & hasan, 1976). this new information differs from the information previously provided by the antecedent linguistic item. it is differentiated from reference in being concerned with wording rather than meaning (akindele, 2011). generally, substitution is a relation that occurs inside the text. it is a kind of strategy used to avoid repetition. as a general condition, the substitute item should have the same structural function (halliday and hasan, 1976). since substitution is a grammatical category that depends on words resources rather than on semantics, three types of substitution categories are introduced based on the function of the substitute item: these types of substitution are defined as: nominal substitution (e.g. “pete owns the black sedan. the blue one belongs to mike), verbal substitution (e.g. a: has he had dinner yet? b: he must have done. there’s no food in the fridge), and clausal substitution (e.g. a: is there going to be an earthquake? b: it says so) (halliday & hasan, 1976: 90). ellipsis happens to the syntactic and semantic components of discourse. syntactic ellipsis is the non-expression of a word or phrase that is expected to occupy a place in the syntactic structure of a sentence. it represents the default interpretation of the term ellipsis. for example, in “mary got an a on math test and louise a b.” the verb „got‟ in the second conjunct is elided. from another hand, semantic ellipsis underlies the non-expression of items which are important to the full semantic interpretation such as in “i forgot my keys” and “he is reading tolstoy” (mcshane, 2005, p. 3; sainton, 2006, p. 275). thus far, halliday & hasan (1976) see that ellipsis like substitution is classified into: nominal ellipsis (e.g. how did you enjoy the exhibition? – a lot () was very good, though not all), verbal ellipsis (e.g. john has caught a cold is equal with john has () a cold), and clausal ellipsis (e.g. what was the duke going to do? () plant a row of poplars in the park. conjunction is the type of cohesion that involves the use of ties that perform the main function of connecting sentences (gerrot and wignell, 1994: 180; paltridge, 2006: 139). conjunction, or connective, links two ideas in a text or discourse together semantically. with the use of conjunction, the understanding of the first idea accommodates the interpretation of the second idea (eggins, 2004: 47). in english, conjunctive relations are usually established through the use of conjunctive devices, which may be a coordinating conjunction (like and, but, 97 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee or), an adverb (like in addition, however, thus), or a prepositional phrase (like besides that, despite the fact that). halliday and hasan (1976) and gerrot and wignell (1994) divide conjunctive relations into five broad categories: additive, adversative, causal, temporal, and continuative, each of which is further divided into several subcategories. additive relations add or substitute extra alternative clauses to a text. adversative relation means contrary to expectation and realize through the words like yet, but, however, etc. causal relations connect clauses as cause and effect. temporal relations connect clauses depending on whether the actions they encode take place at the same time or one after another. in his later work, halliday (1994), nevertheless, classifies conjunctive elements into three broad types: elaboration, extension, and enhancement. in elaboration, one sentence elaborates on another by specifying or describing it. in extension, one sentence adds something new to another by supplying more information, replacing something or providing an alternative. finally, in enhancement, one sentence qualifies the meaning of another by reference to time, place, manner, cause, condition, or matter. lexical cohesion involves the repetition of a noun phrase, or the use of another noun phrase which bears a relation to the antecedent noun phrase. halliday and hasan (1976) divide lexical cohesion into reiteration (which is subdivided into the repetition of a lexical item, the use of a general word to refer back to a lexical item, and the use of a synonym, or superordinate terms) and collocation. lexical cohesion is a cohesive relation whose cohesive effect is achieved by the selection of vocabulary. according to halliday and hasan (1976), lexical cohesion is divided into two categories, reiteration and collocation. reiteration is a form of lexical cohesion which involves the repletion of a lexical item. constant repetition of lexical items would make easier for any reader to match strings in a sequence of sentences (chan, t‟sou, choy, 2000). the form of reiteration might be in repetition, synonymy, antonym, hyponym, and metonymy. the study puts an emphasis on the use of cohesive devices in students‟ expository writing. it covers the variety of cohesive devices used by the students to create semantic relation; and to reveal the contribution of cohesive devices to students‟ expository writing. this study uses the concept of cohesive devices as its analytical framework, as brought forward by halliday and hasan (1976). therefore, this study attempts to address the following research questions: 1) what types of cohesive devices are identified in the students‟ expository writing? 2) how do the cohesive devices contribute to the cohesion of students‟ expository writing? method the data in this study were written documents from nine students. they wrote an expository essay in 2 hours. the instruction for students to write an exposition text is attached in appendix. the concrete forms of the writing documents were the students‟ handwriting about the topic given in expository genre. the authenticity of the students‟ handwriting constituted the crucial data in this study. the writing documents or textual documents comprised the primary data to answer the research questions in this study. 98 hanif nurcholish adiantika cohesive devices in efl students’ expository writing the primary data in form of students‟ expository writing were analyzed according to theoretical frameworks based on halliday and hasan (1976) concerning the concept of cohesive devices analysis and eggins‟s point of view (1994) on cohesive ties interpretation. to analyze the data, first, the researcher separated each text based on clause. it is very fundamental to help the researcher in conducting a careful analysis since the data in this study were nine students‟ expository writing. therefore, it is necessary for the researcher to cut each text into clause. second, the identification of cohesive devices became the crucial data analysis procedure in this study. in this procedure, the researcher underlined the words belonged to cohesive devices. it is very crucial to mark the cohesive devices identified in the clause. third, classification is also the crucial procedure in this study since it is inevitable that based on the framework of halliday and hasan (1976), cohesive devices consist of five major categories: reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, and lexical cohesion. in this procedure, the researcher classified the underlined words to where they belong based on the taxonomy of cohesive devices: reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, and lexical cohesion. hence, the classification should be initiated to figure out where words belong to. the last procedure in this study was initiating descriptive quantification. descriptive quantification is very necessary to calculate cohesive devices found in students‟ expository writing. this procedure was also beneficial to elaborate, enhance, and illustrate the results of the study. after the words were identified and classified, the researcher then initiated the presentation through descriptive quantification to illustrate the results for examples the frequency of occurrences of each cohesive resources. results & discussion types of cohesive devices are identified in the students’ expository writing inside the circumstance of the use of cohesive devices, the present study shows that the cohesive devices appeared 651 times. lexical cohesion was the mostly occurring devices with 322 occurrences. it is because, there is a tendency where students lack of vocabulary items. as a result, they overuse the lexical cohesion which is commonly realized by reiteration, in particular repetition. in addition, they seem to be fully aware of applying many repetition in their writing. it can be inferred that lexical cohesion is mostly recognizable or needed by students to cover their lack of vocabulary mastery. it is subsequently followed by conjunction with 181 occurrences and reference with 146 appearance. both of them are cohesive devices which the students are familiar with. the students seem to be fully aware concerning the function of conjunction and reference. substitution is only identified in 2 occurrences in the students‟ expository texts. it is reasonable because the use of both substitution and ellipsis are commonly used more in speech than in writing. in other words, inside the circumstance of academic writing in particular expository writing, the use of substitution and ellipsis is rarely used by the writer. based on the occurrence of each cohesive device, it can inferred that students mostly applied lexical cohesion, in particular reiteration i.e. repetition to develop text‟s cohesion. it is subsequently followed by conjunction, reference, and substitution. on the other 99 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee hand, there is no student applied elliptical device to develop text‟s cohesion. the contribution of cohesive devices to students’ expository writing according to the result of the present study, there are two aspects which are covered in the analysis, they are (1) the aspects of cohesive devices, and (2) the contributions of cohesive devices to students‟ exposition texts. with regard to cohesive device aspects, reference is the most frequent cohesive devices with 196 occurrences (35.1%). it is subsequently followed by conjunction with 182 occurrences (32.6%). moreover, lexical cohesion occurs 179 times (32%) and substitution with only 2 occurrences (0.4%). with regard to the contribution of cohesive devices to students‟ exposition texts, keeping track of participant gives the highest contribution with 240 occurrences (42.9%). it is realized in the use of reference with 86 occurrences and lexical cohesion, more specifically repetition, with 154 occurrences. in order to keep track of the participants, most students apply many repetition in their writing. there is a tendency where students lack of vocabulary mastery to avoid repetition. they tend to overuse repetition. moreover, they seem to be fully aware in using such repetitions to cover their limited vocabulary. as a result, the contribution to the process of keeping track of the participants are mostly manifested through the high use of lexical cohesion, in particular repetition. it is subsequently followed by enhancing logical connection between parts of text systematically. this contribution is entirely realized by conjunction with 182 occurrences (32.6%). in order to enhance logical connection between parts of texts, the students utilize many kinds of conjunction. this is because some students are familiar with the function of conjunction. however, the high use of conjunction is not in line with their texts‟ cohesion. some of them were inappropriately placed. as a result, it leads to the appearances of incoherence in their texts. it is followed by engaging the readers to the core argument of the text with 97 occurrences (17.4%). this contribution is realized by reference which occurs 71 times, substitution with only one occurrence, and lexical cohesion with 25 occurrences. the smallest contribution is avoiding repetition and text redundancy with 40 occurrences (7.2%). this contribution is realized by reference with 39 occurrences and substitution with only 1 occurrence. this is relevant with halliday and hasan (1976) that substitution is used more in speech than in writing, and more in british than american english. in other words, in the academic writing, more specifically in expository writing. that might be the reason why substitution is rarely used by the students in the present study. conclusion according to the research questions, the purposes of the study are to identify the types of cohesive devices in the nine students‟ expository writing and to reveal the contribution of cohesive devices to students‟ expository writing based on the concept of cohesion proposed by halliday and hasan (1976). first, it was found that there were only four types of cohesive devices identified in nine students‟ expository writing i.e. reference, substitution, conjunction, and ellipsis. moreover, lexical cohesion is the most frequently 100 hanif nurcholish adiantika cohesive devices in efl students’ expository writing used cohesive devices. it is subsequently followed by conjunction, reference, and substitution. on the other hand, no students applied ellipsis as an elliptical device to develop text‟s cohesion. it is in line with halliday and hasan (1976:117) that ellipsis and substitution are used more in speech than in writing, and more in british than american english. in other words, inside the circumstance of academic writing in particular expository writing, the use of substitution and ellipsis is rarely used by the writer. although most of the students utilize many cohesive devices, it is still problematic since they mostly use inappropriate cohesive devices in their writing. as a result, their texts appear to be difficult to understand. second, it was revealed that most students utilize reference to keep track with the participants. this devices is also applied by the students to engage the readers to the core argument of the text by pointing something whether it is from within (anaphoric) or outside (exophoric) the text. in order to avoid repetition, reference (comparative reference) is also utilized by the students since it is effective to make the text less redundant. on the other hand, the contribution of conjunction to students‟ expository writing is to enhance logical connection between parts of the texts by expressing certain meanings which demonstrate the presence of other components in the text. then, substitution also has a crucial substitution to avoid repetition and text redundancy by substituting one item by another. in terms of lexical cohesion, it contributes to engaging the readers to the core argument of the text. in order words, this device is used by the students to keep track with the topic of the text in particular expository text. however, the overuse of certain cohesive devices by the students definitely causes redundancy in their writing and reduces their written texts difficult to understand. the students might be encouraged by their teacher of writing and discourse to apply as many cohesive devices as possible to conduct cohesive whole texts. this, in turn, will certainly result in less redundancy in their written texts. moreover, unlike the english l1 users, the students mainly focus on the word and sentence level and ignore the relations of meaning that exist within the text. this relationship is achieved through relations in meaning that exist within and across sentences. the result of this tendency is the absence of connectedness which makes the flow of thoughts meaningful and clear for readers. therefore, cohesion is very fundamental since it gives a sequence of sentences a coherent texture as it shows how semantic relationships are set up by lexical and syntactic features. as a result, the realization of the functions of cohesion in the text will help efl students to create meaning. it also helps the writer and readers to create communication. in other words, as it is relevant with thompson (1996) that the writer‟s knowledge of semantic relation will potentially determine readers‟ comprehension. however, even though the cohesive devices are clearly applied by the efl students, it is still problematic since the students may deal with some obstacles as a result of lack competence. it may also be caused by the teachers who are not able to teach them properly as the result of lack knowledge in teaching writing skill. 101 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee references brostoff, a. (1981). coherence: “next to” is not “connected to.” college composition and communication, 32 (2), 278–294. butt, d; fahey, r; feez, spinks, s; & yallon, c. (2006). using functional grammar: an explorer’s guide. sydney, australia: national centre for english language teaching and research. buttler, c. s. (1985). systemic linguistics: theory and applications. london, england: bats ford academic and educational. chan, s. w. k.; thou, b. k.; and choy, c. f. (2000). textual information segmentation by cohesive ties. [online]. available: http://aclweb.org/anthology/y/y00 /y00-1006.pdf. retrieved on june 9 2015. cook, g. (1992). discourse. oxford, england: oxford university press. eggins, s. (1994). an introduction to systemic functional linguistics. london, england: pinter publisher. eggins, s. (2004). an introduction to systemic functional linguistics (2nd edn). london, england: continuum. emilia, e. (2012). pendekatan genre-based dalam pengajaran bahasa inggris: petunjuk umum guru. bandung, indonesia: rizqi press. gerot, l and wignell, p. (1994). making sense of functional grammar. sydney, australia: antipodean educational enterprises. halliday, m. a. k. & hasan, r. (1976). cohesion in english. london, england: longman. halliday, m. a. k. (1994). introduction to functional grammar. london, england: edward arnold. halliday, m. a. k., & r.hasan. (1989). language, context, and text: aspects of language in a social-semiotic perspective. oxford, england: oxford university press. halliday, m.a.k. & christian m.i.m. matthiessen. (2004). an introduction to functional grammar. 3rd, revised edition. london, england: edward arnold. halliday, m.a.k. & matthiessen, c.m.i.m. (2004). an introduction to functional grammar (3rd. ed.). london, england: hodder arnold. hoey, m. (1991). patterns of lexis in text. oxford, england: oxford university press. holloway, d. w. (1981). semantic grammars: how they can help us teach writing. college composition and communication, 32 (2), 205–218. mcarthur, t. (1996). oxford companion to the english language. oxford, england: oxford university press. mccarthy, m. (1991). discourse analysis for language teachers. cambridge, england: cambridge university press. mcshane, m. j. (2005). a theory of ellipsis. oxford, england: oxford university press. paltridge, b. (2006). discourse analysis: an introduction. london, england: continuum. sainton, r. j. (2006). words and thoughts: subsentences, ellipsis, and the philosophy of language. oxford, england: oxford university press. salkie r. (1995). text and discourse analysis. new york, ny: routledge. thompson, g. (1996). introducing functional grammar. london, england: edward arnold. 102 17 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee teachers’ perception on ict-based english teaching yayan suryana department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, university of kuningan, indonesia. e-mail: ysuryana2008@gmail.com apa citation: suryana, y. (2013). teachers’ perception on ict-based english teaching. english review: journal of english education, 2(1), 17-24 received: 10-09-2013 accepted: 29-10-2013 published: 01-12-2013 abstract: this article was related to the teachers’ perception on the application of ict-based english teaching in senior high school and the readiness of the teachers and schools in applying the 2013 curriculum. this qualitative data was described from the interview and the survey during the socialization of the 2013 curriculum. 8 participants of different ages from different senior high school in kuningan regency were interviewed by phone, direct interview, and facebook-chatting. the findings showed that most of the senior teachers (80%) of more than 50 years of age were not motivated in using the ict, 20% of them were familiar with ict; 60% of the teachers between their 30s and 40s generally understood how to use ict but seldom implemented the ict based english teaching because of lack of ict facilities. almost 95 % of new english teachers were familiar with ict and they applied the ict-based english teaching when the ict facility was available. their reasons of not using ict were lack of ict literacy, taking too long to learn, and the fact that it was expensive and not always available. the conclusion of this research was that the application of the ict-based english teaching could not be applied 100% because some teachers were still illiterate with ict and the ict facilities were still limited. keywords: ict, teachers’ perception, the 2013 curriculum, ict literacy, ict-based english teaching introduction this research discusses “teachers’ perception on ict-based english teaching for teachers’ professionalism in kuningan, west java indonesia.”this research tried to find out the existing condition of english teaching for teacher’s professionalism in kuningan regency and the teachers’ perception on ict-based english teaching for professionalism, and the impact of using ict-based english teaching for teachers’ professionalism in human capital, social capital, and social economic growth. ict has been studied by many scholars from different countries in different aspects with different methodologies such as those from sue webb (2006) ict reducing social exclusion, zare-ee (2010, 2011) ict in teaching and research, mellar and kambouri (2005) observing ict use in adult literacy and numeracy, celik, arkin & sabriler (2012) ict for self-regulated learning, kristina (2010) on-line with language courses, jaffer, ng’ambi & czerniewicz (2007) ict in teaching and learning strategy, mullamaa (2010) ict in language learning, lu, hou & huang (2010) ict in audio-video speaking class, and hu & webb (2009) integrating ict to higher education. this research used a case study qualitative approach. the qualitative research was characterized by the research question, the qualitative strategies to be used in this study, the roles of participants and the writer, purposive sampling strategy for sites and individual identified, the data collection procedure for recording yayan suryana teachers’ perception on ict-based english teaching 18 information during the data collection, and data analyses, on qualitative research. the first part of the dissertation research was concerned with the need analysis from the existing condition of ict-based english teaching in the research site, which, in this program has been promoted both through participating in the direct interview, telephoning, and chatting via facebook to glean the information related to the existing condition in ict-based english teaching. kuningan regency was chosen as a case study site in this research to ease in collecting the data where the researcher worked. the condition of ict facilities in five secondary schools was observed and 8 secondary school teachers participated in this research. based on the background above the writer would like to answer the following questions:“what is the existing conditionof english teaching for teacher’s professionalism in kuningan regency,”and “what is the teachers’ perception on ict-based english teaching for professionalism?” based on the research questions above, the objectives of this research are, as follows: to find out the existing condition of applying english teaching for teacher’s professionalism in kuningan regency, and to identify the teachers’ perception on ictbased english teaching for teachers’ professionalism. method the research used qualitative case study. a case was based on the models of creswell (2009) and gillham (2000). according to creswell (2009), a case can be an individual, it can be a group such as a family, or a class, or an office, or a hospital ward; it can be an institution such as a school or a child’s home, or a factory; it can be a large-scale community a town, an industry, a profession. all of these are single cases; but you can also study multiple cases: a number of single parents; several schools; two different professions. it all depends what you want to find out which leads us on. (creswell, 2009: 176) gillham (2000: 1-2) states that a case study is one which investigates the above to answer specific research questions (that may be fairly loose to begin with) and which seeks a range of different kinds of evidence, evidence which is there in the case setting, and which has to be abstracted and collated to get the best possible answers to the research questions. no one kind or source of evidence is likely to be sufficient (or sufficiently valid) on its own. (gillham 2000: 1-2). this case study was conducted in kuningan regency of west java province. there were 5 senior high schools observed in this research, and 8 english teachers as participants of different ages starting from the teachers with less than 10 years of experience, those with 11 to 20 years of experience, those with 21 to 30 years of experience, and those with more than 30 years of experience. the research was conducted between july and october 2013. natural setting was used to collect data in the field. the instrument used in this research was observation, interview using open questions, and documents (creswell 2009: 183). in collecting the data the observation was carried out without the researcher participating. the interview was conducted in different ways: recorded face-to-face interviews, recorded telephoning, and chatting through facebook. the documents came from different resources, for example: journals related to ict in education, mgmp report years 2011 and 2012 and other supporting data from the government like rules and regulations issued by the president or the ministry of educational and cultural affairs, and other related documents. 19 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the process of data analysis involves making sense out of text and image data. it involves preparing the data for analysis, conducting different analysis, moving deeper into understanding the data, representing the data, and making an interpretation of the larger meaning of the data. (creswell, 2009: 183). open-ended data was collected based on asking general questions and the data was developed from the data supplied by participants. the steps of analyzing the data began from organizing and preparing the data for analysis. this involved transcribing interviews, scanning materials, typing up field notes, or sorting and arranging the data into different types. first, the data related to the ict facilities was put in the first group. the information from the interview related to the participants’ condition was grouped into the second, and the information related to the teachers or participants’ perception was put in the third group. the interpretation was related to the teachers’ perception and the researcher’s analytical view of the findings. results and discussion the findings were about the existing condition of ict facilities and english teachers, the teachers’ perception on the application of ictbased english teaching, and the impact of the application of ict-based english teaching in human capital, social capital and social economic growth. existing condition of ict facilities and english teachers at several schools in this part, the existing conditions were divided into two points: the school ict facility and the teachers ict facilities at several schools before describing the existing conditions of ict, let us broadly classify the ict resources that must be owned by the school, as follows: (i) hardware – the equipment, such as a pc or interactive whiteboard, linked smart boards, opaque projectors, lcd projectors; (ii) software – the stored instructions which enable the hardware to operate automatically, together with the information that it stores and processes, such as a word processing program and the documents produced using it; (iii) media – the materials that carry data and programs, such as floppy or hard disks; (iv) services – combinations of hardware, software and human resources that enable users to achieve more than they could with hardware and software alone, such as the internet. from the above description the existing conditions of the school ict facilities in kuningan were still limited. the first was the ict facility in a senior high school in the center of the city. this school was famous for the best school in kuningan. based on the information from the participant, every class had been equipped with a permanent lcd projector. all teachers used ict in teaching although not always. the school ict facilities owned by the school were a wi-fi, server, internet, 40 sets of students’ computers, 3 sets of teachers’ computers, 29 laptops, a television, a vcd-dvd player, speaker, fixed-lcd projectors in every class, and laptops in each classroom. general problems were not all teachers were “smart” in using it, and sometimes the internet connection was disconnected, and that it was not directly fixed because they did not have an it technician. in the second school, the ict facilities in this school were not as complete as the first school. from 27 classrooms, there were only 6 lcd projectors. one of them was permanently installed in the computer laboratory. one was broken because of wrong use during the classroom process. the rest of the four lcd projectors could be borrowed yayan suryana teachers’ perception on ict-based english teaching 20 from the office by ordering first because they had limited projectors. the school had also 3 laptops that could be borrowed when necessary. the internet connection in this school was also often disconnected and not directly fixed by the technician. one of the state senior high schools in the rural area in kuningan with 9 classrooms, there were 3 lcd projectors used for teaching and learning. not many teachers use this facility, so the only one english teacher often uses the lcd projector in teaching and learning. just as in the other facilities, the internet connection was using limited bandwidth, so the connection was late, and they need a faster special additional power network. in the fourth school, the boarding school with 24 classrooms, all students stay in the boarding school. the ict facilities in that school were also limited. of the 6 lcd projectors the school owns, there were only 4 projectors. two of them were broken and could not be used. the problems were the same. they did not have for fixing them technicians. the last school consisted of 22 classes and was located in rural area. there were only three lcd/video projectors here. all were ok. two were installed permanently in the classroom and one could be borrowed from the office by ordering first. when a teacher wanted to use the lcd, he/she should order to be noted by the administrator. the limited ict facilities in this school also made each teacher difficult to use ict facility for teaching. english teachers’ condition at several schools basically, all english teachers and teachers of other subjects should be able to apply the ict-based teaching. this was because based on the 2013 curriculum which had been applied since july 2013 in the secondary schools all teachers should be able to use ict in teaching. teachers who were not familiar with ict were also forced to use ict equipment in their teaching. this fact shows that the ict illiterate teachers are not motivated to renew their knowledge. the malfunction of some teachers in using lcd projectors in the classrooms had caused some headmasters or school principals not to allow new or novice teachers to use the lcd projectors to avoid the wrong use of the projectors during the teaching process. when the lamp was broken, to change the old lamp with the new one, they had to spend almost 2/3 of the total price of a new projector. the lamp was almost as expensive as the new projector. the existing conditions of the english teachers were as follows: a participant who was more than 50 years old described that he was not motivated to learn how to operate the computer because of many factors. one of the reasons was that he could not think and understand easily with the instructions in the computer. he was illiterate with the computer technology. the second was a senior teacher with interest in ict. he was above 50 now, and was a dept at using many ict products, his smart phone and internet connection. he used his smart phone in teaching writing by asking the students to find a certain topic in the internet through their smart phone. then after every group had done the assignment they discussed the topic in the classroom in speaking or reading class. the next participant was a teacher in his 30s. he was one of the more proficient english teachers in ictbased english teaching. he often gives presentation during the english teacher secondary subject teacher forum (mgmp) and used to be the head of the english teachers forum in all senior high schools in kuningan. from the interview i got much information about the teachers’ condition in understanding 21 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee ict. he knows how to design good presentations, how to use it and how to explore the internet. he was also one of the presenters in every english teacher training. the fourth participant was a 28 year old young male teacher. he was involved in teaching the classes using ict-based english in the 10th-grade. as a new teacher whose experience in teaching was still less than 10 years he was generally familiar with basic ict, but he did not use ict in teaching all the times. he did not have any materials from the 2013 curriculum that could be used for teaching. he had not even gotten any training yet from the government to apply new curriculum, but in practice he sometimes used the teaching materials from 2006 curriculum which were related to the new curriculum to run the class. another young teacher who still had less than 10 years of teaching experience was a woman teacher. she was familiar with basic ict. although in practice, she did not also use the ict facility in her teaching. the problems were that she was unable to use the ict facilities because of the limited facilities that they had and because of the slow internet connections. a participant in his 40s from a rural senior high school with nine classes had no serious problem in using the ict in teaching. he could use the ict facility any time he wanted although there were only 3 lcd projectors in his school. most of the teachers here were still illiterate with the ict facilities. a woman participant who was in her 40s from a senior high school in one of favorite school in kuningan was familiar with ict. in her teaching, she often used ict as media for teaching. the bad internet connection that sometimes appeared often forced her not to use ict in her teaching. for her, ict was only one of the media in teaching. there were many media that could be used for teaching. a fifty one year-old participant from the best senior high school in kuningan was a woman with a vast experience in teaching english. for her, in whatever condition, teaching english had to be fun. with ict facility in every class, she could apply ictbased english teaching in her own class whenever she wanted. her perception in applying the new 2013 curriculum was that she found no problems because the school had practically applied ict based teaching since the previous curriculum (2006 curriculum or school based curriculum). the term in the previous curriculum was different from the current curriculum, for example, the term “peminatan”or ‘specialization’was used in the 2013 curriculum while in the previous curriculum it was called “penjurusan” or majors. teaching times of some courses were added and some others were reduced and even deleted. for her, everything was ok, she took it for granted because teaching was compulsory for her, and it was her passion. teachers’ perception on ict-based english teaching from eight teachers, only one participant optimistically described that she was ready to apply ict-based english teaching. she was a teacher of the school where the ict facilities were representative. the teacher’s perception on this ict-based english teaching for teachers’ professionalism showed that most of the teachers thought that it was not the time to apply ict-based english teaching because the schools had not been facilitated with the representative and complete ict equipment as required. most of certified teachers were ready to apply the ict-based english teaching, especially the ones who always yayan suryana teachers’ perception on ict-based english teaching 22 followed the ict development and who were eager to learn new things about information technology. on the other hand, most of the senior teachers who were more than 53 years old and illiterate in ict were unable to follow this new technology and they tended to use conventional ways in teaching. they were not motivated to learn ict media for teaching and learning. regarding the perception on the application of ict-based english teaching, he agreed to apply the ictbased teaching because by monitoring the changes in ict development of new technology could be followed, and we would never be left behind like right now. by being stubborn, unmotivated, and not following the new technology we would be left behind, so we needed to be ready to any possibility of new changes in ict and especially in teaching. he also perceived that the application of the 2013 curriculum was too early. the government should have provided the schools and the teachers with good ict equipment first, then we could apply the new curriculum. one perceived that the government should facilitate the schools with the comprehensive ict facilities so that the ict-based 2013 curriculum could be applied at all schools not only in kuningan but also in other cities in indonesia. another perception in applying ict-based english teaching was not coming from the teachers. however, many students in rural areas were not motivated in learning english. most of them were lazy, and could not follow the teachers’ explanation or instruction. from the above existing condition, it can be temporarily concluded that only one senior high school was facilitated with better ict facilities, the others were equipped with limited ict facilities. the ict facilities usually owned by the schools consisted of limited lcd projectors, folded lcd screens, laptops, internet connection, wi-fi, one or two smart phones (owned by individuals), computer lab with one server pc and 20 to 40 client pcs. another phenomenon was that most of the schools did not have qualified technicians, so that when there was a problem with the it facilities, it generally could not be solved directly. they had to wait for someone from private companies or individuals who work as computer service center to repair their lcd projectors or other it devices. the lcd projectors’ breakages were mostly caused by malfunction during the operation. the malfunction was related to the steps of operating the projectors from the starting point to shutting down the power. when the instructions in operating the lcd projectors were not followed as it was mentioned in the operating manual of lcd projectors the breakage could happen. a phenomenon between the existing condition and the teachers with the ict literacy perceived the application of ict based english teaching in the classroom was something interesting and easier to do many things with the teaching process. the teachers were divided into two major group conditions. the first group was the teachers with no interest in ict; the second was the teachers with interest in ict. the teachers with no interest in ict were divided into three groups of age. the old groups of more than 50 which was generally stuck in their habits, teachers between 40 and 50, between 30s to 40s, and young teachers of less than 30s. they were not motivated on changes. they did not want to study new things that caused time consuming. when there were new things they tended not to make any response. 23 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the senior teachers of more than 50 were mostly less motivated in using ict in their teaching. they were even illiterate on it. even did they not know how to operate computers. when they had to do such a thing, they usually asked somebody to do it for them. they were not motivated to learn how to operate the computer. when they were forced to learn how to do so, they had to work together with the other by only imitating what other literate people had done. the teachers of less than 50 who know how to operate computer but never use ict in teaching. based on the information from the participants, actually he wanted to use ict in teaching, but the condition of the facility of ict in his school forced him not to use the ict in his teaching. the teacher’s perception on this ict-based english teaching showed that most of the teachers think that it was not the time to apply ict-based english teaching because the schools were not facilitated with the ict equipment as required. most of certified teachers were ready to apply the ict-based english teaching. conclusion based on the 2013 curriculum, ict-based english teaching was required by every teacher, and it could be applied thoroughly when every school had been facilitated with ict in every class. the participants consist of three teacher types. the first type was the teacher’s perception on the use of ict as a compulsory. this was supported by the fact that consulting with information and computer technology made the class more interactive and we could get quick solving problem. the participants of experience senior but ict-illiterate teacher perceived that teaching using ict facilities took times and costly. this was not the correct time using the ict as the facility was still incomplete and took long times to learn how to use the computer. they had no time to learn the computer. this was not good time to use the technology. the third type was the person who was literate with ict but he or she preferred to use whiteboard, once in a while he used the computer and some ict facility. the lack of ict facility had caused most of the teachers not to apply it in their teaching. teachers as profession in this era need to know much about ict and apply this in their teaching. references creswell, j. w. (2009). research design qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches third ed. california: sage publication. english, e. & williamson, j. (2005). meeting the standards in primary english. a guide to the itt nc. london: routledgefalmer. gillham, b. (2000). case study research methods. london: continuum. kemdikbud. (2012). bahan uji publik kurikulum 2013. jakarta: kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. kemendiknas. (2007). permendiknas no. 6/2007 about perubahan peraturan menteri pendidikan nasional nomor 24 tahun 2006 tentang pelaksanaan peraturan menteri pendidikan nasional nomor 22 tahun 2006 tentang standar isi untuk satuan pendidikan dasar dan menengah dan peraturan menteri pendidikan nasional nomor 23 tahun 2006 tentang standar kompetensi lulusan untuk satuan pendidikan dasar dan menengah lamy, m. n. and hampel, r. (2007). online communicationin language learningand teaching. hampshire: palgrave macmillan mcnaught, c. (2005). integrating teaching and learning principles with itinfrastructure and policy. in kym fraser. education developmentand leadership in higher education developing an effective institutional strategy. new york: routledge falmer yayan suryana teachers’ perception on ict-based english teaching 24 p.108 mullamaa, k. (2010).“going 100% on-line with language courses:possible?”journal of language teaching and research, vol. 1, no. 5, pp. 531-539, september 2010 ____________“ict in language learning benefits and methodological implications”international education studies volume iii no. 1 p. 38 february 2010 saito, k. (2012). effects of instruction on l2 pronunciationdevelopment: a synthesis of 15 quasi-experimental intervention studies. tesol quarterly december 2012. serkan, c., erkan, a. derya, s. (2012). efl learners’ use of ict for selfregulated learning. the journal of language and linguistic studies. vol. 8, no.2, october 2012 shaheeda, j. dick, n. and laura, c. (2007). the role of icts in higher education in south africa: one strategy for addressing teaching and learning challenges” international journal of education and development using information and communication technology (ijedict), , vol. 3, issue 4, pp. 131-142.2007 webb, s. (2006). can ict reduce social exclusion? the case of an adults’ english language learning programme. british educational research journal vol. 32, no. 3, june 2006, pp. 481–507. 2006. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 11 self-assessment of communication skills by management students: an empirical study in indian context kajal srivastava department of business communication, faculty of business communication, jaipuria institute of management, india e-mail: kajal.srivastava@jaipuria.ac.in apa citation: srivastava, k. (2018). self-assessment of communication skills by management students: an empirical study in indian context. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 11-18. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1239. received: 18-02-2018 accepted: 21-04-2018 published: 01-06-2018 abstract: communication skills are most sought after by the business world and are considered to be vital for personal and professional growth. there have been many researches on the importance of communication skills and how they act as catalysts in getting a job or a dream job. furthermore, employers, institutes and universities also emphasise that an individual apt at communication skills is more likely to get a job in comparison to one who is not. this study is meant to decipher the communication skills of management trainees at the time of joining the institute through a selfappraisal questionnaire. the research design employed was descriptive cross-sectional. 125 students were chosen from five management institutes in lucknow (india) by employing non-random convenience sampling. findings indicated that there is an overall fear of public speaking, respondents fall short of words while writing in english and need to be encouraged to read more english magazines and novels. conclusively, a curriculum may be designed wherein the faculty, along with inputs of the students can build a framework with a view to maximising public speaking activities, and other activities may focus upon reading and writing. moreover, peer-feedback is recommended to enhance reflective learning. keywords: management students, active listening skills, oral communication skills, communication building strategies, public speaking introduction communication skills are one of the most desired factors affecting employability and career progression. it is considered to be an essential trait by the employers as well. hence, the curriculum of every management institute lays proper emphasis on honing communication skills of their students. thus, management institutes also serve as centres where existing communication skills of students are further improved for placement purposes. as it is, prospective employers reiterate the fact that students need to have their listening and speaking skills refined (weldey, & icenogle, 2016). employers seek candidates who have effective interpersonal communication skills (golen, catanach, & moeckel, 1997). communication is a process wherein a message, which may be verbal, non-verbal or both, is transferred orally or verbally by the sender to the receiver. in return, the receiver gives a response or feedback (masri, 1997).communication, in other words, refers to the tact and ability to transfer or convey information effectively and efficiently. yet, for an effective communication, one needs to be skilled in listening, speaking, reading and writing. these four skills happen to be the parameters on which an individual’s abilities to communicate may be evaluated. communication may be done in two ways; orally or written. the former includes speaking and listening wherein the sender delivers the message orally and the receiver listens. this is followed by an oral feedback kajal srivastava self-assessment of communication skills by management students: an empirical study in indian context 12 (examples are; in a meeting, over the cellphone, in an interview, etc.) by the receiver. the latter includes writing and reading wherein the sender conveys a message in a written format (an e-mail, letter, memo, text or fax) and the receiver sends a response after having read/interpreted the message. the skills involved in this process are writing and reading. with specific reference to the business world, managers need to be adept in both written and oral communication in order to facilitate transfer of information between people within an organisation and outside it as well. communication is vital in light of the fact that every managerial role involves one or the other form of oral or written communication or both. communication skills are important for growth and career progression of individuals as well. a research study concluded that recruiters rated communication skills as the most important characteristic of an ideal job candidate (yate, 2009).abundant research has proved that communication skills are essential for managers (bradshaw, 1992; prentice, 1984, margerison & kakabadse, 1984).communicative abilities are crucial for advancement in career and success in the organization (cohen, 1999; messmer, 1999; warner, 1995; roebuck et al., 1995; flatley, 1990; curtis et al., 1989). in earlier studies, bass (1990) and kanter (1983) pointed out a clear relationship between competence in communication and managerial effectiveness. further, communication skills of every individual affect both personal and organizational effectiveness (brun, 2010; summers, 2010). effective communication skills are most essential for personal as well as organizational growth. it is therefore only rational to state that one of the most impeding forces to organizational efficiency is the lack of effective communication (lutgen-sandvik, 2010). in addition to this, special emphasis is laid on oral communication skills during the process of hiring (maes, et al., 1997).another study found that senior hr managers wanted their employees to be effective in interpersonal communication. however, it was found that these managers lacked in the art of listening and taking lead in a collaborative manner (bambacas &patrickson, 2008). therefore, in order to be an effective manager, studies have acknowledged the fact that effective communication skills are an absolute must. furthermore, since the current generation lives in a global village where communication is the key to negotiation, achieving targets and desired goals, managerial students need to hone their existing communication skills in order to carve a niche for themselves. students need to gain expertise in communication skills with specific reference to a milieu of cultures that are existent and in the current workplace scenario (penbuk, yurdakul & cerit, 2009). in addition to this, according to harleket al. (2008), students at university level should participate in activities that are capable of developing their communication skills beginning from the very first year in the university. earlier research on communication skills among university students has been conducted by cleland, foster and moffat (2005) and ihmeideh, ahmad and dababneh (2010). the results of both research indicated that a positive communication environment gives students opportunities to learn how to communicate thereby improving their communication skills. hence, the purpose of this paper is to present an empirical research on the self-assessment of management students associated with lsrw skills. the idea is to gain an understanding of their current proficiency levels related to various communication skills. this research focuses specifically on four communication parameters which are; 1)active listening skills (l), 2) oral communication skills (s), 3) communication building strategies (r), and 4) written communication skills (w). method for the present study, descriptive crosssectional research design was employed. the survey instrument was a closed ended questionnaire. in this research, 125 students of five management institutes in lucknow were given self-assessment questionnaires at the english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 13 very onset of their managerial program. institutes were selected based on the year in which they commenced management education. five oldest management institutes were selected for the study. apart from their age, their occupancy ratio was also taken into consideration and all selected institutes had a history of 100% filled seats as per their allocation by the concerned authorities/agency. within the institutes, 25 students were selected on the basis of their interest for participation in the study. the students were explained about the research, its objective and based on their willingness, 25 students were selected from each institute. non-random convenience sampling has been employed for the selection of the sample. the questionnaire comprised of 20 statements which were meant to evaluate various communication skills. of these, four statements evaluated students’ active listening abilities. these comprised of their comprehension skills related to the spoken word, their responsiveness by asking statements in class after listening and the attention paid to words during conversation. eight statements were based on students’ proficiency in oral communication (speaking). these statements focused on students’ confidence in english speaking ability to communicate their point of view, usage of new words while conversing in english, the fear of public speaking, ability to summarize what is being said, using grammatically correct english, and hesitation while speaking in public. five statements focused on communication building strategies (reading) which students adopted. these included their habit of reading english newspapers, ability to understand the content displayed in english newspapers, their preference to learn and write new words from the newspaper, watching english news channels, other english channels and their inclination in reading english novels and magazines. furthermore, three statements assess students’ clarity in written communication. these statements focus on students’ ability to express their thoughts clearly through the written word, their capability to write grammatically correct english and whether they fall short of words while writing in english. the respondents had to self-assess their communication skills on a five-point likert scale. thereafter, mean analysis was done to capture the self-assessment of the respondents. results and discussion the data was collected from 125 respondents, although only 117 questionnaires were found to be complete and were used for the purpose of analysis. the students were from various cities as summarised below. table 1. state wise representation of respondents no state number of respondent 1 uttar pradesh 87 2 bihar 11 3 jharkhand 03 4 uttrakhand 05 5 west bengal 08 6 assam 03 total 117 majority of the respondents were from uttar pradesh only and amongst them, close to 60% were from lucknow only. others represented cities like allahabad, varanasi, kanpur, sitapur, barabanki, gorakhpur etc. since the sample size was small, hence, state wise differences in assessment of communication skill were not considered. the gender wise representation was as follows. kajal srivastava self-assessment of communication skills by management students: an empirical study in indian context 14 table 2. gender representation in sample no gender number percentage 1 male 76 65 2 female 41 35 of the total sample 65% were male while 35% were female. the gender wise differences in assessment of communication skills were also not considered for analysis. although it may be an interesting research to be carried in future. the sample distribution based on their educational background is as follow. table 3. educational background of respondents no education number of respondents percentage 1 ba/bsc/b.com 78 67 2 bba 27 23 3 b tech. 08 7 4 others 04 3 majority of the respondents had done ba/bsc/b.com during their graduation. 23% of the respondents have pursued management education in their graduation stream. therefore, since the representation of educational background was small, no attempt was made to study the differences in assessment based on their educational background. mean analysis was done on all the statements which were discussed for ease and clarity. first, the results of mean and standard deviation analysis of statements measuring active listening skills (l) are shown below. table 4.mean and standard deviation of statements measuring active listening skills (l) no active listening skills (l) mean sd 1. i pay attention to each and every word said by someone else during conversation 3.84 0.85 2. i listen carefully and full grab the meaning of spoken words. 3.42 0.80 3. i respond to listening by asking questions in class 3.09 0.94 4. i comprehend lectures delivered in english 3.61 0.97 the mean values indicate that the respondents pay attention and are able to grasp the meaning of spoken words as indicated by relatively higher values for these statements. although many of them are not engaged in active discussion or asking questions in the class. second, the results of mean and standard deviation analysis of statements measuring oral communicative skills (s) are presented below. table 5.mean and standard deviation of statements measuring oral communication skills(s) no oral communication skills (s) mean sd 1. i avoid using slang while speaking in english 3.22 0.67 2. i have hesitation in public speaking 2.69 1.1 3. i try to make use of new words while speaking in english 2.93 1.00 4. i speak grammatically correct english 3.61 0.71 5. i feel confident in speaking in english 3.37 0.83 6. i find it easy to communicate my point of view to the other person 3.23 0.90 7. i can easily summarize what i listen to. 3.37 0.84 8. i have a fear of public speaking 2.70 1.1 the mean values listed above are indicative that respondents avoid using slang while speaking in english. it further states that they speak grammatically correct english, they are confident in speaking in english, they communicate views easily and are adept at english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 15 summarizing. however, respondents are hesitant of speaking in public and there is also a fear of public speaking. in addition to this, the usage of new words during conversing is relatively low. the findings may be used to decide the pedagogy and delivery of various courses which may improve effectiveness of the courses and learning of the students. third, the results of mean and standard deviation analysis of statements measuring communication building strategies (r) are presented below. table 6. mean and standard deviation of statements measuring communication building strategies (r) no communication building strategies (r) mean sd 1. i watch english news channels and other english channels 3.15 1.20 2. i am in a habit of reading english newspapers 2.54 1.08 3. i understand the content of english newspapers easily 3.45 0.89 4. i prefer to write and learn new words from the newspaper. 2.80 1.24 5 i read english novels/magazines 2.85 1.29 when referring to mean values related to reading, respondents are adept at watching english news channels and other english channels as well. nevertheless, mean values of other parameters such as the habit of reading newspapers, understanding its content, the interest in writing and learning new words and the inclination towards reading english novels and magazines is relatively low. the findings are indicative that the institute should think about how to improve their reading habits, discussion of contemporary news items from newspaper, book review, etc. may be some tools which may be used by institutes. fourth, the results of mean and standard deviation analysis of statements measuring written communication skills (w) are presented below. table 7. mean and standard deviation of statements measuring written communication skills (w) in the above table, higher mean values are indicative of the fact that respondents place a high emphasis on writing grammatically correct english and are able to express their thoughts clearly in writing. however, the mean value is further indicative of the fact that respondents’ fall short of words while writing in english. looked together since little effort is put by respondents on reading and enhancing their vocabulary it affects their written communication skills as well. this research aims at finding out the lsrw competency skills among management students through self-appraisal at the commencement of management programmes. on the basis of the questionnaire, there are various implications which are as follows; one of the implications of the study is the hesitation among students of public speaking. the study points out a definite fear of public speaking among students. the second implication is that of the students having a relatively low mean value as far as reading english novels and magazines and writing new english words is concerned. the overall idea of the study is to have a self-perception of the students’ lsrw competency skills in order for it to be mapped for further research at the end of the course. the basic aim is to identify the weaknesses of the students at the beginning of the programme. once the students are made aware of their weaknesses, it becomes easier to encourage them to work on these weak areas thereby improving their existing skill no writing (w) mean sd 1. i place emphasis on writing grammatically correct english 4.14 0.95 2. i can express my thoughts effectively by writing in english 3.81 0.90 3. i fall short of words while writing in english. 3.12 1.07 kajal srivastava self-assessment of communication skills by management students: an empirical study in indian context 16 sets. according to sanchez and hynes (2001), students’ perceptions on their existing skill levels provide intricate details on the nature of learning that took place in actuality. their theoretical framework further assumes that students are the best determinants of how much they learnt. hill, mehta and hynes (2014) further state that self-perceptions about competency levels should be included in learning assessment programs. on the basis of these results, a third implication is that communication modules and teaching styles may be modified in order to suit the expectations of both the students and their prospective employers. the utility of the study may also be extended to designing curriculum, selecting most suitable pedagogy and choosing the best assessment tools as well. considering the result of the study as an indicator somehow the students should be encouraged to read more english content either through newspaper or magazine/books. they should also be encouraged to learn new words and their usage while writing. further, it should not be assumed that all these four lsrw operate in water tight compartment, in-fact they are interrelated to each other and will mutually drive effective communication hence they operate in a cyclical manner affecting each other and affecting communication skills in general. conclusion this research is indicative of how management students rated their communication skills with respect to lsrw. on the basis of various statements, students were asked to gauge their skill sets on a scale of 1-5 on their active listening skills (l),oral communication skills (s), communication building strategies (r),and written communication skills (w).the analysis leads to a number of conclusions. first, the results are indicative that respondents pay attention and are capable of grasping the meaning of the spoken words in english. the results are also indicative of the fact that slang is avoided by respondents during communication. second, the results are also suggestive of the fact that while respondents are adept at watching english new channels, the drive towards reading newspapers and understanding content in novels and magazines is relatively low. third, peerresponse may be introduced in the classroom activities. the basic idea is to get learners involved in the learning process through peer response and student feedback. this can resultantly promote reflective learning. according to mezirow (1990, p. 366), reflective learning encourages ‘critical reflection in order to precipitate or facilitate transformative learning in adults’. in a similar way, schon (1991) asserts that reflection can modify traditional learning into an experience. in the process of analyzing their communicative needs, articulating learning preferences, and by giving peer feedback, students become more mindful of what they need to deliver as course participants and develop skills to reflect on their learning process. also, students’ analysis can encourage students by engaging them in thought-provoking and eloquent classroom experiences. references bass, b. m. (1990). handbook of leadership (3rd ed.). new york: bass & stogdill’s press. brun, j. p. (2010). missing pieces: 7 ways to improve employee well-being and organizational effectiveness. new york, ny: palgrave macmillan. mccroskey, j. c., & mccroskey, l. l. (1988). self‐report as an approach to measuring communication competence. communication research reports, 5(2), 108-113. kanter, r. m. (1983). the change masters. new york: simon & schuster. lutgen-sandvik, p. (2010).destructive organizational communication: processes, consequences, and constructive ways of organizing. new york, ny: routledge. bambacas, m., & patrickson, m. (2008). interpersonal communication skills that enhance organisational commitment. journal of communication management, 12(1), 51-72. mezirow, j. (1990). fostering critical reflection in adulthood. san francisco: jossey-bass. sanchez, s., & hynes, g.e. (2001). effectiveness of traditional delivery versus online delivery for a managerial communication course. presented at a symposium: assessing the quality of online instruction, naval postgraduate school, monterey, ca. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 17 schon, d. a. (1991). the reflexive turn: case studies in and on educational practice. new york: teachers’ college. masri, s. (1997). media dan komunikasi dalam bahasa melayu. malaysia: fajar bakti. weldey, t. g., & icenogle, m. l. (2016). a managerial perspective: oral communication competency is most important for business students in the workplace. international journal of business communication, 34(1), 67 – 80. yate, m. (2009). hiring the best: a manager’s guide to effective interviewing and recruiting. cincinnati, oh: f & w media. kajal srivastava self-assessment of communication skills by management students: an empirical study in indian context 18 patterns of responses to compliments on physical appearance in sundanese women english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee patterns of responses to compliments on physical appearance in sundanese women refdi akmal state polytechnics of lampung e-mail: refdi_akmal@yahoo.com apa citation: akmal, r. (2013). patterns of responses to compliments on physical appearance in sundanese women. english review: journal of english education, 1(2), 208-215 received: 15-02-2013 accepted: 12-04-2013 published: 01-06-2013 abstract: complimenting as a speech event has been one of the major areas on which linguists have focused their attention and drawn insights into the phenomenon of linguistic politeness in the last two decades (zanrong 2004). some previous research – among others are by davis (2008); heidari (2009); matsuoka (2009) – revealed that gender give rise variations of strategies on compliment responses (cr). this paper examines sundanese women responses to compliments on appearance addressed by the same and different gender. the research applied naturalized role play method in collecting the data by observing the way of 68 women giving response to the compliment addressed on their physical appearance. the respondents were native sundanese women living around bandung. the study found that most women respond differently to compliments addressed to them by women and by men. this study also reveals that most of them considered the compliments – particularly when addressed by men – as a way of either maintaining social hospitalities or joking, and thus, the speech acts of compliments appear more to be a way of consolidating solidarity among them. keywords: politeness, compliments, patterns of response introduction compliments are recognized as an important speech act in a socio-cultural context. it is interesting to see the way people respond to the compliments addressed to them which simply features value systems hold within the society. jing (2005) mentioned that different value systems are reflected in speech acts; thus, different interpretations of a certain speech act sometimes cause misunderstandings of the speaker's intention. in fact, some research as indicated by parisi and wogan (2006) cited in davies (2008) that there is a growing field of research pertaining to compliment behavior and its relation to both status and gender. davies also noted that gender plays very significant role in the variation of compliment and compliment responses. in his study, davies noted that women preferred responses that could be considered less face threatening which are mostly in term of acknowledging a compliment, returning a compliment or changing the topic all together. in interactions between females and males, manes and wolfson (1981) – as cited in han – found that women appear both to give and receive compliments much more frequently than do men, especially when compliments have to do with apparel and appearance. despite the studies carried out in terms of compliments responses within cross cultures setting, this study is in attempt to see the pattern of compliment responses when they are uttered by the refdi akmal patterns of responses to compliments on physical appearance in sundanese women same and different gender basis within a single culture setting. this research tried to answer the following research questions: 1. how do sundanese women respond to compliments addresses to their appearance? 2. how differently do women respond to compliments addressed to their appearance when addressed by women and by men? compliments are recognized as an important speech act in a socio-cultural context. some researchers defined this act in varied terms. hobbs, 2003:249 cited in heidari(2009) stated that a compliment is a speech act which explicitly or implicitly bestows credit upon the addressee for some possession, skill, characteristic, or the like, that is positively evaluated by the speaker and addressee. while holmes (1988) – cited in han – mentioned that to be heard as a compliment an utterance must refer to something which is positively valued by the participants and attributed to the addressee. in addition, holmes also states that compliments are positively affective speech acts, the most obvious function they serve is to oil the social wheels, paying attention to positive face wants and thus increasing or consolidating solidarity between people. however, heidari (2009) indicated that compliments may also be regarded as a threat to negative face, even while paying attention to positive face. he mentions that speech acts of compliment and compliment responses (cr) are conversational devices of interpersonal relationships in daily life. the use of cr as a phatic expression (more of a ‘ritual’ type) may also play a particular role in maintaining the solidarity of interpersonal relationships and the harmony of social interaction. for example, during this study a female informant mentioned that her answer to a compliment on appearance (‘‘hey, you look great! you’re really beautiful today’’) would be ‘‘cheers! so do you’’, even if the addressee was not good looking. relating to this research, i would like to follow the definition stated by holmes (1988, p. 446) as cited by heidari (2009) that is, "a compliment is a speech act which explicitly or implicitly attributes credit to someone other than the speaker, usually the person addressed, for some "good" (possession, characteristic, skill, etc.) which is positively valued by the speaker and hearer." heidari also added that “there is an infinite number of words that could be chosen to compliment, but the set of lexical items and grammatical patterns we use in our daily interaction when complimenting and have high frequency in our daily discourse are very restricted”. the first researcher who discussed compliment responses from a pragmatic perspective was pomerantz in 1978. she claimed that americans face two dilemmas when responding to compliments: (a) they have to agree with the speaker, and (b) they have to avoid self-praise (urano, 2000). urano further explains this dilemma by stating that when a recipient of a compliment responds by agreeing with the speaker (condition a), it violates condition b as this response goes against the sociolinguistic expectations of the speaker. on the other hand, if the speaker doesn’t accept the compliment to avoid self-praise, the response will be face-threatening since it violates condition a. to mediate this conflict, recipients of compliments resolve to a variety of solutions: (1) acceptance,(2)rejection, and (3) selfpraise avoidance. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee herbert (1986) revised pomerantz’s taxonomy by analyzing american english speakers’ compliment responses. he collected more than a thousand samples of compliment responses from american college students in a three-year period project. surprisingly, only 36.35% compliment responses were accounted for by acceptance. herbert ended up with a three-category, twelve-type taxonomy of compliment responses. table 1. herbert’s taxonomy of compliment responses response type example a agreement 1. acceptance  appreciation tokens thanks, thank you  comment acceptance yeah, i really like it too  praise upgrade i look better with it, right? 2. comment history i got it from that store 3. transfer  reassignment it’s not mine, it belongs to my brother  return compliment you are too b non agreement 1. scale down it’s quite old actually 2. questions do you think so? 3. non acceptance  disagreement i hate it  qualification but jack’s is better 4. no acknowledgement (silence) c other interpretation  request you want to borrow this one too? since then, a number of contrastive studies have been conducted to compare compliment responses in different languages and language varieties. arabic and south african english speakers were found to prefer accepting compliments rather than reject them. speakers of asian languages, on the other hand, were likely to reject compliments (urano, 2000). wolfson (1989) in ishihara (2006) collected observational data on compliments from authentic interaction between native and non-native speakers over a period of two years. she found out that l2 speakers did understand the function of compliments as “a social lubricant” in the american culture. they had difficulty in responding appropriately to compliments. in another contrastive study of compliment responses between chinese learners of english and american nss of english, chen (1993) in urano (2000) found out that the majority of chinese nnss of english rejected compliments, compared to the american nss who accepted and appreciated those compliments. more recently, cedar’s (2006) contrastive study of compliment responses used by thai nnss of english and american nss of english revealed significant differences in responses to english compliments between the two groups. while americans tended to accept compliments and elaborate positively in their responses, thai nnss of english refrained from elaborating and used formulaic expressions in their responses. a number ofresearch has revealed that compliment and responses refdi akmal patterns of responses to compliments on physical appearance in sundanese women to compliment appear to be very affected by the culture view of the society. method participants in this study fell into two categories: role-play informants and role-play conductors. all participants gave consent for their data to be used for research purposes. there were eleven conductors involved and 68women interviewed as the informants. they were high school and college students, employees and housewives. all participants were in certain social relationship with the conductors, relatives, classmates, colleagues, or neighbors. the major source of data for this research project comes from the naturalized role-play (tran, 2008). there were 68 role-play informants who were naturally sundanese native women all have been living in the area since they were born. all of them were university students, employees, and housewives ranging in age from eighteen to forty years. so they showed homogeneity in terms of age, education and profession. following are details of the role-play informants. there were eleven role-play conductors who were recruited voluntarily for this research. they consisted of 6 women and 5 men conductors. in this case, five of the women conductors were tertiary students having post graduate study in english education in bandung, and a housewife – a land lady. while four of the men conductors were also tertiary students and one employee in a private company. they are recruited to fulfill need of varying the informants as they live and mingle in different residences. in this study each of them conducted six to ten interviews role-play. in this study, the naturalized roleplay is the main tool of data collection providing the major corpus of data for analysis. this methodology has proven to be an effective means of resolving the lasting controversy that the methodological issue in this field has engendered (tran, 2008). at the core of the naturalized roleplay is the idea of eliciting spontaneous data in controlled settings. in the naturalized role-play, informants are not aware of the research focus during their role-play performance. they are conscious of being observed and studied in the whole procedure but not in the moments when they provide spontaneous data on a communicative act in focus. in this study, each informant participating in the naturalized role-play produced crs to compliments on appearance and apparels. after recruiting the conductors, the researcher explained the way the data should be obtained. all conductors were equipped with a piece of data eliciting form designed for this research to note any responses and information given by the informants. in gaining the data, the conductors carried out certain conversations naturally with the informants without prior notification that the conversations were for the sake of this research. the conversations were conducted either in bahasa indonesia or sundanese language. after the talks, then the conductors asked some necessary information related to the informants such as their personal information and their thought related to the way they responded to the compliments. data were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. in the qualitative analysis, cr data was coded according to the strategies selected to english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee reply to compliments. the qualitative analysis was based on the content of crs. in the quantitative analysis, the frequency of occurrence of cr strategy combination patterns was calculated to show the numeric differences between cr strategy combination in women responses as well as the similarities. results and discussion this research revealed that the women do different responses to compliments addressed to them by women and men. the compliment responses uttered by the women informants appeared to be more varied when the compliments were addressed by men conductors. besides, there were also other types of interpretation noted during the research – the compliments regarded as jokes and insult to the hearers. the compliments which were interpreted as insults were mainly indicated by women’s perception of the men’s compliments addressed to them. in general, the findings can be presented as described in the table2. the findings reveal that most of the women expressed appreciation tokens at the very first time the compliments addressed to them either by men or women. however, the appreciation tokens – in form of smiles or thanks – did not always indicate that they agreed the compliments. most of the tokens were followed by utterances indicating either non agreement or rejections, in addition to those of agreements. table 2. patterns of the women’s response to compliment women’s response type addressed by women addressed by men n=33 % n=35 % a agreement 1. acceptance  appreciation tokens 30 90,9 27 77,14  comment acceptance 5 15,15 4 11,42  praise upgrade 2 6,06 1 2,85 2. comment history 2 6,06 2 5,71 3. transfer  reassignment 1 3,03  return compliment 5 15,15 2 5,71 sub total (excluding the tokens) 15 45,45 9 25,71 b non agreement 4. scale down 7 21,21 9 25,71 5. questions 3 9,09 5 14,28 6. non acceptance  disagreement 7 20  qualification 7. no acknowledgement 2 6,06 8. express embarrassment 2 6,06 3 8,57 sub total 14 42,42 24 68,57 c other interpretation  joking 3 9,09 7 20  insulting 3 8,57 sub total 3 9,09 10 28,57 related to the compliments addressed by women, there were 15 responses (45,45%) which indicated the acceptance of the women. this refdi akmal patterns of responses to compliments on physical appearance in sundanese women acceptance were expressed in terms of comment acceptance (15,5%), comment history (6,06%), praise upgrade (6,06%), reassignment (3,03%) and return compliments (15,15%). in addition, there were 42,42% of non agreement patterns indicated through the speech. they fell into the patterns of scale down (21,21%), questions (9,09%), expressions of embarrassment (6,06%), and no acknowledgment (6,06%). the rest were other interpretation forms – in this case the compliments were considered as joke – which were noted from three responses (9,09%). unlike the compliments addressed by women, the compliments addressed by men were responded in such different patterns by the women. the patterns of agreement were shown by only nine responses (25,71%). the responses were expressed in terms of comment acceptance (11,42%), praise upgrade (2,85%), comment history (5,71%) and return compliments (5,71%). on the other hand, the women seemed to respond the compliments addressed by men with more non agreement patterns. the responses which reached 68,7% of the total responses can be classified into several patterns. there were 25,71% responses were of scale down pattern, while 14,28% of them questioned the compliments. other 20% indicated disagreement and 8,57% expressed embarrassment. different pattern of interpretations were also noted from the responses. there were 20% of them considered the compliments as jokes, and 8,57% considered the compliments insults for them. few of them considered that it is not proper for the man to express such compliments. the utterances were either telling the men that they should not have done that or with other expressions indicating this interpretation. the expressions may be illustrated as follow: c : “teh, ngomong-ngomongrambutnya sekarang ok bangettu” “teh, by the way, your hair looks so cool now” i : “ah udahlah,ga usah ngejek gitu kenapa sih” “ah come on. don’t insult me that way” the data also show that interestingly the women expressed more utterances in responding to the compliments addressed by men than those addressed by women. the women tended to responded to the compliments addressed by women with relatively shorter and fewer number of expressions than those to compliments addressed by men. most of the time, the appreciation tokens expressed were followed by longer utterances indicating more than one pattern of responses. for example, after smiling or saying thanks then they also expressed questions and scale down patterns, as illustrated below: responding to compliments addressed by women: c: “hey, nambahkerenajani” “hey, you look more charming” i :“ah masa’ sih. makasihya” “oh really? thank you”. while responding to compliments addressed by men, the pattern may be as follow: c :“wah, jilbabnya matching bangetdenganbajunya. kerentuh” gee, your veil matches your dress very well. that’s cool! i :(tersenyum) makasih.emang masih bagus ya? ini jilbab dah lama bangetga gue pake sih .. (smile) thanks. does it still look good? i haven’t put it on for quite long time actually. most of the women considered compliments either by men or by women english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee as social hospitalities instead of as sincere compliments. so responding to the compliments was more to be a way of saving the counterparts’ face. in addition, they also treated compliments – more particularly compliments by men – as either jokes or something not proper to do. as the results, more responses indicating non agreement were uttered more frequently to this case. conclusion this paper has tried to study the patterns of compliment responses uttered by women in the basis of gender influence. the findings indicated that in general the patterns were similar to what herbert described in his taxonomy. however, we can find that no pattern of qualification applied by the respondents in this study. besides, there was no type of reassignment expressed by the respondents when responding to compliments addressed by either the same or different gender. other patterns of interpretation also occurred in this study – the compliments were regarded as joking or insulting which were expressed by the women in responding to compliments by men. although very few of the participants considered the compliments by different gender as insult, but their perceptions about it were of considerably valuable. language does reflect the identities of its users and to use it in an appropriate manner is crucial for us to live our social lives. the findings simply indicate that there is a different way of how the women maintain relationship among the same gender and different gender within the culture setting. it also reveals that maintaining solidarity within the interlocutors has been the main issue; thus, face saving acts have been a major concern in the way compliment responses expressed. references al falasi, h. (2007). just say “thank you”: a study of compliment responses. the linguistics journal, 2(1), 28-42. cedar, p. (2006). thai and american responses to compliments in english. the linguistics journal, 1(2) 2-28. davis, b. (2008) “ah… excuse me, i like your shirt”: an examination of compliment responses across gender by australians. griffith working papers in pragmatics and intercultural communication, 1(2), 76-87. han, c. y. a comparative study of compliment responses: korean females in korean interactions and in english interactions.working papers in educational linguistics (wpel), 8(2). heidari, m. a.,m. rezazadeh, and a. e. rasekh. (2009). contrastive study of compliment responses among male and female iranian teenage efl learners. the international journal of language society and culture, 3(29), 1831. ishihara, n. (2006). formal instruction on the speech act of giving and responding to compliments. retrieved from: http://exchanges.state.gov/ media/oelp/teachingpragmatics/giving.pdf matsuoka, r. (2009). gender effect on compliment exchange. retrieved from:http://klibredb.lib.kanagawau.a c.jp/dspace/bitstream/10487/3801/1 / kana-12-14-0007.pdf. smith, j. b. (2009). the acquisition of pragmatic competence: compliment response strategies in learners of spanish. unpublished phd dissertation, lousiana state university. retrieved from: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/et d-11052009-094915/unrestricted/ smithdiss.pdf. tran, g. q. (2008). pragmatic and discourse transfer of combination of compliment http://exchanges.state.gov/ media/oelp/teaching-pragmatics/giving.pdf http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-11052009-094915/unrestricted/ smithdiss.pdf refdi akmal patterns of responses to compliments on physical appearance in sundanese women response strategies in second language learning and usage. asian efl journal, 10(2) 7-30. urano, k. (2000). negative pragmatic transfer in compliment responses by japanese learners of english. shinshu university research and communication language education (surcle), 2, 27-38. zhanrong, l. (2004). the speech event of complimenting in chinese. retrieved from: http://media.open.edu.cn/media_file /englishcatchup/ compliment.htm http://media.open.edu.cn/media_file/englishcatchup/%20compliment.htm english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 95 the effect of cooperative language learning and personality types towards essay writing bejo sutrisno foreign language high school (stiba) iec jakarta, indonesia e-mail: bjs_sutrisno@yahoo.co.id yumna rasyid applied linguistics, postgraduate program of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: yumna.rasyid@unj.ac.id aceng rahmat applied linguistics, postgraduate program of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: acengrahmat@gmail.com apa citation: sutrisno, b., rasyid, y., & rahmat, a. (2018). the effect of cooperative language learning and personality types towards essay writing. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 95-104. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1259. received: 19-02-2018 accepted: 29-04-2018 published: 01-06-2018 abstract: this study is aimed to find out the effect of cooperative learning techniques and personality types on english essay writing skill. this study was conducted at stiba – iec jakarta for the fourth semester in the academic year 2016/2017. it was an experimental study with the factorial design 2 x 2 at 0.05 significant level. the sample was 32 students and divided into two groups which each group was 16 students. the research reveals that: (1) students’ english essay writing skill taught with think-pair-share (tps) technique was higher than with student team achievement division (stad) technique; (2) english essay writing skill on introvert personality type was higher than extrovert personality types; (3) there was interaction effect between learning techniques and personality type toward english essay writing skill; and (4) students with introvert type taught with tps technique was higher than those taught with stad technique. there is an interaction effect between learning techniques and personality types on english essay writing skills. keywords: cooperative learning, essay writing skill, learning technique, personality type. introduction an essay is definitely a set of paragraphs. an essay is composed of several long paragraphs with a topic as well as some paragraphs. however, since the topic of the essay is too complex to be discussed in a paragraph, the author needs to divide it into several paragraphs, with one core discussion of each paragraph. then the author needs to link the paragraphs by adding introductory sentences at the beginning of the paragraph and the sentence of conclusion at the end of the paragraph. english essay writing skill is one of the language skills to be mastered by the fourth semester students after they got the lesson of how to write a paragraph, how to identify and create the topic sentence, how to identify and make the thesis statement in the first paragraph and how to arrange conclusion paragraph on a written english in previous semester. english essay writing skill is also an academic writing that needs to be mastered by every student to build their skill in writing scientific papers especially when the students have to do the final task in the form of thesis writing. two learning techniques are implemented in this research, they are learning techniques of think-pair-share (tps) and learning technique of student teamachievement divisions (stad) for two groups of students that have the personality type of extrovert and introvert. then, the mailto:bjs_sutrisno@yahoo.co.id bejo sutrisno, yumna rasyid, & aceng rahmat the effect of cooperative language learning and personality types towards essay writing 96 results of the two groups are compared after the treatments of several meetings. english writing is not a new subject for the students. they have started learning writing since they were in the first semester certainly with the different level of knowledge and skill in the set of process during the study with the different results. basically, english essay writing has the objective to train students expressing their creative ideas in composition which cover the criteria of the essay writing such as format, mechanics, content, organization, grammar and sentence structure. techniques of think-pair-share and student team-achievement divisions are two learning techniques of cooperative learning. in this cooperative learning model, students are expected to work together in one group or other group members so that they will be more motivated to improve their writing skills in english. unfortunately, this cooperative learning model has not been widely applied by english lecturers in the classroom. the obstacles arose in learning with cooperative learning model is the students are accustomed to using the conventional learning patterns so it is not easy to form students’ character to be able to apply cooperative learning model well and smoothly. it certainly takes time and process to familiarize the students of semester iv especially in order to apply cooperative learning model well and smoothly. with the cooperation in essay writing skills is expected to increase each member in each group. by working groups of each member will get the benefit from the exchange of ideas and knowledge among the members. what is already understood by a student is not necessarily understood by the other students and what is not understood by the student may have been understood by other students so that they can help each other. baradaran and alavi (2015) stated that cooperative writing is the instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each other’s learning. in this way students will interact with each other and the teacher during the instructional session. there are various techniques found in cooperative learning. from a variety of techniques in cooperative learning, they have different strategies and ways of teaching but they have similarities in the learning objectives that involve team rewards, individual responsibility, and equal opportunities to get success. meanwhile, according to sonthara and vanna (2009), teaching practices that provide opportunities to students to learn together in small groups are known as cooperative learning. cooperative learning is children learning together in groups, which are structured so that group members have to cooperate to succeed. students work together to learn and are responsible for their team-mates' learning as well as their own. astuti and baratt (2018), in their research, stated their findings that opportunities for student-student interactions in cooperative learning (cl) activities, absent in the conventional group work, may have contributed to the efl learners’ communicative competence. however, teachers new to cl should follow the preset procedures for cl strategies to promote individual accountability and understand how these activities benefit students. it is simply inferred that in cl, teacher should set and follow the procedures to conduct the teaching and learning activities using techniques of cl to make the activities run successfully. sharan (2015) breaks down some cooperative learning techniques, such as (1) think-pair-share (tps); (2) student teamachievement divisions (stad); (3) team assisted individualization (tai); (4) jigsaw; and (5) cooperative integrated reading and composition (circ). from the several learning techniques in cooperative learning mentioned above, basically they have the same concepts but different ways of teaching. the writer applied two techniques for two different classes, they are all cooperative learning methods contribute to the idea that students who work together in learning and accountable to their teammates are able to make themselves learn equally well. application of think-pair-share (tps) technique is a strategy which has been designed to let students think about the topic given to be formulated the ideas from every student, and then the ideas are distributed to english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 97 the group members. when the teacher gives lessons to the class, the students sit in pairs with their teams. the teacher asks the class questions. students are asked to think of an answer from themselves, then pair up with their partner to reach an agreement on the answer. finally the teacher asks the students to share the answers they have agreed with the whole class. on the other hand, according to sharan (2015), in the tps technique, the core group is divided into two pairs. the pairs are given a problem and they think about it. thinking time is given to think (at least three to ten seconds). students work in pairs and share their opinions. the pairs then share the answers to the whole students. this technique has three phases in application, namely (1) think; (2) pair; and (3) share. think-pair-share technique which is part of cooperative learning besides giving opportunity to students to work alone and cooperate with other students also has other advantages that are student participation optimization, with classical method that allows only one student to go forward and share the result to the whole class. student team achievement division (stad) is a type of cooperative learning that emphasizes the existence of activities and interactions among students to mutually motivate and help each other in a learning task to get maximum results. similarly, according to sharan (2015) that student team achievement division (stad) is a cooperative learning method which is the most studied by researchers. this method is also very adaptable that has been used in math, science, social sciences, english, engineering, and many other subjects, from the secondary school to college level. based on the recent study conducted by mahmoud (2014) related to his research finding that as for the attitude scale, the results obtained proved that the students developed positive attitudes towards using the cooperative learning approach to develop language skills in general and to develop their writing skills in particular. every individual has a distinctive personality that is not identical with others and cannot be replaced or substituted by others. there are characteristics or individual traits on the psychical aspects that can differentiate themselves with others. personality includes structures and processes that reflect innate traits and experiences. with regard to the various definitions of personality, there are some scholars who have formulated the personality based on the paradigm of the theory they have developed. first, sinha and fatima (2013) stated that extraversion–introversion dimension forms the core of human personality theories. it was carl jung who popularized the terms introversion and extraversion. extraversion is the act, state, or habit of being predominantly concerned with and obtaining gratification from what is outside the self. while introversion is the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one’s own mental life. extraversion and introversion are part of a single continuum. thus, a person who is high on extraversion is low on introversion and vice versa. second, qurrar-ul-ain and sadia saeed (2017) stated that, “in the eyes of many language teachers, the personality of their students is a major factor contributing to success or failure in language learning. in order to determine how important, they rated personality and two other individual differences”. and they added the statement that, “according to carl jung every individual has both personality traits introversion and extroversion but one trait is more prominent than the other. the terms are bit archaic as extraversion is not about being loud and introversion is not about being shy. it is about where people get their energy and motivation from, other people or themselves.” in relation to the personality types, kayaoglu, in his journal titled impact of extroversion and introversion on languagelearning behaviors, gave his explanation of the extroverted and introverted types of learning that although introverted and extroverted personality types have been identified in studies as significant factors in other areas of educational and psychological research, they have received only sporadic attention in studies of language learning bejo sutrisno, yumna rasyid, & aceng rahmat the effect of cooperative language learning and personality types towards essay writing 98 strategies, which are very often associated with success in language learning. by contrast, introverts are regarded as quiet and calm, with a tendency to be alone. according to condon and sahd (2013) that introversion and shyness can affect students’ social life on campus and influence strongly the ways in which students prefer to receive and process information in the classroom. there is no question that introversion confers valuable strengths: introverts tend to be better than extroverts at thinking before they act, taking in and processing information thoroughly, remaining on task, and working more accurately. their non-combative nature and willingness to listen make them easy to get along with. while zafar and meenakshi (2012), through their research, conclude that while extroverts enjoy an advantageous position with regard to winning more opportunities for putting language into use, introversion is not thought to put learners in an inferior position, as this latter trait empowers learners to act better in terms of certain other skills including writing and reading. yet, as risk-taking, which is a positive strategy in learning, is mostly associated with extroversion, extroverts in this study are regarded as more efficient learners in that they are said to be more actively involved in classroom process in relation to the relevant research results that have been conducted by mahmoed (2014), akbar, roohani, & hasanimanesh (2015), and farrokhi, nourelahi & elahi (2015). mahmoed investigated about the effectiveness of using the cooperative language learning approach to enhance efl writing skills among saudi university students. akbar, roohani & hasanimanesh (2015), explored the impact of extroversion and introversion personality types on efl learners’ writing ability. the results of this study are students who have introvert personality type is significantly better in writing skills than students who have extrovert personality type; third, the research conducted by farrokhi, nourelahi, and elahi (2015) with the title “investigating the relationship between personality type and writing performance of iranian efl learners.” the results of this study are statistically indicated that there is a significant relationship between personality type and descriptive and argumentative writing skills, but the lack of a significant relationship between personality type and narrative writing skill and gender differences is not a significant factor in writing skills. there were some previous researches about the extroversion and introversion towards the students’ skill in writing and the difficulties of instruction to facilitate students in improving students essay writing. most previous researchers tried to investigate the possible effect of extroversion/introversion personality traits on different features of efl writing, such as content, organization, language, mechanics, and vocabulary. here the writer investigates the students’ essay writing skill on format, mechanics, contents, organization and grammar and sentence structure. the results of this study can help the lecturers to employ teaching strategies which fit different characteristics of extrovert and introvert learners. in relation to the above explanation, the research questions and hypothesis posed in this study are as the following: (1) is there any statistically significant difference in english essay writing skill between groups of students taking classes with tps learning techniques and group of students taking classes with stad learning techniques?; (2) is there any statistically significant difference in english essay writing skills between groups of students with introverted and extroverted personality types?; (3) is there any statistically significant interaction effect between learning techniques and personality types on english essay writing skills?; and (4) for groups of students who have introverted personality types, is there any statistically significant difference in english essay writing skill between the students who take the lecture with the tps learning techniques and the students who take the lecture with stad learning techniques? based on those research questions it can be understood that the objectives of the research are to find out if there are significant differences in english essay writing skill between groups of students taking classes with english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 99 tps and stad learning techniques, to find out if there is statistically significant difference in english essay writing skills between groups of students with introverted and extroverted personality types, and to know if there is significant interaction effect between learning techniques and personality type. method this study applied experimental research method which is a quantitative research using 2 x 2 factorial design which aims to determine the presence or absence of causal relationships between learning techniques and personality types towards students’ skill in english essay writing skill. the participants of the study were 32 undergraduate foreign language school students of semester four majoring in english literature at stiba-iec jakarta. they were divided into two groups of experiment class. in order to homogenize the participants in terms of their language proficiency a free writing test was given. the participants were asked to write an essay of four paragraphs about 250 words on the topic “do you prefer living in a big city or small town?” because the researchers thought it was a general topic which made it possible for almost all of the students to write about it. the second instrument used was about personality type test. this type of test asked students to answer some questions listed by choosing ‘a’ or ‘b’. then the results were calculated and classified based on the criteria for being introvert or extrovert. as explained previously, two sets of data were needed to conduct the present study: a composition test of essay writing performance and a questionnaire to determine personality type. the researcher explained to the participants that their responses would be used only for research purposes. then each participant was given the instruments. it should be mentioned that all the participants were told not to write their names on the instruments, because it may affect their honesty in responding. each data had a code, s1, s2, s3, s4, etc. for completing the personality type questionnaire, 75 minutes were given to write an essay writing and 15 minutes were given for answering the personality type questionnaire. among the participants who took the test, only sixteen students from each group, from the higher scores to the lower scores were selected as the sample for the study. to deal with the data collection procedure, firstly, the personality type questionnaire was administered to be completed by the participants to decide the personality of each student. secondly, they were asked to write an essay of four paragraphs on the presented topic within the time limit of one and half hour. the data collected were subjected to a two-way analysis of variance (two-way anova) by the researcher, using spss (version 22) to answer the research questions. results and discussion based on the data analysis, the hypothesis testing, there were some findings. first, based on the measurement using liliefors test, eight groups of the data came from the population that had normal distribution and based on barlett test, all data groups have homogeny variance. second, based on the anova two lines measurement, it was known that there was significant difference between essay writing skill of students who were taught using tps and students who were taught using stad. tps learning technique from both personality types, introvert and extrovert, with n = 16, the lower score is 67; the higher score is 91; and the average score is 76.28; second, stad learning technique from both personality types, introvert and extrovert, with n = 16, the lower score is 62.7; the higher score is 83; and the average score is 72.4; third, introverted personality type students with n = 16, the lower score is 65; the higher score is 91; and the average score is 76.8; fourth, extroverted personality type students with n = 16, the lower score is 62.7; the higher score is 83; and the average score is 71.9; fifth, group of introverted personality type students with tps learning technique with n = 8, the lower score is 74; the higher score is 91; bejo sutrisno, yumna rasyid, & aceng rahmat the effect of cooperative language learning and personality types towards essay writing 100 and the average score is 82.1; and last, group of introverted personality type students with stad learning technique with n = 8, the lower score is 65; the higher score is 80.3; and the average score is 71.5. the calculation of descriptive statistics for score data of the english essay writing skill can be seen in the following recapitulation table. table 1. descriptive statistics of english essay writing skill score based on the calculation of spss 22 a1 a2 b1 b2 n valid 16 16 16 16 missing 0 0 0 0 mean 76.2750 72.4000 76.7563 71.9188 std. error of mean 1.78294 1.38678 1.83196 1.21096 median 74.0000 71.7000 76.5000 70.8500 mode 69.00a 70.00a 72.70a 69.00a std. deviation 7.13176 5.54713 7.32784 4.84386 variance 50.862 30.771 53.697 23.463 range 24.00 20.30 26.00 20.30 minimum 67.00 62.70 65.00 62.70 maximum 91.00 83.00 91.00 83.00 sum 1220.40 1158.40 1228.10 1150.70 a. multiple modes exist. the smallest value is shown a1b1 a2b1 a1b2 a2b2 n valid 8 8 8 8 missing 0 0 0 0 mean 82.0500 71.4625 70.5000 73.3375 std. error of mean 1.87245 1.69421 1.76742 2.26289 median 81.3500 71.5000 70.6500 72.8500 mode 79.70 72.70 69.00 70.00 std. deviation 5.29609 4.79194 2.17058 6.40043 variance 28.049 22.963 4.711 40.966 range 17.00 15.30 7.00 20.30 minimum 74.00 65.00 67.00 62.70 maximum 91.00 80.30 74.00 83.00 sum 656.40 571.70 564.00 586.70 before conducting the research hypothesis testing, the writer tested the requirements of the normality test and homogeneity test to determine whether the data is normal or homogeneous. the normality test is conducted to find out whether the sample used in this study is from a normally distributed population or not. there were 32 respondents in this study with the sample consisting of 16 respondents of introverted personality type and 16 respondents of extroverted personality type which were divided into two classes of research using think-pair-share (tps) technique and student team achievement division (stad) technique. table 2. the summary of normality test result recapitulation group number of sample lvalue ltabel results tps (a1) 16 0.188 0.213 normal distribution stad (a2) 16 0.120 0.213 normal distribution introvert (b1) 16 0.110 0.213 normal distribution extrovert (b2) 16 0.181 0.213 normal distribution tps and introvert (a1b1) 8 0.171 0.285 normal distribution stad and introvert (a2b1) 8 0.148 0.285 normal distribution tps and extrovert (a1b2) 8 0.130 0.285 normal distribution english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 101 stad and extrovert (a2b2) 8 0.160 0.285 normal distribution the next requirement test is homogeneity test to determine whether the population variance is homogeneous or not. homogeneity test is done for group with the treatment (a) and attributed group (b) using f-test. table 3. homogeneity test variance between group tps (a1) and stad (a2) group db s2 log s2 dk log s2 tps 15 50,86 1,71 25,60 stad 15 30,77 1,49 22,32 total 30 47,92 based on the calculation of barlett test gained x2 value = 1.65, compared with x2 table for α=0,05 and db = 1 is gained x2 (0,05)(1) = 2.41. the result showed that x2 value < x2 table. in indicated that ho is accepted. thus, essay english writing skill from the two groups are derived from homogeneous sample. homogeny test of variance between group introvert (b1) and extrovert (b2) is done using barlett test with the significance level α = 0.05. the hypothesis testing are: ho : σ2b1 = σ2b2 h1 : not ho the criterion of rejection and acceptance of ho is if x2 vlue > x2 table, ho is rejected and if x2 value ≤ x2 table, ho is accepted. the calculation of both groups testing at the significance level α = 0.05 is presented in the following table. table 4. homogeneity test of variance between group introvert (b1) and extrovert (b2) sample group db s2 log s2 dk log s2 introvert 15 53.70 1.73 25.95 extrovert 15 23.46 1.37 20.56 total 30 46.51 based on the calculation of barlett test gained x2 hit = 2.29 compared with x2 table for α=0.05 and db = 1 gained x2 (0,05)(1) = 2.41. the result showed that x2 value < x2 table. it means that ho is accepted. thus, essay english writing skill from the two groups are derived from homogeneous sample. from the data analysis above, the hypothesis testing, there were some findings. first, based on the measurement using liliefors test and based on barlett test, all data groups has homogeny variance. second, based on the anava two lines measurement, it was known that there was significant differentiate between essay writing skill of students who were taught using think-pair-share (tps) and students who were taught using students team achievement division (stad) (f value > f table = 4.20). besides, there was an interaction of learning techniques and personality type (fvalue = 14.19 > ftable = 4.20). so that, the result of analysis result and hypothesis testing fulfill the criteria, and the next activity was hypothesis test using tukey test to know the strength of the fourth hypothesis. the following are the answers of the four research questions which have been stated previously. apparently, the first hypothesis was significant after the analysis using anava test. the average score of essay writing skill of students who were taught using tps (76.28) was higher than students who were taught using stad (72.4). fvalue (= 4.970) > ftable (= 4.20). so that, it can be concluded that essay writing skill of students who were taught using tps technique was higher than students who were taught using stad technique. theoretically, groups of students treated with tps technique gained a more active, creative, and persuasive learning experience with members in their respective groups. this is evidenced by the mutual input, especially by some students who feel having higher level of understanding of certain components in essay english writing than other members during the learning process. tps learning technique bejo sutrisno, yumna rasyid, & aceng rahmat the effect of cooperative language learning and personality types towards essay writing 102 provides many benefits in the learning process such as the creation of interaction between members in the group and the interaction between groups in one class. the second hypothesis was significant after the analysis using annova test. the average score of essay writing skill of students who have introvert personality type (76.76) was higher than students who have extrovert personality type (71.92). fvalue (= 7.745) > ftable (= 4.20). so that, it can be concluded that essay writing skill of students who have introvert personality type was higher than students who have extrovert personality type. groups of students with extroverted personality types have higher sociability and more interaction than students with introverted personality types who are more intent to the territorial nature and prefer concentration rather than interaction. it is what has been described in previous theories about the difference between extroverted and introverted personality types where extrovert personality type is more on the condition of sociability, interaction and multiplicity of relationship while introverted personality type is more in concentration condition, has depth in thinking to pour his ideas and interests on internal reactions. although students with introverted personality types have more concentration than interaction, they were able to run cooperative learning well in discussion and gave each other explanation and understanding to members in group. the third hypothesis was significant. it was showed by the result of anava testing, which fvalue= 14.190 > ftable (0.05) = 4.20. so that, it can be concluded that there was interaction between the use of learning technique with personality type toward essay writing skill of students. it can be inferred that learning techniques will affect student learning outcomes if the selection of learning techniques in accordance with learning objectives and student characteristics. to achieve the learning objectives, lecturers must be able to apply various appropriate teaching techniques in accordance with the characteristics of students. in addition, to achieve the learning objectives, the lecturers must also master the models and teaching strategies and they should be able to master a variety of teaching techniques. the summary of the results of each hypothesis can be seen in the table below. table 5. summary of two-way variance analysis test hypothesis fvalue ftable (ɑ = 0.05) conclusion first 4.970 4.20 significant second 7.745 4.20 significant third 14.190 4.20 significant the fourth hypothesis was significant after being analyzed using tukey test. the average score of essay writing for introverted students who were taught using tps and stad with the qvalue (6.091) was higher than qtable (0.05:4:8) = 4.53. it can be concluded that essay writing skill of introvert students who were taught using tps was higher than taught using stad technique. thus it can be concluded that on the score of the result of the english essay writing skill test students who have introverted personality type who were given the tps learning technique is higher than the group of students who were given stad learning technique. in this case the group of introverted personality type students who were given the technique of tps learning got better learning outcomes and increased from the group of students who were given stad learning technique. by referring to the average score of extroverted students with the tps learning technique (ῡ = 82.05) is better than those who were given the treatment with the stad technique (ῡ = 71,46) towards english essay writing skill. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 103 table 6. the result of tukey test hypothesis qvalue qtable (ɑ = 0.05) conclusion fourth 6.091 4.53 significant conclusion at this conclusion some results of data analysis which have been presented in the above analysis result are explained. first, english essay writing skill in groups of students who attend lectures with tps learning techniques is higher than the group of students who attend the lectures with stad learning techniques. second, english essay writing skill in groups of students with introverted personality types is higher than that of students with extroverted personality types. third, there is an interaction effect between learning techniques and personality types on english essay writing skills. this shows that there is a very significant interaction effect between learning techniques and personality types on english essay writing skills. fourth, the english essay writing skill of the group of introverted personality type students who attended the lectures with the tps learning technique is higher than those who attended the lectures with the stad learning technique. it can be concluded that the application of learning technique of english essay writing skill which is based on the students’ personality type can influence to the improvement of english essay writing skill. the group of introverted students who follow the lectures with the tps learning techniques can affect to the english essay writing skill. similarly, in groups of extroverted students who have lectures with stad learning techniques can affect the skills of writing an english essay. so it can be concluded that both learning techniques and personality types affect the students’ skills in english essay writing. references ain, q. u., & saeed, s. (2017). relationship of personality traits and writing skills among efl learners at post-graduation level. asian innovative journal of social sciences and humanities, 1(1), 12-25. akbar, j. b. a, roohani, a., & hasanimanesh, a. (2015) the impact of extroversion and introversion personality types on efl learners’ writing ability. journal of theory and practice in language studies, 5 (1), 212-218. astuti, p., & barratt, l. (2018). individual accountability in cooperative learning in efl classrooms more opportunities for peer interaction. the journal of asia tefl, 15(1), 116. baradaran, a., & alavi, reza, m. (2015). the differences between extrovert/introvert efl learners cooperative writing. international journal of language and applied linguistics world (ijllalw), 8(2), 13-24. condon, m., & sahd, r. l. (2013). responding to introverted and shy students: best practice guidelines for educators and advisors. open journal of nursing 3(1), 503-515. farrokhi, nourelahi, g., & elahi, m. h. n. (2015). investigating the relationship between personality type and writing performance of iranian efl learners. journal of literature, language and linguistics, 13(1), 35-46. kayaoglu, m. n. (2013). impact of extroversion and introversion on language-learning behaviours. social behavior and personality journal, 4(5), 819-826, doi: 10.2224/sbp.2013.41.5.819. mahmoed, m. w. (2014). the effectiveness of using the cooperative language learning approach to enhance efl writing skills among saudi university students. journal of language teaching and research, 5(3), 616-625. oshima, a., & hogue, a. (2006). writing academic english. new york: pearson education inc. sharan, s. (2015). handbook of cooperative learning method. kirjastaja: marston book dmarsto orphans. sonthara, k., & vanna, s. (2009). cooperative learning: theory & practice. cambodia: usaid. sinha, a., & fatima, s. (2013). impact of extrovertintrovert personality on individually’s level of creativity: an emperical study. indian journal applied research 3(12), 524-526. zafar, s., & meenakshi, k. (2012). a study on the relationship between extroversion-introversion and risk-taking in the context of second language acquisition. international journal of research studies in language learning, 1(1), 33-40. bejo sutrisno, yumna rasyid, & aceng rahmat the effect of cooperative language learning and personality types towards essay writing 104 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the use of digital storytelling and dictionary to improve students’ vocabulary mastery (a quasy-experimental study to eight grader of smpn 1 cilamaya wetan) yogi setia samsi university of singaperbangsa karawang, indonesia email: ogie_21milan@yahoo.com apa citation: samsi, y. s. (2016). the use of digital storytelling and dictionary to improve students’ vocabulary mastery (a quasi-experimental study to eight grader of smpn 1 cilamaya wetan). english review: journal of english education, 5(1), 79-88 received: 09-10-2016 accepted: 01-11-2016 published: 01-12-2016 abstract: this research was aimed at finding whether or not the use of digital storytelling and dictionary can improve students’ vocabulary mastery. to get the answer of the defined research questions, the researcher used quantitative approach and quasi experimental design. the research had been done in smpn 1 cilamaya wetan, and took two classes as sample, namely, 8g and 8h with 40 respondents in each class. there were three steps in this research, namely pre-test, treatment, and post-test. pre-test was held in both classes to know students’ vocabulary mastery before the treatment. after doing pretest, treatment was held in experimental class by using digital storytelling and dictionary, that used the technology such as infocus, projector, speaker, and lcd in which the materials were taken from youtube, while control class only used song lyrics. in the next step, posttest was held in both classes to know the improvement after the treatment in experimental class. the data of the study were analyzed by using spss version 22 for windows. this research findings showed that experimental group had higher vocabulary score than control group. it can be seen from the posttest mean of experimental group was 74.75 , while the mean of control group was 60,62. meanwhile, the average of normality gained in experimental group was 0.37 and the average of normality gained in control group was 0.075. thus, the improvement of students’ vocabulary mastery by using digital storytelling and dictionary in experiemental group is greater than using song in control group. it can be concluded that digital storytelling and dictionary improves vocabulary mastery of eight grader of smpn 1 cilamaya wetan. key words : vocabulary mastery, digital storytelling, dictionary introduction especially for junior high school students, english skill is very useful for their basic to learn english at senior high school. however, there are still many problems in teaching english at junior high school, students still have many difficulties in learning english. the opinion of students’ who studying english is frightening, students’ are still difficult to make english sentences, because students’ still lack of vocabulary mastery. this propped of declining students’ learning outcomes. lack of english vocabulary mastery made difficult students’ speak, write and listen to english. by vocabulary, students’ are expected to be able to in speaking, listening and writing english. vocabulary is total number of word which make up a language (hornby, 2003). vocabulary is defined as 79 yogi setia samsi the use of digital storytelling and dictionary to improve students’ vocabulary mastery the words which are used in a language that should be known used particular person who does not consitute all the word. vocabulary is very important in language teaching, because mastering language is imposible without vocabulary. vocabulary is one aspect in learning a foreign language. without a proportional amount of vocabulary, student gets trouble in their speaking, reading, listening, and writing. students do not have enough vocabularies to help them in learning process of english and cannot memorize more vocabularies in their mind. in indonesia, english is not considered as a second language, but english is a foreign language. english is also called as the target language that has to be taught in schools in today’s indonesian curriculum. the students got many vocabularies by conducting reading activity. that motivation gives task and practice by involving reading activity in order that the students can understand word by word and meaning of words. so that, they can learn vocabulary. most of students begin to read something because they have seen and they have heard something that is pronounced by other people. so that the using of media is needed to conduct teaching and learning process in the class. the suitable media is digital storytelling because the digital storytelling contains video, picture, and voice. media is medium to send the message from speaker to receiver. it means that the media can help the teacher to send their information for their students. the examples of media are television, lcd projector, radio etc. from the statement above, the researcher chooses a suitable media that is digital storytelling to teach vocabulary. by using this media, the students are able to see the objects in the form of pictures, and spell of the objects name. in addition, the students are also able to listen the way to pronounce the words which they learn. as a result, they can understand and memorize the vocabularies well. beside that, the students will be happy and they have feel enjoyable and enthusiastic to learn english vocabulary, they can catch the main message. in the last, the teacher can increase the quantity of english teaching and learning process. based on the description above, the researcher is interesting conducts a research entitled “the use of digital storytelling and dictionary to improve students’ vocabulary mastery (a quasi experimental design at the eight grade students’ of smpn 1 cilamaya wetan )”. method in this research, the researcher uses quantitative approach to analyze the data because the researcher intended to examine the research hypothesis. the researcher compares the student value between experiments class group and control group. in this research, the researcher uses experimental research method. creswell (2012, p. 295) said that “experimental is controlled, it is the best of the quantitative design to use to determine caused and effect.” it means this research is to determine the improvement of students’ vocabulary mastery using digital storytelling. whether, there is improvement between students’ vocabulary mastery by digital storytelling and without using digital storytelling. moreover, quasi experimental is an emphirical study used to estimate the causal impact of an intervention on its target population. it divided into three kinds of design, there are one shot case study, one group pretest and post-test design and statistic group comparison. here, the researcher 80 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee uses one group pretest post test design. pretest and post test are given before and after treatment. one of the most commonly used quasi experimental designs in educational research can be represented as: experimental o1 x o2 control o3 o4 arikunto (2006, p. 130) stated that “population is formulated as the whole groups of people or object that have been formulated clearly.” in this research was all students of seventh grade in smp n 1 cilamaya wetan which consisted of 12 classes where each class generally consisted of 40 students. so, the total numbers of students are 582 students. from the population above, the researcher uses purposive sampling technique as sample. these two classes were gained because they had similar average achievement and been considered as homogeneous classes in which the each class consisted of 40 students. class viii h was chosen as the experimental group which was taught by using digital story telling while class viii g was chosen as the control group which was taught using song lyric. first of all, the researcher calculates the data to analyze the pilot test by determining: 1. validity according to creswell (2012, p. 159), “validity is the degree to which all of the evidence points to the intended interpretation of test score for the proposed purpose.” it is not sufficient to say that a test is “valid”; rather, the intended use of the test should be indicated . the validity of data will be conducted by anatesv4. the criteria of validity are shown in the following table: table 1. the classification of validity coefficients coefficient value interpretation of validity coefficient 0.00 – 0.199 very low 0.20 – 0.399 low 0.40 – 0.599 moderate 0.60 – 0.799 strong 0.80 – 1.000 very strong 2. reliability reliability means that scores from an instrument are stable and consistent (creswell, 2012, p. 159). reliability in this research was examined by using pearson product moment to know the correlation. researcher used spss 16 for measuring it. the criteria of reliability instrument can be divided into 5 classes as follows: 1) if the cronbach alpha score 0,00 – 0,20: less 2) if the cronbach alpha score 0,21 – 0,40: rather 3) if the cronbach alpha score 0,41 – 0,60: enough 4) if the cronbach alpha score 0,61 – 0,80: reliable 5) if the cronbach alpha score 0,81 – 1,00: very reliable 3. normality test normality test will be calculated before t-test. it aimed at investigating whether or not the distribution of pre81 yogi setia samsi the use of digital storytelling and dictionary to improve students’ vocabulary mastery test and post-test scores in two groups are normally distributed. the steps are as follows: a. setting the level of significance at 0.05 and establishing the hypothesis as follows: h0 : the sample is not normally distributed h1 : the sample is normally distributed the level of significant at 0.05 is used because it is a standard which is applied in social studies. b. analyzing the normality test using spss 22. c. comparing the level of significance to test the hypothesis. if significance < α, h0 is rejected; if significance > α, h0 is retained/accepted. 4. homogeneity of variance the homogeneity of variance test is used to determine whether the data obtained from the experimental group and control group has the same variance or not. homogeneity of variance in the pre-test are needed to find out the two groups are same variance. the steps are as follows: a. setting the level of significance at 0.05 and establishing the hypothesis as follows: h0 : the variance of the group is not homogenous h1 : the variance of the group is homogenous b. measuring the homogeneity variance using spss 22. c. comparing the level of significance to test the hypothesis. if significance < α, h0 is rejected; if significance > α, h0 is retained/accepted. 5. dependent t-test in analyzing the result of pre-test and post-test, dependent t-test will be used to compare the means’ difference of the two tests. the steps are as follows: a. setting the level of significance at 0.05 and establishing the null hypothesis for pre-test and post-test data analysis. null hypothesis (h0) there is no significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores. b. analyzing the dependent t-test by using spss 22. c. comparing (t) significance 2 tailed with the level of significance for testing the hypothesis. if (t) significance 2 tailed > 0.05, the null hypothesis is accepted; if (t) significance 2 tailed < 0.05, the null hypothesis is rejected. 6. independent t-test the independent t-test will be used in this study to see whether the difference of mean between the experimental and control groups. there are three steps in analyzing the independent t-test. a) stating the hypothesis and setting the alpha (α) level at 0.05. (h0) : there is no significant difference between the pretest and post-test mean for experimental and control groups. (h1) : there is significant difference between the pre-test and post-test mean for experimental and control groups. b) calculating independent t-test by using spss 22. c) comparing (t) significance 2 tailed with the level of significance for testing the hypothesis. if (t) significance 2 tailed > 0.05, the null hypothesis is accepted; if (t) significance 2 tailed < 0.05, the null hypothesis is rejected. 82 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 7. analysis data index gain normalized gain (gain index) is used to find out the enhancement of students’ vocabulary mastery. the calculated data was obtained from pretest and post-test score of both experimental group and control group. in this study, n-gain would be used when the mean score of both groups is different. improvement that occurs before and after treatment is calculated with the following hake (1991, p. 1) formula: g= post−test−pre−test maximum score−pretest table 2. the criteria of gain index gain index criteria g ≥ 0.7 high enhancement 0.3 ≤ g < 0.7 moderate enhancement g < 0.3 low enhancement results and discussion a. determining pilot test result 1. validity to compute the validity test for reading ability, the researcher used anates v4. based on the calculation of instrument result above, the researcher got that the most of the items was valid because the score is 0,69. in the criteria, in coefficient correlation of validity if raw score 0,60–0,80 instrument was valid, with the computed who researcher got 0,69, it means that instrument was valid and the interpretation were high. 2. reliability the calculation was done by using the program of anates v4. the calculation of the variable instrument reliability of simple result of 15 items result who researcher got 0,85. based on criteria coefficient of reliability if reliability coefficient 0,61–0,80 reliability level was high. its means that instrument of researcher got from test instrument was reliable and level reliability was high. b. determining pretest and posttest result 1. pretest score a) normality distribution test kolmogorov-smirnov formula with level of sig. α = 0,05 was used to investigate the normality of pre-test scores. the hypothesis used is as follow: h0 = the score of experimental class and control class are not normally distributed. h1 = the score of experimental class and control class are normally distributed. the result are: table 3. tests of normality group kolmogorov-smirnova shapiro-wilk statistic df sig. statistic df sig. score exp. ,126 40 ,107 ,956 40 ,119 cont. ,162 40 ,010 ,955 40 ,114 based on table 3 of normality test, it is obtained score value sig. experiment class was 0,119 and control class was 0,114 where both > 0,05 then it concluded then the data of every class had normal distribution, that means h0 accepted. 83 yogi setia samsi the use of digital storytelling and dictionary to improve students’ vocabulary mastery b) homogenity of variance test tabel 4. test of homogeneity variance levene df1 df2 sig. 2.525 7 31 .035 based on table 4, it showed that the significance of pre-test result between experimental class and control class is 0.035. therefore, it can be concluded that the variance of the group is homogen because .035>0.05. 2. post-test score a) normality distribution test kolmogorov-smirnov formula with level of sig. α = 0,05 was used to investigate the normality of pre-test scores. the hypothesis used is as follow: h0 = the score of experimental class and control class are not normally distributed. h1 = the score of experimental class and control class are normally distributed. the result are: table 5. tests of normality (post test) groups kolmogorov-smirnova shapiro-wilk statistic df sig. statistic df sig. score exp. ,127 40 ,101 ,949 40 ,072 cont. ,106 40 ,200 ,968 40 ,335 based on table 5, it showed the obtained score value sig. experiment class was 0,072 and control class was 0,335 where both > 0,05 then it concluded, that the data of every classes had normal distribution, that means h0 accepted. b) homogenity of variance test table 6. test of homogeneity variance levene df1 df2 sig. 1,061 10 29 .422 the table 6 showed that the significance of post-test result between experimental class and control class is 0.442. therefore, it canbe concluded that the variance f the group is homogen because 0.442>0.05. c) independent t-test after the normality distribution was conducted and analyzed. then, independent t-test computation with level sig. α = 0,05 were conducted. the hypothesis used is as follow: h0 = there is no significant different between test result of experimental group and control group. h1 = there is a significant different between test result of experimental group and control group. 84 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 7. independent samples test description t-test for equality of means t df sig. (2-tailed) mean difference std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper equal variances assumed 6,082 78 ,000 15,62500 2,56916 10,51020 20,73980 equal variances not assumed 6,082 68,118 ,000 15,62500 2,56916 10,49849 20,75151 based on table 7, it presented that the value sig. 0.000. it could be concluded that null hypothesis is rejected since significant result is lower than 0.05 (0.000<0.05). thus, there is significant difference between value of the control class and experiment class. then the value tcount is compared with ttable. to determine the value of ttable use significant level for 2 tailed with (alpha) error level ( for education research α = 0.05, df= 74). the result is 1.668 and tcoun>ttable mean that the null hypothesis is rejected. therefore, it is 6. 082> 1.668 and h0 is rejected. it can be concluded that there is significant different between students who are taught without by using digital storytelling and dictionary media. the use of digital storytelling and dictionary media can improve students’ vocabulary mastery. d) normality gain normalized gain (gain index) is used to find out the enhancement of students’ vocabulary mastery. the calculated data was obtained from pretest and post-test score of both experimental group and control group. index gain in experimental class: table 8. n-gain of experimental and control class name normalized gain experimental group control group student 1 0,3 moderate 0 low student 2 0,7 high -0,4 low student 3 0,1 low 0,1 low student 4 0,7 high 0,2 low student 5 1 high 0,2 low student 6 0,4 moderate 0,2 low student 7 0,4 moderate 0,1 low student 8 0,4 moderate -0,2 low student 9 0,5 moderate 0,2 low student 10 0,3 moderate 0,1 low student 11 0,4 moderate 0,1 low student 12 0,3 moderate -0,8 low student 13 0,1 low 0,3 moderate student 14 0,6 moderate 0,4 moderate 85 yogi setia samsi the use of digital storytelling and dictionary to improve students’ vocabulary mastery student 15 0,2 low 0,5 moderate student 16 0,6 moderate 0 low student 17 0,2 low 0,2 low student 18 0,2 low 0,1 low student 19 0,5 moderate 0,2 low student 20 0,5 moderate 0,5 moderate student 21 0,6 moderate 0,2 low student 22 0,1 low 0,1 low student 23 0,1 low 0,4 moderate student 24 0,4 moderate 0,1 low student 25 0,3 moderate 0 low student 26 0,3 moderate 0,2 low student 27 0,2 low 0 low student 28 0,7 high -0,2 low student 29 0,6 moderate -0,2 low student 30 0,2 low 0,3 moderate student 31 0,6 moderate 0,1 low student 32 0,1 low -0,4 low student 33 0,5 moderate 0 low student 34 0,4 moderate 0,1 low student 35 0,5 moderate 0 low student 36 0,4 moderate 0,4 moderate student 37 0,2 low 0,1 low student 38 0,3 moderate -0,1 low student 39 0,1 low 0 low student 40 0,1 low -0,1 low mean 0.37 0.075 based on the table 8, it showed that the experiment class had 4 students increased as high, 23 students increased as moderate and 13 students increased as low. based on the table, the result of increasing in the average value of students’ vocabulary mastery score after treatment result given the increase is high. because if the students’ score 0,37≤ g ≤ 1,00 is moderate the average scores in experimental class is 0.37, it means that the use of digital storytelling and dictionary can improve students’ vocabulary mastery. meanwhile, the table shows that the result of control class of n-gain, there were no students increased high, 7 students has increased a moderate and 33 students have increased low. because of the students’ scores 0.075 ≤ g < 0.70 is a low increase. the average scores in control class is 0.075, it means that if it only uses the lecture/song method, the result will be less improvement for students’ vocabulary mastery. conclusion from the research findings, the data shows that improvement of using digital storytelling and dictionary in vocabulary mastery is significance after the students got treatment with digital storytelling and dictionary. it can be seen from the normality gain in moderate lavel. meanwhile, in control class there are no improvement. it can be concluded that the use of digital storytelling and dictionary can improve students’vocabulary mastery. 86 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee references arikunto, s. (2006). prosedur penelitian sebagai suatu pendekatan praktek. jakarta: rineka cipta. creswell, john w. (2012). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methodsapproaches– 3rd ed.. usa. sage publications, inc. hartley, j., & kelly mcwilliam. (2009). story circle digital storytelling around the world. united kingdom: willeyblackwell. hornby, a. s. (2003). oxford advanced learner’s dictionary of current english. new york: oxford university press. 87 yogi setia samsi the use of digital storytelling and dictionary to improve students’ vocabulary mastery teacher a teacher asks her class, "if there are 5 birds sitting on a fence and you shoot one of them, how many will be left?" she calls on little johnny. he replies, "none, they all fly away with the first gun shot" the teacher replies, "the correct answer is 4, but i like your thinking." then, little johnny says "i have a question for you. there are three women sitting on a bench having ice cream: one is delicately licking the sides of the triple scoop of ice cream. the second is gobbling down the top and sucking the cone. the third is biting off the top of the ice cream. which one is married?" the teacher, blushing a great deal, replied "well i suppose the one that's gobbled down the top and sucked the cone" to which little johnny replied, "the correct answer is the one with the wedding ring on, but i like your thinking." (source: http://www.study-express.ru/humour/funny-stories.shtml, picture: www.google.co.id) 88 code switching analysis in classroom interactions in husnul khotimah islamic senior high school yuli yulyana code switching analysis in classroom interactions in husnul khotimah islamic senior high school code switching analysis in classroom interactions in husnul khotimah islamic senior high school yuli yulyana husnul khotimah islamic senior high school, kuningan, indonesia e-mail: ummudinda85@gmail.com apa citation: yulyana, y. (2015). code switching analysis in classroom interactions in husnul khotimah islamic senior high school.english review: journal of english education, 1(1), 104-113 received: 01-09-2012 accepted: 03-10-2012 published: 01-12-2012 abstract : this study examines types, functions, teacher’s reasons and students’ responses of code switching in classroom interactions in school context at husnul khotimah islamic senior high school. this study focuses on analyzing english teacher’s utterances at eleventh grade and their students’ utterances by using poplack and gumperz theory. the method of this study is descriptive qualitative. the data of the study is in the form of written recording utterances during teaching and learning process in the classroom, interview and questionnaire. based on the analysis of the data, this study concludes that the teacher used code switching in order to give particular purpose in delivering the teachers’ feelings during teaching and learning process. the language change often makes the teacher and the students feel better and more meaningful in conveying and obtaining their feelings. concisely, code switching not only represents teachers’ competence but also shows particular purposes. keywords: code switching, classroom, interactions introduction code-switching, the alternate use of two different languages is situated in the field of bilingualism and is seen as a common feature of those who speak two or more languages. code-switching is usually approached from two different perspectives: linguistic and social, and it is thus defined differently. exploring the phenomenon of code-switching in bilingual and social settings, many researchers place their focus mainly on its types and its functions (e.g., gumperz, 1982; myers-scotton, 1993; poplack, 1980). their studies set a good background for later researchers in other settings, in particular education. in the classroom context, this phenomenon has attracted more and more educational researchers in their investigation into the different types of code-switching, its function, its effect on the speakers who employ it, and the reasons for code-switching. it occurs commonly in language classrooms around the world where teachers are teaching a foreign language (fl) or a second language (sl). here, this research investigates a sociolinguistic phenomenon called code switching in classroom interactions at ma husnul khotimah. this study attempts to identify the forms of code switching, the functions of codeswitching used by teacher’s and students’ classroom interactions, and to describe the teachers’ reasons for doing the code-switching in classroom interactions. in the conversational code switching, a speaker may switch codes within a single sentence and may even mailto:ummudinda85@gmail.com english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee do so many times. code switching emphasizes the creative performance that offers tentative structural constraints on code switching. it means that conversational code switching rather focuses on the creative process of different language in words, phrases, even sentences when the occurrence of code switching does not accompany a change in topic or participant. there have been many attempts to give a typological framework to the phenomenon of code-switching. one of the most frequently discussed is that given by poplack. poplack’s theory about code switching as citted by jingxia (2010: 10-11) identified three different types of switching occured in her data, namely tag, inter-sentential and intrasentential switching. tag switching is the insertion of a tag phrase from one language into an utterance from another language. it seems that the fixed phrases of greeting or parting are quite often involved in switches. since tags are subject to minimal syntactic restrictions, they may be inserted easily at a number of points in a monolingual utterance without violating syntactic rules. tag switching is merely tags such as you know, ya or yes and it usually consists of one or two words. intra-sentential switching takes place within the clause or sentence and is considered to be the most complex form of switching. it seems most frequently found in the utterances, though it involves the greatest syntactic risk since the switching between languages occurs within the clause or sentence boundries. intra-sentential switching may be avoided by all but the most fluent bilinguals. inter-sentential switching occurs at a clause or sentence boundary, where each clause or sentence is in one language or another. according to romaine (1996: 160), inter-sentential switching could be considered as requiring greater fluency in both languages than tag-switching since major portions of the utterance must conform to the rules of both languages. code-switching performs several functions; firstly, people may use codeswitching to hide fluency or memory problems in the second language. secondly, code-switching is used to mark switching from informal situations (using native languages) to formal situations (using second language). thirdly, code-switching is used to exert control, especially between parents and children. fourthly, code-switching is used to align speakers with others in specific situations. code-switching also functions to announce specific identities, create certain meanings, and facilitate particular interpersonal relationships. gumperz in gardner-chloros (2009: 67), gives possible functions of code switching, such as the reinforcement of an important message or the introduction of specific connotations linked to the other language. furthermore, albrecht (2004: 47) gives other functions of code switching in conversation, namely quotations, addressee specification, interjections or sentence fillers, reiterations, message qualification, and personalization or objectification. quotation means that switching is used to draw a stretch of direct speech in other language which is different from the main narrative. the function is as quotation mark when bilinguals report and present a direct speech by using its original language, for example, person a wants to report something that has been said by person b; person a is talking in english but inserts the reported words of person b in indonesian language. yuli yulyana code switching analysis in classroom interactions in husnul khotimah islamic senior high school addressee specification is to draw attention to the fact that the addressee is being invited to participate to the conversation, for example, a : sometimes you get excited and then you speak in hindi, then again you go on to english. b : no non-sense, it depends on your command of english. a : [shortly after turning to a third participant, who has just re-turned from answering the doorbell] kən hai bai (who is it)? code switching serves to mark interjection or sentence filler. here, a piece of sentence from one language is inserted or injected to the other, for example, the insertion of the english filler “you know” in an otherwise completely indonesian language utterance. reiteration, frequently a message in one code is repeated in the other code either literary or in somewhat modified form. it means to clarify what is said or to emphasize a message, for example, a spanish/english bilingual mother may call her children who are playing on the street first in spanish, but if they do not listen, then in english. message qualification, the speaker simply tries to demarcate a distinction between two parts of the discourse, a topic is introduce in one language and then commented or further qualified in the other, for example, the oldest one, la grande la de once anos (the big one who is eleven years old). the function of code switching can be used to mark personalization or objectification. by switching to the other codes, a speaker tries to express his knowledge or expertise about the discussed topic. for example, person a is talking about quitting smoking to person b; person a is code switching between spanish and english. in other words, person a talks about her problem (how to quit smoking) in english but acts out her problem (how the cigarettes run out in the night) in spanish. codes switching in regular social context and code switching in language learning classroom have separate and distinct functions though sometimes some functions are common in both the situations. classroom code switching is a common phenomenon in many multi lingual and multicultral classes. chowdhury (2012, p. 40) states that “…in monolingual country such as bangladesh, classroom code swicthing as a part of the global transformation in the methods and techniques of english language teaching”. we need to consider classroom code switching as a fact which cannot be ignored in any way especially in indonesia where english is taught as a foreign language. in english language teaching, students tend to switch code but is also common in teachers’ discourse. modupeola (2013, p. 93) says “teachers’ employ code switching strategy as a means of providing students with opportunities to communicate and enhance students understanding”. it further helps to facilitate the flow classroom instruction since the teachers do not have to spend much time trying to explain to the students or search for the simplest words to clarify any confusion that may arise. the teacher use code switching by starting the lesson in the english language and may move into the second language and back. code switching help the students to enjoy their learning due to their ability to comprehend the teachers input. the comprehensible input also allows them to fell less stressful and to become more comfortable to learn. according to simon in yletyinen (2004, p. 30), “a typical feature of bilingual or multilingual language english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee classroom interaction is that code switching has been thought of as a forbidden practise, or if not forbidden then to be avoided at all costs”. she continues to state that teachers who have employed code switching have felt guilty of doing this, so it has not been considered as good practise. simon in yletyinen (2004) proposes that foreign language classrooms are a specific code switching context since, firstly, foreign language classrooms can be considered as a multilingual community to the effect that the participants share knowledge about the pedagogical contract which governs code choice in different pedagogical situations. secondly, the learners have limited knowledge of the foreign language whereas the teacher knows it well; this may increase the occurrences of code switching. thirdly, teacher and the pupils have socially and institutionally predetermined roles: teacher-status is associated with the use of foreign language and learner-status is associated with the implicit obligation to use the foreign language. method this study aims to identify the forms and functions of code switching used by the teachers in classroom interactions, and to identify the teachers’ reasons for doing it. the researcher observes one of the english teacher and two classes of second grade students. the number of students are 49 students. the population of this study is the eleventh grade students of senior high school in kuningan. the population is taken from 2 classes, they are xi ipa 3 and xi ipa 5 classes. the writer uses descriptive qualitative method. techniques of collecting data are observation, questionnaire and interview. the observation was conducted on 1 teacher and 49 students from two classes chosen. the main purpose is to find out the types and the functions of code switching that are used by the teacher and students’conversations in classroom interactions. after recording the teacher and the students’ activities, the researcher makes video transcripts, then analyzes the types and the functions of code switching. the interview is recorded by using tape recorder. then the researcher listens and transcribes it. the researcher analyzes the result of transcribing process to find out the teachers’ reasons for doing the code switching in making conversations with their students and drawing the conclusion from the english teacher’s answers. the researcher distributes the questionnaire to the two selected classes of the eleventh grade. results anddiscussion the classification of code switching in the conversation between the teacher and the students in classroom interactions is based on poplack in jingxia (2010: 10-11) divides three types of conversational code switching: tag switching, intrasentential switching and intersentential switching. the results are discussed in the table below: table 1. types of teacher’s code switching occurrences no types of code switching frequency percentage (%) 1 tag switching 23 16% 2 intrasentential switching 94 67% 3 intersentential switching 24 17% total 141 100% yuli yulyana code switching analysis in classroom interactions in husnul khotimah islamic senior high school table 1 indicates on the types of code switching from teacher’s utterances in classroom interactions. the researcher concludes that there are three types of code switching employed by the teacher in classroom interactions. the type of intrasentential switching is the most dominant used by the teacher with 94 occurrences. on the other side, the type of intersentential switching is more dominant used by the teacher with 24 occurrences than tag switching with 23 occurrences. thus, the researcher concludes that the number of frequency from teacher’s code switching is 141 occurrences. the types of code switching from the students utterances in classroom interactions are discussed in the table below: table 2. types of students’ code switching occurrences no types of code switching frequency percentage (%) 1 tag switching 1 1% 2 intrasentential switching 66 94% 3 intersentential switching 3 4% total 70 100% based on the table 2, the researcher concludes that there are three types of code switching employed by the students in classroom interactions. the type of intrasentential switching is the most dominant used by the students with 66 occurrences. on the other side, the type of intersentential switching is more dominant used by the students with 3 occurrences than tag switching with 1 occurrences. the number of frequency from students code switching is 70 occurrences. the result of code switching types occurrences between teacher and students in the classroom interactions, are discussed in the table below: table 3. types of code switching occurrences used in classroom interactions no types of code switching frequency percentage (%) 1 tag switching 24 11% 2 intra-sentential switching 160 76% 3 inter-sentential switching 27 13% total 211 100% based on the table 3, the researcher concludes that there are three types of code switching employed by the teacher and students in classroom interactions. the type of intrasentential switching is the most dominant used by the teacher and their students with 160 occurrences. on the other side, the type of intersentential switching is more dominant used by the teacher and their students with 27 occurrences than tag switching with 24 occurrences. thus, the researcher concludes that the number of frequency is 211 occurrences. to find out the function of code switching employed in the conversation, the analysis is mostly based on gumperz’s theory that classifies the discourse function into six classifications, namely code switching as quotation, addressee specification, interjections, reiteration, message qualification and personalization. the results are discussed below: english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 4. functions of teacher’s code switching occurrences no functions of code switching frequency percentage (%) 1 quotations 0 0% 2 addressee specification 64 45% 3 interjections or sentence fillers 23 16% 4 reiteration 33 23% 5 message qualification 21 15% 6 personalization or objectification 0 0% total 141 100% table 4 indicates on the functions of code switching from teacher utterances in classroom interactions. the researcher concludes that there are four functions of code switching employed by the teacher in classroom interactions. the function of addressee specification is the most dominant used by the teacher with 64 occurrences, reiteration with 33 occurrences, interjections is more dominant with 23 occurrences than message qualification with 21 occurrences. thus, the researcher concludes that the number of frequency is 141 occurrences. the functions of code switching from the students utterances in classroom interactions are discussed in the table below: table 5. functions of students’ code switching occurrences no functions of code switching frequency percentage (%) 1 quotations 0 0% 2 addressee specification 37 53% 3 interjections or sentence fillers 1 1% 4 reiteration 7 10% 5 message qualification 25 36% 6 personalization or objectification 0 0% total 70 100% from table 5, it can be concluded that there are four functions of code switching used by the students. addressee specification is the most dominant with 37 occurrences, message qualification is more dominant with 25 occurrences than reiteration with 7 occurrences, then interjections with 1 occurrence. thus, the researcher concludes that the number of frequency is 70 occurrences. in this research, it is revealed that the teacher used code switching for several reasons. the teacher told in the interview that her reasons doing code switching in classroom interactions are to help the students understanding the material well and some occasion the students can’t catch what the teacher said about the material or instructions for doing exercise. the students ability or their understanding in mastering english can become another reasons for doing code switching. the reasons employed by the teacher is related to the functions of code switching as reiteration in observation. there are 23% or 33 occurrences reiteration occurs in the teacher’s utterances. the teacher uses code switching to repeat words or sentences in one language to other language. it means yuli yulyana code switching analysis in classroom interactions in husnul khotimah islamic senior high school to give clear explanation about the instructions, or to give the clear information about the material. in this research, researcher finds out the students’ responses on the classroom interactions using code switching to measure the effectiveness of code switching used in the teacher’s and students’ conversations. frequency of code switching to indonesia it indicates the ideas of the students on the frequency of code switching to indonesia in english class. 34 students (69%) responded that the teacher occasionally used code switching when the teacher interacted with the students. table 6. ‘how often does your teacher use indonesian language in the classroom?’ responses frequency percentage always 0 0% sometimes 13 27% occassionally 34 69% never 2 4% consciousness using code switching it indicates that the most students (35%) are sometimes or occasionally conscious of code switching to indonesia. it implies that the students didn’t notice the switching from english to indonesia. thus, they are unclear about the situations where the teachers make the switches. table 7. ‘are you conscious of teacher’s code switching to indonesian language in the classroom?’ responses frequency percentage yes, always 11 22% yes, sometimes 17 35% yes, occassionally 17 35% no, never 4 8% attitudess towards code switching answering to question 3 ‘what’s your attitude towards the use of indonesian language in the classroom?’ there are 25 students (51%) who agrees with the use of indonesia. at the same time, 20% of the students have the neutral views. only a small percent of the students (18%) disagree with the use of indonesia. however, we can see that most of the students hold a positive attitude towards code-switching to indonesia. ideal frequency of code switching it shows that most of the students prefer their teacher to use indonesia occasionally. it indicates that the students really want to improve their english competence as much as possible. however, they think it is important for their teachers to use indonesia sometimes or occasionally to meet their needs as we know their textbooks are generally a little beyond their comprehension. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 8. ‘what’s the ideal frequency of teachers’ use of indonesian language in the classroom?’ responses frequency percentage always 1 2% sometimes 18 37% occassionally 29 59% never 1 2% code switching as effective strategy in efl class answering question 5 ‘do you think code switching to indonesian language is an effective strategy of learning and teaching english?’ there are 41 students (84%) who responded that code switching to indonesia as a good strategy to make an effective efl class. the students think code switching is an easier and helpful way to learn a foreign language like english. influence of code switching on indonesia it shows that the majority of the students (73%) believe that code switching to indonesia benefit in the efl class. on the other hand, a small number of students 2% consider code switching to indonesia to be harmful. it means that the students are able to communicate her knowledge of the subject matter to the teacher through the use of two languages clearly. table 9. ‘how does code switching to indonesian language influence the classroom?’ responses frequency percentage greatly beneficial 12 24% beneficial 36 73% no influence 0 0% harmful 1 2% situation of code switching we can see that as regards code switching to indonesia, the students have different choices. the results go in the following order: to translate unknown vocabulary items, to introduce background information, to check comprehension, to give grammar instruction and to manage class. the students’ view on the situation of code switching to indonesia may reflect the functional categories of code switching to indonesia. table 10. ‘in what situations does your teacher switch to indonesian language?’ responses frequency percentage to manage class 4 4% to translate unknown vocabulary items 46 47% to introduce background information 20 20% to check comprehension 14 14% to give grammar instruction 8 8% others 6 6% yuli yulyana code switching analysis in classroom interactions in husnul khotimah islamic senior high school conclusion the researcher concludes that english teacher and the students in eleventh grade of husnul khotimah islamic senior high school occasionally switch their language in the beginning, middle and end of sentences during teaching and learning process. the teacher and the students often switch their language from english to indonesian or vice versa. there are three types of code switching in classroom interactions: firstly, intrasentential switching. it occurs when the teacher or the students switch the words or phrase of indonesian language within their english conversation or vice versa. secondly, intersentential switching. it occurs at a clause or sentence boundary, where each clause or sentence is in one language or another. thirdly, tag switching. here, the teacher or the students insert indonesian words into english conversations. the tag being inserted are the words ‘ya’ and ‘iya’. there are four functions of code switching in classroom interactions. they are interjection, reiteration, message qualification and addressee specification. there is a phenomenon that code switching can also function as speaking habit, but it is more or less similar to the function of code switching as interjection or sentence filler. the teacher uses code switching to help the students understanding the material and the instructions well. on the other hand, when the students have less capability and understanding in mastering english, the teacher also uses code switching in classroom interactions. code switching may be used by the teacher to develop student’s skill to catch what the teacher said. the students respond positively on the use of code switching used by the teacher. they believe that code switching can help them understanding well about what their teacher said. code switching used by the teacher in classroom interactions is a good strategy to create an effective efl class. in this research, the researcher concludes that the teacher use code switching in order to give particular purpose in delivering the teachers’ feelings during teaching and learning process. the changing of the language often makes the teacher and the students feel better and more meaningful in conveying and obtaining their feelings. concisely, code switching not only represents teachers’ competence but also shows particular purposes. references astuti, m. (2007). an analysis of code switching performed by the staffs and the foreigner guests of “istana griya” homestay in surakarta sociolinguistic study. unpublished paper: sebelas maret university. auer, p. (1998). introduction bilingual conversation revisited, in auer. p (1998). code switching in conversation: language, interaction and identity (ed). london & new york: routledge. chaika, e. (1994). language: the social mirror. boston: heinle & heinle publishers. chloros, p. g. (2009). code-switching. melbourne: cambridge university press. chowdhury, n. (2012). classroom code switching of english language teachers at tertiary level: a bangladeshi perspective. stamford journal of english 7, 40-61. clyne, m. (1991). community languages: the australian experience. melbourne: cambridge university press. corbin, j. m. & strauss, a. l. (2008). basic of qualitative research: techniques and english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee procedures for developing grounded theory (eds). los angeles: sage publication. inc. creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research 4th edition. boston: university of nebraska–lincoln. dagarin, m. (2004). classroom interaction and comunication strategies in learning english as a foreign language. ljubljana: slovene association for the study of english. fraenkel, j. r. and norman e. w. (2009). how to design and evaluate research in education. new york: mcgraw-hill. gumperz (1982). discourse strategies. in esther albrecht, geb. liebner (2004): the development and use of codeswitching among simultaneous and successive english-german bilingual children. hanover. healey, j. f. (2010). the essentials of statistics: a tool for social research, second edition. wadsworth: cengage learning. iqbal, l. (2011). linguistic features of code-switching: a study of urdu/english bilingual teachers’ classroom interactions. international journal of humanities and social science, 1(14), 188-194. jingxia, l. (2010). teachers’ codeswitching to the l1 in efl classroom. the open applied linguistics journal, 3, 10-23. .khadidja, k. (2010). the effect of classroom interaction on developing the learner’s speaking skill. department of foreign languages. mentouri university-constantine. lin, a. m. y. (1990). teaching in two tongues: language alternation in foreign language classrooms. research report. 3 mckay, s. l. and nancy h. h.. (1996). sociolinguistics and language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. modupeola, o. r. (2013). code-switching as a teaching strategy: implication for english language teaching and learning in a multilingual society. iosr journal of humanities and social science, 14(3), 92-94. myers & scotton. (2006). multiple voices: an introduction. melden: blackwell publishing. nguyen, t. h. (2013). englishvietnamese bilingual codeswitching in conversations; how andwhy. hawaii pacific university tesol working paper series 10. romaine, s. (1994). language in society. an introduction to sociolinguistics. oxford: oxford university press. sugiyono. (2013). metode penelitian pendidikan: penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r & d. bandung: alfabeta. trudgill, p. (1992). introducing language and society. london: penguin book ltd. wardhaugh, r. (1992). an introduction to sociolinguistics, second edition. oxford: blackwell publishers inc. weng, p. (2012). code-switching as a strategy use in an efl classroom in taiwan. us-china foreign language. 10(10), 1669. yletyinen, h. (2004). the functions of codeswitching in efl classroom discourse. jyvaskyla: university of jyvaskyla. applying scientific approach to enhance indonesian efl learners’ descriptive writing performance fahrus zaman fadhly & nurendah applying scientific approach to enhance indonesian rfl learners’ descriptive writing performance applying scientific approach to enhance indonesian efl learners’ descriptive writing performance fahrus zaman fadhly department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia email: wahidah_fzf@yahoo.com nurendah department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia email: zukhruffa22@gmail.com apa citation: fadhly, f. z. , & nurendah. (2014). scientific approach to enhance indonesian efl learners’ descriptive writing skill. english review: journal of english education 3(1), 114-124 received: 05-09-2014 accepted: 23-09-2014 published: 01-12-2014 abstract : this study investigated the use of scientific approach to enhance students’ descriptive writing skill of seventh grade students in one of junior high schools in kuningan, indonesia. the use of scientific approach was examined based on cuff and payne (1979), educational staff development center of ministry of education and culture (2013), and syahmadi (2014) while students’ attitude was examined using a theory of wenden (1991), and gardner (1985). the writer used mix method study. two instruments were used to get the data needed: test of descriptive text and questionnaire. the result showed that the ha was accepted and the ho was rejected as the t observed was higher than t table. students’ descriptive writing skill in the experimental class enhanced since they were treated throughout scientific approach. it could be seen from the result of posttest (7.89) which increased significantly from pre-test result (3.697). this study also revealed that students’ attitude toward the approach was positive during the treatment. moreover, this study proved that scientific approach enhanced students’ descriptive writing skill in one of junior high schools in kuningan, indonesia and gave positive impact to the students. keywords: scientific approach, descriptive text, attitude introduction everyone can write, but not all people can produce a great text. as lenneberg (1967) in brown (2000: 334) noted that human beings universally learn to walk and to talk, but that swimming and writing are culturally specific, learned behaviors. as far, brown (2000: 339) stated that in school, writing is a way of life. it is caused writing is subject that should be mastered by students. so, the teachers want students to write and train it. students also need to know how to express their idea, feeling, opinion, critical thinking in written text. without some abilities to express themselves in writing, they don’t pass the course (brown, 2000: 339). writing is also useful to keep our knowledge. students often find it useful to write sentences using new language shortly after they have studied it (harmer, 2001: 79). it relates to learning style of students who are picked up language through writing. writing is also basic language skill as english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee important as speaking, listening, and reading. since writing is an important aspect for students to be mastered, teachers should choose an appropriate approach in teaching writing. to make students interesting in writing, teachers need to present material in an interesting way. so, in this study, the writer chooses scientific approach to teach writing. scientific approach is implemented in curriculum 2013 (nuh, 2013). in this approach, the learning process covers three domains, namely: attitudes, knowledge, and skills (alawiyah, 2013). the outcomes of learning, productive, creative, and innovative students through strengthening of affective attitudes, skills, and integrated knowledge. in the other hand, syahmadi (2014:37) assumed scientific approach covers attitude, cognitive aspect, and english skills. this approach is the basis in choosing and deciding steps in learning activity. it is started from observing, questioning, experimenting, associating, and communicating. scientific approach is an approach in teaching-learning process in which learners are given the chance to construct their understanding based on the steps of observing, questioning, experimenting, associating and communicating (kemdikbud, 2013). genre of describing is one of the fundamental functions of any language system (knapp &watkins, 2005: 97). according to djuharie (2009: 153) descriptive text is a text which functioned to describe person, thing, and place, animal specifically. social function of descriptive text is to describe particular person, place or thing (gerot & wignell, 1994: 208). it describes the features of someone, something, or a certain place. according to gardner (1985) attitude is thus linked to a person’s values and beliefs and promotes or discourages the choices made in all realms of activity, whether academic or informal. he also affirmed the learners’ attitudes towards learning another language play a key role in enhancing and motivating them to learn that language. this effects on their performance too. wenden (1991) classified attitude into three components namely cognitive, behavioral, and emotional. method this research used mixed method. as said by kuhn (1961) in oyarzo et al. (2008), the quantitative research was used to develop and employ mathematical models. the writer used a quasi-experimental design, in which a quasi experiment was the experimental design in which all the elements of the true experiment (it must achieve its results through comparison of at least two groups, it must assign people or subjects to groups randomly, and it must be constructed to the researcher has control over, or is able to evaluate, the timing of the experimental treatment) are present except for the random assignments of people to groups (gray, et al, 2007: 275). creswell (2009) stated a design defined as quasi experiment when individuals are not randomly assigned. the writer also used qualitative research. it was used to analyze and identified students’ attitude. the population of study was all the students of the seventh grade of one of junior high schools in kuningan, academic year 2013-2014. total number of seventh grade students is 387 students, from 11 classes. the sample taken was 76 students from two classes and each class consisted of 38 students. fahrus zaman fadhly & nurendah applying scientific approach to enhance indonesian rfl learners’ descriptive writing performance the writer used test of descriptive text as instrument. test of descriptive text was carried out as one of the instruments used to find out the enhancement of students’ descriptive writing skill. pre-test was conducted at the beginning of the lesson, while posttest held in the end of the lesson. in both of test students were asked to write descriptive text. the writer instructed the students to make simple descriptive writing skill based on students’ interest in pre test, whereas in post test they were initiated to write descriptive text which describes the writer. the writer also used questionnaire in collecting the data to know students’ attitude of experimental class who had been given treatment. it was used to identify students’ attitude towards the use of scientific approach to enhance students’ descriptive writing skill. the questionnaire consisting of ten items of open-closed questions used five level likert scale from completely disagree to completely agree and score from one to five (fraenkel & wallen, 2009:124). the writer started it from composing the lesson plan from the beginning until the end of the study. it was used to give the instructional process in enhancing students’ descriptive writing skill. at the first meeting, the writer gave pre-test to control class and experiment class. in pre-test, the writer asked students to make a simple descriptive text based on their interest. the pre-test given was to measure students’ prior knowledge and ability of writing descriptive. after giving pre-test, the writer gave treatment to experimental class in which the writer used scientific approach to enhance students’ descriptive writing skill, while the control class was not. the learning activities within scientific approach started from observing, questioning, experimenting, associating, and communicating. after giving the treatment, the writer gave post-test to control and experimental class to measure their enhancement. the items of pre-test and post-test were same forms; the students were asked to make descriptive writing text. post test was used to measure whether there were differences between control and experimental class or not. it was also used to see the improvement of experimental class. the writer also used questionnaire in collecting the data to know students’ attitude of experimental class who had been given treatment. the data collected were processed statistically by using certain formulations (t test formula) to measure the enhancement of students’ descriptive writing skill through scientific approach, analyzed data taken from the result of pre-test and post-test of control and experimental class. the writer also found out test of normality, and homogeneity. results and discussion having data collected, the writer analyzed, identified and classified the data from pre-test and post test of experimental and control class using liz hamp-lyons formative feedback profile (lyons & heasley, 2006:211). after checking students’ work and classified it based on criteria in formative feedback, score of each student’s works scored by divided score gotten and maximum score, timed ten. then, the result of data gained would be counted throughout ttest formula. this study has counted the normality and homogeneity test of the sample taken. the writer took the sample from the population through purposive sampling in which every unit was included in the sample. two classes english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee of seventh grade students in one of junior high schools in kuningan had been chosen by the writer as a sample of this study. each class consisted of 38 students, so the number of the sample was 76 students. although the writer used purposive sampling, the writer counted the normality and homogeneity of the sample. from the data gained of the pre-test, the count of control and experimental class ≤ table. the control class’ was 5.21908 and the experimental class’ was 1.82234 while table with db = k-3, and α = 0.05 was 7.81472. normality test of post test also showed that lower than table. the value of in the control class was 3.1935 while experimental class was 0.6606. the data gathered was lower than table in which the value was 7.81472. both of the tests explained that sample was from normal distribution. the writer also determined homogeneity test which was used to detect whether the sample used by the writer homogeny or not (sugiyono, 2011: 275). the writer calculated the test of homogeneity to seek homogeneity of the sample used in this study. the f value gained, and then compared with the f table with level of significance 5%. from the variants got by the writer, variant of pre test in control class was 1.044 and experimental class was 0.702, the writer then divided the highest variant to lowest variant, and the result was 1,487. the value of f table with the level of significance 5% was 1.6928. the result of homogeneity test showed that the sample was homogeny. because the f counts (1.487) was lower than f table (1.6928), so the sample was homogeny. the result of homogeneity in post test showed that the sample was also homogeny. the f counted was 1.435, while the f table was 1.6928. it explained that the f counted < f table, so the sample was homogeny. from the data collected, result of pre-test, it was established, there was no significant difference between control and experimental class. it meant both of control and experimental class had the same background knowledge and ability in writing. to make it clear, see the table 1. table 1. control and experimental class’ pre-test result no. criteria of formative feedback control class experimental class 1. communicative quality 82 89 2. ideas and organization 73 78 3. grammar and vocabulary 54 57 4. surface features 64 56 total 273 280 the table 1 explained assessment criteria gained by control and experimental class. based on the table it can be summed up, experimental class got the higher score in communicative quality than control class, 89 and 82. it meant experimental class’ works more communicative than control class. the control class’ works conveyed the message with difficulty. it was showed from the point which was mostly appeared in communicative quality was two. in the other hand, although the most appeared score in communicative quality of experimental class was two, but there was no one point appeared in experimental class score whereas in the control class, the one point appeared seven times. next standard assessment was ideas and organization. it discussed organizational structure of students’ fahrus zaman fadhly & nurendah applying scientific approach to enhance indonesian rfl learners’ descriptive writing performance works and how they organized their ideas into paragraph. from the table 4.1 it discussed the experimental class got the higher score than control class. the result was 73 and 78. it meant that experimental class’ works more organized than control class’ works. mean score of students’ work of control class was two, means their ideas was inadequate and/or poorly organized. the experimental class was also better than control class in grammar and vocabulary criteria. they gained 57 score, while the control class got 54 score. but both of them were still weak in grammatical structures and they were limited and not mastered range of vocabularies. for the meantime, the control class got the higher score in surface features standard. it explained from the table 4.1 the control class got collected 64 score and the experimental class was 56. it intended the control class better in handwriting, punctuation and spelling. from the explanation above, it can be summed up the experimental class well again in communicative quality, ideas and organization, and grammar and vocabulary standard, while the control class was better in surface features criteria. even though experimental was good in three criteria but the result of data computation pre test of both experimental class and control class showed, there was no significant differences between control and experimental class (see appendix 5). the data computation of pre test result explained both of experimental class and control class had the same background knowledge. it discussed from the result of t observed and t table, where the t observed of pre test experimental and control class’ result lower than t table. the value of t observed was 0.245 while the t table with the degree of freedom 74 was 2.000 with critical value 0.05. so, it can be terminated, the experimental and control class had the same background knowledge. from the post-test found that the enhancement of experimental group since it was treated through scientific approach and significance between control and experimental class. this treatment meant to enhance students’ descriptive writing skill. in post test, students were asked to describe the writer. the result of post test would be counted using t test formula. the result of post-test of control and experimental would be discussed at the table 2. table 2. control and experimental class’ post-test result no. criteria of formative feedback control class experimental class 1. communicative quality 126 162 2. ideas and organization 110 152 3. grammar and vocabulary 91 139 4. surface features 99 147 total 213 300 the table 2 is the result of post test gained by control and experimental class. from the data achieved, the experimental class better in all assessment criteria. for communicative quality the experimental class got 162, while control class 126. from the pre test conducted before the experimental class also well again in this standard. the result of post test showed the great improvement in communicative quality. most of students at experimental class created a communicative text, and only causes a few difficulties. some students english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee also produced text which pleasure to be read. the next standard assessment was ideas and organization. in this field, the experimental class improved. they made descriptive text with good organizational structure, some arguments also well presented and relevant, but there were few students who created the text clear but limited organizational structure, and some arguments unsupported. but, overall the students could organize the text and support their ideas in the paragraph. the result of post test explained, sample in experimental class well enhanced in grammar and vocabulary, and surface features standard. they used an adequate range of vocabulary and grammatical structures. it was better than pre test results in which they were not mastered grammatical structures and limited range of vocabulary. the students in experimental group also just did occasional faults in handwriting, punctuation, and spelling. they could write the word correctly, and used appropriate punctuation. the experimental class improved their descriptive writing skill from mean of pre test was 3.697 and mean of post test was 7.89. the experimental class showed the significant improvement after they treated through scientific approach. from the result of post test and explanation above, it can be concluded the experimental class well improved in descriptive writing skill wherein sum of pre test result of experimental class was 140.5 increased to 300. the improvement could be seen at the chart below. table 3. pre test and post test improvement of control and experimental class for the statistical computation, it used the null hypothesis (ho) which reads as follows: scientific approach does not enhance students’ descriptive writing skill of the seventh grade students at one of junior high schools in kuningan, academic year 2013-2014. the alternate hypothesis (ha) of this study is as follows: scientific approach enhanced students’ descriptive writing skill of the seventh grade students at one of junior high schools in kuningan, academic year 2013-2014. the writer proved hypothesis by computed the result of pre test and post test of experimental class. first, the writer found out mean of pre test and post test of experimental group. then, the writer counted standard deviation of each test. next step, the writer computed the standard deviation combined and found out the value of t observed. after the t observed got, the writer fahrus zaman fadhly & nurendah applying scientific approach to enhance indonesian rfl learners’ descriptive writing performance determined the degree of freedom to know the value of t table. the last step was the writer compared t observed and t table. if the t observed higher than t table, so null hypothesis of the research was rejected and ha was accepted. but if the t table higher than t observed, the null hypothesis was accepted and ha was rejected. from the data computation, it explained mean of pre test in experimental class was 3.697, while mean of post test was 7.89. standard deviation of pre test and post test of experimental class was 0.874 and 0.067. both of standard deviation values would be calculated through deviation standard combined. the result of deviation standard combined of experimental class was 0.847. this result was used to get the value of t observed. the t observed gained by using t test formula was 22.58, and it would be compared with the value of t table through degree of freedom, in which the degree of freedom was 74 and it is closer to line 60 with the t table value 2.000. after the t observed and t table gathered, the writer analyzed, the t observed was higher than t table. it meant null hypothesis; scientific approach does not enhance students’ descriptive writing skill of the seventh grade students at one of junior high schools in kuningan, academic year 2013-2014 was rejected. and the alternate hypothesis; scientific approach enhanced students’ descriptive writing skill of the seventh grade students at one of junior high school in kuningan, academic year 2013-2014 was accepted. from the explanation and calculation done by the writer it can be summed up, the scientific approach enhanced students’ descriptive writing skill of seventh grade students at one of junior high schools in kuningan. the data of questionnaires were gathered from the students’ attitude in experimental class. from the questionnaires’ result, the writer has calculated each of attitudes below: students’ behavioral attitudes toward the use of scientific approach to enhance students’ descriptive writing skill. the statements which present the students’ behavioral attitudes toward the use of scientific approach to enhance students’ descriptive writing skill are in number 2, 3, 7, and 8. that result is shown in the table 4: table 4. students’ behavioral attitudes toward the use of scientific approach to enhance students’ descriptive writing skill no statements opinions % criteria sa a d sd 2. i always do english tasks given. 16 21 1 0 68.42% most of 3. if i have difficulty in comprehending english lesson, i will ask to the teacher directly. 22 13 3 0 88.42% generally 7. i need certain approach to write descriptive text easier. 9 26 3 0 81.57% generally 8. one of approach used to write descriptive text easily is scientific approach. 15 21 1 1 85.26% generally mean 80.91% generally students’ cognitive attitudes the statements which present the students’ cognitive attitudes toward the use of scientific approach to enhance students’ descriptive writing skill are in number 6, 9, and 10. the percentage of each statement is shown in the table below: english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 5. students’ cognitive attitudes toward the use of scientific approach to enhance students’ descriptive writing skill no statements opinions % criteria sa a d sd 6. i have difficulty to express ideas in english written text. 10 17 11 0 73.68 % most of 9. i am easier to elaborate ideas and write descriptive text using scientific approach. 15 19 4 0 83.68% generally 10. scientific approach is good approach to enhance students’ descriptive writing skill and other learning. 21 16 1 0 90% generally mean 82.45% generally students’ emotional attitudes statements which present the students’ emotional attitudes toward the use of scientific approach to enhance students’ descriptive writing skill are in number 1, 4, and 5. the result is shown in the table below: table 6. students’ emotional attitudes toward the use of scientific approach to enhance students’ descriptive writing skill no statements opinions % criteria sa a d sd 1. i like learning english. 13 24 1 0 85.78% generally 4. i like english because it is useful for my real life and can be applied in daily life. 16 21 1 0 87.36% generally 5 i prefer write english text than read it. 10 15 12 1 71.57% most of mean 81.57% generally the data gathered from students’ questionnaire sheet explained behavioral, cognitive and emotional attitude of students’ during treated through scientific approach. generally students like english, and 87.36% of students agreed english is useful for their life and can be applied in daily life. most of students (71.07%) said they prefer writing than reading english text. in behavioral aspect of attitude, most of students always do english task given. it looked from the percentage counted that was 68.42% students in experimental class did task given. they also would directly ask to teacher when they faced difficulty in learning descriptive text. the percentage showed 88.42% students will ask directly when faced difficulty. in the experimental class, 81.57% students told they needed certain approach to make them easier in writing descriptive text. as 85.26% of respondent in experimental class stated one of approach used to write descriptive text easily was scientific approach. from the questionnaire administered to students’ at experimental class, the writer got data that 73.68% of students felt difficulty in expressing their ideas in english written text. when the writer applied scientific approach at experimental class 83.68% students explained they were easier in writing descriptive text when the writer used that approach. they also stated scientific approach was good approach fahrus zaman fadhly & nurendah applying scientific approach to enhance indonesian rfl learners’ descriptive writing performance to enhance students’ descriptive writing skill and other learning. it was looked from percentage which was showed 90% students agreed scientific approach was good approach to apply in learning descriptive text and other learning. from the data analysis of questionnaire, it can be summed up students at the experimental class gave positive attitude towards the approach used by the writer. their aspects of attitude showed the positive response and confirmed that scientific approach gave positive impact for them. from the result above, the use of scientific approach gives some implications for enhancing student’s descriptive writing skill, they are: (1) scientific approach appropriates in teaching writing descriptive text; (2) using scientific approach helps student in learning, understanding and writing descriptive text; (3) scientific approach makes teacher easily to create the interesting teaching-learning process of writing descriptive text; (4) the use of scientific approach makes students construct their understanding about descriptive text actively; (5) it also motivates students to write and express their ideas, imagination, thus their writing skill enhanced; (6) scientific approach makes students more interested to material taught and they give positive attitudes toward the approach used. it can also be accomplished scientific approach gave some positive impacts in teaching-learning descriptive text at school. it can be used as an approach in learning genre of text or other learning. scientific approach also gave positive influence to students. through this approach students were easier in composing descriptive text and expressing their ideas in english written text. this approach also made teaching learning process more interesting and create positive atmosphere in the classroom. students would share their own ideas actively and used all their senses in learning processes. conclusions after having done the study, the writer also proved the hypothesis of this research. after collecting, calculating, analyzing and identifying the data gathered, the writer concluded the alternate hypothesis proposed was accepted, while the null hypothesis was rejected. the alternate hypothesis was read as follows, “scientific approach enhanced students’ descriptive writing skill of seventh grade students in one of junior high schools in kuningan”. so, it can be summed up that scientific approach may enhance students’ descriptive writing skill. from the study completed, the writer knew students faced difficulties in sharing their ideas and opinion in english written text. they actually needed an approach which made them comfort, enjoy in expressing and sharing their ideas freely. this scientific approach was fit for students’ needs. this approach helped students at the experimental class in enhancing their descriptive writing skill and make them easier in composing and elaborating ideas through this approach. references abidin, m. j. z., mohamadi, m. p., alzwari, h. (2012). efl students' attitude towards learning english language: the case of libyan secondary school students. asian social science 8 (2), 119134. alawiyah, f. (2013, october 1). dampak implementasi kurikulum 2013 terhadap english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee guru. info singkat kesejahteraan sosial, 5(19). allport, g. w. (1954). the historical background of modern social psychology. handboook of social psychology, cambridge, mass. alwasilah, a. c. (2000). pokoknya kualitatif: dasar-dasar merancang melakukan penelitian kualitatif. jakarta: pustaka jaya. banyte,j., joksaite, e., virvilaite, r. (2007). relationships of consumer attitude and brand: emotional aspect. engineering economics, 2(52), 65-77. bogdan, r. c., biklen, k. s. (1982). qualitative research for education: an introduction to theory and methods. london: allyn and bacon. brown, h. d. (2000). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy 2nd edition. california: longman brown, j. d. (1991). do english faculties rate writing samples differently? tesol quarterly 32, 653-675. cohen, l., manion, l., marrison, k. (2005). research method in education 5th edition. new york: the taylor & francis elibrary. corps, p. (1989). tefl/tesl: teaching english as a foreign or second language. washington dc: center for applied linguistics. cuff, e. g., & payne, g. c. f. (eds) (1979). perspectives in sociology. london: george allen & unwin. djuharie, o. s. (2009). essay writing. bandung: yrama widya. educational staff development center of ministry of education and culture. (2013). curriculum-2013-scientificapproach. (2013, october 10). retrieved februari 18, 2014, from www.smkn4jkt.sch.id elbow, p. (1973).writing without teachers. new york: oxford university press. erkan, d. y., & saban, a. i. (2011). writing performance relative to writing apprehension, self-efficacy in writing, and attitudes towards writing: a correlational study in turkish tertiarylevel efl. asian efl journal, 13(1), 164192. faisal, & wulandari, y. (2013). improving students’ competence in writing descriptive texts through fresh technique. english review: journal of english education, 2(1), 59-68. feng, r & chen, h. (2009). an analysis on the importance of motivation and stragtegy in postgraduates english acquisition. english language teaching, 2, 93-97. fraenkel, j. r. & wallen, n. e. (2009). how to design and evaluate research in education seventh edition. new york: mcgraw-hill. gardner, r. (1985). social psychology and language learning: the role of attitudes and motivation. london: edward arnold. gerot, l. & wignell, p. (1994).making sense of functional grammar. sydney: antipodean ecucational enterprises. goetz, j. p., & lecompte, m. d. (1984). ethnography and qualitative design in educational research. orlondo: academic press, inc. gray, p. s., williamson, j. b., karp, d. a., dalphin, j. r. (2007). the research imagination an introduction to qualitative and quantitative methods. cambridge: cambridge university press. harmer, j. (2001). how to teach english 3rd edition. london: longman. intrapanich, c. (2013). teaching methods, approaches and strategies found in efl classrooms: a case study in lao pdr. procedia-social and behavioral science 88, 306-311. kara, a. (2009). the effectiveness of a 'learning theories' unit on students' attitude towards learning. australian journal of teacher education, 34(3), 100113. knapp, peter, & watkins, megan. (2005). genre, text, grammar: technologies for teaching and assessing writing. sydney: university of new south wales press ltd. koentjaraningrat. (1990).metode-metode penelitian masyarakat. jakarta: pustaka jaya. http://www.smkn4jkt.sch.id/ fahrus zaman fadhly & nurendah applying scientific approach to enhance indonesian rfl learners’ descriptive writing performance kuhn, t. (1961). the function of measuremnet in modern physical sciences. isis 52, 161-193. lenneberg, e. h. 1967. the biological foundations of language. new york: john wiley and sons. lyons, liz hamp. & heasley, b. (2006). study writing. cambridge: cambridge university press. marczyk, g., dematteo, d., festinger, d. (2005). essentials of research design and methodology.new jersey: john wiley & sons, inc. munawaroh, m. (2014). analisis literasi kuantitatif siswa sma dalam konsep pertumbuhan dan perkembangan tumbuhan (skripsi, universitas pendidikan indonesia, 2014). retrieved june 24, 2014 from repository.upi.edu. montano, d e. & kasprzyk, d. (2008). theory of reasoned action, theory of planned behaviour, and the integrated behavioral model. health behavior and health education: theory, research, and practice , 67-97. nuh, m. (2012).wawancara dengan mendikbud terkait kurikulum 2013. (sidiknas, interviewer). retrieved february 18, 2014 from www.kemdikbud.go.id. references english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee speaking strategies used by indonesian tertiary students wawa puja prabawa stkip pasundan cimahi, indonesia email: wawapuja@gmail.com apa citation: prabawa, w. p. (2016). speaking strategies used by indonesian tertiary students. english review, 4(2), 231-242 received: 17-02-2016 accepted: 28-03-2016 published: 01-06-2016 abstract: speaking is considered to be difficult thing, moreover english as a foreign language. students' performance depends on their personalities. students who have low participation in speaking activity in the classroom lose their opportunity to practice their speaking skill which may cause poor speaking skill and achievement. however, some of students are active in speaking activity in the classroom that leads them to have good skill and achievement in speaking. this study attempts to reveal: (1) speaking strategies used by indonesian tertiary students in terms of speaking english and strategies to improve their speaking ability, and (2) to identify speaking strategies mostly used by the students when they speak english and improve their speaking ability. this study is a descriptive research since its purpose is to describe the indonesian tertiary students’ learning strategies in learning speaking english. the data from 15 tertiary students, who have good performance and achievement in speaking, from one of schools of higher education in cimahi were collected using a 21 items questionnaire of a modified version of strategy inventory language learning (sill) and 5 items interview questions. the result of the study revealed that some speaking strategies are used in terms of speaking english and improve speaking ability, namely cognitive, metacognitive and compensation strategy. in the type of speaking strategy that mostly used by the student in terms of speaking english is compensation strategy, while cognitive strategy was indicated as the mostly speaking strategies used by the indonesian tertiary students in improving their speaking ability. considering to the study conducted, it is recommended to students that they should know what strategies that appropriate and can help them in learning speaking english. the students should be able to choose strategies they need in learning and analyze which strategies that give better effect on their own learning. keywords: speaking, strategy, speaking strategy, tertiary students introduction people usually learn english because for some reasons, in some ways, they want to be able to communicate in english (edge, 1993, p. 17). furthermore, he points out that people are motivated to learn english as the language of international language (p. 18). in indonesia, english becomes one of the important subjects to be mastered by students at school, start from kindergarten up to university students. language means something spoken. people usually speak or share their opinion with one another by using it. by mastering speaking, they can carry out conversation with others, give ideas and change the information with interlocutors (fajariyah, 2009, p. 14). it means that speaking has a role in the language skill. 231 wawa puja prabawa speaking strategies used by indonesian tertiary students speaking is an activity used by someone to communicate with other(s). it takes place everywhere and has become part of our daily activities. when someone speaks, he or she interacts and uses the language to express his or her ideas, feeling and thought. he or she also shares information with other(s) through communication. speaking is one of the main purposes of language learning in that it is an ability to transfer some ideas to other people clearly and correctly. in other words, people can communicate their ideas well to other people (argawati, 2014, p. 76). communication is important. people need to talk each other, share their ideas, feeling their expressions and thoughts, and they need to understand each other. that becomes the reason why people need to speak. among the four language skills, learners consider speaking as the most difficult one since it needs great courage as well as preparation to produce the language. their personalities play a large role in determining how quickly and how correctly they will accomplish this skill. those who are risk-takers unafraid of making mistakes will generally be more talkative, but they do not realize with the errors they make. meanwhile, the conservative, shy students may take a long time to speak confidently, but when they do, they will make fewer errors and be proud of their english ability. learners will think about which one is better, to talk much with many errors or to think more with better result. it can be answered when the aims of speaking is clearly stated, that is to build meaningful communication. in this case, to encourage learners to talk as much as possible to convey the messages of communication is more important rather than to let them think about grammar rules they use (malihah, 2010, p. 86). in addition, malihah (2010, p. 87) suggests that there is a phenomenon today that students are sometimes not motivated to talk because they are lack involvement in the topic. besides, many students have to overcome psychological constraints before they are prepared to speak in the foreign language. some students feel uneasy when they have to speak in the classroom situation because there is always an audience. a few prefer not to speak at all and deny opportunities for practice. they feel so anxious in practicing their speaking skill in foreign language. for instance, some students have low participation in speaking activity in the classroom. it means that they lose their opportunity to practice their speaking skill which may cause poor speaking skill (rahmadeni, amri, and adnan, 2013, p. 413). it is a common thing facing difficulties in learning speaking english. the most important thing is how the students deal with such problem. cohen (1998, p. 66) in rahmadeni, amri and adnan (2013, p. 413) states that language learning will be easier if the students become more aware of possible strategies that can be selected during learning and using language. he also believes that the students' language skill can be improved by themselves when they become more aware of what helps them to learn the language they are studying most efficiently. every student has their own learning strategies in studying english. it can be seen from the successful students rather than method or techniques of teaching. after observing and teaching some students in one of schools of higher education in cimahi majoring in english education study program, some of them have low participation in speaking activity in the classroom. on one hand, the students' less participation 232 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee in the classroom caused the students' low achievement in speaking. on the other hand, some of the students were active in speaking activity in the classroom. they also have good achievement in speaking. understanding speaking depends on the students in learning speaking. considering to the issue, the major purposes of this study are: 1) to investigate speaking strategies used by the indonesian efl tertiary students in terms of they speak english and improve their speaking ability, and 2) to identify the mostly speaking strategies used by the students in terms of speaking english and improve their speaking ability. listening to english songs, watching english movie, practicing with friends, and many more are some strategies that can be used by the students to make their speaking becomes more fluent. some strategies can be chosen by the students based on their needs. the students' intention use the strategies in learning is to help them in learning process, especially in speaking. o'malley (1990, p. 188) explains good learners are aware of the learning process and themselves as learners, seek to control their own learning through the use of appropriate learning strategy. styles are general characteristics that differentiate one individual from another and learning strategies are the special achieve or behaviours that individual use to help them comprehended, learn or retain new information. some experts have been tried to define learning strategies. wahyuni (2013, p. 4) provides some definitions from them that there is no consensus about the definition of learning strategies. researchers (for example brown, 2000; cohen, 1990; green and oxford, 1995; griffiths, 2008; o’malley and chamot, 1990; oxford, 1990; rubin, 1975; stern, 1992; wenden and rubin, 1987) define language learning strategies in slightly different ways, causing a debate about whether they are physical or mental, conscious or subconscious, and problem-or goal-triggered. o'malley (1985, p.23) provides broad definition of language learning strategies as “any set of operations or steps used by a learner that will facilitate the acquisition, storage, retrieval or use of information.” griffiths (2008) defines learning strategies as "activities consciously chosen by learners for the purpose of regulating their own language learning (p.87)." besides, nunan (1999, p. 171) defines "learning strategies are the mental and communicative procedures learners use in order to learn and use language." however, to provide a working definition for this study, i have adopted oxford's definition. oxford (1990, p. 1) defines learning strategies as step used by the students to improve their own learning. furthermore, she attempts to classify learning strategies into six groups: memory strategies (which relate to how students remember language), cognitive strategies (which relate to how students think about their learning), compensation strategies (which enable students to make up for limited knowledge), metacognitive strategies (relating to how students manage their own learning), affective strategies (relating to students’ feelings) and social strategies (which involve learning by interaction with others). this theory becomes the theoretical base of the study. in the area of speaking skill, some studies use theories of learning strategies as their theoretical bases. lopez (2011) for example, showed her result that students tend to select strategies according to their level of language proficiency. in indonesian context, 233 wawa puja prabawa speaking strategies used by indonesian tertiary students rahmadeni, amri & adnan (2013) reported on their study that students prefer to use metacognitive strategies as their strategy preferences in speaking english. besides, mistar and umamah (2014) found that gender provided significant effects on the intensity of use of six types of strategies of learning skill with female learners reporting higher intensity of use. a further analysis found that four strategy types—interactionalmaintenance, self-improvement, compensation, and memory strategies-greatly contribute to the speaking proficiency. in addition, wahyuni (2013) reported that the correlation between overall speaking strategy use and speaking proficiency is not significant, though positive. however, the effect of gender on strategy preference is found significant on affective strategies. whereas, moriam (2005) who investigated japanese and bangladeshi university students, found that bangladeshi employ cognitive and interpersonal strategies more than japanese, and that gender difference of both groups provides insignificant effect of the use of speaking strategies, except that cognitive strategies used by japanese females are found to be higher than those by the male. meanwhile, larenas (2011), investigated speaking strategies used by eight and twelfth graders, found that 8th graders claim to have broader knowledge of speaking strategies than 12th year secondary students, and the knowledge of speaking strategies of elementary and secondary school students does not vary depending on the type of school: public, semi-public and/or private. based on the explanation above, the present study was conducted in order to see kinds of learning strategies used by the students of english education study program in one of school of higher education in cimahi. this study analyzed the learning strategies used by the students in learning speaking english. the study covers only on speaking strategies used by the english education study program students in terms of at the time they speak english and improve their speaking ability. the subject of the study is limited to the students who have high proficiency in speaking and it is proven by their scores who always get a in speaking course. a number of studies have been conducted in the area of language learning strategies (lls) in particular of speaking strategies. to fill this gap, this study intends to explore speaking strategies used by indonesian tertiary students. therefore, the present study seeks answers to the following questions: 1. what kinds of speaking strategies used by indonesian tertiary students in terms of they speak english and improve their speaking ability? 2. what kinds of speaking strategies mostly used by indonesian tertiary students in terms of they speak english and improve their speaking ability? by knowing the students' learning strategies, especially in speaking strategies, it is expected that this research will give valuable contribution for the teacher to find teaching strategies that are suitable to the students' learning strategies. it can also increase students’ knowledge about learning strategies in speaking. moreover, it can be adopted by students who want to improve their speaking ability in learning speaking english. it is expected that students can speak more effectively after applying those kinds of strategies. furthermore, it gives 234 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee additional information to students to find the most suitable strategy to improve their speaking skill. to avoid misconception and misunderstanding, several terms are clarified. those are: 1. speaking is an act to express idea, feelings, and thought orally. it is also called oral communication. it is an act that is done naturally by people in their life. they have a freedom to express what they want to say. to communicate becomes the main goal of speaking. 2. strategies are specific actions, behaviours, steps or techniques that students (often intentionally) use to improve their progress in developing l2 skills. these strategies can facilitate the internalization, storage, retrieval or use of the new language. strategies are tools for the self-directed involvement necessary for developing communicative ability (oxford, 1992, p. 15). 3. tertiary means education after secondary level. primary and secondary level are compulsory (in most countries) whereas tertiary is not. tertiary means any form of higher education, e.g. college, university. thus, tertiary students refer to students who take higher education in college or university. over the past decade, the effort to explore the relationship of the use of language learning strategies with other variables such as motivation, gender, cultural background, type of task, age, level of l2 and learning style has been given tremendous importance (oxford, 1993) in moriam (2005, p. 48). there are some learning strategies that can be applied by the students in learning. oxford (1990) proposes two major groups of learning strategies: direct strategies and indirect strategies. direct strategies consist of memory strategies, cognitive strategies, and compensation strategies. meanwhile, indirect strategies are classified into metacognitive strategies, affective strategies, and social strategies. based on the two groups of learning strategies, there are some learning strategies for learning speaking. they can be seen in the following table 1. table 1. language learning strategies for speaking classified by oxford (1990) groups of strategies types of learning strategies learning strategies for speaking direct strategies memory strategies a. creating mental linkages (placing new words into a context) b. applying images and sounds (representing sounds) c. reviewing well (structured reviewing) d. employing action (using memory strategies for retrieval is memory strategies under using mechanical techniques) cognitive strategies a. practicing (repetition, formally practicing with sounds and writing systems, recognizing and using formulas and patterns, recombining, practicing naturalistically) b. receiving and sending messages (using resources for receiving and sending messages) c. analyzing and reasoning (reasoning deductively, translating, transferring) compensation strategies a. switching to the mother tongue (using the mother tongue for an expression without translating it) b. getting help (asking someone for help in a conversation by hesitating or explicitly asking for the missing expression) 235 wawa puja prabawa speaking strategies used by indonesian tertiary students c. using mime or gesture d. avoiding communication partially or totally e. selecting the topic f. adjusting or approximating the message g. coining words h. using a circumlocution or synonym indirect strategies metacognitive strategies a. centering the learning (overviewing and linking already known material, attention involves directed attention and selected attention, delaying speech production to focus listening) b. arranging and planning the learning (finding out about language learning, organizing, setting goals and objectives, identifying the purpose of a language task, planning for a language task, seeking practice opportunity) c. evaluating the learning (self-monitoring, self-evaluating) affective strategies a. lowering your anxiety b. encouraging yourself c. taking your emotional temperature d. rewarding oneself for good performance e. using deep breathing or positive self-talk social strategies a. asking questions to get verification b. asking for clarification c. asking for help in doing a language task d. cooperating with others, talking with a native-speaking conversation partner e. empathizing with others, exploring cultural and social norms these strategies can be specified as follows: 1) memory strategies for remembering and retrieving new information. 2) cognitive strategies for understanding and producing the language. 3) compensation strategies for using the language despite lack of knowledge. 4) metacognitive strategies for coordinating the learning process. 5) affective strategies for regulating emotions. 6) social strategies for learning with others (oxford, 1990, p. 14-15). furthermore, nakatani (2006) groups speaking strategies into seven different types which are described as follows: • strategy type 1: fluency-oriented strategy; this strategy is seen when students pay attention to aspects like rhythm, intonation, pronunciation and speech clarity in order to improve listeners’ attention. • strategy type 2: negotiation for meaning while speaking; this strategy is related to the speaker’s attempts to negotiate with the listener. to keep and maintain their interaction and avoid breakdowns while communicating, they both modified the message by giving examples and repeating the speech to figure out what they really wanted to say. • strategy type 3: accuracy-oriented strategy; it is associated with the desire to speak english with some accuracy. learners pay attention to the form of their speech and look for grammatical accuracy; therefore, they correct what they are saying by noticing their own mistakes. • strategy type 4: message reduction and alteration strategy; it is closely connected with the reduction and simplification of the message by using similar expressions in order to avoid breakdowns. • strategy type 5: non-verbal strategy while speaking; this strategy is directly linked to the use of body language. learners use eye contact, gestures and 236 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee facial expressions to achieve communication. • strategy type 6: message abandonment strategy; it is associated with the abandonment of the message in esl communication. learners have a tendency to give up their endeavor to communicate when they face difficulties carrying out their message. • strategy type 7: attempt to think in english strategy; this strategy is useful for learners who think in the second language during their speech. learners tend to think in english and avoid thinking in their native language. o’malley and chamot (1990) reveal their study that more effective (higher proficiency students generally use a greater variety of strategies and use them in ways that help the student complete language tasks more successfully; conversely, less effective (low proficiency) students not only have fewer strategies but also frequently use strategies that are inappropriate to the task or that do not lead to successful task completion. a study conducted by gharbavi and mousavi (2012) show that the higher the level the learners are at, the greater the number of strategies they use. kustati (2003), in her research, found that practicing naturally and using circumlocution and synonym are the highest intensity of speaking related language learning strategies (lls) used by the students in speaking. in line with that, liu (2004) revealed his study that students of the chinese technological institute english majors used metacognitive strategies as the most frequently used strategies in speaking. furthermore, volya (2009) reported that the strategies used were speaking with friends, speaking with english teacher, trying to find english speaker, and talking to themselves in english, taking english course, making dialogues, listening english music and watching english movie, those strategies were perceived, believed, regarded, though and considered differently by the students. methods this study was a descriptive research since its purpose was to describe the indonesian tertiary students’ learning strategies in learning speaking english. descriptive research is helpful for examining a variety of educational problems and issue (gay, 2009, p. 275). in this research, the population was students of english education study program of one of schools of higher education in cimahi. meanwhile, the sample of the research was 15 students consisting of students who have high performance in speaking. the research instruments were questionnaire and interview. the questionnaire used in this research was a modified version of strategy inventory for language learning (sill) developed by oxford (1990, 293-300) consisted of 21 items. after administering the questionnaire to the students, interview was conducted to support and gain the data. the results of interview would strengthen the data gained through questionnaire. the interview used openended question to gain information about the speaking strategies used by the students. the data, strategy that has the highest score, was indicated as a strategy mostly used by a student. then, the results were analyzed by using simple scaling percentage to see the strategy which was mostly used by all the students. the percentage formula is as follow: 237 wawa puja prabawa speaking strategies used by indonesian tertiary students f p = x 100% n where: p : percentage f : frequency of answer (total respondents who answer an item) n : total respondents after classifying, the data was interpreted to get general conclusion. the strategy that has the highest score was indicated as a strategy mostly used by the students. results and discussion question 1: what kinds of speaking strategies used by indonesian tertiary students in terms of they speak english and improve their speaking ability? the following table are the percentage for questionnaire results. and it is supported by the interview result. table 2. average percentage of speaking strategies used by indonesian tertiary students types of strategies frequency percentage in terms of speaking english compensation strategy 14 93.33 % metacognitive strategy 1 6.67 % improving speaking ability cognitive strategy 13 86.67 % metacognitive strategy 2 13.33 % a. in terms of speaking english from the table 2 above, it is shown that in terms of speaking english, there were two strategies used by the students: compensation and metacognitive strategy. 10 students used circumlocution and synonym, 3 students used gesture, and 1 student used switching to mother tongue as their compensation strategy. meanwhile, 1 student used metacognitive strategy by applying evaluating and learning, making correction of himself when he makes an error. b. improving speaking ability from the table 2 above, it can be seen that there were two kinds of strategies used by the students in improving their speaking ability, namely cognitive and metacognitive strategy. there were 12 students who like watching films or tv programs in english and there was 1 student who read newspaper and books in order to learn new structure and words as cognitive strategy. while, there were 2 students who repeat after listening to radio, recordings or music as metacognitive strategy. question 2: what kinds of speaking strategies mostly used by indonesian tertiary students in terms of they speak english and improve their speaking ability? 238 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 12.4 12.6 12.8 13 13.2 13.4 13.6 13.8 14 in terms of speaking english improving speaking ability compensation strategy cognitive strategy diagram 1. speaking strategies mostly used by indonesian tertiary students from the diagram 1 above, there were 14 students or about 93.33 % used compensation strategy as their speaking strategy when they speak english. they mostly used synonym to explain the word in english. al buainain (2010) states that compensation strategies enable the students to make up for missing knowledge in the process of comprehending or producing the target language. meanwhile, there were 13 students or about 86.67 % used cognitive strategy as their speaking strategy to improve their speaking ability. they mostly used watch films or tv programs in english because it can entertain them, it does not make boring, it makes enjoyment and fun so they are interested in learning english, especially in learning speaking. as what oxford (1990, p. 43) says that cognitive learning strategy is essential in learning a language. therefore, it can be assured that the result of the students’ speaking ability will rise due to the application of the cognitive strategy. conclusion based on the research findings, it was found that there are some strategies used by indonesian tertiary students when they speak english and improve their speaking ability, namely cognitive, metacognitive and compensation strategy. in the type of speaking strategy that mostly used by the student in terms of speaking english is compensation strategy, while cognitive strategy was indicated as the mostly speaking strategies used by the indonesian tertiary students in improving their speaking ability. considering to the research conducted, there are some recommendations that can be proposed to the teachers and students. it is recommended for the teacher to find the language learning strategies, especially speaking strategies, of their students and help them balance the strategies used by the students based on the students’ needs and preferences. the teacher should adapt the teaching strategies with the students learning strategies to enhance students’ achievement in 239 wawa puja prabawa speaking strategies used by indonesian tertiary students learning speaking. for the students itself, they should know what strategies that appropriate and can help them in learning speaking english. the students should be able to choose strategies they need in learning and analyze which strategies which give better effect on their own learning. references al-buainain, h. (2010). language learning strategies employed by english majors at qatar university: question and queries. asiatic: iium journal of english language and literature, volume 4, number 2, december 2010, p. 92-120. retrieved from http://www.myjurnal.my/public/arti cle-view.php?id=14934 on december 29th, 2015 argawati, n. o. (2014). improving students' speaking skill using group discussion; experimental study on the first grade students of senior high school. eltin journal, 2(ii), p. 74-81. edge, j. (1993). essentials of english language teaching. new york: longman fajariyah, d. n. (2009). improving students' speaking proficiency using games; a classroom action research on the eighth grade students of smp negeri 2 baki sukoharjo 2008/2009 academic year. surakarta: sebelas maret university. thesis. gay, l. r. (2009). educational research. new jersey: pearson education inc. gharbavi, a., & mousavi, s. a. (2012). do language proficiency levels correspond to language learning strategy adoption? english language teaching, 5(7), 110-122. griffiths, c. (2008). lessons from good language learners. cambridge: cambridge university press. kustati, m. (2003). students speaking-related language learning strategies in their speaking ability. padang: padang state university. larenas, c. d. (2011). exploring knowledge of english speaking strategies in 8th and 12th graders. profile, 13(2), p. 85-97. liu, d. (2004). efl proficiency, gender and language learning strategy use among a group of chinese technological institute english majors. retrieved from http://www.ecls.ncl.ac.uk/ publish/ volume 1/dongyue/dongyue.htm.pdf on december 29th, 2015. lópez, m. m. (2011). speaking strategies used by ba elt students in public universities in mexico. mextesol journal, 35(1), 1-22. malihah, noor. (2010). the effectiveness of speaking instruction through taskbased language teaching. register, 3(1), p. 85-101. mistar, j., zuhairi, a., & umamah, a. (2014). strategies of learning speaking skill by senior high school efl learners in indonesia. paper presented at the 10th international tesol conference, manila. moriam, q. m. (2005). speaking strategy use by the efl students in japan and bangladesh. journal of international development and cooperation, 12(1), 4761. nakatani, y. (2006). developing an oral communication strategy inventory. the modern language journal, 90(2), 151-168. nunan, d. (1999). language teaching methodology: a textbook for teachers. kuala lumpur: pearson education. o' malley, j. m. & chamot, a. u. (1990). learning strategies in second language acquisition. cambridge: cambridge university press. oxford, r. l. (1990). language learning strategies: what every teacher should know. new york: newbury house. rahmadeni, y., amri, z., & adnan, a. (2013). junior high school sudents' learning strategies and their achievement in speaking: a case study at smp negeri 3 padang panjang. journal of english language teaching, 2(1), p. 412-422. wahyuni, s. (2013). l2 speaking strategies employed by indonesian efl tertiary 240 http://www.ecls.ncl.ac.uk/%20publish/ http://www.ecls.ncl.ac.uk/%20publish/ english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee students across proficiency and gender. (ph.d thesis, university of canberra, australia). volya, duti. (2009). students' speaking strategies and teachers' teaching speaking strategies at senior high school in kerinci district. retrieved from http://jurnal.pdii.lipi.go.id/ admin/ jurnal/ 96jan098790.pdf on december 29th, 2015. 241 http://jurnal.pdii.lipi.go.id/ 242 the dilemma of multilingualism in iran reza kalantari the dilemma of multilingualism in iran the dilemmaofmultilingualism in iran reza kalantari tabriz applied educational research center, iran e-mail: rmkalantari@gmail.com apa citation: kalantari, r. (2012). the dilemma of multilingualism in iran. english review: journal of english education, 1(1), 6-16 received: 09-08-2012 accepted: 12-10-2012 published: 01-12-2012 abstract: iran is a multilingual country with linguistic and cultural diversity. minority languages such as turkish, kurdish, baluchi and arabic are spoken in iran which constitutes part of the culture and ethnic identity. iranian community is dominantly a bilingual community. persian as an official language used as linguistic and cultural homogenization while minority languages are not used in education system. the controversy bilingual education and programs to serve language minority students is complex and puzzling for education authorities. on the other hand one of the challenges iranian faces is how to reconcile conflicting perspectives of bilingual education regarding globalizing of english. currently, most of parents prefer their children to learn english as it is the language of business, aviation and scientific research. in contrast according to iran’s comprehensive scientific plan, persian should be scientific language of the world in the near future. in this research, challenges, perspectives and solutions of bilingual education in iran were analyzed. the results indicate that conflicting of minority, majority and international language is an important challenge and developing, promotion and expansion of persian is a future outlook. furthermore some suggestions and solutions to reconcile bilingual education were made. keywords: bilingual education, minority, majority and international language introduction it has been estimated that approximately two-third of the world’s population is either bilingual or multilingual; that is, more than half the people in the world routinely use two or more languages in their daily communication. multilingualism and multiculturalism are social facts of this new century, which can be seen in most classrooms and playgrounds. people use the term bilingualism in different ways. for some, it means an equal ability to communicate in two languages. for others, it simply means the ability to communicate in two languages, but with greater skills in one language. in fact, it is more common for bilingual people, even those who have been bilingual since birth, to be somewhat dominant in one language. calling someone a bilingual is therefore an umbrella term. underneath the umbrella rest many different skill levels in two languages. being bilingual is not just about proficiency in two languages. there is a difference between ability and use of language. someone may be quite competent in two languages, yet rarely or never use one of those languages. such a person has bilingual ability but does not act or behave bilingually. iran, a multicultural society, is home to a number of language communities speaking turkish, kurdish, and arabic languages among others. many children learn and speak their first language at home and study all of their courses in persian throughout their education. it means that many children mailto:rmkalantari@gmail.com english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee didn't receive any education in their native languages; the majority of the students were members of an ethnic or linguistic minority, whereas the school was dominated by the mainstream language and culture. it means that educational curriculum is based on persian, the majority language. based on this evidence, it can be said that this curriculum not only been ineffective for the non-persian speaking students, but it also has created a problem of bilingualism of home and school for the non-persian speaking populations. it seems that bilingual in iran is kind of subtractive bilingualism. unlike additive bilingual that a child is allowed to develop a certain language, s/he is learning in a community where both languages and cultures are valued, then the child is most likely to develop additive bilingualism in the sense that the second language and culture are added to the first language and culture and both l1 and l2 complement and enrich each other. one the other hand, subtractive bilingualism means that the child learns a second language at the expense of the first, and in this case the learning of l2 deletes or subtracts l1. according to arefi and alizadeh (2008) being bilingual in iran doesn’t help them to develop cognitive development because of all of the children come from subtractive bilingual programs which may have mitigated and potentially positive impact the children’s bilingualism might have had on cognitive development. khadivi (2010) states that as long as one can become a balanced bilingual; reach the third floor (high level) of proficiency, one can benefit from more positive effects. the purpose of the present paper is to make the case for the need to address the problem, and seek a rational solution to it. the specific research questions that the present study addresses are the following: 1. what is the language planning policy in iran? 2. what is the status of minority languages in iran? 2. what are language challenges in iran? 3. what are language perspectives in iran? 4. to what extend persian can be an important scientific lingua franca in the world? bilingualism of home and school in iran has even been recognized as a problem by the very curriculum planners at the national level. it can also be argued that bilingualism is a problem because it, or the national planners' concocted solution, does not necessarily lead to balanced bilingualism and may even cause dilemmas that could be harmful. as such, bilingualism of home and school in iran creates serious challenges for the iranian educational system. the first challenge that iranian educators face is shown by the two international studies that iran has participated in: timss and pirls. in both studies iranian students ranked almost last. in the international reading comprehension study of 1970 iran ranked 14th among fifteen participating countries, and in pirls 2001, 32nd among the 35 participating countries (karimi, 2003). at the same time iranian bilingual students got lower scores than monolingual in reading comprehension test (karimi and kabiri, 2010). the bilingualism seems to have contributed to the high rate of retention and grade repetition. therefore, the use of minority languages is the need for revamping the educational system in order to bridge the identified gaps. the second challenge refers to sociopolitical factors. majority languages don’t play any role in iran's education system. the challenge arises when these majority languages are major or official language in neighborhood countries. every one is bilingual. that is, there is no one in the world who does not know at least a few words in languages other than the maternal variety. iranian non-persian children face some problems, the grade repetition and retention rates among these populations are higher, as are the dropout rates, in comparison with the persian speaking population. an example is in the largest turkish (azary) speaking province, the repetition rate is much higher in first grade compared to the fifth, countryside compared with the cities, and in areas less exposed to persian (due to lack of electricity/television) than other areas. addeeb (1993) has also found that among all school subjects, the language courses have a greater contribution to grade failure/repetition than non-language courses. given the bilingualism problem, both the educational system and the individual teachers have been challenged to come up with some sort of solution. analyzing bilingualism and given the experience of other countries similar to iran in population composition and the case for implementation of some form of bilingual education must be made what this paper addresses. reviewof literature iran is a home for many cultural/linguistic groups speaking persian, turkish, arabic, and kurdish. yet the official language for school instruction is persian, the language of the majority groups, creating a problem of bilingualism of home and school for millions of non-persian speaking children. according to article 15 of the iranian constitution which emphasizes the basic right of all these language groupings to use their mother tongues in their schools and in the promotion of their native cultures but the national educational and curriculum planners do not seem to put much stock in the latter part of the said article. from a dialectical constructivist perspective, language is considered to be a significant social tool for overall development (vygotsky, 1978). children's construction of knowledge is initially guided by their mother tongue and then by the language of formal instruction if it is in fact other than their first language. however, if the child learns and uses two languages simultaneously, i.e. if he/she is bilingual, the two languages would collectively provide an even better tool for development. until the 1960s, it was commonly assumed that bilingual students who were learning in their second language must inevitably have been at a disadvantage. this notion began to be challenged in the 1970s and 1980s. a closer examination of the results of bilingual students across various subject areas, including mathematics, showed inconsistent results. although it seemed to be true at times that bilingual students as a whole did not perform as well as their monolingual peers, there were also some results that showed bilinguals excelled. there are a number of notions that need to be considered: whether the students are balanced bilinguals, the english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee level of proficiency that the bilinguals have in each of their languages, and the environment in which they learn. balanced bilinguals are bilinguals who have equal proficiency in their languages. bilingualism of home and school is a worldwide phenomenon and as such has been dealt with rather positively in countries like singapore, canada, switzerland, and many more, through introduction of some system of bilingual or multilingual education (lambert, genesee, holobow, and chartrand, 1993). students in singapore, a country with four official languages, face no difficulties in regards to bilingualism of home and school. the same can be said about china wherein the curriculum planning has been successful in remedying the problems that existed in this area. in contrast it is problematic in other countries even in europe. bilingualism in iran the current population of iran is more than 75 million people which makes it on the most populous countries in the middle east contains whiten itself different languages and ethnic minorities. yet the official instructional language of all iranians is persian, the language of the majority grouping. the second greatest language grouping in iran is that of the turkish speaking people, the authors are members of this group; their community size in the northwestern provinces of iran is fairly large and comparable to the number of persianspeaking area. if it is not the majority group in the whole of iran; the azerbaijanis are clearly both the majority and the culturally dominant group in the northwestern part of the country. kurdish, arabic, and baluchi are spoken in iran too. surely, there are smaller groups who have no specific geographical location like armenians and aasooryans speaking people. an interesting point in iran is that some of the provinces in this country are named based on the dominant culturallinguistic group residing in them (e.g., fars, kordestan, lorestan, baluchestan, etc.). we should note that most regional languages are related to persian and belong to a larger iranian family, a branch of indo-european. turkish, the major non-iranian language, spoken in the northwestern part of the country, is greatly different from persian and is branch of altaic language. in some parts of the country, this linguistic diversity coupled with religious differences has led to ethno-political difference (e.g. in the province of kurdistan). for a long time, bilingualism was considered a negative factor threatening the national unity in iran (afshar 1989). now it is going to be appreciated that the different cultures, languages, and varieties that coexist in iran and are acquired in the natural process of socialization constitute an important part of the national wealth, and that cultural-linguistic diversity can be a valued resource for continued social development and renovation and the maintenance of social health in a rapidly changing society. since the minority languages are not used in education system it has made some educational problems. educational authorities proposed different solutions such as a month-long special course for non-persian speaking children. but it can hardly be adequate for this purpose, as it cannot make up for the six-year long exposure to the mother tongue. more ever, the absence of the native language from the curriculum during the school years is certainly not a step toward such bilingualism. on the contrary, this would lead to what santrock (2002) has called semilingualism, or lack of proficiency in either one of the two languages. according to hameedy (2005) the academic gap between the persian and non-persian speaking students have not been bridged even after four years of schooling. language planning in iran the literature on language planning and language policy is extensive and includes both theoretical studies and rapidly expanding case studies of specific language policy and planning efforts in various parts of the worlds. language planning has been in existence, as a field of inquiry; for six decades but it did not become a sharply salient issue until sociolinguistics began to focus attention on the speech forms, problems, and aspire solve these problems. in the past decades, language planning attracted increasing attention toward research. language planning in iran has emphasized the need for persian to have a well-defined language policy that integrate the status of persian in the psyches of iranian and be aware of the use and spread of foreign language. in the united kingdom prior to the 1980's when the general policy of the educational system was that of single language instruction as well as the benign policy of linguistic assimilation (paulston, 1988), the same type of policies, it can be said, is still used in iran. there is no policy of supporting the majority languages in education system and priority is not given in teacher training, curriculum development and school time tables to local languages, regardless of supporting them in the media such as newspaper, tv and radio. iran is a bilingual country and as a brief chronology illustrates, modern education in iran is relatively young. despite the educational system of centuries ago, the first modern school is no more than 150 years old. in the first european-modeled school, darolfonoon; modernized education in iran some foreign languages such as; french, russian, and later english were taught. regarding the islamic revolution in 1979 led to the implementation of islamic values in the all area even in language planning, however it seems that there is no comprehensive language planning in iran. as riazi (2005) states: the major problem after the islamic revolution, however, has been the lack of an official language-planning blueprint in the country to determine the status of available languages, as well as expectations from language teaching and learning curricula in the formal education system. (p.107) during the post-war period in iran different roles for the native languages in the educational system have been defined. but the oldest and most common model has been the learning of the persian language as a curriculum subject by both the native and nonnative students. persian andnational identity twentieth century is characterized by an obsession with nationalism, often on the basis of one state per ethnic group per language. language interlocks with english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee national identity. as a consequence, persian plays an important role in the formation of national identity in iran. a threat to independence of different regional of the country in the late twentieth made a special focus on persian as linguistic and cultural homogenization. according to mehrmohammadi (1992), this centralization in the control of unique culture and language was a solution for independence. yet the issue of bilingualism is seldom addressed and its conditions and consequences are rarely studied in iran partly because of the fear that it might give rise to separatist movements and hence threaten the national cohesion, vis-à-vis security. furthermore, while most countries around the world have already responded to the issues of globalization, internationalization, and competition among multinationals by endorsing bilingual and multilingual educational systems, iran has not been willing to move in this direction in order to keep national unity and identity among the young school generation (farhady 2008). this in part can be accounted for by the fact that countries like hong kong, india, japan, and china see english as the key to the international world of commerce; whereas, iran is more conservative when it comes to foreign language policy. the main reason for this is the politicization of the language issue after the islamic revolution and the fear that english presents a threat to the persian language and islamic culture (khubchandani, 2008). however, attempts have been made to promote the majority languages. for instance, everyday a lot of newspapers are published in majority language in iran, local radio and television programs regularly broadcast everyday which attract many listeners and provide primary and secondary employment for the minority language speakers. the question, however, is how local broadcasting alone can save a language which is losing its functions within the family domain. although radio and television alleviate the pressure, they are only short-term remedies for the dying language. media cannot uproot the source of the problem. when the older generation vanishes, the media will hardly attract the younger generation in any significant scale. iran is an old developing country, as it originated nearly 25 centuries ago, and over its entire history, persian (old, middle, new) has functioned as the standard language. this lingua franca has always coexisted with other varieties and regional languages (schmitt, 1989). this coexistence is the result of the political and sociocultural integration of an old developing country whose various ethnic groups want to be connected with and unified under their great tradition. according to (fishman, 1968) the ancient literatures, legal codes, heroes and leaders of the past command admiration; the old developing nations can withstand much greater linguistic diversity and unrest as a result of integration. thus, based on fishman's theory, in iran, the stable and widespread coexistence of separate dialects or languages with the standard language is indeed natural and expected. therefore, linguistic division alone is not a vital factor to inflame political conflicts within an old must be involved. however, the analysis of nercissians (2001) study for two groups; armenian and azerbaijani community residing in tehran shows that despite the considerable difference in the language behavior of the two groups, important common patterns could be seen to exist. both groups value the knowledge of persian, the common language used in day-to-day communication as well as the official language used in the educational and other formal establishments. at the same time, both groups express strong desire for the retention and use of their mother tongue. we should note that religious, islam as an umbrella, has played a significant role in language identity. some 85% of iranians are shiite. this linguistic diversity with religious similarities has promoted political relationship between language groups. this is another reason why in iran linguistic division has not led to political conflicts (borjian, 2004). in iran, the impact of external factors, which have promoted linguistic challenge, can easily be detected amongst the minority languages which are major languages in the neighborhood countries. turkish, spoken in northwestern of iran, is the official language of neighboring turkey and the azerbaijan republic, who regularly broadcast radio programs for turkish speaking minorities abroad. the programs aim at encouraging the speakers to see themselves as part of a transnational turkish speaking nation. baluchi, however, belongs to the larger iranian language family spoken in the southeast of iran. although baluchi is not a dominant language anywhere, there are a lot of speakers who live in pakistan. westernization and national identity after world war ii, english began to spread around the world and was taught in most countries as either the sole foreign language or as one of the foreign languages. during the pahlavi dynasty (1925-1979), close political, social, economic, and military relationship between iran and the us speeded up the westernization in the country (riazi, 2005). we should consider that deciding on a language to be taught as a foreign language in a country is not a matter of pure academic choice but a matter of government policy often motivated by political, social, economic, and educational factors. english became an important requirement in the iranian military because a good command of english was needed for the army personnel to go to the us for further specializations. in addition, teaching english became a social need and private language schools mushroomed in the capital and many large cities. farhady (2008) stated that knowledge of english became an essential requirement for many job opportunities for the younger generation. thousands of iranian students were sent to us universities to get higher educational degrees. many iranian universities created sister-ship relations with american universities, which facilitated the allocation of scholarships for students to complete their degrees in american universities. in contrast, after islamic revolution in 1979, due to the absence of political relations with the us, the educational policy makers formulated a plan to promote learning and teaching of five foreign other languages including german, french, italian, spanish, and russian. however, due to insufficient number of teachers and a low number of applicants for these languages, english english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee has been the most dominant foreign language taught at the high schools. an interesting point is that while teaching english was almost banned early after the revolution, it has been given the same number of credit units as other main subject matter areas such as biology and chemistry in high schools in iran. promoting persian as a international language globalization seems as a threat for language of the countries. crystal (2003) shows that the phenomenon of globalization, coupled with the increasing leadership of english has motivated many nations to consider their language planning policies. those nations opt to strengthen the preeminence of their own language within their national borders and worldwide. in this regards, according to iran’s comprehensive scientific plan, persian should be scientific language of the world in the near future. persian has played and still plays an overriding role in muslim society competing with arabic. in addition, defending in fact the language of the degree of necessity for english and status of english and persian in iran is very important. some study reveals that the degree of necessity for persian is increasing during the past decades. the functions of english and persian are clearly-defined without any seeming competition in contrast the past which there was struggle between persian and english. however, seeking native resources for coping with technological transformations has become an important sociopolitical goal in iran, where the contemporary world condition is viewed as a culturalinvasion attempt by the west. in addition to its importance in the general area of language planning, and the associated areas of culture planning and identity planning, the study of bilingualism in iran is of important for educational planning in the corresponding speech communities. one part of influence of persian depends on influence of islam. bhatia and ritchie (2006) stated that persian was viewed as an imposed language in much of india; thus, with moughul patronage, persian "became a marker of islam". as a consequence, after independence in 1947 when india and pakistan became independent nations, the influence of persian continued to regenerate in pakistan, a muslim nation, while it reached a state of fossilization in india. in contrast, after independence sanskrit began to regenerate its original impact in india due to its associate on with indian culture. some conflicts of language refer to language group inequality. inglehart and woodward (1972) analyze language conflicts as a function of group inequality. they state that in almost all bilingual and multilingual societies, there is an upper language and one or lower languages. while the upper language represents prestige, power, and a higher status of the speaker, the lower languages signify the opposite. linguistic divisions will lead to political conflicts when a dominant language group obtains the social, political and economic power within the society and blocks the social mobility of the minority language groups. therefore, based on inglehart and woodward's point of view, language conflict has its roots in the unequal economic, political, and social status of a language group. it is true that bilingualism makes some serious problems for non-persian students but iran's linguistic diversity has not led to political conflicts as there is no distinctive economic, political, and social inequality. in order persian be the lingua franca in the world the following administrative reorganization take place. iran is a big country with large number of students accommodated by the stategoverned universities and higher education: public universities, islamic azad university(more than 500 branches), payame noor university (long distance education), private universities, and evening sessions at the public universities, plenty of faculty members, researchers who are as sources to produce scientific research in persian. whereas european colonialism that began in the fifteenth century in the east country reduced the influence of persian (abolghassemi, 2009), in contrast in recent years, economic, technology, medicine, and industries of iran cultivated. as we know language expansion depends on economic, political, and social development. so the developed society of iran can promote its language. for example, the need for traveling to iran from different parts of the world such as middle east, azerbaijan republic, iraq, syria, and some other arab countries and influences of iran on these countries increased leadership of persian, as they need to learn persian in order to communicate properly. it shows growth of persian speakers in the world. however in order to persian be the lingua franca in the world it faces with some challenges. according to iran’s comprehensive scientific plan, persian should be scientific language of the world in the near future. this document is well-designed in print but applying is difficult. first, the community should assume responsibility towards a change from quantity oriented to qualityoriented promotion of persian. this requires cultivating all iranian minds. second, the government should assume responsibility toward providing clear, practicable, and reasonable language policies, and should subsequently support the implementation of the policy. in this regard, fund, personnel, and other requirements should be made available to the people involved in promotion of persian. iran hasn't got even a noble prize for literature to indicate of persian flourishing. handwriting of persian is another problem, using it as language of math, chemistry, and physics, using it for car license plate seem difficult as it is written from the right. considering the phenomenon of information and communication technology with english instruction and increase communications equipment such as mobile, satellite through them iranian use english alphabet instead of persian is a new problem. meanwhile, persian which is used in other countries such as afghanistan and tajikistan influenced by russian or pashto culture and language which vanish the homogenization of persian in the middle east. conclusion bilingualism of home and school in iran creates serious challenges for the educational system of iran. results of international studies prove this phenomenon. in international studies iranian students ranked almost last. curriculum planners always search for english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee ways to remedy this problem. for example, they have designed a one month preparatory course for the nonpersian speaking students or they try to design persian text-books according the non-persian speaking students abilities (kalantari, 2010). but none of these solutions are effective for improving the non-persian students' drop-out rate. because the academic gap between native and nonnative students complete even after several years of schooling. the study of language groups in iran shows that despite the considerable difference in the language behavior all groups value the knowledge of persian, the common language used in day-to-day communication as well as the official language used in the educational and other formal establishments. at the same time, all minority groups express strong desire for the retention and use of their mother tongue. therefore, education authorities in iran should design such curriculum that value not only majority language but also minority languages. it seems that if some day, english constituted a threat to persian in various in iran. today iran, while recalling with pride their historical dominance in the sciences, are not now struggling to foreign languages i.e. english is neither an indication of westernization or culturalism, nor an indication of and imitation of or assimilation to western value. as iranian attitude have changed about the learning of english. they believe that in order to gain new technology, communicate with the world, and to success in business, it is necessary to learn english. as a consequence, parents prefer their children to learn english as soon as possible. mushrooming lots and lots of governmental or private english institutes in iran even in small cities proves this claim. iran is an old country and persian has functioned as the standard language. this lingua franca has always coexisted with other varieties and regional languages. according to iran’s comprehensive scientific plan, persian should be scientific language of the world in the near future. to reach this important aim it faces with some challenges, some of them are linguistically the others are sociopolitically. references abolghassemi, m . (2009). the history of persian (in persian). tehran: ninth edi. samt pub. addeeb, y. (1993). preschool effects on school performance of the bilingual and monolingual elementary school boys in tehran and tabriz, t.t.u. dissertations, tehran. afshar, i (1989). the farsi language in azerbaijan (in persian). tehran: boniade moghoofate dr. m. afshar yazdi. arefi, m. & alizadeh, s. (2008). the effect of bilingualism on cognitive development: a case of bilingual children in iran. hacettepe üniversitesi eğitim fakültesi dergisi (h. u. journal of education) 34: 12-18 [2008]. bhatia, t.k, and ritchie, w.c. (2006). the hand book of bilingualism. blackwell publishing. borjian, m. (2005). bilingualism in mazandaran: peaceful coexistence with persian languages, communities, and education. colombia: society for international education teachers college, columbia university. crystal, d. (2003). english as a global language. cambridge: cup. fishman, j. a. (1968). language problems and types of political and sociocultural integration: a conceptual postscript. in j. fishman, c. farhady, h. (2008). reflections on foreign language education in iran. electronic journal for english as a second language 13(40). hameedy, m. a. (2005). bilingualism of home and school in iran: conditions and consequences as showcased in pirls. social science journal no, 54. university of azzahra, iran. inglehart, r. f., & woodward, m., (1972). language conflicts and political community. in p. giglioli (ed.), language and social context (pp. 358-77). new york: penguin books. kalantari, r. (2010). bilingual modals in the world. monthly journal of research institute for education. no: 119 february, 2011. karimi, a. (2003). pirls 2001 results: the brief report. tehran: institute for educational research. karimi, a. & kabiri, m. (2010). comparing bilingual and monolingual students’ reading comprehension; according to pirls 2006 results: in abstract book of bilingual and education: challenges, perspectives, and solutions conference. research institute for education, iran. khadivi, a. (2010). cognitive theories of bilingualism and curriculum development; in abstract book of bilingual and education: challenges, perspectives, and solutions conference. teheran: research institute for education. khubchandani, l. (2008). language policy and education in the indian subcontinent. in encyclopedia of language and education, 2nd edition, (vol.1, pp. 393–404). new york: springer science and business media llc. lambert, w.e., genesee, f., holobow, n., and chartrand, l. (1993). bilingual education for majority englishspeaking children. european journal of psychology of education, 8, 3-22. mehrmohammadi, m. (1992). the moe's general policy on linguistic and cultural diversity. proceedings of the seminar on dimensions of bilingualism. tehran: educational research council, moe. nercissians, e. (2001). bilingualism and diglossia: patterns of language use by ethnic minorities in tehran. int'l. j. soc. lang. 148 (2001), 59-70 paulston, c.b. (1988). international handbook of bilingualism and bilingual education. new york: greenwood press inc. santrock, j.w. (2002). life span development. boston: mcgraw hill schmitt, r. (1989). compendium linguarum iranicarum. wiesbaden: l. reichert. riazi, a.m. (2005). the four language stages in the history of iran. in angel m.y. lin and peter w. martin (eds.). decolonization, globalization: languagein-education policy and practice (. 100116). multilingual matters, ltd. vygotsky, l. s. (1978). mind in society: the development of higher mental processes. cambridge: harvard university press. khalil motallebzadeh & elham asa’di iranian efl teachers and students’ development through observation 8 iranian efl teachers and students’ development through observation khalil motallebzadeh department of english, islamic azad university (iau), torbat-e-heydarieh, iran. e-mail: k.motalleb@iautorbat.ac.ir ; kmotallebz@gmail.com elham asa’di department of english, islamic azad university (iau), daneshjo street, garmsar, iran e-mail: elham_asadi.elt984@yahoo.com apa citation: motallebzadeh, k. & asa’di, e. (2013). iranian efl teachers and students’ development through observation. english review: journal of english education, 2(1), 8-16 received: 14-06-2013 accepted: 29-10-2013 published: 01-12-2013 abstract :this paper describes the processes used to examine on one hand the effect of less experienced teachers’ participation in experienced teachers’ classes on their own skills and teaching methodologies. it also describes the role of teachers’ training through observation in their students’ achievements. this quasi-experimental design study was conducted in kish language school in bojnurd, iran. twenty one efl teachers were selected as experienced and less experienced ones and involved 169 male and female students (aged 15 45 years) as participants. in order to compare students’ english proficiency before and after the treatment, a key english test (ket) and a preliminary english test (pet) were employed. also, a peer observation of teaching questionnaire, a sample of toefl test and an interview were used to find out the results of teachers’ development. this study also revealed that lessexperienced teachers’ participation in experienced teachers’ classes had a significant effect on efl teachers’ skills and strategies used in their classroom and almost all teachers were satisfied with their participation in experienced teachers’ classes. keywords: observation, professional development, less experienced teachers, learners’ achievement introduction the final aim of any educational planning is to grow students in various cognitive, individual and social skills and knowledge necessary to function occupationally and socio-politically in society (fullan 2001). teachers’ role in successful preparation of students is indisputable. whether the students will be the open-minded and the informed people of tomorrow or unaware members of society will depend on teacher knowledge, teacher education and especially teacher professional development (rizvi 2010). one issue related to professionalism of the teaching force refers to the necessity to bridge the gap between knowledge acquired during formal pre-service studies and further developments accruing while teachers are employed (nir & bogler 2007). it is believed that teaching can be considered as the most rewarding profession there is and it can be. we can all give examples of the pleasure of helping a child grow in knowledge and understanding, and achieve their potential, but what about the teacher? they shouldn’t be excluded from the benefits of lifelong learning because of their workload and desire to give. growth and change are part of all our personal and professional lives, and teachers need to embrace them; not just to do a better job, but to enjoy doing it. supporting teachers in their english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 9 development – trainees, newly or recently qualified, in their first three, ten or twenty years, and whether they’re wonderful or struggling – is vital in improving the quality of teaching and learning in our schools (bubb 2005). in recent times there has been call for change in teacher education in ways that will promote teachers being much more reflective in their practice (jones 1998; korthagen and kessels 1999; ball 2000; wise and leibbrand 2001). korthagen and kessels (1999: 4), argue teacher education programs need to link theory and practice and “to integrate the two in such a way that it leads to integration within the teacher”. the best way for teachers to improve what they do is for them to reflect on their practice and work with other teachers to help them understand what is needed for high achievement.” (townsend, raton & bates 2007). pachier and field (1997) suggest that being a successful foreign language teacher involves a commitment to stay beside the developments in the field and an enthusiasm to engage in constant professional development. it is believed that the poor quality of efl teachers is partly attributable to a lack of teacher training and teacher professional development (vo & nguyen, 2011). as a result, observation has been introduced as one of the teachers’ professional activities to help teachers to improve their teaching strategies through peer observation or observing experienced teachers classes. as bubb (2005: 45) maintains: ‘’observation is a powerful tool for assessing and monitoring a teacher’s progress. used well, it can also be a way to support teachers, because observation gives such a detailed picture and enables very specific objectives to be set. observing someone teach gives a really detailed picture and is an opportunity to stimulate some really useful reflection on teaching and learning’’. successful teachers make the most of any opportunities to observe others. they watch a range of teachers’ classrooms. it is very encouraging to see that everyone has similar problems and it is interesting to study the different ways people manage them (bubb 2005). observation may also be helpful for teachers who are beginners in teaching and it can help them to monitor experienced teachers’ classroom in order to improve their own skills and bring about changes in their own way of teaching and dealing with problems which they may face during their teaching. researches show constantly that teacher quality is the crucial factor in student learning, the frequent problem is to identify the important characteristics of teacher quality and help teachers to develop these characteristics, though (darling-hammond 1999, wenglinsky 2000). viewing the problem of improving student performance from this point of view makes the development of systematic and objective methods of classroom observation a critical component in improving teacher quality in every subject area. in order to move along the recent progress in teacher observation the researchers did investigations in this regard. the important point motivating a work in this area is the position of teachers observation in many countries like iran where teachers’ observation has not occupied the place it merits, whether in second language class, in school or in different efl institutes (akbari, samar & tajik 2007). also, as far as observation during the period of teaching practice is concerned, it can be seen as a method for current training and learning (wajnryb 1992).therefore the purpose of this study is to investigate whether less experienced efl teachers’ participation in experienced teachers’ classes has any effect on students’ learning. khalil motallebzadeh & elham asa’di iranian efl teachers and students’ development through observation 10 some studies suggest that learners will not achieve their learning goals successfully until they are given regular and systematic instruction. they also suggest that teachers can improve their teaching strategies by participating in more professional development activities in order to help students to reach their learning goals (hayes 2011). teacher education is presently facing a number of anxieties as pressures have come from many parts in the last decades, with perhaps the most powerful focus being on the issue of teacher quality (tony & richard 2001). researche show constantly that teacher quality is the crucial factor in student learning, the frequent problem is to identify the important characteristics of teacher quality and help teachers to develop these characteristics, (darlinghammond 1999; wenglinsky 2000). as education advocates state, the emphasis should be placed on providing educators with the skills necessary to make a meaningful impact on student learning, then egelson and mccoskey (1998) assert that an evaluation system designed to encourage individual teacher growth is not a luxury but a necessity. viewing the problem of improving student performance from this point of view makes the development of systematic and objective methods of classroom observation a critical component in improving teacher quality in every subject area. also, despite the increasing impact of observation as a professional development (pd) activity, it remains unclear how the process of observation will be implemented in the classroom and how it can help teachers to develop their teaching strategies in a collaborative way. therefore this study will help less-experienced teachers to make use of experienced teachers’ classroom through observation to improve their own teaching skills. the increasing awareness of new approaches in teacher training has made the researchers interested in the notion of classroom observation as a tool which less-experienced teachers can use to develop as effective teachers. therefore this study has examined how development of less-experienced teachers’ skills through observing experienced teachers classes can affect their skills and strategies as well as their students’ performances. method participants were 21 teachers including; seven males and 14 females. to carry out the experiment, two groups of teachers were selected as experimental groups (13) having university education (bachelor or master degree) with minimum of 5 years of teaching. eight teachers were less experienced, novice ones teaching at elementary (4) and pre intermediate (4) levels. one group was assigned as control group (8) who were beginner in teaching elementary (4) and pre-intermediate (4), having educational degree in english, though. the total number of students participated in less-experienced teachers’ classes (both experimental and control group) were (169) both male and female. to investigate the effect of classroom observation on students’ outcomes and teachers’ skills, three instruments were employed by the researchers. a sample of toefl test was used to assess the teachers’ proficiency in english. it was selected from longman complete course for the toefl test book published by addison-wesley longman, inc (2001). the number of questions were 60 multiple items, divided into grammar (30 items), vocabulary (20 items) and reading (10 items) sections. the toefl sample was piloted on (n=22) efl teachers to determine the reliability of the test. analyzing the result of the study english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 11 using spss (ver.18), the reliability was estimated through cronbach’s alpha as 0.732. also a key english test (ket) and preliminary english test (pet) tests were used in this study. in order to test students’ general english proficiency before the treatment two general english tests (ket & pet) were employed as pretest (ket for elementary levels and pet for pre-intermediate levels). these two tests were piloted on a random sample (n=40) of students to estimate reliability and time allocated to complete these tests. the results of the study using spss (ver. 15) show a reliability of 0.820 for ket and 0.775 for pet. the third instrument was a pet questionnaire containing several sections. the questionnaire included focus on a particular issue, for example use of visual aids, question techniques, pace and timing, interaction patterns with / between students. before observation the questionnaire was administered to participants to assess their initial knowledge, attitudes and skills in teaching. a similar questionnaire was given to participants to evaluate the impact of the treatment. finally teachers were interviewed to find out more information on their responses about the process they were involved, which was not possible in observation questionnaire. prior to the experiment, the participants (teachers) were given a sample of toefl test to evaluate their language proficiency. among teachers with higher scores some were considered as less-experienced and some were selected as experienced teachers based on the years they have taught english in language schools. two groups of less-experienced efl teachers who had and did not have the targeted treatment (classroom observation) were chosen to determine the effect of treatment on elementary and preintermediate students’ achievements. less experienced teachers in control groups have already participated in teachers training courses but they had no observation of experienced teachers’ classes, while less experienced teachers in experimental groups participated in both training courses and experienced teachers’ classes. this study required at least 10 sessions with less-experienced teachers attendance in experienced teachers’ classes. teachers observed a class on an area particularly relevant to their own area of teaching. and they were supposed to fill the mentioned observation checklist at least twice during the observation sessions first before starting observation sessions and the second one after ending observation in order to choose the focused areas of observations according to teachers’ needs and particular teaching situations. in order to test students’ performance in english before the treatment, the ket and pet tests were employed for both control and experimental groups. they consist of a number of multiple questions and certain skills were measured: listening, grammar, vocabulary, reading and speaking which was measured through interview. at the end of experiment the same tests (ket & pet) were conducted as posttest to measure the effect of treatment on students’ performance. first the students’ performances in experimental groups were evaluated. then students’ performances in experimental group were compared to the students’ performances in control group. in order to analyze the collected data of this study, the data were examined through the use of spss (version.15), excel (version 2007). in this study the differences in achievement scores of students taught by teachers who participated in one of the professional development activities (class khalil motallebzadeh & elham asa’di iranian efl teachers and students’ development through observation 12 observation) were used as the measure of effectiveness of classroom observation on students’ outcomes. results and discussion table 1 illustrates paired differences between two control groups in ket. as the results in table 1 show, there is a statistically increase in ket scores before (m=54.68, sd= 3.180) and after treatment (m=68.24, sd=3.053), p-value=.000 which is < .05. the mean increased with 95% confidence interval from 12.060 to 15.046.this increase is not statistically significant. table 1 comparison of two control groups in ket mean paired differences t df sig. (2-tailed)std. deviation std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pair control group scores in ket test post test control group scores in ket test pretest 13.553 4.542 .737 12.060 15.046 18.393 37 .000 table 2 comparison of two experimental groups in ket mean paired differences t df sig. (2-tailed)std. deviation std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pair exp group scores in ket test post test exp group scores in ket test pretest 16.94231 4.03618 .55972 15.81863 18.06599 30.269 51 .000 table 3 the comparison of two control groups in pet mean paired differences t df sig. (2-tailed)std. deviation std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pair control group scores in pet test post test control group scores in pet test pretest 12.314 3.402 .575 11.146 13.483 21.413 34 .000 also paired differences between two experimental groups are shown in table 2. according to table 2, there is a statistically significant increase in ket scores before (m=53.87, sd= 2.822) and after treatment (m=70.81, sd=3.113), p-value=.000 which is < .05. the mean increased with 95% confidence interval from 15.81863 to 18.06599. this shows a positive result. therefore, we concluded that the means between two groups are not equal and there is a significant difference between them. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 13 table 3 and 4 respectively show paired differences in pet control group and experimental group. table 3 shows, there is a statistically increase in pet scores before (m=45.11, sd= 2.423) and after treatment (m=57.43, sd=2.392), p-value=.000 which is < .05. the mean increased with 95% confidence interval from 11.146 to 13.483. results in table 4 illustrate, there is a statistically significant increase in pet scores before (m=44.36, sd= 2.114), and after treatment (m=59.27, sd=1.835), p-value=.000 which is < .05. the mean increased with 95% confidence interval from 14.233 to 15767. we can conclude that the mean between the groups are not equal and there is a significant difference between them. p-value=0.000< 0.05. accordingly we can say that teachers’ observation had significant effect on students’ scores as we had an increase in mean scores of experimental group. table 4 comparison of two experimental groups in pet mean paired differences t df sig. (2-tailed)std. deviation std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pair exp group scores in pet test post test exp group scores in pet test pretest 15.000 2.524 .381 14.233 15.767 39.416 43 .000 table 5 descriptive statics before treatment n minimum maximum mean std. deviation variance statistic statistic statistic statistic std.error statistic statistic preparation and planning start of the session explanation of the subject presentation of the session during the session finishing the session evaluating learners’ behavior 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.80 1.75 2.00 1.50 1.75 1.60 2.33 2.40 1.3500 1.2656 1.4167 1.2292 1.2969 1.2000 1.3542 1.4000 .06455 .06237 .06804 .04781 .05337 .04830 .10305 .09661 .25820 .24948 .27217 .19124 .21348 .19322 .41220 .38644 .067 .062 .074 .037 .046 .037 .170 .149 in this study teachers were supposed to fill in a lesson observation criteria twice before and after treatment. the questionnaire includes different sections and each part includes various questions. the results estimated for lesson observation criteria 1 (before treatment) are observable in table 5. according to this table sixteen teachers answered the questions that are related to different parts of questionnaire. according to this table mean and std deviation for each part preparation and planning, start of the session, explanation of the subject, presentation of the session, during the session, finishing the session and evaluating learners’ behavior are (m: 1. 3500/1.2656/1.4167/1.2292/1.2969/ 1. 2000/1.3542/1.4000;sd:.06455/.06237 /.06804/.04781/.05337/.04830/.10305 /.0966) respectively which shows that teachers are not really satisfied with their performance during their classrooms. khalil motallebzadeh & elham asa’di iranian efl teachers and students’ development through observation 14 table 6 illustrates the results estimated for lesson observation criteria 2 (after treatment). the evidence shows that overall, teachers reported high satisfaction with the processes in which they were involved since, mean and std deviation for each part including: preparation and planning, start of the session, explanation of the subject, presentation of the session, during the session, finishing the session, evaluating, learners’ behavior are (m:3.0625/2.96 87/2.9896/2.9479/2.8984/2.9000/3.04 17, sd:.28018/.49896/.41486/.30257/ .34827/.45019/.58214/.38966/3.0125 ) respectively. these findings indicate that less-experienced teachers who participated in experienced teachers classes reported greater satisfaction with the programs compared to their colleagues who didn’t receive treatment. the findings in table 7 show that mean and std deviation of lesson observation criteria 2 (m: 2.9688, sd: table 6. descriptive statistics after treatment n minimum maximum mean std. deviation variance statistic statistic statistic statistic std.error statistic statistic preparation and planning start of the session explanation of the subject presentation of the session during the session finishing the session evaluating learners’ behavior 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 2.60 2.00 2.17 2.50 2.13 2.20 2.00 2.00 3.80 3.75 4.00 3.50 3.50 3.60 3.67 3.40 3.0625 2.9687 2.9896 2.9479 2.8984 2.9000 3.0417 3.0125 .07004 .12474 .10371 .07564 .08707 .11255 .14554 .09741 .28018 .49896 .41486 .30257 .34827 .45019 .58214 .38966 .079 .249 .172 .092 .121 .203 .339 .152 table 7 descriptive statics of all questions n minimum maximum mean std. deviation variance statistic statistic statistic statistic std.error statistic statistic locriteria1 locriteria2 16 16 1.17 2.62 1.43 3.31 1.3125 2.9688 .02161 .04521 .08645 .18085 .007 .033 lo: lesson observation .04521) is higher than mean and std deviation of lesson observation criteria 1 (m: 1.3125, sd: .02161) which shows the great impact of class observation on iranian efl teachers’ skills and strategies. the main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of classroom observation on students’ outcomes and iranian efl teachers’ skills and strategies and to explore if it is feasible to apply it in educational setting in iran. three groups of teachers and students (elementary and pre-intermediate) were selected. only teaches in experimental group were given the opportunity to improve their teaching methods and strategies via participating in experienced teachers classes. and both experimental and control groups of students were given the chance to improve their english performance. the findings of this study show that teachers’ participation in experienced teachers’ classes had a significant english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 15 effect on students’ outcomes and their own skills and strategies. the results of students’ scores in experimental group was compared to the scores of students in control group in order to investigate, if, class observation had any significant effects on students’ outcomes. a significant increase in the use of observation was noted with regard to experimental group. therefore, statistically significant differences were found on the experimental group when compared to control group. although learning outcomes are influenced by a complex interplay of factors particular to an institution, teaching context, and student disposition, when employed carefully and thoughtfully, student outcomes may contribute to judgments of teaching. also data analysis through wilcoxon signed ranks test revealed that lessexperienced teachers’ participation in experienced teachers’ classes had a significant effect on their skills and strategies and helped them to rethink their own teaching methods. following in the study, the teachers were interviewed to reveal their specific ideas regarding the effect of experienced teachers’ class observation on their professional development. all, teachers reported high satisfaction with their participation in experienced teachers’ classes and processes in which they were involved. they had become more creative in enlarging their teaching in order to make their lessons more interesting. the participants said that they have become more motivated in teaching as a result of observation. the fact of observing teachers in many different settings will likely suggest variations they can try to improve their strategy. in other words, as they observe teachers implementing a strategy in different ways, they, too, can gain the ability to see and act more flexibly in their own teaching. conclusion based on the findings of the present study, teachers had a positive experience for class observation, the participants held the same belief that through observation and discussion, they had learnt about and adopted some of the others’ instructional techniques. the evidence also showed that they adjusted their own techniques to improve the teaching of a particular class. therefore, we can conclude experienced teachers’ class observation is acceptable for efl less experienced teachers and its introduction is beneficial for both teachers and students. references akbari, r., & gaffer samar, r., & tajik, l. (2007). developing of classrom observation model based on iranian efl teachers’ attitude. journal of faculty of letters, and humanities, year 49, no.195. brown, c. a., smith, m. s., & stein, m. k. (1995). linking teacher support to enhanced classroom instruction. paper presented at the annual conference of the american educational research association, new york.bubb, s. (2005). helping teachers develop. darling-hammond, l. (2000). teacher quality and student achievement: a review of state policy evidence. (research report r-99-1). washington dc: center for the study of teaching and policy, university of washington. fullan, m. (2001). the new meaning of educational change. new york: teachers college. nir, a. e., & bogler, r. (2007). the antecedents of teacher satisfaction with professional development programs. teaching and teacher education, 24(2), 377e386. richard. j. (2001). teachers’ knowledge and how it develops. in richardson, v (ed), handbook of research on teaching (4th edition). rizvia, m. (2010). development of a classroom observation schedule for measuring the efficacy of a teacher khalil motallebzadeh & elham asa’di iranian efl teachers and students’ development through observation 16 development program. procedia social and behavioral sciences. science direct. vo, t. l. & and mai nguyen, h. t. (2011). critical friends group for efl teacher professional development. retrieved from http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/. wajnryb, r. (1992). classroom observation tasks: a resource book for language teachers and trainers. cambridge: cambridge university press. wenglinsky, h. (2000). how teaching matters: bringing the classroom back into discussion of teacher quality policy. princeton, nj: educational testing services. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 19 comparison of nouns reduplication in indonesian and japanese language stephanus mangga university of nanzan e-mail: mangaa@nanzan-u.ac.jp apa citation: mangga, s. (2018). comparison of nouns reduplication in indonesian and japanese language. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 19-26. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1240. received: 28-02-2018 accepted: 29-04-2018 published: 01-06-2018 abstract: this article is a qualitative description of the nouns reduplication comparison in indonesian and japanese language. nouns are restricted to the category on the noun which can be counted (kbk). the data were taken from library source and analyzed by comparing the elements of similarity and difference. as result, it was found that there are similarities and differences between kbk’s reduplication of indonesian and japanese language. the equations include three items, namely; a) it has simple type without affixes, b) it has complex type with changes of consonants, and c) it functions to declare the indefinite category of the group. while the differences consist of four items and they are not found in japanese language. those four items are: a) it is in the form of simply affix, b) it is in the complex form with the repetition of consonants, c) it functions to show group category indefinite, and d) it functions as types of category indefinite. those differences prove that reduplication of kbk in indonesian language are more productive that reduplication of kbk in japanese language. keywords: reduplication, noun, indonesian language, japanese language introduction reduplication is one of linguistic reality which can be found in many languages. as gómez and voort state that “reduplication is a phenomenon that occurs in the majority of the world’s languages….” (gómez & voort, 2014, p. 1). hence, reduplication between languages can be compared to see and find any differences and similarities. this is not only useful for documentation in the field of structural linguistics, but also practically useful for teaching and learning of both languages which are compared. this study is a qualitative description of noun reduplication comparison of indonesian and japanese language. the somparison is made since it is assumed that there are similarities and differences in terms of function or type noun reduplication in both languages. for example, in reduplication of japanese language, word 人 [hito] which means `person` becomes [hito-bito] `people`. there is vowel change of /h/ become /b/ in the first syllable. the reduplicative word [hito-bito] can be categorized as reduplication with sound change. in indonesian language, there is also reduplication with vowel change like lauk becomes lauk-pauk; sayur becomes sayurmayur. those examples of reduplication in indonesian and japanese language functions to state “indefinite” meaning. it is called jamak in indonesian language, while in japanese language is called 複数 [fukusū]. however, according to takayama (2012) and ōsato (2013), there is few number of noun reduplication in japanese language or it can be said that the amount of it is rare. based on the above introduction, there are three objectives to be achieved in this paper. first, it describes the similarities and differences of noun reduplication type in indonesian and japanese language. second, it describes similarities and differences of noun reduplication function in indonesian and japanese language. third, it explains why noun reduplication in japanese is quite limited than in indonesian language. stephanus mangga comparison of nouns reduplication in indonesian and japanese language 20 in addition, this study will use size and function of reduplication theory proposed by rubino (2005) to analyse the data. rubino (2005) states that the systematic repetition within a word for semantic or grammatical purposes is known as reduplication. according to rubino (2005), reduplication is divided into two major types those are full reduplication and partial reduplication. full reduplication is reduplication from stem word. while partial reduplication appears in many form like in the form of double consonant or vowel lengthening. moreover, based on the existence and inexistence of phoneme change and/or additional in reduplication, rubino divided into simple reduplication and complex reduplication. simple reduplication is reduplication without changes of particular phoneme. complex reduplication is reduplication with changes of phonology materials like changes or additions vocal or consonant or the reversal of the phonemes order (rubino, 2005). moreover, the reduplication which relates to noun functions to describe number, distribution, indefinite, association, diminutive, and augmentative (rubino, 2005). method this study can be classified as descriptive qualitative. as stated by flick (2009), qualitative research is of specific relevance to the study of social relations, due to the fact of the pluralisation of life worlds. qualitative research can be done using written or spoken data. the data used in this study were library data. those data were collected from several sources which discussed reduplication in indonesian and japanese language. they were takayama (2012), ōsato (2013), ferawati (2013), simatupang (1983), ramlan (2012), yu (2015), olson (2015), kobayakawa (2004), tamura (1991), matsumoto (2009), takayama (2013), and ta (2014). the data in this study were analyzed by using dividing technique. it means that the data will be divided to several parts (sudaryanto, 2015). the first part was classifying the existence-inexistence of similarities and differences in type of reduplication. the second part was categorizing the existenceinexistence of similarities and differences in type of function. the last was explaining why noun reduplication in japanese is quite limited than in indonesian language. in addition, there is data limitation in this study. it aims to get accurate analysis, so this study only discusses about noun reduplication. moreover, the noun in this study was bounded into concrete and/or countable noun (kbk). kbk was chosen because the use of it in indonesian language is more productive than in japanese language. results and discussion types and functions of kbk reduplication in japanese language there are two types of kbk reduplication in japanese language which will be explained below. simple reduplication rubino (2005) said that simple reduplication means duplicating fixation phoneme. in other words, it is reduplication without sound changes. the simple reduplication can be seen in table 1 below. table 1. simple reduplication of kbk reduplication in japanese language root word gloss reduplication gloss 家 [ie] house 家々[ie-ie] houses, housing 町 [machi] city 町々[machi-machi] cities, urban 村 [mura] village 村々[mura-mura] villages, rural 山[yama] mountain 山々[yama-yama] mountains, highland 道 [michi] street 道々[michi-michi] streets, pathway from the table, it can be seen that simple reduplication of kbk in japanese language occurs in noun which cannot move and have the design of group. as a result, the function english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 21 of reduplication shows indefinite of noun category of shūdan/dantai `group.’ it can be seen in examples below. 1) ie-ie ga tachi narabu house-red. ps. in line stand the houses is lined up stand. (red: reduplication, ps: subject marker) the reduplicative form of ie-ie in example (1) shows that the number of house is more than one. however, it cannot be said as ‘uncountable’, but it is said as a group. in indonesian language, it can be translated into word perumahan. the similar thing can be seen in example below. 2) arupusu no yama-yama ga mieru alpes pm. mountain-red. ps. visible ‘highland of alpes is visible.’ (pm: possession marker) the reduplicative form of yama-yama in example (2) shows that the number of mountain is indefinite. as a result, it can be expressed with highland (alpes). therefore, reduplicative of yama-yama shows that yama is more than one, but it shows ‘a group of mountain.’ it is similar to olson’s statement (2015), from japanese people’s statement that the reduplicative form of yama-yama means “yama hitotsu janakute, sanmyaku no you na yama ga itsumo aru no arawasu kotoba.” those quote means ` yama-yama words not only express existence of a mountain, but it shows a group of mountains.’ 3) michi-michi ni hijō-sen ga harareru pathway-red. in emergency strip ps. installed `emergency strip is installed in pathway `. the reduplicative form of michi-michi shows that the number of michi is more than one, but it cannot be classified as `uncountable`. consequently, form of michimichi functions to express `group`. those reduplications function to show indefinite meaning which means the number is more than one, but it creates a shūdan/dantai special `group`. complex reduplication rubino (2005) said that complex reduplication is reduplication with some phonological changes like changes or addition of vocal or consonant or inversion of phoneme order. it can also be said as reduplication with sound changes (verhaar, 2008). table 2 below shows complex reduplication data of kbk in japanese language. table 2. noun complex reduplication in japanese language table 2 shows that kbk reduplication in japanese marked with changes of root initial consonant. these changes happen in root initial consonant which have one or two syllables. based on those changes, complex reduplication form of kbk in japanese language is divided into three types. first, type /h/ > /b/. root form of initial consonant /h/ will become /b/. it can be seen in reduplicative form of hito > hito-bito and hi > hi-bi. second, type /k/ > /g/. root form of initial consonant /k/ will become /g/. it can be seen in reduplicative form of kami > kami-gami dan kata > kata-gata. it is also happens in reduplication form of kuchi > kuchi-guchi, kuni > kuni-guni, ki > ki-gi, koe > koe-goe. root word gloss reduplication gloss 人 [hito] person 人々 [hito-bito] people, a group of person 日 [hi] day 日々 [hi-bi] days, a group of day 神 [kami] divinity 神々 [kami-gami] divinity-deity 方 [kata] master 方々 [kata-gata] masters, a group of master 国 [kuni] country 国々 [kuni-guni] countries 木 [ki] tree 木々 [ki-gi] tree, trees 島 [sima] island 島々 [sima-zima] islands, archipelago 品 [sina] item 品々 [sina-zina] items stephanus mangga comparison of nouns reduplication in indonesian and japanese language 22 third, type /s/ > /z/. root form of initial consonant /s/ will become /z/. it can be seen in reduplicative form of sima > sima-zima, sina > sina-zina, and sumi > sumi-zumi. similar to simple reduplication in table 1, complex reduplication group in table 2 runs to show indefinite. indefinite refers to `uncertain` in number which can be `many`. however, the meaning of `many` is not associated with `uncountable` or `infinite`, but it relates to `grouping`. grouping means the group number is more than one. then, in table 2, it functions to show group indefinite of a dantai (group). it can be seen from the examples below. 4) asoko de hito-bito ga tabeteiru there in people-red. ps. eat `people are eating over there. ` the reduplicative form of hito-bito explains about `the existence of people’s group`. since it creates dantai `group`, so it can be said that there are many members of group. the expression may become different if people on that sentence is not in a group. it will become asoko de hito ga tabeteiru `person is eating over there `. 5) watashi wa kami-gami wo shinjimasu i pt. divinity-red. po. believe `i believe in divinity-deity `. (pt: topic marker, po: object marker) the form of kami-gami explains `group of divinity` and the group contains divinity and deity. indefinite which is in the form of kamigami means divinity that is believed, and the number of it is more than one. the expression will be different if the belief is only one thing. it will become watashi wa kami wo shinjimasu `i believe in god`. therefore, either simple or complex reduplication of kbk in japanese language serves to declare indefinite in terms of the number of noun categories for group/collection. thus, in japanese language, the noun which is not categorized as groups/collections and/or it is not potentially forming groups/collections cannot be reduplicated. this is in accordance with what is said by kobayakawa (2004) that in noun japanese language which is not potentially form a group/collection is difficult to be reduplicated. as stated by takayama (2012) and olson (2015), reduplication of nouns in japanese language does exist, but it is very limited in its use. types and functions of kbk reduplication in indonesian language simple reduplication kbk in indonesia language is almost can be reduplicated as simply (total). in indonesian language, basic noun or noun derivative with [+count] can be reduplicated totally. because all can be reduplicated completely, then there are much numbers of kbk reduplication in indonesian language. the following table shows some simple reduplication of kbk in indonesian language. the data which were given category i was basic nouns, whereas category ii was noun derivative. table 3. simple reduplication of kbk in indonesian language root category reduplication orang i orang-orang sepeda i sepeda-sepeda mobil i mobil-mobil motor i motor-motor toko i toko-toko tokoh i tokoh-tokoh buku i buku-buku kursi i kursi-kursi meja i meja-meja gunung i gunung-gunung sawah i sawah-sawah jalan i jalan-jalan rumah i rumah-rumah pertempuran ii pertempuran-pertempuran english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 23 pertemuan ii pertemuan-pertemuan perundingan ii perundingan-perundingan pengeluaran ii pengeluaran-pengeluaran pendapatan ii pendapatan-pendapatan makanan ii makanan-makanan minuman ii minuman-minuman the table shows that the simple reduplications of kbk in indonesian language can be basic words without affixes (category i) and basic words with affixes (category ii). basic words with affixes of kbk are divided over three types. first, root morpheme + affix per-an. this can be seen in the form of pertempuran, pertemuan, and perundingan. other forms which can be added into this type are pertikaian > pertikaian-pertikaian, perumahan > perumahan-perumahan, perkebunan > perkebunan-perkebunan, perusahaan > perusahaan-perusahaan, perbaikan > perbaikan-perbaikan, and others. second, root morpheme + affix pe(n)-an. this can be seen in the form of pengeluaran and pendapatan. other forms which is similar to this type is penyamaran > penyamaranpenyamaran, pemotongan > pemotonganpemotongan, pemalsuan > pemalsuanpemalsuan, pengerusakan > pengerusakanpengerusakan, and others. third, root morpheme + affix –an. this can be seen in the form of makanan and minuman. other forms which are similar to this type are pakaian > pakaian-pakaian, tumbuhan > tumbuhantumbuhan, lukisan > lukisan-lukisan, manisan > manisan-manisan, and others. the use of kbk reduplications such as those on table 3 functions to declare indefinite in terms of numbers. according to simatupang (1983), reduplication with nouns as basically serves to proclaim 'plurality' referent of related noun. it is a bit different with that term, ramlan (2012) stated that one of the meanings of the process of repetition (noun) was declared the meaning 'many'. in this paper 'plurality' and 'many' are melted into the term offered by rubino (2005) that is 'indefinite'. based on the table 3 above, the indefinite can be distinguished into two categories, those are category of groups and category of types/kinds. consequently, it can be said that simple reduplication of kbk in indonesia language serves to proclaim: a) group category indefinite, and b) types/kinds category indefinite. function of group category indefinite is found in the form of kbk reduplicative which is given category i. meanwhile, the functions of types/kinds category indefinite are found in the form of kbk reduplicative which is given category ii. the following examples may be able to clarify the division. 6) a. pak tono sedang mengumpulkan sepeda-sepeda bekas di gudang. b. pak tono sedang mengumpulkan sepeda-sepeda di gudang. 7) a. ibu sedang menghitung pengeluranpengeluaran bulan lalu b. ibu sedang menghitung pengeluaranpengeluaran the reduplicative form of sepedasepeda in the example (6a) above stated groups of sepeda with its speciality is bekas (older). even if such specificity is removed, the reduplicative form of sepeda-sepeda still shows group category indefinite as stated in the example (6b). meanwhile, the reduplicative form of pengeluaranpengeluaran in the example (7a) declares the types or kinds of pengeluaran with its specificity in time that is bulan lalu. even if such specificity is omitted, the form of pengeluaran-pengeluaran still declares the types or kinds as stated in the example (7b). complex reduplication complex reduplication of kbk in indonesian language is distinguished into three types; 1) type a – kbk reduplication with changes of consonant, 2) type b – kbk reduplication with repetition of consonant, and 3) type c – kbk reduplication with affix –an. the following table shows the detail of them. stephanus mangga comparison of nouns reduplication in indonesian and japanese language 24 table 4. complex reduplication of kbk in indonesian language root reduplication type sayur sayur-mayur a laki lelaki b mobil mobil-mobilan c table 4 shows that the form of sayurmayur establishes type a. it is marked by the changes of consonant /s/ becomes /m/. the changes of consonant occur at the initial consonant. it includes the same type like lauk > lauk-pauk. in the form of lauk-pauk, the changes is consonant /l/ becomes /p/. type b is represented by form of lelaki. the changes of consonant occur at the initial consonant and the addition of vocal /e/. it can be formulated with red. k/e/ + morfem dasar (k= consonant). words reduplication included into this type are tamu > tetamu. another forms which can also be grouped into this type are jari > jemari, tali > temali, daun > dedaunan, and pohon > pepohonan. type c is represented by form mobil > mobil-mobilan. there is repetition with affix –an. it can be formulated with red. root morpheme + affix –an. words reduplication included into this type are kereta > kereta-keretaan, orang > orang-orangan, kera > kera-keraan, gunung > gunungan, and others. function of types a and b are the same that is stating indefinite. nevertheless, the remains can be distinguished over; a) indefinite of type/category for type a, and b) group category indefinite for type b. whereas type c serves to reveal similarities with what is referred to in the basic form. as result, it can be said that the complex reduplication of kbk in indonesian language has several functions in accordance with the type of the reduplicative form. comparison of kbk reduplication in indonesian and japanese language based on the above description, it can be seen that the kbk reduplication in indonesian and japanese language have similarities and differences. the similarities are: a) both languages have kbk reduplicative of simple and complex type, and b) both languages have function that stated indefinite (not singular, plural). then the difference are: a) there is no affix kbk reduplication in japanese language as in indonesian language, b) there is no kbk reduplication with repetition of consonant in japanese language as in indonesia, and c) in japanese language, kbk reduplication only serves to state group category indefinite, whereas in indonesian language of indonesia, it is not only states group category indefinite but also it states types category indefinite. the following table shows those similarities and differences. table 5. the similarities and differences of kbk reduplication of indonesian and japanese language no item indonesian language japanese language 1 simple non-affix + + 2 simple with-affix + 3 complex with consonant changes + + 4 complex with consonant repetition + 5 complex with-affix + 6 group category indefinite + + 7 types category indefinite + based on the table, it can be said that the use of language in indonesia kbk reduplication is more productive than in japanese language. what proves it, on indonesian language column, all items is positive (+), whereas japanese language only has three positive (+). this was reinforced by a statement of matsumoto (2009) that though japanese language has a form of nouns reduplication, however the scope of its use is very limited. the reduplicative form of ‘many’ in japanese language is not as productive as the use of the form reduplicative in indonesian language, because japanese language has its english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 25 own system to declare the meaning of 'many' or 'plural' or 'single'. there are two ways to produce ‘many’ in japanese language those are: a) noun + tachi and b) sorera no + noun. the first formulation, nomina + tachi is usually used for the noun category 'animate' (living things). the word tachi is ‘plural’ maker which is specific to the lifeless beings (yu, 2015). consequently, in japanese language, there is expression hito tachi 'people' (group of people), inu tachi 'dogs' (group of dogs), neko tachi 'cats' (group of cats), hana tachi 'flowers' (group of flowers). as a result, kbk japanese language reduplication is not as productive as in indonesian language because japanese language has formulation noun + tachi which is to declare the category indefinite of group. the second formulation, sorera no + noun is used for all animate the lifeless adjective. the word sorera is actually the plural form of the word sore which means 'that'. while for 'this' is used the word kore, with the plural form is korera. for example, hito 'person' > sorera no hito 'that people', korera no hito 'these people'; or hon 'book' > sorera no hon 'that books', korera no hon 'this books'. hence, in japanese language, kbk reduplication is not as productive as in indonesian language because japanese language has formulations sorera no + noun atau korera no + noun to indicate category indefinite of types/kinds. conclusion indonesian and japanese language has the kbk reduplication form. the equation encompasses three items namely a) simple type without affixes, b) complex type with changes of consonants, and c) function to declare the category indefinite of the group. the difference is in the four items, namely a) indonesian language has affix simple form while japanese language does not have it; b) japanese language does not have the form of complex with the repetition of consonants whereas indonesian language have it; c) indonesian language have affix complex form whereas japanese language does not have it; and d) japanese language only have group category indefinite whereas indonesia language have it and have function of category indefinite of types/categories. finally, it can be said that kbk reduplication in japanese language is not as productive as in indonesian language. however, it does not mean that japanese language have 'less' expression to declare the meaning of 'plural' or 'singular', because it has another expression those are noun + tachi dan sorera no + noun (korera no + noun). acknowledgments this work was generously supported by a research grant from nanzan university pache research subsidy i-a-2 for the 2017 academic year. references ferawati, l. (2013). analisis kontrastif reduplikasi bahasa indonesia dan bahasa jepang. unpublished thesis, universitas brawijaya. flick, u. (2010). an introduction to qualitative research. london: sage publication inc. kobayakawa. (2004). nihongo no fukusū hyōgen. mind and language, 3, 35-50. matsumoto, j. (2009). nihongo ni okeru jōgo fukusūgata no seisei kanōsei ni tsuite. bulletin of toyo gakuen university, 17, 243-249. tokyo: universitas toyo gakuen. olson, l. (2015). form and function of reduplicated nouns in japanese. unpublished thesis, universitas stockholms. ōsato, a. (2013). jōgo no kenkyū. studies in language and culture, xxii(22), 1-16. ramlan, m. (2012). morfologi suatu tinjauan deskriptif. yogyakarta: cv karyono. rubino, c. (2005). reduplication: form, function and distribution (pp. 11-29). in b. hurch (ed.), studies on reduplication. berlin: walter de gruyter. simatupang, m. d. s. (1983). reduplikasi morfemis bahasa indonesia. jakarta: djambatan. sudaryanto. (2015). metode dan aneka teknik analisis bahasa: pengantar penelitian wahana kebudayaan secara linguis. yogyakarta: duta wacana university press. ta, u. (2014). gendaigo jōgo, jōgo keiyōshi no kōzō ni tsuite: gendai chūgokugo, nihongo no jōgo, jōgo keiyōshi. journal of higher education, 11, 76-87. takayama, r. (2013). nihongo sho hōgen no shi mōra jōgo o hikaku suru kokoromi” (an attempt at cross-dialectal comparison of 4-mora reduplicated words in japanese dialects). departmental bulletin paper, 34, 143 – 183. tokyo: universitas tokyo. tamura, y. (1991). gendai nihongo ni okeru jōgo ni tsuite: sū gainen kara mita jōgo. bulletin of the international student center, i, 41-47. universitas hiroshima. stephanus mangga comparison of nouns reduplication in indonesian and japanese language 26 verhaar, j. w. m. (2008). asas-asas linguistik umum. yogyakarta: gadjah mada university press. yu, k. (2015). jōgo no sho kinō. departmental bulletin paper, xxiv, 25-27. universitas gakushuin. unearthing students’ realization of speech act in asking information in telephone conversation ida zuraida supri department of english, widyatama university, indonesia e-mail: ida.zuraida@widyatama.ac.id apa citation: supri, i. z. (2017). unearthing students‟ realization of speech act in asking information in telephone conversation. english review: journal of english education, 5(2), 227-236 received: 09-04-2017 accepted: 18-05-2017 published: 01-06-2017 abstract: this research aims at investigating speech acts realization in asking for information in bahasa indonesia done by students at widyatama university. secondly, it seeks for the utterance patterns highly used by students in asking for information using bahasa indonesia. the study utilized a descriptive method. this method comprises distributing questionnaires, collecting data, classifying data, and analyzing data. the subjects in this study were fourth semester students of information technology, faculty of engineering. the results showed that speech realization patterns highly used when they ask for information via telephone to a friend is they make an opening and directly to the purpose of calling, and closing. when calling to parents, casual utterances are significantly employed. keywords: speech acts, utterance patterns introduction communicating is one of the basic human needs as a social creature. communication can be conducted by two or more people in expressing feelings or thoughts. in communicating to one another, people make use of sentences, or specifically, utterances. according to wardhaugh (2010), utterances can be classified by length, by grammatical structure, by semantic or logical structure, and by functional approach. utterance which is long is not a guarantee that it is easily understood by the hearer. more often short but concise utterance is more effective than the longer one. in terms of grammatical structure, utterances may vary in number of dimensions, for instance, the use of active and passive, clausal type an complexity, statement, question, request, and exclamatory. in terms of functional approach, simple functions of utterance may be as stating, questioning, requesting, and exclaiming. in short, a conversation engages not only language to state propositions or to utter facts but also the unmarked used of the language. through conversation, people establish relationships with others, achieve or fail a measure of collaboration or cooperation, maintain channels open for further relationship. people communicate orally face to face, or at least they can see and not too far, in nature with their partner of speaking. however, advanced technology allows them to speak with their partner of speaking without direct presence of the two speakers at the same place of which the conversation occurs. let‟s take some examples of advanced technology that are highly used nowadays; telephone, web camera (digital imaging system), teleconference, etc. among those instruments mentioned earlier, the easiestto-find and easiest-to-use is telephone. it can be found in almost all houses, especially in cities even in countryside of some parts of indonesia. furthermore, the availability of cellular phone enables people to talk with https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v5i2.538 227 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee other users without any limits toward distance. speech acts possible to be conducted when conversing are manifold. when people need to know something that they do not know, they would ask other people to let them know the information. in order to get information they need, they have to realize it through speech acts. one of the speech acts employ as to get information is requesting. yule (2000) classifies general functions performed by speech acts into declarations, representatives, expressives, directives, and commissives. firstly, declarations are kinds of speech acts which change the realm through the utterance. utterances like below: priest : “i now pronounce you husband and wife.” referee : “you‟re out!” jury foreman: “we find the defendant guilty” the above utterance should be uttered by one who has a special institutional role, in a specific context, in order to perform a declaration appropriately. secondly, representatives are speech act which state what the speaker believes to be the case or not. statement, assertions, conclusions, and descriptions are categorized into representative speech acts. thirdly, expressives are kinds of speech acts which state what the speaker feels. the expressions of psychological states, statement of pleasure, pain likes, dislikes, joy, and sorrow can be delivered by using expressives speech acts. following are the examples; „i‟m sorry!‟, “congratulations!” and “oh, yes, great, mmmmm, ssahh!”. the speaker makes the utterance fit the world of feelings. fourth, directives are kinds of speech acts which speakers use to get other people to do something. the utterances express what the speaker wants which can be positive or negative, they can be commands, order, requests, or suggestions. following are the samples of utterances of directives: a. “give me a cup of coffee. make it black” b. ”could you lend me a pen, please?” c. “don‟t touch that!” finally, commissives are speech acts which speaker use to commit themselves to some future actions. it expresses what the speaker intends, for instance, promises, threats, refusals, pledges, that can be performed by the speaker alone or by the speaker as a member of a group. when performing a commissive speech acts, the speaker undertakes to make the world fit the words through the speaker. yule (2000) also simplifies the elaborations on classifications of speech acts as in the table below: table. 1. the five general functions of speech acts (searle, 1969) speech acts type direction of fit s = speaker x = situation declarations words change the world s causes x representatives make the words fit the world s believes x expressives make the words fit the world s feels x directives make the words fit the world s wants x commissives make the words fit the world s intend x yule (2002) also distinguishes types of speech acts. he proposes three basic sentence types; declarative, interrogative, and imperative. on the other hand, allan (1994) says that speech acts is classified as interpersonal acts. it is usually addressed to an individual so that it only involves the speaker and interlocutor(s). a speech act is considered to be effective when there is reaction from the interlocutor. further, austin (1962) classifies speech acts into three; locutionary acts, illocutionary act, and perlocutionary acts. the basic unit of human linguistics 228 ida zuraida supri unearthing students’ realization of speech act in asking information in telephone conversation communication is illocutionary act (searle, 1969, p. 1). whereas, asking for information lies under the umbrella of requesting of perlocutionary acts; the speaker should utter his intention through a speech act properly so that the interlocutor would do what the speaker wants. in other words, the speaker ought to be polite in conveying the utterance. in terms of politeness, brown & levinson (1987) claimed that there are certain social principles that guide human communication. they argued that as people communicate with others, they are constantly aware of their own and others‟ face and that they cooperate to maintained one another‟s face. thus, people attempt to soften the effects of their face threatening acts (fta) by using a variety of politeness strategies. it is commonly stated that there are three influential factors in interpersonal communication; firstly, social distance. boxer (1993) states that social distance is one of the foremost factors that determine the way in which interlocutor conserve precisely because it is an important determinant of the degree of comfort in a verbal exchange. secondly, relative power. it refers to a speaker‟s power level that enables him to make an interlocutor do or not do the action. lastly is absolute ranking of imposition. this links to what kind of action expected. the strategies employed by speakers to maintain politeness can be in terms of address e.g. miss, ma‟am, or sir. gordon and tripp (1985) state there are conventional request types as following; 1) imperatives: any form with imperative syntax, 2) imperative ellipsis: naming what is wanted without a verb is heard as a request, 3) embedded requests: make explicit the desired action, agent, and object, e.g. using modals can/could, will, etc., 4) permission requests, e.g. using can/may i, and explicit need or wants statements, e.g. i want, i need…, etc. the above forms can be varied or nuanced in many ways (gordon & tripp, 1985). expressions can be intensified or mitigated through prosodic variation such as falling pitch or wheedling tone. request can be mitigated through displacements and minimizers, which include; utterances with displaced tense or aspect (e.g. could you? would you?) and utterances with displaced agents and minimization (e.g. give me a little of ….). further, there are etiquette performance that people do when making a phone call, which are opening, mentioning numbers, mentioning self-identity, mentioning reason for calling, and closing. method the objectives of this research are as follows: 1. to find out language realization by students at widyatama university in conveying asking for information in bahasa indonesia. 2. to investigate the strategy they employ to lead to the main topic of conversation. 3. to see utterance patterns which are highly used by students in asking for information by using bahasa indonesia. the scopes to be analyzed are as follows: 1. to unearth students‟ style in a telephone conversation which includes the way they open and close the conversation. 2. to find out how students lead to the main topic of the conversation in terms of directness and politeness. 3. how they use the language in asking for information. the subjects involved in this research were students of fourth semester of information technology, faculty of engineering, widyatama university bandung. there were fifteen students in the classroom consisting of five female and ten male students. it is assumed that they are familiar with or accustomed to conversing through telephone. the instruments used to investigate the three research questions above are; 1) a 229 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee questionnaire containing questions related to their procedure in using phone, e.g. when the line is connected to the interlocutor what would he says first, etc., and 2) dct or discourse completion test. the questionnaire comprises a situation where the subjects should respond to by creating a dialog on how they would ask for information through a telephone. the two questionnaires are intertwined since one of the two can be used to crosscheck subjects‟ consistency in responding the questions given related to procedure of telephoning. since the writer wants to know students‟ speech realization in bahasa indonesia, the instruction and the questions are in bahasa indonesia. besides giving the written instruction, the writer also gave verbal instruction as well in order to avoid misunderstanding in questionnaire completion. following is the example: anda menelpon teman untuk menanyakan apakah besok ada kuliah tambahan atau tidak. ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ the procedures employed in obtaining the data were as follows. the writer made five situations (dct, discourse completion test) where the subjects can respond to. the discourse completion tests were then distributed to the subjects to be filled out. next, they are assigned to respond to the given situations by completing them. after that, the data collected are categorized based on their group. then, the writer analyzes the data by referring to the theoretical foundations used in this research. results and discussion asking for information, a type of speech act which is under the classification of directive speech acts is very day to day utterance to perform. in asking for information, a person might address the utterance to someone he already knows, like family, friends, and relative or even to someone that he does not know, e.g. a policemen at the street, a passer-by, a receptionist at an office or hospital, etc. people ask for information for many reasons. they ask questions because they need a piece of information or just to make sure or confirm that the information that he or she understand is valid or correct. in this modern era, there are various types of media to use in asking for information. with the advancement of the technology, people can text, phone or video call to get information. different applications of social media facilitate the flow of information. unfortunately, there is still constraint in using those media in getting information. for examples, using applications such as whatsapp, messenger, line for texting are lack of intonation in delivering the utterance. although emoticons are created to represent the feelings of the speaker when expressing his/her idea, misunderstanding may still occur. therefore, video call is a better facility to offer for long distance communication. it offers a face to face communication as long as the connections in the speaker and hearer‟s area are good. initially, asking for information can be simply conducted through a telephone line. people commonly used a telephone line to get information they need since it offers a fast response. therefore, it would be interesting to find out whether there will be differences when a person makes an utterance via telephone or directly face to face. however, scollon and scollon (2001) claim that there is no faceless communication. this means that face is an important aspect to maintain in a communication. besides, there might be a distinction when a person asks for information from someone he knows and from someone he does not. the differences might lie in terms 230 ida zuraida supri unearthing students’ realization of speech act in asking information in telephone conversation of utterance, like the greeting, addressing, leading to main topic, closing, as well as in directness and politeness in making the utterances. when there is distance between speaker and hearer, the utterance will be then delivered in an indirect manner. on the contrary, if there is no distance between the speaker and the hearer, then the utterance will be conveyed in a direct manner. the data gathered from the questionnaires show that the subjects, students of faculty of engineering, are active users of telephone as their means of communication. although the availability of internet-based media communication is various for the students to use, they still use telephoning in getting information. especially, when they are in situations where they need quick responses from their interlocutors. some of the students will text their lecturers first before they make a phone call. they think that they do not want to disturb if their lecturers are giving lectures when they call them. some others will make a phone call directly without making appointment or permission to make phone calls to their lecturers. in short, almost all of the subjects use the telephone when they find it necessary to do it. some students prefer to use social media applications available on their smart phone rather than making phone calls. they stated that using social media applications on the basis on internet connection is a lot more economical. on the other hand, few of them use it only for chatting. it means that they are quite economical, since it is not cheap using this modern technology, they use only if they really have particular urgency. the conclusion is supported by their response in the questionnaire that they use the telephone when they really need it. opening the utterances produced by the subjects reveal that students employ different types of opening. they generally utter opening before they proceeded to the conversation. halo and assalamu’alaikum are the most used utterance by the subjects. the use of halo is universal since it does not refer to particular religious believers‟ utterance, whereas the latter is. however, few subjects seem to be persistent in using assalamu’alaikaum to whomever they were calling; a person they know or a person they talk to for the first time. in my opinion this happened because saying assalamualaikum has been their habit as soon as they make a contact with other people. the other few subjects opened the conversation by saying both and became „halo, assalamualaikum’. but they utter it to people that they already know. some of the subjects did not use the two types of openings above. they use eh, instead. the subjects used eh to intimates; especially, when they made the call to cellular phone. they have already known the hearers they are contacting. utterance eh which is used as an opening serves as an attention getter or a way to directly start the conversation. it happened because they were very certain that the person replying is the one they expected to speak to, e.g. eh, besok ada kuliah tambahan gak? saya gak tau, euy! eh, lif, besok ada kuliah tambahan gak? however, when they made the call to home telephone most of the subjects will ask for information on whether the person they wanted to speak to is there or not, can be contacted or not. type of utterance highly used by subject is bisa bicara dengan (could i speak to) … (name). permission is used in interrogatives since the speakers understand that the addressee is potential source of the permission. it happened because they assumed that anybody in the house might pick up the receiver. they do not know yet who was answering the phone it can be the maid, parents, sibling, etc. that is why they made the utterance in a polite way by using 231 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee modality can or could in bahasa indonesia „bisa’. none of the subjects mentioned the number they were calling when they made the calls in asking for information. it is evidence that mentioning the destination numbers is not a popular procedure in telephoning in indonesia. they did not think it is necessary to do until they find out that they had dialed the wrong numbers. especially in a digital era, the dialed phone number can be seen from the telephone screen. some telephone machines come with wide screen enabling the caller see the number that he/she is being dialed. closing utterance used to close a telephone conversation is quite various, including makasih ya, ya udah, makasih, assalamu’alaikum, dah, sampe besok, thanks, terima kasih, terima kasih banyak, terima kasih, maaf telah mengganggu. the first seven closings are used when they close the conversation with people they feel close, whereas the last three and assalamu’alaikum are addressed to people they respect or they talk to for the first time. situation #1 when they made a call to a friend that they know well, almost all of the subjects tend to be very casual and they directly get to the topic or the purpose of calling. however, few of them greet first and made a question as an ice breaker by asking questions like, halo vie, lagi ngapain? (hallo vie, what are you doing?), before they get down to the reason for calling. they ask the interlocutor‟s activity when they made a call. this is showing that the relationship of the two speakers is close. they are trying to be attentive. the utterance used is casual or informal because they are aware that they are familiar with each other and of the same level of power in terms of social distance. the pattern used is; they mention name or nick name of their friends and directly mention the purpose of calling. the utterances produced are also direct. examples:  eh, lif, kalo besok ada kuliah tambahan gak? (eh, lif, is there any additional lecture tomorrow?)  ada kelas tambahan gak? (is there any additional lecture tomorrow?)  ji, kata anak-anak bu ida ngadain kelas tambahan, beneran nih? (ji, someone told me that mrs. ida will give additional lecture, is it right?) out of fifteen subjects, only one uses explicit want statement in uttering asking for information, e.g. halo, rin saya mau tanya apakah besok ada kuliah tambahan? the language used tends to be formal. it might be because the speaker thinks that her relationship with the interlocutor is not very close so that she feels reluctant to produce informal utterance. another possible reason is that the speaker do not think that she feels comfortable to be casual to the hearer due to personal matter. situation #2 in situation #2, the subjects are assigned to ask for information from someone they talk to for the first time. the speech realizations are similar to when they ask for information from friends. the procedures of telephoning conducted by the subjects are different. something that is obviously different is that they are introducing themselves before they come to the purpose of telephoning. the procedure becomes: opening, mentioning their selfidentity, and tell the reason for calling (asking for information). they realize that the interlocutor will not directly understand the conversation because they do not have the same common ground; topic of conversation. mentioning self–identity becomes crucial so as to make the 232 ida zuraida supri unearthing students’ realization of speech act in asking information in telephone conversation conversation runs smoothly. following are speech realizations made by the subjects.  ini faisal dari fakultas teknik. (i am faisal from engineering faculty)  saya taufik anak if ’14 (i am taufik from if ‟14)  hai dan, ini kiky, mau tanya nih (hai dan, i am kiki, i want to ask you something) when they realize the speech act of asking question, some of them tried to be casual by uttering directly the point of conversation, following are the examples.  bu ida nitip buku buat difotokopi gak untuk perkuliahan minggu depan? (did mrs. ida entrust a book to be copied for the next lecture?)  tadi ibu ida menitipkan buku untuk dikopi ngga buat minggu depan? (did mrs. ida entrust a book to be copied for the next week?) the data above show that most of the subjects tend to use explicit want statements, e.g. mau tanya, mo nanya, mo nanya nih, before they realize the asking for information. it occurs because they understand the social distance between them and their interlocutors. they are aware that they have a non-casual relationship. since they talk to them for the first time, somehow they would feel awkward in the beginning. after that, they tend to be informal in making the utterance. situation #3 in asking for information from parents, they tend to be direct. after they utter the opening, they directly proceed to the main topic of conversation; asking for information. however, few of them make question asking their parents‟ conditions and continued to the topic. in my opinion, it may be the result of the family culture or upbringing style. the family has custom not to be direct to other members of family when they conversing. the parents expose the children on asking condition in the conversation as a way of respecting elderly. the tones of the utterances are informal. it shows that their relationship is very close. they feel comfortable to be direct in expressing their intention. casual utterances indicate that the speakers feel close to the interlocutor so that they feel comfortable making informal utterances. the data show that none of the respondents tell his or her identity when telephoning to their parents. therefore, mentioning self-identity is not important, as they feel certain that the partner of speaking know already the speaker from the voice and topic of conversation. following are the utterances made by the subjects:  assalamualaikum, apa kabar bu? (assalamualaikum, how are you, mom?)  assalamualaikuum, ibu sehat? (assalamualaikum, are you okay, mom?) situation #4 making a phone call to ask for information from a lecturer is quite different from the one making for parents. the procedure is after the opening, they mention self–identity; name and major of study. all subjects try to be informative on their identity. they think that the lecturer may not be able to directly identify who the speaker is unless the students tell their identity or the students have good personal relationship with the lecturer. this is a strategy that is employed by the students to be concise in giving self-identity and be polite with one that they respect. after mentioning their identity, the subjects then lead the interlocutor to the topic or purpose of telephoning. before mentioning their purpose of calling, they express an apology by saying, maaf bu/pak, bu, maaf saya menganggu. the apology is meant to show that it is an effort for them to be polite. they realize their social distance with the interlocutors. most of the utterances use explicit want statements: “saya elif, mau tanya nilai uas kemarin sudah keluar belum”, “apa nilai uas saya sudah keluar, pak?” paying attention to their utterance, 233 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the writer notices that they tend to use casual or informal language in uttering their purpose. instead of using a formal one, they use a less standardized or formal language. the reasons may be they are trying to be informal although at the beginning of their conversation they use opening, greeting and self-mentioning; procedure of being formal. another reason is they have lack language competence so they cannot employ appropriate expressions when they want to extend purpose conversation. saying an apology before they state their intention of calling indicates their effort to be polite in their utterances. they try not to direct to the purpose of calling; asking for information. following are examples.  maaf bu, saya elif mau tanya nilai uas kemarin sudah keluar belum? (i am sorry miss, i am alif, i am calling to ask you about the result of the final test, has it been published?)  maaf pak saya taufik, apa nilai uas sudah keluar pak? (i am sorry sir, i am taufik, has the final test result been published?) however there are also subjects who directly get to the topic by using explicit want statements without expressing an apology. their politeness in the utterance is indicated by explicit want statement. here are some examples. 1. hallo bu ini ma eril. eril mo nanyain nilai uas bu? apa udah keluar gitu? (hallo miss, this is eril calling. i want to ask you about the result of the final test, has it been published?) 2. apakah nilai uas sudah dikeluarkan buk? terimakasih. (has the final test result been published? thank you.) situation #5 they make a call to ask for information from someone they talk to for the first time; a customer service. the pattern that the subjects employ is similar to situation #4. they start with greeting, make an apology, and then state their purpose of conversation. few of them express an apology before mentioning the main topic. out of fifteen subjects only one mentions self-identity by stating that he is a spokesperson from a particular region, e.g. kami perwakilan kompleks x. i. mentioning self-identity is not compulsory for the subjects unless they represent a specific community or a group of people, not as an individual. as a manifestation of social distance, they use explicit want statements in uttering asking for information. conclusion the speech realization patterns highly used when the subjects ask for information via telephone to a friend is they make an opening and directly state the purpose of calling, and then closing. meanwhile, when calling to someone of relatively the same age and social status but talk for the first time, they will mention their self-identity then continue with the topic of calling. mentioning self-identity is an evidence that they somewhat feel awkward and to lead and give interlocutors clue to their purpose of calling. when calling to parents, casual utterances are significantly employed. comfortable feeling in uttering their purpose in informal way indicates their closeness with the interlocutors. the patterns employed when asking information to a lecturer or someone they talk to for the first time is quite similar. to a lecturer, they will make an opening and followed by mentioning self-identity. they tend to be indirect in proceeding to the purpose of calling by expressing an apology for disturbing the lecturer‟s time. anyway, this is a way used to show their politeness. the other way employed to show politeness is by using explicit want statement. to someone they talk to for the first time, e.g. pln customer service, is they utter the opening, (they tend not to) mention self234 ida zuraida supri unearthing students’ realization of speech act in asking information in telephone conversation identity. realizing the social distance, they will state their apology and continue with the purpose of calling. to sum, the speech realization in asking for information through a telephone line tend to be brief and purposive to whomever the call is addressed to. references allan, k. (1994). felicity conditions on speech acts. in r. asher, encyclopedia of language and linguistics (pp. 1210-1213). oxford: pergamon press. austin j. l. (1962). how to do things with words. london: oxford university press. boxer, d. (1993). social distance and speech behavior: the case of indirect complain. journal of pragmatics. brown, p., & levinson, s. (1987). politeness: some universals in language use. cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. gordon, d. p., & tripp. s. e. (1985). the development of request. in r. l. schieffelbusch (ed). communicative competence: acquisition and intervention. beverly hills ca: college hills press. scollon, r., & scollon, s. w. (2001) intercultural communication: a discourse approach (2nd ed.). malden: blackwell publishers. searle, j. (1969). speech acts. london: cambridge university press. 235 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee drummer a drummer, sick of all the drummer jokes, decides to change his instrument. after some thought, he decides on the accordion. so he goes to the music store and says to the owner, "i'd like to look at the accordions, please." the owner gestures to a shelf in the courner and says, "all our accordions are over there." after browsing, the drummer says, "i think i'd like the big red one in the corner." the store owner looks at him and says, "you're a drummer, aren't you?" the drummer, crestfallen, says, "how did you know?" the store owner says, "that 'big red accordion' is the radiator." (source: http://www.study-express.ru/humour/funny-stories.shtml, picture: www.google.co.id) 236 ida zuraida supri unearthing students’ realization of speech act in asking information in telephone conversation english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee between reality and idealism: does novel reading generate empathy in algerian efl students? samya achiri department of english, faculty of letters and languages, oum el bouaghi university, algeria e-mail: sachiri38@gmail.com fadhila hadjeris department of english, faculty of letters and languages, oum el bouaghi university, algeria e-mail: fhadjeris@gmail.com apa citation: achiri, s., & hadjeris, f. (2016). between reality and idealism: does novel reading generate empathy in algerian efl students. english review, 4(2), 171-180 received: 28-02-2016 accepted: 24-03-2016 published: 01-06-2016 abstract: this study is an exploration of the extent to which reading novels develops algerian efl students’ empathetic attitudes towards human issues in the novel they are exposed to on the one hand and towards current local and worldwide issues on the other. to achieve this aim, a survey questionnaire is designed. the respondents are 50 ma students of anglo-american studies at the english department of oum el bouaghi university (algeria). the students have been exposed to mark twain’s the adventures of huckleberry finn as a part of their syllabus. accordingly, their reactions to the questions concerning this novel provide the necessary data around which this study hinges. the findings of the research are meant to help teachers and researchers to seek out new possibilities of developing more effective ways of using novel reading in efl university classes. additionally, the results serve to raise algerian efl students’ awareness about reading novels and their impact on stimulating their imagination, critical thinking and emotional attitudes. keywords: efl teaching/ learning, novel, narrative empathy, empathetic attitudes, critical thinking, algeria. introduction up to now, integrating literature in efl classes as an engine to ignite language learning remains a site of contention between efl scholars and educators. there is no general consensus about what to teach and in what way to achieve the required objectives. despite this fact, a big proportion of scholars convincingly argue that literature in this type of classes proved to be an outstanding medium in favor of the learning process if used properly (collie & slater, 1987; lazar, 1993; widdowson, 1975). other important issues came resonantly to the fore after literature regained its importance in the 1980’s as a language learning material. the debate over the ability of literature to nourish mental faculties and psychological responses, rather than developing the four skills, of the reader, hence the learner, was accelerated by means of abundant publications. to put it in another way, scholars sought to take the 171 mailto:fhadjeris@gmail.com samya achiri & fadhila hadjeris between reality and idealism: does novel reading generate empathy in algerian efl students? implications of literature integration beyond the doors of the efl class to the real life. that reading literature can create empathetic individuals who care about one another becomes a strongly held belief with the publications of lazar (1993), helton, asamani and thomas (1998), nussbaum (1997), zunshine (2006). extending the implications of literature teaching in the efl class beyond its doors has been always a controversial challenging topic. this is simply because it is claimed by many specialists in the field that engaging students with literature may prompt, sustain or improve social skills especially empathy. this latter is of great importance to this paper since it links the empathetic attitudes of the reading experience of a sample of algerian university students with their empathetic attitudes towards real life issues. the contributions of martha nussbaum (1997) and suzanne keen (2007) to this topic are very memorable, for both of them succeeded to narrow down the previous studies by relating empathy to pedagogy. like other scholars, they believe that narrative fiction, and not popular fiction, is the most suitable literary genre to nourish empathy. yet, each of them approached the topic from a different angle. in this context, it is worth starting with the views of some scholars who believe in the power of fiction to lend such promising results after reading. poulson, duncan and massie (2005), for instance, argue that reading fictional narratives “may have an important and profound impact on how people feel and behave in their daily lives” (cited in bal &veltkamp, 2013, par. 1). lisa zunshine (2006) takes the study into another level by investigating her claims within the scope of evolutionary psychology using theory of mind (mind-reading theory) to support the idea that if readers are met with critical works that encourage them to question other minds, they will certainly appreciate them, and hence, they start to speculate every single detail about the characters. as it will be shown later with the ideas of nussbaum and keen, this is clearly the starting point of empathy. zunshine seems not only to be in favor of the readers’ empathy towards the characters but also about the repercussions of this empathy on daily life. she (2006, p.164) makes her claim clearer at the end of her book: [w]e do read novels because they engage our tom [theory of mind] ... fiction helps us to pattern in newly nuanced ways our emotions and perceptions; it bestows “new knowledge or increased understanding” and gives “the chance for a sharpened ethical sense”; and it creates new forms of meaning for our everyday existence. all of this exploratory work is inextricably bound up with tom, and the overall effect of it on the reader is not reducible to the sum of this narrative’s engagements with our various cognitive adaptations. some day we may have a conceptual framework that will allow us to speak about this overall effect—that “emergent meaning” of the literary narrative. in contrast with zunshine’s cognitive view of empathy, where mind is involved to decipher other opinions and to make inferences, patrick hogan (2010) argues that affective empathy is also “an essential component of the understanding and enjoyment of fiction” and that “literary representations of emotion may be ‘purer’ than those encountered in real-life, and thus have the power to enhance individuals’ affective empathic responses” (cited in stansfield & bunce, 2014, p.9). in this 172 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee paper, both types of empathy are taken into consideration. as a philosopher who is interested in the cultivation of humanity, martha nussbaum sees in literature, narrative fiction, a fountainhead to shape liberalthinking people. to her (1997, p.11), a key ability that comes from reading fiction is narrative imagination which is “the ability to think what it might be like to be in the shoes of a person different from oneself [empathy], to be an intelligent reader of that person’s story.” through her pedagogical approach, nussbaum sees that this ability is the outcome of critical reading and tight relation with the text (ibid, p.100). this can be best done by introducing students to controversial novels that “challenge conventional wisdom and values” (ibid, p. 99). she makes this expression clearer by equating it with “[t]he inclusion of new and disturbing works in the curriculum” (ibid). the student, in this case, will be obliged to make moral choices, and this is what eric leake (2014) calls difficult empathy. when fleeing this zone of psychological ease, the student can really access and read the world of the character by assimilating himself to this character. nussbaum insists on the fact that putting oneself in someone else’s shoes requires “the thought that this suffering person might be [the reader himself]” (1997, p. 91). drawing on many sciences and studies, like neurosciences, psychology, and literary studies, suzanne keen summed up her ideas about the relation between novel reading, empathy, and altruism in her book empathy and the novel (2007). at the beginning of her book, she defines empathy as “a vicarious, spontaneous sharing of effect, [which] can be provoked by witnessing another’s emotional state, by hearing about another’s condition, or even by reading” (p.4). she goes further to consider this behavior as a response that is not necessarily conscious (ibid, p. 4). keen (2007, p.3) states: “[i]f novels can be considered a part of readers’ environment, then fiction may elicit the expression of dispositional empathy, or it may cultivate the sympathetic imagination through the exercise of innate role-taking abilities.” it is the fictionality of novels that leads readers to empathize with characters providing “safe zones” for them to feel empathy without any need to resultant prosocial behavior (ibid, p. 4). this is the very essence of narrative empathy which is characteristic to suzanne keen’s research. it is delineated as “as an affective transaction accomplished through the writing and reading of fiction” (ibid, p. xv). so, authors and readers are equally involved in the creation of this emotion towards narrative fiction. according to keen, two major techniques can considerably provoke empathy: character identification and narrative situation. narrative empathy in keen’s eyes is not necessarily a text response that is followed by altruistic action. she (2007) sees that this hypothesis is not really tested, and it is a matter of exaggeration. the reasons behind her view are averred in many occasions in her book. 173 samya achiri & fadhila hadjeris between reality and idealism: does novel reading generate empathy in algerian efl students? figure 1. how empathy occurs (based on nussbaum’s ideas) to the researchers, the fact that some ma students’ language proficiency and critical thinking are highly distinctive is in many ways encouraging, but their appreciation of the value of literature is much less satisfactory. they seem to underestimate the cultural and human understanding that might spring from their reading experiences. they also ignore that these attitudes may stem as a serious deterrent in their future development since the ability to envisage what others feel and think becomes an overriding constituent to solidify human relationships be they within the country, algeria, or abroad, maghreb and the whole world. so, the study will try to answer the following research questions: 1) does reading novels promote empathy in algerian university efl students towards characters-related issues and real human issues? 2) are students aware of the results of neglecting literature reading on their future relations and its effects upon their perceptions of their surrounding events and cultures? before dealing with these two important questions, the researchers find it worth to answer the following questions: 1) how much do efl students read literary novels and to what extent are they able to respond critically to the texts they read? 2) what attitudes do algerian university students have towards 174 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the already-chosen novels of their syllabus? 3) why do students under-appreciate the power of literature? i.e. what leads them to maintain such negative attitudes towards reading literature? method the present study relies on a descriptive method which is proceeded by means of a survey questionnaire to provide data about the population and their psychological responses towards the adventures of huckleberry finn. it is conducted in the department of english (faculty of letters and languages) at the university of oum el bouaghi. it takes as its sample ma ii students of angloamerican studies (aas) who had been accepted initially in this department to complete a b.a in english on the basis of their grade in the baccalaureate exam. it is worth to mention that aas exposes students to a considerable set of modules of civilization and literature in which both are given a due concern in terms of number. in addition, during the first year in the program, our sample class is asked to read mark twain’s the adventures of huckleberry finn (1884) as a part of the syllabus. participants in this study belong to a class of 50 students (the only class of this course) who are aged between 22 and 28. the administration of the questionnaire took place in the first semester of the academic year 2015-2016. when the questionnaire was delivered, 6 students were absent and the present ones were 44 females. one of the researchers distributed the questionnaire to the students and helped to clarify the instructions. no time limit was set; therefore, students were requested to take their time to respond to the questionnaire. as the section of results will reveal later, only about 9% of the students were found interested in reading in general. to achieve the aims of the study, a four-section questionnaire is developed. it consists of different types of questions: multiple choice questions (mcq), open-ended questions, closed-ended questions. the first section, with three main items, aimed at getting background information about the respondents as their age and interest in the basic subject matters of their course (literature/ civilization). the second section was designed with the aim of inquiring about the students’ reading habits and their personal preferences (types of novels they like). evaluating their reactions towards the chosen text was the focus of section three. through the last section, which is entitled the text and its effects, the researchers aimed to see to what extent students are able to carry their emotional baggage towards human issues in the novel to current real life issues, recent world events most precisely. results and discussion reading experience. the researchers analyzed data obtained from the second section of the questionnaire to find answers to the three sub-questions listed above. analysis showed that 29.54 % of the students spend their free time in watching movies, 20.45% in surfing the net, 09.09 % in reading books, and only 2.27 % of the total number, i.e. one student out of 44 students spends her free time in reading literary novels. as to the number of novels they read in the course of the last two years, results demonstrated that 75% of the respondents read between 1 and 5 novels and 15.90 % read between 5 and 10 novels. among the total number of students, 65. 90% declared that they like 175 samya achiri & fadhila hadjeris between reality and idealism: does novel reading generate empathy in algerian efl students? reading novels. this claim was not only justified by the importance of such a fictional sub-genre in improving the skills needed in learning the target language, but also by the aesthetic pleasure that literary novels can confer. some students went further to consider reading literary novels as a kind of psychological relief and among the ways that help them to escape the real world. moreover, others pointed to the role which is played by literary novels in broadening their visions and introducing them to new perspectives. respondents who had negative attitudes towards reading novels (34.09%) attributed this to the fact that novels (especially assigned ones) are often boring, long, and difficult to read. as a matter of fact, they prefer cinematic adaptations and summaries of the novels in case their teachers ask them to read. in a response to the question about the type of novels students like reading most, 29.54% of them chose historical novels, and only 2.27 % preferred satirical novels. the latter is the type of the novel that was taken as a case in point. also, inquiry about the basic criteria students adopt to select novels they read revealed results in which the teacher is at the center by imposing novels (upon 27.27 % of the population), recommending (to 09.09%) or both (18.18%). 15.90 % of the students claimed that they choose the novels randomly while only one student had an in-advance prepared list. when students were asked if they prefer to have a free reading list of novels in their modules of literature, 84.09% of the respondents ticked “yes” option. a major reason spelled out for this choice was the motivation that stems from it since it gives them the opportunity to search and discover different types of novels. this, in turn, would make them updated. additionally, students considered the novels of their syllabus as boring (classics) and saw that the personal choice satisfies their needs and lessens their panic/ stress. students who ticked the “no” option (15.90%) provide their lack of interest in reading literature and experience to choose as their justifications. students’ responses to the text. about 77% of the students found themselves absorbed in their reading of the novel asserting that mark twain managed to attract the readers’ attention. to them, this was adeptly accomplished through tackling serious issues related to black american slaves by harmonizing different literary genres and techniques (satire, picaresque, humor …). the most frequently identified important issues of the novel center, thus, around slavery vs freedom. besides, other issues like the possibility of co-existence of blacks and whites, the problem of identity, innocence, and hypocrisy of white people were spotted. there are 16 students who did not respond to this question. unexpected results came with the question seeking students’ feelings about the story of jim, for 21 students did not respond and 11 others provided irrelevant answers. only 12 answers were considered relevant showing students’ supportive feelings which range between feeling sorry and sympathetic towards jim and all the slaves with their experiences without exception. to justify their feelings, almost 16% of the total population that answered the question thought that local or worldwide issues are well-reflected through the experience of this character. in relation to the same point, 21 students skipped the question which required them to point out the event that remained etched on their minds after 176 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee reading the novel. 17 answers were irrelevant and only 6 students provided clear answers revolving mostly around scenes combining both main characters: tom and jim. the text and its effects. this section along with the previous one aspires to find answers to the main questions of this study. in particular, the section tests the ability of the learners to link human issues, mainly the repression of black people, raised in the novel with real life issues. so, a considerable number of the students, i.e. nearly 57% of them, reported their dissatisfaction with the situation of the citizens in the islamic world. this attitude was clearly demonstrated through the following statements: student (a): citizens of the islamic world are the subaltern of a complex combination of oppressive powers; they are voiceless. student (b): because arabs have been repressed mentally, they do not get the chance to even express their needs and desires. nevertheless, 34% of the population, unlike the previous group, seemed satisfied since at least religious freedom is guaranteed. in the next question, 61.36% of the students expressed their empathy for the arabic citizens standing against the oppressive regimes whilst 31.81% of them had opposing views. they referred to most of the countries affected by the arab spring like tunisia, syria, and egypt. yet, most of them concentrated on the syrian issue by expressing their empathy through negative psychological responses (pain, sadness, sorrow). in the course of analyzing the results of this question, the researchers came across two interesting initiatives which exceeded the step of being empathetic to becoming active: student (a): i feel their pain because what’s happening is irrational; i share what i believe in via the different social networks. student (b): the syrian cause will be the topic of my dissertation this year. in the same vein, unexpected reactions came out towards other issues in the western countries like the terrorist attacks in paris, charlie ibdou incident and isis attacks since only 52.28% of the students showed empathy for them. few days before the questionnaire was administered, an explosion took place in a refugee camp in ouargla. when our sample students were asked to express their reactions about it, unfortunately, almost 57 % of them left the space blank, and 16 % stated that they did not hear about the incident. only 27 % of the total number tried to describe the type of feelings they had towards the victims (sadness, sympathy, being sorry, hoping their situation will change). the latter proposed encouraging individual initiatives, visiting the victims, organizing charity campaigns and raising awareness about the situation of the refugees once asked about the things they can afford to help. here, 43.18 % did not answer the question, and 6.81% were irrelevant. attempting to realize the key objective of this section, learners were guided to identify the local algerian issues that crossed their minds while reading the novel. 72.72% of them did not answer and 6.81 % of the responses were irrelevant. to the rest, it was mainly the period of french colonization, the black decade and the recent events of ghardaya. concerning whether reading the novel helped the students to view the issues raised in the novel differently, the results revealed that 56.81% did not respond while only 13.63% noted that their views remained the same. 177 samya achiri & fadhila hadjeris between reality and idealism: does novel reading generate empathy in algerian efl students? as stated earlier, the researchers presented an evaluation of novel teaching to tertiary efl students with the aim of investigating to what extent reading novels cultivate empathy in them. the results of the second section of the questionnaire revealed the students’ neglect of reading generally and reading novels specifically despite being an overriding component of their syllabus. nevertheless, the students’ awareness of the importance of novel reading in a reaction to another question is discernable. this reluctance to read may be ascribed to both individual and instructional factors, for most of the participating students perceive reading as a compulsory task: 1. inappropriate choice of the novels taught to/in this class as teachers usually prefer the classics. 2. students’ unfamiliarity with reading. 3. students’ inability to either understand the literary language or interpret the symbols and motifs used by authors to allude to other issues i.e. their critical thinking is not fully developed. 4. time restrictions because students are exposed to many modules of civilization and literature. these factors can adequately explain the difficulties the students encountered while reading the selected novel the adventures of huckleberry finn leading them to favor reading summaries or watching cinematic adaptations. the evaluation of answers about the thematic concerns of the adventures of huckleberry finn itself indicated the students’ understanding of what the story revolves around. yet, the series of unexpected results in which they skipped answering the remaining questions or provided irrelevant reactions lead us to say that in spite of reading the novel, our respondents did not understand the intentions of the writer. this also could be related to their inability to imagine the situation of the characters. therefore, they did not empathize or at least sympathize, as it is expected in regular situations, with the characters of the novel as believed by martha nussbaum (1997). it has been already shown that she sees narrative imagination as the result of critical reading of a contentious narrative fictional text. through the last section of the questionnaire, the attentiveness of the students towards the dominating issues in the middle-east (arab spring above all) can be induced. these issues impose themselves upon the lives of the algerians due to the emergence of private news tv channels and a wide access to means of technology. this in turn created a sense of annoyance and fear of being trapped in the same situation. worth underlining here is the fact that this wide access to the different media types (especially the net) participated undoubtedly in making the students obsessed with the current situation at the expense of reading or other important things. for this reason, students were less empathetic to western issues if compared to middle east issues. as far as local issues are concerned, the results do not lead us to say that 43.18% of the respondents are not empathetic since they declared their lack of knowledge about incident of ouargla. this could be explained by the fact that it is a local issue and it did not receive enough attention as other arabic or western issues. another finding of our evaluation is the minimal responsiveness to the association between the text and real events –local, arabic or western– which can be possibly attributed, as hinted above, to the students’ inability to imagine or to show critical thinking. hence, they cannot interpret hidden 178 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee messages conveyed by the author. this is the most important point of the paper that could be directly related to zunshine’s cognitive view (2006) of the whole matter. to her, a work of fiction must trigger the reader’s mind to read the character’s mind. understanding and empathy that spring in this case is called cognitive empathy. obviously, this is what the sample students of this current study lack. conclusion this study was inspired by the teachers’ experience in this pedagogical setting where english, as a foreign language, is a medium of instruction more than being an objective of instruction. to phrase it differently, learners at this level, in widdowson’s terms (1975), are supposedly guided, using english, to learn other disciplines rather than learning the language itself, a step which in our case involves studying literature. the dearth of studies that have been conducted to improve the teaching of literature generally and the impact of novel reading on the students’ psychological traits particularly in a university-level algerian context was another motivating factor. therefore, the researchers, who believe that this modest study is just a starting point, hope that this initiative will instigate further attempts in this area for which empirical research, precisely experiments, is obviously required to arrive to a better understanding of how empathy in such a context really occurs taking into consideration that algeria has its own cultural specificities. the latter of course include gender differences and their relation with empathy which is given a due concern by suzanne keen (2007). adding to this, empathy is an important capacity in a population that is normally characterized by major cultural differences, and algeria started to become one since it is now an open market to different nationalities. as a starting point, the researchers postulated that the reading experience of the sample students spawns no satisfactory empathetic attitudes, and the underestimation of the value of literature on the one hand and the lack of reading literary texts on the other stem as serious obstacles in the face of developing the students’ empathy and their reception of real and important human issues. overall findings paved the way to the researchers to unveil the problematic situation of teaching literature in this context. neglecting reading despite being aware of its advantages which is mostly related to the students’ obsession of technology has also a series of instructional reasons as indicated above. the impasse of feeling obligation and boredom while reading could be solved by means of suggesting a free reading list. certainly, this will have outstanding effects on the students’ performance in such modules if combined with smallgroup learning. involvement, motivation, interaction, circulation of knowledge, and the development of critical thinking are only few gains to mention here in case students’ preferences are taken into account. in this point, the teacher can, for instance, specify a literary genre and ask his students to choose a representative novel. additionally, allowing students to choose their texts will render them more responsible and also set the essence of the lmd system, as a learner-centered educational system, into practice. moreover, if we intend to develop teaching literature in algerian universities and to extend the effects of reading beyond the classroom precincts, then lecturers and course designers are invited to work hand in hand. a set of 179 samya achiri & fadhila hadjeris between reality and idealism: does novel reading generate empathy in algerian efl students? simple practices could be effective in meeting the students’ needs. to begin with, allocating much time to the modules of literature will be helpful to cover the objectives in a more adequate manner through creating a range of motivating activities like group works, presentations, and discussions. adopting more specialized modules of literature, like contemporary literature, women literature and postcolonial literature, is another practice that can lend promising results given that boredom will be led to an end. this point can be accelerated by means of introducing two other practices: (a) first, giving the opportunity to the students to choose modules of interest at the beginning of the program like it is the case in most of the universities all over the world, and (b) second, introducing anglophone african literatures as the researchers’ experience shows that the students are more attached to the literatures of the continent. returning now to the question posed at the beginning “does novel reading promote empathy in algerian university efl students towards characters-related issues and human real issues?”, we can say, after considering the results, that our sample students possess sympathy and empathy towards people of the major events in their lives. yet, their attitudes are not satisfactory as it expected at this level where students are supposed to have developed critical thinking and awareness, and they are normally being prepared to get real life opportunities as mainly teachers after graduation. so, the empathy they show does not normally come totally from novel reading since the results led us to come across the questionable status of literature teaching which was against the developmental effect of empathy in real life. the above practices are expected to boost interest in reading, hence to develop empathy. references bal, p. m. & veltkamp, m. (2013). how does fiction reading influence empathy? an experimental investigation on the role of emotional transportation. plos one, 8 (1): e55341. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055341 collie, j., & slater, s. (1987). literature in the language classroom. cambridge: cambridge university press. helton, c. a, asamani, j., & thomas, e. d. (1998). a ‘novel’ approach to the teaching of reading. tennessee state: tennessee state university, 1-5. [online] retrieved from http: // www.nade.net / documents / scp98 / scp98.19.pdf keen, s. (2007). empathy and the novel. new york: oxford university press. lazar, g. (1993). literature and language teaching: a guide for teachers and trainers. cambridge: cambridge university press. leake, e. (2014). humanizing the inhumane: the value of difficult empathy. in m. m. hammond & s. j. kim (eds.), rethinking empathy through literature (pp. 175-185). new york: routledge. nussbaum, m. c. (1997). cultivating humanity: a classical defense of reform in liberal education. cambridge, usa: harvard university press. stansfield, j., & bunce, l. (2014). the relationship between empathy and reading fiction: separate roles for cognitive and affective components. journal of european psychology students, 5(3): 9-18. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/jeps.ca widdowson, h. g. (1975). stylistics and the teaching of literature. london: longman. zunshine, l. (2006). why we read fiction: theory of mind and the novel. columbus: ohio state university press. 180 english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 51 model of contextual-based academic writing learning module afif rofii universitas batanghari jambi, indonesia email: afif_rofii@yahoo.com fathiaty murtadho department of apllied linguistics, postgraduate of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia email: fathiaty_murtadho@unj.ac.id aceng rahmat department of apllied linguistics, postgraduate of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia email: aceng.rahmat@unj.ac.id apa citation: rofii, a., murtadho, f., & rahmat, a. (2018). model of contextual-based academic writing learning module (r&d at faculty of teacher training and education universitas batanghari jambi). english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 51-60. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1242. received: 12-02-2018 accepted: 26-04-2018 published: 01-06-2018 abstract: this research and development aims to develop a contextual-based learning module for academic writing course to develop the students’ writing skill. it adopts borg & gall’s model modified from jolly and bolitho’s model of development steps. the development steps include: assessing the teaching materials currently implemented, designing and developing the module, judging module feasibility by experts, and testing module effectiveness. it applies mixed method approach to describe textual data qualitatively and analyze numerical data using t-test. the data were obtained from need analysis through document analysis, interview, observation, survey, and experiment. the analysis found that the lecturers and students need appropriate, practical and effective teaching materials that meet their needs. therefore, the module of writing teaching material is developed by integrating the seven components of contextual approach in various learning activities. th epracticality test suggests that the module is very pratical. the feasibility test 82.27 in average confirming that the module is very feasible to develop. the effectiveness test found that it is very effective reflected in the posttest mean score of experimental class (78.10) that is significally different from the control class (69.80). the tests of practicality, feasibility, and effectiveness come into conclusion that the developed module can be implemented in the academic writing class. as suggesstion, the lecturers and researchers are recommended to develop comprehensively teaching materials aligning with the students’ needs. keywords: model, contextual-based, academic writing, module, research and development introduction university is required to make a scientific work, either produced by the lecturers or the students. this scientific work is developed through academic writing activities. writing is a complex activity requiring extensive and comprehensive knowledge (martens, 2010). as defined by akhadiah, et al. (1996), academic writing skill in term of formal writing is a complex skill requiring some knowledge and skills. here, the author is required to have various abilities at once related to what will be written and how to deliver it in a good and right written language (ridwan, 2011). afif rofii, fathiaty murtadho, & aceng rahmat model of contextual-based academic writing learning module 52 gaith (2002) states academic writing is a type of formal and critical writing activity to be presented to the readers in an academic domain based on scientific knowledge as well as scientific ideas and arguments. gillet (2010) defines academic writing as a form of writing intended for specific audience and purpose as well as a clear structure. the lecturers are required to be able to publish a research article in journals, as well, the students are required to complete assignment related to academic writing activities. in fact, the reality indicates that there are many students unable to write well. it can be found in their writing works as theses and papers. akhadiah (2008) argued that many students are difficult to write a wellestablished writing. such difficulties include various levels of written language use as word choices (diction), sentence structures, paragraph developments, writing developments and the grammar rules. based on the provisional observations and interviews conducted to the third-semester students at the faculty of teacher training and education of batanghari university, jambi, several findings were found. firstly, the learning process of academic writing is guided by the rps developed by the lecturer without applying a particular approach. secondly, the learning material is explained too fast by the lecturer. third, it is difficult for students to understand the subject matter as the limited time available. fourth, the learning process is delivered through lecture method. last, students are difficult to obtain learning sources, lecture materials and rely merely on handouts made by the lecturers. these issues make the students to have lack motivation to learn and to master the academic writing materials. based on the problems formerly described, it is necessary to develop a module draft of academic writing learning that fits the students’ needs. sagala (2011) explains that the lesson planning is a process of the development of systemic learning that is used specifically in theories of learning and teaching ensuring the quality of learning. therefore, teaching planning must be in accordance with the concept of education and teaching incorporated in the curriculum (sagala, 2011). nasution (1997, p. 205) states that a module is “a complete stand-alone unit and consists of a series of learning activities developed to help students achieve a number of objectives defined clearly and specifically”. in the same sense, depdiknas (2008, p. 13) defines module as “a book written with purposed to ease the students in learning independently with or without the teacher guidance.” moreover, mulyasa (2006) states that there are several advantages to learn by modules, such as focusing on learners’ individual ability as they have the ability to work alone and more responsible for their actions. in developing the learning module, the lecturers need to pay attention to the instructional material preparation model to implement. one of the models that can be used is the contextual teaching-learning approach (ctl). johnson (2002, p. 24) states “ctl is a holistic system consisting of interrelated parts that produce an effect that exceeds what any single part could achieve.” moreover, johnson (2002, p. 24) said that “each of these distinct elements of the ctl system contributes to helping students make sense of schoolwork; they form a system that makes it possible for students to see meaning in, and retain, academic material.” according to rusman (2012), ctl is a learning concept that helps teachers to relate materials taught to the real-world situations of students and encourages students to connect their knowledge and its application in a daily life. moreover, nurhadi (2004) argued that ctl is a unit of learning concepts, in which teachers present real-world situations into the classroom and encourage the students to make connections between their knowledge and its application in their lives either as family or societal members. the learning process takes place naturally in the form of students’ work and experience activities, not just the transfer of knowledge from teacher to student. ctl is suitable to overcome the problem of teaching academic writing that has been described as the ctl system will guide the learners to english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 53 apply the seven components of ctl, namely: constructivism, inquiry, questioning, learning community, modeling, reflection, and authentic assessment in learning. based on the above description, researchers are motivated to overcome the problems occurred in the teaching of academic writing in the faculty of teacher training and education, universitas batanghari jambi, by developing learning modules on academic writing materials integrating seven components of the contextual approach. therefore, this research and development of learning module of contextual-based academic writing at teacher training and education faculty of universitas batanghari jambi is important to do. method the final objective of this research is to invent a model of teaching materials in the form of a learning module of contextual-based academic writing that is feasible, practical and effective in writing skill course at the faculty of teacher training and education, universitas batanghari jambi. it is developed based on the objective conditions in the field. this research applies qualitative and quantitative approach using research and development method. product development is carried out according to the research and development steps called the r & d cycle (borg & gall, 1983). this r& d plays main part in improving the quality of education because it connects the systematic evaluation program with the development program in education domain (gall, gall, & borg, 2007). according to borg and gall (1983, p. 772), research and development is “a process used to develop and validate educational products”. further, gay (1992) says that this method is not to evaluate the theory but to develop effective products to use in schools to meet the pre-defined of special needs, such as training materials, teaching materials, media, and management systems. this r&d follows the steps developed by borg and gall (1983). yet, the concept of borg and gall development model in its implementation can be modified to meet the needs in the real situation (gall, gall, & borg, 2007). therefore, to easily implement this procedure, the ten steps of the borg and gall cycle are classified into four stages of research, as follows: 1) preliminary research; 2) model development planning; 3) validation, evaluation, and revision of the model; and 4) model implementation. the first is a preliminary research stage. the preliminary research includes theoretical review, analysis of empirical study results, evaluation of learning process, document analysis, needs analysis of learning process, and analysis of teaching materials generally used by lecturers. the second is the module development stage. this stage includes the formulation of objectives and criteria of the module, drafting of modules, peer assessment, revision i, limited testing, and continued with revision ii based on the analysis results of the limited testing. the third is validation, evaluation, and revision stage, that is the steps carried out to acquire module that suits the students’ and lecturers’ needs. at this stage, the module is judged by the experts. the revision iii, large groups testing, and revision iv of the module to be developed into hypothetical model. the fourth is the model implementation stage. this stage is conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the developed model. the testing of learning model effectiveness is conducted through experimental method. this activity is followed by observation, interview and questionnaire distribution to students and lecturers. it is then followed by final revision of the developed learning module. the analysis is performed using qualitative and quantitative approach. the qualitative approach is used to get an overview and description of the learning real conditions in the classroom, the needs of students and lecturers, and the model developed. the qualitative approach analyzes the conceptual study of academic writing materials in universities, curriculum, discussion result with colleague, and expert validation data. quantitative approach is performed to examine the effectiveness of contextual-based academic writing learning module. the examination is conducted to compare the effectiveness of the developed learning module with the afif rofii, fathiaty murtadho, & aceng rahmat model of contextual-based academic writing learning module 54 conventional one used by lecturers in their daily lectures. the data on the implementation of learning are acquired from two classes, namely control group and experimental group. the quantitative data is pretest and posttest scores of both classes. the data were then analyzed by using t-test. results and discussion in this research, the need analysis of the module (contextual-based academic writing) to be developed is carried out following four engagements. data on the students and lecturers needs in the academic writing learning were validated using need analysis. the analysis involves four major activities, namely: 1) document analysis, 2) surveys through questionnaires given to lecturers and students, 3) direct observation to the academic writing learning process in the classroom; and 4) interviews with lecturers and students. the first activity is document analysis that involves: curriculum, rps the lecturers use in learning as well as the teaching materials used in academic writing course. the course identity, code, credit, description, learning outcomes, scopes and course prerequisite are collected by analyzing the curriculum. the result discovers the following information; 1) the teaching materials of the writing skill course used in batanghari university are delivered in a difficult language to understand by the students, 2) the material does not meet the topics covered in the current syllabus, 3) the materials provided only expose the theories without supported by the conceptual and facts, 4) the level of meterials complexity should be aligned with learners’ cognitive, 5) the examples presented are not contextual (different from the student's daily life), 6) the materials delivered by the lecture also overlap each other, unorderly presented from simple to complex materials, 7) the delivery of the materials is not centered to the students, 8) form and technique of evaluation provided in the materials does not suitable, and 9) the learning objectives defined in the rps do not adhere to the curriculum developed by the faculty of teacher training and education universitas batanghari jambi. these facts cause the low level of the students’ academic writing skills. the second is need analysis of the developed module conducted by using questionnaire. the questionnaire consists of three components namely the teaching materials, learning methods and evaluation components. the first component prominently needs the material in accordance with the topic, learning objectives and characteristics of students, students do not merely need materials of writing theories but they also need more exercises, examples, and other supporting information as well as materials that synchronize with the students’characteristics by applying a particular approach or method. the physical appearance of teaching materials should be attractively presented in a colorful and unique illustration and presentation in order to improve student's learning motivation. the form and technique of evaluation should also be made varied in accordance with the competencies to be measured. the investigation of teaching methods found that; 1) the students request learning materials applying specific approaches, 2) the method used in each topic should be varied to evade monotonous and be student-centered to facilitate them to study actively and creatively, 3) the methods used should consider the level of mastery and the background of the students, 4) the methods should explore the students’ skill, and 5) the method should fit the learning objectives to achieve. need analysis on evaluation component founnd that; 1) the type and form of evaluation should be varied based on the competence to be measured, 2) the evaluation should not be administered at the end but also during the learning process, 3) the result of evaluation should be given back to the students so that they know their mistakes, and 4) if the lecturer evaluates using test, the scoring procedure should be provided in details. furthermore, the results of need analysis from the lecturers’ view are also obtained through questionnaires based on seven components namely: rational, subject and content, gradation, methodology, design english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 55 (layout), exercises, and other components. rasionally, writing skill course requires the availability of learning materials where the content, language, appearance, and graph are reasonable. the materials should be practical: easy to use, keep, bring, and archive as well as be effective: have impacts on students. furthermore, it should provide a complete and varied learning materials involving the topics and learning outcomes to be achieved. besides, the materials should provide learning steps described in details; discussion on every topic provided with some examples and practice items; list of difficult vocabulary and their definition, as well as the detailed guide of learning materials. the lecturers also suggest to deliver the materials communicatively using familiar language the students easy to understand. the materials are presented gradually from the low level to the higher level. the basic and simple concept is presented first then proceed to the complex one. the illustrations provided meet the facts and concepts in daily life. the materials should be presented using various methods to avoid monotonous and use varied illustrations to make the materials be clear. the delivery and discussion should be focused on process skill based on the learning objectves. for design, the lecturers suggest to design the cover and content uniquely and interestingly to motivate the students to study. the module size and content should be proportional. the colors and location are syncronous and consistent to make clear the function. font combination should be minimized. in addition, supplementary components such as reflection sheets, student worksheets, and answer keys are also required. in addition to questionnaires, need analysis is also done through interviews with students and lecturers. based of the interview with the lecturers, the following facts are obtained: 1) the materials should be organized or developed with a specific approach or method, 2) the materials should be organized according to the curriculum applied, 3) the materials should provide complete materials, and 4) the learning materials should accomodate the different characteristics of the students. the interview with the students reveals that they need interesting, readable, understandable, feasible, practical, and effective learning material of academic writing organized with applying a specific approach or method. therefore, the data obtained from need analysis confirm that the development of materials model that adheres the students’ and lecturers’ needs should be carried out, that is a module of contextual-based academic writing learning that is feasible, practical, effective, attractive, contextual, and in accordance with the characteristics of students. it is aimed at improving the students’ motivation, activity and competence on academic writing skills. the module design of contextual-based academic writing learning based on observation, survey, interview, and document analysis results, the writer formulates a contextual-based academic writing learning module in the form of initial draft. the concept of the initial draft l was developed based on: 1) the principles of developing the teaching material model; 2) result of need analysis on student and lecturer obtained from questionnaire, interview and observation; and 3) document analysis results including curriculum, rps and academic writing materials used in the learning process. the results of the analysis become the basis for formulating the development design of contextual-based academic writing learning module which consists of learning outcome, the main activities to be done, the material description, the summary, and the exercise components. learning outcomes are put at the beginning of each material to be learned which involve the competencies students should achieve in each learning material. the outcomes consist of attitude, knowledge, general skill and special skill as well. they are presented in active sentences using measurable operational verbs. the main activities are the students learn the materials provided in the module. these activities required the students to follow the contextual approach procedure in the afif rofii, fathiaty murtadho, & aceng rahmat model of contextual-based academic writing learning module 56 developed module. these are presented at the beginning before proceeding to the material description section. the description contains the materials in one particular topic to be learned. it is presented in the module through learning activities that are divided into three, namely preliminary activities, main activities, and closing activities. after learning the activities presented in this module, students are expected to master the learning outcomes that are set on each material. the contextual approach component is integrated into the learning steps of the material presented. the summary contains abstracts of the materials that have been completed. it is presented at the end of each topic in the module. this summary will ease the students to recall the materials they have learned. exercise/evaluation is conducted to know the achievement of the learning process, in addition to know the ability of students in understanding the materials they learned. as this academic writing learning module is contextually based, therefore, the evaluation is carried out during and at the end of the learning process of each topic as well as summative evaluation at the end of the module. the developed model of draft i is then tested in a small group of 9 third-semester students and the results are as follows: 1) in general the model of teaching materials is good; 2) the examples given are less varied; 3) the introductory language used is easy to understand; 4) the time to do the exercises should be added; 5) the exercises should be provided with clear instructions; and 6) the module should be equipped by a list of difficult words and their explanations. a revision based on the student input on a limited trial is made. afterwards, the validation or expert judgment test is performed. the results are as follows: 1) each subject is organized based on time allocated; 2) the materials are arranged orderly; 3) the direction in every exercise should be clearly written; 4) it is suggested to use appropriate illustrations with the topics; 5) consistency on writing patterns; and 6) vocabularies should vary and it is better to use a vocabulary close to the student daily life. several expert inputs are then used as a guidance to revise the learning module to get the desired module. the developed module will then be tested for its effectiveness. the practicalities of contextual-based academic writing learning module the test of practicality is aimed at identifying whether the developed module is practical or not. moreover, yusuf (2005) stated that an instrument is practical if it is simple and affordable. there are some reasons to strengthen this statement; they are (1) it costs inexepensive; (2) it is easy to share which means the user of the instrument can apply and understand them it easily, the form and the language is not difficult to understand; (3) it is easy to grade; (4) it is easy to interprete; and (5) it does not waste much time. the practicality of the model is being investigated in order to get the perception whether this model can be applied in individual learning or not. the practice refers to the acquiring or usability. there are some reasons that should be considered as a practical instrument. they are (1) the instrument must be easy to organize, save, or use; (2) the timing process of the administration must be short and brief; (3) it must be easy to interpret by experts or the teachers who lack of experience in instrument evaluation.; and (4) the good instrument must have a certain characteristic such as in expensive and to get for those who would like to use it as a guidance. the practicality of the module can be tested in two ways, by observation and survey. the observation can be applied by using direct learning. this observation is implemented by giving observation sheets. the second way of taking the surveys is giving simple questionnaire. it is given to the lecturers and students. the questionnaire consists of students and lecturers assessment related to the practicality of the developed module. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 57 feasibility of contextual-based academic writing learning module after trial and revision in a small group, the examination of the module feasibility is then carried out. it is done by means of expert judgment using a questionnaire of module feasibility. in addition, expert judgments and inputs are also obtained through consultation and discussion. based on input from the experts, the feasibility level of the developed model is obtained. effectiveness of contextual-based academic writing learning module the effectiveness test of the module is done in class iii a1 and iii a2 using an experimental method. this test is proposed to ascertain the impact of the developed module implementing in the classroom. class iii a1 is taught with teaching materials taken from the developed module, while class iii a2 is taught using the conventional materials available. after the learning process completed, the test is administered to both classes. further, the test results of both classes are compared and analyzed using t-test. based on the post-test result of both classes, the mean score of the experimental class is 78.10 and the control class is 69.80. further, the mean equality test is proceeded by means of t-test and the result is shown in the following table. tabel 1. test result of mean variance independent samples test levene’s test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2-tailed) y equal variances assumed .013 .909 4.596 34 .000 equal variances not assumed 4.596 33.970 .000 the table shows that the value of t-count equals to 4.595. comparing to the value of ttable at the level of significance α = 0.05 and df = 34, the t-count (4.596) is higher than ttable (2.021). in conclusion, there is a significant difference between the mean score of the students’ learning outcomes using the developed teaching materials and the students using conventional one. the mean score of learning outcomes of the students using academic writing modules developed is higher than those using the conventional one. as result, the null hypothesis (ho) is rejected and the alternative hypothesis (h1) is accepted. it can be inferred, based on the test results, that the developed learning module has a high level of effectiveness. therefore, the contextual-based academic writing modules developed are practical, feasible and effective to use in introductory writing skill lectures. a questionnaire consisting of 79 items is administered to know the students’ and lecturers’ perception on the module feasibility. it is organized using likert scale with five alternative categories: strongly agree (ss), agree (s), slightly disagree (ks), disagree (ts) and strongly disagree (sts). this test covers 21 aspects: 1) theme choice; 2) the accuracy of facts and concepts; 3) accuracy of illustration; 4) conformity with the development of science; 5) updated features of instances and references; 6) contextual; 7) alignment with the level of learners’ development; 8) conformity with the level of social and emotional development; 9) message comprehension; 10) grammar and spelling correctness; 11) the standardized terms and symbols; 12) the meaning coherence of the chapters, sub-chapters and paragraphs; 13) the cohesion of inter-chapter, sub-chapter, paragraph, and sentence; 14) student centered; 15) develop process skills; 16) paying attention to safety; 17) variation of presentation; 18) conceptual coherence; 19) consistency of systematics; 20) chapters synchronization; and 21) completeness of presentation. the students’ responses to the questions on the feasibility questionnaire described in 79 items are as follows: 67.09% of students afif rofii, fathiaty murtadho, & aceng rahmat model of contextual-based academic writing learning module 58 argued that the developed learning module was excellent (strongly agree) and 32.91% of students claimed that the learning module developed is good (agree). based on the result, it can be concluded that students’ perceptions on the feasibility of learning modules developed are very well (strongly agree). meanwhile, the lecturers’ perceptions of the 79 items of the feasibility questionnaire are as follows: 97.46% or 77 items answered strongly agree (very good) and 2.53% or 2 items are answered agree or good. it designates that the lecturers’ perception on the feasibility of learning module developed is very good. the advantage of this developed module is it is developed based on the analysis of lecturers’ and students’ needs so as to produce teaching materials with the following characteristics: 1) developed in accordance with the curriculum employed in the faculty of teacher training and education, universitas batanghari jambi; 2) developed for special purposes; 3) accommodate the needs of lecturers and students; 4) focused on material interrelationship with students’ immediate environment; 5) developed according to the characteristics of the students; 6) the module is feasible, practical, and effective, and 7) developed using contextual approaches prioritizing the seven components of contextual approaches (constructivism, inquiry, modeling, community learning, questioning, reflection and authentic assessment). therefore, it can motivate the students to actively learn in groups or independently. conclusion the results of needs analysis show that both students and lecturers require teaching materials in the form of academic writing module that fits their needs based on contextual approach. as result, it is then developed the learning module adhered the theories on the material development, the principles of material development, and the principle of material assessment. following the effectiveness analysis, it is known that the developed contextual-based academic writing module can improve students’ learning outcomes. it can be consulted to the results of the effectiveness testing of teaching materials used in the experimental class. the scores showed a significant difference between the post-test mean score of the students after learning using contextual-based module (78.10) and the posttest mean score of the students in the control group (69.80). afterward, the analysis of two means shows that t-count value is higher than t-table. the finding confirms that the academic writing performance of the class learning by using contextual-based module is higher than the class learning by using conventional one. this means that the developed academic writing module is effectively used in the learning of writing a proposal at the faculty of teacher training and education, batanghari university of jambi. the feasibility test conducted by giving questionnaire to the lecturers and students results mean scores 82.27%. both lecturers and students suggest that the developed contextual-based academic writing module meets the feasibility criteria, categorized into very feasible. therefore, it can be concluded that the developed contextbased academic writing module is feasible, practical and effective to implement. reference akhadiah, s. (2008). penulisan ilmiah. jakarta: pps universitas muhammadiyah. akhadiah, s., arsjad, m. g., & ridwan, s. h. (1996). pembinaan kemampuan menulis bahasa indonesia. jakarta: erlangga. borg, w. r., & gall, m. d. (1983). educational research: an introduction. new york: longman inc. depdiknas. (2008). panduan pengembangan bahan ajar. jakarta: direktorat jenderal manajemen pendidikan dasar dan menengah. gall, m. d., gall, p. j., & borg, w. r. (2007). educational research: an introduction. boston: pearson education, inc. gay, l. r. (1992). educational research competencies for analysis and aplication. new jersey: a simon & scuster company engliwood cliffs. ghaith, g. (2002). writing. retrieved november 5, 2016 from http://www.nadaisland.com/ghaithwriting.html. gillet, a. (2010). using english for academic purpose: a guide for students in higher education. retrieved english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 59 november 5, 2016 from http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm. johnson, e. b. (2002). contextual teaching and learning. california: corwin press, inc. martens, n. l. (2010). writing, processes and techniques. new york: nova science publishers inc. mulyasa, e. (2006). kurikulum yang disempurnakan: pengembangan standar kompetensi dan kompetensi dasar. bandung: pt remaja rosdakarya. nasution. (1997). berbagai pendekatan dalam proses belajar dan mengajar. jakarta: bumi aksara. nurhadi. (2004). pembelajaran kontekstual (ctl) dan penerapannya dalam kbk. malang: universitas negeri malang. ridwan, s. h. (2011). metodologi pembelajaran bahasa: aplikasi dalam pengajaran morfologisintaksis. yogyakarta: kepel press. rusman. (2012). model-model pembelajaran. jakarta: grafindo persada. sagala, s. (2011). konsep dan makna pembelajaran. bandung: alfabeta. yusuf, a. m. (2005). dasar-dasar dan teknik evaluasi pendidikan. padang: universitas negeri padang. afif rofii, fathiaty murtadho, & aceng rahmat model of contextual-based academic writing learning module 60 model of contextual-based academic writing learning module the practicalities of contextual-based academic writing learning module an analysis of teacher as mediator in efl class english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee an analysis of teacher asmediator in efl class nunung nurhasanah department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia. e-mail: nunungnurhasanah17@yahoo.co.id apa citation: nurhasanah, n. (2014). an analysis of teacher as mediator in efl class. english review: journal of english education 3(1), 103-113 . received: 14-10-2014 accepted: 23-10-2014 published: 01-12-2014 abstract: this paper concerned about how criteria of mediator applied in role of the teacher in efl class and what the most dominant criteria of mediator done by the teacher in efl class. it was limited to analyze the role of teacher as mediator based on feuerstein’s mediated learning experience criteria (1980) in xiongyong et al., (2012). the method was qualitative research by using techniques structured observation and questionnaire that the process of teaching and learning was recorded by video then it was transcribed to identify the existence of criteria of mediator in the class. it also used observation worksheet to show the existence of criteria of mediator during three times observation. based on the findings of the research, the teacher applied all criteria of mediator well which shared intention was the most dominant criteria that was done by the teacher in the class with percentage 87%. it means that the teacher made instructions clearly during the learning so that the students could understand about the lesson and present their tasks well. keywords: role of teacher, mediator, mediated learning experience, efl class. introduction english is international language and used in many aspects such as science, technology, and culture (aprijal, 2012: 1). it has big role in transferring information in the world for example in indonesia. in indonesia, english also influences aspects in human life. the presence of english in indonesia from independence to the present has played in society at large, and in particular in business, politics, education and the media (lauder, 2008: 10). as previous explanation that education has large role in indonesia. the opinion is also supported by lauder (2008: 10) that says that english is a compulsory subject in schools and it can not be denied about the role in university which learning process can not occur without some readings in english. as we know that in indonesia, english is not first language or second language. it is a foreign language. according to brown (2000: 116), foreign language context occurs when the students can not communicate beyond their classroom with society by using english because it is not language that is used in the environment. beside in school, students can get it by language clubs, special media opportunities, books, or an occasional tourist (brown, 2000: 116). it is difficult enough to learn it and need much efforts to master it. moreover, english was first mentioned formally in 1955 at conference of teacher trainers by mr. wachendorff who is the first head of the central inspectorate of english language instruction in the ministry of education. he says that english is never used in daily life in indonesia, or even be the nunung nurhasanah an analysis of teacher as mediator in efl class second language, but it should be the first foreign language (komaria, 1998: 24-25 in lauder, 2008: 16). it means that english as foreign language has established since long time ago. furthermore, it has also had rule of law that can strengthen previous statement and exact time to start learning english. komaria (1998: 29) in lauder (2008: 16) states that the 1989 law renders english as first foreign language and compulsory subject at the secondary level, but it is also given in primary four. moreover, in producing the learner that is good in english, teacher has also role to make it true. brown (2001) in xiongyong, samuel and hua (2012: 118) says that teachers are decision-makers in facing learning process and must be able to handle whatever educational setting, potentials, and problems. besides, tseng (1999) in xiongyong et al., (2012: 118) states that teacher is place where students learn about the world of work and prepared to be successful persons through collaborating with people around them. the statements explain that role of teacher influences in teaching and learning process and gives big contribution for education. teacher also has wide role in future life of students. in addition, good teacher must produce effective learner. it means that the role of teacher should be realized. but, there are many things that must be fulfilled so that it happens. researchers in cognitive education considered that children can become effective learner through teaching fundamental principles of thought, perception, learning, and problem-solving (feuerstein, 1980 & haywood, 1986 in seng, 1997: 1). the perspective is based on the three assumptions that two assumptions stated that the learning of effective cognitive processes occurs and more efficient cognitive functioning can be taught through mediated learning experience (samuel, 1987 in seng, 1997: 1). therefore, a teacher should be a good mediator in order to effective learning can be achieved. william & burden (2000) in xiongyong et al., (2012: 118) states that mediation gives chances for learners to practice english in communication and make the language learning more effective. it means that mediation is important in teaching and learning process and should be applied. because of that, role of teacher should use mediator to reach effective learning. it also should be priority in language instruction (feuerstein, 1990 in xiongyong et al., 2012: 118). furthermore, in social constructivist framework, theory of mediation is a main role (sun, 2005: 6 in xiongyong et al., 2012: 119). it means that mediation has big role. mediation help learners to become autonomous, to control their own learning, to become independent thinkers and problem-solvers (williams & burden, 2000: 68 in xiongyong et al., 2012: 119). as we see, mediation is very helpful to be independent learners and appropriate to apply. moreover, in mediation, mediators are the people around learners. seng, pou, & tan (2003: 11) in xiongyong (2011: 230) say that they may be the parent, facilitator, teacher, or some significant other who plays the intentional role of explaining, emphasizing, interpreting, or extending the environment so that the learner builds up a meaningful internal model of the context or the world experienced. this present study limits teacher as mediator. in classrooms, teachers should interact and assist learners for using language themselves not only providing english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee them with the language knowledge (fisher, 2005 in xiongyong, 2011: 230). besides, if they interaction each other constantly, they learn using language and making sense of the world (vygotsky, 1978 in xiongyong 2012: 233). it means that teacher help learners to understand using language in real life and the context. in addition, seng et al., (2003) in xiongyong (2012: 230) says that current education reforms imply that teacher role as mediator is important not only as disseminator of value of adult mediation but also in children’s learning can never be overstressed. for the explanation, mediation help learner to enjoy their lesson without being stress of it. after knowing that teacher as mediator is important for education, we should know what mediated learning experience is that becomes basic from teacher as mediator. seng (1997: 1) states mediated learning is the process that a mediator manages and interprets the world to child. it occurs when a person gives meaning to occurence, assists children to choose relevant variables, and try to improve children’s abilities to think that individual is involved in mediated learning. besides, seng (1997: 5) stated “mediated learning is the second and vital approach that ensures effective learning”. it is explained with statement from seng (1997: 5-6) as follows: feuerstein develops piaget’s formula of s-o-r further to include a human mediator between the world of stimuli, the organism and the response. his new formula for mediated learning is then s-h-o-h-r, where h is the human mediator. the human mediator interposes himself between the learning organism and the world of stimuli to interpret, guide and give meaning to the stimuli. one of feurstein’s program developments mediated learning experiences is instrumental enrichment. samuel (1987) in seng (1997: 2) states that teachers that apply the program are very enthusiastic toward its effect on the children’s thinking and their own teaching skills and then teachers’ ability increase after teaching this program. in addition, it is a facilitator to create effective learning through the teacher/mediator and which keep independent learning and thinking in children (seng, 1997:2). therefore, it is important for the teacher to apply mediated learning experience in the class. but, “as not every interaction with a task, learner, and a mediator has a quality of mediated learning experience (mle), feuerstein (1980), developed a system of the mle criteria to identify mediation interaction” (xiongyong et al., 2012: 119). they were 1) significance: the teacher makes students realize the importance of a learning task so that they can look at the significance of the task to their own and in a broader cultural context, 2) purpose beyond the here and now: explains to learners how conducting a learning activity will help them in the future beyond the moment and situation at present only, 3) shared intention: makes instructions clear and ensure the intention is understood and reciprocated by learners in presenting a task, 4) a sense of competence: fosters learners’ feelings of competence and capability of learning, 5) control of own behavior: encourages students to become autonomous by self-controlling their learning procedure, 6) goal-setting: teaches learners how to establish achievable targets and to locate approaches for realizing them, 7) challenge: helps learners to develop an internal need to confront challenges and nunung nurhasanah an analysis of teacher as mediator in efl class to seek for new challenges in life, 8) awareness of change: urges learners to monitor changes in themselves and to understand that humans are changeable all the time, 9) a belief in positive outcomes: stimulates learners to assume that there is always the possibility of finding a solution, even when faced with an apparently intractable problem, 10) sharing: invites learners to share behaviors among themselves and to perceive that it is advisable for some problems to be addressed collaboratively, 11) individuality: helps learners realize their individual characteristics in terms of unique aspects, 12) a sense of belonging: aids learners to establish a consciousness of pertaining to the whole class community in the process of completing a learning task. method in this research, the researcher used a qualitative research method which aims to explore and understand the social phenomenon (creswell, 2009: 22). a case study is a strategy that the researcher used. it is used to explore activity in one or more individual deeply (creswell, 2009: 30). in this research, the phenomena explored and understood was about the teacher as mediator in efl class. the research was undertaken at a junior high school in kuningan, indonesia. the participant involved in this research was an efl teacher and the data collected through structured observation, and questionnaires. in collecting data, an observation worksheet as suggested by feuerstein’s mediated learning experience criteria (1980) in xiongyong et al., (2012) as variables in analyzing the teacher as mediator. the researcher also determines one of junior high schools in kuningan that is favourite school to research. questionnaire contains 12 feurstein’s (1980) mle criteria in xiongyong et al., (2012) that teacher does in the class. there are twelve statements which one statement consists of one criterion. in analyzing the observation, the researcher used via guttman scale (yes or no) for analyzing the existence the 12 criteria of feuerstein’s mediated learning experience. feuerstein’s mediated learning experience is assessment rubric to analyze the applying mediated learning experience by the teacher in the class. the teaching was also video-recorded and fully transcribed to identify the existence with criteria of mediated learning experience in the class. for analyzing the questionnaire, the researcher used likert scale. it is instrument to measure how often teacher has role as mediator. the researcher uses checklist form with four variables answer of the statements (always, often, seldom, never). for the result of questionnaire, it will be counted each number which one number show one criteria to measure what the most dominant criteria of mediator in efl class. results anddiscussion criteria of mediator that occurs in role of the teacher in efl class to know how the teacher taught in the class, the writer did observation three times and recorded it to watch and analyze how the teacher applied the criteria. the writer also provided observation worksheet to know the existence of the criteria of mediated learning experience during learning. the observation worksheet consisted of two choices (yes or no) in analyzing 12 criterias of mediated learning english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee experiences by feuerstein (1980) in xiongyong et al., (2012). during three times observation, the topic that teacher taught was “asking and showing ability and willingness”. based on the observation in the class, the writer found the difference of existence of feuerstein’s mediated learning experience criteria (1980) in the class for three times of observation, but during observation the teacher applied all of the criteria as follows: significance in this criteria, the teacher connected between the task and the importance of learning the lesson. the teacher wanted the students to realize that the task was important to themselves and their life. she appointed the task for the first after that she involved and explained about the content and the function. it showed with the dialogue below: t : “so what do you think about this one?” (appoint table of activity 2 in the white board). “what we are talking about today? kira-kira apa sih yang akan kita pelajari hari ini?” ss : “he can, i can.” t : “yes about he can, she can, do you can? what is expression? ini ekspresi apa” ss : “ability, giving ability.” t : “giving ability? it is expression of asking and showing ability” (teacher wrote in the whiteboard). “kita akan belajar tentang kemampuan seseorang dan menyatakan kemampuan seseorang.” (observation video recording 1, september 29th, 2014) in the dialogue above, the teacher wanted to make students realize that the the task that had given (activity) was important and useful for them. for the first she gives the task after that she asked to the students that the task is about what and stated what it is for and the importance of it. purpose beyond here and now in this criteria, the teacher explained that the learning had benefit in the future for the students. it was not only useful for now but also when the students grow to be adult. it was not just useful in the school for english learning but also in the real life. in the observation, the teacher taught about “asking and showing ability and willingness”. in there, the teacher explained that the lesson about ability had benefit when they want to show about their ability in daily life. she said that they will need it in the real life if we want to work to show their ability that is match with criteria of work. she said, “learning about it is not only useful for english lesson but also you can need it in daily life such as in the job. you can show your ability by the expression when you want to apply for job or job interview”(observation video-recording, september 29th, 2014). shared intention in three times of observation, each day the teacher always ensured whether the students understand what the teacher said and explained. she never forgot to say, “do you understand?”, “any questions?” in the middle of lesson or in the end of lesson. by saying them was expected no misunderstanding in lesson and task so that students could present task well. moreover, she also often gave them questions to ensure that the students understand about the lesson. the criteria is showed by the dialogue below: nunung nurhasanah an analysis of teacher as mediator in efl class t : “sampai di sini. any questions?” ss : “no.” t : “are you sure?” ss : “yes.” t : “kalo gitu ibu yang nanya ya? what about this sentence? can’t ben swim?” (teacher wrote in the white board). “bisa ga pertanyaan ini?” for the first and the second underlined sentences, she ensures that the lesson is understood well. and for the third underlined sentence, she gives question to measure how far the students’ comprehension about the lesson. a sense of competence to make the students confidence and feel capable in studying, the teacher never forgot to say, “ thanks”, clapped the hands and asked students to clap their hand for the students that become volunteers to do the task, and stimulated someone to says more about something. we can see from the dialogue above: t : “sudah itu saja raja?” (teacher wrote it in the white board) s : “i’m pretty good at it, i think.” t : “ok ada lagi?” s : “i love chess and i often joined the tournament.” t : “what else?” s : “swim”. (recording#1, september 29, 2014) the underlined word above showed that the teacher stimulated the students to more about the task. beforehand the students just said little and was not confidence to speak but with the help of teacher, the students spoke more. according to williams and burden (2000: 73) in xiongyong et al., (2012: 123), if learning is to be successful, it is crucial that teachers establish in their classrooms a climate where confidence is built up, where mistakes can be made without fear, where learners can use the language without embarassment, where all contributions are valued, and where activities lead to feelings of success, not failure.” control of own behavior in applying these criteria, the teacher guided the students to assess their lesson and the task. the teacher directed the students to asses their task by themselves such as teacher asked students to correct the answer together and asked what it is right or wrong. it is showed by the dialogue: t : “kira-kira what do you think about this answer? this is right?” ss : “no.” t : “so, we would like to listen one more time and check what it is wrong or what it is right.” (observation video-recording 1, september 29th, 2014) the dialogue is showed after the students did the task from listening to the audio. the teacher asked students to come forward and write the task in the whiteboard. after that she asked to students to check the answer in the whiteboard. as skuy (1991) in seng (1997: 7) states, “mediation of selfregulation and control of behavior involves helping the child analyse the task in order to adjust his behaviour appropriately”. she also made students to be responsible with their behavior. she ordered the students that came late to explain about their tardiness and promise not to come late again. she says, “please come forward to tell why you come late and promise not to come late again” (observation video-recording 1, september 29th, 2014). moreover, she also emphasized the importance of english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee doing homework. she gave punishment if the students did not do the homework. she said, “do it and don’t forget! you have to sing a song in front of the class if you don’t do the assignment!” (observation video-recording 1, september 29th, 2014 ). williams and burden (2000: 73) in xiongyong et al., (2012: 123) said, “feelings of competence are necessary but not sufficient for learning to be effective; learners also need to become competent, that is, they need to learn the necessary skills and strategies in order to take control of their own learning.” goal-setting to reach goals in learning, the teacher had a way that was students’ reflection paper. every meeting the students had to make a reflection about the learning in the class. the teacher reminded the students about the reflection, “yang reflectionnya belum hari ini bisa?.....ini adalah refleksi termin ke-1 dengan hari ini berarti 2. jadi jangan tanya lagi ibu buat refleksi ya? itu mah wajib setiap pertemuan.” (recording#2, october 10, 2014). it consisted of the summary, the difficulty, and what they caught about the material. it was individual task and handwriting. they had to made it by themselves and by using english. it was collected every daily tests. by using the method the students was hoped to be able to understand the material and practice their english. besides, the teacher made the class to be life. she was friendly and delightful. she made the students not to be awkward and fear to ask and share about the lesson. it made the goal of the lesson to be easy to reach. there was always little conversation between students with teacher about the lesson and the material which have nor been understood. challenge in applying this criteria, the teacher offered students to be volunteers to involve in lesson and task or she appointed the students directly to be volunteers. she asked them to come forward, to write in the whiteboard, to raise the hands for showing that they could do the task and destroy all obstacles. she said, “siapa yang mau ke depan and write down the information you get from the audio. listen! you can give checklist for the right answer”). and she also said, “habil, would you like to try? or who wanna try number 5?” she also appointed the students directly to do the task, it was hoped the students could face the challenges and the fearness. she said, “ok next, rio for doing number 10”. related to such method of teacher, williams and burden (2000: 75) in xiongyong et al., (2012: 124), confirms that: no matter how much information a teacher may have about a group or even individual learners, it is virtually impossible to match each learner with the right level of task without involving the learners themselves in the process. since the ultimate goal of mediated learning experiences is to produce independent learners and problem solvers, increasing the involvement of the learners in all aspects of the learning process should be encouraged at every opportunity. awareness of change the teacher noticed the learning process in the class. she realized each of change happened with the students. she ordered students to monitor changes in themselves in learning, attitude, or body condition because humans are nunung nurhasanah an analysis of teacher as mediator in efl class changeable all the time. it happened in the third observation when there was a student that was sick. he seemed lethargic in learning in the class. the teacher asked to him, “are you sick? be better for you to take a rest in uks, please for his friend to accompany him to there”. she also said, “important for you all to monitor your condition so that the lesson can be understood well.” besides, the teacher also asked to students to monitor their progress about english in the class where it increases or decreases by making notes about what the ability/progress that students got in every meeting. she said, “for you all, to know and measure you progress in english, you can write in your book every change in positive side in english”. a belief in positive outcomes the teacher was never angry or snapped the students when the students made a fault in task/ learning. she always smiles and supports the students to do the task though it feels difficult for them. she always gives belief to what the students did whether it was right or wrong. it would make the students believe that there was a solution in every difficulty and a positive outcome in every matter. she said to a student that felt difficult to do task, “please, you can do it. it was easy for you, believe me. just try!” sharing in the class, there was good cooperation between teacher and students or fellow students. teacher often moves around in the class and shares about lesson. the students were active to ask if they did not understand about the lesson. the english learning in the class was not only presented with individual task but also group task. in the second and third observation, the teacher involved cooperation among the students. in the second observation, the teacher gives the task about friends’ ability so that the students had to ask to four friends, two girls and two boys, so they had a little conversation by english to complete the task. then, in the third observation, the teacher ordered the students to make a group 2 or 3 person to make a simple dialogue about asking and showing ability and willingness. she said, “work in pairs. kerja berdua/bertiga ya. make a simple dialogue, just it’s easy, right? jadi jangan yang susah-susah silahkan percakapan sehari-hari yang sering kalian buat. ok. ada asking ability, ada jugawillingnessnya”. according to williams and burden (2000: 77) in xiongyong (2012: 124) stated, “sharing and working cooperatively are a vital part of our social existence, the absence of which can result in cognitive difficulties and a very idiosyncratic view of the world”. individuality in the class, the teacher gave the task to the students that showed their uniqueness. she ordered students to ask to four friends about the ability. the students had to asked it by using english. they made a table about ten abilities that teacher gave and they asked it to four friends, two boys and two girls. they had to gave checklist if the friend had ability about it. the students had to asked by using, “can you do math? can you play chess? can you swim? can you.......?....... ” until ten abilities that the teacher gave. by the task, the teacher hoped that the students realized their uniqueness that distinguished with the others. they realized that they had something more than the others. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee besides, the teacher also appreciated the difference of students’ characteristics, different opinion, and ability in the class. it made the students not to be shy and fear to show themselves as a whole. according to williams and burden (2000: 79) in xiongyong et al., (2012: 125), “the language classroom is a place where this sense of individuality can be fostered in various ways through the task given, the teacher’s actions and the climate created. learners can be encouraged to express their own individuality through the foreign language.” a sense of belonging sense of belonging in the class was strong. the teacher could make the students comfortable in learning english. every one was enthusiastic when the teacher explained and gave the task. she could make the class to be cheerful. he said, “are you with me so far?”(observation video-recording 1, september 29th, 2014 ) to ensure that the students focused in learning english, and had a sense of belonging in the class. he also said, “ok silahkan perempuan, tadi laki-laki udah” (video-recording 3) to show their sense of belonging when the teacher wanted a girl to represent their group. it showed that a girl had a sense of belonging in the class community. the most dominant criterion of mediator in efl class to know the dominant criteria of teacher as mediator, the writer used criteria of mediated learning experiences by feuerstein (1980). there were twelve criteria. the writer used questionnaires to know the dominant criteria of a teacher in a class of junior high school. there were twelve statements which one statement consisted of one criterion of mediated learning experiences. then, the questionnaire consisted of four choices (never, sometime, often, always) that must be given checklist as match as the way of teacher in teaching english in the class. based on the questionnaire given to the students, the writer found that the teacher applied all criteria of mediated learning experience. it means that the teacher played the role as mediator well, as illustrated by diagram below: nunung nurhasanah an analysis of teacher as mediator in efl class based on the diagram above, it showed that the most dominant criterion was shared intention (87%). the other criteria were significance (74%), purpose beyond here and now (77%), a sense of competence (76%), control of own behavior (79%), goal-setting (72%), challenge (78%), awareness of change (67%), a belief in positive outcomes (65%), sharing (70%), individuality (81%), and a sense of belonging (81%). from all criteria, shared intention was the most dominant criterion teacher applied in the class with 87%. according to feuerstein (1980) in xiongyong et al., (2012), making clear instructions will ensure the intention may be understood and reciprocated by learners in presenting a task. it means that the teacher always ensures whether or not the students understand about what she explained in the class. in the observation he often said, “do you understand” or “any questions?” in the middle or in the end of the lesson to make sure about their comprehension. she also often gives questions to them to check their comprehension about the lesson but the researcher did not focus in the kinds and patterns of the questions. by analyzing teacher as mediator in efl class, it could be concluded that teacher played role as mediator well with the most dominant criterion was shared intention (87%). conclusion in the perspective of mediation, teacher played the role well. in the three times of observation that the writer did, the teacher applied all of the criteria of mediated learning experience as basic role of teacher as mediator in the efl class. they are significance, purpose beyond the here and now, shared intention, a sense of competence, control of own behavior, goal-setting, challenge, awareness of change, a belief in positive outcomes, sharing, individuality, and a sense of belonging. she could direct the learning well and made students reaching the goal of the lesson for being effective learner. from all criteria of mediated learning experience, shared intention was the most dominant criterion of mediator done. the teacher made the instructions clearly during the learning so that the students could understand about the lesson and present their tasks well. references aprijal, j. (2012). teaching narrative text using grammar-translation method to improve writing ability at the tenth grade students of smk al-fathonah cilaku-cianjur. retrieved on march 25, 2014, from http://publikasi.stkipsiliwangi.ac.id/fil es/2012/09/09220498-julius-a.pdf brown, h. d. (2000). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy (2nd ed.). california: longman. creswell, j. w. (2009). research design (3rd ed.). california: sage publications inc. fraenkell, j r., & wallen, e n. (2009). how to design and evaluate research and education (7th ed.). new york: mcgraw-hill higher education. lauder, a. (2008). the status and function of english in indonesia: a review of key factors. makara, sosial humaniora, 12 (1), 9-20. retrieved on september 10, 2014, from http://journal.ui.ac.id/index.php/hum anities/article/viewfile/128/124 seng, s. (1997). using mediated learning experience to enhance children’s thinking. 1-11. retrieved on august on 30, 2014, from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ed406 052.pdf sugiyono. (2012). metode penelitian pendidikan. bandung: alfabeta. xiongyong, c. (2011). performance of mediation and situational constraints of english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee china’s secondary school efl teachers. international journal of english linguistics, 12 (1), 230-240. retrieved on august 30, 2014, from doi:10.5539/ijel.v1n2p230 xiongyong, c., samuel, m., & hua, c. (2012). evaluation on efl teacher roles from the perspective of mediation: case studies of china’s secondary school classroom practices. international review of social sciences and humanities, 3 (1), 117-134. retrieved on august 26, 2014, from http://irssh.com/yahoo_site_ admin/ assets/docs/13_irssh-239v3n1.131230957.pdf xiongyong, c. (2012). cognition of mediation among secondary school efl teachers in china. international journal of business and social science, 3 (14), 223244. retrieved on august 30, 2014, from http://ijbssnet.com/journals/vol_3_n o_14_special_issue_july_2012/25.pdf students’ oral skill improvement as revealed english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee students’ oral skill improvement as revealed in learning-based performance didik rinan sumekto department of english education, widya dharma university, klaten, indonesia e-mail: didikrinan@unwidha.ac.id apa citation: sumekto, d. r. (2014). students’ oral skill improvement as revealed in learningbased performance. english review: journal of english education, 3(1), 91-102 received: 5-10-2014 accepted: 23-10-2014 published: 01-12-2014 abstract: this classroom-based research investigates how interaction and individual performance by means of classroom learning participation has contributed the undergraduate students’ oral skill improvement. this study observes six speaking course meetings which involves 27 sophomore undergraduate english education. data collected through classroom activities involving students’ performance analysis, observation and oral test technique. data analyzed through carr and kemmis’ classroom action research model examination in two phases. the findings prove that during the interaction and individual-based performance investigation, some students’ oral skill performance increase in the point level. the improvement gains from .25 to .50 points as shown in the second phase. the average score gained in the first phase is 68.30 and 71.12 in the second phase, which indicate that the average achievement is 9.7%. overall, out of 27 participants, there are 74% or 20 participants gaining an improvement in speaking course iv, whilst other 7 participants do not increase their oral skill performance. keywords: adult and independent learners, individual participation, oral skill achievement introduction speaking instruction approach is concerned with the user(s) apply it in multiple purposes, refers to individual possession and its most important aspect is the speakers’ knowledge of using it, whereas linguistic approach is concerned with the world outside the speakers and people’s relations with each other (brumfit and mitchell, 1990). from the instruction performance, a lecturer’s responsibility is initially to ensure that students must learn. somehow, the lecturer’s role is diverse and challenging when instructing and developing the curriculum in terms of subject teaching, session planning, setting and marking of assignments, assessing students’ progress in a variety of ways including marking end-ofmodule assignments and examination papers, writing reports for a variety of audiences including exam boards and external examiners, recording students’ achievement, working as part of a subject team, curriculum development and planning, undertaking visits and field courses when appropriate, feedback to students, and evaluating the programme and teaching scheme (nicholls, 2002). participating in oral skill competence will be widely accommodating for many different purposes, and each purpose involves different skills required (richards and renandya, 2002). kumpulainen and wray (2002) point out that how exploratory and argumentative talk can be more effective in cultivating students’ mailto:didikrinan@unwidha.ac.id didik rinan sumekto students’ oral skill improvement as revealed in learning-based performance critical thinking than procedural or reutilized interactions. an important element in the learning situations is about the possibility of communicating ideas and thinking through versatile tools. according to lumsden (1994) students’ motivation increase when learning is linked to their background knowledge. if students can relate learning to prior knowledge, they will be more inclined to engage in the learning process. students learn when they are able to make sense of their environment and when they are engaged. some studies confirmed that motivation and interaction were identified as important factors in the development of students’ oral skill proficiency within a potential role for explicit instruction in speaking strategies and approaches (hernandez, 2010), where fluency came first and followed by accuracy (zhang andwang, 2012). yet, communication competence emphasized interactional knowledge which consisted of social conventions and regulated the use of language and other communication devices in particular settings (yueqin, 2013). other studies proved that participative instruction could be integrated into regular english language teaching, not only would higher education students’ speaking proficiency improve, but their attitudes towards class would also become more positive. it was especially important to those who come from a passive group participation background and provided an opportunity for lecturer and students to talk about the differences in their classroom expectations and also directed students towards expected classroom participation behaviors, which they feel more comfortable and confident in classroom participation as well (wenli, 2005). herein, the proficiency in the speaking domain was dependently attributed to the supportive lecturer who maintained open lines of communication which eventually catered to the students’ needs in learning. lecturer who was at the warm, approachable, friendly, helpful and supportive, and strict yet with compassion was mostly regarded to create a positive classroom climate (narzoles, 2013). realizing the reality, however, some difficulties might still occur amongst internal college or university students and between lecturer and students relationship in the learning engagement. consciously or not, sooner this condition would be contributing towards learning ineffectiveness. the ineffectiveness contributes a desire to improve student learning, to improve curriculum, to adapt instructional or assessment strategies, a desire for one’s own professional development or to search for connections and meaning in one’s work, and issues in the larger class or community context in learning (ary, jacobs, and sorensen, 2010). the interaction is mostly lecturerdominated, and learners are called upon primarily to provide factual responses, which is not genuine and authentic. this critical issue relates with the lack of lecturers’ understanding on how to design speaking activities during practice and production (bilasha and kwangsawad, 2004) and the lecturer has difficulty in selecting materials and activities that would match the learners’ oral skill competence individually and content (kanoksilapatham, 2007). furthermore, khamkhien (2010) outlines three major problems faced in english speaking instruction: (1) pronunciation; (2) authentic or natural communication; (3) communication breaks down; and (4) english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee conceptual and pedagogical orientations to the teaching of speaking. through these empirical facts above, this study attempts at investigating sophomore undergraduate students among their interaction and individual-based performance as part of its oral skill contribution. as gibbons’ (2002) thinking highlights that students will involve learning perspective, the relative importance of things, and how forces interplay to create dynamic situations, that show the major subsystems of a situation and how the subsystems interact with each other to create force fields of influence (gibbons, 2002). teaching styles will vary from group to group and from individual to individual that require creative thinking and problem solving (nicholls, 2002). various independent learning models have been developed with the intention of facilitating, self-directed, reflective and critical learning on the part of individual learners (wallace, 2007). herein, there are eleven frequently and empirically deployed the students-centred group methods discussed in strengthening an adult learning mechanism, namely: brainstorming, buzz-groups, debate, fishbowl, group discussion, interview, listening and observing, problem-based learning, projects and case studies, role play, simulation and gaming, and therapy groups (jarvis, 2004). this study investigates how interaction and individual-based performance through the classroom learning participation has contributed the sophomore undergraduate students’ oral skill. to comprehend the objectives, this study attempts to reveal the carr and kemmis’ model with the research questions in the following: (1) how do the students gain their interaction and individual-based performance in oral skill; and (2) can interaction and individual-based performance among the students trigger their learning interest? method this classroom-based research was conducted in collaboration with two senior students as peer observers in july 2012. the participants were 27 sophomore undergraduate students focusing on their speaking interaction analysis through observation on physical, interactional and program setting (morrison, 1993; cooper and schindler, 2001) to view situations unfold and connections, causes and correlations that could be an experience over time (cohen, manion, and morrison, 2007), and individual-based performance technique which compared different types of data on participants’ perceptions and documents or works analysis (arhar, holly, and kasten, 2001; lodico, spaulding, and voegtle, 2010) participating during the existing semester in speaking course iv, weighted as two credits with 1 hour and 40 minutes weekly within 6 meetings at english education department, widya dharma university, klaten, central java. data analysis defined as a descriptive form of self-reflective enquiry undertaken by participants in order to improve the rationality of their own learning practices. their progress upon these practices were carried out by carr and kemmis’ action research spiral model (1986) as shown in figure 1 and also comprised to another a-four-step on planning, acting, observing and reflecting which incorporated the improvements (kemmis and mctaggart, 1988). the evaluation results would be considerably brought about the further action. didik rinan sumekto students’ oral skill improvement as revealed in learning-based performance figure 1. carr and kemmis’ action research model (1986) results anddiscussion this part described and analyzed the activity phases of the empirical interaction and individual-based performance conducted within six topics on speaking course in the classroom. generally, the meetings began and drilled with the apperception step regularly, for instance what the previous topic had been discussed together through the reflective evaluation. overall, the interaction and individual-based drilling scheme was to investigate the sophomore undergraduate students’ speaking performance conducted during six meetings within six different topics. the study adopted carr and kemmis’ action research model which consisted of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting phase. both first and second phase were applied to analyze the participants’ oral skill competence. action impact upon students’ improvement the findings would describe some empirical experience on first and second phase that had been found. in general, the oral skill competence of sophomore students of english education had reached the moderate academic requirements as prescribed in the syllabus and or lesson plan. the concepts of analyzing the case study, applying the concept, and creating specific case initially categorized as moderate level; but after having more particular drilling session during the meetings within 100 minutes in each meeting conducted in the first and second phase, there were 20 participants out of 27 participants showed their increase in oral proficiency better or the increase percentage reached 0.74%. subsequent to the drilling and acts by increasing the frequency of opportunities to talk, especially by revealing the personal opinion and responded to ideas of other participants, the student's ability to understand the ongoing theme of the lecture became improved. the participants’ ability of applying the concepts was to increase after researchers sometime provided examples of a concept application. by comparing between first and second phase results, thus, they could be explained that there were some improvements on students’ oral proficiency revealed in both phases. overall, the speaking score in the second phase is 0.74% higher than in the first phase. in particular achievement there was 0.67% increase at the level of .25 point and 0.04% increase at the level of .50 point, whilst 0.26% or 7 participants did not show an increase in students’ oral english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee proficiency. the achievement indicators specifically referred to the individuals’ learning performance, since this study merely emphasized on students’ individual-based performance method. however, the results cluster might be also ranked into its categorization. acting the first meeting was conducted on tuesday, 6th march 2012 with the discussion session about ‘using it in education and learning’. the exploration was engaged in-depth understanding how they learning process then attempted to obtain an advanced and cooperative understanding and competence of relevant materials delivered during the presentation and discussion amongst the undergraduate students of semester iv. good presentation and discussion were highly desirable to support and improve the natural study towards students’ learning experience and style. on the other hand, the lecturer briefly explained about the rationale of the topic to participants in order to give a collectively desired understanding and active participation during the discussion. regularly the standard procedure upon this discussion began with the questions: ‘what’ and ‘how’ do the students accommodate their learning by using some it devices or facilities? these standard questions upon the participants’ awareness were also broadened by the problems that might arise among the learners and how the solutions might follow their learning problems in particular circumstances as well as the parental roles in children learning participation at home. then, this study implemented the first phase into the instruction activity. next, the second meeting conducted on thursday, 8th march 2012 exploring about the professional career planning which took tasks and responsibilities and excellent integrity. the topic focused on introduction, somebody’s dream, personal strengths, professional skills, career information, and present plan. the topic illustrated the participants about what they would like to do with their great ideas entirely the life, what kind of passion did they have, and concerned about how participants had modified the career direction, based on what turned them on, or something they had found success in doing. eventually, the third meeting the discussion focused on parents involvement in their children education which had been conducted on thursday, 13thmarch 2012. this topic bridged and reminded parents how they took responsibility within children education issues at schools. the mainstream underlined that parents could participate in their children's schools by joining parent teacher associations (ptas) or parent teacher organizations (ptos) and getting involved in decision-making about the educational services received by their children at schools in appropriate roles. another kind of involvement was home-based and focused on activities that parents could greatly do with their children or on the teacher's visits to the pupils’ home. they were all conducted within the similar instruction method as implemented before as well. however, the action stage had involved three meetings for different themes in every session as scheduled in table 1. the action was carried out in (1) giving apperception in the beginning and explaining the topic to the students; (2) stimulating students to share their experience and ideas by arguing and discussion; (3) dividing the students into group works. participants in a group consisted of 4-5 members and they worked collaboratively; and (4) facilitating the participants to discuss with the relevant supporting and relevant issues. didik rinan sumekto students’ oral skill improvement as revealed in learning-based performance table 1. first phase meeting schedule day and date duration topic discussed tuesday, 6th march 2012 07:30 09:10 am using it in education and learning thursday, 8th march 2012 07:30 09:10 am professional career planning tuesday, 13th march 2012 07:30 09:10 am involving parents in their children education after implementing the first activities done in the first acting, this study was attempted to continue and to improve the next phase in the second acting by effectuating the instruction method and technique in order to increase the participation amongst the participants effectively. the first meeting was conducted on tuesday, 20th march 2012 within 100 minutes allocation, either the second or the third meeting conducted in the second phase as well. the session began with discussion on ‘misunderstanding between generations’. the theme issue explored and understood ideas comprehensively through a good presentation and discussion relating with the influencing factors badly between the older and younger generations, any matters which involved them, and better solutions. the learning scheme or illustration was about a generation gap or a conflict between the old and the youth was often heard today. the dispute commonly appeared when elders advise them, young generations felt annoyed, murmur and complain. youth were sensitive by nature, whilst old order had lost its charm for them. however, they are today living in the age of enquiry and experiment. when the elder dictated to them and imposed their will upon them, the youth became sometimes defiant and rebellious. they felt frustrated and discontented, when their wishes were not fulfilled. therefore, this condition faced a new problem and a new challenge. again, in the meeting, the lecturer briefly explained about the rationale of the topic and study to participants in order to give a standard understanding and active participation during the discussion. the regularly standard procedure upon this discussion during the instruction began with the questions: ‘what’ and ‘how’ did the students accommodate their learning activity by understanding some differences, similarities, and gaps or barriers among younger and older generations if they gave an experience with this condition? these standard questions upon the participants’ awareness were also broadened by the problems that might arise among the learners and how the solutions might follow their learning problems in particular circumstances as well as the parental roles in children learning participation. then, the second meeting was conducted on thursday, 22nd march 2012. it talked about ‘what is wrong with our education system’, which explored on education is what is retained in your mind after you finish writing or conducting the examinations and why should be the spoon feeding, on the long run teaches nothing but the shape of the spoon ironically. in this phase, the discussion began with an educational system which ought to test the understanding of the relevant subject, and this did not regard how much students were able to reproduce from the text books or even otherwise from either the lesson plan or the syllabus. during the primary and immediately after, it was used to even mug-up questions and answers, in fact. if students had memorized the text book or the questions, they would have surely failed. other leading sub-topics also emphasized on ‘we can buy education, but not wisdom’ and ‘your mind is like a parachute, it works when you open it’. however, the ‘impact of free trade in asean countries’, conducted on thursday, 27thmarch 2012 engaged as the english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee third meeting. this topic was mainly explored and hopefully understood through the students’ good presentation and discussion relating with the opportunities, benefits, and positive and negative impacts. it was understandable that free trade in asean, or called by afta, could enhance the process of economic integration in east asia, which was primarily being driven by trends. afta's impact on investment flows was likely to be positive for asean, particularly if it encouraged corporations to replace country-specific strategies with regional plans. afta's success would also be enhanced by extending its product coverage to include other sectors in addition to the current list of manufactures, embarking on reduction of non-tariff barriers in accordance with the mutual agreement, and welcoming additional participants, particularly those with a high degree of complementarities in terms of production output and trade. they were also conducted within the similar instruction method as implemented before. this learning scheme (discussion-based) was definitely designed with the adult learners concepts. one of them was how to maximize their individual competence in the oral skills (speaking iv for pre-service teachers). however, the action stage had involved three meetings for different themes in every session as scheduled in table 2. the action was carried out in (1) giving apperception in the beginning and explaining the topic to the students; (2) stimulating students to share their experience and ideas by arguing and discussion; (3) dividing the students into group works, but the current group works were different from the previous ones. this condition attempted to verify a new learning situation and to increase their performance; where the learners in a group would be randomly selected upon newmembers initially. participants in a group consisted of 4-5 members and they worked either individually or collaboratively; and (4) facilitating and observing the participants within discussion session during the meetings with the relevant themes. table 2. second phase meeting schedule day and date duration topic discussed tuesday, 20th march 2012 07:30 09:10 am misunderstanding between generations thursday, 22nd march 2012 tuesday, 27th march 2012 07:30 09:10 am 07:30 09:10 am what’s wrong with our education system the impact of free trade in asean countries observing either the first or the second phase in observation had empirically observed, recorded, and analyzed towards all major learning activities that had been conducted during the classroom session with pre-, whilst-, and post-teaching and learning activity. activity was normally begun with any apperception to review the previous meetings in order to gain the lesson-learnt refreshment. again, the activity continued with the core teaching and learning process due to its three different topics presented in upcoming meetings. in whilst-teaching and learning or core activity, there were three main approaches of learning applied– exploration, elaboration, and confirmation. all participants were given opportunities to share their opinion regarding the topics, active participants were mainly expected to show their high thinking skills stimulate and support others’ ideas, keep control upon conducive and active learning, and emphasize problem-based solving rather than show excessive competition amongst the participants. thus, to deepen the results-oriented, classroom observation consisted of collecting information, observing activities, discussing theme(s), analyzing the problem, considering didik rinan sumekto students’ oral skill improvement as revealed in learning-based performance students’ thinking skills level, making inferences, and presenting the results of the discussion aspects were designed into mature interaction within 100 minutes and nevertheless, the final results still determined to students’ individual-based performance. in this stage, the same activity was still done repeatedly through the recordings and observation. the action implementation on the second phase was based on the reflection results that had been conducted in the first phase. three different topics had been under precise consideration, since they achieved unsatisfied enough applied in the first phase. the results of the observation and recordings were to determine as the final output how far the first and second phase significantly contributed to english education undergraduate students’ speaking performance, and students’ involvement and motivation in teaching and learning process as well. reflecting this stage was aimed at examining the strengths and weaknesses experienced in the first phase. this report organization included the strengths inventory and remedial weaknesses of speaking competence by accommodating individual-based performance approach amongst participants; and recommendation emphasis after the learning session was successfully done. table 3 showed students’ oral proficiency performance obtained within the first phase (e.g.: plan, act, observe, and reflect) implementation. table 3. first phase of students’ oral skill performance participant (n = 27) aspect evaluated score converted score1 2 3 4 5 student 1 65 63 70 67 68 66.6 2.50/ c+ student 2 68 68 70 68 68 68 2.50/ c+ student 3 68 67 68 69 67 67.8 2.50/ c+ student 4 67 68.5 68 67 67 67.5 2.50/ c+ student 5 60 60 63 62 60 61 2.0/ c student 6 73.5 73 73.5 73 73 73 3.0/ b student 7 84 83 85 87 86 85 3.75/ astudent 8 68.5 67 68 67 67 67.5 2.50/ c+ student 9 62 62 63.5 63 62 62.5 2.0/ c student 10 63 63 63 63 63 63 2.0/ c student 11 71 69.5 69.5 69 68.5 69.5 2.75/ bstudent 12 62 62 63.5 63 62 62.5 2.0/ c student 13 74 72.5 72.5 72 71.5 72.5 3.0/ b student 14 63 63 63 63 63 63 2.0/ c student 15 84 84 83.5 83 83 83.5 3.50/ b+ student 16 60 60.5 61 61 60 60.5 2.0/ c student 17 68 67.5 68.5 67.5 66 67.5 2.50/ c+ student 18 68 68 69 68 68 68 2.50/ c+ student 19 82.5 82 84 82 80 82 3.50/ b+ student 20 64 64 64 64 64 64 2.0/ c student 21 73 73 73 73 73 73 3.0/ b student 22 65 65 60 58 59 61 2.0/ c student 23 67 67 67 67 67 67 2.50/ c+ student 24 79 78 81.5 78 75 78 3.25/ b+ student 25 63 63 70 60 60 63 2.0/ c student 26 63 63 63 63 63 63 2.0/ c student 27 65 63 63 67 62 64 2.0/ c average score 68.30 key to grading: 3.86 to 4.0 means a; 3.75 to 3.85 means a-; 3.25 to 3.74 means b+; 3.0 to 3.24 means b; 2.75 to 2.94 means b-; 2.25 to 2.74 means c+; and 2.0 to 2.24 means c remarks: 1–pronunciation; 2–grammar; 3–vocabulary; 4–fluency; and 5–comprehension english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee based on the descriptive analysis result presented on the table 3, there was noted that 0.04% or only 1 respondent reached 3.75/ aas the highest score; 0.11% or 3 respondents gained 3.25 to 3.50/ b+; 0.11% or 3 respondents also gained 3.0/ b; only 0.04% or only 1 respondent achieved 2.75/ b-; 0.30% or 8 respondents showed their performance with the score achievement of 2.50/ c+; and 0.40% or 11 respondents performed their oral skill with the score achievement of 2.0/ c in the first phase of oral skill performance. the average score achieved in the first phase of the performance was 68.30. table 4. first phase result towards participants’ oral skill summary category frequency (f) percentage (%) excellent (ato a) 1 0.04 good (bto b+) 5 0.26 moderate (cto c+) 19 0.70 this stage was aimed at examining the strengths and weaknesses which experienced in the first phase. the second phase also gave a reflection towards report organization that included the strengths inventory and remedial weaknesses of oral skill by adopting individual-based performance; and recommendation emphasis after the learning session was successfully done as revealed in table 5 through plan, act, observe, and reflect implementation. table 5. second phase of students’ oral skill performance participant (n = 27) aspect evaluated score converted score1 2 3 4 5 student 1 72 27 74 72 70 72 2.75/ bstudent 2 71 71 71 73 69 71 2.75/ bstudent 3 72 72 75 78 68 73 2.75/ bstudent 4 72 727 72 72 72 72 2.75/ bstudent 5 70 67 70 61 67 67 2.25/ c+ student 6 72 72 75 78 68 73 3.25/ b+ student 7 92 92 96 90 90 92 4.0/ a student 8 70 70 72.5 70 70 70.5 2.75/ bstudent 9 62 64.5 62 62 62 62.5 2.0/ c student 10 70 67 70 61 67 67 2.25/ c+ student 11 78 77 77.5 73 72 75.5 3.0/ b student 12 62 64.5 62 62 62 62.5 2.25/ c+ student 13 72 78 77 75 73 75 3.25/ b+ student 14 63 63 63 63 63 63 2.25/ c+ student 15 85.5 83 83 85 81 83.5 3.75/ astudent 16 60 60 62 60.5 60 60.5 2.0/ c student 17 71 70 72 71 71.5 71.5 2.75/ bstudent 18 72 27 74 72 70 72 2.75/ bstudent 19 84 84 90 82 80 84 3.75/ astudent 20 64 66 67 62 61 64 2.0/ c student 21 72 72 75 78 68 73 3.25/ b+ student 22 61 61 61 61 61 61 2.0/ c student 23 71 71 71 73 69 71 2.75/ bstudent 24 84 84 88.5 83 83 84.5 3.75/ astudent 25 62 66 69 64 59 64 2.0/ c student 26 65 65 70.5 65 62 65.5 2.0/ c student 27 70.5 67.5 71.5 61 67 67.5 2.0/ c average score 71.04 didik rinan sumekto students’ oral skill improvement as revealed in learning-based performance based on the descriptive analysis result presented on the table 5, there was described that 0.04% or only 1 respondent reached 4.0/ aas the highest score; 0.11% or 3 respondents gained 3.75/ a-; 0.11% or 3 respondents also gained 3.25/ b+; only 0.04% or only 1 respondent achieved 3.0/ b; 0.30% or 8 respondents showed their performance with the score achievement of 2.75/ b-; and 0.15% or 4 respondents performed their oral skill performance with the score achievement of 2.25/ c+; and 0.26% or 7 respondents proved their academic achievement in oral proficiency with the gained score of 2.0/ c in the second phase of speaking performance. the average score achieved in the second phase of students’ oral skill performance was 71.04. table 6. second phase result towards participants’ oral skill summary category frequency (f) percentage (%) excellent (ato a) 7 0.15 good (bto b+) 16 0.45 moderate (cto c+) 11 0.41 in terms of legibility of teaching materials, the use of short sentences were preferred and more easily assimilated by participants compared to the readability in the form of long sentences and other forms of legibility. meanwhile, learning techniques used in this study included: (1) lecturing: discussion between lecturer– students, and students–students by sharing information usually, ideas development and problem solution; (2) demonstration or drilling with some thematic themes; and (3) providing experiments and/or empirical experience amongst participants. the topics should be shared, discussed, academically argued/ debated amongst individuals, groups (inter and intra). meanwhile, the use of demonstration and experimental approach had made more participants’ interest in arguing and discussion rather than applying tutorial-based approach. however, the use of these approaches required more time than the use of the classical lecture method initiated by lecturer. the time consuming was getting increased for the discussion opportunity when the experimental and demonstration approach used amongst individuals and groups, but, on the other hand, the gradual development of oral proficiency amongst participants certainly increased and be effective when they were willing to realize and maximize the concept of implementing oral proficiency and accuracy in relating to pronunciation, grammar/structure, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. conclusions interaction and individual-based performance engaged in speaking iv is 1 hour and 40 minutes weekly within six meetings among sophomore english education have concluded two main aspects. first, the natural way used in students’ interaction and individual-based performance approach may, in variance results contribute their oral skill. after conducting a series of assessment process–planning, acting, observing, and reflecting in each phase, the speaking competence results are empirically identified to improve better as recorded in the second phase. out of twenty seven participants, there are 0.74% or 20 participants obtaining an improvement while participating within six meetings in speaking course, whereas other seven participants did not show their performance improve. second, interaction and individual-based performance approach as the learning culture can also trigger a though competition amongst english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee adult learners. they individually achieve the multiple benefits in their learning experience and consciousness since the learning approach used fits to upgrade some supporting activities. facilitating sophomore students to improve legibility of instruction materials, teaching methods, and obtaining equal and frequent opportunities during the meetings, particularly when the lectures focus on the interaction and individual-based performance approach, will open an opportunity to prove their competence since the oral skill needs the supporting contribution in the domain of asking and answering dialogue, situational dialogue, communicative dialogue, discussion and debate, retelling, storytelling, free talk style, short play and speech contest, and english corner possibly. references arhar, j. m., holly, m. l., & kasten, w. c. (2001). action research for teachers: travelling the yellow brick road. new jersey: prentice hall. ary, d., jacobs, l. c., & sorensen, c. k. (2010). introduction to research in education (8th ed.). belmont: wadsworth, cengage learning. bilasha, o & kwangsawad, t. (2004). factors influencing thai teachers’ abilities to adapt clt in their classrooms: a collaborative action research study. thaitesol bulletin, 17, 1-10. brumfit, c & mitchell, r. (1990). research in the language classroom. in brumfit, c & mitchell, r, the language classroom as a focus for research, pp. 3-15. hong kong: modern english publications and the british council. carr, w., & kemmis, s. (1986). becoming critical: education, knowledge and action research. london: deakin university press. cohen, l., manion, l., & marrison, k. (2007). research methods in education (6th ed.). new york: routledge. cooper, d. c. & schindler, p. s. (2001). business research methods (7th). new york: mcgraw-hill. gibbons, m. (2002). the self-directed learning handbook: challenging adolescent students to excel. san francisco: john wiley & sons, inc. hernandez, t. a. (2010). promoting speaking proficiency through motivation and interaction: the study abroad and classroom learning contexts. foreign language annals, 43(4), 650-670. jarvis, p. (2004). adult education and lifelong learning: theory and practice (3rd ed.). london: routledgefalmer. kanoksilapatham, b. (2007). navigating pathways to success in elt. journal of english studies, 3, 6-25. kemmis, s., & mctaggart, r. (1988). the action research planner (3rd ed.). geelong: deakin university press. khamkhien, a. (2010). teaching english speaking and english speaking tests in the thai context: a reflection from thai perspective. english language teaching, 3(1), 184-190. kumpulainen, k., & wray, d. (2002). classroom interaction and social learning: from theory to practice. london: routledgefalmer. lodico, m. g., spaulding, d. t., & voegtle, k. h. (2010).methods in educational research: from theory to practice (2nd ed.). san francisco: john wiley & sons, inc lumsden, l. s. (1994). student motivation to learn (eric digest no. 92). eugene: eric clearinghouse on educational management. (eric document reproduction service no. ed 370 200). morrison, k. r. b. (1993). planning and accomplishing school-centred evaluation. dereham: peter francis. narzoles, d. t. g. (2013). classroom communication climate and communicative linguistic competence of efl learners. theory and practice in language studies, 3(3), 404-410. nicholls, g. (2002). developing teaching and learning in higher education: london: routledgefalmer. richards j, c., & renandya w. a. (2002). methodology in language teaching: an anthology of current practice. in shumin, k, teaching speaking, pp. 201. cambridge: cambridge university press. wallace, s. (2007). teaching, tutoring and training in lifelong learning sector (3rd ed.). exeter: learning matters ltd. didik rinan sumekto students’ oral skill improvement as revealed in learning-based performance wenli, t. (2005). improving speaking skills through instruction in oral classroom participation. foreign language annals, 38(1), 46-55. yueqin, h. (2013). research on fostering intercultural communication competence of foreign language learners. crosscultural communication, 9(1), 5-12. zhang, y., & wang, j. (2012). the elaboration of cultivating learners’ english communicative competence in china. english language teaching, 9(12), 111-120. didikrinansumekto english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 157 exploring cognitive process of research topic selection in academic writing fahrus zaman fadhly department of english education faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kuningan & ph.d candidate of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia email: fahruszaman_pb15s3@mahasiswa.unj.ac.id emzir postgraduate program, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: emzir.unj@unj.ac.id ninuk lustyantie applied linguistics, postgraduate program, university state of jakarta, indonesia e-mail: ninuk.lustyantie@unj.ac.id apa citation: fadhly, f. z., emzir, e., & lustyantie, n. (2018). exploring cognitive process of research topic selection in academic writing. english review: journal of english education 7(1), 157-166. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1535. received: 29-08-2018 accepted: 30-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: the purpose of this research is to explore and reconstruct the cognitive processes experienced by indonesian scientific writers in selecting research topic in academic writing. by using grounded theory approach, this research explored the indonesian scientific writers’ cognitive processes and revealed eleven ways or approaches in finding and selecting research topics, i.e: institutional research road map, literature review, search before research, research trends in the world, national topics of research, interpretation of regulations, court decisions, pros and cons of actual cases or topics, discussion and research sharing method, exposure of controlled data, and looking for possible space for existing papers. each expertise background dicipline has its own ways and approaches in research topic selection, but there is ‘red thread’: the selection and determination of research topics rests on literature review. this research endorses practical approaches to find out research topics containing novelties and state of the art of the research in each discipline. keywords: cognitive process; academic writing; research topic selection; indonesian scientific writers; search before research. introduction facts show that indonesia already has several reliable scientific writers, as shown through data from scimago. scimago (2018) shows that indonesia only has 75,220 articles with h-index 196. this acquisition places indonesia ranked 11th, below pakistan which has 127,817 articles with hindex 217 ranked 10th. thailand has 156,829 articles, with h-index 289, making it ranked 9th. indonesia is even far away from malaysia which has 24,8457 articles, with the h-index 249, ranked 8th. hong kong was ranked 7th with 263,602 articles, h-index 479. 8th position belonged to singapore with 265,452 articles, h-index 492. ranks in the top five in a row were occupied by china (5,133,924 articles, hindex 712) in the first place, japan (2,539,441 articles, h-index 920) came second, india (1,472,192 articles, h-index 521) in third place, south korea (1,004,042 articles, h-index 576) fourth, and taiwan (614,487 articles, h-index 437) in fifth place. at this level, there is a gap to be able to contribute to language education through a review of proven processes and results of writing. the gap is an opportunity that this research will take advantages of this present fahrus zaman fadhly, emzir & ninuk lustyantie exploring cognitive process of research topic selection in academic writing 158 research. it is a manifestation of efforts to construct the cognitive process of academic writing----selection of research topics in particular. it was also formulated as an effort to contribute to the development of science especially in language education study through the context of proven academic writing. various studies related to academic writing competence in foreign languages, especially english, generally take the context of the formal education environment as the realization of language teaching. these studies generally revolve around the achievement of teaching writing, related evaluations, to the utilization of certain models in teaching writing. at this point, the realm of research actually provides a broad space to be directed at other contexts that can also contribute to language education. various studies related to academic writing competence in l2 generally take the context of the formal education environment as the realization of language teaching. this can be seen in several recent studies from silva & matsuda, hinkel, kahraman (2012), paris said, hamsa & mahmudah (2015) and rahimi, kushki & nassaji (2015). these studies generally revolve around the achievement of teaching writing, related to evaluations and the utilization of certain models in teaching writing. at this point, the realm of research actually provides a broad space to be directed at other contexts that can also contribute to language education. previously, several studies had tried to compare the results of academic and nonacademic writing, from several circles as a realization of cognitive processes. for example, white and cheung (2015) once made comparative studies regarding the results achieved by professional writers and amateurs in composing compositions. research related to the ability to write scientific papers needs to pay attention on aspects of results and processes in the same proportion. in this case, studies related to the importance of writing skills need to look at aspects related to direct results, as well as the process. reviewed from perspective of the creative process, the works of short stories, novels and poetry, there are five creative processes of fiction writing namely: incubation, insight, evaluation, and elaboration (nuraeni & fadhly 2016). the relevant study also explored the mental processes carried out starting from brainstorming, planning, drafting, revision, editing, to proofreading. this study reveals the ways in which authors develop their writing in terms of producing long compositions without losing essence, how writers overcome attachments in their writing process, author-specific writing features and what they expect from readers after reading their writing (fadhly, hasanah & agustiana, 2017). it also reveals that the differences experienced by participants at each writing stage are strongly influenced by their areas of interest, writing behavior and writing style. fadhly and ratnaningsih (2018) also confirmed the cognitive processes involved in popular article writing. several different ways in which the author gets inspiration to write, what values underlie the author to give their arguments on a particular topic, how the author decides the point of view of their argument, starts writing, develops the argument, and closes the writing. this present research is expected to bring novelty in identifying the cognitive processes experienced by reputable international journal writers who can take important lessons for other indonesian scientists. cognitive models existed are still very limited to explain comprehensively how the true cognitive processes of research topics selection experienced by the author who have been tested. this study is expected to present novelty in the subject area. this research has the urgency to describe the cognitive processes experienced by indonesian scientific writers whose writings are published in reputable international journals. by identifying cognitive processes that take place in the writing process, so that it can be a guide for other writers in writing scientific articles in reputable international english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 159 journals. another is to boost the quantity and quality of scientific publications of indonesian researchers/scientists in reputable international journals as part of efforts to increase national competitiveness from the scientific publications sector. method in the flowchart, this research shows the specific purpose of this research, which is breaking down cognitive processes in writing articles in reputable international journals since the topic selection, problem formulation, expressing tentative goals (thesis), selecting, collecting and determining bibliography, making notes and making the outline of the writing, pouring ideas into written language so that it became a coherent, systematic and reasoned initial draft composition, review, to edit academic writing and make it a final draft. this research was conducted in bandung based on the place of residence and/or campus teaching resource. data collection starts from july december 2017. this research uses grounded theory research design. referring to the purpose of this study, which is to reconstruct the cognitive process in academic writing experienced by 3 indonesian scientific writers, the grounded theory research design is deemed appropriate to be applied in this study. as stated by creswell (2012) that grounded theory research design is used when researchers need a theory or explanation of a process. the activity of writing as a cognitive process is also explained by using a grounded theory approach. creswell (2012, p. 440) details eight procedures in grounded theory research, i.e.: “determine whether grounded theory research design is in accordance with research problems; identify the cognitive processes that want to be studied; obtain permission and access to conduct research; conduct theoretical sampling; data coding; using selective coding and developing theory; validating theory; develop a grounded theory research report”. the techniques for collecting cognitive process data in this academic paper are carried out through (1) observation, (2) interviews, (3) documents. observation is done by directly observing the writing process of the scientific writings of the informants/speakers so that the whole construction of the cognitive process phenomena that occur/is done by them is obtained. interviews were conducted in-depth (indepth interviews) with (3) selected informants from a number of state universities in indonesia from universitas pendidikan indonesian (upi) and universitas padjadjaran (unpad). the three indonesian scientists included: didin saripudin, atip latiful hayat (alh) and dr. fitri khaerunnisa (fk). the selection of the three indonesian scientists was taken based on considerations, among others: (1) the performance of research and scientific publications that stood out especially their research works published in reputable international journals; (2) the ease of accessing them for the purposes of observation and in-depth interviews and obtaining the necessary written documents; and (3) the diversity of informants/resource persons with diverse scientific clusters is intentionally conducted to see whether there are variations in cognitive processes as reflected in the interview process and their academic writings. interviews are conducted informally so that the informant feels comfortable and goes on intimately. high technical language will be avoided and researchers should optimally be able to provide a sense of comfort so that informants feel free in responding to each researcher's questions in their own way (sunstein & chiseri-strater, 2012; marshall & rossman, 1999, holstein & gubrium, 1995). results and discussion of the three informants interviewed, i.e.: ds with a background in sociology of education, indigenous education & multicultural education, alh with a fahrus zaman fadhly, emzir & ninuk lustyantie exploring cognitive process of research topic selection in academic writing 160 background in international law and telecommunications law, and fk with a background in nanomaterial carbon, adsorption, nanocomposite polymer. as their different experiences in choosing and determining research topics. research topic selection based on research road map in choosing and determining research topics, ds followed a road map that had been designed with those who have the same expertise. in accordance with his background, ds researches teaching aspects such as approaches and methods, learning resources including textbooks, learning media, learning evaluation, etc. subsequent research topics follow the path of the research road map designed together with his colleagues in the same department and with the same research expertise. ds says that his research had followed the stages of the road map designed. a research topic that is still in a cluster is carried out in a systematic and continuous way. it includes in basic research type. ds elaboratively describes that basic research is usually oriented on producing new scientific findings. that is to produce new concepts, theories, or models. if the basic research topics are running according to the initial planning, then it continues to applied research. likewise, if the applied research topics have run well, it will continue to development research. development research usually produces a product that is known in upi as a teaching industry. so, development research produces products in learning that can be massively produced and sold it to the market. like me, research on learning resources has been done, an approach is taken to research textbooks and learning media." (interview with ds, april 5, 2018) the following is an illustration of the research road map conducted by ds so that the research direction runs systematically and continuously. the research road map designed by ds with his colleagues can be described in the diagram below. figure 1. the research road map designed by ds with his colleagues in the road map, ds with his team designed a research in the field of evaluation. the time range is from 10 to 20 years. every year, a detailed research topic plan is created. this detailed research topic plan then produces new topics each year so that the research road map designed encourages members of the research team to be able to produce areas of expertise. from the research road map, a number of scientific publications can also be created and can be divided into scientific publications in reputable international journals. in detail, ds states: basic research applied research development research field of expertise research road map 5-10 years 10-20 years 20-30 years producing new scientific findings (new concepts, theories, models) producing learning models, learning media, etc. developing concepts, theories, models and learning media, etc. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 161 for example, in about a few years, 10 or 20 years, what research in the 1st to 20th year. later, it will become an expert in educational field. it is similar to write in a journal which is the results of those researches. thus, my writings published in journals are the results of the research that i have done, such as the wayang golek as a learning media and i have also written a textbook entitled "history of indonesia based on multiculturalism". a research can be extracted into several journal articles, not always one research for one article; it can be more than two or three journal articles. yet, of course, the journal title is not the same as the research title, the journal title must be more attracted, not too long, and not too locality especially if it is an international journal. there is no need to state which junior high schools or senior high schools.” (interview, 17 august 2018) research topic selection based on previous studies by conducting literature review the role of scientific articles published in reputable international journals/nationally accredited journals is recognized by ds to be very influential in selecting research topic. based on cognitive experience experienced by ds, it is very important for researchers to read previous studies in order to select research topic. ds sees the importance of reading previous studies by saying: it has a great effect. sometimes, i look for ideas after reading previous studies, especially in international journals. for example, i want to see historical learning media, so i read research on historical learning media. there are journals that specifically discuss learning media, such as tujet (turkish online journal educational technology).” (interview with ds, april 5, 2018) research topic selection based on "search before research" activity based on cognitive experience of fk as an expert in the field of chemical engineering and nano technology, the research topic was obtained from the "search before research" activity which is a process of reading scientific works in reputable international journals. through this "search before research" activity, fk gets inspiration to choose and determine research topic. similarly, from "search before research" activity, the research gap will be found so that the research topic will always contain novelty. fk says that the “search before research” activity is very useful for a scientific writer. fk describes several important reasons why it is necessary to conduct searching activities before conducting research. first, related to the target of the manuscript publication to a particular journal. the data collected by researchers must be potential to be published in certain journals. fk notes that it is fatal for a researcher to collect data that is not potential to be published. the data collected must be in line with existing research trends. these research trends can be seen from searching activities. in more detail, fk explains the importance of this “search before research” as follows: search before research” activity is actually important for me. why do we have to search before conducting research? first, related to the final target, how our data is still potential to be published and how our data is still in line with the trend that people are working on. the final target can be international or national journals. second, this is the most feared when we write, there is replication, duplication, and even plagiarism. if i select a research topic, it will be based on my expertise. for example, since i am concerned in the field of environmental chemistry and advanced material, so that the topics i choose are around it. i might not research, for example, about superplasmon because it is out of my expertise. (interview with fk, may 15, 2018) the flow of this finding can be described as follows: fahrus zaman fadhly, emzir & ninuk lustyantie exploring cognitive process of research topic selection in academic writing 162 figure 2. research topic selection based on "search before research" activity research topic selection based on observations of "research trends" in the world according to fk's cognitive experience, research topics can be explored from research trends that are taking place throughout the world. global issues that become world’s trending topics inspired him to design research with actual global topics or issues. for example, local issues related to global warming, food security, etc. nevertheless, according to fk, from the existing global issues, we must look for more specific issues that people have not researched yet, because even though the research topic has been raised as a world trend, we must still take into account the more specific issues. to convince us how important it is to pay attention to these research trends, fk explains that by reading the developing trends in the world, a writer/researcher is able to select a research topic. reputable international journal publishers will consider 'business aspect', namely looking at research trends that are happening. if author does not pay attention to the aspect of research trends, it will be difficult for a manuscript to be published. regarding this research trend, fk describes as follows: because business aspect is considered in the world, the publisher company will also consider it. if they want to sell, the topics loaded must be in the trend. for example, people are concerned about energy, so we have to find out the topics about energy. or about the global warming issue, then anything related to the solution of how to prevent global warming will be more attracted. this aspect then becomes the reason why an article can be quickly published, why it is this long, why it is being rejected, and why it is accepted. (interview with fk, may 15, 2018) then, how do we find the research gap so that it has an element of novelty? fk explains that a researcher needs to have sensitivity and foresight on any topics that might be raised. the important thing is not to duplicate or replicate the previous works. in the context of searching this gap, the key word is "looking for the possibilities that exist in that trend." following is fk’s explanation related to the gap of a trend: first, looking for possibilities that exist in that trend; which part that has not been researched by others. for example, a person in america has been doing it and another person is working on it. if we just follow what they are doing, it is duplication so that it will be difficult to publish. it can be done if we just to get the knowledge of how a research works, but if we want to run into publications, it cannot be done. thus, novelty is actually easy, just by searching. (interview with fk, may 15, 2018) research topic selection based on national research topics of indonesian ministry of research, technology and higher education as an authoritative institution as well as sponsors of various types of research, the indonesian ministry of research, technology, and higher education (kemenristekdikti) carries out certain themes every year. every year, there are no less than 10 (ten) research topics offered by kemenristekdikti. researchers utilize english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 163 research topics offered by kemenristekdikti. following is fk's explanation regarding the importance of designing a research topic by referring to the research topics offered by the indonesian ministry of research, technology and higher education. in national scale, kemenristekdikti always issues ten national themes. as long as our proposal concerns among the ten themes, our proposal will be accepted. there are possibilities to be accepted, depending on how we propose our ideas in the proposal. so, the publication is the same, every journal has its scope, this journal coverage is about this, another journal about this, so when i want to publish an article, i always see the target journal and consider its scope. if the scope is suitable, then the data i have can be submitted to the journal.” (interview with fk, may 15, 2018) research topic selection based on interpretation of regulations as a researcher in the field of law, alh explained his cognitive experiences that research topic were obtained through interpretation of a regulation. the novelty of a research topic was derived from the process of understanding and interpreting the existing regulations. in detail, alh explains the importance of interpretation as the main source of research topic that has a high novelty element as follows: for the legal articles writing, it can be from an interpretation of one provision, for example in law, international conversions or international agreements. how we understand and interpret it can become a research question. since every provision or rule whether domestic or international is made for the future, there will be situations and practices that are different from when the rules were made. that is where the problem can be revealed. (interview with alh, june 7, 2018) research topic selection inspired by court decisions based on alh’s experience, a research topic also usually comes from an analysis of court decisions that are often referred to as case studies. it is especially related to the research question of how a court applies the law in a case. he also analyzes to criticize whether a court decision is true or not. the research question often arises from the court decisions. “we criticize whether the judgment is true or not" (interview with alh, 7 june 2018). research topic selection inspired by the presence of actual cases or topics that are becoming public discourse research topic selection is inspired by the emergence of pros and cons of a case or a regulation. alh explains his cognitive experience as follows: if outside the field of law, they refer to it as an article review. we analyze the experts’ writings, then we have different opinions and understandings. it can also be a debate between pros and cons, for example writing one stance and then it is debated. that is normal in legal articles. sometimes, it is not enough to just reply, sometimes reply again and again. that is like such polemics. it is one of the sources of ideas to write. (interview with alh, june 7, 2018). research topic selection through research discussion and sharing intensive discussions with experts, lecturers and teachers inspired writers to select a research topic. ds acknowledges that through discussions with teachers as education practitioners inspired him to find research topics that have a high element of novelty. ds said: the inspiration can also come from discussions. like my experience that after having discussions with teachers in mgmp, it turns out that the history teachers need historical learning media while the available ones were science learning media. then, we talk with the company that produces the media. incidentally, they said that the historical learning media do not yet exist, so we make proposals on how to make historical learning media in the form of replicas of historical objects and electronic maps. it was responded well by the company because it might be profitable in terms of economy. there is a good market nation. (interview with ds, april 5, 2018) in addition to colleagues, indonesian scientific writers are also inspired to get new topics through discussion with teachers. from ds’s experience, when discussing directly with history teachers, they need learning media specifically for historical subjects that are not yet available. from this need, then there is an opportunity to become an industry. ds says that the need for historical learning media inspired him to fahrus zaman fadhly, emzir & ninuk lustyantie exploring cognitive process of research topic selection in academic writing 164 design a research project by collaborating with industry. regarding this cognitive experience, ds explains that: the inspiration can also come from the journey. like my experience that after having discussions with teachers in mgmp, it turns out that the history teachers need historical learning media while the available ones were science learning media. then, we talk with the company that produces the media. incidentally, they said that the historical learning media do not yet exist, so we make proposals on how to make historical learning media in the form of replicas of historical objects and electronic maps. it was responded well by the company because it might be profitable in terms of economy. there is a good market nation (interview with ds, april 5, 2018). determination of research topics resulting from exposure to controlled data so that novelty is found based on fk's cognitive experience, the determination of research topics can also be raised from the exposure of new data found. however, exposed data is verified (crosscheck) with scientific articles that have been published by leading journals throughout the world. the novelty element can also be identified from the activity of exposing the data. when exposing data generated from certain methods or equipment is found element of novelty, the research topic can be identified. regarding data exposures, the novelty and topic of this research, in more detail the fk describes it as follows: when they expose the data to show that the research activities carried out are in mind so with planning. if we are tested once a week, for example, "you are testing this again, how can you get the data?" it is proven that this crystallization of the structure is not like this, if it does not mean changing the method. for example "you don't research here anymore, because people have already researched", so we lose opportunity, we have changed here. so the process is also escorted in such a way as to ensure the data is published or not. the japanese are not very good at english, but why they can penetrate into nature, can penetrate into science not because of their english skills. but why can it be? because they have the ability in the data, in the data they are advanced who are better at revealing something new (interview with fk, may 15, 2018). determination of research topics as results from the search for the possibility of the existing papers finding possibilities from published articles in line becomes an important way of determining research topics that have novelty elements. the intelligence of a researcher with long hours of flying reading will easily identify the possibility space so that the data to be explored also has a high element of novelty. such is the fk experience as a scientist who has been involved in a number of prestigious studies with japanese scientists. however, according to the fk, the possibility of in line space must be tested first to ascertain whether there is an opportunity to get new data that can be published. the following are fk's explanations regarding the determination of research topics resulting from the possibility of the possibility of existing papers: if we do searching, we will meet you, so my habit outside of that time (japan) is when we want to work on the article, not "let's give a presentation!" but i'm doing a journal. if in the searching context, the professor gave 50 journals. and he's already directing it to the journal we're going to work on. then he told me to read, and told me to write down what you got what you got. then what are the possibilities that can still be done, sometimes the ones who can make it acceptable are novelty of ideas, or for example like the others who researched it, they just got a (interview with fk, may 15 2018). broadly speaking, the determination of research topics that are cognitively experienced by three indonesian scientific writers with different scientific backgrounds can be classified as follows: table 1. research topics selection their variety and characteristics based on the background of the field of expertise no expertise background of the author ds fk alh sociology of education, nanomaterial carbon, international law and english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 165 determination of research topics indigenous education & multicultural education adsorption, nanocomposit e polymer telecommunicatio ns law 1 institutional research road map √ √ 2 literature review √ √ √ 3 search before research √ √ 4 research trends in the world √ √ 5 national research topics (ministry of research, technology and higher education) √ √ 6 interpretation of legislation √ 7 court decision √ 8 pros and cons of actual cases or topics √ 9 discussion and research sharing method √ 10 exposure of controlled data so that it is found novelty √ 11 looking for possible space for existing papers √ conclusion from the research conducted it was concluded that the reconstruction of cognitive processes writing reputable international journal articles experienced by a number of indonesian scientific writers had very important benefits for the development of cognitive models in writing especially academic writing. reconstructing the cognitive processes experienced by indonesian scientific writers is a fairly long cognitive journey and their cognitive experience will inspire other scientific writers and indonesian researchers to increase the productivity of their publications. this research has been able to explore how indonesian scientific writers in various disciplines express their cognitive experience so that their scientific works can be published in reputable international journals indexed in web of science (wos) and scopus. aknowledgement this research was supported by the directorate of research and community service, general directorat of research and development, the ministry of research, technology and higher education (kemenristekdikti), republic of indonesia. we thank our colleagues from universitas kuningan who provided insight and expertise that greatly assisted the research. references corbin, j., & strauss, a. (2008). basics of qualitative research: techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. los angeles: sage. creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). boston: pearson education crossley, s. a., & mcnamara, d. s. (2009). computationally assessing lexical differences in second language writing. journal of second language writing, 17(2), 119–135. fadhly, f. z., & ratnaningsih, n. (2018). reconstruction of cognitive process in popular article writing. the asian efl journal, 20(5), 7-33. fadhly, f. z., hasanah, n. & agustiana, v. (2017). mental process of writing for academic purposes: a case study of indonesian writers. indonesian efl journal, 3(2), 203-214. flower, l., & hayes, j. r. (1981). a cognitive process theory of writing. college composition and communication, 32(4), 365-387. hairston, m. (1982). the winds of change: thomas kuhn and the revolution in the teaching of writing. college composition and communication, 33(1), 76-88. hinkel, e. (2014). effective curriculum for teaching l2 writing. london: taylor & francis. holstein, j. a., & gubrium, j. f. (1995). the active interview. thousand oaks: sage. fahrus zaman fadhly, emzir & ninuk lustyantie exploring cognitive process of research topic selection in academic writing 166 jarvis, s. (2002). short texts, bestfitting curves and new measures of lexical diversity. language testing, 19(1), 57–84. kahraman, s. (2015). an evaluation of an english language teaching education program in terms of teacher autonomy. international online journal of education and teaching, 2(2), 5366. marshall, c., & rossman, g. b. (1999). designing qualitative research (3rd ed.). thousand oaks: sage. nuraeni, i., & fadhly, f. z (2016). creative process in fiction writing of three indonesian writers. indonesian efl journal, 2(2), 117-126. oshima, a., & hogue, a. (2006). writing academic english. new york: pearson longman. paris, p., said, i., hamsa, a., & mahmudah, m. (2015). discourse mastery based on indonesian language teaching skills of the second grade students in senior high school, pangkep regency. journal of language teaching and research, 6(1), 172-178. rahimi, m., kushki, a., & nassaji, h. (2015). diagnostic and developmental potentials of dynamic assessment for l2 writing. language and sociocultural theory, 2(2), 185-208. riley, j. (2015). bilingual facebook users’ cognitive writing processes/processus cognitifs d’écriture des utilisateurs bilingues de facebook. canadian journal of learning and technology/la revue canadienne de l’apprentissage et de la technologie, 41(1). scardamalia, m., & bereiter, c. (1987). knowledge telling and knowledge transforming in written composition. advances in applied psycholinguistics, 2(1), 142-175. scimago institutions rangking. (2018). the scimago journal & country rank. retrieved on december 2018 from http://www.scimagojr.com/journalrank.php?c ountry=id. silva, t., & matsuda, p. k. (eds.). (2012). on second language writing. london: routledge. sunstein, b. s., & chiseri-strater, e. (2012). field working: reading and writing research. boston: bedford/st. martin’s. thomas, j. r., silverman, s., & nelson. j. (2015). research methods in physical activity (7th ed.). windsor: human kinetics pubishing. white, r., & cheung, m. (2015). communication of fantasy sports: a comparative study of user-generated content by professional and amateur writers. professional communication, ieee transactions on, 58(2), 192-207. woolston, c. (2000). writing for therapy helps erase effects of trauma. cnn. zangwill, o. l. (2004). the oxford companion to the mind. new york: oxford university press. https://web.archive.org/web/20041120093458/http:/archives.cnn.com/2000/health/03/16/health.writing.wmd/ https://web.archive.org/web/20041120093458/http:/archives.cnn.com/2000/health/03/16/health.writing.wmd/ audience awareness in the written discourse english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee audience awareness in thewritten discourse of sudanese efl university learners ali ahmed osman zakaria department of linguistics, university of kassala, sudan e-mail: haddad_31970@hotmail.com abdel rahim hamid mugaddam institute of african & asian studies, university of khartoum, sudan e-mail: sudan_98@hotmail.com apa citation: zakaria, a. a. o., & muqaddam, a.r. h. (2014). audience awareness in the written discourse of sudanese efl university learners. english review: journal of english education 3(1) 1121 received: 03-11-2014 accepted: 12-11-2014 published: 01-12-2014 abstract: the study investigates the written discourse of the sudanese efl university learners to evaluate and assess their awareness of the audience to whom they write. the analytic descriptive approach is adopted to achieve the aims of the study. the subjects of the study consisted of 50 sudanese efl students drawn from faculty of arts at alneelain university. three tools were employed for data collection: a writing test, a questionnaire and an interview with the students. results showed that the written discourse produced by sudanese efl students did not reveal an awareness of the audience with whom they communicate. the students did not succeed to make assumptions of what their audience already know and what they expect to find in the texts being written. they held fragmentary knowledge on the concept of audience awareness. accordingly, the students were not able to prepare and edit texts which keep and stimulate their audience – they were not able to depend on lexical and structural variation to produce proper and effective writing. furthermore, results indicated that students were not able to attach unity and coherence to the texts they produced. their organizational skills were very poor. to help the students develop the concept they hold on audience awareness, writing instructors and syllabus designers need to put special emphasis on the importance of audience awareness as a factor which is essential for effective writing. keywords: audience awareness, communicative setting, language proficiency, discourse competence introduction many theorists contend that the purpose of writing is to communicate with an audience, which can be defined as actual readers or as the writer himself. scholars also seem to agree on another point: "no matter who/what the audience is (from real people to fictional construct), writers adjust their discourse to their audiences. in other words, writers do things to bring their readers into their texts, to establish a community that includes themselves and their reader" (wildeman, 1988). audience awareness is a very important aspect in discourse intelligibility. students need to have a thorough knowledge of their potential audience. to write to particular audience is far better than to write with no audience in mind. writing to known audience means having a predisposed knowledge of who students wish to write mailto:haddad_31970@hotmail.com mailto:sudan_98@hotmail.com ali ahmed osman zakaria & abdel rahim hamid mugaddam audience awareness in the written discourse of sudanese efl university learners to. this gives the students an advantage when preparing the content of the message they wish to convey. thereafter, students can adopt the strategies that enable them to produce a meaningful and comprehensive piece of writing. sudanese efl students have a little knowledge of the nature of the audience to whom they write. accordingly, they fail to make the right lexical and grammatical choices to formulate the message they wish to convey. for this reason students' writing results in a vague and less comprehensive piece of writing which makes mutual understanding difficult, if not impossible. writing, as stated by zemach and islam (2006), is an important form of communication in day-to-day life. writers put their ideas on paper to be read later by particular readers. one of the many things a writer needs to consider when completing a written task, according to bull & shurville (1999), is the requirements of the intended audience. hinds (1987) assumes that the writer provides the information required by the intended audience and prepares the written task through dialogic construction. that is, the writer has to make assumptions of what the audience know and what they do not. this makes writing as one of the most difficult skills to master in both first language and a second/foreign language.writing abilities are not naturally acquired (liberman and liberman, 1990). they must be culturally (rather than biologically) transmitted in every generation, whether in schools or in any other environments. since the command of writing entails mastery of language, students need to be guided on how to view writing as a tool through which they communicate meaning to particular audience. taking account of readers as reported by edwin & grundy (1996) is an important factor in effective writing. so, as stated by hyland (2003) the goal of writing instruction can never be just raising in explicitness and accuracy because written texts are always a response to a particular communicative setting. however, control over surface features is crucial and students need an understanding of how words, sentence and large discourse structures can shape and express the meaning they want to convey. writing programme should foster and enhance students' ability to generate ideas, organize and transmit information to the readers. grabe and kaplan (1996) contend that writing is usually undertaken to communicate with one or more readers for a variety of purposes. even when writing for oneself, there is a likelihood that the writing will, at some point, be used to communicate with others. the teaching of writing needs to meet students' communicative needs. that is, students should be taught how to write for effective communication which means the goal of teaching writing is to develop students' communicative competence. cooper (1999), faigley (1986), and witte (1992) argue that writing can only be understood from the perspective of a social context and not as a product of a single individual. writing instruction also needs to highlight the importance of the form of the message being transmitted to the audience. so, writing is not a process which puts emphasis only on the form of language, or the end product of a particular writing event. writing is a process which emphasizes both form and function in order to convey a particular meaning to the intended readers. hedge (1988) assumes english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee that knowing who the reader is provides the writer with a context without which it is difficult to know exactly what or how to write. and yet it is possible to find a writing task in one teaching material which does not specify a context to help the student. breiter and scardamalia (1987) emphasize the need to develop a "reader-based" approach to writing in order to ensure the communicative power of the text. it is this reader-based approach that places special focus on the link between reading and writing – an approach that leads to producing a text that can be "read successfully". the writer needs to use the appropriate language content in order to help readers understand the intended meaning. the writer also needs to use a clear style and abide by the conventions of writing. in order to be successful in this enterprise, the writer must develop evaluation and reformulation strategies as part of the writing process that continually assesses the potential reader's position. zakaria (2013) reported that sudanese efl students are unable to think of the readers while they are planning for the writing task. this makes them unable to think of the sort of the difficulties readers are likely to encounter when reading up the texts the students have produced. chang (2005) examined how two efl college students represented their audience in the writing process and how they adopted their writing to assigned audience. the results indicated that the more proficient writer was more capable of analyzing and making inferences of the assigned audience than less proficient writer. fontaine (1988) suggested that high school student writers were more apt than elementary students to adjust writing to meet audience needs. previous studies show that students only take their teachers as their potential readers. this is not surprising since writing is usually done in the classroom environment. britton (1975) found that the audience that students most frequently addressed in a school environment was the teacher. after accumulating almost 2,000 writing samples from british students comparable to fifth graders and above in american schools, britton categorized the writing samples as addressing oneself, the teacher, a wider audience, or an unknown audience. a large majority of the scripts, 85 percent, were written for the teacher or the teacher as the examiner. previous studies imply that appeal to particular audience is a very important factor in writing. if writers succeed to adapt their writing to suit their readers, this is an indicator of successful writing. students need to be taught how to think of their potential audience while writing.writing without having an audience in mind results in a type of writing where there is a large gap between students' knowledge and attitudes and those of the audience. this means, students produce writing in which they fail to guess what readers already know about the topic andwhat they expect to find in the texts being written. method the participants in this study included 50 efl students who are taking english as their major at alneelain university. the students belong to and represent different parts of sudan. this means they can be taken as a sample for the sudanese efl university learners' community. the students represent the future practitioners of the english language in the sudanese society. investigating their learning habits is ali ahmed osman zakaria & abdel rahim hamid mugaddam audience awareness in the written discourse of sudanese efl university learners believed to be with great value in the field of education. the participants are taught how to develop their writing skills which means they are equipped with the strategies necessary in a serious writing. they also study syntax and morphology which means these students are taught how to form words and structures in english. in addition, they are taught how to join structures together to create meaning. furthermore, the participants study semantics and this entails that the respondents are taught how to deal with the different kinds of meaning that a word or a sentence has. they also study the varied and complex relationship that holds between individual lexical items. considering the nature and sort of the activities in which the participants engage during their learning life, one assumes that they must possess the knowledge that enables them to produce correct, meaningful and interpretable english. this suggests that the students are good enough to write on different topics in english. however, research indicates inadequacy in their written language; and that their writing is less informative exhibiting a great deal of incorrect language forms. they even lack the techniques necessary for effective writing. some researchers attribute this to the fact that the students learn english primarily through formal education and as a result, they have little opportunity to use english for communication outside the classroom. some researchers emphasize assuming that the materials produced by the students seem to be invalid. the data of this paper were collected through a test, a questionnaire, and an interview. having a variety of tools for data collection helps the researcher to get a comprehensive view on the responses provided by the respondents. what cannot be seen adopting one tool may be obvious adopting another tool dealing with students responses. not all students usually admit that they have problems dealing with a particular aspect of language. their responses to the questionnaire and the interview may be different from the fact obtained examining their actual written product. so, the reason of having these tools for data collection is to have reliable data that can yield reasonable results. the test was prepared to collect the data that could be used to evaluate and assess students' actual writing. the students were given three topics and each student was to choose a topic to write a composition of about 200 hundred words. the students were given one hour to accomplish the task. the topics given to the students to write about are as follows: 1-write to a pen friend telling him/her about the rainy season in your town. tell him/her when the season begins and ends and how you prepare for it. 2tell your friends how you usually spend your holiday. 3-describe the sort of the problems you encounter when communicating in english. the questionnaire was prepared to obtain information about students' appraisal of the knowledge they hold on the concept of audience awareness. it was also prepared to collect information about students' ability to produce texts which could stimulate their audience and keep their attention. the questionnaire consists of five section. the first is about students' writing proficiency. the second section tackles students' knowledge of the nature of their audience. section three english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee deals with discourse competence. the fourth section involves developing students' communicative competence. section five is about students' strategies for effective writing. the interview was conducted with the participants to reveal some of the facts about students' written performance which could not be obtained through the questionnaire or the writing test. the items of the interview are as follows: (1) how do you view writing? (2) what do you think of when you decide to write? (3) how do you plan for your writing? (4) what do you know about your audience? (5) state the sort of the problems you think your audience will encounter interpreting your writing. (6) what strategies do you depend on to deal with these problems? (7) do your audience know something about the topic you discuss in your writing? (8) what makes you think so? (9) what difference does this make in your writing? (10) do you think that your writing stimulates your audience? (11) what makes you think so? results anddiscussion students' evaluation of their own writing proficiency table 1. students' writing proficiency no item often always sometimes rarely never median 1 i know that writing to particular audience is a complex process which requires conscious effort. 12% 74% 8% 4% 2% 16 37 4 2 1 2 i believe that writing to a reader requires a high language proficiency 14% 80% 6% 17 40 3 3 writing for effective communication entails the ability to weave words and structures into a meaningful discourse. 20% 70% 8% 20% 1 10 35 4 0 1 4 i believe that effective writing implies a comprehensive knowledge of the discourse community. 34% 46% 14% 6% 117 23 7 3 5 i am aware of the techniques necessary for the production of effective writing. 48% 16% 16% 10% 10% 224 8 8 5 5 6 i know that writing with audience in mind requires a high cognitive ability. 98% 2% 149 1 statistical analysis shows that most of the sudanese university students were aware of the complexity associated with writing for particular audience and that this process requires a conscious effort. 86% of the students claim that they take writing as a process that requires conscious effort. nearly all students 94% report that it is important to be knowledgeable about writing in order to communicate effectively with readers. 90% of the students state that writing implies the ability to produce different linguistic patterns which result ali ahmed osman zakaria & abdel rahim hamid mugaddam audience awareness in the written discourse of sudanese efl university learners in meaningful discourse. the students also report that it is very crucial to know the nature of the discourse community in which one performs. 64% of the students contend that they are aware of the techniques required for the production of effective written discourse. the students also report that they view writing as a highly cognitive process. examining students' writing, one will find that the results obtained analyzing the questionnaire and that of the interview are different. the result of the interview coincides with that of the questionnaire in the sense that the students assume that they are able to produce writing which entails the ability to anticipate their readers' needs and expectations. but their writing is poor to the extent that it is difficult to believe that it is done for particular audience. this can be illustrated by the following sample of students' writing: extract 1 dear ali, how are you and how are your family i want to tell you about my holiday. how i spend it and how i engoy with it. i spend it with some frind in field. we fawond their more interesting places. i had spend “3” weeks with them and i sorry i becom deprst i cant compleat. the extract above does not reveal the proficiency that students claimed to possess. the students also reported that they knew the techniques required for the production of effective discourse. this also is not likely to be observed in the above extract. students' assessment of their audience awareness table 2. knowledge of the nature of the audience no item always often sometimes rarely never median 7 i am taught how to write with audience in mind. 30% 46% 16% 8% 1 15 23 8 4 8 i know the nature of the audience to whom i write. 34% 36% 14% 10% 6% 1 17 18 7 5 3 9 i prepare my writing with necessary assumptions about my audience. 40% 14% 26% 8% 12% 2 20 7 13 4 6 10 i guess the sort of the problems my audience are likely to encounter interpreting the text i produce. 36% 40% 14% 6% 4% 1 18 20 7 3 2 11 i find it easy to guess how my audience will react to my writing. 36% 28% 18% 14% 4% 2 18 14 9 7 2 12 i know that my writing stimulates my audience. 80% 6% 6% 8% 1 40 3 3 4 13 i know what my audience already know about the topic on which i am writing. 74% 12% 4% 6% 4% 1 37 6 2 3 2 the table above shows that the students were taught how to write with audience in mind; and that they knew what these audiences expect to find in any piece of written discourse. 54% of the students reported that they developed necessary assumptions about their audience before getting started to english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee write. results in the table 2 state that 76% of the students thought of the sort of the problems their readers were likely to encounter when dealing with the students' writing. 64% of the respondents mentioned that they knew how their audience react to the discourse these students produce. 86% of the subjects assumed that their writing could certainly stimulate readers/their audience. 86% of the students under study stated that their audience experienced no problem when dealing with the discourse the students produced. this is because the students already know the degree and depth of the knowledge their audience possess. the results obtained from the questionnaire and the interview revealed that the students knew the nature of the audience to whom they wrote. but analyzing students' actual writing makes it obvious that the students do not know what their audience wish to get dealing with the texts being written. it seems that the students write with no audience in mind. this can be seen in the following sample of students' writing. extract 2 as you my friend these days we are witnessing a very rainy season, which rains daily in a variety degree. by the way the season starts from the first of autumn and last to four monthes without stopings. so we always when the season starts we preper for it, by manting the roofs of our houses and mak the walls very thik as not to fall in the rain. actually we do enjoy the season very much because if brings life for all the univers as well human and animals. students' appraisal of their own discourse competence table 3. students' discourse competence no item always often sometimes rarely never median 14 i organise my writing in such a way that makes understanding easier for my audience. 90% 10% 1 45 5 15 i adopt different strategies to produce more effective written discourse. 60% 12% 14% 8% 6% 1 30 6 7 4 3 16 i spend a considerable time thinking of the nature of the topic i wish to write about before getting started. 64% 20% 10% 6% 1 32 10 5 3 17 i think of the content i am likely to use in my writing. 82% 12% 2% 2% 2% 1 41 6 1 1 1 18 i think carefully of the first sentence i use to address my audience. 96% 4% 1 48 2 data analysis reveals that all the students adopted a style which made understanding easier for their audience. the way they prepared their writing helped their audience interpret the message conveyed by the students through their writing. 72% of the respondents claimed that in order to produce more effective written discourse, they adopted different writing strategies. for example, 84% of the students assumed that they spent a considerable ali ahmed osman zakaria & abdel rahim hamid mugaddam audience awareness in the written discourse of sudanese efl university learners time thinking about the nature of the topic they wish to write about. 94% of the students mentioned that they thought of the content of their writing. all the students reported that they thought carefully of how to initiate their writing. the same claim is made by students in their response to the interview. but examining their written samples, it is obvious that the students do not have any organizational strategies. that is, their writing is very poor. their writing makes it clear that the students do not spend much time thinking of their audience, the content of the topic being discussed or how texts have to be produced. this is revealed in the following sample of students' writing. extract 3 when i was in bara, the cloudy start to collect and soon the raain pegain to full, befor three hours the street became full of water. usually we prepare to rainy seasons by buing a sitable clouthes. assessment of the students' communicative competence table 4. developing students' communicative competence no item always often sometimes rarely never median 19 i read a lot of authentic materials to be familiar with the culture of the discourse community. 70% 14% 8% 8% 1 35 7 4 4 20 my reading results in having an insight into what is socially and culturally accepted by the native and other users of english. 88% 4% 2% 6% 1 44 2 1 3 21 my knowledge of the world enables me to guess what my readers expect. 76% 12% 6% 2% 4% 1 38 6 3 1 2 22 reading authentic materials provides me with insights into the skills necessary for effective writing. 90% 8% 2% 1 45 4 1 23 i write to pen friends to improve communicative writing abilities. 14% 42% 20% 16% 8% 2 almost all the subjects 84% claimed that they read a lot of authentic materials to acquaint themselves with the culture of the target language discourse community. the reason behind this is, of course, to produce a sort of discourse which is likely to be accepted by the native speakers and other users of the target language. a discourse which is communicative in nature. 92% of the students contended that their reading results in having a clear and deep image of the kind of writing that matches with the culture of the target language discourse community. 88% of the students assumed that their knowledge of the world made it easier for them to speculate what their audience expect to find when treating the message woven english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee in the students' writing. 98% of the subjects claimed that reading authentic materials equipped them with the skills needed to be involved in effective written communication. to improve and develop these skills, 56% of the students assumed that they often wrote to pen friends. the results in the table above state that the students had the ability to produce texts which are effective and communicative in nature. the students also reported in the interview that their writing was proper enough to stimulate their audience. but result obtained from their actual writing did not reveal this claim. evaluation of students' strategies for effective writing table 5. strategies for effective writing no item always often sometimes rarely never median 24 i assess and reassess my writing to make it clear for my audience. 84% 12% 4% 1 42 6 2 25 i compare my writing with that of my peers to see how well i write. 24% 50% 14% 4% 8% 1 12 25 7 2 4 26 i support the claims i make with effective data to help my audience grasp what i weave in my writing. 62% 18% 12% 8% 1 31 9 6 4 4 27 i depend on lexical variation to write in an affective style. 94% 4% 2% 47 2 1 28 i use different grammatical patterns in my writing to make it more stimulating. 100% 50 29 i abide by the social rules while writing to produce an accepted piece of writing. 98% 2% 49 1 30 i view writing as a social process for negotiating meaning to particular audience. 60% 28% 6% 6% 6% 30 14 3 3 3 results in the table 5 reveal that 96% of the students kept assessing and reassessing their writing to make it much easier for their audience. 74% of the target subjects stated that they compared their writing with that of their peers to see how well they perform. when it was necessary for any modification, the students did it immediately. in order to make their writing more effective and appropriate, 80% of the students reported that they supported the claim they made by effective data. 98% of the subjects contended that they depended on lexical variation to make their writing appear more stimulating. all the subjects 100% assumed to use different grammatical patterns in their writing to produce an accepted piece of written discourse. 88% ali ahmed osman zakaria & abdel rahim hamid mugaddam audience awareness in the written discourse of sudanese efl university learners of the respondents stated that they viewed writing as a social process dedicated for the transmission of meaning to particular audience. the results obtained from the interview show that the students assessed their writing before editing the final version. but examining the actual written performance of the students reveal that this is not true. the following students' actual writing makes this point very clear. extract 4 dear my friend i hope that you are here becouse the season is unplivable the manson is coming after a weks you don’t know how is the vilige. the season start at april and the land covered by green wods so the wather is very beutiful evry thing is beutiful. in the season people work at the farms and it is the season at merige. conclusion the results of the study showed that the written discourse of the sudanese efl learners did not reveal an awareness of the audience with whom they communicate. the students did not show the ability to make assumptions of what their audience already know and what they expect to find as new. the students held fragmentary knowledge on the concept of audience awareness. accordingly, the students did not manage to produce the texts that could help them keep and stimulate their audience. they were not able to employ the strategies of writing to produce proper and effective writing. furthermore, results indicated that students were not able to attach unity and coherence to the texts they produced. their organizational skills the students possess were very poor. to help the students develop the concept they hold on audience awareness, writing instructors and syllabus designers need to put special emphasis on the importance of audience awareness as a factor which is essential for effective writing. they need to motivate the students to produce texts which address a wide range of audience and not restrict their writing to teachers as their potential audience. this can help students to be acquainted with the different sorts of writing genre. references bereiter, c. & scardamalia, m. (1987). the psychology of written composition. hillsdale: erlbaum barnet, s., bedau, h. (eds.) (1993). current issues and enduring questions. boston: bedford books. britton, j. (1975). the development of writing abilities (11 – 18), schools council research studies. london: macmillan. bull, s., & shurville, s. (1999). cooperative writer modeling: facilitating readerbased writing with scrawl. in r. morales, h. pain, s. bull & j. kay (eds.), proceedings of workshop on open, interactive and other overt approaches to learner modeling, international conference on artificial intelligence in education (pp. 1-8). retrieved from http://www.eee.bham.ac.uk/bull/pap ers-pdf/aied99-ws-scrawl.pdf. chang, f. (2005) audience strategies used by efl college writers. journal of panpacific association of applied linguistics (paal), 9, 2, 209-225. issn, 1345 – 8353. cooper, m. (1999). ecology of writing in marilyn m. cooper and michael holzman (eds), writing as social action (pp. 1-19) portsmouth. nh: boyton. edwin, l. & grundy, p. (1996). writing about writing: teaching the process and achieving a product. asian journal of english language teaching, 6, 45-60. faigley, l. (1986) connecting theories of process: a critique and a proposal. college composition and communication 46: 527-42. http://www.eee.bham.ac.uk/bull/papers-pdf/aied99-ws-scrawl.pdf english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee fountaine, s. (1988). using what they know: 9-, 13-, and 18year-olds writing for different audiences. in b. rafth & d. rubin (eds.) the social construction of written communication (pp. 99 – 116). norwood, nj: albex publishing corp. grabe, w. & kaplan, r. (1996). theory and practice of writing: an applied linguistics perspective. london: longman. hedge, t. (1988).writing. oxford: oxford university press. hinds, j. (1987). reader versus writer responsibility: a new typology. in u. connor and r. kaplan (eds),writing across languages: analysis of l2 text (pp. 141-152). reading, ma: addisonwesley. hyland, k. (2003). second language writing. cambridge: cambridge university press. liberman, i. & liberman, a. (1990). whole word vs. code emphasis: underlying assumptions and their implications for reading instruction. bulletin of the orton society, 40, 51-76. witte, s. (1992) context, text, intertext: towards a constructivist semiotic of writing. written communication 32, 189204. wildeman, j. (1988). defining audience negatively: one way the writers keep readers from their texts. paper presented at the 39th annual meeting of the conference on college composition and communication pp.4 zakaria, a. (2013) an assessment of the written performance of sudanese efl learners: a communicative approach to writing. world journal of english language; dec2013, vol. 3 issue 4, p1 zemach, d., & islam, c. (2006).writing in paragraphs. macmillan. the effect of iranian female efl learners’ politeness strategies awareness on their letter writing ability faezeh yousefian dastmalchi the effect of iranian female efl learners’ politeness strategies awareness on their letter writing ability the effect of iranian female efl learners’ politeness strategies awareness on their letter writing ability faezeh yousefian dastmalchi english department, islamic azad university, torbat-e-heydarieh branch, iran email: faezeh.yousefian2013@yahoo.com apa citation: dastmalchi, f. y. (2014). iranian female efl learners’ politeness strategies awareness on their letter writing ability. english review: journal of english education 3(1), 2230 received: 03-11-2014 accepted: 12-11-2014 published: 01-12-2014 abstract: this research examines the effect of teaching politeness strategies based on the models proposed by brown and levinson (1987) and leech (1983) to intermediate english learners on their ability in writing more polite letters. the instrumentation includes an ielts test, used as a placement test, an inventory, used to measure learners’ awareness of politeness strategies, and a letter-writing test, used as a measurement of learners’ ability in using politeness strategies. among all the participants, twenty of them were put in the control group, and twenty-four of them in the experimental group, who went under the treatment. they were taught how to write politely based on the politeness strategy models proposed by brown and levinson (1987) and leech (1983). after the treatment, learners wrote letters to the same people with the same situations. comparing the twenty learners in the control group with the twenty-four learners in experimental group, the researchers concluded that the treatment had a significant effect on the learners’ ability in writing more polite letters. they selected to use more formal strategies with those who they saw further distance with, and more informal strategies with more intimate people. furthermore, the answers the learners provided to the questions of the inventory offered more awareness of politeness strategies. this implies that they were more aware of various choices of polite language that were available for them to use in the given situations. keywords: politeness strategy, face, face threatening act introduction according to wardhaugh (2006), as we speak, we choose what to say, how to say it, and the best way to unite the whatwith the how. this how and what are both two important and inseparable aspects of speaking. social relationship between the speaker and the listener determines the linguistic choices a speaker makes. in watts (2003: 29) words, “language and forms of language behavior are at the heart of social communication and the reproduction of social structure. so the study of politic behavior and linguistic politeness lies at the heart of socio-communicative verbal interaction.” as coulmas (2007) puts it, speakers have to make choices, because things may be formulated in a different way. all people have strong feelings about what they say and what they mean and they say what they believe they should, although sometimes they seem not to believe in their own words. coulmas (2007) also believes that “sociolinguistics is the linguistics of choice”, so there will english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee be “freedom of the will, human action and language”, and this “presupposes and agent rather than an automaton.” what is considered polite, gumperz (1987) suggests, may differ among various groups, situations, and individuals. if we can find a grammatical and social rule for it, according to this variation and the recurrent patterns used, we will be able to demonstrate the social nature of human language. brown & levinson (1987) believe that the key problem in the area of sociolinguistics is to determine the nature and origin of the social power of linguistic forms. some linguists see this as based on the social value of the group who use that linguistic form. some others believe that it is the social characteristics of the participant and settings that determine the social valence of the form. they claim that linguistic form of messages should be seen as tools for doing things in order for their social values to be ascertained. brown and levinson introduce two important sources for the social valence of linguistic forms; first, the intrinsic potential impact that a communicative intention has on social relationships, and second, the modification of that intention by the participants in order for that to have a specific impact. for brown & levinson (1987), “communicative intentions have builtin social implications, often of a threatening sort” (p. 281). these communicative intentions are constrained to pragmatic resources of the language in order to show the construction of messages. various uses of such pragmatic resources in different situations are the special interest of sociolinguistics, and this has made brown & levinson’s slogan: “sociolinguistics should be applied pragmatics” .nature and distribution of the constraints give the social structures its form. these constraints are more on form than on content (brown & levinson, 1987). linguistic politeness involves verbal strategies to keep social interaction friction free (nwoye, 1992). there are many studies that touch on the issue of the relationship between politeness and other factors such as gender (see for example gharaghani, rasekh, dabaghi, tohidian, 2011, dus and franch, 2003, kaul, kurkarni, 2010, gomez, 2000), cultural norms (see for example le ha, 2001, salom &monreal, 2009, bargiela-chiappini, kádár, 2011, song, 2012), power (locher, 2004, hendry, 1995, holmes, stubbe, 2003). in the following, some of these researches have been mentioned. in a research done by gharaghani, rasekh, dabaghi, tohidian (2011), cross gender differences in the degree of politeness in greetings of efl learners were examined. the results show that gender has a significant effect on the degree of formality in persian greetings. in addition, iranian learners transferred their persian greeting styles into english situations. they tended their greetings to be polite, but they were inappropriate according to american norms. generally, it seemed that they were not equipped with appropriate tools to express greeting according to the status of the interlocutors, situational context and native culture. biesenbach-lucas (2007), in his research on e-politeness among native and non-native speakers of english, found that native speakers demonstrate more politeness strategies in their messages to their professors than nonnative speakers. native and non-native speakers preferred different politeness http://www.google.com/search?sa=n&biw=1366&bih=632&tbm=bks&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22sooho+song%22&ei=btwhue7nbcsq4asx9ihoaw&ved=0cd8q9agwazgu http://www.google.com/search?biw=1366&bih=632&tbm=bks&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22janet+holmes%22&sa=x&ei=tdahuyd-gksn4aswmodycg&ved=0ce8q9agwbg http://www.google.com/search?biw=1366&bih=632&tbm=bks&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22maria+stubbe%22&sa=x&ei=tdahuyd-gksn4aswmodycg&ved=0cfaq9agwbg faezeh yousefian dastmalchi the effect of iranian female efl learners’ politeness strategies awareness on their letter writing ability devices for their requests. this can be due to the fact that non-native speakers are not taught enough of politeness strategies in order to use in their messages. he shows that students use more direct strategies for lower imposition requestsi.e. for making appointments and asking for feedback on their work, in contrast with higher imposition requests such as extension of the deadlines. this suggests that students are aware of situational factors and do not consider all email requests of faculty equal. also, they used more politeness devices with direct request strategies and fewer politeness strategies with indirect request strategies. dus and franch (2003) investigated spanish and british undergraduates’ perceptions of appropriate requests in different situations in terms of gender and politeness. on the whole, no significant differences were found in males and females use of alerter (formal/informal attention getters and greetings, naming strategies and terms of endearment). however, there were some differences in cross-gender speech in particular situations such as opening elements, which were used more by females than males. also, men used more attention getters than women. spanish participants frequently used involvement strategies which confirm that spanish is a “positively politenessoriented culture”. male and female british participants used similar number of alerters. the difference was in the type of alerters males and females used. british females used twice as many thanking responses as males, and so they were considered as showing deference more than males. as a conclusion, this research questions the stereotypical correlation between males and impoliteness and females and politeness. both males and females showed politeness in their speech and the difference was in situations where solidarity and deference was considered. gender cannot be an independent variable in determining language use. le ha (2001) studied how vietnamese culturally situated notions of polite forms influence english writing styles of four vietnamese postgraduate students who were studying in australian universities. it was found that cultural differences as well as socio-political factors and educational factors were the reasons influencing how students write. in his paper, he suggested that australian academics make students with different backgrounds aware of how they were expected to write based on australian socio-political practices. he found that as soon as the students were aware of this, they were able to adjust. chen (1999) has studied selfpoliteness in contrast to other-oriented politeness. by self-politeness, he means the cases in communication where the speaker’s need to protect his own face influences what she says and how she says it. “self” does not only refer to the speaker herself, but to those aligned with her such as her family, friends, colleagues, clients, and even her profession. likewise, “other” refers to not only the hearer but also those aligned with the hearer. he states that in the studies on politeness the researcher includes self-politeness in addition to other-oriented politeness and this is because the face of the speaker is as vulnerable as the face of the hearer. fukushima and iwana (1985: 12) studied japanese students to see whether they use politeness strategies english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee while speaking english and how much they are successful in using them. they concluded that “a better understanding of politeness features in english will help efl students to communicate more effectively as competent speakers”. different aspects of letter writing has been discussed and taught to students in writing classes. however, there seems to be a lack of attention to the sociolinguistics aspects of letter writing (schmidt, 1993; rose & kasper, 2001), including politeness strategies use. learners are supposed to have already acquired politeness strategies sociolinguistically; however, most second language learners are not sufficiently exposed to the related contexts in order to acquire those strategies. this research seeks to contribute to the field of second language writing. it aims at testing students’ politeness strategy use in letter writing. having analyzed the data, the results can be applied to explore learners’ problematic areas of politeness strategy use. method the study used a quasiexperimental design to examine politeness strategies awareness of iranian higher-intermediate female students and their ability in letter writing. this study focused on a randomly selected population of 75 learners of upper-intermediate level studying english in two english schools in mashhad, iran. as the participants were chosen among the learners of two different english institutes, they were studying different upper-intermediate books. thirty-eight of them were studying the upper-intermediate book american english file 4 (by oxenden & latham-koenig, 2008, oxford university press), and the other thirtyseven were studying passages 1 (by richards & sandy, second edition, 2008, cambridge university press). all of them were female students in an age range of 17-25. the researchers in this study investigated the effect of politeness strategies awareness of iranian higherintermediate female students on their letter writing ability. they were asked to write a letter to four people: their friend, their teacher, an unknown english-speaking person, and an unknown persian-speaking person, all of whom were supposed to be females. there were 24 learners in the experimental group and 20 in the control group. the learners were homogenized using an ielts test as the placement test. among all of the 75 learners who took the test, 48 learners got the band score of 6 or above and were chosen for the study. before the treatment, both control group and experimental group were given an inventory to test their awareness of politeness strategies, and a letter-writing test in order to test their current ability in the performance of politeness strategies use in letter writing. the participants filled out the inventory, which checked their awareness of politeness strategies. it was designed based on the criteria used in the study as politeness strategies awareness. in the letter-writing test, they faced four different situations. in the first situation, participants were asked to write a letter to one of their female friends and ask for help with their english language proficiency. in the second letter, they wrote to their female teacher and requested her to faezeh yousefian dastmalchi the effect of iranian female efl learners’ politeness strategies awareness on their letter writing ability help them with their reading skill improvement. the third situation was writing a letter to a female university student studying in harvard university, whom they did not know; someone they have never seen, talked or written to. they asked her for information about the university she is studying at. in the last situation, participants wrote a letter to the supervisor of an institute to ask for some information about the job vacancies. the treatment took eight sessions of about 30 minutes. all that was taught was based on the politeness strategy models of brown and levinson (1987) and leech (1983). the first session learners were introduced to what would happen in the course. the inventory and the letter-writing test were given to the learners in this session. during sessions 2-7 learners got familiar with the politeness strategies based on brown and levinson’s and leech’s models. there were some exercises designed by the researchers in order for the learners to practice the new strategy they had just learned. in the last session, the participants filled in the inventory again to be checked for any rise in the awareness of politeness strategy use. in addition, the same writing test was given to the learners in order to see whether there was any improvement in the use of politeness strategies in their letters after comparing them to the letters they had written before the treatment. at the same time, the participants in the control group were attending their english classes, being taught the usual materials of their book, without receiving any additional treatment on polite language. the participants’ pre-tests and post-tests were analyzed by two raters in terms of politeness strategies they had applied in each situation and then scored. the scores of the two groups, control group and experimental group, were compared to see if the two groups had performed in the same way before the experimental group had undergone the treatment. meanwhile, the scores of the participants in each group before and after the treatment were compared to seek any improvement as a result of receiving the treatment in the experimental group and the lack of the treatment in the control group. on the one hand, the letter writing tests were scored based on the criteria used in scoring writing section of ielts test. on the other hand, to measure and score the use of politeness strategies in the participants’ writing tests, the frameworks based on the “matrix criteria of politeness strategy” by brown and levinson (1987) and the politeness maxims of leech (1983) were used. furthermore, the inventories answered by the participants are scored and compared in the same way that the letter writing tests were compared. results anddiscussion in order to decide whether the treatment has improved the participants’ awareness of politeness strategies, politeness questionnaire results are analyzed in this part. the questionnaires learners in both control and experimental groups had filled in and those completed after the treatment were compared to observe any improvement of the learners’ awareness of different politeness strategies. as table 1 reveals, the results of the questionnaire in pretest for the control (=59.7000) and experimental (=59.5833) group confirm that there is no significant english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee difference between the participant’s scores in politeness awareness in control and experimental groups in the pretest phase. in other words, the participants in both groups were in the same level of awareness of politeness strategies before the treatment of the study. table 1. pre-test and post-test results of politeness awareness questionnaire groups p-value control experimental no. 20 24 pre-test scores 59.7000 59.5833 .961 post-test scores 59.8500 75.3333 .0001 according to table 1, in the significant level of %5, there was a significant difference in the participants’ scores in control (=59.8500) and experimental (=75.3333) groups in post-test of politeness strategies awareness, and this means that the treatment has improved participants’ awareness of politeness strategies. the raise of the participants’ scores in the post-test letter-writing tests can prove this result. in order to confirm the findings of the questionnaire, the researchers provided seven open-ended questions at the end of the inventory. these questions were designed to elicit responses that showed the participants’ level of awareness of polite language. the responses the participants made before and after the treatment revealed that the treatment had had a significant effect on the awareness and hence the use of politeness strategies by them, which confirmed the findings of the whole survey. after the treatment, the participants tended to use more and a wider variety of politeness strategies in the responses they made to the openended questions. in the following, the first question of the qualitative part of the questionnaire is brought as an example, along with the replies the learners tended to give before and after the treatment: what phrases or words do you use when you want to speak or write politely in english? replies before the treatment: please, could you, can you. repliesafter the treatment:please, could you, canyou, i’msorry tobotheryou,you must forgiveme, iwonder if i could as the learners’ replies in this example show, before the treatment, they had in mind just three of politeness strategies, but after the treatment, they showed awareness of more choices of polite language. in order to explore any effects of the treatment on participants’ ability in politeness strategies use, the results of letter-writing tests were analyzed. learners’ letter-writing papers in both control and experimental groups were corrected and scored by two raters with a focus on general appropriateness of cohesion and coherence and politeness strategies use. the pre-test scores of both groups as well as their scores of post-test were compared to find out whether the treatment had had an effect on learners’ ability in using politeness strategies. table 3.2 summarizes the scores of learners in control (n=20) and experimental (n=24) groups in both pre-test and post-test of faezeh yousefian dastmalchi the effect of iranian female efl learners’ politeness strategies awareness on their letter writing ability letter-writing. p-values are also shown in this table. as the results of table 2 shows, there is no significant difference between the participants’ letter-writing test scores in pretest in control (=22.3500) and experimental (=24.4500) group, which confirms the homogeneity of the participants before the treatment. table 2. pre-test and post-test scores of letter-writing of control and experimental groups groups p-value control experimental no. 20 24 pre-test score 22.3500 23.0417 .253 post-test score 24.4500 31.2500 .0001 using t-test method, the participants’ letter-writing scores in post-test in both control (= 24.4500) and experimental (=31.2500) groups are compared, and it can be seen that in the significant level of %5, there is a significant difference in the scores of the control and experimental groups. as it was already stated, in evaluating the letters, a part of the score was given to the correct use of politeness strategies. in addition, as the p-value was smaller than 0.5 (0.0001) for the post-test of letter-writing, the first null hypothesis was rejected and it was confirmed that the treatment on the experimental group has had a significant effect on the participant’s ability in using politeness strategies in writing letters. the pre-test and post-test given to both control and experimental groups required learners to write letters to a close friend and to a teacher. afterwards, they were corrected by two raters and scored to investigate any effect of the treatment on the learners in experimental group. the scores are shown in table 3. table 3. pre-test and post-test results of letter-writing to a teacher and a friend groups p-value control experimental no. 20 24 pre-test scores 11.2000 11.5833 .389 post-test scores 13.4500 15.7500 .0001 here, the t-test is about the scores of letter-writing to a close friend and a teacher in the pretest phase for both control and experimental groups. according to table 3, there is no significant difference between the scores obtained by participants in experimental (=11.5833) and control (=11.2000) groups in the pretest in writing a letter to a close friend and to a teacher. in addition, as illustrated in table 3, p-value = 0.0001, which means in the significant level of %5, there is a significant difference between the scores of control (=13.4500) and experimental (=15.7500) groups in posttest of letter-writing to a close friend and a teacher. therefore, because of the raise of their scores as well as the pvalue being smaller than 0.5 (0.0001) for the post-test of letter-writing, the second null hypothesis was rejected and it can be concluded that the treatment has improved the participants’ ability in using politeness strategies use in english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee writing letters to a close friend and a teacher. the next t-test is for the participants in both control and experimental group writing to an unknown native speaker of english and an unknown native speaker of persian in the pre-test and post-test phase, the results of which are shown in table 3.4. learners’ scores in both pre-test and post-test were determined by two raters and were compared for any improvement in the learners’ ability in experimental group in using politeness strategies in letter-writing. table 4. pre-test and post-test results of letter-writing to an unknown native speaker of english and to an unknown native speaker of persian groups p-value control experimental no. 20 24 pre-test scores 11.2000 11.3750 .654 post-test scores 11.2000 15.6667 .0001 as table 4 illustrates, there is no significant difference between the scores of control (=11.2000) and experimental (=11.3750) groups in pretest letter-writing to a native speaker of english and a native speaker of persian, as the p-value= .654. the results shown in table 3.4 also suggest that there is a significant difference in the scores obtained by the participants in control (=11.2000) and experimental (=15.6667) groups in posttest letter writing to a native speaker of english and a native speaker of persian. . in addition, as the p-value was smaller than 0.5 (0.0001) for the post-test of letter-writing, the third null hypothesis was rejected. therefore, it can be concluded that the treatment had improved the ability of the participants to use politeness strategies while writing a letter to an unknown native speaker of persian and an unknown native speaker of english. results of both the inventory and the letter-writing test revealed in the previous part determined that the mentioned null hypotheses of the study were rejected. this means that the treatment had improved the participants’ scores in post-test letterwriting test, which means they used correct and enough of politeness strategies in their letters. furthermore, the results of the inventory indicated that the participants’ awareness of the study had improved by going under the treatment. conclusion as observed by the obtained results, the treatment, i.e. teaching learners what strategies they can use to seem more polite culturally (and globally), had a significant effect on their behavior. the answers the learners provided to the questions of the inventory offered more awareness of politeness strategies. this implies that they were more aware of various choices of polite language that were available for them to use in the given situations. they tended to use a more variety of replying politely to those situations, whereas they used to pick up more or less the same way of responding. furthermore, the letter-writing post-tests suggested that the participants’ ability in using politeness faezeh yousefian dastmalchi the effect of iranian female efl learners’ politeness strategies awareness on their letter writing ability strategies had improved to a great degree and they used more polite language. learners were taught that not every strategy was appropriate for every situation. the result of teaching them this point was noticeably seen in the post-test they were given, as they had a tendency to use a strategy they already knew for nearly all the situations they were given in the pretest phase. they selected to use more formal strategies with those who they saw further distance with, and more informal strategies with more intimate people. references brown, p., & levinson, s. c. (1987). politeness: some universals in language usage. cambridge university press. new york. us. biesenbach-lucas, s. (2007). students writing e-mails to faculty: an examination of e-politeness among native and non-native speakers of english. journal of language learning & technology, 11(2),. 59-81. retrieved from http://llt.msu.edu/vol11num2/biesen bachlucas/ coulmas, f. (2005). sociolinguistics: the study of speakers’ choices. cambridge university press. new york. us. fukushima, s., & iwata, y. (1985). politeness in english. jalt journal. vol. 1 (1). gharaghani, z., eslami rasekh, a. , dabaghi, a., tohidi, i. (2001). effect of gender on politeness strategies in greetings of native speakers of persian; english and efl learners. cypriot journal of educational sciences, 6(3), 93117. leech, g. n. (1983). principles of pragmatics. longman publishing group. new york. us. maier, p. (1992). politeness strategies in business letters by native and nonnative english speakers. journal of english for specific purposes, 11(3), 189– 205. retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s08894906(05) 80009-2. watts, r. j. (2003). key topics in sociolinguistics: politeness. cambridge university press. uk. wardhaugh, r. (2006). an introduction to sociolinguistics. backwell publishing. usa, uk, australia. le ha, ph. (2001). how do culturally situated notions of `polite' forms influence the way. vietnamese postgraduate students write academic english in australia? australian journal of education. 45. lorenzo-dus, n. bou-franch, p. (2003). gender and politeness: spanish and british undergraduates’ perceptions of appropriate requests. de la mujer. 187199. chen, r. (2001). self-politeness: a proposal. journal of pragmatics. 33, 87-106. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/08894906/11/3 muhammad aprianto budie nugroho & nining mayda motivational strategies in teaching english as foreign language: a case study in junior high school 7 kuningan motivational strategies in teaching english as foreign language: a case study in junior high school 7 kuningan muhammad aprianto budie nugroho department of english education, the university of kuningan, indonesia. e-mail: muh.apriantobn@gmail.com nining mayda department of english education, the university of kuningan, indonesia. e-mail: maydaning92@gmail.com apa citation: nugroho, m. a. b., & mayda, n. (2015). an analysis of motivational strategies in teaching english as foreign language: a case study in junior high school 7 kuningan. english review: journal of english education, 4(1), 82-93 received: 06-01-2015 accepted: 07-03-2015 published: 01-12-2015 abstract: this research aims to analyze motivational strategies in teaching english as foreign language at 7th grade of junior high school 7 kuningan and to analyze students‟ attitudes towards motivational strategies that were applied by teachers in teaching efl. the researchers used qualitative research by using classroom observation, interview, and questionnaires. the result taken from classroom observation and interview show teacher 1 and teacher 3 applied motivational strategies completely based on the phases of motivational strategies. thus, the students responded these strategies positively. on the other hand, teacher 2 applied motivational strategies incompletely because the teacher missed the first phases. this was responded negatively by students. therefore, the students were actively involved in teaching and learning process conducted by teacher 1 and teacher 2, but the students were passively involved in teaching and learning process conducted by teacher 2. furthermore, the result taken from questionnaires shows that students gave positive attitudes towards the teacher 1 (88.25%), teacher 2 (79.02%), and teacher 3 (85.71%). based on the findings, it can be concluded that the way the teachers applied motivational strategies in teaching efl determined students‟ attitudes towards motivational strategies applied by teachers in teaching efl. keywords: motivational strategies, phases of motivational strategies, students attitudes, teaching efl introduction in the world, english as an international language has been used by many people and become the lingua franca for communication, business, education, and opportunity. (latha and ramesh, 2012). in indonesia, it is first foreign language and has been studied in secondary schools for long time (nugroho, 2008). it has been introduced starting from kindergarten up to university level. however, for indonesian students who learn english as a foreign language, english is still difficult to learn and quality of language learning itself is often low. there are some factors affecting the quality of language learning. karahan (2007) considers that from the perspective of the learner, the factor 82 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee affecting language learning can be mentioned as diverse needs and goals, peer groups, role models. from perspective of the learning process, the factors influencing language learning can be outlined as learning style and strategies, motivation and classroom interaction. on the other hand, kubanyiova (2006) states that the quality of learning engagement in the classroom does not depend on students‟ cognitive abilities alone, but it is also influenced by complex motivational and affective factors. it means that the quality of language teaching and learning process does not only involve some of elements, but also all of teaching and learning elements including teacher. in this case, teacher also has a big role to determine the quality of language teaching and learning process itself. brown (2001, p. 72) claims that “one of more complicated problems of second language learning and teaching has been to define and apply the construct of motivation in the classroom”. motivation is significant determinant of success in learning a second or foreign language. “it can be defined as driving force that pushes someone to do something” (astuti, 2013, p. 14). without motivation, it seems to be impossible to achieve success in foreign language learning. “motivation could be considered as the emotion that a person could have towards learning a foreign language, and it is determined by his/her predisposition and personality characteristics.” (karahan, 2007, p. 2). therefore motivation is one of the most important in teaching foreign language especially english language. the teacher plays an important role in motivating student especially in the foreign language classroom (astuti, 2013, p. 14). the development of classroom engagement increases when the teacher has the ability to build students motivation in teaching and learning process. ramirez (2010, p. 22) states “the teachers‟ ability to motivate is important because it creates a freestressed atmosphere and establishes a relationship of mutual confidence and motivation”. from that statement, it is clear that a teacher, especially language teacher, should have ability to make a positive classroom atmosphere and good relation with students in classroom, because when all of classroom elements can support each other, it will build students motivation to learn confidently. the importance of motivation in teaching and learning process makes teacher is aware that one of the roles that must be done in teaching process is as a motivator for students. every teacher has a different way in motivating students; even what teachers done unconsciously in teaching and learning process, it could be a form of motivational strategies. dornyei (2001) defines the term of motivational strategies as techniques that promote the individual‟s goal-related behavior. he also states that motivational strategies refer to those motivational influences that are consciously exerted to achieve some systematic and enduring positive effect. according to wlodkowski (1999, p. 67), “motivational strategies are deliberate instructor actions that enhance a person‟s motivation to learn”. he also states that the strategy contributes to stimulating or creating a motivational condition: a mental/emotional state of being in which the learner is desirous of information, knowledge, insight and skill. this research is underpinned by motivational strategies theory of dornyei‟s (2001) who is identified motivational strategies into four phases, namely creating the basic motivational 83 muhammad aprianto budie nugroho & nining mayda motivational strategies in teaching english as foreign language: a case study in junior high school 7 kuningan conditions, generating initial motivation, maintaining and protecting motivation, and encouraging positive retrospective self-evaluation. these phases are built on each other so that student‟s motivation is created, generated, maintained and encouraged (dornyei, 2001, p. 29). dornyei (2001) classifies motivational strategies into four motivational phases namely creating the basic motivational conditions, generating initial motivation, maintaining and protecting motivation and encouraging positive retrospective self-evaluation. creating the basic motivational conditions consist of three aspects, namely (1) appropriate teachers behaviors to create a good relationship with students, (2) a pleasant and supportive classroom atmosphere, and (3) a cohesive learner group with appropriate group norms. on the other hand, generating initial motivation consists of five categories, namely (1) enhancing the learners‟ language sense and attitudes; (2) increasing the learners‟ expectancy of success; (3) increasing the learners‟ goal orientation; (4) making teaching material be relevant for the learners; (5) creating realistic learners‟ beliefs. beside that, maintaining and protecting motivation consists of eight categories, namely (1) making learning stimulating and enjoyable, (2) presenting task in a motivating way, (3) setting specific learner goals, (4) protecting the learner self-esteem and increasing their confidence, (5) allowing learners to maintain a positive social image, (6) creating learners autonomy, (7) promoting self-motivating strategies and (8) promoting cooperation among the learners. lastly, encouraging positive retrospective self-evaluation is divided into four categories, namely (1) promoting motivational attributions, (2) providing motivational feedback, (3) increasing learner satisfaction and (4) offering rewards and grades in a motivating manner. besides, attitude theory of oskamp and schultz (2005) is also used to identify the student's attitudes towards motivational strategies which are applied in efl classroom through considering the three main aspects of attitudes, namely affective, behavioral, and cognitive. the primary purpose of this research are to identify how teachers apply motivational strategies in teaching efl, whether it is based on the phases of motivational strategies, whether these phase are applied sequentially, and whether all of these phases are applied, and to explore the students‟ attitudes towards motivational strategies which are applied in efl classroom. method this research applied a qualitative research to investigate a phenomenon. denzin & lincoln (1995) state qualitative research involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to its subject matter. this means that qualitative research studies things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them. the research was undertaken in junior high school 7 kuningan. the participants were three english teachers of seventh grade and 123 seventh grade students in junior high school 7 kuningan, consisting of: 40 students of teacher 1, 41 students of teacher 2, and 42 students of teacher 3. these place, population and sample were chosen because researchers expected to identify how english teachers of seventh grade in junior high school 7 kuningan motivate students through applying motivational strategies in learning and teaching 84 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee process. besides, the researchers also aimed to explore the students‟ attitudes towards motivational strategies applied efl classroom. the instruments used were classroom observation, interview, and questionnaires. classroom activity was observed through videoing the english teaching learning process conducted in the seventh grade to observe how teachers applied motivational strategies in teaching efl and the students‟ attitudes toward motivational strategies applied in efl classroom. the interview was conducted with three english teachers of seventh grade to explore whether they motivated their students in learning process, and how teachers applied motivational strategies in teaching efl. besides, the interview was also conducted with three students who were one representative of seventh grade students from each class to identify the students‟ attitudes towards motivational strategies applied in efl classroom. the questionnaire was adapted from attitude theory and addressed to all of seventh grade students to explore the students‟ attitudes towards motivational strategies applied in efl classroom. all of these data collection techniques were administered at the same time, which was on august 26th, 2015 to september 4th, 2015. results motivational strategies applied by teacher 1 the result taken from classroom observation shows teacher 1 conducted all of four phases of motivational strategies. the teacher always tried to motivate students in teaching learning process. in the first phase of motivational strategies; creating basic motivational condition, the teacher tried to create a good relationship with students by showing enthusiasm and cheerfulness to teaching, tried to make positive personal relationship with students by greeting students, remembering their names and smiling at them during teaching process, and the teacher also created a pleasant and supportive classroom atmosphere by bringing humors that was related to the material to make students feel comfortable and happy, and serious but relax. it can be strengthened by the result of interview that the teacher implied that in the first phase of motivational strategies, the teacher created an atmosphere to made students feel comfort to learn and providing humors which were related with the lesson itself so that students feel comfortable and happy, serious but relax. as mentioned by dornyei (2001) that the humor is a tool to improve the classroom atmosphere. next, in the second phase of motivational strategies; generating initial motivation was conducted by the teacher through enhancing the learners‟ language sense and attitudes. the teacher encouraged the learners to apply english language proficiency in real life, but the teacher did not forget to notice students‟ understanding. besides, the teacher also made the teaching material be relevant for the learners by relating the subject matter to the everyday experiences and backgrounds of students. the teacher explained something and gave examples based on students‟ real life. it was also strengthened by the result of interview that the teacher conveyed the material in the language style that was understood by students by considering the words selection and lesson and using some media like pictures and images to make students more interested in following the learning process in the classroom. the teacher also related the material to the 85 muhammad aprianto budie nugroho & nining mayda motivational strategies in teaching english as foreign language: a case study in junior high school 7 kuningan real daily life. it is important to help students get the main point and benefits of the material learned. teacher must know that one of the most demotivated factors for learners is when they have to learn something that they cannot see the point of because it has no seeming relevance whatsoever to their lives (mccombs and whisler, 1997). therefore, relating the material to the real daily life is one ways to motivate students in learning process. the third phase of motivational strategies; maintaining and protecting motivation, was also conducted by the teacher through creating enjoyable learning by stimulating students to actively involve at class and selecting task which requires mental or bodily involvement from each participants. the teachers also tried to protect the learner self-esteem and improved their confidence by giving a persuasive expression of belief that students can have a good capability. “self-esteem grows from the beliefs of others. when teachers believe in students, students believe in themselves. when those you respect think you can, you think you can” (raffini, 1993, p. 147). thus, teacher has an important role to help students believe in themselves. this was also found in the result of interview that the teacher implied that in the third phase of motivational strategies, the teacher gave an exercise to be done individually then discuss it together and also gave task in groups to help students convey opinions freely without fear of making mistakes. lastly, in the last phase of motivational strategies; encouraging positive retrospective self-evaluation, the teacher tried to provide motivational feedback by giving positive feedback and the teacher also appreciated student‟s work by responding all students‟ answer or opinion even they were wrong in order to make students not feeling down, after that, the teacher discussed the appropriate answers. it also found in the result of interview that the teacher said that in the last phase of motivational, the teacher tried to appreciate student‟s work by accepting students‟ answer or opinion even it was wrong to make students not feeling down, after that the teacher discussed it together and tell that what students said was less appropriate and tell students about the appropriate answers. the teacher must be able to give positive information feedback to students to make students understand about the mistake and how to correct it. “most importantly, this feedback provides students with information rather than judgments against external standards or peer achievement.” (dornyei, 2001, p. 124). this is because judgment will make students felt down. motivational strategies applied by teacher 2 the findings taken from classroom observation shows teacher 2 did not implement one of motivational strategies phases in teaching efl. the teacher focused on the material, so the first thing to do when the teacher entered the classroom was delivering the material. the first phase of motivational strategies was not applied by the teacher. it also strengthened by the result of interview that the teacher did not apply motivational strategies sequential based on the phases of motivational strategies and the teacher did not implement the first phase of motivational strategies. the teacher said that the teacher explained the material after entered the classroom. dornyei (2001) said that motivational strategies cannot be employed successfully in a „motivational vacuum‟. it means that the teacher has to try to apply motivational strategies 86 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee sequentially based on the phases from the first until the last phase because teaching is not only process of transfer knowledge but teacher has to know how to make the students‟ mind involve and ready to accept whole teaching and learning process. the teacher has to create a good precondition before any further attempts to generate effective motivation. one of the things that can be done by the teacher is to ommit the tension between the teacher and the students by looking at them with smiling or cheerful face. “smiling at students is one of the things to convey personal attention”. (raffini, 1996, p. 182) next, the second phase of motivational strategies; generating initial motivation was conducted by the teacher through enhancing the learners‟ language sense and attitude. the teacher encouraged the learners to apply english language proficiency in real life, but the teacher did not forget to notice students‟ understanding. in this phase, the teacher also made the teaching material to be relevant for the learners by relating the subject matter to the everyday experiences and backgrounds of students. the teacher explained something and gave examples based on students‟ real life. it was also found in the result of interview that the teacher explained that in the second phase of motivational strategies, the teacher customized the media usage with the material to make teaching and learning process more interesting. furthermore, in the third phase of motivational strategies; maintaining and protecting motivation, the teacher made learning stimulating and enjoyable by breaking the monotony of learning. in this case, the teacher gave the task in pair work. from the result of interview, the teacher said that in the third phase of motivational strategies, the teacher gave tasks for students in groups or in pairs. lastly, in the last phase of motivational strategies; encouraging positive retrospective self-evaluation, the teacher tried to provide motivational feedback by giving positive feedback, and then appreciated students‟ work by accepting students‟ answer or opinion even it was not appropriate. the teacher told students that what students said was less appropriate and told students about the appropriate answers. it was also found in the result of interview, in the last phase of motivational strategies; the teacher explained that the teacher tried to evaluate students positively, never convicted the students that „this is wrong‟, but tell students that „this is correct but still less complete and it should be more complete”. the teacher must be able to give positive information feedback to students to make students understand about the mistake and how to correct it, giving a judgment just will make students felt down. “most importantly, this feedback provides students with information rather than judgments against external standards or peer achievement”. (dornyei, 2001, p. 124) motivational strategies applied by teacher 3 the result of classroom observation shows teacher 3 conducted all of four phases of motivational strategies. the teacher always tried to motivate students in teaching learning process. it is important to motivate students because motivation is some kind of internal drive which pushes someone to do things in order to achieve something (harmer, 2001). it can help to get success in learning process. in the first phase of motivational strategies; creating basic motivational condition, when entering the classroom, 87 muhammad aprianto budie nugroho & nining mayda motivational strategies in teaching english as foreign language: a case study in junior high school 7 kuningan the teacher tried to create a good relationship with students by showing cheerful face. the teacher also tried to make positive personal relationship with students by moving around in the class while teaching and learning process to convey personal attention to students. as mentioned by raffini (1996) that moving around in class is one of small gesture that do not take much time which can convey personal attention and can touch the lives of every student in some way. it can be useful to make students feel motivated. however, the result taken from interview shows the teacher said that in the first phase of motivational strategies, the teacher created the conditions to make students motivated in learning english by giving some information of the purpose of learning english at first and tried to make students‟ mindset that english is easy and fun. next, in the second phase of motivational strategies; generating initial motivation was conducted by the teacher through enhancing the learners‟ language sense and attitudes. the teacher encouraged the learners to apply english language proficiency in real life, but the teacher did not forget to notice students‟ understanding. in this phase the teacher also made the teaching material to be relevant for the learners by relating the subject matter to the everyday experiences and background of students. the teacher explained the material and gave examples based on students‟ real life. in addition, the teacher tried to create realistic learners‟ beliefs. the teacher positively confronted the possible erroneous beliefs, expectations that learners may have by telling students about english generally. in addition, the result of interview shows the teacher just explained that the teacher covered material based on the type and covered with interesting media like pictures. teacher can uses some kind of media or tool to make students interested to the material. teacher also can uses classroom decoration as the media to cover the material. dornyei (2001) says that the classroom decoration influences students‟ motivation such as putting posters, displaying bulletin board, etc. in the third phase of motivational strategies; maintaining and protecting motivation, the teacher made learning enjoyable by breaking the monotony of learning channel of communication. the teacher gave the tasks to the students by using visual aids. in addition, the teacher also sets specific learners goals by telling students about the purposes of learning the materials and activities. it is important to do by the teacher in teaching and learning process because explain the purpose is a strategy to present task in motivating way (dornyei, 2001). the result of interview shows the teacher said that in the third phase of motivational strategies, the teacher gave the task that was adapted to the material and what was given in the classroom. before giving the tasks, the teachers always gave exercises then discussed them together, teacher also visited and communicated with students to identify whether students had any troubles or not. lastly, in the last phase of motivational strategies; encouraging positive retrospective self-evaluation, the teacher tried to provide motivational feedback by giving positive feedback. and then, the teacher noticed and reacted to any positive contributions from students by taking time to give the thumbs up. taking time to appreciate every student‟s contribution in teaching and learning process is useful to make students feel motivated. teacher can use simple celebration way such as give the 88 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee thumbs up and applause to appreciate every student‟s contribution. “a good rule of thumb is regardless of how small it, every success must be celebrated” (scheidecker and freeman, 1999, p. 106). it also strengthened by the result of interview that the teacher said that in the last phase of motivational, the teacher tried to evaluate the students mistakes positively, when the students worked on the task or exercise, the teachers do not blame or cut „it is wrong or yes it's true‟ directly. however, at first, teachers gave students the opportunity to do the best and then discussed them together and asked the difficulty, so the teacher was able to give them more clearly and evaluate them from the beginning so that students could understand where their mistakes lied. students’ attitudes towards motivational strategies applied in efl classroom by teacher 1. the result of questionnaires that was strengthened by the result of interview showed that most of students of teacher 1 showed positive attitudes in the terms of affective, cognitive, and behavioral towards motivational strategies that were applied by the teacher in efl classroom. in affective aspect, the students were pleased to follow english lesson (100%), felt excited to heed the teacher teaching english lesson (100%), interested in following english lessons because the teacher teaches the material in a fun way (95%), even students did not prefer to do english task by own self than with friend (57.5%). in behavioral asepct, the result showed that students were not hopeless if there are any difficulties in learning english (92.5%) and always tried to do english task well and truly (85%). in cognitive aspect, the result showed that students felt a loss if did not follow english lesson (85%), learning continuously to make students‟ english skills are better than others (97.5%), challenged if the teacher gives the quite difficult english task (85%) and thought that should pay attention to the example given by the teacher first before do the english task (100%). the overall result of questionnaire showed that students gave positive attitudes towards motivational strategies applied by teacher 1 (88.25%). it was also supported by the result of data taken from classroom observation which showed that students of teacher 1 showed positive attitudes toward motivational strategies applied by the teacher in efl classroom. the students showed positive attitudes in affective, cognitive, and behavioral aspects. in affective aspect, the students were happy to follow english lesson, felt excited to heed the teacher teaching english lesson, interested in following english lessons, and students prefered doing english task with friend than by own self. in behavioral asepct, the result showed that students were not hopeless if there are any difficulties in learning english. it can be seen when students tried to ask the teacher about something which students did not understand. next, in cognitive aspect, the result showed that students thought that should pay attention to the example given by the teacher first before doing the english task. students’ attitudes towards motivational strategies applied in efl classroom by teacher 2. the result taken from questionnaires showed the students gave posittive attitudes in affective, cognitive, and behavioral asepcts toward motivational strategies applied by the teacher 2 in efl classroom. 89 muhammad aprianto budie nugroho & nining mayda motivational strategies in teaching english as foreign language: a case study in junior high school 7 kuningan in affective aspect, the students were happy to follow english lesson (78.1%), felt excited to heed the teacher teaching english lesson (78.8%), interested in following english lessons because the teacher teaching the material in a fun way (70.7%), but students did not prefer doing english task by own self than with friend (78.1%). in behavioral aspect, the result showed that students were not hopeless if there are any difficulties in learning english (92.7%) and always tried to do english task well and truly (92.7%). in cognitive asepct, the result showed that students felt a loss if did not follow english lesson (63.8%), learning continuously to make students‟ english skills are better than others (97.6%), challenged if the teacher gives the quite difficult english task (85.4%) and thought that should pay attention to the example given by the teacher first before do the english task (95.1%). this indicated that students showed positive attitudes towards motivational strategies applied by teacher 2 (79.02%). this was also in line with the result taken from interview. however, the result taken from classroom observation showed the students showed less positive attitude towards the motivational strategies applied in efl classroom by the teacher 2. this was because, there were only a small part of students who actively participated in teaching and learning process. besides, it also found that there were only a small part of students who felt happy to follow english lesson, felt excited to heed the teacher teaching english lesson and interested in following english lessons. on the other hand, related with cognitive asepct, athe result showed that students felt challenged if the teacher gives the quite difficult english task. students’ attitudes towards motivational strategies applied in efl classroom by teacher 3 the result of questionnaire that was supported by the result of interview showed that most of students of teacher 3 showed positive attitudes in affective, cognitive, and behavioral aspects towards motivational strategies applied in efl classroom. in affective aspect, students were happy to follow english lesson (100%), felt excited to heed the teacher teaching english lesson (90.5%), interested in following english lessons because the teacher teaching the material in a fun way (83.3%), and students prefer doing english task by own self than with friend (54.8%). in behavioral asepct, the result showed that students were not hopeless if there are any difficulties in learning english (80.9%) and always try to do english task well and truly (90.8%). in cognitive aspect, the result showed that students felt loss if did not follow english lesson (90.5%), learning continuously to make students‟ english skills are better than others (83.3%), challenged if the teacher gives the quite difficult english task (80.9%) and thought that should pay attention to the example given by the teacher first before do the english task (100%). from those results, it can be concluded that the students gave positive attitudes towards motivational strategies applied by teacher 3 (85.71%). it can be approved by the result of data from classroom observation which showed that students of teacher 3 gave positive attitudes toward motivational strategies applied in efl classroom. in affective asepct, most students felt happy to follow english lesson, felt excited to heed the teacher teaching english lesson, interested in following english lessons. it can be seen when students gave attention 90 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee to the teacher and participated actively in teaching learning process. in behavioral asepct, the result showed that students tried to do english task well and truly. in cognitive asepct, the result showed that students thought that should pay attention to the example given by the teacher first before do the english task. conclusions based on the findings taken from classroom observation, intervies, and questionnaires, it was found that teacher 1 and teacher 3 applied motivational strategies completely and sequentially based on the phases of motivational strategies. both teachers tried to motivate students continuously in teaching efl to make an effective teaching and learning process. that was responded positively by students of both teachers. besides, it can be seen from the result of questionnaires from students of teacher 1 which was 88.25% and students of teacher 3 which was 85.71%. furthermore, the result taken from the interview conducted with students of both teachers showed that the students showed positive attitudes towards motivational strategies that were applied by both teachers in efl classroom. on the other hand, teacher 2 did not apply motivational strategies completely and sequentially based on the phases of motivational strategies. the teacher missed the first phase of motivational strategies because the teacher focused on the material, so the first thing that was done by the teacher was delivering the material to the students. that was responded negatively by students. students showed negative attitudes towards motivational strategies that were applied by the teacher in teaching efl. from the result of classroom observation, it can be seen that students did not particiapte actively in teaching and learning process. most students were passive during the teaching and learning process and only a small part of students which were active enough in the teaching and learning process. however, this was not in line with the result taken from questionnaire which indicates that students gave positive attitudes which was 79.02% and gave positive answer in the interview. those findings indicated that the way teachers applied motivational strategies in efl classroom determined the students‟ attitudes towards motivational strategies applied in efl classroom. references astuti, s. p. (2013). teacher‟s and student‟s perception of motivational teaching strategies. teflin journal, 24 (2), 1431. retrieved from http://www.journal.teflin.org (january 9th, 2015, 7:43 a.m.) broughton, g., brumfit, c., flavell, r., hill, p. & pincas, a. (1980). teaching english as foreign language(2nd edition). london:university of london institute of education. brown, h. d. (1994). principles of learning and teaching (3rd edition). englewood cliffs, new jersey: prentice-hall regents. brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. new york: addison wesley longman, inc. brown, h. d. (2007). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. new york: addison wesley longman, inc. cheng, h. f. (2007). the use of motivational strategies in taiwanese english classroom. the proceedings of 2007 international conferences and workshop of tefl and applied linguistics, 153174. taipei: crane publishing co. creswell, j. w. (2009). design qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (3rd edition). usa: sage publications inc. 91 http://www.journal.teflin.org/ muhammad aprianto budie nugroho & nining mayda motivational strategies in teaching english as foreign language: a case study in junior high school 7 kuningan denzin, n. k. & lincoln, y. s. (1995). handbook of qualitative research. london: sage publications. dornyei, z & csizer, k. (1998). “ten commandments for motivating language learners”: result of an empirical study. language teaching result 2, 203-219. dornyei, z. (2001). motivational strategies in language classroom. cambridge: cambridge university press. eggen, p. d. & kauchak, d. p. (2001). education psychology: windows on classroom. upper saddle river, new jersey: merrill prentice hall. ellis, t. i. (1984). motivating teachers for excellence. eric clearinghouse on educational management: eric digest, 6, 2-3. eric document reproduction service, no: ed259449. fraenkel, j. r., & wallen, n. e., (2009). how to design and evaluate research in education (7th edition). new york: mcgraw-hill higher education. harmer, j. (1983). the practice of english language teaching. new york: longman group. harmer, j. (2001). how to teach english : an introduction to the practice of english language teaching. england: longman press. harmer, j. (2001). the practice of english language teaching (3rd edition). longman: pearson education. karahan, f. (2007). language attitude of turkish students towards the english language and its use in turkish context. retrieved from http://jas.cankaya.edu.tr/jas7/07firdefskarahan.pdf. (at january 29th, 2015, 10:23 a.m.) kubanyiova, m. (2006). developing a motivational teaching practice in efl teachers in slovakia. challenges of promoting teacher change in efl context, 10(2), 1-17. united kingdom: university of nottingham. latha, b. & ramesh, p. (2012). teaching english as a second language: factors affecting learners speaking skills. ijert journal, 1 (7), 1-6. latham, andrew s. (1998). teacher satisfaction. educational leadership, 55, 82-83. luthfiyah. (2011). improving students motivation in learning speaking by using contextual teaching & learning. retrieved from http://resopsitory.uinjkt.ac.id (at june 28, 2015, 10:55 a.m.) mccombs, b. l. & whisler, j. s. (1997). the learner-centered classroom and school: strategies for increasing students motivation and achievement. san fransisco, ca: jossey-bass. nugroho, r. a. (2008). motivational teaching strategies employed by english teachers in yogyakarta. retrieved from http://www.ethesys.lib.mcu.edu.tw. (at january 23, 2015, 9:48 a.m.) oemar, h. (1995). kurikulum dan pembelajaran. jakarta: bumi aksara. olson, j. m. & maio, g. (2003). attitudes in social behavior. new york: wiley. oskamp, s. & schultz, p. w. (2005). attitudes and opinion(3rd edition). new jersey: lawrence erlbaum associates. printrich, p. r. & howard, s. d. (1996). motivation in education: theory, research, and application .ohio: prentice-hall. raffini, j. p. (1996). 150 ways to increase intrinsic motivation in the classroom. needham heights, ma: allyn and bacon. ramirez, a. c. v. (2010). students‟ perception about the development of their oral skills in an english as foreign language teacher training program. retrieved from http://www.researcharchive.edu.tw. (at january 03, 2015, 7:18 a.m.) ryan, r. m. & deci, e. l. (2000). intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: classic definitions and new directions. contemporary educational psychology, 25, 54-67. ryan, r. m. & deci, e. l. (2000). selfdetermination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation. social development and well-being. american psychologist, 55(1), 68-78. 92 http://jas.cankaya.edu.tr/jas7/07-firdefskarahan.pdf http://jas.cankaya.edu.tr/jas7/07-firdefskarahan.pdf http://resopsitory.uinjkt.ac.id/ http://www.ethesys.lib.mcu.edu.tw/ http://www.researcharchive.edu.tw/ english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee sakina, r. (2013). an analysis of anomalous exchange in young learners classroom interaction. retrieved from http://resopsitory.upi.edu. scheidecker, d. & freeman, w. (1999). bringing out the best in students: how legendary teachers motivate kids. thousand oaks, ca: corwin press. shuttleworth, m. case study research design. retrieved from https://explorable.com/case-studyreearch-design. (at march 01, 2015, 8:43 a.m.) stone, d. r. & elwin, c. n. (1987). educational psychology. oxford: oxford university press. subana, r. r. & sudrajat, m. (2000). statistik pendidikan. bandung: pustaka setia. suherdi, d. (2008). mikroskoppedagogik: alat analisis proses belajar mengajar. bandung: upi press. ur, p. (1996). a course in language teaching: practice and theory, new york: cambridge university press. williams, m., & robert l. b. (1997). psychology for language teachers: a social constructivist approach. cambridge:cambridge university press. wlodkowski, r. j. (1999). enhancing adult motivation to learn. san fransisco: jossey-bass. 93 http://resopsitory.upi.edu/ https://explorable.com/case-study-reearch-design https://explorable.com/case-study-reearch-design english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 89 four square writing method applied in product and process based approaches combination to teaching writing discussion text vina agustiana department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, university of kuningan, indonesia email: v.agustiana08@gmail.com apa citation: agustiana, v. (2017). four square writing method applied in product and process based approaches combination to teaching writing discussion text. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 89-98. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.774. received: 12-08-2017 accepted: 23-10-2017 published: 01-12-2017 abstract: four square writing method is a writing method which helps students in organizing concept to write by using a graphic organizer. this study aims to examine the influence of applying fswm in combination of product and process based approaches to teaching writing discussion texts toward students’ writing skill, the teaching-learning writing process and the students’ attitude toward the implementation of the writing method. this study applies a mixed-method through applying an embedded design. 26 efl university students of a private university in west java, indonesia, are involved in the study. there are 3 kinds of instrument used, namely tests (pre and post-test), field notes, and questionnaires. data taken from students’ writing test are analyzed statistically to identify the influence of applying the writing method toward students’ writing skill; data taken from field notes are analyzed qualitatively to examine the learning writing activities at the time the writing method is implemented; and data taken from questionnaires are analyzed descriptive statistic to explore students’ attitude toward the implementation of the writing method. regarding the result of paired t-test, the writing method is effective in improving students’ writing skill since level of significant (two-tailed) is less than alpha (0.000<0.05). furthermore, the result taken from field notes shows that each steps applied and graphic organizer used in the writing method lead students to compose discussion texts which meet a demand of genre. in addition, regard with the result taken from questionnaire, the students show highly positive attitude toward the treatment since the mean score is 4.32. keywords: fswm; combination of product and process based approach, discussion text introduction at the university level, disciplinary knowledge and understanding are largely exhibited and valued through the medium of writing (coffin, curry, goodman, hewings, lillis & joan, 2003, p.19). however, writing is considered to be difficult and challenging for most students (kim & kim, 2005). one of the steps leading it to be more troublesome for students to cope with is to have something to talk about (cook, 2004). it is in line with nunan (1995) that it is the starting point that often obstructs students from writing. therefore, students perceive it difficult to start writing since they are in trouble at the time they start to write. efl students are required to transfer their ideas into english. this is another problem in writing since they are expected to meet the criteria of a good text which has different writing sentence pattern between source language and target language. furthermore, alwasilah and sussana(2007) states that the difficulties in writing are not only in using appropriate vocabulary choice, sentence, and paragraph organization to generate and organize ideas, but also in turning such idea into readable text. therefore, this indicates that there are several things to consider in writing, such as the purpose of writing, the word choices, the coherence, and how the writer convey the message to the reader. vina agustiana four square writing method applied in product and process based approaches combination to teaching writing discussion text 90 according to alwasilah and alwasilah (2005), the writing problem appears in indonesian writing classroom, since there are inappropriate writing teaching method used by the teacher. dealing with this, the teacher are expected to apply the appropriate method in teaching writing which is able to accommodate students’ need and goals in writing (emilia, 2010). in line with this, gabrielatos (2002, p.1) implies that “in order to be able to select and use appropriate procedures and materials, as well as assess their students’ needs and progress, teachers need to be clear regarding the desirable outcomes of a writing program and the processes involved in good writing.” this indicates that writing teaching method plays an important role in accommodating students to learn writing. four square writing method (fswm)is one method offered in teaching writing that leads students organize, compose information and concepts, as well as promote thinking about relationship among concepts before they start to write (robinson, katayama, beth, odom, hsieh & vandersen, 2006). this is a writing teaching method which is applicable across grade levels and curriculum areas (gould & gould, 1999). in addition, fswm can be applied in every kinds of text, such as narrative, descriptive, and argumentative. this writing method using visual and kinesthetic tools in the form of a graphic organizer consisting of four outside squares to assists students to focus on their writing (gould & gould, 1999). this aims that students are able to compose a written product logically, coherent and relevant which meets the needs criteria of a good writing. there are several studies conducted focusing on the implementation of fswm, such as wijiastuti (2010) and ullah (2013). wijiastuti (2010), through classroom action research design, found that the students’ mean in writing score has improved from 55.7 (the first cycle) to 71.57 (the second cycle). in addition, ullah (2013), through classroom action research, combined the fswm and product based approach. the findings covered that the students’ writing skill has improved since there is improvement in result of students’ writing test that 55.56% of students reached the minimum score of writing in the first cycle, while there is 88.89% of students reached the minimum score of writing in the second cycle. based on findings, it indicates that fswm is effective in improving students’ writing skills. since, fswm is the method offered in the pre-writing stage prior to producing the final draft, the researcher conducted a research which combined fswm and product-process based approaches combination in writing discussion texts. there are 10 stages in product-process based approaches combination (agustiana, 2016). in stage 1 (modeling) and stage 2 (practicing), students are expected to cover writing goals, generic structures, and linguistic features of a text. in stage 3 (brainstorming), stage 4 (planning) and stage 5 (mindmapping), the students are expected to organize ideas to write. in stage 6 (writing the first draft), the students make the first draft. in stage 7 (peer feedback), the students give feedback toward their friends’ text, and vice versa. in stage 8 (editing), the students revise their first draft which has been given feedback. in stage 9 (writing the second draft), the students compose the final draft. in stage10 (evaluation & teacher’s feedback), students’ final draft is evaluated by the teacher. considering that fswm is suit to apply in pre-writing stage, the researcher applied the fswm in organizing ideas stage, namely stage 4 (planning) and stage 5 (mind-mapping). thus, the implementation of fswm in organizing ideas stage in product-process based approaches combination is expected to help students organize their ideas in order to compose a written product which suits to its social function, generic structure, and linguistic features. there are three objectives of this present study, namely the influence of the implementation of the writing teaching method toward: (a) students’ writing skills, (b) teaching-learning writing activities, and (c) students’ attitude toward learning writing. the stages of the combination of product and process based approach is shown in table 1. according to table 1, there are 10 stages of english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 91 fswm in product-process based approaches which take place in seven meetings. table 1. stages of fswm in product-process based approaches meeting stages fswm 1. 1. modeling 2. 2. practicing 3. 3. brainstorming 4. planning √ 5. mind mapping √ 4. 6. writing the first draft 5. 7. peer-feedback 8. editing 6. 9. writing the final draft 7. 10. evaluation and teachers’ feedback. in this study, the researcher used discussion text as teaching material. gerot and wignell (1994) define discussion text describe discussion text due to its social function, generic structure, and significant linguistic features. the social function of discussion text is to presents (at least) two points of view about an issue. its generic structures are issue which includes statement and preview; arguments for and against or statements of differing points of view which includes point and elaboration; and conclusion or recommendations. the linguistic features are (a) focus on generic human and generic nonhuman participants, (b) use of comparative; contrastive and consequential conjunctions, and (c) reasoning expressed as verbs and nouns (abstraction). method regarding the research objectives, this study applied a mixed methods research. creswell (2014, p.4) states that “mixed methods research is an approach to inquiry involving collecting both quantitative and qualitative data, integrating two forms of data and using distinct design that may involve philosophical assumptions and theoretical frameworks”. by mixing the data, this study presents the better understanding of the problem than by using either data set one by one. this study applied an embedded design. this design is used to answer different questions, which need different types of data to answer (malik & hamied, 2014). the researcher collected both the quantitative and qualitative data during the study. this study is qualitative in terms of collection and analysis of observation data (field notes). meanwhile, it is quantitative in dealing with test scores and responses to questionnaire. there were three sources of evidence, namely observations (field notes), tests (pre-test and post-test), and questionnaires. data collection was conducted in nine meetings. there were 26 efl university students of a private university in west java, indonesia, involved in this study, the first data source was students’ tests. the tests were used to find the effect of the implementation of fswm in product-process based approaches combination on the students’ writing skill. in this study, the tests consisted of pretest and posttest. in each test, the students were expected to create a discussion text with the topic given. the second data source was field notes. field notes were primary data to explore the learning writing activities during the implementation of fswm in product-process based approaches combination. in this case, the researcher played a role as a participant observer who involved in activities at the research site (creswell, 2012). field notes were taken for seven meetings. the teacher noted the activities during the process of teaching learning writing after leaving the setting. the third data source was questionnaires which aimed to describe the students’ attitude toward the implementation of fswm in product-process based approaches combination. a set of closed-ended vina agustiana four square writing method applied in product and process based approaches combination to teaching writing discussion text 92 questionnaires was used. all students were asked to choose one choice in the questionnaires that best describe their feeling toward the items. the questionnaires were in likert-scale form. it consisted of 25 items, which belonged to two major themes, namely the general attitude toward the implementation of fswm in product-process based approaches combination, and the attitude toward each steps of writing teaching method. the first theme consisted of five categories, namely motivation, effectiveness, learning situation in the class, comparison with other approach, and the ease of the step. the second theme consisted of 10 categories, namely modeling, practicing, brainstorming, planning, mind mapping, writing the first draft, peer-feedback, editing, writing the second draft, and evaluation and teacher’s feedback. the items were analyzed by three aspects, namely affective, behavioral, and cognitive views (oskamp & schultz, 2005). in analyzing the data obtained, the researcher used qualitative and quantitative data analysis according to the types of data gathered. with regard the validity of the study, the students’ tests including pre-test and posttest were scored by two raters. the first rater was the researcher, and the second rater was a writing lecturer in that university. in order to have the same perception in assessing the students’ tests, the researcher and the other rater discussed the writing scoring rubric assessment used in the study in order to have the same perception in scoring the students’ texts. afterwards, the pre-test of the first rater was calculated with the pre-test of the second rater to find the final scores of the students’ pre-test. furthermore, the post-test of the first rater was calculated with the post-test of the second rater to find the final scores of the students’ post-test. the scores were calculated to examine the effect of fswm in product-process based approaches combination on the students’ writing skill. this aimed to test the null hypothesis of the study which stated that fswm in product-process based approaches combination is not effective in improving the students’ writing skill. there were several steps to test the hypothesis, namely normal distribution test, homogeneity of variance test, and comparing means. to avoid the error in calculating the data, data taken from the test were analyzed by spss 20.0 for windows. the second instrument was field notes which were analyzed qualitatively through some steps, namely: (a) reading the field notes; (b) identifying the learning writing activities in every stage of teaching writing; and (c) presenting the evidences of every activity of each meeting into a written form. the third data sources, questionnaires, were analyzed by descriptive statistics. descriptive statistics is used to summarize data (hatch & farhady, 1982). before being calculated, the sets of closed-ended questionnaires were sorted. if the whole items were not filled, the data were not taken, avoiding the invalid data. the questionnaire used the five-point likert-scale. the scales were strongly agree (5), agree (4), uncertain (3), disagree (2), and strongly disagree (1). the scores were calculated by using microsoft office excels in order to simplify their tabulation. the scores were analyzed based on five level of the students’ attitude, namely highly positive, positive, normal, negative, and highly negative as shown in table 2. table 2. the categorization of students’ attitude level students’ attitude level range of score item level highly positive 4.201-5.0 positive 3.401-4.20 normal 2.601-3.40 negative 1.801-2.60 highly negative 1.00-1.80 english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 93 results and discussion the influence of fswm in product-process based approaches combination towards students’ writing skill this section discusses whether fswm in product-process based approaches combination is effective in improving students’ writing skill. pre-test was conducted in the first meeting of study which aimed at measuring students’ prior writing skill in writing discussion text. meanwhile, post-test was conducted in the ninth meeting of study which aimed at measuring students’ writing skill after learning writing discussion text by using fswm in product-process based approaches combination. data taken form tests were analyzed quantitatively using spss 20.0 for windows. statistically, there were three kinds of test conducted, namely normal distribution test, homogeneity of variance test, and comparing means. the first test was the normal distribution test which aims to find whether the data was normally distributed. the kolmogorov-smirnov statistic was applied in this study. the result of the normal distribution test was shown in table 3. table 3. the result of the normal distribution test tests of normality kolmogorov-smirnov a statistic df sig. pretest ,140 24 ,200 * posttest ,162 26 ,079 * the level of significance as the result of the normal distribution test would be compared with the alpha level. the alpha level was set at 0.05. table 3 showed that the score of pre-test’s level of significance in normal distribution test was 0.200. thus, the pre-test’s level of significance was higher than the alpha (0.200>0.05). therefore, the data of the students’ pre-test was normally distributed. on the other hand, regarding the data taken from the post-test, table 3 showed that the post-test’s level of significance in normal distribution test was 0.079. since the posttest’s level of significance was higher than the alpha (0.079>0.05), the data of the students’ post-test was normally distributed. in conclusion, the result of normal distribution test showed that the data taken from the students’ pre-test and post-test were normally distributed. thus, the hypothesis testing used the parametric statistics, namely t-test. the second test was the homogeneity of variance test which aims to find whether or not the data is homogenous. the levene statistic was used to test homogeneity of variance of the data. the result of the homogeneity of variance test was shown in table 4. table 4. the result of homogeneity of variance test test of homogeneity of variances levene statistic df1 df2 sig. 1,936 5 14 ,152 the level of significance as the result of the homogeneity of variances test was compared with the alpha level. the alpha level was set at 0.05. based on table 4, it showed that the level of significance was 0.152 which was higher than the alpha (0.152>0.05). therefore, the students’ score of pre-test and post-test were homogenous. the third test was the comparing means test which aims to test the hypotheses of the study. the hypotheses testing was analyzed by using the paired t-test since the means compared were the mean score of the students’ pre test and post-test of a group of students. there were two hypotheses set of the study, namely: vina agustiana four square writing method applied in product and process based approaches combination to teaching writing discussion text 94  ho: fswm in product and process based approaches combination is not effective in improving the students’ writing skill.  h1: fswm in product and process based approaches combination is effective in improving the students’ writing skill. the result of the paired t-test was shown in table 5. table 5. the result of paired t-test paired samples test paired differences t d f sig. (2tailed) mean std. deviati on std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pair 1 pretest – posttest 15,385 4 ,973 , 975 17,393 13,376 15,776 2 5 ,0 00 the level of significance as the result of the paired t-test was compared with the alpha level. the alpha level was set at 0.05. table5 showed that the level of significance (2-tailed) was 0.000. it indicates that the level of significance in paired t-test was less than the alpha (0.000<0.05). thus, h0 was rejected. in other words, fswm in product and process based approaches combination is effective in improving the students’ writing skill. the process of teaching-learning writing this section conveys the process of teachinglearning writing discussion text by using fswm in product and process based approaches combination. data was taken from the result of field notes. the process of learning writing took place in seven meetings. they were begun in the second meeting through eighth meeting of study. there were 10 stages in applying this writing method. these would be discussed in the following. in the first meeting, the teacher applied stage 1 which is modeling. in this stage, the teacher provided a discussion text as a text model. the text fulfilled the criteria of genre in terms of social function, generic structure, and linguistic features. in this stage, the students identified how the writer put the ideas into a written product so that the text discussed two points of view about an issue (gerot & wignell, 1994). besides, the students also identified the generic structure of the text which consisted of issue, arguments for arguments against, and conclusion and recommendation (gerot & wignell, 1994). furthermore, the students identified the linguistic features of the text. the result of this stage was the students were able to comprehend the criteria of discussion text regarding the social function, generic structure as well as linguistics feature of the text. in the second meeting, the teacher applied stage 2 which is practicing. in this stage, the students were expected to use linguistic features found in the text at sentence level. the teacher provided conjunction as teaching material at that day since conjunction is one linguistic feature used in discussion text. the students learnt how to use conjunction in the text appropriately. this was based on the model text they learnt and some practices they conducted. as the result, the students were able to use conjunction, appropriately, after they learnt how to apply the conjunction. in the third meeting, the teacher provided a topic to students to be developed into a discussion text. in this meeting, the teacher applied three stages of writing, namely brainstorming (stage 3), planning (stage 4), and mind-mapping (stage 5). these stages are stages of organizing ideas. each stage was applied in a series. at the beginning of study, the teacher applied brainstorming. in this stage, the students wrote their ideas toward the topic given on the white board, so that there would be a group of ideas made by whole english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 95 class students. in this stage, the students actively involved at class in proposing their ideas toward the topic given. the next stage applied in third meeting was planning in which the students chose the suitable ideas to be developed based on ideas created in brainstorming stage. afterwards, the students made a plan of writing through arranging the ideas by using the graphic organizer as a tool applied in fswm. the graphic organizer consisted of four large squares (which were located at the top-right, top-left, bottom-right, and bottom-left) and a small square in the middle. in arranging ideas by using the graphic organizer, at first, the students put the topic to discuss in a square which was in the middle of the graphic organizer. afterwards, in the topleft square, they wrote a topic sentence which showed the issue of the text. next, in the topright square, the students put the topic sentence which stated the pros toward the issue. subsequently, in the bottom-left square, the students put the topic sentence which shows the cons toward the issue. the next step was the students concluded the text and put the recommendation toward the issue in the bottom-right square. afterwards, the students wrote keywords which supported each topic sentence in the bottom of each topic sentence made in those four squares. this could be the details, examples or any other words which elaborated each topic sentence. at the end of arranging ideas by using the graphic organizer, the students put the appropriate conjunction in each squares. in this stage, the students found fswm was helpful in organizing their ideas since the graphic organizer provided squares which could represent the generic structure of discussion text. the process of applying fswm in the planning stage is attached in figure 1. figure 1. fswm applied in the planning stage conjunction________________________ topic sentence (issue)______________________ -detail________________________ examples detail________________________ examples detail________________________ examples conjunction________________________ topic sentence (argument for)______________________ detail________________________ examples detail________________________ examples detail________________________ examples conjunction________________________ topic sentence (argument against)___________________ detail________________________ examples detail________________________ examples detail________________________ examples conjunction________________________ topic sentence (conclusion and recommendation)_______ detail________________________ examples detail________________________ examples detail________________________ examples after completing this stage, the teacher applied fswm in mind-mapping stage as the last stage applied in the third meeting. in this stage, the students were expected to develop the graphic organizer made in the previous stage. based on figure 1, there were four large squares which each of them represented the generic structure of a discussion text. therefore, the students developed each square into a graphic organizer. thus, there would be four graphic organizers which each of them represented a paragraph in a discussion text. the top-left square would be developed into a graphic organizer which would be developed into a paragraph which showed the issue. the top-right square would be developed into a graphic organizer which would be developed into a paragraph that conveyed the argument for toward the issue. the bottom-left square would be developed into a graphic organizer which would be developed into a paragraph that discussed the arguments against the issue. topic vina agustiana four square writing method applied in product and process based approaches combination to teaching writing discussion text 96 lastly, the bottom-right square would be developed into a graphic organizer which would be developed into a paragraph that presented the conclusion as well as recommendation. in this stage, the students were able to develop the graphic organizer created in the planning stage into four graphic organizers which each of them represented the generic structure of discussion text. in the fourth meeting, the teacher applied writing the first draft stage. in this stage, the students composed their first draft of discussion text by using the ideas they made in organizing ideas stage which was put in the graphic organizers. they were expected to compose a discussion text which met the demand of genre that involved the issue, arguments for, argument against, and conclusion as well as recommendation. in composing this first draft, the students didn’t find any trouble since they had made a plan to write in the previous stage by using fswm. afterwards, in the fifth meeting, the teacher applied peer-feedback and editing stage. in peer-feedback stage, each student gave his own first draft to his peer to be evaluated and vice versa. the reviewer evaluated and gave suggestion regarding the sentence and paragraph structure, vocabulary used and so on in order to the text could be more readable. besides, the reviewer also took the other benefit which was their writing awareness would be improved as they noticed the errors found in their friend’s text. in giving feedback, the students used peer-feedback guidelines (as adapted from agustiana, 2016). however, in this stage, there were some students who were not confident in giving feedback to their friend’s text since they thought that their friend had a higher english proficiency than them. the next stage in the fifth meeting was editing in which the students had their own first draft which had been given feedback by their peers. then, they revised the text based on the suggestion they got. however, there were some students who didn’t get any feedback from their peers since their peers considered the texts had fulfilled the demand of discussion text. besides, there were also students who didn’t take the suggestion given since they thought that their text was good. in the next meeting which was meeting six, the teacher applied writing the final draft stage. in this stage, the students composed their final draft of discussion text. they used their knowledge and experiences during learning writing by using fswm applied in product and process based approaches combination. the students paid more attention on their writing final draft than their writing the first draft. in the last meeting, the teacher applied evaluation and teacher’s feedback stage. in this stage, the students’ final draft was evaluated by the teacher by using a discussion text rubric assessment (agustiana, 2016). besides, the teacher also gave her suggestion toward the students’ texts. this aimed at the students could implement any advises into their next writing, so that the students’ written product could be better. in evaluating students’ final draft, the teacher found that the students had trouble in composing compound sentences as well as complex sentences. the student’s’ attitude toward the implementation of fswm applied in product and process based approaches combination in writing a discussion text a set of closed-ended questionnaire which consisted of 25 items was used to cover the students’ attitude toward the implementation of the writing method in writing discussion text. it was found that mean score of questionnaires was 4.32 which indicated that the students showed a highly positive attitude toward the implementation of fswm applied in product and process based approaches combination in writing a discussion text. furthermore, the top-three of questionnaire item were (a) conducting planning stage by using the writing method in writing a discussion text was helpful to focus on topic to discuss in writing (4.73 mean score), (b) conducting mind-mapping stage by using the writing method in writing a discussion text was helpful to map the ideas to write (4.69 mean score), and (c) i will conduct planning stage by using the writing method to structure english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 97 my ideas and focus on a topic to develop in writing discussion text (4.62 mean score). on the other hand, the lowest mean score was item 6 which stated that i actively involved at class when the teacher implemented the writing method (4.04 mean score). otherwise, the lowest score item indicated that the students showed positive attitude toward the implementation of the writing method in writing discussion text. conclusion regarding the first research objective which aimed to cover the influence of fswm applied in product and process based approaches combination to teaching writing discussion text toward the students’ writing skill, the research finds that the treatment is effective in improving the students’ writing skill since the result taken from the paired ttest shows that score of level of significant (two-tailed) is less than alpha (0.000<0.05). furthermore, regarding the second research objective which aimed to cover the influence of fswm applied in product and process based approaches combination to teaching writing discussion text toward the teaching-learning writing process, the research covers that the students finds the treatment is helpful to apply since there is tool used in the writing method named a graphic organizer which leads the students to focus on the topic and develop it in a series based on the demand of discussion text. in modeling stage, the students are able to comprehend the criteria of discussion text regarding the social function, generic structure as well as linguistics feature of the text. furthermore, in stage 2 which is practicing, the students are able to use conjunction, as teaching material at that day, appropriately, after they learn how to apply the conjunction. afterwards, in stage 3 which is brainstorming, the students actively involve at class in proposing their ideas toward the topic given. next, in organizing ideas through planning stage by applying fswm, the students finds fswm is helpful in organizing their ideas since the graphic organizer as a tool used provides squares which represent the generic structure of discussion text. the next stage is mind-mapping in which the students are able to develop the graphic organizer created in the planning stage into four graphic organizers which each of them represent the generic structure of discussion text. furthermore, in composing their first draft, the students do not find any trouble since they have made a plan to write in the planning stage by using fswm. afterwards, in peer-feedback stage, the research covers that there are some students who are not confident in giving feedback to their friend’s text since they think that their friend have a higher english proficiency than they have. in addition, in editing stage in which the students have their own first draft which have been given feedback by their peer, there are some students who do not get any feedback from their peers since their peers consider the texts have fulfilled the demand of discussion text as well as there are also students who do not take the suggestion given since they think that their text is good. at the next stage which is writing the final draft, the students use their knowledge and experiences during learning writing by using the writing method and they pay more attention on their writing final draft than their writing the first draft. lastly, in evaluating students’ final draft, the teacher finds that the students have trouble in composing compound sentences as well as complex sentences. as a whole, the writing method leads the students to organize their ideas better and expects the students to conduct the writing process in a series. regarding the third research objective which is to identify the students’ attitude toward the implementation of the writing method in writing discussion text, the students show highly positive attitude toward the treatment since the mean score of 25 questionnaire items is 4.32. it indicates that the students are open to the implementation of fswm applied in product and process based approaches combination to teaching writing discussion text. considering the findings, this research contributes to the theory and educational practice. theoretically, since the research covers the implementation of writing teaching vina agustiana four square writing method applied in product and process based approaches combination to teaching writing discussion text 98 method which is fswm applied in productprocess based approaches combination to teaching writing discussion text, this research enriches the literature on teaching writing in indonesian efl context. this is based on the facts that there is little study existing in indonesian about the implementation of this writing method, especially at undergraduates’ level. furthermore, this research also gives practical contribution which is the english writing teachers / lectures may implement this writing method in their writing classroom because this writing method is effective in improving the students’ writing skill. references alwasilah, a. c., & sussana, s. (2007). pokoknya menulis: cara baru menulis dengan metode kolaborasi. bandung: kiblat buku utama. alwasilah, a. c., & alwasilah, s.s. (2005). pokoknya menulis. bandung: pt kiblat utama. agustiana, v. (2016). combination of product and process based approaches to teaching writing discussion text. english review: journal of english education, 4(2), 195-208. coffin, c., curry, m. j., goodman, s., hewings, a., lillis, t. m. s., & joan. (2003). teaching academic writing. london: routledge. cook, m. (2004). a fun way to generate ideas for comparison paragraphs. the internet tesl journal, 4(10). cresswell, j. w. (2012). educational research (4 th ed.). boston: pearson. cresswell, j. w. (2014). research design: qualitative, quantitative and mix methods approaches. new delhi: sage. emilia, e. (2010). teaching writing, developing critical learners. bandung: rizqi press. gabrielatos, c. (2002). efl writing: product and process. retrieved from http:// www.gabrielatos.com/writing.pdf [25 aug-14, 10:10 a.m.] gerrot, l. & wignell, p. (1994). making sense of functional grammar. australia: gerd stabler. gould, j.s., &gould, e.j. (1999). four square writing method: grade 3-5. carthage, il: teaching and learning company. hatch, e., & farhady, h. (1982). research design and statistics for applied linguistics. london: newbury house publishers, inc. kim, y. & kim, j. (2005). teaching korean university writing class: balancing the process and the genre approach. asian efl journal online, 7(2), 69-90. retrieved from http://www.asian-efl journal.com/june_05_yk&jk.php [25 jan2014, 09.16 a.m.]. malik, r. s. & hamied, f. a. (2014). research methods. bandung: upi press. nunan, d. (1991). language teaching methodology: a textbook for teachers. london: prentice hall international. oskamp, s. & schultz, p. w. (2005). attitudes and opinion (3 rd ed). london: lawrence erlbaum associates. robinson, d. h., katayama, a. d., beth, a., odom, s., hsieh, y., & vanderveen, a. (2006). increasing text comprehension and graphic note taking using a partial graphic organizer. the journal of education research, 100(2), 103-111. ullah, w.o.r.y. (2015).improving students’ writing skill using four square writing method. proceeding of the seventh international conference on applied linguistics (5 th ed). wijiastuti, s. f. (2010). improving students’ writing skill using four square writing method (a collaborative action research at the eighth grade students of smp negeri 19 surakarta in 2009/2010). unpublished paper. sebelas maret university. the arabic origins of english and indo-european "urban terms": a radical linguistic theory approach english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the arabic origins of english and indo-european "urban terms": a radical linguistic theory approach zaidan ali jassem department of english language and translation, qassim university, saudi arabia e-mail: zajassems@gmail.com apa citation: jassem, z. a. (2015). the arabic origins of english and indo-european urban terms": a radical linguistic theory approach. english review: journal of english education, 3(2), 145-165 received: 10-04-2015 accepted: 25-04-2015 published: 01-06-2015 abstract: this paper traces the arabic origins of english, german, french, latin, greek, and sanskrit "urban terms" from a radical linguistic (or lexical root) theory perspective. the data comprises 130 such terms like abide, building, city, construction, courtyard, hotel, house, live, mansion, mason, palace, metropolis, residence, road, rural, sedentary, sojourn, stay, structure, tent, town, urban, villa, village, zoo, and so on. the results clearly show that all such words have true arabic cognates with the same or similar forms and meanings, whose differences are due to natural and plausible causes and different routes of linguistic change. moreover, the results support the adequacy of the radical linguistic theory according to which, unlike the comparative method and/or family tree model, arabic, english, german, french, latin, greek, and sanskrit are dialects of the same language or family, renamed eurabian or urban family, with arabic being their origin all for sharing the whole cognates with them and for its huge phonetic, morphological, grammatical, and lexical variety and wealth. also, they indicate that there is a radical language from which all human languages stemmed and which has been preserved almost intact in arabic as the most conservative and productive language, without which it is impossible to interpret its linguistic richness and versatility on all levels. keywords: urban terms, arabic, english, german, french, latin, greek, sanskrit, historical linguistics, radical linguistic (lexical root) theory, language relationships introduction jassem (2012a-f, 2013a-q, 2014a-k, 2015a-g) has shown in forty one studies so far that arabic, english, german, french, and the so-called indo-european languages in general are genetically related very closely phonetically, morphologically, grammatically, and semantically or lexically to such an extent that they can all be regarded as dialects of the same language. more precisely, the arabic origins or cognates of their words were successfully traced in twenty six lexical studies in key semantic fields like numerals, religious, love, democratic, military, and legal terms (jassem 2012a-d, 2013a-q, 2014a-k, 2015a-f); in three morphological studies on inflectional and derivational markers (jassem 2012f, 2013a-b); in nine grammatical papers like pronouns, verb 'to be', wh-questions, and case (jassem 2012c-e, 2013l, 2014c, 2015d); and in one phonetic study about the english, german, french, latin, and greek cognates of arabic back consonants (jassem 2013c). furthermore, zaidan ali jassem the arabic origins of english and indo-european "urban terms": a radical linguistic theory approach the theory was extended to the examination of the arabic origins of pronouns in chinese (jassem 2014h) and basque and finnish (jassem 2014i) as well as demonstratives in eleven major (and minor) language families, making up 95% of the total world population (jassem 2015h). finally, two papers applied the approach to translation studies (jassem 2014e, 2015b). the above studies have been initially based on the lexical root theory (jassem 2012a-f, 2013a-q, 2014a-g, 2015a-g) and subsequently on its slightly revised and extended version, called radical linguistic theory (jassem 2014 h-k, 2015a-g), both deriving their name originally from the use of lexical (consonantal) roots or radicals in retracing genetic relationships between words in world languages. the theory first arose as a rejection of the family tree model or comparative method in historical linguistics for classifying arabic as a member of a different language family than english, german, french, latin, greek, sanskrit, and the so-called indo-european languages (bergs and brinton 2012; algeo 2010; crystal 2010: 302; yule 2014; campbell 2004: 190-191; crowley 1997: 22-25, 110-111; pyles and algeo 1993: 61-94). in all the above forty one studies, the tightly-knit genetic relationship between arabic and such languages was, on the contrary, categorically established phonetically, morphologically, grammatically, and semantically or lexically so much so that they can be really considered dialects of the same language, where arabic was found to be their source or parent language for several reasons (jassem (2012a-f, 2013a-q, 2014a-k, 2015a-g). in other words, arabic, english, german, and french words of all types and sorts, for example, were shown to be true cognates with similar or identical forms and meanings, whose apparent differences are due to natural and plausible causes and diverse routes of linguistic change. this entails that all such languages developed, in fact must have developed, from an earlier single, perfect, suddenly-emerged radical language from which all human languages emanated in the first place, and which could never have died out but rather has fully, though variably, survived into today's languages, to which they can all be traced, with arabic in particular being the closest or most conservative and productive descendant. to aptly capture the close genetic linkage between european and arabian languages in general, a new larger language family grouping has been proposed, called eurabian or urban (jassem 2015c: 41; 2015d). this paper examines the arabic origins and/or source cognates of urban terms in english, german, french, latin, greek, sanskrit, and the so-called indo-european languages. the remainder of the paper includes four sections: (ii) research methods, (iii) results, (iv) discussion, and (v) conclusion. method the data the data consists of 130 urban terms like abide, building, city, construction, courtyard, hotel, house, live, mansion, mason, palace, metropolis, residence, road, rural, sedentary, sojourn, stay, structure, tent, town, urban, villa, village, and so on in english, german, french, latin, greek, sanskrit, and indo-european languages as well as arabic, now all generally called eurabian. their selection has been based on the author's knowledge of their frequency and use in today's fully english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee natural english, german, and french conversations and/or texts as well as english dictionaries and thesauri. for ease of reference, the data will be arranged alphabetically together with brief linguistic comments in the next results section. as for etymological data, all references to english and indo-european languages are for harper (2015). however, this etymology is not, like all other similar dictionaries, without its severe drawbacks owing to the many unknowns, uncertainties, and the seemingly illogical derivations or meanings of many words such as alley, castle, county, dwell, farm, head, house, mansion, office, pen, road, dining room, street, track, etc. which make more sense if derived straight from arabic as shall be seen in section (3) below. therefore, it has to be used with care and discretion. concerning arabic data, the meanings are for ibn manzoor (2013) in the main, ibn seedah (1996: 13/79-120), altha3alibi (2011), albabidi (2011), e-dictionaries likemu3jam alama3ani (2015), and the author's knowledge and use of shami (syrian) arabic as a native speaker. all the genetic linkages between arabic, english, german, french, latin, greek, sanskrit and so on are exclusively mine, unless otherwise stated. in transcribing the data, normal romanized spelling is used for all languages for practical purposes. nonetheless, certain symbols were used for unique arabic sounds: namely, /2 & 3/ for the voiceless and voiced pharyngeal fricatives respectively, /kh & gh/ for the voiceless and voiced velar fricatives each, /q/ for the voiceless uvular stop, capital letters for the emphatic counterparts of plain consonants /t (t), d (d), dh (dh), & s (s)/, and /'/ for the glottal stop (jassem 2013c). long vowels in arabic are usually doubledi.e., /aa, ee, & oo/. data analysis theoretical framework: radical linguistic theory data analysis utilizes the radical linguistic theory (jassem 2014h-l, 2015a-g), a slightly revised and more generalized version of the original lexical root theory (jassem 2012a-f, 2013a-q, 2014a-g). for the sake of economy and brevity, the inquisitive reader is referred to any earlier work for a fuller account (e.g., jassem 2015a-c, 2014a, 2013a, 2012a-b). in short, the most appropriate procedure for genetically relating english and arabic words to each other can be summed up as follows: (i) select a word (in any given semantic field), e.g., abide, dwell, live, (ii) identify the source, daughter, or sister language meaning (e.g., english or latin) on the basis of especially word history or etymology. it is essential to start with meanings, not sounds or sound laws as the former are more stable and change less than the latter which do so extensively; for example, all the sounds of a given word might change beyond recognition while meanings very much less so and in a rather limited way; so the meaning will lead you to the cognate naturally whereas the sounds will get you lost definitely, (iii) search for the equivalent meaning and form in the target, parent, or reference language (e.g., arabic), looking for cognates: i.e., sister words with the same or similar forms and meanings, and zaidan ali jassem the arabic origins of english and indo-european "urban terms": a radical linguistic theory approach (iv) finally explain the differences in form and meaning between the cognates lexicologically, phonetically, morphologically, and semantically as indicated. as a matter of fact, finding the right cognate on the basis of its meaning first often leads you to the resultant changes automatically. that is the whole story simply and truly. no fuss, no mess. for example, consider abide, live, dwell below. statistical analysis the percentage formula will be used for calculating the ratio of cognate words or shared vocabulary (cowley 1997: 173, 182), which has been fully described in earlier papers (jassem 2012a-f, 2013a-q, 2014a-k). results & discussion the results will mainly focus on the arabic lexical (consonantal) radicals or roots of english, german, french, latin, greek, and sanskrit urban words and the changes that involved them. the exact quality of the vowel is, therefore, of generally secondary importance for having little or no semantic impact whatsoever on the final output (jassem 2012-2015). abide (abidance, abode) via old english abidan, gebidan 'remain, wait, dwell', from arabic 'abada 'dwell, stay', 'aabad 'place'; or baata 'remain, dwell', bait (n) 'house' where /t/ became /d/ (jassem 2015g). accommodation (accommodate) via french, from latin accommodatio(nem) 'lodging', from accommodare 'make fit, adapt', from (i) ad'to', from arabic ta'derivational affix' via reversal and turning /t/ into /d/ and (ii) commodore 'make fit', from commodus 'fit', from (a) com'intensive prefix; together; like', from arabic kama 'as, like' and (b) modus 'measure, manner', from arabic madd(at) 'extension; lying' via lexical shift; or, as a whole, from arabic jathama 'to stay' ormakatha 'to stay' via reordering and turning /j & th/ into /k & d/. agrarian (agriculture, grow) via old english æcer 'a field', from latin agrarius 'of the land', from ager 'a field', from greek agros ' a field', from arabic 3aqaar 'a field, earth' or 2aql 'a field' via /3 (2)/-loss and passing /q & l/ into /g & r/; or qira2 'farm; unbuilt and unplanted area', qira2i (adj.) 'city dweller' via /2/-loss and passing /q/ into /g/. see cultivate. alley (alleyway) via old french alee (modern allée) 'a path, passage; a going', from aler 'to go', possibly short for latin ambulare 'to walk', or from gallo-roman allare, from allatus 'having been brought to', direct from arabic 'alla 'go, speed up', 'aala return', or lai(at) 'a bending; a bent (road)'. see way. apartment (apart, part, depart, partition) via french, from latin partem (nom., pars) 'part, division', related to portio 'a share, portion', from arabic batr, 'abtar (adj.) 'cutting' via reordering and lexical shift (jassem 2013m-n). architecture (architect) via middle french, from latin architectura, from architectus, from greek architekton 'master builder, director of works', from (i) arkhi'chief', from arabic ra'ees 'head' where /s/ became /kh (k)/ (jassem 2015e) and (ii) tekton 'builder, carpenter', from arabic taqqa(t) 'beat, knock, break', daqqa(t)/dakka(t) 'beat, dig, knock, hammer', or takhkh(at) 'build, knock, dig', turning /t (d) & q (kh) / into /t & k/. area via latin area 'level ground, open space', direct from arabic 3araa' 'open space' via /3/-loss. attic 'top story under the roof of a house' via latin atticus, from greek attikos 'athenian, of attica', direct from arabic taaqa(t) 'a small, narrow window; a ventilation wall opening' via lexical shift and turning /t & q/ into /t & k/. avenue (venue) via old and middle french avenue 'way of access, arrival', from latin advenire 'to come to', from (i) ad'to', from arabic ta'derivational affix' via reversal english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee and turning /t/ into /d/ or al'definite article' via /l/-merger into /v/ (jassem 2013a, 2015d) and (ii) venire 'to come', from arabic faana 'to go' or fanna 'drive away (camels)' via lexical shift; or direct from arabic fann, afnan (pl.) 'straight tree branches' or fanaa' 'courtyard' via lexical shift. bathroom (bathe) via old english bæth 'immersion in water, mud; bathing water', german bad, from arabic saba2, sibaa2a(t) (n) 'bathe, swim' via reversal and turning /s & 2/ into /th & ø/; or batha 'to sweat' or baththa 'to mix (food) with water' via lexical shift. see room. bedroom (bed, bedding, embed) via old english bedd 'bed, couch, garden plot', german bett, from arabic bait 'house; plot' via lexical shift and turning /t/ into /d/; bitaa2/bat2(at) 'flat, low land', bata2 (v) 'lie/lay down', turning /t & 2/ into /d & ø/; or, more properly, from arabic mahd 'bed', merging /m & h/ into /b/. see room. booth via old danish both 'temporary dwelling', from bold (old saxon bodl) 'house', german bude 'booth, stall', from arabic bait, al-bait 'house, the-house' via lexical shift and turning /t/ into /th/. bridge (-burgh; burg, borough, cambridge, hamburg, edinburgh, loughborough) via old english brycge 'causeway over a river' and german brücke, from arabic burj 'tower; a high structure'; /j/ became /g (ø)/. see burg. build (building) via old english byldan 'construct a house', from bold (old saxon bodl) 'house', direct from arabic ballata 'build with stones', balaat (n) 'rock; roof' via lexical shift and passing /t/ into /d/; or balad 'village; earth; stay' via lexical shift. see booth. burg (-burgh; borough, hamburg, edinburgh, loughborough, berg, iceberg) via old english burg, burh 'a dwelling with a fortified enclosure' and german burg 'castle', from arabic burj 'tower; a high structure'; /j/ evolved into /g (ø)/. see bridge. bury (canterbury) via old english byrgan 'bury, raise a mound' from arabic qabara 'to bury' via reordering and /q & r/-merger or burj 'tower; a high structure' via lexical shift and turning /j/ into /g (y)/ (jassem 2013c, 2015a). see burg. capital (capitalization, capital city, money) via old french, from latin capitalis 'of the head', caput 'head', from arabic jabhat 'forehead' via lexical shift and passing /j & h/ into /k & ø/; qubbat 'top, dome', turning /q/ into /k/; or qabad 'hold, catch, capture' in which /q & d/ passed into /k & t/. see city. castle via old english castel 'village; stronghold', from french and latin castellum 'castle, fort, fortified village', diminutive of castrum 'fort', perhaps related to castrare 'cut off', direct from arabic qasr, qasar (v) 'palace; shortening, cutting'; /q & r/ evolved into /k & l/ while /s/ split into /st/. ceiling via middle english ceil 'put a cover or ceiling over; cover wall with panels', probably from middle french celer 'to conceal, cover with paneling', from latin celare 'conceal', straight from arabic kallal/jallal 'to put a top over, to cover', turning /k (j)/ into /s/. citadel (city) via middle french citadelle, from italian cittadella, diminutive of cittade 'city', from latin civitatem (nom. civitas) 'city', straight from arabic as for city. city (citizen; civic, civil, civilization, civility) via old french cite, citet (modern cite) 'town, city', spanish ciudad, german stadt, from latin civitatem, citatem (nom., civitas) 'originally citizenship, rights of a citizen; community, state', from civis 'townsman', direct from arabic jidda(t) (judd, jaddat, juddat) 'river side; a place; city; a ksa sea port and city' or related jaadda(t) 'road' via lexical shift and turning /j & d/ into /s & t/ (cf. civic and arabic jifs/jafees/jibs 'weak, coward, vicious; lowly person, bastard'; civil from arabic fisl/fishl 'coward, rascal, lowly' via reordering and lexical shift (jassem 2015e)). close (closure, enclosure) via old french, from latin clausus, claudere (v) 'to shut, close, confine, put an end to', direct from arabic qalas 'close, shut' or khalas 'finish, end'; /q (kh) & s/ became /k & s/. zaidan ali jassem the arabic origins of english and indo-european "urban terms": a radical linguistic theory approach condominium (condom, dominate, domain) via latin condominium 'joint sovereignty', from (i) com'together', from arabic jamee3 'all, together' via /3/-loss and turning /j/ into /k/, kama 'like' via lexical shift or ma3a 'with' via reversal and turning /3/ into /k/ (jassem 2013a, 2014c) and (ii) dominium 'right of ownership', dominari (v) 'dominate' from arabic deen(un) 'control, domination', turning /n/ into /m/ (jassem 2014e, 2015e-f). corridor (current, concur, occur, recur) via french 'long hallway', from italian corridore 'a gallery; lit., a runner', from correre 'to run', from latin currere 'to run, move quickly', from arabic karra 'to roll, run'; or jara 'to run', jaria(t) (n) 'stream', turning /j & t/ into /d/. cottage (cot) via old english and french cote, cote 'hut, cottage', from arabic koot/kuwat (kuwait) 'an opening in a house/wall' via lexical shift; kookh 'a shed' where /kh/ became /t/; 2atta(t) 'a hut', turning /2 & t/ into /k & t/; or khushsha(t) 'a petty house' via reordering and turning /kh & sh/ into /k & j/. county (count, countess, viscount; account, recount, discount) via anglo-french, from latin comitatus 'jurisdiction of a count', from latin comitem (nominative comes) 'companion, attendant', from (i) com'with' above and (ii) ire 'to go', from arabic raa2 'go' via /2/-loss; however, it comes, as a whole, from arabic naaqit (naqeet) (n) 'a slave's master; slave; count/countess' or nitaaq 'scope, area, belt' via reordering, lexical shift, and turning /t & q/ into /t & k/ (jassem 2014g, 2015e). country (countryman, contra, contrary) via old french, from latin terra contrata 'land lying opposite or spread before one', from contra 'opposite', straight from arabic qutr 'country; side' via lexical shift, turning /q & t/ into /k & t/, and inserting /n/. as to terra, it comes from arabic thara 'earth', passing /th/ into /t/ (jassem 2013f). countryside (countrysider) see side. court (courtship, courtyard, royal court) via old french cort (modern cour) 'king's court or residence', from latin cortem, accusative of cors (earlier cohors) 'enclosed yard', from arabic qasr 'palace; lit., shortening, enclosure' via reordering and turning /q & s/ into /k & s/. therefore, it may be incorrect to derive it from (i) com'together' above and (ii) hort, hortus 'garden', from arabic 2arth 'farming; garden' where /2 & th/ became /h (k) & t/; arabic works both ways, though (jassem 2013q, 2015e). see yard. cultivate (cultivation, agriculture) via latin cultivatus, cultivus 'tilled', from cultivare (v) 'till, cultivate', from cultus 'lit., cultivated, tended; care, labour, cultivation, culture, worship, reverence', from colere (v) 'to till', from arabic qal3 'uprooting, removing plants', qulla3 'a good plant; dry mud' via /3/-loss and changing /q/ into /k/; 2arth, 2iratha(t) 'cultivation', turning /2, r, & th/ into /k, l, & t/; 2aql(at) 'growth, plantation; farm' via /2 & q/-merger into /k/; kala' 'herbs, grass; pasture' via lexical shift; ka2l 'grass turning into green' via /2/-loss and lexical shift. see agrarian. design, urban (signal, insignia; signature; design; designate, designation; consign; resign) via latin designare 'mark out, devise, choose, appoint', from (i) de'out', from arabic ta'derivational affix' where /t/ became /d/ and (ii) signum 'signal, mark, token, symbol', signare (v) 'mark out, mark with a stamp, adorn', from arabic naqsh 'sign, decoration', tanqeesh (n) to which reversal and turning /t, q, & sh/ into /d, g, & s/ applied; or sana3, tasnee3 (n) 'make' via reordering and turning /t, s, & 3/ into /d, s, & g/ (jassem 2013c, 2014g). see urban. digital (digital camera (chamber), digit, digitalization, index, indexical, ten, decimeter, decameter) via latin digitus 'finger', from greek deka 'hand, finger, ten', from arabic dija(t) '(food-filled) fingers, hand' (jassem 2012a, 2014g). as to –al, it derives from arabic al'the' via morphological shift (jassem 2013a, 2015f-g). dining room (dinner, dine) via old english disner (mosern diner) 'to eat, dine', direct from arabic 'idam 'food', passing /m/ into /n/; or ta3am 'food', turning /t, 3, & m/ into /d, ø, & n/ (jassem 2014a). see room. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee direction (direct) via latin directio(nem), from dirigere 'set straight', from (i) dis'apart', from arabic taash 'apart, afloat, spread out' or shatta 'diverse, apart' via reversal and turning /t (t) & sh/ into /d & s/ and (ii) regere 'to guide', from arabic raqa 'to ascend, straighten', changing /q/ into /g/; or direct from arabic tareeqat(un) 'a way', tarq (adj.) 'straight', passing /t & q/ into /d & k/. district (restrict, string) via old french, from latin districtus 'restraining of offenders; jurisdiction', from distringere 'hinder, detain', from (i) dis'apart' above and (ii) stringere 'draw tight, press together', from arabic tareeq(at) 'road, way', taraq, intarq (v) 'knock, hit', via lexical shift and turning /t & q/ into /st & k/; or zarnaq 'a wall' via lexical shift and splitting /z/ into /st/. door (doorway) via old english dor/duru 'large door, gate', german tür (old high german turi), from arabic daar 'house', dawwaar 'lit., turning; door' via lexical shift; or radda(t) 'a shutter; a door's half; door' via reversal and lexical shift. seeway. dwell (dwelling, dweller) via old english dwellan 'mislead, deceive; originally lead astray', dwale 'nightshade', old high german twellen 'to hinder, delay', from arabic dalla 'to mislead, deceive', dhalla 'stay, remain', and/or dhill 'shade, shadow'; /d(h)/ became /d/. thus, the different senses come from formally similar but semantically different arabic words, merged into one. electronic (electricity, light, leuk-) via latin electrum, from greek electron 'amber', direct from arabic 'alaq(atun) 'brightening, shining' via lexical shift, turning /q/ into /k/, and /r/-insertion. embankment (bank, riverbank) via old english 'slope, edge of a river', from old norse banki, danish banke 'sandbank', from arabic banak 'stay', nabk 'high land' via reordering and lexical shift; or janib 'side' via reversal and changing /j/ into /k/. estate (station, stand, estate realty) via old french estat, from latin status 'state, condition, place, position', from stare (v) 'to stand', from arabic sat2(at) 'place, flat surface', sata2 (v) via /2/-loss and turning /t/ into /t/. see realty. farm (farming, farmer) via old french ferme 'a rent, lease', from latin firma 'fixed payment', firmare (v) 'to fix, strengthen', from firmus 'firm', direct from arabic thamar 'fruit; farming; orchard', thaamir 'farmer' via reordering and changing /th/ into /f/. feudal (feud, feudalism, feudalist) via latin feudalis, feudum 'feudal estate, land granted to be held as a benefice', from gothic faihu 'property', old high german fihu 'cattle', middle english feodary 'land renter', from arabic faddad 'rich landlord' or related faddan 'cultivated land; farming cows' and fadad 'loud or low voice'. flat via old english flett 'a dwelling; floor, ground; level, smooth', old high german flaz/flezzi 'flat, level; floor', from arabic falta2 'sloping (land); flat (foot)' via /2/-loss and turning /t/ into /t/; falaat '(grazing) ground' or balad 'village, country; earth; dwelling' via /b & d/-mutation into /f & t/. gang (gangway, go, ago) via old english gang 'a going, journey, way', german gang, gothic gagg, german gehen 'go', from arabic jaa'a 'come', majee' (n) via lexical shift (divergence) and turning /j/ into /g/; or hajja 'escape', merging /h & j/ into /g/. garden (yard) via old french gardin/jardin 'garden, palace grounds', from latin hortus gardinus 'enclosed garden', from old high german garto (german garten) 'garden', old english geard 'fenced enclosure, garden, court; house', gothic gards 'enclosure; house', direct from arabic jidar, judran (pl.) 'wall; garden' via reordering and passing /j/ into /g/ or jannat 'garden' via reordering, turning /j & t/ into /g & d/, and /r/-insertion. see zoological. -gart (stuttgart; -grad, leningrad) from arabic qariat 'village, town'; /q & t/ developed into /g & d/. see -grad. gate via old english geat 'gate, door, opening, hinged framework barrier', old saxon gat 'eye of a needle, hole', old zaidan ali jassem the arabic origins of english and indo-european "urban terms": a radical linguistic theory approach norse gat 'opening, passage', german gasse 'street', from arabic qaati3 'a barrier, crossing' via lexical shift and turning /q, t, & 3/ into /g, t, & ø/; or waseed/sad 'gate; shutting' via reordering and turning /s (s) & d/ into /g & t/. -grad (leningrad, -gart, stuttgart) from arabic qariat 'village, town'; /q & t/ developed into /g & d/. see -gart. habitat (habitation, inhabit, inhabitant) via latin habitat 'flora and fauna; lit; it inhabits', from habitare 'to live, dwell', frequentative of habere 'to have, posses', direct from arabic bait, 'abiat (pl.) 'home, house', bee'at 'environment' where /'/ became /h/; or habat 'to live, sit; lit., descend, go down', habeet(at) (n) 'low-lying place', turning /t/ into /t/. hall via old english heall 'spacious roofed residence, house; temple; law-court', hell 'hell', german halle 'hall', direct from arabic 2all, ma2all 'home, house; living' or 3illia(t) 'lofty house'; /2 (3)/ became /h/. headquarters (headship, heading, behead) via old english heafod 'top of the body or slope; chief person, ruler', german haupt, latin caput 'head', from arabic jabha(t) 'forehead' via lexical shift, turning /j/ into /h (k)/, merging /b & h/ into /ø (p)/, and turning /t/ into /d/; qubbat 'top, dome', turning /q, b, & t/ into /h, f (= h), & d/; otherwise, straight from arabic haadi 'head, chief, guide'. see capital & quarter. highway (height) via old english heh/heah 'lofty, tall, exalted', old high german hoh (german hoch), from arabic shahiq 'high', merging /sh & h/ and turning /q/ into /g (ø)/; or hiah (haih, haihat, 'aiha) 'far, away' via lexical shift and turning /h/ into /gh (ø)/. seeway. home (homing, hamburg, birmingham) via old english ham 'dwelling, house, estate, village', german heim, greek kome, from arabic 'umm 'home, residence; country; road; origin; mother', passing /'/ into /h/; 2ima 'protected (land); property' (cf. 2awm 'flying around') or khum 'petty house', turning /2 (kh)/ into /h (k)/. hostel (hospital, host) via old french hostel 'inn, lodgings', from latin hospitale 'inn, large house', from hospes (genitive hospitis) 'guest, host; lit., lord of strangers', direct from arabic 3azzab, 3izba(t) 'offering food to guests; such a place'; /3 & z/ became /h & s/ while /b/ was lost. otherwise, straight from arabic hadhal 'stay', splitting /dh/ into /st/. hotel (hostel, hospital, host) via old french hostel (modern hôtel) 'inn, lodgings', from latin hospitale 'inn, large house', direct from arabic as in hostel. house via old english hus 'shelter, house', german haus, perhaps connected to the root of hide (v), from arabic 2awsh 'house; courtyard; den' or 2awza(t) 'property, possession, enclosure' via lexical shift and turning /2 & sh (z)/ into /h & s/. hut via old french hotte 'cottage', from middle high german hutte 'hut, cottage', perhaps related to old english hydan 'to hide', direct from arabic 2atta(t) 'a shelter; a temporary station' and/or related 2oota(t) 'enclosure', 2atta (v) 'to live in; stay', or 2a'it 'wall' via lexical shift and passing /2 & t/ into /h & t/. impasse (pass, passage, pace) via french, from latin (i) in 'not', from arabic in 'not', and (ii) passare 'pass, walk', from arabic as in pass. industry (industrialist, structure) via old english, from latin industria 'activity, zeal, diligence', from (i) indu 'in, within', from arabic 3inda 'in, at' via /3/-loss or hinat 'here' via /h/-loss, turning /t/ into /d/, and lexical shift, and (ii) struere 'build' as in structure. infrastructure via latin (i) infra 'below, later, than, smaller than', english under, german unter, and sanskrit adnah, from arabic adna 'lower' via reordering and /d & n/-mutation into /f & r/; or naafir 'going up, bulging' via lexical shift or divergence; and (ii) structure below. inn (in) via old english inn 'lodging, dwelling, house', probably from inne (adv.) 'inside, within', direct from arabic 2aana(t) 'a bar' via lexical shift and /2/-loss; or 3an 'in, on, about' via lexical shift and /3/-loss (jassem 2014c). kitchen via old english cycene, from germanic kokina, old high german english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee chuhhina, german küche, from latin cocina/coquina 'kitchen', from coquinas 'of cooks', from coquus 'cook', coquere (v) 'cook, ripen, digest', from arabic sawa, istawa 'to cook, ripen', sawi (n) or shawa, shawi (n) 'to roast, grill, barbecue'; /s (sh)/ split into /k & tch/ besides lexical shift (jassem 2014a). live (life, alive, living room) via old english lifian/libban 'to live, have life, to be, experience', german leben, old norse lifa 'to remain, to live, to continue', greek liparein 'to persist, persevere', from arabic 'alabba, labba 'to stay, live; love; escape' via reordering, turning /b/ into /f/, (and /r/-insertion in greek); 'alfa (alfa'a, lafi'a) 'stay alive'; lafa 'come, stay' (cf. love & elope from the same arabic root as well; also leave via old english laefan 'to remain; have left, bequeath' from the same root or arabic falla 'leave' via reversal (jassem 2013n); leaf from arabic riff 'tree leaves' where /r/ became /l/; peel from arabic lafa'a 'peel' via reversal and turning /f/ into /p/ (jassem 2013m, 2015a). lodge (lodging, lodger) via old english loge 'arbor, covered walk; hut, cabin', (german laube 'bower, arbour; shelter of foliage'), from arabic walaj (v) 'to enter home' and its derivatives wilaj 'door, vague land', walja(t) 'a passerby's shelter from rain or cave', wulj 'area, narrow or sandy roads', and dawlaj 'a small house inside a larger one; inner room' via reordering. mansion (manse) via old french, from latin mansio(nem) 'a staying; night quarters; station', manere (v) 'to stay', greek menein 'to remain', direct from arabic manzil 'mansion, house', turning /z & l/ into /s & n/. mason (masonry) via old french masson, probably from old high german steinmezzo (modern steinmetz) 'stone mason' or latin machio, matio, machina 'machine; device', straight from arabic musawin 'mason; builder', sawan/saan (v), turning /s/ into /s/. metropolis (mother, maternal; police, politics, political, politicking, polity, polis, metropolis, metropolitan, cosmopolitan, tripoli) via latin metropolis, from greek metropolis 'mother city, capital city', from meter 'mother', from arabic 'umm(at) 'mother' or 'ama(t) 'maid' via /r/-insertion and (ii) polis 'city' below. modern (modernity, modernism, modernize) via middle french moderne, from latin modernus 'modern', from modo 'just now, in a certain manner', from modo 'to the measure', from modus 'measure, manner', from arabic madd(un/at) 'extension' and related mudda(t) 'time' via lexical shift; or, as a whole, from arabic madeena(t), mudun (pl.) 'city, town', madani (adj.) 'urban' via lexical shift and /r/-insertion. moor (mooring, morass) via old english mor 'swamp', old high german muor (modern moor) 'swamp, sea; moorland', direct from arabic marr 'water, rain, sea', maraa2 'water area; den' via lexical shift and /2/-loss; or direct from arabic mar3a, maraa3 (pl.) 'grazing land' via /3/-los or boor 'disused land' by passing /b/ into /n/ (jassem 2013n). motorway (move, movement, motion) from latin motor 'lit., mover', from movere (motare) 'move, set in motion, remove, disturb', from arabic as inmove. mount (mountain, surmount) via old french and english munt 'mountain', from latin mons (genitive montis) 'mountain', direct from arabic amt 'height' or matn, mutoon (pl.) 'mount' via reordering or matiat(un) 'a mounting animal', imtata (v) 'ride' via reordering and passing /t/ into /t/ (jassem 2013f, 2013n). move (movement, motion, motor) via old french, from latin movere (motare) 'move, set in motion, remove, disturb', from arabic mada 'go, move' where /d/ became /v (t)/; maada 'move', turning /d/ into /v (t)/; maa2a, mai2 (n) 'of camels, walk, move', turning /2/ into /v (t)/; or math3 'a woman's walk', merging /th & 3/ into /v/ (cf. remove from arabic ma2a 'erase' where /2/ became /v/). mundane (monde, le monde) via old french mondain 'earthly, worldly; elegant, clean', from latin mundanus 'of this world', from mundus 'world; lit., elegant, clear', from arabic madina(t), mudun (pl.) 'city', madani (adj) 'urban; civilized' via reordering and zaidan ali jassem the arabic origins of english and indo-european "urban terms": a radical linguistic theory approach lexical shift. seemodern. office (office, official, officiate) via old french ofice, from latin officium 'service, kindness, favour; official duty, business', direct from arabic fisfis 'a decorated house' and related fasfaas 'stupid, foolish, weak' via syllable reduction and lexical shift (see jassem 2015e-g). palace (palate) via old french palais, from latin palacium 'a palace', from palatium 'the palatin hill; a palace', from arabic balaat 'rock, marble; palace'; /t/ became /s/. park (parkville, hyde park) via old french parc 'enclosed wood or heath land used as a game preserve', probably from germanic *parruck 'enclosed tract of land', old english pearruc, german pferch 'fold for sheep', from arabic barak 'sit down; rest', barka(t) 'pool, lake; low flat land' via lexical shift; bar2a(t) 'open space, area' or boor(at) 'uncultivated, grassy land' where /2 (t)/ changed into /k/; bars 'a group of trees; village', turning /s/ into /k/; or busr, busra, basr 'good red earth; good stony mud; white limestone; side' via reordering and passing /s/ into /k/. see village & villa. pass (passage, impasse, pace) via old french passer, from latin passare 'to step, walk, pass', from passus 'step, pace', from arabic baws 'pass, advance', turning /s/ into /s/; saab 'to go, to pass' and related sabsab 'walk quickly; flow' via reversal (cf. piss from arabic sab(sab) 'go, pass, flow', sabb 'pour' via reversal or bazz 'of liquids, to come out' (jassem 2013d & h)). pastoral (pasture, pastor) via latin pastor 'shepherd', pastus, pascere (v) 'to lead to pasture, cause to eat', from arabic bassa(t) 'pasture, growth', turning /s/ into /s/; bassa(t) 'eat'; or baseeta(t), basat (v) 'flat land; eating', passing /t/ into /t/. path (pad) via old english path 'path, track', german pfad 'path', from arabic batha' 'soft, easy earth', baatha (v) 'to mix with dust; dig, dissipate, search' via lexical shift; or wati'a 'to tread', mawti' (n) 'foothold' where /w & t/ passed into /p & th/. pavement (pave) via old french paver, pavement 'pave', from latin pavare/pavire 'to beat, ram, tread down', from arabic baa2a(t) 'a space' via lexical shift and turning /2/ into /v/; baatha 'to dig, mix with dust', batha' (n) 'soft, easy earth', passing /th/ into /v/. pavilion (pappilon) via old french paveillon 'large tent; butterfly', from latin papilio(nem) 'butterfly, moth; tent', from arabic bahw(un), albahw 'house (front or back); any houselike structure; pelvis' via reordering, lexical shift, and turning /h/ into /v/. peasant (peasantry, pagan) via old french paisent (modern paysan) 'local inhabitant', from pais 'country, region', from latin pagensis inhabitant of district', from pagus 'country, rural district', from arabic baaj 'vast sand area; road' via lexical shift and passing /j/ into /g/, jubb 'a well, good grass land' and related juboob 'earth, land' reversal and lexical shift, jabbaana(t) 'desert, flat upland, graveyard' via reordering and replacing /j/ by /g/; alternatively and more logically, straight from arabic bustani 'a gardener' via reordering or baseet(un) 'simple (person)' via reordering and passing /t/ into /t/. pen (combine, compound, bone, banana) via old english penn, penne 'enclosure, pen, fold', perhaps related to old english pinn 'peg, pin', straight from arabic bina', bana (v) 'building; hut' or banan 'finger' via lexical shift. polis (police, politics, political, politicking, polity, polis, metropolis, metropolitan, cosmopolitan, tripoli) via old french policie, from latin politia, from greek politeia 'the state, civil administration', from polites 'city, citizen', from polis 'city; the state, citizens', from arabic balad, balda(t) 'village, city, town'; /d (& t)/ turned or merged into /s/ (jassem 2015e-f). seemetro. port (deport, porter, report; purport) via middle french, from latin portus 'port, harbour; lit., entrance, passage', porta 'gate, door', greek poros 'passage, journey, way', from arabic bu'ra(t) 'opening', boor(at) 'uncultivated land', or barr(at) 'outside; the wild' via lexical shift; bawaba(t), from baab 'gate, door' via /r/-insertion; rabwat/rabiat 'water-surrounded, raised ground' via reordering; or rabd 'to stay, park, english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee station' via lexical shift, reordering, and passing /t/ into /t/. quarter (quart, quartet, quadrant, quadri-, quarantine, square, carat, headquarters) via french quatre, latin quattuor, and greek tessares or tettares 'originally, fourth of something or something cut', from arabic qeerat, qarareet (pl.) 'a quarter, a measurement unit', qarat (v) 'cut', qartat (n) 'a cutting' via reordering (and turning /q/ into /t/ in greek) (see jassem 2012a, 2014g). see head & square. railway (railroad, regulation) via old french reille 'bolt, bar', from latin regal/regula 'straight stick', regere (v) 'straighten, guide', straight from arabic rijl 'foot, leg' via lexical shift and /l & j/-merger (see jassem 2015e-g). seeway & road. realty (estate realty, reality, realtor, real esate) via old french, from latin realitatem, realitas, from realis 'real, actual', from res 'matter, thing', from arabic 'ard 'earth, land' via lexical shift and replacing /d/ by /s (l)/; or ra'i, al-ra'i, al-ru'ia(t) 'seeing' via lexical shift and reordering. see estate. remain (remnant; mansion) via old french, from latin remanere 'remain, stay behind; abide, last', from (i) re'back', from arabic rai3 'back' via /3/-loss (jassem 2013a, 2014f) and (ii) manere 'stay, remain', straight from arabic naam 'sleep' via lexical shift and reversal. seemansion. reside (residence, resident) via old french, from latin residere 'reside, dwell', straight from arabic raqad 'stay, reside' or rasad 'to sit-observe'; /q (s)/ became /s/. riverside (residence, resident) via old french (i) riviere 'river, river bank', from latin riparia 'river, riverbank, seashore', straight from arabic nahar 'river' where /n & h/ evolved into /r & v/ and (ii) side below. road (ride, raid) via old english rad 'riding expedition, journey, hostile incursion', direct from arabic rawd 'road'. roof via old english hrof 'roof, ceiling, top; heaven, sky', middle dutch roof/rouf 'cover, roof', and middle high german rof 'penthouse', straight from arabic raff, rufoof (pl.) 'shelf, roof' or rafee3 'high' via /3/-loss and lexical shift. room (rural, rustic) via old english and high german rum 'space (extent, time); scope, opportunity; roomy, wide, long, spacious', german raum 'space', latin rus 'open land, country', from arabic maraa2 'a space for resting or going to' or mar3a 'grazing place, moorland' via reversal and /2 (3)/-loss. see rural. round (roundabout, around) via old french roond, german runde, from latin rotundus 'round, circular', related to rota 'wheel', straight from arabic raddat(un), dawrat(un), dawaran 'turning' via reordering. rural (rustic) via old french rural, from latin ruralis 'of the countryside', from rus (genitive ruris) 'open land, country', from arabic rass 'a well' via lexical shift; rawd 'garden' by turning /d/ into /s (r)/; reef 'countryside; rural', passing /f/ into /s (r)/; or ra3i 'grazing, shepherding' via lexical shift and /3/-loss or mutation into /s (r)/. saloon (salon) via french salon 'reception room', from italian salone, sala 'large hall, hall', from old high german sal (german saal) 'hall, house', russian selo 'village', direct from arabic qal3a(tun) 'castle' via lexical shift and turning /q & 3/ into /s & ø/; 2illa(tun) 'house, stay' via lexical shift and turning /2/ into /s/; or saala(t), saalon 'dry earth; hall' where /s/ became /s/. sedentary (sit, session) via middle french, from latin sedentarius 'sitting, remaining in one place', from sedentem/sedens, sedere (v) 'to sit, remain; be fixed', greek ezesthai 'to sit', sanskrit a-sadat 'sat down', sidati 'sits', old english sittan 'sit', from arabic qa3ad 'sit', turning /q & 3/ into /s & ø/; sada2 'sit, set' via /2/-loss; or jatha 'sit', turning /j & th/ into /s & d/. shelf via middle low german schelf 'shelf' or old english scylfe 'shelf, floor' and scylf 'peak, pinnacle', straight from arabic raseef 'a pavement, layer' via lexical shift, reordering, and changing /s & r/ into /sh & l/; or saff, al-saff 'row, line' via reordering or /l/-insertion and turning /s/ into /sh/. shire (cambridgeshire, oxfordshire) via old english scir 'administrative office, zaidan ali jassem the arabic origins of english and indo-european "urban terms": a radical linguistic theory approach jurisdiction, authority, country, province', from arabic soor 'wall; walled-in area' via lexical shift and turning /s/ into /sh/; jeera(t)/deera(t) 'neighbourhood, area' where /j (d)/ became /sh/; or sharee3a(t) 'a water-bound area; a jurisdiction' via /3/-loss. sidewalk via old english side 'flanks of a person, the long part or aspect of anything', sid (adj.) 'long, broad, spacious', german seite, direct from arabic sadd 'side, blockage', judd (jadd, jidd) 'side, road, shore', jida' 'side' where /j/ became /s/, or sadaf 'side', mutating /s/ into /s/ and merging /d & f/. see countryside, riverside & walk. square, trafalgar (quarter, quartet, quadrant, quadri-, quarantine, square, carat, headquarters) via old french esquire from latin exquadrare of (i) ex'out', from arabic aqsa 'far' where /q & s/ became /k & s/ (jassem 2012f, 2014c) and (ii) quadrare 'to make square', quadrus 'a square', from arabic qeeraat 'quarter', qarat (v) 'cut' via /t/-loss and /s/-split from /q/ (see jassem 2012a, 2014g). see head, quarter, & trafalgar. stay via old french estai/estare, from latin stare 'to stand (still); be upright; stand firm; remain, tarry', (italian and spanish stare/estar 'to stand, to be', from arabic jatha 'sit', turning /j & th/ into /s & t/; or istanna, ta'anna 'wait' via lexical shift and mutating /n/ into /r (ø)/. street via old english stret 'street, high road', german straβe, latin strata 'paved road', sternere (v) 'lay down, spread out, pave', from arabic siraat 'road, way' or shareet 'a narrow road', splitting /sh/ into /st/ and turning /t/ into /t/; or tareeq(at) 'road' via reversal, /q/-split into /st/, and turning /t/ into /t/. sojourn via old french sojorner 'stay for a time', from latin subdiurnare 'to spend the day', from (i) sub'under, until', from arabic sawb 'under, toward' and (ii) diurnare 'to last long', from diurnun 'day', from arabic dahr(un) 'time, day' or dhuhr(un) 'noon' via lexical shift, /h/-loss, and turning /d (dh)/ into /j/; or nahar 'day' via reordering, merging /n & r/, and turning /h/ into /j/. however, as a whole, it seems that (i) soderives from arabic saa3a(t) 'hour' via /3/-loss and (ii) journ, jour from nahaar 'day, daylight' above: i/e., 'lit., a day's hour'. stair (stairs, staircase, upstairs, downstairs) via old english stæger 'stair, staircase, flight of steps', dutch steiger 'a stair, step', german steig 'path', straight from arabic daraj 'steps, stairs; walk' via reordering and changing /d & j/ into /s & t/; or jidar 'wall' via lexical shift and passing /j & d/ into /s & t/. as to down and up in downstairs/upstairs, the former comes from arabic doon 'below' while the latter from arabic 3abab 'up' via /3/-loss (jassem 2014c). story (storey) via old french estorie, estoire 'story, chronicle, history', from latin storia, shortened from historia 'history, account, tale; story, floor of a building; picture', from arabic 'ustoora(t) 'tale, story', soora(t) 'picture', or soor/soora(t) 'fence, walled-in enclosure', turning /', s, & t/ into /h, s, & t/. thus, the different meanings derive from formally similar and semantically different arabic words, merging into one in english. structure (structural, construction) via latin structura 'a fitting together; a building; fig., order', from struere (v.) 'to pile, place together, build, assemble, arrange', from arabic sar2 'a high building' and related sar2at ' a land' via reordering and turning /2/ into /k/; satar, satra(t) (n) 'to pile, arrange in lines', turning /t/ into /t/; or soor(at), sawwar (v) 'wall; a building' via /t/-split from /s/. subway via latin sub (ub) 'under, at the foot of; close, up to, toward, within, during' and greek hypo 'under', from arabic sawb 'falling; towards' via lexical shift and turning /s/ into /s/; ka3b 'lit', ankle; bottom, below' via /k & 3/-merger into /s/; 3ubb 'breast, within, inside, under', turning /3/ into /s (h)/; or shi3b 'branch, gap, sub' via lexical shift and /sh & 3/-merger into /s/ (jassem 2014c). see way. tent via old french tente 'tent, hanging, tapestry', from latin tenta 'a tent; lit., english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee something stretched', tendere (v.) 'stretch', direct from arabic tamdeed, from madda(t) 'stretching, mattress', turning /m & d/ into /n & t/; thania(t) 'a fold, something bent', thana (v.) 'bend, fold' via lexical shift and passing /th/ into /t/; or tawia(tun) 'a fold', tawa (v) via lexical shift, reordering, and turning /t/ into /t/. toilet (toiletry) via middle french toilette 'a cloth, bag for clothes', diminutive of toile 'cloth, net', from arabic taali, tuwali (pl.) 'of clothes, tails or rags'; tuwala(t) 'lengthening (of a dress)', tawila(t) 'table', or dhail 'tail (of dress)' via lexical shift and changing /t (dh)/ into /t/ (cf. toil from old french toellier 'pull at, drag about; later struggle, hard work', from arabic talla 'pull'). tower (turret) via old english torr 'tower, watchtower', from old french tor (modern tur), spanish and italian torre, from latin turris 'a tower, citadel, high structure', direct from arabic daar, door (pl.) 'house; world; abode' via lexical shift and passing /d/ into /t/; or toor 'mountain' via lexical shift and turning /t/ into /t/. town (townsman, town centre) via old english tun 'enclosure, garden, field, yard; farm, manor; homestead, mansion; group of houses', old high german zun (modern zaun) 'fence, hedge', from arabic teen, 'atyan 'village; farming area; mud; mud houses', passing /t/ into /t/; or siwan 'a walled-in enclosure' via lexical shift and turning /s/ into /t (z)/. track (trek) via old french trac 'trac of horses, trace', possibly form middle low german treck 'drawing, pulling', direct from arabic tareeq 'road'; /t & q/ turned into /t & k/. trafalgar square commemorates a british 1805 naval victory over the french, from arabic taraf al aghar 'lit., side/end (of) the spotted (white, glorious)', or taraf al agharb 'side/end (of) the west (in gibraltar)', turning /gh & b/ into /g & ø/ (harper 2015). see square. tube (tubular) via middle french, latin tubus 'tube, pipe', direct from arabic qadeeb 'stick', or qasab 'reed', merging /q & d (s)/ into /t/; or bawaba(t) 'gate, doorway' via reordering and lexical shift. underground railroad (grind) via (i) old english under 'under, among', latin infra, and sanskrit adnah 'under', from arabic 'adna 'lower', comparative of doon 'below, down' via reordering and /r/-insertion; or 'in2idar 'going down' via /2/-loss (see infrastructure) and (ii) grund 'bottom, foundation, surface of the earth; abyss, hell; sea bottom', german grund 'ground, soil, bottom', from arabic jurd(un) 'unplanted land' via reordering and passing /j/ into /g/. urban (urbanity, urbanize, urbane, conurbation) via latin urbanus 'lit., of a city; refined, courteous', from urbs 'city, walled town', from arabic bina', bunian 'building; built areas' via reordering and passing /n/ into /r/; rab3 'a home and its occupants; residential area; a group of people', turning /3/ into /s (ø)/; 3arab 'arabs; city dwellers; villagers' and related 3arab(at) 'village; a current', 3areeb 'soft land; a person' via /3/-loss and passing /t/ into /s/; bars, barnusa' 'people; a group of trees; village' via reordering; ribs 'brave, courageous; beating with hands; go; fill up with water' via lexical shift and related ribsa(t) 'ugly, dirty; mixture', rabeez/rabees 'nice, good, polite; big; full' via lexical shift, reordering, and passing /z (s)/ into /n/; busr, busra, basr 'good red earth; good stony mud; white limestone; side' via reordering and passing /s/ into /s (n)/. u-turn (tour, detour) via old english turnian 'rotate', from old french, from latin tornare 'to round off, turn on a lathe; polish', tornus (n) 'lathe', from greek tornos 'lathe, a tool for drawing circles', from arabic dawaraan 'turning round'; /d/ became /t/. vault (evolve, revolve, volvo) via old french voute 'arch, vaulting', from latin volta, contraction of volvita, from volotus, from volvere (v) 'to turn, roll', direct from arabic laffa, laflaf (repetitive), laffa(t) (n) 'to turn' or lawa, lawia(t) (n) 'to turn' via reordering and passing /w/ into /v/; or 2awta, 2a'it, al-2a'it 'wall, the-wall', turning /2 & t/ zaidan ali jassem the arabic origins of english and indo-european "urban terms": a radical linguistic theory approach into /v & t/. villa (villain, villain, village) via italian, from latin villa 'country house, farm', related to vicus 'village, group of houses, direct from arabic fila2a(t) 'farming', fala2 (v) 'to farm' via /2/-loss and lexical shift. village (villa, village, ville) via old french vilage 'houses in a group', from latin villaticum 'farmstead', from villa above, where /2/ became /ge/. villain (villainy, village, villa) via old french vilain 'farmer, commoner', from latin villa 'country house, farm', direct from arabic falla2(in) 'farmer', fala2 (v) 'to farm' via /2/-loss and lexical shift. see villa. walk via old english wealcan 'to toss, roll, move round', from arabic walaq 'walk'; /q/ became /k/. see side. way (away; always, anyway; deviate, deviation, deviance) via old english 'road; room, space; freedom of movement', old high german weg (weg) 'way', from latin via 'way, road, channel, course', from arabic wajh, wijha(t) 'face, way, direction', merging /j & h/ into /y/. see highway, motorway, alleyway. wild (wilderness) via old english wilde 'in the natural state, uncultivated, uncontrolled, undomesticated', german wild', direct from arabic falaat 'the wild; grazing land; being out of control'; /f & t/ became /w & d/. window (wind, eye) via old norse vindaya 'lit., wind eye', from vindr 'wind', from arabic nada, nadwa 'wetness, dew' via reordering and/or changing /a/ to /w/ and (ii) auge 'eye', from arabic 2ijaj 'eye bone' via lexical shift and /j/-mutation into /y/; alternatively, from arabic 3ain daw' 'lit., eye (for) light', turning /3 & d/ into /w & d/. yard (garden) via old english geard 'fenced enclosure, garden, court; residence, house', old high german garto (german garten) 'garden', gothic gards 'enclosure; house', direct from arabic jidar, judran (pl.) 'wall; garden' via reordering and passing /j/ into /g/; or 2ujrat 'room, (stone) house', merging /2 & j/ into /y (g)/ and passing /t/ into /d/. see garden. as 'a measurement unit', it comes from old english gerd/gierd 'rod, staff, stick, measure of length', from arabic qarta(t) 'rod; a cut', turning /q & t/ into /g & d/. zigzag via french, perhaps from german zickzack 'tooth, prong; military siege', direct from arabic 3awaj, i3wijaj 'bent, bending' or siaj 'siege, fence'; /3 (s) & j/ passed into /z & g/. zoological gardens (zoology, zoo) via greek zoion 'animal', direct from arabic 2aiwan 'animal', passing /2/ into /z/ and deleting /n/. see garden. in short, the total number of urban terms in this study amounted to 130, all of which have true arabic cognates: i.e., 100%. the results show clearly that urban terms in arabic, english, german, french, latin, greek, sanskrit, and all indo-european languages are true cognates for sharing identical or similar forms and meanings, with their differences, however, being all due to natural and plausible causes and different routes of phonetic, morphological, grammatical, and semantic change. since the percentage of shared urbanwords between arabic, english, latin or greek, for example, amounted to 100%, this indicates their membership to the same languagei.e., dialects, for which a much lower 60-80% ratio is usually set according to cowley's (1997: 172-173) 100-word list-based classification. therefore, the results are in full agreement with the findings of previous studies (jassem 2012a-f, 2013a-q, 2014a-k, 2015a-g) in which english, german, french, latin, greek, sanskrit and arabic were all found to be not only members of the same family but also rather dialects of the same language. more precisely, they lend further support to the radical linguistic (or lexical root) theory on all levels of analysis. theoretically, the main principle which states that arabic, english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee english, german, french, and the so-called indo-european languages are not only genetically related but also are dialects of the same language is, therefore, verifiably sound and empirically true. thus they make up a larger language family, which has been termed eurabian or urban as a blend of european and arabian languages (jassem 2015c: 41, 2015d). furthermore, this implies by necessity that all the above languages descended from an earlier, perfect, suddenly-emerged language, called radical (world) language from which all human languages initially came and which has incessantly and variably survived into today's languages, though getting simpler and simpler over time. in other words, the radical language could never have died out beyond recognition. with proper methodology, it can be easily recovered as shown in this work. as this work demostrated, it seems that its closest or most conservative and productive descendant is arabic for having preserved almost all its features (jassem 2014h-k, 2015a-d). in fact, all indo-european languages descended directly from arabic for reasons outlined earlier (jassem 2015a-b, 2015d: 131-132; 2014a-b, 2014e). the exact time and place of the split-up between arabic and the so-called indo-european languages is immaterial (for details, see jassem 2015e-f). as a consequence, reconstructing an old world language is needless; rather that proto-language, called radical language here, is still very much alive, having variably survived into today's languages, with arabic being its closest descendant as the above data clearly shows (for detail, see jassem 2014h: 254-256, 2014i: 116-117; 2014k, 2015a-b). thus the quest should focus on relating those languages to it instead of reconstructing hypothetical, fictitious languages. as to the analytical plane, the procedures of the theory all operated neatly and smoothly on all levels. phonetically, the whole changes were natural and plausible, cyclic and multi-directional, including processes like substitution, deletion, reversal, merger, split, reordering, reduction, and so on. morphologically, the affixes, whether inflectional or derivational, had true arabic cognates as well. for example, the commonest affixes –n (-an, -en, -ene, in-, -ine, -ing, -ness, -ar), -t (-ate, -ette, -ite, -ity; ad-, de-, -ed; -s, -ess, -ous), -tion, and –al (-eal, -ile, -elle) are true, identical cognates in arabic and english as well as all indo-european languages as shown above (for detail, see jassem 2012f, 2013a-b, 2013l, 2015d). semantically, lexical stability was the common pattern where most urban terms preserved their basic meanings across the languages, e.g., abide, live, reside, home, house, mansion, court, palace. the recurrence of lexical convergence in the data was due to formal and semantic similarity between arabic words, on the one hand, and their english, german, french, latin, and greek cognates, on the other. for instance, abide, alley, architecture, design, move, pen, reside, stay, urbanmight each derive from several arabic words, all formally and semantically similar (see 3 above). although only one cognate might be the ultimate source in the end, no need is presently felt to specify which one it might be; the reader may judge. likewise, semantic multiplicity (polysemy) was recurrent, where some english words had more than one meaning, which might just as well have more than one likely arabic cognate; for example, abide, zaidan ali jassem the arabic origins of english and indo-european "urban terms": a radical linguistic theory approach cultivate, dwell, live, mount, story have different meanings, every one of which derives from formally and semantically similar arabic words (see 3 above). as a matter of fact, almost all arabic words are polysemous in nature. lexical shift occurred frequently as in apartment, avenue, bed, booth, park, path, village, the last of which, e.g., moved from its original or radical meaning 'farm' to 'village' currently. lexical divergence is rare, which took place in gang and infra from arabic naafir 'bulging, protruding' (see 3. above). lexical split affected bridge, burgh, borough, resulting from arabic burj 'tower; a high structure'; track and trek split from arabic tareeq 'road, way'; pen, banana, combine, compound, bone all split from arabic bana 'to build' and related derivatives. lexical change affected villain, which originally meant 'farmer'. finally, lexical variability recurred in the data, whether at the level of the different forms of the same words within the same language such as english city or across the languages like english city, german stadt, french cite/citet, spanish ciudad, latin civis (citatem/civitas), and arabic jiddat (jaddat, juddat) 'city; river side' (see 3 above). arabic, in particular, is replete with linguistic variability of all types such as jiddat and haih 'far' which has over sixty variants (ibn manzoor 2013). finally, a word on methodology is in order. although tracing the arabic origins of english, german, french, latin, greek, and sanskrit words works well by, actually cannot be carried out without, following the routes outlined in their etymologies such as harper (2015), yet there are countless instances of uncertain or unknown etymologies and implausible, complicated, unnecessarily lengthy, and/or erroneous derivations. in many cases like abide, alley, castle, county, dwell, farm, head, house, mansion, office, pen, road, dining room, street, track, etc. a direct derivation from arabic is not only shorter but also more logical, which, at the same time, preserves both the form and meaning of cognate words. conclusion the main findings can be recapitulated as follows: i) the 130 urban terms in arabic, english, german, french, latin, greek, and sanskrit are true cognates, whose differences are due to natural and plausible causes and different routes of linguistic change. ii) the radical linguistic (or lexical root) theory has been adequate for genetically relating urban terms in the above languages to one another, according to which they are all dialects of the same language and which comprise one large language family that may be called eurabian or urban, for short. phonetically, the main changes included substitution, reversal, reordering, deletion, split, and merger; morphologically, the changes centered around –t, –n, and –alwhich behave in similar ways in all; lexically, the recurrent patterns were stability, convergence, multiplicity, shift, split, and variability. iii) the radical or root language, or early prehistoric language, was real and perfect, which has variably survived into today's languages. as arabic is phonetically, morphologically, and lexically the most complex of all, it can be safely said that it has inherited almost all the radical language features, thereby showing its incessant permanence as the most conservative of all. iv) finally, the current work supports english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee earlier calls for further research into all language levels, especially lexis (jassem 2012a-f, 2013a-q, 2014a-k, 2015a-h); it also calls for similar research in other world languages or their families (jassem 2014h-i, 2015h); also the application of such findings to language teaching, lexicology and lexicography, translation (jassem 2014d, 2015a), cultural (including anthropological, historical, social, religious) awareness, understanding, and heritage is badly needed to promote cross-cultural understanding and cooperation in all aspects of human life. acknowledgements sincere thanks are warmly extended to everyone who contributed to this research in any way worldwide. i'd like to thank fahrus zaman fadhly, editor-in-chief of english review, for the timely and kind invitation to contribute to their esteemed journal. for my supportive and inspiring wife, amanie m. ibrahim, i remain indebted as ever. references albabidi, a. m. a. (2011).mu3jam asma' alashia' (allata'if fi allughat). ed. awad, ahmad abd-ul-tawab. cairo: dar alfadeelat. retrieved http://www.waqfeya.com (may 1, 2015). algeo, j. (2010). the origins and development of the english language. (6th edn.). wadsworth cengage learning. altha3aalibi, a. m. (2011). fiqhu allughat wa asraar al3arabiyyat. ed. by alayoobi, dr. yaseen. beirut and saida: al-maktabat al-3asriyyat. bergs, a. and brinton, l. (eds). (2012). handbook of english historical linguistics. berlin: walter de gruyter. campbell, l. (2006). historical linguistics: an introduction. (2nd edn). cambridge, mass.: the mit press. celce-murcia, m. et al. (2010). teaching pronunciation: a course book and reference guide. (2nd edn). cambridge: cambridge university press. crowley, t. (1997). an introduction to historical linguistics. (3rd edn). oxford: oxford university press. crystal, d. (2010). the cambridge encyclopedia of language. (3rd ed). cambridge: cambridge university press. harper, d. (2015). online etymology dictionary. retrieved http://www.etymonline.com (june 15, 2015). ibn manzoor, a. a. a. (2013). lisan al3arab. beirut: dar sadir. retrieved http://www.lisan.com (may 5, 2015). ibn seedah, a. bin i. (1996). almukhassas. beirut: daar i2ya alturath al3arabi and muassasat altareekh al3arabi. jassem, z. a. (1987). phonological variation and change in immigrant speech: a sociolinguistic study of a 1967 arab-israeli war immigrant speech community in damascus, syria. phd thesis, durham university, uk. retrieved http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1682/1/1682. pdf (march 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (1993). dirasa fi 3ilmi allugha al-ijtima3i: bahth lughawi sauti ijtima3i fi allahajat al3arabia alshamia muqaranatan ma3a alingleeziyya wa ghairiha. kuala lumpur: pustaka antara. retrieved http://www.academia.edu (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (1994a). impact of the arab-israeli wars on language and social change in the arab world: the case of syrian arabic. kuala lumpur: pustaka antara. jassem, z. a. (1994b). lectures in english and arabic sociolinguistics, 2 vols. kuala lumpur: pustaka antara. jassem, z. a. (2012a). the arabic origins of numeral words in english and european languages. international journal of linguistics 4 (3), 225-41. retrieved url: http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ijl.v4i3.127 http://www.waqfeya.com/ http://www.etymonline.com/ http://www.etheses.dur.ac.uk/ http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ijl.v4i3.1276 zaidan ali jassem the arabic origins of english and indo-european "urban terms": a radical linguistic theory approach 6 (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2012b). the arabic origins of common religious terms in english: a lexical root theory approach. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature 1 (6), 59-71. retrieved url: http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/ijalel.v.1n.6 p.59 (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2012c). the arabic origins of english pronouns: a lexical root theory approach. international journal of linguistics 4 (4), 83-103. retrieved url: http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ijl.v4i4.227 (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2012d). the arabic origins of determiners in english and european languages: a lexical root theory approach. language in india 12 (11), 323-359. retrieved url: http://www.languageinindia.com (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2012e). the arabic origins of verb ''to be'' in english, german, and french: a lexical root theory approach. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature 1 (7), 185-196. retrieved url: http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/ijalel.v.1n.7 p.185 (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2012f). the arabic origins of number and gender markers in english, german, french, and latin: a lexical root theory approach. language in india 12 (12), 89-119. retrieved url: http://www.languageinindia.com (may 31, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013a). the arabic origins of derivational morphemes in english, german, and french: a lexical root theory approach. language in india 13 (1), 48-72. retrieved url: http://www.languageinindia.com (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013b). the arabic origins of negative particles in english, german, and french: a lexical root theory approach. language in india 13 (1), 234-48. retrieved url: http://www.languageinindia.com (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013c). the english, german, and french cognates of arabic back consonants: a lexical root theory approach. international journal of english and education 2 (2): 108-128. retrieved url: http://www.ijee.org (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013d). the arabic origins of "water and sea" terms in english, german, and french: a lexical root theory approach. language in india 13 (2): 126-151. retrieved url: http://www.languageinindia.com (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013e). the arabic origins of "air and fire" terms in english, german, and french: a lexical root theory approach. language in india 13 (3): 631-651. retrieved url: http://www.languageinindia.com (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013f). the arabic origins of "celestial and terrestrial" terms in english, german, and french: a lexical root theory approach. international journal of english and education 2 (2): 323-345. retrieved url: http://www.ijee.org (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013g). the arabic origins of "animal" terms in english and european languages: a lexical root theory approach. language in india 13 (4): 68-106. retrieved url: http://www.languageinindia.com (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013h). the arabic origins of "body part" terms in english and european languages: a lexical root theory approach. international journal of current applied linguistics and english literature (1). retrieved url: http://www.bretj.com (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013i). the arabic origins of "speech and writing" terms in english and european languages: a lexical root theory approach. language in india 13 (5): 108-159. retrieved url: http://www.languageinindia.com (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013j). the arabic origins of "time words" in english and european http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ijl.v4i3.1276 http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/ijalel.v.1n.6p.59 http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ijl.v4i4.227 http://www.languageinindia.com/ http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/ijalel.v.1n.7p.185 http://www.languageinindia.com/ http://www.languageinindia.com/ http://www.languageinindia.com/ http://www.languageinindia.com/ http://www.languageinindia.com/ http://www.languageinindia.com/ http://www.languageinindia.com/ http://www.languageinindia.com/ http://www.bretj.com/ http://www.languageinindia.com/ english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee languages: a lexical root theory approach. language in india 13 (6): 274-97. retrieved url: http://www.languageinindia.com (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013k). the arabic origins of "family words" in english and european languages: a lexical root theory approach. international journal of english and education 2 (3): 261-77. retrieved url: http://www.ijee.org (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013l). al'usool al3arabiat lildamaa'ir alshaksiat fi alingleeziat, walfiransiat, walalmaniat (the arabic origins of "personal pronouns" in english, german, and french: a lexical root theory approach (in arabic). almu'tamar aldawli althamin, tajdeed alkhitaab al3arabi, jaami3at imam bonjul, indonesia 28-31 august 2013 (8th international conference of arabic speech renewal, imam bonjul university, indonesia, 28-31 august 2013). retrieved url: http://www.academia.edu (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013m). the arabic origins of "cutting and breaking words" in english and european languages: a lexical root theory approach. research journal of english language and literature 1 (2): 155-68. retrieved url: http://rjelal.com (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013n). the arabic origins of "movement and action words" in english and european languages: a lexical root theory approach. research journal of english language and literature 1 (3): 187-202. retrieved url: http://rjelal.com (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013o). the arabic origins of "perceptual and sensual words" in english and european languages: a lexical root theory approach. research journal of english language and literature 1 (4): 212-24. retrieved url: http://rjelal.com (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013p). the arabic origins of "cognitive and mental words" in english and european languages: a lexical root theory approach. international journal of english and education 2 (4): 65-83. retrieved url: http://www.ijee.org (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2013q). the arabic origins of "love and sexual words" in english and european languages: a lexical root theory approach. international journal of language and linguistics 1 (4): 97-114. retrieved url: http://www.ijll.org (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2014a). the arabic origins of "wining and dining words" in english and european languages: a lexical root theory approach. international journal of english and education 1 (4): 146-74. retrieved url: http://www.ijee.org (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2014b). the arabic origins of "question and auxiliary words" in english and european languages: a lexical root theory approach. international journal of language and linguistics 2 (1). retrieved url: http://www.ijll.org (may 1, 2014). jassem, z. a. (2014c). the arabic origins of "prepositions and conjunctions" in english and european languages: a lexical root theory approach. journal for the study of english linguistics 2 (1). retrieved url: http://www.jsel.org (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2014d). translating cultural universals radically: a lexical root theory approach for translating english, french, and german cultural terms into arabic. paper presented at international conference on translation and the problematics of cross-cultural understanding, the forum for arab and international relations, doha, qatar 26-27 february 2014. jassem, z. a. (2014e). the arabic origins of "divine and theological terms" in english, german, and french: a lexical root theory approach. language in india 14 (3): 155-195. retrieved url: http://www.languageinindia.com (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2014f). the arabic origins of "proper names" in english and http://www.languageinindia.com/ http://www.languageinindia.com/ http://www.academia.edu/ http://rjelal.com/ http://rjelal.com/ http://rjelal.com/ http://www.languageinindia.com/ http://www.ijll.org/ http://www.ijee.org/ http://www.ijll.org/ http://www.jsel.org/ http://www.languageinindia.com/ zaidan ali jassem the arabic origins of english and indo-european "urban terms": a radical linguistic theory approach european languages: a lexical root theory approach. research journal of elt and poetry 2 (2): 201-22. retrieved url: http://www.journalofelt.in (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2014g). the arabic origins of "mathematical and computational terms" in english and european languages: a lexical root theory approach. international journal on studies in english and literature 2 (5): 21-40. retrieved url: http://www.arcjournals.org/ijsell (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2014h). the arabic origins of "mandarin chinese pronouns": a radical linguistic theory approach. international journal of english and education 3 (3). retrieved url: http://www.ijee.org (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2014i). the arabic origins of "finnish and basque pronouns": a radical linguistic theory approach. journal of english language and literature 2 (1): 109-20. retrieved url: http://www.jellonline.com (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2014j). the arabic origins of english and indo-european "colour and artistic terms": a radical linguistic theory approach. international journal of english language, literature, and translation 1 (1): 1-14. retrieved url: http://www.ijels.com (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2014k). i buy, ich kaufe, & j'achéte as arabic dialectal variants: a radical linguistic theory approach. international journal of language and linguistics 2 (5): 317-27. retrieved url: http://www.sciencepublishinggroup. com/ijll. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20140205.15 (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2014l). radical translation and translating names: a lexical root theory approach. paper to be presented at asels international conference 2014, abdel malek essadi university, tangier, morocco, 25-27 november 2014. jassem, z. a. (2015a). the arabic origins of english and indo-european "life and death terms": a radical linguistic theory approach. international journal of english and education 4/1: 322-345. retrieved url: http://www.ijee.org (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2015b). towards a radical translation theory for names: a comparative historical linguistics approach. international journal of english and education 4/1: 298-321. retrieved url: http://www.ijee.org (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2015c). the arabic origins of english and indo-european "medical terms": a radical linguistic theory approach. journal of english language and literature 2/1: 18-47. retrieved url: http://www.joell.in (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2015d). the arabic origins or cognates of english and indo-european "case markings and word order": a radical linguistic theory approach. language in india 15/3: 104-40. retrieved url: http://www.languageinindia.com (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2015e). the arabic origins of english and indo-european "democratic terms": a radical linguistic theory approach. journal of english language and literature 2/2: 111-139. retrieved url: http://www.joell.in (may 1, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2015f). the arabic origins of english and indo-european "military terms": a radical linguistic theory approach. language in india 15/5: 105-139. retrieved url: http://www.languageinindia.com (may 12, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2015g). the arabic origins of english and indo-european "legal terms": a radical linguistic theory approach. journal of applied linguistics and translation 1/1: 10-29. retrieved url: http://www.languageinindia.com (may 12, 2015). jassem, z. a. (2015h). allugha alarabia wa http://www.journalofelt.in/ http://www.arcjournals.org/ijsell http://www.ijee.org/ http://www.jellonline.com/ http://www.ijels.com/ http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/ijll http://www.ijee.org/ http://www.ijee.org/ http://www.joell./ http://www.languageinindia.com/ http://www.joell./ http://www.languageinindia.com/ http://www.languageinindia.com/ english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee allugha al3alamia aljadhria alwaritha al2afidha: asmaa' alishara fi lughat al3alam qadiman wa2adithan min mandhoor 3ilm allugha aljadhri (in arabic, arabic as the conservative radical world language: a radical linguistic theory approach to demonstratives in old and modern world languages). paper to be presented at almultaqa al3ilmi al3aalami altaasi3 lilughati alarabia wa-l-mu'tamar alkhamis li-itti2ad mu3allimi allugha alarabia,mawlana malik ibrahim islamic university, malang, eastern java, indonesia, august 27-29, 2015. mu3jam alama3ani (2015). retrieved url: http://www.almaany.com (may 1, 2015). pyles, t. and j. algeo. (1993). the origins and development of the english language. (4th edn). san diego: hbj. roach, p. (2008). english phonetics and phonology: a practical course. (4th edn). cambridge: cambridge university press. yule, g. (2014). the study of language. (5th ed). cambridge: cambridge university press http://www.almaany.com/ altha3aalibi,a.m.(2011).fiqhuallughatwaasra english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 41 english teachers’ problems in applying the 2013 curriculum yulia nur ekawati department of english education, faculty of teacher training and educaiton, university of pancasakti tegal e-mail: yulianurekawati.ups@gmail.com apa citation: ekawati, y. n. (2017). english teachers’ problems in applying the 2013 curriculum. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 41-48. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.769. received: 19-08-2017 accepted: 25-10-2017 published: 01-12-2017 abstract: the 2013 curriculum is regarded as the current issue for teachers and students. this curriculum is based on the competencies concerning on implementing four aspects of spiritual, attitude, knowledge and skills in order to achieve students’ character building. this study, moreover, investigates the teachers’ problems in applying the 2013 curriculum at vocational high school in tegal. four english teachers are observed and interviewed to obtain data. the data is analyzed referring to four points; a) preparing lesson plan, b) applying the steps of teaching learning activities, c) preparing media, and d) making evaluation. the result shows that; a) three teachers do not prepare lesson plan before their teaching learning process, b) for all teachers, they understand the principles of scientific approach and the basic concept of 2013 curriculum (i.e. inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, discovery-learning, problem-based learning and task-based learning) but they do not apply it in their teaching, c) one teacher prepares the teaching media but the others do not prepare it, and d) all teachers get difficulties in assessing students’ attitude (behaviour). keywords: english teachers’ problem, the 2013 curriculum introduction the curricula of indonesia have been developed since 1947 until 2013 (widodo, 2015). the development of curriculum is regarded as the changing of people need, technology, thinking, as well as market challenges. in 2004, the curriculum of indonesia is called as cbc (competencebased curriculum), which is implemented to be pioneer of applying curriculum based on the competences. honestly, it only works for two years. furthermore, in 2006, the curriculum changes to ulec (unit level of education curriculum), which is the development of the previous curriculum. the changing of curriculum is, moreover, continued in 2013 which is named as the 2013 curriculum. in indonesia, the 2013 curriculum is the newest curriculum focusing on achieving students’ competencies and character building (kementrian dan kebudayaan, 2013). there are four aspects of competences expected to be achieved; spiritual, attitude, knowledge and skills which are then stated in the core competences (kompetensi inti/ki). those aspects are stated in the purpose of national education (pasal 3 uu no 20 sisdiknas 2003) stating that “to develop students' potential to become faithful and pious man, noble, healthy, knowledgeable, skilled, creative, independent, and also to become democratic and responsible citizen.” from the purpose stated above, it is clear that the spiritual attitude is shown as faithful and pious man. the social attitude, then, is shown in the terms of healthy, independent, democratic and responsible. furthermore, for the aspect of knowledge is mentioned in knowledge and the aspect of skill is shown in skilled and creative. through those aspects, it can be concluded yulia nur ekawati english teachers’ problems in applying the 2013 curriculum 42 that the purpose of standard competence in achieving attitude (spiritual and social) means to create students who are faithful, noble, confident, and responsible in interacting with social environment. next aspect is skill which aims to make person capable to think and follow productively and creatively in abstract and concrete field. further, the last aspect is knowledge. it purposes to create students who master science, technology, arts, culture and humanity, nationality, state insights, and civilization. dealing with the above ideal and perfect purposes, it comes several issues in implementing the 2013 curriculum in english language teaching (elt) practices. sahirudin (2013) reviews the history of elt in indonesia. the central government determined that english became the first foreign language obligated to be taught at junior and senior high school since independency in 1945. indonesia curricula have changed for several times. he explained as following: (a) 1945 was grammar translation-based curriculum. (b) 1958 was audio-lingual basedcurriculum. (c) 1975 was revised audio-lingual based-curriculum. (d) 1984 was structure-based communicative curriculum. (e) 1994 was meaning-based communicative curriculum. (f) 2004 was competency-based curriculum. (g) 2006 was ktsp curriculum. (h) 2013 was the 2013 curriculum. those curricula have each strengths and weaknesses (constraints). its constraints make the government to rethink, reformulate, and redesign the curriculum to be implemented. in this research, sahirudin (2013) moreover investigates the common problems faced by the implementation of 2013 curriculum. they are students’ lack of motivation, poor attitude toward language learning, big class size, unqualified teachers, and cultural barriers for teachers to adopt new role of facilitators. in the context of elt, the reduction of allocating time for english subject at school as well becomes the problem. these issues then make several consequences for language teaching and learning process in indonesia. however, there are some certain resources to the development of the quality in elt, i.e. the policy of teacher’s certification program, the integrative topic in some subjects and textbook provision. another previous research was held by retnawati, et al. (2016). they investigated the vocational high school teachers’ difficulties in applying the assessment within 2013 curriculum. this research was descriptive explorative using qualitative data gathering. the data sources were 22 vocational high school teachers and the vice principals of curriculum in the province of yogyakarta special region of indonesia. the result showed that the teachers’ difficulties in implementing 2013 curriculum were found in; developing the instrument of attitude, implementing the authentic assessment, formulating the indicators, designing the assessment rubric for skills, and gathering the scores from multiple measurement techniques. in addition, this study stated that it was difficult to find feasible application for describing students’ achievement. based on the previous studies, teachers (especially english teachers) should comprehend the characteristics of 2013 curriculum. the curriculum of 2013 is designed with characteristics of developing a balance between spiritual and social attitudes, knowledge and skills which should be applied in various situations in the school and community (permendikbud no. 59 tahun 2014). it becomes the basic understanding for teachers in their teaching so that the objectives of this curriculum are achieved. in addition, syllabus and lesson plan must be prepared effectively before teaching learning process, as it will be a teacher’s guide. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 43 the syllabus has been prepared by team of curriculum developers; in central and regional levels, and teachers only develop the lesson plan based on teacher’s guide book and resource (permendikbud no.59 tahun 2014). another teaching preparation supporting the teaching learning process is the use of media. in this curriculum, the role of media is very significant, since it can make the teaching activities more creative and interesting. so, the teacher should use the appropriate teaching method. in applying the 2013 curriculum, moreover, scientific approach must be clearly understood by teachers. this approach contains the steps of teaching and learning process including observing, questioning, associating, experimenting and networking. it is called a natural assessment as well meaning that the teacher not only assesses the cognitive development of the students, but also assesses the psychometrics and affective aspects (attitude). i perceive that the implementation of 2013 curriculum should be understood by all teachers as it is a must from government to be implemented currently. however, it is found there are some issues faced by teachers in applying this curriculum. this research, therefore, concerns on evaluating the teacher’s problems in applying the 2013 curriculum. the problems are investigated based on four aspects i.e. a) preparing lesson plan, b) applying the steps of teaching learning activities based on scientific approach, c) preparing media, and d) making evaluation. method this research used qualitative method. there are 7 state vocational high schools and 31 private vocational high schools in tegal district. in this study, the researcher only took four english teachers as the participants from four different private vocational high schools using purposive sampling technique. this technique is taken based on the researcher consideration and aim. the result of this study will not be generalized to population (all schools) since the concept of qualitative method is only applied in this social situation case and can be transferred to other social situation (sugiyono, 2013, p. 216). to collect the data, the researcher used triangulation technique combining observation and interview. this technique, as stated by stainback (1988) in sugiyono (2013, p. 241), has aim not to determine the truth about some social phenomenon, rather the purpose of triangulation is to increase one’s understanding of whatever is being investigated. it means that triangulation aims to increase researcher understanding about social phenomenon and investigate whether the information getting from informant/ participant is wrong as it is not appropriate with theory and law. figure 1. data analysis (interactive mode) (miles & huberman, 1984) as cited in (sugiyono, 2013, p. 247) the questions of interview, moreover, are mentioned in table 1. data collection data display data reduction conclusion: drawing/ veriying yulia nur ekawati english teachers’ problems in applying the 2013 curriculum 44 table 1. questions of interview no. questions answer 1. do you agree that preparing lesson plan is important? yes/no 2. do you arrange the objectives of learning? yes/no 3. do you arrange the material based on objectives of learning? yes/no 4. do you arrange the learning activities based on scientific approach? yes/no 5. do you apply all steps on scientific approach? yes/no 6. are your students interested on your teaching? yes/no 7. are your students active asking questions in classroom? yes/no 8. do you prepare media of teaching and learning? yes/no 9. do you use pictures? yes/no 10. do you use media of power point, video, lcd or internet? yes/no 11. do you use government book? yes/no 12. do you arrange evaluation based on objectives of lesson? yes/no 13. do you measure those four aspects in 2013 curriculum (spiritual, social, knowledge and skill aspects) yes/no points 1 to 3 are categorized in the aspect of preparing lesson plan. while in points 4 to 7 are included in applying the steps of learning activities (scientific approach). the aspect preparing media is shown in points 8 to 11. lastly, for aspect of making evaluation is stated in points 12 to 13. after the data was collected, the next step is analyzing the data. the technique to analyze the data is drawn in figure 1. based on the picture, to analyze data, there are several activities done i.e.: data reduction, data display, and conclusion. after collecting the data, the next step done is reducing the data by summarizing, choosing the important point, categorizing the data, making symbol and finding the theme and pattern. results and discussion the research showed that english teachers in four private vocational high schools in tegal have some problems in implementing the 2013 curriculum. the problems are influenced by the teachers themselves, students, and conditions of school. it is then classified and categorized into four aspects i.e.; a) preparing lesson plan, b) applying the steps of teaching learning activities, c) preparing media, and d) making evaluation. the following explanation describes the result of this research regarding those teachers’ problems. preparing lesson plan all teachers agreed that preparing lesson plan before teaching and learning process is important. they can prepare the objectives and materials of lesson effectively. the materials arranged are based on objectives of learning. through lesson plan, they are also able to arrange the learning activities systematically based on scientific approach in the 2013 curriculum. although they were aware on the importance of preparing lesson plan, the result of this study showed that only one english teacher made detail lesson plan before his teaching and learning and the three teachers did not prepare it well. the first teacher prepared detail lesson plan in every teaching. she arranged one lesson plan for two meetings. the objectives of learning are developed from the goal (basic competences) stated in syllabus. after that, she prepared materials based on objectives of lesson and took the material from government book and some other references from exercise book (lks) and internet. the problems, in addition, came up as the books are less available. she then duplicated by copying the book and students should spend some money to pay it. another problem came when she decided the method of teaching to combine with scientific approach since the students are quite passive. the students are really shy to speak and regard that english is difficult subject. in preparing lesson plan, the first english english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 45 teacher stated that it is a must for teacher to make a preparation before teaching. the preparation are arranging lesson plan, choosing media which is appropriate to the material, and preparing exercises to measure students’ understanding based on material taught. the second english teacher stated that before his teaching, he did not make detail lesson plan. he just prepared the outline what would be done during the teaching learning process. the reason why he did not made lesson plan is as he taught five classes and each class containing large students of 30 so he did not have a lot of time to make a preparation. he mentioned that preparing lesson plan in 2013 curriculum was so complicated since there was attitude aspect to measure. other result was showed by the third participant who explained that she could not prepare lesson plan because she used government book as a guidance to teach. from this book, she could prepare what material should be given to students. as it has been stated the learning objectives based on syllabus, so she just used the book without arranging the lesson plan. the last participant stated that preparing lesson plan before teaching and learning is important, but he did not prepare it as he needed time to prepare it and he considered that through the guidance of book was good to explain the material. in some cases, he made a note or draft of teaching which mentioned the goals that should be achieved by students, the method of teaching, and the material. he did not arrange the evaluation because he used an exercise book (lks). in scoring, he got problem because in lks there is no guidance to give score. based on the result above, it can be concluded that the teachers’ problem in preparing lesson plan is caused by the teacher’s readiness. they stated that no time to prepare detailed lesson plan since it is very complicated. they got difficulty in identifying and arranging learning objective, indicators, material, method of teaching, learning activities and evaluation. however, without detail lesson plan, those teacher used government book as a guidance in their teaching and sometimes they made draft or outline about their teaching planning in general. the solution of this problem is that teachers need to refresh their teaching competences especially about making lesson plan in any kind of workshop held by teacher team (mgmp) or socialization through forum group discussion (fgd). it is as preparing lesson plan helps teachers to organize the objectives, material, learning activities and evaluation effectively. moreover, teachers would be more confidence when delivering the lesson. other benefit is through preparing lesson plan students would be helped to achieve their learning objectives more easily. applying the steps of teaching and learning activities (scientific approach) to evaluate teachers’ problem in applying the steps of teaching and learning activities, the researcher asked the following questions containing teachers’ understanding in scientific approach, the implementation of scientific approach, and students’ responses. the result of interview can be seen in table 2. table 2. result interview of applying scientific approach questions aspect 1 st teacher 2 nd teacher 3 rd teacher 4 th teacher do you arrange the learning activities based on scientific approach? applying the steps of teaching learning activities (scientific approach) yes yes no no do you apply all steps of scientific approach? not all steps no no no are your students interested on your yes yes yes yes yulia nur ekawati english teachers’ problems in applying the 2013 curriculum 46 teaching? are your students active asking questions in classroom? not all students no no no based on the result above, it can be concluded that teachers understand the principles of scientific approach and the basic concept of 2013 curriculum (i.e. inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, discovery-learning, problem-based learning and task-based learning) but in terms of applying this concept, they did not apply it since the students were quite passive in the classroom. they were shy, afraid, and not confidence. they also regarded that english is difficult. another problem in applying this approach was teachers could not apply students-centered learning since students still depend on their teacher a lot. this is, of course, becoming the challenges for teachers making students to be active. therefore, teachers and government need to take a consideration for the schools which have low input of competences in order to apply not only limited on scientific approach but also other approaches in order there are various method of teaching. preparing media in preparing media, the result showed that all teachers used media of pictures in their teaching. they explained that pictures are kind of media which is easy to get and interesting, thus students can understand the material. however, the media of lcd, video, and power point did not used since the limitation of facilities those schools have. the following is the result of teachers’ problem in preparing media. table 3. preparing media questions aspect 1 st teacher 2 nd teacher 3 rd teacher 4 th teacher do you prepare media of teaching and learning? preparing media yes no yes yes sometimes do you use pictures? yes yes yes yes do you use media of power point, video, lcd or internet? yes sometimes no yes sometimes no do you use government book? yes yes yes yes from the table above, the first and third teachers prepared media before their teaching. with the problem in facilities, they tried to use media such as pictures and video. they sometimes used lcd because it was not provided in every class. other teachers also prepared media of picture in their teaching. this is therefore needed a solution by stakeholders (school and government) to provide additional budget in supporting school facilities especially in applying this curriculum. the limitation of government books also becomes the problem. to overcome this problem, students should copy the book. therefore, it would be attention for many stakeholders. making evaluation there are four main aspects of competences to be implemented in 2013 curriculum i.e. spiritual, social, knowledge and skill aspects. those aspects are stated in the core and basic competences (permendikbud no.59 tahun 2014). it is therefore to be developed in teaching learning indicators and objectives. teachers would know the students’ understanding if they can achieve the indicator and objectives of teaching learning through evaluation. in evaluation, it contained the indicators of evaluation, technique and form of evaluation as well as the rubric or scoring. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 47 the result showed that all teachers got difficulties in arranging evaluation. it needed long time to input the score of four aspects since the class is quite large. they also got the problem in making an individual assessment or pair assessment and affective assessment. in giving pair assessment, the students sometimes are not honest about their marks. while in affective assessment, it is difficult for teacher to analyze and evaluate the attitude of every student in his class. moreover, teachers regarded that this curriculum is too complex in which teacher needed to evaluate students’ attitude (through observation), students’ knowledge (through test), and students’ skill (through practice). this problem is due to teachers’ lack understanding in giving evaluation. to overcome teachers’ problem in making evaluation, thus, teachers should get adequate socialization and workshop which should be guided by competent instructor. they also should be trained to prepare appropriate instrument for evaluation. in addition, it is needed to be considered by government and stakeholder to provide easy software of evaluation to help teachers in reporting the result of evaluation. conclusion the implementation of 2013 curriculum faces some problems in four english teachers of private vocational high schools in tegal during preparing lesson, applying steps of learning activities (scientific approach), preparing media, and making evaluation. they stated that preparing lesson plan before teaching and learning process is important but it was hard to do since the limited time to make preparation. through lesson plan, the objectives of lesson and material could be delivered systematically and will help students to achieve its objectives. in fact, they had problem in preparing lesson plan due to limited time to make detail lesson plan. moreover, the problem happened when teachers applied the steps of scientific approach. the students were passive in the classroom. they also regarded english as a difficult subject to learn. media as a tool to support the material is provided in limited items, it is as the facilities in those schools are not supported well. to evaluate the students’ understanding, teachers also found problems. it seemed difficult to measure something abstract like the aspects of spiritual and attitude. in addition, they also got difficulty in giving score when observing students attitude and speaking skill because it needed a lot of time. in line with those problems faced by teachers, therefore, the solution should be taken by government and stakeholders such as providing deeper socialization and workshop to increase teachers’ understanding in implementing 2013 curriculum especially for all private english teachers of vocational high school who never had been given the socialization and training relating to the new curriculum. references kementrian dan kebudayaan. (2013). modul pelatihan implementasi kurikulum 2013. badan pengembangan sumber daya manusia pendidikan dan kebudayaan dan penjaminan mutu pendidikan. retnawati, et al. (2016). vocational high school teachers' difficulties in implementing the assessment in curriculum 2013 in yogyakarta province of indonesia. international journal of instruction january, 9(1). retrieved from www.e-iji.net. sahirudin. (2013). the implementation of the 2013 curriculum and the issues of english language teaching and learning in indonesia. the asian conference on language learning 2013, official conference proceeding. widodo. (2015). newest issues for curriculum reform in indonesia (2013). presented at apectsukuba international conference university of tsukuba tokyo japan. yulia nur ekawati english teachers’ problems in applying the 2013 curriculum 48 saloumeh khodabakhshi & ali rahimi investigating the problems of teaching and learning english in middle schools in iran 66 investigating the problems of teaching and learning english in middle schools in iran saloumeh khodabakhshi department of english, university of kashan, iran e-mail: saloumehkhodabakhshi@yahoo.com ali rahimi department of applied linguistics, school of humanities, bangkok university, thailand e-mail: rahimijah@yahoo.com apa citation: khodabakhshi, s. & rahimi, a. (2013). investigating the problems of teaching and learning english in middle schools in iran. english review: journal of english education, 2(1), 66-72 received: 04-09-2013 accepted: 29-10-2013 published: 01-12-2013 abstract: the present research aimed to investigate the problems of teaching and learning english in middle schools in esfahan, iran. these problems are associated with the learner, teacher, textbook, syllabus, and language policy. the instrument used was a self-constructed likert scale questionnaire. all the variables had a hand in the problems among which textbook, syllabus and language policy had the most effect. twenty five problems were distinguished among which some are as follows: students do not consider pair work important; most of the time, most teachers do not speak in english in the classroom; the textbook does not include cds or cassettes, does not consists of all the english skills; the syllabus does not include one or two projects for students apart from the midterm or final test, language policy being not completely familiar with the steps of efl teaching, does not selecting the most qualified and proficient teachers in efl teaching. it can be concluded that the language policy should take a practical step in reducing the problems by changing the textbooks and providing more teaching aids for the teachers. keywords: teaching and learning english, problems of teaching and learning english, middle school, iran introduction teaching and learning english has been a crucial issue in developing countries particularly in iran. most teachers have concerns about teaching and learning english and what methods and approaches are the best for students. as the same result, problems in teaching and learning english have always existed. in iran, students graduate from school while they are not able to communicate in english (dahmardeh 2006; karimnia & zade 2007). in order to know what factors contribute to such problems, it is better to know what the characteristics of a good language learner, a teacher, a textbook, a syllabus, and a language policy are. so by going through literature, one can find out these characteristics, afterwards by using a questionnaire, the opinions of the students towards learning english can be investigated and based on the objectives of the study it can be tried to specify the problems of teaching and learning english. rubin and thompson (1983) as cited in nunan (2006: 57-58) have conducted a well-known study in which they state that good language learners tend to have the following characteristics which make them distinct from other learners: good learners 1. find their own way 2. organize information about language 3. are creative and experiment with language 67 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 4. make their own opportunities, and find strategies for getting practice in using the language inside and outside the classroom 5. learn to live with uncertainty and develop strategies for making sense of the target language without wanting to understand every word brown (2001: 430) has provided a list of the attributes of a good language teacher. in the following list, a good language teacher has the four features (a few of the characteristics are mentioned here): good language-teaching characteristics technical knowledge 1. understands the linguistic systems of english phonology, grammar, and discourse. 2. comprehensively grasps basic principles of language learning and teaching. pedagogical skills 3. has a well-thought-out, informed approach to language teaching. 4. understands and uses a wide variety of techniques. interpersonal skills 5. is aware of cross-cultural differences and is sensitive to students’ cultural traditions. 6. enjoys people; shows enthusiasm, warmth, rapport, and appropriate humor. personal qualities 7. is well organized, conscientious in meeting commitments, and dependable. 8. is flexible when things go awry. hutchinson and torres (1994) as cited in azizifar, koosha, & lotfi (2010) stress the importance of textbooks and textbook evaluation by stating that learning and teaching would be difficult without the existence of text books. in iran, azizifar, koosha, and lotfi (2010) have evaluated iranian high school books and they have come to the result that because these text books lack the listening activities, they do not provide any special group works for the efl learners and the students will not learn how to communicate in english. regarding syllabus, many have worked on that such as trepanier (2008). in china, the newly issued national english syllabus standard (department of education, p.r.c. 2003) for compulsory education states that “english learning is not only a process for students to master english knowledge and skill and improve their practical language use but also a process for teachers to train their will, mold their temper, enrich their life, develop their individual character and abilities and sharpen humanist qualities”. nunan (2006: 5) puts forward that there are many opinions about the differences between a syllabus and curriculum development. he provides two approaches to syllabus design, “a broad and narrow approach” in which the first believes in the integration of content and tasks, while the latter seeks to distinct the syllabus design and methodology. language policy which is considered as the last variable, by itself can make constraints for the learning process. some definitions have been brought by different writers (romaine (2006), tollefson & james as cited in dejong, (1994), tesl-ej)). the wikipedia (the free encyclopedia) implies as follows: language policy is what a government does either officially through legislation, court decisions or policy to determine how languages are used, cultivate language skills needed to meet national priorities or to establish saloumeh khodabakhshi & ali rahimi investigating the problems of teaching and learning english in middle schools in iran 68 the rights of individuals or groups to use and maintain languages. jing (2005) in a study tried to gain access to the difficulties of efl learning through the diaries of the learners. in his study he concluded that although the learning difficulties are due to the linguistics competence, their linguistic problems may be “a product of the relationship between their linguistic competence and the demands that examinations (e.g., tem-4) placed on it”. apart from that, musavi (2001) as cited in (razmjoo & riazi, 2006) argued that teachers in high school classes put more emphasis on grammar than reading comprehension and communicative tasks. he said that owing to the following factors, teaching english did not provide the expected aims: 1. students’ ignorance of aims and goals of learning a new language and its advantages 2. unqualified teachers and lack of teaching facilities 3. old methods and styles of teaching 4. old, unoriginal and out of date resources 5. lack of native speakers who have a good command of english by going through the literature, although the good qualities have been specified, still the problems in efl teaching exist, particularly in iran and no special article has been conducted in this regard, investigating the problems of efl teaching in secondary schools. therefore, in order to decrease these problems, the goal of this study is to delve into this matter and investigate the existing problems in learners, teachers, textbook, syllabus, and language policy. this study tried to answer what are the problems of teaching and learning english caused by learners, teachers, textbook, syllabus and language policy. method in this study, we are looking for the problems of teaching and learning english by a survey. in other words, the researcher seeks to know the opinions of students about the problems of teaching and learning english. one hundred (fifty male and fifty female) middle school students were chosen randomly from the population. the participants in this study were the third grade students of two middle schools in zarrinshahr, esfahan. the instrument of the study was a self-constructed likert scale questionnaire (with a cronbach alpha reliability of r = .89 > .8 and based on george and mallery (2003), it is considered to be a good reliability) which is divided into five parts: the first part: learner with 7 items, the second part: teacher with 9 items, the third part: textbook with 7 items, the fourth part: syllabus with 7 items, and the fifth part: language policy with 7 items. the questionnaire was translated into the native language of the students, because it was thought that they would not understand the items. a pilot study was conducted. ten students of the third grade from komeil middle school in esfahan were randomly selected. before doing the task, the items of the questionnaire were clarified. twenty minutes were required to complete the task. revisions were made based on the feedback obtained from the above procedure. for collecting the data, 2 days were allocated to go to the two middle schools mentioned above and administer the survey. the analyses were completed using spss 14.0 software (statistical package for the social sciences). spss was used to see which factors (i.e. teacher, learner, textbook, syllabus, and language policy) and items had the greatest cause in the problems of teaching and learning english. results and discussion 69 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the beneath paragraphs will report the results of the present study based on the five research questions. the hypothesis of this study was that each factor (i.e. learner, teacher, textbook, syllabus, and language policy) have no effects on the problems of teaching and learning english. according to the first research question, “what are the problems of teaching and learning english caused by learner?, chi-square on the answers of one hundred participants to the first seven items belonging to the first part of the questionnaire was taken (see table 2). the results of item 5 and 7 showed that there are no meaningful differences between those who agreed, disagreed and had no idea i5 & i7 (i.e. i5, i7›0.05), so they are not accepted. however, the results of the other items showed that there are meaning differences among those who agreed, disagreed and had no idea (i.e. i1, i2, i3, i4, i6 ‹0.05), so these are accepted. based on these results, it can be said that the system of learning at secondary schools and not considering per work important and not having any plans for it by learners have played a role in the problems of efl learning. table 2 test statistics of items 1-7 t-test i1 i2 i3 i4 i5 i6 i7 chi-square(a,b) 12.200 17.500 26.900 80.000 4.300 21.000 7.300 df 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 asymp. sig. .016 .002 .000 .000 .367 .000 .121 table 3: test statistics t-test i8 i9 i10 i11 i12 i13 i14 i15 i16 chi-square(a,b) 7.100 2.900 48.800 55.300 57.300 2.300 7.700 3.700 39.700 df 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 asymp. sig. .131 .575 .000 .000 .000 .681 .103 .448 .000 according to the second research question, “what are the problems of teaching and learning english caused by teacher? and as shown in table 3, chi-square of the second nine items belonging to the first part of the questionnaire was taken. as the table above shows, the results of items 8, 9, 13, 14, 15 revealed that there are not meaning differences between those who agreed, disagreed, and had no idea (i.e. i8, i9, i13, i14, i15 ›0.05); therefore, these items are avoided. however, the results of items 10, 11, 12, 16 revealed that there are significance differences between those who agreed, disagreed, and had no idea (i.e. i10, i11, i12, i16 ‹0.05), so these items are accepted and considered as problems. according to the third research question, “what are the problems of teaching and learning english caused by textbook?, the chi-square of the third seven items are taken and shown in table 4. test statistics the results of this part showed that only in one item, there are no significance differences between those who agreed, disagreed, and had no idea (i.e. i18 ›0.05) so this item is not accepted. while based on the results, the other saloumeh khodabakhshi & ali rahimi investigating the problems of teaching and learning english in middle schools in iran 70 items were significant among those who agreed, disagreed, and had no idea (i.e. i17, i19, i20, i21, i22, i23 ‹0.05) thus these items are considered as problems of teaching and learning english. in other words, it can be said that textbook has a main role in the problems of efl learning by not having the above characteristics. according to the fourth research question, “what are the problems of teaching and learning english caused by syllabus?, chi-square of the fourth seven items are demonstrated in table 5. as the table above displays, only the result of one item was not significant among those who agreed, disagreed, and had no idea (i.e. i27 ›0.05); therefore, this item is avoided. however, the results of the rest items were significant among those who agreed, disagreed, and had no idea (i24, i25, i26, i28, i29, i30 ‹0.05) thus these items are accepted and can table 4: test statistics t-test i17 i18 i19 i20 i21 i22 i23 chi-square(a,b) 19.600 6.100 118.300 13.700 10.300 11.800 39.100 df 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 asymp. sig. .001 .192 .000 .008 .036 .019 .000 table 5. test statistics t-test i24 i25 i26 i27 i28 i29 i30 chi-square(a,b) 12.800 37.300 26.000 2.500 34.300 17.100 27.700 df 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 asymp. sig. .012 .000 .000 .645 .000 .002 .000 table 6 test statistics t-test i31 i32 i33 i34 i35 i36 37i chi-square(a,b) 47.800 12.800 15.400 41.500 38.000 35.100 34.700 df 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 asymp. sig. .000 .012 .004 .000 .000 .000 .000 be considered as the problems. in other words, it can be said that syllabus also has a main role in the problems of efl learning by not having the above characteristics as well. according to the fifth research question, “what are the problems of teaching and learning english caused by language policy?the chi-square of the fifth seven items were calculated and are shown in table 6. based on the table above, the results of all the items of this part showed meaningful differences among those who agreed, disagreed, and had no idea (i.e. i31, i32, i33, i34, i35, i36, i37 <0.05); therefore, these items are accepted. in other words, it can be stated that language policy has also a main role in the problems of efl teaching, due to the meaningful difference of the all items concerning this variable and not following these issues mentioned above. 71 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee conclusion this study provided the ways a researcher can come across to the existing problems in efl teaching and by conducting this, we can gain the knowledge of which variable has more effect on these problems and after that trying to do something in order to solve these problems. based on the results, the hypothesis of the study was rejected; therefore, now one can take action in dissolving these problems by making use of the reasonable findings in this study. the problems specified in learner were that they do not consider pair work important and do not have any plans for it. we should change the way the learner thinks of pair work and seeking to show them how important pair work can be even in the schools not only in private institutes. the problems in teacher were not speaking in english in the classroom most of the times, not asking the students to speak in english as much as possible, not using computer (e.g. powerpoint software) in teaching, not paying attention to the students’ correct pronunciation. the problems which syllabus leads to were the fact that most teachers do not provide students with the syllabus at the first or second session of the semester, they do not follow their syllabus till the end of the educational year, students do not think the syllabus is well organized, it does not include movies and listening apart from other planning, does not include one or two projects for students apart from the midterm or final test, does not mention the deadline of the projects. if language policy accepts to help teachers in any way, the problems which they cause would be reduced and they would alter their approaches in teaching and in bringing their syllabus to the class and trying to consider teaching in schools as seriously as possible. language policy should accompany in this process and revise the textbook and do its best to afford money for using technology in english classrooms and selecting the most proficient english teachers. for further research, the researchers can include the opinions of the teachers, language policy, and textbook writers as well in order to gain more precious results and take actions in solving the problems. of course, they should know the limitations here, which can refer to the fact that all schools would not welcome the researchers gladly thus one must go to the department of education to get the authority for going to the expected schools and administer the questionnaire or any other sorts of survey. references azizifar a., koosha m., lotfi a. r. (2010). an analytical evaluation of iranian high school elt textbooks from 1970 to the present. science direct, social and behavioral sciences, 3, 36-44. brown, d. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. second edition. p.430. ny: pearson education. dahmardeh, m. (2006). communicative textbooks: english language textbooks in iranian secondary school. linguistik online, 40, 4/09. department of education, p.r. china. (2003). english syllabus standard. beijing: beijing normal university publishing house. dejong, e. j. (1994). planning language, planning inequality. tesl-ej, teaching english as a second or foreign language, 1(1), r-2. george, d., & mallery, p. (2003). spss for windows step by step: a simple guide and reference. 11.0 update (fourth edition). boston: allyn & bacon. huang, j. (2005). a diary study of difficulties and constraints in efl learning. science direct, system, 33, 609-621. karimnia, a. & salehi zade, sh. (2007). communication strategies: english language departments in iran. iranian journal of language studies (ijls), 1(4), 287-300. saloumeh khodabakhshi & ali rahimi investigating the problems of teaching and learning english in middle schools in iran 72 nunan, d. (2006). second language teaching and learning. pp.57-58. newbury house. teacher development. tehran. jungle publication. nunan, d. (2006). syllabus design. p.5. language teaching. oxford university press. tehran. jungle publication. razmjoo, s. a., riazi a. m. (2006). on the teaching methodology of shiraz efl institutes. journal of social sciences & humanities of shiraz university. 23(1), 58-70 (special issue in english language and linguistics) richards j. c., rodgers th. s. (1934). approaches and methods in language teaching. second edition. p. 167. cambridge language. teaching library. tehran. jungle publication. romaine, s. (2006). language policy in multinational educational contexts. elsevier journal. trepanier, l. (2008). what makes a good syllabus? isi’s american studies center. faculty.isi.org/blog/post/ view/id/32. retrieved november 29, 2011 wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, leclerc, jacques (2003). “index par politiques linguistiques” in l’aménagement linguistique dans le monde, québec, tlfq, université laval, (in french). english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the empowerment of children in edith nesbit’s the railway children adam anshori universitas islam indonesia email: adam.anshori@uii.ac.id apa citation: anshori, a. (2016). the empowerment of children in edith nesbit’s “the railway children”. english review, 4(2), 243-254 received: 16-02-2016 accepted: 25-03-2016 published: 01-06-2016 abstract: this research is aimed at describing the empowerment of children in edith nesbit’s the railway children. the problems formulated in the research will be answered in the descriptions consisting of thoughts, actions, and feelings of the main characters in the novel and presenting other characters’ comments dedicated to the main characters. the main source of the research data was edith nesbit’s the railway children. it is considered as a children’s literature. the focus of the research was events in the novel which showing the empowerment of the main characters. the data consist of thoughts, actions, and feelings of the main characters and presenting other characters’ admirable comments dedicated to the main characters. the data were analyzed inductively by using qualitative content analysis. the instrument of the research was the researcher himself. to get trustworthiness of the data, the researcher used four criteria, namely: credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. the findings of the research showed that the novel contains of children’s empowerment, which can be divided into three categories. they are thought empowerment, action empowerment and feeling empowerment. as empowerment of children is considered as an important aspect in children’s story and it has great influence to enrich children’s intelligence and emotion in their growing period, the railway children can be categorized as a good novel. keywords: children’s literature, children’s empowerment introduction childhood is seen as a crucial formative period in life to gain basic education (stephens, 1994:8). it is a time to learn about the nature of the world, how to live in it, how to relate to other people, how to face and solve problems, how to think, and what to believe. children need something to teach them how to deal with life properly and honestly. for this reason, they need fair education. fair education is education which is governed of excellence, and not orthodoxy, timidity, or intolerance, to encourage children’s growing mind and critical thinking and to shape their future (west, 1998: viii-ix). unfortunately as one of the most influential subject in children’s life, children’s literature seems to have difficulties to be fair to children about the real facts in life. it is due to the fact that children’s literature has a unique condition involving a conflict of interests between children and adults. children, with their specific characteristics, interests, and knowledge, intentionally need to enrich themselves with lots of experiences from their readings. they want books that capable to challenge their critical thinking and empowering their growing mind. children are also eager to have honest books about life, though it may be a bitter fact of life. on the other hand, most adults 243 adam anshori the empowerment of children in edith nesbit’s the railway children use and see children’s literature from different point of view. they judge the value of a book, whether it is good or not, based on their own judgment. they feel that they have a right and better understanding to decide whether a book is suitable for children or not. moreover, adults have authority and capability to do that. many children consume children’s reading and books which are brought and chosen by the adults. furthermore, adults treat children as ones who are innocent and need protection. most authors of children’s books do not explore the truth of life which is considered by adults dangerous and inappropriate, such as sexuality, poverty, and death, whereas children actually need fair stories about the real condition of life. adults actually can tell children everything. however, adults must be aware of the way to present those things. the right way should be in children’s range of understanding. adults also use stories to inscribe their own judgments, wisdoms, beliefs, and norms. those values will provide them with adults’ approval of or hatred of something. nodelman (1992: 1) said that children’s literature is a form of adult style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over childhood. so, it is obvious that children are victimized in their own reading materials because there are many stories which are not standing in their side. fairy tales, which are believed and assumed as children’s literature, usually have values that may not consider children in particular (tolkien, 1980: 113). snow white and seven dwarfs, for example, contain value that a good kid is a child who never gazes and fights against her stepmother even though her stepmother is cruel. she took for granted to all things that her mother did to her even when her mother tried to kill her. fortunately, the soldier, who is ordered to kill her, saved her life. then she hid in the jungle and depending her life to the kindness of the seven dwarfs. it shows that she is powerless and speechless. as a child, she depends and submits her whole life to adults, i.e., her stepmother, the soldier, and the seven dwarfs. this story will construct children’s mind to be passive. children are not stimulated to think critically and act bravely when they deal with adults. it also shows that adults dominate children. children are filled with values for adults’ benefit, so adults will be easier to handle children in their passive willingness. this story does not empower snow white, as the main character, who should have authority to decide her own life. this story also depicts that a girl is weaker than a boy. when a charming prince suddenly appeared, he easily broke down the curse and saved her life. then, as usual, the story ends happily ever after. it builds a frame of thought that children in their obedient and docile attitudes will get a happy life as her suffering repayment. so it will persuade children to believe that in their passive willingness, children will be blessed in their life. there is no argument or chance for them to fight against adults though actually the adults are wrong. many fairy tales also inscribe unequal position between boy and girl. girls are judged to be inferior to boys, whereas in fact it is untrue. they may do a lot of things as boys can. this value is dangerous because it can lead children’s way of thinking into wrong belief or perception. realizing this situation, adults should start to concern and be aware of their children’s reading material. children books may contain values that can endanger and harm them. it is seen in fairy tales as snow white and seven dwarfs, which is considered as children’s 244 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee story. so, it is important for adults who have great authority and power toward children to pay more attention to this problem. fair and wise adults must consider the need and desire of children who are longing for good books. children want books that stimulate their critical thinking and growing mind and are able to answer their curiosity about life. on the other hand, children deserve every ounce of their talent, intelligence, inventiveness, and care (hunt, 1995: 18). children need to learn about life from the right spectacles. they crucially need fair education and guidance. children are only inexperienced. they are not innocent or speechless at all and actually they have their own wisdom to judge something. however, they need adults’ guidance to figure out the hidden or profound values, and to stimulate them in developing an alert enjoyment in stories. adults must be honest with them. children may in their real life deal with situations that can be hard for them. therefore, an opinion that children have to keep away from the bitter of life is unnecessary. children experience the bitter of life from the everyday life instead of books. hence, literature can be a mean to transfer knowledge and understanding to children to get a better preparation to deal with the real life. a great value in children’s literature is that it can help children recognize their feelings and be aware of things they do or not to do to cope with their feelings. literature will also help children to be more apt to accept themselves if through stories they see other children with similar problems, worries, and conflicts (jones, 1988: 27). a book must enlighten child’s eyes and provide space for exploration, which extends their experiences, enjoyments, satisfaction and morality. considering the role of literature towards children, it seems necessary to conduct a research study concerning the influence of children’s literature as a means of educating and exploring emotions and also as agent of socializations. character generally means the aggregate of mental, emotional, and social qualities that distinguish a person. in children’s literature, the term character is used to mean a person, a personified animal or object that inhabits in a story (lukens, 1999: 80). in the story, the importance of a character determines how fully the character is developed and understood by the readers. character development means showing the character – whether a person or an animal or an object-with the complexity of human being (lukens, 1999: 80). a character may be presented mainly through description and discussion or, in a more dramatic manner; the author simply reports the character’s speech and action. in other words, the readers may reveal the character through the action, speech, and appearance, others’ comments and by author’s comment. these methods of characterization can be used together (little, 1981: 89). one extreme of dramatic method is the modern device of interior monologue or stream-ofconsciousness technique, in which all that is recorded is the flow of impression and thought passing through some character’s mind from moment to moment. characters are divided into two, namely: dynamic and static character (lukens, 1999: 86). dynamic character is one who changes in the course of action. the character demonstrates a new realization about himself or herself, or 245 adam anshori the empowerment of children in edith nesbit’s the railway children about his or her personal values. static character is one who does not change in the course of the story. the conflict does not influence the character to make any impact upon personality or outlook. children have keen interest in character (lukens, 1999: 94). they want stories that its characters especially child characters involved in action and making decisions. children are intent on the way characters’ decisions solving the problems. children like to follow characters and their motives through their emotions and their reasoning as they face decisions and make choices. they are also excited by the possibility of the accidental and also inevitable situations. these descriptions show the importance of characterization in children’s literature in drawing meaning and messages and pleasing the children. the railway children, as one of children’s novels, is interesting to be studied from many perspectives, such as plot, characterization, point of view, and setting. in order to be focus on the research, the research will be restricted to the description of the main characters’ thoughts, actions, and feelings and others’ comments appraising them, showing their efforts to deal with their life and the empowerment characterization of the children. the limitation of the problems is mainly based on the relevance of the research question, which is “what kinds of children’s empowerment appear in the novel?” method this research uses qualitative method. qualitative method is a research procedure which produces descriptive data results in the form of written or oral words from people and their behavior that are observed (bogdan and biken, 1982: 5). this method is concerned with the process rather than consequences, with organic wholeness rather than independent variables, and with meaning rather than behavioral statistics. it emphasizes a holistic interpretation. the main source of the research is the novel entitled the railway children by edith nesbit who is best known for her family stories. the penguin group firstly publishes this novel in england in 1906 and through the time this novel was being revised and reprinted in 1995. the data are analyzed by using content analysis. according to holsti (in lincoln and guba, 1985: 337-338), content analysis is an objective, systematic, and general description of the manifest content of a text. this analysis has five major characteristics. firstly, the process of analyzing the data follows certain formulated rules and procedures. however, it conforms that the rules do not need to be finally formulated until the end of the research. secondly, it should be systematic. it deals with forming categories, which have to be done according to determined procedures. thirdly, content analysis is a process that aims for generality by gaining theoretical relevance as the result of the analysis. theoretical relevance produces relevant and theoretical perspectives in relation to the context. fourthly, content analysis concerns manifested content. it will draw the conclusion based on the content of manifested context. finally, although content analysis emphasizes more on quantitative research, it also can be carried out with qualitative research. the qualitative content analysis procedure which is used in this research is inductive category development. its procedure formulates a criterion of definition derived from theoretical background and research question which determine the aspect of the textual 246 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee material taken into account (mayring, 2000: 4). the data of the research are events occurred in the railway children by edit nesbit that describe the empowerment of child characters to cope with their problems and feelings. the empowerment of children is shown through the capability and sensibility of children in solving their problems and others’ problems and also understanding others’ feelings. beside the characterization of the child characters, children’s empowerment is also strengthened by the praise of other characters for children’s kindness. the focus of the research is events, which show the empowerment of the main characters, roberta, peter, and phyllis to deal with their problems of lives and feelings. according to moleong the criteria to check the trustworthiness are credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability (lincoln and guba, 1985: 300). credibility is aimed at achieving the validity of the data. the researcher can achieve credibility through carefully and comprehensively reading and re-reading the selected data in accordance with the research question so that the data can be considered credible. this criterion is done until the researcher gets certainty and could not find any other significant variation in the data. the researcher also applies triangulation technique to gain credibility of the data. triangulation utilizes something outside the data to verify the data itself or to compare them (moleong, 2011: 178). kinds of triangulation technique are sources, methods, observers or researchers, and theories. the researcher applies one technique of triangulation that is another observer. in this technique, the researcher asks another person to discuss the valuable data to know the correct interpretation about the events whether they are relevant to the children’s empowerment or not. the person who became the observer is widyastuti purbani. she earns a doctorate degree from universitas indonesia majoring in children’s literature. therefore, her capability in analyzing children’s literature will be in accordance with the research. in applying transferability, the researcher should provide all the information needed by the readers in understanding the findings. this information that called thick description presents the detail and empirical findings, which describe the context of the research. the thick description is obtained through reading and analyzing the railway children comprehensively. to fulfill dependability, the researcher reads the data carefully and frequently in order to understand the content of the novel and to make correct interpretation. triangulation technique is also used to reach this criterion. the researcher asks the observer as the second reader and has some discussions with her. in some discussions, the observer states that she has the same perspective as the researcher about the novel. results and discussion there are many books written for children. through this research, however, it will be impossible to analyze all of the books. the researcher only focuses on one book in order to have detailed analysis. the researcher chooses the railway children by edith nesbit because the main characters in the novel are children who get misfortune in their life. it shows the struggle of children in facing and solving their own problems. according to neufeldt (1996: 445) ‘to give authority or power or ability to’ 247 adam anshori the empowerment of children in edith nesbit’s the railway children is similar to the word “empower”. empowerment is the noun form of empower that is defined as giving authority, power, or ability to someone. in accordance with the situation of children’s literature and the importance of good book for children, it is obvious that empowerment of children is crucial. empowerment becomes a significant role in children’s literature because children are eager to portray themselves in the story and tend to imitate what the characters do, especially the main character. when a story presents an empowerment spirit, it is expected that the readers are stimulated to think critically and do the same things as the empowering characters in order to draw the meaning of that story. nodelman sees the similarity frame of thought in orientalism to the frame of thought used by adults over children. in orientalism, said reveals that western (the occidents) tends to dominate, restructure, and have authority over the east (the orients) whereas in children’s literature nodelamn figures out the domination of adults (the authors) toward children (the readers). nodelman borrows said’s orientalism to make a brief description of the condition of children’s literature. nodelman (1992: 1) states: “children’s psychology and children’s literature can be discussed and analyzed as the corporate institution for dealing with childhood, dealing with it by making statements about it, authorizing views of it, describing it, by teaching it, settling it, ruling over it; in short, children’s psychology and children’s literature as an adult style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over childhood” the quotation above shows that adults (the authors) have power to control children (the readers) through the stories. an exploration of parallel insight between said’s description of orientalism and the representation of childhood in children’s literature reveals a number of characteristics not empowering children. knowing the disempowerment characteristics in children’s stories will help to figure out the empowerment values as the contrary side. those characteristics are explained below. 1. inherent inferiority inherent inferiority deals with adults’ way of thought that posit themselves as superior, having more knowledge and ability, over children, the inferior one who are incapable to speak for themselves (nodelman, 1992: 1). in children’s literature, this characteristic is viewed from the author’s way in treating their readers. they restrict themselves to create a complex story because of their lack of vocabulary and knowledge as a means to understand the story. another form of inferiority is that the authors place child characters in a weaker side. this is obviously seen in fairy tales. child characters in fairy tales, though they are the main characters in the story, are described powerless and speechless. they tend to depend on and entrust their life to adults. 2. inherent femaleness this characteristic in children’s literature manages to suggest something traditionally feminine about childhood and on the contrary something traditionally masculine about childhood (nodelman, 1992: 2). this situation subordinates children to an inferior position. adults, in this case, plant the seed of their wisdom to children. they 248 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee gaze and talk about how charming or cute children are in passive willingness. children’s happiness is about pleasing them, bending their will, or doing what they want. adults will give reward for obedient children and give punishment whenever children dare to disobey or gaze back. 3. inherent adult-centered it mainly concerns the assumption that the authors of children’s books write the stories to provide the children with values and images that adult approve of or feel comfortable with. by large, this effort is aimed to give values and behaviors that make children easier to handle: more passive, more docile, and more obedient. as a result, children will need adults’ guidance and more willing to accept the need for it (nodelman, 1992: 2). 4. silencing and inherent silence silencing and inherent silence deals with adults’ effort to hide things, which are considered dangerous and inappropriate for children (nodelman, 1992: 2). adults want to protect children from the bitterness of life and taboo matter. for example they try to hide the matters of poverty, sexuality, and divorce, in order to believe that children are truly as innocent as they claim and that children’s life are devoid from bitterness of life. they would rather have to lie than be forced to confront children as they really are or as they really speak, whereas children crucially need the truth. in fact, the over-protective behavior from adults and the writers of children’s books precisely uneducated them. thought empowerment the railway children presents thought empowerment that is thinking ability of the children through its child characters’ knowledge or idea and understanding others feelings. the thinking ability here means the ability of children; roberta (bobbie), peter (pete), and phyllis, to develop their critical thinking and growing mind in order to overcome the situations or problems, which happened around them. thought empowerment is divided into two parts. they are thought empowerment through children’s knowledge or idea and through understanding others feelings. 1. thought empowerment through children’s knowledge and idea children have their own intelligence in the form of their knowledge and idea. knowledge includes their ability to understand something, familiarity gained by their experiences and information achieved, whereas, idea is about their plan, opinion, or conception of something. the position of children, both in reality and story, is inferior. it is because adults assume children as innocent and docile. however, in the railway children, bobbie, peter and phyllis are presented as an open mind and intelligent children. they quickly learn and understand new information that they achieved. the information, for children, will answer their curiosity and need of knowledge. it takes an important role in children’s growth. because of that, children crucially need fair and honest information of the description of life. in this story, bobbie, peter and phyllis accept new information about the equality position between boys and girls. when peter ask father whether girls can help to mend engine or not and father explains that girls are able to do all the things that boys can. 249 adam anshori the empowerment of children in edith nesbit’s the railway children ‘can girls help to mend engines?’ peter asked doubtfully. father: ‘of course they can. girls are just as clever as boys…(nesbit, 1995: 5). they learn this information first by comparing it with the fact in their daily life. in their reality, those three children mostly do their activities together. they never face any conditions that show imbalance ability between boys and girls. children then understand that the girls – bobbie and phyllisactually can do all the things that boy – peter – can do. this influences them to belief the truth of the information. the belief of equality position will construct children’s frame of thought. it empowers children to have self-confidence. bobbie and phyllis believe that they can do all things; on the other hand, peter never doubts his sisters’ capability. this will convince children that they can develop their ability and creativity to reach whatever they want in life without restricted by gender. 2. thought empowerment through understanding others’ feelings adults often assume that children are innocent, naïve, and weak. from that belief, adults think that it will be unnecessary to share or inform them about something considered difficult or complex. adults, in daily life, usually try to hide the problems and bitterness of life, such as poverty and sadness in order to keep the children away from misery. however, children can feel and see what actually happened, and may understand the situation better than what adult’s expected. “bobbie said,’ come on phil; i’ll race you to the gate.’ and she started the race, though she hated doing it”. (nesbit, 1995: 111) mother does not realize that bobbie knows her sadness. she thinks that bobbie is only tired of walking slowly. mother never expects that bobbie can do something to lift her burden up by giving her a chance to be alone. bobbie asks phyllis to race to the gate so she has her own little time to release her misery without any attentions and disturbances from her kids. bobbie’s capability to think of a way to show her affection for mother is a form of children empowerment. action empowerment the action empowerment mainly describes children’s action, behavior, and attitude in dealing with incidents in their daily life. it is divided into two parts. they are action empowerment through children’s bravery and through doing favor for others. 1. action empowerment through children’s bravery one of brave attitudes that should be learned by everybody is the willingness to confess his or her mistakes. it is important to learn because this action may require nerve to do and to accept any following consequences. peter can act and answer the station master’s greeting as usual like nothing happened before. however, he realizes that if the station master greets him first, it is plausible that the station master has not recognized him by daylight. peter does not want to feel uncertain about it. he takes a risk when he decides to inform the station master who he really is. he believes that it will be easier for both of them to make clear of this problem out. ‘i thought perhaps you didn’t know it was me that took the coals,’ peter went on,’ when you said “good 250 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee morning”. but it was, and i’m sorry. there.’ (nesbit, 1995: 38) peter wants the station master knows that he is the boy who has ever stolen the coals. fortunately, the station master appreciates his bravery to confess his mistake. the station master already has forgiven him. he has recognized peter before he greets peter. peter’s nerve to confess should be regarded as a brave attitude. he can manage his own doubt and fear to decide a proper action in solving the problem out. his action indicates his responsibility and honest personality. after this occurrence, the station master becomes one of his new friends. 2. action empowerment through doing favor for others to live in a society, children have to learn how to make relationship with others. they face the fact that they have to deal and work with others in their daily life. it is important to establish mutual assistance in their surroundings. bobbie, peter and phyllis are sociable kids. they make lots of new friends in their new neighborhood. they love to help other. there are many occasions that show their action in helping others. one of their actions is giving physical assistance to mother. they try to lessen mother’s duty by doing their own daily activities. ‘… no servant or anything. let’s get up and to be useful. we’ll just creep down mouse quietly and have everything beautiful before mother gets up.’ (nesbit, 1995: 20) in this story, the children have selfawareness to be accustomed to their duty of daily activities. it is a good habit to train discipline and responsibility. if they are able to do their daily duty well, they may be ready to a greater responsibility. feelings empowerment feeling empowerment is a form of children’s awareness and sensibility to deal with happening incidents. it is divided into two parts. they are feeling empowerment through empathy and through children’s unselfishness. 1. feeling empowerment through empathy empathy is an ability to share another’s emotion, thoughts or feelings. it is closely related to understand other’s feeling. children usually face difficulties to understand other’s feeling because of their less experience. to have sensitivity and awareness of the surroundings, children need practice. they have to learn about expressions, signs, or attitudes of a person to consider his real feelings. bobbie shows her deep empathy to the russian stranger for his suffering. she knows that he almost gives up finding his wife and kids. so when the doctor unconsciously laughs at bobbie’s story about the crying russian, she directly admonishes the doctor. ‘please don’t. you wouldn’t if you’d seen him before. i never saw a man cry before. you don’t know what it’s like.” (nesbit, 1995: 73) bobbie knows that it is hard for a man crying for his life. so, when the russian stranger cries in front of the crowd, she can feel that he is in a very distress and hopeless condition. the fact that he arrives in a foreign country without any money and ability to communicate with others makes him totally lost. moreover, he could not find any clues about his family existence in that country. it makes bobbie understands why he cries. the doctor realizes his mistake and feels sorry for what he has done. it illustrates that sometimes children have better sensitivity than adults. 251 adam anshori the empowerment of children in edith nesbit’s the railway children 2. feeling empowerment through children’s unselfishness unselfishness is the way of thinking or attitude of someone who tries to consider other’s need or welfare. it is a care expression for others. children express their unselfishness attitude on many occasions in the story. when peter gets involve in trouble, his sisters do not leave him alone to face it. they do things to help him, such as defending him or asking forgiveness for him. ‘it’s our fault just as much as peter’s. we helped to carry the coal away and we knew where he got it.” (nesbit, 1995: 32) it is clear that bobbie tries to exempt him. she tries to persuade the station master to forgive peter’s mistake. if the station master punishes him, bobbie and phyllis will deserve to get it too. the station master considers that peter actually has no intention of doing a crime. he only has a wrong perception of coal mining. his sisters try to convince the station master, and they succeed. he lets them go. their effort to help peter when he is in trouble shows their kindness and tolerance. tolerance is one form of unselfishness behavior. empowerment becomes the most interesting discussion in the railway children. this value is considered to have great influence in the improvement of children’s intelligence and emotion. child characters in children’s story are the best picture and reflection of life for them. they can portray themselves in the story, which will stimulate them to expand their experience. conclusion there are three kinds of empowerment in children characters, namely: thought empowerment, action empowerment, and feelings empowerment. thought empowerment focuses on thinking ability of the children coping with the situations or problems which happen around them. it consists of two parts. they are empowerment seen through children’s knowledge or idea and their understanding of other’s feelings. action empowerment describes children’s action, behavior, and attitude to overcome incidents in their everyday life. this type of empowerment is divided into two. they are empowerment seen through children’s bravery and their action to give favor for others. feeling empowerment shows children’s awareness and sensibility to understand other’s feeling. their awareness and sensitivity mainly deals with terrible feeling of others. feeling empowerment also consists of two parts. they are empowerment seen through children’s empathy and their unselfishness. acknowledgement in this section, the researcher personally wants to thank widyastuti purbani as the second observer. she plays an important role in order to make the data of this research credible. the researcher also wants to thank afdina afitri as partner for discussion. as fellow researcher which have the same interest in children’s literature, the discussion which we conduct help to determine the objectiveness of the research. references bogdan, r. c., & bilken, s.k. (1982). qualitative research for education: an introduction to theory and methods. boston: allyn and bacon, inc. (5) hunt, p. (1995). criticism, theory, and children’s literature. massachussets: blackwell publishers inc. (18) 252 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee jones, c. (1998). parents are teacher too. vermont: williamson publishing co. (27) lincoln, y. s., & guba, e. g. (1985). naturalistic inquiry. baverly hills: sage publication, inc. (300) little, g. (1981). approach to literature. new south wales: sciences press. (89) lukens, r. j. (1990). genre in children’s literature in critical handbook in children’s literature (4th ed). new york: harper collins. (80, 86) ------(1999). a critical handbook of children’s literature. new york: addison-wesley educational publishers, inc. (94) mayring, p. (2000). qualitative content analysis. volume 1, no. 2 &#8211 (4) moleong, l. j. (2001). metodologi penelitian kualitatif. bandung: pt. remaja rosdakarya. (178) neufeldt. (1996). webster’s new world college dictionary (3rd ed.). new york: simon and schuster, inc. (445) nesbit, e. (1995). the railway children. new york: penguin books. (5, 20, 32, 38, 73, 111) nodelman, p. (1990). the hidden meaning and the inner tale: deconstruction and the interpretation of fairy tales in children’s literature association quarterly. volume 15 no 3. (1-2) ------(1992). the other: orientalism, colonialism, and children’s literature. spring vol 17 no 1. (1) stephens, j. (1994). language and ideology in children’s fiction. new york: longman publishing. (8) tolkien, j. r. r. (1980). children and fairy stories. in only connect-readings on children’s literature (2nd ed). toronto: oxford university press. (113) west, m. i. (1988). trust your children: voices against censorship in children’s literature. new york: neal-schumann publisher inc. (viii-ix) 253 254 133 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee linguistic features analysis of the english electronic commerce websites siti nurani department of english education, faculty of language & art university of indraprasta pgri, indonesia e-mail: nurani_city@yahoo.com risa mufliharsi department of english education, faculty of language & art university of indraprasta pgri, indonesia e-mail: rsmufliharsi@gmail.com larisa yohanna department of english education, faculty of language & art university of indraprasta pgri, indonesia e-mail: larisayohanna@gmail.com apa citation: nurani, s., mufliharsi, r. & yohanna, l. (2014). linguistic features analysis of the english electronic commerce websites. english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 133-144 received: 11-03-2014 accepted: 27-04-2013 published: 01-06-2014 abstract : this research aims at identifying linguistic features used in the english electronic commerce websites used in correlation with the field, tenor and mode of discourse as parts of systemic functional linguistics (sfl) approach. findings have shown that in the field of discourse, the linguistic features are largely appeared in the experiential domain analysis which shows that all terms of registers function as technical terms, of which the two major forms of nouns and verbs were the most frequent categories among other kinds of technical terms. the goal orientation is considered to be as a long term and the social activity is exchange. in the tenor of discourse, the linguistic features are highly appeared in the social distance analysis which shows that the social distance between participants is considered minimal. the agentive role is said to be equal and the social role is considered as non-hierarchic. in the mode of discourse, the linguistic features are excessively occurred in the language role analysis which exists equally of both constitutive and ancillary. the channel is in graphic mode. the medium is in written with a visual contact as its device. key words: systemic functional linguistics, register, discourse environment. meanwhile, trudgill (1992) prefers to restrict the term jargon as specialist language used by member of particular professions or interest. the term jargon could also be defined as “a standard variety of english characteristic of occupational sub-societies primarily” (stojicic, 2004: 32). in short, they define the term jargon as a variety of language that is shaped by the work environment. the present research basically introduction each field provides specific variety of linguistic feature which is used to convey information. this variety is normally referred to as the term register or jargon. the term register is defined as “a variety of language associated with particular groups of people or particular circumstance of use” (holmes, 2007: 259). here, register is defined as a variety according to use in the particular siti nurani, risa mufliharsi & larisa yohanna linguistic features analysis 134 aims at identifying two main levels of linguistic features, that is, lexical features and grammatical features that characterize the language of the english electronic commerce found in the various websites which involves a situation in which it is used. for the purpose of this study, the writer adopts the theory of register as developed by halliday and hasan (1989) who define register as a variety according to use which includes three parameters of context of situation which it is used, that is, field, tenor and mode of discourse. the first variable, ‘field of discourse’, refers to “what is happening, to the nature of the social action that is taking place: what is it the participants are engaged in, what is the text about?” (1989: 12). for example, legalese of lawyers, the language of auctioneers, the language of commerce, baby-talk, journalese of journalists, and so forth. the discussion of nouns and verbs are largely belongs to the category of this field of discourse. second, ‘tenor of discourse’, refers to “who is taking part, to the nature of the participants, their statuses and roles: what kinds of role relationship obtain among the participants, including permanent and temporary relationships” (1989: 12). this variable functions as a marker of formality of relationship between the speaker matters that commonly affects phonology, and accent, such as when a teacher talking to the student and so forth. the intimacy of relationship between participants is also largely discussed in this category. third, ‘mode of discourse’, refers to “what part the language is playing, what it is that the participants are expecting the language to do for them in that situation: the symbolic organization of the text, the status that it has, including the channel and the rhetorical mode” (1989: 12). the role of language, channel and the medium are the aspects of this mode of discourse category. in certain respect, the use of register is intended to meet communication needs among specialists in the field. in the electronic commerce field, for instance, the terms of registers used by the sellers function as technical terms which mean that the terms are specific to the field and may be used in other fields but have different meaning in the current field. electronic commerce is a buying-selling transaction via internet where the computer website is employed as the media to do the process. as stated by turban et al. (2012: 38) that “e-commerce is an electronic trading transaction which involves the process of buying, selling, transfer, or product exchange, services or information through computer websites, including internet.” similarly, wong (2010: 33) also affirms that “e-commerce is the process of buying, selling, and marketing of goods and services via electronic system, such as radio, television and computer website or internet.” from the two points of view above, it can be concluded that e-commerce eases us to do the buyingselling transaction which is done by the computerized system and register is importantly used as the media of communication. as stated above, the choice of register is intended to give some particular groups an ease to communicate with each other. as in the language of electronic commerce which has some functions to give an ease the communication between the sellers and their buyers, such as to increase the market exposure as all the people over the world could have a global reach at the same time with only using computer media. the operating cost will also be decreased. the customer loyalty will be increased as the availability of the information as well as the supply management provided effectively. thus, the use of register tends to be important acknowledged by all the specialists. 135 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee electronic commerce can be divided into several classifications, such as: 1) “e-tailing” or “virtual storefronts” on websites with online catalogs, sometimes gathered into a “virtual mall”; 2) buying or selling on various websites and/or online marketplaces; 3) the gathering and use of demographic data through web contacts and social media; 4) electronic data interchange (edi), the business-tobusiness exchange of data; 5) e-mail and fax and their use as media for reaching prospective and established customers (for example, with newsletters); 6) business-to-business buying and selling; and 7) the security of business transactions. meanwhile, according to turban et al. (2012), electronic commerce is categorized into several types, namely: business to business, collaborative e-commerce, business to consumer, consumer to consumer, consumer to business, intra-organizational (or business to its employees), government to citizen, and mobile commerce (m-commerce). the operating system used in the e-commerce is already computerized. the buyers and sellers can do the transaction via internet or even webcam to chat each other. some of those online devices might help them to communicate directly. as the medium of communication, the use of register in doing the transaction between the seller and buyer is considered important to ease the communication. thus, it seems significant for the writers to identify linguistic features in the english electronic commerce websites. method the linguistic features analysis on this study is based on the combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis methodology which deals with the examination of some linguistic features by employing the descriptive method in analyzing the data. this is due to the fact that the purpose of this study is describing the phenomena systematically and accurately. qualitative methods in this present study involve description and analysis whereas quantitative methodology used only to count the recurring features analyzed in the data. the data analysis in this present research will be based on the framework of systemic functional linguistics (sfl) as developed by halliday and hasan (1989) who identify three variables of situation that affect the way people use register, namely: field of discourse, tenor of discourse, and mode of discourse. the data will be analyzed as follows: 1. field of discourse which includes: a. experiential domain b. goal orientation (short term vs. long term) c. social activity 2. tenor of discourse which involves the role relationships among the participants which varies according to: a. agentive role b. social role (hierarchic vs. nonhierarchic) c. social distance (minimal vs. maximal) 3. mode of discourse which consists of three main concepts, namely: a. language role (ancillary vs. constitutive) b. channel (graphic vs. phonic) c. medium (spoken vs. written) results and discussion field of discourse the field of discourse refers to the topic of the linguistic exchange. the field of discourse analysis in this present study will include three main discussions, namely: 1) experiential domain, 2) goal orientation, and 3) social activity. experiential domain the attention of this experiential siti nurani, risa mufliharsi & larisa yohanna linguistic features analysis 136 domain analysis is only given to the numbers of recurrent specific lexis which are commonly used in the english commerce websites due to the fact that lexis features analysis is one of the most salient features of the register. the analysis of the lexis of the english commerce websites discusses the four major types of word classes, that is, noun, verb, adjective, as well as acronym. (1) www.ebuy.com/appliances/n technical details: § shipping: free standard int’l postage. § shipping is by priority mail. § international items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges. § delivery: varies for items shipped from an international location. § seller ships within 1 day after receiving cleared payment. § payments: paypal. § returns: 14 days, buyer pays return shipping. § expedited flat-rate shipping with tracking number 2-5 days. note: · bold indicates single-word nouns. · underline indicates compound nouns. one of the most important categories of words that occur in the data is nouns which serve the function as the chief or head in the structure of a sentence. as seen in the example (1), there are two vast majority categories of nouns, that is, single-word nouns and compound nouns. in total, there are three hundreds and twenty four (324) nouns identified in this study which consist of two hundreds and sixteen (216) single-word nouns and one hundred and eight (108) compound nouns. in the category of single-word nouns, it is found that there are two forms defined, namely: singular form, such as price, sale, warranty, brand, item, shipping, product, delivery, seller, and so forth; and plural form, such as policies, payments, returns, and so on. in addition, there is also found the category of compound nouns, such as one-day shipping, a-to-z guarantee, paypal, flat-rate shipping, and many others. the amount of nouns found in the analyzed data functions as the technical terms which are commonly used in the commerce field. the meaning of each feature might be distinctively interpreted by two different communities (i.e., common people vs. commerce community) as those two communities have their own interpretations. the table below provides the numbers of nouns that appear in the analyzed data. these numbers are only distributed from the recurrent specific nouns which are commonly used in the commerce field. table 1. occurrences of nouns no category of nouns occurrences 1. single-word nouns 216 2. compound nouns 108 instance (2) is also exemplified to illustrate how types of verbs in the category of field of discourse can describe the context of situation. (2) www.amazon.com/grocery & gourmet food/v technical details: § shipping on orders over $35. § ships from and sold by amazon.com. § order within 15 hrs 19 mins from now. § pay as low as $10.19 and never run out with subscribe & save. § save 5% when you subscribe to regular deliveries of this item. § no commitments, no obligations, and shipping is free. 137 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee § buy one lipton tea, get one 50% off. § for a limited time, save up to 50% on your second purchase. note: · bold indicates single-word verbs. · underline indicates phrasal verbs. like noun, the other most important categories of words are verbs, which is the most complex part of speech since it has crucial function in determining the different forms of sentences (i.e., interrogatives, statements, questions, imperatives, exclamations) when it is linked with noun. in the category of verbs, there are two major types of verbs defined in this study, that is, single-word verbs and phrasal-word verbs. in total, there are two hundreds and ninety eight (298) verbs identified, which consist of one hundred and eighty six (186) single-word verbs and one hundred and twelve (112) phrasalword verbs. the high frequency of the specific recurrent verbs used in the analyzed data largely indicating the technical action process which are commonly used in the commerce field. the language use functions mostly in the form of statements and least in the form of imperatives. in the category of singleword verbs, some terms are found such as order, pay, purchase, save, buy, consume, and so on. accordingly, some verbs found in the category phrasal-word verbs are shipping on, shipping from, run out with, get off, save up, and many more. the following table provides the number of verbs that occur in the analyzed data. these numbers are only distributed from the recurrent specific verbs which are commonly used in the commerce field. table 2, occurrences of verbs no category of verbs occurrences 1. single-word verbs 186 2. phrasal-word verbs 112 illustration (3) is given to show how adjective in the category of field of discourse can be used to analyze the context of situation. (3) www.ebuy.com/clothing & accessories/adj technical details: § retails for $32.00. shipping: free standard int’l postage. § if for some reason a color or size is unavailable you will be notified right away so you can pick another color or receive a refund. § shipping is by us priority mail and only $6.95 and $2.99 for an additional item. § buy used and save 42% off the $19.99 price in limited time. § international buyers: import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. from the illustration above, the use of adjectives in the form of both positive and negative is also identified. the negation mark of prefixes uses two kinds of prefixes, for example the prefixes (un-) as in ‘unavailable’ and (not-) as in ‘not included’. some of the adjectives found in the analyzed data are available, unavailable, confidence, detailed, substantial, subtle, fit, limited, precise, additional, not included, new, original, unused, regular, resistant, free, standard, and so forth. the table below shows the numbers of adjectives occurred in the analyzed data. these numbers are only distributed from the recurrent specific adjectives which are commonly used in the commerce field. siti nurani, risa mufliharsi & larisa yohanna linguistic features analysis 138 table 3. occurrences of adjectives no category of adjectives occurrences 1 adjectives without negative prefixes 67 2 adjectives with negative prefixes 25 example (4) is also given to describe how acronym in the field of discourse plays its role in identifying the register within the context of situation being used. (4) www.ebuy.com/electronics/acr technical details: § shipping: $20.15 (approx. idr 220,170.73) usps first class mail intl/first class package intl service. § seller ships within 1 day after receiving cleared payment. product details: § model info and item model number: syd-55a § asin: b008xm3caw § upc: 041000326654 § item model number: laps 110 product description: § weighing about 35 pounds, the etl/ cetl-approved, with rear-venting. § connects to any 120-volt outlet. acronyms are other instances of feature found in the register which recur in the commerce field. both sellers and buyers will share the same frame of reference of pointing the objects they involve with and have the same commerce knowledge in defining the reference of each acronym. some acronyms identified above are asin, laps, upc, idr, usps, syd, etl/cetl, and many other. the table below shows the numbers of acronyms that recur in the analyzed data. table 4. occurrences of acronyms occurrences acronyms 53 goal orientation the purpose of doing the technical action process in such buying-selling transactions in the commerce field is considered high since the transactions need an immediate attention to be done. therefore, the purpose of giving instructions or technical commands as well as technical information is also considered high in order to make the technical action process well completed. thus, the goal orientation is mostly considered as a long term goal orientation. the instance below shows the connection among those three goal orientation of language associated by sellers and buyers in communicating their transaction. (5) www.ebuy.com/grocery & gourmet food technical details: § price: $11.99 ($45 / count) § gift-wrap available. § shipping: $12.15 (approx. idr148,170.73) usps first class mail intl/first class package intl service. § international items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges § seller ships within 1 day after receiving cleared payment.. § in stock. § please note the delivery estimate is greater than 9 business days. § please allow additional time if international delivery is subject to customs processing. § payments: paypal § returns: hassle-free returns. 30 days money back, you pay return shipping, 10% restocking fee may apply. § view shipping rates and policies. 139 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee note: · underline indicates the technical information. · bold indicates the technical commands. · italic indicates the technical action process. social activity the participants in the data analyzed (i.e., sellers and buyers) are involved in the exchange of the transactions when they are communicating such particular topic of transactions dealt in the commerce transactions which function as technical information, technical commands, and technical action processes. all the activities socially represent the communicative need from each transaction, both for sellers (i.e. to promote, to sell, to offer, etc) and for buyers (i.e., to buy or to purchase, to order, to book, etc). tenor of discourse the tenor of discourse refers to the role relationship between the participants. the tenor of discourse analysis in this present study will involve several discussions, such as agentive role, social role, and social distance. agentive role the agentive role among participants is said to be equal as they are business clients between seller (or supplier) and buyer (or customer). all participants share the same reference of words that are specific to the field which function as technical terms used as their communicative tool, such as the use of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and acronyms. social role in this social role analysis, the attention is given to the analysis of the level of hierarchic and non-hierarchic of the participants (i.e., seller and buyer) as one of the important factors in determining the participants select the language. illustration (6) shows how tenor of discourse plays its role in defining register within the context of situation being used. (6) www.ebuy.com/clothing & accessories technical details: § if for some reason a color or size is unavailable you will be notified right away so you can pick another color or receive a refund. § please note the delivery system within workdays. § international buyers: import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. these charges are the buyer’s responsibility. § please check with your country’s customs office. § first class international on average takes 4 weeks, however it can be longer, it depends on your country and on customs. § please allow additional time to customs processing. § item will be shipped immediately on the same or next business days. note: · bold indicates the use of politeness marker. · underline indicates the use of formal address form. · italic indicates the use of formal form of pronoun. · bold-italic indicates the use of formal form of modal verb. in this situation, the participants have the same level of understanding in communicating the transaction. the seller seems to be dominant in promoting and giving the advantages toward the products they offer within the text analyzed. whereas the buyer siti nurani, risa mufliharsi & larisa yohanna linguistic features analysis 140 seem to be given privilege to choose the particular product of many options available. from data analyzed above, the social role between participants is considered non-hierarchic as the language role used highly promoting some products where the participation from buyer is extremely welcomed. the language role tends to be formal as seen in such sentences, namely: the use of politeness marker ‘please’; the use of formal address form ‘buyer’; the use of formal form of pronoun ‘you’ instead of saying ‘guys’, ‘dude’, etc; as well as the use of formal form of modal verb ‘will’ which is not contracted into (‘ll). social distance the social distance of participants within the interaction as illustrated in (10) tends to be formal as influenced by the communicative need from each participant. for instance, the seller communicating the promotion uses formal expressions, such as the use of politeness marker ‘please’ as defined in the sentence “please note the delivery system within workdays”, and so forth. the use of formal address form ‘buyer’ also represents the formality of language role, as in the sentence “……..these charges are the buyer’s responsibility.” also, the use of formal form of pronoun ‘you’ as well as the use of formal form of modal verb ‘will’ which is not contracted into (‘ll) identify the formality of its language role. in conclusion, the social distance relied between participants (i.e., seller and buyer) is considered to be minimal as they communicate each other intensively and with no boundary of time and distance since they can communicate easily via internet connection where the websites as its medium of communication. mode of discourse the mode of discourse refers to the way in which the exchange is transmitted. the mode of discourse analysis in this present study will include three main discussions, that is, language role, channel, and medium. language role the attention given to this language role analysis will be on the occurrences of tense and voice identified in the data. in the tense analysis, as far as tense is concerned, present tense may be regarded as the ‘unmarked’ form of the analysis, as it represents a high frequency of all the occurrences of verbs marked for tense. in the voice analysis, the active voice would be regarded also as the ‘unmarked’ form of the analysis since it serves high amount of occurrences of verbs marked for voice. example (7) shows how mode of discourse describes the register within the context of situation being used. (7) www.ebuy.com/industrial and scientific technical details: § if for some reason a color or size is unavailable you will be notified right away so you can pick another color or receive a refund. § international items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges. § international buyers: import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying. § first class international on average takes 4 weeks, however it can be longer, it depends on your country and on customs. § priority mail international takes on average 10 business days, 20% restocking fee may apply. 141 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee note: · bold indicates the future simple. · underline indicates the present simple with modal verbs ‘can’ and ‘may’. in example (7) above, the tense analysis focuses on the analysis of the ‘marked’ tenses except present tenses. the tense analysis defines two kinds of major forms, that is, future simple and present simple with modal. the first form is the future simple form which is indicated by the use of modal ‘will’ and excessively used in the language role of technical commands. second form is the present simple with modal verbs which is marked by the form of modal verbs ‘may’ and ‘can’. the modal verbs are directly followed by either the copular verb of ‘be’ or ‘present form of verb’. this second form is mainly used in the language role represents technical action process. in conclusion, the language role used in this tense analysis is said to be constitutive in the technical action process and tends to be ancillary in the technical command. the table below shows the occurrences of “non-present” tenses. table 5. occurrences of “non-present” tenses occurrences future simple 35 present simple with modal verbs ‘can’ & ‘may’ 27 instance (8) also shows how mode of discourse describes the register within the context of situation being used. (8) www.amazon.com/health and personal care technical details: § ships from and sold by amazon. com. § item can be shipped only within the u.s. § item will be shipped immediately on the same workdays. § holidays are excluded from the shipping service with tracking number 2-5 days. § international buyers: import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. § you will be notified immediately as soon as your request. § qualifying items offered by amazon.com when you purchase 2 § delivery can be delayed because of customs in your country. note: · bold indicates the present simple. · underline indicates the present simple with modal verb ‘can’. · italic indicates the future simple. the voice analysis in the above instance focuses only on the discussion of passive voice analysis. thus, the active voice is regarded as the ‘unmarked’ voice. as seen in instance (8), the voice analysis identifies three kinds of passive voice tenses forms, namely: the present simple; the present simple with modal verb ‘can’; and the future simple. all of the forms are also excessively indicated the technical action process. both of constitutive and ancillary language role play in the technical action process. the table below shows the occurrences of passive voice in the voice analysis. table 6. occurrences of passive voice occurrences present simple 27 present simple with modal verb ‘can’ 20 future simple 25 channel the channel in this present research is all on the graphic mode which is then analyzed. the graphic mode of siti nurani, risa mufliharsi & larisa yohanna linguistic features analysis 142 the register in the commerce field is taken from the two biggest electronic commerce websites, that is, www. amazon.com and www.ebuy.com which english is used as its basis of the medium of communication. those websites are then analyzed from several categories, such as appliances, clothing and accessories, grocery and gourmet food, automotive, electronics, industrial and scientific, as well as health and personal care. medium the medium of the register of the english electronic commerce websites is in written, with a visual contact and excessively characterized by the use of endophoric reference (this, the, and it); and the use of pronouns (you and your). it is observed that language role used in communicating among others reflects and expresses the aspects of the context in which the language is used. one of the differences is certainly the vocabulary. with respect to the field of discourse, findings in the experiential domain analysis have shown that the use of lexis is a vast major occurred in the data. it is mentioned that all terms of register which are commonly used in the electronic commerce websites function as technical terms used in discussing its specialty. there are six types of technical terms found in the analysis, namely: 1) the single-word nouns; 2) the compound nouns; 3) the singleword verbs; 4) the phrasal-word verbs; 5) the adjectives; and 6) the acronyms. the goal orientation found in the data is mostly considered as a long term goal orientation with the purpose of the language selected by participant appears in three major kinds of goal orientations, that is, the technical action process, technical command, and technical information. the social activity is exchange for both sellers (i.e. to promote, to sell, to offer) and for buyers (i.e., to buy or to purchase, to order). with respect to the tenor of discourse, the agentive role between participants is said to be equal as they are seller (or supplier) and buyer (or customer). in the social role analysis, the social role between participants is considered non-hierarchic. the language role used by the seller is highly promoting some products where the participation from buyer is extremely welcomed. the seller excessively uses formal expressions, such as the use of politeness marker ‘please’ in communicating the promotion. the social distance between participants is considered minimal as they communicate each other intensively and with no boundary of time and distance since they can communicate easily via internet connection. with respect to the mode of discourse, the language role selected by participants is largely in the formal form which functions as both constitutive and ancillary language role. there are two major forms of ‘non-present’ tenses identified in tense analysis, that is, future simple and present simple with modal verb. in the voice analysis, there are three major forms of passive voice, namely: present simple; present simple with modal verbs; and future simple. the channel is all on the graphic mode. the medium of the register of the english electronic commerce websites is in written, with a visual contact, and excessively characterized by the use of endophoric reference (this, the, and it); and the use of pronouns (you and your). conclusion with respect to the three variables of situation used to analyze the register, the following are several conclusions drawn from the findings and discussions in the previous chapter: 1. in the field of discourse, the linguistic features are largely appeared in the experiential domain analysis 143 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee which shows that all terms of registers which are commonly used in the english electronic commerce websites function as technical terms used in discussing their specialty, of which the two major forms of nouns and verbs (i.e., single-word and compound/phrasal word forms) were the most frequent categories of technical terms identified among other kinds of technical terms. the goal orientation is considered to be as a long term goal orientation and the social activity is exchange. 2. in the tenor of discourse, the linguistic features are highly appeared in the social distance analysis which shows that the social distance between participants is considered minimal and largely exists in the formal language. the agentive role is said to be equal and the social role is considered as non-hierarchic. 3. in the mode of discourse, the linguistic features are excessively occurred in the language role analysis which exists largely in the formal form of both constitutive and ancillary language role. the channel is in graphic mode. the medium is in written with a visual contact as its device. the present research only stresses on the analysis of register in the english electronic commerce websites where the identification of linguistic features which are used in correlation with the field, tenor and mode of discourse becomes its main focus. it is recommended for those interested in investigating the role of conversational discourse study related to understanding and addressing cross-cultural communication to do some more research on register by identifying some other linguistic features which are used in correlation to the variables of situations. for further research, it is advised specifically to scholars in indonesia to do some more investigations on register in such other fields or interests by looking at the theoretical underpinnings of an interactional sociolinguistic approach. it is aimed as they can have more understanding of how language works to create and communicate meaning in interaction of particular groups of people. this study only takes account of the parameter of register in relation to the context of situation in sociolinguistic point of view. hence, it is suggested for further researchers to also link other perspectives, such as translation methodology, esp angles, corpus-based approach and so forth. references anderson, w. j. (2006). the phraseology of administrative french: a corpus-based study. international journal of corpus linguistics, 13(1), 128-134. berglin, i. t. (2009). “really? you’re gonna say ‘tunes’?”: the functions of register clashes in the television drama series “gilmore girls”. (thesis). malardalen university. biber, d. & edward f. (1994). sociolinguistics perspectives on register. new york: oxford university press, 104-135. brunelle, m. (2009). contact-induced change? register in three cham dialects. journal of the southeast asian linguistics society, 2, 1-22. halliday, m. a. k. & hasan. r. (1989). language, context and text: aspects of language in a social-semiotic perspective. london: oxford university press. holmes, j. (2007). an introduction to sociolinguistics. london: longman. jankowski, b. (2006). the s-vs of-genitive in standard canadian english: grammatical change or register change? university of toronto, 1-12. legrier, o. v., bernicot, j., & bert, e. a. (2009). electronic mail, a new writtenlanguage register: a study with frenchspeaking adolescents. british journal of developmental psychology, 27, 163–181. olateju, m. a., & yusuf, y. k. (2006). backchannel communication in ola rotimi’s our husband has gone mad siti nurani, risa mufliharsi & larisa yohanna linguistic features analysis 144 again. nordic journal of african studies, 15(4), 520-535. romaine, s. (2000). language in society: an introduction to sociolinguistics. oxford university press. stojicic, v. (2004). sociolinguistic stimuli to development of the english lexicon– language contact and social need. linguistics and literature, 3(1), 29-36. trudgill, p. (1996). sociolinguistics: an introduction to language and society. harmondsworth: penguin. turban e., david k, lee j., liang t. p., turban d. (2012). web inteligence and e commerce. new jersey: prentice-hall. wong, j. 2010. internet marketing for beginners. indonesian edition. jakarta : pt. elex media komputindo. wardhaugh, r. (1997). introduction to sociolinguistics. oxford: blackwell publishers. investigating turntaking strategies in class discussions among esl adult learners english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee investigating turntaking strategies in class discussions among esl adult learners noor hanim rahmat academy of language studies uitm johor branch, pasir gudang campus, malaysia e-mail: patanim@gmail.com sharifah amani bte syed abdul rahman academy of language studies uitm johor branch, pasir gudang campus, malaysia e-mail: shari348@johor.uitm.edu.my d rohayu mohd yunos academy of language studies uitm johor branch, pasir gudang campus, malaysia e-mail: droha932@johor.uitm.edu.my apa citation: rahmat, n. h., rahman, s. a. b. s. a,., & yunos, d. r. m. (2015). investigating turntaking strategies in class discussions among esl adult learners. english review: journal of english education, 3(2), 139-144 received: 10-04-2015 accepted: 03-04-2015 published: 01-06-2015 abstract: this quantitative study looked into class discussion strategies used by adult esl learners. findings revealed several benefits of class discussions for adult learners. among some of them are, adult learners practice turn-taking skills in a non-combative environment. the sharing of ideas allowed freedom of thoughts among the learners. on the other hand, adult learners also learn to agree or disagree politely using turn-taking strategies. finally, the benefits of class discussions may go beyond classroom needs such as improving critical thinking skills among learners. this ability is seen when learners participate in group work and discussions. learners gain accessibility to participate comfortably in discussions when they are pun in a non-combative environment. this will thus give them the freedom to discuss any topics openly. this freedom will further enhance their general participation in the discussion. however, in a normal conversational process, speakers need to learn to speak up and also to give others space to voice their opinions. learners need the knowledge of turn-taking skills in order to participate actively in the discussion. this turntaking skills can be taught in esl classrooms through class discussions. keywords: esl classroom, adult learners, class discussion strategies, general participation introduction according to bagaric and djigunovic (2007), outlined communicative competence models and concluded that the “competence to communicate” can be seen from many angles. with regards to malaysian esl learners, being able to communicate competently would be the ability to hold a conversation and be understood by the listener. hence knowing how to speak and successfully participating in class discussions may require different set of skills in the esl classroom. the objective of this study is to explore how adult learners behave during class discussions. the researcher will look into how students are influenced by class mailto:patanim@gmail.com mailto:shari348@johor.uitm.edu.my mailto:droha932@johor.uitm.edu.my noor hanim rahmat, sharifah amani bte syed abdul rahman & d rohayu mohd yunos investigating turntaking strategies in class discussions among esl adult learners discussion, and also how their agreement and disagreement influence their participation. this study is based on the following questions: (1) is there any significant difference between gender for class discussion and general participation? (2) in what ways are students influenced by class discussion? (3) in what ways do students’ general participation influence class discussion? figure 1: class discussions general participation figure 1 above shows the theoretical framework of the study. during class discussions, esl learners are reported to use turn taking strategies to participate in the conversation. this research explores the turn taking strategies employed during general participation, when the learners want to show their agreement, as well as when they want to voice out their disagreement. according to barnes (2014), adults’ learning can be influenced by two factors and they are (a) the control factor and (b) the diversity factor. when faced with the control factor, adults have an innate need to have some mastery or control over their own lives. they need to be self-directed and take responsibility for themselves. they tend to strongly resent not being able to make choices. they want to take an active, rather than a passive role in their education. we need to seek ways to include them in the planning of their educational experience. we need to consider giving them choices in assignments and projects that will offer a variety of ways to show that learning has occurred. next, according to the diversity factor, adult learners vary greatly from one another in terms of experiences and age. the variety they bring to the classroom can greatly enhance the learning environment. by using collaborative efforts and group discussion or projects, adult learners can all benefit from their shared experiences. interactive dialogue facilitates increased solutions and options over simple private reflection. as educators, we must allow more time for networking among adult learners to share perspectives and experiences. in addition, we need to prepare our presentations to meet the needs of every learning style in the classroom. according to weimer (2011), there are several benefits of class discussions. firstly, class discussions with peers allow learners accessibility. learners are comfortable talking about issues with their peers no matter how serious or trivial the topics are. next, class discussions can be done in noncombative environment. for, example, when students answer or try to explain, teachers can see the extent of their english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee understanding. they can correct (or help the students correct) what the students haven’t got right or don’t see quite clearly. in addition to that, when teachers ask questions or otherwise seek student input over a topic, they are letting students know something about the importance of certain ideas and information.during class discussions, teachers may allow diversity of ideas when he/she picked controversial topics for discussion. planned class discussion can also allow students to practice cohesion and focus. participation gives students the chance to practice using a different vocabulary.finally, the academic yet friendly environment, may give the students a sense of trust that whatever they discussed openly was only done for the sake of discussion. the learners can feel safe in general discussions, or when they agree with certain issues or disagree over some controversial matters. class discussions allow real-world communication to take place. bagaric and djigunovic (2007 defined communicative competence as the ability to communicate in real life situations; instead of just the classroom settings. this does not only refer to the informal mode of communication, but also the use of different turn taking strategies for communication. firstly, the informal atmosphere during the class discussion encourage general participation among the learners. they learn certain skills like introducing a topic, bringing other people into a conversation, and if they are not capable of doing so, they learn from their group members how these skills are done. next, learners also learn to keep the discussion moving, give their opinion, or even get further information. the study by carlson (2006) looked at “honour”level 10th grade world history class at a public school in st. paul,minnesota. the research focused on students’ participation in classroom discussions. a survey was carried out and the data is compared with the learners’ grades to see if there were any relations participation, learning styles and overall assessment. findings suggested that the students with higher assessment scores were found to participate more in class. there were little correlation between learning styles and teachers’ participation ratings. davis (2013) looked at adult learners’ ability to participate in strategic classroom discussion. he explored the use of classroom discussion for extending critical thinking and content comprehension among students. the findings suggested that adult learners are self-directed and independent, with a wealth of experience from which to draw when learning, and a need to see immediate relevance in their education as it relates to their current social roles. they also found brainstorming of ideas useful as the activity could help them highlight key issues. they benefit from being directly involved in the development of their learning activities, and often seek help from others they see as more knowledgeable when they approach new tasks. method this is a qualitative research. participants are taken from adult distance learning degree classes. a questionnaire is used as the instrument. it has four sections: section a is the demographic profile, section b is the general participation, section c is the agreement and section d is the disagreement. analysis of data is done by spss to reveal significant differences and frequency of responses by the participants. noor hanim rahmat, sharifah amani bte syed abdul rahman & d rohayu mohd yunos investigating turntaking strategies in class discussions among esl adult learners results & discussion research question 1-is there any significant difference between gender for class discussion participation, and general participation? class discussion table 2results of independent ttest comparing male and female in class discussion results independent t-test n x sd t p class discussion male 13 2.01 .66 .34 .74female 34 1.94 .62 *t-test significant is at .05 (2 tailed) table 2 indicates the result of mean score and standard deviation between male and female on class discussion. (x = 2.01) for male and (x = 1.94) for female. the independent t-test comparing between male and female reported that there is no statistically significant difference in the mean score (t (45) = .34), p = .74) at the 0.05 level. this means the participation of male or female learners will not influence the flow of the discussion. general participation table 3-results of independent ttest comparing male and female in general participation results independent t-test n x sd t p general participation male 13 2.00 .50 -1.91 .06female 34 2.28 .46 *t-test significant is at .05 (2 tailed) table 3 indicates the result of mean score and standard deviation between male and female in general participation. (x = 2.00) for male and (x = 2.28) for female. the independent t-test comparing between male and female reported that there is no statistically significant difference in the mean score (t (45) = -1.91), p = .06) at the 0.05 level. research question 2-in what ways are students influenced by class discussion? figure 4. percentage for class discussions english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee figure 4 above shows the percentage for class discussions for adult esl learners. the highest frequency among the participants is that they felt the topic that they discussed would be useful to them later (always-40.4%). this is followed by “listen to different to different opinion of others” (always34%). next, the participants agreed that class discussions allowed them to understand issues around them (very often-55.3%). they also felt that the discussions allowed them to discuss issues openly (very often-53.2%). these findings are agreed by barnes (2014) who also felt that adult learners benefit from the shared experience, hence, they value a variety of opinions and they felt topics brought up could be useful for them in the future. research question 3in what ways do general participation influence class discussion? figure 5. percentage for general participation figure 5 shows the percentage for general participation. this finding reveals that the adult participants felt that in a class discussion, introducing the topic is always (53.2%0) important. next, they also felt that the introduction of the topic at the beginning of the discussion, always (57.4%) helped them highlight key topics to be discussed. in addition to that, they felt very often (59.6%) allowed others to give their opinions. they also felt that by doing so, they allowed their peers to brainstorm ideas (very often57.4%). the study by davies (2013) also reported similar findings where adult learning used brainstorming activities to help them focus on key issues. conclusion figure 6 shows the summary of findings. this study reveals that very often, class discussions encourage learners to trust group members to listen to their opinions of issues, and allow the cohesion of many different opinions. it also encourages the introduction of a diversity of ideas in a non-combative environment. this non-threatening environment thus allows the accessibility of opinions among group members. in addition to that, through general participation, participants learn to bring in the opinion of other people. they also learn to seek clarification when they noor hanim rahmat, sharifah amani bte syed abdul rahman & d rohayu mohd yunos investigating turntaking strategies in class discussions among esl adult learners were unclear about certain issues. they also learnt to give opinions, introduce topics or even get further information in the group setting. subsequently, they also learn to interrupt conversations to get their opinion heard, or to keep their discussion moving. finally, they learnt to paraphrase another person’s idea as well as close the discussion. figure 6-summary of findings references barnes, l. (2014). achieving success with adult learners. retrieved from http://emarketing.delmarlearning.co m/milady/milady_news_fall05_classr oom.asp bagaric, v. & djigunnovic, j. m. (2007). defining communicative competence. metodika, 8(1) 94-103. retrieved from htt:// hrcak.srce.hr/file/42651. carlson, t. (2006). research on strategies to encourage greater discussions. retrieved from http://www.macalester.edu/educatio nreform/actionresearch/tommyc.pdf davis, h.s. (2013). discussion as a bridge: strategies that engage adolescent and adult learning styles in the postsecondary classroom. journal of the scholarship of teaching and learning, 13(1), 68 – 76. retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej101 1682.pdf howard, j. r. (2004).what does research tell us about classroom discussion?” pages 2-8 in jay r. howard (editor). 2004. discussion in the college classroom: applications for sociology instruction. washington, dc: american sociological association. retrieved from http://digitalcommons.butler.edu/cgi /viewcontent.cgi?article=1163&contex t=facsch_papers murphy, p.k., wilkinson, a.g., soter,a.o. hennessey,n. and alexandar,j.f. (2009) examining the effects of classroom discussion on students’comprehension of text: a meta-analysis. journal of educational psychology, 2009, vol. 101, no. 3, 740 – 764 octavio, l. (2012) turn-taking: whose turn is it anyway? retrieved from http://www.luizotaviobarros.com/20 12/02/turn-taking.html weimer, m. (2011). 10 benefits of getting students to participate in classroom discussions.from “uses for participation. the teaching professor, 23(9). retrieved from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles /teaching-and-learning/10-benefits-ofgetting-students-to-participate-inclassroom-discussions/ class discussion 1. trust 2. cohesion and focus 3. diversity 4. non-combative 5. assessibility general partcipation 1.bringing in other people 2. seeking clarificaction 3. giving an opinion 4. introducing a topic 5. getting further information 6. interrupting 7. keeping the discussion moving 8. paraphrasing another person's idea 9. closing the discussion http://emarketing.delmarlearning.com/milady/milady_news_fall05_classroom.asp http://digitalcommons.butler.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1163&context=facsch_papers http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/10-benefits-of-getting-students-to-participate-in-classroom-discussions/ endang darsih indonesian efl teachers’ perception 192 indonesian efl teachers’ perception on the implementation of 2013 english curriculum endang darsih department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, the university of kuningan, indonesia email: she_n2@yahoo.com apa citation: darsih, e. (2014). indonesian efl teachers’ perception on the implementation of 2013 english curriculum. english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 192-199 received: 15-03-2014 accepted: 27-03-2013 published: 01-06-2014 abstract: since 2014-2015 academic year, the ministry of education and culture of republic of indonesia finally decided to implement the 2013 curriculum. restoring character education and improving students’ creative thinking are the main reasons of the new curriculum development. this study employed teachers’ understanding and perception on the implementation of 2013 english curriculum and identified problems encountered by the teachers in implementing the 2013 english curriculum. through qualitative design, the study was conducted at one of vocational high schools in kuningan, west java. this study reveals that the teacher’s understanding toward 2013 curriculum is quite close to the basic principles of the curriculum and most of teachers claim that the new curriculum cannot be easily implemented at the moment since they find several problems in implementing 2013 english curriculum. they got difficulties in applying new learning revolution, developing assessment rubrics and the shortage of english duration at school will not ensure to improve students’ competence. it also recommended that the teachers should put more efforts on applying the 2013 curriculum in the teaching and learning process by joining any training, workshop and improve their creativity and adapt to the advance of knowledge and technology. keywords: 2013 english curriculum, teachers’ understanding, teachers’ perception this 2014-2015 academic year, government finally decided to implement the new designed curriculum, the 2013 curriculum. thousands of schools, ranging from elementary (sd), junior high (smp), and senior high (sma) schools have participated in the try out. this curriculum was officially launched on 15 july 2014 starting with first, fourth, seventh and 10th graders. the main reasons to justify the implementation of the new curriculum is because the government wants to restore character education and improve students’ creative thinking. the 2013 curriculum is still new for our society because it has just been implemented this year, so there is not yet research reports related to the 2013 curriculum. however, the 2013 curriculum is the development introduction the indonesian ministry of education and culture has made some curriculum adjustments which consider certain points such as what students should learn, how is the content and learning sequences given to the students, and how will the lesson started (hartoyo, 2011). this adjustment consequently changed the previous curriculum called kurikulum tingkat satuan pendidikan (ktsp) or school based curriculum (sbc) with the new one called the 2013 curriculum. here, curriculum is a set of plans and rules about goals, contents, and learning materials as well as the way of using it as guidance for implementation of learning activities aimed at a specific goal national education standardized institution (bsnp, 2006). 193 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee or perfection of ktsp or school-based curriculum, therefore some previous research on school-based curriculum are taken in this study. one of the studies was conducted by the indonesian curriculum research centre, which is a government agency under the department of the national education (pusat kurikulum, 2007 in sulfasyah, 2013). the purpose of the study was to monitor the implementation of the ktsp in primary, junior high and senior high schools at the national level. the study was conducted in the capital cities of 33 provinces across indonesia. data were collected from four different sources: the department of education both at the provincial and district level, school principals, teachers, and parents from school boards. using questionnaires, interviews, observations and document analysis, this study revealed that most of the schools involved had not implemented the ktsp effectively. in addition to this research, several teacher researchers (jayani, 2008; rochminah, 2008 in sulfasyah, 2013) have investigated the use of new teaching approaches, which reflect some of the underlying pedagogical concepts outlined in the ktsp, such as contextual teaching and learning, cooperative and collaborative work and discovery learning. these studies were undertaken in senior high schools and focused on particular subject areas, such as mathematics and science. they found that where teachers had used the new teaching approaches, there was evidence of improved learning outcomes for their students. thus, this research suggests there may be some areas and disciplines where implementation of the schoolbased ktsp has been relatively effective. the last, the research conducted by directorate general of teacher quality improvement (dirjen pmptk), ministry of national education on the school-based curriculum (ktsp) implementation in schools in central java year 2010, it was found that there were a number of obstacles in the implementation of ktsp. they are : (1) the insufficient number of media and instructional aids to support the implementation of ktsp; (2) teachers do not sufficiently and thoroughly understand ktsp; (3) insufficient numbers of workshops, guidance, and reference in developing ktsp; (4) insufficient time allocation and students’ study load; (5) too many variations of materials given by trainers in ktsp training; (6) training for teachers in rural areas need to be intensified (hartoyo, 2011). the ministry of education and culture states that 2013 curriculum, a means of integrating values systems, knowledge and skills, has orientation on developing the learners’ competencies, the changing of teaching-learning methodology towards teachinglearning process which gives priorities on the learning experiences through observing, inquiring, associating, and communicating so as to enhance the values of competitiveness and build prime characters. to achieve all of these, the teaching methodology involves not only exploration, elaboration, confirmation, but also observation, inquiry, analysis, reasoning, description, inference, evaluation and creation (kemendikbud, 2012: 25 in srijono, 2013: 59). according to richards (1985: 70) curriculum is an educational program in which it is: (a) the educational purpose of the program (the ends); (b) the content, teaching procedures and learning experiences which will be necessary to achieve this purpose (the means); (c) some means for assessing whether or not the educational ends have been achieved. brown (1995: 19) defines curriculum as a series of activities that contribute to the growth of consensus among the staff, endang darsih indonesian efl teachers’ perception 194 faculty, administration, and students. this series of curriculum activities will provide a framework that helps teachers to accomplish whatever combination of teaching activities is most suitable in their professional judgment for a given situation, that is, a framework that helps the students to learn as efficiently and effectively as possible in the given situation. the question is whether this 2013 curriculum can fulfill public’s needs and expectation or not. whether it can play a role in improving the quality of education in indonesia or not. again, although curriculum is an essential element in determining the education quality, there are other factors that we should consider like teachers’ professionalism, supports of society and environment, as well as media. it is impossible to achieve high quality education by solely depending on a good curriculum without the support of those other factors. considering the explanation above, therefore, the writer has investigated one of vocational high schools in kuningan. it intends to portray the implementation of the 2013 english curriculum. this study was sought to do the following: 1) to find out teachers’ understanding toward the 2013 english curriculum, 2) to find out teachers’ perception on the 2013 english curriculum, and 3) to find out problems faced by teachers in implementing the 2013 english curriculum. the result of the study provides teachers and administrators as well as government with empirical evidence on the implementation of 2013 curriculum and its benefits. further, the result of the research is expected to give a valuable contribution in developing the teaching of english based on 2013 curriculum. it is also expected to be a foundation of making policies for the school’s authorities to improve the quality of their professions. method the research is conducted in qualitative design because it investigates a phenomenon which is described by cresswell (1994) as an approach which inquires often makes knowledge claims based primarily on constructivist perspectives. the researcher physically goes to the people, setting, site or institution to interview or record in its natural setting. the research was conducted in one of state vocational high schools in kuningan because this school is trying out this curriculum. besides, the writer has an easy access to the school; she was graduated from this vocational high school so she is interested in doing the research. two english teachers are chosen as the sample of the research because they teach the first graders in which 2013 curriculum is tried out. in collecting the data, the research used two instruments. they were questionnaires and interview. the questionnaire was distributed to gain the data about the teachers’ perception on the implementation of 2013 english curriculum. there are ten closed questions which were answered by the teachers. it used likert-scale which consists of a group of statements that should be marked by the teachers. there are three responses category: s (setuju/ agree), n (netral/neutral), ts (tidak setuju/diagree) if he does not agree. for more detailed of the statements, it can be seen in appendix. the researcher asked feedback from the colleague in the school to get the validity of the questionnaire. the interview format used was open-ended questions which allow the respondents to give totally free answers. two english teachers of the first graders are interviewed by using indonesian language and english. they were asked several questions related to the implementation of 2013 english curriculum. 195 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee interview and questionnaires were administered at the same time; on the first of may 2014. the data of interview is then transcribed which is finally analyzed and interpreted. so does questionnaire. most of the interviews were conducted in english. nevertheless there were a number of occasions whereby bahasa indonesia is used as the respective respondents felt more comfortable using the language. each interview took approximately 30 minutes, was audio-tapped and then transcribed by the interview as soon as possible. the data taken from interview and questionnaires were analyzed qualitatively. since the topic is about 2013 curriculum, so the focus of analysis is on its components; how teachers comprehend goals or objectives, content, method and evaluation or assessment based on 2013 curriculum. the writer also analyzes the problems faced by teachers in implementing this 2013 curriculum. results and discussion the purpose of this study is to portray the implementation of 2013 curriculum in teaching of english. the following are the findings of this study: teachers’ understanding based on the interview, it is found that teacher’s understanding about 2013 curriculum is quite close to the basic principles of 2013 curriculum. their answers to the questions are closely related to the extant theories of the curriculum. regarding definition and objectives of 2013 curriculum, from the interview, reveals that teachers know well about 2013 curriculum including the objectives of the curriculum. it is also found that the implementation of 2013 curriculum has its purpose to build a prime character of learners as well as knowledge and skills in order to encourage and prepare the learners to play their roles in society positively and meaningfully because both teachers think that the previous curriculum only focuses on improvement of knowledge and skill or cognitive aspect and not pay more attention on attitude and students’ creative thinking. background of 2013 curriculum based on the interview, it is found that both teachers have same understanding about background of 2013 curriculum implementation. it is revealed from the interview: “sebetulnya tidak hanya pada degradasi moral saja, menurut penelitian bahwa keberhasilan seseorang di kemudian hari sangat dipengaruhi oleh penanaman sikap dan pola asuh yang ditanamkan sebelumnya. misalnya orang yang secara akademik dia bagus, tapi ternyata tidak memiliki sikap kreatif, sikap kreatif itu tidak bisa hanya diperoleh dengan transfer knowledge, sikap baik ditanamkan tidak ujug-ujug atau tiba-tiba, tapi butuh proses, sehingga sejak awal pemerintah berupaya untuk menciptakan warga yang kreatif, inovatif, dan produktif. itu landasan filosofisnya yang saya tahu. pendidikan terlalu menitikberatkan pada pengetahuan atau aspek kognitif dan kurang bermuatan karakter yang mendalam”. “actually, not only the moral degradation, according to research that person’s success in later life is strongly influenced by the cultivation of attitudes and parenting is implanted previously. for example, people who are academically good, but he did not has a creative attitude that can not be obtained only by the transfer of knowledge, good attitude instilled not suddenly, but it takes the process, so that from the outset the government is attempting to create a creative, innovative, and productive citizen. it was a philosophical foundation that i know. education is too focused on cognitive aspects and knowledge or lack of character depth charged”. endang darsih indonesian efl teachers’ perception 196 it indicates that the background of 2013 curriculum is the importance of good character of students; therefore the 2013 curriculum is aimed at preparing students who are creative, innovative, productive and “berakhlak mulia”. students who are academically good do not ensure that they have good attitude and excellent characters. this attitude is not coming immediately, it needs process. good attitude and characters can’t be taught just by transferring knowledge, but it need the real model, therefore it is a must for teachers to have four important competencies namely pedagogical competence, social competence, professional competence, and personality competence. teachers should be a good model for their students. approach and method according to permendikbud no. 81a tahun 2013, it is stated that the process of learning in 2013 curriculum is conducting by concerning five main learning experiences: observing, questioning, collecting information, associating, and communicating. what teachers said in the interview is in line with this principle as stated in the following: “...dari konten tidak ada perbedaan yang signifikan, cuma yang lebih menonjol dalam kurikulum 2013 adalah scientific approach itu. selama ini ketika mendengar ktsp tidak diekplisitkan anak itu harus mengalami observing, questioning, exploring, associating, communicating or networking”. (“... of the content no significant difference, just more prominent in the curriculum of 2013 is the scientific approach. during this time when listening ktsp, does not explicitly have to go through observing, questioning, exploring, associating, communicating or networking”.) assessment based on the interview, revealed that both teachers have similar understanding about assessment. they comprehend that assessment must be authentic. it means that teacher must observe, assess a real student’s ability, not only in the end of the process of learning, but while the process, even in the pre activity. teachers’ perception perception in this study is defined as what teachers think and feel about the 2013 curriculum based on their experiences in implementing it. it is found from the questionnaire; teachers think that although the 2013 curriculum is just a modification from a previous curriculum, 2013 curriculum and its implementation are still confusing so it is hard to be implemented at the moment. they have such a perception since they rarely join a kind of training or workshop dealing with the 2013 curriculum. it is revealed from the interview: teacher: “untuk pelatihan tentang kurikulum 2013 pernah, saya pernah mengikuti sosialisasi kurikulum 2013 kalau tidak salah baru sekali.” (“for the 2013 curriculum training ever, i’ve followed the socialization of 2013 curriculum i think it was only once.” it is also found from the questionnaire that both teachers agree that socialization is a prominent effort to determine the success of the 2013 curriculum. this implies that though 2013 curriculum is not a new curriculum, it is still confusing especially for those who are lack of understanding of this curriculum. it indicates that socialization of the 2013 curriculum is crucial to conduct frequently. in other words, the socialization of the 2013 197 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee curriculum is an urgent need to conduct to make teachers familiar with the new features which do not exists in the previous curriculum. nevertheless, the two teachers think that 2013 curriculum is most appropriate curriculum to be implemented in indonesia nowadays regarding the recent conditions of indonesia. it is revealed from the interview: teacher: “i do agree with the implementation of 2013 curriculum, but it must be adjusted in some things. i don’t think by available textbook it will kill teacher’s creativity as many people said, because the team writing the book is eligible. but i think that the textbook is not the only source for the teacher, teacher must enrich their knowledge, for example they can download the material from internet to adjust with the real life. mastery of technology is a must for teacher.” from other questionnaire’s items, it is found that pre-service teacher #1 and pre-service teacher #2 have the same opinion. both agree that curriculum is a compulsory reference or guidance in the teaching-learning process. however they think that 2013 curriculum cannot be used to solve any problem of education in indonesia. these indicate that curriculum is an absolute requirement for education at school. it cannot be apart from education or instruction. since education is a deliberate effort, a plan is needed to guide the effort and the term ‘curriculum’ generally refers to this plan. the last is about assessment. from the questionnaire’s item number eight it is found that both teachers agree that they find it hard to apply authentic assessment. they were accustomed to assess the final product by giving students tests, assignments and so on. now, based on 2013 curriculum they are pushed to assess students’ competency comprehensively, they not only assess students knowledge but also their attitude, behavior and performance through observations and rubrics. this is quite difficult for teacher because of lack of preparation. probably when the format or rubrics are provided by school or government it will help teachers in applying authentic assessment. it is revealed from the interview: teacher: “in 2013 curriculum assessment must be authentic. it means that teacher must observe, assess a real students ability, not only in the end of the process of learning, but while the process, even in the pre activity, for example we have to prepare material, state the objective or goal, teacher process must be met with the objective that he/she want to accomplish. in short, both teachers have similar perception on 2013 curriculum. in general, their perception indicates that the two teachers agree but still doubtful in implementing 2013 curriculum. in addition, most of teachers face difficulties in applying authentic assessment. in one side, they agree that applying 2013 curriculum, as a reference and guidance in teaching-learning process, is appropriate in indonesia nowadays regarding the recent conditions of indonesia. problems based on the interview, it is found that there are three problems faced by the teachers in implementing 2013 curriculum. first, it is quite hard to apply authentic assessment because teachers tend to assess final product of students competency. as we know that in 2013 curriculum english learning is assessed by authentic assessment or alternative assessment which gives students opportunity to apply not only knowledge but also skill and attitude inside the classroom and outside the endang darsih indonesian efl teachers’ perception 198 classroom. it is aimed at giving feedback on any students’ language ability in the real situation. it indicates that teachers must assess students competency comprehensively, teacher must observe, assess the real student’s ability, not only in the end of the process of learning, but also during the process. authentic assessment not only assess final product but also respects students’ thinking ability behind assignment and learning process. therefore it pushes teachers to develop assessment rubrics. rubric is developed for every assignment and should describe competency that must be achieved by the students. for those who have not become accustomed to this kind of assessment find it difficult to develop the rubrics especially for assessing students’ attitude. second one, teachers need to adapt with the learning revolution based on 2013 curriculum. as we know that the 2013 curriculum emphasizes a modern pedagogical dimension in the learning process by using scientific approach. scientific approach covers five steps namely observing, questioning, associating, experimenting, and networking (syahmadi, 2013: 35). by using this approach, the teachers are pushed to use multimedia to support their teaching and to be creative in arranging short questions for the students. it is found from the interview that the role of teachers in this case just as facilitator, they let their students to solve the problems and do not help students much in the teaching-learning process. students-centered learning should be achieved in the learning process to make them independent. however english teachers find it hard to apply scientific approach. for example, when observing, teacher asks students to watch a video between about making a reservation. ideally after watching or observing a video, students should ask question and discuss what they watch and listen on the video with others by using english. the problem is students especially the first graders find it difficult to express their ideas, their opinions and their findings in english because they tend to use their mother tongue therefore teachers play an important role in this step to guide their students for examples by giving some clues in order to make students speak english. another problem related to learning approach is teachers’ competency. this scientific approach demands teacher to be creative, master technology and enrich their knowledge. nevertheless, some teachers are not able to operate more advanced-technology tools/instruments as their media in teaching english in class. the last, in english 2013 curriculum, the duration of english is very short, only two credit hours, so it’s hard for teachers to provide or improve students’ competence by giving them exercises and opportunity to practice english. the shortage of time does not only influence ideal objective of education, but also politically and economically on the teachers. conclusion considering the results of data analysis, some points can be concluded. first, the teachers’ understanding toward 2013 english curriculum is quite close to the basic principles of the curriculum. second, dealing with the teachers’ perception on 2013 curriculum, this study revealed that 2013 curriculum is still not easy to be implemented at the moment. third, teachers find several problems in implementing 2013 english curriculum which are difficulties in applying new learning revolution, developing assessment rubrics and shortage of english time at school will not ensure to improve students’ competence. 199 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee it is recommended that the teachers put more efforts on applying the 2013 curriculum in the teaching and learning process. in other words, the teachers have to improve their various teaching methods, improve their creativity and adapt to the advancement of knowledge and technology. as a result, the teaching and learning process will be enjoying and make the students more motivated in learning. the teachers should also improve their language competence and performance since they become the “model” for the students in acquiring the language competencies besides the other sources of learning. it is also important for the teachers to join any training, workshop and socialization of this 2013 curriculum to get deep understanding since such activities will help them to implement the curriculum well. references badan standar nasional pendidikan. (2006). panduan penyusunan kurikulum tingkat satuan pendidikan jenjang pendidikan dasar dan menengah. jakarta: bsnp. brown, j. d. (1995). the elements of language curriculum – a systematic approach to program development. heinle & heinle publishers. boston. united states of america. creswell, j. w. (1994). research design qualitative and quantitative approaches. london: sage publisher. hartoyo. (2011). a handout about curriculum and material development in english language teaching. panduan penguatan proses pembelajaran sekolah menengah pertama. kemendikbud dirjen dikdasmen. 2013 salinan peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia nomor 65 tahun 2013 tentang standar proses. salinan peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia nomor 66) tahun 2013 tentang standar penilaian. salinan peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia nomor 68 (smp), 69 (sma) tahun 2013 tentang standar proses. salinan peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia nomor 81a tahun 2013 tentang implementasi kurikulum. sulfasyah. (2013). investigating the implementation of the indonesian ktsp (school-based curriculum) in the teaching of writing in year two. thesis. edith cowan university. perth, western australia richards, j. c. (2001). curriculum development in language teaching. cambridge university press. united kingdom. syahmadi, h. (2013). bedah kurikulum 2013 bagi guru bahasa inggris. bandung: cv. adoya mitra sejahtera srijono, d. (2013). principles of english instructional design – modul plpg english language teaching and learning theory and practice. badan pengembangan sumber daya manusia. pendidikan kebudayaan dan penjaminan mutu pendidikan (bpsdmp-pmp). indonesia. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee *english education study program, fkip universitas bengkulu, indonesia. 85 needs analysis for english grammar learning model from students’ perspectives wisma yunita* doctoral candidate in applied linguistics, postgraduate program, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail:wisma.yunita@mahasiswa.unj.ac.id emzir universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail:emzir.unj@unj.ac.id ilza mayuni universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail:ilza.mayuni@unj.ac.id apa citation: yunita, w., emzir & mayuni, i. (2018). need analysis for english grammar learning model from students’ perspectives. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 85-94. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1258. received: 25-02-2018 accepted: 28-04-2018 published: 01-06-2018 abstract: need analysis is required to take place before developing a model for learning so that results meet the needs of the students who will use the model. this descriptive study aims at finding out the needs in learning english grammar from students’ perspectives at the eesp of the university of bengkulu. the data was taken through a questionnaire with 65 questions given to 44 students who took structure i course in the 2016-2017 academic year and analyzed quantitatively. the results of this study reveal that the students need a clear goals of learning english grammar, learning approaches that uses the story-based, the deductive, and the inductive approach, a friendly and meaningful learning atmosphere, a learning model that incorporates the uses of stories and current technology for the teaching and learning process and has a complete support system especially the learning materials, and has an attitude, a final assignment and an individual learning process result assessments. keywords: needs analysis, model, grammar learning. introduction needs analysis is an initial step conducted before developing a learning model and it aims at finding out the current condition of learning in a particular learning context. richards (2001) describe needs analysis as a process taken to seek for the real demands of the learners in a learning process. similarly, nation and macalister (2010) argue that needs analysis is a process to examine the current condition of learning from learners’ point of view. the process should be done by using instruments that hit straight to the needed information. as the initial step required in developing, take for example an instructional model for learning grammar, the information related to the students’ present knowledge (lacks), the required knowledge (necessities) and their subjective needs (wants) as proposed by nation and macalister (2010) should be known. this information can be gotten from the needs analysis which is required in developing an instructional model. dick, carey, and carey (2009) put this needs analysis at the second and third place, after identifying the instructional goal, in developing an instructional model for learning. several studies have been conducted by practitioners in english language teaching on needs analysis. however, those studies are mostly related to developing learning material for general english (cunningham, 2015; moiinvaziri, 2014; nooria, & mazdayasnab, 2014), english for specific purpose (yundayani, emzir, & rafli, 2017; bartnikait & bijeikien, 2017; boroujeni & fard, 2013; wismayunita , emzir, & ilzamayuni needs analysis for english grammar learning model from students’ perspectives 86 chovancova, 2014), language skills (andi & arafah, 2017; tjalla, et al., 2015; ulum, 2015) and syllabus (al hamlan, 2015). there is a study conducted in the area of grammar by fitrawati (2016), but it is not a needs analysis study for developing grammar learning model but for grammar learning material. the current study was a need analysis which was done in the area of grammar learning in order to develop a complete learning model that has the syllabus and lesson plans which are in line with the current curriculum in indonesia, and the learning material that matches the current condition of learning english grammar for indonesian university context. in indonesian context, english grammar tends to not getting as much attention in language learning as the language skills such as speaking or reading. in fact, grammar knowledge is important and needed in language learning and support the language skills. savignon (2001) named it grammatical competence and it is one of four communicative competence that the language users need in communication. this grammatical competence is needed more by students who take the english education study program as their major and will become future teachers of english. in further, the english grammar learning is still considered by students as a boring course (yunita, 2013) and the teaching process is mostly done in a conventional way by using the deductive approach. this approach, even though it is one basic approach to learning grammar, it is more teacher-centered and does not make the students arrived at acquiring procedural knowledge of grammar and be able to communicate well. it tends to make students to reproduce the same pattern of language and does not provide the place for more creative uses of language. meanwhile, nunan (2015) mentions that the teaching of english grammar should have four key principles so that it will be ended at a meaningful english language learning. the four principles for the teaching of grammar are: incorporating the integration of deductive and inductive approach, using tasks that make clear between grammatical forms and communicative function of language, focusing more on the procedural knowledge of using language rather than the descriptive one, and encouraging students to use language creatively rather than reproductively. these key principles in line with the grammar instruction that focus on form proposed by ellis (1997) that is a learning instruction that takes forms and meaning or fluency and accuracy into account. english grammar teaching and learning ideally should also be started from its basic knowledge. this basic knowledge covers the parts of speech or word classes (harmer, 2003) that consisted of nouns, verb, adjective, adverb, article and preposition, conjunction and interjection (parrot, 2004; dykes, 2007; de capua, 2008). once a learners master these parts of speech, they will have enough knowledge to communicate well in written and spoken. this is true to the fact that all texts in english mostly consist of those word class. to develop a learning model, there should be a theory that needs to be used as the guidance in the process of developing it. kilbane and milman (2014, p. 18) define models of learning as “specialized methods for facilitating learning”. in addition, joyce, weil, and calhoun (2009) suggest that a model of learning should have four components a syntax, a social system, principles of reaction, and a support system. the syntax is a general description of a model or how the structure of a model of learning. next, the social system is the condition or the atmosphere of a classroom learning that related to the roles of the teacher and the learners. then, the principles of reaction are responses shown by the teacher in responding the learners’ actions and learners in responding their teacher in a classroom learning process. last, the support system is materials or tools used by teachers in the teaching and learning process which can be in the form of a syllabus, lesson plans, and learning materials. in further, a learning model should also be developed in accordance with the steps of developing it. for the instructional model, dick, carey, and carey (2009) suggest these english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 87 ten steps to be followed so that the model can be used widely. these ten steps are used as the guidance in developing a grammar learning model and they are: 1) identifying instructional goals, 2) conducting instructional analysis, 3) analyzing learners and context, 4) writing performance analysis, 5) developing assessment instrument, 6) developing instructional strategy, 7) developing and selecting instructional materials, 8) designing and conducting formative evaluation, 9) revising instruction, 10) designing and conducting summative evaluation. based on the reasons related to the practice of grammar learning above, the theories of learning grammar, and to our knowledge, there is no research that has been carried out on needs analysis for developing grammar learning model, therefore, a study on needs analysis for grammar learning should be carried out especially from the students’ perspectives. needs analysis study designed scientifically to address the gap and develop a model that meets the learners’ needs for grammar learning in a foreign language context such as indonesia. method the current study aimed to reveal the needs for a grammar learning model from students’ perspectives. this descriptive study involved 44 students of the 2nd semester at the eesp, the university of bengkulu. the data was taken through a questionnaire consisted of 65 questions with four options (the most needed, needed, not yet needed, not needed) covering the goal of grammar learning, the syntax, social system, the material, the approach, the support system and evaluation of a model. the data from the questionnaire was analyzed quantitatively by using percentage formula. results and discussion the needs analysis results will be described based on the goal of grammar learning, the syntax, the social system, the material, the approach, the support system and the assessment uses in the model. the results of the numerical calculation from the students’ responses to the questionnaire indicate that the students need clear goals of learning english grammar, learning approaches that use the deductive, inductive and story-based approach, and a friendly and meaningful learning atmosphere. a learning model that also incorporates the uses of stories particularly indonesian stories or folktales, uses current technology for teaching and learning process, has a complete support system (the syllabus, lesson plans, and the learning material), and has the assessment that covering attitude assessment and clear final assignment assessment for the learning. a clear description of the needs analysis results will be explained in detail based on each part of the learning model attributes in the following sections. the goal of grammar learning the goal of learning is determined at the initial steps of developing a model. this is in line to dick, carey, and carey (2009) who proposed 10 steps of developing a systematic design of instruction model and determining the goals of learning is the initial step that needs to be taken. in terms of the goals of learning english grammar, the students point out that they need the knowledge on the goals of learning english grammar, the definition, position, function, and forms of the word classes, the tenses and the ability to use the word class and the tenses in english sentences. those results of the students’ needs in numerical are shown in table 1 below. table 1. the results of needs analysis on the goals of learning english grammar no. statement in your opinion, how important is each of these indicators in learning english grammar? percentage of needs category 1. the understanding of the goals of learning english grammar. 97.73% needed 2. the understanding of the definition of a word class (e.g. noun, verb, etc.) in english grammar. 100% needed wismayunita , emzir, & ilzamayuni needs analysis for english grammar learning model from students’ perspectives 88 3. the understanding of the types of a word class in english sentences. 100% needed 4. the understanding of the position of a word in english sentences. 100% needed 5. the understanding of the function of a word in english sentences. 100% needed 6. the understanding of the changing function form of a word (e.g. the changing form of a word from a noun to an adjective) in english grammar. 97.73% needed 7. the understanding of the changing form of a regular or irregular verb into a noun in english grammar. 97.73% needed 8. the understanding of the tenses on english grammar. 97.73% needed 9. the ability to use various types of words in english sentences. 97.73% needed 10 the ability to use various tenses in english sentences. 100% needed this finding somehow implies that the students do aware of the need to learn english from its basic knowledge the parts of speech or word classes and the english tenses. both of them can be said as the foundation of materials of english grammar that need to be mastered before the other rules in english grammar. this is due to the fact that in a sentence, in a paragraph, in a text or even in a book, the parts of speech will be the most frequent words to be found. they exist in every sentence. the syntax (the steps of learning) the syntax of a model is the structure or the steps of learning in an instructional model. the students’ responses results show that they prefer to be taught by using the steps of learning in the story-based approach with its four steps. then, followed by the deductive approach -an explicit instruction that requires students to practice using the rules after the teacher taught them the rules, and inductive approachan explicit instruction which requires students to establish their own comprehension of the grammar rules from given examples (ellis in jean & simard, 2013). the results of those students’ responses on the syntax of the model are described in detail in the following table. table 2. the results of needs analysis on the model syntax (the steps of learning) no. statement percentage of needs category in your opinion, are the following steps of activities in an approach important in the process of earning english grammar? 1. deductive approach with the following learning activity steps: a. presentation: students listen to the teacher’s explanation of english grammar rules. b. practice: students do the english grammar exercises in a book or a learning module. c. production: students write an example of their own english sentences and present it to other students in the class. 93.18% needed 2. inductive approach with the following learning activity steps: a. presentation: students are introduced to english grammar rules through examples of the language use in sentences. b. practice: students find out the grammar rules and try to understand the rules by themselves. c. production: students write new english sentences by using the rules they have learned. 93.18% needed 3. story-based approach with the following learning activity steps: a. presentation: students listen to a text (short story, legend, anecdote, or conversation) that have the grammar rules, for instance, the parts of speech rules. b. attention: students find out and try to understand the parts of speech individually or in a group and highlight the rules. c. co-construction: students construct explanations on the rules they have learned from the text and get help from the lecturer if it is 97.73% needed english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 89 this result which puts the story-based approach in the first position among the choices, taught grammar rules through four phases namely presentation, attention, co-construction and extension (adair-hauck & donato, 2010) and uses texts (e.g. short story, legend, anecdote, or conversation) as the materials for learning the language rules. the students’ preferences to be taught by using the stories could probably because they have accustomed to being taught by using stories in their high schools through a genre-based approach which is currently applied in indonesian curriculum in high school level. the next two approaches they are in favor of are the deductive approach and inductive approach. in deductive approach, the students are usually fed by the teacher with explanations on the grammar rules and inductive approach in which the students should find out the grammar rules from examples given to them (nunan, 2005; nesic & hamidovic, 2015). the deductive approach is somehow time-saving for the teacher in teaching process but it limits students’ participation and creativity in the learning process and given no opportunity for critical thinking as well as (nesic & hamidovic, 2015). meanwhile, the inductive approach makes the lesson being learned more memorable for the students but it is time-consuming (hinkle & fotos in nesic & hamidovic, 2015) and may bring frustration for the students who commonly preferred to be told the rules (nunan, 2005). the social system the social system is the interaction activities taking places between the teacher and the students (t-s interaction, s-t interaction) and among the students (s-s interaction) in the learning process, for instance, getting chances to ask for the teacher helps if the students encounter problems in understanding the grammar rules, getting motivation and clear instruction and feedback on their learning from the teacher, and getting the chances to use the learned grammar rules through conversation with other students. in the interaction during the learning process, the teacher and the students’ play their own roles. the teacher can be the motivator, the facilitator, and evaluator of the learning, meanwhile, the students’ roles are mostly as the learners in the learning process in which they, for instance, will do discussion, conversation and ask a question to their teacher or other students in the classroom. the students’ responses related to t-s, s-t and s-s interaction are shown in the table 3 below. table 3. the results of needs analysis on the social system of the model no. statement percentage of needs category in your opinion, do the following roles of the teacher and the student important in the process of teaching and learning english grammar? 1. the lecturer gives explanations on the learning goals. 90.90% needed 2. the lecturer motivates students in their learning (motivator). 97.73% needed 3. the lecturer facilitates the learning so that the learning goal can be achieved (facilitator). 100% needed 4. the lecturer evaluates the students’ learning and provides feedback on their learning results (evaluator). 100% needed 5. the students do a discussion with their peers to understand the learning materials. 88.64% needed 6. the students with their peers work together in doing the grammar exercises. 77.27% needed 7. students do conversation with their peers by using the grammar rules they have learned. 100% needed needed. d. extension: students use the rules they have learned in activities that are integrated (e.g. writing a conversation, a drama or a short story) so that the activities can ignite students’ creativity and independence. wismayunita , emzir, & ilzamayuni needs analysis for english grammar learning model from students’ perspectives 90 8. the students ask the lecturer if they encounter problems in understanding the learning materials. 100% needed the table above shows that the highest percentage of responses from the students are; 1) for teachers, as the facilitator and evaluator of the learning process; and 2) for the students, as the ones who do discussion and ask questions whenever encountering problems in the learning process. this results could be predicted to come out because somehow, commonly the teachers do have those roles in a classroom and the students do too. these roles of the teachers and the students are in line with richards (2005) who states that in this era of communicative language teaching the roles of a teacher are more as the facilitator and monitor of a learning process while the students are the doer who actively participates in the learning and responsible for their own success of learning the new language. the learning approach in a new language teaching and learning process, a teacher will definitely use an approach or a method for the learning. in this needs analysis study, the approaches or methods that are included to be the options in the questionnaire are the deductive and inductive approaches (chalipa, 2013), the story-based approach (adair hauck and donato, 2010), product-based approaches the text-based learning and the competency-based learning, and process-based approach -the content-based learning and the task-based learning (richards, 2005), project-based learning (bender, 2012 cited in amaros and dos santos, 2018), and problem -based learning (ng chin leong, 2009). the results of the students’ responses on the needs analysis of the approaches for the learning model are presented in table 4 below. table 4. the results of needs analysis on the approach for the learning model no. statement percentage of needs demand in your opinion, do the following approaches needed in learning english grammar? 1. deductive approach the lecturer gives explanations on grammar rules and then ask students to do grammar exercises in a book or module. 90.90% needed 2. inductive approach the lecturer gives examples of the language uses and students work by themselves to understand the grammar rules. 90.906% needed 3. story-based approach the lecturer reads a story for the students and ask them to catch, for example, nouns from the story.next, the students highlight the nouns in the story, try to understand the grammar rules in a group and prepare an explanation of the rules they found, then use the rules they have learned through writing a conversation or a short story. 97.73% needed 4. text-based learning the lecturer introduces a text, students find out the text structure, create a new text and connect the text which has a similar structure. 79.54% needed 5. competency-based learning learning english for a specific competence and result of learning-oriented. 86.36% needed 6. project-based learning -an english learning which demands students to do a project, for example making a video of conversation in english. 79.54% needed 7. content-based learning learning english which focuses on specific topics or information. the grammar, vocabulary, and language skills are designed related to the topic. 84.09% needed 8. task-based learning learning english which focuses on tasks (pedagogical tasks and real-world tasks). 72.72% needed 9. problem-based learning learning english by giving students a problem to be solved collaboratively, monitored by the lecturer and the students are assessed based on their performance in solving the problem. 86.36% needed english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 91 based on the table, it can be summed up that the highest percentage of option from the students’ responses was the story-based approach, meanwhile, the lowest one is the task-based learning. this result shows that the students are in favor of being taught by using stories. this might be caused by their familiarity with stories which is in line with the implementation of genre-based approach in the high school curriculum in indonesia. in further, the lowest responses from students were the task-based learning, which could probably be less preferred because the students are afraid of being given a lot of tasks during the learning process. in fact, richards (2005, p. 33) states that “advocates of tbi argue that grammar and other dimensions of communicative competence can be developed as a byproduct of engaging learners in interactive tasks”. the support system the support system of a model is the material or the data the teacher utilizes in a learning process (joyce, weil & calhoun, 2009) which can be in the form of a syllabus, lesson plans, and the learning materials. the students’ responses related to the support system of the model are illustrated in the following table. table 5. the results of needs analysis on the model support system no. statement percentage of needs category in your opinion, do the use of these sources, media, and tools for learning needed in the process of learning english grammar in structure i course? 1. the syllabus and lesson plans 97.73% needed 2. lcd projector 100% needed 3. laptop/netbook 100% needed 4. tape recorder 81.82% needed 5. video player 77.27% needed 6. speaker laptop 95.45% needed 7. internet connection 95.45% needed 8. social media ‘facebook’ 52.27% needed 9. teacher’s book 93.18% needed 10. learning materials for students that are designed by the lecturer himself. 95.45% needed 11. commercial learning material for students 88.64% needed 12. learning materials that have english grammar exercises 97.73% needed 13. learning materials from grammar learning websites on internet. 72.73% needed 14. learning materials of english grammar that are compiled from many sourcebooks 95.45% needed 15. supplementary material/handouts 84.09% needed the table above shows that the students need the learning media or technology that usually used in a teaching and learning process in a classroom for instances the lcd projector, laptop and laptop speaker that got the highest percentage of responses from the students. it implies that the students need the process of learning a new language that does not only use chalks/board markers and black or whiteboards, but they also need the current technology for the learning process. this technology could enhance the learning experiences, provide more experiences and access to the language being learned (larsen-freeman & anderson, 2011). related to the material for learning, the students point out that they need the learning materials that have grammar exercises and are compiled from many sourcebooks. this finding implies that the students possibly aware of the broad scope of grammar knowledge so that they need to learn it from the exercises and many sourcebooks. the materials for learning the materials for learning are topics to learn in the teaching and learning process. for english grammar learning materials, especially wismayunita , emzir, & ilzamayuni needs analysis for english grammar learning model from students’ perspectives 92 the basic knowledge of english grammar, the common ones usually refer to english tenses. however, learning the tenses can be included in the learning of parts of speech or word classes (harmer, 2003: dykes, 2007). the following table 6 will illustrate the results of needs analysis on the materials for learning english grammar that the students need. table 6. the results of needs analysis on the learning materials no. statement percentage of needs category in your opinion, how important are the following materials in the process of learning english grammar in structure i course? 1. nouns (e.g. abstract, concrete, singular, and plural nouns). 97.73 % needed 2. verbs (e.g. infinitive, present participles, past and past participles). 100% needed 3. adjectives (e.g. common, possessive, comparative and superlative adjective, etc.). 100% needed 4. adverbs (e.g. adverb of time, manner, frequency, places, etc.) 97.73% needed 5. articles (e.g. definite ‘the’ and indefinite ‘a’, ‘an’) 93.18% needed 6. prepositions (e.g. prepositions of movement ‘from, into, across, etc.) 95.45% needed 7. pronouns (subjective ‘she’, objective ‘me’, possessive pronounmine, etc.). 93.18% needed 8. conjunctions (e.g. and, but, or, for, so, either..or, not only…but also…, if, until, etc). 93.18% needed 9. english tenses (e.g. past, present, continuous and future). 97.73% needed from those students’ responses above, it can be seen that the highest needs from the students’ point of view are the verbs and the adjectives then followed by nouns, adverbs, and english tenses. this finding could be understood because the parts of speech that have many rules to be understood are the verbs, the adjectives, the nouns and the adverbs. in addition, the english sentences, grammatically at least have to have a subjectmostly nouns, and a predicate in the form of verbs or auxiliary verbs (chew & choy, 2009). meanwhile, the english tenses are parts of the language that are usually considered difficult for english language learners particularly in the context of english as a foreign language. this tenses actually can be included in the process of learning the verbs. the assessment of learning assessment refers to any actions taken to gain information on the result of the students learning performance. brindley (2001) highlights that it can be in the form of tests or any ways of activities or tasks given to students in assessing learning in a course. the result of the students’ responses to the types of assessments and tests they need in grammar learning are displayed in table 7 below. table 7. the results of needs analysis on the assessment of learning no. statement percentage of needs demand in your opinion, are the following assessment/test needed in the process of teaching and learning english grammar in structure 1 course? 1. assessment of attitude (honesty, obedience, responsibility, self confidence, etc.). 100% needed 2. assessment of learning participation during the learning process. 95.45% needed 3. informal assessment by observing the students’ grammatical mistakes during the learning process. 90.90% needed 4. assessment of the individual learning process result (e.g. doing the exercises) 97.72% needed 5. group work result assessment 90.90% needed 6. weekly assignment assessment 88.63% needed 7. final assignment assessment 100% needed 8. discrete point test (partial assessment of the english grammar by 86.36% needed english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 93 using multiple-choice items) 9. oral and written elicitation test on a partial part of english grammar. 79.54% needed 10. error analysis test. 93.18% needed 11. closed-ended test (multiple choice, information gaps activities, transformation, matching sentences, rewriting sentences and revising sentences) 90.90% needed 12. open-ended test (completing sentences and writing sentences in english). 86.36% needed 13. translation test. 88.64% needed table 7 above illustrates that in terms of learning assessment, the highest percentage of responses are given by the students to the attitude assessment and a final assignment assessment. meanwhile, for the test, they prefer to have an error analysis test. their fewer preferences are the tests in the form of oral and written elicitation tests. this finding shows that the students’ awareness of the importance of attitude in learning is still highly appreciated. hence, it can be inferred that the students are still aware of the important roles of attitude in the teaching and learning process in indonesian educational context. this attitude component exists in the current curriculum being employed in all indonesian educational context. in addition, they also regard final assignment as one important part of the whole process of learning. this is probably due to fact that they think the roles of final assignment will give greater contribution to their final scores of the course they took. conclusion this present study set out to determine the students’ needs in learning english grammar at the eesp of the university of bengkulu. it has shown that the students need clears goal of learning english grammar, learning approaches that uses the story-based, the deductive, and the inductive approach, a friendly and meaningful learning atmosphere, a learning model that incorporates the uses of stories and current technology for a learning process in a classroom and has a complete support system especially the learning materials, and has an attitude, a final assignment and an individual learning process result assessments. further research regarding the need analysis on grammar learning in a wider context involving more students from more universities would be a great help for the improvement of english grammar teaching and learning in an efl context such as indonesia. references adair-hauck, b., & donato, r. (2010). using story-based approach to teach grammar. in j. l. shrum & e. w. glisan (eds.), teacher’s handbook: contextualized language instruction (4th ed.). boston: thomson heinle. andi, k., & arafah, b. (2017). using needs analysis to develop english teaching materials in initial speaking skills for indonesian college students of english. the turkish online journal of design, art and communication (tojdac), special edition, 419-436 boroujeni, s. a., & fard, f.m. (2013). a needs analysis of english for specific purposes (esp) course for adoption of communicative language teaching (a case of iranian first-year students of educational administration). international journal of humanities and social science invention, 2(6), 35-44. brindley, g. (2001). assessment. in r. carter & d. nunan (eds.), the cambridge guide to teaching english to speakers of other languages. cambridge: cambridge university press. chalipa, s. (2013). the effect of inductive vs deductive instructional approach in grammar learning of esl learners. the international research journal, 2(2), 178-186. chew, p. g.l., & choy, t.w. (2009). distinction in english: grammar handbook. singapore: marshall cavendish education. chovancova, b. (2014). needs analysis and esp course design: self-perception of language needs among pre-service students. studies in logic, grammar and rhetoric, 38(1), 43-57. cunningham, r. c. (2015). needs analysis for a developmental reading, writing, and grammar course at a private language school in cambodia. second language studies, 34(1), 168. wismayunita , emzir, & ilzamayuni needs analysis for english grammar learning model from students’ perspectives 94 de capua, a. (2008). grammar for teachers: a guide to american english for native and non-native speakers. new york: springer. dick, w., carey, l., & carey, j.o. (2009). the systemic design of instruction (7thed.).new jersey: pearson education, inc. dykes, b. (2007). grammar for everyone: practical tools for learning and teaching grammar. victoria: acer press. ellis, r. (1997). the study of second language acquisition. oxford: oxford university press. fitrawati. (2016). students’ need analysis on multimedia based grammar 1 teaching material. proceedings of the fourth international seminar on english language and teaching (iselt-4), 302-310. harmer, j. (2003). the practice of english language teaching (3rd ed.). essex: pearson education limited. jean, g., & simard, d. (2013). deductive versus inductive grammar instruction: investigating possible relationship between gains, preferences, and learning styles. system, 41(4), 1023-1042. joyce, b., weil, m., & calhoun, e. (2009). models of teaching (8th ed.). boston: allyn and bacon. kilbane, c.r., & milman, n.b. (2014). teaching models: designing instruction for 21st century. new jersey: pearson education limited, inc. larsen-freeman, d. & anderson, m. (2011). techniques and principles in language teaching (3rd ed.). oxford: oxford university press. moiinvaziri, m. (2014). students’ voice: a needs analysis of university general english course in iran. gema online: journal of language studies, 14(1), 57-75. nation, i.s.p. &macalister, j. (2010). language curriculum design. new york: taylor and francis. nesic, i. d., & hamidovic, k. c. (2015). teaching english grammar: efficiency of inductive and deductive approaches--students’ perceptions. collection of papers of the faculty of philosophy, xlv(3), 189-205. ng chin leong, p. (2009). the power of problem-based learning (pbl) in the efl classroom. polyglossia, 16, 41-48. nooria, m. &mazdayasna, g. (2014). a triangulated study of target situation needs of iranian undergraduate students of english language and literature. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 98, 1374-1379. nunan, d. (2005). practical english language teaching: grammar. new york: mcgraw hill. nunan, d. (2015). teaching english to speaker of other languages: an introduction. new york: routledge. parrot, m. (2004). grammar for english language teacher. cambridge: cambridge university press. richards, j. c. (2001). curriculum development in language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. richards, j.c. (2005). communicative language teaching today. singapore: market asia distributors pte ltd. savignon, s. (2001). communicative language teaching for the 21st century in marianne celce-murcia (eds), teaching english as a second or foreign language (3rd ed.). boston: heinle and heinle. tjalla, m., akil, m., hamra, a. & haryanto. (2017). the analysis of efl students’ needs for writing materials development. international journal of science and research (ijsr), 6(8), 313-317. ulum, o.g. (2015). a needs analysis study for preparatory class elt students. european journal of english language teaching, 1(1), 14-29 yundayani, a., emzir, & rafli, z. (2017). need analysis: the writing skill instructional material context for academic purposes. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 59-70. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.771. yunita, w. (2013).using task-based language teaching (tblt) to improve students’ mastery of english tenses at the english education study program of universitas bengkulu. proceeding of the 60th teflin international conference, 2013. 41(4 fauzi miftakh investigating indonesian efl students’ responses of the implementation of intercultural language learning investigating indonesian efl students’ responses of the implementation of intercultural language learning fauzi miftakh department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education university of singaperbangsa karawang, indonesia e-mail: miftakh.fauzi@yahoo.co.id apa citation: miftakh, f. (2015). investigating indonesian efl students‟ responses of the implementation of intercultural language learning. english review: journal of english education, 4(1), 66-74 received: 06-01-2015 accepted: 07-03-2015 published: 01-12-2015 abstract: this study aimed at discovering the students‟ responses to the implementation of intercultural language learning at the sixth semester students of the english education department, university of singaperbangsa karawang, indonesia. the focus of the study was on 1) the students‟ general attitudes toward the course, 2) the students‟ attitudes toward the implementation of teaching and learning and 3) the students‟ responsibility as an intercultural person. this study was designed as a descriptive qualitative study that involved 31 participants. the data were collected through questionnaire and interviews. based on the findings, the students gave positive responses to the implementation of intercultural language learning and they showed a greater interest in participating in the course. the intercultural language learning also proved that the students were given the opportunity to become intercultural speakers either during the teaching and learning process or in their daily life. finally, it recommends that the intercultural approach should be implemented by other english teachers in any subject and at all levels of students. keywords: interculural language learning, intercultural competence, english as a foreign language. introduction teaching culture has been commonly known in english language teaching. however, in learning english at school and university, there is not necessarily a guarantee to implement an intercultural approach that the cultural aspects of the target language are also studied, or at least inserted in each lesson including in the materials. damen (1987) states that the curriculum of esl (english as a second language) and efl (english as a foreign language), or any language classroom are not usually involved in the cultural guidance of the stated curriculum. byram (as cited in liddicoat and kohler, 2012) states that cultural understanding has been included in such programs. it has typically been separated from the learning of language. in the current indonesian education policy, the government tends to consider that foreign languages will diminish the people‟s sense of nationality (sukarno, 2012). it seems that the government assumes that the foreign culture in the english language teaching possibly can give bad effects to the indonesian culture. tantri (2013) also adds that many schools are reluctant to accept english culture in teaching english at the school although it has positive attitudes 66 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee to the need and necessity of teaching and learning of the english language. another crucial problem is derived from the english teachers themselves who do not quite understand the concept of the target language culture (rodliyah & muniroh, 2012). they usually do not know how to convey the cultural aspect of target language in teaching english. this misunderstanding is a complex issue because a teacher is a primary source of information and a mediator in the classroom. in addition, ho‟s study (2009) suggests a shift from a traditional to intercultural stance in efl classrooms that contribute to teachers‟ professional development. thus, the awareness of the inextricable relationship between language and culture and teaching culture as an integral component of language teaching can be more improved by english teachers. therefore, teachers should understand the cultural knowledge and likewise they also understand the knowledge of english language in general. as stated by gu (2005), intercultural understanding enables teachers to preserve an open yet critical mind to look for differences and similarities in pursuit of appropriate pedagogy. ideally, a non-native english teacher who has lived or studied in english speaking countries or any other country will be easier to understand the culture of the target language because they have communicated directly with native speakers. however, it is not the reason to not understand the target culture because through the advancement of technology and the availability of many books they could learn the cultural differences by themselves. as stated by byram et al. (2002), a teacher does not need to know everything about the target culture, but his role is to help learners to understand how intercultural interaction takes place. however, to implement the method, a teacher must understand the basic concept of intercultural language learning itself as well as incorporate culture and knowledge of the target language. derived from the background of the study above, this study attempted to investigate some issues of the students‟ response of the implementation of intercultural language learning. the research questions are then formulated as 1) what are the students‟ general attitudes toward the course, 2) what are the students‟ attitudes toward the implementation of teaching and learning and 3) how does the intercultural language learning affect them to be an intercultural person? to discuss intercultural language learning, firstly we have to know the difference between cultural and intercultural learning. there is a main difference between a cultural and an intercultural perspective as stated by liddicoat (2005c) that a cultural perspective emphasizes the culture of the other and leaves that culture external to the learner, whereas an intercultural perspective emphasizes the learners‟ own cultures as a fundamental part of engaging with a new culture. lucas (2003) and kim & goldstein (2005) add that intercultural communication involves people from different cultural backgrounds interact with each other that includes language by encompassing the background of the participants, stereotypes or prejudices they may hold of the other cultural group. in language teaching, liddicoat (2005b) explains that a cultural perspective implies the development of knowledge about a culture, which remains external to the learner and is not 67 fauzi miftakh investigating indonesian efl students’ responses of the implementation of intercultural language learning intended to confront or transform the learner‟s existing identity, practices, values, attitudes, beliefs, and world view. he clarifies that an intercultural perspective implies the transformational engagement of the learner in the act of learning. the goal of learning is to „decenter‟ learners from their preexisting assumptions and practices and to develop an intercultural identity through engagement with an additional culture. the outcome of intercultural learning is intercultural competence, a long term change of a person‟s knowledge (cognition), attitudes (emotions), and skills (behaviour) to enable positive and effective interaction with members of other cultures both abroad and at home (bennett, in otten, 2003). the concept has a strong correlation to the intercultural communicative competence that was formulated by byram and zarate (1994) as cited in liddicoat et al., (2003). guilherme (2002) cited in corbett (2003), stated that intercultural communicative competence is the ultimate goal of an intercultural approach to language education, and not so much „native speaker competence‟. intercultural communicative competence includes the ability to understand the language and behavior of the target community, and explain it to the members of the „home‟ community and vice versa. these competences lead the students to be intercultural speakers or mediators that are defined as someone who are able to deal with complexity and multiple identities and to avoid the stereotyping which accompanies perceiving someone through a single identity (byram et al, 2002; bredella, 2003) furthermore, an important dimension of intercultural language teaching is that it is possible to understand another culture only by comparing it with one‟s own (champagne & bourdages, 2000). as a result, in order to learn about another culture we need to learn about our own culture at the same time by comparing our own culture with the target culture. in order to achieve this, intercultural language teaching argues for a set of principles for developing an overall approach to teaching culture within language (crozet & liddicoat, 2000). the principles include: 1. culture is integrated into language macroskills not a separate macroskill and the culture needs to be taught simultaneously with and integrated into language teaching; 2. culture is taught from the beginning of language learning and is not delayed until learners have acquired some of the language; 3. the bilingual speaker is the norm and learners are expected to become competent users of a complex linguistic repertoire involving multiple languages; 4. language acquisition involves intercultural exploration: it is an active interaction with other attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, not a passive reception of facts; and 5. culture learning primarily involves learning how to discover new information about the culture while engaging with the culture. in addition, liddicoat et al. (2003) and liddicoat and scarino (2013) develop a set of principles of intercultural language learning. the principles consist of five general principles of learning, which are also fundamental to teaching and learning languages. these principles are intended to guide the curriculum design and classroom interaction to promote effective intercultural language learning. the principles consist of 1) active construction; this principle generally 68 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee involves the purposeful and active construction of knowledge within a sociocultural context of use in learning activities. learning also involves active engagement in interpreting and creating meaning in interaction with others, and continually reflecting on one‟s self and others in communication and meaningmaking in variable contexts, 2) making connection; learning is based on previous knowledge and requires challenges to initial conceptions that learners bring. it emphasizes to the ability to relate and view the connections between cultures. it occurs when relevant bridges are built between home language / culture and target language /culture, with existing knowledge positioned in light of new input, 3) social interaction; recognizing that learning and communication are social and interactive that means we communicate with people around us by using language that constructs an interaction. there are many ways of communications between different people, including their age, status, relationship, and etcetera, 4) reflection; it is fundamental to any teaching and learning process that focuses on interpretation. it involves learners having response and doing reflection of other cultures as well as concepts such as diversity, identity, experiences without stereotyping, and 5) responsibility; a learner should be responsible. in the intercultural language learning, responsibility is a principle that recognizes that learning depends on the learner‟s attitudes, dispositions, and values, developed over time. method this study employed a descriptive qualitative research design. descriptive study is designed to describe a picture of situations, characteristics of groups and phenomena as it naturally happens. (fraenkel & wallen, 1993; ary et al., 2002). the data collection techniques used were questionnaires and interviews where the data analysis was done qualitatively without statistical analysis. this study was undertaken at a tertiary level of the english education department at a state university in west java. the subject taken was students at the 6th semester level who had taken cross-cultural understanding subject. in addition, the participants involved one single class out of 9 classes in the 6th semester students of the english education department that consists of 31 students. results and discussion the discussion of the students‟ responses to the implementation of intercultural language learning is divided into three parts. the first part is the students‟ general attitudes toward the course, the second is the students‟ attitudes toward the implementation of teaching and learning and the third is the students‟ responsibility as an intercultural person. the questionnaire consists of 11 numbers. the finding of the questionnaire can be seen in the table below. table: the summary of questionnaire of the students‟ responses no statement very disagree disagree agree very agree 1 learning english with intercultural approach is interesting. 3.22% 77.41% 19.35% 2 i like learning english both the language and culture. 6.45% 64.52% 29.03% 69 fauzi miftakh investigating indonesian efl students’ responses of the implementation of intercultural language learning 3 my understanding about english language and its culture is improved. 3.22% 74.19% 22.58% 4 learning culture means learning the habit, tradition, values, norms etc. 3.22% 61.29% 35.48% 5 i am more active to give my ideas and opinion in the discussion in this course. 3.22% 61.29% 35.48% 6 i am more critical to see a case or problem among cultures at the classroom. 3.22% 48.38% 45.16% 7 i like when the teacher supported and stimulated us to think about new knowledge of english language and culture 9.77% 70.96% 22.58% 8 i like when i could have an interactive talk and discussion both with students and teachers about a case among cultures. 3.22% 80.64% 16.12% 9 i like when teacher guided conversation to include students‟ views, judgments with students. 6.45% 70.96% 19.35% 10 i should be responsible to be an intercultural person, by not judging a culture wrong and believing my culture as the best one. 77.41% 22.58% 11 i think that i should appreciate any differences in our society and view it positively. 3.22% 80.64% 16.12% percentage of responses 0% 4.17% 69.97% 25.85% the students’ attitudes toward the course the data obtained from the questionnaire and interview with students show various responses. there are three points that can be highlighted based on the finding that is: 1) the students‟ interest in learning english and its culture, 2) the students‟ understanding of english and its culture, and 3) the students‟ problems in learning english with intercultural language learning. the first, the students showed a great interest in learning english with an intercultural approach. they admitted that they enjoyed the course and participated in every meeting. it can be seen in the data from questionnaire that shows most students (77.41%) are very interested and the other 19:35% of students enjoy learning in the classroom. they also said that they liked to not only learn the language, but also to learn the culture. they said that learning of english and its culture is interesting, so they could find new knowledge about culture. it is also supported by the students‟ statements during interview, such as from the student 1 and student 2. student 1 said that “i very enjoyed this course because i learned a culture that in fact we also learned the language, so they are interrelated, and it's very important to be studied”. while the student 2 mentioned that “i enjoyed because i did not study in a formal setting. i also could improve some of my skills”. as mentioned by brown (1994) language is part of a culture and culture is part of the language. furthermore, student 2 mentioned that he enjoyed because he experienced an informal setting of teaching and learning. it is known that in the principle of intercultural language learning, students should be engaged in an interactive discussion and conversation (liddicoat & scarino, 2013; corbett, 2003) additionally, the second, the students claimed that their understanding about english and its culture has improved. they understand that there is correlation between language and culture, so they think that 70 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee they should learn a language and its culture. based on the result of the questionnaire, a total of 74.19% of students admitted that intercultural language learning improves their understanding towards english and its culture while the other 22:58% of students claimed that they have improved their understanding. the students‟ statements from interview also support the data from the questionnaire. for example, the student 2 said that “i personally know both the language and its culture. from the culture, i know new knowledge that some of foreign cultures are similar to our culture”. while the student 6 said “i more understand the culture itself, because there were not too many language differences that were taught, although there is interconnected between language and culture”. however, this students‟ understanding of the relationship between language and culture cannot be stated as an accurate and comprehensive understanding because the information is only taken from the interview. for a more comprehensive understanding, the students are needed to give a test and evaluation through their personal attitudes and behaviors. the third, although most students enjoy learning english with intercultural language learning, they still have some problems in participating in the course. the students admitted that they found difficulties in expressing their opinion in a discussion. as the answer from student 4 in the interview, who said that the discussion was too often, so sometimes he was bored, although he actually like discussion. it is known that in every meeting, there was always discussion that involved all students and the teacher. the students sometimes canceled to convey their opinions because they could not speak english fluently. some students said that they were still afraid of making mistakes, so when they finally speak, they prefer to speak in indonesian. this problem, actually, has been anticipated by the teacher by always encouraging them to speak and share their opinions. therefore, it becomes a challenge for the teacher to make sure that every student is able to interact and communicate in the classroom. it is known that one of the principle of intercultural language learning is social interaction (liddicoat & scarino, 2013) when the students should get involved in conversation that discuss about cultures. the students’ attitudes toward the implementation of the teaching and learning this section is more emphasized to two points that is the students‟ competence and their perspectives of the teacher related to the principles of intercultural language learning. based on the data taken from the questionnaire and interview, the students claimed that they have positive progress as well as good improvement of learning. the first, the students stated that they become more active in expressing their opinions and perspectives in a discussion or conversation. they also said that they think more critically when seeing a case or problem among cultures in the classroom. their critical thinking can be seen from activities, especially in discussions where they could work with the other students in a group. they also listened to the other opinions and gave response as well as providing solutions. as stated in data from questionnaire, 61.29% of students and 35.48% of students extremely agree that they became more active to argue and give their opinions in the class discussions. besides, as many as 48.38% and 45.16% of the students also found 71 fauzi miftakh investigating indonesian efl students’ responses of the implementation of intercultural language learning intercultural language learning to make them think more critically to see cases, or the differences among cultures. the most important thing is that they do not easily judge a problem found as a bad or good, rather they view it from the other people‟s view, so they can act and speak properly. therefore, it indicates that the students have critically seen a thing from a different point of view. it is, of course, in line with the principle of intercultural language learning (liddicoat et al, 2003; liddicoat & scarino, 2013) that the students should have critical thinking toward the differences of language and culture. regarding the students‟ active participation in the classroom, moloney and harbon (2010) also found that in intercultural language learning classroom, the students used target language in social interaction to express opinions, problem-solving, use highorder thinking. students were also actively tested and engaged their prior knowledge, that is, their existing cultural knowledge and expectations. this is in line with the data found in the questionnaire where the students claimed that they have developed to perform interactive participation as well as to be an independent person by using their existing or prior knowledge about the target culture that they discussed in every meeting. the students’ responsibility as intercultural persons this last section discusses the students‟ responsibility as intercultural persons. it means that they are assumed have followed all meetings of the courses and they have received knowledge related to the principle of intercultural language learning. this responsibility is how their attitudes and behavior toward diversity and difference are implemented not only in the classroom but also in their environment. therefore, the responsibility is also the students‟ prolonged engagement as responsible persons in their environment in the future. there are two important points that are highlighted in this section, namely the students‟ responsibility to value the other cultures and the students‟ perspective towards the diversity and difference among cultures. in general, the students claimed that they have become intercultural persons and they do not judge other cultures are worse than their own cultures. they also believed that they more appreciate the diversity and differences in their environment. they think that the diversity is a good thing as long as it gives a positive impact to people and it does not disrupt the harmony of people. as stated in data questionnaire, a total of 77.41% of students believed that they have been being intercultural persons, and 80.64% of students also believed that they can appreciate the diversity and differences in society regardless of it as something wrong. on the other hand, students‟ statements in the data interview also support that they have been responsible as intercultural persons. for example, student 1 said that “every opinion should be respected, although it may be different from mine”, and a statement from student 3 that is “after following this course i became increasingly aware that we should be able to see someone's opinion from different views. we do not become a selfish person”. in conclusion, the students‟ responses above show that the teaching and learning that they have participated have met the objective of the intercultural language learning that creates them to be intercultural persons and intercultural speakers or mediators, as mentioned by byram et al (2012), 72 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee corbett (2003) and liddicoat and scarino (2013). it will create studentswho are able to deal withcomplexity and multiple identities and to avoid the stereotyping whichis accompanied by perceiving someone through a single identity. conclusion based on the results, the conclusion can be drawn as 1) the students‟ general attitudes toward the course. the students showed a greater interest in participating in the course. they were also impressed to some activities in the classroom, including teacher‟s role in the discussion. they said that learning english and its culture was interesting, and they experienced interesting activities to find new knowledge about language and culture. however, they still have some problems in participating in the course. they admitted that they found difficulties in expressing their opinion in a discussion. it had been anticipated by the teacher by always encouraging them to speak and share their opinions. 2) the students‟ attitudes toward the implementation of teaching and learning. the students had positive progress as well as good improvement of learning. they appreciated the teacher who had given greater involvement and guidance during the teaching and learning. they also enjoyed the activities done by the teacher in the classroom. they mentioned that they became more active and critical in expressing their opinions and perspectives in a discussion or conversation to see some cases and differences among cultures. the most important thing is that they do not easily judge a problem found as a bad or good, rather they view it from the other people‟s view, so they can act and speak properly. 3) the effect of intercultural language learning to students as an intercultural person. the students claimed that they had become intercultural persons where they did not see and easily judged a cultural difference as a bad thing rather seeing it in different point of views either during the teaching and learning process or in their environment in the future. references ary, d., jacobs, l.c., razavieh, a. (2002). introduction to research in education. michigan: wadsworth, thompson learning. bredella, l. (2003). for a flexible model of intercultural understanding. in g. alred., m. byram., and m. fleming. (eds), intercultural experience and education (p. 31-49). clevedon: multilingual matters. brown, h. d. (1994). principles of language learning and teaching. englewood cliffs, new jersey: prentice hall regents. byram, m., gribkova, b., & starkey, h. (2002). developing the intercultural dimension in language teaching: a practical introduction for teachers. strasbourg: council of europe champagne, c. & bourdages, j.s. (2000). didactiser la culture par la comparaison réflective. international review of applied linguistics, 38, 279-287. corbett, j. (2003). an intercultural approach to english language teaching. clevendon: multilingual matters. crozet, c., & liddicoat, a.j. (2000). teaching culture as an integrated part of language: implications for the aims, approaches and pedagogies of language teaching. in a.j. liddicoat & c. crozet (eds), teaching languages, teaching cultures. melbourne: language australia. damen, l. (1987). culture learning: the fifth dimension in the language classroom. massachusetts: addison-wesley publishing company, inc. fraenkel, r. j. & wallen, e. n. (1993). how to design and evaluate research in education. new york: mcgraw-hill 73 fauzi miftakh investigating indonesian efl students’ responses of the implementation of intercultural language learning gu, q. (2005). intercultural experience and teacher professional development. regional language centre journal, 36(1), 5-22. ho, s.t.k. (2009). addressing culture in efl classrooms: the challenge of shifting from a traditional to an intercultural stance. electronic journal of foreign language teaching, 6(1), 63–76. kim, r. i. & goldstein, s. b. (2005). intercultural attitudes predict favorable study abroad expectations of u.s. college students. journal of studies in international education, 9(3), 265-278. liddicoat, a. j. (2005b). teaching languages for intercultural communication. in d. cunningham and a. hatoss (eds), an international perspective on language policies, practices and proficiencies (p. 201–214). belgrave: editura fundaţiei academice axis and fédération internationale des professeurs de langues vivantes. liddicoat, a. j. (2005c). teaching languages for intercultural communication, in an international perspective on language policies, practices and proficiencies (eds d. cunningham and a. hatoss), editura fundaţiei academice axis and fédération internationale des professeurs de langues vivantes, belgrave, p. 201–214. liddicoat, a. j. & kohler, m. (2012). teaching asian languages from an intercultural perspective: building bridges for and with students of indonesian. in x. song & k. cadman (eds), bridging transcultural divides: asian language and culture in global higher education (p. 7399). adelaide: university of adelaide press. liddicoat, a.j., & scarino, a. (2013). intercultural language teaching and learning. west sussex: wiley-blackwell liddicoat, a.j., scarino, a., papademetre, l., & kohler, m. (2003). report on intercultural language learning. canberra: commonwealth department of education, science and training. lucas, j. s. (2003). intercultural communications for international programs: an experientially-based course design. journal of research in international education, 2(3), 301-314. moloney, r. & harbon, l. (2010). making intercultural language learning visible and assessable. intercultural competence conference, 1, 281303. otten, m. (2003). intercultural learning and diversity in higher education. journal of studies in international education, 7(1), 12-26. rodliyah, r.t. & muniroh, r. d. d. (2012). the importance of incorporating the target culture in english language teaching. [online]. available at: http://file.upi.edu/direktori/fpbs/j ur._pend._bahasa_inggris/197 308062002122rojab_siti_rodliya h/the_importance_of_incorporating_ the_target_culture_in_englis.pdf. sukarno. (2012). integrating local cultures in teaching english as a foreign language for character building. [online]. available at: http://lppmp.uny.ac.id/sites/ lppmp.uny.ac.id/files/8sukarno%20f bs_.pdf. tantri, n.r. (2013). english as a global language phenomenon and the need of cultural conceptualizations awareness in indonesian elt. international refereed & indexed journal of english language & translation studies, 1(1), 37-49. 74 http://file.upi.edu/direktori/fpbs/jur._pend._bahasa_inggris/197308062002122rojab_siti_rodliyah/the_importance_of_incorporating_the_target_culture_in_englis.pdf http://file.upi.edu/direktori/fpbs/jur._pend._bahasa_inggris/197308062002122rojab_siti_rodliyah/the_importance_of_incorporating_the_target_culture_in_englis.pdf http://file.upi.edu/direktori/fpbs/jur._pend._bahasa_inggris/197308062002122rojab_siti_rodliyah/the_importance_of_incorporating_the_target_culture_in_englis.pdf http://file.upi.edu/direktori/fpbs/jur._pend._bahasa_inggris/197308062002122rojab_siti_rodliyah/the_importance_of_incorporating_the_target_culture_in_englis.pdf http://file.upi.edu/direktori/fpbs/jur._pend._bahasa_inggris/197308062002122rojab_siti_rodliyah/the_importance_of_incorporating_the_target_culture_in_englis.pdf http://lppmp.uny.ac.id/sites/%20lppmp.uny.ac.id/files/8sukarno%20fbs_.pdf http://lppmp.uny.ac.id/sites/%20lppmp.uny.ac.id/files/8sukarno%20fbs_.pdf http://lppmp.uny.ac.id/sites/%20lppmp.uny.ac.id/files/8sukarno%20fbs_.pdf english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 9 criteria used by proficient vs. less proficient efl teachers in pragmatic assessment: the case of request speech act misagh hosseini english department, isfahan (khorasgan) branch, islamic azad university, isfahan, iran e-mail: mishoseini2000@gmail.com ehsan rezvani english department, isfahan (khorasgan) branch, islamic azad university, isfahan, iran e-mail: rezvani_ehsan_1982@yahoo.com apa citation: hosseini, m., & rezvani, e. (2018). criteria used by proficient vs. less proficient efl teachers in pragmatic assessment: the case of request speech act. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 9-16. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1529. received: 29-08-2018 accepted: 30-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: the issue of efl teachers’ rating criteria and patterns in interlanguage pragmatics (ilp) assessment is new and needs rigorous analysis. the purpose of this study was to reveal important variables such as raters’ criteria and rating patterns by analyzing the ilp assessment process of iranian non-native english speaking raters (nnesrs) of both high and low proficiency levels based on the request speech act. the data for this study was collected through a discourse completion test (dct) and a rating questionnaire from 40 iranian efl teachers and were later analyzed through descriptive analysis-test and chi-squares. the results showed that raters considered 9 criteria, including pragma-linguistic and socio-pragmatic components of language which raters noted differently through eight request situations. the results showed that raters considered nine criteria, including pragma linguistic and socio-pragmatic components of language which were noted differently through eight request situations. among the considered criteria, the highest frequencies belonged to the criteria of authenticity, query of preparatory and softness, and interlocutors’ relationship used by high proficiency teachers, whereas low proficiency teachers used the highest frequencies of accuracy, style, and directness. the result of the study can have important connotations for teachers to consider teaching l2 pragmatics in language classes and in teacher training courses. keywords: interlanguage pragmatics; request; speech act; pragmatic assessment. introduction interlanguage pragmatics (ilp) is regarded as the study of the development and use of strategies for linguistic action by non-native speakers. incorporating l2 pragmatics into language teaching programs, especially in assessment area, plays a major role in second language process. pragmatic assessment has been a salient theme in second language process and pragmatic instruction for years. according to oller (1979, p. 39), “pragmatic proficiency test is any procedure or task that causes the learners to process sequences of elements in a language that conforms to the normal contextual constraints of that language, and which requires the learners to relate sequences of linguistic element via pragmatic mapping to extra linguistic context.” the popularity of speech act studies in pragmatic is evident. different categorizations associated with pragmatic studies are in both acquisitional areas, which deal with efl learners’ developmental issues, and comparative areas, which are dominantly of cross-cultural studies (alconsoler & martinezflor, 2008). besides, pragma-linguistic and socio-pragmatic division of language knowledge (leech & mailto:mishoseini2000@gmail.com mailto:rezvani_ehsan_1982@yahoo.com misagh hosseini & ehsan rezvani criteria used by proficient vs. less proficient efl teachers in pragmatic assessment: the case of request speech act 10 thomas, 1983) are another classifications in which linguistic and social dimensions of pragmatic knowledge are dealt with respectively. social norms and politeness, for example, stand for the socio pragmatic knowledge; while considering various linguistic resources to produce a speech act are pragma-linguistic understandings. nevertheless, the point is that the issue of pragmatic assessment is relatively new. pragmatic assessment mainly focuses on contextual relevance of l2 learner’s language use (oller, 1979). several studies carried out in developing pragmatic tests. brown (2001) used six types of tests. the instrument used was: written discourse completion tasks (wdct), multiple-choice discourse completion tasks (mdct), oral discourse completion tasks (odct), discourse role play tasks (drpt), discourse self-assessment tasks (dsat), and role-play self-assessments (rpsa). in the domain of socio pragmatics, hudson, detmer, and brown (1992) used different methods in testing politeness and degree of directness of learners’ apology, and request and refusal competences. they developed six types of tests: oral dcts, written dcts, multiple choice dct, role plays and self-assessment. in the domain of pragma linguistic issues of language, roever (2005-2006) developed web-based test of esl pragmatics. roever’s instrument was more appropriate for both asian and european test taker. finally, bachman (1990) claims pragmatic performances can be assessed through either rating on scales or counting the correct responses. a new branch of pragmatic assessment is related to the issue of rating and rater criteria. current research on pragmatic assessment focuses on the importance of rating criteria. taguchi (2011) explored the rater variation in the assessment of speech act of request. he center on issues, such as “politeness markers”, “amount of speech”, “strategies”, “directness” responses of efl learners. also, he found out that native raters had some inconsistencies in their rating. lee (2012) studied rating behavior between korean and native english-speaking raters (nes) in which the study showed that korean raters were more serious in scoring to linguistic component (grammar, sentence structure), while the nes raters emphasized the content and total scores. moreover, walter (2007) investigated rater variation in pragmatic assessment. in his study, 42 learners of english attended a baseline activity with a native englishspeaking tester for 10 to 15 minutes. three oral pragmatic prompts were in the activity (an assessment, a compliment, and a presequence) were embedded within three larger topic discussion. after each topic discussion, the prompts were delivered unconsciously. two raters, a native and nonnative speaker of english, assessed the baselines based on a four-point holistic rating scale. dialogues between the raters were recorded when they determined differences in scoring and then analyzed. the results revealed that raters analyzed examinees’ performance differently which caused different scoring. for instance, in the pragmatic target of compliment responses, the high proficient speaker emphasized his knowledge of normative patterns of compliment and compliment response in american english, while the low proficient speaker considered l1 transfer as possible source of non-normative compliment response. examinee’s fluency and clear pronunciation influenced low proficient speaker which leaded to a higher score. moreover, there are a number of studies in other area of assessment that investigated raters’ variations of perspectives orientations (e.g., brown 2000, 2003, 2005; ducassee & brown 2009; johnson & lim 2009; may 2006, 2009: mcnamara & lumely 1997; o’loughlin 1996; polit & murray 1996). using reflective verbal etiquette, these studies examined how raters’ characteristics, gender, language background, experience, and competence affected their evaluation of l2 oral interviews, writing samples, and paired dyads. after rating learner’s performance, raters were asked to summarize their reasons for awarding the english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 11 rating. aspects of learners’ performance that raters focused on a review of verbal reports revealed (e.g., linguistic features, discourse management, rhetorical organization, and listening behaviors). there is general agreement from the body of literature. this general consensus is that raters bring their own values and criteria in assessment, after training and they cohere to both criterion and non-criterion features. in a more recent study, tajeddin and alemi (2013) focused on the assessment of efl learners’ pragmatic competence by native english raters’ criteria. they investigated the criteria of native and nonnative english teacher for the speech act of apology in l2. their analysis of raters’ remark manifested five criteria such as: apology, situation explanation, politeness, irrelevancy of speech act, statements of alternatives. for several years, great effort has been devoted to the study of request in speech acts. according to trosborg (1995), request occurs when the speaker states his (her) wants to the hearer and want him (her) to do something for his benefits. in making a request, the speaker infringes on the recipient’s freedom from imposition. the recipient may feel that the request is an intrusion on his/her freedom of action or even a power play (blum-kulka, house, & kasper, 1989). in recent years, request is analyzed in forms of cross-cultural and interlanguage studies. some researchers indicated the developmental pragmatics by comparing data from l2 learners at different levels of proficiency (francis, 1997; paren, 2002). other researchers just compared nonnative and native speakers (roose, 2000, p. 29). several studies have revealed that differences in performing and realizing speech act demand teaching and testing it for efl learners. these studies demonstrate the existence of differences in performing and realizing request speech act necessitate teaching and testing it for efl learners. thus, more studies are necessary in order to inform efl teachers about different aspects of request speech act in teaching and assessment processes. in view of this need in the literature, this study aimed at investigating what criteria inform non-native english speaking teachers’ rating criteria with a focus on the speech act of request. method forty non-native iranian english teachers in the 25-35 age range were selected. the group of non-native english speaking raters (nnesrs) included english teachers from different languages institutes in isfahan with various teaching experiences (classified into two levels of 1-5 and 6-11). these teachers were m.a holders or m.a students of tefl (teaching english as a foreign language). therefore, they were familiar with the concept of l2 pragmatics and language testing. in order to make sure in objective terms that the teachers were truly homogenous with regard to their english proficiency level, an oxford placement test (opt) was given to them. after obtaining the opt results, it was decided to divide those teachers into high and low proficiency level. this being so, 40 teachers who met this homogeneity criterion were selected and assigned to two group (high and low proficient) involved in the study (20 teachers each). in addition, ten iranian efl learners from intermediate levels were selected for administrating the dct. the study was accomplished through 3 phases. the first phase was selecting 40 nonnative english speaking teachers from language institutes in iran with various teaching experiences and ten iranian efl learners from intermediate groups. in the second phase, (opt) test as a placement test was used to check the subjects’ english proficiency. it was administrated to divide teachers into two groups of high and low level of proficiency. in the third phase, a dct test was employed based on various degrees of formality, power, and distance to test the request speech act performance of efl learners. finally, both high and low proficient teachers were asked to assess the learner’s performance with dct test. for the misagh hosseini & ehsan rezvani criteria used by proficient vs. less proficient efl teachers in pragmatic assessment: the case of request speech act 12 sake of convenience in rating, likert scale is placed after every response for raters. through the qualitative phase of data analysis, the criteria noted by nnesrs were analyzed and categorized. thus, the frequency of each criterion was calculated through quantitative procedures in order to find the dominant criteria. descriptive analyses including mean and sd reveal the pragmatic assessment of teachers. nnesrs analyzed and categorized the criteria through the qualitative way of data analysis. therefore, the frequency of each criterion is calculated through quantitative procedure in order to find the dominant criteria. furthermore, t-test and chi-square were used to determine if there are any significant differences between nnesrs’ rating scores and rating criteria. results and discussion nnesrs use various criteria during pragmatic assessment of efl learners’ requests. the following criteria were found in raters’ comments: 1) directness: this request criteria deals with the directness and indirectness of the efl learners’ productions. example: “leave me alone.” an indirectness example is “it is too hot.” 2) politeness: this criterion refers to the degree of politeness of the efl learners’ request. example: i think it’s not very polite. the teachers should respect the students, especially in front of other students. 3) language usage accuracy: this criterion is mainly about the accuracy of the structures, grammar, and lexical items of the produced sentences. example: there are some grammar mistakes, such as “it” should be replaced by its reference “the book”. 4) authenticity and cultural errors: this criterion reflects the naturalness of the produced responses, as well as their cultural appropriateness regarding l2 society. example: this sentence seems odd and unnatural. english people would never say that, especially the “go ahead” part. 5) style and register: this criterion refers to the use of formal or informal style. example: asking your teacher informally might lead to misunderstanding. 6) explanation: this criterion refers to brief explanation or introduction before making request. example: i think it’s better to add an introduction and clarify the request. 7) statement of optimal example: this criterion refers to supplying various examples of the ideal request for the specified situations. example: she/he could say: “i need that doll for my daughter. please let me borrow it for a few days if you don’t need it”. 8) query preparatory and softeners: this criterion refers to the importance of the use of preparatory expressions, such as could you, would you, etc., as well as words or phrases which can moderate the request (i.e. please, thank you, if it’s ok with you). example: “pardon me” followed by the word “excuse me” is more favored. 9) conversers’ relationship: this criterion refers to social relationships, as realizing, establishing, sustaining, and changing social relations. example: it depends on the closeness of the relationship. if it is an employee boss relationship, then the sentences are informal and not proper for this situation, whereas, it is considered proper between 2 friends. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 13 table 1. frequencies of responses to the dct items by high proficiency teachers i te m d ir e ct n es s p o li te n es s a cc u ra cy a u th en ti ci ty s ty le e x p la n a ti o n s ta te m en t o f o p ti m a l ex a m p le q u er y p re p a ra to ry & s o ft n es s c o n v er se r s re la ti o n sh ip e x p ec te d f re q u en cy c h is q u a re d f s ig . (2 -t a il ed ) 1 4 6 6 9 2 8 8 8 9 6.70 6.90 8 .54 2 8 8 8 6 8 8 2 10 8 7.30 5.44 8 .70 3 4 5 2 8 6 6 10 7 6 6.00 7.00 8 .53 4 8 10 5 9 8 5 4 10 9 7.60 5.58 8 .69 5 5 10 7 9 6 7 8 4 10 7.30 4.90 8 .76 6 1 4 2 7 8 6 1 8 8 5.00 14.80 8 .06 7 5 8 9 9 8 8 8 10 8 8.10 1.83 8 .98 8 2 8 3 6 6 6 5 6 4 5.10 5.26 8 .72 total 37 59 42 63 52 54 46 63 62 53.10 14.02 8 .08 regarding the first dct item and the frequencies it received from the high proficiency teachers, there were no statistically significant differences among the nine assessment criteria in as much as the p value under the sig. (2-tailed) column for this item equaled .54. in fact, a p value less than the significance level (i.e., p < .05) signifies a significant difference, whereas a p value above .05 indicates that the difference failed to reach statistical significance. the highest frequencies belonged to the criteria of authenticity (f = 63), query of preparatory and softness (f = 63), and converses’ relationship (f = 62), whereas the lowest frequencies were those of directness (f = 37), accuracy (f = 42), and statement of optional example (f = 46). however, as it was observed in table 1, the differences among the nine assessment criteria by highproficiency teachers did not reach statistical significance. table 2. frequencies of responses to the dct items by low proficiency teachers it em d ir e ct n es s p o li te n es s a cc u ra cy a u th en ti ci ty s ty le e x p la n a ti o n s ta te m en t o f o p ti m a l ex a m p le q u er y p re p a ra to ry & s o ft n es s c o n v er se r s re la ti o n sh ip e x p ec te d f re q u en cy c h is q u a re d f s ig . (2 -t a il ed ) 1 6 0 10 0 6 2 8 6 8 6.60 5.73 6 .45 2 8 2 6 2 8 6 6 8 6 5.80 7.53 8 .48 3 2 6 2 2 8 4 6 4 2 4.00 10.00 8 .26 4 8 6 6 4 6 6 2 6 6 5.60 4.00 8 .85 5 6 6 8 6 8 4 4 3 6 5.70 4.23 8 .83 6 4 2 8 6 4 6 6 2 4 4.70 6.85 8 .55 7 4 6 8 6 8 6 8 4 4 6.00 4.00 8 .85 8 4 6 6 0 4 2 6 2 2 4.00 6.00 7 .54 total 42 34 54 26 52 36 46 35 36 40.10 16.67 8 .03 for low-proficiency teachers, the sig. values in the rightmost column of table 2 show that for the eight individual items of the dct, the differences among the nine assessment criteria were too small to reach statistical significance. however, adding up the frequencies of the criteria for all the dct items yielded total frequencies for the assessment criteria, and the differences among the total frequencies, as is shown in the lowest row of the table, reached statistical significance due to the fact that the p value in this row was found to be .03 (p <.05). this means that, on the whole, lowproficiency teachers used significantly different criteria to assess the request speech act. misagh hosseini & ehsan rezvani criteria used by proficient vs. less proficient efl teachers in pragmatic assessment: the case of request speech act 14 table 3. frequencies of responses to the dct items by highand lowproficiency teachers it em t ea ch er s d ir e ct n es s p o li te n es s a cc u ra cy a u th en ti ci ty s ty le e x p la n a ti o n s ta te m en t o f o p ti m a l ex a m p le q u er y p re p a ra to ry & s o ft n es s c o n v er se r s re la ti o n sh ip c h is q u a re d f s ig . (2 -t a il ed ) 1 high 4 6 6 9 2 8 8 8 9 20.85 8 .008 low 6 0 10 0 6 2 8 6 8 2 high 8 8 8 6 8 8 2 10 8 7.11 8 .52 low 8 2 6 2 8 6 6 8 6 3 high 4 5 2 8 6 6 10 7 6 5.48 8 .70 low 2 6 2 2 8 4 6 4 2 4 high 8 10 5 9 8 5 4 10 9 2.98 8 .93 low 8 6 6 4 6 6 2 6 6 5 high 5 10 7 9 6 7 8 4 10 3.47 8 .90 low 6 6 8 6 8 4 4 3 6 6 high 1 4 2 7 8 6 1 8 8 15.89 8 .04 low 4 2 8 6 4 6 6 2 4 7 high 5 8 9 9 8 8 8 10 8 2.45 8 .96 low 4 6 8 6 8 6 8 4 4 8 high 2 8 3 6 6 6 5 6 4 10.95 8 .20 low 4 6 6 0 4 2 6 2 2 total high 37 59 42 63 52 54 46 63 62 26.61 8 .001 low 42 34 54 26 52 36 46 35 36 the results presented in table 3 revealed that high-and low-proficiency teachers differed significantly with respect to the criteria they used to assess the first item in the dct (p=.008). this might have occurred because of the fact that high-proficiency teachers and low-proficiency teachers differed with respect to the politeness (6 vs. 0), authenticity (9 vs. 0) and explanation (8 vs. 2) criteria. in addition, highand low-proficiency teachers were found to be significantly different in relation to their responses to the 6 th dct item (p = .04). this difference might have been caused by the difference between the highand low-proficiency teachers’ responses to the accuracy (2 vs. 8), statement of optional example (1 vs. 6), and query preparatory and softness (8 vs. 2) criteria. more importantly, the highand lowproficiency teachers differed significantly in terms of the total frequencies of their responses to the dct items (i.e., in terms of their overall assessment criteria) since the p value in the bottom row of the table was found to be .001. the highand low proficiency teachers were probable significantly different in terms of their responses to the politeness (59 vs. 34), authenticity (63 vs. 26), query preparatory and softness (63 vs. 35), and conversers’ relationship (62 vs. 36) criteria. although efl teachers’ rating criteria and patterns in ilp assessment has great impact on the process of teaching and testing of second language, this issue has remained understudied. the study examined whether higher and lower proficient teachers differed in assessing efl learners’ request, and what features of efl learners’ requests nnesrs used during pragmatic assessment. the primary objective of this study was to explore the criteria employed by nnesrs in request rating process. the criteria were both socio-pragmatic and pragma-linguistic categories among both high and low proficient teachers. as an example, criteria like linguistic appropriacy or query preparatory and softeners belong to pragmatic aspect of language, while formality and social relationship or politeness fit into socio-pragmatic category. according to rasekh (2008) and roever english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 15 (2007), the importance of both aspects in either teaching or testing pragmatic knowledge in previous researches. regarding the scoring of efl learners’ production, iranian nnesrs acted differently, as their minimum and maximum scores in most situations. the deficiencies in high and low proficient raters’ evaluation and the significant differences between them emphasize the inadequacy of some of the low proficient teachers’ pragmatic knowledge and the necessity of developing teacher training courses, especially pragmatic training for nnes teachers (alemi, 2012; harlig & hartford, 1997; rasekh, 2005; rose, 2005). for the third questions, quasiexperimental design producer was carried out. based on the achieved results, there was significant difference between high and low proficiency teachers regarding pragmatic assessment of speech act request. teachers in the high proficiency group could more successfully enhance pragmatic competence compared to the low proficiency group in pragmatic assessment. conclusion the present research was an attempt in which pragmatic assessment considered to be the ideal method for pragmatic assessment of speech act request. so, the homogenized participants were divided into two groups of high and low proficiency. in this study, nine different criteria are employed by nnesrs in rating request productions. high proficient teachers apply certain criteria in evaluating the request speech act of efl learners more frequently. these criteria include authenticity, politeness, query preparatory and softness, conversers relationship, while low proficient teachers use some criteria such as directness, accuracy, style, and statement of optimal example, more frequently. these differences could be due to lack of pragmatic knowledge on the part of nnesrs in which there is cultural difference between l1 and l2 causing pragmatic misunderstanding. the study also indicates the important of l2 pragmatic and the need for pragmatically appropriate learning materials. in countries like iran, teachers and learners do not have any easy access to native speakers or authentic learning materials. in fact, learners need pragmatic instruction as a part of their language education while most of the textbooks for language learning lack sufficient l2 pragmatic exercises and do not consider cross-cultural differences between l1 and l2 societies (alemi & irandoost, 2012; alemi, roodi, & bemani, 2013; safa, moradi, & hamzavia, 2015). finally, it is hoped that research in l2 pragmatics will not only improve our understanding of pragmatic development in speech act realization and of the nature of strategies, but further studies will be done to find efl teachers’ rating criteria in assessing understudied speech acts such as criticism, congratulation, etc. references alemi, m., eslami-rasekh, z., & rezanejad, a. (2015). iranian non-native english speaking teachers’ rating criteria regarding the speech act of compliment: an investigation of teachers’ variables. journal of teaching language skills, 6(3), 21-49. byon, a. s. (2004). socio-pragmatic analysis of korean requests: pedagogical setting. journal of pragmatics, 36, 1973–1704. chen, s. (2007). interlanguage requests: a crosscultural study of english and chinese. the linguistics journal 2(2), 32–52. cohen, a. d. (2014). towards increased classroom assessment of pragmatic ability. iranian journal of language testing, 4(1), 4-25. retrieved from http://ijlt.ir/journal/images/pdf/420-2014-41.pdf. jalilifar, a., hashemian, m., & tabatabaee, m. (2011). a cross-sectional study of iranian efl learners' request strategies. journal of language teaching and research, 2(4), 790-803. doi:10.4304/jltr.2.4.790-803. koosha, b., & dastjerdi, h. v. (2012). investigating pragmatic competence: the case of requests in interchange series. asian social science, 8(1), 45-61. plough, i. c., briggs, s. l., & van bonn, s. (2010). a multi-method analysis of evaluation criteria used to assess the speaking proficiency of graduate student instructors. language testing, 27(2), 235-260. misagh hosseini & ehsan rezvani criteria used by proficient vs. less proficient efl teachers in pragmatic assessment: the case of request speech act 16 rezanejad, a. (2013). rating efl learner's interlanguag pragmatic competence by native and non-native english speaking teachers (unpublished master's thesis). sharif university of technology, tehran, iran. roever, c. (2010). effects of native language in a test of esl pragmatics: a dif approach. in g. kasper, h. thi nguyen, d. r. yoshimi, & j. yoshioka (eds.), pragmatics and language learning (vol. 12, pp. 187–212). honolulu, hi: national foreign language resource center. safa, m. a., moradi, m., & hamzavia, r. (2015). iranian efl teachers and learners perspective on potentiality of top notch series for intercultural competence development. iranian journal of language teaching research, 3(2), 47-66. retrieved from http://www.urmia.ac.ir/sites/www.urmia.ac.ir/fil es/(4).pdf. tajeddin, z. (2014). interlanguage pragmatics and language teaching. tehran, iran: jungle publications. trosborg, a. (1995). interlanguage pragmatics: requests, complaints, and apologies. berlin: mouton de gruyter. doi:10.1515/9783110885286. walters, f. s. (2004). an application of conversation analysis to the development of a test of second language pragmatic competence. unpublished doctoral dissertation, university of illinois at urbana-champaign. walters, f. s. (2007). a conversation-analytic hermeneutic rating protocol to assess l2 oral pragmatic competence. language testing, 24(2), 155–183. walters, f. s. (2009). a conversation analysisinformed test of l2 aural pragmatic comprehensions. tesol quarterly, 43(1), 29– 54. woodfield, h. (2008). interlanguage requests in english: a contrastive study. in m. pütz & j. n. v. aertselaer (eds.), contrastive pragmatics: interlanguage and cross-cultural perspectives (pp. 231-264). berlin/new york: mouton de gruyte. youssef, a. m. (2012). study of request strategies employed by libyan and malay postgraduate students at usm. international journal of learning & development, 2(2), 144-151. http://www.urmia.ac.ir/sites/www.urmia.ac.ir/files/(4).pdf http://www.urmia.ac.ir/sites/www.urmia.ac.ir/files/(4).pdf assisting students to attack writing tasks on ielts test with “probing technique” tedi rohadi assisting students to attack writing tasks on ielts test with “probing technique” assisting students to attack writing tasks on ielts test with “probing technique” tedi rohadi department of english education state institute of islamic studies (iain) syekh nurjati cirebon, indonesia e-mail: triaincrbn@gmail.com apa citation: rohadi, t. (2015). assisting students to attack writing tasks on ielts test with “probing technique”. english review: journal of english education, 3(2),174-182 received: 11-03-2015 accepted: 22-04-2015 published: 01-06-2015 abstract: writing section on ielts test is commonly considered one of the most difficult parts of test. the test takers can’t even understand what to do with the tasks provided. they eventually write without clearly knowing the expected direction. therefore, there should be a fastest way to well equip students to successfully cope with such hindrances. this paper is an action research report of how to make students better understand and answer writing tasks on ielts test by employing probing techniques as one of test taking strategies. the paper will preliminarily elaborate the characteristics or nature of ielts test in general and writing section consisting two different tasks in particular including its indicators of what expected kind of writing the testees should be aware of. it will then discuss probing techniques in details. the attack strategies and their sequential implementation will afterward be discussed. the technique will assist students to respectively understand what and how to plan and write effectively on the test. keywords: ielts test, writing section, writing tasks, probing, attack strategies introduction writing section on ielts test is commonly considered one of the most difficult parts of test. the test takers can’t even understand what to do with the tasks provided. they eventually write without clearly knowing the expected direction (jakeman, 2007:23). there should deliberately be a fastest way to well equip students to successfully cope with such hindrances. probing offers a way out of providing a kind of scaffolding (derek and david: 78, 2006; brown, 1994a: 189) that can be used to prepare students to attack the writing tasks on ielts test in the pre-writing stage (brown, 1994a:156). when people really want to learn something, they ask questions. it is not surprising that for many, questioning is at the very heart of learning, the central skill in the teaching-learning process. questions can and have been used for a wide variety of educational purposes: reviewing previously read or studied material; diagnosing student abilities, preferences, and attitudes; stimulating critical thinking; managing student behavior; probing student thought process; stirring creative thinking; personalizing the curriculum; motivating students; and assessing student knowledge (http://changingminds.org/techniques /questioning/questioning.htm). one of the first directions for improving the quality of classroom questions was determining the intellectual level of teacher questions. in 1956 benjamin bloom developed the so english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee called “taxonomies” that included three overlapping domains: the cognitive (intellectual), psychomotor (physical), and affective (attitudes and emotions). the taxonomies have recently been renewed to be three systems ,that is, cognitive systems (retrieval, comprehension, analysis, and knowledge utilization), metacognitive systems, and self-system (marzano and kendall, 2007:45). probing questions are follow-up questions asked after a student responds to the initial question. probing questions require a student to think deeper than the original response, and to integrate newmaterials. probing as a questioning strategy can also be called scaffolding (derek and david: 78, 2006; brown, 1994a: 189). in probing techniques, the types of questions used are those that belong to cognitive domain/system comprising of knowledge/retrieval, comprehension, and analysis (marzano and kendall, 2007: 34). the following brief definitions are followed by several sample verbs that reflect the appropriate intellectual activity: 1. knowledge: requires that students recognize or recall information. remembering is the key intellectual activity. (define, recall, memorize, name, duplicate, label, review, list, order, recognize, repeat, reproduce, state) 2. comprehension: requires that students demonstrate sufficient understanding to organize and arrange material mentally; demands a personal grasp of the material. (translate, explain, classify, compare, contrast, describe, discuss, express, restate in other words, review, select) 3. application: requires that students apply information, demonstrate principles or rules, and use what was learned. many, but not all, educators believe that this is the first of the higher-level thought processes. (apply, classify, solve, use, show, diagram, demonstrate, record, translate, illustrate, choose, dramatize, employ, operate, practice, schedule, sketch, write) 4. analysis: educators agree that this and all the following categories require higher-level thinking skills. analysis requires students to identify reasons, uncover evidence, and reach conclusions. (identify motives and causes, draw conclusions, determine evidence, support, analyze, deduce, categorize, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, justify, distinguish, examine, experiment) method this study is a classroom action research in nature. it is intended to overcome the students difficulties in writing section on ielts. the participants of the study are 15 students of ieduc english course in bandung. the activities involve repeated cycles consisting of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. the result of one cycle is used to determine the need for the following cycle, until the problems get solved by the strategy (kemmis & mctaggert, 1988). results and discussion probing is selected as it is a technique that enables students to accommodate and construct their own knowledge. teachers do not need to explain or answer questions but invite students to probe the writing tasks by providing a series of questions as proposed by constructivism. from students’ point of view, they could tedi rohadi assisting students to attack writing tasks on ielts test with “probing technique” communicate directly to teachers as well as concentrate fully to prepare the answers of the questions delivered by the teachers. furthermore, the students cognitive aspects are trained by getting used to process their background knowledge, seeking the relationship one another, and applying them in explaining something new. on top of that, students think that they are given a trust to construct their own knowledge and guided to study independently (williams, m. & burden, r. 1997:65). in teaching and learning process in classroom, there are two major interrelated activities in probing: the students’ activities embracing physical and cognitive activities in which they endeavor to construct their knowledge and teacher’s activities who guides the students with probing techniques by employing a series of questions ranging from low level thinking order to higher level thinking order. the expected physical activities of students are observing (observing graph, identify graph variable, or predict the tendency), answering questions, clarifying and disagreeing, and the cognitive activities of students are assimilating, accommodating, and constructing a new knowledge. teacher’s activities in conditioning probing technique consist of seven following stages (wijaya, 1999:34): stage 1: expose the students with writing task 1 and writing task 2 stage 2: wait for 3-5 seconds to give opportunities to students to observe stage 3: probe the questions stage 4: wait for 3-4 seconds to give opportunities to students to formulate the answers. stage 5: point one of students to answer the question stage 6: if the first response from that student is correct and relevant, then ask other students to confirm that all students get involved. provide reward. if not, give subsequent questions related to the first response, guide them up to phase in which the students get the correct answer. stage 7: give the final question to different students to emphasize that all students could obtain new knowledge. those seven stages can be illustrated in the enclosed flowchart (see the appendix 1) ielts academic writing section consists of two writing tasks. in writing task 1, candidates may be asked to describe facts or figures presented in one or more graphs, charts or tables on a related topic; or they may be given a diagram of a machine, a device or a process and asked to explain how it works. this task assesses the candidate’s ability to identify the most important and relevant information and trends in a graph, chart, table or diagram, and to give a well-organised overview of it using language accurately in an academic register or style. in writing task 2, candidates are given a topic to write about. answers should be a discursive consideration of the relevant issues. candidates should make sure that they read the task carefully and provide a full and relevant response. this task assesses the candidate’s ability to present a clear, relevant, well-organised argument, giving evidence or examples to support english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee their ideas, and to use language accurately. the probing strategy is preliminarily commenced by asking the students to analyze the task of writing task 1. the students are also requested to find out what form of facts or figures representation is used whether it is pie charts, graph, table, process diagram or flow chart. afterward the students are probed with a series of questions concerning facts and figures. if it is pie chart, graph, or table, probe with the following a series of questions that are intended to provide a general overview: what are the key words on this pie chart, graph, or table? what are the headings on this pie chart, graph, or table? what rates and measurement are used on this pie chart, graph, or table? what is the most important/significant trends on this pie chart, graph, or table? what is the best example for certain trend on this pie chart, graph, or table? what is the purpose of this pie chart, graph, or table? what changes have occurred over time? what is the most interesting feature on this pie chart, graph, or table? the aforementioned series of questions can also be followed up with more specific questions that are to lead students to outline their writing. the examples are as follows: example 1: pie chart the two graphs show the main sources of energy in the usa in the 1980s and the 1990s. write a report for a university lecturer describing the changes which occurred. write at least 150 words. probing questions: for first paragraph what do the two graphs show? what source of energies seem to remain the same? what source of energies seem to rise dramatically? for second paragraph which source of energy is the largest and howmuch? which source of energy is the second largest and how much? which source of energy remains constant and how much? which source of energy has the greatest change and how much? tedi rohadi assisting students to attack writing tasks on ielts test with “probing technique” example 2: graph the graph below shows the differences in wheat exports over three different areas. write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below. probing questions paragraph one what does the three line graphs of wheat exports each show? how? paragraph two what changes have occurred over time with australia exports? how much? what changes have occurred over time with canada exports? how much? what changes have occurred over time with european community exports? howmuch? example 3: table the table below give information about favorite pastimes in different countries. summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. write at least 150 words. from 30 50 years old tv sport reading hobbies music beach sleep canada 60 22 15 40 3 0 2 france / / 30 20 4 / / england / / 30 21 4 / 20 australia 65 30 15 45 5 30 4 korea 22 21 60 45 2 2 4 china 15 25 60 50 0 5 5 usa 60 23 15 42 23 30 2 japan / / 62 / / / / english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee probing questions paragraph one what does this table presents and compares? paragraph two what the comparison among countries based on favorite past times? how much paragraph three what factors might influence those past times? then if it is process diagrams or flow charts, probe with the following series of questions that are intended to provide a general overview: what are key words from task description? what labels and the order of steps can identify? how is the process step by step from the beginning to end? what is the purpose of this process? how does it work? how do you include alternative steps? what is the end result? example: flow chart the flowchart illustrates the production of coloured plastic paper clips in a small factory. write a report for a university tutor describing the production process. write at least 150 words. tedi rohadi assisting students to attack writing tasks on ielts test with “probing technique” the general overview series of questions can also be followed up with more specific questions that are to lead students to outline their writing. the examples are as follows: probing question: paragraph one howmany stages are there? what are they? paragraph two how the sequential stages? paragraph three what is the end result?. the attack strategy is preliminarily commenced by asking the students to analyze the task of writing task 2. the students are also requested to find out the main essay types and what they have to do for each one. afterward the students are probed with a series of questions concerning the topic and the task. there are five common essay types that are given in ielts writing task 2 as shown on table 1 below: problem/solution, agree or disagree, two sides of argument, make choice and justify, and evaluate an argument. each of essay type can be identified by looking at the task words. the task requires certain kinds of essay frameworks. once the students misinterpret the task, they will accordingly lead to misleading essays in which the students fail to fulfill the task requirement. table1. essay type, task words, and meaning (adopted from slater, 2007:13) no. essay type task words this means 1 problem/ solution what can be done to solve…? how can this problem be addressed? what challenges…? what strategies…? explain 2 or 3 aspects of the issue (1 paragraph each) suggest solutions make recommendations 2 agree or disagree do you agree or disagree? why? explain your position justify your opinion take position defend it strongly. give several reasons to support your argument (1 paragraph each) it is useful to acknowledge the opposite view (counter argument) and say why you don’t accept it 3 two sides of an argument discuss compare/contrast advantages/disadvantages give a balanced presentation. this means you should write equally about both sides of the issues. in the conclusion you can indicate your position 4 make choice and justify from option a, b, c, d, e, etc. choose 3 most important justify your choice each of your choice becomes the topic of one paragraph give reasons for choosing in this order 5 evaluate an argument to what extent…? how important…? what do you think? you probably take a position which neither in total agreement (100%) nor total disagreement (0%), but somewhere in between. explain why, english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the probing questions towards ielts writing task 2 can be exemplified as follows: example of writing task 2 write about the following topic: as mass communication and transport continue to grow, societies are becoming more and more alike leading to a phenomenon known as globalization. some people fear that globalization will inevitably lead to the total loss of cultural identity. to what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. model probing questions: what is the task words of this essay? what are key words related to the topic? what are key words related to the task? so what type of essay does it belong to? what do you have to do with this kind of essay? what are you planning to write in paragraph 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5? despite the effectiveness of probing technique in assisting students to better understand the tasks and know what to do in answering the tasks, it still poses two major currently apparent weaknesses. first, they deal with the precise time planning since the answers given by students often do not meet the expected and planned answers. therefore, teachers leave the prepared ones and design a new series of question which eventually consumes additional time. then, the second weaknesses are the boredom that is resulted from overloaded series of questions and helplessness or even frustration due to their incapability in answering the questions to cope with those weaknesses, the number of questions should be prepared in such a way that they can still anticipate the unanticipated events in line with the time allocated. in addition, teachers need to be more relaxed and humorous to reduce the tense and fear of being questioned. conclusion probing technique has made students better understand what to do with the tasks provided. they can eventually write with clearly knowing the expected direction in the pre-writing stage. therefore, probing technique becomes the alternative fastest way not only to well equip students to successfully cope with writing tasks on writing section on ielts test but also to assist students to respectively understand what and how to write effectively on the test. in spite of its effectiveness, probing technique still deliberately requires a good time management, an exhaustive preparation, and a quality of teaching in a way that still provides a tedi rohadi assisting students to attack writing tasks on ielts test with “probing technique” space for fun and joy so as to get rid off students’ boredom and stress. references brown, h.d. (1994a). principles of language learning and teaching. 3rd ed. englewood cliffs, n.j.: prentice hall. ---------------. (1994b). teaching by principle: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. englewood cliffs, n.j.: prentice hall. bruner, j. s. (1960). the process of education. cambridge, mass.: harvard university press. holton, derek, and clark, david. (2006). scaffolding and metacognition. international journal of mathematical education in science and technology, 37, 127-143. http://changingminds.org/techniques/ques tioning/questioning.htm jakeman, vanessa and clara mcdowel. (2007). insight into ielts. cambridge university press, cambridge, uk kemmis, s., & mctaggert, m. (1988). the action research planner.(3rd edition). victoria: deakin university. http://www.stanys.org/rt/action%2 0research%20spiral.pdf. oxford, r. l. (1990). language learning strategies: what every teacher should know. boston: heinle & heinle. robert j. m. and kendall, j. (2007). the new taxonomy of educational objectives (second edition). corwin press. sage publication company. slater, s. (2007). ielts on tract. south wales: center for learning in university of new south wales. williams, m. & burden, r. (1997). psychology for language teachers: a social constructivist approach. cambridge: cambridge university press. willis, j. (1996). a framework for task-based learning. essex: longman. wijaya, m. (1999). pendidikan teknik probing dan pembelajaran benda tegar. unpublished thesis. bandung: upi. wu, b. 1998. towards an understanding of the dynamic process of l2 classroom interaction. system 26, 525-540. http://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/questioning.htm english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 125 teaching practicum: investigating efl preservice teachers’ self-efficacy fika megawati english education program study, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah sidoarjo, indonesia e-mail: fikamegawati@umsida.ac.id yuli astutik english education program study, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah sidoarjo, indonesia e-mail: yuliastutik@umsida.ac.id apa citation: megawati, f., & astutik, y. (2018). teaching practicum: investigating efl pre-service teachers‟ self-efficacy. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 125136. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1500. received: 19-08-2018 accepted: 27-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: self-efficacy is influential in determining someone's future competence. identifying self-efficacy towards pre-service teachers provides significant information about how competent they are in applying theoretical concepts of teaching in the real school. it also becomes reflection for the institution on the quality of courses related to tefl carried out in the implemented curriculum. accordingly, this study aims to investigate pre-service efl teachers' self-efficacy during the teaching practicum. this study involved 27 efl teacher candidates who conducted teaching performance in some different schools. to collect the data, online likert scale questionnaire was disseminated to the informants. the responses were interpreted through percentage and analyzed descriptively. the results indicated that generally the pre-service teachers' self-efficacy in terms of teaching skill, constructing and applying lesson plan, assessment, and classroom management, was quite high although some of them seemed to find difficulties in carrying out some classroom activities with the students. self-efficacy analysis towards efl learners‟ practicum gives implication to any institutional parties for preparing the better quality and program of future generation teachers. keywords: competent; teacher candidate; self-efficacy; reflection. introduction in certain situation, the following expressions perhaps ever appear to our mind or our students‟ "can i do it well? does my performance make my students understand? can i do better than him or her?" these expressions deal with self-efficacy. selfefficacy refers to people's belief that the specific target they have set can be reached successfully. as stated by sharp, brandt, tuft, and jay (2016) that self-efficacy is not based on one‟s actual ability to do a task, but rather on that person‟s perceived ability to complete that task. to know "how competent i am", self-efficacy is the right term to use or measure. it potentially becomes a determinant for someone's success in their future career including for teacher candidates. research on self-efficacy with various development and analysis gives a crucial contribution. plenty of studies have shown its effect and positive correlation. students' motivation in the classroom is a part of its influence (jaengaksorn, ruengtrakul, & piromsombat, 2015; ersanl, 2015). in addition, investigating self-efficacy can also give information regarding adolescents' variation in future education and future career orientation (mclennan, mcilveen, & perera, 2017). considering its great significance, self-efficacy becomes a neverending topic in scientific research. fika megawati &yuli astutik teaching practicum: investigating efl pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy 126 in the area of english language teaching, yazici & sur (2017) have investigated selfefficacy and epistemological beliefs between pre-service and in-service teachers related to problem-solving skill. in the same vein, jimenez-silva, olson, & jimenez hernandez (2012) found with the foundational knowledge through the use of meaningful and engaging pedagogical practices, the preservice teacher can increase their selfefficacy in teaching english language learners. in addition, çakır and alıcı (2009) compared pre‐service english teachers' self‐efficacy beliefs with their instructors' views of the teaching competence. the results indicated that the pre-service teachers' judgement is higher than the instructor. furthermore, in relation to teaching english reading, begum and hamzah (2018) give insight that policy to increase teacher efficacy is significant in order to improve student reading comprehension. the studies proved that selfefficacy closely relates to the pre-service teachers‟ life, and the result can be used for significant evaluation to provide better performance. from the previous studies, it appears that self-efficacy has the strength, and it needs to be explored more. however, the existing discussion has not talked much about selfefficacy during facing the most determining experience as teacher candidates, namely teaching practice program. in indonesian context, based on the curriculum of teacher education program, the institution applied teaching practice in the new platform. it is called internship program, and has three sessions with different credits to get in touch with school, magang i, magang ii, and magang iii. before the pre-service teachers face internship iii, they have to pass the previous two internships. the two programs have equipped the prospective teachers with the basic principles about school life and teacher' activities and responsibilities. in internship i, the teacher candidates have observed and analyzed school environment, officials, and facilities. internship ii assigned the students to conduct observation on how the teacher constructs the learning instrument and implement it in the classroom with full of activities and evaluation. with the two programs, it is expected that the pre-service teachers can build positive communication and adaptation with the school. consequently, when they take the internship iii (the biggest credits), they can perform more confidently and can manage the situation better. in short, the last magang has big role for the practitioners in shaping their teaching competence (professional, pedagogical, personal, and social) since they have to teach in front of the real students with the lesson plan consulted and with school mentor and institutional advisor. becoming efl prospective teachers is something challenging, especially when they face teaching practicum program in the real school with the real students and community. during this period, the student teachers share their knowledge in teaching situation according to the theories and the best practice they had ever read or seen (riesky, 2013). furthermore, the teachers need to comprehend the theoretical concept of teaching as well as english language. unfortunately, not all of the exposure is from the direct source of language. the knowledge about the language comes from non-native speaker teachers which some time has a different substance from what is expected. in another side, they need to transfer the english concept to the students that are supposed to be accepted in the community using the standard of the target language. therefore, the role of self-efficacy is crucial. when the pre-service teachers have moderate to high self-efficacy, they tend to be highly motivated and more creative in teaching (moradkhani, raygan, & moein, 2017). they will be less stressful when facing teaching time. however, it turns out to be a problem when they believe that their teaching competence is low. it affects not only the teaching performance but also to the respondents in that class. considering the urgency of understanding students‟ english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 127 competence belief to the quality of teaching, this paper presents the results of a study that examines self-efficacy of pre-service teachers in carrying out teaching practicum in internship iii program. exploring students' perception related to their teaching performance is also discussed to give some clarification regarding the findings. method the design used in this study was survey. the researchers selected pre-service english teachers purposively who became practitioners to teach english subject in school partners around sidoarjo, indonesia for accomplishing their internship iii. the program was implemented in several schools varied from junior high school, senior high school, and vocational high school. some of the institutions are state schools, while the others are private schools. the participants of this study consisted of 6 males and 21 females, and they were aged between 22-23 years old in their seventh semester. it was observed that only a few of student teachers had experience in teaching, particularly in english course. for data collection, online likert scale questionnaire was initially distributed to 30 prospective teachers of universitas muhammadiyah sidoarjo majoring in english education study program. nevertheless, only 27 student teachers responded. it was conducted on october 2017, mainly in the odd semester of academic year 2017/2018. from four main variable questions, the researchers elaborated it into 15 questions with 5 possible responses: strongly agree; agree; i don't know; disagree; and strongly disagree. agree statement indicates that i am capable to do the item, i don't know means the respondent is in doubt or not really sure that the activity is finished successfully, and disagree refers to i am not capable to do the item. the word strongly facilitates the response with high certainty. the items of question are adapted from kinnunen (2012). the data analysis was conducted by finding the percentage of the students' response in each question. afterwards, the response was classified based on the variable – teaching competence, lesson planning, classroom management, and assessment to know the general self-efficacy information of the students. results and discussion this part outlines results taken from the questionnaire responses. the questionnaire consists of fifteen questions in which six questions deal with teaching competence, two questions discuss learning instrument construction, particularly lesson plan, five questions deal with learning assessment capabilities, and two questions explore the classroom management. each part is connected to the related literature for discussion. self-efficacy in teaching english language skill, grammar, and culture teaching competence in demonstrating particular language skill at secondary school level takes a pivotal part in shaping an english pre-service teachers‟ performance. although in the curriculum it is not explicitly stated that the students need to master all english skills separately (it is more integrated), the student teachers who conduct teaching practicum have to perform the best to train the students how to use the language appropriately that can reflect the function of each skill. it is undeniable that when someone teaches language, the concept appears first in mind is how to make the students recognize the new language so that later they will be able to listen, speak, read, and write the target language for effective communication. language component such as grammar and cultural aspects also something that can be introduced to the students to strengthen their target language development. thus, question number 1 until number 6 exposed the students‟ efficiency in teaching english skills as well as grammar and culture. the detailed questions are described as follow. 1) i can efficiently teach oral communication in english (speaking) fika megawati &yuli astutik teaching practicum: investigating efl pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy 128 2) i can efficiently teach written communication in english (writing) 3) i can efficiently teach grammar in english (english component) 4) i can efficiently teach listening comprehension in english (listening) 5) i can efficiently teach reading comprehension in english (reading) 6) i can efficiently introduce and teach about different english speaking cultures (cultural aspect) 0 20 40 60 80 100 q1 q2 q3 q4 q5 q6 strongly agree agree don't know disagree strongly disagree figure 1. students' responses towards questions related to teaching competencies figure 1 shows that the students mostly agree with the statement. in other words, self-efficacy to teach english language skills, grammar, and english culture was relatively high. the top point is in response to number 5, namely the self-efficacy related to teaching reading comprehension. this response is in line with the most activities set in the curriculum that the students are exposed to learning based on the texts oriented first. even, in many assessments, the teachers tend to assign the students to read and answer reading comprehension questions. therefore, the pre-service teachers seem to have a lot of exposure from reading activities. from reading, they can create many activities in the learning process as well as develop learning materials from various references. through these programs, the pre-service at the same time have tried to enrich english literacy for the secondary level students. however, in figure 1 it also appears that there were respondents who mention disagree for question number four and six. in addition, strongly disagree was selected to answer number 6. this response indicates that listening and english culture information is not mastered quite well to be transferred to the students in the school. the pre-service teachers seem to have found difficulties in comprehending listening and cultural issue when they took the courses. thus, for them, the better decision is not to teach what they are not really capable of. competence in constructing lesson plan the next part is related to the capabilities of the pre-service teachers in developing their lesson plan and modifying the materials based on the students‟ need and the school curriculum. the two questions are formulated as follows. 1) making lesson plans is easy for me 2) i can modify my teaching materials to suit the student‟s need composing a lesson plan is a crucial activity in a pedagogical context. composing lesson plan involves many aspects for consideration. understanding the implemented curriculum and syllabus in the school become ones of the determinants to set the lesson plan format and content. thus, it is not something strange if in one area, the schools apply different curriculum. it depends on the readiness and human resources to support the selected curriculum to the school life. surprisingly, the response of competence in constructing lesson plan shows almost 20% of the respondents are incompetence. the self-efficacy was found at the moderate level. several factors were identified for this problem. based on the supplementary data, the participants admitted that they were still confused in comprehending how the lesson plan is english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 129 constructed. they just knew about promes (semester program) and prota (yearly program) in making a schedule for each lesson, and need more time to understand the concept before they make their own lesson plan to be applied in the classroom for specific meetings. next, the tendency of teaching too many grammatical theories make them eliminate time to train the students‟ english skills. from the lesson plan they developed, it seems that to build more interactive situation, the pre-service teacher could not show variation during the instruction. meanwhile, the ability to integrate the target structure into english language skill is significant to create meaningful learning as suggested by clark (2010) in the form of integrating grammar as a whole, not only writing skill. in addition, arikan (2009) promotes the importance of giving context in grammar course such as learning english grammar in relation to environmental peace education. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 q1 q2 strongly agree agree don't know disagree strongly disagree figure 2. the result of students' responses towards questions related to lesson planning to get more information about the lesson plan production process, the students were asked a question after expressing their competence through fulfilling the questionnaire. the result shows various ideas since the students relate this point with several aspects, yet the researchers have limited the relevant points dealing with how they worked with their lesson plan. question: "reflecting the teaching performance during micro teaching class, can you give me your opinion about the things that you find similar, different, or even new in the school?" response 1 “i found many differences in the lesson plan. i cannot apply my "previous" lesson plan, because the teacher has her own style and rule. also, i got problem while consulting with the school mentor because we were not taught clearly about the method, model, technique, and assessment that are suitable with k13." response 2 “the similar is the use of lesson plan in the teaching and learning in the classroom. the difference is the lesson plan because the school uses the revised k13. so, the teacher makes a lesson plan based on the revision of education ministry. the condition and situation are even new in the school.” response 3 “the similar is: in teaching-learning process, a teacher must have a lesson plan before he/she teaches or the class management to make the class enjoyable and give the students motivation.” “the different: in a real situation, they are many characteristics of students. this is the job for teacher on how to manage them and still make the class comfortable and enjoyable.” the responses indicate that there is no congruence in students‟ background knowledge to implement the applicable lesson plan. having clarified with the fika megawati &yuli astutik teaching practicum: investigating efl pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy 130 respondents, it is found that in their micro teaching classroom, they had used two different curriculums, ktsp and k-13 since at that time some schools in the regency have not been ready yet to shift their curriculum to the new one automatically. a year later, the condition changed. thus, in the field, the students had a different experience in developing the lesson plan. to face this condition, some pre-service teachers had been active in confirming the changes to their teacher based mentor as well as supervisor for the guidance. to achieve the good communication with those important people in this program, building good attitude becomes a pivotal consideration. in some pre-service teachers‟ reports, there was a statement that their communication with internship iii supervisor was not good, and it influenced the impression in conducting the whole activities, especially making a report. to know the appropriate materials for students, the ability to predict the students‟ need for learning is crucial. however, this ability is not that easy. mostly, the preservice teachers depend on handbook used in the class since they think that it will be beneficial for them in facing the exam. in addition to textbook adaptation, the preservice teachers had already implemented their classroom activities with media. most of them agree that visual media and audiovisual media can attract students‟ attention. self-efficacy in assessment the following classification in the questionnaire is about assessment. teaching practice does not complete without measuring the output of learning whether it is in the form of test or not. one of the ways to examine the students‟ progress is through assessment. therefore, in this study, the researchers asked the informants to share their opinion regarding the following statements: 1) i can use different types of evaluation methods in teaching 2) i can easily notice mistakes in spoken english 3) i can easily notice mistakes in written english 4) i know many different ways to correct students‟ mistakes 5) i can correct a student‟s mistake without lowering his or her motivation 6) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 q1 q2 q3 q4 q5 strongly agree agree don't know disagree strongly disagree figure 3. the result of students' responses towards questions related to assessment the responses that need to be highlighted are agree, don't know, and disagree. although the general ideas go to the positive competence through their selection in agree and strongly disagree, there were several pre-service teachers felt that assessing students‟ english proficiency in the class is something difficult. thus, don't know and disagree option still appear. furthermore, familiarizing to some different types of evaluation becomes their problem in teaching. so far, a written test is often implemented. textbook-based evaluation is the best option to adapt or adopt. they just substituted the subject or the verb of the questions for adapting. consequently, it english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 131 provided ineffective test impact for teachers and learner. the principle of assessment itself is washback that provide interactive feedback for both teacher and the students. one thing to enhance washback effect is in the form of discussing and reconstructing the test performance for improvement. ren (2011) and pan and newfields (2011) put their similar concerns on washback effect on english test of the tertiary level students, but they took different kind of test. there is another kind of assessment, such as alternative assessment in the form of portfolio or performance. focusing on the portfolio, to get the optimal result, of course, a lot of sources are needed. for some school condition, it perhaps needs a long period to realize. facing the fourth industrial revolution, education also feels the impact. the existence of mobile devices influences the way teachers and students search for any related information for classroom activities. in this case, teachers do not need to be afraid of losing the opportunity to know the students' learning progress, and they can implement the alternative assessment in the form of e-portfolio (hung, 2012). self-efficacy in classroom management classroom management covers many things such as the concept of the physical environment of the class, teacher‟s voice and body language, mind stream lesson changes, teaching under adverse circumstances, and creating a positive classroom climate. the last part, there are two questions related to classroom management. the researcher focuses on the capabilities in handling the problems both from students and others that influence the learning process. 1) i can motivate even the most troublesome students to learn 2) i can efficiently solve problematic situations in the classroom 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 q1 q2 strongly agree agree don't know disagree strongly disagree figure 4. the result of students' responses towards questions related to classroom management the thing that can alter the pre-service teachers‟ mood when they conduct a teaching practicum is the students‟ behaviour. in line with this, riesky (2013) mentioned that student teachers spent their time to solve the students‟ problem in their teaching practicum in addition to managing their main job (teaching) during the program. with various ways of learning and personalities, the students of secondary level education still need much attention. although at their age they seem to be independent, changing condition in their environment sometimes hinders the success of learning. it forces the teacher to give a good example through their way of overcoming the problems. fortunately, based on the responses in this study, most of the pre-service teachers have quite high efficacy to handle any unexpected situation happening in the schools which have a big number of students in one class. ideally, one class consists of at most 2025 students in order to obtain a conducive situation. however, this regulation cannot be implemented in all areas in indonesia. even, to some schools which have limited classes, the number of students can be overloaded, fika megawati &yuli astutik teaching practicum: investigating efl pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy 132 around 40-50. in addition, if there is no rule in the classroom, the students normally decide their self-selection location to sit. sometimes, in their pattern, there is an unfair collaboration of a group. therefore, giving variation in seating arrangement probably gives an alternative way to bridge effective communication between the students and the teacher. the position the students usually select tends to influence their learning performance as well as teacher‟s perception toward the students (zhang, 2018). this case can be paid attention by the pre-service teachers to be more creative in controlling the class through seat location modification. from the pre-service confirmation, seating arrangement for conducting group work in english class is strongly needed since the students can mobile and share to each other in accomplishing english tasks. the results also indicate that the students work better and more confident during the activities done in a group. to give different idea, aliakbari and bozorgmanesh (2015) mention that teacher‟s assertiveness in managing classroom has positive relationship with the students‟ performance. based on the result of self-efficacy level in this research, the researchers comprehend that there were diverse obstacles in performing teaching practicum during internship iii that potentially make them unconfident to select the option i agree in certain teaching competencies. it is true that the most difficult student to teach is the learner who believes he or she cannot succeed. inconvenience they found during the program cannot be easily forgotten from their mind. this indicates that the lecturers of english teacher education study program have big homework to approach those who have low self-efficacy to have positive belief that they can teach better in the future through a lot of exercises and experiences. to make them have a high level of selfefficacy is not adequate if it is merely provided from tefl related courses taken before the program. the reinforcement is still highly needed during the practice especially from lecturer assigned as a supervisor in giving guidance for their better teaching performance. this can help the preservice teachers move a step higher in passing the bridge of self-efficacy. accordingly, an opportunity for educators to fix the unexpected situation dealing with low self-efficacy is through implementing the concept of a continuum of self-efficacy covering four important aspects, namely cautious, self-esteem, self-confidence, and perseverance (bray & mcclaskey, 2016). the role of internship iii supervisor also takes a pivotal point during that process. supervisors are expected to be a model in all conditions. they also need to be able to utilize methods and strategies or techniques that put the student teachers and their pupils at the centre of learning. being knowledgeable in subject matter and versatility in the facilitation of learning is also important. a supervisor is also a prudent manager of time and resources. therefore, in selecting the lecturers to be a supervisor, the faculty needs to select the candidates based on appropriate criteria in order to give maximum assistance to the student teachers during the practicum. it is also possible to open recruitment for the ones who are willing to implement their teaching knowledge in managing the preservice teachers. in addition, the supervisor is expected to be able to be a program planner and designer that will accommodate effective teaching practice. next, they need to have skill in using appropriate resources to stimulate and facilitate the development and assessment of teacher trainees during teaching practice. finally, after giving optimal guidance, at the end of the program, the supervisors are observers as well as assessors for student teachers. being an objective assessor is a challenging duty. for some period of being together with the student teachers, they can easily predict the quality of each trainee during accomplishing their teaching practice activity. besides, the progress will appear clearly if there is a good communication. thus, interact with student teachers about english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 133 their teaching experience needs to be maintained. supervisors in internship program have core tasks in completing their responsibilities. the first one is, of course, providing regular on-site observation of student teachers‟ teaching performance. through this direct visit, it is expected that the pre-service teachers will have more preparation. it will be better if the whole student teachers join seminar classes to prepare them and evaluate the success of teaching practice before they go to school. second, it is suggested that the supervisors also help student teachers to develop lesson plans which encourage an activity-based approach. to do this activity, they need to ensure that the concept of the syllabus and lesson plan construction is quite similar to the school concept. if it is too different, it will hinder their reporting process. assessing the student teacher‟s performance based on pre-established teacher performance standards is the big core task for internship supervisors. however, to encourage the student teachers to understand what they have done to identify the strengths and weaknesses, the supervisors can implement self-reflection or sometimes it is called self-evaluation in the form of student teacher‟s logbook/diary/journal. it is believed that student teachers logbook/diary/journal is meaningful media to obtain information on how prospective teachers think about and engage in the evaluation of their teaching performance. using teacher logbooks is also a tool for assessing transformative learning process in professional development (van meerkerk, 2017) in addition to developing adequate teaching competencies. to get visual performance, another study suggests to use video to support reflective teaching practice (impedovo & cheneval-armand, 2016). the second key player in teaching practicum is a school-based mentor. without the mentor‟s support, the prospective teachers will get many difficulties in the school. mentors are designed as the closest person in the school. everything dealing with the technical problems and implementation in the classroom setting is discussed with mentors. responsibilities of mentors vary, but the main goal is the same, namely sharing the practical knowledge of teaching profession to the student teachers. the responsibilities are assisting the student teachers to obtain competence in the various elements of the institution functioning, lesson planning, and classroom management (maphalala, 2013). furthermore, to gain effective mentoring process, adequate support service such as in-service training, mentor handbook, department of teacher education assessment/grading scale, regular communication and incentives is highly recommended (tshuma & shumba, 2014). conclusion to sum up, this present study shows that identifying pre-service teachers‟ selfefficacy when they conducted teaching practicum in internship iii is beneficial for faculty reflection in determining the content of supporting courses as well as selecting supervisors and communicating with schoolbased mentors. the responses clearly state that most of them agree to say capable of doing activities related to teaching english language skills as well as grammar and culture, lesson plan construction, assessment, and classroom management. however, there were also pre-service students who claim that they have moderate until low self-efficacy from their opinion that they don't know or disagree to answer the questions. of course, the factors varied based on their proficiency level and teaching experience. furthermore, this feedback can become the evaluation for the lecturers as well as the implemented curriculum to find appropriate strategies in assisting pre-service teachers to survive in the school for accomplishing teaching practicum program. this also reminds lecturers to be professional in transferring knowledge to prepare them in the field experience through updating information from scientific publications and fika megawati &yuli astutik teaching practicum: investigating efl pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy 134 attending some conferences to get broad insight in the scope of english language teaching. strengthening any courses related to teaching english as a foreign language theory and giving supportive guidance in shaping the teaching competence are truly needed for building a quality performance. for future researchers, it is important to have deeper investigation in another side of the implementation of internship (magang i, ii, and iii) as the response or feedback for the implementation of the current curriculum in indonesia. seeking the information of preservice teacher development models through an internship program in good universities is also recommended in order to encourage teacher education program in developing universities to enrich their knowledge and improve the model for gaining better prospective teacher quality. acknowledgment we would like to express our deepest gratitude to universitas muhammadiyah sidoarjo for the support through the institution grant in the scheme of basic institution research. references aliakbari, m., & bozorgmanesh, b. (2015). assertive classroom management strategies and students‟ performance: the case of efl classroom. cogent education, 2(1). doi: 10.1080/2331186x.2015.1012899. arikan, a. (2009). environmental peace education in foreign language learners‟ english grammar lessons. journal of peace education, 6(1), 87– 99. doi: 10.1080/17400200802655064. begum, f. u., & hamzah, m. h. b. (2018). the relationship between self-efficacy on teaching reading comprehension skills among secondary schools teachers in telangana state, india. jees (journal of english educators society), 3(2), 197–204. doi: 10.21070/jees.v3i2.1280. bray, b., & mcclaskey, k. (2016). self-efficacy make learning personal. retrieved march 21, 2018, from http://kathleenmcclaskey.com/selfefficacy/. çakır, ö., & alıcı, d. (2009). seeing self as others see you: variability in self‐efficacy ratings in student teaching. teachers and teaching, 15(5), 541–561. doi: 10.1080/13540600903139555. clark, u. (2010). grammar in the curriculum for english: what next? changing english, 17(2), 189–200. doi: 10.1080/13586841003787332. ersanl, c. y. (2015). the relationship between students‟ academic self-efficacy and language learning motivation: a study of 8th graders. procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 199, 472–478. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.534. hung, s.-t. a. (2012). a washback study on eportfolio assessment in an english as a foreign language teacher preparation program. computer assisted language learning, 25(1), 21–36. doi: 10.1080/09588221.2010.551756. impedovo, m.-a., & cheneval-armand, h. (2016). from the first lesson to one year later: reflection of a french student-teacher. educational journal of the university of patras unesco chair, 3(2), 247–257. retrieved from http://electra.lis.upatras.gr/index.php/ejupunes cochair/article/view/2753. jaengaksorn, n., ruengtrakul, a., & piromsombat, c. (2015). developing self-efficacy and motivation to be a teacher scale, thai version. procediasocial and behavioral sciences, 171, 1388–1394. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.258. jimenez-silva, m., olson, k., & jimenez hernandez, n. (2012). the confidence to teach english language learners: exploring coursework‟s role in developing preservice teachers‟ efficacy. the teacher educator, 47(1), 9–28. doi: 10.1080/08878730.2011.632471. kinnunen, e. (2012). teacher self-efficacy beliefs and aims of preservice english teachers. university of jyväskylä. maphalala, m. c. (2013). understanding the role of mentor teachers during teaching practice session. international journal of educational sciences, 5(2), 123–130. doi: 10.1080/09751122.2013.11890069. mclennan, b., mcilveen, p., & perera, h. n. (2017). pre-service teachers‟ self-efficacy mediates the relationship between career adaptability and career optimism. teaching and teacher education, 63, 176–185. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2016.12.022. moradkhani, s., raygan, a., & moein, m. s. (2017). iranian efl teachers‟ reflective practices and self-efficacy: exploring possible elationships. system, 65, 1–14. doi: 10.1016/j.system.2016.12.011. pan, y., & newfields, t. (2011). teacher and student washback on test preparation evidenced from taiwan‟s english certification exit requirements. international journal of pedagogies and learning, 6(3), 260–272. doi: 10.5172/ijpl.2011.6.3.260. ren, y. (2011). a study of the washback effects of the college english test (band 4) on teaching and learning english at tertiary level in china. international journal of pedagogies and learning, 6(3), 243–259. doi: 10.5172/ijpl.2011.6.3.243. riesky, r. (2013). how english student teachers deal english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 135 with teaching difficulties in their teaching practicum. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 2(2), 250. doi: 10.17509/ijal.v2i2.169. sharp, a. c., brandt, l., tuft, e. a., & jay, s. (2016). relationship of self-efficacy and teacher knowledge for prospective elementary education teachers. universal journal of educational research, 4(10), 2432–2439. doi: 10.13189/ujer.2016.041022. tshuma, r., & shumba, a. (2014). the extent to which the provision of mentor support services in zimbabwe‟s 2-5-2 teaching practice enhances continuous improvement of student teachers‟ teaching skills and competences. journal of social sciences, 40(3), 373–384. doi: 10.1080/09718923.2014.11893332. van meerkerk, e. (2017). teacher logbooks and professional development. international journal of qualitative methods, 16(1). doi: 10.1177/1609406917735255. yazici, y., & sur, e. (2017). examination of academic self-efficacy: a survey on pre-service and in-service english language teachers. european journal of education studies, 3(11), 263–271. retrieved from https://oapub.org/edu/index.php/ejes/article/view/ 1196/3484. zhang, m. (2018). „if you take learning seriously, i‟ll assign you to a good seat‟: moralized seating order and the making of educational success in china‟s public schools. ethnography and education, 1–20. doi: 10.1080/17457823.2018.1441733. fika megawati &yuli astutik teaching practicum: investigating efl pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy 136 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 75 cello as a language teaching method in industrial revolution 4.0 era halimah applied linguistics study, postgraduate program, university state of jakarta, indonesia department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, university of suryakancana, indonesia e-mail: halimah_lt15s3@mahasiswa.unj.ac.id; halimah@unsur.ac.id gufran ali ibrahim national agency for language development and cultivation, jakarta, indonesia e-mail:ibrahim.kakalu@gmail.com ninuk lustyantie applied linguistics, postgraduate program, university state of jakarta, indonesia e-mail: ninuk.lustyantie@unj.ac.id apa citation: halimah, h., ibrahim, g. a., & lustyantie, n. (2018). cello as a language teaching method in industrial revolution 4.0 era. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 75-82. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1497. received: 08-08-2018 accepted: 19-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: cello is derived from community english language learning and orai. it is a new teaching method developed especially in the community of english language learning based on the idea of curran’s work on teaching method. cello is a combination between an innovative teaching method and media technology called orai application that is applied in teaching and learning of speaking especially in fostering students’ fluency. today, all graduates face a world transformed by technology, in which the internet, cloud computing, and social media create different opportunities and challenges for formal education systems. this paper aims to explore the use of cello in assisting student’s speaking fluency. this classroom action research consists of three cycles in which each cycle consists of six stages, namely identify the problem, data gathering, data interpreting, action on evidence, evaluation, and revision. the obtained data showed that cello method could improve students’ speaking fluency. based on the finding, implementing cello method is strongly recommended in teaching speaking especially at fostering students’ speaking fluency. keywords: cello; speaking fluency; technology 4.0; industrial revolution; action research. introduction in the era of globalization and industrial revolution 4.0 in which it is powered by artificial intelligence and it will transform the workplace from task-based characteristics to the human centered characteristics, an ability to speak english in this era is very important to be mastered as a medium of communication between nations and people from various backgrounds. in this era, the ability to speak a second language fluently has become necessary, especially for those who want to advance in certain field of human endeavor. fluency in speaking is known as the natural ability to speak spontaneously, quickly and comprehensibly with few numbers of errors that may distract the listener from the speaker’s message. accuracy and fluency are the two factors which determine the success of english language students in the future. the key to successful communication is to be able to speak effectively and articulately which is linked to one’s success in life as it occupies an important position both individually and socially (amiri, jahedi, & othman, 2017). halimah, gufran ali ibrahim, & ninuk lustyantie cello as a language teaching method in industrial revolution 4.0 era 76 however, english speaking is not an easy thing. leong and ahmadi (2017) say that english speakers should understand important components of speech such as pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. therefore, problems often arise in learning to speak english. with its complex grammar and morphological systems, stress and intonation patterns, and pronunciation difficulty, many people struggle in achieving fluency. nevertheless, experience shows that with constant exposure and practice, developing fluency in a second language is made possible even with the most difficult languages. individuals who spend time in the country of the target language come back with improved pronunciation and understanding of the mechanics of the language. on the other hand, when individuals do not have constant access to native speakers and practice opportunities, achieving or maintaining fluency becomes problematic. several studies have found problems arising in learning to speak. first, leong and ahmadi (2017) found that students were unable to communicate fluently and accurately due to lack of knowledge about the topic being discussed. fluent refers to the speaking speed and smoothness of the language delivery (srivastava, 2014; hadijah, 2014). meanwhile, fluency refers to a level of proficiency in communication. it is the ability to produce spoken sentences with ease, efficiency, without pauses or a breakdown of communication (yang, 2014). the existence of fillers such as uh, um, well, you know, i mean, like are among the common ones used in spoken language indicating influent (al-khasawneh & huwari, 2014). based on a number of findings, it can be concluded that there are two indicators effecting students’ speaking fluency, namely; 1) too many hesitations and pauses in speaking may obstruct the speaking fluency and also depress the speaker (wang, 2014); and 2) repeating words or phrases during speaking. nowadays, people are standing on the edge of a technological revolution that is called industry revolution 4.0 in which having proficiency to speak in english especially for university students is quite important in order to be able to build a connection with others around the world through the communication. as today’s learners belong to the digital age, teachers also must adapt to use technology and multi-media based learning resources to impart the functional teaching of english (daniel, 2014). there are numerous of researchers conducted research on the issues of the use of media technology in language teaching and learning, such as bahadorfar and omidvar (2014) who proposed some technologies that can be applied in language teaching, namely communication lab speech recognition software, internet, tell (technology enhanced language learning), pod casting, quick link pen, and quicktionary. they said that technology gives learners a chance to engage in selfdirected actions, opportunities for self-paced interactions, privacy, and a safe environment in which errors get corrected and specific feedback is given. feedback by a machine offers additional value by its ability to track mistakes and link the student immediately to exercises that focus on specific errors. godwin-jones (2009) stated that there are a number of tools for speech analysis, many of which can be and have been adapted for language learning. kaypentax (formerly kay elemetrics) markets the widely used visi-pitch, now at version four. the latest release features a waveform editor, auditory feedback and voice games. the games are quite basic, for example, an animated graphic based on pitch and amplitude of the sound input. the company also sells the popular computerized speech lab (csl), a powerful hardware/software speech analysis system. its hardware is used in conjunction with a pc and offers highquality input and output as well as a variety of software add-ons. the latter includes a video phonetics program, which features a english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 77 synchronized display of video and acoustic data. the most widely used option with csl is real-time pitch, which provides extensive analysis capabilities to compare two speech samples. kaypentax also sells multi-speech, a software only speech analysis program, with similar software options to csl. the eduspeak speech recognition system from sri international supports 9 languages and includes program interfaces for use in macromedia director and microsoft activex. for oral language testing, the versant suite of tests (available for english, spanish and arabic) incorporate speech processing and can be taken over the phone or on a computer. a free on-line demo for english illustrates how the 15-minute test works. the speech analyzer from sil international (formerly the summer institute of linguistics) performs frequency and spectral analysis and can be used to annotate phonetic transcriptions. of particular interest to language learning, it also allows for slowed playback and looping of audio. sil international makes available other tools for language analysis and recording including phonology assistant and wincecil, both of which can be used together with speech analyzer. a widely used authoring tool is winpitch ltl, a windows desktop application. teachers create lessons consisting of a sequence of speech models, to be repeated or imitated by the learner, with the model speech displayed in graphic form on the left and the learner's input on the right. the program features unicode word processing and web linking. as with similar tools, winpitch ltl offers powerful capabilities but it is likely the rare language teacher who can find the time to create pronunciation lessons themselves from scratch. teachers who do, like marjorie chan for teaching chinese (2003), find that the flexibility and customizability of such tools, as well, of course, as evidence of student improvement, compensate for the time and effort involved. those researchers used media technology in language teaching. yet, over those researches, the use of orai application in teaching and learning speaking has not ever been revealed by the researchers. cello method promotes the studentcentered learning process and decreased the teacher-centered learning. through the stages of the learning process, the teacher’s role is as a facilitator and a counselor. there are some activities that can be done using cello method in speaking class. first is recording. in this activity, the students record their speech. second, listen. the students listen to their recorded speech. third is correct. the students’ activity is corrected for the error in language occurred on their speech. the fourth activity is repeating the recorder in which the students repeat and record their correct speech. orai is one of the most popular android mobile application (bodana, 2017). it is an application to help people to be better speaker. it is developed by danish dhamani. orai gives people the confidence and skills to speak powerfully when on stage, in front of a room, or in everyday life (chang, 2017). it serves as people speech coach (takahashi, 2017). orai is powered by artificial intelligence which gives immediate, personalized feedback on users’ public speaking prowess (douglas, 2017). orai helps people in preparing a better speaker (olivia, 2018). to use the app, learners must download it for smartphones (figure 1). it is compatible for almost all ios and android mobile devices (bodana, 2017). figure 1. orai application figure halimah, gufran ali ibrahim, & ninuk lustyantie cello as a language teaching method in industrial revolution 4.0 era 78 there are some features in orai application, namely; 1) it gives instant feedback. orai gives feedback on students’ use of filler words, pacing, energy level, pauses, and clarity all in seconds (figure 2); 2) learn through lessons (figure 3). orai worked with over 100 speaking coaches to create fun, interactive lessons to improve the students’ speaking skills (figure 4); and 3) students can practice anytime (figure 5). figure 2. instant feedback from orai app figure 3. lessons available in orai app figure 4. students can practice anytime through the artificial intelligent, as the learners have done recording, this app offers an interesting solution to a common problem (bodana, 2017). orai picks up on filler words like um. for instance, the record app tracks the number of “ums” that is uttered and points them out to speaker as unnecessary filler words that are signs of hesitation (chang, 2017), see figure 5. it tells speaker if she/he is speaking too fast or too slow and provides his/her a transcript of what speaker just said (figure 8) which highlights speaker’s varying energy or lack thereof (figure 6). figure 5. orai detect filler use figure 6. analytic result of orai app it also tells the speaker how clearly speaker is enunciating words and counts the number of words that speaker says in a minute as well as monitoring the pace of her/his speech. besides, orai measures the “energy” of speaker speech, like whether she/he speaks in a monotone that will put people to sleep or whether she/he emphasizes certain words. orai really helps learner to prepare speaking fluency and confidently. accordingly, this article reports the results of the research dealing with the application of the orchestrating orai application into cll method by answering the following research question: how does cello method application improve students’ fluency in speaking practice? english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 79 method the type of the research conducted in this study was collaborated action research. it is a type of action research characterized by the focus on single class or several classes with common issues and the presence of substitute teachers. the subjects were 27 university second semester students studying at english education department in a private university in cianjur. the data of this study were collected through test and observation on the process of teaching and learning using orai and cll method. the tool used was video recorder. the data obtained in this research were qualitative and quantitative data. the data were then analyzed using descriptive statistics and constant comparative method. to know the improvement of students’ fluency, the researcher compared the mean score of post-test 1, post-test 2, as well as post-test 3 in order to know the effectiveness of implementing orai application in cll method to teach speaking fluency. results and discussion statistically, the result of students’ tests is presented in the following graphic. graph 1. students’ score this graphic clearly indicates that there is improvement of the students from cycle to cycle. the minimum score was constant in pre-test and in post–test 1. however, it increased to 1.5 in post–test 2, and increased again to 2 in post–test 3. the maximal score was 2 in the pre-test. it increased to 2.5 in post-test 1, 3 in post-test 2, and it was constant in this score in post-test 3. the improvement also happened on students’ average score. it was 1.6 in pre-test and increased to 1.9 in post-test 1, 2.4 in posttest 2, and became 2.6 in post-test 3. it can be reported that the increasing of students’ speaking fluency score above deals with the score speech rate, articulation, phonation time ratio, and also the total number of pause fillers per minute. here, the students were able to manipulate the time spent for speaking in order to reduce the frequency of silent, pause filler, and also hesitancy that are usually occurred in speaking. the students are also able to produce more units of syllable. by using orai application, the students had the opportunities to make some repetition of their speech. another improvement also happened on the students’ attitude toward learning process. from the observation, the writer found a new formula in using cello method in teaching speaking. this formula consists of four stages, namely record, listen, correct, and repeat. finally, the writer called this formula as rlcr. the stages of the activities are described as follows. the first stage of students’ activity was recording. in this stage, the students recorded their utterances or speaking. hence, before recording their voice, the students were allowed to ask the teacher about what they were going to utter in l1, then the teacher translated the utterances into the target language. the students uttered the utterance modeled by the teacher. the students then practiced in uttering the utterance many times. the purpose of this activity is to get the students’ fluency. it was supported by muhammad (2017) who said that repetition can help students’ fluency. after they were sure about their pronunciation, their intonation, and they were confident enough to record their utterances, then they recorded their halimah, gufran ali ibrahim, & ninuk lustyantie cello as a language teaching method in industrial revolution 4.0 era 80 speaking. only the target language was recorded by using orai application. the second stage was listening. after the students recorded their speeches the device would take a few second to analyze students’ speech. the device then showed the result and gave direct feedback to the students. the feedback covered pronunciation, tone, energy, filler as well as the clarity of the students’ speech as well as the score of the speech. the result of the analysis of pronunciation can be seen in the transcribe sheet. when there was a blank sheet, it means that the students produced incorrect pronunciation. the students’ result of speaking energy was indicated by the graphic of energy. there were two colors in it; yellow color indicated that students’ speaking was monotonous and purple color indicated the students’ speaking energy. the students’ unnecessary filler was also analyzed. at the end, the students were able to get their scores of clarity. the students also got suggestion from the device. based on the suggestions, the students then listened to their recording speech. in this stage, the students would highlight their mistakes. having reading the result or the analysis, the students might make some corrections dealing with the mispronunciation, the tone, the filler, or the energy suggested by the device. in this stage, they discussed with their fellow or consulted to the teacher. by having discussion, it means that they have chance to communicate with their friend and the teacher to build a relationship between students-students and student-teacher. in this stage, the students practiced reading the correct speech. the final stage was repeating. once the students corrected their speech, they might do some repetitions in practicing the speech through the recording. as the score increased and they felt comfort with the score, they might submit the score to the teacher together with the transcription of the text. as the research revealed, being afraid of speaking in front of other is common for the students even for english department students. english teacher should be able to find a better solution to help students to cover their fear of speaking. one of the things than can be done is by applying an appropriate teaching method which not only makes the students active and creative in the teaching and learning process, but also it should pay attention on the students’ psychology. the teacher also should be creative in using a media in applying the teaching method in order to create a joyful teaching and learning process. community language learning (cll) method is an innovative teaching method that pays attention on the students’ feeling, desire, and opinion during the process of teaching and learning. in the application, this method is assisted by a tape recorder. as this device is stay no longer in this era, it is substituted by an application of mobile technology called orai that can be downloaded from google play store to smartphone. then, this application and cll method are orchestrated to be applied in speaking class in order to help students to be better in speaking skill. it is supported by bahadorfar and omidvar (2014) who noted that technological tools have been regarded as ways of helping students improve language skills, such as speaking skill. orai application can help students in increasing their speaking and all aspects of speaking. for instance, the app tracks the number of “ums” that the students utter and point them out to the students as unnecessary filler words that are sign hesitation. as the students are able to manage the use of filler during the speaking, it shows that they can speak fluently. in addition, orai also helps students to fix their pronunciation, intonation as well as their speed of speaking (douglas, 2017). the app uses artificial intelligence (ai), developed by gupta, to track users’ speech and give instantaneous, personalized feedback based on three indicators: use of filler words like “um” and “er”, speed of speech (130-150 words per minute is the optimum), and energy or variation in tone. orai application can be used to practice speaking in the class and out of the class. it english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 81 promotes students’ self-study. moreover, the students suggest that orai application should be applied in other language subject, such as in phonology and reading class. it is in line with statement that the participants’ digital mindsets, comprising assumptions about affordances of digital technologies, shaped the ways in which the participants used digital technologies within and beyond classrooms. research has revealed that second language learners often seem passive and reticent in language classrooms. in the age of globalization, however, there is an urgent need for english as a foreign language (efl) teachers to enhance their reticent students’ confidence to help them take part more actively in classroom oral activities (doqaruni, 2014). cello method is an innovative new teaching method especially for english community learning. it becomes a more effective teaching method assisted by a smart app called orai. the effectiveness of this method could be seen from the stages done by the students in learning speaking in which it promotes the students to learn independently and in joyful environment. orai is a very smart app. for example, if in a uttering the utterances the students too monotonous, the app will give a direct feedback. another interesting characteristic of the app is the playback button that learners can listen to the speech being spoken in the recorder. through this feature, orai offers personalized exercises for each learner, focusing on their weaknesses and improving their skills. despite these good features in orai, there are a few cautionary notes. first, orai’s voice recognition software did not always get it right. in fact, many of the words in students’ transcripts were incorrect or replaced with an underscore, symbolizing that the software did not understand. this made the students frustration. this seemed to skew other areas of feedback as well, such as counting the number of filler words used. in addition, the app would give users more incentive to use it if it provided cumulative feedback over time. for instance, if it kept track of the number of filler words a speaker used over the course of several months, their pace, or energy levels, users would be able to track their long-term progress in specific areas. it must be noted that orai does not provide any grammatical explanations. it only immerses the learner in the target language by offering exercises centered on new vocabulary. to learn the grammar, learners must deduce the principles of grammar on their own and through trial and error. even though orai penalizes the learners for the tiniest of mistakes and points out the most insignificant phase of speech, it does not present the learners with any grammar notes or rules of any kind. yet, in the term of fluency, this app gives some suggestions what the students should do to fix their speech. it also gives the results of unnecessary filler during speaking. through this way, the students will be aware of the use of filler when they speak. conclusion this study was carried out to describe how mobile technology device called orai application was orchestrated into a language teaching method named cll to be used in teaching speaking that helps the students to become better speaker and to report students’ perception on the use of orai application in speaking course. to grab the outcome of teaching and learning effectively, an appropriate teaching method should be considered by the teacher. supporting media in teaching and learning is extremely needed in order to assist student in learning in learning practice. cll method is an appropriate teaching method to be applied in language teaching and learning especially in speaking class. this method sees the students’ as a whole person who has feeling, desire, love, and the desire of sense of belonging. this method suggested the teacher to pay attention of student’s physiological factors. the old recorder equipment used in this method was a tape recorder. hence, this device did no halimah, gufran ali ibrahim, & ninuk lustyantie cello as a language teaching method in industrial revolution 4.0 era 82 longer exist. therefore the writer substituted this device with an application available in a mobile technology called orai, then combining it into cll method in teaching speaking. many researchers reported that cll method was able to reduce the students’ fear to speak. it forced the students-centered learning and reduced teachercentered study. orai application is a unique and excellent app to be used as a supporting media for speaking course. it provokes the students to learn actively and happily in the classroom. they do not to be worry of making mistake during speaking practice since the app gives them feedback directly and gives suggestion what should they do. orchestrating cll method and orai application is strongly recommended for both the teacher and students in order to help them to be better speaker. references al-khasawneh, f. m., & huwari, i. f. (2014). the interference of mother tongue/native language in one’s english language speech production. international journal of english and education, 3(3). retrieved from www.ijee.org. amiri, f., jahedi, m., & othman, m. (2017). a case study of the development of an esl learner's speaking skills through instructional debate. international journal of humanities and social science, 7(march), 120–126. bahadorfar, m., & omidvar, r. (2014). technology in teaching speaking skill. acme international journal of multidisciplinary research, 2(4), 9– 13. retrieved from http://www.aijmr.net. bodana, r. (2017). orai improve public speaking app for android, ios download review & troubleshooting. chang, m. (2017). interview with danish dhamani, co-founder of orai – ai artisan. retrieved from https://aiartisan.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/inte rview-with-danish-dhamani-co-founder-of-orai/ daniel, m. j. (2014). language teaching in the digital age. international journal of innovative research in science, engineering and technology, 3(4), 11029–11031. retrieved from www.ijirset.com. doqaruni, v. r. (2014). a quantitative action research on promoting confidence in a foreign language classroom : implications for second language teachers quantitative action research on promoting confidence in a foreign language classroom. inquiry in education, 5(1). retrieved from http://digitalcommons.nl.edu/ie/vol5/iss1/3. douglas, l. (2017). want to captivate an audience like obama? there’s an app for that. godwin-jones, r. (2009). emerging technologies speech tools and technologies. language learning & technology, 13(3), 4–11. retrieved from http://llt.msu.edu/vol13num3/emerging.pdf%0a october. hadijah, s. (2014). investing the problems of english speaking of islamic boarding school program at stain samarinda. dinamika ilmu: jurnal pendidikan, 14(2), 240–247. retrieved from http://journal.iainsamarinda.ac.id/index.php/dinamika_ilmu/articl e/view/16/pdf_17%0ahttps://docs.google.com/ viewerng/viewer?url=http://journal.iainsamarinda.ac.id/index.php/dinamika_ilmu/articl e/viewfile/16/pdf_17. leong, l. m., & ahmadi, s. m. (2017). an analysis of factors influencing learners’ english speaking skill. international journal of research in english education, 2(1), 34–41. doi: 10.18869/acadpub.ijree.2.1.34. muhammad, r. (2017). the importance of teaching reading: emphasize for reading fluency or accuracy in improving students’ reading comprehension in efl context. ethical lingua, 3448, 127–138. olivia, r. (2018). 15 tools to help students improve. retrieved from https://www.bookwidgets.com/blog/2018/09/15 -tools-to-help-students-improve-their-publicspeaking-skills-in-the-classroom. srivastava, s. r. (2014). accuracy vs fluency in english classroom. new man international journal of multidisciplinary studies, 1(4), 2348–1390. retrieved from www.newmanpublication.com. takahashi, d. (2017). orai app uses ai to help you become a better public speaker. wang, z. (2014). developing accuracy and fluency in spoken english of chinese efl learners, 7(2), 110–118. doi: 10.5539/elt.v7n2p110. yang, y. i. j. (2014). is speaking fluency strand necessary for the college students to develop in the efl class? theory and practice in language studies, 4(2), 225–231. doi: 10.4304/tpls.4.2.225-231. collaborative strategic reading implementation to improve students’ reading comprehension english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee collaborative strategic reading implementation to improve students’ reading comprehension desy olivia riani department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia email: oliviadesy309@ymail.com apa citation: riani, d. o. (2013). collaborative strategic reading implementation to improve students’ reading comprehension. english review: journal of english education, 1(2), 231-239 received: 02-03-2013 accepted: 13-04-2013 published: 01-06-2013 abstract: this collaborative action research is aimed to find out whether or not the implementation of collaborative strategic reading (csr) improves students' reading comprehension and also to identify students' attitude towards the implementation of csr. csr is reading strategy that employs four strategies namely preview, click and clunk, get the gist and wrap up during students’ cooperative learning. a class of eleventh grade students of a public senior high school in majalengka, west java, indonesia is participated as the participant of the study. the required data were collected through the use of questionnaire, observation checklist, and reading test. the data from the questionnaire indicated that 82% students had positive attitude toward the implementation of csr. they feel that csr improves their motivation in learning english and csr brings more fun to the process of learning. moreover, it was found from observation data that the students were actively participated during csr implementation and they were motivated when comprehending a text by means csr strategy. finally, the study proved that csr improved students’ reading comprehension. students’ mean score of reading test in the beginning of the study was 67, meanwhile, after applying csr as reading strategy, their mean scores improved to 88. keywords: csr, reading comprehension, action research. introduction as one of the four language skills, reading plays an important role in enhancing students’ english ability. reading has a function as a tool to access information. according to anderson, hiebert, scott, and wilkinson (1985, p.7), “reading is the process of constructing meaning from written texts. it is a complex skill requiring the coordination of a number of interrelated sources of information.” it means that reading is a complicated process of extracting meaning from written texts and in order to be able to read, information sources are needed. the information sources should be comprehensible and interconnected. teaching and learning of reading process in indonesia have been introduced to students since they were in elementary school. reading has been acknowledged to them from the simplest form e.g. reading words, reading sentences, and reading paragraphs. meanwhile, in senior high school level, students are expected to be able to read a more complex form of reading such as reading text. based on an interview with an english teacher at one of senior high school in majalengka, west java, that conducted on march 19, 2015, it is found kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david not careless but weak: language mixing of malaysian chinese in a business transaction that many students still have problems in reading. when the teacher asked students to read, they seemed to be less motivated and some other students are found lack of vocabulary, with the result that these situations make them difficult to understand what they are reading. the other problem from the students is fluency. many students are not fluent in reading. those cases were quite problematical and should be solved because they can cause further difficulties to the next reading lesson. thus, it is important to find out solution for students’ reading problems. concerning the problems, the researcher proposed an alternative reading strategy to be used in teaching and learning reading called collaborative strategic reading (csr). csr is originally designed by klingner and vaughn in 1996 that combines modified reciprocal teaching and cooperative learning (bremer, vaughn, clapper & ae-hwa, 2002). according to bremer, vaughn, clapper and ae-hwa (2002, p.1), “csr consists of four comprehension strategies that students apply before, during, and after reading in small cooperative groups. these reading strategies are: (a) preview (before reading), (b) click and clunk (during reading), (c) get the gist (during reading), and (d) wrap up (after reading)”. elkaumy (2004) in abidin and riswanto (2012) explains the concept of csr as the following: the concept of this strategy is engaging students to work in small cooperative groups (3-5) and apply four reading strategies: preview, click & clunk, get the gist and wrap up. preview allows students to generate interest and activate background knowledge in order to predict what they will learn. click & clunk are selfmonitoring strategy which controls their understanding about words, concepts and ideas that they understand or do not understand or need to know more about. get the gist. students identify the main ideas from reading to confirm their understanding of the information.wrap up provides students with an opportunity to apply metacognitive strategies (plan, monitor and evaluate) for further extend comprehension. in short, csr is a reading strategy that lets the student work in group of three to five students to examine a text by employing preview, click & clunk, get the gist andwrap up strategy. preview creates students’ interest about a topic and makes the students predict the content of the text. click & clunk controls students’ understanding especially towards difficult words they don’t know. get the gist obligates students to know main idea in a paragraph so they can easily proceed to the next paragraph. meanwhile,wrap up evaluates significance of a text and it invites students to make conclusion from the text. by applying csr as reading strategy during reading lesson, students are hoped to have improvement on their reading comprehension. method this present study applied classroom action research (car) method by following kemmis and mc. taggart model (1988). elliot (1991) as cited in burns (2010) maintains that action research is a study of a social situation to improve the quality of the action in it. explaining what action english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee research is, kemmis and mc taggart (1998) as cited in burns (1999, p.32) state “action research occurs through a dynamic and complementary process, which consists of four essential moments: planning, action, observation, and reflection. these moments are the fundamental steps in a spiraling process.” figure 1 an action research spiral proposed by kemmis and mc. taggart (1988) kemmis and mctaggart (2000) as cited in koshy (2005) describe action research as participatory research. in this study, the researchers collaborate with an english teacher, so this study is a collaborative action research. collaborative action research strengthens the opportunities for the practice to be fed back in a more substantial and critical way (burns, 1999). this study is carried out in sma negeri 1 talaga with the participant 40 students. the english teacher recommends this class because there are some reading problems found. not only the students, the researcher and the english teacher are also the participant in this study. the researcher acts as an english teacher who teaches reading to students by using csr strategy, while the english teacher acts as an observer who observes teaching learning process during the study. this action research is carried out within two cycles, cycle 1 and cycle 2. the procedures of the study is begun by conducting pre-research, followed by planning step, action step, observation step, and reflection step. there are several data collection techniques applied in this study such as test, observation, field notes and questionnaire. the test is consisted of three tests, namely pre-test (test 1), posttest in cycle 1 (test 2) and post-test in cycle 2 (test 3). meanwhile, during observation, observer is equipped with an observation sheet adapted from sa’diyah (2011) to observe students’ seriousness, enthusiasm, and participation in the class during the implementation of csr. completing observation, field notes are taken to record classroom situation during the implementation of csr. in addition, questionnaire is administered to the students at the end of action research to find out their attitudes toward the implementation of csr. the questionnaire is adapted from al-roomy (2013), consists of twenty questions. it covers nineteen close-ended questions and one open-ended question. analyzing the data, students’ tests (test 1, test 2 and test 3) were analyzed by calculating their mean score and class percentage which pass minimum score. the assessment of students’ answer of test 1, test 2 and test 3 is as follows: correct answers are scored with two points, as suggested by brown (2003), while incorrect answers and absent or omitted answers are scored with zero. table 1 multiple-choices assessment kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david not careless but weak: language mixing of malaysian chinese in a business transaction kind of answer point correct answer 2 incorrect/absent answer 0 meanwhile, in analyzing the data from observation, field notes and questionnaire, the study applied data analysis from miles and huberman (1994) as cited in koshy (2005) that consist of data reduction, data display and conclusion drawing and verification. results and discussion the following are the calculation of students’ improvement in test 1, test 2 and test 3. on each test, students were asked to ask questions related to an analytical exposition text that learnt by using csr strategy. test 1 test 2 test 3 score category score score category score score category score highest score 87 highest score 87 highest score 100 lowest score 47 lowest score 60 lowest score 73 mean score 67 mean score 76 mean score 88 in test 1, students’ mean score was 67. class percentages which passed minimum score was only 7, 5 % with 3 students passed minimum score. meanwhile, in test 2, students’ mean score improved to 76. class percentages which passed minimum score improved from 7, 5% to 52 %. from 31 test takers, 16 students passed minimum score in this cycle and it was a significant improvement. furthermore, students’ reading comprehension was extremely improved in cycle 2. students’ mean score continued to improve to 88 with class percentages which passed minimum score 97 %. from 36 test takers, 35 students could pass minimum score. in this cycle, students’ reading comprehension was extremely improved since the students had understood csr strategy well and they had applied csr strategy to reading in longer period. in addition, in terms of reading comprehension aspects, students’ reading comprehension was also improved. students’ reading comprehension improvement on each reading comprehension aspect was summarized in the following table: students’ improvement on reading comprehension aspects english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee in terms of main idea, students mean score before the implementation of csr was 2,3. after csr has been implemented to their reading lesson, their mean score become 3, 0. in terms of supporting idea, students mean score before the implementation of csr was 1, 4. after csr has been implemented to their reading lesson, their mean score become 2, 3. meanwhile, in relation to passage structure, students mean score before implementing csr was 2, 4. after csr has been implemented to their class, their mean score improved to 2, 6. in relation with vocabulary aspect, students mean score before implementing csr was 3, 4. after csr has been implemented to their reading lesson, their mean score become 4, 3. in the last aspect, making inference, students mean score before the implementation of csr was 0, 5 and improved to 0, 9 after the implementation of csr. in addition, in relation to students’ attitudes towards the implementation of csr, students give positive attitudes towards the implementation of csr. the result of questionnaire is explained as follows: based on the data above, mean score of questionnaire (152) passed agree scale. so, it could be concluded that majority of student with percentage 82 % of students were agree towards the implementation of csr and they gave positive attitude towards the implementation of csr. in addition, to know problems faced by the students during the implementation of csr, they were asked to answer questionnaire item 20. the most frequently problem was related to vocabulary. twenty students (54%) from thirty seven students reported that the most difficult problem they encountered was there were too many words they did not understand. the second most difficult issue was the complexity of the structures of the passages. meanwhile, sixteen students (43, 2%) mentioned that the situation of the class which is noisy also disrupt csr implementation. eleven students believed that group members who are not actively participated in group discussion and who sometimes absent affected their group discussions. surprisingly, some of the factors such as shyness, confusion of csr strategies, interest in english and time allocation did not seem to have caused major problems. conclusions this study focuses on the implementation of csr to improve students’ reading comprehension. the purposes of this research are to find out whether or not the implementation of csr improves students’ reading comprehension and to identify students’ attitudes towards the implementation of csr. in this study, the data collected strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree 37 74 111 148 167 185 152 kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david not careless but weak: language mixing of malaysian chinese in a business transaction through reading test, observation, field notes and questionnaires. based on the findings, this study concludes that csr improves students’ reading comprehension. it can be seen from students’ reading test mean score in preliminary study which was 67, and then it is improved to 76 in cycle 1. the mean score is continued to improve to the value of 88 in cycle 2. moreover, after implementing csr to students’ reading lesson, they show improvement on each reading comprehension aspect. in terms of main idea, students mean score before the implementation of csr was 2,3. after csr has been implemented to their reading lesson, their mean score become 3, 0. in terms of supporting idea, students mean score before the implementation of csr was 1, 4. after csr has been implemented to their reading lesson, their mean score become 2, 3. meanwhile, in relation to passage structure, students mean score before implementing csr was 2, 4. after csr has been implemented to their class, their mean score improved to 2, 6. in relation with vocabulary aspect, students mean score before implementing csr was 3, 4. after csr has been implemented to their reading lesson, their mean score become 4, 3. in the last aspect, making inference, students mean score before the implementation of csr was 0, 5 and improved to 0, 9 after the implementation of csr. thus, students’ reading comprehension was increased after csr had been applied in reading lesson. the researcher would relate the research finding with the theory of csr. as stated by abidin and riswanto (2012), the goals of csr are to improve reading comprehension and increase conceptual learning in ways that maximize students' involvement. in relation with that goal, the result of this study had shown that csr had improved five indicators of students’ reading comprehension which covered main idea, supporting idea, passage structure, making inference and vocabulary. firstly and secondly, csr made students to be able to identify main idea and supporting idea from the text. students were able to identify main idea and supporting idea from the text because csr obligizes them to restate the most important ideas and supporting ideas about the person, place, or thing of a paragraph or section of the text through get the gist strategy. thirdly and fourthly, csr made students to be able to identify passage structure and to conclude the text. students were able to identify passage structure and to conclude the text since csr obliges them to review what they already learnt from the text during wrap up strategy. meanwhile, students were able to understand vocabulary from the text because their comprehension is monitored during click and clunk strategy. click and clunk strategy obliges them to find out the meaning of difficult words they found in the text. supporting students’ reading comprehension improvement, csr also were provided by some helpful materials that helped students when comprehending the text. in this study, csr material used consisted from sample csr lesson that outlined the procedures during csr group discussion and csr learning log that record students’ ideas while discussion. in addition, during csr implementation, csr reading materials given had some helpful characteristics such as; providing a clues/ pictures that help students to predict what they would learn and having one main idea in a paragraph of english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the text. thus, the researcher claimed that csr strategy and csr materials hold important roles in improving students’ reading comprehension. besides of those findings, the data collected from questionnaire showed that students give positive attitude towards the implementation of csr. majority of students (82%) are agree towards the implementation of csr. based on the result of questionnaire, students’ interest towards english is improved after the implementation of csr and they feel that csr bring more fun to the process of learning. it also can be supported by the findings from observation and field notes that students are actively participated during the implementation of csr. references abidin, m. j. z. & riswanto. (2012). collaborative strategic reading (csr) within cognitive and metacognitive strategies perspectives. international journal of humanities and social science, 2(3), 192-198. retrieved on september 03, 2012 from: www.ijhssnet.com/journals/vol_2_no _3_february_2012/25.pdf alderson, c. j. (2000). assessing reading. cambridge: cambridge university press. retrieved on march 25, 2012 from: http://en.bookfi.org/s/?q=alderson+as sessing+reading&t=0 al-roomy, m. (2013). an action research study of collaborative strategic reading in english with saudi medical students. university of sussex. retrieved on april 10, 2012 from: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/46830/1/alroom y,_muhammad.pdf alsamadani, h. a. (2011). the effects of the 3-2-1 reading strategy on efl reading comprehension. english language teaching, 4(3), 184-191. retrieved on march 09, 2012 from: www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/e lt/article/viewfile/11890/8350 anderson, r. c., hiebert, e. h., scott, j. a., and wilkinson i. a. g. (1985). becoming a nation of readers. washington dc: center for the study of reading, national academy of education. retrieved on march 10, 2015 from: files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ed253865.pdf bremer, c. d., vaughn, s., clapper, a. t., and kim, a. (2002). collaborative strategic reading (csr): improving secondary students’ reading comprehension skills. national center on secondary education and transition. 1(2), 1-8. retrieved on february 25, 2012 from: www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc. asp?id=424 brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principle : an interactive approach to language pedagogy. second edition. new york: longman. brown, h. d. (2003). language assessment principles and classroom practice. new york: longman. retrieved on april 30, 2012 from: http://dl.lux.bookfi.org/genesis/65800 0/dddc004fdf305f1c8e4098dbf2576506/ _as/[h._douglas_brown]_language_a ssessment__principle(bookfi.org).pdf burns, a. (1999). collaborative action research for english language teachers. cambridge: cambridge university press. retrieved on march 02, 2012 from: http://dl.lux.bookfi.org/genesis/42100 0/6c2224a811a83882e4128dcff2f3218e/_ as/%5banne_burns%5d_collaborative _action_research_for_eng(bookfi.org). pdf creswell, j. w. (2012). research design qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches:third edition. california: sage publication, inc. fajriyani, t. n. (2001). improving students’ writing ability through clustering technique (a classroom action research in the second year of smp alhasra bojongsari-depok). retrieved on april 21, 2012 from: http://repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/ bitstream/123456789/1721/1/102345tita%20nurul%20fajriyanifitk.pdf http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/vol_2_no_3_february_2012/25.pdf http://en.bookfi.org/s/?q=alderson+assessing+reading&t=0 http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/46830/1/alroomy,_muhammad.pdf http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/elt/article/viewfile/11890/8350 http://www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=424 http://dl.lux.bookfi.org/genesis/658000/dddc004fdf305f1c8e4098dbf2576506/_as/[h._douglas_brown]_language_assessment__principle(bookfi.org).pdf http://dl.lux.bookfi.org/genesis/421000/6c2224a811a83882e4128dcff2f3218e/_as/%5banne_burns%5d_collaborative_action_research_for_eng(bookfi.org).pdf http://repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/bitstream/123456789/1721/1/102345-tita%20nurul%20fajriyani-fitk.pdf kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david not careless but weak: language mixing of malaysian chinese in a business transaction fan, y. (2010). the effect of comprehension strategy instruction on efl learners’ reading comprehension. asian social science, 6(8), 19-29. retrieved on march 08, 2012 from: http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/inde x.php/ass/article/download/6841/535 7.pdf fraenkel, j. r & wallen n. e. (2006). how to design and evaluate research in education. new york: mcgraw-hill companies, inc. gerot, l., & wignell, p. (1994).making sense of functional grammar. sidney: antipodean educational enterprise (aee). harmer, j. (2007). the practice of english language teaching. new york: longman. hikha. (2013). analytical exposition text. retrieved on april 01, 2012 from: http://hikhaz.blogspot.com/2013/12/rpp-bahasainggris-tentang-analytical.html kazemi, m., hosseini, m., & kohandani, m. (2013). strategic reading instruction in efl contexts. theory and practice in language studies, 3(12), 2333-2342. retrieved on march 08, 2012 from: http://ojs.academypublisher.com/inde x.php/tpls/article/viewfile/tpls031223 332342/8159 klingner, j. k., vaughn, s., boardman, a., and swanson, e. (2012). now we get it!: boosting comprehension with collaborative strategic reading. usa: john wiley & sons. klingner, j. k., vaughn, s., dimino, j., schumm, j. s., & bryant, d. (2002). collaborative strategic reading. colorado: sopris west. koshy, v. (2005). action research for improving practice: a practical guide. london: paul chapman publishing. retrieved on march 09, 2012 from: http://dl.lux.bookfi.org/genesis/42800 0/65d174b54649cb0e26560f43f3fe5ce3/_ as/%5bvalsa_koshy%5d_action_rese arch_for_improving_practi(bookfi.org). pdf lems, k.., miller l. d. and soro, t. m. (2010). teaching reading to english language learners: insights from linguistics. new york london: the guilford press. retrieved on december 14, 2012 from: http://dl.lux.bookfi.org/genesis/45500 0/ecacadaa0518630b9651fbeccbeb304e/ _as/%5bkristin_lems,_leah_d._miller, _tenena_m._soro%5d_tea(bookfi.org). pdf mali-jali, nomfundo. (2007). a genre-based approach to writing across the curriculum in isixhosa in the cape peninsula schools. stellenbosch university. retrieved on may 18, 2012 from: http://scholar.sun.ac.za/bitstream/ha ndle/10019.1/1412/malijali_genrebase d_2007.pdf?sequence=3&isallowed=y mckay, sandra lee. (2006). researching second language classrooms. london: lawrence erlbaum associates publishers. moreillon, j. (2007). collaborative strategies for teaching reading comprehension. chicago: the american library association. retrieved on march 08, 2012 from: http://dl.lux.bookfi.org/genesis/54700 0/3747a9bcf134159d63bda8caf19f0103/ _as/%5bjudi_moreillon%5d_collabora tive_strategies_for_teac(bookfi.org).pd f nosratinia, m., mirzakhani, e., & zaker. (2013). toward a humanistic instruction: collaborative strategic reading approach and efl learners’ reading comprehension. international journal of advanced studies in humanities and social science, 1 (8)1119-1138. retrieved on march 19, 2012 from: ijashss.com/upload/ijashss-1141.pdf oskamp, s., schultz, p. w. (2005). attitudes and opinion. new york: psychology press. oxford advanced learners’ dictionary (5th ed.). (1995). oxford: oxford university press. puspita, e. d. (2012). improving students’ reading comprehension using collaborative strategic reading (csr) (a classroom action research study at the eighth grade students of smp negeri 1 ngadirojo in the academic year of http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ass/article/download/6841/5357.pdf http://hikha-z.blogspot.com/2013/12/rpp-bahasa-inggris-tentang-analytical.html http://ojs.academypublisher.com/index.php/tpls/article/viewfile/tpls031223332342/8159 http://dl.lux.bookfi.org/genesis/428000/65d174b54649cb0e26560f43f3fe5ce3/_as/%5bvalsa_koshy%5d_action_research_for_improving_practi(bookfi.org).pdf http://dl.lux.bookfi.org/genesis/455000/ecacadaa0518630b9651fbeccbeb304e/_as/%5bkristin_lems,_leah_d._miller,_tenena_m._soro%5d_tea(bookfi.org).pdf http://scholar.sun.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10019.1/1412/malijali_genrebased_2007.pdf?sequence=3&isallowed=y http://dl.lux.bookfi.org/genesis/547000/3747a9bcf134159d63bda8caf19f0103/_as/%5bjudi_moreillon%5d_collaborative_strategies_for_teac(bookfi.org).pdf english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 2011/2012). universitas negeri semarang. retrieved retrieved on july 04, 2015 from: http://digilib.uns.ac.id/dokumen/deta il/26807/improving-students-readingcomprehension-using-collaborativestrategic-reading-csr-a-classroomaction-research-study-at-the-eighthgrade-students-of-smp-negeri-1ngadirojo-in-the-academic-year-of20112012 rozak, r. r., ngadiso, & asib, a. (2012). the effectiveness of collaborative strategic reading (csr) to teach content area reading comprehension viewed from students’ intelligence. english teaching, 1(1), 54-67. retrieved on march 10, 2012 from: http://jurnal.pasca.uns.ac.id/index.ph p/elt/article/viewfile/138/129 sa’diyah, h.(2011). improving students’ ability in writing descriptive texts through a picture series aided learning strategy. the english teacher. 40, 164-182. retrieved on april 10, 2012 from: http://www.melta.org.my/et/2011/1 64_182_halimatus.pdf thompson, s. l. and vaughn, s. (2007). research-based methods of reading instruction for english language learners, grades k–4. alexandria: association for supervision and curriculum development. retrieved on february 27, 2012 from: http://dl.lux.bookfi.org/genesis/52200 0/9c5b263cc8449076c40c9f09c8fe75a2/_ as/%5bsharon_vaughn,_sylvia_linanthompson%5d_researchba(bookfi.org).pdf http://digilib.uns.ac.id/dokumen/detail/26807/improving-students-reading-comprehension-using-collaborative-strategic-reading-csr-a-classroom-action-research-study-at-the-eighth-grade-students-of-smp-negeri-1-ngadirojo-in-the-academic-year-of-20112012 http://jurnal.pasca.uns.ac.id/index.php/elt/article/viewfile/138/129 http://www.melta.org.my/et/2011/164_182_halimatus.pdf http://dl.lux.bookfi.org/genesis/522000/9c5b263cc8449076c40c9f09c8fe75a2/_as/%5bsharon_vaughn,_sylvia_linan-thompson%5d_research-ba(bookfi.org).pdf anderson,r.c.,hiebert,e.h.,scott,j.a.,and english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 51 fostering language learner autonomy: indonesian efl lecturers’ voices endang darsih department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kuningan, indonesia email: endangdarsih@gmail.com apa citation: darsih, e. (2018). fostering language learner autonomy: indonesian efl lecturers’ voices. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 51-60. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1495. received: 21-08-2018 accepted: 30-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: studies reported that education in indonesia has not been promoting learner autonomy as the main goal of the learning process. in fact, it could be one of the solutions to improve the quality of indonesian students and a key goal for tertiary english learning. this explorative study was conducted to find out lecturer’s beliefs about learner autonomy and the activities done by the lecturers to foster learner autonomy. seventeen lecturers from english education study program were voluntarily investigated and interviewed. questionnaires about teachers' beliefs about learner autonomy compiled by borg and al-busaidi (2012) were also employed in this study. the study revealed that majority of students were assessed to be not autonomous yet and there were various efforts and activities done by the lecturers to improve learner autonomy, such as providing a project based assignment, recommending a specific web and english mobile applications to assist their learning, keep motivating the students, fostering reading habit, involving students to select materials, and applying various teaching methodology. keywords: learner autonomy; teacher’s beliefs; fostering learner autonomy; efl; tertiary education. introduction autonomous learning is considered the pedestal of individuals’ self-study, whereby, the individuals are largely responsible for their learning (holec, 1981) as cited in halil (2018) and learner autonomy has become a central ability to develop for a fruitful language learning/teaching process in efl classes. however, based on researcher’s observation in the teaching and learning process, it can be said that the context of higher education in indonesia has not been too promoting learner autonomy as the main goal of the learning process. moreover, some education practitioners have not been too familiar with the term “learner autonomy”. in fact, as lengkanawati (2014) said that learner autonomy is a vital factor in creating effective learning. practice in the field shows that students have not shown high level of learning autonomy. this can be seen from students who tend to learn just before the exam or when the lecturer asks them to do so. besides, there were always excuses from university students to postpone the assignments. the absence of strong awareness from within the students about the importance of learner autonomy becomes the common problem here so it is necessary once there is a paradigm shift that learning is not only a transfer of knowledge to the students, but also to provide space for students to explore the information and knowledge needed by themselves. besides, low motivation of the students is also the serious problem that needs to be solved. students tend to participate and involve passively in the classroom activities, only some students participating actively in the classroom activities, and some are not enthusiastic in interacting with the lecturer and other students. learner autonomy has become a trend for researchers in the last 10 years, but in endang darsih fostering language learner autonomy: indonesian efl lecturers’ voices 52 indonesia, the concept has yet to be thoroughly researched. there are several definitions of learner autonomy. holec (1981) in barilaro (2011) states that learner autonomy focuses on student involvement in their own learning process; namely in the determining of learning objectives, the content or materials, choosing the methods and techniques of learning, monitoring procedures of understanding and evaluating learning outcomes. in other words, learners are responsible in the learning process. learner autonomy has been the focus of teachers, educators, and researchers in various contexts (balcikanli, 2010; benson, 2012; borg & al-busaidi, 2012; lengkanawati, 2014). it has an important role in improving student self-reliance so that it will give positive implications to the students in everyday life. if today the students still need help, he or she will become independent later on. as stated by vygotsky (1934) in barnard (2015) that “what the learner can do with help today, will be able to do independently tomorrow.” this concept also assumes that the independence of students in learning will affect the independence in life. it is in line with what barnard (benson, 2012) proposed that “learner autonomy means being independent in learning and life.” in the same vein, barnard (2015) said “the ultimate goal of learner autonomy is independence.” moreover, lengkanawati's study (2014) indicates that autonomy in learning has not been a common occurrence in the context of education in indonesia, in contrast to the educational context in australia that has applied learner autonomy in learning. since learner-centered approach is crucial in language learning, the endeavors to increase the learners’ involvement in designing their language learning process should be prioritized (yigit & yildirim, 2018). in this case, teacher or lecturer is the one who has substantial and important role in developing and fostering learner autonomy. a study conducted by alonazi (2017) revealed that english language teachers often encouraged autonomous learners in their classrooms. they usually implemented different teaching strategies, which demonstrated the four roles: facilitator, counselor, resource and manager. with reference to the importance of learner autonomy in creating successful english learning and the role of teacher in fostering learner autonomy, a few researchers focused on teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding language learner autonomy in asian context, such as in vietman (loi, in barnard & li, 2016), in philippines (ranosa, in barnard & li, 2016), in thailand (tapinta, in barnard & li, 2016), in brunei darussalam (haji, et al., in barnard & li, 2016) and in indonesia (lengkanawati, in barnard & li, 2016). however, there have been limited studies concerned on the efforts done by university teachers in developing language learner autonomy. therefore, this research intends not only to find out lecturers’ beliefs about learner autonomy, but also efforts done to foster learner autonomy. method this study was conducted by using a qualitative method, namely explorative research design. all lecturers at english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education of universitas kuningan with the total number of 17 lecturers are regarded as the participants of this study. they are voluntarily involved in the present study. in this study, data was collected by two means: questionnaire and interview. the questionnaire used in this study was adopted from a questionnaire about teachers' beliefs about learner autonomy compiled by borg and al-busaidi (2012). the statement in the questionnaire is divided into four categories: technical, political, psychological and social. the measurement used likert scale with five options, they are strongly disagree, disagree, unsure, agree, and strongly agree. the questionnaire was modified, translated as well as cross-checked by researcher, and then piloted with colleagues. delivery was english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 53 conducted in a bilingual version both online and through hard copies, which generated a total number of 17 respondents. all lecturers were asked to fill the questionnaires to find out their beliefs about learner autonomy, but not all lecturers were interviewed. the interview participants comprised eight teachers, who were selected from the questionnaire respondents who have expressed interest in further participation, with consideration of the years of teaching, gender and the type of students they taught. the interview was conducted in both english and indonesian to get a better result. results from questionnaires distributed to all lecturers of english education study program were analyzed initially through ms. excel and using descriptive statistics to calculate frequency and percentage which would then be interpreted with data obtained from interviews. results and discussion profile of research participants participants of the present study are all lecturers in english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education in universitas kuningan with a total number of 17 lecturers. the lecturers of the english education study program who are respondents have diversity in gender, the highest educational attainment, the teaching experience (elt experience), and the experience at language center. these characteristics are presented in graphs below. figure 1. profile of participants based on gender figure 2. profile of participants based on educational background figure 3. profile of participants based on teaching experience figure 4. profile of participants based on experience at language center lecturers’ beliefs about learner autonomy based on the results of questionnaire data processing to 17 participants, it was obtained some items or statements in which almost the majority of participants agree (agree/a) and strongly agree (strongly agree/sa) with statements number 3, 4, 7, 11, 12, 25, 28, 29, 35 and statement number 36. the majority of participants (88.2%) believe in some things. first, that student autonomy can be improved through routine activities where they perform individual tasks. second, autonomy means that students can make choices about how they learn (82.4%). thirdly, the majority of participants (64.7%) believe that involving students in determining materials or teaching materials endang darsih fostering language learner autonomy: indonesian efl lecturers’ voices 54 can improve student autonomy. fourth, 82.3% of participants believe that students who have a high level of confidence will have better autonomy of learning than the less confident. fifth, the autonomy of learning makes students learn more effectively (70.6%). sixth, cooperative activities (co-operative group work activities) can help improve learner autonomy (82.3%). the seventh, studentcentered learning is the ideal situation in improving learner autonomy (82.3%). to eight, learning how to learn something is a key in improving learner autonomy (58.8%). to the nine, teachers have a very important role in helping students improve their learning autonomy (76.5%). finally, the majority of participants (82.4%) believe that learner autonomy has a positive influence on the success of language learning. in the meantime, the questionnaire also shows that the majority of participants still doubt their beliefs about several things especially for items number 1, 5, 9, 15, 20, 24 and item number 34. the majority of participants doubt some things. first, students at all age can improve their learning autonomy. second, students with low learning autonomy tend to be ineffective. thirdly, the majority of participants doubt that it is difficult to improve learner autonomy with good language skills compared to those with less ability. fourth, the autonomy of learning cannot be developed in lecturer-centered learning. sixth, learning autonomy is only possible applied to adult students. the seventh, learner autonomy requires students to be totally independent of the lecturers. finally, the participants’ doubt can be seen from the statement that the students' skills do not affect their ability to improve their learning autonomy. from the result of the questionnaire, it is also seen the belief of participants to some statements where the majority of respondents disagree (disagree/d) and strongly disagree (strongly disagree/sd) such as on item statement number 8, 18 and item statement number 23. this disagreement seen in 76.5% of participants belief that student learning autonomy means learning without lecturer. furthermore, the majority of participants (59%) also disagree that learner autonomy does not develop without being assisted by lecturers. finally, majority of participants (76.5%) disagree and strongly disagree that student learning autonomy is a concept that is not suitable for non-western learners. efforts in fostering learner autonomy based on interviews with eight participants, it is revealed that the majority of participants concluded that the students of english education study program are not fully autonomous; they are not fully independent, especially the first grade students due to the nature of his high school that is not independent and accustomed to the pattern of spoon-fed principle. having analyzing the result of interview, it is revealed that there are several efforts or activities which are undertaken by lecturers in fostering learner autonomy in university, such as: 1. providing a structured task (project based or research based assignment) that should be done individually. 2. recommending some specific internet, web or mobile applications as learning resources in accordance with the course. 3. motivating the students to compete between campuses at various levels. 4. growing and fostering reading habit for students by making chapter report or learning log at every meeting. 5. applying various learning methods, such as project based learning and problem based learning to improve learner autonomy. 6. involving the students to choose the material they will read according to their interest and ask them to write selfresponse for what they have learned and what results they will get from the reading. 7. encouraging students to perform activities outside the campus, such as joining the debate club to improve the ability to speak and think critically. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 55 based on data analysis, it can be concluded that the students of english education study program are still not fully autonomous. there are several activities or efforts done by lecturers to foster learner autonomy. first, provide structured tasks (project based or research based) that should be done individually and apply various learning methods, such as project based learning and problem based learning. this project based assignment is also proven by loi (2017) that the students gained a higher degree of learner autonomy after participating in project work. the following is statement taken from interview results: "in my opinion, our students are still not autonomous. the efforts are like giving a structured task such as project that must be completed outside the class both individually and in group "lecturer 5 one of ways in measuring students’ comprehension and ability is by providing tasks. task provided to students must be proportional or in accordance with the ability of students, so that the task given does not become a burden for students. providing structured tasks will make students become more active, trying to find a solution to the problem or tasks that he/she faces. by doing that, the student will be a hardworking person, never give up and students' thinking ability to find a way out of the problem will be increasing. students who are active in completing their tasks will have a positive impact on students' affective, cognitive and psychomotor abilities. this is in line with what benson proposed in barnard & li (2016) that students can often contribute to the design of task and it can heighten their involvement in the classroom. besides, the next effort done by the lecturer in fostering learner is applying various teaching methods. one of the methods, namely project based learning, is chosen because it is believed to improve students’ higher order thinking skills and foster learner autonomy. it is also suggested by the most national curriculum in indonesia because it is expected to create studentcentered learning and enable the students to find the information by themselves. the following is statement taken from interview results: "the efforts will vary, depends on the lecturers, i think our students have not been independent. therefore, i apply the pbl (project based learning) and problem based learning method with the development of hots (higher order thinking skills) so they can become autonomous. in this way, they can be autonomous, because basically they are capable and have potential; they just need help and our role as a lecturer to develop it ". lecturer 4 project based learning is a teaching method in which students can gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge. project based learning is believed to make classroom more engaging to students; a project engages their hearts and minds, and provides real-world relevance for learning. project based learning also can improve students’ learning. after completing a project, students understand content more deeply, remember what they learn and retain it longer than is often the case with traditional instruction. because of this, students who gain content knowledge with this type of methods are able to apply what they know and can do to new situations. if we review indonesian government regulation number 65 year 2013 on process standards, then it is stated that the learning process must use a scientific approach by applying research-based learning (discovery or inquiry learning). to encourage learners to produce creative and contextual work, both individually and in groups, it is recommended to use a learning approach that produces project based learning and/or problem based learning tailored to the endang darsih fostering language learner autonomy: indonesian efl lecturers’ voices 56 characteristics of competence and level of education. based on the above statement, the expected learning is 'student-centered learning'. so that lecturers do not dominate the learning process. asking the students to find out things for themselves rather than teaching them is very crucial as the basic strategy for student involvement in the classroom activities. it can also allow students to pursue their own interests (benson, 2003) in barnard and li (2016). the students must acquire knowledge, attitudes, and skills, majorly by interacting among themselves and information. the students can get information from various sources, such as education facilities, media, and help from their tutors. autonomous learning, therefore, enhances students to actively learn unlike the traditional mode of learning that promotes passive learning (halil küçükler, 2018). the next effort done by the university teachers in fostering learner autonomy is to recommend the internet, specific web or english mobile applications as sources of learning in accordance with the course. as suggested by the latest curriculum in indonesia that teachers are not the only source of learning. the internet is a network of people and information, connected by telephone lines connected to a computer. even more than 100.000 independent networks public and private are joining together to form this vast global communications system. in line with the widespread internet access, the effort to integrate the internet into english language teaching (elt) and expand its various forms of use in teaching is also higher. this means that more teachers (lecturers or english instructors) and learners will use the internet as a learning medium. the following is statement taken from interview results: "in my opinion the english education program students are not autonomous. moreover, i teach the first graders; most still want to be fed. whatever the instructions should be very clear. assigned tasks such as by depositing vocabulary, learning diary and following activities outside the classroom. i also recommend the web and mobile applications, such as oxford dictionary, hello english, etc. to learn english so that children can also learn outside of school hours. i release them to open gadgets or the internet, browse about the topic to be discussed. besides, in this campus, free wifi can be a good solution for the students to download and install many free english mobile applications which are very beneficial for their learning and their achievements " lecturer 3 nowadays, technology is growing rapidly and as if the world is in the grip that is by accessing the internet via smartphone, even all people in this world including in indonesia mostly have. this condition must become the chance for the students to use it for not only communication but also for learning. they can browse much information easily, whenever and wherever they want as smartphone is portable. smartphone has become an idol and something very important until most students cannot be separated from the smartphone or mobile phone. this is an opportunity to take advantage of smartphones and android as a source and media that help the learning process. there are many free android and smartphone applications designed to assist students’ learning and improve students’ english skills, such as oxpord dictionary, listen and speak, busuu, cartoon free english, speak english picture, fluent english, english podcast for learners, language verb trainer, pvp-phrasal verb, english conversation practice, hello english, etc. motivating and supporting the students to compete between campuses at various levels is also an important effort to foster learner autonomy. the following is statement taken from interview results: "in the classroom i teach, i think only a small part of students is autonomous, the english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 57 syllabus is rarely read and they do not know what direction to learn on that day, far from preparing for themselves what they will learn that day, let alone the first graders who are still accustomed to be fed by teachers. to solve the problem, i usually provide tasks that will train them to become autonomous learners. for example, in the basic prosaic study class, i release students to choose literary works that they will read, make project literature response without any intervention of my own project and then presented in the class. i also assign students to write a chapter report for a syntax class and write self-response to what they have learned and what they can get ... "lecturer 1 all teachers and lecturers already know the importance of learning motivation for students. a strong motivation to learn will encourage students to want and try to learn earnestly. this makes sense and is reasonable. there are goals and desires that will be achieved by students through learning activities. therefore, the learning activities that are run should not only meet the interests of teachers. the priority is the fulfillment of the wishes and needs of students in learning. this is in line with what benson (2003) in barnard and li (2016) stated that supporting learners can foster autonomy in classroom. the important role of motivation in the teaching and learning process needs to be understood by the lecturers so that they can perform various forms of action or assistance to the students. motivation in learning is very important in the process of teaching and learning activities to improve the ability or learning outcomes. this is in accordance with the opinion of wagman (2005) who said that motivation is one of factors that affects the ability of students in learning a foreign language. learning process will be successful when students have motivation to learn. therefore, teachers need to cultivate students’ learning motivation. to obtain optimal learning outcomes, teachers are required to generate students’ motivation to learn, so that effective student learning behavior will be formed. several ways can be done to improve students’ motivation to learn, such as clarifying goals to be achieved, creating a fun atmosphere in learning, generating students’ interest in learning, giving feedback, reward and assessment to students’ works, creating competition and cooperation among students. growing and fostering reading habit for students by making chapter report or learning log at each meeting is also believed to improve learner autonomy. the following is statement taken from interview result: “i usually ask students to create a chapter report or learning log before the material begins. therefore, they have a provision and certainly read in advance about the material to be delivered. in this way, they can actually learn on their own, and the class activity will talk more about what material they do not understand after reading and making chapter report” lecturer 2 & 8 from the result of interview above, it is found that teachers can also let the students to write about what they have learned, what they will do next or the direction of their learning. this way is believed to play an important role in heightening student involvement. the last effort done by the lecturers in fostering learner autonomy is by giving freedom to the students to choose the material they will read according to their interest and write self-response for what they have learned and what results they will get from the reading. as we know that autonomy involves a willingness on the part of the learner to take responsibility for their own learning. therefore students should be given a chance to define and select the materials and learning sources based on their interest. by using authentic materials and involving students to select the materials, this heightens involvement and personal endang darsih fostering language learner autonomy: indonesian efl lecturers’ voices 58 relevance. the following is statement taken from interview result: “to improve learner autonomy, i ask them to choose and select reading material according to their own interests. for example, in reading for general purpose subject, students are asked to read the text of their choice and apply the reading strategy i teach to the text of their choice” lecturer 7 autonomy need to be given to the students or learners so that they have the responsibility in organizing and disciplining themselves and in developing their own learning skills. these attitudes need to be possessed by students/learners because they are characteristic of the maturity of the learned person. in line with this, moore (in keegan, 1983) argues that the main feature of learner autonomy is the opportunity given to students or learners to participate in determining the objectives, sources, and evaluation of learning. therefore, independent learning programs can be classified based on the size of the freedom (autonomy) given to students or learners to participate in determining the learning program. findings of this study have two important implications: 1) learner is the key of successful learning process in a learnercentered teaching, 2) lecturers’ efforts as the optimization of students’ learning. to begin with, in tertiary education level in which students centered teaching is emphasized, learner is the first one who is responsible so much for their learning. they are entrusted to determine what, how and why to learn. the more autonomous they are the bigger possibility they have to be more successful in learning. majority of learning activities conducted in this university are centered on students, therefore learner autonomy is a crucial factor in creating effective and successful learning. secondly, lecturers are the second ones who are responsible for maximizing students’ learning experience and for fostering students’ participation in different learning activities. students and lecturers are inseparable determiners in effective teaching and learning process. there must be awareness from not only learner but also lecturer to complete each other. learner centered teaching does not mean learning without teacher; again, there must be facilitator in assisting learners, improving learner autonomy and promoting learner autonomy in university is a desirable goal (borg & alshumaimeri, 2017). conclusion learner autonomy plays a very important role in creating effective learning based on the most recent curriculum in indonesia which centers on learner. learner should be the one who do the messy works and the one who actively participate in the classroom activities. however, learner autonomy cannot be interpreted as learning without teachers. teachers still become the second vital factor to make effective learnercentered classroom. in addition, benson in barnard and li (2016) acknowledged that commitment of the teacher is the key to make a successful pedagogical task work. based on data analysis, two quite interesting findings have been revealed in this study especially regarding lecturers’ beliefs about learner autonomy and efforts done to foster learner autonomy. the first finding is the majority of participants believe in some conceptions and aspects about learner autonomy. the second finding is efforts done by lecturers in improving learner autonomy vary based on the students needs, such as; 1) providing a structured task (project based or research based assignment) that should be done individually, 2) recommending some specific internet or webs and english mobile applications to enhance their learning in accordance with the course; 3) motivating and supporting students to compete between campuses at various levels; 4) growing and fostering reading habit for students by making chapter report or learning log at each meeting; 4) applying various learning methods, such as project and problem based learning to english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 59 improve learner autonomy; 5) involving students to select the material they will read according to their interests and write selfresponse for what they have learned and what results they will get from the reading; and 6) encouraging students to perform activities outside the campus, for example joining the debate club to improve the ability to speak and think critically. references balcikanli, c. (2010). learner autonomy in language learning: student teachers’ beliefs. australian journal of teacher education. barnard, r., & li, j. (2016). language learner autonomy: teachers’ beliefs and practices in asian contexts. phnom penh: angkor thom printer co, ltd. barnard, r. (2014). learner sutonomy: a hand-out at two-day workshop at upi bandung, indonesia. benson, p. (2012). autonomy in language learning: learning and life. a paper. hong kong institute of education. borg, s., & al-busaidi, s (2012). learner autonomy: english language teachers’ beliefs and practices. elt reseach paper. london, england. borg, s., & alshumaimeri, y. (2017). language learner autonomy in a tertiary context: teachers’ beliefs and practices. language teaching research. doi:10.1177/1362168817725759. doğan, g., & mirici, i̇. h. (2017). efl instructors’ perception and practices on learner autonomy in some turkish universities. journal of language and linguistic studies, 13(1), 166-193. halil, k. (2018). graduate students’ proficiency strategy attitudes on autonomous learning in foreign language learning. english language teaching, 11(7). lengkanawati, n. s. (2014). making efl learners autonomous: can language learning strategies help? paper presented at 2014 alak international conference on applied linguistics in the era of multiculturalism. loi, n. v. (2017). promoting learner autonomy: lesson from using project work as a supplement in english skills courses. can tho university journal of science, 7, 118-125. moore, s. (2011). the struggle to develop a “research culture” in a developing country. tesol quarterly. endang darsih fostering language learner autonomy: indonesian efl lecturers’ voices 60 english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 61 undergraduate students’ perspectives in using edmodo as an educational social network hikmah nur insani english education department, school of postgraduate, indonesia university of education e-mail: hikmahinsani@student.upi.edu didi suherdi english education department, school of postgraduate, indonesia university of education e-mail: suherdi_d@upi.edu gin gin gustine english education department, school of postgraduate, indonesia university of education e-mail: gustine@upi.edu apa citation: insani, h. n., suherdi, d., & gustine, g. g. (2018). undergraduate students’ perspectives in using edmodo as an educational social network. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 61-68. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1254. received: 23-02-2018 accepted: 27-04-2018 published: 01-06-2018 abstract: the integration of technology in education and the need to meet the requirements of the 21st century learning lead educators to use online learning platforms. edmodo is offered as one of learning platforms that could be used in efl classroom. this research aims to investigate perception of undergraduate students on the use of edmodo as an educational social network which has been implemented in the classroom. this study employed mix method design by involving 50 undergraduate students from a university in bandung, indonesia. the data were collected through closed-ended and open-ended questionnaires. as results, it was found that undergraduate students showed positive response and attitudes towards the use of edmodo in their learning process. besides, some obstacles of using edmodo were also revealed, such as lack of experiences in using technology and how to manage the time allocation. finally, it is suggested that edmodo should be implemented in undergraduate efl classroom. keywords: edmodo, undergraduate students’ perception, educational social network, online learning platform introduction information and communication technology (ict) has been integrated into education in indonesia in the recent years. nowadays, second and foreign language teachers have the options to use technology in the classroom. therefore, technology is indicated as one of factors in the 21st century education. as a result, teaching and learning approaches have changed to suit the digital age by adopting technology or incorporating e-learning into classrooms (cowie & sakui, 2013). in general, the 21st century world requires individuals who can achieve success in their learning, work and life (suherdi, 2010). moreover, one of ways to integrate technology in education is the use of an educational social network. social networking is known as a service that enables users to interact with others, share information and make an active continuous virtual community through the creation of system profiles and online groups (brooke, 2013). related with educational context, it means that social network could provide students to be more creative and attractive during the teaching and learning process. furthermore, talking about educational social network, edmodo is offered as an online tool that can promote individual to join and interact with each other, especially in the learning process (prasad & prasad, 2012). edmodo has been widely used by many top universities as an alternative space wherein mailto:hikmahinsani@student.upi.edu hikmah nur insani, didi suherdi, & gin gin gustine undergraduate students’ perspectives in using edmodo as an educational social network 62 students can adapt easily through daily activities and interactions with peers and faculty. it is supported by enriquez (2014) who declares edmodo as one of the top learning tools by five hundred plus professionals from 48 countries around the world. according to hourdequin (2014), edmodo is described as a free online learning management system that offers a secure virtual space for students and teachers to share and discuss texts, images, audio files, and videos. thus, edmodo could be accessed through web browser or smartphone application (ios and android). the teachers could create communities or classes for specific groups of students on edmodo. when a teacher creates an edmodo group, he or she receives a group code that could be used by students. besides, not only teachers and students but also parents are able to have a code of their own. it is aimed to allow them to check, support, and work together with their children (batsila, et al., 2014). by this system, parents, students, and teachers could be a good teamwork to support the teaching and learning process inside or outside the classroom. furthermore, it is claimed that students who are already facebook users can use edmodo without difficulties (çankaya et al., 2013). by using edmodo, teachers can create some quizzes and assignments, give feedback, receive complete assignments, assign grades, store and share content, maintain a class calendar, conduct polls and send alters to individual students or to the entire class (alkathiri, 2014). in that case, looi & yusop (2011) provides some benefits of using edmodo in the teaching and learning process. first, the students could post any comments regarding to the assignments. second, students are able to get reward badges that could increase their learning motivation. as we know that, by giving such rewards, sometimes students will put their high motivation to the teaching and learning process. third, edmodo allows students to get along with their friends through sub-groups. it means that students could discuss anything when they feel confused about the assignments. fourth, edmodo could develop learner autonomous and self-directed learning as students receive instant comments and reviews on their posts which assist them in constructing new knowledge (al-khathiri, 2014). thus, edmodo could provide students to give feedback to each other. fifth, edmodo as an educational social network put contributions in increasing an effective communication and engagement between the students and their teacher at the right time. the effectiveness could be provided by looking to the benefits of using technology, especially educational social network (looi & yusop, 2011). sixth, edmodo provides authentic materials that relates to real life situations which applicable in daily life. it means that the teacher could choose actual topic relating to the current situation and feelings of students. it is also supported by laurillard (2005) who states the conventional teaching and learning process through lectures, whole-class teaching and books should be supplemented with technology to serve and give more opportunities for learners to get involved in the process. despite the above-mentioned advantages, using edmodo in education could raise some challenges. first challenge is low internet speed and internet connection problems as highlighted by alkhathiri (2015) and enriquez (2014). second challenge of using edmodo as an educational social network is the small-sized screen of the phones which makes it difficult for students to view all the course materials on the phone (alkhathiri, 2015). some students may not always access edmodo from their laptop. it is also supported by addison (2011) who notes that small-sized screen is one of barriers in implementing edmodo as an educational social network. in the context of english as foreign language, a number of recent studies towards the use of edmodo as an educational social network has been growing since it relates to 21st century learning process. a big scale study affirmed a considerable number of benefits of using edmodo in efl classes (enriquez, 2014). the findings show that edmodo is viewed as an effective social media application that can improve students’ ability through an english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 63 active participation in online discussions and tasks (enriquez, 2014). while in indonesian context, muhfidin (2013) states the use of edmodo as the supplementary learning tool is effective and applicable for students. furthermore, edmodo also could be used in teaching writing in a blended learning setting since it facilitates students’ engagement cognitively (purnawarman et al., 2016). reflecting on the previous elaboration, this study aims at undergraduate students’ perceptions towards the use of edmodo as an educational social network in the learning process. therefore, this paper reaffirms the benefits of edmodo as an educational social network which relates to the integration of technology in the teaching and learning process. furthermore, this study also aims to find out some problems and challenges from the undergraduate students’ perceptions when using edmodo in their learning process. this would be beneficial to create a suitable language online learning tool that suits learners’ needs. to achieve those purposes, the study attempts to address the following questions: 1. what are the undergraduate students’ perceptions about the use of edmodo as an educational social network for efl classes? 2. do undergraduate students see edmodo as an effective educational social network for efl classes? method in order to achieve the purpose of the research in exploring undergraduate students’ perspections in using edmodo as a social network, a mixed method approach is selected as the research design by combining qualitative and quantitative data collection procedures with two main reasons. firstly, cresswell (2009) states mix method utilizes the strength of both qualitative and quantitative research. the study adopted the concurrent triangulation design which allowed the researcher to collect both qualitative and quantitative data to figure out if there is convergence, differences, or some combinations. secondly, the research will get better understanding when combining both qualitative and quantitative data (hamied, 2017). moreover, the projected research uses triangulation design since it belongs to the types of mixed method design. the participants of the study were 50 undergraduate students (female = 30 students, male = 20 students) in an indonesian university majoring english education department in the 6th semester of the academic year 2017. they have been experienced in using edmodo in their classroom guided by their lecturers. furthermore, in collecting data, the study used both quantitative and qualitative methods to identify undergraduate students’ perceptions on using edmodo. to answers the research questions, the questionnaires created in the form of google docs that have been sent to all participants. here, to obtain a quantitative data, a closed-ended survey questionnaire with 11 statements was made based on the existing survey developed by enriquez (2014) with some modifications made by the researcher in order to address the first and second research questions. the questionnaire was in 5 pointlikert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). moreover, qualitative data was gained through open-ended questionnaires. it was grouped to see students’ experiences, advantages, problems, and suggestions to address the second research question. results and discussion the discussions of the findings are divided into two subsections following the central themes appeared from closed and open-ended questionnaires. the central themes are students’ perceptions about the use of edmodo as an educational social network and undergraduate students’ perceptions about the effectiveness of edmodo as an educational social network. students’ perceptions about the use of edmodo as an educational social network regarding the first research question, the findings from the questionnaire relating to students’ perceptions about the use of edmodo as an educational social network are presented in the following table. hikmah nur insani, didi suherdi, & gin gin gustine undergraduate students’ perspectives in using edmodo as an educational social network 64 table 1. undergraduate students’ perceptions of using edmodo as an educational social network no questions strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree 1 edmodo allows me to easily interact/participate with my classmates and lecturer about assignments, group tasks and other course activities. 10% 56.5 % 28.3% 4.3% 2 edmodo procedure is difficult to follow 10.9% 17.4% 60.9% 3 assignments, quizzes, and other online tasks given by the lecturer in edmodo help me improve my learning and comprehension skills 47.8% 37% 8.7% 4 online activities and discussions in edmodo motivate me to learn more about the course 4.3% 39.1% 43.5% 13% the table shows that most participants (sa= 10%, agree = 56.5%) agree that edmodo allows them to interact and participate easily with their classmates and teachers through some assignments, group tasks, and other course activities. here, the participants (disagree = 60.9%) do not think that the procedures of using edmodo is difficult to follow since some of the participants were currently using it at their classroom. moreover, most half of participants in this study (agree = 48.7%) agree that assignments, quizzes, and other online tasks given by the lecturer on edmodo helped them to improve the learning and comprehension skills. although there are some participants (neutral = 43.5%) who are neutral and disagree with the statement stating online activities and discussions in edmodo motivate them to learn more about the course. in line with this, the high gap between agree and neutral or disagree could indicate that participants still give positive response to the implementation of edmodo in the teaching and learning process. table 2. undergraduate students’ experiences of using edmodo no questions strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree 1 i prefer to ask questions using edmodo rather than face-to-face 4.3% 15.2% 28.3% 43.5% 8.7% 2 i enjoy the practice quizzes uploaded on edmodo. 6.5% 43.3% 32.6% 13% 4.3% 3 i am satisfied with edmodo 6.5% 54.3% 39.1% 4 edmodo allows me to easily access reference materials on the course provided by the teacher. 15.2% 43.5% 21.7% 15.2% 4.3% 5 the reference materials (e.g. internet articles, online videos, power point files, etc.) posted by my teacher are useful in understanding the contents/topics of the course better 13% 39.1% 26.1% 17.4% 4.3% 6 edmodo required more time and effort. 6.5% 26.1% 30.4% 34.8% 2.2% 7 i have trouble using the technologies in this subject. 2.2% 4.3% 19.6% 58.7% 15.2% table 2 shows that participants (agree = 43.3%, neutral = 32.6%) enjoyed the activity through practice quizzes uploaded by their lecturer in edmodo. thus, more than half of participants (agree = 54.3%) satisfied when they were using edmodo in their learning process. furthermore, majority of participants strongly agree (15.2%) and agree (43.5%) that edmodo allows them to easily access reference materials on the course provided by the lecturer. it is in line with the statement stating edmodo could provide students with authentic english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 65 materials that help them to improve their skills. moreover, participants agree (39.1%) and strongly agree (13%) that the reference materials (e.g. internet articles, online videos, power point files, etc.) posted by the lecturer are useful to better understand the contents of the course. although there are participants (neutral = 30.4%) who are neutral and disagree (34.8%) with statement number 6 stating edmodo requires more time and effort. undergraduate students’ perceptions about the effectiveness of edmodo as an educational social network as stated previously, edmodo has been widely used and offered as one of effective online learning platforms in educational context. therefore, the participants in this research mostly understand how to operate or access edmodo. the participants also comprehend its purposes to facilitate teaching and learning process. thus, the data revealed from the questionnaire is closely related to its purposes to help the interactions of teachers and students outside the classroom. therefore, it is worth to say that students give a good response towards the effectiveness of using edmodo as an educational social network. relating to edmodo’s potential to make learning more effective, the participants expressed a variety of positive views in the questionnaire. firstly, edmodo could facilitate teachers and students’ interaction through indirect or virtual class. it is revealed from the open-ended questionnaire data below. p2 : it is effective because we can communicate with lecturer and our friends in discussing some material resources and result of assignments. p4 : yes, it is very effective since we can get some feedback and give some comments directly via edmodo. p17 : edmodo can be very effective when lecturer and students interact to each other outside the classroom through e-learning material. the finding is in line with the purpose of edmodo that is offered as an online tool which can promote individual to join and interact with each other and especially in the learning process (prasad & prasad, 2012). it means that the students could interact easily with their friends through edmodo. furthermore, the participants thought that virtual class sometimes really helpful and effective because they were not brave enough to deliver their opinion in the real classroom situation. it could be happened since each student has different characteristics when they need to talk or deliver their ideas. their enthusiast to integrate technology in the classroom also revealed in the data. p29 : edmodo seems like a good choice for students like me now. i like to use edmodo because it’s just like we use facebook. it’s easy to follow and modern. secondly, since edmodo is offered as an effective learning tool, it also helps students to submit assignment and share any information. in this 21st century learning, students could also easily access some materials from their lecturer, not only from the printed book sources. this finding is revealed in the openended questionnaire. p40 : i can access some materials on edmodo since sometimes lecturer doesn’t have enough time to explain the material in the classroom. p36 : i don’t need to meet the lecturer when submitting assignments. it’s all on our hand. click and send. so easy anyway. p24 : it makes the process of learning easy, especially when we have to submit assignments. we can submit it wherever we want as long as it has internet connection. relevant to the findings, hourdequin (2014) supported that edmodo is a free online learning management system that offers a secure virtual space for students and teachers to share and discuss texts, images, audio files, and videos. furthermore, some participants stated that by using edmodo, the learning process is very efficient, paperless, and ecofriendly since they do not need to print the assignments. moreover, the findings from qualitative data indicates positive perceptions of incorporating edmodo as educational social network into the classroom and some frequently used keywords to express hikmah nur insani, didi suherdi, & gin gin gustine undergraduate students’ perspectives in using edmodo as an educational social network 66 participants’ opinion like “easy”, “efficient”, “practical”, and “accessible”. by using edmodo, a teacher can create and share multimedia resources to support students’ learning and provide learning tasks to scaffold students’ learning (wallace, 2014). it is clearly stated that edmodo can encourage active participations between lecturer and students in online class and students could access some materials easily. thirdly, edmodo is indicated as a good choice online learning platform to promote and develop self-regulated learning and learner autonomous that closely related to 21st century learning education. thus, the main philosophy of 2013 curriculum in indonesia encourages students to become independent learners. students could have like virtual discussion after the learning process in the classroom. it is revealed in the following transcript. p18 : sometimes, the lecturer creates an open discussion about the following assignments. in my opinion, it is very democratic and i like the way my lecturer gives the next assignments based on class discussion on edmodo. p33 : edmodo help students to manage the time to complete many online assignments. for example, i can easily upload my files, give feedback, and communicate with my friends also lecturer conveniently. p49 : i can still do the tasks even there is no class that day. based on those findings, edmodo is contributed and supported self-regulated learning and develop learning autonomy. autonomous learning classroom is a place where learners and teachers have constructive interaction with each other and learn from each other. the teacher is responsible for helping learners become aware of alternative strategies and learning styles (camilleri, 1999). in line with this, lengkanawati (2014) states that in the indonesian contexts autonomous learning refers to a situation where students use learning strategies to make themselves become autonomous learners. it is relevant to the findings that participants need to manage their time since the lecturer give the allocation time and due date in most of the tasks. moreover, it is well stated on the findings that integrating technology into the teaching and learning process will give some benefits. yunus (2010) supported that teachers need to synchronize themselves with technology and take advantages of the possibilities provided. furthermore, positive response is also revealed in the findings that participant prefer to use edmodo rather than spot (an institutional online program in campus). one of the participant stated that edmodo is easier and more applicable than spot in supporting their learning process. nevertheless, there were some participants who criticized the use of edmodo in the classroom. it is revealed in the following transcript. p18 : in my opinion, edmodo is less exploration. lecturer should explore and use more edmodo in the learning process. p27 : sometimes, the lecturer did not give full feedback to all students. p8 : i never use edmodo before, so it’s quite confusing for me at the first time. p35 : i feel nervous when submitting the task with such allocation time since the internet connection still unstable sometimes. the data indicates that some of the participants lacked confidence and less experience with the new technologies. thus, by learning and doing in the same time, the students can easily comprehend how to use edmodo. yet, the internet connection still becomes a problem in indonesian classroom. however, one of the participants stated that there are some wifi corners at campus which can be accessed freely anytime. hence, the students should be able to find and know which location at campus that provides internet access. in reflecting on edmodo’s potential to create an effective learning, the participants expressed a variety positive response. it includes how edmodo could increase students’ motivation and provide better learning process. furthermore, although the findings stated that edmodo was considered as a good educational social network and user-friendly learning tool, some comments from the participants showed that edmodo should get some improvements in order to make it more english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 67 updated. the participants’ responses and comments relating to this issue can be seen below. p18 : i hope edmodo can be more mobile friendly p6 : i think, lecturer needs to explain clearly about the procedure of using edmodo at the beginning of the lesson. so, students will not get confused. p44 : i demand for a personal chat feature so i can easily text my lecturer towards some materials and assignments p31 : it is interesting when students and teacher can communicate through video conference. p19 : lecturer should improve their ability in using and exploring edmodo since students expected the lecturer to utilize it appropriately. p37 : not all lecturer uses edmodo in the learning process. i think edmodo should be used in this modern era. p50 : i need more time for the quiz and tasks the data indicates that the institution should provide students with training about how to use edmodo. thus, the lecturer should guarantee that students understand the system and employ its features easily to accomplish the tasks given. furthermore, apart from the training, the lecturer should provide clear information towards the time allocation, the due date, and step by step instructions. thus, the nature goals of advantages of using edmodo can be achieved in the teaching and learning process. based on findings, it can be concluded that the participants showed positive responses towards the use of edmodo as an educational network in the teaching and learning process. moreover, it could be used as an effective learning tool in the classroom since it has suitable features. edmodo provides lecturer and students to have a virtual communication relating to the teaching and learning process. students can access to all their online classes in one platform, and this helps to promote learning in any location and at any time via computer, tablets, or smartphones (hammonds et al., 2013). on the other hands, some technical problem like time allocation and lack of experiences in integrating technology in the teaching and learning process become obstacles in its implementation. thus, those obstacles could be solved by providing some training from the experts or lecturer in the beginning of the academic year. by this case, students will not get confused when they should access and keep and touch with edmodo. it is supported by thongmak (2013) that a teacher should train their students who are not familiar enough with edmodo in order to reach the learning objectives and outcomes. in addition, from the effectiveness of edmodo, it offers a blended learning since students could get lots of benefits like interpersonal and teamwork skill development (garrison & kanuka, 2004). furthermore, technology could satisfy their interest in the teaching and learning process since digital native students can be interested by utilizing technology (mustafa, 2015). conclusion based on the findings, it is concluded that undergraduate students generally show positive attitude towards the use of edmodo. it was revealed that undergraduate students get some benefits of using edmodo such as learners’ creativity, learner autonomy, integrating technology, preparation of 21st century learning and developing their own learners’ strategies. therefore, based on those findings, it is suggested that edmodo needs to be implemented in efl classroom. moreover, students may be involved in the training related to the 21st century learning which also integrate technology in the learning process, especially to use edmodo. for further study, since this present study only focus on undergraduate students’ perception, the same topic could be replicated in real teaching practice through direct observations to get real and deep information of using edmodo as an educational social network. references addison, m. (2011). students' perceptions of edmodo and mobile learning and their real barriers towards them. tojet: the turkish online journal of educational technology, 14(2). al-kathiri, f. (2014). beyond the classroom walls: edmodo in saudi secondary school efl hikmah nur insani, didi suherdi, & gin gin gustine undergraduate students’ perspectives in using edmodo as an educational social network 68 instruction, attitudes and challenges. english language teaching, 8(1), 189-202. batsila, m., tsihouridis, c., & vavougios, d. (2014). entering the web-2 edmodo world to support learning: tracing teachers' opinion after using it in their classes. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (ijet), 9(1), 53-60. brooke, m. (2013). facilitating the development of the autonomous language learner using online virtual learning environments. theory and practice in language studies, 3(4), 572–580. camilleri, g. (1999). learner autonomy the teachers' views. strassbourg: council of europe publishing. çankaya, s., durak, g., & yunkul, e. (2013). using educational social networking sites in higher education: edmodo through the lenses of undergraduate students. european journal of educational technology, 1(1), 3-23. cowie, n., & sakui, k. (2013). it’s never too late: an overview of e-learning. elt journal, 67(4), 459467. enriquez, m. a. s. (2014). students’ perceptions on the effectiveness of the use of edmodo as a supplementary tool for learning. in dlsu research congress (pp. 1-6). hamied, f. a. (2017). research method: a guide for first-time researchers. bandung : upi press. hammonds, l., matherson, l. h., wilson, e. k., & wright, v. h. (2013). gateway tools: five tools to allow teachers to technology integration. delta kappa gama bulletin, 80(1), 36-40. hourdequin, p. (2014). edmodo: a simple tool for blended learning. the language teacher, 38(1), 34-45. laurillard, d. (2005). e-learning in higher education. in changing higher education (pp. 87-100). london: routledge. lengkanawati, n. s. (2014). learner autonomy in the indonesian efl settings. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 6(2), 222-231. looi, c. y., & yusop, f. d. (2011). potential use of social networking tool to assist reading comprehension: implications for practice and future research. jurnal pendidikan, 31(1), 1–16. prasad, e. n. a. g. a. n. d. u. l. a., & prasad, r. (2012). social media in teaching and learning. international journal of computer science and communication engineering, (icetie), [special issue], 10-13. purnawarman, p., sundayana, w., & susilawati. (2016). the use of edmodo in teaching writing in a blended learning setting. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 5(2), 242–252. suherdi, d. (2012). towards the 21st century english teacher education: an indonesian perspective. bandung: upi press. thongmak, m. (2013). social network system in classroom: antecedents of edmodo© adoption. journal of e-learning and higher education, 3(1), 1-15. wallace, a. (2014). social learning platforms and the flipped classroom. international journal of information and education technology, 4(4), 293296. yunus, m. m., hashim, h., embi, m. a., & lubis, m. a. (2010). the utilization of ict in the teaching and learning of english:‘tell me more’. procediasocial and behavioral sciences, 9, 685-691. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee requestive strategies performed by papuan students in sundanese cultural context iis sopiah department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia. email: iissopiah110@gmail.com fahrus zaman fadhly department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia. email: fahruszf@gmail.com apa citation: sopiah, i. (2016). requestive strategies performed by papuan students in sundanese cultural context. english review, 4(2), 255-266 received: 09-02-2016 accepted: 02-03-2016 published: 01-06-2016 abstract: this study investigated requestive strategies performed by papuan students and the effect of interlocutor’s cultural background on the way of papuan students in making request. there were 16 papuan students studying in senior high school and vocational high school in kuningan participated in this study. the data were collected by using discourse completion test (dct) and interview. the theory of requestive strategies proposed by blum-kulka, house and kasper (1989) and the theory of request modification proposed by blum-kulka & olshtain (1984) were used to analyze the data. the finding revealed that papuan students used different strategy in making request to different interlocutor. strategies mostly used by them while making request to papuan was mood derivable. while making request to sundanese, they tended to use query preparatory strategy. this finding also revealed that papuan students tended to use more request modification when making request to sundanese people. those modifications involved (1) internal modifications, such as the use of interrogative, negation embedded if clause and negation, and (b) external modifications, such as the use of additional statements prior or after the head acts. keywords: requestive strategies, request modification, papuan students, sundanese. introduction as human being, people need to do interaction with other people. in everyday interaction, people create utterances to achieve certain communicative goals. those goals are represented by particular speech acts such as promises, requests, compliments, apologies, refusals, disagreements, and others. each person has different way in delivering those speech acts whether it is polite or impolite. being polite means to act with consideration of norm applied in the society. we can show our feeling toward other. solidarity power, distance, respect intimacy, and etc, and our awareness of social customs. “such awareness is also shown through the general “politeness” with which we use language.”(wardaugh, 2006, p. 276). politeness itself is socially prescribed. this does not mean that we must be polite. impoliteness, then, depends on the existence of standards, or norms of politeness. it means that the determination of whether someone is considered polite or impolite depends on to whom one communicates or converses. the society will possibly 255 mailto:iissopiah110@gmail.com iis sopiah & fahrus zaman fadhly requestive strategies performed by papuan students in sundanese cultural context consider whether he or she is polite or impolite. in this case, politeness is socially prescribed. the society’s norms and rules will determine whether one is polite or impolite. according to khalib & tayeh (2014), various strategies must be employed by the speaker to avoid conflict. one of the strategies is politeness strategies. politeness is used by people to make an interaction comfortable and show a respect to the others. in other words, being polite is one of the strategies used to save face and sustain social relationships. the notions of politeness are indispensable and play a crucial role in the negotiation of face during the realization of speech acts such as requests. according toyule (1996) request is one of the kind of directives speech acts used by speaker to ask someone else to do something and do what the speaker wants. moreover, brown and levinson (1987) mention that requests are intrinsically face threatening because they are intended to threaten the addressee’s negative face. following their model of politeness, while a request may be realized by using linguistic strategies such as on record (e.g., direct and unmitigated) or off record (e.g., hints, irony), an agreement may be reached by the speaker using indirect requests. furthermore, youssef (2012, p. 145) states “the concept of request is important because it helps us to understand the way in which a certain society is maintained through individuals’ everyday conduct”. in daily communication, we may ask a person to give us something, or ask the person to do some actions. these are all requests. in relation to the strategies adopted in making requests, blumkulka, house & kasper (1989) propose nine types of strategies, ranging from the most direct to the most indirect. they are: 1. mood derivable: strategies in which the grammatical mood of the verb indicates illocutionary force. e.g. “clean up the room!” 2. performatives: strategies in which the illocutionary force is clearly mentioned. e.g. “i’m asking you to close the window.” 3. hedge performatives: strategies in which the statement of the illocutionary force is modified by hedging expressions (expressions using modal verbs or verbs expressing expression). e.g. “i would like to ask you to prepare my bill.” 4. obligation statements: strategies which states the obligation of the hearer to carry out the act. e.g. “you have to clean the mess.” 5. want statements: strategies which indicate the speakers desire that the hearer performs the tasks. e.g. “i really wish you’d stop smoking.” 6. suggestory formulae: strategies which include a suggestion to do something. e.g. “how about lending me some money?” 7. query preparatory: utterances containing reference to query preparatory conditions (e.g. ability, willingness) as conventionalized in different languages. e.g. “could you lend me five pounds, please?” or“would you mind closing the door behind you?” 8. strong hints: utterances containing elements (often related to precondition) needed for the performance of the act. e.g. “you have left the kitchen in a terrible mess.” 9. mild hints: utterances that have no elements relating to the intended illocution, but can be interpreted as 256 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee requests by context. e.g. “you’ve been busy here, haven’t you?” (asking someone to clean the messy kitchen). apart from different types of strategies namely, mood derivable, hedge performatives, want statement, and so on, that can be used by the speaker to decrease the illocutionary force of a request, there are also different request modifications that can be employed to further lessen the imposition of a request. in the ccsarp (blum-kulka& olshtain, 1984), there are two kinds of modification, they are: internal and external modification. the classification of request modification is shown trough figure below. figure 1. classification of request modifiers (taken from hassan & rangasawmy, 2014) internal modifications are linguistic elements used by speakers to modulate the illocutionary force of their request. according to blum-kulka & olshtain (1984), internal modification can be further subcategorized as downgraders (modifiers that decrease the illocutionary force of a request) and upgraders (modifiers that increase the illocutionary force of a request) which consist of intensifiers (the reality denoted in the propositions) and expletives (negative emotional attitudes). downgraders are divided into syntactic (e.g interrogative, negation, past tense and embedded if clause) and lexical downgraders (e.g consultative device, understate, hedge elements, and downtoner). in addition to or instead of internal modification, the speaker might also choose to support or aggravate the speech act by external modifications. external modification does not affect the utterance used for realizing the act, but rather the context in which it is embedded, and thus indirectly modifies illocutionary force. external modification consists of checking on availability (an utterance intended to check if the precondition necessary for compliance holds true), getting pre-commitment (utterance that can count as an attempt to obtain a pre-commital), grounder (the reasons 257 iis sopiah & fahrus zaman fadhly requestive strategies performed by papuan students in sundanese cultural context for the request), sweetener (appreciation of the hearer's ability to comply with the request), disarmer (awareness of a potential offense, there by attempting to anticipate possible refusal) and cost minimizer (consideration of the 'cost' to the hearer involved in compliance with the request). when people are communicating with others, consciously or unconsciously, their cultural backgrounds affect their behaviors and reactions because people live in certain cultural environment and their behaviors are featured by their own cultures. as holmes (2001) stated that one of components influencing the choice of language is the setting or social context of the interaction such as where the place of the interlocutor speaking is. people may do communication (interaction) in the place which has different social context from their own culture or with people from different social culture. it happens, for instance, to papuan students studying in senior high schools in kuningan. the way of them in socializing with papuan people could be different from the way of them in socializing with sundanese people. holmes (2001, p. 21) stated “certain social factorswho you are talking to, the social context of the talk, the function and the topic of the discussionturn out to be important in accounting for language choice in many different kinds of speech community.” due to this different culture, people will select appropriate language based on the environment. as holmes (2001) pointed out that in some communities, people will use different languages according to the situation in which they are speaking. in this case, papuan people use “bahasa indonesia” (indonesian language) as linguafranca (the language used by people whose first language is different) because according to laksmana (2010) papua consists of 245 tribes with different culture and language. due to these differences, papuan people use indonesian language (bahasa indonesia) as lingufranca (interlanguage) when papuan people are communicating with someone from different tribal group. despite papuan and sundanese people use “bahasa indonesia” as linguafranca, their communication style can be different. paltridge (2012, p. 5) confirmed “there are culturally different ways of doing things with language in different cultures”. it shows that culture influences them in using the language. papuan may have different strategies in delivering the request to the others whether it is papua or sundanese. according to hofstede & minkov 2010 as cited in gray (2012, p. 155) “javanese people tend to use passive and indirect communication. whereas “the ethnic groups of sumatra, sulawesi, and west papua is more direct and has a style similar to western communication patterns such as those of australia”. perhaps, in the process of communication there is cultural transfer from their papuan culture or they choose appropriate strategies suitable with sundanese (kuningan) culture as the interlocutor. as brown and levinson (1987) explained that the meaning of polite differs from group to group, situation to situation and individual to individual. a number of studies involving the request speech acts have been conducted and most of them cover request speech act at a regency/ tribe performed by that autochthonous people. this study differs from earlier studies in that it focuses on request speech act at a regency performed by immigrant people in which one culture’s regency/ tribe is far from another and 258 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee this study will identify the influence of interlocutor when the addressee make a request. the research questions addressed in this study were: 1) what are requestive strategies performed by papuan students when communicating with papuan and kuningan sundanese people? 2) how does the interlocutor’s cultural background affect the way of papuan students making requests? method this study applied qualitative research method. according to creswell (2012, p. 16) qualitative is chosen in order to explore and understand the social phenomenon. there were 16 papuan students studying in senior high schools and vocational high school in kuningan as the respondents in this study. the instruments used to collect data in this research were discourse completion test (dct) and interview. dct has been used as an effective way of collecting oral data in this study. according to kasper & dahl (1991, p. 9) “discourse completion tests are written questionnaires including a number of brief situational descriptions, followed by a short dialogue with an empty slot for the speech act under study. subjects are asked to fill in a response which they think fits the given context”. table 1. classification of situation based on power, distance and ranking of imposition interlocutor pdi high (+) medium (=) low (-) papuan power s1 s2 s3 distance s4 s5 s6 imposition s7 s8 s9 sundanese power s10 s11 s12 distance s13 s14 s15 imposition s16 s17 s18 the dct used in this research involved 18 written situations. situation 1 is same with situation 10, situation 2 is similar with situation 11, situation 3 is similar with situation 12, and so on. the difference is the interlocutor of both situation in which in situation 1-9 the interlocutor is papuan, while situation 10-18 the interlocutor is sundanese. participants were given dct. then they were asked to complete each situation by writing a suitable request in “bahasa”. participants were asked to put themselves in real situation and to assume that in each situation they would, in fact, say something they were asked to write down what they would say. then the data that had been collected was analyzed by using blumkulka, house & kasper’s theory and blum-kulka & olshtain’s theory. to strengthen the findings and to answer the second research question, the researcher conducted the interview to the students about effect of the interlocutor’s cultural background. as creswell (2012, p. 218) states that interview will provide detail personal information related to the participants needed by the researcher. the researcher uses qualitative interview in this research in which according to creswell (2012, p. 217) “a qualitative interview occurs when researchers ask one or more participants general, open-ended questions and record their answers. the researcher then transcribes and types the data into a computer file for analysis”. a 259 iis sopiah & fahrus zaman fadhly requestive strategies performed by papuan students in sundanese cultural context focus group interview was used when doing the interview in which an interview involved a group of people that consists of four to six participants. results and discussion based on the data, from 18 situations on dct spread to 16 participants, produced 288 utterances. it consists of 144 utterances involving papuan as interlocutor and 144 utterances involving sundanese as interlocutor. those utterances are classified into nine requestive strategies based on blum-kulka (1989) requestive strategies types. the first data analysis involving papuan as interlocutor in the dct situations, exactly 1st situation till 9th situation, produces 144 utterances. the result of the data analysis according to requestive strategies proposed by blumkulka (1989) showed that strategy mostly used by respondents while communicating with papuan was mood derivable around 76.4%. it was followed by want statements 13.9%, and performatives 9.7%, while, none of respondents used the other strategies such as hedge performatives, obligation statements, suggestory formulae, query preparatory, strong hints, and mild hints. the second data analysis involving sundanese as interlocutor in the dct situation, exactly 10th situation till 18th situation, also produced 144 utterances. but, strategy mostly used by respondents while communicating with sundanese was query preparatory around 88.9%. it was followed by mild hints 7.6%, want statements 2.1% and suggestory formula 1.4%. while, the percentage of other strategies such as mood derivable, performatives, hedge performatives, obligation statements, and strong hints were 0%. from two data above, we can see that requestive strategy mostly used by papuan students while making request to papuan people was mood derivable, while to sundanese people was query preparatory strategies. it is appropriate with hofstede & minkov’s (2010) view as cited in gray (2012, p. 155) that “javanese people tend to use passive and indirect communication. whereas “the ethnic groups of sumatra, sulawesi, and west papua is more direct and has a style similar to western communication patterns such as those of australia” . mood derivable is the most direct strategy, while query preparatory is more indirect than mood derivable. it means that there was cultural adjustment/ awareness when papuan students were making requests in which they tended to choose the strategy which was appropriate with the interlocutor culture. the explanation above shows that the interlocutor context influenced the speaker in choosing the requestive strategy. he/ she would use different strategy while making same request to different interlocutor. as stated by holmes (2001, p. 21) that “certain social factorswho you are talking to, the social context of the talk, the function and the topic of the discussionturn out to be important in accounting for language choice in many different kinds of speech community.”. there was cultural adjustment performed by papuan students in which they tried to choose the strategy appropriate with sundanese as the interlocutor in order to make their request be successful. papuan students also made modifications to the strategies by using some elements in order to mitigate or intensify the effect of their requesting strategies while communicating with papuan and sundanese. this 260 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee modification would show the effect of interlocutor (papuan or sundanese) on the way of papuan students in making request. the modifications involved (a) internal modifications, such as the use of interrogative, negation embedded if clause and negation, and (b) external modifications, such as the use of additional statements prior or after the head act. table 2. request modification used by papuan students differences papuan to papuan papuan to sundanese internal modification syntactic downgraders interrogative × √ negation × √ past tense × × embedded' if clause × √ lexical downgraders consultative devices × × understater × √ hedges elements × × downtoner × √ upgraders intensifiers × × expletives × × external modification checking on availability × √ getting a precommitment × √ grounder √ (after) √ (prior) sweetener × × disarmer × √ cost minimizer × × from the table above, we can see that papuan students tended to use more internal modification while making request to sundanese rather than to papuan. there were four kinds of internal modification used by papuan student, they were: interrogative, negation, embedded if clause and understater. most papuan students used interrogative form while making request to sundanese interlocutor. it was very contrast when they were making request to papuan in which they tended to use positive or imperative form. table 3. the frequency of sentence form performed by papuan students form papuan to papuan papuan to sundanese interrogative 0 139 positive (statement) 34 5 imperative 110 0 some papuan students used negation while making request to sundanese people. there were 4 utterances which contained negation used by papuan students, while none of papuan students used it while making request to papuan. they used negation because they tried to be polite and did not want the interlocutor think that they forced the interlocutor to accept his willingness, especially for the person who was older and had higher power than them. 261 iis sopiah & fahrus zaman fadhly requestive strategies performed by papuan students in sundanese cultural context there were 2 utterances created by 1 respondent in different situation, they were in situation 11 and situation 12. the embedded if clause was used as ‘platitude’ because papuan students thought that sundanese people preferred using indirect request rather than direct request, so sundanese people would not think that papuan people were rude/ impolite. there were 3 papuan students who modifed their requests by using internal modification ‘understater’. in contrast, in same situation while making request to papuan, they did not use this kind of internal modification. understaters used by them were “selembar saja” and “sebentar”. beside modifying request by using internal modification, papuan students also used external modification in making request to sundanese people. blum-kulka & olsthain (1984) state that external modification does not affect the utterance used for realizing the act, but rather the context in which it is embedded, and thus indirectly modifies illocutionary force. external modification used by papuan students while making requests to sundanese people were checking on availability, getting precommitment and disarmer. while, grounder was used by them while making request to both papuan and sundanese, but it was used by papuan students after the head act when making request to papuan and it was used in the beginning before the head act. many papuan students used the first external modification, checking on availability. they used it as ‘preface’ before telling their request, the respondents checked first the condition of the interlocutor related to things that would be borrowed by them whether the interlocutor was able to lend this thing or not. all of the utterances used by papuan students were yes/no questions. in other words, if the interlocutor said ‘no’, then the speaker would not tell his/her request/desire/ willingness. there were 9 utterances using this ‘getting pre-commitment’. all of those utterances involved sundanese as the interlocutors. it means that papuan students only used it while making request to sundanese, not papuan. by using this kind of external modification, the speaker could count as an attempt to obtain a pre-commital. grounder is the reasons of the speaker for the request. grounders may precede or follow the head act. the data from dct shows that papuan students used ‘grounder’ to follow the head act or after making request to papuan interlocutor. in contrast, while making request to sundanese interlocutor, they used ‘grounder’ in the beginning of the utterances or before the head act. below is shown the frequency of kind of grounder used by papuan students whether it is prior or after. table 4. the use of grounder performed by papuan students papuan to papuan papuan to sundanese prior after prior after 0 144 144 0 disarmer was the last external modification used by papuan student in modifying their requests. by using disarmer, the speaker indicated his/her awareness of a potential offense, there by attempting to anticipate possible refusal. there were 6 utterances using it. 262 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee beside on request modification and requestive strategies, the interlocutor cultural background also had an effect on their greeting and speaking style. most papuan students used sundanese language ‘punten’ in saying greeting to sundanese interlocutor. below is the detail usage of greeting. table 5. kinds of greeting used by papuan students greeting frequency papuan to papuan papuan to sundanese permisi 19 9 punten 0 101 hai 4 12 hey 2 0 ado 8 0 we 5 0 e 5 0 halo 4 0 pagi/ siang 2 4 none 95 18 amount 144 144 from the table above, we can conclude that mostly papuan students did not use greeting before stating their request to papuan. they only called their interlocutor’s name or by calling the interlocutors with “teman”, “kawan”, “sobat”, “sodarah”, and so on. in contrast, they mostly used sundanse greeting like ‘punten’ when they want to make request to sundanese people. as told by respondent below. papuan students also tended to speak fast when making request to papuan students, while to sundanese they spoke slower. the reason why they spoke so fast was their culture. in papua, they tended to make words shorten than usual. moreover, there was effect if they used their local dialect when they were communicating with sundanese in which the interlocutor would not understand what they said. the following is the discussion of the findings by presenting some data of the interviews. several comments from the interview can be seen as follows: “i think most papuan people like someone who speak directly when he/ she wants to borrow something or straight to the point. but if they want to borrow something to the person who is not close enough, they will say platitudes, but the platitude is just a little bit, then tell their purposes” (interview 1). “yes, there is difference. for example, when we aregoing to borrow something, there is papuan student who tell his want in a good way like “sorry friend, can i borrow a pen?”. while to papuan friend is like “friend, i want a pen” (interview 2). “yes, it is. when papuan students want say something by using indonesian language, our friends here say that we speak too fast. we think it’s not too fast, but they say “calm, calm, don’t too fast”. therefore we have to make the speed lower” (interview 3). “emm.. when we are talking to sundanese people, we have to be polite and not use rude words and speak loudly. when we are talking to papuan friends, we like speaking loudly. you can see at my friends who are chatting there. they can not speak softly. and then if we want to borrow something to sundanese friendsalhough we are close friendwe have to be polite. for example, “excuse me friend, 263 iis sopiah & fahrus zaman fadhly requestive strategies performed by papuan students in sundanese cultural context can i borrow pencil?”. while, to papuan friend is like “hey handsome, borrow your pencil!” (interview 4). “it is different when we are talking to sundanese friends. we have to be soft, not too loud and too fast because they will ask us again such as “hah? what?” and then we have to repeat what we said. if we want to borrow something, emm… at least we have to use local dialect (sundanese language), like “punten”. in contrast, to papuan people, we just say “hey bray…” (interview 5). according to the interview data, the respondents try to choose strategy which is appropriate with the interlocutor. conclusion most papuan students used mood derivable strategies while making request with papuan and used query preparatory strategies while making request to sundanese. this means that interlocutor had very big impact on their choice of the strategy in making request. it can be compared from the strategies they chose which was very different each other. mood derivable was direct request, while query preparatory was indirect request. besides, the interlocutor cultural background had effect on their way in modifying the requests such as in internal modification (interrogative, negation and embedded if clause) and external modification (checking on availability, getting pre-commitment, grounder and disarmer). in this case, it shows that there was cultural adjustment performed by papuan students. they tried to make request based on sundanese culture in which sundanese people tended to use indirect request in their daily communication. references blum-kulka, s., & olshtain, e. (1984). requests and apologies: a crosscultural study of speech act realization patterns. applied linguistics, 5 (3), 196–213. blum-kulka, s., house,.j., & kasper, g. (1989). investigating crosscultural pragmatics: an introductory overview. cross-cultural pragmatics: requests and apologies). norwood, new jersey: ablex.1-34. brown, p., & levinson, s.c. (1987). politeness: some universals in language use. cambridge: cambridge university press. creswell, j. w. (2009). research design qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches third ed. california: sage publication. gray, n. h. (2012). international business of the indonesian archipelago: identification of negotiation styles, strategies, and behaviours. university of south australia: unpublished dissertation. retrieved from http://production09.adamant.com.au/files/componentfiles/1222014-8001699-internationalbusiness-negotiators-of-theindonesian-archipelago-identificationof-negotiation-styles-strategies-andbehaviours.pdf. hassan, r. k., & rangasawmy, s. (2014). internal/external modifiers in request speech act among iranian study abroad learners. research journal of recent science, 3(5), 55-64. holmes, j. (2001). an introduction to sociolinguistics (2nd edition). london: longman. kasper, g., & dahl, m. (1991). research methods in interlanguage pragmatics. studies in second language acquisition, (13), 215247.http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/e d338014.pdf khalib, f. m., & tayeh, a. (2014).indirectness in english requests among malay university students retrieved from www.sciencedirect.com khorshidi, h. r., & subbakrishna, r. (2013). request strategy development in 264 http://www.sciencedirect.com/ english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee iranian study abroaders. international journal of applied linguistics & english literature, 2(6), 129-142. laksmana, y. (2010). jelajah jayapura. jakarta: gramedia. paltridge, b. (2012). discourse analysis: an introduction. london: bloomsbury. rundengan, n. (2013). pola komunikasi antar pribadi mahasiswa papua di lingkungan fakultas ilmu social dan ilmu politik universitas sam ratulangi. journal acta diurna, 2(1). subana, m., rahardi, r., & sudrajat, m. (2000). statistik pendidikan. bandung: pustaka setia. sukamto, k. e. (2012). polite request by korean learners of indonesian. studies in literature and language, 5(2), 1-9. sukamto, k., totimeh, e.o., & bosiwah, l. (2015). polite request among the akyem speech community in ghana. international journal of language and linguistics, 3(2), 76-89. utami, i. h., wisadirana, d., & nasution, z. (2010). analisis model komunikasi antarbudaya: studi kasus komunikasi mahasiswa papua dan jawa di universitas brawijaya. wardaugh, r. (2006). an introduction to sociolinguistic (5th edition). oxford: blackwell. youssef, a. m. s. (2012). study of request strategies employed by libyan and malay postgraduate students at usm. international journal of learning & development, 2(2), 144-151. yule, g. (1996). pragmatics. new york: oxford university press. 265 266 vina agustiana pre-service teachers’ anxiety during teaching practicum 174 pre-service teachers’ anxiety during teaching practicum vina agustiana department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, the university of kuningan, indonesia e-mail: v.agustiana08@gmail.com apa citation: agustiana, v. (2014). pre-service teachers’ anxiety during teaching practicum. english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 174-182 received: 19-03-2014 accepted: 30-03-2013 published: 01-06-2014 abstract: teaching practicum is an obligatory task for students of faculty of teacher training and education to fulfill their graduation requirement. based on pre survey, this study aimed to find out the level of foreign language teaching anxiety (flta) experienced by english students and teachers throughout the teaching practicum. by using qualitative methods, 50 preservice teachers completing their teaching practicum as part of their graduation requirement at english department, faculty of teaching, participated in the study. the research tools were close-ended questionnaires filled by pre-service teachers and semistructured interviews conducted with 5 of the participant pre-service teachers. the analysis of the data revealed eight main categories as the foreign language student teacher anxiety: when the cooperative teacher and/or supervisor observe their teaching activity (3.6 mean rate), lack of teaching experience (3,4 mean rate), got stressed when they face the first day of teaching practicum (3,4 mean rate), conducting practicum assessment (3,1 mean rate), having a big class (2,9 mean rate), teaching grammar (2,8%), feeling worry if their students ask them questions (2,7 mean rate), and catching up students’ attention (2,6 mean rate). lack of teaching experience and less of mastering the material caused the anxiety during teaching appeared. therefore, before conduct teaching activity, it is a must to the techer to comprehend the material in order to avoid to make mistake and support our confident during teaching activity. keywords: foreign language teaching anxiety, pre-service teachers, teaching practicum introduction as the students of faculty of teacher training and education, teaching practicum is an obligatory task to do. teaching practicum is the activity of teaching practice held in real classroom. it involves the activities of preparing the lesson plan, teaching at class, and assessing the students’ achievement. besides, teaching practicum is the opportunity given to the pre-service teachers to do teaching trials in school situation. pre-service teachers refers to a college student who is engaged in an assigned student teaching experience (johnson and perry, 1967). based on pre survey, found out that most of preservice teachers feel anxiety to face the teaching practicum. there are a number of perspectives taken as theoretical bases of the study. first, oxford (1989) states that a certain amount of anxiety sometimes helps learners to reach their peak peformance levels, but too much anxiety block language learning. harmful anxiety presents itself in many forms, such as worry, self doubt, frustation, helplessness, insecurity, fear, and physical appearance. in addition, scovel (1991) defines anxiety as a state of uneasiness and apprehension or fear caused by the anticipation of something threatening. furthermore, horwitz and cope (1991) state that foreign language teaching anxiety (flta) is a distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors related to 175 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee classroom language teaching that arises from the uniqueness of the language teaching process. language teaching anxiety is a confrontation that must be taken into account as a different but related concept to language learning anxiety as well as general teaching anxiety (merç, 2004). according to horwitz and cope (1991), foreign language teaching anxiety (flta) is a distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and behaviours related to classroom language teaching that arises from the uniqueness of the language teaching process. therefore, horwitz (1996) stated that “even if this anxiety had no impact on the effectiveness of the language instruction, it would seem to be a substantial detriment to the mental well-being and job satisfaction of foreign language teachers”. in addition, shrestha (2009) stated language teachers should be sensitive to foreign language teaching anxiety in their classrooms so as to make their teaching ecologically sound. a number of researchers investigated the notion of language teaching anxiety. such as numrich (1996) investigated anxiety as a part of problems experienced by language teachers. the researcher analyzed the diary entries by non-native esl teachers and found out that teachers were feeling anxious in times of feeling insufficient for effective grammar teaching, time management in class, and giving instructions for classroom activities. el-okda & al-humaidi (2003) conducted a study to investigate the relationship between the level of anxiety experienced by pre-service teachers of english and their language teaching selfefficacy beliefs. for the aim of the study, the researchers developed a scale to measure foreign language anxiety called foreign language student teaching anxiety scale. the scale has 34 items subsumed under six dimensions with a reliability value of .8779. the scale consists of the following dimensions as the factors causing foreign language student teaching anxiety: interaction with students (8 items), interaction with peers (5 items), interaction with other language teachers (5 items), interaction with supervisors (5 items), planning and written work checking (5 items), and classroom management (6 items). the study also employed a “student teaching self-efficacy scale consisting of 30 items including four dimensions. the results of the quantitative analyses showed that pre-service teachers of english experienced a moderate level of language teaching anxiety. moreover, it was found that there was a statistically significant negative correlation between their level of language teaching anxiety and their perceived language-teaching efficacy. the researchers conclude that some measures be taken to alleviate the pre-service teachers anxiety levels; and this responsibility is loaded to the preservice teachers themselves and the ones who supervise practice teaching. kim & kim (2004) found that most anxiety-provoking situations for pre-service teachers were as follows: when they have to teach english through english; when they are asked unexpected questions; when they have to teach speaking; when students are not motivated or are not interested in their english classes; when they cannot control students; when they have to teach students who have lived in english-speaking countries; when someone observes their english classes; when they teach english listening; and when they teach english culture. the sources of foreign language teaching anxiety were listed as limited english proficiency, lack of confidence, lack of knowledge about linguistics and education, insufficient class preparation, being compared to native teachers, fear of negative evaluation, and lack of teaching. vina agustiana pre-service teachers’ anxiety during teaching practicum 176 merç (2004) studied on the problems of preservice efl teachers. the researcher identified that anxiety was one of the most frequently reported problems of preservice teachers completing their teaching practicum. the sources of anxiety reported by the preservice teachers were: anxiety because of the previous experience, anxiety caused by a big class, anxiety caused by feeling of incompetence in teaching, anxiety caused by supervisor/being observed, anxiety due to being recorded, anxiety due to using a new teaching technique, anxiety due to using the time effectively, anxiety in the pre-active stage, anxiety of being observed by the cooperating teacher, anxiety of being unfamiliar with students, anxiety of teaching a new/different level, anxiety of using a new/different device, first-day anxiety, negative attitude of pre-service teachers toward the class, and anxiety of not achieving the objectives. i̇pek (2007) conducted a study to device a valid and reliable instrument to measure the level of foreign language teaching anxiety. data were collected from nonnative teachers of english with daily kept diaries and semi-structured interviews. the analyses of the data, first, revealed six categories of sources of anxiety: making mistakes, teaching a particular language area, using the native language, teaching students at particular language levels, fear of failure, and being compared to fellow teachers. second, the qualitative data collected led to the development of a valid and reliable scale for measuring foreign language teaching anxiety. yuksel (2008) conducted a study to investigate the pre-service language teachers‟ teaching anxiety in relation with their language learning anxiety. the study also aimed to find out the strategies for coping with teaching anxiety. sixty three (63) pre-service teachers of english answered three questionnaires: the flcas, the fltas, and an open questionnaire. the quantitative analysis of the data showed that preservice english teachers were experiencing anxiety on a scale between rarely to sometimes. teaching a particular language skill such as grammar, listening or speaking skills was found to be the highest concern to preservice teachers. the analysis also revealed that female and male pre-service teachers did not differ in terms of their level of teaching anxiety. the results also showed that foreign language learning anxiety was not correlated with the foreign language teaching anxiety. these findings suggest that foreign language pre-service teachers feel anxious from time to time, the reasons of which are sometimes based on the language they are teaching and their teaching skills and strategies at some other times. the nature of the student teaching with all elements of teaching practicum included (e.g. supervisors, students to be taught, peers) are also effective factors in the anxiety experienced by pre-service teachers. this research was conducted to find out the foreign language teaching anxiety (flta) level of pre-service teachers during their teaching practicum. the scope of this research was limited to analyze the foreign language teaching anxiety (flta) level among english students teachers during their teaching practicum. method in order to find out the answer of the research questions, the researcher used some procedures. in accordance with it, the research methodology covers research design, data collection and data analysis. this research uses a descriptive method. according to gay (1987) a descriptive method is a method of research that involves collecting data 177 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee in order to test hypothesis or to answer questions concerning the current status of the subject of the research. the descriptive method was used since this researcher was not for search for something or make the prediction. it only described the situation or phenomenon within the research. therefore this research used descriptive method to describe phenomenon about foreign language teaching anxiety (flta) among english pre-service teachers during their teaching practicum. fifty pre-service teachers of english department, faculty of education, participated in the study. they were enrolled in the “teaching practicum” course as a part of their graduation. during the teaching practicum, the preservice teachers were observed by the cooperating teachers each time they deliver a lesson and by the university supervisors at least two times during the practicum for the evaluation of their performance. this research uses two main instruments in tha data collection process, such as close-ended questionnaires and interview. both instruments were held at the end of teaching practicum. questionnaire is the most common instrument used in descriptive research. it is extensively used to collect data about phenomena that are not directly observable such as inner experience, opinions, values, interests, and the like (gall et al, 2003). it is used to obtain specific information data gathered from the participants. all participants were asked to fill the 20 items of close-ended questionnaires. after filling the questionnaires, they were collected to the researcher in order to be analyzed. in order to triangulate the data collection, and to provide further information to the collected data, the interview was held. as stated by fraenkel and wallen (1993), the purpose of interview is to find what is in their mind, what they think or how they feel about something. semi-structured interviewes were conducted with 5 participants who were chosen randomly. a set of questions were prepared by the researcher to lead the conversation during the interviews. all the interviews were audio-recorded with the permission taken from the interviewees. the participants were not informed about the aim of the study until the interview was done (ipek, 2007) to avoid biased utterances during the interview. each interview lasted between 7 – 13 minutes based on the interviewees’ stories and explanations. there are some steps of collecting the data. first, distributing the questionnaires to respondents. sets of close-ended questionnaires were administered after teaching practicum. the pre-service teachers were asked 20 questionnaire items. there were some aspects adapted from the related research embracing problem regarding insufficient for effective grammar teaching, time management in class, giving instructions for classroom activities (numrich, 1996), teach english through english; be asked unexpected questions; teach speaking; motivate the students; control students; someone observes their english classes; teach listening, lack of confidence, insufficient class preparation, fear of negative evaluation, and lack of teaching experience (kim and kim, 2004). respondents were asked to put a checlist under the scale which best describe how they experienced the teaching practicum. second, sollecting the result of questionnaires. after answering the questionnaires, respondents collected it out to the researcher. third, sorting out the questionnaires. if the whole items were not filled, so the data were not taken, avoiding the unvalid data. fourth, scoring the questionnaires answer. those vina agustiana pre-service teachers’ anxiety during teaching practicum 178 items employed a five-point likert scale. the scales were strongly agree (5/1), agree (4/2), uncertain (3/3), disagree (2/4), and strongly disagree (5/1). it means that for odd numbers (1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17,19) the score was sa (5), a (4), un (3), da (2), sda (1). on the other hand, for even number (2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20) the score was sa (1), a (2), un (3), da (4), sda (5). fifth, classifying the score by using microsoft office excel into groups in order to simplify their tabulation and interpretation based on the percentage statistics. sixth, recording the interview with the respondents. after the questionnaires were administered, the researcher conducted interview with 5 pre-service teachers. the interview was intended to seek additional information as to pre-service teachers’ teaching anxiety. seventh, transcripting the interviewe of each respondents. as the interviewes done, the research transcripted the interview in order to avoid misunderstanding within conversation. the last, presenting the result into a coherent description. the result of questionnaires filled by respondents were collected. the researcher sorted out the questionnaires. if the whole items were not filled, so the data were not taken. it is done to avoid the unvalid data. then, the researcher classified the score into groups in order to simplify their tabulation and interpretation based on the percentage statistics. data from the questionnaires will give the specific informations about level of foreign language teaching anxiety (flta). out of 50 questionnaires distributed to students and whole items were filled, so whole data were used to be analyzed. in the tabulation, the researcher recorded the score of each aspect into table in microsoft excel. the table contains number of respondents, statements and score for each statement. the item socre was put under the number of statement. having put the score into the table 1, the researcher reported the data in the form of mean rating. the rating was obtained by summing all sccore given by respondents then divided by number of respondents. since likert scale was used in this study, the researcher also consulted the mean rating of each aspect with descriptive analysis criteria by muhidin and abdurrahman (2007: 146). table 1. descriptive analysis criteria range description 1.00 – 1.79 very relaxed 1.80 – 2.59 relaxed 2.60 – 3.39 mildly anxious 3.40 – 4.19 anxious 4.20 – 5.00 very anxious as the other data source, the semistructured interviews that were audiotape recorded were transcribed by the researcher. the transcribed interviews were not taken for content analysis. however, as an important research tool, the interview result were used to provide first-hand evidence and samples from student teacher’ own words. the interviews were used to shed more light onto explanations of foreign language student teacher anxiety, and the possible increases or decreases in certain aspects of the anxiety experienced. the data collected through interview were explained by narrating the respondents’ answers. by means of interview, reconfirmation toward pre-service teachers’ responses were attained. results and discussion based on data analysis on table 1, there are three anxious things appeared during teaching practicum. the fisrt is when the cooperative teacher and/ or supervisor observe their teaching activity. it has 3,6 mean rate. the interviewe also found that when pre179 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee service teachers would conduct the practicum assessment, because they would be observed by both cooperating teacher and supervisor. altough, some of them felt normal when the cooperating teacher came to their class, but not for being observed by the supervisor. pre-service teacher #1 stated that “ya waktu pertama saya ngajar, saya takut kalo guru pamong ke kelas, tapi lama2 biasa, cuma waktu dpl datang, gugup lagi bu.” (at the first time i taught, i worried if the teacher observed my class, but it didn’t take a long time. this worry also appeared when the lecturer came.) the second is lack of teaching experience (3,4 mean rate). 4 out of 5 interviewees stated that altough they had experience in teaching but not to teach in the formal school before they had teaching practicum. so, they lack of teaching experience. pre-service teacher #2 stated “ya, saya pernah mengajar, walaupun cuma ngasih les private anak sma.” (yes, i have ever taught. i taught a private class for senior high school students.) the pre-service teacher #3 got stressed when they face the first day of teaching practicum. it has 3.4 mean rate. it has correlation with the most anxiety level, that pre-service teachers were lacking of teaching experience so they did not know how the real class would be. as pre-service teacher 4 stated “iya bu, saya cemas banget. belum pernah saya ngajar di kelas beneran, ya maksudnya di sekolah formal...” (well mam, i felt so worry. i have never taught the real class, i mean the formal one.) besides, it is also five the mildly anxious things appeared. the first is conducting practicum assessment (3,1 mean rate). pre-service teachers felt that time allocation in practicum assessment was longer than the usual. it is also described in the interview interpretation that they felt that the time seemed longer than the usual. as pre-service teacher #1 said that “waduh bu, kayaknya 2 jam pelajaran tuh kayak ngajar seharian bu, ga bel-bel.” (well, i felt that 2 hours time allocation seemed a day along, the bell didn’t ring.) and pre-service teacher #3 stated “keringet dingin keluar bu, lamaaaa banget nunggu bel dipencet.” (i got stressed. it seemed that it’s longer waiting the bell was rung.) the second anxiety is having a big class. it has 2,9 mean rate. it is correlated to being familiar with the students they would teach. as the interviewe, it found that all of the interviewees did not know the student they would teach. as pre-service teachers #2 said “gak bu, ga tau. ada berapa banyaknya juga ga’ tau, mudah-mudahan mah ga’ terlalu banyak bu.” (i don’t know how many the students are. i hope, it won’t be too many students there) then, teaching grammar also becomes the anxiety of pre-service teachers which has 2,8 mean rate. then, pre-service teachers would feel worry if their students ask them questions. it has 2,7 mean rate. it is correlated to pre-service teacher 4’s statement that “ga’ selalu bu, ada juga yang kurang saya pahami, tapi ya saya juga berusaha untuk tanya temen atau googling bu. takutnya ada yang nanya terus ga’ bisa jawab, ya vina agustiana pre-service teachers’ anxiety during teaching practicum 180 saya malu bu.” (sometimes i don’t master the material well enough, but i tried to master it by asking friend, or somehow, by searching on the internet. it was done because i worry if there is a student who asks a question to me, but i can’t answer it. so, it will embarasse me.) the last is pre-service teachers felt it was difficult to catch up students’ attention (2,6 mean rate). based on interviewe, pre-service teachers always used different technique to catch up students’ attention. as pre-service teacher #4 stated “ya games bu, kadang dalam kelompok anak disuruh membuat kalimat berantai, satu per satu maju dan diwaktu, jadi rame kelasnya bu,” (it were games. sometime, i grouped them. then each students of a group was asked to make chain writing with their groupmates, and it was being timed. and it worked. i made the active class.) from 20 anxiety tested to respondents, actually, 11 out of 20 anxiety are felt relaxed by the preservice teachers. the are data no. 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20. it means that they were not so worry of those things. however, one did not appear, it is being confident (1,7 mean rate). the respondent were confident of themselves that they could to the best in their teaching practicum. in data analysis of questionnaires, pre-service teachers always made lesson plan before conducting teaching activity. it has the lowest anxiety level which took 1,7 mean rate. but, not all the material were mastered by the pre-service teachers. as student teacher 1 said “ya atuh bu, biar ada persiapan sebelum ngajar.” (of course i did, i made a lesson plan before i teach). based on the interviewe, there is negative correlation between make the well-prepared lesson plan with mastery the material. as pre-service teacher #3 said “ya bu, saya sering keseleo lidah, salah ngucapin kata, eeehh, ada murid yang tau kalo saya salah, ya saya bilang aja lagi ngecek, he he...” (it’s right. i often made a mistake when speaking in front of my students. there was student who knew that i had made a mistake. then i avoided by saying i purposed to be false, to check your understanding on the material, ha ha…) also, they still felt worry of face the day they would taught. as preservice teacher 3 stated “cemas banget bu, banyak banget pikiran2 jelek bu…”. (i felt so worried. there were negative thingking on my mind). based on these, the researcher may state that the wellprepared lesson plan will not guarantee that the pre-service teachers will be ready to face the day they are teaching. besides preparing the lesson plan, all of the interviewees paid attention of their appearance before teaching. in data analysis of questionnaires, being confident of appearance is felt relaxed (2,6 mean rate) by the pre-service teachers, but in fact, they prepared their appearance, too, before teaching activity. as pre-service teacher #2 said “iya donk bu,, masa mau ngajar saya pake baju sembarangan. jadinya minta mamah saya buat nyetrika baju yang mau dipake besok. biar rapih.” (yes, i do. i always prepare my clothes by ironing them a day before i teach. it’s done to keep my performance). they did this in order to support their teaching performance, as student teacher 4 stated “ya bu, mulai dari kerudung, blazer, celana, sepatu, sampe tas saya setel, biar pd, hi hi. ga’ lupa juga pake make-up ma minyak wangi.” (i have prepared my appearance, starting from the veil, blazer, trousers, and bags. i matched them well.) table 1,5 shows data of respondents. it is found that respondents were 12(24%) males and 38(76%) females. only 9(18%) respondents who had teaching experience before they conduct 181 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee teaching practicum, and 41(82%) respondents had no experience. 28(56%) of them were at mildly anxiety level, 18(36%) were at relax level, and 4(8%) were at very relaxe level. it means that more than a half of respondents feel the anxiety of teaching. conclusion based on data questionnaires and interview, it is found that there are eight categories appeared during teaching practicum among pre-service teachers of english department, faculty of teacher, kuningan university, such as when the cooperative teacher and/or supervisor observe their teaching activity (3.6 mean rate), lack of teaching experience (3,4 mean rate), got stressed when they face the first day of teaching practicum (3,4 mean rate), conducting practicum assessment (3,1 mean rate), having a big class (2,9 mean rate), teaching grammar (2,8%), feeling worry if their students ask them questions (2,7 mean rate), and catching up students’ attention (2,6 mean rate). from 20 anxiety tested to respondents, actually, 11 out of 20 anxiety are felt relaxed by the preservice teachers. the are data no. 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20. it means that they were not so worry of those things. however, one did not appear, it is being confident (1,7 mean rate). the respondent were confident of themselves that they could to the best in their teaching practicum. table 1. shows data of respondents. it is found that only 9 (18%) respondents who had teaching experience before conducting teaching practicum, and 41 (82%) respondents had no experience, 28 (56%) of them were at mildly anxiety level, 18 (36%) were at relax level, and 4 (8%) were at very relaxe level. it shows that more than a half of respondents feel the anxiety of teaching. based on the findings, the researcher may recommend to the readers that practice more is better. lack of teaching experience and less of mastering the material caused the anxiety during teaching appeared. therefore, before conducting teaching activity, it is a must for teachers to comprehend the material in order to avoid making mistake(s) and support our confident during teaching activity. it is also found the positive things of the flta, that is flta compels teachers to make well-prepared before conducting teaching activity. references aida, y. (1994). examination of horwitz, horwitz, and cope’s construct of foreign language anxiety: the case of students of japanese. the modern language journal. anderson, n. a., barksdale, m. a., & hite, c. e. (2005). pre-service teachers’ observations of cooperating teachers and peers while participating in an early field experience. teacher education quarterly, vol 32(4), page 97-117 damayanti. (2009). foreign language anxiety in junior high school. (unpublished thesis). bandung: upi el-okda, m., & al-humaidi, s. (2003). language teaching anxiety and self-efficacy beliefs of pre-service teachers of english. paper presented at the 3rd national conference of elt in squ, oman. gebhard, j. g. (1990). interaction in a teaching practicum. in j. c. richards & d. nunan (eds.). second language teacher education. new york: cambridge university press. horwitz, e. k., m. b. horwitz and j. a. cope. (1991). foreign language classroom anxiety in e. k. horwitz and d. j. young. language anxiety. englewood cliffs, nj: prentice hall. horwitz, e. k. (1996). even teachers get the blues: recognizing and alleviating language teachers’ feelings of foreign language anxiety. foreign language annals, vol 29(3), page 365-372. herawatiningsih, m. (2011). the teaching practicum of english subject: perception vina agustiana pre-service teachers’ anxiety during teaching practicum 182 on pre-service teachers’ performance in two junior high schools in bandung, indonesia. (unpublished thesis). bandung: upi. i̇pek, h. (2007). foreign language teaching anxiety. eskişehir: t.c. anadolu üniversitesi yayınları johnson, j. & perry, f. (1967). readings in student teaching: for those who work with students. iowa: wm. c. brown co. inc kim, s. y. & kim, j. h. (2004). when the learner becomes a teacher: foreign language teaching anxiety as an occupational hazard. english teaching, vol 59(1), page 165-186 oxford, r. l. (1989). anxiety and the language learner: new insight. language learning vol. 39 no. 2. merç, a. (2004). reflections of pre-service efl teachers throughout their teaching practicum. what has been good? what has gone wrong? what has changed? (unpublished master’s thesis). anadolu university, eskişehir muhidin and abdurahman. (2007). analisis korelasi, regresi, dan jalur dalam. bandung: cv pustaka setia ngidi, d. p. & sibaya, p. t. (2003). student teacher anxieties related to practice teaching. south african journal of education. numrich, c. (1996). on becoming a language teacher: insights from diary studies. tesol quarterly, vol 30(1), page 131151 shrestha, p. (2009). foreign language teaching anxiety. nelta choutari, april 2009 scovel, t. (1991). the effect of affect on foreign language learning: a review of the anxiety research in e. k. horwitz and d. j. young. englewood cliffs, nj: prentice hall young, d. (1991). creating a low anxiety classroom environment: what does language anxiety research suggest? the modern language journal, vol 75 page 426-437. yuksel, i. (2008). pre-service teachers’ teaching anxiety: its reasons and coping strategies. proceedings of the iask international conference: teaching and learning 2008. the portrait of english language subject in an indonesian private higher education of computer science (hecs) english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the portrait of english language subject in an indonesian private higher education of computer science (hecs) deuis sugaryamah islamic state university of sunan gunung djati bandung, indonesia e-mail: soeg2003@yahoo.com apa citation: sugaryamah, d. (2013). the portrait of english language subject in an indonesian private higher education of computer science (hecs). english review: journal of english education, 1(2),182-190 received: 09-04-2013 accepted: 22-04-2013 published: 01-06-2013 abstract: at the tertiary level in indonesia, english language subject is mandatory as a general education course, especially for those non english programs/ departments. how this subject be positioned in an indonesian private higher education of computer science (hecs)’ curriculum, that later breeds the representation of the subjects on its teaching materials and its teaching and learning process by the teacher, and the students’s perceptions on such implementation of english subjects in the classroom become the concerns of this study. qualitative research by using interviews, questionnaires and documents were used to collect the data. from the study, it was found that in this institution english is considered as an english for specific purposes(esp), though regarded as a minor subject, yet itsexistence is considered as important. this perception is acceptable by all stakeholder (the institution, the lecturer and the students). keywords: english, higher education of computer science, english for specific purposes introduction based on the current laws of national education system in indonesia (the 1989 education law no.2 and the 1999 government regulation on higher education no. 60), education at the tertiary level is mainly designed for profession building. the students in higher education prepared to take specific and major subjects to support their future profession. however, they are still required to take the mandatory subjects called general education courses (mata kuliah dasar umum/ mata kuliah umum) that provide general knowledge. besides bahasa indonesia, religion, civics and other courses, english language (bahasa inggris) is one of them. due to its importance, the minister of education has issued and applied regulation that english should be taught in the primary schools up to the university level. english thatto be functioned not only as effective and efficient means of interaction but also as the medium of instruction. moreover, english is also included to develop and disseminate the technology and arts that would uplift the quality of life enhanced by the national cultures. without any exception, stmik mardira indonesia (stmik mi), one of several existing private higher education of computer science (hecs) in bandung, also includes such mandatory general education courses in its curriculum. although, in its implementation, the courses might commonly beperceived to be less important and less challenging than their deuis sugaryamah the portrait of english language subject in an indonesian private higher education of computer science (hecs) own institution’ major and specific subjects. this perception is relevant to the survey conducted by alwasilah (2000) on viewing students’ perception on the teaching and learning of mandatory language courses, i.e bahasa indonesia and english as general education. the survey finds that the goal or the aim of their curriculum is still far from the expectation. for example, for general english, most of students, who has been learning english for several years, starting from the elementary to the secondary schools level thencontinuingstudying at the tertiary schools level, their language competence and abilities are still poor. the substances/ materials or the teaching and learning practicesare mostly the repetition of those learnt and done in the previous level, and the stress is commonly on grammar or structure (alwasilah, 2000; kusni, 2009). alwasilah (2000) regards the government policy to put english or bahasa indonesia as general education courses in the curriculum of higher education – in its implementation as out of control. the facts are seen on its teaching and learning practice, in which teachers teach as they like, and students’ learning is just to get the score and pass the subject. general english that basically aiming at students’ competences on integrated language skills, such as speaking, writing, reading and listening, has turned on emphasizing on grammatical structure. however, apart from such negative facts, learning english language is then still required at university level. students are stillnecessary to master both spoken and written languagesbecause english is an international language, the language of sciences and knowledge, and furthermore most of textbooks are written in english. to adopt and understand those, students are required to master the language, at least having a skill on reading comprehension. in this case, alwasilah (2000) suggests on reorganizing or remodeling the implementation of general english on higher education level, otherwise discarding them for its inappropriateness to the students’ need. then, the effort to do is how to make use of this general english learning to become useful in helping students to master english. as the poor practice of teaching and learning process might also happen in this institution, and the goal of the course to make students having the competence of (at least) reading skills, even less to fulfill stmik mi’s goal to produce graduates who can speak english well are not yet achieved, how this english subject be treated and implemented in stmik mi, where english is not part of the major subjects in all programs and departments, and whetherenglish subject be treated as a general english subject or english as a specific purposes (esp), as well as the students’ perception on this subject in term of its materials and syllabus become the concerns of this study. different people may interpret esp differently. some identify it as ‘simply being the teaching of english for any purpose that could be specified’, while others, however, are more precise, describing it as the teaching of english used in academic studies or the teaching of english for vocational or professional purposes” (anthony 1997, p. 1). strevens (1988) argues that esp may be worded differently in terms of its definitions. but, what is important is that whoever is concerned with esp should know that esp is “designed to meet specific needs of learners; related to content, to particular disciplines, occupations and activities; and centere. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee at the university level, english language teachers and learners often encounter different issues that might hamper achieving a successful teaching/ learning function. one of the most important issues is the teacher/learner interaction within specific contexts of english language which is english for specific purposes. in this context, hyland (2002, p. 394) argues that ‘‘effective language teaching in the universities involves taking specificity seriously. it means that we must go as far as we can’’. for teachers this means introducing learners to the relevant genres with the purpose of allowing them to participate in a discourse community organized around specific and purposeful activities. this can be approached in pragmatic or critical ways, and there has been a considerable amount of discussion about the need to avoid uncritical induction of students into disciplinary discourses and identities (canagarajah 2002; harwood & hadley 2004; pennycook 1997). in indonesian context, marwan’s (2009) research highlights the findings of a study investigating the challenges faced by an english teacher in his esp teaching in an indonesian vocational higher institution. the challenges related to the issues like, students’ learning motivation,the mismatch between reality and expectations, lack of quality resources, and heavy workload. some solutions to cope with these challenges such as finding the actual factors which cause the decline of students’ learning motivation is crucial because it will help teachers identify appropriate strategies to overcome the problem. the mismatch between reality (students’ english proficiencybackground) and (curriculum) expectations considered to be an urgent matter thatneeds fixing by an idealsolution that vocational higher institution should plan toaccept students who can only meet a certain english proficiency standard¸ or some others solution provided by institution. meanwhile, kusni’s (2007) study shows the needs of reformulating the design of english for specific purposes (esp) courses for university students who do not major in english. the idea for the study was derived from the research on designing esp programs by conductingthe survey in three public universities in indonesia indicating that there is a fundamental misunderstanding with the design of esp courses which made the teaching of such courses ineffective and inefficient. his study is in line with alwasilah survey (2000). he suggests a solution with using the collective collaborative model in implementing esp theory with its context. in relation to the research conducted in higher education of computer science, in 2007, marjito studies the research on the relevance of the syllabus and materials of english subject to the student’s needs. the results shows that the lecturer should redesign either syllabus or material in order to cater students’ need, particularly grammar and reading. in brief, the syllabus and material provided were not fully relevance to the students’ need. in tunisia, harabi’s (2010) study scrutinizes the international aspect of the english language and its relation to the esp context. it highlights the major constraints to english language teaching and learning in the tunisian higher education. according to harabi, there is no specific training for the teachers of english for specific purposes in all the examples of institutes being researched. indeed, teachers are faced with learners who already had some knowledge of english acquired in a school situation. moreover, most of the materials and courses available were appropriate for deuis sugaryamah the portrait of english language subject in an indonesian private higher education of computer science (hecs) those coming to the study of the language for the first time, suitable for younger learners, and were written as ‘general’ english, thus a gap in materials had to be filled for these specific purpose learners (2010). since esp programs focus on developing english competence in a specific field, such as software development, business or technology. some courses prepare students for various academic programs: english for science and technology, english for accounting, english for computer, etc. in the case of students of stmik mardira indonesia, whose background are out of english department, to meet the needs to have highly specific academic and professional reasons for seeking to improve their language skills to comprehend english textbook or computer instruction (strevens, 1988) where most reference books are written not in simple english,obviously esp needto apply in their study (hutchinson &waters 1987). based on the above description, the concerns of this study attempt to address the issues of how english language subject in stmik mi be regarded in its institution’ overallcurriculum, and to find out the students’ perceptions on such implementation in the syllabus and materials used as well as the teaching and learning process. the research questions are formulated as follows: (1) how english subjects be regarded in the institution’scurriculum? (2) what are the students’perception towards the implementation of english subjects, in terms of its materials and teaching and learning practices in their study? method the research was conducted at stmik mardira indonesia, aprivate higher education of computer science in bandung which has two-shifted classes, the regular class (the classes held from 08.00 to 14.00) and the evening class (in which some of the students areemployees, held from 17.00 to 21.00). there are three departments involved: manajemen informatika, teknik informatika, and komputerisasi akuntansi with three different programs, the one-year program (diplome-1), the three-year program (diplome-3), and the degree program (s-1). meanwhile, for teaching english process, three departments are commonly organized to be one and the size of a class range between 40-50 students. the major reasons why this institution was chosen were as follows: first, the english subject is only part of mkdu subject, and since the institution deals with computer major, the english applied should be an esp (english for specific purposes). second, each of department has been accredited by ban pt. third, the implication of this research is hoped to be able to provide improvement of designing either syllabus or materials at the research site. eighteen students were involved as the participants in this study. they are all students from three departments (manajemen informatika, komputerisasi akuntansi, andmanajemen informatika) who were chosen randomly from different grades (the first, third, and fifth semester students). they are students from the regular class as well as from the evening class, with the academic year ranging from 2009to 2011. they had the same opportunity to answer the questionaires and be able to provide information needed. an english teacher and the head of the institution were also involved as the participants to answer and provide information about other aspects related english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee to the materials used, the practice of teaching and learning and the policy of conducting and providing the english subject in this institution. qualitative research method was used to collect the data. data were collected by the means of questionnaires for students and interviews with a teacher and the head of institution,and documentation of the institution curriculum. using the qualitative approach, the data were then obtained by usingquestionnaires, interviews, and documentation (syllabus and materials). all the data were analyzed on the basis of the research questions stated and were classified into two central themes. first, the existence and the role of the english language subject in stmik mi’s curriculum. second, the students’ perception about the english subjects provided in stmik mi, in terms of its materials and teaching and learning practices. the data from interview, documents and questionnaires were analyzed to answer the research question. the function of three research instruments (interviews, documents and questionnaires) in seeking the answer to the research questions were summarized below: 1. interviews were conducted with the participants toget the data of the institution policy regarding english subjects in its ccurriculum and the teacher’s interpretation about english subjects in stimik mi. 2. syllabus and materials functioned as documents to support the data about kinds of syllabus and material provided by the lecturer. then, these documents were matched to the data from interviews whether among of them were relevance or not. 3. the questionnaires given to the students were used to see how students’ perception to the english subjects in terms of the materials used and its teaching and learning process. results anddiscussion based on the data derived from the interview with the head of stmik mi and the document, english language subject is considered as the mandatory subject to support other main and core subjects in the institution. the subject belongs to the category of general education courses (mkdu/ mku =mata kuliah dasar umum/ mata kuliah umum). given four (4) credits to this english subject, this then divided into two different subjects called ‘bahasa inggris 1 (bi-1)’ and ‘bahasa inggris 2 (bi-2)’, with two (2) credits for each. the subjects are given to the students in two different semester. bahasa inggris i is given to all students in the first semester, while bahasa inggris 2is given to the students of all programs at the end of semester. for example, at semester ii for diplome i, semester vi for diplome iii program, and at eight semester for s1 degree program. (see the excerpt of interview with the head of stmik mi and the buku panduan) the purposes of the two subjects are different in nature. bi-1 is intended to provide students with the ability of comprehending text, while bi-2 focuses on conversation, on students’ speaking ability, especially helping them to prepare their readiness in facing the job interview. having such different goals at the end of the lectures, the content of each subject materials are also different. the texts contented with some information about computer and its programs become the major source of materials used in bi-1, while the content materials related to the language function in making conversation and deuis sugaryamah the portrait of english language subject in an indonesian private higher education of computer science (hecs) those related to job interviews are becoming the cource of material in bi-2. the students of this institution are divided into two categories, the regular students and the employee class students. the regular students are mostly those who failed to join government public universities or other favourite private colleges, graduated from private high schools. meanwhile, the employee students are those who have already worked in several companies. it can be said that the students come from the middle to lower level both on their academic achievement and their social economic background. with such condition shall automatically impact on their quality before the join stmik mi. however, to accomodate their needs for continuing their study in higher education level, stmik mi makes every efforts to give the best support to its students. the institution endeavor to create good and high grade environment to support their teaching and learning process. to accomodate the students’needs in taking english language subject, stmik provides the morning and afternoon classes. the regular students usually take the morning class while the afternoon class is usually taken by the employee class student, and they may possibly interchange its schedules. there is only one english lecturer available for about 500 students enrolled in stmik mi, with various number of students in each department, i.e. 10 students in informatics management dept., and more than 25 students in other department. to negotiate such condition as well as considering the effectivity and efficiency, the english lecture is held as a general lecture for all students of different departments. in consequency, the big class of about more than 50 students is common for this subject. the lecture for this big class is heldin the school hall. provided by the availability of instructional facilities such as in-focus, audio visual and internet connections in each classroom and the hall has made the lecture possible. the regular evaluation is held regularly by the institution to all subjects, including english. besides the evaluation and sharing time between lectures in the beginning of each semester, the forthnight learning society forum are held for all lecturers. this activities intended to be used as the place for sharing experiences and problemsolution time as well as the media to socialize the instution’ policy related to the teaching and learning process and teachers’ development. the regular feedback from students before the midterm and final term tests is also available. this students’ feedback is also used as one of the institution consideration to evaluate the lecturers and the course subjects. having 14 years teaching experience of english subject in stmik mi and other higher education of computer science, it is considered that the lecturer has quite used to know the students needs and the challenges faced in the teaching an learning process. to implement the mandatory english subjects in this institution, the lecturer try to develop the syllabus and teaching materials in line with the aims/ goals stated by the institution in each of the english subjects called bahasa inggris 1 (bi-1)and bahasa inggris 2 (bi-2). the materials contented in bi-1 are made to support the students to comprehend the texts with the topics related to computer programs. few grammatical structures, i.e. ‘to be, to have, modal, passive voice, degrees of compariosn, word formation’, commonly used in the reading texts are also introduced (source:modul bahasa english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee inggris 1). and the materials given in bi-2 are those related with the certain function in doing conversation, such as how to deals with the interview; how to make questions sentences, discussion techniques, making decision, dialogue, practical english conversation, common job interview questions, presentation and making an application letter (source: modul bahasa inggris 2). those both materials are not always fixed all the time, they are flexible to be changeable by choosing different texts or topics as long as the coverage is still in line with the syllabus. the sources from the internet, mostly used to become the teaching materials. according to him, bi1 is more related to english for specific purposes, with the focus of english for computers, and bi-2 is more general since the content mostly related to general conversation. the challenges he faces in teaching process and providing the materials to the students are related to: (1) the academic background of the students, who mostly have lower academic achievement in their previous study (high school), with mostly having poor english skills. (2) the time constraint the students have in joining the subjects, especially for employee students who oftenly come late to the lecture. (3) the number of students in the class that ranging between 35 to 70 students. (4) the low motivation of the students who join the subjects just to do the requirement and not really to study it seriously. (5) the assessment which is merely more subjective and normative. based on the questionaires given to several stmik mi’ students, it was found that all of them like english language subject. the reasons are quite various, such as:  because english in an international language, and we have to be able to speak/ master such language. (7 respondents)  because english in needed in our future job. (5 respondents)  because english language is nice to hear and speak. (1 respondent)  because i like to sing english song (1 respondent)  because english mostly used in the internet (1 respondent) in terms of students’ speaking, writing and reading ability, from the 18 (eighteen) respondents, 10 (ten) of them say that they could speak english a bit, as their statements:  “tidak lancar tapi dapat mengucapkan’ (r1, r13)  “bisa tapi tidak terlalu banyak” (r15, r26, r25, r17)  “itu dipelajari sejak sd” (r7)  “hanya sedikit, itupun kosakatanya yang umum” (r14) eight of them say they could not speak but understand what other people say.  “mengerti yang dibicarakan, tapi tidak bisa balik berbicara memakai bahasa inggris”. (r10)  “karena tidak banyak punya kosa kata” (r2, r20) fifteen out of eighteen say that they could write and understand a bit when they read the reading texts,  “telah dipelajari sebelumnya” (r7)  “mampu memahami dan menulis teks bahasa inggris tapi tidak terlalu (r15)  “mampu sedikit-sedikitkarena suka mendengar lagu bahasa inggris (r10) in terms of students’ interpretation about the english subject and its teaching and learning process, following are the results.  “bahasa inggris ini penting tetapi termasuk pelajaran yang susah” (r17) deuis sugaryamah the portrait of english language subject in an indonesian private higher education of computer science (hecs)  “menarik tapi kurang menyenangkan, perlu ditambah sedikit bercanda saat di kelas” (r8)  “sedikit membosankan dan perlu dikemas lebih menarik lagi” (r19)  “menurut saya cukup menyenangkan, meski seharusnya cara mengajarnya ditambah seperti diskusi kelompok, dlsb” (r15, r13)  “sebenarnya sih menarik, tapi itu sangat tergantung sama dosennya. kalo dosennya menyenangkan, pasti belajarnya juga asyik. tapi kalo dosennya membosankan bawaannya ngatuk” (r16)  “terlalu tegang, efeknya tidak masuk ke otak, terus lupa begitu saja apa pelajaran yang didapatnya (r1) about the scheduled time dan number of credits of the english subject, a respondent says, “2 sks untuk bahasa inggris i dan 2 sks untuk bahasa inggris 2 saya rasa sudah cukup” (r 25) about the content of course materials, in bi-1, most students say that grammar and text comprehension become the focus of the english subject. as what the students say:  “ memahami teks dan grammar”(r14)  “teks2 yang berhubungan dengan komputer dan pemrograman” (r12) for bi-2, most students agree that speaking and conversation become the focus of the course. below are the results of students’ expectation from the english subjects:  “dapat memperlancar dalam berbicara dengan bahasa inggris” (r1)  “gramatika, kosakata yang lebih berhubungan dengan komputer/ lebih spesifik tidak hanya mengertikan teks saja, juga conversation yang berhubungan dengan komputer dan perkantoran (r15)  “dapat memahaminya dengan cepat dan menguasai banyak kosa kata” (r20)  “dapat lancar menulis dan berbicara bahasa inggris” (r26)  “dapat lancar berbicara bahasa inggris, dapat mengerti dan dipahami (r25) lastly, the impacts of this subject to the students skills/achievement are as follows.  “sekarang saya sudah mulai bisa memahami teks dalam bahasa inggris” (r20)  “dapat mengerti bahasa inggris dan mampu berbicara bahasa inggris terhadap orang asing/ bule” (r25)  “lebih memahami teks dan grammar” (r14)  “lebih dapat mengemukakan pendapat dalam bahasa inggris” (r15) from the presentation of data above, it can be seen that the mandatory english subject in the tertiary level, especially in higher education of computer science like stmik mi could be positioned as the minor yet important subjects expected to help students in coping with other subjects. though in its implementation and presentation to the students in the classroom face several challenges, i.e. the range of time availability (in this case the limited number of credits and the time scheduled of providing the subjects), the students social economic and academic background that directly or indirectly have several impact to the product and the quality of teaching and learning process. as the support of other subjects, the english subjects is then becoming english for specific purposes with the content materials of the subjects related to computer science. this is inline with strevens (1988), that esp meets the needs of the learners, centered on the language skills (in this case reading and speaking skills) and in specific genres (computer). in general, the students’ perception towards the materials of esp in stmik mi as being appropriate with their needs english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee to understand and comprehend the texts about computers. they get this materials in bahasa inggris 1 subject. meanwhile, their future needs in dealing with the ability to do the successful job interview is represented by the materials they have in english for business in bahasa inggris 2 subject. though in its implementation, the result of this subject is still far from the goals/ aims of the subjects, that is to make the students able to read as well as speak well, as several constraints coming from both the institution (in this case the limited lecturer and time) and the students (lack of motivation and interest, time constraint). conclusion this paper sought to reveal the mandatory english subjects as it is regarded in stmik mi’s curriculum, where in one side it is considered as important to have to support students in coping with other subjects, yet in other side the availability of time, the limited resource, in this case the availability of english lecture, and the students motivations have become the constraints to make this subjects reach its institutional goal to provide the students with the english skills both spoken and written. the study was carried out within the framework ofinterpretive inquiry and semi structured interviews were used as the means for datacollection. data were analyzed through the identification themes related to the research questions given. references anthony, l. (1997). english for specific purposes: what does it mean? why is it different? on-cue journal, 5(3), 9-10. alwasilah, a. c. (2000). perspektif pendidikan bahasa inggris di indonesia dalam konteks persaingan global. bandung: cv andira. brant, c. (2009). the case for reflexivity in developing esl students’ academic communication skills. international journal of arts and sciences 3(5): 1 – 18. brown, j. d. (1995). theelements of language curriculum: asystematic approach to program development. usa: heinle & heinle publishers corbetta, p. (2003). social research theory, methods and techniques. london: sage publications. diamond, r. m. (2008). designing and assessing courses and curricul: apractical guide, 3rd ed. ca: josses-bass. creswell, j. w. (2005). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research,2nd ed.. upper saddle river, n.j.: pearson education. harry f. & t. burhanudin. (2008). the future of schooling in indonesia.journal of international cooperation in education, 11(1), 71-84. harrabi, a. (2010). issues in education of english for specific purposes in the tunisian higher education. esp world, 2(28), retrieved from http://www.espworld.info. kusni. (2007). reformulasi perancangan program esp di perguruan tinggi. linguistik indonesia, 25(1). marjito. (2007). an analysis of syllabus and material and their relevance to the students’ needs: acase study of a higher education of computer science. unpublished thesis, indonesian university of education. marwan, a. (2009). esp teaching challenges in an indonesian vocational higher institution.the english teacher, xxxviii: 1 – 12. ornstein, a. c. & hunkins, f. p. (2009). curriculum: foundations, principles, and issues, 5th ed. usa: pearson education, inc. posner, g. j. (1992). analyzing the curriculum. usa: mcgraw-hill, inc. strevens, p. (1988). esp after twenty years: a re-appraisal. in m. tickoo (ed.), esp: state of the art (pp. 1-13). singapore: seameo regional language young, m. s. (2011). a case of the global – local dialectic: decentralization and teacher training in banten, indonesia. unpublished dissertation. the florida state university. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 147 developing english for tourism materials trough stakeholders’ needs analysis indah puspitasari english diploma program, faculty of humanities, jenderal soedirman university, indonesia e-mail: indahpuspitasari876@gmail.com apa citation: puspitasari, i. (2018). developing english for tourism materials trough stakeholders’ needs analysis. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 147-156. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1534. received: 19-08-2018 accepted: 27-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: banyumas currently grows well in various aspects especially in tourism. tourism plays an important role in this regency because it becomes one of the mainstays of banyumas revenue sector. a phenomenon occurs today is the number of hotels in banyumas arises every year. it is very important to prepare human resources; especially those who have good skills in tourism and english. this paper aims at explaining the stakeholders’ overview of skills needed, topic needed, and difficulties encountered. the stakeholders here are tour agencies, hotels, and youth, sports, culture and tourism office of banyumas regency. this is a qualitative research method which has several research steps. first, library study is a method of collecting data and it is also used to compile research instruments. the second step is to share the questionnaires to the sampling and the last is analysing the results. the results of this study showed that; 1) the required skills are speaking (100%), listening (75%), writing (25%), and reading (25%), 2) 80% of the topics offered in the questionnaire are required by all stakeholders. the topics are about hotels and tourism materials, and 3) difficulties encountered in active cooperating with tourism industry, less practice in explaining tourism city map, and listening different accents such as english speakers from china, japan, and india. in conclusion, these findings regarding the skills and topics needed can be used to develop english for tourism materials. keywords: english for tourism; english for specific purposes; needs analysis; developing materials; tourism; banyumas. introduction a current phenomenon is the shift of public consumption for retail shopping. now, people choose to save their money in banks and use it for vacationing in tourist attractions. as mentioned by kompas daily on november 6, 2017 that there is a shift in consumer behavior patterns from shopping to tourism which is marked by several indicators of household consumption growth in the third quarter of 2017. one of the indicators in question is an increase in public consumption in hotels and restaurants. in the third quarter of 2017, restaurants and hotels grew significantly from 5.01 percent in the third quarter of 2016 to 5.52 percent in the third quarter of 2017. indicators for restaurants, hotels, and recreation continue to increase, although the contribution to household consumption has not seen a significant about just 14 percent to 15 percent. the opinion reinforces data from the ministry of tourism and creative economy of tourism growth in indonesia which tends to increase every year. data in 2015 showed 911.704 foreign tourists coming to indonesia and experiencing an increase in 2016 and 2017 which reached 1.404.664. the growth of tourism and hospitality is also felt in banyumas regency. the number of hotels in banyumas regency which was 182 in 2014 currently reaches 232 hotels in 2017. from the data above, it is very important for banyumas regency to prepare qualified human resources from the tourism sector and one way is through stakeholders’ needs analysis. stakeholders are individuals or groups that can influence and or be indah puspitasari developing english for tourism materials trough stakeholders’ needs analysis 148 influenced by a particular achievement. stakeholders have three categories: 1) main stakeholder: stakeholders who have a direct interest in a policy of the community. 2) stakeholder supporters: do not have a direct link to a policy but have a concern, for example: ngos, universities, institutions. 3) key stakeholder: having legally authorized in decision making, such as government, parliament, office, etc. on the other hand, stakeholders of tourism include tourists, businessmen, governments, communities, universities, communities, and non-governmental organizations (pitana, 2009). thus, the stakeholders referred to by the authors in this study are the main stakeholder of the hotel owner and tour agent and key stakeholders, namely the department of youth, sports, culture and tourism of banyumas regency as policy makers. the institution here is a stakeholder’s supporter who concern to the main and key stakeholders’ needs. universities as one of tourism stakeholder have an important role related to research implementation. the results of lecturers’ research, such as, needs analysis, market analysis, consumer survey and others can be used by tourism industry to develop the tourism resources they have. according to pitana (2009), tourism resources are resources related to tourism development which include: natural resources, human resources, cultural resources, and special request resource. here, the authors choose to develop human resources tourism because every element of tourism requires human resources to move it. moreover, needs analysis is part of curriculum development or known as curriculum and material development. the material development process is a central element in language teaching programs. the development system can be conceptualized into three interrelated processes. first, the planning process includes analyzing the needs of learners, institutional expectations and resource availability, and defining learning objectives and translating needs and objectives into materials and learning activities. second, the learning process (enacting process) includes using teaching materials and conducting teaching and learning activities in the classroom. third, the evaluation process is an assessment the progress of learners toward the achievement of goals. that process is a system of development that should be done by each college. the focus of this research is on the first stage of development that is the planning process which includes the needs analysis. needs analysis is a procedure for gathering information about the learners’ needs. the same opinion is also expressed by richards (2001) that the procedure used to collect information about the learners’ needs is known by the term needs analysis. the main purpose of the needs analysis activity is to prepare a set of learning objectives and material selection. the triangulation approach can be used in performing needs analysis because one source of information may be incomplete or partial. different stakeholders have different perspectives on needs and solutions. needs analysis usually involves the gathering of information from more than one referent group. according to richards (2001, p. 60), information can be obtained from finding relevant theories such as books, journal articles, reports and research results, and collecting information from multiple respondents. there are several studies on the needs analysis of english for specific purposes, i.e. trang (2015), amali (2015), and darrel (2018). in his study, trang (2015) found that the most important need among english language skill of tourism employees is speaking then followed by listening, writing and reading. although the needs analysis of english for specific purposes has been widely done, as far as the author’s observation, banyumas tourism stakeholders’ needs analysis has never been done. therefore, this study tries to explain english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 149 the stakeholders’ overview of skills needed, topic needed, and difficulties encountered. method the study was a qualitative case study. according to merriam in cohen (2005, p. 185), there are three types of case studies, namely descriptive, interpretative, and evaluative. the writer used descriptive method to describe the skill needed, topic needed and difficulties encountered. the participants were the tourism stakeholders of banyumas regency including the youth, sports, culture and tourism office of banyumas regency, hotels and tour agency. the sampling technique was purposive random sampling. based on data from banyumas hotel and restaurant association (phri) and youth, sports, culture and tourism office of banyumas regency, the number of hotels in banyumas in 2017 is 232. there are only 12 star hotels and only three hotels have been certified by the business certification institute (lsu). the author took a sample of 20% of the star hotels population. the samples taken were four star hotels in banyumas. meanwhile, the total number of banyumas tour agency, according to the association of tourism banyumas (asita), was 31 agencies. the author took 20% as sample (six tour agencies). this study applied two methods of collecting data; questionnaire and library study. questionnaires are instruments used to obtain information from respondents, while the library study was used to collect relevant theories to make research instruments in the form of questionnaires and used to analyze the needs. the method of data analysis in this qualitative study is descriptive method. there are more research data found in the field and will be analyzed and supported by the theories that are available and relevant (sugiyono, 2009, p. 13-14). descriptive analysis is used to describe and analyze the needs of stakeholders of english for tourism. then, writer used the results to develop english for tourism teaching materials. for data validation, the authors uses triangulation. the triangulation approach can be used in performing needs analysis because one source of information may be incomplete or partial. results and discussion in this section, the authors explain the curriculum of higher education. this analysis is used to find out the purpose of the education system and to make decisions in syllabus and material design. according to minister of education and culture, law no.232/u/2000 defines the curriculum as; “a set of plans and arrangements concerning the content and study materials and lessons as well as the way of delivery and assessment used as guidelines for the conduct of business or teaching-learning activities in higher education.” the curriculum is a program developed and implemented to achieve educational goals. the curriculum can be viewed as a plan to build a house. the orientation is for the future. thus, curriculum objectives play a major role in achieving program objectives. as we know that currently, there are changes in curriculum conducted by the ministry of education and culture of indonesia. competency-based curriculum changes to kkni (indonesia national qualification framework). on the curriculum of kkni the competence is expected to be able to pair, equalize and integrate (from junior high school to postgraduate level) between the field of education, the field of job training and work experience in the framework of giving the recognition of work competence in accordance with the structure of work in various sectors (ministry of education and culture, 2011). the curriculum is directed to equalize graduate qualifications so as to compete in the world of work. sourced from the ministry of education and culture (2011), description of the competencies achieved for the diploma level means that language teaching at the diploma level focuses on the achievement of learning by students. they indah puspitasari developing english for tourism materials trough stakeholders’ needs analysis 150 must be able to compete in the world of work. based on the above description, the author draws the following conclusions: 1) the type of curriculum used as a reference needs analysis is referring to the indonesian national framework curriculum. this means that language teaching at the diploma level focuses on the achievement of learning that must be mastered by students to be able to compete in the world of work, and 2) the purpose of teaching english in higher education is focused on improving quality and competitive outcomes at local, regional and international levels. the indonesian national framework curriculum is a systemic framework. this means that all competencies should be built. it includes major competencies (understanding the four basic english skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing) as well as supporting competencies such as linguistic competence and communication strategies. developing english for tourism materials curriculum development processes are central elements in language program. according to snow and kamhi-stein (2006, p. v-vi), the system in a curriculum can be conceptualized as three interrelated process: 1) planning processes which include analyzing the needs of learners, the expectation of the institution and the availability of resources, deciding on the learning aims and goals needed to achieve them and organizing them in a principle way, and translating the aims into materials and activities; 2) enacting (teaching and learning) processes which include using the materials and doing the activities in the classroom, and adjusting them according to learners’ needs, abilities and interests; and 3) evaluation processes which include assessing learners’ progress toward and achievement of the aims, adjusting the aims in response to learners’ abilities and needs, and gathering information about the effectiveness of the aims, organization, materials, and activities. this research refers to planning processes which focuses on needs analysis. this is very important because it is the basic research to continue to the next steps, such as enacting process which includes materials design, teaching and learning process at the classrooms. english for specific purposes (esp) is a language teaching approach where content and methods are based on students’ reasons for learning. so, esp’s focus is to make english classes more relevant to the needs of students. esp is a specific learning. english for tourism is a teaching approach in order to achieve the goal or competence of students to mastery of english for professional purposes. here is the position of english for tourism as a branch of esp. figure 1. the position of english for tourism english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 151 pitana (2009) explains a tourism area facility has conditions in terms of development; something to see, something to do (activities that make tourists stay longer), something to buy (shopping area), how to arrive (transportation accessibility), and how to stay (hotel). selection of english for tourism material refers to the above, because stakeholders will see those indicators as a benchmark of their success. in the questionnaire of needs analysis, the authors include the following elements: 1) skill needed (listening, speaking, reading, writing) a) listening it is essential for oral interaction as the students would find themselves talking with professional contacts about computers or in conferences and workshops about computers. the writer takes computer-related topics with exercises to listen for general and specific information, exercises to fill in the gaps with technical vocabulary and note taking. b) speaking it is a necessary skill where the students must focus on the language specific to the fields of knowledge and not on general english. so, the related items such as topics, grammar and vocabularies still must be in line with the field. the students have to practice of grammar points in the specific topics needed. c) reading it is a necessary skill where the students must focus on reading process, such as scanning, skimming, guessing words from context and making inferences in the specific discourse d) writing it is a necessary skill in a context where most jobs in computing are in international companies whose written communication is in english. the materials are computer-related topic. it also focuses on verb agreement, connectors of time, sequencing, structure and organization ideas, such as describing process, describing functions, writing advantages and disadvantages, reporting problems, writing a curriculum vitae, and writing a summary (snow & kamhistein, 2006, p. 47-50). 2) topic needed a) something to see the expected ability is about tour guiding, presenting destination skill, and explaining weather condition. b) something to do (activities that make tourists stay longer) the expected ability is about describing tourism objects. c) something to buy (shopping area) the expected ability is about dealing with money and number d) how to arrive (transportation accessibility) the expected ability is about dealing with transportation and tourist information officers. e) how to stay (hotel) the expected ability is about explaining types of accommodation, hotel facilities, staffing and internal organization, reservation, check in and checkout, hotel and restaurant services, complaints and solution. 3) difficulties encountered stakeholders’ needs analysis stakeholder needs analysis is equally important with student needs analysis. as pitana (2009) notes stakeholder tourism is a tourist, businessman, government, community, college, community and nongovernment organization. the stakeholders consist of the main stakeholders (hotels and tour agencies) and the key stakeholders (the office of youth, sports, culture and tourism banyumas regency as a policy maker). stakeholder needs analysis results are as follows. hotels needs analysis four hotels that filled the questionnaire chose speaking and listening as their skill needed. as it can be seen in table 1, speaking is the most required skill in hotel indah puspitasari developing english for tourism materials trough stakeholders’ needs analysis 152 industry. this is in accordance with the competence of human resources (hr) that they hope, excellence human resources in spoken communication. moreover, table 2 shows the result of stakeholders’ topic needed. the stakeholders chose these topics as their learning materials to improve their english competence. table 1. percentage of hotels’ skill needed skills percentage speaking 100% listening 75% reading 25 % writing 25 % table 2. percentage of hotels’ topic needed to improve their english topics yes % 1. greeting, facial expression and body movement 3 75 2. types of accommodation 3 75 3. hotel facilities 2 50 4. staffing and internal organization 3 75 5. reservation and check –in 4 100 6. hotel and restaurant services 4 100 7. phone calls 4 100 8. money and number 1 25 9. complaints and solution 3 75 10. describing tourism object 3 75 11. tour guiding 3 75 12. presentation skill (presenting destination ) 3 75 13. itinerary and schedule 1 25 14. weather 1 25 15. transportation (understanding information about public transportation) 3 75 16. dealing with tourist information officers 3 75 as it can be seen in table 2, there are some topics required by stakeholders. the writer selected some topics which have 50% or more needed. they hope that they are able to master the following topics: greeting, facial expression and body movement (non verbal communication) types of accommodation hotel facilities staffing and internal organization reservation and check -in hotel and restaurant services phone calls complaints and solution describing tourism object tour guiding presentation skill (presenting destination) transportation (understanding information about public transportation and direction) dealing with tourist information officers in the final column, the author designs a questionnaire regarding the difficulties encountered. some of the difficulties are less practice of english for hotels and tourism, inactive cooperating with tourism industry to strengthen communication and business network from all tourism stakeholders, less practice in reading or explaining tourism city map and less practice in using and listening english materials with different accents such as english speakers from china, japan, india that are sometimes difficult to understand by stakeholders. the human resources head of hotels said that many guests who stay in their hotels are people from those countries. some of them asked about tourism objects in banyumas. they wanted to visit and ask the direction to be there. the staffs are not fluent enough in speaking english especially in asking and giving directions. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 153 tour agencies needs’ analysis six tour agencies filling the questionnaire chose speaking and listening as the skill needed. as it can be seen in table 3, speaking is the most required skill by tour agencies. they use their speaking competence to guide international tourist. moreover, table 4 shows the result of stakeholders’ topic needed. the stakeholders chose these topics as their learning materials to improve their english competence. table 3. percentage of tour agencies’ skill needed skills yes percentage speaking 6 100% listening 4 70% reading 2 25 % writing 2 25 % table 4. percentage of tour agencies’ topic needed to improve their english topics yes % 1. greeting, facial expression and body movement 4 75 2. types of accommodation 4 75 3. hotel facilities 3 50 4. staffing and internal organization 3 50 5. reservation and check –in 6 100 6. hotel and restaurant services 6 100 7. phone calls 6 100 8. money and number 1 25 9. complaints and solution 3 50 10. describing tourism object 3 50 11. tour guiding 6 100 12. presentation skill (presenting destination ) 3 50 13. itinerary and schedule 3 50 14. weather 1 25 15. transportation (understanding information about public transportation) 3 50 16. dealing with tourist information officers 4 75 as it can be seen in table 4, there are some topics required by tour agencies. the writer selected some topics which have 50% or more needed. tourism human resources are hopefully capable of mastering english in the following topics: greeting, facial expression and body movement (non verbal communication) cross cultural understanding types of accommodation hotel facilities staffing and internal organization reservation and check-in hotel and restaurant services phone calls complaints and solution describing tourism object tour guiding presentation skill (presenting destination) itinerary and schedule transportation (understanding information about public transportation and direction) dealing with tourist information officers in the final column, the author designs a questionnaire regarding the difficulties encountered. some of the inputs are: most tour agencies in banyumas only conduct domestic tours. banyumas tourism is still lack of promotion either in bahasa indonesia or english. it makes the foreign tourists rarely visit banyumas. one effort of tour agencies in banyumas is to build networking. they develop tourism networking in indonesia or even with other countries. they also build the network by writing indonesia tourism travel blog which is used to attract international tourists to indah puspitasari developing english for tourism materials trough stakeholders’ needs analysis 154 come to indonesia. they shared a problem of writing a good travel blog in english. they realize their weakness so that they invite the english teacher or lecturer to improve their english. youth, sports, culture and tourism office of banyumas regency needs analysis the writer met mr. d. jatmiko, head of culture and tourism office, to discuss the tourism needs analysis. he said speaking and writing are very important skill for tourism because ability to speak and write is used as a means of communication, promotion and network expansion. through this ability, they are able to promote tourism and activities that can attract and make tourists stay longer, buy something in shopping areas, use the local transportation and stay in hotels. tourism human resources are hopefully capable of mastering english in the following topics: greeting, facial expression and body movement (non verbal communication) cross cultural understanding types of accommodation hotel facilities staffing and internal organization reservation and check -in hotel and restaurant services phone calls complaints and solution describing tourism object tour guiding presentation skill (presenting destination) itinerary and schedule weather transportation (understanding information about public transportation and direction) dealing with tourist information officers all the topics in the questionnaire are needed because according to d. jatmiko, the mastery of the vocabulary of the tour guides in every tourist attraction in banyumas is still very limited. in the final column, the author designs a questionnaire regarding the difficulties encountered. some of the difficulties written in questionnaires and interviews are limitations of vocabulary, limitation of expanding business network through internet media and make overseas market as target, limitation of tourism industry players who use english as a promotional tool on the internet, and limitations in the ability to write travel blogs. from the three stakeholders need analysis above, it can be concluded that; 1) the required skills are speaking (100%), listening (75%), writing (25%), and reading (25%). the writer draws a conclusion from the mean of hotels and tour agencies’ needs analysis then the information from head of banyumas culture and tourism office is used to make data validation trough triangulation; 2) topic needed, all the topics offered in the questionnaire are required by all stakeholders except money, number, and weather; and 3) difficulties encountered in the field are; less practice of english for hotels and tourism, inactive cooperating with tourism industry to strengthen business network from all tourism stakeholders, less practice in reading and explaining tourism city map, and less practice in using and listening english materials with different accents, such as english speakers from china, japan, and india that are sometimes difficult to understand by stakeholders. conclusion improvements will always be made in the development of learning materials because teachers and lecturers are required to be sensitive to the development needs of students and society. banyumas, one of the biggest regency in the south of central java province, also develops in many sectors, especially in tourism industry. number of hotels in banyumas is growing and the consumption of society right now is changing from retail shopping into vacationing in tourist attractions. those phenomena make banyumas and university must be ready to prepare qualified human resources in tourism sector. english diploma program of jenderal soedirman english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 155 university has tourism concentration. it will help banyumas to prepare human resources in this sector. to make in line with the government needs, hotel, tour agency and university, the author conducted this research. the findings related to the skill needed, topic needed, and difficulties encountered. the results of this study are; 1) the required skills are speaking (100%), listening (75%), writing (25%), and reading (25%); 2) 80% of the topics offered in the questionnaire are required by all stakeholders. the topics are about hotels and tourism materials; and 3) difficulties encountered are; less practice of english for hotels and tourism, inactive cooperating with tourism industry to strengthen business network from all tourism stakeholders, less practice in reading and explaining tourism city map, and less practice in listening different accents such as english speakers from china, japan, india that are sometimes difficult to understand by stakeholders. references amali, m. (2015). relevancy of english tourism lesson plan with students’ needs analysis at vocational school 2 padang. padang: stkip pgri sumatra barat. cohen, l. (2005). research methods in education. new york: rutledge taylor & francis group. darrel, h. (2018). analysis of students’ feedback for a tourism english course based on group projects. tokyo: faculty of international tourism, toyo university. retrieved october 19, 2018 from https://toyo.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=pages_view_ main&active_action=repository_view_main_ite m_detail&item_id=10145&item_no=1&page_id =13&block_id=17. kementrian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. (2008). panduan umum pengembangan silabus. jakarta: kemendikbud ri. kementrian pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia. (2011). kerangka kualifikasi nasional indonesia. retrieved october 1, 2018 from http://www.dikti.go.id/files/atur/kkni/penyusu nan-lo-prodi.pdf. pitana, d. (2009). pengantar ilmu pariwisata. yogyakarya: penerbit andi. richard, j. c. (2001). curriculum development in language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. snow & kamhi-stein. (2006). developing a new course for adult learners. new york: tesol inc. sugiyono. (2009). metode penelitian pendidikan: pendekatan kuantitatif, kualitatif dan r & d. bandung: alfabeta. trang, b. t. t. (2015). needs analysis of english language use in tourism: a case study of international travel companies in vietnam. unpublished master thesis. college of language arts, i-shou university. indah puspitasari developing english for tourism materials trough stakeholders’ needs analysis 156 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the notions of english language and research instructors on the impact of digital technologies on the research writing process of their college students yvonne p. velasco mary ann v. dolor carlos hilado memorial state college, philippines email: yvonnevelasco@outlook.com apa citation: velasco, y.p., & dolor, m. a. v. (2016). the notions of english language and research instructors on the impact of digital technologies on the research writing process of their college students. english review: journal of english education, 5(1), 89-100 received: 09-10-2016 accepted: 09-11-2016 published: 01-12-2016 abstract: this is a descriptive study investigating teachers’ view on the impact of digital technologies on the research writing of their students. using mishra and koehler’s (2006) tpck model as framework, a probe was made on how technology and content are related and how pedagogical strategies in research relates to the use of technology in the classroom. the results reveal that teachers generally viewed the impact of digital technologies as positive but also showed misgivings on some aspects of technology use. the results have significant impact on the ict policy currently being implemented in most state-run schools in the philippines. keywords: digital technologies, teacher perceptions, college research, ict policy introduction the use of digital technologies in and for education is rapidly expanding in many countries and is now seen as both a necessity and an opportunity for improving and enhancing the education offered to citizens across the globe (unesco, 2006). in fact, information and communication technology is regarded as a building block of modern society (unesco, 2002). hence, the acquisition of skills in using digital technologies, generally labelled as information and communication technology (ict), has been regarded as part of their core education (unesco, 2002) by many countries globally. for example, in the united kingdom, the official view of ict as potentially transformative of education has placed it at the centre of the national agenda for school reform (deaney, ruthven, & hennessy, 2005). in the us, in its informational literacy competency standards for higher education, informational literacy is identified as crucial to today’s environment of rapid technological change and proliferating information resources. all these are, undoubtedly, a collective global stance that supports the use of digital technologies in education, by especially focusing on the way students write in today’s digital age. as it is, the philippines as a developing country makes efforts in recognizing the advances in communication due to technology and the internet, prompting the department of budget (dbm) and the commission 89 yvonne p. velasco & mary ann v. dolor the notions of english language and research instructors on the impact of digital technologies on the research writing process of their college students on higher education (ched) to issue joint circular no. 1 (series of 2012), which establishes the guidelines on state universities and colleges (sucs) on how to avail a portion of the five hundred million pesos (500,000,000.00php) allotted budgetary support for the maintenance, operating and other expenses (mooe) and capital outlay (co) requirements of selected sucs (eligible under said guidelines) to undertake programs/projects and activities that will create key employment generators in the priority growth sectors. in addition to this requirement for special funding, article 2.3.d of the circular stipulates that as one of the criteria for selection of sucs recipients, …“the sucs mandated to offer science and technology degree programs and those with good track record in their engineering, technology or ict courses shall be given preference.” paglaum state college (psc), a government-owned higher education institution in the philippines, does not need to prove its track record in engineering for it has consistently been in the category of best performing schools in the civil engineering board examinations in the philippines for the past 5 years since the inception of said course. what it needs is to prove that it deserves the budgetary support from dbm and ched which requires establishing a good track record in its ict courses. to this end, the psc administration mandated the use of digital technologies in classroom instruction veering towards blended learning even. this recent events in psc, however, raises some concern in the sense that while the goal to improve ict instruction is clear, the implementation of such initiative across departments and, ultimately, across psc’s four campuses is rather sketchy. while there seems to be no resistance being offered against psc administration’s initiative to integrate ict in classrooms, no inquiry has been made about the teachers’ comfort level in the use of these technologies in their classroom activities. since teachers are facilitators of student success and achievement, their perceptions of, and attitudes toward, technology in education may be closely related to students’ engagement with technology (hadley, eisenwine, hakes, & hines, 2002). considering that the expertise of teachers makes their role central to education, teachers’ perceptions regarding technology integration may influence students’ learning by constituting a part of a hidden curriculum (fleener, 2002). following willis (1991), if perception is primary to human experience, then an investigation of teachers’ perceptions of technology in education may serve to fill this seemingly neglected but very important area related to pedagogy in the 21st century. the central position of the teacher, between the school administration and the students, makes the teacher ultimately responsible for the successful implementation of policies of curriculum. consequently, as enactors of the curriculum, teachers are the vital link between the curriculum planners and the students. current literature suggests that teachers perceive computer technology primarily as a teacher aid to clerical work in basic word processing, calculating, keeping grades, and maintaining class rolls (swan, et al., 2002; swan, bowman, holmes, vargas, & richardson, 2000). what this means is that these teachers look at technology as productivity tools and not as students’ learning tools. this may have stemmed 90 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee from the way teachers regard their ability to meet the challenges of technology integration since the literature indicates that many teachers feel inadequately prepared for this undertaking (mccannon & crews, 2000; smerdon & cronen, 2000). pinar and irwin (2005) have cited this lack of technology training for teachers to carry serious implications for the relationship of human beings and computer technology. over the past decade, technology has appeared in the classroom with increasing frequency and has become a major factor in education reform (wenglinsky, 2000). however, even if more technology appears in the schools with each passing year and with each technological innovation, teachers are not using it effectively (mackenzie, 1999; padgett & conceicao-runlee, 2000; roblyer & edwards, 2000). essentially, the teachers’ perceptions about technology use may be used as a signpost that should indicate which way reform should proceed. balanskat et al. (2006) conducted a review of seventeen impact studies carried out between 2002 and 2006 which aimed at determining the benefits and impact of ict integration in schools in two major areas: learning outcomes and learners, and teaching methodologies and teachers. the studies reveal some evidences that ict impacts learner performance (machin) as cited in balanskat et al. (2006). sutherland et al. (2004) reported on the findings of the inter active education project conducted in the united kingdom, wherein teachers and researchers worked together to develop and evaluate initiatives focused on using ict to enhance learning in curriculum areas that students would normally find difficulty in. the results show that despite the guardedness to use technology in the classroom, some teachers who participated in the project reported several positive outcomes with regards to ict integration in the projects implemented. the teachers reported marked improvements in the writing skills of lower ability students, increased levels of interaction among students, greater student enthusiasm and engagement and an increase in confidence for both the teacher and the students. several researchers have argued that teacher beliefs about teaching and how students acquire knowledge play a critical role in determining not only the degree to which technology is used in the classroom but how technology is used to support teaching and learning. the sociocultural theory of learning posits that learning is interactive, discursive, technology-mediated, and situated (schellens et al., 2005; gee, 2003). gee (2003) extends this perspective to suggest that human learning is “fully embedded in a material, social, and cultural world” (p. 8) and that the affordances of tools and technologies (e.g. computer and the internet) can enhance learning. furthermore, teachers’ perceived usefulness of an innovation play a pivotal role in determining the extent to which that innovation will be adopted for use in the classroom (hall & hord, 2001). however, liu (2010) found that while teachers held learner-centered beliefs, they did not integrate constructivist teaching with technology use, thus revealing clear inconsistencies between teacher pedagogical beliefs and teaching activities. he found that most teachers, regardless of pedagogical beliefs, were inclined to utilize lecturebased instruction. according to a report released by the project information literacy, college students in the united states do not know how to do research correctly 91 http://projectinfolit.org/pdfs/pil_fall2010_survey_fullreport1.pdf http://projectinfolit.org/ yvonne p. velasco & mary ann v. dolor the notions of english language and research instructors on the impact of digital technologies on the research writing process of their college students (www.huffingtonpost.com). the study, which surveyed 8.353 students from 25 colleges across the usa, reports that 84% of respondents found "getting started" to be the hardest part of research projects. interestingly, if these are problems confronting college students in a first world country such as the united states, how would college students in a developing country such as the philippines fare in their research activities especially since it was only recently that state-run higher institutions are catching on with teaching in digital space. this study is informed by mishra and koehler’s (2006) teaching with technology model. they theorize that well thought-out pedagogical uses of technology necessitate the development of a complex situated form of knowledge. this knowledge is what they refer to as technological pedagogical and content knowledge (tpck). tpck builds on shulman’s (1986) pedagogical content knowledge model, which outlines the essential qualities of teacher’s knowledge required for effective integration of technology in teaching. tpck is an emergent knowledge that goes beyond the three individual components of content, pedagogy, and technology and represents a class of knowledge that is central to teachers’ work with technology. hence, tpck is an allencompassing theory on teaching technology that takes into account the teachers’ appreciation of the digital phenomenon; this appreciation transcends knowledge of content, pedagogy, and of technology itself. most initiatives in technology seemed fixated in the purchase of hardware (computers) for schools. it seems that there is an assumption that computers would magically transform teaching and learning. even in cases where educational software was provided along with the hardware, there was the belief that knowledge was somehow embedded in the software and the technology (sutherland, et al., 2004). however, knowing how to use technology is not to be construed with knowing how to teach with it. teaching in the 21st century therefore carries with it is not just practical knowledge, content, and strategies in teaching and integrating technology, but also an understanding of how all these are built up into a system that is compact and inseparable and requires the teachers’ conscious effort to discern. in an effort to understand the contexts and situations relating to the role played by teacher perceptions on the value of digital technologies to education particularly in research writing, this study sought to understand the english language/research instructors’ perceptions of digital technologies and the importance of integrating ict in the context of a mandate to integrate technology in the classrooms. specifically, the following are the research questions addressed: 1. what is the english language/research instructors’ perception of the students’ use of digital technologies for research paper writing, in terms of: a. manner (of doing research) b. ability 2. what benefits may the various digital technologies bring in when utilized by the students in their research paper writing? 3. what risks can these digital technologies likely pose when utilized by the students in their research paper writing? 4. how do the english and research instructors view the impact of digital 92 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee technologies on students’ research writing? method the study is descriptive and sought to understand the meanings teachers make of their experiences with digital technologies and the way it has impacted their students’ research writing process. merriam (1998) stresses that a descriptive study presents a detailed account of a phenomenon under study and is useful for investigating innovative programs and practices. both the quantitative and qualitative methods were employed; the quantitative aspect is realised by conducting a survey while the qualitative aspect is realised by conducting a focus group discussion which stitched in the elements which a survey could not possibly uncover. psc has four campuses, hence, to have a comprehensive assessment of the english and research instructors’ perceptions the study included the possible maximum number of the population. however, due to some constraints, a 100% sampling of the population was not realized (table 1). table 1. participants distribution across four campuses psc talisay 20 psc alijis 15 psc binalbagan 15 psc fortune towne 15 the instrument used in this study was adapted from an online national survey conducted in the united states by pew internet, the college board, and the national writing project. the survey is the pew research center’s internet and american life project’s first extensive examination of teachers’ perceptions of the positive and negative impacts of a rapidly evolving technological environment on teachers’ professional activities, and how that new environment has impacted teachers’ own technology use (http://pewinternet.org/reports). the questionnaire is retrievable on-line and consisted of 50 items exclusive of the demographic assessment. while the questionnaire is divided into six sections, the researchers adapted the questions on the section relative to the impact of digital technologies on research, albeit, with some modifications to suit the culture and setting of the study. proper research conventions were observed (permissions, schedules, orientation as to the protocols for the conduct of the test, etc.) before the instrument was administered. the schedules for the focus group discussions proved a little problematic for the instructors’ schedules would not allow for a common time schedule wherein they could convene without class disruption. the survey questionnaire administered prior to the fgd, the reason being that the issues which were not delved into in the survey can be further explored and clarified during the discussion that ensued. the fgd was audio-recorded and transcribed. the questionnaires were retrieved for scoring, statistical treatment, and interpretation. data analysis for the quantitative aspect consists of encoding the responses given by the participants in the survey questionnaire. the descriptive statistical 93 http://pewinternet.org/reports/2013/teachers-technology-and-writing yvonne p. velasco & mary ann v. dolor the notions of english language and research instructors on the impact of digital technologies on the research writing process of their college students mean and frequency measures were obtained to come up with a description of the area this study is concerned about. data analysis for the qualitative aspect consists of a grounded theory approach (strauss & corbin, 1990) such that data were analysed for emerging themes. after the fgd sound file were transcribed, the data were segmented and re-grouped according to themes. initial coding was done by examining the data and defining the ideas explicit within the data, and finally, categories were established. this method of analysis allowed for a rigorous review of the data culled from the fgd. similarly, it provided for a structure for analysis and interpretation. results and discussion table 2 below presents the data regarding age and length of service. table 2. distribution of respondents in terms of age and length of service age f % length f % 20-29 16 25 0-9 16 25 30-39 25 38 10-19 29 46 40-49 18 28 20-29 15 23 50-59 6 9 30-39 5 8 table 2 shows that 38% of the participants belong to the 30-39 age bracket. this may imply that these participants have a relative exposure to digital technologies when they began school because the internet saw its origins in the 1980’s. 46% have been teaching for more than 15 years (16-19year bracket), while only 8% have been teaching for more than 30 years. more than half of the participants have been teaching for less than 20 years and considering this, the utility of being able to embed ict in the classroom shall be felt more by this group of participants. table 3 and 4 presents the demographics. table 3. distribution of respondents according to gender and home internet gender % male 18 28 female 47 72 home internet % yes 30 46 no 35 54 72% of the participants are female while less than 50% of the participants have internet connections at home. this data gives us a picture of the teachers’ access to the internet at home and to group the perceptions according to age and gender. table 4. distribution of respondents according to digital devices owned cellphone smartphone tablet notebook laptop desktop f % f % f % f % f % f % 55 85 18 28 27 42 48 74 40 62 43 66 evidently, most participants have cellphones, which implies that somehow, the importance of this digital device is felt across participants whether male or female, or whether tenured or not. 74% of the participants have notebooks which 94 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee gives the impression that they are positively endorsing the utility of digital technologies. the participants of the study enthused that the definition of research has considerably changed in the digital world. this change according to them reflects how students approach the task of researching. undeniably, search engines have a relative place in the world where students do research. some participants said that for most of their students the idea of research is almost synonymous with ‘googling’ the topics assigned. when prompted to elucidate on the matter, participants said that most of them felt that students would define the process as independently gathering information by looking it up or searching in google. furthermore, the participants expressed the perception that their students use only a handful of resources and rely mainly on search engines for their research. when asked how likely their students were to use a variety of different information sources for a typical research, 62% of the participants said their students were very likely to use google or other online search engines. table 5 presents the manner of sourcing/accessing information in the internet that the teachers perceive their students use. table 5. manner of accessing information for research purposes source very likely % somewhat likely % not too likely % not at all % unsure % overall rating google, etc 40 62 14 22 4 6 1 2 6 9 vl online databases 15 23 18 28 27 42 3 5 2 3 ntl e-mail; yahoo, gmail 24 37 30 46 7 11 4 6 0 0 sl text books (print or e-books) 20 31 28 43 7 11 3 5 7 11 sl you tube or other social media 32 49 26 40 4 6 3 5 0 0 vl news sites 10 15 27 42 20 31 8 12 0 0 sl wikipedia 40 62 20 31 3 5 2 3 0 0 vl sixty-two percent (62%) said their students were very likely to use wikipedia or other online encyclopedias in a typical research assignment. third on the list was youtube or other social media sites, which about half of teachers (52%) said their students were very likely to use. only 31% think that the students are most likely to do research using textbooks or e-books. based on these figures, it would appear that the use of textbooks has rather become passé with students when they do research. this finding has significance to the educational community in psc in the sense that, an adequate library service would need to cater to how the students would conduct and write their research assignments. simply stacking physical books in the library is no longer an option. the library should mirror the way students actually do research and as 95 yvonne p. velasco & mary ann v. dolor the notions of english language and research instructors on the impact of digital technologies on the research writing process of their college students the findings of this study seem to imply, a huge measure of ict capable tools are a need that must not be overlooked in the college library. presently, there are only five (5) computer units in the library (main campus) that serve approximately two thousand (2,000) students. this computer-to-student ratio is rather distressing. a majority of survey respondents described their students as very good when it comes to understanding how online search results are generated and in their ability to use appropriate and effective search terms and queries. these likely reflect the participants’ assessment of how well they have attained their instructional objectives in terms of these two skills. it is possible that the skills of doing online search, as well as using effective search queries are areas of instruction that were given emphasis by the participants and which reaped the positive approval ratings. table 6 presents the results. table 6. students ability to do on-line research ability ex ce lle nt % v er y g oo d % g oo d % fa ir % po or % o ve ral l r at in g understanding online results generation 5 8 37 57 11 6 10 15 2 3 vg using to use effective terms and queries 5 8 40 62 6 9 8 12 6 9 vg assessing quality and accuracy of information 3 5 6 9 42 65 8 12 6 9 g recognizing bias in online content 5 8 6 9 30 46 12 18 6 9 g using multiple sources to support argument 4 6 4 6 38 58 14 22 5 8 g the survey inquired into which research skills in particular, do participants consider critical for their college students to learn. though the survey constrained the choices to five, wherein participants gave mostly good and very good ratings to students, the fgd was able to extract from the participants an extended discussion on this particular topic. the participants were in agreement that for students to do online research, it requires ‘knowing how to do online research’, that is, knowing how to effectively use terms and queries in the search field area. one participant shared her experience when she was in the computer lab and she saw one of her students typed in whole sentences in the search area. she said, “it saddens me to see that student grappling with technology at his fingertips. it was supposed to make life easy for him, instead, it made it a little complicated.” accordingly, this has prompted her to teach her students the skills of finding information in the internet by efficiently using search tools and advance search, to which, most participants favorably agreed. they were also mostly unanimous in saying that the skill in recognizing bias in online content is quite difficult to teach, given that students are always procrastinating and would not be very discriminating with content because of constraints in time. “with technology, comes great responsibility”, quipped one participant 96 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee which elicited laughter from the group as this line is an allusion to the spiderman movie. this statement however bears much truth when the findings from the survey came out. risks and benefits indeed are equally present when using digital technologies in the research according to the participants. table 7 shows the responses on the impact of digital technologies to students’ research writing. table 7. impact of digital technologies to students’ research writing from among the benefits that merit the highest percentage (strongly agree) that has impact to students is availability of resources (77%), second is that students find within their reach quick and easy to find information (69%). 65% somewhat agree that it fostered self-sufficiency among their students. for the risks, participants say that online information can be overwhelming (66%) to students. they somewhat agree that digital technologies discouraged the use of other sources (69%) and made it harder for students to find and use credible sources (52%). overall, the survey and focus group findings suggest that instructors view the impact of the internet and digital technologies on the research process of their students positively. to the participants, the impact of the internet and digital tools on student research habits and skills is diverse. the focus groups afforded the instructors an opportunity to talk in more depth about the impacts they see the internet having on their students’ research practices and among the benefits of these technologies, focus group participants noted how the internet provides students with greater breadth and volume of information than ever before. they held the belief that not only is more information more available now, but it is also available in many different formats. they said that this can benefit those students with different learning styles and even cognitive abilities. one instructor enthusiastically shared, “i just love the way they creatively include visuals to accompany their research! it implies that they are motivated to do the research assignment given to them.” when asked about what the instructors think the most positive impact st ro ng ly a gr ee % so m ew ha t a gr ee % u ns ur e % so m ew ha t d is ag re e % st ro ng ly d is ag re e % o ve ral l r at in g overwhelming 43 66 19 29 3 5 0 0 0 0 sa quick and easy information 45 69 20 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 sa availability of resources 50 77 12 18 3 5 0 0 0 0 sa self sufficiency 15 23 42 65 6 4 4 6 0 0 swa discouraged use of other sources 12 18 45 69 1 2 4 6 3 5 swa harder to find and use credible sources 14 22 34 52 6 9 5 8 6 9 swa 97 yvonne p. velasco & mary ann v. dolor the notions of english language and research instructors on the impact of digital technologies on the research writing process of their college students impact digital technologies bring to the research endeavours of their students are, elicited varied responses. the coded responses relate to openness and accessibility of online information. they venture that students have quick access to some of the best available research online. others expressed a sentiment that, “it’s a pity psc’s library does not subscribe to online databases that could help a lot in our students’ research undertaking.” although this was countered by another when she mentioned that the internet also makes available to students quick access to online pornography. another instructor commented, “the internet makes doing research for the students easier yet, because of the relative ease it affords them, it has led to procrastination and poor quality outputs.” according to them, the use of search engines beats researching using books, journals, etc, which is more tedious and more time-consuming for students. the most negative aspect on the use of digital drew responses mainly concerning the ease by which students copy and paste information online. likewise, concerns were raised about students’ ability to judge the quality of online information. one participant mentioned that because of easy access to information, plagiarism has increased, “..and of course, there is online pornography which is an issue every school and home should address. the availability of firewalls should be disseminated to those parents who are not so well-versed about technology.” furthermore, the participants mentioned that prior generations’ research practices were time-consuming and that the learners of the digital age are fortunate to have the internet come to their aid in doing research. while doing research in the past entails seeking out relevant and accurate information from reliable sources, the students of today only need to ‘google’ the information. it is thus apparent that digital technologies has helped shape the way college students do research. by psc’s mandate of adopting ict integration in the classrooms, comes this rather timely and opportune moment because the students, through the eyes of the english and research instructors seem ready to adopt to this changing landscape of education. in this study, the tpck model was adopted by probing into teachers’ perceptions to find out if there is an understanding of the interrelationship among the three types of knowledge that the tpck model advances: what pedagogy is suitable for which content, how technology and content are related and how pedagogical strategies can be applied to the use of technology (mishra & koehler, 2006). a clear picture of this understanding was initially gathered by getting the teachers’ perceptions and it is discovered that indeed, ict integration to the participants, is a reality that they must face. there is an utter lack of defining line whether teachers do realize that technology and content are related and, most importantly, with some admissions coming out during the fgd, that participants need further training for them to optimize the use of technology in the teaching learning process. conclusion the survey and the fgd gave a glimpse of how english and research instructors view the impact of digital technologies on the research writing of their students. it was generally viewed as positive, but there are also negative aspects perceived that teaching in digital spaces wrought. teachers view that students are now in a position to do research tasks with an unlimited supply of information in their fingertips. this 98 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee boon to their research making is however seen as a bane too, in the sense that the unlimited supply of information can become overwhelming. students need to be taught how to filter through vast amounts of information so that they are able to discriminate reliable and credible sources. though ict integration is recognized by most institutions, there is no one-best-way or trajectory for elearning development at tertiary education institutions, and, it might prove more difficult to provide the social, organizational and legal changes in tertiary education than provide the technological infrastructures necessary to fully embrace the advantages of elearning (david, 2004). it is therefore quite necessary to include what the implementers (teachers) of ict integration have to say and expose them to technology in multiple contexts in the earliest conceptions of the ict initiatives of the school. furthermore, there is a need for them to develop the kind of familiarity with digital technologies that foster confidence necessary to their willingness to use digital technologies in teaching. indeed, according to vasu and atkins (2000), integration will succeed only if teachers are adequately trained to use the technology and if they also have adequate access to technology both at work and at home. references balanskat, a., blamire, r., & kefala, s. (2006). the ict impact report: a review of studies of ict impact on schools in europe. european schoolnet. civil engineering board examinations. (2013). (retrieved on august 14, 2013 from www.chmsc.com.ph) david, p. a (2004), toward a cyber infrastructure from enhanced scientific. internet institute. deaney, r., ruthven, k., & hennessy, s. (2005). teachers’ developing practical theories of the contribution of information and communication technologies to subject teaching and learning: an analysis of cases from english secondary schools. british educational research journal, 32(3), pp. 459-480. fleener, m. j. (2002). curriculum dynamics: recreating heart. new york: peter lang. gee, j. p. (2003). what video games have to teach us about learning and literacy, new york: palgrave macmillan. hadley, n., eisenwine, m. j., hakes, j. a., & hines, c. (2002). technology infusion in the curriculum: thinking outside the box. curriculum and teaching dialogue 4(1), pp. 5-13. liu, s-h. (2010). factors related to pedagogical beliefs of teachers and technology integration. computers & education (5)6, pp. 1012-1022. mackenzie, j. (1999). how teachers learn technology best. bellingham wa: fno press. mccannon, m., & crews, t. b. (2000). assessing the technology training needs of elementary school teachers. journal of technology and teacher education, (8)2, pp. 111-121. mishra, p. & koehler, m.j. (2006). technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpck): confronting the wicked problems of teaching with technology. in r. carlsen et al. (eds.), proceedings of society for information technology & teacher education international conference 2007. chesapeake, va: aace. padgett, d.l. & conceicao-runlee, s. (2000). designing a faculty development program on technology: if you build it, will they come? journal of social work education, 36(2), pp. 325-333. pinar, w. f., & irwin, r. l. (eds.). (2005). curriculum in a new key: the collected works of ted aoki. mahwah, nj: lawrence erlbaum. roblyer, m.d & edwards, j. (2000). integrating educational technology into 99 yvonne p. velasco & mary ann v. dolor the notions of english language and research instructors on the impact of digital technologies on the research writing process of their college students teaching. upper saddle river, new jersey: prentice – hall. schellens, t., & valcke, m. (2006). fostering knowledge construction in university students through asynchronous discussion groups. computers and education, 46, pp. 349–370. shulman, l. (1986). those who understand: knowledge growth in teaching. educational researcher, (15)2, pp. 4-14. smerdon, b., & cronen, s. (2000). teachers' tools for the 21st century: a report on teachers' use of technology. retrieved august 10, 2013 from http://nces.ed.gov strauss, a. & corbin, j. (1990). basics of qualitative research: grounded theory procedures and techniques. california: sage publications, inc. suther swan, k., bowman, j.e., jr., holmes, a., vargas, j.d., & richardson, j. (2000). technology, professional development, and the culture of the schools. paper presented at the annual meeting of the american educational research association, new orleans. swan, k., holmes, a., vargas, j., jennings, s., meier, e., & rubenfeld, l., (2002). situated professional development and technology integration: the catie mentoring program. journal of technology and teacher education, 10(2), pp. 169-190. sutherland, v. armstrong, s. barnes, r. brawn, & n. breeze, (2004).transforming teaching and learning: embedding ict into everyday classroom practices. journal of computer assisted learning, 20(6), [retrieved on august 13, 2013 from http://www.tlrp.org/pub/documents /sutherland_rb_19.pdf] unesco. (2006). ict in education. (retrieved august 12th, 2013 from http:// portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php) unesco. (2002). ict in education. (retrieved august 13rd, 2013 from http:// portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php) vasu, e. & atkins, n. (2000). measuring knowledge of technology usage and stages of concern about computing: a study of middle school teachers. journal of technology and teacher education, 8(4), pp. 279-302. wenglinsky, h. (2000). how teaching matters: bringing the classroom back into discussions of teacher quality. (policy information center report from the milken family foundation and educational testing service) princeton, n.j.: milken foundation. willis, g. (1991). phenomenological inquiry: life-world perceptions. in e. c. short (ed.), forms of curriculum inquiry. albany: state university of new york press. 100 http://nces.ed.gov/ http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(issn)1365-2729 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(issn)1365-2729 http://www.tlrp.org/pub/documents/sutherland_rb_19.pdf http://www.tlrp.org/pub/documents/sutherland_rb_19.pdf person deixis in usa presidential nanda anggarani putri & eri kurniawan person deixis in usapresidential campaign speeches person deixis in usa presidential campaign speeches nanda anggarani putri study program of english language and literature, faculty of language and literature education, indonesia university of education, indonesia e-mail: nanda.anggarani@student.upi.edu eri kurniawan department of english education, faculty of language and literature education, indonesia university of education, indonesia email: eri_kurniawan@upi.edu apa citation: putri, n.a. & kurniawan, e. (2015). person deixis in usa presidential campaign speeches. english review: journal of english education, 3(2), 190-200 received: 10-08-2014 accepted: 03-02-2015 published: 01-06-2015 abstract: this study investigates the use of person deixis in presidential campaign speeches. this study is important because the use of person deixis in political speeches has been proved by many studies to give significant effects to the audience. the study largely employs a descriptive qualitative method. however, it also employs a simple quantitative method in calculating the number of personal pronouns used in the speeches and their percentages. the data for the study were collected from the transcriptions of six presidential campaign speeches of barack obama and mitt romney during the campaign rally in various places across the united states of america in july, september, and november 2012. the results of this study show that the presidential candidates make the best use of pronouns as a way to promote themselves and to attack their opponents. the results also suggest that the use of pronouns in the speeches enables the candidates to construct positive identity and reality, which are favorable to them and make them appear more eligible for the position. keywords: person deixis, presidential campaign speeches, barack obama, mitt romney introduction during the election year in a country, especially during the time to elect a new president of the country, the candidates for the presidential election will try to campaign in order to introduce as well as to promote themselves to the public. many ways can be used to do political or election campaign, one of them is through political campaign speeches. political campaign speeches can be an effective tool to achieve particular goals in an election. in addition, political campaign speeches can also be a way for bridging the gap between the speaker, or in this case the presidential candidates, and the audience or the electorate. furthermore, political campaign speeches can also be used to create particular effects, shared feelings, or connections between the speaker and the audience. the main aim of political campaign speeches is to persuade people to vote for a particular party or a presidential candidate (beard, 2000, p. 57). to achieve this goal, a politician or a presidential candidate usually tries to create a positive self-image by presenting himself positively and his opponents negatively (allen, 2007, p. 2). besides, the way the politician or the candidate refers to the audience can also be a very effective tool english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee to achieve this goal (pearce, 2001, cited in allen, 2007, p. 2). related to this, a variety of ways can be used by the politician in order to present his identities by referring to himself, his opponents, and his audience. one of the ways is by carefully choosing person deixis that the politician or the candidate will use in their political campaign speeches. in political campaign speeches, person deixis plays a very important role. it can be used to represent the speaker’s identity through the way the speaker refers to himself, his opponent, and his audience. furthermore, person deixis can also be used to assign any positive aspect to oneself and negative aspect to the other which results in “positive selfpresentation and negative otherpresentation” or “the polarization of us versus them” (van dijk, 1995). therefore, person deixis can be a significant part of the speech and can have persuasive as well as strategic political functions. among the researchers who investigated the use of person deixis in political discourse are allen (2007), brozin (2010), gocheco (2012), inigomora (2013), and jarjeis (2006). they have found that politicians manipulate their use of person deixis or pronominal choice based on the context and the topic of their speeches, as well as their intentions or goals that they want to achieve through their speeches. the politicians manipulate the use of pronouns to create good effects on the audience, such as to highlight their achievements, to shorten the distance with the audience, to deny or distance themselves from the responsibility for particular political action, and to encourage solidarity. in understanding utterances, it is important to see the relationship between the language used and the context in which the utterances occur. by looking at the language used and the context in which utterances occur, people can understand the meaning of a particular utterance when they are communicating with each other. one of the examples which reflects the relationship between language and context is through the phenomenon of deixis. the term ‘deixis’ comes from the greek word deiktikoswhich means ‘pointing’ or ‘indicating’. deixis is one of the most basic things that people do with their utterances (yule, 1996). richards & schmidt (2002) defines deixis as a term for a word or phrase that enables language users to ‘point’, refer or relate their utterance to a particular time, place, or person (p. 147). in the same vein, finnegan (1992) defines deixis as “the marking of the orientation or position of objects and events with respect to certain contextual points of reference” (p. 140). according to those definitions, deixis may be understood as any linguistic form that enables language users to point, refer, relate, or anchor their utterances to a particular time, place, or person. according to grundy (2008), there are three fundamental criteria of deixis that are an essential part of every context of people experience: person, place, and time deixis. person deixis may be understood as any linguistic forms that can be used to identify the participants or other persons involved or mentioned in an interactive situation (strazny, 2005, p. 260). place deixis indicates the location of an entity referred to in an utterance relative to a particular point of reference in the context in which that utterance occurs. time deixis may be understood as “the orientation or position of actions and events in time” (finnegan, 1992, p. 144). the main focus of this study is person deixis. therefore, person deixis will be further elaborated in the following section. nanda anggarani putri & eri kurniawan person deixis in usapresidential campaign speeches person deixis is most commonly conveyed through personal pronoun. the most basic distinction in person deixis involves the distinction between the speaker, known as the first person (i), the addressee, known as the second person (you), and other important participants in the speech situation, neither the speaker nor the hearer, known as the third person (he, she, it, they) (cruse, 2000; yule, 1996). pronouns that refer to the speaker or to a group of people that includes the speaker, for example i and we, are called first person pronoun. meanwhile, pronouns that refer to the addressee or to a group of people that includes the addressee, for example you, are called second person pronoun. pronouns which refer to an entity other than the speaker and the addressee, for example pronoun he, she, it, and they, are called third person pronoun. first person plural pronoun which is represented by pronoun we often times has vague meaning. that’s why, most researchers and linguists made a distinction between exclusive we and inclusive we (see o'keeffe, clancy, & adolphs, 2011; yule, 1996). exclusive we is a first person pronoun which does not include the person being spoken or written to (richards & schmidt, 2002, p. 190). in contrast, inclusive we is used to refer to the first person plural pronoun which includes the persons who are being addressed (richards & schmidt, 2002, p. 190). the present study aims to investigate the use of person deixis in the presidential campaign speeches of two presidential candidates for 2012 u.s. presidential election: barack obama and mitt romney. method the study employs a descriptive qualitative method because the nature of this study is to unearth how person deixis is used in presidential campaign speeches and what indications or effects it has on the audience. however, this study also incorporates a simple quantitative method to calculate the number of each type of person deixis and its percentages. the data for the study were collected from the transcription of six presidential campaign speeches of barack obama and mitt romney during the campaign rally in various places across the united states of america in july, september, and november 2012. there are three speeches for each candidate. the full texts or the transcriptions of the speeches were downloaded from the website of the american presidency project, http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu. table 1 below shows the list of the speeches which were investigated in this study: table 1 the list of the speeches presidential candidate title of the speech date label barack obama remarks at a campaign rally in sandusky, ohio july 5, 2012 speech 1a remarks at a campaign rally in boulder, colorado september 2, 2012 speech 2a remarks at a campaign rally in lima, ohio november 2, 2012 speech 3a mitt romney remarks at the naacp convention in houston texas july 11, 2012 speech 1b remarks to the u.s. hispanic chamber of commerce 33rd annual convention in los angeles, california september 17, 2012 speech 2b remarks inwestallis,wisconsin: “realchangefromday one” november 2, 2012 speech 3b english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee obama and romney did their campaign rally simultaneously in july until november 2012. those three speeches are chosen as the samples in this study representing the beginning, middle, and the end of the campaign rally. those three speeches chosen as the samples are the first speeches which were delivered in each month during the campaign rally. the data are in the form of person deixis found in the speeches conveyed through the use of pronouns referring to obama, romney, and their respective parties. pronouns that were analyzed in this study are only pronouns indicating the subject of a sentence. the collected data are then calculated using some elements of quantitative methodology. the calculation includes the numbers of each person deixis and its percentages. then, each occurrence of person deixis is analyzed in order to see the indications behind its use by the presidential candidates. results anddiscussion person deixis in obama’s speeches table 2 below shows the frequency and the percentage of each type of person deixis found in obama’s presidential campaign speeches. table 2. the frequency and percentage of each type of person deixis found in obama’s speeches pronoun speech 1 speech 2 speech 3 total i 97 (55.75%) 66 (35.3%) 70 (44.3%) 233 we 73 (41.95%) 89 (47.6%) 77 (48.7%) 239 they 4 (2.3%) 20 (10.7%) 5 (3.2%) 29 he 0 12 (6.4%) 6 (3.8%) 18 total 174 (100%) 187 (100%) 158 (100%) 519 from the table, it is shown that obama mostly uses pronoun we in his speeches even though the frequency of the use of pronoun we is just slightly higher from the frequency of the use of pronoun i. based on this fact, it may be inferred that obama uses pronoun i and we in a quite balanced way. obama uses pronoun i and we to refer to himself, his family, his party, his campaign team, his administration during his first term as the president of the united states of america, the audience, and the whole nation of the united states of america. on the other hand, obama uses pronoun they and he to refer to his opponent, mitt romney, and his party. pronoun imostly collocates with the verb want in obama’s speeches. in general, obama uses pronoun i to show his desires to make the country better as the presidential candidate in the election. obama tries to persuade the audience or the public that he is eligible to be the president for the second term by showing his sincerity which is implied in the statement of his desires. here are some examples of the use of pronoun i that indicates such meaning. 1. it's the reason that i'm running again for president, because i want to keep on fighting for families all across america .... (speech 1a, line 67-69) 2. i'm running because i want to make sure that every child gets a high-quality education, and that means i want to hire new teachers in our classrooms, especially in math and science. (speech 1a, line 124-125) 3. and i want to give 2 million more people the opportunity to get trained at a community college for jobs .... (speech 1a, line 125-127) 4. and i want to make college more affordable for every young person .... (speech 1a, line 127-129) nanda anggarani putri & eri kurniawan person deixis in usapresidential campaign speeches 5. that's why i want to cut the growth of tuition in half over the next 10 years. (speech 3a, line 125) 6. that's why i want to recruit 100,000 math and science teachers so our kids don't fall behind the rest of the world. (speech 3a, line 125-126) 7. i want to train 2 million americans at our community colleges with the skills that businesses are looking for right now. (speech 3a, line 126-128) meanwhile, the domination of the use of pronoun we shows that obama uses pronoun we with either exclusive or inclusive sense. obama uses exclusive we, which refers to himself and his administration during his first term as the president of the united states of america, in order to show that he and his administration have done the good deeds in the last four years. by employing exclusive we, obama wants to highlight his achievements in his first term as the president. it can be seen from the examples below. 1. i'm running because the health care law that we passed was the right thing to do. (speech 1a, line 146) 2. and you know what,we fought so hard to make that happen, and now the supreme court has ruled. (speech 1a, line 152) 3. we know families aren't going to be better off if we undo wall street reform thatwe fought so hard to pass, and that can prevent another financial crisis. (speech 2a, line 59-60) 4. governor romney wants to end the tax credit thatwe created to help families save up to $10,000 over 4 years on their college tuition. (speech 2a, line 116117) 5. we fought to pass that law for families like ryan's. (speech 2a, line 146) however, such use of exclusive we as seen in the examples above may also indicate that obama wants to share the responsibility of the actions that have been done with his administration during his first term as the president. the use of exclusive we that implies such meaning is mostly found when obama talks about some actions regarding the health care law and the tax law. obama uses pronoun we instead of pronoun i when talking about those things because he wants to state that the decisions regarding the health care and the tax were based on a consensus in his administration. he does not want to take the blame by himself if there is anything wrong with these issues because these issues are the issues that have been the debate between obama and romney. in addition, these issues are always being the main topics in the speeches of obama and romney during the campaign rally, and romney often uses these issues to attack obama in his speeches. meanwhile, obama uses pronoun we with inclusive meaning when he wants to refer to and include the audience and the americans in general in his speeches. in the inclusive sense, pronoun we is mostly used to indicate that there are many things, problems or challenges that should be done and solved, and that the americans can do, solve or achieve these things if they work together. in this sense, obama wants to act as the spokesman of america and wants to unite the people to achieve their shared goals. besides, he also wants to convince the audience that if he is elected president, he and the audience can work together to make the country better. here are some examples of the use of inclusive we in obama’s speeches. 1. but for all the progress we've made, we've still got a long way to go. (speech 1a, line 81) 2. but we've got to start working on it right now. (speech 1a, line 87) english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 3. we've got to move on that right now. (speech 1a, line 87-88) 4. that's the challengewe face. (speech 1a, line 88) 5. …, there are some thingswe have to do together. (speech 1a, line 122) 6. we could rebuild our roads, our bridges, our schools, renovate our buildings so that they're more energy efficient, …… (speech 1a, line 137-139) 7. we've got more good jobs to create. (speech 2a, line 207) 8. we've got more homegrown energy to generate. (speech 2a, line 207-208) in his speeches obama also talks about his opponent in the 2012 presidential election, mitt romney. obama uses pronoun they and he to refer to romney and his party. obama employs pronoun they and he to attribute negative things to romney and his party. here are some examples of the use of pronoun they and he found in obama’s speeches. 1. they have tried to sell us this tired, trickle-down, you're-on-your-own snake oil before. (speech 2a, line 65-66) 2. they spent millions to try to stop us from reforming health care, …. (speech 3a, line 176) 3. they engineered a strategy of gridlock in congress, refusing to compromise even on ideas that they used to support. (speech 3a, line 178-179) 4. governor romney promised that on his first day of office, he's going to sit right down and grab a pen and end obamacare. (speech 2a, line 140-141) 5. now, what that means is right away, he'd kick nearly 7 million young people off their parent's plan. (speech 2a, line 143-144)) 6. he'd take hope away from tens of millions of americans with preexisting conditions by repealing reform. (speech 2a, line 144-145) 7. yes, he hasn't offered a plan for the 33,000 troops who will have come home from this war by the end of this month. (speech 2a, line 168-169) overall, the analysis of person deixis in obama’s speeches has found that pronoun we is the pronoun which is mostly used even though there is only a slight difference in the frequency of the use of pronoun we and i. obama consistently uses pronoun i, we, they and he throughout all of his speeches in order to show his sincerity by explaining his desires or his future plans if he is elected president, and to attribute positive things to himself and his administration during his first term as well as to attribute negative things to his opponent, romney and his party. person deixis in romney’s speeches table 3 below shows the frequency and the percentage of each type of person deixis found in romney’s presidential campaign speeches. table 3. the frequency and percentage of each type of person deixis found in romney’s speeches pronoun speech 1 speech 2 speech 3 total i 71 (74.7%) 69 (57%) 64 (42.4%) 204 we 19 (20%) 41 (33.9%) 40 (26.5%) 100 they 0 0 1 (0.7%) 1 he 5 (5.3%) 11 (9.1%) 46 (30.4%) 62 total 95 (100%) 121 (100%) 151 (100%) 367 from the table, it can be seen that pronoun i is the pronoun which is mostly used in romney’s presidential campaign speeches with 204 occurrences. unlike the slight difference in the frequency of the use of pronoun i and we nanda anggarani putri & eri kurniawan person deixis in usapresidential campaign speeches in obama’s speeches, the frequency of the use of pronoun i and we in romney’s speeches shows a significant difference. there are 100 occurrences of pronoun i in the speeches or only a half of the frequency of pronoun we. romney uses pronoun i and we to refer to himself, his campaign team, his administration when he was governor of massachusetts, the audience, and the whole nation of the united states of america. in addition, romney also uses pronoun he to refer to his opponent, barack obama. there are 62 occurrences of pronoun hewhich refers to obama found in the speeches. there is also one occurrence of pronoun theywhich is also used to refer to obama and his party. romney uses pronoun i with two main purposes. first, romney wants to show what he has done when he was governor of massachusetts. he wants to attribute positive things to himself by showing that he has done plenty of good deeds when he was governor. besides, he also wants to highlight his achievements when he was governor in his speeches. by doing so, it may be understood that romney wants to brag that it is he who has done plenty of good deeds and therefore he wants to emphasize that he will do the same things if he is elected president, and this is related to the second purpose of the use of pronoun i which will be explained later. the examples below show the use of pronoun iwhich is used to indicate the good deeds romney has done when he was governor. 1. i promoted math and science excellence in schools, and proposed paying bonuses to our best teachers. (speech 1b, line 130-131) 2. …— i added a science requirement as well. (speech 1b, line 133) 3. and i put in place a merit scholarship for those students who excelled: … (speech 1b, line 133-134) 4. as governor, i vetoed the bill blocking charter schools. (speech 1b, line 149150) 5. so i joined with the black legislative caucus, and their votes helped preserve my veto, … (speech 1b,, line 151-152) 6. i helped put an olympics back on track. (speech 3b, line 45) 7. i helped turn my state from deficit to surplus, from job losses to job growth, and from higher taxes to higher takehome pay. (speech 3b, line 46-47) 8. accomplishing real change is not something i just talk about--it is something i have done. (speech 3b, line 49-50) second, romney uses pronoun i to reveal his future plans if he is elected president. romney states that he will do the same things as he did when he was governor if he is elected president. in this sense, romney often uses sentences with the pattern if i am elected president…, as president…, and when i am elected…. the examples below show the use of pronoun i to indicate such meaning. 1. as president, i will promote strong families — and i will defend traditional marriage. (speech 1b, line 80) 2. as president, i will show the good things that can happen when we have more — … (speech 1b, line 89-90) 3. on day one, i will begin turning this economy around with a plan for the middle class. (speech 1b, line 92) 4. should i be elected president, i'll lead as i did when i was governor. (speech 4, line 163) 5. from day one, i will go to work to help americans get back to work. (speech 3b, line 57) 6. on day one, i will act to increase the number of leases and permits to drill on federal lands. (speech 3b, line 59-60) english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 7. when i am elected, i will work with republicans and democrats in congress. (speech 3b, line 89) just like obama, romney also uses pronoun we with either exclusive or inclusive sense. romney uses pronoun we exclusively to refer to himself and his administration when he was a governor of massachusetts. romney uses exclusive we to highlight the achievements when he was governor. here it can be seen that pronoun we is, again, used to attribute positive things or qualities to the presidential candidate. here are some examples of the use of exclusive we found in romney’s speeches. 1. when i was governor, not only did test scores improve —we also narrowed the achievement gap. (speech 1b, line 137) 2. a significant achievement gap between students of different races remained. so we set out to close it. (speech 1b, line 128-129) 3. we balanced our budget in my business and at the olympics and every year i was in my state. (speech 2b, line 88-89) besides to refer to himself and his administration when he was governor, romney also uses pronoun we exclusively to refer to his campaign team. in this sense, romney uses pronoun we to ask the audience to stay with him and his campaign team, and to trust them in this campaign. here are some examples of the use of exclusive wewhich refers to romney and his campaign team. 1. we have to make our case to every voter. (speech 1b, line 11-12) 2. we don't count anybody out, and we sure don't make a habit of presuming anyone's support. (speech 1b, line 12) 3. we are so very grateful to you and to people across the country, for all that you have given of yourselves to this campaign. (speech 3b, line 8-9) 4. we thank you, andwe ask you to stay at it all the way — all the way to victory on tuesday night. (speech 3b, line 1011) 5. we ask you to look beyond the speeches and the attacks and the ads. (speech 3b, line 16) in contrast, romney uses inclusive we to refer to himself, the audience, and the whole nation of america. romney uses inclusive we to encourage the audience that together they can make the country better. the examples below show the use of pronoun we to indicate this meaning. 1. let me note, ifwe do those five things, if we take advantage of our energy resources in full andwe fix our schools andwe open more trade andwe cut the deficit andwe truly champion small business, our economy is going to come roaring back. (speech 2b, line 142-144) 2. we can do better than this lackluster economy. (speech 2b, line 144) 3. we can create 12 million jobs and rising takehome pay again. (speech 2b, line 144-145) 4. together,we will put the nation on track to a balanced budget, .... (speech 3b, line 91-93) 5. we can do anything. (speech 3b, line 142) 6. four more days andwe can get to work rebuilding our country,.... (speech 3b, line 153-154) romney also refers to his opponent, barack obama, in his speeches by using pronoun he. when using pronoun he, romney attributes negative things or aspects to his opponent, obama. romney associates pronoun he that refers to obama with some negative things, such as the ‘bad’ things obama did and the promises that obama could not fulfill during his first term as the president. the use of pronoun he to attribute negative things to obama is mostly found in the third sample of the speech of mitt romney which was delivered in nanda anggarani putri & eri kurniawan person deixis in usapresidential campaign speeches november 2, 2012. it may be understood as one of the ways for romney to attack his opponent and to convince the audience to vote for him since the speech was delivered just four days away from the election. here are some examples of the use of pronoun he which is used to serve this purpose. 1. he said he was going to cut the federal deficit by half; then he doubled it. (speech 3b, line 23) 2. he did not; rather, he raided $716 billion from medicare for his vaunted obamacare. (speech 3b, line 27-28) 3. he has not met on the economy, or on the budget, or on jobs, with either the republican leader of the house or the senate since july. (speech 3b, line 3132) 4. instead of bridging the divide, he has made it wider. (speech 3b, line 33) 5. in part, it is because he has never led, never worked across the aisle, never truly understood how jobs are created in the economy. (speech 3b, line 34-35) 6. he will send billions more dollars to his favorite solar and wind companies. (speech 3b, line 95) 7. he's offering excuses, i've got a plan. (speech 3b, line 148) the analysis of person deixis in romney’s speeches has shown that romney mostly uses pronoun i in his speeches. romney uses pronoun i to attribute positive things by highlighting the good deeds and achievements that he has done when he was governor of massachusetts. he also uses pronoun we as a way to attribute positive things to himself and his administration when he was governor. romney also makes the best use of pronoun they and he as a way to attack his opponent and to attribute negative things to him. comparison of obama’s and romney’s speeches from the analysis of person deixis in the speeches of obama and romney, it can be seen that the most noticeable difference lies on the type of person deixis which is mostly used in the speeches. obama mostly uses pronoun we, while romney mostly uses pronoun i. this is related to the different ways of highlighting their achievements and revealing their plans to the audience. in highlighting his achievements, obama uses exclusive we which refers to obama and his administration during his first term as the president. he does not claim that the achievements and the good deeds that have been done are the results of his works alone. he attributes the good and positive things not only to himself but also to his administration in his first term. this also indicates that obama strategically uses pronoun we in order to spread the responsibility of the works that have been done. he wants to share the responsibility if something goes wrong with the decisions or the works that have been done with his administration. in revealing his plans, obama mostly uses inclusive we which includes the audience and the whole nation of america. he wants to encourage the audience to work with him to make the country better. this use of inclusive we may make the audience feel that they can contribute to making their country a better place. it may also make the audience feel that obama appreciates their contribution to make the country better. therefore, obama may get more respect and sympathy from the audience and the whole nation of america, and this may contribute to obama’s victory in the election. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee in contrast, romney mostly uses pronoun i to highlight the achievements that he has done when he was governor of massachusetts. romney wants to claim the achievements as the results of his works alone. he also wants to attributes positive things only for himself. in addition, romney also uses pronoun i to reveal his future plans if he is elected president. in this sense, romney uses pronoun i to state that he will work to make the country better if he is elected president. it makes him appear as if he did not need the help of the audience or the whole nation to make the country better. the domination of the use of pronoun i in romney’s speeches makes romney appear as an egotistic politician, who only thinks about himself. conclusion this study has shown that the presidential candidates make the best use of pronouns as a way to promote themselves and to attack their opponents. this study also shows how pronouns enable the candidates to construct positive identity and reality favorable to them and make them appear more eligible for the position. in addition, the use of person deixis can also be used to reveal the candidates’ attitude towards particular issues. furthermore, the way the candidates shift the use of pronouns according to the context in which they are used may serve as a way to appeal to various audiences and helps their ability to persuade the audience to vote for them. references allen, w. (2007). australian political discourse: pronominal choice in campaign speeches. in m. l. mushin. (ed.), conference of the australian linguistic society., (pp. 1-13). beard, a. (2000). the language of politics. london, england: routledge. brozin, m. (2010). the intentions behind barack obama's strategic use of personal pronouns. cruse, a. (2000).meaning in language: an introduction to semantics and pragmatics. oxford, england: oxford university press. finnegan, e. a. (1992). language: its structure and use, australian edition. australia: hartcourt brace jovanovich. gerhard, p., & woolley, j. t. (2012, september 2). barack obama: "remarks at a campaign rally in boulder, colorado". retrieved january 20, 2014, from the american presidency project: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/? pid=102004. gerhard, p., & woolley, j. t. (2012, november 2). barack obama: "remarks at a campaign rally in lima, ohio". retrieved january 20, 2014, from the american presidency project: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/? pid=102593. gerhard, p., & woolley, j. t. (2012, july 5). barack obama: "remarks at a campaign rally in sandusky, ohio". retrieved january 20, 2014, from the american presidency project: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/? pid=101323. gerhard, p., & woolley, j. t. (2012, july 11). mitt romney: "remarks at the naacp convention in houston, texas". retrieved january 20, 2014, from the american presidency project: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/? pid=101443. gerhard, p., & woolley, j. t. (2012, november 2).mitt romney: "remarks in west allis, wisconsin: "real change from day one". retrieved january 20, 2014, from the american presidency project: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/? pid=103104. gerhard, p., & woolley, j. t. (2012, september 17).mitt romney: "remarks to the u.s. hispanic chamber of commerce 33rd annual convention in los angeles, nanda anggarani putri & eri kurniawan person deixis in usapresidential campaign speeches california". retrieved january 20, 2014, from the american presidency project: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/? pid=102451. gocheco, p. m. (2012). pronominal choice: a reflection of culture and persuasion in philippine political campaign discourse. philippine esl journal, 4-25. grundy, p. (2008). doing pragmatics. london, england: hodder education. inigo-mora, i. (2013). pronominal choice as an interpersonal strategy. american international journal of contemporary research, 22-37. jarjeis, s. m. (2006). the distribution of pronominal selection of political speeches: pragmatic implications . college of basic education researchers journal, 254-282. o'keeffe, a., clancy, b., & adolphs, s. (2011). introducing pragmatics in use. london, england: routledge. richards, j. c., & schmidt, r. (2002). dictionary of language teaching & applied linguistics (3rd ed.). london, england: pearson education. strazny, p. (2005). encyclopedia of linguistics (vol. i). new york, ny: fitzroy dearborn. van dijk, t. a. (1995). what is political discourse analysis? in j. blommaert, & c. bulcaen (eds.), political linguistics (pp. 11-52). amsterdam, netherlands: benjamins. yule, g. (1996). pragmatics. oxford, england: oxford university press. 49 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee noticing: a factor to improve iranian preintermediate efl learners’ structural accuracy faezeh nemati department of english, garmsar branch, islamic azad university (iau), daneshjo street, garmsar, iran email: f aezeh4006@yahoo.com hamid ashraf department of english, torbat-e-heydarieh branch, islamic azad university (iau), torbat-e-heydarieh, iran email: hamid_ashraf_elt@yahoo.com; & hamid.ashraf.elt@gmail.com apa citation: nemati, f. & ashraf, h. (2013). noticing: a factor to improve iranian preintermediate efl learners’ structural accuracy. english review: journal of english education, 2(1), 49-56 received: 10-07-2013 accepted: 30-10-2013 published: 01-12-2013 abstract: the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of noticing, explicit focus on form on linguistic accuracy. to fulfill the purpose of the study, 44 iranian pre-intermediate efl learners of one of the language institutes were chosen by means of administering the ket homogeneity test. these learners were pretested through a structured interview to check their current accuracy level regarding the oral production of five structures. based on the results of the pretest, two matched groups, one as the control group and the other as experimental group, were formed. then, two groups were provided with tasks through listening about the target structures in the study. of course, the experimental group underwent focus on form explicitly through noticing, while the control group was not provided with it. after twenty sessions of treatment, each ninety minutes, the two groups were post tested through another structured interview. the data obtained from instruments used in the present study indicated that the instructional treatment, noticing, had a significant effect on the acquisition of the target forms. the scores of the participants demonstrated that in experimental group outperformed the control group in terms of the average accuracy gains. finally, it was concluded that explicit focus on form, noticing, can lead to higher accuracy in oral production in comparison to control group keywords: explicit focus on form, noticing, accuracy students do not get involved in the interactive and communicative process of language learning. furthermore, a language acquisition research (doughty & williams, 1998; swain, 1995, 1998, 2005), has illustrated that focusing on form, which is defined as considering the linguistic form in any communicative task, is essential in sustained promotion of language skills and proficiency. as a result, focusing on form is considered as a method of teaching grammar. this method could specifically cater for the needs introduction grammar instructions, as a controversial issue in language teaching, play an important role in promotion of communicative skills and capabilities. traditionally, grammar instructions have included a group of grammatical rules and manipulative exercises which are necessary in practicing new structures, and these set of instructions are predominantly used in all the language textbooks and classrooms (aski, 2003; wong & vanpatten, 2003), even though in these traditional approaches, faezeh nemati & hamid ashraf noticing: a factor to improve iranian pre-intermediate efl learners’ structural accuracy 50 of those language users who apply “non-standard” grammatical forms in their communicative interactions. williams and evans (1998: 139) present a definition of focus on form as “… instruction that draws learners’ attention to form in the context of meaningful communication…”. lee and valdman (2000: 12) believe that focus on form has “…the goal of accurate as well as meaningful learner production…”. while some people believe that focusing on form is in fact a return to traditional grammar teaching methods, sanz (2000: 17) argues that: focus on form does not mean we are going back to the drill and kill classroom because focus on form does not imply constant, indiscriminate grammar explanation and practice. focus on form means precisely the opposite: setting limits on what is explicitly taught”. consciousness-raising and input enhancement as scientific definitions of the process of attracting students’ attention, alongside with concepts such as awareness, detection, attention, consciousness, and noticing are among research topics in focus on form studies. doughty and williams (1998) claim that deep involvement and interactions are essential in learning processes such as carefully observing a form in the input (p. 253). schmidt (1990), in his “noticing” hypothesis, believes that for realization of a target form in l2, first the learners’ attention must be drawn to it. tomlin and villa (1994: 190) argue that “having attention oriented toward some aspects of language increases the likelihood of, but does not guarantee the activation of detection”. in this statement, “detection” is applied synonymous to “noticing”. smith (1991: 121) presents a similar point of view. he claims that focus on form, instead of a linguistic side, might have a perceptual aspect and continues:” although learners may notice the signals, the input may nevertheless be no salient to their learning mechanisms”. backman and palmer (1996) argue that the required level of interpretation is to a large extent affected by the amount of input. limited interpretation is recommended for inputs presented in limited quantities, while a more comprehensive interpretation is advised for large amounts of inputs. focus on form methodologies implicitly and explicitly tries to attract students’ attention. in implicit focus on form, “the aim is to attract learner attention and to avoid metalinguistic discussion, always minimizing any interruption to the communication of meaning” whereas in explicit focus on form, “the aim is to direct learner attention and to exploit pedagogical grammar in this regard” (doughty & williams 1998: 232). leow (2000) as cited in lee & valdman (2000: xiv) claims that “a considerable amount of sla [second language acquisition] research indicates that implicit procedures for awareness enhancement, such as input flooding (providing numerous exemplars of the feature in the input) or writing enhancement (highlighting the targeted feature by various typographical devices), prove to be less effective in accelerating acquisition and advancing language development than a variety of types of explicit approaches…” doughty and williams (1998: 236) possess an opposite view of this, and argue that:” …it is sometimes possible to aim more or less implicitly to attract the learner’s attention to linguistic features and promote the processing of these features without providing any sort of explicit guidance…” in this research, one of the techniques of focusing on form is studied, noticing. this study presented students with noticing techniques via listening exercises in which students were involved in repeated oral 51 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee processing of some target structures. such activities draw learners’ attention to grammatical structures, and force them to concentrate on form and meaning at the same time. method to accomplish the objectives of this study, homogeneity test was given to participants to prepare the necessary condition therefore all of the participants had the lack of ability to recognize the target structures in the study. 124 students participated in the first phase of this study but only 44 pre-intermediate efl learners survived after homogeneity test. there were two groups of participants in the study, one group as the experimental group, and one group as the control group. the participants were all selected from at least eight english classes of english institute located in mashhad. their initial language proficiency in english was at the pre-intermediate level. mixed genders attended this study. their mother tongue was farsi and their average age of them was between 15 and 16. to collect the required data, some instruments were employed in this study. first, the participants’ general proficiency was assessed by “ket for school” to ensure homogeneity of the groups at the beginning of study. the ket is a cambridge level one examination (council of europe level a2) which consists of four complete tests, according to the new test format implemented since march 2004. this test has three sections including reading and writing section (9 parts, 55 items, 1hour and 10 min), listening section (5parts, 15 items,30 min) and speaking section (2parts,8 to 10 min). the participants’ scores were out of 100.the reliability of test was assured by administering it to a group of similar subjects. the other criteria used in this study were two structured interviews in order to elicit the required structure from the participants, during the pre-test and post-test period. each interview took at least 10 minutes and it included 5 topics based on the grammatical context of the methods used. the rating criteria was based on the result of heaton’ writing english language tests. accuracy ratios were calculated to score the interviews (by two raters) through dividing the correct uses by the sum of the total number of incorrect and zero uses (white, 1998). it should also be reminded that the pretest scores were used to match the experimental groups and control group. this study required 44 homogeneous learners who lacked almost any familiarity with the structures. these learners were pretested through a structured interview, and then, on the basis of their pretest scores they were divided into two similar groups, one group as the experimental group, and one group as the control group. the final samples comprised at least 6 classes in the institute. it should be mentioned that the ratings of the interviews in the pretest and posttest were carried out by two raters. the correlation coefficients, calculated to determine inter-rater reliability for the ratings of the interviews, turned out to be acceptable. regarding the treatment, this study required the teachers to provide the learners with a kind of focus on form technique (noticing) that pushed the learners to use the target structures. twenty passages were developed for target structures to be presented to participants through listening, in twenty sessions. each session lasted for about 90 minutes. three other teachers, in addition to the researcher, were instructed to present the techniques and provided the necessary focus on form in the classes in which the required participants were available. in the experimental group, the participants faezeh nemati & hamid ashraf noticing: a factor to improve iranian pre-intermediate efl learners’ structural accuracy 52 were provided with noticing through listening to the passages. regarding the control group, everything was similar to that of the experimental group, except that they didn’t receive any techniques of focus on form (noticing). the members of the control group were only provided with listening to the passages. for the posttest, which was about 40 days after the pretest, the participants took the posttest through the same structured interview, which was again doublerated. it should be pointed out that the scores used for data analyses were resulted from getting the average of two scores given by the two raters, if the scores were ever different at all. results and discussion reliability of key english test for school (ket) before investigating the results of this study, the researcher considered the reliability of key english test (ket) with cronbach’s alpha formula. the researcher did this to make sure of reliability of this researcher made test. for this purpose, a group of 20 pre-intermediate learners who were similar to the main sample were given the test before it was administered to the main participating in control group and experimental group. the obtained result for this 55 items test is indicated in tables 1 and 2. table 1 case processing summary n % cases valid 20 100.0 excludeda 0 .0 total 20 100.0 a. list wise deletion based on all variables in the procedure. table 2 reliability statistics cronbach’s alpha n of items .912 55 to stimulate the reliability, sample of 20 learners were selected (table2). the result in table3 shows that (α = .912) and it can be acceptable. since the number is large enough and it is close to one, the key english test (ket) is reliable. descriptive statistics of pretest and posttest before analyzing the results on the scores of pretest and posttest, descriptive statistics are presented in tables 3 in order to summarize the table 3 oral production score at pretest & posttest control g. at pretest noticing g. at pretest control group at posttest noticing g. at posttest n valid 22 22 22 22 missing 0 0 0 0 mean 2.932 2.864 3.455 4.341 std. error of mean .1482 .1148 .1504 .1411 median 3.000 3.000 3.500 4.500 mode 3.0 3.0 3.5 4.0a std. deviation .6951 .5386 .7056 .6616 variance .483 .290 .498 .438 range 2.5 2.0 2.5 2.5 minimum 2.0 2.0 2.5 3.0 maximum 4.5 4.0 5.0 5.5 sum 64.5 63.0 76.0 95.5 53 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee available data and describe the main features of the data. according to table 3, it seems that there is no considerable difference between the means in pretest due to the closeness of the magnitudes (mcontrol= 2.932; mexperimental= 2.864). moreover, according to the amounts of their standard errors, it can be concluded that the distribution of scores is normal. the mean score of posttest in control group is 3.455 and in experimental group in noticing is 4.341; it seems that there are considerable differences between the mean scores. tests of normality of pretest to test the normality of the pretest the shapiro-wilk was used. the null-hypothesis of the test of normality is that the distribution of the group’ scores is normal. therefore the distribution of the scores is not normal if ( p <.05). the results are depicted in the following table (table 4). table 4 test of normality of the pretest shapiro-wilk statistic df sig. control g. at pretest .916 21 .112 noticing g. at pretest .922 21 .134 table 4 manifests the results of this normality test. two groups are normally distributed since (p >.05) for all of them. post hoc tests the following table (5) shows the tukey hsd method which researcher employed to ensure that the two groups are equal. the results gained by tukey hsd method in table 5 indicated that there was no significant difference between pairs of mean values. hence, all these values were put in one group, since (p <.05) for all pairs of the group. table 5 homogeneous subsets oral production score at pretest by tukey hsda,,b subset for alpha = 0.05 group n 1 noticing 22 2.864 control 22 2.932 sig. .796 investigation of hypothesis the findings of the tukey test illustrates that (p=0 <α=.05) for the comparison between the control and noticing group. therefore the null hypothesis which reads that noticing doesn’t have any statistically significant effect on linguistic accuracy of iranian pre-intermediate efl learners’ oral production is strongly rejected. thus it can be safely claimed noticing has statistically significant effect on linguistic accuracy of iranian pre-intermediate efl learners’ oral production. although participants of the experimental group (noticing) were instructed extensively on the target structures, especially verb tenses, they still failed in identifying their tense problems despite having sufficient processing time. interestingly, in the case of third person singular, the participants corrected those verbs which appeared right after the pronoun and if there were intervening words between the verb and the pronoun, they would rarely mention this problem. furthermore, this reveals the cognitively demanding nature third person singular morpheme since this grammatical form is one of the last grammatical forms to be learned in the row of inflectional morphemes. since the participants did not correct half of their mistakes, they are believed to be at the controlled stage of processing and have not reached the automatic processing stage at the intermediate level yet, based on mclaughlin’s (1987) conception of automaticity. faezeh nemati & hamid ashraf noticing: a factor to improve iranian pre-intermediate efl learners’ structural accuracy 54 tests of normality of posttest to test the normality of the posttest the shapiro-wilk was used. the results are depicted in the following tables. tables 6 and 7 manifest the results of this normality test. table 6 test of normality of posttest shapiro-wilk statistic df sig. control group at posttest .939 22 .210 noticing g. at posttest .923 22 .101 table 7 homogeneous subsets oral production score at posttest by tukey hsda,,b group n subset for alpha = 0.05 1 2 control 22 3.455 noticing 22 4.341 sig. .503 1.000 the null-hypothesis of the test of normality is that the distribution of the group’ scores is normal. therefore the distribution of the scores is not normal if the p<.05. two groups are normally distributed since the p-value is more than .05 for all of them. inter-rater reliability coefficients the researcher used pearson correlation coefficient to calculate if there is any significant difference between the scores given by different raters. tables 8, 9, 10, 11 show the results, respectively. the researcher calculated the correlation coefficient between the scores given by the two raters in control group. the obtained result in table 8 was a correlation of .824.the gain scores were compared and the results (p-value=0.0001< α=0.05) showed that there is a strong relationship between the lists of scores each participant received. also, the researcher estimated the correlation coefficient between the scores given noticing group. in table 9, the raters gained an estimate of the .858which shows a high reliability of the scores. the analysis showed no significant difference between the scores given by two raters. in the case of inter-rater reliability, in table 10, an estimate of .791in control group between two raters was obtained. table 8 correlations between scores of rater1 & rater2 for control group in pretest control g. at pretest-r1 control g. at pretestr2 control g. at pretest-r1 pearson correlation 1 .824** sig. (2-tailed) .000 n 22 22 control g. at pretestr2 pearson correlation .824** 1 sig. (2-tailed) .000 n 22 22 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). table 9 correlations between scores of rater1 & rater2 for noticing group in pretest noticing g. at pretest-r1 noticing g. at pretest-r2 noticing g. at pretest-r1 pearson correlation 1 .858** sig. (2-tailed) .000 n 22 22 noticing g. at pretest-r2 pearson correlation .858** 1 sig. (2-tailed) .000 n 22 22 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). 55 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee in the case of inter-rater reliability, in table 11, an estimate of .820 in noticing group between two raters was obtained. conclusion in order to test this null hypothesis, 44iranian efl participants of an english language institute, who lack familiarity with the five target structures (the simple present, especially third person ‘s’ morpheme, present continuous, simple past, past continuous and present perfect), were selected through a homogeneity test. these participants were also pretested through a structured interview, and were put into experimental and control groups by means of matched sampling on the basis of their pretest scores. this was to make sure that the two groups, one group as the experimental group and one group as the control group, were all experiencing similar conditions from the very beginning. the two groups were later given special treatments to evaluate the group; i.e. in these implementations experimental group was exposed to noticing technique and control group was not forced to face any focus on form technique. the participants of the experimental group were exposed to focus on form through noticing while the control group was not faced with this technique. afterwards, the participants were post tested through another structured interview to examine their accuracy gains after treatment. a comparison of the accuracy gains in control and experimental group was conducted via a variance analysis (anova). the mean pretest scores for two groups were not significantly different. this pattern was repeated on the posttest in which the mean scores were found to be significantly different between the noticing and control group. table 10 correlations between scores of rater1 & rater2 for control group in posttest control group at posttest-r1 control group at posttest-r2 control group at posttest-r1 pearson correlation 1 .791** sig. (2-tailed) .000 n 22 22 control group at posttest-r2 pearson correlation .791** 1 sig. (2-tailed) .000 n 22 22 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). table 11 correlations between scores of rater1 & rater2 for noticing group in posttest noticing g. at posttest-r1 noticing g. at posttest-r2 noticing g. at posttest-r1 pearson correlation 1 .820** sig. (2-tailed) .000 n 22 22 noticing g. at posttest-r2 pearson correlation .820** 1 sig. (2-tailed) .000 n 22 22 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). faezeh nemati & hamid ashraf noticing: a factor to improve iranian pre-intermediate efl learners’ structural accuracy 56 the null hypothesis was rejected because the experimental group outperformed the control group in average accuracy gains significantly. although there have been a lot of research studies in the literature regarding the comparative examination of the implicit and explicit effects of focus on form, the present study could be considered as an additional support for noticing, as an explicit focus on form implementation. thus, it could be further concluded that these findings correspond to the suggestions of long and robinson (1998) on the need to implement focus on form implicitly and explicitly so that fossilization is prevented. moreover, an alternative to focus on forms is recommended which is against communicative language teaching techniques. references aski, j. m. (2003). foreign language textbook activities: keeping pace with foreign language acquisition research, foreign language annals 36:57-64. bachman, l. f.,& palmer, a. s. (1996). language testing in practice. oxford: oxford university press. p: 52. tense and aspect. tesol quarterly, 29, 107131. doughty, c., & williams, j. (1998). pedagogical choices in focus on form. in c. doughty, &j. williams (eds.), focus on form in classroom second language acquisition (pp. 197261). cambridge: cambridge university press. lee, j., & valdman, a. (2000). form and meaning. multiple perspectives. boston, ma: heinle & heinle. leow, r. p. (2000). attention, awareness, and focus on form research: a critical overview. in j. lee & a. valdman (eds.), form and meaning: multiple perspectives. boston:heinle and heinle. long, m. h., & robinson, p. (1998). focus on form: theory, research, and practice. in c. doughty, & j. williams (eds.), focus on form in classroom second language acquisition (pp.15-41). cambridge: cambridge university press. sanz, c. (2000). what form to focus on? linguistics, language awareness, and the education of l2 teachers. in j. f. lee & a.valdman (eds.), form and meaning: multiple perspectives. boston: heinle and heinle. schmidt, r. (1990). the role of consciousness in second language learners. applied linguistics, 11(1), 17-46. schmidt, r. (1990). the role of consciousness in second language learning. applied linguistics 11(2), 129–58. sharwood smith, m. (1991). ‘speaking to many minds: on the relevance of different types of language information for the l2 learner’. second language research 7/2: 118-32. swain, m.(1995). three functions of output in second language learning, principle and practice in applied linguistics. cambridge university press, pp. 125–144. swain, m. (1998). focus on form through conscious reflection. in c. doughty & j. williams (eds.), focus on form in classroom second language acquisition (pp. 64-81). new york: cambridge university press. swain, m. (2005). the output hypothesis: theory and research. in e. hinkel (ed) handbook tomlin, r.s. & villa, v. (1994). attention in cognitive science and second language acquisition. studies in second language acquisition 16,183-203. williams, j., & evans, j. (1998). what kind of focus and on which form? in c. doughty, & j. williams (eds.), focus on form in classroom second language acquisition (pp. 139-155). cambridge: cambridge university press. wong, w., & vanpatten, b. (2003). the evidence is in: drills are out. foreign language annals, 36, 403‐423. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee using cooperative learning in teaching critical thinking in reading anit pranita devi department of english education, indonesia university of education, indonesia e-mail: anit.pranita.d@gmail.com bachrudin musthafa department of english education, indonesia university of education, indonesia e-mail: dinmusthafa@yahoo.com gin gin gustine department of english education, indonesia university of education, indonesia e-mail: ggg@deakin.edu.au apa citation: devi, a. p., musthafa, b., & gustine, g. g. (2015). using cooperative learning in teaching critical thinking in reading. english review: journal of english education, 4(1), 1-14 received: 16-02-2015 accepted: 01-04-2015 published: 01-12-2015 abstract: this study investigates how cooperative learning facilitates students in learning critical thinking in reading and to find out the benefits and challenges during the implementation of cooperative learning in one vocational school in cimahi. a case study is utilized by using instruments of classroom observations, questionnaires, semi structured interview and students’ written tests. the findings show that the implementation of cooperative learning facilitates students develop their critical thinking and enhance critical thinking dispositions in reading. three features which contribute to the development of students’ critical thinking in reading are: the encouragement of student-student interaction; the provision of group purposes; and the provision of stimulus to the students’ development of thought and ideas. the aforementioned features promote benefits which involved higher motivation and involvement, increased opportunity for language use, and developed interpersonal relationship. nevertheless, these benefits are constrained by the availability of time, students’ english proficiency, and students’ contribution to the groupwork. it is recommended that further researchers conduct the similar study in a longer period to make sure that the key elements of cooperative learning are well-structured. keywords: cooperative learning, critical thinking in this 21st century as the age of information technology, there is a significant requirement of critical thinking skills in selecting and evaluating the reliability of the information (halpern, 1999; see also grabau, 2007; oliver & utermohlen, 2007). the ability to think critically is also considered essential in a democratic society (beyer, 1985) and thus pertinent in indonesia in which democratic era is now encountered. however, based on research, south-east asian (including indonesian) students are considered lacking of critical thinking skills and unaware of the importance of skills of analysis and critiques (egege & kutieleh, 2004; djiwandono, 2013 & wallace, 2003). this might be due to the 1 mailto:anit.pranita.d@gmail.com anit pranita devi, bachrudin musthafa & gin gin gustine using cooperative learning in teaching critical thinking in reading fact that the basic skills essential to critical thinking is not typically taught in schools. therefore, questions on the subject of how to teach critical thinking skills in reading have been queried. since years ago, cooperative activities have been used for developing learners’ critical thinking (sharan, 1980). from an extensive literature review, it is found that cooperative learning is beneficial not only for developing students’ language acquisition, academic achievement, and social skills, but also may foster critical thinking skills (ghaith, 2003; sadeghi, 2012). this is linked to the characteristic of instruction that can improve critical thinking which promotes studentstudent interaction (see ten dam & volman, 2004). the essence of this interaction for learning is obviously approved by sharan (1980, p. 242) who states that “through the medium of this interaction and communication process within small groups cooperating on academic tasks that these team-learning methods strive to influence pupils' cognitive learning" (see also fahim & eslamdoost, 2014). in this sense, cooperative learning which promotes greater interaction between students (webb, 1982) has been frequently used to foster students’ critical thinking (cooper, 1995; johnson, johnson & smith, 1991; sharan, 1980). in line with the aforementioned statement, bligh (1986) mentions that discussing in groups is effective to stimulate thoughts and develop ideas (cited in dennick & exley, 1998). further, dennick & exley (1998) affirm that working in cooperative groups allow students to share divergent point of views, discuss ideas and communicate an issue with their peers. these activities could lead students to enhance their thought and ideas. moreover, elder & paul (2001) suggest a way to help students develop their critical thinking skills by introducing the idea about “purpose” into their classroom experiences since they believe that “critical thinking is thinking to some purpose”. it seems to be relevant to cooperative learning since when the students work in cooperative learning groups, they have group purpose to be achieved e.g. to make decision on the best response to the teacher’s questions. from this point of view, cooperative learning tasks may be one of the ways in developing students’ critical thinking as the students work in cooperative learning groups to achieve same goals. it is also supported by paul (1995) that many students do not read well because they do not think deeply about the purpose or the logic of it. specifically speaking, cooperative learning refers to the classroom instruction that involves students working in small groups to achieve same goals and optimize their own and each other’s learning (brown, 2001; johnson & johnson, 1999). however, cooperative learning is not simply making students work together in groups (jacobs & hall, 2002; johnson & johnson, 1999; murray & christinson, 2010). there are several key elements that make cooperative learning groups different from other types of group work. the elements need to be fulfilled. to implement a successful cooperative learning. these elements are (johnson, johnson, holubec & roy, 1984; jollife, 2007; johnson & johnson, 1999; johnson & johnson, 2009a; see also sadeghi, 2012): 1. positive interdependence exists when there is a positive correlation among individuals’ goal attainments; individuals perceive that they can attain their goals if and only if the other individuals with whom they are 2 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee cooperatively linked attain their goals” (johnson & johnson, 2009a, p. 366). positive interdependence can be established through mutual goals, division of task, division of materials, assigning roles, and giving joint rewards (johnson, johnson, holubec & roy, 1984). 2. face-to face (promotive) interaction occurs when students are taking action in responsible and honest ways, giving help and positive influence to other group members and making effort effectively to gain benefit and shared goals, providing feedback each other to improve their performance, challenging each other’s reasoning and conclusion, and exploring different perspectives of others. johnson & johnson (2009a) 3. individual and group accountability means that the members of a group learn together (slavin, 1988; johnson & johnson, 2000; see also ning, 2011) but they actually perform individually so that they are responsible for their own learning. to build this key element, teacher can use three methods (johnson, et al., 1984; johnson, johnson, & smith, 1998): providing individual test for the students; selecting randomly group members to present their group’s response to a question orally; and giving opportunity for student to present what they have learned to a classmate. 4. interpersonal and small group social skills exist when students learn how to work effectively in a group which has students with different level of knowledge and learning styles. they should have skills in leadership, decision-making, trust building and conflict management (ghaith, 2001; see also johnson & johnson, 2009a; sadeghi, 2012). 5. group processing takes place when group members are given time and procedure to evaluate the groupwork process that include deciding which actions were supportive and unsupportive and which actions to carry on or change (johnson & johnson, 2009a; see also johnson & johnson, 1999). through the five key elements of cooperative learning, students’ critical thinking could be facilitated. as a matter of fact, cooperative learning promotes critical thinking through dialogical instruction in which students are involved in a dialogue by arguing on different points of view (see paul, 1995). students have a lot of opportunities to brainstorm their insights and ideas, to express different points of view, to synthesize different information and to evaluate the solution. at the same time, discussing in cooperative groups also assist them become better listeners, speakers, readers, and writers. in this sense, cooperative learning has significant influence on the development of critical thinking. students could enhance their critical thinking as they share their learning in discussion and take responsibility for their own learning (totten, sills, digby, & russ, 1991, cited in gokhale, 1995). with respect to critical thinking term, it is defined in many ways. one of the most eminent definitions of critical thinking is mentioned by ennis (1991, p. 6). he defines critical thinking as “reasonable reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do” (see also ennis, 2011). he mentions that critical thinking, here, includes acts such as formulating hypotheses, different perspectives of viewing a problem, questions, possible solutions, and plans for examining something. 3 http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/jte/v7n1/gokhale.jte-v7n1.html?ref=sawos.org#totten, et al. anit pranita devi, bachrudin musthafa & gin gin gustine using cooperative learning in teaching critical thinking in reading from another point of view, ryan (2003) suggests a definition of critical thinking as “the ability to collect, judge, and ultimately use information in an effective manner” (p.170). this includes analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. this statement is in the same vein with what reichenbach (2001, p.19) states that critical thinking is “the careful, deliberate determination of whether we should accept, reject, or suspend judgment about the truth of a claim or a recommendation to act in a certain way”. he mentions that it involves reasoning, reflection, and being practical. in the light of the aforementioned explanation about the definition of critical thinking from some experts, it can be affirmed that critical thinking is ability to identify, analyze, synthesize, examine, communicate and evaluate ideas in effective manner to make decision about what to believe or do. from that point of view, the concept of critical thinking seems to be relevant to the cooperative learning since cooperative learning activities may assist students to develop their critical thinking by having same group purpose, identify and analyze plenty of ideas from other group members, deciding important information for their groups, making decision of their group’s agreement, synthesizing information, and changing perspectives in the groups to make decision. furthermore, critical thinking also involves particular dispositions (ennis, 1991; 1996; 2011; reichenbach, 2001; emilia, 2005). “a disposition is a tendency to act or think in a certain way” (reichenbach, 2001, p.14). this study focuses on six critical thinking dispositions which mainly proposed by ennis (1991; 1996), reichenbach, (2001), and chaffee (2009) namely: 1) be openminded; consider other points of view than their own; (ennis, 1991; 1996; reichenbach, 2001); 2) take and change position when evidences are sufficient (ennis, 1991; 1996; reichenbach, 2001); 3) care to understand and present a position honestly and clearly including to discover and listen to others' view and reasons, be clear about the intended meaning of what is said, written, or otherwise communicated (ennis, 2011); 4) take into account others' feelings and level of understanding (ennis, 2011); 5) view situations from different perspectives (chaffee, 2009; cottrell, 2005); and 6) identify the argument and communicate author’s intended meaning of what is said and what is written (chaffee, 2009). method this study was aimed to answer two research questions: 1) how does the implementation of cooperative learning facilitate students in learning critical thinking in reading? 2) what are the benefits and challenges of the implementation of cooperative learning? this study employs qualitative case study design. a case study design has been considered appropriate, as this study, in line with one main characteristic of a case study, is concerned with a case on the implementation of cooperative learning in teaching critical thinking in reading and the benefits and challenges found in the implementation of cooperative learning. moreover, like a case study, this study is carried out to investigate one particular instance of education (merriam, 1988; nunan, 1992) which is an eleventh grade classroom of english in a state vocational school in cimahi, west java. the classroom has 33 students as participants of this study. regarding 4 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the choice of the level, secondary level, it seems appropriate because the students will already have basic critical thinking skills from the perspective that they have more conceptual thinking than young learners do. the students were given treatment of three types of cooperative learning techniques (think-pair-share, jigsaw, and structured controversy) in six sessions and their critical thinking in reading was examined by critical reading tasks. these three techniques were used in order to represent the basic principles of cooperative learning mentioned previously and in conjunction with their benefits in developing students’ critical thinking in reading based on previous studies. triangulation technique by means of classroom observation, questionnaire, semi-structured interview with participants, and students’ written tasks were employed for collecting the data in this study. classroom observation was employed to gain data about the process of cooperative learning implementation in the classroom and to assure that the five principles of cooperative learning are conducted. the close-ended questionnaire was intended to find out the students’ point of view regarding the benefits and challenges of cooperative learning. interview was employed to elicit students’ opinions about the effects of cooperative learning on their critical thinking in reading and the benefits and challenges of cooperative learning in their perspectives. students’ written tests were employed to find out whether there is improvement of students’ critical thinking results and discussion the implementation of cooperative learning in facilitating students’ critical thinking in respect of the first research question, the result of data collection showed that students benefitted from the implementation of cooperative learning techniques used in this study since the three techniques (think-pair-share, jigsaw, structured controversy) helped them develop critical thinking and promote critical thinking dispositions in reading through the steps and through the five key elements of cooperative learning. the dispositions which are appeared and promoted in this study were be open-minded, consider other points of view than their own; take and change position when evidences are sufficient; present a position honestly and clearly; take into account others' feelings and level of understanding; and view situations from different perspectives. cooperative learning elements in facilitating students’ critical thinking positive interdependence positive interdependence was built mainly by role interdependence, resource/material interdependence, and goal interdependence. in think-pairshare technique, it was established by assigning different roles (roles interdependence) for students (e.g. as problem solver and listener). in jigsaw technique, it was structured by dividing materials to the group members (materials interdependence). meanwhile in structured controversy, it was established when students were given different texts regarding one topic (materials interdependence). goal interdependence was structured in the implementation of the three techniques by giving mutual goal for each group. the mutual goal in this context was to answer the teacher questions regarding the texts given or to write a group report containing the group’s agreement based on the discussion. by structuring positive interdependence, the students 5 anit pranita devi, bachrudin musthafa & gin gin gustine using cooperative learning in teaching critical thinking in reading actively participated in the group discussions and were responsible for learning the materials. from the interview with the students, it was also found that all students contributed to the work of the cooperative group which automatically makes all students involved. this is in line with ryan (2003) who states that the development of students’ critical thinking can be promoted by leading the students to actively engage and involve in classroom activities. face-to-face promotive interaction face-to-face promotive interaction was established in the lesson by giving mutual goal for every group so that they could discuss their ideas to support and assist each other on the topic in their efforts in learning and to achieve their shared goal (johnson et al., 1991; johnson & johnson, 2009a). providing group purpose could bring promotive interaction out as well as promote students’ critical thinking. this is in line with a suggestion from elder & paul (2001) that a way to help students develop their critical thinking skills is to introduce the idea about “purpose” into their classroom experiences since they believe that “critical thinking is thinking to some purpose”. in the discussion process, it could be seen from the observation that each member of the group supported and assisted each other in their efforts in learning the topic and in achieving the same goal (johnson & johnson, 2009a). in think-pair-share, the mutual goal was to answer the teacher’s questions and to meet an agreement about the best response or solution to the teacher’s questions. in jigsaw, the mutual goal was that each member of the group had to understand the divided text so that all members tried to teach each other by explaining the materials clearly. meanwhile in structured controversy, the group goal was to meet a consensus and the best agreement with the justification in the end of the controversy activity. in the process of cooperative group discussion to achieve the mutual goal, the students tried to give help and positive influence to other group members and made effort effectively to gain benefit and shared goals, provided feedback each other, challenged each other’s reasoning and conclusion, and explored others’ different perspectives. individual accountability this element was built by giving the students individual task. individual accountability would be established when each individual performance is assessed (johnson & johnson, 2009a). furthermore, to increase individual accountability, the students were asked to jot down their ideas before turning to a partner and discussing the ideas. the importance of taking notes from the critical thinking point is to foster students’ metacognition or the control of their own thinking (costa, 2003 as cited in emilia, 2005). by structuring this element, each student was actively engaged in the discussions and contributed to the groupwork. small group and interpersonal skills small group and interpersonal skills element was built when the students were discussing and sharing ideas. students learned how to work effectively in a group which has different students with different level of proficiency and ideas. in the discussion process, the students learned to listen carefully and critically to each other in presenting their point of views and taking turns in presenting ideas. the 6 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee skills are essential in facilitating the student’s critical thinking development since a critical thinker has to see an issue not only from one single perspective but from multiple perspectives (chaffee, 2009). other than that, in the discussion to achieve their shared goal, the students also used their interpersonal and social skills such as decision-making which appeared when they decided to choose the best answer to the teacher questions and also conflict management when they have different opinion regarding the issue being discussed (ghaith, 2001; see also johnson & johnson, 2009a; sadeghi, 2012). this element was also structured when students challenged each other's perspective and defending their own position. they learned how to agree with another’s ideas. group processing this key element was established by giving the students time to write a reflective learning journal regarding things they learned from the teacher, from their friends, and from the groupwork, and things they need to improve (kagan & kagan, 2009). this element was essential for students to practice students’ critical thinking particularly on critical evaluation. it was also revealed that students’ critical thinking was developed gradually in every meeting evidenced by the quality of students’ responses in the reflective form. the assistance to students’ critical thinking it was revealed that the assistance of students’ critical thinking in reading development was achieved through three ways. the encouragement of student-student interaction one of characteristics of instruction that can improve critical thinking is one which promotes student-student interaction that (sharan, 1980; ten dam & volman, 2004; see also fahim & eslamdoost, 2014). in this study, the cooperative learning techniques (thinkpair-share, jigsaw, and structured controversy) were found effective in increasing the interaction between students. interaction between students was increased when they had more opportunities to share with peers, when they accomplished task together and when they expressed their ideas and share what they had learned to their friends. accordingly, the active participation of the students was also enhanced. in think-pair-share, for example, the students had to share their thoughts on the given questions with their pairs before sharing to the whole class. this kind of interaction can help to sharpen their thinking and problem solving skills. furthermore, in structured controversy technique, the students interacted when they learned their position with their partner, presented their position to the opposing view, discussed the issue, and reached a decision for their group. in these interactions, conflict among their ideas, opinions, perspectives and conclusions are unavoidable and further could enhance students’ thinking skills (johnson & johnson, 1993; see also johnson & johnson, 1988). the following interview excerpts show that the students felt their active participation and critical thinking were improved. 7 anit pranita devi, bachrudin musthafa & gin gin gustine using cooperative learning in teaching critical thinking in reading s1: we participated more actively so i could solve the problems. s2: in my opinion, i was more active. because we had our own role. the excerpt illustrates that cooperative learning gave the student opportunity to participate actively in classroom instruction since all students were given roles. the provision of group purpose as mentioned previously, one of characteristic of instruction which can foster students’ critical thinking is providing purposes. in cooperative learning, every cooperative group has its own mutual goal such as making decision on the best answer or responses to the teacher question, writing group report regarding group position on the issue being discussed. in this context, the teacher structured the cooperative instruction so that the students were aware of their common goals. the following example was taken from students’ reflective learning journal. i have learned to collaborate with my group, even though my group divided by two, we must respect to our opponent in debate. after we do the debate, we must find the conclusion and become one group again. i think it is fun and make solid the group. the excerpt above illustrated that the student was aware of the goal of the group which was to find the conclusion and to meet an agreement in the group even though they had to argue and attack each other’s ideas beforehand. the stimulus to the development of thought and ideas students who are engaging in cooperative learning lesson will be stimulated to develop their thinking (see johnson & johnson, 1988; 1993). bligh (1986) mention that discussing in groups is effective to stimulate thoughts and develop ideas (cited in dennick & exley, 1998). the development of thought and ideas in cooperative learning is inevitable. in this study, students were encouraged to develop their ideas as the students interacted, shared opinions, solved problems, synthesized information, rebutted position, questioned different perspectives, and made decision on an issue. from the questionnaire, 100 % of the students stated that their thinking and development of ideas were honed through cooperative learning techniques. in addition to that, by listening to other’s ideas on an issue, the stimulus to the development of ideas was also increased since the students were able to see other alternatives of solving a problem or respond to a question. in this view, the students could also refine their thinking and decision making. it was also reported from the questionnaire that 86 % of students thought that cooperative learning techniques could develop their problem-solving skills and 90 % of the students stated that they also could develop their decision making skills through cooperative learning. it could be confirmed by students’ statement from the interview. s4: in my opinion, in the groupwork, we could be braver to express or give opinions based on our thought. we were able to know other’s perspectives. so we do not see an issue from only one side) s5: …we could understand other’s view point on an issue finally, 95 % of the students stated that their critical thinking was also developed through cooperative learning techniques the result of students’ written tests the students’ written test was intended to reveal the development of students’ critical thinking in reading. the 8 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee students’ written test involves pre-test and post-test. the students were given a text and they had to answer critical reading questions regarding the text. in calculating the data, paired t-test was employed to reveal the significance of the difference between the means of pretest and posttest. the following table shows the statistical computation of the scores. table 1 paired samples test paired differences t df sig. (2tailed) mean std. deviation std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pair 1 pretest posttest -19.091 5.976 1.040 -21.210 -16.972 -18.352 32 .000 the paired t-test, as presented in table 1 above, shows that there was difference between pretest and posttest scores for sig 0.00 < 0.05. the t-value (t=18.352, df.= 32, p= .000) was more than the alpha (.05). it indicates that the null hypothesis (h0) was rejected, meaning that there was significant difference between the students’ critical reading ability between pretest and posttest scores. in other words, the students’ critical reading abilities were improved after the students were taught by using cooperative learning techniques. however, the overall results of the statistical value could not be claimed as the effect of the instruction since this study only involved one single group and there was an absence of control group (hatch and farhady, 1982). the results of students’ written tests were only used for descriptive purpose only, that is to show the description of how the cooperative learning techniques could facilitate students’ critical reading abilities in general, not as the core of main findings to be exposed. nonetheless, to reduce the issue of the internal validity in this particular data, the research had employed multiple sources of data as discussed earlier. the figures appeared in the result of the written tests were not interpreted in isolation. benefits of and challenges to the implementation of cooperative learning in relation to the second research question, this study revealed that the implementation of cooperative learning had given some benefits and challenges. the benefits  higher involvement and motivation based on the findings of this study, it was revealed that the students were more motivated in learning and involved more actively in the teaching learning process. firstly, based on the questionnaires, 94 % of students stated that they were more motivated in teaching learning process by cooperative learning techniques. regarding this, all interviewees also thought that they were motivated by cooperative learning. moreover, regarding students’ active involvement, it was found from the questionnaire that 97% of the students stated that they had more active participation in cooperative learning lessons. these findings support numerous research studies which suggest that cooperative learning leads to higher motivation and active participation. (see dorneiy, 1997; johnson & johnson, 2009b). 9 anit pranita devi, bachrudin musthafa & gin gin gustine using cooperative learning in teaching critical thinking in reading increased opportunity for language use besides promoting higher motivation and involvement, it was found that the implementation of three cooperative learning techniques was likely to increase the opportunity for students to use english. based on the questionnaire, 97% of the students agreed that their language skills were improved in cooperative learning. this improvement was unavoidable since the students have to use english in the interaction in their groups. in this context, the students not only practiced the language in reading but also in their language skills particularly speaking and listening. during their groupworks, the students were always encouraged to use english in their interaction. in addition to that, based on classroom observation, it was found that the students mostly used english in their interaction in the cooperative learning groups. in this sense, they speak, listen, read, and write in english during their interaction. thus, the exposure to english is subsequently increased in the instruction. this interaction is useful for language learning since it contributes to second language acquisition (pica, young, & doughty, 1987). developed interpersonal relationship the development of interpersonal relationships through cooperative learning can be established through building and maintaining friendship between peers and learning from others (johnson & johnson, 1999). with respect of the development of interpersonal relationship, two main categories of interpersonal relationship were revealed. they were 1) maintaining groupwork by positive interdependence; and 2) listening and appreciating other’s point of view. based on questionnaire, 97% of the students agreed that in cooperative learning, they always supported and helped each other in learning the material. this finding showed that the positive interdependence among them was built. the challenges availability of time the first challenge found in the implementation of cooperative learning was the time of learning. based on the questionnaire, 69 % of students stated that they lack of time in cooperative learning lesson. 100 % of interviewee also confirmed this in the interview. in indonesian vocational school, the time of learning english for tenth grade students is 2 x 45 minutes in a week. as a matter of fact, this time of learning was considered less to have students master all critical reading skills well. students’ english proficiency the second challenge in this study dealt with students’ english proficiency. four students in the interview admitted that the lack of language proficiency such as limited vocabularies, grammar, and pronunciation was their obstacle in the instruction. this challenge hindered the students in understanding the text comprehensively and in expressing their opinions. students’ contribution to the groupwork the third challenge dealt with the students’ contribution to the work of the group. students may not know what to do in their groups (jacobs, 2006). based on the questionnaire, 22% of the students stated that they did not know how to work in their groups. furthermore, the students contributed little or nothing to the group work. this might happen due to unclear instruction from the teacher. thus, it was also revealed that the 10 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee teacher's role as a facilitator has not been optimal since the teacher should facilitate students to work effectively in the groups. conclusion on the basis of classroom observation, students’ written tests, questionnaire and interview, the data indicated that, despite some limitations, the cooperative learning appeared to facilitate students’ to learn critical thinking in reading and promoted students’ critical thinking dispositions. the facilitated students’ critical thinking dispositions were be open-minded, consider other points of view than their own; take and change position when evidences are sufficient; present a position honestly and clearly; take into account others' feelings and level of understanding; and view situations from different perspectives. data from students’ written tests also gave evidence that students’ critical reading abilities improved during the teaching learning process in the classroom. this study also revealed three features which contributed to students’ critical thinking development. firstly, the implementation of cooperative learning encouraged student-student interaction. secondly, cooperative learning provided group purposes that the students could work in their groups and structured positive interdependence to achieve their common goals. thirdly, the students’ development of thought and ideas was also stimulated in the implementation of cooperative learning as they are engaging in discussions, sharing their thoughts and present their ideas. finally, it was also indicated in this study that the teacher’s role as a facilitator in cooperative learning has not been optimal to get the students to work in groups effectively. there were still some unclear instructions that made some students confused about what to do and reluctant to contribute the work of the group. the limited time was also regarded to cause teacher’s lack of monitoring. due to the fact that the teacher had limited time to monitor all groups, some students also used their native language in the group discussion whereas they were encouraged to use english. based on the findings of this study, which may not be generalized to other settings, it is suggested for teachers that the teaching of cooperative learning and critical thinking is intensively implemented in all levels of study from primary to tertiary levels. for further researchers, it is suggested to conduct similar studies in longer period to make sure that the key elements of cooperative learning are well-structured and in larger scale to gain more various and detailed data. references beyer, b. k. (1985). improving student thinking. boston: allyn and bacon. brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy (second edition.). white plains, ny: addison wesley longman, inc. chaffee, j. (2009). thinking critically. wadsworth: cengage learning. cooper, j. l. (1995). cooperative learning and critical thinking. teaching of psychology, 22(1), 7-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15328023to p2201_2 cottrell, s. (2005). critical thinking skills: developing effective analysis and argument. new york: palgrave macmillan dennick, r. g., & exley, k. (1998). teaching and learning in groups and teams. biochemical education, 26(2), 111115. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s03074412(98)00028-4 11 http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15328023top2201_2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15328023top2201_2 anit pranita devi, bachrudin musthafa & gin gin gustine using cooperative learning in teaching critical thinking in reading djiwandono, p. i. (2013). critical thinking skill for language students. teflin journal, 24(1), 32-47. retrieved from http://journal.teflin.org/index.php/tefl in/article/view/320/258 dörnyei, z. (1997). psychological processes in cooperative language learning: group dynamics and motivation. the modern language journal, 81(4), 482-493. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/328891 egege, y.s. & kutieleh, s. (2004). critical thinking and international students: a marriage of necessity. paper presented in first year in higher education 2004 conference: dealing with diversity. 8th pacific rim conference, melbourne. retrieved from fyhe.com.au/past_papers/papers04/05 0.doc elder, l. & paul, r. (2001). critical thinking: thinking to some purpose. journal of developmental education, 25(1), 40-41. retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/2 28491079?accountid=25704 emilia, e. (2005). a critical genre-based approach to teaching academic writing in a tertiary efl context in indonesia (unpublished doctoral dissertation). melbourne: university of melbourne. ennis, r. (1991). critical thinking: a streamlined conception. teaching philosophy, 14(1), 5-24. retrieved from http://www.criticalthinking.net/ennis streamconc1991%20lowres.pdf ennis, r.h. (1996). critical thinking. new jersey: prentice hall ennis, r. h. (2011). the nature of critical thinking: an outline of critical thinking dispositions and abilities. retrieved from http://faculty.education.illinois.edu/rh ennis/documents/thenatureofcritical thinking_51711_000.pdf fahim, m., & eslamdoost, s. (2014). critical thinking: frameworks and models for teaching. english language teaching, 7(7), 141-151. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/elt.v7n7p141 ghaith, g. (2003). effects of the learning together model of cooperative learning on english as a foreign language reading achievement, academic selfesteem, and feelings of school alienation. bilingual research journal, 27(3), 451-475. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15235882.20 03.10162603 gokhale, a. a. (1995). collaborative learning enhances critical thinking. journal of technology education, 7(1), 22-29. retrieved from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/jte /v7n1/gokhale.jtev7n1.html?ref=sawos.org grabau, l.j. 2007. effective teaching and learning strategies for critical thinking to foster cognitive development and transformational learning. effective teaching and learning, 5, 123-156. retrieved fromhttp://cpe.ky.gov/nr/rdonlyres/7 bab05e6-cacd-4395-83f80873e017ef4c/0/effective_teaching.pdf halpern, d. f. (1999). teaching for critical thinking: helping college students develop the skills and dispositions of a critical thinker. new directions for teaching and learning, 80, 69-74. retrieved from http://www.precisionmi.com/precisio nmi/materials/collegemat/criticalthin king-halpern.pdf hatch, e. m. and farhady, h. (1982). research design and statistics for applied linguistics. rowley, massachusetts: newbury house publishers, inc. jacobs, g. m. (2006). issues in implementing cooperative learning. in mccafferty, s. g., jacobs, g. m., & iddings, a. c. d., cooperative learning and second language teaching (p. 18-29). new york, ny: cambrige university press. jacobs, g. m. & hall, s. (2002). implementing cooperative learning. in richards, j. c. & renandya, w. a. (eds), methodology in language teaching (pp. 52-58). new york, ny: cambridge university press. johnson, d. w., & johnson, r. t. (1999). making cooperative learning work. theory into practice, 38(2), 67-73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00405849909 543834 12 http://journal.teflin.org/index.php/teflin/article/view/320/258 http://journal.teflin.org/index.php/teflin/article/view/320/258 http://search.proquest.com/docview/228491079?accountid=25704 http://search.proquest.com/docview/228491079?accountid=25704 http://www.criticalthinking.net/ennisstreamconc1991%20lowres.pdf http://www.criticalthinking.net/ennisstreamconc1991%20lowres.pdf http://faculty.education.illinois.edu/rhennis/documents/thenatureofcriticalthinking_51711_000.pdf http://faculty.education.illinois.edu/rhennis/documents/thenatureofcriticalthinking_51711_000.pdf http://faculty.education.illinois.edu/rhennis/documents/thenatureofcriticalthinking_51711_000.pdf http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15235882.2003.10162603 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15235882.2003.10162603 http://www.precisionmi.com/precisionmi/materials/collegemat/criticalthinking-halpern.pdf http://www.precisionmi.com/precisionmi/materials/collegemat/criticalthinking-halpern.pdf http://www.precisionmi.com/precisionmi/materials/collegemat/criticalthinking-halpern.pdf english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee johnson, r. t., & johnson, d. w. (2000). how can we put cooperative learning into practice? the science teacher, 67(1), 39. retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/2 14621607?accountid=25704 johnson, d. w., & johnson, r. t. (2009a). an educational psychology success story: social interdependence theory and cooperative leraning. educational researcher, 38(5), 365-379. http://dx.doi.org/10.3102/0013189x09 339057 johnson, d. w., & johnson, r. t. (2009b). energizing learning: the instructional power of conflict. educational researcher, 38(1), 37-51. http://dx.doi.org/10.3102/0013189x08 330540 johnson, d. w., johnson, r. t., holubec, e. j., & roy, p. (1984). circles of learning: cooperation in the classroom. alexandria, va: association for supervision and curriculum development. johnson, d. w., johnson, r. t., & smith, k. a. (1991). cooperative learning: increasing college faculty instructional productivity. (ashe-eric higher education report no. 4). washington, dc: the george washington university, school of education and human development. johnson, d. w., johnson, r. t., & smith, k. a. (1998). cooperative learning returns to college: what evidence is there that is works? change, 30(4), 26-35. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1080/00091389809602629 jollife, w. (2007). cooperative learning in the classroom: putting it into practice. london, england: paul chapman publishing. kagan, s. & kagan, m. (2009). kagan cooperative learning. san clemente, ca: kagan publishing. merriam, s. b. (1988). case study research in education: a qualitative approach. san fransisco, ca: jossey-bass. murray, d. e. & christinson, m. a. (2010). what english language teachers need to know. new york, ny: routledge. ning, h. (2011). adapting cooperative learning in tertiary elt. elt journal, 65(1), 60-70. doi:10.1093/elt/ccq021 nunan, d. (1992). research methods in language learning. cambridge, england: cambridge university press. oliver, h. & utermohlen, r. (1995). an innovative teaching strategy: using critical thinking to give students a guide to the future. (eric document reproduction services no. 389 702) paul, r. w. (1995). critical thinking: how to prepare students for a rapidly changing world. santa rosa, ca: library of congress. pica, t., young, r., & doughty, c. (1987). the impact of interaction on comprehension. tesol quarterly, 21(4), 737-758. retrieved from: http://tesol.aua.am/tqd_2000/tqd_2 000/tq_d2000/vol_21_4.pdf#page= 130 reichenbach, b. r. (2001). introduction to critical thinking. new york, ny: mcgraw-companies, inc. ryan, m. (2003). ask the teacher: a practitioner’s guide to teaching and learning in the diverse classroom. boston, ma: pearson education, inc. sadeghi, m. r. (2012). the effects of cooperative learning on critical thinking in an academic context. journal of psychological and educational research, 20(2), 15-30. retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1 272063750?accountid=25704 sharan, s. (1980). cooperative learning in small groups: recent methods and effects on achievement, attitudes, and ethnic relations. review of educational research, 50(2), 241-271. http://dx.doi.org/10.3102/00346543050 002241 slavin, r. e. (1988). cooperative learning and student achievement. the education digest, 54(6), 15. retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/2 18167218?accountid=25704 ten dam, g., & volman, m. (2004). critical thinking as a citizenship competence: teaching strategies. learning and instruction, 14(4), 359-379. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstru c.2004.01.005 13 http://search.proquest.com/docview/218167218?accountid=25704 http://search.proquest.com/docview/218167218?accountid=25704 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2004.01.005 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2004.01.005 anit pranita devi, bachrudin musthafa & gin gin gustine using cooperative learning in teaching critical thinking in reading wallace, c. (2003). critical reading in language education. new york, ny: palgrave macmillan ltd. webb, n. m. (1982). student interaction and learning in small groups. review of educational research, 52(3), 421-445. http://dx.doi.org/10.3102/00346543052 003421 14 english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 59 need analysis: the writing skill instructional material context for academic purposes audi yundayani english education department,sekolah tinggi keguruan ilmu pendidikan kusuma negara, jakarta, indonesia e-mail: audi_yundayani@stkipkusumanegara.ac.id emzir language education, postgraduate of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: emzir.unj@unj.ac.id zainal rafli language education, postgraduate of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: zainal.rafli@unj.ac.id apa citation: yundayani, a., emzir, & rafli, z. (2017). need analysis: the writing skill instructional material context for academic purposes. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 59-70. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.771. received: 26-08-2017 accepted: 24-10-2017 published: 01-12-2017 abstract: the required instructional material should be designed based on students’ needs. this study is intended toidentify 1) material design and organization,2)language content, and 3) method and techniqueof the writing skill instructional material context for academic purposes which appropriate with students’characteristics and their situationrelated to the need of writing skills for academic purposes at non-english education study programs of stkip kusuma negara jakarta. the descriptive survey was used in identifying its’ material context through questionnaire, semi-structured interview and non-participant observation. the respondents were non-english education study programs students duringthe fifth semester in academicyear of 2016-2017.the result showed that 1) it is required to have clear and easily understandable writing instructional material for academic purposes; 2) the required language content is related to a)rhetorical-functional (descriptive, narrative, classifying and identifying); b) academic genres, in the forms of essay and report; c)writing process; d) summarizing; e) paraphrasing; 3) the method and techniques which are applied to instructional material must empower thestudents to practice a lot through communicative and applicative activities. based on the findings, it can be concluded that need analysis should be the starting point in designing the instructional material, due to it is a process to determine students’ needs according to their wants, lacks, and necessities. keywords: need analysis, writing for academic purposes, instructional material context introduction need analysis required as the main driving factor to design the whole component of teaching and learning process, including the instructional material. the area of need analysis covers present situation analysis, target situation analysis, and learning context analysis. learning context analysis involves some consideration to the teachersconcerning with the methods, the materials, the facilities and the connection of the course implementation with the students’ background and learning goals. need analysis is the cornerstone of esp that leads to a very focused course (dudleyevans & st. john, 1998). it can be seen as a process to assess students’ communicative needs in order to achieve specific learning objective. the aim of need analysis is to collect the information concerning students in order to define the target situation and environment of studying esp (otilia, 2015). as the instrument to establish how and what the learning process will be held, need analysis covers many aspects of teaching and learning audi yundayani, emzir, & zainal rafli need analysis: the writing skill instructional material context for academic purposes 60 process including students’ background, students’ current language proficiency,students’ purpose in learning english, etc. the first step in designing language course is the need analysis implementation that covers: 1) the target situation analysis which informs the objective and productoriented needs, also the skills and language required for the context in which students will use the english; 2) the learning situation which provides information about subjective needs; 3) the means analysis which provides information about the educational contexts (benavent & sánchez-reyes, 2015). this statement emphasises hyland’s view concerning with a framework for need analysis which is divided into 1) present situation analysis that concerns with students’ current condition or backgrounds, including the objective data (age, previous learning experience, etc) and subjective data (students’ weaknesses, strengths, etc); and 2) target situation analysis that focuses on students’ roles, skills and knowledge (hyland, 2006). a portray of the learning goals will be formed by the result of need analysis and it will require teacher’s belief, value, and philosophies of teaching. by the end, they will develop the whole component of learning and teaching process properly. barnard and zemach in tomlinson said that one of english teaching areas is english for specific purposes (esp) that can be seen as the selection of teaching content and approach according to perceived needs of the students (tomlinson, 2003). esp is focused on english teaching and learning process related to the particular job or study-related cause. english for academic purposes (eap), as a branch of esp, provides students with proper english skills that are required in a tertiarylevel study or college level, including the way of presenting, researching, and publishing in academic field. the key element in all communication including in writing for academic purposes is knowing and understanding about the genre. it involves the understanding of the expectations of the discourse community that reads the text and of the conventions related with structure, the language and the rhetoric of the genre (dudley-evans & st john, 1998). eap required to complete academic demands, one of them is writing for academic purposes. it occupies some approaches applied: 1) product approach; 2) process approach; and 3) summarising, paraphrasing and synthesizing. product approach provides a model and various exercises. it is divided into 1) rhetorical-functional covers language functions; the main ones are description (including processes and sequencing), narrative, instruction, explanation, definition, exemplification, classification, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, expressing, generalisation and specificity, discussion and argumentation (problem and solution), drawing conclusions; 2) academic genres include essays, reports, case studies, projects, literature reviews, exam answers, research papers/articles, dissertations, and theses. jordan stresses that academic discourse genres and the range and nature of academic writing tasks aimed at supporting students to socialize into the academic context. process approach emphasizes in composing processes in writing through the recursive cycle. it means that the students will plan, draft, and edit but then it will be required re-plan, re-draft, and re-edit. summarising, paraphrasing and synthesizing are important aspects of academic writingrequired in the field of academic purposes. they relate to academic reading by providing meaningful insights of how students present their reading result from the source text to writing (jordan, 1997). the concept of writing approaches is clearly in the term of product approach, process approach, including summarising, paraphrasing and synthesizing. it can be concluded that writing for academic purposes is often seen as the process of thinking, constructing and revising, including developing the concept. in doing it, students must realize that they will need several efforts, from drafting, correcting, and amendingthe text continuously until the writing product is proper. in the area of english academic purposes, the students’ competence in writing for academic purposes required in the college english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 61 level learning process. it is seen not just as a standardized system of communication but also as an essential tool for students in constructing new knowledge. it also can be seen as a means to know students’ competency, students’ personal interest, and academic performance. moreover, writing can be seen as the result of thinking, concept development, and revision. it requires special skills to explore writers’ ideas to be presented and to be understood. writing for academic purposes is different from writing skill at high school level. it often causes students get difficulties in practicing it. some studies showed the inadequacy of writing skill for academic purposes in university level, including the expectations of applying it. most of the problems appear due to students’ failure to understand the difference of learning goal between high school and university which initiate students into the scope of writing skill for academic purposes (ivanic & lea, 2006; lilis & scott, 2007). concerning that statement, many factors of learning components must be applied based on the students’ requirement in achieving the expected goal related to writing for academic purposes. the material can be anything that used to assist english learning process. it can be the instructional, experiential, or exploratory as long as it can inform the students about the language use, provide the experience of the language in use, stimulate language use and support the students to discover the language based on their needs (tomlinson, 2003). in deciding the suitable material, teachers’ creativity and understanding to the students’ needs are the most important aspect. the chosen material used to ease students’ understanding of the learning content and context. cunningsworth states that in the scope of english language teaching, the instructional material should have multiple roles: 1) a resource for presentation materials (spoken and written). it can give the information concerning the presented materials; 2) a source of activities for student practice and communicative interaction. it should guide the students to practice the language using; 3) a reference source for students on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, etc. the instructional material must give the information about language component; 4) a source of stimulation and ideas for classroom language activities. not only as the knowledge source, the instructional material must stimulate the students by providing suitable information and presenting some learning activities to strengthen students’ comprehension of language use; 5) a syllabus (where they reflect learning objectives which have already been determined). it can be the reference how to carry out the english learning process; 6) a resource for selfdirected learning or self-access work. the instructional material should be a source for students to be able to study independently, so it is important to ensure that the information and the instruction presented is quite clear; 7) a support for less experienced teachers who have yet to gain in confidence. not only for students, the instructional material also can be as a support for teachers and lecturers to know what and how should be taught (cunningsworth, 1995, p. 6). in the area of esp, dudley-evans and st. john (1998) suggest that the materials have some functions: 1) as a source of language. due to english as a foreign language that studied, it requires a means that can be as a source in learning english; 2) as a learning support. the instructional material should help the learning process by giving the information, guidance in order to enhance students comprehension; 3) for motivation and stimulation. the instructional material should motivate and stimulate the students through its content and context. good material can encourage students to learn through: 1) its interesting texts; 2) enjoyable activities which engage the students’ thinking capacities; 3) opportunities for students to use their existing knowledge and skills; and 4) content which both students and lecturers can cope this (hutchinson & waters, 1987, p. 107). instructional material context involves consideration of some criteria: 1) aims and approach. it relates to a degree of correspondence to the students’ needs; 2) bibliographic features. it shows the quality and availability of the package; 3) design. it shows audi yundayani, emzir, & zainal rafli need analysis: the writing skill instructional material context for academic purposes 62 the attractiveness of the layout, visual appeal, readability and instructions clarity; 4) organization. this relates to sequencing and progression of suitable exercises, units, and proficiency level; 5) content. it shows a degree of authenticity, relevance, and appropriacy of the text genres; 6) methodology. it will extend to which tasks, exercises, and methods which are appropriate to students’ proficiencies and goals; 7) usability. this relates to flexibility, completeness, and feasibility of the materials; and 8) overall. it relates to the general quality of the text and its suitability for the purpose (hyland, 2003, p. 98). the context of the instructional material can be a consideration in determining the suitability between its role, orientation, and students’ needs. the instructional material of writing skills for academic purposes should be tailored based on students’ needs and learning objectives. in selecting the instructional material of writing skills for academic purposes, there are some requirements that should be considered; 1) the topic should make the students interested, culturally acceptable, and in line with the learning objectives; 2) the expected type of writing; 3) methods of generating ideas, whether through brainstorming, freewriting, listing, mapping, outlining which are appropriate for the students; 4) instruction for writing that will help the students to organize various types of writing, such as letters, description, narration, exposition, arguments and what students need to be practiced; 5) opportunities to collaborate in writing; 6) opportunities to revise which encourage students to do the various stages in writing process; 7) instruction in editing and proofreading. what students learn concerning with finding and editing their errors in writing (richards & renandya, 2003, pp. 311-312). instructional material plays a very special role in constructing students’ knowledge and understanding by providing much access to specialized knowledge and skills. it can be a source to help the students to construct the mental representation, including writing skill for academic purposes. based on the observation at non-english education study programs of stkip kusuma negara jakarta, it was found that the writing skill instructional materials for the academic purposes have not been designed and developed based on students’ needs. need analysis have not been implemented. it causes students having low performance in writing skill for academic purposes. most of them didn’t have any motivation to be involved and to be active in class since they did not understand the essence of presented materials. the writing skills of the students are alarmingly weak and substandard. the majority problem is due toincompetence in syntax, coherence,idea expansion, content selection, topic sentence, rhetorical conventions, mechanics, organization, lack of vocabulary, inappropriate use of vocabulary (fareed, ashraf, & bilal,2016). that condition can be solved through the suitable instructional material use as one of the learning sources. this current studyexplores students’ perceptions and examine their opinions concerning with required writing skills instructional material’ context for academic purposes. it will bring the basicinformation as further inquiry and suitable solution in developing instructional material, especially in writing skills for academic purposes. method the study aims to determine students’ need related to writing skill instructional materials’ context for academic purposes. this descriptive research involved the fifthsemester students of non-english education study programs at stkip kusuma negara jakarta. 100 non-english education study programs students participated in demanding their perception concerning the writing skill instructional materials’ context for academic purposes. the purposive sampling method was used to determine the respondents.the data were collected throughnon-participant observation, questionnaire survey, and semistructured interviews. the researcher observed the students in the english class to know the real condition of english learning process, including the students’ performance and the use of previous writing skill instructional material for academic purposes. the questionnaire used to english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 63 know students’ perceptionrelated to writing skill instructional materials’ context for academic purposes. the data obtained from the questionnaire were analyzed then summarize in the table form. in addition, the semi-structured interview was applied to get deeper information from students’ conceptions of instructional material context. the interviews with the students were done after questionnaire. the interviews were applied to find the problem more openly by asking for opinions and ideas from respondents. the data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. it is quantitative in terms ofdisplayingquestionnaire’s result. meanwhile, it is quantitative in dealing with the collected data reduction, data display, and conclusion. qualitative data analysis is an interpretive process, researcher reflect on their personal viewpoints and how they shape their interpretations of the data (clark & creswell, 2015, p. 364). results and discussion need analysis of learning material context is a process to find students’ expectations and needs by identifying the effective way of instructional material context to be presented. the series of learning needs to be prepared and adapted should be based on the characteristics of studentswhichwere summarized and arranged to achieve the objectives of certainlyexpected competencies. this step can be seen as a process to identify the needs of instructional materials related to writing skill for academic purposes in accordance with the studentscharacteristics, background, and their environmental setting.the indicators of instructional material context analysiscovered, (1) design and organization; (2) language content; and (3) method and techniques applied in instructional material. design and organization students’ comprehension of the material will be determined by the instructional design and organization. students should feel ease in using the instructional material, in other words, the instructional material must be presented according to the students’ requirement. the structure, function, skill presented based on its’ complexity, needs, objectives, difficulties, and usability are the important aspectsof designing and organizing the instructional materials. the design and organization of writing skill materials for academic purposes should be easy to be understood by the students. it should give clear guidance and progressive reinforcement, so the students will have selfconfidence to study the given instructional material personally. students’ perceptions based on their needs should be the basis to design and organize the instructional material. table1. students’ perceptions of design and organization applied in instructional material no indicators percentage of needs demand design and organization 1 instructional materials composition of writing for academic purposes based on the structure, function, topic and skills aspects in accordance with the needs of students. 87 % needed 2 instructional materials composition of writing for academic purposes based on the order of complexity, needs, objectives, difficulties, functions and usability. 80 % needed 3 the display of instructional materials to writing for academic purposes should be clear and easy to understand. 87 % needed 4 instructional materials of writing for academic purposes should provide various exercises and tasks. 80 % needed 5 many template of english writing for academic purposes is required. 87 % needed 6 evaluation of instructional materials of writing for academic purposes should be done periodically. 86 % needed 7 clear guidance of instructional materials of writing for academic purposes is required, so students can learn 85 % needed audi yundayani, emzir, & zainal rafli need analysis: the writing skill instructional material context for academic purposes 64 independently. the table shows that the whole components of the instructional materials’design and organization should be organized according to the structure, function, topic and skill aspects required by the students based on the order of complexity, needs, objectives, difficulties, functions, and uses. the questionnaire result was strengthened by the interview results. the interview results showed that the students also need instructional materials thatprovide english language writing models for academic purposes that can be used as examples, as well as various exercises and assignments to support the students’ mastery in writing skill for academic purposes. clear guidance in instructional materials of writing for academic purposes is also required by students as a guidence for autonomous learning, including the need for the instructional materials evaluation. it is important to confirm that the instructional material design and organization of writing for academic purposes should be systematic and student-friendly. the composition of the instructional material should be in line with students’ needs. the way in designing and organizing the instructional material gives impact to students’ understanding and motivation in learning. as a learning aid, it is important to make sure that the designed instructional material can support teaching and learning process. all of the units and exercises should be well linked in terms of theme, situation, function, and topic of writing for academic purposes development, including the order of complexity, needs, objectives, difficulties, and usability of the instructional material. as a productive skill, writing must be practiced a lot. students should be motivated to rehearse through the instructional material. to achieve the ability in writing for academic purposes, students require clear, easy and various exercises and taskswhich can make them develop their performance. exercises and tasks are ways to explore students’ learning experiences and their achievement in writing skills. to enhance the learning goal, the instructional material should provide many templates of english writing for academic purposes.in writing, many given templates in instructional material required toportray students’ attention to its important features, then they are required to produce a similar or parallel text. instructional materials evaluation of writing for academic purposes should be done periodically.it is required by the students in order to measure the suitability of the instructional material with the students’ needs. the things that must be evaluated cover many thingssuch as, the instructional material capability to motivate the students, the impact of the instructional materials, the practicality and clarity of the instructional material, etc. the description above shows us how instructional material should be designed and organized based on the students’ perception. design and organization of the instructional material can be seen as the important performance to attract students’ attention in using the instructional material. by providing clear guidance, good composition, and proper display, the instructional material of writing for academic purposes should be as a source to increase students’ knowledge and skills in order to achieve the learning goals. language content language content in writing skill instructional material for academic purposes concerns with what is being taught. it should be compared with what the students’ need to learn and expect to learn based on their lack, want and necessities in the area of writing for academic purposes. students should realize the relevant and benefit of instructional material content. the students will be motivated in learning when the content of the instructional material related to their interests and their need to perform in the academic field. teachers should notice the impact of given instructional material, especially the language content. it is important to assign the language content that will develop students’ curiosity, interest, and attention in learning. so by the end, the students’ competency will increase. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 65 in the area of writing for academic purposes, the content of instructional material can be the product appoach in term of rhetorical-functional and academic genres, the process approach that will view writing as a creative process, including summarising and paraphrasing. all of the content in the instructional material should be in line with the academic field. table 2. students’ perceptions of language content assigned in instructional material no indicators percentage of needs demand language content 1 the integration of instructional materials of writing for academic purposes with other language skills in accordance with the learning objectives. 81 % needed 2 writing process materials in terms of: 1) exploring ideas; 2) prewriting; 3) organizing; 3) writing first draft; 4) revising; 5) producing the final copy; 6) editing; 7) proofreading. 86 % needed 3 academic genres materials 83 % needed 1) essays 82 % needed 2) reports 80 % needed 3) case studies 50 % not yet needed 4) projects 63 % not yet needed 5) literature reviews 42 % not yet needed 6) exam answers 46 % not yet needed 7) research papers/articles 46 % not yet needed 8) skripsi/theses 44 % not yet needed 4 rhetorical-functional materials 81 % needed 1) description 82 % needed 2) narration 83 % needed 3) instruction 58 % not yet needed 4) explanation 65 % not yet needed 5) definition 82 % needed 6) exemplification 46 % not yet needed 7) classification 82 % needed 8) comparison and contrast 59 % not yet needed 9) cause and effect 59 % not yet needed 10) expressing: purpose, means, prediction, expectancy, reservation, result 40 % not yet needed 11) generalisation and specificity 40 % not yet needed 12) discussion and argumentation (problem and solution) 57 % not yet needed 13) drawing conclusions 48 % not yet needed 5 materials related to applying quotation, footnotes and bibliography 68 % not yet needed 6 materials related to finding and analysing data 63 % not yet needed the previous topics are the essence derived from the entire teaching materials related to writing skills for academic purposes. meanwhile, through the questionnaire and interviews, the researchers also seek the information concerning with the most required language content that should be assigned tothe instructional material. the result of students perceptions shows the most required language content that must be covered in the instructional material by minimum 80%, the percentage of the students’ needs. less than 80% means students have not needed them in this short time according to the learning goal in the academic field. the students need instructional materials of writing for academic purposes that are integrated with other language skills.writing for academic purposes requires input that can be from much varieties of the reading text since it can give the positive impact for students in constructing and composing the written information. writing is the process of constructing any information and knowledge, including concept development. by integrating writing skills with other language skills in the audi yundayani, emzir, & zainal rafli need analysis: the writing skill instructional material context for academic purposes 66 instructional material, it can give comprehensive stimulus to develop students’ ability in writing. the combination of receptive and productive skills in the instructional material provide rich and varied input and stimulus in order to facilitate students’ proficiency in writing foracademic purposes. students require writing skills for academic purposes that include writing skills with a product and process approach. for writing skills with a product approach, itshould be focused on the academic genrethat includes essay writing and reports, while for rhetorical-functional, itshould be focused on descriptive, narrative, definition and classification skills. for writing skills with a process approach, the given material related to the stages of the writing process from exploring ideas, prewriting, organizing, writing the first draft, revising the draft, producing the final copy, editing, and proofreading. product approach in writing concerns with the products. many provided models draw attention to its important and required features as the template. students practice through the provided template that describes how and what the students could write.the required genre based on students’ perceptions shows the students’ purposes in writing. they have certain goals and informationto be conveyed based on the learning requirement. on the other hand, process approach in writing as the mental process emphasizes on the process of composing which should be utilized by the students. it focuses on students-centredness by allowing them to express personally started from planning, drafting, rethinking, revising, etc. through the process approach, students learn how to build writing strategies by following some phases to produce a clear, comprehensive and understandable text. the result of the interview informed that students also require the ability to write summary and paraphrasing. in the area of academic purposes, ability in making summary and paraphrasing are the important aspects. students should comprehend the given information and re-write it by using their own words, style and also structure. the most important aspect of summary and paraphrasing is the content or the message that should be delivered. it is amust for the writer and the reader having the same perception and understanding concerning the written information presented. by the end, the language content should deliver the material in order to develop students’ writing ability and applicative in the field of the academic context. it should be related to students’ study skills in which one of them covers writing for academic purposes as the productive skill. integrated language skills should strengthen the instructional material in order to stimulate students due to students’ proficiency in writing for academic purposes. the product and process approach in writing are required by the students to be found in the instructional material of writing for academic purposes which covers; 1) some rhetorical-functional in the form of descriptive, narrative, explanation and definition, 2) academic genre in the form of essay and report, 3) writing process, 4) summary, and 5) paraphrasing. method and technique method and technique applied in the instructional material should give the opportunities for the students to practice a lot. it has to deliver the students toachieve communicative and applicative ability in writing for academic purposes. implemented method and technique in the instructional material should expose the students to practice their writing skill in the authentic and real use. the applied method and technique can be seen as the stimulus to expose the students’ writing ability for academic purposes. table 3. students’ perceptions of method and technique implemented in instructional material no indicators percentage of needs demand methods and techniques 1 question and answer 87 % needed 2 matching activity 81 % needed english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 67 3 communicating strategies 82 % needed 4 pictures and picture stories 86 % needed 5 puzzles and problems 78 % not yet needed 6 discussions and decisions 86 % needed 7 jigsaw 67 % not yet needed 8 information gap 65 % not yet needed 9 problem-solving 87 % needed 10 decision making 85 % needed 11 opinion exchange 87 % needed 12 taking notes 76 % not yet needed 13 concept mapping 86 % needed 14 inferencing 86 % needed 15 discriminating 82 % needed 16 diagramming 71 % not yet needed 17 co-operating 87 % needed 18 using context 73 % not yet needed 19 summarising 81 % needed 20 personalizing 84 % needed 21 self-evaluating 86 % needed 22 reflecting 80 % needed 23 brainstorming 84 % needed 24 mapping it out 84 % needed 25 reorganizing the information 82 % needed 26 completing documents 73 % not yet needed 27 previewing 80 % needed 80 % as the result of students’ perception means that the presented method and technique required by the students to be applied in the instructional material of writing for academic purposes. less than 80 % means that the presented method and technique have not been needed by the students. related to the students’ perception concerning with methods and techniques that should be implemented in instructional material, it was found that methods and techniques of presenting writing instructional materialsfor academic purposes required by students werefocused on assigning tasks or direct practice. in addition, students tended to require techniques that will make them interact with other students. various techniques such as question and answer, discussions and decisions, problem-solving, decision making, opinion exchange, concept mapping, summarizing, using knowledge to learn something (inference), self-evaluating and brainstormingwere needed by students. the finding shows that language learning is accepted more than a set of grammatical rules that should be understoodor many vocabularies that should be memorized by the students. they see the process of language learning as a dynamic process for creating meaning in practicing language skill including writing for academic purposes. due to the students’ expectation, the applied method and technique should be a process of habit formation through many activities, both in exercises and tasks. by the end, the students are not only to know what the writing for academic purposes is but also to know how to write for academic purposes. the various techniques applied in the instructional material were seen as a tool for communication rather than as a set of theoretical term. students require the opportunities to enhance their personal experience related to writing skill for academic purposes through the provided techniques applied in instructional material. various and attractive techniques were seen as a way to link the language learning process and language use.as a learning source, the instructional material should give positive impact for the students in writing skill mastery for academic purposes. by the provided methods and techniques in instructional material, students realize that being mastery in writing skill for academic purposes requires active learning, many practices, emotional experiences, audi yundayani, emzir, & zainal rafli need analysis: the writing skill instructional material context for academic purposes 68 thinking process and communicative competence. applied methods and techniques in instructional material required by the students can be seen as a part of communicative exercise principle; the process of learning by doing. the required techniques focus on student-centered and the teacher’s role should be the instructor, organizer, advisor, designer including the manager in the learning process. the required methods and techniques should be authenticity and also problem-solving. by the end, the students’ need and their learning goal in writing for academic purposes will be fulfilled easily due to the design of the instructional material based on the result of need analysis as the basis. based on the results of the questionnaire and observations conducted by the researchers, there are some important findings related to students’ perceptions concerning with instructional materials context of writing skill for academic purposes. re-examining the literature provided in deciding the suitable material, teachers’ understanding of the students’ needs are the most important aspects. related to that, instructional materials’ design and organization should be organized according to the structure, function, topic and skills aspects required by students based on the order of complexity, needs, objectives, difficulties, functions, and uses. the important thing concerning with the language content, students have perceptions that the content of instructional materials of writing for academic purposes should be integrated with other language skills. they need writing materials for academic purposes presented through product and process approach, including summarising and paraphrasing. the product approach should be focused on the academic genresthat includeessay writing and reports, while for rhetorical-functional;itshould be focused on descriptive, narrative, definition and classification skills. for writing skills with a process approach, the material given should be related to the stages of the writing process from exploring ideas, prewriting, organizing, writing the first draft, revising the draft, producing the final copy, editing, and proofreading.the finding in line with the multiple roles of instructional material in the scope of english language teaching. as the source and reference, the instructional material should give the information about the writing skills required by the students. in addition, it should stimulate and motivate the students. to obtain those, it is important to design the content of instructional material based on the students’ needs. students’ perception shows that the methods and techniques applied in the instructional material should give students the opportunities to practice a lot, in other words, it should be communicative and applicative based on student-centered learning approach. as the source of activities for students practice, the applied techniques should present some learning activities to strengthen students’ comprehension in writing for academic purposes. students prefer to use various techniques through communicative interaction. this finding in line with the material roles in which the instructional material should guide the students to practice the language use and to be a source of stimulation and ideas for classroom language activities. by the end, methods and techniques applied in the instructional material of writing skill for academic purposes should be various, attractive, applicative and focus on communicative interaction based on students’ need so that it will give the positive impact in enhancing students’ motivation, performance, and competency in writing skill for academic purposes. conclusion in conclusion, writing proficiency for academic purposes should be mastered by undergraduate students. it is important to provide any learning components to enhance students’ mastery in writing for academic purposes. one of them is instructional materials as the learningsource. the context of instructional materialsshould be developed based on the need analysis focused on studentcentered approach. the findingsinform the teachers or the curriculum designers to identify students’ perspective by promoting their critical awareness in relationto english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 69 instructional materials context, and it helps them to uplift their knowledge and skill in writing for academic purposes. the context of instructional materials must be relevant to students’ learning goal, especially in writing for academic purposes. by the end, it is a must to make sure that the designed instructional materials should be focused on communicative competence. therefore, need analysis is the ground on which instructional materials can be developed in order to lead students’ motivation and proficiency in writing skill for academic purposes. references benavent, g. t.,& sánchez-reyes, s. (2015).target situation as a key element for esp (law enforcement) syllabus design. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 173, 143 – 148. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.02.044 clark, v. l. p.,& creswell, j. w. (2015). understanding research: a consumer’s guide(2nd ed.). nj: pearson education, inc. cunningsworth, a. (1995). choosing your coursebook. oxford: macmillan education. dudley-evans, t.,& st john, m. (1998). developments in english for specific purposes. cambridge: cambridge university press. fareed, m., ashraf, a.,& bilal, m. (2016). esl learners’ writing skills: problems, factors and suggestions.journal ofeducation and social sciences, 4(2), 81 – 92. doi: 10.20547/jess0421604201. hutchinson, t., &waters, a. (1987).english for specific purposes: a learning-centered approach. new york: cambridge university press. hyland, k. (2003). second language writing. new york: cambridge university press. hyland, k. (2006). english for academic purposes. oxon: routledge. ivanic, r., &lea, m. r. (2006). new contexts, new challenges: the teaching of writing in uk higher education. in l. ganobcsikwilliams (ed.), teaching academic writing in uk higher education: theories, practice and models. london:palgrave/macmillan. jordan, r.r. (1997). english for academic purposes: a guide and resource book for teacher. cambridge: cambridge university press. lilis, t., & scott, m. (2007). defining academic literacies research: issues of epistemology, ideology and strategy.journal of applied linguistics, 4(1), 5–32.doi: 10.1558/japl.v4i1.5 otilia, s. m. (2015).needs analysis in english for specific purposes. annals of theconstantin brâncuşiuniversity of târgu jiu, economy series, 1 (ii). richards, j. c.,& renandya, w. a. (2003).methodology in language teaching: an anthology of current practice.cambridge: cambridge university press. tomlinson, b. (2003). developing materials for language teaching. gb: cromwell press. audi yundayani, emzir, & zainal rafli need analysis: the writing skill instructional material context for academic purposes 70 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee ambiguity in autobigraphical narratives in nigeria: valorizing sexism and displacement in ogoni cosmology christopher babatunde ogunyemi department of english studies, adekunle ajasin university, nigeria e-mail: bbcoguns2@yahoo.se apa citation: ogunyemi, c. b. (2016). ambiguity in autobiographical narratives in nigeria: valorizing sexism and displacement in ogoni cosmology. english review: journal of english education, 5(1), 11-24 received: 19-10-2016 accepted: 22-11-2016 published: 01-12-2016 abstract: this paper focuses on the examination of ambiguity in autobiographical writings in nigeria. it underscores the architectonic discourse, cultural alienation and ‘self-elevation’ in some selected autobiographies. ambiguity in this instance visualizes that these male narratives hinge on something, which is what we now wish to excavate as an area of serious academic endeavour. and it also hinges on how saro wiwa’s autobiographies who happen to be male is inevitably sexist in orientation, this will, however, be shown when examining in particular the structuring (narratological devices) of the texts. this work valorizes the cardinal representations of self and male gender in enhancing identity for people of diverse perspectives without appreciating female voices which constitute an integral part of the literary history and ideologue. ‘negating women in art is negating history because history is the main discipline through which we can understand gender’ (brereton, 1998, p. 17). this paper encapsulates the motif of dominance and oppression of women because women were only made to be seen and not heard or even represented in such art. however, this situation is disheartening because while the ‘african feminist accommodates men and make them its central assurance, love and care’ (chukwuma, 1990, p. 15), men who are fickle minded literary ideologues delight in over projecting self using the instrument of ‘i’ in autobiographies without recourse to women who hold some basis to their existence. this research work entails a close analysis of the question of gender and displacement originating from these autobiographical writings originating from nigeria and the configuration of the motif of metaphor in male dominated gender in five autobiographical writings in line with narratology and butler’s theory of performativity. keywords: autobiography, ambiguity, narratives, saro wiwa, butler, narratology introduction autobiographical writings are total representations of events surrounding the writer: male or female. many works have been subjected to the culture of imperialism which in the end shows alienation, pain, sorrow, repression and negation. (calvino, 2004, carruth, 1998 and butler, 1968). however, despite the range and abundance of autobiographical writings from anglophone nigeria, this work fully ‘charts the intersection of multiple, contradictory views of the colonial and post colonial images. it illuminates the concept of community and levels of social integration-a persistent pattern of both resistance and accommodation of the domain of male gender in art’ (brereton, 1998, p. 18). autobiographical works sometimes reflect the entire range of practice, including the slave narrative 11 christopher babatunde ogunyemi ambiguity in autobigraphical narratives in nigeria: valorizing sexism and displacement in ogoni cosmology and testimonial, written and oral narratives, spiritual autobiographic, fiction, serial autobiography, verse, diaries and journals, elegy, and parody (d’more, 2012, folkenflik, 1993 and raditlhalo, 2003). the intention of this work is to demonstrate how saro wiwa uses some selected autobiographical works to show specific levels of degradation and environmental waste which affected ogoni culturally, economically and politically. the concern of this work is predicated on the configuration of metaphor in male autobiographical narratives of saro wiwa. the use of ‘male metaphor’, such as artificial creations and self created myths involving the use of ‘i’, and ‘me’ to express life situations most times constitute the focal point for this analysis. in nigeria, many writers such as chinua achebe, aguda, soyinka, obasanjo, buchi emechetta, akachi ezeigbo among others have typified their works in different dimensions to delineate a cordial relationship with societal superstructure. for soyinka in ake, the metaphoric portrayal of self is to denote referentiality between the art and human society; the essence of this is to portray a depiction of art in reality and a reflection of youthful life in contemporary times. reflecting on an event in soyinka’s narrative he opines that: {t}rue, i had done less of grasscutting than most in the formative years but this had been due to the unlucky accident which had nearly taken off my right eye. it had left a permanent scar, a visible reminder to every teacher of what, to everyone, what nothing short of a miracle. overawed by this singular mark of divine protection and, reluctant to tempt fate all over again, the teachers simply ordered me back into the classroom whenever it was time for mowing the grass. i had therefore a retarded education in the art of the oju agba but, i did catch up in my last year in the primary school when the incident had become all but forgotten (1981, p. 169). in the above quotation, the narrator’s childhood reflection is a depiction of the nature of memory and creative imagination which portray metaphors that stimulate the social functioning in society. the narrator would have lost his eyes at childhood; incidentally, it is that same eyes that give him the functioning sight of the society he lives in. the same metaphoric element is visualised by aguda when he says that ‘i never planned to go into the legal profession. i had no ambition, hope or desire to do so, until march 1947, when fate seemed to have left me to no other alternative’ (1980, p. 1). fate had left him in a good choice that spurs him to the legal limelight. writers of the autobiographical narratives either use metaphors in the domain of general and the particular in order to demonstrate their perception of society. our intention in this paper is not to be bogged down by the tradition in writing autobiographical narratives but to examine succinctly male dominance and the background of ‘patrilineage’ in wiwa’s aforementioned works which explain what most africa society’s experience in their contact with one another. according to nwachukwu – agbada, the ‘i’ in african literary autobiographies refers both to personal and public, the private and civic (1987, p. 10). ‘the eye of the society is mostly celebrated in autobiographical narratives’ (nwachukwu-agbada, 2003, p. 9). looking at various narratives, one would agree with emma kafalenos that 12 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee narrative writings ‘provide tools that help to explain the process of perceiving and interpreting event’ (2001, p. 36). however, raditlhalo’s ‘authorizing the self’ is axiomatic, he opines that: at the heart of life-writing are individuals who begin to narrativise their story in most instances for public consumption. while there may be many reasons why people write their life-narratives, in western society at least the genesis of the genre is usually associated with the confessions of saint augustine (c.400) though it reaches back to antiquity with, say, seneca’s letters from a stoic (ca. 63-65). this perception, amongst others, has been instrumental in the logocentricism at the heart of western culture, which is to say that the self has teleological beginning that is uniquely western in origin. it must be added that it is not only western society which has preserved a distinct genre in life writings, as felicity a. nussbaum attests (1988, n. 8). despite evidence to the contrary from scholars outside europe, however, this logocentric view is deeply embedded in western scholarship; an attack on such logocentricism is provided, among other scholars, by gayatri spivak (40). ‘the concept of ‘self’ becomes the major preoccupation in autobiographical writings’ (freedom 2004, raditlhalo, 2003 and fox-genove, 1986). while this kind of narration is a representation of sequential events in the narrative. the representation is a process in which events are revealed successively, one after the other. autobiographical narratives follow the sequence of perceived representation of events conceived in a parallel sequence. kafalenos further explains that this kind of narrative is a sequence in which the identical events occur in chronological order. the russian formalist named the two sequences: sjuzhet (the representation) and fabula (the chronological sequence abstracted from the representation). fabula is made by readers from the information found in a sjuzhet. nigerian autobiographical writings also conform to the application of both sjuzhet and fabula in their narrative portrayal of self in society. the readers make their comments from the explications found in the documented texts and thematic preoccupations which are deeply rooted in the autobiographical narratives. the essence is to guide readers to discern a particular metaphoric configuration in relation to literary activities which interpret given events. readers are led to include in a configuration certain revealed events and not others primarily by the relation between a sjuzhet and its fabula–a relation that is illuminated by gaps (kafalenos, 2001, p. 32). according to kafalenos in looking at barthes’ ‘autobiography’, he opines that: {r}oland barthes identifies “narrative contract” which throws some searchlight in the importance of autobiographical narratives. the bargain in this instance is between the narrator (of both the framing narrative and the contained narrative). as we begin to read the autobiographical narrative, on the first reading, we discover initially mine de rochefide’s motivation. the narrator’s companion is fascinated by the painting she sees at the party to which the narrator has taken her and she says she is “too beautiful for a man” (honore de balzac). the narrative form of an autographical writing is usually shared by both historiography and fictional narrative. this is considered to be the most important parallel between the two genres. here, contemporary literary and historical theories view 13 christopher babatunde ogunyemi ambiguity in autobigraphical narratives in nigeria: valorizing sexism and displacement in ogoni cosmology historiography as another art form, which predominated until mid-19th century (ibid). contemporary writers like hayden white (1978) have also attempted to prove the fictional character of historiography by examining its narrative structures and recourse to literary modes of narration. white focuses on the narrative structures at the surface of the texts; he determines the instruments that constitute narrative force (ibid). nigerian autobiographers get their raw materials from historical issues; this is what white in the words of aristotle tags ‘mimetic representation’ of real historical occurrence or historical processes which are part of the narratives. in addition, they are contingent, metaphorical and, in the final analysis, fictional constructs. this means that historical discourse should not be considered as mirror image of the set of events which we simply describe autobiographical (ibid). writings attempt to prove that language and narrative form are not transparent media that merely enable the neutral representation of historical processes. chukwuma remarks that the woman is portrayed in various works including the autobiographical narrative as ‘a handicapped daughter, wife and mother even when the decisions affect her directly’ (2004, p. 131). various narrations have portrayed the fact that the most feasible way to x-ray gender factor of female subjugation in written autobiographies is her economic dependence on men and the social demand that a woman give all her earnings to the home (132). autobiographical literature is as old as man; it spreads gradually from the old period in art till this present dispensation. autobiographical works take many forms, from intimate writings made during life that are necessarily intended for publication (including letters, diaries, journals, memories and reminiscences to formal autobiography (freedom, 1993 and goodman, 1993). ‘outstanding examples of the genre extended from st augustine’s confessions (c. ad 400) to vladimir nabokov’s speak memory (1951). autobiographical narratives, as literary genre, narrate the story of one’s own life’ (raditlhalo, 2003, green, 2009 and hughes, 1993). this writing is predicated on ‘the individual’s quest to narrate his psychoanalysis; this is of interest as the story is told by the patient to the analyst and to himself’ (nwachukwu-agbada, 2003, p. 67). in the modern sense, autobiography began as a form of confession (saint augustine), even though there are memoirs in classical literature, such introspective works can be considered attempts at self-analysis before the psychoanalysis discovery of the unconscious. in 1925, sigmund freud wrote an autobiographical study, in which the story of his life merges with that of the creation of psychoanalysis. according to freud, biographical truth does not exist, since the author must rely on lies, secrets and hypocrisy. the same is true of autobiography. from this point of view, it is interesting that freud framed his theoretical victory and the birth of psychoanalysis in the form of a psychological novel. the function of autobiography is to use scattered bits of memory to create the illusion of a sense of continuity that can hide the anxiety or even of the absence of the meaning of existence, from a purely narcissistic point of view (smith and watson, 2010, smith, 1993 and 1987, chadwick, 2008). the selfreflection in nigerian autobiographical narratives intensifies cultural identity, colonialisation, post-independence 14 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee disillusionment, 1967 to 1970 war experience, the military in politics, corruption in governance and selfrepresentation. the main assumptions of the study are that, if the preoccupation of the male autobiographical narrative is a relative phenomenon to the understanding of historical and socio-cultural configuration in a dynamic society and if the depiction of self in autobiographical narratives is a reflection of developmental current in nigerian worldview. these are the tentative questions the research work attempts to raise and answer in order to explore the literary implications which nigerian autobiographies portray. the questions include: (a) that the configuration of metaphor in male autobiographical narrative propels self-histories in nigerian literature. (b) that these narratives explore some literary devices which point to the glorification of men and their achievements by the image of ‘i’. (c) that in the course of the exploration of these narratives, there are instances of gender conflict which lead to gender consciousness among nigerian women folks. (d) and that there is need to identify some lopsidedness in the projection of self in order to enhance distinct political, social and economic harmony among women for total posterity. the overall aim of the study is to explore succinctly the conceptualization of male metaphors in autobiographical narratives. generally, this work will, the first, focus on the postcolonial male autobiographies in a multi dimensional perspectives with the exposition of the power instrumentations in order to fully explain the focus behind such writings and why they are male dominant. it would situate practical development where all and sundry regardless of sex can be free to contribute to national development socially, economically, and physically and practically. it could create ‘an atmosphere in art whereby such writings have brought about awareness on the part of the women in particular and society in general because with awareness comes education and consciousness-raising, then reaction against all forms of sublimation, denial and marginalization which some forms of writings stand noted for’ (chukwuma, 2004). the second, juxtapose these narratives that originate from nigeria by explaining the various movements which shape the narrative metaphors, images and the use of male dominated ironies of marginalization in the corpus of the works. the third, succinctly investigate the multiplicity of meanings attributed to these male dominated autobiographical stories and natural archetypes they create to limit the exploration of the female gender in art and literature. this would be done by evaluating the philosophical perspectives which govern the notion of “omnipotence” for nigeria men in their worldview as visualized in literature. the fourth act as interface of liberation for the colonized and give the male colonizer a new sense of vision and purpose because strength and gender are not integral factors in enhancing practical and sustainable development which make globalization enhance development in nigeria. the study which investigates male autobiographical narratives and gender imperatives has these four-fold objectives as specific aims: (a) it x-rays recurring male features as archetype in nigerian autobiographical writings. 15 christopher babatunde ogunyemi ambiguity in autobigraphical narratives in nigeria: valorizing sexism and displacement in ogoni cosmology (b) it exemplifiers elements of gender distinction and the various reactions attributed to this phenomenon. (c) it shows related reactions in some related primary sources emanating from nigeria. (d) the study visualizes the domination of male configurated metaphors in the autobiographical writings; this factor limits the scope of scholarship society would have been better propelled socially, economically, politically, etc. saro wiwa’s a forest of flowers (1986) encapsulates ‘i’ to metaphorically delineate the hypocrisy of the nigerian government, the church and fellow nigerians. in this work, wiwa presents himself as a portrayal of reality which virtually exposes the various problems encountered by the nigerian people, particularly the ogoni people. similarly, on a darkling plain (1989) is one of wiwa’s war diaries which document the nigerian war experience, this autobiography details levels of political and economic exploitation the ogoni people suffered in the hands of successive nigerian governments. it valorises the sad experience people had in the hands of the multi-national companies that came for oil exploration in the area. genocide in nigeria (1992) takes a cursory overview of a man’s overview and expression of the politics and the environment of the ogoni environment. in his self-remarks, wiwa uses his personal experience to denote the plight of the minority and the economic domination of the ogoni by the nigerian government. the trend shifts to sozaboy (1994) which enhances personal perspective of the ogoni environment. here, saro wiwa demonstrates his personal hatred of the domination of the nigerian government over the ogoni resources and the application of brutal force to reduce the ogoni people through the military encroachment in the area. the work xrays a selfexperience of the tragedy meted out to the ogoni minority in nigeria. a month and a day: a detention diary (1995) is an exploratory autobiographical account of ken saro wiwa’s period in detention. this work echoes the struggle to liberate the ogoni people from the shackles of nigerian imperialism. eventually, he lost his life to the struggle to liberate his people by the sanni abacha self-created judicial enquiry that recommended him for hanging in port harcourt in 1995. the choice of these works is to attempt an examination of ambiguities in saro wiwa’s autobiographical narratives in order to showcase various experiences beginning from the nigerian/biafran war time to the total reliance on crude oil by nigeria and to the total operation of the nigerian minorities. it explains the suppression of the ogoni people and subsequently the contemporary times when economic, political failures have eroded some cultural inclinations in nigeria and the need to expose some levels of corruption and marginalisation of values in the nation’s economy. the above stands as the motivation for the above mentioned justification of works. method the treatment of these research answers to so many questions which are yet to be attended to will enhance the understanding of myth, gender in nigerian autobiographies where the non-existence of female voices in the works of art is feasible. how can equality and sustainable development that is devoid of sexist discrimination be allowed to prevail? a study of unity of purpose in writing would make nigeria 16 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee take a dynamic and mutual relationship in creative art. this research work entails a study of ‘ambiguity in ken saro wiwa’s autobiographical narratives in nigeria’. for that reason, the work will incorporate the desktop writing with the corpus of its primary sources as mentioned above. it will blend the primary sources with the secondary sources that are retrieved from the library. the content analysis will dovetail into the critical analysis of our chosen texts. qualitative approach will be applied to delineate the subject matter of the project. a qualitative approach will be expedient because ‘it will underscore perceptions around the characters in the literary work of art as they move in time and space’ (okpara1990, p. 115). the methodology embodies a close analysis of trends and prognosis of the concept with recourse to the meta-analysis of both the primary and secondary sources. in analyzing the work, attempts shall be carried out in explaining explicitly the salient points which constitute the subject matter. i will use narratology as instruments to delineate the motif of self and male metaphor in literary analysis to evaluate the themes of gender and development in the nigerian autobiographical writings. the methodology also entails the application of this theory in the development of the thesis by blending theories with the traditions of writing. results and discussion for proper understanding of this study, narratology as a literary theoretical would be employed to showcase the application of the science of fiction in autobiographical narrative mieke bal's narratology (1985, p. 3) and gérard genette (1980) define narratology as the theory and the study of narratives. for the sake of this study, we shall dwell on gérard genette narratological works and apply it to the evaluation of our study because the theory aids the german and anglosaxon literary tradition, and it sheds more light to the understanding of the narratological criticism. however, ’narrative does not represent real or fictive story, it recounts it, that is, it signifies it by means of language. there is no place to imitate the narrative. there are simply varying degree of diegesis, narrative moods, mimesis and every text discloses traces of narration’ (pp. 42-43). in addition, narratology lends axiomatic credence to the ‘context of production as fundamental element of the narrative’ (40). narratology details narrative structure and the way it affect our perceptions is examined. in principle, narratology can refer to any systematic study of narratives, though in practice the use of the term is rather more restricted. it is because of this restricted application that this theory is applied to the study and understanding of the male autobiographical narratives and gender imperatives. the word ‘narratology’ is an anglicization of the french word ‘narratologie’ tzvetan todorov in his grammaire du decameron (1969), coins the word, and has been retrospectively applied by many writers. although a linage stretching back to aristotle’s poetics may be traced, modern narratology is most typically said to begin with the russian formalists and in particular with viadimir prop’s morphology of the folktale (1928). due to the origin of the term, it has a strong association with the structuralist quest for a system of formed description that can usefully be applied to any narrative. this aim has not, however, characterized 17 christopher babatunde ogunyemi ambiguity in autobigraphical narratives in nigeria: valorizing sexism and displacement in ogoni cosmology all work that is today described narratological. {p}ercy lubbock’s groundbreaking work on point of view, the craft of fiction (1912), is a case in point. jonathan culler argues that the many strands of narratology are all united by recognition “that the theory of narrative requires a distinction between: story” – sequence of actions or events, conceived as independent of their manifestation in discourse and ‘discourse’, the discursive presentation of narration of event” (labov, 2006, p. 49). culler admits that the distinction in narratology is originally proposed by the russian formalists who used the terms fabula and sjuzhet, but a succession of other pairs has perceived what is essentially the same dichotomy for example (christoire/discous historie/recit, story/plot) in his text, the pursuit of signs (1981, p. 13). to a certain extent, the designation of work as narratological or otherwise may have more to do with narratives, stories, autobiographies and sociolinguistics. according to labov (2006), narratology lends credence to conversional analysis, discourse analysis that deal with arising in the course of spontaneous verbal interaction (190). however, constituent narrative structure could be included in the interpretation of male autobiographical narratives (15). more importantly, narratology enables the readers and critics to examine the structure of the autobiographical writings, their cultural artifacts and the ordering of time and space in narrative forms. this is because narratologists love to categorize and to taxonomize, which has led to a plethora of terms to explain the complicated nature of media in our lives (television, film, fiction). nwachukwu-agbada (2003 and 1987) captures the dynamics of autobiographical writing by asserting that these works celebrate ideas, which is spread across periods of time. his conception is predicated on the environment and ‘the result is that practically all the africa literary autobiographies are public gestures derived from a personal struggle with life and agents on the way of psychic, economic, material individual and national fulfillment’ (2003, p. 103). a preponderance of issues, which african autobiographical narratives discuss, reveals various exploitations within the domain of narratology. ‘nigerian autobiographies are not exception because they incorporate various issues in their corpus’ (1987, p. 97). essentially, ‘gender is a series of displays or performance’ (golfman 1957, p. 22, west, 1988, zimmerman, 1975, p. 157 and lucal, 1999, p. 19). to henry macdonald (1988), narratology is traditionally the story of narrative fiction, which is directed mainly to the level of the action of the story and its meanings (1). he further observes that narratology visualizes the narrative presentation of the story which the reader encounters. the story as a separate part of the presentation is an abstract constructed tale. hawthorne opines that it deals with interpretation and the interpretation is “twice-told all telling ultimately retellings (ibid). research in narratology is both prescriptive and descriptive, ‘although this may be socially altered’ (epstein, 1988, p. 231). the analysis is dynamic because autobiographical narrative is a complex phenomenon. the research blends narratological theory with gender theory. the need for the application of these theories is to bring out the nigerian literary ethos in a manner that 18 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee will explore the configurated metaphors art. other researchers have used many approaches to examine the narratives in their own ways. strauss and corbin (1998) applied the analytic strategic approach in their literary application of art. luke eyoh (2003), raditlhalo (2003) and chukwuma (1990), use the sociological approach as suitable critical framework, which clearly illuminate the position of characterization and how they become relevant to the contemporary society in autobiographical and critical analysis. the first aim is to identify elements of existing scholarly definitions that support an autobiographical narrative and then relate the approach to narratology. the significance of this work lies in its extension of previous literature on male autobiographies and gender perceptions. this research work concerns itself with male autobiographical narratives and gender imperatives with concrete allusions to selected autobiographies from nigeria. most autobiographical narratives encapsulate self-histories with a continental or national perception. this category of writing could be vividly perceived to qualify as literary material because of the inescapable manner the autobiographical writers weave functionality and artistic brilliance in their works. the significance of the research lends credence on the patterning of gender matrix with recourse to sociological reference. sociological references here would conceptualise the place of autobiographical narratives in the dynamics of nigerian landscape. we choose to select male authors because of the peculiar theme of male chauvinism and related sectional metaphors which are embedded in our collective memory. narratology and autobiographical narratives demonstrate more insight into the application of scientific instruments in african narratives. autobiographical works capture many strands of ‘events and sequences in human society’ raditlhalo, 2003, sternberg, 1988 and spegman, 1980). however, one can say that ‘autobiography covers the many different accounts that authors make of their experiences’ (berryman 1999, p. 72 as quoted by javangwe, 2011, p. 8). ‘the term is a derivation from a greek word ‘auto’ meaning ‘self’, ‘bios’‘life’ and ‘graphe’writing. in etymological sense, autobiography thus refers to self and life writing’ (ibid). this account goes further to comment that: memoirs are included in the scope of autobiography that gives particular attention to matters of contemporary interest not closely affecting the author’s inner –life. there are obvious conflations into generally accepted autobiography, as a genre, autobiography cannot exist without either of the elements of fact or fiction (ibid). autobiographical study propels the understanding of the framework of self in the depiction of personal experience, ‘the self and national identity’ (9). however, autobiographical narrative ‘constructs the individual as a distinct existence from the rest and at another allows the same individual to be subsumed within this group as the embodiment of its core values’ (10). the autobiographical narrative, therefore, locates the individual more critically at the centre of nationalistic politics. autobiography then performs the narrative function of capturing the individual lives that are both congruous and dissonant with the cultural fictions encouraged and imagined through the nation as an 19 christopher babatunde ogunyemi ambiguity in autobigraphical narratives in nigeria: valorizing sexism and displacement in ogoni cosmology imagined community (anderson, 1983 as quoted by javangwe, 2011, p. 11). inherent themes of man and society dominate the preoccupations of autobiographical art. this preoccupation is brought about by language which is used to express the ‘representation of series of events’ (12). this ‘series of events’ is regarded as being sequential in autobiographical work because it expresses the narrative by exploring its relevance, significance and purpose. autobiographical work of art moves in time and space. it examines the chronological and systematic rendition of one’s life experience in various dimensions. to start with, raditlhalo (2003) traces the origin of autobiographical writing to the confessions of saint augustine. his observation is axiomatic of the fact that life writing becomes transmitted from one generation to the other. he further submits that: following the tradition of saint augustine, for example, coins the autobiography of jean-jacques rousseau (the confessions, 1781), which ushered in the male secular hero intent creating himself with a view to worldly fame and success. as jill kerr conway suggests, this model of the napoleonic hero emerges next to augustine and rousseau in creating the self “who embodies the feelings of his people in battle for political and economic freedom”. later comes economic man as a model, self created, given full expression in benjamin franklin’s autobiography (41). though, autobiographical writing emerges within the western scholarship, it has gained frequency in world literature and, african literature is not an exception. the major preoccupation in the autobiographical narrative is the portrayal of ‘self’ which has been portrayed as a vehicle of transmission of cultural values and idiosyncratic nouns of human society. however, the self-absorption of the male hero in the texts is perhaps unsurprising: after all, history (with a capital “h”) has always been seen as gender-based, and therefore what western writers wrote was taken as germane. the feeling that an ‘authentic’ reality can be brought about through the strivings of individuals might account for the reverence in which certain early thirtieth-century writes are held and canonized (42). although raditlhalo models the sidonic smith‘s ‘teleological aspects of all purposeful, rationalizing the self’ by ‘interlocking phrases in western society’ (42) to the concept of self in african cosmology while vambe’s from rhodesia to zimbabwe (1978) models critically the autobiographical fact and fiction to explore results. my arguments dovetail into the exploration of male metaphors in selected autobiographical works to illuminate the element of gender configuration in nigeria. these explorations shall visualize the definitions of ‘self’ in reality because: this presupposes phrases which reality is mediated by the self, seeking reason for life’s inexplicable phenomena and arriving at a logo which makes meaning of one’s life patterns. but central to such reasoning, in heracliatean terms, is an important premise that at each juncture of this continual search the self evolves (raditlhalo, 2003, p. 44). ‘if we therefore consider the self in autobiographical writing, we realize how, even with narratorial progress, the logos of the self keeps changing, reflecting and refracting its milieu and circumstances’ (ibid). it is these reflections of circumstance that ‘refract’ 20 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee various male motifs writers of autobiographies attempt to demonstrate in their writings. male and female dichotomies in autobiographical art are ‘resolution of the social impasse within the purview of the hegelian dialectic of thesis and antithesis in the oppressor/oppressed matrix’ (fanon, 1967). the proposal for such resolution betrays a materialist, dialectic vision stridently amplified by most autobiographical writers. the major terms explored in this thesis include ‘autobiography’ ‘narrative and gender imperative’, i will only limit myself to their connotative definitions here because these terms would subsequently be applied to my future discourse. by so doing, we shall experience their deep and implied meanings as they are used connotatively and denotatively a. ambiguity uncertainty or inexactness of meaning in language. a lack of decisiveness or commitment resulting from a failure to make a choice between alternatives. (free dictionary) b. autobiography a story about a person’s life, written by that same person or a self writing. raditlhalo sheds more light on the scenario: autobiographical texts exemplify eagleton’s point because they use fictional narrative strategies. whereas the account we read is ‘true’, in its rendition the society’s self-representation is reconstructed by the subject who draws on the full range of linguistic flexibility and the permutations of descriptiveness and metonymy that are denied a formal, straight historical account of any era. however, this does not mean that such historical predicates are a basis for what can be outright lies, but rather that it is for the subject the very fabric in which to insert a life. thus, in order to explicate autobiographical writings of the periods under study, it is essential to bear in mind the intertwining of history with power (or lack thereof), together with culture. while autobiographical subjects, for want of any other yardstick with which to delineate time, will necessarily refer to dates as markers of their passage from one stage to the next in life, these significations of ‘real lives’ remain but attempts to partially abolish the very history within which they operate. history cannot be left behind, or totally discarded, but autobiographical subjects seek to defy its autonomy in the construction of their identities (2003, p. 61-62). c. narratives. descriptions of events (either in a diachronic way or in a synchronic way-emphasis mine) this work would be a contribution to research on male autobiography and the gender question. this issue of gender is of paramount importance to world literature and globalization. many autobiographical would see the work as a redirection while creating new myths and metaphors in order to satisfy the yearnings of development and globalization, equality and the understanding of class stratifications in new writings. the work is also a recent contribution to academics. conclusion this section probes into the concept of male autobiographical narratives and gender imperative in nigeria. it is 21 christopher babatunde ogunyemi ambiguity in autobigraphical narratives in nigeria: valorizing sexism and displacement in ogoni cosmology expedient to state the aforementioned autobiographical narrative follows the sequence of literary ideologue that lends credence to male superiority and female relegation in literature. the study will demonstrate that in any social context, there is bound to be conflict and conflict resolution. narratology and autobiographical theory were used to explore the basis for this presentation. this analysis is contained in an assertion that autobiographical works ‘charts the intersection of multiple, contradictory views of the colonial and post-colonial images. it also examines the concepts of community integration and levels of social integration. it appreciates persistent pattern of resistance and accommodation within the levels of male gender in arts’ (10) as it moves in time and space. refernces bal, m. (1988). narratology: introduction to the theory of narratives. u totonto press. balzac de h. factual narratives”. retrieved from http: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ honor%c3%a9 de balzac brereton, b. (1998). gender in contemporary literature. may and baker. new york. berryman, c. (1999). critical mirrors: theories of autobiography, in mosaic: a journal for the interdisciplinary study of literature. butler, l. (1968). the difficult art of autobiography. oxford: claredon. calvino, i. (2004). hermit in paris: autobiographical writings. new york. vintage. carruth, h. (1988). reluctantly: autobiographical essays (writing rewriting) port townsend: copper canyon press. chadwick, h. (2008). saint augustine: confessions. oxford university press. chukwuma, h. women writing: feminism and national development in nigeria (an inaugural lecture series, 35 university of port harcourt, february 5, 2004 ------------------voices and choices: the feminist dilemma in four african novels literature and black aesthesis, ed ernest n. emenyonu, ibadan: heinemann, 1990 culler, j. (1981) the pursuit of signs: semiotics, literature, deconstruction. (eds.). ithaca cornell up. d’more, j. (2012). american authorship and autobiographical narrative: mailer, widerman eggars, (american literature readings in the twentyfirst century). basinstoke: palgrave, macmillan. epstein, c. f. (1988). deceptive distinction: sex, gender, and the social order. new haven: yale university press. eyoh, l. e. socio-political protest and poetic imagination in clark-bekederemo’s poetry. j. english studies university port harcourt, april 2003. fanon, f. (1967). the wretched of the earth. trans. constance farrington. harmondsworth: penguin. folkenflik, r. (1993). introduction: the institution of autobiography. robert folkenflik (eds.). the culture of autobiography: constructions of self representation. stanford: stanford u. press. fox-genovese, e. (1986). my statue, my self: autobiographical writings of afroamerican women. shari benstock (eds.). the private self: theory and practice of women’s autobiographical writings. london: routledge. freedom, p. d. (2004). autobiographical writing across disciplines: a reader. durham: duke university press books. -------------------(1993). the intimate critique: autobiographical literary criticism. durham: duke university books. freud, s. (1925). an autobiographical study, se 20. garfinkel, h. (1967). studies in ethno methodology. englewood cliffs, nj: prentice-hall. goffman, e. (1959). the presentation of self in everyday life. new york: doubleday. 22 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee goodwin, j. (1993). autobiography: the self made text. new york: twayne. genette, g. (1980). narrative discourse. cornell university press. green, t. t. (2009). a fatherless child: autobiographical perspectives of african american. men. lemone: university of missouri press. head, b. (1990). a woman alone: autobiographical writings. london: heinemann. hughes, l. (1993). i wonder: an autobiographical journey. new york: hill and wang, javangwe, t. d. (2011). contesting narratives: constructions of the self and the nation in zimbabwean political autobiography. unpublished d.litt et phil project submitted to the department of english studies of the university of south africa, unisa. kafalenos, e. (2001). not yet knowing: epistemological effects of deferred and suppressed information in narratives new york. the psychology of life stories reviews of general psychology, 5, pp. 100-122. labov, w. (2006). the social stratification of english in new york city. washington, d.c. centre for applied linguistics, cambridge: cambridge university press. lucal, b. (1999). what it means to be gendered me: life on the boundaries of a dichotomous gender system. gender and society 13, pp. 781-797. mcadams, d. p. (2005). the wisdom of experience: autobiographical narratives across adulthood. international journal of behavioral development, 29(3). mc adams, d. p. (1990). unity and purpose in human lives: the emergence of identity as a life. story. in a.i rabin, r.a.zucker, r. a. emmos, & r. a. frank (eds.). studying persons and lives (pp. 148-190). new york: springer. mcdoanld, h. (1988). the narrative act: wittgenstein and narratology. oxford: basil blackwell. nwachukwu-agbada, j. o. j. (1987). protect and faith in wole soyinka’s autobiographies. the literary half – yearly xxviii. 2. nwachukwu-agbada, j. o. j. environment and ‘i’ of the beholder in african literary autobiographies. working papers. a journal of english studies (university of port harcount) (eds.). eldred ibibbien green, april 2003. okpara, c. (1990). the foot as metaphor in female dreams: analysis of zaynab alkalis novels’ literature and black aesthestics. (eds.). ernest n. emenyunu, ibadan: heinemann. prop, v. (1985). morphology of the folktales. 1928. wallston. hillsdade, nj: lawrence erlbaum. associates, inc. raditlhalo, s. i. (2003). who am i? the construction of identity in twentiethcentury south african autobiographical writing in english. a phd dissertation submitted and published by the university of groningen, the netherlands. saro wiwa, k. (1986). a forest of flowers. london: longman. saro wiwa, k. (1989). on a darkling plain: an account of the nigerian civil war. port harcourt. saros international publishers. saro wiwa, k. (1992). genocide in nigeria. port harcourt. saros international publishers. saro wiwa, k. (1994). sozaboy. ibadan: longman. saro wiwa, k. (1995). a month and a day: a detention dairy. london: penguin. smith, j., dixon, r. a., & baltes, p. b. (2000). expertise in life planning: a new research approach to investigating wisdom. in j. d. sinnott, f. a. richards., & c. adams (eds.). adult development: comparisons and applications of developmental models. vol. 1. new york: pager. smith, s., & julia, w. (2010). reading autobiography: a guide for interpreting life narratives, 2nd edition st paul: university of minnesota press. 23 christopher babatunde ogunyemi ambiguity in autobigraphical narratives in nigeria: valorizing sexism and displacement in ogoni cosmology smith, s. (1993). subjectivity, identity and the body: women’s autobiographical practises in the twentieth century. bloomington and indianapolis: indiana university press. -----------(1987). a poetics of women’s autobiography: marginality and the fictions of self-representation. bloomington: indiana university press. spengeman, w. (1980). the forms of autobiography: episodes in the history of a literary genre. new haven & london: yale university press. sternberg, r. j. (1998). a balance theory of wisdom and autobiographical narratives. review of general psychology, 2, pp. 347-365. strauss, a., & juliet, c. (1998). basic of qualitative research .thousand. oaks, ca: sage publications. the free dictionary. retrieved from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/m etaphor todorov, t. (1969). grammaire du decameron. the hague: montou. vambe, l. (1976). from rhodesia to zimbabwe. london: heinemann. webster, j. d. (2003). an exploratory analysis of a self-assessed life story. journal of adul development, 10, pp. 13-22. west, c., & angela, g. (1988). conversational shift work: a study to tropical transitions between women and men. social problems 35, pp. 55-575. white, h. (1978). topics of discourse: essays in cultural criticism. baltimore: the john hopkins. zimmerman, d. h., & candace, w. (1975). sex role, interruptions and silences in conversation. in language and sex: difference and dominance, ed. b. thorne and n. henley. rowley, ma: newbury house. 24 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee combining product and process-based approaches to teaching writing discussion texts vina agustiana department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia. email: v.agustiana08@gmail.com apa citation: agustiana, v. (2016). combining product and process based-approaches to teaching writing discussion texts. english review, 4(2), 195-208 received: 06-01-2016 accepted: 07-03-2016 published: 01-06-2016 abstract: this study examines the activities of teaching-learning writing discussion texts when product and process-based approach combination is implemented in efl writing classroom, the effects of applying the writing approach on efl students’ writing skill, and the students’ attitude toward the implementation of writing approach in the classroom. it uses a mixed-methods through applying an embedded design by involving 24 second-grade students of a private university in west java, indonesia. there were four instruments used, namely field notes, videotapes, students’ tests (pre-test and post-test), and questionnaires. the findings show that the students were actively involved in class when the teacher applied the writing approach in writing classroom. there was also the improvement in the students’ writing skill based on the result taken from the students’ tests since the level of significance (two-tailed) in paired t-test is less than the alpha (0.000<0.05). qualitatively, the improvements were also found in generic features, textual language, and syntactical language aspects. in addition, the students showed highly positive attitude (4.35 average score) toward the implementation of the approach in the classroom. keywords: writing, writing skill, discussion texts, product and process-based approach combination introduction nowadays, students may begin to realize the significance of writing by becoming aware that writing takes particular conventional forms in different contexts. however, based on the researcher’s experience, the students found it difficult to compose their writing logically. lack of understanding on how to write a good written product is the major problem the students encountered. this problem has led to an interest to investigate how to improve the students’ writing skill. writing plays an important role as a mean of communication. nunan (1999) states that in fact, the similar range of broad functions are served by written language and spoken language; it is used to get things done, to provide information and to entertain. furthermore, the graphic representation of spoken language is a written language (brown, 2001). it is in line with meyers (2005, p. 2) that “writing is speaking to others on paper or a computer screen”. additionally, patel and jain (2008) imply that linguistic behavior, which presents sounds of language in visual symbols, refers to writing. therefore, it is obvious that writing is an activity to express the ideas, thoughts, and feelings into the written language. writing skill is one of productive skills, which is not fully attained only through the talent, but it will be improved by doing practice. in line with this, patel & jain (2008) imply writing is a skill, which must be taught and 195 vina agustiana combining product and process-based approaches to teaching writing discussion texts practiced since it is an essential feature of language learning because of presenting a very good means of foxing vocabulary, spelling, and sentence pattern. when we write, we are producing language (harmer, 2007a). additionally, ur (1999) claims that differ from speaking skill which is acquired intuitively, the writing skill is in most cases deliberately taught and learned. in addition, meyers (2005, p. 2) says, “writing is partly a talent, but it’s mostly a skill, and like any skill, it improves with practice”. hence writing skill is one of productive skills that require practice to create a good and clear written product. the writing complexity appears when students start to write. they do not know what they should write at first whereas the students are expected to be able to present their ideas well in the written form. according to national writing project (2003), the complexity of writing causes teaching writing is very challenging task for english teachers in education field. besides, this complexity may affect the students’ attitude on writing. considering the problems encountered by students, harmer (2007a) suggests that the teachers find appropriate methods and methodological beliefs to lead the teaching practice. in addition, if there are appropriate methods, it will be possible to change the students’ attitude in writing, that writing can be an interesting, easy, and enjoyable activity. over the last 20 years, product and process based approaches have dominated much of the teaching of writing in efl/esl classrooms (hasan and akhand, 2010). considering that both approaches have their own strengths and weaknesses, teachers are not able to apply only one approach in classroom. it may be possible that while in some classes, the product-based approach might prove successful, and the process based approach might be useful for another. the product based approach and process based approach can be differentiated each from the other on the basis of their emphasis. the distinction can be summed up in this way: “the process writing represents a shift in emphasis in teaching writing from the product of writing activities (the finished text) to ways in which text can be developed” (hasan and ahkand, 2010, p. 80). in addition, nunan (2000) clearly states that the product approach focuses on writing tasks in which the learner imitates, copies and transforms models of correct language while the process approach focuses on the steps involved in creating a piece of work. the productbased approach emphasizes mechanical aspects of writing, such as focusing on grammatical and syntactical structures and imitating models. this approach is primarily concerned the correctness and form of the final product, and “highlights the learner’s final piece of work instead of how it is produced” (hasan and ahkand, 2010, p. 81). however, this approach fails to recognize that the ideas are created and formulated during the process of writing. on the other hand, “the process based approach emphasizes how the writing emerges as the result of a distinct process which advances through several stages until the writing is complete” (harmer, 2007a, p. 326). the teacher guides the students during the writing process, but initially the teacher does not emphasize correctness and the final product. instead of worrying about form, the students concentrate on writing. therefore, the product of writing will improve with the discovery involved in composing. 196 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee there are some previous studies concerning the process-based approach to teaching writing (mashori, 2007, ngadiman, 2012, diliberto, 2013; holmes, 2014), the combination of product based approach and process based approaches to teaching writing (gabrielatos, 2002; hasan and akhand, 2010), and the use of process based approach and genre approach (foo, 2007). given the fact that there are no studies existing in indonesian about the use of the product and process based approach combination to teaching writing at undergraduates’ level and focusing on discussion text, this study is conducted to explore the implementation of product and process based approach combination to teaching writing discussion texts in indonesian context at undergraduates’ level. the present study concerns three main purposes. the first is to describe the teaching-learning writing activities when the product and process based approach combination is implemented in efl writing classroom. the second is to investigate the effects of applying product and process based approach combination on efl students’ writing skill. the third is to describe the students’ attitude toward the implementation of product and process based approach combination in efl writing classroom. there are five reasons to combine these approaches. first, since in early stage of product-based approach the students are encouraged to mimic a model text (gabrielatos, 2002); it leads the students to organize the structure of the text (generic features). meanwhile, the process-based approach does not focus on this. second, the product-based approach also helps the students to practice the linguistic features of the text (hasan & akhand, 2010) while the process-based approach does not provide this stage. third, the processbased approach helps the students to organize their ideas in three stages, namely brainstorming, planning, and mind-mapping (ngadiman, 2012) whereas the product based approach only provides one stage of organizing the ideas. fourth, the process based approach provides many stages of writing to develop the quality of students’ written product (coffin, c., curry, m. j., goodman, s., hewings, a., lillis, t. m. s., & joan., 2003) while the product based approach only provides one stage of writing the final product. fifth, the students get feedback of their written product from their peers (tribble, 1996) and the teacher (sun & feng, 2009) in the process based approach. considering the strengths and the weaknesses of the product and process based approaches, therefore, a combination of two approaches is necessary to maximize the writing product. the stages of the combination of product and process based approach is shown in table 1. according to table 1, there are 10 stages of product and process based approaches combination. the implementation of the combination may take place in six meetings. table 1 stages of product and process based approach combination stage product approach process approach meeting 1. modeling first 2. practicing 3. organizing the ideas. brainstorming. 197 vina agustiana combining product and process-based approaches to teaching writing discussion texts 4. planning / structuring. second 5. mind mapping. 6. writing the first draft. third 7. peer-feedback. fourth 8. editing. 9. writing the written product. writing the final draft. fifth 10. evaluation and teachers’ feedback. sixth this study uses discussion texts as the teaching material. thai (2009) distinguishes this text based on purpose, text structure, and linguistic features. discussion text aims to present both sides of an issue before coming to a conclusion. the structures are statement of the issue (outlining the issue), series of arguments (against and for), and concluding statement (summing up both sides and recommendation). the linguistic features of discussion text are modality, emotive language, generic participants, specific participants, thinking verbs, action verbs, and complex sentences. method with regard the research objectives, this study uses a mixed methods research. “mixed methods research is an approach to inquiry involving collecting both quantitative and qualitative data, integrating two forms of data and using distinct design that may involve philosophical assumptions and theoretical frameworks” (creswell, 2014, p. 4). “this is a new approach as it aims to put quantitative and qualitative data together” (malik & hamied, 2014, p. 266). by mixing the data, this study presents the better understanding of the problem than by using either data set one by one. this study applied an embedded design to answer different questions, which need different types of data to answer (malik & hamied, 2014). the researcher collected both the quantitative and qualitative data simultaneously during the study. this study is qualitative in terms of collection and analysis of observation data (field notes and videotapes). meanwhile, it is quantitative in dealing with test scores and responses to questionnaire. there were four sources of evidence, namely observations (field notes), audiovisual materials (videotapes), tests (pre-test and post-test), and questionnaires. data collection was conducted in fourteen meetings which were divided into three stages, namely preliminary stage, teaching-learning writing stage (phase 1 and phase 2), and closing stage. they began at april, 16th 2015 to may, 25th 2015. the first data source were field notes. field notes were primary data to explore the teaching-learning writing activities during the implementation of product and process based approach combination in teaching writing. in this case, the researcher played a role as a participant observer who involved in activities at the research site (creswell, 2012). the teacher noted the activities during the process of teaching learning writing after leaving the setting. the second were audiovisual materials. audiovisual materials consist of images or sounds that researchers collect to help them understand the central phenomenon under study (creswell, 2012). videotapes were used 198 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee as the audiovisual materials in this study. videotapes were used to gain the description of classroom activity during the observation. to keep the accuracy and authenticity of videotapes used, the researcher asked a camera operator to video the teaching-learning writing activities. the video making took place for fourteen meetings. the third were students’ tests. the tests were used to find the effect of the use of the product and process based approach combination in efl writing classroom on the students’ writing skill. in this study, the tests consisted of pre test and posttest. in each test, the studnets were expected to create a discussion text with the topic given. the fourth were questionnaires which aimed to describe the students’ attitude toward the implementation of product and process based approach combination in efl writing classroom. a set of closed-ended questionnaires was used. all students were asked to choose one choice in the questionnaires that best describe their feeling toward the items. the questionnaires were in likert-scale form. it consisted of 25 items, which belonged to two major themes, namely the general attitude toward the product and process based approach combination, and the attitude toward each steps of product-and-process based approach combination. the first theme consisted of five categories, namely motivation, effectiveness, learning situation in the class, comparison with other approach, and the ease of the step. the second theme consisted of 10 categories, namely modeling, practicing, brainstorming, planning, mind mapping, writing the first draft, peer-feedback, editing, writing the second draft, and evaluation and teacher’s feedback. the items were analyzed by three aspects, namely affective, behavioral, and cognitive views (oskamp & schultz, 2005). considering the importance of questionnaire items, a pilot study was conducted to maintain the validity of the data. all the items in questionnaire were tried out with five efl students who were not involved in the study, “for suggestions and advice, particularly regarding whether the questions were ambiguous, vague, or confusing” (see emilia, 2005, p. 84). in analyzing the data obtained, the researcher used qualitative and quantitative data analysis according to the types of data gathered. the field notes and videotapes were anayzed qualitatively. meanwhile, the students tests were analyzed statistically and qualitatively. in addition, the questionnaires were analyzed with descriptive statistically. there were some steps the researcher conducted to analyze the qualitative data, namely: (1) watching the videotapes and reading the field notes; (2) comparing the activities taken from the videotapes with the field notes; (3) comparing the evidences of videotapes and field notes with lesson plans; (4) identifying the teaching-learning writing activities in every stage of teaching writing; (5) identifying the changes of the students’ attitude and the students’ writing skill in every meeting; and (6) presenting the evidences of every activity of each meeting into a written form. with regard the validity of the study, the students’ tests including pretest and post-test were scored by two raters. the first rater was the researcher, and the second rater was a writing lecturer in that university. in order to have the same perception in assessing 199 vina agustiana combining product and process-based approaches to teaching writing discussion texts the students’ tests, the researcher had explained the writing scoring rubric assessment used in the study for the second rater before they assessed the students’ tests. afterwards, the pre-test of the first rater was calculated with the pre-test of the second rater to find the final scores of the students’ pre-test. furthermore, the post-test of the first rater was calculated with the post-test of the second rater to find the final scores of the students’ post-test. the scores would be calculated to examine the effect of the product and process based approach combination on the students’ writing skill. this aimed to test the null hypothesis of the study which stated that the product and process based approach does not affect the students’ writing skill. there were several steps to test the hypothesis, namely normal distribution test, homogeneity of variance test, and comparing means. to avoid the error in calculating the data, data taken from the test were analyzed by spss 20.0 for windows. the third data sources, questionnaires, were analyzed by descriptive statistics. descriptive statistics is used to summarize data (hatch & farhady, 1982). before being calculated, the sets of closed-ended questionnaires were sorted. if the whole items were not filled, the data were not taken, avoiding the invalid data. the questionnaire used the five-point likertscale. the scales were strongly agree (5), agree (4), uncertain (3), disagree (2), and strongly disagree (1). the scores were calculated by using microsoft office excels in order to simplify their tabulation. the scores were analyzed based on five level of the students’ attitude, namely highly positive, positive, normal, negative, and highly negative as attached in table 2. table 2. the categorization of students’ attitude level students’ attitude level range of score item level highly positive 4.201-5.0 positive 3.401-4.20 normal 2.601-3.40 negative 1.801-2.60 highly negative 1.00-1.80 results and discussion the process of teaching-learning writing activities the teaching-learning writing by using the product and process based approach combination took place in twelve meetings. during these activities, there were seven points to highlight. first, since the students had not been taught writing by using this approach, they were curious to apply this approach in learning writing. it was indicated in the preliminary stage that when the teacher overviewed the schedule of the teaching-learning writing, they asked the students to describe the activities in all stages since they were not familiar with the stages. second, during the implementation of the product and process based approach combination there was a different toward the students’ attitude toward this writing approach. in phase 1, the teacher used her best effort to stimulate the students to speak at class through proposing the questions related to the teaching writing and their experience at every pre-activity 200 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee in every meeting. this effort worked. the students were actively involved in all activities of the teaching-learning writing. besides, they were not also afraid to convey their ideas toward the topic. third, the students were able to work in group discussion and in peerdiscussion as indicated in modeling stage, practicing stage, generating ideas through brainstorming stage, and editing stage. in modeling stage and practicing stage, the students were expected to identify the genre of the model text, and practice some of linguistic features found in the text. these stages allowed the students to have a discussion with their peers. thus, the peer-discussion appeared in these stages. besides, the generating ideas through brainstorming stage aimed to help the students to generate their ideas on the topic. since this study applied the group brainstorming, the students were expected to share their ideas with their peers (peer-discussion). in addition, there was also the peer-discussion in editing stage since this stage consisted of clarifying session. in clarifying session, the students clarified the feedback from their peers and discussed the errors found in the text with them. fourth, the students also were able to work individually in some stages, namely in generating ideas through planning stage, generating ideas through mind-mapping stage, writing the first draft stage, peer-feedback stage, and writing the final draft stage. in these stages, the students were expected to use their own knowledge and ability to do all activities in every stage. the students planned and mapped their ideas individually in order to apply these ideas in writing the first draft. afterwards, the students were also expected to assess and give feedback toward their friends’ text individually by using the guidelines provided by the teacher. lastly, the students were also expected to use their writing skill in writing a discussion text in writing the final draft. regarding to the purposes, the students were expected to work individually in these stages. next, the relationship between the teacher and the students became closer since there was a lively interaction between the students and the teacher during the evaluation and teacher’s feedback stage. considering the purpose of this stage which stated that the teacher were expected to assess and give feedback toward the students’ text, the teacher gave more time to the students to discuss their text with the teacher. being assessed, the students were pleased getting the teacher’s feedback. as indicated in this stage, the students who had no time to discuss their text with the teacher showed their disappointment. then, in writing the text, most students conducted only one generating ideas stage (mind-mapping in common) and made a plan. a student always made his plan in indonesian while the other students made their plan in english. according to the excerpt, the students made the plan to avoid the error, which probably appeared in their draft; and to maintain the handwriting, which probably affected the presentation. the seventh point was that there was the improvement in the students’ writing skill. each stage of the product and process based approach combination affected each writing aspect. firstly, regarding the modeling stage, the teacher provided a model text which was good in terms of genre. this was effective to help the students improve the generic features aspect. secondly, regarding the practicing stage, this stage 201 vina agustiana combining product and process-based approaches to teaching writing discussion texts was effective to help the students improve the textual language and syntactical language aspects since the students practiced to make sentences using linguistic features used in the text. thirdly, since the students generated their ideas in group brainstorming, the students were able to enrich their ideas related to a topic given for discussion. next, the students were able to organize their ideas through planning and mindmapping. and then, through peerfeedback, the students were able to find the errors in their first draft regarding the textual language, syntactical language, and spelling aspects. besides, the students were also able to apply the self-assessment toward their draft using the peer-assessment guidelines. aferwards, editing stage and writing the second draft stage helped the students to improve their first draft based on the peer-feedback. lastly, evaluation and teacher’s feedback helped the students to improve their knowledge on writing since the teacher evaluated and gave feedback toward the students’ final draft. the effects of the implementation of product and process based approach combination on the students’ writing skill with regard the second research objective, the result of the students’ pretest and post-test data analysis are used. this aims to find the effects of the product and process based approach combination on the students’ writing skill whether it affects or does not affect the students’ writing skill. data from the students’ tests were analyzed statistically and qualitatively to examine the improvement in the students’ writing skill. statistically, there were three different tests conducted, namely normal distribution test, homogeneity of variance test, and comparing means test. the normal distribution test used the kolmogorov-smirnov statistic, the homogeneity of variance test used the levene statistic, and comparing means test used the paired t-test. qualitatively, there were some improvements found in students’ discussion texts. the first test was the normal distribution test. it aims to find whether the data was normally distributed. the kolmogorov-smirnov statistic was applied in this study. the result of the normal distribution test was shown in table 3. table 3 the result of the normal distribution test tests of normality kolmogorov-smirnova statistic df sig. pretest ,141 24 ,200* posttest ,144 24 ,200* *. this is a lower bound of the true significance. the level of significance as the result of the normal distribution test was compared with the alpha level. the alpha level was 0.05. table 3 showed that the pre-test’s level of significance in normal distribution test was 0.20. since the pre-test’s level of significance was higher than the alpha (0.20>0.05), the data of the students’ pre-test was normally distributed. regarding the data taken from the post-test, table 3 showed that the post-test’s level of significance in normal distribution test was 0.20. since the post202 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee test’s level of significance was higher than the alpha (0.20>0.05), the data of the students’ post-test was normally distributed. the result of normal distribution test showed that the data taken from the students’ pre-test and post-test were normally distributed. thus, the hypothesis testing would use the parametric statistics, namely t-test. the second test was the homogeneity of variance test. it aims to find whether the data is homogenous. the homogeneity of variance test used in the study was the levene statistic. the result of the homogeneity of variance test was shown in table 4. table 4. the result of homogeneity of variances test test of homogeneity of variances levene statistic df1 df2 sig. 1,484 5 12 ,266 the level of significance as the result of the homogeneity of variances test was compared with the alpha level. the alpha level was 0.05. table 4 showed that the level of significance was 0.266. since the level of significance in homogeneity of variances test was higher than the alpha (0.266>0.05), the students’ score of pre-test and post-test were homogenous. the third test was the comparing means test. it aims to test the hypotheses of the study. since the means compared were the mean score of the students’ pretest and post-test, the hypotheses testing was analyzed by using the paired t-test. there were two hypotheses of the study, namely: • ho: the product and process based approach combination does not affect the students’ writing skill. • h1: the product and process based approach combination affects the students’ writing skill. the level of significance as the result of the paired t-test was compared with the alpha level. the alpha level was 0.05. the result of the paired t-test was shown in table 5. table 5 the result of the paired t-test paired samples test paired differences t df sig. (2tailed) mean std. deviation std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pair 1 pretest – posttest -12,625 3,921 ,800 -14,281 -10,969 -15,774 23 ,000 table 5 showed that the level of significance (2-tailed) was 0.000. since the level of significance in paired t-test was less than the alpha (0.000<0.05), h0 was rejected. therefore, h1, which stated that the product and process based approach combination does affects the students’ writing skill, was accepted. it indicates that there was the improvement of the students’ writing skills before and after the students given the treatment. thus, statistically, the effect of applying product and process based approach combination in the 203 vina agustiana combining product and process-based approaches to teaching writing discussion texts writing classroom was improving the students’ writing skill in writing the discussion text. qualitatively, the effect of applying product and process based approach combination also appeared in the students’ written product. two students’ text, a pre-test and a post-test, were analyzed. the student’ pre-test entitled sould we follow the west, and the student’post-test entitled should we marry someone who supplies us money than someone whom we love? they belonged to ye who was a high achiever student. there was the improvement in some aspects of students’ discussion text between pre-test and post-test. there were some improvements found especially in three aspects, namely generic features, textual language, and syntactical language aspects. regarding the generic features aspect, the improvement appeared in three criteria, namely genre, structure, and vocabulary criteria. firstly, both texts presented the aim of the text, which presented two points of view of the issue (genre criterion). however, there was a difference between pretest and posttest regarding the elaboration of the arguments. since, in modeling stage (stage 1), the teacher presented a good discussion text as model text to the students which aimed to help the students make a good discussion text, the students were able to present a more depth elaboration of the arguments. in pre-test, the writer presented the positive side and negative side of “following the west” (arguments for). however, the writer did not presented the arguments of “not follow the west”(arguments against). on the other hand, in post-test, the writer presented the positive side and negative side of both arguments for (marrying someone who supplies us money) and arguments against (marrying someone whom we love). thus, it indicated that there was the improvement in genre criterion since the writer presented two sides of both the arguments for and arguments against. secondly, both texts were well organized, logical, and consisted of issues, series of arguments, and conclusion as well as recommendation (structure criterion). the arguments were also supported by elaborations, which strengthened the arguments. however, in pre-test, the writer presented the arguments in a bulleted list. thus, it influenced the presentation of the text. on the other hand, posttest was different, in which the writer presented the arguments in a paragraph form. the writer changed her presentation after the teacher had given oral feedback to her in evaluation and teacher’s feedback stage (stage 10 in phase 1). thirdly, regarding the vocabulary criterion, in pre-test, it was found that there were some inappropriate vocabularies used in the text which influenced the readability of the text. for instance, the writer wrote “the existing” which should be “the existance”. furthermore, she also wrote the word she intended in indonesian by writing “keberadaan” after the incorrect word. besides, the writer used the inappropriate word “increasing country” which supposed to be “developing country”. in addition, she wrote the word she aimed to in indonesian by writing “negara maju” after the inappropriate word. the using of words written in indonesian in the text might indicate that the writer did not sure of the vocabulary choice. on the other hand, in post-test, the writer seemed more confident of the vocabulary choice since there was no word written in indonesian. the inappropriate words appeared in posttest also was less than in pre-test. thus, it 204 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee indicated that there was the improvement in vocabulary criterion. regarding the textual language aspect, the improvements were shown in cohesion criterion. the text in pre-test was lack of connectives used. thus, it influenced the cohesiveness of the text. on the other hand, in post-test, since the connectives had been learnt in practicing stage (stage 2) in phase 2, the writer was able to apply some connectives to maintain the cohesiveness of the text. it indicated that the practicing stage had been improved the students’ writing skill especially in cohesion criterion. considering the syntactical language aspect, the improvements were found in two criteria, namely clause pattern and punctuation. firstly, there were some errors in clause pattern found in pre-test. for instance, the writer wrote “their culture especially in music it can inspire our musicians.” as a clause. it was found that there were two subjects in a clause, namely their culture and it. on the other hand, in post-test, the writer could maintain the clause pattern even in a complex sentence. the writer wrote “some of them choose to marry someone who supplies them money while they do not love their partner or they will only marry someone whom they love and they love each other”. secondly, there was the improvement in punctuation criterion. as indicated in pre-test, the writer did not put a “comma” before coordinating conjunction, which connected more than two words. however, after the writer had learnt the use of “comma” in coordinating conjunction in practicing stage (stage 2) in phase 1, she was able to put it in the correct order. regarding the result of the comparing means test and the findings taken from the students’ discussion text between pre-test and post-test, the product and process based approach combination affects the students’ writing skill especially in generic features, textual language, and syntactical language aspects. therefore, the combination of product and process based approaches is an effective approach in improving the students’ writing skill. the students’ attitudes toward the implementation of product and process based approach combination in efl writing classroom this section describes the students’ attitude toward the implementation of the product and process based approach combination in efl writing classroom. it presents the overall attitude as well as the top three and the bottom three. the data were taken from the questionnaires. it is found that the average score of 25 items in the questionnaire was 4.35; therefore, it is assumed that the students showed the highly positive attitude toward the treatment. it was in line with the teaching-learning activity that the students were pleased with the implementation of product and process based approach combination in writing classroom. the top three items were the item 24, 23, and 18. these items belonged to the second theme of the questionnaire, namely the attitude toward the implementation of each step of product and process based approach combination in writing classroom. since the students showed the highly positive attitude toward these three items which belonged to the second theme of the questionnaire, it indicated that the students appreciated more to the technical area. the first item of the top three was item 24. it stated that the students were fond of getting teacher’s feedback in 205 vina agustiana combining product and process-based approaches to teaching writing discussion texts writing classroom. the average score of this item was 4.67. therefore, the students showed highly positive attitude toward this item. it was in line with the students’ attitude in evaluation and teacher’s feedback (stage 10) that the students were pleased getting the teacher’s feedback toward their text. the second item of the top three was item 23. it stated that writing the final draft (stage 9) in writing classroom allow them to correct the errors found in their first draft in order to make it better. the average score of this item was 4.63. thus, the students showed a highly positive attitude toward the stage 9. it was also indicated in the teachinglearning writing activity that individually, the students wrote their final draft through recreated their first draft of discussion text, which had been assessed by their peers. as the result, the students’ final drafts were better than their first draft in some aspects. the last item of the top three was item 18. it stated that writing the first draft (stage 6) allowed the students to make a text based on their own knowledge. the average score of this item was 4.63. therefore, the students showed a highly positive attitude toward stage 6. it was also in line with the findings which stated that in writing the first draft, the student focused on their work, and conducted the one of the generating ideas stages (mind-mapping in common) and a plan before they write their first draft of discussion text. it indicated that the students used their best effort to make the first draft of discussion text. apart from the top three items, there was also the bottom three items found. they were item 2, 10, and 19. the item 2 belonged to the theme 1, which concerned about the general attitude toward the implementation of product and process based approach combination in writing classroom, while the item 10 and item 19 belonged to theme 2, which concerned about the attitude toward the implementation of each step of product and process based approach combination in writing classroom. the first item of the bottom three was item 2. it stated that the students would involve themselves in the writing classroom which applying the product and process based approach combination. the average score of this item was 3.96. thus, the students showed the positive attitude toward this item. it was in line with the findings as stated in section 4.1.5 that the students were curious to apply this approach in learning writing by using the combination of the process and product based approach. the second item of the bottom three was item 10. it stated that the students preferred to use model text before they started to learn writing. the average score of this item was 4.02. therefore, the students showed the positive attitude toward this item. it indicated that model text gave the beneficial to the students to write a text. it was in line with the findings, which showed that through modeling (stage 1), the students were able to identify the genre of the text (social function, generic structure, and linguistic features). it was also supported by the findings, which showed that there was a significant improvement in the students writing skill after they used the product, and process based approach combination in learning writing. the third item of the bottom three was item 19. it stated that the students were fond of giving feedback to their friend’s text in writing classroom. the average score of this item was 4.13. therefore, the students showed the 206 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee positive attitude toward this item. it was in line with the findings in section 4.1.5 which showed that during peer-feedback (stage 7) the students focused on assessing their friend’s text and gave feedback on it. based on the findings, the lowest rank in the questionnaire item has 3.96 average score, which showed the positive attitude toward the treatment. therefore, it is assumed that no student showing the negative attitude toward the use of the product and process based approach combination in teaching writing. since the findings show that the average score of the students’ attitude was 4.35, the students’ attitude toward the implementation of the product and process based approach combination was at highly positive level. conclusion according to the findings from those three aspects, the product and process based approach combination to teaching writing discussion text is an effective approach to teaching writing in improving the students’ writing skill. it was in line with kim and kim (2005, p. 7-8) that “we needed to mixed the careful control of language for learner (as in product), and the creative use of language by the learner (as in process) to improve the situation”. furthermore, “both process and product approaches are significant in teaching writing in efl/esl context” (hasan and ahkand, 2010, p. 84). in product-based approach, it is important for a student to engage in imitating, copying, and transforming models of the correct language (nunan, 2000). besides, the process-based approach is beneficial to help the students generate their ideas and organize them in a systematic way, which helps the students to write fluently. thus, the combination of the product and process based approaches to teaching writing discussion text is beneficial as a collaborative approach to improve the students’ writing skill. regarding the findings, this study has the potential contribution to the theory and educational practice. theoretically, this study enriches the literature on teaching writing in indonesian efl context since there is no study existing in indonesian about the use of the product and process based approach combination to teaching writing at undergraduates’ level. practically, the english writing teachers/lectures may implement the product and process based approach combination in their writing classroom since this approach is beneficial to improve the students’ writing skill. references alwasilah, a. c. & susana, s. (2007). pokoknya menulis: cara baru menulis dengan metode kolaborasi. bandung: kiblat buku utama. brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principles. san fransisco: addison wesley longman inc. coffin, c., curry, m. j., goodman, s., hewings, a., lillis, t. m. s., & joan. (2003). teaching academic writing. london: routledge. cresswell, j. w. (2012). educational research, 4th ed.. boston: pearson. cresswell, j. w. (2014). research design: qualitative, quantitative and mix methods approaches. new delhi: sage. diliberto, j. a. (2013). teaching writing: a process approach. 63rd conference on exeptional children. emilia, e. (2005). a critical genre-based approach to teaching academic writing in a tertiary efl context in indonesia. unpublished paper in melbourne university. foo, t. c. v. (2007). the effects of the processgenre approach to writing instruction on the expository essays of esl students in a 207 vina agustiana combining product and process-based approaches to teaching writing discussion texts malaysian secondary school. unpublised paper. gabrielatos, c. (2002). efl writing: product and process. retrieved from http:// www.gabrielatos.com/writing.pdf [25 aug-14, 10:10 a.m.]. harmer, j. (2007a). the practice of english language teaching. kualalumpur: pearson education limited. hasan, m. k., & akhand, m. m. (2010). approaches to writing in efl/esl context: balancing product and process in writing class at tertiary level. journal of nelta, 15, 1-2. hatch, e., & farhady, h. (1982). research design and statistics for applied linguistics. london: newbury house publishers, inc. hernowo. (2004). quantum writing. bandung: mizan learning centre. holmes, n. (2014). the use of a process-oriented approach to facilitate the planning and production stages of writing for adult students of english as a foreign or second language. unpublished paper. kim, y., & kim, j. (2005). teaching korean university writing class: balancing the process and the genre approach. asian efl journal online, 7(2), 69-90. retrieved from http://www.asian-efl journal.com/june_05_yk&jk.php [25 jan2014, 09.16 a.m.]. malik, r. s., & hamied, f. a. (2014). research methods. bandung: upi press. mashori, g. m. (2007). teaching the writing of english: exploring the impact of process approach on the undergraduate students of shah abdul latif university khairpur. unpublished paper. meyers, a. (2005). gateway to academic writing: effective sentence, paragraph, and essay. usa: longman. national writing project. (2003). national writing project 30 ideas for teaching writing. berkeley: university of california. ngadiman, a. (2012). effects of process oriented approach to teaching writing to english department students. magister scientiae journal, 31. nunan, d. (1991). language teaching methodology: a textbook for teachers. england: longman. nunan, d. (1999). second language teaching & learning. boston: heinle cengage learning. oskamp, s., & schultz, p. w. (2005). attitudes and opinion, 3rd ed. london: lawrence erlbaum associates. patel, d. m., & jain, p. m. (2008). english language teaching: methods, tools and technique. jaipur: sunrise publishers and distributors. sun, c. and feng, g. (2009). process approach to teaching writing applied in different teaching models. journal of english language teaching, 2(1). thai, m. d. (2009). text-based language teaching. melbourne: mazmania press. tribble, c. (1996). writing. new york: oxford university press. ur, p. (1999). a course in language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. 208 http://www.gabrielatos.com/writing.pdf%20(25 http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/nelta http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/nelta/issue/view/316 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee extrovert personality and its impact on students’ argumentative essay writing skill wida sopia marwa department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia e-mail: widasw@gmail.com nani ronsani thamrin department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia e-mail: nani_cute@yahoo.com apa citation: marwa, w. s., & thamrin, n. r. (2016). extrovert personality and its impact on students’ argumentative essay writing skill. english review, 4(2), 267-274 received: 02-02-2016 accepted: 01-03-2016 published: 01-06-2016 abstract: this research aims at finding the positive correlation between extroversion personality and students’ argumentative essay writing skill. the objective of this research is to know the correlation between extroversion personality and students’ argumentative essay of sophomore english department students in university of kuningan. the population in this research was all sophomore english department students with total 60 students. a convenience purposive sampling was applied to get the sample students. the samples of this research were 12 extrovert students. from the results of statistical tests to test the correlation between two variables, this research used pearson product moment. as the result of the calculation, it was found that robserved (0,778) > ttables (0, 532). then, based on the hypothesis test with two tail test, the result of hypothesis test obtained tobserved (3, 917) > ttables (1, 782). thus, it can be concluded that ha was accepted and there was a correlation between extroversion personality and students’ argumentative essay writing skill. keywords: extroversion personality, argumentative essay, writing, eysenk personality inventory introduction the result of skill language achievement can be influenced by personality, as boroujeni, roohani, & hasanimanesh, (2015) argued that “the way we learn is very much affected by our personality.” according to larsen & buss (2005), in boroujeny et al. (2015), personality is “the set of psychological traits and mechanism within the individual that are organized and relatively enduring that influence his or her interaction with, and adaptations to, the intrapsychic, physical, and social environment.” every student has different personality that will bring them to achieve something in their life. according to kant (1804) in sullivan (1989), there are four personality types namely choleric (extroversion), sanguine, phlegmatic, and melancholic (introversion). one of the basic language skills of english is writing. writing seems as the most difficult skill to be learnt and produced by students and maybe that is why in the order of four skills of english it is referred to as the last one (nama & moini, 2013). as kim & dung (2004) declare in nama & moini (2013) that "writing or composition has been defined in a variety of ways which shows a lack of agreement as to what composition is, and reflects the complexity of the writing process." most of the researches in english language learning with respect to 267 wida sopia marwa & nani ronsani thamrin extrovert personality and its impact on students’ argumentative essay writing skill extraversion/introversion had been concentrated on identifying the qualities of a good language learner and to what extent extraversion influences english language skills particularly oral proficiency (oya et al., 2004; van daele, 2005). unfortunately, there are a few studies that investigated personality variables in writing skills. furnham (1990) in his study quoted a study conducted by thorne (1987) which examined the interaction between introverts and extroverts. the study mixed and matched partners of extroverts and introverts in conversational situations. when introverts were paired with introverts, the conversation they engaged in focused on problem talk (thorne, 1987). on the other hand, extroverts students show a wide range of topics and more claims of common ground. furnham (1990) concludes from this study and subsequent observations that extroverts are more impulsive and take more risks with speech than introverts. thus, it is worth to investigate whether extroverts are active in writing than introverts where there is less requirement of oral interaction since writing is a way of communication that happens naturally through speaking. however, in writing task, the writer has more time to think about the topic, the materials, things, people, and phenomena which are expected to be involved in a text (meyers, 2006 in nezhad et al., 2014). extrovert personality is commonly called extroversion or choleric personality. some of modern experts believe that extrovert personalities are better language learner. morrone-strupinsky and lane (2007: p.1267) as cited in nama and moini (2013) declare that extroversion consists of "agentic and affiliative components", which are typified by "distinct positive emotional stated of positive activation and warmth-affection," accordingly. it is well established that extroverts feel higher levels of positive affect than introverts (costa & mccrae, 1980; lucas & baird, 2004; watson & clark, 1992) in wilt & revealle (2000). usually, the extroverts are more popular and appear in education field. they are active and like to be involved in several positive activities. they are good performers. they are brief, clear, and definite in speaking (boroujeni et al., 2015). lightbown and spada (2006) find that many classroom teachers believe that in second or foreign language learning, extroverts are more successful than introverts, particularly in their communicative ability. skehan in shahila (2012) considers three crucial factors of language learning, those are: 1) intelligence, 2) risk-taking ability, and 3) extroversion/introversion. extroverts work better under stressful situations than introverts. canli (2004) in wilt & reveale (2000) finds that personality factors like extroversion are likely to be widely distributed in the brain. many sla theorists claim that extroverts are the better language learners. extroverts, who tend to be sociable, are more likely to join groups, more inclined to engage in conversations both inside (cook, 1991) and outside the classroom (swain, 1985) in (nama & moini, 2013). uziel (1998) in wilt & revealle (2000) declares that broadly speaking, extroversion relates to a relatively positive view of the world, as extroverts judge neutral events more positively than introverts. extroversion predicts categorization of words by their positive affective quality rather than their semantic quality (weiler in wilt & revealle, 2000). in the affect-level model, it is assumed that extroverts have higher tonic level of positive affect (wilt & reveale, 2000). 268 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee instead of merely categorize people into two big groups of extrovert and introvert people, the researcher decided to make levels of extraversion based on eysenck-made instrument. as a matter of fact, some people may place in ‘between’ or balance, others are just fairly and some others place between the most extreme edges. eysenck used number of each edges showing that there exists stages/levels, ranging from extreme introvert (0) until extreme edge of extrovert (24). below is part of personality lines based on eysenck personality chart (1965). extrovert person (extreme level) balance introvert person (extreme level) the pieces in this range of writing section represent one of the three types of writing named in the common core state standards for writing: opinion/ argument writing (the vermont collaborative writing, 2010, p. 118). argument, on the other hand, is mainly about logical appeals and involves claims, evidence, warrants, backing, and rebuttals, policy making, in courtrooms, and so forth. (hillocks, 2011, p. 23) an argumentative essay is an essay in which ones agree or disagree with an issue, and use reasons to support their opinion. the goal is to convince reader that the writer’s opinion is right (oshima & hogue, 2005). in line with oshima and hogue (2005), newell et al., (2013, p. 4) defines: argumentative writing as a type of critical thinking and rhetorical production involving the identification of a thesis (also called a claim), supportive evidence (empirical or experiential), and assessment of the warrants that connect the thesis, evidence, and situation within which the argument is being made. method there are two variables in this research; the first variable was extroversion personality (variable x), and the second variable was argumentative essay writing skill (variable y).the samples in this research were chosen by using purposive sampling technique. this research involved 60 students of sophomore english department students as the population. then, 12 extrovert students were chosen to be the samples of the research. personality test and writing test were used to collect the data. eysenk personality inventory (epi) by eysenk modified by davies (2004) which functions to determine level of extraversion of sample students was used. while the questions in questionnaire consists of 57 questions. the questions are originally english but are combined with indonesian. in the questionnaire, there were two columns that provide yes and no answer. to test writing skill, the respondents were instructed to write argumentative essays whose topics were specified by the researcher. to obtain the score, the researcher was oriented to argumentative essay rubric by tony’s language art (2015). the main aspects considered in the paper or essay and also used as indicator in the assessment of the paper include: content, mechanics of 269 wida sopia marwa & nani ronsani thamrin extrovert personality and its impact on students’ argumentative essay writing skill writing, paragraphing, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. next, to find out the correlation between the two variables, the data were then analyzed by manual statistical perspective. lilieforce normality test was used to test normality between epi score and argumentative essay score. to know the final result whether two variables do correlate and show significance to each other, this research used correlation product moment or correlation pearson by arikunto (2010). while to find out the significances of hypothesis, the researcher used the significances test of two tail test by sugiyono (2012, p. 182). results and discussion from the result of spreading the questionnaires to 28 respondents, there were 12 extrovert students, 4 introvert students, and 12 balance or stable students. the types of personality were presented in figure 1. figure 1. the types of personality figure 1 shows that extrovert and stable/balance were equal in which it consists of 12 people, while introvert only 4 people from 28 respondents. since this research only focuses on extrovert students, so introvert and stable students did not take as samples. from 12 extrovert students, the researcher then divided them into its level of extroversion based on the total e score and its successive interval. the following table is the results of epi questionnaire of extrovert students. table 1. the result of epi questionnaire respondents total e score successive interval type of personality student 1 19 e 2,92 fairly extrovert student 2 15 e 1,00 fairly extrovert student 3 20 e 3,78 extreme extrovert student 4 17 e 2,15 fairly extrovert student 5 15 e 1,00 fairly extrovert student 6 15 e 1,00 fairly extrovert student 7 18 e 2,49 fairly extrovert student 8 15 e 1,00 fairly extrovert student 9 16 e 1,83 fairly extrovert student 10 17 e 2,15 fairly extrovert student 11 19 e 2,92 fairly extrovert student 12 15 e 1,00 fairly extrovert 270 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee since extrovert students should obtain 15 e to 24 e, all the respondents got the e score from range 15 e to 20 e, but no one got more than 20 e. all the result of e score were converted into interval data by using successive interval method. then, to examine students’ writing skill, the researcher used argumentative essay to measure their writing skill. the students were given random topics of argumentative essay where the topics had been specified by the researcher. the students could choose the topics for their essay writing. the students had to make three argumentative essays with the following topics: (a) technology is making life easier in today's world; (b) google makes us stupid, and; (c) should the death penalty be mandatory to drugs dealers? the data of argumentative essay score was amounted from 12 students. then, the total score was obtained from the average score given by two supervisors. to understand the data of argumentative essay score, the data was presented in the table below. table 2. score of argumentative essay respondents score i score ii final score student 1 59,33 58,33 58,83 student 2 35,33 31,67 33,50 student 3 77,33 61,33 69,33 student 4 60,67 58,00 59,33 student 5 63,33 42,00 52,67 student 6 29,33 40,67 35,00 student 7 59,00 42,00 50,50 student 8 50,67 41,33 46,00 student 9 61,00 56,00 58,50 student 10 50,00 56,33 53,17 student 11 68,67 77,00 72,83 student 12 57,00 49,33 53,17 data conversion had been done as a requirement to use parametric statistics. because the collected data was ordinal data, so the data must be converted to interval data. the conversion ordinal data into interval data was done by using successive interval method. after converting the data, the researcher did lilieforce normality test toward epi score and argumentative essay. the normality test of epi (eysenk personality inventory) was done by doing the following stages: 1) determining average (mean) and deviation standard determining z i, 2) determining ztable, 3) determining frequency cumulative, and 4) determining lobserved and ltable. similarly, the normality test of argumentative essay was done by doing the following stages: 1) determining average (mean) and deviation standard, 2) determining z i, 3) determining ztable, 4) determining frequency cumulative, and 5) determining lobserved and ltable. the following table shows the result of lilieforce normality test of epi score. table 3. lilieforce normality test of eysenk personality inventory score x f fx x(x-me) x2 f.x2 zi table zi fk s(zi) f(zi) f(zi)-s(zi) 15 5 75 -1.75 3.063 15.31 -0.98 0.3365 1 0.83 0.666 -0.164 16 1 16 -0.75 0.563 0.563 -0.42 0.1628 2 0.6 0.337 -0.263 271 wida sopia marwa & nani ronsani thamrin extrovert personality and its impact on students’ argumentative essay writing skill 17 2 34 0.25 0.063 0.125 0.14 0.0557 3 0.25 0.444 0.194 18 1 18 1.25 1.563 1.563 0.7 0.258 4 0.33 0.242 -0.088 19 2 38 2.25 5.063 10.13 1.26 0.1026 5 0.41 0.397 -0.013 20 1 20 3.25 10.5625 10.56 1.82 0.0344 6 0.5 0.034 -0.466 median 16.75 std. dev. 1.785 l0 0.194 lt 0.242 lo < lt 0.194 < 0.242 so data variable x (epi score) was normally distributed as it can be seen in table above, the data were normally distributed. epi score was normally distributed since lo= 0.194 < lt= 0.242. the result of lilieforce normality test of argumentative essay score is described in the following table. table 4. lilieforce normality test of argumentative essay score no x f fx x(x-me) x2 f.x2 zi table zi fk s(zi) f(zi) f(zi)-s(zi) 1 35.5 1 35.5 -18.0417 325.5017 325.5017 -1.649 0.4495 1 0.83 0.051 -0.780 2 35 1 35 -18.5417 343.7934 343.7934 -1.695 0.4545 2 0.16 0.046 -0.115 3 46 1 46 -7.54167 56.87674 56.87674 -0.69 0.2549 3 0.25 0.245 -0.005 4 50.5 1 50.5 -3.04167 9.251736 9.251736 -0.278 0.1064 4 0.33 0.394 0.064 5 52.7 1 52.7 -0.84167 0.708403 0.708403 -0.077 0.0279 5 0.41 0.472 0.062 6 53.2 2 106.4 -0.34167 0.116736 0.233472 -0.031 0.012 6 0.5 0.488 -0.012 7 58.5 2 117 4.958333 24.58507 49.17014 0.452 0.1736 7 0.58 0.326 -0.254 8 59.3 1 59.3 5.758333 33.1584 33.1584 0.525 0.1985 8 0.66 0.302 -0.359 9 69.3 1 69.3 15.75833 248.3251 248.3251 1.439 0.4236 9 0.75 0.076 -0.674 10 72.8 1 72.8 19.25833 370.8834 370.8834 1.759 0.4599 10 0.83 0.040 -0.790 total 12 1437.903 median 53.54167 st. deviasi 10.94 lo 0.064 lt 0.242 result lo < lt 0.064 < 0.242, so argumentative essay score was normally distributed from the table above, it can be seen that the data were normally distributed. argumentative essay score was normally distributed since lo= 0.064 < lt= 0.242. after testing the normality of epi and argumentative score, the researcher did a correlation test by using pearson product moment correlation. correlation test was used to determine the relationship between variable x (extrovert personality) and variable y (argumentative essay writing skill). from the calculation, it was got that the correlation score (robserve) achieved the value 0,778. so, robserve (0,778) > rtable (0,576) with significance level was 5%. thus, it could be concluded that ha was accepted and there was a correlation between extrovert personality and students’ argumentative essay writing skill. the interpretation of r value could be examined in table 5. table 5. interpretation of correlation coefficient r value coefficient interval correlation 0.000 – 0.200 0.200 – 0.400 more less (there is no correlation) less 272 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 0.400 – 0.600 0.600 – 0.800 0.800 – 1.000 middle enough stronger as stated above, the correlation score between variable x and variable y (robserve) achieved the value 0,778. it meant that the relationship between two variables included into enough category with correlation interval 0,600 – 0,800. after obtaining the number of product moment correlations, the researcher determined coefficient determination to analyze how far variable x influences variable y by using the following formula: kd = r2 x 100% = x 100% = 0,605 x 100% = 60% from the calculation of coefficient determination, the result obtained was 0.605 or 60%. it meant that 60% of students’ argumentative essay score was determined by their extrovert personality, remaining 40% was determined by other factors. the final step of the data analysis was hypothesis test. the formula used to test the hypothesis was the significance test of product moment with two tail test. the following formula was used to test the hypothesis: t = = = = = 3,917 the analysis results of hypothesis test obtained tosberved (3,917) > ttable (1, 782) with α 0, 05. so, ha was accepted and there was a correlation between extroversion personality and students’ argumentative essay writing skill. to describe the relationship between extroversion personality and students’ argumentative essay writing skill, the researcher provided a figure. figure 2. the relationship between extroversion personality and students’ argumentative essay writing skill figure 2 illustrated the scores of the argumentative essay that was plotted in y axis and score for the epi was plotted in x axis. on the figure, the trend line mark was tilted to the right and it meant that two variables showed the positive correlation. the blue marker or the blue plot showed straight line, it meant that 273 wida sopia marwa & nani ronsani thamrin extrovert personality and its impact on students’ argumentative essay writing skill the correlation was strong enough. then, r2 = 0,606 was the regression score. y was score of argumentative essay in which y = 9, 537 + 35.09 that meant that argumentative scores could be predicted 9.537 times of scores of epi plus the constant 35.09. constant on the graph showed 35.09. it meant that the score of argumentative essay could be influenced by level of extrovert. conclusion after doing the research and analyzing the correlation between extroversion personality and students’ argumentative essay writing skill, the researcher concluded that the correlation between extroversion personality and students’ argumentative essay writing skill of sophomore english department student in university of kuningan were categorized well. based on the correlation analysis, ha hypothesis was accepted since correlation robserved (0, 778) > rtable (0,532) with level of significance 5%. the final result of hypothesis test was tobserved (3,917) > ttable (1, 782) with α 0, 05. it meant that there was positive correlation between extroversion personality and students’ argumentative essay writing skill the dominant level of extraversion personality was fairly extrovert and the students who are included into fairly extrovert obtained the argumentative essay score in acceptable category. references arikunto, s. (2010). prosedur penelitian suatu pendekatan praktik. jakarta: rineka cipta. boroujeni, j. a. a., roohani, a., & hasanimanesh, a. (2015). the impact extroversion and introversion personality types on efl learners’ writing ability, 5, 212-218. doi /10.17507/tpls.0501.29. 212 eysenck, h. j., & eysenck, s. b. g. (1985) in eysenk, eysenk personality inventory. retrieved from http://www.resourcd.com/@psychex change/file/show/968 at 28 january 2014, 06:23 am furnham, a. (1990). the psychology of personnel selection. new york: cambridge university press. hillocks, g. (2011). teaching argument writing. hanover: pourthmont ltd. lightbown, p. m., & spada, n. (2006). how languages are learned: oxford handbook for language teachers (3rd ed.). oxford: oxford university press. nama, s. n., & moini, f. (2013). the effect of topic bias on the writing proficiency of extrovert/introvert efl learners, journal of english language teaching and learning, 11 (2), pp. 98-112. nezhad. s. h., johandar, s., & khoubandenlau, m. (2014). the impact of extraversion vs. introversion on iranian efl learners’ writing ability. indian journal of fundamental and applied life science. 4(1), pp. 119-128. newell, e. g., vanderheid, & olsen, h. (2013). learning from (and with) expert teachers of argumentative writing. retrieved from http://www.resourcd.com/@writing prompt/ file/argumentative/. oshima, a., & hoggue, a. (2005). writing academy english, (4th ed.). new york: longman ltd. sugiyono. (2012). metode penelitian pendidikan pendekatan kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r&d. bandung: alfabeta. sullivan, j. r. (1989). immanuel kant’s moral theory. new york: cambridge university press. the vermont collaborative writing. (2010). 118 retrieved from http://writingclass.ed/file /458/at 15 march 2015, 11.20 am wilt j., & revelle, w. (2000). handbook of individual differences in social behavior. retrieved retrieved from http://traits.personality.edu 274 http://www.resourcd.com/@psychexchange/file/show/968%20at%2028%20january%202014 http://www.resourcd.com/@psychexchange/file/show/968%20at%2028%20january%202014 http://www.resourcd.com/@psychexchange/file/show/968%20at%2028%20january%202014 http://www.resourcd.com/@writingprompt/ http://www.resourcd.com/@writingprompt/ http://traits.personality.edu/ sinta hoerun nisa classroom interaction analysis 124 classroom interaction analysis in indonesian efl speaking class sinta hoerun nisa department of research and development, the association of indonesian scholars of english education (aisee), indonesia e-mail: sintahoerunnisa@gmail.com apa citation: nisa, s. h. (2014). classroom interaction analysis in indonesian efl speaking class. english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 124-132 received: 11-03-2014 accepted: 27-04-2013 published: 01-06-2014 abstract: this study entitles “classroom interaction analysis in the efl speaking class” aimed at analyzing the categories of teacher talk, student talk and classroom interaction types used during efl speaking class. the research employed a qualitative design and applied a case study. subjects of the research were an english teacher and 25 students at the second semester of english education department of the university of kuningan. the data were gained through naturalistic observation and document analysis. the data were analyzed by using flint (foreign language interaction) system as developed by moskowitz (1971) and types of classroom interaction of malamah-thomas’ (1987) frameworks. the findings revealed that both teacher and students applied all categories of talk as mentioned in flint system and classroom interaction types. it is recommended for the teacher to apply more categories of ‘praises and encourages’ to build students’ confidence in speaking, ‘asks questions’ to promote their communicative skill and to encourage students to use english during speaking activities, particularly in group work activities. keywords: classroom interaction, flint analysis, efl speaking class. including in language classroom. in order to get experience in english communication, they need to interact regularly using the target language since interaction is the heart of communication (brown, 2001: 165). interaction occurs as long as people are communicating each other and giving action and receiving the reaction in one another anywhere and anytime, including in the classroom setting. dagarin (2004: 128) argues that classroom interaction is “two way process between the participants in the language process, the teacher influences the learners and vice versa.” furthermore, interaction in the classroom is categorized as the pedagogic interaction which means the interaction in the teaching and learning process (sarosdy et al, 2006). unfortunately, the interaction in the language classroom seems difficult introduction the need for english speaking mastery has been increased due to the status of english as a global language recognized in every country (crystal, 2003: 3) and used for international communication. english has a function as the main gate to get a better job since it is used as the working language in international organizations and multinational companies (nazara, 2010: 1). the need for getting a better job and globally participation become the main reasons for non-native speakers to learn and master english, either as a second language (esl) or a foreign language (efl), particularly focused on speaking skill. however, speaking is a complicated skill and needs a long time to develop. in developing speaking skill, people need to practice it as often as possible and get a sufficient experience everywhere, 125 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee to use the target language all the time, especially in the efl (english as a foreign language) classroom. it is happened since the efl students have common native languages (brown, 2001: 180). if the teacher of efl ignores it, the goal of teaching process then could not be achieved. therefore, by impressing the students about the importance of practice in english for eventual success and telling them that it can help them to build their intuition to language, the use of native language when interacting will be able to be reduced (brown, 2001: 180). interaction plays significant roles in the language classroom. firstly, it can increase students’ knowledge of language. rivers (1987: 4-5) notes that, “through interaction, students can increase their language store as they listen to or read authentic linguistic material, or even the output of their fellow students, in discussions, skits, joint problem-solving tasks, or dialogue journals…”. secondly, it is able to strengthen the social relationship. interaction, for students, will strengthen the relationship, either among them or with their teachers since it gives them the chance to learn from each other and to get feedback on their performance (naimat, 2011: 672). thirdly, it is beneficial to develop students’ communicative skill. according to thapa and lin (2013), “interaction in the classroom becomes the central factors which is able to enhance the students’ linguistic resources as well as equipping them with appropriate skills for communication.” naimat (2011: 672) adds, “the communication skill, then, will be acquired through speaking activities, such as debates, discussions and about desired topics among students.” lastly, it has a role to build students’ confidence in speaking. thapa and lin (2013) explain that “in language classroom, interaction is an essential social activities for students through which they not only construct knowledge, but also build confidence and identity as competent language users”. therefore, by accustoming students to interact with teacher and among their fellows will build their knowledge as well as their confidence. for the interaction in the language classroom has advantages to the students’ speaking performance, therefore the study about classroom interaction is considerably important and worth to be analyzed. in analyzing the interaction during speaking class, foreign language interaction (flint) system developed by moskowitz (1971, as cited in brown, 2001: 170) was used. this analysis system has several benefits; it is helpful in developing interactive language teaching since it gives the researcher a taxonomy for observing teachers, set a framework for evaluating and improving the teaching, and helps to set a learning climate for interactive teaching (brown, 2001: 168-169). aspects to be analyzed during interaction are teacher talk and student talk. teacher talk is defined as any words or sentences said by the teacher during the interaction in teachinglearning process, including when the teacher gives explanation, feedback, ask question and so on (mujahidah, 2012). it indicates that any kind of talk spoken by the teacher is called teacher talk. the teacher talk plays an important role in teaching process since it can increase students’ language store as they listen to the real authentic material (rivers, 1987: 4-5). another importance of teacher talk in the language classroom is that the role of the teacher as the provider of comprehensible input. harmer (2001: 66) notes, “teachers are ideally placed to provide comprehensible input since the students can react appropriately although the students do not understand every word they said, but they understand the meaning of sinta hoerun nisa classroom interaction analysis 126 what is being said.” the teacher talk has seven categories, namely (1) deals with feelings, (2) praises or encourages, (3) uses ideas of students, (4) asks question, (5) gives information and corrects without rejection, (6) gives direction, and (7) criticizes students’ response and behavior (moskowitz, 1971 as cited in brown, 2001: 170). students talk can be used by the students to express their own ideas, initiate new topics, and develop their own opinions. categories of students talk including students response (specific), students innitiated, silence and confusion (moskowitz, 1971 as cited in brown, 2001: 170). in the foreign language classroom, the interaction occurs variously. malamah-thomas (1987) as cited in mingzhi (2005: 59) divide types of classroom interaction into seven types, namely (1) teacher speaking to the whole class which is established when a teacher talks to the whole class at the same time (dagarin, 2004: 129), (2) teacher speaking to an individual with the rest of students as the hearers that can be used for an informal conversation at the beginning of the lesson or for leading students into a less guided activity (dagarin, 2004: 129), (3) teacher speaking to a group of students which refers to the teacher participating students’ group work (mingzhi, 2005: 59), (4) student speaking to the teacher that refers to the students’ initiation (mingzhi, 2005: 59), (5) student speaking to the student related to the pairwork activities that involves collaboration and self-initiated with only two students (brown, 2001: 178), (6) student speaking to group members which is related to the group work (mingzhi, 2005: 60), and (7) student speaking to the whole class which is commonly applied when the speaking activities are students-fronted, for instance in presentation and workshop (mingzhi, 2005: 59). method this study applied a qualitative research design. qualitative design was chosen in order to explore and understand the social phenomenon (creswell, 2009: 22). the strategy applied was a case study since it explored in depth activity in one or more individuals (creswell, 2009: 30). the research was undertaken at the second semester of english education department of the university of kuningan. the participants involved in this research were 25 students at the second semester of english department who had been taking the ‘speaking 2’ subject and an english teacher who taught the ‘speaking 2’ subject. creswell (2009: 166) notes that “data collection procedures in qualitative research include collecting information through un-structured or semi-structured observation and interviews, documents and visual materials, as well as establishing the protocol for recording information”. in this research, the data was collected through naturalistic observation and document analysis. according to fraenkel and wallen (2009: 442), “naturalistic observation means observing individuals in their natural settings, simply observes and records what happens as things naturally occur.” in this research, the classroom interaction was observed through video recording. observation has a number of advantages covering (1) researcher can record information as it occurs, (2) researcher has a first-hand experience with participants, (3) usual aspect can be noticed during observation, and (4) it is useful in exploring topics that may be uncomfortable for participants to discuss (creswell, 2009: 167). the other method for collecting data was document analysis. document analysis is defined as “a technique which enables a researcher to study human behavior in indirect way through an analysis of 127 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee their communication” (fraenkel and wallen, 2009: 472). document analysis has advantages, namely it is useful as a means of analyzing observational data and a researcher can delve into records and documents (fraenkel and wallen, 2009: 483). in this research, the document analyzed was video’s transcription of teaching-learning process in the speaking class at the second semester of english education department in university of kuningan. the videos were documented in 13th march up to 17th april, 2014. to display the language used in the classroom, the videos were then transcribed. the videos comprised four sessions of english speaking class at the second semester english department with various topics of speaking activities including class discussion, presentation, seminar as a part of simulation, and ice breaking as an example of communication games. furthermore, to investigate the classroom interaction appeared between teacher and students, this research employed flint (foreign language interaction) analysis framework adopted from moskowitz (1971) as cited in brown, 2010: 170). while, to investigate types of classroom interaction in the speaking class, the researcher used malamah-thomas’s (1987) framework as cited in (mingzhi, 2005: 59) about types of classroom interaction. in analyzing the data, the data from video recording were firstly transcribed to show the interaction and language used by teacher and students during english speaking class. secondly, the transcripts were coded by using several categories of teacher talk and student talk as well as types of classroom interaction. thirdly, the data were then calculated and analyzed the amount of each category of teacher talk, student talk, and classroom interaction type. results and discussion based on four times observation that have been conducted at the second semester of english education department in the university of kuningan, it was found that all categories both in teacher talk and student talk as mentioned in flint system (moskowitz, 1971 as cited in brown, 2001: 170) had been applied by the subjects. the category of “gives information” was mostly used by the teacher and “student specific response” category was most dominant spoken by students. in addition, all types of classroom interaction based on malamah-thomas’s (1987, cited in mingzhi, 2005: 59) framework has been applied with “student speaking to the whole class” was mostly applied in the efl speaking class. teacher talk teacher talk 10.3 3.4 5.7 23.7 34.1 17.1 5.7 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 deals with feeling praises or encourages uses ideas of students asks questions gives information gives directions criticizes student behavior or response teacher talk sinta hoerun nisa classroom interaction analysis 128 deals with feeling transcription from first meeting: t : “assalamualaikum wr wb.” ss : “waalaikumussalam wr wb” t : “good morning.” ss : “good morning.” t : “how are you today?” ss : “i’m fine, thank you, and you?” t : “i’m fine too, thank you. interaction in language classroom, particularly in using “deals with students’ feelings” category, is essential to strengthen relationship between a teacher and students and also to break the ice because the students feel nervous, especially at the first time they meet their teacher. in addition, the teacher seemed to be aware that she needs to make the students familiar with english expression. praising or encouraging s : “jadi ini kaya cerita gitu.” t : “oh, okay. attention please about the story okay?” ss : “okay.” t : “he has a talent for drawing picture. good picture.” ss : “map” this category is important as well since it determines relationship between teacher and students. in addition, praising and encouraging will help them to be more confident when speaking. however, the teacher hardly used this category in teaching speaking. using ideas of students transcription from forth meeting: t : “okay. five students to perform in front of the class. first one? s : (a student raises his hand) “ada yang bawa spidol?” t : “anyone who brings the marker? agus, maybe you can give a clue before you give the games to your friends.” the teacher used student’s idea by translating his questions from the native language to the target language. it is assumed that the teacher tried to provide students the input when being spoken by their fellows using native language. asking questions transcription of first meeting: t: “i will check your attendance list, who call the name say present. who is present three times that you say three present. but if you absent one time, that you present double present. be honest, please. understand all of you?” ss : “yes.” in asking questions, the teacher frequently asked the students about their understanding related to the materials and directions given by asking “do you understand”, “understand all of you?”, and “is it clear?”. asking students using those expressions are less appropriate since they only need simple responses and polar answers, just by saying yes or no. however, if the teacher wanted to check students’ understanding, it is more appropriate to give knowledge questions, for instance “what did you get from my explanation?”. this question strategy will create the interactive learning as suggested by brown (2001: 169). giving information transcription from the third meeting: t: “pictorial game is how to create or show the picture to students to make understand. this is relevant with enriching the vocabulary. ini salah satu contohnya. nah, setiap anak setiap siswa, next, harus menemukan satu permainan to be instructor in front of your friends. is it clear from me?” ss : “yeah” the transcription reveals that in giving information, the teacher used bahasa indonesia in order to 129 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee make students more understand about materials delivered and to avoid misunderstanding. transcription of forth meeting: s : “i got just seven papers.” t : “papers. it’s plural.” s : “yes. just seven papers.” it shows that the teacher attempted to correct student’s mistake of grammar without using words or intonation leading to the criticism. giving direction transcription from the first meeting: t : “ speak up, please. count your number, please. one, two, three, four. back to one, one, two, three, four. begin from here.” ss : [students counting] this transcription tells about the teacher gave direction to the students when applying group work speaking activity. this category of “gives direction” is commonly applied when the teacher acts as a director which directs the students in doing group work activity. criticizing student’s behavior transcription from forth observation: t : “i know before that you didn’t pay attention to his explanation. please, pay attention.” ss : “yes.” this transcription reveals that the teacher tried to ask a student to be quiet by saying “please, pay attention.” it was related to the students’ behavior in the classroom. student talk 51 28 2 19 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 student response student initiation silence confusion student talk students’ response t : “okay, before doing our activity, i will give you some materials. please, iip, clean the whiteboard!” s : [the student got up and did what the teacher was asked] this transcription shows that in responding to the teacher’s talk, the student used gesture or non-verbal response. it indicates that the student understood the teacher’s language. however, this response is categorized as the simple and limited. another type sinta hoerun nisa classroom interaction analysis 130 of student response with limited and simple response is found as follow. t : “what is topic of today?” ss : “ade sara.” t : “ade sara that was killed by her boyfriend?” ss : “ex-boyfriend.” t : “ex-boyfriend. for our topic today is about ade sara. using /eitc/ or?” ss : “no.” students’ initiation this category means the students respond to the teacher with students’ own ideas, opinions, reactions and feelings. for example s1 : “if we show the picture and ..” t : “yeah. pictorial games ini according to harmer, yah, harmer. pictorial games is how to understand students vocabulary……” the “student initiated” category emerged when students had their own ideas about speaking task. this category seemed to be applied in third and fourth meetings, when they have already been trained by the teacher with a number of speaking activities that promotes the interaction. silence silence means pauses in interaction during which there is no verbal interaction. this also include silence in which a piece of audio and visual equipment. for example t : “class discussion. what happens in a class discussion? [the teacher wrote the material on the whiteboard for three minutes and no verbal interaction] finish?” ss : “not yet.” the “silence” category happened when the teacher wrote the material. during that time, there was no verbal interaction. it was happened in the first meeting of ‘speaking 2’ subject and still the teacher that was dominating the interaction. confusion confusion means that more than one person at time talking, so the interaction cannot be recorded. for example t : “make topic about ade sara.” ss : [group discussion was started for more than 20 minutes] the transcription above shows that students at the same time talking and discussing the topic given by the teacher, so the interaction could not be recorded. however, the interaction during group discussion refers to the interaction among group members. during group discussion, the students tended to use their native languages, either in indonesia or sundanese language. types of classroom interaction teacher speaking to the whole class this type of interaction occurred when firstly, the teacher greeted students in the beginning of the lesson and gave the material. secondly, it was also applied when the teacher gave a several feedback for students’ performances in the end of lesson. the last, when the teacher gave information about next speaking activities. teacher speaking to an individual this type of interaction was applied when the teacher checked students’ attendance, directed and asked a student in speaking activities such as ice breaking as a part of communication games. furthermore, it was applied when the teacher corrected students’ mistakes in pronouncing and related to grammatical mistakes as well. teacher speaking to group of students this type was used when speaking activity conducted seminar as the example of simulation. in this type of 131 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee interaction, the teacher told about the score of each group and corrected their mistakes. student speaking to teacher this type refers to the student’s initiation to ask or interact with the teacher. it occurred in the last meeting when the students performed their speaking in front of their classmates. students interacted with the teacher when they tried to present and to ask some vocabularies which they did not know in the target language. in addition, it was applied when they asked the teacher about speaking activities in the following meeting. student speaking to student this type of interaction is called pair work and it occurred when the classroom conducted simulation and communication games activities. student speaking to group members the speaking activities which applied this type were class discussion in the first meeting and communication games in the fourth meeting. unfortunately, they tended to spend their times to interact with their fellows using native languages, sundanese and bahasa indonesia. student speaking to the whole class this type was applied when students performed in front of the class as the presenters in class discussion, speakers in simulation, and performer in communication games. this interaction gave the same opportunity for each student to speak during speaking class. conclusion this present study aims to discover categories of talk spoken by teacher and students according to flint system (moskowitz, 1971 as cited in brown, 2001: 170) and types of classroom interaction adapted from malamahthomas (1987, cited in mingzhi, 2005: 59). the findings revealed that during interaction in the efl speaking class, the teacher tended to act as facilitator which facilitated students to speak with several student-fronted speaking activities, such as class discussion, presentation, simulation and communication games, a director that directed them in conducting speaking activities, and a resource providing information needed by students. in addition, the students had more opportunity to speak and interact in efl speaking class by doing speaking activities focused on group-work activities and presentation. however, the usage of native language during interaction was frequently used. based on the findings of the study, it is recommended for the teacher to motivate students to speak and interact using the target language (english) during efl speaking activities, to praise them for what they have done for building up their confidence, and to encourage them to interact by applying question strategies which are able to develop their communicative competence. this study has several difficulties in conducting the research, including in data coding processes, collecting the theories, and describing findings and discussion. therefore, it is suggested for the further study to prepare the research well. classroom interaction has several scopes that are worth to be researched, so it is beneficial to conduct the similar study with different frameworks such as teachers questioning strategies to give more significant contributions in the teaching and learning process. references brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. second edition. new york: addison wesley longman, inc. creswell, j. w. (2009). design qualitative, sinta hoerun nisa classroom interaction analysis 132 quantitative and mixed methods approaches, third edition. usa: sage publications inc crystal, d. (2003). english as a global language, second edition. cambridge: cambridge university press. dagarin, m. (2004). classroom interaction and communication strategies in learning english as a foreign. ljubljana: elope fraenkel, j. r., & wallen, n. e. (2009). how to design and evaluate research in education, seventh edition. new york: mcgrawhill higher education. harmer, j. (2001). the practice of english language teaching. third edition. new york: pearson education limited. malamah-thomas, a. (1987). classroom interaction. in: mingzhi. (2005). enhancing interaction in our efl classroom. celea journal vol. 28 no. 2, pp. 56-62 mingzhi, x. (2005). enhancing interaction in our efl classroom. celea journal vol. 28 no. 2, pp. 56-62 moskowitz, g. (1971). interaction analysis: a new modern language for supervisors. in: brown (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. second edition. new york: addison wesley longman, inc. mujahidah. (2012). the descriptive study on the classroom interaction during the english teaching-learning process at the eighth grade of smpn 1 banjarmasin academic year 2011/2012. retrieved from http:// jurnal.englishdept.fkipunlam.ac.id. naimat, g. kh. (2011). influence of teacherstudents interaction on efl reading comprehension. european journal of social sciences vol. 23 no. 4, pp. 672687 nazara, s. (2010). students’ perception on efl speaking skill development. retrieved from https://www.academia. edu/776982/students_perception_on_ efl_speaking_skill_development rivers, w. m. (1987). interactive language teaching. interaction as the key to teaching language for communication. new york: cambridge university press. sarosdy, et al. (2006). applied linguistics i. ertekunki az ember: unpublished. thapa, c. b. and lin, a. m. y. (2013). interaction in english language classrooms to enhance students’ language learning. retrieved april 12, 2014 from http://neltachoutari.wordpress. com/2013/08/01/interaction-inenglish-language-classrooms-toenhance-nepalese-students-languagelearning/ tuan, l.t., & nhu, n.t.k. (2010). theoretical review on oral communication in efl classrooms. studies in literature and language journal vol. 1., no. 4, 2010, pp. 29-48. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee second language acquisition and linguistic freedom through drama peter e. r. jordan department of english, city university of hong kong e-mail: pejordan@cityu.edu.hk apa citation: jordan, p. e. r. (2015). second language acquisition and linguistic freedom through drama. english review: journal of english education, 4(1), 15-24 received: 05-03-2015 accepted: 08-10-2015 published: 01-12-2015 abstract: the important part played by drama in second language acquisition has long been appreciated. an active and inter-active teaching environment facilitates learning in a number of ways, by motivating and sustaining attention, as well as offering a secure environment for experimentation. drama offers students a pro-active approach to learning, promoting a collective feeling of being in a shared enterprise. this paper discusses how drama can make a significant contribution to second language acquisition. in particular, i focus on the techniques of the italian commedia dell’arte, the first truly professional theatre form to emerge in europe in the mid-sixteenth century. its core elements of improvisation and mask are highly effective tools in language learning, empowering students and allowing them to take ownership of the unfamiliar. improvisation provides a dramatically engaging forum for experimentation that can help to overcome cognitive blocks and prioritise communication as the ultimate imperative. masks which leave the mouth free for speech can help students overcome the natural inhibitions that often come with attempts to express oneself in an unfamiliar linguistic code. keywords: language acquisition, drama, improvisation, mask introduction the important part played by drama in second language acquisition has long been appreciated. there is no doubt that an active and inter-active teaching context facilitates learning in a number of ways, but principally by motivating students, sustaining their attention and stimulating discourse. drama offers just such a pro-active approach to learning, promoting a collective feeling of being in a shared enterprise and offering a secure environment for experimentation and role play. this is a crucial element as language is primarily a tool of communication with others. also, the role of enjoyment should not be underestimated. students who are fully engaged and taking pleasure in participating in a drama exercise will find they have all the natural resources of concentration and imagination at their disposal. furthermore, the deployment of language combined with physical action harnesses visual memory and the body‟s natural muscle memory in the process of spontaneous recall. this is well understood in the theatre. professional actors will often not be able to make sense of and secure their spoken text until it has been firmly linked to their actions and those of others in the play. the emotional component of language is best explored in drama, which depends on a sense of „inner truth‟ 15 peter e. r. jordan second language acquisition and linguistic freedom through drama in order to induce „the willing suspension of disbelief‟ in any given audience. „truth‟ in the dramatic sense equates with emotional truth, not literal truth. one does not have to kill people or urge others to kill in order to understand the jealousy of othello or the ambition of lady macbeth. one does not have to kill oneself in order to appreciate and give voice to the intense all-consuming love between juliet and romeo. this paper is the product of my more than thirty years‟ experience as both a theatre professional and a teacher, during which time i have come to understand that the skills associated with drama are inherently transferrable to language acquisition. having frequently acted in foreign languages (italian, german, swedish, french and cantonese), i have learned, at first hand, how the performance process can enhance linguistic skills in many ways. this is true of all theatre genres, but in particular i argue that the many techniques and traditions of the so-called commedia dell’arte provide the most comprehensive tool-set for facilitating second language acquisition. my long association with performing, directing and teaching the specific skills of this urgenre of western drama has prompted deep reflection about its applicability to the complex process of second language acquisition. drama training the first systematiser of the acting process as understood in the european canon that originated with the ancient greek theatre, roughly 2500 years ago, was the russian actor and director, konstantin stanislavsky at the turn of the twentieth century. he proposed that actors should draw on their „emotional memory‟ in order to portray characters with a verisimilitude, known colloquially as „realism‟. any given individual has a repository of past experiences, and a memory of the emotions generated by those experiences. according to stanislavsky and his later interpreters, actors can draw on this reservoir of past experience in order to infuse their character‟s speech with emotional authenticity. thus dramatic interpretation can assist in the delivery of speech with all the natural emphasis, intonation and cadence of everyday locution. for a detailed overview of stanislavsky‟s theories and those of his later interpreters, a good starting point is jean benedetti‟s the art of the actor: the essential history of acting, from classical times to the present day. actor training also involves intense voice coaching that includes the technical aspects of voice production: diction, articulation and projection. a strong grounding in phonetics enables the student of acting, as much as the student of language, to master unfamiliar sounds and combinations of sounds through rigorous drilling and regular practice to train the vocal instrument (tongue, teeth, lips and vocal folds). actors are often required to study a range of accents, both regional and national. with the help of a qualified accent coach, unfamiliar rules of pronunciation can be learned and reproduced with confidence and fluency. opera singers routinely receive such training in order to be able to sing naturally and easily in various languages, despite not necessarily being conversant in the language. the process is almost identical to that of students of second languages, who have to learn an unfamiliar pronunciation and accent, in order to express themselves intelligibly and with authenticity. whilst the audio-lingual method of language teaching, inspired by 16 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee behaviourist psychological theories, has been much criticised, it continues to be applied successfully in schools, such as the shenker institutes, based in italy. the method involves intensive drilling in the accurate reproduction of english pronunciation, breaking the sound of the language down into its component phonemes, even before the student understands the words being uttered. the rationale behind this approach is that speech in a second language can never be fully achieved if the sounds made are so distorted that the listener is unable to understand what is being said (brown, 2000). this process is underscored by the former leading voice coach for the united kingdom‟s national theatre and the royal shakespeare company: the process we call speech is simply one of physically breaking up the voice into identifiable units called words. this process is done in the mouth with the lips, jaw, tongue, soft palate and facial muscles. it is very precise physical work and speech is one of the most balanced and complex muscular exercises the body performs (rodenburg, 1998, p. 104). understanding the physical and muscular nature of speech can then help the actor (and student) to appreciate the inherent communicative qualities of the sounds produced. thus, learning to work with consonants and vowels teaches you about the physical properties of words and how your articulation of them brings verbal strength… a common postulate you can make is: consonants = clarity of thought; vowels = emotion. pause, pace and intention are all embedded in the word. remember that language is only partly intellectual. speaking words clearly opens many more doors to the world of the mind, heart and soul (p. 106). obviously, the speaker must also understand what he or she is saying and must also understand the other person‟s reply. however, reaching a full and nuanced understanding of pronunciation and inflexion will greatly enhance comprehension. the truth of this has been confirmed to me indirectly on numerous occasions, when i have slipped into speaking english with a local accent, making the typical pronunciation mistakes made by the people i am talking to at the time, be they italian or chinese. invariably, i have found that my interlocutor will compliment me on the „clarity‟ of my english! commedia dell’arte the above italian phrase literally means „comedy/theatre of the profession‟ or „professional theatre‟. it was originally coined by the eighteenthcentury playwright, carlo goldoni, as a rather dismissive term for the most popular form of theatre at that time. this genre of masked theatre originated in the mid-sixteenth century and is generally considered to be the first manifestation of a truly professional theatre, at least in europe. prior to its emergence, drama was performed exclusively by amateurs, either for their own private pleasure, or as part of religious ritual in celebration of specific festivals or, in the christian era, to portray biblical events to a largely illiterate public. as a result of collaboration between educated members of the italian elite and lowly entertainers, a distinct form evolved that became fantastically popular and famed throughout europe at all levels of society. william shakespeare and his contemporaries 17 peter e. r. jordan second language acquisition and linguistic freedom through drama during the „golden age‟ of elizabethan drama in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century were aware of the early italian professionals and it is very likely that they took inspiration from them to create drama that had a truly mass appeal. the transition from amateur to fully professional drama involved a fundamental shift of focus. the priority of these actors was to induce spectators not only to watch and enjoy their performances, but also to pay for the privilege. without income, they could not eat, and thus drama became predicated on communication over and above aesthetic or religious concerns. typically, actors formed themselves into companies, who then travelled extensively from town to town in search of new audiences. the luckiest of these professional troupes received patronage from the nobility and from royalty, but the vast majority of acting companies depended on a peripatetic life, passing from one jurisdiction to another ever in quest of new sources of income. in the process of providing popular entertainment, they often took risks with their use of language. ribald wordplay, frequently including scatological references, was an immensely popular form of wit that amused the masses, but angered some of those in authority. the catholic church was especially critical of the early professional actors, not only because of the frequent use of vulgar language, but also because the actors were so popular that they were drawing the punters away from their religious devotions. in a sense, they were stealing the church‟s audience; such was the enthusiasm they generated among their audiences, by speaking the everyday language of the common people. incidentally, it is worth noting that the word, „vulgar‟, comes from the italian „volgare‟, which originally signified „vernacular‟, rather than the more pejorative sense that it has in english. at that time, all religious rituals were conducted in latin, which was also the language of scholarship and diplomacy, whereas vernacular speech was the language of the people, the language of everyday interactions and conversations. the commedia dell’arte was famed in particular for its improvised dialogue and masked stock characters, which conformed to three basic types: masters, servants and lovers. of the masters, pantalone is the most wellknown, just as harlequin is the most famous of the servants. typically, the young lovers would be the children of pantalone and other master characters. this simple three-way categorisation of roles has echoes in the dramatic traditions of china, bali, japan and elsewhere. the use of masks also harks back to ancient forms of theatre to be found throughout asia. the masks of the commedia dell’arte were moulded in leather to fit comfortably on different facial contours. they were always „halfmasks‟, that is, the mouth was not covered, so that the actor could speak freely. unlike more stylised forms of drama, the masks of the commedia dell’arte were particularly verbose. dialogue was either improvised or delivered as monologues and duologues, often in forms of rhyming verse. the available evidence from the mid-sixteenth century onwards, indicates that venice, a polyglot melting pot of nationalities, was crucial to the development of the professional theatre. in a sense, the republic was a microcosm of the multilingual, or at least multidialectal, composition of the italian peninsula at that time. multilingualism and contemporaneity were undoubtedly 18 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee at the forefront of the development of secular theatre in the early modern era, when multi-tasking actors had to forge a recognisable and socially acceptable profession which was both a valid art form and remunerative. it is precisely this linguistic diversity coupled also with mask work, physicality and reality-based comedy that lends the commedia dell’arte to language acquisition through drama. in spite of the obvious artifice of masks and stylisation, the characters of the commedia dell’arte were drawn from elements of real contemporary types. many of them were associated with specific professions and specific cities and regions of italy, and often expressed themselves in the local dialect. pantalone was a rich old venetian merchant, whilst harlequin was depicted as an impoverished porter from the border town of bergamo. other characters included: the doctor, a pedantic academic from bologna, home of the oldest university in europe; the captain, a flamboyant, marauding spanish mercenary; and pulcinella, a slow-witted but often devious and belligerent citizen of naples. the lovers typically expressed themselves in the tuscan dialect of florence, the language of dante, which ultimately became the official language of italy after the country‟s unification in 1871. the ability to adapt to a variety of spaces and conditions, coupled with the need to communicate to a wide range of audience tastes, would have involved considerable forward planning that prioritised the technical demands of presentation, and a profound understanding of the differing perspectives of all the people that made up the complex social fabric of a culturally diverse cosmopolitan city, such as venice. small wonder then, that the professionals were subsequently able effortlessly to ply their trade throughout polyglot europe and to communicate to people of different nationalities and cultures. i shall now discuss in more detail the component elements of the commedia dell’arte – some of which have been mentioned briefly above – and the ways in which they can enhance second language acquisition. improvisation the use of improvisation and game playing stimulates spontaneity and the creative application of speech, with the added benefit of allowing the learner to take ownership of personal dialogue, even before grammar, syntax and vocabulary have been completely mastered. moreover, the natural interactive flow of dialogue can be more easily reproduced in playing a role than in the dry call and response of a mechanical classroom exercise. in particular, classroom drama is most useful in exploring topics when there are no single, correct answers or interpretations, and when divergence is more interesting than conformity and truth is interpretable (dervishaj, 2009, p. 55). giving students the opportunity and permission to mediate reality through their own observations and experience will enhance their ability to manipulate the linguistic tools at their disposal. simple rote learning certainly has an important part to play in the process, particularly in mastering unfamiliar cadence, intonation and stress. this is perhaps especially so for learners of english whose first language is not part of the indo-european family. mothertongue speakers of tonal languages, such 19 peter e. r. jordan second language acquisition and linguistic freedom through drama as chinese, vietnamese and thai are more likely than most to encounter difficulty in grasping the nuances of intonation, as used in english, where the slightest change of inflection can indicate a range of attitudinal positions. for example, the infusion of irony, scepticism or dismay into a commonplace phrase may hinge on the slightest of pauses, a barely perceptible rising tone, or a gentle stress on an operative word. repetition of routine phrases in a dramatic setting can often help to elucidate and tease out these subtleties and sensitise the ear of the learner. on the other hand, more freeform script-less acting exercises will enhance and encourage a greater degree of flexibility that allows for the natural improvisation of informal conversation. in a drama context, since the publication of keith johnstone‟s seminal impro, such improvisation is nowadays almost universally considered to be essential to the building of a character, or role. extemporisation instils the sink-or-swim imperative to take the discourse forward in a meaningful way. a mutual commitment to maintaining the natural momentum of a conversation is essential in generating active complicity between interlocutors. actors are taught to nurture this sense of „give-and-take‟ as a discipline and a responsibility, without which communication breaks down. it is important to emphasise that failure, inaccuracy and even occasional incoherence are all permissible as part of the learning process. similar to sherlock holmes‟ dictum „when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth‟, actors often have to go through a sometimes painful journey of experiment and exploration before finally making sense of their roles, understanding their relationships to others and to the play as a whole. however, once this exhaustive exercise is complete, the performer will usually enjoy a feeling of assurance, a feeling that is mirrored by the language student in the throes of decoding the alien rhythms, phonemes and sentence structure of a second language. the experience, for both actor and student, can certainly be fatiguing, at times dispiriting, but with persistence even those who initially display little natural flair can begin to express themselves with confidence, if not aplomb. furthermore, improvisation naturally reproduces the spontaneity of real language with all its non-sequiturs, pauses, bridging words and phrases (e.g. „well‟, „actually‟, „you know‟), and sounds (e.g. „um‟, „er‟, „hmm‟). the actors of the commedia dell’arte frequently used a form of nonsense language known as „grammelot‟, which can perhaps best be characterised as a vocal stream of emotionally meaningful, onomatopoeic but lexically dubious chatter. nobel laureate dario fo, who has named the commedia dell’arte as one of his principal literary and performative influences, has deployed grammelot to great effect, particularly in his comic monologues. english is peculiarly rich with examples of onomatopoeia. imitative vocalisations such as „sizzle‟, „hiss‟, „bump‟, „bang‟, „crash‟, „smash‟ and „hiccup‟ have all now been graced with entries in the major dictionaries, having first entered the language as imitative sounds. similarly, english has a long history of permitting the entry of neologisms into the language, from shakespeare to lewis carroll and beyond to the contributions from other cultures. in addition to the ancient languages of greek and latin, modern english has also acquired, and continues 20 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee to acquire, much vocabulary from more distant linguistic sources around the world (e.g. arabic, hindi, chinese, japanese). it is important to emphasise this fact to students, in order to encourage them to „take ownership‟ of a truly global language, which is in reality a hybrid of many original languages, including norse, danish, french and german. one has only to look at its idiosyncratic spelling to appreciate this fact. mask the commedia dell’arte half-mask has two principal uses: to conceal and to transform identity. it also serves to amplify facial characteristics in order that these can be recognised from a distance. the act of concealing and thus transforming identity can often be of great benefit to language students, particularly those who are shy and reserved, either for personal or for cultural reasons. this is particularly the case in an asian context where frightened of losing face, any students from the confucian-heritage cultures (chc) dare not volunteer personal ideas, either for fear of being considered silly or for fear of making others feel humiliated … allowing a person to save face is more important than telling the truth (nguyen, terlouw and pilot, 2006, p. 7) . masks can confer the freedom to transgress cultural norms and pressures. by literally „losing face‟ – concealing it under a mask – many students experience a feeling of empowerment, a sudden freeing from self-consciousness and a lack of confidence. in the process, they can discover a fluency and articulacy that eluded them previously. i have often encountered students who were painfully inhibited in their speech for various reasons, perhaps because they perceived their english to be less proficient than their classmates, or because they were embarrassed to utter a sentence without being absolutely certain that what they were saying was grammatically correct. yet, once such students don a mask covering the face and, to a certain extent, the identity, they are frequently liberated from their selfconscious and self-imposed restraints. the mask confers permission to speak in any way you like, without concern for accuracy. obviously, the ultimate goal of language teaching is precision and fluency, but exercises with masks can help some students to overcome their inhibitions and learn to express themselves meaningfully and with emotional authenticity. in this way, the imperative to communicate can be instilled and they can make english „belong‟ to them as it already does to so many others around the world. indeed, it is only with this flexibility that english can keep its place as a global language. in the anglophone world, there is no equivalent of the french académie française, which oversees the use of the language in order to preserve its supposed purity. only recently has the académie relented on its ban of borrowings from english, such as, „le week-end‟. in the english-speaking world, there is no such institution to decree what we can or cannot say. it therefore follows that we can say anything, as long as successful communication is achieved in the process. this fact, once fully understood in all its implications, should be deeply empowering for all students of the language. 21 peter e. r. jordan second language acquisition and linguistic freedom through drama realism in addition to the core elements of the commedia dell’arte: improvisation and mask, there are several other key components that are worth discussing briefly. despite the artifice, stylisation and simplification that is evident in the commedia dell‟arte, the characters and narrative situations are grounded in reality. obviously, the reality of asia today will differ from that in sixteenthcentury italy, but essential relationships of power, status and affection are recognisable the world over and throughout time. the realities of making one‟s way in the world, negotiating one‟s position in the social hierarchy, attempting to fulfil desires and to strive for contentment have not changed much over the millennia, even while the external contours of civilisation have been in a ceaseless state of flux. physicality as already mentioned, from the outset, the commedia dell’arte practised multilingualism. pantalone would express himself in the venetian dialect; the doctor in bolognese; the servants in bergamese; pulcinella in the neapolitan vernacular; and the lovers in the tuscan dialect. the latter became the official italian language in 1871, just as putonghua was formally adopted as the official chinese national language in 1932, or bahasa indonesia was declared indonesia‟s official language in 1945. nevertheless, the people of all three countries continue to use their local dialects. as a result of this historical situation, the commedia dell’arte has a strongly mimetic element that both traverses language barriers, and underlines, complements and facilitates speech and communication. the use of gesture to underpin spoken language differs from culture to culture. with the mélange of italian patois to be found, even to this day, the actors of the commedia dell’arte necessarily placed greater emphasis on other methods of communication, in particular through costume, movement and gesture. present-day italians are justly famed for their vigorous language of gesture that often convey very specific meanings (e.g. „i„m hungry‟, „that tastes good‟, „i don‟t care‟, „watch out!‟, „let‟s get out of here‟, „nothing‟, „boring!‟, „what are you talking about?‟, „money‟, „you‟re scared‟, „i‟m not sure if you get my meaning‟ etc.). conversely, the british or chinese are typically less physically effusive, yet they too will underpin the meanings conveyed in speech with occasional gestures and other forms of body language. gesture can provide attitudinal nuance and amplification to verbal speech, and aids memorisation. the use of gesture, freed up by the disguise of the mask, can not only enhance speech, but also help to relax the speaker. nervousness and fear paralyse the mind. all actors have to overcome the fear of performance. similarly, language learners are in a very real sense performing a role, when they attempt to speak in the language of an alien culture, and fear is a natural product of that attempt. so it follows that anything which relaxes will free up the mind and facilitate recall. audience interaction the modern theatrical notion of a „fourth wall‟ – the pretence that the actors are unaware of the audience and are speaking as if they were alone on the stage – was unknown in the theatre of the commedia dell’arte, just as it is in many traditional asian theatre forms. the actors were thus free to talk to and 22 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee to interact directly with the audience. also, by demolishing „the fourth wall‟, actors have the twin possibility of being part of the action or stepping out and commenting on it. this is rather akin to the workings of process drama, sometimes used in language learning. the actor both lives in the moment of the scene, interacting with emotional commitment, or he/she may narrate diegetically, ever aware that the audience can answer back at some point. this is not unlike the linguistic and presentational skills required of the public speaker who may also have to deal with the interventions of hecklers. thus, even speeches learned by rote can acquire a spontaneity and flexibility that exercises the speaker and gives him or her greater mastery of language and its application. ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture the literature of the commedia dell’arte is an eclectic mix of literary sophistication and ribald speech. it celebrates both popular and elite culture. the irreverence that is everywhere apparent in this material, provides a broad palette of permissible behaviours and locutions. it is certainly true that “literary texts are often rich in multiple levels of meaning, and demand that the reader/ learner is actively „teasing out‟ the unstated implications and assumptions of the text” (lazar, 1993, p. 19). however, language arts should also be a means to achieving greater fluency in everyday speech and the mundanities of many everyday interactions. music and song in keeping with its determination to entertain and delight as many people as possible, the plays of the commedia dell’arte contain many moments of song and dance. song, in particular, is an extremely useful means for learning language, at least key phrases thereof. through melodic connections, rhymes, rhythms and repetition, large tranches of text can be absorbed, retained and regurgitated at will. this is true of rhyming, metered verse in general, but song adds a further musical mnemonic element. comedy the early professional actors were driven by a need to attract and to hold the attention of a paying audience. originally, they performed in a variety of genres, even tragedy, but most popular by far was comedy with its power to evoke the pleasurable effects of laughter, which is not only enjoyed by the individual, but also as a collective act. thus, in time, the commedia dell’arte became associated exclusively with comedy. common intuition, supported by many sociological and psychological studies, has confirmed the positive, healthful and pleasurable effects of humour and laughter. a comic event, such as a particularly amusing role-play or improvisation, is not only intellectually stimulating, it will also lodge more easily in the memory along with details of the actions and speech used. conclusion a multi-modal approach – as can be found in the techniques and practices of the commedia dell’arte – undoubtedly facilitates and enriches the learning experience, increasing our ability to recall, adapt and interact in a wide range of contexts. whilst drama, in all its forms, can certainly enhance and facilitate language teaching in the ways outlined above, a word of caution should be sounded. many students will enjoy role-play, improvisation, singing and 23 peter e. r. jordan second language acquisition and linguistic freedom through drama movement, but there is nevertheless no guarantee that language will be acquired and consolidated in the process. all that can be said for sure is that the many tools encompassed by the rubric „drama‟ are just that: tools. their effective use is still subject to the expert application and guidance of the teacher, who will preferably also have a solid and complementary grounding in drama. when efficaciously deployed, drama can bring profound and lasting benefits in the acquisition, retention and expression of a second, and even third or fourth, language. drama is, in a very real sense, a „language art‟. in the words of a respected hong kong educator, commentator and theatre practitioner: engaging in the activities of language arts helps enhance the motivation of learning english, both within and outside the classroom. if students find the activities rewarding and they are learning the language at the same time, they will be willing to spend more time on them. … thus with language arts activities, many more conditions for interesting and creative language learning and use can be created (mok, 2001, p. 6). the creativity and inspirational qualities of the teacher in facilitating this process is paramount. references benedetti, j. (2005). the art of the actor: the essential history of acting, from classical times to the present day. london: methuen. brown, h. d. (2000). principles of language learning and teaching (4th ed.) new york, ny: longman. dervishaj, a. (2009). using drama as a creative method for foreign language acquisition. linguistic and communicative performance, 2(1), 53-62. johnstone, k. (2012). impro: improvisation and the theatre. london: routledge. lazar, g. (1993). literature and language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. mok, a. (2001). task-based learning, language arts and the media: a resource book for secondary english teachers. hong kong: university of hong kong. nguyen, p. m., terlouw, c. & pilot, a. (2006). culturally appropriate pedagogy: the case of group learning in a confucian heritage culture context. international education, 17 (1), 1-19. rodenberg, p. (1998). the actor speaks: voice and the performer. london: methuen. 24 a visual and verbal analysis of children representation english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee a visual and verbal analysis of children representation in television advertisement budi hermawan department of english education, indonesia university of education, indonesia email: budi_bee@yahoo.com elka zenereshynta nuvra ardhernas department of english education, indonesia university of education, indonesia email: elkazenereshynta@gmail.com apa citation: hermawan, b., & ardhemas, e. z. n. (2014). a visual and verbal analysis of children representation in television advertisement. english review: journal of english education 3(1) 59-69 received: 13-10-2014 accepted: 30-10-2014 published: 01-12-2014 abstract: the study investigates the representation of children in television advertisement of 3 indie+ cellular phone operator. the study is descriptive qualitative and has employed kress & leuween’s reading images (2006) to analyze the visual data, and halliday’ transitivity system (1994, 2004) which is simplified by gerot and wignell (1995) for the analyzing the verbal data. the aim of the study is to examine the representation of children visually and verbally in the 3 indie+ cellular phone operator advertisement. based on the data analysis, the study finds that visually children are represented as a naive person who is “pretending to know” adult life when in fact they are still a child through the use of setting, layout composition, and perspective (shot, gaze). children are verbally represented through the use of mental and material processes as somebody who tells about their hope, obsession, and aspirations in the future, and their naive imaginations of how an adult life is in relation to the product advertised the representation signifies that unlike other providers, using 3 indie+ is very easy; it is not as hard as to live as adults. keywords: advertisement, cellular phone, representation, semiotic, text, and visual grammar. introduction representation is the process which links between things, concepts, and signs. in other words, representation is the meaning production of the concepts in our minds through language (hall, 1997). danesi (1946, p. 123) defines representation as “the activity of making texts which is constrained by social conventions, by communal experiences, and by other contextual factor”. the ideas basically mean that representation is the process in which people use language to produce meanings. language served as the media to represent meanings. there are, of course other media that can be used to represent meanings, for instance pictures and advertisement. advertisement is the non-personal communication of information which is usually persuasive about product, service, or idea (bovee as cited in taflinger, 1996). goddard (1998) asserts that advertisement is not only about the commercial promotion of branded products, but can also encompass the idea of texts whose intention is to enhance the image of an individual, group or organization. the purpose of the advertisement is to persuade an audience and to bring about changes of budi hermawan elka & zenereshynta nuvra ardhernas a visual and verbal analysis of children representation in television advertisement reader’s attitude (rowman, 2008; varghese & vilanilam, 2004). moreover, advertisement can also influence the public, especially to increase or decrease the salience of an issue for the public (gwiasda, 2001). advertisement can also convey meanings or ideologies to the audiences, either implicitly or explicitly. 3 indie+ advertisement is one of the creative advertisement which depicts children to convey the meanings and ideologies to the audiences. 3 indie+ advertisement uses persuasive words to attract and make people forget that the advertisement is about cellular phone operator advertisement. despite the fact that the advertisement was reprimanded by the indonesian broadcasting commission (kpi), subagijo, because the advertisement is inappropriate to display children that commented about an adult problems (sinaga, 2013), the advertisement is still frequently aired on television. thus, the present study investigates the representation of children in the 3 indie+ cellular phone operator advertisement. this study focuses on examining the representation of children in the cellular phone operator advertisement (3 indie+). therefore, semiotic becomes the basic theory for this study because it brings the notion about representation in the form of texts and media. the analysis of the data for the study is both visual and verbal analysis. the visual analysis is used to examine the images while the verbal analysis is used to examine the verbal texts. the study also uses multimodality, which is “the use of several semiotics modes in the design of a semiotic product or event, together with the particular way in which those modes are combined” (kress & leeuwen, 2001). literary review kress and leeuwen (2006) argue that “reading images focuses on the structures of ‘grammar’ of visual design (color, perspective, framing and composition) and provides the reader with an invaluable ‘tool-kit’ for reading images, which makes it a must for anyone interested in communication, the media and the arts”. they assert that visual structures of representation can either be a narrative process or conceptual process. narrative process is presenting actions and events, processes of change, transitory spatial arrangements, while conceptual process is representing participants in terms of their more generalized and more or stable and timeless essence, in terms of class, or structure, or meaning. they believe that there is a relation between the represented participants in the images and the interactive participants. if the represented participants gaze at viewers, this relation is interpreted as a demand to the viewers, while if there is an absence of gaze at the viewers, it is interpreted as an offer made by the copywriters to the viewers. there is another dimension to the interactive meanings of images, related to the size of frame. kress and leeuwen (2006) state that “the choice of distance can suggest different relations between the represented participants and the viewers”. size of frame is always defined in relation to the human body (kress & leeuwen, 2006). thus, the close shot (close-up) which shows the head and shoulders of the subjects and the very close shot (extreme close-up) which shows anything less than that, construct an intimate and personal relation between the represented participants and the viewers. the medium shot english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee which shows approximately at the knees constructs a social relation between the represented participants and the viewers, while in the long shot constructs an impersonal relation between the represented participants and the viewers. kress and leeuwen (2006) said that camera angle is an important means of expression in cinematography. they argue that if a represented participant is seen from a high angle, then it indicates that the interactive participant has power over the represented participant. meanwhile, if the represented participant is seen from a low angle, then it indicates that the represented participant has power over the interactive participant. if the picture is at eye level, then it indicates an equality and there is no power difference. the present study employs reading image to analyze the meanings of frame size, camera angle and the relation between the represented and the interactive participant in each print screen image investigated. transitivity becomes an important element in analyzing verbal texts in this study. the verbal texts are analyzed based on types of processes in transitivity: material (process of doing and causing), behavioural (process of physiological), mental (process of sensing), verbal (process of saying), relational (process of being and becoming), and existential (process of existence) (gerot & wignell, 1995). the types of processes in transitivity are used to determine the position of boy or girl as the participant in each scenes. the connotation in fashion is needed to identify connotative meanings of children’s clothing in each print screen image. barnard (2006) elaborates connotative meanings of fashion such as white collar suit signifies higher economic earning or higher job position; blue collar suit signifies lower job position or manual job; opened collar signifies informality and incapability; fine suit signifies urban and gentlemen; glasses signifies smartness and intellectuality; tie signifies modern and professionalism; fabric shirt and sharp shoe signifies masculinity; jeans signifies democratic, rebellion, modernity, youth; mini trouser and high heel shoe signifies modernity and aggressiveness. connotation in color becomes an essential element in this study. this study examines how children are visually represented in the cellular phone operator advertisement (3 indie+). therefore, the connotative meanings of colors are needed to analyze the clothings of children in each print screen image. wilfred (1962), linschoten & mansyur (as cited in kasali, 1995), and fisher (2004), elaborate a connotative meanings of colors, such as the color of yellow signifies tolerance, light, fast, inspiration, happiness, hope, gold, cheeriness, cowardice, illness, deceit, warmth, excitement, enlightenment; the color of gray signifies independent, stability, seriousness, critical, masculine, and neutral; the color of brown signifies fertility, old, wealthy, melancholy, depression, warmth, and comfortable; the color of white signifies pure, naive, peace, goodness, clean, elegant, plain, and sporty; the color of blue signifies peace, spiritually calm, young, sportive, depression, introvert, delicacy, firm, mellow, science, infinity, transcendent, challenging, serenity, and sad; the color of black signifies formality, darkness, magic, mystery, grief, artist, elegance, conservative, and prestigious; the color of purple signifies royalty, feminine, expressive, young, sensitive, hope, budi hermawan elka & zenereshynta nuvra ardhernas a visual and verbal analysis of children representation in television advertisement spiritual obsession, richness, elegant, and sophisticated; the color of green signifies natural, affection, emphatic, young, peace, envious, poison, fresh, wickedness, balancing, harmony, serenity, prosperity, clean, mold, and nausea. in the present study, techniques of video shooting also become an important element. techniques of video shooting are used to identify frame size, camera angle and color saturation in each print screen image. there are some technical aspects in the process of video shooting. those technical aspects are created in order to convey some meanings. selby and coedery (1995) introduced some techniques of video shooting such as close up shot signifies intimate or close emotion; long shot signifies object with public or environment; low camera angle signifies being dominated, controlled, and unauthority; color saturation of warm (yellow, orange, red, and gray) signifies optimism, hope, desire, and agitation. previous studies which investigate advertisement and representation include the study conducted by marcellus (2006) which shows that females are depicted to be courteous, faceless, and voiceless in the magazines. females are also represented as the objects of appeal in the pakistani magazines (mahsud, mirza & riaz, 2009). females are portrayed to be dependent, inactive, young and as a product user, while males are depicted to be independent, active and as a product authorities in television advertisement (siu & au, 1997; neto & pinto, 1998; kim & lowry, 2005). a study conducted by stankiewicz & rosselli (2008) indicates that females are displayed as a sex object and victims in media images. the findings also show that females are depicted as targets of violence, manipulation, sexual aggression, lifeless, and in servitude. in television advertisement, females are frequently depicted at home and social settings, while males at work, outdoors, and business settings. females play roles of parents and homemakers, while males play roles of interviewers, narrators, celebrities, workers and laborers. females are frequently displayed in under 30 (young) and as an unmarried, while males are frequently portrayed in the middle-aged. females are associated with body, food, household, cosmetics/toiletries, clothing, and personal care products, while males are associated with automobile, sport, food/beverages, and electronics products. females are represented with no arguments while males frequently offer an argument and make an end comment (neto & pinto, 1998; uray & burnaz, 2003; kim & lowry, 2005; vallsfernandez & martinez-vicente, 2007; nassif & gunter, 2008; prieler et. al, 2011; luyt, 2011; arima, 2003). a study conducted by chick & hunter (2009) reveals that females are depicted as needy and helpless while males are portrayed as their (females) rescuers. moreover, the percentage of male characters is higher than female characters in the advertisement (chick & hunter, 2009; valls-fernandez & martinez-vicente, 2007; martinez et.al, 2013; luyt, 2011). studies on children representation in advertisement are rarely found. mostly, studies on children investigated the impact of television advertisement on children’s attitude (nassar & abdulaziz, 2012; ahsan et.al, 2013) or studies on children investigated the effect of television food advertising on children’s food intake and children’s english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee food purchasing behavior (halford et.al, 2008; priya et.al, 2010; haroon et.al, 2011). therefore, this study is conducted to examine the representation of children in television advertisement. method the study is aimed to examine how children are visually and verbally represented in a television advertisement of cellular phone advertisement (3 indie+). this study employs a descriptive qualitative method since this study aimed at understanding the way children are visually and verbally represented in a television advertisement. the qualitative method aims to expand people’s understanding of particular things in the world (hancock et.al, 2009). therefore, the study is expected to enact people to have a more profound understanding towards how children are represented in a television advertisement. the data for the study are in the form of verbal and visual text. the visual data are two selected television advertisement of cellular phone operator (3 indie+). those selected television advertisement with 59 seconds in duration display children narrating about their own aspirations in the future. the verbal texts are the words and sentences accompanying the visual. in collecting the data, the study has used the following procedure. firstly, determining what advertisement and what social issue represented in the advertisement will be examined. secondly, collecting the primary data for the analysis by downloading the two videos of the related advertisement from the website (http://youtube.com). thirdly, dividing the selected scenes into 23 print screen images (first video= 12 print screen images and second video= 11 print screen images). fourthly, transcribing the monologue (one text accompanies one print screen image). the analysis of the data are both visual and verbal analysis. visual analysis consists of facial expression, layout composition, clothing, physical appearance, and techniques of video shooting which are based on barnard (2006), ekman (2003), selby and coedery (1995) and kress and leeuwen’s theory (2006). meanwhile verbal analysis relies on halliday’s theory of transitivity (1985). in conducting the study, the following steps have been taken. first, watching the two videos to have thorough understanding. second, identifying facial expression, clothing, physical appearance, frame size, camera angle and color saturation in each print screen image. third, analyzing the data using the framework theories. fourth, making a conclusion based on the findings. results and discussion the results and discussion elaborate visual representation of children to answer the first research question; how children are visually represented in a television advertisement of cellular phone operator (3 indie+); as well as verbal representation of children to answer the second research question; how children are verbally represented in a television advertisement of cellular phone operator (3 indie+); and the explanation will be elaborated further to answer the third research question; what does the representation signify. based on the data analysis, the study finds that visually children are represented as actor in the social and outdoor settings. children are represented with the use of yellow, white, and purple as the dominant http://youtube.com/ budi hermawan elka & zenereshynta nuvra ardhernas a visual and verbal analysis of children representation in television advertisement colors of clothing in the advertisement. children are also represented through the emotion of sadness which is shown by facial expressions such as their open mouth, their down corner of lips, their raised cheeks, and their drooped eyelids. the study also finds that children are represented through the use of close-up shot which shows their head and shoulders as the dominant frame size in the advertisement. moreover, children are represented through the use of eyelevel camera angle and through the use of warm and cool color saturation in the advertisement. the following picture illustrates this. picture 1. the boy at the building construction in the first version of 3 indie+ cellular phone operator advertisement (scene 4) verbally the children are represented as sayer (12 times), actor (9 times), carrier (7 times), senser (5 times), behaver (3 times), and token (1 time) from the total number of clauses in the verbal analysis (37 clauses). in the study, the visual representation of children in the advertisement was revealed through the visual elements of the advertisement (background, clothes, facial expressions, frame size, camera angle, and color saturation). in term of background, children are depicted in a classroom (2 times), at a top of a building (1 time), in a car (1 time), at a building construction (3 times), in a courtyard (1 time), at a corridor (1 time), at a food court (1 time), in a kitchen (1 time), at a golf course (1 time), at a roadside (1 time), in a balcony (1 time), in a restaurant (2 times), in a supermarket (1 time), and unidentified settings because the children are represented with the use of close-up shot (6 times). concerning the colors of clothes that are used by the children in the 3 indie+ cellular phone operator advertisement, the children are represented through the use of yellow (5 times), gray (4 times), brown (2 times), white (6 times), blue (3 times), black (1 time), purple (3 times), green (1 time)and no clothing (3 times). the dominant colors found in the advertisement are yellow, white, and purple. according to wilfred (1962), linschoten & mansyur (as cited in kasali, 1995), and fisher (2004), the color of yellow signifies tolerance, light, fast, inspiration, happiness, hope, gold, cheeriness, cowardice, illness, deceit, english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee warmth, excitement, and enlightenment. in the context of the advertisement, the color of yellow signifies hope; the hope of children for their future. meanwhile, the color of white signifies pure, naive, peace, goodness, clean, elegant, and sporty (wilfred, 1962; linschoten & mansyur as cited in kasali, 1995). in the context of the advertisement, the color of white signifies naivete; naivete of children in expressing their opinion about adult life. according to wilfred (1962) and fisher (2004), purple signifies royalty, feminine, expressive, young, sensitive, hope, spiritual, obsession, richness, elegant, and sophisticated. in the context of the advertisement, the color of purple signifies obsession; the obsession of the children to achieve their goal and aspiration. moreover, the obsession of being adult. in connection with facial expressions, he children are depicted with the emotions of sadness (15 times), fear (1 time), enjoyable emotion (2 times), and without facial expressions because they do not face the camera (5 times). children are mostly displayed with the expressions of open mouth, down corner of lips, raised cheeks, and drooped eyelids. according to ekman (2003), those facial expressions signify the emotion of sadness. thus, children in the advertisement are frequently represented with sad emotion. picture 2 illustrates this. picture 2. the girl with sadness emotion in the second version of 3 indie+ cellular phone operator advertisement (scene 6) in relation to frame size, children are represented through the use of closeup shot (16 times), medium close-up shot (1 time), long shot (5 times), and medium shot (1 time). children are frequently represented through the use of close up shot which shows the head and shoulders of the children as the dominant frame size found in the advertisement. according to kress and leeuwen (2006), close-up shot indicates personal relationship between the represented participant and the viewers. thus, children are represented with close up shot to construct an intimate and personal relationship with the viewers. in term of camera angle, children are represented through the use of eye level (22 times) and high camera angle (1 time). children are represented through the use of eye level as the dominant camera angle found in the advertisement. according to kress and leeuwen (2006), an eye level indicates an equality and there is no power difference between the budi hermawan elka & zenereshynta nuvra ardhernas a visual and verbal analysis of children representation in television advertisement represented participant and the viewers. thus, children are represented to show an equality between the children and the viewers. equality of having desire, hope, obsession to achieve goals and aspirations. in relation to color saturation, children are represented through the use of warm color saturation (12 times) and cool color saturation (12 times). children are represented through the use of warm and cool color saturation (gray and green). according to selby and coedery (1995), color saturation of gray indicates optimism, hope, desire, and agitation. in the context of the advertisement, gray color as the color that envelops the whole images accentuates desire; the desire of the children to attain their goals. picture 3 below shows the warm color saturation used in the advertisement. picture 3. the girl with warm color saturation of orange in the first version of 3 indie+ cellular phone operator advertisement (scene 3) lastly, boys are more frequently appeared than girl in the 3 indie+ cellular phone operator advertisement. boys in the advertisement are 61% from the total number of children, while girls in the advertisement are 39% from the total number of children. in relation to the previous studies about representation, the present study proves that the percentage of boy characters is higher than girl characters in the television advertisement. as mentioned, verbally children are represented as sayer (12 times) as the dominant participant with verbal process. according to gerot and wignell (1995), verbal process is process of saying or symbolically signalling. in the context of the advertisement, children are represented as someone who tells about things that commonly happen in adult’s daily life. for instance, at the end of the month, they only eat an instant noodle fot either breakfast, lunch, and dinner. other examples, when they do not have money, then cannot buy a voucher to call someone, and they can only make a missed call. children are represented as actor (9 times) with material process. material process is process of doing and causing (gerot & wignell, 1995). in the context of the advertisement, children are represented as actor who want to hangout with other young entrepreneurs and discussing a big project. children are also represented as carrier (7 times) with relational process. relational process is process of being and having (gerot & wignell, 1995). in english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the context of the advertisement, children are represented as carrier who become adult and imagine how hard it is to live up. the study also finds that children are represented as senser (5 times) with mental process. mental process is process of sensing and perceiving through the five senses (gerot & wignell, 1995). in the advertisement, the children are represented as senser who want to work in a multinational company and at a high building. they also want to be a young entrepreneur and a boss. moreover, children are represented as behaver (3 times) with behavioral process. according to gerot and wignell (1995), behavioral process is process of physiological and psychological behavior. in the advertisement, children are represented as behaver who grow up and become adult. conclusions this present study has investigated the representation of children in 3 indie+ cellular phone operator advertisement. the study answered the following research questions: how children are visually represented in a television advertisement of cellular phone operator (3 indie+); how children are verbally represented in a television advertisement of cellular phone operator (3 indie+); and what the representation signify. children in the 3 indie+ cellular phone operator advertisement are represented through some ways. the representation of children in the advertisement was revealed through the visual elements of the advertisement (background, clothes, facial expressions, frame size, camera angle, and color saturation) and the verbal analysis (transitivity). overall, from the ways of 3 indie+ cellular phone operator advertisement represent children, it can be inferred that children are visually represented as somebody who we know; somebody we are close to. they are equal with the viewers in terms of desire, hope, and obsession to achieve their goals and aspirations. children are also visually represented as being a naive person who is “pretending to know” adult life when they are still a child and they do not having the experiences of living an adult life. their facial expression; the sad emotion, expresses sympathetic gesture towards the hardship they think is experienced by an adult. children are verbally represented as somebody who tells about their aspirations in the future; their naive imaginations of how an adult life is; having to face many problems, especially contributed by the financial problems. they imagine when they grow up and become adult, they have to face many problems because live as a child is not as hard as to live as an adult. thus, in the context of the advertisement, children are represented as a bridge between provider and consumer of what the customers want. the message sent by the operator can be understood that unlike other provider, using 3 indie+ is very easy, it is not as hard as to live as an adult, because 3 indie+ advertisement gives a convenience to the consumer with the service of ‘use it first and pay it later’, without reservation and blockade. hence, 3 indie+ facilitates the consumers, especially adults who usually face the financial problems, in using the cellular phone operator. in regard with the findings, for other researchers who want to conduct study on the same issue are suggested to budi hermawan elka & zenereshynta nuvra ardhernas a visual and verbal analysis of children representation in television advertisement explore the representation of children in other kinds of advertisement. the other researchers can compare the representation of children in some kinds of cellular phone operator advertisement or the other researchers can conduct the analyses to other kinds of advertisement, because studies on children representation in advertisement are still rarely found. the other researchers are suggested to compare the representation of girls and boys in the advertisement with the representation of man and women in the advertisements and the other researchers are suggested to reveal the ideologies behind the comparison of those representations. moreover, the other researchers are suggested to conduct the visual analysis of children representation with focus on using one of the visual elements (setting, facial expression, frame size, camera angle, color saturation) in order to get a deep analysis in the visual analysis. references ahsan, s. m. h., mamun, a., mowla, m. m., & ibrahim, m. (2013). impact of television commercials on children’s attitudes in bangladesh: an empirical study. journal of educational and social research, 3(3), 69-78. arima, a. n. (2003). gender stereotypes in japanese television advertisement. sex roles, 49(1/2), 81+. barnard, m. (2006). fashion sebagai komunikasi. yogyakarta: jalasutra. chandler. d. (2002). semiotics: the basics. london: routledge. chick, k., & hunter, m. (2009). an analysis of human images and advertisement in four popular children’s magazines. language and literacy, 11(1), n/a. danesi, m. (1946). the quest for meaning: a guide to semiotic theory and practice. canada: university of toronto press inc. fisher, j. (2004). colors: their connotations and perceived meanings. retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?colors:their-connotations-and-perceivedmeanings&id=4510 gerot, l., & wignell, p. (1995).making sense of functional grammar: an introductory workbook. australia: gerd stabler. goddard, a. (1998). the language of advertising. london and new york: routledge. gwiasda, g.w. (2001). network news coverage of campaign advertisement: media’s ability to reinforce campaign messages. americanpolitics research, 29(5): 461-482. halford, j. c., boyland, e. j., hughes, g. m., stacey, l., mckean, s., & dovey, t. m. (2008). beyond-brand effect of television food advertisements on food choice in children: the effects of weight status. public health nutrition, 11(9), 897-904. hall, s. (1997). representation: cultural representations and signifying practices. london: sage publication ltd. halliday, m.a.k. (1994). an introduction to functional grammar, 2nd edition. new york: routledge, chapman and hall, inc. halliday, m.a.k., & matthiessen, c.m.i.m. (2004) an introduction to functional grammar. great britain: arnold. hancock, b., ockleford, e., & windridge, k. (2009). an introduction to qualitative research. retrieved from: www.rdseastmidlands.nihr.ac.uk haroon, m., qureshi, t. m., zia-ur-rehman, m., & nisar, m. (2011). does the food advertisement on television have the impact on children’s food purchasing behavior? a study based on pakistan food advertisement. international journal of business and management, 6(1), 283-289. kasali, r. (1995). manajemen periklanan: konsep dan aplikasinya di indonesia. jakarta: grafitti. kim, k., & lowry, d. (2005). television commercials as a lagging social indicator: gender role stereotypes in korean television advertising. sex roles, 53(11-12), 901-910. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee kress, g., & leeuwen, t. v. (2001). multimodal discourse: the modes and media of contemporary communication. london: bloomsbury academic. kress, g., & leeuwen, t. (2006). reading images: the grammar of visual design. usa and canada: routledge. luyt, r. (2011). representation of gender in south african television advertising: a content analysis. sex roles, 65(5-6), 356370. mahsud, m, n., mirza, m, i., & riaz, s. (2009). portrayal of women in pakistani magazines: do magazines stereotype women as model. gender & behaviour, 7(2), 2557-2577. marcellus, j. (2006). woman as machine: representation of secretaries in interwar magazines. journalism and mass communication quarterly, 83(1), 101-115. martinez, e., nicolas, m., & salas, a. (2013). gender representation in advertising of toys in the christmas period (2009-12). scientific journal of media education, 21(41), 187-194. nassar, m. a., & abdulaziz, a. z. (2012). effects of television advertising on children in the middle east. education, business, and society: contemporary middle eastern issues, 5(4), 267-280. nassif, a., & gunter, b. (2008). gender representation in television advertisements in britain and saudi arabia. sex roles, 58(11-12), 752-760. neto, f., & pinto, i. (1998). gender stereotypes in portuguese television advertisements. sex roles, 39(1-2), 153164. prieler, m., kohlbacher, f., hagiwara, s., & arima, a. (2011). gender representation of older people in japanese television advertisements. sex roles, 64(5-6), 405415. priya, p., baisya, r. k., & sharma, s. (2010). television advertisements and children’s buying behavior. marketing intelligence & planning, 28(2), 151-169. rowman, a. (2008). images of women and minorities in advertising (third aedition). new york: littlefield publishers, inc. selby, k., & coedery, r. (1995). how to study television. london: mcmillisan. sinaga, e, k. (2013, june 29). kpi: iklan 3 parah !. tribun news. retrieved from http://www.tribunnews.com/2013/06 /29/kpi-iklan-3-parah siu, w., & au, a. (1997). women in advertising: a comparison of television advertisements in china and singapore. marketing intelligence & planning, 15(5), 235. stankiewicz, j. m., & rosselli, f. (2008). women as sex objects and victims in print advertisements. sex roles, 58(7-8), 579-589. sukyadi, d. (2011). teori dan analisis semiotika. bandung: rizqi press. taflinger, r. f. (1996). a definition of advertising. retrieved from http://public.wsu.edu/~taflinge/addef ine.html uray, n., & burnaz, s. (2003). an analysis of the portrayal of gender roles in turkish televison advertisements. sex roles, 48(1-2), 77-87. valls-fernandez, f., & martinez-vicente, j. (2007). gender stereotypes in spanish television commercials. sex roles, 56(910), 691-699. varghese, a., & vilanilam, j. v. (2004). advertising basics. new delhi: response books. wilfred, t. (1962). color organ, in compton’s pictured encyclopedia. chicago: f. e. compton & company. family education values in kirana kejora’s novels (genetic structural research) wulan wahyuning ratri language education, postgraduate of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: wulanwahyura@gmail.com emzir language education, postgraduate of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: emzir.unj@unj.ac.id ninuk lustyantie language education, postgraduate of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: ninuk.lustyantie@unj.ac.id apa citation: ratri, w. w., emzir., & lustyantie, n. (2017). : family education values in kirana kejora’s novels (genetic structural research). english review: journal of english education, 5(2), 263-274 received: 11-04-2017 accepted: 21-05-2017 published: 01-06-2017 abstract: the objective of this research is to acquire deep understanding about family education values in the novels by kirana kejora through genetic structural. it was a qualitative research with content analysis method. this research was analyzed through structural literary approach and genetic structural approach. the data were collected through document study, data observation about family education values in the novels by kirana kejora (bintang anak tuhan, air mata terakhir bunda, ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir), and interview with kirana kejora. the result of this research revealed that family education values that were founded and described in the novels by kirana kejora were diligent to worship, honest, respect, unanimous, having achievement, mandate, brave, independent, proportional, take care of self, affection, prelude other people, and fair. they were founded and described through intrinsic structure of novel, author’s background, social background, and author’s world view. those results lead to implication that indonesian literature educator can use kirana kejora’s novels directly in the teaching process. further, the findings lead to recommendation to indonesian literature educators in order to use novels with content of family education values and to motivate students to analyze the novels through genetic structural. keywords: family education values, novel, genetic structural introduction in teaching literature, warmth can be created by the content of literature teaching itself, for instance, the content of literature teaching which encouraging values of family education. the learners who are able to respect the literature learning process are them who come from the families which are fully filled by values of family education. therefore, it becomes the researcher’s reason for conducting the research about the values of family education relating to literature aspect. helmawati (2014, p. 50) explains that in family environment, for the first time, the children get some values. if children are raised with the good values of family education, they will learn to respect others, including respecting literature teachers and their literary works. railton (2003, p. 45) states that values can be understood as something that has a norm taste. it means, if the values has a norm taste, the values can be considered for having positive sides, including the family education. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v5i2.541 263 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee related to the values of family education, it is observed that the values in literature have been taught in formal school, especially in grade xi and xii, as what have been summarized by syafrial (2014, pp. 73-75) who describes that in teaching literature, the values of literary works consisting of hedonic, artistic, cultural, ethical, moral, religion, and education values were taught and analyzed. based on that condition, the researcher assumes that the analysis of educational values in novels examined by the students or college students are still low. educational values haven’t referred to family education value which directly contributes to literature teaching. literature teaching will be able to be accepted well by students or college students if there are high enthusiasms. high enthusiasm can be based on either students or college students who are taught to respect by their parents. in indonesia, the novel authors carry some kinds of novels. family education values are also carried by the authors, including kirana kejora, as can be found in her novels entitled bintang anak tuhan, air mata terakhir bunda, and ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir. those three novels might not relate one to another, but they carry the same theme about family. as for, kirana kejora is familiar to family life. kirana kejora’s three novels (bintang anak tuhan, air mata terakhir bunda, ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir) are chosen as the data source of the research since they contain humanity aspects. those three novels are also focused on parents and children. by the facts, the researcher decides to analyze the values of family education in those novels. kirana kejora’s novels contain values of family education, relate to reality, so it can be analyzed through genetic structural approach. endraswara (2008, p. 60) states that genetic structural approach should, at least, have three aspects. the aspects are literature intrinsic, background of the creator, and social background. the author’s world view is also included. based on those things, the researcher views that kirana kejora’s novels are worth and important to be analyzed. novels are best known as fiction. it is supported by eagleton (1996, p. 2) who states that if literature includes much factual writing, it also excludes quite a lot of fiction. it means that the fiction sides in novels have good purposes to touch the readers’ soul. beside known as fiction, novels also can relate to realities. stanton (2007, p. 8) states that novels can show human experiences, even the author’s experiences. one of human experiences can have relation with the values of family education. lestari (2014, pp. 168-171) states that values of family education consist of diligent to worship, honest, respect, unanimous, and having achievement. in line with lestari, syamsi translated by mujtahid (2014, pp. 97-114) explains that values of family education consist of having prophetmoral, mandate, brave, good in interaction, independent, proportional, take care of self, fulfilling promises, honor, affection, prelude other people, polite, and fair. the values of family education is instilled since people were still children until they become adults. the researcher decides to analyze thirteen values of family education in kirana kejora’s novels, involving diligent to worship, honest, respect, unanimous, having achievement, mandate, brave, independent, proportional, take care of self, affection, prelude other people, and fair. furthermore, the researcher uses literary structural approach and genetic structural approach. dosse (1998, p. 78) states that whatever the case, structuralism is a serious thing, as we have seen. it gives anything have to do with signs a right to sentence. it means, with the literary structural approach, the researcher will have deeper knowledge about the story in novels. moreover, on genetic structural approach, as what have been stated by goldmann (1977, p. 158), the creation of literary works is about linking literary works with social groups. 264 wulan wahyuning ratri, emzir, & ninuk lustyantie family education values in kirana kejora’s novels: genetic structural research therefore, it can be observed that novel not only reflects individuals, but also society. in genetic structural approach, things about author’s background, social background, and even the author’s world view are considered. the author’s background is considered through genetic structural approach since there are always the author’s intervention, thoughts, and feelings in literary works (endraswara, 2011, p. 102).regarding the social background, goldmann (1977, p. 159) explains that the author is faced with some social awareness and facts; the author observes social facts. on the other hand, the author’s world view influences human behaviors. endraswara (2012, p. 137) explains that points of view can refer to the author’s views about his or her own world and society. in brief, the focus of the research is analyzing values of family education in kirana kejora’s novels reviewed through genetic structural approach. from the focus, the researcher formulates the five following research questions; how the values of family education in kirana kejora’s novels reviewed through: (1) intrinsic structure of the novels?, (2) author’s background?, (3) social background?, (4) author’s world view?, (5) the comparison of family education values between the three kirana kejora’s novels?. based on those research questions, it can be known that the objective of this research was to get comprehension deeply about the values of family education in kirana kejora’s novels through genetic structural approach. the scopes involve novel intrinsic structure, author’s background, social background, author’s world view, and also comparison of family education values between the three kirana kejora’s novels. method this research is conducted from september 2015 until september 2016 through content analysis method. literary approaches used are structural approach and literary structural approach. the data were then collected through literature review, observing things related to family education values in novels, and structured interview. therefore, there are two kinds of data, namely primary and secondary data. the novels by kirana kejora entitled bintang anak tuhan, air mata terakhir bunda, and ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir are used as primary data sources. whereas, the secondary data consist of interview transcription and internet articles about kirana kejora’s novels. in this research, there are seven steps of data collecting techniques, including: (1) reading kirana kejora’s novels, (2) finding unique and worthy phenomena to be analyzed, (3) setting the values of family education as research data, (4) setting the three kirana kejora’s novels as data sources, (5) setting content analysis as research method, (6) settingstructural approach and genetic structural approach as research approaches, (7) doing literature review, observation of things referring to the values of family education in kirana kejora’s novels, and interviews. data validity is tested by interviewing the author and reviewing the supporting articles. furthermore, the data analysis procedures in this research are as follows: (1) finding, selecting, and clarifying the intrinsic structure of the three novels, (2) analyzing the family education values in novels by reviewing the novels’ intrinsic structure, (4) making a working table related to recapitulation numbers of data observing family education values in novel by reviewing the novels’ intrinsic structure, (5) making a description and a summary relating to novel intrinsic structure, (6) analyzing family education values in novels by reviewing the author’s background, (7) making a working table related to recapitulation numbers of data observing family education values in novels by reviewing the author’s background, (8) making a summary, (9) analyzing family education values in the novelsby reviewing the social background, (10) making a working 265 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table related to recapitulation numbers of data observing family education values in the novels by reviewing the social background, (11) making a summary, (12) analyzing family education values in the novels by reviewing author’s world view, (13) making a working table related to recapitulation numbers of data observing family education values in the novels by reviewing the author’s world view, (14) making a summary. in this data analysis procedures, the researcher also makes comparison. the researcher compares the values of family education in the novels reviewed through the novel’s intrinsic structure, the author’s background, social background, and the author’s world view, elaborates them, then makes summaries in table form. results and discussion family education values in kirana kejora’s novels reviewed by novel’s intrinsic structure in the three novels by kirana kejora, thirteen family education values are firstly reviewed through novel intrinsic structure. those family education values consist of diligent to worship, honest, respect, unanimous, having achievement, mandate, brave, independent, proportional, take care of self, affection, prelude other people, and fair. from the analysis, it can be concludes that kejora expresses her thoughts on her novels, including the novel intrinsic structure. elements of novel intrinsic structure from a unity until positive messages related to family education values are got. the readers can comprehend about family education valuesby themselves through the relation of novel intrinsic structure. the themes of kirana kejora’s novels (bintang anak tuhan, air mata terakhir bunda, ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir) are family affection. the characters and its characterizations have domination about affection and the stories always tell about single parents and their children. the plots of the stories show about the sincere struggles between single parents and their children in this life. table 1. family education values in kirana kejora’s novels reviewed by novel intrinsic structures the title of the novels and the result of quotation no. family education values frequency percentage bintang anak tuhan (50 quotations) 1. diligent to worship 8 10% 2. honest 1 2% 3. respect 4 8% 4. unanimous 2 4% 5. having achievement 1 2% 6. mandate 3 6% 7. brave 4 8% 8. independent 3 6% 9. proportional 2 4% 10. take care of self 1 2% 11. affection 15 30% 12. prelude other people 5 10% 13. fair 1 2% air mata terakhir bunda (63 quotations) 1. diligent to worship 9 15% 2. honest 4 6% 3. respect 5 8% 266 wulan wahyuning ratri, emzir, & ninuk lustyantie family education values in kirana kejora’s novels: genetic structural research 4. unanimous 4 6% 5. having achievement 9 15% 6. mandate 4 6% 7. brave 1 2% 8. independent 3 4% 9. proportional 1 2% 10. take care of self 5 8% 11. affection 15 23% 12. prelude other people 1 2% 13. fair 2 3% ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir (65 quotations) 1. diligent to worship 2 4% 2. honest 0 0% 3. respect 6 11% 4. unanimous 3 5% 5. having achievement 1 2% 6. mandate 3 5% 7. brave 9 16% 8. independent 4 8% 9. proportional 2 4% 10. take care of self 3 5% 11. affection 18 33% 12. prelude other people 3 5% 13. fair 1 2% family education values in kirana kejora’s novels reviewed by author’s background in bintang anak tuhan’s novel, there are five author backgrounds identified by the researcher. the five author backgrounds are her early-age marriage status, having a daughter, having mother who suffers lung disease, and caring of people who suffers hiv/aids. from those author’s backgrounds, the researcher identifies eight family education values, namely diligent to worship, unanimous, having achievement, brave, independent, proportional, take care of self, and affection. in air mata terakhir bunda’s novel, there are six backgrounds of the author. those six backgrounds are a mother who is a strong, a mother as a single parent whose ex-husband has get married again, diligence to worship since she was a child, the existence of effort to create fairness in family, a mother as single parent who puts her children’s education first, and a mother who has ever lived in sidoarjo. from the reviews of those backgrounds, the researcher gets six family education values, including diligent to worship, having achievement, brave, take care of self, affection, and fair. in ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir, it can be concluded that there are six author backgrounds. the author backgrounds are about children’s birthday celebration in orphanage, a boy who is like a hawk, parents who are full of affection, inspiration about history and archeology, a life that is usually filled by putting others first, and harmony in family. from the reviews of those backgrounds, the researcher identifies five family education values, involving unanimous, mandate, brave, affection, and prelude other people. 267 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 2. family education values in kirana kejora’s novels reviewed by author’s background the title of the novels and the result of quotation no. family education values frequency percentage bintang anak tuhan (24 quotations) 1. diligent to worship 4 17% 2. honest 0 0% 3. respect 0 0% 4. unanimous 2 8% 5. having achievement 2 8% 6. mandate 0 0% 7. brave 2 8% 8. independent 2 8% 9. proportional 2 1% 10. take care of self 4 17% 11. affection 6 26% 12. prelude other people 0 0% 13. fair 0 0% air mata terakhir bunda (14 quotations) 1. diligent to worship 2 14% 2. honest 0 0% 3. respect 0 0% 4. unanimous 0 0% 5. having achievement 4 30% 6. mandate 0 0% 7. brave 2 15% 8. independent 0 0% 9. proportional 0 0% 10. take care of self 5 8% 11. affection 15 23% 12. prelude other people 1 2% 13. fair 2 3% ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir (16 quotations) 1. diligent to worship 0 0% 2. honest 0 0% 3. respect 0 0% 4. unanimous 4 26% 5. having achievement 0 0% 6. mandate 2 11% 7. brave 2 11% 8. independent 0 0% 9. proportional 0 0% 10. take care of self 0 0% 11. affection 4 26% 12. prelude other people 4 26% 13. fair 0 0% 268 wulan wahyuning ratri, emzir, & ninuk lustyantie family education values in kirana kejora’s novels: genetic structural research from the analysis, it can be known that kejora got married because of affection, so she expresses it on characters named hanum and agung who get married young because of affection in bintang anak tuhan’s novel. here, kejora was inspired by bunga who always keeps her mother’s feelings, so kejora creates a character named bintang who keeps himself to not making hanum sad. besides, bintang who is also a person who always beside people with hiv/aids and tbc. moreover, kejora was inspired by her mother who keeps herself away from kejora in order to keep kejora safe and is not contaminated by her lung disease. in addition, there are also people with hiv/aids who surrender and try to get close to god. therefore, the characters hanum and bintangshow the value diligent to worship. in air mata terakhir bunda’s novel, it can be known that kejora does not want to be a weak mother through the character named delta who never wants to be looked sad by her mother. kejora’s ex-husband has got married again, and kejora never slanders her husband so it implies affection without hope. sriyani character is also created based on kejora’s condition. kejora is taught to be diligent to worship since she was a child by her mother. therefore, based on those experiences, delta is taught to be diligent to worship by sriyaniin air mata terakhir bunda’s novel. ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir’s novel tells about mada who cares of the orphanage. he always spreads the happiness there. this story is based on the author’s background for celebrating bunga’s birthday in orphanage by giving gifts. kejora often calls arga as ‘elang’—which means ‘hawk’ in english. therefore, argais taught to be as strong as a hawk and the fact is arga can be strong. kejora manifests that condition on juna character who suggests mada to learn from a hawk until mada can be a strong figure. the figure of kejora’s parents, especially kejora’s father, is full of affection so that kejora can understand what affection is. family education values in kirana kejora’s novels reviewed by social background in bintang anak tuhan’s novel, there are six social backgrounds found by the researcher. those are the social backgrounds about people’s slanted paradigm towards people with hiv/aids, the existence of people with hiv/aids who are contaminated hiv/aids through drugs, threat of hiv/aids to life, there still exist people with hiv/aids who has strong souls, there still exist normal people who accept and help people with hiv/aids, and the existence of people with hiv/aids who realize to keep themselves. from those social backgrounds, the researcher gets eleven family education values, namely diligent to worship, honest, respect, unanimous, having achievement, mandate, brave, independent, proportional, take care of self, and affection. in air mata terakhir bunda’s novel, there are four social backgrounds found consisting of social background of sidoarjo people who are impassioned, the existence of matchmaking in sidoarjo people, the condition of sidoarjo people related to mud disaster of lapindo, and social background about en event to get rid of the children’s trauma because of mud disaster of lapindo. by reviewing social backgrounds, the researcher gets six family education values contained in air mata terakhir bunda’s novel, namely diligent to worship, brave, mandate, independent, proportional, and affection. then, in ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir’s novel, there are five social backgrounds found, those are social backgrounds about general condition of a father as a single parent in indonesia, matchmaking in family, international marriage, father’s struggles as a single parent, and the existence of men who have social carefulness. from those social backgrounds, the researcher gets six family education values, includinghonest, respect, independent, affection, and prelude other people. 269 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 3. the results of family education values in kirana kejora’s novels reviewed by social background the title of the novels and the result of quotation no. family education values frequency percentage bintang anak tuhan (16 quotations) 1. diligent to worship 4 10% 2. honest 0 2% 3. respect 0 8% 4. unanimous 0 4% 5. having achievement 2 2% 6. mandate 0 6% 7. brave 2 8% 8. independent 0 6% 9. proportional 9 4% 10. take care of self 6 2% 11. affection 2 30% 12. prelude other people 0 10% 13. fair 0 2% air mata terakhir bunda (22 quotations) 1. diligent to worship 4 15% 2. honest 0 6% 3. respect 0 8% 4. unanimous 0 6% 5. having achievement 0 0% 6. mandate 2 8% 7. brave 2 8% 8. independent 6 27% 9. proportional 4 19% 10. take care of self 0 0% 11. affection 4 19% 12. prelude other people 0 0% 13. fair 0 0% ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir (20 quotations) 1. diligent to worship 0 0% 2. honest 2 10% 3. respect 2 10% 4. unanimous 0 0% 5. having achievement 0 0% 6. mandate 0 0% 7. brave 0 0% 8. independent 2 10% 9. proportional 0 0% 10. take care of self 0 0% 11. affection 8 40% 12. prelude other people 2 10% 13. fair 4 20% 270 wulan wahyuning ratri, emzir, & ninuk lustyantie family education values in kirana kejora’s novels: genetic structural research in bintang anak tuhan’s novel, it is discussed that people with hiv/aids are marginalized, so they need affection. the families of people with hiv/aids keep fighting for people with hiv/aids to get education even if it is through home schooling. family education value for being independent are based on people with hiv/aids who are finally independent, and it is manifested through hanum’s character who is independent and powerful. the effort to take care of oneself appears through families of people with hiv/aids who do not let their children to feel tired. in air mata terakhir bunda’s novel, it discusses about kejora’s observations towards sidoarjo people who are full of power, for instance, there exist people who earn money by selling kupang rice cake, and are full of intention. sriyani’s character also gives family education value for selfreliance to her children by working as a kupang rice cake seller, and not hoping other people’s mercy. sidoarjo’s children generally get matchmaking trust from their parents to get married with men or women chosen by their parents. the situation is described through sriyani’s character. in ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir’s novel, it is also discussed that affection appears from father’s figures as a single parent in indonesia who are great and full of affection to their children. they can also become a figure of mother for their children. that condition is described through juna’s character who gives affection to mada as well as a father and a mother give to their children. besides, there also exists family education value for self-reliance, which is synthesized by a father who is also able to do mother’s jobs. in this case, fathers can also teach their children to learn to live independently. family education values in kirana kejora’s novels reviewed by author’s world view in bintang anak tuhan’s novel, there are three author’s view point towards world identified to influence the novel. the author’s world view towards suffer is power, it is not easy for parents with hiv/aids to have children who also suffer hiv/aids. people with hiv/aids are not the ones who are useless. by reviewing the author’s world view, the researcher gets four family education values, namely diligent to worship, brave, honest, and affection. in air mata terakhir bunda’s novel, the researcher gets four author’s world view, involving the author world view for confidence of people who were attacked by mud disaster of lapindo to resurrect, mothers as a single parent, mother as a little god, and the philosophy of the novel’s title air mata terakhir bunda. by reviewing the author’s world view, the researcher gets three family education values, those are diligent to worship, brave, and affection. next, in ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir’s novel, specifically the researcher gets the author’s world view, including the author’s world view about suffer is power, part of men traditional-clothes from central java, the father as a single parent in young age, children’s views are sustenance, family is a nation foundation, the single father who does everything to his children, and the father is the owner of hidden love. by reviewing those viewpoints towards love, the researcher gets six family education values, those are diligent to worship, having achievement, brave, proportional, take care of self, and affection. 271 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 4. the results of family education values in kirana kejora’s novels reviewed by author’s world view the title of the novels and the result of quotation no. family education values frequency percentage bintang anak tuhan (14 quotations) 1. diligent to worship 2 14% 2. honest 2 14% 3. respect 0 0% 4. unanimous 0 0% 5. having achievement 0 0% 6. mandate 0 0% 7. brave 6 43% 8. independent 0 0% 9. proportional 0 0% 10. take care of self 0 0% 11. affection 4 29% 12. prelude other people 0 0% 13. fair 0 0% air mata terakhir bunda (10 quotations) 1. diligent to worship 2 20% 2. honest 0 0% 3. respect 0 0% 4. unanimous 0 0% 5. having achievement 0 0% 6. mandate 0 0% 7. brave 2 20% 8. independent 0 0% 9. proportional 0 0% 10. take care of self 0 0% 11. affection 6 60% 12. prelude other people 0 0% 13. fair 0 0% ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir (36 quotations) 1. diligent to worship 10 27% 2. honest 2 6% 3. respect 0 0% 4. unanimous 0 0% 5. having achievement 4 11% 6. mandate 0 0% 7. brave 8 22% 8. independent 0 0% 9. proportional 2 6% 10. take care of self 2 6% 11. affection 8 22% 12. prelude other people 0 0% 13. fair 0 0% 272 wulan wahyuning ratri, emzir, & ninuk lustyantie family education values in kirana kejora’s novels: genetic structural research in bintang anak tuhan’s novel, it is discussed that family can be friends with suffer and precisely be strong because of the suffer itself. so, in that family, there can manifest family education values for being brave. in air mata terakhir bunda’s novel, it discusses the author’s world view towards love for a single mother, so there is family education value for affection. that value is discussed through a single mother who gives affection abundantly to her children, because children actually need a figure of father beside a figure of mother. comparison of family education values between kirana kejora’s novels the analysis about family education values in kirana kejora’s novels were reviewed by the novel intrinsic structure, author’s background, social background, and author’s world view. the analysis results of the three novels were then compared to each other. as results, it was revealed that kirana kejora’s novels contain family education values which imply how close a relationship between a single parent with his or her childrenis. specifically, family education value for affection is really salient. therefore, it can be synthesized that these kirana kejora’s novels themed family are fully filled by affection among parents with children. conclusion this research results five conclusions, including: (1) thirteen family education values in bintang anak tuhan’s and air mata terakhir bunda’s novels were reviewed through six novel intrinsic structures, whereas twelve family education values in ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir’s novel were reviewed through six novel intrinsic structures, (2) eight family education values in bintang anak tuhan’s novel were reviewed through five author’s backgrounds, six family education values in air mata terakhir bunda’s novel were reviewed through six author’s backgrounds, five family education values in ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir’s novel were reviewed through six author’s backgrounds, (3) eleven family education values in bintang anak tuhan’s novel were reviewed through six social backgrounds, six family education values in air mata terakhir bunda’s novel were reviewed through four social backgrounds, four family education values in ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir’s novel were reviewed through five social backgrounds, (4) four family education values in bintang anak tuhan’s novel were reviewed through three author’s world views, three family education values in air mata terakhir bunda’s novel were reviewed through four author’s world views, six family education values in ayah menyayangi tanpa akhir’s novel were reviewed through seven author’s world views, and also (5) there are similarities and differences of family education values between kirana kejora’s novels. the main point is, the affection has big role above all family education values. it means that kejora as the author wants to tell the readers that the families that only consist of a single parent and their children still have affection like another complete families. references dosse, f., translated by deborah glassman. (1998). history of structuralism (volume 2). minnesota: university of minnesota press. eagleton, t. (1996). literary theory: an introduction. oxford: blackwell publishing. endraswara, s. (2008). metodologi penelitian sastra: epistemologi, model, teori, dan aplikasi. yogyakarta: medpress. endraswara, s. (2011). metodologi penelitian sosiologi sastra. yogyakarta: caps. endraswara, s. (2012). teori pengkajian sosiologi sastra. yogyakarta: uny press. goldmann, l. (1977). toward a sociology of the novel. london: tavistock publications. lestari, s. (2014). psikologi keluarga: penanaman nilai dan penanganan konflik dalam keluarga. jakarta: kencana. railton, p. (2003). facts and values: essays towards a morality of consequence. cambridge: cambridge university press. 273 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee stanton, r., translated by sugihastuti & rossi abi al irsyad. (2007). teori fiksi robert stanton. yogyakarta: pustaka pelajar. syafrial. (2014). problematika bahan ajar bidang sastra dalam buku wajib pelajaran bahasa indonesia kurikulum 2013 di sekolah menengah. jurnal bahasa, 9(2), 73-75. syamsi, h., translated by umar mujtahid. (2014). modern islamic parenting: cara mendidik anak masa kini dengan metode nabi. solo: aisar publishing. 274 wulan wahyuning ratri, emzir, & ninuk lustyantie family education values in kirana kejora’s novels: genetic structural research english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the use of hedges in tertiary efl students' presentation ihsan nur iman faris department of english education, indonesia university of education, indonesia e-mail: ihsannif@gmail.com apa citation: faris, i. n. i. (2015). the use of hedges in tertiary efl students' presentation. english review: journal of english education, 4(1), 111-121 received: 02-09-2015 accepted: 12-10-2015 published: 01-12-2015 abstract the main objective of language education is to enable students to communicate effectively. in order to achieve that objective, students need to master pragmatic competence. one of the pragmatic competences which needs to be mastered by students is the ability to use hedging devices. this ability is even more essential for students in tertiary level of education due to the some conventions which need to be followed. failures in using hedges properly can threat the face of students and other stakeholders in academic contexts. this research aims at investigating how hedges are used by the tertiary students when addressing questions in a discussion session of a presentation. this research is a qualitative research employing interaction analysis method. the participants in this research were nine students of language in use course of master of english education program in a state university in bandung. the findings demonstrate that hedges were found in all questions addressed to the presenters and the lecturer. introductory phrases were the most frequently-used forms used to hedge and hedges function mostly to attenuate epistemic commitment in addressing questions. although hedges were used when addressing questions in a discussion session of a presentation, some findings indicate that the hedges were not entirely in line with academic conventions. based on the findings, the recommendations given are 1) that further research on the use of hedges in academic contexts be conducted, 2) teachers and lecturers raise students’ awareness of the importance of pragmatic competence, and 3) teachers and lecturers give more concerns to provide students with pragmatic competence. keywords: pragmatic competence, hedges, questions, academic contexts. introduction in order to be able to communicate effectively, students need to master pragmatic competences. one of the pragmatic competences that need to be mastered is the effective use of cautious and polite language or hedging device (hyland, 1996a), defined as a linguistic form intended to dilute or weaken the certainty of an assertion; for example: sort of, like, i think and kind of (wearing, 2004; cruse, 2006). since the use of languages is related to the context where the languages are used, communication breakdown occur most-frequently because of lack of pragmatic competences (byram, 1994; kramsch, 1998) such as the lack of ability to use hedges. as the main objective of language education is enabling students to communicate in various contexts (brown, 2000; harmer, 2007), investigations of students’ pragmatic competences need to be conducted. however, research investigating pragmatic competences of students is 111 ihsan nur iman faris the use of hedges in tertiary efl students' presentation still scarce (neary-sundquist, 2013). the scarcity may due to the characteristic of pragmatic research which is more closely related to the field of linguistic instead of the field of education. hence, this research aims at investigating the use of hedging in an academic context. in a tertiary education, the ability to use hedges is one of determinative factors to achieve success. students in the tertiary level of education are required to use hedges properly when putting forward a statement both in spoken and written communications (hyland, 1996a). statements need to be delivered carefully, because a false statement can threat the credibility of students/academicians asserting the statements and also other students/academicians having different points of view related to issues concerned (hyland, 1996a and 1996b). in a similar vein, alwasilah (2015) asserts that tertiary students need to avoid making over-claimed statements. the over-claimed statements can be avoided, for instance, by using hedges in the form of citing properly theories or reports put forward by other academicians (emilia, 2009; malik and hamied, 2014; alwasilah, 2015). however, due to the limited exposure and use of english in daily interactions (judd, 1999), tertiary students in efl countries tend to have difficulties in acquiring pragmatic competences such as the ability to use hedges. plethora of research on the use of hedges in academic contexts has been conducted. the research focused on investigating the use of hedges in academic writing has been employed by hyland (1996b). he reported that english students in hong kong tend to underuse hedges in their writing. underusing hedges in academic writing makes the precision of their writing frequently-questioned. the other research investigating the use of hedges of students was conducted by nearysundquist (2013), reporting that nonnative secondary school students tend to use fewer hedges in their spoken interaction compared to native students. hedging in the two previous investigations was found mostfrequently in the forms of modal lexical verbs (e.g. to think, to believe, etc.). the two researchers have depicted how hedges are used by non-native secondary students in written and spoken interactions. however, research on the use of hedges by tertiary students in efl countries such as indonesia, especially, in a specific context such as in a discussion session of a presentation is still scarce. this research aims at filling the gap by investigating the hedges practiced by students of a state university in indonesia. this research is geared toward revealing how the tertiary students hedge when addressing questions in the discussion session of a presentation and the function of hedges in the questions addressed by the tertiary students in the discussion session of a presentation. the results of this research are expected to enrich the theories of pragmatics especially in terms of the use of hedges. this research reveals the forms and functions of hedges the students use when addressing a question in a discussion session of a presentation. hence, the results of this research can be used to depict the pragmatic competence of the tertiary students especially in terms of using hedges. moreover, by learning from this research, teachers and students can evaluate the teaching of pragmatic competence in their class. in general, hedging is defined as an expression weakening a speaker’s commitment to some aspects of a 112 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee statement (cruse, 2006). when statements uttered by speakers are hedged, speakers demonstrate that the information contained in the statements is limited. hedging serves as metalingual glosses to grice’s conversational maxims, namely maxim of quantity, maxim of quality, maxim of manner, and maxim of relevance (grundy, 2008). the use of hedges indicates that speakers to some extent modify the conversational maxims. however, despite being scrupulous, speakers tend to be unaware of the hedging practiced in the conversation (grundy, 2008). categorizing hedges based on linguistic forms utilized tends to be a difficult task. the difficulty is due to the use of hedges bound to the context where communication occurs (hyland, 1996a). linguistic forms used in hedging cannot be defined unequivocally and universally. for instance, humor which tends to be different across culture to some extent can be categorized as hedging device as well (murata, 2014). nonetheless, referring to a particular theory of categorization can be helpful to portray how hedges are used by the tertiary students. this research takes the categorization of hedges proposed by salager-mayer (1994, cited in alrashady, 2012) due to its wide and extensive categorization. generally, the linguistic forms categorized as hedges in this research are 1) modal auxiliary verbs such as may, might, can, could, would, should), 2) modal lexical verbs such as to seem, to appear, to believe, to assume, to suggest, to estimate, to tend, to think, to argue, to indicate, to propose, to speculate, 3) adjectival, adverbial and nominal modal phrase 4) approximators of degree, quantity, frequency and time such as approximately, roughly, about, often, occasionally, generally, somehow, a lot of, 5) introductory phrases such as i believe, to our knowledge, it is our view that, we feel that, 6) if clauses, and 7) compound hedges or phrases made up of several hedges such as would appear, it seems reasonable, etc. as for the function of hedging, the general explanation can be accounted to hyland (1996b) explaining that hedging functions to avoid facethreatening behavior and demonstrate politeness in particular situations. since hedging is related to politeness, the use of hedges tends to be related to the universal notions of politeness, namely, power, distance, and imposition (grundy, 2008). in the education field, ha (2010) states that teachers or lecturers in the eastern part of the world tend to have bigger power and wider gap with the students. hence, hedges will tend to be used more-frequently when addressing questions to teachers or lecturers. similar with the categorization of forms of hedging, the functions of hedging are also context bound (hyland, 1996a). the function of hedging needs to be interpreted based on the context where the communication takes place. nonetheless, to ease the identification of functions of hedging in the context of this research, theories underpinning the categorization of function of hedging need to be employed. this research employs the categorization proposed by jallifer and alavi-nia (2012), categorizing the function of hedging into 15 distinctive categories. the functions of hedging referred in this research are modulation (modifiers used to modulate the impact of an utterance, or to introduce fuzziness into the propositional content), evasion (withholding some of the information the interlocutors expect the speaker to give, thereby making statements without giving information) attenuating epistemic commitment, hesitation 113 ihsan nur iman faris the use of hedges in tertiary efl students' presentation (deliberately employed malfunctions, used to indicate that the speaker has qualms), covering up one’s views and facts, de-emphasizing a claim (a clarification strategy used as a policy of appeasement), expressing conditions (expressing the conditions under which an event may or may not happen), counter-expectation (disclaiming some expected rather than a directly negated position), bounding downtoners (linguistic devices for achieving intratextual cohesion which may be used to de-emphasize or play down the importance of the speech act they introduce), expressing possible incompleteness of an action which is in progress at a specific time, agent avoiding (using devices which impersonalize and create social distance), source-tagging: deresponsibilizing devices, limiting generalizability (modifying a claim in such a way that its effect will be narrowed down to some specific situation or condition), seeking solidarity (the speaker invites the hearers to adopt his/her point of view), and miscellaneous hedges (hedges which are so sporadically used that they do not form an outstanding class). the category of functions and forms of hedging elaborated above can be extended as hedging can be found differently based on the context where communication occurs. different forms and functions of hedges found in this research may not belong to any categories mentioned. new categories of hedging may be proposed. this session aims at portraying how hedges are used differently in various contexts. elaborating how people hedge in various contexts can give a clearer portrayal of how hedging in an academic context is distinctive, yet may have similar characteristics with hedging in other contexts. hedges used in a presidential debate, for instance, have a similar characteristic with hedges in a tertiary student presentation in terms of discussion session provided. the gender issue in the use of hedges can also be found in an academic context, as men and women tend to have more equal positions in academic contexts. in political situations such as a presidential debate, the use of hedges is pervasive. the technique used to deliver facts and argument is one of the important factors to gather votes (tenorio, 2002 cited in jallifar and alavinia, 2012). hedging can also be used to cover contrasting ideologies cautiously and to portray presidency candidates as reserved but honest politicians (alrashady, 2012). the ability to use hedges is one of the crucial aspects to survive in a political competition since images of politicians tend to be constructed through the language used. moreover, in daily interactions, men and women tend to use hedges. some scholars (e.g wareing, 2004; bloomer, griffths, and merrison, 2005; and guendouzi, 2005) suggest that women tend to use hedges more frequently than men. the claim is grounded by the argument stating that women prefer to avoid conflict and confrontation by using less direct form of communication (wareing, 2004). additionally, hedging is seen as one of the features in women’s talk especially in the talk involving painful self-disclosure (psd). this feature is used morefrequently by women to seek solidarity in interactions with other women (guendouzi, 2005). in academic contexts, the ability to use hedges is one of determinative factors to achieve success. students in an academic context such as in a tertiary level of education are required to use 114 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee hedges properly when putting forward a statement both in spoken and written communications (hyland, 1996a). statements need to be delivered carefully, because a false statement can threat the credibility of students/academicians asserting the statements and also other students/academicians having different points of view related to issues concerned (hyland, 1996a and 1996b). in a similar vein, alwasilah (2015) asserts that tertiary students need to avoid making over-claimed statements. the over-claimed statements can be avoided, for instance, by using hedges in the form of citing properly theories or reports put forward by other academicians (emilia, 2009; malik and hamied, 2014; alwasilah, 2015). however, due to the limited exposure and use of english in daily interactions (judd, 1999), tertiary students in efl countries tend to have difficulties in acquiring pragmatic competences such as the ability to use hedges. method this research is qualitative research employing interaction analysis method. interaction analysis method is perceived suitable to be employed in this research due to its set of characteristics. according to nunan (1992) the method of generating data in interaction analysis is naturalistic and the mode of data collected is in the form of spoken language. the method then suits the type of data collected in this research. the utterances in a discussion session were not interrupted by the researcher; therefore, the data are natural. furthermore, this method allows researchers to have the interpretative type of analysis on linguistic and nonlinguistic unit of analysis (nunan, 1992). allowing the researcher to have interpretative data on linguistic and nonlinguistic unit of analysis opens the space to reveal new findings or categorization different from previous investigations. nonetheless, a categorical type of analysis is also employed to ease the identification of forms and functions of hedges practiced by the tertiary efl students. the students taken as participants in this research are nine students of language in use course of master of english education program of a state university in bandung. the participants were selected purposively since they are considered able to elicit the necessary data for this research (malik and hamied, 2014). students in tertiary level, especially in postgraduate studies, are required to produce academic works (alwasilah, 2015). the students in this research then are assumed to have mastered pragmatic competences related to academic context such as in writing and presenting research reports. moreover, the class taken as the sample is the language in use class discussing issues related to pragmatics. the researcher assumes that the class tends to require students to practice their pragmatic competences; hence hedges are predicted to be used by students. moreover, a presentation in academic contexts, especially in the discussion sessions, is considered a suitable setting to collect data. the researcher considered some aspects in a presentation setting similar to presidential candidates’ debate settings where hedges are frequently used. the data used in this research were collected from the presentation sessions of the “language in use” class held on may 18, 2015. to be more precise, the data collected in this research are questions uttered by students in the discussion session of two presentation 115 ihsan nur iman faris the use of hedges in tertiary efl students' presentation sessions. the questions were addressed to the two speakers presenting the topics related to pragmatics. the questions were also addressed to the lecturer giving elaboration and clarification to the topics presented by the speakers. the questions addressed to the lecturer were collected since they are related to the topics presented. questions which are not related to the topics presented, such as questions asking the class schedule and deadline of assignments submission, were not collected as data. the questions count in this research are based on the turns taken by each student. questions which are similar, elaborated or paraphrased count as one question. the questions collected as data were taperecorded and then transcribed before being analyzed. data analysis is divided into two main steps. firstly, to reveal how the students use hedges when addressing questions in the discussion session of a presentation, the data were transcribed and coded. the coding and categorizing processes were conducted by using bottom-up approach (jalilifar and alavinia, 2012; lange, 2014), where the data are categorized based on the context and the researcher’s interpretation, and also top-down approach, where the coding and categorizing processes were based on theories (lange, 2014). in the case of this research, the categorization of hedges generally was based on salagermayer (1994, cited in al-rashady, 2012) categorizing linguistic forms indicating the use of hedges into seven distinctive categories. secondly, to unearth the functions of hedges when the tertiary students addressed a question in the discussion session of a presentation, the bottom-up and top down approaches were also employed. after the linguistic forms indicating the use of hedges in the research site had been revealed, those linguistic forms then were analyzed in terms of functions. the theories of function of hedging devices proposed by jallifer and alavi-nia (2012) and the researcher personal interpretation were used as the grounds for codification and categorization. results and discussion hedging by using particular linguistic forms from nine students taken as samples, only seven students addressed questions in the discussion session of a presentation. hedges were found in all questions addressed by the students. totally, there were 16 questions addressed to the presenters and lecturer. four questions were addressed to the presenter a, eight questions were addressed to the presenter b, and four questions were addressed to the lecturer. mainly, the students hedge the questions by using introductory phrases, approximator, modal lexical verbs, modal auxiliary verbs, if clause, adjectival, adverbial, and nominal phrases, and other linguistic forms such as “err” and “what is it”. there are 73 linguistic forms indicating the use of hedges in the questions addressed by the students. generally, the forms of linguistic found in the research are categorized based on salager-mayer (1994, cited in alrashady, 2012) categorizing linguistic forms indicating the use of hedges into seven categories. however, linguistic forms perceived to be indicators of hedging, yet does not fit any proposed category, were recorded and then categorized as “uncategorized forms”. the linguistic forms indicating the use of hedges in this research are as follows: 116 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the occurrence of linguistic forms indicating the use of hedges in questions addressed in the discussion session of a presentation no. linguistic form presenter a presenter b lecturer total occurrence 1 introductory phrases 7 7 7 21 (28.77%) 2 approximators 8 3 2 13 (17.81%) 3 modal lexical verbs 2 8 1 11 (15.07%) 4 modal auxiliary verbs 5 4 1 10 (13.70%) 5 “if” clause 0 4 0 4 (5.48%) 6 adjectival, adverbial and nominal modal phrase 0 1 1 2 (2.74%) 7 uncategorized forms 4 1 7 12 (16.43%) total occurrence 26 (35.62%) 28 (38.36%) 19 (26.03%) 73 (100%) the linguistic forms categorized into the uncategorized forms are “err”, “what is it”, and “for example”. those linguistic forms do not fit any general categorization proposed in this research. however, those linguistic forms are considered possible indicators of hedging since they indicate uncertainty or doubt. moreover, as shown in the table above, hedging is used most frequently in the form of introductory phrases such as i believe, to our knowledge, and we feel that. the example of the use of introductory phrases can be seen in the following excerpts: from what i understand, the reaction is more important to see if something is polite or impolite. for example if the imposition or the content are bad but the reaction is okay it is still polite. so the reaction is more important. what do you think? the utterance “from what i understand” indicates that what is stated by the student is limited to personal feeling or opinion. this finding is in a similar vein with grundy (2008) asserting that the use of hedging indicates the information conveyed by a speaker is limited. on the other hand, the finding that introductory phrases is the most frequently used forms to hedge is not in accordance with some experts (e.g salager-mayer, 1994, cited in al-rashady, 2012; neary-sundquist, 2013) stating that modal auxiliary verbs and modal lexical verbs are the mostfrequently used linguistic forms to hedge. the possible reason is due to the characteristic of tertiary education, especially postgraduate program, requiring the students to put forward assertions with supports from theories or research reports (emilia, 2009; malik and hamied, 2014; alwasilah, 2015). introductory phrases tend to be used as ground of the questions addressed since addressing ungrounded or unsupported questions may end up threatening face of the students (hyland, 1996a and 1996b). the findings demonstrate that hedges are used both in addressing questions to the presenters and the lecturer. interestingly, the findings demonstrate that hedges are more frequently-used when the students address questions to the presenters (presenter a: 35.62% and presenter b: 38.36%) who are their classmates, instead of to the lecturer (26.03%). hedging is related to save facing strategy and politeness (hyland, 1996a and 1996b), therefore, it is related to the underpinning notions of politeness, 117 ihsan nur iman faris the use of hedges in tertiary efl students' presentation namely imposition, distance and power (grundy, 2008). according to ha (2010), teachers or lecturers in the eastern part of the world tend to have bigger power and wider distance with their students. the wide gap in terms of power and distance then should have encouraged students to use more hedges in addressing questions to the lecturer in order to be considered polite. however, the findings in this research demonstrate irrelevancy with that notion. the use of hedges indicating politeness was found less when the students address questions to the lecturer. the possible reason triggering this finding is the closeness of the lecturer and the students. distance and power do not create a wide gap between them, encouraging the students tend to think that using hedging to show politeness was not necessary. moreover, the lecturer seem not to be offended by fewer hedges used by the students, indicating that the students are not considered impolite although they might trespass the boundary of power and distance. the reasons can account to lange (2014) explaining that being polite or impolite are defined by people involved in the communication. although to some extent not using hedges in an academic context can be acceptable, teachers need to provide students with pragmatic competence such as the ability to use hedge properly since students will encounter various contexts of communication (hyland, 1996a and 1996b; al-rashady, 2012). function of hedging in the discussion session of a presentation after the forms had been revealed, those forms are categorized into the categorization proposed by jallifer and alavi-nia (2012), categorizing the functions of hedging into 15 distinctive categories. overall, hedging in the context of this research served five functions: to attenuate epistemic commitment, to tag source, to approximate, to show hesitation, and to express particular conditions. in details, the functions of hedging in the questions addressed in the discussion session of a presentation are as follows: the functions of hedging in questions addressed in the discussion session of a presentation no. functions presenter a presenter b lecturer total occurrence 1 attenuating epistemic commitment 10 15 6 31 (42.47%) 2 source tagging 4 6 4 14 (19.18%) 3 approximators 8 3 2 13 (17.81%) 4 hesitation 4 0 7 11 (15.07%) 5 expressing conditions 0 4 0 4 (5.48%) total occurrence 26 (35.62%) 28 (38.36%) 19 (26.03%) 73 (100%) the linguistic forms not fitting the categorization proposed by salagermayer (1994, cited in al-rashady, 2012) can fit the categorization of functions proposed by jallifer and alavi-nia (2012). the forms “err” and “what is it” are categorized into hesitation and the form “for example” is categorized into attenuating epistemic commitment. the finding that linguistic forms not fitting a particular categorization can fit other categorization demonstrates that categorizing linguistic forms as hedging device unequivocally is a difficult task. furthermore, as shown in the table above, hedging is used most frequently 118 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee to attenuate epistemic commitment which is usually indicated by the use of sentence introductory phrases, tentative cognitive verbs, framing statements expressing doubt and uncertainty, and epistemic modal verbs, adverbs, nouns and adjectives. the examples of the use of hedges to attenuate epistemic commitment in the questions addressed by the students are as follows: from what i understand, the reaction is more important to see if something is polite or impolite. for example if the imposition or the content are bad but the reaction is okay it is still polite. so the reaction is more important. what do you think? can you explain more about intercultural communication? i am still confused about it. i am still confused about intercultural pragmatics. what is it actually? as tertiary students are required to be cautious and precise in making a statement (hyland, 1996a and 1996b; emilia, 2009; malik and hamied, 2014; alwasilah, 2015), the use of hedges to attenuate epistemic commitment seems reasonable. by attenuating the questions, the students tend to indicate that the information regarding the issues addressed was limited. addressing questions without hedging may threat the students’ face since statements or questions without supporting theories or data tend to be rejected in academic contexts although the statements or questions may correct to some extent (emilia, 2009; malik and hamied, 2014; alwasilah, 2015). the students in this research tend to use source tagging (19.18%) less frequently compared to attenuating epistemic commitment (42.47%). ideally, in academic contexts, hedges functioning as source-tagging should be used more frequently compared to attenuating epistemic commitment. in academic contexts, students should put forward statements based on academic conventions. one of the conventions is the requirement to cite reliable and valid references when making statements. the statements without any clear reference will be considered weak or to some extent the students will be deemed plagiarizing (emilia, 2009; malik and hamied, 2014; alwasilah, 2015). the use of source-tagging cover the lack of information possessed by students with theories and research reports. if the statements or questions uttered by the speakers are imprecise, the facethreatening acts tend to be altered to the theories or reports cited, instead of to the speakers personally. on the other hand, functioning hedges as attenuating epistemic commitment tends to be less strategic in academic contexts. imprecision of information in statements or questions is covered by the individual personally and tends to be seen as an excuse instead of argumentation. nonetheless, the examples of the use of hedges to tag sources in the questions addressed by the students are as follows: people say that err you have to be you have to be what is it you have be consistent with what which where you are in american english british english or what, some just err some people say some people say about that, what do you think about that? so, i have a question actually. we know that actually pragmatics will be embedded to the language that we teach then as we know that as english has become international language not only owned by native speaker and we know that there is a notion of intercultural 119 ihsan nur iman faris the use of hedges in tertiary efl students' presentation pragmatics, then err in teaching english whose pragmatics context we should teach to students? do we have to teach people excuse me as the form of punten do we have to teach like duluan go first, that something related to culture right? how do we have to teach the language related to our context? according to the academic conventions, the hedges functioning as source-tagging in the excerpts above may be seen irrelevant. the process of citing or tagging sources in academic contexts should follow some conventions such as mentioning the source specifically in terms of name and year published (emilia, 2009; malik and hamied, 2014; alwasilah, 2015). the hedges functioning as source tagging used by the students in addressing questions do not mention any specific information of the source. further research revealing the reasons behind this finding needs to be conducted. however, the possible reasons can be due to the distinctive characteristics of spoken interaction different from written interaction (nation and newton, 2009) and the students’ limited information regarding the sources tagged. different with written interactions, the violation of academic conventions in spoken interactions tend to be tolerated due to the characteristic of spoken interactions which is unrecorded (nation and newton, 2009). however, if the finding accounts to the latter possible reason, then it means the students should read more references (emilia, 2009; malik and hamied, 2014; alwasilah, 2015). nonetheless, the finding can be the impetus for teachers and lecturers to teach pragmatic competence, especially the use of hedges in spoken academic contexts. conclusion this research investigated the use of hedges by the tertiary students in addressing questions. the findings demonstrate that hedges were found in all questions addressed by the students. the hedges were found most frequently in the form of introductory phrases and in the function to attenuate epistemic commitment. the finding that introductory phrases are predominant in hedging practiced by the students may due to the characteristic of academic context requiring students to support their statements with theories or data. however, other findings tend to be not in accordance with characteristics of academic contexts. hedges were found less frequent in questions addressed to the lecturer having bigger power and wider distance and source-tagging function of hedging similar to citing references in academic conventions was found less frequent. hence, the conclusion which can be drawn is that although the students use hedges when addressing questions in a discussion session of a presentation, the hedges do not fit completely some conventions of academic contexts. based on the findings, the recommendations are 1) that further research on the use of hedges in academic contexts should be conducted, especially in different academic settings and in terms of how specific forms and functions of hedges are more related to academic contexts 2) that teachers and lecturers should increase students’ awareness of the importance of pragmatic competence, especially in terms of using hedging devices, and 3) that teacher and lecturers should provide students with more pragmatic competence, especially in terms of using hedging devices. 120 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee references al-rashady, f. (2012). determining the role of hedging devices in the political discourse of two american presidentiables in 2008. tesol journal, 7, 30-42. alwasilah, a. c. (2015). pokoknya studi kasus: pendekatan kualitatif. bandung: kiblat. bloomer, a., griffths, p., & merrison, j. (2005). introducing language in use: a coursebook. london: routledge. brown, h. d. (2000). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. new york: longman. cruse, a. (2006). a glossary of semantics and pragmatics. edinburgh: edinburgh university press. emilia, e. (2009). menulis tesis dan disertasi. bandung: alfabeta. grundy, p. (2008). doing pragmatics 3rd ed. london: hodder education. guendouzi, j. (2005). language and gender. in m. j. ball, clinical sociolinguistics (pp. 26-35). oxford: blackwell publishing. ha, p. l. (2008). teaching english as an international language: identity, resistance, and negotiation. clevendon: multilingual matters. harmer, j. (2007). the practice of english language teaching (4th ed.). new york: pearson longman. hyland, k. (1996a). writing without conviction? hedging in scientific research articles. applied linguistics, 17(4), 433-454. hyland, k. (1996b). nurturing hedges in the esp curriculum. pergamon, 24(4), 477490. jalilifar, a., & alavi-nia, m. (2012). we are suprised: wasn't iran disgraced there? a functional analysis of hedges and boosters in televised iranian and american presidential debates. discourse and communication, 6(2), 135161. judd, e. l. (1999). some issues in the teaching of pragmatic competence. in e. hinkel (ed.), culture in second language teaching and learning (pp. 152-166). cambridge: cambridge university press. kramsch, c. (1998). language and culture. oxford: oxford university press. lange, p. g. (2014). commenting on youtube rants: perceptions of inappropriateness or civic engagement? journal of pragmatics, 73, 53-65. malik, r. s., & hamied, f. a. (2014). research methods: a guide for first time researchers. bandung: upi press. murata, k. (2014). an empirical crosscultural study of humour in business meetings in new zealand and japan. journal of pragmatics, 60, 251-265. nation, i., & newton, j. (2009). teaching esl/efl listening and speaking. london: routledge. neary-sundquist, c. (2013). the use of hedges in the speech of esl learners. elia, 13, 149-174. nunan, d. (1992). research method in language learning. cambridge: cambridge university press. wareing, s. (2004). language and gender. in i. singh, & j. s. peccei, language, society, and power: an introduction (2nd ed.) (pp. 75-92). new york: routledge. 121 improving students' writing skills english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee improving students' writing skills through field trip method risa meiranti department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia e-mail: rmeiranti@gmail.com apa citation: meiranti, r. (2012). improving students' writing skills through field trip method. english review: journal of english education, 1(1), 89-96 received: 12-08-2012 accepted: 03-10-2012 published: 01-12-2012 abstract: this research is aimed to improve the students’ writing skill and learning activity by applying the implementation of field trip method in english subject in class viii-2 smp n 1 luragung. the problem in this research contents is about the low of students’ skill in writing and learning activity. the kind of this research is classroom action research which was conducted in two cycles. the subject of this research is english subject in class viii-2 with total number of students 34. the research instrument that had been used is the test and also the observation sheet for observation the learning activity of the students and teacher. based on the result, the improvement could be seen from the increase of students’ mean writing score from 47 in the preliminary study and 70,51 at the first cycle to 73,24 in the second cycle. the result of field notes showed that the class condition during teaching learning process creates the positive atmosphere in the classroom and makes students creative in finding the ideas, organize the text and can use better grammar. students who had been afraid of learning in the second cycle looked more confident. students in the second cycle was more confident in working task of the students and students’ participation in learning increased, they actively asked, answered questions from teacher. keyword: writing skill, field trip method, improvement, action research introduction many students said that writing is difficult but if there are appropriate methods, interesting teaching technique and actual material writing can be an easy and enjoyable activity for them. writing is one of the important skills to be mastered by the students. they use it to communicate to each other, as means of ideas and emotional expression, because when they write their ideas and emotion creatively, they are communicating on paper in their very best way and purposes. brown (2001, p. 336) claims that writing is a thinking process. furthermore, he states that writing can be planned and given with an unlimited number of revisions before its release. in this writing activity students are required to master grammar, vocabulary and punctuation. besides that harmer (2001, p. 79) states that the students are expected to be able to present their ideas and feeling in the written form. the scope of learning english in viii grade of junior high school are interpersonal discourse, transactional and functional and coherent rhetoric and logic, as a means of communication and the development of academic potential in five varieties functional discourse such as; recount, narrative, procedure, descriptive and report (syahmadi, 2013, p.79). emerging issues in education is the number of students who are "not thinking" (hassoubah, 2008, p.10). the risa meiranti improving students' writing skills through field trip method phrase "not thinking" here is not meant students do not have a mind, but directed on student learning in school. student at the school was limited to listen to explanations of teachers, and then try to understand the explanations of the teacher to the next can help them fill out questions in examinations held in the school. “in the education system, there are learners who fail to understand the learning because they simply memorize without understanding what they are learning” (hassoubah 2008: p10). these problems could be influenced by some factors. the researcher assumed these problems appear caused by the method or technique in teaching writing, because some teachers taught writing just give the explanation and exercises. it makes students less comprehended, less interest in writing, and makes students bored. these problems were important to be solved, therefore students comprehend the material of writing and students thought that writing is an interesting skill and could continue english material in the next semester. to help students solved these problems it needs another method that more interesting in teaching writing and make students become active in learning activity. there are a lot of methods in teaching writing. the researcher would like to propose a method which is “field trip method”. field trip method was conducted by inviting students to a place or object outside of school to learn or investigate something, such as visiting the shoe factory, workshop of cars, department stores, garden and so on (asmani, 2010: p.150). the field trip method is not just recreation but students learn a lesson with see reality. field trip method applied by getting students to learn outside the classroom and with guide from teachers through the instructions and implementation of a written assignment. instructions and clear assignment of teachers intended that the activities carried out in outside the classroom can be run in accordance with the objectives and lesson plans. many studies related to field trip learning shows that learning on a fieldtrip can, indeed, produce different results than learning in a classroom. koran, koran & ellis (1989, p.7) examined field trip literature and found positive outcomes, both cognitive and affective, on students in 20 of the 27 studies reviewed. cognitive outcome from preand post-test measures was children exhibit more knowledge about a subject if they learn about the subject on a field trip instead of learning about the subject in a classroom. students even enjoyed learning on their field trip more than socializing. when asked to pick their favorite parts of a field trip taken to a park, the students identified educational activities such as “casting animal tracks” and “studying animal and plant in the pond”. these studies showed that students’ learning outcome and their attitude become better when teacher used field trip method. the study by orien (1993) in mogk (2012) entitled “field note” said that the most important role of field trips in the learning process is in "direct experience with concrete phenomena and materials”. the very nature of field trip exercises requires students to be active learners, rather than merely covering material in a passive mode in a traditional classroom. furthermore, experiential activities facilitate the transition from lower-order learning strategies to the higher cognitive learning. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee based on interviews with students at the second grade and english teacher in smpn 1 luragung, writing is the most difficult learning. the researcher interested in conducting action research in class viii-2 because according to english teacher here, this class has the lowest grades in writing compared to other classes. i chose a class action research because according to mills (2003) in fraenkel and wallen (2006, p. 590) this type of research aims to improve students' ability with deliver the material continuously in several cycles. one characteristic of action research is collaboration between researcher and teachers, principals, students, etc. in the implementation of the action research collaboration between teachers and researcher is important because through collaboration they will together explore and assess the real problems faced by teachers or students at school (arikunto et al, 2012, p.63). based on the interview with the english teacher junior high school 1 luragung and the result from test 1, there were some difficulties faced by students in writing class, such as: (1) they did not have idea to write, (2) they were still confused in organizing the writing, (3) they did some mistakes with the lack of knowledge in vocabularies and (4) they were still confuse to use the correct grammar. in the classroom, students often complained and say it was difficult when the teacher assigns students to write. students looked unconfident when they were given the writing task. they were fear cannot complete the task of writing, because they did not know what to write, how to start and end. method the design used in this study is classroom action research (car). action research is any systematic inquiry conducted by teacher, researcher, principals, school counselors, or other stakeholders in the teaching/learning environment. it means that “car is aimed to overcome problems in teaching learning process in order to improve educational practice” (mills, 2003 in fraenkel and wallen, 2006, p. 590). the researcher used the car procedure based on kemmis and mctaggart (1988) design. according to kemmis and mctaggart (1988) in burns (2005, p. 32), “action research occurs through a dynamic and complementary process, which consists of four essential “moments”: of planning, action, observation and reflection”. the data in this study was both qualitative data and quantitative data. the researcher used qualitative data consist of interview, field notes, and questionnaire sheet. while quantitative data consists of students’ final writing as a test 1, test 2 and test 3. interview was particularly useful for getting data behind the english teacher’s experiences before classroom action research. it was used to know students’ difficulties in writing ability, and the technique used by teacher when writing activity. the interview also carried out after classroom action research to know the teacher’s response toward the idea of field trip method. beside the interview, the researcher and observer used field notes to record activities during the teaching and learning of writing through field trip method in the classroom. the contents of field note including description of classroom atmosphere, students’ attitude, and teacher’s risa meiranti improving students' writing skills through field trip method creativity in presenting the material of writing. the quantitative data were used to evaluate the success of implementation of each cycle. weigle (2002, p.116) claimed “there are five components presented in the analytical scoring rubric for writing, are: content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics”. the researcher used analytical scoring rubric to analyze the data related to the students’ paragraph writing test of writing ability. table 1. analytical scoring rubric (jacobs et al., 1981 cited in weigle, 2002, p. 115-116). aspect score level/ criteria c o n te n t 30-27 26-22 21-17 16-13 excellent to very good: knowledgeable  substantive  thorough development of thesis  relevant to assigned topic good to average: some knowledge of subject  adequate range  limited development of thesis mostly relevant to the topic, but lacks detail fair to poor: limited knowledge of subject  little substance  inadequate development of topic very poor: does not show knowledge of subject  non-substantive  not pertinent  or not enough to evaluate o rg a n iz a ti o n 20-18 17-14 13-10 9-7 excellent to very good: fluent expression  ideas clearly stated/ supported  succinct well-organized  logical sequencing  cohesive good to average: somewhat choppy  loosely organized but main ideas stand out  limited support  logical but incomplete sequencing fair to poor: non-fluent  ideas confused or disconnected  lacks logical sequencing and development very poor: does not communicate  no organization  or not enough to evaluate v o c a bu la ry 20-18 17-14 13-10 9-7 excellent to very good: sophisticated range  effective word/ idiom choice and usage word form mastery  appropriate register good to average: adequate range  occasional errors of word/ idiom form, choice, usage but meaning not obscured fair to poor: limited range  frequent errors of word/ idiom form, choice, usage meaning confused or obscured very poor: essential translation  little knowledge of english vocabulary, idioms, word form or not enough to evaluate la n g u a g e u se 25-22 21-18 17-11 10-5 excellent to very good: effective complex constructions  few errors of agreement, tense, number, word order/ function, articles, pronouns, prepositions good to average: effective but simple constructions  minor problems in complex constructions  several errors of agreement, tense, number, word order/ function, articles, pronouns, prepositions but meaning seldom obscured fair to poor: major problems in simple/ complex constructions  frequent errors of negation, agreement, tense, number, word order/ function, articles, pronouns, prepositions and/ or fragments, run-ons, deletions meaning confused or obscured very poor: virtually no mastery of sentence construction rules  dominated by errors  does not communicate  or not enough to evaluate m ec h a n ic s 5 4 3 2 excellent to very good: demonstrates mastery of conventions  few errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing good to average: occasional errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing but meaning not obscured fair to poor: frequent errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing  poor handwriting meaning confused or obscured very poor: no mastery of conventions  dominated by errors of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing  handwriting illegible  or not enough to evaluate english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee to get the mean of students’ writing score uses the formula (sudijono, 2008, p. 81): mx : mean x : individual score n : number of students results anddiscussion the following are the evaluation results out of cycle 1 in this research. at the cycle 1, the researchers asked the student went to several places and collect the data by seeing the object directly. this field trip activity make students more creative in writing the descriptive text, they open their dictionary when they find some new words in this field trip activity. the result of test 2 showed that the mean score of the class derived 70,51 in which there were 18 students who pass minimummastery criterionkriteria ketuntasan minimal (kkm) 75 (seventy five). the following were the detail results of students’ writing in the first cycle: the researcher needs to calculate the mean score firstly, to know the result of students’ writing. the mean score derived from the following formula: there was a slight improvement of students’ mean score from the students’ writing on the preliminary study to the students’ writing on the first cycle. the improvement percentage derived from the formula: table 2. the mean’s score of five skill in writing in cycle 2 no writing skill mean from teacher from researcher mean 1 content 20.74 20.71 20.73 2 organization 15.65 16.03 15.84 3 vocabulary 14.74 15.15 14.95 4 language use 15.26 15.53 15.40 5 mechanic 3.59 3.62 3.61 table 3. a comparison of students’ writing means score no test 1 test 2 criteria score criteria score 1 highest 78.00 highest 84.00 2 average score 47.26 average score 70.51 3 lowest 32.50 lowest 43.00 risa meiranti improving students' writing skills through field trip method meanwhile, field notes showed that there are some strength and the weaknesses in teaching learning activities in cycle 1. table 4. classroom situation in class viii-2 no aspects observed indicator preliminary study cycle 1 1 the seriousness of students a. students giving attention to the teacher a. students giving attention to the teacher b. students didn't bring the material book b. a few students brought the material book c. students were passive in asking or making comment about material c. student dare to ask the researcher about the material 2 the enthusiasm of students in doing a task a. students didn't try to understand the instruction by using various learning aids (book, dictionary, ask their teacher or friend) a. students tried to do their task by using various learning aids (dictionary and books) b. students didn't have a discussion with the teacher or their friends b. students have discussion with their friend in doing their task 3 students' participation a. students didn't participate in asking question or giving suggestion a. students participate in asking question but they didn't dare to give comment or suggestion b. students help their friend to examine the material and the task b. students help their friend to examine the material and the task the result of test 3 showed that the mean score of the class derived 73,24 in which there were 23 students who pass minimummastery criterionkriteriaketuntasan minimal (kkm) 75 (seventy five). the following were the detail results of students’ writing in the first cycle: the researcher needs to calculate the mean score firstly, to know the result of students’ writing. the mean score derived from the following formula: there was an improvement of students’ mean score from the students’ writing preliminary study in test 1 to the students’ writing on the second cycle in test 3. the improvement percentage derived from the formula: based on the result of the students’ writing, there was better improvement of students’ mean score from the students’ writing in the preliminary study to the students’ writing in the second cycle. the mean score for the first test was 46,47 and the mean score of writing test 3 in the second cycle was . it means that there was % of mean score improvement. the students who passed the minimummastery criterionkriteria ketuntasan minimal (kkm) were 23 students or 67,70% into class percentage. it indicated that the first criterion of success has been achieved. the following was the table of students’ writing score in test 1 , test 2 and test 3. meanwhile, field notes showed that there are some strength and the weaknesses in teaching learning activities in cycle 2. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 5. classroom situation in class viii-2 no aspects observed indicator cycle 1 cycle 2 1 the seriousness of students a. students giving attention to the teacher a. students giving attention to the teacher b. a few students who brought the material book b. most of students brought the material book c. student dare to ask the researcher about the material c. student dare to ask the researcher about the material 2 the enthusiasm of students in doing a task a. students tried to do their task by using various learning aids (dictionary and books) a. students tried to do their task by using various learning aids (dictionary and books) b. students have discussion with their friend in doing their task b. students have discussion with their friend in doing their task c. students give a suggestion to the teacher about the field trip activity 3 students' participation a. students participate in asking question but they didn't dare to give comment or suggestion a. students participate in asking question, give a comment and suggestion b. students help their friend to examine the material and the task b. students help their friend to examine the material and the task c. students help the researcher in preparing the material conclusion this study is focused on improving students’ writing skill through field trip method at second grade in junior high school in luragung. field trip method can improve students' skills in writing in cycle 1 in several ways. in the first cycle the material is descriptive text. at the first meeting, i explain the material of descriptive text. i give some examples for the students. at the second meeting, i give some exercise to them. with this exercise, students can write the right paragraph. at the third meeting, i give a worksheet and ask all students go outside the classroom and find some data of object that they will describe. by involving students in the activity field trip, students will be able to see the objects they describe directly. a weakness of student in finding ideas in writing can be resolved by looking at the objects directly. the number of objects written in the student worksheet encourages students to search for the meaning of these words and their vocabulary knowledge increases. in the student worksheet also has rules to sort the objects characteristic of the most general to the particular, it is intended that students can make a well-organized paragraphs. field trips can improve students' writing in a second cycle in several ways. the material in the second cycle is recount text. in writing recount text, students are asked to describe the events that happened in the past. at the first meeting i give the explanation to the students about recount text. i explain that in recount text we can tell something in past. at the second meeting, i give some exercises to the students. i do this to make students understand the differences of simple present in descriptive text and past tense in the recount text. researcher invites students to participate in a field trip on sunday by following some joint activities. it is intended for students to tell the field risa meiranti improving students' writing skills through field trip method trip activities that have been implemented. the implementation of field trip method in the second year of 8-2 class of smp 1 luragung in academic year 2015/2016 can be concluded that field trip can improve students’ writing ability. it can be proved from the improvement that could be seen from the increase of students’ mean writing score from 47 and 70,51 in the first cycle, to 73,24 in the second cycle. from the result of field notes show that field trip method makes students creative in finding the ideas, organize the text and can use better grammar. students who had been afraid of learning at the first meeting looked more confident at the second cycle, it can be seen from the number of students who dared to ask about the material being taught. different at the first cycle, students in the second cycle is more confident in working task of the students this was because they brought a dictionary and tried to do the work individually. students’ participation in learning increased, they actively ask, answer questions from teachers and want to help their friend in doing the task. the result of questionnaire showed that students give positive responses to the implementation of field trip in the teaching learning process of writing. moreover, field trip method would be method strategy in teaching writing. references anas, s. j. (2008). pengantar statistik pendidikan. jakarta: raja grafindo persada. asmani, j. m. (2010). tips menjadi guru inspiratif, kreatif, dan inovatif. yogyakarta: diva press. brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principles an interactive approach to language pedagogy. san francisco: san francisco state university. fraenkel, j. r., and norman, e. w. (2006). how to design and evaluate research in education. boston: mcgraw-hill. harmer, j. (2001). the practice of english language teaching, third edition. new york: pearson education limited. hassoubah, z. i. (2008).mengasah pikiran kreatif dan kritis. bandung: nuansa. retrieved from http://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/p spbsi/article/view/446/325. koran, j.j., koran, m.l. & ellis, j. (1989). evaluating the effectiveness of field experiences: 1939 – 1989. visitor behavior, 4(2), 7-10. mogk., d. (2009). field note. retrieved from: http://www.minsocam.org/msa/mo nographs/mngrph_03/mg003_047052.pdf[ weigle, s. c. (2002) assessing writing. cambridge: cambridge university press. arikunto, s. (2012). penelitian tindakan kelas. jakarta: pt bumi aksara. syahmadi, h. (2014). bedah kurikulum 2013 bagi guru bahasa inggris. bandung: cv. adoya mitra sejahtera. http://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/pspbsi/article/view/446/325 http://www.minsocam.org/msa/monographs/mngrph_03/mg003_047-052.pdf%5b problems faced by indonesian efl learners english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee problems faced by indonesian efl learners in writing argumentative essay wulan rahmatunisa department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia e-mail: wrahmatunisa@yahoo.com apa citation: rahmatunisa, w. (2014). problems faced by efl learners in writing argumentative essay. english review: journal of english education, 3(1), 41-49 received: 20-10-2014 accepted: 05-11-2014 published: 01-12-2014 abstract: this study aims to find out problems in writing argumentative essay faced by indonesian efl learners. it is carried out in a qualitative research design as it attempted to describe the problems and their ways out. the data were taken from university students’ writing task and interview. the participants are the second year of university indonesia students who enrol their study in english department. results of the data indicated that indonesian efl learners faced the problems in three categories, those are linguistics problems, cognitive problems, and psychological problems. mostly, students faced problems in linguistics related to the grammatical structure (23.2%), formatting words (30.2%), words classes (16.3%), error in using words (9.3%), and the use of article (21%). second, cognitive problems are related to organizing paragraph, difficulties in remaining word classes, getting lost the generic structure, making a conclusion, and putting punctuation. last, psychological problems which included laziness, egoism, bad mood, and difficulties to start writing also faced by indonesian efl learners. data analysis also indicated the problem solving which hopefully will be beneficial for efl teachers in writing class. it is strongly recommended that the efl class should strengthen all the language skills in general and writing in particular, motivate the students to use english with the teachers, introduce pair work, peer-correction, and use dictionaries frequently etc. keywords: argumentative essay, linguistics problems, cognitive problems, psychological problems introduction this study investigates problems faced by indonesian efl learners in writing argumentative essay. the reason for choosing this topic is triggered by some efl students’ opinion that writing is the most difficult skill in studying foreign language. writing is not merely a skill we employ to record our knowledge, but the very moment at which we confront what learning and understanding are all about (taylor, 2009). some researchers have argued that writing can be experienced as one of the most difficult of all skills, requiring an intricate combination of neurological, physical, cognitive, and affective competencies (murray et.al, 2006). it means that writer should analyze whether his/her writing is good and understandable or not. they have to arrange the words into good order, and make them aware that writing is different from speaking. that makes people said that writing is difficult activity. in this study, writing argumentative essay is taken because it deals with set of assumption towards the issue. wulan rahmatunisa problems faced by indonesian efl learners in writing argumentative essay argumentative essay is also a challenging writing. when people start to make argumentative essay, they will ask to themselves what will the topic be and how they will organize it in words. moreover, the goal of argumentative writing is to convince audience, and it is done in a situation where there exists a conflict between the beliefs and attitudes of the writer/speaker and reader/audience (hyland, 2002). thus, argumentative essay needs critical thinking and also great opinion so that readers will argue the writer’s argument or believe that the opinion is true. there are some studies conducting the issue about argumentative essay. zhu (2001) investigated teachers in mexico who identified process and strategies in writing argumentative essay. his study revealed that writing was the most complicated activity in language class and it became more difficult when came to foreign language class. the other study was conducted by saito (2010). his research aimed to find out the major characteristics of students in third-year english in composing argumentative essay which were instructed by integrated-genre approach. from the explanation above, a fundamental conclusion can be drawn: writing argumentative essay is highly important to be continuously and consistently done. by carefully considering this, in relation to critical efl teaching, this study attempts to uncover problems faced by indonesian efl learners in writing argumentative essay. the formulations of this study are as follows: (1) what are the problems faced by efl students in writing argumentative essay? (2) what do the students do to overcome the problems in writing argumentative essay? since this study is about problems faced by indonesian efl learners in writing argumentative essay, the weight and relevance are drawn. when students write an essay in their mother language, they do not find any significant difficulties such writing essay in foreign language. that is because english language learners have limited vocabulary. therefore, students end up repeating the same words; this hinders creativity. al-khasawneh (2010), clarified that students couldn’t give voice to their thoughts because lack the adequate stock of vocabulary. moreover, english language learners don’t use invented spelling and their written texts are restricted to words which they know. therefore, by this study, new information can be proposed in efl teaching in order to sharpen students’ writing abilities. writing is an activity in which people transfer their ideas into written form. kroll (1990) stated that writing is a complex, recursive, and creative process or set of behaviours that is similar in its broad outlines for first and second language writers. writing also is a cognitive process because the process of writing is influenced by the taskenvironment and the writer’s long term memory. writing is a long term activity. generally, when people start to build the topic, they actually faced by some problems. byrne (1995) stated that there are three problems raised; first, psychological problems, that writing is essentially a solitary activity and the fact that we are required to write on our own, without the possibility of interaction or the benefit of feedback, in itself makes the act of writing difficult. second, linguistic problems, that in writing we have to compensate for the english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 www.englishreview.web.id absence of the features, keep the channel of communication open through our own effort and to ensure both through our choice of sentence structure and by the way our sentence are linked together and sequenced, that the text we produce can be interpreted on its own. last, a cognitive problem, that writing is learned through a process of instruction. it means that we have to master the written form of the language and to learn certain structures which are important for effective communication in writing. mostly, we can write an essay easily when we write it in the mother tongue. identifying and structuring the data are the easy process. but how do if we write in foreign language? it will be the different cases. any problems will occur when we try to write in foreign language. daly (1997) mentioned that argumentative essay is built around a specific statement (or main premise) that is debatable within the field in which people are studying. moreover, bazerman (1985) stated that argumentative essay is responding to a text, the conclusion might recall the original idea to which people are responding, reminding the reader exactly what are agreeing or disagreeing. the content of argumentative essay is also has to be reasonable. writer should organize their emotion when they attempt not too judge others. there are two kinds of argumentative essay as stated in gerot and wignell (1995). those are analytical exposition and hortatory exposition which have different function. analytical exposition gives explanation to readers or listeners that something is the case, meanwhile hortatory has social function to persuade readers or listeners that something should or should not be the case. in fact, the fundamental problem in writing essay is we do not know how we can take the first statement. thus it is important to organize first before we start to write. in argumentative essay there are three outlines used in writing including introduction (hook and thesis statement), body (argument 1, argument 2, argument 3), and conclusion (restated thesis statement) no matter how writers organize the essay, they should make reader have same opinion to the essay and understand what the writers mean. this is one of the reasons why indonesian efl learners say that argumentative essay is difficult. feedback is needed then, because it can help l2 writer get the best composing in the text. hyland (2002) stated that feedback is important in acknowledging in process-based classrooms, where it forms a key element of the student’s growing control over composing skills, and by genreoriented teachers employing scaffolding learning techniques. editing is other problem solving in writing. it also important because editing can help writer to know how if he/she is as reader from their writing. writers are able to invite his/her friend to look at their work, or they can edit it by themselves. there are three previous studies underlie this present research. the first research was done by bakir, al-quds open university in nablus, palestine, which title is “writing difficulties and new solutions: blended learning as an approach to improve writing abilities” that study found that if a teacher keeps on teaching following the traditional method, the classroom activities become passive and monotonous. therefore, the wulan rahmatunisa problems faced by indonesian efl learners in writing argumentative essay teacher should try new methods other than the traditional methods of teaching and make the students better achievers. bakir (2013) describes the teaching and learning context, and how the writing activities were integrated as part of the blended learning outcome. it discusses the extent to which students were able to achieve from the intended outcomes and the processes involved in achieving those outcomes. he reports findings from research into the benefits of integrating blended learning into traditional methods in developing writing abilities for second and third year undergraduates at a conventional university in palestine. while this present study will focus on problems appeared in writing an argumentative essay which is responding to a text, the conclusion might recall the original idea to which people are responding, reminding the reader exactly what are agreeing or disagreeing. moreover this present study also examines the types of problems in term of linguistic, cognitive, and psychological problems. another related research report is conducted by zhu (2001). he investigated teachers in mexico who identified process and strategies in writing argumentative essay. his study revealed that writing was the most complicated activity in language class and it became more difficult when came to foreign language class. the other study was conducted by saito (2010). his research aimed to find out the major characteristics of students in third-year english in composing argumentative essay which were instructed by integrated-genre approach. from the explanation above, a fundamental conclusion can be drawn: writing argumentative essay is highly important to be continuously and consistently done. by carefully considering this, in relation to critical efl teaching, this study attempts to uncover problems faced by indonesian efl learners in writing argumentative essay. method this study is going to be conducted in qualitative research design because it investigates a phenomenon described by cresswell (1994) as an approach which inquires often makes knowledge claims based primarily on constructivist perspectives. the researcher physically goes to the people, setting, site or institution to interview or record in its natural setting. the data sources of this study were taken from university students’ writing task and interview. the participants are the second year of four university students who enrol their study in english department and precisely they are efl students in undergraduate study. normally, they have learned argumentative essay and have ever written it. the writing test was conducted to see students’ argument towards a poem entitled ‘funny face’. here is the short poem written by calvin miller: funny face by calvin miller suppose my nose were upside down: in any rainstorm i might drown. the sun would shine into my eyes because my glasses sat so high. one morning i’d hop out of bed to find my mustache on my head. and every time i’d sneeze or cough the blast would blow my ball cap off. the data collection procedures of the qualitative method involve: (1) setting the boundaries for the study, which lead to classify the participants in specific area. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 www.englishreview.web.id (2) collecting information through observation, and (3) establishing the protocol for recording information. participants’ written task is the main data in this study. the data were taken at november 2013. the problems were analysed and classified based on the theory proposed. it will then be descriptively interpreted. in this study, a ten-point scale was developed to evaluate each aspect, then the average of the scores was calculated. the breakdown of the marks of the areas covered is given below: 1. structure: (2 points). 2. spelling: (1 point). 3. punctuation: (1 point). 4. coherence: (2 points). 5. cohesion: (1 point). 6. strength of argument: (2 points). 7. aesthetic dimension: (1 point). in analyzing linguistic problems which occur in efl students’ writing, the percentage information will be drawn in a table in order to enrich the data presentation. the table will be as follow. no. linguistics problems frequency percentage (%) 1. tenses 2. word class 3. word formation 4. the use of article 5. word error total moreover, interview is used as the supporting instrument in collecting data. the semi-structured interviews were used in this study because they allow for standardized but in-depth probing of and elaboration on the original response. it enables one to follow a line of inquiry (punch, 2001). the questions were prepared in advanced based on the theme being investigated. most of the interviews were conducted in english. nevertheless there were a number of occasions whereby bahasa indonesia is used as the respective respondents felt more comfortable using the language. each interview took approximately 20 minutes, was audio-tapped and then transcribed by the interview as soon as possible, as suggested by osborne and freyberd (1985). immediate transcription allowed the interviewers to improve technique of asking questions for the next interview. result and discussion this chapter presents the results of the study and discussion result. it elucidates the writer’s data analysis and discussion of the whole research. the chapter is divided into two major sections. the first section presents the findings of the study which answer what problems are faced by efl learners and what they usually do in solving those problems. then second section is about discussion. the data, as outlined in chapter iii, were obtained from writing test in order to see students’ argument towards a poem entitled ’funny face’ and from the interview. the data from the writing test are first presented and analyzed preceding by the data from the interview. based on the result of investigation, it is an evidence that there were found students who faced any difficulties in writing. to prove this fact, this study is provided by data analysis and interview wulan rahmatunisa problems faced by indonesian efl learners in writing argumentative essay transcription to reveal the problems. the findings showed the coherence with byrne (1995) who classified the problems in writing into three; those are psychological problems, linguistics problems, and cognitive problems. the following table shows the types of linguistics problems occur in students’ writing. no. linguistics problems frequency percentage (%) 1. tenses 10 23.2 2. word class 7 16.3 3. word formation 13 30.2 4. the use of article 9 21 5. word error 4 9.3 total 43 100 linguistics problems occur within structuring sentences such as tenses, word class, using articles, word formation, and word error. these problems typically can arise when l2 writer transfers his/her idea into l1 writer. the result of the investigation showed that different background is the main factor when students who learn l2, write their argumentative writing. to solve those problems, students said they usually ask for feedback from teacher, do editing and revising, outlining, ask friends for being prove-reader, and read for improving their vocabulary. those findings are consistent with harmer (2007) who stated that the process of writing involves planning what we are going to write, drafting it, reviewing and editing what we have written and then producing a final (and satisfactory) version. it indicates that most efl students have already done those principles. however, in order to maximize the result of learning process, they need to organize the problem solving in appropriate way and need more guidance from teachers. discussion cognitive problems relate to how to organize our ideas, using punctuation, addressing topic, following topic, following instructions and directions. the result of data analysis show that putting punctuation is the most problem faced by efl students. this fact occurs because writing is not just expressing the idea but also organizing words. as mentioned before in bakir (2013) who reports how the writing activities were integrated as part of the blended learning outcome. truly, word classes and word formation are the complicated one when writing an essay. this finding is also in line with the rabab’ah (2003) who informed that the students are unable to express them appropriately in their writings due to their limited vocabulary: the result is that they cannot find appropriate and necessary vocabulary to express themselves. in fact, students still confuse when they have to compose complex sentences, especially if it comes to verbs plus appropriate preposition. #25: is on the same age with me students still do mistakes in putting the appropriate preposition for each verb. the same mistake also happened in other student, who wrote: #31: similar with the title... the words which are bold should be replaced by ‘as’ and to, because the english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 www.englishreview.web.id appropriate preposition the word for the word ‘same’ is ‘as’ and ‘to’ for the word ‘similar’. in using grammar, students also found difficulties. they still confuse in determining which one is noun, verb, adverb, and adjective, as exemplified in students’ writing test #23 and other sentences below. #23: itmake him think positive #29: the writer seems like talking to... from students’ writing also found that they usually forget in mentioning a subject for each sentence. they merely mention a subject for a paragraph as exemplified below. #9: when talking about familiarity, build and make a familiarity to the readers more appropriately listeners by asking the listeners the listeners to suppose her or his funny face. the sentence above proved that students still use spoken form in writing essay. it also strongly indicates that most efl mostly think as in their first language concept rather than think as native. as suggested by harmer (2007) that many nationalities do not use the same kind of script as english, so for students from those cultures, writing in english is doubly difficult: they are fighting to express themselves at the same time as trying (when they are not using a computer keyboard) to work out a completely new writing system. data from the interview revealed some problems students faced in writing argumentative essay. they mostly agree that organizing paragraph is difficult as expressed by 4 students exemplified below. students#4: ‘i do not like to write a draft because when it comes to my real writing i usually write out of the draft’ these findings are in line with the causes of writing problems reported by al-khasawneh (2010) who concluded that insufficient opportunities of using english and inappropriate teaching methods were the major causes identified by the participants of the study as the major factors of their writing problems. the least important reasons identified by the participants for their weak writing were their low english proficiency, teachers’ lack of interest in writing tasks and insufficient use of dictionaries. basically, writing a draft firstly can help writer in writing an essay. draft is a map for writers. when writer lost their way, the draft will help them to come back to the topic. the statement above also indicates other psychological problem in writing that is laziness. difficulty to start writing is another problem related to psychological problem in writing. this is expressed by all participants as they stated that writing basically needs a lot of time to prepare. they said it covers plan, draft, re-plan, draft, edit, re-edit, re-plan, etc before they produce their final version. students do not write very often and most of what they write is classroom-bound. as bakir (2013) mentioned the most important factor in writing exercises is that students need to be personally involved in order to make the learning experience of great value. encouraging student participation in the exercise, while at the same time refining and expanding writing skills, requires a certain pragmatic approach. the teacher should be clear on what skills he/she is trying to develop. next, the teacher needs to decide on which type of exercise can facilitate learning of the target area. once the target skill areas and means of implementation are defined, the teacher can then proceed to focus on what topic can be employed to wulan rahmatunisa problems faced by indonesian efl learners in writing argumentative essay ensure student participation. by pragmatically combining these objectives, the teacher can expect both enthusiasm and effective learning. conclusion this study examined the problems which are faced by some efl students in writing argumentative essay. results of the data indicated that students faced the problems in three categories, those are linguistics problems, cognitive problems, and psychological problems. mostly, students faced problems in linguistics related to the grammatical structure (23.2%), formatting words (30.2%), words classes (16.3%), error in using words (9.3%), and the use of article (21%). second, cognitive problems are related to organizing paragraph, difficulties in remaining word classes, getting lost the generic structure, making a conclusion, and putting punctuation. last, psychological problems which included laziness, egoism, bad mood, and difficulties to start writing are also faced by efl students. this study also answers the second research question of what the students do to overcome the problems in writing argumentative essay. the interview session revealed students usually ask for feedback from teacher or lecturer, do editing and revising, outlining, ask friends for being prove-reader, and read more for improving their vocabulary. those findings are consistent with harmer (2007) who stated that the process of writing involves planning what we are going to write, drafting it, reviewing and editing what we have written and then producing a final (and satisfactory) version. what this recent study shows, then, is that the current reality in efl classes still falls far short of the goal of english language teaching. even though most of efl classes use the standard criteria of efl teaching, it cannot serve as a resource for improving language education as it exists now for shaping our thinking as we design curriculum and materials for the future. teachers need to identify the learning preferences and learning styles of their students. the understanding of how best the students learn then is matched with pedagogical approaches deemed appropriate for learning to take place at optimal level. moreover, students should be challenged with tasks and projects of varying level of difficulty. they need to discover issues and uncover answers by themselves. furthermore, teachers should understand what motivates the students in class, because students need to be motivated to keep them alert. references al-khasawneh, f. (2010). writing for academic purposes: problems faced by arab postgraduate students of the college of business, uum. esl world, 9 (2). bakir. (2013). writing difficulties and new solutions: blended learning as an approach to improve writing abilities. international journal of humanities and social science 3(9). bazerman, c. (1985). the informed writer: using source in discipline. new york: houghton mifflin company. byrne, d. (1995). teaching writing skills. singapore: longman publisher. creswell, j. w. (1994). research design qualitative and quantitative approaches. london: sage publisher. daly, b. (1997).writing argumentative essay. retrieved from http://www.eslplanet.com/teachertool s/argueweb/preface harmer, j. (2007). the practice of english language teaching. malaysia: pearson education limited. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 www.englishreview.web.id hyland, k. (2002). teaching and researching writing. london: pearson education. krappels. (1999). an overview of second language writing process research. new york: cambridge university press. kroll, b. (1990). second language writing. new york: cambridge university press. murray, r. & moore, s. (2006). the handbook of academic writing. new york: open university press. osborne, r. j., & freyberg, p. s. (1985) learning in science: the implications of children's science. auckland: heinemann. punch, k. f. (2001) introduction to social research quantitative and qualitative approaches. london: sage publications. rababah, g. (2003). communication problems facing arab learners of english: a personal perspective. tefl web journal, 2(1). saito, s. (2010). an analysis of argumentative essay of thai third-year english majors instructed by integrated process-genre based approach. a thesis: bangkok. taylor, g. (2009). a student’s writing guides. new york: cambridge university press. zhu, w. (2001). performing argumentative writing in english: difficulties, processes, and strategies. tesl canada journal 19 (1). a multimodal discourse analysis of selected advertisement of malaria drugs ayodeji olowu & susan olajoke akinkurolere a multimodal discourse analysis of selected advertisement of malaria drugs amultimodal discourse analysis of selected advertisement ofmalaria drugs ayodeji olowu department of languages, rufus giwa polytechnic, owo, ondo state, nigeria e-mail: olowu@gmail.com susan olajoke akinkurolere department of english, obafemi awolowo university, ile-ife, osun state, nigeria e-mail: olujoke2126@yahoo.com. apa citation: olowu, a. & akinkurolere, s. o. (2015). a multimodal discourse analysis of selected advertisement of malaria drugs. english review:journal of english education, 3(2), 166-173 received: 11-04-2015 accepted: 25-04-2015 published: 01-06-2015 abstract: this study identified and analyzed the visual and linguistic components associated with the selected advertisement of malaria drugs. this was with a view to describing the essential communication devices the advertisers of such drugs have employed. data for the study were drawn from both primary and secondary sources. the primary source for the study comprised 4 purposively selected posters, stickers and drugs literature advertisement on malaria. analysis of the data followed the framework of kress and leeuwen’s multimodal discourse analysis. the results showed that such visual resources as colour, pictures, symbols and icons, gaze and posture enhance the semantic quality of the advertisement. in the whole, the study emphasizes the vitality of visual and linguistic elements as important communication devices in advertising. keywords: multimodal discourse analysis, visual elements, communication devices, visual grammar. introduction new drugs are released almost on weekly basis. when these drugs come, the manufacturers will engage in massive advertisement. the reason is to impress the drugs into the consciousness of the people. advertisement of drugs can take a number of forms which include advocacy, comparative, cooperative, informational, direct-mail, outdoor advertisement, persuasive, etc. this type of advertising is commercial. it is basically consumer advertising which pervades our society because it involves the promotion of such drugs to potential buyers. drugs are advertised through several media which include television, radio, print media such as magazines, leaflets, flyers, handbills and periodic reports. other media include billboards, workshops, seminars and other health books television stations usually enjoy much patronage from drug marketers. pharmaceutical companies rely so much on television advertisement to promote their drugs. the reason for this is not farfetched. television is multimodal in nature in that it relies on multiple semiotic modes or resources (language, visual imagery, gesture, movement, colour, music, sounds and so on). woods (2006) describes television advertising as the form of multimodal communication par excellence (i.e communication through various and multiple semiotic modes and resources). it establishes a mailto:olujoke2126@yahoo.com english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee double communicative connection: one between the people represented in the advert, also called represented participants (kress and leeuwen 2006), and one between the sender, that is the advertisement makers or copywriters and the receiver (the viewer) of the advertising message. essentially, we are considering new malaria drugs which have enjoyed heavy advertisement recently. these are coatal tamether, artrin, arenax plus, artecxin, palaxin, camosunate, pemametre, lufart, amalar plus, amatem and lonart. a detailed multimodal analysis of these advertisement will be carried out. visual images: a general overview in every imaginable public space, visuals are presented for viewer’s consumption. the young and old alike are bombarded by a cacophony of imagery in traditional print, books, magazines and newspapers, through totalizing mass media formats and inside the expanding e-work of the internet. on almost every public space available, images confront viewers. kress and leeuwen (2006) assert that: images are produced in the context of real social institutions, in order to play a very real role in social life-in order to do certain things to or for their readers, and in order to communicate attitudes towards aspectsof social life and towards people who participate in them, whether authors and readers are consciously aware of them or not (p. 115). in “rhetorics of the image”, roland barthes writes that “the viewer of the image receives at one and the same time the perceptual message and the cultural message” (barthes 1977: 36). he then explains that the “confusion in reading” stemming from this corresponds to the function and the communicative power of the mass image. this ultimately suggests that images are never innocent. however, their messages often are naturalized by being associated with a given perceptual object. in analyzing images, then, it is necessary to account not only for their cultural norms, but also for their perceptual qualities. visual texts differ from verbal texts because they are communicative across cultural codes while also carrying culturally specific meaning. roland barthes (1977) uses a linguistic approach for the study of visual communication, claiming that visual signification can be articulated into the two separate levels of denotation and connotation. the level of denotation corresponds to the literal meaning of an image, the immediate meaning relating to what is objectively represented by the image. the level of connotation corresponds to the symbolic or ideological meaning of an image, which corresponds to the meaning – or range of possible meanings – inscribed by cultural codes. the same denotative meaning can be associated with different connotative meanings according to the historical, and cultural contexts in which the message is produced and interpreted. theo van leeuwen and gunther kress are pioneers in the analysis of the visual dimension of printed texts. they consider texts from “a multimodal perspective” to include semiotic modes that accompany language or through which language is realized (harrett and bell in fairclough 1995:14). textual analysis must describe the interplay between the verbal and the visual, and effectively analyse visually exposed meaning (kress and van leeuwen 1996:186-7). the trend towards a multimodal appreciation of meaning making centres around two issues: first, the de-centering of language as favoured meaning making; and second, the revisiting and blurring of traditional ayodeji olowu & susan olajoke akinkurolere a multimodal discourse analysis of selected advertisement of malaria drugs boundaries between the roles allocated to language, image, page layout, document design etc. (iedema 2003:58). according to jewitt and oyama (2001:134), who draw heavily on the work of kress and van leeuwen, “social semiotics of visual communication involves the description of semiotic resources, what can be said and done with images (and other visual means of communication) and how the things people say and do with images can be interpreted”. meanwhile, with the late 20th century’s explosion of imaging and visualizing technologies (digitization, satellite imaging, new forms of medical imaging, virtual reality etc.), it is suggested that everyday life has become “visual culture” (lister & wells 2001:62). still on the proliferation of images, castwright & sturken (2001) assert that our modern condition is often characterized as an image saturated society with an intense image flow. indeed, visual components are often more influential than words. messaris and abraham (2001) argue this point: viewers may be less aware of the process of framing when it occurs visually than when it takes place through words. consequently, visual image may have the capacity of conveying messages that would meet with greater resistance if put in words, but which are received more readily in visual form (p. 125) . as a cultural creation, images are often utilized to praise cultural values. michael griffin (1999) explains that images are “celebrated on a more abstract plane as broader symbols of national valour, human courage, etc. (p. 131). hariman and lucaites (2007) note the emotional act of images: the photo’s combination of emotional display and visual interpellation creates a strong sense of moral crises, a point at which the audience must decide where it stands (p. 143). the intensity of emotion within images adds rhetorical richness to texts, resulting in added power within the overall meaning of a text. hence advertisers of drugs make generous use of images to capture audience’s attention. they struggle to minimize the use of words. though most of the advertisment come with verbal anchorages, the images are the centre of attraction and they carry more messages than the verbal expressions. method multimodal discourse analysis (mda) is ‘an emerging paradigm in discourse studies which extends the study of language to the study of language in combination with other resources, such as images, colours, scientific symbolism, gestures, action, music and sound’ (o’halloran 2011:1). multimodal discourse analysis is the study of the ‘intersection and interdependence of various modalities of communication within a given context’ (snyder 2009:1). researchers in this area seek to ‘identify the influence of mode on meaning within a given context, focusing on co-occurrence interaction between multiple semiotic system’ (baldry and thibault 2006:31). multimodal discourse analysis is essentially concerned with the theory and analysis of semiotic resources and the semantic expansions which occur as semiotic choices combined in multicultural phenomena. the ‘‘intersemiotic’ relations arising from the interaction of semiotic choices, known as intersemiosis, is a central area of english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee multimodal research (jewitt 2009:14). multimodal discourse analysis is also concerned with the design, production and distribution of multimodal resources in social settings (leeuwen 2008:32). the theory is also concerned with the concept of ‘visual modality’. in bell’s second variable based on the work of kress and van leeuwen (1996), it can be defined as “the represented realism of an image” (bell 2001:30). it concerns also whether an image is portrayed as realistic and lifelike, or as something that can be classified as either a fantasy or caricature. the term ‘modality’ is a linguistic one and refers to the value or credibility of statements about the world. modality is interpersonal rather than ideational in that it does not express absolute truth or falsehoods, it produces shared truths aligning readers and viewers with what they hold to be true for themselves, while distancing from others whose values they do not share (kress and van leeuwen 1996:160). in terms of visual modality, visuals can represent people, places and things as though they are real. here too, modality judgements are social and dependent upon what is considered real in the social group for which the representation is primarily intended. according to kress and van leeuwen (1996:256) modality results from: ......the degree to which certain means of pictorial expressions (colour, representational detail, depth, tonal shades, etc.) are used. each of these dimensions can be seen as a scale running from the absence of any rendition of detail to maximal representation of details or from the absence of any rendition of depth to maximally deep perspective. reality is based upon the frequency of these factors within a specific image, the less they appear the more “abstract” the image, while the more prevalent they are, the more realistic the image can be said to be. however, kress and van leeuwen (1996:256) argue that “modality is context dependent.” the domains they distinguish include scientific/technological, abstract, naturalistic and sensory. this theory is therefore suitable in the analysis of these colour advertisement. result & discussion text a in this image, there is a monsterlike picture of a mosquito. the picture covers substantial part of the image. below the picture, there is a picture of a drug which is being advertised. here the picture of the mosquito is a signifier. it is deliberately presented like a monster. this is also significant. scientists believe that malaria is mainly caused by female anopheles mosquitoes. hence, the picture of the mosquito signifies malaria disease. the picture presents malaria as a deadly monster which can cause death if not attacked. consequently, the image sees artrin as a remedy to the malaria monster. ayodeji olowu & susan olajoke akinkurolere a multimodal discourse analysis of selected advertisement of malaria drugs text b this image has a picture of three people; a woman, a man and a young girl who look like a family. the man appears to carry the girl. this ostensibly shows that the represented participants are a family. below them are the different pictures of the drug being advertised. from the advert, we can see the various presentations of the drug. it is presented as tablets, syrup suspension and drops for infants. above the represented participants, we see the word malaria written on the red background. also, there is a drawing of a mosquito encapsulated in a ‘stopped’ sign. the family presented here looks healthy and happy. it is assumed that they have taken pamametre as their family malaria drug. the advertisers of the drug want us to see the effect of the drug in this family. it is significant that the drawing of the mosquito is encapsulated in a ‘stopped’ sign. the message here is very clear. pemametre stops mosquitoes. if it does, it consequently stops malaria since mosquito is the major cause of malaria fever. text c in text c, there is a picture of some children embedded in a map of africa. the name of the drug is written in bolded letters above them. below the map, we see the picture of the drug. it is significant that these children are embedded in the map of africa. this means that the continent that is worst hit by malaria fever is africa. also, the category of people suffering most from the disease is children. this is very true in consideration of report of world health organisation (who) on the malaria scourge in africa. it is estimated that about 7 million children die of malaria in africa yearly. consequently, who established the programme “roll back malaria in africa”. this project is aimed at eradicating malaria fever in the continent and jointly founded by who and the nations of african continent. the children on our image represent the bulk of several million children who are victims of malaria disease in africa. these children are spread all over the underdeveloped nations of africa. most of these nations cannot boast of adequate health facilities to combat malaria scourge. they lack adequate systems in terms of facilities, infrastructure and english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee trained personnel. hence, they feel highly incapacitated as malaria continues to wreak havoc especially among children. it is also worth of note that the advertisers catch on the programme of who in this advertisement by using the phrase ‘roll back malaria’ adequate health systems in terms of facilities, infrastructure and trained personnel. text d this advert features a woman who is as a celebrity. the woman in the image is patience ozokwo who has held sway many years as an enviable actress in nollywood movies. she holds a packet of the drug advertised, ‘coatal’ in her left hand and thumbs up with the right hand. the use of ozokwo in the advert is intentional. she is well known and admired by millions of nollywood lovers across the globe. the advertiser intends to give real popularity to their advertisement. it is certain that the advertisement will catch the fancies of many people with the picture of this woman in it. moreso, a close look at this image shows that the woman gives her approval to the effectiveness of the drug in combating the malaria scourge analysis of other visual elements colour in text a, the word ‘malaria’ in this advert is written in red colour. this is highly significant. red colour in this part of world means danger. hence, the intention of the advertiser is to present malaria disease as a dangerous phenomenon. in text b, the lexical item, ‘malaria’ is written against a red colour background. also, the ‘stop’ sign is in red colour. as stated earlier, colour red means danger. this ultimately means that malaria is a danger which must not be allowed. in text c, the visible colours in this image are red, green and white. the use of green and white colours in the image is significant. the map of africa is coated in green and white colours. also, the lexical item ‘africa’ is written in green colour. this shows that although the map is that of african continent, the advertisers are particular about nigeria. the colours of nigerian flag are white, green and white. this is highly connoted in the use of colour in this image. it is apparent that the words ‘weapon’ and ‘malaria’ are written in red colour. the red colour, as stated earlier means danger in this part of the world. a weapon is an instrument used either in the defence or offence against enemies. the red colour brings out the semantics of the lexical item. in this case as dangerous as malaria is, artecxin drug is presented as dangerous weapon to attack it. graphology according to olaosun (2001), the graphological features of written texts are carriers of their phonological information of meaning. hence, some aspects of linguistics in the verbal anchorages shall be foregrounded in this section with the aim of seeing how they ayodeji olowu & susan olajoke akinkurolere a multimodal discourse analysis of selected advertisement of malaria drugs have been employed by the advertisers to communicate their messages to the viewing/reading audience. in text d, it is observed that the whole sentence “win the malaria war” is written in block letters. meanwhile, there is semantic importance attached to this sentence. the viewer is made to believe that malaria has declared a war on its victims. hence, if we must win the malaria war, coatal is highly indispensable. the word ‘act’ is written in block letters. this is to lay emphasis on the semantics of the word. also, the name of the drug, artrin is bolded. this is also for emphasis. the whole advertisement centres on the drug. the use of rhetorics is also noticeable in this advert. there is a question mark on the word ’malaria’. the import of this is quite interesting. the advertisers are asking a question which can literally be expressed thus ‘is malaria your problem?’ if it is, you don’t need to worry, just ‘ask’ for pemametre. this message is clear. with pemametre, malaria is no longer a problem. use of compound sentence the advertiser use compound sentence ‘malaria begins with a bite but ends with artrin’. the use of the conjunction ‘but’ which joins the negative part of the sentence with the positive part. the advertisers technically direct the attention of the reader/viewer to the latter part of the compound sentence. posture/gaze: the picture of the mosquito in text a is fearful and dreaded. this signifies the nature of malaria disease. it is presented as a dreaded and destructive disease. in text b, it is deliberate that the participants are gazing directly into the audience. this is to bring the reader\viewer into active participation in the advert. the central image here is this family. the interpersonal system of centrality functioning at the level of relation between sections established the integrity of the image. kress and van leeuwen (1996:206) when discussing the issue of centrality of image suggest that ‘for something to be presented as the central means that it is presented as the nucleus of the information which all other elements are in some sense subservient’. this is true of text a and b. in text d, the posture of mrs patience okonkwo in this advert calls for attention. she really succeeds in involving the audience in this job through her smile. okonkwo’s gaze as the only participant in this advert demands something from the viewer. it demands that the viewer enters into some kind of imaginary relation with her. conclusion multimodal discourse analysis has made it possible to account for visual and linguistic components of this study. this is made possible by the theoretical framework we have used in this study. however it is instructive to note that interpretation of images is by its very nature subjective, and an image can carry multiple messages depending upon the nature of the visually interpreting culture. just as kress and van leeuwen suggest that “……social interactions and social relations can be encoded in images so that we are instructed silently regarding a set of implicit norms” (kress and van leuuwen 1996:153). in all, we hope that this study has contributed to an array of scholarly works in media discourse in nigeria. the study emphasizes the vitality of visual elements as important devices in advertising. it reveals the deployment of various visual resources such as colours, english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee gaze, posture, etc. in impressing the messages of the advertisers into the consciousness of readers/viewers and convincing them of the potency and efficacy of the advertised drugs. also, this study reveals very strongly and establishes the potentials of visual images to convey meaning beyond the verbal language in any human society. references ariyo, k. s. (2014). multimodal discourse analysis of panorama pictures in selected editions of tell news magazine. an unpublished ph.d thesis, department of english studies, adekunle ajasin university, akungbaakoko. baldry, a.p. & thibault, p.j (2006). multimodal transcription and text analysis. oakville, ct: equinox publishing. bignell, j. (1997). media semiotics, an introduction. manchester: manchester university press. chandler, d. (2002). semiotics: the basics. london: routledge. davies, s. (2000). semiotic analysis of teenage magazine front covers. retrieved on 20 december 2015 from www.aber.ac.uk/media/students/sid9 901.html. el rafaie, e. (2003). understanding visual metaphor: the example of newspaper cartoons in visual communication. london: sage publication. kress, g. & van leeuwen, t. van (1996). reading images: the grammar of visual design. london/ny: routledge. kress, g. & van leeuwen, t. (2001). multimodal discourse :the modes and media of contemporary communications. london: arnold. kress, g. & van leeuwen, t. (2007). colour as semiotic mode: notes for a grammar of colour. visual communication. 1(3), 343-368. retrieved from www.visculture.files.wordpress.com/2 007/02. 2011. retrieved 12/07/2011 mustafa, r. o. (2001). easier approach to pharmacology. ilorin: adewunmi printing press. olowu, a (2012). a multimodal discourse analysis of christian women mirror magazine. an unpublished m. a. thesis, department of english, obafemi awolowo university, ile-ife, nigeria. http://www.aber.ac/ http://www.visculture.files.wordpress.com/2007/02. 2011. retrieved 12/07/2011 the role of task-induced involvement in vocabulary learning english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the role of task-induced involvement in vocabulary learning of iranian language learners fatemeh khonamri department of english language and literature, university of mazandaran, iran e-mail: fkhonamri@umz.ac.ir zahra hamzenia department of english language and literature, university of mazandaran, iran e-mail: narsi.bahrami@gmail.com apa citation: khonamri, f. & hamzenia, z. . (2013). the role of task-induced involvement in vocabulary learning of iranian language learners. english review: journal of english education, 1(2),171-181 received: 01-03-2013 accepted: 23-04-2013 published: 01-06-2013 abstract: this study investigated laufer and hustijn’s (2001) involvement load hypothesis in vocabulary learning. it comprised two experiments. experiment 1 examined whether two tasks with equal involvement load but different distribution of components would yield the same result in initial learning and retention of target words. experiment 2 investigated whether two tasks, one input and another output, with equal involvement load and the same distribution of components would result in equivalent initial learning and retention of target words. 126 advanced english learners completed one of three vocabulary learning tasks that equated in the amount of involvement they induced: sentence writing, fill-in, and translation (l2-l1). receptive knowledge of the target words was assessed immediately after treatment and two weeks later, and one month interval after the first delayed posttest. the result of t-test for experiment 1 showed that when two tasks had equal involvement load but different distribution of components they resulted in similar amounts of initial learning and retention of new words. the findings of experiment 2 indicated when two tasks, one input and another output, had equal involvement load and the same distribution of components, they led to superiority of fill-in task over translation task in initial vocabulary learning, however, not in retention of new words. keywords: involvement load hypothesis; incidental vocabulary learning; depth of processing theory introduction many learners of a second or foreign language feel concerned with the burden of vocabulary learning and worry about how to tackle the formidable task of learning many thousands of words. teachers might well understand this need but might not know how best to support their students in this endeavor. for learners at the beginning level, intentional learning of new lexical items generally accounts for most of their vocabulary knowledge. but this exclusive dependence on intentional learning at the elementary levels fails to fulfill the later needs of these learners at the intermediate and advanced levels. there has been a keen research interest in incidental vocabulary learning in terms of different tasks; for instance, dictionary use (cho & krashen, 1994; knight, 1994; luppesco & day, 1993), the role of glosses (rott, 2005; rott & williams, 2003; watanab, 1997), and the effect of word-focused tasks with or mailto:narsi.bahrami@gmail.com fatemeh khonamri & zahra hamzenia the role of task-induced involvement in vocabulary learning of iranian language learners without reading (laufer, 2003; paribakht & wesche, 1997; wesche & paribakht, 2000). in search of any plausible explanation for the superiority of one task over another, researchers claim that the benefits may be attributable to the greater depth of processing (craik & lockhart, 1972). craik and lockhart (1972) launched the concept of depth of processing, which argue that new information will be retained better in long-term memory depending on the depth of information processing. retention does not depend on the length of time that the information is held in short-term memory. on the other hand, when new information is initially processed more deeply, the retention is better. however, there were no definite criteria by which one task was more effective than another. the concept of depth of processing was seriously afflicted with a lack of an operationalizable definition. laufer and hustijn (2001) put forward the idea of the “involvement load hypothesis” in incidental vocabulary learning in order to eliminate the lack. it is a motivational-cognitive construct consisting of three basic components-need, search, and evaluationthat may be present or absent in tasks with varying degrees of prominence. these three factors can be employed to manipulate and measure the involvement load (i.e. depth of processing) which explains the successful retention of unfamiliar words. to compensate for the lack of operationalizable definition of the depth of processing theory (craik and lockhart, 1972), laufer and hustijn (2001) developed the involvement load hypothesis for l2 vocabulary learning. they proposed a motivational-cognitive construct of involvement consisting of three basic components of need, search, and evaluation which can be used to manipulate and measure the involvement load (i.e. depth of processing). they suggested that their hypothesis could explain and predict learners’ success in the retention of unfamiliar words. tasks with different involvement load will lead to different incidental acquisition. in the process of vocabulary acquisition, the higher involvement load is, it is more effective for learners to retain vocabulary than when the involvement load is lower. in other words, the researchers argue that the greater the involvement load, the better the retention. according to hustijn and laufer (2001), the basic contention of involvement load is that retention of unfamiliar words is generally conditional upon the degree of involvement in processing these words (p. 545). they claimed that the degree to which a learner is engaged in cognitive processing does not depend on whether the given task is inputor outputoriented, but on the combination of the three factors, called “involvement load”. the involvement load of a task is measured by the combination of the presence or absence of the three involvement factors. the absence of a factor is marked as a minus (-) or 0, a moderate presence of a factor is a plus (+) or 1, and a strong presence is a double plus (++) or 2. the plusses in the three components are added up into an “involvement index”. in other words, the higher involvement index means that task-induced involvement is deeper. the higher the involvement load, it is usually more effective for learners to gain and to retain vocabulary than the lower involvement load. empirical support for the construct of task-induced involvement english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee comes from the large body of literature on incidental word learning conducted prior to its conception, and from recent studies designed to directly tests the predictions of the involvement load hypothesis. the evidence supports the following claim: tasks that induce greater involvement loads (i.e. tasks with higher degrees of need, search, and evaluation) generally lead to greater gains in short-term and, in some cases, long-term word retention (hulstijn and laufer, 2001; keating, 2008; kim, 2008). other studies (e.g. alamzadeh, 2007; al-hadlaq, 2003; folse, 2006; hui, 2003) also investigated whether tasks with higher involvement load would result in better retention. the results of these studies did not fully support the hypothesis. in other words, one study (alamzade, 2007) indicated that the involvement load hypothesis could not be the only reason for the better retention of words. in hui-fang tu’s (2003) study the difference among the tasks was not statistically significant. an interesting point about the study was that for each task in the two experiments, longer timeon task generally led to better retention. as mentioned earlier, laufer and hustijn (2001) determined the amount of involvement load as sum of the plusses (of need, search and evaluation). however, it is possible that all three components might not be equally important in vocabulary learning. so, hustijn and laufer’s methods for determining the involvement index for different tasks might need to be reexamined (kim, 2008). for instance, a task consisting of moderate need (1), search (1), and no evaluation (0) has the same involvement load (i.e., involvement index = 2) as a task of moderate need (1), no search, and moderate evaluation (1). to the best of our knowledge, no experiment has been conducted directly to evaluate the weight of components in involvement load hypothesis. therefore, the present study aimed first to investigate whether tasks with identical involvement load but different distribution of components induce the same amount of vocabulary learning. put differently, whether search component can compensate the difference of a “plus” in the evaluation component between sentence writing task (++evaluation) and fill-in task (+evaluation). the basic contention, to date, has been that the effectiveness of a task is determined by the involvement load it induces, irrespective of whether the task is input or output oriented. little attention has been paid to the role of input and output in involvement load hypothesis. alamzedeh (2007) investigated whether two tasks, one input and another output, with the same involvement load would lead to similar retention results. the result showed the priority of output task over input task. although two tasks with the same involvement load were employed, she did not take into account the different distribution of components in those tasks. maybe owing to varying distribution of components, it led to superiority of output task. thus further research seemed necessary to answer this question. furthermore, according to waring and takaki (2003), there is rare research into vocabulary gains from reading to ask how long these gains will last. few of vocabulary studies measured long-term retention of vocabulary over one or two weeks’ interval. most of them considered just one or two weeks delay. so, this gap was filled as well by considering one month interval in the present study. method fatemeh khonamri & zahra hamzenia the role of task-induced involvement in vocabulary learning of iranian language learners the subjects of this study were 126 students from nine advanced-level intact classes of kish air institute in the north of iran. they were spread across three branches of kish air institute. the participants were largely young adult learners with an average age of 20. there were three classes in each institute. students within each of the three classes in each institute were randomly assigned to one of the three tasks. so, there were three groups in each institute. to control for the homogeneity of the participants, they were selected from the same level of proficiency. the number of students in each class ranged from 14-16 students. the data were collected during their regularly scheduled class periods. to test their previous knowledge of the words, their course books were checked to make sure that they did not have any prior knowledge of the target words. the instrument employed in this study encompassed a reading text in which the target words occurred, along with four reading comprehension questions of a reading passage, and three (immediate and first and second delayed) posttests. these processes are described in details in the following sections. the reading passage “is an only child a lonely child?” and a set of accompanying comprehension questions were adapted from the textbook active skills for reading (anderson, 2008). this reading passage was employed because the topic was a general one and the participants were assumed to understand the topic. the text contained 618 words and its flesch reading readability measure was 46.1. following the text there were four multiple-choice questions. three tasks with equal involvement load were set to serve the purpose of the current study. tasks 1 and 2 (output) which have equal involvement but a different distribution of components were compared for answering the question whether two tasks with equal involvement load but different distribution of components would yield the same result. tasks 2 and 3 which have identical involvement and similar distribution of components were compared so as to evaluate whether two tasks, one input and another output, with equal involvement load and identical distribution of components would lead to the same result. task 1: sentence writing with target words (output). the students were given a worksheet that included eight target words in a word list with glosses. they were asked to write a sentence with each of the eight target words. the farsi translation and english explanation of the target words were provided in glosses with a phrase as an example (appendix a). no example sentences were given. this was done to guard against the possibility that some students might copy the examples making little changes to them, which would result in less generation (nation, 2001). this task was based on laufer (2003). hulstijn and laufer (2001) argued that the involvement index of this task was 3, including a moderate need, no search, and a strong evaluation. task 2: reading comprehension plus “fillin” (output). students were given a reading text with some multiple-choice comprehension questions in order to answer. target words were deleted from the text, leaving some gaps to be filled in. the target words, with some distractors which did not appear in the original text, were printed in random order (appendix b). the students were asked to use a dictionary and look up the english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee meaning of words. the task was to read the text, find the meaning of target words with the use of dictionary, fill in the gaps with the missing words from the list of words, and answer the comprehension questions. this task was based on laufer (2003) with a difference that in laufer (2003) sentence fill-in task was used. however, in the current study contextualized fill-in was employed. in terms of involvement load, this task induced moderate need, search, and moderate evaluation. therefore, the involvement index was3 (1 + 1 + 1). task 3: reading comprehension plus translation sentences l2-l1 (input). this task was chosen from laufer and girsai (2008). students were provided with the same text in task 2. the target words were highlighted in bold print. after the text there were some sentences, embedded with target words, from the text so that students translated them into l1 (appendix c). the task was to read the sentences, use a dictionary to look up the meaning of the target words, write the translation of sentences into l1 and answer comprehension questions. during the translation task, students were asked to use a dictionary. in view of the involvement load, a translation task embodied the element of need since the words that had to be understood (when translating into l1) were predetermined by the source text. the element of search is present as well. if an l2 word was unfamiliar, learners had to conduct a search for its meaning by dictionary when translating into l1. most importantly, an element of evaluation was necessary to carry out a translation activity. there was usually more than one translation alternative for a given sentence. therefore, when translating, learners had to make a decision as to how each alternative fitted the text they created. task 3 induced moderate need, search, and moderate evaluation. so, the involvement load was 3 (1+ 1+ 1). the experiment was conducted on three separate days over a monthand-a half period. the treatment and immediate vocabulary test were administered on the same day and the first delayed posttest was carried out two weeks later. the second delayed posttest was administered within a one-month interval after the first delayed posttest. the nine experimental groups in the two experiments (two groups in each experiment) were randomly assigned to perform one of the three tasks during regular english class sessions. in the first session students performed tasks and upon completion of the tasks, the worksheets were collected and not returned to the participants. then they were given an immediate posttest designed to measure their initial vocabulary learning. they were demanded to write the meanings of the target words either in farsi or english. in addition, they were asked to indicate whether they had known the words prior to the task. this was our additional check for prior knowledge. none of the three tasks was presented as a vocabulary-learning task, with the first task being introduced as a writing task to evaluate their writing and the last two ones were considered as reading tasks so as to assess their reading comprehension. as in hustijn and laufer’s (2001) study, no time limit was set for working on the tasks. consequently, the nine classes spent approximately 30-35, 25-30, and 1520 minutes accomplishing the translation, fill-in, and sentence writing tasks, respectively. two weeks later, the participants were given an unexpected fatemeh khonamri & zahra hamzenia the role of task-induced involvement in vocabulary learning of iranian language learners delayed posttest in order to measure their retention of vocabulary knowledge. to scrutinize the retention of target words, the second delayed posttest were given within a one-month period after the first delayed one. these posttests were identical except in the order of target words. learners’ vocabulary knowledge of the target words, that is, their receptive knowledge only, was investigated. results anddiscussion the tests were scored by the researchers. a word that was not translated or was wrongly translated received a score of zero. a correct response received 1 point. a semantically approximate response received half a point. if students did not notice the part of speech of words, they received just half a point. for instance, the word “dwindle” was used as a verb in the text; however, they wrote its meaning as a noun. if the learner had a correct response but had also marked the target word as known prior to the experiment, the response was scored as zero. as presented earlier, the four research questions investigated the effect of task type on (a) the initial vocabulary learning and (b) the retention of new vocabulary words of efl students when three tasks with equal involvement were administered. each research question examined one dependent variable: scores on the immediate and two delayed posttests. research questions had the same independent variable: task type. in order to test the four research questions, the data were analyzed using spss version 16.0. initial learning and retention scores of the immediate and two delayed posttests were then submitted to paired t-test. an alpha level of .05 was used for all statistical tests. the mean scores and standard deviations of the immediate and first and second delayed posttests of three tasks in these experiments were also calculated. then to examine the effect of each factor, retention scores were further submitted to paired t-test to find out how great the difference between the task 1 and 2 and also task 2 and 3 is. table 1. number of participants, mean scores, and standard deviations of the immediate, first and second delayed posttests task number immediate posttest first delayed posttest second delayed posttest mean sd mean sd mean sd task 1 42 3.2619 1.56656 .8929 .89399 .7500 .95796 task 2 42 3.5000 1.88058 .7143 .87054 .6429 .94537 task 3 42 2.7024 1.51440 .5952 .91223 .4643 .66619 for answering questions 1 and 2, so as to know whether two tasks with the same involvement load but different distribution of components will yield equal initial and retention of target words, scores were submitted to paired ttest. the results of paired t-test between two output tasks (sentence writing and fill-in) on initial learning of target words revealed a t value of .602 with 41 df. that is not statistically significant at the .05 level. results of paired t-test for the comparison of task 1 and task 2 in first delayed posttest revealed a t value of .931 with 41 df. that is not statistically significant at .05 level. likewise, the results of paired t-test for the comparison of task 1 and task 2 in second delayed posttest revealed a t value of .557 with 41 df. that is not statistically significant at english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the .05 level. thus, we have the evidence to claim that tasks with the same involvement load but different distribution of component lead to similar initial learning and retention of target words. put in another way, it seems that search could fill the difference of a plus in evaluation component between task1 (++ evaluation) and task 2 (+ evaluation). the latter two sections address whether involvement load is the determining factor in task efficacy without regard to whether the task is input or output oriented. so, it is tried to answer these two questions by the comparison between two tasks, one input and another output, with the identical involvement load and the same distribution of components. results of paired t-test for the comparison of task 2 and task 3 on immediate posttest revealed a t value of 2.145 with 41 df. that is statistically significant at .05 level (p< .05). therefore we can claim that output task is more effective than input task in initial vocabulary learning. results of paired t-test on participants' first delayed posttests revealed a t value of .583 with 41 df. that is not statistically significant at the .05 level. likewise, the results of paired t-test on participants' second delayed posttests revealed a t value of .583 with 41 df. that is not statistically significant at the .05 level. the latter two results of this paired t-test on the first and second delayed posttests provide sufficient evidence to support the claim that input and output tasks with the equal involvement load and the identical distribution of components lead to the same retention results. the two experiments described attempted to provide empirical evidence for the involvement load hypothesis in l2 vocabulary acquisition. the purpose of experiment 1 was to examine whether two tasks with the same amount of involvement load but different distribution of components would have similar effects on the initial learning and retention of target words. worded differently, whether search can compensate the difference of a plus in evaluation component between task 1 (++ evaluation) and task2 (+evaluation). the results suggested that the two tasks, with identical involvement loads but different distribution of components, were equally effective in promoting both the initial learning and retention of new words and thus lend support to the involvement load hypothesis. and it seems that search by dictionary could fill the gap between strong and moderate evaluation. finding words through the use of dictionary and evaluating words in order to complete the fill-in task seem very prominent in contributing to the vocabulary learning. according to folse (2006), many educators see fill-in task as a superficial or passive use of vocabulary, especially when compared to writing original sentences. however, this study provided evidence that sentence writing task and fill-in task with equal involvement load but different distribution of components induced the same amount of vocabulary learning. this is in accord with kim’s (2008) study that provided tasks with equal involvement load and the same distribution of components (sentence writing vs. composition writing) would yield similar retention of target words. al-hadlaq (2003) too found the same result stating that sentence writing and fill-in tasks were equally effective in vocabulary learning. laufer (2003) could partially support the involvement load hypothesis with two tasks (i.e., writing sentences with the target words and fill-in sentences with the target words after looking up their meaning). these two fatemeh khonamri & zahra hamzenia the role of task-induced involvement in vocabulary learning of iranian language learners tasks have the same involvement index 3 but have a different distribution of components (i.e., moderate need, no search, and strong evaluation vs. moderate need, search, and moderate evaluation). although there was no significant difference between the sentence fill-in group and the sentence writing group on immediate posttest, the scores of these two groups were significantly different from each other on the delayed posttest, with the sentence fill-in group acquiring higher scores. our result is in accord with the initial learning result of laufer (2003). the result of experiment 1 lent support to the role of dictionary. several studies have investigated the effectiveness of consulting dictionaries for promoting vocabulary learning (cho & krashen, 1994; knight, 1994; luppescu & day, 1993; hulstijn, hollander & greidanus, 1996). analysis showed that when participants in the dictionary group looked up a word, their chances of remembering the word’s meaning were greater. the purpose of experiment 2 was to examine whether two tasks, one inputand another output-oriented, with equal involvement load and similar distribution of component would lead to the same amount of vocabulary learning. the findings of experiment 2 indicated the superiority of fill-in task over translation task in initial vocabulary learning, however, not in retention of new words. one explanation for this result might be related to the procedure of performing translation task. the problem seen during the administration of this task was that students did not listen to the researchers’ instruction. the researchers asked students to read the text and then translate the following sentences by use of dictionary and answer comprehension questions. instead, the participants started by translation of the sentences not reading the text. then they answered four comprehension questions. it is not clear whether the students read the text completely or not. this task should have been performed in two phases. in the first phase it should have asked students to read the text and answer comprehension question then they should have been given the translation task. in answering research question 4, which investigated the retention of new vocabulary knowledge, experiment 2 fully supported the involvement load hypothesis. there was no significant difference between two tasks in the first and second delayed posttests. although, on the immediate posttest, the fill-in group was significantly different from translation group, this difference faded over time. the scores on the first and second delayed posttests indicated that output and input tasks were equally effective in vocabulary learning although the scores on the immediate posttest revealed the priority of output task over input task. one issue observed among the participants was that some students expressed that they were able to remember the meanings of most of the words but were unable to match these meanings with their english counterparts in the posttests. they uttered that the target words were familiar and the meanings of these words were in their minds, however, they could not match the meanings with their english equivalents in the posttests. it reveals that only one time exposure is not enough to consolidate the meaning of the words in students’ memory. in general, processing a new word repeatedly in one or multiple texts has been found to be conducive to incidental word learning english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee (for a review, see paribakht and wesche, 1999; rott, 2005; waring and takaki, 2003). this study involves certain limitations and suggestions for further research, as detailed below. first of all, this study cannot be generalized to other educational settings, as a relatively small number of participants were sampled. second, participants read only one text and word acquisition of only ten words were assessed. therefore, findings cannot be extrapolated to other text types and other word classes. third, some students uttered that they were able to remember the meanings of most of the words but were unable to match these meanings with their english counterparts in the posttests. future studies might employ multiple measures, including recognition tests e.g., multiple choice tests that are more sensitive to small increases in vocabulary knowledge, as illustrated in waring and takaki (2003). overall, the inclusion of different types of vocabulary tests would enhance the credibility of the involvement load hypothesis and would offer more specific information regarding how involvement load contributes to the development of both receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge. forth, in the first experiment, sentence writing task (moderate need, no search, and strong evaluation) was compared with fill-in task (moderate need, search, and moderate evaluation). research is needed to compare two tasks with the same involvement load but differ in distribution i.e. comparing search and moderate evaluation. for example, a task consisting of +need, +search,-evaluation should be compared with a task consisting of +need, -search, +evaluation; or a task consisting of ++need, +search,evaluation should be compared with a task consisting of +need, -search, ++evaluation. fifth, the participants in the current study engaged in each task only once. multiple treatment sections for each task would allow a more definite conclusion regarding the effectiveness of each task on l2 vocabulary acquisition. sixth, hustijn and laufer do not differentiate between the different types of search the students can make. they give equal weight to all kinds of search, such as consulting a bilingual dictionary, consulting a monolingual dictionary, consulting a bilingualized dictionary, asking the teacher and consulting the corpus. every type of search might have different involvement load. future research should be performed to compare tasks with the same amount of involvement, only differ in the types of search administered. seventh, this study could also be replicated with students varying in their levels of proficiency. eighth, as mentioned earlier, in translation group students did not follow researcher’s instruction by starting reading text and then translating sentences by use of dictionary. they started translation sentences without reading the text. experiment 2 should be replicated with a difference that translation task should be administered in two phases. ninth, it would be interesting to find out whether having target words with the same part of speech (e.g., only nouns or only verbs) in the fill-in tasks would generate more evaluation of the target words than having these words mixed with other words of different parts of speech. final suggestion for future research is that two tasks, one at sentence level and another at text level, with the same involvement load and similar distribution of components should be compared. although kim (2008) and al-hadlaq fatemeh khonamri & zahra hamzenia the role of task-induced involvement in vocabulary learning of iranian language learners (2003) performed this research, the result was mixed. conclusion in order to gain better insight and more relevant data, there is an absolute need for experiments that aim to test the hypothesis with a variety of tasks. because the construct of involvement can be operationalized and investigated in a variety of ways, researchers will need to devise tasks with different involvement loads and compare them concerning their effect on vocabulary learning. the current study tried to help fill this research gap, keeping in mind that more precise definitions of the involvement components and more thorough theoretical links between them should be examined further. references alamzedeh, n. (2007) the role of task involvement load on vocabulary acquisition in incidental learning situation. unpublished master’s thesis, mazandaran university, iran. al-hadlaq, m. (2003) retention of words learned incidentally by saudi efl learners through working on vocabulary learning tasks constructed to activate varying depth of processing. unpublished doctorate’s dissertation, ball state university, indiana. anderson, n. j. (2008). active skills for reading. boston: thomson heinle. cho, k. s., and s. d. krashen (1994) acquisition of vocabulary from the sweet valley kids series: adult esl acquisition. journal of reading, 37, 662667 craik, f. i. m., and r. s. lockhart (1972). levels of processing: a framework for memory research. journal of verbal learning and verbal behavior, 11, 671684. de la fuente, m. j. (2002). negotiation and oral acquisition of l2 vocabulary: the roles of input and output in the receptive and productive acquisition of words. studies in second language acquisition, 24, 81–112. ellis, r., and he, x. (1999). the role of modified input and output in the incidental acquisition of word meaning. studies in second language acquisition, 21, 285–301. folse, k. s. (2006). the effect of type of written exercise on l2 vocabulary retention. tesol quarterly, 40, 273– 293. hui-fang, tu. (2003). effects of task-induced involvement on incidental vocabulary learning in a second language. unpublished master’s thesis, taiwan. retrieved from http://www.hss.nthu.edu.tw/~fl/the sis/tesol/905258.pdf hulstijn, j. h., m. hollander, and t. greidanus (1996). incidental vocabulary learning by advanced foreign language students: the influence of marginal glosses, dictionary use, and reoccurrence of unknown words. the modern language journal, 80, 327339. hulstijn, j. h., and b. laufer. (2001). some empirical evidence for the involvement load hypothesis in vocabulary acquisition. language learning, 51, 539– 558. joe, a. (1995) text-based tasks and incidental vocabulary learning: a case study. second language research, 11, 149–158. ----(1998) what effects do text-based tasks promoting generation have on incidental vocabulary acquisition? applied linguistics, 19, 357–377. keating, g. d. (2008). task effectiveness and word learning in a second language: the involvement load hypothesis on trial. language teaching research 12, 365–386. kim, y. (2008) the role of task-induced involvement and learner proficiency in l2 vocabulary acquisition. language learning, 58, 285-325. knight, s. (1994) dictionary use while reading: the effects on comprehension http://www.hss.nthu.edu.tw/~fl/thesis/tesol/905258.pdf english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee and vocabulary acquisition for students of different verbal abilities. the modern language journal, 78, 285– 299. laufer, b. (2001) reading, word-focused activities and incidental vocabulary acquisition in a second language. prospect, 16(3), 44–54. ----(2003)vocabulary acquisition in a second language: do learners really acquire most vocabulary by reading? empirical evidence. canadian modern language review 59, 4: 565-585 laufer, b. (2005) focus on form in second language vocabulary learning. eurosla yearbook, 5, 223–250. laufer, b., and n. girsai. (2008) formfocused instruction in second language vocabulary learning: a case for contrastive analysis and translation. applied linguistics, 29/ 4: 694-716. laufer, b., and j. h. hulstijn. (2001). incidental vocabulary acquisition in a second language: the construct of task-induced involvement. applied linguistics, 22, 1–26. luppescu, s., and r. r. day. (1993). reading, dictionaries, and vocabulary learning. language learning, 43, 263–287. nation, i. s. p. (2001). learning vocabulary in another language. cambridge: cambridge university press. newton, j. (1995). task-based interaction and incidental vocabulary learning: a case study. second language research, 11, 159–177. paribakht, t. s., and m. wesche. (1997). vocabulary enhancement activities and reading for meaning in second language acquisition. in. j. coady, & t. huckin (eds.), second language vocabulary acquisition (pp. 174-200). cambridge: cambridge university press. ----(1999). reading and “incidental” l2 vocabulary acquisition. studies in second language acquisition, 21 (2), 195221. rott, s. (2005). processing glosses: a qualitative exploration of how formmeaning connections are established and strengthened. reading in a foreign language, 17, 95-124. rott, s., and william. j. (2003). making formmeaning connection while reading: a qualitative analysis of word processing. reading in a foreign language, 15, 45-75. waring, r., and m. takaki. (2003). at what rate do learners learn and retain new vocabulary from reading a graded reader? reading in a foreign language, 15(2), 130–163. watanabe, y. (1997). input, intake, and retention: effects of increased processing on incidental learning of foreign language vocabulary. studies in second language acquisition, 19, 287-307. webb, s. (2005). receptive and productive vocabulary learning: the effects of reading and writing on word knowledge. studies in second language acquisition, 27, 33–52. wesche, m., and t. s. paribakht. (2000). reading-based exercises in second language vocabulary learning: an introspective study. the modern language journal 84, 196-213. alamzedeh,n.(2007)theroleoftaskinvolvement english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee figurative language in english stand-up comedy maharani widya putri department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia email: putrimaharaniwidya@gmail.com erwin oktoma department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia email: oktoma09erwin@yahoo.com roni nursyamsu department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia email: roninursyamsu@gmail.com apa citation: putri, m. w., oktoma, e., & nursyamsu, r. (2016). figurative language in english stand-up comedy. english review: journal of english education, 5(1), 115-130 received: 21-10-2016 accepted: 18-11-2016 published: 01-12-2016 abstract: this descriptive qualitative research was about the analysis of figurative language in english stand-up comedy. the purposes of this study were to identify the types of figurative language and to describe the functions of figurative language found in the selected video of stand-up comedy show. the data source was taken from one of selected videos of russell peters stand-up comedy show. russell peters’s speech contained about figurative language in the video is observed. the data were collected through content analysis technique by collecting the verbal language used by russell peters. the first research questions was analyzed by mcarthur (1992) theory and supported by crystal (1994) theory to find out the types of figurative language found in english stand-up comedy. to answer the second research questions about the functions of figurative language found in english stand-up comedy was analyzed by chunqi (2014) theory and suppoted by kokemuller (2001) theory and turner (2016) theory. after analyzing data, it was found that irony was the most dominant figurative language used by russell peters in “russell peters comedy now! uncensored” with 29.94%. it was happened because the kind of topics used by russell peters in that show were about ethnics (canadian, white people, black people, brown people and asian), society case (beating child) and culture (accent and life style of various ethnics in the world, habitual of various ethnics in the world). irony and hyperbole were needed dominantly in the performance, to entertain the audiences in the stand-up comedy show. the function of eleven types of figurative language which were used by russell were concluded. the functions were to amuse people in comedic situations, to expand meaning, to explain abstract emotions, to make sentence interesting represented and give creative additions. keywords : figurative language, stand-up comedy, english stand-up comedy. introduction it has been known for decades that communication can be done with a process of interaction between sender and listener which uses message and produces feedback. then, communication also can be done with just a process of transmitting message from the sender to the listener without a feedback. one way communication is 115 maharani widya putri, erwin oktoma, roni nursyamsu figurative language in english stand-up comedy considered as a special way of communicating because it produced several unique phenomena. fenner (2003) says that “in one-way communication, information is transferred in one direction only from the sender to the listener.” one-way communication is limited because it just occurs in a straight line from sender to listener and get little feedback. as an example, stand-up comedy represents the unique realization of oneway communication. astuti, sada, wardah (2013, p.2) mentions that “...humor and joke transformed into monolog activity and performed which makes any listener and audience enjoy and pleasant that called as stand-up comedy.” in monologue activity, a standup comedian talks to express ideas, experiences, feelings, and opinions in his/her mind. humor can be delivered in particular ways in stand-up comedy. most of stand-up comedy performance is presented in verbal ways because standup comedian relies their performance on their stories to make audiences interested. in term of the language used by stand-up comedian, chunqi (2014, p.276) mentions that “...in a stand-up comedian’s speech, there are figurative language, word play, puns, implication and allusion as the linguistic aspect to make the performance interesting and funny.” figurative language as one of linguistics aspect make the verbal communication used in stand-up comedy become more interesting and stimulate feedback in the form of laughter. in the field of semantic study, it is quite ordinary to do a research about figurative language in literary works because it can be found easily. therefore, conducting a semantic study with different subject becomes very interesting. stand-up comedy research seems to be important in indonesia society now. in line with (papana 2012) as cited in (fitri, 2013, p.22) states that “stand up comedy has been popular in indonesia for the last two years, since kompas tv held a stand-up comedy indonesia competition in september 2011 and brought this comedy show successfully into public.” so, if this research can reveal one of unique phenomena in stand-up comedy, this study will be useful for indonesia society who like watching stand-up comedy. based on the background above, the writer would like to answer the following questions: “what are the types of figurative language found in the selected video of stand-up comedy show?” and “what are the functions of figurative language found in the selected video of stand-up comedy show?” based on the research questions above, the objectives of this research are, as follows: to identify the types of figurative language found in the selected video of stand-up comedy show and to describe the functions of figurative language found in the selected video of stand-up comedy show. method descriptive qualitative method is used in this research. cresswell (2012, p.247) mentions that, “description involves a detailed rendering of information about people, places, or events in a setting.” the types of figurative language in the selected video of stand-up comedy show are described in detail in this research. the selected video of russell peters stand-up comedy show “russell peters comedy now! uncensored” used as the data source in this research. the url of the video is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c pyyt0tmqjk which is published on 116 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee march 11th, 2012. the duration of the video was 00:45:07. russell peters’s speech which contains about figurative language in the video is observed by the writer. based on techniques of collecting data by kothari (2004, p.110), content analysis is used in this research. kothari (2004, p.110) states that “the analysis of content is a central activity whenever one is concerned with the study of the nature of the verbal materials.” the verbal language used by stand-up comedian in stand-up comedy show is analyzed by the writer to collect the data. the processes in collecting the data are; first, the video is watched by the writer then russell peters’s speech is transcribed. after that, each of russell peters’s speech which has an indication to be figurative language is classified. after finding the occurrences of figurative language in the data source, the first step in the analyzing process to answer research questions is identifying the types of figurative languages found by using the theory of figurative language by mcarthur (1992). crystal’s theory (1994) also used to support and to analyze russell peters’s speech which can’t be analyzed by mcarthur’s theory (1992). from the theory, not only the most dominant figurative language in the selected video of russell peters’s stand-up comedy show will be shown. but also the functions of figurative language found in the selected video of russell peters’s stand-up comedy show will be revealed clearly. in order to reveal the function of figurative language found in the selected video of russell peters’s stand-up comedy show, chunqi’s theory (2014) will be used. kokemuller’s theory (2001) and turner’s theory (2016) also will be used to support chunqi’s theory (2014). results and discussion after analyzed the data, for the first research question it was answered that there were found 167 (one hundred and sixty seven) utterance contained of figurative language. mcarthur (1992) proposed fourteen types of figurative language; alliteration, chiasmus, euphemism, hyperbole, idiom, irony, litotes, metaphor, metonymy, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, paradox, personification and simile. in the selected video of russell peters stand-up comedy show, it was found eleven types of figurative languages. each figurative languages types found in the selected video of russell peters’s stand-up comedy show counted by using frequency of cummulative formula by subana as cited in (oktoma, & mardiyono, 2013, p. 79). where: fk = frequency of cumulative (the number of occurences of figurative language types) σf = frequency of total (the number of the whole occurences of figurative language types) fk rel = frequency of relative cumulative (the result of percentages) subana as cited in (oktoma, & mardiyono, 2013, p. 79) the classification and percentage of figurative language used in the video of russell peters – comedy now! uncensored (2006) stand-up comedy show could see in the table 4.4 types of figurative language and occurrences found in russell peters – comedy now! uncensored (2006) below: fk rel = 𝐅𝐊 𝚺𝐅 x 100% 117 maharani widya putri, erwin oktoma, roni nursyamsu figurative language in english stand-up comedy table 1. types of figurative language and occurrences found in russell peters – comedy now! uncensored (2006) no. figurative language number of occurrences percentage 1. alliteration 7 4.20% 2. chiasmus 8 4.80% 3. euphemism 4. hyperbole 40 23.95% 5. idiom 9 5.38% 6. irony 50 29.94% 7. litotes 2 1.20% 8. metaphor 3 1.80% 9. metonymy 18 10.77% 10. onomatopoeia 16 9.58% 11. oxymoron 12. paradox 13. personification 3 1.80% 14. simile 11 6.58% total 167 100% from the table above, it was shown that in the video of russell peters – comedy now! uncensored (2006) standup comedy show, there were found 11 (eleven) types of figurative languages. the types were alliteration, chiasmus, hyperbole, idiom, irony, litotes, metaphor, metonymy, onomatopoeia, personification, and simile. euphemism, oxymoron and paradox were not found in the video of russell peters – comedy now! uncensored (2006) stand-up comedy show. from the table above, it could be known the number of occurrences of figurative language in the video of russell peters – comedy now! uncensored (2006) stand-up comedy show. there were only 167 types of figurative language which were found in the russell peters’ utterances. there were 7 utterances (4.20%) belonging to alliteration, 8 utterances (4.80%) belonging to chiasmus, 40 utterances (23.95%) belonging to hyperbole, 9 utterances (5.38%) belonging to idiom, 50 utterances (29.94%) belonging to irony, 2 utterances (1.20%) belonging to litotes, 3 utterances (1.80%) belonging to metaphor, 18 utterances (10.77 %) belonging to metonymy, 16 utterances (9.58%) belonging to onomatopoeia, 3 utterances (1.80%) belonging to personification and 11 utterances (6.58%) belonging to simile. the most dominant of figurative language was irony with the number of occurrences was 50 (29.94%). the less figurative language was litotes with the number of occurrences was 2 (1.20%). in the video of russell peters – comedy now! uncensored (2006) standup comedy show, russell peters used irony as the most figurative language used in his show. in his show, russell wanted to deliver his stories in stand-up comedy in unique way by make an irony statement almost in every utterance. as chunqi (2014, p.227) states that “irony is often taken as a common and incisive device for amusing people in comedic situations.” hyperbole also took in the 118 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee second place as the most dominant of figurative language use by russell peters in 40 utterances (23.95%). chunqi (2014, p.227) also adds that “...hyperboles creates a humorous effect by directing a satirical implication at a person who is in a superior social status. by using the hyperboles, the joke becomes indirect and less aggressive in attacking the target.” in the video of russell peters – comedy now! uncensored (2006) standup comedy show, russell told various topics in society. “stand-up comedy function not only to entertain people but also to present various current issues and topics ranging from ethnicity, gender, politics, to those considered taboo” (setyaningsih, 2013, p.145). the topics were about ethnics (canadian, white people, black people, brown people and asian), society case (beating child) and culture (accent and life style of various ethnics in the world, habitual of various ethnics in the world). russell used irony to express something by using sarcastic expression. “...words with an implication opposite to their usual meaning, ironic comment may be humorous or mildly sarcastic” (mcarthur, 1992, p.532). irony statement was used by russell to tell about ethnic and culture stories to amuse people in the comedic situations. hyperbole was used to create an extra effect for comedy statement. “hyperbole is a rhetorical term for exaggeration or overstatement, usually deliberate and not meant to be taken (too) literally” (mcarthur, 1992, p.491). hyperbole was used by russell to tell stories about society case. so, irony and hyperbole were needed dominantly in the performance, to entertain the audiences in the stand-up comedy show. to answer the second research question, in order to reveal the function of figurative language found in the video of russell peters comedy now! uncensored stand-up comedy show, chunqi’s theory (2014) was used. kokemuller’s theory (2001) and turner’s theory (2016) also was used to support chunqi’s theory (2014). kokemuller (2001) has given a description about what are the purposes of figurative language in communication. figurative language plays a major role in compelling literary works. figurative language is a contrast to literal language. its primary purpose is to force readers to imagine or intuit what an author means with an expression or statement. applying the right element in making specific points in writing is necessary to make figurative language work. regardless the tool, figurative language strengthens or makes a point more compelling and effective (kokemuller, 2001). chunqi (2014) explains the finding from his journal about the function of figurative language in stand-up comedy. the functions were hyperbole used to exaggerate reality by carrying beyond the boundaries of rational thought, irony was often taken to infer the speaker’s intention and to amuse people in comedic situations, the last simile used to make analogy statement in stand-up comedy more interesting and unexpected to the live audience. in this present study, various types of figurative languages were used because of particular function. the function of figurative language found in the selected russell’s stand-up comedy show presented below: 1. alliteration the first function of figurative language in stand-up comedy which will be presented is alliteration. alliteration is sound device in figurative language. “alliteration is terms in rhetoric, poetics, and general usage for the repetition of 119 maharani widya putri, erwin oktoma, roni nursyamsu figurative language in english stand-up comedy the same sound, usually an initial consonant such as the/in 'fixed fate, free will, foreknowledge absolute'” (mcarthur, 1992, p.29). in stand-up comedy, alliteration is used to give creative additions. in line with kokemuller (2001), alliteration is used to give an image in the form of playing sound to deliver stories. by using alliteration in telling the stories, the audiences will think that the stories is more interesting than usual stories because alliteration gives sound phenomenon in communication. one of alliterations which be the sample was: utterance 75 (20:17) • i went to italy.. the italians thought i was italian. russell used the repetition ly, lians and lians in the word ‘italy’ in one sentence to give creative additions in telling the stories. as we know, a stand-up comedian used a limited properties in stand-up comedy performance. one of ways that can they use to make their stories is catched by the audiences by playing the word in telling the stories. in the show, russell wanted to show his skill in telling the stories interesting by making a sentence which full with alliteration word. 2. chiamus the second function of figurative language in stand-up comedy which will be presented is chiamus. according to mcarthur (1992, p.209) “chiasmus in rhetoric is an inversion of word order that creates a counterbalancing effect in the second of two linked phrases.” chiasmus is a figure of speech in figurative language which represents word play like alliteration. the differences are alliteration hold the role of figurative language on the same sound or consonant in the word but chiasmus hold the role on the balance structure between two sentences. one of chiasmuses which be the sample was: utterance 10 (03:40) • “you know, it’s not so much a problem. it’s a problem if you want it to be problem.” in that sentence, russell made a sentence or phrase in which the order of some words in the first sentence or phrase is reversed in the sentence or the phrase that follow. the arrangement of words, phrases and clauses were reversed with a phrase or clause that follows. if we heard a stand-up comedian used chiasmus like the exmaple above, it seemed to be more interesting and easy listening because it used balancing structure. in order to make the statement was interesting to speak, chiasmus as one of types in figurative language can be used. the way chiasmus represents two sentences in the complete sentence which has different meaning makes chiasmus can be used to make the word was interesting represented. so, chiamsus used by stand-up comedian to make sentence represented interesting. 3. hyperbole the third function of figurative language in stand-up comedy which will be presented is hyperbole. in stand-up comedy show, russell used hyperbole to make a dramatic effect in his utterance because of overstatement word. in line with mcarthur (1992, p.491) states that “hyperbole is a rhetorical term for exaggeration or overstatement, usually deliberate and not meant to be 120 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee taken (too) literally.” one of hyperboles which be the sample was: utterance 29 (07:27) • “indian people has been in south africa for like six, seven generations now.” the sentence was overstatement word. how can russell peters know that indian people lived in south africa until seven generations while he was born in 70’s. chunqi (2014) explains that the function of hyperbole used in stand-up comedy is to exaggerate reality by carrying beyond the boundaries of rational thought. in line with what kokemuller (2001) says that “some figurative language is used to expand beyond the literal narrative in the story. hyperbole is a grossly exaggerated or excessive claim.” by overstating the word, audience’s mind will be opened because the meaning of the word has been expanded from the ordinary word. so, in stand-up comedy hyperbole used to expand meaning. 4. idiom the fourth function of figurative language in stand-up comedy which will be presented is idiom. idiom is a figure of speech in figurative language which represents uniquely. “an expression unique to a language, especially one whose sense is not predictable from the meanings and arrangement of its elements” (mcarthur, 1992, p.497). in stand-up comedy, idiom used to make the audiences think deeply about what of stand-up comedian real utterance meaning. therefore, they will be curious and impressed because of the moral lesson in idiom sentence itself. idiom has a same function like hyperbole, because the word which is used is not ordinary and has more meaning. one of idioms which be the sample was: utterance 12 (04:22) • “i wouldn’t want my mom to pick my clothes!” that sentence means russell has been adult and know what he can do and choose for his life. the sentence was trying to make a word has more than one meaning. by using that sentence, audience’s will be interested, focussed and trying to interpret the sentence because the sentence has an expand meaning function. so, idiom used to expand meaning. 5. irony the fifth function of figurative language in stand-up comedy which will be presented is irony. “...words with an implication opposite to their usual meaning, ironic comment may be humorous or mildly sarcastic” (mcarthur, 1992, p.532). in that standup comedy show, most of irony statement told about the way russell gave an ironic statement when he told stories about ethnic cases between chinese people and indian people, white people and black people etc. one of ironies which be the sample was: utterance 47 (11:37) • “chinese people and indian people cannot do business together. cos indian cannot live without a bargain and chinese people cannot give you a bargain.” that sentence heard sarcasm but humorous. because of indian people and chinese have same characteristic they can convince someone to be wrong in selling and buying event. 121 maharani widya putri, erwin oktoma, roni nursyamsu figurative language in english stand-up comedy so, they couldn’t be united in selling and buying event. russell wanted to amuse audiences by stating the popular issue in the society in that moment in ironic way. as the result, almost the audiences involved in the room and laugh although russell told stories about certain ethnics issue in ironic way. so, the function of irony in stand-up comedy here were to infer the speaker’s intention and to amuse people in comedic situations. 6. litotes the sixth function of figurative language in stand-up comedy which will be presented is litotes. litotes is a figure of speech in figurative language which almost has same function like irony. “litotes is a positive and often emphatic statement made by denying something negative” (mc.arthur, 1992, p.622). litotes is an ironic understatement that uses a negative statement. it is the opposite of irony. if the irony states something bad with the good statement in ironic way, litotes states something good by using negative statement in order to make the statement friendly and down to earth. one of litoteses which be the sample was: utterance 107 (27:21) • “we know it’s not the coolest accent in the world, you know” that sentence showed understatement of the word which tells about that indian people knew their accent was unique when they use english. russell used negative statement to tell audience that indian accent is not full bad, it is just unique and different from others. the statement is used more humble than in irony by understatement the word. litotes in that stand-up comedy almost has a same function but they have a different role. litotes is more positive than irony although it uses understatement word. so the function of litotes is similar like irony. it used to infer the speaker’s intention and to amuse people in comedic situations. 7. metaphor the seventh function of figurative language in stand-up comedy which will be presented is metaphor. metaphor is one of rhetorical devices in figurative language which uses comparison statement to make the word is interpreted clearly. “a figure of speech which concisely compares two things by saying that one is the other” (mcarthur, 1992, p.653). kokemuller (2001) states that using metaphor and simile is a simple way making a statement about a person, place or thing interpreted clearly. these tools allow you to make the point by comparing one thing to another. by using metaphor, a sentence will be created lively and will make audiences understand easily about satnd-up comedian word. when audiences seemed to be easier in comprehending stand-up comedian speech, the situation will be created between audiences and standup comedian is more lively. one of metaphors which be the sample was: utterance 164 (40:45) • “yes i can. she’s a jackass.” in that sentence, russell tried to compare ryan’s mother with jackass although the comparison word (like, as) was not shown. the example showed that by using figurative some utterances in a language would be presented in expressive way because it uses the broader word. so, it will be 122 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee clearer than the bland statement. by using figurative some utterances in a language would be presented in expressive way because it used the broader word. it would be clearer than the bland statement. so, the function of metaphor was to make a life of stand-up speech in stand-up comedy performance. 8. metonymy the eighth function of figurative language in stand-up comedy which will be presented is metonymy. crystal (1994) says in metonymy, symbol of a language or something is used. “metonymy is used to present a moral lesson or broader point by having a noun in the story represent something beyond the story” (kokemuller, 2001). one of metonimies which be the sample was: utterance 36 (09:36) • “glad to see brown people in the audience.” brown in that statement refered to indian people. when russell said ‘brown people’ in that statement, the audiences would think who is brown people. so, audiences will try to extend their thought about that reference. it means the function of metonymy in stand-up comedy is to expand meaning. 9. onomatopoeia the ninth function of figurative language in stand-up comedy which will be presented is onomatopoeia. as we know, figurative language was used in literary works in order to make the language become imaginative and give different insight. because of that, the purpose of giving a creative addition in here was needed. in creative works, some figurative language tools simply increase the creativity of the writing. imagery is one of the simpler elements to understand. it is the use of descriptive, expressive language to give the reader a mental image (kokemuller, 2001). in the onomatopoeia utterances, russell showed his skill in mimicking many accents of some ethnics in the world. one of onomatopoeias which be the sample was: utterance 129 (30:57) • cause you’re saying stuff like “fuuuckkk asss!” (with donkey sound) “buuuulshiiit!” “yee haw! yee haw!” in that statement, russell was mimicking donkey’s sound when he told about the way canadian people curse to someone. it sounded like donkey sound. by using that sound, russell was seen to give a creative addition to his stories. so, his stories will draw audience’s attention. by showing that skill, it is shown that the function of onomatopoeia is to give a creative addition. 10. personification the tenth function of figurative language in stand-up comedy which will be presented is personification. like in “metonymy is used to present a moral lesson or broader point by having a noun in the story represent something beyond the story” (kokemuller, 2001). “personification is used to give human qualities to an object or animal” (kokemuller, 2001). personification helps to relate ideas and objects to people, allowing an author to convey his meaning more effectively. one of personifications which be the sample was: 123 maharani widya putri, erwin oktoma, roni nursyamsu figurative language in english stand-up comedy utterance 131 (31:33) • “this is nice room tonight, you know.” in that statement ‘room’ as inaminate object is given human characteristics by using ‘nice’ word. russell tried to give an image about his feeling in that show when he saw many people in stand-up comedy show’s room. turner (2016) says that “figurative language can be used, however, to explain abstract emotions such as love, grief, envy and happiness. besides to expand meaning, personification used in stand-up comedy to explain abstract emotions when a stand-up comedian in telling story. if it concluded, the function of personification in stand-up comedy was to expand meaning and to explain abstract emotions. 11. simile the eleventh function of figurative language in stand-up comedy which will be presented is simile. simile uses a form of comparison in which one thing is compared to another unlike thing by using specific words of comparison like: like, as in order to explain the word clearly by comparing it to another. simile has a similar function like metaphor. but difference is the using of comparison word is in direct or indirect way. one both of the examples made the bland statements become colorful because it was presented in expressive way. one of similes which be the sample was: utterance 130 (31:00) • “white people, when you swear you sound like donkeys” that sentence showed the way russell wanted to make the situations in the stand-up comedy show’s live by using simile word. he stimulated audience’s attention by making comaprison word. in line with chunqi (2014) says that simile is used to make analogy statement in standup comedy more interesting and unexpected to the live audience. so, the function of simile in stand-up comedy is to a life of stand-up speech in stand-up comedy performance. from the explanation above, it was concluded and found that the functions of figurative language used in stand-up comedy are: first, alliteration and onomatopoeia were used to give a creative addition. second, the function of chiamus was to make sentence represented in interesting way. third, hyperbole, idiom, metonymy and personification were used to expand meaning and to explain abstract emotions. fourth, irony and litotes were used to infer the speaker’s intention and to amuse people in comedic situations. fifth, simile and metaphor were used to make a life of stand-up comedy speech in stand-up comedy performance. as mentioned before, this research tried to reveal the analysis of figurative language in english stand-up comedy. stand-up comedy show video which was used as the data source was the video of russell peters – comedy now! uncensored (2006) stand-up comedy show. in that video, russell used various form of figurative languages to make his utterances was interesting. to reveal figurative language phenomenon, in this subsections the writer tried to explain clearly the conclusion and the discussion which were gotten from the finding data in this present study. after analyzing the data, it was concluded that both of main research questions answered clearly. the first research question which told about types 124 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee of figurative language were used in standup comedy were figured out. by using mcarthur’s theory (1992) and crystal’s theory (1994), there were found eleven types of figurative language from 167 utterance. the types were alliteration, chiasmus, hyperbole, idiom, irony, litotes, metaphor, metonymy, onomatopoeia, personification and simile. euphemism, oxymoron and paradox were not found in the video of russell peters – comedy now! uncensored (2006) stand-up comedy show. the most dominant of figurative language was irony with the number of occurrences was 50 (29.94%) and the less figurative language was litotes with the number of occurrences was 2 (1.20%). in the video of russell peters – comedy now! uncensored (2006) standup comedy show, russell peters used irony as the most figurative language used in his show. probably, russell used an ironic statement as the most dominant figurative language in his speech because he has a particular purpose and wanted to deliver his stories in stand-up comedy show in unique way. in line with what chunqi (2014) states that joe wong as one of stand-up comedian in his research used the most frequently figurative language like irony, hyperbole to convey ironies expression about ethnic and culture topic, to attract audience’s attention and to provoke laughter. hyperbole took in the second place as the most dominant of figurative language used by russell peters in 40 utterances (23.95%). by using the hyperboles also, probably the joke becomes indirect and less aggressive in attacking the target. in the video of russell peters – comedy now! uncensored (2006) stand-up comedy show, russell told various topics in society. the topics were about ethnics (canadian, white people, black people, brown people and asian), society case (beating child) and culture (accent and life style of various ethnics in the world, habitual of various ethnics in the world). russell told about ethnic topic by using general characteristic, like white people, brown people, etc. in stand-up comedy, the techniques is called as stereotypes ethnic. in line with setyaningsih (2013), in her journal about ethnic stereotypes in stand-up comedy, she stated that to minimize the negative impact in telling ethnic issue in stand-up comedy show, ethnic stereotypes could be used to make the jokes more smooth. in this present study, figurative language in the form irony and hyperbole used to make ethnic issue stories told in safe way but still invited audiences to laugh. by using ethnic topics and mix with irony statement and positive hyperbole statement, russell hoped that expression could draw audience’s attention in safe way. in conclusion, probably when russell told about ethnic topic in irony way and hyperbole way, the jokes becomes smooth and indirect but still make audience to laugh and draw audience’s attention. because of that, irony is used dominantly by russell peters in his stand-up comedy show. litotes was the less figurative language used by russell peters in that stand-up comedy. litotes is an ironic understatement that uses a negative statement. it is the opposite of irony. if the irony states something bad with the good statement in ironic expression, litotes states something good by using negative statement in order to make the statement friendly and down to earth. in that stand-up comedy, russell didn’t tell much his stories in litotes way perhaps because his main topics in that stand-up comedy show were about ethnics. he wanted to tell it much in ironic way than in litotes way to make the stories became 125 maharani widya putri, erwin oktoma, roni nursyamsu figurative language in english stand-up comedy funnier in front of the audiences. so, litotes became the less figurative language which was used in russell peters – comedy now! uncensored (2006) stand-up comedy show. the second research question which told about the functions of figurative language were used in standup comedy were figured out. all of function of stand-up comedy could be concluded by using chunqi’s theory (2014) and supported by kokemuller’s theory (2001) and turner’s theory (2016). in his journal, chunqi (2014) told about linguistic perspective used by two standup comedian in delivering humour on the stage. one of stand-up comedian there, used figurative language to make his performance draw audience attention and make audience to laugh. in his journal, it was found that just irony, hyperbole, simile and metaphor were types of figurative language that could make jokes became funny. moreover, the function of figurative language which were found were just limited to the fourth types. in this present study, because 11 (eleven) types of figurative language were found, this present study was developed from chunqi’s journal (2014). the function of eleven types of figurative language which were used by russell was concluded. the functions are to amuse people in comedic situations, to expand meaning, to explain abstract emotions, to make sentence represented in interesting way and give creative additions. each function was shown in different types of figurative language used by russell peters. the first function is shown through the using of irony and litotes in that stand-up comedy. most of irony statement in that stand-up comedy told about the way russell gave an ironic statement when he told stories about ethnic cases between chinese people and indian people, the function of irony and litotes in stand-up comedy here were to infer the speaker’s intention and to amuse people in comedic situations. the next function can be found in the using of hyperbole, metonymy and personification. the function of hyperbole, idiom, metonymy and personification were to expand meaning. when telling about ethnic stories, each functions of figurative language were shown clearly. beside to expand meaning, figurative language also can be used to explain abstract emotions and creative additions in the speech of standup comedian. the next function can be shown through the using of metaphors and similes. metaphors and similes in russell’s utterance made the bland statements become colorful because it is presented in expressive way. by using figurative some utterances in a language would be presented in expressive way because it used the broader word. it would be clearer than the bland statement. so, the function of simile and metaphor here were to make a life of stand-up speech in stand-up comedy performance. the next function can be shown through the using of chiasmus. russell made a chiasmus sentence or phrase in which the order of some words in the first sentence or phrase is reversed in the sentence or the phrase that follow. the arrangement of words, phrases and clauses were reversed with a phrase or clause that follows. if we heard a standup comedian used chiasmus, it seemed to be more interesting and easy listening because it used balancing structure. so, the function of chiasmus is to make sentence represented in interesting way. the last function could be shown through the using of onomatopoeia and alliteration in that stand-up comedy show. as we know, figurative language was used in literary works in order to 126 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee make the language become imaginative and give different insight. because of that, the purpose of onomatopoeia and alliteration in that stand-up comedy were to give a creative addition. conclusion this study investigates figurative language in english stand-up comedy show. figurative language as one of the communication strategies is used by people to express the inner feeling and to make the communication more expressive, imaginative and colorful. after analyzing one of selected videos of russell peters’s stand-up comedy show in chapter 4, the writer found many particular ways and complex sentences to express the conclusion. the conclusion is based on the research question, that is what are types of figurative language found in stand-up comedy and what are the functions of figurative language used in stand-up comedy. from this study, it is concluded that russell as the stand-up comedian in the selected video of stand-up comedy used various figurative language. there were 11 (eleven) types of figurative language which were used. the types were alliteration, chiasmus, hyperbole, idiom, irony, litotes, metaphor, metonymy, onomatopoeia, personification and simile. from 167 utterance contained figurative language, there were 7 utterances (4.20%) belonging to alliteration, 8 utterances (4.80%) belonging to chiasmus, 40 utterances (23.95%) belonging to hyperbole, 9 utterances (5.38%) belonging to idiom, 50 utterances (29.94%) belonging to irony, 2 utterances (1.20%) belonging to litotes, 3 utterances (1.80%) belonging to metaphor, 18 utterances (10.77 %) belonging to metonymy, 16 utterances (9.58%) belonging to onomatopoeia, 3 utterances (1.80%) belonging to personification and 11 utterances (6.58%) belonging to simile. from the percentage above we can see that the most dominant of figurative language was irony with the number of occurrences was 50 (29.94%). the less figurative language was litotes with the number of occurrences was 2 (1.20%). russell peters used irony as the most figurative language used in his show. russell wanted to deliver his stories in stand-up comedy show in unique way by make an irony statement combined with positive hyperbole statement almost in every utterance. hyperbole also took in the second place as the most dominant of figurative language use by russell peters in 40 utterances (23.95%). by using the hyperboles, the joke becomes indirect and less aggressive in attacking the target. in the video of russell peters – comedy now! uncensored (2006) standup comedy show, russell told various topics in society. the topics were about ethnics (canadian, white people, black people, brown people and asian), society case (beating child) and culture (accent and life style of various ethnics in the world, habitual of various ethnics in the world). russell told about ethnic topic in irony way and hyperbole way, to make the jokes becomes smooth and indirect. because of that, irony is used dominantly by russell peters because he wanted to attract audience attention. in conclusion, probably by using ethnic topics and mix with irony statement and positive hyperbole statement, russell hoped that expression could draw audience’s attention, made the irony statement become smooth and provoked audience’s laughter. litotes was the less figurative language used by russell peters in that stand-up comedy. in that stand-up comedy, russell didn’t tell much his stories in litotes way because his main topics in that stand-up comedy show 127 maharani widya putri, erwin oktoma, roni nursyamsu figurative language in english stand-up comedy were telling about ethnics issue in interesting way. he wanted to tell it much in ironic way than in litotes way to make the stories became funnier in front of the audiences. the functions of figurative language found in the selected video of stand-up comedy are: alliteration and onomatopoeia were used to give a creative addition in russell’s utterance. chiasmus was used to make sentence interesting represented. hyperbole, idiom, metonymy and personification were used to expand meaning. irony and litotes were used to infer the speaker’s intention and to amuse people in comedic situations. simile and metaphor were used to make a life of stand-up speech in stand-up comedy performance. thus, figurative language in this world has various types. the types can be found in people communication. that language is used to make word widely described and to give a special effect to listener. many functions and reason can be found when someone uses figurative language in communication. the functions itself can come from the situation in communication, etc. but the most domminant function is created from the needs of people itself in communication. references anonymous. figurative language, retrieved from http://figurativelanguage.net/ anonymous. russell peters comedy now uncensorred (2006). retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= cpyyt0tmqjk anonymous. russell peters. retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/russe ll_peters astuti, p., sada, c., & wardah. (2013). an analysis of students’ perception towards stand-up comedy in speaking spoof monologue. english language education study program of fkip untan. 1-13. retrieved from jurnal.untan.ac.id/index.php/jpdpb/a rticle/view/6872. chunqi, l. (2014). two immigrant humor styles of stand-up comedy (a linguistic perspective). international conference on education, language, art and intercultural communication (icelaic 2014), 176 279. hebei vocational college of foreign languages, qinhuandao china: atlantis press. retrieved from http://www.atlantispress.com/php/download_paper.php %3fid%3d12518&ved=0ahukewig38 2kpnmahuckpqkhyvbahmqfggc maa&usg=afqjcnhsjufkhyx6am tgchfjxd8gbic6xa&sig2=blbbdet1 jaetms1gdnn6ig cresswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: fourth edition. lincoln: univesity of nebraska. crystal, d. (1994). the cambridge encyclopedia of the english language. new york: cambridge university press. fenner, s. (2003). one way communication: definition, advantages & example. retrieved from http://www.study.com/academy/les son/one-way-communicationdefinition-advantages-examples.html fitri, f.r. (2013). discourse of chinese indonesia in ernest prakasa’s show in stand-up comedy. alussion publication, 2(2), 21-28. retrieved from journal.unair.ac.id. kokemuller, n. (2001). what’s the purpose of figurative language. retrieved from http://classroom.synonym.com/what s-purpose-figurative-language21752.html kothari, c.r. (2004). research methodology (second revised edition). new age international. mcarthur, t. (1992). the oxford companion to the english language. new york: oxford university press. 128 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee oktoma, e., & mardiyono, s. (2013). the analysis of presupposition in the short stories of silvester goridus sukur. english review: journal of english education, 2(1), 76-86. setyaningsih, n. (2013). ethnic stereotypes in stand-up comedy. faculty of humanities, dian nuswantoro university, semarang. prosiding the 5th international conference on indonesian studies “ethnicity and globalization.” 144 – 157. retrieved from https://iccssis.files.wordpress.com/20 13/09/2013-0213.pdf&ved=0ahukew19tvbwlmahwbri8khvjdcskqfggamaa& usg=afqjcnfiiwmu7ledu_ro_hstg 9d0fffsza&sig2=x07bv_dvlc6nbvv k7o3wpq turner, l. l. (2016). what’s the purpose of figurative language. retrieved from http://education.seattlepi.com/whats -purpose-figurative-language5137.html yuri. a, r., & rosa, r. n. (2013). an analysis of types of figurative language used in internet advertisement. fbs universitas negeri padang, 72 – 79. retrieved from ejournal.unp.ac.id 129 maharani widya putri, erwin oktoma, roni nursyamsu figurative language in english stand-up comedy duck a duck walks into a feed store and asks, "got any duck feed?" the clerk tells him, "no, we don't have a market for it so we don't carry it." the duck says, "okay," and leaves. the next day, the duck again walks in to the feed store and asks, "got any duck feed?" again the clerk says no and the duck leaves. next day, the duck once again walks in, and asks, "got any duck feed?" the clerk says, "i've told you twice, we don't have duck feed, we've never had duck feed and we never will have duck feed. if you ask me again, i'll nail your feet to the floor." the duck leaves. the next day, the duck walks in and asks, "got any nails?" "no." "got any duck feed?" (source: http://www.study-express.ru/humour/funny-stories.shtml 130 209 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee pictures for improving indonesian efl students’ speaking competence muhammad aprianto budie nugroho department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education the university of kuningan, indonesia e-mail: aprianto_uniku@yahoo.com apa citation: nugroho, m. a. b. (2014). pictures for improving indonesian efl students’ speaking competence. english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 0-0 received: 01-03-2014 accepted: 30-03-2013 published: 01-06-2014 abstract: the purpose of this study is to investigate whether to what extent pictures can improve students’ speaking competence. it was carried out at sman in cigugur for three months. the subject of the research was the students of sman in cigugur in the academic year 2012/2013. the research method was classroom research and it was conducted in two cycles. the data was collected through interview, observation, diaries, document and test. the qualitative data were analyzed by using constant comparative method. while the quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive statistic to calculate the mean scores of pre-test, test, and post-test. the research findings show pictures can improve the students’ speaking competence by indicating their speaking fluency, appropriate vocabularies, grammatical sentences, and good pronunciation. the advantages of pictures were also shown by the classroom situation, i.e.: during the speaking class the students can answer teacher’s questions; the students had courage to express their idea freely; the speaking activities was not limited in the written way; and their attention in speaking class. keywords: speaking, pictures, students’ competence introduction of all languages, speaking competence plays necessary role in learning and understanding the language. widowson (1978) says that speaking has two meanings. first, it refers to the manner in which language is manifested. second, it refers to the manner in which language is realized in communication. to acquire of speaking skills of language, motivation is really needed (finochiro 1976). students come to study of foreign language in high school in strong convictions that “language” means “an instrument of communication”. students who are able to speak the language feel great sense of satisfaction and his attitude toward language learning is more enthusiastic. according to richard (1994: 182), the competence on listening and speaking deals with the skills sound of discrimination, extracting information, and prediction, in order to specific functions. the skills also included those of determining and using register to suit different audiences, and for different purposes, so that students are able to fully participate in conversation and discussions. based on richard’s (1994) idea, good speakers are ideally defined as those who speak nicely, efficiently, and articulately, as well as using effective voice projection. furthermore, speaking is linked to success in life, as it occupies an important position both individually and socially. therefore, speaking is the most common and important means of providing communication among human beings. based on the observation toward students of sman cigugur, kuningan, there are several problems arise the low ability in speaking which is indicated as follows: (1) the students encountered difficulties in using appropriate words muhammad aprianto budie nugroho pictures for improving indonesian efl students’ speaking competence 210 for their monologue; (2) students could not pronounce the english word well; (3) students had problems with their fluency, especially they experienced ‘communication breakdown’ in performing monologue and; (4) students produced ungrammatical sentences. the classroom situation in speaking class showed that the atmosphere was not alive this situation was indicated by the following situations: (1) the students cannot answer teacher’s questions. when the teacher asks questions to the students, they just smile and keep silent. (2) the students shy and unwilling to speak, they always avoid the speaking turn by pointing to others to speak. (3) the speaking practice was limited with many activities in the written form. (4) the students have difficulties to focus their attention on speaking class, they usually busy talking each other. there are so many problems causing their difficulties in achieving speaking competency. based on the interview, found some causes: firstly, english language is considered as foreign language. most of students think that they do not need to learn it further. most of the students come from sub-urban and rural area, their parents’ job are farmers, private sectors such as seller or businessman, and civil servants. most of them do not continue their education to the higher level, only less than 50 percents who continue their study to the university. secondly in teaching speaking, the teacher tended to teach text comprehension monotonously. for example, when teaching the teacher just explains the expression related to the topic while the students listen to the teacher’s explanation, and takes a note. then, the teacher will ask the students to look at the structure of dialogue which had been stated in packet book to read together after him. after that he asked the students to practice the dialogue in front of the class. this method will make the student bored, because what they did only read and learn the dialogue by heart. in this case, interest becomes crucial factor to consider in deciding teaching learning activities for the students. in other hand, teacher should be able to apply the right technique and approach which can increase students’ interest in the learning process in the classroom. this means that the technique and approach used by the teacher in teaching english encourage the students to create an interesting atmosphere and enthusiastic learning process. in teaching english, the teachers have to be able to make students participate in discussing the material actively, so they will not only be able to understand what they are learning in the class but also express their own english rally. the most important thing to carry out the english teaching is that the teachers have to be able to use appropriate approach, design and procedures. here the teacher has very important role in managing and creating their class lively. consequently, the class possibly chaos but it is enjoyable. one of the techniques suggested for developing speaking competence is by using pictures in teaching speaking. picture is a mean of expressing ideas, which captures slices of reality and tell language in a story. pictures encourage students to think up clearly and telling the truth (wittich and charles 1953: 59). according to gerngrose, gunter and puchta (1992: 3), teachers can use pictures in order to make communication in the foreign language class more lively, natural and stimulating. the activities focus on interaction in the classroom and combine learning language with practising social skill. finally, experience has shown that more senses are involved in the learning process, the better memory works. with most learners, the visual sense is very important; as the saying a pictures is worth than thousand words. 211 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee wittich and charles (1979: 34) state that flat pictures have some unique advantages, they are: low cost and ready availability, meaning that it can be taken from magazine, newspaper, and advertising brochure. secondly, pictures are easy to use. if they are large enough, they can be held up in front of a class. it can be used for a variety purposes. third, pictures are easy to make. both teacher and students can draw simple pictures or graphic or photograph. he further states that picture can motivate the learners and focus the learner’s mind on likely content and mood of the massage. in addition, he states that picture might add extra information which allows the learner to infer what is intended but not clearly stated in the text. finally, a picture is a valuable resource as it provides (1) a shared experience in the classroom, (2) a need for common language form to use in the classroom, (3) a variety of tasks, and (4) a focus of interest for student. pictures are more realistic to show the main problem if they compare with other media, they overcome the limitation of our observations since they clarify the problem and prevent misunderstanding. every teacher can use pictures since they are cheap and easy to implement without some addition devices (sadiman, 1986:31). method this study applied an action research which is usually carried out by practitioners to improve their understanding of events, situations, and problems so as to increase the effectiveness of their practice. action research is a way of reflecting on teaching done by systematically in collecting data on everyday practice and analyzing them in order to come to some decisions about what the future practice should be (wallace, 1998: 4). the research was applied to the students of the second grade of sman in cigugur, kuningan in the academic year 2012/2013. the students have ability in english in general, but most of them have difficulty in speaking. to collect the data, teacher’s diary, students’ interview and speaking test to get the students’ speaking score. after collecting data from class action research, the data were analyzed by calculating the mean of the post test of the cycle 2. then, the mean score resulted in the post test of the cycle 2 is compared with the mean score of the post test of cycle 1. results and discussion there were two things that i wanted to compare between previous situation and cycle 1. they were the mean of score that the student achieved and the process of teaching and learning that occurred in the classroom. the comparison among the students’ score of preliminary research, the post score of cycle 1, and the mean can be described in table 1. table 1. the comparison among the students’ score of preliminary research no explanation pre-test scores test 1 1 the highest score 79.00 90.00 2 the lowest student 40.00 55.00 3 the average scores 49.72 71.38 furthermore, the comparison of average scores of each element of preliminary scores and the test scores of cycle 1 can be seen in table 2. table 2. the comparison of average scores of each element of speaking no elements of speaking pre-test post-test scores 1 fluency 12.23 16.80 2 vocabulary 12.75 18.59 3 grammar 12.69 18.58 4 pronunciation 12.00 17.80 muhammad aprianto budie nugroho pictures for improving indonesian efl students’ speaking competence 212 i also compare between the cycle 1 and cycle 2. they were the mean of score that the students achieved and the process of teaching occurred in the classroom. the comparison among the students’ scores of the test of cycle 1 and the post-test of cycle 2, and the mean are described in table 3. table 3. the comparison among the students’ scores of the test , and the pos test no elements of speaking test 1 post-test scores 1 highest scores 90.00 92.00 2 lowest scores 60.00 70.00 3 average scores 70.00 79.87 from the table above, it can be concluded that here was improvement between the test scores of cycle 1 and the post test of cycle 2.. furthermore the comparisons of average of each elements of test score and the post-score 2 can be seen in table 4. no elements of speaking test score post-test score 1 fluency 16.80 19.65 2 vocabulary 18.59 20.45 3 grammar 18.58 20.21 4 pronunciation 17.80 19.53 total 71.77 79.84 the students were successful in their learning because they were actively involved to participate in the teaching learning process in the classroom. the students’ success of learning could not only be determined by themselves but also the role of teaching which was done by the teacher. their success in learning english especially in speaking activity depends on he teacher’s role in managing the class and using the teaching media in the classroom. pictures were media which can be used to develop the students’ fluency, to promote interaction among students in the classroom, and to increase motivation to the students’ learning. in addition, teaching learning process could run more interactively and actively than the previous situation. the teacher gave opportunity to interact with other students and to develop their creativity. they had more time to learn and practice speaking. being taught using pictures, the students could improve their fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation, so they were confident and free to practice speaking. teaching speaking by implementing pictures gave many benefits to the students. the action research which implemented pictures in order to improve students’ speaking competence has yielded some improvement on students’ language competence in speaking and classroom situation. based on the result of the research, it can be proposed a theory which says that pictures can improve students’ speaking competence. this finding is supported by the research result stated in pre-test and post-test 2, that the students’ average scores of each element improved. the evidences of this action research are as follows: a. the students’ fluency improved. the average score of fluency increased from 12.23 to 19.65. b. the students’ vocabulary improved. the average score of vocabulary increased from 12.75 to 20.45 c. the students’ grammar improved. the average score of grammar increased from 12.69 to 20.21. d. the students’ pronunciation the average score of pronunciation from 12.00 to 19.53. 213 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the students could tell their story fluently, because by optimizing pictures, students’ confident will increased, because when they draw their pictures their construct a story based their own mind. it is supported by wittich and charles (1953: 59) that picture is a means of expressing ideas, which captures slices of reality and tell language in a story. pictures encourage students to think up and clearly and telling the truth. by suing pictures also make the students speak naturally. gerngrose, gunter and puchta (1992:3) confirm that the use of pictures are functional and beneficial to make communication in the foreign language class more lively, natural and stimulating. the activities focus on interaction in the classroom and combine learning language with practicing social skill. finally, experience has shown that more senses are involved in the learning process, the better memory works. with most learners, the visual sense is very important; as the saying a picture is worth than thousand words. second theory being proposed says that implementing pictures in teaching activities can improve classroom situation. pictures emphasize students’ active learning. the students can do many activities in implementing pictures, such as (1) finding their source from the internet, (2) deciding story they will choose, (3) constructing their story based on their perception, (4) having freedom to determine how the story will be told, (5) choosing appropriate vocabularies based on their pictures, (6) understanding the content of the story, (5) sharing or discussing the phrases or sentences they had written in their notebook, in shorts, the students are actively involved in teaching and learning process. the students also involved to avoid them from boredom, passiveness, laziness, and being sleepy because they can also share knowledge and experience among the members of the groups when they draw and arrange their story. so, they do not only listen to what teacher says and write down on their book what teacher explains. pictures can also improve students’ motivation, as stated by sudjana and rivai (1997: 12) that using picture is effective teaching technique for the beginners. since it can help the students in understanding the meaning and the content of the text. conclusion after conducting the action research by implementing pictures to improve the students’ speaking competence at sman 1 cigugur, kuningan, found that there was improvement of the students’ speaking competence. the scores of all four elements of speaking competence that covered fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation increased well. it showed that the use of pictures in teaching speaking could improve the students’ speaking ability for. furthermore, when the steps and the activities of implementing pictures were carried out in the speaking activities, teaching and learning process could run more lively and attractively. the classroom situation was also improved, the teacher did not dominate the class, but he gave more opportunity to the students to involve and active in his class activities. by implementing pictures in his class, the teacher tended to be facilitator. the teacher was always ready when the students faced difficulties. being taught using pictures, the students were neither ashamed nor afraid of making mistakes in practicing speaking. they had courage when they were asked to do the task in front of the classroom, they did it. the students had been active too do exercise in groups. they did not talk to one another about their problem again. furthermore, the students showed their interest in speaking class. muhammad aprianto budie nugroho pictures for improving indonesian efl students’ speaking competence 214 references breitkruz h. (2006). pictures stories in language teaching. retrieved from http//eltj.oxfordjournal.org/cgi/ pdf_extract/xxvi/2/145. brown h. d. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. new york: addison wesley longman inc. a pearson education company. burns, a. (2010). doing action research in english language teaching: a guide for practitioners. new york and london: routledge taylor & francis group. gunter, g. & herbert, p. (1992). pictures in action. london: prentice hall international. hughes, r. (2002). teaching and researching speaking. london: pearson education. ikhwan. m. m. (2009). improving the studenst’ writing capability using pictures in smp negeri 2 baron. surakarta: sebelas maret university. yi, j. 2007. the use method of “describe and draw in teaching speaking. retrieved from www.gcjy.info/yxzx/ uploadfiles/2007112165647281. doc havriye, k. (2006). teaching speaking: activities to promote speaking in second language. retrieved from http://unr.edu/homepage/ hayriyek. lincoln, y. s. & guba, e. g. (1985). naturalistic inquiry. london: sage publications littlewood, w. (1981). communicative language teaching an introduction. cambridge: press syndicate of the university cambridge. mcniff, j. (1992). action research: principles and practice. new york: routledge. mckernan, j. (2003) international encyclopaedia of higher education. new delhi: crest publishing house. nurkamto, j. (2002). problematik pengajaran bahasa inggris di indonesia. surakarta. universitas sebelas maret surakarta. ___________. (2008). penelitian tindakan kelas: konsep dasar dan prosedur pelaksanaanya. surakarta. sebelas maret university. pekoz, b. (2006). integrating grammar for communicative language teaching. available at ttp://iteslj.org/ techniques/pekoz-grammar.html purwatiningsih. (2008). using pictures in teaching narrative to improve students’listeninf capability (unpublished thesis). surakarta. sebelas maret university. rahayu, m. m. s. (2007). improving students’ reading comprehension using comic books. unpublished thesis. surakarta. sebelas maret university. richards s. j. & rodgers s. t. (2001). approaches and methods in language teaching. cambridge. press syndicate of the university cambridge. ______ . (2001). curriculum development in language teaching. melbourne: cambrige university press. _______ . (1997). reflective teaching in second language classroom. melbourne: cambridge university press. hughes, r. (2002). teaching and researching speaking. london: pearson education. saptono. (2009). the use of eight dexterous systems to improve students’ ability in writing recount text. unpublished thesis. surakarta: sebelas maret university. smaldino e. s, et al (2005). instructional technology and media for learning. new jersey: pearson education inc. sudarwati, th m and audia, g. (2006). look ahead book 2: an english course 215 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee for senior high school students year xi. surabaya. penerbit erlangga. thornburry, s. (2002). how to teach vocabulary. harlow: longman. _______ . (2005). how to teach speaking. new york: longman. wallace j. m. (2000). action research for language teaching. cambridge: press syndicate of the university cambridge. weir, c. j. (1998). communicative language testing. london: prentice hall. whitehead, j. and mcniff, j.. action research living theory. london: sage publications. wright, a. (1997). pictures for language learning. cambridge: cambridge university press. ________ .(1984). 1000 +pictures for teacher to copy. cambridge university press. improving students’ listening skill english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee improving students’ listening skill by using english songs dadang solihat department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia email: dacu_qta@yahoo.co.id prita lusiana utami department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia email: pritalusianautami20@gmail.com apa citation: solihat, d., & utami, l. p. (2014). improving students’ listening skill by using english songs. english review: journal of english education, 3(1), 81-90 received: 012-10-2014 accepted: 25-10-2014 published: 01-12-2014 abstract : this study investigates students’ listening skill by using english songs. the reason of choosing this topic is based on the problems that is listening skill. it can be seen during the writer teaching at smpn in kuningan, the students lack of listening skill. the aims of this research were to investigate the effectiveness of using english songs to improve students listening skill and to know the students attitudes of using english songs in listening skill.the target of this research was the students at eighth grade of smpn 1 lebakwangi, kecamatan lebakwangi. there were 62 students. the method of this research was quasi-experimental design. there are two groups as the investigated group in this research. one group is for experimental group and the other group is controlled group. the data were collected through three steps, namely pre-test, post-test, and questionnaire. to analyze the result of pre test and post test, this research used t-test formula computed by spss 17.00. the result of the research showed that the students’ progress in mastering listening skill during the activity can be seen from the paired test that shows t count is higher than t table (-32.697>2.042). it indicates that english songs is effective in listening skill. students given positive attitude based on the questionnaire result that it had level agreement 92% and mean 142. keywords: listening skill, song, media, language skill introduction in language learning and teaching is listening (brown, 2001: 247). according to hidayat (2013: 21), “listening is considered as an important ability that has to be mastered. howwell someone listens has a major impact on the quality of their relationship with others”. it means that listening is the ability to understand the messages being expressed by the speaker through the sound. on the other hand, harmer (2001: 242) says that songs or piece of music change “atmosphere” in the classroom. as defined by ocak (2012: 333) songs are important teaching tools in teaching efl (english foreign language) because as most teachers find out, students love listening to the music in the language classroom. students often hold strong views about music and students who are usually quiet can become very talkative when discussing it. so, the students should have a great motivation to increase their listening ability. in this case, teacher has many options, one of those is by using english songs. furhter, the students will not be bored listening to the lesson because most of student dadang solihat & prita lusiana utami improving students’ listening skill by using english songs likes listening to the music. so, english song can be interest for other people. shen (2009: 90) argues that using english songs in efl (english foreign language) classrooms can successfully bring about affective learning through providing a harmonious classroom atmosphere, reducing students’ anxiety, fostering their interests and motivating them to learn the target language. students will regard english songs as part of entertainment rather than work and thus find learning english through songs amusing and relaxed. using songs in the classroom is a great way to live up listening activities. it can be success to the process though to make the listening activities more effective. as mentioned by murcia (2001: 84) listening is the language skill used most in life, needs to be a central focus-all day, every day-limited only by the availability of the target language in the school, the community, and the media. according to kline (1996: 46) “building your vocabulary will improve your conversational skills and your reading skills as well as your listening skills. and the more words you learn, the better listener you will become. so, there are relationship between listening and vocabulary. when you listen, you also know about new word that you hear”. murcia (2001: 461) says that media help us to motivate students by bringing a slice of real life into the classroom and by presenting language in its more complete communicative context. media can also provide a density of information and richness of cultural input not otherwise possible in the classroom, they can help student to process information. dealing with the background above, the teacher must try to make students’ interest in learning listening by using songs. focusing on the problem faced by the students in listening, this study tries to apply songs in improving students’ listening skill. hopefully, through this approach the student are interested in learning english and to increase their listening skill. song is also one of the media in learning english. in this study, the researcher takes the song as the media in learning english. according to lynch (2008: 23) ”almost everyone loves music. it is a part of our language and life from before birth onwards. as babies, we hear lullabies. as young children we play, sing and dance to a myriad of nursery rhymes. as adolescents, we are consumed by the beat of popular music artists worldwide. as adults, every form of advertising we hear, every special event we experience, is in part, music. music pervades television, movies, theater, and even the nightly news. when we exercise, when we work, when we play, when we worship and even when we die, music is there to reinforce or alter or every mood and emotion”. hidayat (2013: 21) argues that listening ability is also important to be mastered for its benefit in building a good communication. in building a good communication with others, individuals have to understand the meaning of the messages conveyed by their partners when they have a conversation. in comprehending the message conveyed by others, listening ability is needed. shen (2009: 88) says that in fact, elt (english language teaching) can be implemented in a relaxed and enjoyable way by using english songs in efl (english foreign language) classes. songs have been an amusing companion for human beings for as long as or even longer than we can speak. as an integral part of our language experience, it can be of great value to foreign language teaching. and the many-faceted merits english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee songs possess may enrich and activate our foreign language class. teacher should know what students expect in the teaching and learning process, especially in listening class. therefore, teacher should be able to determine teaching strategies and methodologies in order to make the learning more successful and enjoyable. so, the teaching learning process by using english songs in listening class of english lesson will be successful if the students pay attention to the material and do their assignment better. also, teacher should have appropriate and suitable strategies and methodologies in the teaching learning process by using english songs in listening class of english lesson. so the effectiveness of using english songs in listening class of english lesson to increase students listening ability will be granted. the research questions are formulated as follows: are english songs effective in improving students’ listening skill? what are students’ attitude in using english songs? aims of study: to know the effectiveness of using english songs to improve students’ listening skill at one of junior high school in kuningan, indonesia and to find out students’ attitude in using english songs. method this research employs quantitative research. according to creswell (2009: 4), quantitative research is a means for testing objective theories by examining the relationship among variables. these variables, in turn, can be measured, typically on instruments, so that numbered data can be analyzed using statistical procedures. it uses quasiexperimental design where there two groups consist of experimental group and controlled group. in experimental group will be given treatment proposed methodology that is listening by using song. treatment is to find whether or not there are significant changes of students’ listening skill in past tense and vocabulary mastery after being treated by using song. while in controlled group will be taught with traditional approach. the population of this research is the eighth grade students of smpn 1 lebakwangi in academic year 2014 they are 288 students of eight classes. in this research, class divided into two groups and they will be named as experimental class and controlled class. as the sample of the research are class viii a with 31 students as experimental group and class viii e with 31 students as controlled group. so the sample taken is two classes that consist of 62 students. to collect the data this research uses pre-test, treatment, post-test and interview. the first step is making test that is divided into two categories i.e., pre-test and post-test to the experimental and controlled group. pretest is given before the students are treated. it aims to know how the students’ listening skill before using songs technique. the second step is treatment, it is just given to a group of respondents as experimental group. the experimental group will be treated by using english songs, while the controlled group, will not be treated by using english songs. post-test is given after the treatment given. and the last interview, to know the students’ responds about their experience in using english songs for learning english. the writer uses two tests (listening test), they are pre-test and post test. the form of listening pre and post test are write down the missing word of the song lyrics. this research uses some media for teaching listening, such as: laptop, sounds system and english songs. when collecting the data, the data recorded by the video. dadang solihat & prita lusiana utami improving students’ listening skill by using english songs pinter (2006: 148) argues that “questionnaires are better suite for quick factual surveys”. questionnaire to know students attitude about this technique. likert scale was used in this questionnaire to measure the response of students. in order to find out the answer of the research question, the data was calculated using spss v.17 (statistical package for social science) program, to know whether or not using english songs was improve students’ listening skill. the aim of analysis data was to compare the observed value of statistic to critical value. the test included calculating normal distribution, homogenity of variences and differences between mean of experimental group and controlled group, the data were analyzed by using t-test. various tests in quantitative research design such as validity, reliability, normality, homogeneity, independent sample t and paired sample t tests were used to measure the accuracy, to determine the consistency, data distribution and average difference. results anddiscussion the purpose of the research was to find out the hypotheses whether english song can improve the studens’ listening skill or not. for knowing it, we can compare the students’ score that were taught by english song and the students’ score that were taught without it. before the instruments were given to the students for pre-test and post-test, the instrument should be tested to know the validity and reliability of the instrument. the analysis used spss 17.0 windows program. the result was as follow: in the instrument, there were 20 items of questions. it was in missing text. it was given to the 31 students (n=31), and with the significance 0.05, so for r table of n=31 is 0.355. if r count is higher that r table, so the data was valid. the result for validity test of the instrument is: table 1. validity no of question r account r table status 1 0.527 0.355 valid 2 0.486 0.355 valid 3 0.390 0.355 valid 4 0.388 0.355 valid 5 0.374 0.355 valid 6 0.374 0.355 valid 7 0.395 0.355 valid 8 0.497 0.355 valid 9 0.359 0.355 valid 10 0.394 0.355 valid 11 0.398 0.355 valid 12 0.384 0.355 valid 13 0.371 0.355 valid 14 0.377 0.355 valid 15 0.391 0.355 valid 16 0.381 0.355 valid 17 0.396 0.355 valid 18 0.381 0.355 valid 19 0.376 0.355 valid 20 0.435 0.355 valid from the table 1 above, all of the items are higher than r table, it means that all of the items are valid. table 2. reliability statistics cronbach's alpha cronbach's alpha based on standardized items n of items .597 .584 4 based on table 2, it shows that cronbach’s alpha coloum, the significance (0.597) is higher than 0.05, it means that this instrument is reliable. basic assumption test is a test that should be done to know the normal distribution and homogeneity of the data. the normality test is done to know whether the research population is normal distributed or not. in this test used one sample kolmogorov smirnov with the level significant 0.05. the data is called normal if the probability is higher than level significance (0.05), so h0 is accepted. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee before analyzing the normality distributions of all of the classes, the hypotheses are stated: h0: the experimental and control class are normal distributed. ha : the experimental and control class are not normal distributed. for doing the normality testing, the data are analyzed by kolmogorov smirnov formula spss 17.0 windows program. the calculation of normality test is presented below: table 3. tests of normality kolmogorov-smirnova shapiro-wilk statistic df sig. statistic df sig. pre control .234 31 .055 .890 31 .104 pre experimental .225 31 .088 .902 31 .218 post control .170 31 .122 .900 31 .227 post experimental .302 31 .445 .808 31 .340 based on table 3, it shows that significance of all the data is higher than 0.05. they are pre-test control (0.234>0.05), pre-test experimental (0.225>0.05), post-test control (0.170>0.05), and post-test experimental (0.302>0.05) it means that h0 is accepted or this result means that the distribution of all of the data is normal distributed. homogeneity test is used to know whether the variance of population is homogeneity or not. before analyzing the variance homogeneity of both of groups, the hypotheses are stated: h0 : the variance of experimental and control class are homogeny. ha : the variance of experimental and control class are not homogeny. the data is called homogeny if the significance is higher than 0.05, so ho is accepted. for doing the homogeneity testing, the data were analyzed by levene test formula spss 17.0 windows program. the calculation of homogeneity test is presented below: pre-test table 4. test of homogeneity of variances levene statistic df1 df2 sig. pre control 10.881 1 25 .111 pre experimental .707 1 25 .408 based on table 4, it shows that significance of pre-test in experimental and control group is higher that 0.05, they are pre-test control (0.111>0.05) and pretest experimental (0.408>0.05). it means that ho is accepted that the variance of experimental and control group are hegemony. post-test table 5. test of homogeneity of variances levene statistic df1 df2 sig. post control .845 4 22 .512 post experimental 10.587 4 22 .473 dadang solihat & prita lusiana utami improving students’ listening skill by using english songs based on table 5, it shows that significance of post-test in experimental and control group is higher than 0.05, they are post-test control (0.512>0.05) and post-test experimental (0.473>0.05). it means that ho is accepted that the variance of experimental and control group are hegemony. this test is used to know the difference of significance between two classes that do not have correlation and in this research, there were experimental and control classes that were given a pretest and post-test. according to priyatno (2010: 34) that “the decision making of independent t-test is if t account is lower that t table, so ho is accepted and if t account is higher than t table, so h0 is rejected. this research analyze the independent test of pre-test and post-test from the different group, they were experimental and control group. pre-test before analyzing the independent test of pre-test, hypotheses of it is stated:h0: there is no significant difference between the pre-test of experimental and control class. ha: there is significant difference between the pretest of experimental and control class. this research used level significant α = 0.05 and the result of this test is: based on table 6, it shows that t count is 5.004. and for t table 60 is 2.000. it shows that t count is higher that t table (5.004>2.000). it means that ha is accepted that there is significant difference between the pre-test of experimental and control class. post-test before analyzing the independent test of post-test, hypotheses of it is stated: h0: there is no significant difference between the post-test of experimental and control class. ha: there is significant difference between the post-test of experimental and control class. this research used level significant α = 0.05 and the result of this test is: table 6. independent samples test hasiltest equal variances assumed equal variances not assumed levene's test for equality of variances f .570 sig. .453 t-test for equality of means t 5.004 5.004 df 60 58.643 sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 mean difference 10.806 10.806 std. error difference 2.160 2.160 95% confidence interval of the difference lower 6.487 6.485 upper 15.126 15.128 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 7. independent samples test nilai equal variances assumed equal variances not assumed levene's test for equality of variances f 9.669 sig. .003 t-test for equality of means t 15.503 15.503 df 60 47.867 sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 mean difference 24.516 24.516 std. error difference 1.581 1.581 95% confidence interval of the difference lower 21.353 21.336 upper 27.679 27.696 based on table 7, it shows that t count is 15.503. and for t table 60 is 2.000. it shows that t count is higher that t table (15.503>2.000). it means that ha is accepted that there is significant difference between the post-test of experimental and control class. this test is used to know whether there is difference or not after given the treatment. it is done to experimental class. according to priyatno (2010) that the decision making of paired test is if t account is lower that t table, so h0 is accepted and if t account is higher than t table, so h0 is rejected. before doing the paired test, the hypotheses are stated: h0 : english song doesn’t improve students’ listening skill. ha : english song improves students’ listening skill. the result of paired test is: table 8. paired samples test pair 1 pretest – posttest paired differences mean -36.129 std. deviation 6.152 std. error mean 1.105 95% confidence interval of the difference lower -38.386 upper -33.872 t -32.697 df 30 sig. (2-tailed) .000 based on table 8, it shows that t count -32.697, and t table for 30 is 2.042. it shows that t count is higher that t table (32.697>2.042). it means that ha is accepted that english songs improve the students’ listening skill. questionnaire test is used to know the students’ attitude after they got the treatment. it was given to the experimental class with. in the questionnaire, there were ten items. dadang solihat & prita lusiana utami improving students’ listening skill by using english songs table 9. interval class interval class vd 31 (48%) – 55 (36%) da 56 (37%) – 80 (51%) h 81 (52%) – 105 (67%) a 106 (68%) – 130 (84%) sa 131 (85%) – 155(100%) after analyzing the questionnaire, the result of it is: table 10. questionnaire no item sa (5) a (4) h (3) da (2) vd (1) result (ss + st + rg + ts + sts) % = (result : 155) x 100 item 1 13 x 5 = 65 18 x 4 = 72 137 88 % item 2 25 x 5 =125 6 x 4 = 24 149 96 % item 3 18 x 5 = 90 13 x 4 = 52 142 92 % item 4 22 x 5 = 110 9 x 4 = 36 146 94 % item 5 13 x 5 = 65 18 x 4 = 72 137 88 % total (item; 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 ) 711 458 mean (total : 5) 142 92 % sa a h da vd 155 124 93 62 31 based on the data above, it shows that from 31 respondents, the level agreement of improving students’ listening skill by using english song is 92% and the mean of it is 142. it shows that the mean is in the place that pass a to the sa. the hypotheses in this research was aimed to know there were the difference or not after the students were given the treatment. the treatment was english song, it is a treatment for knowing the improvement of students’ listeninng skill. in this research, the improvement of students’ listening skill by using english song can be seen from the result of the test. the students’ score of listening skill can be seen from the test, there were pretest and post-test. pre-test was given to know students’ skill before they got a treatment, and post-test for knowing the students’ skill after they got a treatment and for comparing the improvement of the technique, that was english song. the data was analyzed using independent t-test which was used to determine whether the means of two classes in pre-test and post-test were significant or not. based on the result of pre-test, it shows that the distribution of the experimental and control classes’ score in (t count) is 5.004, and for t table 60 is 2.000. it shows that t count is higher than t table (5.004>2.000). it means that ha is accepted that there is significant 142 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee difference between the pre-test of experimental and control class. based on the result of post-test, it shows that the distribution of the experimental and control classes score (t account) is 5.004and for t table 60 is 2.000. it shows that t count is higher than t table (5.004>2.000). it means that h0 is rejected and ha is accepted that there is significant difference between the posttest of experimental and control class. the improvement of the students’ listening skill by using english song can be seen from the paired test. it shows that t count is -32.697, and t table 30 is 2.042. it indicates that t count is higher than t table (-32.697>2.042), so ha is accepted that english song improves students’ listening skill. the students’ attitude has 92% in level agreement and mean 142 that indicates it passes st to the ss of student’s respons of questionnaire in students’ listening skill by using english song. in conclusion, the improvement of students’ listening skill by using english song were different after they got the treatment, it was seen from students’ score in pre-test to the post-test that analyzed by paired test. the treatment of english song is effective to improve students’ listening skill in eighth grade of junior high school. conclusion this study focused on the improvement of students’ listening skill by using english song. at the eighth grade in junior high school 1 lebakwangi. the purpose of analyzing the data is to know the english song can improve students’ listening skill or not. in this research, the improvement of students’ listening skill by using english song can be seen from the result of the students’ score. the students’ score of listening skill can be seen from the test, there were pre-test and post-test. pre-test was given to know students’ skill before they got a treatment, and post-test for knowing the students’ skill after they got a treatment and for comparing the improvement of the technique. the improvement of the students’ listening skill by using english song can be seen from the paired test. it shows that t count is -32.697, and t table 30 is 2.042. it indicates that t count is higher than t table, so ha is accepted that english song can improve students’ listening skill. the students’ attitude has 92% in level agreement and mean 142 that indicates it passes a to the sa of student’s respons of questionnaire in students’ listening skill by using english song. the students used english song to improve their listening skill as one of their meaningful strategies to overcome their problem in listening skill. english song can make the students become active in the class, they are interest, so they can do listening task well. in conclusion, the improvement of students’ listening skill by using english song were different after they got the treatment, it was seen from students’ score in pre-test to the post-test that analyzed by paired test. the treatment of english is effective to improve students’ listening skill in eighth grade of junior high school. references brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principles an interactive approach to language pedagogy. white plains: addison wesley longman, inc. creswell, j. w. (2009). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approachers. thousand oaks, ca: sage publications. harmer, j. (2001). the practice of english language teaching. london: longman. hidayat, a. (2013). the use of songs in teaching students’ listening ability. dadang solihat & prita lusiana utami improving students’ listening skill by using english songs journal of english and education 1 (1) 2129. kline, j. a. (1996). listening effectively. alabama: air university press. lynch, l. m. (2008). using popular songs to improve language listening comprehension skills. retrieved from http://esl4free.blogspot.com/2008/02/ can-music-improve-your-students.htm murcia, m. c. (2001). teaching english as a second or foreign language. boston: heinle & heinle thomson learning. ocak. (2012). developing young learners’ listening skill through song. kastamonu education journal. 20 (1) 327-340. pinter, a. (2006). teaching young language learner. new york: oxford university press. priyatno, d. (2010). paham analisa statistik data dengan spss. yogyakarta: mediakom. shen, c. (2009). using english songs: an enjoyable and effective approach to elt. ccse journal english language teaching 2(1) 8894. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee nigerians utilisation of code-mixing as communicative devices iyabode omolara akewo daniel national open university of nigeria, abuja email: akewoauthe@gmail.com & idaniel@noun.edu.ng apa citation: daniel, i. o. a. (2016). nigerians utilisation of code-mixing as communicative devices. english review: journal of english education, 5(1), 101-114 received: 13-10-2016 accepted: 16-11-2016 published: 01-12-2016 abstract: the importance of communication as a central idea in language usage cannot be over-emphasised. this seems to inform how many nigerian speakers make extensive use of the mixture of indigenous languages and the english language in one and the same breath. it seems to reveal a kind of perception of reality in two ways at the same time. they seem to go through the process of thinking in diverse ways at the same time. this study thus seeks to find out the extent to which the average nigerian user of the english language makes intelligible contribution to discourses. how much sense is made to and by interlocutors in the course of their discussions? to what extent is reality to them influenced by their knowledge of the english language? the extent of the indigenisation process is also of interest to the study. the expectation is that such contact should be to the advantage of one or the other of the languages in contact. real time linguistic data were collected and analysed, using linguistic levels as base to access the extent to which nigerian indigenous languages have been able to influence the english language. the finding shows that codemixing is an important part of the nigerian communication process and has enabled the vernacularisation of the english language to a very large extent. this has produced a new spatial identity that reveals the nigerian’s domination of the colonial english language. keywords: code-mixing, communication, language usage, english vernacularisation, nigerian indigenous languages, spatial identity introduction the english language came in contact with the nigerian people about five centuries ago when the britons first landed on the nigerian shores for commercial purposes (oyeleye, 1990; osakwe, 2005). the missionary activities that followed further strengthened the inroad by the english language into the nigerian society while the annexation of lagos in the 19th century and the subsequent colonisation of nigeria in the 20th century solidified the hold of the english language on nigeria (oyeleye, 1990; spencer, 1971). with english now being used for administrative purposes, it was only a matter of time before it permeated the entire national life of nigeria. moreover, because the colonial administration had need of such manpower like clerks, typists, etc., it decided to train some ‘natives’ for this purpose. this turned english into a language with some potential economic advantage. subsequently, many people struggled to learn this language. it also became a ‘language of high culture’ to many as it remained the essential language of the white man’s religion (spencer, 1971). all these factors facilitated the implantation and expansion of english in nigeria. however, the nigerian society has the indigenous languages. these 101 iyabode omolara akewo daniel nigerians utilisation of code-mixing as communicative devices languages, which were already advanced themselves, easily accommodated the new phenomenon that came to their shores. such new lexical terms like ‘buredi’ from bread, ‘ṣia’ from chair (examples are from the yoruba language of the south west nigeria) etc. were created (cf. bamgbose, 1995; daniel, 2011). another resultant effect of this contact was the pidginisation of english. ‘pidgin english’, which odumuh (1993) refers to as ‘the lingua franca defacto’ (p. 1), serves as the language of widest communication among educated and non-educated nigerians alike. it was developed among the niger delta people, with whom there was the earliest contact. it flourishes widest among them till date. it has even moved to the point of attaining creole status among some of the people of the area (osakwe, 2005). the very multi-ethnic and consequently multi-lingual nature of the nigerian society probably makes this simplified form of english the most extensively used. ubahakwe (1979) puts the literacy rate in nigeria at probably less than 20% and those employed by the government as being less than 25% of the 80 million nigerians (p. ix) at that time. the 1991 population suggests the literacy rate to be an average of 50%. the 2006 census, which is the current population census on which the nigerian population is based, appears to have doubled the population figure. however, the same cannot be said of the literacy rate as adult literacy rate averages 64.8% in the 2010 survey by the national bureau of statistics (2010) while the literacy of the youth indicates a much higher and hopeful figure of 81%. nonetheless, it will be interesting to know what happens to the remaining number of nigerians that have not had any contact with the formal education system within which the english language is learnt. this is in the light of the disparity in the literacy levels of the states. on the heels of this is the boko haram real time threat to education with its evil attacks on schools and worse still, the recent abduction of young school girls in the purported educationally disadvantaged north. in addition, it was noted in the survey referred to above that the tendency is that the literacy level in english is usually lower than in all the other languages in the country. therefore, odumuh (1993), quoting omolewa (1979), suggests that this remnant of the population that have to live with english as their second language might have developed a variant that mixes the indigenous language and the few words of english they know together for communication purposes. this variety, which is tagged non-standard, may be a way of not allowing themselves to be silenced (osundare, 1982) by the elites. this, once again, appears to show the resilience of the average nigerian in adapting to situations that one would consider intolerable. the very fear expressed by osundare (1982) may not be unfounded, but he forgets that the english language itself has been ‘colonised’ (odumuh, 1993) by the nigerian. this is not to say that an alternative indigenous language will not be better, but the reality of the uproar that may result is the fear that had been proven times over by the suspicion with which people view any language policy that does not favour them. this may account for the very way the nigerian had instead made the language that is considered ‘neutral’ subject to their very needs and environment (daniel, 2012). bilingualism seems to be prevalent in the nigerian society, but what was 102 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee actually discovered is that: while some may truly be bilingual in terms of functional bilingualism, that is have passable knowledge of a nigerian language and english (not necessarily coordinate knowledge), the majority of nigerians are actually able to use up to three to four codes, depending on where s/he comes from and the context (cf. essien, 1995). this fact is demonstrated in the data collected for this study. from the educated to the not-so-well educated, the rate at which they switch from one code to the other without losing intelligibility is amazing. it is therefore sensible that the code-mixing usage of nigerians be investigated to ascertain the communicative effectiveness of such usages in interactions among interlocutors of different levels. code-mixing has been defined as the mixing together of two codes in a communication event. essien (1995) asserts that code-mixing arises due to language contact as well as communication convenience. he argues that code-mixing is usually done in informal contexts. to him, a person that code mixes may not necessarily do same in a formal situation. however, he observes that most interlocutors use code-mixing to arrive at solidarity status in a manner which usually makes it impossible sometimes to determine the educational status of those involved. he nonetheless notes that a dangerous trend that the practice portends is that of being viewed as a threat to the nigerian indigenous languages. even then, he agrees with lamidi (2003) that the syntactic structure of code-mixing actually has a structural pattern. nevertheless, the concern in this paper is the communicative usefulness of code-mixing. the fact is that the effectiveness of communication is what language usage is all about. it needs be mentioned here that, contrary to essien (1995) assertion, wardhaugh (2006) sees code-mixing and code-switching as one and the same. all the same, wardhaugh agrees with this researcher’s position that, essentially, code-mixing is done principally to communicate. communication, to all intent and purposes, is usually described as a transfer of information from sender to the receiver of the message. wikibook.org (2013, p. 3) defines it as “…how humans share, encode, and decode what they know, what they need, and what they expect from each other.” weilenmann (1962) sees communication in terms of transfer of messages containing quantities of information. to him, information controls the human behaviour. this means that the source (sender) of the information tends to control the behaviours of others through carefully determining what sort of information is passed. however, one could find fault with this kind of definition in that, clearly, the receiver of information is not usually dormant in processing the information received. nonetheless, it cannot be disputed that the kind of information one is fed with tends to affect the way one responds to situations at times (cf. van dijk, 1995). in this way, his observation that the kind of information the decision maker in an organisation passes across could determine the behaviour members of that organisation (or society, for that matter) exhibits. an interesting part of the definition of communication is that it is seen as assigning meaning content or interpretation to a discourse (daniel, 2013). semantic functioning of language being related to its meaning content is an important view of communication processing. folarin (1998) asserts that communication is basically the ability of 103 iyabode omolara akewo daniel nigerians utilisation of code-mixing as communicative devices the speaker to get across the meaning they intend communicating to their interlocutor(s). this paper therefore seeks to find out how meaning exchanges and semantic processing are contributory to the communication effectiveness in linguistic exchanges among nigerians, even within the seeming limitation of a ‘foreign’ language and, sometimes, diverse linguistic backgrounds of the interlocutors. if language is essentially meant for communication (cf. daniel, 2012; essien, 1995), beyond mere artistic gymnastics, i. how much has english as an inherited second language been effective in its usage for communication among nigerians? ii. how well have the indigenous communities been able to naturalise the english language to their particular purposes, considering the reality of english as an unavoidable ‘legacy’ of colonialism in today nigeria? these are the concerns of this paper. method participant/observant method was employed in gathering the data. many speech events in which the author was either a participant and/or an observer were variously recorded. however, these two were finally purposively selected. of the two events used for this investigation, the first group (gp i) has a multi-ethnic mixed population of educated and non-educated nigerians as interlocutors while the second group (gp ii) has two yoruba bilingual speakers engaging in the interlocution. the second group has university education, which is of interest to the investigation in order to compare the employment of code mixing by the diverse interlocutors in the two speech events. in the first speech event, the writer visited a pools agency where some men, numbering eight, were playing cards and draft. she sat among them and participated in their discussions. the second speech event was done along the agbowo road, opposite the university of ibadan main gate. the participants in this second speech event are two young people: a young lady and a young man; the author was a mere observer of this second event. these were students of the university of ibadan. this second event was meant to serve as a kind of control variable in order to allow for a comparative datum with that collected from the first group, which seems to be a sort of a mix-bag educationally, socially, economically and ethnically. the data collected from these groups were orthographically transcribed. these served as appendices 1 and 2, presented at the end of this paper. the data analysis was done using the application of the occurrence of codemixing features as seen at different linguistic levels of their manifestation. these were indicated and discussed as identified in the data. their communicative usefulness or effectiveness is the focus of identification or discussion in the next section. results and discussion code-mixing the commonest feature found to be a major trend in the linguistic employments of the subjects in the two groups is code-mixing. the groups examined are investigated from the angle of the rate at which they code-mix yoruba, which is the prevalent regional language in the geographical area covered in the investigation, is constantly being used together with the english language. it seems to pose no 104 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee difficulty to the interlocutors in expressing themselves in each case as well as in understanding the meaning intended by the speaker. for example: gp i d: shokoloko bangbose, spell e. [nonsensical words] e: o easy baje. sho...ko...lo...ko... [it is so easy. (attempting to spell the nonsense words)] a: eyin e spell e n’gba t’eyin mo (to d) [you should spell it as you know it] b: so gbo ni sin in. won ni k’e spell e n gba t’e mo. [can you hear that. you are told to spell it as you know it.] a: teacher o ki i teach ba yen. eyin e spell e. [a teacher doesn’t teach in this manner. you spell it. (insisting to d)] c: bi won se n teach ni sin ni yen. [that is the manner being engaged in teaching these days.] gp ii y: so, ko try lati intensify efforts e. [so, you should try to intensify your efforts.] z: ma wa wa. church kan na l’emi ati woman yen jo nlo. [i will come to look for her. that woman and i attend the same church.] the rate at which the interlocutors shift from one code to another is surprising. odumuh (1993, pp. 23-24) contends that the nigerian does not lose a particular lect of english once acquired as implied by bickerton’s theory of scalogram lect. instead, he opines, the nigerian learning all the available varieties like pidgin, broken (patois), non-standard and educated varieties (if s/he is educated) may have them all present in their repertoire. s/he therefore switches to any of these codes as occasion demands. however, essien (1995) opines that context has a lot to do with the possible occurrence of codemixing for the nigerian speaker as demonstrated in the case of ibibio/english bilinguals. further examples could be seen in the data below: gpi f: who knows the new minister for education? [some muffled comments] f: na jamaican english we want to dey use now. [we want to start making use of jamaican english now.] a: where una for dey learn that one? [(curiously) where did you learn that one from?] ... ah! ah! (general laughter) a: i’m interested o. [i’m really interested.] f: what is the need now? [what is the need?] a: i’m a student of english, i want to know. where did you learn jamaican english? b: ah, o n sere. [he is joking.] g: riddles and jokes ni. [it is riddles and jokes.] a: oh, oh. but se eyin mo ipe there is jamaican english? [oh, oh. but do you know that there is jamaican english?] f: well... g: this man is from jamaica. 105 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the way the interlocutors easily moved from the standard english structures to yoruba, to pidgin english and to the non-standard english is surprising to say the least as noted above. it, however, goes to prove odumuh’s (1993) claim as stated above. moreover, it reveals that the interlocutors have a smattering command of all the languages involved, which makes communication to flow. this also agrees with wardhaugh’s (2006) assertion that many language users are actually multilingual and they operate in all the languages as the need arises. even though in the course of the exchanges in the data it was discovered that the participants are from different ethno-linguistic groups in nigeria, the languages being employed appear to have been adapted to suit their needs for communication without leading to a semantic breakdown or misunderstanding. this goes to show that linguistic integration is possible in nigeria if policy makers will think seriously about finding a language of communication beyond mere artistic embellishment. this phenomenon is virtually nonexistent in the second group, probably due to the fact that they are more strictly bilingual yoruba/english speakers. it appears to also reveal a fact that pidgin may be flowing more among the heterogeneous group than among the ethnically homogenous group. in edo and delta states, which had been called a mini-nigeria (when it was the defunct bendel state), due to the multilingual nature of the area, pidgin is virtually the language of official communication after english, as found by this writer as a teacher of the english language in a secondary school in edo state between 1993 and 1996 (cf. osakwe, 2005). this problem is apparently absent amongst the homogenous groups such as the yoruba that seem to have only their mother tongue (yoruba) to contend with as demonstrated by gpii. phonological level code transfer is another important area that is observed in the participants’ linguistic employments. interlocutor f pronounces /treʒə:/ as [treʃɔ], which may be accounted for as due to a lack of the sound /ʒ/ in any nigerian language. moreover, the english language as a whole seems to be pronounced in such a manner that you will almost imagine another nigerian indigenous language is being spoken rather than english when it is spoken as a stretch of sentence. for example: a: i am interested o. the addition of ‘o’ thus nullifies the sentence as strictly english in terms of pronunciation. it appears like any nigerian language being spoken. it should be stated that this element is actually an emphatic one. it, however, proves lamidi (2003) point that yoruba head parameter is actually a major determinant of the structural form of the structures produced by the yoruba/english bilinguals (see bamgbose, 1995) for the same position on the english code-mixed structures). for akinjobi (2004), this is a major feature exhibited by her subjects in her inquiry into some pronunciation tests undertaken by some educated yoruba english speakers. code transfer is thus a feature common in the use of language by these speakers. and it is obvious that it did not detract from the communication process as the communication process never experienced a hitch in the course of that section of the exchanges. obviously, then, the domestication of the english 106 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee language is an effective one as it enabled communicative functionality. syntactic level structures are given that would almost sound unintelligible to an outsider (i.e. a non-nigerian) that does not have an idea of the language of the discussants. such element as exemplified below could be seen in the data. a: why now? you are a citizen now? f: there is election for sale. the unnecessary addition of ‘now’ to a’s question instead of just a bare ‘why? but you are a citizen?’ (said in a questioning manner) and f’s use of ‘election’ instead of ‘votes’ demonstrate localised usages. this is again seen in f’s ‘you know bob marley’ when he actually means to ask if his addressee has heard of bob marley. all these syntactic and lexical differentiations reflect, not so much a bastardisation of the english language, but the people’s world view. it seems a reality of what the language had been adapted to become in the nation. it appears to be a validation of whorf’s (1956) view of language as a result of the thinking system of its users and for their own purposes and ends. apparently then, daniel (2012) argues that transliteration is a communication weapon in the nigerian milieu could be justified by this data. it thus appears that the argument for the pidgin english as an important part of the nigerian national life in terms of its functionality could also be advanced here for this case. it would seem then that rather than see these syntactic ‘malapropisms’ as such, their communicative effectiveness should determine their linguistic value. as the reality that stares all scholars of the english language in the face every day is that it can no longer be denied that the english language actually has become domesticated in many locations where it once dominated (cf. bamgbose, 1995). there exists indian english, nigerian english, australian english, kenyan english, ghanaian english, etc. as examples of the nativised options. even within nigeria, there are variants such as yoruba english, hausa english, igbo english, etc. you do not just not speak in the indigenous languages now but you speak the english that your kith and kin can understand; otherwise ‘you are on your own’ (to use a local parlance). what does this mean? communication breakdown. this paper examined the origin of the english language in nigeria and how it came to be planted. it also looked at the relationship between the nigerian and this ‘caliban’s curse’ (osundare, 1982). the study analysed two complementary speech events to determine if there is any effect of educational attainment on the english language and its domestication. it also tried to find out if, despite being a colonial heritage, the nigerian has turned round to ‘colonise’ the english language. as much as the paper realises that the language has not been without its effects on the local languages, it contends that the local environment had not been without effect on english as well (see daniel, 2012). it also found that given the present reality of the nigerian linguistic situation, the domestication of the english language can give the nigerian speech community what odumuh (1993) calls ‘linguistic independence’ without being the worse for it. if the language seems to tend towards communication for economic growth facilitation, the very fact that the heterogeneous gpi can communicate so effectively with all the available repertoire at their disposal 107 iyabode omolara akewo daniel nigerians utilisation of code-mixing as communicative devices seems to suggest that, as banjo (1995) puts it, “bilingual education is ideal for all the nation’s citizens” (p. 184). where even feasible trito quadri-ligual education should be made available to the nigerian citizen that is interested, otherwise, the ‘lingua franca’ pidgin can serve unofficially and informally as the language of communication. however, the best option seems to be to teach standard english, with nigerian colour just because of its exoglossic status while trying to maintain it as a level of symbiotic relationship with the nigerian indigenous languages as was found in the pool house discourse. bamgbose (1995) perceptibly notes that in any situation of language contact, “the resulting linguistic influence is mutual.” this writer agrees with him as revealed in the analysis of the data above. so, the issue of domination of english does not even arise as its vernacularisation is actually a testimony of its succumbing to the nigerian environmental influences. conclusion from the analysis and discussion above, it appears that what the nigerian speech community needs is a means of communication. if despite the heterogeneous nature of the first group of interlocutors it kept its communication flowing, the contention here then is that the nigerian nation should consider the emergent nigerian english as a good thing because english as an exoglossic language may still smart of the colonial heritage. but such language policy should also make sure that a symbiotic relationship is built between the nigerian languages and the english language. such can be achieved through the encouragement of respect for the indigenous languages and their being taught in the curriculum. this will foster the kind of linguistic plurality which is positive as observed in gpi. it should go beyond paper work; attempt at implementation should be seriously made. moreover, pidgin/non-standard english, which seems to help towards wider communication can help in the economic growth as those that are really the workers use it, as well as many educated nigerians. therefore, it should not be downgraded; instead, efforts at not substituting it for the real thing (standard nigerian english) should be made in the course of teaching. in addition, it is necessary that the english scholars in nigeria should make serious attempts at codifying the nigerian english. as stressed by bamgbose (1995) and daniel (2012), the nigerian english is a reality and can no longer be denied as exemplified in the works of these scholars as well as in the data in this paper; codifying and standardising it appears to be a sensible course of action. it is thus heartening that the nigeria english studies association conference of 2010 was basically focused on doing something about this. a step further is taking concrete action to actualise this in order to save the nigerian nation from the present confusion over the matter. the mix bag of british and american english is the present albatross that the nigerian speakers of english argue over as observed by this researcher (cf. bamgbose, 1995). one will also wish to suggest the need for a clear language policy by the nigerian government. the present idea of subsuming it in the national policy on education (federal republic of nigeria, 2004) does not appear to be forward looking. this is why most people are confused as to if nigeria actually has a language policy. 108 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee acknowledgements i wish to acknowledge the cooperation of the shop owners where i did the recording of the many speech events from among which only these two were used for this study. i also wish to acknowledge the participants that gave the data used for this research. in the same vein, i wish to acknowledge mr. bolounduro oke-job who gave me the tape recorder that was used for the recording of the speech events. references akinjobi, a. (2004). the duration and quantity factors in educated yoruba spoken english: the realization of syllables with syllabic consonants as peaks. ibadan: journal of english studies. 1, pp. 88-99. bamgbose, a. (1995). english in the nigerian environment. in a. bamgbose, a. banjo, a. thomas (eds.) new englishes: a new west african perspective, (pp. 926). ibadan: mosuro. banjo, a. (1995). on codifying nigerian english: research so far. in a. bamgbose, a. banjo, a. thomas (eds.). new englishes: a new west african perspective, (pp. 203-232). ibadan: mosuro. daniel, i. o. (2011). introductory phonetics and phonology of english. newcastle upon tyne: cambridge scholars publishing. daniel, i. o. (2012). transliteration as communication weapon in nigerian english. journal of nigerian english studies association. 15(2), pp. 98-117. daniel, i. o. a. (2013). communication as socio-cultural meaning exchange: the example of richard wright’s black boy. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 2(5), pp. 173-177. essien, o. (1995). the english language and code-mixing: a case study of the phenomenon in ibibio. in a. bamgbose, a. banjo, a. thomas (eds.) new englishes: a new west african perspective, (pp. 269-283). ibadan: mosuro. federal republic of nigeria. (2004). national policy on education (4th edition). lagos: nerdc press. folarin, b. (1998). theories of mass communication: an introductory text. ibadan: stirling-horden publishers (nig.) ltd. hanafi, a. (2009). indigenous languages as ‘developmentals’. polis journal, 1. accessed 11 may, 2014 at www.polis.leeds.ac.uk/assets/files /students/.../adham-hanafi-summer09.pdf. lamidi, m. t. (2003). the head parameter and grammaticality in yoruba/english code-switching among undergraduates in selected nigerian universities. phd thesis. university of ibadan. national bureau of statistics. (2010). national literacy survey. abuja: federal republic of nigeria. odumuh, a. e. (1993). sociolinguistics and nigerian english. ibadan: sam bookman. osakwe, m. (2005). welcome english...and how long english in nigeria west delta multilingual communities? journal of the nigeria english studies association. 11(1), pp. 11-23. osundare, n. (1982). caliban’s curse: the english language and nigeria’s underdevelopment. ufahamu: a journal of african studies. 11(2), pp. 96-107. retrieved from http://escholarship.org/uc/item /8972w2s0 on 14 may, 2014. oyeleye, a. l. (1990). nigeria english: a reexamination of some historical and sociolinguistic factors. journal of the nigeria english studies association. spencer, j. (eds.). (1971). the english language in west africa. london: longman. ubahakwe, e. (1979). introduction. in e. ubahakwe (eds.) the teaching of english studies: readings for colleges and universities, (pp. ix-xiv). ibadan: ibadan university press. 109 http://www.polis.leeds.ac.uk/assets/files/students/.../adham-hanafi-summer-09.pdf http://www.polis.leeds.ac.uk/assets/files/students/.../adham-hanafi-summer-09.pdf http://www.polis.leeds.ac.uk/assets/files/students/.../adham-hanafi-summer-09.pdf http://escholarship.org/uc/item/8972w2s0 http://escholarship.org/uc/item/8972w2s0 iyabode omolara akewo daniel nigerians utilisation of code-mixing as communicative devices van dijk, t. a. (1995). the mass media: discourses of domination or diversity. discourse in society. http://www.discourse.org/ol darticles/themediatoday.pdf. accessed february 18, 2008. wardhaugh, r. (2006). an introduction to sociolinguistics (5th edition). oxford: blackwell. weilenmann, a. (1962). communication theory in international relations. the western political quarterly. 15(3), pp. 47-48. accessed 10 april, 2015 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/445614. whorf, b. l. (1956). language, mind and reality. in j. b. carroll (eds.) languages, thought and reality: selected writings of benjamin lee whorf, (pp. 246-270). massachusetts: mit. wikibook.org. (2013). communication theory. retrieved 2 may, 2015 from https://upload.wikimedia.org/ wikipedia/commons/5/51/communi cation_theory.pdf 110 http://www.discourse.org/oldarticles/themediatoday.pdf http://www.discourse.org/oldarticles/themediatoday.pdf https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/communication_theory.pdf https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/communication_theory.pdf https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/communication_theory.pdf english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee appendix i context: playing of draft and cards by the participants participants: seven men and a woman location: pools agency store appellation: alphabetic labels of participants interlocutor a: se ma f’owo si ni sin ni? ...... okay, twenty-five ti won se yen je ona mewa g: jamaican ni bobo yen ke c: jamaican ko, canadian ni d: shokoloko ba ngbose, spell e. o easy baje e: shokoloko... a: eyin e speli ngba t’eyin mo b: sho gbo ni sin in. won ni ke spell e ngba t’e mo. a: teacher o k ii teach bayen. e yin e spell e. c: bi won se n teach ni sin ni yen. f: 1940 something. .... f: who knows the new minister for education? ... f: na jamiacan english we want to dey use now a: ah, ah, where una for learn that one? (general laughter) a: no, i’m interested o. f: what is the need now? a: i’m a student of english; i want to know. where did you learn jamaican english? b: o ns’ere ni. g: riddles and joke ni. a: oh, oh. but se eyin mo i pe there is jamaican english? f: well... g: this man is from jamaica. a: eeh, eh. is that so? pleased, to meet you. what is the name? f: korika. a: ah! f: korika. a: o pari! (laughter). una go dey sey fifty naira for ... b: ta lo wo bombay to goar? (echoes of bombay to goar) b: ikan mu ika lati bombay de goar. a: se awon footballers? f: me, i no go cast my own vote again. a: for the one wey den dey do now? f: eh en. a: why now? you are a citizen now. f: there is election for sale. 111 iyabode omolara akewo daniel nigerians utilisation of code-mixing as communicative devices a: election for sale? you are a citizen now? f: ci... a: citizen. f: for algeria or for jamaica? ki lo n j’ebe? a: e gbo yoruba tele? i be think you be igbo o. f: ibo ke? i’m not a nigerian. a: oh, you’re a jamaican. i’ve forgotten. which place are you from in jamaica? f: in jamaica? oh ... you know bob marley? a: eh ... i’ve heard of him. f: at the back of ... that is bob marley village gan, at the back of it. a: ehn, ehn. (bemused) d: (singing) naira pool, omo gb’ade ro. a: (to b) s’eyin ni naira pool? b: rara o... g: where is the second ₦50 a: this man, you’re not yoruba (to f) f: i am not yoruba. d: naira pool, omo gbade ro. a: you are from edo? f: edo ke? ah, ah, no. i’m from the only state in nigeria. a: what is the name? what is the name? f: the ‘d’ state, ehn. the ‘d’ state, that is it. a: o ga o. uhn, na you be warri man. f: (pause) a: no be warri? you be asaba. f: you’re talking now. when you talk of ... when you talk of delta ... a: i want to hear that una sound wey una dey speak so ... that una broken, i want to hear am self. f: our broken? a: ehn ... ehn. f: that one we don drop am o. the time wey den kill ... ehm ... saro wiwa. b: o ma bami sise, o n ba won ro’jo. a: no. ejo, mo n bo naa. ....... a: saro wiwa is not from delta now, saro wiwa is not from delta. f: saro wiwa is from where? a: he’s from rivers now. f: you’re right. that’s a slip of mouth. a: (smiling) not a slip of tongue again. f: not a slip of tongue. d: i be omo yoruba. na ₦5 we dey ta si here. f: he suppose know. he is a politician. (to g) a: ehn, ehn, they may ask them during a debate. b: kini ten so ye o. won le fi jay an. ....... 112 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee b: ejo, n t’o ri oloun, se ‘born to rule’ ni won? h: each state ni won ni ko mu ... n ti won wa submit ni yen. b: n ti won submit ni yen. a: won ni won bere l’owo edo state n’igba t’oko ‘heartbeat’ k’o wa explain l’abuja. f: dem explain am now. dem explain am. ........... f: p. h. na ‘tre(ʃ)ɔ’ base . a: you be imo? oga? d: eh? a: you be imo? you come dey speak yoruba like ehn ... g: eni ti won bi s’aba aponrin. na dis aba wey dey here. im mama na yoruba. f: when dem go create ibadan state, dem go come give una foko local government. g: mo tun ti bere ki nma fin ball win fun opponent. a: k’e ma se kini fun opponent? [end] appendix ii context: on the street interlocutor y: so, ko try lati intensify effots e. z: ma wa wa. church kanna l’emi ati woman yen jo nlo.... so, n ma ri l’ola. y: then. z: monday ma, ma tun try lati wa so do e. ma wa s’odo woman yen gang an. ma lo ba. ti n ba n be. y: ehn, ehn, o se po. then, the other ile yen na. bi o tie s’omi, as long as to ba t’obi. to de look fine die na. z: bi o ba tile wo nu. y: to ba wo’nu bawo? z: to ba jina sinu l’ohun. y: to ba wa ni are ‘bi titi kuro. o si better. z: o si better. whatever the case may be, ma wish lati gbo feedback l’ola. 113 iyabode omolara akewo daniel nigerians utilisation of code-mixing as communicative devices drummer a drummer, sick of all the drummer jokes, decides to change his instrument. after some thought, he decides on the accordion. so he goes to the music store and says to the owner, "i'd like to look at the accordions, please." the owner gestures to a shelf in the courner and says, "all our accordions are over there." after browsing, the drummer says, "i think i'd like the big red one in the corner." the store owner looks at him and says, "you're a drummer, aren't you?" the drummer, crestfallen, says, "how did you know?" the store owner says, "that 'big red accordion' is the radiator." (source: http://www.study-express.ru/humour/funny-stories.shtml, picture: www.google.co.id) 114 english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 81 the use of authentic material in teaching writing descriptive text gusti panji sundana department of english education, school of teacher training and education (stkip) pasundan cimahi, indonesia e-mail: gp_gusti@yahoo.co.id apa citation: sundana, g. p. (2017). the use of authentic material in teaching writing descriptive text. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 81-88. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.773. received: 19-08-2017 accepted: 28-10-2017 published: 01-12-2017 abstract: this study was conducted to figure out the effectiveness of using authentic materials in teaching writing descriptive text. the study was carried out at one of private universities in bandung. this study used authentic materials from magazine, newspaper and internet articles as teaching media. the reason of using authentic materials taken from magazine, newspaper and internet was that they could bring the students into a non-threatening atmosphere in the classroom and link the classroom environment with the real world (clark, 2000). in this study, the qualitative and quantitative methods were applied to gather the data. the data of this study were collected through pretests, posttest, and questionnaires. the findings indicated that using authentic materials in teaching descriptive writing had a significant role in improving students’ writing skill with the significance of 0.05 (α 0.05). the result of t-obs was 3.218 and t-crit was 2.042. this result was supported by the questionnaire results in which the participants showed positive opinions in learning descriptive writing using authentic materials. finally, it is expected that this study will give beneficial contribution to the teaching of writing for college students in which the technique applied is recommended to be used as an appropriate alternative to improve students’ writing competence. keywords: descriptive writing, authentic materials introduction writing is one of the two productive skills in learning english that comes after speaking. as a productive skill, many private college students struggle a lot to master english writing skill. some research findings have indicated that the students’ writing ability is yet far from satisfaction. katilie (2003) carried out a study of why the students had a poor quality in english writing composition. she found that the reason why the students achieved unpleasant result in writing english composition was because the practices of inappropriate teaching strategy in the class. this is supported by alwasilah (2007) who asserted that writing is complicated for students. furthermore, he added that in the classroom activities, writing is considered as the hardest skill. writing skill in english as a foreign language is apparently not easy (gibbons, 2002, p. 52) but it doesn’t mean it is impossible to be taught. this statement is supported by feez and joyce (2000, p. 1) who stated that writing is the ability of creating written texts and that everyone can be taught this technique if they are supported with the correct tools. alwasilah (2000, p. 12) pointed out that teachers are likely to teach students topic on spelling, word formation, vocabulary, grammar and theories of writing and consequently ignoring the practice of writing. in line with what had been stated by alwasilah, the researcher observes that in the present teaching and learning process, writing activities are mostly dominated by arranging jumbled words to be a sentence or jumbled sentences to be a paragraph and completing a dialogue or a passage. the students are also requested to write a simple paragraph using their own words without their teacher’s assistance, very often, they face the problem gusti panji sundana the use of authentic material in teaching writing descriptive text 82 of finding the ideas to write. as a result, it is difficult for the students to express their ideas on paper. based on that condition, the researcher strives to reduce those burdens by conducting a study employing a kind of teaching technique and materials that can help students generate their ideas. regarding the availability of teaching materials, providing interesting and authentic materials for language teaching is not a big problem anymore. the teachers can find the necessary material for teaching everywhere and every time through the internet, newspapers, and magazine. gilmore (2007, p. 98) cited in (syafri 2011, p. 1) stated that authentic materials offer resources for the english teachers to expose the students into a real language resource of the actual speakers and writers. in line with this, yusuf and tanti (2010) found that authentic materials benefit both teachers and students. they inspired teachers to improve their skills in developing materials and activities for the students. while for the students, they attracted their attention and drove their attention in learning. in addition, berardo (2006) shared his personal experience in teaching using authentic materials. he observed that the students experienced great exposure of real language used in real context. he found the authentic material interesting and more up to date than the textbooks. the outcome of berardo’s research is also in line with the research conducted by rojas (2012). despite those studies have shown how useful authentic materials are, however, they have not yet been implemented in teaching writing descriptive text. therefore, this study investigates the use of authentic material in improving students’ ability in writing descriptive paragraphs. method in order to obtain comprehensible description of the effect of authentic materials to descriptive writing, pre-test and post-test were occupied in the study, while to validate the attitudes towards the use of authentic materials, questionnaire was employed. the pre-test was conducted in the first meeting to see the initial writing skill of the students and the post-test was arranged in the last meeting to figure out the achievement gained by the students after the treatment. the material for the pre-test and post-test were actually the same so that the researcher can assess the progress of students’ ability in writing descriptive paragraph. the scoring system employed was based on heaton (1988) in which the aspects assessed involving grammar, vocabulary, mechanism, and content. a week after the pre-test, the students of experimental class was assigned to write a descriptive paragraph based on material given to them. the material about best friends was taken from the internet (http://www.booksie.com), the material for describing famous places was taken from cnn traveler magazine (may-june edition 2011), the material for describing about favorite movies was taken from the internet (http://www.imdb.com), and for the last meeting, the students were demanded to describe about their favorite movies in which the article was taken from reader’s digest magazine (november 2010 edition). the students in control class were also asked to write a descriptive paragraph of famous person, famous places, favorite movies, and favorite actors and actresses. after gathering the data, the post-test was given to both classes. as mentioned beforehand, the test employed in the post-test was similar to the pre-test. the post-test score of both classes were, later, compared to figure out the influence of the use of authentic material in teaching learning process. further, to obtain more accurate data, the questionnaire was handed out to experimental class to investigate students’ attitudes towards the use of authentic materials. the questionnaire was also handed out to the control class students in order to measure their attitudes towards the use of non-authentic materials in teaching descriptive paragraph. the students were assigned to choose the alternative answer by marking 1 for strongly disagree, 2 for disagree, 3 for neither agree nor disagree, 4 for agree, and 5 for strongly agree. the questionnaire was planned to find out whether the use of authentic materials could assist students to improve their writing or not. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 83 results and discussion results and discussion section explains the variations among the test result to figure out the effect of authentic materials used in descriptive writing. meanwhile, the data of questionnaire endeavor to figure out the students’ attitudes towards the use of authentic materials in teaching descriptive paragraph through collaborative work. t-test statistical measurement in order to find out whether the initial skill of experimental and control class is in the same level, the students’ pretest score of both experimental and control class was analyzed and estimated by using independent t-test through statistical product and solution (spss), and the result is illustrated in the table below. table 1. independent sample test of the initial skill of experimental and control classes n mean difference std. error difference t obs df t table sig. (2tailed) exp. and control pre-test 32 1.00000 5.26936 .190 30 2.042 .851 afterward, the result of independent t-test computation analysis showed that the independent samples mean achieved 1.00000, standard error difference was 5.26936, t obs was .190, in which the degree of t table was at the significant level (α = 0.05) with the df 30 was 2.042. it was discovered that the t obs was lower than t table (t test < t table), therefore, the null hypothesis was supported. it displayed that there was no significant difference between the means of pretest scores for both experiment and control class. therefore, it can be concluded that the two classes belong to the same population. this circumstance signified that the procedure of teaching descriptive paragraph using authentic materials can be implemented in experimental class. furthermore, as same as pretest data, the data from posttest were analyzed and then compared by using t-test independent sample test. it is done to see the dissimilarity of students’ achievement on writing ability between the experimental class (treated by using authentic materials) and the control class (treated by using non authentic materials). the result of independent sample test in post-test can be seen in table 2. table 2. independent sample test of post-test of experimental and control classes n mean difference std. error difference t obs df t table sig. (2tailed) exp. and control pre-test 32 14.93750 4.64251 3.218 30 2.042 .003 having calculated the data using the independent t-test computation, the mean difference of both classes was 14.93750, the standard error difference was 4.64251, and the value of t obs was 3.218. it also displayed that the t table of at a significant level (α = 0.05) with the degree of freedom 30 was 2.042 and the significance (2 tailed) was .003. on the strength of the computation in the table above, the outcome of t obs was 3.218, while the score of t table was at significant level (α = 0.05) with the degree of freedom was 2.042. it could be confirmed that the t obs is higher than t table (t test > t table). it indicated that the null hypothesis is rejected. therefore, it signified that the experimental students belong to different population. in other word, the treatment of authentic materials in descriptive writing confirmed that the achievement of experimental class was significantly different from the accomplishment of the control class. hypothesis testing the reason of the hypothesis testing in this study is to figure out the stage of effectiveness of the treatment presented to the experimental class matching up to the control class. the hypothesis testing is carried out making comparative analysis method for the gusti panji sundana the use of authentic material in teaching writing descriptive text 84 four scores gained from the two sample classes. 1. comparative analysis of pre-test and posttest of the experimental class the purpose of this hypothesis testing in this part is to figure out whether there is a significance difference between the pretest and the posttest scores in the experimental class. the hypothesis can be spotted below: h0 : µ1 = µ2 there is no significance difference between the means of pretest and posttest scores. hi : µ1 ≠ µ2 the mean of posttest score is higher than pretest one. the two hypotheses above were tested by using test of statistic-t: t-test of paired two sample of means. the criteria of testing are: h0 : accepted if t-stat < t-crit. : µ1 = µ2 h0 : rejected if t-stat ≥ t-crit. : µ1 > µ2 grounded on the statistical calculation of the pretest and posttest of the experimental class with the level of significance 0.05 and the degree of freedom 15, it was discovered that the value of t-stat was 11.726. since the value of t-crit at the degree of freedom 15 was 2.132. it means the value of t-stat was higher than t-crit. therefore it could be confirmed that there is a significant difference between pretest and posttest in the experimental class in which the posttest is higher than the pretest score. 2. comparative analysis of the pretest and posttest scores of the control class the purpose of testing hypothesis in this part is also to figure out the significant difference between the pretest and posttest of control class. below is the used hypothesis: h0 : µ1 = µ2 there is no significance difference between the means of pretest and posttest scores. hi : µ1 ≠ µ2 the mean of posttest score is higher than pretest one. the two hypotheses above were tested by using test of statistic-t: t-test of paired two sample of means. the criteria of testing are: h0 : accepted if t-stat < t-crit. : µ1 = µ2 h0 : rejected if t-stat ≥ t-crit. : µ1 > µ2 grounded on the statistical calculation with the level significance of 0.05 and the degree of freedom of 15, it was indicated that the value of t-stat. is 4.594. the value was higher than t-crit. in which the t-crit. is 2.131. it could be affirmed that there was a significant difference between the posttest scores in control class. in other word, the mean of posttest score was higher than the mean of pretest score. 3. comparative analysis of pretest score of experimental and control class the hypothesis testing was carried out to figure out if there is a significant difference involving the pretest score of the experimental class and the control class. the hypotheses are as follow: h0 : µ1 = µ2 there is no significant difference involving the mean of pretest scores between the experimental and control class. hi : µ1 ≠ µ2 the mean of pretest score of the two classes is significantly different. the two hypotheses above were analyzed by using testing-t: t-test of independent samples of means. the criteria applied in this section are: h0 : accepted if t-stat < t-crit. : µ1 = µ2 h0 : rejected if t –stat ≥ t-crit. : µ1 = µ2 based on the statistical calculation with the level significance of 0.05 and the degree of freedom of 30, it was indicated that the value of t-stat was .190 and the value of tcrit. was 2.042. the value of t-stat. was lower than the value of t-crit. it signified that there was no significant difference involving the mean of pretest scores in both experimental and control class. 4. comparative analysis of the posttest scores of experimental and control class the hypothesis testing in this part was displayed to find if there is significant difference between the posttest score of the experimental class and the posttest score of the control class. h0 : µ1 = µ2 there is no significant difference involving the mean of posttest scores from both the experimental and control class. in a similar way to the previous analysis, t-test of independent samples of mean was used. the criteria that were used are as follow: english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 85 h0 : accepted if t-stat < t-crit. : µ1 = µ2 h0 : rejected if t-stat ≥ t-crit. : µ1 > µ2 after taking a look at the calculation on the level of significance of 0.05 and the degree of freedom 30, it was discovered that the value of t-stat. is 3.218; meanwhile the value of t-crit. was 2.042. the finding confirmed that the value of t-stat. was higher than t-crit. therefore, it could be signified that there was a significant difference between the posttest score of the experimental class and the posttest of the control class. hence, the implementation of authentic materials had a significant effect to the achievement of the experimental students. data from students’ pretest and protest scores the outcome scores from the two classes were pretest and posttest. the pretest was carried out to identify the students’ initial ability in writing skill and it was given in the first meeting. the test material was the profile of the students’ best friend. the pretest scores were to identify the initial skill of the students before the experimental and control group got the treatment. meanwhile, the posttest was conducted equally to the pretest. it was applied to determine how successful the treatment of using authentic materials in improving students’ descriptive writing. the posttest was similar to the pretest and its scores were employed on the purpose of comparing the obtained scores. the scoring system in both pretest and posttest grounded on the aspects proposed by heaton (1988). the aspects that counted into writing assessment were grammar, mechanism, vocabulary, and content. the comparison of the outcome scores from both experimental and control classes were intended to spot the cause of the treatment conducted in the experimental class. to figure out a significant difference between the scores gained by both classes, the statistical technique of t-test was used. the pretest scores had gone through normality test. the tool that was used to examine the data was kolmogorov-smirnov. the outcome showed that the value of absolute d is .125 which is lower than the d table, whereas the value of d table is .2668. therefore, it can be concluded that the data above is normal in terms of distribution. the lowest score of pretest gained by the experiment class was 27, and the highest score was 73. there were two students who got score range from 0-30 (12.5%). there were ten students who got score range from 31-60 (62.5%), and four students got score range from 61-90 (25%). meanwhile, the lowest score of pretest obtained by the control class was 25 and the highest was 75. the students who got the score range from 0-30 were two students, ten students got score range within 31-60 (62.5%), and range score from 61-90 were four students (25%). the treatment of teaching using authentic materials was conducted a week after the pretest in the experimental class; while teaching descriptive writing using nonauthentic materials was implemented in the control class. after all materials had been delivered, the post-test was awarded to figure out the outcome of using authentic materials in improving students’ descriptive writing through collaborative work. the post-test was awarded to both classes. based on the data from the posttest, it indicated that the lowest score of the posttest obtained by the experimental class is 55 and the highest score is 87. there is no students who obtained score range from 0-30, but there were three students acquired score range from 31-60 (18.75%), and there were thirteen students who got score range from 61-90 (83%). meanwhile, the lowest posttest score obtained by the control class is 36 and the highest score is 82. none of the students got range score from 0-30. however, there were ten students who obtained range score from 31-60 (62%), and there were six students who got range score from 61-90 (38.4%). students’ attitudes towards the use of authentic materials having observed the questionnaire data in terms of students’ attitudes towards the use of authentic materials in descriptive paragraph, it had been stated that the questionnaire was gusti panji sundana the use of authentic material in teaching writing descriptive text 86 given to sixteen students of experimental class. there were ten items in the questionnaire in which each item consists of five optional choices, namely strongly disagree, disagree, neither agree nor disagree, agree, and strongly agree. the maximum score for each item is five. for all positive statements, the score is one point for strongly disagree, two points for disagree, three points for neutral, four points for agree, and five points for strongly agree. whereas for negative statements, the score arrangement is the opposite of positive statements, the score is five point for strongly disagree, four points for disagree, three points for neutral, two points for agree and one point for strongly agree. the questionnaire items were about the students’ attitudes related to the authentic materials that had been used in the classroom. in order to calculate the general data from the questionnaires, the researcher used class interval and range as can be seen in the following table. table 3. the learners’ attitudes of learning writing through authentic materials no class interval (questionnaire score) description 1 160-288 strongly disagree 2 289-417 disagree 3 418-546 neither agree nor disagree 4 547-675 agree 5 676-804 strongly agree after calculating the score of the questionnaire from sixteen students, it was found that the total score of the questionnaires was six hundred and fifty four. having observed the table of class interval above, it was indicated that the students are in agree level. it could be rephrased that the students were fond of learning descriptive writing through authentic materials because it could help them get the ideas to write easily. in addition, the students attitudes obtained from open-ended questions in the questionnaire reveal that they have positive attitudes. first, the respondents’ attitudes to the teaching descriptive writing by using the articles from the internet, magazine and newspaper were very good since these materials can help them in terms of finding the idea, understanding how to write, getting much information in writing, and increasing vocabulary. furthermore, they stated that learning by using articles from the magazine, newspaper and the internet encouraged them to write actively since the materials applied were interesting. this output was also in coherence with shrum and glisan (2000, p. 133) who stated that authentic materials provide an effective means for presenting real language, integrating culture, and heightening comprehension. based on the respondents’ answers, they were categorized into two parts. the description can be seen in the following table. table 4. teaching writing by using article from magazine, newspaper and internet no respondents’ attitude number of participants percentage 1 authentic material is helpful 13 81.25% 2 authentic materials encourage the learners to write 3 18.25% second, the respondents’ statement to the improvement of writing after using the articles from magazine, newspaper and internet has also two categories. fourteen respondents (87%) stated that their writings improved after applying the authentic materials. the participants also expressed that they had good progress in descriptive writing, know how to compose sentences and increase their vocabulary after using these authentic materials. while 2 of them (13%) stated that they do not have any significant progress in their writing yet since they are lack of vocabulary, grammar and ideas to be english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 87 expressed, but they know what to be written and they will try to improve their writing. in this case, they regard that the use of authentic materials in teaching writing should be adopted by teacher, particularly writing description. the following is the description of questionnaire data in accordance with articles from the magazine, internet, and newspaper. table 5. the writing improvement after using magazine, newspaper and internet articles no respondents’ attitudes number of participants % 1. having improvement of writing 14 87 2. do not have progress yet 2 13 third concerning respondents’ attitudes toward collaborative writing, as many as fourteen students (87%) stated that the implementation of collaborative work in descriptive writing is helpful since the collaborative writing can help them develop their writing in terms of organizing the ideas and using the grammar or vocabulary accurately. furthermore, the collaborative way can encourage them in expressing their idea in writing and improve their writing due to the revision or correction from the collaborators. while the other 13% or two participants thought that writing together was too noisy for them because their friends kept asking them questions so they preferred to work on their own. conclusion to conclude, learners’ writing are improved in terms of organization. it increases in terms of organizing the sentences or paragraphs and using appropriate topic. the learners, furthermore, improve on the use of appropriate grammar or vocabulary such as the use of simple present in writing description, the use of subject verbs agreement, and adjective words or phrases. then, they also have improvement in content aspects in terms of appropriateness between content and theme, and stylistic technique, i.e. using clear syntax. based on the result obtained, it can be further said that using authentic materials in descriptive writing is useful. in other words, the implementation of authentic materials in descriptive writing is effective to the improvement of the students’ writing skill. considering the students’ attitude towards the use of authentic materials in descriptive writing, based on the data from the questionnaires, it showed that the students gave positive attitude towards the use of authentic materials in descriptive writing. they felt that the materials assist them in writing, they get many ideas to write and it enhance their vocabulary as well, as a result, they were more interested in writing. in addition, the students were likely to utilize visual and interpersonal styles in learning since they were fond of learning writing descriptive paragraph by using the visual materials, such as articles from magazine, newspaper as well as articles from the internet with their friends in the groups. however, the challenging and the difficulty of writing a passage seem to be inevitable for most of students. therefore, teachers should carry out the writing process to the students in order to help them make a passage, such as helping them in determining the topic, brainstorming, generating ideas, first draft writing, editing or revising, and final draft writing. second, it is very helpful to apply collaborative writing because it has some advantages to the learners’ progress such as establishing cooperation and tolerance to one’s opinion, facilitating them to modify or adjust their writing, while the downside of using collaborative writing are such as some of the students talked about something that was out of topic with their groups and for introvert students, they looked very uncomfortable working with other students in a group. to minimize these burdens, teacher should observe closely around the students’ group to make sure the writing process are not misleading. references gusti panji sundana the use of authentic material in teaching writing descriptive text 88 alwasilah, c. (2000). perspektif pendidikan bahasa inggris di indonesia dalam konteks persaingan global. bandung: andira. alwasilah, c. (2007). language, culture and education: a portrait of contemporary indonesia. bandung: andira. berardo, s. a. (2006). the use of authentic materials in the teaching of reading. the reading matrix online journal, 6(2), 60-69. feez, s., & joyce, h. (2000). creative writing skills: literary and media text types. sydney phoenix education. gibbons, p. (2002). scaffolding language scaffolding learning: teaching second language learners in the mainstream classroom. portsmouth: heinemann. gilmore, a. (2007). authentic materials and authenticity in foreign language learning. retrieved from: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayfullte xt?type=1&fid=902976&jid=lta&volumeid=40 &issueid=02&aid=902972&bodyid=&membersh ipnumber=&societyetocsession= heaton, j. b. (1988). writing english language tests. new york: longman inc. katilie, n. (2003). improving students’ ability by using scaffolding strategy in the process of writing at stp negeri 3 tolitoli. (unpublished thesis). state university of malang, malang, indonesia. rojas, y. (2012). authentic task to enhance descriptive paragraph in writing. unpublished thesis. universidad de la sabana, bogota, colombia. yusuf, f. n., & tanti, d. (2010). authentic materials in a vocational school writing class: any advantage?. proceedings of the 1st upi international conference on technical and vocational education and training. retrieved from http://fptk.upi.edu/tvet-conference/download. http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayfulltext?type=1&fid=902976&jid=lta&volumeid=40&issueid=02&aid=902972&bodyid=&membershipnumber=&societyetocsession http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayfulltext?type=1&fid=902976&jid=lta&volumeid=40&issueid=02&aid=902972&bodyid=&membershipnumber=&societyetocsession http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayfulltext?type=1&fid=902976&jid=lta&volumeid=40&issueid=02&aid=902972&bodyid=&membershipnumber=&societyetocsession http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayfulltext?type=1&fid=902976&jid=lta&volumeid=40&issueid=02&aid=902972&bodyid=&membershipnumber=&societyetocsession english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1 using blogs in teaching tertiary esl writing romualdo a. mabuan lyceum of the philippines university e-mail: romualdo.mabuan@lpu.edu.ph apa citation: mabuan, r. a. (2018). using blogs in teaching tertiary esl writing. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 1-10. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1238. received: 14-02-2018 accepted: 23-04-2018 published: 01-06-2018 abstract: anchored on the technological, pedagogical and content knowledge or tpack framework (koehler & mishra, 2009) and substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition or samr model of technology integration into the classroom (puentedura, 2014), this study investigated a corpus of 58 blog posts written by esl learners through weblogs. it aimed to determine the views of students on the use of blogs in learning english writing skills and to explore students’ feedback on the advantages of blogging as a virtual writing platform. research participants were 58 freshman university tourism students enrolled at a study and thinking skills class in a private university in manila, the philippines during the first semester of the academic year 20172018. research data drawn from students’ blogs, survey questionnaires and focus group discussion revealed that despite accessibility issues due to technological resources, the learners viewed blogging as a viable platform in learning english writing skills because it affords them freedom to express their thoughts, it develops or improves their writing skills, and it allows them to connect and engage with their peers online, inter alia. pedagogical implications for esl writing teachers and researchers are offered based on these results. keywords: teaching writing, esl writing, weblogs, blogging, tpack, samr introduction the teaching of writing particularly in the context of esl instruction is rife with challenges, as teachers often face student reluctance, if not resistance, to express their thoughts through writing in english. viewed as the most difficult english skill (richards & renandya, 2002) and one of the most complex english macro skills to be mastered (flower & hayes, 1980; tillema, 2012), writing demands learner’s ability to construct sentence and paragraph structures that are grammatically correct, syntactically accurate, and semantically appropriate, inter alia. while learning the writing skills may be tedious and grueling among students, it is a necessary skill to possess to be functional, productive and competent in the 21st century, when communication, together with critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity (partnership for 21st century skills, 2006), is a hallmark of personal, social and professional competency. cognizant of these social and educational realities, as well as the modern nature of the 21st century learners who have ‘24/7/365 fingertip access to technology’ (mabuan, 2017), the 21st century english language educators must ensure that they teach their students with the end-goals in mind (spady, 1994) by harnessing the myriad of modern technological resources and carefully integrating them into their classroom contexts via varied means such as “substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition” (puentedura, 2014). following koehler and mishra’s (2009) technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (tpack) framework, which posits that the modern educator should possess mastery not only in subject matter and pedagogy but also in technological know-how for maximum curriculum delivery, this study explores how web 2.0 technology, particularly blogging, can be used in the esl classroom to help facilitate the teaching and learning of writing skills among students. blogs (short for “web logs”) are free, manipulable, and personalized online websites that look like a journal or diary. blogs are mailto:romualdo.mabuan@lpu.edu.ph romualdo a. mabuan using blogs in teaching tertiary esl writing 2 easy-to-use and easy-to-maintain websites which allow a blogger or a blog user to create, edit, and publish written outputs called blog posts into the blogosphere (blog community in the cyberspace) through a blog platform, which is a free web hosting service (campbell, 2003). blogs are popular but not necessarily new. they have been existing for 27 years since their introduction into the world wide web in 1991 as a mode of sharing information. early blogs had three primary features – contained links to other areas of interest in the web, commentary on the links, and interactivity and interconnectedness (li & chignell, 2010). blogs afford esl teachers and learners various opportunities. campbell (2003) claimed that blogs’ features such as easy-touse interface, frequent text update, and interactive comment area make them applicable in writing classes. ferdig and trammell (2004) posited that blogs are medium for dialogs between bloggers and readers, readers with other readers, and bloggers with other bloggers and their readers, while nowson (2006) indicated that blogs provide freedom to the blogger to write and publish absolutely anything about everything, at any time in anywhere as long as there is an internet connection. sun (2010) asserted that blogging might help develop students’ writing skills, increase their motivation, and stimulate learner autonomy. nepomuceno (2011) observed that blogging in the esl classroom could be an effective alternative writing activity to develop and improve students’ writing proficiency. cequena (2013) found that essay writing through blogging improved her students’ writing skills, which also corroborated with the students’ positive perception on their peers’ constructive feedback on their blog posts. kitchakarn (2014) reported that his students’ writing ability improved through collaborative writing activities in blogging such as commenting, editing and revising blog posts. furthermore, akdag and ozkan (2017) also found that blogs could be effective tools in improving students’ writing skills, enhancing students’ enthusiasm in writing, and fostering students’ autonomy in writing. other studies (saeed, 2009; wang & woo, 2010; gomez & mcdougald, 2013; kaupmees, 2015) have suggested that through blogging, students can organize information, post and share written outputs, give and get comments from other students, search information, link to other students’ sites, read and evaluate other students’ posts, collaborate and learn from one another, exercise learner autonomy, develop confidence, and reinforce motivation. hence, this paper aims to ascertain the findings of the foregoing studies and to contribute to the growing literature on blogging as applied in esl writing contexts. specifically, it aims to answer the following questions: 1. how do students view the use of blogging in an esl class? 2. what are the affordances of blogging as experienced by the students? method utilizing a qualitative research design to unravel learners’ viewpoints on the use of blogs in the classroom, this study was participated in by 58 freshman university (16 males and 42 females; ages ranged from 16 to 20 years old) enrolled in a study and critical thinking skills class, majoring in bachelor of science in international travel and tourism management in a private tertiary institution in manila, the philippines. they have an average english learning experience of 10 years, and their english proficiency levels ranged from lower intermediate to intermediate based on their toeic (test of english for international communication) scores. the class ran for 1.5 hours with two sessions per week. this study was conducted during the first semester of academic year 2017-2018, from august 7 to september 9, covering five weeks. free prior informed consent was sought from the participants and their parents. the blog project was announced to the class as a midterm project. prior to the conduct of the study, participants’ “virtual profiles” were checked by identifying the social networking sites that they maintain. the survey revealed that the three most popular social networking sites among the respondents are facebook (58, 100%), twitter (32, 55.17%), and instagram (30, 51.72%). in a english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 3 day, they accessed their social media for at least an hour (12, 24.14%), more than an hour but less than five hours (17, 29.31%), and more than five hours (29, 50%). their social media activities include posting, reading, and commenting on their ‘walls’ and on friends’ status updates, chatting, uploading photos and videos, and sharing information. furthermore, when asked whether they have heard about blogs, they responded as follows: no (6, 10.34%); yes, but no idea what it is (21, 36.21%); yes, but have a slight what it is (20, 34.48%); and yes, and have a blog (11, 18.97%). survey questionnaires, focus group discussion, and students’ blog posts were utilized to gather research data. two surveys were administered to the respondents. prior to the implementing of the project, a pre-project survey questionnaire was administered to the respondents to gather personal information and to determine their exposure to technology particularly social networking sites. the responses were used to organize the project in terms of what blogging platform to utilize, how much blogging the learners should do per week, what topics should be included, and how much background knowledge learners had of blogs. a post-project open-ended survey questionnaire was administered to the participants to determine their perceived advantages and advantages of the blog project as an alternative writing platform. prior to the implementation of the blog project, the researcher identified the platform or blog site, which would be utilized by the class, taking into consideration soares’ (2008) recommendation that teachers who would like to implement blogging in their classes should have “trial blogs before using the ‘real thing’ with students, checking if the platform chosen caters for all the wants and needs.” the researcher set some basic criteria before deciding on the blog site to be introduced to the class: 1) user-friendliness (i.e., the site must be easily navigation-able and must require only basic technical skills from setting up to publishing so that the students will have more time for blogging), 2) customizability (i.e., the site must contain interesting features for the students such as access to free themes, formats, layouts, and integration of widgets, comment sections, and photo and video blogging), and 3) security (i.e., the site must secure by providing students username and password for blog owner’s access, as well as security codes for comment posting and preventing of unsolicited posts or comments). shortlisted among these platforms based on the set criteria were blogger (www.blogger.com), multiply (www.multiply.com), myspace (www.myspace.com), tumblr (www.tumblr.com), and wordpress (www.wordpress.com). being an active blogger himself for five years, the researcher tested all the shortlisted blog sites and finally decided to use blogger as the platform for the project. furthermore, to keep track of students’ blog posts without manually visiting every individual blog, the researcher used bloglines, a web-based service news-feed collector (also called ‘aggregator’) which enabled him to subscribe to the rss (real simple syndication or rich site summary) feed of each of the students’ blog, allowing him to read all of the students’ blogs in one site from any computer connected to the internet. upon downloading and installing the notifier, the researcher was alerted whenever the subscriptions have new items to read. this aggregator also helped the researcher organize blogs by students’ real names rather than pseudonyms. here, the students were encouraged to publish two blog posts per week related to the general topics provided. general weekly topics included the following: week 1: personal topics such as hobbies, goals, pet peeves, etc.; week 2: educational topics and issues such as the use of social media in the classroom, the k to 12 system in the philippines, etc., week 3: societal issues such as the new tax reform law (train law) in the philippines, the reinstitutionalization of the death penalty law in the philippines, philippine government’s war on drugs campaign (e.g., tokhang), etc.; week 4: global issues such as global warming and climate change, human trafficking, terrorism, etc.; and week 5: reflection post covering the students’ learning experience in the class’ blog project. the http://www.blogger.com/ http://www.multiply.com/ http://www.myspace.com/ http://www.tumblr.com/ http://www.wordpress.com/ romualdo a. mabuan using blogs in teaching tertiary esl writing 4 students were reminded to observe formal english writing and avoid text-messaging type of writing, use of emoticons, and colloquialisms. after the project was completed, 10 students volunteered for a focus group discussion with the researcher to discuss the blog project. students responded to openended questions exploring their perceptions on the benefits, limitations, and challenges encountered in blogging. these responses were used to validate students’ responses in the survey questionnaires. some of the openended questions asked include the following: “how would you describe your blogging experience?” “do you think writing online through blogging helped you improve our english skills particularly writing? if yes, could you cite some of these improvements?” “what did you learn from this blog project?” “what were the challenges that you encountered while doing the blog project?” “did you like/enjoy the project? why or why not?” “how can this project be better?” “would you continue blogging?” to explore students’ feedback on the use of blogging, their blog posts were collected and quantified, and the survey questionnaire responses were coded and analyzed following guest, mcqueen, and namey’s (2012) thematic analysis framework. interview results were then qualitatively described to validate these findings. results and discussion throughout the five-week implementation of the blog project, the researcher yielded important data as regards the blogs posted and the feedback of student bloggers on writing online through blogging. in terms of the quantity of blog posts, the 58 participants published 418 blogs online within the duration of five weeks, with an average of 83.6 posts per week. among these blogs, the maximum number of words is 1,956, while the least number of words in a blog is 20. on the average, blogs are composed of 319.67 words. these figures showed the pedagogical viability of blogging as to its impact on motivating learners to express their ideas, emotions, and opinions freely through online writing. despite having no rigid guidelines in blogging such as sentence and paragraph structures, style, and word limits, and despite the absence of any evaluative measure or grading system for each of the blog post, it can be observed that students manifested significant interest in writing online through blogging. while this student activity can be attributed to the blogging being introduced as a class midterm project, the newness of blogging may have influenced students’ motivation and enthusiasm in writing as seen in the frequency of their posts and the quantity of words for each post. furthermore, it should also be noted that students did not only use text blogging; they also incorporated photo and video blogging as well as hyperlinking to their classmates’ blog sites and other websites. this implies that blogging affords students features that promote students’ enthusiasm for writing, creativity, and collaboration. figure 1 below presents the blog count for each week. 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 week 1 week 2 week 3 week 4 week 5 n o . o f b lo g s blogging period figure 1. blog count per week english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 5 this data shows an upward movement from the onset of the project. on the week 1 of the blog project, 73 blogs (17.46%) were posted, showing the project’s wide acceptance among students, despite some complaints of lack of sufficient knowledge on blogging, having no technological resources like personal computer and internet connection at home, and weak or unstable internet connection. yet, there was a slight decrease of the number of posts for week 2 (67, 16.03%). this may be due to the busy schedule of the students in preparation for their preliminary examinations, which brought a growing number of school tasks and projects to do. however, after week 2, a consistent upward trend is remarkably noticeable from week 3 (80 blog posts, 19.14%), to week 4 (89 blog posts, 21.29%) and to week 5 (109 blog posts, 26.08%) when it reached its peak. this may be due to the consistent motivation and encouragement given to the students by the teacher, increased learning and adaptability of the technical know-how of blogging, and growing interest of the participants upon seeing their classmates’ posts and comments to one another. this strengthens the author’s claim that blogging is not merely a writing activity but an avenue for learning new things and for sharing experiences, ideas, and information. these findings are consistent with the observations of some authors (yunus, et al., 2013; okan & taraf, 2013; awada & ghaith, 2014) that delineate the pedagogical viability of integrating blogging into writing classes. furthermore, these findings corroborate with the results of previous studies (cequena, 2013; kitchakarn, 2014; akdag & ozkan, 2017) indicating the educational benefits of using blogs in the english writing classroom to develop and enhance students’ writing skills. learner-perceived advantages of the blog project students’ survey and interview results revealed that all of them “enjoyed” the blog project overall. when being asked about the benefits of the project, the reasons why they enjoyed blogging, and what they learned from the blog project, students reported a variety of responses. of the total 94 answers, 32 (34.04 %) pointed on the affordance of blogging in providing students the freedom to express their ideas and opinions on different topics. fourteen responses (14.89 %) suggested that blogging improved students’ writing skills, while 11 (11.7%) underscored the social connection that blogging has established among the students in the virtual space. table 1 lists all of the students’ responses showing the benefits of blogging, while table 2 presents students’ avowals supporting their viewpoints. table 1. learner-perceived advantages of blogging blogging… f % promotes freedom and confidence to express and share one’s feelings, ideas, and opinions on certain topics and issues 32 34.04 improves writing skills 14 14.89 facilitates peer online interaction and engagement 11 11.70 increases societal awareness 8 8.51 develops understanding of oneself and others 7 7.45 allows learning and use of new vocabulary 6 6.38 facilitates grammar practice 6 6.38 allows practice in technology 4 4.26 promotes critical thinking 4 4.26 allows learning of new ideas 2 2.13 total 94 100 romualdo a. mabuan using blogs in teaching tertiary esl writing 6 table 2. students’ avowals perceived benefits of blogging interview transcripts and reflections showing students’ perceptions on the benefits of blogging promotes freedom and confidence to express and share one’s feelings, ideas, and opinions on certain topics and issues through blogging, i learned to express my ideas and opinion on different topics. (s9-m-18) this blog project develops my self-confidence in posting personal opinions and experiences. (s13-f-16) the blog project helps me to express my ideas through the cyber world. i am free to share with others what i really feel about something or someone i want to talk about. (s2-f-20). improves writing skills i believe my written communication skill improved while i expressed myself in this blog project because i learned how to write in different styles to make my blogs interesting for my classmates. (s30-f-18) it forced me to write… at first i thought it was very boring, but as i continued to blog, i learned how to love writing. it’s interesting and helpful. (s17-m-16) facilitates online peer interaction and engagement it helped us to interact with our classmates by reading and leaving comments on each other’s blogs. (s26-f-17) increases societal awareness it helped me widen and deepen my thoughts about the things around me. (s12m-17) i was able to know the issues here in the philippines & around the world. (s1m-18) by researching for my own topics and reading my classmates’ blogs, i learned more about the different situations in our society. (s40-f-17) this project let us see the world in a broader way. (s55-m-18) develops understanding of oneself and others this project made me know others well. it helped me reach out to people for them to understand me for who i am. (s10-m-16) in just a click, people around me could have piece of me and of course, i did that that in the same way to their blog posts in order for me to know their part. (s34-f-17) allows learning and using new vocabulary because of this blog, i learned to research and check the spelling of words first before i published them. i also encountered new words that i didn't know. (s56-f-16) i have been more creative in picking the best words for my blogs. (s42-m-17) facilitates grammar practice i was very careful with my grammar and vocabulary, and even spelling. before posting my blog, i made it sure that i didn’t have errors, because my classmates and teacher would read my blogs. (s11-m-18) i think my grammar improved because my classmate constantly checked my sentences. i thank her for that. (s38-m-17) this project also helped me detect the errors in grammar of classmates as well as correct them and vice versa. (s29-f-17) this blog project enhanced my english grammar on how to create and combine correct sentences using the english language. i was able to write long sentences. (s20-f-16) allows practice in technology this blog project helped us to maximize our gadgets and technologies in a better way. (s18-m-17) i was able to use this technology in a useful and sensible way. (s45-f-18) promotes critical thinking our reasoning and judgment were practiced in commenting on the societal and global issues. (s51-m-20) consistent with the findings of several studies (blackmore-squires, 2010; delgado & mcdougald, 2013; kaupmees, 2015; ozdemir & aydin, 2015), this study found that the most valued feature of blogging among students is the ‘freedom space’ that it affords them so that they could express freely through writing their perspectives on certain topics and issues. this finding suggests that blogging can be an alternative platform to traditional in-class writing where students can stage their thoughts and voice out their minds anytime and anywhere at the convenience of virtual writing – a technological affordance that could be a viable solution to limited classroom communication engagement particularly in english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 7 large classes. furthermore, this freedom space allows students to strike a balance between the rigorous and structured formal academic writing in the classroom and the more relaxed and less structured blogging where students can express their ideas and arguments and experiment with their writing styles (oliver, 2016). another significant finding in this study points to the educational benefit of blogging in facilitating the learning of english writing skills among students. this observation corroborates with the established literature on blogging in writing classes (said et al., 2013; karlsson, 2014; kitchakarn, 2014; akdag & ozkan, 2017) demonstrating the pedagogical potential of blogging in developing and enhancing students’ writing skills. with the excitement of trying a new mode of communication and connecting with a virtual audience beyond the confines of time and space in the traditional writing classroom, students were motivated and thrilled to see their ideas published on the web instantaneously and accessed by their classmates and teacher – a departure from the time-constrained traditional paper-and-pen inclass writing activity. moreover, students’ digital competence (ferrari, 2013) may be developed as they can focus beyond writing content; they can integrate other media such as images, audios and videos and hyperlink websites. likewise, they can develop skills in podcasting (audacity), video blogging or vlogging (youtube), and creating a presentation (slideshare) (dyer, 2017). this finding embodies puentedura’s (2014) notion on ‘redefinition’ in technology integration into the classroom which posits that technology (i.e., blogging) allows learners to perform tasks previously inconceivable and provides them a new learning experience. validating the findings of recent studies (chan & cmor, 2009; zinger & sinclair, 2013; dyer, 2017), this study also found out that blogging can facilitate peer-to-peer engagement through comments and feedback among their blog posts. because students were required to read and comment on at least five blog posts of their classmates every week, they were aware that they had audience or readers. this practice motivated students to write blog posts regularly and prompted them to observe correct grammar usage and proper vocabulary in their sentence constructions, considering that their blog posts would be read by audiences. by reading their classmates’ blog posts, students learned new ideas from one another; and by commenting on their classmates’ blog posts, they became active collaborators in the exchange of information over the web. however, despite the positive feedback towards blogging in the class, students also reported challenges and limitations, which include lack of technological resources such as unavailability of internet-connected electronic devices such as computers, laptops, tablets or mobile phones at home, as well as inaccessibility to stable internet connection. for instance, one student shared, “we don’t have a computer with internet at home, so i had to go to a computer shop just to write and publish my blogs” (s16-f-18). another student complained, “the wi-fi connection in our campus is very weak, so it usually took me a long time to post my blog… it’s time consuming and frustrating sometimes…” (s57-m-18). learners’ feedback such as these have important implications on the applicability of blogging in the classroom; hence, teachers should consider significant factors that may affect the successful integration of blogging into their classes such as the availability of infrastructure, technological resources, learners’ digital readiness, appropriacy to the curriculum, class design, etc. conclusion this study explored the pedagogical viability of integrating blogging into an esl class in a private university setting in urban manila, the philippines. findings drawn from survey questionnaires and focus group discussion revealed that, in general, students viewed blogging as a beneficial platform in helping them practice their english writing skills, expressing their thoughts and ideas freely, and facilitating online peer engagement, among others. these findings corroborate with the results of recent studies (kitchakarn, 2014; romualdo a. mabuan using blogs in teaching tertiary esl writing 8 kaupmees, 2015; oliver, 2016; akdag & ozkan, 2017; hernandez, amarles, & raymundo, 2017) that underscored the applicability of integrating blogging into writing classes as afforded by its accessibility, flexibility and interactivity features, to name a few. however, limitations to technological access such as availability of internet-capable devices and stable internet connection remain to be significant hurdles to the successful use of blogging in any classroom; hence, this should implicate educators to consider their own contexts and to decide cautiously whether or not their institutions and classes are ready for this digital innovation. finally, certain limitations of this study must be noted: first, this study was conducted in only one freshman class in a private university setting for five weeks; thus, the findings of this study may limit their external validity and generalizability to other contexts. second, because of its exploratory nature, the blogging activity in this class did not strictly follow a writing rubric that might have influenced students’ blog posts’ word count, paragraph development patterns, writing styles, language use, and other conventions. hence, future studies may explore other classroom settings and levels, apply specific writing guidelines in blogging, and investigate students’ blogs both qualitatively and quantitatively. references akdag, e., & ozkan, y. (2017). enhancing writing skills of efl learners through blogging. the reading matrix: an international online journal, 17(2), 79-95. awada, g., & ghaith, g. (2014). effect of using the blog educational tool on writing achievement and motivation for legal writing. international journal of education and research, 2(12), 371-388. blackmore-squires, s. (2010). an investigation into the use of a blog as a tool to improve writing in the second language classroom. unpublished ma thesis. university of manchester, uk. campbell, a. p. (2003). weblogs for use with esl classes. the internet tesl journal, 9(2). cequena, m. (2013). does blogging facilitate the development of students’ writing skills? philippine esl journal, 10, 126-147. chan, c., & cmor, d. (2009). blogging toward information literacy: engaging students and facilitating peer learning. reference services review, 37(4), 395-407. dyer, k. (2017). the benefits of blogging for student life. retrieved from http://www.presence.io/blog/why-blog-thebenefits-of-blogging-for-student-life/. ferdig, r., & trammell, k. (2004). content delivery in the ‘blogsphere’. retrieved from http://defiant.corban.edu/jjohnson/pages/teaching/ bloggingblogosphere.pdf. ferrari, a. (2013). digcomp: a framework for developing and understanding digital competence in europe. luxembourg: publications office of the european union. flower, l. s., & hayes, j. r. (1980). the dynamics of composing, making plans and juggling constraints. in l. w. gregg, & e. r. steinberg (eds.), cognitive process in writing (pp. 31-50). hillsdale, n. j.: lawrence erlbaum associates. gomez, o., & mcdougald, j. (2013). developing writing through blogs and peer feedback. ikala, revista de language y cultura, 18(3), 45-61. guest, g., mcqueen, k., & namey, e. (2012). applied thematic analysis. thousand oaks, california: sage publications. karlsson, a. (2014). how can blogging in foreign language education improve pupils’ writing skills? a research synthesis. unpublished ma thesis. malmo university, sweden. kaupmees, h. (2015). students’ perceptions of and attitudes toward using blogging in upper intermediate efl classes. unpublished ma dissertation. university of tartu, estonia. kitchakarn, o. (2014). developing writing abilities of efl students through blogging. turkish online journal of distance education, 15(4), 34-47. koehler, m. j., & mishra, p. (2009). what is technological pedagogical content knowledge? contemporary issues in technology and teacher education, 9(1), 60-70. li, j., & chignell, m. (2010). birds of a feather: how personality influences blog writing and reading. international journal of human computer studies, 68(9), 589-602. mabuan, r. a. (2017). developing esl/efl learners’ public speaking skills through pecha kucha presentations. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 1-10. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.765. nepomuceno, m. (2011). writing online: using blogs as an alternative writing activity in tertiary esl classes. tesol journal, 5, 92-105. nowson, s. (2006). the language of weblogs: a study of genre and individual differences. unpublished ph.d. thesis. institute for communicating and collaborative systems, school of informatics, university of edinburgh. (online). retrieved from http://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/1842/1113/1/ thesis.pdf. http://www.presence.io/blog/why-blog-the-benefits-of-blogging-for-student-life/ http://www.presence.io/blog/why-blog-the-benefits-of-blogging-for-student-life/ english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 9 okan, z., & taraf, u. h. (2013). the use of blogs in second language teacher education. procedia – social and behavioral sciences, 83, 282-289. oliver, k. h. (2016). teaching with blogs. retrieved from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-withblogs/. ozdemir, e., & aydin, s. (2015). the effects of blogging on efl writing achievement. procedia – social and behavioral sciences, 199, 372-380. partnership for 21st century skills. (2006). a state leader’s action guide to 21st century skills: a new vision for education. tuczon, az: partnership for 21st century skills. puentedura, r. (2014). learning technology and the samr model: goals, processes, and practice. retrieved from http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/201 4/06/29/ learningtechnologysamrmodel.pdf. richards, j. c., & renandya, w. a. (2002). methodology in language teaching: an anthology of current practice. cambridge: cambridge university press. saeed, n. (2009). emerging web technologies in higher education: a case of incorporating blogs, podcasts and social bookmarks in a web programming course based on students' learning styles and technology preferences. retrieved from http://www.ifets.info/journals/12_4/9.pdf. said, n. e. m., yunus, m., doring, l. k., asmi, a., aqilah, f., & li, l. k. s. (2013). blogging to enhance writing skills: a survey of students’ perception and attitude. asian social science, 9(16), 95-101. spady, w. g. (1994). outcome-based education: critical issues and answers. arlington, va: american association of school administrators. sun, y. c. (2010). extensive writing in foreignlanguage classrooms: a blogging approach. innovations in education and teaching international, 47(3), 327-339. tillema, m. (2012). writing in first and second language: empirical studies on text quality and writing processes. the netherlands: lot. wang, q., & woo, h. (2010). investigating students’ critical thinking in weblogs: an exploratory study in a singapore secondary school. asia pacific education review, 11(4), 541-551. yunus, m. m., tuan, j. l. k., & salehi, h. (2013). using blogs to promote writing skill in esl classroom. recent advances in educational technology. proceedings of the 4th international conference on education and educational technologies (eet ’13), 109-113. zinger, l., & sinclair, a. (2013). using blogs to enhance student engagement and learning in the health sciences. contemporary issues in education research, 6(3), 349-352. https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-with-blogs/ https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-with-blogs/ http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/2014/06/29/ http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/2014/06/29/ romualdo a. mabuan using blogs in teaching tertiary esl writing 10 functions of language mixing in a business transaction talk english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee not careless butweak: languagemixing ofmalaysian chinese in a business transaction kuang ching hei department of english language, faculty of languages and linguistics, university of malaya, malaysia email: kuangch@um.edu.my maya khemlani david department of english language, faculty of languages and linguistics, university of malaya, malaysia email: mayadavid@yahoo.com apa citation: kuang, c. h. & david, m. k. (2015). not careless but weak: language mixing of malaysian chinese in a business transaction. english review: journal of english education, 3(2), 127-138 received: 11-04-2015 accepted: 26-04-2015 published: 01-06-2015 abstract: language is an inevitable tool for business transactions and regardless of nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, age and social class, interlocutors depend on it to conduct their daily dealings. in multilingual and multicultural malaysia, it is not uncommon to hear a business transaction being conducted in various languages depending on who the participants are and what the context involves. this study focussed on the phenomenon of language (code) mixing within a business transaction that involved four malaysians of chinese descent. the study aimed to detect at what level language mixing occurred and what their functions would be. data were video recorded and then transcribed verbatim. mandarin utterances were documented in chinese and han yu pin yin and provided with translations. utterances containing a mixture of languages were then extracted for analysis. findings suggest that language mixing occurred at the word, phrase, sentential and tag level. language mixing was applied as a strategy to sustain the conversation mainly because of the interlocutors’ weak proficiency in specific languages. it was also employed for various functions such as for distancing or narrowing the social status, making emphasis and projecting a higher personal identity. a follow up interview is required in order to verify the extent of the participants’ low or high proficiency level in the various languages used in this context. keywords: language mixing, malaysian, business transaction, communication introduction language is inherent in human lives and as a tool of communication, it enables human beings to convey their needs and deliver their messages cogently and coherently, wherever possible. in the malaysian context, using many languages within an interaction, hereby also termed as language mixing, is a common phenomenon (see morais, 1995; kuang, 1999; david, 2006; david, kuang, mclellan and faitmah, 2009; jariah, 2009; david and lim, 2009; powell, 2009; david and yoong, 2009). multilingual societies practise this phenomenon more often than kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david not careless but weak: language mixing of malaysian chinese in a business transaction monolingual societies because of the existence of the many languages in their linguistic repertoire (holmes, 2001). consequently, language mixing becomes a habitual occurrence for multilingual speakers. malaysia comprises many ethnic groups with various cultural practices but the three dominant ethnic groups are the malays, chinese and indians. each of them has its own respective first language or l1. as a multicultural society, majority of the people in malaysia are also competent in using several other languages, at various proficiency levels, among themselves. of the languages most malaysians have in their linguistic repertoire, malay serves as the official and national language while english serves as the second most important language. both languages are taught and learnt at school from the age of seven until secondary school. this phenomenon helps to explain why many malaysians, particularly the generation between the ages of 20 to 40, are fairly articulate in both languages. nonetheless, malaysian speakers have varying degrees of proficiency ranging from very good and grammatical to poor phonological forms and grammatical structures. in oral communications, most malaysians are not particular about the level of proficiency as long as they can be understood. according to the current 6th prime minister, malaysia is the only multiracial country in the world which allows respective citizens’ vernacular languages like mandarin and tamil to be taught and learnt at school. in this country, parents have the option of sending their children to vernacular schools (primary only) so that their children are able to acquire their native language which may or may not be spoken at home. parents of other ethnic groups have been known to send their children to chinese vernacular schools so that their children can acquire mandarin. in such schools, children also learn malay and english simultaneously. the vernacular languages of mandarin and tamil are not as widely spoken as malay or english in this country probably because of the ethnic imbalance where there are more malays and possibly because english is still a language of prestige in this country. in addition to these four languages, of malay, english, mandarin and tamil, other varieties of malay (kedah, negeri sembilan, perak, johore, kelantan and terengganu) also exist side by side with common chinese dialects (cantonese, hokkien, hakka, teochew, and hainanese) as well as hindi, malayalam, and arabic. however, these varieties are dependent on topics of discussion, participants involved, context, situation and place. among the chinese dialects, cantonese is more widely used in the middle region of peninsular malaysia such as selangor and negeri sembilan whereas penang hokkien is more widely used in penang, kedah and perlis. southern hokkien is more prevalent in the southern towns of klang and johore while hakka, teochew and hainanese are dialects of minority chinese. they can only be heard in specific areas and among certain clans. the multilingual environment of malaysia, as described here, indicates that it is a multilingual society where speakers accommodate the use of many languages at any one time, depending on the participants, context, situation, and topics discussed. nevertheless, as many sociolinguists have indicated, multilingual speakers, i.e. those with more than two languages in their linguistic repertoire, tend to have one english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee dominant language thus, one particular language may prevail over the others at any one time during such interactions. sociolinguists also suggest that when participants use several languages at one time during an oral interaction, it is because they are not proficient in any of these languages well enough to sustain the conversation in just one specific language (hoffmann, 1991). others claim that participants with several languages in their linguistic repertoire do so because of certain reasons including the need to convey their message as effectively as possible. nonetheless, it is also possible that language mixing occurs because participants are careless (nortier, 2011) that is, unmindful, to the point of polluting their language by mixing it with other languages unwittingly. method for the purpose of extracting spoken data, this study uses a video camcorder as well as an audio recorder to record the business transaction which had occurred in a chinese tea shop in a major shopping mall in penang city. participants were told of the purpose of the recording and consent was given verbally. data were then transcribed verbatim with chinese and han yu pin yin. they were then translated into english. only data which contain mixing of languages are used for analysis. this paper attempts to locate two facets of language use: levels of language mixing and the functions of language mixing. the participants were three malaysian chinese adults between the ages of 25-30. the participants include one female from kuala lumpur, a city that uses more cantonese, one female from klang, a town which uses more southern hokkien and a male from kuala lumpur. the other participant is p, a male young person from penang city which uses mainly penang hokkien. results anddiscussion data extracted indicate that several levels of language mixing had occurred. these were classified accordingly. language mixing at the word level word level implies a change of language occurring through a change in the lexical item. examples are illustrated. example 1 turn speaker content 271 p 里面有 15 包咯 [li mian you shi wu bao lo]。 (lit. there are 15 packets lor.) 272 m 15包 [shi wu bao]。so…你们 packing这样是因为 package吧了 hor? [ni men packing zhe yang shi yin wei package ba le hor]? (lit. 15 packets. so, you pack like this because of this package only hor?.) in example 1, p had begun the conversation in mandarin and it was continued in the same language by the subsequent speaker, m. in between her utterance, however, an english adverb ‘so’ was inserted into m’s utterance at 272, after ‘shi wu bao’. this was used as a strategy to buy time (note the slight pause) before she asks in mandarin again ‘ni men’ (you all) and again, m uses the english word, ‘packing’ followed by ‘package’. m then ended the utterance with a hokkien tag ‘hor’. in this example, ‘so; was inserted to buy time whereas ‘packing’ and ‘package’ were interjected because of m’s low kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david not careless but weak: language mixing of malaysian chinese in a business transaction proficiency in mandarin. m did not possess the mandarin equivalent for these two words. additionally, the hokkien tag ‘hor’ was inserted as a question form because of m’s habit as a hokkien speaker from klang. this use could depict m’s hokkien identity or it could be used as a means of narrowing the distance between herself and p who is also a hokkien speaker from penang. example 2 turn speaker content 328 p 洗杯 [xi bei]。 (lit. washing cups.) 329 m 哦 [o]。。。有什么 reason 的吗 [you shen me reason de ma]? (lit. oh, any reasons?) in this example, m asked p, the tea seller, his ‘reason’ for placing the used tea bags in a cup in 329. this is probably because m did not have the word in mandarin thereby indicating her weak proficiency. clearly, the word ‘reason’ was inserted so that m can convey her meaning more specifically to p, who is assumed here to be capable of understanding some words of english in this case. example 3 turn speaker content 305 m po an is going to er… give us some sample of the tea where you can try the detoxin flower tea and auto-de… we are going to try the…. 306 all (interrupted utterances) 307 g 叫他找你的那个做 sample， 然后 [jiao ta zhao ni de na ge zuo sample, ran hou…]。(lit. ask him to make yours as the sample, and then….) in example 3, the conversation commenced in english as is shown in 305 but when g responded, she had to use mandarin first, suggesting that it is her dominant language. however, the english word, ‘sample’ was introduced midway by g and this is probably because g is weak in mandarin and does not have the chinese equivalent ‘样本’ [yang ben]. in line with this, even if g had used the mandairn equivalent, she would not be understood by p, the salesperson, for two reasons: one it is not a commonly used term as most people would use ‘sample’ and two, p’s proficiency level in mandarin may not be adequate enough for him to understand the word. consequently, ‘sample’ is easier to use because it is also efficient and convenient. example 4 turn speaker content 308 p …星期日 [xing qi ri]，(tr. sunday,) saturday, sunday lor. 309 m … saturday, sunday la. in example 4, the salesperson, p, spoke in mandarin possibly because it is his dominant language and possibly because he is not as confident in speaking english. however, in wanting to make an emphasis for his customers whom he knew were from kuala lumpur, p, somehow inserts two english words, ‘saturday’ and ‘sunday’ at the end of his utterance. it implies that as a weekend terminology, it is commonly understood. in this context, p appears to english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee be emphatic in his meaning. it is also possible that p was trying to raise his own social status among his customers who were from the capital city of kuala lumpur, thus more revered in status by those living in smaller cities like penang. example 5 turn speaker content 360 g 不要买一个这样的杯 [bu yao mai yi ge zhe yang de bei]？ (lit. don't want to buy this type of cup?) 361 p ah…你冲那杯 [ni zhong na bei]。。。家里的 cup也可以啊 [jia li de cup ye ke yi a]。。。不要破裂出来吧了 [bu yao po lie chu lai ba liao]。 (lit. ah, you make, cup at home also can ah. just don't want a broken one only.) likewise in example 5, the conversation was conducted in mandarin as g uses mandarin in 360. speaker p then introduced a common chinese tag of ‘ah’ as an opening before he proceeded to using mandarin in 361. in this context, ‘ah’ is a common time staller used by speakers and within the same utterance, p also inadvertently usesd the english word, ‘cup’. as has been mentioned in the previous example, it is possible that p was aiming for solidarity so as to close this business transaction thus, he accommodated to the language dominance of his customers (m and g) by using some words of english. it is also possible that ‘cup’ was a much easier reference than a mandarin equivalent although this could not be ascertained without an interview. nonetheless, it is very likely that by using some english words, p had commanded the attention of his customers from kuala lumpur. example 6 turn speaker content 370 g 这个杯比较 [zhe ge bei bi jiao] elegant。 (lit. this cup is more elegant.) 371 m 这里有 [zhe li you] crack。 (lit. here has a crack.) in example 6, speaker g employed the same strategy as p did in example 5. g inserted the english word ‘elegant’ to describe the cup. her intention was clear, she did not have the proficiency level in mandarin thus, she relied on her dominant language, english. it is obvious that mandarin was used to some extent because g had some competence and this was more or less to ease the business transaction since it is very likely that p did not speak good english. while mandarin enabled g to engage p and to get closer and establish goodwill and support with p, the english insertion allowed her to convey her meaning more clearly. thus, the word ‘elegant’ was used as a reference to describe the package instead of the chinese equivalent “高贵” [gao gui]. similarly, m, who appeared to be less proficient in mandarin also posed some simple utterance in mandarin in 371 but due to her inadequate mandarin, m had to rely on an english word, ‘crack’ to convey what she meant exactly. language mixing at the phrase level where a speaker inserts an expression or anything that is more than two words, it is classified as a phrase. this may occur within an utterance or at another turn. a number of instances were detected. kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david not careless but weak: language mixing of malaysian chinese in a business transaction example 7 turn speaker content 413 m the smell… bau meh? tak bau? (lit. the smell, got smell? no smell?) 414 g 有 [you] meh? tak bau. (lit. got meh? no smell.) 415 m 我 [wo] scared倒掉 [dao diao]。 (lit. i'm scare it'll spill.) in example 7, there were instances of language mixing appearing at word, phrase and tag level. however, in the context of this analysis, only mixing of two words or more were extractesd for analysis. clearly, the conversation had begun at 413 in english by m who seemed more proficient in english than in mandarin as the earlier analysis suggests. however, midway in her utterance, she inserted a malay word ‘bau’ which she appeared to be asking as a question through ‘meh’. as if talking to herself, m then asked in malay, the national language, ‘tak bau’ which means ‘didn’t smell?’ in this instance of language mixing, it appeared that m was trying to distance herself and her friend, g, from the salesperson p, who was in the vicinity of the business transaction. this was done by referring to a third language, malay. it is as if m was asking her friend, g in secrecy through malay, ‘tak bau’ in relation to the aroma/smell of the tea. when g heard this, she responded first in her dominant language, mandarin, ‘you meh’ before she replied ‘tak bau’, accommodating to m. this strategy suggests that g was accommodating m as well as distancing p. example 8 turn speaker content 312 p 如果有 public holiday 的话，有 public holiday 的价咯 [ru guo you public holiday de hua, you public holiday de jian lo]。 (lit. if there is public holiday, then use public holiday rate lo.) 313 g 一百吗 [yi bai ma]？ (lit. one hundred?) in this example, speaker p introduced the english phrase ‘public holiday’ within an utterance that had begun in mandarin. the same phrase was repeated. this occurrence signified that ‘public holiday’ was a catch phrase that anybody would know and understand. thus, the language switch may have been an unconscious effort developed by p. in this context, it had probably occurred as a result of habitual use. example 9 turn speaker content 371 m 这里有 [zhe li you] crack。 (lit. here has a crack.) 372 g 是 [shi] meh?...不是 crack来的是吗 [bu shi crack lai de shi ma]。 (lit. ya meh? not crack, isn't it?) 373 m 这个比较 [zhe ge bi jiao] low quality。 (lit. this is a little low quality) (looking at the camera person)we're still waiting. in this example, speaker m began the utterance in mandarin then inserted an english word, ‘crack’. the conversation was picked up by g who asked for the assurance of the ‘crack’ in 372 and by the next turn (373), m intercepted the conversation by adding that the cups in discussion were of ‘low english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee quality’ in comparison to others. this insertion was clearly an indication of m’s weak proficiency in mandarin because she did not know the mandarin equivalent for the phrase ‘low quality’. it is possible that m was trying to assert her higher status as a buyer of the tea as well as her regional origin, kuala lumpur. it may also be possible that it was a ploy to carry on a ‘secretive dialogue’ with g. this needs to be verified further through an interview. example 10 turn speaker content 377 g wait huh… 378 h 我们做 kei le fei 是不是要给钱 [wo men zuo kei le fei shi bu shi yao gei qian]？ (lit. we should be paid for being screen actresses right?) 379 g 是咯 [shi lo]。。。 (lit. ya lor.) malaysian speakers of chinese descent seem to be linguistically diverse. in this example, speaker g used english as a simple caution to request m to wait and m inserted an entire phrase from cantonese, ‘kei le fei’ which means small supporting actors in cantonese, to indulge in being ‘sarcastic’. in this regard, h initiated a new topic of discussion in 378 by using cantonese which was also a common dialect most chinese people from kuala lumopur would use. it is possible that since the interlocutors m, g and h were from kuala lumpur, they were simply making efforts to feel at home by using cantonese. in other words, speaker h may have used it because there was no equivalent word for ‘kei le fei’ in mandarin or even english. the term ‘kei le fei’ was borrowed from hong kong dramas and movies. it is a commonly used term to refer to small and unimportant people. example 11 turn speaker content 427 m slimming tea…瘦身茶 [shou shen cha]。 (tr. slimming tea.) 428 h 你还不够瘦啊 [ni hai bu gou shou a]？ nak kurus lagi? (lit. you're not slim enough ah? want to slim more?) in this example, it is noted that three languages were used simultaneously by the two speakers, m and h. speaker m started the conversation in english, her dominat language and she repeated the term in mandarin which was then picked up by h who asked m in mandarin ‘ni hai bu gou shou a?’ for some reason, h asked m in malay the same question, ‘nak kurus lagi?’ which means “you want to be slimmer?” the turn where h shifted to malay was considered a communicative strategy that was deployed as humour. clearly, m also understood the malay reference and so when h was aiming to exclude p, the salesperson, h teased m in malay to make fun of her and to attract her attention and reaction. while this was going on, it is probable that p, the salesperson was in the dark. this indicates that a change in the language was to distance the salesperson, p. kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david not careless but weak: language mixing of malaysian chinese in a business transaction example 12 turn speaker content 492 h smell? 493 m yeah,对 [dui], the aroma香味比较香 [xiang wei bi jiao xiang]。 那个就 [na ge jiu]。(lit. yeah, right.) in example 12, speaker m was connecting the english phrase, “the aroma” to the previous speaker’s language choice of “smell” possibly, to convey a more exact meaning. m repeated the same phrase in english and later in mandarin as a way to reiterate her point. her intention was to correct h’s language choice but she wanted to do it without imposing too much offence. example 13 turn speaker content 548 p 这种比较好咯。。。因为 teh boh，它是有 caffeine 的 [zhe zhong bi jiao hao lo… yin wei teh boh, ta shi you caffeine de]。 (lit. this type is better lor, because boh the, it has caffeine.) 549 m 那边卖 tea，那边也是 natural tea嘛 [na bian mai tea, na bian ye shi natural tea ma]。 (lit. there sells tea also natural tea mah.) in this example, speaker m used the english word, “tea” and “natural tea” due to habit. she inserted the word or the phrase that had been predominantly used in her family at home (she admits to this in a casual talk). m claimed that she had not been aware of the mixing of languages. nevertheless, in this example, it is possible that the mandarin equivalent for ‘tea’ may be varied as it is more natural to say “tea leaves”茶叶 [cha ye] or “natural tea leaves”天然茶叶 [tian ran cha ye] unlike in malaysia, where people tend to just say “tea” or “natural tea”. from this example, it is deduced that m used the english phrases for her own convenience. example 14 turn speaker content 628 m second choice呢 [ne]？ (lit. how about second choice?) 629 p second choice,如果没有钱就换了 [ru guo mei wei qian jiu huan liao]。 (lit. second choice, if no money will change.) in example 14, speaker p was converging to the language choice of speaker m who had begun the utterance in english. this was possibly done to accommodate to his customer, as a means of establishing goodwill and support, knowing that the customer would be more inclined towards using english, as they were from kuala lumpur. the switch thus developed by p contained a mixture of mandarin and english. this is done probably because mandarin was p’s dominant language. this occurrence suggests that language mixing took place to help sustain p’s low proficiency in english. example 15 turn speaker content 635 p 除非我成绩很好 [chu fei wo cheng ji hen hao]。。。 (lit. unless my result is very good.) 636 m spm result拿多少 [na duo shao]？ (lit. how was the spm result?) english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee in example 15, p was referring to his academic results ‘spm’ (a major secondary examination in malaysia) in 635 where he said that his result was not up to expectations, i.e. not good. in her desire to knowmore, m then asked p in english, ‘spm result’ ‘na duo shao’ which means how well did you do in your spm. this shift from english to mandarin was to accommodate p’s language choice. however, in using the english phrase of ‘spm result’, it appears that m had used it as an inevitable choice as there was no other way of saying it as malaysians know what ‘spm result’ refers to. in this case, spm refers to a particular examination which all malaysians high schoolers need to take before they proceed to pre-university level. language mixing at the sentential level in a conversation including a business transaction where speakers take turns to talk, language mixing may also occur at the sentential level where a speaker changes from speaking language a to using language b with another speaker. this may also occur when a speaker uses language a but his/her interlocutor responds in language b. example 16 turn speaker content 290 g 是要买一个 20 set 的哦 [shi yao mai yi ge 20 set [sets] de o]。(lit. need to buy 1 whole 20 sets oh.) 291 m 够了啦。这个啦 [gou liao la. zhe ge la]。(lit. enough lar. this one lar.) 292 h are you sure want to buy ah? 293 m yes. this is for slimming actually, and according to the shopkeeper, not only... in this example, speaker g and m were discussing in mandarin when h interjected by switching to english. it was a way to distance the salesperson, p, from understanding their conversation. speaker m used english because h was using english, so speech convergence is happening here. example 17 turn speaker content 298 p 这个排毒的茶 [zhe ge pai du de cha]。 (lit. this is a detoxifying tea.) 299 m 这个花茶 [zhe ge hua cha]。。。 (lit. this is a flower tea.) (negotiating with the salesperson) we are now trying to er… what is your name ah? 姓什么啊 [xing shen me a]? (lit. surname ah?) in this example, speaker m wass probably trying to garner support from her friends as well as to obtain more information. m was possibly also trying to assert her authority as someone who is older than p by using english and here, she used the pronoun, ‘we’ to display her desire. example 18 turn speaker content 349 p 100磅大概。两个月啦 [yi bai bang da gai… liang ge yue la]。 (lit. 100 pound about… 2 months time lar.) 350 m smell like chrysanthemum… smell like chrysanthemum… 351 g 会很难讲的 [hui hen nan jiang de]。 (lit. will be very hard to say.) 352 p 会难讲 [hui nan jiang]…那个是 [na ge shi] uh… (lit. hard to say that…) kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david not careless but weak: language mixing of malaysian chinese in a business transaction example 20 turn speaker content 367 p 等到有味道出来 [deng dao wei dao chu lai]。。。 (lit. wait until the smell comes out.) 368 m oh… for the smell to come out. example 21 turn speaker content 386 g 应该跟她讲钱 huh [ying gai geng ta jiang qian]… (lit. should ask her for money.) 387 m ya la! 388 m charge, charge! extra charge! in examples 18, 20 and 21, language mixing was apparent as the switch was made very clearly by the subsequent speaker in the conversation. in example 18 for example, when speaker m spoke in an english utterance in 350, she was doing it to project her own identity since she was from kuala lumpur. the same strategy occurred in example 20 when m again used an english utterance to elevate her personal status in p’s eyes. however, in example 21, when g asked in mandarin whether she shoud ask for money, m reiterated the stand by validating with ‘ya la’ which was neither english nor malay because the ‘ya’ could mean english for yes or it could be a malay ‘ya’ which means yes while ‘la’ is just a particle malaysians use to assert a meaning. it also seems that a switch frommandairn to english allowed the speakers to express their attitude about a sensitive matter such as money, thereby making the issue less sensitive. from the previous analysis shown above, it had been revealed that speaker m seemed to have english and southern hokkien as her dominant languages thus, in her moment of appreciating the tea, she had just broken into english to convey her meaning as is shown in 368, 387 and 388. example 19 turn speaker content 363 p ah… 大概 3 分钟、 4 分钟这样 [da gai 3 fen zhong, 4 feng zhong zhe yang]。 (lit. ah, about 3 minutes, 4 minutes this way.) 364 m we have to wait for 3 to 4 minute… likewise in example 19, speaker m soke in english after a mandarin utterance was initiated by p. this occurrence seems to suggest that m was trying to ease the communication by talking to herself in english in 364. conclusion analysis of data suggests that language mixing constantly occurs within utterances made by malaysian participants of chinese descent, particularly those from kuala lumpur. data illustrate that the participants used more chinese which encompass mandarin, hokkien and cantonese in their conversations. however, despite that, they were generally weak or have low proficiency in their chinese, hence, they were prone to mixing their conversations which had started in mandarin with other languages like english and malay. this was accomplished either by inserting single english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee lexical items which may appear at the beginning, middle or end of the utterances or by inserting phrases or complete sentences within the conversation. generally, tags taken from cantonese or hokkien served as a language mixing feature too but usually at the end of the utterance. where necessary and when incapacitated by a lack of their own proficiency in mandarin or due to habitual usage, these participants may also insert phrases within a predominantly mandarin utterance. nonetheless, where sentential mixing occurs, it appears that the participants were clearly switching languages such as by using mandarin then mixing it with a complete utterance in english or malay and vice versa. while some instances were meant to project an individual’s personal status other instances seemed like a thinkaloud strategy. as a final analysis, the functions executed by the language mixing instances suggest a number of things. first and foremost language mixing is a common phenomenon in malaysian interactions as seen in a business transaction involving malaysian speakers of chinese descent. in fact, among chinese speakers, malay could serve as a common language of use too. the other functions of language mixing seem to indicate that speakers mix their languages not because they were careless or unaware of their mixing. in fact, malaysian speakers of chinese descent mix their languages for the following reasons: 1) when they were less competent in one language; 2) when they want to convey their message more clearly and more significantly; 3) when they want to exclude or include solidarity; 4) when they want to make an emphasis, 5) when they want to display their social status as higher, 6) when they want to create a certain communicative effect and 7) when it suits their convenience such as thinking– aloud. . this paper has presented the findings of one episode of a business transaction talk where four speakers of chinese descent were involved. the analysis indicates that language mixing occurs frequently and often involves three to four levels encompassing the word, phrase, sentential and tag level. this paper has also highlighted that malaysians of chinese descent mix languages involving mandarin, english, cantonese, hokkien and malay. it is possible that malay, as a language learnt at school, was more accessible but tamil was clearly, a language that was not in their repertoire. nonetheless, this study is restricted to only four speakers and one business transaction. this gap can be widened in future studies in order to be able to make generalisations. moreover, to validate the analysis, that the speakers were weak in their respective languages, an interview should be conducted. acknowledgement we would like to thank ms ng siok hiong, a former masters student, for her data. references david, m.k. (2006). language choices in sindhi family. in m. k. david (ed.). language choices and discourse of malaysian family: case studies of families in kuala lumpur, malaysia. petaling jaya: strategic information and research development centre. 3-21. david, m.k. and lim c.y. (2009) language choices of malaysian youth in and out of the classroom. in m.k. david, j. mclellan, s. rafik-galea and a. n. abdullah (eds). code-switching in kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david not careless but weak: language mixing of malaysian chinese in a business transaction malaysia. frankfurt: peter lang. 97108. david, m.k. and yoong, d. (2009). code switching in eldercare. in m.k. david, j.mclellan and a. n. abdullah (eds.). code switching in malaysia. frankfurt: peter lang. 135-168. david, m.k., kuang, c.h., mclellan, j. and fatimah h. (2009). functions of code switching in the family domain in malaysia. in m.k. david, j. mclellan, s. rafikgalea and a. n. abdullah (eds.). code switching in malaysia. frankfurt: peter lang. 3-28. hoffmann, c. (1991). an introduction to bilingualism. london: longman. holmes, j. (2001). introduction to sociolinguistics. london: pearson education limited. jariah, m.j. (2009). code-switching for power wielding: children’s discourse in a malaysian family. in m.k.david, s. rafik-galea, j. mclellan and a. n. abdullah (eds.) code-switching in malaysia. frankfurt-am-main, germany: peter lang. 29-48. kuang, c.h. (1999). factors affecting code switching: a case study of a chinese family in petaling jaya. jurnal bahasa moden, 13, 77-90. morais, e. (1995). codeswitching in malaysian business and its roles in the management of conflict. jurnal bahasa moden, 9, 29-48. nortier, j. (2011). code switching is much more than being careless. multilingual living. retrieved july 6, 2015 from http://www.multilingualliving.com/ wordpress/wpcontent/uploads/2011/05/257462843 8_34acc2840f.jpg powell, r. (2009). ‘adr in multilingual context: language policy and language choice in malaysian mediation and arbitration’. paper presented in law and society association annual conference, may 28-31, 2009. denver, colorado. http://www.multilingualliving.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2574628438_34acc2840f.jpg english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 143 implementing advertisement for improving students’ understanding of politeness and gender vina fathira english letters department, stiba persada bunda pekanbaru, indonesia email: vinafathira@gmail.com; vinafathira@persadabunda.ac.id silvia utami english letters department, stiba persada bunda pekanbaru, indonesia email: silvia.utami@persadabunda.ac.id apa citation: fathira, v., & utami, s. (2019). implementing advertisement for improving students‟ understanding of politeness and gender. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 143-150. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1460. received: 29-01-2019 accepted: 22-04-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: this research was based on students‟ difficulties in understanding the concept of politeness and gender. advertisement can be one of the alternative techniques to improve students‟ understanding on the concept of politeness and gender. this study aims at improving students‟ understanding of politeness and gender and finding the factors influencing the improvement. this classroom action research involved ten third-year-students at stiba persada bunda pekanbaru. the data collection techniques used were tests, fieldnotes, observation, and interview. the results showed that students‟ understanding of politeness and gender significantly improved after applying advertisements in the teaching and learning process in which the students‟ understanding which were at the low level category increases to the good level category. some factors affecting the students‟ improvement were students‟ active participation in obtaining information and students‟ enthusiasm during the learning process. in conclusion, the implementation of advertisements can improve students‟ understanding of politeness and gender concepts. keywords: advertisement; negative and positive face; politeness and gender; politeness strategies; sociolinguistic; women’s language. introduction media like advertisements are familiar to the students nowadays. as the technology is growing, the social media has become the routine to everyone; the students are seen addicted to the gadget (siddiqui & singh, 2016). in advertisement, advertising can be divided in animation, videos, and moving pictures (harfoushi et al., 2016). in this research, the researchers took internet advertisements, since advertisements related to electronic items were more factual than non-electronic items (bansal & gupta 2014). advertsing language is the language that can persuade and provoke society‟s opinion to certain purposes of an advertisement (stamatelou, 2015). sociolingustics is a branch of linguistics that studies a relationship between language and society (holmes & wilson, 2017). meanwhile, literally, sociolinguistics is the study of the way language is affected by differences in social class, region, sex and so on (hornby, 2018). actually, sociolinguistic is a subject which is easy to understand since it is related to the social environment. however, the students always felt difficult to understand such definitions and examples given in the text book. one of the materials in sociolinguistics that is considered difficult is the concept of politeness and gender. according to holmes and wilson (2017), polite includes talking to others in an appropiate way. politeness is the basic point to asses‟ someone‟s habit to others to be accepted and approved by others as part of habits of norms (culpeper, haugh & kádár, 2017). in politeness concept, there is a concept of face proposed by brown and levinson. according to them, face consists of two parts, namely positive and negative face (pangestuti, 2015; wardhaugh & fuller, 2014). positive face is a concept of politeness theory that relates to someone‟s willingness to be approved and admired by others (hameed, 2010; wardhaugh & fuller, 2015). meanwhile, negative face is a term of politeness theory that relates to someone‟s unwillingness to be approved and admired by others (wardhaugh & fuller, 2015). in brown and levinson‟s theory, there are some strategies used in politeness, namely bald vina fathira & silvia utami implementing advertisement for improving students’ understanding of politeness and gender 144 on-record strategy, positive politeness strategy, negative politeness strategy, and off-record indirect strategy (karimkhanlooei & vaezi, 2017; pangestuti, 2015). different from the concept of politeness, the concept of gender cannot be easily defined as a social construction of identity that relates to the thought of biological category of “sex”, but it frequently discussess about „masculinity‟ and „feminity‟ that in opposite with „male‟ and „female‟ (meyerhoff, 2018; strumska-cylwik & ibrahim, 2014). however, the concept of gender related to linguistic aspect is defined as linguistic features in conncetion with the way of a group or certain gender in speaking (wardhaugh & fuller, 2015). in line with this, culpeper, haugh and kádár (2017) define gender as an assumption or thought about the differences of men and women habits. the term gender is social and cultural category (hornby, 2018). as stated by holmes and wilson (2017), the concept of gender focuses on description of habitual utterances of masculine and feminism, in certain scale not in absolute category. the differences of it can be seen in the features of women‟s language by lakoff‟s theory. based on lakoff‟s theory, there are 10 features of women‟s language (2013). thus, the aims of the research were to find out the improvement of students‟ ability and to identify the factors affecting the improvement of students‟ ability at stiba persada bunda pekanbaru in understanding politeness and gender concept of sociolinguistic subject by implementing advertisement as media in the teaching and learning process. method this classroom action research was started by preliminary study, such as gaining information concerning students‟ understanding of politeness and gender concept. after doing the preliminary study, the researchers did some stages, including planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. this research was conducted at stiba persada bunda. the participants of this research were the third year students of stiba persada persada bunda in the academic year of 2017/2018 attending sociolinguistic subject. the data collection techniques used were tests, fieldnotes, observation, and interview. to obtain data related to students‟ understanding of politeness and gender concept, the students were asked to answer a set of multiple choice questions after watching two videos of advertisements relating to politeness and gender. the test aims to evaluate the improvement of the students‟ ability in understanding politeness and gender concept by using media of advertisement. then, the researcher and collaborator wrote students‟ activities by using fieldnotes and obeservation checklist. after that, the researchers conducted interview to all students to obtain data about the factors affecting the improvement of the students‟ ability in understanding politeness and gender concept. after collecting the data, the researchers evaluate and analyze post-test by counting the number of correct answers and calculating it to the final score (post-test) of each student. table 1. score range and category no. range score category 1 80-100 very good 2 65-79 good 3 55-64 fairly good 4 <55 poor (taken from: persada bunda score range) results and discussion this section generally describes the aforementioned stages done which include planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. the stages were done in 5 meetings. besides, there was 1 meeting for pre-test and 1 meeting for post-test. meeting for pre-test in this meeting, the researcher did a pre-test to the students. the test aims to know the students‟ ability in understanding the concept of politeness and gender. the test showed that the students‟ ability in understanding the concept of politeness and gender was in poor category in which the students‟ score was 51.49. the result of the 1 st meeting previously, the researchers had been looking for information about the students‟ ability in understanding the concept of politeness and gender. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 145 then, at this first meeting, the teaching-learning process was preceded by an introduction to the students about the concept of politeness and gender. here, the researchers asked questions related to the concept of politeness and gender. after that, the researchers gave the examples of the concept of politeness and gender to the students. moreover, the students were asked to give other examples of politeness and gender. the researchers asked students to write down everything that belongs to the features of women‟s language from lakoff theory. the result of the 2 nd meeting in the second meeting, the researchers explained the concept of politeness and gender by using advertisement. first, the researchers introduced the advertisement media in the form of videos with duration lenght about 2-3 minutes which consisted of linguistic feature of women‟s language. after that, the researchers asked students in pairs to watch carefully and take a note as much as possible indicating politeness and gender. besides, the students were also asked to determine the linguistic features of women‟s language, negative or positive face, and the politeness strategy appeared in the first advertisements. then, the researchers asked students to watch again the advertisement and another advertisement at home as individual assignment by focusing on the aspects, like women‟s language, negative face or positive face, and politeness strategy existed in the advertisements. the assignment must be written per point by showing the utterances that met the features of women‟s language based on lakoff's theory. the result of the 3 rd meeting in the third meeting, the students were asked to submit the assignments given at the previous meeting. after that, the researchers gave response to the results of students‟ assignments by explaining the fetaures of women‟s language of each point that students found, the existence of negative or positive face on the advertisements, and the politeness strategy. after giving comments and inputs towards the students‟ assignments, the researchers instructed students to think of their mistakes by watching the advertisement back, paid attention to the utterances, and the politeness and gender concept well. this process aimed to eliminate misunderstandings in understanding the features of women‟s language, the existance of negative or positive face on the advertisement, and the politeness strategy appeared in advertisement. the result of the 4 th meeting in the fourth meeting, the teaching-learning process focused on showing the results of the two advertisements that had been observed previously. it could be an overview to make students more understand about what they did. in this meeting, the students were asked to show their assignments in front of the class. the result of the 5 th meeting in this meeting, the researcher and collaborator grade the students‟ work related to their understanding of the ten features of woman‟s language, namely; a) lexical hedges or fillers, b) tag questions, c) rising intonations on declaratives, d) „empty‟ adjectives, e) precise color teams, f) intensifiers, such as just and so, g) „hypercorrect‟ grammar, h) „superpolite‟ forms, i) avoidance of strong swears words, and j) emphatic stress. in addition, the advertisement was analyzed to find out the positive face, negative face and politeness with regard to some strategies, such as: a) bald on-record strategy, b) positive politeness strategy, c) negative politeness strategy, and d) off-record indirect strategy. based on these points, the students had obtained enough information regarding the politeness and gender concept existed in advertisement. from these components, the researcher grade and convert the students‟ result by looking at the score range category. meeting for post-test in the last meeting, the post-test was conducted by asking the students to to analyze two different advertisements with longer duration (3 minutes). this test was conducted to measure the students‟ imporvement in understanding the concept of politeness and gender. the post-test result is presented in table 2. table 2. the post test result no. score category 1 65,4 good 2 69,2 good 3 69,2 good 4 61,5 good 5 69,2 good vina fathira & silvia utami implementing advertisement for improving students’ understanding of politeness and gender 146 6 73,1 good 7 73,1 good 8 73,1 good 9 88,5 very good 10 88,5 very good mean = 73,08 good students’ achievement based on the analysis, it was found that the mean score from the pre-test was 51.49 which belonged to the poor category. however, after conducting the research by using advertisements for five meetings (1 cycle), the students‟ mean score was significantly increases. the mean score was 73.08 which belonged to the good category. figure 2. the result of post-test moreover, the researcher found that the students have lack of understanding about the concept of politeness and gender that could be seen from the resut of pre-test. most students got low score that categorized as poor with percentage of 90%. meanwhile, one student was categorized as fairly good with percentage of 10%. the result can be seen in table 3. table 3. the result of pre-test no score category 1. 61,5 fairly good 2 46,1 poor 3 53,8 poor 4 46,1 poor 5 53,8 poor 6 53,8 poor 7 53,8 poor 8 46,1 poor 9 53,8 poor 10 46,1 poor mean score =51,49 poor the scores obtained from the correct answer is divided by the number of questions then multiplied by 10. from the data above, it can be seen that only one student who got fairly good with score 61.5. meanwhile, nine students were categorized as poor, as depicted below. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 147 figure 3. the result of pre-test from figure 3, it can be seen that there were four students who got 46.1 and five students got 53.8. then, the cycle test found that the students‟ mean score was categorized as good. it showed that 8 out of 10 students had good category and 2 students had very good category. it was significantly increases than the pre-test in which one student had fairly good result out of 10 students, while 9 students were categorized as poor. the comparison of students‟ score in the pre-test and post-test is shown in table 3. table 3. the comparison of students’ score referring to the table, the result of cycle test after using advertisement to improve students‟ understanding towards the concept of politeness and gender based on the components can be seen clearly in the following diagram. in this diagram, the researchers described both tests and the improvement of the cycle test compared to the pre-test. figure 4. the result of students’ post-test in each component no test total of participant category 1. pre-test 1 fairly good 9 poor 2. post-test 2 very good 8 good vina fathira & silvia utami implementing advertisement for improving students’ understanding of politeness and gender 148 figure 4 showed that the result of students‟ cycle test was satisfactory. the components assessed are politeness strategy, positive or negative face that represented the concept of politeness, and the features of woman‟s language that represented the concept of gender. figure 4 showed that the score from these components was fairly good. the cycle test result from the features of woman‟s language that represented the concept of gender was categorized as very good with the score of 72.5. then, the two components, politeness strategy and positive or negative face, that represented the concept of politeness showed fairly good scores. on the positive or negative face components, the score of cycle test was categorized as very good with the score of 85. then, in the component of politeness strategy, the score of the cycle test was 55 which categorized as fairly good. figure 5. the result of students’ pre-test in each component the two figures above showed the students‟ improvement that can be seen from the score of each component. on the component of the features of women‟s language (gender), the score in the pre-test showed 52 with "low" category (poor). this score was significantly increases with a better score of 72.5 on the "very good" category in the cycle test. on the positive face and negative face components, the score of the pre-test showed 50 with "low" category (poor). this score was also significantly increases with a better score of 85 categorized as “very good”. on the component of politeness strategy, the score in pre-test showed 30 with “low” category (poor) and significantly increased to 55 with “fairly good” category. based on the data, it was clear that the scores from each component showed significant increases. the increase was a student achievement from the pre-test results to the cycle test. the students‟ cycle test score was much higher than the pre-test score. thus, it can be concluded that there has been an increase in students‟ ability in understanding the concept of politeness and gender by using media of advertisement. in other words, it can be argued that the implementation of media of advertisement can help students to better understand the concept of politeness and gender. factors influencing students’ improvement furthermore, based on observation, it was found that every stage of this research was well done by students. then, during the interview, information was found that most students were active in obtaining information and enjoyed during the learning process. however, there was one student who was bored due to the length of time in the advertisement and the topic of advertisement that the student did not like. it showed that there were other factors that influence the student's understanding in the concept of politeness and genders and the factors that affected the student in the activity during learning process other than the test results. based on the results obtained in this first cycle, the researcher stated that the students‟ ability in understanding the concept of politeness and gender with the implementation of media of advertisement in sociolinguistic class was english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 149 categorized into good category. therefore, the researcher decided not to continue the research into the next cycle because of the discovery of the suitability between the achievement and the specified successfull criteria. conclusion based on the data analysis, it can be concluded that the implementation of advertisement media can improve students‟ understanding of the concept of politeness and gender. first, the students‟ mean score was 73.08 is categorized into the good category. this is based on ranges of 65-79 that categorized as "good". second, the factors that influenced the improvement of students in understanding the concept of politeness and gender are the students feel interested by using this advertisement. in addition, the students are active and enthusiastic in determining the concept of politeness and gender in sociolinguistic studies which are usually boring. third, only a few students get bad scores. this happened due to the duration of the advertisements that was too long causing a small number of students feel tired dan being sleepy when watching the advertisements on cycle tests with a duration of 2 (two) minutes and 3 (three) minutes. fourth, in this research, only some features of lakoff's theories of women‟s language are found in advertisements so that students sometimes still feel hesitant about the results. this is in line with the research conducted by aini (2016). fifth, generally, media of advertisement often use a similar strategy, like a positive politeness strategy which is in line with the findings of pangestuti (2015), elmianvari and kheirabadi (2015), and wambui (2014) which used a positive politeness strategy. sixth, in relation to the results of the above points (point 5), the researcher then conduct a qualitative research that focuses on the concept of politeness with deeper analysis. seventh, the future researcher needs to explore non-video media of advertisement regarding to the same concept of politeness and gender. acknowledgments the team is very grateful to kemenristekdikti which in this occasion gives researchers the opportunity to publish the research findings to an accredited journal. the findings of this study are part of hibah dikti, namely penelitian dosen pemula 2018. in addition, researchers thank the team member and research assistants who have been actively involved in the completion of this research. references aini, l. m. (2016). women language used by the main characters of “mockingjay” movie. unpublishedthesis. english language and letters department: maulana malik ibrahim state islamic university of malang. bansal, m., & gupta, s. (2014). impact of newspaper advertisement on consumer behavior. global journal of finance and management, 6(7), 669674. culpeper, j., haugh, m., & kádár, d. z. (eds). (2017). the palgrave handbook of linguistic (im)politeness. london: palgrave macmillan. elmianvari & kheirabadi. (2015). the study of efl students‟ requests based on politeness theory. journal of language teaching and research, 4(2), 375-385. hameed, w. q. (2010). the impact of gender in determining politeness strategy with reference to iraqi students of english. journal of the college of arts, 54(2), 38-56. harfoushi o., alfawwaz, b., obeidat, b., obeidat, r., & faris, h. (2013). impact of internet advertisement and its features on e-commerce retail sales: evidence from europe. journal of software engineering and applications, 6, 564570. holmes, j., & wilson, n. (2017). learning about language: an introduction to sociolinguistics. essex: pearson education ltd. hornby, a. s. (2018). oxford learners’ dictionary (online). retrieved from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/defi nition/english/a-s-hornby. karimkhanlooei, g., & vaezi, n. (2017). politeness strategies in written communications: the issue of iranian efl learners. jolace: journal of language and cultural education, 5(3), 108126. doi: 10.1515/jolace-2017-0031. meyerhoff, m. (2018). introducing sociolinguistics (3rd ed.). new york: routledge. pangestuti, w. (2015). politeness strategies used by deddy corbuzier in interviewing entertainer and nonentertainer in “hitam putih” talk show. unpublished thesis. english department: university of diponegoro. siddiqui, s., & singh, t. t. (2016). social media and its impact with positive and negative aspects. international journal of computer applications technology and research, 5(2), 71-75. stamatelou, m. (2015). a reflection on the use of advertisements in enabling language learning in the efl classroom. elted, 17, 27-34. strumska-cylwik, l., & ibrahim, f. (2014). gender relationship and media language: a comparative study of print media in poland and malaysia. vina fathira & silvia utami implementing advertisement for improving students’ understanding of politeness and gender 150 international journal of arts & sciences, 7(5), 647–682. wambui, n. s. (2014). linguistic politeness strategies in bank advertisements: a case study of kenya commercial bank. unpublished thesis. department of linguistics and languages: university of nairobi. wardhaugh, r., & fuller, j. m. (2015). an introduction to sociolinguistics (7th ed.). oxford: wiley blackwell. andang saehu an analysis of english thesis writing 84 an analysis of english thesis writing: a case study of english department of uin sunan gunung djati bandung andang saehu department of english education, faculty of education, islamic state university of sunan gunung djati bandung, indonesia e-mail: andangsaehu@gmail.com apa citation: saehu, a. (2013). an analysis of english thesis writing: a case study of english department of uin sunan gunung djati bandung. english review: journal of english education, 2(1), 84-91 received: 09-07-2013 accepted: 30-10-2013 published: 01-12-2013 abstract: this is a report of a study designed to examine the process of thesis—a final (researchbased) paper for undergrads prior to academic completion—writing of english department students who graduated in academic year 2007/2008. using a descriptive method, this case study aimed to describe the stages, to identify the problems, and to explore the techniques of solving problems used by respondents in the thesis writing by involving six students who had engaged in writing and research project course. the data concerning writing stages, problems, and coping with strategies were collected by using questionnaires, interviews, and documentation (thesis). the results showed that all participants went through the thesis writing stages determined by faculty of adab of uin sunan gunung djati, bandung, namely: 1) starting process; 2) researching; 3) reporting; and 4) doing consultation. these also showed that all respondents encountered: 1) procedural problems, which were likely to be the major problems shared by all respondents; 2) academic problems; and 3) nonacademic problems. however, whatever problems they dealt with, each of them had his/ her own strategies to cope with. the procedural and academic problems were coped with by reading, doing consultation, and peer-collaboration. meanwhile, non-academic problems were solved by having a rest and managing time. keywords: analysis, thesis, stages, problems, and solutions introduction being able to graduate from a university is a wish of most undergraduate students because those who have graduated show that they have been able to pass the most difficult work, namely, research paper (henceforth, it is called as thesis) writing. in writing thesis is not as easy as writing a diary; in fact, it is about a gate of graduation (alwasilah & alwasilah 2005). those who are able to pass the gate mean that they have performed several such stages of study as finding a topic, proposing a problem, defending the proposed problem, as the starting point, to a supervisor or academic committee to convince that the topic chosen sounds well and to gain approval to proceed with the actual research (brotowidjoyo, 1997); researching; and reporting research (reid 1993). the problem is that it is hardly easy to write an understandable research report. it means that research is not complete until the researchers have summarized and presented the work in such a manner that others in their field can understand and reproduce all they have accomplished (brotowidjoyo 1997). considering this, viewed from the duration of learning english, students are seemingly able to write well because they have been studying english since they were at the first grade of junior high school to university 85 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee level. however, it was surprising when i saw some smart students who were initially able to smoothly complete the courses, yet proven incapable when they were asked to write thesis. even, some of them, later, dropped out of their study. the central focus of this study is not the finished text, but the writers’ behaviors before, during, and after the act of writing. writing is described as a series of interrelated behaviors (gibson, 2002). for instance, to produce a thesis, a student might first discuss the issue with friends, later jot down key points, and then write a first draft as research proposal. the ideas might be discussed with others. the draft is revised and it is finally edited and published. brown (1994) suggests that the traditional way of looking at writing has been seeing it as a linear process that has three stages: the first stage is prewriting, in which it is sharply focused on several activities including exploring a subject, formulating and testing a thesis, gathering evidence and outlining the essay. the second stage is drafting the essay. in this stage, one needs to determine what he can best accomplish in writing, select a subject and organize the information about it into meaningful clusters, find connection among those clusters and discover the relationship that links the connections. the third one is revising the topic, organization, and style. roughly, the steps are to think, write, and revise. furthermore, this present study chose many theories used to support the findings of the present study, restricting to the stages, problems, and techniques to solve the problems. the theory of reading and writing skills are seemingly supporting the finding of this study because such skills are used by all respondents to tackle the procedural and academic problems. the theory of academic writing is used to emphasize that the genre used in this study is thesis or thesis, further explained in section d of chapter ii. the theory of dynamics of a research report is presented to show that thesis writing has common stages to do. this seems to support the findings about stages of writing in which most respondents based their theory on it. the theory of essential problems is to support the findings regarding the problems that most respondents encountered during thesis writing. meanwhile, the related research findings are presented in this chapter to empower the findings of the present study and to compare whether the present study findings are in line with or contradictory to them. by choosing the english department students who have finished their thesis writing as the respondents of study, this study aims to describe the stages, to identify the problems, and to explore the techniques of solving problems used by them in the thesis writing. the emerging results from this study may be beneficial for english departments’ students, lecturers, english program, and other researchers. in other words, the results of study are expected to facilitate students starting to think about the research paper, to give contributions to the lecturers interested in research methodology or research project to improve their teaching competence. also, they t provide some information to the english program about the problems encountered in the thesis writing so that the english program knows how to overcome such problems. finally, they give input to other researchers who want to carry out another study in the same field with certain interest. finally, to avoid over claimed results of the study, this study is limited to identify the process of writing—stages used, the problems encountered, and the techniques of solving problems used by respondents in the thesis writing. andang saehu an analysis of english thesis writing 86 method a qualitative research was adopted as the method of this study to explore the process and describe the research results. since there were six participants involved in this study, the data collected through survey questionnaire, interview, and documentation analysis, as the method of data collection, were compared and contrasted each other to find differences and similarities in the process of thesis writing. merriam (1988) calls it as a multi case study where participants have similar importance in demonstrating the phenomenon under study. before the data gathering process, a preliminary study was conducted to get an initial overview about thesis writing process experienced by students and get the framework of appropriate questions used in the study. this preliminary research was done by randomly distributing questionnaire and interviewing the students who graduated on april 25, 2007 and were not included in the major study. the closed-questionnaire technique consisting of a list of questions was used to get the information about the respondents’: a) demographic information; b) literacy background including the frequency and type of their reading and writing habits; c) table 1. stages of thesis writing process stages of thesis writing process respondent 1 2 3 4 5 6 f % initial process a. finding a topic √ √ √ √ √ √ 6 100 the reasons of selecting and finding a topic 1. specificity √ √ √ 3 50 2. manageability √ √ √ √ √ √ 6 100 3. curiosity √ √ √ √ 4 67 4. significance √ √ √ √ √ 5 83 5. objectivity √ √ √ √ √ 5 83 6. familiarity √ √ √ 3 50 b. proposing a topic √ √ √ √ √ √ 6 100 c. defending proposal √ √ √ √ √ √ 6 100 researching a. posing research question √ √ √ √ √ √ 6 100 b. preparing instruments √ √ √ √ √ √ 6 100 c. plunging into the field √ √ √ √ √ √ 6 100 d. collecting data √ √ √ √ √ √ 6 100 e. analyzing data √ √ √ √ √ √ 6 100 writing report of study/ reporting a. prewriting 1. freewriting √ √ √ √ √ 5 83 2. outlining √ √ √ 3 50 3. brainstorming √ √ √ 3 50 4. reading √ √ √ √ √ √ 6 100 b. writing 1. peer-conferencing √ √ √ √ √ 5 83 2. highlighting the focal ideas √ √ 2 33 3. coding √ √ √ √ √ 5 83 4. mapping ideas √ √ √ 3 50 c. revising 1. rewriting ideas √ 1 17 grammar √ 1 17 quotation √ 1 17 2. proofreading √ √ √ √ 4 67 consultation √ √ √ √ √ √ 6 100 87 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee writing process covering the stages, the problems, and the solutions to solve the problems they faced in thesis writing; and d) opinion, perception, and experiences about thesis writing. unstructured interview were debated to six participants of research to know and describe their stages, problems, techniques to solve the problems in the process of thesis writing. in a case study, interviewing is necessary when we are interested in past events that are impossible to replicate (merriam 1988). in addition, this was used to provide the interviewee with broad freedom of expression and elaboration and often resemble informal talks (seliger & shohamy 1989). the documentation (participants’ thesis) was used as an artifact asanother source of data, to support, enrich, or even confirm the informed data acquired from the interview by reading and learning what they wrote (merriem 1988). the respondents’ thesis, readily accessed in the campus library, were read and learnt to clarify whether the respondents’ statements in questionnaire and interview data were similar to theirs. the clarifications toward respondents’ thesis and thesis feedback papers, easily asked from all respondents, were focused on the stages and mistakes done in thesis writing. results and discussion this session devotes some aspects to do with the findings of the research, gained though questionnaire, interview, and documentation (students’s thesis) analysis. data presentation and discussion of this research are presented simultaneously in this chapter. the findings are discussed and interpreted by comparing them with some theoretical foundations as reviewed in the chapter ii of this research. the stages of thesis writing based on the questionnaire, interview, and documentation (thesis) analysis, all respondents experienced the stages of thesis writing: 1) initial process including finding and proposing the research proposal. this first stage is a particularly significant finding since it coincides with that once the participants have decided on a specific topic, it is necessary for them to write a research proposal and defend it (brotowodjoyo, 1997). this is also in line with several respondents’ statements that they look for a specific, interesting, and observable topic to be proposed, then to be studied; 2) researching consisting of posing research questions, preparing instruments, plunging into the field, collecting and analyzing the data. this second stage which all respondents did the procedures approved by their supervisors to plunge into the field and analyze the collected data after posing research questions and preparing instruments of data collection were done when the respondents got approval to go on and plunge into the field to collect data (hacker 2003); 3). in this third stage, all respondents, similarly, reported that they initially prewrote by freewriting, outlining, brainstorming, and reading to generate and develop ideas. some of these techniques (outlining and reading) are contradictory to the suggestion that to generate ideas, the writers could free write, work in group, brainstorm, and keep a journal (brown 2001); 4). consultation. regarding this, it cannot be denied that in the conduct of this study, consultation was obliged to do (craswell 2005). this is in line with some respondents’ statement that without consultation, their thesis would never be finished. the followings are the overall findings on the stages of the thesis writing used by respondents as the result of questionnaire and interview analysis. the problems of thesis writing process dealing with the problems andang saehu an analysis of english thesis writing 88 occurred in the thesis writing, all respondents seemed to perceive the problems of thesis writing. from questionnaire and interview data, the problems are identified into procedural (problems related to how people do best for their writing), academic (problems related to the competences possessed by respondents), and non-academic problems (problems related to internal and external circumstances). in relation to procedural problems, all respondents had trouble in finding out the topic and starting to write the introduction. likewise, this happens to most writers, even professionals, had trouble in getting started (becker at al. 1986) in this problems, the respondents also have trouble with the systematic structure of an abstract. in addition, the students have academic problems, namely they could hardly finish their thesis due to the fact that they lack of receptive and productive skills as well as rhetorical knowledge and first language interference. this is relevant to the notion that one will use his/her reading and writing skill together to be an effective writer in college level courses (gibson 2002). meanwhile, regarding non-academic problems, based on the interview data, all respondents dealt with physical, psychological, technical, financial, and environmental problems. all respondents experienced different types of physical problems: dizziness, fatigue, headache, strain, and sleepiness. physical block occurs when the writers are tired and it just becomes too much of an effort to continue (beard & hartley, 1984) in terms of psychological problems, four respondents also encountered different types of problems: lack of motivation, anxiety, and less self-confidence. these problems also caused them get stuck to write. writers’ tabel 2. problems of thesis writing process types of perceived problems respondent 1 2 3 4 5 6 f % procedural problems getting started to write √ √ √ √ √ √ 6 100 building coherence statement √ √ √ 3 50 crosschecking experts’ ideas with finding √ √ √ 3 50 quoting √ √ √ √ 4 67 finding references √ √ √ √ √ 5 83 concluding remarks √ √ √ 3 50 writing abstract √ 1 17 academic problems lack of receptive and productive skill √ √ √ √ 4 67 lack of rhetorical knowledge and l1 interference √ √ √ √ 4 67 lack of research knowledge and instruction √ √ 2 33 lack of practice √ √ 2 33 non-academic problems physical problems fatigue √ √ 2 33 dizziness √ 1 17 headache √ 1 17 sleepiness √ 1 17 strain √ 1 17 psychological problems anxiety √ √ 2 33 lack of motivation √ 1 17 less of self-confidence √ 1 17 technical problems advisors’ activities and business √ √ √ √ 4 67 89 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee block occurs when they think hard to get the best first draft (beard & hartley 1984; craswell 2005). in line with the matter of non-academic problems, four respondents encountered technical problems—advisors’ bustle. failing to meet busy advisors was sometimes found as a problem for most participants (sugaryamah 2004; herdiah 2005). the followings are the overall findings on the problems of the thesis writing used by respondents as the result of questionnaire and interview analysis. the techniques of solving problems regarding the techniques of problem solving in thesis writing, the present study identifies six techniques used by all respondents to overcome the problems. in the similar sounds they said “all the problems can be solved”. this corresponds to the notion that every problem has a solution (broughton et al. 1978). there are many techniques used by all respondents to solve the procedural, academic, and non-academic problems in thesis writing: the first technique is reading a lot of books. all respondents used this technique to solve procedural and academic problems. reading what other people have written about the subject is probably the most common strategy for gathering information for starting to write (beard 1984; musthafa 2005) the second technique is consultation and peer-collaboration. all respondents asked and consulted their thesis to their classmates and supervisors when they got procedural and academic problems. as a matter of fact, consultation is informal discussion with teachers and friends as an important preparation and a foil for the necessarily individual and solitary business of writing (taylor, 1990). the third technique is a free writing practice most respondents used this technique when they got stuck. writing anything comes to mind is , in fact, in other words of free writing because it is sort of like talking to himself, but doing it with ink in order to keep the ideas flowing (gibson 2002). the fourth technique is stop writing at the right point. some respondents used this technique when they needed to stop writing. writing is not like making his ears wiggle or touching the tip of your nose with the tip or your tongue, but it is long and complex process (lauer et al. 1981). the fifth technique is taking a rest. this technique was used by several respondents to overcome physical and psychological blocks. correpondingly, beard and hartley (1984) physical block occurs when the writer is tired and it just becomes too much an effort to continue (beard & hartley 1984). the last technique used by most table 3. solutions of problems of thesis writing process types of problems types of solutions respondent 1 2 3 4 5 6 f % solutions for procedural and academic problems reading and coding √ √ √ √ √ √ 6 100 practice in free writing √ √ √ √ 4 67 consultation and peer-collaboration √ √ √ √ √ √ 6 100 stop writing at the right point √ √ √ √ 4 67 solutions for non-academic problems taking a rest √ √ √ √ 4 67 time management √ √ √ √ √ 5 83 andang saehu an analysis of english thesis writing 90 respondents is time management. most respondents used this technique when they were difficult to consult to the busy supervisors, to write, and to collect data through questionnaire and interview. kareviati (2004) argues that time management was the technique used by most respondents due to they were difficult to meet the busy supervisors. finally, the present study clarifies the respondents’ thesis whether they did the stages and experienced the problems of thesis writing as all respondents stated in questionnaire and interview data. having read and learnt all the respondents’ thesis, it was found that their thesis have the structure of a report, including preliminary sections, introduction, covering the purpose of writing the thesis, background information, scope, methodology, assumption and limitations; body of the report; conclusion and recommendation; reference list; and appendices (kimberly & cotesta 1998) the followings are the overall findings on the solution of problems of the thesis writing used by respondents as the result of questionnaire and interview analysis. conclusion the data obtained from the questionnaires are generally the same as that of gained from the interviews. from the data analysis it may be concluded that there are four stages in the process of thesis writing. first of all, it is the initial process includeing finding a topic, proposing a topic, and defending the proposed topic. the most interesting finding at this stage is that the respondents went through different ways to find a topic of their own. to be more precise, some of them took account of the specificity, manageability, and curiosity. meanwhile, some others took account of the significance, objectivity, and familiarity of a certain topic. the second stage is researching, consisting of posing the research question, preparing the instruments, going to the field, collecting data, and analyzing the data. some respondents conducted the research in a recursive way. this way helped the respondents to determine which was to be done first and which was to be done next; then, moving back and forth among each stage. the third stage is reporting including prewriting, drafting, and revising. all respondents underwent those stages, but they did it in a recursive way. to be precise, the writer moves within the components as necessary, perhaps they move from pre-writing to drafting, then back to pre-writing again, then move forward to editing and going back to drafting before reporting the thesis for sharing or publication. at the fourth stage all the respondents dealt with various problems. these problems fall into several categories, namely procedural, academic, and non-academic problems. as far as procedural problems are concerned, most respondents had trouble in getting started to write, building coherent sentences, crosschecking experts’ ideas against the findings, quoting, and finding references. in relation to the academic problems, most respondents lack of receptive and productive skills, and rhetorical knowledge. besides, they may also be exposed to l1 interference. meanwhile, regarding non-academic problems, most respondents experienced physical problems (e.g. fatigue), psychological problems (e.g. anxiety), and technical problems (e.g. advisors’ bustle). at the fifth stage all the problems encountered by the respondents during the process of thesis writing were overcome by themselves by reading and coding, practicing in free writing, consultation and peer-collaboration, stopping writing at the right point, taking a rest, and time management. 91 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee references alwasilah, c. a., & alwasilah, s. s. (2005). pokoknya menulis. bandung: kiblat. beard, m. r., & hartley, j. (1984). teaching and learning in higher education. london: harper & row, publishers. becker, s. h. (1986). writing for social scientists. usa: the university of chicago. brotowidjoyo, m. d. (1997). penulisan karangan ilmiah. jakarta: grewal galeri. broughton, g. brumfit, flavel, & pincas. (1978). teaching on foreign language. london: routledge and kegan paul. brown, h. d. (1994). principles of language and teaching. new jersey: prentice hall, inc. -----------------. (2001) teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. new york: prentice hall regents. craswell, g. (2005). writing for academic success: a postgraduate guide. london: sage publications. gibson, j. (2002). perspectives: case studies for readers and writers. new york: longman. hacker, d. (2003). a writer’s references. new york: bedford/st. martin. herdiah, s. i. (2005). the process of writing: how students write an academic writing task. unpublished paper. bandung: indonesia university of education. kareviati, e. (2004). exploring students’ difficulties in writing academic paper: a case study of the last semester english students of stkip siliwangi, bandung. unpublished thesis, indonesia university of education. lauer, m. j., montaque, g lursford, & emig, j. (1981). four worlds of writing. new york: harper & row. merriam, s. b. (1988). case study research in education: a qualitative approach. san francisco: jossey-bass publishers. mansyur, a. s. (2002). composing in english: problems and suggested solutions. unpublished thesis, indonesia university of education (upi). musthafa, b. (2005). english for young learners (eyl). bandung: pps-upi. oshima, a., & a. hogue. (1999). writing academic english. london: longman. reid, j. m. (1993). the process of paragraph writing. new jersey: prentice hall regents. seligar, h. w., & shohamy, e. (1989). second language research method. new york: oxford university press. sugaryamah, d. (2004) thesis writing: issues, problems and possible solutions: a case study on graduates of english program, graduate school of upi. unpublished thesis, indonesia university of education. taylor, g. (1990). the student’s writing guide. australia: the university of cambridge. sundanese isoglosses of lexical variation in kabupaten kuningan english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1 sundanese isoglosses of lexical variation in kuningan fahmy hygienis university of kuningan, indonesia e-mail: fahmyhygienic@gmail.com apa citation: hygienis, f. (2013). sundanese isoglosses of lexical variation in kuningan. english review: journal of english education, 1(2), 200-207 received: 12-02-2013 accepted: 03-04-2013 published: 01-06-2013 abstract: this article discussed the distribution of lexical variation in 32 districts of kuningan. the study was conducted to uncover dialect maps in kuningan, their isogloss lines, and also major lexical variations. the study employed descriptive design. the data were collected from 32 respondents by using two methods, questionnaire and interview. each respondent represents one district of kuningan. by using judgment sampling technique, the respondents were chosen. the data were analyzed in three ways: populating the data, mapping the data and describing the map. as the result, the study revealed 30 dialect maps in kuningan. the maps described the distributions of 135 lexical variations and the isogloss lines. based on the maps; it was also found that the isogloss lines were mostly overlapping. it means that, most of kuningan people tend to use different lexical variations compared to their surrounding districts. besides, it was also found that there were five major lexical variations used by the kuningans. keywords: dialect, lexical variation, isogloss. introduction in sundanese language, there are so many word variations in describing something. the variations may appear differently at every place in sunda (west java & banten provinces). the word “loba” which means many, is called “jenuk” in kabupaten kuningan and “rea” in some places around bandung. the word “mandi” or bathe in sundanese has a different variation in kabupaten majalengka, it is called “papung”. occasionally, it is confusing when meeting other people from the other regions in sunda and talk to them. the phenomenon of word or lexical variation is not only coming into view in the level of province but also in the level of regency. kabupaten kuningan, regency in the east side of west java has so many variations. this regency consists of 32 districts with 980.605 populations in the year 2002 (retrieved from http://www.kuningan.go. id). the phenomenon of lexical variation is a part of dialectology. dialectology is one of the most interesting researches in linguistics domain. wakelin (1972) as cited by milroy (1987) investigates isoglosses in england. he illustrates the boundary between the northern and northmidland dialect by showing eight isoglosses. other researchers are labov, ash and boberg (1997). their study of american english dialect shows three major regional dialects in usa (the north, south and west). besides, there is teeuw (1951) as cited from ayatrohaedi (2002:17) who investigates dialect in lombok. he is the pioneer of regional dialect researcher in indonesia. regional dialect of every place in one language may appear differently. it mailto:fahmyhygienic@gmail.com fahmy hygienis sundanese isoglosses of lexical variation in kuningan iscaused by geographical condition of the places. when geographical features imply to the dialect it is called regional dialect. as explained by wardhaugh (1992, p. 42) “various language implications such as pronunciation, word choices, syntax and form of word can be very useful in describing variation or dialect. because of that, it can serve as the map of dialect distribution to show their geographical provenance and called dialect geography”. later, the lexical variation will be analyzed and bounded by the line. the boundaries or lines between different places that have same features (pronunciation or word choice) can be called as isoglosses. wardhaugh (1992: 43) states that sometimes the maps of dialect geography are made to show the boundaries between the various language features, that boundaries called isoglosses. this study was focused on dialect geography. the study analyzed the sundanese lexical variations in kuningan, and served in a form of maps. the maps consisted of the lexical variations distribution and isoglosses as the boundary. this study is hoped to add deep understanding about dialect, especially in sundanese dialect and its lexical variation. as we know, indonesia is a big country with heterogenic society and culture. every ethnic group in indonesia has their own languages. bataknese, sundanese, balinese are some examples of the ethnic languages. therefore, they need to be revealed and studied. ahmad (1999) in ayatrohaedi (2002) states that there are 700 languages and dialects in indonesia. he states mostly indonesian linguists are interested in language structure; about 90%. the rest of that; 10% should divided to sociolinguistics, historical linguistics, dialectology, language education, psycholinguistics, etc. method the research problem is formulated in the following research questions: how are the distribution maps of lexical variation in kabupaten kuningan? were the isoglosses taking place in the map? what words are mostly used by the kuningans as their dialect? this study engaged a qualitative approach. this method was applied to reveal the phenomena of the sundanese dialect geography or dialect boundary in kuningan. strauss and corbin (1990, p. 5) stated that “a qualitative method can be used to uncover and understand what lies behind phenomena about which little is yet known”. it is the quality in describing and analyzing the data not the quantity or how many data that we get. furthermore, arikunto, (2005 in hatta 2007, p. 5) states that in presenting the data, “descriptive analysis method is not generally directed toward hypothesis testing, but only to describe the existing phenomena and current condition without being influenced by the investigator”. gumperz as cited in milroy (1987, p. 3) stated that the subject of the linguistic investigation is language or part of language. since the research is conducted in kabupaten kuningan, the subject dealt with the dialects (as a part of language) in kuningan. focus of the research is on the isogloss of lexical variation, so the dialect will be focused on the word or lexical variation in 32 districts of kuningan. kabupaten kuningan is the regency with 980.605 populations and 32 districts. to uncover the isogloss of kuningan dialect, the study needed various dialects from those 32 districts to examine. these are the districts name: kuningan, english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 3 kramatmulya, ciniru, hantara, cigugur, luragung, cimahi, cibingbin, cibeureum, ciwaru, karangkancana, garawangi, sindangagung, cidahu, kalimanggis, ciawigebang, cipicung, lebakwangi, maleber, cilimus, cigandamekar, jalaksana, japara, mandirancan, pancalang, pasawahan, kadugede, nusaherang, darma, selajambe, subang, and cilebak. by using judgment sampling, 32 persons were chosen as the respondents. this type of sampling was used by macaulay to uncover the glasgow speech in 1977. he employed 54 respondents of 17 schools in glasgow by using judgment sampling (macaulay 1977 in milroy 1987, p. 26). besides, boberg (2005) engaged 54 students of mcgill university in his research. milroy (1987, p. 26) stated that “the principle of judgment sampling is how the researcher identifies the types of respondent to be studied and then seek out quota of the respondents who fit the categories”. in this research, the judgment was based on three categories such as: livelihood, language use and birth place. those categories represent 32 districts of kuningan. based on the category, sma 2 kuningan is the appropriate place to choose. 20 students were picked as the respondents. they were asked to fill up the questionnaire based on 30 questions of kuningans lexical variations. however, to fulfill 32 districts of kuningan, the study needs other respondents beside the students. because of that, 12 people were selected to cover up the study. they were the civil servant worked in puskesmas (public health center) lamepayung, they are coming from 12 different districts in kuningan. this research used several techniques in collecting the data. the techniques that used are interview and questionnaire. besides, pilot study was conducted in order to get preliminary data of lexical variation in kuningan. these are the steps of data collection. pilot study is the way to find out preliminary data. preliminary data is more like a key to open the gate of research. in this research, pilot study was conducted in march 2008, by using two instruments, questionnaire and interview. the questionnaires were given to the 32 people from different places all over kuningan. they were asked to write down some dialects that used by the people in their places. however, there were only 27 person who returning the questionnaire with the answer on it. to cover up the deficit, interview was conducted to some peoples that attend to know the dialect in kuningan. the interviewees are the persons who have high mobility in kuningan and knowing most of dialect of it. based on the criteria, two interviewees were chosen. the first is drs. h uhadi. he is the branch chief of paguyubanpasundan in kuningan and formerly he was the headmaster of many high schools in kuningan. the second is mr ihak sunardi s.pd. he is the teacher of sundanese in smpn lebakwangi kuningan. by conducting the study, more than 50 dialects with 150 lexical variations of kuningan was discovered. however, there are only 30 dialects formulated in the questionnaire, because of the shortages. most of 20 reductions have the same meaning with other or even not including in kuningan’s regional dialect, so that there were only 30 dialects in the questionnaire. after the preliminary data of kuningan’s lexical variation populated, questionnaire was made to get the geographical dialect of kuningan. geographical dialect was the main instrument in analyzing isogloss. the fahmy hygienis sundanese isoglosses of lexical variation in kuningan questionnaires were given to the respondents in form of two pages with two sections of questions. this type of questionnaire adopted from boberg (2005, p. 64) in his research of north american vocabulary survey at mcgill university. the questionnaires were begun with standard questions of demographic information of the respondent such as: name, birth place, live, and language use. then the main questions of 30 lexical variables. in order to make the respondents easier in filling the questionnaire, each question was provided in a brief definition of the variable, followed by a list of the most common variants of the variable known to the respondents. the respondents were asked to circle the variant they would most often use in everyday speech or to write in the word they would use if it did not appear among those listed. they were instructed to circle more than one word only if necessary, and if the answer not listed, they can write down on the paper. after the data were collected, next step of the study was analyzing the data. this process took at least three steps of analyzing. first step was populating, mapping the dialect geography and then drew the isogloss lines. populating was the first step in this research analysis. firstly, data from the questionnaires were categorized based on the lexicon and the place it used. the data were served in the form of table. however, the data from the questionnaire shows that the dialect and variations were mostly in the level basaloma/ basakasar in sundanese speech level. therefore, the data were presented only in one level of speech; sundanese basaloma. according to ayatrohaedi (2002, p. 46), basically, “there are three steps in making the map of dialect geography: a) drawing the map and filling the variations on the map, b) showing the map, and c) discussing the map”. in this research, the map was the construction of the kabupatenkuningan basic map. by using the adobe photoshop 6.0 ®software, the map was rebuilt to get 30 new maps with the symbols of lexical variations. the reconstruction process needed at least three steps. firstly, the basic map was rebuilt into a bald map. the bald map can be used as a master map, to make the process of filling the data easier. secondly, fill the map with the lexical variations. the last thing is drawing the isogloss in the map. the new maps show the spreads of 30 lexical variations in kuningan. it was served in 30 maps. each map illustrated the distribution of lexical variations in kuningan. technically, each lexical variation was represented by one symbol. for example in lexical variation map of wedding tent, the symbols like: = represents the tatarub variation, = represents paratag, = represents balandongan, and = represents papayon. those symbols were drawn in the map based on the places appearances. this kind of technique was similar with teeuw (1948 in ayatrohaedi 2002: 17) in his lomboknese map. last step of the analysis was drawing the line of isoglosses on the map. the line was drawn based on the same variations. however, in the real situation the isoglosses intersect with another line. to handle this problem, the intersection line was drawn on the maps. technically, the isoglosses in the map was in the form ( ) lines and the intersection in ( ) lines. those lines were the representation of the english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 5 boundaries between each lexical variation in the same meaning. results and discussion based on the data collected, it is found that there are 30 signifieds with 135 lexical variations in sundanese basaloma distribute in kabupaten kuningan. it is because of the respondent, the respondents are mostly students. they usually use basaloma in their daily speech. as the result the data tabulation was only tabulated by the variations of basaloma/ basakasar. the data were analyzed in terms of signified, lexical variation and district. regarding the first and the second research questions the maps were made. the maps were made, based on the data tabulation. the maps show the distribution of lexical variations and their isoglosses. example of dialect map: map no distribution of wedding tent scale 1: 5000004. 1 legends: = balandongan = tatarub = paratag = papayon = isoglosses = intersection fahmy hygienis sundanese isoglosses of lexical variation in kuningan based on the data collected, there are 135 lexical variations of 30 meaning or signified found in kuningan. from the 135 variations, there are 5 major lexical variations in kabupatenkuningan: /nyiru/, /senteng/, /batu/, /gandéng/ and /ngawada/. from 30 districts, the variation of /nyiru/ leads with 90%. it is used in all districts of kuningan, except in pancalang. it is summarized in table 1. table 1. major lexical variations in kuningan no dialect appearance in 32 district percentage σ % meaning lexical variation 1 bamboo basket nyiru 31 96,60 100 % cécémpéh 1 03,40 2 compartment upon window or door senteng 28 87,50 100 % loster 4 12,50 3 stone batu 27 84,40 100 %mungkal 5 25,60 4 noisy seah 2 06,25 100 % sangar 2 06,25 gandéng 27 84,40 kawus 1 03,40 5 blaming ngawada 27 84,40 100 %nyalahkeun 3 12,20 tudah-tuduh 1 03,40 there are some patterns found in drawing isogloss lines on the map. ayatrohaedi (2002: 71) states that every map has its own interpretation. the isogloss line is the imagery line that can help in determining the interpretation. the line will show the pattern, whether it is grouping, overlapping or unpattern line. based on the maps it is found that there are 126 isogloss lines .the lines on the maps are mostly overlapping. it is about 70% of isoglosses. this situation is signed by the intersection between one isogloss to another. the overlapping isoglosses indicate that most of kuningan people tend to use different lexical variations compared to their surrounding districts. the examples are shown in map 4.3. there is an intersection between/hawangan/ (in cilebak, karangkancana, and lurangung) and /lebak/ (in ciniru, hantara, cimahi, cibingbin, cibeureum, ciwaru, cidahu, cipicung, lebakwangi, maleber, kadugede, selajambe and subang). twenty percent of the isogloss lines are grouping. this condition indicates “clean isoglosses” which means that the people in kuningan know the variation outside their districts, but they use their own variation. the example is shown in map 4.2. there is no intersection among the isogloss line. it clearly seperates the variations /nyiru/ and /cécémpéh/. 10% of the isogloss lines are random distribution. in this particular situation, it is difficult to draw the isogloss lines. the example is illustrated in map 4.25. there is no boundary between /améh/ in kramatmulya, ciniru, hantara, cimahi, cibeureum, garawangi, cidahu, kalimanggis, cipicung, cigandamekar, jalaksana, kadugede, nusaherang, selajambe, subang, and cilebak; and /mis/ sindangagung, ciawigebang, and english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 7 cilimus; and /ambéh/ in kuningan, cigugur, ciwaru, karangkancana, maleber, japara, and mandirancan, because those variations spread unpatternly. conclusions the present study is aimed to uncover the distribution of lexical variations, the isogloss lines and the major variations in kabupaten kuningan. based on the lexical distribution data, the map is drawn. the study describes 30 dialect maps in kabupaten kuningan. regarding the second research problem, it is found that there are 126 isogloss lines in 30 dialect maps in kabupaten kuningan. the isoglosses lines are mostly overlapped with the others. 70% of the maps indicate that there are “overlapping isoglosses”. this indicates that every district in kuningan has more than one lexical variation in describing one signified. in other words, most of kuningan people tend to use different lexical variations compared to their surrounding districts. concerning the third research problem, which concerns the major variations used by the kuningans, the study finds that there are five variations mostly used by more than 20 districts in kuningan. the variations are /nyiru/, /senteng/, /batu/, /gandéng/, and /ngawada. based on the result of the study, there are number of issues, which could profitably be explored in future research. the present study focuses only on the lexical variations. further study is suggested to investigate not only on lexical variation, but also phonological, syntactical, or even on semantic differences in dialectology. besides, the study did not investigate the factor influence the distribution, further study is suggested to investigate dialectology in diachronic way in order to uncover the correlation between the factor and the distribution. one of the most obvious weaknesses of this study concerns is the method of the data collection. this study uses pilot study in order to get preliminary data. however, the study employs only questionnaires and interview to some people. it is suggested for the further study to do straight observation and interview to the respondent, so that rich data will be collected. however the methods have disadvantages such as time and cost, those method need more time and money. references ayatrohaedi. (2002). pedoman penelitian dialektologi. jakarta: pusat bahasa departemen pendidikan nasional. aziz, e. a. (2000). refusing in indonesian: strategies and politeness implications. unpublished doctoral dissertation, monash university australia. boberg, c. (2005). the north american regional vocabulary survey: new variables and method in the study of north american english. american dialectsociety. retrieved from: http://logos.uoregon.edu/explore/so cioling/regionaldialect.html. [27march 2004]. ekadjati, s. e. (2003). sejarah kuningan dari masa prasejarah hingga terbentuknya kabupaten. bandung: pt kiblat buku utama. hatta, m. s. (2007). similies and methaphor in indonesian translation of the adventures of sherlockholmes. unpublish paper, indonesia university of education. heeringa, w. (2001). dialect variation in and around frisia: classification and relationships. retrieved 12 january 2008 from www.let.rug.nl/~heeringa/ dialectology/papers/uswk04.pdf. holmes, j. (2001). an introduction to sociolinguistics (second edition). essex: pearson education limited. http://logos.uoregon.edu/explore/socioling/regionaldialect.html.%20%5b27 http://www.let.rug.nl/~heeringa/ fahmy hygienis sundanese isoglosses of lexical variation in kuningan hornby, s.a. (2000). oxford advanced learner’s dictionary. oxford: oxford university press. hudson, r. a. (1980). sociolinguistics. london: the press syndicate of university of cambridge. labov, w, s. ash, and c. boberg. (1997). a national map of the regional dialects of american english. retrieved on 27 march 2004 from: http://logos.uoregon.edu/explore/so cioling/regionaldialect.html. mahsun (1995). dialektologi diakronis: sebuah pengantar. jogjakarta: gajah mada university press. manser, h. m. (1991). oxford learner’s pocket dictionary. oxford: oxford university press. milroy, l. (1987). observing & analysing natural language. new york: basil backwellinc. nurbaiti, a. (2005). geografi dialek bahasa jawa di kecamatan gadingrejo kabupaten tanggamus provinsi lampung. unpublished paper, indonesia university of education. pemerintahan daerah kuningan (2000). web site resmi pemerintahan daerah kabupaten kuningan. retrieved on 11 november 2006 from http//www.kuningan.go. id. sekarini, d. (2005). geografi dialek bahasa sunda di kabupaten garut. unpublished paper, indonesia university of education. senjaya, a. (2005). basa sunda dialek sukabumi di kecamatan waluran. unpublished paper, indonesia university of education. shank, g. (1995). semiotics and qualitative research in education: the third crossroad. the qualitative report, 2(3). retrieved on 24 april 2006 from: http//www.nova.edu/sssss/qr/qr2 -3/shank.html. spolsky, b. (1998). sociolinguistics. oxford: oxf ord university press. strauss, a and coebin, j. (1990). basic of qualitative research: grounded theory procedures and techniques. newbury park: sage publication. universitas pendidikan indonesia. (2006). pedoman penulisan karya ilmiah. bandung: indonesia university of education. wardhaugh, r. (1992). an introduction to sociolinguistics (second edition). malden: blackwell publisher. http://www.nova.edu/ssss/qr/qr2-3/shank.html english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 125 the gap between learning needs and its’ implementation in english for hospitality specific purposes program dian kardijan department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, university of siliwangi email: diankardijan@unsil.ac.id emzir language education, postgraduate program, state university of jakarta email: emzir.unj@unj.ac.id zainal rafli language education, postgraduate program, state university of jakarta email: zainal.rafli@unj.ac.id apa citation: kardijan, d., emzir & rafli, z. (2017). the gap between learning needs and its’ implementation in english for hospitality specific purposes program. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 125-135. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.779. received: 26-08-2017 accepted: 24-10-2017 published: 01-12-2017 abstract: this study is to reveal the gap between the english language communicative competence required by students of the hospitality department and english learning program provided at state of vocational high school 1 tasikmalaya, indonesia, drawing through qualitative evaluation approach, including semi-structured interviews and observations. it explores how learning needs is implemented in teaching-learning process and the respondents’ description, what they saw and what they felt. findings show inconsistency between learning needs in enrichment students’ english communicative competence and teaching-learning process. this prompts a re-instructional design of english learning for hospitality specific purposes program at this department currently. it provides to support of graduating required at hospitality industry workplace. lead of recommendations, in terms of both the instructional design including materials development, teaching method usage and the professional development of esp teachers, to address an understanding of the gap identified, so that students will enable to communicate more effectively with the english, in such contexts graduates can hire at the hospitality industry workplace. keywords: learning needs, pre-vocational english field, authentic materials and teaching methods introduction learning needs is an effective ways of teaching and learning process to achieve the learning objectives of the students’ competency targeted. it is one of the ‘needs analysis’ component in which esp principles showing the important of learning needs analysis, target situation analysis, and present situation analysis. learning needs involves teaching methods and authentic materials that must be implemented by the teachers to facilitate students’ needs in improving english communication skill. learning needs is related to participants’ specific learning needs based on the personal needs of teaching content, interests, and motivation (xie & adamson, 2015). dudleyevans and st. john in basturkmen state learning needs is language learning information: effective ways of learning the skills and language to facilitate the learners’ dian kardijan, emzir, & zainal rafli the gap between learning needs and its’ implementation in english for hospitality specific purposes program 126 lack in english learning (basturkmen, 2010, p. 18). in relation to students’ need of tourism vocational high school in learning english, in terms of language skills, they expect to improve their speaking ability, and listening ability. this makes sense because the two skills are closely interrelated (amin, arifudin, & nurahmadi, 2017). in order to help the students to communicate english meaningfully, the teachers need a variety of teaching approach, in which communicative language teaching can be covered to develop students’ communicative competence. this ‘authenticity-centered’ approach directly informs the design of language learning materials-exemplifying the symbiotic relationship between the approach to learning and the content/materials used in applying it (mishan, 2005, p. ix). strategies employed to develop communicative competence might include the use of authentic texts and teaching methods. the use of authentic materials and appropriate methodology can support real-life language by providing meaningful exposure to language as it is actually used. basturkmen (2010) defines “the materials presented the students with complex information/ideas communicated through the second language” (p. 10). furthermore, patel and jain (2008) state “methodology is systematic and scientific way of teaching any subject and it guides teacher "how to teach" and "how his teaching may be effective” (p. 70). employing such materials and methodology of teaching that covered by broader of communicative language teaching approach can be engaging and motivating, where learners need to communicate effectively in a specific work. esp is goal oriented and focused english teaching and learning, designed for the specific learners according to learners’ academic and professional needs (rahman, 2015). pedagogically, the course needs to reflect this diversity and offer support which can be tapped according to a greater range of individual learning needs (tomlinson & whittaker, 2013, p. 102). hospitality students of vocational high school need the tasks and activities at the beginning of the course about what they can do in english learning with the specific subject for workplace demands. furthermore, dudley-evans & st. john state “english for vocational purposes (evp), prevocational english specifically, concerns with finding a job and interview skills and it also deals with succeeding in a job through an understanding of employer expectation and policies” (1998, p. 7). therefore, the learning process and the english material should really be able to contribute positively and relevant to the interests and needs of the students vocationally. the strategies of cooperative activities, role-play, creative tasks, and drilling helped students to speak, as well as concerned oral production (syafrizal & rohmawati, 2017). an understanding toward the kind of language required at the workplace, there are different types discourse that needed by employees. the types of hospitality workplace discourse include interpersonal and transactional utterance in language use. the transactional sense is a particular kind of negotiation to get things done in language or exchanging information to develop an understanding of the self and the other in communication, in which people interact and communicate” (liddicoat & scarino, 2013, p. 66). it describes various types of communication activities that promote the kind of comprehension that may lead to message acquisition. rutherford and o’fallon (2007) state that the prospective qualification of hospitality employees should be able to read, write and communicate in english and they have good organizational skills. through interactions with customers, important messages about their needs and expectations can be received by service staff for their immediate actions to create customer satisfaction. “hotel front office management” was recommended as core material, along with some exercises (masoumpanah and tahririan, 2013). it shows that communicating with all guests’ needs to provide the best possible guest services. interaction in communication necessarily is about verbal language as well as english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 127 body language. if it is necessary to talk to colleague in the presence of guest, it is suggested to talk in a standard language of communication. the common things to do while communicating are presenting ourselves with a warm smile, speaking in audible voice by maintaining eye contact with the listener, using simple and correct language that can be understood by everyone, and asking politely if missing to hear any point the guest or the colleague is putting forward. hayes and ninemeier (2009) state it is important to recognize that many employees in the hospitality industry have neither the language skills nor the computer skills and access required to take advantage of some of the communication options available today. it provides some insights in the nature of communication at the hospitality industry workplace with the implication for the development of interpersonal skill. the important elements of hospitality workplace discourse are needed to look on how the students are able to communicate in english to fulfill their tasks in doing works. building vocational knowledge and skills is a key goal to equip learners through a variety of applied activities within the workplace environment. murray and christison (2011) define, vocational programs involve teaching the necessary skills for specific jobs. these programs are often conducted in technical and further education institutions, and may include communication skills. the vocational program aims to prepare skilled learners using english in a communicative and applicative way to do certain kinds of work. this content should be designed and prepared with teaching materials based on vocational themes, assignments and activities and their supportive language to be skilled in communication. teaching materials used and designed to prepare students for hospitality industry contexts should aim, therefore, not only at supporting transactional talk, but should also address relational aspects of communication. learning in the esp approach is directed at achieving the competencies of learners that can be seen in the ability to perform communicative steps. if esp is to play a role of the broader educational process, then boarder competencies will be developed in courses with broader aims, courses which focus on" purposeful activity "rather than specific language” (flowerdew & peacock, 2001, p. 18). communicative actions and strategies is a particular activity as a vehicle for mastering language skills in context. unfortunately, relational talk in english is required for vocational educational settings, and awareness-raising of the importance of being able to handle this. the authentic materials can support reallife language by providing meaningful exposure to language as actually used. hospitality students are likely basic communicative competence required for their communication in workplace, in which might the effective require of learner context. paltridge and starfield (2013) and day and krzanowski (2011) state english for specific purposes (esp) refers to the teaching and learning of english as a secondary domain and it is always a professional purpose a set of skill that learners currently need in their work or will need in their professional careers. it is clear that esp related to the approach of teaching and learning process that purposed to support students’ ability to communicate in english and communicative in the context of the field of science or a particular field. the focus of esp specifically facilitates the needs of learners to speak english language in doing certain work in the workplace or professional career. it is important that teachers as well as materials designers are aware of how to select, adapt and evaluate materials used in the classroom. “english teachers and vocational content teachers were involved in the design of vocational english (ve) materials, and this cross-curricular collaboration assisted esp teachers to select the texts that were relevant to students’ vocational areas” (renandya & widodo, 2016, p. 278). it is also important that teachers employ appropriate classroom methodology through which the benefits of using authentic materials within a broad dian kardijan, emzir, & zainal rafli the gap between learning needs and its’ implementation in english for hospitality specific purposes program 128 communicative language teaching approach by problem based learning or project based learning methods usage can be realized. educational authorities is the study conception of what teachers think, know and believe in arranging and choosing authentic materials and appropriate methodology to apply in classroom practice, likely learners training. “learner training aims to help learners make more effective use of the learning opportunities they encounter focusing how to learn rather than what to learn. it seeks to broaden learners’ knowledge and use of language learning strategies” (thornbury, 2006, cited in hall, 2011, p. 151). all teachers’ concept should be covered in course planning that sometimes anyone might face some obstacles to implement it, provision of authentic materials and methodology specifically. “course and lesson planning help you to develop a personal style since they involve sifting through all your information, resources and beliefs, and boiling them all down to a distillation for one particular group, time and place” (woodward, 2001, p. 181). there is also a shortage of esp teachers with appropriate training. however, these difficulties, some vocational teachers have attempted to implement of using authentic materials and teaching methodology that covered within communicative language teaching in their teaching contexts based on vocationally by their own desire to learn how to teach and how to communicate in english more effectively. department of hospitality accommodation is one of five departments held at state of vocational high school 1 tasikmalaya, indonesia, which belongs to the tourism study scope. they have recognized that english learning program should be prioritized to meet students’ need in which evidence of how the english language can operate in the real workplace. it is not only competence to do their job but also need competency in english communication with the specific demands of industry situation setting (kardijan, 2017). on target situation, the ability to communicate in english has become a demand for employees of hospitality industry that cannot be ignored. hospitality industry is one of business organizations that focused in service field. in such contexts, “an employer may have a rule requiring that employees speak only english at certain times where the employer can show that the rule is justified by business necessity” (hayes and ninemeier, 2009, p. 66). it indicates the important of english communication competence for hospitality employees that functioned to serve every customer or guests’ need. at present situation, the english communication skill is required by students to support them to become successful employees at the hospitality industry workplace. an understanding of learning needs has implication to use of authentic materials and teaching methods providing opportunities for the students in using english communicatively. the teachers themselves are suggested to design and use authentic materials and teaching methods effectively in line with principles of communicatively that reflect a learner centered approach. in reference to the background of the research previously mentioned, this study aims to explore these issues. in particular, it looks at how learning needs design is implemented in teaching-learning process to meet the students’ needs in using english communicatively. the assumption, there are may be a gap, that learning needs not met particularly well, a hypothesis will explore by review the relevant literature and outline the research methodology employed to present, discuss findings and draw conclusions including reflections, pedagogical implications, and future studies. method this is part of a larger study of evaluation research in english for specific purposes field using responsive model with countenance overview in which after analyzing of target situation, present situation, and learning needs as antecedents aspect (input and context), teaching-learning process and environment interaction as transaction aspect (process), and english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 129 result as outcomes aspect, saving each dimension in another article. however, due to limitations of space, this article would like to focus on the gap between antecedents and transaction aspects, learning needs and teaching-learning process specifically. english instruction in the vocational high school must be based on vocational english principles as part of english for specific purposes field. there was generally emphasized writing and speaking skills. hospitality accommodation department at state of vocational high school 1 tasikmalaya, west java, indonesia has realized and emphasized communication skill in english as priority of students’ needs. this study was conducted within three months, starting from february to april 2017. through the result of target situation analysis, the english syllabus was developed and organized by the teachers in the lesson plan form that covered of materials and teaching methodology. as learning needs of authentic materials and teaching methodology, the teachers asked to organize english instruction to improve speaking ability in which the students give opportunity through learning tasks that required self-expression in using english communicatively. thus, investigating is focused on learning needs implementation in teaching-learning process of english for hospitality specific purposes to support students’ confidence in english communication with the unique demands of the hospitality workplace. there are three english teachers teaching at the hospitality accommodation department and 204 students who are divided into three grades of classes. grade 10 consists of class a (35 students) and class b (35 students), grade 11 consists of class a (34 students) and class b (35 students), and grade 12 consists of class a (33 students) and class b (32 students). to be an effective in choosing respondents, the researchers purposively selected, as follows: head of hospitality department, one an english teacher, and three students’ 3rd class who have done field work practice in the hotel. it will be served primary data sources to meet the nature of research design, aims and objectives. this study is an evaluative research using qualitative evaluation approach which requires sharpness of analysis, objectivity, systematic and systemic to obtain accuracy in interpreting data. “qualitative evaluations often derive their data from fieldwork observations to describe activities, behaviors, actions, conversations, interpersonal interactions, and organizational or community processes, as well as open-ended interviewing to generate in-depth responses on the experiences, perceptions, feelings, and knowledge of individuals involved in an evaluation” (leslie goodyear, jennifer jewiss, janet usinger, and eric barela, 2014, p. 9). a qualitative case study and narrative method were chosen to illuminate the analysis of data. qualitative case study is characterized by the main researcher spending substantial time on-site, personally in contact with activities and operations of the case, reflecting, revising meanings of what is going on (stake, 1994, cited in stufflebeam and coryn, 2014, p. 296). furthermore, goodyear, et. al. state “where descriptive studies will describe people’s experiences in-depth” (2014, p. 155). as outsider of school, the researchers had consider the ethical issues in observing classroom activities of teacher work and openended interview that would be integral to the research design included students’ perceptions on teaching-learning process. instruments and data analysis there were two main stages of the research. firstly, the researcher conducted two interviews: (a) to the students in order to cover their perception toward what they saw and what they felt during teaching-learning process, and (b) to english teacher in order to determine what kind of materials and teaching method were required as learning needs to dian kardijan, emzir, & zainal rafli the gap between learning needs and its’ implementation in english for hospitality specific purposes program 130 enrich students’ competency in english communicatively. the interviews were conducted through open-ended interview questions designed. secondly, the researcher conducted a classroom observation to the teacher with an interval of two weeks in between (90 minutes was kept of each lesson) focusing on acts, events, and participants within the setting, in order to cover the achievement of learning goals, classroom interactions and classroom management. afterwards, the researchers reviewed and expanded the notes, analyzing the recordings to include further information and detail. after doing each observation, there was discussed with the teacher related to use teaching materials and method in classroom activities to be reached students’ competency in using english communicatively. the observation data were used to complement the interview data to facilitate comparison between learning needs and its implementation in teachinglearning process. the transcripts of the two data resources (observations and interviews/discussions) were analysed and integrated, split into segments and then made into themes. a selection of extracts from observation and interview data, some of which were converted from indonesia to english, was analyzed. the rounds of data collection mentioned above permitted methodological triangulation to do strengthen the trustworthiness of the research. in approaching the data, observation notes were compared with interview notes. results and discussion this is a larger study of evaluation research in english for specific purposes field with a small-scale set in one of vocational high schools at tasikmalaya, indonesia. the aims is to set out exploring the any gap between learning needs and its implementation in english learning process for hospitality specific purposes. a selection of extracts from observation and interview data in which were converted from indonesia to english was analyzed. the gap findings in the implementation of learning needs in english teaching-learning process are inconsistency between the learning needs components and classroom management including classroom interactions to enrich students’ capable and confidence to use english communicatively. the teachinglearning process is not oriented to interactive habits, communicative, and applicative directly to use english in every activity. therefore, the learners did not get opportunity and challenge to use english communicatively in real context of hospitality workplace discourse. it is in line with dudley-evans and st. john that “the ultimate proof for an esp course is how well the learners fare when using english in their target situation; after the course they should be more effective and more confident using english in their target situations” (1998, p. 210). thus, communication is crucial factor which requires the involvement of both customers and service staff to achieve excellences in delivery process. any part of gap occurred, there were no appropriate materials vocationally that supported relational talk in hospitality industry settings. instead, the teachers used the general english textbooks provided which contains largely inauthentic material. likewise in using teaching method, there was traditional method that primarily focused on accuracy norm, rather than communicative interaction pattern. in short, there was little evidence that communicative competence that would facilitate workplace discourse was being developed (inauthentic materials and teaching methods in overview of communicative teaching language approach). these would be described in the following section. communication characteristics in hospitality workplace the important of english skills types on target situation is ability in english communicatively. the most frequently of conversation at hospitality workplace can be classified under directives and requests. it is occurred in transactional work oriented. in english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 131 order to get work done, communication strategies must be adopted by hotel employees to serve the foreign guests’ needs with directives and requests for explanation, for help, negotiations, and functional expressions. these observational data were used in hotel conversations, for example in booking the hotel; a : fairway hotel. can i help you? (for greeting and for help) b : hello, i would like a room for tonight. a : what kind of room would you like? (negotiation) b : i’d like a single room, please. a : hold on, please.... (explanation) i’m afraid all our single rooms are reserved. the only room we have available is a twin. b : how much for the twin room? a : sixty dollars including tax/excluding tax / before tax. (negotiation) b : does that include breakfast? a : no, but breakfast is available in our dining room. (explanation) b : ok, i’ll take a room for tonight (only). a : i’ll need to get your credit card information to guarantee your room.... (functional expression) (iec institute of hotel management, 2003) all those are such strategies that often used in the employees’ daily english conversation at the hospitality workplace. this phenomenon is appropriate with the respondents’ perceptions (head of hospitality department, an english teacher, and students’ 3 rd class who have done field work practice in the hotel). this is a selection of extract the interview data from respondents that have converted and analyzed from indonesia to english. basically, all hotel employees should have the ability to communicate with guests, including communicating in english by good attitude. in the interaction of communication occur information transactions between guests and hotel employees. (interview data: head of hospitality department, february 16, 2017, 08.4509.15 am) it shows that the most frequency of daily conversation at the hospitality workplace was transaction in giving information. it also perception was given students my experience during field work practice in the hotel, the most types of english daily usage in conversation is greeting with good attitude to give transaction information clearly that guests required. (interview data: student, february 16, 2017, 10.2510.45 am) understanding of working in the field of hospitality could be quite challenging. different from other sectors, the hospitality industry is unique in its nature which tends to be service-oriented and has a strong emphasis on human exchange in the service delivery processes (chan and mackenzie, 2013, p. 15). to lead into transactional, it is clearly needed rational talk in the hospitality workplace discourse. broadly communication characteristics in hospitality is the act of kindness in welcoming and looking after the basic needs of customers or strangers, mainly information in relation to guests’ needs (food, drink and accommodation, etc). bardi (2007) state the responsibility of communications within the hotel usually rests with the front office. from the guests’ perspective, this department is the most visible part of the lodging establishment. a contemporary explanation of hospitality conversations refers to the relationship transaction process between a customer and a hotel staff. however, this characteristic of hotel conversation only satisfies most situations to fulfill the guests’ needs. learning needs all learning needs aspects (objectives, materials, teaching and learning process, dian kardijan, emzir, & zainal rafli the gap between learning needs and its’ implementation in english for hospitality specific purposes program 132 media, resources, and assessment) are attempted to reach the use of english in the real world outside the classroom. in that context, the language element (grammar and vocabulary, including its pronunciation and writing) is more appropriately seen as a tool, not as a goal: a tool for implementing language action correctly, strategically, according to its purpose and context. immediately, the action of 'learning by doing' is a more natural way (ministry of national educational republic of indonesia, number 60, 2014). it is similarity with english for specific purposes (esp) principles which is stated by dudley-evans and st.john (1998), basturkmen (2010), day and krzanowski (2011), and paltridge and starfield (2013) that basically, esp has functioned to help learners in developing english communicatively usage based on needs to function effectively at specific workplace domain, rather than their level of english. the fundamental is “what learners need to do with english. generally, the objective competence of english teaching-learning is students’ capable in communication using english including interpersonal and transactional discourse through habitual action to carry out social or workplace functions. “...english for specific purposes (esp), which focus on the communicative needs and practices of particular professional or occupational groups” (hyland, 2006, cited in cummins and davison, 2007, p. 234). an understanding of this definition, the participant states: we are concern to push students not only competence to do their job but also need expresses confidence in using english communicatively with the unique demands of hospitality industry setting. they have to communicate in english habitually. (interview data: head of hospitality department, february 16, 2017, 08.4509.15 am) to achieve the objective, the authentic material is considered as the suitable material to improve the students’ competence. nunan (2004) and kiely and dickins (2005) all state it is one of the teaching strategies that covered in classroom management. classroom materials describe the scheme of teachers and students work. this insight led teachers to approach in curriculum development, material design, and pedagogy. in application of using authentic materials, the teachers have to connect it with the learning process and actual variety of vocationally. it can be used and applied in social workplace to do certain types of work. “english teachers and vocational content teachers were involved in the design of vocational english (ve) materials, and this cross-curricular collaboration assisted esp teachers to select the texts that were relevant to students’ vocational areas” (renandya & widodo, 2016, p. 278). in developing of materials, concept of genre is used as the basic to be consistent, groove, and showing communicative action. the authenticity in constructing teaching materials is an approach that described as orientation to the purpose of communicative activity through text types with meaningful specific outcomes not in the language pattern. “this ‘authenticity-centred’ approach directly informs the design of language learning materials-exemplifying the symbiotic relationship between the approach to learning and the content/materials used in applying it” (nunan, 1989 as cited in mishan, 2005, p. ix). therefore, any task related to interpersonal and transactional texts should be an opportunity for learners to interact with teachers, friends, and others during the learning process in and out of the classroom, hospitality industry workplace specifically. furthermore, other than authentic material in enhancing students’ competence in using english communicatively, employing teaching method is also required. patel and jain (2008) state “methodology is systematic and scientific way of teaching any subject, and it guides teacher "how to teach" and "how his teaching may be effective” (p. 70). the teachers have to provide challenges and opportunities for learners to continue trying english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 133 used english in every activity and not to fear wrong. students are expected to practice as an effort to take communicative action independently. miscommunications in english seemed to cause a lack of confidence, with students who have done field work practice in the hotel reporting occasional reluctance to speak english with foreign guests, even though they knew the answers to their questions. here the student’s statement: to hard communicating in english, i am unconfident, although i knew what the foreign guests meant. competency in english communicatively is important, so practicing english conversation needed more and more as habitually. (interview data: student, february 16, 2017, 10.2510.45 am). classroom english pedagogy has its own characteristics. one of them is to use of appropriate teaching technique by various activities that must be student-centered approach where teachers become good model to support students’ confidence in english communicatively. in addition, teachers have to be excellent especially in deciding the most suitable teaching techniques for their students and managing vocational classroom discipline. teachers are suggested to use teaching method, such as; inquiry based learning, discovery learning, project based learning and problem based learning by a wide variety of techniques, including group discussion, lecture, and individual task (ministry of national educational republic of indonesia, number 60, 2014). in english for specific purposes field, need analysis enables teachers to understand students’ needs, students’ learning problems, and lesson plan suitable for instructional goals. additionally, teachers must have competence of stimulating interaction and cooperation in the classroom as well as implementing appropriate classroom management. implementation of learning needs in teaching – learning process the classroom observations and interview were focused on covering the materials and teaching method used by teachers to facilitate students’ competence and confidence in english communicatively. generally, the implementation of learning needs does not run naturally with the students’ needs in taking opportunity to use english in various activities. the process does not show the students centered approach, so the students are not accustomed to direct english usage. the results of observation toward the teaching-learning process covers: (a) teachers do not adapt the authentic or relevant materials to the learners vocationally, (b) teachers do not motivate students to learn contextually through the benefits and application of authentic materials in the local, national and international of hospitality industry workplace, and (c) teachers do not use instructional methods that appropriate with the students’ characteristics. besides, there were no materials available that can be supported relational conversation in target situation settings. instead, the teachers used the general english textbooks provided, these containing largely inauthentic material. the teacher states, i tend to follow the material in the 2013 curriculum syllabus to prepare the national exam ... i do not have time to develop and search the material because there is no time and preoccupied with administrative obligations…but sometimes, i also use discourse that related to the hospitality workplace, such as the reservation material in the book package (interview data; teacher, february 22, 2017, 10:15 10:38 am). it shows that the materials usage is not oriented to students in habitual english communication for target situation. the teacher is not maximal in preparing the learning process, authentic materials specifically. the feature of a communicative dian kardijan, emzir, & zainal rafli the gap between learning needs and its’ implementation in english for hospitality specific purposes program 134 approach is contextualization of the teaching material. thus, the teacher has to try creating a learning context by personalizing the material and asking questions relating to students’ experiences. it could encourage students to speak actively and enrich the students’ experiences. there was also little variety in classroom interaction, with group work, which can help students improving their confidence in english communication. moreover, the teacher was given opinion, the application of learning scientific method is sometimes difficult to apply, because the background of the students' ability previously and their learning habits, especially when asked to communicate in english. (interview data; teacher, february 22, 2017, 10:15 10:38 am). the problem is that there is a genuine information gap. the teacher did not use the appropriate method to develop communication skill. the main focus seemed to be on accuracy rather than extending communication practice, with grammatical categories rather than practical uses of language involving interaction with the students. teacher was sometimes asked to work in pairs or groups, particularly towards the end of a lesson, activities were sometimes inappropriate for group work that students focused on vocabulary memorization and having little to discuss to try interpersonal transaction. i prefer to learn english with direct practice of speaking, such as dialogue in the role play ..so, we will be able to speak and communicate in english habitually. (interview data: student, february 16, 2017, 10.25-10.45 am). in summary, there was little evidence that communicative competence that would facilitate hospitality workplace discourse was being developed. there were inauthentic materials that rarely contextualized in hospitality topics. traditional methods and interaction patterns with the teacher focusing primarily on accuracy were the english norm. there was notwithstanding apparently positive attitudes among the teachers towards communicative language teaching approaches, therefore, this was not a conducive environment to support the students’ competence suitably in english communication required in hospitality workplace. conclusion the english for hospitality workplace’s needs to be focused on communication skills in any discourse form (interpersonal and transactional) toward esp materials. it is more closely tailored to the workplace needs and utilizable some technique based on communicative language teaching input that was carried out by teachers in this context into their own practices to improve their students’ experiences. developing materials and teaching method can be adopted anywhere to address communication required in the hospitality industry workplace. this would emphasize that this was not the teachers’ fault in any way. besides, regarding the various implications toward the materials design, there are implications for teacher development, so that the suggested lesson plan innovations can be realized. it is likely that the teachers in this context would benefit from such an approach, as well as support for reflecting deeply on their work. through responsive evaluation, the gap between english communication required at the hospitality workplace and the materials as well as teaching methods employed for english learning program at the hospitality accommodation department could be narrowed. to facilitate such a process of tailoring teaching-learning more closely to needs, there is a need to maximize institutional support, since investment in both material design and teacher of esp knowledge is needed. however, in approaching any lesson plan change designed to better meet students’ needs. clearly, teachers and leaders of school worked in would benefit from support. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 135 references amin, m., arifuddin, & nurahmadi. (2017). pragmatic competence and learning needs of english for students of tourism vocational schools in nusa tenggara barat province. international journal of educational policy research and review, 4(4), 53–61. doi: 10.15739/ijeprr.17.007. bardi, j. a. (2007). hotel front office management (4 th ed.). new jersey: john wiley & sons, inc. basturkmen, h. (2010). developing courses in english for specific purposes. new york: palgrave macmillan. chan, b., & mackenzie, m. (2013). introduction to hospitality: fine-tuned version. wan chai: the government of the hong kong special administrative region. cummins, j., & davison, c. (2007). international handbook of english language teaching. new york: springer sciences-business media, llc. day, j., & krzanowski, m. (2011). teaching english for specific purposes: an introduction. new york: cambridge university press. dudley-evans, t., & st john, m. j. (1998). development in english for specific purposes: a multi-disciplinary approach. usa: cambridge university press. flowerdew, j., & peacock, m. (2001). research perspectives on english for academic purposes. cambridge: cambridge university press. goodyear, l., jewiss, j., usinger, j., & barela, e. (2014). qualitative inquiry in evaluation. san francisco: jossey-bass. hall, g. (2011). exploring english language teaching: language in action. new york: routledge. hayes, d. k., & ninemeier, j. d. (2009). human resources management in the hospitality industry. new jersey: john wiley & sons, inc. hyland, k. (2006). english for academic purposes: an advanced resource book. new york: routledge. iec institute of hotel management. (2003). hotel conversations [copyright iec inter ed consultants]. retrieved from http://www.englisheverywhere.com/hoteln.pdf. kardijan, d. (2017). target situation analysis in implementation of english for hospitality specific purposes program. international journal of english and education, 7(1). kiely, r., & dickins, p. r. (2005). program evaluation in language education. new york: palgrave macmillan. liddicoat, a. j., & scarino, a. (2013). intercultural language teaching and learning. uk: a john wiley & sons, ltd., publication. masoumpanah, z., & tahririan, m. h. (2013). target situation needs analysis of hotel receptionists. journal english for specific purposes world, 40(14), 1–19. retrieved from http://www.espworld.info. mishan, f. (2005). designing authenticity into language learning materials. usa: intellect ltd. murray, d. e., & christison, m. a. (2011). what english language teachers need to know. new york: routledge. nunan, d. (2004). task-based language teaching. new york: cambridge university press. paltridge, b., & starfield, s. (2013). the handbook of english for specific purposes. usa: john wiley & sons, inc. patel, m. f., & praveen, m. j. (2008). english language teaching: methods, tools, & techniques. jaipur: sunrise publishers & distributors. rahman, m. (2015). english for specific purposes (esp): a holistic review. universal journal of educational research, 3(1), 24-31. doi: 10.13189/ujer.2015.030104. renandya, a., & widodo, h. p. (2016). english language teaching today: linking theory and practice. switzerland: springer international publishing. rutherford, d. g., & o’fallon, m. j. (2007). hotel management and operations (4 th ed.). new jersey: john wiley & sons, inc. stake, e. r. (2004). standards–based & responsive evaluation. california: sage publication, inc. stufflebeam, l. d., & coryn, c. l. s. (2014). evaluation theory, models, and application. san francisco: jossey-bass. syafrizala, & rohmawati, c. (2017). teacher’s speaking strategies at vocational high school. the journal of english language studies, 2(1), 6683. retrieved from http://jurnal.untirta.ac.id/index.php/jels/ issue/view/235. tomlinson b., & whittaker, c. (2013). blended learning in english language teaching: course design and implementation. london: spring gardens. woodward, t. (2001). planning lessons and courses: designing sequences of work for the language classroom. new york: cambridge university press. xie, q., & adamson, b. (2015). how effective is workplace english for occupational purposes (eop) training? case studies of corporate programs in the chinese context. the asian esp journal, 11(1), 151-184. retrieved from https://www.asian-esp-journal.com/. dian kardijan, emzir, & zainal rafli the gap between learning needs and its’ implementation in english for hospitality specific purposes program 126 english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 109 teaching writing using think-pair-share viewed from students’ level of risk-taking ningtyas orilina argawati english department of stkip siliwangi e-mail: tyas.orilina@yahoo.com lilis suryani english department of stkip siliwangi e-mail: suryani.lies3@gmail.com apa citation: argawati, n. o., & suryani, l. (2017). teaching writing using think-pair-share viewed from students’ level of risk taking. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 109-116. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.776. received: 29-08-2017 accepted: 30-10-2017 published: 01-12-2017 abstract: writing is considered as the most difficult skill to master compared with the other skills because it involves many language elements such as content, organization, vocabulary, grammar and mechanics. the research examines the effect of two independent variables (think-pair-share and direct instruction method) on dependent variable (writing descriptive skill). the samples were class a1 2016 as the experimental class and a3 2016 as the control class. each class consisted of 32 students. the instruments used covered the risk-taking’s questionnaire and writing test. before applying the questionnaire of risk-taking, it was tried out to class a2 2016 to find out the validity and the reliability of the instrument. meanwhile, before conducting the writing test, it needs to test the readability of the writing instruction. the treatment was conducted in eight meetings, and the 9th meeting was allocated for the post-test. the data were then analyzed using anova and tukey test. from the analysis, it reveals that: (1) think-pair-share is significantly different from direct instruction method to teach writing; (2) the students with high level of risk-taking have better writing than those with low level of risk-taking; and (3) there is an interaction between teaching methods and the students’ level of risk-taking. even though think-pair-share is effective to teach writing, teachers must consider about the students’ condition, in this case their level of risk-taking. keywords: think-pair-share, direct instruction method, writing descriptive text, risk-taking introduction writing takes an important role in the students’ process of learning english. it is one of the most visible learning products, and becomes one of the criteria for passing the grade in university. besides, this mastery of writing skill will affect their thesis writing on the last semester as their final project. through writing, students can express feeling, describe something, discuss an idea, present a point of view, share experience they have in the form of written product. it is in line with what had been stated by caroline (2003, p. 4) that writing is producing something in written form so that people can read, perform and use it. writing plays two distinct but complementary roles. first, it is a skill that draws on the use of strategies (such as planning, evaluating, and revising text) to accomplish a variety of goals, such as writing a report or expressing an opinion with the support of evidence. second, writing is a means of extending and deepening student’s knowledge; it acts as a tool for learning subject matter (graham & perrin, 2007, p. 9). in learning writing text, students will learn many kinds of texts such as report, descriptive, narrative, analytical exposition, recount, etc. in this research, the researchers only focus on the material based on the syllabus; it is writing descriptive text. writing discriptive text can activate the students on how they describe something or someone with their capability of ningtyas orilina argawati & lilis suryani teaching writing using think-pair-share viewed from students’ level of risk-taking 110 constructing their idea into appropriate sentence and in correct order. it also helps them to improve their ability to words to create a picture, establishing mood and point of view by using sensory details. many adjectives involved in descriptive writing to explain subject clearly. due to the importance of writing, teacher has to find a suitable and effective method to improve students’ writing skill. one of the methods that can be applied is think-pairshare. think-pair-share is a strategy designed and developed by lyman and associates to encourage student classroom participation (2005). he stated that think-pair-share (tps) is a “multi mode” strategy developed to encourage students’ participation in the classroom activities. there are several benefits of applying tps method to teach writing according to lyman (2005), they are: 1) it can build positive interdependence; 2) it can build individual accountability; (3) it gives opportunity to the students to think together; (4) it increases their sense of involvement; (5) it benefits students in the areas of peer acceptance, peer support, academic achievement, self-esteem and interest in other students; 6) it can promote the effectiveness of team work. besides having advantages, applying tps also has some disadvantages, they are: (1) failure to get along, 2) noise, and 3) absences. here, think-pair-share helps students develop conceptual understanding of a topic because they discuss it with their friend in pair. it makes them feel free to discuss about everything they want relating to describing someone or something. by doing that activity, their ability to filter information, write down conclusion and consider point of view will be developed. however, many teachers seem to prefer teaching writing using direct instruction method to teaching writing using think-pairshare. arends (1997, p. 66) argues that direct instruction method was specifically designed to promote student learning of procedural knowledge. direct instruction method is a teaching method developed by engelman (binder & watkin, 1990, p. 7). it is a teaching bmethod in which the teacher transmits information directly to the students, the lesson are goal-oriented and structured by the teacher. further, alan (2003, p. 11) states that direct instruction method or teacher centered instruction generally put in “teacher-centeredinstruction”. the teacher role is that of a knowledge expert whose major job is to pass knowledge directly to students. the students’ job is to absorb or otherwise assimilate the new knowledge. joyce, weil and calhoun (2000, p. 337) states that dim has its theoretical origins in the behavioral family particularly in the thinking of training and behavioral psychologist. briefly, direct instruction method is a teacher-centered method which is used to help students in learning a basic skill and knowledge and can be taught in step by step fashion. another factor affecting writing skill mastery is willingness of the students to make a decision involving something new and different without putting the primary focus on success or failure (bem, 1971 in bang, 1999, p. 13). it can be defined as risk-taking. according to brown (2001, p. 149), risktaking is an important characteristic of successful learning of a second language which refers to the learner’s ability to gamble a bit, to be willing to try out hunches about the language, and take the risk of being wrong. rubin (1975, pp. 43-48) and beebe (1983, p. 46) in luft (2007, p. 2) identifies four characteristics and behaviors related to risktaking: 1) being willing to appear foolish in order to communicate and get the message across; 2) using the language when not required to do so; 3) being comfortable with uncertainty and willing to try out guesses; and 4) being willing to make mistake in order to learn and communicate risk-taking can influence the use of tps (think-pair-share) method where students who have high risk-taking will have good ability in their work on pair. they can develop themselves freely about what they want to write. it will impact their words’ production and make them increase their ability to write something. as result, they will have good english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 111 achievement than being taught using direct instruction method. on the other hand, students who have low risk-taking will feel losing guide and cannot do anything. it is because they used to be passive. therefore, they will get better achievement if they are taught using direct instruction method. based on the background above, the researcher formulates the problems of this study as follows: 1) is tps more effective than dim to teach writing?; 2) do students with high level of risk-taking have better writing skill than those who have low level of risktaking?; 3) is there any interaction between teaching methods and level of risk-taking on teaching writing for the second grade students? then, the hypotheses are formulated as follows: (1) using tps is more effective than dim to teach writing; (2) the students with high risk-taking have better writing skill than the students with low risk-taking; (3) there is interaction effect between teaching methods and the students’ level of risk-taking to teach writing for second grade students of stkip siliwangi. method the research was conducted on the second semester students of stkip siliwangi. it covers the composing proposal, conducting research in the school, collecting the data, analyzing the data, and reporting. this research uses experimental method. the experiment examines the effect of two independent variables on a dependent variable. independent variables are the teaching methods and risk-taking while the dependent variable is writing skill. the population in this research is the second semester student of stkip siliwangi. the researchers use cluster random sampling in this study. to determine which one is experimental and control group, the researcher uses lottery to draw the class. there are two kinds of techniques used to collect the data. they are writing test and questionnaire of risk-taking. writing test is used to collect the data of students’ writing. the writing test is used to know the students’ writing skill after treatment. for this writing test, the researchers assessed the readability of the test instruction which informs whether the test instruction is appropriately readable for the students. meanwhile, to know the students’ level of risk-taking, the researcher distributed the questionnaire to the students. before being applied, the questionnaire was tried out to analyze its validity and reliability. the techniques for analyzing the data of this study are descriptive and inferential statistics. the descriptive statistics were used to know the mean, median, mode, standard deviation, histogram, and polygon of students’ score of writing. to know the normality and the homogeneity of the data, the writer uses normality and homogeneity test. the normality and homogeneity tests were done before testing the hypothesis. inferential analysis used is multifactor analysis of variance (anova 2x2). it is used to test the hypothesis. h0 is rejected if f0 is higher than ft. if h0 is rejected, the analysis is continued to know which group is better using tukey test. results and discussion after conducting the treatment and doing the test, the researchers conducted normality test to know whether or not the data were in normal distribution. the result of normality test is displayed in table 1 below. table 1. the sum of normality test no group lo lt alpha status 1 a1 0.0944 0.156624 0.05 normal 2 a2 0.10485 0.156624 0.05 normal 3 b1 0.0859 0.156624 0.05 normal 4 b2 0.0859 0.156624 0.05 normal 5 a1b1 0.1363 0.213 0.05 normal ningtyas orilina argawati & lilis suryani teaching writing using think-pair-share viewed from students’ level of risk-taking 112 6 a2b1 0.1648 0.213 0.05 normal 7 a1b2 0.0968 0.213 0.05 normal 8 a2b2 0.1461 0.213 0.05 normal based on the table above, all the highest value of lo is lower than lt or (lo<lt) at the significance level α = 0.05, it can be concluded that the data are in normal distribution. then, based on the result of the calculation, χo2 (3.81) is lower than χt2 (7.815). thus, it can be concluded that the data are homogenous. table 2. homogeneity test table 3. the mean scores of the cells a1 a2 b1 79.75 68.75 74.25 b2 68.3125 73.9378 70.625 74.03125 70.8438 table 4. the summary of analysis of variance 2 x 2 source of variance ss df ms fo ft between columns 162.5625 1 162.5625 4.485772 4 between rows 210.25 1 210.25 5.801667 column by rows 976.5625 1 976.5625 26.9474 between group 1349.375 3 449.7917 within group 2174.375 60 36.23958 total 3523.75 63 based on the data above, it can be concluded that: 1) since fo between columns (4.49) is higher than ft (4.00) at the level of significant α = 0.05 or (4.49 > 4.00), ho is rejected and the difference between columns is significant. it means that here is a significant difference between students who are taught using tps and those who are taught using dim in their writing skill. the mean score of the students who are taught using tps (74.03) is higher than those who are taught using dim (70.84). therefore, it can be concluded that tps is more effective to teach writing; 2) since fo between rows (5.80) is higher than ft (4.00) at the level of significant α = 0.05 or (5.80 > 4.00), ho is rejected and the difference between rows is significant meaning that there is a significant difference between students with high level risk-taking and those with low level risk-taking in their writing skill. the mean score of the students with high level risk-taking (74.25) is higher than those with low level risk-taking (70.63). therefore, it can be concluded that the students with high level risk-taking have better writing skill than those with low level risk-taking; 3) because fo columns by rows (26.95) is higher than ft (4.00) at the level of significant α = 0.05 or (26.95 > 4.00), ho is rejected and there is the interaction between teaching methods and the students’ level of risk-taking to teach writing. therefore, it can be concluded that the effect of teaching methods to teach writing depends on the students’ level of risk-taking. sample df 1/df si2 log si2 (df)log si2 1 15 0.07 25.9 1.41 21.20788 2 15 0.07 41.8 1.62 24.32219 3 15 0.07 54.6 1.74 26.05789 4 15 0.07 22.6 1.35 20.31043 60 91.89838 english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 113 table 6. the sum of tukey test based on the table above, it can be concluded that: 1) since qo between a1 and a2 (2.99) is higher than qt (2.89) at the level of significant α = 0.05, it means that applying tps is significantly different from dim to teach writing. the mean score of a1 (74.03) is higher than a2 (70.84). therefore, it can be concluded that tps is more effective than dim to teach writing skill; 2) since qo between b1 and b2 (3.41) is higher than qt (2.89) at the level of significant α = 0.05, the students with high level risk-taking are significantly different from those with low level risk-taking in their writing skill. the mean score of b1 (74.25) is higher than b2 (70.63). therefore, it can be concluded that the students with high level of risk-taking have better writing skill than those with low level of risk-taking; 3) because qo between a1b1 and a2b1 (7.31) is higher than qt (3.00) at the level of significant α = 0.05, tps differs significantly from direct instruction method to teach writing for students with high level of risk-taking. then, the mean score of a1b1 (79.75) is higher than a2b1 (68.75). therefore, it can be concluded that tps is more effective than dim to teach writing for the students with high level of risk-taking; 4) since qo between a2b2 and a1b2 (3.07) is higher than qt (3.00) at the level of significant α = 0.05, tps differs significantly from direct instruction method to teach writing for the students with low level of risk-taking. the mean score of a2b2 (72.94) is higher than a1b2 (68.31). therefore, it can be concluded that direct instruction method id more effective to teach writing than tps for the students with low level of risk-taking. based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that 1) tps is more effective than dim to teach writing, 2) students with high risk-taking have better writing skill than those who have low risk-taking, and 3) there is an interaction between teaching methods and level of risk-taking. firstly, teaching writing skill using tps makes students learn actively and successfully in writing class. think-pair-share helps students develop conceptual understanding of a topic because they discuss it with their friends in pair. it makes them feel free to talk about everything they want deal with the topic. by doing that activity their ability to filter information, draw conclusion and consider point of view will be developed. besides, setting the students in pair gives more opportunities to the students on exploring themselves. they will be encouraged to share something deeper and more detail. the more they share and talk about something, the more they build their confidence to write. think-pair-share gives them opportunity not only to improve their writing skill but also to build their social relation with other students during the activity. on the other hand, teaching writing using direct instruction method is different with teaching writing using tps since dim does not involve group work. the general goal of the dim is to provide learners with a practically useful knowledge of language. it includes lecturing, didactic questioning, and explicit teaching, practicing and drilling, and demonstrating. it is highly structured and teacher directed. the teacher control occurs when the teacher selects and directs the learning tasks. in this case, the students tend to be passive and dependent. as the result, teaching writing using tps method is more effective than dim. secondly, one of the factors affecting writing skill mastery is willingness of the students to make a decision involving no data sample qo qt α status 1 a1 and a2 64 2.995254 2.89 0.05 significant 2 b1 and b2 64 3.406367 2.89 0.05 significant 3 a1b1and a2b1 32 7.309052 3.00 0.05 significant 4 a1b2and a2b2 32 3.073124 3.00 0.05 significant ningtyas orilina argawati & lilis suryani teaching writing using think-pair-share viewed from students’ level of risk-taking 114 something new and different without putting the primary focus on success or failure (bem, 1971 in bang, 1999, p. 13). it can be defined as risk-taking. rubin (1975, pp. 43-48) and beebe (1983, p. 46) in luft (2007, p. 2) identifies four characteristics and behaviors related to risk-taking: 1) being willing to appear foolish in order to communicate and get the message across; 2) using the language when not required to do so; 3) being comfortable with uncertainty and willing to try out guesses; and 4) being willing to make mistake in order to learn and communicate. students who have those characteristics are considered as high risk-taking students. in terms of writing, students with high risktaking can develop themselves freely about what they want to write. it will impact their words’ production and make them increase their ability to write. the students who have high risk-taking will have a better attitude in following the teaching and learning process since risk-taking increases proficiency in the target language and gives experience to the students to participate actively in english class. on the other hand, the students who have low level of risk-taking usually has low attitude in joining the teaching and learning process. they tend to keep silent and have no willingness to try something new relating to the target language. they will be passive in doing the activity and tend to depend on their friends and their teacher all the time in teaching and learning process. they are unwilling to use complex and difficult linguistics elements. therefore, it can be concluded that the students with high level of risk-taking have better writing skill than the students with low level of risk-taking. thirdly, the use of tps encourages students to write more. it helps the students to develop conceptual understanding of a topic because they discuss it with their friends in pair. it makes them feel free to talk about everything they want deal with the topic. by doing that activity their ability to filter information, draw conclusion and consider point of view will be developed. tps activities give opportunity to the students to have writing activity in pair actively and independently. they have more chances to develop themselves in constructing writing with their pairs. hence, tps is suitable for the students with high level of risk-taking. they have characteristics of active students who always take a risk of being wrong and take every opportunity they have to try something new. students with high level of risk-taking feel comfortable in learning writing with tps method since this method encourages them to develop their skill in pair freely. they have opportunity to share with friend and feel free to make mistakes since their friend will make correction and it makes them explore what they want to write. therefore, tps method is more effective for teaching students with high level of risk-taking. on the other hand, dim gives a few motivation and stimulation to the students because it just focuses in lecturing and drilling activities. dim includes lecturing, didactic questioning, and explicit teaching, practicing and drilling, and demonstrating. it is highly structured and teacher directed. the teacher selects and directs the learning tasks. dim is suitable for the students who have low level of risk-taking. students with low level of risktaking are not actively involved during the activities. they do not want to appear foolish when they make mistakes. as result, they tend to keep silent during the lesson. they avoid taking a risk of being wrong and always wait for their teacher explanation and instruction. moreover, they do not have tolerance of possible incorrectness or inexactitude in using the language. hence, they feel more comfortable to be taught using dim. therefore, there is an interaction between methods used and the level of risk-taking of the students in teaching writing. tps is more effective than dim to teach writing to the students with high level of risk-taking. meanwhile, dim is more effective than tps to teach writing to the students with low level of risk-taking. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 115 conclusion based on the research finding described, some conclusions can be stated: 1) tps is more effective than dim to teach writing; 2) the students with high level of risk-taking have better writing skill than those with low level of risk-taking; 3) there is an interaction between teaching methods and the students’ level of risk-taking to teach writing. in teaching writing, teachers need to try many methods to improve the students’ writing skill. one of the good methods to teach writing is tps. this method is proved to be more effective than dim in teaching writing. to make tps working properly, it needs to be applied properly in the teaching and learning process. the procedures of tps are think, pair and share. however, the result of the method applied is also affected by the students’ characteristics. as proved by the research conducted by some researchers, tps method is more suitable for the students with high level of risk-taking. meanwhile, dim is more suitable for the students with low level of risktaking. finally, this research is expected to be useful for the students, teachers, and future researchers. therefore, some suggestions are listed as follows: 1) tps is strongly recommended for the teachers to teach writing; 2) the teachers have to consider about the students’ level of risk-taking to determine the suitable method used to teach them; 3) the students are expected to be more active in teaching and learning process in order to develop their writing skill; 4) the students need to adjust themselves to the method used by the teacher; 5) the future researcher may use the result of this research as a starting point to conduct another research. references alan, c. (2003). the linguistic learning. new york: viction graphics, inc. arends, r. (1997). classroom instruction and management. boston: mcgraw hill bang, y. (1999). factors affecting korean students’ risk-taking behavior in esl classroom. dissertation. ohio university. ohio. retrieved from http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi?acc_num=osu124 3019322. binder, c., & watkins, c. l. (1990). precision teaching and direct instruction: measurably superior instructional technology in schools. performance improvement quarterly, 3, 74–96. brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. san francisco: pearson education, inc. caroline, c. (2003). teaching academic writing. london: centre of language and communication, routledge, falmer. graham, s., & perrin. (2007). writing next effective strategy to improve writing of adolescent in middle and high school. new york: carnegie corporation of new york. luft, s. (2007). language classroom risktaking behavior in a performed culture based program. thesis, school of the ohio state university. retrieved on august, 2012 from http://etd.ohiolink.eduview,cgiacc.num= osul 122970 1363. lyman, f. (2005). description of exemplary techniques and methods. london: prentice hall. ningtyas orilina argawati & lilis suryani teaching writing using think-pair-share viewed from students’ level of risk-taking 116 susanto a systemic functional study on the conversational structure of an indonesian spontaneous dialogue a systemic functional study on the conversational structure of an indonesian spontaneous dialogue susanto english education study program, bandar lampung university, indonesia email: susanto@ubl.ac.id apa citation: susanto (2015). a systemic functional study on the conversational structure of an indonesian spontaneous dialogue. english review: journal of english education, 4(1), 122-129 received: 15-09-2015 accepted: 23-10-2015 published: 01-12-2015 abstract: spontaneous dialogue is an example of spoken text in which its potential can be observed through its conversational structure. as an attempt to interpret the language in spoken text, the paper investigates a spontaneous dialogue in bahasa indonesia (indonesian). the discussion focuses on its conversational structure within systemic functional framework. the structure is built up in the semantic stratum by looking at its exchange and commodity for its speech function. the exchanges are realized by initiate/respond moves and the commodity could be either knowledge or action oriented. since a spontaneous dialogue is a contextual phenomenon in experiencing language use, the finding of conversational structure can bring further discussion on connections among individuals bearing cultural identities realized by their experiences through languages. keywords: conversational structure, exchange, commodity, systemic functional linguistics. introduction conversational structure for spontaneous dialogues can be constructed within the social context to catch a realization of language use as a potential (halliday, 1978, 1994; halliday & matthiessen, 2004). to look at the potential, we should realize that any language develops with its uniqueness covering the socially contextual factors in which the language functions in its own ways. the social context interrelates with the context of culture. these contextual factors altogether, then, influence the production and interpretation of the language itself (halliday, 1978). hence, it is arguable that in language study, the context should be considered (halliday & matthiessen, 2004; cf. matthiessen, 1995). language is realized in a text either spoken or written. a spontaneous dialogue is a spoken text in which its potential can be observed through its conversational structure. certain rules and patterns could be there in building a good conversation. but, contextually it flows as it is. as an attempt to interpret the language in spoken text, the paper investigates an indonesian spontaneous dialogue. the study focuses on its conversational structure in which the exchanges are realized by moves of initiating and responding. also, the orientation of the commodity being exchanged is considered in the structure. the analysis on the conversational structure is presented in systemic functional framework. systemic functional linguistics (sfl) is a model 122 mailto:susanto@ubl.ac.id english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee of language study developed by michael halliday in the 1960s. the theory views a language as a network of systems and it contains interrelated sets of options for making meaning. the theory is also concerned with the contextualized and practical uses of a language. this theory conceives of language as a resource for meaning, a network of relationships, rather than as a set of rules (butt, et al., 1995; halliday & matthiessen, 2004). in contextual conversation, one of the meaning resources which can be described is its structure. in the present study, the conversational structure in an indonesian spontaneous dialogue is observed by discussing the commodity which is being exchanged and the moves which are proposing the commodity. method as the data, a spontaneous dialogue between two females (dn and vq) of indonesian native speakers was recorded at the phonetic laboratory, efl university, hyderabad, india. the speakers are citizens of indonesia with the age from twenty one to thirty two years old when the recordings were conducted. they were all brought up in indonesia. the dialogue belongs to an argument type. the topic is about “vacation”. the first speaker (dn) initiates the topic by asking whether the second speaker (vq) wants to spend the vacation in indonesia, their home country, or not. in response to the question, the second speaker prefers staying in the university to going back to indonesia. she argues that there is no point spending vacation in indonesia. by staying in the university, she could and prepare the study materials well for the next semester. in the data, there are 211 clauses. those clauses are various in mood (declarative, interrogative and imperative) and some are moodless. the clause number is maintained to track down the structure indexical in the data. results and discussion as a meaning resource, language is studied as a whole phenomenon consisting of a number of interrelated sets of choices in creating meaning. these choices relate the language user‟s intentions to the concrete forms of language. in systemic functional framework, language is viewed with many strata, which is called language stratification: context (of culture and situation), semantics, lexicogrammar, phonology and phonetics. context of culture is the context of the overall linguistic system and context of situation is the context of a text. the content expanding into semantics and lexicogrammar allows the meaning and structure potential of a language in terms of the function that language serves. the expression constitutes the organization of speech sound into sound system (phonology) and the resource for speech and hearing (phonetics). fig. 1: stratification (from halliday & matthiessen 2004: 25). the exchange structure in conversation is built in one part of the contents as its speech function; i.e. 123 susanto a systemic functional study on the conversational structure of an indonesian spontaneous dialogue semantics. it construes its own contexts (context of culture and context of situation). fig. 2: exchange: role and commodity (halliday & mattiessen, 2004). the commodity which is exchanged could be (a) good&service or (b) information and the role in the exchange could be (i) giving or (ii) demanding (see fig. 2). it brings the idea of the orientation in commodity being exchanged in a conversation. it can be knowledge-oriented and actionoriented. in the potential of the exchange structure in a conversation, there are two possible orientation; i.e. knowledge and action. it resonates with the commodities being exchanged whether the commodities are information or goods&service. in the process of exchanging, some possible moves are available. the move can be initiate, follow-up or respond (fawcett, mije and wissen, 1988). see fig. 3. fig. 3: potential in exchange structure within stratification concept in the data of a spontaneous dialogue in bahasa indoensia which is observed, various exchange structures are found. the two orientations are also available with the pattern of initiate (i) – follow up (f) – respond (r) – follow up (f). when the orientation is information, the exchange structure may have the 124 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee initiation of demanding information. it can be asking a polarity of the proposition or a lexical inquiry in it. this structure is available in the data as shown in fig. 4 and fig. 5 respectively. fig. 4: exchange structure with information orientation (a) fig. 5: exchange structure with information orientation (b) 125 susanto a systemic functional study on the conversational structure of an indonesian spontaneous dialogue when the orientation is action, the exchange structure may have an initiation of demanding goods&service: an action. in its response, the move of giving information is found with its follow-ups as the support as shown in fig. 6 and fig. 7. fig. 6: exchange structure with action orientation fig. 7: exchange structure with action orientation in observing the orientation in exchanges, terms of primary and secondary for knower in knowledge orientation (k1 and k2 respectively) and for actor in action orientation (a1 and a2 respectively) are introduced in 126 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee systemic functional linguistics (see ventola, 1988). in the exchange structure exemplified in fig. 8, k1 is following k2. but in spontaneous dialogues, it may not happen steadily. k1 as the alternative move given by the actor may also follows a2 instead of a1 (see fig. 9 below). a follow-up move (e.g. a2f and k1f) is available for either action or knowledge orientation. fig. 8: structure with knowledge exchange oriented fig. 9: structure with compact exchange oriented in the data, initiate and respond spreads unevenly (see fig. 10). from the first turn to the fourth one, respond occurs after initiate closely. in the fifth, initiate is expanded to the sixth. further, respond comes up not only in one turn but also in more than one turn as in the seventh, eighth and ninth turns. these successive responds are also found from the eleventh to the fourteenth turn, from the sixteenth to the eighteenth, from the twentieth to the twenty third, from the twenty fifth to twenty sixth and from the thirtieth to the thirty second (the last turn). 127 susanto a systemic functional study on the conversational structure of an indonesian spontaneous dialogue fig. 10: initiate-respond distribution in the data (with 32 turns) uniquely, in the data, one turn may have both initiate and respond, i.e. in turn iv, viii, xvi, xvii and xxxi. even, there are two moves which are same in nature. but in the data, it occurs only for initiates; in turn iii, there are double initiates. statistically, in exchange structure in the conversation, respond is dominant in the data with 22 occurrences while initiate is 16 (see fig. 11). fig. 11: initiate-respond dominance in the conversation, commodity (i.e. information and goods & service) which is being exchanged and initiate/respond paradigm in exchanging its commodity are structured in their own ways in a given context. these can be the meaning resource in language use. this brings up an understanding that its structural meaning within the semantic stratum plays role in its context. knowledge-oriented and actionoriented exchanges in the data are quite complicated in the interaction. secondary actor (a2), for example, does not end with primary one (see fig. 9 above). but it is responded with primary knower (k1) instead. also within primary knower, there is another primary knower. in this case, there is compact knowledge orientation in the conversation. moreover, initiate and respond paradigms are also various in terms of their occurrences in exchanging one commodity to another commodity. it 128 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee reveals that respond in the data is dominant in exchanging transaction. having the concept of stratification (see fig. 1) in which language is stratified in content and expression strata and the stratum of context (situation and culture) covers them, the finding of conversational structure can bring further discussion on connections among individuals bearing cultural identity involved in the conversation with the ways of the language they are using. their cultural identity is realized by their experiences through languages. conversation is one contextual phenomenon in experiencing language use. levy (2009) points out that culture may be conveyed through receptive and productive means. it can be seen through the interaction in the conversation; initiate and respond. initiate can be considered as one way to propose a commodity. it produces initiatives to exchange the commodity (knowledge and goods & service). respond can be seen as another way to propose a commodity by receiving the initiative move. the present data then shows that receptive nature in conversational structure is dominant in the conversation. conclusion the conversational structure in bahasa indonesia with not only the knowledge and action oriented commodity but also the move paradigm (initiate/respond) in exchanging the commodity has been presented in systemic functional framework. in the data, it is observed that there are various exchange structures with the pattern of i – f – r – f. further, it is found that k1 may follow a2 instead of a1, and there are follow-up moves: a2f and k1f, for both action and knowledge orientations. by looking at the initiaterespond dominance in the data, it is found that the conversational structure is receptive nature. with the data of spontaneous dialogue in bahasa indonesia, the analysis has presented an example of the conversational structure in the language. the structure can be built up within the semantic stratum by looking at its commodity and exchange for its speech function. however, more studies on the structure and other aspects in the conversation certainly should be done to unfold other resources of meaning in the text. references butt, d. g., fahey, r., spinks, s. and yallop, c. (1995). using functional grammar: an explorer's guide. sydney: nceltr, macquarie university. fawcett, r.p., mije, a. and wissen, c. (1988) towards a systemic flowchart model for discourse structure. in fawcett, r.p. and young, d.j. (eds.) new developments in systemic linguistics. london: pinter. 116-143. halliday, m.a.k. (1978). language as social semiotic: the social interpretation of language and meaning. london: edward arnold, halliday, m.a.k. (1994). an introduction to functional grammar. london: arnold. halliday, m.a.k., & matthiessen, c.m.i.m. (2004). an introduction to functional grammar. london: arnold. levy, m. (2009) technologies in use for second language learning. the modern language journal 93, 769-782. matthiessen, c.m.i.m. (1995) lexicogrammatical cartography: english systems. tokyo: international language science publishers. ventola, e. (1988) „text analysis in operation: a multiple approach‟. in fawcett, r.p. and young, d.j. (eds.) new developments in systemic linguistics. london: pinter. 52-77. 129 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 41 bridging technological gap among english teachers through digital squad project nia kurniawati english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, suryakancana university, indonesia e-mail: nia@unsur.ac.id apa citation: kurniawati, n. (2018). bridging the technological gap among english teachers through digital squad project. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 41-50. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1494. received: 07-08-2018 accepted: 13-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: the technology advancement has forced the teachers ignoring their generation to migrate from off line into digital platform since the use of technology in education has changed the face of education massively. this project tried to capture an effort in bridging the technology gap among teachers across generation by forming a digital squad to provide digital teaching media assistance to teachers. it consists of several english education pre-service students in a private university who have high interest and skill on technology. this study explored the facts on the squad activities, the teacher participants‟ responses to the events organized by digital squad, and the obstacles in conducting the project. the results showed that the workshops organized by the squad gained positive feedback from the teacher participants. however, the classic problems frequently appear during the activities involving technology are the internet connection and the various technological competence among the participants. finally, it is suggested to employ younger generation to bridge the technology gap among language teachers across generation in education setting, since the younger generation is usually techno savvy and the older generation should be willing to embrace the technology development in order to survive in millennial classroom. keywords: digital squad; workshop; language teachers; generation; technology; teaching media. introduction undoubtedly, technology has impacted the lives of everyone more or less. in recent years, advancement and ease of using technology has made everyone wonder how technology can improve the way they do things. the key is awareness and to determine how technology can add value. the impact of technology on education has been tremendous recently and teachers have no choice that to follow the currents and familiarize themselves with technology used in the classroom. further, technology has always been at the forefront of human education. from the days of carving figures on rock walls to today, when most students are equipped with several portable technological devices at any given time, technology continues to push educational capabilities to new levels. in looking at where educational methods and tools have come from to where they are going in the future, technology‟s importance in the classroom is evident now more than ever. as technology advances, an educator‟s abilities will grow by leaps and bounds, and without the knowledge of these changes and capabilities, an instructor has a good chance of being left behind. due to ict‟s importance in society as well as in the future of education, identifying the possible challenges to integrating these technologies in schools would be an important step in improving the quality of teaching and learning although teachers appear to acknowledge the value of ict in schools, they continue encountering obstacles during the processes of adopting these technologies into their teaching and learning (ghavifekr, 2016). mailto:nia@unsur.ac.id nia kurniawati bridging technological gap among english teachers through digital squad project 42 a career in education requires hard work and dedication, but, for the diligent educator, can prove very rewarding (kennedy, 2016). for those who are serious about success in the education field, staying well-informed of current and changing technologies is imperative. as the world of technology evolves, the learning environment, both oncampus and online, will equally progress, and the need for teachers who are educated in technology and design will continue to grow. in line with the technological development, teaching media also changed. if previously most of teachers use conventional teaching media such as book, magazine, newspaper, picture, flashcard, etc. in their class, now some of them move to technology-based teaching media. technology-based teaching media is a media that integrated with computer and internet. for examples, social media, mobile application, software, etc. globalization has made both teaching and learning intricate and the transformation in part has been driven by technological innovation (lam, 2010). with internet technology, people have access to available information quickly. together with this technological revolution is the emergence of one of the most viable technological reforms in education, the use of information and communication technology (rosa, 2016). ict become a potential tool to increase learner‟s motivation and engagement in classroom learning, for example ict in english class. both english and ict have become essential literacy skills for a growing number of non-native speakers of english to ensure full participation in the information society (tanang, djajadi, abu, & mokhtar, 2014). in the present scenario, there is an easy access to information with technology. the teacher here takes on the role of facilitator and guide so as to facilitate students with the right approach of managing abundant information to their optimum benefit and in taking right decisions in this technologically complex world (jan, 2017). in the technosavvy society, teachers‟ role becomes very essential as they make students learn how to evaluate the abundant information available critically, to identify facts from propaganda, to understand the real ethical, legal and moral issues with respect to the access and use of information, and to create meaning from data. all these questions view education in the larger context of today‟s society and thus, it makes students capable of solving the real world current problems and prepare for a future of unknowns. the information bloom and the subsequent knowledge explosion have led to tremendous changes in the life of the individuals today and its effect is also witnessed in the field of education. with global connectivity facilitated by ict, searching for any information today has become a child‟s play. in this digital era, the coming generations are quite adept at handling, managing and working with technology. even the younger kids and toddlers, probably by way of their genetic inheritance are able to operate the smartphones and other modern gadgets. thus, these gadgets have been embedded with the daily routine of the modern lives. tylor (2017) in her article explains five generations from 1900 until now. the first generation is the traditionalist/veteran, who was born between the years of 1900 to 1945. the second is the baby boomers, this generation was born between 1946 and 1964. the third generation is individuals born between the years of 1965 and 1980 called generation x or also known as gen x-er. x-er is a generation that witnessed the miracles of technological advancement and the horrors of man-made disasters. they obsessed with email, they like to communicate concisely. the next generation is the millennials, they were born between 1981 and 2000. the rapid diffusion of the internet as a technological innovation occurred in this generation‟s youth, allowing them to experience this exciting new medium‟s explosion at about same time the front wave of this generation was learning to read. the english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 43 last generation is generation z, born after 2000. the characteristics of this generation are almost the same as millennial generation, but generation z has a multi-tasking skill. they can apply all activities that integrated with technology at the same time (kraus, 2008). most of the teachers are still digital migrants that are born after 19th century whereas the young learners are the digital natives who are born after 19th century when the technological revolution came. that is why using technology comes so naturally and easily to them. there are numerous challenges faced by teachers in using ict. society demands a higher level and different set of skills than schools were ever designed to teach. ict brings with various challenges that teachers need to face. first of all, there is a need for adequate availability of technology in the schools which includes huge costs incurred on acquiring, installing, operating, maintaining, and replacing ict‟s. the basic infrastructural requirements suited for making adequate provision of ict are required. secondly, it is imperative to make all teachers ict literate and effective in handling ict tools for teaching-learning processes (ekberg, 2017). another challenge is that the teachers need to develop their own capacity so as to efficiently make use of the different icts in different situations. they need not be apprehensive that icts would replace teachers. another challenge faced by teachers is that english being the prominent language associated with modern technology. this causes problems as in many states people are not comfortable with english. the very electronic devices that have become an extension of our children are an enigma to many of us in the older generation. technology has brought some sort of alleviation for the teachers from one another which we call as „digital divide‟ (onye, 2016). teachers are not comfortable in handling these modern gadgets and technological devices. rather than having students use computers, say, to better understand a math equation through a virtual hands-on activity, teachers may limit the use of that tool to word processing, in the similar manner as the typewriter was used a generation ago. the challenge for educators is not to dismiss or keep up with students‟ latest technological know-how, but to create meaningful learning experiences in which students are taught how to apply their knowledge to solve real-world problems (wissiak, 2013). the reality is in our country, the english teachers varied from different generations. some of them are baby boomers, some of them are digital immigrant, and small amount of them are millennials with their own characteristics. those different generation teachers however, deal with the same generation in their classroom, that is generation z. it is certainly problematic when some teachers cannot answer the demand from the students who were born with technology and are used to live with technology (cilliers, 2017). the problem becomes bigger when teachers, who have willingness to improve their professional development, in this case upgrading their ict skill, face the reality that there is rarely chance to have workshop, let alone the teachers who work in rural area (rahman, 2016). this issue has triggered the author to form a group of millennials who would serve the teachers in ict workshops for free. therefore, the goals of this study are: 1. to investigate how the digital squad project is initiated and implemented. 2. to find out the teacher-participants‟ responses to the project. 3. to get deeper understanding on the response from the digital squad members in joining the project to bridge the tecnogap among english teachers. method the case study design was employed for this research. a case study is a variation of an ethnography in that the researcher provides an in-depth exploration of a bounded system (e.g., an activity, an event, a process, or an individual) based on extensive data nia kurniawati bridging technological gap among english teachers through digital squad project 44 collection (cresswell, 2009). this design allows the researcher to concentrate on a single group of subjects and the use of multimethod data collection strategies to identify the implementation of digital squad project in bridging the technology gap among teachers. secondly, it is to find out the teachers‟ response to the project, and to investigate the obstacles during conducting the project. this design is an appropriate way to illustrate those phenomena which are not very well understood and need to be examined very closely and also has the potential to provide an in-depth understanding of process rather than outcome (creswell, 2009). to ensure the internal validity in the research design, several methods of data collection should be used for triangulation purposes (yin, 2009). in this research, some instruments were used to collect the data, i.e., observation, questionnaire, and interviews. the research was conducted in english education study program of surykancana university. in a qualitative inquiry, the intent is not to generalize the findings, but to develop an in-depth exploration of a central phenomenon. thus, to best understand the phenomenon, the reseracher purposefully or intentionally selects individuals and site. cresswell (2009) states that the research term used for qualitative sampling is purposeful sampling. in purposeful sampling a researcher intentionally selects individuals and sites to learn or understand the central phenomenon. the standard used in choosing participants and sites is whether they are information rich. the participants in this study are 10 students of english education of suryakancana university and senior high school english teachers who join mgmp of english lesson in cianjur regency. qualitative data analysis is done primarily by using the data collected through observation, questionnaire, and interview. these will be analyzed qualitatively where a case study is emphasized. analyzing case study evidence is especially difficult because the strategies and technique have not been well defined (yin, 2009). moreover, yin (2009) also suggested that the main point of data analysis in a case study is defining priorities for what to analyze and why. in a qualitative study, a researcher needs to analyze the data to form answers to the research questions. this process involves examining the data in detail to describe what the researcher learned and developing themes or broad categories of ideas from the data (cresswell, 2009). describing and developing themes from the data consists of answering the major research questions and forming an in-depth understanding of the central phenomenon through description and thematic development (cresswell, 2009). results and discussion this part presents the findings in the current study, followed by the discussion on three issues. the issues are about the implementation of the digital squad project, the teacher participants‟ response to the digital squad project, and the response from the digital squad members in implementing the project in bridging the tecno-gap among english teachers. the implementation of digital squad project the idea of forming digital squad was actually rooted from the reality that many teachers are unable to keep up with technology advancement to be applied in the classroom. it becomes one of the concern in our study program as the institution dealing with future teachers‟ education. this concern has lead the study program to organize some events to enhance the teachers with ict skills to be applied in the classroom. however, this kind of event is very costly and a bit difficult since the experts on ict on education field are not always available. this has triggered the idea of “cloning the expert” and using the clones to train the teachers with the ict skills that have been absorbed by the clones. the clones are called digital squad. they are university students who have high interest on ict as well as self-confidence to english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 45 share their skills to others. in a nutshell, there are six steps in implementing the digital squad project as it is displayed in figure 1. it covers the needs analysis, the recruitment, the training with the experts, maintaining and strengthening, teachers workshop, and evaluation. figure 1. steps in implementing digital squad project the first step conducted in forming the ds squad is doing needs analysis. the needs analysis is an effort in recognizing the real situation in this case the situation in english classrooms with the teachers who handle them. as it is acknowledged that nowadays technology has been part of human life in every aspect, including in education. teachers are demanded to follow the advancement of technology and applied it within classroom. this is because the students that the teachers deal with come from different generation that technology has been in their dna, therefore the way they live, and learn of course so much different from their teachers‟ era. the students who are mostly come from generation z expect their teachers to involve technology in the teaching. however, the students‟ expectation is not answered by the teachers. from the prior study to analyze the way the teachers deal with media in the classroom, most teachers (70%) are observed still rely on paper and pencil, and 30% of them have started to apply technology-based media in their teaching, as it can be seen in figure 2. this data was gained from a prior study conducted involving english teachers of senior high school in cianjur who join mgmp. they were given questionnaire to evaluate the media and techniques they use in their english classroom. after they returned the questionnaire, their classes were then observed to crosscheck their answer to the questionnaire. figure 2. the needs analysis from the prior study, it was found out that the teachers mostly still rely on paper and pencil in their english classroom. they prefer to stick to their comfort zone rather than challenge themselves with ict use in their classroom. they ignore the demand from their students to involve technologybased media in the teaching. however, there are still some teachers who come from younger generation and have involved more advanced media and willing to improve themselves, but the chance for professional development is still scarce. the teachers should spend much to attend workshop in other cities. it is of course discouraged them to continue their professional development. those two issues, the teachers‟ lack of skill in ict and the scarce chance of professional development for teachers in town, have inspired the author to form media for teachers‟ professional development especially in ict. the media would be forum or coaching sessions for teachers that would improve their skill on ict use in the classroom with reasonable or even free of charge. after recognizing the teachers‟ need that is forum or coaching clinic to improve their ability on ict in education but with achievable cost, the next step is recruiting the digital squad members that would be involved in workshop project with the teachers. the members of digital squad would be assigned to share their knowledge and skills nia kurniawati bridging technological gap among english teachers through digital squad project 46 of ict on education to the teachers. they would assist the teachers during and after the workshop. regarding the tasks that would be given to the members of ds, there are at least three categories of prospective ds members. it includes the age and the skills. for age factor, it is decided to choose members from generation y. they are usually university college students at the moments. they are chosen, since y generation or millennial are more skillful in technology and have more intense experience with technology than generation x. the other qualifications are the ds prospective members should have strong interests on technology and also have good presentation skill. it is because they are going to share their ict skill to the teachers who are much older than them. therefore, they have to be good at presenting and elaborating the technology use to the teachers who are commonly in their comfort zone and do not want to move on. the next step after selecting the prospective members of digital squad is providing them with the knowledge and skills needed to be used later in the workshop. in order to equip them with the proper skills, experts on ict in english teaching were invited to give the members of ds some trainings. the trainings were conducted several times to make sure that the members of ds comprehend the targeted skills. in this case, the ds got the opportunity to be trained by famous ict trainers from two prominent universities. they shared many applications that can be used in english classroom. at least, fifteen applications were introduced and practiced to the members of ds. those applications are padlet, kahoot, lyrics training, schoology, powtoon, screen cast o‟matic, canva, breakingnews.com, ello, cartoon story maker, ar, vr, and many more. the training with the expert gave the opportunity to the ds members to improve their knowledge and skills on ict. by the end of the training, the ds members have enough skills to be the coach in the workshop with the teachers. it is true that the ds members who come from generation y have better technology skill. however, to make sure that they are qualified to be the coach at teacher workshop, their skills should be maintained and strengthened. therefore, after the training with the expert, they were given some assignments to summarize the applications they were practicing during the training in focus group discussion regular meeting. the meeting is held weekly and the members should share the application they learnt to the other members. when the ds members are ready to share their ict skills to the teachers, then some workshops were organized. collaborating with local english teachers‟ organization, the members of ds were assigned to be the tutors during the teachers‟ workshops. the ds members assisted the teachers in using the applications introduced at the workshop. the first workshop was conducted on december 2017. the participants were english teachers of senior high school in cianjur. there were 40 participants who joined the workshop. the applications introduced at the workshop were lyricstraining, padlet, and quizlet. the second workshop was conducted in the university. the participants were language lecturers. the applications introduced were edpuzzle, powtoon, and padlet. the third workshop was conducted for english teachers of junior high school. the applications introduced were padlet, quizlet, and canva. in order to see the possibility of the continuity of the digital squad program, the evaluation was conducted. in the evaluation, the program is examined thoroughly. whether it has possibility to be continued, what are the strengths and the weaknesses of the program. it was conducted by discussing the matter with the ds members after each workshop. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 47 the teacher-participants’ response to the digital squad project the second issue of the current study is to find out the teacher participants response to the project. they were given questionnaire after the workshop. the questionnaire consists of seven items related to the use of ict in the teacher classroom, and their response to the workshop assisted by the ds members. the issues asked in the questionnaires are as follow: a. the use of media in the classroom before the workshop. b. media they prefer to use in teaching c. response to the project d. the benefits of the workshop e. the applications they use in the classroom after the workshop f. obstacles in applying the applications. from the questionnaire, it was found that the teachers have used media in their teaching. however, the media they utilize is still conventional that relies on paper and pencil. even some of them have also used a bit modern media such as ppt or video, but the use of them is still quite rare. at the workshop, the teachers were introduced to different kinds of application that can be used in efl classroom, such as kahoot, padlet, powtoon, lyricstraining, etc. table 1. the response from the teachers to the ds project no. categories responses 1. the use of media in the classroom before the workshop. often 2. common media they prefer to use in teaching ppt, video, pencil and paper 3. the most interesting apps in the workshop kahoot, padlet, powtoon 4. response to join the project very beneficial 5. the benefits of the workshop new media to be applied in the classroom 6. the application they use in the classroom after the workshop padlet, kahoot, powtoon 7. obstacles in applying the apps internet connection the response from the teacherparticipants is very promising. before the workshop held by ds members, they often rely on paper and pencil media, even some of them have used ppt occasionally. during the workshop, they are introduced to many applications to be used in their english classrooms such as kahoot, padlet, canva, schoology, ello, etc., and they even have their favorite apps, in this case kahoot, padlet, and powtoon, since they consider these three apps are easier and more interactive to be used with their students. they view the ds project that involves students who come from y generation as very beneficial project because most of the ds members are still very young, yet resourceful and helpful in handling their questions during the workshop. however, the teachers face classic problem when they want to apply the apps they learned from the workshop at school. not many schools have provided good internet connection. so, the teachers should spend more budgets to provide themselves with modem and pay for the internet connection. it has been very common, that there are numerous challenges faced by teachers in using ict. in one side, the teachers are demanded to equip the students with a higher level and different set of skills, but the school do not provide them with adequate facilities. it has to be admitted that ict brings various challenges that teachers need to face. one of them is the need for adequate availability of technology in the schools that covers high costs incurred on acquiring, installing, operating, maintaining and replacing ict‟s. nia kurniawati bridging technological gap among english teachers through digital squad project 48 the response from the digital squad members to the project at the beginning, this project is unintentionally initiated. yet, after the members of the projects were involved in the workshop, the members of ds share their responses toward the project. in digging the data on the members of ds members, an interview was conducted. from the interview, there are some interesting facts uncovered. most of them were satisfied to be involved in the project because they think that by joining the project, they learn new things earlier than others. they also learn how to work as a team. their favorite applications are padlet, kahoot, lyrics training, canva, and quizlet. since they are generation y, they do not need much time to comprehend an application, most of them only need 1 hour up to 1 day to fully understand an application since most of them are interested in using technology in classroom. they are used to utilize laptop, mobile phone, and application to assist them in learning at daily basis. however, they also find some problems in joining the project. the biggest issues are time allotment and internet connection. the ds members mentioned that the time allotment for the workshop needs to be added, since many teachers they were training could not absorb their explanation quickly. in one session, the teachers can comprehend one app, while the workshop usually offered more than one app. besides, the issue of internet connection again becomes one of the obstacles in integrating ict in the classroom. the workshop often did not run as it is planned for the internet connection was not available for every participants. even, it has been anticipated by asking all the participants to bring their own modem, but sometimes it takes time to connect and set the modem to the computer, since many teachers even do not know how to use the modem. in brief, the response from the members of ds are summarized in following table. table 2. the response from ds members to the project no. categories responses 1. interest to technology used in the classroom all students within the project are highly motivated in using technology in the classroom 2 familiarities with the apps introduces in the project some apps are new and they just know them in the training session. 3 common media they prefer to use in learning laptop, mobile phone, application, 4 time to learn each apps 1 hour to 1 hour 5 the most interesting apps padlet, kahoot, lyric training, canva, quizlet 6 response to join the project positive 7 benefits the benefits in joining this project are: learning digital teaching media earlier; learning how to work as a team; exploring more than one applications; getting more information about another application by sharing each other. 8 obstacles time and internet connection conclusion from this study, there are some important points to be concluded. regarding the first issue of the current research about how to implement digital squad project in bridging the techno-gap among english teachers, there are six steps within. the six steps include the needs analysis, recruitment, training, maintaining, workshop, and evaluation. from this project, it was found out that most teachers still rely on paper and pencil and avoid technology use in their classroom since not many chances of professional development for teachers available in small cities. university students who are mostly generation y are very suitable to be involved in this kind of project, since they are more adept with english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 49 technology. therefore, they can learn quickly from the expert on applications that can be utilized in english classroom. there are lots of free applications that can be introduced to the teachers to be used in the classroom, such as kahoot, quizlet, powtoon, etc. small scale workshop that involves teachers and the digital squad as the coach is a possible effort to upgrade the teachers‟ ict skill. for the second issue, the teachers respond very positively to the digital squad project, since they can learn many applications to be used in the classroom by the help of young generation in the squad. they also started applying some application in their classroom, such as padlet, and kahoot. yet, they face classic problem in applying them, i.e. internet connection, since not all school provide proper internet connection. as the third issue, the students who joined the digital squad projects get lots of advantages; they can learn many new apps for studying, they also build team work in this project. they basically face significant problem in learning the apps that would be shared in the workshop. they only need 1 hour to 1 day to learn the apps. however, as the problem faced by the teachers who followed the workshop is the internet connection, it also becomes one of the problems faced by the students. this is only small-scale project that only touch the english teachers in cianjur. however, this small project has gained positive feedback both from the teachers who became the workshop participants, as well as positive response from the students who joined the project. they mentioned that they are very excited to join the project, since it gives them many benefits. therefore, it is suggested to form bigger squad that could spread the digital virus to english teaching more massively. acknowledgement this study was funded by my institution. therefore, i would thank the faculty of education and teacher training of suryakancana university for the support. my appreciation also goes to the digital squad members who willingly join the project and do whatever they are assigned. references cilliers, e. j. (2017). the challenge of teaching generation z. people: international journal of social sciences, 3(1), 188 198. doi: 10.20319/pijss.2017.31.188198. creswell, j. w. (2009). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (2 nd ed.). california: sage publication. ekberg, s. g. (2017). understanding challenges of using ict in secondary schools in sweden from teachers‟ perspective. the international journal of information and learning technology, 35(1), 43-55. doi: 10.1108/ijilt-01-2017-0007. ghavifekr, s. t. k. (2016). teaching and learning with ict tools: issues and challenges from teachers‟. malaysian online journal of educational technology, 4. jan, h. (2017). teacher of 21st century: characteristics and development. research on humanities and social sciences, 7. retrieved october 22, 2018, from https://www.iiste.org/category/www-iiste-orgacademic-journal-news/. kennedy, m. m. (2016). how does professional development. review of educational research, xx, 1–36. doi: 10.3102/0034654315626800. kraus, s. s. (2008). teaching for the millennial generation: student and teacher perceptions of community building and individual pedagogical techniques. the journal of effective teaching, 8(2). retrieved october 20, 2018, from https://www.uncw.edu/jet/articles/vol8_2/index. htm. lam, y. y. (2010). impact of globalization on higher education: an empirical study of education policy & planning of design education in hong kong. international education studies, 3, 73-85. retrieved october 23, 2018, from www.ccsenet.org/ies. rahman, a. (2016). teacher professional development in indonesia:the influences of learning activities, teacher characteristics and school conditions. university of wollongong thesis collection1954-2016. wissiak, k. s. (2013). bridging the gap between educational research and school practice through cooperation of university and primary school teachers. 4th international conference on new horizons in education. ljubljana: elsevier. yin, r. k. (2009). case study research: design and methods (4 th ed.). thousand oaks, ca: sage. nia kurniawati bridging technological gap among english teachers through digital squad project 50 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee critical pedagogy principles in teaching efl reading slamet wahyudi yulianto department of english education, indonesia university of education e-mail: slamet.wahyudi.y@gmail.com apa citation: yulianto, s. w. (2015). the use of critical pedagogy principles in teaching efl reading. english review 4(1), 25-38 received: 02-07-2015 accepted: 01-04-2015 published: 01-12-2015 abstract this study attempts to reveal how the use of critical pedagogy principles in teaching english as a foreign language (efl) reading facilitates students to think critically. additionally, it investigates and elaborates the benefits and challenges of using critical pedagogy principles in teaching efl reading. the three critical pedagogy principles used in this study were dialogic education, democratic classroom, and reading the world and the word. critical thinking skills and dispositions expected to be performed by the participants were analysis and evaluation skills, open-mindedness, and making reasoned decision. this is a case study design which was conducted in the form of teaching program. the teaching program which consisted of eight meetings was given to 59 efl sophomores in the reading in professional context class at a private teacher education in bandung. data in the form of classroom talks and activities and students‟ responses as well as their critical thinking skills self-assessment were collected by using video recordings, observation notes, interview guideline, students‟ learning journals, and questionnaires. it is revealed that the teaching program has facilitated students to think critically by providing four categories of activity. they are (1) offering problematic topics and reading materials that are linked to the students‟ lives, (2) encouraging students to read between the lines, (3) distributing classroom power, and (4) creating space for students‟ voices to be heard. meanwhile, there are two benefits of the teaching program, namely (1) language development and (2) new knowledge as well as experience acquisition. however, there are three major challenges in conducting the teaching program that are (1) the lack of classroom-friendly authentic controversial reading materials, (2) the passive culture, and (3) the unpredictable classroom. keywords: critical pedagogy principles, critical thinking skills, efl reading class introduction it becomes common knowledge that since the dawn of reform in 1998, indonesian citizens have gained almost unlimited freedom in expressing their opinions after 32 years living under the repressive new order regime. suddenly, printed and electronic mass media easily spread all over the country. supported by information technology advancement, now, 18 years after the reform, indonesian citizens are often overwhelmed by different and even contradictory conflicting information. in such context, it is crucial for indonesian citizens to think critically. as a consequence, as it is written in the indonesian 2013 official curriculum, schools in all levels are required to equip students with critical thinking. it is not sufficient to merely view information and knowledge as separate parts of the larger entities such as power and culture. information and knowledge are always socially constructed (mclaren, 2003). therefore, the awareness that there is no neutral information and apolitical knowledge is also needed to be possessed by students to prepare them to become global democratic citizens in the future. in the meantime, for teacher students, the participants of the present research, the conception that education can not be 25 slamet wahyudi yulianto critical pedagogy principles in teaching efl reading separated from politics, economic system, and social values is important. it is believed that the critical pedagogy principles are important to be promoted to the efl teacher students as a teaching approach in order to provide a critical tool for both teacher and students in understanding the political nature of knowledge and education. in addition, the use of critical pedagogy principles in efl curriculum and classroom is in line with the call for efl education reform in indonesia (alwasilah, 2004; emilia, 2005; hayati, 2010; gustine, 2014; larson, 2014). critical pedagogy, as phipps and guilherme (2004) emphasize, provides crucial guidelines for language study and intercultural communication. bearing in mind the abovementioned explanation, this study aims at investigating the use of critical pedagogy principles in teaching efl reading as well as revealing its contribution in assisting tertiary level students perform their critical thinking skills in classroom. furthermore, the present research attempts to identify and elaborate benefits and challenges of using critical pedagogy principles in reading class perceived by students as the participants of this study. the literature on critical pedagogy (hereafter cp) has three major categories, namely theoretical, political, and pedagogical categories (cho, 2013). theoretically, cp is a broad terminology rooted in the critical theory (cultural marxism) of frankfurt school, theology of liberation, humanism, hegelian dialectic, post-colonialism, and post-modernism (giroux, 1997; mclaren, 2003; freire, 2005a; breuing, 2011; kincheloe, 2011). politically, cp is the political reflection and action of liberation in seeking social justice by offering alternatives against the capitalistic, oppressive, and exploitative political systems (giroux, 1997; mclaren, 2002; kincheloe, 2008). in the meantime, pedagogically, cp is the theories and practices of teaching and learning in raising learners‟ critical consciousness as the attempts to counter the spoon-fed or the teacher-centered teaching learning activity, or what freire (2005a) labeled as the “banking-education system.” generally, cp can be defined as a cultural theory which views knowledge as the representation of those who produce and distribute it (kincheloe, 2008). mclaren (2000) defines cp as a method of reflecting, negotiating, and transforming pedagogical practice, knowledge production and schooling institution relationship and the material and social relations of wider community. parallel with mclaren, shin and crookes (2012) mention that cp is a teaching method that helps students gain transformative experience by problematizing the commonly accepted and taken for granted knowledge. in the field of applied linguistics, akbari (2008) mentions that cp is the acknowledgement of sociopolitical implications of language teaching and the possibility of social change with language class as the departure point. meanwhile, for the language education context, aliakbari and faraji (2011) identify cp as an approach to language teaching and learning which is concerned with transforming relations of the oppressive power which leads to the liberation of people. the critical language pedagogy is a place where a language pedagogue can relate grammatical knowledge and vocabulary mastery to knowledge of how to solve wider social problems (riasati & mollei, 2012). in other words, cp is a language teaching learning approach which is based on the acceptance of its sociopolitical implications and aims at transforming society by relating the grammatical knowledge and the wider social problems. this study, due to the similarity of english as a second language (efl) education in indonesia as the research context, adopts emilia‟s (2005, 2010; see also emilia & safrina, 2010) three cp principles. they are dialogic education, democratic classroom, and reading the word and the 26 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee world. each of those principles is elaborated in the following paragraphs. in the educational practice, dialogue is crucial to be performed to create the ideal teaching learning atmosphere for teacher and students teach each other. moreover, dialogue is potential to avoid the existence of threatening and dominating teacher for the teacher-students dialogic relation is based on hope, love, and faith (shor & freire, 1987; freire, 2005a; dale & hyslopmargison, 2010). therefore, in relation with the critical thinking, dialogue is the only activity that can be performed to encourage learners perform their higher thinking order (phipps & guilherme, 2004; freire, 2005a; hajhosseiny, 2012; mui, 2013). it is possible because to demonstrate their critical thinking in classroom, students need to be free from the threatening teacher-students relation. for classroom context, through dialogue, both teacher and students constructively learn and share their ideas and world views (alvarez, calvete & sarasa, 2012). negotiation trough dialogue plays a central role in the classroom which applies critical pedagogy (mochinski, 2008; larson, 2014). it should be executed as a two-way process (freire, 2005a) for every classroom activity. in such classroom activity, teacher still and should have authority to ensure that the activity runs well without restricting students‟ freedom to participate actively in encountering the common knowledge forms and social relations (shor & freire, 1987; giroux & aronowitz, 1991; giroux, 1997; emilia, 2005). consequently, the class becomes more open and unpredictable (shor & freire, 1987; freire, 2005a; mochinski, 2008). in the formal education which has rigid official curriculum, the classroom unpredictability may be a serious challenge. democratic classroom may only be executed by creating classroom conditions which are conducive to support individual freedom and social empowerment and justice (freire, 1998, giroux, 1997; mclaren, 2003; emilia, 2005; thayer-bacon, 1996, 2012). consequently, without losing the needed authority, teachers should encourage their students to comprehend democracy by being involved in governance including arranging learning objectives, selecting learning materials, and forming their own groups (giroux, 1997; bowers, 2005). therefore, it is important for teachers to be aware that they are not the ones who dominate classroom. in the democratic classroom, teacher along with students should respect the voices of plurality, discourse variety, and different languages (macedo & freire, 2005). in highlighting human potential for democracy and humanity in order to criticize and challenge social and political structure, freire (2005a) uses the term “reading the word and the world.” correlated with the reading class, frerie (macedo & feire, 2005) states, “the act of learning to read and write has to start from a very comprehensive understanding of the act of reading the world.” as a consequence, reading the learners‟ world is considered as the starting point for the reading class. it is because of a crucial way of critical pedagogy in offering hope and possibility for creating equal and more justice society is presenting people‟s social, economic, cultural, political situations (mclaren, 2003; freire, 2005a, 2005b; kincheleo, 2008). in other word, reading class as a political act for social betterment should be started from making learners realize their actual situation. it is because only by knowing their lived situation, learners could be encouraged to transform their social life (freire, 2005b; macedo & freire, 2005; akbari, 2008; ko, 2013). in the present research, reading the word and the world principle is brought into classroom through presenting generative and academic themes. while themes are the topics that are closely related to students‟ daily life but rarely approached or questioned critically, generative themes are the particular topics that are related to the students‟ specific academic life (mochinski, 2008). both types of theme are 27 slamet wahyudi yulianto critical pedagogy principles in teaching efl reading presented in the form of written texts, photographs, diagrams, and videos. the topics that are categorized as the generative themes in this study are beauty representation in advertisements, indonesian tourism, teacher quality, and disability rights movement. in the meantime, there is only one topic that categorized as the academic theme namely english as international language. there is no single „how to do‟ cp that fits with every context of classroom. different context requires different method and technique in implementing cp (addo, 1981; shor & freire, 1987; mochinski, 2008; dale & hsylop-margison, 2010). freire (2005a) states that the application of cp lies in praxis. praxis is a social action-reflection recursive activity in transforming the world (mclaren, 2003; freire, 2005a; freire & macedo, 2005; thinsan, 2015). in classroom, praxis is executed through problem-posing education which has different forms of implementation in different context of classrooms. extracted from the three principles elaborated in the former sections and synthesized from several references, there are five categories of activity that should be performed when a teacher is willing to implement critical pedagogy in a foreign language classroom, especially for the context of higher level of education in indonesia. those five categories are (1) conducting classroom and group discussion; (2) experiencing democratic classroom; (3) presenting students‟ real life problems; (4) using various, authentic and problematic reading materials; and (5) challenging students to think and act critically (shor & freire, 1987; giroux, 1997; mclaren, 1997; wallace, 2003; alwasilah, 2004; freire, 2005a, 2005b; emilia, 2005; shin & crookes, 2005; mochinski, 2008; akbari, 2008; emila & safrina, 2010; hayati, 2010; kaufman, 2010; aliakbari & faraji, 2011; muro, 2011; swandarini, 2011; cho, 2013; ko, 2013; gustine, 2014; mambu, 2014; larson, 2014). critical thinking (ct) is an active reasonable thinking which is appropriately explored to evaluate information or statement before considering what to do and what to believe. to put it in the simple world, epstein (2006: 1) declares that ct is “a defense against a world of too much information and too many people trying to convince us.” emilia (2005: 25), quoting nosich (2001), mentions six ct standards including clarity, relevance, accuracy, depth and breadth, sufficiency, and precision. meanwhile bassham et al. (2011: 2-7) declare nine ct standards, namely clarity, precision, accuracy, relevance, consistency, logical correctness, completeness, and fairness. the similarity between those two different opinions regarding ct standards is laying in clarity, relevance, accuracy, precision, and completeness (what in emilia‟s term is called as sufficiency). ct is a broad topic to cover for the context of this study. therefore, limitation should be made to address the specification and detailed learning tasks. consequently, only particular ct skills can be considered as learning outcomes and the focus of this study. the skills and disposition in this study are classified into three categories. those skills and disposition are analysis and evaluation skills (aes), open-minded (om), and making reasoned decision (rdm) skill. analysis and evaluation skills consist of identifying author‟s point, argument, and conclusion (wallace, 2003; wall & wall, 2005; cottrell, 2005; bassham et al., 2011; chaffee, 2012); analyzing who the author and intended reader and whose interests served and voices missing are (wallace, 2003; emilia, 2005; chaffee, 2012; ko, 2013); evaluating clarity and connectedness of argument (emilia, 2005; cottrell, 2005; chaffee, 2012) ; and assessing relevancy and source credibility (wallace, 2003; emilia, 2005; cottrell, 2005; chaffee, 2012). open-mindedness includes inventorying and taking into account multiple view points (facione, 1990; ennis, 28 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1996a; lipman, 2003) and listening and respecting others‟ opinions (djiwandono, 2013; ko, 2013). making reasoned decision (paul & elder, 2002; emilia, 2005; bassham et al., 2011) consists only one skill. the ct skills and disposition in this study are applied in and identified from reading texts and performing group and classroom discussions. in doing so, a set of classroom and reading questions are necessary to encourage students to perform the ct skills and disposition that are mentioned earlier. while reading is defined as the appropriate complex mental process of making meaning of the text which involves the reader‟s prior knowledge and personal background (grabe & stoller, 2002; nunan, 2003; hudson, 2007). reading is a crucial receptive skill in an academic world. it is a discursive activity which is influenced by previous textual experiences. successful reading activity requires the text and the reader‟s background knowledge interaction (bumela, 2012; hood et al., 2005; lems et al., 2010). reading does not only consist of decoding the written language, but is also leaded by and interconnected with the understanding of the world, for language and reality are vigorously interrelated (freire & macedo, 2005). reading activity can be performed through practicing several skills. there is a term called “reading as a social process” (carter & nunan, 2001: 26). the aim of this process, as carter and nunan (2001) say, is not only to comprehend the written text, but also to critique the ways that text has been written, the writer‟s motivation to chose that lexis, syntax, style and presentation of text overall. this process of reading is appropriate to be taught in reading classroom for intermediate to advance efl learners (harmer, 2007a). this type of reading process is suitable with the context of the present research. cahyono and widiati (2006) mention that there are three underlying theories in approaching the reading teaching, namely the text structure, the schema, and the metacognitive. the text structure theory which is effective in improving second language reading comprehension claims that when reading, a student starts from general into specific information (cahyono & widiati, 2006). while schema theory focuses on the students‟ prior knowledge activation in increasing reading comprehension, the metacognitive theory concerns students‟ knowledge about their cognitive activities such as predicting, paraphrasing, summarizing, and retelling (cahyono & widiati, 2006). because of the present research participants‟ reading level is varying from beginning to advance, the teaching reading program for this research employed several approaches to reading. pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading are three steps in teaching reading comprehension (brown, 2001; wallace 2003; hood et al, 2005; kress, 1985 and wallace, 1992 in emilia and safrina, 2010). each stage has its own activities and purposes. the following table displays activities and purposes for every step of teaching reading that incorporates the use of critical pedagogy principles and critical thinking skills synthesized from shor and freire (1978), tierney et al., (1995), wallace (2003), (freire, 2005b), macedo and freire (2005), antoni (2010), emilia and safrina (2010), sulyaningsih (2010), yatmikasari (2011). table 1. reading teaching stages step possible activity objective pre-reading sequencing pictures, videos, and diagrams predicting by scanning the title, and if exist, subheading, tables, pictures, and photos asking some general guessing questions about topic of upcoming written text to see the level of prior activating students‟ prior knowledge, experiences, and readiness to connect it with new knowledge and experience they will construct during the upcoming 29 slamet wahyudi yulianto critical pedagogy principles in teaching efl reading knowledge possessed by students brainstorming by encouraging students to compare the „codes‟ with their own experience, knowledge, and culture activities; identifying the purpose of the lessons. whilereading being executed in group, pair, or alone in group, in facing text and trying to solve reading task, students discuss, negotiate, and help each other reading aloud silent reading identifying parallel discourses analyzing linguistic choices answering some reading questions to perform several critical thinking skills generating appropriate strategies to help students in comprehending the text; collaboratively constructing meaning; checking comprehension as one of while-activities post-reading doing classroom discussion about while-reading activity performed before when every student is „in the spotlight‟ and expected to be engaged and participate equally exchanging point of views, understandings, and answers of reading tasks to familiarize students with the practice of democracy and open-mindedness summarizing monitor comprehension justify comprehension clarifying heightening the students‟ awareness of other ways in which the topic could have been written about; triggering students to perform critical thinking skills indicators; practicing classroom power distribution; evaluating students‟ comprehension in particular tasks reading class trying to implement critical pedagogy teaches the whole three hillerich‟s (1983 in antoni, 2010) reading comprehension levels: literal comprehension, inferential comprehension, and critical comprehension. he farther elaborates that literal comprehension requires readers to evoke facts which are explicitly written in the text; inferential comprehension permits reader to suggest relevant additional data derived from the personal experience and text confronted; whereas critical comprehension leads reader to make balanced judgements about several aspects of texts and writer‟s style. method to search the answers for the research questions, the present study applied a case study design. a case study is defined as an in-depth and detailed investigation of a case that could be a setting, a particular event, a subject, an ongoing process, or a document rather than a full numerical survey (boglan & biklen, 1992; fraenkel et al., 2012). a case study was used as a consequence of this study trying to understand the detailed aspect of meaning and process of a particular phenomenon. the research site for this study was a private teacher education in bandung, west java. this teacher education was selected due to the importance of introducing cp as a teaching efl approach to tertiary level education in indonesian context (hayati, 2010). furthermore, by implementing cp principles to teacher students, it is expected that the participants will practice and develop dialogic education and democratic classroom after they become teachers in the future. the group of participants was one of reading in professional context classes consisted of 59 fourth semester students (13 male and 46 female) in english education department. the participants were 19-21 years of age. the research was conducted in the form of teaching program which consisted of eight meetings from march 2015 to may 2015. the data collection techniques in this study were divided into two categories. they were the main and the supporting techniques. the main data collection techniques were observing classroom interactions and activities and distributing questionnaires. the supporting ones were 30 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee conducting interview and gathering students‟ learning journals. the various data collection techniques were employed in order to seek the rich data and to reduce the weaknesses possessed by each data collection technique (yin, 2011; alwasilah, 2012). the accumulated valid data were systematically transcribed, organized, coded, looked for patterns, thematically categorized, synthesized, interpreted, and concluded to answer the research queries (bogdan & biklen, 1992; silverman, 2005; yin, 2011; alwasilah, 2012; fraenkel et al., 2012). the data analyses were performed both during and after collecting the data (bogdan, & biklen, 1992; silverman, 2005). the ongoing analysis was executed for data that are assembled using classroom observation (silverman, 2005) and the rests were analyzed after the data had been collected. results and discussion how the use of critical pedagogy principles in teaching efl reading assists students to think critically after analyzing the collected data, it could be concluded that the teaching program has assisted students to think critically by providing four major categories of activity. they were (1) offering problematic topics and reading materials that are directly related to the students‟ personal and academic lives, (2) encouraging the students to read between the lines, (3) distributing classroom power, and (4) creating space for students‟ voices to be heard. the elaboration of each category is presented below. offering problematic topics and reading materials that are directly related to the students’ daily lives this category was the application of the reading the world and the word principle. when conducting this category, the students were offered four classroom topics, five written texts, and several codes in the form of pictures, diagrams, and videos. the selection of the classroom topics, the written texts, and the codes was based on whether they are problematic, controversial, and related to the students‟ real life. the evidence of the application of this category can be found in the observation notes. in the observation note of the second meeting, it is written that “materials are related to authentic real world of indonesia and are problematic to be argued.” moreover, upon the third meeting, the observer explicitly wrote, “news as one of critical sources for students to think critically.” the identical notes were then occurred again several times both in the first and the second sections of the teaching program. in the interview session, commenting upon the discussed topics during the eight meetings, several students emphasized the role of controversial topics that are related to their lives in giving them opportunity to perform their critical thinking ability. it is indicated in the following excerpts: topik-topik yang disampaikan berkaitan dengan kita. lebih singkron juga dengan apa yang dipelajari [the discussed topics were related to us, and correlated with what we have learnt]. icha the issue you brought to class. it gave us experience to be more open to contrasting and competing view points rather than only force other to receive our opinion. adi icha, in her utterance above, demonstrated that she was aware of the correlation between the topics and her life as well her major. the student used the word „we‟ that might mean she also spoke on behalf of her friends. in the meantime, adi‟s comment uncovers the value of the controversial issues in providing two or more possible contradictory view points that further will be used by the students to read between the lines. encouraging the students to read between the lines 31 slamet wahyudi yulianto critical pedagogy principles in teaching efl reading encouraging the students to read between the lines was executed by posing a set of critical questions as a tool to analyze the presented reading materials and classroom topics. the critical questions demanded the students to identify and evaluate arguments, source credibility, included and excluded voices, cause and effect, and fairness of the particular texts. upon the questions, the students communicated their answers both spoken and written during the group and classroom discussions. during the classroom discussion in the pre-, while-, and post-reading activities, some students were observed performing their critical capacity in order to respond the questions which were proposed by the teacher or their classmates. the following are evidences found by the observer: students discuss the difference between racism and discrimination. students discuss cause and effect of racism in the beginning of the lesson. (observation note on meeting #6) students analyzed cause and effect saat memaparkan argument mereka [when they elaborated their arguments]. (observation note on meeting #8) from the aforementioned notes found in the observation during the teaching program, it can be seen that there were two critical thinking skills were performed by the students. it is assumed that the students‟ critical thinking performances were the results of encouraging them to „read between the lines‟ by exposing critical questions repeatedly. the students‟ exposure to the posed questions and the designed classroom activities during the teaching program was relatively successful in encouraging them to perform their critical thinking capacity. the further evidence can be found by examining the students‟ reflective leaning journals, as indicated in the following excerpts. in analyzing the text we can learn how to get and tie ideas taken [from] the text. and we can identify whose voices are missing. (imas‟s learning journal on meeting #3) i think critically when i answer the question. (neni‟s learning journal on meeting #8) both students‟ reflective writings above demonstrate that the provision of the critical questions was successfully encouraging them to read between the lines as well as to think critically. the data from the teaching program are parallel with the data which were collected through interview. in the interview session, imas and neni gave detailed explanation about what they have written in their learning journals. the explanations are presented in the following experts: this questions used in the program motivates us to think beyond the texts. (imas in the interview session) there are many questions that the answers are not consisted in the texts. jadi ada di luar teks [outside the texts]. so it forces us to think about so we develop it. and it can make the discussion to be effective i think. jadi kita kan membahas contohnya seperti kemarin tentang bahasabahasa akhirnya kan mengacunya ke manamana gitu kan, secara luas. jadi tertariknya itu senengya itu seperti itu. jadi tidak hanya terfokus hanya kepada teks itu saja [so we discussed the example, like yesterday, about languages that at the end referred to everywhere, broadly. then we did not focus only to particular text]. (neni in the interview session) imas‟s utterance above indicates her effort in generalizing the advantage of the teaching program with the posed questions which motivate her and her friends to not only read and think about the texts, abut also to read and to think about what lies beyond the texts. meanwhile, neni‟s answer above delineates her recognition upon the intention of presenting the particular critical questions. 32 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee distributing classroom power the classroom power was distributed gradually in each meeting during the teaching program which was conducted for this research. one of the indicators of classroom power distribution can be seen from the number of speech production (milal, 2011). from the video transcript of the second until the eighth meetings, it can be identified that there were 403 utterances. from those utterances, 223 of them were produced by the teacher. table 5.1 illustrates the utterances which were produced during the teaching program. table 2. utterances during the teaching program producer utterance per meeting total % #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 t 27 44 23 32 38 28 31 223 55.3 s 22 36 16 24 34 22 26 180 44.7 total 49 80 39 56 72 50 57 403 100 by looking at the table above, it can be seen that the range between the number of speech produced by the teacher and the utterance produced by the students were not too far. it means that it was possible that the power had been distributed in almost equal portion between the students and the teacher. it is supported by the observation notes on the third and the fifth meetings. while in the third observation sheet is written “teacher and students have equal relation,” in th e fifth meeting observation sheet it is written, “equally teacher-students relation in the teaching and learning process.” in order to give opportunity to the students to control the classroom topic, the classroom power was also distributed through negotiating classroom decision making (akbari, 2008). the classroom decision making negotiation occurred several times both in the first and the second sections of the teaching program. the classroom decision making negotiation can be explicitly observed in the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh meetings. additionally, the following excerpts are the observation notes commenting the execution of the classroom power distribution which occurred in the fourth and the sixth meetings: negotiating saat t bilang ‘sudah belum?’ tapi siswa minta video diulang, lalu t mengulang [negotiating classroom decision making occurred when teacher asked „have you finished?‟ but students wanted the video to be replayed, then teacher replayed it]. (observer‟s note on meting #4) classroom discussion is more alive than before for the existence of the interesting topic from students. (observer‟s note on meeting #6) the second excerpt above provides the abstraction of the event that happened in the sixth meting. in the pre-reading stage, the teacher told the students that the class would discuss the text that had been distributed in fifth meeting. as a consequence, some students were observed enthusiastically performed four activities. those four activities were (1) engaging and demonstrating their critical thinking ability in discussing cause and effect of racism, (2) linking and making clear distinction between racism and discrimination, (3) supporting their claims with argument, and (4) being open-minded. further evidence about the distribution of classroom power could be found in the learning journal which was written by dian commenting upon the fifth meeting. dian writes: if there are things i do not know or are still difficult to understand, i will ask the lecturer and other students about it. if there is something i know, i explain what i know to 33 slamet wahyudi yulianto critical pedagogy principles in teaching efl reading them. it is very important in discussing the issue so that there is no misunderstanding about the knowledge that we know. (diah‟s learning journal on meeting #5) that excerpt indicates the desire for clarity as well as the openness to negotiate knowledge in order to collaboratively construct meaning. such desire and openness seem impossible to be occurred in asymmetrical power distribution and antidialogue relation (shor & freire, 1987; freire, 2005b). creating space for students’ voices to be heard this category covered inviting students to share their experience and knowledge regarding particular topics. it also consisted of listening and giving positive feedback to every occurred opinion, answer, and question. in responding students‟ ideas, the teacher often acted neutrally through confirming or inviting other students to react upon it rather than giving negative feedback. in order to train the students to be openminded as well as to give them opportunity to view from multiple perspectives, the teacher used his authority to ask the students to respectively listen, consider, and appreciate their friends‟ opinion upon the discussed issues (shor & freire, 1987; giroux, 1997). the observer‟s notes provide the authentic data which represent the application of the dialogic education. in this study, it was the result of creating space for students‟ voices to be heard. table 5.3 below lists those observer‟s notes meeting by meeting. table 3. observer’s notes on creating space for students’ voices to be heard meeting observer’s notes #2 teacher allowed students to express their point of views; teacher gave positive feedback upon students‟ opinion #3 answer and opinion are frequently invited to stimulate students‟ critical ability. #4 every student has an opportunity [to speak] in equal way; suasana kelas seperti hening saat ada siswa yang menjawab, mereka saling menghargai [classroom atmosphere seemed quiet when there is a student who answer; they respect each other]. #5 students were freely delivering the point of views related to the topic; teacher appreciated students‟ thought without interfering and direct judging #6 teacher listened to the answers and put them to consideration. #8 teacher tidak langsung bilang ‘salah’ terhadap pendapat siswa [did not directly say „wrong‟ towards students‟ opinion]. by looking at those observer‟s notes, it is seen that the conducive and supportive space for the students and the teacher conducting the dialogue was established. the data in the above table represent the classroom activities from observer‟s view point in the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth meetings. the activities could be interpreted as the indicators of the application of democratic principles in classroom (thayer-bacon, 1996). it is supported by the data in the form of students‟ answers during the interview session. it can be seen in the following excerpt: after discussion, i often get very different understanding rather than when i try to solve a problem by myself. i often get many differences and similarities with other‟s opinion. in his answers, adi uncovered the influence of being exposed with the activity of exchanging information and ideas during discussion. it represents his openmindedness (djiwandono, 2013). benefits and challenges of using critical pedagogy principles the data in the form students‟ learning journal, interview, and open-ended questionnaire reveal that there are two major categories of benefits and three types 34 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee of challenges as the consequences of using critical pedagogy principles. the two benefits are (1) the language development and (2) the new knowledge and experience acquisition. meanwhile, the three challenges are (1) the lack of classroomfriendly authentic controversial reading materials, (2) the passive culture, and (3) the unpredictable classroom. each category of those benefits and challenges will be elaborated further in the following paragraphs. the development of students‟ language proficiency is the first benefit of using the critical pedagogy principles in teaching efl reading. this category consists of the development of students‟ four integrated language skills and the improvement of students‟ vocabulary mastery. those two benefits are the result of four classroom activities during the teaching program that are conducting classroom discussion reading the written texts, watching videos, and writing learning journals. there are three types of knowledge acquired by the students during the teaching program, namely the knowledge about themselves, about english as their major, and the knowledge about how to stand for the disability rights. in the meantime, there are also three types of new experiences acquired by the students. those new experiences are learning something that was never obtained, participating in the classroom discussions, and being motivated to be heard by classmates. the new knowledge and experience acquisition is the result of bringing several controversial and related to the students topics and reading materials as well as practicing reading and analyzing various types of texts writing learning journals, and conducting group and classroom discussions. the lack of classroom-friendly authentic controversial reading materials causes the unfamiliar words used in the text and the complex structure of text. the challenge labeled the passive culture is represented in the students‟ personal disengagement and the lack of their selfesteem. meanwhile, the classroom unpredictability is a consequence of negotiating and distributing classroom power. the classroom decision making negotiation may cause the teaching learning activities run differently from what have been planed before by the teacher. conclusion the utilization of the three principles of critical pedagogy has helped students to think critically through providing four categories of activity. the first is offering problematic topics and reading materials that are directly related to students‟ personal and academic lives. the second is encouraging them to read between the lines. the third is distributing classroom power. the last is creating space for students‟ voices to be heard. there are two categories of benefit in addition to the development of the students‟ critical thinking skills. they are the development of students‟ language proficiency and new knowledge as well as experience acquisition. the developed language proficiency consists of four language skills and vocabulary mastery. in the meantime, there are three sub-categories of new knowledge and two new experiences that are acquired by the students. the three sub-categories of new knowledge are knowledge about students themselves, about the variety of english, and new knowledge about how to stand for disability rights. the obtained new experiences are learning new lessons, participating in classroom discussion, and being motivated to communicate voices and to be heard by the classmates. there are three major categories of challenges which were perceived by the students during the teaching program. the first challenge is the lack of classroomfriendly authentic controversial reading materials. the second is the passive culture. and the last is the unpredictable classroom. 35 slamet wahyudi yulianto critical pedagogy principles in teaching efl reading it is recommended for efl teacher education to introduce and promote the contextualized principles of critical pedagogy to efl teacher students. it is crucial for efl teacher education institutions to give sufficient understanding and training for teacher students regarding the use of critical pedagogy principles in their future classroom. additionally, it is suggested for further research to elongate time allocation and enlarge research participants to gain clearer picture regarding the application of critical pedagogy principles in the efl classroom context in indonesia. references addo, h. (1981). a world-system critique of freire's philosophy of education: naming the world capitalist reality. japan: the united nations university. akbari, r. (2008). transforming lives: introducing critical pedagogy into elt classrooms. elt journal, 62(3), 276-283. aliakbari, m., & faraji, e. (2011). basic principles of critical pedagogy. ipedr 17, 77 85. alvarez, z., calvete, m., & sarasa, m. c. (2012). integrating critical pedagogy theory and practice: classroom experiences in argentinian efl teacher education. journal of educators, teachers, and trainer, 3, 61 70. alwasilah, a. c. (2004). perspektif pendidikan bahasa inggris di indonesia dalam konteks persaingan global. bandung: cv. andira. alwasilah, a. c. (2012). pokoknya kualitatif. bandung: pustaka jaya. antoni, n. (2010). exploring efl teachers' strateies in teaching reading comprehension. jurnal penelitian pendidikan, 11(2), 39-51. aronowitz, s., & giroux, h. a. (1991). postmodern education: politics, culture, and social criticism. london: university of minnesota press. bassham, g., irwin, w., nardone, h., & wallace, j. m. (2011). critical thinking: a tudents' introduction. new york: mcgraw-hill. bogdan, r. c., & biklen, s. k. (1992). qualitative research for education. usa: pearson. bowers, c. a. (2005). rethinking freire: globalization and the environmental crisis. london: lawrence erlbaum associates. breuing, m. (2011). problematizing critical pedagogy. international journal of critical pedagogy, 3(3) , 2-23. brown, h. d. (2001). teahing by principles: an interactive pprocah to langauge pedagogy. new york: pearson education. bumela, l. (2011). the metafunction revealed: efl learners' experience in making sense. conaplin (1)2, 241-252. cahyono, b. y., & widiati, u. (2006). the teaching of efl reading in the indonesian context: the state of the art. teflin journal, 7(1) , 36-58. carter, r., & nunan, d. (2001). the cambridge guide to teaching english to speakers of other languages. cambridge: cambridge university press. chaffee, j. (2012). thinking critically (10th edition). boston: wadsworth. cho, s. (2013). critical pedagogy and social changes. london: roudtledge. cottrell, s. (2005). critical thinking skills: developing effective analysis and argument. new york: palgrave macmillan. dale, j., & hyslop-margison, e. j. (2010). paolo freire: teaching for freedom and transformation. london: springer. djiwandono, p. i. (2013). critical thinking skills for language students. teflin jornal, 24(1), 32-47. emilia, e. (2005). a genre-based approach to teaching academic writing in a tertiary efl context in indonesia, an unpublished text a disertation. melbroune: the university of melbroune. emilia, e. (2010). teaching writing: developing critical learners. bandung: rizqi press. emiilia, e. (2012). menulis tesis dan disertasi. bandung: alfabeta. emilia, e., & safrina. (2010). critical literacy program in english teacher education, unpublished text a research proposal. bandung: indonesia university of education. ennis, r. h. (1964). a definition of critical thinking. the reading teacher, 17( 8), 599612. ennis, r. h. (1996a). critical thinking. new jersey: prentice hall. ennis, r. h. (1996b). critical thinking dispositions: their nature and 36 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee assessability. informal logic, 18(2 & 3), 165182. epstein, r. l. (2006). critical thinking, thrid edition. ontario: thomson wadsworth. facione, p. a. (1990). the california critical thinking skills test (cctst): a form. milbrae, california: california academic press. fraenkel, j. r., hyun, h. h., & wallen, n. e. (2012). how to design and evaluate research in education. new york: mcgraw-hill. freire, p. (2005b). education for critical consciousness. new york: continuum. freire, p. (1998). pedagogy of freedom: ethics, democracy, and civic courage. newyork: rowman & littlefield. freire, p. (2005a). pedagogy of the oppressed. new york: continuum. freire, p., & macedo, d. (2005). literacy: reading the word and the world. london: routledge. giroux, h. a. (1997). pedagogy and the politics of hope. oxford: westview. grabe, s and stoller f. l. (2002). teaching and researching reading. england: longman. gustine, g. g. (2014). critical literacy in an indonesian efl settings: sustaining professional learning, unpublished text a dissertation. australia: deakin university. hajhosseiny, m. (2012). the effect of dialogic teaching on students' critical thinking disposition. procedia social and behavioral sciennces 69, 1358-1368. harmer, j. (2007). how to teach english. harlow: pearson education limited. hayati, n. (2010). empowering non-native english speaking teachers through critical pedagogy. teflin journal (21)1, 78 89. hood, s., solomon, n., & burns, a. (2005). focus on reading. sydney: macquarie university. hudson, t. (2007). teaching second language reading. oxford: new york. oxford university press. jeyarad, j. j., & harland, t. (2014). transforming teaching and learning in elt through critical pedagogy: an international study. journal of transformative education, 1-13. kaufmann, j. j. (2010). the practice of dialogue in critical pedagogy. adult education quarterly 60(5) , 456-476. kincheloe, j. l. (2011). critical pedagogy and the knowledge wars of the twenty-first centruy. in k. heyes, s. l. steinberg, & k. tobin, key works in critical pedagogy (pp. 385-402). boston: sense publisher. kincheloe, j. l. (2008). knowledge and critical pedagogy: an introduction. montreal: springer. ko, m.-y. (2013). a case study of an efl teacher's critical literacy teaching in a reading class in taiwan. language teaching research 17 (1) , 91-108. larson, k. r. (2014). critical pedagogy(ies) for elt in indonesia. teflin journal, 25(1) , 122-138. lems, k., miller, l. d., & soro, t. m. (2010). teaching reading to english language learners. london: the guilford press. lipman, m. (2003). thinking in education, second edition. cambridge: cup. mambu, j. e. (2014). countering hegemonic elt materials in asian elf contexts. asian efl journal 76, 4-25. mclaren, p. (2002). critical pedagogy and predatory culture: oppositional politics in a postmodern era. london: routledge. mclaren, p. (2003). life in schools: an introduction to critial pedagogy in the foundations of education. new york: allyn and bacon. mochinski, t. (2008). critical pedagogy and the everyday classroom. new york: springer. mui, m. s. (2013). dialogic pedagogy in hong kong: introducing art and culture. art & humanities in higher education 12(4), 408423. muro, a. (2011). pedagogies of changes: from theory to practice. international journal of critical pedagogy 4(1), 2-17. nunan, d. 2003. practical english language teaching. new york. mc graw hill. paul, r. w., & elder, l. (2002). critical thinking: tools for taking charge of your professional and personal life. new jersey: pearson education, inc. riasati, j. m., & mollei, f. (2012). critical pedagogy and langauge learning. international journal of humanities and social science 21(21), 223-229. shin, h., & crookes, g. (2005). exploring the possibilities for efl critical pedagogy in korea a two-part case study. critical inquiry in language studies: an international journal, 2(2), 1 17. shor, i., & freire, p. (1987). a pedagogy for liberation. massachusetts: bergin & garvey publishers. silverman, d. (2005). doing qualitative reserach. new delhi: sage publication. 37 slamet wahyudi yulianto critical pedagogy principles in teaching efl reading sulyaningsih, i. (2010). applying critical thinking in the teaching of reading (critical reading), unpublished text a thesis. bandung: upi swandarini, r. k. (2011). the use of some of dialogic education principles in teaching speaking, unpublished text a thesis. bandung: upi. thayer-bacon, b. j. (1996). democratic classroom communities. studies in philosopy and education 15 , 333-351. thayer-bacon, b. j. (2012). learning to trust our students. ethic and education vo. 7, no. 2, july , 149-161. thinsan, s. (2015, february 7). critical thinking and critical pedagogy: similarities, differences, and critiques. retrieved august 15, 2015, from http://thinsan.org/2015/02/07/criticalthinking-and-critical-pedagogy-similaritiesdifferences-and-critiques/ wall, a., & wall, r. (2005). the complete idiot's guide to critical reading. new york: penguin group. wallace, c. (2003). critical reading in language education. new york: palgrave macmillan. yatmikasari, i. (2011). incorporating the principles of critical discourse analysis in a reading classroom, unpublished text a thesis. bandung: upi yin, r. k. (2011). qualitative research from start to finish. new york: the guilford press. 38 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 61 language effectiveness and factors influencing scientific writing of indonesian undergraduate thesis saniago dakhi english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kristen indonesia email: saniagonias@gmail.com horas hutabarat english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kristen indonesia email: anggiat.mananda@yahoo.co.id apa citation: dakhi, s., & hutabarat, h. (2018). language effectiveness and factors influencing scientific writing of indonesian undergraduate thesis. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 61-74. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1496. received: 17-08-2018 accepted: 23-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: the linguistic feature distinction between written and spoken discourse, like scientific writing, narrative text, discussion text, oral speech, etc. has been a longstanding discussion among scholars. however, there is limited number of studies on indonesian undergraduate thesis context. this article reports the language effectiveness, i.e. lexical density and grammatical complexity of undergraduate thesis using the flesch’s analysis of the readability of adult reading materials (1974) and the determinant factors influencing them. this descriptive study, applying online system application, was conducted in an indonesian pseudonym university. forty-two undergraduate theses were used as data source of lexical density and grammatical complexity, and four english lecturers participated on interview. results showed that the average lexical density ratio was 42.14 and the grammatical complexity was 14.54. on the other hand, the determinant factors of academic writing holistically encompass; (1) psychological factors including identity awareness, motivation, and conceptual competency, (2) sociocultural factor covering personal experience, and (3) linguistic factors, namely linguistic awareness and application, and mechanical competency. to sum up, three important conclusions are drawn. firstly, there is no exactly the same lexical density and grammatical complexity across chapters of the undergraduate theses. secondly, the undergraduate theses are lexically acceptable, but grammatically are not as they are interpreted as american students’ slick fiction product. finally, variables affecting academic writing are not only linguistic factors, but also psychological and sociocultural ones. keywords: lexical density; grammatical complexity; undergraduate thesis; indonesian context; academic writing; language effectiveness. introduction language effectiveness has been a longstanding study among scholars as it is believed that written and spoken discourse, caused by the characteristics and dynamics of living language (dakhi, 2011), are two different linguistic entities (halliday, 1989; zhang, 2013; ghasemi & jahromi, 2014; & thanh, 2015). functionality discrepancies and linguistic features (ghasemi & jahromi, 2014) define their similarity. the undergraduate thesis, a writing product in which language effectiveness necessitates as it has its own typical features (pan, 2016), is simply defined as a communicative, efficient, and effective occurrence since textuality standards and grammatical complexity/intricacy, lexical density, nominalization, explicitness, contextualization, spontaneity, and repetition-hesitation and redundancy are met. additionally, it generally contains a mailto:saniagonias@gmail.com mailto:anggiat.mananda@yahoo.co.id saniago dakhi & horas hutabarat language effectiveness and factors influencing scientific writing of indonesian undergraduate thesis 62 generic structure, i.e. introduction (pardede, 2012). literature review (levy & ellis, 2006), methodology, research finding, discussion, conclusion, and suggestion. moreover, it requires a complexly-integrated skill (deane, et al., 2008) as it is a metacognitive process drawing an individual’s knowledge, basic skill, strategies, and ability to coordinate multiple processes (huy, 2015) and expressive, receptive, and reflective capabilities. a number of empirical studies testify the urgent need of the language effectiveness of undergraduate thesis, a new defined linguists' focus. it, for instance, is evidenced by stegan (2003) investigating the lexical density in oral and versus written rangi texts, seyabi and tuzlukova (2014) reporting the post-basic school and university students’ lexical items and content, chokwe (2013) researching academic writing skills, and huy (2015) confirming the student’s writing problems, i.e. lexical item and grammar. more specifically, signes and arroita (2015), marques (2008), and biber, gray, and stamples (2016) studied lexical density and investigated grammatical complexity. in indonesia, studies on lexical density and grammatical complexity have been only reported by nesia and ginting (2018) and adawiyah (2015). however, nesia and ginting (2018) focused their study on the lexical density in english reading texts for indonesian senior high school, and adawiyah (2015) differentiated the lexical density in scientific and narrative texts. a study exploring the thesis quality in accordance with written discourse characteristics, therefore, has to be taken into account. the present study is to provide such need. it was designed to objectively describe the lexical density (halliday, 1985; flesch, 1974), grammatical complexity (halliday, 1985; flesch, 1974) and factors influencing scientific writing (muchemwa, 2015) of english undergraduate theses of an indonesian pseudonym private university. method to answer objectively the research questions, 42 undergraduate theses of a pseudonym private university in indonesia were used as the data source of lexical density and grammatical complexity. the reason for selecting these 42 theses, consisting of 2015 and 2016's undergraduate theses, is because those are the only softcopies of project reports available. in addition, 4 informants participated on an interview, a technique to collect the data regarding the factors affecting undergraduate thesis. the selected four informants were all full-time english lecturers with different time teaching experiences. their experience teaching english as well as supervising the undergraduate theses were other reasons for the selection of the respondents. the full texts of undergraduate thesis containing five chapters, namely introduction, literature review, research methodology, research finding and discussion, and conclusion and suggestions, were entirely analyzed using online system application at http://textalyser.net/index.php?lang=en#anal ysis (for lexical density) offered by the bernhard huber internet engineering company and http://www.readabilityformulas.com/freetest s/six-readability-formulas.php (for grammatical complexity). the introduction section is the chapter i (henceforth c1), the literature review is the chapter ii (henceforth c2), the research methodology is the chapter iii (henceforth c3), the research finding and discussion is the chapter iv (henceforth c4), and the conclusion and suggestion is the chapter v (henceforth c5). scores taken and descriptively analyzed were mean length of sentence (henceforth mls) for grammatical complexity and flesch’s reading ease score for grammatical one. furthermore, both lexical density and grammatical complexity scores were tabulated according to what year, 2015 and 2016, the english undergraduate theses completed. at last, they were interpreted http://www.readabilityformulas.com/freetests/six-readability-formulas.php http://www.readabilityformulas.com/freetests/six-readability-formulas.php english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 63 using flesch’s (1974) analysis of the readability of adult reading materials and related theories. table 1. flesch’s analysis of the readability of adult reading materials style flesch reading ease score average sentence length in words average no. of syllable per 100 words type of magazine estimate school grade completed estimate percent of u.s. adults very easy 90 to 100 8 or less 123 or less comics 4 th grade 93 easy 80 to 90 11 131 pulp fiction 5 th grade 91 fairly easy 70 to 80 14 139 slick fiction 6 th grade 7 th or 8 th grade 88 standard 60 to 70 17 147 digests some high school 83 fairly difficult 50 to 60 21 155 quality high school 54 difficult 30 to 50 25 167 academic high school or some college 33 very difficult 0 to 30 29 or more 197 or more scientific college 4.5 an in-depth interview data was analyzed using thematic technique, a process to analyze the classifications and present themes (alhojailan, 2012) of obtained qualitative data. three steps were conducted, namely data reduction, data display, and verification/conclusion drawing. to establish the trustworthiness of the research finding, some techniques were employed. for the lexical density and grammatical complexity, repeated measures on the manuscripts, three times, were conducted to assure dependability of the data. on the other hand, for interview data verification by repeating a similar question to the participants during the interview was conducted. at last, a peer scrutiny of project and member check by the peer review members who were officially assigned has been applied to meet the credibility of the finding. results and discussion lexical density table 2. lexical density of 2015’s thesis c1 c2 c3 c4 c5 max 57.20 60.00 61.50 46.70 68.20 min 44.20 33.50 32.40 21.90 40.50 mean 51.32 43.73 39.48 26.33 53.53 as shown in table 2, the c1 mean lexical density of 2015’s thesis is 51.32. this is 7.59 higher than c2’s, 43.73 (difficult), 11.48 higher than c3’s, 39.48 (difficult), and 24.99 higher than c4’s, 26.33 (very difficult). regardless of that, c5’s mean lexical density is the highest one. it is 53.53 (fairly difficult) or 2.21 higher than c1’s. referring to the flesch’s table, specifically to what grade they are interpreted in american student’s writing, those 5 units can be categorized into three different groups. the first and fifth chapters are american high school category, meant written by american high school students. the second and third chapters, respectively literature review and research methodology, are estimated as american high school or some college learners’ product. furthermore, the research finding and discussion section is grouped into their college students’ writing. this is to say that the literature review, research methodology, and research findings and discussion sections according to genre of flesch’s table are lexically accepted as academic and scientific discourse. table 3. lexical density of 2016’s thesis c1 c2 c3 c4 c5 max 59.90 61.20 53.10 53.70 64.60 min 21.30 33.30 30.30 12.20 23.40 mean 48.03 43.75 39.55 22.70 53.01 saniago dakhi & horas hutabarat language effectiveness and factors influencing scientific writing of indonesian undergraduate thesis 64 though the 2015’s and 2016’s lexical density are academically acceptable, they show a slight difference. the 2015’s lexical density is 42.88, or 1.47 higher than 2016’s (41.14). moreover, the introduction, literature review, and conclusion and suggestion sections of the 2016’s got improved. hence, this indicates that the 2016’s undergraduate theses lexical density got better. the previous description has made two crucial implications of the findings. they are dealt with the highest and lowest lexical density, and the diversity of lexical density across the writers and undergraduate thesis chapters. it can be stated that both the 2015's and 2016's literature review sections possess the lowest lexical density, the best, and their introduction sections, a piece of discourse which introduces a lengthy discourse, a project report, a laboratory report or even student essay (stapa, maasum, & aziz, 2014), own the highest ones, the worst. thus, this implies twofold. firstly, regardless of the systematic procedure of literature review (supriya et al., 2018), theories and previous studies, sources of literature review, primarily predict indonesian efl undergraduate's lexical density. it was caused by the fact that the literature synthesis helps the writers develop a knowledge base (apostolou, dorminey, hassell, & rebele, 2018) in writing the undergraduate thesis. secondly, the position of the introduction section at the beginning of the scientific report, presumably reviewed more frequently and intensively, does not affect lexical density. finally, the diversity of lexical density indices across the writers and undergraduate thesis chapters obviously approves the dynamics of any living languages (dakhi, 2016). it means that words have widely varying frequencies of use. thus, it is natural to have different lexical density across the writers and undergraduate thesis chapters. a similar finding strengthens the nature of that lexical density. reported by demir-vegter, aarts, and kurvers (2013), it was claimed that there was also a lexical diversity in maternal input to turkish preschoolers in the netherlands. more importantly, a report by nesia and ginting (2018) on lexical density of english reading texts for indonesian senior high school showed a difference with the present report. they reported that the lexical density of explanative texts were 58.42% and 52.05%; review texts were 55.73% and 53.51%; narrative texts were 48.96% and 43.97%; and discussion texts were 47.79% and 42.57%. discussing the different realization of the lexical density among the data sources is interesting. it is assumed that the difference is mainly caused by genres of the data source. naturally, academic genre is lexically densed. the data source of the present report was the undergraduate theses, academic genre, while their sources were the english reading texts for senior high school in indonesia. an additional report confirming the lexical density of the academic text is adawiyah (2015). her/his study was to differentiate lexical density between scientific and narrative texts. it was discovered that the lexical density of scientific texts (49.4% and 50.2%) were higher than the narrative ones (41.0% and 40.8%). grammatical complexity table 4. grammatical complexity of 2015’s thesis c1 c2 c3 c4 c5 max 18.72 20.32 16.88 16.45 17.05 min 13.25 11.51 9.47 8.00 10.21 mean 15.93 15.58 12.89 11.75 14.64 as shown in table 4 that the mean mls index of the c1 of the 2015’s thesis is 15.93 (fairly easy), received the most grammatical complexity. respectively, c2, c5, c3, and c4 are 15.58 (fairly easy), 14.64 (fairly easy), 12.89 (easy), and 11.75 (fairly easy), the least grammatical complexity. the data implies that, firstly, grammatical complexity of the chapter of the 2015's english undergraduate theses is standard, fairly difficult, difficult, and very difficult category. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 65 secondly, the mlses of c1, c2, and c5 are categorized as fairly easy, and the mlses of c3 and c4 are easy. consulting the flesch’s table, therefore, the introduction, literature review, and conclusion and suggestion sections of the 2015’s equal to the 6th-8th american graders’ writing. on the other hand, the mlses of the 2016’s english undergraduate theses are displayed in table 5. it shows that the mlses of c1, c5, c2, c4, and c3 are respectively 16.86 (fairly easy), 16.45 (fairly easy), 16.06 (fairly easy), 12.64 (easy), and 12.56 (easy). it means the introduction section, educational writing genre (kawase, 2015) received the most grammatical complexity, and the methodology section was the least one. table 5. grammatical complexity of 2016’s thesis c1 c2 c3 c4 c5 max 20.36 20.11 16.45 19.23 19.82 min 13.68 13.34 8.66 7.01 11.65 mean 16.86 16.06 12.58 12.64 16.45 the average mls of c1, c2, c3, c4, and c5 of both 2015 and 2016’s mls is respectively 16.40 (fairly easy), 15.82 (fairly easy), 12.74 (easy), 12.20 (easy), and 15.55 (fairly easy). comparing the mlses of both 2015 and 2016’s english undergraduate theses suggests some important implications. firstly, both the introduction sections of 2015 and 2016’s theses had the highest grammatical complexity. secondly, the entire mls of 2016’s undergraduate theses, except c3, are greater than those of 2015’s, statistically evidenced by the deviated mean mls of 2015 (14.16) and 2016’s (14.92) theses, 0.76. thirdly, such finding syntactically testifies the graduate’s english writing growth. though the current study did not focus on reasons for the grammatical complexity growth in 2016’s english undergraduate theses, it is obvious that sentence length is a robust measure of sentence structure (vieira, picoli, & mendes, 2018). this means that the growth of the mls predicts undergraduate’s improved writing. furthermore, such mls growth confirms that language is basically systematic and learnable (dakhi, 2016). additional factor making the finding reasonable is learners' cognitive diversity. obviously, students have different abilities. in this regard, it is normal that mlses of 2015 and 2016’s graduates’ writing ability are different. some similar findings showing the learners’ different skill. muslim (2014) reports that efl students’ writing ability was significantly different and bauerly and gottwald (2009) find that the complexity level of fluent and stuttered utterances produced by children was significantly different exemplify it. however, the grammatical complexity growth of the 2016’s theses did not meet mls standard of academic discourse. consulting table 1, the 2016’s undergraduate theses are identical to the 6th graders of american products. therefore, this strengthens pan’s claim (2016) that academic writing is grammatically complex. similar evidence of the complexity of the writing was reported by javed, wu, and nazli (2013) that the overall performance of all their research respondents was better in comprehension as compared to other subskills, namely word completion, sentence making/syntax, tenses/grammar, and handwriting. in a different context, ling and ling (2008) confirmed the writing complexity by arguing that international students in a canadian university passed twe (test of written english) after repeatedly doing it. relating lexical density and grammatical complexity relating the lexical density and grammatical complexity shows the 2015's language effectiveness of undergraduate thesis, i.e. lexical density (42.88) and grammatical complexity (14.16) and the 2016’s i.e. lexical density (41.41) and (14.92). the 2015’s lexical density consulted with flesch’s theory shows that they are fairly difficult and are estimated written by some american high school students. on the other hand, its mls index (14.16) is fairly easy, saniago dakhi & horas hutabarat language effectiveness and factors influencing scientific writing of indonesian undergraduate thesis 66 produced by the sixth american graders. the 2016’s lexical density is difficult and estimated written by high school or some college american students, and its mls index is identical to the 2015’s. averagely, the lexical density is 42.14 and grammatical density is 14.54. interestingly, lexical density interpreted as a high school or some college of american student’s product, deviating the mls, is a sixth american grader’s product. one of the reasons what mls makes low is what saaristo (2015) reported. he argued grammar understood as a metalinguistic set of (also normative) statements of regularities in language, which is the way most students think of grammar, results in the bad grammatical complexity of the undergraduate thesis. this is due to the fact that in writing process, grammar is obliged to be a skill, that is something that we have to do and practice, not a knowledge. however, some techniques to improve the mls, though it lowers the lexical density, is the use of direct speech, frequent use of opening and closing devices, of connectives, of copula and of pronouns (stegan, 2003). conversely, an effective way to improve lexical density is through vocabulary mastery. regardless of l2 lexical density proficiency has a differential impact on efl learners' summary writing (baba, 2009), lexical items still hold a crucial role in language proficiency. it is because vocabulary is a basis for communicating either in verbal or nonverbal forms. referring to this, meeting the received lexical density requires lexical sophistication, diversity, and richness. factors influencing language effectiveness identity awareness it was reported personal consciousness and awareness as english lecturers, professional identity, led to a complete comprehension of some academic efforts developing teaching skills, particularly language skills, language teaching, and ict. the academic activities, the action, including conducting research, attending scientific seminars, workshops, and conferences, reading, and designing teaching equipment make the lecturers’ responsibilities concrete. a similar research finding reported that the participants, in the process of gaining self-awareness and selfknowledge, experienced themselves as approaching professional situations in new ways, gained theories and methods, which they consider as useful in understanding their every-day professional practices and showed a change in their experience of “who they are” as professionals. this, defining the role of identity awareness in a workplace, can be seen in the themes “awareness of personal resonance”, “awareness personal point of reference”, and in “situational awareness,” (andrén, 2012). importance of self-awareness in learning has been a longstanding study. oscarson (2009) discovered both teachers and students considered student self-assessments as contributing valuable additional information to ordinary tutoring and testing. ghamari and khatib (2011) reported that there was a mutual and dynamic relationship between identity and language learning. furthermore, in chemistry teaching, alkan and erdem (2014) also confirmed that there was relationship between metacognitive awareness, competency perception, and teacher self-efficacy. oyserman, elmore, and smith (2012) stated identities are the traits and characteristics, social relations, roles, and social group memberships. in this regard, the personal identity awareness and profession as english lecturer, playing a central role, define the roles, consequently determine the efforts saving the lecturer’s face. the core definition of identity, furthermore, is manifested into three main domains. it consists of the past-what used to be true of one, the present-what is true of one now, or the future-the person one expects or wishes to become, the person one feels obligated to try to become, or the person one fears one may become. the past refers to efl learners' learning quality from which they acquire the true knowledge. the english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 67 present is concerned with students' current efforts in efl learning either in classrooms or at home. finally, the future is defined as the efl learners’ dreams and expectations. personal experience no denies that experience as the best teacher; therefore is a final and validated truth shared to any individuals’ frame of reference. in learning language context, more specifically writing, experience is viewed as a schemata. the schemata is a pre-existing knowledge of the world, a collection of a concept including background knowledge of content, text structure, and hierarchical organization of the text (fushan, 2014). the schemata is enormously useful in efl learning. there have been many scientific studies testifying it. according to ferdipour and delavar (2011) the schemata, parts of macrostructure of text, have a significant effect on written communication. still about the schemata, radzi and aziz (2014) discovered that content schemata had influenced the learners’ text comprehension. on efl teaching, conversely, the experience deals with teaching experience. efl teachers’ various experiences hold a key role in influencing efl learners' behavior. thus, an account for types of experience and teacher professionalism is interesting since different teachers have different experiences and then different orientations in teaching. reported by louws, meirink, veen, and van driel (2017), an evidence of different experiences resulting in different teaching orientations, earlyand late-career teachers showed greater preference to learn about classroom management compared to mid-career. however, only insightful and useful teaching is needed to accomplish efl learning objectives. the insightful and useful teaching experiences are products of reflective thinking. supported by afshar and farahani (2015), they claimed there was a significant positive correlation between reflective teaching and reflective thinking. it indicates that the insightful and useful efl teaching experience are positively obtained through teachers’ reflective thinking. according to the present study, attractiveness, revision, feasibility, and practicality of literacy skills result in the teaching and learning interest, consequently becoming stored into a longterm memory forming the teaching english writing. some related studies support such findings. the attractiveness predicted well-being and social connectiveness (plaut, adams & anderson, 2009); subsequently influenced the great physical and psychological health, student-student interaction and studentteacher interaction. views on revision or reversibility role in writing have, although, changed dramatically over the last two decades, revision and its strategies still hold a vital role in writing process. this is in line with woo, chu, and li’s (2013) argument that peer-feedback sheds light on influence of peer-feedback, one of the strategies of revision, on the writing process. automated writing evaluation (awe), another strategy on revision, is helpful for esl writers to improve linguistic accuracy (li, link, & hegelheimer, 2015). however, an account for reviewer and peer-feedback provider has to be considered as only experienced writers can do it. reported by calkin (2018), it was explained since the writing is an inner behavior, only the writer could observe and review it. moreover, feasibility study on language learning, a procedure to predict outcome of an investigation examination, or assessment of a planned schema along with possible gain (mukherjee & roy, 2017), holds an important role in deciding whether there is possibility to achieve the learning outcomes. study on the importance of feasibility studies has been conducted by wuest et al. (2015) and by organisation for economic co-operation and development or oecd (2013) reminding that feasibility is not an end in itself, but rather a stimulus to deeper professional dialogue on desired learning outcomes and the teaching approaches needed to achieve them. learning feasibility saniago dakhi & horas hutabarat language effectiveness and factors influencing scientific writing of indonesian undergraduate thesis 68 adopted from mukherjee and roy (2017) comprises technical, economic, legal, and operational feasibility. finally, practicality is assumed as a determinant factor of the well-planned execution of writing project in efl context. pouliot (2008) explored three dimensions of practicality: instrumental rationality (logic of consequences), norm-following (logic of appropriateness), and communicative action (logic of arguing). motivation it is believed something getting done is highly influenced by the degree of the needs possibly met (maslow, 1954), a psychological factor (dwihandini, marhaeni, & suamajaya, 2013). rasekh and barati (2014) confirmed that motivation contributes to the learning environment, teachers, techniques, and the material. according to dakhi and damanik (2018) curiosity (92.22%), challenge (83%), compliance (77.67%), competition in reading (77.50%), reading importance (73.33%), reading involvement (72.50%), recognition (68.33%), reading for grades (67.08%), reading efficacy (59.44%), avoidance (59.17), and social reason (55.56) are motivation variables of tenth graders at sma negeri 55, jakarta. another factor making someone motivated to do something is feedback. feedback provision through teaching, a need for improving the hard skill and pedagogic skill, motivates the teacher of english writing. the feedback is viewed as an information provided by an agent (e.g., teacher, peer, book, parent, experience) regarding aspects of one’s performance or understanding. although feedback has a powerful influence on learning and achievement, its type produces different output (hattie & timperley, 2007). three factors predict an evaluative feedback, tested by azzam and whyte (2018), are delivery strategy, accuracy, and type (positive/negative). therefore, strategy on how to provide the feedback has to be taken into account by english teachers. one of the strategies enhancing the feedback quality is by applying a web application, the minute feedback system (mfs). barrett, et al. (2018) reported that about 98.6% of students (138 women, 140 men) used mfs. they asked the feedback more from faculty (26.3 requests per individual) compared to trainees (16.4 requests per individual). on the contrary, a responsibility being a lecturer and of course learner, the duty, has driven the teaching writing. it is viewed as a bundle of obligations associated with a job or function, like teacher and leaner of writing teaching, as narrowly defined as a role, job description, by which function is described. as francis (2012) stated teachers have the charge to set environmental conditions for the learner, the teacher is the key external component, collaborating with the student to encourage, cultivating and drawing out the student’s motivation to learn, the responsibility is clearly defined. thus, teaching and learning writing is a social responsibility (sihem, 2013). furthermore, teaching boredom, another motivation variable, on the other hand, puts an action on the meaningless and unattractive struggle of process of a possible background of the undergraduate thesis lexical density and grammatical complexity. though boredom is defined as an interrelated and inseparable emotional, motivational, perceptual and cognitive concomitants, it serves to encourage people to seek new goals and experiences and provides a valuable adaptive function by signalling its time to pursue a goal of a writing project (bench & lench, 2013). lastly, an experience, problem-solving, and role model to be an objective examiner have totally met the needs in teaching and learning writing. according to the present study, it revealed, surprisingly, no negative external motivation implying the threat absence as the positive external is practiced, but positive internal and negative internal ones exist. the feedback provision, responsibility, duty, loyalty, and good team-work function english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 69 as the positive external motivation, and experience, role model and objective examiner are treated as positive internal motivation through which positive motivation dominates over the negative one. moreover, the boredom, e.g. meaningless and unattractive teaching and learning academic writing meets the negative internal motivation. linguistic awareness and application any living languages have vocabulary and system of structure, a theoretical background language learnability claim as learning by system has made teaching possible, a basic element of language teaching and language production. linguistic awareness consists in the mental recognition, a state of knowing the cultural features of both spoken and written discourse hidden in linguistic manifestation, the acceptable application and its mutual connection with the other studies. ideally, a good theoretical concept understanding is definitely appropriately interpreted into an acceptably correct application, i.e. spoken and written discourse linguistic features differ. consequently "learning language" and "learning about the language" are obviously traced for which grammar as skill application in the scientific undergraduate thesis, not as science, is entirely executed. mahadouche (2010) confirms writing awareness difficulty contributes on the writing skill supports the urgency of linguistic awareness and application to some extent and strengthens linguistic proficiency as a dominant factor on the students' research report (dwihandini, marhaeni, & suamajaya, 2013). conceptual and mechanical competence a conceptual competence requiring a creativity to conceive ideas and transmute them into an observably physical object (egiri & wuritka, 2016) is highly identical to the very beginning process of language production ability including writing as it precedes the formulation, articulation, and self-monitoring phase. a syntactic thinking process of language production, a nonsyntactic or imaginary one definitely proceeds a logical and socially acceptable idea with formal form according to the frame of social reference. human language conceptualization, some are universal and others are language-specific, is defined in different physical and cultural environments. even though language conceptualization is complex since content selection, syntactic form selection, and sound sequences are human problem, a study on how to conceptualize and communicate conducted through the use of drawing evidence that language conceptualization can be trained. in this study, mastering the topic and research methodology defines conceptual competence. a holistic view on the topic of the writing puts the writer on the right access to the writing success, and research methodology frames the nature of the question and establish a path along which research (jonker & pennik, 2010) and its report can be directed. competency in choosing the topic is required as it functions to establish a well-defined task environment dimension of the writing, a process-based approach to writing (bayat, 2014). on the contrary, the mechanics and coherence application to the writing completes the mechanical variables. an emphasis on perceived grammar, spelling, and usage including mechanics and coherence application is product-based. the product approach to writing according to palpanada, salam, and ismail (2014) completely encompasses familiarization, controlled writing, guided writing, and free writing. regarding the previous research finding and discussion, some implications are provided as follows: a. the distinction of lexical density and grammatical complexity index of undergraduate thesis according to its unit of chapter and time written confirms the writing skill improvement, the dynamics of language, an altered output driven by the context of the writing purpose and strengthens the writing as a complex integrated skill. saniago dakhi & horas hutabarat language effectiveness and factors influencing scientific writing of indonesian undergraduate thesis 70 b. the lexical density interpretation, a high school or some college of american student’s product, deviates the mls, a sixth american grader’s product. ideally, mls index is not an obstacle increasing the syntactic complexity since in this study grammatical complexity is merely an average word length in sentence, a non-structurally and semanticallysentence-based index. an unrecognized characteristic of english language sentence by the undergraduates, therefore, is obviously captured. c. although the fifth chapter is the core unit of the research report providing the scientific answer of the problem and is presumably frequently revised and reviewed by thesis advisors, it is lexically the most ineffective part compared to the others since. this is to confirm a negative attitude on research finding and to predict a mental boredom of the writer. d. elaborating motivation of teaching and learning english writing, the feedback provision, responsibility, duty, loyalty, and good team-work function as the positive external motivation, and experience, role model and objective examiner are treated as positive internal motivation through which positive motivation dominates over the negative one. moreover, the boredom, e.g. meaningless and unattractive teaching and learning academic writing meets the negative internal motivation. this surprisingly shows that no negative external motivation practiced, a threat. e. regardless of the low grammatical complexity index, conceptual and mechanical competency as a determinant factor of the writing success, an integration of process and product-based writing approach is the finest model. conclusion three important conclusions are drawn in this scientific study. firstly, the diversity of lexical density realization in the undergraduate thesis according to its unit of chapter and time composed is averagely 42.14, to some extent, it is acceptable as an american student's academic product. secondly, the writing quality improvement assessed through grammatical complexity, 2015's mls index is 14.16 and 2016's mls score is 14.92, still defines its syntactical complexity mean index, 14.54, as slick fiction product of the sixth american students. finally, determinant factor of academic writing holistically encompasses psychological factors, i.e. identity awareness, motivation, and conceptual competency, sociocultural factor, i.e. personal experience, and linguistic factors: linguistic awareness and application and mechanical competency. to acquire a sustainable research project and improve linguistically academic acceptance of the undergraduate thesis, more generally english writing, some suggestions and recommendations are listed: 1) the tolerated index of undergraduate thesis lexical density does not guarantee the academic and technical content as this research employed a calculation on-line system; thus, for its pure acceptance, it has to be further studied through semantic-based analysis. 2) since the research interpretation was consulted with the flesch's theory, an indonesian language text readability index is an urgently needed for linguists’ research. 3) the lexical density index decrease and the grammatical complexity increase have to be seriously taken into account by english lecturers and students of pseudonym university. a well-defined, planned, and conducted both process and product-based approach to writing are the appropriately finest model. a detailed concept and well-trained writing syntactically constructing a practical, academic and scientific thesis product are advisedly to be executed. acknowledgement this research was entirely funded by the english education department (eed), english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 71 faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kristen indonesia (uki) in 2017. references adawiyah, r. (2015). grammatical intricacy and lexical density in scientific and narrative texts. (undergraduate thesis). medan: universitas sumatera utara. retrieved from http://repository.usu.ac.id/bitstream/handle/1234 56789/62923/cover.pdf?sequence=7. afshar, h. s., & farahani, m. (2015). reflective thinking and reflective teaching among iranian efl teachers: do gender and teaching experience make a difference? procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 192, 615-620. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.06.107. alkan, f., & erdem, e. (2014). the relationship between metacognitive awareness, teacher selfefficacy, and chemistry competency. procediasocial and behavioral sciences, 778-783. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.07.475. alhojailan, m. i. (2012). thematic analysis: a critical review of its process and evaluation. west east journal of social sciences, 1 (1), 39-47. retrieved from https://fac.ksu.edu.sa/sites/default/files/ta_themat ic_analysis_dr_mohammed_alhojailan.pdf. andrén, u. (2012). self-awareness and selfknowledge in professions: something we are or skill we learn. göteborg: acta universitatis hothoburgenesis. azzam, t., & whyte, c. e. (2018). evaluative feedback delivery and the factors that affect success. evaluation and program planning, 67, 148-159. doi: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2017.11.005. apostolou, b., dorminey, j. w., hassell, j. m., & rebele, j. e. (2018). accounting education literature review (2017). journal of accounting education, 43, 1-23. doi: 10.1016/j.jaccedu.2018.02.001. baba, k. (2009). aspects of lexical proficiency in writing summaries in a foreign language. journal of second language writing, 18(3), 191-208. doi: 10.1016/j.jslw.2009.05.003. bauerly, k. r., & gottwald, s. r. (2009). the dynamic relationship of sentence complexity, childhood stuttering, and grammatical development. contemporary issues in communication science and disorders, 36, 1425. bayat, n. (2014). the effect of the process writing approach on writing success and anxiety. educational sciences: theory and practice, xiv(3), 1133-1141. doi: 10.12738/estp.2014.3.1720. bench, s. w., & lench, h. c. (2013). on the function of boredom. behavioral sciences, iii, 459-472. doi: 10.3390/bs3030459. biber, d., gray, b., & stamples, s. (2016). contrasting the grammatical complexities of conversation and academic writing: implication for eap writing development and teaching. language in focus journal, 2(1). calkin, a. b. (2018). writing on writing. international journal of educational research, 87, 127-137. doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2017.05.002. chokwe, j. m. (2013). impacting academic writing skills of english second language students. mediterranean journal of social science, iv(14), 337-384. dakhi, s., & damanik, i. s. (2018). students’ motivation in reading english text: a qualitative study in efl context. journal of english teaching, 4(2), 81-93. retrieved from http://ejournal.uki.ac.id/index.php/jet/article/view /832. dakhi, s. (2016). foreign language acquisition of souvenir seller in bawomataluo village. journal ilmu bahasa, ii(1), 16-32. doi: 10.22225/jr.2.1.46.16-32. dakhi, s. (2011). lexical changes of southern dialect of li niha (master thesis). medan: universitas negeri medan. retrieved from http://digilib.unimed.ac.id/3219/. deane, p., et al. (2008). cognitive models of writing: writing proficiency as a complexly integrated skill. princeton: educational testing service. demir-vegter, s., aarts, r., & kurvers, j. (2013). lexical richness in maternal input and vocabulary development of turkish preschoolers in the netherlands. journal of psycholinguistic research, 43(2), 149-165. doi: 10.1007/s10936013-9245-7. dwihandini, l. a., marhaeni, a. a. i. n., suamajaya, i. w. (2013). the analysis of the factors affecting undergraduate students’ difficulties in writing thesis in the english department of mahasaraswati university. e-journal program pascasarjana universitas pendidikan ganesha, ii, 1-12. retrieved from https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/2069 45-the-analysis-of-the-factors-affecting-un.pdf. egiri, y. o., & wuritka, e. (2016). conceptualizing concepts: a new approach to industrial design. doi: 10.13140/rg.2.2.23092.45443. ferdipour, a., & delavar, a. (2011). the effect of rhetorical patterns or schemata on reading comprehension in expository text of perian. procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 30, 690-693. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.10.133. flesch, r. (1974). the art of readable writing. new york: harper. francis, j. m. (2012). student-regulated learning: roles and responsibilities for students motivation (master thesis). west point: united states military academy. retrieved from https://www.usma.edu/cfe/literature/francis_12. pdf. saniago dakhi & horas hutabarat language effectiveness and factors influencing scientific writing of indonesian undergraduate thesis 72 fushan, s. (2014).the application of schema theory in teaching college english college writing. theory and practice in language studies, iv( 7), 1476-1482. doi: 10.4304/tpls.4.7.1476-1482. ghamari, a. m., & khatib, m. (2011). mutual relations of identity and foreign language learning: an overview of linguistic and sociolinguistic approaches to identity. theory and practice in language studies, i(12), 17011708. doi: 10.4304/tpls.1.12.1701-1708. ghasemi, h., & jahromi, m. k. (2014). the difference between spoken and written discourse in english. international journal of language learning and applied linguistics world, vi(4), 147-155. halliday, m. a. (1989). spoken and written language. oxford: oxford university press. huy, n. t. (2015). problems affecting learning writing skill of grade 11 at thong linh high school. asian journal of educational research, ii(2), 53-69. javed, m., wu, x. j., & nazli, s. (2013). a study of students’ assessment in writing skills of the english. international journal of instruction, vi(2), 129-144. retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1085369.pdf. jonker, j., & pennik, b. (2010). the essence of research methodology. doi: 10.1007/978-3-54071659-4_2. kawase, t. (2015). metadiscourse in the introductions of phd theses and research articles. journal of english for academic purposes, 20, 114-124. doi: 10.1016/j.jeap.2015.08.006. levy, y., & ellis, t. j. (2006). a system approach to conducting an effective literature review in support of information system research. informing science journal, ix, 181-212. li, j., link, s., & hegelheimer, v. (2015). rethinking the role of automated writing evaluation (awe) feedback in esl writing instruction. journal of second language teaching, 27, 1-18. doi: 10.1016/j.jslw.2014.10.004. ling, h., & ling, s. (2008). esl students' perceptions and experiences of standardized english writing tests. assessing writing, xiii(2), 130-149. doi: 10.1016/j.asw.2008.08.001. louws, m. l., meirink, j. a., van veen, k., & van driel, j. h. (2017). teacher's self-directed learning and teaching experience: what, how, and why teachers want to learn. teaching and teacher education, 66, 171-183. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2017.04.004. mahadouche, m. (2010). developing the writing skill through increasing learners' awareness of the writing process: the case of second-year students-university of constative (master thesis). retrieved from https://bu.umc.edu.dz/theses/anglais/ham1132.p df. marques, g. (2008). establishing a continuum in spoken and written language in student emails. odense working papers in language and communication (pp. 564-576). maslow, a. (1954). motivation and personality. new york: harper and bros. muchemwa, s. (2015). factors influencing the learning of english language for academic purposes for foreign students: a case of solusi university. european online journal and social sciences, iv(3), 527-533. mukherjee, m., & roy, s. (2017). feasibility studies and important aspect of project management. international journal of advanced engineering and management, ii(4), 98-100. retrieved from https://ijoaem.org/00204-25. muslim, i. m. (2014). helping efl students improve their writing. international journal of humanities and social studies, iv(2), 205-12. retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/8650/5e5674fefa a9b63af0dd76405985c77db95c.pdf. nesia, h. b., & ginting, s. a. (2018). lexical density of english reading texts for senior high school. retrieved from https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/2219 25-none.pdf. organization for economic co-operation and development. (2013). assessment of higher education learning outcomes feasibility study report. retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyondschool/ahelo%20fs%20report%20volume% 201%20executive%20summary.pdf. oscarson, a. d. (2009). self-assessment of writing in learning english as a foreign language: a study at the upper secondary school level. göteborg: gesonhyltetryck. retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ed505960.pdf. oyserman, d., elmore, k., & smith, g. (2012). self, self-concept, and identity. in m. r. leary, & j. p.tangney, the handbook of self and identity (pp. 69-104). new york: the guilford press. palpanada, s. t., salam, a. r. b., & ismail, f. b. (2014). comparative analysis of process versus product approach of teaching writing in malaysian schools: review literature. middleeast journal of scientific research, xxii(6), 789-795. doi: 10.5829/idosi.mejsr.2014.22.06.21943. pardede, p. (2012). scientific articles structure. scientific writing workshop. retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0b7pjkztaptsou 0nusvbbt3lzc28/edit. plaut, v. c., adams, g., & anderson, s. l. (2009). does attractiveness buy business? “it depends on where you are from”. journal of the international association for relationship research, xvi, 619630. retrieved from english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 73 https://www.law.berkeley.edu/files/attractivenes s_paper.pdf. pouliot, v. (2008). the logic of practicality: a theory of practice of security communities. international organization, 62(2), 257-288. doi: 10.1017/s0020818308080090. radzi, a. h. m., & aziz, n. h. a. (2014). exploring content schemata influence on l2 learners’ comprehension of zuraidah omar’s. twelve and not stupid. procedia – social and behavioral sciences, 155, 215-222. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.10.282. rasekh, a. s., & barati, h. (2014). teachers’ feedback and students’ motivation in english for general and specific purposes courses in iran. theory and practice in language studies, v(5), 973-981. doi: 10.4304/tpls.4.5.973-981. saaristo, p. (2015). grammar is the heart of language: grammar and its role in language learning among finnish university students. in j. jalkanen, e. jokinen, & p. taalas (eds.), voices of pedagogical development – expanding, enhancing and exploring higher education language learning (pp. 279-318). dublin: researchpublishing.net. doi: 10.14705/rpnet.2015.000296. seyabi, f. a., & tuzlukova, v. (2014). the writing problem and strategies: an investigative study in the omani school and university context. asian journal of social science and humanities, iii(4), 37-48. signes, c. g., & arroita, b. c. (2015). analysing lexical density and lexical diversity in university students' written discourse. procedia-social and behavioral sciences (pp. 546-556). sihem, b (2013). social responsibility of educators. international journal of education research and technology, iv(1), 46-51. retrieved from http://www.soeagra.com/ijert/ijertmarch2013/8.p df. smith, r. c., dorsey, a. a., lyles, j. s., & frankel, r. m. (1999). teaching self-awareness enhances learning about patient-centered interviewing. academic medicine, 74(11), 1242-1249. retrieved from http://bpsmedicine.msu.edu/pdf/22%20%20ctstudypstrng.pdf. stapa, s. h., maasum, t. n. r. t., & aziz, m. s. a. (2014). identifying problems in writing thesis introductions in research methodology class. procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 112, 497-502. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.1194. stegan, o. (2003). lexical density in oral versus written rangi texts. soas working papers in linguistics, xv, 173-184. supriya, et al. (2018). systematic review of literature review: best practices. academic radiology. doi: 10.1016/j.acra.2018.04.025. thanh, n. c. (2015). the difference between spoken and written grammar in english, in comparison with vietnamese. gist education and learning research journal, (11), 138-153. vieira, d. s., picoli, s., & mendes, r. s. (2018) robustness of sentence length measures in written texts. physica a: statistical mechanics and its applications, 506, 749-754. doi: 10.1016/j.physa.2018.04.104. woo, m. m., chu, s. k. w., & li, x. (2013). peerfeedback and revision process in a wiki mediated collaborative writing. educational technology research and development, 61(2), 279-309. doi: 10.1007/s11423-012-9285-y. wuest, j., et al. (2015). the process, outcomes, and challenges of feasibility studies conducted in partnership with stakeholders: a health intervention for woman survivors of intimate partner violence. retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/n ur.21636. zhang, b. (2013). an analysis of spoken and written language and how they affect english language learning and teaching. journal of language teaching and research, iv(4), 834-838. saniago dakhi & horas hutabarat language effectiveness and factors influencing scientific writing of indonesian undergraduate thesis 74 abstract: whole language approach (wla) is the approach to learn language that focus on the real communication, reading and writing in the fun learning environment context english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee applyingwhole language approach and public speaking activity in smart ekselensia high school lisa rosaline smart ekselensia senior high school, bogor, indonesia e-mail: lisa_rosaline@yahoo.co.uk amru asykari smart ekselensia senior high school, bogor, indonesia e-mail: amru_asykari@gmail.com apa citation: rosaline, l. & asykari, a.. (2013). applying whole language approach and public speaking activity in smart ekselensia high school. english review: journal of english education, 1(2), 151-158 received: 06-04-2013 accepted: 30-04-2013 published: 01-06-2013 abstract: whole language approach (wla) is the approach to learn language that focus on the real communication, reading and writing in the fun learning environment context (richard and rodgers 2001). the teachers of wla believe that the students should learn the materials in unity. this study involved 102 of 3rd to 5th year grade students of smart ekselensia high school, bogor, indonesia. the public english speaking activity has been held for 6 months. the public speaking can be in form of storytelling, general speech, and religious speech. before the students performed the public speaking, they had to prepare the material such as a story or a book summary. instrument used to obtain the data were questionnaires and interviews aimed at gathering statistical data and open responses about what students think and feel about the public speaking activity. based on the findings, basically students can improve their four language skills although it still cannot be seen directly. according to the result of the interview, some students suggest the whole language approach and public speaking be continued. they also suggest the frequency be added more in order to encourage them to speak english and create a good english environment. keywords:whole language approach, public speaking, competence standard curriculum. introduction ken goodman is one of the educators most often associated with the term "whole language" and one of the earliest and principle advocates of the whole language approach as we know it today. goodman (1986) described whole language as a "top-to-bottom," rather than a "bottom-up," view of language learning, a view that does not break language into bits and pieces. language is taught in real and natural contexts, and thus, language learning is easier and more interesting and relevant to the learner. whole language approach (wla) is the approach to learn language that focus on the real communication, reading and writing in the fun learning environment context (richard and rodgers, 2001). this approach was popular in the beginning of 1980 to 2000 in america. the teachers of wla believe that the students should learn the materials in unity, without separated them to small parts. for example, rather than teaching the word structure, it is better to ask the students to read a story book, summarizes it and retells it in front mailto:lisa_rosaline@yahoo.co.uk lisa rosaline & amru asykari applying whole language approach and public speaking activity in smart ekselensia high school of others. the special thing from this approach is that the learning material is something authentic such as a story book, general books and also articles from newspaper. another characteristic of this approach is that the students have freedom to choose the material for their learning activity, they are expected to be independent learners who are responsible with their own learning progress. language learning involves risk, and students should be encouraged to try and try again if they fail; and that form follows function in language development and not vice versa. the teacher is a facilitator and also a supporter to support collaborative process among students (setiyadi, 2008). the whole language movement originated with elementary educators. how can these principles apply to the teaching of adults learning english? a teacher in an adult literacy program can incorporate a whole language approach first by recognizing that most adults already know a great deal about how language works. even though they may not be able to read or write proficiently in english, adult esl students come to literacy programs with many years of experiences that have developed their world knowledge, oral language, and reading and writing and have shaped their views of what literacy is and how and why it is learned. a senior high school teacher can incorporate a whole language approach first by recognizing that most students have already known a great deal about how language works. even though they may not be able to read or write proficiently in english, senior high school students come to literacy programs with many years of experiences that have developed their world knowledge, oral language, and reading and writing and have shaped their views of what literacy is and how and why it is learned. one of the first steps a whole language teacher should take is to share with learners his or her views on how language is learned. the notion that literacy is functional and contextual should be emphasized, as many adults come to the classroom with the notion that literacy is an academic hurdle to overcome rather than a tool for larger goals or everyday needs. finally, learners should be encouraged to take risks and develop their literacy in ways that are relevant to their personal situations. this elaboration of assumptions about whole language opens the way for the teacher to introduce activities such as journal and letter writing, the language experience approach (see taylor, 1992), and story writing and publishing, rather than focusing on drills and grammar exercises. some educators have learners write personal stories reflecting their experiences--sorrows, joys, problems, and memories--and publish them to use as a basis for additional reading, writing, and discussion activities (see peyton, 1991, for examples). authentic reading that is meaningful and of interest to learners is also part of the whole language approach. as smith (1983) points out, "the only way to make learning to read easy is to make reading easy" (p.23). by this he means that students learn to read only by reading and focusing on meaning and not primarily focusing on words, pronunciation, speed, or accuracy. public speaking is the act of speaking on a particular subject in front of a group of people with the intention of influencing, entertaining or informing the listeners. in order to be a good orator one must be able to influence people, change their opinion, and transform the emotion of the listeners as pertaining to that particular subject. 1 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners. in public speaking, as in any form of communication, there are five basic elements, often expressed as "who is saying what to whom using what medium with what effects?" the purpose of public speaking can range from simply transmitting information, to motivating people to act, to simply telling a story. good orators should be able to change the emotions of their listeners, not just inform them. public speaking can also be considered a discourse community. interpersonal communication and public speaking have several components that embrace such things as motivational speaking, leadership/personal development, business, customer service, large group communication, and mass communication. public speaking can be a powerful tool to use for purposes such as motivation, influence, persuasion, informing, translation, or simply entertaining. more over, senior high school students are encourage to be able to develop their four language skills based on competence standard and school based curriculum (ktsp) which are listening, reading, writing and speaking. by applying whole language approach, it is expected that the students can practice their reading and writing skills independently. language is taught in real and natural contexts, and thus, language learning is easier and more interesting and relevant to the learner. rather than depend on basal readers, textbooks, and workbooks that often stress contextualized language exercises, whole language teachers build on learners' existing knowledge and work with writing letters, or developing and working on extended writing projects. learners, therefore, develop control over the mechanics of language through real reading and real writing. method this study involved 102 students of smart ekselensia high school, bogor, indonesia. they were students of 3rd to 5th year grade. the public english speaking activity has been held for 6 months. it was held 4 times a week, twice a week in the morning and twice a week in the afternoon. the public speaking can be in form of storytelling, general speech, and religious speech. before the students do the public speaking, they had to prepare the material such as a story or a book summary and in this a part of whole language approach application. instrument used to obtain the data were questionnaire and interviews. the use of questionnaires in this study aimed at gathering statistical data and open responses about what students think and feel about the public speaking activity. the questions in the questionnaire consist of closed ended and open ended questions. there are 10 closed ended questions with 5 statements of preferences. the fifth statements are designed to use five point of likert scale which is range from “strongly disagree”, “disagree”, “neutral“, “agree”, and “ strongly agree”. as for open ended questions, the students respondents were asked to state their reasons of their choices in the close-ended questions. the interviews involved 30 students who have ever delivered the public speaking more than once in front of the teachers and students. this interview was conducted to pursue more detailed opinions and issues on students' thoughts and feelings on the public speaking activity. lisa rosaline & amru asykari applying whole language approach and public speaking activity in smart ekselensia high school results anddiscussion the whole language approach could make the students practice their four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing). in whole language approach, students are encouraged to read a story or an article, summarize it and retell it in front of others (setiyadi 2008). moreover, public speaking activity as a transmitting information activity is expected to improve the students’ four language skill. this section addresses the findings on students' perspectives of the whole language approach and public speaking activity in relation to their listening skill improvement. table 1. students' perspective on their listening skill improvement public speaking and whole language approach improve student's listening skill especially listening to the gist of conversation strongly disagree (1) disagree (2) neutral (3) agree (4) strongly agree (4) number of students 11 14 36 34 7 (percentage) 10.78 13.73 35.29 33.33 6.86 public speaking and whole language approach improve student's listening skill especially listening to the details of conversation strongly disagree (1) disagree (2) neutral (3) agree (4) strongly agree (4) number of students 17 23 42 17 3 (percentage) 16.67 22.55 41.78 16.67 2.94 as can be seen from the table, the students tend to improve their listening skills especially listening to the gist of conversation. the total percentage of the students who agree and strongly agree that they have improved their listening to the gist of conversation is 40.19% and it is higher that those who strongly disagree and disagree (24.51%). while majority of students prefer to be neutral when they are asked about their listening for details improvement. this fact shows that the students are able to get the general information of the speech or conversation even though they still have to improve their ability to grasp the information details. it means basically the students improve their listening skill because listening to the gist is a basic of listening skills. with more practice the students will be able to improve their listening to the details skill. table 2. students' perspective on their reading skill improvement public speaking and whole language approach improve student's motivation to read more english books strongly disagree (1) disagree (2) neutral (3) agree (4) strongly agree (4) number of students 19 26 34 20 3 (percentage) 18.63 25.49 33.33 19.61 2.94 public speaking and whole language approach improve strongly disagree disagree (2) neutral (3) agree (4) strongly agree english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee student's reading skill especially on skimming technique (1) (4) number of students 12 16 34 35 5 (percentage) 11.76 15.69 33.33 34.31 4.9 public speaking and whole language approach improve student's reading skill especially on scanning technique strongly disagree (1) disagree (2) neutral (3) agree (4) strongly agree (4) number of students 12 24 40 21 5 (percentage) 11.76 23.53 39.22 20.59 4.9 as we know that there are 2 kinds of reading techniques, skimming and scanning. skimming is the technique to improve comprehension speed and is useful at the intermediate level and above. the idea of skimming is to look over the entire text quickly to get the basic idea. by skimming the text, the students will be able to tell the main topic, purpose, or idea. then they will have a framework to understand the reading when they work through it more carefully. scanning is another speed strategy to use with intermediate level and above. students must look through a text quickly, searching for specific information. table 2 has shown that the students' reading skill improve especially their ability to use skimming technique. though the students' perspective proves that they are not too motivated to read more english books and to improve the scanning technique, they are still in neutral position. it means that public speaking and whole language approach still influence them to improve their zsignificant. table 3. students' perspective on their writing skill improvement public speaking improve student's vocabulary building strongly disagree (1) disagree (2) neutral (3) agree (4) strongly agree (4) number of students 10 10 19 42 21 (percentage) 9.8 9.8 18.63 41.18 20.59 public speaking and whole language approach improve student's grammar especially the use of tenses strongly disagree (1) disagree (2) neutral (3) agree (4) strongly agree (4) number of students 13 14 39 32 4 (percentage) 12.75 13.73 38.24 31.37 3.92 public speaking and whole language approach improve student's writing skill especially to arrange some sentences into paragraphs. strongly disagree (1) disagree (2) neutral (3) agree (4) strongly agree (4) lisa rosaline & amru asykari applying whole language approach and public speaking activity in smart ekselensia high school number of students 13 16 37 29 7 (percentage) 12.75 15.69 36.27 28.43 6.86 table 3 has reflected that the students' writing skill in general improve especially their ability to broaden their vocabulary. the total percentage of the students who agree and strongly agree with this is 61.77%. it is much higher than those who tend to be disagree and neutral. by listening and writing or summarizing text for public speaking, students find a lot of new vocabulary. students also improve their ability to arrange some sentences into paragraphs. reading and delivering speech or story telling could also improve the students' understanding about grammar though 36.27% students choose to be neutral. table 4. students' perspective on their speaking skill improvement public speaking and whole language approach improve student's motivation and self confidence to use english everyday strongly disagree (1) disagree (2) neutral (3) agree (4) strongly agree (4) number of students 9 15 41 27 10 (percentage) 8.82 14.71 40.2 26.47 9.8 public speaking and whole language approach improve student's speaking skill especially students' fluency, pronunciation, and intonation. strongly disagree (1) disagree (2) neutral (3) agree (4) strongly agree (4) number of students 9 14 42 30 7 (percentage) 8.82 13.73 41.18 29.41 6.86 as can be seen from table 4, 40.2% of the students think neutrally about the effect of public speaking to their motivation and self confidence in using english. although the total percentage of students who agree and strongly agree that public speaking improve their motivation to use english is 27.53 which is still lower than the neutral percentage, it is still higher than the percentage of those who strongly disagree and disagree (23.53%). this fact means that basically students improve their motivation to use english though it is not directly and significantly reflected. furthermore, the students also improve their fluency, pronunciation, and intonation even though it is still not reflected significantly since 41.18% of the students chose to be neutral. the foregoing presentation has been focused on the statistical data of the findings. the following is the discussion of the findings by presenting some data of the interviews. several comments from the interview can be seen as follows: “the frequency of this activity should be added more, maybe everyday. it is good because it will encourage the teachers and students to speak english and it can create english environment.” (source of data: interview with student 1) “the improvement that i got is my effort to speak english” (source of data: interview with student 5) “ those who have the turn to do the public speaking should pronounce the words words well so it can be understood more”(source of english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee data: interview with students 8) “the public speaking should be more attractive”(source of data: interview with students 16) “the grammar use should be clearer”(source of data: interview with students 20) “i can make the summary but finding the new meaning of new words need much time” (source of data: interview with students 20) according to the interview data, the respondents believe that public speaking influence their four language skills although it cannot be seen directly. those who have delivered speech or story telling more than twice think that this activity should be continued and the frequency should be added to 5 times or six times a week. conclusion whole language approach and public speaking can be applied to senior high school lesson. whole language approach makes the students become an independent learners and public speaking encourage the students to speak in front of others. based on the findings, basically students can improve their four language skills as expected in competence standard and school based curriculum (ktsp) although it is still cannot be seen directly. according to the result of the interview, some students suggest that the whole language approach and public speaking should be continued. they also suggest that the frequency should be adding more in order to encourage them to speak english and create a good english environment. references bearre, k. improve reading skills. retrieved july 15th, 2010 from (http://esl.about.com/od/englishreadi ngskills/a/readingskills.htm). bello, t. (1997).writing topics for adult esl students. paper presented at the 31st annual teachers of english to speakers of other languages convention. orlando, fl. bello, t. (1997). improving esl learners' writing skills. eric digest. retrieved july 15th 2010 from http://www. ericdigests.org/ 1998-1/skills.htm. cheatham, j., m. clark, d. mckay, m. schnieder, and m. d. siedow. (1994). whole language for english to speakers of other languages adults: a guide to instruction. syracuse, ny: new readers convention press. clayton, a. (2010) writing and public speaking: how to successfully deliver a speech. retrieved june 15th, 2010 from (http://www.eslteachersboard. com/cgi-bin/writing/index.pl? read=3188. crandall, j. a., and j. k. peyton. (1993). approaches to adult esl literacy instruction.washington, dc and mchenry, il: center for applied linguistics and delta systems. goodman, k. s. (1986).what's whole in whole language? portsmouth, nh: heinemann. peyton, j. k. (1991). listening to students' voices: educational materials written by and for adults learning english. washington, dc: national clearinghouse on literacy education. peyton, j. k., and j. staton (eds.). (1996). writing our lives: reflections on dialogue journal writing with adults learning english. washington, dc and mchenry, il: center for applied linguistics and delta systems. richards, j. c. , and t. s. rodgers. (2001). approaches and methods in language teaching (second edition). cambridge: cambridge university press. setiyadi, b. (2008). teaching english as foreign language. jakarta: universitas terbuka. smith, f. (1983). essays into literacy. portsmouth, nh: heinemann. taylor, m. l. (1992). the language experience http://esl.about.com/od/englishreadingskills/a/readingskills.htm http://www.ericdigests.org/1998-1/skills.htm http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/writing/index.pl?read=3188 lisa rosaline & amru asykari applying whole language approach and public speaking activity in smart ekselensia high school approach and adult learners. washington, dc: national clearinghouse on literacy education .tran, h. (1997). becoming a writer. paper presented at the 31st annual teachers of english to speakers of other languages convention, orlando, fl. vandergrift,l. retrieved july 15th 2010 from http://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/gpg /67. public speaking. retrieved june 15th, 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/public_speaking. http://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/gpg/67 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/public_speaking introduction the portrait of teaching english as a foreign language for young learners english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the portrait of teaching english as a foreign language for young learners fetty poerwita sary e-mail: f.poerwitasary@gmail.com. apa citation: sary, f.p. (2012). the portrait of teaching english as a foreign language for young learners. english review: journal of english education, 1(1), 17-26 received: 09-08-2012 accepted: 12-10-2012 published: 01-12-2012 abstract: this observational study, which focuses on strategies used by teachers when teaching english as a foreign language to primary school students, was conducted in two classes at one of private international primary school. this study attempted to address the following question: what instructional strategies are used by the english teachers at this school? the data, which were collected by using a classroom observation and interview with the teachers and their students, were analyzed qualitatively by using categories formulated based on theories related to instructional strategies include planning and preparing the instruction, implementing the teaching and learning process, and assessing the students’ achievement. the major findings of this study include 1) although the teachers do the same stages in planning but the plan is implemented and resulted in different ways; 2) the teachers are able to use games as a tool for learning; 3) although curriculum requires teachers to integrate the skills (reading, listening, writing, and speaking), in actual implementation, the teachers do not teach english in integrative ways; 4) time management in this school has become a problematic factor for the teachers; 5) with respect to teacher’s strategies in assessing students’ achievement, the teachers do assessment by way of remedial teaching once a week after the class is over in part where the students failed to understand. keywords: teaching english as a foreign language (efl), learning process, teaching strategies, instructional strategies, assessment. introduction as one of the foreign languages in indonesia, english is a compulsory subject from primary up to tertiary. in the elementary school, english is regarded as the local content following the decree of ministry of education no. 0487/4/1992 (suyanto, 1994). although many private primary schools had started teaching english long before the public schools did, the result of previous study (suyanto, 1994) revealed that the teaching of english at these schools was unsatisfactory. many factors influence the success of the teaching and learning english. one of the factors is teaching strategies employed by the teachers. therefore, this study is concerned with investigating teaching strategies of two teachers of a private school. regarding the strategies, sinaga in sadtono (1997: 173) states that one of the most important requirements is quality teachers. at least two qualifications are needed from the teacher: (1) qualification in english and (2) a teaching qualification. the first qualification is essential as the teacher is the model for his/ her students. the second qualification includes a sound knowledge of how to teach children and the ability to implement it in class. teaching english at elementary school in indonesia based on curriculum mailto:f.poerwitasary@gmail.com fetty poerwita sary the portrait of teaching english as a foreign language for young learners 1994, in a flexible context, makes english teaching possible to be taught (alwasilah, 2000). this flexibility means that this subject may be taught (not must be taught) when the school is ready to do it. therefore, to make the teaching and learning english at elementary school successful, the school should know the goal of the teaching and learning itself. regarding the objectives of the english teaching at elementary school, english is taught to children to make them be able to comprehend simple oral and written english (cf. huda, 1999; suyanto, 1997; sinaga, 1997). teaching english to children is not the same as teaching adults (brown, 2001) because it has something to do with helping children to achieve the goals and objectives deemed to be important by society in ways that are consistent with sound psychological principles of childhood (jarolimek and foster, 1989). huddleston (1991: 2) states the basic principles of children learning and language learning. the first principle is children in primary or elementary setting generally learn by doing (piaget, 1955 in brown, 2001). this means that they learn through hands-on experiences and through manipulation of objects in the environment. if this principle were extended to the efl setting, it would mean that children in language classes need to be active rather than passive; they need to be engaged in activities of which language is a part; they need to be working on meaningful tasks and use language to accomplish these tasks. second principle, children learn in social contexts, in groups where some group members know more than others. this principle suggests that children need not only hands-on or direct experiences, but also experiences where they are interesting with and learning from others, both adults and other children. third, language acquisition occurs through learners figuring out how the language works, through learners making and testing out hypotheses about the language. this means that it stresses the importance of giving learner opportunity of practicing the target language (swain, 1985 in nunan, 1988). therefore, learners need opportunities to use and to experiment with the new language. mistakes are natural and inevitable part of language learning. the last, language acquisition occurs through social interaction, through having to use the language with others in authentic communication setting. however, teaching english in integration, as brown (2001) suggests, is more effective than teaching english in isolation like what we used to do it in the past. it is expected that through the integration of the language skills and the language components in the instruction of english, the teachers can create an interesting classroom interaction that encourage students to communicate in english. apart from the above mentioned principles of teaching to elementary school, it is also important that english teachers of elementary school are aware of principles of teaching english as suggested by brown (2001). like learning other subjects, the learning of english at this stage should also be ‘meaningful’. meaningful, according to ibrahim and syaodih (1996), means firstly, there is relevance between the knowledge with the fact. for example: the students have known the meaning of the words but they could not make it into simple sentences or use the words to communicate. secondly, there is relevance between the knowledge with english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the user. for example: the students have known how to greet people in english but they could not use it because there is no opportunity to use it. based on the discussion on the teaching english in elementary school, as alwasilah (2000) suggests that the english teaching at elementary school necessitates qualified teachers who know much about children psychology and english teaching methodology for children so that they can successfully encourage students to learn english and help the learning process itself. one aspect which plays a significant role in the success of the teaching of english is to do with challenges of teaching english to elementary school. according to musthafa (2000) there are at least three challenges that should be faced by children to learn english as a foreign language in indonesian elementary school. the first challenge is the students are lack of social uses of english language in real life situation which involve children in their daily life. however, according to cox in nicholls (1999) and dewey as cited in pardjono (2002), learning is the acquisition of knowledge and skills through individual experiences not from texts or from teachers. how children will be able to acquire the language and see learning english as a useful and relevant activity if they are lack of demonstration in and exposure to functional uses of english. in addition, as franke in nunan and lamb (1996) suggest, a language could be best be taught by using it actively in the classroom. rather than using analytical procedures that focus on explanation of grammar rules in classroom teaching, teachers must encourage direct and spontaneous use of the foreign language in the classroom (richard and rogers, 1986 in nunan and lamb, 1996). the second challenge is related to the way english words are written as opposed the way the words are pronounced. in this stage, children also still learn the first language in which the sounds are reflected consistently in the way they are written down. therefore, it is natural if the children are confused to differentiate how the word should be read and written because there is no obvious one-to-one correspondence between the pronunciation of a word and its spelling. other reason why students use their own language in the classroom, as harmer (2002: 131) suggests, is when the students learn a foreign language, they use translation. this is because they usually try to make sense of a new linguistic (and conceptual) world through the linguistic world they are already familiar with. regarding learners learn vocabulary, according to read (2000), they tend to memorize lists of english word and rely on bilingual dictionary as a basic communicative resource. therefore, read (2000) says, actually students can learn vocabulary in context through their reading and listening activity in which it focused on the extent to which students can infer the meaning of unknown words when they read or hear them. in addition, as sukayadi (2006) suggests, the teacher should make meaning perceptible through concrete objects or by presentation of experience. in short, when a language learner makes a mistake or misconception of something, the teacher does not correct it through translation but tries to show something to make the meaning clear (sukayadi, 2006) or conveys meaning directly through demonstration and action (richard and rogers, 1986 cited in nunan and lamb, 1996). sukayadi (2006) fetty poerwita sary the portrait of teaching english as a foreign language for young learners also added that vocabulary is learned more effectively if they use it in full sentences rather than memorize it. for example: the teacher can repeat new words by asking them to the students several times in different context and eliciting the situation in order for the students to use the words. the last challenge, there has been widely-held wrong assumptions that children learn things exactly the same way adults do. therefore, the teacher tends to teach children the same as they teach adults. according to alwasilah (2000), the generalization and the use of one approach to two different groups of learners are misleading because teacher should realize that children have their own world that is different from adults. it seems necessary for teachers to know and understand about this world if they are to plan an appropriate learning environment for children based on their cognitive development. therefore, classroom materials should be concrete and plentiful, while students should be given direct experiences and concrete objects that can be seen, handled, touched, and talked about. in addition, as suggested by van lier (1996), “language learning is the cumulative results or sustained effort and engagement over time, with continuity being central”. if the lesson— whether they are once a week, once a day, or more frequent than that—are the only occasions on which the students are engaged with the language, progress will either not occur or be exceedingly slow. however, it points to a real problem of all foreign language learning. if the gap between what is done in the classroom, and what is done outside the classroom, is too great, then the possibilities of leaning anything at all are very seriously impaired. teaching strategies are procedures used by the teacher which serve as a way of reaching a goal (suryosubroto, 2002). to reach the goal, teacher has the important role in the teaching and learning process because most of the output of students was determined by the teachers (jarolimek and foster, 1989). according to usman (1990: 7), a competent teacher will be able to create an effective learning environment and will be able to manage the process of teaching and learning so that the students can achieve an optimal result. to be able to manage the process of teaching and learning, the teachers must have the strategies to do that. however, the teaching strategies adopted in this study have been drawn from the work of several theorists (see suryosubroto, 2002; arikunto, 1990; brown, 2001; harmer, 2002; djamarah and zain, 2002; ibrahim and syaodih, 2002; jarolimek and foster, 1989; nicholls, 1999, nunan and lamb, 1996, nunan, 1988) who have proposed teaching strategies. even though, there are differences but those theories generally propose similar strategies such as planning, implementing the teaching and learning process, and assessing students’ achievement. plan and preparation planning (see jarolimek and foster, 1989: 15) is a decision making process in which one has to make choices from among the options that are thought to lead toward a desired goal. teaching, like any other complex process, requires careful planning for its success. for example: the teachers are not supposed “to forget what they should bring with before they start teaching because what they plan can be useless” (brown, 2000: 194). teachers who realize the importance of planning for effective english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee instruction and classroom management assign planning a high priority as a teaching skill. the critical association between planning and preparation needs to be dealt with because planning leads onto preparation of the materials, resources and props that will be needed in the lesson. if these materials are prepared prior to the lesson, the teacher is in a much better position to successfully differentiate the activities, as well as to cope with maintaining the smooth and effective progress in learning throughout the lesson for all students. regarding planning, mawer (1995: 55) as quoted by waring in nicholls (1999: 99) states that planning appears to mediate between a teacher’s basic knowledge of the subject being taught and his or her ability to teach the subject effectively, because it brings into play the teacher’s general pedagogical content knowledge. this includes knowledge of theories and principles of teaching and learning, knowledge of the learner, and knowledge of the techniques and principles of teaching such as class management. the plan for a lesson, unit, or course is the result of a considerable degree of thinking on the part of the teacher. planning plays a significant role in the smoothness or the progress that is achieved by the students in the teaching and learning process. the significance of planning in the teaching and learning process has also been observed by djamarah and zain (2002) who says, the smoothness of the process is an indicator whether the students could focus on their attention to the lesson that is given by the teacher or not. for example: the teacher starts the activity before she or he ends the previous activity or stop the first activity and then start the second activity and then go back to the first activity. if these happened during the process, it could distract students’ focus or attention. basically, if a certain activity has been planned first, the goal of the activity will be more directive and works. therefore, the teacher should have ability to plan the instruction. before she starts to teach, it would be better if she planned the teaching and learning program, prepared everything that would be taught. when planning a lesson, teacher, as suggested by suryosubroto (2002), should take students into account. johnson (1979) as quoted by suryosubroto (2002) argues: teachers are expected to design and deliver instruction so that student learning is facilitated. instruction is asset of event design to initiate aclivate, and support learning in students, it is the process of arranging the learning situation (including the classroom, the student, and the curriculum materials) so that learning is facilitated.” it means that to facilitate the learning process, the teachers must put students into their consideration when they plan the instruction. the process of planning according to suryosubroto (2002) can be divided into four categories which are mastering the curriculum, compiling the instructional material analysis, forming the program for a semester, and forming the lesson plan including know the students’ characteristics, set the goal expectation of the study, choose the material and order it, choose the teaching methods, choose the teaching aids, and choose the strategy of evaluation. according to jarolimek and foster (1989: 157), the teacher should be able to plan a good learning environment, select goals for the year, plan for getting instruction under way, develop a lesson plan by fetty poerwita sary the portrait of teaching english as a foreign language for young learners knowing first about the students’ characteristics, and prepare studentprogress reports for parents. implementation of the teaching and learning process the implementation of teaching and learning process should be conducted by the teacher after the planning process has been done. the theory used in this study is a combination from several theorists (see suryosubroto, 2002; usman, 1990; sudjana, 1989; brown, 2001; jarolimek and foster, 1989) including the genre based approach which has been the bases for the curriculum 2004. regarding the implementation of the teaching and learning process, according to suryosubroto (2002) and sudjana (1989), the teacher should do several things to make the teaching and learning process successful, among others to do with the opening the teaching and learning process, the use of teaching method, the delivery of the material, classroom management, and closing. assessing students’ achievement assessment reflects the way teachers absorb the information and evidence related to students’ learning, and how they use it to inform their future lesson, whether this is the next task or series of tasks. the main focus of this form of assessment is to identify errors, difficulties, and shortcomings in students’ work. it also informs the teacher of the nature of advice and information needed to improve students’ future learning outcomes (nicholls, 1999: 117). nicholls (1999:119) argues that assessment has many faces and can be used for a variety of purposes. …assessment lies at the heart of this process. it can provide a framework in which educational objectives may be set, and pupils’ progress charted and expressed. it can yield a basis for planning the next educational steps in response to children’s needs… (report of the task group on assessment and testing as quoted by nicholls (1999: 116) this quotation suggests that assessment of children’s learning and progress is central to effective teaching and learning. there are several aspects that should be taken into account such as assessing in the classroom and remedial. on the basis of the background to the present study mentioned above, the research attempted to address the following research question: what instructional strategies are used by english teachers at one of private international primary school? these strategies include plan and preparation of the instruction, implementation of the teaching and learning process, and assessment of the students’ achievement. method a qualitative research design has been considered appropriate in this study as cited by maxwell (1996: 17-20). in the case with a qualitative study, this study attempts to understand the meaning, for participants in the study, of the events, situations, and action they are involved with and the accounts that they give of their lives and experiences; attempts to understand the particular context within which the participants act, and the influence that this context has on their action. it means that every detail is thought to contribute to a better understanding of behavior or to obtain a complete understanding of the setting. the participants of this study were two english teachers (called teacher a and b) and their students. the participation was voluntary based. both teachers graduated from english english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee department, indonesia university of education. a taught grade 4 consisting of 20 students; and b taught grade 3 consisting of 13 students. both teachers were relatively new teachers. the range of age of students was 8 to 10 years old. these teachers were willing to participate in the study and to have their classes observed by the researcher. two data collections were employed in this study, which were observation and interview. however, in collecting data, the researcher has to employ appropriate instruments such as observation and interview. all the data collection was recorded in order to keep the authenticity of the data. in the observation, the data were analyzed in several steps. first, the researcher transcribed the transcription gained from audio and video recorder. then, the researcher made categorization into three strategies based on theorist adopted in the study. during the observation, the researcher observed the plan and the preparation the teachers made before they taught, and then how they implement their plan in the teaching and learning process, and the last, how the teacher would assess their students. the data analysis was not only a conclusion but also an ongoing assessment especially if the data gained from audio or video. in the interview, the data were gained from both teachers and students. the interview was conducted to support the data from observation. the interview data were analyzed in several steps. first, the researcher transcribed the transcription gained from audio and video recorder. then, the researcher made categorization of the strategies which were preparation, implementation, and assessment. the names of interviewees were omitted to avoid bias, and then the answers were collected based on the categories. the interviews were presented in a condensed version. results and discussion the data presentation and analysis will be summarized based on the central themes including teacher’s strategies in planning and preparing the instruction, in implementing the teaching and learning process, and in assessing student’s achievement in the classroom. teacher’s strategies in planning and preparing the instruction in terms of plan and preparation, both teachers plan and prepare the instruction before they teach. their preparation simply can be seen from whether they have prepared the activities to support the lesson, whether they master the material, what kind of teaching aids they will use, whether the process of teaching and learning run smoothly and effectively. although both teachers make a plan and preparation before teaching, the teachers have different ways in implementing the plan. it really depends on the teachers’ skill in classroom management. therefore, the result of the implementation of the plan is also different. teacher a is strict to what he has planned. he also make the rules about what to do and not to do explicit for the students and what he does works so that he can achieve the target of the teaching and learning. meanwhile, teacher b makes her plan too general, so that sometime the target of the teaching and learning cannot be achieved. teacher’s strategies in implementing the teaching and learning process in terms of teacher’s strategies in implementing the teaching and learning process, there are several aspects that will be discussed including teaching method in terms of games, integrative fetty poerwita sary the portrait of teaching english as a foreign language for young learners skills, and problems that are faced by the teachers in implementing the teaching and learning process. regarding the problems, the problems that are faced by the teachers are due to lack of time and availability of rules which are constant and stable. concerning the teacher’s strategies in implementing the teaching and learning process, both teachers use several methods in teaching. they always combine the teaching methods with games. in terms of games, although both teachers use games during the teaching and learning process, they have different way in implementing the games. teacher a uses the game as a vehicle for learning so that he always relates the games with the topics which is given. he can make the games as an introduction to the newmaterial or as a review to the last material. meanwhile, it seems that teacher b does not think that games have to be relevant with the topic because games is just for fun. therefore, the result of the implementation of games is also different. in teacher a’ class, the students can enhance both learning and memorizing through playing; meanwhile, in teacher b’s class, the students do not get anything in terms of learning because most of the time, the games are totally different from what is being taught. with respect to the integrative skills, both teachers do not apply integrative skills comprehensively. they have not put the speaking into the skills. the english class is dominated by the using of indonesian language. therefore, it seems the students are discouraged to use english either in responding to the teachers’ question or in participating in the classroom. in short, the teaching and learning of english does not happen in terms of integrative skills. in fact, the teaching of english is supposed to encourage the students to use the target language and the teachers also need to give as many exposures as possible to the students. in implementing the teaching and learning process, both teachers have to face the problem during the teaching and learning process. the problem is due to lack of time. the time management in this school has not well-established. therefore, it can inflict a loss upon the teachers. the teachers have a dilemma in deciding the activities that should be done in the classroom. in short, the school has to facilitate the teachers in preparing a condition that is conducive to conduct a smooth and effective teaching and learning process. regarding the rules in the classroom, the teachers need to establish rules which are constant and stable so that the rules can be students’ daily routines. the rules are important to be applied in the classroom because the teaching and learning process needs a situation and condition which is conducive. it seems that one of the teachers failed to make the rules explicit in the class, so that it is easy to predict that the class will have a stormy time during the teaching and learning process. therefore, it will disturb the smoothness of teaching and learning process. teacher’s strategies in assessing students’ achievement related to teacher’s strategies in assessing students’ achievement, both teachers do several ways to assess their students including assessing in the classroom and remedial. assessing in the classroom will include marking, classroom tasks, homework, and quiz. regarding assessing in the classroom, both teachers assess the students per session. it can be in a form of classroom tasks and homework. the teachers always return the students’ homework or english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee assignment after they check and mark it. both teachers also give quiz at the end of the unit to measure the students’ ability in comprehending the material. all of these procedures are conducted by the teachers regularly. to some degree, it seems that the teachers are capable of assessing their students. these procedures can help the teachers to decide further action such as whether the students need remedial teaching, remedial test, more exercises about the lesson. regarding the remedial, not all the teachers apply the remedial teaching. only one of the teachers conducts an extra lesson or remedial teaching regularly after the class is over. the teacher usually observes the students during the process of teaching and learning. if he considers there are students who still have not understood his explanation, he will conduct an extra lesson. the extra lesson will take more or less 15 minutes. in this activity, usually the teacher re-teaches the students so that the students’ ability will not be left behind from other students. it seems that this activity was good in order to give motivation to the students to learn better. conclusion from the results and discussions in the previous chapter, several conclusions can be drawn. first, regarding planning and preparing the instruction, both teachers do the same stages such as they master the material, prepare for the activities, and prepare teaching aids to support the activities. however, in terms of implementation the teaching and learning process, the teachers have different ways and results. the results of the teaching and learning really depend on teachers’ skill in classroom management. second, concerning the implementation of the teaching and learning process, both teachers use games as a teaching method for different purposes such as games only for fun and games as a vehicle for learning. in terms of games as a vehicle of learning, the games are relevant with topics given by the teachers. therefore, the students can learn and memorize the material through playing. third, the teachers do not teach english in integrative ways. in this school, the teachers have not put speaking english into the skills; meanwhile, the opportunity to use other skills such as listening, writing, and reading is not sufficient. the teaching of english in the classroom is still dominated by the using of indonesian language. the data shows that the teaching and learning of english in terms of integrative skills does not happen in the classroom. the teaching and learning of english in the school is still in terms of grammar. fourth, time management in this school has become a problematic factor for the teachers. the class always starts late because of non academic activities (for example, students’ preparation and clean up after dhuha or dhuhur prayer). the time problem can inflict a loss upon the teachers. therefore, the school has to facilitate the teachers in preparing a condition that is conducive to conduct a smooth and effective teaching and learning process. fifth, regarding the rules in the classroom, the teachers need to make rules explicit to the students about what to do and not to do. the rules are informed to the students and agreed by all students. otherwise, the teachers will have a difficult time to handle the class. by doing this, the students will also learn to be responsible to whatever they do. fetty poerwita sary the portrait of teaching english as a foreign language for young learners sixth, regarding the teacher’s strategy in assessing students’ achievement, both teachers have different ways to evaluate their students. one of the teachers conducts remedial teaching if he observes the students still do not understand to what he has explained. the remedial teaching is conducted in a narrow sense in the form of re-teaching. therefore, through this activity, it seems that the teacher can help the students to promote their comprehension toward the material. references alwasilah, a. c. (2000). perspektif pendidikan bahasa inggris di indonesia: dalam konteks persaingan global. bandung: andira. ____________. (2002). pokoknya kualitatif: dasar-dasar merancang dan melakukan penelitian kualitatif. bandung: pustaka jaya arikunto, s. 1990. manajemen pengajaran secara manusiawi. jakarta: pt. rineka cipta. brown, h. d. 2001. teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy (2nd edition). new york: pearson education company. carter, r. & nunan, d. 2001. the cambridge guide to teaching english to speakers of other languages. new york: cambridge university press. djamarah, s.b & zain, a. 2002. strategi belajar mengajar. jakarta: pt. rineka cipta harmer, j. 2002. the practice of english language teaching (3rd edition). england : longman huda, n. 1999. language learning and teaching. issues and trends. ikip malang publisher. hudelson, s. 1991. efl teaching and children: a topic-based approach. english teaching forum. 29, 2-40. ibrahim, r. & syaodih, n. 1996. perencanaan pengajaran. jakarta: pt. rineka cipta jarolimek, j. & foster, j. 1989. teaching and learning in the elementary school (4th edition). newyork: macmilan publishing company. musthafa, b. 2002. efl for young learners. bandung: crest. nicholls, g. 2002. learning to teach: a handbook for primary and secondary teachers. london: kogan page limited. nunan, d. 1988. the learner-centred curriculum. new york: cambridge university press. nunan, d. & lamb. c. 1996. the selfdirected teacher: managing the learning process. new york: cambridge university press. sadtono, e. 1997. the development of tefl in indonesia. ikip malang publisher. setiyadi, b. ag. 2006. teaching english as a foreign language. yogyakarta: graha ilmu. sinaga, matias. 1994. teaching english to children: as opposed to adults (p.173178). the national seminar: the development of tefl in indonesia. suryosubroto, b. 2002. proses belajar mengajar di sekolah. bandung: pt. rineka cipta. suyanto, kasihani, k.e. 1994. teaching english to young learners in indonesia (p.166-171). the national seminar: the development of tefl in indonesia. usman, u. 1990. menjadi guru profesional. bandung: rosda karya. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the comparisons and contrasts between english and malay languages mohd nazri latiff azmi lidwina teo pik ching norbahyah binti jamaludin muhammad nur haziq bin ramli muhammad habibbullah bin razali muhammad ammar yasser bin amram kauselya a/p jayakumar universiti sultan zainal abidin, malaysia email: mohdnazri@unisza.edu.my apa citation: azmi, m. n. l., ching, l. t. p., norbahyah, haziq, m. n., habibullah, m., yasser, m. a., & jayakumar, k. (2016). the comparison and contrasts between english and malay languages. english review, 4(2), 209-218 received: 22-02-2016 accepted: 29-03-2016 published: 01-06-2016 abstract: english and malay languages are categorized as popular languages in the world. however, both languages underwent different history and composition. this study investigates the languages in terms of history, phonology, loanwords, grammar, morphology and semantics. the purposes of studying the comparisons and contrasts of both languages are not only to analyze the uniqueness of the languages but also to identify the process of understanding the languages especially the view of second language learners. it is found that two languages come from different background; somehow they share similar characteristics such as the vowels sounds, loanwords and semantics. however, the learners face difficulty in learning both languages especially in pronunciations and spelling. keywords: english language, malay language, history of language introduction language is a complex way of communication that is used by human beings to communicate with each other; there are tons of different languages that are used by people today and more yet to be discovered. there are scientific studies of languages called as linguistics as scientists learn about the comparison and contrast of pronunciation and grammatical structure of a language. as languages gradually develop and expand, they started to have their structure that every language has its unique structures and different from one another. beginning with the sound system to meaning also known as semantics, they form the foundation of a language. acquiring a language implies acquiring all those structures. this paper aims to compare and contrast two different languages that are english and malay. both of the languages can be divided into three periods. for english language, history can be explained through three phases which are old english (450-1100 ad), middle english (1100-1500 ad) and modern english (1500 ad). on the other hand, for malay language, old malay (682-1500 c.e), modern malay (c.1500-1957) and contemporary malay (1957) were three significant periods in whole malay history. 209 mailto:mohdnazri@unisza.edu.my mohd nazri latiff azmi, et all. the comparisons and contrasts between english and malay languages the beginnings of these languages slightly differ from one another. for old english, three germanic tribes (saxon, angles, & jutes) came to the british isles from various parts of northwest germany at 5th century ad. these tribes were warlike and pushed out most of the original, celtic-speaking inhabitants from england to scotland, wales and cornwall. one group migrated to brittany cost of france where their descendant still speaks the celtic language of breton today. through the years, the saxon, angles, jutes mixed their difference germanic dialects. this group of dialects forms what linguists refer as old english whereas old malay begins with records of poems and thoughts on writing material made from plants described as the sharp cursive rencong, an ancient script believed to be native to south-east asia (nor hashimah, 2004). both of the languages do have influences from other languages in some aspects. in the history of english language, the latin language played a role. roman came to britain and brought latin to britain which was part of the roman empire for over 400 years. many word passes on from this era and those corned by roman merchants and soldier. examples of word used such as win (wine), candel (candle), belt (belt) and weal (wall). the arrival of st. augustine in 597ad and the introduction of christianity into saxon england brought many words into english language. there were mostly concerned with naming of church, dignitaries, and ceremonies. church, bishop, baptism came indirectly from latin. other than that, celtic language brought changes. this celtic language was seen in names of rivers. for instance, kent, york, dover, cumberland, thames, avon, trent etc. in addition, norse language or scandinavian language brought influence in english language. around 878 ad, danes and norsemen called vikings invaded the country and english got many norse words including sky, egg, cake, skin, window, husband, call, die, etc. furthermore, in middle english, the french language contributes its influence. by about 1200, england and france had split, english changed a lot because it was mostly being spoken instead of being written for about 300 years. the period of old english was almost over after william the conqueror, the duke of normandy and his nobles who spoke french and middle english was being formed. examples of old english word used such as crown, castle, parliament, banquet, art, poet, romance, servant (newmark, 1988). according to nik (1989), in the history of malay language, a few languages influence in it. at the beginning of old malay, many pallava words from vatteluttu, india bring changes in malay language. this is due to indians set feet on malay archipelago. other than that, sanskrit brings influenced in malay vocabulary. examples of words used such as agama, akasara, angkasa, anugerah, bahasa, bakti, bangsa, barat, biara, bidadari. portuguese language also brought changes in the malay language. in the year 1511, the portuguese conquered malacca and latin alphabets in place of jawi writing called rumi. although the conquest is short lived, the impact of portuguese language is large. words used in portuguese language are almari, baldi, bangku, biola. method this comparative study involves only document analysis in which established and well-accepted texts pertaining to the contexts, processes and 210 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee procedures were scrutinized and analyzed. a thorough study of the important elements of both languages we checked and corrected by several experienced linguists of both languages and given a serious concern. results and discussion the phonology of english and malay languages is different in the quantity of vocals and diphthongs, place and manner of articulation. in english sound system, there are 12 vocals, 24 consonants and 8 diphthongs whereas there are 6 vocals, 27 consonants (19 native consonants and 8 consonants that appear only in borrowed words) and 3 diphthongs in malay sound system. (tien-ping tan, bali ranaivo-malançon). the vocals that are similar in english and malay languages include [a], [e], [i], [o], [u] and schwa. for example, [a] sound appears in ‘up’ and ‘awal’ (early) respectively; [e] sound shows in ‘bed’ and ‘enak’ (tasty) accordingly; [i] sound appears in ‘igloo’ and ‘ikan’ (fish) respectively; [o] sound presents in ‘opposite’ as well as ‘oleh’ (by) accordingly; [u] sound appears in ‘unicorn’ and ‘ubat’ (medicine) respectively; schwa sound appears in ‘awhile’ and ‘emak’ (mother) accordingly. on the other hand, /æ/ in ‘cat’, /ɒ/ in ‘hot’, /i:/ in ‘see’ etc. are the instances for the vocals that are included in english phonology and different from malay phonology. moreover, there are eight diphthongs in english phonology and three in malay. in english phonology, they are /aɪ / in ‘five’, /aʊ/ in ‘now’, /eɪ / in ‘say’, /oʊ/ in ‘go’, /ɔɪ / in ‘boy’, /eə/ in ‘air’, /ɪə / in ‘near’ and /ʊə/ in ‘pure’. meanwhile, in malay phonology, they are /ai/ in ‘kain’ (cloth), /au/ in ‘laut’ (sea) and /oi/ in ‘boikot’ (boycott). these examples show that the three malay diphthongs are the same as three of english diphthongs that are /aɪ /, /aʊ/ and /ɔɪ / respectively. there are seven important places of articulation in english according to kristin denham and anne lobeck, that are bilabial, labiodental, dental, alveolar, palatal, velar and glottal but malay phonology has labio-velar and no labiodentals and dental sounds. for manner of articulation, both malay and english phonologies have six manners with voiced and voiceless pronunciation respectively. in english, they are stop, fricative, affricate, nasal, approximant and glide. in malay, they are plosive or affricate, fricative, nasal, trill, approximant and lateral. two tables below show the consonant chart of both english and malay languages. based on the table 1 and 2, it can be said that [w] sound in ‘one’ is the example of glide in english but in ‘wajar’ (reasonable) is the example of approximant in malay etc. it is undeniable that the sound [b] is similar in both english and malay that are ‘barber’ and ‘batik’ (one type of cloth) as examples respectively (murni, 2013). as we know, malay language or bahasa melayu is the national language in malaysia, while english is the second language and also the international language. both of them are two important languages in malaysia that began from british colonization. as we can see, malay language tends to borrow a lot of english words rather than vice versa. english seems to be the dominant language in this case because some english loanwords in malay are more than that of malay loanwords in english. 211 mohd nazri latiff azmi, et all. the comparisons and contrasts between english and malay languages table 1. international phonetic alphabet (ipa) chart table 2. malay consonant chart according to deterding (2013), a loanword is a word adopted from a foreign language with little or no modification. it also can be referred as a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language without translation. it is distinguished from a ‘calque’ or loan translation whereby a meaning from another language is translated into existing words or roots of the host language. this type of translation remains the pronunciation of the word in the original language when the word is being translated into another language. english loanwords in malay can be divided into a few categories. the first category is the loanword that remains its spelling for both languages and brings the same meaning. for example, ‘atom’ in malay language is spelled the same as ‘atom’ in english. the other examples are drama, bonus and hotel. next, the english loanword has changes in its spelling but the pronunciation remains the same in malay. for example, ‘carbon’ in english is translated into ‘karbon’ in malay that is different in the first alphabet. other instances are block (blok), script (skrip), graphic (grafik) and activity (activiti). besides that, there are few words in malay that are being translated and became valid words in english recently. 212 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee for example, the word ‘lepak’ which refers to hang out with friends, loiter about and do absolutely nothing. the other word is ‘amok’ which comes from malay word ‘amuk’, refers to behave uncontrollably and disruptively. other words in malay that is being officially used in english are durian, nasi lemak, silat, gong and sarong. in conclusion, it can be said that both of the languages have a correlation. we can see that they influence each other from the loanwords. there are numerous vocabularies in malay that resemble in english. this shows that english had influenced the malay language in vocabulary aspect. according to baker (2011), in grammar, there are similarities and contrasts between english and malay languages such as field of tenses, plural and singular nouns. among the field of tenses, there are past, present and future tenses. the past tense is a grammatical tense to show or indicate an event or situation in past time. past tense in a sentence shows a grammatical tense to indicate the situation had occurred in the past. usually, the verb to show past tense is to be added a suffix -ed. for example, the word ‘walked’. the verb walk is added -ed to become ‘walked’. however, not all the verbs can be added the suffix -ed such as the verb ‘put’. for example, i put the book on my table last night. in malay language, we do not have specific suffixes to indicate the situation happened in the past. for instance, if we want to say ‘ammar scored a goal’, we would say ‘ammar telah menjaringkan gol’. the term ‘telah’ indicate that the event happened in the past. according to the website grammar.ccc.commnet.edu, the present tense refers to an action is present, now, about the speaker or writer. it is used to describe actions that are factual or habitual things that occur in the present but not necessarily happening right now. for example, ‘my train leaves tomorrow morning’. the verb ‘leaves’ is a present tense although this situation shows an event that is going to happen. usually in english, the usage of the suffix ‘-ing’ is widely applied in present tenses. for instance, ‘i am walking’ for singular noun and ‘we are walking’ for plural noun (imran, 2000). in malay language, the original verb is not disturbed as we do not change the verb instead we use another term to show the situation happen in the past, present or future. for example, the sentence ‘saya sedang berjalan’ is for singular subject and another sentence ‘kami sedang berjalan’ is for plural subject. the word ‘sedang’ shows the action is going on at that time and the meanings of the malay examples corresponded to that of english examples. future tense indicates an action that is going to happen in the future. this situation applies to a situation that is going to happen later, next day, next week or even next month. according to englishpage.com, future tense has two different forms that are ‘will’ and ‘going to’. for example, ‘i will help him later’ and ‘you are going to meet jane tonight’. in malay language, the term ‘akan’ is often used to indicate a future situation. for example, ‘saya akan membantu dia nanti’ that means ‘i will help him later’. besides, the forms of singular and plural nouns in english are also different from that in malay. in english, most singular nouns form the plural by adding ‘–s’ and the examples are boats, cats and houses. however, it differs from malay language as we do not add ‘-s’ to show that it is plural. we only use term 213 mohd nazri latiff azmi, et all. the comparisons and contrasts between english and malay languages ‘banyak’ to show the plural meaning of the nouns. for instance, phrase ‘seekor kucing’ refers to one cat whereas ‘banyak kucing’ refers to many cats. on the other hand, there is also a singular noun ending in s, x, z, ch, sh need to be added ‘-es’ and to make it plural in english such as buses, wishes and boxes. moreover, there is also a singular noun ending in a consonant y and then it makes the plural by dropping the ‘y’ and adding ‘-ies’ to make it plural. the instances penny (pennies), spy (spies) and baby (babies). morphology is an area in linguistics studies that investigates the structures, forms and categorizations of words of a language. discussions on both malay and english morphology will specifically touch on affixes, preposition, adverbs and superlatives. however, for today we are going to discuss in-depth more about affixes. like other dominant languages, malay has pre-fixes, suffixes and infixes while in english, prefixes and suffixes are more prominent. the difference between malay and english affixes is that english affixes can indicate or produce an element that has been added either to the beginning or the ending of a word. for example, the root word ‘car’ is considered as the one and only car, we can change the meaning of the word by adding ‘s’ at the back of the word, becoming ‘cars’ that refers to more than one car. this is known as suffixation and it is quite challenging as compared to the others because it can change a word into a different part of tense or speech. however, unlike english affixes, malay language tend to have different meaning depending on the usage of the affixes itself. both suffix and prefix can change the meaning of a root word. for example, for the root word ‘mati’ which means death in english tends to have different meaning depending on its affixes. by adding suffix ‘-kan’ to the word causing it to transform into the word ‘matikan’ that means switch off in english. for example, a sentence using the word ‘matikan’ in malay might sound like this ‘aidan, tolong matikan generator itu’ that is translated into english and might sound like this ‘aidan, could u please turn off that generator’. this has completely brought different meaning and cannot be used to describe the death of something but used purposely to describe shut down or switch off things such as switches or engines. when you break a word apart and remove the prefixes and suffixes, you are left with the root. it's easier to determine the meaning of an unknown word if you know the root. for example, we might come across the word ‘happy' that means feeling or giving pleasure (hatim, 1997). however, most of us find it easier to recognize the word ‘happy’ than the prefix itself which is ‘un-’. by adding the prefixes, the word will be totally opposite from the root word that is not feeling pleasure. this shows that affix plays an important role in english language. there are many prefixes in english, yet only 20 accounts for 97% of the words that contain prefixes. learning these 20 prefixes and their meanings can make a big difference in your ability to recognize words and their meanings that can also help you to write a better essay with excellent grammatical structure. meanwhile, bahasa melayu also has prefixes but the usage of the prefixed is different from that in english. for example, when you look into malay dictionary especially kamus dewan bahasa dan pustaka, you might find words like ‘memandu’ that refers to driving and might be thinking that it is a root word. the root word is ‘pandu’ that 214 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee means drive and ‘me-’ is the prefix of the word. this shows that the prefix in malay is not similar as that in english because mostly the meanings of the root word and the word with prefix in english are opposite. not only that, prefixes in malay can be used on most of the word and are productive, unlike the prefixes in english. for example, the prefix ‘pe-’ in malay can be put on almost all words as it later will ring the same meaning such as ‘pemakai’ which means a user in english. which somehow make it easier to be remembered and used compared to english affixes that are different. you may use the prefix ‘un-’ for ‘unhappy’ but not for the word ‘engage’ which will use prefix ‘dis-’ making it as ‘disengage’ instead. even though they belong to the same negative prefix, they have different pronunciation, spelling and frequency compared to the malay affixes that are the same on those three aspects depending on the words. however, do take note that the tables above show the most common used affixes in malay language especially during writing and oral communication. there are still tons of other affixes that are used in malay as it is updated from time to time by the linguistics scholar back in the dewan bahasa dan pustaka. both of the languages affixes have the same goal that it to complete the sentence by putting different prefix or suffix for its meaning to suit the sentence itself. however, there is a slightly noticeable difference between both languages affixes which is the spelling, pronunciation and frequency. semantic is the field of study that examines the meaning of language. it is defined as the study of the meaning of words, phrases, and sentences in a language. according to ferdinand de saussure, every linguistic sign consists of two elements, which are the signified and signifier. ogden and richards show the relationship between words, concepts, and objects referenced through a semantic triangle. there are few similarities between malay language and english language from the aspect of semantic. the similarities can be seen from the meanings of denotative and connotative and also from the lexical relations. denotation means an object or concept referred by a term or a set of objects of which a predicate is true while connotation is the abstract meaning or intension of a term, which forms a principle determining that objects or concepts it applies to such as the word heart. the denotation of the word refers it as the real heart that is triangular in shape, pumps oxygenated blood to all body parts to help us stay alive while the connotation is a symbol of love and affection. the connotation meaning makes us have a mindset like we always see the shape of a heart with red in color as the symbol of love. the denotative and connotative meaning in malay language and english are the same respectively. lexical relations show how meaning of a word relates to each other. lexical items contain information about category, form and meaning. the semantics relate to these categories then relate to each lexical item in the lexicon. some relations between lexical items include synonym, antonym, and hyponym (butt, 2000). synonym is a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language. in malay language, the word ‘bijak’ and ‘cerdik’ have the same meaning. thus, it is a synonym. in english language, the words that share 215 mohd nazri latiff azmi, et all. the comparisons and contrasts between english and malay languages the similar meanings are ‘wise’ and ‘clever’. the meanings are still the same even in other language. therefore, the synonym of malay language and english language are the same. antonym is a word opposite in meaning to another. a word may have more than one antonym. there are three categories of antonyms identified by the nature of the relationship between the opposed meaning which are gradable antonym, complementary antonym and relational antonym. gradable antonyms are typically pairs of adjectives that can be qualified by adverbs such as very, quite, extremely etc. in malay language, this antonym is called ‘antonimi taksiran’. for example, we can say ‘the tickets were expensive’ or ‘the tickets were cheap’. since expensive and cheap are gradable antonyms, so we can qualify how expensive or cheap they were. this can be proven in a few sentences such as ‘the tickets were more expensive than the previous one’ and ‘the tickets were very cheap’ in english as well as ‘tiket ini lebih mahal daripada yang dahulu’ and ‘tiket ini sangat murah’ in malay. complementary antonyms are pairs of words that are opposite in meaning and cannot be graded. they are mutually exclusive, that is, only one of them can exist at one time. this antonym is called ‘antonimi penggenap’ in malay language. for example, there might be a newborn child in a family and the baby will only be either girl or boy. the child cannot be both girl and boy as the gender of the child is the complementary antonym. further examples of complementary antonyms are deadalive, young-old, and empty-full that same goes for the examples in malay, ‘mati-hidup’, ‘muda-tua’ and ‘kosongpenuh’ respectively. according to marlyna (2005), relational antonyms or converse antonyms are pairs of opposite words where one cannot exist without the other. this antonym is recognized as ‘antonimi sebalikkan’ in malay language. this antonym is a pair of words with the opposite meanings, where opposite makes sense only in the context of relationship between the meanings of the two words. there is no lexical opposite for teacher, but teacher and pupil are opposite with the context of their relationship. another example is when there is a husband, there must be a wife. therefore, husband and wife are relational antonym. other examples are night-day, policeman-criminal and parent-child. in malay language, they are ‘malam-siang’, ‘polis-penjenayah’ and ‘ibubapa-anak’ accordingly. thus, we can conclude that the antonym of malay language and english language are similar and the same. hyponym is a word of more specific meaning than a general or superordinate term applicable to it. for example, the word ‘european’, its hyponym is british, angle, jutes, etc. in malay language, the word ‘asia’ has the hyponym of malaysia, pakistan, japan and others. hence, we can simplify that the hyponym between these two languages is the same (asmah, 1983). in conclusion, it is shown that there are similarities and differences between malay and english languages from some aspects. they are history, phonology, influences in vocabulary (loanwords), grammar, morphology and semantics. although these two languages come from different background, somehow they share similar characteristics such as the vowels sounds, loanwords and semantics. this proves that human has the same mindset that is to use sounds and voices to communicate in the ancient 216 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee days. the words that are loaned from one another mean they have effect on each other. grammar is a big category which consists of both similarities and differences from many aspects, is the basic of a language. moreover, morphology is regarding the morpheme that refers to the basic unit in a word as well as the semantics of words share similarities and contrasts among the two languages (hazita, 2004). regardless the differences of these two languages, both of the languages are unique and beautiful in their ways and survive until today with their native speakers. the linguists who have categorized everything that we learn and use today, are unforgettable as these are their great works, and they shall be remembered forever. references asmah, o. (1983). the malay peoples of malaysia and their languages. kuala lumpur: dewan bahasa & pustaka. asmah, o. (1986). nahu mutakhir melayu. kuala lumpur: dewan bahasa dan pustaka. azar, b. (1989). understanding and using english grammar. prentice hall regents. new jersey. baker, m. (2011). in other words: a course book on translation. 2nd ed. london: routledge. butt, d., fahey, r., feez, s., spinks, s., & yallop, c. (2000). using functional grammar. sydney: national centre for english language teaching & research. deterding, d., & salbrina, s. (2013). brunei english: a new variety in a multilingual society. dordrecht: springer. halliday, m. a. k. (1994). an introduction to functional grammar. london: edward arnold. hatim, b. (1997). communication across cultures: translation theory and contrastive text linguistics. exeter: university of exeter press. hazita, a. (2004). global english and english literacy education in malaysia, in penny lee and hazita azman, global english and primary schools: challenges for elementary education, melbourne: cae press. imran, h. a. (2000). contrasting malay english preposition categories: indulging in in diverse voices: readings in languages, literatures and cultures. serdang: penerbit universiti pertanian malaysia. khazriyati, s., tan, k. h., & marlyna, m. 2006. "definiteness and indefiniteness: a contrastive analysis of the use of determiners between the malay language and english". gema online journal of language studies. volume 6 (1). marlyna, m., khazriyati, s., & tan, k. h. (2005). "everyone people must have a best friend. interference of malay structures in english written discourse". proceedings of the tleia conference. teaching and learning of english: towards an asian perspective. fakulti komunikasi dan bahasa moden: uum. murni. m. (2013). ‘fonetik dan fonologi (vokal & konsonan)’. retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/murnibint imohamat/fonetik-dan-fonologivokal-konsonan newmark, p. (1988). a textbook of translation. singapore: prentice hall international (uk) ltd. nik, s. k. (1989). tatabahasa dewan jilid 2: perkataan. kuala lumpur, dewan bahasa dan pustaka. noorizah, m. n., & rosniah, m. (1998) tatabahasa inggeris. utusan publications. kuala lumpur. nor, h. j. (2004). penguasaan bahasa melayu oleh pelajar melayu dalam arus globalisasi. jurnal bahasa jil. 4 (1), 63-95. ramli, md. s., ismail. s., idris. a., fadzeli. j. (2000). penguasaan bahasa melayu di kalangan pelajar-pelajar sekolah menengah rendah: kajian di sekolahsekolah rancangan felda negeri sembilan. universiti kebangsaan malaysia. 217 mohd nazri latiff azmi, et all. the comparisons and contrasts between english and malay languages 218 an analysis of the translation of metaphors in the novel harry potter and english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the translation of metaphors in harry potter and the chamber of secrets from english to indonesian khairuddin department of medical record and health information health polytechnic of malang, indonesia e-mail: fadilkhairuddin@yahoo.com apa citation: khairuddin (2015). the translation of metaphors in harry potter and the chamber of secrets from english to indonesian, english review: journal of english education 3(2),201-209 received: 11-03-2015 accepted: 12-04-2015 published: 01-06-2015 abstract: translation is undoubtedly an important but at the same time difficult work. metaphors are among the potential areas of translation problem. this study aimed at describing how metaphors in the novel harry potter and the chamber of secrets are translated from english to indonesian, and evaluating the appropriateness of the translation results. findings showed certain strategies were applicable and determinant to the appropriateness of the english metaphor translation to indonesian: adoption or reproduction, adaptation or replacement with indonesian metaphors, conversion to simile, adoption plus sense, conversion to sense, and deletion. metaphor translation appropriateness shall be arrived if it qualifies referential and contextual accuracy. missing one or either two of the accuracy kinds may result in less and inappropriate metaphor translation respectively. keywords: translation, metaphorical expression, translation appropriateness, metaphor translation strategies . introduction that translation work is of great importance but at the same time difficult and complex is a two-face of a coin which most translators share a view. on the delighting face, there is a mouthful significant importance of translation in transmitting culture, revitalizing language, interpreting texts, disseminating knowledge, suggesting the relationship between thought and language, and contributing towards understanding between nations. it is also a unique source of knowledge and wisdom for mankind (newmark, 1988). it enriches the intellectual life in the target communities and introduces new linguistic structures or new genres into the target language and culture (stiffener in malkmajaer, 1988). on the discouraging face, it is an inconvenient and difficult work even before a translator begins his work, more difficult than a writer doing his own composition; because a translator is tightly possessed of the content of the source text. the difficulty is folded when the translator's source and target language mastery is not of an advanced level. the difficulties lie on making decision which principle to refer to; whether the translation should incline to the source or the target language, to be faithful or beautiful, literal or free, and whether to attempt to and struggle for the form or the content. mailto:fadilkhairuddin@yahoo.com khairuddin the translation of metaphors in harry potter and the chamber of secrets from english to indonesian translation is the reproducing in the receptor language or target language the closest natural equivalent of the source language message, first in terms of meaning and second in terms of style (nida and taber, 1982). in translating process, some areas may appear to be potential problems for a translator in transferring the content and the structural form of the source to the target text. among the commonest problem of content transfer in translation are idioms and figurative meanings (nida & taber, 1982). the translation of idioms and figurative meaning is more problematic since they contain metaphorical expressions. metaphor is an indirect speech act of word, expression or sentence whose meaning is what a speaker might utter it to mean, in a way that departs from what the word, the expression or the sentence actually means. in other words, a metaphorical meaning is made up of the speaker's meaning and the word or sentence meaning (searle in orthony 1982). the purpose of metaphor is to describe an entity, event or quality more comprehensively and concisely in a more complex way than is possible by using literal language, not just for the purpose of coloring language, but more important is of sharpening it in order to describe the life of the world or the mind accurately (newmark, 1988). because of its nature of using a figurative word to denote meaning, a metaphor or expression with metaphorical meaning is difficult to translate between languages. they are more difficult to translate compared with words with mere literal meanings. in fact, metaphor is at the center of all problems of translation (newmark, 1988). however, not rarely we have found that sentences are used in perfectly ordinary contexts with other than their literal meanings. indeed, almost every sentence produced by any human being contains importantly metaphorical or other figurative elements. we use or hear hundreds of metaphors in everyday speech, in slang, in news reporting, in novels, etc. (wales, 2001). in fact, (as stressed by de man, 1979 in wales, 2001), they are part of the fabric of language, even of thought. the translation of literary forms such as novels and short stories between languages are not easy to work out. even, the translation of novels and short stories is the second most difficult after the translation of poetry (newmark, 1988). this is truly so in greater part because the existence of metaphors in such writings is ubiquitous. in fact, metaphors in novels and short stories are often boldly translated to literal language, which thus unwittingly sacrifice their language features that function for coloring or sharpening the author's description in their writings. consequently, readers of the translated texts may not be able to have equal enjoyment as felt by the readers of the original novel or short story. to transfer successfully the equivalent metaphors from the source language to the target language text, it requires a translator to have knowledge to identify and interpret the metaphor itself. without such knowledge, it is difficult to work out the interpretation of the metaphor and to represent the metaphorical meanings in the source language text to the target language text. the blend of the above-mentioned importance of translation in nation development, the challenging problems of translation works, the power of metaphor, the difficulties of english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee metaphor translation, and its ubiquity in novels were the attraction calling for this study. this study described the strategies of metaphor translation and evaluated the appropriateness of metaphor translation from english to indonesian as found in the novel harry potter and the chamber of secrets. method two types of textual data served as the data source: (1) the original j.k. rowling's novel harry potter and the chamber of secrets (2000), published by bloomsbury, in order to obtain the english metaphors and (2) the indonesian version of the novel, harry potter dan kamar rahasia (2000) published by gramedia pustaka utama jakarta. the researcher first read the original novel harpy potter and the chamber of secrets in order to figure out the intention of the writer, and the function and type of the text. then, he identified all the english metaphors in the original novel and their translation in the indonesian translation version. next, he made comparison of the english metaphors with the indonesian translation in order to describe and analyze the various strategies used by the translator. lastly, he performed an evaluation of the appropriateness of the translation of the english metaphors in the original novel to the indonesian translation concerning with the referential accuracy and the contextual accuracy. judgment or evaluation of the appropriateness of metaphor translation was based on the researcher-made standards referring to referential or semantic and contextual or pragmatic accuracy (newmark, 1988, p 188). the evaluation result is classified into appropriate, less appropriate and inappropriate metaphor translation. a metaphor translation is marked appropriate when it has both qualities of referential and contextual accuracy. referential accuracy bears the quality of faithfulness of the translation to the source language text, and contextual accuracy bears the smoothness, naturalness, thus, acceptability of the translation in the target language text. a metaphor translation is marked less appropriate when it has referential or semantic accuracy, but is lacking of contextual or pragmatic accuracy, which is necessary for making natural, and thus, acceptable translation in the tl context a metaphor translation is also marked less accurate when the translator drops or gives up the metaphorical image too easily, while actually there is still alternative attempt to be made for conveying both the image and the metaphorical meaning and the interpretive meaning of the metaphor to the target language. an english metaphor translation to indonesian is marked inappropriate if the translation is referentially or semantically defiant or corruptive which signals the unfaithfulness of the translation to the original text. this unfaithfulness may be due to inaccurate addition or subtraction of information, misinterpretation of the metaphorical meaning, or inaccurate deletion due to the translator's incompetence. results and discussion analysis and evaluation of the metaphor translation the novel harry potter and the chamber of secrets bears more saliently the expressive, emotive, creative and aesthetic functions of language, which takes serious imaginative literature text type. in such a text type, metaphor plays much a part to make strong expressive impression of the language. it is also the link between the expressive and aesthetic khairuddin the translation of metaphors in harry potter and the chamber of secrets from english to indonesian functions. through images, metaphors connect the extra-linguistic reality with the world of the mind through language. thus metaphor, being both an expressive and aesthetic component, has to be preserved intact in translation. therefore, the translator should strive to transfer the metaphorical expressions to the tl text in order to preserve the expressive and aesthetic components of the original. dropping or giving up the metaphorical images that exist in the original novel in the translation would mean lessening or corrupting the expressive and aesthetic functions which in turn would lessen the value of the novel translated. there are 224 metaphors identified in the 366 pages novel harry potter and the chamber of secrets. these english metaphors are translated to indonesian through various metaphors translation strategies (see table 1).the strategy taken by the translator determines the success or appropriateness of the metaphor translation. a suitable metaphor translation strategy may bring to appropriate metaphor translation. below are representative examples of the analysis and evaluation of the metaphor translation. appropriate metaphor translation a metaphor translation is marked appropriate when it has both qualities of referential and contextual accuracy. referential accuracy bears the quality of faithfulness of the translation to the source language text, and contextual accuracy bears the smoothness, naturalness, thus, acceptability of the translation in the target language text. the following are representative examples of appropriate english metaphor translation to indonesian. (1) 'they gave me a nice, shiny engraved trophy for my trouble and warned me to keep my mouth shut.' ("mereka memberiku trofi bagus, berkilau dan berukir, dan memperingatkan aku untuk tetap tutup mulut. ") the secondary meaning of this complex metaphor keep my mouth shut is to keep secret of something. it is translated tutup mulut in indonesian. in this strategy, the translator has reproduced the original image of the metaphor in the indonesian translation. the image tutup mulut is similarly a standard and popular metaphor in indonesian culture which the translation readers will not fail to understand. by adopting or reproducing the metaphor, he has maintained faithfulness to the original and has kept the figurative or metaphorical aspect in the indonesian translation. (2) he promised harry he would flay him within an inch of his life when the masons had left. (la mengancam akan menghajar harry sampai nyawanya tinggal seujung rambut.) the secondary or interpretive meaning of the metaphorical utterance flay him within an inch of his life is `to flay very severely.' the metaphor is translated to indonesian to menghajarnya sampai nyawanya tinggal seujung rambut. the english metaphor cannot be adopted or reproduced directly to indonesian to menghajarnya sampai setiap inci hidupnya, as it does not read smooth and natural, therefore not acceptable. dealing with this problem, the translator's strategy is to adapt or replace the english metaphorical image with the indonesian image which has similar interpretive meaning to the original. by replacing with the standard and popular metaphorical image in english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee indonesian, the translation can be both faithful to the original and acceptable in the receptor's language. (3) `we've been here nearly four hours! i'd never have believed it-time has flown, hasn't it?' ("kita sudah disini hampir empat jam. aku tak percaya, waktu berlalu bagai terbang ya?”) the metaphor time has flown in the original text has the secondary or interpretive meaning `time has passed very fast.' the metaphor is translated to indonesian to waktu berlalu bagai terbang. the translator's strategy is to translate the english metaphor to a simile in indonesian. the translator may not adopt or reproduce the english metaphor to waktu telah terbang, as it will read strange and awkward. by translating it to a simile, it succeeds the referential and contextual accuracy for being faithful to the original and acceptable in indonesian context. (4) harry told them all about dobby. `very fishv. 'said fred finally. (harry menceritakan kepada mereka semua tentang dobby. "sangat mencurigakan, kata fred akhirnya.) the metaphor very fishy has the interpretive meaning `very suspicious' in the original text. it is translated to indonesian to a sense or literal language sangat mencurigakan. although the translation does not bear the metaphorical aspect of the english metaphor, its meaning is similar to the metaphor's interpretive meaning. the translator cannot adopt the metaphor to berbau ikan or berbau amis, as it will not be understood correctly by the tl text readers. therefore, she should literalize the translation. by literalizing it, the translator maintains the faithfulness of the translation to the interpretive meaning and enables the readers to understand the translation correctly and easily. less appropriate metaphor translation a metaphor translation is marked less appropriate when it has referential accuracy which qualifies faithfulness of the translation to the original primary meaning, but it lacks contextual accuracy which is requirement of acceptability of the translation in the tl context. a metaphor translation is also marked less appropriate when the translator drops or gives up the metaphorical image too easily, while actually there is still alternative attempt to be made for conveying both the image or the metaphorical meaning and the interpretive meaning of the metaphor to the target language. the following are some examples. (1) `harry! what d'yeh think yer doin down there? harry's heart leapt. ("harry !" sedang apa kau disini?jantung harry melompat.) the metaphorical utteranceharry's heart leapt has the interpretive meaning `extremely shocked' in the original text. it is translated to indonesian to jantung harry melompat. the translator has adopted or reproduced the metaphor to indonesian. this strategy has made the translation faithful to the original, and therefore referentially accurate. however, it does not read smooth and natural in indonesian. in other words, it is not acceptable in indonesian, and therefore, contextually not accurate. it will be appropriate if the metaphorical utterance is replaced with an indonesian metaphor jantung harry mau copot in order to make it more acceptable in the tl context. (2) `why would anyone want to celebrate the day they died? ' said ron. `sounds dead depressing to me.' khairuddin the translation of metaphors in harry potter and the chamber of secrets from english to indonesian ("kenapa ada orang ingin merayakan hari kematian naereka? " tanya ron. "kedengarannya suram bagiku.”) the metaphor dead depressing in the original text has the interpretive meaning `extremely frightening and sad.' the metaphor is translated to suram inindonesian. this translation, not only that it has lessened the meaning of the english metaphor in the original text, but it also does not have clear meaning and may not be understood clearly in indonesian. the researcher suggested that it is translated to kedengarannya menyeramkan sekali, in order to make the meaning clear and understood by the tl text readers. (3) "yeh should've ignored him, arthur, 'said hagrid `rotten to the core the whole family, everyone knows.' ("ku seharusnya jangan acuhkan dia, arthur, ' kata hagrid. jahat sekali seluruh keluarga, semua tahu.“) the metaphorical utterance rotten to the core has the interpretive meaning `extremely or acutely bad or mean' in the original text. this metaphor is translated to a sense or literal language jahat sekali in indonesian. the translator has dropped or given up the original metaphorical image too easily in the indonesian translation. consequently, the translation has lost its self-expressive and aesthetic function. therefore, the researcher marks it as less appropriate translation. actually, in order to this metaphor can be translated sudah busuk sampai ke tulang seluruh keluarga itu in order to keep the metaphorical image and be more faithful to the original which is the suggestion to make appropriate translation. inappropriate metaphor translation the researcher marks an english metaphor translation to indonesian as inappropriate if the translation is not referentially accurate, which signals the unfaithfulness of the translation to the original text. this unfaithfulness may be due to inaccurate addition or subtraction of information, misinterpretation of the metaphorical meaning, or inaccurate deletion due to the translator's incompetence. for this inappropriateness, the translator suggests his own translation in order to fix the problem. the following are some examples. (1) ... as he allowed to be swept out of his office, leaving them alone with prof mcgonagall. (...sebelum dia keluar dari kantornya, meniggalkan mereka sendirian dengan prof mcgonagall.) the interpretive meaning of the metaphor to be swept out in the original text is to involuntarily leave, or to feel compelled to leave. the metaphor is translated to a literal language keluar in indonesian. the word keluar in indonesian is not adequately representative to the interpretive meaning of the original metaphor swept out. translated as such, not only the translation has given up the metaphorical aspect too easily, but also it has not been faithful to the original. it has not been successful to convey the interpretive meaning full in the indonesian translation; it has subtracted the meaning inaccurately. therefore, the researcher marks this translation as inappropriate. the researcher suggests that it be translated to sebelum dia harus terusir keluar dari kantornya in order to make an appropriate translation. (2) riddle watched him out of sight, and then, moving quickly, headed straight down the stone steps to the dungeons with harry in hot pursuit. (riddle menunggunya lenyap dari pandangan, dan kemudian bergerak english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee cepat menuruni tangga batu menuju jeruang bawah tanah. harry mengejarnya.) the english metaphor in hot pursuit in the original text has the interpretive meaning `to follow curiously or eagerly.' it is translated to indonesian to mengejar. the translator has given up the metaphorical element hot in the translation. this metaphor actually has important meaning, i.e. to describe how harry, the subject, has run to follow riddle. hence, the deletion has corrupted the complete interpretive meaning of the metaphor. therefore, the researcher marks this metaphor translation inappropriate. to make it appropriate, the researcher suggests that it be translated to harry mengejarnya bersemangat. (see table 2 for translation evaluation result) table 1: metaphor translation strategies applied in the translation of english metaphors in harry potter and the chamber of secrets to indonesian table 2: percentage of evaluation result of english metaphor translation in harry potter and the chamber of secrets to indonesian conclusions from the data analysis and discussion, the research has reached some conclusions. the writer's intention for writing the novel is the realization of her self-expression, creative thinking, and imagination. the novel bears more saliently the expressive, emotive, creative and aesthetic functions of language, which takes serious imaginative literature text type. in such a text type, metaphor plays much a part to make strong expressive and aesthetic impression of the language. therefore, the translator should strive to transfer the metaphorical expressions to tl text for preserving the expressive and aesthetic component of the english metaphors in the original text. the metaphorical expressions in harry potter and the chamber of secrets are translated to indonesian through various metaphor translation strategies: (1) english metaphor is adopted or reproduced when it is also a common or popular metaphor in indonesian language or culture. (2) the english metaphor is adapted or replaced with indonesian metaphor if the metaphor cannot be appropriately reproduced, translator's strategies total percentage metaphor reproduced 69 31% metaphor replaced with tl metaphor 18 8% metaphor changed to simile 9 4% metaphor changed to simile plus sense 1 0.4% metaphor reproduced plus sense 3 1% metaphor converted to sense 118 53% metaphor deleted 6 2.6% total 224 100% evaluation total percentage appropriate metaphor translation 194 85% less appropriate metaphor translation 25 12% inappropriate metaphor translation 5 3% total 224 100% khairuddin the translation of metaphors in harry potter and the chamber of secrets from english to indonesian and if the indonesian metaphor is not defiant or corruptive to the meaning of the sl metaphor. (3) the english metaphor is changed to simile in the indonesian translation to retain the metaphorical image of the original. (4) the english metaphor is reproduced and combined with sense or the interpretive meaning of the metaphor. (5) the english metaphor is also changed to simile and combined with sense or the interpretive meaning of the metaphor in its original text; in the specific englishindonesian metaphor translation case, the sense may come first before the simile. (6)the metaphor is converted to sense or translated to literal language. ((7) the english metaphor is deleted when the metaphorical meaning is redundant. the translation of english metaphors in harry potter and the chamber of secrets to indonesian has been done relatively successfully. this conclusion is inferred from the evaluation results which show that 85 % of the english metaphors are marked appropriate metaphor translation. only 12% and 3% are marked respectively less appropriate and inappropriate metaphor translation. these findings give hint that the translator is familiar with the metaphor translation strategies commonly found or written in translation textbooks or other translation references. familiarity or knowledge of the metaphor translation strategies has proven to help solve problems of metaphor translation from english to indonesian. although there are several word-forword translation when the metaphor is a simple or one-word metaphor, for most metaphor translation, word order or syntactical structures seem to be least considered when priority is focused on balancing referential or semantic and contextual or pragmatic accuracies of metaphor translation from english to indonesian. references ary, d., jacobs. l., & razavieh, a. (2002). introduction to research in education. belmont: wadsworth. bell, r. t. (1991). translation and translating: theory and practice. london: longman. brislin, r. w. (ed). (1976). translation application and research. new york: gardener press, inc. carford, j. c. (1974). a linguistics theory of translation. new york: oxford university press. ching, m k.l., haley, michael c., & lunsford, ronald f. 1980. linguistics perspectives on literature. london: routledge & kegan paul ltd. davidson, d. (1978). what metaphors mean. in martinich, a.p., 2001. the philosophy of language. new york: oxford university press. fraser, l. (2004). wawancara dengan j.k. rowling si pencipta harry potter. jakarta: penerbit gramedia pustaka utama. gibbs, raymond w., & steen, gerard j. 1999. metaphors in cognitive linguistics. amsterdam: john benjamin publishing company. lakoff, g. & johnson, m. (1980).metaphors we live by. chicago: university of chicago press. larson, m. n. (1984). meaning-based translation: a guide to cross language equivalence. boston: university press of america, inc. leezenberg, m. (2001). contexts of metaphor. amsterdam: elsevier science ltd. lycan, w. j. (2000). philosophy of language: a contemporary introduction. london: routledge. malkmkjer, k. (1998). translation and language teaching. manchester: st. jerome publishing. martinich, a.p. (1984). a theory of metaphor. in martinich a.p (pp. 447-457). 2001. the philosophy of language. new york: oxford university press martinich, english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee a.p. 2001. the philosophy of language. new york: oxford university press. miles, m. b. & huberman, a.m. (1984). qualitative data analysis: a source of new methods. california: sage publication, inc. mooij, j. j.a. (1976). a study of metaphor. amsterdam: north-holland publishing company. murtadho, n. (1999). metafora dalam alqur'an dan terjemahannya dalam bahasa indonesia. unpublished dissertation. jakarta: graduate program university of indonesia. newmark, p. (1988). approaches to translation. london: prentice hall. newmark, p. (1988). a text book of translation. london: prentice hall. nida, e. a. & taber, charles r. (1982). the theory and practice of translation. leiden: e.j. brill nida, e. a. (2001). contexts in translating. amsterdam: john benjarnins publishing company. pedoman penulisan karya ilmiah. (2003). malang: universitas negeri malang. rowling, j.k. (2000). harry potter and the chamber of secrets. london: bloomsbury. rowling, j.k. (2000). harry potter dan kamar rahasia. (translation version). jakarta: gramedia pustaka utama. sadtono, e. (1985). pedoman penerjemahan. jakarta: depdikbud, pusat pembinaan dan pengembangan bahasa. schaffner, c. (1998). qualification for professional translators. inmalkmajaer, kirsten. (pp. 117-133). translation and language teaching. manchester: st. jerome publishing searle, j. (1982). metaphor. in orthony, andrew, metaphor and thought (pp. 92-123). cambridge: cambridge university press. suryawinata, z. & hariyanto, s. (2003). translation: bahasan teori dan penuntun praktis menerjemahkan. yogyakarta: penerbit kanisius. veale, tony. 1995. metaphor, memory and meaning: symbolic and connectionist issues in metaphor interpretation. dublin: ireland wahab, abdul. 1986. javanese metaphors in discourse analysis. unpublished dissertation. urbana: university of illinois. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 33 scientific approach of 2013 curriculum: teachers’ implementation in english language teaching sri ratnaningsih department of english, indonesia university of education, indonesia e-mail: chi.azure.chelsea@gmail.com apa citation: ratnaningsih, s. (2017). scientific approach of 2013 curriculum: teachers’ implementation in english language teaching. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 33-40. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.768. received: 19-08-2017 accepted: 21-10-2017 published: 01-12-2017 abstract: the research is aimed at investigating the teachers’ implementation of scientific approach in english language teaching in one state junior high school in bandung regency. in addition, this research discusses the conformation of the scientific approach implementation and the lesson plans based on the 2013 curriculum. this research employs a case study qualitative research design. the data were obtained from classroom observation and teachers’ lesson plan analysis and interview. the findings showed that the teachers implemented the scientific stages in english language teaching. they conducted observing, questioning, experimenting, associating and communicating in the sequence activities. besides, the teachers can demonstrate the student-centered learning strengthened by collaborative, cooperative, active and meaningful learning. however, concerning the conformation of the implementation with lesson plans, based on the indicators, learning objectives, learning materials, learning media, scientific stages and scientific approach model (discovery learning, inquiry leaning, problem based learning and project based learning), the teachers still have to underline and mention the scientific approach model and state learning objectives. furthermore, the other components have been presented well in both teaching and lesson plans. keywords: english language teaching, lesson plan, scientific approach, teaching practice, the 2013 curriculum introduction curriculum is defined as a plan for learning containing many kinds of learning instructions and outcomes (see taba, 1962; ruhimat et al., 2009, p.4). it includes the sequence activities that give something for the students to learn and experience through developing abilities to achieve specific educational goals and evaluation in the form of a written document (see government regulation number 19 year 2005 on national education standards; kunandar, 2011, p.124; hasanah, 2015; olivia, 1988; harold, 1965; print, 1993). in indonesia’s curriculum, english becomes a compulsory subject with a very important existence. the curriculum of english has experienced changes to acquire better student results in learning english (emilia, 2005). the english curriculum in indonesia has witnessed at least eleven times of curricular changes— the 1945 curriculum, to 2006 curriculum (alwasilah, 2012) as cited in (hamied & musthafa, 2016) and the 2013 curriculum (kurtilas) which uses scientific approach (abidin, 2014; hosnan, 2014; yani, 2014; government’s file). the 2013 curriculum is implemented as one of government’s efforts to answer the challenges of the advancing technology and rapid globalization. it is also related to the 21th century characteristics. morocco et al. (2008, p.5; see abidin, 2014) argue that the 21th century characteristics cover the ability of the highest understanding, critical thinking, collaboration and communication. thrilling and fadel (2009, p. 47) add that 21th century sri ratnaningsih scientific approach of 2013 curriculum: teachers’ implementation in english language teaching 34 skills include: (1) life and career skills, (2) learning and innovation skills and (3) information, media, and technology skills. they underline that learning and innovation skills which connect to creative thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity and innovation are the main skill to be improved. the 2013 curriculum is hoped to realize the development of students’ potential to create indonesian citizens who are productive, creative, innovative, skillful, competitive, collaborative and independent through the integrated attitudes (students know “why”), skills (students know “how”), and knowledge (students know “what”) (education and culture ministry policy, no. 68 year 2013). the 2013 curriculum emphasizes more on competences and character buildings, because characters have important values to run and form the ethical and individual principles (howard et al., 2004). the students attain academic benchmarks to construct and employ their knowledge and skills and need the same time and opportunity to develop and conduct good characters (stein et al., 2000). the ministry of education (2013) states that the 2013 curriculum can be implemented successfully by using scientific approach. scientific approach is a new approach in english language teaching because the term “scientific” is more familiar with natural science, social science and management (suharyadi, 2013, p.1). the learning process adopts the scientist stages in building the knowledge through the science methods and characteristics (see alfred de vito: 1989; government’s file: 2013; barringer, et al., 2010; abidin, 2014). thus, it is a challenge for teachers to understand the stages and basic knowledge about scientific approach in 2013 curriculum to implement the english language teaching in the classrooms properly (ayuni, 2015). scientific approach does not only emphasize learning outcomes as the end result, but also the learning process as the important consideration.therefore, this approach highlights the quest of knowledge rather than the knowledge itself. the students need to be actively involved in the learning process to present the information which is acquired not only from the teachers but also from various resources. according to regulation of ministry of national education no. 65, scientific approach in 2013 curriculum trains the students to: (1) be the center of learning, (2) involve the cognitive processes which is potential in stimulating intellectual development, specifically the high level of student; thinking skill, (3) give opportunities to the student to assimilate and accommodate concepts, laws and principles, (4) find knowledge through scientific process and use it in learning process, (5) learn from various sources, (6) promote acculturation and empowerment of students as lifelong learners, (7) apply values by giving exemplary things, build willingness, and develop creativity of the students in the learning process, (8) implement the principles in which everyone is teacher, everyone is student and everywhere is class. scientific approach is paramount to improve the quality of teaching and learning. it directs the students to develop and integrate their attitudes, skills and knowledge (suharyadi, 2013, p. 1). the approach can encourage students to be capable of observing, questioning, experimenting, associating, and communicating (government’s file, no. 103, 2014; abidin, 2014, p.132; hosnan, 2014, p. 37; mulyasa, 2014; suharyadi, 2013, p. 1350). each of the steps is presented as follows: 1) observing to develop student’s curiosity, to create meaningful learning process and help students acquire knowledge (brown, 2000).the teacher asks the students to observe objects, events, phenomena, concepts and procedures by using all of their senses to see, listen, read and watch, and integrate it with the learning material (checkovich & sterling, 2001, p. 32; government’s file, 2015). at the same time, students construct their knowledge and facilitate them to fulfill their need of knowing something. in this activity, the context is also presented to make students connect what they have learned with what they are going to learn (suharyadi, 2013, english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 35 p. 3). according to kemendikbud (2013b), the observation is going to be effective if the teacher and students employ tape recorder (to record the conversation), camera (to record visual objects), film or video (to record audiovisual objects) and related equipment. 2) questioning to construct knowledge as a concept. the students are required to have a critical thinking to evoke high level of thinking questions. furthermore, the students can show their active participation in the learning process. in this stage, the teachers have to facilitate the students with scaffolding to stimulate and encourage the students to ask (government’s file, 2013, pp. 34-35). questioning can be used by both teachers and students in the classroom with several specific purposes. specifically, by giving questions, the teacher leads the students to give their attention to begin learning and stimulate them to pursue knowledge on their own (suharyadi, 2013, p. 3-4). 3) experimenting to acquire a meaningful, real and authentic learning, students have to do experiments, especially to the suitable materials (suharyadi, 2013, p. 4). the students also experience the skill process to enhance knowledge and employ scientific method to solve the real problem. experimenting is intended to develop various learning objectives, attitudes, skills and knowledge. it is an activity to internalize knowledge and skills that have been learned. the students practice to express new things that they have learned and try to utilize the skills to reality inside and outside the class through simulation, role play, presentation, discussion and games (government’s file, 2013, p. 35). 4) associating toattain the conclusion of knowledge by a logical thinking process and systematic empirical factual statement which is observed. students must be more active and given more opportunities to learn. associating refers to grouping ability of various ideas and associating various events to be part of memory. when the experiences are stored in the brain, they will interact with the previous events or experiences. in this stage, students and teacher are engaged into learning activities, such as text analyzing and categorizing. the information or data that have been collected from the previous activity (observing and experimenting) must be analyzed to draw conclusions. students will then process the information from the teachers and draw the conclusions out of that information. as stated on the policy of indonesia ministry of education and culture no. 81a/2013, associating process must be conducted through: (1) processing information that has been collected from the result of experimenting and observing activity and, (2) processing the information collected to find solutions from variety of sources that have different opinions to the contrary. thus, students are expected to be able to relate the result of learning or experimenting to the reality. 5) communicating to develop students’ skills to offer or demonstrate all knowledge and ability that has been mastered verbally or nonverbally. suharyadi (2013, p. 4) argues that communicating is also called collaborative learning. for teachers, the collaborative learning function is more directive oriented in which the teachers are managers in the students’ learning. the students present the communicative and effective written or spoken knowledge based on what they have learned. the scientific approach has learning models to implement the whole approach, strategy, and method components which are employed holistically and comprehensively in learning process. the model selection is based on (1) time allocation; (2) material contents; and (3) asessment process of knowledge and skill (hasanudin, 2017). the models include discovery learning, inquiry learning, problem based approach and project based approach. in addition, in implementing the teaching practice in 2013 curriculum, lesson sri ratnaningsih scientific approach of 2013 curriculum: teachers’ implementation in english language teaching 36 plan has an important role to guide the learning activities to achieve basic competences (permendikbud no.65, 2013). in this research, some lesson plan components are analyzed. the components include indicators, objectives, learning material, learning activities, and assessment (ministry of national education, 2013) considering the issue stated above, this research is intended to focus on the implementation of scientific approach in english language teaching and its conformation with the lesson plans. it is hoped that this study can give a major contribution in the area of english teaching in new 2013 curriculum that is recently discussed nowadays, especially, scientific approach as a new approach in teaching english. it can help other researchers in conducting further researches on scientific approach. method to meet the purposes of the study, the research employed a qualitative case study research design since the main objectives are to describe and analyze the english teachers’ implementation of scientific approach and the conformation with the teaching lesson plan in 2013 curriculum. the research was conducted in one of favorite junior high schools in bandung regency which has been popular and chosen to apply scientific approach for english learning and teaching since the 2013 curriculum was realized. the participants involved in this research were three eleventh grade teachers. they were free to choose the topic as long as it is stated in basic competence 3 and 4 in seventh grade level. they were trained on the 2013 curriculum by the government and one of them is a national instructor. since this study employed a case studyqualitative research design, the data were collected through classroom observation, teachers’ lesson plans analysis and interview. the classroom observation was recorded and analyzed in the form of transcription and rubric. the observation began on march. then, the lesson plans were analyzed to determine whether the lesson plan is in line with the principles of 2013 curriculum. the teachers’ lesson plans were analyzed in terms of the indicators, objectives, materials and media, teaching procedures (scientific stages and its model) and learning assessment components (decree of minister of national education no. 65/2013). the lesson plans were collected from each teacher after conducting the observations. there were four lesson plans analyzed in this study. the first lesson plan labeled l1 was made by teacher a; l2 and l3 was for lesson plans made by teacher b; and l4 for lesson plan made by teacher c. all lesson plans were written in indonesian. finally, the interview was done to each teacher after finishing the classroom observations to gain detailed information and description about scientific approach in 2013 curriculum. the interview consists of six questions related to the implementation of scientific approach in 2013 curriculum and the data was categorized as complement to answer research questions. the interview was conducted in indonesian to make the teachers more comfortable in expressing their opinions regarding the implementation of scientific approach. results and discussion the section is divided into three main parts. the first part presents the implementation of scientific approach in english language teaching observation. the second part highlights the conformation between the implementation and the lesson plans through the lesson plans analysis. finally, the interview supports the first and second findings. data from classroom observation observing in the teaching practice, teacher a conducted the same material (describing things) in two different classes. she used the monkey doll to be described in class a, and red ball and bottle in class b. she was creative in using the contextual, real and some relevant media. she presented different realia to be described. thus, it made the students engage english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 37 easily in the learning process because she asked the students to use their sense to see. teacher b also presented the same material (describing people) for class c and d. in observing, she asked the students to maximize their sense to see the idol picture to be portrayed. it led the students to have fun learning and involved them to create active and meaningful learning. on the other hand, teacher b in class e displayed different material (greeting). here, the teacher invited the students to watch the video and sing the greeting song. so, the teacher asked the students to use their sense to watch and listen. in addition, teacher c stated some verbal instructions to be listened and observed. then, she asked the students to note the instructions given. according to the findings, all teachers implemented the observing stage well. it emphasized that all the teachers were creative to utilize the relevant, contextual and real media to be observed. questioning in this stage, teacher a involved the students to make questions verbally and invited some representatives to write the questions in front of the class. uniquely, she kept stimulating the students to answer and create more questions. the teacher applied active learning to bring good atmosphere. she explained (1) the usage of “has/have” and “is/are”, and (2) constructed the statements and questions to describe the thing clearly. thus, it made the students create the questions and statements easily. teacher b and c, on the contrary, kept asking the related questions and conduct the group discussion to encourage the students to ask and give their arguments. in this stage, all teachers showed their effort to encourage, stimulate and motivate the students to offer and response the related questions. they tried to construct the active learning and develop the students’ thinking skill. practically, the goals were not achieved well. so, the teachers initiated to offer some related questions and make a discussion to encourage the students to offer questions, respond to the answers, and give the argumentation and opinion. experimenting in experimenting, the students get real or authentic learning (abidin, 2014). teacher a gave the opportunity to the students to explore and collect relevant data and practice the writing and pronunciation to describe things. teacher b asked the students to collect the data from the internet and practice to describe people’ appearance and personality. in addition, in teaching the other material (greeting), the teacher asked the students to practice and imitate the greeting expression. finally, teacher c guided the students to explore and find the instruction from the text book. she also asked them to modify, imitate and demonstrate the instruction. associating associating refers to the ability of creating diverse idea and making new concepts or relating the result of learning experimenting to the reality they find (ministry of education and culture no. 81a/2013). teacher a and b encouraged the students to analyze and modify the descriptive statements. then, the students associated their knowledge from observing and experimenting to describe things (teacher a) and people (teacher b). in addition, teacher b instructed the students to modify and create greeting songs. further, the teacher c asked the students to analyze and make instruction. communicating in communicating, teacher a asked the students to describe one of the things given by using be, have and has in the groups of two. then, she watched and gave them assessment. teacher b built collaborative and cooperative learning in groups of four. the students were asked to choose one idol picture or the family member, then they discussed it in the groups. the representatives of the groups presented the description while the teacher monitored and led their discussion activity. to conduct effective learning, it will be better if the implementation was conducted twice or three times to give time for the students to explore, sri ratnaningsih scientific approach of 2013 curriculum: teachers’ implementation in english language teaching 38 associate and communicate well. moreover, in teaching greeting, the teacher asked the students to sing with their groups in front of the class. in addition, teacher c asked the students to come forward and communicate the instruction alternately in pair. document analysis this section presents the analysis of lesson plans. there are four lesson plan samples investigated in the study. learning indicators, learning objectives and learning materials deciding indicator refers to the basic competence. indicators direct to develop learning material to achieve learning objectives. the indicators are explained by detailed objectives. teacher a and b conducted the basic competence 3.10 and 4.13. both teachers fulfilled the indicators by using c2 and p2 in line with basic competence and their learning objectives followed the abcd rule. on the other hand, in deciding learning material, teacher a chose the things to be described and used realia by using various things such as monkey doll, red ball, red bottle and others while teacher b selected admired people to be described and employed pictures as the media. teacher b, in the third teaching, presented kd 3.1 and 4.1. kd 3.1 had three indicators. the operational words come from same level of bloom’s taxonomy (c2). she did not put the learning objectives in the lesson plan. in addition, kd 4.1 has one indicator and no learning objective. the word “menciptakan” in indicators must be followed by the lowest operational word to scaffold the students. furthermore, the teacher utilized video and song as learning media to teach greeting expression. teacher c selected kd 3.9 and 4.10. kd 3.9 has three indicators, the indicators are not in line with one learning objective mentioned in this lesson plan. this also happened to kd 4.10 where the teacher put one indicator and two learning objectives. as dede (2017) stated that in the lesson plan of 2013, the number of indicators has to be in line with learning objectives. the learning objective almost follows the abcd instruction. however, the teacher did not mention the bond degree of ki 2 such as “dengan benar dan tepat”. the teacher conducted instruction for the learning material, the students are asked to identify the language features of instruction (verb + object!). thus, the learning material and basic competence are relevant. furthermore, the teacher was creative because she used realia, situation and condition as the media of learning, for instance the teacher pointed the door and say “arya, open the door, please!” or “let’s learn about the instruction, now open page 101!” analyzing scientific approach and learning model in this section, the lesson plans were analyzed in term of its syntax to discover learning model that the teachers chose in their teaching practice. scientific approach includes some learning models such as discovery learning method, project-based method and problem-based method. those models have different syntax depends on the characteristics of the models. the teachers’ teaching practices were then analyzed to discover their learning models. the detail elaboration of learning model in the four lesson plans of the teachers is discussed in the following subsections. l1 teacher a and l2 teacher b both lesson plans present scientific stages and discovery model of learning in the sequence activities. first, the activities construct the active learning and reflects the student-centered process. the proof can be seen from the beginning of the lesson when the teacher asks the students to observe the monkey doll (teacher a) and the idol picture (teacher b) as the observation stage in scientific approach and stimulation in discovery model. this activity leads the students to use their sense to see and engages them to the learning. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 39 the second finding, the questioning stage is conducted well by giving the students several questions related to the material and discussion to encourage them to argue, question and response. the question stage is in line with problem identification in discovery learning. the third, experimenting is line with collecting data. here, the teachers give chance to the students to explore more information from various resources such as accessing the internet or discussing with their groups to collect more information and material to describe the things and initiate the pronunciations. the fourth, the associating stage or verification in discovery learning displays the teacher asking the students to analyze and elaborate their current knowledge to describe the new things (teacher a) and idol (teacher b). finally, in communicating and generalizing stage, the students are instructed to make short description of the thing given, then they present their description in form of dialogues in pairs (teacher a), while teacher b asked the students to present their admired people description in the groups of four and the representatives came forward to describe it in front of their friends. in the lesson plan, the teacher implements scaffolding which means the task that students have to do is in the sequence activities from the easiest to the hardest. this stage makes the students get the meaningful learning whereas each individual will fully understand the learning materials. l3 teacher b and l4 teacher c both teachers do not mention the model. they only focus on the scientific process stages. however, in 2013 curriculum activities the scientific approach stages must be in line with the learning model (government’s file, 2015). the l3 of teacher b conducts observing stages using video and song to engage the students,then both teacher and students discuss the song’s content. it is hoped that this stage can encourage the students to ask. meanwhile, teacher c employs verbal expressions to be listened by the students, then she stimulates the students to offer questions. in experimenting, teacher b instructs the students to collect data from videos, songs and other resources. then, they classify formal and informal greeting expressions. further, they imitate teacher’s pronunciation in expressing the words. on the other hand, teacher c uses text book to be explored. she asks the students to obtain the instruction and identify its language features. in associating, teacher b instructs the students to analyze the expressions and create simple song based on the data gained and sing in front of the class in form of group. in addition, teacher c displays the students to modify the instruction and presents the simple dialog in pair. analyzing learning assessment in 2013 curriculum (2015 version), spiritual and attitude aspectsare explained in line with cognitive and skill assessments. however, in 2017 revision, the english teachers just assess the students’ cognitive and skill, while attitude is assessed implicitly. spiritual and attitude aspects are assessed by religion and civic subjects (hasanudin, 2017). based on the finding, all teachers assess the students’ cognitive and skill by employing the verbal test assessment. data from interview the interview as the follow up to the observation was conducted with the english teachers of 7th grade. the scientific approach has been implemented since the school started employing the 2013 curriculum and chose to be a model school. the scientific approach asks the teacher to learn and read a lot. they are able to understand the stages by sharing with friends, reading from various information and following the national or local training of the 2013 curriculum. in addition, they always design the lesson plan before conducting the teaching. sri ratnaningsih scientific approach of 2013 curriculum: teachers’ implementation in english language teaching 40 conclusion the present study shows that the english teachers of 7th grade at the chosen state junior high school implemented the scientific approach in their english language teaching. they conducted all the stages involving observing, questioning, experimenting, associating and communicating. to emphasize, the teachers need to consider the time for implementation because the students need much opportunities to dig the stages. furthermore, the teachers conducted active and meaningful learning but they still lack of critical thinking (hots). observing was conducted with various media and creative delivery. however, they have to highlight the questioning stages where the students did not initiate to learn without stimulation and encouragement from the teachers. thus, it made the teachers show their efforts to stimulate and motivate them to offer questions. besides, the teachers employed the discussion to make them creating the active, cooperative and collaborative learning. in addition, the lesson plans employ all components and scientific approach stages based on 2013 curriculum. however, the teachers need to emphasize the step of determining the learning indicators and learning objectives, stating the learning model, and choosing the method. the findings show that teacher a and teacher b (class b and c) implemented the teaching in line with their lesson plans while teacher b (class d) and c were less appropriate because they did not write the learning objectives and model. as mikova (2017) states that learning objectives, learning activities and learning assessment are the main points of lesson plan. references abidin, y. (2014). desain sistem pembelajaran dalam konteks kurikulu 2013. bandung: pt refika aditama. alwasilah, a. c. (2012). pokoknya kualitatif: dasardasar merancang dan melakukan penelitian kualitatif (7th ed). bandung: pt. dunia pustaka jaya. hosnan, m. (2014). pendekatan saintifik dan kontekstual dalam pembelajaran abad 21: kunci sukses implementasi kurikulum 2013. bogor: ghalia indonesia. mulyasa, e. (2014). pengembangan implementasi kurikulum. bandung: penerbit pt. remaja rosdakarya. suharyadi. (2013). exploring scientific approach in english language teaching. malang: the state of malang university. yani, a. (2014). mindset kurikulum 2013. bandung: alfabeta. scientific approach of 2013 curriculum: teachers’ implementation in english language teaching introduction method results and discussion data from classroom observation observing questioning experimenting associating communicating document analysis learning indicators, learning objectives and learning materials analyzing scientific approach and learning model l3 teacher b and l4 teacher c analyzing learning assessment data from interview conclusion references english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 11 the effects of homogeneous and heterogeneous pushed output instructions on speaking complexity parviz ghasedi english department, faculty of humanity, university of zabol, iran e-mail: ghasedi.p.988@gmail.com habibollah mashhady english department, faculty of humanity, university of zabol, iran e-mail: mashhadyh@uoz.ac.ir farideh okati english department, faculty of humanity, university of zabol, iran e-mail: farideh.okati@uoz.ac.ir apa citation: ghasedi, p., mashhady, h., & okati, f. (2017). the effects of homogeneous and heterogeneous pushed output instructions on speaking complexity. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 11-20. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.766. received: 28-08-2017 accepted: 31-10-2017 published: 01-12-2017 abstract: this study was set out to investigate the efficacy of homogeneous and heterogeneous pushed output based instruction on upper-intermediate efl learner’ speaking complexity. to do so, 41 (17 males and 24 females) efl learners were selected from university of zabol based on the results of opt. then, they were put in control and experimental groups based on the predetermined criteria. retelling and decision making tasks were used in the treatments of experimental groups while control group received placebo during 15 sessions, twice a week. public versions of ielts speaking test were used as pre/post-test. the results of independent sample t-test indicated that experimental groups outperformed control group. on the other hand, statistical analyses showed no significant differences between male and female speech complexity. to sum up, the findings demonstrated the fruitful effects of collaborative pushed output activities on speaking sub-skills. likewise, the results suggested the implementation of similar strategies in the development of male and female speaking dimensions. based on the findings, it can be claimed that teacher preparation programs should put teaching speaking on their list of priorities and provide courses on effective strategies for the development of speaking dimensions through implementing the main tenants of pushed output hypothesis. keywords: homogeneous, heterogeneous, complexity, speaking, pushed output introduction considering specific role for output to practice what language learners internalized as comprehensible inputs in educational contexts, swain (1985) introduced the notion of pushed output hypothesis and notes that it helps learners process comprehensible input more effectively (basterrechea, mayo & leeser, 2014). pushed output reflects the process of practicing written or oral outcomes accurately and effectively (swain, 2005). daring to criticize krashen’s (1985, p.61) strong claims that “comprehensible input is the only true cause of second language acquisition”, swain (1985, 1998, 2000) contemplates specific functions for output hypothesis that makes learners aware of their incapability in using the intakes in their outputs during conveying their intentions (byrne, 2012; thwaites, 2014). swain (1985, 1998, 2000) summarizes the main functions of pushed output under three titles of noticing/consciousness-raising, hypothesis testing, and metalinguistic. nation (1990) asserts that such main functions of pushed parviz ghasedi, habibollah mashhady, & farideh okati the effects of homogeneous and heterogeneous pushed output instructions on speaking complexity 12 output will inspire efl/esl learners to implement what they learned in interactions with their peers or teachers. the repetitions of such activities lead to the automatic use of lexical and grammatical structures which consequently improve their language proficiencies. generally speaking, pushed output hypothesis was proposed with the promise of boosting learners’ productive (oral or written) competence. on the other hand, developing learners’ oral subs-kills, complexity, accuracy, and fluency, is viewed as the ultimate goal of learning english in efl/esl contexts (mccarthy, 1998). moreover, alonso (2014) considers speaking as the building block for learning listening, reading, and writing. likewise, celik and yavuz (2015) add that speaking is the corner stone of conducting communicative role of language. on the other side, a conclusive review of the related studies indicates that one of the big challenges of efl learners is producing accurate, coherent, lexically dense, and fluent utterances (alonso, 2014; dahmardeh, 2009). furthermore, teaching speaking sub-skills, especially in efl countries, confronted with lots of problems because a native like oral outputs needs a combination of “phonetic, phonological prosodic, lexical, syntactic, semantics and pragmatic” (osada, 2004, p. 56) knowledge. with the emergence of pushed output hypothesis and its emphasis on providing learners with the opportunities to use target language in negotiation based activities, this problem seems to be resolved. some studies investigated the efficacy of pushed output in developing learner syntactic and grammatical accuracy or reading comprehension (doneschjezo, 2011; ertürk, 2013; tabatabaei & yakhabi, 2009). moreover, sadeghi-beniss and edalati-bazzaz (2014) investigated the effects of pushed output on speaking fluency and accuracy. however, no study investigated the effects of pushed output on speaking complexity. likewise, there is no valid long term research project on the efficacy of pushed output in developing speaking sub-skills. accordingly, this study was set out to fill the mentioned gaps and find new strategies for developing learner speaking complexity through implementing main tenants of pushed output hypothesis. the role of input in language acquisition the proposed theories of first language acquisition (such as behaviorists, nativists, and functional) and that of l2 acquisition, (such as input hypothesis and output hypothesis) attach different significance (principal or secondary) to the role of input in language development (ellis, 2008). from the behavioristic perspective, language input, which consists of the “production of correct response to stimuli” (brown, 2007, p. 26), plays a vital role in language acquisition (ellis, 2008). for nativists, it is a premium trigger for inspiring the pre-existed abilities (ellis, 2008). similarly, constructivists highlight the significance of input and interaction in learning the target language (ellis, 2008). krashen (1981) regards it as the main criterion for learning and advancement and notes that input provides incidental and sufficient data for development. krashen (1985) believes that if language learners are provided with lots of understandable data in different formats (oral, written, or pictorial), they will acquire l2. he introduces the notion of “i+1” and argues that, a vital issue regarding comprehensible input is the fact that learners should be exposed to the “input language that contains structures a bite beyond his or her current levels of competence” (krashen, 1981, p. 100). according to krashen (1982), the fundamental inspiration to comprehend the structures that we have not ace yet (i+1) is our abilities to use our already mastered knowledge, lexico-grammatical knowledge, logical information, and our insight into the world. put another way, he asserts that in sla, we use more than our lexical and grammatical competence. furthermore, krashen (1982) accentuates that learner should focus on the meaning of the messages that directed at him/her, not their structural forms. likewise, krashen (1982) believes that we should not push learner to speak. he adds that although learners with different proficiency levels start talking at different points in time, we should not expect them to produce accurate, well-formed, and precise outputs at english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 13 the beginning. therefore, we ought to give them the chance to talk when they feel ready for it and tolerate their grammatical and lexical errors. the role of pushed output in language acquisition swain (1995) considers a significant place for input in educational contexts. however, she notes that comprehensible input cannot lead to the advancement. language learner should gain enough opportunities to process the received inputs and implement them in their outputs (van patten, 2002). output is defined as linguistic outcomes that learners produce (orally or in written) to convey their intentions, wants, desires, or ideas (kumaravadivelu, 2006; van patten, 2003). nation (2011) notes that pushed connotes the cooperation process between interlocutors and pushed output implies pushing learners to use their background knowledge to produce outputs that are lexically dense and grammatically correct. pushing students to practice and revise their outputs seems emergence for becoming competent communicators (byrne, 2012). accordingly, swain (1985) numbers main functions of pushed output as noticing, hypothesis testing, and metalinguistic. gass (2003) views noticing as a factor that connects language comprehension to language generation. donesch-jezo (2011) indicates that noticing triggers the cognitive creation of new grammatical and lexical knowledge or integration of knowledge that stored in memory. likewise, noticing function of poh triggers essential intellectual procedures such as psychological comparison (muranoi, 2007). research represents two main benefits of noticing as ‘noticing the holes’ and ‘noticing the gap’ (muranoi, 2007; swain, 1998). the first one informs students of their weakness points in converting their thoughts into target language words and structures (byrne, 2012; schmidt & frota, 1986). the second one makes them aware of the distances between their oral or written outputs and those of more proficient cocommunicators (peers or teachers) or native speakers (izumi, 2003; muranoi, 2007; swain, 1998). the second function of pushed output relates to the facts that during interaction with peers or with proficient speakers or writers, learners test different outputs and receive positive or negative feedbacks, which consequently lead to the internalization of the more (pragmatically and syntactically) appropriate ones (kumaravadivelu, 2006). in the same line, it is argued that hypothesis testing set the grounds for learners’ use of production skills to test whether the newly shaped hypothesis about the form and manner of conveying their intentions are meaningful and well-formed or not (qin, 2008; swain, 1995). concerning the third function of output, metalinguistic function, swain (1998, p. 68) notes that “learners use language to reflect on language use”. kumaravadivelu (2006) asserts that metalinguistic function of poh refers to the fact that learners consciously reflect on the language system. he mentions that learners may consciously think about the phonological, lexical, and grammatical roles of the tl in order to be more fluent and accurate in their productions. speaking complexity the review of the related literature indicates that speaking has three main dimensions of complexity, accuracy, and fluency (skehan, 1998; skehan & foster, 1999). since some studies were done on speaking fluency and accuracy, this study focused on the efficacy of pushed output in developing speaking complexity. complexity concerns on the lexical density, grammatical well-formednes, and the richness of utterances produced by interlocutors (housen, kuiken, &vedder, 2012). skehan and foster (1999) assert that complexity refers to the students’ abilities to talk soundly and cohesively. saslow et al., (2014, p. 258) summarize the key features of linguistically complex speech as using more “exclusive words (such as but, except, however, and unless), tentative words (such as maybe, perhaps, hesitant, and guess), negations (such as never, neither, without, and cannot), and discrepancies (such as should, would, and wish)”. in the language learning and teaching parviz ghasedi, habibollah mashhady, & farideh okati the effects of homogeneous and heterogeneous pushed output instructions on speaking complexity 14 contexts, the mastery of oral ability becomes such a priority for many foreign or second language learners that many language learners evaluate the effectiveness of the course as well as their proficiencies on the basis of their improvement in speaking sub-skills (brown &yule, 1983; richards, 2008). moreover, rivers (1981) climes that the capacity to talk second or foreign language empowers learners to see new connections and opportunities and puts forth that speaking enables individuals to responds to different people and circumstances. skehan (2009) considers an antagonistic relationship among fluency, accuracy, and complexity. he states that learner cannot focus on the three dimensions simultaneously (because of the law capability of working memory). others believe that learners may focus on one dimension in specific points in time (gilabert, 2007; robinson, 2001; skehan & foster, 1999). in the eyes of ellis (1994), the main cause of such challenges is the fact that the psycholinguistic processes required in tl production (speaking or writing) are different from its comprehension (reading or listening). furthermore, he mentions that in the process of acquiring grammatical and lexical knowledge, learners must focus on input and monitor his/her outcomes, results in interference between fluent and accurate speech. yuan and ellis (2003) claim that pretask planning had significant effects on learners’ speaking complexity; however its effects on speech accuracy were not fruitful. likewise, the results of birjandi and alipour (2010) revealed that the effects of noncollaborative pre-task planning on learners’ speaking accuracy were more effective and fruitful than collaborative pre-task planning. on the other hand, the collaborative pre-task planning group outperformed the noncollaborative pre-task planning group concerning speech complexity. in a comparative study, tabatabaei and yakhabi (2009) compared the effects of input and output on efl learners’ speaking accuracy and complexity. they collected data from 60 female efl learners. their findings indicated that input was effective in developing speaking complexity. however, output was more effective in developing learner speech accuracy. moreover, the results of basterrechea et al., (2014) showed that the use of output based instruction in language classrooms provided learners with the appropriate and accurate speech which could be used as a model for novice learners to modify their outcomes and paid specific attentions to structures of native like speech. in sum, some studies approved the significant effects of pushed output in language classrooms. however, there is no valid quantitative research project on the efficacy of pushed output in developing learner speaking fluency, accuracy, and complexity (thwaites, 2014). on the other hand, one of the big challenges of efl teacher, especially in iran, is developing learners’ ability to produce lexical dense, coherent, appropriate, and to the points utterances (mohammadi, gorjian, & pazhakh, 2014). therefore, this study was set out with the intention of implementing the main tenants of pushed output hypothesis in order to find new strategies for developing speaking complexity. accordingly, the following research questions were proposed. 1. does homogeneous pushed output have any significant effect on efl learners’ speaking complexity? 2. does heterogeneous pushed output have any significant effect on efl learners’ speaking complexity? 3. does gender have any significant effect on efl learners’ speaking complexity? method this study was done at the second semester of 2016 academic year. the upper-intermediate efl learners (17males and 24 females) were selected based on the results of opt. the age of the participants ranged from 20 to 29. they were selected based on the results of oxford placement test (opt). accordingly, those whose score were between 40-47 were selected as the sample of this study. then, the selected samples were put in three groups of control group (cg), homogeneous group (hg), and heterogeneous or asymmetrical group (ag). table 1 represents group english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 15 specification. table 1. groups specification groups total no gender education male female ba ma ph.d. cg 14 7 7 8 5 1 hg 13 5 8 11 2 0 ag total 14 41 5 17 9 24 10 29 4 11 2 3 as table 1 shows 29 members of the sample were ba, 11 were ma, and 3 were ph.d. students. they were put in cg randomly but the member of hg were those students whose scores were not more than one standard deviation bellow or above the predetermined cut scores and the members of ag were those whose scores were more than one standard deviation bellow or above the predetermined cut score. at the beginning of the study, the researcher explained the aims and significance of the study to the participants and assured them that the information would be used just for research purposes and would be kept quite confidential. moreover, they were informed that the results of their responses would not affect their english marks. ielts speaking test was used to measure learners’ speaking complexity at the beginning of the study. the participants participated in face to face interview with the researcher in an empty room in the univercity of zabol, faculty of humanity. after that, they studied 7 lessons of new interchange 2 during 8 weeks, twice a week for about 45 minutes each session. cg participated in normal speaking classroom. the subjects listened to different audio files of the book. then, they were given 5 minutes to think about them. after that, the files were plaid again and teacher asked some general and specific questions about the plaid files. the interactions between subjects were limited in cg and much of the time of the class was spent on teacher explanations and managements. on the other hand, the hg and ag participated in task based classroom. the notion and aims of pushed output were explained to them at the begging of the study and they were informed of how they should cooperate and push their partners to use more complex structures in their outputs. two main tasks, retelling and decision making task, were used in such classroom. the subjects were supposed to push each other toward using more lexically dense utterances during task completion. moreover, they inspired each other to speak more accurately and coherently. at the end of the study another version of ielts speaking test was used as posttest. the interviews were audio recorded by philips gogear mix mp3 player. the recorded files were transcribed and coded for statistical analyses. after transcribing the collected data, they were coded for further analyses. to quantify speech complexity the authors used lexical density. accordingly, the number of uttered lexical words was divided by deliver words (based on norris & ortega, 2009; rahimpour, 1999). moreover, in line with rahimpour (2008) and rahimpour and mehrang (2010), the obtained results were multiplied by 100 (to make them more tangible). after coding the collected data and entering them into spss, descriptive statistics and independent samples t-test were run to answer the research questions. results and discussion the first research question investigated the efficacy of homogeneous pushed output based instructions on efl learner speaking complexity. independent sample t-test was used to answer this question. table 2 shows the results of descriptive statistics and table 3 presents the results of independent sample ttest. parviz ghasedi, habibollah mashhady, & farideh okati the effects of homogeneous and heterogeneous pushed output instructions on speaking complexity 16 table 2. descriptive statistics of pre/post-test for cg, hg, and ag groups n m sd se complexity pre-test cg 14 29.330 2.292 .612 hg 13 29.364 .764 .211 ag 14 29.384 1.997 .533 complexity post-test cg 14 35.366 4.097 1.095 hg 13 39.496 1.650 .457 ag 14 45.562 2.079 .555 table 2 indicates that the mean scores of cg (m= 35.366), hg (m=39.496), and ag (m= 39.496) are rather different at the posttest of the study. therefore, independent sample ttest was used as further analysis. table 3. results of independent samples t-test for the efficiency of hg f t df sig. (2-tailed) m difference std. error difference complexity 6.106 -2.080 24 .001* -4.13 1.065 note. * = p< .05. the result of independent sample t-test indicated significant differences between the mean scores of cg and hg (f=6.106, t= 2.080, df= 24, p= .001).therefore, it can be claimed that homogeneous pushed output based instructions have significant effects on efl learner speaking complexity. next, the second research question analyzed the effects of heterogeneous pushed output based instructions on speaking complexity. descriptive statistics of the participants in pre/post-test of the study are presented in table 1. accordingly, the mean score of ag (m=45.562) was slightly higher than cg (m=35.366). independent sample ttest was used to see whether these differences reached statistically significant level or not. table 4. results of independent samples t-test for the efficiency of ag f t df sig. (2-tailed) m difference std. error difference complexity 5.011 -3.458 24 .000* -10.196 .289 note. *= p< .05. table 4 indicates that there are significant differences between the effects of cg and ag on efl learners speaking complexity. in sum, the results show the efficacy of heterogeneous pushed output based instruction on upper-intermediate efl learners speaking complexity. further, the third research question checks the potential differences between male and female learners’ speech complexity. table 5. descriptive statistics of pre/post-test concerning learner gender groups n m sd se complexity pre-test male 17 29.309 1.492 .472 female 24 29.413 1.555 .377 complexity post-test male 17 42.486 3.411 1.078 female 24 42.733 3.806 .923 descriptive statistics indicated that the mean scores of male and female learners’ speaking complexity (mmale= 29.309; mfemale=29.413) were rather similar at the pretest of the study. likewise, their mean scores were rather similar at the post-test of the study (mmale= 42.486; mfemale=42.733). a series of independent samples t-test was run to check the potential differences in participants speaking complexities’ scores with respect to their gender. the results are shown in table 6. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 17 table 6. independent samples t-test to compare male and female complexity scores on post-test f t df sig (2-tailed) m difference std. error difference complexity .031 -.169 25 .867 a -.247 1.462 note a = p> .05. table 6 indicates no significant difference between male and female learners’ speaking complexity (f=.031, t= -.169, df= 25, p=.867). accordingly, it can be concluded that gender is not a deterring factor in developing learner speaking complexity. from the analysis, it can be stated that hg (mcomplexity= 39.496) and ag (mcomplexity= 45.562) outperformed cg (mcomplexity= 35.366). the significance of the differences among mean scores are tested through independent samples t-test. the results revealed that such differences were statistically significant. to sum up, those learners who benefit from pushed output activities (in homogeneous or heterogeneous groups) use more lexical morphemes such as nouns, verbs, and adverbs in their outputs. the results are consistent with the findings of byrne (2012) that implementing pushed output exercises draw learner attentions to the linguistics structures (grammatical and discourse competence) of their utterances. similarly, ertürk (2013) mentions that engaging learners in such activities leads to the appropriate usage of conditional sentences in their interactions. on the other hand, the results conflict with those found by sadeghibeniss and edalati-bazzaz (2014). they clime that pushed output activities is not effective in developing learner speaking sub-components, especially speaking fluency. they relate their results to the nature of pushed output activities. the beneficial effects of pushed output in this study support swain’s (1985) clime and her notion of pushing. the results of this study can be justified through considering the fruitful effects of the main functions of pushed output (noticing, hypothesis testing, and metalinguistics). as swain (1985) argues such functions help language acquisition in different ways. besides, the fulfillment of pushed output tasks need interaction (especially student-student interaction). the nature of interactions and feedbacks (negative or positive) in intraclass groups in this study inspires participants to produce more lexically dense and linguistically complex utterances. moreover, such activities give learner the opportunities to take more responsibility for the accuracy, coherence, and complexity of their speech, consequently, lead to advancement. likewise, learners’ feedback in this study gives the group members second or third chance to repeat their utterances which make their productions more complex. on the other hand, the results of this study do not detect significant differences between male and female efl learners’ speaking complexity. the findings are not in the same line with the results of khomeijani et al., (2009). they mention that male speech is more accurate and complex while females are more fluent. on the other hand, the results are supported by the findings of more recent studies (gholizade, 2013; majidifard et al., 2014). gholizade (2013) mentions that there is no significant difference between learners oral outputs concerning their gender. moreover, majidifard et al. (2014) assert that male and female learners’ speaking fluency and complexity are not significantly different. it seems that male and female differences in using language are mostly related to the degree of politeness (haas, 1979), assertiveness (lakoff, 1975), and the implementation of discourse markers (alami, sabbah, &iranmanesh, 2012). conclusion while many studies are needed to be conducted to investigate the efficacy of pushed output in developing speaking complexity, especially in efl contexts, the results emerged from the statistical analyses of the current study made it certain that pushed output had valuable effects on speaking subcomponents. likewise, findings indicated that grouping learners homogeneously or parviz ghasedi, habibollah mashhady, & farideh okati the effects of homogeneous and heterogeneous pushed output instructions on speaking complexity 18 heterogeneously increase fruitful interaction among learners which could not be observed in teacher centered classroom. on the other hand, the results indicated that gender is not a determining factor in developing upperintermediate efl learners speaking complexity. taking the significant role of speaking in efl/esl academic contexts into account and paying specific attention to the factors, such as having no opportunity to use english in real context, teacher centered classroom, and lack of language teacher attention to the speaking sub-components (mohammadi, gorjian, & pazhakh, 2014) that are considered as the main challenges of efl learners, one should welcome any fruitful strategy that boost learner output complexity. therefore, the beneficial effects of pushed output based instruction, as presented in this study, can be regarded as an allegory to pay more attention to student centered classrooms in which learners are pushed to use target language more accurately in appropriate context in order to convey their ideas or desires. the findings of this research help to add new insights to the literature of pushed output hypothesis and provide fruitful new teaching guidelines. moreover, the results can be of great help for material developers and text book writers. besides, such findings suggest that teacher preparation programs should make the development of speaking sub-skills an integral part of program to equip teachers with a wide array of effective oral development strategies. the first limitation that the researcher confronted with in this study was the limited number of participants. likewise, just the upper-intermediate level was studied. finally, this study used lexical density as the indicator of speech complexity. therefore, studding large sample, different levels, or using different indicators of complexity (as-units) may lead to more fruitful results. references alami, m., sabbah, m., & iranmanesh, m. (2012). gender and discourse difference: an investigation of discourse markers in persian male-female casual conversation. archives des sciences, 65(7), 203-223. alonso, a. r. (2014). teaching speaking: an exploratory study in two academic contexts. porta linguarum, 22, 145-160. basterrechea, m., mayo, m. p. g., & leeser, m. j. (2014). pushed output and noticing in a dictogloss; task implementation in the clil classroom: a case study on teachers’ insights into their students’ mother tongue, porta linguarum 22(22), 7-22. birjandi, p., & alipour, s. (2010). comparing the effect of individual and group pre-task planning on efl learners’ accuracy and complexity in speaking. jels, 1(4), 1-22. brown, c., & yule, c. (1983). teaching the spoken language. cambridge: cambridge university press. brown, h. d. (2007). principles of language learning and teaching (5th ed.). new york: pearson longman. byrne, s. m. (2012). a study into the effectiveness of pushed/nonpushed spoken output tasks focusing on upper intermediate students in the efl classroom. unpublished ma dissertation. university of central lancashire, 1-73. celik, o., & yavuz, f. (2015). the relationship between speaking grades and listening grades of university level preparatory students. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 197, 2137 – 2140. dahmardeh, m. (2009). communicative textbooks: english language textbooks iranian secondary school. linguistik online, 40(4), 45-61. donesch-jezo, e. (2011). the role of output and feedback in second language acquisition: a classroom-based study of grammar acquisition by adult english language learners. esuka – jeful, 2(2), 9 – 28. ellis, r. (1994). the study of second language acquisition. oxford: oxford university press. ellis, r. (2008). the study of second language acquisition. oxford: oxford university press. ertürk, n. o. (2013). effects of visually enhanced input, input processing and pushed output on grammar teaching. portal linguarum, 20, 153-167. gass, s. m. (2003). input and interaction. in c. doughty & m. long (eds.), handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 224-255). oxford: blackwell. gholizade, r. (2013).the investigation of differential effects of recast and metalinguistic feedback on accuracy, fluency, and complexity of speaking performance of male and female efl learners. journal of novel applied sciences, 2(9), 417-428. gilabert, r. (2007). effects of manipulating task complexity on self-repairs during l2 oral production. international review of applied linguistics, 45, 215–240. haas, a. (1979). the acquisition of genderlect. in j. orasnu, m. slater & l. adler (eds.), language, sex, and gender: does la différence make a difference? (pp. 101-113). new york: academy of sciences. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 19 izumi, s. (2003). comprehension and production processes in second language learning: in search of the psycholinguistic rationale of the noticing hypothesis. applied linguistics 24 (2), 168-196. khomeijani, farahani, a., & khaghani-nejad, m. s. (2009). a study of task-based approach: the effects of task-based techniques, gender, and different levels of language proficiency on speaking development. pazhuhesh-e zabanha-ye khareji, 49(4), 23-41. krashen, d.s. (1985). the input hypothesis: issues and implications. england: longman group limited. krashen, s. d. (1981). second language acquisition and second language learning. oxford: pergamon. krashen, s. d. (1982). principles and practice in second language acquisition. oxford: pergamon. kumaravadivelu, b. (2006). understanding language teaching: from method to postmethod. new jersey: erlbaum. lakoff, r. (1975). language and woman’s place. language in society, 2(1), 45-80. majidifard, e., shomoossi, n., & ghourchaei, b. (2014). risk taking, gender and oral narrative proficiency in persian learners of english. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 98, 1085 – 1092. mccarthy, m. (1998). spoken language and applied linguistics. cambridge: cambridge university press. mohammadi, m., gorjian, b., & pazhakh, a. (2014). the effect of classroom structure on speaking skills of iranian learners: a comparative study. international journal of language learning and applied linguistics world (ijllalw), 5(1), 472487. muranoi, h. (2007). output practice in the l2 classroom. in dekeyser, r. m. (ed.), practice in a second language: perspectives from applied linguistics and cognitive psychology (pp. 51-84). cambridge: cambridge university press. nation, i. s. p. (1990). teaching and learning vocabulary. new york: newbury house. nation, i. s. p. (2011). second language speaking. in hinkel, e. (ed.), handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (pp. 444-454). new york: routledge. norris, j. m., & ortega, l. (2009). towards an organic approach to investigating caf in instructed sla: the case of complexity. applied linguistics, 30, 555-578. osada, n. (2004). listening comprehension research: a brief review of the past thirty years. dialogue, 3, 53-66. qin, j. (2008). the effect of processing instruction and dictogloss tasks on acquisition of the english passive voice. language teaching research, 12(1), 6182. rahimpour, m. (1999).task complexity and variation in interlanguage. in n., jungheim, and p., robinson (eds.), proceedings of the 3rd pacific language research forum (pp. 115-134). japan: pacslrf. rahimpour, m. (2008).implementation of task-based approaches to language teaching. research on foreign languages journal of faculty of letters and humanities, 41, 4561. rahimpour, m., & mehrang, f. (2010). investigating effects of task structure on efl learner’s oral performance. english language teaching, 3(4), 10-17. richards, j.c. (2008). growing up with tesol. english teaching forum, 46(1), 2-11. rivers, w. (1981).teaching foreign language skills. chicago: university of chicago press. robinson, p. (2001). task complexity, task difficulty, and task production: exploring interactions in a componential framework. applied linguistics, 22(1), 27-57. sadeghi-beniss. a. r., &edalati-bazzaz, v. (2014). the impact of pushed output on accuracy and fluency of iranian efl learners’ speaking. iranian journal of language teaching research, 2(2), 5172. saslow, l. r., mccoy, s., löwe, i. v. d., cosley, b., vartan, a., oveis, c., keltner, d., moskowitz, j. t., &epel, e. s. (2014). speaking under pressure: low linguistic complexity is linked to high physiological and emotional stress reactivity. psychophysiology, 51, 257–266. schmidt, r. w., & frota, s. (1986). developing basic conversational ability in a second language: a case study of an adult learner of portuguese. in r. r. day (ed.), talking to learn: conversation and second language acquisition (pp. 237-326). cambridge, ma: newbury house. skehan p., & foster, p. (1999).the influence of task structure and processing conditions on narrative retellings. language learning, 49(1), 93–120. skehan, p. (1998). a cognitive approach to language learning. oxford: oxford university press. skehan, p. (2009). modeling second language performance: integrating complexity, accuracy, fluency and lexis, applied linguistics, 30(4), 510532. swain, m. (1985). communicative competence: some roles of comprehensible input and comprehensible output in its development. in s. gass and c. madden (eds), input in second language acquisition (pp. 235-256). new york: newbury house. swain, m. (1995). three functions of output in second language learning. in g. cook and b. seidlhofer (eds.), principle and practice in applied linguistics: studies in honor of h.g. widdowson (pp.12544). oxford: oxford university press. swain, m. (1998). focus on form through conscious reflection. in c. doughty and j. williams, focus on form in classroom second language acquisition. cambridge: cambridge university press. swain, m. (2000). the output hypothesis and beyond: mediating acquisition through collaborative dialogue. in j. p. lantolf (eds), sociocultural parviz ghasedi, habibollah mashhady, & farideh okati the effects of homogeneous and heterogeneous pushed output instructions on speaking complexity 20 theory and second language learning (pp. 97114). oxford: oxford university press. swain, m. (2005). the output hypothesis: theory and research. in e. hinkel (ed.), handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (pp. 471–483). mahwah, nj: lawrence erlbaum. tabatabaei, o., & yakhabi, m. (2009).the effect of comprehensible input and comprehensible output on the accuracy and complexity of iranian efl learners’ oral speech. the journal of applied linguistics, 2(2), 218-248. thwaites, t. (2014). research metrics: calling science to account. nature, 511(7510), 5760. doi: 10.1038/511s5. van patten, b. (2002). processing instruction: an update. language learning, 52, 755-803. van patten, b. (2003). from input to output: a teacher's guide to second language acquisition. new york: mcgraw-hill. yuan, f., & ellis, r. (2003).the effects of pre-task and on-line planning on fluency, complexity and accuracy in l2 monologic oral production. applied linguistics, 24(1), 1–27. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee semantic analysis of theta roles of verbs in the mah meri language maisarah university of malaya, kuala lumpur, malaysia email: myra.rais@gmail.com kais amir kadhim university of malaya, kuala lumpur, malaysia email: kaisamir@um.edu.my zahid ali veesar department of english, lasbela university, uthal, pakistan email: zahiimahii85@gmail.com apa citation: maisarah, kadhim, k. a., & veesar, z. a. (2016). semantic analysis of theta roles of verbs in the mah meri language. english review: journal of english education, 5(1), 49-70 received: 06-10-2016 accepted: 12-11-2016 published: 01-12-2016 abstract: the mah meri language, one of the severely endangered languages of malaysia, is facing the threat of extinction. in order to save valuable information of this language, this paper focuses on one of its aspects, the theta roles in relation to the verbs. using radford’s (1997 & 2009) theory of theta roles, this study analyzes and explores the verb phrase of mah meri. the main objective of this study is to establish the theta roles in relation to verbs in the mah meri language. in order to fully understand the verb structures, the morphological entities of affixes such as prefixes and suffixes are studied. moreover, the word order of the sentential constructions are also analyzed according to active and passive forms. these are done in tandem with analyzing the pronouns in relation to the placement of verbs in a mah meri sentential construction. it is found that theta roles are present in the data except for the theta role recipient. however, this is not due to the lack of the theta role of recipient in the mah meri language; rather it is due to the limitation of the scope in this study as data is analyzed based on the interviews only. on the other hand, the theta role of agent is clearly evident in the mah meri language. keywords: mah meri language, argument structure, theta roles, thematic relations introduction it is unfortunate to note that the linguistic studies on the mah meri language are limited in number, if not practically scarce. in general, there are a few mah meri linguistic studies available in the area of phonology and phonetics, and also on its grammar. however, to the researcher’s knowledge, only one study has focused specifically on the syntax of the language. following blagden’s study, the language of mah meri was analyzed to be an austroasiatic mon-khmer language in previous times. this view was supported by omar (2006) and sebeok (1942). sebeok (1942) discussed the mon-khmeric origins of the sakai language. he mentioned of blagden’s arrival at this conjecture by presenting morphological, lexical arguments, and numerical systems analysis. nevertheless, in recent times, 49 maisarah, kais amir kadhim, & zahid ali veesar semantic analysis of theta roles of verbs in the mah meri language mah meri is said to have adopted the austronesian features of the malay language (omar, 2006). one of the most notable studies on mah meris was headed by omar and her team from the university of malaya, resulting to the publication of a book entitled ‘bahasa mah meri’ which was published in 2006. this book is a valuable asset as it presents the basic grammatical structures and vocabulary of the mah meri language. in this research, several aspects were highlighted: ethnography of the mah meri people in kampung bukit bangkong, phonetics and phonology, phonemes, morphology, verb phrase, adjectival phrase, and syntax. however, each of these categories was not explored in detail as its main aim was to provide a general account. yok (2006) had given a traditional account of syntactic structures of mah meri. such accounts of the syntactic structures of its sentences are divided into declarative sentences, sentences with a null-subject, theme-rheme, negative sentences, passives, interrogatives as well as imperatives. besides, peh and arshad (1981) have also described the syntactic structures of the mah meri people in kampung sungai bumbun in carey island. in yok‘s study, the syntax of mah meri concentrated on the aspects of traditional grammar. the participants in yok’s study were from kampung sungai bumbun. in terms of participants, both studies were conducted on the native speakers who were above 40 years old. besides, kruspe (2004) has also studied phonetics and phonology of mah meri language. she also studied phonetics of the mah meri language with hajek. kruspe and hajek (2009) indicated that the mah meri language was without a written tradition. thus, this research contributes to the dearth of literature on the phonetic forms or written representations of the mah meri language. in another work closely related to the mah meri language about the registers in mah meri (stevens, kruspe, & hajek, 2006), it is found that mah meri shows a two-way register system. as a preliminary finding, the researchers found that mah meri language’s registers to be akin to the complexity of other monkhmer languages. another contribution of kruspe was publication of a dictionary of mah meri in 2010. she collected the data from the mah meri community in bukit bangkong. similarly, omar (2006) also compiled a dictionary of the mah meri language. the words in this dictionary are translated into both malay and english. although generative grammarians indicate that the terms of theta role and thematic relations are interchangeably used. carnie makes a distinction between the two terms (as cited in veesar, sriniwass, & kadhim, 2015a). carnie (2007) defines theta roles as ‘a bundle of thematic relations associated with a particular argument’. in contrast, the term ‘thematic relations’ is referred to as the semantic relation between an argument and a predicate (veesar, kadhim, & sriniwass, 2015b). thus, there may be more than one possible thematic relations for an argument with a predicate (veesar, kadhim, shah, & khuhro, 2016a). nevertheless, according to thetacriterion theory, each argument is assigned one and only one theta role and each theta role is assigned to one and only one argument (chomsky, 1988). hence, an argument may have many possible thematic relations but assumes only one type of theta role. it is seen that although there are five thematic relations linked to the argument of 50 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee theme; for example, the definite theta roles are only three in relation to the predicate. hence, each argument only assumes one prominent and syntactically dominant theta role (veesar, kadhim, & bagudu, 2016b). an argument having more than one theta roles is considered ungrammatical in the opinion of carnie (2007). hence, this is a marked difference from the understanding of carnie compared to radford (1997). nevertheless, even though carnie pointed out that though he might not necessarily agree with the terms of theta role and thematic relations to be used interchangeably, he did not object to the practice entirely. this is due to the norm of interchangeably using the theta role and thematic relations terminologies. however, both radford (1997; 2009) and carnie (2007) agree on the basis of analyzing theta roles. to illustrate, both of them stress that in order to analyze theta roles, utmost importance must be given to predicates and arguments. both elaborate that recognition of predicates and arguments are essential to identify the argument’s theta role. in luraghi and parodi (2008), the term theta role is expressed through the symbol role. in their book, they mentioned that the term theta roles refers to the semantic roles. furthermore, they express that in transformational generative grammar (tgg), the relations of semantics between verbs and their arguments are already designated in terms of theta roles. to further elaborate this point, a theta role is a semantic role which has a noun phrase or determiner phrase by default. these nps or dps might assume the role of agent, patient, theme, experiencer and beneficiary. it is further elaborated that the argument assumes their specific theta role during the process of merge. method mah meri, also known as besisi and betise’, is an aboriginal mon–khmer language spoken in malaysia. it is the only such language spoken on the coast in malacca outside of the capital kuala lumpur. the small number of speakers is increasing. the number of speakers in 2003 was 3,000 speakers. with regard to data collection, tok batin salleh, the head of kampung sungai rambai was the only participant for this particular study. the data were collected from interviews with tok batin salleh in the mah meri language. in particular, the researcher’s focus was to ask questions in relation to the participant’s daily activities such as food, entertainment, culture, and so forth. the participant was interviewed on two occasions in november 2012. the first interview was conducted a week after an engagement ceremony. to elaborate, firstly, the interviewer obtained verbal consent for the requirement of the research from the participant. to do so, the interviewer stated the purpose and objectives of the research to the participant. the participant was selected based on his age, health condition of oral organs of speech and also the fluency of the language. in addition to this, the researcher included an additional criterion which was fluency of both the target language of mah meri and the language of interview which was standard malay. the researcher also required the participant to be fluent in both mah meri and standard malay language due to the researcher’s inability to speak mah meri fluently. besides, the participant was also asked his permission to record the interviews using an mp3 player for the purpose of documentation. after the consent was obtained, the researcher proceeded to 51 maisarah, kais amir kadhim, & zahid ali veesar semantic analysis of theta roles of verbs in the mah meri language conduct the interview based on the familiar themes in the participant’s life. the next step in order to elicit the data is to understand the terminologies of the theta roles according to radford (1997). hence, in referring to his understanding of theta roles, the researcher determines the arguments with predicates accordingly. his understanding theory of theta roles is summarised below. table 1. radford’s understandings of theta roles role gloss example theme entity undergoing the effect of some action mary fell over agent entity instigating some action debbie killed henry experiencer entity experiencing some psychological state i like syntax locative place in which something is situated or takes place he hid it under the bed goal entity representing the destination of some other entity john went home source entity form which something moves he returned from paris instrument means used to perform some action he hit it with a hammer theta-role (θ-role) is a bundle of thematic relations associated with a particular argument. while in thetacriterion, each argument is assigned one and only one theta-role. each theta-role is assigned to one and only one argument. therefore, relating to the table above, the sentential constructions in the data pay close attention to the arguments. arguments, which are also known as noun phrase (nps), are identified in the mah meri language. once the argument is identified, the predicate related to the arguments are analysed. for example, if the researcher examines the sentential construction, e ed suka nasi pulut wajik, it is clear that there are two arguments in this particular sentential construction. the argument e ed assumes the role of experiencer while the argument nasi pulut wajik undertakes the role of theme. in relation to the second objective of the study, the analysis focuses on the three main verb types of language, namely transitive, ditransitive and intransitive. this is also following radford’s explanation of transitivity and valency. hence, all the sentential constructions with arguments and predicates are analysed according to their semantic relation to one another. this research also addresses the verb structures of mah meri having theta roles by examining their transitivity and valency. other aspects like pronouns are taken into account accordingly. results and discussion theta roles play a pertinent role in deducing the initial level of understanding a mah meri sentential construction. the semantic understanding of the constituents can determine whether a sentential construction is syntactically correct. the sentential constructions in the data pay close attention to the arguments. arguments are identified in the mah meri language. once the argument is identified, the predicate related to the arguments is analyzed. therefore, all the sentential constructions with arguments and predicates are analysed according to their semantic relation to one another. this paper also addresses the verb structures of the mah meri language that having theta roles through their transitivity and valency. hence, the theta roles are addressed in the following order: agent, theme, experiencer, benefactor, instrument and locative. 52 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1. agent all sentences which bear the agent theta role are featured. however, only ten verbs are demonstrated here in this section to avoid redundant information in the analysis. the related verbs which are linked to this section include: kabe/beh, masak and hagak. a. agent theta role in relation to the verb kabe/ beh 1) e ed beh nasi pulut wajik sendiri (mah meri) saya buat nasi pulut wajik sendiri (malay) i make rice pulut wajik myself (english) i make pulut wajik rice by myself. 2) kedo e ed yang beh wajik untuk e ed isteri saya yang buat wajik untuk saya wife i that make wajik for me my wife makes wajik for me. 3) ngki golbeh nake dia ambil buat itu he take make that he takes (and) makes that. 4) ngki macam-macam kejak kabe dia macam-macam kerja buat he various work do he (has) done various types of work. from the data in above, it is clear that the verb beh is a contraction of the verb kabe; thus, they have the same semantic denotation. in the examples 1 and 2, the predicate/verb beh is linked to the agent theta role. to reiterate, an agent is identified as someone who initiates an action and could be capable of volition. in the sentential construction of 1, the noun e ed is deciphered as the agent who is initiating the action of making pulut wajik rice. in contrast, the sentential construction of 2 shows the noun kedo e ed as an agent. similar to sentence 1, sentence 2 has also an agent who is capable to make pulut wajik rice and acts out on her own volition. however, in the sentential construction of 3, it is established that the agent is the noun ngki. ngki is described as an agent that is capable of volition and able to initiate the action. the same pattern emerges with the noun constituent ngki in the sentence of 4. similarly, ngki in this sentential construction is also the initiator and acts with volition. b. agent theta role in relation to the verb masak 5) bila e ed hagak suroh gendei masak nasi pulut wajik bila saya nak suroh isteri masak nasi pulut wajik when i want ask wife cook rice pulut wajik when i want (it), (i) ask (my) wife (to) cook pulut wajik rice. 53 maisarah, kais amir kadhim, & zahid ali veesar semantic analysis of theta roles of verbs in the mah meri language in the sentential construction of 6, the constituent assuming the role of agent is the noun gendei. in relation to the verb masak which means ‘to cook’, gendei is acting on her own volition in the act of cooking. in another example, the verb masak is linked to the agent theta role through a noun constituent. the sentence below shows another example. 6) e ed masak gulei goreng kari saya masak gulai goreng kari i cook gravy fried curry i cook gravy fried (fried food) and curry. from the sentential construction above, it can be identified that e ed is the noun constituent linked to the verb masak. this is due to the fact that e ed is the initiator of the action. additionally, the noun constituent e ed commits the act of masak voluntarily on his own accord. thus, from the given example, it is confirmed that e ed is the agent in this sentential construction. c. agent theta role in relation to the verb hagak 7) bila e ed hagak suroh gendei masak nasi pulut wajik bila saya nak suroh isteri masak nasi pulut wajik when i want ask wife cook rice pulut wajik when i want (it), (i) ask (my) wife (to) cook pulut wajik rice. 8) e ed hagak cok laut ari ujan telok ketam saya nak pergi laut hari hujan cari ketam i want go sea day rain find crab i want (to) go (to the) sea, (the) rainy day (was) rain(ing) (to) look for crab. 9) e ed hagak beli barang kemaih saya nak beli barang kemas i want buy thing jewellery i want to buy jewellery. in the sentential construction of 7, it features the same sentence as in 5. in this sentence, two verbs are featured. previously, the verb discussed in relation to the agent is masak. however, in this sentential construction, the verb hagak is taken to examine the agent theta role. in this particular sentence, the noun e ed is the agent who is acting on his own volition in the quest for pulut wajik rice. next, in the sentential construction of 8, the noun e ed assumes the role of an agent. in particular, e ed now has the volition of desiring to go to the sea. therefore, this noun constituent can initiate the action of hagak. in the last sentential construction of 9, e ed is also the agent by having the volition of hagak. the noun e ed expressed his want of buying jewellery and it is a possibility for e ed to carry out the aforementioned act. d. agent theta role in relation to the verb suroh another predicate involved in the sentential construction in b and c is the verbs uroh. with reference to the same sentence featured in number b and c, the 54 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee verb suroh which means ‘ask’ is related to the noun constituent of e ed. this adds to the number of predicates related to e ed. as demonstrated earlier, the noun e ed shows its capability to have the action of wanting the pulut wajik rice. in the next verb suroh, e ed is also an initiator of the action of asking for the pulut wajik rice. e. agent theta role in relation to the verb beli in this section, the verb discussed in relation to an agent theta role is beli. as seen in sentence 10 below, the argument which assumes the role of agent is the noun e ed. it is shown that e ed is capable of volition of the action beli. therefore, e ed can also be understood as the initiator of the action of buying groceries in a particular supermarket or a grocery shop. in the last sentential construction of 11, e ed is also the agent by having the volition of hagak. the noun e ed expressed his wish of buying jewellery and it is a possibility for e ed to commit the aforementioned act. 10) e ed beli barang hak pasaraya ataupun kedai runcit saya beli barang di pasaraya ataupun kedai runcit i buy grocery at supermarket or shop grocery i buy grocery at (the) supermarket or grocery shop. 11) e ed hagak beli barang kemaih saya nak beli barang kemas i want buy thing jewellery i want to buy jewellery. f. agent theta role in relation to the verb cok another verb linked to the theta role of agent is the verb cok. in the example below, the agent is identified by the noun e ed. in this case ed is understood as the participant which is involved in the action of going to banting town. here, the noun e ed is also the initiator of the action cok. 12) selalu e ed cok pekan banting selalu saya pergi pekan banting always i go town banting i always go (to) banting town. the sentential construction shows e ed as the initiator or participant who by his own volition frequents the town constantly. below are other different sentential constructions involving the theta role of agent in other situations utilising the verb cok. 13) ngki cok leh dia pergi lah he go he goes. 55 maisarah, kais amir kadhim, & zahid ali veesar semantic analysis of theta roles of verbs in the mah meri language 14) hik cok leh gol bara kei awak pergi lah ambil barang itu you go take thing that you go (and) take that thing. 15) e ed hagak cok laut ari ujan telok ketam saya nak pergi laut hari hujan cari ketam i want go sea day rain find crab i want (to) go (to the) sea, (the) day (was) rain(ing) (to) find crab. all of the sentences above reveal different constituents or participants representing the role of agent. from the data above, sentences 13, 14 and 15 have the noun constituents of ngki ‘he’, hik ‘you’ and e ed ‘i’, respectively. in sentence 13, ngki acts as an agent as the participant is able to commit to the act of going. furthermore, ngkiis is the initiator of this action. in a similar setting, the noun constituent of hik conveys the role of agent as well. hik shows the ability or has the volition to commit the act of going in order to retrieve things. the last sentential construction demonstrates the noun constituent e ed as the agent. this is proven by the constituent’s ability of committing the act of cok. furthermore, e ed is able to initiate this action by his own willpower. g. agent theta role in relation to the verb caik in the sentential construction using the verb caik, it is found that the accompanying agent is e ed. the participant e ed is seen to commit the act of caik or find. furthermore, the agent is the initiator of this action. this can be gathered from the following sentence below. 16) kadang-kadang e ed caik udang caik ka bawal ka ngaik kadang-kadang saya cari udang cari ikan bawal ikan ngaik sometimes i find prawn find fish pomfret fish ngaik sometimes i find prawn, pomfret fish, or ngaik fish. h. agent theta role in relation to the verb naik the verb naik is used with the theta role of agent. in the example below, the noun constituent of e ed is the initiator of the action naik. besides that, the participant e ed is also capable of the action of riding a boat. 17) e ed naik pahuk saya naik perahu i ride boat i ride (a) boat. i. agent theta role in relation to the verb nyut 18) e ed nyut dei eh doh yal saya balik petang air pasang i return evening water high i return (in the) evening (when the) tide is high. 56 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 19) hinong ngki nyut sekarang dia balik now she return now, she (has) return(ed). as shown above, sentences 18 and 19 show two different constituents taking the role of agent. the noun constituents are e ed and ngki respectively. in 18, e ed plays the role of an agent in the action of nyut or returning, and in 19, the agent theta role is taken by the noun constituent ngki. j. agent theta role in relation to the verb gol an agent theta role is also apparent in a few sentential constructions which include the verb gol. this verb carries the meaning of take. 20) e ed hagak ka bawal gol jaring bawal saya nak ikan bawal ambil jaring bawal i want fish pomfret take net pomfret i want (a) pomfret fish, (so) i take the pomfret net. 21) hik gol barang nakei awak ambil barang itu you take thing that you take that thing. 22) nake gol moyang itu ambil moyang that take ancestor that (person) takes (the) ancestor. (any person from whom one is descended) in the featured sentential constructions above, each sentence has a different constituent representing the agent theta role. in sentence 20, the noun constituent e ed is the agent for the action of gol. in the sentence 21, the noun constituent hik is represented as the agent. in contrast, sentence 22 shows a problem in the representation of agent. in this particular sentence, there is no apparent argument which takes on the predicate of gol. this is because the only particular constituent that is present is an expletive nake. thus, even though it may be understood from the context that the speaker was referring to a person, nake cannot be an agent because an expletive cannot assume a theta role as it is not an argument and does not refer to any entity. 2. theme all sentences which possess the theta role or thematic relation of theme are featured and discussed in this particular section. a. theme theta role in relation to the verb suka 23) e ed suka nasi pulut wajik saya suka nasi pulut wajik i like rice pulut wajik i like pulut wajik rice. 57 maisarah, kais amir kadhim, & zahid ali veesar semantic analysis of theta roles of verbs in the mah meri language 24) budak budak e ed suka kuih wajik budak budak saya suka kuih wajik child child i like dessert wajik my children like wajik dessert. 25) e ed suka lagu jobok saya suka lagu melayu i like song malay i like malay songs. from the sentential constructions above, there are three noun constituents which are identified as themes of the sentences. the noun constituent of 23 ‘e ed’ is the agent for the sentential construction of the sentence e ed beh sendiri kuih wajik (mah meri). in the next sentence, the noun constituent budak-budak e ed assumes the theta role of theme because it is the topic of sentence. consequently, in sentence 25, the noun constituent e ed is acknowledged as the theme of that particular construction. therefore, all of these aforesaid arguments are linked to the verb suka as the theme for each sentential construction. b. theme theta role in relation to the verb kabe/ beh the other verb which is closely related to the theta role of theme is the verb beh. the verb beh is linked to some noun constituents assuming the theta role of theme such as kuih wajik, wajik and kejak. 26) e ed beh sendiri kuih wajik saya buat sendiri kuih wajik i make myself dessert wajik i make wajik dessert myself. 27) kedo e ed yang beh wajik untuk e ed isteri saya yang buat wajik untuk saya wife i that make wajik for i my wife makes wajik for me. 28) ngki macam-macam kejak kabe dia macam-macam kerja buat he various work do he (has) done various types of work. in the sentential construction of 26, the noun constituent assuming the theme theta role is kuih wajik. in sentence 27, wajik undertakes the role of theme whereas in sentence 28, kejak is the identified theme. for each theme it is understood from the sentences that each identified noun constituent is undergoing an action. as an example, in sentence 26, kuih wajik is undergoing the action of being made by the other noun constituent e ed. sentences 27 and 28 also show wajikand kejak as entities that are experienced or perceived. thus, the examples above show that the themes linked to the verb kabe, also known as beh, are kuih wajik, wajik and kejak. 58 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee c. theme theta role in relation to the verb beli the next verb that is explored to find the theme theta role is the verb beli which denotes the meaning of buy. the following examples illustrate the theme theta roles. 29) e ed beli barang hak pasaraya ataupun kedai runcit saya beli barang di pasaraya ataupun kedai runcit i buy grocery at supermarket or shop grocery i buy grocery at (the) supermarket or grocery shop. 30) e ed hagak beli barang kemaih saya nak beli barang kemas i want buy thing jewellery i want to buy jewellery. in the sentential construction above, it is found that the theme for sentence 29 is the noun constituent barang while in latter sentence of 30 barang kemaih has the theta role of theme. in examples, the nouns barang and barang kemasare undergo the action of sentences. d. theme theta role in relation to the verb hagak 31) e ed hagak cok pantai saya nak melawat pantai i want visit beach i want to visit the beach. 32) e ed hagak beli barang kemaih saya nak beli barang kemas i want buy thing jewellery i want to buy jewellery. in the above sentences, the noun constituents undertaking the position of theme are pantai and barang kemaih respectively. in the sentential construction of 31, the noun constituent of pantai is the entity which is experienced or perceived by e ed. in comparison, the sentential construction of 32 exemplifies barang kemas as the entity which is the object of perception of the noun constituent e ed. thus, it is evident that both pantai and barang kemas are themes as they undergo a psychological aspect of change through the noun constituents of e ed. e. theme theta role in relation to the verb caik the verb caik is pertinent in discussing the theta role of theme. the verb caik, meaning find shows many examples of theme in a sentential construction. the following sentence below elucidates the idea. 33) kadang -kadang e ed caik udang caik ka bawal ka ngaik kadang-kadang saya cari udang cari ikan bawal ikan ngaik sometimes i find prawn find fish pomfret fish ngaik sometimes i find prawn, pomfret fish (and) ngaik fish. 59 maisarah, kais amir kadhim, & zahid ali veesar semantic analysis of theta roles of verbs in the mah meri language from the sentential construction above, the identified themes are the noun constituents; udang, ka bawal and ka ngaik. from the above sentence, it is understood that these noun constituents are experienced by the finder. for example, the experience of caik udang or finding prawns is an experience which e ed undertakes. correspondingly, the other noun constituents such as ka bawal and ka ngaik are also the entities which are perceived by e ed. therefore, the themes present in the above sentence are udang, ka bawal and ka ngaik. f. theme theta role in relation to the verb keghat-keghat 34) air mawar mawar keghat keghat air mawar mawar dikerat kerat water rose rose slice slice (for the) rose water, the rose (petals) are sliced. in the sentential construction above, the verb keghat-keghat is affecting the noun constituent mawar. from the sentence, it is understood that mawar undergoes an action. in this case, the noun mawar undertakes the action of being sliced. hence, the theme of this sentence is mawar or rose as it is affected by the action. 3. experiencer in this section, the theta role or thematic relation of experiencer is explored. all sentences which bear the theta role of experiencer are featured in this section. a. experiencer theta role in relation to the verb suka the theta role of experiencer can be seen in the sentential construction related to the verb suka. the verb suka is paired with the theta role of experiencer as it shows feelings. 35) e ed suka nasi pulut wajik saya suka nasi pulut wajik i like rice pulut wajik i like pulut wajik rice. 36) budak budak e ed suka kuih wajik budak budak saya suka kuih wajik child child i like dessert wajik my children like wajik dessert. 37) e ed suka lagu jobok saya suka lagu melayu i like song malay i like malay songs. closely related to the predicate suka is the experiencer of each particular sentential construction. in relation to the particular sentences above, 35 demonstrates the noun constituent e ed as the experiencer. next, the experiencer for the sentence of 36 is the noun constituent of budak-budak e ed. lastly, the identified experiencer for 37 is e ed. from the sentences above, it is clear that 60 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the experiencers are the ones who experience or perceive the events. in this case, the sentential constructions indicate that e ed and budak-budak e ed are the ones that perceive the idea of liking either pulut wajik rice, wajik dessert or malay songs. b. experiencer theta role in relation to the verb rasa 38) e ed rasa nasi pulut wajik lawan kopi sedap saya rasa nasi pulut wajik dengan kopi sedap i feel rice pulut wajik with coffee tasty i feel (that) pulut wajik rice with coffee (is) tasty. in the above sentential construction, the theta role of experiencer is discussed with the verb rasa. the verb rasa (feel) is perceived by the experiencer e ed. in this example, e ed is the perceiver of the action rasa. thus, it can be said that the argument e ed is the experiencer. 4. benefactor the theta role of benefactor is found in a sentential construction. the relevant sentential construction is discussed below. a. benefactor theta role in relation to the verb beh in relation to the theta role of benefactor, the verb beh is examined in a sentential construction. this can be identified from the example below. 39) kedo e ed yang beh wajik untuk e ed isteri saya yang buat wajik untuk saya wife i that make wajik for i my wife makes wajik for me. from the sentential construction, it is determined that the theta role of benefactor is the noun constituent e ed. the noun constituent e ed is the benefactor of the wajik dessert which is made by his wife for him. thus the verb ‘beh’ is the predicate of the sentence which undergoes the benefactor role. 5. instrument the theta role of instrument is also found in the sentential constructions. the discussion for the theta role of instrument is presented below. a. instrument theta role in relation to the verb naik the theta role of instrument is found in the sentential construction involving the verb naik. following two examples link the verb naik with the theta role of instrument. 40) e ed naik pahuk saya naik perahu ke pantai i ride boat to beach i ride a boat to the beach. 61 maisarah, kais amir kadhim, & zahid ali veesar semantic analysis of theta roles of verbs in the mah meri language 41) daud ke kejak naik moto daud ke kerja naik motor daud to work ride motorcycle daud rides (the) motorcycle to work. there is an instrument linked to each sentential construction in 40 and 41. for the first sentence of 40, the noun constituent is pahuk. pahuk (boat) is considered the instrument as it is the entity with which action occurs. it can also be said that it is a theme of the sentence as it undergoes the action. however, here in this sentence it is used as an instrument to go to the beach. in this example, the action of naik occurs with the instrument of pahuk. in another similar setting, the noun constituent assuming the role of instrument in 41 is moto. from the sentence above, the action of naik only occurs with the entity of moto. therefore, it is deduced that two examples of instrument found are pahuk and moto. 6. locative the theta role of locative is one of the categories of theta roles discussed in this study. the sentential constructions which are linked to this category involve the verb kejak, beli, sekolah and geteik. the following examples show the locatives in their own respective settings. a. locative theta role in relation to the verb kejak the theta role of locative is found to be linked with the verb kejak. in the sentential construction below, the identified locatives are the noun constituents banting and tembuk. 42) daud kejak mesin rumput hak banting sampai ke tembuk. daud kerja mesin rumput di banting sampai ke tembuk. daud work machine grass at banting until to tembuk. daud works (with) grass-cutting machine from at banting to tembuk. the above example shows that the action had taken place from banting to tembuk. thus, the locative in the above sentence is tembuk. b. locative theta role in relation to the verb beli in the next sentential construction, it is determined that the noun constituents assuming roles of locatives are pasaraya and kedai runcit. the following sentence below shows the locatives in their environments. 43) e ed beli barang hak pasaraya ataupun kedai runcit saya beli barang di pasaraya ataupun kedai runcit i buy grocery at supermarket or shop grocery i buy grocery at (the) supermarket or grocery shop. from the example above, it is evident that the arguments pasaraya and kedai runcit are the locatives in which e ed carried out the action of beli. thus, the places involved in this sentence are the supermarket and the grocery shop. 62 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee c. locative theta role in relation to the verb sekolah in the following sentence, the argument undertaking the role of a locative is sekolah teluk datuk. 44) ngki sekolah hak sekolah teluk datuk dia sekolah di sekolah teluk datuk she school at school teluk datuk she studies at teluk datuk school. the noun constituent which assumes the locative theta role in the above sentence is clearly stated. this is because the action of sekolah takes place in the aforementioned location. hence, sekolah teluk datuk is the responsible theta role of locative in the above sentence. d. locative theta role in relation to the verb geteik in the next theta role of locative, the verb geteik is discussed in the following sentences. 45) ngki geteik asrama ngot dia tinggal asrama tidak he live hostel not he does not live (at the) hostel. 46) hanom hak geteik asrama hanom di tinggal asrama hanom at live hostel hanom lives at (the) hostel. in both sentential constructions of 45 and 46, the argument asrama is identified as the locative for each example. both highlight the aspect that asrama is the place of the action. thus, it can be said that the argument for each sentence assumes the role of a locative. 7. goal in this section, the last category of theta roles, i.e. goal is explicated. the goal is defined as the entity towards which a motion takes place. this may involve an abstract motion. the findings show that verbs which are linked to goal are beh, cokand gol. however, the last example is highlighted to show the preposition of ke acting as a replacement for a verb. the following examples expound the related goals with the verbs in their respective settings. a. goal theta role in relation to the verb beh the goal theta role is seen in the following sentences. the theta role of goal is found to be the noun constituent e ed. the argument e ed shows the goal towards which the action of beh wajik is intended. the argument e ed is classified as a non-abstract goal as e ed is a person. to illustrate, the sentence involving the theta role of goal is given below. 63 maisarah, kais amir kadhim, & zahid ali veesar semantic analysis of theta roles of verbs in the mah meri language 47) kedo e ed yang beh wajik untuk e ed isteri saya yang buat wajik untuk saya wife i that make wajik for i my wife makes wajik for me. from the sentence above, it is argued that goal theta role is located at the end of the sentence. the noun constituent e ed is the goal having the goal theta role. it is used with the other noun constituents such as kedo e ed and also wajik. b. goal theta role in relation to the verb cok another verb which is related to the theta role of goal is cok. cockatrices the meaning of go. in this section, the related sentential constructions which feature the verb cok with the theta role of goal are shown below. 48) selalu e ed cok pekan banting selalu saya pergi pekan banting always i go town banting i always go (to) banting town. 49) hikcok leh gol bara kei awak pergi lah ambil barang itu you go take thing that you go (and) take that thing. 50) e ed hagak cok laut ari ujan telok ketam sayanak pergi laut hari hujan cari ketam i want go sea day rain find crab i want (to) go (to the) sea, on (the) rainy day (to) look for crab. the theta role of goal can be seen in all three sentences above. in 48, the goal is pekan banting. it is the goal of the argument e ed. in 49, the goal is identified as bara (thing). the argument bara is paired with another argument hik. in 50, the goal is laut. hence, the noun constituents which assume the role of goal are pekan banting, bara and laut respectively. c. goal theta role in relation to the verb gol another verb which can be seen to include the theta role of goal is gol. the verb gol, or also known as kagol, denotes the meaning of take. in relation to this verb, the sentential construction below provides evidence for this theta role. 51) nake gol moyang itu ambil moyang that take ancestor that (person) takes the ancestor. in the sentence above, the goal is assumed by the noun constituent moyang. however, the noun constituent is seen to be omitted from the sentence. 64 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee however, the determiner nake serves as a marker of a missing noun constituent. in this situation, the seemingly missing noun constituent is pursuing the entity of moyang. d. goal theta role in relation to the preposition ke acting as a verb in the following sentence, there is no verb constituent involved. however, it is found that the preposition ke (to) acts as a verb predicate. in this case, it is analysed that sentences can function with the preposition ke as a replacement for the verb cok. this finding is explicated through the sentential construction below. 52) kadang kadang ke laut kadang kadang ke laut sometimes to sea sometimes (i go) to the sea. from the example above, it is identified that the theta role of goal is assumed by the noun constituent laut. 8. discussion of sentences without any theta roles this section discusses the sentences without any theta roles. these are the sentences which do not fit under any category under radford’s definition (1997) of theta roles. radford (1997) clarified that in order for theta roles to be analysed, the predicate and the argument must be present at all times. however, it is found that some sentential constructions in mah meri can still be logical or grammatically correct without having a predicate. hence, this section discusses in detail the theta roles involved such as agent, experiencer, theme, goal, recipient, source, location, instrument and benefactive. a. discussion of sentential construction 1 in the sentential construction below, it is analysed that no theta role is present. the reason for the absence of any theta role is due to the lack of predicate or verb in the particular sentential construction. the following sentence explicates the lack of verb in the sentence uttered by the speaker. 53) nelayan pon dak le nelayan pun tidak lah fisher man also not (i’m) also not a fisherman. in the sentence above, a theta role is unavailable as it does not fulfil the rule of having a predicate. thus, even though a noun constituent is present, the sentential construction cannot be analysed due to the aforementioned reason. b. discussion of sentential construction 2 the next sentential construction contains a noun constituent. however, this type of sentential construction could not have a theta role as it also lacks a predicate. the following example shows this. 65 maisarah, kais amir kadhim, & zahid ali veesar semantic analysis of theta roles of verbs in the mah meri language 54) nama kenon suluk ajin nama anak sulung ajin name child first ajin (the) first child’s name (is) ajin. the example above indicates zero predicate. however, it does have a noun constituent ‘ajin’. since the sentence has zero predicate; thus, its noun constituent cannot be assigned any theta roles. c. discussion of sentential construction 3 the discussion continues with another type of sentential construction. the sentence below shows the lack of a predicate as well. 55) bali pon ada bali pun ada pomelo also available there is also pomelo. in the above sentential construction, the noun constituent which is present is bali. bali is translated as pomelo (a type of fruit) cannot take on any theta role as there is no predicate available. hence, it is concluded that from the sentence above that no category of theta role can be assigned to the noun constituent bali. d. discussion of sentential construction 4 further discussion of sentential constructions without any theta roles is discussed in this section. like the previous sentential constructions, no verb or predicate can be determined from any of the sentential constructions. the following examples explicate the findings. 56) nama ngki daman nama dia daman name he daman his name (is) daman. 57) nama ngki lina nama dia lina name she lina her name (is) lina. 58) nama ngki hanum nama dia hanum name she hanum her name (is) hanum. as seen above, there is no indication of any predicate in the sentential construction for all the sentences in d. it is found that only a noun constituent is present in each sentence. as seen in 56, the noun constituent daman cannot be assigned any theta roles as it is not linked with any predicates. hence, 66 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee daman cannot be constituted for an argument of any theta role. in a similar setting as 56, the sentential construction of 57 is devoid of any predicate. in 57, the identified noun constituent for this sentential construction is lina. lastly, the sentence 58 also indicates the absence of any predicates. it features the same syntactic placement as demonstrated in 56 and 57. in addition, it also includes a single noun constituent, hanum. nonetheless, the conclusion is the same for all the sentential constructions in d. all of these sentential constructions indicate the deficiency of verbs. hence, none of the aforementioned noun constituents of daman, lina and hanum can undertake any theta role in their respective sentences. e. discussion of sentential construction 5 the sentential construction 5 echoes the idea of an absent predicate. this finding is also prevalent in the previous discussion in relation to the sentential constructions without a verb. however, it is interesting to note that instead of one noun constituent present, the sentence featured below has two different noun constituents. to illustrate, the sentence construction is shown below. 59) tok batin darjah enom huk tok batin darjah enam sahaja tok batin standard six only tok batin studies till standard six only. the sentential construction above discusses the two separate entities of noun constituents. nonetheless, it is determined that a verb or a predicate is unrepresented in the sentential construction above. f. discussion of sentential construction 6 the sixth type of sentential construction found in the mah meri language that is not represented by any theta role is shown below. 60) adat hum penting adat mandi penting tradition bathe important (the) bathing tradition (is) important. as seen in the sentential construction above, there is no particular predicate in the sentence. however, it is seen that adat hum is a noun constituent. however, due to the lack of predicates, this noun constituent cannot assume any theta role due to the lack of predicates. hence, this sentential construction cannot be analysed for the theta role. conclusion from this data, all theta roles are found to be presented except for the theta role of recipient. however, this is not due to the lack of the theta role of recipient in mah meri. rather, it is due to the limitation of the scope in this study as the data analyzed was based on the limited interview. the agent theta role is a prominent one in the mah meri language; it has the highest level of occurrence in the data. the researcher 67 maisarah, kais amir kadhim, & zahid ali veesar semantic analysis of theta roles of verbs in the mah meri language observed some repeated noun constituents as agents. some of these noun constituents are e’ed (i), ngki (he/she) and hik (you). however, other noun constituents are also found such as kedo e’ed (my wife). besides kedo e’ed, the researcher detected proper names to have also taken on the roles of the agent. these proper nouns are such as hanom, bakhtiar, and daud to name a few. the second type of theta role found in the study is theme; having second highest occurrence in the data. it is seen that theme is often paired along with the agent theta role. however, it is interesting to note that the theta role of theme has the most variety of types. unlike the theta role of agent which are often the same repeated noun constituents, the theta role of theme is found to be more dynamic. some examples of the theme are laut (sea), barang kemaih (jewellery), udang (prawn), ka bawal (pomfret fish) and mawar(rose) to name a few. the third type of theta role is the theta role of experiencer. the researcher found that the theta role of experiencer is very similar to that of the theta role of agent; assuming that the agent is in the specifier of a light verb, these observations suggest that the experiencer is in the specifier of the thematic verb, like theme arguments (radford, 1997). the same type of example is found to assume the role of an experiencer. these examples include the use of the noun constituent e’ed (i). the other noun constituent which undertakes the experiencer theta role is budak-budak e’ed (my children). however, it is found that experiencer theta role occurs less in the data as compared to agent. the fourth type of theta role denotes the theta role of benefactor. the theta role of benefactor is found to be present in one of the sentential constructions in mah meri. the noun constituent which carries the role of benefactor is e’ed (i). in comparison, the fifth type of theta role of instrument shows a different set of noun constituents assuming the role. the examples of instrument are the noun constituents of pahuk (boat) and moto (motorcycle). finally, the theta role of locative shows variation as well. some of the noun constituents found to carry this role are anting, tembuk, and pasaraya (supermarket). thus, it can be concluded that mah meri has all theta roles except recipient. however, the cause is not due to lack of the theta role of recipient in the mah meri, but it is perhaps due to the limited data. references carnie, a. (2007). syntax: a generative introduction (2nd ed.). uk: blackwell publishing. hajek, j. (1996). unraveling lowland semang. oceanic linguistics, 35(1), pp. 138-141. kruspe, n. (2004). a grammar of semelai. cambridge: cambridge university press. kruspe, n., & hajek, j. (2009). mah meri. journal of the international phonetic association, 39(02), pp. 241248. luraghi, s., & parodi, c. (2008). key terms in syntax and syntactic theory. continuum. omar, a. h. (2006). kamus mah merimelayu inggeris. kuala lumpur: university of malaya press. radford, a. (1997). syntax: a minimalist introduction. cambridge: cambridge university press. radford, a. (2009). an introduction to english sentence structure. cambridge: cambridge university press. sebeok, t. a. (1942). an examination of the austroasiatic language family. language, pp. 206-217. 68 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee sebeok, t. a. (1943). the languages of southeastern asia. the far eastern quarterly, 2(4), pp. 349-356. stevens, m., kruspe, n., & hajek, j. (2006). register in mah meri: a preliminary phonetic analysis. in r. hoffmann & h. mixdorff (eds.), proceedings of speech prosody (pp. 269-272). dresden, germany: isca. retrieved from: http://www.iscaspeech.org/archive/sp 2006 veesar, z. a., kadhim, k. a., & sriniwass, s. (2015a). establishing the thematic structure and investigating the most prominent theta roles used in sindhi language. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 4(4), pp. 216-230. veesar, z. a., sriniwass, s., & kadhim, k. a. (2015b). a comparison of theme theta roles in english and sindhi. language & communication, 2(1), pp. 77-89. veesar, z. a., kadhim, k. a., shah, s. a., & khuhro, r. a. (2016). argument structure of sindhi verbs: an analysis of thematic relations. language in india, 16(2). veesar, z. a., kadhim, k. a., & bagudu, r. s. (2016). the most prominent theta roles in the sindhi language: the hierarchy. international journal of foreign language teaching and research, 3(12), pp. 11-24. 69 http://www.isca-speech.org/archive/sp http://www.isca-speech.org/archive/sp maisarah, kais amir kadhim, & zahid ali veesar semantic analysis of theta roles of verbs in the mah meri language golf ball two golfers were approaching the first tee. the first guy goes into his golf bag to get a ball and says to his friend "hey, why don't you try this ball." he draws a green golf ball out of his bag. "use this one you can't lose it!" his friend replies, "what do you mean you can't lose it?!!" the first man replies, "i'm serious, you can't lose it. if you hit it into the woods, it makes a beeping sound, if you hit it into the water it produces bubbles, and if you hit it on the fairway, smoke comes up in order for you to find it." obviously, his friend doesn't believe him, but he shows him all the possibilities until he is convinced. the friend says, "wow! that's incredible! where did you get that ball?" the man replies, "i found it." (source: http://www.study-express.ru/humour/funny-stories.shtml, picture: www.google.co.id) 70 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 137 improving the tenth grade students’ english speaking ability through storytelling firdayanti firdaus english department, faculty of politics and education, university of potensi utama, indonesia e-mail: firdayanti.firdaus95@gmail.com dwi suci amaniarsih english department, faculty of politics and education, university of potensi utama, indonesia e-mail: amaniarsih86@gmail.com apa citation: firdaus, f., & amaniarsih, d. s. (2018). improving the tenth grade students’ english speaking ability through storytelling. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 137-146. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1533. received: 13-08-2018 accepted: 21-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: the purposes of this research are to find out; 1) how to improve english speaking ability of the tenth grade students at harapan-i medan through the application of storytelling method, and 2) how the students’ responses to storytelling as a learning method. this research was a classroom action research applying kemmis mctaggart model. the research was done in two cycles in which each cycle consists of four stages: plans, actions, observations, and reflections. the subjects in this research were students of grade x-6 of senior high school harapan-i medan. the object of this study was the application of the storytelling method to improve the students’ english speaking ability. based on the results of the research, it was found that the percentage of completeness from pre-action, cycle-i, and cycle-ii increased at senior high school harapan-i medan. the percentage of student’s completeness in pre-action was 27%, in the cycle-i was 47%, and in the cycle-ii was 70%. there was a significant increase (43%) from pre-action, cycle-i, and cycle-ii. in addition, students’ enthusiasm, courage, and activity have also increased. thus, it can be concluded that storytelling method has improved the speaking ability of the tenth grade students of senior high school harapan-i medan and increased their response, enthusiasm, courage, and activity to speak english. keywords: speaking ability; english; storytelling; folklore; classroom action research. introduction english is the main medium of communication in europe, america, australia and oceania, africa, and become an international language in asian. in indonesia, english has been the first foreign language. as the first foreign language, it makes english become one of the compulsory subjects taught at schools in indonesia ranging from high school to university. this is stated in the republic of indonesia law number 20 of 2003 (uu ri no. 20/2003) that the basic and secondary education curriculum must contain language education. in addition, mendikbud (2013) notes that “english is the second language subject that must be learned after bahasa.” according to the 2013 curriculum, english language learning aims to make language learners able to use the language being learned in oral and written communication (uu ri no. 20/2003). in learning english, there are four skills that must be mastered, namely: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. speaking skill is the functional skill because it is used to communicate, to obtain and to convey information in daily life. speaking is the ability to produce speech sound of the words to express and convey thoughts and feelings. the general objective of speaking is to inform, entertain, and persuade. in teaching context, teaching english speaking skills is to teach english learners to be able to; 1) produce english speech sounds and patterns; 2) use sentence, word stress, firdayanti firdaus & dwi suci amaniarsih improving the tenth grade students’ english speaking ability through storytelling 138 intonation, and english rhythms; 3) choose words and sentences that are appropriate to the social context, the listener, and the subject matter (deixis); 4) organize mindset meaningfully and logically; 5) use language as a tool to express values and express opinions; and 6) use language fluently and confidently without a lot of pauses (nunan, 2003). basically, there are at least 13 types of speaking activities, namely: 1) discussing, 2) describing images, 3) telling stories, 4) reporting news, 5) simulations, 6) interviews, 7) brainstorming, 8) completing stories, 9) finding differences, 10) telling pictures, 11) information gaps, 12) playing cards, and 13) role playing. speaking assessment in language learning is based on two factors, namely: linguistic and non-linguistic factors. linguistic factors include pronunciation, vocabulary, and structure, while nonlinguistic factors include material, fluency and style (haryadi & zamzani, 1997). further, nurgiyantoro (2001) divided the task of speaking skills in several forms, namely: 1) speaking based on pictures, 2) interview, 3) storytelling, 4) speech, and 5) discussion. nurgiyantoro (2001) adds that the assessment tool consists of the accuracy of information, the relationship between information, the accuracy of structure and vocabulary, fluency, the reasonableness of the discourse sequence, and the style of pronunciation. based on several opinions and theories, the assessment of speaking skills used in this research is presented in table 1. table 1. the assessment of speaking ability no the aspect assessed scale level 1 linguistics factor: 1. pronunciation and 1 2 3 4 articulation clarity 2. accuracy of intonation, 1 2 3 4 pressure, and volume. 3. accuracy in the use of 1 2 3 4 structure,vocabulary, and expression 4. fairness of discourse 1 2 3 4 sequence 2 non-linguistic factor 1. information accuracy. 1 2 3 4 2. relationship between 1 2 3 4 information 3. fluency. 1 2 3 4 4. style of speaking, attitude, 1 2 3 4 appearance, face expression, body movement. total …….. yet, for indonesian people, speaking english fluently is considered difficult since the language is not used in daily communication and social interaction. it is supported by the results of the observations and interviews conducted with english teachers at senior high school of harapan-1 medan in which many students were not able to speak english. it was proved when the teacher invites them to communicate in english. many of them cannot respond and do not understand what is being conveyed. this disability is suspected because they are not used to communicating in english and inappropriate of teaching methods. in addition, many students think that speaking english is a very complex task to fulfill. therefore, this research attempts to analyze the use of storytelling method to improve students’ speaking skills. storytelling is a creative process that can activate not only the intellectual aspects but also the aspects of sensitivity, refinement, emotion, art, power of fantasizing, and children right and left brain (asfandiyar, 2007). storytelling is not just mere entertainment, but also has a higher purpose, such as the introduction of the natural environment, character, and encourage children to behave positively. the purpose of storytelling is to develop several aspects, namely aspects of language, social, emotional, cognitive, and moral development (musfiroh, 2005). besides, storytelling also aims to convey moral lessons without patronizing or imposing opinions (mal, 2012). moreover, the ministry of education and culture (2018) states that storytelling aims to: 1) improve students’ literacy skills, 2) develop creativity and critical thinking skills in interpreting english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 139 story content, developing stories, and appearances in public speaking, 3) develop storytelling abilities, and 4) increase selfesteem, mutual respect, totality, the spirit of hard working, and cooperating. one of the texts which is important for the character development of next generation is story. the story used in storytelling consists of: fables, legends, sage, myths, parables, fairy tales, and panji stories/wira cerita (hidayani, 2013). indonesia, which consists of various ethnicities, cultures and customs, has so many stories and this should be maintained and preserved so that students as the next generation keep familiar with their cultural roots. thus, to maintain indonesian stories, legend is used in this research. method this classroom action research was carried out collaboratively. in this research, the english teacher of grade x carried out the action, while the researcher was the observer. this research used kemmis and mctaggart classroom action research model. according to kemmis and mctaggart, there are four stages in this research, namely: planning/plan, actions, observations, and reflections. this research was presented in two cycles. this research was conducted at senior high school harapan-1 medan in the even semester of 2017/2018 academic year. the subjects in this research were all the students of grade x-6 in senior high school harapan 1 medan, while the object of this research was the application of storytelling to improve students’ ability to speak english. the data used were qualitative data, in the form of primary and secondary data. the primary data was obtained directly from the results of observations and interview, while the secondary data was obtained from documentation of the relevant institution or organization. data analysis techniques used were data reduction. it is the activities of selection, simplification and transformation data of field note results. the validity and reliability of data was examined by using triangulation techniques and member check. triangulation is a combination of various data collection techniques and sources that already exist. in this research, triangulation was carried out by observation, interviews and field notes. moreover, the member check was done by repeating the outline that was revealed by the informant at the end of the interview to ensure the data obtained and to correct the errors or deficiencies. results and discussion the results of this research were obtained from pre-cycle, cycle i, and cycle ii. the results of pre-cycle activities are the students’ english speaking skills before the research actions being taken. the aim was to find out the initial conditions of students’ english speaking skills. pre-cycle activity to see the students’ ability to speak, they were orally pretested by using several narrative text stories. they were free to choose one of the stories to be retold in front of the class using their own words with duration of approximately 3-5 minutes. the result of pre-cycle can be seen in table 2. table 2. the students’ speaking ability on pre-action no respondent pre-cycle kkm = 70 score value complete incomplete 1 1.1 23 72 √ 2 1.2 17 53 √ 3 1.3 15 47 √ 4 1.4 10 31 √ 5 1.5 23 72 √ 6 1.6 17 54 √ 7 1.7 12 38 √ 8 1.8 12 38 √ 9 1.9 16 50 √ firdayanti firdaus & dwi suci amaniarsih improving the tenth grade students’ english speaking ability through storytelling 140 10 1.1 17 53 √ 11 1.11 17 53 √ 12 1.12 23 72 √ 13 1.13 19 59 √ 14 1.14 12 38 √ 15 1.15 19 59 √ 16 1.16 25 78 √ 17 1.17 16 50 √ 18 1.18 10 31 √ 19 1.19 18 56 √ 20 1.2 24 72 √ 21 1.21 16 50 √ 22 1.22 23 72 √ 23 1.23 17 53 √ 24 1.24 23 72 √ 25 1.25 16 50 √ 26 1.26 23 72 √ 27 1.27 17 53 √ 28 1.28 13 41 √ 29 1.29 17 53 √ 30 1.3 16 50 √ total 1642 8 22 average 55 percentage 27% 73% based on the table above, it can be seen that the average value of speaking skills of students in english only reaches 55. of the 30 students, only 8 students (27%) completed, while as many as 22 students (73%) were not completed with a 70 minimum completeness criteria. the results of these tests can be identified and summarized as follows: 1. students’ speaking ability in english still looks very faltering, more passive and silent. 2. there are still many students who have difficulties in describing and telling the story. 3. many students still do not understand the storyline. 4. there are still many students who have not been able to express stories with good gestures, so students look very stiff and awkward. 5. the students have not been able to play the intonation properly. 6. the students’ vocabulary mastery is still poor and inadequate. 7. there are still many students who have not prepared themselves well, sometimes they even seem ashamed. the analysis can be seen in the following table. table 3. the analyses of students’ speaking ability on pre-action category value range frequency percentage very good 85 – 100 good 75 – 84 1 3.4% sufficient 60 – 74 7 23.3% poor 50 – 59 15 50% very poor 0 – 49 7 23.3% 30 100% the results showed that there were no student in very good category, there was only 1 student (3.4%) who had the ability to speak english in good category, 7 students (23.3%) in the sufficient category, 15 students (50%) in the poor category, and 7 students (23.3%) in the very poor category. thus, the cycle-i action was needed to english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 141 improve their speaking ability by applying storytelling method. description of cycle-i cycle-i action was done in two meetings. each meeting consisted of 2x45 minutes. in this cycle, the storytelling method was applied. the basic competence is “analyzing social functions, text structures, and linguistic elements in simple narrative texts in the form of folklore in accordance with the context of use”. the folklore used in this research is the lake toba legend at the first meeting and tangkuban perahu at the second meeting. the students sat in group to make the stories based on the theme and main ideas that had been given and then retold it in front of the class in 3-5 minutes. the results can be seen in table 4, while the analysis can be seen in table 5. table 4. the students’ speaking ability on cycle-i no respondent pre-cycle kkm = 70 score value complete incomplete 1 1.1 23 72 √ 2 1.2 23 72 √ 3 1.3 17 53 √ 4 1.4 10 31 √ 5 1.5 25 78 √ 6 1.6 17 53 √ 7 1.7 22 69 √ 8 1.8 23 72 √ 9 1.9 16 50 √ 10 1.1 23 72 √ 11 1.11 17 53 √ 12 1.12 23 72 √ 13 1.13 19 59 √ 14 1.14 17 53 √ 15 1.15 19 59 √ 16 1.16 25 78 √ 17 1.17 16 50 √ 18 1.18 23 72 √ 19 1.19 18 56 √ 20 1.2 24 75 √ 21 1.21 16 50 √ 22 1.22 25 78 √ 23 1.23 17 53 √ 24 1.24 24 75 √ 25 1.25 23 72 √ 26 1.26 23 72 √ 27 1.27 17 53 √ 28 1.28 13 41 √ 29 1.29 17 53 √ 30 1.3 16 50 √ total 1846 14 16 average 62 percentage 47% 53% table 5. the analyses of students’ speaking ability on cycle-i category value range frequency percentage very good 85 – 100 good 75 – 84 5 17% sufficient 60 – 74 9 30% poor 50 – 59 14 46% very poor 0 – 49 2 7% 30 100% firdayanti firdaus & dwi suci amaniarsih improving the tenth grade students’ english speaking ability through storytelling 142 the results showed that there was still no student in very good category. yet, there were 5 students (17%) who had the ability to speak english in good categories. although it is still very poor, but this number has increased compared to the results of precycle that was only 1 student in a good category. there was an increase in the sufficient category from 7 to 9 students. besides, there were decreases in poor and very poor category; from 15 to 14 students in poor category and 7 to 2 students in very poor category. based on the observation, there has been a little progress on students’ attitude and ability in speaking. they have begun to show their courage to ask and answer questions to/from teachers and friends by using english. however, in the first cycle there are still many obstacles encountered, such as: 1) some students were still awkward and ashamed to speak, especially in front of the class. 2) the time constraints in speaking practice. 3) the teacher must prepare learning carefully like the facilities, tools, time, and energy. 4) the students seemed to get difficulties in arranging ideas, composing sentences and expressing their thoughts well. this is because they do not have much vocabulary and practice in speaking. the results showed that there has been an increase on students speaking ability but it was not significant yet. therefore, this research should be continued to cycle-ii as an advanced stage of cycle-i by planning the things to be improved. description of cycle-ii the cycle-ii was conducted in two meetings, by 2x45 minutes for each meeting. this cycle is a revision of previous cycle. the things that need to be improved for this cycle are about the technique and time use and management. here, the activities are more varied and effective. the time allocation was managed to be as effective and efficient as possible. students were asked to sit in their group in which the students composed a story based on the theme and picture. after writing the stories, they practiced to tell the story in their own group. then, the listeners asked the storyteller some questions related to the story. each group member has the same chance to practice it in group for 5 minutes. after practicing in group, , they performed storytelling in front of the class randomly. the material which was presented in this second cycle was still folklore with different theme or story. the theme used in this cycle was malin kundang and roro jonggrang. thus, the learning process became more interesting and gave students the opportunity to practice a lot in groups before they performed the story in front of the class. the results of student learning activities in cycle ii can be seen in table 6, while the analysis can be seen in table 7. table 6. the students’ speaking ability on cycle-ii no respondent pre-cycle kkm = 70 score value complete incomplete 1 1.1 27 84 √ 2 1.2 25 78 √ 3 1.3 19 59 √ 4 1.4 23 72 √ 5 1.5 25 78 √ 6 1.6 19 59 √ 7 1.7 23 72 √ 8 1.8 25 78 √ 9 1.9 23 72 √ 10 1.1 23 72 √ 11 1.11 23 72 √ 12 1.12 23 72 √ 13 1.13 23 72 √ english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 143 14 1.14 23 72 √ 15 1.15 19 59 √ 16 1.16 27 84 √ 17 1.17 19 59 √ 18 1.18 23 72 √ 19 1.19 19 59 √ 20 1.2 24 75 √ 21 1.21 19 59 √ 22 1.22 25 78 √ 23 1.23 19 59 √ 24 1.24 24 75 √ 25 1.25 23 72 √ 26 1.26 23 72 √ 27 1.27 19 59 √ 28 1.28 15 47 √ 29 1.29 23 72 √ 30 1.3 23 72 √ total 2085 21 9 average 70 percentage 70% 30% table 7. the analyses of students’ speaking ability on cycle-ii category value range frequency percentage very good 85 – 100 good 75 – 84 8 27% sufficient 60 – 74 13 43% poor 50 – 59 8 27% very poor 0 – 49 1 3% 30 100% the table showed that there was still no student (0%) in very good category, 8 students (27%) in good category, 13 students (43%) in sufficient category, 8 students (27%) in poor category, and 1 student (3%) in very poor category. in connection with the results in the second cycle, the following important things were obtained: 1) the students’ english speaking ability has increased. 2) almost all students seemed enthusiastic and even very enthusiastic in storytelling. 3) all students have begun to be active in learning using storytelling. 4) some students have started more confident and courageous to tell and express stories with good gestures, although sometimes they still look stiff and awkward. 5) many students have started to speak with a good articulation. 6) some students have been able to play their voice intonation, so that it attracted other students to listen and pay attention. 7) students’ vocabulary and grammar have shown an increase. the comparison of students’ speaking ability in pre-cycle, cycle-i, and cycle -ii can be seen in table 8 and chart 1. table 8. the comparison of students’ speaking ability in pre-cycle, cycle-i, and cycle -ii no research category student percentage 1 preaction complete 8 27% incomplete 22 73% 2 cyclei complete 14 47% incomplete 16 53% 3 cycle-ii complete 21 70% incomplete 9 30% firdayanti firdaus & dwi suci amaniarsih improving the tenth grade students’ english speaking ability through storytelling 144 chart 1. the comparison of students’ speaking ability in pre-cycle, cycle-i, and cycle -ii based on the chart, it can be seen that the completeness result percentage of the students' speaking ability in the pre-cycle, the first cycle, and the second cycle has increased. then, the incompleteness decreased. in the pre-cycle, the percentage of students’ completeness was only 27%. in the first cycle, the percentage of students’ completeness increased to 47%. there were 20% increases. in the second cycle, the percentage of students’ completeness was 70%. there was 23% of increase from cycle-i to cycle-ii. then, there were 43% increases between pre-cycle to cycle-ii. moreover, the class average has increased too, from 55 in pre-cycle, 61 in cycle-ii, and 70 in cycle-ii. finally, this research showed that there was a significant increase in the ability of speaking after applying the storytelling method. generally, the findings of this research indicated that storytelling method can be used to improve the students’ learning outcomes and the minimum completeness value in speaking english. this is because this method offered many opportunities for students to practice speaking in class. however, there were some obstacles faced by the teacher in applying this method, such as inadequate time for english lessons, large classes, and the target of material achievement determined by the curriculum and syllabus make the teacher less flexible in applying this method. therefore, the addition of lessons, small class, improving facilities, and active participation of students are expected to maximize the application of the storytelling method. conclusion based on the results, it can be concluded that; first, the use of storytelling method can improve the students’ ability to speak english. there was 43% increase of the students’ speaking ability after applying the storytelling method. in the initial condition, the percentage of students’ completeness was only 27%. in the first cycle, the percentage of students’ completeness scores increased to 47%, then in the second cycle has a significant increase to 70%. if a comparison is made between students’ speaking ability at the initial conditions and after the storytelling method is applied, there is an increase in students’ speaking skills by 43%. second, storytelling with variations in storytelling and discussion techniques in small groups can improve students’ response and enthusiasm so that students become more active because they have the same opportunity to practice speaking. yet, some obstacles are still faced by teachers in applying this method, including inadequate time for english lessons, large classes, and targets for material achievement determined by the curriculum and syllabus which make teachers less flexible in applying this method. acknowledgments i would like to thank: 1. drpm (directorate of research and community service) of the general directorate of research strengthening and development, kemenristekdikti (ministry of research, technology and higher education) for funding this research in english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 145 accordance with the research contract for fiscal year 2018. 2. university of potensi utama for supporting and giving attention to this research. references asfandiyar, a. y. (2007). cara pintar mendongeng. jakarta: mizan. brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. san fransisco: longman. depdiknas. (2003). undang-undang ri. no 20 tahun 2003 pasal 37 tentang sistem pendidikan nasional. jakarta: depdiknas. harmer, j. (2001). how to teach english. england: longman. haryadi & zamzani. (1997). peningkatan keterampilan berbahasa indonesia. jakarta: dirjen dikti. hidayani, f. (2013). mengenal sastra indonesia. bandung: talenta pustaka indonesia. mal, k. (2012). the miracle of storytelling: mencerdaskan anak dengan dongeng dan cerita. jakarta: zikrul. musfiroh, t. (2005). cerita dan perkembangan anak. yogyakarta: navila. nunan, d. (2003). practical english language teaching. boston: heile & heinle publisher. nurgiyantoro, b. (2001). penilaian dalam pengajaran bahasa dan sastra. yogyakarta: bpfe. pellowski, a. (1991). the world of storytelling. laramie: wilson. firdayanti firdaus & dwi suci amaniarsih improving the tenth grade students’ english speaking ability through storytelling 146 1 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee teaching gender awareness through fairy tales in the efl classroom arisa kochiyama wayo women’s university, japan. e-mail: kochiyama@wayo.ac.jp apa citation: kochiyama, a. (2013). teaching gender awareness through fairy tales in the efl classroom. english review: journal of english education, 2(1), 1-7 received: 04-09-2013 accepted: 29-10-2013 published: 01-12-2013 abstract: the purpose of this study is to explore how gender has been portrayed historically and in current times in fairy tales and then to introduce the effectiveness of using fairy tales in language instruction. while some instructors may still believe that teaching efl encompasses focusing on linguistic elements only, recent trend in efl teaching indicates the necessity of integrating literature in the curricula because of its rich potential to provide an authentic model of language use as well as its universal themes within human history. traditional fairy tales and modern ones can allow students to think critically about how men and women are portrayed and to compare these portrayals with their own communities. it is hoped that discussion of the topic of gender issues can help students foster critical thinking and literacy and empower them with a further understanding of gender notions in their lives. keywords: intercultural communication, english as a second language, efl classroom introduction children’s literature, in addition to being one of the favorite choices for reading among students as they are growing up, is commonly used in the context of reading practices in esl/ efl classrooms (lazar 1993). while some teachers tend to employ picture books and fairy tales because they think these materials provide students with an authentic model of language as well as the cultural information of target language, others point out that gender bias is still prevalent in children’s literature and fairy tales (kuo 2005). gender bias is evident in fairy tales and children’s literature as the males are seen as the rough, tough, adventurous, fighting, prince, heroic character while females are the sweet, beautiful princess, helpless, motherly, cleanly, damsel in distress. though these roles are fun for story books they do not give readers a skewed perception on what their role should be in their real lives (archer 2008). among fairy tales, disney stories and movies are extremely popular and children for generations have grown up reading and watching them. cook claims that although the stories are magical and fun they do show gender stereotypes and send incorrect messages to young children concerning their ability based on their gender creating gender stereotypes and influencing their attitudes and behaviors. disney is harmful not only with their production of books and movies but also with their variety of products consumed all over the world. sales at disney consumer products, which started the craze in 2000 by packaging nine of its female characters under one royal rubric, have shot up to $3 billion, globally in 2006. there are now more than 25000 disney princess items. orenstein (2006) wrote how the toys and media industries had turned girls into “hypergendered” consumers. orenstein, along with her 3-year-old daughter for her experiment, had to smile politely every time the supermarket-checkout arisa kochiyama teaching gender awareness through fairy tales in the efl classroom 2 clerk greeted her with “hi, princess,” ignored the waitress at their local breakfast joint who called the funnyface pancakes she ordered her “princess meal”. but when the dentist pointed to the exam chair and said, “would you like to sit in my special princess throne so i can sparkle your teeth?”, she lost her temper and shouted, “come on! it’s 2006, not 1950. this is berkley, california. does every little girl really have to be a princess?” fairy tales often reflect society’s socially accepted value. the stories tell us what gender scripts are accepted in our culture and how men and women should act. although we tend to assume that we have achieved a more equalized society thanks to the feminist movement and the society has gotten much better in the perspective of gender stereotype, the princess craze and the girlie-girl culture are now more prevalent than ever all over the world. given the above phenomena, the present study will firstly investigate whether the improved gender roles are represented in modern fairy tales and compare classic fairy tales with a modernized fairy tale, tangled, published in 2010, with a focus on analysis of the story patterns, the heroines and other characters surrounding her. and then the study will discuss how traditional fairy tales and modern ones can allow students in the efl classroom to think critically about gender roles both in the fairy tales and in their real lives. method for the study, snow white (1937), cinderella (1950), and sleeping beauty (1957) will be analyzed as traditional fairy tales. these three stories have female characters that reflect society’s socially accepted value of 1930s and 1950s. they all play similar roles of the damsel in distress. the heroines are all young and beautiful woman who can take care of a household. secondly, a modernized fairy tale by disney, tangled (2010), will be analyzed and compared with the traditional fairy tales in terms of the story patterns, the heroines and other characters surrounding her. and then the study will discuss how teachers can promote students’ gender awareness adopting traditional fairy tales and modern ones in their efl classrooms. results and discussion traditional fairy tales and gender: snow white, cinderella, sleeping beauty physical appearance of heroine snow white, cinderella, sleeping beauty all depict the heroines as a beautiful woman wearing nice clothing in order to be marriageable. with flowing strawberry-blond locks, big, blue eyes, button nose, and tiny body, disney’s child-like woman sets a standard for perfection that virtually no little girl can ever achieve (pandolfo 2007). she was very pretty, with blue eyes and long black hair. her skin was delicate and fair, and so she was called snow white. everyone was quite sure she would become very beautiful. (snow white) when cinderella entered the ballroom at the palace, a hush fell. everyone stopped in mid-sentence to admire her elegance, her beauty and grace. (cinderella) for a long time he stood gazing at her face, so full of serenity, so peaceful, lovely and pure, and he felt spring to his heart that love he had always been searching for and never found. (sleeping beauty) in the three stories, the male heroes fall in love with the heroines because of how they look such as having beautiful locks, fair skin, tiny feet, and so 3 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee on. grauerholz and baker-sperry (2003) who examined 168 brothers grimm fairy tales showed that 94 percent of the stories acknowledged physical appearance, and the average references per story were 13.6: in one story, there were 114 beauty references for women: in comparison, the number of beauty references for men did not exceed 35 per story. in these well know stories “good-temper and meekness are so regularly associated with beauty, and ill temper with ugliness, that this in itself must influence children’s expectations” (lieberman 1972). grauerholz and bakersperry (2003) worry that these powerful messages that say women need to be beautiful may compel some women to seek beauty at the expense of other pursuits, such as careers or education. grauerholz and baker-sperry (2003) further point out that the continued emphasis on beauty is a way of society to controls girls and women. women adopt behaviors that reflect and reinforce their powerlessness, which can lead to limiting a woman’s personal freedom, power and control. heroine’s behavior the traditional fairy tales also portray what is considered acceptable behavior for women. their daily actions include singing, dancing and spending their day doing chores around the house such as cooking, cleaning, and making beds. i’ll make them something to eat. when they come home, they’ll be glad to find a meal ready.” towards dusk, seven tiny men marched homewards singing. but when they opened the door, to their surprise they found a bowl of hot steaming soup on the table, and the whole house spick and span. (snow white) “you? my dear girl, you’re staying at home to wash the dishes, scrub the floors and turn down the beds for your stepsisters. they will come home tired and very sleepy.” (cinderella) inge (2004) explains that the story of snow white reflects the general public’s attitude of the time that women should be primarily involved with the home. while men symbolize prosperity, income, and sustenance to support the women, the women are characterized as being the passive, pretty, patient, obedient, industrious, and quiet in the story. in line with inge (2004), archer (2008) points out that the heroines’ submissive role as a woman suggests to viewers that girls need to be obedient and if girls do not have strong characters to relate to in stories then it is unlikely that they learn to become strong and independent women themselves. good = pretty vs. bad = ugly the traditional fairy tales have in common giving a message of the dichotomy of beautiful = good / ugly = bad; ugly people are evil and beautiful people are good. women have to be either pretty or ugly and cannot be “average” because women are presented as either one thing or another and never a mixture of both. in the article “the dualistic nature of women: witches and women in fairy tales,” a writer points out that this repeated dichotomy is always applied to female characters in fiction in literature. as shown below in the traditional fairy tales evil ugly women who are jealous of heroines’ beauty try to harm or kill the beautiful heroines. “mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the loveliest lady in the land?” the reply was always: “you are, your majesty,” until the dreadful day when she heard it say, “snow white is the loveliest in the land.” the stepmother was furious and, wild with jealousy, arisa kochiyama teaching gender awareness through fairy tales in the efl classroom 4 began plotting to get rid of her rival. (snow white) but her stepsisters were so jealous of cinderella‘s beauty that they made her dress in rags and treated her like a servant. (cinderella) synnott (1990) claims that judgements about appearance imply values about good and evil and these conclusions are often false, unfair, dangerous, and silly: yet it is perpetuated by our language, literature, media, many philosophers and out simple binary perspectives. this assumption of ugly being bad has been labeled as “uglyism” (synnott 1990). synnott states that uglyism is the widespread discrimination experienced by people whose appearance lies south of beauty equator mapped out by literature and film. in her article “the dualistic nature of women: witches and women in fairy tales,” the writer points out that this binary polarization of women/men, good/bad, pretty/ugly must be stopped as human beings in reality are varying degrees of good and evil, of emotional and rational of inner and outer beauty. heroine and prince in the traditional fairy tales, the gender line between men and women is stereotyped with males being portrayed as being physically and emotionally strong, and as active participants in shaping their lives whereas females are portrayed as dependent, physically and emotionally weak, and passive participants in shaping their lives. in addition, the men are portrayed as much better off than the women. in the stories the male characters have higher ranking status and wealth. the three fairy tales also have in common that the male heroes who fall in love at first sight, save the females from a lifetime of hardship by marrying them while the females do nothing but waiti for the prince to show up. then one evening, they discovered a strange young man admiring snow white’s lovely face through the glass. after listening to the story, the prince (for he was a prince!) made a suggestion. “if you allow me to take her to the castle, i’ll call in famous doctors to waken her from their peculiar sleep. she’s so lovely. . . i’d love to kiss her. . . ! he did., and as though by magic, the prince’s kiss broke the spell. to everyone’s astonishment, snow white opened her eyes. she had amazingly come back to life! now in love, the prince asked snow white to marry him, and the dwarfs reluctantly had to say good bye to snow white. (snow white) at that kiss, the princess quickly opened her eyes, and wakening from her long long sleep, seeing the prince beside her, murmured: “oh, you have come at last! i was waiting for you in my dream. i’ve waited so long!” (sleeping beauty) the most damaging cinderella legacy of all, according to pandolfo (2007), is the concept of “rags-to-riches” success through hard-work and patience, which reinforces capitalism. in addition with this “someday-my-prince-willcome” message, it reinforces the notion that women should be passive, helpless and dependent who need the assistance of men and wait for men to save them. at the same time it offers the solution to girls that marriage is the answer to everything (wakakuwa 2003). modernized fairy tale and gender: tangled tangled is a 2010 american animated musical film and story produced and published by walt disney animation studios and is the 50th animated feature in the walt disney animated classic series. the story is loosely based on the grimm fairy tale 5 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee “rapunzel” in the collection of folk tales published by the brothers grimm. the film tells the story of a lost princess with long magical hair who yearns to leave her secluded tower. against mother gothel’s wish, she enlists the aid of a bandit thief flynn to take her out into the world which she has never seen. physical appearance of heroine rapunzel is not overly described as pretty or beautiful as in the heroines of snow white, cinderella, or sleeping beauty. the only sentence that mentions rapunzel’s beauty is that she was born as a beautiful baby. the flower made the queen well, and she soon gave birth to a beautiful young girl. (tangled) heroine’s behavior unlike the heroines of traditional fairy tales, rapunzel is presented as a smart, brave, and adventurous woman who stands up for her beliefs. in the first scene of tangled, it becomes clear that a new heroine has been created. rapunzel who wishes to get out of her secluded tower lies to mother gothel, rapunzel’s evil abductress. so that she leaves the tower for three days. realizing she would never get out of the tower unless she took matters into her own hands, rapunzel asked for another birthday present. she requested special paint that would require mother to leave on a threeday journey. (tangled) rapunzel takes charge by knocking out a male protagonist flynn, tying him up and striking adeal to make him help her. not wasting another second, rapunzel dragged flynn out of the closet and offered him a deal. if flynn took her to see the floating lights and returned her home safely, she would give him the satchel. flynn had no choice but to agree. (tangled) rapunzel is different from the classic heroines who are passive and obedient and described as a courageous young woman relentlessly pursues her goals to achieve personal fulfillment. unlike in the classic fairy tales, cooking, doing dishes, cleaning houses, and sewing are not mentioned as rapunzel’s behavior. good = pretty vs. bad = ugly the repeated dichotomy of good/ evil, ugly/beautiful is again applied to the female character in tangled. while rapunzel is presented as a pretty young girl, mother gothel, rapunzel’s evil abductress, is described as having dark hair and dark slant eyes and in need of rapunzel’s magical power to stay young. in the last scene, as gothel loses rapunel’s magical power, she becomes an ugly old wicked witch just as seen in the stepmother of snow white. mother gothel knew that if she wanted to stay young, she had to keep the child with her always. (tangled) “what have you done?!” mother gothel cried. within moments she aged hundreds of years and turned to dust. (tangled) thus the story keeps with the tradition of association with women as witches and the role women as the other. heroine and prince the heroine of tangled is not a prince as in the traditional fairy tales but a bandit thief who belongs to lower class in society, which shows disney’s new perspective of gender. rapunzel is not a princess waiting for a man to wake her up, untie her from the train tracks, arisa kochiyama teaching gender awareness through fairy tales in the efl classroom 6 and so on. although the story loosely follows the traditional rapunzel story, disney makes some changes which balance out the value of genders. meanwhile, in another part of the forest, a thief named flynn rider was on the run with his partner in crime, the stabbington brothers. (tangled) rapunzel is anything but passive and is routinely the one who takes charge and gets them out of tough situations. rapunzel banged her frying pan on a giant pot to get the thug’s attention. she asked them to let flynn go so that she could make her dream come true. (tangled) tangled doesn’t end with the traditional “someday-my-prince-willcome” message but with the suggestion that rapunzel eventually becomes the leader of her kingdom, which makes her the only princess who eventually becomes a true queen. the king and queen were there, along with flynn, pascal, maximus and the pub thugs. the people of the kingdom released floating lanterns into the sky. their light had guided their princess home at last. (tangled) disney has developed a strong female character because that is what modern culture and society have demanded. the modernized fairy tale tangled is a step forward for disney because it has given the heroine her independence and attempted to give us an empowered three-dimensional female character differing from her predecessors who wait for a prince to rescue them and marry them. given these findings, how can we teach gender awareness in the efl classroom using the fairy tales? traditional fairy tales and modernized ones allow students not only to learn the target language but also to think critically about how men and women are portrayed and compare these portrayals to their own lives. kuo (2005) claims the importance of teacher’s role by pointing out that teachers need to be extremely aware of the fact that dominant reading practices will make students accustomed to mainstream texts and as a result students will passively identify themselves with the characters in the stories. kuo suggests that teachers should equip students with a certain stance that deliberately challenges the text and help students uncover the gender inequalities present in the text, in doing so, it is useful for teachers to adopt resistant or oppositional reading practices rather than dominant and conventional reading practices. according to the bc teacher’s federation, a familiar starting point for students would be to read traditional fairy tales and identify the elements that make it different from a non-fiction story by asking open-ended questions as in the following: 1) how are princesses usually portrayed at the start of a story? 2) is she waiting around for something or someone to come to her rescue or make her happy? if so, whom? 3) towards the end of a story what makes cinderella and snow white happy? why do you think that might be? (bc teacher’s federation) after reading a variety of traditional and modernized fairy tales and analyzing components of each style of fairy tale, teachers can ask students: 4) in you world, who is a more realistic character? why do you think that? who does each princess remind you of in real life? 5) can a prince or princess be single and live happily ever after? why 7 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee or why not? do you know anyone who is single and happy? (bc teacher’s federation) as for the possible extensions, bc teacher’s federation suggests the following strategies: 1) have students take a traditional fairy tale and work together in small groups to write a new ending for it. ask them to create one where the princess and prince live in a more realistic and independent manner. 2) ask students to write their own fracture/non-traditional fairy tale where the prince or princess is portrayed in a non-gender specific role. tell them you are looking for non-sexist behavior in at least one character. (bc teacher’s federation) conclusion the present study investigates whether the improved gender roles are represented in modern fairy tales and compared classic fairy tales with a modernized fairy tale, tangled, published in 2010, with a focus on analysis of the story patterns, the heroines and other characters surrounding her. and then the study suggested some lesson plan on how traditional fairy tales and modern ones can allow students in the efl classroom to think critically about gender roles both in the fairy tales and in their real lives. it was found out that teachers could empower students with critical thinking by utilizing both traditional and modernized fairy tales through resistant or oppositional reading practices and help students make better sense of the text by approaching the text from multiple and alternative perspectives. references archer, m. (2008). gender stereotypes. retrieved from http://ezinearticles. com/?expert= maureen_archer baker-sperry, l. and grauerholz, e. (2003). the pervasiveness and persistence of the feminine beauty ideal in children’s fairy tales. gender and society, 17.5. 711-26. cook, h. m. (?) cinderellas from around the world: are their tales created with gender bias? retrieved from http:// www.easternct.edu./smithlibrary/ depts/curriculum/ cinderella2.htm. inge, m. t. (2004). art, adaptation, and ideology: walt disney’s snow white and the seven dwarfs. journal of popular film and television 32. 3. 132-42. kuo, j. (2005). teaching esl/efl student to recognize gender bias in children’s literature. the internet tesl journal. retrieved from http://iteslj.org/ articles/kou-genderbias.html. lazar, g. (1993). literature and language teaching: a guide for teachers and trainers. cambridge: cambridge university press. lieberman, m. r. (1972). some day my prince will come: female acculturation through the fairy tale. college english 34. 3. 383-95. orenstein, p. (2006). what’s wrong with cinderella? retrieved from http:// www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/ magazine/24princess.t.html. pandolfo, e. (2007). feminist critique of walt disney’s cinderella. retrieved from http://voices.yahoo.com/feministcritique-walt-disney-cinderella-259970. html?cat=9. synnott, a. (1990). truth and goodness, mirrors and masks part: a sociology of beauty and the face. the british journal of sociology 41. 1. 55-76. the dualistic nature of women: witches and women in fairy tales. retrieved from http://voadn.wordpress. com/2001/08/07/the-dualisticnature-of-women-witches-andwomen-in-fairy-tales. wakakuwa, m. (2003). ohimesama to jenda. tokyo: chikuma shobo. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 289 a case study of prosodic phrasal grouping and intonational prominence in language acquisition susanto english education study program, bandar lampung university, indonesia e-mail: susanto@ubl.ac.id apa citation: susanto. (2016). a case study of prosodic phrasal grouping and intonational prominence in language acquisition. english review, 4(2), 289-295 received: 23-02-2016 accepted: 28-03-2016 published: 01-06-2016 introduction in the acquisition of a language, children use prosody in their comprehension and production of utterances and they are sensitive to prosody’s rhythmic and melodic patterns (ito, 2002). they can discriminate between two spoken languages on the basis of their prosody (mehler et al., 1988), and use various aspects of prosody to determine the location of words in the stream of running speech (morgan & saffran, 1995; morgan, 1996; johnson & jusczyk, 2001). children are also sensitive to correspondences among the acoustic aspects of prosodic phrasing when they listen to sentences, and they tend to pronounce their own utterances with appropriate affective and phrasal prosody (mandel, jusczyk & pisoni, 1995; katz et al., 1996). as the children’s knowledge of their native language becomes more adult-like, they eventually develop the use of the full complement of prosodic functions such as focus prosody. children are capable of processing prosodic prominence that express focus or contrast in a discourse (ito & speer, 2006; weber, braun, & crocker, 2006). in the research, i analyze two particular aspects of prosody in a child’s language acquisition, i.e. prosodic phrasal grouping, and intonational prominence. in the first aspect, i investigate whether the child uses prosodic phrases to group words together into interpretable units. in the second aspect, i analyze whether the child uses intonational prominence to focus marking prosody. method for the data, a monologue spoken a child (r, 6;01) was recorded by using sony ic recorder icd-px720 in shq (super abstract: in language acquisition, children use prosody in their comprehension and production of utterances. in line with that, as a case study in this research, i analyze two particular aspects of prosody in a child’s language acquisition, i.e. prosodic phrasal grouping and intonational prominence. in the first aspect, i investigate whether the child uses prosodic phrases to group words together into interpretable units. in the second aspect, i analyze whether the child uses intonational prominence to focus marking prosody. the result indicates that both aspects are used by the child. keywords: language acquisition, prosody, intonation, phonetic cues. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 290 high quality) recording mode. the child is bilingual (indonesian and english). in the monologue, the child was explaining in english how his toy worked. the sound is in a wave file with 120,4 seconds in length. the sound is analyzed acoustically in praat (boersma & weenink, 2012). for analyzing the prosody, i use a systemic phonological approach for tonality – chunking of speech into tone groups; and tonicity – identifying tonic syllable in a given tone group (halliday & greaves, 2008). results and discussion from investigating the speech of the child, the analysis shows that the child used prosodic phrases to group together words that should be comprehended together as coherent units. the using of prosodic phrases is exemplified in fig 1, 2, and 3. to some extent, utterances of the child are not grammatically wellformed. fig. 1 shows that the child chunks his utterances into three tone groups: // there’s a people on it // and // this is for //. the clause with existential process ‘there’s a people on it’ is uttered in unmarked tonality. the tone groups are separated by appreciable pauses. mostly, clear pauses also separate the child’s tone groups as observed in fig. 2 and fig. 3. fig. 1: the child’s utterance ‘there’s a people on it here’ // there’s a people on it // and // this is for // in fig. 2, it is seen that the child chunks a clause into two tone groups: // this is for // the sound wave //. it is interesting to note that the child does not make the prepositional phrase ‘for the sound wave’ club together. it can be interpreted that the child takes time to think the content for the circumstance. but, in fact, the child has anchored the information by attaching the preposition ‘for’ with participant + relational process ‘this is for’. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 291 fig. 2: the child’s utterance ‘this is for the sound wave’ // this is for // the sound wave // the child does the same for another clause ‘well, everyone, thanks watching my tv’, i.e. two tone groups for the clause: // well everyone // thanks watching my tv // as exemplified in fig. 3. in the utterance, the child club ‘everyone’, functioning as vocative, neither together with mental process + participant ‘thanks watching my tv’ nor in a separate tone group. the child clubs it together with ‘well’, functioning as continuative, instead. fig. 3: the child’s utterance ‘well, everyone, thanks watching my tv’ // well everyone // thanks watching my tv // from the analysis, it is also examined if the child uses prosodic prominence for expressing information focus. the finding shows that it is noticeable and the child does as exemplified in fig. 4, 5, and 6. as seen in fig. 4, the focus is antenna in the utterance ‘it has antenna’ since the tonic syllable is on *ten. the tonic syllable is more salient than the other syllables referring to amplitude, duration and change of pitch. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 292 fig. 4: the child’s utterance ‘it has antenna’ // it has an*tenna // (silence threshold (st) is 0.04; voicing threshold (vt) is 0.6 in praat settings) other examples also show that the child highlights the portions in utterances to indicate the prominence. see fig. 5 and 6 in which the foci are on *that and *this* respectively. the marked tonic syllables are in the determiners ‘that’ and ‘this’, which are non-lexical words. fig. 5: the child’s utterance ‘like that’ // like *that // (silence threshold (st) is 0.04; voicing threshold (vt) is 0.4 in praat settings) english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 293 fig. 6: the child’s utterance ‘like this for the fire’ // like *this for the fire // (silence threshold (st) is 0.04; voicing threshold (vt) is 0.5 in praat settings phonetic analyses demonstrate that the child reliably used prosodic cues to convey the meaning of the utterances. the child used prosodic phrases in terms of tone groups in uttering words as coherent and interpretable units. in addition, the child used prosodic prominence for expressing information focus. conclusion from the analysis of this case study, it can be concluded that the child uses prosodic phrases and intonational prominence. the prosodic phrase is to group words together into interpretable units coherently. meanwhile, the intonational prominence is to focus marking prosody. in other words, the child has used prosody in language acquisition especially in producing utterances. it supports the previous researches that children use prosody in their production of utterances and use various aspects of prosody. more specifically, it is on prosodic phrases and intonational prominence in the stream of running speech. further research will be conducted to see whether the child uses prosody for utterances to convey the intended meaning with disambiguating situational contexts. references boersma, p., & weenink, d. (2012). praat: doing phonetics by computer [computer program]. version 5.3.24, retrieved 9 september 2013 from http://www.praat.org/. ito, k. (2002). the interaction of focus and lexical pitch accent in speech production and dialogue comprehension: evidence from japanese and basque. phd dissertation, university of illinois at urbanachampaign. ito, k., & speer, s. r. (2006). using interactive tasks to elicit natural dialogue. in augurzky, p., and lenertova, d. (eds.). methods in empirical prosody research. leipzig: mouton de gruyter. halliday, m. a. k., & greaves, w. s. (2008). intonation in the grammar of english. london: equinox. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 294 johnson, e., & jusczyk, p. w. (2001). word segmentation by 8 month olds: when speech cues count more than statistics. journal of memory & language 44(5), pp. 48 – 67. katz, w. f. et al. (1996). duration and fundamental frequency correlates of phrase boundaries in productions by children and adults. journal of the acoustical society of america 99, pp. 3179– 3191. mandel, d. r., jusczyk, p., & pisoni, d. (1995). infants’ recognition of the sound patterns of their own names. psychological science, 6, pp. 315–318. mehler, et al. (1988). a precursor of language acquisition in young infants. cognition 29.143 –78. morgan, j. l. (1996). a rhythmic bias in preverbal speech segmentation. journal of memory & language, 35, pp. 666 – 688. morgan, j. l., & saffran, j. r. (1995). emerging integration of sequential and suprasegmental information in preverbal speech segmentation. child development 66(9), pp. 11– 36. weber, a., braun, b., & crocker, m. w. (2006). finding referents in time: eyetracking evidence for the role of contrastive accents. language and speech 49(3), pp. 367– 92. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 295 appendix 1: transcript of the child’s monologue. welcome to the adventure from below. now we are … let a closer look. the new … can you see? there’s a people on it for here and this is for … this is for scanning. ei… ya this is for the scanning. for scanning and we can inside. it has scannning for here body stuff. e... not much because this is for… this is inside of this is. now now now, it down because it broke. because it’s animal on it. that’s why because this is for a gun...wheeeeeuchchh. like this… like this for the fire...wheeeeeuchchh. like that. this is not fire lighting. we can see over it for this. like this... tiiing. this is antenna. this is for the sound wave… ding ding ding. die. it has antenna. well everyone thanks watching my tv. appendix 2: some screenshots when the child was explaining in english how his toy worked. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee investigating age–based compliments in persian vahid shahidi pour phd candidate, sheikhbahaee university, isfahan, iran e-mail: vahid.shahidi72@gmail.com gholam reza zarei associate professor, english language center, isfahan university of technology, isfahan 84156-83111, iran e-mail: grzarei@cc.iut.ac.ir apa citation: shahidi pour, v. & zarei, g. r. (2016). investigating age–based compliments in persian. english review, 4(2), 275-288 received: 08-02-2016 accepted: 13-03-2016 published: 01-06-2016 abstract: the present study was an attempt to investigate differences in the use of compliments in persian across age as a social variable. data was gathered through a discourse completion task (dct) with imaginary situations in which 200 native persian speakers were asked to put themselves in those situations and give compliments. the results indicated that the most frequently used compliment strategies by persian native speakers were explicit unbound semantic formula and non-compliment strategies. however, the participants used 'other' strategies, future reference, contrast, and request strategies the least. the results also suggested the effect of age on the distribution of compliments. while the younger participants preferred non-compliment strategies the most, the older participants preferred explicit unbound semantic formula strategies the most. however, despite minor differences, all age-groups rarely tended to use future reference, contrast, request, and 'other' strategies. the results cashed light on the cultural and socio-cultural factors affecting the way people offer compliments. keywords: pragmatic competence, speech acts, compliments, discourse completion task (dct), social variables introduction the last two decades have witnessed a plethora of research on pragmatics and its different aspects, especially speech acts. speech acts appear to contribute significantly to construction of every day communication. the performance of speech acts entails sociocultural as well as sociolinguistic knowledge. sociocultural knowledge refers to the ability to select appropriate speech act strategies with respect to social variables of age, gender of the speaker, social class and status in interactions. sociolinguistic knowledge conforms to the skill at selection of appropriate linguistic forms, registers or levels of formality to express speech acts (leech, 1983). many people who communicate across linguistic and cultural boundaries have experienced communication breakdowns with people from different first language (l1) backgrounds. sociolinguists recognize that such intercultural miscommunication is partly due to different value systems underlying each speaker’s l1 cultural group (chick, 1996). different value systems are reflected in speech acts; therefore, improper interpretation of a certain 275 mailto:vahid.shahidi72@gmail.com mailto:grzarei@cc.iut.ac.ir vahid shahidi pour & gholam reza zarei investigating age–based compliments in persian speech act can cause misunderstanding of the speaker’s intention. among different speech acts, complimenting has attracted the majority of researchers' attention. this speech act involves both compliments and compliment responses which are loaded with cultural and socio-cultural factors and therefore require a great deal of pragmatic insight to properly employ and understand them. compliments are speech acts that frequently occur in everyday conversations. based on speech act theory proposed by austin (1962), a speaker produces three types of act: first, the locutionary act referring to the act of uttering (phonemes, morphemes, sentences) and also saying something about the world. the second type of act is the illocutionary act referring to the speaker's intention realized in producing an utterance. finally, the perlocutionary act is the third type of act referring to the intended effect of an utterance on the hearer. this classification reveals that in producing an utterance, not only we say something, but also we mean something from what we say, and we seek to have an influence on our interlocutor. on the basis of this classification, compliments are speech acts in which they can be seen as an illocutionary act. compliments are commonly defined as speech acts which explicitly or implicitly give credit to the addressee, for positive qualities which are appreciated by the speaker or even the whole speech community (holmes, 1988). the most common topics which receive compliments are: possessions, appearance, skills and achievements (holmes, 1988). compliments are often used to initiate, maintain, or terminate a conversation and they can also indicate gratitude and facilitate the conversational interaction by reinforcing the rapport between the interlocutors (jin-pei, 2013). wolfson (1983) metaphorically argues that compliments are used to “grease the social wheels” and thus to serve as “social lubricants” (p.89). however, although compliments seem to be simple at the first glance, they may act differently which leads to their complexity. while one of the most primary functions of compliments is to consolidate and increase solidarity between interlocutors (manes & wolfson, 1981), brown & levinson (1987) consider compliments primarily as face threatening acts (ftas). that is, as brown and levinson (1987) assert, complimenting is a kind of positive politeness strategy which addresses the hearer’s positive face with the complimenter noticing the complimentee’s interests and needs; at the same time, it can be perceived as a fta when the complimenter is understood to envy the addressee or try to obtain something belonging to the complimentee. likewise, holmes (1988) maintains that compliments may act both as positive politeness strategies increasing or consolidating solidarity between people as well as a threat to the negative face. in other words, compliments are a multi-faceted speech act with various types and features, and the acts can be regarded as either facesaving behavior or face-threatening (brown & levinson, 1987). in fact, in some cultures, or even within the same culture in some situations, a compliment used by a complimenter makes the complimentee feel good; meanwhile, in the others, it connotes negatively that the complimenter aims to take advantage of the complimentee’s good qualities, which possibly causes embarrassment. the actual effect of a compliment on the complimentee can sometimes be very different from what the complimenter 276 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee has in mind. for example, in some cultures it is common for people to compliment on others’ appearance while in others it can be totally misinterpreted. similarly, golato (2005) believes that the same utterance can be compliment, interruption, reproach, sarcasm or tease in different cultures or situations. as tang and zhang exemplify, “while ‘you look lovely today’ may make an english woman’s day, it may well make a chinese woman uncomfortable and even somewhat resentful” (2009, p. 326).that is why the speech act of complimenting can be sometimes very complicated and confusing. hence, how to pay appropriate compliments, how to identify them and how to give appropriate responses are important aspects of communicative competence that everyone in a given society needs to develop in order to avoid pragma-linguistic and socio-pragmatic failure (brown, 2007). it seems that studying complimenting, as yuan (2001) points out, can enhance our understanding of a people‘s culture, social values, social organization, and the function and meaning of language use in a community. on the other hand, learning a second language has become a considerable issue for many people who go across linguistic borders. whatever they are looking for, they have to achieve a proper level of proficiency coupled with sociocultural norms in the second language to become a member of a new culture and simply to survive there (long& doughty, 2003). persian can be a second or foreign language (psl/pfl) whose pragmatic strategies may differ significantly from other languages. thus, if the new member does not know the proper strategies used in, for instance, persian requestive speech acts, his/her request will be rejected due to being considered as an eccentric, if not an impolite one. persian, as sharifian (2005) asserts, has received a great deal of scholars' attention for its complex sociocultural system. in fact, foreign language speakers not only should acquire grammatical competence to achieve linguistic accuracy, but also need to internalize sociolinguistic rules to help them use appropriate language. in addition, wolfson (1989) claims that nonnative speakers of a language are easy to forgive for an error in grammar or pronunciation; however, a pragmatic one can cause an offense. native speakers of any language acquire such competence during their learning of language and use pragmatic rules unconsciously in interaction with others. non-native speakers, however, as bardovi-harlig (2001) holds, differ significantly in their performance even if they have access to good amount of pragmatic input. several researchers (e.g., bardovi-harlig, 2001; kasper 1997) claim that learners of high grammatical proficiency do not necessarily possess comparable pragmatic competence. even grammatically advanced learners may use language inappropriately and show differences from target-language pragmatic norms. although lots of studies have been conducted so far on complimenting, only a few have worked on the relationship between different strategies of compliments used by native speakers across social variables in persian. a majority of studies have attempted to compare different ways of complimenting and responding to compliments across different languages, communities, and cultures (see, for example, huth, 2006; jin-pei, 2013; sadeghi & zarei, 2013), or others have taken other factors such as gender differences in only compliment responses in english into consideration (see, for example, heidari, rezazadeh, & eslami-rasekh, 2009; mohammad277 vahid shahidi pour & gholam reza zarei investigating age–based compliments in persian bagheri, 2015). however, to the best of the authors' knowledge, there has been little research investigating compliments in persian in relation to age. therefore, the current study aims at investigating the relatively unexplored compliment strategies employed by native speakers of persian across the social variable of age since there seems to be a gap in literature regarding this issue. the authors’ hope is that the findings of this study can contribute to the interlanguage pragmatic competence of both iranian learners of other languages and those who want to learn persian as their second or foreign language. motivated by the abovediscussed issues, the study thus tries to find out what major categories of compliments are used by native speakers of persian and whether or not these features are influenced by their age. method on the basis of the social variable, age, considered in the study, 200 persian native speakers were selected from different age groups (50 under18, 50 between18-30, 50 between 31-40, and 50 above 40 years old). it has to be noted that100 of the participants were male and 100 were female from various occupations, educational levels, and cities of iran including tehran, isfahan, mashhad, shiraz, qom, zanjan, qazvin, and urmia in order that they could be as representative of the target population, iranian people, as possible. the sites from which participants were chosen were as diverse as possible, as follows: parks, streets, academic settings, family gatherings, markets, e-mails, and social networks. one way to collect data in the area of pragmatics, as mackey and gass (2005) offer, is through discourse completion task (dct). yuan (2002) defines dct as a written questionnaire that contains a number of hypothetical scenarios or situations used to elicit a certain speech act. participants are required to supply, in writing, what they would say in real life if similar situations happen to them. it is worthwhile to note that data collected via this method do not always correspond to natural data (aston, 1995; hartford & bardovi-harlig, 1992). the way a researcher collects data from the participants may influence the results. dcts are in a crucial sense metapragmatic in that they explicitly require participants not to conversationally interact, but to articulate what they believe would be situationally appropriate responses within possible, yet imaginary, interactional settings. this suggests that the dct is a valid instrument for measuring not pragmatic action, but symbolic action (golato, 2003, p. 92). in fact, data collected through a dct can be different from those collected thorough other methodological approaches (e.g., recording spontaneous speech). despite their limitations, dcts have been widely used as controlled elicitation tools to collect data in the fields of pragmatics, intercultural communication, and second language acquisition, mainly because their simplicity of use and high degree of control over variables lead to easy replicability (yuan, 2002). likewise, golato (2003) offers some advantages of dcts over other methods of data collection such as allowing the researcher to control for certain variables (i.e. age of respondents, features of the situation, etc.) and to quickly gather large amounts of data without any need for transcription, thus making it easy to statistically compare responses from different speakers. 278 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee taking dcts’ advantages and disadvantages into consideration, the present study employed a dct developed by yuan (2002) and translated into persian to elicit data from the participants. the current persian dct was checked, modified, and verified for their authenticity of language by several native speakers of persian. it started by asking demographic questions regarding the participants’ gender and age. the dct questionnaire was designed to explore the possible compliment strategies used by persian native speakers. positive characteristics of the complimentee such as appearance, possession, kindness, and ability are common objects of compliment (yuan, 2002). as table 1 indicates, eight topics or scenarios which aimed to reveal such characteristics were described to the participants so that they could have a clear picture of what the topic is, and what the relationship between the speakers is. the participants were asked to play the role of the complimenters and pay compliments. table 1. topics of compliments in dct questionnaire context topic object of compliment 1 your classmate helped earthquake victims. kindness and generosity 2 your friend fixed your laptop. ability 3 your friend listened to your problems. kindness 4 your classmate made good presentation. ability 5 your friend bought a new cell phone. possession 6 your friend is wearing a fashionable shirt. attire 7 your classmate got a new laptop. possession 8 your neighbor is wearing a new shirt. attire the procedures followed in this study were divided into two main stages. first, based on the social variable, age, considered in the study, 200 male and female persian native speakers living in different cities of iran were selected. in the second stage, the persian dct was made available to the participants in a variety of ways, including direct encounters, electronic communication, friends, registered posting, and relatives who were given adequate time to complete the questionnaires at their own pace. the collected date were organized and prepared for further analyses. results and discussion the present study employed a framework proposed by yuan (2002) to analyze different compliment patterns used by the participants. the participants’ responses to the situations provided were divided into three types: compliment, non-compliment and opt out (see table 2). according to yuan (2002), semantic formulas for compliments can be divided into two types: unbound semantic formulas and bound semantic formulas. unbound semantic formulas refer to those expressions that can function independently as compliments, while bound semantic formulas refer to those responses that cannot be considered as compliments by themselves but must be attached to or co-occur with one of the unbound semantic formulas to be interpreted as part of a c. for example, in context 5 (buying a new cell phone), a response from one participant was “where did you buy this?” this response is not regarded as a valid compliment because it 279 vahid shahidi pour & gholam reza zarei investigating age–based compliments in persian is more of a question seeking an answer of place of shopping rather than a c. it must co-occur with a bound semantic formula to be interpreted as part of a c. unbound semantic formulas can be further divided into two sub-types: explicit compliments and implicit compliments. explicit compliments refer to compliments outside of context, being realized by a small set of conventional formula (herbert, 1997). explicit compliments are also defined as those responses that carry at least one positive semantic value (jin-pei, 2013). implicit compliments are those in which the value judgment is presupposed and/or implicated by gricean maxims (herbert, 1997). therefore, the positive value of an expression can be inferred from what is said in a particular situation. bound semantic formulas include explanation, information question, future reference, contrast, advice and request. explanation alone cannot be regarded as a compliment. but it co-occurs with an explicit semantic formula. information question is used in addition to the explicit semantic formula by the complimenter to ask more information about the complimentee’s qualification. a complimenter can use future reference to note that the complimentee will have a great future due to his/her good quality. contrast refers to the case that the complimenter compares or contrasts the qualification of the complimentee to that of another one. advice refers to the case that besides giving a c, the complimenter also gives advice to the complimentee. in some contexts, the complimenter makes some requests to the complimentee which is referred to the request compliment strategy. on the other hand, noncompliment refers to responses that cannot be seen as compliments, be it either mere expression of thanks, or bound semantic formula occurring on their own, or replies that do not carry any positive meanings. finally, opt out refers to the cases where the participants indicate that “i would not say anything” when a compliment is expected in that situation (jin-pei, 2013). table 2. yuan’s (2002) framework of compliment strategies compliment (c) strategies context example unbound semantic formula explicit c your friend bought a new cell phone. what a nice cell phone you have. implicit c i wish i could have a cell phone like yours. bound semantic formula explanation your friend fixed your laptop. i saw how difficult it was to fix my laptop. information question where did you learn to fix it? future reference you have a bright future in fixing laptops. contrast i think you are more helpful than your brother. advice you’d better open a laptop store. request can you check my cell phone too? non-compliment your friend listened to your problems. sorry to take your time. opt-out your neighbor is wearing a new shirt. i would say nothing. 280 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee to address the major compliment types in persian, the present study elicited 1598 different compliments from 200 persian native speakers in different situations. as indicated in table 3, the most frequently used compliment strategy by persian native speakers was explicit unbound semantic formula. it accounts for 35.16% of the 1598 compliment tokens elicited through dct. this finding corroborates yuan’s (2002) observation that people tend to make direct and positive statements when they pay compliments. elsewhere, jin-pei (2013) in his study reached the similar result that the most frequently used compliment strategy by philippine english speakers was explicit semantic formula. such finding also lends credence to that of herbert (1991), who studied polish compliments and reported that more compliments were explicit and adjectival ones such as 'nice', 'great', and 'lovely'. moreover, it is in harmony with yu's (2005) finding that chinese and americans offered compliments directly rather than indirectly. yu went on to argue that compliments reflected genuine admiration among the chinese people rather than solidarity; therefore, they tended to compliment on the ability of addressees. the high frequency of explicit compliments may be attributed to the fact that people, including iranians, usually employ compliments to have a positive effect on interpersonal relations; therefore, they try the most explicit ones to strengthen solidarity. for example, participants made use of the following compliments which explicitly valued the complimentees' positive qualities (in all the examples, the italics are persian and the non-italics are their english equivalents): 1. che mobile bahali dari! what a nice cell phone you have! 2. kheili khoshgel shodi emshab! you are so pretty tonight! however, persian speakers often tend to offer compliments whether they really admire the qualities of addressees or not since the truthfulness of compliments was less important than adab or politeness and ehteram or respect. as a consequence, they prefer to pay more explicit compliments to express their politeness and respect more. on the other hand, it is worthwhile to recall that the kind of data collection technique used in a study influences the results. the dct used in the present study might favor the production of compliments which were direct explicit formulas. but if one adopts a different methodological approach (e.g., recording spontaneous speech), results will be probably different. in this regard, the relatively frequent use of explicit compliments is not supported by barnlund and araki's (1985) finding that japanese people tended to offer compliments nonverbally and implicitly rather than verbally and explicitly. such discrepancy can be explicated through both cross-linguistic and cross-cultural differences as well as research methodology differences. in the case of the latter, while the present study used questionnaires to elicit data, barnlund and araki conducted questionnaires as well as interviews. these two data collection techniques might result in producing different data. the second most frequently used strategy was non-compliments which accounts for 27.72% of the total responses. these findings are in line with those of yuan (2002) and jin-pei (2013), who found that the most frequently used compliment strategies by the participants were explicit semantic formula and then non-compliments. the relatively high frequency of noncompliments, i.e., not paying compliments when the situation calls for 281 vahid shahidi pour & gholam reza zarei investigating age–based compliments in persian them, may be due to the fact that the respondents are not able to distinguish expression of thanks from expression of compliments since there are no sharp borders between the two things. on the other side, the point is not only that respondents are not able but that in real situations there might be an intrinsic ambiguity or that the respondents intend to use an avoidance strategy. participants, for example, simply tended to thank rather than pay compliments when compliments were expected. in the following case, it seems more common for more people to thank the interlocutor because he/she has been listening to them for a long time than to compliment his/her kindness. hence, it is important to consider a role that topics of compliments have to play in determining types of compliments. 3. merci ke be harfam gosh dadi! thank you for listening to me! 4. dastet dard nakone! thank you! however, the participants made use of other strategies, including offer, prayer, and blame, future reference and contrast strategies the least which amounted to 0.43%, 1.37%, and 1.37% of the total tokens, respectively. these findings are consistent with yuan's (2002) and jin-pei's (2013), who reported that other strategies (such as joke, blame, and offer), future reference, contrast, advice, and request were among the least popular compliment strategies. in fact, the low frequency of such strategies is related to the fact that they may have more potentiality to function both as positive politeness strategies consolidating solidarity between people as well as a threat to the negative face more than other strategies, namely, explicit ones. use of ironic or ambiguous sentences as compliments, for example, could simply lead to misunderstanding and miscommunication especially when the interlocutors are less familiar with each other. as brown and levinson (1987) point out, they can be understood or misunderstood as ftas rather than face-saving behavior. table 3. distribution of compliments across participants compliment strategy frequency percentage explicit 562 35.16% implicit 111 6.94% explanation 91 5.69% information question 148 9.26% future reference 22 1.37% contrast 22 1.37% advice 57 3.56% request 36 2.25% non-compliment 443 27.72% opt-out 99 6.19% other 7 0.43% total 1598 100% the next area of investigation aimed to see whether different age groups would affect the type of compliments. to answer this question, 1598 compliments were collected from four different age groups. as table 4 shows, different age groups also affected the type of compliment strategies among 282 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the participants. younger participants (the under-18 group) used noncompliment and explicit strategies the most, accounting for 35.76% and 25.69%, respectively. the least frequently used strategies by the participants under 18 were future reference and contrast, making up about 0.50% and 0.75% of the total tokens, respectively. the popularity of non-compliments among younger participants may be due to the fact that they cannot distinguish expression of thanks from expression of compliments or they intentionally use an avoidance strategy. another reason is that they think that using expression of thanks would suffice for these situations and using other strategies would function as ftas. they believe that compliments can be an act of judgment which makes addressees embarrassed, especially if their addressees are different from them in terms of age, gender, or social class. in addition, in the compliment exchanges, explicit unbound semantic formula strategies occurred most frequently among other age groups including the 18-30, the 31-40, and the above-40 groups, accounting for 36.88%, 44.41%, and 33.24%, respectively. the second most frequently used strategy by the 18-30, the 31-40, and the above-40 groups was non-compliment which amounted to 25.24%, 22.08%, and 28.05%, respectively. as discussed earlier, most people prefer to make more direct and positive statements when they give compliments to express more solidarity and politeness. that is why people above 18 used explicit semantic formulas to offer compliments. people under 18 are perhaps less confident and sociable to pay compliments explicitly and prefer to only thank their interlocutors for positive qualities. another reason behind the relative popularity of non-compliments among participants may lie in a fact that the older participants usually employed multiple expressions to compliment when the situation calls for compliments. they first began with expressions of gratitude and went on with direct and positive statements. for example, one participant made use of the following expressions simultaneously to thank his addressee and value his ability in fixing laptop to show politeness and develop solidarity: 5. dastet dard nakone. vaghean mokhet kar mikone. kheily bahooshi. thank you. your brain really works. you are so intelligent. on the other hand, the between18-and-30 participants made use of other (0.49%) and future reference (1.23%) strategies the least. the between-31-and40 participants employed other strategies (0.24%) and contrast (1.45%) the least. finally, the participants who were above 40 years old never used other strategies (0.00%) and used request (1.03%) the least. it is worth recalling that, irrespective of age, such strategies are more likely to act as either face-saving or face-threatening behavior than others such as explicit compliments; therefore, people rarely tend to use them. another reason of low percentage of such strategies may be again related to the way that data were collected. dct questionnaires often ask participants to pay compliments in different situations. therefore, they simply prefer to offer more explicit compliments when questionnaires call for compliments than compliments which are perceived as advice, request, etc. and thus as ftas. for example, such strategies would be employed more if the study, in addition to questionnaires, used other data collection techniques. 283 vahid shahidi pour & gholam reza zarei investigating age–based compliments in persian table 4. distribution of compliments across age groups compliment strategy frequency percentage -18 18-30 31-40 +40 -18 18-30 31-40 +40 explicit 102 149 183 128 25.69% 36.88% 44.41% 33.24% implicit 40 25 15 31 10.07% 6.18% 3.64% 8.05% explanation 11 23 28 29 2.77% 5.69% 6.79% 7.53% information question 37 48 33 30 9.31% 11.88% 8.00% 7.79% future reference 2 5 8 7 .50% 1.23% 1.94% 1.81% contrast 3 6 6 7 .75% 1.48% 1.45% 1.81% advice 10 16 17 14 2.51% 3.96% 4.12% 3.63% request 15 10 7 4 3.77% 2.47% 1.69% 1.03% non-compliment 142 102 91 108 35.76% 25.24% 22.08% 28.05% opt-out 31 18 23 27 7.80% 4.45% 5.58% 7.01% other 4 2 1 0 1.00% 0.49% 0.24% 0.00% total 397 404 412 385 100% 100% 100% 100% conclusion the present study attempted to investigate compliments in persian, in general, and the effect of age on the distribution of them, in particular. generally, persian native speakers tended to use explicit unbound semantic formula to compliment. however, the participants rarely used 'other' strategies, including offer, prayer, and blame. taking the age of the participants into account, younger participants used noncompliments the most and future reference strategy the least. in addition, the most frequently used strategies by the participants above 18 was explicit unbound semantic formula ones. at the same time, the between-18-and-30 and the between-31-and-40 groups hardly ever employed 'other' strategies and the participants who were above 40 years old never used such strategies. the findings confirmed that language and culture were closely interrelated. they also corroborate those of other studies suggesting that languages differ from one another in terms of speech acts and their linguistic realizations (holmes & brown, 1987; wolfson, 1982). every language speakers' compliments need to be analyzed in their social and cultural contexts. speech events in general, complimenting in particular, are mainly dependent on shared beliefs and values of the speech community coded into communicative patterns, and thus could not be interpreted apart from social and cultural context (halliday, 2003; yousefvand, 2010, 2012). on the whole, the findings have revealed that persian speakers tend to make direct and positive statements when they give compliments. however, the high frequency of non-compliments among persian speakers may be due to the fact that they fail to distinguish the speech act of gratitude from that of compliment giving since the boundaries between them are blurred. hence, the nature and the felicity conditions of compliments should be focused and the difference between compliments and gratitude should be explained. if foreigners are consciously aware of the pragma-linguistic and socio-pragmatic similarities and differences between their native languages and persian, negative effects of transfer will most probably be avoided. findings can also have some implications for foreigners who particularly wish to interact with persian 284 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee speakers. foreigners should pay attention to different cultural concepts governing compliments in persian. compliments in persian are particularly employed to have a positive effect on interpersonal relations; hence, they need to be handled appropriately for the outcome actually to be positive. iranian people, like many people around the world, seem to be very careful about status, adab or politeness, and abero or face and try to show their statusconsciousness in their interaction. findings of the study can be helpful to the understanding of compliment strategies in persian, especially the parts in which social variables interact with them. the findings may shed light on the pragmatic knowledge of the respondents and the cultural and socio-cultural factors which affect the way people compliment. such results can present valuable insight into the cultural norms which dominate any society. therefore, studying complimenting can enhance our understanding of a people‘s culture, social values, social organization, and the function and meaning of language use in a community (yuan, 2001). also, they can be helpful for those teachers whose students are psl/ pfl learners. teachers can use the results of the study in their syllabi to teach them the socio-linguistic differences existing between persian and their students' languages. furthermore, the findings may also provide materials developers of second languages with insight into effective ways to promote sociolinguistic competence in second language learners (billmyer, 1990). speech acts and other pragmatic features of language should be high on the agenda. both teachers and material developers are strongly recommended to pay more attention to this aspect of language. as any similar study, this study had some limitations. the main limitations of the study were its number of participants, variation of participants, and data collection method. there were only 200 male and female participants from different age groups. it also used only a dct to collect data. so, further research can be conducted on a larger scale and with a variety of participants from different social variables, for example occupations or educational levels, and with a variety of compliment topics, and should also make use of various tools for collecting data, for example recording spontaneous speech, since data elicited through a dct will be different from those elicited through other techniques. last but not least, all the situations in the dct mainly concerned the interaction between two friends. further research can also consider other contextual variables such as power, gender, and familiarity. references aston, g. (1995). say ‘thank you’: some pragmatic constraints in conversational closings. applied linguistics, 16(1), 57-86. austin, j. l. (1962). how to do things with words. cambridge, ma: harvard university press. bardovi-harlig, k. (2001). evaluating the empirical evidence: grounds for instruction in pragmatics. in k. r. rose & g. kasper (eds.), pragmatics in language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. barnlund, d. c., & araki, s. (1985). intercultural encounters the management of compliments by japanese and americans. journal of cross-cultural psychology, 16(1), 9-26. billmyer, k. (1990). i really like your life style: esl learners learning how to 285 vahid shahidi pour & gholam reza zarei investigating age–based compliments in persian compliment. penn working papers in educational linguistics, 6(2), 31-48. brown, h. d. (2007). principles of language learning and teaching (5th edition). san francisco: prentice hall. brown, p., & levinson, s. (1987). politeness: some universals in language use. cambridge: cambridge university press. chick, j. k. (1996). intercultural communication. in s. l. mckay & n. h. hornberger (eds.). sociolinguistics and language teaching (pp.329-348). cambridge: cambridge university press. golato, a. (2003). studying compliment responses: a comparison of dcts and recordings of naturally occurring talk. applied linguistics, 24, 90–121. golato, a. (2005). compliments and compliment responses: grammatical structure and sequential organization. philadelphia: john benjamins. halliday, m. a. k. (2003). on language and linguistics. new york: continuum. hartford, b. s., & bardovi-harlig, k. (1992). experimental and observational data in the study of interlanguage pragmatics. pragmatics and language learning, 3, 33-52. heidari, m. a., rezazadeh, m., & eslamirasekh, a. (2009). a contrastive study of compliment responses among male and female iranian teenage efl learners. the international journal of language society and culture, 29, 18-31. herbert, r. k. (1991). the sociology of compliment work: an ethnocontrastive study of polish and english compliments. multilinguajournal of cross-cultural and interlanguage communication, 10(4), 381-402. herbert, k. r. (1997). the sociology of compliment work in polish and english. in n. coupland & a. jaworski (eds.). sociolinguistics: a reader (pp.487-500). new york: st. martin’s press. holmes, j. (1988). paying compliments: a sex-preferential positive politeness strategy. journal of pragmatics, 12(4), 445-465. holmes, j. & brown, d. (1987). teachers and students’ learning about compliments. tesol quarterly, 21, 523-546. huth, t. (2006). negotiating structure and culture: l2 learners’ realization of l2 compliment-response sequences in talk-in-interaction. journal of pragmatics, 38(12), 2025-2050. jin-pei, z. (2013). compliments and compliment responses in philippine english. gema online® journal of language studies, 13(1), 25-41. kasper, g. (1997). can pragmatic competence be taught. network, 6, 105-119. leech, g. n. (1983). principles of pragmatics. london, england: longman. long, m. h., & doughty, c. (eds.). (2003). the handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 487-536). oxford, england: blackwell. mackey, a., & gass, s. m. (2005). second language research: methodology and design. mahwah, nj: lawrence erlbaum associates. manes. j., & wolfson, n. (1981). the compliment formula. in f. coulmas (ed.), conversational routine (pp.115132). the hague: mouton. mohammad-bagheri, m. (2015). differences in compliment response across gender. international journal of language learning and applied linguistics world, 8(1), 173-185. sadeghi, e., & zarei, g. r. (2013). investigating the use of compliments in persian and english: a case study of iranian efl students. journal of foreign language teaching and translation studies, 2(2), 30-49. sharifian, f. (2005). the persian cultural schema of “shekaste-nafsi”: a study of compliment responses in persian and anglo-australian speakers. pragmatics and cognition, 13(2), 337362. 286 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee tang, c. h., & zhang, g. q. (2009). a contrastive study of compliment responses among australian english and mandarin chinese speakers. journal of pragmatics, 41(2), 325-345. wolfson, n. (1982). compliments in crosscultural perspective. tesol quarterly, 15, 117-124. wolfson, n. (1983). an empirically based analysis of complimenting in american english. in n. wolfson & e. judd (eds.). sociolinguistics and language acquisition (pp.82-95). rowley, ma: newbury house. wolfson, n. (1989). perspectives: sociolinguistics and tesol. newbury house publishers, new york. yousefvand, z. (2010). study of compliment speech act realization patterns across gender in persian. arizona working papers in sla & teaching, 17, 91-112. yousefvand, z. (2012). a sociolinguistic perspective: compliment response patterns in persian. the internet journal of language, culture and society, 34, 68-77. yu, m. c. (2005). sociolinguistic competence in the complimenting act of native chinese and american english speakers: a mirror of cultural value. language and speech, 48(1), 91-119. yuan, y. (2001). an inquiry into empirical pragmatics data-gathering methods: written dcts, oral dcts, field notes, and natural conversations. journal of pragmatics, 33(2), 271-292. yuan, y. (2002). compliments and compliment responses in kunming chinese. pragmatics, 12(2), 183-226. 287 vahid shahidi pour & gholam reza zarei investigating age–based compliments in persian 288 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 167 needs analysis in efl reading class: a study to promote learner autonomy through selfassessment taufiqulloh english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of pancasakti tegal, indonesia e-mail: taufiqkayla@gmail.com sri wardhani english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of pancasakti tegal, indonesia e-mail: sriwardhani2010@gmail.com anin eka sulistyawati english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of pancasakti tegal, indonesia e-mail: aninekas@gmail.com apa citation: taufiqulloh, wardhani, s., & sulistyawati, a. e. (2018). needs analysis in efl reading class: a study to promote learner autonomy through self-assessment. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 167-176. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1538. received: 30-08-2018 accepted: 29-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: teaching efl reading to the students at colleges or universities requires an appropriate technique that enables students to enhance their achievement as well as to develop their sense of independent learning. this is also to respond to the current trend of that the focus of elt today is creating learners who are not only competent but also dependent or autonomous in learning. this study is aimed at exploring the needs of both lecturers and students on efl reading class. the method used was descriptive-qualitative. it was conducted at the english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, pancasakti university tegal, from april to june 2018. the participants of this study were 64 students of the fourth semester in the department attending efl reading class and 4 efl lecturers. the data were collected using triangulation. the instruments used were a questionnaire, classroom observation, and interview. the results showed that the instruction and assessment were still teacher-centered, the learning materials and the method did not meet the students’ needs, the selection of the materials was not in line with the students’ level of competence, the students were given fewer opportunities to explore and share their ideas with others, etc. the result also showed that both students and lecturers agreed that learning efl reading through self-assessment could be an alternative learning model or technique to cope with the situations. keywords: needs analysis; efl reading; learner autonomy; self-assessment. introduction reading is considered as an essential skill for students in the higher education context. therefore, the purpose of teaching reading skill to the students of colleges or universities, efl learners, in particular, should lead the students to be able to collect, analyze and synthesize information from any academic texts. however, the current phenomenon shows that many efl reading instructions end with failure due to some factors, including limited time of reading practices for students in the classroom, inappropriate method, ignorance of the students’ needs, teacher-centered assessment, less motivated students, etc. mailto:taufiqkayla@gmail.com mailto:sriwardhani2010@gmail.com mailto:aninekas@gmail.com taufiqulloh, sri wardhani, & anin eka sulistyawati needs analysis in efl reading class: a study to promote learner autonomy through self-assessment 168 one of the tasks of efl teachers or lecturers today is to make some efforts to encounter such situations. finding an appropriate strategy or technique is one of the alternative solutions that may help with the problems. o'malley (1996, p. 95) stated that there are four components that can lead to successful reading instruction, namely; 1) extensive amount of time in class for reading, 2) direct strategy instruction in reading comprehension, 3) opportunities for collaboration, and 4) opportunities for discussion. effective reading is one of the determining factors of academic literacy at tertiary level, as this has a direct effect on students’ academic writing and ultimately academic performance (adjoa, yeboah, & mai, 2016). moreover, an effective reading instruction may occur when it meets learners’ needs. needs analysis is a prerequisite for teachers to succeed the instructional reading programs. according to feez and joyce (2002, p. 39-40), needs analysis strategies are used to enable students to express their personal language learning goals, priorities, and aspirations, and to enable teachers to collect background information about the learners, to identify their obstacles in learning, and to diagnose the language learning needs for the learners. in line with that, the needs analysis in this study was carried out to find out the information about the students’ goals in efl reading, their obstacles or barriers, and its alternative solutions. it was also to explore the comprehension of both lectures and students on self-assessment. assessment can happen at any point in a lesson. it can be a planned and carefully thought-out procedure. yet, it can also be unplanned. sometimes the unexpected situation occurs. a teacher or coach who knows the goal of the lesson can use the unexpected as an added assessment tool. assessing reading ability does not usually end with measurement of reading comprehension. in general, the effectiveness of assessment in efl reading class depends on some factors including the curriculum, syllabus and also learning development, knowledge in collecting, recording, interpreting, and analyzing multiple sources of data, as well as the ability to try out multiple assessment procedures. according to brown (2004), strategic pathways to full understanding are often important factors to include in assessing learners, especially in the case of most classroom assessments that are formative in nature. an inability to comprehend may thus be traced to a need to enhance a test-taker’s strategies for achieving ultimate comprehension. for example, an academic technical report may be comprehensible to a student at the sentence level, but if the learner has not exercised certain strategies for noting the discourse conventions of that genre, misunderstanding may occur. in the reading assessment, in particular, a teacher or lecturer should consider some components (caldwell, 2012). the first component is identifying good reader behaviors and areas of weakness. a teacher or lecturer should be able to identify the behavior of students in reading class. he/she should look for and assess the developing literacy of the students. besides, he/she should be able to find out the area of weakness of students to plan for instruction and assessment. the second is determining reading level involving two tasks. one of them is to determine whether a student can successfully read a specific selection. the third is noting student progress. all too often, we assess students by comparing them to their peers. the last is choosing evidence for assessing reading performance. many different measures can provide evidence of a student’s reading performance. a teacher or coach can use published instruments or can construct his or her own instruments. in teaching efl reading class nowadays, teacher or lecturer more emphasizes on the use of assessment activities to increase students’ reading comprehension. a number of exercises are set up for the students to gain a deeper comprehension of the reading passages in the classroom. according to caldwell (2012) such assessments, in english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 169 general, have 4 (four) purposes. first, a teacher or coach uses the assessment process to identify the good reader behaviors a student displays. second, a teacher or coach must identify areas of weakness with regard to the good reader behaviors, in order to align instruction with student needs. third, teachers and coaches need to know how to determine whether a specific book is too difficult for a student. last, teachers and coaches need to document evidence of progress on the part of the student. moreover, a number of implications of assessment can be drawn in efl reading instruction to increase reading comprehension of the students. these include the importance of determining students’ prior knowledge, making students accountable for how they use reading time in class, assessing student’s progress in acquiring both decoding skills and reading comprehension strategies, observing how students collaborate in groups as well as how they work individually, and reviewing students’ personal responses to reading (o'malley & pierce, 1996). according to o'malley and pierce (1996), authentic assessment of reading needs planning and organizing. a teacher or a lecturer begins with identifying the purpose of reading assessment and matching instructional activities to that purpose. after that, it is important to plan time assessment, involve the student in self-and-peer assessment, develops rubrics, and/or scoring procedures, set standards, select assessment activities, and record teacher observations. implementing self-assessment practices in the efl classroom enables teachers or lecturers to promote learner autonomy. the task of language education is then to help learners develop self-reliance and autonomy, which will enable them to communicate successfully in international settings. learner autonomy is, therefore, one of the issues that need to be addressed when the focus is on the learner in present-day elt (illés, 2012). one of the key arguments for self-assessment is that it provides an effective means of developing critical selfawareness (nunan 1988, p. 116) cited in (bullock, 2011). a resulting advantage of this is that learners are better able to set realistic goals and direct their own learning. in self-assessment of reading, teacher or lecturer usually designs and/or develops some instruments of self-assessment in order to facilitate the students to do reflective practices in reading class. the practices are implemented in terms of self-assessment instruments integrated into the teaching methods or techniques in the classroom. throughout this, students are actively involved in the learning process. as lianisya (2014) stated that the process of assessing students by using self-assessment will give students a chance to get involved in the learning process. students are involved deeply in the evaluation of work. besides, the teacher can give some immediate feedback which can be used to improve learning. this study focuses on finding out the needs of both lecturers and students in efl reading class to design a learning model which is able to promote learner autonomy through self-assessment. it is a key issue in autonomous learning to enable students to set goals and to monitor and evaluate their learning (taufiqulloh, yuvita, & sulistianingsih, 2018). self-assessment helps both teachers and students to do reflective practices in efl reading class. such practices lead students to reveal their problems faced during attending the class and find out ways to cope with them. according to o'malley and pierce (1996, p. 100), to implement self-assessment practices in the reading class, modeling is important. a teacher or a lecturer could demonstrate to employed any kind of self-assessment instruments in the reading classroom. the instruments could be about students’ reading activities, strategies, or other cognitive and metacognitive aspects of learning. method this study was a descriptive-qualitative. it aimed at revealing both teachers’ and students’ needs in efl reading class in order taufiqulloh, sri wardhani, & anin eka sulistyawati needs analysis in efl reading class: a study to promote learner autonomy through self-assessment 170 to develop a learning model or technique on the bases of self-assessment which can promote learner autonomy. it was conducted at the english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, pancasakti university tegal, from april to june 2018. the participants of this study were 64 students of the fourth semester in the department attending efl reading class and 4 (four) lectures whose expertise is reading course instruction. the data were collected by using triangulation. the instruments used were a questionnaire, classroom observation, and interview. the questionnaire was distributed to both lecturers and students. it was intended to figure out the students’ and lecturers’ perceptions and their responses or evaluation on the efl reading classes they attended. it consists of 10 statements of the affective aspect, 10 statements of reading materials and comprehension, and 10 statements of the linguistic features. the questionnaire for the lecturer consists of 10 statements to gather information about lecturers’ evaluation of the reading classes they conducted. then, the last part of the questionnaire contains some questions regarding self-assessment in efl reading. moreover, an observation was also conducted to figure out how the reading instructions worked out in the class, and also the role of both lectures and students in doing the teaching and learning process. a survey interview was also conducted to both lectures and students to reevaluate the results of the questionnaire and observation emphasizing on their perceptions and needs in efl reading classes they attended and the role of self-assessment in classes. the data were analyzed using editing and tabulation. editing was utilized to check and observe the data gathered from the questionnaire, classroom observation, and interview. then, the data were also tabulated with frequency level of each category or aspect to draw the findings of this study. results and discussion this part presents the results of the questionnaire, observation, and interview. the results of the questionnaire relating to the student’s perceptions and responses on the efl reading class attended in terms of effective aspect, reading materials and comprehension, and language, are described in the following tables. the questionnaire also contains some questions relating to the self-assessment of efl reading. the result of the questionnaire for students table 1 presents the students’ selfassessment on the efl reading class they attended. students evaluated the efl reading instructions in terms of their interest and motivation to read, the method, and the role of both lecturers and students in the classroom. table 1. the results of the questionnaire (affective aspect) (1=strongly agree 2= agree, 3= disagree, and 4= strongly disagree) no statements n percentage (%) 1 2 3 4 1 it is easy for me to start reading 60 6 43 49 2 2 i am a quick reader 60 9 38 46 7 3 reading class is fun 60 39 10 11 40 4 i have good self-motivation to read 60 41 4 2 53 5 i read more at campus than elsewhere 60 29 52 17 2 6 i like reading texts of any kind 60 28 3 30 41 7 i like the class because it was interactive 60 5 47 40 8 8 i like the way or method my lecturer used in the class 60 27 2 10 51 9 i was encouraged to read better 60 31 9 18 42 10 i shared problems with others and found ways to cope with them 60 12 5 31 52 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 171 as drawn from the table, 43% of the students agreed that it is easy to start reading but 46% disagreed that they were quick readers. 40% of students strongly disagreed that the class is fun. this happened since the class was teacher-centered. 82% of students read more at the campus. they were also given fewer opportunities to explore and share their ideas in the classroom. moreover, 53% disagreed that they were wellmotivated as well. the lectures did not identify the students’ problems or difficulties during learning in the classroom and give the solution to cope with them. 47% agreed that the class was interactive. yet, it was not organized as well, students did not like the method applied in the classroom and they were not encouraged better to read. in general, the result showed unsatisfactory responses of the students in attending reading class and less interest and motivation of the students in attending the class. meanwhile, regarding the course materials and comprehension, the result is figured out in the table 2. table 2. the results of the questionnaire (learning materials and comprehension) table 2 shows the perceptions and feedback of the students on the learning process of efl reading materials and comprehension. 72% of the students agreed that finding the main ideas of a text is a difficult task to do because most reading texts taught in the classroom contain some implicit main ideas. finding meaning behind sentences becomes a problem for them. 69% of students read long but lack of understanding due to the complexities of teaching materials provided by the lecturers with the ignorance of the students’ needs. good teaching materials are teaching materials that can be used and help students in the learning process. to that end, teaching materials should be prepared based on the needs of students and lecturers (salam, 2017). therefore, most of the students were unable to interpret and process the information from the given texts and read critically. moreover, 68% of the students did not make use of their prior knowledge to comprehend a text. those who make use of their prior knowledge still find a lot of difficulties in comprehending texts as they are difficult to understand. even though the learning materials do not contain much weight, but their complexities lead to their failure in comprehension. the materials, then, should be simplified relating to their level and competence. to sum up, the result of this questionnaire also shows the negative responses of the students in terms of the learning materials and comprehension. table 3. the results of the questionnaire (language) no statements n percentage 1 2 3 4 1 finding main ideas of a text is difficult 60 21 51 23 4 2 i read long but lack of understanding 60 52 17 9 22 3 it is difficult to interpret, and process 60 23 47 20 10 4 i read critically 60 31 11 14 44 5 i used prior knowledge to comprehend a reading text 60 22 10 31 37 6 the goals were presented thoroughly 60 27 19 15 39 7 the concepts were presented in depth 60 7 34 39 20 8 the materials contain much weight 60 14 38 37 11 9 the materials content is difficult 60 49 21 4 26 10 the texts are difficult to understand 60 50 29 3 18 (1=strongly agree 2= agree, 3= disagree, and 4= strongly disagree) no statements n percentage 1 2 3 4 1 the texts use authentic english 60 1 57 39 3 2 the texts are difficult due to vocabulary 60 58 10 4 28 taufiqulloh, sri wardhani, & anin eka sulistyawati needs analysis in efl reading class: a study to promote learner autonomy through self-assessment 172 (1=strongly agree 2= agree, 3= disagree, and 4= strongly disagree) table 3 shows the results of students’ responses on the linguistics aspects (language) of the learning materials. the table indicates that 58% of the students agreed that the texts materials taught are authentic. the word authentic here refers to the high level of english that contain a lot of complexities to comprehend. 68% considered that the texts are too difficult to understand because of unfamiliar vocabulary. moreover, most of them stated that the grammar is too complex, as well as the sentence structures are. it is suggested that a reading teacher or lecturer should select the reading materials in the classroom based on the students’ level and needs. the selection of such materials will raise the interest and motivation of the students in learning to read. according to adjoa et al. (2016), the relationship between language and the ability to read and think critically in a specific discipline are directly linked to students’ academic success at higher education or tertiary level. the result of questionnaire for lecturers this questionnaire was distributed to 4 (four) lecturers who teach efl reading at the english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, pancassakti university. the result of the questionnaire is figured out in the followings. table 4. the results of the questionnaire (affective aspect) (1=always 2= frequently, 3= rarely, and 4= never) table 4 shows the result of lecturers selfassessment when teaching efl reading. drawn from the table, all teachers presented the goals of the instruction at the beginning of the class. however, 75% of them did not develop learning materials. they used the materials from the existing reading books. at the beginning of the lesson, they did not implement brainstorming as warming up activities to attract or stimulate the students, to raise their awareness and motivation, and to do reading activities. all of them did not use the materials and the method of instructions that meet students’ needs. they did not encourage their students to read better and seek help from others. a group work was rarely implemented in the class, either. besides, they did not use icebreaking during the lesson so that the class was not interesting. to conclude, the results of both questionnaire of the students in terms of their effective aspect, learning materials and comprehension, as well as linguistic aspect, and that of the lecturers, show that the efl reading instruction in the english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, pancasakti university, did not meet the goals of the instruction itself. the instruction and assessment were still teacher3 there are too many new words i am not familiar with 60 57 9 4 30 4 the grammar is too complex 60 47 15 6 32 5 the sentence structures of texts are complex 60 49 13 5 33 no statements n percentage (%) 1 2 3 4 1 i presented the goals of instruction at the beginning of the class 4 100 0 0 0 2 i developed my own materials 4 25 0 75 0 3 i used brainstorming in my class 4 0 25 25 50 4 i used the materials based on the students’ needs 4 0 0 25 75 5 i used the method which fit in the students’ needs 4 0 0 25 75 6 i encouraged students to read more 4 0 25 50 25 7 i helped to solve students problems 4 0 0 25 75 8 i made the class work in group 4 0 25 50 25 9 i provided supplementary materials 4 50 50 0 0 10 i used icebreaking during the lesson 4 0 0 50 50 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 173 centered, the learning materials and the method used did not meet the students’ needs, the selection of the materials was not in line with the students’ level of competence, the students were given fewer opportunities to explore their ideas, share with others in the classroom, etc. as a result, an alternative method or approach should come into being to cope with the students. a model of efl reading learning through selfassessment would be developed on the bases of the results of the needs analysis. selfassessment is a type of assessment which enables learners to raise their interest and awareness in learning. according to bullock (2011), a resulting advantage of selfassessment is that learners are better able to set realistic goals and direct their own learning. it is also a learner-centered approach. the major assumption underlying the learner-centered philosophy is that it is impossible to teach learners everything they need to know and learning does not stop outside the classroom. therefore, it is of value to teach learners skills that they can transfer to other learning situations. the conceptual descriptions of self-assessment and the existing studies that claimed the effectiveness of self-assessment in efl learning are considered to be the bases of developing a model of self-assessment in efl reading class to respond to the various problems as previously described. the results of observation the classroom observation was conducted at the english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, pancasakti university, in the odd semester of the academic year 2017/2018, from april to june 2018, and involved both lecturers and students attending efl reading class. the results are figured out in the following: the instructional objectives were not presented in details at the beginning of the class. the method was teacher-centered. the assessment was teacher-centered. the materials contained much weight. students’ comprehension of texts was weak. students were not well motivated to learn. students rarely gathered feedback from the lecturers on the problems they encountered during the learning activities. the results of survey interview the result of the survey interview was conducted along with the classroom observation period. it aimed at finding out the efl reading class in the future which can result in enhancing students’ achievement in reading. the results are described as follows: the instructional objective should be presented thoroughly at the beginning of the course the instruction should be studentcentered. the method should be fun and attract the students to attend the class. students should be given more opportunities to cooperate with others in the classroom that enables them to gather feedback from both their lecturers and peers. the course materials should be more selective and meet students’ needs. students should be continuously motivated in some ways. survey on self-assessment in efl reading regarding the establishment of the selfassessment model of efl reading class, a survey was conducted to a group of lecturers about their perceptions, knowledge, and expectation on the use of self-assessment in the classroom. the results of the survey are described in the following table. taufiqulloh, sri wardhani, & anin eka sulistyawati needs analysis in efl reading class: a study to promote learner autonomy through self-assessment 174 table 5. the result of the survey on self-assessment of efl reading (lecturers) table 5 presents the results of the survey to the lecturers about self-assessment in efl reading. as drawn from the table, 75% of lecturers of reading course less comprehend the concepts of self-assessment and 25% have no ideas about it. all lecturers have never implemented self-assessment practices in the classroom. however, 50% lecturers agreed that self-assessment should be implemented in the efl reading classroom and the others do not respond. meanwhile, a survey on self-assessment of reading was also conducted to the students and the results are figured out in the followings. table 6. the result of the survey on self-assessment of efl reading (students) as shown in table 6, there are only 10% of the students who know self-assessment in efl reading instruction in terms of definitions and descriptions. 90% of the students do not understand at all the concepts of self-assessment in reading and had no experience in using self-assessment practices in the classroom. none of the students comprehend the types of selfassessment in efl reading class. the result of the survey interview to both lecturers and students show that they comprehend the concepts of self-assessment in terms of its definitions or descriptions which is similar to self-editing. yet, they never implemented self-assessment practices in the classroom. however, both agreed that self-assessment model of efl reading could be an alternative technique in reading instruction. regarding the results of the questionnaire, survey interview, and classroom observation as previously described, the efl reading instructions in the english education department, faculty of teacher training and education of pancasakti university, did not end with satisfactory outcomes. the interest and no questions responses n percentage 1 what do you know about selfassessment in efl reading? i know a little bit about selfassessment, it is self-editing on students’ works i know nothing about it 4 75 25 2 did you ever implement selfassessment technique in your reading class? i never implemented selfassessment in my class 4 100 3 do you think that selfassessment will be useful for your students in learning to read? if yes, state your reasons? i agree with that i have no ideas about it 4 50 50 4 what kinds of self-assessment do you need in learning reading self-assessment to deal with not only cognitive but also metacognitive aspects of the students in learning i have no ideas about it 4 50 50 no questions responses n percentage 1 what do you know about selfassessment in efl reading? i know it is self-editing technique i don’t know anything about it 60 10 90 2 did you ever learn self-assessment in reading? never 60 100 3 do you think that self-assessment will be useful for you in learning to read? if yes, state your reasons? i hope so i have no ideas about it 60 75 25 4 what kinds of self-assessment do you need in learning reading i don’t have ideas about it 60 100 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 175 awareness of the students to learn efl reading was low due to the method applied in the classroom was teacher-centered and the selection of the course materials ignored their level of competence. thus, the learning materials were too complex so that the students faced a lot of difficulties in comprehending the reading texts provided by the lectures in the classroom. the linguistic features of the texts were also too complex. the reading texts use authentic english which contains unfamiliar words and requires a high level of comprehension. the grammar and the sentence structures in the reading texts are also too complex. moreover, the students are given fewer opportunities to explore and share their ideas with others. the result also showed that both students and lecturers agreed that learning efl reading through self-assessment could be an alternative learning model or technique to cope with the situations. throughout model, the instruction should be student-centered, the method should be fun and attract the students to attend the class, students should be given more opportunities to cooperate with others in the classroom that enables them to gather feedback from both their lecturers and peers, etc. the development of the model or approach is intended to enhance students’ achievement in reading and to promote learner autonomy. creating learner autonomy is one of the goals of elt in the present day. according to illés (2012), autonomous learners are independent language users capable of problem-solving and decision making. throughout self-assessment, the students are expected to monitor and regulate their learning which can enhance their sense of dependence in learning and their reading achievement. conclusion to sum up, as drawn from the results of the questionnaire to both students and lecturers, the efl reading instruction in the english education department, faculty of teacher training and education of pancasakti university, did not result in successful learning outcomes. some problems are found such as low interest and awareness of the students, less comprehension of the reading texts due to its complexities, teacher-centered method, and instruction, the complexities of linguistics features, etc. the result also shows that both lecturers and students agree that an alternative approach or method of efl reading based on selfassessment should come into being to cope with the situations in order to enhance students’ achievement in reading and to promote learner autonomy. acknowledgment the authors are the teaching staffs of english education department, pancasakti university tegal central java indonesia. this is one of the research outcomes supported under the funding scheme “penelitian terapan unggulan perguruan tinggi (ptupt) 2018” from the directorate of research, technology, and higher education, republic of indonesia. references adjoa, n., yeboah, n., & mai, m. m. (2016). a needs analysis for a discipline-specific reading intervention. english language teaching, 9(3), 235–247. doi: 10.5539/elt.v9n3p235. brown, h. d. (2004). language assessment: principles and classroom practice (1 st ed.). new york: longman. bullock, d. (2011). learner self-assessment: an investigation into teachers’ beliefs. elt journal, 65(2), 114–125. doi: 10.1093/elt/ccq041. caldwell, j. s. (2012). reading assessment: a primer for teachers and coaches. guilford press. saudi med j, 33. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0703993104. illés, é. (2012). learner autonomy revisited. elt journal, 66(4), 505–513. doi: 10.1093/elt/ccs044. lianisya. (2014). the use of self-assessment towards students’ reading behavior (a case study). journal of english and education, 2(2), 26–35. retrieved from http://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/le/article/view/4606. salam, s. (2017). developing needs analysis basedreading comprehension learning materials : a study on the indonesian language study program students. advances in language and literary studies, 8(4), 105–113. retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1153681.pdf. taufiqulloh, sri wardhani, & anin eka sulistyawati needs analysis in efl reading class: a study to promote learner autonomy through self-assessment 176 taufiqulloh, yuvita, & sulistianingsih, e. (2018). analysis of student attitudes to develop a selfassessment model of genre-based writing class. lingua cultura, 12(august), 253–258. doi: 10.21512/lc.v12i3.4064. o’malley j. m., & pierce, v. l. (1996). authentic assessment for english language learners. new york: longman. the analysis of thematic role in narrative texts ririn marlina the analysis of thematic role in narrative texts of senior high school textbooks the analysis of thematic role in narrative texts of senior high school textbooks ririn marlina a graduate of university of kuningan, indonesia e-mail: marlina1704@gmail.com apa citation: marlina, r. (2012). the analysis of thematic role in narrative texts of senior high school textbooks. english review: journal of english education, 1(1), 80-88 received: 08-09-2011 accepted: 23-10-2013 published: 01-12-2012 abstract: this paper analyzed narrative texts of senior high school textbooks for x grade, based on jackendoff’s and saeed’s theories of thematic role. this research employed a qualitative research design and the data were ten narrative texts taken from developing english competencies and interlanguage for x grade. the research questions involve the ways of thematic role in constructing the sentence’s meaning in narrative texts and the thematic role that mostly employed. this research revealed that nine kinds of thematic role (agent, patient, location, beneficiary, experiencer, theme, source, goal, and instrument) are available in narrative texts and the role theme was frequently employed (260 times of 782). meanwhile, thematic role constructs the sentence’s meaning in narrative texts by observing the verb and the preposition used in the sentence. thematic role is a way to describe the role of noun phrase in a sentence, so that thematic role is closely related with the grammatical function. it can be also said that the analysis of thematic role in narrative texts is beneficial for educational participants both teacher and student in order to recognize the sentence’s grammatical function. therefore, thematic role helps them to understand the sentence’s meaning and finally they can grasp the message in a text. keywords: thematic role, narrative text, senior high school, textbook introduction communication is a process of giving people information (hornby, 2000). while the aim of communication is to convey meaning from communicator to communicant (lyons, 1977). it means that the communicant has to process the meaning sent by the communicator so that he will understand what the communicator means. goddard (1998: 15) states that: “when people are communicating, they do more than just attend to what is actually being said by way of words, grammatical constructions, and intonation patterns”. therefore, to create an effective communication, both communicator and communicant should understand their sentences’ meaning each other. the study of meaning is largely explored in semantics. further, hurford and heasley (1983) clarify that sentence meaning or word meaning can be defined as what a sentence or word means. moreover, o’grady et al (1991) suggest that knowing the part played a particular entity in an event is one of the most interesting thing to understand a sentence so that we will know the sentence’s meaning. while, goddard (1998, p. 1) states that “to understand how any particular language works we need to understand how its individual design works to fulfill its function as an intricate device for communicating meanings”. in semantics, the term is generally known as “thematic role”. further, saeed (2009) tells that thematic mailto:marlina1704@gmail.com english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee roles play a central role in language comprehension. the students mostly just can read a text or article word by word without thinking of the meaning of the sentences. actually, if we want to understand the meaning of a sentence, we have to firstly know the detailed information of the sentence, one of them is the part played in an event (o’grady et al, 1991). because of the reason, this paper presents the thematic roles in narrative texts. the aim of this paper are to (1) identify the thematic role that mostly employed, and (2) identify the existence of thematic roles in constructing the sentences’ meaning. most of recent works on thematic roles has been investigated by several researchers. for the first, tanja (2009) investigates about thematic role in natural language processing and in linguistic theory. the result of his study is defining relations between the constituents in a sentence that cannot be defined by the rules of syntax only. the second, richard (2008) also explores about dependency-based thematic analysis of natural-language texts. his study shows the description of how to construct statistical models for thematic role labeling of english texts and how role thematic is related to surface syntax. the third, mirella (2010) studies about semi-supervised thematic role labeling via structural alignment. from her study is found a project annotations from labeled sentences onto similar unlabeled ones. the rest of this paper is organized as follows: section 2 briefly describes thematic roles. section 3 introduces the method and procedures for analyzing thematic roles in the narrative texts. the result and discussion are shown in section 4. finally, conclusion of this study is presented in section 5. thematic role can be analyzed by considering the noun phrase’s function based on the verb which is used in the sentence, because thematic role is closely related with the verb. we can decide whether the subject has a role as an agent or experiencer by observing the verb. another definition comes from o’grady et al (1991, p. 226): “thematic role or semantic role is used to describe the part played by a particular entity in an event”. verbs and other heads of phrases may be associated with such semantic roles as agent, patient, location, theme, source, goal, beneficiary, experiencer, instrument, and stimulus. these roles are assigned to the subject and any arguments of the head. according to gruber (1965), fillmore (1968), jackendoff (1987) as cited in fasold and linton (2006, p. 143): “thematic role is a part of a word’s meaning which indicates the role that some individual plays in the action which that word describes”. for example in the following sentence: the senator sent the lobster from maine to nebraska (o’grady et al, 1991: 227). ‘the senator’ is the agent, ‘the lobster’ is the theme, ‘maine’ is the source, and ‘nebraska’ is the goal. this paper initially employed the role set proposed by jackendoff (1990) which consist of agent, patient, location, beneficiary, experiencer, instrument, theme, source, and goal. method the task of analyzing thematic roles is divided into three main subtasks: (1) identification of thematic role in each noun phrase, (2) classification the thematic role that mostly employed, and (3) interpretation the frequency of ririn marlina the analysis of thematic role in narrative texts of senior high school textbooks thematic roles in the form of graph and table. the first part (subtask) can be accomplished by finding all thematic roles employed in each noun phrase in a sentence. the second part (subtask) uses some semantic rules to distinguish different roles such as agent, experiencer, source, and goal. this part faces a complicated problem since the number of arguments (noun phrase) and their positions vary depending on kinds of verbs and preposition used. the third part (subtask) presents the frequency of thematic roles in the ten narrative texts in the form of table and graph, so that the role which is mostly employed can be recognized. the exploited approach to perform those three main subtasks is summarized by the following steps: 1. organize and prepare the data for analysis by sorting and arranging the narrative texts into different types depending on the textbook as the source. 2. read through all the narrative texts in order to grasp their meaning. 3. begin detailed analysis with a coding process. according to rossman & rallis, (1998: 171) as cited in cresswell (2007: 218): “coding is the process of organizing the material into “chunks” before bringing meaning to those “chunks”. this step involves taking the narrative texts, segmenting sentences into categories, and labeling those categories with a term of thematic role. 4. use the coding process to generate a description. in this step, the researcher develop the reason of identifying thematic role in each sentence, and interconnect them with the kinds of verb or preposition used. 5. advance how the description and themes will be represented in the qualitative narrative. the researcher presents a narrative passage to convey the findings of the analysis. 6. in final step, the researcher interprets the data by clarifying the thematic role used in the sentence by comparing it with information are there in the theories. results anddiscussion the results of this paper are as follows: first, kind of thematic role that mostly employed in narrative text is the role theme. for example, it can be identified from a text titled kyai jegod. in that text, the role theme occurred twentythree times. the words considered as the theme in the text are as follows: a king, grass, some water, it, small pond, some water, it, his palace, it, the palace, strong and old woods, the forest where those woods lied, his lumberjacks, the only thing they could have, anything, the main pole, loud and deep voice, the voice, an old, tall, and massive tree, it, kyai jegod, the protector of that palace. second, thematic role constructs the sentence’s meaning in narrative texts by observing the verb and the preposition used in the sentence. for detail explanation, the role of subject and object in a sentence decided from the kinds of the verbs used; the action verb indicates the existence of the role agent, intensive verb indicates the role experiencer and the preposition also decides whether the object plays the role as the source, goal, or instrument. the detail analysis of each role in a sentence as follows: agent data #001 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee title: kyai jegod which is taken from interlanguage for x grade 1.c. then sultan started to build the palace in that forest. 2.b. (…) prabu boko and all soldiers went to pengging kingdom to revolt. 2.d. when patih gupalo found out that his king died, he ran away from the battle. in 1.c. the agent is represented by sultan. since sultan is person who is responsible for building the palace. if sultan is omitted, the sentence will be ambiguous. the word build involved to action verb which indicates the existence of an act done by someone. so that, sultan as the subject is considered as the agent. this role is also described by prabu boko and all soldiers in 2.b. which indicates that they are the doer of the action. the verb which is used in this sentence is action verb that shows someone’s action. through the verb, this sentence demands the doer, so that prabu boko and all soldiers regarded as the agent. the next example indicates that the word he in 2.d. also represents the agent. it is supported by the verb ran away which included to action verb. the verb demands a subject as the doer in order to construct the sentence’s meaning. therefore, the word he is identified as the agent, i.e. the person who ran away from the battle. patient data #003 title: the legend of princess loro jonggrang and the snow bride both are taken from interlanguage for x grade 3.a. (…) he killed her father. 3.b. feeling deceived, raden bandung bondowoso was very angry and cursed her. 3.c. raden bandung bondowoso cursed the girls around prambanan area (…). from the above data, it can be represented that the words her father in 3.a. plays the patient role since it is the entity that killed by him. the role patient here is in a transitive sentence which is marked by the verb killed, so that her father considered as the direct object that presents the role patient. in 3.b., the role patient is presented by her. it expresses the entity cursed by raden bandung bondowoso. it also included to transitive sentence which signed by the verb cursed. if her is omitted, the sentence will be ambiguous since the verb demands an object. therefore, her is recognized as the patient. in 3.c., the girls around prambanan area plays a role as the patient for two reasons. first, they are the entity which is cursed by raden bandung bondowoso. second, it is the direct object which indicated by the transitive verb cursed. location data #004 titles: the snow bride and cinderella which both are taken from interlanguage for x grade 4.a. a wooden house squatted beside a huge camphor tree. 4.b. but his horse ran away from the tiny hut. 4.c. he found a lean-to built on the side of the hut, (…). 4.d. yuki glided around the room in a silken whisper. the above examples describes about the role of location in the term of thematic role. it can be concluded that beside a huge camphor tree in 4.a. plays the role of location, since it indicates the place of a wooden house located. while, in 4.b. the role of location is presented by the tiny hut. the words describes the place where the horse ran away. on the side of the hut is represented as the ririn marlina the analysis of thematic role in narrative texts of senior high school textbooks location in 4.c. example. it presents the place where the agent he found a lean. in the case of 4.d., the role of location is presented by the words around the room. it explains where yuki’s action takes place. beneficiary data #005 title: the legend of princess loro jonggrang taken from interlanguage for x grade 5.a. she had two requests that should be fulfilled by raden bandung bondowoso so that (…) 5.b. first, she asked him to make jalatunda well. 5.c. then, she asked him to make 1000 temples in one night. 5.d. then, princess loro jonggrang asked raden bandung bondowoso to go into the well, and (…). 5.e. after that, princess loro jonggrang asked raden bandung bondowoso to do the second request which (…) 5.f. therefore raden bandung bondowoso commanded genies to make the temples immeaditely. 5.g. she ordered the girls to pound and burn stubbles, so that (…). 5.h. he asked princess loro jonggrang to count the amount of temples. in the above example (5.a., 5.b., and 5.c.), the role beneficiary played by the word she. for detail explanation, she in 5.a. gets benefits from raden bandung bondowoso in fulfilling her requests. in 5.b. she considered as the beneficiary since she asked someone to make jalatunda well, so that she gets benefit from the action. similarly, in 5.c., she gets benefit by asking someone to make 1000 temples. the words princess loro jonggrang is presented as beneficiary in 5.d. in fulfilling her request to go into the well, and in 5.e. princess loro jonggrang gets benefit from raden bandung bondowoso in fulfilling her second request. while, in 5.f. raden bandung bondowoso is the beneficiary since he gets benefit from genies in making temples. the word she again plays as the role beneficiary in 5.g., the girls did an action for her, so that she gets benefit from the girls’ action. in the last sentence, the word he gets benefit from loro jonggrang in counting the temples. experiencer data #006 title: blind listening taken from developing english competencies for x grade 6.a. they had no children. 6.b. because of this, they were very unhappy. 6.c. one day, they found a baby boy outside their door. 6.d. they loved him very much. 6.e. mr and mrs lin were very sad to hear this. all sentences in the data #006 represent the role experiencer. in 6.a., the word they plays a role as the experiencer since they is the people affected by the state of “had”, and it is usually used to expresses someone’s possession. while, the word they in 6.b. considered as the experience because they is the people who feels unhappy. the role experiencer in this sentence is recognized by using stative verb. in 6.c., the word they is also identified as the experience since they is the person who aware of the action. similarly, they plays as the experience in 6.d, but in this case the sentence uses the verb lovewhich expresses their emotion onto him. in 6.e. the role of the experience is presented by the wordsmr and mrs lin. they are identified as the entity which is aware of the state, and the existence of stative verb in this english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee sentence indicates thatmr and mrs lin plays a role as the experiencer. instrument data #007 titles: the legend of princess lorojonggrang taken from interlanguage, the legend of beowulf, and the foolish sons which taken from developing english competencies for x grade 7.a. he killed grendel's mother with a special sword. 7.b. (…) and after that she ordered patih gupolo to pile up the well with stone. 7.c. the third son tried to cure his father with medicine which he had bought. from the above sentences, it can be identified that with a special sword plays the role instrument in 7.a. since it describes how the agent did his action. similarly, in 7.b. the existence of the role instrument is played by the word with stone. it explains how patih gupolo pile up the well. while, the role instrument in 7.c. is indicated by the word with medicine. it describes the manner done by the agent in order to cure his father. all of the role instrument in those sentences indicated by the preposition with. theme data #008 title: kyai jegod taken from interlanguage for x grade 8.a. once upon a time there was a king who ruled mataram kingdom. 8.b. his name is amangkurat iv. 8.c. one day, when a gardener was gathering grass for his cattle in the forest, (…) 8.d. (…) he looked for some water because it was so hot. 8.e. he found a small pond and (…) 8.f. (…) he was going to drink some water from it, (…) from the above examples, it can be concluded that a king who ruled mataram kingdom in 8.a. plays a role theme since it considered as the entity which is undergoer the state, and it can answer the question “what the sentence tells about”, so it considered as the theme. in 8.b, the theme is represented by amangkurat iv. it indicates that amangkurat iv is being talked in this sentence, so it regarded as the theme. the role theme in 8.c. is presented by the word grass. it can be identified that grass is the thing affected by a gardener; it is the thing which is gathered. so that, grass regarded as the theme. in 8.d., the words some water represents the role theme since it is the thing which the location is described by the action of the agent. it also plays as direct object in this sentence. therefore, it can be said that some water is the theme. from the above data, a small pond regarded as the theme in 8.e. since it becomes the direct object of the sentence. besides, it also plays as the entity which location is being found by the agent. because of the reasons, a small pond considered as the theme. in the last sentence, some water again plays as the theme since it is identified as the thing affected by the action of the agent; it is the thing which is drunk by him. so that, it is said as the theme. source data #009 title: a story about red taken from developing english competencies for x grade 9.a. rosaura was hiding from her mother and father. 9.b. as soon as she had nished her food she slipped down from her chair. from the above sentences, it can be identified that from her mother and father plays the role source in 9.a. since it indicates the starting point of rosaura’s action. in 9.b, the role source is presented ririn marlina the analysis of thematic role in narrative texts of senior high school textbooks by the words from her chair. it also describes the starting point where the agent did her action. both the role source in the above examples marked by the preposition from. so that from her mother and father and from her chair considered as the source in the term of thematic role. goal data #010 title: the legend of beowulf taken from developing english competencies for x grade 10.a. one day, he went to the king's castle. 10.b. a knight called beowulf heard about the problem and went to denmark to help the king. 10.c. grendel went back to his home in a lake and died. 10.d. grendel's mother was very angry and the next night she went to the castle and killed a knight. 10.e. in the morning, beowulf went to the lake. the sentence in the above data represents the existence of the role goal in the term of thematic role. in 10.a., the role goal is played by to the king's castle since it indicates the destination of the verb “went”, and it is marked by the existence of preposition “to”. the words to denmark in 10.b also identified as the goal which is marked by the “to” preposition and it becomes the destination for beowulf to help the king. the goal in 10.c. is showed by to his home. it plays as the destination where grendel went back. while, the goal in 10.d. is presented by to the castle. it becomes the entity where grendel’s mother visited. in 10.e., the words to the lake is again employed as the goal which expresses the destination of the verb “went” as in 10.a. from the ten samples chosen, thematic roles employed in narrative texts (782) times. the role agent employed in those texts (172) times, patient (58) times, location (71) times, beneficiary (8) times, experience (151) times, goal (38) times, instrument (3) times, source (21) times, and theme (260) time. meanwhile, the frequency of thematic roles in this research can be identified from the following graph: english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the phenomena of thematic role in narrative texts reveals that there is relation between thematic role and verb and preposition used in a sentence. the role agent indicated by the use of action verb, the role experience identified by the use of intensive verb, perception, intellection, emotion, and sensation. the use of preposition “to” indicates the role goal, the use of preposition “from” identifies the role source. meanwhile, the role instrument is recognized by the use of preposition “with” or “by”. the following table 4.2 is the illustration of the overall thematic role. table 4.2 the realization of thematic role in narrattive texts no. tr titles frequency (….times) a p l b e g i s t amount 1. kj 7 1 9 11 2 3 23 56 2. tlplj 25 8 9 5 29 11 1 5 45 138 3. qabp 17 6 4 1 10 5 2 21 66 4. tsb 27 16 6 10 1 2 38 100 5. c 17 2 9 1 26 2 1 43 101 6. bl 22 5 1 4 3 2 20 57 7. tfs 12 2 2 9 2 1 3 13 44 8. tft 14 11 8 19 3 21 76 9. asr 16 2 17 22 3 3 27 90 10. tlb 15 5 6 1 11 6 1 9 54 amount 172 58 71 8 151 38 3 21 260 conclusion on the basic of the findings above, it can be firstly concluded that thematic role in a sentence indicated by the use of verbs (fasold and linton, 2006). second, thematic role is a way to describe the role of noun phrase in a sentence, so that thematic role is closely related with the grammatical function (o’grady et al, 1991). third, the role theme seems to be the mostly employed in narrative texts. it is indicated as the part which is undergoer the state or event (jackendoff, 1990). the role theme has function to answer the question: “what the sentence tells about”. this research offers some methodological and practical suggestions. this research is delimited methodologically. it explores thematic role from a semantic point of view. further, such studies may see it from another perspective such as syntax and literary studies. in addition, this research can be broadened in terms of textual analysis or transitivity as studied in systemic functional grammar (sfg). there are also practical suggestions for teachers and students. in the teaching and learning process, the teacher has to clearly explain to the student about the existence of thematic role and how to recognize them. since thematic role is a part of semantics studies as one of knowledge that elaborates meaning. meanwhile, for the student, thematic role helps them to identify the grammatical functions of a sentence, i.e. subject, object, complement, noun phrase, verb, and preposition. by recognizing them, the student will easily grasp the sentence’s meaning, so that they will understand the overall text. ririn marlina the analysis of thematic role in narrative texts of senior high school textbooks references creswell, j. w. (2007). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. new delhi: sage publication india pvt. ltd. cruse, d. a. 1986. lexical semantics. new york: cambridge university press. doddy, a et al. (2008). developing english competencies for senior high school (sma/ ma) grade x. jakarta: departemen pendidikan nasional. dowty, d. 1991. thematic proto-roles and argument selection. journal of language, 67(3), 547-619. fasold, r and linton, c. jeff. (2006). an introduction to language and linguistics. new york: cambridge university press. gerot, l. and wignell, p. (1994).making sense of functional grammar. sidney: gerd stabler. goddard, c. 1998. semantic analysis. new york: oxford university press. hornby, a. s. (1974). oxford advanced learners dictionary of current english. great britain: oxford university press. hurford, j. r and heasley, b. (1983). semantics a course book. new york: cambridge university press. jackendoff, r. (1990). semantic structure. england: the mit press. johansson, w. (2008). dependency-based semantic analysis of naturallanguage text. journal of semantics. lyons, j. (1977). semantics. london: cambridge university press. o’grady, w. et al. (1991). contemporary linguistics. new york: st martin’s press. palmer, f. r. (1995). grammar and meaning. new york: cambridge university press. priyana, j. et al. (2008). interlanguage: english for senior high school students x. jakarta: departemen pendidikan nasional. saeed, j. i. 2009. semantics. uk: wileyblackwell. exploring the impact of free voluntary reading in upgrading university students' creative writing at al baha university osama yousif ibrahim abualzain english department, al baha university, kingdom of saudi arabia e-mail: osamaabualzain2011@hotmail.com apa citation: abualzain, o. y. i. (2017). exploring the impact of free voluntary reading in upgrading university students‟ creative writing at al baha university. english review: journal of english education, 5(2), 189-196 received: 26-04-2017 accepted: 22-05-2017 published: 01-06-2017 abstract: the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of free voluntary reading in upgrading university students' creative writing at al-baha university. it introduces the types of free voluntary reading that can be employed by the students. in order to achieve this, thirty students at al-baha university enrolling in the ba program in english department were chosen randomly. the descriptive analytic method then applied in this study. pre-test and post-test designed for the students and a questionnaire directed to the teachers were used as tools of collecting data. finally, the results revealed that free voluntary reading plays critical roles in upgrading the students‟ creative writing. also, the teachers highly appreciate the contributions of free voluntary reading materials in pushing forward the students' achievement. keywords: free voluntary reading, university students, ba program, creative writing introduction reading comprehension as general is the process of making meaning from text. the goal, therefore, is to have an access of what is described in the text rather than to obtain meaning from isolated words or sentences. it is a complex interaction among automatic and strategic cognitive processes that enables the reader to create a mental representation of the text (van den broek & espin, 2012). reading is the key of knowledge. the history of reading goes back to the invention of writing. reading is of great significance in human life, therefore, it is the main factor in the acquisition of expertise and knowledge. it is a translation of written symbols into spoken words and the relationship between the written symbol and meaning (al-jarf, 2007). reading and writing are integrated skills since the two skills occur in most situations mutually. butler and turbill (1987) argue that there is a broad consensus exists about the relationship between reading and writing. most experts agree that reading and writing are similar and equally supportive language processes. in line with this, shanahan (1980) states that strong readers and writers share many habits and practices indicates that there is a strong relationship between reading and writing, and research supports this premise. reading and writing are closely connected endeavors for these reasons: reading and writing require related-but distinct-cognitive processes. upper elementary students face similar challenges in reading and writing. writing can support reading. reading can support writing. reading and writing together support learning. writing creativity as a productive skill goes through different procedure before it comes into being. these steps let the writer to reach an artistic piece of writing that could be accepted by the reader. according https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v5i2.534 189 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee to brown (1994), writing is a process where a writer puts his ideas on paper and transforms his thoughts into words. this is not an easy task, especially for an efl/esl writer because he has to write down something based on his knowledge of vocabulary and grammar rules as well as a prior knowledge of the topic. brown (1994) claims that writing is a two-step process; first, you figure out your meaning, and then you put it into language. krashen (1988) thinks that those who do more recreational reading show better development in reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary. he sees that there is a positive relationship between the amount of free reading done and various aspects of second and foreign language competence. the question of whether creative writing can be assessed or not is a debatable issue. according to kantor (1972) and newman (2007), the argument bases on the common misconception that subjective criteria are the only source of estimating creativity in a piece of writing. similarly, mackey & gass (2005) as cited in newman (2007, p. 52) think that “the evaluation of works of art is purely subjective and thus cannot be codified.” on the other hand, may (2007) condemns the supposition and argues that to objectify evaluation, teachers should try to set standard criteria for evaluating creative works. in addition, blomer (2011) argues that rubrics or grading grids are the best ways to ensure objectivity in creativity assessment. accordingly, this study attempts to explore the impact of free voluntary reading in upgrading university students' creative writing at al-baha university. the term free voluntary reading (fvr) was firstly introduced by the famous american linguist stephen krashen in his book, the power of reading. it is a type of attractive reading that causes pleasure and enjoyment. according to day and bamford (2002), both free voluntary reading (fvr) and extensive reading (er) share the same characteristics in developing good reading habits, building up knowledge of vocabulary and structure, and encouraging reading for pleasure. krashen (1993) introduced sustained silent reading (ssr) and self-selected reading (sr) to assist the in-school fvr program. according to bader, veatch, & eldridge (1987), elley (1991), and jenkins (1957), several studies supported that students in the fvr program outperformed in the reading comprehension tests than ones in traditional skill-based reading instruction. in order to best understand the creative writing process, it is important to define creativity. the word creativity in english comes from the latin “creatus” which literally means to have grown. to be creative means having the ability or the power to create. webster‟s new collegiate dictionary (2009) describes creativity as “the ability to create inventions, produce works of art, or solve problems using an original, novel, or unconventional approach.” creativity, therefore, is strongly connected to the verb „create‟, which implies creation of any things or thoughts or acts. bastrukmen and lewis (2002) assert that the perception of success in creative writing is associated with self-expressions, the flow of ideas, outsider expectations, growing confidence, and enjoyment of academic writing. they believe that good writing involves the ability to express ideas clearly and confidently to readers. also, they stress that creative writing enables the students to express themselves more efficiently and with great confidence. therefore, this study highlights the three following research questions: is there a relationship between fvr and creative writing? do the students need to improve their writing abilities through reading? what are the teachers' point of view? the implication of the study will have a great value to the students who want to improve their writing skills and go further into creative writing. to achieve this, the 190 osama yousif ibrahim abualzain exploring the impact of free voluntary reading in upgrading university students' creative writing at al baha university students have to go through free voluntary reading process. for syllabus designers, they have to choose best attractive reading materials that face the needs and the interests of the students. method thirty male students at al-baha university enrolling in the ba program in english department were chosen randomly as the participants of this study. the students specialize in english language and literature. the students' age ranged from 19 to 21 years old and they have been learning english for ten years. this study was conducted in february 2017. questionnaire and tests were employed to collect data for the study. teachers' questionnaire to make authentic and reliable data, it is incumbent to introduce the english teachers' point of view. the feedback of the english teachers is highly recommended in this type of study. according to oxford & leaver (1996), questionnaires can give general assessments. they are effective, quick, and easy to administer and don‟t threaten the respondents. generally, through the questionnaire, the english teachers were asked whether the fvr helps pushing forward writing creativity among students or not. the questionnaire used in this study is shown below. table 1. teachers’ questionnaire no. statement answer sd d n a sa 1. students face difficulties in writing as general. 2. the existing reading materials in the syllabus do not satisfy the needs of the students. 3. fvr develops language proficiency. 4. fvr encourages students to read for pleasure. 5. there is a close relationship between fvr and creative writing. 6. fvr introduces students to good models of creative writing. 7. the styles of fvr develop different writing techniques. 8. fvr materials including fiction develops creative imagination. 9. attractive reading materials inspire writing creativity. 10. exposing students to different types of reading materials provide background for good writing. * sd stands for strongly disagree. * d stands for disagree. * n stands for neutral. * a stands for agree. * sa strongly agree. students' pre and postwriting tests pre and post-writing tests are the same tests. they were administered before and after the treatment of fvr. specifically, the pre-test took place at the beginning of the semester, while the post-test was held by the end of the semester. during the research, the students were divided into two groups, namely control group and experimental group. the control group does not go under any additional reading practice, whereas the experimental group goes through extra free voluntary reading materials which were chosen by the readers themselves. the aim behinds this procedure is to find out whether there is any significant difference between 191 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the performances of the two groups. the preand post-writing test results were documented in order to compare and analyze the students‟ performance. by the help of the creative writing rubric, the performance of the two groups is evaluated and measured. the creative writing rubric used in this study is shown in table 2. table 2. creative writing rubric 1. poor 2. fair 3. good 4. excellent criteria no use of significant details (sole use of abstractions, generalizations and judgments) minimal use of significant details (they are significantly less than abstractions, generalizations and judgments) several use of significant details (they are significantly more than abstractions, generalizations and judgments) maximal use of significant details (there is no or just 1 abstraction, generalization and judgment) image no use of characters' physical appearance, action, thought, symbol, etc. to reveal characters (complete direct characterization) minimal use of characters' physical appearance, action, thought, symbol, etc. to reveal characters several use of characters' physical appearance, action, thought, symbol, etc. to reveal characters maximal use of characters' physical appearance, action, thought, symbol, etc. to reveal characters (complete indirect characterization) characterization no use of images to make the voice appealing minimal use of images to make the voice appealing several use of images to make the voice appealing maximal use of images to make the voice appealing voice no use of narrative to convey purpose (purpose is conveyed through formal statement) the use of narrative to convey purpose. story results and discussion the study explored the impact of free voluntary reading in upgrading university students' creative writing at al-baha university. as stated previously, questionnaire and tests were used to collect the data needed. questionnaire was used to know whether or not the fvr helps pushing forward writing creativity among students. while the test was used to see the students‟ performance before and after the treatment. the analysis of the collected data is shown in the following sub-sections. students' pre -test the students were given a storytelling which is considered to be one of the most popular types of creative writing in the pre and post-test. storytelling lends itself to both fiction and nonfiction. popular forms include flash fiction and short stories. the pre-test was given to both the control and the experimental group before the treatment. the result of the students‟ pre-test is described below. 192 osama yousif ibrahim abualzain exploring the impact of free voluntary reading in upgrading university students' creative writing at al baha university table 3. the correlations between the students' score on pre-test students' score excellent good fair poor students' score pearson correlation 1 -.222.509 ** -.309.076 sig. (2-tailed) .239 .004 .097 .688 n 30 30 30 30 30 excellent pearson correlation -.2221 -.362 * -.106-.189 sig. (2-tailed) .239 .049 .576 .318 n 30 30 30 30 30 good pearson correlation .509 ** -.362 * 1 -.372 * -.144 sig. (2-tailed) .004 .049 .043 .447 n 30 30 30 30 30 fair pearson correlation -.309-.106-.372 * 1 -.731 ** sig. (2-tailed) .097 .576 .043 .000 n 30 30 30 30 30 poor pearson correlation .076 -.189-.144-.731 ** 1 sig. (2-tailed) .688 .318 .447 .000 n 30 30 30 30 30 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). *. correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). graph 1. the performance of the control and the experimental group on pre-test *1 stands for the control group *2 stands for the experimental group from table 3, we can observe that the correlations between the performance of the students in both control and experimental group is significant (0.01). in addition, graph 1 introduces and compares the performance of each group. because the students attend the same classes and experience the same situation, no considerable differences between the achievements of the students appear. 193 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee students' post-test the post-test took place after the experimental group had gone through fvr process whereas the control group enrolled into their normal course. the result of the students‟ post-test is described below. table 4. the correlations between the performance of the students on post-test studentsscore excellent good fair poor studentsscore pearson correlation 1 .781 ** .675 ** -.271-.753 ** sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .148 .000 n 30 30 30 30 30 excellent pearson correlation .781 ** 1 .284 -.321-.583 ** sig. (2-tailed) .000 .129 .083 .001 n 30 30 30 30 30 good pearson correlation .675 ** .284 1 -.242-.690 ** sig. (2-tailed) .000 .129 .198 .000 n 30 30 30 30 30 fair pearson correlation -.271-.321-.2421 -.262 sig. (2-tailed) .148 .083 .198 .162 n 30 30 30 30 30 poor pearson correlation -.753 ** -.583 ** -.690 ** -.2621 sig. (2-tailed) .000 .001 .000 .162 n 30 30 30 30 30 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). graph 2. the performance of the control and the experimental group on post-test 194 osama yousif ibrahim abualzain exploring the impact of free voluntary reading in upgrading university students' creative writing at al baha university table 4 and graph 2 show the performance of the control and the experimental groups on post-test. it shows clearly that the achievement of the students in control group does not reflect a considerable progress and seems to be the same. this is due to the limitations of reading sources which do not give the progress towards the students' abilities in writing as general and creative writing in special case. on the other hand, the experimental group shows obvious improvement in creative writing. on pre-test, only 7.00% of the students in the experimental group who got excellent score in writing creativity, while the portion rises up to 12.46% which is considered as a remarkable progress on post-test. also, 13.67% of the students got good degree on pre-test, whereas the percentage goes up on post-test and reaches 15.78%. besides, the students who showed poor performance on pre-test were 16.33% whereas a considerable improvement takes place on post-test and the percentage falls down to 8.64%. teachers' questionnaire teachers' questioner is a very important resource and a reliable data. after the process of consulting and piloting of the questionnaire, twenty five english teachers were selected as respondents. the questionnaire consists of ten statements and follows likert scale which is the most widely used approach to scaling responses in survey research. the format of a typical five-level likert item, for example, could be: 1. strongly disagree 2. disagree 3. neither agree nor disagree (neutral) 4. agree 5. strongly agree table 5. descriptive statistics of the teachers' questionnaire n mean std. deviation variance statistic statistic std. error statistic statistic items 10 5.50 .957 3.028 9.167 sd 10 2.60 .306 .966 .933 d 10 3.40 .340 1.075 1.156 n 10 3.70 .423 1.337 1.789 a 10 8.00 .447 1.414 2.000 sa 10 7.30 .396 1.252 1.567 valid n (list wise) 10 graph 3. the teachers' response to the questionnaire 195 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 5 and graph 3 show the responses of the teachers to the questionnaire. the researcher categorizes sa and a as positive responses that support the idea of employing fvr to upgrade the students‟ performance in creative writing. n's score is neglected, sd and d responses are listed as negative ones. table 5 shows that the mean of the positive responses is 7.3 for sa and 8.00 for a, while the mean of the negative responses is 2.6 for sd and 3.4 for d. this reveals that the majority of the teachers confirm the importance of fvr in pushing forward creative writing skills among university students. conclusion from the data analysis, it becomes clear that fvr plays a critical role in upgrading students' creative writing at albaha university. the findings of this study match the research questions. the research questions in this study are answered clearly and supported by the data analysis. the results show that when the students restore to fvr and choose the reading materials themselves, a remarkable improvement will take place in all language skills especially in writing creativity. the teachers‟ responses also reveal that there is a close relationship between fvr and creative writing. here, the teachers confirm the importance of fvr to upgrade the students' creative writing and think that attractive reading materials generate writing creativity in the students‟ writings. the teachers also criticize the existing reading materials in the syllabus that lack attractiveness to motivate the students and inspire them to write creatively. references al-jarf, r. (2007). developing reading and literacy skills in saudi arabia. retrieved from: ksu.edu.sa/jspui/handle/123456789/ 7709. bader, l., veatch, j., & eldridge, j. (1987). trade books or basal readers? reading improvement, 24, 62-67. bastrukmen, h., & lewis, m. (2002). learner perspectives of success in an eap writing course. assessing writing, 8(1), 31-46. retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s10752935(02)00032-6 blomer, y. (2011). assessment in creative writing. wascana review, 43, 61-73. brown, h. d. (1994). principles of language learning and teaching (3rd ed.). englewood cliffs, nj: prentice hall regents. butler, a. & turbill, j. (1987). towards a readingwriting classroom. portsmouth, nh: heinemann. day, r., & bamford, j. (2002). top ten principles of teaching extensive reading. reading in a foreign language, 14, 136-141. elley, w. (1991). acquiring literacy in a second language: the effect of book-based programs. language learning, 41, 375-411. jenkins, m. (1957). self-selection in reading. reading teacher, 10, 84-90. kantor, k. (1972). evaluating creative writing: a different ball game. the english journal, 64, 72-74. krashen, s. (1988). do we learn to read by reading? the relationship between free reading and reading ability (pp. 269298). in d. tannen (ed.) linguistics in context: connecting observation and understanding. norwood, nj: ablex. mackey, a. & gass, s. (2005). second language research. new jersey: lawrence erlbaum associates. may, s. (2007). doing creative writing. new york: routledge. newman, j. (2007). the evaluation of creative writing at m.a. level (uk). in s. earnshaw (ed.), the handbook of teaching creative writing. edinburg: edinburg university press. oxford, r. l., & leaver, b. l (1996). a synthesis of strategy instruction for language learners. in r. l. oxford (ed.), language learning strategies around the world: cross cultural perspectives. manoa: university of hawaii press. shanahan, t. (1980). the impact of writing instruction on learning to read. reading world, 19(4), 357–368. van den broek, p., & espin, c. a. (2012). connecting cognitive theory and assessment: measuring individual differences in reading comprehension. school psychology review, 41(3), 315-325. webster's new world college dictionary (4th ed). (2009). longman dictionary of contemporary english for advanced learners. 196 osama yousif ibrahim abualzain exploring the impact of free voluntary reading in upgrading university students' creative writing at al baha university english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 69 students’ and lecturers’ perception on academic writing instruction santi oktarina faculty of education and teaching, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia e-mail: santiokarina@yahoo.com emzir postgraduate program, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: emzir.unj@unj.ac.id zainal rafli postgraduate program, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: emzir.unj@unj.ac.id apa citation: oktarina, s., emzir, & rafli, z. (2018). students’ and lecturers’ perception on academic writing instruction. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 69-76. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1256. received: 21-02-2018 accepted: 29-04-2018 published: 01-06-2018 abstract: the aim of this research is to gain the perception of students and lecturers toward academic writing instruction indonesian language classes in universitas sriwijaya. this current research was a part of research and development study on moodle-based teaching model for academic writing instruction in indonesian language classes. this research and development model was carried out using survey and content analysis. the research was conducted in universitas sriwijaya. questionnaire, interview and focus-group discussion (fgd) were instruments to collect data. meanwhile, both quantitative and qualitative data analysis was used to analyze the collected data. after analyzing data from questionnaire, both students and lecturers perceived that academic writing instruction in indonesian language classes are good and proper. however, the data from interview and fgd showed that there were different views between students and lecturers regarding to academic writing instruction in indonesian language classes. keywords: perception, instruction, academic writing introduction academic writing is writing activity in the classrooms conducted by one institution to communicate one subject of field using linear thoughts, which is scientifically thinking and reasoning and applying scientific variety of languages based on a set of scientific requirements (hoque, 2008; oshima & hoque, 2007; greane & lidnrky, 2012). furthermore, bailey (2015) wrote that the purposes of writing, as follow: 1) to report what the writer has done, 2) to answer writer’s questions, 3) to discuss one specific topic and provide writer’s opinions, 4) to synthesize research conducted by someone about one topic. from the writing purposes above, it can be academic writing ability especially in higher education is very complex and difficult; therefore, indonesian languageclasses, in which academic writing is taught and assessed, cannot be seen as solely an additional subject. concerning to study in higher education, students are necessary to attain academic writing ability since it influences their academic achievement. on the other side, writing activity is inseparable aspect in entire learning process in higher education. saberi and rahemi (2013) and silva (2014) stated that writing has the most important role in academic success. the similar idea was also expressed by akhadiah (2015, p. 15)that “writing for scholars is a mandatory task to support academic career”. writing also brings many advantages for college-students mailto:santiokarina@yahoo.com santi oktarina, emzir, & zainal rafli students’ and lecturers’ perception on academic writing instruction 70 (akhadiah, arsjad, & ridwan, 2003; oktarina, 2014). teaching writing has to meet the standard of national education qualification framework; the process of teaching should follow a set of principles in writing instruction (brown, 2001) and the technical guidance of personality subject groups in each institution. however, in fact, several lecturers are able to understand the principles of teaching writing, standards in process of teaching writing, and the guidance; yet, they fail in doing and implementing what they understand. moreover, in this current technological and science era, professionalism is one of required aspects for lecturers in higher education. to support the sight, alwasilah (2014) stated that, based on some research findings, indonesian languageclasses are still far away from success to enhance academic writing skill; moreover, teaching indonesian languageespecially for academic writing in some faculties/universities can be considered a failure. this encounter is something common in teaching indonesian language. the same thought was brought by oktarina (2014, p. 2), she noted that “students’ levels in writing academic paper are relatively low.” a view from teaching process, it can be concluded that students find difficulty and effort in writing. this indicates that they feel uneasy to brainstorm and compose ideas in written language. this barrier ends with demotivation of writing. furthermore, from writing product presented in the class, only a few students are actively and creatively write in the classroom; meanwhile, the rest of them is still struggle. there are many strategies that can be applied to improve academic writing. at first, the use of teaching model can enhance writing skill (elola & eskoz, 2010; grani, 2012; kuiper, smit, wchter, & elen, 2017). secondly, the use of technology can also increase academic writing skill (adas & bakir, 2013; wulandari, 2016, joseph & ghazali, 2013). the lecturers can use these strategies based on the needs of writing instruction in their classrooms. with their professionalism, they can wrap and deliver the effective writing lesson in the line with the students’ needs. to have these sights in mind, a teaching model particularly for academic writing in indonesian language classes is necessary in universitas sriwijaya. before designing a model for academic writing, need assessment is firstly conducted to gain information from students and lecturers. their perception concerning to academic writing instruction in indonesian language classes is one of aspects collected in this research. this present study addressed to get lecturers and students’ perception related to academic writing instruction in indonesian language classes in universitas sriwijaya. method the research was carried by research and development design. meanwhile, this current study was part of moodle-based academic writing instruction for indonesian language classes universitas sriwijaya. within this phase, survey and content analysis, as methods used in research and development (richey & klein, 2007, p. 40), were used as research methods. according to emzir (2013, p. 39), survey is a method that applied sampling and the result for describing entire population by using a set of questions in questionnaire. moreover, content analysis is a set of technique to systematically analyze a text involving one type of communication (conversation, written text, interview, photography, etc.) which is then categorized and classified (emzir, 2012, p.285). this present research was conducted in universitas sriwjijaya from february 2016 to june 2016. to collect data, questionnaire, interview and focus-group discussion (fgd) were selected as instruments. at first stage, questionnaire was distributed to the students in semester two and students in semester 4; they both entered indonesian language classes. the students, as entire population, were 1.278 student-respondents from semester 2 and 1.255 student-respondents from semester 4 who were following indonesian language classes in upt university personality subjects. as a result, there were 2.503 student-respondent taken a part in this research as population. meanwhile, sample of the research, 10-15% of the population, was approximately 360 studentenglish review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 71 respondents. nonetheless, only 324 papers of questionnaire were put back to the researcher and considered valid. from interview session, 3 lecturers who taught indonesian language from upt mpk universitas sriwijaya were interviewed related to the teaching process of academic writing instruction in indonesian language classes they have experienced. the third instrument was fgd in which was followed by 7 studentrespondents as representative of 7 faculties in universitas sriwijaya. in analyzing the gathered data, both quantitative and qualitative data analysis were used to get more comprehensive data and presentation. the gathered data from fgd and interview was analyzed qualitatively by organizing, reading, memoing, describing, classifying, and interpreting data into several codes and themes; then the process of analyzing data was continued by presenting and visualizing the gathered data. moreover, the gathered data from questionnaire of lecturers and students was scaled using likert scale. the table below is the category of perception concerning to academic writing instruction in indonesian language classes in universitas sriwijaya. tabel 1. criteria of perception range category 1.00—1.72 not suitable 1.73—2.48 less suitable 2.49—3.24 suitable 3.25—4.00 very suitable results and discussion based on the research findings gathered from questionnaire, interview and fgd, the presentation of result of the research is as follow. questionnaire was distributed to the lecturers and students. 18 lecturers were asked to fill the questionnaire sheets; while there were 360 student-respondents to fill the sheets. however, only 324 sheets were registered back and called valid. there are 3 aspects of teaching academic writing asked and assessed on the questionnaire; namely: planning the lesson, implementing the lesson, and evaluating the lesson. the table shows the perception on both parties of respondents. table 2. lecturers’ and students’ perception on academic writing instruction from questionnaire planning the lesson no. components of planning the lesson perception students lecturers 1. competence and objectives meet the student needs 3,26 vs 3,56 vs 2. the existing teaching model is suitable for the characteristics of the subject/lesson 3,07 s 3,50 vs 3. the assessment points are clear 3,07 s 3,39 vs 4. the use of reference and literature is novel and recent (at least 5 years) 2,87 s 3,28 vs 5. the lesson is equipped by module/ppt slides/dictates 2,87 s 3,67 vs 6. the lesson is supported by web-learning facility 2,43 ls 1,00 ns note: very suitable= vs, suitable= s, less suitable= ls, not suitable= ns from the questionnaire, it can be stated several conclusions related to academic writing instruction in indonesian language classes in the term of lesson planning. firstly, either lecturers or students mostly agree that competence and teaching objectives, the existing teaching model, assessment points, references and literature, and facility used in the classroom are relatively suitable and very suitable. nevertheless, the students-respondent thought that they had never experienced learning academic writing using web-learning facility in indonesian language classes. santi oktarina, emzir, & zainal rafli students’ and lecturers’ perception on academic writing instruction 72 table 3. implementing the lesson no. components of implementing the lesson perception students lecturer 1. the lesson begins and ends on time 3,06 s 3,44 vs 2. the learning materials are based on the syllabus of teaching 3,26 s 3,61 vs 3. it conducts student-centered learning 3,09 s 3,44 vs 4. the existing teaching model can motivate students 2,94 s 3,44 vs 5. the existing teaching model improves the interactions between students and lecturers 3,21 s 3,44 vs 6. the lesson leads the students to build ideas and new knowledge from various learning resources 3,21 s 3,39 vs 7. the lesson fosters the students to analyze many ideas and lot of experiences and to develop profound reasoning ability 3,14 s 3,50 vs 8. the lesson pushes the students to synthesis and discuss concepts of writing in the front of the class for group work activity 3,08 s 3,44 vs 9. the lesson integrates and combines inter-discipline, even multidiscipline of knowledge field 2,89 s 3,22 s 10. the lesson applies and emphasizes scientific approach 2,88 s 3,44 vs 11. the students plan before they write 2,97 s 3,50 vs 12. the students in group work activity produce writing based on the required genre 2,73 s 3,11 s 13. the students in individual activity produce wiring based on the required genre 2,22 ls 3,22 s 14. peers in the classroom provide comments to student writing product 2,77 s 3,17 s 15. the lecturers give feedbacks to students’ writing products 3,14 s 3,44 s 16. the students edit their writing based on comments and feedback given by peers and lecturers 3,13 s 3,28 vs 17. the students revise their writing based on comments and feedback given by peers and lecturers 3,06 s 3,28 vs 18. the given tasks are discussed and evaluated in classroom discussion 2,99 s 3,44 vs 19 the lesson uses various teaching media, such as whiteboard, lcd projector, props. 3,48 vs 3,78 vs 20. the lesson uses social media sites, such as facebook or blog as teaching media 2,35 ls 2,11 ls 21. the lesson applies web learning -based teaching such as moodle 2,31 ls 1,00 ns note: vs= very suitable, s= suitable, ls= less suitable, ns= not suitable from the table above, it can also be summarized some conclusions about academic writing instruction in indonesian language classes in the term of implementing the lesson. the first point is both students and lecturers generally perceive that the process and implementation of academic writing instruction in indonesian language classes are relatively good and effective. it has proven by the scores from item 1-19 gain in the range of very suitable and suitable. secondly, on the item no.20, stating the use of social media sites for teaching media, both parties fall to disagree. the third conclusion is, from item no. 21, students view that the existing teaching model is rarely using web learning facility; moreover, the lecturers claim that they had never conducted it in their classrooms. table 4. evaluating the lesson no. components of evaluating the lesson perception students lecturers 22. peer-evaluation is conducted for each writing product 2,40 ls 2,83 s 23. lecturer’s evaluation is organized for each task given 3,19 vs 3,39 vs 24. self-evaluation is arranged for each writing product 2,62 s 2,89 s 25. self-evaluation, peer-evaluation and lecturer’s evaluation are presented directly and manually to the students 2,81 s 3,00 vs 26. self-evaluation. peer-evaluation and lecturer’s evaluation are 2,29 ls 1,00 ns english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 73 presented through web learning facility 27. evaluation points are based on the indicators that have been approved in the first meeting 3,20 s 3,39 vs 28. objective evaluation is applied 3,23 s 3,50 vs 29. evaluation is in the form of manual portfolio assessment 3,00 s 3,28 vs 30. evaluation is in the form of portfolio assessment 2,49 s 2,56 vs 31. quiz and tests (mid and final) are held in the classroom and scored and assessed by clear, definite and concise criteria 3,18 s 3,39 vs 32. quiz and tests (mid and final) are given through web learning facility and scored and assessed by clear, definite and concise criteria 2,37 ls 1,00 ns note: vs= very suitable, s= suitable, ls= less suitable, ns= not suitable the questionnaire above shows perception from students and lecturers toward academic writing instruction specifically in evaluating the lesson of indonesian language. the first encounter isthe students think that the evaluation process using peer-review was infrequently undertaken for each writing product; in contrast, the lecturers revealed that peer-review process had once conducted. the second conclusion shows that both lecturers and students fall to suitable and very suitable for these following items: 1) evaluation is mostly done by lecturers, 2) self-evaluation had once conducted for each writing product, 3) peer-review and lecturer review have directly and manually implemented for the given tasks, 4) evaluation is based on a set of indicators approved in the first meeting, 5) evaluation is in objective form, 6) manual portfolio assessment and 7) portfolio assessment are used, and 8) quiz and tests are given in the classroom, and assessed by a clear, definite and concise criteria. on the third conclusion, the students stated that selfevaluation, peer evaluation and lecturer’s evaluation are rarely conducted through web learning facility. on the other hand, the lecturers revealed the opposite ideas. they have never used web learning facility in the classrooms. in addition to evaluation, students declared that quiz and tests are often given in the classroom through web learning facility and scored using clear criteria. nonetheless, the lecturers said that this kind of activity has never been done in their classrooms. for getting data, fgc was conducted by seven student-respondents. they were as representatives from seven faculties of universitas sriwijaya; the faculty of law, medicine and health, politics and social sciences, mathematics and sciences, agricultures, technical engineering, and teaching and education. fgd purposes to gain students perception, opinion and perspectives concerning to academic writing instruction they have experienced. from fgd, some findings were revealed and presented into several items. the first finding shows that, from competence and teaching objective, the teaching and learning process was mostly discussed and practiced language materials and contents instead of implementing genrebased instruction. from the second finding, in the form of lesson structure, learning activity was delivered by lectures and class discussion that mostly applied teacher-centered learning with limited student-lecturer interaction. writing activity does not depict the application of writing process approach and procedure, such as pre-writing, whilst-writing, and postwriting. then, the third finding proves that, from the principles of reaction, the lecturers do not sufficiently motivate to learn and write in the classrooms. moreover, from the view of social system, the process of teaching does not provide high and full interaction between students and lecturer. at last, in the supporting system point, some components are concluded as follow: 1) the materials are limited, 2) materials are various from class to class, 3) the lecturer uses only one reference/course book, 4) references are limited, 5) the lesson is not web-learning based. interview is one of the instruments to collect data related to lecturers’ perception, opinion, experiences, and perspectives upon academic writing instruction they have taught. then, three lecturers who taught indonesian language in universitas sriwijayahave been santi oktarina, emzir, & zainal rafli students’ and lecturers’ perception on academic writing instruction 74 interviewed. as a result, some findings are described below. the first finding reveals that academic writing instruction in indonesian language classes has based on the principles of teaching writing, the standard of national education qualification framework (kkni), and the guidance in implementation of personality subject at higher education. however, the implementation of these principles and standards is still need improved. in addition, other constraints in academic writing instruction are also apparent, such as students’ lack of motivation, large classes, ineffective class rules. the second item is that several lecturers said that they do not use web learning facility provided by the institution. it can be assumed that one of the constraints in academic writing instruction is caused by lecturers’ incapability to use technology, particularly web learning facility. based on the findings revealed on this study, there are some similarity and differences perception among students and lecturers. both students and lecturers are in the side related to the situation encounters on academic writing instruction in indonesian language classes. to be more specific, they agree that the instruction still needs improved and is not yet completed by web learning facility that provided by institution. furthermore, the students are expecting that the lecturers teach them with technology provided by institution. the similar ideas has been also proposed by adas and bakir (2013), wulandari (2016), andjoseph and ghazali (2013). they had experienced using technology in teaching academic writing. not only that, this research also found some different point of views between lecturers and students. the lecturers perceived that they have effortfully taught academic writing to the students although they modestly admitted that some aspect in the implementation of teaching writing still needs improvement. on the other side, what the students perceived is slightly different. they think that a lot of aspects in academic writing instruction are necessary to develop. this finding is consistent to what was proposed by alwasilah (2014; oktarina, 2014) that teaching indonesian language especially in higher education is out of its track. the process is not yet improving student performance in academic writing skill. conclusion after collecting and analyzing data from students and lecturers concerning to academic writing instruction in indonesian language classes in universitas sriwijaya, it can be drawn some conclusions. the first is that the academic writing instruction in indonesian language classes is relatively good and suitable for recent situation. however, in fact, some aspects in implementation of teaching academic writing need improvement. this can be proven by the different perception among lecturers and students regarding to the quality of the existing academic writing instruction. references adas, d., & bakir, a. (2013).writing difficulties and new solutions: blended learning as an approach to improve writing abilitiy. international journal of humanities and social science, 3(9), 254-266. akhadiah, s., arsjad, m. g., & ridwan, s. h. (2003). pembinaan kemampuan menulis bahasa indonesia. jakarta: erlangga. akhadiah, s. (2015). bahasa sebagai sarana komunikasi ilmiah. bekasi: paedea. bailey, s. (2015). academic writing: a handbook for international student. london: routledge. brown, h. d. (2001). teaching approach to language pedagogy. new york: longman. elola, i.,& oskoz, a. (2010). collaborative writing: fostering foreign language and writing conventions development. language learning and technology, 14(3), 51-71. emzir. (2012). metodologi penelitian kualitatif: analisis data. jakarta: rajawali pers. emzir. (2013). metodologi penelitian pendidikan: kuantitatif dan kualitatif. jakarta: pt raja grafindo persada. grani, m. a. (2012). online collaborative writing for esl learners using blogs and feedback checklist. english language teaching, 5(10), 43-48. greane, s., & lidnrky, a. (2012). from inquiry to academic writing: a text and reader. boston: bedford/st. martin. kuiper, c., smit, j., de wachter, l., & elen, j. (2017). scaffolding tertiary students’ writing in a genrebased writing intervention. journal of writing research, 9(1), 27-59. oktarina, s. (2014). the use of creative and productive facebook-based model to increase the quality of writing course. journal of teaching and education, 3(1), 137-149. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 75 oshima, a., & hogue, a. (2007). introduction to academic writing. new york: pearson. richey, r. c., & klein, j. d. (2007). design and development research: methods, strategies, and issues. new jersey: lawrence erlbaum associates. saberi, e., & rahimi, r. (2013). guided writing tasks vs production writing tasks in teaching writing: the impact on iranian efl learners' paragraph writing. modern journal of language teaching methods, 3(2), 129-142. silva, r. d. (2015). writing strategy instruction: its impact on writing in a second language for academic purposes. language teaching research, 19(3), 1-15. wulandari, m. (2016). moodle-based learning model for paragraph writing class. jurnal on language and language teaching, 18(2), 73-90. santi oktarina, emzir, & zainal rafli students’ and lecturers’ perception on academic writing instruction 76 research and development for english usage through speaking in a larger school environment english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee analysis of barriers in listening comprehension among junior high school students setia muljanto department of english education, stkip garut, indonesia e-mail: tanto_sm@yahoo.com apa citation: muljanto, s. (2012). analysis of barriers in listening comprehension among junior high school students. english review: journal of english education, 1(1), 97-103 received: 09-08-2012 accepted: 22-10-2012 published: 01-12-2012 abstract: this research paper identifies barriers and difficulties in listening comprehension faced by junior high school students. the research questions were what barriers did students encounter and how did they used strategies to overcome those barriers. this study used a qualitative method and was a case study involving 40 students and one english teacher. the data were obtained by ways of conducting a test of listening taken from toeic test. the tests indicated that the results scores were not quite satisfactory. this is primarily caused by speech delivery of the native speaker which was too fast. this means that students faced listening barriers especially in processing information. the data also indicated that students were also nervous when doing the test as habitual barrier. strategies used to overcome these barriers are by msaking students get used to listen and use english and making them familiar with certain contexts in real life. keywords: listening barriers, listening comprehension, toeic test. introduction english is one of important subjects to study for junior high school students in indonesia. indonesian decree no. 20, 2003 on national education system verse 37 states that english is an international language which is essential for international communication. hence, the government of indonesia includes english as one of the subjects to be tested in the national examination for junior high school, along with mathematics and the indonesian language. the school-based curricullum for junior high school also states that english teaching is conducted in 4 lesson hours in a week which consists of 40 minutes teaching and learning in each hour. but there is no exact time allocation for each listening, speaking, reading and writing skill. on the whole for each 7th through 9th grade, english teaching spends about 36 weeks of effective schooling period. the sum of lesson hours for english is the same with those allocated for mathematics and indonesian language. in a study about listening comprehension by suryanti (2002), it was indicated that listening was indeed a difficult subject for students to learn. another study by chen (2005), explored the barriers confronted by the efl (english as a foreign language) learners while comprehending listening during a training program. the findings indicated that the obstacles confronted by the learners were multi faceted (chen, 20051). she found out that listening barriers were associated with the internal factors of learners such as their affective statuses, listening habit, information processing capacities, mailto:tanto_sm@yahoo.com setia muljanto analysis of barriers in listening comprehension among junior high school students english proficiencies and their beliefs about their listening abilities. other barriers were concerned with the nature of listening strategies and the listening material used. this research explored the barriers in listening comprehension experienced by 9th grade students identified as the source of obstacles the hearer experiences in getting the right message from the spoken language. spoken language has distinct characters from writen language. these differences may cause barriers in listening comprehension. eight characteristics of spoken language which are adapted from several sources (dunkel, 1991; richards, 1983; ur, 1984; in brown 2001:252-254) are as follows. the first characteristic of spoken language is clustering, that is breaking down speech into smaller groups of words. the second is redundancy like rephrasing, repetitions, elaborations, and little insertions of “i mean” and “you know.” the third is reduced forms like phonological, morphological, syntactic, and pragmatic reduction (brown, 2001: 253). the fourth is performance variables such as hesitations, false starts, pauses, and corrections. the fifth is colloquial language like idioms, slang, reduced forms, and shared cultural knowledge. the sixth is rate of delivery which indicates number and length of pauses used by a speaker. the seventh characteristic is stress, rhythm, and intonation which are very important because english is a stress-timed language. and the eighth characteristic is interaction which rules include negotiation, clarification, attending signals, turn-taking, and topic nomination, maintenance, and termination. chen’s study concerned with barriers in learning strategies in listening comprehension. she categorized listening barriers into seven categories; affective, habitual, information processing, english proficiency, strategic, belief, and material barriers (chen, 2005). these barriers are the foundation to conduct this research. method the focus in this research is students’ barriers in listening comprehension. to find out their listening barriers the research used qualitative research. as mentioned by denzin and lincoln, qualitative research involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to its subject matter. this means that qualitative research studies things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them (denzin and lincoln in gall, gall and borg, 2003, p. 24). the primary data in this research were obtained from two kinds of sources. they were questionnaire and interview. the first source of data came from the questionnaires followed by the second source that was in-depth interview with the students and their teacher to explore insight toward this research. the interview also served as a tool to cross check the data from questionnaire. the data from questionnaire and interview were the primary data which would be used as a mechanism of analysis of the barriers and the toeic test serves as secondary data to support the questionnaire. this research was conducted in a private junior high school in bandung, west java. meanwhile the participants of this research were one english teacher english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee and one class of 9th grade students which consisted of 40 students in a private junior high school in bandung in academic year 2006-2007. those students were chosen from five classes of ninth grade students. from each class there were eight representatives which were recommended by their english teachers. the 40 students were expected to represent the number of population of each class. questionnaire used in this research was a written questionnaire which consisted of thirty three items and two open ended questions. respondents were expected to record a written or typed response to each questionnaire items to find out their perception towards listening comprehension. those options are given according to likert scale (attitude scale) procedure which elicits informants’ subjective responses (wray, trott and bloomer, 1998:175). interview used for this study was a semi structured interview (gall, gall and borg, 2003) in which questions by the interviewer were based on a list of questions prepared. in this research the interviews were conducted following the interview guidelines which had been set before. six respondents were taken as sample for interview. there were fourteen pairs who were consistent with their result from toeic test 1 and 2. a pair of students who joined in consistent groups, higher, middle and lower level, were chosen for the sample. the first two students belonged to the consistent groups taken as sample for interview in this study. results and discussion from the data collection involving toeic test, distribution of questionnaire and interview to the respondent, the analysis for those data was using reflective analysis method. reflective analysis is a process in which the researcher relies primarily on intuition and judgment in order to portray or evaluate the phenomena being studied (gall, gall and borg, 2003). the primary data from the questionnaire obtained from the respondents were presented in the form of table. those tables were arranged according to listening barriers categories. eight tables of those categories were used to present data in a form of frequency distribution of the responses by using percentage formula: f p = --x 100% n p in this formula means the result of percentage, f means the number of responses, and n means the number of the whole responses (sudjana, 2001:129). identifying listening barriers concern with recognizing the obstacles or difficulties in listening comprehension found in the data from the respondents. in this case recognizing categories of listening barriers are identifying those as mentioned in chen (2005) and janusik (2006). after the process of identification, “each data was categorized into eight major categories of barriers, either affective, habitual, information processing, english proficiency, strategic, material, belief” (chen, 2005, p. 9-10) or distraction barriers (janusik, 2006). the eight categories of barriers were distributed into thirty three questionnaire statements. to obtain data from those statements, students chose the most appropriate answer according to their condition during the listening comprehension test from five options. setia muljanto analysis of barriers in listening comprehension among junior high school students the result of toeic test which was far from satisfactory indicated several barriers which might be encountered by students in listening comprehension. barriers in listening were shown by result of toeic test which was not quite satisfactory. from twenty items in toeic listening section given during the first test, on the average students could only answer about 8.5 or 42.5%. on the second test the average number of the items answered correctly on the test was 8.75 or 43.75% . the questionnaires were distributed to 40 respondents on 28th of november 2006. data from questionnaire indicated that there were several barriers students encountered in listening comprehension.to follow the classification of listening barriers, the listening barriers students encountered will be classified into; affective, habitual, information processing, english proficiency, strategic, belief, material barriers and distraction barriers. the followings are findings from questionnaires which are put into categories of listening barriers. they are put that way so that it is easier for the researcher to explain the findings. affective barriers are defined as students’ attitudes such as anxiety, distress, frustration and resistance which can influence their listening comprehension. students’ responses to affective barriers’ statements were recorded as follows. table 1. respondents’ answer to affective barriers’ item questions item s no. questions range of options 1 2 3 4 5 f % f % f % f % f % 1 i feel nervous when listening to questions in english 2 5 7 17.5 24 60 6 15 1 2.5 2 i just want to give up when listening to questions in english 7 17.5 14 35 17 42.5 2 5 0 0 3 i don’t like english lesson 11 27.5 18 45 10 25 1 2.5 0 0 4 i’m not optimistic in facing national examination because there will be listening section on the test 4 10 16 40 11 27.5 7 17.5 2 5 based on the table above, 33 out of 40 respondents seemed to be nervous during listening comprehension test (77.5%). this is in line with the affective dimension as mentioned in mac intyre and noels (1996, in chen 2005) that puts forward affective variables including anxiety, motivation, attitude, etc as aspects that affect students’ performance in listening comprehension. despite nervousness, the surprising fact was that 95 % of respondents or 38 pupils did not want to give up easily in doing the listening test. the results from the questionnaires showed that, 92.5% of respondents often lost their concentration when listening to verbal question. with regard to students understanding of individual word, the english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee data from questionnaire indicated that they still had some difficulties in this aspect. the result showed 95% of respondents were having trouble in understanding every word in listening test though they had listened carefully to the text. concerning vocabulary practice, 75% of respondents stated that if they had vocabulary practice, their burden during listening would be lessened. information processing barriers deals with students’ ability to process the information from the utterances they have heard from the speaker. the respondents found that the speaker spoke too fast. the ability in guessing the context in listening comprehension was one of important parts in listening, there were 90% of the respondents who tried to guess the context of questions by pictures during the test. this is in line with richard (1990) and rost (1994) taxonomy of general listening skills (in rost, 2002:119). english proficiency barriers concern with what students’ think of their english competences and whether these competences help them during listening test. it was found that 87.5% of respondents felt unfamiliar with the speaker’s accent in the listening test. this was also shown in chen study which indicates some of her respondents’ problems with the accent of native speaker (2002:10). in this study all respondents were having difficulties in remembering the words that the speaker was saying. there were also 100% of the respondents who recognized the words in listening test but forgot their meaning. the followings are findings from interview which are put into categories of listening barriers. they are put that way so that it is easier for the researcher to explain the findings. during the interview the teacher expressed her difficulty in teaching listening. this is mrs. saa’s excerpt of interview: “in my opinion, emm… teaching listening is so difficult because i have to emm…what is it… i have to teach to the students of how to concentrate, how to receive information, to focus on the sound while they are listening to the sound, listening (to the) material itself.”she said clearly that there are a lot of factors which caused difficulties in teaching listening materials to the students. despite barriers mentioned by respondents during the interview above and barriers stated in the questionnaire, one of the students, elr still showed her optimism in facing listening in the up coming english national examination because for her it was a challenge. the barriers related with material of listening were expressed in these following interview excerpts by san and res. san : “yes… i think (the material taught in listening classes) help a little.” res : “emm… it’s good. there’re loudspeakers (in the lab), everything that students need to listen and to speak is very complete.” apart from separate hours for listening and speaking lesson, res suggested more hour lesson for practicing listening. san added that listening material given in the language lab has proven to be useful for the students in facing listening test. the following is the example of distraction barriers that indicates that agg distracted when there were a lot of noises from other students who didn’t setia muljanto analysis of barriers in listening comprehension among junior high school students pay attention during listening test, while other student, des often lose his concentration when some students around him were asking for answers. agg : “i feel distracted when there are a lot of noises from other students who didn’t pay attention (to the listening test)” spoken english materials are actually abundant. there are tv programs like news, quizes, films, songs or other activities that use english. this is also supported by students’ answers in the questionnaire. students can actually learn from them as well as be entertained by them. chen respondents also trained themselves by listening to the news and watching movies to increase their skill in listening (chen, 2005:10). from the interview of six respondents found the applied strategies such as using music when they were practicing listening at home (res, fit and yuy). songs in english are useful for practicing english pronunciation, tone, recognizing slang words, etc. conclusion with regards to the first research question, this study supports the findings of the previous research in listening barriers. there are eight barriers that students encounter during listening comprehension. first, affective barriers, most students seemed to feel nervous but were optimistic when listening to questions in listening comprehension. second, habitual barriers, students often lost their concentration when listening to the spoken question, though they always tried to listen carefully, but they still had trouble in understanding every word. third, information processing barriers, students believed that the speaker spoke too fast during listening comprehension test and as a result they got low scores in the listening comprehension tests. english proficiency barriers, students did not understand the accent of the speaker and they agreed to the assumption that they have trouble in memorizing the words that the speaker said, they weren’t familiar with some english words, sometimes forgot the meaning of the words and felt that their english grammar knowledge is not good enough. fourth, the strategic barriers, most respondents stated that they sometimes forgot to apply the knowledge of answering listening comprehension questions and they also thought that there were a number of rules and methods to be remembered when they tried to answer the listening comprehension questions. fifth, belief barriers, some of the students felt that even though they knew they have a weakness in listening, they did not know how to overcome the problems. so, they agreed if listening comprehension test was taken out of the national examination test rather than taking a risk of failure during national examination test. sixth, material barriers, students felt difficult in getting the main idea from the text, they felt they couldn’t remember the words because they unfamiliar with the spoken text’s topic or theme, the level of the test was difficult, the text was long. but they did not feel that the materials given during listening lesson was the cause in the failure of understanding listening comprehension. seventh, distraction barriers, students agreed that handphone rings or noises from other english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee students often made them lost concentration. and further the students think that the limited school equipments as a barrier in a listening comprehension. references brown, h.d. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. second ed.; longman press. chen, y. (2005). barriers to acquiring listening strategies for efl learners and their pedagogical implications. tesl-ej, vol. 8 no. 4. depdiknas. (2003). competence standard for english subject. jakarta: indonesia ministry of education. ________. (2006). guidelines of curricullum in educational unit level (kurikulum tingkat satuan pendidikan). jakarta: indonesia ministry of education. gall, m. d., gall, joyce p., and borg, walter r. (2003). educational research: an introduction, seventh ed., boston:allyn bacon. janusik, l. (2006). listening facts. rockhurst university, international listening association (ila) journal. maxwell, j. (1996). qualitative research design: an integrated approach. thousand oak, ca: sage publication. oxford practice test for the toeic test 2. (2000). oxford: oxford university press. richards, j. c., and rodgers, theodore s. (1996). approaches and methods in language teaching. forum vol. xxv no. 4, bandung: tarsito rost, m. (1990). listening in language learning, new york:longman inc. ______ .(2002). teaching and researching listening. london: edinburgh gate, england, pearson education. sudjana, n. and ibrahim. (2001). penelitian dan penilaian pendidikan. bandung: sinar baru algesindo suryanti, y. (2002). exploring students’ difficulties in the listening class. unpublisheb thesis. bandung: indonesia university of education. rixon, s. (1986). developing listening skills. london: mac millan publisher limited underwood, m. (1989). teaching listening, london: longman. ur, penny, 1984, teaching listening comprehension. cambridge: cambridge university press. wray, alison, trott, kate and bloomer, allen, 1998, projects in linguistics: a practical guide to researching language. london: arnold references dzung trung dang incorporating a cognitive linguistics approach 92 incorporating a cognitive linguistics approach to the teaching of a selection of figurative idioms in efl context dzung trung dang faculty of english, diplomatic academy of vietnam email: dtdung0612@gmail.com apa citation: dang, d. t. (2013). incorporating a cognitive linguistics approach to the teaching of a selection of figurative idioms in efl context. english review: journal of english education, 2(1), 92-98 received: 08-08-2013 accepted: 12-10-2013 published: 01-12-2013 abstract: prodromou (2003: 43) states that “the way for a student of english to become more fluent in the language is not only to have a good command of grammar and vocabulary but also a good command of the ‘idiom principle’ and there is “the need for idiomatic competence is precisely what linguists propose for the non-native speaker”. in addition, research shows that idioms are among the biggest challenge for efl/esl learners. the aim of this paper is to shed some light on ways to deal with a selection of figurative idioms by employing a cl perspective and to suggest some pedagogical implications. the paper attempts to examine a small number of vietnamese efl learners in the use of a non cl and a cl activity to evaluate its effectiveness and learning gains. the results could be used to further explore the use of cl to the teaching of idioms. key words: cognitive linguistics, figurative idioms, corpora of contemporary, everyday, semiformal spoken american english (liu, 2003: 678). the data in the corpora are primarily the type of spoken language students learning american english as a second language will likely to be exposed to. simpson and mendis (2003) chose figurative idioms based on the michigan corpus of american spoken english (micase). micase which is freely available and searchable via the web, contains 197 hours of recorded speech, totalling about 1.7 million words in 152 speech events (ranging from larger lectures to dissertation defences, to one-on-one office-hour interactions and small peer-led study group sessions)” (simpson and mendis, 2003: 422). these two researchers found 238 idioms types (unique idioms), with 562 tokens in the corpus, that met criteria such as frequency ranges and the number of types in each range. two idioms were selected from grant (2007). these idioms introduction twelve idioms used in the current paper (see the following sections) were taken from liu’s (2003) study, simpson and mendis (2003) and grant (2007). more specifically, liu (2003: 677) used “three corpora of spoken english which include barlow’s (2000) corpus of spoken, professional american english, a corpus of spoken american media english and simpson et al.’s (2002) michigan corpus of academic spoken english”. due to the duration of a course unit, a limited number of idioms were selected from liu’s (2003: 692) study. that is – “appendix b which is the most frequently used idioms across three corpora of spoken american english (in order of frequency)”. liu (2003: 677) argues that “the corpora in combination contain about 6 million tokens and 72,402 types and constitute is the largest available spoken american english corpus to date”. in addition, all the three corpora are made up 93 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee are from the british national corpus’s figurative idioms. the above mentioned can partly answer to the question of why i chose these idioms for the current paper. besides, communicative competence is still a challenge for many vietnamese efl students. one of the reasons for this can be found in a study by tomlinson and dat (2004: 199). these researchers argue that vietnamese students are reluctant to participate in classroom interaction in english. there is the need for students to use idioms in spoken english as a way to enhance their communicative competence. prodromou (2003: 43) states that “the way for a student of english to become more fluent in the language is not only to have a good command of grammar and vocabulary but also a good command of the ‘idiom principle’. further, prodromou (2003: 43) argues that “the need for idiomatic competence is precisely what linguists propose for the nonnative speaker”. in line with prodromou (2003), yorio (1989: 68) claims that idiomaticity becomes an excellent indicator of bilingual system proficiency. in other words, idiomaticity is regarded as an indicator of second language proficiency. cognitive linguistics (cl) approach for teaching figurative idioms most of the selected idioms involve the use of imagery processing (boers and demecheleer 2001, szczepaniak and lew 2011) or visuals (irujo 1986). some of the selected idioms employ both the imagery and etymological origin (boers 2001 & boers, eyckmans and stengers 2007). the following sections discuss the teaching of selected idioms inside the classroom. the big picture the teacher can show a photo of panorama that can help students see the overview of the picture. the teacher can explain in a way that looking at the panorama students can see the overview of the picture, not focus on the detailed things. therefore, this idiom means that the overall perspective or overview of something, not the detail. fight like cat and dog the teacher shows a photo of a cat and a dog. the teacher can elicit questions and descriptions from students by asking about the relationship between these two pets. the teacher asks students to depict the relationship between cats and dogs. the figurative meaning is that argue/quarrel violently all the time, e.g.: they used to fight like cat and dog, but now they get on well with each other. chicken and egg the teacher shows a photo of chicken and egg and elicits questions from students. the teacher can elaborate the etymology (boers, 2001) of this idiom by explaining that it is commonly stated dzung trung dang incorporating a cognitive linguistics approach 94 as “which came first, the chicken or the egg”. additional information is that to ancient philosophers, the question about the first chicken or egg also evoked the questions of how life and the universe in general began. the teacher makes sure that he/she needs to go over the new words if students struggle to understand. then teacher gives an explanation of this idiom that “a situation in which it is impossible to say which of two things existed first and which caused the other”. hand in hand the teacher first presents a photo of three people shaking hands. the teacher depicts the literal meaning of hand in hand. then the teacher introduces the idiom hand in hand by taking an example: “we have worked hand in hand to obtain the best result”. in this example, the idiom means that we have worked cooperatively. go off the rails the teacher shows a picture of a train that is “going off the rails”. the teacher first asks learners to elicit possible descriptions of the train. this is to try to depict and elaborate the core/literal meaning. “going off the rails” means the train is out of control. the teacher makes sure that students know the meaning of “rail” by showing them the photo. boers, demecheleer and eyckmans (2004) found that “by associating idioms with their source domains, learners are likely to encode the items in their memory in a dual fashion, both as a verbal form and as a mental image of a concrete scene”. boers (2001: 39) explores the contribution of imagery processing (the association of an idiom with a concrete image or vivid scene). after going over with learners about the core meaning of this idiom, the teacher takes an example with such an idiom, e.g., kids often go off the rails after leaving home. this means kids lose their control or behave in a strange and unacceptable manner. over one’s head first, the teacher also brings a photo that describes the core meaning of “over one’s head”. learners are asked to depict the photo. one clue is that this idiom associates with the word “head”. the teacher can ask the question of what such as “what can you see in this photo”. one of the possible answers is that the boy cannot get the bowl held over the girl’s head because he is too short to get it or literally it is over his head. then the teacher elaborates the figurative meaning of “over one’s head”. this means it is beyond one’s comprehension or it is 95 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee hard to understand. again, elaboration of the core meaning of this idiom and associating the photo can make help students understand this idiom. on the horizon the teacher shows a photo of horizon and elicits descriptions from students. the teacher explains the literal meaning of this idiom which refers to “the place in the distance where the earth and sky seem to meet”. this idiom means “likely to happen or appear soon”. e.g., a big ship could be seen on the horizon. hit the headlines the teacher presents a photo (see appendix 2) that has lots of headlines. those headlines are all about a world celebrity’s news. first, the teacher can ask students to think of an idiom that contains the word “headlines”. the teacher introduces the idiom “hit the headlines” by explaining that all of the headlines are news about prince williams. he has received a lot of attention in new reports through the globe. shed light on the teacher can show a photo and explain the meaning of light which refers to the energy from a lamp or from the sun that makes it possible to see things. there is a relationship between the meaning of light and the idiom shed light on. the teacher can associate the meaning of light and this idiom by explaining that light can help us see things. the girl in the photo is reading a book with the aid of light (a flashlight). this idiom refers to make something clearer or clarify something. there is a loose association and a fairly clear relationship between the literal and figurative meaning. give (somebody) the green light the teacher can show a photo of the traffic light to the students. this idiom can be adopted the approach suggested by grant (2007: 180). such a dzung trung dang incorporating a cognitive linguistics approach 96 suggestion is that students are “taught the skills to recognize the untruth in the figurative and pragmatically reinterpret it to find the intended truth whenever and wherever figuratives occur” (grant, 2007: 180). the teacher can explain the purpose of the traffic light (red, green and yellow). students may be familiar with the operation of a traffic light. people can go when the green light appears. therefore, the figurative meaning of give (somebody) the green light means to give (somebody) permission to do something. students who are familiar with traffic lights are likely to figure out the figurative meaning of “give the green light”. carrot and stick (approach) the teacher shows a photo of carrot and stick to the students and elicits questions from them. the teacher makes sure that students know what the carrot and stick are by showing the photo. the teacher elaborates the etymology of this idiom. in other words, the teacher describes the original meaning of this idiom which refers to the reward of a carrot and the punishment of using a stick to encourage a horse to move. then the teacher introduces the meaning of this idiom which refers to “offer rewards and threaten punishments”. touch on/upon (a topic/issue) the teacher can show a photo of a person touching the screen of a laptop. the teacher can depict the literal meaning of “touch” and introduces touch on/upon which refers to “mention briefly or talk about something briefly”. e.g., today the teacher has touched on the teaching of idiom through the use of imagery processing. another activity that the teacher can do in the classroom is that the teacher can ask students to work in pairs/groups to make an example with each idiom. once finishing, they can swap their examples with contextualized idioms. small pilot testing i did a pilot testing in order to compare a non cl activity to evaluate the learning gains. the pilot testing involved two vietnamese efl learners. first, i taught a vietnamese efl learner by merely using verbal explanation of all the selected figurative idioms (a non cl activity). three days after the idiom teaching, this learner was asked to do a small test to see whether she could remember the taught idioms. 97 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee second, i also taught another learner the same idioms with the use of a cl approach including imagery process and etymological origin as discussed above. finally, three days after this idiom teaching, the learner was required to do another test to examine whether he could remember all the taught idioms with the use of a cl approach. in general, the results showed that the learner taught with the use of a cl approach remembered more idioms than the one with a non cl approach. in order to evaluate the effectiveness of using a cl approach and the learning gains, there is the need to design exercises and tests for learners to do. first of all, after being introduced and taught the selected idioms, learners do idiom exercises to be examined whether they could remember the taught idioms in terms of both form and meaning. four or five weeks after the idiom exercise, learners are asked to do a test which is to examine to what extent learners can also remember the form and meaning of selected idioms taught earlier. besides the learning of idioms inside the classroom, one of the activities that learners are strongly encouraged to do outside the classroom is to write a story or some paragraphs in which some or all of the taught idioms are included. once they finish, students bring their writing to the classroom for peer reading. the teacher plays as a facilitator to go ever each group to check whether learners have any difficulties regarding the use of any taught idioms. conclusion the aim of the current paper is to shed some light on the teaching of figurative idioms through a cl approach. the paper has touched on the employment of pictures and etymological origin to help learners deal with figurative idioms. it is noted that “if the pictures were not fully congruent with the source domain entailments of idioms, then the teachers “actively exploit pictures for the purpose of raising learners’ awareness of the deep semantics of idioms” (macarthur and boers, forthcoming, pp. 27). depending on each idiom, different types of investment of imagery processing or etymological origin are adopted. references boers, f. (2001). remembering figurative idioms by hypothesising about their origin. prospect, 16 (3), 35-43. boers, f., eyckmans, j., & stengers, h. (2007). presenting figurative idioms with a touch of etymology: more than mere mnemonics? language teaching research, 11(1), 43-62. grant, l. e. (2007). in a manner of speaking: assessing frequent spoken figurative idioms to assist esl/efl teachers. system, 35, 169-181. irujo, s. (1986). don’t put your leg in your mouth: transfer in the acquisition of idioms in a second language. tesol quarterly, 20(2), 287-304. liu, d. (2003). the most frequently used spoken american english idioms: a corpus analysis and its implications. tesol quarterly, 37(4), 671-700. macarthur, f., & boers, f. (in press). using visuals to illustrate the source domains of idioms: can they help learners appreciate usage restrictions too? in. c. juchem-grundmann., & s. niemeier (eds.), knowing is seeing: metaphor and language pedagogy (1-39). berlin: mouton de gruyter. prodromou, l. (2003). idiomaticity and the non-native speaker. english today, 19(2), 42-48. simpson, r., & mendis, d. (2003). a corpusbased study of idioms in academic speech. tesol quarterly, 37(3), 419441. szczepaniak, r., & lew, r. (2011). the role of imagery in dictionaries of idioms. applied linguistics, 32(3), 323-347. tomlinson, b., & dat, b. (2004). the contributions of vietnamese learners of english to elt methodology. language teaching research, 8(2), 199-222. dzung trung dang incorporating a cognitive linguistics approach 98 yorio, c. a. (1989). idiomaticity as an indicator of second language proficiency. in hyltenstam, k., & obler, l. k. (eds), bilingualism across the lifespan: aspects of acquisition, maturity, and loss (pp. 55-72). cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. 37 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the character analysis of glen hansard in once film nani rosnani thamrin department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, university of kuningan, indonesia. e-mail: erlander_s@yahoo.ci.id baran wargika lp3i course center kuningan, indonesia e-mail: wargika_baran@yahoo.com apa citation: thamrin, n. r. & wargika, b. (2013). the character analysis of glen hansard in once film. english review: journal of english education, 2(1), 37-48 received: 04-09-2013 accepted: 29-10-2013 published: 01-12-2013 abstract: this paper analyzed the characterization of talented actor named glen hansard in once film. this study employed a descriptive qualitative research design based on theories of rahardjo (1985), robert (1965), and card (1988). primary data sources were whole once scenes film directed by john carney which had low-budgeting production with two stars, glen hansard and irglova, while secondary data sources were collected from the articles related to this study. this research mainly investigated two aspects involved two character analyses of the main actor, hansard. the first one was the construction of hansard’s characters and the second one was the effect between his character and another actors’ character. the study showed that hansard’s characters were constructed by five factors: from what the character did and said, what the other characters said about him, how the appearance and its milieu were, influencing one and another.the study also found that he had struggle, visionary, ambitious, introvert, sensitive, straightforward and curious characters, but more characters that showed strong characters of his were struggle, visionary and ambitious, because the scenes reflected them more. keywords: literary works, film, character, characterizing. introduction film has an emotional and intellectual appeal that can be an exciting discipline of film studies. therefore, there is educational institution or university, concerning about examining all about film. most plays in film contain major and minor characters that always become essential part to influence the audience. then, the conflict of the story is required as the main idea to get the viewers’ attention, so the director views to create more significant influence. hawthorn (2001: 100) states “a novelist constructs a plot in a particular manner so as to draw attention to certain things which might otherwise escape notice, to product different effect upon the reader, and so on,”. similar to a film director, constructing the plot should be focused especially in constructing each character to get viewers’ attention and curiousity. in addition, klarer (1998: 57) states that film is a performing art and also dramatic genre that use actor as the major means of expression, that has visual power and needs modes of presentation such as camera angle, editing, slow and fast motion, recorded with sound that tells a story. on the other hand, the phenomenon from the first generation of people who may ever watch and know how the character in their favorite film, such as kind character, wicked, rude, friendly, etc is taken from each view film series. they watch seriously and enjoy the film till it ends completely nani rosnani thamrin & baran wargika the character analysis of glen hansard in once film 38 and they feel the goose bumps without realizing why they can break into that film, knowing what factors influencing the character construction. furthermore , they are unaware of how the one character and the other characters get and give the effect on each other. those are the basis phenomena of this study that all the factors supporting the above statement are analized. in its simple meaning, “character is one of person who appears in the play,” (rahardjo 1985: 49). in the other case, scott (1988) said that character is the complex of mental and ethical traits marking a person or the inner self of natural human being. for example, a person with a strong character quality of truthfulness is much more likely to accurately report the facts in a given situation than a person who tends to be characterized by deceptiveness. someone who has the character trait of alertness will be more likely to be a better, safer, driver than a person who does not see or recognize the potential dangers around him. a person with the character quality of tolerance will be more accepting of others less prejudiced. let see tom and jerry cartoon film. tom never gives up catching and eating jerry through many wicked ways that tom has. hence, it gets responses from the other characters to both of them. we as the viewer feel angry sometimes to tom, because what tom does to jerry is indicating the bad attitude of tom. so in this case, the character is constructed by what it does. the treatment of character is a basic part of playwright’s work. one actor has different characters with the others’, so the director can create the character related to the plot of story in his literary works such as in the film, theater, novel, or in the short story. the period and the author’s personal vision affect the treatment of character as roberts (1963: 55) states: character in literature is an extended verbal representation of a human being, specially the inner self that determines thought, speech and behavior and whereas in life things may “just happen,” in literature the actions, interactions, speeches and observations are all arranged to give you details you need for conclusion about character. from the statement above, characters in this study are the inner self of human being that can appear of their representation. thus, how the factors that contribute to create the character study and also the effects one and another characters were the main points of this study. as characters are related to the human beings, so to know what their characters are, we have to analyze the factors on how they are constructed, whether from what the characters themselves say, what the characters do, what the other characters say about them or what the author says about them and so on. based on the clarification above, this study analyzed how the character glen hansard was constructed and how the main actor’s characters affect to the other actors’ characters. method this study was carried out in descriptive qualitative method as it attempted to analyze and describe how the characterization was constructed and how the main actor’s characters affected to and got affected by other actors’ characters. the techniques of the study was related to sugiono’s (2011) theory: the first one was to analyze the main problem by descriptive observation (collecting).“descriptive observation is done when the researcher in a certain social situation as the object of the research,” (sugiyono, 2011: 315). it was the step of observation where the researcher was looking for the problem, 39 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee entering the situation or phenomena but still finding out the case that would be the main problem of the research. interesting cases were chosen before the researcher did the research analysis in the study. the second one was to choose the main topic by focused observation (describing). in this step the writer focused on one case guessed as the problem raised. it was also said as a mini tour observation focusing on one aspect. the third one was to limit the focus study with selected observation, in this step, the researcher itemized the focus study, so the data got detailed, with this analysis of componential of focus, the researcher had characteristic, the differences of categories, and the relation of them. the fourth was to continue watching and analyzing to get more supporting data (analyzing). table 1 the sample of data description no character scene time description 1 2 table 2 the characters influenced by what the character did (once film, 2007) no character scene time description 1 struggle 00:00:36 glen hansard as the dublin busker guy was singing and playing the song. his earnings were stolen and he ran to catch him. 00:10.00 the hoover was brought to be repaired by him. 2 ambitious 00:03:58 he was singing and playing the second song, the title “once” till the evening. 00:45:25 he and his friend irglova were preparing all they need for promoting his song to the one of music recording studio. 00:46:28 they recruited 3 additional players to get started recording. 00:57:29 they showed the song with their own old cd player to the music recording director. 01:10:20 all the recording songs finished during long time. 3 careful 00:25:47 he always remember what he need, included his cd player. 00:55:33 he prepared to get great recording by practicing together with his new friends. 4 visionary we can see almost all the scenes showed his performance and effort in music. 5 curious 00:13:18 he saw ignova who was singing. 6 friendly/kind 00:30:41 he was taking care with irglova by lapping her daughter to bed. 7 entertaining 00:09:50 there were many people who enjoyed with their attention. to get supporting and complete data, i watched and analyzed the case till the date were saturated. the fifth was to describe data interpretations (classifying). in this step, the writer classified and separated the data taken into each parts of analysis as shown in the table 1. after all the data and all the factors were already collected, the characters of the main actor were then concluded. thus, it enabled the researcher to find out the interaction of the characters about their recripocal affects. eventually, the conclusion was drawn, taking a short one to analyze how the result date was collected. results and discussion according to rahardjo (1988), robert (1963) and scott card (1988), nani rosnani thamrin & baran wargika the character analysis of glen hansard in once film 40 there are some factors that can guide to know how the actor in the film is characterized, such as what the character does, what the character says, what the other character says about him, how the appearance, milieu and as the additional there is what the author says about him. these were used to explain the exact characters of glen hansard as the major character in that once film. that might appear more than one character. table 2 shows the presentation of his all characters. firstly, it was about how the characters were constructed, influenced by firstly from what the character does. before explaining the description, the table of that character analyses was shown taken from what the character did as follow: in the beginning, the film was performed by a dublin busker who felt, played old guitar and sang the song very enthusiastically in grafton street, a dublin shopping district. he was shabby with the trials of performing on the street, including chasing after a heroin addict (darren healy) who attempted to steal his earnings, and then we could see then the girl’s hoover that he got to repair while he was busking on the street in the evening showed that he was struggling and ambitious to face his life, even singing was one of his hobby. moreover, from what he did we could see also his struggling when he and his friend, irglova, were preparing all they needed for promoting his song to a recording studio in dublin. they prepared the sample song, costume and kept their effort to convince his song to the music director with their own old cd player, which it turned they got the chance of free recording. beside that, the moment he recruited 3 additional players that he found them were busking on the street indicated his struggling. of course, they got started recording, and then they practiced together before, finally went to the studio. then, we could see his struggling when he guided his friends for all recording process that took long time. we could see it from all the participants, the players and the recorder looked so tired, napping on the recording controller room. on the other scene we could see a careful character when he always brought what he needed, like his cd players that he prepared on his bag to be lent to her. irglova even she did not ask first yet. also his attention to face the recording by preparing all he needed included practicing the song on his bed room with his four new friends indicated his careful character. it means that to get the best result, all should be prepared well. then, he also had visionary character from almost all the scenes, showing from his performance and effort in music in addition to his effort to find his true love. from his gesture, his curious character was also known when he saw ignova who was singing, his face seemed surprised and seemed to know more. he was also friendly and entertaining; he could busk and get more attention from the viewers who watched and danced around him. on the other scene his kindness appeared when he kept attention by lapping irglova’s daughter to bed. the second was from what the character says. it was the fact that the characterization was raised from what the character said. from the scene we could know the new or supporting facts of the character that we had known before from what the character did. here was the description table from what the character said, see table 3 below. here was the explanation of table 3 above. introvert was the other character that he had, especially when the others asked about his ex-girlfriend. for example, in the second scene as he 41 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee sang a song on the street, he was asked by irglova. the conversation was quoted, see table 4 and remember for all the conversations in this research that a was irglova and b was glen hansard. from the conversation above, it was known that he could not share about who his girl was and answered the questions just as he needed, appeared when they were in the bus and he told the little bit of the girl with the song, when it was impossible to tell directly. it table 3 the characters influenced by what the character said factor (once film, 2007) no character scene time description 1 introvert 00:07:05 he answers “no one”, when he was asked who he would write the song for. 00:20:24 he tell just the little bit of his relation with song in the bus. 01:18:00 he presented appreciation; although he felt jealous or unhappy. 2 sensitive 00:04.29 he sang a song on the street “say it to me now.” 00:08:01 he sang a song in his bedroom “all the way down.” 00:20:29 he sang a song on the bus “leave.” 00:38:53 he sang a song while saw webcam image “leave.” 3 curious 00:29:31 he asked something to irgnova in her house. 00:32:30 he asked her to hang out even that is the end of conversation. 00:11:00 he asked some questions to irglova in mini restaurant. 4 ambitious 00:46:30 he invited three of busker street to join for recording. 01:18:18 he decided to go to london. 5 visionary 00:43:10 he wanted to make a song recording. 01:14:49 he asked her to hang out even her husband said that he will come soon. 6 struggle 00:07:46 when all day he busked, he said that he worked also for hoover service. 00:21:01 he sang the song that showed he struggled to get his girl back. 7 straightforward 00:25:31 he was brave to say the something honest and apologizing. table 4 the conversation of his introvert character (once film, 2007) a : who’d you write that song for, please? b : no one. a : bullshit. where is she? b : she’s gone. a : she’s dead? b : no, she’s not dead, she’s gone. a : you love her still? b : jesus, man. indicated he was introvert. the other fact that showing introvert character appeared when he felt jealous, see the excerpt at table 5. from the conversation in table 5, actually it showed his jealous when he tried to get closer to her. he showed that he was really happy, even he was disappointed. next character that we could know from what he said was sensitive. almost all the scenes were full of the songs that nani rosnani thamrin & baran wargika the character analysis of glen hansard in once film 42 he had, such as the titles the healing has begun, say it t o me now, all the way down, falling slowly, leave, the fair city waltz, if you want me, lies, trying to pull myself away, when your mind’s made up, fallen from the sky, when your mind’s made up, falling slowly and once as the final film credits song, they could lead that he had a sensitive character, especially for his ex-girlfriend in london who he really loved, almost all the film told about her; he could not forget her and wondered to get her back from london (see the appendix for full song contents). let us see the curious character of his, at 00:29:31 scene time. he was invited to come to irglova’s house, her small apartment, where she lived with her baby daughter and her mother, who spoke only czech. he asked how to say thank you in czech when her mother said that he was handsome. then he was curious to know where her husband directly to irglova that it was known as a private thing. at 00:32:30 scene time, he asked her to hang out even there was the end of conversation. please see table 6 below. table 5 the conversation of his introvert character (once film, 2007) b : what do you have to organize? what’s, what’s that about? a : i, i spoke to my husband last night. he’s coming over. b : ah, brilliant. fair play... that’s great. i’m really happy for you. it’s good. yeah. table 6 the conversation of his curious character (once film, 2007) a : thanks for the company. b : i needed it. a : me, too. b : you don’t want to go for late coffeeor a walk or something? no? a : i can’t. see you. bye. b : see you. from the conversation in table 6 above it appeared that he could not hide his feeling, even actually he was comfortable beside her. he wanted together for more time. it indicated that he was curious. here were some questions that showed his curious character in 00:11:00 scene when he was with irglova. see the table 7. from the conversation above, asking three questions, he was curious about her life background. it indicated he has curious character. the other character that we could know was ambitious that we could indicate it from what he said. when he invited three buskers street to join for recording, he walked around the street and found them, his great effort to get his dream by inviting them to join. moreover, in the other case, ambitious character appeared when he wanted to get his girl back from london; he told it to his father after he showed his recording cd that he wanted to get his girl back from london. 43 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee visionary character was also known from what he said when he met irglova who was selling flowers on the dublin street. he said that he wanted make a recording cd and asked her to join. here was the exerpt of the conversation. please see table 8. we could see from the conversation in table 8 that he asked her to join with him in his recording. table 7 the conversation of his curious character (once film, 2007) b : so you know a bitabout music then? a : my father used to play in the orchestra back at home.he played violin. but he got arthritis then, and he killed himself. b : really? a : but before he go, he teach mehow to play piano. “it’s not so hardon the fingers,” he said. b : do you get to play much? a : hmm. no, i don’t, i don’thave a piano at home.i can’t get one in ireland;it’s so much money. i can’t afford it. b : yeah, it’s expensiveall right. table 8 the conversation of his visionary character (once film, 2007) b : i was thinking, i was thinking before i go, i want to make a recording of a few songs. a couple of the songs i was playing you, and i really liked the way you played and your singing. so, if you feel like, would you be into playing along? like what we were playing on? a : i would sing and play? b : yeah. a : i’d love that. b : really? cool. so you’d be in my band for a few days. a : yeah. table 9 the conversation of his visionary character (once film, 2007) b : where you going? a : home. b : you don’t want to come back? i’ll make you breakfast. we could listen to the cd, no? a : no. i have to go see ivonka and organize things. actually it was the way of his to get closer with her. on the other scene, it showed the supporting data of this character. the excerpt of th conversation could be seen in table 9. from the table 9, the conversation showed that he tried to be someone required by irglova by showing his effort to approach her. it was indicating that he had visionary character. nani rosnani thamrin & baran wargika the character analysis of glen hansard in once film 44 the other scene that was showing his struggling also appeared from what he said, seemingly when all day he had been busking in the street, and approached by a beautiful girl, irglova. (see table 10). from the table above, he was asked what shop he worked in and he answered that he worked also for hoover (vacuum cleaner) service. so, beside working as a busker, he also worked for hoover service. it indicated that he had hard work, and hard work was a part of struggling. the other fact of this character was also taken from his song. his strunggling character was accentuated in song lyrics. (see table 11). we could also get the value of his struggling from what the song was about in table 4.10 above, telling that he got his girl back from london after many years ago eventhough she left him and screwed some guy that she knew there. the last a straightforward character was indicated from what he table 10 the conversation of his struggling character (once film, 2007) a : what shop you work in? b : i work in a hoover repair shop. a : a hoover? b : you know, like a vacuum cleaner.whhzzz. a : you fix vacuum cleaners? b : i do. a : i have a broken vacuum cleaner. you fix it for me? b : yeah. table 11 the song’s lyric of his struggling character (once film, 2007) ten years ago, i fell in love with an irish girl she took my heart but she went and screwed some guy that she knew and now i’m in dublin with a broken heart oh, broken-hearted hoover-fixer sucker guy oh, broken-hearted hoover-fixer sucker... sucker guy one day, i’ll go there and win her once again but until then, i’m just a sucker of a guy. said. he was brave to say something honestly and apologized in the morning in the dublin street for his fault when last night he asked her to stay in her bedroom, apparently offending her. here was the excerpt of the conversation. (see table 12). from the conversation above, it showed that he tried to convince her even he knew that he had a fault. that was impolite to ask the girl who had just known to stay all the night. the third was from what the other character say about him. it was the time to know the character of glen hansard as the main actor of once film from what the others said about him. there was just a little bit of the facts that this research could find it from this term. here was the description of what the other character said about him. (see table 13). this was the explanation of table 13 above. previous data confirmed that he was struggling, and this was a supporting 45 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee fact. in the beginning of the scene, when he was busking on the street, irglova said that she always saw him busking every day. here was following excerpt of conversation. (see table 14). “i see you everyday” from the conversation above was related to his effort that busking almost every day he had. she was a florist always selling her flower passing the place where he was busking. next, it seemed that visionary was being his main character: irglova as his opponent convinced the music studio manager that he was a great and professional musician who was always serious for all his dreams. here was what the other characters said facts. see table 15. from the fact above, the speech indicated that he was really talented and came to promote his song, because his dream to be a famous musician was still breaking in himself. the last when he showed his song to his father at 01:18:00 scene, his father asked him to table 12 what the character said data (once film, 2007) b : hey.. hey...!! how’s it going? hey, where you going? i wanted to give you the cds that i made for you. i’m really... i’m just really lonely, and you’re gorgeous, and i just... i’m sorry. i fucked up. i’m sorry. i... i don’t know what to say. it won’t happen again. table 13 the characters influenced by what the other character said about him (once film, 2007) no character scene time description 1 struggle 00:06:35 in the beginning of the scene, when he was busking on the street. irglova said that she always saw him busking everyday. 2 visionary 00:45:25 the fact was taken from the conversation when they promoted his song to a music studio manager. 3 ambitious 01:18:18 when he showed his song to his father, his father asked him to get his goal and make his mother proud of him. get his goal and make his mother proud of him indicated an ambitious character that he had. his father believed that his son could get what he wanted; it was nothing if he did not believe his son in doing that. the fourth was from how the appearance: characters were found as the inner self of an actor in the particular film. moreover, the previous ways had been done; here the appearance took place to know his character, it would be one of characterizing used by a film director. it became last part of the ways to find out supporting data or the characters of glen hansard. as a matter of fact, there were some people making an assumption to another by classifying all supporting data, especially what their first sight, including appearance or body description. it seemed that he had not given full over attention to his dressing fashion. it was simple, matched with the cold weather in dublin. he always used warm coat. here were the supporting nani rosnani thamrin & baran wargika the character analysis of glen hansard in once film 46 data used to know his struggle and spirit to face the life as even he had got the problems. his elegant body and also his spirit gesture of his strapping body showed that he struggled to live in the glamour life over there. his body was still trapping even that was night, he busked attractively. activities all day did not make him tired, because exhaustion was nothing there. the last was milieu or circumstances around the character. also it was possibly meant setting used to indicate the character. it was really hard to find out the character of glen in once film taken from this term without concerning to the others aspect of characterizing. however, taken a scene of his house, struggling was found as the character of his. the secondly analysis was about how glen hansard effects and gets effect from the other characters interplay among characters was an important thing that we could see in the movie scene. due to the interaction of them, it can create the bridge on how the story becomes complex and interesting. table 14 the conversation of his struggling character (once film, 2007) a : how come you don’t play it during daytime? i see you every day. b : you know, during the day, people want to hear songs they know, just songs that they recognize. i mean, otherwise, i wouldn’t make any money. table 15 the character of his visionary character (once film, 2007) a : the quality is poor, but if we can get a professional tape, i’m, i’m satisfied that he can secure a lucrative deal. you take it home, you, you listen to it. you play it to your boss. i’m sure you can get him to approve. it was particularly in this section as the main character, glen hansard affected to the others’ characters and vise versa. like the classification in the previous part, it appeared from the scene. here were the events that could indicate effects and got effect on them. in 00:43:28 scene, he asked irglova to join him in music recording and recruiting moment at 00:46:30. on the other scene, it was also seen that they were practicing together in his bedroom to face their recording at 00:55:31. his position of musician could be not running well without a team of a band. knowing from the scene that recording process was not tracking but living, it meant that recording directly recorded all together, not one by one of arrangements. therefore, it needed more participants. when it took live recording, actually he could get it alone. yet, he believed that he needed them because they had different skills of music and it could be nice tune as combined. they as the people around him also needed him to take their talents distributed. in brief, the contribution of them was effecting of him and also for him. 47 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee conclusion the result of this research analysis that characters of the main actor glen hansard in once film are constructed by some factors, consisting of what he did, what he said, what the others said about him, his appearance and milieu or circumstances that they support each others, it means that his characters are characterized but all those factors. regarding with the findings, the analysed characters of his are struggle, visionary, ambition, introversion, sensitivity, straightforwardness and curiousity. yet, more characters showing great power of his are struggle, visionary and ambition as the scenes appearing reflect them more. glen hansard left by his girl to london, tries to be patient to get her back while he has to work as hoover service, helping his father and busking on the dublin street. he lives without his mother, only with his lovely father. so as a son, he should help the family to live. on the other scene, he has belief that he can bring his girl back from london and get his dream as the professional musician by recording in absolute music recorder place. it is supported also from his effort to be closer to the girl that he recognizes from the street, irglova. this really shows of his three major characters above: struggle, ambition and visionary. the main character glen hansard as a busker and hoover service worker also has effected the others characters to join in his life interaction. for example, three other buskers and irglova are influenced to join his way in his musical line, so they do that recording together. on the contrary, he is influenced by two women: his ex-girlfriend leaving him to london and new lady, irglova, coming in to his life while he was getting his goals. so, the result is that they influence or give and get effects each other in delivering the messages of this film. therefore, the analyses have answered both research questions about how glen hansard as the main character in once film is characterized and how he effects and get effect from the other characters. references armada (2008). cambridge advanced learner dictionary (3rd edition). cambridge: cambridge university press. downloadmoviesfree. once film 2006. retrieved september 8, 2012, from http://downloadmoviesfreee.org/ once-2006-download-movies/ hawthorn, j. (2001). studying the novel (4th edition). london: hodder headline group. hollywood movies. exclusive interview. retrieved september 5, 2012, from http://movies.about.com/od/ once/a/once052007.htm klarer, m. (1998). an introduction to literary studies. london: routledge. kpbs. (2007). once/interviews with john carney and glen hansard. retrivied september 6, 2012, from http:// www.kpbs.org/news/2007/ may/24/onceinterviews-with-johncarney-and-glen-hansard/ name, j. (2009). study guide for the ireland film once. the british schools film festival, 1-10. rahardjo, h. (1985). pengantar kesusastraan inggris. surakarta: sebelas maret university. robert, e. v. (1963). writing theme about literature (5th edition). new jersey: prentice hall. ryan, m.(2010). approaching the other through music in john carney’s film once. essaysandstudies.http:// webcache.googleusercontent. com/search?q=cache:vcpe cc925goj:www.otherness. dk/fileadmin/www. othernessandthearts.org/ publications/journal_otherness/ otherness__essays_and_ studies_1.1/sounding_different_ notes.pdf+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk accessed 31 january 201308 sari.m.a.(2012). analisis karakter dan konflik nani rosnani thamrin & baran wargika the character analysis of glen hansard in once film 48 tokoh utama dalam novel bocchan karya natsume souseki. bandung: unikom. scott card, o. (1988). character and viewpoint. cincinnati: digest books. smith, n. (2011). character analysis trip glory. retrieved june 19, 2013, from http:// www.articlemyriad.com/characteranalysis-trip-glory/ stlyrics. browse by soundtrack. retrieved june 02, 2013, from http:// www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/once/ whenyourmindsmadeup.htm subscene film. once english subtitle. retrieved june 19, 2013, from http:// subscene.com/subtitles/once/ english/116056 sugiyono. (2011). metode penelitian pendidikan. bandung: alfabeta bandung. wikipedia. once. retrieved june 19, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ once_(film) english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee symbolic and prophetic syntagmas in chinua achebe’s anthills of the savannah omowumi bode steve ekundayo department of english and literature, university of benin, benin city, nigeria email: ekuns20@yahoo.com abiola olubunmi akinbobola department of english, university of lagos, nigeria email: abiola.akinbobola36@gmail.com apa citation: ekundayo, o. b. s., & akinbobola, a. o. (2016). symbolic and prophetic syntagmas in chinua achebe’s anthills of the savannah. english review, 4(2), 181-194 received: 19-02-2016 accepted: 23-03-2016 published: 01-06-2016 abstract: this essay discusses achebe’s delineation of characters, events and use of language in anthills of the savannah (as) as symbolic and prophetic syntagmas which later manifested in some real life personalities and socio-political phenomena in africa and nigeria, the setting of the novel. the primary source of data is anthills of the savannah. secondary source and the internet were also consulted for the theoretical background and literature review. grammatical structures and literary features were extracted and analyzed to show their associative and symbolic links with real life events which occurred after 1987, the year as was published. the symbolic and prophetic syntagmas identified and their manifestations are presented with annotations in tables. the essay established that achebe uses syntagmas of utterances, events, settings and characters to symbolize and foreshadow imminent events in the novel and socio-political occurrences in nigeria and africa, a feat which stands him out as a novelist with great prophetic insight and clairvoyance. keywords: achebe, as, syntagma, prophetic, symbolic. character introduction albert chinua achebe, who died on the 21st of march, 2013, is africa’s most celebrated novelist till date. as is achebe’s fifth novel. it is set in kangan, an imaginary west african country, where sam, “his excellency,” a sandhurst-trained military officer, has ceased power in a military coup. achebe portrays the political anomy through the ordeals of three friends: chris oriko, the commissioner for information, beatrice okoh, chris’ girlfriend who is also an official in the ministry of finance, and ikem osodi, a newspaper editor, critic and activist. other characters include elewa, ikem’s girlfriend, and major “samsonite” ossai, a military officer who is notorious for stapling his victims’ hands with a samsonite stapler. tension and conflicts culminate in the assassination of ikem, toppling of the military junta, death of sam and finally the sudden and unnecessary murder of chris in a police check-point. the novel ends in the creative naming ceremony of elewa and ikem’s one-month-old daughter organized by beatrice. the girl is named ‘amaechina,’ a male name imposed on a female child, meaning ‘may the path never close.’ the essay sets out to answer the following questions: 181 omowumi bode steve ekundayo & abiola olubunmi akinbobola symbolic and prophetic syntagmas in chinua achebe’s anthills of the savannah (i) are there utterances in as that symbolize and forebode futurity and preempt future events? (ii) are there characters in as whose facsimiles later emerged in real nigerian and african life after the publication of as? (iii) are there events and scenes in as which later manifest in real nigerian and african life after the publication of the novel? (iv) what are the implications of the symbolic and prophetic syntagmas for creative writing in general and achebe in particular? the essay is based on ferdinard de saussure’s concept of syntagma and the literary concept of symbolism. saussure (1966, p. 123) asserts that “in discourse,…words acquire relations based on the linear nature of language because they are chained together… and that “combinations supported by linearity are syntagm(a)s.” saussure further says that “the syntagmatic relation is… based on two or more items that occur in an effective series”(p. 123). saussure says that “the notion of syntagm(a)s applies not only to words, but to group of words, complex units of all kinds, lengths and types (compounds, derivatives, phrases, whole sentences)” (p. 124). even though some terms in the definitions above are similar to syntax; for example, “combination of words” and “linear,” syntagma is not the same as syntax. saussure says that “not every syntagmatic fact belongs to the syntactic class” (p.137) because syntax deals with how units combine in linearity. syntagm(a)s do the same but they can be extended, as in the following extract: when you hear ikem osodi! ikem osodi! everywhere, you think his head will be touching the ceiling. but look at him, how simple he is… (as, p. 121)… ‘i never meet you before in person sir’ said the superintendent springing out from behind his massive wooden desk. ‘very pleased to meet you sir. i was expecting a huge fellow like this’ and he made a sign sideways and upward. ‘no, i am quite small. anyone who feels like it can actually beat me up quite easily.’ (as, pp. 130-131) it is impossible to analyze this text as a whole syntactically except we fragment it into individual sentences and then analyze them one after another; for instance: s v c s v o i / am / quite small…, /anyone who feels like it/can beat/me…’/, etc. however, in syntagmatic analysis, the whole structure can be analyzed as a syntagma, such that all the sentences in the text merge to form one unit, which delineates ikem, as in the schema below: 182 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee figure 1.a schema of the analysis of a character syntagma because many linguistic units which are normally the limits of syntactic analysis can be found in one syntagma, saussure states that syntactic facts fall under syntagmatic classifications. there is another part of syntagma which relates with meanings that derived from the structures or combinations of linguistic elements. saussure calls them ‘associative relations’ (p.123). richards, platt and platt (1992, p. 369) defines syntagma as “a structurally significant combination of two or more units in a language.” crystal (2009) says that “in psycholinguistics the term is sometimes used to refer to a set of associative response which people make when hearing a stimulus word…a syntagmatic associative response would be… car, …sheep following black” (pp. 470-471), as in ‘a black sheep,’ ‘a black car,’ ‘a black man,’ etc. because the structure ‘---sheep,’ ‘---man’ can be collocatively or associatively completed with the words ‘black’ or ‘white’ respectively. saussure and crystal make it clear that a syntagma can stand as a symbol which calls to mind other meanings or associations. here, the syntagmas have been given symbolic associations with historical events in real life, as shown in figure 2 below: when you hear ikem osodi… you will think his head will be but look at him, how simple he is. i was expecting a huge fellow like this… no, i am quite small. syntactic unit 1 syntactic unit 2 syntactic unit 3 syntactic unit 4 all together generate a syntagma of ikem, a character 183 omowumi bode steve ekundayo & abiola olubunmi akinbobola symbolic and prophetic syntagmas in chinua achebe’s anthills of the savannah figure 2. a schema of associative relations of syntagmas prophetic syntagmas in the sense of this essay are combinations of linguistic units and literary features in as that correspond with events that occurred after as was published. sometimes, the meaning of syntagmas can be derived by reinterpretation, juxtaposition and association with something else. for example, in this essay, some symbolic syntagmas are identified based on a consideration of history, so that they are analyzed as prophetic syntagmas not necessarily because the structures on the surface depict them as such, but because they happened many years after they had been written in as. there is a sense in which linguistic syntagma dovetails with symbolism. as a syntagma denotes or connotes something, a meaning, so does symbolism or symbol stand for something else. an on-line source (http://literarydevices.net/symbolism/) defines symbolism as follows: symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense. symbolism can take different forms. generally, it is an object representing another to give it an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant. sometimes, however, an action, an event or a word spoken by someone may have a symbolic value. for instance, “smile” is a symbol of friendship. similarly, the action of someone smiling at you may stand as a symbol of the feeling of affection which that person has for you. symbols do shift their meanings depending on the context they are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . syntactic unit 1 syntactic unit 2 syntactic unit 3 syntactic unit 4 syntagma of ikem, character in (a,s) syntagma of a true-life character: ken saro-wiwa. associative relationship 184 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee used in. “a chain”, for example, may stand for “union” as well as “imprisonment.” thus, symbolic meaning of an object or an action is understood by when, where and how it is used. it also depends on who reads them. this definition agrees with abrams and harpham’s (2009) definition of symbol as ‘a word or phrase that signifies an object or event which in its turn signifies something, or suggests a range of reference, beyond itself… often, they do so by exploiting widely shared associations between an object or event or action and a particular concept…’ accordingly, in this paper certain linguistic structures: words, phrases and sentences, and some literary features: characters, events and settings are identified and analyzed as symbolic of a number of post-as socio-political events and personalities in nigeria and africa. now, we review some views related to the discussion of syntagmatic relation in language and art works, critical comments on as and the deployment of language in as. in a work on the syntagmas of cinema, adrian miles (2000, p. 1) quotes christian metz, who is a pioneer in the use of this method, as follows: christian metz argued that the major mode of analysis for cinema (and by implication, hypertext) was based on syntagmatic relations, that is, meaning is principally developed and articulated through the expression of a partially autonomous temporary chain. ‘autonomous temporal chain’ here reminds us of the coming together of individual linguistic units in syntagmas; “for the significant narrative unit identified by metz is not the shot (the hypertext node) or the relation of one shot to another (the edit), but is in fact the larger sequential units produced by the combinations of shots” (1). miles underscores the aspect of associative relations which relates to meanings. according to him, “metz’s work demonstrates the strongly contextual nature of these syntagmatic series… the success of metz’s categories for hypertext lies not so much in their direct applicability but in allowing us to cast light on the role of syntagmatic segments in the production of meaning in hypertext” (1). miles’ essay establishes that syntagmas have a context of usage; that is, their environment or situation. syntagmatic segments have a role in the production of meanings. metz and miles’views of syntagmas correspond with our analysis in this essay, which shows that syntagmas are combinations of linguistic units and meaninggenerating segments. anita silvers (1991) applies “revisionism” to analyze as.” revisionism “is the view that in valuing art, it is essential to understand (some) historical events which occur after a work was made…” (211). silvers establishes that the knowledge of historical events could reveal that language has been used by a writer to discuss some events that will happen later. accordingly, this essay shows how achebe has used language and literary features to present some events that happened later. achebe’s literary prowess in this regard became established with his a man of the people (1996). the novel chronicles series of socio-political anomies that culminate in a military coup. indeed, shortly after its publication, the first military coup was executed in nigeria. umukoro (2009, pp.16, 22, 24) likens the incidents in a man of the people to some real political events in nigeria. ekundayo and iyayi 185 omowumi bode steve ekundayo & abiola olubunmi akinbobola symbolic and prophetic syntagmas in chinua achebe’s anthills of the savannah (2012, p. 90) discuss the prophetic nature of achebe’s as: in anthills of the savannah, for example, achebe presents the shape of things to come… the killing of ikem, the hero, forecasts the hanging of ken saro-wiwa ten years later…the birth of amaechina, which in ibo means ‘may-the-path-never-close’, foreshadows and symbolizes the rise of women to the foreground of politics and leadership in africa and nigeria. this literary forecast is being fulfilled in real african politics in the emergence of johnson sirleaf as the first female african president of liberia (p. 90). it is noteworthy that their essay briefly presents the fulfilment of achebe’s prophetic syntagmas. little did festus iyayi, a fellow writer, activist, intellectual and ken saro wiwa’s friend, know that he himself was going to be killed a year after his paper quoted above in about the same way in which chris, a major character in as, was killed. ekundayo and iyayi’s essay only makes passing comments on the prophetic nature of as using examples of two characters, ikem and amaechina while this study exemplifies ten characters and carries out an in-depth analyses of all of them in addition to those of settings, events and utterances. in a newspaper review, a critic says that anthills of the savannah is “a vision of social change that strikes us with the force of prophecy…” (usa today). here, there are clear references to the prophetic deployment of language by achebe in as. however, the article did not go further to identify and analyze the specific prophetic structures in the novel and how they have come to pass, as has been done in here. ogiovoh (2005, p. 41) establishes that achebe delineates beatrice to give readers “prophetic insight into future events and issues”, but no mention of the events are made, as in this paper. this paper analyzes the syntagmas of utterances, events, settings and characters for their prophetic relevance, paying attention to how these syntagmas have come to pass in the novel and in the larger society. in as, achebe’s deployment of utterances, events, settings and characters later correspond with the emergence of distant socio-political occurrences and personalities in nigeria and africa, a feat that marks achebe out as a novelist with great prophetic insight and clairvoyance. method the paper is basically qualitative. the primary source of data is as from which language and literary features were extracted, analysed and juxtaposed with post-as events and people in nigeria and africa in order to underscore their uncanny resemblance to each other. secondary sources and the internet were also consulted for literature review and comments on achebe’s works. the method of analysis is descriptive and explanatory. some of the syntagmas identified are presented in tables, matched with events and personalities that emerged on the nigerian and african socio-political scene after the publication of the novel. results and discussion the prophetic and symbolic utterances are identified and analyzed from morphological and collocational or syntactic perspectives. the morphological angle looks at individual lexical items and utterances that are prophetic while the collocational or syntactic deals with phrases, clauses and sentences, in addition to a discussion of events and characters as symbolic syntagmas. 186 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee name and lexical items as prophetic syntagmas some names in as possess prophetic qualities and undertones. many of these names are in the igbo language, a major nigerian language. they are presented in the table below. table 1: a table of names as prophetic and symbolic syntagmas s/n name page meaning context prophetic relevance 1 nwayibuife 87 ‘a female is also something.’ beatrice’s name at a time when her parents desired a male child. it underscores the importance of females who also possess the ability to rise up in the future. 2 nkolika 124 recalling is greatest. ikem says that the name is sometimes given to daughters for the importance of the symbolic ‘story’: “because it is only the story that can continue beyond the war and warrior.” it is a call on a people to retrace their steps, look back and re-chart the course for progress. “for the story of a people outlives the people and will have to be told at any rate.” 3 shearjashub 222 the-remnantshall-return this is a biblical allusion to the book of isaiah 7:3. the statement is a futuristic one depicting hope for israel captives and now an indictment of nigeria. 4 amaechina 22 may-the-partnever-close (structurally, it is a future wish presented in the subjunctive present). amaechina is the male name of elewa and ikem’sdaughter. ikem stands for the struggle, truth and equality. the name forecasts the rise of women in politics: the path ikem trod will not close. 5 agbata 208 this is the land where chris was killed. “…the land of droughts…the famous dusty and bustling market town of agbata.” it foreshadows drought, lawlessness, anomy and political disorder as seen to exist in nigeria in the past, present and in the future. collocational/syntactic prophetic syntagmas table 2.a table of utterances as prophetic syntagmas s/n example page structural pattern symbolic relevance 1 “we shall never be favoured with such an undeserving blessing as a ruthless dictator.” 3 there is the use of ‘shall’ in the first person to depict futurity. the verb phrase ‘shall never be favoured’ is the focal point of futurity. the statement is an irony. it is a prayer that underscores the possibility of the emergence of dictators in future, which the prayer forbids. 187 omowumi bode steve ekundayo & abiola olubunmi akinbobola symbolic and prophetic syntagmas in chinua achebe’s anthills of the savannah 2 “the future she saw unfolding so relentlessly before them would demand brutal courage not squeamishness, from the likes of elewa and herself from now on.” 170 the verb phrase ‘would demand’ denotes strong possibility and necessity. ‘from now on’ is a cataphoric reference to the continuum of the present and future. this anticipates the future active and courageous involvement of women in politics and the struggle for social change. 3 “don’t give up, whatever is hot will become cold.” 199 it is presented in analytic truth, which is truth according to nature. modal auxiliary (will) + lexical (become). the ‘mother bed-bug’ tells her children this when hot water was poured on them and they were about to give up. it symbolically or proverbially announces hope and imminent change from chaos to peace, from discomfort to comfort. 4 “after the anthem shall have been played backwards.” it is rendered in the future perfect to denote possibility. it forebodes a disruption or reversal of social and national order. 5 “you young people, what you will bring this world to is pregnant and nursing a baby at the same time.” 227 the above extract uses ‘will’ to predict the future. it is a symbolic charge to the people not to underrate the young generation, a paradoxical utterance showing the unpredictable nature of the youths. 6 “i want to remind you of that little discussion we all had after the entebbe raid. you remember? you all said then, what a disgrace to africa….remember…i said it could happen here. right here.” 15 it is presented in a conversational structure. the use of ‘could’ depicts futurity and possibility. here, achebe’s character remembers a past event and says that it can happen again and it did happen, for history often repeats itself. syntagmas 4, 5 and 6 are noteworthy here. the world that was ruled and controlled by a body of elders before has now come to be controlled by the youths who have become so innovative and trendy that they have succeeded in phasing out many stringent traditions. on the negative side, the youths have become restless, restive, violent, inordinate and unpredictable these days. hence they are likened to a woman breastfeeding and yet pregnant at the same time. the national anthem of nigeria seems as though it is being played backwards. the next section examines symbolic and prophetic events and settings. events and settings as symbolic syntagmas syntagmas of events, settings and characters are interwoven because events take place in a particular place and at a particular time, which is known as setting or locale. characters instigate or initiate events which they complete or abandon in a literary work. however, character syntagmas are examined in sub-section (3.5). 188 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 3.a table of events and settings as prophetic syntagmas s/n events page setting symbolic/prophetic implications 1 a rich lady vomits on the back of a man and cleans it up with her expensive damask head tie. 41 the beach where criminals are being executed before an excited crowd. it is symbolic and prophetic of the rich and wealthy people who have come to watch the downfall of the lowly ones being executed. the rich will also clean their mess at the expense of their wealth in public. 2 the birth and naming ceremony of amaechina. 222 beatrice okoh’s house before his friends. it symbolizes/foreshadows the rise of women in politics and activism, as it is happening now all over africa. 3 aina, buraimoh’s wife, a moslem, dances to agatha’s christian song, saying “dem talk sey make moslem no dance when christian de sing? 224 beatrice’s house, around the time amaechina is born. this foreshadows the unity of muslims and christians. it is a rhetorical question that has future significance. it may come to pass one day. 4 the coups in the novel. 222 contexts of sociopolitical power and national leadership. the coups foretells coup in africa. after 1987, the year as was published, many coups took place and are still taking place in nigeria and some other african countries. characters as prophetic/symbolic syntagmas achebe in as delineates characters whose facsimiles emerged later in contemporary events in nigeria and africa. first, we look at the major characters. major characters as symbolic syntagmas in this sub-section, major characters in the novel are analyzed for evidence of associative relationships with other personalities that have played up in real life after the publication of as. table 4. a table of major characters as prophetic syntagmas s/n character page setting/context prophetic relevance 1 sam many pages. in many scenes and events. sam is a prophetic archetype of tyranny, visionless leadership and corruption for which african military and political leaders are notorious. 2 ikem many pages. many scenes and events. he is a symbol of truth, boldness, selflessness, martyrdom, etc. he has associative relations with the late ken saro-wiwa. (see comments below). 3 beatrice many pages. many events and scenes. she symbolizes the rise of women. she has associative relations with ellen johnson sirleaf, first female president in africa, and many other great women emerging in africa. 4 chris many pages. many events and scenes. chris is a symbol of courage and martyrdom. he has associative relations, for instance, with the dastardly manner in which professor festus iyayi was shot dead in a so-called road accident. 5 amaechina 222 she was born after the death of her father, the amaechina foretells the rise of women. the name has associative relations with great african female leaders like dora akunyuli, johnson sirleaf and 189 omowumi bode steve ekundayo & abiola olubunmi akinbobola symbolic and prophetic syntagmas in chinua achebe’s anthills of the savannah protagonist of the novel, at a time kangan is in anarchy. many women who are now playing active roles in african politics and leadership. comments on major characters as symbolic syntagmas sam, the first character, is also known as ‘his excellency,’ a military tyrant and president of the republic of kangan. sam symbolises the past, present and future nigerian and african so-called leaders. many military and political leaders of africa later on exhibited sam-ism that is the concept, belief of and the fight to remain in power for ever. according ekundayo (2002, p. 41): general sanni abacha wanted to become life president and he was doing everything possible to achieve his ambition until god abbreviated his life and then abdul salami took over from him. the tactics of ‘his excellency’ in the novel is prophetic of this later ambition by babangida and abacha. apart from babangida and abacha in nigeria, we also see facsimile of sam in samuel doe, the first indigenous president of liberia. doe did all he could to force his reign on his people, but he was also murdered like achebe’s sam in the liberian civil war in september 1990. achebe prophetically reveals through sam the tragedy of leadership in present-day nigeria and africa. “his excellency came into power without any preparation for political leadership” (as, p. 12). similarly, many of our current leaders just happen upon their positions. they do not know the right step to take towards effective leadership. the same lackluster ideology, myopia, corruption at its acme and brigandage characterize/d all african military juntas and so-called democratic governments. ikem in the text has an uncanny resemblance to ken saro wiwa physically and ideologically. as at 1987, achebe creates a character that foreshadows the emergence of another personality in nigerian history in 1995. in ikem, achebe prophetically delineates ken saro wiwa. both ikem and ken saro wiwa share some physical features and professional attributes. for example, saro-wiwa is as short as ikem. ikem is a blunt and bold writer and a journalist who is on the side of the masses. similarly, ken saro-wiwa is a creative writer, television producer and activist who was bold and fearless in his attack on political anomalies. achebe’s ikem bears uncanny resemblance to ken, a man who is selfless, embodying the marxian direction of social change. he “satisfies the marxist demand that intellectuals should follow their example and lose themselves amidst the masses… he champions the common cause in his editorials, keeps an affair with an illiterate woman and rides a decrepit car” (owomoyela, 2002, p. 2) to associate with the masses. “it is through ikem osodi that achebe explores the true role of the artist in the contemporary african society” who should have vision and “direct their society in the path that it should be heading” (ojinmah, 1991, p. 99). again, the way ikem was eliminated in as in 1987 forebodes and pre-describes ken saro-wiwa’s death in nigeria. for example, ikem is first arrested and taken away: “in the early hours of this morning, a team of security officers effected the arrest of mr. osodi in his official flat… and were taking him in a military vehicle for questioning at 190 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the src headquarters….”(as, p. 169). similarly, “saro-wiwa was arrested, hastily tried by a special military tribunal” (wikipediaonlinekensarowiwa).subsequ ently, ikem is killed unjustly in baffling and inscrutable circumstances:“ikem was not just wounded but dead. he was convinced that the drafters of the government statement had deliberately chosen a phrase which was popularly misunderstood” (as,p. 170). ken sarowiwa, like ikem, was also hanged precipitously on 10th november 1995. “mr. saro-wiwa’s body was burned with acid and thrown in an unmarked grave” (reuters, 2013) in the same way ikem’s body is not found to be given a befitting burial. both the extermination of ikem in as and saro-wiwa in nigeria generated internal and external ferment and disaffection. for ikem, achebe writes that “before evening both systems, foreign and local, seemed set to start buzzing in the interest of the abducted man” (as, p. 168). also, for saro-wiwa, it is said that his “execution provoked international outrage and resulted in nigeria’s suspension from the commonwealth of nations for over three years” (wikipediaonline).in the light of this, ikem is a prophetic and symbolic syntagma who showed up seven years later in ken saro wiwa. beatrice at different instances takes up male roles and succeeds in them: “she is possessed by a need to deliver her people… and in part to fulfill her own destiny within the new dispensation that she undertakes the naming of ikem’s child” (echeruo, 2013). in liberia, a beatrice emerged in ellen johnson who “set up the truth and reconciliation commission to promote national peace, security, unity and reconciliation by investigating more than twenty years of civil conflict in the country” (wikipedia). she was able to resolve the unrest in liberia and even won a nobel peace prize for her efforts. achebe in as remarks about women thus: “let us keep her in reserve until the ultimate crisis arrives and the waist is broken and hung over the fire and the palm bears its fruit at the tail of its leaf. then as the world crashes around man’s ears, woman in her supremacy will descend and sweep the shards together” (as, p. 89). this is exactly what happened in liberia and nigeria with the likes of professor dora akwuyili who at huge risk reformed the pharmaceutical industry in nigeria. achebe’s chris is symbolic of a leader that would readily lay down his life for the helpless masses. as ojinmah (1991, pp. 98-99) puts it “chris was willing, even at the risk of his own life, to do the things he thought should be done such as protecting innocent civilians from the excesses of guntrotting men in uniform.” achebe uses him to symbolize the past, the present and the future life of courage and martyrdom that most freedom fighters, government critics and activists live. the fate of chris in the novel keeps recurring at police and army road blocks in nigeria. a recent manifestation is the catastrophic killing of professor festus iyayi, former asuu president and commonwealth literary prize winner, in a similar circumstance on the lokoja-abuja road on the 12thof november, 2013. a police van in the kogi state governor’s convoy deliberately left its lane and rammed in on the asuu (academic staff union of universities) bus in which festus iyayi and three other asuu officials were travelling. according to ebhomele (2013) in an online news report, “iyayi died at 66, in lokoja, the kogi state capital, on his way to kano for a meeting of the 191 omowumi bode steve ekundayo & abiola olubunmi akinbobola symbolic and prophetic syntagmas in chinua achebe’s anthills of the savannah asuu national executive council concerning the over-four months old strike embarked upon by the union”(n.pag). iyayi died in the motoring accident as claimed; however, his mortuary pictures later printed in the news magazine showed that he was mercilessly shot in the heart at close range just as chris was shot too. furthermore, amaechina, the girl child newly born towards the end of the novel, embodies a deep prophetic and symbolic syntagma. since traditionally, there are some roles which females are either not allowed to perform or presumed as not having the capacity to, achebe creates a situation in which a female child is given amaechina,a male name in the igbo language meaning “may the path never close,” thereby conferring on the girl child all the attributes and potentials of a man. minor characters as symbolic syntagmas few minor characters are identified and analysed as prophetic and symbolic syntagmas in table five. table 5: a table of minor characters as examples of prophetic syntagmas s/n names page setting/context associative relations 1 mad medico many pages. he is a friend of chris, ikem and sam who was deported in by the military junta in the novel. he has associative relations with patrick wilmot, the sociology scholar whom general babaginda (nigeria head of state, 1985-1993) claimed to be a spy and teaching subversive doctrines and so deported him in 1988, a year after as was published. 2 elewa many pages. she is the illiterate girl friend of ikem and mother of amaechina. she is a prophetic symbol of courage having associative relations with the masses and women coming into power. 3 agatha many pages. she is the beatrice’s housemaid who refuses to serve elewa. she has associative relations with the masses at loggerheads with one another and hardly able to unite against bourgeois oppressions. 4 elewa’s uncle 226 he is the elder to name the newly born girl child, but before he could arrive, the youths had named her. he is a prophetic symbol of dying traditions and the rise of youths and modernism. 5 the masses many pages, they are the students, taxi drivers, etc. who support ikem and chris. they are prophetic character symbols from whom good leaders, support, love and loyalty will be drawn. conclusion the essay examined the prophetic syntagmas in as using ferdinard de saussure’s concept of syntagma and the literary concept of symbolism as theoretical framework. the paper identified and analyzed some linguistic and literary syntagmas as symbolic and prophetic. the associative analysis of the syntagmas reveals striking replicas that manifested later in real life. the paper established that literature has the inherent power to predict and foreshadow with the apt deployment of language and literary features and that achebe is a literary prophet who deployed his clairvoyant literary prowess to invest his characters, events, settings and grammatical structures with prophecies and symbolisms for nigeria and africa. the prophetic syntagmas used in the novel portray and confirm achebe’s literary clairvoyance and prophetic insight. 192 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee references abrams, m.h, & harpham, g.g. (2009). a glossary of literary terms. 9th ed. boston: wadsworth. achebe, c. (1987). anthills of the savannah. ibadan: heinemann. achebe, c. (1966). a man of the people. london: heinemann. ademosun, f. (2013). festus iyayi: assassination or accident?. sahara reporters: news and reports. 3 nov. 2013. retrieved from the web. 13 mar. 2014. chandler, d. (2007). semiotics for beginners. retrieved from http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/docu ments/54b/semiotic.htm. 13 feb. 2013. crystal, d. 2009. a dictionary of linguistics and phonetics. oxford: blackwell. ebhosele, e. (2013). outrage over killing of festus iyayi by police escort truck in kogi governor’s convoy. retrieved from sahara reporters. 13 mar. 2014. echeruo, m.j.c. (1998). chinua achebe’s anthills of the savannah: post-history and biblical example. theoria: a journal of social and political theory. 91, 66-86. ekundayo, s. b. (2002). total literature in english (2nd ed). benin: nobel publishers. ekundayo, s.b., & iyayi, f. (2013). the place of literature in individual and national development. journal of the literary society of nigeria (jlsn).5, 83-93. miles, a. (2000). hypertext syntagmas: cinematic narration with links. journal of digital information 1.7, 1-2. ngara, e. (1990). the place and significance of anthills of the savannah, pp. 247-263. in edith ihekweazu ed. eagle on iroko: selected papers from the chinua achebe international symposium 1990. ibadan: johnmof. ogiovoh, e. e. (2005). multiple points of view and the fight against oppression in achebe’s anthills of the savannah. long essay. university of benin, ojinmah, u. (1991). chinua achebe: new perspectives. ibadan: spectrum. okafor, k. (1990). the quest for social change: reformation or revolution. eagle on iroko: selected papers from chinua achebe international symposium 1990. ed. edith ihekweazu. ibadan: johnmof. owomoyela, o. (2002). discourse on gender: historical contingency and ethics of intellectual work. west african review, 1-12. reuters. (2009). ken saro-wiwa. the new york times. capital one 360. retrieved from the web march, 2013. richards, j.c., platt, j., & platt, h. (1992). longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics. london: longman. saussure, de f. (966). a course in general linguistics. trans. wade baskin. new york: mcgraw hill. silvers, a. (1991). the story of art is the test of time. the journal of aesthetics and art criticism 49(3),211-224. usa today. 20072013. product description. amazonfresh. retrieved from the web. 4 feb. 2015. umukoro, s.o. (2009). literary criticism, scholarship and national development. 18th inaugural lecture of the delta state university. abraka: delta state university press. wikipedia: ken saro-wiwa. retrieved from <http://en.m.wikepedia.org/wiki/ke nsarowiwa>12 march, 2015. wikepedia: ellen johnson sirleaf. retrieved from wikepedia <http://en.m.wikepedia.org/wiki/ell en_johnson_sirleaf>12 mar. 2015. 193 194 167 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee applying cognitive code towards indonesian efl learners’ writing competence improvement ita juita department of research and development, the association of indonesian scholars of english education (aisee), indonesia e-mail: itajuita2@gmail.com apa citation: juita, i. (2014). applying cognitive code towards indonesian efl learners’ writing competence improvement. english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 167-173 received: 15-03-2014 accepted: 27-03-2013 published: 01-06-2014 abstract: this classroom action research (car) presents a research for solving the student’s problems in writing class by using two cycles of kemmis and mctaggart. in this car, there are three crucial instruments. they are students’ learning journal to know what the student’ map thinking which is related to the cognitive code and the writing material, researcher’ journal and questionnaire. the students’ problems in writing subject happen in one class of english department of the university of kuningan, west java – indonesia. the learners find it difficult to process words into sentences. applying cognitive code in this car is the strategy, with the purpose to know what the students need by asking them to use some tools such as student’s learning journal, thus the students are able to tell their difficulties based on their learning experiences in class. cognitive code looks students or learners as thinking being and learn based on their learning experience. the students’ writing competence in the beginning of this research is 40, meanwhile, after applying cognitive code as the method of teaching learning process, the class average gets 64.5 in the post test. thus, the normalized gain to measure the students’ writing development is on number 0.7, it means the students’ writing improvement is moderate. the students’ attitude toward cognitive code is taken from rating scales is 82%. based on the data, it can be concluded that cognitive code is effective method in teaching writing. keywords: cognitive code, writing competence, learners’ errors cognitive code looks students or learners as thinking being and learn based on their learning experience (hutchinson and waters, 1991). this definition is also explained by heo, et al (2011), a cognitive approach is a way to learn and human development emphasizes on mental or internal factors. a cognitive aspect also has greatly influenced on understanding of factors in language learning. by knowing the students’ mental and knowing their needs, it is able to help the teacher in helping students’ lack especially in writing as a focus of this study. olson and land (2007) stated that in teaching a language especially how to write, the teacher should use a cognitive introduction learners’ errors in english as a foreign language in indonesia is encountered by them in using the language. these errors in writing subject happen in one class of english department, the university of kuningan, indonesia. the learners find difficulties to process words into sentences, so the researcher needs a strategy to solve the problem. applying cognitive code in this class room action research (car) is the strategy, with the purpose to know what the students need by asking them to use some tools such as student’s learning journal, thus the students are able to tell their difficulties based on their learning experiences in the class to the teacher. ita juita applying cognitive code towards indonesian efl learners’ writing competence improvement 168 strategy and the strategy is explicitly learned. providing a lot of discussion, modeling, guided practice and metacognitive reflections are implemented. these strategies will also apply in the researcher’s object research, in one class at private university above. according to alwasilah (2011), the teaching learning process (tlp) will not be successful if the teacher just masters the materials but not masters the practice of learning process it self, such as in choosing a suitable method or technique in tlp in the class room. thus by using cognitive approach in this research, the teacher is able to create a great opportunities for students to think creatively and freely in their writing. learning is cognitive and linear area in which a learner processes an input, an interaction, and produces a language (kite, 2009). thus, researcher assumes that cognitive code is a suitable learning theory which is able to apply in teaching language, especially in writing subject because in this approach, the researcher is given technique how to face a class and how to transfer new knowledge by knowing cognitive process of the students which explained in cognitive code. actually, the key to sucessful language learning and teaching lies not in the analysis of the nature of language but in understanding the structure and processes of the mind (hutchinson & waters, 1991). so that seeing the characters of this nss at the university who are passive and have low potential in improving their foreign language acquisition, researcher uses cognitive code as the approach. the appropriate theory of learning that can be applied based on the problems is theory of cognitive code. in this theory, a teacher takes the students to be an active information processor or we can call it student centre learning, the basic teaching technique in cognive code will apply in object of research is the problem solving task (hutchinson & waters, 1991). writing is not an easy activity (pinter, 2006). a writer needs a fresh state of mind to be able to pour all their writing skills. so with cognitive code method, students have a great opportunity in writing in accordance with their creativity. it is chozen because not only students’ writing skill which is still poor, but also their interest is still poor in writing english. by applying cognitive code the teacher in this research does not force students to write what the teacher wants but just give a genre and simple explanation of it before, so that about the content it is back to the students’ interest. writing is a text (halliday & hasan, 2004). text refers to any instance of language, in any medium, that makes sense to someone who know the language (halliday & hasan, 2004). the text is used in this research is arguing or argumentative text. text can be formed becomes an essay. an essay is a short collection of paragraphs that describes facts, opinions, and ideas on a topic, and an essay also usually has three to ten paragraphs (folse et al., 1999). so, by applying cognitive code as a method or approach in tlp at class, the students are hoped to be able to master english especially in their writing competence by using theory of learning cognitive code actively. method the type of action research in this researcher is practical action research. practical action research is intended to adress a specific problem within a classroom, school, or other comunity. it can be carried out in a variety of setting –educational, social service, or business (fraenkel & wallen, 2006). in this case, the researcher focusses on educational or more specifically is class room action research (car). 169 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee car is examined the impact of learning theory of cognitive code toward students’s writing competence. a pretest and post-test use to determine subject’s achievement growt. design or model in this classroom action research uses design action research of kemmis and mctaggart. the design can be seen on figure 1. figure 1. a cycle of action research (adapted from kemmis & mctaggart, 1992 as cited in fraenkel & wallen, 2006). the students in this object of research is in one class consist of 25 students of english department of the university of kuningan, indonesia . writing is a subject which is focused to be improved. according to design car of kemmis & mctaggart, the duration of the research is done in at least two cycles. one cycle is obtained from three to four meetings. so to finish this research, the researcher takes at least seven meeting. the data resource of this research is from primary data. besides, both quantitative and qualitative, the data is also collected during this research by using some journals. the researcher uses two kinds of data collection instrument in this research, those are researcher completes and subject completes (fraenkel & wallen, 2006). in the researcher completes, there are rating scales, interview schedules or questionnaire and observation form. whereas, the subject completes are taken from pre-test and post test. in these test, the teacher uses the same instruction. it is asking the students in writing class to make an argumentative text in one hour with at least consist of three paragraphs. the students do not allow to take any sources in the book or even in the internet. in scoring and correcting both pretest and pot-test the researcher does it with the team. there are two assessors. they are the lecturer in this university. the writing assessment which used the team, adopted of heaton (1990): table 1. format of writing assessemant 55 44 33 22 11 generic structure xx grammar xx vocabulary xx mechanics cx fluency xx relevance xx total 17 for pairing both pre-test and posttest, the researcher uses the normalized gain which developed by hake (meltzer, 2002) to see the percentage of the students’ writing improvement. see the following formula: table 2. the normalized gain gain score interpretation g > 0,7 high 0,3 < g ≤ 0,7 moderate g ≤ 0,3 low results and discussion the following are the calculation of students’ achievement in the pre-test by asking all of students in one class to make an argumentative text in one hour. the writing assessment of the test is taken from heaton (1990). ita juita applying cognitive code towards indonesian efl learners’ writing competence improvement 170 table 3. the recapitulation of pre-test average 440 min 223 max 660 median 440 modus 45 according to the table, it shows that the students’ writing competance in pre-test is still low because the average or mean only 40, median 40 and the mode is 45. while the minimum score for getting c-a in writing 2 of this university is 65-75. so the data shows almost students in this class are not able to write an argumentative text well. the assessor considers of generic structure, grammar, vocabulary, mechanics, fluency and the relevance of the text. the following are the calculation of the scores of the students in the post test. in this post test, the researcher or the teacher uses the same direction with the pre-test, asking the students to make an argumentative text. the teacher also uses the same evaluation of it, focus on the generic structure, grammar, vocabulary, mechanics, fluency and the relevance of the text. table 4. the recapitulation of post-test average 664.5 min 447 max 881.5 median 663 modus 663 the data above shows that the students’ competition in writing is getting better than the pre-test. it looks from the score enhancement which is increase 38% of the pre-test. the average of this post test is 64.5 with the higher score is 81.5, it means, it is better than the pre-test. the improvement of students’ achievement also can be proven by using the normalized gain (g) with is compared the pre-test and the post-test: according to the table 3.3, if g > 0.7, it means the improvement of teaching learning process to get the goal of learning is high, meanwhile if 0.3 < g ≤ 0.7, it means moderate in improving students’ ability in getting the target score. and the last, if g ≤ 0.3, it shows the improvement of students’ quality with using the teacher’s method is low. so that, according to the normalized gain criteria in table 3.3, the improvement of students’ writing skill after getting treatment by using cognitive code as the teacher’s method in tlp is moderate. because of the g is 0.7 or 0.3 < g ≤ 0.7. so, the researcher is able to state that cognitive code is a good enough method in improving students’ writing skill. in this classroom action research, the researcher provides questionnaire as one of instrument is used to get the students’ attitude toward the researcher methods in tlp. this questionnaire consists of five questions with 5 intervals and it is examined by using rating scale method. these questions divide into two kind of attitude aspect, it is cognitive and affective aspect. the researcher gives the questionnaire to the 19 students in researcher’s class, with the aim for responding the researcher’s method (cognitive code) in teaching learning process toward the students’ writing improvement. here is the table of the students’ attitude result: table 5. table of the students’ attitude total respondent 19 total question 5 option/ question 5 result from all questions 399 171 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee option in each question and the score: 1. strongly agree 5 2. agree 4 3. uncertain 3 4. disagree 2 5. strongly disagree 1 table 6. class interval interval class number interval 1 95 – 171 2 172 – 248 3 249 – 325 4 326 – 402 5 403 – 479 95 172 249 326 403 – 479 strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree strongly agree according to the data, the result of the students’ attitude toward cognitive code which the researcher uses in the teaching writing is 399. it means the students’ attitude toward cognitive code in improving their writing skill, is agreed of the students or 82% of respondents of this questionnaire agree because the score is 399, it means the result of the questionnaire is in interval 326 – 403 with the statement “agree”. this result is based on the students’ cognitive and affective aspect. however, the researcher is also going to explain every aspects of both influence of cognitive code toward the student’s cognitive and the student’s affective below: in the questionnaire, the researcher inserts three questions (no 1, 2, 3) related to the students’ cognitive aspect. if all of students give highest point in the three questions, so the total is 284. but according to the data, total for the students’ cognitive attitudes cognitive code method is 239. it means that the students’ cognitive increase 84% after the teacher applies cognitive code as the method in tlp. meanwhile, for measuring the students’ affective the researcher gives two questions in the questionnaire (no 4 and 5). based on the data scoring for improving the students’ affective attitudes cognitive code as the researcher method in teaching writing is 160. while, the maximal score if all of students give the highest score for each question the total is 190. thus, the percentage of improvement the students’ affective after the teacher applies cognitive code as the method in improving the students’ writing is 84%. this percentage is the same with the students’ improvement in their cognitive aspect. conclusion in applying cognitive code, the teacher provides opportunities to the students in expressing their opinions, critical thinking, and shows the students’ prior knowledge related to the material be discussed. thus, in addition to opening big opportunities to the students to be active learners, these ways also help the teacher to measure the students’ ability in the subject and assist the teacher to find out the solutions of the students’ problem in tlp. in this car the researcher uses some instruments research related to the cognitive code in writing class. they are students’ learning journal and the researcher journal. it is effective to help both students and the teacher in achieving objectives of learning in the class, in particular argumentative writing competence. beside that, the researcher ita juita applying cognitive code towards indonesian efl learners’ writing competence improvement 172 provides the other instruments such as questionnaires and tests. after about 2 cycles of the research, learning outcomes can be seen from the figure obtained through the acquisition of the post-test. in the post-test, the average grade has improved from 40 in the pre-test to 64.5 in post test. to see the percentage of students’ writing improvement, the researcher uses normalized gain. therefore, the normalized gain in comparing the pretest with the post-test is 0.7. it means that the percentage of the students’ writing is moderate. this number can be proven that the method enables students to improve their writing competence. the success of this method is also directly proportional to the questionnaire given to the students, based on the questionnaire that has been processed. it is stated that more than 82% of the students like the techniques or methods of this research in improving the quality or competence of the students in writing. it means that almost of the students interest the cognitive code as a method of tlp in the class. moreover, by using the method of cognitive code there is good improvement in students’ activeness in class discussion. it is caused of process and strategy in cognitive code approach. the strategies are asking a lot of questions, monitoring, discussing and reflecting the tlp to the students. in conclusion, after applying cognitive code there is good improvement in students’ writing, in that they are able to produce an english writing better. in addition, the students’ enthusiasm gets improving, caused by the cognitive code approach making the students to be an active processor. they also explained that to successful language learning and teaching is in understanding the structure and processes of the mind. this research provides a lot of discussion and many tools to monitor the students’ thinking way. the improvement of students’ ability in writing and the enhancement of the students’ attitude have proven that the cognitive code is good method to be applied in writing class. references alwasilah, a.c. (2011). pokoknya action research. bandung: pt kiblat buku utama. folse, et al. (1999). great essay. new york: hougthon mifflin company. fraenkel, j. r & wallen n. e. (2006). how to design and evaluate research in education. new york: mcgraw-hill companies,inc. halliday, m. k. et al. (2004). an introduction to functional grammar. new york: oxford university press inc. heaton, j. b. (1990). writing english language test. new york: longman inc. heo, et al. (2011). piagets egocentrism and language learning: language egocentrism (le) and language differentiation (ld). finland: academic publisher manufactured in finland. vol 2, no 3, pp. 733-739. retrieved on 7 january 2014 from http://www.google.co.id/ url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=w eb&cd=1&ved=0ccsqfjaa&url=htt p%3a%2f%2fojs.academypublisher. com%2findex.php%2fjltr%2farticle% 2fdownload%2f0204733739%2f3204& ei=_pesu6ogdtc uateoygqbq&usg =afqjcnfnwhdx0amxjsjr4si3yizn ua-x0w&bvm=bv.68445247,d.c2e.. hutchinson & waters. (1991). english for specific purposes. new york: cambridge university press. meltzer, d.e. (2002). the relationship between mathematics preparation and conceptual learning gains in physics: a possible “hidden variable ”in diagnostic pretest scores. a journal of american association of physics teacher. retrieved from http://o jps.aip.org/a jp/. retrieved on may,11th 2014. olson, c.b & land, r. (2007). a cognitive strategies approach to reading and writing instruction for english language learners in secondary school. a journal of research in the teaching of english: volume 41, no 3. online [available]: http:// www.nwp.org/cs/public/download/ 173 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee nwp_file/8538/booth_olson,_carol,_ et_al.pdf?x-r=pcfile_d. retrieved on january, 24th 2014. ormrod, j.e. (2009). psikologi pendidikan. jakarta: erlangga. pinter, a. (2006). teaching young language learners. new york: oxford university press. sundem, g. (2007). improving student writing skills. hungtinton beach: shell education. yuko, k. (2009). language learning perspectives: language and cognitive models. retrieved 7 january2014 from: http:// www.chat.kansai-u.ac.jp/publications/ tr/v6_2.pdf. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 93 conceptual variations on reading comprehension through higher order thinking skills (hots) strategy nani ronsani thamrin english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kuningan, indonesia e-mail: nanironsani.thamrin@gmail.com silvia agustin english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kuningan, indonesia e-mail: silvia.nitsuga@gmail.com apa citation: thamrin, n. r., & agustin, s. (2019). conceptual variations on reading comprehension through higher order thinking skills (hots) strategy. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 93-100. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1777. received: 22-01-2019 accepted: 16-04-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: thinking capability is the most significant aspect in educational process. as every student has his own distinctive method of thinking, he will then possess his learning concepts. being a critical thinker means they have to be able to think more critical than any other people, by practicing their skills through comprehending the material and the content of the text. therefore, this paper discusses the phenomenon of conceptual variations on reading comprehension through higher order thinking skill (hots) strategy in universitas kuningan and describes how the hots strategy improves the students’ skills in comprehending the academic reading text. the data collected from a classroom observation and interview were analyzed qualitatively by using categories formulated based on theories related to hots strategy. as a result, it was found that various concepts on reading comprehension are seen from the c1-c6 phase of hots strategy and critical reading. this indicates that most students have higher order thinking skills in comprehending the text in critical reading class. finally, the findings are expected to be references for english teachers in implementing various teaching strategy. keywords: critical reading; higher order thinking skills; reading comprehension. introduction the need of learning reading is increasing along with the needs of students to acquire information during their study. the mutual relationship between students’ academic reading skills and educational achievements involves the four basic skills. these include reading, writing, critical thinking, oral presentation, and media literacy, which involve receptive and productive skills of students (tinto in hermida, 2009). as receptive skill, reading becomes the most necessary skill to get information for students since the reading courses which are explained by teachers in classroom is not enough. there are benefits of teaching reading that provide good models for english writing (harmer, 2007). however, to teach this skill, teachers need to improve methods instead of lots (lower order thinking skill) to enhance students thinking skills. anderson and krathwohl (2001) categorized level of reading and cognitive development into six level and changed the terms from lots to hots which is started with remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. the implementation of hots in classroom would be beneficial for both students and teachers as well. this research proposed the description of students’ conceptual variations on reading comprehension through hots strategy as well as the improvements of the skills in comprehending the academic reading text using hots strategy. this research also deals with critical reading (cotrell, 2005), the steps of hots strategy (anderson & krathwohl, 2001), and the concepts related to hots. hots strategies usually required for those who want to develop their thinking skills. therefore, good readers need higher order thinking strategies to think of, and direct their perception before, during and after reading the passages. beneath all, students need to acquire the hots strategy to improve their abilities in thinking process instead of thinking simply of the passage they read. upon even strategies of hots, here is a detail information on how the strategies of hots is applied according to seif (2012). first, giving high questions during reading activity. giving questions is defined by nani ronsani thamrin & silvia agustin conceptual variations on reading comprehension through higher order thinking skills (hots) strategy 94 hendricks et al. in seif (2012) as a strategy in order to help students to improve their reading skills to deeper thinking and learning for grasping the content of the text. thus, teachers should give higher-order questions related to the text during reading activities in the classroom. the questions are prepared by the teachers and given to the students during the reading activity by stopping at intervals and proposing the questions directly to the students. this activity is in line with the theory of directed reading proposed by haggard in seif (2012) that questioning can be facilitated with the directed reading-thinking activities approach (drta). this strategy is believed as a way on how to improve students’ thinking skills in reading activity. as supported by raphael in seif (2012) that “a question-answer relationship (qar) technique has been linked to improve students’ reading comprehension after reading.” second, making inference related to reading between lines strongly. students could be trained to utilize the illustrations, graphs, and headline from the text to create inferences. generating conclusion is closely to the description of making inference. according to doff in seif (2012), we can engage our experience to the reading passage based on our experience, otherwise we can imagine ourselves being on the stories that serve much experience, so that we can feel and grasp the meaning that author’s mean from the text. third, teachers take very important role in every single program of education. seif (2012) stated that teachers expose the student to be more aware of the material they learn from the very first place, should not talk too much, improve certain strategies to cultivate thinking behavior, use media, ask question regularly, and break the classroom into the small groups to work on the more specific task. therefore, this is perhaps an effective way to train students to think without noticing it. cotton in seif (2012) suggests that teachers need to utilize various instructional approaches to develop thinking skills and to enhance students’ knowledge and thinking skills by using generating questions, redirection and reinforcement in order to achieve the goal. besides, the questions proposed by the teachers must be higher-order questions and of course teachers need to be patient to wait to the students’ responses. furthermore, anderson and krathwohl (2001) developed the bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive objectives by categorizing it into six phase, starting from c1 to c6 – remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating. the name of these six major categories were changed from noun to verb forms. as the taxonomy reflects different forms of thinking of every individual regarding the problems they have. besides, thinking is an active process so that verbs are used rather than nouns. this is one of the reason why anderson made an adjustment to bloom’s taxonomy terms. figure 1 describes the change of the bloom’s taxonomy into anderson’s. bloom’s taxonomy anderson’ taxonomy figure 1. the comparison of bloom’s taxonomy and anderson’s taxonomy english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 95 the c1 phase, remembering, includes recalling information, recognizing, listing, describing, retrieving, naming and finding which all belong to the input process (receptive skills). the students commit this phase in the first time they get information by listening or reading. after they have been exceeded the c1 phase, they go through the next phase, c2, understanding. this phase presents the process of explaining ideas or concepts, interpreting, summarizing, paraphrasing, classifying and explaining the content of the information. c3, applying, represents the using of information in another familiar situation. it includes implementing, carrying out, using, and executing the information got in any other particular situation and conditions in appropriate ways. c4, analyzing, is going to break the information into parts to explore their understandings and the relationships of the information they received. this phase includes comparing, organizing, deconstructing, interrogating, and finding. c5, evaluating, reviews the justification of decision or course of an action. it includes checking, hypothesizing, critiquing, experimenting, and judging every information they received from any sources. finally, c6, creating, is the process of generating new ideas, products, or ways of view things. it includes designing, constructing, planning, producing, and inventing. the phase of c1 to c3 belong to lower order thinking skills, meanwhile the rest, c4 to c6 is higher order thinking skills. in short, the main purpose of hots is that the students are able to collect the information, categorize it, and generating new ideas to be implemented in any other situations they have, beyond the classroom or any other occasions. method this study intends to find out students’ conceptual variation and to describe the improvements of students’ skills in reading comprehension through hots strategy in critical reading. it is largely qualitative descriptive meaning that this study is fully describing the phenomenon that happened in the classroom. this study was conducted in a critical reading class in universitas kuningan. two class of fourth semester students were involved in this study. 28 students in class a consists of 8 male students and 20 female students; they are in range of 18-25 years old. meanwhile, 27 students in class b consists of 9 male students and 18 female students; they are also in range of 18-25 years old. the students were selected since they have taken reading subject in the previous semester. thus, the students have known the basic knowledge about being a good reader and the function of reading activity along their study as well. the data collected by applying a classroom observation and interview were then analyzed qualitatively by using categories formulated based on theories related to hots strategy. there are 8-10 meetings observed and 37 students were interviewed by using burke’s reading interviews’ guidelines (2005), ifanc and wales (2010), and burns, maki, and karrich (2013). the interview guidelines depict the information on how students’ behavior in reading the passages and how they comprehend the content as well as how they implement higher order thinking skills on reading comprehension in critical reading class. in assessing student’s capability in higher order thinking, the researcher uses the indicator of assessment adapted from lewy and aisyah (2011) as presented in table 1. table 1. categories for assessing higher order thinking skills student’s mark level of students’ higher order thinking 100 76 excellent 75 51 good 50 26 enough 25-1 poor (adapted from lewy & aisyah, 2011) the level of students’ higher order thinking is categorized by the result of the test conducted during the mid-term and final exam. the researcher has got the permission from the lecturer to take the result of the test to be the standards of determining students’ hots. in analyzing the data, the researcher uses steps of analyzing qualitative data proposed by yin nani ronsani thamrin & silvia agustin conceptual variations on reading comprehension through higher order thinking skills (hots) strategy 96 (2011) which include; compiling: the researcher sorts the collected data from observation, interview and filed-notes; disassembling: the researcher breaks the data into more specific or smaller pieces. in this case, the research tries to classify the data into several aspects of hots level and critical reading skills; reassembling: the researcher depicts the data and serves it into graphic or tabular forms; interpreting: the researcher describes the collected data and analyzed it by using her own interpretation and assumption supported by theories; and concluding: the research concludes the result of the research which is proven by the data and theories. results and discussion from the observation, it is found that the lecturer has already implemented the hots strategy in critical reading class and made the students have the conceptual variation on reading comprehension. there are two types of major cases of the students along the learning activities in the classroom, they are the steps related to the critical reading and the concepts related to the hots. these two major cases involve the hots implementation in order to create good atmosphere and to achieve the learning goal effectively. students’ conceptual variation of reading comprehension based on the observation and interview, it is found that students were able to apply the hots strategy in their critical reading activities in the classroom. students’ conceptual variation can be seen in the following. the critical reading applying critical thinking in reading activity is a very important aspect to develop the students’ capability in catching the sense of the text. critical reading is not the same as the other kinds of reading, like skimming or scanning the text, but rather using the higher thinking skills. this is the useful strategy to the information placement and enhance a general feel of the subject. anyhow, it is usually found in narrower reading material. critical reading, as cotrell (2005) stated, “requires the students to focus their attention much more closely on certain parts of a written text, holding other information in mind”. thus, it is obvious that the students need to pay more attention and focus on what their reading order to get the meaning of the context of the reading passage by holding the information. it not only relies on the students’ reading capability, but also involves the analysis, reflection, evaluation and making judgements (cotrell 2005). it means that the students are expected to be able to analyze the text, reflect it to their life, evaluate and make judgement based on their opinion and life experiences which need higher order thinking skills. the implementation of hots strategy can be proved since the lecturer conducted some prominent characteristics of critical reading in her teaching activities. those were in the first activity on march 13th, 2018 at 01.00-02.30 p.m. to the last meeting on may 15th, 2018. first, the student can predict what the text was about and also gave their logical reason although the prediction was not the same as the content of the text and reconnect it with their prior knowledge and previous experiences which help them in making prediction. it is in line with rauch et al. (1968) in seif (2012) who stated that prerequisite knowledge or prior knowledge would be helpful for someone to get started to read the text; conversely he would get some trouble along the reading activity, such as being confused and strange. the difference of prediction and the content of the text was also shown in following interview script. interviewer : now, we’re beginning to the predicting, summarizing, etc. for prediction, do you ever try to predict of what will the text talk about before you read the text? student 3 : i am more likely to the story, for example emmmm the disney story was all about the happy ending right? if the disney, the middle of the story was like this, for example, so the ending must be happy ending. so, the prediction about the film was not really far from that, that will be happy ending. but, not all of them like that nowadays.” however, the different prediction and the content of the text was shown in different class in which the meeting was conducted on tuesday, march 20th, 2018 at 01.00-02.30 p.m. the text was about the chitchen itza, a historical place in mexico which was taken from the internet. the student predicted that the place was in asean country, but it is located in mexico. they also found some difficult words and it became a barrier to them in grasp the content of the text, such as the word of “settlement”, “tribes” & “sculpture”. they need more time to understand the content of the text as well as to identify the english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 97 text because they need to find the meaning of those difficult vocabularies. second, the students used their skills in constructing meaning from instructional messages, including oral, written, and graphic communication (c2-phase 2) and applying a procedure to a familiar task (c3-phase 3) by summarizing the text and retell it to their friends in the classroom in two or three sentences. the article about developing tourism spot in jogjakarta was taken from jakarta post entitled “four destinations in yogyakarta to be revamped”, posted on sunday, march 25th 2018 at 08:01 a.m. here, the students presented to their friends that “indonesian have to develop and increase the number of the tourists to visit the other spot in jogjakarta, beside borobudur temple as the popular icon, so that indonesia can promote its natural tourism sites that spread in all of the region.” most of the students could summarize the content of the text and retell their summary to their friends in two or three sentences. this is shown in the following interview script. interviewer : could you re-explain to your friends about what have you read? student 1 : it depends on the text, if it is easy to understand so i can do it. interviewer : for example? student 1 : ya, for example the news that i have knew before. so, because i understood, i can directly retell the news to my friends. but, if the news was unfamiliar, i don’t dare to do so. interviewer : if you are asked to re-explain the text in one or two sentences, could you do that? student 1 : insyaallah i can. the illustration is in line with the purpose of the critical reading through hots strategy that is to improve students’ skills to conclude the text using their own words and perceptions. according to anderson and krathwohl (2001), after exceeding the c1 phase, students go through the next phase, c2, understanding. this phase presents the process of explaining ideas or concepts, interpreting, summarizing, paraphrasing, classifying and explaining the content of the information. third, the students tend to generate questions by asking themselves about 5w1h related to the text they have. in generating question, the students are asking themselves why something is happened during their reading activity. they explore the reason why anything happened or how the events are happened in the story by putting their prediction and anything they knew beyond the text, such as experiences and ideas to the text. “yes, of course. for example, what was the text talking about. the 5w1h question must be used, because the question was all about the 5w1h. what is the content of the text, we should be able to explain it, we have to know where the case is happened.” (student 8) the illustration represents the theory of anderson and krathwohl (2001) who stated that in c3, applying, represents the using of information in another familiar situation. it includes implementing, carrying out, using, and executing the information got in any other particular situation and conditions in appropriate ways. besides, c4, analyzing, is going to break the information into parts to explore their understandings and the relationships of the information they received. this phase includes comparing, organizing, deconstructing, interrogating, and finding. on the other hand, generating question by asking themselves is happening as the result of the curiosity as depicted in the following script. interviewer : now we’re going to the generating question. when you are reading, do you ever ask yourself, who is planning this kind of action, for example, or why this is happened? student 11 : sometimes, yes. if i saw an accident for example, so i am asking myself who is that? why this is happened? just like want to know, just feel curious. fourth, the students use quotation and evidence based on the paragraph of the text to answer their generating questions. for example, in class meeting on tuesday, may 8th, 2018 at 02.08-03.30 p.m., the students clarify their answer by giving proof based on the text where the statement were supported by the evidence in the text and quotations. this is in line with the 5th phase proposed by anderson and krathwohl (2001) who stated that c5, evaluating, reviews the justification of decision or course of an action. it includes checking, hypothesizing, critiquing, experimenting, and judging every information they received from any sources. it means that the students are evaluating their ideas and thoughts by finding supporting information. nani ronsani thamrin & silvia agustin conceptual variations on reading comprehension through higher order thinking skills (hots) strategy 98 students’ ways of thinking the first concept related to hots is procedural knowledge which means how to do something, manners of investigations and the standard for utilizing abilities, algorithms, techniques, and methods (pickard in seif, 2012). it emerges as a type of knowledge and a prerequisite for higher order thinking since it includes manners of investigations and utilization of the abilities based on the standards. in addition, the capability to presents a numbers of rules and provisions is called as “information learning”; meanwhile the capability to implementing a numbers of rules and provisions in a single collection is called as “application”. hots is usually perceived as the procedural knowledge. for instance, on tuesday, march 13th, 2018 at 09.30-11.00 a.m., the students were asked by the lecturer to analyze the organizational structure of the text which includes definition, classification, examples, comparison, summarization, time order, elaboration, contrast and illustration. they were capable to analyze the text following the procedure given by the lecturer. besides, they present the result of their analysis to their friends. interviewer : first question, if you read something, did you get any useful information for your own? student 8 : of course. there must be a useful information in the text. for example, in the magazine and in kuningan news. there is a lot of information about the weather in the area of kuningan. from the script, we can conclude that the procedural knowledge is not only used for presenting the result of our perception to the other people, but also to inform others about alternative solution or any other information that might be useful. every information from the text are useful, otherwise they did not apply it to their daily life. as quoted from the interview, the information in the text might be useful for everyone, but not all can be applied. it depends on the condition and situation which require the information to be applied. the second concept is comprehension which is a part of bloom’s taxonomy. it is deemed to be one of the lower order thinking skills and integrated to the hots foster. although it is such an important component, it does not belong to higher order thinking skills. the new “schemata” and information is created from the individual’s comprehensions using particular activities (crowl in seif, 2012), including, but not limited to, arousing and answering questions that prosecute higher order thinking about effete and recent ideas, encountering contradictory ideas and information, problems, or dilemmas, exploring and making discoveries, conducting systematic inquiries, summarizing, reciting, and discussing new ideas and their relationships, relating new understandings to other concepts, applying new ideas and information in basic problem-solving activities, or reflecting and verbalizing about cognitive processes involved in comprehension. instead of perceiving the meaning of a difficult word in a text, they tend to ignore the difficult words or vocabulary as presented in the following script. interviewer : for example, when you are reading then suddenly you found difficult vocabulary, but actually you know that it belongs to which class-word. is that helping you to understand the content of the text? student 15 : to be honest, if i found difficult word, i just ignore it. i don’t care. but yeah, we can use our logic. the last concepts related to the hots is creativity and intelligence. students’ creativity and intelligence can be seen on how they could give alternative solution for every single problem or case they found on the text. the solution was not only seen in a single point of view, but also in various point of views. naturally, the creativities do not belong to higher order thinking resolutely. it has a strong relationship with the process. the concepts and principles need to be solved by arousing new ideas and a good problem solving. it took an important role in higher order thinking process as pasteur observes that “chance favors only the prepared mind” because “only a trained mind can make connection between unrelated events, recognize meaning in a serendipitous event, and produce a solution that is both novel and suitable” (crowl cited in seif, 2012). meanwhile, the meaning of intelligent is not merely about the capability to mean something. it concerns to seven kinds of intelligences or the natural capability of human. it includes linguistic-verbal, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities. every student has several intelligences which differs them from one to another. exercises, learning and experiences are the things that may help individual to foster their abilities substantively. in this point of view, gardner in seif (2012) declares that every english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 99 individual is “capable to fostering their intelligence and some particular intelligence might be more developed than any other intelligence”. likewise, every individual can arouse their intelligence by education, particularly the moment when they start to train their intelligence at the early ages. for example, in the class meeting on monday, april 16th, 2018 at 11.00-12.30 a.m., there were students who bring an article entitled “10 die, dozens hospitalized after drinking bootleg liquor” posted on tuesday, april 3rd 2018 at 07.02 p.m. at jakarta post. the lecturer asked them for the solution in three point of views, including from the government’s point of view, the seller’s point of view and the last from the parents’ point of view. automatically, the students answered that question by saying: “the things that should be done by the government is that conducting the preventive action and regulation on how people can consume the alcoholic drinks. for the seller, it would be better if they do some more positive business rather than selling the alcoholic drinks. for the parents, they should pay more attention in watching their children in case they do negative things, so this kind of case would be never happened again in the future.” (researcher’s note) students’ improvements in comprehending academic reading text through hots strategy from the analysis towards the interview and observation data, the researcher found some tendencies of the students which show the improvements from lots to hots in critical reading comprehension. first, the students could actively retrieve knowledge from their long-term memory (c1phase 1) by predicting the text talks about, by analyzing the picture, headline and supporting ideas, as well as by involving their prior knowledge and their previous experience. in this case, anderson (2001) stated that the c1 phase, remembering, includes recalling information, recognizing, listing, describing, retrieving, naming and finding which all belong to the input process (receptive skills). the students commit this phase in the first time they get information by listening or reading. second, the students used their skills in constructing meaning from instructional messages, including oral, written, and graphic communication (c2-phase 2) and applying a procedure to a familiar task (c3-phase 3) by summarizing the text and retell it to their friends in the classroom in two or three sentences. third, the students were able to break the reading material into its constituent parts and determine how the parts relate to one another and to overall structure or purpose (c4-phase 4) by analyzing and grasping the content of the text. here, the students tend to generate questions by asking themselves about 5w1h related to the text they have. lastly, the students were able to detect inconsistencies or fallacies within a process or product; determine whether a process or product has internal consistency; detect the effectiveness of a procedure as it is being implemented (c5phase 5); put elements together to form a coherent or functional whole; and reorganize elements into a new pattern or structure (c6phase 6) by creating alternative solution for every single problem they found on the text they read. conclusion based on the analysis, the researcher can draw conclusions as follows. there were two major types of conceptual variation in reading comprehension through hots strategy in critical reading class which involved the steps of hots strategy (remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating) and critical reading (predicting, summarizing, generating question and clarifying). the students tend to begin to involve their prior knowledge, experience, and logical reason after they had known about the steps of critical reading and hots strategy delivered by the lecturer during the classroom activities. in this case, the students were classified as the lots and hots students based on the consideration of how much the students involved their critical thinking in responding to the text that given by the lecturer. references anderson, l., & krathwohl, d. (2001). a taxonomy for learning, teaching and assessing: a revision of bloom’s taxonomy. new york: longman publishing. burns, m. k., maki, k. e., & karrich, a.c. (2013). using performance feedback to increase reading comprehension strategy use. minnesota: university of minnesota. cotrell, s. (2005). critical thinking skill: developing effective analysis and argument. new york: palgrave macmillan. harmer, j. (2007). how to teach english. england: pearson education. hermida, j. (2009). the importance of teaching academic reading skills in first year university nani ronsani thamrin & silvia agustin conceptual variations on reading comprehension through higher order thinking skills (hots) strategy 100 courses. the international journal research and review, 3, 21-31. ifanc, c., & wales, y. (2010). guidance on the teaching of higher-order reading skills: inset opportunities for teachers of all subjects across the curriculum at key stages 2 and 3. uk: crown. lewy, z., & aisyah, n. (2011). pengembangan soal untuk mengukur kemampuan berpikir tingkat tinggi pokok bahasan barisan dan deret bilangan di kelas ix akselerasi smp xaverius maria palembang. jurnal pendidikan matematika, 3(2), 14-28. seif, a. (2012). evaluating higher order thinking skills in reading exercises of english for palestine grade 8. disertation. gaza, the islamic universities. yin, r. k. (2011). qualitative research from start to finish. new york: guildford press. adjacency pairs taufiqulloh a self-assessment model in teaching academic writing for indonesian efl learners a self-assessmentmodel in teaching academic writing for indonesian efl learners taufiqulloh department of english education, tegal university of pancasakti, indonesia email: taufiqkayla@gmail.com apa citation: taufiqulloh. (2014). a self-assessment model in teaching academic writing for indonesian efl learners. english review: journal of english education, 3(1), 50-58 received: 19-10-2014 accepted: 02-11-2014 published: 01-12-2014 abstract: this self-assessment model is developed to help efl students improve their achievement in academic writing, more particularly essay writing. in english department of pancasakti university tegal, academic writing is the course subject which develops models and practices of essay writing in order that students are actively engaged in rhetorical problem-solving. the development of this self-assessment model was derived from the analysis of both theoretical and empirical studies of self-assessment in efl writing. the self-assessment model developed in this study consists of four kinds of selfassessment instruments: self-edit checklist of writing dimensions (cwd), checklist of writing strategies (cws), survey questionnaire of writing interest and awareness (swia), and questionnaire of learning monitoring strategies (qlms). this self-assessment model can be an alternative model in teaching academic writing to efl students at university level, more particularly the students of english department, pancasakti university tegal. keywords: self-assessment model, academic writing, indonesian efl learners introduction it is generally acknowledged that in the field of efl learning, students of any english department in indonesian colleges or universities should be able to pursue good performance in writing as producing a piece of scientific work is a part of the crucial requirements in completing their study. it has been widely known that writing in foreign language teaching has become more important today as it is not only an object of study but a system of communication (weigle, 2000). writing is different from spoken language in form and use. in essay writing, for example, learners are required to not only invent, express and organize ideas as well as translate them into readable texts, but also to make use of correct grammar and sentence patterns. in higher education, assessment plays an important role to the success of the teaching and learning process. it shapes the experience of the students and influences their behavior more than the teaching they receive. (bloxam & boyd, 2007 and orsmond, merry and reiling, 2000:24). in other words, selecting effective assessment method or model is of value to the teaching itself. the self-assessment model developed in this study is considered as alternative technique in teaching academic writing to university students which is more student-centered. through this model, students are expected to do effective self-editing strategies in writing, figure out their writing interest and awareness, learning monitoring strategies which result to better writing achievement. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee this self-assessment model was developed on the basis of metacognitive theory in whichmetacognitive skills are important in developing autonomous learning skills. themetacognitive skills cover self-regulation, self-monitoring and self-assessment. metacognition essentially means cognition about cognition; that is, it refers to second order cognitions: thoughts about thoughts, knowledge about knowledge or reflections about actions (eleonora and louca, 2008:15). self-assessment encourages the learners to recognize their strengths and weaknesses in learning, and cope with various learning problems. it promotes learning, raises learner’s awareness of their own learning, improve the goal orientation of individual learners, reduces teacher’s burdens of assessment and entails a long-term effect on the learner’s autonomy (oscarson, 1989:62). brown (2004:270) defines self-assessment as one of the primary foundation stones of successful learning. the ability to set one’s own goals both within and beyond the structure of a classroom curriculum, to pursue them without the presence of an external prod, and to independently monitor that pursuit all keys to success. according blanche and merino (1989:313) cited in oscarson (2009:63), selfassessment accuracy is a precondition for learner autonomy. students need to be able to appraise their performance accurately for themselves so that they themselves understand what more they need to learn and do not become dependent on their teachers. illes (2012:509) defines learner autonomy as the capacity to become competent speakers of the target language who are able to exploit the linguistic and other resources at their disposal effectively and creatively. in writing, self-assessment enables learners to monitor their progress in learning to write and set their own learning goals. in other words, it encourages the learners the reflection needed to gain increased control as writers (o’malley and pierce, 1996:151). self-assessment is a process through which students must be led (o’malley and pierce, 1996:39). teaching students to evaluate their progress begins with realizing that students will be learning new skills and it can be carried out with these four steps: setting criteria, applying criteria, setting and working towards goals. some empirical studies claimed the effectiveness of self-assessment in english language learning. sadek (2011) investigated the effect of self-assessment on the efl-learners’ expository essay writing. birjandi (2010) also explored the role of journal writing as a selfassessment technique in promoting iranian efl learners’ motivation. taufiqulloh (2010) conducted a classroom research with two learning cycles on implementing the model of self-editing checklist in the writing process of essay from oshima and hogue (2006). moreover, oscarson (2009) explored a study on how upper secondary school students perceived their own general and specific writing abilities regarding syllabus goals and whether these perceptions were affected by self-assessment practices. wang and wang (2007) introduced both affect test and self-assessment into the traditional assessment scheme of non-english major post-graduates esl writing classes. brown (2005:85), conducted a small study of students on an independent learning program.in addition to that, ferris (1995) developed and used a semester-long editing process approach to help advanced esl writing students become more self-sufficient as editors. taufiqulloh a self-assessment model in teaching academic writing for indonesian efl learners the results of the study showed that self-editing contributed a positive effect in improving student’s ability in writing. developing self-assessment model this self-assessmentmodel was developed on the basis of needs analysis and the results of theoretical and empirical review on self-assessment practices in the context of efl learning, particularly in academic writing instruction. the needs analysis was conducted at the english department of pancasakti university tegal, intended to gather information relating to the teaching and learning process of academic writing. empirical review was also conducted to develop the model of this study. it was found that there was a model of self-assessment practices in essay writing instruction developed by oshima and hogue (2006). they developed a model of self-editing instrument which can be applied in the polishing stage of the writing process of essay. this model was then tested using a classroom action research to the students of english department, pancasakti university attending academic writing class. the result showed that such a model was effective in teaching essay writing: students’ writing achievement improved from pre-cycle to the last cycle. instead, some drawbacks were found regarding the implementation of the model. teacher didn’t set criteria before students were involved in selfpractices in the classroom. another problem found that such self-assessment instrument contains more general information about assessing the aspects of essay such as format, mechanics, content, organization, grammar and sentence structures, so that teacher worked hard on providing more detailed information on it. moreover, the form of self-edit checklist was dichotomous. students were only asked to write yes or no in the checklist without giving further explanation to their answers as they were supposed to do in responding to such checklist. according to youngman (1984) cited in cohen, et.al., (2005 ) youngman (1984:163) suggests that it is a natural human tendency to agree with a statement rather than to disagree with it; this suggests that a simple dichotomous question might build in respondent bias. the similar phenomenon was also found in research conducted by sadek (2011). she developed a model of self-editing instrument that was associated with the polishing stage of the writing process.. this instrument doesn’t provide detailed information about assessing all aspects of essay. she also developed another self-assessment intended to measure students’ attitude during academic writing instruction. in its implementation, it was not measured for its validity and reliability that resulted in biased evaluation. criteria was also not set before implementing self-assessment practices. considering some phenomena previously described, this selfassessment model in teaching academic writing for efl learners was developed. components of the model the components of self-assessment model in teaching academic writing for efl learners is described in the following figure: english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee figure 1: self-assessment model in teaching academic writing for efl learners mini lesson standard competence learning materials instructional objective formative assessment survey of writing interest and awareness (swia) questionnaire of learning monitoring strategies (qlms) checklist of writing dimensions (cwd) self-assessment checklist of writing strategies (cws) reflection learning indicators basic competencies writing process planning writing first draft assessing revising writing final copy editing -modeling -reviewing essay writing assignment summative assessment writing test self-assessment learning outcome feedback taufiqulloh a self-assessment model in teaching academic writing for indonesian efl learners drawn from the figure, this model encompasses twelve components: standard competence, basic competencies, learning indicators, instructional objective, learning materials, mini lesson, self-assessment instruments, feedback, writing process, formative assessment, summative assessments, learning outcome, and reflection. mini lesson (criteria) is an important part in self-assessment. teacher should provide criteria or standards students must follow in order that they can make judgment on their own. this is a key element of self-assessment. according to boud (1986:1) criterion is a requirement of self-assessment to be able to engage with and if possible involve students in both discussion and understanding of criteria and/or formulating the criteria used in assessment. while o’malley and pierce (1996) added that in order to carry out self-assessment, students must be led. this mini lesson is carried out by two activities: modeling and reviewing. teacher presents somemodels of essay to be critically reviewed in terms of strengths and weaknesses. three selfassessment instruments developed are checklist of writing dimension (cwd), checklist of writing strategies (cws), survey of writing interest and awareness (swia) andquestionnaire of learning monitoring strategies (qlms). cwdwas developed from themodel of self-edit checklist fromoshima and hogue (2006). through this checklist, students learn to self-edit several aspects of their essay writing including format, mechanics, content, organization, grammar and sentence structures. they self-edit their essay draft to have good format, correct spelling, punctuation and othermechanical skills. they also learn to assess whether their writing is interesting or not to read, andwhether their writing is producedwith care and thought or not, andwhether or not their essay has a good organization. furthermore, students are able to recognize their mistakes on several grammatical aspects in their writing such as tenses, conjunctions, etc. in addition, since writing is an art, using various types of sentences in writing is artful. cwswas developed frommaterials produced by the georgetownuniversity evaluation assistance center (eac) east (1990) cited in o’malley (1996:154) cited in o’malley and pierce (1996). through this checklist, students assess their strategies before, during and after writing. pre-writing strategies focus on topic review and organization. students learn to recognize the strategies in generating ideas about the topic andmaking outline or semantic map of the topic. strategies used during writing focus on the content. after writing, students identify their strategies in rereading, editing and revising their essays.meanwhile, swiawas developed frommaterials produced by the georgetownuniversity evaluation assistance center (eac) east (1990) cited in o’malley (1996:154). it is employed to determine the students attitude toward academic writing. students are asked to identify their interest and awareness which include their perceptions, care, and seriousness in learning to write essay. simply, students are asked to indicate their attitudes in learning academic writing and gauge their improvement as writers. andqlms is employed to find out theways the studentsmonitor their own learning after they accomplish a certain task. feedback is another important part of self-assessment. it is merely an approach which determine the effectiveness of self-assessment practices. tutor feedback and student learning are inseparable (osmond., et.al., 2000). it is an essential component of virtually of every model of the writing process as it english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee motivates the writers to improve their next draft (hall, 1990:43). feedback during writing process improves not only student attitude to writing but writing performance if students are given unlimited opportunities to respond to teacher feedback and continue writing. (ferris,1995). thus, students do not rely on themselves in coping with their learning problems. the writing process in the model consists of planning, writing the first draft (drafting), assessing, revising, editing, and writing the final draft. relating to formative assessment, it includes all activities that provide information that is used as feedback to adapt teaching and learning in the classroom. brown (2004:6) said that formative assessment refers to a process assessment which is given during the course of instruction to show which aspect of the materials the students have mastered and where the remidial work is necessery. it is also called assessment of learning, used to improve learning by giving the student information on his or her learning progress while still learning. self-assessment plays a very important role in this kind of assessment. assessment is also called learning itself. the teaching and learning process of academic writing class in this study is more about assigning the students to practice writing essays on some given topics using the steps of writing process in this model. using self-edit checklist of writing dimensions (cwd), they practice editing and revising their essays by gathering feedback from their peers and teacher. through this activities, students are able to recognize their problems or barriers in writing and figure out the ways to cope with them. meanwhile, summative assessment in this model is conducted by giving writing test at the end of instruction to see overall progress of learning during learning to write through selfassessment practices. students’ writing strategies, interest and awareness as well as monitoring strategies, are also figured out through this type of assessment. finally, reflection should be carried out by both teacher and students regarding the learning outcome to set up the next instructional objectives. model implementation procedure the part presents a set of activities of both teacher and students in implementing self-assessment model in academic writing class. (see figure 2). as shown in figure 2, both teacher and students are involved in the following activities in implementing self-assessment model in academic writing class: lecturing at the beginning of instruction, teacher delivers the instructional objective of academic writing which was developed from the standard competence and basic competencies in the existing syllabus so that it enables students to figure out what to be achieved in learning academic writing, particularly essay writing. teacher also prepares the materials of essay writing as the subjects matters taught in academic writing class. regarding the instructional objective, the learning materials of essay embrace several aspects of essay writing such as the development of essay, types of essay, unity and coherence, sentence types and grammatical features in essay, rhetorical strategies, etc. taufiqulloh a self-assessment model in teaching academic writing for indonesian efl learners figure 2: implementation procedure of self-assessment model conducting mini lesson teacher plays a central role in applying mini lesson. this is about setting criteria with the involvement of the students so that self-assessment practices in the classroom can be worked out successfully. defining characteristics of self-assessment is the involvement of students in identifying standards and/or criteria to apply to their work and making judgments about the extent to which they have met these criteria and standards (boud 1995: 12). through mini lesson, teacher presents some models of well-organized essays which have clarity in meaning, accuracy in format, mechanics, grammar and sentence structures, and clarity in content and organization. another form of mini lesson is reviewing. teacher provides sample essays to be reviewed with students in the classroom to figure out their strengths and weaknesses. conducting formative assessment after mini lesson, teacher assigns students to develop essay within a number of topics. using the steps of writing process developed in this model, teacher facilitates students to work in pairs or group to plan, and write, assess, revise, and refine their draft. teacher also monitors the progress of students’ works after doing self-revising and editing their draft and provides feedback for their writing problems. feedback is mainly addressed to refine students’ writing in terms of clarity in meaning (content and organization), accuracy in format, mechanics, language functions, unity and coherence. conducting summative assessment at the end of the writing instruction, teacher administers essay writing test to the students to find out the effect of self-assessment practices during the teaching and learning process teacher lecturing delivering objectives presenting learning materials mini lesson modeling reviewing formative assessment facilitating monitoring summative assessment assessing evaluating reflection facilitating identifying the instructional objective comprehen ding the product knowledge of essay writing reviewing sample essays (assessing and polishing) planning and developing essay assessing essay polishing essay using cwd identifying problems searching for feedback doing essay writing test filling out selfassessment instruments of metacognitive aspects (cws, swia and qlms) identifying strengths and weaknesses in writing making plans for improvement students english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee of academic writing. this summative test is timed based in which students develop essay on the given topics. teacher also distributes three types of self-assessment instruments: checklist of writing strategies (cws), survey questionnaire of writing interest and awareness (swia) and questionnaire of learning monitoring strategy (qlms). facilitating reflection learning outcome is then analyzed for reflecting or giving a meaning toward academic writing instruction with self-assessment practices. things that have not been passed or achieved would be recognized. the strengths and the weaknessess of the students in learning academic writing will be the reference to reset the instructional goals. conclusion this self-assessment model was developed from the results of needs analysis, theoretical and empirical review. it is different from the existing models in terms of content and implementation. the content embraces more self-assessment instruments that can be used to apply self-assessment practices in academic writing class in a wider domain, covering both cognitive and metacognitive learning aspects of the students. through this model, students not only learn to produce wellorganized essays, but also to figure out their attitude in terms of writing strategies, interest and awareness and learning monitoring strategies. finally, this model is addressed to be implemented in academic writing class of english department, pancasakti university tegal. instead, it can be implemented widespread through adaptation or adjustment. references birjandi p, (2010). the role of self-assessment in promoting iranian efl learners’ motivation. elt journal, 3(3). blanche, p. & merino, b. j., (1989). self assessment of foreign language skills: implications for teachers and researchers. language learning, 39. 313340. bloxam s, & boyd p, (2007). developing effective assessment in higher education: a practical guide. london: mcgraw hillopen university press boud, d. (1995). enhancing learning through self assessment. london: kogan page). brown, h. d. (2004). language assessment principles and classroom practices. new york: pearson education, inc. cohen l., manion l., morisson, k. (2000). research methods in education; 5th edition. new york: roeutledgefalmer. dyke, m. (2006). the role of the ‘other’ in reflection, knowledge formation and action in a late modernity. international journal of lifelong education, 25(2), 105123. eleonora p., & louca. (2008). metacognition and theory of mind. newcastle: cambridge scholars publishing. ertmer, p. a., & newby, t. j. (1996). the expert learner: strategic, self-regulated and reflective. instructional science, 24, 124. ferris, d. (1995). teaching students to selfedit. tesol journal, 4(4), 18-22. flavell, john, h. 1979. metacognition and cognitive monitoring. american psychologist, 34(10), 906-911. harmer, j., (2004). how to teach writing. essex: pearson education limited illes, e. (2012). learner autonomy revisited. elt journal, 66(4), 505-513 o’malley and pierce j.m., pierce,v., (1996). authentic assessment for english language learners. longman. orsmond, p., merry, s., & reiling, k. (2000). the use of student derived marking criteria in peer and self-assessment. assessment and evaluation in higher education, 25(1), 23–38. taufiqulloh a self-assessment model in teaching academic writing for indonesian efl learners oscarson, a. d. (2009). self-assessment of writing in learning english as a foreign language: a study at the upper secondary school level. göteborg: geson hylte tryck. oscarson, m. (1989). self-assessment of language proficiency: rationale and applications. language testing, 6(1), 1-13. oshima a., & hogue a., (2006). writing academic english. pearson: longman. sadek, n. (2011). the power of selfassessment in language learning. lap lambert academic publishing. seow, a. (2002). the writing process and process writing. in jack c. richards, willy a. renandya (eds.)methodology in language teaching: an anthology of current practice (pp.315-320). cambridge, new york: cambridge university press taras, m. (2001). the use of tutor feedback and student self-assessment insummative assessment tasks: towards transparency for students and for tutors. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 26(6), 289–306. wang, h., & wang, y. (2007). the addition of an affect test and self-assessment into esl writing assessment: process and effect. asian efl journal, 20. weigle (2000). assessing writing. cambridge: cambridge university press. empowering language teachers through action research: two case studies from malaysia kuang ching hei faculty of languages & linguistics, university of malaya e-mail: kuangch@um.edu.my maya khemlani david faculty of languages & linguistics, university of malaya e-mail: mayadavid@yahoo.com apa citation: kuang, c. h., & david, m. k. (2017). empowering language teachers through action research: two case studies from malaysia. english review: journal of english education, 5(2), 163-174 received: 19-03-2017 accepted: 20-04-2017 published: 01-06-2017 abstract: given the easy availability of information due to social media, it is generally recognized that language teachers need to transform themselves from being mere disseminators of information to that of innovators. literature suggests that to do so, language teachers should make action research an indispensable part of their language teaching armory. this paper aims to encourage language teachers to take charge of their own profession by conducting action research in their respective classrooms. the paper illustrates two case studies which stress on the process which can be duplicated by teachers as well as the outcome which can be used for improvement and for sharing with peers through publication. by engaging in action research, language teachers can move beyond their conventional teaching roles to become researchers cum practitioners who are able to rise to the occasion by overcoming current language issues first hand instead of taking advice from educational researchers. keywords: action research, language teaching, reflection introduction preparation for english language teachers to motivate and teach their students should involve more than just techniques and the various strategies and tips for language learning. teachers need to develop their own practices after completing their formal training and courses. they must also aspire to improve their own teaching practices in response to changing conditions and experiences (richards & lockhart, 1994). to do that, teachers need to ask themselves what can be done to improve their students‘ learning. in this regard, teachers can resort to a number of strategies such as attending refresher course, seeking guidance from mentors, registering for higher programmes of learning or they can learn to conduct research pertaining to specific issues identified from their own classrooms. kurt lewin (1946), then a professor at mit, terms such kind of research as action research (adelman, 1993) action research can be seen as an innovative technique that can be integrated into teacher preparation programmes wherever the classroom context lies – countryside, suburbs, cities, huge institutions or small schools, so that future teachers can try out new approaches of teaching that can help them to understand their learners better. action research is also useful for teachers to investigate teaching/learning issues as some problems in learning may lie with the teachers. burns (2009, p. 6) notes that ―many teachers have been put off research and the teaching theories taught to them in teacher training https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v5i2.532 163 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee courses‖ because they discover that once they get into their classrooms, the theory does not match reality (burns, 2009). although action research has been around for many years, it is not commonly practiced nor is it frequently administered by the teachers themselves, particularly in the asian context such as malaysia. much literature (see section below) have been written about action research and in particular, the benefits to be gained. nonetheless, very few school teachers are able to conduct action research for various reasons: they may not know how to do it; they have no time to do it; they are not keen to do it; they may think that this is beyond their level or they are overwhelmed by work. in the case of turkey, atay (2006, p. 1) notes that ―neither pre-service nor inservice teachers of english can do much research in turkey; pre-service teachers generally cannot get permission from schools for research while in-service teachers do not have sufficient time and training to conduct research‖. this issue highlights the kind of difficulty school teachers experience. in 2008, the malaysian education ministry attempted to introduce action research as a means of improving teaching and learning in schools (see buku manual kajian tindakan, 2008). however, implementation has been slow as can be seen by the lack of reports noted in journal articles or books published by school teachers hence, studies and reports are limited. for instance, there was a compilation of reports and findings noted in the ―koleksi kajian tindakan 2011-2012‖ (a collection of action research conducted between 2011 until 2012) compiled by secondary school teachers in a suburban school in kajang, selangor. however, the book carried no publisher or isbn number although it comprised a collection of reports written by the respective teachers who had conducted the research in their classrooms. a further review of these reports indicate that they had not been systematically conducted and analyzed before reporting. thus, the methodology was questionable, making these studies less scientific. it is possible that the teachers involved were not trained on writing out the methodology section hence, the discrepancy. nonetheless, scholars (see teo, voon, & voon, 2011) note that school teachers are still finding their way into this activity. in contrast, the notion of action research is better received at the higher institutions of learning such as colleges (see abraham, 2015) or universities (see norasmah & chia, 2016). training modules on action research were organized and conducted (between 2012 and 2015) by experts at the academy of leadership for higher education (akept, malaysia) as a means of fortifying this interest. the aim was to empower practitioners like lecturers to conduct action research and to publish the research result. this aspect of research was placed under the discipline of scholarship of teaching and learning (sotl). norasmah and chia (2016) note that more teachers are being trained to do action research for the purpose of enhancing their teaching and learning processes. however, norasmah and chia (2016) have only cited the national university of malaysia (ukm) and the academy of leadership for higher education (akept) as their sources. both organizations have been providing training in the realm of action research since 2012 and their efforts in doing so have been aligned to the scholarship of teaching and learning (sotl), a discipline that was developed for lecturers in higher institutions of learning. sotl focusses on classroom research as a means of identifying solutions to rectify problems faced by lecturers within their own classrooms. when such findings are shared, they become a scholarly pursuit. despite the call for school teachers to be involved, (teo, voon & voon, 2011), little has been done. eventually, most classroom issues are identified and pursued 164 kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david empowering language teachers through action research: two case studies from malaysia by academic researchers (see dzakiria, mohamed, hisham, malek & said, 2007). since specialists from schools seldom partake in such a pursuit, the ultimate advice and recommendations on how they can deal with their own classrooms would come from the academic or educational researchers. this is less beneficial for the teachers because as first hand observers of their own classrooms, they are a better judge on how the research can be conducted and what kind of problems they want to solve. teachers and action research as mentioned above, there are many issues preventing teachers from being engaged in research (see atay, 2006; meerah & osman, 2013; norasmah & chia, 2016). in line with this argument, borg (2009) adds that this requires raising the awareness among teachers because some teachers may ―have inappropriate or unrealistic notions of the kind of inquiry teacher research involves‖ (p. 377). this is clearly so because action research differs from traditional research methods. moreover, some people cannot see the benefits of action research when everything revolves around the class alone (see norasmah & chia, 2016). teachers are trained professionals. they have served time going through specialized trainings to develop their skills, knowledge, and expertise. the goal of the training is to equip them with the right skills, knowledge, and expertise to support the young learners whom they ―service‖ in schools so that these learners can one day, develop adequate skills and competence to serve as contributing adults in their society. language is just one aspect of the many skills which all learners— young and old— need to acquire at school. the language skills acquired by students can help them to fulfil an academic goal, a personal need, a profession/career or to fulfill an internal desire such as travelling. just as a mother would want her child to be well equipped for an uncertain future, language teachers too must be able to impart as much knowledge as they can to their learners with efficacy. this can ensure that the learners acquire the appropriate language skills for a future goal. effective language teachers can provide the best learning opportunities for their students and action research can serve as a very valuable approach for these teachers to deepen their insights into teaching and to improve their own understanding of themselves as teachers, their classroom environment as well as their students‘ desire and intention. studies (see meerah, johar, & ahmad, 2001; carpenter, 2003; meerah & osman, 2013; norasmah & chia, 2016) suggest that school teachers tend to be restricted in this pursuit by various factors. besides hindrance from superiors, lack of knowledge and disinterest, they also face issues like class discipline, school results or examinations. moreover, the idea of school teachers conducting research, collecting data, making an analysis and then producing papers for publication does not calibrate well with the respective school teachers. such a phenomenon is universal (see meerah et al., 2001; carpenter, 2003; atay, 2006; borg, 2009; burns, 2009; meerah & osman, 2013; norasmah & chia, 2016). thus, something needs to be done to encourage teachers to do so. most literature (see zeichner, 1983; ramsden & moses, 1992; brew & boud, 1995; hattied & marsh, 1996) mention that action research is more pervasive in the education domain with majority being conducted in higher institutions of learning. in his research, middlewood (1999) note that 94% of the teacher-respondents mentioned that action research had enabled them to learn new skills such as logical argumentative skills, critical thinking skills, and problem solving skills. from their experience, the teacher-respondents were also able to develop and enhance their own 165 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee teaching and learning processes thereby, benefitting both parties at the same time. the merits of action research (ar) have also been emphasized by hogarth (2005) who say that: a) ar motivates students‘ interest in the subject; b) ar improves students‘ understanding of subject; c) ar encourages critical reflection/analysis among students; d) ar provides teachers with up-to-date information and e) ar involves students as part of the research, making them partners to the learning and teaching process. understanding action research action research is doing research with the intention of addressing a problem that has been identified by the teacher‘s sharp eyes and reflection. to reflect means to take some time, usually at the end of the day, to evaluate if something had occurred well and if so, why or why not. thus, action research can be conducted individually or in groups with people who share similar issues or problems. denscombe (2009, p. 6) says that, ―an action research strategy is to solve a particular problem and to produce guidelines for best practice‖ while burns (2009, p. 2) notes that the fundamental premise of action research ―is to intervene in a deliberate way in the problematic situation in order to bring about changes and, even better, improvements in practice‖. as the world transforms to become more high tech and digital, teachers can no longer teach in the way they were taught by their teachers; they can no longer treat their students the way they were treated by their own teachers. the generation gap has widened but this does not mean that all teachers need to succumb to mediocrity or become helpless. instead, teachers can resort to looking for answers to their own problems or challenges. to do so, they must be equipped with the knowhow. burns (2009, p. 2) explains that ―action research is related to the idea of reflective practice and the teacher as researcher‖. action research involves taking a self-reflective, critical, and systematic approach to explore one‘s own teaching contexts. in action research, to be critical does not mean being negative or derogatory about the way you teach. it is about taking a questioning stance about a problem that exists and then asking yourself what can be done to improve it. in action research, the teacher becomes the investigator or explorer of his/her own teaching context which involves his/her learners. the teacher is also one of the participants involved. action research has been used by teachers to test the effectiveness of the ―shadowing‖ technique for learning english rhythm especially pronunciation, among japanese adults (omar & umehara, 2010). in their study, omar and umehara (2010) observe that their involvement as both facilitator and group member, allowed them to observe the students‘ responses including their nonverbal behaviors (e.g., facial expressions, gesture, and body movements). this helped them to understand their learners better. they were also able to develop the relevant intervention to assist their learners in becoming better at learning. curry, nembhard, and bradley (2009) maintain that by conducting action research, reflective practitioners can make their language teaching skills and methods more solid. this is useful not only for getting future teachers to become better equipped in teaching but also for all teachers to continue to grow and develop as reflective practitioners. many researchers including curry et al. (2009) say that action research follows a certain procedure including: a) selecting an issue, b) refining the research question, c) undertaking data collection, d) analyzing multiple forms of data, e) developing and implementing new instructional strategies and f) making the research findings public. action research can also be classified according to purposes: i) to determine what is currently occurring and ii) 166 kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david empowering language teachers through action research: two case studies from malaysia to test a hypothesis (meerah & osman, 2013). outcomes from action research tend to be qualitative in nature as data are mostly descriptively analyzed. this is because the research involves all the students in the respective classrooms. nonetheless, the most important outcome that can be derived from action research is the finding that can enable classroom teachers to learn and improve on their own performance (meerah & osman, 2013; luchini & rosello, 2007). action research encourages teachers to ―reflect upon their own teaching practices and, as a result, engage in change with the aim of redirecting their instructional objectives to meet their students‘ needs‖ (luchini & rosello, 2007, p. 266). this is valuable as it contributes to enhancing the teacher‘s development (luchini & rosello, 2007). such improvements can only be seen due to the information that was deduced from the data which had been collected through action research (burns, 2009). undoubtedly, data in action research must not be compromised and they must be systematically acquired. reflection as practice reflection-in-action is ―reflection on one‘s spontaneous ways of thinking and acting, undertaken in the midst of action to guide further action‖ (schön, 1983, p. 22). this reflection signifies what we do as we go around in the classroom, assessing our students‘ reactions as well as our own reactions to the moment-by-moment activities and interactions taking place. in contrast, reflection-on-action occurs only after the event. it is a kind of thinking back about what happened (burns, 2009). the teacher reflects on the decisions made on the students‘ responses, teacher‘s own responses towards the students, and on how the teacher thinks and feels about the lesson. these reflections are used to assist the teacher in understanding the reaction taken. without reflections, teachers may begin to think or talk about their teaching in a technical or automatic way (schön, 1983). in becoming mechanical, teachers have no reason to understand why they do what they do in the classroom. this includes their teaching routines, teaching approaches, teaching contexts, students, the philosophies/values motivating them to execute certain things in the classroom and others. without reflection, teachers are unable to look inward thus, there is not much input for improvement (schön, 1983). with reflection, teachers have a reason to look for improvement. a ―reflective teacher‖ is one who operates reflectively; he/she shows openmindedness as he/she begins to listen to other points of view, exhibiting responsibility as he/she becomes more alert to the consequences of his/her own actions (dewey, 1933). a reflective teacher demonstrates wholeheartedness by putting open-mindedness and responsibility at the center of his/her actions, questioning his/her own assumptions which are enhanced by the desire to want to introduce new approaches that avoid putting students at the heart of the problem (dewey, 1933). in this sense, a reflective teacher moves from a deficit view of the students (i.e., my students are the problem) to a deficit view of the learning situation as a whole (i.e., there are problems in my teaching set-up). as can be deduced, reflective teaching is empowering. it motivates teachers into becoming actively involved in articulating the nature of their work and in extending the knowledge base of their own teaching. it enables teachers to complement the work of educational researchers, involving themselves in the curriculum development and school change thereby, taking a leading role in their own professional development (zeichner & liston, 2013). nonetheless, three central questions underpin reflective teaching: what do i do? how do i do it? what does this mean for me and those i work with? (see burton, 2009). 167 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee general steps in action research there are certain steps to follow when implementing action research. first, the teacher identifies a problem, which can only be identified through reflection, looking for the cause of the problem. the teacher observes the problem once again and then reflects on how the problem can be best intervened. a plan is then hatched, usually through a series of reflection. the teacher would also have reflected on implementing this plan. until the plan is implemented, data will first have to be collected and the teacher then analyses the cause of the problem based on the data. the teacher then takes the appropriate course of action and he/she then evaluates the success of the action plan. these procedures—with some modifications—have been endorsed by some experts such as susman (1983), o‘brien (1998), winter (1989) and ferrance (2000). step 1: identifying the problem as the first step, identifying the problem in a classroom takes the sharp eyes of the teacher who is the person managing the class. however, as ferrance (2000) says, the teacher must be able to answer the following questions:  is the problem at hand one which the teacher has influence over?  is the problem something of interest and worth the time and effort?  is the problem real and worth researching or is it due to some discomfort or tension experienced by the teacher or is it due to some mismatch of teaching strategies and learner differences? step 2: planning upon reflecting on the problem, the teacher can try to look at the problem from various angles and then develop a plan to resolve the problem. this usually involves several cycles of reflection. step 3: implementing this is actually implementing the plan, for example, taking hold of the class and then carrying out the plan and collecting data. this is followed by studying the data and looking for answers to the problem. the next step is to apply the answers and evaluate the success of the resolution. most classroom teachers report on the outcome of their research either to their colleagues as a sharing practice or with students so as to be accountable. nonetheless, teachers may want to go a step higher by sharing their outcomes particularly, if the outcome reflects a global issue, with other colleagues who can use the outcome to rectify their own classroom issues. in higher education, outcomes are shared in conferences or seminars. these are ultimately converted to journal publications thereby, allowing the teachers concerned to take ownership and be known for their research. the current paper draws on two case studies of action research in malaysia. the context of this paper focusses on the method and the outcome. the aim is to encourage language teachers in schools to take the lead and conduct action research thus, become researchers cum practitioners who can move beyond their conventional teaching roles to become active disseminators of knowledge. by doing so, language teachers can offer greater learning opportunities and experiences in their class for their learners. through the outcome shared, these teachers can also be seen as contributors who are capable of rising to the occasion of facing and resolving current language issues by offering their own insights and not just take those offered by educational researchers only. case study 1: improving classroom interactions in 2015, kuang was teaching a course called critical reading and writing to a group of multiracial, mixed level and mixed gender, year two undergraduates. within the first two weeks of the course which involved 168 kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david empowering language teachers through action research: two case studies from malaysia three hours per week, 15 students were observed to be reluctant to participate in class discussions. this occurred when they were individually asked for some input towards certain issues identified in their reading texts. it was the usual one or two outspoken individuals who volunteered their thoughts while the rest kept silent. kuang (2016) became discouraged because the course required the students to think and speak their minds and to support their opinions and output with relevant sources or evidence, either from the text or from facts gathered from other sources. in this regard, kuang (2016) has thus identified the problem. when the problem was been established, kuang (2016) often reflected on the attitude of the class, writing down her own thoughts on what could have held the students back from interacting. this went on for a few weeks. subsequently, kuang (2016) noted that there could be a way to break the barrier. she decided to build a rapport with them. all the students were requested to meet her in her office for an interview and under the guise of getting to know them personally, through a casual setting of tea and biscuits, she began to learn a little more about each student. all these information were documented into a journal for future reference. following this activity, kuang (2016) then began applying some improvements on the class. she developed more empathy for the students whose classes were back to back. realizing their hectic schedule, kuang (2016) provided little foods to energize them in between classes. during class discussions, she also shared personal stories which were linked to the reading topics and students also got to share theirs. this helped to forge the rapport. as the weeks increased, the relationship became better than before and soon both parties were less distant and more friendly with each other. by week four, kuang (2016) began applying the reflection exercise on the students during the last five minutes of class. three questions were posed and the students were asked to answer anonymously on a paper which will be collected. the questions include: a) what went well in class today?, b) what did not go well in class today? and c) what would you like to see more of in the next class? this activity developed the students‘ confidence to articulate their opinions privately. it also reduced their insecurity. with that in process, kuang (2016) proceeded to conducting a more formal form of action research. she told the class, ‗i am going to observe you over the next few weeks to see if things can be improved for the course‘. she also gave them theories as to why student voices are important for the teacher. they were also promised that what was gathered from the action research would be analyzed and the analysis would be shared with them. however, the classroom research, in particular, responding to some of the interview questions had to be done on the condition that all things written down would be anonymous but honest. in week 10, data were collected when kuang (2016) posed ten questions. the students were required to answer them with regards to classroom atmosphere, assignments, marks, and teacher attributes. analysis indicates that students found their learning environment boring and rigid. they wanted a better learning environment with air conditioning, bigger chairs and tables and space to move around. they also preferred teachers who were warm and knowledgeable. most of all, the students wanted to be ―partners‖ in the learning process where they were given opportunities to negotiate their learning in terms of the number of assignments, submission deadlines, weightage of marks, activities and teaching materials. based on the outcome of this action research, kuang (2016) was able to empathize with her students, adjusting her teaching techniques and the class assignments and weightage of marks. the good relationship developed lowered their anxiety and increased their 169 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee confidence thereby, enhancing class management. the outcome was shared with peers in a conference and eventually published in a foreign journal (see kuang, 2016). case study 2: assisting postgraduate students in their academic writing as lecturers teaching postgraduate courses, we noted that majority of our postgraduate students were not proficient writers. we drew our evidence of the students‘ weak performance in writing from written works such as research proposals, written projects and seminar papers. it seems obvious that they would require a lot of support to hone their academic writing skills. they were not just weak in grammar structure but also unable to produce a coherent text that is clear, specific, and concise, albeit with lesser quotations. many were also ignorant in the organisation of texts. from our long term observations, it was deduced that their weak writing skills were the result of their diversity, their basic educational system and the influence of their first language (l1). we wanted to help these students to improve their skills so we had to first investigate what their specific writing problems include. theories denote that interference from l1 is quite predominant in l2/l3‘s writing tasks. the lack of exposure to reading materials may also be another factor. unsure if other faculties were facing similar problems, we then offered two workshops on postgraduate supervision for the academic staff of the university. from the input gathered during the workshops, we were informed that all the lecturers faced similar issues with student writing issues. with this verification, we reflected again. we had a duty to do something for the university and the postgraduate students. hence, we offered to conduct writing workshops for the postgraduate students by conveying our intentions to the institute of postgraduate studies (ips) in our university. we used the workshop to collect data by conducting smaller sessions of activities where the postgraduates learn how to review a portion of an article. based on a few questions provided, they had to identify the answers from the article. it is these written texts which were collected for analysis. using our experience as language teachers and examiners of theses, we then attempted to analyze the data through major themes. findings indicate that majority of our postgraduates were not competent in basic reading skills (cannot scan or predict) and they had issues in advanced writing techniques (cannot paraphrase, summarize or synthesize). based on this finding, we realized that the university requirement for students to have a certain english language qualification when they made their application to our university did not match the postgraduate programmes offered. clearly, their skills were too low to enable them to read academic texts and to write academic papers and theses. from that understanding, we then used our data to propose to the university that a kind of support system be provided to these postgraduate students so as enable them to develop their reading and writing skills simultaneously. likewise, we also presented our data to our peers. the paper was selected for publication in a local journal (see kuang & david, 2015). conclusion meerah et al. (2001) had noted that despite the fact that a teacher‘s main function is to teach, it is imperative for the teacher to read journals and to conduct research on a regular basis, as a form of professional development. they also examined how far malaysian teachers, especially those who have undergone inservice courses and workshops on action research, were able to venture into action research. they note that many were aware of the importance; many found satisfaction 170 kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david empowering language teachers through action research: two case studies from malaysia with their results when they had the opportunity to report and share their findings but overall, they were still hindered by some bureaucratic constraints placed by principals and colleagues alike. such situations need to change (johnson, 2012; brown, 2002) because the future direction of staff development programmes, teacher preparation curricula as well as school improvement initiatives are in the palms of these teachers. as they learn to adopt action research into their classrooms, their ability to become more critical of happenings around them will be impacted by the critical inquiry they apply in action research. in addition, a rigorous examination of their own classroom practices and school programmes will also elevate the quality of their own teaching and class management. johnson (2012) asserts that action research is a teacher empowerment tool that allows teachers to examine their own practices based on classroom inquiries. using what they found, teachers can reform their teaching techniques. outcomes derived from the result of action research can also be used by language teachers to look inward into their own practices thereby, resolving classroom issues and enhancing personal qualities and development (guskey, 2000). hollingsworth and sockett (1994) had observed that action research had also enabled teachers to professionalise teaching and to rethink about the schools‘ environment. oja and pine (1989) also maintain that teachers who engage in action research tend to become more critical and reflective about their own practices. thus, it becomes imperative for language teachers to become more acquainted with the process of action research. language teachers are the conduit for learners to acquire knowledge, communicate, and interact with others as well as gain social standing. they serve as role models for their learners. with the right attitude towards teaching and learning, language teachers should be trained to understand why there is a need to conduct personal and individual classroom research as the answers they uncover can serve as solutions to overcome any issue they face within the classroom context. as has been noted, once the results are shared and the teachers‘ confidence escalate, their attitude becomes more positively aligned with doing research. they may conduct more research; they may become more reflective in their attitude and they may also develop good practices of professionalism. thus, it is necessary that language teachers, irrespective of their teaching contexts, location and teaching era, strive to learn and understand more about action research and how this can be implemented in their classrooms. by subscribing to action research, language teachers will set the pace in being the first to take the initiative to combat what is rarely done and to take the lead in becoming practitioners cum researchers. based on this call, it is again asserted that language teachers must take the lead in doing research within their classrooms. references abraham, a. (2015). action researching power in an esl and academic writing classroom. qualitative research journal, 15(2), 155-165. adelman, c. (1993). kurt lewin and the origins of action research. educational action research, 1(1), 7-24. atay, d. (2006). teachers' professional development: partnerships in research. tesl-ej, 10(2), 1-15. borg, s. (2009). english language teachers‘ conceptions of research. applied linguistics, 30(3), 358-388. brew, a., & boud, d. (1995). teaching and research: establishing the vital link with learning. higher education, 29(3), 261-273. brown, b. l. (2002). improving teaching practices through action research (doctoral dissertation, virginia polytechnic institute and state university). retrieved from https://theses.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd04 152002182022/unrestricted/bethbrowndissert ation.pdf. 171 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee burns, a. (2009). doing action research in english language teaching: a guide for practitioners. new york: routledge. burton, j. (2009). reflective practice. in a. burns & j. c. richards (eds.), the cambridge guide to second language teacher education (pp. 298307). cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. carpenter, l. (2003, september). teaching versus research: does it have to be that way?. the academic exchange: great expectations. retrieved from http://www.emory.edu/acad_exchange/ 2003/sept/carpenter.html curry, l. a., nembhard, i. m., & bradley, e. h. (2009). qualitative and mixed methods provide unique contributions to outcomes research. circulation, 119(10), 1442-1452. denscombe, m. (2009). ground rules for social research: guidelines for good practice. glasgow: mcgraw-hill education. dewey, j. (1933). how we think–a restatement of the relation of reflective learning to the educative process. new york: boston. dzakiria, h., mohamed, a. h., hisham, b., malek, z. a., & said, s. n. (2007). ‗it is empowering…‘teachers‘ voices on action research using flanders' interactional analysis categories (fiac) for peer observation to improve teaching and learning of english language. education planning and research division, ministry of education (malaysia). (2008). buku manual kajian tindakan (3rd ed). kuala lumpur, malaysia: ministry of education, malaysia. ferrance, e. (2000). action research. providence, ri: lab at brown university. guskey, t. r. (2000). evaluating professional development. thousand oaks, ca: corwin press. hattied, j., & marsh, h. w. (1996). the relationship between research and teaching: a metaanalysis. review of educational research, 66(4), 507-542. hogarth, s. (2005). the inter-relationship between teaching and research at the university of york 2004. survey for the forum for the enhancement of learning and teaching. retrieved from http://www.york.ac.uk/felt/gpresource/researc h&teaching.html hollingsworth, s., & sockett, h. (1994). teacher research and educational reform. chicago: university of chicago press. johnson, a. p. (2012). a short guide to action research (4th ed.). new jersey: pearson education. koleksi kajian tindakan (2011-2012). sekolah kajang, selangor. kuang, c. h. (2016). enhancing student learning in higher education through student input. practice and evidence of the scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education, 11(1), 100-122. kuang, c. h. & david, m. k. (2015). basic and advanced skills they don't have: postgraduates and literature review writing. malaysian journal of learning & instruction. 12, 131150. lewin, k. (1946). action research and minority problems. journal of social issues, 2(4), 34-46. retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.15404560.1946.tb02295.x luchini, p., & rosello, a. (2007). developing learners‘ oral communicative language abilities: a collaborative action research project in argentina. the journal of asia tefl, 4(4), 245-271. o‘brien, r. (1998). an overview of the methodological approach of action research. retrieved from: http://www.web.net/robrien/ papers/ arfinal.html meerah, t. s. m., & osman, k. (2013). what is 'action' in action research: a malaysian exposure. asian social science, 9(16), 148. meerah, t. s. m., johar a. r., & ahmad, j. (2001). what motivates teachers to conduct research? journal of science and mathematics education in s.e. asia, 25(1), 1-24. middlewood, d. (1999). some effects of multiple research projects on the host school staff and their relationships. practitioner research in education: making a difference. london: paul chapman publishing. norasmah, o., & chia, s. y. (2016). the challenges of action research implementation in malaysian schools. pertanika journal of social sciences & humanities, 24(1). oja, s., & pine, g. (1989). collaborative action research: teachers‘ stages of development and school contexts. peabody journal of education, 64 (2), 96-115. omar, h. m., & umehara, m. (2010). using a ‗shadowing‘ technique to improve english pronunciation deficient adult japanese learners: an action research on expatriate japanese adult learners. the journal of asia tefl, 7(2), 199-230. ramsden, p., & moses, i. (1992). associations between research and teaching in australian higher education. higher education, 23(3), 273-295. richards, j. c. (1998). teaching in action: case studies from second language classrooms. 172 kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david empowering language teachers through action research: two case studies from malaysia alexandria, va: teachers of english to speakers of other languages. richards, j. c., & lockhart, c. (1994). reflective teaching in second language classrooms. cambridge: cambridge university press. schön, d. a. (1983). the reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. basic books. susman, g. (1983). action research: a sociotechnical systems perspective. london: sage publications. teo, a. k., voon, b. h., & voon, g. e. (2011). expectation-based teaching: an action research in english report writing. winter, r. (1989). learning from experience: principles and practice in actionresearch. philadelphia: the falmer press. zeichner, k. m. (1983). alternative paradigms of teacher education. journal of teacher education, 34(3), 3-9. zeichner, k. m., & liston, d. p. (2013). reflective teaching: an introduction. new york: routledge. 173 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee monkey a guy walks into a bar with his pet monkey. he orders a drink and while he's drinking, the monkey jumps all around the place. the monkey grabs some olives off the bar and eats them. then grabs some sliced limes and eats them. then jumps onto the pool table, grabs one of the billiard balls, sticks it in his mouth, and to everyone's amazement, somehow swallows it whole. the bartender screams at the guy "did you see what your monkey just did?". the guy says "no, what?" "he just ate the cue ball off my pool table-whole!". "yeah, that doesn't surprise me," replied the guy. "he eats everything in sight, the little bastard. sorry. i'll pay for the cue ball and stuff." he finishes his drink, pays his bill, pays for the stuff the monkey ate, then leaves. two weeks later he's in the bar again, and has his monkey with him. he orders a drink and the monkey starts running around the bar again. while the man is finishing his drink, the monkey finds a maraschino cherry on the bar. he grabs it, sticks it up his butt, pulls it out, and eats it. the bartender is disgusted. "did you see what your monkey did now?" he asks. "no, what?" replies the guy. "well, he stuck a maraschino cherry up his butt, pulled it out, and ate it!" said the bartender. "yeah, that doesn't surprise me," replied the guy. " he still eats everything in sight, but ever since he swallowed that cue ball, he measures everything first..." (source: http://www.study-express.ru/humour/funny-stories.shtml, picture: www.google.co.id) 174 kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david empowering language teachers through action research: two case studies from malaysia english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 119 present situation analysis: students’ early characteristics in writing for academic purposes audi yundayani sekolah tinggi keguaran ilmu pendidikan (stkip) kusuma negara, jakarta, indonesia email: audi_yundayani@stkipkusumanegara.ac.id apa citation: yundayani, a. (2018). present situation analysis: students’ early characteristics in writing for academic purposes. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 119-126. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1262. received: 27-02-2018 accepted: 30-04-2018 published: 01-06-2018 abstract: present situation analysis is considered to be the umbrella that embraces students’ lacks in language proficiencies. the aims of this study were to (1) find out current students’ writing competence level; (2) identify students’ entry behaviors and characteristics; (3) identify students’ perception concerning with writing skill for academic purposes at non-english education study programs of stkip kusuma negara jakarta. the descriptive inquiry was used in identifying students’ present situation. the respondents were non-english education study programs students of stkip kusuma negara jakarta in the academic year 2016-2017 and english lecturers. non-english education study programs students of stkip kusuma negara jakarta had low-level writing competence for academic purposes, in the area of academic styles and genres based on their disciplines. their previous experience in studying english was different with college requirement. they were not interested in studying writing for an academic purpose due to it was difficult and made them confusing. most of them never practiced and learned it seriously but they realized the importance of having competence in writing for academic purposes, especially related with the learning process in the university level. keywords: present situation analysis, writing for academic purposes, descriptive inquiry introduction needs can be seen as the umbrella term that embraces many aspects, incorporating students’ goals and backgrounds, their language proficiencies, their reasons in taking the course, their teaching and learning preferences, and the situations they will need to communicate in. needs will involve what students know, don’t know or want to know, and can be collected and analyzed in a variety of ways (hyland, 2006). in the area of english for specific purposes, need analysis is required in order to know students’ expectation concerning with learning process. it can be seen as the main driving factor to design the whole component of teaching and learning process (yundayani, emzir & rafli, 2017). the result of need analysis will empower the teachers to interpret the language requirement into linguistic and pedagogical terms which in turn develops the suitable course’s curriculum and offers the effective guidance to the learning process (nadzri, 2004). needs analysis should be seen as the earliest action in the area of english for specific purposes approach, and it will be translated into forms of learning component (kardijan, emzir & rafli, 2018). the result of need analysis supports learning designers in identifying the students’ prospective professional needs, students’ needs in terms of language skills, including their deficiencies in the area of language skills (otilia, 2015). kaewpet (2009) stated that students’ needs also involve some areas,  teaching and learning styles with which the students are familiar;  appropriate or ineffective teaching and learning methods;  knowledge of specialized contents that teachers should have;  suitable instructional materials and study location; audi yundayani present situation analysis: students’ early characteristics in writing for academic purposes 120  time of study and status of esp courses;  expectations about what students should achieve in the courses;  how necessary the courses are for the students by perceiving student’s requirement, curriculum designer will be easier in choosing the suitable learning materials and techniques to be applied in the learning process. students’ previous experience in learning english having a big role in influencing the way students will learn. by finding the students’ background, we can realize the students’ learning objective in the area of esp teaching that covers; (1) proficiency; (2) knowledge; (3) affective; and (4) transfer (stern, 1992). the present situation analysis is an analysis of the present condition of teaching and learning situation covering aspects related to students' characteristics, staffing, materials, syllabus and academic records containing data about students' language learning (gusti, 1999). students’ present situation analysis is a means to identify students’ current skills and language use (duddley-evans, 2009), including the way of assessing students’ specific needs. it will inform what can the students do with the language now (hossain, 2013). hyland (2006) stated that present situation analysis concerns with the information about students’ current proficiencies and ambitions; what they can do and what they want at the beginning of the course; their skills and perceptions; their familiarity with the specialist subject; and what they know of its demands and genres. present situation analysis can be seen as the process to find the students’ lacks which cover the discrepancy between necessity and what the students have already known concerning with the subject and related with their current skills and performance. english for academic purposes is believed to be beneficial for students in the pre-tertiary or pre-university level in order to construct a strong academic english language background which will then support them in the effective learning process at a higher level. hampslyons (2001) pledges that the english language skills of non-native english speaking academics will develop as the demand is getting higher. another comment comes from liyanage and birch (2001), they believed that there has been little attention given in eap research which with regard to the problems and complexities of egap instruction in english-speaking contexts. as a part of english general academic purposes, the ability of writing can be seen as a means to identify students’ previous knowledge, their schemata and also their creativity in presenting the ideas, thinking, including the opinion. in the academic purposes, it is a means for extracting the received information, so it plays an important role in transforming knowledge and creating the new one (yundayani, emzir & rafli, 2018). some experts believe that writing is considered as an ability included in core academic skills and also as the most complex skill to be mastered when compared to listening, speaking and reading skill (makalela, 2004; nunan, 1990). as a productive skill, writing has many components that should be mastered by the students. writing for academic purposes having some differences from writing skill at the high school level. it is common for the students to get some difficulties in applying it. most of the problem appears due to students’ failure to understand the difference of learning goal between high school and university level which initiate students into the scope of writing skill for academic purposes (ivanic & lea, 2006; lilis & scott, 2007). based on the preliminary research at nonenglish education study programs of stkip kusuma negara jakarta, it was found that present situation analysis has not been applied in designing writing material for academic purposes. it caused teacher did not have the data concerning students’ current proficiencies including their expectations. teacher tended to predict students’ early ability in writing skill for academic purposes without trying the find the exact data concerning with the students’ perceptions and what they have already known about the subject and the learning goals itself. that findings have an impact on the availability writing material for academic purposes. the given material was not suitable with students’ requirement. teachers’ intuition employed in deciding what kind of material english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 121 that will be used in the learning process and as the consequences the students having low performance in writing for academic purposes, including lack of motivation in taking part in the learning process actively. many studies believed that some factors, including english proficiency level, learning contexts, students’ characteristics, educational backgrounds, culture, and experience are important to be the foundation in designing the suitable learning process, including the learning material (oxford, 2003; deneme, 2008; khamkien, 2010). furthermore, previous research found the connections between the choices of learning strategy and factors that influence language learning strategy use. the results have claimed that the variables of gender, age, motivation, language proficiency, and language learning experience, goals, and style affect students’ selection of language learning strategy (kunasaraphan, 2015). therefore, this study is the development of previous research which focuses on finding the students’ present situation analysis in writing for academic purposes. method in determining the respondents, the purposive sampling technique was applied. 25 nonenglish education study programs students and 3 english lecturers involved in this study. the data was taken through survey questionnaire, non-participant observation, and semi-structured interviews. this descriptive research intended to identify students’ present situation in writing for academic purposes. it covered students’ current writing competence level, their entry behaviors including their perception concerning with writing skill for academic purposes. learning process was observed in order to see the actual condition of students’ performance. it was strengthened by the questionnaire and semi-structured interview to find the deeper information. the collected data were analyzed through an interpretive process, by reflecting personal viewpoints and shaping the data interpretations (clark & creswell, 2015). result and discussion based on the collected data, the research finding described in the following table. table 1. present situation analysis result no information categories data sources students’ characteristics 1 entry skills interviews: twelve students and five head of study programs test data: it was taken from students’ performance record observations: learning process of the english subject performance setting: most of the students having low score and performance in writing for academic purposes and most have no motivation in joining the writing subject. they face difficulties in writing for academic purposes but they do not know how to solve it. learning setting: target students are unskilled students in english subject. they prefer to discuss with peers and do cooperative learning. 2 prior knowledge of topic area same as above students have limited knowledge of writing; started from making sentences and developing paragraph. in fact, they have no experience in writing for academic purposes. they having problems in presenting their idea in writing. 3 attitudes toward content interviews and observations: same as above they have no interest in the material, including the learning content and its’ presentation which was focused only on the structural items, such as grammar subject. audi yundayani present situation analysis: students’ early characteristics in writing for academic purposes 122 4 attitudes toward potential delivery system interviews and observations: same as above there is no guide book. most of the material are given based on lecturers’ decision and intuition without considering students’ situation and needs. 5 a motivation for instruction interviews and observations: same as above questionnaires: sent to fifty students in five non-english education study programs students are lack of motivation because they don’t know the learning goal that should be achieved in writing for academic purposes. the material is not suitable for students’ needs. the way in presenting the material doesn’t make them being active and involved in the learning process. 6 educational and ability levels interviews and observations: same as above records: students’ data from the application form test data: no test data education levels: all students are beginner; they are in the second semester. they have lack of english abilities. they don’t have any experience in english for academic purposes. most of them are fresh graduate from senior high school. ability levels: most of the students have low ability in english. their vocabulary mastery is low. they are not proficient students in applying english. 7 general learning preferences interviews and observations: same as above questionnaires: sent to fifty students in five non-english education study programs students are not experienced with a variety of learning format. they prefer to be a part of cooperative learning. they like to be involved in the active learning process. they prefer to have the direct practice oriented english learning. they require at least an english writing material for academic purposes that can be functioned as a guidance or source, especially for the autonomous learning process. 8 attitudes toward learning organization interviews and observations: same as above students have positive feelings about the english course. all realize that the english subject, especially writing for academic purposes is important for the learning process at a university level. 9 general group characteristics a. heterogeneity b. size c. overall impressions interviews: five head of non-english education study programs and lecturers observations: same as above heterogeneity: most of the students have similar educational background with low english proficiency. size: there will be a total of twenty five students enrolled in the english class. overall impressions: the writing material for academic purposes, as one of the learning components, should be developed based on students’ needs. the above findings were discussed in term of, (1) students’ current competence level in writing for academic purposes; (2) students’ entry behaviors and characteristics; and (3) students’ perceptions. students’ current competence level in writing for academic purposes the findings of this part are important to decide the beginning level of the instructional material that will be delivered to the students. the data showed that most of the students having low ability in english with limited vocabulary mastery. they were not proficient students in applying english. it caused their level of writing competence was under expectation. they had low score and english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 123 performance in writing for academic purposes. they faced difficulties in writing for academic purposes but they did not know how to solve it. students had limited knowledge of writing; started from making sentences and developing paragraph. they had a problem in presenting their idea in writing. this condition emphasized by soliman (2016) who stated that the quality of graduates nowadays needs to be enhanced, as they cannot be just vessels to be filled with information from the teacher, but they should be able to analyze information and conduct research. students’ entry behaviors and characteristics this part was focused on students’ motivation, attitude and interest toward writing for academic purposes. there were approximately twenty-five students enrolled in the english class. the students were first-year students and their age varied from 18-23. the groups consisted of both male and female students from non-educational english study programs. all students were beginner; they were in the second semester. most of them were fresh graduate from senior high school and they tended to have no motivation in joining the writing subject. most of the students had similar educational background with low english proficiency. related to this finding, valli & priya (2016) stated that in most of the schools, students were taught through the traditional way of teaching. where in the teacher dictated the sentences or writes on the blackboard, which the learners were supposed to copy down. on the other hand on college level students are expected to write on their own. target students were unskilled students in english subject. they had lack of english abilities. in fact, they had no experience in writing for academic purposes, including no interest with the material, the learning content and its’ presentation which was focused only on the structural items, such as grammar subject. this condition had an impact on the low level of students’ skill in writing. tevdovska (2015) stated that the textbooks and materials chosen for the eap courses should correspond to the goals and objectives of the designed course. therefore, the materials should address the aforementioned goals and be appropriate in the terms of language level, design, and appropriateness. students were lack of motivation because they did not know the learning goal that should be achieved in writing for academic purposes. the material was not suitable for students’ needs. the way in presenting the material did not make them being active and involved in the learning process. students were not experienced with a variety of learning format. students’ perceptions findings also revealed students’ perceptions concerning with the ability of english writing for academic purposes. students have positive feelings about the english course. all realize that the english subject, especially writing for academic purposes is important for the learning process at a university level. this finding reflects their future role of being a teacher. it is a demand for this profession to master english ability. solak (2016) stated that teachers play one of the most important roles in reaching educational objectives in all areas of education. teacher qualifications directly influence the academic achievements of the learners. on the other hand, the students stated some conditions and expectation concerning with english writing for academic purposes subject. in the learning process, they prefer to discuss in peers and do cooperative learning. they prefer to be a part of team, including peer teaching. they like to be involved actively in the learning process. they tend to have the direct practiceoriented english learning. they require at least an english writing material for academic purposes that can be functioned as a guidance or source, especially for autonomous learning process. as evseeva (2015) observed there is a “transition from “education for life” to “lifelong learning” which is understood as continuous and selfmotivated search of knowledge for different purposes either professional or personal.” thus, there was a need for a new teaching pedagogy that changes the role of the teacher from a knowledge disseminator to a learner coach and helper. unfortunately the ideal audi yundayani present situation analysis: students’ early characteristics in writing for academic purposes 124 condition have not been found in the learning process. one of the learning components, the instructional material, have not been provided as the students’ requirement. most of the material are given based on teachers’ decision and intuition without considering students’ situation and needs. according to jordan (1997, p. 264), a number of variables have to be taken into consideration while designing materials, namely students, teachers, syllabus, methodology, resources, time and finance. the writing material for academic purposes, as one of the learning components, should be developed based on students’ needs conclusion the main aim of this study is to describe students’ present situation as a part of need analysis in the field of english for specific purposes (hutchinson, 1987). this research focuses on the students’ ability in writing for academic purposes. the instruments explored the students’ perceptions and beliefs concerning with their lack in writing for academic purposes. in the area of students’ current competence level in writing for academic purposes, the result described the low level of students’ proficiency in writing skill. most importantly, they encountered problems in vocabulary mastery, presenting ideas in written and difficult in making word formation. students’ entry behaviors and characteristics showed that most of them came from the same background with having no experience in writing for academic purposes. they had low motivation and enthusiasm in taking part actively in the learning process of writing for academic purposes. it caused their proficiency in writing have not caught up the target. in the other hand, students having a good perception on the requirement english mastery. they realized the importance of having writing skill for academic purposes in the university level learning process. it can be seen as a means to know students’ competency, personal interest, and academic performance (yundayani, emzir & rafli, 2017). in addition, students thought that the learning process including the instructional material did not suit their requirement. as the consequences, the condition did not attract them to involve actively in the learning process. by the end, the findings showed us that need analysis, including present situation analysis, should be done first and the results will be the base to design the whole learning components, including the instructional material. in the area of english for specific purposes, present situation analysis should be done together with target and learning context analysis. as hyland (2006) stated that need analysis constructs a picture of learning goals bringing to bear the teacher’s values, beliefs and philosophies of teaching and learning. it might be more accurate to see needs as jointly constructed between teachers and students in order to find the data concerning with the how and what of a course should be applied. this current research is developed from the result of previous research but still possible to be explored more detailed. acknowledgement this work was supported by the research fund provided by directorate of research and community service, directorate general for research and development, ministry of research, technology and higher education. in accordance with the research contract for fiscal year 2018, number: 053/km/pnt/2018, date march 6th, 2018. references deneme, s. (2008). language learning strategy preferences of turkish students. the journal of language and linguistic studies, 4(2), 83-93. duddley-evans, t., & john, m. j. (2009). development in english for specific purposes: a multidisciplinary approach. cambridge: cup. evseeva, a., & solozhenko, a. (2015). use of flipped classroom technology in language learning. xv international conference "linguistic and cultural studies: traditions and innovations", lkti. tom., russia: procediasocial and behavioral sciences 206 (2015). hossain, m. j. (2013). esp needs analysis for engineering students: a learner centered approach. journal of pu, 2. hutchinson, t., & waters, a. (1987). english for specific purposes. uk: cambridge university press. hyland, k. (2006). english for academic purposes: an advanced resource book. ny: routledge. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 125 ivanic, r., & lea, m. r. (2006). new contexts, new challenges: the teaching of writing in uk higher education. in l. ganobesik williams (eds), teaching academic writing in uk higher education: theories, practice and models. london: palgrave/macmillan. jordan, r. r. (1997). english for academic purposes: a guide and resource book for teachers. cambridge: cambridge university press. kardijan, d., emzir, & rafli, z. (2018). target situation analysis in implementation of english for hospitality specific purposes program. international journal of english and education, 7(1). kaewpet, c. (2009). a framework for investigating learner needs: needs analysis extended to curriculum development. electronic journal of foreign language teaching, 6(2). kunasaraphan, k. (2015). english learning strategy and proficiency level of the first year student. procedia social and behavioral sciences 197, 1853 – 1858. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.246. lilis, t., & scott, m. (2007). defining academic literacies research: issues of epistemology, ideology and strategy. journal of applied linguistics, 4(1), 5-32. doi: 10.1558/japl.v4il.5. liyanage, i., & birch, g. (2001). english for general academic purposes: catering to discipline-specific needs. queensland journal of educational research, 17(1). makalela, l. (2004). differential error types in secondlanguage students’ written and spoken texts: implications for instruction in writing. written communication, 22(4), 368-385. nadzri, a. a., &, muhammad. (2004). needs analysis of malaysian higher national diploma students. unpublished master’s dissertation, university of malaya, kuala lumpur. nunan, d. (1990). designing tasks for the communicative classroom. cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. otilia, s. m. (2015). needs analysis in english for specific purposes. annals of the “constantin brâncuşi” university of târgu jiu, economy series, 2(1). oxford, r. l. (2003). language learning styles and strategies: an overview. oxford: gala. solak, e. (2016). english teacher training programs in denmark, sweden and turkey. procedia social and behavioral sciences 232, 439 – 443. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.060. soliman, n. a. (2016). teaching english for academic purposes via the flipped learning approach. procedia social and behavioral sciences 232, 122 – 129. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.036. stern, h. h. (1992). issues and options in language teaching. oxford: oxford university press. tevdovska, e. s. (2015). selecting and adapting materials in the context of english for academic purposes – is one textbook enough? the journal of teaching english for specific and academic purposes, 3(1), 115120. valli, k. s., & priya, n. s. v. (2016). a task-based approach to develop the writing skills in english of students at college level. international journal of applied engineering research, 11(3), 21452148. yundayani, a., emzir, & rafli, z. (2018). the effectiveness of task-based instructional materials on students’ writing skills for academic purposes. international journal of english and education, 7(1). yundayani, a., emzir, & rafli, z. (2017). need analysis: the writing skill instructional material context for academic purposes. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 59-70. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.771. audi yundayani present situation analysis: students’ early characteristics in writing for academic purposes 126 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 105 solving the students’ problems in writing argumentative essay through collaborative writing strategy m. fadhly farhy abbas english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas lancang kuning pekanbaru, indonesia e-mail: fadhly@unilak.ac.id herdi english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas lancang kuning pekanbaru, indonesia e-mail: herdi@unilak.ac.id apa citation: abbas, m. f. f., & herdi, h. (2018). solving the students’ problems in writing argumentative essay through collaborative writing strategy. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 105-114. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1499. received: 10-08-2018 accepted: 21-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: this research is based on the students’ problems in writing argumentative essay, especially in developing and organizing ideas, using good grammar and diction, and applying correct writing mechanics, such as the use of capital letter, spelling, and punctuation. the purpose of this research is to solve the students’ problems in writing argumentative essay through collaborative writing strategy. the design employed in this research was classroom action research. the participants involved in this research were 23 students of english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of lancang kuning pekanbaru, indonesia. the instruments used in this research were writing test, field note, observation checklist, and interview. based on the result of the test, the students’ score had reached the criteria of success set, and it was significantly improved from the result before the research conducted. the mean score of the mid-term test was 54.9, and the mean score of the cycle test was 74.3. in addition, based on the data gained from the field note, observation checklist, and interview, it was found that the students were active, creative, and enjoy the learning process. in conclusion, the use of collaborative writing strategy can solve the students’ problems in writing argumentative essay as well. keywords: writing skill; writing aspects; argumentative essay; collaborative writing strategy; classroom action research. introduction basically, writing is an activity of expressing, developing, and organizing ideas into written form. the more ideas the writers have, the better writing product will be. however, to express, develop, and organize ideas into written form is not easy. there are two aspects in writing that must be considered by the writers. first, writing process, such as pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing (fachrurrazy, 2011). second, micro and macro skills of writing, such as the ability to use word diction , grammar, and writing mechanics including the use of capital letter, spelling, and punctuation (brown, 2015). in accordance with the above statement, both aspects of writing are still difficult to be applied by the students of english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of lancang kuning especially for the students who are already studying academic writing course. in academic writing course, the students are targeted to be able to write essay in the form of argumentative essay. argumentative essay is a scientific paper that contains arguments, explanations, m. fadhly farhy abbas & herdi solving the students’ problems in writing argumentative essay through collaborative writing strategy 106 proofs, or reasons. generally, in an argumentative essay, there is an objective review or information followed by examples, analogies, and cause and effect relationship (housden, 2013). further, bowell and kemp in ibrahim, eljack, and elhassan (2015) explain that the argument displayed with good and right reasons is an attempt to influence, invite someone or lead opinions to certain things. besides, argumentative essay can also contain arguments about pro (supporting ideas) and contra (conflicting ideas) on the issues or topics being discussed (boun, 2009). based on the teaching experience, the researchers found various problems in writing argumentative essays faced by the students. the students felt difficult when developing and organizing ideas, using correct grammar and word choices, and applying correct writing mechanics, such as the use of capital letter, spelling, and punctuation. the difficulty faced by the students in writing argumentative essays can be seen from the results of the mid-term test in which the obtained score was 54.9, and it was categorized into poor level ability. based on the above problems, the researchers want to apply a learning strategy to solve or overcome the problems faced by students in writing argumentative essay. the strategy is collaborative writing. this strategy requires students to write together in pair consisting of helper and writer. the writing activity starts from planning, writing the draft, revising, and editing an article (abbas, fachrurrazy, & wahjudi, 2013). this strategy is expected to help students in solving the problems they face in writing argumentative essay. there are several steps or procedures that must be taken in implementing collaborative writing strategy in learning process (zuhri, 2009). the first step is idea generation. in this step, the students are asked to generate as many as ideas based on the topic assigned or picture provided by the lecturer. the second step is drafting. at this step, the students are asked to write a draft of the topic assigned which has been given based on ideas that have been generated previously. the third step is revising and editing. at this step, the helper is asked to revise the draft that has been written by the writer, and the writer rewrites the revised ideas to become a well-written article. then, the helper and writer edit the revised draft simultaneously. the editing process focuses on the use of grammar, vocabulary or mechanics of writing. the last step is publishing. in this step, the students display the results of their writing in front of the class. then, the lecturer asks other students to check the results of the writing to get feedback. after that, the lecturer gives an assessment towards the students’ work. in accordance with the above description, aim of this research is to solve the students’ problems in writing argumentative essay through collaborative writing by considering these two things, namely; (1) measuring the students’ improvement in writing argumentative essay, and (2) identifying the factors that influence the students’ improvement in writing argumentative essay. method the research design used in this study was classroom action research. in this research, the researchers worked collaboratively with other english lecturers as the research collaborator. this research consisted of 4 steps or procedures, namely plan, action, observation, and reflection. this steps was called as the research cycle. the participants involved in this study were the 23 students of english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of lancang kuning pekanbaru, indonesia in the 4 th semester in 2017/2018 academic year who took academic writing course. the students were chosen because of their low ability in writing argumentative essay. the data were collected by using instruments, such as writing test, field note, observation checklist, and interview. after collecting the data, the researchers assessed and analyzed the students’ test results using english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 107 the scoring rubric and final score category provided in table 1 and table 2 below (adapted from abbas, 2015, 2018). table 1. the scoring rubric for argumentative essay assessment aspects criteria scores category content: topic development thorough development of topic 20 very good relevant to topic but lacks detail 15 good inadequate development of topic 10 fair does not show knowledge of topic 5 poor organization: unity, coherence, logical order organize paragraph well and show good coherence and chronological order 30 very good loosely organized but ideas stand out 25 good incoherent ideas and lacks logical sequencing 20 fair does not organize paragraph well and does not show good coherence and chronological order 15 poor vocabulary: word choice/ diction employ accurate and effective choice of words/diction 20 very good employ accurate diction, but not effective 15 good employ lacks accuracy of diction, but meaning not obscured 10 fair errors in applying diction or word form, and meaning obscured 5 poor grammar: sentence structure/ construction use correct grammar (pronouns, subject-verb agreement, etc) 20 very good several errors of tense, pronouns, subject-verb agreement, etc, but meaning not obscured 15 good major errors of tense, pronouns, subject-verb agreement, etc, and meaning obscured 10 fair no mastery of sentence construction and dominated by errors 5 poor mechanics: spelling, punctuation, and capitalization very little errors of mechanics 10 very good few errors of mechanics, but meaning not obscured 9 good many errors of mechanics, and meaning obscured 7 fair dominated by errors of mechanics 5 poor table 2. the final score category range of final scores category 86 – 100 very good 71 – 85 good 56 – 70 fair 10 – 55 poor results and discussion based on the results of field notes, observation checklists, and interviews, the researchers found information that the learning process in the classroom run well. based on the results of field notes, it was found that the students were very active during the learning process through collaborative writing strategy. based on the results of the observation checklist, it was found that every step of collaborative writing strategy was done well by the students. morover, based on the interview, it was found that the students felt active, creative, and enjoyable during the learning process. it was indicated that there were other factors that influence the students’ ability in writing argumentative essay besides the result of the test. in relation to the above statement, the findings from each meeting of teaching and learning process can be described as follows. at the first meeting, the learning process begun with the introduction. before the m. fadhly farhy abbas & herdi solving the students’ problems in writing argumentative essay through collaborative writing strategy 108 introduction activity, the researchers conducted a warming up activity in the form of recalling what students understood about the argumentative essay and how to write it down. this was done to make sure whether the students understood about argumentative essay or not. after the recalling process done, the researchers provided an example of an argumentative essay to students to be analyzed or discussed together. then, the researchers asked the students to look for the main idea of the essay, understood the development of the idea, and determined the language characteristics used, such as tenses and other aspects of writing. then, the researchers asked the students to exchange their worksheets with their friends to get feedback. after the above process was completed, the researchers introduced a teaching strategy called collaborative writing strategy and its implementation in the teaching and learning process. after that, the researchers asked the students to make a group in pairs and determined one student as a writer and other students as helper. furthermore, the researchers provided a topic about education to be written by the students into an argumentative essay. then, the researchers asked the students to find many ideas that should be written into the initial draft. then, the researchers assigned the students to work at home. at the second meeting, the students were asked to submit the assignment given at the first meeting (generating idea and drafting). then, the researchers gave comments on the students’ work both in spoken and written comments. after giving comments on students’ work, the researchers assigned the students to revise and edit again the drafts that have been made. the revising and editing process were focused on the use of appropriate language features, correct choice of words, and correct use of writing mechanics, such as spelling, punctuation, and capital letters. at the third meeting, the learning process focused on publishing stage. at this stage, the students were asked to display their written work in front of the class. this was done so that all students in the class could understand and could give feedback on their friends’ work. at this meeting, the students got good input in learning to write argumentative essay. at the fourth meeting, the researchers gave an assessment toward the students’ work in writing argumentative essay. the assessment focused on aspects of content (topic development), organization (structure of paragraph), vocabulary (diction/word choice), grammar (sentence sturcture), and mechanics (writing mechanism). at this meeting, the researchers assessed in terms of content that can be seen from the topics development capabilities at the argumentative essay writing. then, the researchers assessed in terms of organization which can be seen from the paragraph structure in the writing. then, the researchers assessed in terms of vocabulary that can be seen from the students’ ability in word selection in the argumentative essay writing. furthermore, the researchers assessed in terms of grammar that can be seen from the good grammatical abilities of the argumentative essay writing. finally, the researchers assessed in terms of mechanics that can be seen from the ability of the writing mechanism in the argumentative essay. at the fifth meeting, the cycle test was administered. therefore, the researchers carried out the stage of giving a writing test to students to measure the extent of student achievement in the process of writing argumentative essays. after the test, the researchers assessed the students’ work and the results of the assessment can be seen in table 3. table 3. the result of test cycle test score category cycle 74.3 good based on the result of the test cycle provided in table 3, it can bee seen that the result of test cycle was in good category. it means that this score was in good level of english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 109 ability. the score achieved by the students was 74.3. in relation to the result of the test cycle, the comparison of the result of the test cycle and mid term test result can clearly be seen at table 4. table 4. the result of the writing tests no test score category 1. mid term 54.9 poor 2. cycle 74.3 good based on the information provided in table 4, it can be seen that the average score of the students mid term test was 54.9 and it was categorized into poor level of ability. however, after conducting the research for 5 meetings (1 cycle), the average score of the students increased significantly. the mean score of the students in this test was 74.3, and it was categorized into good level of ability. referring to the results of the tests showed on the table 3 and table 4, the results of the writing tests obtained by students can be described in diagram 1. diagram 1. comparison of mid results and cycle test based on diagram 1, it can be clearly seen that the score obtained in the mid term test was lower than the score achived in the cycle test. the score for mid term test was 54.9 and the score for the cycle test was 74.3. in relation to the the results above, in the mid term test, there is no students who got the score above the standard score. the score that the students obtained was the score that was in fair and poor score category. furthermore, from 23 students who were participated in this research, 12 students were achieved fair score category, and 11 students got the poor score category. in the cycle test, it was found that the overall score of students was in good category. from 23 students involved in this research, there were 5 people who got very good category, 12 people got good category, and 6 students got fair score category. furthermore, the details can be seen in table 5. table 5. the comparison of participants amount and the score categories achieved no tests amount of participants score category 1. mid term 12 fair 11 poor 2. cycle 5 very good 12 good 6 fair based on the information provided in table 5, it can be seen that there was an improvement from the results of the midterm test. it showed that collaborative writing strategy was effective and beneficial in improving students’ writing skill. it means that the use of collaborative writing can improve the students’ writing skill. in accordance with the above explanations, the five aspects of writing (content, organization, vocabulary, grammar, and mechanics) became the focus of writing assessment in this research. moreover, the scores obtained for every single aspect of writing can be seen in diagram 2. m. fadhly farhy abbas & herdi solving the students’ problems in writing argumentative essay through collaborative writing strategy 110 diagram 2. the writing aspects diagram 2 shows the criteria assessed were the development of a deep topic (thorough development of topic) in the category of very good, related to the topic but not detailed in the explanation (relevant to topic but lacks details) with good category, inadequate development of topic in the fair category, and does not show a scientific understanding of the topic (do not show knowledge of topic) with a poor category. first, in the aspect of content in the cycle test, the score obtained was 16.5 and it was categorized into good score category. there was no problem in developing the topic of the assigned task. second, in the aspect of organization, the score was 21.7 and it was in the fair category. according to the scoring rubric, the criteria assessed was to compile paragraphs well and show good chronological coherence and arrangement (organize paragraph well and show good coherence and chronological orders) in the category of very good, poorly structured which was very good (loosely organized but ideas stand out) with good categories, there was no idea or coherence and incoherent ideas and lack of logical sequencing in the fair category, and paragraphs were not well organized and did not show good coherence and chronological order (did not organize paragraph well and did not show good coherence and chronological order) with a poor category. third, for the aspect of vocabulary, the score ontained was 15 and it was in good category. the criteria assessed were about the ability in using correct word choice in the category of very good, using accurate but ineffective diction (employ accurate diction, but not effective) with good category, using diction or words that were less precise but the meaning of the word was not too vague (employ lacks accuracy of dictionaries, but meaning not obscured) in the fair category, there was an error in the selection of diction or word form and meaning of the word was unclear (errors in applying diction or word form, and meaning obscured) with the poor category. fourth, for the grammar aspect, the score ontained was 13.5 and it was in the fair category. the criteria assessed were about the ability in using good grammar, such as pronouns, subject and verb agreement, and many others. it covered; 1) the use of correct grammar, pronouns, subject-verb agreement, and so on, with very good category, 2) there were some errors in the use of tenses, pronoun, subject-verb agreement and so on, english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 111 but the meaning was not vague (several errors of tense, pronouns, subject-verb agreement, but meaning not obscured) with good category, 3) there were many errors in the use of tenses, pronouns, the suitability of the subject and verb and so on and their meaning were vague (major errors of tense, pronouns, subject-verb agreement, and so on, and meaning obscured) in the fair category, and 4) not mastering the sentence structure and dominated by errors (no mastery of sentence structure and dominated by errors) in the poor category. fifth, in the mechanics aspect, the score obtained was 7.6 and it was categorized into fair category. the criteria assessed were; 1) very few errors in the writing mechanism (very little errors of mechanics) with very good category, 2) some errors that occured in the writing mechanics but the meaning was not vague (few errors of mechanics, but meaning not obscured) with good category, 3) many errors occured in the writing mechanics and the meaning was fuzzy (many errors of mechanics, and meaning obscured) with the fair category, and 4) dominated by errors in the writing mechanics with poor category. in other words, if the overall average score was obtained then the score would be in good level ability. the details is presented in table 6. table 6. the students’ writing test results per writing indicator tests aspects content organization vocabulary grammar mechanics mid term 12.6 (fair) 13.2 (poor) 11.9 (fair) 9.8 (poor) 7.2 (fair) cycle 16.5 (good) 21.7 (fair) 15 (good) 13.5 (fair) 7.6 (fair) in accordance with the information provided in table 6, it can be seen that the scores obtained by the students in the midterm test were lower than the scores obtained in the cycle test. the score for content in the mid-term test was 12.6 and it was improved in the test cycle to 16.5. the score for organization in mid-term test was 13.2 and improved in the test cycle to 21.7. the score for vocabulary in mid-term was 11.9, and it improved in the test cycle to 15. for grammar aspect, the score in mid-term was 9.8, and in the test cycle was 13.5. at last, the score for mechanics in mid-term test was 7.2 and it was improved to 7.6 in the test cycle. furthermore, the clear information about the comparison of the writing test can be seen in diagram 3. diagram 3. significant comparison between mid-term results and cycle test results m. fadhly farhy abbas & herdi solving the students’ problems in writing argumentative essay through collaborative writing strategy 112 in line with the information in table 6 and diagram 3, the results of the students’ mid-term test can also be seen in diagram 4. diagram 4. the students’ mid-term test results per assessment aspect the diagrams show the comparison of students’ test results in writing argumentative essay. it can be clearly seen that the students’ achievement improves from mid term results to the cycle test. in other words, the students scores in the cycle test were higher than the mid term scores. it means that there has been an improvement in the students’ ability in writing argumentative essay after conducting the research using collaborative writing strategy. thus, it can be stated that the implementation of the collaborative writing strategy in learning argumentative essay writing could help students in improving their writing skill. based on the results obtained from each research instrument, it can be stated that the ability of the 4 th semester students of english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of lancang kuning in academic year 2017/2018 in writing argumentative essay were categorized into good level of ability. then, the researchers decided to complete the research until cycle 1. it means that the research was not continued to the next cycle. it was because there was a match between achievement and the criteria of success set in this research. the scores achieved by the students were higher than the minimum passing score. in line with the previous explanation, it can be stated that good ability of the students in writing argumentative essays was basically influenced by the students’ good ability in applying the collaborative writing strategy. this research result was in line with previous research conducted by abbas, fachrurrazy, & wahjudi (2013), zuhri (2009), wahyuni (2017), soraya (2016), and lestari, setyowati, sukmawan, and latief (2017) about the implementation of collaborative writing strategy in improving the students’ writing skill. based on the results of this research, it was proven that the implementation of the collaborative writing strategy in the learning process could improve the students’ skill in writing. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 113 in accordance with the above statement, the research conducted by sarmidi (2009) and isnawati (2009) were also related to the results of this research. this was because each stage of writing process was correctly applied by the students in the learning process. therefore, this activity let the students to write smoothly and correctly. in other word, this process let the students to improve their writing skill, especially in writing argumentative essay. pertaining to the above explanation, although the writing skill of the students in writing argumentative essays was good, there were two things became the weaknesses in this research. first, the limited time in the learning process was a bit of a constraint in this research. 90 minutes or 2 credits for writing class was too short and not enough. so, it was recommended that the time allocation for writing lectures to be added at least 3 credits. second, not all students achieved good score category in this research. it was found that 6 students who obtained score below the passing score, and the score was in the fair and poor category. thus, the researchers suggest the 6 students to practice writing harder and more actively so that their writing skill can be improved. the more often the students practice writing, the better writing skill would be. conclusion based on the analysis, there are some points that need to be highlighted. first, in the aspect of content, the score obtained is 16.5 and it is in the good category. from the rubric, this category can be seen from the criteria, such as; develop ideas relevant to the topic but less detail so that they can be categorized into good. second, in the aspect of organization, the score achieved is 21.7 and it is in the fair category. based on the rubric, the criteria for students in this study is there is no coherence on paragraph composition and ideas are also less logical in order (incoherent ideas and lack of logical sequencing) so that they can be categorized into fair level. third, for the aspect of vocabulary, the score is 15 and it is categorized into good. the criteria is that students use accurate but ineffective diction (employ accurate diction, but not effective) so that they can be categorized into good category. fourth, in the grammar aspect, the score obtained is 13.5 and the category is fair. the criteria is that there are many errors in the use of tenses, pronouns, suitability of subjects and verbs and so on and their meaning was vague (major errors of tense, pronouns, subject-verb agreement, and so on, and meaning obscured) so that it can be categorized into fair level. in the fifth aspect, the score obtained for mechanics is 7.6 and it is in the fair category. the criteria is that there are many errors in the writing mechanism and the meaning is unclear (many errors of mechanics, and meaning obscured), dominated by errors in the writing mechanism so that it is categorized into poor level. in addition, the mean score obtained by the students is 74.3 and it is categorized into good level of ability. in relation to the above explanation, it can be concluded that the use of collaborative writing strategy can solve the students’ problems in writing argumentative essay. in other word, the implementation of collaborative writing strategy in the teaching of argumentative essay writing can improve the students’ writing skill. moreover, this improvement is supported by two points, namely; 1) the mean score of the students is 74.3 and it is categorized into good level of ability, and 2) the factors that influence the students’ improvement in writing argumentative essay are; the students are active, creative, and enjoy the learning process by using collaborative writing strategy. acknowledgement in this part, the researchers need to express many thanks to the persons who helped in the research. first, the researchers would like to say thank to ministry of research, technology, and higher education of republic of indonesia (kemristekdikti ri) who gave financial support. second, the m. fadhly farhy abbas & herdi solving the students’ problems in writing argumentative essay through collaborative writing strategy 114 researchers also would like to say thank to lppm and team of universitas lancang kuning pekanbaru, indonesia who provided good service for the researchers during the research. at last, the appreciation goes to the research assistants, head of english education department, and head of up2m of fkip unilak who supported totally during the research. references abbas, m. f. f. (2018). assessing efl students’ ability in developing idea to organize academic essay. iop conference series: earth and environmental science 175(1), 012-074. abbas, m. f. f. (2015). analysis of students' ability in writing a research proposal. elt-lectura, 2(2). abbas, m., fachrurrazy, f., & wahjudi, a. (2013). applying collaborative writing process strategy to improve students’ ability in writing a narrative text. disertasi dan tesis program pascasarjana um. boun, e. (2009). argumentative essay. retrieved june 6, 2017, from www.buowl.boun edu. brown, h. d. (2015). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy (5 th ed.). white plains, new york: pearson education. fachrurrazy. (2011). teaching english as a foreign language for teachers in indonesia. malang: universitas negeri malang press. housden, e. (2013). senior text types: a writing guide for students. farrbooks: quendsland. ibrahim, m. e. e., eljack, n. s. a., & elhassan, i. b. m. (2015). to what extent can argumentative essay writing help develop leaners' critical thinking. sust journal of humanities, 16(4). isnawati, u.m. (2009). improving the writing ability of the 11th grade students of ma hasyim asy’ari kembangbahu lamongan through the implementation of the scaffolding strategy. unpublished thesis. malang: universitas negeri malang. lestari, setyowati, s., sukmawan, & latief, m. a. (2017). solving the students’ problems in writing argumentative essay through the provision of planning. a journal of culture, english language, teaching & literature, 17(1), 87102. sarmidi. (2009). the use of directed writing activity strategy to enhance the students’ skill in writing recount texts at mtsn margoyoso-pati. unpublished master’s thesis. malang: universitas negeri malang. soraya, k. (2016). the effectiveness of collaborative writing strategy (cws) in writing lesson regarded to the students’ creativity. lingua cultura, 10(2), 63-67. wahyuni, s. (2017). improving students` ability in writing through collaborative writing strategy at the islamic junior high school muhammadiyah 01 medan. unpublished thesis. medan: department of english education faculty of tarbiyah and teacher training state islamic university of north sumatera. retrieved from http://repository.uinsu.ac.id/2643/1/cover%20 skripsi%20ciwa.pdf. zuhri, s. (2009). improving the ability in writing a recount text of the first year-students of man wlingi through collaborative writing strategy. unpublished master’s thesis. malang: universitas negeri malang. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee intercultural approach and character educationbased developing english textbook titi rokhayati purworejo muhammadiyah university, indonesia email: rokhayatititi@yahoo.com apa citation: rokhayati, t. (2016). intercultural approach and character educationbased developing english textbook. english review: journal of english education, 5(1), 131-140 received: 08-10-2016 accepted: 07-11-2016 published: 01-12-2016 abstract: this research was conducted with the purpose to develop the materials of textbook based on intercultural approach and character education as a guideline in learning english for senior high school class x in purworejo regency, and to determine the validity of the development of textbooks. the method used in this research is r and d. based on the findings, it can be concluded that english book published by the government in 2014 requires improvement in terms of 1) the current topic which are very important because the topics are most needed by the students as information directly from the book contained current trends, 2) insight of diversity means that the knowledge, experience, and discourse reflected in the texts contained insight of diversity including the target language, and 3) relationship with social emotional material students need to be improved. the material contained in this book will be developed based on the intercultural approach, meaning that based on the findings and goals to be achieved in this study, the findings of the field study is appropriate. keywords: textbooks, english, intercultural approach, character education introduction english is the first foreign language in indonesia which becomes a compulsory subject for students of junior high school to universities. in line with the development of globalization era, english is very important to be mastered since many people learn english for various intentions. they try to understand some english texts, for having interview, even for studying abroad, they need to master english either written or oral. observing the importance of english in any sphere of life, the government must be able to change the paradigm of educational system in indonesia. the change of basic paradigm in the national education system happenned in 2009s, the minister of education wants to have a focus in the national education which is known as character education. the government has made character education as the priority program in the national development. the education which is based on culture and nation character is attached to the curriculum and sylabus, the teachers find it is difficult to understand the meaning of the characters. it must be applied in the lesson plan. character is someone’s personality which is formed as the result of integration of understanding, the behaviour to the value, and the daily attitude. character implies a standard of moral which involved a value consideration (hurlock in kesuma 2012). 131 titi rokhayati intercultural approach and character educationbased developing english textbook character education is an education to form an individual’s personality through the character education in which the result can be seen in the good attitude, honesty, responsibility, appreciate others’ right, and work hard (lickona in gunawan, 2012) the characters’ value intended is the personality or character which can be reached in teaching-learning process. there are some important things in teaching learning process. they are input, process and output. in the process of teaching learning, the teacher needs to use method and media. one of the important media is textbook. based on direktorat pendidikan menengah umum (in muslich, 2010, p. 50) a “textbook is sekumpulan tulisan yang dibuat secara sistematis berisi tentang suatu materi pelajaran tertentu, yang disiapkan oleh pengarangnya dengan menggunakan acuan kurikulum yang berlaku.” while richards and schmidt (2010) say that textbook is a book contained certain subject which is used to teach or study in school or universities. english textbook has some special characteristics in which covers some limitations which relate to how to use the language, the function of the language, and condition of the society. the choice of materials and the appropriate technique can make the students interested. when the teacher finds some unappropriate materials which are not in line with the students’ need, the teacher must develop the material to make it suited to the students’ need. the teacher then has to select, adapt, and develop the materials. actually a teacher must decide on the materials needed, students’ activities, and the strategy he must apply in teaching learning process. the policy of teaching english must be in line with the availability of english textbook which fulfills students’ need and the curriculum. besides, the intercultural approach is needed to enrich the teachers’ knowledge in english teaching learning. the concept of “inter-cultural” is need to be conceived as independent of both their native culture and the new culture. while, the concept of teaching is helping someone to learn, guiding, providing with the knowledge, and giving instructions. teaching intercultural is helping the students to understand their own culture and respect other cultures because in fact there is an influence from other cultures. soler (2007) claims that we are so familiar with our own culture that we do not even realize it is there and, inevitably, it influences our expectations when we establish contact with people belonging to a different culture. intercultural understanding is the ability to participate and negotiate with people in a variety of contexts. participating and negotiating with people requires an ability to know and understand ‘your’ culture, ‘another’s’ culture and have skill in working between your own and another’s culture. (http://www.asiaeducation.edu.au/for_ lecturers/professional_learning/intercul tural_competencies/developing_intercul tural_understanding/diu_resources/res ource_1_definitions.html). an intercultural approach gives lecturers and learners a clearly defined and consistent set of purposes, while intercultural communication should be a clearly defined option in language education. the goals of any course should specify whether learners, lecturers and institutions are concerned with (1) increasing language proficiency. (2) gaining factual knowledge about the target culture. 132 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee (3) acculturating, and/or. (4) mediating between cultures (corbett, 2003). intercultural competence is a set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills and characteristics that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural context (bennet, 2011). in addition, fantini (2006, p. 12) defines intercultural as “a complex of abilities needed to perform effectively and appropriately when interacting with others who are linguistically and culturally different from oneself.” the most elaborated model of intercultural competence is the model of savoirs developed by byram and zarate (1994): (1) savoir, (2) savoir être, (3) savoir comprendre, and (4) savoir apprendre. 1) savoir refers to knowledge of self and others, of their products and practices and the general processes of interaction. this constitutes a body of knowledge on which other operations can be performed. 2) savoir être, which involves an attitudinal disposition towards intercultural engagement manifested in approaching intercultural learning with curiosity, openness, and reflexivity. 3) savoir comprendre, which involves learning how to interpret and explain cultural practices or documents and to compare them with aspects of one’s own culture. 4) savoir apprendre, which is the ability to make discoveries through personal involvement in social interaction. byram (1997) adds a further dimension, savoir s’engager, which refers to the ability to make informed critical evaluation of aspects of one’s own and other cultures. in terms of character education, there are 9 pillars which will be developed (uu no 20 tahun 2003 pasal 3), they are; 1) love god and the creature, 2) responsibility, discipline, and independence, 3) honesty and wisdom, 4) respect and polite, 5) charity and cooperation, 6) self-esteem, creative and hard-work, 7) leadership and justice, 8) kindness and humble, and 9) tolerance, peaceful, and unity. another pillars in the characters education are: 1) religious, 2) honest, 3) tolerance, 4) discipline, 5) hard-work, 6) creative, 7) independence, 8) democratic, 9) curiosity, 10) nationality, 11) patriotism, 12) appreciative, 13) friendliness, 14) peaceful, 15) love reading, 16) environment concern, 17) social concern, and 18) responsibility. in this research the researcher has a research question; how is the development of the textbook based on intercultural approach and character education as the guidance book of english teaching learning for class x semester 1 in purworejo regency? method this research uses r and d method developed by richey (2007). based on the objectives of the research, this research belongs to the research and development method. sugiyono adds that “research and development is a research method which is used to produce a particular product, and test the effectiveness of product” (2012, p. 407). richey and klein (2007) call it developmental or development research, which then name it design and development research. it is divided into 3 steps; exploring (research), developing (design and development), and evaluation (design research). this research analyzes the exploring stage and the developing stage is still on the process. so, the researcher only discuss on the exploring or preliminary study. the subjects of the research are the tenth grader of sman 5 and sman 7 in 133 titi rokhayati intercultural approach and character educationbased developing english textbook purworejo regency. there are 160 students and 5 teachers. the main instrument is the researcher herself and the supporting instrument is questionnaire and observation for students and for teachers. the research was conducted seven times for collecting data for students and teachers on april to july 2016. results in a preliminary study, the researcher did a step namely literature study. the literature study is a step in which the researcher collected various books and sources which are relevant to the topics discussed. the books were very helpful as the basic resource of theories, so in discussing the topic the researcher can give clear and focused discussion. after doing some research, the researcher presented a field study on textbooks used. the textbook analyzed was an english textbook for the first semester of class x in sman 5 and sman 7 purworejo. the book was published by kemendikbud 2014. the research findings will be described as follows: the results of the students’ questionnaire in this section the researcher presents the results of questionnaire given to the students in grade x sman 5 and sma n 7 purworejo. table 1. the subjects of the research sma science class social class sman 5 32 64 sman 7 32 32 sum 64 96 total 160 the subjects are the students of sman 5 and sman 7. they are at the tenth grade semester 1. the schools are state senior high school. those schools are included as favorite schools in purworejo. both schools implement 2013 curriculum. the researcher chose 64 students majoring in science and the social class were 96 students. table 2. the result of students’ questionnaire no the questions no of item agree disagree number percentage number percentage 1. the conformity between the content and the core competencies 1 143 95.33 7 4.67 2. the materials represent social function 2 125 84.46 23 15.54 3. the aspects and meaning structure described clearly 3 111 75.00 37 25.00 4. linguistic feature is well-defined 4 110 73.33 40 26.67 5. the topics in the materials are trend topics 5 47 31.76 101 68.24 6. the materials include developing life skills 6 98 68.06 46 31.94 7. the insight of diversity is welldescribed 7 78 51.66 73 48.34 8. the materials are suited to the 8 137 82.33 29 17.47 134 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee development level of students’ cognitive 9. the materials are suited to the students’ social emotional level 9 82 56.55 63 43.45 10. the message in the material is clearly-read 10 103 69.13 46 30.87 11. use appropriate language 11 137 92.57 11 7.43 12. good management of chapters 12 122 81.88 27 18.12 13. interconnectedness of chapters and sub chapters 13 129 87.76 18 12.24 14 good performance in presenting the materials 14 133 89.26 16 10.47 15. the contents of the chapters are in balance 15 137 93.20 10 6.80 16. the focus is the students’ need 16 105 70.47 44 29.53 17. the materials lead the students’ idea, creativity and critical thinking 17 115 77.18 34 22.82 18. the materials enable the students to learn 18 96 64.43 53 35.57 19. the materials enable the students to have self evaluation 19 99 66.4 50 33.56 20. there are introduction, content and closing 20 127 86.39 20 13.61 total number 2234 74.92 748 25.08 based on the table above, it can be drawn that the questions in the questionnaire about the instrument ratings book filled out by the students by answering agree and disagree more dominant on the answers agree. however, if we look thoroughly, there are three questions that are more likely to provide input into the development of the material that is about current topics, they agree to answer a number of 47 (31.76%) and disagree 101 (68.24%). then, the second of the insights of diversity in the material, those who answered agree is 78 (51.66%) and disagree is 73 ( 48.34%) it was almost equal. the third on a question about the content of the material is in conformity with the social emotional development of students who answered agree is 82 (56.55%) and disagree is 65 (43.45%). seeing the first question, namely number of items 5 (topics contained in the materials are current topics), it is clear that the students who answer disagree are bigger than who answered agree. the second question i.e. number of items 7 (development of insights diversity is already imprinted in the material), insight into the diversity in this case includes not only insight into the cultures that exist in indonesia but also the cultures of the target language that is english. so, this insight also includes students' horizons about english culture as the target language. the answer of agree and disagree was no significant difference, it was almost the same. the third question, number of items 9 (fill material according to the social emotional level of the students) students who agree is more than those who was disagree but the difference was only 3.10%. based on the findings of the students’ questionnaire, it can be concluded that the english book for tenth grade semester 1 published by the government in 2014 requires an improvement in the current topic, insight into the diversity, 135 titi rokhayati intercultural approach and character educationbased developing english textbook and about the relationship of social emotional material with students. current topics are very important because the topics are most needed by students as the information directly from the book what are the current trends. it is considered very important for the students so that the students get inspiration from books and then interpret it in the form of tasks by the teacher. insights of diversity means that the knowledge, experience, and discourse reflected in the texts contained in the book because the english books here related to diversity also on the diversity of the target language. in accordance with the title of this study that the material contained in this book will be developed based on the intercultural approach, meaning that based on the findings and goals to be achieved in this study, the findings of the field study is appropriate. linkages of material with students’ social emotional which need to be improved. it may also be associated with the development of educational materials based on the character suited to the problems raised in this research. the results of the teachers’ questionnaire teachers’ questionnaires are filled out by five teachers who teach in the tenth grade science and social studies. the three teachers are from sman 7, they are dr. nikmah nurbaity, m.pd., agus setiyono, m.pd., and drs. moersito. meanwhile, while the other two teachers came from sman 5 namely heru, m.pd., and bambang, m.pd. the results of the questionnaire can be described as follows: feasibility contents: 1) core competencies and basic competencies are implied the core competencies and basic competencies should be written clearly, so it can be seen from the text and the real competencies that can be reached. 2) social functions has not yet written the social function especially from the text are found implicitly. in part of speaking, it must be practice so the students can make use of the text in the daily life. 3) it needs updating the novelty of the topics are so important for the students to be up to date, because it will make students update the newest thing in the world. feasibility of language 1) the material is already relevant to the students’ need the various topics in the textbook has fulfilled the students’ need. it covers some topics which are in line with what students want, the weakness is on the novelty although the topic has been reached the students’ need but it still needs to be reviewed on the topics which have trends nowadays. 2) communication message is understood the communication message is understood means that the packages of messages are understood well. the students understand well as the use of the language is simple and not complicated. 3) it meets the elements of coherence and cohesion the coherence and cohesion of the text is appropriate. they meet the elements. eligibility of the presentation 1) presentation system has been coherent and balanced it has good presentation, easy to understand and interesting. 136 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 2) lack of critical thinking skills the points of critical thinking skill need to be improved because it is very useful for the students to have some interesting topics which lead them to think critically. 3) presentation of introduction, contents, and closing are complete the book’s performance has been complete. it has introduction, contents and closing. from the summary of the teachers’ questionnaire described above, it can be seen that the contents of the feasibility of the contents are adequate but core competencies and basic competencies are still implied while for social functions has not been written completely. from the side of the topic shows that the topic still needs updating means that the topic should be adjusted to the current circumstances. in terms of the feasibility of the language, it is proved that the material was relevant to learners. communication message has been understood and already meet the elements of coherence and cohesion. this indicates that the english books for class x the first semester is deserved to be used. in terms of the presentation, there are some opinions from the teachers as the respondents of the research, they argue that the system presentation is coherent and balanced, it has not yet presented skills of critical thinking and the presentation in terms of introduction, contents and closing is complete. briefly, it can be described that from the questionnaire evaluation the feasibility of the contents are adequate but the core competencies and basic competencies are still implied while social function is not completely written. from the side of the topic it shows that the topic still needs updating means that the topic should be adjusted to the current circumstances. in terms of feasibility of language it is proved that the material was relevant to learners,, communication message has been understood and already meet the elements of coherence and cohesion. this indicates that the english books for class x 1st semester is deserved to be used. in terms of presentation of the opinion there are some teachers as respondents said that the system of presentation is already coherent and balanced, but it has lack of critical thinking skills and in terms of the presentation the introduction, contents and closing is complete. the result of observation one of the illustrations of teaching learning process is described here. the teacher and the students were enjoying the english class. it seems that they can make use of the textbook well. the teacher asked the students about the reading text, but he started the teaching by giving description about a unique place which he ever visited. using vocabularies which can be understood well the students enjoyed the teacher’s story. in the description, the teacher just described about the place, the location, and the visitors of the place, the description about what is the place for, the culture surrounding the place, and the people’s habit in the place were not described yet. seeing that the background of the place was important part in describing place it must be described also. thus, from the observation of teaching and learning process, it should be improved. some teachers like to have their own ways of teaching by describing something that they have ever seen. it is good because the description became so real for the students since it is based on the experience, but some parts may miss 137 titi rokhayati intercultural approach and character educationbased developing english textbook in the description as the teacher enjoyed much the explanation. besides, there are also some characters building found in the text but they do not describe explicitly so the readers must infer them through the text. conclusion the english book published by the government in 2014 requires improvements in terms of current topics, insights about the relevance of diversity, and the relationship of material and students’ social emotional. current topics are very important because the topics are most needed by students as the information directly from the book what are the current trends. it is considered very important for the students so that the students get inspiration from books and then interpret it in the form of tasks by the teacher. insights of diversity means that the knowledge, experience, and discourse reflected in the texts contained in the book because the english books here related to diversity also on the diversity of the target language. it is explicitly described in the book how to congratulate others for example in which the culture of the target language is being learned but it also includes the culture of indonesian in which something about ‘selamatan’ is also learned. in accordance with the title of this study that the material contained in this book will be developed based on the intercultural approach, meaning that based on the findings and goals to be achieved in this study, the findings of the field study is appropriate. linkages of the material with students’ social emotional need to be improved. it may also be associated with the development of educational materials based on the character which is suitable to the problems raised in this research. current topics, insight of diversity, and linkages of material with students’ social emotional are the three points which are improved in this research. by developing the material it is hoped that the textbook is more acceptable for the students. the observation has described about the students and teacher’s activity but the description needs to be improved. it relates to some important points about the place described. the teacher should also described about the people who live in the surrounding so the students know well about the life of the surrounding society which may also be influenced by the existence of the place. acknowledgement in the name of allah, the beneficient and the merciful, praise belong to allah “lord of universe” who has given us inspiration, so that the researcher can finish this part of the study successfully. this study is to fulfill the task of lecturers as a researcher who must always have research every year and publish the research but this research is only a part of the whole research in r and d research. the researcher would like to express her greatest gratitude to several people who participated in finishing this study. she extends her sincere gratitude and appreciations to: 1. drs. supriyono, m.pd as the rector of purworejo muhammadiyah university. 2. yuli widiyono, m. pd. as the dean of the teacher training and educational sciences faculty. 3. abdul ngafif, m.pd. b.i. as the colleague who helps the researcher in doing the research study. 138 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 4. the english teachers of sman 5 and sman 7 purworejo for the good help and cooperation. 5. the students of class x sman 5 and sman 7 purworejo, thanks for good cooperation and collaboration. 6. all of my colleagues in english education program of purworejo muhammadiyah university. 7. all of my friends in umj who always motivate me to be a better person in the eye of family and of god. love you sist! 8. my big family, my beloved husband who always be with me in happiness and sadness, my children who love me so much days and night, and my brothers. thanks for the support, prayers, motivations, love, and cares. references bennett, m. j. (2012). developing intercultural competence for international education faculty and staff. aiea conference * february 20-23,2011 san francisco, ca, usa. association of international education administrators, www.aieaworld.org byram, m., & zarate, g. (1997). defining and assessing intercultural competence: some principles and proposals for the european context. language teaching, 29, pp. 14-18. corbett, j. (2003). an intercultural approach to english language teaching. clevedon: cromwell press ltd. fantini, a. e. (2006). exploring and assessing intercultural competence. retrieved october 1, 20015, from http://www.sit.edu/publications/do cs/feil_research_ report.pdf gunawan, h. (2012). pendidikan karakter: konsep dan implementasi. bandung: alfabeta. kesuma, dkk. (2012). pendidikan karakter: kajian teori dan praktik di sekolah. bandung: remaja rosdakarya. muslich, m. (2009). ktsp (kurikulum tingkat satuan pendidikan): dasar pemahaman dan pengembangan. jakarta: pt. bumi aksara richards, j. c., & richard s. (2010). longman: dictionary of language teaching & applied linguistics (4th ed.). malaysia: pearson education limited richey, r. c., & klein, j. d. design and development research: method, strategies, and issues. new york: routledge. soler, e. a., & jorda, m. p. s. (2007). intercultural language use and language learning. dordrecht: springer. sugiyono. (2012). metode penelitian pendidikan: pendekatan kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r&d. bandung: alfabeta (http://www.asiaeducation.edu.au/for_lect urers/professional_learning/intercult ural_competencies/developing_interc ultural_understanding/diu_resources /resource_1_definitions.html). 139 http://www.sit.edu/publications/ http://www.asiaeducation.edu.au/for_lecturers/professional_learning/intercultural_competencies/developing_intercultural_understanding/diu_resources/resource_1_definitions.html http://www.asiaeducation.edu.au/for_lecturers/professional_learning/intercultural_competencies/developing_intercultural_understanding/diu_resources/resource_1_definitions.html http://www.asiaeducation.edu.au/for_lecturers/professional_learning/intercultural_competencies/developing_intercultural_understanding/diu_resources/resource_1_definitions.html http://www.asiaeducation.edu.au/for_lecturers/professional_learning/intercultural_competencies/developing_intercultural_understanding/diu_resources/resource_1_definitions.html http://www.asiaeducation.edu.au/for_lecturers/professional_learning/intercultural_competencies/developing_intercultural_understanding/diu_resources/resource_1_definitions.html titi rokhayati intercultural approach and character educationbased developing english textbook ice cream there was an elderly couple who in their old age noticed that they were getting a lot more forgetful, so they decided to go to the doctor. the doctor told them that they should start writing things down so they don't forget. they went home and the old lady told her husband to get her a bowl of ice cream. "you might want to write it down," she said. the husband said, "no, i can remember that you want a bowl of ice cream." she then told her husband she wanted a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream. "write it down," she told him, and again he said, "no, no, i can remember: you want a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream." then the old lady said she wants a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top. "write it down," she told her husband and again he said, "no, i got it. you want a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top." so he goes to get the ice cream and spends an unusually long time in the kitchen, over 30 minutes. he comes out to his wife and hands her a plate of eggs and bacon. the old wife stares at the plate for a moment, then looks at her husband and asks, "where's the toast?" (source: http://www.study-express.ru/humour/funny-stories.shtml, picture: www.google.co.id) 140 145 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee a study of writing tasks in the nmet 2014 lin dunlai school of foreign languages and literature; collaborative innovation center of national assessment and improvement of basic education quality, beijing normal university, china e-mail: lindunlai@bnu.edu.cn apa citation: lin, d. (2014). a study of writing tasks in the nmet 2014. english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 145-157 received: 01-04-2014 accepted: 27-04-2013 published: 01-06-2014 abstract : the national matriculation english test (nmet) is a high-stakes test compulsory for those aspiring to entering higher education institutions in china. the test is designed by the national education examinations authority (neea) and some local examination authorities. the final section of this test is generally a writing task. in this paper, the author examines the 21 writing tasks that were used in the nmet 2014. using content analysis, and a priori validation components of weir’s (2005) socio-cognitive validation framework, namely test taker characteristics, cognitive validity and context validity, the paper finds out the merits and demerits of these 21 writing tasks. it is concluded that these writing tasks are generally well designed and are valid in helping select talents. but more empirical research must be done to investigate how the writing tasks function for students when taking these writing tests. keywords: nmet, socio-cognitive validation framework, cognitive validity, context validity, china institution directly under the supervision of moe of p. r. china, and local institutions (the provincial admissions office). it normally includes compulsory subjects chinese, mathematics and english, and other subjects which depends on what type of university the candidate is applying for. for 28 out of 31 provinces, those other subjects like chemistry, physics, politics and geography are integrated into two tests of science or liberal arts. the national matriculation english test (nmet) was designed in 1991 (liu, 2010:38). its predecessor, the matriculation english test (met), was replaced by it in 1996 in accordance with the educational reform (see li, 1990 for the met; see cheng & qi, 2006 for an overview of the nmet). in 2014, three forms of nmet were in application. the first and second one were based on the national english curriculum standards introduction examinations play a crucial part in chinese people’s life. for chinese students to become successful in schools or even in their life, they have to perform very well in numerous tests, especially the university entrance examination to higher education (ueehe). the ueehe is the largest examination system in china, which is administered annually between june 6th to 8th for most provinces, and into 9th for a few provinces. its purpose is for general higher educational institutions to grant admission to those talented for higher education nationwide (liu, 2010). according to chinese ministry of education (moe), the candidature for 2014 was 9.39 million. the university entrance examination is administered by the national education examinations authority (neea), which is an lin dunlai a study of writing tasks in the nmet 2014 146 (necs) (moe, 2001). the two differ in the weighting of scores in reading comprehension and use of english sections (see table 1 for an overview of the nmet based on necs). these two tests are informed by lyle bachman’s 1990 model of communicative competence. the first test was used in henan, hebei and shanxi, while the second test was used in qinghai, xizang, gansu, guizhou, inner mongolia, xinjiang, ningxia, jilin, heilongjiang and yunnan in 2014. the third test was based on the teaching curriculum of english with a listening section. this test, however, is expected to die out, and was used only in guangxi zhuang autonomous region this year. besides these tests, since 2004, several provinces or municipalities have been required to develop their own matriculation tests. as of 2014, 17 provinces and municipalities are developing their own test. these provinces or municipalities are beijing, tianjin, shanghai, chongqing, liaoning, table 1. overview of the nmet based on the national english curriculum standards (moe, 2001) section part input lang. of rubric task focus item types num. of items raw score i. listening comprehension a 5 short dialogues (heard once) chinese simple factual information mc (3 options) 5 7.5 b 5 dialogues & monologues (heard twice) chinese simple factual information mc (3 options) 15 22.5 ii. reading comprehension a 4 texts (over 900 in total) chinese general and detailed information mc (4 options) 15 45 (30) b 1 text (about 300 words) chinese relationship between sentences and paragraphs gap filling (7 options) 5 15 (10) iii. use of english a 1 text (about 200 words) chinese vocabulary and comprehension mc cloze (4 options) 20 40 (30) b 1 text (about 150 words) chinese grammar use in context gap-filling (no more than three words) 10 15 iv. writing a 1 text (100 words) chinese error correction error correction 10 10 b prompt (in chinese) chinese writing a short text guided writing 1 80+1 25 180 (150) jiangsu, zhejiang, anhui, fujian, guangdong, jiangxi, shandong, hunan, hubei, sichuan, shaanxi, hainan. please mind that not all these provinces or municipalities developed all the tests of all subjects. they may file a request to use some of the tests developed by the neea. every year, months before the ueehe is administered, examination syllabus for admission tests to institutions of higher education is issued to guarantee all teachers and candidates are well-informed of what is tested in the ueehe. a look through the past papers since 1978 showed that the writing task made its debut in 1989, and it has stayed there ever since then. the direct measures of writing assessment, which assess a student’s ability to communicate through the written mode based on the actual production of written texts, is conducive to the validity of the test. the neea emphasizes that all tests should test what necs requires and what is taught 147 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee in schools. in light of this, the writing task should reflect what necs band 8 says about what students should be able to do to achieve the proficiency required. the necs band 8 requires that students should be able to: write a coherent and well-structured essay to narrate or express their views or attitudes; write a summary of a text; write an essay or report on information about written texts or graphs. it also stipulates that students should have an awareness of rhetorical pattern and achieve fluency in writing. hyland (2002) argues that the design of good writing tasks involves four basic elements, namely, rubric (the instructions), prompt (the task), expected response (what the task intends test takers to do), post-task evaluation (assessing the effectiveness of the writing task). in china, many research papers have been published about the nemt writing tasks. for instance, gao and gu (2008) examined the writing tasks set by local examination authorities from 2004 to 2007, and found problems with rubrics and communicative needs of the writing tasks. other cross-year studies include dong et al. (2011), feng and gao (2012). zhang (2013) did a concurrent study of the nmet 2014 writing tasks. he examined the tasks from content and test design, and gave some suggestions to writing task development and classroom teaching of writing. other similar studies are gu and gao (2007), ding (2012). but we have to point out that few studies so far have used a well-established validation framework to investigate the nmet writing tasks. the objective of this paper is to first provide a profile of what is tested in the 2014 nmet writing section across the country, and then based on weir’s (2005) socio-cognitive approach to test validation, especially test taker characteristics, context validity and cognitive validity, the paper examines the quality of these writing tasks and give suggestion where improvements could be made. in dealing with these aspect, we only focus on what weigle (2002: 77-78) called the design stage and operationalization stage. method as mentioned above, administered by neea, the nmet is a compulsory subject that every candidate aspiring to entering higher education institutions should take. neea is not responsible for developing all tests that are administered across the country. in 2014, 17 provinces and municipalities developed their own tests, including the nmet. there are two versions of tests developed by the neea, based on the necs. the third test based on the teaching curriculum of english, used in guangxi, shared the same writing task as one of the tests based on the necs. besides, the nmet of beijing, guangdong, chongqing includes two writing tasks each. hainan used the second test developed by the neea. put together, there are 21 writing tasks in the nmet of 2014. these 21 tasks are the samples for analysis for this paper. table 2 gives us a profile of general information about these 21 writing tasks. according to coombe et al. (2007: 73), writing prompts can be divided into three types: base prompts, framed prompts and text-based prompts. as is shown above, framed prompts are most frequently used in the nmet 2014. base prompts only appeared in fujian paper, hubei paper, shandong paper, chongqing paper task1. text-based prompts appeared in jiangsu paper and guangdong paper. how well does these writing tasks function in such a high-stakes national test? in order to answer this question, we should seek a test validation framework to analyze the above 21 writing tasks. we believe that the socio-cognitive framework proposed by weir (2005) and refined later through the experience of lin dunlai a study of writing tasks in the nmet 2014 148 applying it to operational cambridge esol tests to be both theoretically sound and extremely useful. for the current paper’s purpose, we find test taker characteristics, cognitive validity (originally named theory-based validity) and context validity proposed by weir (2005) and exemplified in shaw and weir (2007) to be relevant. this part of the socio-cognitive framework is presented in figure 1. as shown in figure 1, a priori (before-the-test event) validation components, as named by shaw and weir (2007: 3) include test taker characteristics, cognitive validity and context validity. the three crucial research questions that we can pose are: how are the physical/physiological, psychological and experiential characteristics of candidates catered for by the nmet writing tasks? (test taker characteristics) are the cognitive processes required to complete the test tasks appropriate? (cognitive validity) are the characteristics of the test tasks and their administration appropriate and fair to the candidates who are taking them? (context validity) table 2 a profile of 21 writing tasks in nmet 2014 name number of items raw score length topic necs1 1 25 ~100* a letter of inquiry about study in the uk necs2 guangxi 1 25 ~100 an essay about what life will be like in ten years beijing 2 15 >50 a letter of apology and further arrangement of travel 20 >60 an essay about how a problem was solved tianjin 1 25 >100 an email to an exchange students about local life shanghai 1 25 120-150 an email giving suggestion and explanation chongqing 2 15 >60 an essay expressing views about a saying 20 >80 a post about the best gift you received liaoning 1 25 ~100 a written announcement about an activity on campus jiangsu 1 25 ~150 a summary and an argumentation about word borrowing zhejiang 1 30 100-120 a letter to a librarian to recommend books anhui 1 25 ~120 a response letter to a worried person fujian 1 25 ~120 an essay of views about a quotation about success guangdong 2 15 n/a a report of five sentences to a local english paper 25 ~150 a summary and students’ views about donation jiangxi 1 25 ~120 a speech about what to learn in senior high school shandong 1 30 120-150 an essay about a proverb (choose one from two proverbs) hunan 1 25 >120 an introduction to your innovation for a daily item hubei 1 30 >120 an essay about “small things make a difference” sichuan 1 35 ~120 a letter to a pen pal about college entrance exam shaanxi 1 30 >100 a welcoming speech to a foreign delegation * ~stands for “approximately”, >stands for “more than” 149 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee figure 1. a priori validation components for conceptualizing writing test performance (adapted from weir, 2005:47)figure 1 a priori validation components for conceptualizing writing test performance (adapted from weir, 2005:47) test taker characteristics physical/physiological psychological experiential context validity cognitive validity setting: task response format purpose knowledge of criteria weighting text length time constraints writer-reader relationship setting: administration physical conditions uniformity of administration security linguistics demands: (task input and output) lexical resources structural resources discourse mode functional resources content knowledge cognitive processes macro-planning organization micro-organization translation monitoring revising results and discussion in this part, we will examine the quality of the 21 writing tasks that appeared in the nmet 2014. we will follow the three research questions as we discuss about the quality. for each question, a brief introduction to the contents of the validation components will be put forward, followed by a discussion about the 21 writing tasks. response results and discussion in this part, we will examine the quality of the 21 writing tasks that appeared in the nmet 2014. we will follow the three research questions as we discuss about the quality. for each question, a brief introduction to the contents of the validation components will be put forward, followed by a discussion about the 21 writing tasks. test taker characteristics shaw and weir (2007:17) argue that it is the test taker, rather than the test task, that is at the heart of the assessment event. while test takers’ success in the test depends primarily on an individual’s ability in the intended construct, there are many other variables which are likely to impact on test takers’ performance. one of these variables is test takers’ personal characteristics, which includes factors such as age, interests, experience, knowledge and motivation. bachman (1990) argues that test taker characteristics are either systematic in the sense that they influence test performance continually, and unsystematic in the sense that they are more difficult to predict. the systematic attributes referred to by bachman (1990:164) include cognitive style, content knowledge, and gender. o’sullivan (2000) listed the following test taker characteristics, as presented in table 3. as for physical/physiological aspect, test takers for the nmet are mostly of the same age, around 17 to 19 years old. these school-leaving students were born around 1995, when multimedia, such as computers and the internet, are becoming an important part of their life. this was reflected in some writing tasks in the nmet of 2014. for instance, the two writing tasks in chongqing paper were about phone and posting information on the internet. the first task use a popular saying “my friend falls, i laugh; my phone falls, i cry” to lin dunlai a study of writing tasks in the nmet 2014 150 arouse consensus of a generation of nomophobia. the jiangsu paper gave a text about the intrusion of english words like “pk” (meaning to compete), “out” (meaning ill-informed) into the latest dictionary of contemporary chinese, causing a heated discussion. students at this age are most active in using these new words, and they have their views about it. as for psychological aspect, test taker’s interest or motivation may influence the way a task is dealt with (berry, 2004). test developers should make efforts to make test events as positive as possible. there was a bad example. for such a high-stakes test, students and parents alike are suffering a lot of anxiety. but the sichuan paper asked test takers to write a letter to a pen pal about college entrance exam. it may arouse more anxiety and cause construct irrelevant variance. to cater for the candidates with different cognitive style, necs1 paper, liaoning paper, guangdong paper task i used a diagram, and beijing paper task 2 used pictures. as for experiential aspect, test takers should be informed of the demands of the writing tasks. this is annually explained in examination syllabus for admission tests to institutions of higher education (neea, 2013). an examination of the 21 writing tasks show that all these writing tasks should be familiar to test takers. experiential characteristics also includes students’ past learning experiences. the nmet 2014 was paper-based and students spent a long period of time revising, table 3. test taker characteristics (based on o’sullivan, 2000) physical/physiological psychological experiential short term ailments longer term disabilities age sex personality memory cognitive style affective schemata concentration motivation emotional state education examination preparedness examination experience communication experience target language country residence so there is confidence that they were familiar with what was tested in the writing tasks. but we have to bear in mind that china is such a large country, even within a province, the situations for students could be dramatically different. students in cities may have communication experience with english speaking people, while students in the countryside might not have the chance to come across a foreigner. cheng and qi (2006) provide a good example about a writing task requiring the candidates to describe an experience of violating traffic regulations, thus biasing against the candidates from the countryside. an examination of these 21 writing tasks shows no obvious bias against the candidates from the countryside in the nmet 2014. cognitive validity the cognitive validity of a writing task is a measure of how closely it represents the cognitive processing involved in writing contexts beyond the test itself, i.e. in performing the task in real life (shaw & weir, 2007: 34). scholars have proposed many frameworks of writing, especially for l1 writing (hayes & flower, 1980; bereiter & scardamalia, 1987; kellogg, 1994, 1996; field, 2004; eysenck & keane, 2005). grabe and kaplan’s (1996) work is part of a limited literature available for cognitive processing in l2, but as shaw and weir (2007) points out their model does not distinguish adequately the resources stored in long-term memory from the operations of short-term memory. field 151 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee (2004:329-331) provides an account of information processing which shows the operations a writer performs when engaged in the writing process. it was adopted by the above weir (2005) model, and we will use this model here, and as we use content analysis to analyze the writing topics, we focus on macroplanning, organization, translation and monitoring and revising. macro-planning: gathering of ideas and identification of major constraints (genre, readership, goals) (shaw & weir, 2007:38) scardamalia and bereiter (1987) argue that different processing models exist at different developmental stages of writing and describe two major strategies, knowledge telling and knowledge transformation. in knowledge telling, the writer does not plan much and only focuses on generating content from within remembered existing resources in line with task, topic or genre. knowledge transforming entails a heightened awareness of problems as and when they arise. the writer considers the complexities of a task and analyze and solve problems of task achievement in terms of content, audience, register and set goals (hyland, 2002:28). an examination of the 21 writing tasks show that the planning, processing, retrieval and evaluation demands upon the nmet candidates are generally simple and largely involve knowledge telling. take necs2 which was most widely used for an example. the writing task requires the candidates to write an essay about “my life in ten years” for an english newspaper. they were required to follow three points, namely, family life, work, entertainment. the first sentence is given as “i often imagine what my life will be like in the future”. macro-planning of this task may entail: an assessment of the context (the need for an essay to the local english newspaper for publication); appreciation and understanding of the three points in the input text (family life, work, entertainment); a preliminary representation of the writing outcome (a 100-word essay); an evaluation of the potential problems in understanding the task (understanding input text, coverage of content bullet points, appropriate essay for publication); an initial activation of certain aspects of the genre; perhaps also strategic considerationsavoiding what they cannot express. the other framed prompts are similar to necs2. however, those base prompts and text-based prompts required more planning and involved knowledge transformation. one example is from hubei paper, which asked the candidates to write an essay based on the following statement “small things make a big difference. the small things we do can make us a responsible member of the society.” macro-planning for this task may entail: an assessment of the context (an essay about small things, should include specific events of the candidate); an initial choice of the genre, whether it is to narrate or to argue; a preliminary representation of the writing outcome (a 120-word essay); an evaluation of the potential problems in undertaking the task (understanding input text, choosing an appropriate event to support the idea); an initial activation of certain aspects of the genre: how narrative is structured. organization: ordering the ideas; identifying relationships between them; determining which are central to the goals of the text and which are of secondary importance(shaw & weir, 2007:38) skilled writers plan the writing in relation to the overall text and points within the writing at the initial stage of the writing process, while unskilled l2 writers experience a heavy cognitive load in encoding their thoughts in linguistic form so that they normally can’t manage lin dunlai a study of writing tasks in the nmet 2014 152 to pay attention to organizing the idea. in the nmet 2014, most prompts are framed prompts, so the demands on the test takers to organize their thoughts is low. for instance, in necs1, a letter of inquiry to study in the uk in summer holiday is required. the points that need to be included were given: start date? class size? hours per week? how much? types of accommodation? the candidates only needed to follow these points to come up with the letter. not much attention should be paid to organization. however, with base prompts, the story could be different. in chongqing1, the candidates are asked to make comments on “my friend falls, i laugh; my phone falls, i cry.” no points were advised in the prompt, and the candidates should plan for the organization by themselves. translation: propositional content previously held in abstract form is converted to linguistic form (shaw & weir, 2007:39) at this stage, the propositions in the candidates’ mind is transformed into linguistic forms. this is basically automatic and is generally not subject to direct investigation. however, we can infer from the marking schemes provided by some writing tasks to know the requirements. again we use necs1 for example. the marking scheme shows that for those skilled writers, they should use various grammatical structures and a wide range of vocabulary. they may make a few mistakes, but these mistakes result from a good attempt to use advanced grammatical structures and vocabulary. they should also need to use cohesive devices to make the text hinge together. the marking scheme also shows that for those who are not able to achieve the task, they use very simple grammatical structure and very limited vocabulary. they make many mistakes in grammar and vocabulary, making it impossible to communicate and they are not able to use cohesive devices. but we need to keep in mind that even for skilled l2 writer, for students at this level of proficiency, they are encouraged to be ambitious in their use of language, thus good attempts with minor mistakes in language generally do not lead to punishment. d. monitoring and revising: a basic level of checking mechanical mistakes, and a higher level of checking task fulfillment, and make some modifications accordingly. in test preparation period, english teacher would make efforts to ask the candidates to check their writing before handing in. for unskilled writers, they normally focus on checking spelling, punctuation and syntax. for more skilled writers, they may consider whether their writing is fit for the situation, and may go back to those aspects of dissatisfaction, and make some adjustments. context validity context validity relates to the linguistic and content demands that must be met for successful task realization (shaw & weir, 2007:63). weir (1993) argues that the sample of communicative language ability selected for a test should be “as representative as possible” and the test tasks should be selected in accordance with “the general descriptive parameters of the intended target situation particularly with regard to the skills necessary for successful participation in that situation”. based on the model proposed in figure 1, this section will examine the nmet 2014 writing tasks from setting: task, setting: administration and linguistic demands: task input and output. setting: task rubrics and prompts. in writing tasks, test developers must make sure that any production demands on the test 153 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee takers are made clear. bachman (1990: 118) suggests three characteristics of task rubrics: test organization, time allocation and instructions. later, bachman and palmer (1996: 121) offer three essential guidelines for instructions. they argue that instructions should be a) simple enough for test takers to understand; b) short enough so as not to take up too much of the test administration time; c) sufficiently detailed for test takers to know exactly what is expected of them. from figure 2, we can see that most rubrics plus prompts do not exceed 150 words. the candidates using necs2 only needed to read 100 words in chinese, thus the reading load was kept to minimum. the two longest were jiangsu paper and guangdong paper. these two papers used text-based prompts, with the length of the texts being 168 and 208 respectively. authenticity. the authenticity of a test is of paramount importance for the validity of it. authenticity must necessarily be seen as a relative, rather than an absolute, quality, since the context of a testing situation is greatly different from that of typical real-life situations (elliott & wilson, 2013:154). lewkowicz (2000) states that authenticity can be a function of both the input and the output, and it is possible for a test to have a high level of authenticity in one but not the other. bachman (1991:690-691) proposed two notions of authenticity. one is situational authenticity, which means “the perceived relevance of the test method characteristic to the features of a specific target language use situation”. the other is interactional authenticity, which means “the interaction between the test taker and the test task”. the interactional authenticity is later renamed as interactiveness in the test usefulness framework proposed by bachman and palmer (1996). an examination of the 21 writing tasks show that four tasks violates situational authenticity. the first one appeared in zhejiang paper, which asked the test takers to write a letter to the school librarian mr. wang (a typical chinese) to recommend two categories of new books. this simply could not happen in chinese campus where it is rare to have an english speaking person to be a school librarian. besides, when it comes to recommendation, it is more efficient to write in chinese. another is anhui paper which asked the candidates to write a response letter to the worried person. although it is a column in the campus english newspaper, rarely do figure 2. word count of rubrics and prompts of the nmet 2014 num. of words lin dunlai a study of writing tasks in the nmet 2014 154 chinese students express their concerns through the campus newspaper. the third is liaoning paper, which asked the candidates to write an announcement about innovation on campus. as this activity has nothing to do with english, it is not necessary for students to write an english announcement about it. the fourth is hunan paper, which asked the candidates to write about their innovation for a daily item with the title “my magic ___”. as innovation would necessarily involve something creative, and it is very difficult for the candidates with this level of language proficiency to describe it well and use it for a competition. response format. alderson et al. (1995) suggest that a test should include a range of response formats in order to ensure that all candidates will have an opportunity to perform at their best. in table 1, we know that the writing section normally have two items, one is error correction and the other is a writing task. when we examine the nmet 2014, we see that a few provinces and municipalities such as beijing, chongqing and guangzhou used two tasks. and in shandong paper, two proverbs were offered, “a friend in need is a friend indeed”, or “where there is a will, there is a way.” the candidates are required to choose one of the two proverbs and make comments. purpose. the rubric must give the candidates clear and precise information about the purpose for completing the writing task. weir (2005) argues that there is a close relationship between the choices we make in relation to purpose and the processing that results in task completion. in this regard, all the 21 writing tasks are doing a good job, as they state very clearly what is expected from the candidates, either it is a letter of inquiry, a welcoming speech or an essay to be published. knowledge of criteria. weir (2005) also emphasized the importance of letting candidates know which criteria are used in the marking. only two papers state explicitly the marking criteria on the test paper. one is jiangsu paper and the other is guangdong paper. for instance, jiangsu paper states that scores will be awarded for content completeness, language, discourse coherence and text length. weighting. weighting should be stated clearly on the test paper so that candidates will arrange their time in the testing process. all papers are doing very well in this regard except the shanghai paper. the test paper only shows that the second section with a translation test and a writing task is worth 47 points without indicating clearly the weighting for the writing task. text length. as is shown in table 2, all writing tasks show the requirement of text length except the guangdong paper task1. but the wording for text length varies across different writing tasks. the words “approximately” and “no less than” are frequently used. zhejiang, shanghai and shandong papers give a range of the text length. we think that the word “approximately” is more confusing, as there is not an exact word number to follow. giving a range of text length requires test takers to have a better planning for their writing. time constraints no paper indicates time constraint for the writing task. the whole test paper is supposed to be finished within 2 hours. it gives students freedom to make decisions on how much time to spend on each section. this also makes great demands on the candidates’ test taking strategies. writer-reader relationship writing is a kind of social interaction, and there should always be an audience for a certain piece of writing. in the 21 writing tasks, we find that the distance between the writer and the audience are different, thus making the tasks different 155 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee in difficulty. 13 of the tasks use an open audience, and the candidates need to consider how their writing can convey their ideas properly. the rest of the tasks involved a specific person who is not very familiar to the candidates, thus calling for proper formalities. setting: administration security is very tight for the administration of the national college entrance examinations. test papers are confidential until they are put into real use. in the writing tasks, a sentence suggesting “no information should be stated about your name and school name” often appears in the rubrics. out of the 21 writing tasks, 10 tasks stated requirement. an imaginary name is used where necessary. 7 test papers use li hua as an imaginary name for the test candidate to guard against possible release of the candidates’ real names. the other names are “li jin”, “jamie”, “li yue”, “li xia”, “joe”, “cheng fei”. all these measures are taken to guarantee the validity of the test. linguistic demands: task input and task output as for linguistic demands, including lexical resources, structural resources, discourse mode, functional resources and content knowledge, it is clearly stated in the syllabus for the nemt (neea, 2013) in five attachments to the test specification. an examination of the 21 writing tasks shows that in terms of text types, genres and topics, the tasks were developed strictly based on the syllabus. any new words that appeared in the writing tasks were indicated in the instruction, such as “accommodation”, “innovation”, “literary book”, “quotation”. the language of input, including rubrics and prompts, differs in the writing tasks. necs1, fujian paper, hubei paper, shandong paper and chongqing paper task1 used chinese rubrics and english prompts. shanghai paper, and hunan paper used english rubrics and chinese prompts. necs1, liaoning paper, anhui paper, jiangxi paper, shaanxi paper, zhejiang paper, sichuan paper, beijing paper task 1 and chongqing paper task2 and guangdong paper task1 used only chinese input. jiangsu paper and guangdong paper task2 used english text plus chinese input. liaoning paper and beijing paper task2 used chinese input with pictures or graphs. conclusion adopting a priori validation components from weir’s socio-cognitive framework for test validation, we have found that the 21 writing tasks are generally valid in selecting university entrants. the analysis from the perspective of test taker characteristics shows that the candidates’ cognitive style, content knowledge and their age have been catered for, though a few tasks may arouse anxiety. the analysis from the perspective of cognitive validity shows that framed prompts normally require knowledge telling while base prompts and text-based prompts are more likely to entail knowledge transformation. the analysis from the perspective of context validity shows that test developers have made a lot of efforts to make the prompts briefly and clearly. some tasks suffer from situational unauthenticity. a few writing tasks give candidates freedom to make the choice of topics. as regards audiences, the 21 writing tasks have great difference in light of the imaginary writer’s familiarity with the audiences, thus leading to different difficulty. security in test administration is guaranteed to avoid construct irrelevant variance. task input and output are strictly based on necs and within the lin dunlai a study of writing tasks in the nmet 2014 156 candidates’ ability to tackle. however, the current paper only adopts content analysis, and nothing has been done as to how the candidates process these writing tasks. future research should focus on this to find out more evidence to validate the writing section in the nmet. references alderson, j. c., clapham, c., & wall, d. (1995). language test construction and evaluation. cambridge: cambridge university press. bachman, l. f. (1990). fundamental considerations in language testing. oxford: oxford university press. bachman, l. f. (1991). what does language testing have to offer? tesol quarterly, 25(4), 671-704. bachman, l. f. & palmer, a. s. (1996). language testing in practice. oxford: oxford university press. bereiter, c. & scardamalia, m. (1987). the psychology of written composition. hillside, nj: lawrence erlbaum associates. berry, v. (2004). a study of the interaction between individual personality differences and oral performance test facets. unpublished phd dissertation, the university of london. cheng, l. y. & qi, l. (2006). description and examination of the national matriculation english test. language assessment quarterly, 3(1), 53-70. coombe, c., folse, k., & hubley, n. (2007). a practical guide to assessing english language learners. ann arbor: the university of michigan press. ding, y. (2012). a concurrent study of the writing tasks of the nmet 2011. educational measurement and assessment, 3, 55-59. elliott, m. & wilson, j. (2013). context validity. in a. geranpayeh & l. taylor (eds.). examining listening. cambridge: cambridge university press, 152-241. eysenck, m. & keane, m. (2005). cognitive psychology (5th ed.). hove: psychology press. field, j. (2004). psycholinguistics: the key concepts. london: routledge. gao, x. & gu, x. (2008). characteristics and problems of the nmet writing tasks set by local examination authorities. foreign language teaching in schools, 3, 18-22. gu, x. & gao, x. (2007). a concurrent study of the writing tasks of the nmet 2007. china examinations, 6, 28-33+36. hayes, j. r. & flower, l. s. (1980). identifying the organization of writing processes. in l. w. gregg & e. r. steinberg (eds.). the science of writing. mahwah, nj: lawrence erlbaum associates, 1-28. hyland, k. (2002). teaching and researching writing. london: longman. kellogg, r.t. (1994). the psychology of writing. new york: oxford university press. kellogg, r.t. (1996). a model of working memory in writing. in c. m. levy & s. ransdell (eds.). the science of writing. mahwah, nj: lawrence erlbaum associates, 57-72. lewkowicz, j. (2000). authenticity in language testing: some outstanding questions. language testing, 17(1), 43-64. li, x. (1990). how powerful can a language test be? the met in china. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 11, 393–404. liu, q. (2010). the national education examinations authority and its english language tests. in l. cheng & a. curtis (eds.). (2010). english language assessment and the chinese learner. london: routledge, 29-43. neea. (2013). examination syllabus for university entrance examination to higher education for 2014. beijing, china: higher education press. o’sullivan, b. (2000). towards a model of performance in oral language testing. unpublished phd dissertation, university of reading. scardamalia, m. & bereiter, c. (1987). knowledge telling and knowledge transformation in written composition. in s. rosenberg (ed.). advances in applied linguistics, vol. 2, reading, writing and language learning. cambridge: cambridge university press, 142-175. shaw, s. d. & weir, c. j. (2007). examining writing. cambridge: cambridge university press. weigle, s. c. (2002). assessing writing. cambridge: cambridge university press. 157 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee weir, c. j. (1993). understanding and developing language tests. new york: prentice hall. weir, c. j. (2005). language testing and validation: an evidence-based approach. basingstoke: palgrave macmillan. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee literary teaching and its constraints: paradigms and problems ali mustofa english department, surabaya state university email: ali_mustofa2012@yahoo.co.id apa citation: mustofa, a. (2016). literary teaching and its constrains: paradigms and problems. english review, 4(2), 219-230 received: 12-02-2016 accepted: 19-03-2016 published: 01-06-2016 abstract: the paper will explore the nature of the literary teaching and its constraints. in language teaching, literary teaching has been promoted influential and approved effective to encourage the students’ character building in terms of some issues: historical, philosophical, cultural, social, and psychological contexts. historically, literary teaching will provide students and learners of the ancients’ way of life and learn from the best in the past for their life experience. some constraints may arise in language teaching due to the cultural and the philosophical boundaries. the constraints may be put into some categories; philosophical, cultural, social, and psychological. to generalize the idea, literary teaching needs efforts to boost the students’ skills to creatively launch themselves to a higher level of thinking order to achieve the goals of literary teaching and the demand of curriculum. keywords: literary teaching, humanity issues, constraints, critical thinking, competency introduction there are many studies which confront literary teaching. to mention a few there are khatib, rezaei, and derakhshan (2011), yeasmen, azad, and ferdoush (2011), mujumdar (2010), cruz (2010), yueh wu (2008), abdullah, zakaria, ismail, mansor and aziz (2007), buttler (2006), hismanoglu (2005), saviddou (2004), mc kay (1982), and de riverol (1991). they have contested the teaching of english and literature into a package which will generate the issues on developing the new method in language teaching. to them, literature is an object to be observed as a medium of learning a language. besides, they also found out that teaching a language through literature will also generate another advantages for both teacher and students. most of them suggested that literature is an interested resource to bridge the gap of students’ language problems with their language proficiency. khatib, rezaei, and derakhshan (2011) have completed their findings that, “… literature is a promising tool for language learning purposes”. at the same time they have cited some important figures who have recalled the return of literature into language teaching such as carter & burton (1982), maley & moulding (1985), brumfit & carter (1986), collie & slater (1987), carter, walker, brumfit (1989), carter & long (1991), and also bassnet & grundy (1993). they have been recalled to resurrect the function of literature in language teaching after being neglected for some period of times in 70s to 80s language teaching curriculum. yeasmen, azad, and ferdoush (2011) focused on designing appropriate classroom activities using literary work to ease students’ anxiety in developing their 219 mailto:ali_mustofa2012@yahoo.co.id ali mustofa literary teaching and its constraints: paradigms and problems language competency in classroom setting. they asserted that teaching language using literary text through appropriate classroom tasks is an effective way to teach efl learners. mujumdar (2010) also found out that teaching literature in language teaching curriculum can also elevate the students’ learning demand of ideal language performance. mujumdar also suggested that the teacher of literature should have a complex skill and knowledge of the language being communicated in the teaching of literature. it includes the linguistic and non linguistic skills as well as literary horizons. mujumdar’s findings are not far different to what has been generated by cruz (2010) and yueh wu (2008). cruz (2010) has studied that literature will also enrich students’ knowledge of linguistics elements and culture of the language being studied. it also enriches the students’ understanding on how to interact with other people from different culture and learn their ways of life, beliefs, values and attitudes. meanwhile, yueh wu said that the use of multiple teaching techniques in the teaching of literature will make the students feel interested in studying literary work and hence their language performance will also increase significantly. other researchers such as abdullah, zakaria, ismail, mansor and aziz (2007), buttler (2006), hismanoglu (2005), saviddou (2004), mc kay (1982), and de riverol (1991) have more or less the same ideas, that using literature in language learning classrooms will provide better atmosphere in language teaching and learning. their ideas have sought a response that teaching language using literary work as a tool to elevate the students’ understanding of the elements of language and culture being studied is approved effective and interesting. however there are some constraints which those researchers did not pay much attention to, in which in the teaching of language and literature some issues of difficulties may arise and distract the objective of language and literature learning. it is because these two entities are different in some matters. the paper will seek to evaluate the problems in literary teaching. it overviews the paradigms and problems which are usually taken into consideration by literary teachers and language practitioners. therefore, it firstly discusses the in-between language and literary teaching. secondly, it exposes the constraints or problems in literary teaching, and the proposed solutions are also suggested as well. method the paper overviewed the constraints of the literary teaching, in a more specific ways, while at the same time it also tried to give solutions over the problems faced by teachers and curriculum developers. the method used to discuss the problems is problem solving discussion by which the data were cross checked and reviewed eclectically from different sources and opinions. the results of the discussion were validated and evaluated by using the previous studies and research of the same topics. results and discussion the in-between language and literary teaching it is widely known that in language teaching, the process of acquiring new knowledge of language being studied is gained through the practices and the skills to apply the rule of language construction. every day use of the studied language will foster the acquisition of the language. it is, then, generating the ideas of language 220 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee teaching methodologies which state that language is acquired through series of practice. it is quite different with what is called as literary acquisition. literary acquisition is nothing more than literary experience. the ability to understand literary sense is nonetheless an intuition. therefore, there is no any fixed method in literary teaching. since it is an intuition which plays an important role in it, the series of practices are directed to understand the elements and values of the works being studied. the students are introduced to the concepts and theories of literary works’ principles, and they are suggested to write what they have in minds about the works they have read and understood. khatib, rezaei, and derakhshan (2011) note that eventhough literary works cannot provide direct needs of courses in eap or esp, it can be considered as, “... a caralyst for quickening language learning process”. the role of literature in language teaching has been admitted crucial and influential. it is shown by the government’s concern in this field by launching the curricular support to it seriously. one of the singapore’s governments’ projects in this response is of literature in english teaching syllabus 2013: lower and upper secondary. the syllabus grabs the ideas of literary teaching and its methodological problems. one of the statements of the book says that “literature also builds in students socio-cultural sensitivity and awareness, as well as a global outlook, by offering opportunities for them to explore a wide range of literary texts written in different contexts and from various parts of the world, connecting them to other ages and cultures. it develops empathy and stimulates thinking about beliefs and values” (2013:2) it means that it has been realized the function of literature in educational place is influential, and it also determines the development of sensitivity and awareness of the students in global contexts. it is because most of literary works discuss about global issues. this is in line with what has been perpetuated by van (2009), tayebipour (2009), and maley (1989a) as cited by khatib, rezaei and derakhsan (2011) that literature offers universal concepts so that it promotes cultural and intercultural sensitivity and awareness. by understanding those issues in literature, it can further add students’ understanding of the whole wide world. when the above demand is compared to the objectives of literary teaching, the following objectives will give other insights into the nature of literary teaching: discover the joys of reading literature and become aware of new ways perceiving and world around them; appreciate the aesthetic value of language; engage personality with a variety of texts and draw connections between self, texts and the world in order to develop intellectual, emotional, socio-cultural and global awareness; articulate perceptive and analytical thinking when discussing and writing about literary texts; explore how the elements of different genres function in literary works to achieve specific effects; and appreciate the importance of the contexts in which literary texts are written and understood (2013:6). looking at the above objectives, it is an urge to promote literary teaching in schools and universities in order to make 221 ali mustofa literary teaching and its constraints: paradigms and problems the students of both institutions to be more aware of global issues contextually. it is because literature also offers cultural and contextual issues. however, it should be taken into consideration that according to maley (1989a) that literary teaching should also be put together with the demand of language teaching. he proposes language-based model which concerns literature for language development and awareness purpose. though, maley’s model of literary teaching is not much well applicable to literary teaching, but his suggestion is an example of models in literary teaching which was adopted several years ago included in teaching model for language learning methodology. an approach which lends itself well to the range of strategies used in language teaching common approach to literature in the efl classroom is what carter and long (1991) refer to as the ‘language-based approach’. such an approach enables learners to access a text in a systematic and careful way in order to demonstrate specific linguistic characteristics e.g. literal and figurative language-cloze procedure, guess exercises, mixed up sentences, summary writing, creative writing and role playwhich all form part of the selection of efl and activities used by teachers to deconstruct literary texts in order to provide specific linguistic goals. mcrae (1996) describes this model as taking a ‘reductive’ approach to literature. these activities are disconnected from the literary goals of the specific text in that they can be applied to any text. there is little engagement of the learner with the text other than for purely linguistic practice; literature is used in a rather pointless and mechanistic way in order to present for a series of language activities motored by the teacher. what has been suggested by long & carter (1991) and mcrae (1996) as well, is only to help the language learners and teachers in evaluating the texts (literary works) in order to make them engage well in making use of language for teaching purpose. literary work is used purposeless. it is only used as a cultural site to be discussed for certain other objective. as a matter of fact, literary teaching should achieve the goal to teach the concepts and primary means of literary aspects. it must go through some methodological investigations to grab a certain and complex ideas on how to make it sociable to students. the point is to make the students become more aware and more sensitive toward issues of humanity. it should be accompanied by the appropriate use of language instruction, so that the students will grab the whole idea of the teaching learning process. to make use of literary work for other purpose of other than to investigate the contents of it is only to make fun of it. the students only get what is to be communicated rather than to discern the insights of it. the constraints in literary teaching: historical, philosophical, cultural and social, and psychological contexts when discussing about literary teaching, it is not without some constraints. there are some problems which arise related to the teaching of literature as follows: historical, philosophical, psychological, and social problems. however, those matters can be accommodated and re-evaluated by the teachers and curriculum designers to ease the problems of literary teaching practically and methodologically. 222 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee historical context historical background refers to the social and historical contexts in which a certain work of literature was produced. it also includes relevant facts of the author’s life and works. therefore, historical background of english literature is quite vague and broad. however, in order to provide an example, beowulf in the 8th century, which was considered as the greatest old english poem of about 3200 lines, the first english epic, whose author is unknown, is an interesting example. it is composed of lined verses which tell a story. the story is about hrothgar, king of the danes, and beowulf, a brave young man from sweden, who goes to help the king. the poem provides an interesting picture of life in those days and also of speech (since old english is of course a foreign language). english, as known before, descends from the language spoken by the north germanic tribes who settled in england from the 5th century a.d onwards. they had no writing system (except runes, used as charms) until they learned the latin alphabet from roman invaders. the earliest written works in old english (as their language is now known to scholars) were probably composed orally at first, and may have been passed on from speaker to speaker before being written. old english literature is mostly chronicle and poetry-lyric, descriptive but chiefly narrative or epic. by the time, literacy becomes wide-spread, old english is effectively a foreign and dead language. and its forms do not significantly affect subsequent developments in english literature. by the way, from this kind of history, students learn where and when the language develops, who spoke the language, and who wrote the language, and how the language developed after some period of time. the problems often arise when the students are asked to understand literary work which uses old version of language, old english version for an example. they seem to be frustrated in understanding the elements of the work because they do not have any idea of the words or sentences they must encounter. however, the students learn how to understand the language carefully in order to grab the sense of the work. it means that the students will be exposed to complex difficult problems. they have to understand the ingredients of the work, and at the same time they have to understand the language. by this, they will learn of the development of language use historically. the role of the teachers in this way is crucial and important. he/she should be able to explain the problem of the language use in the work which encountered some changes both historical and cultural. the teacher should function himself/herself as literary specialist as well as a linguistic expert. philosophical context philosophically, students are supposed to learn humanity essence through the philosophical teachings inside literary works they read. as a philosophical site of life, literary works provide ample of moral teachings and values as well. “literary theory” is the body of ideas and methods used in the practical reading of literature. by literary theory, it is referred not to the meaning of a work of literature but to the theories that reveal what literature can mean. literary theory is a description of the underlying principles, one might say the tools, by which one attempts to understand literature. all literary 223 ali mustofa literary teaching and its constraints: paradigms and problems interpretation draws on a basis in theory but can serve as a justification for very different kinds of critical activity. it is literary theory that formulates the relationship between author and work; literary theory develops the significance of race, class, and gender for literary study, both from the standpoint of the biography of the author and an analysis of their thematic presence within texts. literary theory offers varying approaches for understanding the role of historical context in interpretation as well as the relevance of linguistic and unconscious elements of the text. the problem which often arises is that students do not really understand literary theory as an influential part to understand the body of a literary work. literary theory is a philosophical foundation for students to understand the work well. how can a student understand the problem of christianity problems in a work of literature when they did not ever read the explanation of christian religion before? in this matter, teachers should be able to bridge the gaps of students’ need to understand some conceptual features of literary works and some theoretical frameworks which can be used to evaluate the works. by this sense, teachers should be able to function themselves to be theorists who are really expert in conceptualizing the features of the works and relate them with the issues outside the works. the philosophical constraints may be considered as the most complex problems compared to the other problems. they include other aspects of competences for both language learners and their teachers. they also incorporate some methodological problems and conceptual features which must be put forward by the teachers before starting the classes. the preparation should be made in order to make the classes run well. another thing is that the teacher should take a look at the syllabus as well as the curricular guidance before executing the conceptual frameworks in literary studies to be understood by students. cultural and social contexts the word “culture”, in one hand, is used because it implies the integrated structures of human behavior that incorporates thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values, and institutions of racial, ethnic, religious, or social groups. the word “competence”, on the other hand, is used because it suggests having the capacity to role in a specific way: the capacity to function within the context of culturally integrated patterns of human behavior defined by a group. being competent in cross–cultural functioning means learning new patterns of behavior and effectively applying them in the appropriate settings (thomas, 1981). being culturally competent means having the capacity to function effectively in other cultural contexts. cultural studies concerns itself with the meaning and practices of everyday life. cultural practices comprise the ways people do particular things (such as watching television, or eating out) in a given culture. particular meanings attach to the ways people in particular cultures do things. when considering cultural competence; a concise, practical definition, and some explanation of relevant ideas are needed. cross, bazron, dennis, & isaacs (1989) explored the concept of cultural competence in the system of care, and developed the definition and framework used here. they are appropriately applied in the school–based programs. cultural competence is defined as a set 224 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals and enables that system, agency, or those professionals to work effectively in cross–cultural situations (cross et al., 1989; isaacs & benjamin, 1991). operationally defined, cultural competence is the integration and transformation of knowledge about individuals and groups of people into specific standards, policies, practices, and attitudes used in appropriate cultural settings to increase the quality of services; thereby producing better outcomes. it is important, however, to make the students understand of the cultural and social contexts of literary works they read on. cultural and social contexts will bridge them to really aware of issues in time and space when the works were produced. they could easily relate those issues toward the contemporary problems in their own time. to understand the practices, beliefs, values, laws, policies and standards inside the works of literature, will give them chances to figure out the contextual issues which then enable them to give response and to give respect of others’ cultural issues. it is the reason why a literary teacher should be able to acknowledge the values and systems of different cultural contexts in works of literature with the ones in his own time, as well as his students’ time, in order to enable the students to think more clearly of cultural and social contexts. psychological context psychologically, students are to be exposed to the contextual teaching materials which make them feel secure to access humanity problems in the works, while at the same time they also learn how to give response to psychological problems the characters in the works have. in literary analysis, psychological approach contends that literary characters behave according to the same psychological consistencies and probabilities as real people, and that the motives for their behavior can be discovered and a psychological evaluation derived from the text itself. this frame of reference is concerned primarily with behavior, either or a character or an author, as it is symbolically reflected in the literary work. literary works provide access to think and to behave psychologically, especially when the students must react against the idea that contradicts their common beliefs. in the meantime, students often find difficult to understand the psychological problems the characters in the works have. it is sometimes because the teachers have seldom given them access to learn how to act and to give response psychologically. sharing and discussing over a certain case in the class, is an example to train students to think and to react over something psychologically. that there are similarities between what is done in language arts and in science or other subject is not so surprising. but it occurs that one might also draw a parallel conclusion between teaching any academic subject and teaching morality. it is widely accepted that, in order for young people to learn to be good people, they should be shown how to act. teachers, in particular time and chance, try to set an example by the way they treat others over a certain case. and, indeed, some studies suggest that children or young people are more likely to imitate if they have watched someone else does so. part of the problem is that modelling is a concept rooted in behaviorism. it began as a refinement of 225 ali mustofa literary teaching and its constraints: paradigms and problems the principles of operant and classical conditioning. those principles could not account for the fact that people sometimes learn from what they have observed, acting in ways for which they themselves received no reinforcement. but modelling, like reinforcing, is just another technique for getting someone to behave in a particular way; it does not necessarily promote a dedication to, or an understanding of, that behavior (meyers, 1986). literary teaching methodology by making use of those real life contexts, the accessible social and psychological affairs, the students are prepared to explore their very nature of communicating the ideas of humanity. it means that they are also prepared to have and to understand philosophical, psychological, and social skills. simultaneously, the students are also equipped with the competencies in language skills; their ability to develop their oral skills to defend their critical thinking argumentatively, their positive and critical judgement which are manifested in their argumentative writing skills, their active involvement in sharing and understanding of a discussion over the subject matters the teacher and the students have in class, and attentively listen to any kind of problematic issues which are generated from the materials they share among their own peers. thoughtful assignments can be designed specifically to encourage a sharper, more active response to authors. it is possible to dispense with the tired practice of asking students whether they agree or disagree with what they have read. teachers of course want to teach by doing so valuable to students. it may make sense not only to use explanation as a separate strategy alongside modelling, but to combine the two approaches into what might be called “deep modelling.” here, it does not only set an example for students but try to make it clear to them what the teacher is doing and why he is doing it. verbalizing is a familiar strategy to many of teachers that is intended to help students comprehend more of what they read. exactly the same thing happens when students encounter a series of finished products, whether they are books, scientific laws, or ethical precepts. thus, one solution is to allow them to watch something being written, or proved, or decided, in order to make the activity in question more accessible and less intimidating. watching movies together with their teacher and friends may also add up to the conclusion over this discussion. to watch the finished product such as a movie is an interesting experience for students to react over some matters contextually. reliability of the students’ evaluation in literary teaching, the teachers are suggested to apply democratic assessment practices because it will involve the teacher and the students to act out together to evaluate their learning process. any time that students are involved in evaluating performance, whether their own or that of their classmates, the validity and reliability of their assessment is called into question. this kind of fear should not be accommodated. without guidance, students have a distorted view of their performance (oscarson 2009; zakian, moradan, & naghibi, 2012). the same research shows that with practice, training, and regular feedback from their teacher, the students’ assessment of their performance agreed with that of their teacher. 226 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee involvement in a democratic process of assessment allows students to gain knowledge, experience, and understanding of how to judge oral and written expression. through dialog, the students and teacher can negotiate the meaning of the objectives stated in the curriculum or mandated by the curriculum designer. for assignments that challenge students to create with language, whether orally or through written composition, the teacher and students can collaborate in creating a rubric or checklist that outlines what will be assessed. feedback from the teacher after each performance will help students understand whether or not they have mastered the skill or concept. allowing students a voice in the assessment process compels them to analyze their own performance. through analyzing their performance, students sharpen up critical thinking skills and develop autonomy (tully, 2009). in time, students regard themselves as knowledgeable, and rightly so, which empowers them to be competent, independent learners. allowing students a voice in the assessment process compels them to listen to their classmates (iberri-shea, 2009). an honest teacher will acknowledge that there are many styles of speaking or of writing for which he and his students may hold opposite, but equally valid opinions. by giving the students the opportunities to freely express their opinion about issues such as how a paper looks or how their classmate’s gestures distracted the audience from the message, and by valuing those opinions, the teacher models the democratic process of respecting other’s opinions. this respect empowers students to find their voice and to fearlessly use it. in doing so, students are expected to have their own evaluation. it means that the class should carry out a peer assessment. with this, the students are given a free chance to develop and express their own ideas about peer evaluation. peer evaluation offers a mutual and beneficial supervision both students and teachers to gain an objective result of an evaluation. teachers can adopt this kind of assessment with respect to students' point of view over other's weakness and strengths in mastering a skill. in a classroom presentation carried out by a group of students discussing a topic, for example, can promote peer-assessment. the rest of the students will give their own judgment toward the problems risen in the discussion. this will promote a democratic nuance since other students will give witness to others’ competence and performance. teachers’ feedback should be delivered in the end of the presentation, either in appraisal or criticism, in order to exhibit the openness of the value and judgment. however, curiosity and resourcefulness are not the only casualties of this kind of teaching; students’ inclination to object, to resist, to refuse to be cowed by authority is also affected. the teacher should reject a focus on right answers and conventional methods, in other words, not only because it promotes shallow learning but because it promotes passive acceptance. these are the model of assessment which can be used in measuring the students’ learning outcome. the following models of assessments are strongly suggested to encourage the students to attend the classes creatively and critically, and involve in a democratic assessment in every part of the project; they are projects, open-ended response questions, performance based, portfolios, quiz or pop quiz, end of chapter or unit test, and mid or final term test. basically, those 227 ali mustofa literary teaching and its constraints: paradigms and problems forms of tests are commonly acknowledged and generally applied by language teachers in schools and universities. however, the form and model of tests are of course chosen in accordance with the need of the assessment for each of the learning outcome the teachers wish to obtain. project based task, first and foremost, can be done individually or in a group. by giving a student a project and a length of time in order to do it, a teacher can assess how the student organizes time, generates problems, and solves those problems. by doing the project in a group, the teacher can also assess how students interact with others and how they participate in group settings. in order for the project to be a success in terms of assessing the student, the teacher must give clear instructions and deadlines. open-ended response questions, secondly, involves the teacher or evaluator asking the student a question and the student giving the answer orally or by writing it down. this is an excellent way to evaluate the student’s critical thinking process. performancebased type of assessment requires students to perform actions such as answering questions or doing specific activities. the most common way to do this is to ask students how they came up with the answers to a question and asking them to explain their thought processes orally or by writing short essays. thirdly, a portfolio is an excellent way to assess a student’s progress. the teacher will collect examples of the student’s work over a period of time, and place it in a file. sometimes a school has a portfolio of the student’s work that spans several years. the teacher can have a look through the portfolio to see if the student is improving, staying the same, or regressing. this is also an excellent way to show the parents how their children are doing in school. during a conference, a teacher can simply pull the students’ portfolios with the proof of what they have or have not been doing in class. fourth type of test is quiz or pop quiz. this assessment is usually done in the middle of a unit to see how students are doing with the material. a pop quiz is an excellent way to see if students paid attention in class that day or read the materials assigned to them. fifth, end of chapter/unit test, it is the test which teachers mostly use in their assessment. this usually involves a multiple choice, short answer, essay, true/false, fill in the blank or matching test to show how much the students learned from the materials that were just covered in the class. finally, mid or final term test in which it is the common used test in schools or universities in order to measure the students’ progress during their length of time to study in a period of time. the test is given either in the middle way of lesson or in the end of the lesson. mid and final tests are given to state whether the students can go up to the next level of study or not. conclusion literature is a source of authentic material, which conveys the use of linguistics by those who have mastered it. it contains an aesthetic representation of the spoken language, which enriches students’ language and culture unconsciously. culture, on the one hand, offers an interdisciplinary field that includes artistic discourses, social conventions, and reflexive impacts. it open doors for students to increase their knowledge of the target culture as they can contemplate and critically comment on people’s way of life, values, attitudes, 228 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee and beliefs, standards, laws, religions and regard how these elements manifest into some different categories and forms in it. it is true then that literature provides a motivating drive for language learning and teaching due to its spectacular features not readily found in any other texts. therefore, some methodological issues on literary teaching have been perpetuated and promoted in the field of language and literature teaching in efl/esl’s scopes. this will also generate some issues of some practical classroom techniques. however, with respect to the teaching and learning methodology over literary teaching, there must be some constraints that the students, the teachers, and syllabus designers must aware of. there are some problems they have to encounter not to overcome them but to work on them so that the teaching and learning process become more bearable. the constraints are mentioned earlier in the discussions: historical problems, which are more closely related to the historical background of literary work that the students must understand in order to discern the structure of the society and the cultural context in which the work was produced. philosophical constraints involve the difficulty of the students to master the conceptual framework to understand the work. it is because the students are of course lack of some information on literary theories so that they find some complicated issues which they cannot grab in mind. cultural and social problems are mainly on the situation and context of cultural awareness the students must encounter when understanding a work of literature. this problem may produce another difficulty for the students that they could not imagine the condition of the social culture in the work they read. it is because there is a gap between their cultural knowledge with what had been intended by the author of the social and cultural condition of a certain society in a work. the last problem is a psychological context. it challenges the students to think and give response over a certain psychological phenomena in the work they are reading. the students often find difficulty to investigate the psychological problems in the work they encounter. those constraints may arise some mechanisms to act against them in response to develop some methods in literary teaching. the teachers are suggested to develop their critical views and orientations when giving classes. they also are suggested to vary the techniques in literary teaching so that the students will not get some boredom during the classes. they are also strongly encouraged to be able to maintain a democratic model of teaching as well as model of assessment. references (2013) literature in english: teaching syllabus 2013 lower and upper secondary. curriculum planning and development division, ministery of education, singapore abdullah, t, zakaria, m.h, ismail, f, wan mansor, wan fara a, azis, m.a. (2007). a new teaching model to teach literature for the tesl pre-training service programme in universiti teknologi malaysia (a research). malaysia: jabatan bahasa moden fakulti pengurusan dan pembangunan sumber manusia, universiti teknologi malaysia buttler, i. (2006). “integrating language and literature in english studies: a case study of the english 100 course at the university of north west” (a ph.d thesis in the subject of english). the university of south africa (unpublished). 229 ali mustofa literary teaching and its constraints: paradigms and problems carter, r., & long, m. (1991). teaching literature. harlow, essex: longman carter, r., & mcrae, j. (eds). (1996). language, literature and the learner. harlow: addison wesley, longman cross, t.b, dennis, k., & isaacs, m. (1989). towards a culturally competent system of care, volume i. washington, d.c.: georgetown university child development center, cassp technical assistance center. cruz, j. h. r. (2010). the role of literature and culture in english language teaching, journal of linguistica aplicada, (7), available online: http://relinguistica.azc.uam.mx/no00 7/no07_art09.htm de riverol, j. e. (1991). literature in the teaching of english as a foreign language, in revista alicantina de estudios ingleses 4, pp: 65-69. hismanoglu, m. (2005). teaching english through literature, journal of language and linguistics studies, 1(1), april 2005, pp. 53-66. iberri-shea, g. (2009). using public speaking tasks in english language teaching, english teaching forum, 47(2), pp. 18-36. khatib, m., rezaei, s., & derakhshan, a. (2011). literature in efl/esl classroom, english language teaching, 4(1), march 2011, www.ccsenet.org/elt khatib, m., & hossein, a. r. (2012). literature and language teaching, journal of academic and applied studies, 2(6), pp. 32-38. lytovchenko, i. (2009). how to make upperlevel university english classes more interactive, english teaching forum, 47(2), pp. 24-29. oscarson, a. d. (2009). self-assessment of writing in english as a foreign language. goteborg, sweden: acta universitatis gothenborgensis. eric drs ed505960. maley, a. (1989a). down from the pedestal: literature as resource. in r. carter, r. walker & c. brumfit (eds), literature and the learner: methodological approaches. modern english publications and the british counsel, pp. 1-9 mckay, s. (1982). literature in the esl classroom, tesol quarterly 16(4), december 1982, pp. 529-536. mcrae, j. (1991). literature with a small “l”. london: macmillan. meyers, c. (1986). teaching students to think critically (san francisco: jossey-bass, 1986), p. 47. mujumdar, s. (2010). teaching english language and literature in non-native context, language in india: strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, 10, june 2010. savvidou, c. (2004). an integrated approach to teaching literature in the efl classroom, the internet tesl journal, x(12), december 2004, published in http://iteslj.org/ short, m. (1996). exploring the language of poems, plays and prose. london: longman. short, m. h. & candlin, c. n. (1986). teaching study skills for english literature. in c. j. brumfit & r. a. carter (eds.), literature and language teaching (pp. 89-109). oxford: oxford university press. thomas, g. c., batson, c. d. & coke, jay, s. (1981). do good samaritans discourage helpfulness?, journal of personality and social psychology, 40, pp. 194-200. tully, m. (2009). mind mirror projects: a tool for integrating critical thinking into the english language classroom, english teaching forum, 47(1), pp. 10-17. wu, s. y. (2008). teaching the three little pigs to efl young learners in taiwan, the internet tesl journal, xiv(1), january 2008 yeasmin, n, azad, md. a.k, ferdoush, j (2011). teaching language through literature: designing classroom activities. asa university review, 5(2), july-december 201, pp. 283-297 zakian, m., moradan, a., & naghibi, s. e. (2012). the relationship of self-, peer-, and teacher assessments in the speaking of efl learners. eric drs 530967. 230 http://www.ccsenet.org/elt http://iteslj.org/ endorsing reflective techniques to proliferate students’ interactions and utterances in a discussion forum english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee endorsing reflective techniques to proliferate students’ interactions and utterances in a discussion forum marwito wihadi department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia e-mail: m_wihadi@yahoo.com apa citation: wihadi, m. (2012). endorsing reflective techniques to proliferate students’ interactions and utterances in a discussion forum. english review: journal of english education, 1(1), 39-46 received: 08-09-2011 accepted: 23-10-2013 published: 01-12-2012 abstract: high intermediate-2 students’ brief responses in a discussion forum cause a longexpected discussion last in a couple of minutes in mixed-ability classes, depicting a minority of students are overtly dominant, while others are precisely passive. what yields discussions endure immaturely stems from both unclear roles of participants and their inadequate techniques to expand both interactions and spoken discourse. therefore, teacher-researcher assigned each participant in a discussion group of three to put reflection into practice, referring to the self-selected and discussed topics. the data were gained through non-participant observations, in which the teacher-researcher observed and recorded a singled-out group. a sample recording was, subsequently, transcribed and analyzed regarding with the number of exchanges in a five-minute discussion intake and the number of content words that students generated. it was found that employing reflective techniques, students were able to keep a particular topic being discussed at full. as a result, the number of content words multiplied. these findings resulted classroom teachers in insightful use of reflective techniques as one of the ways to proliferate students’ benefits in a discussion forum. adequately practiced, students would be able to employ the techniques preponderantly, multiplying interactions among discussion members. keywords: reflective techniques, students’ interactions, utterances, discussion forum introduction talk taking place in the classroom is one of the media for students to get their exposure to the target language. holding a discussion forum, subsequently, is one of pedagogic activities that is aimed at triggering students’ talks at full. they are facilitated to contextualized language use assisting them to move from a purely semantic analysis of a language to a syntactic analysis of it (swain, 1985). hence, they are ‘pushed’ to produce utterances, expressions in forms of sentences generated in a certain context with a certain intention (finegan, 1992) in an interactive classroom context mode. however, some students, as a matter of fact, are not able to benefit to the discussion forum being staged so as not to expand a number of utterances and exchanges – consisting of three moves,namely initiative, response and feedback moves (sinclair and coulthard, 1975) in (allwright and bailey, 1991) due to, among other things, their unadequacy of conversation skills. in other words, they are not equipped with an ability to maintain a topic of discussion as exhaustively as possible by employing a particular technique. therefore, two aims of a discussion forum – promoting interactions among marwito wihadi endorsing reflective techniques to proliferate students’ interactions and utterances in a discussion forum members (language learners) and facilitating prolific utterancesare not achieved adequately. this paper proposed reflective techniques (rt) as scaffolding which helps students to stretch their talk interactively in a discussion forum so that both interactions among them and productive utterances are preponderantly facilitated. studentstudent interactions are essential in a language acquistion in that they denote comprehensible input and ouput as stated that the former is in charge of advancement in language acquistion, and output is plausible as an impact of acquired competence (krashen, 1982). referring to walsh’s four modes of classroom discourse (2001), discussion belongs to classroom context mode in which teachers provide opportunities for genuine, real-world type of discourse.it is asserted that the principal role of the teacher is to listen and support the interaction among students and the appearance of their interactions is expected to promote casual structure discourse (ibid) classroom discourse concerns with exchange structure (sinclair and coulthard, 1975). sinclair and coulthard classified three basic kinds of exchanges of language: (1) question-and-answer sequences, (2) pupils responding to teachers’ directions, and (3) pupils listening to teacher giving information. taking a basic type of exchange structure, question-and-answer sequences consisted of a minimum of three moves (irf), namely the question (initiation), the answer (response), and the teacher’s feedback (follow-up). here is an example of interaction from a second language classroom: teacher: what does your father do? i student1: teacher r teacher: he is a teacher. good. f teacher: what does your father do? i student2: my father dead r teacher: and what about your father? i (thompson, 1997) an interaction outside of the classroom has typical irf patterns. consider the following example, doctor: i’ll give you sick note. it’s mary i patient: i’m probably known by er angela at work but r doctor: oh. f patient: i told the receptionist. she said have you got i another name. i said mary. she couldn’t find me under my surname. (thompson, 1997) the two above interactional examples confirm that the classroom is part of the real world, just as the airport, the interviewing room, the chemical laboratory, the beach and so on (van lier, 1988). in addition, initiations is not always in a question form. in fact, initiation in the form of affirmative is english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee also common. a particular response generates a certain follow-up, which also affects a substantial initiation. similarly, irf are pivotally interrelated, yielding in numerous exchanges to promote manifold interactions as well as their utterances. to scaffold students’ flourishing real-world interactions, the use of reflective techniques (rt) in a discussion forum seems influential. reflection is a technique where we reflect back the same thoughts or feeling the other person has expressed (we use reflection for a number of purposes, in particular to ask for clarification and to let the other person knows that we understand what he or she said. asking for clarification is then categorized as a referential questionthe one that the questioner does not know the answer long and sato (1983) in chaudron (1988). furthermore, there are two kinds of reflection: direct reflection (dr)we repeat almost the exact words the other person has used and make it into questionsand interpretative reflection (ir) – you give your understanding of what the other person has said. let’s take a look at the following example, taken from lbpp-lia (lembaga bahasa dan pendidikan profesional) conversation -3 book (2003, 30-31) a: my father decided immediately to set up my marriage arrangement. b: you father decided immediately to set up your marriage arrangement? (dr) it sounds like a big mission (ir) it sounds like a big project (ir) here are the other expressions of reflective techniques quoted from lbpp-lia cv-3 book (2007, x.ii): what do you mean by (questionnaire)? in other words,…..am i right? do you mean we need to (lease)? does that mean…? the above reflective techniques, in particular direct reflection (dr), stem from the concepts of ‘negotiated interaction’ in which modifications occur during conversation in a discussion forum, leading language learners to practice two procesess out of three interactional adjustments as follow: 1. a ‘comprehension check’ is the speaker’s query of the interlocutors (speaking partners) to see if they have understood what was uttered: “do you understand?”, “do you see what i mean?”, or “do you get what i’m saying?” 2. a ‘confirmation check’ is the speaker’ query concerning whether the speaker’s uttered comprehending of the interlocutor’s meaning is right: oh, are you saying that you did live in london? you disapprove of students boarding themselves as they may take advatanges of freedoom unresponsibly. am i right?” 3. a ‘clarification check’ is a request for further information or help in comprehending something the interlocutor has prior said: “i don’t undertsand exactly. what do you mean?”, or “what do you mean by a loner?” (long, 1983; chaudron, 1988) in short, the implementiation of reflective techniques promoting students’ extended uttertances as well as multified interactions is worth pedagogically endorsed since the benefits to language leaners potentially yield. method of six students, three female senior high school students aged 16 years old were randomly selected to hold a discussion without being capitalized with the marwito wihadi endorsing reflective techniques to proliferate students’ interactions and utterances in a discussion forum expressions of reflective techniques previously. likewise, they had no pedagogic exposure on how to hold a discussion forum as long as possible to enhance their language competence by using the techniques to be exposed. student 1 (s1) started taking up an english course in in-4 (intermediate level 4). previously, she has studied at an english course for one year. student 2 (s2) and student 3 (s3) have been learning english in this english course since they were in elementary levels for junior high school students (step-1 and step 2). it means they have attended to learn english for about two years. three of them have two sessions in a week, and each session last two hours. the ability to speak in english fluently was their main priority as such skill was not much emphasized at their school. in fact as intermediate students, they were already able to deal with unrehearsed situations in that they managed to participate in a spontatenous talk in english without prior writing in a medium of a task, among other things, via a discussion forum. furthermore, such a fluency exercise enabled to free them from ‘having to be always grammatically correct’ as saying anything in the target language. they were simply assigned to discuss a number of statements concerning situations with options recalling the idiomatic expressions in color on the course book after being presented and exposed such topic through reading text and vocabulary targeted exercises such as matching the synoyms or filling in blanks . also, they were tasked to voice reasons for their respective choice. they had neither writing assigment to answer all statements nor make a note of written reasons. none was nominated as a moderator, but student 1 (s1) selfinitiated to control the discussion due to the fact that she took the microphone first, then selected any question she wanted to talk over. furthermore, thirty minutetape recorded discussion last as the teacher acted as a non-participant observer. the teacher just observed how the discussion occured without any interverence. after the session was over, the recordeddiscussion as fresh data was directly transcribed implementing an adapted transcription system from van lier (1988) and johnson (1995), and analyzed by employing the irf exchange structure as well counting the content words (finegan, 1992) –principally nouns, verb, adjective and adverb – an indicator of the number of utterances (uses of sentences on a particular occasion or in a particular context) produced (ibid). they carry a high information load and the sense is more and less recoverable using these words alone (thornbury, 2002). the extract of the utterance after cutting off other functional words is still understanble, conveying the meanings that the interlocutors intend to put forward. after few sessions, the same procedure was reiterated in that the same female students were singled purposefully on the grounds that they got a task familiarity. before, everyone in the class was exposed the reflective technique expressions written on the white-board. exposure was conducted via teacher’s thorough explanations and demos. singling a student out, teacher showed the techniques that they would put into practice in the discussion. similar to the previous classroom episode, the discussion was held after it was preceded by previous reading english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee exposure and intentional vocabulary exercises. their learning behavior (the three selected females on purpose) was observed and their discussion was taperecorded. the same student, student 1, kicked off the discussion. subsequently, the recorded discussion was transcribed and analyzed by employing irf exchange structure and counting the number of content words. eventually, the two transcripts of (transcription 1 and transcription 2) were juxtaposed. results and discussion students seemed to proceed a rigid pattern of exchanges in the first discussion. s1 read the statement. she uttered her own choice as well as expressed her reasons for the choice. later, she asked another student about her choices plus the reasons. finally, she told the other one to tell her both choice and reasons. such pattern was so typical that it was predominant during the discussion. no wonder, they completed the all 13 topics in 30 minutes, meaning one topic was not greatly elaborated as they moved on one topic to another quite instantly. each student did not comment on their interlocutors’ utterances in line with the topic discussion by making use of the expressions for further topic elaboration. on the contrary, in the second discussion, i observed that s1 was not predominant to control the pattern of exchanges. a certain topic seemed interested in them much so that they clinked to it for a couple of minutes. everyone in the group appeared initiative to contribute utterances talking over topics of music. consequently, there discussed 5 topics out of 10 in 30 minutes. in other words, they kept one topic quite long as each member responded to the interlocutors via the previously presented and taught reflective techniques. each seemed familiar with how to keep the discussion on. let’s pay attention the extract of transcription as follows: s1: ok. god afternoon guys we are going to discuss some statements about (i) rock music. shall we start? s2-s3: /yes/./of course/ (r) s1: ok…for the first statement “in indonesia only the young enjoy the music(f)/ (i) er-…for me i disagree with this statement because nowadays…old people also enjoy rock music..it depends on their soul may be…if they are they have …er-…yet full soul…they…they will also enjoy rock music the same as… youngsters… what do you think, rizkia? (i) s2: so…are you saying that er-…old people is also er-… like rock and roll? (r) rt s1: yes sure why not if er-…they…they are feeling that way (f) …er-..why not? (i) s2: but i think you know old people sometimes is…is you know like old songs (r) …like classical songs…because my family especially my grandma and grandpa …er-…like to sing a song like classical music or may be dangdut music so i i disagree with you… so what do you think nadia? (i) s3: hm..er-…does t that mean that you are…you disagree that…er-…old (r) rt people doesn’t …eh-…old people like the rock music? referring to the above data, complete exchanges emerged and the intervension of rt (reflective techniques) occured. it was possible that the feedback move also functioned as marwito wihadi endorsing reflective techniques to proliferate students’ interactions and utterances in a discussion forum intitiatve one. next, the full 05:04 minute owing to the time constraints, transcriptions of two distinctive different classroom episodes denoted two core findings worth putting forwards. table 1 below displays the number of a brokenexchange (ir) and a minimum exchange structure (irf) in the first discussion forum and the second one. table 1. transcription number the number of broken exchange structure (ir) the number of minimum exchange structures (irf) the total numbers of exchanges (ir) & (irf) transcription 1 8 8 transcription 2 6 4 10 the above data revealed that on the first discussion students were not able to develop one topic in a flow of interaction. in other words, they were incompetent to develop or stretch one topic discussion interactively. eight (8) broken exchange structures notified that none followed up or commented on their friends’ initiations. they simply focused on responding or answering their friends’ initiations or questions while, at the same time, they neglected commenting by giving feed backs or follow ups. on the other hand, employing the reflective techniques, students were substantially productive in promoting a number of minimum exchange structure irf. similarly, they are aware of commenting on their friends’ initiations by practicing the instructed expressions of reflection, which subsequently trigger a move ‘f”. thus, the stretched interactions bring about, resulting in the number of content words produced. maintaining interactions among them was pedagogically advantageous as they were encourgaed to struggle to generate language output as to attain grammatical competence (swain, 1985). in addition, the negotiation process taking place during the interaction in a language task, for example the discussion forum, promotes the language acquisition (stevick, 1976) in allwright and bailey (1991). however, the data imparted that they were not used to employing the expressions of reflective technique regardless of the length of taking up english course due to the fact they still produced the broken exchange structure (6) deriving from particular factors needed finding out further. furthermore, the table below displayed the number of content words directly affected by the number of exchanges that students generate: table 2 transcription number the number of content words transcription 1 106 transcription 2 167 the data informed that students in discussion 2 were more prolific to produce utterances than the ones in discussion 1. as matter of fact, the practiced expressions seemed to push students to be productive in talking. it was plausible, though that the number of content words was influenced by their familiarity of the topics being discussed or students’ motivation to keep talking english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee in english, nevertheless, it appeared that their frequent practices of reflective techniques expressions profoundly affected to the number of exchanges as well as content words. the findings of the action research were in line with brock’s (1986) as cited by chaudron (1988) asserted that referential questions elicited longer responses in that students made up more utterances, thus creating more content words as an attempt to answer the interlocuter’s query via relective technique in the discussion forum. on the contrary, they were against with moritoshi’s action research in that students were surprisingly minimized responses as they were capably uttering more lexically complex answers on account of, one of the clues encountered in a stimulated response interview, their percepetion of time pressure (moritoshi, 2001). hence, it was favaorable to reseach the effects of students’ psychosocial factors in responding abundant interactions and utterance-triggering questions via conversation techniques further. conclusion the frequent practices of reflective technique expressions seem essential to encourage students to talk in english. having been exposed once, students won’t automatically make us of the taught expressions of reflective techniques in a real time discussion. yet, it is essential that teacher capitalize students with reflective technique expressions prior to the discussion. at a certain time, teacher may participate in a discussion so that he can exemplify prolific interactions-generating discussion technique. by so doing, he facilitates students with engagingly realworld type of discourse. references allwright, d. and k.m. bailey. (1991). focus on the language classroom: an introduction to classroom research for language teacher. cambridge: cambridge university press. chaudron, c. (1988). second language classroom research: research on teaching and learning. cambridge: cambridge university press. finegan, e., blair, d. and collins, p. (1992). language: its structure and use. sydney: harcourt australia pty limited. jhonson, k.e. (1995). understanding communication in second language classroom. cambridge: cambridge university press. krashen, s. d. (1982). principles and practices in second language acquisition. oxford: pergamon press. lia. (1998). conversation-3 book. jakarta: lbpp lia ___. (2007). conversation-3 book. jakarta: lbpp lia moritoshi, p. (2001). teacher questioning, modification and feedback behaviors and their implication for learner production: an action research. retrieved october 27, 2010 from http://www.cels.bham.ac.uk/resou rches/essays/moritoshi 1.pdf.. sinclair, j. mch. and r.m. coulthard. (1975). towards an analysis of discourse. oxford: oxford university press. swain, m. (1985). communicative competence: some roles of comprehensible input and comprehensible output in its development, in gass and madden: 235 – 53 thompson, g. (1997). training teachers to ask questions. elt journal, 51(2), 9910.thornbury, s. 2002. how to teach vocabulary. london: longman http://www.cels.bham.ac.uk/resourches/essays/moritoshi 1.pdf marwito wihadi endorsing reflective techniques to proliferate students’ interactions and utterances in a discussion forum walsh, s. (2001). charaterizing teacher talk in the second language classroom: a process approach of reflective practice. unpublished ph.d. thesis. queen’s university of belfast, northern ireland. van lier, l. (1988). the classroom and the language learner. london: longman. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee a stylistic analysis of “the rime of the ancient mariner” shaukat khan ummal qura university makkah, ksa email: littlescholar_sk@yahoo.com sumaira jehanzeb national university of modern languages, islamabad, pakistan email: jehanzebsumaira@yahoo.com irfan ullah abdul wali khan university mardan, pakistan email: irfanullah@awkum.edu.pk muhammad irfan national university of modern languages, islamabad, pakistan email: xs2irfan@yahoo.com apa citation: khan, s., jehanzeb, s., ullah, i., & irfan, m. (2016). a stylistic analysis of “the rime of the ancient mariner”. english review: journal of english education, 5(1), 37-48 received: 16-10-2016 accepted: 22-11-2016 published: 01-12-2016 abstract: if a specimen of literary art is seen as a fine tapestry of words made by the skilled seamstress—the poet, then the lexis and structure of a language are the raw materials—the fabric and the thread—by weaving which into specific patterns the finished product is achieved. the choice of materials and their arrangement into unique patterns always bear an image of their creator, or the artist; thus, a close view of them reveals the artist’s identity and brings out the meaningful message that underlies the ornate running threads. mostly, the students of literary studies cannot appreciate the beauty of the literary classics on their own. consequently, they simply mimic the ideas, and sometimes even the words, of famous professional critics when asked to give their own critical judgment on the aesthetic merit or the thematic quality of a literary work in the shape of a home assignment, classroom presentation or an annual assessment test. now, the researcher has got the inspiration for carrying out this study from an idea expounded in widdowson (1975) that this mimicry can be replaced by genuine individual opinion if the students, or even those people who have non-academic concerns with literature, are brought to a standpoint from where they can have a closer view of the raw materials, the language resources, which are involved in the making of a literary product. and, if the product in its finished form cannot elicit a desired response from them then making them sensitive to the process of its making can be quite effective in this regard. through the present study, an attempt has been made to show an easy access to the outlandish world of verse by means of the linguistic route which is laid with the familiar flagstones of grammar and vocabulary. meaning thereby that in this study the elusiveness of poetry will be dealt with the precision of a social scientist, the linguist. the approach which serves as the basis of this study is not an invention of the researcher; rather, it is a well-known twentieth century approach known as stylistics (jeffries & mcintyre, 2010, p. 30). samuel taylor coleridge’s famous ballad, “the rime of the ancient mariner”, being a widely read poem and bearing various stylistics features, offered itself as an ideal object for this study. the poet’s aesthetic message is explored by analyzing the 37 shaukat khan, sumaira jehanzeb, irfan ullah, & muhammad irfan a stylistic analysis of “the rime of the ancient mariner” finest details of his linguistic expression. and, careful considerations have been made throughout the study to prevent the overlooking of any instance of deviant linguistic units or recurring patterns for interpretation because such elements contribute largely to the meaning of any literary product. the study is descriptive in its nature therefore qualitative data has been integrated with and substantiated by the quantitative one. keywords: stylistics, literature, lexical, semantic and graphological deviations introduction answering the question what stylistics is seems a natural starting point for the introductory section of a study based on an application of stylistics. stylistics is, as widdowson (1975) puts it, “the study of literary discourse from a linguistic orientation” (p. 3). now, for a while, if the more general term “literature” is substituted for its hyponym “literary discourse” then this sort of answer can satisfy the informant in its limited capacity. it signifies that literature is the prime object of study in stylistics and, through its use of the expression “linguistic orientation”, it implies that stylistics draws its resources from the linguistic reservoir or, to put alternatively, its proceedings are pivoted on the components of the language system—grammar and vocabulary. however, as long as the substituted word “literature” is retained in place of the original term “literary discourse”, this answer, or definition, is wanting in one aspect: it does not draw any obvious distinction between linguistics and stylistics, giving the impression that one is the replica of the other. nonetheless, the two are distinct; they are distinct in the sense that the ends of a linguistic procedure serve as the means whereby a stylistic procedure takes its course. to expand on this, it can be said that if a piece of literature is given to a linguist, he “will be interested in finding out how it exemplifies the language system, and if contains curiosities of usage how these curiosities might be accounted for in grammatical terms” (widdowson, 1975, p. 5). whereas, provided with the same piece of literature, a stylistician, i.e. the scholar or learners of stylistics, will cross the linguist’s finishing line, or exceed his goal, and seek to find out how the language system is manipulated for obtaining optimum communicative value, and if there exist any curiosities of linguistic nature, how their inclusion was inevitable for the literary artist who wanted to capture or reflect “a reality other than that which is communicable by conventional uses of language code” (widdowson, 1975, p. 54). for instance, if a linguist and a stylistician, both, are exposed to the following excerpt taken from a long fictional prose of john wain, through wright & hope (2001, p. 174), and mainly comprising of two brief succeeding dialogues—the first between the characters charles and robert and the second between charles and edith, then the two would respond to it differently. “mind if i come in all the same? come some distance,” muttered charles. there’s only edith and me here,’ said robert as […………] charles [………] went into the hall. edith came out of the kitchen and confronted him. ‘’sheila isn’t here,’ she said. “know,’’ said charles, speaking too quickly to be fully intelligible. ‘robert told me. mind if come in perhaps cup of tea? or when sheila be back wanted to see her if i could.” (hurry on down) 38 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the linguist might point out the extensive use of the cohesive devices, ellipsis in this excerpt, and might also explain that it mainly arises due to the deletion of some subject pronouns and auxiliary verbs from their respective slots (wright & hope, 2001, p. 174). regardless of what exactly the linguist would say, his comments will be formoriented. whereas, the stylistician would not be contented with a mere formal analysis; he would go a step ahead to trace the link between the linguistic form used and its communicative function or, to put alternatively, the writer’s motive behind its use. thus, he might be interested to indicate how the omission of certain forms in the excerpt can communicate chunks of information to the reader about the character of charles. he might work out the following details in this regard: charles is caught up in a state of mental anxiety which is reflected in his poor linguistic performance (production of utterances deficient in some compulsory syntactic categories— subjects and auxiliaries). his speech is marked by hastiness which hints at his disinclination to prolong the conversation with the other conversation participants which, in turn, reflects his aversion for them. he is a member of the upper-middle-class as the specific kind of ellipses employed in his speech characterizes the sociolect of that class. thus, the instances of ellipsis in his speech become a token of revealing and maintaining his social identity in the novel (wright and hope, 2001, pp. 174175). comparing the two constructed analyses—the former made from the outlook of a linguist and the latter from that of a stylistician—reveals that what is a mere formal feature of a text for the linguist becomes a carrier of manifold information for his occupational cousin, the stylistician, and is seen by the latter as capable of performing various communicative functions, such as reflecting the mental state of a character, defining the tempo of his speech, revealing the nature of his interpersonal relations with other characters and giving clues to his socio-economic background. the main purpose of this extensive example was to bring out the meaning and significance of the term “literary discourse” in widdowson’s (1975) definition of stylistics which was stated at an initial point in the present discussion. now, the original term can be restored in the definition with the development of the understanding that it is used as opposed to the term “literary text”. and, the difference between the two terms marks the difference between the respective approaches of a linguist and a stylistician towards literature. that is to say that the former treats it as text whereas the latter as discourse (widdowson, 1975, p. 6). it follows from this when a linguist interacts with a literary text, he is concerned about the adherence to or departure from the norms of the language system that the text displays; whereas, when a stylistics specialist has to give his verdict on some literary product, he borrows the linguist’s data in his pursuit of showing how deviance of linguistic or nonlinguistic nature endows the product with its unique communicative character. now, it can be easily deduced from the preceding pair of example analyses that, unlike a linguist, the ultimate goal of a scholar of stylistics is not giving an account of the formal makeup of a literary work; rather, he aims at exploring what the literary artist has intended to express in his work. in this respect, he quite resembles with a literary critic who “is interested in 39 shaukat khan, sumaira jehanzeb, irfan ullah, & muhammad irfan a stylistic analysis of “the rime of the ancient mariner” finding out what aesthetic experience or perception of reality the poem [or any other literary composition, for that matter] is attempting to convey” (widdowson, 1975, p. 5). nevertheless, unlike a literary critic, he does not attain his goal by relying largely on extratextual evidence or his own intuitive faculty; rather, his means are of linguistic nature. and, it is the very nature of his means which renders his approach more systematic and graspable than that of a literary critic. a person working in the field of stylistics can be described as someone who takes the route outlined by linguistic flagstones to reach the destiny set by the literary critic. while, stylistics can be described as a language-oriented specialty which “attempts to characterize literary writing as discourse and so to mediate between the linguist’s treatment of literature primarily as text and the literary critic’s treatment of it primarily as messages” (widdowson, 1975, p. 5). the very name of stylistics is suggestive of the fact that it is an interdisciplinary domain where, the elsewhere diverse considered disciplines, literary criticism and linguistics are found confluent. the initial component, “style”, of its name creates some mental association between it and literary criticism because it is, and has always been, a major concern of literary criticism to appraise the style of literary products; whereas, the final component, “-istics” of its name is shared by “linguistics” so it binds the two together (widdowson, 1975, p. 3). it cannot be justly denied that, at the present, stylistics cannot have an independent existence in the vast sea of knowledge and inquiry; rather, it orient itself as a linking rope for the planks of some fully autonomous disciplines and the subjects derived from them. in this regard, it is majorly a juncture of language and literature, linguistics and literary criticism, language and linguistics, and of literature and literary criticism. therefore, its status is that of a subject-subject connector, disciplinediscipline connector and subjectdiscipline connector (widdowson, 1975, pp. 3-4). foregrounding essentially involves creating an effect of “standing out” from the surroundings (jeffries & mcintyre, 2010, p. 31) because that is how someone’s concentration can be trapped and attention can be fully grasped. this “standing out” effect is produced in literature often by means of deviation from some established norm because that is how it is produced elsewhere. for example, if an ngo worker wears her bridal dress to work or if an army officer goes to a wedding-feast with his military uniform on then both would certainly stand out from the rest because it has become almost a set norm to be dressed formally at workplaces and to be dressed in pompous civil clothes at wedding parties, and the two would have deviated from the respective norms. quite similarly, some segments of a (literary) text stand out from the rest by being deviant in one way or the other. and, what is meant by deviation in this context is “the occurrence of unexpected irregularity in language” which is capable of evoking surprise in the reader (jeffries & mcintyre, 2010, p. 31). if the deviance in a certain text is detectable by contrasting a few segments of the text to their general co-text then the deviation is internal in its nature as it has resulted from “the violation of a norm set up by the text itself” (van peer, 1986, p. 22). the researcher was able to view a very small yet significant part of the corpus of literature produced on the issues whose understanding was 40 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee prerequisite to the carrying out of this study. a brief review of such issues is presented for better organization and ease of reference. verdonk (2002) describes the reader’s special response to the foregrounded parts of a text in the following words: “in making a stylistic analysis we are not so much focused on every form and structure in a text, as on those which stand out in it. such conspicuous elements hold a promise of stylistic relevance and thereby rouse the reader’s interest or emotions. in stylistics this psychological effect is called foregrounding” (p. 6). jeffries & mcintyre (2010) states: “essentially, foregrounding theory suggests that in any text some sounds, words, phrases and/or clauses may be so different from what surrounds them, or from some perceived ‘norm’ in the language generally, that they are set into relief by this difference and more prominent as a result. […………..] poetry is the genre that most clearly exemplifies this feature” (p. 31). van peer (1986) informs the reader that “in the case of a deviation a writer makes a choice outside a range of choices permitted by the language system, while in the case of parallelism the writer repeatedly makes the same selection. these are opposite processes, complementing each other. widdowson (1975) accounts for the fact that literary texts are intelligible despite containing so many deviant forms by saying, “linguistic deviations do not occur randomly in a literary work but pattern in with other linguistic features, both regular and irregular to form a whole. they are understood, therefore, not in isolation with reference only to the linguistic system, or code, but also with reference to the context in which they appear” (p. 27). according to bradford (1997), “the most basic and enduring definition of poetry is that the poem, unlike any other assembly of words, supplements the use of grammar and syntax with another system of organization: the poetic line”. it explains that “the poetic line draws upon the same linguistic raw materials as the sentence but deploys and uses this in a different way” (p. 15). widdowson (1992) asserts that poetry “outlives and transcends the occasion of its composition, and transfers its significance in some way to strangers in another time and place” (p. 4). then, it explains that poetry “is expressive of some elusive reality outside the confines of what is conventional [………………and for expressing such an unconventional reality,] we need to mould ordinary language and logic into a different shape. we need to disrupt conventional patterns of thought and expression and reformulate them into patterns which follow different principles of order” (p. 5). widdowson (1975) says, “the language [of a poem] is organized into a pattern of recurring sounds, structures and meanings which are not determined by the phonology, syntax or semantics of the language code which provides it with its basic resources” (p. 36). verdonk (2002) ascribes the following features to the language of poetry: “its meaning is often ambiguous and elusive; it may flout the conventional rules of grammar; it has a peculiar sound structure; it is spatially arranged in metrical lines and stanzas; it often reveals foregrounded patterns in its sounds, vocabulary, grammar, or syntax, and last but not the least it frequently contains indirect references to other texts” (p. 6). freeborn (1996) mentions: “verse has been called a heightened form of 41 shaukat khan, sumaira jehanzeb, irfan ullah, & muhammad irfan a stylistic analysis of “the rime of the ancient mariner” ordinary language, in the sense that it does nothing that is not done in ordinary language, but what it does is foregrounded and focused on for its own sake. so, natural rhythms are made ore regular, and ‘sound effects’ like alliteration, assonance and rhyme, which occur in ordinary language but usually in a random way, are made a deliberate part of the sound pattern” (p. 152). wolosky (2001) defines poetry with respect to the language it generally employs as follows: “poetry is language in which every component element— word and word order, sound and pause, image and echo—is significant, significant in that every element points toward or stands for further relationships among and beyond themselves. poetry is language that means more. its elements are figures, and poetry itself is a language of figures, in which each component can potentially open toward new meaning, levels, dimensions, connections, or resonances.[………….] no word is idle or accidental” (p. 3). simpson (1997) says, “[provided that stylistics] examines literary discourse against the totality of discourse, stylistics is essentially a comparative method of study. the assumption behind this is that a better understanding of literary communication can be reached only if it is viewed as contiguous with other discourses. it is pointless therefore to focus on literature in a restricted ‘cellular’ fashion whereby it is cut adrift from other contexts of language” (p. 7). widdowson (1975) expresses the relation between the literary and the non-literary uses of language in the following words: “the manner in which the resources of the language system are used in the fashioning of unique literary messages can be compared with other uses of the language so as to make clear by contrast how the system is used in conventional forms of communication. at the same time, of course a comparison with other kinds of discourse will reveal what it is that is peculiar to literary uses of english” (p. 80). sinclair (2004, p. 51) has made the following assertion, as cited in jeffries & mcintyre (2010, p. 3): “no systematic apparatus can claim to describe a language if it does not embrace the literature also; and not as a freakish development, but as a natural specialization of categories which are required in other parts of the descriptive system”. method the findings are both qualitative and quantitative owing to the nature of the study. techniques used for the analysis of the data are simply derived from the fundamental principles of general linguistics as outlined in yule (1985). and, a relatively higher interpretive value for the deviant parts of the text has been assumed during the analysis. well-acclaimed dictionaries like advance oxford dictionary (revised edn.7) and chambers essential english dictionary (1995) have been used to assign semantic features and lexical roles to words. unusual collocations have been specified by presenting the lexical string containing them in the shape of cloze procedure text as suggested in simpson (1997, pp. 84-85). the study is descriptive in its nature. this study is intended to show how, at least, a good preliminary understanding of “the rime of the ancient mariner” can develop if a language-oriented bottom-up approach is adopted for its analysis which presupposes a relatively greater interpretive potential for those segments 42 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee of the ballad’s text which stand out in the linguistic foreground, by the virtue of being deviant, than those segments which lay in the background by conforming to ordinary language usage. a fine analysis of the style of a literary text can lead to some understanding of its overall content, especially if the analyst carefully directs his moves along the lines laid by the instances of foregrounding in the text. the three major aims during the course of the study were: to show the special interpretive capacity of the elements of the poem which are internally or externally deviant to the poem’s text on the lexical level, to bring out the interpretive potential of the semantically deviant units in the poem’s text, to point out the contribution of the typographical deviations in the encoding of the poem’s unique message. a method of stylistic analysis eclectically derived from the example stylistic analyses presented in widdowson (1975) and simpson (1997) has been adopted as the research tool. textual data has been collected. only those parts of the poem’s text served as the data which either violate any absolute or relative selection restriction rule, or depart from the established typographical norms. to put it alternatively, the data collected for this study comprises of lexically, semantically and graphologically deviant linguistic forms. results and discussion an understanding of the title ought to be developed as precursory to the understanding of the whole poem because the title sets the frame or conceptual confines for the interpretation of the poem which it tags. the title of the chosen poem contains two noun phrases, the latter of which is embedded in a prepositional phrase, ‘the rime’ and ‘the ancient mariner’. now, if the latter noun phrase is set for a cloze procedure test by replacing its head noun ‘mariner’ by an empty slot as follows the ancient …………….. then the respondents having an average knowledge of english language are likely to come up with combinations like the following ones: o the ancient times o the ancient civilization o the ancient ruins o the ancient city o the ancient hills o the ancient monuments o the ancient pyramids o the ancient greeks o the ancient philosopher because ‘ancient’ is usually used either for describing non-human entities which belong to or have been existent since the remote past, or for describing human entities which existed in the remote past and have become extinct long ago. however, in the title, it collocates with the word ‘mariner’ which does not refer to a human entity which existed and died out in the remote past but to a man who is alive in the deictic world of the poem. this unusual collocation conjures up the bizarre image of a man who has outlived many generations. thus, this instance of lexical deviation charges the character of the mariner with some element of supernaturalism and prepares the reader to anticipate some supernatural activity in the poem. the poem was published during the eighteenth century while the head noun ‘rime’ in the first noun phrase of its title conforms to middle english orthographic conventions or, to put simply, has an archaic spelling for the modern english word ‘rhyme’, which is used to refer to a ‘rhymed verse’. this graphological deviation on the 43 shaukat khan, sumaira jehanzeb, irfan ullah, & muhammad irfan a stylistic analysis of “the rime of the ancient mariner” diachronic plane of english, coupled with the use of the attributive adjective ‘ancient’, having the semantic features /+temporal/ and /+remoteness/, in the succeeding noun phrase, defines the chronological climate of the poem and sets its events in the remote past. this might have been done by the poet as a distancing technique to increase the plausibility of the action of the poem for the readers. the graphological deviation foregrounds the word ‘rime’ so it invites the reader to dig out for an even deeper meaning, or perhaps for a dual meaning. actually, ‘rime’ if taken as a modern english word, means ‘hoar frost’. reconciling the meanings of the two diachronic homonyms conveys the sense of a rhymed verse which contains frequent references to frostiness. so, this is how a single foregrounded word foreshadows the thermal imagery of the poem. the personal pronouns ‘he’ and ‘she’ are exclusively reserved for thirdperson gender-specified entities in conventional modes of language. however, in the poem, these pronouns are frequently used to refer to nonhuman natural entities like the sun, the moon and the storm. the first instance of such unconventional use appears in line26: the sun came up upon the left------l.25 out of the sea came he ------------l.26 this semantic deviation builds an aura of animation or vitality around the natural elements and prepares the reader to watch them, at least, at par with human beings. in line 41, the whole noun phrase ‘storm blast’ appears in upper case: and, now the storm-blast came, and he -------------------------l.41 if viewed at the textual level, it can be clearly identified as a typographical deviation. however, when viewed at the level of discourse, it becomes an iconic representation of the magnitude and effect of the entity which it refers to. this instance of foregrounding may also leave the impression on the reader’s mind that the storm would have broken as abruptly in the deictic world of the sea voyagers as these block letters show up in the poem’s text. in line 42, the predicative adjectives ‘tyrannous’ and ‘strong’ occur to post-modify ‘the stormblast’. and, in the two lines which immediately follow line 42, the stormblast assumes the lexical role of agent for spiteful actions like striking<struck> and chasing<chased> which essentially require their agent to be /+animate/. it is also to be noted here that human beings (the mariners), referred to by the plural objective pronoun ‘us’ in line 44, become the theme for these actions. the lines are stated below for reference: was tyrannous and strong: -------------l.42 he struck with his o’ertaking wings, -------------------------l.43 and chased us south along. ----------l.44 now, the three words ‘tyrannous’, ‘struck’ and ‘chased’ do not only share the semantic feature /+animate/, which make these utterances in which they occur semantically odd, but they also have in common two other features: /+might/ and /+ offence/ or /+opposition/. so, the triad of these semantically foregrounded lines suggest that the nature’s agency—the storm—is not only infused with an animated spirit but is also powerful or mighty enough to show antagonistic tendencies towards man. thus, this instance of foregrounding induces the element of nature’s determinism in the poem’s narrative. nature’s antagonism towards man is reinforced by referring to the storm as a ‘foe’ in line 47. 44 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee at the very end of part i of the poem, the noun ‘albatross’ occurs in bold typeface: i shot the albatross. ------------------------l.82 this typographical deviation marks the climax of the poem and suggests that the albatross is the entity around which the plot of the poem revolves. the poem is saturated with references to natural elements and forces till its very end but, keeping in mind the delimitations of the study, only the few lexically, semantically or graphologically deviant references to nature have been discussed here. the action ‘hold’ requires its instrument to have the feature /+grip/. however, after releasing the weddingguest’s hand from the grasp of his own hand, the mariner held him with his eyes, which obviously refer to a /-grip/ entity. and, the mentioning of the two actions in succession reinforces the idea that his eyes could hold something just as his hands could. eftsoons his hand dropt he. ----------1.l2 he holds him with his glittering eye- --------------------l.13 this instance of semantic deviation is evocative of the enchanting powers that the mariner possessed and, thus, it gives him his quasi-supernatural identity. in line 193, the description of the female member of the grotesque crew is given as: the night-mare life-in-death was she ----------------------l.193 a tension is created between the words ‘life’ and ‘death’ in the name of the woman typed in block letters by the insertion of two hyphens on both sides of a linking preposition. this graphical tension suggests whom the weird lady wrecks will be caught up in the tension between life and death. in other words, the person whom the lady victimizes would be set in suspense from life and death, both. the word ‘nightmare’ in this line is hyphenated. the splitting of the word prepares the ground for some inter-textual reference. the mare is a female evil supernatural character in the germanic folklore that sets out at night for all sorts of malicious deeds. so, the word night-mare, owing to its graphological deviation, is capable of conveying dual meaning. the first and the more obvious meaning is that the lady’s appearance was nightmarish whereas the second possible meaning is that she was malevolent and supernatural like the mare in germanic folklores. if the pair of line 55 and line 56 is adapted for a cloze procedure test as follows: and through the drifts the snowy clifts ------------------------------55 did send a ………… sheen ---------------------------------56 then the respondents are likely to supply words like ‘silver’, ‘pearl-white’, ‘glassy’, ‘smooth’ and ‘fine’ as the collocates for ‘sheen’ because the word ‘sheen’ has /+brightness/ as its major semantic component and all these attributive words refer to a state of visual brightness or smoothness so they would accentuate its meaning. but, surprisingly, in the poem’s text, ‘dismal’, which has /brightness/ as one of its semantic components, collocates with ‘sheen’ as recorded below: and through the drifts the snowy clifts -----------------------l.55 did send a dismal sheen ---------------l.56 their lexical relation seems odd because the two are usually expected to occur as antonyms, not as collocates. however, the apparent lexical deviation in this combination disappears as soon as the reader realizes that ‘dismal’ is not 45 shaukat khan, sumaira jehanzeb, irfan ullah, & muhammad irfan a stylistic analysis of “the rime of the ancient mariner” used here to refer to a dull visual state but to a dull emotional state. this realization can come about by bringing to mind the deictic world of the weatherstricken sea-voyagers. naturally, in such a world, the sheen of snow or ice is likely to cause a dull mood despite its bright visual impact. in line 161, an interesting example of wordplay appears. the line is as follows: and cried, a sail! a sail! -------------l.161 the brief lexical string ‘a sail’ becomes foregrounded by being tied up in the lexical relation of homophony with the word ‘assail’. for the mariners, the sight of a sail has the connotation of rescue but a sail’s homophone ‘assail’ has the denotation of ‘attack’. this foreshadows that the things may not turn up to the mariners’ expectations, and whom they are anticipating as their rescuers might turn out to be the exact opposite—the assailants. a prominent element of supernaturalism gets added to the poem when dead men become the agent for actions like groaning, stirring and rising up, all of which can only take /+living/ noun phrases as their agents. the dead men gave a groan. ---------l.330 they groaned, they stirred, they all uprose, -------------l.331 table 1 tabular representation of the findings serial number deviant form/description of deviant form linguistic level textual location effect / purpose 1) the ancient mariner lexical title projecting the narrator and principal character as somewhat outlandish or weird; setting the remote past as the chronological climate 2) rime graphological (orthographic) title setting the action of the poem in the middle ages; foreshadowing the prevalence of the frost in the poem 3) use of (s)he to refer to non-human natural entities semantic l.25, l.26, l.41, l.43 and many succeeding lines infusing the nature with vitality 4) the storm-blast graphological l.141 iconic representation of the referent of the word 5) the storm-blast takes a negative human attribute—‘tyrannous’. semantic l.142 endowing the natural agency with an animated power; establishing nature’s agency as an antagonist to man 6) the storm-blast as the agent of oppressive or oppositional actions, taking human entities as the theme semantic l.143, l.144 depicting nature’s activity as highly dynamic and harmful to man’s state of being 7) the albatross graphological l.182 marking a climatic point in the plot; giving an iconic representation of the significant status of the bird 8) he holds him with his glittering eye semantic l.13 an illustration of the mariner’s enchanted powers 9) life-in-death typographical l.193 the name bears a resonance of the 46 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee horrific punishing ability of the labeled entity. 10) night-mare typographical l.193 possibility of dual meaning; possibility of inter-textual reference 11) dismal sheen lexical l.56 irony produced by the discrepancy between the visual and the emotional response to the same stimulus 12) relation of homophony between a sail and assail phono-lexical l.161 unconscious verbal irony on the narrator’s part; foreshadowing danger 13) corpses performing actions which require /+living/ agents semantic l.330, l.331 reinforcement of the theme of supernaturalism conclusion the analysis made through this study may resemble greatly in its contents with other analyses available readily online or in the shape of student handouts or guidebooks but the approach that it takes is unfortunately not very common in the sphere of pedagogy or elsewhere as yet. the purpose of the analysis was to show how subjective judgments or individual opinions about literary works can be brought to a common objective testing ground from where everyone can trace them and access them. it is proposed here that the stylistics tool of interpretation may be given preference over ‘ready-made’ exegeses of and commentaries on literary compositions because it is equally handy to use but far-more beneficial than them. references bradford, r. (1997). stylistics: the new critical idiom. canada: routledge press. freenborn, d. (1996). style: text analysis and linguistic criticism. london: macmillan press. hough, g.g. (1969). style and stylistics: concepts of literature. routledge press. jeffries, l., & mcintyre, d. (2010). stylistics. new york, ny: cambridge university press. norgaard, n., montoro, r., & busse, b. (2010). keys terms in stylistics. new york, ny: continuum international publishing group. short, m. (1996). exploring the language of poems, plays and prose. new york, ny: longman publishing group. simpson, p. (1997). language through literature: an introduction. london: routledge press. thornborrow, j., & wareing, s. (1998). patterns in language: an introduction to language and literary style. london, canada & usa: routledge press. van peer, w. (1986). stylistics and psychology: investigations of foregrounding. australia: croom helm provident house. widdowson, h. g. (1975). stylistics and the teaching of literature. longman publishing group. widdowson, h. g. (1992). practical stylistics: an approach to poetry. oxford: oxford university press. 47 shaukat khan, sumaira jehanzeb, irfan ullah, & muhammad irfan a stylistic analysis of “the rime of the ancient mariner” monkey a guy walks into a bar with his pet monkey. he orders a drink and while he's drinking, the monkey jumps all around the place. the monkey grabs some olives off the bar and eats them. then grabs some sliced limes and eats them. then jumps onto the pool table, grabs one of the billiard balls, sticks it in his mouth, and to everyone's amazement, somehow swallows it whole. the bartender screams at the guy "did you see what your monkey just did?". the guy says "no, what?" "he just ate the cue ball off my pool table-whole!". "yeah, that doesn't surprise me," replied the guy. "he eats everything in sight, the little bastard. sorry. i'll pay for the cue ball and stuff." he finishes his drink, pays his bill, pays for the stuff the monkey ate, then leaves. two weeks later he's in the bar again, and has his monkey with him. he orders a drink and the monkey starts running around the bar again. while the man is finishing his drink, the monkey finds a maraschino cherry on the bar. he grabs it, sticks it up his butt, pulls it out, and eats it. the bartender is disgusted. "did you see what your monkey did now?" he asks. "no, what?" replies the guy. "well, he stuck a maraschino cherry up his butt, pulled it out, and ate it!" said the bartender. "yeah, that doesn't surprise me," replied the guy. " he still eats everything in sight, but ever since he swallowed that cue ball, he measures everything first..." (source: http://www.study-express.ru/humour/funny-stories.shtml, picture: www.google.co.id) 48 an investigation of academic writing problems level faced by undergraduate students at al imam al mahdi universitysudan amin ali al mubarak department of english, university of al imam al mahdi, sudan e-mail: amino.last25@gmail.com apa citation: al mubarak, a. a. (2017). an investigation of academic writing problems level faced by undergraduate students at al imam al mahdi university sudan. english review: journal of english education, 5(2), 175-188 received: 16-04-2017 accepted: 19-05-2017 published: 01-06-2017 abstract: academic writing skills mostly involve the linguistic competence development of the students which many english second language learners may identify it as a challenging task. the main objective of this study is to look into various challenges encountered by english second language students in academic writing in ordinary graduation project in the context of universities. specifically, this research focuses on identifying the problems faced by the arts colleges within the university of al imam al mahdi, sudan. the researcher used the student‟s project graduation to investigate the problems encountered by the students when they used their academic writing skills. to state the obstacles recognized by the examined students in academic writing skills, the researcher employed a descriptive method. the findings of this research revealed the most problematic area faced by the students. finally, the results of this research may help the scholars to reflect on teaching practices and urge the goverment to help teachers‟ attempts to enhance the academic writing skills of their students at the university of al imam al mahdi, sudan. keywords: academic writing, students, problems. introduction nowadays, english plays an essential part in educational activities. students are relied on to impart mostly in the universities where english is the means of teaching. learners confront the task of grasping content area in subjects such as mathematics, social studies, science, and business which are taught in english. in such cases, instructing and learning of english can help the students to bargain effectively with their academic requirements and to function productively in their disciplines and learned contexts (adams & keene, 2000). writing appears to be one of the most important, yet challenging, academic skills for university students to learn. this is particularly the case of foreign or second language learners. academic writing plays an indispensable part in learning a foreign language. nonnative english speakers ought to be acquainted with writing procedures, components, and elements like the convention, objectivity, and unpredictability to utilize the language precisely and accurately. ismail (2011) pointed out that english writing bears chances for students to think critically and gives the inspiration to learn certain parts of academic writing like utilizing powerful word expressions and a great vocabulary. also, academic writing includes certain components like basic deduction and self-expression that understudies ought to get amid the courses they attend. there are different parts of academic writing which must be studied and grasped such as arranging paragraphs by utilizing robust style of word structures, paraphrasing, and appropriate conjunctions. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v5i2.533 175 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee academic writing is commonly characterized as scientific writing which is portrayed as organized research practiced and utilized by researchers at higher education level. dynamic and quality research have dependably been the keystone of higher education. research is primarily integrated with academic writing as genrebased pedagogies acknowledge the writing procedure as a necessary arranged with social and cultural response to specific contexts and communities. by applying different linguistics and rhetorical options to achieve important tasks in diverse settings, novice writers may allow themselves to accomplish their writing tasks after careful examination of the complicated variable in composition texts (johns, 2008). writing abilities are a critical part of communication for the students all through their academic life since it permits them to arrange their sentiments and thoughts obviously and additionally to pass on significance through well developed content. academic writing appears to be one of the most important, yet a problematic academic ability for university students to learn. this is predominantly evident with second language learners (negari, 2011). students confronted problems in various areas ranging from spelling words correctly to how to develop an argument in one‟s essay. considerable number of research has recommended that writing in a second language learning context is a difficult and demanding task. alsamadani (2010) pointed out that the “difficulty and complexity of academic writing arise from the fact that writing includes discovering a thesis, developing support for it, organizing, revising, and finally editing it to ensure an effective, error-free piece of writing.” moreover, musa (2010) stated that writing is considered as a difficult skill to learn because it includes several components, for instance, grasp on spellings and punctuation, a comprehensive command of grammar, grasp on spellings and punctuation, use of appropriate vocabulary, suitable style to meet the expected readers‟ expectations and organizational skills. yiu (2009) said that much research had offered valuable insights into the fact that this trend “...led to the exponential growth of research in second language writing over the last decade and a half.” chou (2011) expressed that however there has been an expanded enthusiasm for writing yet there has been a lack of research in this field in english as second language settings as a significant portion of research studies identified related to writing skills has been done in the english as second language contexts such as australia, canada, england, new zealand, and america. he has additionally clarified that the announced research in this field can be separated into four classifications. the first group research studies explored the faculty standpoint concerning the academic writing for instance, zhu (2004) and casanave & hubbard (1992). the second type examined the students for instance, grami (2010) and yiu (2009). the third class investigated the students writing sample for example, ezza (2010) and tahaineh (2010), and the last group tried to examine the discernments of the students against the academic advisors for instance, bacha and bahous (2008) and myles and cheng (2003). moreover, it has also been stated that much of the research in the past two eras has mainly concentrated on either product, process or both” (yiu, 2009). various studies have been carried out to distinguish the issues of english as second language learners that faced in their writing. for instance, has expressed that arab students‟ blunders in academic writing mostly fall in the classification of grammar and syntax. while, noor (1996) who explored and analysed various of studies carried out on english as second language learners‟ syntactic mistakes and expressed that the students‟ blunders can be sorted in seven 176 amin ali al mubarak an investigation of academic writing problems level faced by undergraduate students at al imam al mahdi university – sudan syntactic subcategories: verbs, prepositions, conjunctions, articles, relative clauses, sentence structure and adverbial clauses. next, mahmoud (2005) explored english as second language learners syntactic blunders also found out that verbs and prepositions are the most challenging areas in this regard. regarding the problems of academic writing, khan (2011) who recently conducted a study to explore the problems of saudi university students, has mentioned that they face numerous difficulties in phoneme clusters, spellings, grammar, mistakes due to first structure, doubling of subjects, language interference, doubling of preposition, articles, tenses, appropriate vocabulary, wrong use of prefixes, and suffixes. khan (2011) reviewed a number of studies in this respect and concluded that arab learners‟ difficulties are caused by the shortage in the english language curricula obtainable by some schools and universities, dreadful teaching methodology and the problems with appropriate language environments and the lack of personal motivation on the part of the students. al murshidi (2014) pointed out that the low of the language proficiency might also obstruct academic writing. as determined by al-khairy (2013), the subject of his study affirmed that their main difficulties encompass the inappropriate choice of vocabulary, grammatical errors, incorrect punctuation, and spelling irregular verbs. other causes that could lead to the problem in academic writing are first language interference, insufficiency of views, and unclear guidance of the task. saddler, moran, graham, & harris (2004) said that academic writing skill ought to start at elementary and secondary education so that when the learners are at univesity level, they should not battle with academic writing. besides, they recommend a few rules in avoiding writing problems, namely: to provide exemplary writing instruction to all the students from the start, beginning in university level, and to offer early supplementary writing instruction aimed at avoiding or at least alleviating later writing difficulties. further, lea and street (1998) utilized an ethnographic qualitative approach which incorporated semistructured interviews with the teachers and the learners, respondents observations, models of student‟s writing, and written feedback on students. they found that the learners experienced problems with writing, mainly with conflicting, distinct and implicit requirements for writing in various courses. in addition, gambell (1991) finds that the students discernments toward their own writing and how they go about academic writing found that even fruitful learners are awkward with their own university-level writing and that writing is challenging and distressing to a hefty portion of them. furthermore, lee and tajino (2008) pointed out that a number of researchers explored english as second langauge student discernments and they all approve that it is significant to include the students‟ recommendations in developing academic writing programmes. some found that the students consider that interaction with native speakers will resolve their writing problems finally, the previous studies endeavored to give answers to the challenge of students in academic writing in english as second language contexts. as a result, research input various previous studies in academic writing. the research continues to explore ways in which english as second language students can be developed academic writing. however, academic writing will continue to posing a challenge to these students due to several factors. accordingly, this study is based on the following questions: 1. what are the academic writing problems encountered by english second language earners? 2. what are the factors that may cause difficulties academic writing problems? 177 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee method the present study intends to investigate the issues of writing problems faced by postgraduate students at al imam al mahdi university in sudan. besides, this paper reacts to the inadequacy of research in this particular area at the university level. currently, there is limited research that addresses the issues under scrutiny. it is aimed that the outcomes of this study could assist the administrative authorities to enhance the level of translation skill at the university level. the data for the present study were collected from 15 graduation project for the year 2017. the collect data was used in identifying the issues of academic writing for english as second language at al imam al mahdi university in sudan. a quantitative method was used in collecting the data: 15 b.a. graduation project checked in order to identify the issues of academic writing for english as a second language in sudan. the number of the graduation project involved in this study was 15, and their identity was kept confidential. apart from that, the researcher believes that the respondent‟s project demography and gender, have no impact on the analysis of this study. results and discussion the analysis was carried out in order to find out about the potential isuues of academic writing in english as a second language for the learners in sudan. the result of gradution project that analysised were listed below issues of the first student graduation project figure 1 shows the frequency of issues in the first grdaution project. seven percent of the of the first student project found having problems with the use of articles and forty two percent of the same project show weakness in the use of punctuation. only nine percent of the first student projectdisplayed difficulties in employing theprepositions. similarly, four percent of the first student project found have problem with use of irregular verbs and eighteen percent of same project found have problems used poor expressions. moreover, only twopercent of first student project faced problems in consistency and twenty-four percent of same project found have problems with used of paralleled structure. finally, tweleve percent of first student project found have problems with used of verb tense. figure 1 issues of the second student graduation project figure 2 shows the frequency of issues in the second grdaution project. seven percent of the of the second students projectshows problems with the use of articles and twentyeight percent of the same project do have weakness in the utilization of 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 178 amin ali al mubarak an investigation of academic writing problems level faced by undergraduate students at al imam al mahdi university – sudan 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% punctuation. only tweleve percent of the second student project have difficulties in employing the prepositions. similarly, fifteen percent of the second students project found have problem with usage of irregular verbs and eighteen percent of the same project found have problems used poor expressions. additionally, only seven percent of the second student project have problems in consistency and nine percent of the same project found have problems with used of paralleled structure. finally, four percent of the second student project found have problems with used of verb tense. figure 2 issues of the third student graduation project figure 3 shows the frequency of issues in the third grdaution project. two percent of the of the third students project have difficulties with the use of articles and twentytwo percent of the same project do have weakness in the utilization of punctuation. only twenty-five percent of the third student projection have problems in using the prepositions. similarly, seven percent of the same project found have difficult with usage of irregular verbs and tweleve percent of the third student project show poor expressions. additionally, only four percent of the same project faced problems in consistency and ten percent of the third student project found having problems with used of paralleled structure. finally, eighteen percent of the same project found having problems with used of verb tense. figure 3 0% 10% 20% 30% 179 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee issues of the fourth student graduation project figure 4 shows the frequency of issues in the fourth grdaution project. eight percent of the of the fourth students project have difficulties with the use of articles and twenty percent of the same project do have weakness in the utilization of punctuation. only thrity-two percent of the fourth student project have problems in using the prepositions. similarly, twleve percent of the same project found have difficult with usage of irregular verbs and twenty-five percent of the fourth student project show poor expressions. additionally, only four percent of the same project faced problems in consistency and six percent of the fourth student project found having problems with used of paralleled structure. finally, three percent of the same project found having problems with used of verb tense figure 4 issues of the fifth student graduation project figure 5 shows the frequency of issues in the fifth grdaution project. ninteen percent of the of the fifth students project reveals the difficulties with the use of articles and twenty-eight percent of the same project show the weakness in the utilization of punctuation. only eighteen percent of the fifth student project reveals problems in using the prepositions. similarly, only two percent of the same project found have difficult with usage of irregular verbs and thirteen percent of the fifth student project show poor expressions. additionally, eighteen percent of the same project reveals the problems in consistency and one percent of the fifth student project found having problems with used of paralleled structure. finally, only one percent of the same project show problems with used of verb tense figure 5 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 180 amin ali al mubarak an investigation of academic writing problems level faced by undergraduate students at al imam al mahdi university – sudan issues of the sixth student graduation project figure 6 shows the frequency of issues in the sixth grdaution project. four percent of the of the sixth students project depicted the difficulties with the use of articles and fortyfive percent of the same project show the weakness in the utilization of punctuation. only thirty percent of the sixth student project reveals problems in using the prepositions. similarly, only five percent of the same project found have difficult with usage of irregular verbs and ten percent of the sixth student project show poor expressions. additionally, four percent of the same project reveals the problems in consistency and one percent of the sixth student project found having problems with used of paralleled structure. finally, only one percent of the same project show problems with used of verb tense. figure 6 issues of the seventh student graduation project figure 7 shows the frequency of issues in the seventh grdaution project. one percent of the of the seventh students project represented the difficulties with the use of articles and fifty-three percent of the same project display the weakness in the utilization of punctuation. only twenty-two percent of the seventh student project discloses problems in using the prepositions. similarly, only one percent of the same project found have difficult with usage of irregular verbs and eight percent of the seventh student project indicates poor expressions. additionally, tweleve percent of the same project reveals the problems in consistency and one percent of the seventh student project found having problems with used of paralleled structure. finally, only two percent of the same project show problems with used of verb tense. figure 7 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 181 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee issues of the eighth student graduation project figure 8 shows the frequency of issues in the eighth grdaution project. one percent of the of the eighth students project signified the problems with the use of articles and tweleve percent of the same project show the debility in the utilization of punctuation. only eighteen percent of the eighth student project reveals problems in using the prepositions. similarly, only one percent of the same project found have difficult with usage of irregular verbs and seven percent of the eighth student project specifies poor expressions. additionally, tweleve percent of the same project reveals the problems in consistency and one percent of the eighth student project found having problems with used of paralleled structure. finally, fortyeight percent of the same project display problems with used of verb tense. figure 8 issues of the ninth student graduation project figure 9 shows the frequency of issues in the ninth grdaution project. three percent of the of the ninth students project showed difficulties with the use of articles and twenty-seven percent of the same project display the feebleness in the utilization of punctuation. twentyfive percent of the ninth student project show problems in using the prepositions. similarly, only four percent of the same project found have difficult with usage of irregular verbs and nine percent of the ninth student project specifies poor expressions. additionally, tweleve percent of the same project reveals the problems in consistency and three percent of the ninth student project found having problems with used of paralleled structure. finally, seventeen percent of the same project display problems with used of verb tense. figure 9 0% 50% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 182 amin ali al mubarak an investigation of academic writing problems level faced by undergraduate students at al imam al mahdi university – sudan issues of the tenth student graduation project figure 10 shows the frequency of issues in the tenth grdaution project. three percent of the of the tenth students project showed problems with the use of articles and nine percent of the same project display the feebleness in the utilization of punctuation. threeteen percents of the tenth student project show problems in using the prepositions. similarly, only four percent of the same project found have difficult with usage of irregular verbs and nine percent of the tenth student project specifies poor expressions. additionally, tweleve percent of the same project reveals the problems in consistency and five percent of the tenth student project found having problems with used of paralleled structure. finally, forty percent of the same project display problems with used of verb tense. figure 10 issues of the eleventh student graduation project figure 11 shows the frequency of issues in the eleventh grdaution project. six percent of the of the eleventh students project showed problems with the use of articles and nine percent of the same project display the feebleness in the utilization of punctuation. ten percents of the eleventh student project show problems in using the prepositions. similarly, only four percent of the same project found have difficult with usage of irregular verbs and thrity-four percent of the eleventh student project specifies poor expressions. additionally, sixteen percent of the same project reveals the problems in consistency and five percent of the eleventh student project found having problems with used of paralleled structure. finally, tweleve percent of the same project display problems with used of verb tense. figure 11 0% 20% 40% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 183 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee issues of the twelfth student graduation project figure 12 shows the frequency of issues in the tweleveth grdaution project. six percent of the of the tweleveth students project showed problems with the use of articles and thrity-seven percent of the same project display the feebleness in the utilization of punctuation. seventeen percents of the tweleveth student project show problems in using the prepositions. similarly, only six percent of the same project found have difficult with usage of irregular verbs and fourteen percent of the tweleveth student project specifies poor expressions. additionally, thriteen percent of the same project reveals the problems in consistency and only two percent of the tweleveth student project found having problems with used of paralleled structure. finally, five percent of the same project display problems with used of verb tense. figure 12 issues of the thirteenth student graduation project figure 13 shows the frequency of issues in the thirteenth grdaution project. two percent of the of the thirteenth students project showed problems with the use of articles and seven percent of the same project display the feebleness in the utilization of punctuation. forty percents of the thirteenth student project show problems in using theprepositions. similarly, only three percent of the same project found have difficult with usage of irregular verbs and eighteen percent of the thirteenth student project specifies poor expressions. additionally, ten percent of the same project reveals the problems in consistency and only nine percent of the thirteenth student project found having problems with used of paralleled structure. finally, eleven percent of the same project display problems with used of verb tense. figure 13 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 0% 20% 40% 184 amin ali al mubarak an investigation of academic writing problems level faced by undergraduate students at al imam al mahdi university – sudan issues of the fourteen student graduation project figure 14 shows the frequency of issues in the fourteen grdaution project. four percent of the of the fourteen students project showed problems with the use of articles and tweleve percent of the same project display the feebleness in the utilization of punctuation. ten percents of the fourteen student project show problems in using the prepositions. similarly, only two percent of the same project found have difficult with usage of irregular verbs and twelev percent of the fourteen student project specifies poor expressions. additionally, fifty-two of the same project reveals the problems in consistency and only three percent of the fourteen student project found having problems with used of paralleled structure. finally, five percent of the same project display problems with used of verb tense. figure 14 issues of the fifteenth student graduation project figure 15 shows the frequency of issues in the fifteenth grdaution project. three percent of the of the fifteenth students project showed problems with the use of articles and tweleve percent of the same project display the feebleness in the utilization of punctuation. ten percents of the fifteenth student project show problems in using the prepositions. similarly, only two percent of the same project found have difficult with usage of irregular verbs and sixteen percent of the fifteenth student project specifies poor expressions. additionally, threeteen of the same project reveals the problems in consistency and twenty-eight percent of the fifteenth student project found having problems with used of paralleled structure. finally, eighteen percent of the same project display problems with used of verb tense. figure 15 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 0% 10% 20% 30% 185 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee over all fifteen student graduation project assessment for academic writing figure 16 shows the frequency issues of fifteen student graduation project assessment for academic writing. thirteen percent of the fifteen students graduation project showed problems with the use of articles and forty-five percent of the same project display the feebleness in the utilization of punctuation. thirty-six percents of the fifteen students project show problems in using the prepositions. similarly, only nine percent of the same project found that the students have difficult with usage of irregular verbs and twentyseven percent of fifteen students graduation project specifies poor expressions. additionally, twenty-three of the same project reveals the problems in consistency and thirteen percent of the fifteen students graduation project found having problems with used of paralleled structure. finally, fourteen percent of the same project display problems in using of verb tense. figure 16 the primary intention of this study was to investigate the challenges of academic writing which a group of english as the second language learners undergraduate project had to encounter. one interesting finding which came to light through the present study is the significant role played by academic writing towards the students‟ overall english language learning experiences. therefore, a broad investigation has been carried out on the difficulties of academic writing that faced undergraduate learners.the outcomes of this research revealed that students encountered various obstacles used academic writing. it is indisputable evidence that the knowledge of the grammar is necessary, and as it is said that leaning academic writing as the flesh of the language and grammar is the skeleton. an analysis of the students‟ graduation project revealed that various kinds of mistakes made by the students writing weak. by examining the academic writing samples of the students, it can be presumed that a significant number of the students face academic writing problems. while writing, they show more concern for language related problems.the findings of the study revealed some issues that the students encountered in academic writing, for instance, the use of articles, punctuation, the use of prepositions, the use of irregular verbs, weak expressions, singular and plural, unparalleled structure, consistency and verb tense. moreover, the study findings indicating that using relevant articles is the one of the problems that they face in their academic writing at the university level. this finding is also in line with the (alkhasawneh & maher, 2010) who informed that the students are unable to use articles appropriately in their writings due to their limited grammar. furthermore, the findings of the current study revealed that the 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 186 amin ali al mubarak an investigation of academic writing problems level faced by undergraduate students at al imam al mahdi university – sudan students face difficulties in using punctuation which is extremely significant in academic writing. this finding inline with hutchinson & waters (1987) who also strongly suggested that it is important to to acquaint the learners with use of punctuation for smooth progression in academic writing. the „use of irregular verbs‟ is another difficult area for the undergraduates which represented the use of past and past participle forms of irregular verbs. the findings also, revealed the problems in using appropriate prepositions and stand as problematic areas in academic writing tasks for the students which had been confirming in of numerous studies which reported that use of inappropriate prepositions is a major kind of error found in the academic writings of the arab students (al-khairy, 2013). the students may need to enhance their consistency and connect words to their personal experience they may have to be motivated to write words frequently and consistently and attempt to paraphrase the meanings. the findings also indicate that the most common beliefs in the difficulty among students in academic writing are about paralleled structure. the findings from the present study are consistent with some previous findings which claimed that the esl learners are inclined poor expressions than novice learners which is also the case in the present context. as has been reported in related studies, this is more so if the students are not familiar or lack experience, which in turn may fail to make metacognitive connection with.the study also revealed that the attitude of students towards academic writing with unique characteristics can be considered as a crucial factor in making academic writing more helpful for all students. findings show that intervening strategies in using academic writing reveals the linguistics problems. conclusion the present study shows that the students faced numerous challenges relating to academic writing at university level. successful academic writing is considered of utmost importance to the academic accomplishment of the english as second language students, especially in content areas in the contexts of tertiary levels. the present study investigated the challenging aspects of academic writing encountered by the students at the al-imam al mahdi university in sudan. the significant results from this research revealed that students sampled were not familiar with the academic writing strategies. it is noteworthy that academic writing is reportedly considered as the most common activity at the university level. unfortunately, related studies have discovered that the students are not always aware of the potential benefits of both the conscious and continuous use of academic writing which may help expedite and make the writing process more efficient. in answering the first research question of the study, i.e., what the academic writing problems encountered by english second language learners are, it was discovered that many challenges about academic writing experienced by the students while writing, they were articles, punctuation, prepositions, irregular verbs, poor expressions, consistency paralleled structure, and used of verb tense. in answering the second research question of the study, i.e., what the factors that may cause difficulties academic writing problems are, a considerable number of the project that was examined reported that they faced problems regardless of their language level proficiency when using morphology and syntactic properties to understand the meanings of words. references adams, k. h., & keene, m. (2000). research and writing across the disciplines. new york: mcgraw hill. al-khairy, m. a. (2013). saudi english-major undergraduates' academic writing problems: a taif university perspective. english language teaching, 6(6). al-khairy, m. h. (2013). english as a foreign language learning demotivational factors as 187 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee perceived by saudi undergraduates. european scientific journal, 9(32). al-khasawneh, f., & maher, s. (2010). writing for academic purposes: problems faced by arab postgraduate students of the college of business, uum. esp world, 9(2), 1-23. al murshidi, g. (2014). uae university male students‟ interests impact on reading and writing performance and improvement. english language teaching, 7(9), 57. alsamadani, h. a. (2010). the relationship between saudi efl students‟ writing competence, l1 writing proficiency, and self-regulation. european journal of social sciences, 16(1), 53-63. bacha, n. n., & bahous, r. (2008). contrasting views of business students‟ writing needs in an efl environment. english for specific purposes, 27(1), 74-93. casanave, c. p, & hubbard, p. (1992). the writing assignments and writing problems of doctoral students: faculty perceptions, pedagogical issues, and needed research. english for specific purposes, 11(1), 33-49. chou, l. (2011). an investigation of taiwanese doctoral students' academic writing at a us university. higher education studies, 1(2), 47-60. ezza, e. (2010). arab efl learners‟ writing dilemma at tertiary level. english language teaching, 3(4), 33. gambell, t. j. (1991). university education students' self-perceptions of writing. canadian journal of education/revue canadienne de l'éducation, 420-433. grami, m. a. (2010). the effects of integrating peer feedback into university-level esl writing curriculum: a comparative study in a saudi context (unpublished doctoral dissertation). hutchinson, t., & waters, a. (1987). english for specific purposes. cambridge: cambridge university press. ismail, s. a. a. (2011). exploring students' perceptions of esl writing. english language teaching, 4(2), 73. johns, a. m. (2008). genre awareness for the novice academic student: an ongoing quest. language teaching, 41(2), 237. khan, i. a. (2011). learning difficulties in english: diagnosis and pedagogy in saudi arabia. educational research, 2(7), 1248-1257. lea, m. r., & street, b. v. (1998). student writing in higher education: an academic literacies approach. studies in higher education, 23(2), 157-172. lee, s. n., & tajino, a. (2008). understanding students' perceptions of difficulty with academic writing for teacher development: a case study of the university of tokyo writing program. mahmoud, a. (2005). collocation errors made by arab learners of english. asian efl journal, 5, 1-9. musa, f. (2010). teaching writing to post-secondary students: procedure and technicalities in an efl classroom. paper presented at the first national conference on english language teaching, al-quds open university, palestine. retrieved from http://www.qou.edu/english/ conferences/firstnationalconference/pdffiles/ farouqmusa. pdf. myles, j., & cheng, l.. (2003). the social and cultural life of non-native english speaking international graduate students at a canadian university. journal of english for academic purposes, 2(3), 247-263. negari, g. m. (2011). a study on strategy instruction and efl learners' writing skill. international journal of english linguistics, 1(2), 299. noor, h. h. (1996). english syntactic errors by arabic speaking learners: reviewed. retrieved from: files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ed423660.pdf saddler, b., moran, s., graham, s., & harris, k. r. (2004). preventing writing difficulties: the effects of planning strategy instruction on the writing performance of struggling writers. exceptionality, 12(1), 3-17. tahaineh, y. s. (2010). arab efl university students‟ errors in the use of prepositions. modern journal of applied linguistics, 1(6), 76-112. yiu, r. h. h. (2009). disciplinary writing: a case study of hong kong undergraduates undertaking their writing tasks. university of leicester. zhu, w. (2004). writing in business courses: an analysis of assignment types, their characteristics, and required skills. english for specific purposes, 23(2), 111-135. 188 amin ali al mubarak an investigation of academic writing problems level faced by undergraduate students at al imam al mahdi university – sudan realization of disagreement strategies english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee realization of disagreement strategies by indonesian speakers wildan nurul aini english education program, school of postgraduate studies indonesia university of education, indonesia email: wildan.nurul.aini@gmail.com apa citation: aini, w. n. (2015). realization of disagreement strategies by indonesian speakers. english review: journal of english education, 3(2), 239-246 received: 10-04-2015 accepted: 25-04-2015 published: 01-06-2015 abstract: this study investigates the realization of disagreement strategies employed by indonesian speakers. the strategies are then related to the interlocutor’s level of power. the data is collected using dct type b adapted from azis (2000) and analysed using adapted disagreement strategies from muntigl and turnbull (1998) and chen (2006). the results shows that indonesian speakers tend to use different disagreement strategies to different level of power of the interlocutor. to the interlocutor with the higher power (the superior), the speakers tend to use counterclaims and no disagreement strategies. in addition, to the speakers with the same level of power, the contradiction strategy is preferred. in the meantime, to the interlocutor with the lower level of power, the speakers are likely to choose challenge. these various selections of disagreement strategies are also influenced by concept of ftas of brown and levinson (1987). keywords: disagreement, power, face, ftas introduction disagreement is mentioned as an expression performed as the opposite view from the speakers (sifianou, 2012). pomerantz (1984, as cited in fernández, 2013) asserts that this act happen when assessment is initiated by a speaker to achieve one more action. the action will be realized in forms of either agreement or disagreement. in this case, disagreement is regarded as dispreferred action since it usually is being linked to impoliteness or face-threatening condition. therefore, it is usually mitigated and avoided by the speaker (siafanou, 2012). since the use of disagreement is quite risky, speakers tend to use disagreements in various strategies. then, in selecting the strategies, the speakers tend to consider several factors such as context, face and politeness (siafanou, 2012). several studies about disagreement related to these two factors have been conducted by many researcher (e.g. han, and liang, 2005; xuehua, 2006; fernández, 2013). besides context, face and politeness factors, level of power is also usually taken into account to determine several disagreement strategies. it is since sometimes the speakers, especially indonesian, tend to agree with the statement of the interlocutor with the higher power, although, in fact, s/he actually disagrees with it. therefore, this study is intended to investigate the realization of disagreement strategies employed by indonesian speakers in relation to the interlocutor’s level of power. mailto:wildan.nurul.aini@gmail.com wildan nurul aini realization of disagreement strategies by indonesian speakers realization of speech acts are frequently characterized by the presence of strategies in conveying the speech acts. in many speech act studies, several classifications of strategies are proposed by the researchers (e.g., cohen and olshtain’s, 1981; blum-kulka and olshtain, 1984, in apologizing; blumkulka and olshtain, 1984, in requesting; azis, 2000 in refusing; al-omari and abu-melhim, 2013, in promising). chen (2005) believes that these classifications are generally made based on semantic formulas used to respond the interlocutor’s statement. hence, the speaker’s strategies in a certain speech act might be identified from several features within his/her utterances. especially in realization of disagreement speech acts, a number of classifications of disagreement strategies have been created by several researchers (e.g. beebe and takahashi, 1989; dogancay-aktuna & kamisli, 1996; muntigl and turnbull, 1998; lin, 1999 as cited in chen, 2006). however, in the current study, muntigl and turnbull’s (1998) and chen’ (2006) frameworks are adapted and utilized. this adaptation is intended to accommodate strategies which are not covered by one of frameworks, e.g. the absence of opt-out in muntigl and turnbull (1998). thus the strategies used in the investigation consist of no disagreement (nd), irrelevancy claims (ic), challenges (ch), contradictions (ct) and counterclaims (cc). no disagreement strategy or nd (chen, 2006) is used by the speaker when he/she chooses to opt-out (silent) or using particular verbal strategies, such as agreement and avoidance, to avoid disagreement or arguing with the interlocutor. chen, furthermore, explains that there must be some reasons for the speaker to use no disagreement strategies especially when keeping silent. he mentioned the reasons are in connection with six aspects, namely: both the interlocutor’s and the speakers’ positive face (brown and levinson, 1987), conditions for the act of disagreement (e.g. unimportant, respect, inappropriate context), relationship of the act with the speaker’s goal, relationship of the act with social goals (e.g. for maintaining relationship), and contextual factors (e.g. status, social distance, and gender). irrelevancy claims or ic (muntigl and turnbull, 1998), on the other hand, refer to strategies in which the speaker asserts that the interlocutor’s statement is out of topic or irrelevant to the present discussion. this strategy is usually performed in overlap or without pauses from the previous statement. besides, this strategy is regarded as the most face-threatening strategies. the next strategy is challenges (ch) in which the speaker shows reluctance and doubt in expressing disagreement by utilizing an interrogative form, such as when, why, who, where, whom, and how. challenges are typically accompanied by inquiry regarding the proof of the prior statements. muntigl and turnbull (1998) also propose contradiction strategies (ct). in this strategy, the speaker performs an opposed statement from the interlocutor’s. this is usually preceded by negations or opposition markers such as no, i disagree, i do not agree, not at all, i don’t think so etc. however, chen (2006) claims that contradictions are not always preceded by a negation, but it also occasionally start with contradictory statement, such as “i thought it was so boring.” the last strategy is counterclaims (cc), in which the speaker uses token or partial agreement using but (yes, but…). this way is considered as english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the least face threatening strategy (muntigl and turnbull, 1998) since it is initiated by pauses, prefaces and mitigated devices, such as hedges (orfano, 2012). similarly, fernández (2013) asserts that this mitigated device is to soften the treat to the hearer’s face. in short, the counterclaims is used to indirectly disagree with the interlocutor by agreeing the proposition first to minimize the ftas, and then followed by the speaker’s claim. the use of strategies in the speech acts, e.g. disagreement, is usually affected by social distance, power differential, and ratio of imposition (brown and levinson, 1987). these elements affect the degree of face-threat to be redressed by appropriate linguistic strategies. however, in this study, the disagreement strategies will be discussed mainly in relation to the different level of power. method this research involved four male (40%) and six female (60%) postgraduate students from of one state university in bandung. the participants’ age ranges from 23 to 26 years old. besides, they come from different origins in indonesia with different language background. the details of the information can be seen as follow: table 1. information details of the participants variables categories origins west java(30%) east java(10%) west sumatra(10%) tidore(10%) lampung (20%) medan(10 %) aceh(10%) first language bahasa indonesia (60%) sundanese (10%) minang (10%) javanese (10%) aceh (10%) daily language bahasa indonesia=60% bahasa indonesia and sundanese= 30% bahasa indonesia and minang=60% a survey design was employed in this study. bell (2005) asserts that a survey is generally aimed at attaining information from a representative sample of certain population by asking the same questions to them. in this study, the respondents were asked the identical information about their disagreement strategies by using a discourse completion test (dct). to obtain the strategies of disagreement from the respondents, a discourse completion test (dct) is used. first adapted in 1982 by blumkulka for a speech act investigation, the dct is a questionnaire consisting several discourse or situation in which the respondents of the study are required to write the response of the given situation (varghese and billmyer, 2011). however, nurani (2009) indicates that the use of the dct frequently gets criticisms because of its disadvantages, such as unnatural data (huock and gass, 1995), oversimplification of complex interaction (brown and levinson, 1987), and wildan nurul aini realization of disagreement strategies by indonesian speakers inability to get emotional information from the response in depth (beebe and cummings, 1995). nevertheless, the dct is still widely used to examine several speech act strategies (aziz, 2000) since it allows researchers to “collect large amount of data in a relatively a short time” (nurani, 2009: 670) and applicable for respondents with different cultural background (huock and gass, 1995). the dct employed here was adapted from the dct type-b developed by aziz (2000). this kind of dct provides multiple choice and openended questionnaire which allows the respondent to select one of given strategies then fill possible responses for the chosen strategy. in this study, the dct consists of three different situations in bahasa indonesia which indicated setting and level of power of the interlocutors. the given situations were designed to elicit the respondents’ disagreement, which is also in bahasa indonesia. after being collected, the data from the dct were analyzed using categories of disagreement strategies adapted from muntigl and turnbull (1998) and chen (2006). based on this adapted categories, disagreement strategies can be divided into: no disagreement (nd), irrelevancy claims (ic), challenges (ch), contradictions (ct) and counterclaims (cc). no disagreement strategies as mentioned by chen (2006: 41) are the situation where the speaker prefers to be silent (nds) or to use verbal strategies, such as agreement (nd: ag) and avoidance (nd: av), rather than disagree with the interlocutor’s statement. then, irrelevancy claims refer to a disagreement strategy in which the speaker claims that the interlocutor’s statement is irrelevant to the present discussion. on the other hand, challenge strategy is for the one where the speaker questions and/or asks for proves the interlocutor’s statement by using interrogative words (e.g. what, why, when, where, who, and how). another strategy is contradictions. here, the speaker bluntly disagrees with the interlocutor statement by saying no, i don’t or i disagree. the last is counterclaim strategy in which the speaker partly agrees by expressing agreement at the beginning yet being followed by alternative claims (e.g. yes, but…). next, after being categorized, the data will be discussed with regard to the level of power or superiority. the level of power involved in this study are higher power (superior), equal power and lower power (subordinate). considering this superiority levels, it can be seen whether or not the disagreement strategies chosen by the participants for those categories different each other. furthermore, it will also discuss the “why” of the participants’ preferences in expressing certain disagreement strategies. results anddiscussion the collected data from the dct are then classified and analyzed using adapted classification of disagreement strategies frommuntigl and turn (1998) and chen (2006). after the classification and the analysis, the realization of disagreement strategies used by indonesian postgraduate students in this present study is obtained. the general results of the data analysis are presented in the following table: english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 2. disagreement strategies employed by the indonesian postgraduate students strategies level of power higher power (superior) equal power lower power (subordinate) total contradictions (ct) 1 5 3 10 counterclaims (cc) 4 1 4 challenges (ch) 2 4 6 irrelevant claims (ic) no disagreement (nd) silent (nds) 2 2 1 5 avoidance (nd:av) 3 1 4 agreement (nd:ag) 1 1 total 10 10 10 30 in the following section, the findings and discussions will be presented in relation to the level of power or superiority of the interlocutor. disagreement strategies used to the superior (higher power) from the analysis results, it is found that the strategies utilized by the participants are: contradiction (10%), counterclaims (40%), no disagreement: silent (20%), and no disagreement: avoidance (30%). looking at the data, it seems that the participants prefer choosing strategies which possess less face threatening acts, such as counterclaims (muntigl and turnbull, 1998) and no disagreement: silent and avoidance. counterclaims can be easily identified from its structure (yes, but…) and its features such as mitigating devices (orfano, 2012). one of the mitigating devices used in this strategy is hedges. for example: counterclaims r1: mungkin benar yang bapak sampaikan tadi, tapi menurut saya keduanya memiliki kelebihan dan kekurangan, … (perhaps, what you have just said is right, but i think both of them have strength and weaknesses…) the word “mungkin/perhaps” and “menurut saya/i think” are the hedges or mitigating devices utilized in the counterclaims strategy. the use of hedges here seems an indicator of the participants’ caution in expressing disagreement to the interlocutor. this might happen since the interlocutor is his/her lecturer who has the higher power. so, there is no place for the participant to exercise the power. this cautious action is also visible by the use of another strategy, no disagreement. so, rather than disagree with the lecturer, the other participants choose to perform silence and avoidance, as the safer strategies. apparently, this is intended to avoid conflicts with the lecturer. as r9 who chooses silence, she expresses that the choice of being silent is to avoid arguing with the lecturer. this is due to, as fairclough (2001) states, the ability of more powerful participants to control and constrain the contribution of the less powerful participants. similarly, with respect to this, chen (2006) suggests that one of the reasons of speakers’ silence in a conflict talk is contextual factors, such as higher status, social distance, and unfamiliarity. wildan nurul aini realization of disagreement strategies by indonesian speakers the last is in the contradiction strategy. although the strategy is basically used to directly disagree, in this case, the statement used is also still carefully expressed. for instance: kalau menurut saya keduanya punya sisi kekurangan dan kelebihan. tapi, calon x tersebut dirasa lebih banyak sisi positifnya pak/bu. (i think both of them have positive and negative sides, but, i feel the x candidate has more positive sides.) although the example above is a contradict strategy, the hedges “i think” is still used. the may be seen as speaker’s effort to minimize the ftas or as speakers’ respect to the one with the higher power. in this case, fernández (2013) asserts that this mitigated device is to soften the threat to the hearer’s face. this kind of effort is essential especially for the disagreement to the higher power since the bigger gap between the speaker’s and the interlocutor’s power, the higher the face-threat is (brown and levinson, 1987). disagreement strategies used to interlocutor with equal power in the meantime, when facing the interlocutor with the same level of power, such as classmates, the participants use different composition of disagreement strategies. the strategies consist of contradictions (50%), challenges (20%), no disagreement: silent (20%) and no disagreement: avoidance (10%). different from the strategies used to the superior, the use of contradictions by the participants seems dominant. another strategy employed is challenges in which the speaker feels doubt about the proposition so that s/he asks for proof (muntigl and turnbull, 1998). these two strategies are classified by chen (2006) into direct disagreement. it means that the speaker bluntly refute others’ opinion by stating the opposing statement. for example: contradiction belum tentu, elektabilitas itu naik turun. dengan visi misinya saya yakin presiden pilihan saya akan terpilih (not really, electability is dynamic. with his vision and mission, i believe my choice will win.) challenge wah, iya ya? kata siapa tuh lebih unggul? ada surveynya ga? (was it? who said he is winning? is there any survey?) unlike contradiction in the previous context (disagreement to the superior), the contradiction strategies in the first example shows blunt disagreement device –belum tentu/not really—and expression of certainty—saya yakin/i believe. besides, in the second example also it is apparently that there is no doubt of the speaker to “attack other’s competency” (muntigl and turnbull, 1998 as cited in orfano 2012) by asking the proof of the statement—‘is there any survey?’ these elements, somehow, express the speaker’s tendency to aggravate the interlocutor’s face. that is no wonder that orfano (2012) mentioned challenges as ‘moderate cost of face.’ this, again, might be caused by the power factor. in this occasion, the power of the speaker and the interlocutor is equal. this power equality, furthermore, allows both of the speaker and the interlocutor to directly and frankly disagree with any of their statement. it is english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee since they have the same chance to exercise their power, so they cannot control or hinder contribution of one another (fairclough, 2001). disagreement strategies used to the subordinate (lower power) meanwhile, the result shows that various strategies also employed by the participants to disagree with the one with the lower power, e.g. younger brother/sister. the strategies include contradiction (30%), counterclaims (10%), challenges (40%), no disagreement: silent (10%) and no disagreement: agreement (10%). the most frequently used strategies in disagreeing with the subordinate are contradictions and challenges. basically, those dominant strategies are the same as those which are used to the equal power. but, in this context, challenges strategies has a bigger number than contradictions. as it has been mentioned previously, challenges are so called moderate cost of face (orfano 2012) since the possibility of interlocutor’ losing face is bigger than the counterclaims strategies (low cost of face) but smaller that the irrelevancy claims strategy (high cost of face). in relation to this, muntigl and turnbull (1998) also state that challenge is an undesirable perception, attitude and action which are attributed to addressee. so, it means that in disagreeing with the subordinate, the participants tend to sacrifice the interlocutor’s positive face. for this situation, level of power is not the only factor. the choice of challenge strategies is also in association with social distance or closeness of the speaker and the interlocutor. as mentioned by brown and levinson (1987 as cited in grundy, 2008: 197), there are three aspects in determining the degree of face-threatening acts, namely social distance, power differential, and ratio of imposition. it means that the lesser the gap between social distance and power differential, the smaller degree of facethreat to be redressed by appropriate linguistic strategy. thus, although the power of the speaker is higher than the interlocutor and the nature of challenge strategy is ‘moderate cost of face’ (orfano, 2012), this strategy would not really cause a high degree of face-threat since the interlocutor—participants’ sister/brother—has close social distance, conclusions it can be concluded that the indonesian speakers tend to use different disagreement strategies to different level of power of the interlocutor. to the interlocutor with the higher power (the superior), the speakers tend to use counterclaims and no disagreement strategies. in addition, to the speakers with the same level of power, the contradiction strategy is preferred. in the meantime, to the interlocutor with the lower level of power, the speakers are likely to choose challenge. these various selections of disagreement strategies are also influenced by concept of ftas of brown and levinson (1987). references al-omari, s. k., & abu-melhim, a.-r. (2013). promising as a speech act in jordanian arabic. international forum in teaching and studies, 9(1). aziz, e. a. (2000). indonesian speech act realization in face-threatening situations. monash university linguistics papers, 2(2), 15-41. beebe, l., & cummings, m. c. (1995). natural speech act versus written questionnaire data: how data collection method affect speech act performances. in s. gass, & j. neu, speech acts across wildan nurul aini realization of disagreement strategies by indonesian speakers cultures (pp. 65-86). berlin: mouton de gruyter. bell, j. (2005). doing your research project: a guide for first-time researchers in education, health and social sciences (4th ed.). berkshire: mcgraw-hill international. blum-kulka, s., & olshtain, e. (1984). requests and apologies: a crosscultural study of speech act realization patterns (ccsarp). applied lingistics, 5(3), 196-213. brown, p., & levinson, s. (1987). politeness. cambridge: cambridge university press. chen, m.-t. (2006). an interlanguage of the speech act of disagreement made by chinese speakers in taiwan [thesis]. kaohsiung: national sun yat-sen university. cohen, a. d., & olshtain, e. (1981). developing a measure of sociocultural competence: the case of apology. language learning, 31(1), 113-134. fairclough, n. (2001). language and power (2nd ed.). london: longman. fernández, s. s. (2013). the linguistic realization of disagreement by efl egyptian speakers [thesis]. madrid: universidad complutense madrid. grundy, p. (2008). doing pragmatics. london: hodder education. han, j., & liang, g. (2005). a contrastive study on disagreement strategies for politeness between american english and mandarin chinese. asian efl journal, 7(1), 155-166. huock, n., & gass, s. m. (1995). non-native refusals: a methodological persperctive. in s. m. gass, & j. neu, sppech acts across cultures (pp. 54-64). berlin: mouton de gruyter. muntigl, p. a., & turnbull, w. (1998). conversational structure and facework in arguing. journal of pragmatics, 29(3), 225-256. nurani, l. m. (2009). methodological issue in pragmatics research. jurnal sosioteknologi, 17(8), 667-678. orfano, b. m. (2012). you're so not talking to me like that: anaylsing conflict talk in a corpus of sitcom discourse. proceedings of the viith gscp international conference: speech and corpora, pp. 331-334. siafanau, m. (2012). disagreements, face, and politeness. journal of pragmatics, 44, 1554-1564. varghese, m., & billmyer, k. (1996). investigating the discourse completion tests. working paper in educational linguistics, 12(1), 39-58. xuehua, w. (2006). a study of strategy use in showing agreement and disagreement to other opinions. celea journal, 29(5), 55-65. the impact of smartphone and internet usage on english language learning rosina fransisca j. lekawael universitas pattimura, ambon, indonesia e-mail: rosina_lekawael@yahoo.com apa citation: lekawael, r. f. j. (2017). the impact of smartphone and internet usage on english language learning. english review: journal of english education, 5(2), 255-262 received: 22-03-2017 accepted: 09-05-2017 published: 01-06-2017 abstract: english language skills here mean the development of the main parts or elements of the language which include speaking, listening, reading, and writing. english language subject has different educational tools that are likely suited with it. smartphone and internet usage have actively influence daily life, even for children and adolescents. in learning activity, smartphone is a tool to help students connected to be online. a qualitative approach was pursued in this study. then, the data collection technique used in this study is a survey by using questionnaires. as result, the research shows that most students spend much time to access the social network, some students access internet for dictionary and games, and only a few students access internet for education purposes. in short, the students rather to use smartphone for other thing than education. therefore, english language learning should be focused on leading language teaching by using english resources from smartphone and internet, as media, which closed to students. by using smartphone and internet, it is expected that either teacher or students become more active and creative to explore their knowledge through media. pedagogically, there is an urgent need for teachers to implement smartphone-based language learning in order to engage students to be critics with material and its content. so, it enables students to build and enhance a technology awareness of smartphone and internet usage on english language learning in classroom. keywords: smartphone, internet, english language learning introduction most children and adolescents in indonesia are now actively using internet. internet is needed for them to study or just to communicate with families and their friends around the world. internet does provide a powerful genuine resource for the learning of english. as warschauuer (2001) reveals that internet may be said to enhance english language learning in accordance to communicative language teaching principles on meaningful interaction. this shows that internet has essential effect to english learning which is to activate communicative skill. in this case, students‟ roles are required to be more dominant on english language learning process to catch knowledge from various resources. smartphone and internet usage have influence human daily life, even for children and adolescents. the way people learn english has also shifted from the traditional classroom to the internet. many apps and website are available to learn and explore the language. with updating reason, teacher prepared materials (texts, audiovisual, video, pictures, etc.) to support students to learn english in classroom. so, many exercises are adopted as if they are authentic one in learning process. basically, english language skills consist of four main parts, including listening, reading, speaking, and writing. each language skill requires different educational tools that are likely suited with it, since the use of several technical tools has a significant effect https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v5i2.540 255 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee on the learning process of each area of the language (sharma, 2009). listening, as an input skill, is considered as a principal language skill. through listening, people can acquire a large portion of their education, their information, their ideas, and their understanding of the world. listening is defined as the process of identifying and understanding the speech of the speakers. it involves understanding the speaker‟s accent or pronunciation, speaker‟s grammar and vocabulary, and comprehension of meaning (saricoban, 1999). the listener should be capable of doing these four things at the same time. therefore, listening plays a vital role in student‟s language development. here, some tools that can be used as a media in teaching listening are whatsapp, apps and online sources on smartphones, podcasts, videos, etc. reading is the process of understanding a written text by learner. it is an important input skill which depends on the vocabulary and background knowledge of the learner in the second language (constantinescu, 2007). during the reading process, the english language learner can improve his vocabulary and terms, acquire new information and ideas, and enhance his real-world knowledge. learners can have access to a variety of different types of text on their phones, many of which are free or inexpensive. the learner can use an application for reading texts on kindle. this app allows readers to highlight words, find the word definitions and make their own meaning. the apps like quick reads and oxford bookworms provides the learner‟s with short, accessible texts. to cultivate the habit of extensive reading among learners, teachers can encourage them to visit these websites and explore various e-books available and which also develops both reading and digital literacy skills. speaking is one of output or productive skill. human communication can be taken place between the speaker and the listener if only they understand each other. both speaker and listener have a positive function to perform in simple terms. the speaker has to convert his message into spoken language, while the listener has to understand the language of the speaker. in this context, a smartphone is a blessing as it provides learners to get exposure to the language inside and outside the classroom. learners can listen to conversations which will influence their acquaintance with the language. speaking becomes a little easier with good exposure to the language he intends to learn. writing process can be very difficult for learners as they must do tasks like generating ideas, organization, and perfect use of grammar and vocabulary. learners should be motivated to access various writing apps and use them while writing. these following apps assist learners to write an essay, formal letter or even a note for a friend: 1. dictionary/thesaurus 2. note taking apps – helps the learner to capture ideas on the move and assist the learner to be a budding writer. 3. brainstorming and outlining apps – help the learner to produce a coherent piece of writing which requires the learner to organize their ideas and thoughts. 4. outlining apps – show down facilitates assessment. other brainstorming techniques include the use of „mind mapping‟ tools like mindnode. based on the explanation above, it is clear that smartphone and internet has important role in the teaching and learning of english. english language learning can be made more effective by the integration of smartphones; this potential device also ensures self-assessed language learning (sall). the self assessed language learning provides the learner with autonomy and encourages him/her to do things his/her way and reflect on the work critically and assume greater responsibility towards their own learning. here, the role of the teacher is 256 rosina fransisca j. lekawael the impact of smartphone and internet usage on english language learning to guide the learner to achieve the required objectives of the curriculum. furthermore, mcluhan (2012) states some advantages of online learning as follows: 1) access – the internet offers the possibility to experience english without the need of travel. even without the need of leaving home or bedroom. 2) flexibility – the internet allows for students to learn language whenever they want and wherever they want. 3) response – the internet offers the possibility of instant feedback to learners. this greatly enhances the learning experience. 4) repeatability – the learner can encounter the language in a repetitive fashion until mastery is achieved. 5) durability – the internet is 24/7. it never tires. it does not take coffee breaks. 6) modality – the internet is a multimodal learning tool. it stimulates in a rich sensory and cognitive and thus fertilizes language acquisition successfully. 7) specificity – the internet allows the language learner choose in both what and with who will be learned. learning can be tailored to the language learners‟ precise makeup and needs. 8) cost – the internet is a business model which due to economies of scale can offer services for pennies. it also offers to widen access through a pay as you can dynamic. in brief, internet allows students to share not only brief messages, but also create lengthy documents – thus facilitating collaborative writing (learning). besides, learners can share graphics, sounds and video. thus, the internet does help teacher in creating an environment where authentic and creative communication is integrated into all aspects of the course. method to address the problem above, it is needed to closely investigate phenomena of smartphone and internet usage that occurred in real context, such as english language learning process in classroom. this research did not intend to prove hypotheses or test a theory; rather it investigated phenomena in order to generate theory from data. therefore, a qualitative approach was pursued in this study. then, the data collection technique used in this study is a survey by using questionnaires. besides, the literature review on the impact of smartphone and internet on english language learning were also conducted. the questionnaires were distributed to 35 students around 12 to 20 years old graded from primary to secondary schools in ambon city. table 1. characteristics of the subjects characteristics categories total (n=35) (%) age (year) 12-14 11 (31.4) 15-18 14 (40) 18-20 10 (28.6) purpose of using smartphone and internet searching 10 (28.6) learning 8 (22.8) chatting 5 (14.3) game 9 (25.7) others 3 (8.6) time of using smartphone and internet per day (hours) ≤ 1 15 (42.8) 2-3 12 (34.3) ≥ 4 8(22.8) 257 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee results and discussion there are two main points highlighted in this section. first, general survey of statista was described related to the smartphone application and internet in english language learning. second, the questionnaire results to investigate what ways the students use smartphone and internet for personal and educational purposes and also the data on attitudes towards the use of smartphone and internet in english language learning. general survey of statista the use of smartphone and internet has given positive impact on the development of social networks worldwide based on statista survey results conducted on april 2016. those results are described below. the compilation of the most popular social networks reported by statista gives a clear picture that facebook has the greatest number of user in which over 1.590 million students actively use this social media. it holds 18% market share, 7% higher than its closest competitor, whatsapp. figure 1. most popular social network the figure above shows that there is predominantly apac favored platforms, with qq (9%), wechat (8%) and qzone (7%) all with over 600 million active students. we then see a cluster of predominantly western social media networks in tumblr (6%), instagram (4%), and twitter (4%). next, the following figure shows the popularity comparison between facebook, whatsapp, twitter, instagram, and wechat. it indicates that the popularity of twitter, facebook, whatsapp, wechat, instagram have raised from 2010 to 2016. but, the compilation of the most popular social networks reported by statista reveals that facebook has the highest popularity among these five social networks and leaves twitter far behind. 258 rosina fransisca j. lekawael the impact of smartphone and internet usage on english language learning figure 2. the fast growing social networks the questionnaire results to collect data, the researcher used two questionnaires. first is used to investigate what ways the students use smartphone and internet for personal and educational purposes. second takes data on attitudes towards smartphone and internet for english language learning. smartphone and internet usage for personal and educational purposes in 2014, only 11% of students used their smartphone for educational purposes, which are a stand-alone application solely used for the purpose of language learning. this increased very marginally to 14% in 2015, indicating that students still do not view their smartphone as a tool for educational use. encouragingly, the number of students that use a dictionary function on their smartphone increased from 17% in 2014 to 20% in 2015. the number of students who used their smartphone for games remained relatively unchanged from 2014 to 2015. in 2014, the number of students who used their smartphone for games was 25%, increasing slightly to 28% in 2015. the most dramatic change can be seen in students who use their smartphone for social networks. it is favored one. this includes facebook, messenger, path, instagram, and a variety of other applications. in 2014, the number of students who use social networks was 57%, but it increases to 60% in 2015. lastly, the number of students who use smartphone for other things was 85% in 2014 and increased to 87% in 2018. the following chart is a summary of the responses given by the students. figure 3. types of application used by students 259 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the result shows that most students spend much time to access social network and other, some students access internet for dictionary and games, and only a few students access internet for education purposes. in short, the students were rather to use smartphone for other thing than education. the media used by them in order to support their learning including making tasks, projects, or other assignments, especially in the development of english language skills. attitudes towards smartphone and internet for english language learning on the contrary, the result of the second questionnaire related to the students‟ attitude indicated different numbers. as we know, research in technology acceptance has shown that students‟ attitude toward a particular innovation is a predictor of the decision to adopt or reject that technology (davis, 1989). in 2014, 3% of students believed that using smartphone for the purpose of english language learning would be “harmful” or “not helpful”. in 2015, the percentage of students who have the same viewpoint decreased slightly to 5%. however, the percentage of students who held “neutral” attitudes towards this use of the technology differed more significantly with 25% of students in 2014 choosing this response as opposed to 20% in 2015. then, there are 43% students who felt helpful by the use of smartphone in 2014. this number increased to 45% in 2015. finally, the percentage of students who believed that smartphone would be “very helpful” in their language study increased from 24% in 2014 to 35% in 2015. the following chart provides a comparative summary of students‟ attitudes in 2014 and 2015. figure 4. students’ attitudes toward the use of smartphone and internet for english language learning the data proved that majority of students graded from primary to secondary school were demanding to smartphone and internet. the development of technology has influenced the students‟ attitude. therefore, teaching and learning processes are required to take into account students‟ aptitude and interests and to be based on principle of lifelong learning. besides, the environment around them plays an essential role here. the learning environment itself, as well as the activities selected by teachers, should encourage thinking processes such as problem-solving or critical thinking. in addition, teaching and learning processes need to encourage the students to apply their knowledge and experience to new situations. the result of this study must be viewed in light of its limitations. first, the students‟ behavior was self-reported; consequently, common method bias is a potential weakness. future researchers could 260 rosina fransisca j. lekawael the impact of smartphone and internet usage on english language learning correct for this bias by measuring smartphone and internet use behaviorally. second, since the measurement of the students‟ behavior was in average percentage, it is difficult to determine if the results would have been different if the percentage was one hundred. third, the sample size was relatively small. conclusion internet is a media to help teachers and students to get much materials, enrich teacher‟s pedagogy when selecting the material and methods in english learning, and engage the students in creating a new english learning experience. based on the result of the data analysis, most students spend much time to access the social network and other, some students access internet for dictionary and games, and only a few students access internet for education purposes. in short, the students were rather to use smartphone for other thing than education. english language learning should be focused on leading language teaching by using english resources from smartphone and internet, as media, which closed to students. by using smartphone and internet, it is expected that either teacher or students become more active and creative to explore their knowledge through media. pedagogically, there is an urgent need for teachers to implement smartphonebased language learning in order to engage students to be critics with material and its content. so, it enables students to build and enhance a technology awareness of smartphone and internet usage on english language learning in classroom. references constantinescu, a. i. (2007). using technology to assist in vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension. the internet tesl journal, xiii(2). retrieved from: http://iteslj.org/articles/ constantinescuvocabulary.html davis, f. (1989). perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. mis quarterly, 13(3), 319-340. ghose, a., goldfarb, a., & pil, h. s. (2010). how is the mobile internet different? search costs and local activities. wharton interactive media institute-marketing science institute. mcluhan, m. (2012). understanding media. new york: mcgraw-hill. park, b., & lee, k. c. (2011). the effect of students‟ characteristics and experiential factors on the compulsive usage of the smartphone. common in computer and information science, 151, 438-446. 261 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee ice cream there was an elderly couple who in their old age noticed that they were getting a lot more forgetful, so they decided to go to the doctor. the doctor told them that they should start writing things down so they don't forget. they went home and the old lady told her husband to get her a bowl of ice cream. "you might want to write it down," she said. the husband said, "no, i can remember that you want a bowl of ice cream." she then told her husband she wanted a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream. "write it down," she told him, and again he said, "no, no, i can remember: you want a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream." then the old lady said she wants a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top. "write it down," she told her husband and again he said, "no, i got it. you want a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top." so he goes to get the ice cream and spends an unusually long time in the kitchen, over 30 minutes. he comes out to his wife and hands her a plate of eggs and bacon. the old wife stares at the plate for a moment, then looks at her husband and asks, "where's the toast?" (source: http://www.study-express.ru/humour/funny-stories.shtml, picture: www.google.co.id) 262 rosina fransisca j. lekawael the impact of smartphone and internet usage on english language learning english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 41 the use of web-based exam (wbe) to optimize students’ testing result abdul ngafif english education program, teacher training and education faculty, purworejo muhammadiyah university, indonesia e-mail: abdulngafif@gmail.com apa citation: ngafif, a. (2018). the use of web-based exam (wbe) to optimize students’ testing result. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 41-50. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1241. received: 11-02-2018 accepted: 23-04-2018 published: 01-06-2018 abstract: this research was conducted based on the problems found during the mid and final test by using paper and pen test; those are the students tend to do cheating, the sleepy supervisors, the inconsistency of test time, and the risk of losing the answer sheet. therefore, the goals of the research are; 1) to make an appropriate wbe testing system, 2) to know the cheating rate of the students, 3) to find out the effectiveness of the system, and 4) to inform the benefits that might be taken by the wbe testing system’s users. by applying rnd research model, the researcher applies a concept called webbased exam system which uses three main tools to run the system (teacher’s laptop as the server, wbe software, and access point to communicate the server and the user). the results indicated that the system reduces the students’ cheating rate 100%. then, from the questionnaire given, the teacherstend to likeusing wbe testing system because they can monitor the whole process of the test from his own laptop and the result of the test will be analyzed and be saved automatically in his laptop. moreover, it reduces time consumption and paper use. keywords: web-based exam, testing system, testing result, cheating, software introduction the widespread use of e-exam as a tool to measure students’ ability has risen to wide area of education. as williams (2007) do to test pre-hospital students at monash university, it is found that the students found wbe experience to be very positive, preferred wbe to pbe and preferred to receive their test results automatically. furthermore, rutkowski, et al. (2007) developed a close-ended computer assisted exam which is go online in the form of web-based assessment and based on the questionnaire spread out to the students, it is found that the students have low difficulties to operate it, it has a direct result, and it is much better than pbe. in line with those, chang and ming (2012) had compared platform pattern of various web examination system and they use asp.net as the programming language with the background database is sql server version 2000. they use three basic layers in the system namely data layer (database), application layer (the software used), and user layer (the students). the system provides a good condition for organizing all kinds of tests and also has a great reference value for other colleges and universities. web-based exam refers to a situation in which a student accesses questions and submits answers by a web browser and in which the exam results (partially or completely) determine the final grade for the subject (sessink, et al., 2004). meanwhile, wang, et al. (2004) defines web-based exam as an exam works over internet and utilizes web browsers as its interface. it is not only provide online real-time tests and online construction of items, but also enable teachers to check answer sheets rapidly and record scores over the internet. related to the use of web-based exam, kuzmina (2010) points out that the benefits of using web-based exam are effective, efficient, safe, instant scoring, professional time, reducing time lag, greater availability, accuracy, standardization, control, and longabdul ngafif the use of web-based exam (wbe) to optimize students’ testing result 42 term cost saving. rice (2003) states that the pros of using web-based test are it is effective for testing students’ knowledge and attitudes, it is user-friendly, love to have direct result, less time to prepare, and the data are save and easy to be managed and to be analyzed. from the report of prometric (2012), it is found that the benefits of using computer-based test are flexible, data-rich test result, enhanced security, consistency and reliability, availability of immediate scoring, streamlined logistic, multiple item types, and engaging navigation and presentation. during the final test in english department of muhammadiyah university of purworejo in the academic year of 2015/2016, the researcher did an observation to the students and to the supervisors using an observation sheet. during the observation, he divided the observation based on two kinds of subject namely non skilled subject and skilled subject. the result shows that from six nonskilled subjects (al islam dan kemuhammadiyahan ii, pendidikan kewarganegaraan, al islam dan kemuhammadiyahan iv, introduction to literature, ccu, and ppbi) followed by 810 students from semester ii vi, the total students did cheating is 253 (31%). meanwhile, from the eight skilled subjects (pre-intermediate grammar, english varieties, writing for formal communication, english morphology, modern english grammar, genre-based reading, and reading comprehension v) followed by 978 students from semester ii vi, the total students did cheating is 163 students (17%). besides grouping the students based on subjects, he also did grouping the students did cheating based on the type of the questions that is multiple choice test, essay test, and mixed test (mc and essay). the result shows that for mc test, there are 362 students among 780 students or 46.4%. then, for essay test, there are 69 students (12.9%) among 534 students did cheating. meanwhile, for mixed test question type, there are 179 students (40.7%) among 440 students did cheating. for the supervisors of the test, from 16 supervisors there are 8 of them (50%) did chatting outside of the class during the test, 6 supervisors (37.5%) did other job while waiting for the test, and only 2 supervisors (12.5%) just focus on the test they supervised. from the findings above, it can be seen that the dominate students did cheating is on non-skilled subject and mc test type. then, to overcome those problems, the writer develops a testing system called web-based exam. the researcher is interested in developing that testing system because he sees that the test will be easier to be handled if there is a system which helps the teacher/lecturer in conducting the test included testing, analyzing, and saving the result. meanwhile, it will be a transparent test if the students and the teacher are able to see the result of the test and they can discuss the test together. the other goal of the research is to reduce the weaknesses of the manual test such as cheating habit, the main role of the supervisors, the inconsistency of time, and the risk of losing/broken answer sheet. in developing the system, the researcher did collaboration with the lecturer, students, the stakeholders, and it practitioner so that the system will be good. then, after the system got ready, he needs three main tools to run the system those are the laptop which function as server, the web-based exam software, and the access point which functions to spread out the signal which is caught by the students’ laptop to do the test. for the server, the teacher may transform his own laptop to be a server using wampserver software. the basic requirements of the laptop server are the clock should be higher than 1.5 ghz and the ram installed at least 4 gb. after the server is ready, then the next is the web-based exam software. here, the researcher with his team make software of computer based test and he named it with webbased exam 1.0. this software is easy to operate because it is windows-based and we have made the manual book so that the teachers can use it easily. the last tool is the access point which functions to communicate between the server and the users (the students’ laptop). in holding the test, the teacher just needs to plug the access point to his laptop and he needs to activate his laptop as server by clicking wampserver software. then, he has to english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 43 open the web-based exam software and set the test open so that it can be seen by the students. after that, he asks the students to do the test using any web browser installed in their own laptop and they must log in using username and password set before. when the students have already done the test, the result will be appeared both in the teacher and the students’ laptop screen. by the time, the students can see which number answered correctly and incorrectly. by applying this system, the researcher can measure the students’ real competence. in doing the research, the researcher has two questions to be answered. those are; 1) how is the development of wbe testing system? 2) is wbe effective in overcoming the paper and pen problems? method this research uses research and development (rnd) method developed by richey (2007).this research is done in english department of muhammadiyah university of purworejo. in running the research, the researcher takes three main steps namely exploring (research), developing (design and development), and evaluating (design research). in this report, the researcher discusses exploring stage or preliminary study as the first stage of the research. meanwhile, the second stage is on progress. the subjects of the research are the students of english education program purworejo muhammadiyah university in the academic year of 2016/2017. there are 99 students from 3 classes and 3lecturers (listening, grammar, and vocabulary) as the subject of the research which uses the researcher himself as the instrument and the researcher uses two supporting instruments namely observation and questionnaire. the researcher takes the data for about 6 months since august 2016 till february 2017. the observation is chosen as a method to dig up problems arises during the test and the researcher uses the result of the early observation to plan up the solutions of the problems. qualitative analysis is a technique used to analyze the data. here, the researcher analyzes the data from the observation and the questionnaire given to the students and the teachers of the three subjects. for additional information, the researcher also considers the validation result f expert judgment from the it and from the testing. for it, the researcher asks the it expert to do validation from the side of technology, system users, and the application in classroom. for the test, the researcher asks the expert of test to analyze the questions made by the teachers whether it has fulfilled the validity and the reliability of a good test. result and discussion the way in developing web-based exam testing system step 1. observing at the very beginning of the research, the researcher did an observation to get the early data. the observation was done during final exam in english education program of purworejo muhammadiyah purworejo. in observing the students’ activity in the test, the researcher observed them from a little hole in the door. the researcher categorized the students who do cheating if they see their friends’ work, opening books, opening their phone cell, and asking the answer to their friends. moreover, the researcher categorized the result of the observation into two category namely non-skilled subject and skilled subject. table 1. the observation’s result of non-skilled subject non-skilled subject total students number of cheating students percentage of cheating students aik ii 99 63 63.64% pend. kewarganegaraan 99 22 22.22% aik iv 138 61 44.20% intro to literature 138 14 10.14% cross cultural understanding 168 25 14.88% ppbi 168 68 40.48% abdul ngafif the use of web-based exam (wbe) to optimize students’ testing result 44 table 2. the observation’s result of non-skilled subject skilled subject total students number of cheating students percentage of cheating students pre-intermediate communicative grammar 99 13 13.13% english varieties 99 45 45.45% writing for formal comm. 99 0 0.00% basic listening 99 14 14.14% english morphology 138 16 11.59% modern eng. grammar 138 23 16.67% genre-based reading 138 20 14.49% reading v 168 32 19.05% the goal of observing is to get the early data so that the researcher knows the weaknesses of the testing system at the present. here, the researcher divides the observation into two terms namely non-skilled subject which consists of 6 (six) subjects and skilled subject consists of 8 (eight) subjects. from the observation, the researcher found that the rate of the students’ cheating is quite worse seen from the percentage table 1 and 2 in which the highest cheating is on aik ii (63.64%) and english varieties (45.45%). from the observation, the researcher then got the idea to use wbe in order to reduce the cheating habits of the students. step 2. drafting the system from the observation, the researcher did early data. the next step is drafting the system by consulting it with it expert to make a computerized testing system which can handle the problems found in conventional testing system. the main features of the system are login/registration, question bank, inserting media (picture and sound), time controller, auto correction, monitoring, and users. figure 1 shows the draft of the system. from a series of activities done in the research, the process of the test using webbased exam can be seen in figure 2. figure1. draft of wbe testing system figure 2. diagram of wbe testing system english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 45 the figure shows the process of test using web-based exam in which the tester upload the questions into server and then it is spread out through access point. then, the students do the test using their own device. after the time finished, the score will be sent to the server automatically. to run the system, the writer uses software named web-based exam 1.0. knowing that the rate of cheating habit is quite high, the researcher then drafts the system. by using ajax language program and xampp (server software) combined with access point, the researcher makes the offline web-based exam. it consists of main menu, login, quiz form, and so on. the figure of the pages can be seen below. figure 3. main menu figure 4. form login figure 5. making new quiz/test figure 6. page of question and answer when the early draft of the system was ready, the researcher then asks the expert of it to check the system and the it expert gives the following advices; 1) to smoothen the page to be more user friendly, 2) database php mysql is good, 3) the access point used should be changed to handle 30 students, and 4) the aspect of security should be paid attention more so that only administrator may handle the whole process of the test. step 3. running the system in running the system, the researcher did the following steps; 1) testing the system and evaluating it, 2) asking for expert to give comments and advices, 3) developing the system means the researcher overcomes the weaknesses of the system from evaluation and the advices of the expert, 4) re-testing the system which goals to know the system works well or not, 5) re-evaluating, and 6) asking for users to give assessment to the system. abdul ngafif the use of web-based exam (wbe) to optimize students’ testing result 46 holding the test and evaluation i since all the system got ready, the researcher then held the test to know the system and later the researcher will have some evaluation on it. from the test, it is known that this system still has some weaknesses, including; 1) audio are not clear enough, 2) it has long transferring data (delay of one question and next question), and 3) sometimes the picture did not shown up. then, the system cannot be applied when the laptop has low specification, so that the teacher (administrator) should use middle specification of laptop with minimum ram 3 gb with processor which has clock speed 1.30 gb. this system requires no internet connection, so it will be no problem for them who have no internet connection in their school. fixing the problems knowing the weaknesses of the system, the researcher fixes it with the bug. the researcher then tests the system by himself to make sure that the weaknesses are already fixed up. re-test the system and evaluation ii in order to know the system is ready to be used, the researcher asks the lecturer and the students to have the test by using the system. from the test, it is known that the weaknesses as it is found in test i was already fixed. students’ cheating rate the subjects of the research are 99 students and 3 lecturers who take listening, grammar, and vocabulary subject. in test ii, the researcher with the lecturer did observation to know the students’ cheating rate, and from the observation, it is known that there is none of them did cheating because the lecturer set the questions to be answered just in a very limited time and when the time ends, the question will be closed automatically so that the students must answer the next questions. the result of observation can be seen in the table below. table 3. the observation’s result of the research subject subject total students number of cheating students percentage of cheating students listening for everyday communication 99 0 0% intermediate communicative grammar 99 0 0% english vocabulary 99 0 0% seeing from the observation at test ii, there is no students who did cheating because their movements indicating to cheat are limited by the time. furthermore, it is a fun for the researcher and the lecturers finding their students try to cheat by opening the dictionary or google in their laptops but when they found what they are looking for, the time to answer the question in that number ends so that they have to answer the next question. seeing the situation, the students just focus in answering the questions and afraid that the number of the question will close automatically if the time ends. that is a big progress. the effectiveness of the system in reducing the students’ cheating habit in order to know the effectiveness of web based exam testing system, the researcher did statistics computation by employing test of normality, test of homogeneity, and test of z. before counting the statistics, the researcher determines the hypothesis that are the use of wbe testing system is ineffective to reduce the students’ cheating habit (ho) and the use of wbe testing system is effective to reduce the students’ cheating habit (ha). in counting test of normality, the researcher employs chi square test for independence formula, it is known that the data of the students are abnormal because the x2 value(listening, grammar, and vocabulary) is higher than the x2 table with degree of freedom 5% (228.52, 25.16, and 35.65 > 11.070). to count the test of homogeneity, the researcher uses f formula and from the computation, it is known that the fvalue is lower than ftable (1.137 < 1.822) means that the data are homogenous. because the data have abnormal distribution so that the researcher uses mann-whitney u test to english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 47 compute the effectiveness of the system and from the computation, it is known that zvalue is higher than ztable (5.438 > 1.96) meaning that the use of web based exam testing system is effective to reduce the students’ cheating habit (ha is accepted). below is the result of statistics computation in a brief. table 4. statistics computation result computation subjects statistics results meaning test of normality listening chi square 228.52 > 11.070 abnormal grammar 25.16 > 11.070 abnormal vocabulary 35.65 > 11.070 abnormal test of homogeneity ftest 1.137 < 1.822 homogenous test of hypothesis mann whitney u test 5.438 > 1.96 effective to know whether the use of wbe testing system is effective or not, the researcher used two methods (observation and test result) in recognizing the effectiveness of the system in overcoming the students’ cheating habit. from the observation, it can be known that there are no students did cheating because they have full concern to answer the questions in front of them. furthermore, when they try to see their friends’ work or when they want to see dictionary, they must be in rush due to the limitation of time and when they did it, they will miss the questions. secondly, from the statistical computation, it shows that the zvalue is higher than ztable which indicates that the use of wbe testing system is effective to reduce the students’ cheating habit. from those two methods, it can be known that the use of wbe testing system is effective to reduce the students’ cheating habit. assessment from the users the researcher made questionnaire to know the effectiveness of the system. the researcher made two questionnaires for the lecturer and for the students. with the 110 students as its population, the questionnaire was given to 30 random students as respondents taken from 2 (two) different classes which is taught by the same lecturers. after the students answer all the statement in the questionnaire, the result of those can be seen in the chart below. figure 7. the result of students’ questionnaire from the result of questionnaire above, it can be known that; 1) most of the students prefer to have web based exam than paper based exam, 2) they face no difficulties in abdul ngafif the use of web-based exam (wbe) to optimize students’ testing result 48 operating it due to it is windows-based, 3) they may see the result directly after the test ends, 4) they are hard to cheat because the questions are shown randomly, 5) they feel that it is more comfortable and focus in doing listening test because they use their own headset so that they pay more attention on it, and 6) some of them ignore the timer so that they got disappoint to have unfinished test. the second questionnaire was given to the 3 (three) lecturers in english education program as the subject of the research. the result of teacher’s questionnaire shows that; 1) they like the auto correction feature because it helped them much in correcting the answer of the students, 2) this software is only appropriate for multiple choices test, not for essay, 3) they need to transfer the questions from ms. word to the system manually, it takes time, and 4) the system reduces the chance for students to cheat. figure 8. the result of teachers’ questionnaire benefit of the wbe testing system from the questionnaire, the benefits that can be taken by the teachers by applying this testing system, are; 1) no paper needed because all has been handed by the system, 2) the efficiently of time for doing and scoring the test, 3) scoring transparency, 4) the low cheating chance due to the questions appear in random, and 5) low cost of test due to no more paper needed. by using the same source, there is a significant influence of the system used toward teachers’ testing model especially the teacher of the listening course. those influences are; 1) it helps the teacher much in scoring and grading, 2) for the multiple choice test, this system appropriates much, and 3) it only appropriates to measure the students competence for knowledge and comprehension. conclusion from a series of research findings and discussions, the researcher draws the following conclusions. first, the researcher succeeds in making the wbe testing system which is userfriendly, practical, and low cost. moreover, the system can be applied in a middle specification of laptop (as server) and it requires no internet connection so that it will be no problem for the teacher and the students who have low fund to get internet connection. second, from the observation and the statistical computation, it can be seen that the use of wbe testing system is effective to reduce the students’ cheating habit. there is no english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 49 students did cheating in the test and their movements to cheat are limited by the time so they will have no benefits to do cheating. third, there are benefits that can be got from the usage of wbe testing system such as low chance to cheat, no paper needed, and efficiency of time. moreover, by applying wbe testing system, the students’ real competencies in taxonomy range 1 and 2 (remembering and understanding/comprehending) will be measured with great accuracy. references chang, l., & ming, x. g. (2012). application research of web examination system based on college. energy procedia, 17, 528-533. kuzmina, i. p. (2010). computer-based testing: advantages and disadvantages. вісникнаціональноготехнічногоуніверситетуу країникиївськийполітехнічнийінститут. філософія. психологія. педагогіка, (1), 192-196. prometric. (2012). converting to computerized testing: the benefits and best practices of computer-based testing. industry report, 1st quarter. rice, g. (2003). designing online tests. journal of adventist education april/may, 31. rutkowski, j., moscinska, k., & jantos, p. (2007). web-based assessment and examination system– from experiment to practice. in proc. 10th iasted int. conference on computers and advanced technology in education (cate), beijing–china (pp. 206-211). sessink, o., beeftink, r., tramper, j., & hartog, r. (2004). securing web-based exams. journal of universal computer science, 10(2), 145-157. wang, t. h., wang, k. h., wang, w. l., huang, s. c., & chen, s. y. (2004). web-based assessment and test analyses (wata) system: development and evaluation. journal of computer assisted learning, 20(1), 59-71. williams, b. (2007). students’ perceptions of prehospital web-based examinations. international journal of education and development using ict, 3(1). abdul ngafif the use of web-based exam (wbe) to optimize students’ testing result 50 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 169 investigating the effect of canva on students’ writing skills audi yundayani english education study program, stkip kusuma negara, indonesia e-mail: audi_yundayani@stkipkusumanegara.ac.id susilawati english education study program, stkip kusuma negara, indonesia e-mail: susilawatitoro@stkipkusumanegara.ac.id chairunnisa english education study program, stkip kusuma negara, indonesia e-mail: chairunnisa.khis@stkipkusumanegara.ac.id apa citation: yundayani, a., susilawati, s., & chairunnisa, c. (2019). investigating the effect of canva on students’ writing skills. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 169-176. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1800. received: 28-01-2019 accepted: 30-04-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: a growing number of language teaching studies have started to consider the role of technology in teaching writing. moreover, recent work in english as a foreign language (efl) class has highlighted the importance of introducing visual media in an effort to help students improve their writing skills. the present study aims at investigating the effect of canva on students’ writing skills. to this end, forty-four indonesian efl students were selected and assigned randomly to two writing classes, namely control and experimental groups. before the treatment, both groups had a pre-test. during the sessions of instruction, both classes were taught by adopting communicative language teaching (clt) approach. however, in the experimental group, in order to help students to explore their writing ideas, they were asked to use canva as media of writing. after the treatment, both groups had a post-test. then, the number of writing errors made by students from both groups were compared using ancova. the results showed that students in the experimental group had a significantly lower number of writing errors compared to the control group, which confirmed the positive effect of canva in improving students’ writing skills. keywords: canva; communicative language teaching; visual media; writing skill. introduction the mastery of writing skill in english is a priority for many higher education students including in indonesian context. writing in english is considered to be a skill included in the core academic skills and the most complex skills to master compared to reading, listening and speaking (makalela, 2004). writing, a communicative skill, can be seen as a mechanism to experience students’ knowledge by developing and presenting their ideas. in addition, zamel (1982) viewed writing as a meaning-created process. it means that writing requires a recursive process for being able to deliver meaning. further, hyland (2003) believes that writing instructions had a process model covering; 1) selection, 2) pre-writing, 3) composing, 4) replying to drafting, 5) editing and proofreading, 6) evaluation, 7) publishing, and 8) follow-up tasks. the process itself requires students to discover and reformulate their thoughts as they try to approximate meaning. in order to support that condition, language teachers need to not only teach english, but also simplify the complex writing process for their students. thus, to facilitate students’ writing skill, proper learning media to writing should be introduced in efl class. learning writing, however, is not an easy task for many efl students who have insufficient vulnerability outside of class to the authentic language. previous studies have indicated that such factors as lack of writing experience, language deficiency, and low motivation may cause efl students face difficulties in writing (ying, 2018; yundayani, 2018; zhang, 2018). although almost all scholars in the field generally accept that writing difficulties are an integral part of the efl learning process and that students should be supported in overcoming their difficulties, the audi yundayani, susilawati, & chairunnisa investigating the effect of canva on students’ writing skills 170 same consensus has not been shared on how to treat the difficulties of students. in this current situation, college students prefer to participate in their activities using technology. several researchers (hernandez, 2017; wiyaka, mujiyanto, & rukmini, 2018) point out that technology is an important language teaching tool in this sense since the use of technology can increase students’ motivation. they are equipped with digital age literacy, inventive thinking, high-order thinking and sound reasoning, effective communication and high productivity (tinio, 2002). students need those to develop their language skills, including writing skills. one of the controversial issues in foreign language teaching was the level of technology use required in writing classes, including media formats. media formats, the physical forms in which content is incorporated and displayed, facilitate the learning process. visual media is a type of media used for language learning. it can be diagrams on a computer screen, whiteboard drawings, photographs, book graphics, cartoons, etc. (smaldino, lowther, mims, & russell, 2015). this media provides a learning experience that is consistent with students’ character as digital native. the visual media also supports the creation of efl students, expressing themselves to communicate with others. canva, a graphic-design tool website, is a visual technology media with a drag-and-drop format and provides access to over a million photographs, graphics, and fonts. it has millions of images, photo filters, free icons and shapes, and hundreds of fonts (canva, n.d.). canva as a website is a source of visual media that can be used as a window into the wider world outside the language class and is, of course, a collection of authentic material that is easily accessible. canva can be integrated to promote learning. smaldino et al., (2015) stated that visuals in the classroom, including canva, can serve multiple purposes, such as; 1) to make abstract ideas concrete; 2) to motivate students; 3) to give direct attention; 4) to repeat the information; 5) to recall previous knowledge; and 6) to reduce learning effort. canva is believed to be a tool for moving in just a few clicks from an abstract idea to a concrete site map. in addition, it can create a positive learning environment through any provided facilities, thus affecting the concentration, memory and attitude of the students. if students feel positive about their situation, they will also feel more positive about what they are doing and will be more willing to participate through direct attention in the learning process. the best way in learning is when the students get experience through the meaningful learning process and it becomes easier to recall. canva provides moment experience for students to engage in creative process, so they can repeat the information through recalling their previous knowledge. all in all, most research studies in technology media conducted in efl classes rarely take the application of canva specifically to the writing process into consideration. we can refer to wahyuni and thohiriyah (2018), who reviewed canva as the infographic tool in presenting the teaching materials, among the existing research studies in this field. the study results showed that canva offers different themes and professional layouts to create the compelling infographic for presenting the teaching materials. it is also a simple tool that is extremely userfriendly. it should be noted that their research only focused on infographics and they did not incorporate the use of canva as a language learning media. therefore, this study intends to find out whether there were any statistically significant differences between the use of canva and noncanva on the students’ writing performance. besides, this study also tries to find out the students’ voices towards the implementation of canva in teaching writing. method this study applied a mixed method design which is started by collecting the quantitative data. after analyzing the quantitative data, the qualitative data were then collected and analyzed. 44 mid-intermediate college students were randomly assigned to two intact groups, namely control and experimental group. each group consists of 22 students. the data collection procedure included pilot testing, homogenizing participants, administering writing test, conducting treatment, and conducting a semi-structured interview. here, a writing pre-test was administered before the treatment in which the students were asked to write a paragraph of 200 words for about 30 minutes. following the pre-test, treatment was conducted to the experimental group. to achieve the study’s goal, canva has been provided to the students with orientation session and how it english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 171 helps them perform their writing activities. then, during the term, the experimental group participants were asked to use canva in writing process, including selecting the topic, composing, and publishing. on the other hand, the control group received no treatment. here, the teaching and learning process was done by applying conventional instruction in which the teacher gave the writing topic and asked students to write directly without any use of ict media. further, the same writing test was performed after the treatment in both experimental and control group to compare and figure out whether their writing performance improved. here, a scoring rubric was provided for the three raters to grade students’ writing test. in addition, a semi-structured interview was also conducted. through convenience sampling, four participants were selected to be interviewed to find out their perceptions of using canva in the writing process. mackey and gass (2005) believed that convenience sampling was a nonrandom method of sampling used to select individuals for study. it is important to note that the researchers designed the interview items and two raters reviewed them. each interview lasted for about 20-30 minutes were recorded. finally, all recordings were transcribed and then coded for analysis. finally, the pre-test and post-test data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance (ancova). the test normality assumptions were examined before running the ancova. since the three raters had their own scores, the correlation coefficient of the pearson product moment was used to measure the reliability of the inter-rater to determine to what extent the raters agreed. in addition, to explore the merits and demerits of applying canva in the writing process, the researchers tabulated the responses of the students from a semi-structured interview and provided the frequency and percentage by means of descriptive frequency. content thematic analysis was applied to analyze the qualitative data covering the concepts and the texts. results and discussion as we had 4 sets of scores, including the experimental and control groups’ pre-test and post-test, ancova is the best statistical test as it can take into account the pre-tests score too. correlation analysis was used to test null hypothesis. since all written scores in both groups were rated by three raters, all these ratings in both groups were correlated to check reliability between raters. all these coefficients of correlation indicated high agreement among the raters. the descriptive statistics of the two groups in terms of their writing scores were calculated after assuring inter-rater reliability. tabel 1. descriptive statistics (control class) tabel 2. descriptive statistics (experimental class) the findings showed that there was an improvement of the students’ writing performance in the experimental group. yet, to confirm whether the improvement is significant compared to the control group, the post-test of the two groups was compared through analysis of covariance (ancova). in order to run ancova, it is necessary to check several assumptions. the assumption of normality should be firstly confirmed, found to be met on the basis of the ratios of skewness and kurtosis. audi yundayani, susilawati, & chairunnisa investigating the effect of canva on students’ writing skills 172 the next assumption is related to the homogeneity of variances which was found to be met by levene’s test results in table 3 (p>.05). the levene’s score test of error variance is expressed by statistics f = 3.96 with df = (1.42) and p-value = 0.053> 0.05 or h0 accepted. thus, the mean parameter of the three sample data groups has the same or homogeneous variance. table 3. levene’s test of equality of error variancesa the assumption of homogeneity of regression slopes and the ancova results are shown in table 4. the table indicates that the assumption of homogeneity of regression slopes is met; interaction f(1,43) = 9.5, p>.05. moreover, the table also shows that the pre-test effect was f(1,43) = 15.69, p<.05, and the post-test effect was f(1,43) = 1.422, p<.05, eta squared = .03 small to medium size. further, the fcount = 15.69; df= (1, 41); with p-value = 0.00 < 0.05, which means that there is a difference in the average writing skill between students using and not using canva. in other words, there are statistically significant differences on students’ writing skills in experimental and control group. table 4. ancova results the ancova test revealed that there are statistically significant differences on students’ writing skills in experimental and control group. this finding is consistent with those suggesting technology media as a perfect way to promote students’ writing skills (beaufils & duarte, 2018; erguvan, 2015; franco-camargo & camacho-vásquez, 2018; lam, n.d.). the improvement of students’ writing skill in experimental group can be seen as a result of the use of canva since this kind of visual media can stimulate students to develop their writing ideas. as stated by suhartono and laraswati (2016), the application of visual media can help students to get ideas easily. the findings contributed a significant change that was expected since the teacher provided a visual media, canva, that could motivate students to write by providing the stimulus through photographs, graphics, images, photo filters, free icons, shapes, and hundreds of fonts (canva, n.d.). canva, the visual media provided through technology, was seen as the potential means to increase the opportunities for students to be actively involved in writing processes. as noted by tinio (2002) that information and communication technology (ict) provides students with digital age literacy, inventive thinking, higher-order thinking skills, effective communication, and high productivity. further, the findings support a study by dunkel (as cited in liu, moore, graham, & lee, 2002) which notes that technology enhances students’ self-esteem, vocational preparedness, english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 173 language skills, learning autonomy and, in particular, immediate feedback. these may be some reasons why technology has contributed positively to the language learning process. it was believed to be the essential and effective tool in writing process for students to feel more creative, including feeling more autonomous in their learning. in general, with regard to the advantages and disadvantages of using canva in writing skills, all students admitted that writing experience through canva is satisfying and fruitful; none of them thought it was inappropriate for writing learning. in the following excerpts, canva’s benefits mentioned by the experimental group students are presented. participant 4: i found that the use of canva helped me to develop my ideas in writing. this media provided many images and color. participant 2: the use of canva gave me interested experience in writing english. i was motivated. participant 2: i became very anxious the first time i was about to start writing, but after experiencing the canva, i become more confident in learning how to write. participant 3: the use of canva was so helpful in writing. it made me easier to write by exploring the idea through the provided images. participant 1: i could create my own writing and the canva images reinforced my idea of writing. participant 1: the reader was interested in reading my text. converesely, the following excerpts focused on the disadvantages of using canva as stated by the participants. participant 2: the use of canva cannot give feedback on my writing. participant 4: the use of canva has not corrected my errors in grammar and parts of speech. participant 1: this software did not provide a tool for interactive writing. participant 2: i was confused how to use this canva to write collaboratively. the qualitative results of the students’ voice regarding the advantages of using canva on students’ writing revealed some elements, namely helping to develop the idea, motivating, being confident, being creative, as well as making readers interested in reading the text and making it easier for them to understand the meaning of the written text. these findings are consistent with national student education technology standards (nets-s) which specifically outlines expectations for students who use technology to guide their learning. the expectations included creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, fluency in research and information, critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making (smaldino, et al., 2015). the use of canva use was believed to support learning process, including in writing class. research finding showed that as a visual media, canva focused on learning activity centered on students to explore ther creativity. this finding is in line with yuyun (2018) who suggested that student-centered teaching learning activities can be done to deepen students’ understanding as well as explore their creativity by integrating it with the implementation of the online application, namely canva. yet, this study also found some disadvantages mentioned by the students in using canva. the participants indicated that during the writing process, canva is unable to provide feedback and to correct writing errors. they believed that getting feedback and correction are important when they write. feedback could be given on the exact point in the text, namely incorrect spelling, incorrect word order, incorrect tenses, concord, incorrect form, singular or plural writing (hyland, 2003). feedback and correction are seen as the best way to respond to the students’ work and have an impact on the quality of their writing. furthermore, both feedback and correction tell how the text appears and how it can be improved. the third and the fourth drawbacks are related to canva which does not provide an interactive writing tool. students were therefore confused about how to use this canva collaboratively to write. these findings contrast strongly and sharply with other related studies. most of them believed that in order to work collaboratively, technology conditions students. lee (2000), for example, found that computer assisted language learning (call) provide audi yundayani, susilawati, & chairunnisa investigating the effect of canva on students’ writing skills 174 the situation for students to work collaboratively in pairs or groups. furthermore, haring-smith (as quoted in suwantarathip & wichadee, 2004) stated that technology could be the main source of collaborative learning and writing. in addition, alsubaie and ashuraidah (2017) considered the good impact of integration in english as a foreign language (efl) contexts between collaborative learning and technology. they said that collaborative and technological skills can be used to develop students with different learning styles, the same tools that offer collaboration can also enhance individual learning. therefore, it is basically possible to determine the successful learning process through collaborative learning. in general, the quantitative data analysis described the use of canva as having a positive impact on the students’ writing performance. the students also highlighted some of the advantages, including the disadvantages of using canva in the writing process. all in all, the research results admitted the valuable effects of using canva on students’ writing process. conclusion the results of the ancova test showed that students’ writing performance on the post-test was significantly higher than the pre-test. besides, the study also showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups. thus, the null hypothesis formulated is rejected. with regard to the students’ voices towards the use of canva, it can be noted that students appreciate the use of canva and believe that canva offers great advantages in improving their writing performance. basically, most students mentioned that the use of canva in writing supports them by providing pictures, color, images, photos, font, and graphics. they were equipped to develop their idea of writing. they believed the use of canva made them more creative in english writing. by using canva, they also found the writing process easier. it became effortless to deliver their ideas through canva as well as making it easy for readers to understand the messages. finally, students said they were more motivated to write and the use of canva can lower their anxiety. using canva as a technology media helps students improve the quality of their writing performance. they also get to know how to apply technology to language learning. furthermore, learning foreign language is believed to be a fun activity for the students. overall, students view canva as a useful and practical learning tool to promote their writing. acknowledgements this work was supported by the research fund provided by directorate of research and community service, directorate general for research and development, ministry of research, technology and higher education of republic of indonesia. in accordance with the research contract for fiscal year 2019, number: 49/akm/monopnt/2019, date march 27, 2019. references alsubaie, j., & ashuraidah, a. (2017). exploring writing individually and collaboratively using google docs in efl contexts. english language teaching, 10(10). doi: 10.5539/elt.v10n10p10. beaufils, a. f., & duarte, j. (2018). to ict or not to ict: developing writing skills in an efl professional training course. edulearn18 proceedings. doi: 10.21125/edulearn.2018.1444. erguvan, i. (2015). kuwaiti undergraduate students’ perceptions of ict in writing classes. arab world english journal, 6(1), 280–297. doi: 10.24093/awej/vol6no1.22. franco-camargo, l. f., & camacho-vásquez, g. (2018). the impact of wikis & videos integration through cooperative writing tasks processes. english language teaching, 11(5). doi: 10.5539/elt.v11n5p116. hernandez, r. m. (2017). impacto de las tic en la educación: retos y perspectivas. propósitos y representaciones, 5(1). doi: 10.20511/pyr2017.v5n1.149. hyland, k. (2003). second language writing. ny: cambridge. lam, s. (n.d.). evaluation of using ict in teaching tertiary english writing. doi: 10.5353/th_b4413937. lee, k. (2000). english teachers’ barriers to the use of computer-assisted language learning. the internet tesol journal, 6(12). liu, m., moore, z., graham, l., & lee, s. (2002). a look at the research on computer-based technology use in second language learning: a review of the literature from 1990-2000. journal of research on technology in education, 34(3), 250-273. mackey, a., & gass, s. m. (2005). second language research methodology and design. new jersey: lawrence erlbaum associates. makalela, l. (2004). differential error types in second-language students’ written and spoken texts: implications for instruction in writing. written communication, 22(4), 368-385. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 175 smaldino, s. e., lowther, d. l., mims, c., & russell, j. d. (2015). instructional technology and media for learning. ny: pearson. suhartono, s., & laraswati, i. (2016). the use of visual media in teaching writing. english education: journal of english teaching and research, 1(1). doi: 10.29407/jetar.v1i1.274. suwantarathip, o., & wichadee, s. (2014). the effects of collaborative writing activity using google docs on students’ writing abilities. the turkish online journal of educational technology-tojet, 13(2), 148-156. tinio, v. l. (2002). survey of information & communication technology utilization in philippine public high schools. retrieved from http://www.fited.org/downloads/ict%20utilization%20survey .pdf. wahyuni, e., & thohiriyah. (2018). infographic: avoiding monotony in presenting teaching materials. proceedings of 2nd english language learning and lirature international conference (ellic), 2. wiyaka, w., mujiyanto, j., & rukmini, d. (2018). students’ perception on the usefulness of ictbased language program. english language teaching, 11(2). doi: 10.5539/elt.v11n2p53. ying, z. (2018). exploring construction of college english writing course from the perspective of output-driven hypothesis. english language teaching, 11(2), 188. doi: 10.5539/elt.v11n2p188. yundayani, a. (2018). present situation analysis: students’ early characteristics in writing for academic purposes. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 119-126. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1262. yuyun, i. (2018). curriculum and technology design: a course to explore technology applications in efl curriculum design. journal of elt research, 3(1), 78. doi: 10.22236/jer_vol3issue1pp78-86. zamel, v. (1982). writing: the process of discovering meaning. tesol quarterly, 16(2), 195-209. zhang, y. (2018). exploring efl learners’ selfefficacy in academic writing based on processgenre approach. english language teaching, 11(6), 115. doi: 10.5539/elt.v11n6p115. audi yundayani, susilawati, & chairunnisa investigating the effect of canva on students’ writing skills 176 correcting errors: the relative efficacy of different forms of error feedback in second language writing english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee correcting errors: the relative efficacy of different forms of error feedback in second language writing chitra jayathilake university of sri jayewardenepura, nugegoda, colombo, sri lanka e-mail: chitj1995@yahoo.com apa citation: jayathilake, c. (2013). correcting errors: the relative efficacy of different forms of error feedback in second language writing. english review: journal of english education, 1(2),139-150 received: 30-01-2013 accepted: 3-02-2013 published: 01-06-2013 abstract: error correction in esl (english as a second language) classes has been a focal phenomenon in sla (second language acquisition) research due to some controversial research results and diverse feedback practices. this paper presents a study which explored the relative efficacy of three forms of error correction employed in esl writing classes: focusing on the acquisition of one grammar element both for immediate and delayed language contexts, and collecting data from university undergraduates, this study employed an experimental research design with a pretest-treatment-posttests structure. the research revealed that the degree of success in acquiring l2 (second language) grammar through error correction differs according to the form of the correction and to learning contexts. while the findings are discussed in relation to the previous literature, this paper concludes creating a cline of error correction forms to be promoted in sri lankan l2 writing contexts, particularly in esl contexts in universities. keywords: error correction, written corrective feedback (wcf), english as a second language (esl), metalinguistic information, second language acquisition (sla) introduction this research investigates the role of written corrective feedback (wcf) on the acquisition of one feature (present continuous form) of english language by adult intermediate esl learners intending to provide some insight into the aspects of correction of learner errors. this paper begins reviewing briefly how wcf has been addressed in second language acquisition (sla): it will examine some implications presented in the previous literature while forming the research questions for the current study. next, the paper reveals the results of the current experimental study, concluding with a few implications for error correction in writing pedagogy for adult esl learners. error correction is one of the significant and frequent phenomena in second language writing as it is a crucial aspect experienced by both teachers and researchers in classrooms. initially, there has been controversy (with truscott (1999) and ferris (1999) as two key figures) as to whether written corrective feedback facilitates any accuracy in l2 learners. truscott (1999) arguing that all forms of error correction in students’ l2 writing is ineffective, held a strong view against error correction. he expressed that error correction of l2 student writing is harmful, therefore should be mailto:chitj1995@yahoo.com chitra jayathilake correcting errors: the relative efficacy of different forms of error feedback in second language writing abandoned. he continued saying that irrespective of l2 students’ clear desire for grammar correction, teachers should not correct learner errors in their writing. however, in ferris’ (1999) equally strong rebuttal, she counter argued that truscott had failed to notice some positive research evidence on the effects of grammar correction. even with the other existing research data (e.g. chandler, 2003; sheen, 2007 and lee, 2008 ) it is still too premature to have a conclusive answer to the questions whether error correction is effective in improving the accuracy of l2 writing in the long term for learners of all levels, and what types of wcf are beneficial to learners. two controversial views over the issue of wcf, initially forwarded by truscott (1999) and ferris (1999) continued for over a decade counterarguing whether corrective feedback given to l2 writers helps to improve their written accuracy. as mentioned, truscott (1999), strongly rejected error correction as useless and harmful to the accuracy in students’ writing. however, with the follow up research findings by other researchers (e.g. chandler, 2003; sheen, 2007 and lee, 2008), the strong effect of truscott’s claim was minimized: many of the follow-up studies on error correction have shown that students receiving error feedback for their written texts improve in accuracy over time. ferris (1997) examined over 1600 marginal and end comments written on 110 first drafts of papers by 47 advanced university esl learners to investigate what characteristics of teacher commentary appear to influence student revision and whether revisions influenced by teacher feedback lead to effective changes in learners’ writing. the results indicated two contrasting views: students sometimes pay much attention to teacher commentary to revise their writing, at other times students ignore the teacher commentary given. however, the revision students made was influenced by teacher feedback and facilitated their learning to a great extent. the results of ferris’ research seem to suggest the importance of revision made based on wcf. ferris (2004) has again presented that indirect error correction is more beneficial than direct correction as it pushes learners to engage in hypothesis testing: ferris’ justification is that when learners are engaged in testing learners’ assumption on language elements, it helps to internalize the language components. chandler (2003), while supporting ferris’ overall view that wcf facilitates in sla, challenged some detailed findings of ferris (2004). that is, chandler (2003) revealed that direct correction was superior to other types of indirect correction in producing more accurate writing. chandler justifies her argument saying that although indirect correction draws much cognitive attention from learners it delays confirmation of students’ hypothesis testing acts. accordingly, although both ferris and chandler agree that wcf helps learners in writing in sla, they hold contradictory views on the relative efficacy of different types of wcf. research studies further show the distinction between direct and indirect feedback. ferris & roberts (2001) compared these two types and revealed that the students receiving feedback of both underlining and coding of their erroneous forms did slightly better in revising their grammatical errors than the ones receiving only underlining as the feedback (underlining indicates only english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the location of the error whereas coding provides clues to the type of error such as spelling, vocabulary and so on). both groups were significantly more successful in revising errors than the control group receiving no feedback. in the meantime, erel & bulut’s (2007) study investigated the possible effects of direct (the correct form is written on students text), and indirect coded error feedback( a symbol representing a specific kind of error) in a turkish university context to examine the accuracy in writing. the final results showed that the indirect coded feedback group committed fewer errors than the direct feedback group. in the meantime, ferris & roberts’ (2001) study included learners who received no error correction at all in their research. three kinds of feedback conditions were operationalized in their study (i) errors marked with codes (ii) errors underlined but not marked or labeled (iii) no feedback at all. the findings revealed that although, there were no significant differences between the groups’ ability to edit their papers, the students who were given corrective feedback outperformed the group with no feedback in editing their papers. sheen (2007) examines the differential effect of two types of wcf and investigates the relationship between language analytic ability and the effects of wcf on the acquisition articles (one linguistic feature) in english language, employing a pretesttreatment–posttest design with 91 learners of various l1 (first language) backgrounds. the three groups formed in sheen’s research are a direct-only correction group, a direct metalinguistic correction group and a control group. the results indicated that the wcf has a positive effect on the learning of articles of english language: the results also indicated that direct correction with metalinguistic feedback is more effective than wcf without metalinguistic feedback: learners with a high level of language analytic ability benefited more irrespective of the type of cf. meanwhile, lee (2008) contributed to the issue of wcf investigating teachers’ wcf practices in hong kong secondary classrooms. this study examined the wcf provided by 26 hong kong secondary english teachers to 174 student texts, followed up by interviews with 06 teachers. the results indicated that teacher feedback is primarily error-focused and examcultured. lee suggests that feedback practices are influenced by contextual factors such as teachers’ beliefs, values and socio-political issues pertaining to power and teacher autonomy. thus it leads to another significant concern for future research as practices may relate to the efficacy of wcf. liu (2008), engaging in a quasiexperimental classroom study investigated 12(two groups, 6 each) university esl students’ abilities to selfrevise their writing across two feedback conditions. two types of error correction liu employed in the study were (i) direct correction (correct form provided by the teacher), (ii) indirect correction (only an indication that an error exists). liu classified the instances of errors as (i) morphological errors, (ii) semantic errors, and (iii) syntactic errors. results show that both direct and indirect correction helped students self-edit their texts. moreover, indirect feedback has been more beneficial in reducing morphological errors than semantic errors. similar to the findings of lie (2008), chandler (2003) also revealed that teachers’ feedback on students’ chitra jayathilake correcting errors: the relative efficacy of different forms of error feedback in second language writing grammatical and lexical errors helped to improve in both accuracy and fluency of students’ writing. these findings further disprove truscott’s (1999) claim on the negative effect of error correction. given the conflicting results on the effects of different wcf, it is difficult and premature to formulate any conclusion without investigating the phenomenon of the efficacy of different categories of wcf further, in different esl contexts. therefore, the present study follows this line of research by examining three types of wcf:  direction only (d group)  direction and correction (dc group)  direction, correction and metalinguistic information (dcm group) in second language writing, focusing only on one grammatical feature, namely present continuous form of english. hence, the following questions are addressed in this preliminary study: does wcf have an effect on adult learners’ acquisition of l2, present continuous form in particular? do different wcf types (direction only, direction and correction, and direction, correction and metalinguistic information) have different effects on the acquisition of present continuous form in english language, by adult esl learners? which type of wcf facilitates more in delayed l2 context (for longterm acquisition), on esl learners’ acquisition of present continuous form? method this study employed an experimental research design with a pretest-treatment-posttests structure, using esl classroom. one week prior to the start of the wcf treatment, the participating students completed the pretest. the immediate unexpected posttest was completed following the three wcf sessions and the delayed unexpected posttest 5 weeks later. the pretest-posttest design was selected as it is reliable in measuring the language acquisition, quantitatively (brown 1988). the research sequence, a modified design of sheen (2007), thus, was carried out over a period of approximately 9 weeks.  pretest (1st week)  three treatment sessions(2nd week)  posttests posttest 1 (3rd week) posttest 2 (9th week) the participants of this study were 48 third–year, female undergraduates, aged 23-24 of the faculty of arts, university of sri jayewardenepura, colombo, sri lanka. they had scored between 20-25 marks for a language test conducted by the university, prior to the research and were from similar linguistic background: their mother tongue was sinhala (sinhala is a national language of sri lanka and it is the first language of the majority of sri lankans): tamil is the other national language; they had started learning esl at the age of 08 years, at state-run schools situated in rural areas of sri lanka and learned esl at school at least for 10 years ; they had obtained simple passes (a student can obtain a simple pass, if s/he scores approximately between 3040 marks (out of 100) for the esl test paper: students sit for this general certificate of education (ordinary level) examination, after learning esl for 08 years at school: they are between the ages of 1516 years at this time. the aim of the test is to evaluate students’ knowledge in grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing skill) for english language at the general certificate of education (ordinary level) examination administered by the ministry of english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee education of the country. at the university, they followed the subjects offered for the degree in the medium of sinhala. given the amount of understanding and commitment on the research area, it was decided that the researcher would participate in the study as the teacher (she has 20 years of experience and postgraduate qualifications in teaching esl) and the corrector of the errors. four groups, were formed from a class of 48 students: the direction only group (n =12), the direction and correction group (n 12), the direction, correction and metalinguistic information group (n=12) and the control group/ c group (n 12). the control group received no information of any erroneous forms of the present continuous forms of their language. the direction only group received only an indication of the location of an error on the student’s text: that is, the location where the error occurred was underlined or circled by the teacher. direction and correction group was operated as indicating the location of an error and providing the correct form near the erroneous form on the students’ text. direction, correction and metalinguistic information group was operationalized as indicating the location of the error, providing the correct form and explaining the error with some metalinguistic information. that is, linguistic comments were provided which explained the correct form. however, to cover the focus of the study, the researcher corrected a few other errors than those involving present continuous form in the three experiment groups while correcting non-present continuous forms on the texts of the control group. the linguistic structure targeted in the present study was the present continuous form in english. the decision was made after exploring students’ common errors indicated in the proficiency test held prior to the current study. it revealed that many learners frequently, but erroneously, use this form in their written l2 usage: it suggested that they had only partial knowledge of the target form indicating a certain developmental stage of the target form. thus, focus was given to the correction of present continuous form in this study. the instrument was the three tests administered:  pretest  posttest 1  post test 2 (delayed posttest) the three experimental groups completed the treatment and tests while the control group completed only the tests. the purpose of the pretest was to measure the students’ knowledge of the grammar element – present continuous form prior to the treatment. the posttests were aimed to determine whether the students had acquired the language elements addressed through treatment given during the period of study. posttest 2, in particular, was held to ascertain the reliability of the acquisition of language elements presented through treatment. the activities of the test items were randomly changed from one test to another to minimize the test effects. first, in the first week of the study, the pretest was administered to all the participants and the marks obtained at the pretest were examined by the teacher cum researcher to gain an idea of the students’ knowledge of present continuous form in english. chitra jayathilake correcting errors: the relative efficacy of different forms of error feedback in second language writing in the second week, the teacher, accordingly, conducted 3 (1 hour each) treatment sessions, (a total of 03 hours) meeting students every other day. although materials used for treatment were teacher–directed, students’ level of second language proficiency was taken into consideration when selecting these materials. two unexpected posttests were held, in the 3rd and 9th week after the commencement of treatment sessions, and their results were recorded. as previously mentioned, three experimental groups completed both the treatment sessions and tests. the control group completed the tests only: they did not receive any wcf but instead followed the normal class room activities: some non-present continuous (erroneous) forms were marked, in the texts of control group, to mask the purpose of the research. three treatment sessions were held with a day break in between the sessions. each session involved one picture description activity and one clip (clips of a movie) description activity which elicited the present continuous form from the students. the students were involved in writing two compositions based on the two activities, after discussing the images orally in their groups. each picture/movie elicited about 10/12 statements of present continuous forms. the steps followed during the treatment session were:  first, the researcher displayed the movie-clips to students  she asked them to describe the actions displayed in groups, while she facilitated them ( they were given only about 10 minutes).  she asked each student to write a description of the images using about 40 minutes (she provided two examples).  then the researcher collected the written texts.  second, she gave each student a copy of a picture and followed the same steps as in the previous activity.  she returned students’ compositions to the students the next day, with researchers’ wcf on the students’ text.  students were asked to go through the wcf in class and to examine the corrections and the feedback given carefully. they were given about 10 minutes for that.  no other comments were made on the wcf by the researcher and no student was allowed to revise their writing which allowed for the effect of the wcf treatment by itself to be investigated. the researcher corrected the errors (usually about 10/12 statements) on one text. however, as mentioned previously, to mask the focus of the study, the researcher corrected a few other errors than those involving present continuous form in the three experiment groups while correcting non-present continuous forms on the texts of the control group. two tests were employed to investigate the acquisition of the target structure in this study: picture description and a few clips of a movie the same test was used for the pretest, the immediate posttest and the delayed posttest but the items in the pictures were randomly changed to minimize the test effects. picture description test (30 minutes) the picture used for description consisted of about 10-15 stimuli, each of which required at least one sentence english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee involving the use of present continuous form. before administering the test, the researcher made two sample sentences from a similar picture displayed on the board, so that the learners could familiarize themselves with the procedure and the grammar form expected. in administering the test, each student was provided with a copy of the picture and asked them to make 10 sentences similar to the examples provided. clips of the movie (30 minutes) these video clips were extracted from a movie which consisted of 8 sequential images. the students were asked to describe what was happening in the moviethe actions in the clips. before administering the test, the researcher made certain that the students were familiar with the new vocabulary. they were asked to make 10 sentences, following the examples provided. each correct use of the present continuous form was given a similar mark for each student and the final marks for each student were calculated by 100. results anddiscussion all scores were computed to analyze the data. table 1 presents the summary of the descriptive statistics for total scores for the tests taken together over the three testing periodspretest, posttest 1 and posttest2. table 1: group means, variance, standard deviation and coefficient of variance for total test scores group pretest posttest 1 posttest 2 m v sd c of v m v sd c of v m v sd c of v c 31.5 24.45 4.95 15.7 31.83 24.70 4.97 15.61 31.33 20.42 4.52 14.42 d 31.33 12.97 3.6 11.9 42.58 18.08 4.25 9.99 43.17 20.33 4.5110.45 dc 31.42 24.27 4.93 15.68 54.75 14.57 3.82 6.97 35.33 26.61 5.16 14.6 dcm 32.33 30.24 5.5 17.01 57.58 22.63 4.76 8.26 58.17 21.61 4.65 7.99 c = control group d = direction only group cd = correction and direction group cdm = correction, direction and metalinguistic information group m = mean v = variance sd = standard deviation c of v = coefficient of variance although the mean scores of the control group remains almost the same for three tests, the mean scores of the treatment groups show a relative increase over time. in other words, the three treatment groups’ gains over time were substantial but the control group showed no improvement. this principally suggests, supporting ferris’ (2004) hypothesis, that the error correction treatment has been beneficial to learners. at posttest 1, the mean scores of all three treatment groups are considerably higher than that of the control group. however, dc group shows a chitra jayathilake correcting errors: the relative efficacy of different forms of error feedback in second language writing considerable decrease of mean scores from posttest 1 to posttest 2. out of the three treatment groups, the most consistent mean scores can be noticed in dcm group and in d only groups. thus, as far as the mean scores are considered, it is revealed that the wcf is facilitative and dcm feedback seems the best in facilitating sla as it outperformed the other two treatment groups both in posttest 1 and posttest 2. that is, in test scores, posttest 1 results favoured all three treatment groups, but posttest 2 results favoured the d group and dcm group. this initial assumption can be verified with the statistics of variance and coefficient of variance. table 1 also displays that even the coefficient of variance of dcm group is relatively low, accounting for 8.26 and 7.99 for posttest 1 and 2 respectively. this comparatively low score of coefficient of variance verifies the results of the mean scores, positing that wcf with metalinguistic information significantly facilitates adult learners in sla. it is also interesting to note that even the coefficient of variance of d only group was the next highest indicator of the reliability of mean scores as it indicates the next lowest coefficient of variance at posttest 2(10.45). it is interesting to note that although the coefficient of variance of the dc group is relatively low at posttest 1, it drastically increased at posttest 2 confirming the assumption of the mean scores. it must also be noted here that relatively low and similar sd and variance scores of all the groups taken for the study indicate the reliability of test scores. group 01-control group variable mean variance minimum maximum pretest marks 31.50 24.45 25 40 posttest 1 marks 31.83 24.70 25 39 posttest 2 marks 31.33 20.42 25 39 figure 1: test scores of control group s t u d e n t m a r k s 1 21 11 0987654321 4 0 .0 3 7 .5 3 5 .0 3 2 .5 3 0 .0 2 7 .5 2 5 .0 v a r ia b le p o s tte s t 2 m a r k s p r e te s t m a r k s p o s tte s t 1 m a r k s c o n t r o l g r o u p what is obvious from graph 1 is that the scores of control group remain the same at three testing sessions: it verifies the assumption that wcf facilitates acquisition of l2 in adult learners. but, the slight discrepancy in the posttest and pretest scores of the control group seems to imply that even mere exposure to l2 activities may correlate – either positively or negatively – with the accuracy of l2 learners’ grammar. however, this implication warrants future research. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee group -2 direction only variable mean variance minimum maximum pretest marks 31.33 12.97 25 35 posttest 1 marks 42.58 18.08 38 49 posttest 2 marks 43.17 20.33 38 50 figure 2: test scores of direction only group s t u d e n t s m a r k s 1 21 11 0987654321 5 0 4 5 4 0 3 5 3 0 2 5 v a r ia b le p o stte st 2 m a r k s p r e te st m a r k s p o stte st 1 m a r k s g r o u p -2 ( d i r e c t i o n o n l y ) graph 2 very clearly demonstrates the efficacy of wcf, direction only, in particular. the improvement learners have gained is highly remarkable and what is further noteworthy is that both at post test 1 and 2, the scores remain consistent, indicating the significant efficacy of direction only type of wcf in l2 acquisition. it highlights the fact direction only is highly beneficial in retention of grammar acquired through wcf, perhaps for the purpose of longterm learning. the graph, however, indicates that the language accuracy perhaps gained by treatment, is not parallel with the pretest scores. for instance, language accuracy gained at places 3, 8 and 12 are very high whereas the gain at 2 and 10 are relatively low. this inconsistency seems to imply that mere location of an error may result in unpredictable results as well. however, this necessitates further investigation before drawing any conclusion. group -3 (direction and correction group) variable mean variance minimum maximum pretest marks 31.42 24.27 25 41 posttest 1 marks 54.75 14.57 49 59 posttest 2 marks 35.33 26.61 29 45 chitra jayathilake correcting errors: the relative efficacy of different forms of error feedback in second language writing figure 3: test scores of dc group students m a rk s 121110987654321 60 50 40 30 20 variable posttest 2 mark s pretest mark s posttest 1 mark s group -3 (direction and correction) graph 3 demonstrates a highly significant insight into wcf: although the feedback given seems highly beneficial for learners at posttest 1, the graph indicates a drastic fall of learners’ acquisition at posttest 2. as indicated in the green line, the quantity of decrease in students’ scores is almost similar to the pretest scores. it is also noteworthy to mention, a high amount of posttest 1 scores are displayed in this group. this suggests that wcf is of little use over time (for long-term acquisition), although it has been extremely facilitative for immediate or short term learning. group -4 (direction, correction and meta linguistic information group) variable mean variance minimum maximum pretest marks 32.33 30.24 21 40 posttest 1 marks 57.58 22.63 49 65 posttest 2 marks 58.17 21.61 51 65 figure 4: test scores of dcm group st ud e nt s m a rk s 121110987654321 70 60 50 40 30 20 v ar iab le p o sttest 2 m ar k s p r etest m ar k s p o sttest 1 m ar k s g r oup -4 (d ir e c tion , c or r e c tion a nd m e ta l inguis tic infor ma tion) figure 4 shows the results of the dcm group for the three testing periods. the pattern in the graph reveals that the dcm treatment group gains over time. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee what is outstanding is the consistency in posttest marks: this remarkable consistent gain at both posttests1 and 2 scores are relatively high and significant. unlike in the graph 2, this graph shows that the pretest indicator and posttest indicators are greatly parallel implying consistency in language accuracy and the efficacy of metalinguistic information. this underscores the validly in metalinguistic feedback for adult learners’ sla. conclusion this research sought to investigate, primarily, whether wcf facilitates adult learners in sla, focusing on one grammar element, namely the present continuous form. the students of the current study were of the same level of proficiency and received the same amount of scores at the pretest. they were involved in identical writing tasks. during the period of the study, the students were not exposed to any explicit l2 learning except the treatment employed for the study. therefore, wcf alone could be considered as responsible for the acquisition of the language element – present continuous form. thus, it is clearly evident that wcf facilitated in improved accuracy in adult learners’ l2 acquisition (present continuous from) in both the short and long term. the central focus of this research paper, however, is the relative efficacy of different wcf types. ferris’ (2003) research evidence suggests that indirect error feedback is more helpful on students’ long-term writing development than direct error feedback. chandler’s (2003) research which investigates two esl groups receiving either direct or indirect error feedback also showed that indirect error feedback with student self-editing contributes to accuracy more than direct error feedback. while supporting these hypotheses of ferris and chandler, the current study adds another insight into the phenomenon of wcf: this study suggests both indirect feedback where learners’ self-correction is required to a great extent and metalinguistic information where learners can receive awareness to their errors is equally helpful for the accuracy of l2 learning in adult learners. simultaneously, it also attempted to find the benefit and the relative efficacy of wcf for long-term acquisition of l2 by adult learners. the results in posttest 1 and posttest 2 indicate that the wcf had a positive effect on the acquisition of present continuous form by adult l2 learners. in particular, feedback given with metalinguistic information proved to be highly effective in improving learners’ accuracy as it is at the highest level of efficacy and helps for retention of language elements. direction only group is also significant, as it indicated second highest gain at posttests. this finding can again be explained with long’s (1988) view where he strongly suggests that if learners focus on form, learners promote l2 learning in a very effective manner. in the current study all three wcf types are likely to promote awareness in l2, but, only direction only and direction, correction and metalinguistic information comments promote learners to focus on form in a considerable way. that is, when correction is not provided, learners will focus on form attempting to self-correct it and when metalinguistic information is provided also, learners will focus on form with an analytical understanding of the form. this relatively high focus on form benefited learners’ long-term use of l2. chitra jayathilake correcting errors: the relative efficacy of different forms of error feedback in second language writing to round up, it can be argued that the results of the present study, on the whole, gain support from some previous research in the sense that wcf facilitates students improve their accuracy in writing despite the type of feedback (chandler, 2003; sheen, 1997). moreover, these findings suggest that both metalinguistic information and opportunities for self correction serve to improve adult learners’ grammatical accuracy. the relative efficacy of feedback can be demonstrated along the following cline which may be employed in esl contexts particularly at sri lankan university contexts. no wcf direction direction only direction, correction & & correction metalinguistic information the results of this preliminary study are limited by the small sample size and short term treatment. future research can focus on different types of learner errors developing longitudinal treatment. the results will be significant for anyone engaged in any english langue teaching/learning contexts where english is used as a second or foreign language. this is particularly significant dealing with learner errors in such contexts. references brown, j.d. (1988).understanding research in second language learning: a teacher’s guide to statistics and research design. cambridge: cambridge university press. chandler, j. (2003). the efficacy of various kinds of error feedback for improvement in the accuracy and fluency of l2 student writing. journal of second language writing, 12(3), 267-296. erel, s & bulut, d. (2007). error treatment in l2 writing: a comparative study of direct and indirect coded feedback in turkish efl context. journal of institute of social sciences, 23(1), 397-415. ferris, d. r. (1997). the influence of teacher commentary on student revision: tesol quarterly, 31(2), 315-339. __________.(1999). the case for grammar correction in l2 writing classes: a response to truscott (1996). journal of second language writing, 8, 1-10. __________. (2003). response to student writing: implications for second language students. mahwah, nj: lawrence erlbaum associates. __________. (2004). the “grammar correction” debate in l2 writing: where are we, and where do we go from here? (and what do we do in the meantime…?).journal of second language writing .13,49-62. ferris, d. r. & roberts, b. (2001). error feedback in l2 writing classes: how explicit does it need to be? journal of second language writing, 10(3), 161-184. lee, i. (2007). understanding teachers’ written feedback practices in hong kong secondary classrooms. journal of second language writing, 17, 69-85. liu, y. (2008). the effects of error feedback in second languagewriting.arizona working papers in sla& teaching, 15, 65-79. long, m.h. (1988). instructed interlanguage development. in l. beebe (ed.), issues in second language acquisition. multiple perspectives (pp.115-141). rowley, ma: newbury house. sheen, y. (2007). the effect of focussed written corrective feedback and language aptitude on esl learners’ acquisition of articles. tesol quarterly 41(2), 255-283. truscott, j. (1996). the case against grammar correction in l2 writing classes. language learning, 46(2), 327-369. flouts of the cooperative principle maxims in sby’s presidential interviews english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee flouts of the cooperative principle maxims in sby’s presidential interviews fahrus zaman fadhly department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia e-mail: fahruszf@gmail.com apa citation: fadhly, f. z. (2012). flouts of the cooperative principle maxims in sby’s presidential interviews. english review: journal of english education, 1(1), 57-70 received: 12-10-2011 accepted: 21-11-2013 published: 01-12-2012 abstract: this paper analyzed the presidential interviews of the president of republic of indonesia, susilo bambang yudoyono (sby), based on grice’s theory of the cooperative principles (cp). this study employed a qualitative research design and the data were three transcripts of interview discourse between sby and eight indonesian journalists obtained through the presidential official website: http://www.presidentsby.info. the research investigated the ways of sby in flouting the cp maxims in his presidential interviews and the functions of the flouts were. the research revealed that sby flouted all the cp maxims and the maxim of quantity was frequently flouted. meanwhile, there were four ways used by sby in flouting the cp maxims, i.e. hedging, indirectness, open answer and detailed element. the function of the flouts, i.e. face saving acts (fsa), self-protection, awareness, politeness, interestingness, control of information, elaboration and ignorance. this research also revealed that cp maxims of grice are not universal. keywords: flouts, maxim, cooperative principles, sby, presidential interview introduction a speaker does not always explicitly say what she or he means much more than his or her utterance actually utters (thomas, 1995). in another case, a speaker may also provide information that intentionally confuses or misleads the hearer (keenan, 1976). therefore, for the sake of a successful communication, both speaker and hearer should mutually cooperate with each other. since, without cooperation, interaction would be counterproductive. in pragmatics study, there are at least three big themes that are largely discussed, i.e. (1) speech act (austin, 1962; searl, 1970; searl, keifer and bierwisch, 1980; blum-kulka and oldstain, 1984; and kasper, 1989), (2) conversational implicature (grice, 1975; keenan, 1976; levinson, 1983; sperber and wilson, 1986; schiffrin, 1994; brown and yule, 1996; van dijk, 1998; saifullah, 2002; mooney, 2004), and (3) politeness (goffman , 1967 in haverkate 1988; lakoff, 1973; brown and levinson, 1978; leech, 1983; matsumuto, 1988; kitao, 1989; mao, 1994; holmes, 1995; wilamová, 2005; and zhang and you, 2009). it was grice, an english language philosopher, who firstly introduced the term ‘conversational implicature’ in a series of lectures at harvard university in 1967. in grice’s paper (1975) entitled ‘logic and conversation’, grice promotes the cp which then republished by davis (1991), and jaworski and coupland (1999). further, in order to elaborate his theory, grice wrote an article entitled http://www.presidentsby.info/ fahrus zaman fadhly flouts of the cooperative principle maxims in sby’s presidential interviews further notes on logic and conversation in syntax and semantics edited by cole (1978). the study of cooperative principles (here after called cp) is subtheory of conversational implicature. the cp rules the members of communication in order that the conversation will be coherent. in realizing the cp, grice (1975) suggests that contribution to talk should be guided by four maxims as subordinate rules or sub-principles of cp, i.e. the maxim of quantity, the maxim of quality, the maxim of relation and the maxim of manner as follows (further explanation will be elaborated in chapter ii). since its emergence, cp has attracted a lot of linguists’ attention and critiques and until now it still invites controversy in accordance with its universality, practicality, and contradiction within the principles as pointed out by keenan (1976), levinson (1983), sperber and wilson (1986), schiffrin (1994), brown and yule (1996), and van dijk (1998). according to keenan (1976, p. 23), cp is not universal by claiming that: the malagasy, for example, follow a completely opposite cooperative principle in order to achieve conversational cooperation. in their culture, speakers are reluctant to share information and flout the maxim of quantity by evading direct questions and replying on incomplete answers because of the risk of losing face by committing oneself to the truth of the information, as well as the fact that having information is a form of prestige. sperber and wilson (1986) suggested that maxims of cp become only one: maxim of relation. they drew attention to the central importance of relevance decisions in reasoning and communication. they proposed an account of the process of inferring relevant information from any given utterance. to do this work, they used what they called the "principle of relevance": namely, the position that any utterance addressed to someone automatically conveys the presumption of its own optimal relevance. levinson (1983) explored his disagreement on the maxim of relation. in his view, the maxim of relation raises over-implicature what are uttered by the speaker. gricean maxims are also criticized as the barriers in using language. meanwhile, leech (1983) says that no principle can be absolutely applied. he even says that the maxims may also be contrary one another. according to leech, there is a politeness principle with conversational maxims similar to those formulated by grice. he lists six maxims: tact, generosity, approbation, modesty, agreement, and sympathy. the first and second form a pair, as do the third and the fourth. these maxims vary from culture to culture: what may be considered polite in one culture may be strange or downright rude in another. meanwhile, schiffrin (1994), brown and yule (1996) and van dijk (1998) attempt to critically develop the grice’s theory in discourse analysis. according to schiffrin (1994), activity of discourse analysis can methodologically be done through pragmatic approach especially by using cp of grice. yule (1996) develops cp by correlating the presence of hedging and indirectness in an utterance. yule (1996) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/malagasy_people http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/geoffrey_leech http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/politeness http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/gricean_maxims http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/paul_grice http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/culture english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee points out that the use of hedging and indirect speech tend to flout cp maxims. hedging is frequently used as sign of awareness, while indirectness is frequently used to show positive politeness. meanwhile van dijk (1998) develops critical discourse analysis (cda) in text of news. according to him, in cda, a discourse is also analyzed as a representation of social practice which is correlated to situation, institution and social structure. therefore, van dijk (1998) identifies five characteristics that have to be considered in cda, i.e. act, context, history, power and ideology. despite the criticisms, a lot of research focuses on the cp maxims. the study of cp maxims generally concerns the flouts of utterance. this present study explored the flouts of cp made by the president of indonesia, susilo bambang yudoyono (sby) in his presidential interviews. the use of sby’s language was interesting to be investigated when delivering his ideas, opinion or even objection related to social and political issues. to public, for example, sby (antara, dec 26, 2006) declared that: pemerintahan yang saya pimpin telah memasuki tahun ketiga, karena itu ke depan saya akan lebih menggunakan bahasa terang. (the government i lead has been entering the third year, therefore next i will use ‘clear language’). on the day after that, to kompas (dec 27, 2006) he proposed: bekerja lebih konkret dan menggunakan bahasa terang, saya kira sudah saatnya. ...kurang katakanlah kurang, baik katakanlah baik, tidak baik katakanlah tidak baik. dengan demikian tidak ada dusta di antara kita. (i think it’s the time to work in a more concrete way and use ‘clear language’. ...bad or good will be said for the sake of the truth. having done these things, there will be no more lies between us.) from the above statement, sby declared during the third year of the his government (first period), he flouted the maxim of manner as indicated by words, “…therefore next i will use clear language” and “i think it’s the time to work in a more concrete way and use clear language”. maxim of manner suggests that speakers have to try presenting meaning clearly, concisely orderly, and avoid ambiguity and obscurity of expression (grice, 1975). based on the brief overview above, i was encouraged to explore the phenomenon of the sby’s language regarding social and political issues in the moments of presidential interviews whether or not he would consistently observe cp maxims. the present study was purposely designed to identify the ways of sby in flouting the maxims of cp in his presidential interviews and figure out the functions of flouts of cp applied by sby in his presidential interviews. as mentioned above, this present study focused on the flouts of cp which includes realization and function of the flouts. it also focused only on one person, i.e. sby and one area of topic of interview, i.e. related to public interest. it also focused on three transcripts of sby’s presidential interviews chosen as the samples. such a consideration was taken, since those interviews are still one area of topic in various situations both formal and informal. the topics of interview were extremely controversial related to the public’s interest at that time, i.e. (1) the sby’s objection on dkp and foreign fund issues, (2) the lapindo mudflow disaster, and (3) the 100 days of sby’s government and century bank fahrus zaman fadhly flouts of the cooperative principle maxims in sby’s presidential interviews scandal. those topics had also became the national media’s headlines and public discourse at that time. the data were released by bureau for press and media presidential household from december 2006february 2010 as published by presidential official website: http://www.presidensby.info. this consideration was taken to acquire the authenticity and naturalness of sby’s utterances. method this study attempted to unveil the flouts of cp maxims in sby’s presidential interviews. it was largely qualitative which could be used ‘to uncover and understand what lies behind any phenomenon about which little is yet known” (strauss and corbin 1990, p. 75). according to atkinson and hammersley (1994), qualitative research starts with unstructured data, and through data analysis interprets meaning in verbal form to achieve a rich background and in-depth understanding of people or a phenomenon. a qualitative design was considered appropriate since this study also attempts to uncover and understand what lies behind sby’s interviews in terms of his cooperativeness with others while performing interviews or dialogs. cp maxims flouts as the focus of the present study was identified through qualitative procedures i.e. by identification, classification and interpretation. to further enhance the analysis, some quantification is employed. this procedure involves some descriptive statistics covering frequency and percentage of occurrences of the maxim flouts in order to examine trends in the flouts. the data were in the form of interview discourse between sby and indonesian journalists in responding to current issues related to public interests. the data were collected through presidential official website: http://www.presidensby.info published by bureau for press and media presidential household. the selection of the samples was only in indonesian-written interviews. this consideration was taken to acquire the authenticity and naturalness of sby’s utterances. meanwhile, the method of sampling applied in the present study is a purposive sampling since the three data were chosen mainly based on the topics of conversation. the topics chosen for analysis were those containing controversy on public service area and they became the national media’s headlines and public discourse at that time as listed in the following table 3.1. table 3.1 interviewer list along with the topics no place, date interviewer topic of interviewname profession media 1. cipanas palace, february 3, 2010 arief suditomo editor-in-chief rcti the 100 days of sby’s government and century scandal putra nababan journalist/ presenter rcti 2. the president’s residence, may 25, 2007 asmanu journalist suara surabaya sby’s reaction on dkp and foreign fundagil samal journalist tvri johan sarjono journalist elshinta http://www.presidensby.info/ english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 3. cipanas palace, august 13, 2006 arief suditomo editor-inchief rcti lapindo mudflow disaster and national examination (un) ray wijaya journalist global tv tyas anggoro editor-inchief trijaya sururi alfaruq editor-inchief sindo the topics of: (1) the 100 days of sby’s government and century scandal; (2) sby’s reaction on dkp and foreign fund; and (3) lapindo mudflow disaster and national examination (un) became central issues of public discourse at that time. the data were in the form of interview transcripts were then identified, classified and analyzed. in order to address the first research problem, i.e. in what ways sby flouts the cp maxims in the presidential interviews, the data were analyzed by identifying traces of flouts based on grice’s theory of maxims flouts which include the use of hedging (yule, 1996), indirectness of utterance (yule, 1996), the use of open answer (tubbs and moss, 1996), and the presence of detailed elements (schriffin, 1994). the flouts were further classified based on types of maxim. flouts of the maxim of quantity in which a speaker flouts the maxim by blatantly giving either more or less information that the situation demands. flouts of the maxim of quality in which a speaker says something which is blatantly untrue or for which he or she lacks adequate evidence. flouts of the maxim of relation in which a speaker gives a response and observation which is very obviously irrelevant to the topic in hand, i.e. by abruptly changing the subject, or by overtly failing to address the person’s goal in asking a question. flouts of the maxim of manner in which a speaker does not say clearly, concisely, orderly, and does not avoid ambiguity and obscurity of expression. meanwhile, in order to address the second research question, i.e. what the functions of flouts of cp in sby’s presidential interviews, the flouts are analyzed by identifying the intentions of sby’s utterances when he was being interviewed by journalists related to social and political issues. results and discussion the data were analyzed by identifying traces of flouts based on gricean theory of maxims flouts. this includes identification and classification of flouts. some descriptive quantification was further employed to enhance the analysis by examining trends in the realization of flouts. the analysis was then discussed in relation to the research problems, to be enhanced by relating the concern to related theories and findings. from the samples, sby flouted the conversational maxims 18 (twelve) times. the flouts occurred on the maxim of quantity (eight times), the maxim of quality (five times), the maxim of relation (twice), and the maxim of manner (three times). fahrus zaman fadhly flouts of the cooperative principle maxims in sby’s presidential interviews the flouts the overall maxims revealed that there is relation between the forms or ways of utterance and the functions of utterance. the use of hedging, indirectness, open answer and detailed elements generated functions. overall flouts of the maxim were generally indicated by open answer and detailed element. the flouts of the maxim of quantity were indicated by open answer and detailed element. meanwhile, the flouts of the maxim of quality were always indicated by hedging, open answer and detailed element. the flouts of the maxim of relation were indicated by indirectness, open answer and detailed element; and then the flouts of the maxim of manner were indicated by indirectness, opened answer and detailed element. the following table is the illustration of the overall flouts. table 2. the realization of flouted maxims and their ways data no flouted maxims ways of flout quantity quality relation manner hedging indirectness opened answer detailed utterance #001 v v v #002 v v v #003 v v v #004 v v v #005 v v v #006 v v v #007 v v v #008 v v v #009 v v v v #010 v v v v #011 v v v v #012 v v v v #013 v v v v #014 v v v v #015 v v v v #016 v v v v #017 v v v v #018 v v v v english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee this study revealed that many utterances of sby flouted the maxims of the cooperative principles (cp). the utterances which flouted the maxims vary in ways and in functions. first, the flouts of cp maxims appeared to be realized linguistically by using hedging. second, this study also revealed that the maxim of quantity was mostly flouted in sby’s interviews. the flouts of the maxim of quantity indicated three phenomena, i.e. tendency for indirectness, over information, and politically-driven use of language. when, being interviewed, sby tended to use indirect utterances. sby’s responses about some questions of the interviewers were frequently exaggerating, indirect, and ambiguous. the use of indirect utterances of sby seems to be intended to show an implicit positive politeness, to have fun with certain topic, and to avoid the potential face-threatening acts or politically risky topics, and to gain both political and interactional advantage over their political opponents. the consequence of indirectness of sby’s utterances was that the hearer may not quickly get the main point (dascal 1983 in thomas 1995: 47). such utterances surely were not beneficial for the hearer since it would take too long for him/her to grab what was meant by the speaker. it was also apparent that sby tended to give over information that was demanded by the interviewer(s) or interlocutor(s). such a strategy was taken to build his positive image that he was fully capable of certain topics being asked. however, over contribution to a conversation did not always inflict a loss upon the hearer/interviewer because his interlocutors might get advantages through detailed chronological events which was beneficial background especially for a journalist, although not all information given by the interviewee deserved to be published as public’s consumption. by giving more information, sby politically tried to control any issues as his domain, i.e. that he was in charge of the nation’s problems that he deserved to provide details of an accident. for sby, the nation’s problems such as lapindo mudflow, aceh’s crisis, education, papua autonomy, foreign policy, etc. need ‘enough’ explanation to satisfy public’s rights to get information and what he had been done. however, in some cases he produced direct, explicit and clear explanation if the substances were in favour of his side. otherwise, if the utterance were predicted to be threatening his position, it would be conveyed indirectly, implicitly, and ambiguously. the function of flouts of the conversational maxim depends on the traces of flouts. as explained earlier, there were flouts indicated by (1) the use of hedging and indirectness as pragmatic factors; (2) the factors related to the characteristics of interview texts such as the use of opened answer; and (3) the presence of detailed elements. the functions of flouts are therefore discussed in terms of hedging, indirectness, opened answer and detailed element. hedging may intentionally or unintentionally be employed in both spoken and written language since they are crucially important in communication. generally, hedging devices are pragmatic markers that attenuate (or weaken) the strength of an utterance. hedging occurs as mitigating devices which attenuate the propositional content of the message. however, attenuation can be achieved in fahrus zaman fadhly flouts of the cooperative principle maxims in sby’s presidential interviews different ways employing diverse linguistic and non-linguistic strategies (wilamova, 2005). a conversation which uses hedging or cautious notes tends to flout the maxims of cooperative principles since the existence of hedging functioned as a sign of awareness. hedging is used to indicate that what we are saying may not be totally accurate (yule, 1996). this phenomenon also applies to sby when communicating his ideas to journalists, as his interlocutors/interviewers. from the data, there are two functions of hedging identified in sby’s interviews i.e (1) as a sign of awareness, and (2) as a politeness marker. sby used hedging strategy is as a sign of awareness that what he is saying may not totally be accurate. the flout of these maxims is--especially maxim of quality, therefore indicated by his usage of hedging utterance. sby used hedging as an effective politeness marker. as a president surely he always tries to be a good conversational partner of his own public and tries to minimize a potential threat to his positive face in responses to his utterances. moreover, as one who is rooted in javanese culture, he is very aware that in daily communication, javanese always want to form and keep good relationships with others, avoid embarrassment, misunderstanding or friction, and maintain interpersonal and social harmony. otherwise, the observance of the maxims is identified by the use of nonhedging which functions to give brief information. meanwhile, the function of a non-hedging utterance here is also as a sign of awareness and to protect him from the possibility of being embarrassed. a non-hedging utterance was also applied by sby to serve the function as to make the listeners sure that the information conveyed is really accurate and as informative as it is required. by using hedging, sby expected to put himself in a comfort zone even though, as a president, he absolutely had certain interest of doing so. for example, in papua’s case about the use of budget by local authorities, sby tended to emphasize around how much money was allocated to papua instead of how much leakages were created which resulted in the unproportional amount of money received by the society. it was well known that papua was the biggest contributor among other provinces, to indonesia national budget (apbn), nevertheless, papuanese seemed to skip anything from the government. they were not well-treated by the government. sby’s attitude of not answering the opened questions (usually started by how) could be easily predicted that it was a sign of not wanting to emerge bad images of the local authorities which were for certain, under control of his ministers. sby was, then, still keep himself with the positive positioning. nevertheless, he explained several questions which were relevant and in line with what were asked without having to flout the maxim of quantity, when the topic were about government’s plan to face several problems. the fact showed that sby wanted to emphasize that as a president of indonesia, he was indeed having an appropriate capacity in analyzing, planning, and at the same time solving various problems in his governance system. in other words, by giving a clear, appropriate and precise answer to the question, sby intended to build the positive image of him as a leader. that is what clarke and crossland (2006) english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee highlighted as how a leader rules his own and other people’s world: by making him and others believe that he can make good deeds. obeng (1997) also confirms that in talking about potential facethreatening acts or politically risky topics, politician tend to communicate indirectly in order to protect further their own careers and to gain both political and interactional advantage over their political opponents. indirectness may also be motivated by politeness. further, obeng (1997, p. 1) explains that “obliqueness in communication may be expressed through evasion, circumlocution, innuendoes, metaphors, etc”. language as well as varying social conventions of the relevant culture as well as differing degree of personal danger inherent in the socio-political situation in which politicians operate may also affect the degree of indirectness as well as the kind(s) of obliqueness employed. related to this study, the use of indirect utterances of sby has at least three functions i.e. (1) politeness, (2) selfprotection, and (3) interestingness. the use of indirect utterances was frequently intended to show an implicit positive politeness. in many utterances, sby tried to use politeness strategies in expressing his complaint to the public. in some occasions, he promoted people to practice politics without ‘commotion or tumult’. the use of indirect utterance is to avoid making a direct complaint which could hurt the hearer’s feelings and to protect the speaker’s credibility. pyle (1975) as cited in dascal (1983) notes that we often employ indirectness because we have two goals which compete. the user of an indirect utterance relies upon his or her interlocutor’s ability to detect the problem in order to understand what the speaker means, the hearer must recognize the conflict of goals. indirectness was shown when sby frequently utters his ideas or arguments in explaining about how to handle the social discrepancy between gam and the government of republic of indonesia. the same case also happens when the president did not directly in answering the interviewer’s question about the educational budget. the desire to make sby’s language more interesting as exemplified in some data of results. thomas (1995) explains that interestingness is probably the least significant of other functions of indirectness, but nevertheless its importance should not be underestimated. people may use indirectness because they enjoy having fun with language or certain topic. if the substance of an utterance is beneficial for the speaker, so it will be conveyed directly, explicitly and clearly. otherwise, if the utterance is predicted to be threatening him or her, it will be conveyed indirectly, implicitly, and ambiguously. there are also some fragments of interview show the opposite, that is, the utterance flouts the maxim of quantity and it is conveyed directly. this different phenomenon is caused by different conversational implicatures. the indirect utterance which flouted the maxim of quantity is done to protect the speaker from the possibility of face threatening. the flout of the maxim of quantity can also be grounded from the use of direct speech and implicit utterance that is functioned to protect him from being addressed as having shortages. a shortage, in this context, is the possibility of raising impression that fahrus zaman fadhly flouts of the cooperative principle maxims in sby’s presidential interviews sby is “one-sided” and unfair. this fact tends to destroy his positive image. they can be seen in table 3. based on this analysis, it can be fore grounded that the observance of maxim of quantity are indicated by the use of direct utterance. meanwhile, the flout of the maxim of quantity is indicated by the use of indirect utterance. the function of indirectness that flouts the maxims is to express the intention of an utterance implicitly. examining sby’s way in responding the use of budget of papua government as seen on data #014 shows that the president ignores how the budget will be used by the papua government, but the most important is that it is used as transparent and accountable as possible. the flouts of cp maxims may also be traced by the use of opened answer. an opened answer tends to flout the maxims. otherwise, a closed answer tends to observe the maxims. opened answer has function to protect the speaker’s face. in many responses, sby applied opened answer to protect the face of his government from public’s humiliating. in some conversations with journalists, sby tends to use opened answers. the use of opened answer is purposely aimed to maintain carefulness. since, if sby responds the closed questions, by only saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’, meanwhile that was not the reality, his bad image will soon be established. besides, having flouts the cp maxims, sby can give ideal viewpoints regarding the problems. based on the data and analysis above can be concluded that the flouts of cp maxims are indicated by the use of opened answers. dijk (1998) confirms that the presence of detailed elements in an utterance frequently has two functions, i.e. (1) to control the information, and (2) as elaboration of facts or opinions. by using detailed elements, the speaker will exaggeratingly perform information which is beneficial for his/her positive image. meanwhile, the existence of detailed utterance in interview texts usually has function as elaboration and explanation of facts or opinions. as far as such a function, surely the existence of detailed utterance may be said relevant with the main topic of conversation/interview and, therefore observe the maxim of manner. however, if the detailed utterance is presented more than is required, its existence frequently used for the sake of its speaker to build positive image. complete details were deliberately designed by the speaker to create a certain image to the public. the realization of observance and nonobservance of the maxims can be seen from the aspect of the detail utterance. in the interviews transcript, a non-detailed utterance tends to observe the maxims, while detailed utterance tends to flout the maxims. the function of flouts of the maxim of quantity is to control of information that what was being accused by amien rais was wrong and put himself as one who was on the right track. meaning that the result of the 2004 general election is legal and legitimated. examining sby’s utterances, almost all of his opinions, arguments, and ideas were delivered in detailed ways. it was difficult to find the data that showed sby’s utterance without detailed elements. over elaboration by breaking down information or ideas tended to flout the cp maxims, especially the maxim of quantity. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee examining the overall data, the functions of flout of the cp maxims which are most frequently used by sby is ‘face saving acts’. the functions of flout as a sign of self-protection. meanwhile, the ways of flout made by sby were opened answer and detailed utterance. the following table is the illustration of functions and ways of flouts employed in sby’s utterances. table 3. the realization of functions and ways of flout in sby’s presidential interviews ways functions hedging indirectness opened answer detailed utterance face saving act v v v self-protection v v v v awareness v v v politeness v v v interestingness v v v control of information v v v elaboration v v ignorance v v in the presidential interviews of sby, the function of a face saving act (fsa) is mostly employed. followed then by self-protection (four flouts), awareness (three flouts), politeness (one flout), interestingness (one flout), control of information (one flout), elaboration (one flout), and ignorance (one flout). almost all of the functions aimed to build a positive image of the president. only the function of ignorance that is not directly related to the contribution of positive image building project. the presence of six flouts in sby’s utterances which had function as fsa showed that as a president, sby frequently attempted to maintain his face of government. this was done as an effort of sby’s image politics in order to survive his government until at the end of his period. the functions of selfprotection, awareness, politeness, interestingness, control of information, elaboration are leading to a single function, i.e. an implicit positive image of the president. conclusion this research explored the realization of cooperative principle in real life, i.e. sby’s presidential interviews. the first research problem concerns the flouts of cp maxims in the sbys presidential interviews. the second research problem concerns the functions of flouts of cp maxims made by the president. eight functions had been identified, i.e. face saving act, awareness, politeness, self-protection, interestingness, control of information, elaboration and ignorance. the ultimate goal of the flouts of the maxims was to create the speaker’s positive political image over the public. on the basis of the findings above, it can be said that: first, the flout of cp maxims is a daily phenomenon, including at administration sector. the flouts may be triggered by the tendency of the interviews to threaten government credibility since the controversies are still in progress because the problems had not been solved. second, maxim flouts seems to be largely employed by fahrus zaman fadhly flouts of the cooperative principle maxims in sby’s presidential interviews politicians as confirmed by van dijk (1998). it is indicated by the use of indirectness, open question, and detailed element in their utterances. generally, the flouts have functions to enhance their credibility. such functions give a great contribution to build positive political image of the politicians. third, the study of maxim flouts can explore various social phenomena. it means that grice’s cp theory is still relevant to analyze utterances in daily interactions. fourth, flouting the maxim of quantity in journalism is beneficial for conversation members both interviewer and interview. for a journalists as interviewer, get more information from the interviewee is beneficial since they can obtain background information. therefore, giving less information is not intended to reduce cooperation with the partner of conversation. such phenomena above also show that cp is not universal. fifth, the phenomenon of flouts in sby’s presidential interviews did not reduce the cooperativeness. the overinformation and lengthy explanations given by sby did not make the interviewers (journalists) disappointed. this is because two considerations, i.e. (1) for journalists, over-information and lengthy explanation will help them to achieve a rich backgrounds and in-depth understanding of a phenomena; (2) cultural factor also helps the cooperativeness could still be maintained because between sby with his javanese cultural background or his position as a president and all journalists with a good understanding about javanese culture, has mutual understanding to keep cooperativeness in conversation. the journalists understood that they should respect the cultural background of partner of conversation. therefore, the tolerant principles (tp) as proposed by gunarwan (1994) such as kurmat (homage), empan-papan (awareness of one’s place), andhap-asor (humble or modesty), and ‘tepa-slira’ (thoughtful) may be considered in analyzing the behavior of social and language of javanese people. references austin, j. (1962). how to do things with words. new york & london: oxford university press. blum-kulka and oldstain. (1984). request and apologies: a-cross-cultural study of speech act realization patterns (ccsrap). applied linguistics, vol 5. no 3. brown, p. & levinson, s. (1978). universals in language: politeness phenomena. cambridge university. reissued in 1987 as politeness: some universals in language usage. new york: cambridge university press. brown, g. and yule, g. (1983). discourse analysis. new york: cambridge university press. bureau for press and media presidential household. may 25, 2007. bantahan mengenai isu dana dkp dan asing. available: http:// www.presidensby.info. --------------------------------------------------------------------. december 26, 2006. sby: jangan ada dusta di antara kita. available: http://www.presidensby.info. --------------------------------------------------------------------. february 3, 2010. talkshow rcti dengan presiden ri. available: http:// www.presidensby.info. --------------------------------------------------------------------. august 14, 2006. wawancara presiden oleh media nusantara citra. available: http:// www.presidensby.info. cole, p, ed. (1978). syntax and semantics. pragmatics. new york: academic press. http://www.presidensby.info http://www.presidensby.info http://www.presidensby.info http://www.presidensby.info english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee dascal, m. (1977). pragmatics and the philosophy of mind i: thought in language. amsterdam: john benjamins. davies, r. (2010), scientists: human error to blame for indonesia's mud volcano. access: http://www.korbanlumpur.info. february 12, 2010 grice, h. p. (1975a). logics and conversation. in cole, peter and j. morgan (1975). syntax and semantics. new york: academy press. ---------------. (1975b). logics and conversation. the logic of grammar, ed. davidson, d and harman, g. encino, cal.: dickenson. pp. 64-75. ---------------. 1978. further notes on logic and conversation. in cole (1978), pp. 11327. gunarwan, a. (1994). “pragmatik: pandangan mata burung” in soejono dardjowidjojo (ed).mengiring rekan sejati: festschrift buat pak ton. jakarta: unika atmajaya. haverkate, h. (1988). toward a typology of politeness strategies in communication interaction. berlin: multilingua. holmes, j. (1995).women, men and politeness. new york: longman. kasper, g. (1989). variation in interlanguage speech act realization. denmark: university of aarhus. keenan, e. o. (1976). the universality of conversational postulate. language in society. 5, 67-80. washington: georgetown university press. kitao, k. (1989). differences between politeness strategies used in request by americans and japanese. from the rules perspective-english nos. 47-48. kompas. (2006). presiden akan lebih konkret: wakil ketua dewan perwakilan daerah mendukung. jakarta: kompas. december 27, 2006 lakoff, r. 1973. (ed.). the logic of politeness: minding your p’s and q’s in corum et al. papers from the ninth regional meeting. chicago linguistics society. leech. g. 1983. principles of pragmatics. london: macmillan. levinson, c. s. 1983. pragmatics. cambridge: cambridge university press. lkbn antara. (2006). presiden akan lebih gunakan bahasa terang. retrieved 26th december, 2006 from: http://www.antara.co.id. -------------------. (2006). disambut baik tekad presiden ubah gaya komunikasi. retrieved 27th december, 2006 from: http://www.antara.co.id. -------------------, (2006). amien rais: presiden harus buktikan sikap tegasnya. retrieved 26th december, 2006 from: http://www.antara.co.id. levinson, s.c. (1983). pragmatics. london: cambridge university press matsumuto, y. (1988). re-examination of the universality of face: politeness phenomena in japanese. journal of pragmatics 12, 403-426. mao, l. r. (19940. beyond politeness theory: ‘face’ revisited and renewed. journal of pragmatics. 21: 451-486. mooney, a. 92004). co-operation, violation and making sense. journal of pragmatics, 33, 1601-1623. obeng, s. g. (1997). language and politics: indirectness in political discourse. discourse society, 8(1), 49-83. pikiran rakyat, (2006). sby gunakan bahasa ”terang”. bandung: pikiran rakyat. december 26, 2006. saifullah a.r. (2002). perwujudan prinsip kerja sama grice dalam teks wawancara: kasus wimar witoelar. journal of bahasa dan sastra vol 2, no. 2. page 155-170. bandung: fpbs of indonesia university of education. schiffrin, d. (1994). approaches to discourse. oxford uk & cambridge usa: blackwell. searle, j. (1975). indirect speech act. in: cole & morgan (eds.). syntax and semantics: speech acts (vol. 3).new york: academic press. sperber, d. & d. wilson. (1986). relevance: communication and cognition. 2nd edition. oxford: blackwell. http://www.korbanlumpur.info/ fahrus zaman fadhly flouts of the cooperative principle maxims in sby’s presidential interviews strauss, a. and corbin, j. (1990). basics of qualitative research: grounded theory procedures and techniques. sage publications. the jakarta post. (2010). four years on, victims of lapindo mudflow still in limbo. the jakarta post. retrieved 30th may, 2010 from: http://thejakartapost.com. ---------------------. (2008).mudflow victims, govt agree to settle compensation. the jakarta post. retrieved 12th may, 2010 from: http://thejakartapost.com. thomas, j. (1995).meaning in interaction: an introduction to pragmatics. new york: longman group limited. tubb, s.l, and moss, s. (1994). human communication. singapore: mcgrawhill book co. van dijk, t. a. (1998). news as discourse. hillsdale. new jersey: lawrence erlbaum associates. van dijk, t. a. (2000). critical discourse analysis. retrieved 30th may, 2012 from: http: www.hum.uvan.nl/teun. yule, g. (1996). pragmatics. new york: oxford university press. wilamová, s. (2005). on the function of hedging devices in negatively polite discourse. brno studies in english. 25 (2005): 86-93. zhang, f. & you, h. (2009). motives of indirectness in daily communication: an asian perspective. journal of asian culture and history, 1(2), 99-102. http://the/ http://the/ table3.therealizationoffunctionsandwaysof blum-kulkaandoldstain.(1984).requestandapolo brown,p.&levinson,s.(1978).universalsinlan lkbnantara.(2006).presidenakanlebihgunakan -------------------.(2006).disambutbaiktekadp -------------------,(2006).amienrais:presiden thejakartapost.(2010).fouryearson,victims english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 151 pragmatic transfer in apology employed by english education students of islamic state university (uin) raden fatah tiara eliza english education study program, faculty of economy, palembang university, indonesia e-mail: tiaraeliza90@gmail.com apa citation: eliza, t. (2019). pragmatic transfer in apology employed by english education students of islamic state university (uin) raden fatah. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 151-158. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1631. received: 23-01-2019 accepted: 26-04-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: this study intends to find out and to describe apology strategies made by the sixth and eighth semester students of english education study program of islamic state university (uin) raden fatah palembang, and to explain how the pragmatic transfer interferes the apology strategies. this study used a qualitative descriptive design. written discourse completion tasks and observation by doing a role play were used as the instruments to obtain the data. there were 66 students selected as the subjects of study. the data obtained were analyzed based on the classification of apology strategy proposed by olshtain and cohen (1983). as result, it was found that there were five apology strategies made by the students, for example, using the word „sorry‟ to express „regret‟ was considered the most frequently used strategy. then, the result also showed that the speakers who have low social status tend to use polite strategy in all levels of social relationships (strangers and acquaintances). for the speakers who have high social status and equal tend to use less polite and casual expressions, respectively. moreover, some students use some pragmatic transfers in expressing apology strategies influenced by their l1 (mother tongue) or l2 (indonesian) culture. keywords: apology strategies; interlanguage; pragmatics; pragmatic transfer; speech act. introduction apology plays an important role in community as human beings live in a social group. apology is a fundamental speech act which is part of human communication that occurs in every culture to maintain good relations between interlocutors (brown & levinson, 1987; olshtain & cohen, 1983). thus, an apology is a compensatory action for the offense that has been done by someone in order to maintain social harmony among the speaker and hearer. apology is one of the most frequently used expressing among the speech acts employed in daily communication (qorina, 2012). then, if it refers to the apology terms in indonesian, the expressions of apology tend to make a request for forgiveness. that is why, the term of „i apologize‟ do not exist. expressions of regret exist, but are not generally used for apologizing (wouk, 2006). moreover, sometimes, there is a repetition in expressing apology used by indonesian. it means that they repeat their apology expressions to emphasize their offense, hence, reducing threat on the hearer and hopefully making their expression can be received by the hearer (syahri & kadarisman, 2007). for example, (1) please forgive me, i did not attend to your party yesterday. i have something to do. once again forgive me. (2) sorry, my friend. i do not come to your birthday party. once again i beg your forgiveness. the repetition shows the regret to their offense, so that is why they repeat it in order to get the hearer‟s forgiveness and show a kind of speaker‟s politeness as an offender. it is assumed that if they minimize the cost to the hearers, the requests for forgiveness will probably be fulfilled. the speakers attempt to minimize the cost to hearers by repeating apology expressions or at least reducing the unexpected consequences from their offense (wouk, 2006). if it refers to target language culture, there was no repeating in expressing their regrets. those transfers have occurred by the effects of social conditions in language using. in this case, apology strategies are obviously significant in social life to get an excuse for any inappropriate action done. there are a number of strategies that the apologizer chooses to perform an apology. goffman (1971) states that for an apology to be successful, the apologizer has to consider three factors: acknowledging of an offense, taking responsibility for the offense, and offering compensation. in order to know how to express apology appropriately, the speakers must tiara eliza pragmatic transfer in apology employed by english education students of islamic state university (uin) raden fatah 152 have pragmatic competence to understand what they are talking about in order to make the interaction successful. moreover, moghaddam (2012) states a learner having good grammatical competence may not be pragmatically competent in communication. sometimes, there is misunderstanding that occurs among the learners. they are sometimes not able to understand the utterances pragmatically. thus, to avoid misinterpreting, pragmatics plays an important role. that is why pragmatics is indispensable to be taught. further, some second/foreign language learners have been claimed to make errors in using speech acts to communicate with native speakers of the target language because of the complexity of speech acts since they are conditioned by social, cultural, situational and personal factors (cohen & olshtain, 1993). related to this, since english is a foreign language in indonesia, the speakers/learners generally apply the rules of their l1 when they speak in l2. hence, the result is communication breakdown or communication conflict occurs (istifci, 2009). the problem which occurs in their communication is called a negative transfer from l1 to l2 when they speak in english. then, to solve this problem the learners must know the social and culture in l1 and l2. that may make the learners aware and familiar with how they should understand the meaning of the utterance or expression, and social cultural aspect of l2 based on its context and function. hence, pragmatic transfer takes an important role in this study. it facilitates the students to learn cross cultural understanding and cultural norms in english context. pragmatic transfer is the way to produce the utterances in l1 which is not applied sufficiently in producing utterances in l2. in this case, the learners tend to transfer their native social and cultural norms into the target language (bu, 2012). in line with this, franch (1998) states that pragmatic transfer refers to the influence of the first language (l1) in communication when the speakers use l2. transfer occurs in two ways: 1) negative transfer or interference occurs when the two languages do not share the same language system, resulting in the productions of errors, and 2) positive transfer or facilitation, when the two languages share the same language system and the target form is correctly transferred. related to this, interlanguage takes an important part in this study. interlanguage can be defined as the type of language produced by second and foreign language learners who are in the process of learning a language (richards & sukwiwat, 1983) as cited in (franch, 1998). by discussing apology speech act realization in interlanguage pragmatics, it is positive for teacher to facilitate the students to learn cross cultural understanding and cultural norms in english context, such as how english native speakers perform apology in various context and situations, so it can help them to communicate in english appropriately and naturally. most of research in pragmatics has investigated the speech act of apology in different languages employed by native and nonnative speaker (olshtain & cohen, 1983; sugimoto, 1998; nureeden, 2007; jebahi, 2011; tamimi sa‟ad & mohammadi, 2014; syahri & kadarisman, 2007). related to this, the writer investigated pragmatic transfer potentially occurs due to cultural or language differences. that is, the transfer occurs due to the norms derived from their native cultures. therefore, this study aims at explaining how the pragmatic transfer interfere the apology strategies and finding out the apology strategies of english education students as efl learners. this study employed the apology strategies provided by olshtain and cohen (1983) as cited in ellis (2012). there were five categories of the apology strategies. in the first category is divided into three sub strategies while the second category is divided into four sub strategies. 1) an illocutionary force indicating device (ifid). a. an expression of regret. e.g. i'm sorry b. an offer of apology. e.g. i apologize c. a request for forgiveness. e.g. excuse me 2) an expression of the speaker‟s responsibility for the offense. a. explicit self-blame. b. lack of intent. c. expression of self-deficiency. d. recognizing the other person as deserving apology 3) explanation or account. e.g. i was trapped in the traffic jam. 4) an offer of repair. e.g. i'll pay for the damage. 5) a promise of forbearance. e.g. it won't happen again. method the study used a qualitative analytical method. it was indicated by the characteristics of the techniques of collecting and analyzing the data. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 153 the subjects of this study were the students of english education study program of islamic state university (uin) raden fatah palembang. they were at the 6 th and 8 th semesters in academic year of 2013/2014. there were sixty six students selected as the subjects of study, thirty five students are in the sixth semester and thirty one are in the eighth semester. there were two types of instruments used in collecting data. the first was discourse completion test (dct). gass and slinker (2001) stated that the dct had been used in a number of studies to gather data for native and non-native speakers concerning particular speech acts (apologies, compliments, refusal, request etc). that is a set of written questionnaire accompanied by brief situational descriptions. the dct used for this study consisted of 25 apologizing situations which were adapted from tuncel (2011) and distributed to the samples. since there were 25 apologizing situations, it was observed in 25 times. the second instrument was observation by using a role play. there were 40 students (20 students for each semester and they were divided into 10 pairs) was selected as the participants for the role-plays. they were asked to produce dialogues based on the scenarios written in the role-plays. the scenarios were taken from dct questionnaire. the procedures were conducted carefully to maintain continuous participation of all the participants. in order to prevent repeating other participants‟ utterances, the researcher put each scenario on a piece of paper and rolled the papers into coupons. they were given opportunities to take two coupons randomly and produce dialogues in front of the class with their fellow students. they practiced the role-play in pairs. these stages were done several times in several meetings until every subject played the scenarios provided, it depends on the student. as a result, there were 40 dialogues that were recorded and transcribed. in analyzing the data, firstly, the participants‟ responses were identified and then coded according to the strategies adopted from olshtain and cohen (1983) as cited in ellis (2012). secondly, the researcher identifies the development strategies used by the students. after that, the researcher identifies the context of pragmatic transfer in expressing apology. the data were then tabulated based on the classification and were interpreted. finally, the conclusion was drawn based on the findings. results and discussion it was found that the respondents use many strategies in expressing their apology, such as an expression of regret, a request for forgiveness, explanation, and offering repair. table 1. the frequency of the occurrences of apology strategies in dct questionnaire apology strategies frequency percent valid percent cumulative percent an expression of regret (1a) 386 27.8 27.8 27.8 an offer of apology (1b) 27 1.9 1.9 29.8 a request for forgiveness (1c) 85 6.1 6.1 35.9 explicit self blame (2a) 39 2.8 2.8 38.7 lack of intent (2b) 75 5.4 5.4 44.1 expression of self deficiency (2c) 246 17.7 17.7 61.8 recognizing the other person as deserving apology (2d) 5 4 4 62.2 explanation or account (3) 277 20.0 20.0 82.1 offer of repair (4) 217 15.6 15.6 97.8 promise of forbearance (5) 31 2.2 2.2 100.0 total 1388 100.0 100.0 table 1 presents the total percentage of apology strategies used by the participants. the result reveals that an expression of regret is the most frequent apology strategy used with total of 386 (27.8%). expression of deficiency and explanation are the other strategies which are used extensively (from 17.7 to 20%). no other strategy is found for more than 27% of the data. table 2. the frequency of the occurrences of apology strategies in role play apology strategies frequency percent valid percent cumulative percent an expression of regret(1a) 1 2.5 2.5 2.5 tiara eliza pragmatic transfer in apology employed by english education students of islamic state university (uin) raden fatah 154 an offer of apology (1b) 0 0 0 0 a request for forgiveness (1c) 2 5.0 5.0 7.5 explicit self blame (2a) 2 5.0 5.0 12.5 lack of intent (2b) 0 0 0 0 expression of self deficiency (2c) 8 20.0 20.0 32.5 recognizing the other person as deserving apology (2d) 0 0 0 0 explanation or account (3) 19 47.5 47.5 80.0 offer of repair (4) 5 12.5 12.5 92.5 promise of forbearance (5) 3 7.5 7.5 100.0 total 40 100.0 100.0 table 3 shows the total percentage of apology strategies in all situations by using role play. the result reveals that there are differences between the total percentage of apology strategies by using dct and role play. an explicit expression of apology, particularly the strategy of explanation or account, is the most frequent apology strategy used with total of 19 (47.5%). expression of self-deficiency and offer of repair strategies are the other strategies which are used extensively (12.5%). no other strategy is found for more than 47% of the data. the followings are the analysis and discussion of the strategies and expressions used by the sample students. explanation or account it is an expression that gives a reason of the cause of the offense. in other words, the speaker explains why violation or damage happened. it shows that justifying the offense by explaining the reason. situation 25: coming late at friend’s birthday party (8) i am sorry darling. i was late because of traffic jam. there are some factors that need to be considered in analyzing discourses or expression used in society, namely, age, gender, time, place, and social status which is divided into three levels: high, equal and low (holmes, 1989), and social distance which is divided into three levels: stranger, acquaintance, and intimate (brown & levinson, 1987). this situation explained that a speaker invited to come to his/her friend birthday dinner at a restaurant but s/he was late. this situation took place at a restaurant. it was used by the speakers because the speaker had equal social status. beside social status, the aspects of social distance also have influenced the speaker in using that expression because the speaker uses the word “darling”. it is a kind of endearment expression which indicates that the speaker has known the hearer well. thus, they are intimates in terms of social distance. the endearment markers are often used when the speaker and hearer have close relationship in terms of social distance. in the aspects of age, they are in the same age as friends. then, the aspects of gender and time are not known in this context. furthermore, at the end of this utterance, the speaker says the reason why he/she comes late. in this case, the speaker does not only express his/her intimacy but also an explanation for the offense. it indicates that the speaker does not intend to come late. the speaker embedded his/her apology expression with utterances aiming to minimize hearer‟s wrathfulness because of the speaker‟s carelessness. expression of self-deficiency it indicates that the offender attributes the reason of the offense to herself/himself, such as i was confused, i was not thinking, i forgot, etc. situation 1: a speaker forgets to get-together with a friend. the speaker calls him to apologize. this is the second time the speaker forgot such a meeting. (15) i am sorry, i really forget to our meeting (16) i am so sorry darling, i really forget to inform you, actually i have promised with my mom to accompany her to go the market. i will not do it again. in analyzing an expression, there is one thing that needs to be considered, namely context. the context includes age, gender, time, place, social status, and social distance. expression (15) was used by the speaker because the speaker and hearer have equal social status. this utterance is incorrect. it should be “i am sorry. i really forget to come to our meeting.” besides social status, the aspects of social distance also influence the speaker to use the expression (15) because the speakers have known each other. in other words, they are acquaintances in terms of social distance. in the aspects of age, they are in the same age as friends. meanwhile, the aspects of gender and time are not known in this context. then, the speaker uses an intensification expression as s/he english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 155 uses the word “really”. in english, intensification is mainly achieved through the use of adverbs, such as terribly, really, so, awfully, please, etc. to upgrade the impact of the utterances/apologies on the hearers/offended. in other words, the speaker attempts to reduce the hearer‟s dissatisfaction because s/he forgot the meeting twice. it means that the speaker shows regret and request for forgiveness for his/her mistake. expression (16) was used by the speaker with the same purpose (with #15). that is, to show that the speaker forgets the meeting twice, but it sounds more different as s/he uses the word “darling”. in this context, the speaker should not say „darling‟ because it is just used for those people who have close relationship, such as parents and children, husband and wife, and lovers. this is inappropriate. the speaker should not have said „darling‟ because they are just friends. it is also a kind of endearment expressions which indicates that the speaker has known the hearer well. in other words, they are intimates in terms of social distance. the endearment markers are often used when the speaker and hearer have close relationship in terms of social distance. in this case, the speaker does not only express the endearment expression, but also a compensatory action, such as “i will not do it again”. it designates the speaker‟s responsibility to the hearer. the speaker embedded his/her apology expression with utterances aiming to minimize hearer‟s wrathfulness because of the speaker‟s carelessness. offer of repair it is an expression used by the speaker attempting to repair or pay for the damage caused by his/her offense. some utterances used are “i will pay for the damage”, and “i promise to repair it.” situation 13: the speaker has broken his/her friend’s motorcycle. (28) i am sorry. i get the accident and your motorcycle was broken because of us, but i promise to you. i will repair it soon may be tomorrow. i am sorry. thank you, friend. (29) sorry bro, i have broken your motorcycle and i do not have money to repair it. expression (28) showed the speaker and hearer were equal in terms of social status. in addition to social status, the aspects of social distance also influence the speaker to use the expression (28) because the speaker uses the word “friend”. it is a kind of solidarity markers which are often used when the speaker and the hearer have intimate relationship. this expression has a function as a flattery to diminish the hearer‟s wrathfulness. it shows that the speaker feels so close to the hearer. thus, they are intimates in terms of social distance. in the last statement, the speaker expresses about a compensatory action by saying that the speaker will repair it soon. it is clear that the speaker shows his/her responsibility for that accident. then, this situation takes place in a campus corridor. in the aspects of age, they are equal, while the aspects gender shows that they are males. the information of all these aspects was gotten by role play which was recorded and transcribed. moreover, expression (29) was used by the speaker with the same purpose (with #28), that is, to show that the motorcycle was broken but it sounds more impolite as s/he uses the word “i do not have money to repair it”. it indicates that the speaker does not care with his/her friend‟s motorcycle, it is a contradictory with expression (28) in which the speaker just says that the motorcycle has been broken by him/her and s/he has not money to repair it. it designates that the speaker is irresponsible. pragmatic transfer in apology strategies used by the students pragmatic transfer refers to the influence of the first language (l1) in communication when the speakers use l2. generally, pragmatic transfer occurs in two ways that is negative and positive transfer. a negative transfer causes an error in communication, while positive transfer or facilitation facilitates a communication. further, kasper (1992) proposes two kinds of pragmatic transfer, pragma-linguistic and socio-pragmatic transfer. pragma-linguistic transfer occurs when the utterances from the l1 speakers are not applied insufficiently in l2 utterances. meanwhile, the socio-pragmatic transfer occurs by the effects of social conditions in language using. it contains many variables, such as social status and social distance relationship. the following utterances produced by the respondents can be some examples on how the pragmatic transfer interferes the strategy in expressing apology. situation 9: a speaker and a friend have arranged to go to a concert together. he/she promised to buy the tickets. but, when his/her friend comes round in the evening of the concert, he/she realizes that he/she has forgotten to get the tickets tiara eliza pragmatic transfer in apology employed by english education students of islamic state university (uin) raden fatah 156 (11) ya allah, really sorry. i forgot to buy it because i have something to do. situation 6: a speaker went to friend’s apartment. accidentally, he/she was broken friend’s small ornament. (12) astaghfirullah, i am so sorry. i did not mean to break your ornament. situation 18: a speaker was late to submit an assignment. (13) assalamualaikum, excuse me sir. i have mistake with you because for being late to return your book. situation 25: a speaker was late to come to his/her friend’s birthday party. (14) oh my friend, hbd barakallah, sorry for being late, i am so sorry. in examples (11, 12, 13 and 14), the underline words show the religiosity of the respondents because some indonesian people tend to be religious, especially for moslem and it often appears in their utterances. the utterances above “ya allah”, “astaghfirullahal’adzim”, assalamualaikum and barakallah” are identical with islam and often expressed by moslem in their daily conversation. the utterance “ya allah” is almost the same with “oh my god”, while “astaghfirullahal’adzim” is usually said when someone forget about something. however, the semantic meaning of “astaghfirullahal’adzim” is actually “asking for apology to god”. meanwhile, “assalammualaikum” in the example (13) shows a greeting action which is expressed by the speaker when he/she meets to other moslem, in this case the speaker wants to return lecturer‟s book. then, the speaker looks his/her lecturer in corridor. so, that is why the speaker expresses greetings to start the conversation. moreover, the word “barakallah” is an expression to pray someone. many indonesian people have used it in their daily conversation. those transfers have occurred by the effects of social conditions in language using. situation 23: a teacher asks the student to help her but at the same time the student has an appointment for job interview. (15) i am sorry, miss. i cannot help you. i have job interview today once again i am sorry. situation 3: the speaker was late to return friend’s book. (16) i am so sorry, i was late to return it, guys. it is my indecency. i am really sorry, sorry i will return that book to you. situation 5: the speaker was bump into an older lady in department store. it caused her packages spilled all over the floor and her leg was hurt. (17) i am sorry for my mistake. let’s go to the hospital. once again please, please and please apologize me. in examples (15, 16, and 17), the underline utterances show the respondent was repeating their apology expressions. sometimes, indonesian people have used it in their daily conversation. it shows the regret to their offense, therefore, they repeat it in order to get the hearer‟s forgiveness. if it refers to target language culture, there was no repeating in expressing their regrets (wouk, 2006,). those transfers have occurred by the effects of social conditions in language using. situation 10: a speaker at a restaurant with friends. the waiter takes the speaker’s order. a few minutes later, the speaker calls the waiter to change the order. (18) i am sorry. i want to change my order (19) sorry may i change my order other pragmatic transfers were in the form of politeness expressions. as syahri (2013) state pragmatic transfers can be a politeness motivated form where the ways the speaker initiated the request realizations. these expressions were the ways the subjects request to change the order. many of them used sorry or i am sorry instead of excuse me as the attention getters, meanwhile, native speakers of english would never start a request by saying, i m sorry. in this context, the speaker should not say “sorry” as it is not needed because s/he does not do anything wrong. the uses of sorry here were inappropriate in the context in which the speakers did not mean to express sorrows or regrets. in fact, they transferred the term maaf in indonesian to their requests. the natives of indonesian often used the term maaf to avoid ftas (termed by brown & levinson, 1987) or at least to reduce the impositions to others when doing things with words. then, the other pragmatic transfers were a form of intensification expressions, such as „please and really‟. the student/speaker tends to use these words to upgrade the impact of the utterances/apologies on the hearers. these words are frequently used by the speaker. furthermore, the endearment and solidarity expressions are often used when the speaker and hearer have close relationship in terms of social distance. example of endearment expressions are “my beloved friend, i am really sorry for being late to return your book”. it shows that the speaker and hearer have intimate relationship. the endearment markers are often used when the speaker and hearer have close relationship in english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 157 terms of social distance. the speaker embedded his/her apology expression with utterances aiming to minimize hearer‟s wrathfulness because of the speaker‟s carelessness. “i am so sorry darling, i really forget to inform you, actually i have promised with my mom”. in this context, the speaker should not have said „darling‟ because it is just used for those people who have close relationship such as parents and children, husband and wife, and lovers. this is inappropriate. the speaker should not have said „darling‟ because they are just friends. the other utterances are “my beautiful mom, i am sorry. i really forget to buy your order”, “sorry bro, i have been busy this morning”, “sorry, friend, i have broken your motorcycle”. these examples are a form of solidarity expressions. the speaker embedded his/her apology expression with utterances aiming to minimize the hearer‟s wrathfulness because of the speaker‟s carelessness. it was done in order to maintain harmonious relationship between both of them. furthermore, there is an honorific expression. it is usually used when the speaker has lower social status than the hearer, such as „sir, mr., boss, miss and professor. it is used to show the speaker‟s respect. for instance, „i beg your pardon professor, it‟s my own mistake”, “i am sorry miss, i was late”. conclusion there are five apology strategies used in this study, that is, ifids, taking on responsibility, explanation or account, offer of repair, and promise forbearance. the strategy of an expression of regret is the most frequent apology strategy used by the participants. meanwhile, expression of self-deficiency and explanation are the other strategies which are used extensively. furthermore, there are some different ways to express apology due to the social status and distance of the speakers and hearers. the speakers who have low social status tend to use polite strategy. it means that the speakers used appropriate and positive responses in three levels of social distance (intimate, stranger and acquaintance). those people who have equal social status tend to use casual expression of apology. meanwhile, those people who have high level of social status tend to use less polite expressions. then, the result of the combination realization in expressing apology strategies from the 6 th and 8 th semesters showed a similar pattern. it means that they used similar pattern of combination in expressing of apology strategy. after comparing and analyzing the data, the students of english education study program of islamic state university raden fatah palembang use some pragmatic transfer in expressing apology. pragmatic transfer occurred when the speakers are influenced by socio-cultural aspects like social status and distance. it would give a positive and negative effect in pragmatic transfer. in this case, the negative transfer was the most frequent pragmatic transfer used by the participants/students. acknowledgement i am deeply grateful to professor diemroh ihsan, ma., ph.d. and professor dr. indawan syahri, m.pd. for their invaluable comments and suggestions on this article. all errors that remain are my own. references brown, p., & levinson. (1987). some universals in language usage. cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. bu, j. (2012). a study of relationships between l1 pragmatic transfer and l2 proficiency. english language teaching, 5(1), 32-43. doi: 10.5539/elt.v5n1p32. cohen, a. d., & olshtain, e. (1993). the production of speech acts by efl learners. tesol quarterly. 27(1), 33-56. doi: 10.1177/026553228500200103. ellis, r. (2012). the study of second language acquisition. usa: oxford university press. gass, s. m., & slinker, l. (2001). second language acquisition an introductionary course. marwah, nj: lawrence erlbaum associates publisher. goffman, e. (1971). relations in public: microstudies of the public order. new york, ny: basic books. holmes, j. (1989). sex differences and apologies: one aspect of communicative competence. applied linguistics, 10(2), 194-213. istifci, i. (2009). the use of apologies by efl learners. journal of english language teaching, 2(3), 15-25. jebahi, k. (2011). tunisian university students‟ choice of apology strategies in a discourse completion task. journal of pragmatics, 43(2), 648-662. doi: 10.1016/j.pragma.2010.09.008. kasper, g. (1992). pragmatic transfer. second language research, 8(3), 203-231. doi: 10.1177/026765839200800303. moghaddam, m. m. (2012). discourse structures of condolence speech act. journal of english language teaching and learning. 1(10), 106125. tiara eliza pragmatic transfer in apology employed by english education students of islamic state university (uin) raden fatah 158 olshtain, e., & cohen, a. d. (1983). apology: a speech act set. sociolinguistics and language acquisition, 5(20), 18-35. qorina, d. (2012). realization of apology strategies by english department students of pekalongan university. journal of language and literature, 7(1), 93-105. sugimoto, n. (1998). norms of apology depicted in us american and japanese literature on manners and etiquette. international journal of intercultural relations, 22(3), 251-276. syahri, i. (2013). resemblance of indirectness in politeness of efl learners‟ request. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 3(1), 148-165. syahri, i., & kadarisman, a. e. (2007). pragmatic transfer in request realization. teflin journal, 18(2), 123-147. tamimi sa‟d, s. h., & mohammadi, m. (2014). a cross-sectional study of iranian efl learners' polite and impolite apologies. journal of language and linguistic studies, 10(1), 119136. tuncel, r. (2011). apologizing and speech act realizations of turkish efl learners. paper presented at international conference on management, economics and social sciences (icmess) bangkok. retrieved from http://psrcentre.org/images/extraimages/121179 9.pdf. wouk, f. (2006). the language of apologizing in lombok, indonesia. journal of pragmatics, 38(6), 1457-1486. doi: 10.1016/j.pragma.2005.09.011. http://psrcentre.org/images/extraimages/1211799.pdf http://psrcentre.org/images/extraimages/1211799.pdf bridging the gap between needs analysis and course evaluation insights english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee bridging the gap between needs analysis and course evaluation insights rubina khan department of english, university of dhaka, bangladesh e-mail: rkhan@agni.com tazin aziz chaudhury department of english, university of dhaka, bangladesh e-mail: tazinchaudhury@yahoo.com apa citation: khan, r. & chaudhury, t. a. . (2013). bridging the gap between needs analysis and course evaluation insights. english review: journal of english education, 1(2),191-199 received: 09-04-2013 accepted: 22-04-2013 published: 01-06-2013 abstract: the “advancing english skills”, textbook was compiled and introduced about a decade ago, at the faculty of humanities, dhaka university, bangladesh, to teach the foundation english courses, to freshmen students from thirteen departments, including english. today the course is still being taught at some departments. the department of english scrapped the foundation course, but the textbook is still being used for another compulsory course. this paper presents the findings of a study conducted to determine the english language needs of students (60) and teachers (30) at the humanities faculty of dhaka university. additionally a two prong evaluation of the course and materials from the viewpoints of both students and teachers of the humanities faculty was carried out, in order to shed light on the nature, effectiveness, and objectives of the course. strengths and shortcomings of the present course, and areas of mismatch between the students’ needs and the course, were identified. suggestions have been made, to improve the english language courses based on these findings, and implications for pedagogy have been highlighted. keywords: needs analysis, course evaluation, perceptions, ability, mismatch introduction english is a part of bangladesh’s colonial heritage; the language of the educated elite and not commonly used in daily interaction. post-independence english was de-emphasized in education and replaced by bangla in all official domains, as a result english standards fell to abysmal depths in public schools and universities (choudhury, 2001). however, almost 95% of the texts and reference books are in english, this resulted in the necessity of giving time, attention and energy to the learning of english (alam, 2001). bangladesh is a monolingual nation with no need for a second language for internal communication, yet the contemporary labor market needs a work force competent in english as participation in the global economy has opened up job opportunities where english competency is a prerequisite for employment (tsui & tollefson, 2007). public universities had to fulfill the demands of industry in order to make their graduates employable. thus compulsory english for academic purposes (eap) courses were implemented in the freshman year in all mailto:rkhan@agni.com mailto:tazinchaudhury@yahoo.com rubina khan & tazin aziz chaudhury bridging the gap between needs analysis and course evaluation insights public universities from the 1994-95 academic sessions, to improve the english proficiency of graduates, in accordance with the ministry of education and the university grants commission’s directives. over a decade ago elt experts at dhaka university (du), the premier institution for tertiary and higher education in bangladesh, designed and implemented the foundation english course, an elt course to teach freshmen students from thirteen departments at the faculty of humanities, du and compiled and introduced the “advancing english skills”, textbook. as the course had to be prepared and introduced within a specified deadline the courses were designed and implemented sans a proper needs analysis; once implemented, the concerned authorities never evaluated the course. the logistical constraints, problems, limitations of students and teachers were never acknowledged or explored. despite teaching compulsory english for an entire academic year, the general standard of the students’ english proficiency is unsatisfactory. this study focused on identifying the specific english language needs of the students and teachers, of the different departments of the faculty of arts of du and evaluated the effectiveness of the existing elt course and textbook. finally recommendations have been made on the basis of insights obtained from the needs analysis and course evaluation findings. the method of identifying learners’ needs is termed needs analysis (na). na is a prominent feature and vital element in designing any eap syllabus (munby, 1978; robinson, 1991). gardner and winslow (1983) affirmed that a na should be conducted “to produce information which when acted upon makes a course better adapted to the students’ needs” (gardner and winslow cited in dudley-evans & st john 1998, p. 121). nunan (1999) classified na into two processes: content needs and process needs.na is not a be-all end-all activity rather it is a continuing process in which the conclusions drawn are constantly checked and reviewed. several bangladeshi researchers and curriculum experts strongly recommended that na be conducted at du and other bangladeshi universities on the needs of bangladeshi, tertiary level learners. haque & zaman (1994) urged that: “the efl course should aim at academic purposes and learner needs/wants as -the learners’ needs and wants tremendously control the whole package of teaching materials, aids and equipment, and the application of teaching techniques and strategies, the employment of classroom activities and, most importantly, the method of teaching and the construction of the syllabus” (haque & zaman 1994, p. 79). more recently khan (2000) noted that: “the syllabus needs to be revised and developed -the content -needs to be outlined clearly -rewritten keeping in mind the needs and demands of the students. -before revising the syllabus a needs analysis could also be carried out to determine student needs” (khan 2000, p. 106-107). according to weir and roberts (1994) evaluation is an indispensable part of na and provides the means for determining whether any program is meeting its goals; that is, whether, the measured outcomes for a given set of instructional inputs match the intended or pre-specified outcomes i.e. evaluation english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee is carried out to see whether the stated objectives have been achieved. similarly tuckman (1985) claims that the success of a language program in terms of innovations and implementation can be determined by systematic evaluation. the main purposes of evaluation in language education projects and programs are for accountability or developmental purposes (rea-dickins and germaine 1998). norris (1990) said that evaluation may be based on an “objectives model”-to see how far objectives have been met; or a “developmental model”-to identify strengths and weaknesses of the design and methodological procedures or both (norris, 1990 as referred by ellis, 1998). so evaluation is integral to professional practice; systematic evaluation generates relevant data and information about the program’s innovation or whether changes need to be made in the course outline and selected materials and how far it can be continued or whether it is transferable etc. the whole educational process that is the refining an elt program cannot be completed without a methodical evaluation procedure. in order to contextualize the present study, several studies conducted, on na and language program evaluation are reported and discussed in this section. khan (2000) evaluated the english foundation course at the arts faculty at du. she identified several constraints and problems of the initial course and recommended that a formal needs analysis needs to be carried out on the basis of which the course objectives, content and materials need to be revised and rewritten. in a related study, akin and guceri (2001) carried out a "macro materials evaluation" at bilkent university, turkey. it was found that the materials were not satisfactory. on the basis of this materials evaluation study, improvement plans for producing more effective materials were adopted. a need assessment was conducted by banu (1993) at the institute of modern languages (iml) of du. the iml course partly fulfilled students’ expectations. the lack of motivation and high drop-out rate in the course was due to the students’ dissatisfaction. the study provided informed suggestions for course improvement. chaudhury (2011) conducted a needs analysis to identify the english language learning needs of students and teachers at the humanities faculty of dhaka university. the needs analysis revealed discrepancy between the students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the students’ english proficiency. mismatches were also found between the humanities students’ english language needs and the content and objectives of the english courses that were being taught. more recently hossain (2012) conducted a survey at presidency university, dhaka, bangladesh. the survey investigated: the problems students faced in studying eap. on the basis of its findings tangible recommendations to augment course content and materials were made. basturkmen and al-huneidi (1996) conducted a needs analysis to study the english language needs and attitudes of students and faculty in kuwait university’s college of petroleum and engineering. a database of information about study in the college, language needs, perceptions, expectations for english courses, was generated and this was used as a resource primarily for curriculum design. zhu & flaitz (2005) conducted a na at a public university in the united states. rubina khan & tazin aziz chaudhury bridging the gap between needs analysis and course evaluation insights the objective was to create a basis for assessing the relevance of the institution’s current english second language program and identify common problems faced by students and faculty members. the findings of the present research reflected and confirmed different strands of the findings from all the aforementioned studies. method amixed method design involving survey questionnaires, classroom observations and interviews was employed for the purposes of this study. the respondents were second year students, english language teachers and subject teachers from the departments of history, philosophy and linguistics at the humanities faculty of du. table 1 illustrates the details of the respondents and the data collection tools used. computer coded questionnaires using a five-point likert scale to assess responses to close-ended questions was used to determine the students’ and teachers’ perceptions. the completed questionnaires were analyzed using spss software. for easy reference the data has been presented in table form and frequency counts and percentages have been used to describe the findings and data analyses.  questionnaires were given to 60 second year students from the departments of history, philosophy and linguistics at the humanities faculty of dhaka university.  corresponding questionnaires were given to 30 subject teachers and language teachers from these departments.  classroom observation and document study (students’ work, course outlines etc.) was used to clarify and corroborate questionnaire findings  semi-formal interviews were conducted with subject, language teachers and students to further clarify and corroborate findings table 1.research instruments and respondents respondents questionnaires document study classroom observation 2nd year students of dhaka university from the faculty of humanities 60 √ √ (5 hours) teachers 30 ― ― results and discussion the humanities students’ and teachers’ perspectives regarding the four language skills and the existing elt course are presented in this section. the first section presents the students’ perceptions vis a vis the four skills. humanities students’ perceptions of reading ability findings revealed that a considerable number of students are “weak” at:  reading to respond critically (43.3%)  understanding a writer’s attitude and purpose (28.4%)  understanding and interpreting charts, graphs, tables (23.4%)  guessing the meanings of unknown words from their context (20%)  looking through a text quickly to find specific information (20%) hence inadequacy is apparent in the reading sub-skills. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee humanities students’ perceptions of writing ability a significant number of students were reported to be “weak” at:  adopting appropriate tone and style (41.6%)  organizing paragraphs (33.3%)  organizing the overall assignment (31.7%)  using appropriate vocabulary (31.7%)  following instructions & directions (31.6%)  expressing ideas appropriately (30.4%) thus weakness at the writing subskills is manifest. humanities students’ perceptions of listening ability results showed that several students were “weak” in:  understanding different english accents (28.4%)  understanding seminars and talks (26.6%)  carrying out instructions or directions (25%) so insufficiency in listening sub-skills is perceived. humanities students’ perceptions of speaking ability it was noted that many students were “weak” at:  delivering oral presentations or reports (35%)  explaining processes or procedures (43.3%)  brainstorming (36.7%)  taking part in class or tutorial or group discussions (25%)  speaking with other fluent speakers of english (38.3%) therefore inadequacy is marked in speaking sub-skills. students’ perceptions of course difficulty most students “sometimes-often” faced difficulty in the course as:  discussions in class were difficult (93.7%)  language of the course book/handout /materials were difficult(93.3%)  tasks and activities were difficult (93.3%)  difficulty in completing the given work on time in class (91.7%) thus the existing course, materials and tasks can be considered as extremely difficult for humanities students. teachers’ views on the present elt courses: the teachers’ perception of the existing english course was examined and the main results are highlighted below: reading sub-skills many teachers felt the course was “not helpful” in teaching:  understanding and interpreting charts or graphs or tables (36.7%)  understanding a writer’s attitude and purpose (26.7%)  reading to respond critically (23.5%)  guessing the meanings of unknown words from their context (16.6%) thus the reading component in the course can be considered inadequate. writing sub-skills a large number of teachers felt the course was “not helpful” in teaching:  adopting appropriate tone and style (26.7%)  organizing paragraphs (20%)  expressing ideas appropriately (16.7%)  using correct punctuation and spelling (13.3%)  structuring sentences (13.3%)  using appropriate vocabulary (13.3%) rubina khan & tazin aziz chaudhury bridging the gap between needs analysis and course evaluation insights  expressing what you want to say clearly (13.3%) so the prescribed writing component of the course may be considered unsatisfactory. listening sub-skills a lot of teachers felt the course was “not helpful” in teaching:  listening to and understanding seminars and talks (23.3%)  listening to and understanding lectures and notes (20%)  listening to and carrying out instructions and directions (16.7%)  listening to and understanding class and tutorial discussions (13.3%)  listening to and answering questions in class and tutorials (13.3%) this indicates that the listening module of the course may be considered as insufficient. speaking sub-skills some teachers felt the course was “not helpful” in teaching  expressing opinions or objections (30%)  explaining processes or procedures (26.7%)  asking questions (20%)  delivering oral presentations or reports (20%) consequently the prescribed course module for speaking can be considered ineffectual. the majority of the teachers were “unsure”, “disagreed” or “strongly disagreed” on the matter of whether the course helped their students to:  learn language usage (83.3%)  improve their english (70%)  feel confident about using english in their studies (70%) in general the teachers opined that the course book was not meeting students expectations:  reading sections are not interesting/motivating ( 80 %)  reading passages are not of appropriate difficulty level (80%) therefore the teachers did not feel that the course book content helped to develop their students’ english proficiency. course book evaluations in this section strengths and weaknesses of the textbook are highlighted and some suggestions for improvement are presented. teachers’ opinions on the “advancing english skills” textbook based upon interviews with teachers the following strengths of the textbook were established:  the topics are locally relevant and culturally appropriate  the textbook is suitable for preintermediate level  there is a good mix of easy and relatively more difficult texts  the textbook caters to students of different proficiency levels  the textbook moves from easy to difficult texts  the textbook mainly emphasizes upon reading and writing skills  the textbook sections on paragraph and essay writing are reasonably good however the following shortcomings were also identified:  the textbook is inadequate  the textbook has minimum mediation and scaffolding  the textbook has no coverage of the listening skill at all english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee  the grammar exercises in the textbook are inadequate  the text length is awkward as some texts in the textbook are too short and others are extremely lengthy  there is a mismatch between students’ present proficiency level and the difficulty level of the textbook’s reading passages  some of the texts in the textbook are not interesting enough  the text types in the textbook are limited in range and lack variety teachers’ suggestions for course improvement the teachers offered a range of suggestions for improving the course and textbook which could be taken into serious consideration in future course design. firstly it was suggested that the course be modified to cater to the needs of students of different abilities and levels. secondly it was recommended that all four skills be focused upon, particularly listening and speaking. it was also advised that some texts could be retained and a wider variety of texts could be added including authentic materials. additionally it was proposed that grammar could be reduced and subject specific vocabulary could be built up. moreover it was counseled that sentence formation should be focused upon along with the introduction of writing on social or practical issues, writing research papers and formal reports. lastly it was put forward that ict and multimedia presentations should also be included in the course. conclusion from the preceding discussion and observations, it appears that the current english course and “advancing english skills” course book leaves much to be desired and that there is plenty of scope for improvement in the present course that is being taught at the humanities faculty. the feedback from the teachers established that their students’ abilities fall short of the proficiency level that is required, to academically succeed at the tertiary level. moreover areas in which the english course is not fulfilling the teachers’ expectations have been identified. the humanities students’ perceptions of their specific needs were identified, their opinions about the present english course were ascertained; areas in which improvement is required were highlighted. future elt courses will be benefited greatly if the above mentioned needs and perceptions of humanities students and teachers are kept in mind whilst specifying the content and designing the courses. the needs analysis identified:  specific english language needs of the humanities faculty students  specific areas of difficulty in language learning that need improvement from both the teachers’ and students’ perception  the strengths and shortcomings of the present language course book  areas of mismatch between learners’ needs and the current course  suggestions for addressing the mismatches and bridging the gap this study raised awareness as it brought to light and provided information to teachers, curriculum experts, and decision makers about the existing course. it is important to remember that evaluation is an intrinsic part of teaching and learning and necessary because it provides specific pointers and guidelines to curriculum developers and practitioners for future development of planning and development of courses and for rubina khan & tazin aziz chaudhury bridging the gap between needs analysis and course evaluation insights management and implementation of classroom tasks and activities. the findings of this study pertaining to students’ language learning needs, lacks, wants, problems and difficulties, and teachers’ perception about students’ language proficiency have implications for future curriculum development. references akin, a.r., and m. guceri. (2001). a macro materials evaluation for better or for worse. the weekly column, article 56. retrieved on 4 november 2006 from http://www.eltnewsletter.com/back/ april2001/art562001.htm. alam f. (2001). the dhaka university english curriculum. revisioning english in bangladesh, p1-14. upl. banu, r. (1993). a comparative needs analysis: bangladeshi students at iml and one japanese student at georgetown university. journal of the institute of modern languages (ed.). basturkmen, h., and a. al huneidi (1996). the language needs analysis project at the college of petroleum engineering kuwait university. eric document. retrieved on 10/11/2008 chaudhury, t. a. (2011). identifying the english language needs of humanities students at dhaka university. journal of linguistics, 32-53. choudhury s. i. (2001). rethinking the two englishes. revisioning english in bangladesh, 15-27. upl crystal, d. (2003). english as a global language (2nd ed.). london: longman dudley evans, t., and m.j. st. john. (1998). developments in english for specific purposes: a multi-disciplinary approach. cambridge: cambridge university press. ellis, r. (1998) teaching and research: options in grammar teaching. tesol quarterly, 32, 139-60. flowerdew, j., and m. peacock. (2001). the eap curriculum: issues, methods, and challenges. in flowerdew, j and peacock, m. (eds.) issues in eap: a preliminary perspective. uk: cambridge university press haque, s. m. f., and m. maniruzaman. (1999). attitudinal and motivational impact on efl proficiency of undergraduates: afurther investigation. the dhaka university studies, 65-87. harvey, d. (1990). the condition of postmodernity. oxford: blackwell. hossain, m. d. (2012). eap course design: compromising with learner needs. research journal of commerce and behavioral science. 1(6), 7-13. hutchinson,t., and a. waters. (1987). english for specific purposes. cambridge: cambridge university press. jordan, r. (1997). english for academic purposes. cambridge: cambridge university press. khan, r. (2000). the english foundation course at dhaka university: an evaluation. the dhaka university studies, part a, 57(1), 77-110. kennedy, c. et al. (2001). sociolinguistics. birmingham: centre for english language studies. manivannan, g. (2006). the importance of the english language. retrieved on april 6, 2009.from http://www.usingenglish.com/teache rs/articles/importance-englishlanguage.html. munby, j. (1978). communicative syllabus design. cambridge: cambridge university press. nunan, d. (1999). second language teaching & learning. boston: heinle & heinle publishers. rahman, a. (2007). the history and policy of english education in bangladesh. in thehistories and policies of english education in asia. (ed) asia tefl series i (205-231) cobblestone austin tx rea-dickins, p., and k.p. germaine. (1998). (eds)managing evaluation and innovation in language teaching: building bridges. england: longman ltd. robinson, p, (1991). esp today. hemel hempstead: prentice hall. tsui, a. b. m. &j. w. tollefson. (2007). language policy and the construction http://www.eltnewsletter.com/back/april2001/art562001.htm http://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/articles/importance-english-language.html english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee of national cultural identity. in a. b. m. tsui & j. w. tollefson (eds.) language, policy, culture, and identity in asian contexts. lawrence erlbaum mahwah n.j. 1-24. tuckman, b. w. (1985). evaluating instructional programs. (2nd ed.) massachusetts, usa: allyn & bacon, inc. weir, c. and j. roberts. (1994). evaluation in elt. oxford, uk: blackwell publishers. zaman, n., r. khan, n. huq, z. alam, t. s. mahboob, and b. s. sinha (2000) advancing english skills. bangladesh: department of english university of dhaka. zhu, w., and j. flaitz. (2005). using focus group methodology to understand international students’ academic needs: a comparison of perspectives. teslej 8(4). english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 29 item analysis of reading comprehension test for post-graduate students ari arifin danuwijaya english education department, faculty of language and arts education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia e-mail: aridanuwijaya@upi.edu apa citation: danuwijaya, a. a. (2018). item analysis of reading comprehension test for postgraduate students. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 29-40. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1493. received: 14-08-2018 accepted: 23-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: developing a test is a complex and reiterative process which subject to revision even if the items were developed by skilful item writers. many commercial test publishers need to conduct test analysis, rather than trusting the item writers‟ judgement and skills to improve the quality of items that need to be proven statistically after trying out was performed. this study is a part of test development process which aims to analyse the reading comprehension test items. one hundred multiple choice questions were pilot tested to 50 postgraduate students in one university. the pilot testing was aimed to investigate item quality which can further be developed better. the responses were then analysed using classical test theory and using psychometric software called lertap. the results showed that item difficulty level was mostly average. in terms of item discrimination, more than half of the total items were categorized marginal which required further modifications. this study suggests some recommendation that can be useful to improve the quality of the developed items. keywords: reading comprehension; item analysis; classical test theory; item difficulty; test development. introduction tests have been widely used to demonstrate level of proficiency of the students, and at the same time function as policy instruments to implement educational standards (phakiti & roever, 2011). in many universities, tests have become the tools used to complete the requirements in the process of admission. however, in other universities, the policies have changed in which tests play a significant role to determine not only student admission, but also graduation from their academic programs (ma & cheng, 2015; mustafa & apriadi, 2016). with the increasing demand of proficiency test for postgraduate students in indonesian universities, many universities locally develop testing instrument that assess students‟ proficiency level in which most of the tests were in the form of multiple choice questions. however, studies on investigating item characteristics, such as item difficulty, item distractors, and others, in reading test are not widely exposed by the test developers or language centres in indonesia. item analysis is a crucial part in a test development process as it functions to provide information about items that should be improved in terms of quality for later tests or even be eliminated due to misleading (quaigrain & arhin, 2007). this part is often used in the creating item banking, and its iterative nature in analysing items could help test developers to examine whether one test is a sound test both pedagogically and psychometrically and to achieve better teaching and learning (tarrant, ware, & mohammed, 2009; ananthakrishnan, 2000). for the use of english language learners, it is suggested that the characteristics of a test should be carefully reviewed and analysed (abedi, 2002). several studies have been conducted to examine the processes of test development, ari arifin danuwijaya item analysis of reading comprehension test for post-graduate students 30 such as item analysis in multiple choice questions in the field of education (boopathiraj & chellamani, 2013), medical science (hingorjo & jaleel, 2012; mehta & mokhasi, 2014; patil, palve, vell, & boratne, 2016), and social work (qaqish, 2006); and the processes of item writing in language studies (kim et al., 2010; spaan, 2006, 2007). spaan‟s study (2006), for example, provides a practical approach of test development and item specifications. some steps were proposed to be taken by test developers, such as test purpose writing, study analysis and construct analysis, test design, and task and item specification development. another study conducted by kim et al. (2010) recounts personal journey in the process of item writing which reveals the issues and dynamics in item writing processes. as the item analysis is hardly found in english language testing, particularly in reading, this present study aims to provide an analysis of multiple choice items in reading test. reading comprehension reading comprehension can be defined as the ability to understand vocabulary in order to paraphrase and make a summary of information from the text (manarin, carey, rathburn, & ryland, 2015). it is the activity to reconstruct a message from written symbols to a form of a language, and it involves many cognitive processes and combines both decoding process and inferential activity so that readers can really comprehend the text (feng & chen, 2016; grabe, 1997; kendeou, muis, & fulton, 2011). the process is divided into two categories: lowerand higher-level processes (grabe & stoller, 2002; grabe, 2009). according to grabe (2009), lower-level processes involve word recognition, syntactic parsing and semantic-proposition encoding, while higher-level processes require text comprehension, in which good readers summarize important information from the text (grabe & stoller, 2002). in the context of english as a foreign language, reading english textbooks becomes a big issue, particularly for students with non-english background. in thailand, for example, reading skills seems to be the big problem to the students because most of them find reading english texts is difficult (phantharakphonga & pothithab, 2014). within the context of university setting, reading comprehension is part of critical reading that can be a determinant to academic success. lowes, peters, and turner (2004) argue that reading is essential to understand basic concepts of a subject, to gather information for completing assignments, and to improve english skill, particularly to increase vocabulary. one of many characteristics of reading at higher education is critical reading which involves such features as identifying patterns of textual elements, distinguishing main and supporting ideas, making credible evaluation and arguments, and making relevant inference about the text. turner, ireland, krenus and pointon (2011) further explains in university setting, extensive and careful reading is required in order to examine some different competing theories, for example, that leads to different ideas and information. there are a number of skills that can be assessed in reading comprehension. davis (1968), as cited in alderson (2000), suggests eight reading skills, including recalling word meanings, drawing inferences about meaning of a word in context, finding answers to questions answered explicitly or in paraphrase, weaving together ideas in the content, drawing inferences from the content, recognizing a writer‟s purpose, identifying a writer‟s technique, and following the structure of a passage. reading comprehension test (rct) a test is a tool that serves to make decisions related curriculum and other areas (brown, 1995; carr, 2011; spaan, 2006). brown (2004) points out that a test is a way of measuring one‟s ability, knowledge, or performance in a given domain. in language testing context, most tests measure test takers‟ competence, such ability to perform language skills to speak, write, listen, or read to one subset of language. these performance-based tests sample the testenglish review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 31 takers‟ actual use of language which infers general competence. a test of reading comprehension, for example, may consist of several short reading passages each followed by a limited number of comprehension questions. from the results of the test, the examiner may infer a certain level of general reading ability (brown, 2004). reading comprehension test (rct) is an instrument that measures university students‟ abilities in reading a wide array of texts. this high-stakes test is developed to assess reading skills of postgraduate school students, in which its result can be used as the requirement for students to have thesis examination. students need to obtain a certain score to have the examination. if the score cannot be reached, students are not allowed to take the exam. thus, rct can be viewed as a high-stakes test in the university. it consists of 100 multiple choice questions which test some skills in reading, such as the ability to understand main information in the text, scan detailed information, get the meaning of words, understand pronoun reference question, make inferences from the text, identify not-explicitly-stated information, and locate information in the text. constructing a test is not a simple task. it involves a science and art of many complex tasks, such as planning, test preparation and administration, scoring, statistical analysis, and test result report (brown, 2004; downing, 2010). one of crucial stages in test development is statistical analysis of a test. statistics are beneficial in language testing. during the first trial of the items, statistics can inform an analysis of each tested item. for example, a test designer can take the advantage of statistics to examine if the distractors work well in a multiple choice or the item is too difficult to answer. in addition, according to kunnan and carr (2013), statistical analysis functions to provide a summary of test takers‟ performance in a form of test scores. it informs the test developer about the descriptive statistics of the test takers‟ performance, such as the average score (mean), the most occurring score (mode), and the overall variation from the average (standard deviation value) (kunnan & carr, 2013). classical test theory one of essential statistical tools in the analysis of language test is classical test theory (ctt). ctt has given a significant contribution to the area of language testing. according to brown (2012), many university courses and textbooks in language testing discuss the general idea of ctt. besides, most language teachers and practitioners use ctt in their practice in language testing. thus, ctt appears to serve as the foundation for understanding all aspects of language testing, and understanding ctt becomes vital for a language test designer because ctt is a precondition for comprehending and using more forms of analysis (brown, 2012). brown (2012) suggests that there are main methods in ctt including item analysis (item facility, item discrimination, and distractor efficiency analysis), reliability estimates, the standard error of measurement, and various validity analysis. item analysis is a crucial procedure to improve the quality of objective test by investigating how effective an item is. the result of the analysis informs which item needs to be included, modified, or eliminated in the test. there are three procedures in test analysis: item facility, item discrimination, and distractor efficiency. item facility (if), often called as item difficulty, describes the proportion of test takers who correctly answered the item (brown, 2012; carr, 2011). brown (2012) argues that if 95% of the test takers answer an item correctly, then the item is categorized as very easy; on the other hand, an item is viewed as very difficult if it is answered by 11% of the test takers. in addition, carr (2011) suggests that the values of item facility range from 0.0 to 1.0 indicating none of the students answered correctly and every test taker answered it right respectively. ideal items would be items of intermediate facility – the items that ari arifin danuwijaya item analysis of reading comprehension test for post-graduate students 32 30-70% of the test takers answered correctly or within the range of 0.3 to 0.7 (brown, 2012; carr, 2011). items with if below 0.30 are usually deemed to be too difficult, and items with if above 0.7 are considered too easy (carr, 2011). in addition to item facility, an item can be analysed in terms of how well the given item distinguish between test takers with high and low ability, or commonly called as item discrimination (id) (carr, 2011; thorndike & thorndike-christ, 2010). there are two ways of calculating discrimination. one way is by “subtracting the number of students who got the item correct in the lower group (nl) from the number who got it correct in the upper group (nu) and dividing the difference by the number of the group (n)” (thorndike & thorndike-christ, 2010, p. 308). another way to estimate item discrimination is using a correlational approach, in which a correlation coefficient is calculated between the item score and the total score, known as point-biserial correlation coefficient (brown, 2012; carr, 2011). with the existence of scoring machine or psychometric software, the value of correlation computation can be easily performed. the value of id ranges between 0.00 and 1.00 and it can be positive or negative. items with the highest values (more than 0.5) need to be retained, the ones with the lowest (below 0.2) need to be eliminated, and the ones between 0.2 and 0.5 should be consider for modification (thorndike & thorndike-christ, 2010). according to brown (2012), it is desirable to include the items with high discrimination indexes in the revised test because including the high discrimination index items will lead to more reliable measurement overall, whereas including items with low discrimination will lead to less reliable measurement. the last item analysis is distractor efficiency analysis or distractor analysis. according to brown (2012), the distractors are essential parts of an item and function to show a relationship between the total test score and the distractor chosen. low scoring students should choose the distractors more often while students with high scores choose the correct option. thus, the function of efficiency analysis is to investigate how efficient the distractors are to divert test takers from the correct answer (brown, 2012). according to quaigrain and arhin (2017), if there is a distractor chosen by less than five per cent of the test takers, the distractor is called as a non-functioning distractor (nfd). by analysing the distractors, it is easier for test developer to make a decision whether the distractors are revised, replaced, or removed. the rationale for the development of the reading test is the needs to construct up-todate language test aiming to investigate postgraduate english reading skills in the university. the main objective of the study is to investigate item difficulty, discrimination, and distractor efficiency of multiple choice test items in reading comprehension. method this study aimed to examine the process of test development, particularly in the process of analysing multiple choice questions in reading skills, to improve item quality. the study was conducted at one language centre in one public university in indonesia. the centre was chosen because its availability to provide items for try-outs and analysis. as this is a trial test, only a small subset of target population involved in this study to provide useful information about the items (spaan, 2007). fifty postgraduate students from different majors (educational management, science and mathematics education, social sciences, and non-formal education) who aged from 20 – 45 years were involved in this study. the students were invited to take part in the pilot testing of the items in december 2016. a hundred of multiple choice questions had been written in 2016 but not yet pilot tested to get the evidence on item quality. these questions were written to provide information about reading proficiency among postgraduate students. the items were developed by five english language english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 33 teachers having more than three years of teaching experience. the items were constructed based on ten reading passages with the topics ranging from education, literature, social sciences, and others. the questions for each passage, as shown in table 1, aim at assessing reading skills, including skills in skimming for main idea, scanning for stated detailed information, deducing meaning of unfamiliar words, pronoun resolution, making inference, understanding unstated information, and scanning to locate specific information (alderson, 2000; shirvan, 2016). table 1. reading skills in multiple choice questions reading skills number of questions item number skimming for main idea 6 1,11,21,51,61,90 scanning for detailed information 29 2,4,6,9,15,16,19,27,28,32,39,47,50,55,57,62,65,66,6 8,74,77, 80,84,85,86,89 ,96,97,100 deducing the meaning and the use of unfamiliar lexical item 32 3,8,10,13,14,18,23,24,26,31,36,37,45,48,49,53,56,5 8, 59,63,64,67,70,72,73,75,78,82,87,93,94,98 pronoun resolution 10 5,25,29,33,35,42,46,54,71,83 making inference 10 7,20,22,30,41,43,69,76,81,88 understanding information when not explicitly stated 7 12,34,38,44,91,92,99 scanning to locate specific information 6 17,40,52,60,79,95, total questions 100 the items were one-correct answer type, having a stem and four options, one of them being correct and the other three being „distractors‟. the test takers were required to select the correct choice and fill the answer on a separate answer sheet. each correct response was awarded 1 mark. no mark was given for blank response or incorrect answer. there was no negative marking. the maximum possible score was 100 and the minimum 0. based on students‟ responses, the test items were then analysed using laboratory of educational research test analysis package (lertap) psychometric software (nelson, 2001). lertap is a computer program to process and analyse results from tests and surveys. with the use of microsoft excel interface, the program and manual are user-friendly making teachers, instructors, and researchers easy to perform classical item, reliability, and dependability analyses of raw test or survey data (carr, 2004). the program can also be used to score and perform reliability analysis for both affective and cognitive subtests. each question was analysed in terms of its level of difficulty, which was measured by the difficulty index (p-value), power of discrimination, and distractor analysis. the cut-off values for item difficulty used carr‟s (2011) guideline with three categories: easy, average, and hard level of difficulty with difficulty index of less than 0.3, between 0.3 and 0.7, and more than 0.7 respectively. for item discrimination index, there are four categories of items based on its discrimination index: poor (di < 0.15), marginal (0.15 < di < 0.24), good (0.25 < di < 0.34), and excellent (> 0.35) (hingorjo & jaleel, 2012). results and discussion in the development of test instrument, there are some crucial steps that should be conducted to ensure the high quality of newly developed items. one of the crucial steps is to conduct pilot testing, or also called as pre-testing or trialling. carr (2011) argues that pilot testing is vital to ensure that the constructed items produce responses that are expected from the test takers. besides, pilot testing helps test developer to estimate the reliability of the test and to examine whether each item is appropriately written and, in multiple choice items, the distractors ari arifin danuwijaya item analysis of reading comprehension test for post-graduate students 34 can work well to discriminate lower and higher ability of the test takers. thus, item can be analysed for further improvement. after the pilot testing was administered to the respondents, the item responses were analysed by using statistical descriptive. the results showed that the scores of 50 test takers ranged from 23 to 68 with the mean score of 47.06 and the standard deviation was 10.05. the median score was 47 and the inter-quartile range value was 45. the skewness and kurtosis values for the scores were -0.15 and -0.18, respectively. as the values between -2 and +2, it is acceptable to prove normal univariate distribution. the test takers were divided into three groups. the mean scores of lower, middle, and upper groups were 35.6 (sd = 5.3), 47.3 (sd = 2.8), and 58.2 (sd = 4.8), respectively. based on the analysis, the cronbach‟s alpha index to measure the test reliability was 0.80. the value was categorized as a large alpha value indicating “that the items are tapping a common domain” (wells & wollack, 2003, p. 4). however, for a test that functions as a high-stake standardized test, it has a certain criteria in test reliability. wells and wollack (2003, p. 5) argue that standardized tests should have higher reliability coefficient as the test is given only once and function “to draw conclusions about each student‟s level on the trait of interest”. they further suggest that the internal consistency coefficients in a highstake standardized test should be at least 0.9, and for lower-stake test should have at least 0.80 or 0.85 (wells & wollack, 2003). item analysis one-hundred multiple choice items were processed using lertap. another result shows a brief statistical report as illustrated in a plot of item difficulty by discrimination in figure 1. the plot suggests that even though the test was high in reliability (coefficient alpha = 0.80) with some items were found to have average difficulty (ranging from 0.3 to 0.7), more than half of the items were categorized marginal to poor (62%) even having minus discrimination index. figure 1. the plot lot of items based on item difficulty and discrimination index english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 35 item difficulty the results of analysis showed that the average value of item difficulty was 0.47 and standard deviation of 0.19. figure 2 illustrates the proportion of the items based on the level of difficulty: easy, average, and hard. it is found that majority of items (71%) were of average difficulty. some items were outside the desired range of 0.3 to 0.7. out of 100 items, there were 16 items below 0.3 indicating more difficult items and seven items above 0.7 indicating easier items. hingorjo and jaleel (2012) suggest that items with average level of difficulty is more desirable, items with easy category can be placed at the beginning of the test as „warm up‟ questions, and difficult items should be reviewed for language confusion or even incorrect key. figure 2. the proportion of items based on item difficulty level table 2 below shows the item classification based on the reading skills. items with easy level were mostly dominated by questions related to scanning for detailed question skills. for items with average level of difficulty, items related to deducing meaning and the use of unfamiliar lexical items had the highest proportion accounting for 24%, followed by questions related to scanning for detailed questions (18%). meanwhile, items with high level of difficulty were dominated by items related to deducing meaning and the use of unfamiliar lexical items (6%), scanning detailed information (5%), and making inference (3%). table 2. classification of items based on reading skills reading skills item difficulty level easy average hard skimming for main idea 1 5 scanning for detailed information 6 18 5 deducing the meaning and the use of unfamiliar lexical item 2 24 6 pronoun resolution 1 9 making inference 7 3 understanding information when not explicitly stated 1 5 1 scanning to locate specific information 2 3 1 total questions 13 71 16 item discrimination item discrimination has a significant role to examine if an item is of low or high quality. items that function well to discriminate between students with different abilities are desirable and will increase reliability (nelson, 2001; wells & wollack, 2003). according to nelson (2001), discrimination index can be calculated in two approaches, called as the correlation and upper-lower method. measuring item discrimination with correlation approach is known as pointbiserial correlation or pb(r), which is the correlation between students‟ scores on the ari arifin danuwijaya item analysis of reading comprehension test for post-graduate students 36 item and the student‟s overall score. the analysis of items using lertap displays a full statistics that consist of point-biserial correlation, as shown in table 3. table 3. samples of the statistical analysis on test items 1 (c3) option wt. n p pb(r) b(r) avg. z a 1,00 32 0,64 0,01 0,02 47,53 0,05 b 0,00 18 0,36 -0,06 -0,08 46,22 -0,08 c 0,00 0 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 <-no d 0,00 0 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 <-no 2 (c4) option wt. n p pb(r) b(r) avg. z a 0,00 0 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 <-no b 0,00 3 0,06 -0,19 -0,39 39,33 -0,77 c 1,00 43 0,86 0,30 0,46 48,40 0,13 d 0,00 4 0,08 -0,25 -0,46 38,50 -0,85 table 3 shows the samples of item statistical analysis that has pb(r) value in two items (question 1 and question 2). the values of point-biserial in question 1 and question 2 were 0.01 and 0.03, respectively. according to wells and wollack (2003), a large positive pb(r) shows that test takers with higher scores tended to answer the item correctly, while lower score test takers responded incorrectly. in addition, item with small positive pb(r) does not significantly improved the test reliability, but even it can cause to reduce the reliability in some cases. in contrast, item with negative pb(r) will reduce test reliability, and it is preferable that an item has pb(r) more than 0.20 (wells & wollack, 2003). to conclude, question 1 has a low positive pb(r) and question 2 has a desirable pb(r) that can improve reliability. on the other hand, the index of item discrimination also describes the ability of an item to discriminate test takers with high and low scores. according to hingorjo and jaleel (2012), there are four categories of items based on its discrimination index: poor (di < 0.15), marginal (0.15 < di < 0.24), good (0.25 < di < 0.34), and excellent (> 0.35). figure 3 shows the percentage of item classification based on discrimination index. it is found that more than half of the total items had poor and marginal discrimination index, accounting for 39% and 23%, respectively. meanwhile, there were only 20% of good items and 18% of excellent items found in the test. figure 3. the proportion of items based on discrimination index english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 37 table 4 shows the proportion of items based on reading skills. based on the table, there were 14 items related to deducing the meaning and the use of familiar lexical items that were categorized as poor items, followed by scanning detailed information (18 items). for marginal level, most items were related to scanning for detailed questions. items related to scanning for detailed information and deducing the meaning and the use of familiar lexical items were mostly found in the category of good and excellent. table 4. classification of items based on reading skills reading skills item difficulty level poor marginal good excellent skimming for main idea 3 2 1 0 scanning for detailed information 8 11 6 4 deducing the meaning and the use of unfamiliar lexical item 14 3 5 10 pronoun resolution 4 2 3 1 making inference 7 1 2 0 understanding information when not explicitly stated 2 3 1 1 scanning to locate specific information 1 1 2 2 total questions 39 23 20 18 distractor analysis according to hingorjo and jaleel (2012), distractor analysis is essential to examine whether the distractors function well – low scoring students chose the distractor more, compared to higher scoring students. with the analysis, it makes possible for the test developer to revise, replace, and even remove the distractors. the test analysed consists of 100 questions with four options each; thus, the total number of distractors were 300. the analysis found that 39 out of 300 (13%) of the distractors were categorized as nonfunctioning distractors. non-functioning distractors were defined as distractors that were chosen by less than five per cent of the test takers or even those which were not selected at all by the test takers (hingorjo & jaleel, 2012). a distractor was categorized as working distractor when it was chosen, or some of lower examinees chose it. however, a distractor which was not chosen by anyone or fooling higher ability examinees does not function well (qaqish, 2006). this type of distractor is not contributing to test ability to discriminate the good students from the poor students, and thus it should be replaced or eliminated (kehoe, 1995). table 5 shows some samples of items with non-functioning distractors. table 5. samples of questions with non-functioning distractors q1 q2 q4 option n /50 option n /50 option a 32 64.0% b 3 6.0% a 4 8.0% b 18 36.0% c 43 86.0% c 45 90.0% d 4 8.0% d 1 2.0% for question 1, 50 test takers answered the question, and 32 of the test takers chose the right answer (option a). this question is in average difficulty level. however, the rest of the test takers (n = 18) chose b, leaving option c and d being not chosen by anyone. in this case, option c and d failed to function as good distractors. options c and d were categorized as non-functioning distractors. another sample for question 2, 43 out of 50 test takers answered the correct answer (option b). option b and d worked well as distractors because the options were chosen by some test takers. however, no one ari arifin danuwijaya item analysis of reading comprehension test for post-graduate students 38 answered option a, and thus, it is called as the non-functioning distractor. this case was similar to question 4, in which option b and d were the non-functioning distractors. according to carr (2011), some problematic items can be improved by revision, and the items that require revision are those having negative item pointbiserials, particularly items with large magnitudes. based on the analysis, there were 17 items out of 100 which had negative item point-of biserials, two of which had large magnitude. an item with negative point-biserial and high magnitude can be exemplified by question 22 (-0.22). this reading comprehension item had item difficulty of 0.28 and a point-biserial of 0.22, which was problematic. the item was in difficult category and had negative discrimination. the question can be seen in figure 4, and the passage was about the incan empire. 1. it can be inferred that pharaoh . . . a. referred to the name of an empire in egypt b. possessed powerful supremacy in egypt c. was an egyptian god d. lived for hundreds of years figure 4. example of an item with problematic distractors table 6 shows the distractor analysis of the example item. based on the responses of the item, it can be concluded that the distractors functioned well, as all three distractors were answered by the test takers. however, it can be seen that item c was more attractive that item b (the correct answer). the important detail of the response was shown in the value of pointbiserial. any distractors should have negative point-biserial coefficient, indicating that test takers who chose a wrong answer tended to have lower scores and vice versa (carr, 2011). based on table 5, option b, the correct answer, has a high negative point-biserial, which was highly problematic. it indicated that the option was more attractive to low-ability test takers than high-ability test takers. in contrast, option c was attractive to higher-ability test takers. therefore, the item required further changes, particularly the options. if the answer is b, then option c should be modified. table 6. distractor analysis results for the example item option n p pb(r) a 7 0,14 -0,34 b 14 0,28 -0,22 c 25 0,50 0,51 d 4 0,08 -0,21 conclusion item analysis has provided useful information about the characteristics of items in one test. some items, after the analysis, might be revised, changed, or even removed. based on the analysis above, it is found that the test had high reliability with cronbach‟s alpha coefficient of 0.8. as the nature of the test was high-stakes which function to make decision of the graduation for postgraduate school students, the reliability of the test needed to be improved, and one of them was by improving item quality. items should function to discriminate between students with different abilities. based on the findings, many items were categorized as marginal and poor category in terms of discrimination index. thus, these items should be treated for better development by either modification or deletion from the test set. based on the difficulty level, most of the items (71%) were categorized in the average level of difficulty, which was desirable for a test. the analysis showed that item with very easy and very difficult level needed further treatment. based on the above findings, there are some recommendations that can be put into consideration for future development. constructing high-stakes test takes about one english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 39 to two years to complete and involves staff from many different capabilities, such as experts in subject matter, test specialist, editors, psychmetricians, and many others. as a result to this, the first recommendation to improve the quality of item development is to ensure that items were written based on the test purpose and by experienced test writer. writing good items required knowledge and practice, and thus it is essential to have experienced colleagues share the process of item writing. second, it is quite appropriate to provide training materials for teachers to learn how to write better items. thorndike and thorndikechrist (2010) suggest that writing good items is a learnable skill and there are some principles of making an item. however, the construction of the questions is not simple as it requires certain skills and it has rules of writing the item. thus, it would be beneficial to provide training to ensure that the items written can discriminate properly and all the distractors function well. references abedi, j. (2002). standardized achievement tests and english language learners: psychometrics issues. educational assessment, 8(3), 231-257. alderson, j. c. (2000). assessing reading. cambridge: cambridge university press. ananthakrishnan, n. (2000). item analysis-validation and banking of mcqs. in n. ananthkrishnan, k. r. sethuraman, & s. kumar, medical education principles and practice. pondichery: jipmer, 131-137. boopathiraj, c., & chellamani, k. (2013). analysis of test items on difficulty level and discrimination index in the test for research in education. international journal of social science & interdisciplinary research, 2(2), 189–193. brown, h. d. (2004). language assessment: principles and classroom practices. new york: pearson education. brown, j. d. (1995). the elements of language curriculum: a systematic approach to program development. boston: heinle and heinle publishers. brown, j. d. (2012). classical test theory. in g. fulcher & f. davidson (eds.), the routledge handbook of language testing measurement. accessed on: march 23, 2017 from http://doi.org/10.4324/9780203181287.ch22. carr, n. (2004). a review of lertap (laboratory of educational research test analysis package) 5.2. international journal of testing, 4(2), 189– 195. carr, n. (2011). designing and analyzing language tests. oxford: oxford university press. downing, s. m. (2010). test development. in international encyclopedia of education (3rd ed., pp. 159–165). elsevier. feng, q., & chen, l. (2016). a study on teaching methods of reading comprehension strategies by comparison between tem-4 reading comprehension and ielts academic reading comprehension. journal of language teaching and research, 7(6), 1174–1180. grabe, w. (1997). current developments in second language reading research. tesol quarterly, 25(3), 375–460. grabe, w. (2009). reading in a second language: moving from theory to practice. cambridge: cambridge university press. grabe, w., & stoller, f. l. (2002). teaching and researching reading. harlow: longman. hingorjo, m. r., & jaleel, f. (2012). analysis of onebest mcqs: the difficulty index, discrimination index, and distractor efficiency. the journal of the pakistan medical association, 62(2), 142– 147. kehoe, j. (1995). basic item analysis for multiplechoice tests. practical assessment, research, and evaluation, 4(10). kendeou, p., muis, k. r., & fulton, s. (2011). reader and text factors in reading comprehension processes. journal of research in reading, 34(4), 365–383. kim, j., chi, y., huensch, a., jun, h., li, h., & roullin, v. (2010). a case study on an item writing process: use of test specifications, nature of group dynamics, and individual item writers‟ characteristics. language assessment quarterly, 7(2), 160–174. doi: 10.1080/15434300903473989. kunnan, a. j., & carr, n. t. (2013). statistical analysis of test results. in c. a. chapelle (ed.), the encyclopedia of applied linguistics (pp. 1– 7). oxford: blackwell publishing. lowes, r., peters, h., & turner, m. (2004). the international student’s guide: studying in english at university. thousand oaks, ca: sage publications. ma, j., & cheng, l. (2015). chinese students‟ perceptions of the value of test preparation courses for the toefl ibt. tesl canada journal, 33(1), 58–79. manarin, k., carey, m., rathburn, m., & ryland, g. (2015). critical reading in higher education: academic goals and social engagement. bloomington, indiana: indiana university press. mehta, g., & mokhasi, v. (2014). item analysis of multiple choice questions an assessment of the assessment tool. international journal of ari arifin danuwijaya item analysis of reading comprehension test for post-graduate students 40 health sciences and research, 4(7), 197–202. mustafa, f., & apriadi, h. (2016). diy: designing a reading test as reliable as a paper-based toefl designed by ets. in proceedings of the 1st english education international conference (pp. 402–407). banda aceh. nelson, l. r. (2001). item analysis for test and surveys using lertap 5. perth: curtin university of technology. patil, r., palve, s. b., vell, k., & boratne, a. v. (2016). evaluation of multiple choice questions by item analysis in a medical college at pondicherry, india. international journal of community medicine and public health, 3(6), 1612–1616. phakiti, a., & roever, c. (2011). current issues and trends in language assessment in australia and new zealand. language assessment quarterly, 8(2), 103–107. phantharakphonga, p., & pothithab, s. (2014). development of english reading comprehension by using concept maps. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 116, 497–501. qaqish, b. (2006). developing multiple choice tests for social work trainings. in b. johnson, m. henderson, & m. thibedeau (eds.), eighth annual national human services training evaluation symposium (pp. 91–111). berkeley, california: california social work education center, university of california. quaigrain, k., & arhin, a. k. (2017). using reliability and item analysis to evaluate a teacher-developed test in educational measurement and evaluation. cogent education, 12, 1–11. doi: 10.1080/2331186x.2017.1301013. shirvan, m. e. (2016). assessing and improving general english university students‟ main subskills of reading compression: a case of university of bojnord. sino-us english teaching, 13(4), 245–260. doi: 10.17265/15398072/2016.04.002. spaan, m. (2006). test and item specifications development. language assessment quarterly, 3(1), 71–79. doi: 10.1207/s15434311laq0301. spaan, m. (2007). evolution of a test item. language assessment quarterly, 4(3), 279–293. doi: 10.1080/15434300701462937. tarrant, m., ware, j., & mohammed, a. m. (2009). an assessment of functioning and nonfunctioning distractors in multiple-choice questions: a descriptive analysis. bmc medical education, 9(1), 40. thorndike, r. m., & thorndike-christ, t. (2010). measurement and evaluation in psychology and education (8th ed.). boston: pearson education. turner, k., ireland, l., krenus, b., & pointon, l. (2011). essential academic skills. melbourne: oxford university press. wells, c. s., & wollack, j. a. (2003). an instructor’s guide to understanding test reliability. madison: university of wisconsin. improving the quality of language centres in salatiga through good recruitment process and teaching effectiveness standard english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee improving the quality of language centres in salatiga through good recruitment process and teaching effectiveness standard sesillia rani setyo sari satya wacana christian university salatiga, indonesia e-mail: sesilia_rani@yahoo.com apa citation: sari, s. r. s (2012). improving the quality of language centres in salatiga through good recruitment process and teaching effectiveness standard. english review: journal of english education, 1(1), 27-38 received: 19-08-2012 accepted: 12-19-2013 published: 01-12-2012 abstract: the focus of this study is improving the quality of recruitment and teaching standards at three language centres in salatiga. the purposes of this study are helping the managers of language centres in salatiga to find an appropriate way to recruit new teachers and helping teachers to be more effective in teaching. this research is qualitative descriptive interpretive and quantitative with a simple calculation. the data were collected by means of interview, questionnaire, and observation. the researcher suggests that researches on other samples and population on similar area need to be done so that the development of knowledge will improve sustainably. keywords: quality, language centres, recruitment process, teaching effectiveness standard introduction it is undoubtedly that the success of education lies on qualified teachers. a question might arise, that is what standards could be used to assess or measure teachers who are qualified or not. this question leads into another one which is “what it means to be qualified”. teachers graduating from different universities might have received different trainings and education; however, they normally claim to be qualified when they are interviewed to get a job at certain language centres. based on the writer’s observation, in 2005, several language centres in salatiga didn’t have any criteria in recruiting their english teachers. the managers only relied on recommendations from other teachers to hire a new english teacher. this phenomenon is quite dangerous since it will influence the students’ learning and performance. in addition, language centres in salatiga did not have permanent teachers. they hire new teachers as fast as possible because of the high demand for english courses. if they have many students waiting, they inevitably look for english teachers immediately. as a result, the teachers cannot be assessed for their qualifications. it is a crucial issue since the brochures of three language centres in salatiga state that they have qualified and competent teachers. in reality, it is difficult to identify whether those teachers are qualified or not. this has become the main concern for the writer to study further of how english teachers should be to produce qualified students in terms of reaching the objectives of the lesson. it is totally different from one of the language centres in jakarta in terms of standards used to recruit their new teachers. the head of the language centre in jakarta gave three kinds of tests 27 sesillia rani setyo sari improving the quality of language centres in salatiga to recruit a new teacher in 2005. they were interviewed, a writing test, and demo teaching. after the interview, the staff from the language centre conducted a class observation to see whether the candidate teacher was qualified or not. in this research, the writer sees whether there have been some improvements in recruiting new english teachers for language centres in salatiga during a five-year period. in correlation to this, mccloskey, thornton, & touba (2007) proposed a set of standards that could be used to recruit new teachers and determine whether they are qualified or not. the first is what is called as domain check. this means there should be a clear standard to recruit new teachers at an educational institution. in other words, this institution should have a list of criteria to select teachers who are eligible or not to teach at their educational institutions. second is construct validity check. this means that the educational institutions should look back at what they are trying to measure: what a newly qualified teacher should know and be able to do. we can conclude from this statement that class observation needs to be done on a regular basis to see whether those teachers who have already been hired, fulfill the list of criteria set by the educational institutions. third is concurrent validity check. to check for concurrent validity, the educational institutions ask the teachers to list what were currently taught in the candidate teachers’ faculties/universities. the checklist is then used to see whether everything that was taught is covered somewhere within the educational institutions’ standard. if not, the educational institution is recommended to tell its teachers to fulfill the standard required. last is clarity check. to check whether the educational institutions standards would be clear and understandable to the pre-service teachers, faculty, and supervisors. the head of the educational institutions should allow the teachers to read the written criteria by themselves. it means new teachers could be shown the criteria needed to work at certain educational institutions so that they are aware and try to develop themselves professionally, and are in agreement with the educational institutions over the expected objectives. statement of the problem based on the background above, there are two main problems to be the main issues of this research. the first problem has correlation with recruitment process. the writer is going to see whether a standard has been set to recruit new english teachers. if there is already a standard used to recruit new teachers and determine whether the candidate teachers are qualified or not, the writer will analyze the standards set by language centres in salatiga critically based on the standards proposed by mccloskey, thornton, & touba (2007). in contrast, if they do not have any, the writer will propose a standard with some adjustments (if needed) so that they can be implemented in language centres in salatiga. the second problem is related to teaching effectiveness. based on the writer’s experience in teaching one of language centres in salatiga, teachers were not assessed for their quality in teaching, and there was no class observation conducted on a regular basis by managers to see whether their teachers are able to teach english effectively in the classroom. if there is no 28 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee standard set yet, the writer is going to propose an evaluation measurement which is suitable to be implemented in language centres in salatiga. on the other hand, if the language centres have their own standard in evaluating teaching effectiveness, the writer of this thesis will analyze it critically whether it somewhat matches the standard proposed by brown. the writer chose the criteria proposed by brown because it covers all the criteria needed to evaluate teaching effectiveness, for example, learning environment, individuals, teaching activity, teachers’ preparation, teachers’ presentation, teaching methods, personal characteristics, and teacher-student interaction. purposes of the study the purposes of the study are to help managers of language centres in salatiga to find appropriate ways to recruit or hire new teachers and to help teachers to be more effective in teaching. this study is significant for many parties. first, for the writer herself, it is important to learn more about teacher qualifications and give educational contributions in how a recruitment process and an effective teaching should be, for her own region, salatiga. for the teachers themselves, this study could make them aware of how effective teachers should be. as a result, the teachers could develop themselves and be more qualified with the guidance proposed by brown. next is for the language centres themselves. they will be trustworthy if what is stated in the brochure, that they have qualified and competent teachers, is true. for long term effect, they don’t need any big effort to promote their language centres if they are well-known for their qualified teachers. as a consequence, the students will get the rights to be taught by qualified teachers and be more productive in learning english. furthermore, the language centres will be able to keep its credibility, and could serve people in education at its best. in general, this study, which was conducted in a small town in salatiga, central java, indonesia could contribute towards the development of knowledge, especially in the recruitment process and teaching effectiveness evaluation for language centres, not only in salatiga, but also in indonesia. this study has been limited to educational institutions, i.e. three language centres in salatiga. they are chosen based on the age of the language centres (how long they have been established, which is above five years) and the number of students they have. those three language centres will represent the real condition of teacher recruitment process that has been conducted up to the present moment. in addition, the writer chose elementary level class in each language centre since there is a great possibility that elementary level class will be opened. in addition, elementary level is very important because it teaches students from the basic level. if the basic level has been taught properly, difficulties in learning english in intermediate or advanced level can be minimized. it will also make it easier for teachers of the next levels to teach students whose basic level is good already. this part discusses theoretical framework underlying this research. it covers two areas: recruitment process and teaching effectiveness theories that will be used as a stepping stone in conducting this research. 29 sesillia rani setyo sari improving the quality of language centres in salatiga recruitment process it has been mentioned in previous chapter that the writer of this research is going to use standards proposed by mccloskey, thornton, & touba (2007) for recruitment process of new teachers. the writer is going to use four criteria; domain check, construct validity check, concurrent validity check, and clarity check which have been explained previously. the writer chose these four criteria since in 2005, based on the writer’s personal observation, both teachers and managers did not pay a particular attention to these four criteria. as a result, each of them had their own perceptions in running their jobs. if these four criteria are implemented and understood by both parties, it is assumed that language centres in salatiga will be more effective in giving educational services to students. teaching principles richards (1990) examines two approaches to the study of teaching from which theories of teaching as well as principles for teacher preparation programs can be developed. the first is a micro approach. it is an analytical approach that looks at teaching in terms of its directly observable characteristics. it involves looking at what a teacher does in the classroom. the second one is a macro approach. it is a holistic one which involves making generalizations and inferences that go beyond what can be observed directly in the way of quantifiable classroom processes. he adds that both approaches can be used to develop theories of effective teaching and to derive principles for teacher education. in this research, the writer uses a micro approach as one of the ways in evaluating teaching effectiveness. the writer has conducted a class observation to look directly at observable characteristics of teaching in the classroom. besides, the teachers also need to assess themselves as nunan (1990) indicates that it is crucial that teachers develop a range of social skills in planning, monitoring, and evaluating their own professional activities. a range of social skills here mean that teachers should be able to develop themselves professionally and interact well with students. that is why, the writer uses a self-evaluation form for teachers, from brown (1994), which is adapted from christison & bassano (1984 in brown 1994) to be filled in by teachers of language centres in salatiga after the teachers teach, to know whether they have developed a range of social skills discussed in nunan (1990). if the teachers realize their own weaknesses, it is expected that they will perform better and be more effective in other teaching practices. the writer expects that teachers are aware over their own strengths and weaknesses in teaching english. brandt (2007 in coombe, alhamly, davidson & troudi 2007) mentions that the definitions of selfawareness vary, but he explains that selfawareness relates to the notion of having knowledge, which can affect behavior. in this study, the writer expects that by knowing their own strengths and weaknesses, teachers can change their behavior by becoming more effective in teaching. brandt (2007 in coombe, alhamly, davidson & troudi 2007) also mentions that a novice teacher is expected to monitor his or her performance in teaching practice. in addition, brown (2001) mentions that when we speak, for example, the extent to which our intended message is received is a factor of both our 30 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee production and our listener’s perception. it means that when teachers teach, they don’t only make themselves clear but also they need to understand the students as a listener. the writer feels that this self-evaluation sheet is necessary to be given to teachers after the teachers teach, at least twice during class observation, to remind them over some teaching principles they need to bear in mind, since it is a way of helping them to develop a range of social skills proposed by nunan. method the writer uncovered the phenomenon of evaluating teaching effectiveness in three language centres in salatiga. that is why, the data were analyzed qualitatively since according to strauss & corbin (1990), qualitative methods can be used to uncover and understand what lies behind any phenomenon about which little is yet known. in this case, information about a recruitment process to have qualified teachers at three language centres in salatiga will be analyzed deeper. in addition, according to tayibnapis (2008), qualitative method can be used to make a narative information, like an interview record, students’ essay, a report sample, etc. in this study, the writer analyzed the data of evaluating teaching effectiveness naratively. in short, the data were analyzed qualitatively with an inductive approach, which analyzed from the phenomenon to come to a finding. then, for evaluating teaching effectiveness, the data were analyzed quantitatively with a simple calculation. in this research, the writer did not take sample, but used the whole population. this is so since there were only a small number of respondents, and the writer decided to use all of the available population. this is supported by sugiyono (2007) that when the population is “not proportional” in numbers, all of the available population should be taken as a sample. as a result, the writer would use disproportionate stratified random sampling. this research involved three language centres in salatiga. they were chosen based on how long they have been established, which is above five years, and the number of students, which is above fifty students, per month. the writer chose elementary level since there is a great possibility that elementary class will be opened, and elementary level is very important because it is the fundamental step in learning further levels. language centre a has been established for about eight years. it has around four hundreds students every three months with four teachers. for the elementary level, they have more or less fifteen students in one classroom. each session lasts for 90 minutes; one hour to have a lesson in the classroom, and thirty minutes to have a listening practice in the laboratory. however, for english for kids, each session lasts for one hour; forty-five minutes for having lessons in class, and fifteen minutes for listening practice. in the brochure, this language centre proclaims to be well-known because of its good facilities and teaching methods that many students and workers feel satisfied with the result. language centre a has three levels for beginner level; beginner i, beginner ii, and beginner iii. in addition, language centre b has been established for more than six years. it has around fifty students every month with seven to eight teachers. there are three to five students within one classroom. for one level, each 31 sesillia rani setyo sari improving the quality of language centres in salatiga session lasts for 90 minutes. this language centre provides, as it is mentioned in the brochure, many facilities, such as air conditioner, tv, vcd, cd, and competent teachers. language centre b has 6 levels for elementary level. they call them general english i, general english ii, general english iii, general english iv, general english v, and general english vi. the last one, language centre c has been established for about twenty years. at this present time, it has around 150 students with five teachers. each session lasts for 60 minutes, and it takes three months to pass each level. as mentioned in the brochure, this language centre provides a perfect facility. it covers textbooks in the appropriate grading, additional materials from the tutors, mini laboratory for every class, and tv/cd/vcd when needed. language centre c has three levels for elementary. those are lower elementary, elementary and higher elementary. this research is qualitative in nature. to be able to uncover any phenomenon concerning the recruitment process and determine whether certain teachers are qualified or not, the following triangulation of data collection methods was used. furthermore, the writer used primary sources, that is the data sources directly give the data to the writer, and not through any other medium like through other people, or through any other important documents (sugiyono, 2007). an interview was chosen as one of data collection methods since according to sugiyono (2007), an interview could be used when a researcher wants to find out the answers for the research problems, and when the numbers of the respondents are quite a few. a semi-structured interview was conducted face to face. this is because the interviewer didn’t always stick to the questions, but had a follow up question as well in seeking the information. to help the writer to accommodate the answers, the writer used a tape recorder so that no significant information was missing. the interview was done to both the managers and teachers who teach elementary level. for language centre a, there were two teachers, who taught elementary level, being interviewed. for language centre b, there were three teachers who were interviewed. finally, there were two teachers who were interviewed for language centre c. the interview is used to seek information on how recruitment process has been carried out. it is significant to interview both parties the managers and teachers to cross-check whether they have similar or different perceptions over an agreement set earlier, or at the recruitment process. hadi (1986) in sugiyono (2007) states that observation is a complex process since it consists of biological and psychological process. two which are important are observation and recall processes. sugiyono (2007) also adds that observation technique is used when a researcher wants to know human behavior, working process, and when the respondents are not too big to be observed. in this study, the writer conducted class observations to see whether english teachers have been qualified or not based on the criteria set by brown (1994). this instrument is beneficial to identify the strengths of english teachers and areas need to improve. then, the scores were rated 0-4 to see whether those teachers will be in that particular 32 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee level in teaching effectiveness. the scale is wider in scope compared to the scale for teachers’ self-evaluation. this is so since an observer could assess beyond what can be seen by the teachers themselves, such as appropriate outfit, appropriate level of difficulty, etc. in this study, the writer conducted a nonparticipant observation, which means the writer was not get involved directly in activities of the respondents. it means that the writer functions as an independent observer (sugiyono, 2007). in addition, the writer did not read the teachers’ lesson plans since they didn’t have it in a neat written form. the writer also used structured observation. it means that it is made clear starting at the beginning over what criteria needed to be observed, where and when an observation occurred, and what variables would be observed. the class observation was conducted twice for each class, and for the first session, the class observation was not announced. then, for the second times, teachers were informed that they would be observed. the teacher is aware that when an observer is present, the teachers and students act differently during teaching and learning process. that is why, an anticipated action needed to be done. the writer was really aware of the possibility of class observation paradox, i.e teachers would act differently and prepared the material well when an observer was present. therefore, for the purpose of this study, the writer would see whether the result of an evaluation is different for the first, and second evaluations. the writer feels the need to have a questionnaire since it is an efficient way to know an expected variable from respondents. the questionnaire was used to measure the level of teaching effectiveness in the classroom. the respondents were english teachers and the questionnaire was given in english. the writer assumed that they do understand english statements in the questionnaire because they are english teachers. the type of the questionnaire is a closed one since those english teachers were expected to circle one of the available choices. the english teachers were given a measurement proposed by brown (1994) which is adapted from christison & bassano (1984) to evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses in teaching effectively. the teachers needed to fill it in since it would make them aware of their own strengths to build their self-esteem. in addition, they also needed to know what areas of teaching they should improve since a change of behaviour in teachers will also reflect teaching effectiveness. it means that if teachers are aware of their own weaknesses, they are expected to improve that particular area and be more effective in other teaching practices. it is highly believed that by knowing both, the teachers will try to do better in other occasions. in addition, they also rated themselves to 0-3 to see whether they belonged to one particular rating. results and discussion bogdan (1982) in sugiyono (2007) states that data analysis is the process of systematically searching and arranging the interview transcripts, fieldnotes, and other materials that you accumulate to increase your own understanding of them and to enable you to present what you have discovered to others. in this study, the writer used interview transcripts, result of class observations, and questionnaire to answer research questions and problems. however, qualitative research has 33 sesillia rani setyo sari improving the quality of language centres in salatiga analyzed the data before a researcher “come to the field.” (sugiyono, 2007). the analysis has been done to the data in the background of the study to determine the focus of the research. in this context, the writer has analyzed the data in terms of the wrong way in the recruitment process, and teaching methods conducted in three language centres in salatiga for five-year period, 2005-the beginning of 2011. these data are called secondary data, and the analysis went deeper after the writer “come to the field.” after collecting the data, the writer analyzed them in the following way: data reduction it means that the writer chose the most important up to the least important of the information got so far. for example, if some of the interview transcripts did not really match the research problems and questions, the writer omitted that irrelevant information. data reduction means summarize, choose the most important part, and omit those unimportant data. in this way, it made it easier for the writer to get a clear picture over the expected information. data display after data reduction, the writer displayed the data in a narrative way. in this study, the writer analyzed the data inductively, which saw the data from what has been going on in three language centres in salatiga for five-year period, to come to a finding. in this research, the finding is a new measurement tool that could be applicable to be implemented at language centres in salatiga, in particular, and in indonesia for a wider scope. conclusion drawing/verification for this step, the writer drew a conclusion after having data reduction and data display. the writer analyzed the data from three sources. the first datum was collected from an interview between the writer and the managers as well as the teachers of language centres in salatiga to answer the first research question, which is recruitment process. next is from questionnaires filled in by teachers to make them aware of their own strengths and weaknesses which were rated in the scale of 0-3. the last one was from the writer’s point of view. it means the writer was conducting class observations to assess teachers’ effectiveness based on the format proposed by brown to be rated at the scale of 0-4. the last two data were used to answer the second research question, which is how effective english teachers at three language centres in salatiga are. the recruitment process of three language centres can be summarized below: table 1. summary of recruitment process criteria language centre a language centre b language centre c domain check construct validity check v concurrent validity check clarity check 34 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the table above shows that there is only one language centre, which is language centre a fulfills construct validity check, and the rest do not fulfill any single criteria at all. from these data, we can conclude that the managers of language centres should improve the way they recruit new teachers so that what have been stated in the brochure that they do have qualified teachers is true. in addition, the summary of the result of the rating of teaching effectiveness of three language centres can be seen below: table 2. result of teachers’ self evaluation using the rating of 0 to 3, the range of teaching effectiveness is between 1.6 and 2.05, which is between needs improvement and good level. finally, the rating of teaching effectiveness from an observer’s point of view can be summarized below: table 3. the writer’s observation rating level language centre a 2.8 average level language centre b 2.8 average level language centre c 2.8 average level using a rating scale from 0 to 4, the table shows that the range is around 2.8, which is on the average level. furthermore, for observation paradox, there is no significant difference in scores between the first and second evaluation. from this finding, it can be assumed that the teachers’ way of teaching is the same whether an observation is announced or not. to sum up, the three language centres in salatiga do not have any appropriate standards in recruiting their teachers. if those language centres have set standards in recruitment process and qualified teachers identification, there is a great possibility that the scores for the teachers’ self-evaluation and the writer’s observation will increase. if there is a clear communication between managers and teachers starting at the beginning (recruitment process), there will be the same perception between them in reaching up the language centres’ objectives. in addition, most of the teachers need improvement in teaching english because they are still in the level of 1.6 up to 2.05. this finding is compatible with the assessment from the writer whose point is 2.8 or on the average level. it means that the managerial staff should interfere and take a tangible action in improving the level of teaching effectiveness of their teachers. it could be done by conducting class observation on a regular basis to see whether they have implemented some criteria in teaching effectively used by the institutions, and see whether there is an increase in their rating level language centre a 1.6 needs improvement language centre b 1.9 needs improvement language centre c 2.05 good 35 sesillia rani setyo sari improving the quality of language centres in salatiga level of teaching effectiveness term by term. furthermore, to be able to reach this, the teachers should keep selfevaluation sheet by themselves so that they can always reflect to those criteria in teaching effectively most of the time after teaching. in short, if all of these recruitment processes, teacher selfevaluation, and an observer’s observation are professionally conducted, at the end, hopefully, the students will get their rights to be taught by competent and qualified teachers. conclusion after analyzing the data from interview transcripts, questionnaires, and observations, the writer found the following results. there is no standard yet set to recruit english teachers. determining qualified teachers also seems not to be the main concern for the managers in recruitment process. in addition, the teachers get different “treatments” in the recruitment process. it means that the questions asked at the recruitment process vary from one teacher to another. most of the teachers themselves seem do not have any guidance or proper models in teaching english effectively. most of them just came into the classroom, and delivered the materials without any appropriate lesson plan (based on the writer’s observation). there is no explicit communication between managers and teachers starting from the beginning (recruitment process) in terms of the objectives to achieve. using the rating of 0 to 3 for teachers’ self evaluation, the range of teaching effectiveness is between 1.6 and and 2.05, which is between needs improvement and good level. using the rating of 0 to 4 for the writer’s observation, the range of teaching effectiveness is around 2.8, which is on the average level. after analyzing the summary and implicational pedagogy above, the writer proposes the following: the managers of language centres in salatiga should have a clear standard to recruit teachers. the managerial staff could have a meeting to discuss the four criteria explained previously to set their own fixed-standards to be able to get more qualified teachers. in this case, all of the candidate teachers will get similar “treatment” when they are interviewed, and both the managers and teachers will have the same perception over the language centres’ objectives. the writer has got her own point of view related to construct validity check for language centre a. even though the manager has fulfilled the criterion, the manager shouldn’t force the candidate teachers to be able to teach like the manager’s way of teaching since teachers have different styles in teaching english. what is recommended by the writer is that the candidate teachers should be allowed to observe classes with different teachers so that they get many ideas in terms of teaching english. in this way, the candidate teachers’ creativity will not be restricted, and the teachers could get more freedom to be more creative in teaching english. the managers of those language centres should facilitate teachers to have “teacher training program” so that the candidate teachers will have any idea of how to teach english at their institutions. furthermore, there should be a strict rule for all teachers to participate in the program. there should be a clear communication over the language centre’s objectives between the managers and teachers starting at the beginning (or the beginning of recruitment process), so 36 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 1, december 2012 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee there will not be any misunderstanding in the future. in addition, the managers should have a clear standard, and fixedquestions to be asked to candidate teachers at the beginning of recruitment process. the managers of the language centres in salatiga are recommended to do a study tour to one of language centres in jakarta whose recruitment process is quite close to the criteria proposed by mccloskey, thornton, & touba above. as a result, the managers will broaden their horizon, and hopefully, they will be able to determine whether the candidate teachers are really qualified or not. class observation should be conducted on a regular basis; three times in one term. the first observation is conducted at the beginning of class program so that the managers will get a clear picture over areas need to improve and the good point of the candidate teachers. the second observation is conducted in the middle of the term. in this way, the managers could monitor the pace of the lesson from the beginning up to the middle of the term. in addition, the managers could also supervise the candidate teachers’ mastery of the lesson. the last observation is conducted at the last session of the term, before the final tests. this is important since it will give important information for the managers of the whole domain of the lessons taught by the teachers. the managers will supervise it from the beginning, the middle, and the end of the term, and get a clear picture over what is going on in the whole term. the writer also found the fact that all teachers were not really up to date with the latest research, articles, journals, and books in terms of language teaching and teacher education. teachers should be encouraged to be more independent in browsing the internet, and make themselves be more knowledgeable and the managers are highly recommended to facilitate their teachers as well in providing up to date researches, articles, books and journal in language teaching, and teacher education. seeing the fact that three language centres, which are considered “big” in salatiga, central java don’t have fixedstandards in recruiting new teachers, there is a great possibility that small language centres in indonesia do not have appropriate standards to recruit their teachers. in this case, the government should interfere in setting up standards of recruitment process for all language centres in indonesia. in this study, i am proposing domain check, construct validity check, concurrent validity check, and clarity check for the government to consider. it should be made clear starting from the beginning over some criteria needed to teach at language centres in indonesia. in addition, the government should create a measurement tool, which is applicable, for language centres in indonesia. references brandt, c. (2007). giving reflection a voice: a strategy for self-evaluation and assessment in tesol teacher preparation. in c. coombe, m. alhamly, p. davidson & s. troudi (eds.), evaluating teacher effectiveness in esl/efl contexts. 199-212. michigan: university of michigan. braskamp, l., brandenburg, d., & ory, j. (1984). evaluating teaching effectiveness. washington d. c. : sage publications. brown, d. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. new york: pearson education. day, r. (1990). teacher observation in secong language teacher education. in richards & nunan (eds), second language teacher 37 sesillia rani setyo sari improving the quality of language centres in salatiga education. 43-61. cambridge: cambridge university press. doyle, t. (2002). evaluating teacher effectiveness – research summary. retrieved october 3rd 2010. http://www.tqsource.org/publication s/teachereffectiveness.php. eken, d. (2007). an exploration of teaching effectiveness: an attempt to define the less easily definable. in c. coombe, m. al-hamly, p. davidson & s. troudi (eds.), evaluating teacher effectiveness in esl/efl contexts. 167-182. michigan: university of michigan. goe, l., bell, c., & little, o. (2008). approaches to evaluating teacher effectiveness: a research synthesis. retrieved october 3rd 2010. file:///f:/evalteacheffec.htm. imron, a. (2007). correlation of communication effectiveness with teachers’ performance. retrieved october 3 rd 2010. http://www.docstoc.com. jihad, a & haris, a. (2010). evaluasi pembelajaran. yogyakarta: multi pressindo. kaufman, d. (2007). a multidisciplinary approach to assessment in teacher education. in c. coombe, m. alhamly, p. davidson & s. troudi (eds.), evaluating teacher effectiveness in esl/efl contexts. 43-56. michigan: university of michigan. kyriacou, c. (1986). effective teaching in schools. padstow: t j press ltd. richards, j. & schmidt, r. (2002). longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics. third edition. london: pearson educated limited. marno & idris, m. (2010). strategi & metode pengajaran: menciptakan ketrampilan mengajar yang efektif dan edukatif. yogyakarta: ar-ruzz media. mccloskey, m., thornton, b., & touba, n. (2007). new standards for a new era: developing tools to assess the qualified teacher. in c. coombe, m. al-hamly, p. davidson & s. troudi (eds.), evaluating teacher effectiveness in esl/efl contexts. 7-24. michigan: university of michigan. miller, l., & young, j. (2007). what’s in it for me? a performance management system to please everyone. in c. coombe, m. al-hamly, p. davidson & s. troudi (eds.), evaluating teacher effectiveness in esl/efl contexts. 74-88. michigan: university of michigan. nunan, d. (1990). action research in the language classroom in richards & nunan (eds), second language teacher education. 62-81. cambridge: cambridge university press. richards, j. (1990). the dilemma of teacher education in second language teaching. in richards & nunan (eds), second language teacher education. 3-15. cambridge: cambridge university press. stoynoff, s. (2007). building a contextspecific teacher evaluation system for an esl program. in c. coombe, m. alhamly, p. davidson & s. troudi (eds.), evaluating teacher effectiveness in esl/efl contexts. 106-118. michigan: university of michigan. strauss, a. & corbin, j. (1990). basics of qualitative research.washington d. c.: sage publications. sugiyono. (2007).metode penelitian pendidikan: pendekatan kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r&d. bandung: alfabeta tayibnapis, f. (2008). evaluasi program dan instrumen evaluasi untuk program pendidikan dan penelitian. jakarta: rineka cipta. 38 http://www.tqsource.org/publications/teachereffectiveness.php http://www.docstoc.com/ preparation of papers in two column format for the proceedings of conferences sponsored by ieee english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee enhancing students’ interaction skills and critical and creative thinking through movies agelyia murugan universiti teknologi mara, malaysia e-mail: agelyia082@ppinang.uitm.edu.my wan noorli bt razali universiti teknologi mara, malaysia e-mail: wannoorli093@ppinang.uitm.edu.my apa citation: murugan, a. & bt razali, w. n. (2013). enhancing students’ interaction skills and critical and creative thinking through movies. english review: journal of english education, 1(2), 216-222 received: 10-03-2013 accepted: 23-04-2013 published: 01-06-2013 abstract: in the context of higher education in malaysia, the aims are to produce competent and confident language users in the students who learn english as their second language. by incorporating movies in english language teaching, it will enable the students to learn english more actively, meaningfully and interactively. this study seeks to explore the potential use of movies as a teaching and learning tool in encouraging active participation and critical thinking in the english language classroom. the existence of technology in movies has made ways for the educators to do segmentations of the important parts in the movies for the limited classroom time. critical thinking plays a vital role in education simply because of the personal and language enrichment. it also allows the students into self-directed thinking in making decisions more carefully, clearly and logically. it is important to incorporate the universal intellectual standards of critical thinking theory into the crucial foundation in encouraging active participation of students. it is believed that critical thinking will enable the students to engage themselves in their own pace of learning and provide greater freedom for expressing and arguments. this is because critical thinking is aimed at making wise decisions on what to believe and do and also presenting claims, actions and practices into the real-life contexts. keywords: movies, active participation, critical thinking, universal intellectual standard introduction malaysia is in the mid-point of its journey towards vision 2020 and is in the process of transformation to become a developed nation by year 2020. everything in this world has changed tremendously especially in the education system. in malaysia, english language is used as the second language and has been introduced as the medium of instructions in higher institutions. english language has a functional role by virtue of its use as an international language of communication in the economy of the nation, particularly for malaysia to remain globally competitive. sadly to say, there were less exposure and the usage of english language among our students because the language is only limited in the language classroom. due to this, educators should varies their teaching strategies in teaching the language because english language is essential and very important in the employment opportunities and is a necessity for malaysians of various mailto:wannoorli093@ppinang.uitm.edu.my agelyia murugan & wannoorli bt razali enhancing students’ interaction skills and critical and creative thinking through movies ethnics to rise up the socioeconomic ladder. the standard of the english language is still at the declining stage where there the language competence and performance of our malaysian students are deteriorated due to the lack of exposure to the language at home and also across the curriculum. this resulted in students of being underachievers and not proficient in the language when it comes to the employment matters. being an expert in the field of study is just not enough because students must also possess good communications skills which could be used globally. besides that, graduates’ employability is also based on how they can use the language and able to think creative and critically. this is because by having the ability to think critically, they may possess the potentiality in finding solutions with the problems with which he or she is confronted. apart from that, the tool that is used in teaching the english language plays an important role in instilling motivation for the students to enhance and develop their interaction skills in english language. uitm is known as the largest university in malaysia with the largest amount of students in the country. due to that, the graduates of uitm are expected to perform successfully in interacting with others locally and globally in english language. the university’s aspiration of being recognized as the ‘world class’ standard university lies solely on the performance of the graduates locally and internationally. but there are still problems arise due to the students’ proficiency and attitude towards english language. students are still lack of sufficient motivation and determination and also the skills in interacting in english. thus, there is a need for a tool or medium which can be utilized by the lecturers in enhancing the students’ speaking skills in english. the tool or medium used in teaching the language should be a yardstick to promote positive and motivational factors towards the students in learning the language. it should be not a chalk and board talk which used to be the teaching method in those days. as such, lecturers too play an important role in choosing the right medium to teach the language the huge emphasis must be placed on the creativity and innovation. this study investigated the potential of movies in enhancing the students’ interaction skills in english language and how movies may encourage the students in creative and critical thinking in using the english language. using movies in the english language classroom is one of the methods that can be used to teach our students the skills in learning the language. by this way, learners are being emphasized based on their sensory learning styles where it helps the learners to acquire, retains and retrieves in formations based from their learning preferences. according to hazita & noorizah, they stated that ‘a prepared educator can use movies to stimulate discussions, facilitate learning on particular topics, or reemphasizing material being presented through textbooks or classroom lecturers’. they also posit that learning english by movies promotes learners’ skills. besides, raymond wolkowski (1987, as cited by hazita & noorizah) stated that teachers are responsible in for motivating the students, whether intrinsically or extrinsically by using the various tools in teaching. according to him, ‘movies have both audio and visual components that may lead to motivation’. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee he also added that watching movies is surely stimulating and followed by discussions which will connect the students’ feelings with the learning environment. showing movies therefore is a successful approach to students because movies offer an entertainment factor from which many ideas can spring. it is also believed that movies can add color to a lesson, highlighting themes and projects and illustrating concepts and ideas for knowledge and creativity (lever, 2010). king (2002) believes that the use of authentic materials like movies will intrinsically motivates language learners to stay focus as it brings the learners to a new experience, different from the ordinary classroom setting. lieberman (2002) reiterates that when film is used to illustrate a topic, it has the power to initiate an interactive classroom activity which may then bring to a motivating and interesting learning experience. the immersion power and familiarity aspects in films, adds, lieberman will activate learners’ participation and permits active learning. according to wappel (2010, p. 76), ‘video streaming is another high-tech tool used in the esl classroom. to introduce or reinforce materials visually, teachers download clips or entire videos to make their classroom alive and spark active participation in the classroom. in a nutshell, the usage of movies in the english language classroom promotes more active participation from the learners in order to prepare them for functional roles in the society as well as employability. creativity is very important in the english language classrooms because creativity means ‘transforming one thing into another’. arthur koestler (as cited by feher, 2007), describes creative thinking as ‘double-minded’ thinking that ‘operates on more than one plane’. he also added that it can be best described as a ‘transitory state’. it is believed that creative thinking should be integrated in the lesson because it can create a relaxed and exciting classroom environment which is essential in the learners’ learning process. feher (2007) further posits that creative thinking improves the learners’ self-esteem as they can look at their own solutions to problems and their own products and see what they are able to achieve. apart from that, creative thinking also can lead to a genuine communication and cooperation. it prepares the learners to use the language instrumentally outside the classroom. in a nutshell, creative thinking is considered as part and parcel of our life because it plays an important role in the personal growth and also in the development of the culture and society. critical thinking skills are increasingly important in facing the world today. film usage in encouraging critical thinking skills is a widely acceptable notion (bluestone, 2000; lieberman, 2002; waalkes, 2003; weerts, 2005). students today make judgments on certain issues more experientially than conceptually. critical thinking encourages the students to act as a practitioner rather than as an observer. dressel and mayhew (as cited in young, 1980) proposed that critical thinking can serve as ‘a principle for integrating the curriculum as a point of view towards problems and their solutions and a way of thinking about basic problems faced by the mankind’. as such, they further summarized the five skills that is essential in critical thinking: a) the ability to define a problem. b) the ability to select pertinent information for the solution of the problem. agelyia murugan & wannoorli bt razali enhancing students’ interaction skills and critical and creative thinking through movies c) the ability to recognize stated and unstated assumptions d) the ability to formulate and select relevant and promising hypotheses. e) the ability to draw conclusions validly and to judge the validity of the inferences. (as cited in young, 1980) to add more, moore & parker (2001, p. 23) stated that ‘…..thinking critically is not about attacking other people but is more about helping others about their ideas and also ourselves’. it is understood that it is not a situation where winning takes place but more too in understanding the knowledge that is being shared. this study adopts the universal intellectual standards for critical thinking and the theory of communicative language teaching as its crucial foundation. paul and elder (2007, p. 57) defined the concept of critical thinking as illustrated in the diagram below: fairness significance logic breadth depth relevance precision accuracy clarity universal intellectual standard of critical thinking besides, this research also adopts communicative language teaching approach because this theory is important in making the communicative competence as the goal of language teaching and acknowledging the interdependence of language and communication. freeman (2000) posits that communicative language teaching approach promotes the linguistic competence of the students as well as the knowledge of forms and function of the language and their meanings. method this research is a qualitative and quantitative study based from the students who are undergoing their studies in uitm penang. those involved students are from bel 130 (english for communication skills) class where they are thought on the basic skills of communication skills in the english language. the research design is as follows: english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee data collection: samples are asked to watch the segments of the movie and followed by discussion based from the questions given among their group mates data analyses: the data is recorded manually as well as it is video recorded to ensure that the students discussion is evaluated based from standards of critical thinking. before data collection: the movies are being segmented into few parts and prepare the questions for the task outcome of the discussion: samples present their views on the questions given and the lecturer acts as the facilitator for the task given. the step by step method: activity description before data collection preparing film segment preparing questions for task film segment is extracted from the full version. the critical questions are formed. data collection watching the film segment 1. attention was gained through greetings and a slight conversation on how the students feel and what they have gone through that day. 2. the lesson outcome was shared where the goal for the day’s lesson was to contribute and develop ideas for group discussion using language functions which have been learnt in the previous week. 3. the lecturer started by asking the students if they have any family members or relatives who are disabled. few students responded. group discussion 4. the students were divided into an informal group of four as suggested by johnson, johnson and smith. every group was given a set of six questions and asked to read them all. 5. the students were given a little introduction to the background of the movie and then they were instructed to watch segment of agelyia murugan & wannoorli bt razali enhancing students’ interaction skills and critical and creative thinking through movies movies prepared to answer the given questions. 6. they were then given 30 minutes to discuss in the small groups. the lecturer observed the group discussion form time to time and assists them solve arising matters. presentation 7. they then merge into one big group for an open discussion. here, answers were elicited from every group and the lecturer often probes to invite more discussion, justification and arguments to create active participation and promote deep learning. the open discussion was recorded by another student who is familiar to the class. this is to lessen the nervousness and fear. this class is used to few classroom recordings as some activities in the previous weeks were recorded by their lecturer and discussed for further improvement. 8. finally, the students were asked to tick a simple questionnaire which aims at accessing their perceptions on the learning experiences during the lesson. data analyses the recorded data including the short notes the samples have scribbled on during their discussion will be analyzed based on the given standards and instances of critical thinking will be scored accordingly. results anddiscussion it is found that the video streaming of the movie have spark the active participation among the students because this teaching material has made the classroom environment comes alive. it encourages the students to speak confidently in front of their peers as there was a space for them to say their views freely. the movie shown has proven to stimulate the students’ interest towards the lesson and it is a great beneficial tool for communication interaction among the students. based from the students’ responses, it has been found that the students’ ability in understanding a particular topic has increased via their discussions with the classmates and also the lecturer, who was the facilitator throughout the learning process. therefore, it is also found that the students’ pronunciation and acquisition of vocabulary has been improved. apart from being involved in the interaction process, students were also being able to proceed with their development of other skills when they self-expressed through their writing. example from the students’ discussion: 1. lecturer: do you think that being disabled in some point, sam was able to raise lucy? student: he is able to raise his daughter. basically what makes a father competent from our point of view is that he can provide shelter, love and education for his daughter...................... analysis: this question is post to the students to make sure students use the critical thinking standard which is ‘breath’ and ‘logic’. this is because the student’s answer shows the liberal viewpoint which gets deeply into the issue and provides accurate and precise details 2. lecturer: how does the society view sam as a disabled father? student 1: the society wanted to separate them so that lucy will have a better life and education........but society is being colder by on thinking what is best for lucy. student 2: we should not separate lucy and sam because it gives negative impact in lucy’s personal development. so society needs to provide support sam; english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee financially, guidance and also develop his skill in learning. analysis: the question post to the students is emphasizing more into finding the accuracy and precision answers from the students. this is because firstly, the students are asked to list the details that they have watched from the movie. apart from that, they also tested on the depth of their understanding to make sure that they understand the complexity of the issue given. conclusions although sometimes it is difficult for the students to understand the western movies, it is better to have english subtitles which may help the students to understand the movie better. it is believed that watching movies is very important in increasing one’s visual and critical awareness. the lesson should be done interestingly by setting questions after the premiering of the movie, encourage healthy discussions in small groups and later open discussions with the lecturer and the students that may invite argumentation, criticism and also comments and feedbacks on various pertaining matters. this type of lessons should be student-centered and the lecturers should act as the facilitator in the discussions made. references bluestone, c. (2000). feature films as a teaching tool. college teaching, 48(4), 141. king, j. (2002). using dvd feature films in the efl classroom. the weekly column article 88. retrieved from http://www.eltnewsletter.com/back/ february2002/ art882002.html. accessed on january 4th 2010. lieberman, a. (2002). use of film media as a dictatic tool. encounter, 15, 1-17. paul, r. and r. elder (2007). a guide for educators to critical thinking competence standards. retrieved from http://www.criticalthinking.org. accessed on 10th may 2010. waalkers, s. (2003). using film clips as cases to teach the rise and the decline of the state. international studies perspectives, 4, 156-174. weerts, s. (2005). use of films to teach critical thinking. journal of nutrition education and behaviour. 37(2), 100 -101. young, r. e. (1980). new directions for teaching and learning–fostering critical thinking. jossey – bass inc. publishers: america. hazita, a., and m. n. noorizah. (2010). theory and practice for esol-movies as teaching and learning tools. malaysia: universiti kebangsaan malaysia. moore, b. n., and r. parker. (2001). critical thinking, sixth edition. california: mayfield publishing company. freeman, d. l. (2000). techniques and principles in language teaching, second edition. united kingdom: oxford university press. http://www.eltnewsletter.com/back/february2002/ art882002.html http://www.criticalthinking.org english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 83 teaching and learning english for visually impaired students: an ethnographic case study susanto english education department, bandar lampung university, indonesia centre for studies in linguistics, bandar lampung university, indonesia e-mail: susanto@ubl.ac.id deri sis nanda english education department, bandar lampung university, indonesia centre for studies in linguistics, bandar lampung university, indonesia e-mail: derisisnanda@ubl.ac.id apa citation: susanto, & nanda, d. s. (2018). teaching and learning english for visually impaired students: an ethnographic case study. english review: journal of english education 7(1), 83-92. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1530. received: 23-08-2018 accepted: 28-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: in this article we report an ethnographic case study of observing the teaching and learning of english at a school for visually impaired students in bandar lampung, indonesia. data collection included student and teacher interviews. it also covered class observation and used a social constructivist framework of disability. the study revealed that the students received inadequate modifications of instruction in foreign language learning. however, the students used a variety of resources with the screen reader technology such as non visual desktop access (nvda) and job access with speech (jaws). these findings suggest that visually impaired students actually can have unique ways of learning foreign language supported by the assistive technology. these abilities should be acknowledged to obtain the perspectives of students who receive disability specific education. moreover, the study might provide a further facet to the research especially on the importance of learning strategies in special education. keywords: visual impairment; language education; learning strategy; special education. introduction for the education system in indonesia, learning english as a foreign language is required in building the global competitive skill focusing on knowledge and performance. communication skill in english can bring more opportunities for the citizens in national and international labor market. therefore, english is one of the subjects being taught in the schools in indonesia. but, the english language course provided in the schools may not be designed properly for visually impaired students who have loss of vision. basically, visually impaired students pose difficulties in learning foreign language since human vision serves as a major stimulus for learning a language (agesa, 2014; arslantaş, 2017). without vision, the students rely on the remaining senses of hearing and motor-kinesthetic feedback in learning. in teaching and learning the language, at least there are two basic barriers found in the classroom. the first is when the teaching materials are sight based lessons. the lessons consist of materials with visual format such as pictures. then, the classroom may face difficulties to avoid pedagogical methods with sight based on visual perception. the second is when the teachers are not aware of the specific needs of the students and the general implications of their visual impairments. they are not aware of how to behave towards the students. also, they are not aware what the cognitive implications of the visual impairments for the students are. this may implicates slowing down the learning process in the classroom and the learning outcome is not maximum. in the mailto:susanto@ubl.ac.id mailto:derisisnanda@ubl.ac.id susanto & deri sis nanda teaching and learning english for visually impaired students: an ethnographic case study 84 study on observing the teaching and learning of english at a school for visually impaired students in bandar lampung, we underline those two basic barriers. we explore the students and teachers‟ experiences in the classrooms and the classroom interaction and pedagogy use. by the constitution, the government of indonesia is required to achieve not only the realization of justice and prosperity, but also the intelligence and welfare of the entire community, including the education for disabilities, e.g. visual impaired citizens. therefore, as ruled in its national education system in the country, we could find special education intended for children with special needs. in the system, the special education is available for the levels of primary and secondary education. the system has the management patterns of sekolah luar biasa (slb) „schools for special education‟ consisting of six types:  slb type a for visual impairment;  slb type b for hearing and speaking impairment;  slb type c for mental retardation;  slb type d for physical disability;  slb type e for the unsociable;  slb type g for multiple disabilities. categorizing the management patterns into the types of disabilities in indonesia may result in discriminatory treatment for the students if the special curriculum is not well prepared and the teachers are not well trained to follow the future trends in inclusive education (florian, 2008). besides, in the special system within all types of the management patterns, the curriculum should not only anticipate the inclusive behaviours, conditions and processes comparing with the exclusive counterparts (nugent, 2018), but also enhance the students‟ access to learning and social opportunities (whitburn, 2014) especially in the context of developing countries (birchler & michaelow, 2016; masino & zarazúa, 2016). in our ethnographic case study of observing the teaching and learning of english at a school for visually impaired students, we adopted a social constructivist framework. the framework approaches disability as a construction of social relations marginalizing those with bodies considered different from the normally functioning body. the social model differentiates between the physical limitation of impairment and the social construction of disability. as the matter of the physical limitation, the impairment involves a diminution of sight, hearing, mobility, and so on. while in the social construction, labelling disability could mean as a social process that turns an impairment into a negative by creating barriers to access. the impairment only becomes a disability when the ambient society creates environments with barriers (depoy & gilson, 2011). the social constructivist thinks that the impairment is not only seen as biological, objective, and static realities. but, it is contextual and linked to access in society (thompson, 1997). therefore, in the study, visual impairment is not a disabling physical limitation in itself, but a limitation placed on individuals by societal rules that define what a norm should be (casper & talley, 2005). this gives rise to the following questions for the study:  in the classroom, what strategies do the teacher and visual impaired students employ for teaching and learning english as a foreign language?  what are the visually impaired students‟ perspectives on their experiences in learning english?  what implications for the research and practice of special education do these findings have? method to answer the questions, we conducted an ethnographic case study of english learning classes at a school for visually impaired students (slb type c) in lampung, a southern part in sumatra island of indonesia. the school was established in 1993 and now it has 33 students in total. the study is from april to june 2108. a total of three teachers (ages 28–45; 1 male, 2 females) and 15 students (ages 9–18; 11 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 85 males, 4 females) were observed in 4 classes. students‟ vision varied from low vision to total blindness. figure 1. the students at the school for visually impaired students in bandar lampung, indonesia. the classroom observations were participant in nature (reason, 1998; cf. burns, 2018; jones, isham, & taylor, 2018). we participated in and occasionally taught some of the classes. the observations and interviews were audio and video-recorded. field notes were also taken. the field notes were written in a notebook. the typed notes were taken on relevant information from viewing the video recordings of classes. in addition to the observations, interviews were conducted with selected participants including the teachers and students. the interviews were semi-structured. in the interviews, we allowed for unwritten followup questions and for the conversation to cover relevant areas. questions for the students included their likes and dislikes of learning english and how it related to their impairments, and their communication experiences at the school. questions for the teachers included their perception on the general abilities and desires of visually impaired students and their instruction in the classroom for the students. table 1 shows the list of the predetermined questions asked to the students and the teachers. table 1. predetermined questions asked to the students and the teachers. interview questions for students  can you tell me about learning english in your class?  what has been your most favorite part of your english class?  what has been your least favorite part of your english class?  do you like learning english? why?  do you think learning english is important? interview questions for teachers  in what ways is teaching visually impaired students similar and different from sighted students?  what skill and knowledge do you want your students to gain in your classes?  how do you communicate with your students?  i noticed that you tried a particular pedagogical technique in class. why did you do that?  did you think it was successful? susanto & deri sis nanda teaching and learning english for visually impaired students: an ethnographic case study 86 we used the data from observations and interviews for themes that pertained to english learning as it relates to visual impairment. the themes were not determined a priori, but instead emerged from review of the data (atkinson & hammersley, 1998; cf. savage, 2013). to verify these themes, we used triangulation (stake, 2005). the data was triangulated in two ways: investigator and methodological triangulations (archibald, 2015; denzin, 2006). for investigator triangulation, we independently analyzed the data, shared initial themes through memos and discussions, and then came to consensus on the emergent themes. for methodological triangulation, we used more than one method to gather data. the themes gathered from the data sources of teacher interviews, student interviews, and observation. we validate one another and provide different perspectives on the same theme. results and discussion two common themes emerged through the observations and interviews, i.e. firstly, students and teachers‟ experiences in the classrooms; secondly, the classroom interaction and pedagogy use. students and teachers’ experiences in the classrooms in interviews, students discussed their struggles in learning english. they described that some of their teachers were unknowledgeable to effectively teach them. they also thought that their teacher was lacking an interest to help them succeed because of the extra effort required to understand and provide for their needs. student rz said, “in english classroom, i had to do a lot of works to learn english but my teacher did not help me much in the classroom.” while student wd said, “my teacher called me to read difficult words and she did not explain the meaning of the words clearly.” student sh described her experiences in the classroom as frustrating because her teacher was insensitive to her needs during her learning english in the classroom. her comments have called attention to an issue that, from her perspective, this lack of care affected badly her learning english in the classroom. however, students sr, ay and nk reported that in spite of having difficulties, they used a variety of resources with the help of non visual desktop access (nvda) and job access with speech (jaws): “all materials are difficult, but we used nvda and jaws to help us”. these students realized that learning materials in the classroom were not easy, but the screen reader technology can help them to get various materials from any resources for learning english. figure 2 illustrates the use of screen reader technology in the classroom. figure 2. the use of screen reader technology by visual impaired students in the classroom. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 87 meanwhile, teacher ek emphasized the strategy of peer learning for studying vocabularies in place of reading braille learning materials, “i don‟t use braille materials for learning new vocabularies because the students would still end up memorizing the words.” further she commented that braille takes a longer time to learn new words in the classroom. and, it creates an added step to the learning process that is not essential to learning the new words for the students. in learning vocabularies, we find that some students did not like using braille. student ag said of his experiences with braille, “i can learn some words with braille. but, i thought it was confusing.” he then added, “if i used it, i would still be memorizing the new words. so why continue with braille if i can learn by my ears and i still have to memorize the words anyway?” students gv, jw and ds found that braille in learning new words was inconvenient. they felt that it was also timeconsuming for them. we noticed that in the classroom, the students learnt and memorized the new words and they preferred to give up using of braille texts completely unless the teacher used the texts. the classroom interaction and pedagogy use when teaching and learning english, the teacher and students worked out various ways of communicating with one another. in the classroom, the students could not rely on visual cues. therefore, communication through spoken language became important. for an example, students nk and st, often said repeatedly to each other during learning new words. and teacher ac, often tried to help them to pronounce and communicate the new words among them and other students in the classroom intensively by tapping their shoulders. she believed that this act of tapping gesture can stimulate the students‟ active participation. figure 3. classroom interaction with visual impaired students. teacher ac often avoided asking her students to match the vocabulary to the abstract meaning as always done by other teachers in the school. for her, it was more important to introduce the vocabulary with the concrete meaning connected with individual student‟s experience. for her class instruction, which typically consisted of four to six students, as a result, she would lead her students to learn the new words with background stories. the stories related susanto & deri sis nanda teaching and learning english for visually impaired students: an ethnographic case study 88 to daily experiences can vary from one student to another student. in another classroom, teacher mt often had his students work in pairs to learn english vocabulary by using braille. unfortunately, his students nv and dt thought that learning the vocabulary in that way failed to help them learn and memorize many words. they also opined that it was not an effective method in the classroom. the students place the blame of the ineffectiveness on the teacher. they believed their teacher neglected to modify instruction and material to be more interesting. the teacher‟s inadequate inclusion of instructional practices might result in the use of ineffective pedagogy and visual impaired students could perceive it as the barrier to access their learning outcome (davis, 2002). figure 4. a braille text book used in learning english for visual impaired students. however, students hd and sf enjoyed their experiences in learning english. in their class, teacher mt used a role-play pedagogy. he asked his students‟ to play a simple drama by memorizing some dialogues. the students were allowed to improvise the dialogues. in the drama performance, the students got new words easily from the dialogues. besides, a braille text book was also used in the classroom (fig. 4). in another classroom, which has only one student, i.e. student st, he also used the braille text book. moreover, learning process in the classroom was accompanied with the musical learning (fig. 5). for him, english can be learnt through songs and he believed it was a good way for his student to learn a foreign language, at least from its melody and prosody. his belief is in line with the empirical studies showing that prosody is one of the critical elements in learning or acquiring language competence (susanto, 2016; weber, braun & crocker, 2006). english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 89 figure 5. musical learning for visual impaired students. for teachers ek, ac and mt, a braille text book should not be ruled out as a resource in the school for visually impaired students. although students can learn english without the aid of braille text, it should be still considered as a necessary skill for teaching students with visual impairment. therefore, they believed that it was compulsory to teach the students how to read and write braille text (see bozic & mccall, 2007). figure 6 illustrates a reglet, the tool for writing braille text, used in the school for visual impaired students. figure 6. a reglet as the tool for writing braille text used in the school. from a social constructivist framework of disability (see also bolt, 2005), the teachers‟ suggestions on the emphasis on using braille text in learning english might create barriers to achieve fast language learning outcome (danforth & gabel, 2006). this could ostracize the maximal use of listening for visual impaired students to learn english. students with visual impairment could well prepared to learn a foreign language relying on their hearing sense. thus, listening skill could be focused for visual impaired students. in our observation, visually impaired students can have unique ways of learning foreign language, for examples by the assistive technology as experienced by students sr, ay and nk (see hersh & johnson, 2008); by role-play pedagogy as experienced by students hd and sf; or by musical instrument as experienced by student st (see goldstein, 2000). these abilities should be acknowledged to obtain the perspectives of students who receive disability specific education (gabel, 2005) that can be incorporated with the perspective susanto & deri sis nanda teaching and learning english for visually impaired students: an ethnographic case study 90 from the teachers or even from the parents (jenks, 2005). the intersection of various pedagogies in learning language for visual impaired students with the ability of reading braille texts might get beneficial. however, we suggest that the experiences of those with disabilities need to be more explored into the research within foreign language education to understand more about disability (siebers, 2006). conclusion in this article, we discussed our observation on the teaching and learning of english at a school for visually impaired students in indonesia. it covered the students and teachers‟ experiences in the classrooms. it also included the discussion on the classroom interaction and pedagogy use. it was found that though the students received inadequate modifications of instruction in foreign language learning, they used a variety of resources with the screen reader technology such as non visual desktop access (nvda) and job access with speech (jaws). moreover, they could learn the language by role-play pedagogy and musical instrument as well. these findings suggest that visually impaired students actually can have unique ways of learning foreign language and these abilities should be acknowledged to obtain the perspectives of students who receive disability specific education. the study might provide a further facet to the research especially on the importance of learning strategies in special education. acknowledgment the work described in this paper was supported by a research grant from the indonesian ministry of research, technology and higher education (pdupt scheme, 2018). the authors also thank the principal, teachers and students in the participating school. references agesa, l. (2014). challenges faced by learners with visual impairments in inclusive setting in transnzoia county. journal of education and practice, 5(29), 185-192. archibald, m. m. (2015). investigator triangulation: a collaborative strategy with potential for mixed methods research. journal of mixed methods research, 10(3), 228-250. arslantaş, t. k. (2017). foreign language education of visually impaired individuals: a review of pervasive studies. ihead: ihlara journal of educational research, 2(2), 95-104. atkinson, p., & hammersley, m. (1998). ethnography and participant observation. in n. k. denzin & y. s. lincoln (eds.), strategies of qualitative inquiry (pp. 110-136). thousand oaks, ca: sage. birchler, k., & michaelow, k. (2016). making aid work for education in developing countries: an analysis of aid effectiveness for primary education coverage and quality. international journal of educational development, 48, 37-52. bolt, d. (2005). from blindness to visual impairment: terminological typology and the social model of disability. disability & society, 20, 539–552. bozic, n., & mccall, s. (2007). microcomputer software: developing braille reading skills. british journal of special education, 20(2), 58. burns, d. (2018). deepening and scaling participatory research with the poorest and most marginalised. european journal of operational research, 268(3), 865-874. casper, m. j., & talley, h. l. (2005). preface: ethnography and disability studies. journal of contemporary ethnography, 34(2), 115–120. danforth, d., & gabel, s. l. (2006). vital questions facing disability studies in education. new york, ny: peter lang. davis, l. j. (2002). bending over backwards: disability, dismodernism, and other difficult positions. new york, ny: new york university press. denzin, n. k. (2006). sociological methods: a sourcebook. piscataway, nj: transaction publishers. depoy, e., & gilson, s. f. (2011). studying disability: multiple theories and responses. thousand oaks, ca: sage. florian, l. (2008). special or inclusive education: future trends. british journal of special education, 35(4), 202-208. gabel, s. l. (2005). disability studies in education: readings in theory and method. new york, ny: peter lang. goldstein, d. (2000). music pedagogy for the blind. international journal of music education, 35, 35–39. hersh, m. a., & johnson, m. a. (2008). disability and assistive technology systems. in m. a. hersh & m. a. johnson (eds.), assistive technology for visually impaired and blind people (pp. 1-50). london: springer. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 91 jenks, e. b. (2005). parents‟ stories of raising children with visual impairments in a sighted world. journal of contemporary ethnography, 34, 143–169. jones, c. b., isham, l., & taylor, j. (2018). the complexities and contradictions in participatory research with vulnerable children and young people: a qualitative systematic review. social science & medicine, 215, 80-91. masino, s., & zarazúa, m. n. (2016). what works to improve the quality of student learning in developing countries? international journal of educational development, 48, 53-65. nugent, m. (2018). reframing inclusion: an exclusive–inclusive approach. british journal of special education, 45(2), 141–156. reason, p. (1998). three approaches to participatory inquiry. in n. k. denzin & y. s. lincoln (eds.), strategies of qualitative inquiry (pp. 324-338). thousand oaks, ca: sage. savage, j. (2013). participative observation: standing in the shoes of others. qualitative health research, 10(3), 324-339. siebers, t. (2006). disability theory. ann arbor, mi: university of michigan press. stake, p. (2005). qualitative case study. in n. k. denzin & y. s. lincoln (eds.), the sage handbook of qualitative research (pp. 433–466). new york, ny: sage. susanto (2016). a case study of prosodic phrasal grouping and intonational prominence in language acquisition. english review: journal of english education, 4(2), 289-295. thompson, r. g. (1997). extraordinary bodies: figuring physical disability in american culture and literature. new york, ny: columbia university press. weber, a., braun, b., & crocker, m. w. (2006). finding referents in time: eye-tracking evidence for the role of contrastive accents. language and speech, 49(3), 367– 92. whitburn, b. (2014). accessibility and autonomy preconditions to „our‟ inclusion: a grounded theory study of the experiences of secondary students with vision impairment. journal of research in special educational needs, 14(1), 3–15. susanto & deri sis nanda teaching and learning english for visually impaired students: an ethnographic case study 92 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee error analysis of writing verbs in discussion text dadang solihat department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia e-mail: dacu_qta@yahoo.co.id diah novianti department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia e-mail: diahnovianti1994@gmail.com apa citation: solihat, d. & novianti, d. (2015). error analysis of writing verbs in discussion text. english review: journal of english education, 4(1), 75-81 received: 20-08-2015 accepted: 02-11-2015 published: 01-12-2015 abstract: the objective of this study is to find out the error types of writing verbs in students‟ discussion texts and to identify the factors causing verb errors at the fourth semester students of english major in university of kuningan. the subject of this study is 20 students. the limitation of the problem is to classify the students‟ errors based on linville„s error types in writing verbs, there are subject-verb agreement errors, verb tense errors, and verb form errors. this research is using qualitative method by collecting data from documents, questionnaires, and interviews. the result showed that the highest error which most students made is subject-verb agreement. its frequency is 105 errors or 78.95 %. the second common error is verb form with 15 errors or 11.28 %. the third common error is verb-tense with 13 errors or 9.77 %. the factors causing verb errors are interlingual factor and intralingual or developmental factor. it is influenced by the students‟ lack of knowledge and understanding of the use of verbs. key words: subject-verb agreement error, verb tense error, verb form error, interlingual factor, intralingual or developmental factor introduction generally, english is taught and assessed in terms of four skills, namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing. those four skills are divided into two types, namely receptive skills which consist of listening and reading, and productive skills which consist of speaking and writing. all the skills are needed in learning english, because they have their own important role. but, brown (2000, p. 216) stated that “the most obvious approach to analyze interlanguage is to study the speech and writing of learners.” it makes writing needed to learn. since, writing is the productive skill that involves grammatical in a structured way. in writing skills, grammar is a major role to produce sentences in a text. it corresponds with brown (2001, p. 362) who said that “grammar is the system of rules governing the conventional arrangement and relationship of words in a sentence.” the students need to acquire basic grammatical knowledge to write effectively. in grammatical rules, a sentence usually consists of subject, verb, and object. a sentence can be meaningful because there is a verb as word that can express action of the subject. but, some 75 mailto:diahnovianti1994@gmail.com dadang solihat & diah novianti error analysis of writing verbs in discussion text students still make errors in writing some verbs in a text. the fact show that the fourth semester students of english major in university of kuningan face erroneous in writing verbs. it corresponds with corder (1981, p. 36) who suggested that “error is described by the application of linguistic theory to the data of erroneous utterances produces by a learner or a group of learners.” the students usually make an error in writing verbs especially in discussion text. as mentioned by linville (2004), the error types of writing verbs are usually found in subject-verb agreement errors, verb tense errors, and verb form errors. based on the point of view, the students make error in writing verbs. this is in line with thornbury (1999, p. 114) who noted that “grammar errors, on the other hand, cover such things as mistakes in verb form and tense.” the example is given in terms of a student‟s writing. the students write about the discussion text entitled “should we marry someone who supplies us money than someone whom we love?” in that writing activity students wrote, money and love is something interdependent. most of students wrote is as the verb on that sentence. the wrong verb belongs to subject-verb agreement error, and the students should have to write, money and love are something interdependent. some errors have been made by the fourth semester students of english major in university of kuningan indicated that there are causes of error which influence the students‟ writing. as mentioned by touchie (1986), there are two major factors cause of errors in second language learning, namely interlingual factors and intralingual or developmental factors. related to those cases, this study investigates error analysis of writing verbs in discussion texts made by university students, which focus on finding out the error types of writing verbs and identifying the factors causing verb errors made by the student in writing discussion texts. method in determining the site and participant, the writer uses purposeful sampling. as supported by creswell (2012, p. 206) “in purposeful sampling, the writer intentionally select individuals and sites to learn or understand the central phenomenon.” purposeful sampling usually applies to both individuals and sites. this study involves 20 of fourth semester students of english major in university of kuningan. the participants are chosen regarding two reasons. the first is the writer chooses the fourth semester students of english major because the material about discussion text is taught in the fourth semester students of english major. the second is the writer chooses university of kuningan, since those place is a strategic place for both the writer and the participant to conduct this study. the data in this research is taken through documents, questionnaires, and interview. the first is documents which are used to give information for the writer to know the problem that is faced by the students on the usage of verbs in writing discussion text. the step in collecting documents of this study is the writer asks permission to the teacher of writing course in english major of university of kuningan, to collect the students‟ discussion text as data instrument for this study. questionnaires are used to collect the information about factors which is causing the students make verb errors in writing discussion text. according to 76 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee gay et al. (2012, p. 388), “a questionnaire is a written collection of self-report questions to be answered by a selected group of research participants.” the questionnaires of this study use multiple choice questions. the questionnaire consists of some questions to collect the data for identifying the factors causing verb errors made by the student in writing discussion texts. a questionnaire could be easy analyzed by uses likert scale from fraenkel and wallen (2009, p. 126), namely 5 = strongly agree, 4 = agree, 3 = undecided, 2 = disagree, 1 = strongly disagree, and closed questions. the third is interview. it is equally popular to observation in qualitative research. creswell (2012, p. 217) stated that a qualitative interview happens when writers ask one or more participants general, open-ended questions and record their answers. gay et al. (2012) added that there are types of interview, namely unstructured interview and structured interview. hence, this study uses structured interview because the writer prepare a set of questions to acquire the necessary information. there are a number of steps taken in conducting an error analysis (gass & selinker, 2008). the first is collecting data, when this is typically done with written data. the second is identifying errors, it means finding out the error. the third is classifying errors, to classify the errors into the theme. the fourth is quantifying errors to know the total number of errors. the fifth is analyzing source, and the last is remediate, based on the kind and frequency of an error type, pedagogical intervention is carried out. results and discussion based on the study, a lot of students made errors in writing verb. terror types of writing verbs in discussion text, such as subject-verb agreement errors, verb tense errors, and verb form errors. by analyzing the students‟ discussion text, the writer obtained the results as presented in the following table: table 1. error types of writing verbs participants error types of writing verbs total of errors subject-verb agreement verb tense verb form student 1 1 1 student 2 1 1 student 3 1 1 student 4 1 1 2 student 5 1 1 2 student 6 5 3 1 9 student 7 5 5 student 8 6 1 1 8 student 9 44 1 45 student 10 8 1 9 student 11 4 2 6 student 12 11 11 student 13 6 1 7 student 14 2 2 student 15 3 1 4 student 16 3 1 1 5 student 17 4 2 6 student 18 2 1 3 6 77 dadang solihat & diah novianti error analysis of writing verbs in discussion text student 19 2 2 student 20 1 1 total 105 13 15 133 percentage of errors 78.95 % 9.77 % 11.28 % 100 % table 1 described the result of error types of writing verbs from the students‟ discussion texts. the writer found 133 errors consist of 105 subjectverb agreement errors, 13 verb tense errors, and 15 verb form errors. these table also presented the percentage of subject-verb agreement errors were 78.95 %, verb tense errors were 9.77 %, and verb form errors were 11.28 %. based on the study, a lot of students made errors in writing verb. the writer found error types of writing verbs in discussion text, such as subjectverb agreement errors, verb tense errors, and verb form errors. some examples are given below: 1) they supplies money for their son. (incorrect) they supply money for their son. (correct) 2) he come from south korea. (incorrect) he comes from south korea. (correct) the first error is basic subjectverb agreement error, the wrong verb is written by the student in the discussion text. the verb supplies, it should have to write supply. since the subject did not agree with the singular verb. then, the second error is made in subject-verb agreement using final –s/-es. the wrong verb come should be added by –s because the verb did not agree with the subject in singular pronoun. 1) financial stills needed to welfare the family. (incorrect) financial is still needed to welfare the family. (correct) 2) all the facilities has been guarantee. (incorrect) all the facilities have been guaranteeing. (correct) the first verb tense error occurred in passive sentence use the present participle (azar, 1989). this error produced because the sentence needs verb is. while, the second verb tense error has been guarantee, it should have to write have been guaranteeing, because the subject is plural noun. it belongs to present perfect continuous. according to azar (1999), the form of present perfect continuous is: have/has + been + -ing (present participle). 1) they will trying hard to make us… (incorrect) they will be trying hard to make us… (correct) 2) love is place to sharing. (incorrect) love is place to share. (correct) the first verb form error produced the incorrect verb will trying, it should have to write will be trying. since, as explained by knapp and watkins 78 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee (2005) the –ing form is used for the progressive tense. then, the second error occurred in using –ing form. the incorrect verb to sharing should have to write to share, because after to infinitive always followed by verb 1. in analyzing causes of error which faced by the fourth semester students of english major in university of kuningan especially in writing verbs, the writer obtained the data result from two instruments, namely questionnaires and interviews. those instruments had been used to know the dominant factor which faced by the students. it is between interlingual and intralingual or developmental factors. based on the questionnaires that have been analyzed by the writer, there were two factors causing verb errors in writing discussion text made by fourth semester students of english major in university of kuningan, namely interlingual factors and intralingual or developmental factors. however, there is a dominant factor which caused verb errors in their writing. the writer obtained the results in the following table. table 2. the factors of students’ errors no. category total average 1. interlingual factor 628 48 % 2. intralingual or developmental factor 669 52 % total 1297 100 % table 4.5 presented the factors of students‟ error in writing verbs in their discussion text. the results showed that interlingual factor is 628 representing with the percentage is 48 %, and intralingual or developmental factor is 669 representing with the percentage is 52 %. related to those result, the writer assumed that the dominant factor which caused the students made errors in writing verb is intralingual or developmental factor. meanwhile, after analyzing interviews from the student‟s responses, the writer found the factor which caused verb errors in students‟ discussion texts. based on the student‟s responses for the first question, the writer assumed that interlingual factor is one of the causes of error in writing verbs. it corresponds with touchie (1986) who said that the native language of student plays a significant role in learning a second language. the students did not know the verb in english, it made them write verb by using their native language. one of the students also still made errors when using the ending –s in third person singular pronoun. this is in line with noori, shamary, and yasin (2015) who assumed that some students usually omit such –s when the subject is singular. the interview data result from the second question, the writer thought that interlingual factor has a role in causing verb errors. according to brown (2000), the beginning stage of learning a second language is the negative influence from the native language. the students still made error in translating words in indonesian into english. from the result of interview for the third questions, the writer found that intralingual or developmental factor is a major factor in second language learning. it showed from the student‟s responses, because there are many statements who explained that intralingual or developmental factor 79 dadang solihat & diah novianti error analysis of writing verbs in discussion text influence the student‟s writing discussion text. as explained by brown (2000), intralingual occurred because the negative influence from the target language itself. a lot of students still confused in using –ed or –s form, and in deciding tenses in a text. conclusion error types of writing verbs which are found in students‟ discussion texts consist of subject-verb agreement errors, verb tense errors, and verb form errors. the highest until the lowest frequency and percentage verb errors derives from subject-verb agreement (105 errors or 78.95 %), verb form (15 errors or 11.28 %), and verb tense (13 errors or 9.77 %). there are two factors causing verb errors namely interlingual factor and intralingual or developmental factor. the writer found that intralingual or developmental factor is the dominant factor which is made by the 20 of fourth semester students of english major in university of kuningan when they produce verb errors in their discussion texts. at the study, 48 % of the questionnaire results showed that interlingual factor is the lowest percentage, and 52 % questionnaire results showed that intralingual or developmental factor is the highest percentage. interlingual factor and intralingual or developmental factor causing the students made verb errors. however, the dominant factor is intralingual or developmental factor which is influenced by the students‟ lack of knowledge and understanding of the usage of verbs. in other words, they made an error in using subject-verb agreement, deciding verb form like –s/es form, -ed form, and –ing form, and the students also still confuse in using tenses especially in discussion texts. references azar, b. s. (1999). understanding and using english grammar (3rd ed.). new jersey: pearson education. brown, h. d. (2004). language assessment: principles and classroom practice. new york: longman. brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy (2nd ed.). london: addison wesley longman, inc. brown, h. d. (2000). principles of language learning and teaching (4th ed.). london: addison wesley longman, inc. corder, s. p. (1981). error analysis and interlanguage. london: oxford university press. creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). boston, ma: pearson education, inc. creswell, j. w. (2009). research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). los angeles: sage publications, inc. creswell, j. w. (1998). qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five traditions. los angeles: sage publications, inc. cynthia, r. (2013, june). four skills in the english language. retrieved from word press. retrieved from https://rahelcynthia.wordpress.com/20 13/06/28/four-skills-in-the-englishlanguage/ djuharie, o. s. (2007). genre. bandung: cv. yrama widya. dulay, h., burt, m., & krashen, s. (1982). language two. new york: oxford university press. ellis, r., & barkhuizen, g. (2005). analyzing learner language. oxford: oxford university press. eastwood, j. (1994). oxford guide to english grammar. new york: oxford university press. 80 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee fraenkel, j. r., & wallen, n. e. (2009). how to design and evaluate research in education (7th ed.). new york: mcgraw-hill. gass, s. m., & selinker, l. (2008). second language acquisition: an introductory course (3rd ed.). new york: routledge. gay, l. r., mills, g. e., & airasian, p. w. (2012). educational research: competences for analysis and application. boston: pearson education, inc. gerot, l., & wignell, p. (1994). making sense of functional grammar (1st ed.). sydney: gerd stabler. harmer, j. (2007). the practice of english language teaching (4th ed.). cambridge: pearson education limited. harmer, j. (2004). how to teach writing. harlow: pearson education limited. james, c. (1998). error in language learning and use: exploring error analysis. london: longman. karim, s. m. s., fathema, f., & hakim, a. (2015). common errors on the usage of verbs in english composition: a case study of bangladeshi efl learners. asian journal of educational research, 3(2). retrieved from http://www.multidisciplinaryjournals.c om/ knapp, p., & watkins, m. (2005). genre, text, grammar: technologies for teaching and assessing writing. sydney: university of new south wales press ltd. kothari, c. r. (2004). research methodology: methods and techniques. new delhi: new age international (p) ltd., publishers. lightbown, p. m., & spada, n. (2006). how language are learned (3rd ed.). new york: oxford university press. linville, c. (2004). editing line by line in s. bruce & b. rafoth (2nd ed.): esl writers: a guide for writing center tutors. boynton/cook publishers: portsmouth. noori, m. a. j. h. a., shamary, i. h. k. a., & yasin, m. s. m. (2015). investigating subject-verb agreement errors among iraqi secondary school students in malaysia. international journal of education and research, 3(5), 433-442. retrieved from http://www.ijern.com/journal/2015/ may-2015/38.pdf pinter, a. (2006). teaching young language learners. new york: oxford university press. rohman, f. (2014, april). english text types genre of text. retrieved from http://fatwarohman.blogspot.co.id/201 4/04/english-text-types-genre-oftext.html rohman, f. (2013, november). discussion text about pros and cons of school uniforms. retrieved from http://fatwarohman.blogspot.co.id/201 3/11/discussion-text-about-pros-andcons-of.html touchie, h. y. (1986). second language learning errors: their types, causes, and treatment. austin: university of texas. thornbury, s. (1999). how to teach grammar. london: pearson education limited. zhuang, l. (2011). a study of verb errors committed in written english by chinese college students in taiwan. journal of humanities and social science, 7(1), 91-101. retrieved from http://journal.dyu.edu.tw/dyujo/docu ment/hssjournal/h07-1--91-101.pdf 81 http://www.multidisciplinaryjournals.com/ http://www.multidisciplinaryjournals.com/ http://www.ijern.com/journal/2015/may-2015/38.pdf http://www.ijern.com/journal/2015/may-2015/38.pdf http://fatwarohman.blogspot.co.id/2014/04/english-text-types-genre-of-text.html http://fatwarohman.blogspot.co.id/2014/04/english-text-types-genre-of-text.html http://fatwarohman.blogspot.co.id/2014/04/english-text-types-genre-of-text.html http://fatwarohman.blogspot.co.id/2013/11/discussion-text-about-pros-and-cons-of.html http://fatwarohman.blogspot.co.id/2013/11/discussion-text-about-pros-and-cons-of.html http://fatwarohman.blogspot.co.id/2013/11/discussion-text-about-pros-and-cons-of.html http://journal.dyu.edu.tw/dyujo/document/hssjournal/h07-1--91-101.pdf http://journal.dyu.edu.tw/dyujo/document/hssjournal/h07-1--91-101.pdf promoting incidental vocabulary learning through verbal dramatization of words english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee promoting incidental vocabulary learning through verbal dramatization of words looi-chin ch’ng academy of language studies, universiti teknologi mara, sarawak, malaysia email: looichinchng@gmail.com apa citation: ch’ng, l. c. (2014). promoting incidental vocabulary learning through verbal dramatization of words. english review: journal of english education, 3(1), 1-10 received: 12-10-2014 accepted: 29-10-2014 published: 01-12-2014 abstract: despite the fact that explicit teaching of vocabulary is often practised in english as a second language (esl) classrooms, it has been proven to be rather ineffective, largely because words are not taught in context. this has prompted the increasing use of incidental vocabulary learning approach, which emphasises on repeated readings as a source for vocabulary learning. by adopting this approach, this study aims to investigate students’ ability in learning vocabulary incidentally via verbal dramatization of written texts. in this case, readers’ theatre (rt) is used as a way to allow learners to engage in active reading so as to promote vocabulary learning. a total of 160 diploma students participated in this case study and they were divided equally into two groups, namely classroom reading (cr) and rt groups. a proficiency test was first conducted to determine their vocabulary levels. based on the test results, a story was selected as the reading material in the two groups. the cr group read the story through a normal reading lesson in class while the rt group was required to verbally dramatize the text through readers’ theatre activity. then, a posttest based on vocabulary levels was carried out and the results were compared. the findings revealed that incidental learning was more apparent in the rt group and their ability to learn words from the higher levels was noticeable through higher accuracy scores. although not conclusive, this study has demonstrated the potential of using readers’ theatre as a form of incidental vocabulary learning activity in esl settings. keywords: incidental vocabulary learning, readers’ theatre, language learning introduction in a traditional classroom of english as a second or foreign language, it is common for teachers to adopt a translation approach in teaching vocabulary to the learners. translation is seen as a direct and explicit approach in introducing more words to novice learners. however, problems often exist in this method of teaching since translation may lead to problems in miscommunication (meidasari, 2014). despite that, more implicit approaches in teaching vocabulary are introduced in order to facilitate the comprehension of words, one of which is repetitive reading. research in second language learning has indicated that repetitive reading is responsible for vocabulary learning. repetitive reading would encourage the exposure of the vocabulary that would then enhance the word recognition (elis, 1995; schmidt 1993, 1995, 2001) of the targeted language for language learning. apart from that, it also exposes the use of vocabulary in context as to assist learners to get the meaning across. indirectly learners pick up the looi-chin ch’ng promoting incidental vocabulary learning through verbal dramatization of words vocabulary from the written text. this incidental vocabulary learning (dowhower, 1994) is best achieved when learners read aloud (fisher, flood, lapp, & frey, 2004; hickman, pollarddurodola,& vaughn, 2004; santoro, chard, howar& baker, 2008) story based text (mason, 2004; mcmaster, 1998; rashidi&ganbari adivi, 2010). in short, repeated oral reading of story based text in particular is highly favourable in driving learners to learn the language via incidental vocabulary learning. therefore, readers’ theatre (rt) would be the best way to achieve this as it certainly fulfil all the criteria mentioned above for language learning, particularly in terms incidental vocabulary learning. based on the review of previous studies, rt has shown to give impacts towards the improvement of learners’ fluency, reading motivation, reading attitude and reading comprehension. however, the impact of rt towards vocabulary learning in the language classroom has yet to be explored, albeit the pivotal role of vocabulary in oral reading has been recognized as lexical knowledge (srichamnong, 2009) and critical in language mastery (schmidt, 2008). despite that, previous research has pointed the significant impact of rt in terms of language learning, they are mainly focused on the impact of rt towards young children, elementary students and students with learning disabilities. not many studies have been dwelled into the possible students' educational level differences in explaining vocabulary learning via rt in the light of the second language classrooms among the university learners. in addition, without a satisfactory account of the vocabulary learning in the higher learning institution, the impacts of incidental vocabulary learning among the university students is “bound to end up stranded in an explanatory void” (cameron, 1997: 59). studying the vocabulary learning of the university students offers empirically-driven explanations that would inform the status of syllabus planning and would assist in the syllabus planning in the future, apart from enhancing the teaching and learning experience in the classrooms. eventually, incidental vocabulary acquisition via rt may also be applied across discipline which is not merely confined in language learning. studies also indicated that students who have poor academic performances particularly in english language learning is largely resulted by the fact that they are lacked in the interest in reading, poor reading habit and negative attitudes towards reading (akabuike & asika, 2012). the key for students not to read is perhaps they are demotivated by the challenges of decoding the meaning of vocabulary while reading. researches shown that oral reading and story based reading may assist vocabulary learning and comprehension, nevertheless, few studies explore the impact of rt in offering rooms for them to achieve better learning of vocabulary and comprehension orally, especially for students who are lacked of confidence and are have weak command of english. besides that, mraz et al. (2013) conducted a study on struggling readers by using rt in enhancing their fluency. the results were very encouraging that the leaners also showed greater interest in reading since they can inject some elements of drama in their rt. relevant studies in the field also inform that read-aloud narrative or story based text and repeat reading would be fundamental for incidental vocabulary english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee learning and comprehension. nevertheless, jenkins, stein and wysocki (1984) found that vocabulary is not usually taught in the classroom nowadays even though learning vocabulary helps in the comprehension of the reading texts. they also found that more frequent presentation in context increased the learning of vocabulary. therefore, it is hypothesised that rt can really help in vocabulary learning as compared to classroom reading as the exposure to the vocabulary in context is repeated; and students in the rt group should learn better from the students in the classroom reading group who are only exposed to the text once, regardless of whether they have any prior knowledge of the vocabulary. this study aims to investigate the use of rt (verbal dramatization of written texts) in promoting incidental vocabulary learning as compared to conventional reading lessons in the esl classrooms. the study was conducted to answer the following research questions: (1) what are the differences in the students’ accuracy scores between the use of conventional reading lessons and readers’ theatre? (2). to what extent readers’ theatre can promote students’ incidental vocabulary learning? in second language learning, research indicates that there is a strong bond between language learning and vocabulary learning. vocabulary learning enhances vocabulary knowledge and thus enables language use for the performance of language skills such as reading and speaking by the learners (nation &waring, 1997). on the other hand, learners’ vocabulary learning starts from ‘notice’ the vocabulary (elis, 1995; schmidt 1993, 1995, 2001). the more exposure given to learners to ‘notice’ new words would better enhance their vocabulary learning capability. since this word repetition is a favourable condition for vocabulary learning especially it is in contextualised manner (cain, 2007; jenkins, stein, &wysocki, 1984) and also playing a very important role in promoting incidental vocabulary learning (matsuoka & hirsh, 2010) thus, reading is accepted as a rich source for vocabulary learning. it is mainly because it provides learners the opportunity to ‘notice’ the words used in the different context repetitively in the reading text. it is also said the learning of vocabulary is incidental when they read extensively as the learners learnt the vocabulary that appear in the text even though the main purpose of reading is not to learn the vocabulary (swanborn &de glopper, 2002). incidental vocabulary learning is essential particularly in tertiary education. studies from koda (1989) shown that, an increase of reading proficiency is strongly attributed to increased proficiency in vocabulary (in matsuoka & hirsh, 2010). therefore, learners need to attain an adequate amount of vocabulary in assisting reading comprehension (hwang & nation, 1995; laufer 1991), in which it is one of the basic skills in academic settings for them to attain the world knowledge. another research done by rashidi and ganbari adivi (2010), also agrees with the notion of when the students get into the habit of learning words incidentally, wide range of genre may be incorporated in maximizing students' interest in reading. apart from that, cameron (1997) explains the vocabulary learning in the light of the second language classrooms among the university learners have been rudimentary. without a satisfactory account of the vocabulary learning in the looi-chin ch’ng promoting incidental vocabulary learning through verbal dramatization of words higher learning institution, the impacts of incidental vocabulary learning among the university students is “bound to end up stranded in an explanatory void” (p. 59).therefore, in short, vocabulary knowledge is strongly related with reading comprehension especially when the knowledge of vocabulary is acquired incidentally. studies have shown that, in most cases, oral reading is recognised to be more effective in terms of promoting reading comprehension and improving incidental vocabulary learning. recent studies have established that effective read-aloud contributes to students’ comprehension development (fisher, flood, lapp, & frey, 2004; hickman, pollard-durodola,& vaughn, 2004). meanwhile beck, mckeown, hamilton, and kucan (1997), suggests that textbased discussions as part of read-aloud may increase vocabulary learning besides improving comprehension particularly for students who struggle with decoding skills or who are just learning to read fluently, it would seem reasonable that comprehension strategies be taught through oral language opportunities (e.g. read-aloud). in the other studies, learners seem to have better incidental vocabulary learning and comprehension via oral reading when the genre of text is story based. rashidi and ganbari adivi (2010) reported from their study on the incidental vocabulary learning through reading short stories that the high school students demonstrated positive vocabulary learning when they were engaged in extensive reading. leaners’ interest grows greater when they are involved in various oral activities, such as storytelling (mason, 2004) and dramatic play (mcmaster, 1998). results from the studies done by santoro, chard, howard and baker (2008) strengthen the point that vocal reading enhances incidental vocabulary learning in assisting students to comprehend the text, narratives or story based texts. their studies reveal that students who gone through the read-aloud lessons are able to make a longer retellings specifically in narrative texts as compared to those who did not. besides, they also demonstrated a depth of text comprehension in their retellings and vocabulary knowledge, even though the main purpose of their readings are not learning the vocabulary. thus, it would be true that silent reading , which is commonly practised in most of the classroom reading lessons might not be able to help students to achieve good comprehension as it leaves no space for them to express what they have read and understood orally (young & rasinski, 2009). with that said, when comprehension is challenging normal reading classrooms, it also means it would be difficult for learners to learn the vocabulary incidentally in this context too. hence, it is believed that utilising readers theatre (rt) in the reading classroom would encourage incidental vocabulary learning and thus promotes better comprehension as learners need to go through repeated readings (dowhower, 1994) which facilitates the recognition skills of the words in the context of a narrative and enable them to express their reading vocally. rt is an approach that has been extensively used in the language classrooms, especially in the esl/efl classrooms, and it successfully worked on the young children, elementary students and students with learning disabilities. recent studies suggest that rt gives a great impact towards language learning english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee in various areas. it contributes towards the improvement of learners’ fluency, reading motivation, reading attitude and reading comprehension. for example, among the middle school students, allinder, dunse, brunken and obermiller-krolikowki (2001) found that the comprehension scores for students (including students with learning disability) who were exposed to daily oral reading increased. similarly, chard, vaughn, and tyler (2002) found that the reading fluency of the elementary students with learning disability significantly improved after repeated reading interventions. a lot more studies have proved the success of rt in improving the attitudes (morris, 2011; rees, 2005; smith, 2011), confidence, word recognition (rinehart, 1999), fluency (rasinki, 2006) and motivation to read (carrick, 2001; rinehart, 1999). these researches have consistently shown that rt is a successful approach for language learning. rt is able to link reading comprehension and vocabulary learning as it improves reading fluency, accuracy, automaticity, prosody which further leads to good comprehension (rasinski, 2006). through rt, students are able to recognize the words and pronounce it without error (accuracy), and this is the first step of language learning. when students have the ability to read the words correctly, effortlessly and meaningfully via their finite cognitive resources (automaticity), they are able to perform a successful rt. on top of that, rt requires students not only merely read their script but with the ability to render the text with appropriate expressions and phrasing (prosody). this allows the readers to reflect their understanding of the script semantically and syntactically (comprehension). lastly, rt also helps students to become a more fluent speaker (fluency). since the key step to language mastery would simply start from vocabulary learning, reading is accepted as a rich source for vocabulary learning in a contextualized manner; and rt is much encouraging, especially for students who are lacked of confidence and are of lower proficiency in english. method the study involved 160 diploma students of various disciplines in a public university. they were divided equally into two groups – classroom reading (cr) group and readers’ theatre (rt) group. only those who have given their consent to participate in the study were selected for the study as the willingness of the participants were valued in order to avoid dishonest responses for the data collected. a proficiency test was conducted on both groups to determine their vocabulary level. the test items were adopted from laufer and nation (1999) database. based on the results, a suitable story was selected as their reading material. the cr group read the story through a normal reading lesson in class while the rt group was required to verbally dramatize the text through readers’ theatre activity. then, a posttest based on vocabulary levels (vocabulary test) was carried out. in general, laufer and nation (1999) have categorised words from frequently seen to least encountered into 5 categories (1k word level, 2k word level, 3k word level, 5k word level,10k word level and academic words level). thus, this test adopted 10 question items for each category of word level making it a total of 50 question items looi-chin ch’ng promoting incidental vocabulary learning through verbal dramatization of words from the database of laufer and nation (1999), http://www.er.uqam.ca/nobel/r21270/levels/ 2kc.html. participants were requested to only complete the spelling of the word instead of filling in the blank as the main purpose of the test is to examine the participants’ familiarity of the words of different levels instead of the proficiency of the language as a whole. the procedures in collecting the data needed for this study is illustrated in figure 1. proficiency test laufer& nation (1999) (to measure current vocabulary proficiency level) readers’ theater (rt) vocabulary test selected words from text by 30 classroom reading group (cr grp) (80 students)  (before reading activity) x  (to measure the effects of classroom reading in esl incidental vocabulary learning) readers’ theatre group (rt grp) (80 students)  (before rt performances)   (to measure the effects of readers’ theatre in esl incidental vocabulary learning) figure 1.data collection procedures. the results from the proficiency test for all 160 participants revealed the following accuracy percentage for each level (10 words for each level) as shown in table 1. table 1.accuracy percentage of each word level (n=160) levels accuracy 1k 92% 2k 66% 3k 56% 5k 35% 10k 27% in general, the proficiency level of the participants were largely between 1k to 3k word levels. only a small number of them were able to identified words beyond 3k level and the accuracy was also very low. based on this, it has provided a good indicator on the choice of texts to be used in this study. the most frequently encountered words in the story are to be chosen from the texts upon the majority agreement of the researchers as to enhance the common agreement of the most frequently encountered words in the story. the word form of the selected words from the story were ensured to be the same in the vocabulary test as a means to fulfil the criteria of contextualisation. for instance, the chosen word “pursue” is a verb in the written text, its word form remained in the vocabulary test while constructing the question items. the amount of words or test items for the test is not limited, all majority agreed words chosen are to be taken into the test. a frequency count on the correct items for the vocabulary test was done for both cr and rt groups. during the marking, minor spelling and grammatical mistakes are ignored as the participants tests /instruments english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee main purpose of both tests is to test their familiarity of the words instead of the proficiency of their language as a whole. the total scores of the vocabulary test of both cr and rt groups were then compared. results and discussion table 2. overall performance of the two groups scores non-rt group (n=80) rt group (n=80) total 933 1544 average 12.4 19.3 table 2 shows the scores obtained by the two groups of students. for the non-rt group, the total score obtained is 933 with an average of 12.4 for each student. as for the rt group, the total score obtained is higher with 1544 and an average of 19.3 per student. it means that out of 30 words in the vocabulary test, the non-rt group only managed to correctly use 12 words (40% accuracy) while the rt group managed to get 19 words (63% accuracy). the difference in the scores obtained by the two groups provides an initial positive outcome on the use of rt as a technique to increase vocabulary learning. table 3.students’ performance byword levels 1000 word family lists categories no. of words used in the test no. of words non-rt group scored higher than rt group 1k-3k high-frequency 16 words 0 4k-10k low-frequency 14 words 1 the 5 word levels were grouped into two main categories: highfrequency and low-frequency to allow clearer comparisons since only 30 words are used in the vocabulary test. for the high-frequency level (1k-3k words), the rt group outperformed the non-rt group in all 16 words while they only scored lower for 1 word in the lowfrequency level (3k-10k). the clearer breakdown of the scores obtained by the two groups are shown in table 4. the rt group managed to score significantly higher for low-frequency words such as eerie, snarled and quiver. clearly, verbal dramatization of the words during rt actually promote learning of words in context since most of the low-frequency words related to the similar “family” seemed to be retained by the participants in the rt group more than those in the non-rt group. this finding echoed the outcomes reported schmidt (2001) and rashidi and ganbariadivi (2010) in which repetitive readings allows better attainments of vocabulary and rt allows a greater active reading process since the learners need to learn to verbally dramatize it as well (rinehart, 1999). however, the word that the rt group scored lower than non-rt group is the word “scared”. 38 students from non-rt group managed to answer the word correctly as compared to 27 students from the rt group. interestingly, both groups scored lower than expected for the word. upon close checking, the participants used mostly “scary” which gives a different meaning. this somehow indicates the common confusion that students have in relation to the use of “scary” and “scared”. looi-chin ch’ng promoting incidental vocabulary learning through verbal dramatization of words based on the scores reported earlier, students in the rt group has shown greater grasp of the words in context. the accuracy scores of the rt group are also higher. this indicated the usefulness of readers’ theatre in encouraging learners to be more aware of the words they read. they do not merely memorise the words but the verbal dramatization of the words actually assist them in understanding the usage of the words. table 4.total cores obtained by the participants for each word words scores scores differences non-rt group rt group shake shadows blood pointy dark midnight died frightened roared fright thundered spell tombstones graveyard haunted willies giant creaked groaned howled scared skull shiver piercing eerie snarled skeleton quiver quake gripped 9 25 57 10 75 53 70 44 55 12 11 55 26 24 71 57 12 30 28 9 38 17 42 3 16 9 53 13 0 2 48 42 79 21 78 67 77 55 77 23 31 76 57 60 80 70 20 53 63 36 27 34 65 22 66 52 63 49 33 16 39 17 22 11 3 14 7 11 22 11 20 21 31 36 9 13 8 23 35 27 -11 17 23 19 50 43 10 36 33 14 * negative sign indicates non-rt group did better. conclusion thus far, vocabulary learning has been explored using different methods. however, little research has been done on using rt for vocabulary learning in the esl context. the findings revealed that incidental learning was more apparent in the rt group and their ability to learn words from the higher levels was noticeable through higher accuracy scores. this study has highlighted the potentials of rt to be included as part of the teaching pedagogy in order to enhance incidental vocabulary learning for beginning level students, comprehension for intermediate students and promoting language mastery for intermediate and english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee advance level students. the results may not be conclusive since it only involved the use of a small set of words, but it provides an apparent glimpse on the usefulness of verbal dramatization in the form of rt. it not only enables students to engage in active reading and learn new words, but also increase their motivation in learning the english language. further research can be done by including more reading texts of different genres to check on rt’s significance in promoting incidental vocabulary learning in a contextualised manner. references akabuike, i. g., &asika, i. e. (2012). reading habits of undergraduates and their academic performances: issues and perspectives. multidisciplinary journal, ethiopia, 6(2), 246-257. allinder, r. m., dunse, l., brunken, c. d., & obermiller-krolikowski, h. j. (2001). improving fluency in at-risk readers and students with learning disabilities. remedial and special education, 22(1), 4854. beck, i. l., mckeown, m. g., hamilton, r. l., & kucan, l. (1997).questioning the author: an approach for enhancing student engagement with test. newark, de: international reading association. cain, k. (2007). deriving word meanings from context: does explanation facilitate contextual analysis?. journal of research in reading, 30(4), 347-359. cameron, d. (1997). demythologizing sociolinguistics. in n. coupland, & a. jaworski, a. (eds.), sociolinguistics: a reader and coursebook (pp. 55-67). newyork: macmillan. carrick, l. (2001). readers theater resourcesonline and off-line. the reading teacher, 54, 514. chard, d., vaughn, s., & tyler, b. (2002). a synthesis of research on effective interventions for building reading fluency with elementary students with learning disabilities. journal of learning disabilities, 35, 386-406. dowhower, s. l. (1994). repeated reading revisited: research into practice. reading & writing quarterly: overcoming learning difficulties, 10(4), 343-358. elis, n. (1995). consciousness in second language acquisition: a review of field studies and laboratory experiment. language awareness, 4, 123-146. fisher, d., flood, j., lapp, d., & frey, n. (2004). interactive read-louds: is there a common set if implementation practices. the reading teachers, 58, pp 8-17. hickman, p., pollard-durodola, s., & vaughn, s. (2004). storybook reading: improving vocabulary and comprehension for english-language learners. the reading teacher, 57(8), 720730. hwang, k., & nation, i. s. p. (1989). reducing the vocabulary load and encouraging vocabulary learning through reading newspaper. reading in a foreign language, 6, 323-335. jenkins, j. r., stein, m. l., & wysocki, k. (1984). learning vocabulary through reading. american educational research journal, 21(4), 767-787. laufer, b. (1991). how much lexis is necessary for reading comprehension? in p. j. l. arnaud & h. bejoint (eds.), vocabulary and applied linguistics (pp.126-132). basingstoke: macmillan. laufer, b. & nation, p. (1999). a vocabularysize test of controlled productive ability. language testing, 16(1), 33-51. matsuoka, w., & hirsh, d. (2010). vocabulary learning through reading: does an elt course book provide good opportunities? reading in foreign language, 22(1), 56-70. mason, b. (2004). vocabulary acquisition through storytelling. paper presented at pac5, vladivostok, russia. mraz, m., nichols, w., caldwell, s., beisley, r., sargent, s., & rupley, w. (2013). improving oral reading fluency through readers theatre. reading horizons, 52(2). looi-chin ch’ng promoting incidental vocabulary learning through verbal dramatization of words mcmaster, j. c. (1998). “doing” literature: using drama to build literacy. the reading teacher, 51(7), 574584. meidasari, v. e. (2014). teaching communicative translation: an active reception analysis between the translation and reader’s reception. english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 183-192. morris, e. w. (2011). the effects of readers’ theatre on reading fluency and attitudes towards reading. (master’s thesis).retrieved from proquest dissertations and theses. nation, p., & waring, r. (1997). vocabulary size, text coverage and word list. in schmitt, n. & mccarthy, m. (ed.), vocabulary: description, acquisition and pedagogy: cambridge university press, p. 6-19. rasinski, t. v. (2006). reading fluency instruction: moving beyond accuracy, automaticity, and prosody. the reading teacher, 59, 704-706. rashidi, n., & ganbari adivi, a. (2010). incidental efl vocabulary learning: the effects of interactive multiple-choice glosses. journal of english language, 53(217), 111-129. rees, r. m. (2005). the impact of participation in readers theatres on reading attitudes and fluency skills among ninth grade students in an alternative program. (unpublished doctoral dissertation).university of akron, united states. rinehart, s. (1999). don’t think for a minute that i'm getting up there: opportunities for readers’ theatre in a tutorial for children with reading problems. journal of reading psychology, 20, 71-89. santoro, l. e., chard, d.j., howard, l., & baker, s.k. (2008). making the very most of classroom read-aloud to promote comprehension and vocabulary. the reading teacher, 61(5), 396-408. schmidt, r. (1993). awareness and second language acquisition. annual review of applied linguistics, 13, 206-226. schmidt, r. (1995). consciousness and foreign language learning: a tutorial role of attention and awareness in learning. in r. schmidt (ed.), attention and awareness in foreign language learning (pp. 1-63). honolulu: university of hawai’i, second language teaching and curriculum center. schmidt, r. (2001). attention in p. robinson (ed.), cognition and second language instruction (pp. 3-32). cambridge: cambridge university press. schmidt, r. (2008). the role of consciousness in second language learning. applied linguistics, 11(2), 129-158. srichamnong, n. (2009). incidental efl vocabulary learning: the effects of interactive multiple-choice glosses. paper presented at ict for language learning, florence, italy. smith, d. m. (2011). readers theatre: its effectiveness in improving reading fluency, student motivation, and attitudes toward reading among second-grade students. (doctoral dissertation). retrieved from proquest dissertations and theses. (accession order no: aat 3483738) swanborn, m. s. l., & de glopper, k. (2002). the impact of reading purpose on incidental word learning from context. language learning, 52, 95-117 young, c., & rasinski, t. (2009). implementing readers theatre as an approach to classroom fluency approach. the reading teacher, 63(1), 413. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee scaffolding in the teaching of writing discussion texts based on sfl-genre based approach eva fitriani syarifah department of english education, indonesia university of education e-mail: eva.fsyarifah@gmail.com wawan gunawan department of english education, indonesia university of education e-mail: wagoen@yahoo.com apa citation: syarifah, e. f. & gunawan, w. (2015). scaffolding in the teaching of writing discussion texts based on sfl-genre based approach. english review, 4(1), 39-53 received: 02-09-2015 accepted: 12-10-2015 published: 01-12-2015 abstract: writing in a second or foreign language seems to be the most difficult language skill for language learners to acquire (laksmi, 2006; lestari, 2008; negari, 2011). some scholars proposed the implementation of sfl – genre based approach in teaching writing (derewianka, 1990; rothery, 1996). however, sfl genre based approach seems to be product or teaching outcomes oriented (ahn, 2012; emilia, 2011). therefore, the concept of scaffolding in which possible supports the process of students‟ individual development is important to be emerged in the teaching stages of sfl – gba (bodrova & leong, 1998; mulatsih, 2011). as a result, this study focuses on the issue of scaffoldings in the teaching of writing discussion texts based on sfl – genre based approach. it particularly aims to investigate how scaffolding processes are implemented in the teaching of writing discussion texts based on sfl-gba and how they improve the students‟ writing performance. the data rely on teaching and learning process in a classroom with six students in a tertiary level as the focus participants. the method used in the data analysis adopted a qualitative design with reference especially to the theory of the scaffolding and sfl-gba. the results of analysis show that scaffolding processes are implemented in terms of macro and micro scaffoldings and able to improve the students‟ writing performance specifically in terms of social function, schematic structures, and language features of discussion genre. it is recommended that future related research should be conducted in more diverse of educational settings to see how scaffoldings are implemented in a variety of teaching practices. keywords: scaffolding, discussion texts, sfl, genre-based approach. writing in a second or foreign language seems to be the most difficult language skill for language learners to acquire (laksmi, 2006; lestari, 2008; negari, 2011). further, laksmi (2006) explain that the difficulties are caused by some problems such as in getting ideas, organizing ideas, developing details, choosing correct words and structuring ideas in correct sentences, and maintaining paragraph unity. to anticipate the problems, some scholars proposed the implementation of genre based approach in teaching 39 eva fitriani syarifah & wawan gunawan scaffolding in the teaching of writing discussion texts based on sfl-genre based approach writing (derewianka, 1990, 2003; hyland, 2007; rothery, 1996). in genre based approach, the concept of teaching writing is teaching the students in the text level by involving the stages of teaching namely building knowledge of field, modeling, joint construction and independent construction (emilia, 2011; feez & joyce, 1998). the implementation of genrebased approach follows the concept of scaffolding or teacher-supported learning (hyland, 2004). the notion of scaffolding emphasizes the role of interaction with experienced others in learning, moving learners from their existing level of performance to a level of potential performance (hyland, 2004; walqui, 2006; wood, bruner, & ross, 1976). the idea of scaffolding originally comes from the work of jerome bruner who defines scaffolding as a process of „setting up‟ the situation to make the child‟s entry easy and successful and then gradually pulling back and handing the role to the child as he becomes skilled enough to manage it (bruner, 1983). over the past two decades, an increasing number of educators and researchers have used the concept of scaffolding as a metaphor to describe and explain the role of adults or more knowledgeable peers in guiding children's learning and development (hammond, 2001; stone, 1998). in the classroom context of classroom interaction, the term scaffolding has been taken up to portray the temporary assistance or support that teachers provide for their students in order to assist them to complete a task or develop new understandings, so that they will later be able to complete similar tasks alone (dufficy, 2001; hammond & gibbons, 2005; michell & sharpe, 2005; walqui, 2006; wasik, 2008). there are six principles of scaffolding proposed by van lier (2004) as cited in hammond and gibbons (2005). first, the principle of contextual support, exploration is encouraged in a safe, supportive environment; access to means and goals is promoted in a variety of ways. second, the principle of continuity, mutual engagement is established. the encouragement and nonthreatening participation should be created in a shared community of practice. third, the principle of intersubjectivity, task procedures are adjusted depending on actions of learners; contributions and utterances are oriented towards each other and may be constructed. fourth, the principle of flow, skills and challenges are in balance; participants are focused on the task and are „in tune‟ with each other. fifth, the principle of contingency, it emphasizes the importance of teaching strategies being based on, and responsive to students‟ current understandings. sixth, the principle of handover, there is an increasing role for the learner as skills and confidence increase; the teacher watches carefully for the learners‟ readiness to take over increasing parts of the action. in general, there are two three types of scaffolding namely content scaffolding, strategic scaffolding, and procedural scaffolding (luke, freebody, cazden, & lin, 2005). content scaffolding refers to the guidance provided by the teacher in terms of concept maps and definitions to help the students learn and do a given task (luke et al., 2005). in addition, there are two activities which are highlighted in the content scaffolding: explanation of the concepts, such as text types, ideas, and linguistic conventions; and explanation of the procedural knowledge such as text type format, conversion of grammar 40 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee rules. this scaffolding is used to answer „what‟ and „how‟ questions. in addition, strategic scaffolding refers to the strategies used to carry out the classroom interaction. it can be done by providing processes and approaches to achieve different task outcomes and to help the learners doing the task. for example, what the teachers need to do to help the students doing the task in as an individual or collaborative work. moreover, procedural scaffolding deals with the provision of resources, materials, and tools for completing the task (luke, freebody, lau, & gopinathan, 2005). this type of scaffolding is also used to answer „how‟ questions. in the teaching and learning process, the teacher may provide pictures, authentic materials, and real objects. scaffolding is also categorized into macro and micro level (hammond, 2001). a macro scaffolding sequence is a teaching learning unit designed around the curriculum cycle. macro-level scaffolding is related to larger issues such as program goals and the selection and sequencing of tasks (hammond & gibbons, 2005). in this scaffolding level, the teachers are required to be able to decide appropriate educational goals, and to articulate these goals both in terms of language goals and specific curriculum goals (hammond, 2001). that is, they are able to make decisions about „scaffolding what‟. at macro level, there are five key elements of scaffolding: the teacher‟s goal, the teacher‟s understanding of the linguistic demands of the associated tasks, knowledge of the students and their current abilities and understandings, careful sequencing of tasks designed to develop the practices required to achieve the goal, and a gradual but constant shift of responsibility for task completion from teacher to student (hammond, 2001; walqui, 2006). in addition, micro scaffolding occurs within the broader macro scaffolding. it is the teacher‟s supports which occur in the ongoing interaction (hammond, 2001). thus, it needs to be located within the macro scaffolding, so that there is a clear relationship between the sequential tasks and the teaching goals. this micro level scaffolding assists the teacher to focus on „scaffolding how‟. teachers are encouraged to direct students‟ attention, at same points, to curriculum knowledge (content) and, at other points, to the kind of language (spoken or written) that they need control of in order to talk, read or write about that content (hammond, 2001). the key element of micro scaffolding is the contingent nature of support. the teacher needs to monitor the students‟ understanding and ability constantly in order to determine the minimum support required (firth & wagner, 1997). in response, the teacher is able to remove or supply the support constantly as needed to complete the task at hand. micro scaffolding which occurs during the teacher and the students‟ interaction can be identified as five types (roehler & cantlon, 1997). however, walqui (2006) categorized this type of scaffolding into six types. the five types of scaffolding classified by roehler and cantlon (1997) include offering explanation, inviting students‟ participation, verifying and clarifying students understanding, modeling of desired behavior, and inviting students to contribute clues. in addition, there are six types of scaffolding which include modeling, bridging, contextualization, schema building, re-presenting text and developing metacognition mentioned by walqui (2006). each type based on each expert will be elaborated as follows. 41 eva fitriani syarifah & wawan gunawan scaffolding in the teaching of writing discussion texts based on sfl-genre based approach as mentioned above, there are five types of scaffolding which occur within the interaction types (roehler & cantlon, 1997). first, offering explanation refers to explicit statements adjusted to fit the learners emerging understanding about what is being learned (declarative or prepositional knowledge), why and when it is used (conditional or situational knowledge), and how it is used (procedural knowledge) (roehler & cantlon, 1997). second, inviting students‟ participation, after the teachers give illustrations of some the thinking, feelings, or actions then the learners are given the chance to participate in the occurring process (roehler & cantlon, 1997). third, verifying and clarifying students understanding, the teachers verify and clarify the students‟ comprehensive understanding through their responses (roehler & cantlon, 1997). fourth, modeling is defined as teaching behavior that show how one should feel, think or act in a certain situation (roehler & cantlon, 1997).the last is inviting students to contribute to clues. in this type, the learners are asked to be involved to offer clues how to complete the tasks (roehler & cantlon, 1997). in addition, as mentioned above, walqui (2006) proposes six types of scaffolding which occur during the classroom interaction. first, modeling includes giving clear examples of what is requested for imitation the texts by describing, comparing, summarizing, evaluating, and so on. students need to be given clear examples for imitation (larkin, 2001). when introducing a new task or working format, it is important for the learners be able to see or hear what a developing product looks like. from that point of view, guiding students through an interaction or first doing it together as a class activity is a necessary step. therefore, to modeling tasks and activities and sharing examples of student work, it is important to model appropriate language use for the performance of specific academic functions. second, bridging is done to activate the students‟ prior knowledge so that students can produce written as well as spoken language. in addition, the important aspect of bridging is establishing a personal link between the student and the subject matter, showing how new material is relevant to the student‟s life, as an individual, here and now. other ways of bridging include asking students to share personal experiences related to the theme that will be introduced in the lesson or assigned reading. third, contextualizing, in this type of scaffolding, the teacher can create analogies based on students‟ experiences. the language which is used in daily life and academic setting may be different. thus, some of the learners find difficulties in understanding academic language. then, teachers can continually search for metaphor and analogies that bring complex ideas closer to the students‟ world experience. this will help the students to understand what are being taught easily. fourth, schema building, it refers to clusters of meaning that are intertwined. it deals with the students‟ general knowledge which can lead them to the details. to construct the students understanding, the teacher needs to provide various activities. for example, in preparing for a reading assignment, teachers may ask students to preview the text by noting heads and subheads, illustrations and their captions, titles of charts, etc. in this way, students begin their reading with a general sense of the topic and its organization, with their 42 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee schema already activated and ready to accept new connections. the next is re-presenting text which refers to the ways used by the teachers to invite the students to check the language used in one text and the others. this can help the students to be engaged in the teaching and learning process so they can maximize their capacity. the less proficient students should be aided by their more proficient peers. re-presenting text can also be done by changing the text being reading by them into role play, asking students to transform texts into letters, producing a poster of a story with a quote (rajab, 2013; tabar & alavi, 2013). the last is developing metacognition which refers to the ways how the students manage their thinking, apply what they have learned, and have their understanding in completing the task. in this research, the concept of scaffolding was implemented in the teaching of writing discussion texts under the concept of sfl genre based approach. sfl genre based approach which is implemented in indonesia consist of four stages namely building knowledge of the field, modeling of the text, joint construction of the text, and independent construction of the text (emilia, 2011). method this research was conducted at tertiary level, specifically at a university in majalengka, west java province, adopting a qualitative design. the purposive sampling technique was used in determining the subjects of the research. six students were purposively chosen as focus participants in this research. research instruments utilized in this research included: (1) participatory classroom observations to gain the picture of the scaffolding processes implemented in the teaching writing of discussion texts based on sflgba; (2) documentation of students‟ texts to collect the data about the students‟ improvements in their writing of discussion texts; (3) and interviews to complete the data obtained from classroom observation and documentation of students‟ texts. data analysis was performed through three stages: first, identifying the scaffolding processes implemented in the teaching process and the students‟ improvements in their texts. second, reducing the data obtained in accordance with the purpose of the research. third, mapping the patterns and relationships of each element as found in the previous two stages. results and discussion the scaffolding processes as implemented in the teaching phases the scaffolding processes as implemented in the teaching writing of discussion texts under sfl – genre based approach were categorized in terms of macro and micro levels. the result of this research showed that macro scaffoldings took place in all of the teaching phases. meanwhile, the micro scaffolding took place in several phases of teaching, mostly in building knowledge of the field and modeling cycles. in joint construction of the text, micro scaffolding took place in some parts of teaching and learning activities. however, it did not take place in the independent construction of the text. macro scaffoldings revealed in this research were identified through: (1) teaching goals, (2) selection and sequence of tasks (3) and classroom organization. the teacher mentioned the teaching goals in each teaching session and they were also stated in the teaching 43 eva fitriani syarifah & wawan gunawan scaffolding in the teaching of writing discussion texts based on sfl-genre based approach document i.e. lesson plans. the teacher provided tasks based on the students‟ need. moreover, the tasks were sequenced from the easiest to the complex one. in some activities, the students‟ were asked to work in pairs or groups. for instance, in joint construction of the text, the students‟ were asked to write a discussion text in group. micro scaffoldings revealed in this research included: (1) offering explanation; (2) modeling; (3) bridging; (4) inviting students‟ participation; (5) inviting students to contribute clues; (6) schema building; (7) verifying and clarifying students‟ understanding; (8) re-presenting text; (9) contextualizing; (10) and developing metacognition. offering explanation this type of scaffolding which appeared in the teaching phases was in forms of declarative and procedural knowledge. declarative knowledge can be identified when the teacher explained the discussion text which was being learnt by the students explicitly, such as explained the schematic structure and the language features of discussion genre. in the following example, the teacher provided declarative knowledge when explaining the schematic structure of discussion genre. teacher : do you know the structure of discussion text? students : (no response) teacher : hmm, look at this. if you want to write a discussion text, so you need to present the issue, the arguments for, the argument against, and the conclusion. those are the structures of a discussion text. now, look at the example of discussion text, the see the structures of the text! in the excerpt above, the teacher asked whether the students know the structure of discussion text or not. the students gave no response so the teacher explained the structure of discussion text explicitly. then, the teacher checked the students‟ understanding about what had been explaining by asking the students to analyze the schematic structure of the text model. this activity is very helpful to increase the students‟ understanding of the schematic structure of discussion text (roehler & cantlon: 1997). procedural knowledge as the other form of the offering explanation was also identified in this teaching cycle. it can be identified when the teacher mentioned how a discussion text should be constructed to achieve its purpose. the example can be seen in the following excerpt. teacher : as you know that the social function of discussion text is to discuss an issue from different point of view. thus, to achieve the purpose, we need to construct the text based on the appropriate structure. can you mention the structure of a discussion text? students : yes. teacher : what are they? students : issue, arguments for, argument against, and conclusion. teacher : good. so, to meet the purpose of discussion text we need to present the arguments for which support the issue and the arguments against which oppose the issue. 44 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee in the excerpt above, the teacher explained how the social function or the purpose of the text can be achieved. this type of offering explanation can be categorized into procedural knowledge explanation since it provided explicit statements to help the learners emerging their understanding on how to achieve the purpose of the text (roehler & clanton, 1997). inviting students’ participation the next type of micro scaffolding found in the teaching phases was inviting students‟ participation. this type of scaffolding can be identified when the teacher give the students opportunities to join the process that was occurring. the example of this type of scaffolding is presented in the following excerpt. in this example, the teacher invited the students participation by asking the student opinion about what was being discussed. teacher : so, which one is the argument for? students : (raising their hand) teacher : okay, olive. so, which one is the argument for? olive : the second paragraph. the first reason why the corruptors should be given the death penalty because they cause difficulties for economic development. in the interaction above, it can be observed that the teacher invited students‟ participation by asking the students to mention which one is the argument for in the text. since the students participated actively during the teaching and learning process so it was not difficult to invite their participation during the teaching and learning process in this teaching cycle. verifying and clarifying students’ understanding this type of scaffolding can be identified when the teacher checked the students‟ emerging understanding. the excerpt below is presented the example on how the teacher verified and clarified the students‟ understanding. after explaining about the use of connective conjunction as one of 1the language features of discussion text, the teacher verified and clarified the students understanding by asking some questions. teacher : any question about connective conjunction used in discussion text? students : (no response) teacher : andi, please take a look to the example text! can you mention the example of connective conjunction in the text? andi : for example, if we want to continue to the second paragraph, we can use “below are the discussion of argument for and against the death penalty” teacher : okay, good. what else? student : (raising his hand) teacher : yogi, please! 45 eva fitriani syarifah & wawan gunawan scaffolding in the teaching of writing discussion texts based on sfl-genre based approach yogi : before mention the arguments we can say “the first reason why we support death penalty is” or “the first reason why we oppose the death penalty is” teacher : yes, before mentioning the arguments we can say that. in the excerpt above, the teacher verified and clarified the students understanding illustrated in the italic sentences by asking some questions and give feedback to the students‟ responses. when the students shared their understanding or answered the questions correctly it means that the students were acknowledged what was being discussed. modeling modeling which was found in this teaching cycle of this present study was in form of demonstration. the demonstration provided by the teacher includes providing several models of discussion genre. teacher : now, i have two examples. read these texts first! have you finished read those texts? students : yes. teacher : comparing these texts, which one do you think is a discussion genre? students : the second text, the first text... teacher : yes, andi. why do you say that the first text is a discussion text? andi : because we can found the argument for and against the issue in the text. teacher : how about you, olive? olive : i agree with andi. teacher : the first text is the example of a discussion text. how about the second text? what type of text is it? students : (no response) teacher : can you find the discussion about the issue? students : no teacher : so, what can you find in the text? students : the elaboration of arguments. teacher : okay, this text is the example of hortatory exposition text. now, look at the first text, work in group and analyze the schematic structure of the text! in the interaction above, the teacher gave two models of different texts to give a real example of text being learned by the students. the students were asked to compare both text and decided which one was a discussion text. this activity can give some benefits for the students since they need to be given clear examples of what is requested of them for imitation when they are introducing to a new task so they are able to develop product looks like (walqui, 2006). inviting students to contribute clues this type of scaffolding was identified in the teaching phases when the teacher encouraged the students to contribute clues how to complete the tasks. the following excerpt provides the example on how the teacher provided this type of scaffolding. 46 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee teacher : after reading the text. so, why do people agree with the death penalty? students : (raising their hands) teacher : okay, yogi. yogi : it is related to deterrence effect. student : miss... teacher : yes, andi. andi : justice. teacher : why justice? andi : because it will make the victim‟s family trauma when they know the perpetrator still alive. teacher : how about deterrence? yogi : the perpetrator cannot commit another crime or the potential criminal will think twice. in the excerpt above, the teacher invited the students to contribute clues as illustrated in the italic sentences, the teacher guided the students to share their arguments by asking them question “why do people agree with death penalty?“ . then the students gave responses to the teacher question. in line with that, roehler and clanton (1997) say that this type of scaffolding can be valuable since the students were persuaded to offer clues and verbalized the process together with the teacher. bridging bridging is provided by the teacher to activate students‟ prior knowledge (walqui, 2006). this type of scaffolding could be identified when the teacher asked the students to share their experiences related to the theme that will be introduced in the lesson. teacher : do you still remember what type of texts that you have learned in the previous writing course or when you were in senior high school? students : letter, cv... teacher : in senior high school? students : narrative, descriptive teacher : what else? students : recount.. teacher : how about discussion text? students : (no response) teacher : have you learned about discussion text? students : no. in the excerpt above, the teacher tried to connect what is going to be learned by the students with their prior knowledge or experience. the teacher asked the students whether they have learned about discussion text or not. schema building this type of scaffolding was found in this teaching phases. it can be identified when the teacher asked the students to preview the text in the preparation for reading so the student began their reading with the new concept which they need to familiar with. in the following example, schema building 47 eva fitriani syarifah & wawan gunawan scaffolding in the teaching of writing discussion texts based on sfl-genre based approach occurred when the teacher directed the students to the most important part which would be discussed in the following activity. it can be seen in the following excerpt. teacher : before finding out the elaborations, what you need to do is mark each part of this text, which one is the issue, the argument for, the argument against, and the conclusion. students : yes, miss. teacher : okay, go on. in the excerpt above, it was revealed that the teacher asked the students to capture the broader part before portrait the details. this is in line with the suggestion proposed by walqui (2006) that schema building is important because the student must have “a general knowledge of the broad picture before studying the details.” this schema building is also useful since it will help the learner to focus on important information to come. contextualizing this type of scaffolding was found in the teaching phases can be identified when the teacher gave analogies related to the topic being discussed. this can be seen in the following example: teacher : talking about discussion genre, it looks like two sides of a coin. there will be different arguments related to the issue. in discussion texts, we need to present arguments that support and oppose the issue. any questions so far? students : which arguments that should be presented as the first one? teacher : commonly, arguments that support the issue come first. in the excerpt above, the teacher gave an analogy about two sides of a coin. the teacher said that discussion genre looks like a coin which has two sides. in discussion genre, an issue is also presented in two different points of views. representing text this type of scaffolding can be identified when the teacher invited the student to check the language used in one text and the others. the example can be seen in the following expert: teacher : now you have two different texts. what you need check the language features of each text. then analyze which text is discussion text? in the excerpt above, the teacher asked the students to analyze the language features of two different texts. as mentioned by walqui (2006) this can help students to maximize their capacity in understanding the genre being discussed. developing metacognition this type of scaffolding can be identified in the teaching phases. for instance, the teacher gave a model and practice as a whole class before students worked in pairs or small groups. 48 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee teacher : now, look at this example of discussion text. the first paragraph is the issue. the issue presents the topic that we are going to discuss in the next paragraph. the second and third paragraph provides arguments related to the issue. the second paragraph is argument for which support the issue. meanwhile, the next paragraph consists of argument against which oppose the issue. the last is conclusion. now look at the second text. can you mention which one is the issue? students : the first paragraph. teacher : how do you know that the first paragraph is the issue? bambang : because it presents the topic that elaborated in the next paragraph. in the excerpt above, it can be seen that the teacher provide an exercise in a whole class before asking the students to analyze texts in pairs and groups. the students’ improvements in writing of discussion texts the students‟ improvements in writing of discussion texts were reflected in the final texts in terms of social function, schematic structures, and language features of discussion genre. in the diagnostic texts, the students‟ text did not indicate that the students had sufficient knowledge about the topic of the essay and discussion genre. the students’ improvement in term of social function in terms of social function, the data reveal that most of the students are able to fulfill the social purpose of discussion genre; that is, to discuss an issue in the light of some kind of “frame” or position and provide more than one point of view on an issue. this result is different from the students‟ diagnostic texts in which all of them did not discuss the issue from different point of view. as the example, the improvement also happened to student from the low achiever – olive – who is able to show the social purpose of a discussion genre. in the diagnostic text she only mentioned that she agreed with the implementation of death penalty without the elaborations of arguments from different point of view. the following example is her issue in the diagnostic text: meanwhile, the issue in the final text shows that she is going to elaborate the argument in two points of view. the way on how she presents the issue in the final text can be seen as follow. 49 eva fitriani syarifah & wawan gunawan scaffolding in the teaching of writing discussion texts based on sfl-genre based approach looking at the issue presented by olive in the diagnostic text and final text, it shows the capacity of her understanding about the social function of discussion genre increases. this improvement can be seen on how she gave the title for her text and mentioning that a discussion text is talking an issue in different point of view. it is marked by the word „controversy‟ and in the next following paragraph she discussed the issue based on two sides. the students’ improvement in term of schematic structures in terms of generic structure, each text produced by the students in the final text consists of same recommended generic structure of discussion genre; issue, arguments for, arguments against, and conclusion. it indicates that the students organized their text properly. this result is different from the texts constructed in the diagnostic test in which most of the students did not know the generic structure of discussion genre.the text written by the student in the diagnostic test did not show his understanding of the social function and the schematic structure of a discussion text. therefore, the text cannot be considered as a discussion text. the summary of schematic structures produced by the students diagnostic text final text issue arg. for arg. against con. issue arg. for arg. against con. √ √ √ √ the students’ improvement in term of language features in terms of linguistic features, the students improve their understanding on the linguistic features of discussion text. this improvement can be seen from the difference between the result of diagnostic and final text. for example, the texts constructed by the students in the diagnostic text are absence of technical terms, experts‟ opinion, verbal process, and nominalization. moreover, there are some errors in using the connective conjunction. meanwhile, in the final text, both of them show the progress. the linguistic features of discussion genre can be found in their texts. specifically, the improvements are implemented from the existence of linguistic features including the use of modality, the use of process types, the use of nominalization, the use of connective conjunction. concerning to the use of modality, the modality can be found in both of the diagnostic and final text. however, in 50 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the final text the student tended to use more modality. this indicates the student‟s attitude as the author. relating to the processes types used in the texts, in the diagnostic text, the verbal processes were not found. however, in the final text, all of the process types were found. in the diagnostic text material process occurrence was the highest one but in the final text the verbal process was the highest one. in terms of the use of nominalization in the texts, looking the number of the occurrence of nominalization in the final text, there is an improvement. in the diagnostic text, the process of nominalization was not found. however, it was found twice in the final text. concerning the use of connective conjunction in the texts, in the diagnostic text, the students used seven conjunctions. however, it was significantly improve in the final text. in the final text, the students used not only to add information or to show the contrary but also used the connective conjunction associated with reasoning „the second reason…..‟. conclusion this research was focused on two main problems. the first is the implementation of scaffolding processes in the teaching writing of discussion texts under the concept of sfl-genre based approach. the second is the students‟ improvements in writing discussion texts as resulting from the scaffolding processes. related to the implementation of scaffolding processes in the teaching writing of discussion texts under the concept of sfl-genre based approach, the results of this research revealed that the scaffolding processes as reflected in teaching cycles can be categorized into macro and micro scaffoldings. macro scaffolding deals with the teaching goals, classroom organization, and the selections and sequences of the task. this category was found in all of the teaching cycles. in addition, micro scaffolding deals with the scaffolding provision in the classroom interaction. micro scaffolding as reflected in the teaching cycle took place in the building knowledge of field, modeling of the text, and joint construction of the text. there are ten types of micro scaffolding which were found in the present study include offering explanation, modeling, bridging, inviting students‟ participation, inviting students to contribute clues, schema building, and verifying and clarifying students‟ understanding, re-presenting text, contextualizing, developing metacognition. these types of scaffolding mostly took place in modeling of the text cycle. in the aspect of students‟ improvements in writing discussion texts, the data from students‟ texts showed the scaffolding processes as reflected in the teaching cycles improve the students writing performance in writing a discussion text in terms of social function, schematic structures, and language features. therefore, it can be said that scaffolding processes have been feasible to be applied in a teaching and learning process, especially in teaching writing under sfl-genre based approach concept. references ahn, h. (2012). teaching writing skills based on a genre approach to l2 primary school students: an action research. english language teaching, 5, 2–16. http://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v5n2p2 51 eva fitriani syarifah & wawan gunawan scaffolding in the teaching of writing discussion texts based on sfl-genre based approach bodrova, e., & leong, d. j. (1998). scaffolding emergent writing in the zone of proximal development. literacy teaching and learning, 3, 1–18. bruner, j. (1983). child’s talk. new york: norton. derewianka, b. (1990). exploring how texts works. sydney: primary english teaching association. derewianka, b. (2003). trends and issues in genre-based approaches. relc journal, 34, 133–154. http://doi.org/10.1177/00336882030340 0202 dufficy, p. (2001). scaffolding and assisted performance in multilingual classrooms. journal of educational enquiry, 2, 33–49. emilia, e. (2011). pendekatan genre based dalam pengajaran bahasa inggris: petunjuk bagi guru. bandung: rizqi press. feez, s., & joyce, h. (1998). text-based syllabus design. sydney: national centre for english language teaching and research. firth, a., & wagner, j. (1997). on discourse, communication, and some fundamental concepts in sla research. modern language journal, 81, 258–300. hammond, j. (2001). scaffolding and language. in scaffolding teaching and learning in language and literacy education. newton nsw: primary english teaching association. hammond, j., & gibbons, p. (2005). putting scaffolding to work: the contribution of scaffolding in articulating esl education. prospect, 20, 6–30. hyland, k. (2004). genre and second language writing. ann arbor: university of michigan press. hyland, k. (2007). genre pedagogy: language, literacy and l2 writing instruction. journal of second language writing, 16, 148–164. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2007.07.00 5 laksmi, e. d. (2006). scaffolding students‟ writing efl class: implementing process approach. teflin journal, 17, 144–156. larkin, m. j. (2001). providing support for student independence through scaffolded instruction. teaching exceptional children, 34, 30–34. lestari, l. a. (2008). the interactional approach to the teach-ing of writing and its implications for second language acquisition. teflin journal, 19, 42–56. luke, a., freebody, p., cazden, c., & lin, a. (2005). singapore pedagogy coding manual. singapore: centre for research for pedagogy and practice. luke, a., freebody, p., lau, s., & gopinathan, s. (2005). towards research-based innovation and reform: singapore schooling in transition. asia pacific journal of education, 25, 5–28. michell, m., & sharpe, t. (2005). collective instructional scaffolding in english as a second language classrooms. prospect, 20, 31–58. mulatsih, s. (2011). the use of scaffolding technique to improve the students‟ competence in writing genre-based texts. parole, 2, 101–109. negari, g. m. (2011). a study on strategy instruction and efl learners‟ writing skill. international journal of english linguistics, 1, 299–307. http://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v1n2p299 rajab, h. (2013). developing speaking and writing skills of l1 arabic efl learners through teaching of ipa phonetic codes. theory and practice in language studies, 3, 653–659. http://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.3.4.653-659 roehler, l. r., & cantlon, d. j. (1997). scaffolding: a powerful tool in social constructivist classrooms. in scaffolding student learning instructional approaches and issues. canada: brookline books inc. rothery, j. (1996). making changes: developing educational linguistics. in literacy in society. new york: addison wesley longman limited. stone, a. (1998). the metaphor of scaffolding: its utility for the field of learning disabilities. journal of learning disabilities, 40(3), 344–364. tabar, n. a., & alavi, s. m. (2013). a comparative study of the effects of task52 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee based writing under different pre-task planning conditions on intermediate efl learners‟ written performance in personal and decision-making tasks. international research journal of applied and basic sciences, 5(8), 970–978. walqui, a. (2006). scaffolding instruction for english language learners: a conceptual framework. the international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, vol. 9, no. 2, 159–180. wasik, b. (2008). when fewer is more: small groups in early childhood classrooms. early childhood education journal, 35, 515–521. wood, d., bruner, j. s., & ross, g. (1976). the role of tutoring in problem solving. journal of child and psychiatri & allied discipline, 17, 89–100. 53 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1 an evaluation of technical report writing syllabus at the preparatory year program soada idris khan the preparatory year program, najran university, najran, king of saudi arabia e-mail: khan.soada@gmail.com apa citation: khan, s. i. (2018). an evaluation of technical report writing syllabus at the preparatory year program. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 1-8. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1528. received: 28-08-2018 accepted: 30-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: the current study aims to critically analyze the contents of the technical report writing syllabus as well as identify whether the syllabus meets course objectives or not. the study also suggests some remedies to improve the contents of the syllabus. as part of the study, twenty efl teachers from preparatory year program were selected for this study. a quantitative questionnaire containing 10 statements was administered to gather data from the participants. in addition, an interview session with a set of 5 questions based on the key elements on the current syllabus was also conducted with the teachers to have their expert opinion and suggestions. the analysis of data revealed that textbook is appropriate for the students and needs not be replaced. however, syllabus should include some more activities that may address to the needs of weak students. the study also suggests teachers to exploit other resources (from internet or library) in order to give an extra push to the learners. keywords: course objectives; syllabus analysis; technical report writing. introduction syllabus is a very important document in an academic setting. it usually covers the proposed topics to cover in a semester/academic year. the institution/department provides syllabus as a kind of official and professional document. moreover, it also works as a personal copy of instructors that are usually kept in their begs to consult the taught and to be taught items. the syllabus is, thus, both a professional document as well as a personal document. it reflects the instructor‟s feelings, attitudes, and beliefs about the subject matter, teaching, learning, and students, as well as setting out the “nuts and bolts” of the course. when so constructed, the syllabus can serve as a guide to the instructor as much as a guide to the class (parkes & harris, 2002). however, a syllabus is also speculated as a "summary of the content to which learners will be exposed" (yalden, 1987, p. 87). a syllabus is often thought of as that apparently benign document instructors assemble and distribute to students at the start of the semester. whether it is intended or not, the quality of the syllabus is a fairly reliable indicator of the quality of teaching and learning that will take place in a course (woolcock, 2003). the process of developing a syllabus can be a reflective exercise, leading the instructor to carefully consider his or her philosophy of teaching, why the course is important, how the course fits in the discipline, as well as what topics will be covered, when assignments will be due, and so on (eberly, newton, & wiggins, 2001; grunert, 1997). a syllabus lets students know what the course is about, why the course is taught, where it is going, and what will be required for them to be successful in the course (altman & cashin, 2003). the welldesigned syllabus provides a solid beginning to the semester, sets the tone for the course, provides a conceptual framework for the course, serves as a “virtual handshake” between the instructor and students, and soada idris khan an evaluation of technical report writing syllabus at the preparatory year program 2 becomes a resource that is referred to over the course of the semester. it also shows students to take teaching seriously (davis, 1993). the syllabus is usually prepared keeping in mind certain course objectives. the activities, tasks, exercises under different topics are considered parts of syllabus and a replication of course objectives. as syllabus is a very important document and a primary means to carry out the business of teaching in the classroom, it is obligatory to evaluate the contents of the syllabus (from time to time) to ensure it meets course objectives. course evaluation helps to identify how successfully course objectives were met and what amendments the designer should introduce to achieve better results in the future (ismagilova & polyakova, 2015). the importance of the needs analyses for syllabus design is indisputable. it acts as terminus a quo for materials selection, assessment criteria and activities that the course will be based on. many articles were published about this problem by alderson (1980), berwick (1989), brindley (1989), crocker (1981), and hawkey (1980). as far as needs analyses definition is concerned, it could vary but it will be based on the learner as the central part of the analyses anyway. widdowson (1983) distinguishes “goaloriented” and “process-oriented” definition of needs. the key feature of this approach is the importance to evaluate the present language ability of the learner and to recognize the target situation where the learner will use the language. the “goaloriented” definition is correlated to the objectives set while designing the syllabus whereas the “process-oriented” definition relates to pedagogic aims. language needs of the learner should be the bases for course development. information on his or her language needs will help in drawing up a profile to establish coherent objectives, and take subsequent decisions on course content (mcdonough, 1984). now the question is how to evaluate a syllabus based on particular course objectives and who can be good evaluators of the syllabus. alderson and waters (1980, 1987) point out four main aspects to consider while developing course evaluation programme: 1) what should be evaluated? 2) how can the course be evaluated? 3) who should be involved in evaluation? and 4) when (and how often) should evaluation take place? keeping in mind these four important aspects of evaluation, the present study evaluates the contents of the syllabus of technical report writing at preparatory year program, najran university. technical report writing course has certain objectives; like, by the end of the course students will be able to: write a simple and technical paragraph with an effective topic sentence; support the topic sentence with appropriate details; take effective notes and write concise summaries; write a covering letter and cv tailored for a particular job; write a formal letter for different situations; write memos and reports for various contexts; comprehend and use esp vocabulary for different professional fields. questionnaire and interview methods are used to evaluate the contents of the syllabus. teachers are the main evaluators of the syllabus as they practically use it in the classroom and are well familiar with its effectiveness. syllabus evaluation should be done periodically, possibly after every new book, is selected and implemented. the present syllabus is in operation for last two semesters. therefore, it is obligatory to ensure the effectiveness of the syllabus, having evaluated its contents. thus, the objectives of this study are to critically analyze the contents of the syllabus, to identify whether the syllabus meets course objectives or not, and to suggest some remedies to improve the contents of the syllabus of technical report writing at pyp, najran university. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 3 method to ensure the validity of the survey questionnaire, it was first piloted to 10 efl instructors; their feedback was useful for modifying some items. the survey was also given to four assistant professors to examine its validity. some items were modified as per their suggestions to meet the content validity. twenty efl teachers from pyp were selected for this study. participants‟ age ranges 28 to 47 years old. their experience of teaching of english varies between 2-20 years. most of the participants‟ experience of teaching technical writing course ranges from four years to one semester. a quantitative questionnaire (containing 10 statements) was administered to gather data from the participants. the aim of the questionnaire was to measure how teachers perceived and rated the current syllabus of technical report writing at pyp. the contents of the questionnaire are based on course objectives, using 5-point likertscales of agreement. the researchers circulated the questionnaire to forty participants and thirty were returned. finally, twenty questionnaires given serious attention were selected as a sample of this study. to interpret the level of means, the authors applied ariffin and salbiah‟s (1996) model of explaining means as it is summarized in table 1. in addition, an interview session was also conducted with the teachers to have their expert opinion and suggestions. the interview included 5 key statements on the current syllabus. twenty teachers teaching technical writing were also interviewed and their suggestions and opinions were taken into consideration. table1. score category breakdown adopted from ariffin and salbiah (1996) means corresponding level 1.0 1.80 very low 1.81 2.60 low 2.61 3.40 moderate 3.41 4.20 high 4.21 5.0 very high results and discussion questionnaire analysis questionnaire is one of the methods used to collect the data. the questionnaire uses 5point likert-scales of agreement. reed (1989) is of the opinion that likert-type rating scale should be used to generally gather data. jung, osterwalder and wipf (2000) support the likert scale: “this was the only assessment instrument i found that was practical for the classroom” (p.2). the result of the questionnaire analysis is presented in table 2. table 2. descriptive statistics of the survey’s statements and result discussion s. no.↓ scales → statements ↓ 5 strongly agree 4 agree 3 can`t say 2 disagree 1 strongly disagree mean 1. the textbook enables students write a simple and technical paragraph with an effective topic sentence 0 0% 11 55% 9 45% 0 0% 0 0% 3.55 2. the textbook enables students support the topic sentence with appropriate details 0 0% 16 80% 4 20% 0 0% 0 0% 3.8 3. the textbook enables students take effective notes and write concise summaries 7 35% 8 40% 5 25% 0 0% 0 0% 4.1 4. the textbook enables students write a covering letter and cv tailored for a particular job 7 35% 10 50% 3 15% 0 0% 0 0% 4.2 5. the textbook enables students write a formal letter 4 20% 14 70% 2 10% 0 0% 0 0% 4.1 soada idris khan an evaluation of technical report writing syllabus at the preparatory year program 4 for different situations 6. the textbook enables students write memos and reports for various contexts 4 20% 10 50% 6 30% 0 0% 0 0% 3.9 7. the textbook facilitates students‟ writing their personal blog on everyday situations and topics 4 20% 12 60% 3 15% 1 5% 0 0% 3.95 8. the textbook helps students comprehend and use esp vocabulary for different professional fields 1 5% 14 70% 4 20% 1 5% 0 0% 3.75 9. the textbook enables students to produce coherence and cohesion in their writing pieces 5 25% 10 50% 5 25% 0 0% 0 0% 4 10. the textbook enables students form different types of complex and compound sentences independently 4 20% 13 65% 3 15% 0 0% 0 0% 4.05 the first statement in the questionnaire „the textbook enables students write a simple and technical paragraph with an effective topic sentence‟ reveals that there is none who strongly agreed to the statement. 55% participants (a majority) felt the textbook enables students write a simple and technical paragraph with an effective topic sentence. 45% of the participants had no idea. there was none with disagreement. the mean of the statement is 3.55 that lies in the category of „high‟ as per the breakdown adopted from the scale of ariffin and salbiah (1996). the second statement in the questionnaire „the textbook enables students support the topic sentence with appropriate details‟ displays that there is no one who strongly agreed to the statement. however, 80% of the participants opined the textbook enables students support the topic sentence with appropriate details. there was none with disagreement. the mean is categorized as high. the third statement in the questionnaire „the textbook enables students take effective notes and write concise summaries‟ shows that there are 35% of the participants who strongly agreed to the statement. 40% of the participants are of the opinion that the textbook enables students take effective notes and write concise summaries. 25% of the participants had no opinion. there was none with disagreement. the mean is high. the fourth statement in the questionnaire „the textbook enables students write a covering letter and cv tailored for a particular job‟ exhibits that 35% of the participants strongly agreed. there are 50% of the participants who agreed that the textbook enables students write a covering letter and cv tailored for a particular job. 15% of the participants had no opinion. there was none with disagreement. the mean is ranked as high. the fifth statement in the questionnaire „the textbook enables students write a formal letter for different situations‟ divulges that there are 20% of the participants who strongly agreed to the statement that the textbook enables students write a formal letter for different situations. 70% of the participants agreed with the statement.10% of the participants did not express their opinion. there was none with disagreement. the mean is high. the sixth statement in the questionnaire „the textbook enables students write memos and reports for various contexts‟ discloses that there are 20% of the participants who strongly agreed to the statement. 50% of the participants concurred that the textbook enables students write memos and reports for various contexts. 30% of the participants english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 5 were not sure about it. there was none with disagreement. the mean is high. the seventh statement in the questionnaire „the textbook facilitates students’ writing their personal blog on everyday situations and topics‟ shows that there are 20% of the participants who strongly agreed to the statement. 60% of the participants concurred that the textbook facilitates students’ writing their personal blog on everyday situations and topics.15% of the participants were not sure about it. there were 5% with disagreement. the mean is high. the eighth statement in the questionnaire „the textbook helps students comprehend and use esp vocabulary for different professional fields‟ unveils that there are 5% of the participants with absolute agreement to the statement that the textbook helps students comprehend and use esp vocabulary for different professional fields. 70% of the participants agreed, while there 20% of the participants who did not state an opinion. 5% of the participants did not agree with the statement. there was none with disagreement. the mean is high. the ninth statement in the questionnaire „the textbook enables students to produce coherence and cohesion in their writing pieces‟ reveals that 25% of the participants thought that the textbook enables students to produce coherence and cohesion in their writing pieces. 50% of the participants agreed with the statement though 25% (a significant percentage) of the participants had no opinion. there was none with disagreement. the mean is high. the tenth statement in the questionnaire reveals that 20% of the participants strongly agreed with the statement stating that „the textbook enables students to form different types of complex and compound sentences independently‟. 65% of the participants agreed to the statement. 15% had no idea. there was none with disagreement. the mean is high. the analysis shows that most of the key elements in the syllabus fall in high category. as a result, the prescribed syllabus for pyp is well designed though none of the statement falls in the category of very high. it shows that it does not meet its objectives completely however, they do meet largely. this is also fact that no textbook is perfect. if this syllabus (textbook) is replaced, there is no surety whether another selected book can meet all the course objectives completely or not. according to grant (1987), "the perfect textbook does not exist, but the best book available for you and your students certainly does" (cited in mcgrath 2002, p. 41). the statements of the teachers based on the key elements of syllabus, course objectives, pedagogy, etc. show their satisfactory response. most of them agree with the statements. it shows that the syllabus is perfect. despite the sincere efforts made by the teachers, some of the students are not able to demonstrate a good progress in technical report writing. they still face problems in formal letter writing, cv writing, memos writing, reports writing, etc. the teachers and students should develop a common understanding on what activities should be used in the classroom and what skills they have to develop respectively. as jung, osterwalder & wipf (2000, p. 5) are of the opinion that "we realized that students needed lessons and activities that would introduce them to the language and terminology associated with the skills they would be expected to learn." as it is technical report writing course, terminology (esp vocabulary) plays an important role here. syllabus should include some more activities that may address to the needs of weak students. as for the writing skill, harmer (1991) suggested the following exercises might be useful: 1) relaying instructions, 2) writing reports, 3) cooperative writing, 4) exchange letters, and 5) writing journals. these kinds of activities (especially cooperative writing and writing journals) may be incorporated into syllabus as syllabus has least exercises to develop these skills. moreover, other pedagogical issues must be taken into consideration. for example, soada idris khan an evaluation of technical report writing syllabus at the preparatory year program 6 teachers should try to engage learners more in writing activities. it is imperative for students to become responsible for their own learning. they need to see themselves as active members of the learning process. students must be assigned peer evaluation so that they can learn from the mistakes of each other. through involvement in evaluation, they can see their performance more clearly. they are not victims at the mercy of the teacher‟s red pen. instead, they are encouraged to realistically assess their own skills and compare them with others (jung, osterwalder & wipf, 2000). interview analysis another method used to collect the data was interview. twenty samples were selected out of 30 which were filled in with complete information. the participants responded to the following questions in the interview: 1) teachers rate (on a scale of 1-5) the students‟ proficiency in technical report writing. 2) mention some common learning difficulties students (in teachers' opinion) face during technical report writing class! 3) mention some pedagogical (teaching) problems teachers face during teaching of technical report writing! 4) suggestions for improving students‟ general language proficiency in technical report writing. 5) is the course designed in accordance to the learner-based approach? comment briefly! table 3. results of interview question no. 1 q.1. number of teachers scale 4 2 10 3 6 4 as shown in the table, in response to the first question, 4 teachers rated the proficiency of the students as 2 on a scale of 3-5. 10 teachers rated students as 3 and 6 other teachers rated as 4. students' overall proficiency was rated 1-4s. the scale shows that students' proficiency is good but still needs improvement. teachers can improve their proficiency by providing them more assignments, classroom learner-cantered activities, essay-writing competition, quiz competition, etc. table 4. results of interview question no. 2 q.2. number of participants some common learning difficulties students (in teachers' opinion) face during technical writing class 5 inadequate use of audio-visual technologies 8 complex and compound sentences 7 connecting related sentences to make a paragraph as shown in table 4, in response to question number 2, there were varied responses, only common responses were placed in the table. most of the teachers agreed that students had problems in complex and compound sentences and writing a paragraph. they should be given more practice as writing skill needs a lot of practice. table 5. results of interview question no. 3 q.3 number of participants mention some pedagogical (teaching) problems teachers face during teaching of technical writing 5 less access to multimedia and equipment 8 low academic standard of students 7 students are not motivated as shown in table 5, in response to question number 3, there were some common difficulties faced by the teachers. a majority of teachers believe (as shown in english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 7 responses) that students' low academic standard was a serious issue. moreover, they are not much motivated to improve themselves. thus, a placement test must be conducted in order to have a filter in admission/selection process of students. students should be oriented to motivational talks by the experts in this field. table 6. results of interview question no. 4 q.4 number of participants suggestions for improving students’ general language proficiency in technical writing 4 more exposure to english activities 7 task based exercises 9 more resources other than textbook must be provided students must be given exposure to target language as shown in table 6, in response to question number 4, there were some common suggestions proposed by the teachers. the common suggestions were; 1) to include more learning resources other than the textbook; 2) students must be exposed to target language, and 3) task based exercises must be included in the syllabus. since there is hardly an environment to target language, it is suggested that students must be sent on a tour to english speaking countries to have an exposure to target language. table 7. results of interview question no. 5 q.5. number of participants is the course designed in accordance to the learnerbased approach? comment briefly! 18 the course is learner centred. 02 the course is not learner-centred. as shown in table 7, in response to question number 5, 18 teachers completely agreed that the course is learner-centred while the rest of 2 (a minority) teachers accepted that the course is not learnercentred. it shows that textbook is learnercentred and is doing well. there is hardly any need to replace it. conclusion an overall analysis of teachers' questionnaire and interview result affirms that teachers are quite satisfied with the present syllabus. this book is in operation for last one year. before this, teachers used to collect teaching materials from different resources, like internet. as a result, the materials lacked coherence and cohesion and course objectives were also partially fulfilled. the present syllabus is designed and textbook is selected after a careful introspection of course contents by a committee of experts of materials development in the university. students also demonstrate a better progress than last few years. therefore, the study wholeheartedly approves present syllabus and does not recommend replacing the textbook. however, teachers can exploit other resources (from internet or library) in order to give an extra push to their learners. references alderson, j. c. (1980). a process approach to reading at the university of mexico: projects in materials design. london: the british council. altman, h. b., & cashin, w. e. (2003). writing a syllabus. retrieved from http://www.engineering.cornell.edu/academics/te aching/teaching_excellence/res ources/upload/altmansyllabus.pdf. ariffin, s. r., & salbiah, m. (1996). pemikiran guru cemerlang: kesan teradap prestasi pengajaran. kertas kerja seminar isu-isu pendidikan negara. fakulti pendidikan, universiti kebangsaan malaysia, bangi. berwick, r. (1989). needs assessment in language programming: from theory to practice. in r. k. johnson (eds.), the second language curriculum. new york: cambridge university press. brindley, c. (1989). the role of needs analysis in adult esl programme design. in r. k. johnson (eds.), the second language curriculum. new york: cambridge university press. soada idris khan an evaluation of technical report writing syllabus at the preparatory year program 8 crocker, t. (1981). scenes of endless science: esp and education. london: the british council davis, b. g. (1993). tools for teaching. san francisco: jossey-bass. eberly, m. b., newton, s. e., & wiggins, r. (2001). the syllabus as a tool for studentcentered learning. journal of general education, 50(1), 56-74. grunert, j. (1997). the course syllabus: a learningcentered approach. bolton, ma: anker. harmer, j. (1991). the practice of english language teaching. london: longman. hawkey, r. (1980). syllabus design for specific purposes: projects in materials design. london: the british council. ismagilova, l. r., & polyakova, l. r. (2015). the role of course evaluation and needs analyses for syllabus design: an application to “english language” course for master-degree students in economics. mediterranean journal of social sciences, 6(1s3), 346–351. jung, t., osterwalder, h., & wipf, d. (2000). teaching and assessing middle-year students’ speaking and listening skill: teaching and learning research exchange. retrieved from: http://www.mcdowellfoundation.ca/main_mcdow ell/projects/research_rep/52_teaching_assessing. pdf. mcdonough, j. (1984). esp in perspective: a practical guide. london: jo mcdonough. mcgrath, i. (2002). materials evaluation and design for language teaching. edinburgh. parkes, j., & harris, m. b. (2002). the purposes of a syllabus. college teaching, 50 (2), 55-61. reed, v. (1989). adolescent language disorders: general strategies for teaching language comprehension/listening. eau claire, wi: thinking publications. widdowson, h. g. (1983). learning purpose and language use. new york: oxford university press. woolcock, m. j. v. (2003). preparing a syllabus: practical exercises. the harriet w. sheridan center for teaching and learning brown university. retrieved from https://www.brown.edu/about/administration/sher idancenter/sites/brown.edu.about.administration.sheri dancenter/files/uploads/constructingasyllabus.pdf. yalden, j. (1987). principles of course design for language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_general_education/v050/50.1eberly.html http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_general_education/v050/50.1eberly.html http://ctlt.jhsph.edu/resources/views/content/files/69/purpose%20of%20a%20syllabus.pdf http://ctlt.jhsph.edu/resources/views/content/files/69/purpose%20of%20a%20syllabus.pdf english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 71 acoustic measurement on vowel production of english as a second language by indonesian efl learners rudha widagsa english language education study program, university of pgri yogyakarta e-mail: widagsa@upy.ac.id ahmad agung yuwono putro elementary teacher education study program, university of pgri yogyakarta e-mail: agungyuwonoahm@gmail.com apa citation: widagsa, r., & putro, a. a. y. (2017). acoustic measurement on vowel production of english as a second language by indonesian learners of english. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 71-80. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.772. received: 20-08-2017 accepted: 17-10-2017 published: 01-12-2017 abstract: indonesian is the most widely spoken language in indonesia. more than 200 million people speak the language as a first language. however, acoustic study on indonesian learners of english (ile) production remains untouched. the purpose of this measurement is to examine the influence of first language (l1) on english vowels production as a second language (l2). based on perceptual magnet hypothesis (pmh), ile were predicted to produce close sounds to l1 english where the vowels are similar to indonesian vowels. acoustic analysis was conducted to measure the formant frequencies. this study involved five males of indonesian speakers aged between 20-25 years old. the data of british english native speakers were taken from previous study by hawkins & midgley (2005). the result illustrates that the first formant frequencies (f1) which correlates to the vowel hight of indonesian learners of english were significantly different from the corresponding frequencies of british english vowels. surprisingly, the significant differences in second formant (f2) of ile were only in the production of /ɑ, ɒ, ɔ/ in which /ɑ/=p 0.002, /ɒ/ =p 0,001, /ɔ/ =p 0,03. the vowel space area of ile was slightly less spacious than the native speakers. this study is expected to shed light in english language teaching particularly as a foreign language. keywords: vsa, efl, indonesian learners, formant frequencies, acoustic introduction second language (l2) learners particularly adults would experience difficulties in learning foreign sounds due to the strong influence of their first language (l1) (lord, 2008; flege, 1999). the level of difficulty experienced by the learner will be directly related to the degree of linguistic difference between l1 and l2 and the length of exposure on l2 (lado, 1957; baker & trofimovich, 2005). some phonetic features of l2 which do not exist in l1 are considered as the most influenced factor in l2 learning (mcallister, flege, & piske, 2002). in general, the greater the perceived phonetic dissimilarity between an l2 sound and the closest l1 sound, the more likely it is that phonetic difference between the sounds will be discerned (flege, schirru, & mackay, 2003). equally, some l2 sounds which similar to l1 would be easy for l2 learners to produce and some l2 sounds which are dissimilar to l1 would be awkward for l2 learners. similarly, the vast difference between english and indonesian vowel system would lead to the distinctive vowel production. dissimilarities in features existing in both english and indonesian would generate obstacles to learning the target language. this could be a barrier for indonesian learners of english (ile) who want to speak or produce native-like sounds. to put it differently, ile are predicted to experience difficulties in producing english vowels since the indonesian phonetic system influences their rudha widagsa & ahmad agung yuwono putro acoustic measurement on vowel production of english as a second language by indonesian efl learners 72 l2 production. the difficulties could be manifested in l2 distinctive vowels quality (baker & trofimovich, 2005). the influence of l1 on l2 vowel production could simply be recognized in formant frequency values. in most cases, formant frequencies are reliable to identify correct pronunciation and intelligibility (peterson & barney, 1952). formant frequencies have long been used by researchers to measure vowel quality due to acceptable parameters and close correlation with vowel quadrilateral or vowel space area (vsa) (ferragne & pellegrino, 2010; hillenbrand & nearey, 1999). estimation of vsa has a long history in the study of vowel identity, speaker characteristics, speech development, speaking style and sociolinguistic factors which influence vowel production (sandoval, et al., 2013). the relationship between first formant (f1) and the second formant (f2) reflects the acoustic quality of vocoid articulations. the first formant frequency (f1) is inversely correlated to vowel height. in the same way, the higher f1 will be, the shorter it is. in other words close vowels have lover f1 values and open vowels have higher f1 values. the second formant frequency (f2), on the other hands, related to the length of the oral cavity in terms of frontness and backness of the tongue body. the lower f2 will be, the longer the front cavity; the higher f2 will be, the shorter it is. in other words, back vowels have lower f2 values and front vowels have higher f2 values (ball & lowry, 2001, p. 67; ladefoged, 2011, p. 196; lodge, 2009, p. 190199). this current study investigates the english vowel production of indonesian native speakers by measuring the formant frequencies (f1 and f2 values) of english vowels. it is started by reviewing and explaining the supporting theories and the previous study. a second language theory, perceptual magnet hypothesis (pmh) proposed by iverson & kuhl (1995) is considered as the basic principal of this studies. pmh proposes that adults learning a second language would find it difficult to perceive a phonetic contrast from a new language when the sounds are close to a native language prototype (iverson & kuhl, 1995). in other words, foreign language learners tend to produce approximations l2 phonemes based on l1 phonemes, they will produce l2 where there is a similar sound in l1, it simply puts that the learners would attract l2 phonemes to sample phonemes in l1. based on pmh due to the vast differences between indonesian and english vowel systems, the hypothesis predicts that indonesian learners of english would have difficulties in producing some english vowels which are not represented in their l1. to examine the production patterns of english vowels by indonesian english language learners, we set two research questions: (1) would indonesian learners of english show the same formant frequencies producing new vowels (/i:, æ, ɑː, ɔ:, u:, ʌ, ɜ:/)? using pmh, it is predicted that ile would succeed to produce some english vowels where the vowels are similar in l1, conversely, ile would be less successful in producing some english vowels which are different from l1 and the production of the english vowels would be identical to the nearest indonesian vowels; (2) to what extent that vsa english vowels produced by ile are different from english-l1 vsa? based on pmh, ile would have different size of vsa from the corresponding vsa produced by english-l1. there are several studies prior to this acoustic measurement represented in formant frequencies in second language acquisition. for instance, reeder (1999) found that beginning and intermediate english learners of spanish did not fully acquire any of the spanish vowels. he reported that the position of a vowel in the vowel space effected learners’ performance in unstressed vowels. flege et al., (2003) examined different age of acquisition of italian speakers in learning english. they argued that early italian learners of english produced more formant movements. differing from early learners, adult learners seemed to produce less movement in formant frequencies. they also noticed the different characteristics between l1 and l2. apart from this, hunter & kebede (2012) analyzed the native speakers of farsi in english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 73 producing british english vowels. these authors found that farsi speakers generally produced good approximations (in terms of f1 and f2 values) to british english vowels when there is a close similarity in farsi vowel inventories. conversely, speakers of farsi were frequently confused some british english vowels due to dissimilarities. related argument is also stated by pillai and delavari (2012), they said that iranian learners of english did not contrast the vowel differences between english and iranian in term of quality. however, in indonesia, the measurement of second language oral production was based on teachers’ auditory judgment, furthermore, acoustic studies related to second language learning received little attention. perwitasari, klamer, & schiller (2016) investigated the formant frequencies of javanese and sundanese learners of english. they found that the production of english vowels was challenging for the javanese and sundanese efl learners not only for similar sounds such as (/i, ɛ, ʊ/), but also for new sounds such as (/i:, æ, ɑː, ɔ:, u:, ʌ, ɜ:/). additionally, the javanese and sundanese speakers showed a smaller vowel space area than that of the native english speakers. indonesian vowel system indonesian or bahasa indonesia is a national language and lingua franca among thousands of different native speakers of indigenous languages in indonesia. it is generally spoken as a second language. however, the language has native speakers who speak indonesian as a first language. indonesian is rooted from malay, an austronesia language family (poedjosoedarmo, 1996; clynes & deterding, 2011). the language has only six monophthongal phonemes including /i, u, e, ә, o and a/ (muslich 2008, p. 95). long-short (tense-lax) forms are not found in the language. there is allophonic variation between realizations in open and closed syllables but there is no agreement on the extent to which allophonic variation takes place (halim, 1974, p. 169). indonesian vowels are pronounced differently in many regions in this country. however, these differences are only in accent. to illustrate this, in south sumatera, it is found that each of the six vowels, except /a/ and /ә/, is phonetically represented by two allophonic variants; according to dardjowidjojo (2009) allophonic variation occurs in all monophthongs except /ә/. subardi in marsono (2008, p. 37) stated that there are ten vowels due to javanese interference. since the speech data were taken in yogyakarta, it should also be noted that the respondents have some knowledge of javanese, that belongs to the austronesian language family. it follows that some degrees of javanese accent can be detected, see poedjosoedarmo (1982) and adisasmito-smith (1999). a part from this, zanten & goedemans (2010) had also mention that indonesian language which is derived from malay has 6 distinctive vowels, the variation on pronunciation is considered as allophonic variation due to influence of regional dialects (zanten & goedemans, 2010). english, by contrast, has at least 11 vowels inventories. vowels of english vary enormously by variety, many phoneticians have different perspective in defining the number of english vowels. jones (1957, p. 63) mentioned that there are eight vowels in southern english, whereas finegan, et al. (1992, p. 40) proposed twelve vowels for australian english. however, english has at least 11 pure vowel sounds or monophthong. the vowel comparison for both languages is illustrated as follows. rudha widagsa & ahmad agung yuwono putro acoustic measurement on vowel production of english as a second language by indonesian efl learners 74 figure 1. figure 2. english vowel chart indonesian vowel chart method this experiment involved five indonesian speakers (all male) as the subjects of this study. the subjects were aged between 18 and 25 years at the time of data collecting. they were born in various regions in indonesia and raised in a cross-ethnique parents which allow them to speak indonesian as a first language. the subjects have been studying english in university for at least 3 years as the major study. when the data was taken, the indonesian subjects resided in yogyakarta (a city in java, indonesia) and have never been to english speaking countries or travelling abroad. meanwhile, the native speakers data used in this research were collected from hawkins & midgley (2005). the subjects were native speaker of british english (be) aged 20-25 at the time of recording. they were born in a wide range of geographical areas in order to reduce risk of a regional-specific feature being interpreted as part of a general trend. table 1. british f1 and f2 average (in hertz) by hawkins & midgleys (2005) heed hid head had hard hod hoard hood who’d hud herd i: ɪ e ᴂ ɑ ɒ ɔ ʊ u ʌ ɜ f1 276 393 600 917 604 484 392 413 289 658 494 f2 2338 2174 1914 1473 1040 865 630 1285 1616 1208 1373 each participant was given a printed material containing a set of 11 /hvd/ words (heed, hid, head, had, hard, hod, hoard, hood, who’d, hudd, herd) in a carrier sentence. after participants received the material then they were asked to listen to it in order to get better understanding and comprehension about the words. the listening materials are taken from oxford advanced learner’s dictionary. immediately after listening section, they were instructed to pronounce the words in carrier sentences. the recordings were made with sony icd px 333 voice recorder and an attached headset-microphone placed at the distance of about 10 cm from the participants’ mouth. the participants were recorded one by one in order to ease the analysis. asus x200ma notebook was used to analyze the recording data. this recording process took place in language laboratory of university of pgri yogyakarta. speech analysts are usually concerned mainly with the first and the second formant (f1 and f2). in this study, we only measure the f1 and f2 to figure out the formant frequencies of english vowels in hertz (hz). the values then plotted to vowel chart/vowel quadrilateral for further analysis. the recordings were analyzed using praat 5.3.51 (boersma & weenink, 2013). the software allows some features such as tracing the formant frequencies, choosing time point, and drawing waveform and spectrogram display. the formant frequencies (f1 and f2) values were traced by identifying on the formant peak of the chosen time point. the value of pitch was automatically computed through the spectrogram display. to measure a difference between the ile vowel productions and l1 english, this research conducted statistical analysis. an independent t-test for the groups was applied to test whether english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 75 frequencies and speech duration was significantly different between groups. results and discussion each vowel has a formant structure which indicates vowel height, tongue advancement and lip shape. formants have long been known as suited parameters for describing vowel production due to its correlation with traditional alticulatory transcription of vowel. the first formant frequency (f1) is inversely related to vowel height. f1 corresponds to tongue height: close vowels have lower f1 values, and open vowels have higher f1 values while f2 usually reflects the front–back position of the tongue, with front vowels having higher f2 values than back vowels. lip-rounding is indicated by a lowering of all of the formant values (ball & lowry, 2001, p. 67; ladefoged, 2011, p. 196). there is nothing particularly new about this way of analyzing vowel sounds. the general theory of formant frequencies was stated by the great german scientist hermann helmholtz about one hundred fifty years ago (ladefoged & johnson, 2001). formant frequencies allow to enable visual investigation which shows the relationship between traditional articulatory descriptions and formants when it is plotted in a bark scale or vowel quadrilateral. the following figure is the illustration of the formant frequencies of british english vowels produced by native speakers of english. figure 3. vowel quadrilateral of british english native speakers (hawkins & midgley, 2005) figure 3 demonstrates the the vowel quality of british english native speakers. it can be clearly seen that each vowel is pronounced differently. the visual descrption aslo represents the mouth diagram of vowels. the up left is the lips and the buttom right is the back of the mouth. we conducted the measurement of formant frequencies of ile and l1 english pronouncing english vowels. the complete results of the acoustic measurement of l2 and l1 english vowels are shown in the following tables. table 3 describes the result of f1 measurement in hertz (hz), table 4 illustrates the ile f2 and table 5 represents the average of f1 and f2. table 2. ile average of f1 and f2 english vowels ile english l1 f1 (hz) f2 (hz) f1 (hz) f2 (hz) rudha widagsa & ahmad agung yuwono putro acoustic measurement on vowel production of english as a second language by indonesian efl learners 76 i: 348,6 2088,6 276 2338 ɪ 361,4 2024,4 393 2174 e 553,4 1824,6 600 1914 ᴂ 586,8 1769,8 917 1473 ɑ 662,4 1315,6 604 1040 ɒ 449 1257 484 865 ɔ 534,4 1103,8 392 630 ʊ 374,6 1338,8 413 1285 u 383,6 1240,6 289 1616 ʌ 618,6 1513,2 658 1208 ɜ 567,2 1450,2 494 1373 statistical analysis is intended to find out the significant differences between the productions of both groups language speakers. to test whether the f1 and f2 means were significantly different from each other, an independent t-test was conducted. the t-test results of the contrast of f1 and f2 between ile and english native speakers is served in the following table. table 3. independent t-test results comparing indonesian and english native speakers on first formant (f1) and second formant (f2) frequencies of 11 english vowels produced in the /hvd/ contexts english vowel f1 (hz) t df p l1 l2 i: 276 348,6 -18,297 4 0 ɪ 393 361,4 -26,59 4 0 e 600 553,4 -37,012 4 0 ᴂ 917 586,8 -12,416 4 0 ɑ 604 662,4 -18,819 4 0 ɒ 484 449 -34,096 4 0 ɔ 392 534,4 -10,55 4 0 ʊ 413 374,6 -10,297 4 0,001 u 289 383,6 -14,872 4 0 ʌ 658 618,6 -7,326 4 0,002 ɜ 494 567,2 -24,562 4 0 english vowel f2 (hz) t df p l1 l2 i: 2338 2088,6 2,486 4 0,068 ɪ 2174 2024,4 4,306 4 0,013 e 1914 1824,6 1,885 4 0,133 ᴂ 1473 1769,8 -4,635 4 0,01 ɑ 1040 1315,6 -6,933 4 0,002 ɒ 865 1257 -8,425 4 0,001 ɔ 630 1103,8 -6,215 4 0,003 ʊ 1285 1338,8 -0,33 4 0,758 u 1616 1240,6 1,975 4 0,12 ʌ 1208 1513,2 -3,592 4 0,023 ɜ 1373 1450,2 -0,59 4 0,587 independent t-test shows the distinctive result on f1 values, it can be seen that f1 values were significantly different from the production of f1 by native speakers. surprisingly, there were only three vowels which were significantly different on f2 values (/ɑ, ɒ, ɔ/) which /ɑ/=p 0.002, /ɒ/ =p 0,001, /ɔ/ =p 0,03. the rest of the vowels did not indicate the significant differences. to compare the vowel space area of the indonesian vsa and british english speakers in the /hvd/ context, the f1 and f2 values were inserted into a vowel quadrangle table (see figure 4). the vowel quadrangle table refers to the place of articulation in the english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 77 mouth and represents the position of the tongue for each vowel. figure 4. quadrangle table (barkscale) figure 4 illustrates the acoustic measurement of vowel formant frequencies and vowel space area of the english vowels produced by indonesian learners of english which then compared with the native speakers of english. from the figure, it can be described that: 1. the native speaker of english had more spacious vowel space compared to indonesian learners of english. 2. indonesian learners of english were not able to distinguish the vowel /i:/ from the vowel /ɪ/. they both were pronounced as simillar vowels and the formant frequencies were almost identical. 3. indonesian learners of english produced the vowel /u/ which was close to the vowel /ʊ/. 4. the vowel /ᴂ/ was pronounced slightly simillar to /e/. the production of /ᴂ/ was higher than the native speakers production. 5. the ile production of vowel /ɑ/ was identical to english l1 vowel /ʌ/. 6. the ile produced the english vowels /ɒ and u/ in simillar way of producing the english vowel /ʊ/. the first research question (1) would indonesian learners of english show the same formant frequencies producing new vowels (/i:, æ, ɑː, ɔ:, u:, ʌ, ɜ:/)? pmh predicted that ile would succeed to produce some english vowels where the vowels are similar in l1, conversely, ile would be less successful in producing some english vowels which are different from l1 and the production of the english vowels would be identical to the nearest indonesian vowels. in this experiment, ile produced different f1 values of /i:, æ, ɑː, ɔ:, u:, ʌ, ɜ:/ from the corresponding f1 by l1 english. surprisingly, the second formant did not demonstrate similar result in f2, only the three vowels /ɑ, ɒ, ɔ/ which were significantly different. the vowels /ɑ, ɒ, ɔ/ are almost identical to the indonesian vowel system /a/. thus, ile tend to “attract” phonemes in english to standar exemplar phonemes of indonesian. ile also showed the significant difference in pronouncing similar vowels /i, e, u/ based on the formant frequencies. the ile l2 productions of /u and ɒ/ are close to the english-l1 /ʊ/. additionally, according to the visual investigation, the english-l1 vowel /ʌ/ is pronounced as /ɑ/. however, indonesian learners of english show similarities to native english speakers in pronouncing the vowels /ʊ/, /ɪ/ and /e/. futhermore, ile were also unable to distinguish the long and short vowels /i:/ and /ɪ/, the vowels /ʊ/ and /u/, what is more, the vowel /æ/ was also perceived as indonesian /e/. (2) the second research question is that to what extent that vsa english vowels produced by ile are different from englishrudha widagsa & ahmad agung yuwono putro acoustic measurement on vowel production of english as a second language by indonesian efl learners 78 l1 vsa? based on pmh, ile would have different size of vsa from the corresponding vsa produced by english-l1. we predicted that indonesian learners of english would have narrower vsa since they only have six vowels and would show a density of vowels in certain area. a part from this, based on pmh, indonesian learners of english would pronounce inexistent english vowels close to indonesian. based on the visual evidence, it can be seen that indonesian learners of english has smaller vsa than native speakers. it also proves that ile find difficulties in producing different vowels. furthermore, there are some areas of english l1 which the vowels are denser than the other such as /ʊ/, /ɪ/ and /e/. the evidences support the pmh theory that they will produce l2 where there is a similar sound in l1 in most cases; the learners would attract l2 phonemes to sample phonemes in l1. the most difficult part in the vowel production by indonesian learners of english is shown by the value of f1 rather than f2. it means that ile were not able to perceive the english vowel height. surprisingly, based on f2 values, indonesian learners of english were able to perceive the degree of backness of english vowels. conclusion as learning second language is heavily influenced by first language, the productions of english vowel by indonesian native speakers were greatly influenced by the phonological system of indonesian language. indonesian learners of english were not aware of vowel height. however, in term of backness, there were only three vowels which were significantly different in the value of second formant. this brings us to the conclusion that indonesian learners of english have difficulties in producing english vowels which does not exist in indonesian vowel system. the findings are consistent with the perceptual magnet hypothesis that indonesian learners of english tended to produce approximations english phonemes based on indonesian phonemes, they produced english vowels where there is similar sound in indonesian. this current research is only a preliminary study which still demands further research prior to acoustic features of english vowels produced by non-native speakers particularly indonesian speakers. in this experiment, we only report data of indonesian male respondents. gender is known to be an important factor of phonetic variation. gender and aged-related would also be interesting topic for future research. hopefully, this research would shed light in english language teaching in indonesia. references adisasmito-smith, n. (1999). influence of javanese vowel patterning on indonesian: an acoustic investigation. in 14th international congress of phonetic sciences (icphs-14) (vol. 14, pp. 1109– 1112). retrieved from https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/ icphs-proceedings/icphs1999/p14_1109.html. ball, m. j., & lowry, o. m. (2001). methods in clinical phonetics. philadelphia: whurr publishers. baker, w., & trofimovich, p. (2005). interaction of nativeand second-language vowel system(s) in early and late bilinguals. language and speech, 48(1), 1–27. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1177/00238309050480010101. boersma, p., & weenink, d. (2013). praat: doing phonetics by computer [computer program] version 5.3.51, retrieved 5 july 2013 from htt[://www.praat.org/. clynes, a., & deterding, d. (2011). standard malay (brunei). journal of the international phonetic association, 41(2), 259–268. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1017/s002510031100017x. dardjowidjojo, s. (2009). english phonetics and phonology for indonesians. jakarta: yayasan obor indonesia. ferragne, e., & pellegrino, f. (2010). formant frequencies of vowels in 13 accents of the british isles. journal of the international phonetic association, 40. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1017/s0025100309990247. finegan, e., besnier, n,, blair, d., & collinsm p. (1992). language: its structure and use. marrickville: hardcourt brace jovanovich limited. flege, j. e. (1999). age of learning and second language speech. in d. birdsong (ed.) second language acquisition and the critical period hypothesis. ny: lawrence erlbaum publishers, pp. 101-131. flege, j. e., schirru, c., & mackay, i. r. a. (2003). interaction between the native and second language phonetic subsystems. speech english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 79 communication, 40, 467–491. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0167-6393(02)00128-0. halim, a. (1974). intonation in relation to syntax in bahasa indonesia. jakarta: djambatan. hawkins, s., & midgley, j. (2005). formant frequencies of rp monophthongs in four age groups of speakers. journal of the international phonetic association, 35(35), 183–199. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1017/s0025100305002124. hunter, g., & kebede, h. (2012). formant frequencies of british english vowels produced by native speakers of farsi. proceedings of the accoustics 2012 nantes cinference. jones, d. (1957). an outline of english phonetics. cambridge: w. heffer & son ltd. ladefoged, p., & johnson, k. (2001). course in phonetics (6 th ed.).. boston: wadsworth. lado, r. (1957). linguistics across cultures. ann arbor: the university of michigan press. marsono. (2008). fonetik. yogyakarta: gadjah mada university press. mcallister, r., flege, j. e., & piske, t. (2002). the influence of l1 on the acquisition of swedish quantity by native speakers of spanish, english and estonian. journal of phonetics, 30(2), 229– 258. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1006/jpho.2002.0174. iverson, p., & kuhl, p. (1995). mapping the perceptual magnet effect for speech using signal detection theory and multidimensional scaling. journal of the acoustical society of america, 97(1), 553562. perwitasari, a., klamer, m., & schiller, n. o. (2016). formant frequencies and vowel space area in javanese and sundanese english language learners. 3l: the southeast asian journal of english language studies, 22(3), 141–152. retrieved from http://ejournals.ukm.my/3l/article/view/14498. peterson, g. e., & barney, h. l. (1952). control methods used in a study of the vowels. journal of the acoustical society of america, 24, 175–184. poedjosoedarmo, s. (1982). javanese influence on indonesian. canberra: department of linguistic, research school of pasific studies, the australian national university (pasific linguistics, series d, no. 38; materials in languages of indonesia, 7). poedjosoedarmo, g. (1996). variation and change in the sound systems of brunei dialects of malay. in martin et al. (eds.), 37–42. pillai, s., & delavari, h. (2012). the production of english monophthong vowels by iranian efl learners. poznań studies in contemporary linguistics, 48(3), 495–518. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1515/psicl. sandoval, s., berisha, v., utianski, r. l., liss, j. m., & spanias, a. (2013). automatic assessment of vowel space area. the journal of the acoustical spciety of america,134(5), 14–17. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1121/1.4826150. zanten, e. v., & goedemans, r. (2009). prominence in indonesian strasses, phrases, and boundaries. wacana: jurnal ilmu pengetahuan budaya, 11(2), 197–225. rudha widagsa & ahmad agung yuwono putro acoustic measurement on vowel production of english as a second language by indonesian efl learners 80 english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 21 feminist and structural narratologie as identity (re)-configurations in african narratives: a meta-critical exposition of literary articles christopher babatunde ogunyemi department of english studies, adekunle ajasin university, nigeria e-mail: christopher.ogunyemi@aaua.edu.ng apa citation: ogunyemi, c. b. (2017). feminist and structural narratologie as identity (re)configurations in african narratives: a meta-critical exposition of literary articles. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 21-32. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.767. received: 21-08-2017 accepted: 27-10-2017 published: 01-12-2017 abstract: research in african literature articulated a number of literary and philosophical theories, particularly in the way that they can potentially undo conventional understandings of gender in the nigerian context. this paper seeks to apply these insights in the form of a critical narratology. although narratology has a structuralist or formalist orientation, having its theoretical beginning in saussure’s modern linguistics, and like structuralism, aspires to ‘scientific’ or ‘universalist’ claims, it, also, examines the way in which narratives affect the way we perceive the world. this paper will attempt to mobilise narratology critically, with the benefit of the insights emerging from various articles, in order to help our understanding of the question of gender and social themes in nigerian post-colonial literature. most especially, this paper will visualise the analysis of structural narratology and finally with feminist narratology in order to correct the inadequacies of structural narratology and the suppression of women in texts. keywords: african literature, feminist narratology, gender identity, structural narratology introduction bal’s narratology is a systematic and structural analysis which helps in the ideological study of the commitment of the writer in the narrative (bal, 1985, p. 10). this means that it helps in understanding the degree of commitment writers underscore in their narratives, thereby showing whether such work is conscious or unconscious of the plight of women, gender and social constructions in art generally. to fludernik (2009) narratology in this context can identify gender and its various forms in the narrative text showing what constitutes traditional narratives and the instruments of analysis and interpretations which could be applied to explain its framework in narrative form. to begin with, narratology is defined as the theory and the study of narratives (bal, 1985, p. 3, fludernik, 2009, p. 2; genette, 1980, p. 3). genette’s narratological works aid the german and anglo-saxon literary tradition and it sheds more light to the understanding of the narratological criticism in divergent ways. this goes to demonstrate that, ’narrative does not represent real or fictive story, it recounts it, that is, it signifies it by means of language. therefore, there is no place to imitate the narrative. there are simply varying degrees of diegesis, narrative moods, mimesis and every text discloses traces of narration’ (genette, 1980, pp. 42-43). likewise, narratology helps in the understanding of the context of production as fundamental element of the narrative. that is, it could help readers in clearly discerning the content of the narrative because some of the experiences discussed in it were already known to them. for fludernik, narratology is a genre which describes constant christopher babatunde ogunyemi feminist and structural narratologie as identity reconfigurations in african narratives: a meta-critical exposition of literary articles 22 variables and combinations typical of narrative and to clarify how these characteristics of narrative texts connect to the framework of theoretical models (fludernik, 2009, p. 3). narratology views narrative structure and the way it affects societal perceptions is reexamined. in principle, narratology can refer to any systematic study of narratives; although in practice, the application of narratology could be rather restricted to the narrative. this is because the way this affects societal’s views that it is applied structurally to the study, criticism and understanding of male autobiographical narratives and the question of gender in nigeria. narratology and its trends in narrative art ‘narratology’ as a word simply means ‘narratologie’ which tzvetan todorov (1989) in his grammaire du decameron forms has been subsequently and continuously used and applied by many writers to different areas and peroids in literature. although some references may be traced back to the aristotle’s classic poetics, modern discourse in the enquiry and interest in narratology is believed to commence with viadimir prop, the russian formalist who wrote morphology of the folktale in 1928. looking at the origin of the work, narratology has a strong relevance and affiliation with the structuralist interest in a system of formed description that could be analysed in any narrative work of art. according to culler (1981), different aspects of narratology could be found in any narrative work. although culler (1981) observes that the distinction in narratology is mainly suggested by the russian formalists who used both fabula and sjuzhetas a successive elements in narrative. these successive elements have also been perceived as the same dichotomy, but they would be discussed in relation to the narrative act in the commentary as it advances. for example the use of (historie /recit, story/plot) in the text is a demonstration of this dichotomy. (the pursuit of signs, 1981, p. 13). in other words, for any work to be recognised as narratological or otherwise may have much more to do with other forms of narrative, such as works in autobiographical narratives, stories, and the sociology of language. according to labov (2006, p. 190), ‘narratology examines conversional analysis and discourse analysis which examines the course of frequent and spontaneous verbal interaction in the work of art’. however, constituent narrative structure could be included in the interpretation of male autobiographical narratives. based on the above, it is essential and extremely important to demonstrate that narratology could enable readers and also critics to critically visualise the content of the narrative, the structure of the autobiographical writings and genderized writings in any text, their cultural artefacts and the movement of time and space in their narrative forms could be examined as well. autobiographical writings, genderized writings and other narratives sometimes demonstrate popular culture about the people beginning from their personal lives to their public functioning and finally in the expression of their civic responsibilities in different societies. roland barthes’ originality in this discourse provides another way of analysing the narrative plot in art. he refuses to be limited by traditional factors which hinder and reduces the understanding of the concept of narratology in any literary art as well. similarly, nwachukwu-agbada (2003) investigates the dynamics of autobiographical writings by asserting that these works discuss ideas which are spread across some periods of time in human history. his conception is based on the environment and ‘the result is that practically all the africa literary autobiographies are public gestures which are derived from a personal struggle with life and agents on the way of psychic, economic, material individual and national fulfilment’ (nwachukwu-agbada, 2003, p. 103). to him, a series of issues which african autobiographical narratives examine, demonstrate different aspects of discourse in narratology. nigerian autobiographies cannot be treated in isolation because they incorporate english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 23 various aspects of nigerian expressions which were also of concern to narratologists (nwachukwu-agbada, 1987, p. 97). essentially, it could also help in the understanding of different constructions of gender and identity in nigerian literature and society because some writers in nigeria see gender as display or as performance or an act which could be seen in some of the works coming out of the nigerian literary environments. some critics are interested in critiquing different types of narratives because they show how some writers demonstrate gender configurations which sparked various reactions among people (see west & garcia, 1988, p. 14; zimmerman & west, 1975, p. 157; lucal 1999, p. 19; & golfman, 1957, p. 22). to henry macdonald (1988) narratology can be traditionally projected as the story of narrative fiction which examines actions and their articulated meanings (macdonald, 1988, p. 1). he goes on to observe that narratology visualizes the narrative presentation of the story using readers’ encounters. the story is perceived as a distinct part of the presentation and also constitutes a constructed tale. epstein (1988) demonstrates that it examines the interpretation of discoursein the text, and such re-interpretation could be ‘twice-told all telling ultimately retellings’ (epstein, 1988, p. 230). this means that research in narratology is could be regarded as an effort that is both prescriptive and descriptive in nature. in another development, epstein also remarks that research in narratology may be socially different or altered’ which means that discourses are not usually permanent’ in all situations. a clearer insight to the understanding of narratology and feminist scholarship is given by lanser (1986) in her essay which is entitled: ‘toward a feminist narratology’. this essay critically examined that over the years, structuralist narratology has removed interest and attention away from women studies and gender criticisms; other feminist insights have, therefore, been grossly overlooked by this narratological school as well. in the real sense of the matter and to remove restrictions, narratology is a discipline which is virtually applied to all fields and to all genres. it is basically a way of perceiving texts by both men and women using a variety ways of new analysis (p. 674). however, she probes further that her desire in the aforementioned essay is to re-examine the contributions of structural narratology to feminism, women criticism and the projection of women in literature. though narratology contributed considerably to the reconfiguration of women in narrative, there are some limitations to this because not until recently gender concerns have not been fully explored by narratology. therefore, most narratologists treat issues relating to masculinity in male texts which had been in analysis over the years. the projection of male formulations in some texts by most narratologist sometimes makes narratological study difficult for female feminist. in wisdom and age in chinua achebe’s things fall apart (1958) there is a deliberate treatment of male dominance under the auspices of wisdom in relation to age without considering any characteristic feature of women who also constitute the african literary ideologue. this is what lanser means by a deliberate attempt to use narratology within the structuralist perspective as instruments of oppression and suppression of women in their space. structural narratology and its inadequacies in order to remove the inadequacies of narratology in the understanding of women writing, feminism, plot and the question of gender in literature, feminist narratolgy reconfigures, re-evaluates and re-traces the portrayal of women and identity in women writings. it challenges the stereotypic projection of women in narratives and suggests a new direction which reverses inferior basis for a proper projection of women, gender and identity in the plot and language of texts. by so doing, she submits that ‘the major impact of feminism on narratology, will be to raise new questions, to add to the narratologial christopher babatunde ogunyemi feminist and structural narratologie as identity reconfigurations in african narratives: a meta-critical exposition of literary articles 24 distinctions that already exists. to probe further, feminist critic attempts to reconcile the way and manner language and signs have been used by structural narratologists in their analysis to suppress women representation in fiction and in other writings because these critics have mostly been one sided in their analyses. the essence is for critics and narratologists for find the usefulness of narrative, content and context of the story, the proper presentation of the characher: male or female and their relevance to gender relations. similarly, feminist narratology raises some questions which show that the standard plot discussed by narratologists do not really conform to the conventional norm by not explaining some fundamental features of women in some selected texts. this is to denote that structural narratology is yet to provide the most adequate distinction of story and plot. the need to shift attention to feminist narratology becomes expedient because it encourages unbiased criticism of literature and the proper projection of the real image of the woman and the real re-configuration of identity and gender in texts. feminist narratology feminist narratology is an important aspect of narratology which could deconstruct narrative and explain some ambiguities in male writings and multiplicities of meanings and interpretations of texts ascribed to them. this is an aspect of narratology which could help to correct patriarchal stereotypes and ethnocentric views in narrative works (bal, 1985, p. 12), particularly in autobiographical works and in other fictional works. through the reinterpretation of the narrative text, there is a need to really determine the major issues in the story in order to ascertain if those discussed preoccupations are culturally determined in the plot of the story. it is, therefore, pertinent to demonstrate how narratology helps in the understanding of gender, identity and social themes in nigerian post-colonial literature. post-colonial writers in nigeria incorporate gender configuration, power relations and the portrayal of women as embodiments of their narrative arts. likewise, these writers in nigeria assigned various roles to women and men in their narratives which give some concerns to critics and readers alike. the application of narratology to narratives explains some complex gender and identity ambiguities which are the foregrounding issues in some male writings. example of such ambiguities in the narrative is well delineated when narratology is applied to the narrative, such as the creation of male subject in the work and that of a female object. this situation sometimes calls for reversal in the story where there is a re-construction which allows for the woman to take the lead role and become the female hero in the narrative. however, when a narratologist decides to examine the body of knowledge in the narrative, the significance of female body and how it interprets the social milieu could be underscored and this situation could aid the understanding of gender and identity. this is because the power of the narrator and what s/he represents in literature could be reinterpreted and this informs the reason why de lauretis (1984, p. 24) asserts that ‘women are heroes of their own stories’. in the process of writing back and correcting some narrative anomalies in masculine writings, she brings in new innovations and concepts which help to re-configure society in the appropriate way. she pushes this further because this type of narratology exemplifies how stories use characterisation to delineate societal problems which women are actively involved in and how feminist narratologists attempt to reverse masculine positions in narratives in order to achieve social and cultural transformation for egalitarian society. in the feminist context, narrative systematises the text in order to potentially free narratology from ethnocentric, identity representation and patriarchal configurations which are mostly discussed in many male writings in africa. by so doing, the narrative would not be biased and central to the promotion of masculine tendencies in english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 25 narratives. similarly, bal (1985, p. 22) and fludernik (2009, p. 15) agree that narratology itself is central to the structuring system of binary opposition because it gives room for the narrative art to examine its oppositions and ambiguities. this means that there is a universal appeal in a narrative when it examines the culture of a group of people by attempting a binary resolution in order to appeal to feminist consciousness. in addition, to demonstrate and elaborate the usefulness of narratology, critics often apply this to some literary ideologies in order to comprehend literary concepts so that the benefits of narratology and its refinements could be properly internalised in the texts. likewise, to properly comprehend post-colonial issues in literature, such as social themes, the portrayal of women, gender construction and identity representation, narratology sometimes produces an adequate framework for the understanding of these concepts in the narrative. dwivedi et al. (2010, p. 6) uphold the aforementioned and submit that ‘the condition of post-coloniality has been variously comprehended through metanarratives of fall and decline, progress, enlightenment, and the attainment of civilization and democracy. however, narratives produced in the historical phase explain related works of fiction, travelogues and autobiographical accounts awakening and liberation’. consequently, the application of narratology in nigeria could fill the lacuna in the portrayal of women in autobiographical and other gendered writings. it could also explain the configuration of gender, identity representation and the re-interpretation of social themes and masculinities in nigerian post-colonial literature and history. narratology and the interpretation of texts in ‘genderization in male autobiographical narratives in nigeria’ (2011), narratology is used to interpret some activities of characters and events in nigerian social and political space through narratives which centre on various experiences around men and women. the application of meta-narrative interpretation in narratology illuminates the message and portrays a clearer image for the reader and the critic. what this implies is that the primary object of interpretation is the narrative act of telling the story. ‘the story’ expresses the purpose of criticism. logically speaking, both the content and the telling of the story are narrative acts, which are some preoccupations of narratology. similarly, in the article, wisdom and age in chinua achebe’s things fall apart (1958), narratology is discussed andwisdom is used by the culture as a model for measuring the knowledge of men and women in the patriarchal nigerian and igbo society. however, it re-invokes masculine importance using okonkwo the lead character as emulation for all in society. this gendered classification of wisdom and age is done at the expense of feminity and it informs a psychological tool which is used to further suppress women. this situation sometimes explains the distinction between story and narrative act which is commonly conceptualized by narratologists as well. this distinction according to mcdonald is traditional because it does not provide any other means of identical formulations in the work of art (macdonald, 1988: 4).the analysis is dynamic because autobiographical and gendered narratives are complex phenomena which express series of formulations about ‘self’ in nigerian literature and it is a portrayal of gendered feelings as well. similarly, studies in these aforementioned articles blend narratological theory with autobiographical approach and with gender theory in order to show various relationships and ambiguities of these gendered writers. the need for the application of the trio is to bring out social relevance in nigeria and in africa. to portray this, other researchers have used many approaches to examine narratives in their own ways. for example, strauss and corbin (1998) applied the analytic strategic approach in their literary application of art. eyoh (2003), raditlhalo (2003), and chukwuma (1990) use the sociological approach as suitable critical christopher babatunde ogunyemi feminist and structural narratologie as identity reconfigurations in african narratives: a meta-critical exposition of literary articles 26 framework, which clearly illuminates the position of characterization and how it becomes relevant to the contemporary society in autobiographical and critical analysis. the first aim is to identify elements of existing scholarly definitions which support autobiographical narratives and then relate the approach to narratology. however, both ‘genderization in male autobiographical narratives in nigeria’ (2011), and wisdom and age in chinua achebe’s things fall apart’ (1958) apply narratological tenets to the analysis of texts and criticisms of the social themes in the postcolonial nigerian experience. to start with the ‘genderization in male autobiographical narratives’ (2011) most male autobiographical works presented in the article portray some deliberate and inveterate marginalization of the african woman by patriarchy. likewise, the article ‘wisdom and age’ is a cognitive examination of the mental state of men which presents the nigerian male culture and how these male writers, particularly in nigeria were using their works to over-exemplify masculinity without recourse to females who are part of such society. however, writings in this regard loose the social construction because it does not enforce the performative aspect of art. writing should be able to reinterpret and re-configure the cultural phenomenon in contemporary setting in order to prepare a suitable environment for both men and women in relation to their social and cultural perspectives. in ‘genderization…’ (2011) while women are frequently exposed to psychological, physical and social violence. ‘wisdom and age..’ (2010) is a psychological and cognitive empowerment of masculine tenets at the expense of feminity. according to this article, ‘it is evident that okonkwo, despite his tender age applies the instrument of wisdom to changing his class for good believing in “solid personal achievements” is akin to wisdom. okonkwo uses his wisdom to address strength, energy disposition and quest for new innovation. because okonkwo (2010, p. 123) positions himself in a wise dimension, he grows from strength to strength’. consequently, this leads to sexual and cultural relegation of women through narratives which their male counterparts evoked using the autobiographical and psychological works as instruments of portrayal of themes and subject matters. these papers combine previous research on women and some practical and critical expressions about their feelings to delineate genderization in selected male narratives which propel masculinity in nigeria. to further explain this, it is pertinent to note that most contemporary societies and cultures in nigeria are male dominated in many areas. so these societies and cultures go further to create beliefs system, economic exploitation of nigerian women and other forms of injustices which limit the place of women in literature and society. consequently, the work calls for the need to embark upon a socio-politicoeconomic re-configuration and cultural integration for african and nigerian development in the aspects of developing literature and making people feel the positive impact of globalization in order to make some meaningful contributions from the african woman when the cultural trends are reversed. as earlier observed, male writers have frequently used their works to elevate themselves beyond normal proportion in nigeria. in essence the elevation of self by male autobiographical narratives has been seen by raditlhalo (2003, p. 16) as a recurring problem confronting the proper explanation of the roles of gender in contemporary african society. similarly, okpara (1990, p. 17) asserts that the marginalization of women by male chauvinistic writers affects the place of women in african literature. this has become the ‘usual’ trend in male-dominated literature in africa; and it explains more situations in gender and social themes in the post-colonial nigeria. she further observes that although the african woman is repressed by the normative patterns of her male-dominated culture, she is well informed of other social and political forces in society which may take precedence english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 27 over sexual politics (okpara, 1990, p. 18; chukwuma, 1990, p. 11; chukwuma, 2004, p. 10). she would rather identify more with the african man in the struggle for social and political freedom despite the domination (okpara, 1990, p. 158). although, in the course of identifying with her male counterpart, the autobiographical writer still over-exercises his control over the woman. this makes chukwuma to remark that the woman is portrayed in various works including the autobiographical narrative as ‘a handicapped daughter, wife and mother even when the decisions affect her directly’ (chukwuma, 2004, p. 131). different works in nigeria have portrayed this fact which chukwuma (2004, p. 132) observed and these works have also shown that the most feasible way to bring into the limelight female subjugation in written autobiographies is her economic dependence on men and the social demand that a woman gives all her earnings to the home. consequently, in ‘confronting inequity in nigerian social milieu: apprehending class stratification in festus iyayi’s violence’ (2013) females have started critiquing and reexamining these male essentialist assumptions which require that they give all their earnings and their efforts to the family. by implication, feminist scholars have also started to develop feminist theory which is based on a theoretical or philosophical analysis of women’s liberation politics. this gradually leads to women’s studies which emerged to look into different problems confronting the woman and the urgent need for solutions. in the aforementioned articles, feminist politics and women’s studies put a spotlight on the inequities between women and men in almost all nigerian societies. in the west, women campaigned to gain equal rights and opportunities and in the developing world, this was applied to aid them in development. it is imperative to state that there are vast differences between the needs of women in developed nations and their counterparts in developing nations too. according to butler, there is a need to understand different approaches in the appraisal of the inequalities between men and women and between women in developed and developing economies in order to ascribe roles which are culturally motivated and performative in the realisation of their potentials (butler, 2013, p. 77). therefore, if the needs of women in nigeria are identified and ascribed, there would be more relevant social functions in the scheme of things in their encounter with their male counterparts. the above mentioned articles also focus on political and economic inequalities which exist among women and men in nigeria. these articles discuss the term ‘gender’ and showcase how some male writers and their cultures make it synonymous with ‘women’. it is pertinent to note that it is not until the 1980s that the field of masculinity studies emerged in literary discourse. masculinity (or men’s) studies systematically focused on the construction and the depiction of males as superior phenomenon (spivak, 1989, p. 223; spengeman, 1980, p. 27; smith & watson, 2010, p. 56). the mentioned articles further analyse ways in which gender and power operate in the lives of men that develop the masculinity theory. this new field of study has started to highlight the ways in which gender inequalities affect not only women, but also men (spengeman, 1980, p. 28). more recently, a multidisciplinary field of study has emerged; it examines the cultural representations and the life experience of being male or female. in ‘okotp’ bitek’s song of lawino: singing about the rights of present african women’ (2014) cultural representation places women as second class citizens. this breads hatred, jealousy and unhealthy rivalry in the family: among children and wives in the case of polygamous setting. this paper expresses the plight of lawino the oppressed african woman who is handicapped by unbridled competition in the family and the need to satisfy the husband since he now has a new bride. in most parts of black africa, women experience such oppressive situation and it culminates into depression and rejection. christopher babatunde ogunyemi feminist and structural narratologie as identity reconfigurations in african narratives: a meta-critical exposition of literary articles 28 in some other situations, poor men who cannot afford to pay bride price sometimes stay away from marriage while those men who can afford to pay as many go home with new bride every new season. this allows for an analysis of gender for both women and men, and it is used to interrogate the phenomenon in a wider range of disciplines and also in the interrogation of narrative and poetic truth. butler’s gender performativity and the nexus of relevance butler’s gender performance helps in the understanding of truth in order to underscore the nexus of life experience in the areas of social relevance of the woman and also in the development of the contemporary nigerian and african society. the application of gender theory to poetic and narrative works explains the relationship which exists between the male/female characters and their social functions in the actualisation of the concept of self-narrative in the post-colonial nigeria. in addition, most novelists in nigeria use their expressions of narrative and poetic meta-texts to explore the place of feminism, identity and gender in africa. examples abound. chinua achebe creates the classic character-okonkwo and entrusts him over every events and activities in umuofia community. the plot of the novel revolves around him from beginning to the end of the story. in ‘wisdom and age’ (2010) most nigerian critics applaud the fame and prosperity of okonkwo by acclaiming this factor through their perceived psychological stream of consciousness. in the article, ‘we examine the novel textually by pinpointing some elements of wisdom that was demonstrated by okonkwo’. the impression created was as if only okonkwo existed in umuofia community. in most okonkwo criticism, critics sometimes genderised other men but women suffer most as a result of the criticism on patriarchy arising in african and nigerian society. this means that while analysing respondents’ responses, most people stood in favour of okonkwo the supposedly male protagonist of this classic novel, things fall apart. this expression is expected to show life experience as it is in the original way. it is imperative to note that many scholars have examined various experiences in their own ways, particularly with recourse to life expectations in the post-colonial nigerian literature which tries to write back to the colonialists. this process of writing back to the centre demonstrates african reactions to colonialism and subsequent post-colonial experiences (see chukwuma, 2003, p. 12, okpara 1990, p. 11). this takes us to the interrogation of social issues in order to further examine the sociopolitical and economic problems ravaging the post-colonial africa and nigeria. in ‘living anonymity: exile as motif in lenrie peters he walks alone’ (2013) most emerging african states suffer the problem of identity and abject poverty. this makes some privilege few attempts to seek a new life by engaging in either collective migration or forced migration. some could take to permanent exile in order to run away from poverty and inequality which preoccupies most african countries. most people suffer in a large scale and these experiences could constitute some social themes which the commentary sets out to examine. however, in nigeria poetry have been used to delineate such themes, such as violence, corruption, gender imposition and economic manipulation in nigeria. example of such works include osundare’s ‘they too are the earth’ and soyinka’s ‘telephone conversation’ in ‘living anonymity..’(2013) which demonstrates social problems of exile and psychological intimidation people frequently go through (p. 205). in the paper, themes were examined to show the state of the country and how people react to some of these issues. to be specific, poverty is a theme that is prevalent among men and women in nigeria because leaders have not been able to judiciously use the country’s potentials to develop the people. the paper shows that people were not comfortable with problems of economic breakdown, youth restiveness, unemployment and the emergence of class english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 29 system in most sectors of the economy results in the reason for forced exile and migration. in this paper, social themes and trends in genderization, attempts were carried out in explaining salient points which constitute the nigerian experience. this research relies on tripartite theories of narratology, gender theory and autobiographical theories, but most especially relies on gender theory because of the overriding thematic preoccupation of genderisation which is a cut across phenomenon in these articles. the application of gender theory sometimes explains the relationship which exists between male and female in nigerian culture and it also evaluates the themes of gender and development in african and the nigerian writings. so far, narratology been the scientific study of the narratives makes references to history and the genderised periods in the analysis of two articles cited above. this narratological position agrees with white when he opines that history helps in the construction of works of art in society. it also explains some ambiguities found in the narrative as to the observation of white when he opines that the twentieth century ushers in a period when history cannot be considered an art or science because a body of literature has created many doubts about the status of history either as science or art. this is to show the complex relationships between history and literature and to further demonstrate how history has aided in the critical understanding of the literary works of art. for some specific emphasis, and to understand how white handles historical relevance in the narratives, the commentary briefly examines sjuzhet and fabula and explains their narratological contents on the narratives with regards to how white handles the historical elements in the narrative. viktor shklovsky and vladimir propp, russian formalists were the first to use these terms and ever since then sjuzhet and fabula had gained frequency in narratological studies. however, sjuzhet details the various employments of historical periods in the narrative and roles history plays in the formation of the plot in the narratives. it also explains how history is relevant in narratives and the understanding of the behaviour of human beings as explained in the narrative with its various implications ascribed to it. likewise, fabula is the story itself; it examines concurrently the content information in the narrative. fabula details a chronological order of presentation of the story and enables the reader to follow the story in order to understand the relationships among those narratives troupes, such as plot, character, and characterization. it is pertinent to note that some historical references were carried along in the explanation of those autobiographical and patriarchal writing. this historical references stimulated those current experiences africans have despite independence had long been gained. the application of sjuzhet and fabula would be explored as the commentary progresses. through fabula or the plot structure in most nigerian narratives, we have been able to see alienation as a social issue and at same time as something which denotes various levels of genderised feelings in most of the cited articles. alienation could be seen asan aspect of gender performance among people that live in communities. however, behringer sheds more light on some performances of gender in society. she agrees that ‘the doing gender framework explains the freedom men and women pose in creating their own gender, individuals have option as to how they will perform gender, they fundamentally have the ability to craft, mould and at the same time fashion their environments’the way they want it or perceive of it (behringer, 2008, p. 52). similarly, most women in nigeria frequently complain of alienation whenever it is time to be accorded some serious functions, particularly when it has to do with their male counterparts. this situation is evident in some nigerianclassic novels like achebe’s things fall apart (1958) and in other texts or narratives which set out to demonstrate the performance of masculinity over females in nigerian society. in things fall apart (1958) christopher babatunde ogunyemi feminist and structural narratologie as identity reconfigurations in african narratives: a meta-critical exposition of literary articles 30 achebe creates okonkwo the main character who is at the centre of his own world. he is loved by his umuofia people. being the ‘agu, and the ebube dike’ of his community meaning, the ‘eye’, ‘the voice’, ‘the roaring lion’ and the strong man of his community, he does not want to be called a woman and a weakling. in achebe’s igbo culture and indeed most african cultures, women were ascribed as weaklings and second class citizens (chukwuma, 2004, p. 19). okonkwo the male protagonist demonstrates his masculinity by marrying many wives, having many children and taking rash decisions without listening to any counsel from a woman or asking a woman to decide for him in some strategic decisions (achebe 1958: 70). an example of the rash decision he took was the neglect of one of his wife’s admonition against having a hand in the death of ikemefuna. ikemefuna was the little boy kept in his custody, and in the course of living together, the boy now calls him a father. ikemefuna was given to umuofia people as ransome for the atrocities done to them and he was being prepared for sacrifice so that his blood could appease the umuofia community. furthermore, in most african communities, women have no inheritance; they do not attend family meetings and they are strangers to their families, particularly among okpodon clan of cross river state, the irun akoko people of ondo sate and the igbo people of nigeria among many others where they demonstrate with grandeur the emergence of a male child with pomp and pageantry at the expense of the female child. this situation explains why traditional tiv man of benue state in nigeria will marry many wives so that he could use any of his women to entertain his friends and to satisfy their sexual pleasure at nights when such friends come visiting and he expects such ‘friendly gestures’ in reciprocation when he visits such friend in future. the culture of using wives to entertain friends cut across some tiv and idoma peoples of nigeria (chukwuma, 2003, p. 23). it is also acclaimed that some yorubas and ijaws would marry many wives to justify their wealth and the number of children they have so that they could be accorded much respect among their peers (chukwuma, 2003, p. 25). this explains concurrently why some african men would give out their daughters as gifts to strong men in society for marriage. the act of entertaining best friends with the wife is seen by both the tiv man and some brainwashed women in benue nigeria as a preservation of their cultural acts and friendliness since there is a sharing of love together. ironically, these women are not complaining openly and there is no open protest though there could be sorrow and depression which lead to gender violence. this could probably be the reason why the hiv/aids is dominant in benue state more than any other states in nigeria (mwakikagile, 2001, p. 18). this situation sometimes leads to alienation, fear and intimidation among women. to show this alienation further, the notion behind the creation of ‘i’ as male metaphor and other forms of social identities separate the man far away from the woman in social contexts. this is demonstrated in the article ‘interrogating power relations’ (2011) where violence and intimidation of women in society become manifested in many sectors in nigeria. women experience high level of suffering in their contacts with males. this could furtherdemonstrate women’s social identity and relevance, gender differences and struggle for survival (‘interrogating power’, 2011, p. 307). furthermore, ‘confronting inequity’ (2013) attempts to show various expressions of readers as they readthrough the post-colonial works emanating from nigeria. readers were able to see the level of violence and protest levied on the weak, poor and the hopeless in the article. however, in the readers-response approach; the critic really situates what he detests and how he perceives as the notion of gender in literary works of art. the same situation is true when it comes to the reader of the narrative text. kafalenos sheds more light on this when she observes that readersresponse approach is an essential narrative art. therefore, interpretations and causes of english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 31 narrative events are contextual in nature (kafalenos, 2001, p. 33). kafalenos is not referring to the message but to the narrator and readers and their perceived interpretations. also, the way and manner through which critics demonstrate gender equality and other social themes help in re-shaping the postcolonial experience in nigeria (‘genderization, p. 37). conclusion this paper examined structural narratology, feminist narratology and suggested that in africa, the instruments of identity; alienation and gender construction have been exemplified in most post-colonial narratives through expression, body language and related actions. with various explications of narratology in delineating gender interpretations, the paper improves on feminist narratology as a most suitable theory which could be modelled with butler’s performativity to showcase relevant discourse about women in future research in african literature. references achebe, c. (1958). things fall apart. london: william heinemann ltd. bal, m. (1985). narratology: introduction to the theory of narratives. balzac de honore: totonto press. behringer, m. a. (2008). gender in contemporary literature. new york: may and baker. butler, j. (2013). ppassing, queering. in nella larsen’s psychoanalytic challenge 1997, global literary theory: an anthology (p.281). london: routledge. chukwuma, h. (1990). voices and choices: the feminist dilemma in four african novels. in ernest n. emenyonu, literature and black aesthetics (p 131), ibadan: heinemann. chukwuma, h. (2003). accents on the african novel (2nd ed.). port harcourt: pearl publishers. chukwuma, h. (2004). women writing: feminism and national development in nigeria (an inaugural lecture series, 35 university of port harcourt, february 5). culler, j. (1981). the pursuit of signs: semiotics, literature, deconstruction. ithaca: cornell up. dwivedi, d., henrik, s. n., & richard, w. (2010). a book proposal on narratology and ideology: encounters between narrative theory and postcolonial criticism. new york: york university. epstein, c. f. (1988). deceptive distinction: sex, gender, and the social order. new haven: yale university press. eyoh, l. e. (2003). socio-political protest and poetic imagination. in clarkbekederemo’s poetry. english studies (april edition). university port harcourt. fludernik, m. (2009). an introduction to narratology. london: routledge. genette, g. (1980). narrative discourse. new york: cornell university press. iyayi, f. (1979). violence. london: longman. kafalenos, e. (2001). not yet knowing: epistemological effects of deferred and suppressed information in narratives new york. the psychology of life stories reviews of general psychology, 5, 100-122. labov, w. (2006). the social stratification of english in new york city. cambridge: cambridge university press lanser, s. s. (1986). toward a feminist narratology. in style 20, 341-363. lucal, b. (1999). what it means to be gendered me: life on the boundaries of a dichotomous gender system. gender and society, 13, 781-797. mwakikagile, g. (2001). ethnics politics in nigeria and kenya. new york: nova science publication. nwachukwu-agbada, j. o. j. (1987). protect and faith. in w. soyinka’s autobiographies, the literary half – yearly. nwachukwuagbada, j. o. j. (2003). environment and ‘i’ of the beholder in african literary autobiographies’. working papers. (university of port harcount). okpara, c. (1990). the foot as metaphor in female dreams: analysis of zaynab alkalis novels’ literature and black aesthestics. ibadan: heinemann. prop, v. (1985). morphology of the folktales. (1928). hillsdade, nj: lawrence erlbaum associates, inc raditlhalo, s. i. (2003). who am i? the construction of identity in twentieth century south african autobiographical writing in english. (a phd dissertation submitted and published by the university of groningen, the netherlands). smith, s., & waston, j. (2010). reading autobiography: a guide for interpreting life narratives, (2nd ed.). st paul: university of minnesota press. spengeman, w. (1980). the forms of autobiography: episodes in the history of a literary genre. new haven & london: yale university press spivak, g. c. (1989). feminism and deconstruction: negotiating an unacknowledged masculinism. in t. brennan (eds), between feminism and psychoanalysis (pp. 206-223). london: routledge. strauss, a., & corbin, j. (1998). basic of qualitative research .oaks, ca: sage publications. todorov, t. (1989). grammaire du decameron. the hague: montou. christopher babatunde ogunyemi feminist and structural narratologie as identity reconfigurations in african narratives: a meta-critical exposition of literary articles 32 west, c., & garcia, a. (1988). conversational shift work: a study to tropical ‘transitions between women and men’. social problems, 35, 55-575. zimmerman, d. h., & west, c. (1975). sex role, interruptions and silences in conversation. in b. thorne and n. henley (eds.), language and sex: difference and dominance. rowley, ma: newbury house. 25 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee self-paced reading and the achievement of persian efl learners amir toghyani khorasgani islamic azad university-khorasgan branch in esfahan, iran e-mail: toghyaniomid@yahoo.com apa citation: khorasgani, a. t. (2013). self-paced reading and the achievement of persian efl learners. english review: journal of english education, 2(1), 0-0 received: 05-09-2013 accepted: 20-10-2013 published: 01-12-2013 abstract: this study aimed at investigating the effects of reading goals on l2 reading comprehension in a computer-mediated environment when reading is self-paced by the learners and students are responsible for their own comprehension. sixty participants (30 males & 30 females) in three groups of 20 were involved. a computer program, written in c#.net program, presented the text on the screen four lines at a time, and measured the amount of time students would spend on each page initially, how many times students re-read pages, and how much time students would spend re-reading pages. l2 learners’ comprehension and learning strategies were measured in three ways: recall of materials, time spent reading each page of the text and time spent re-reading pages, and the number of times pages were re-read. finally, after one month from the first test a posttest was administered to determine which group could remember materials better. the results revealed that recall of materials was significantly greater for the teaching-goal group than the other two groups in both first and second tests. time spent re-reading was significantly greater for the teaching-goal group as well. these findings suggest that reading goals do have an effect on comprehension and recalling in a computer-mediated environment and students with a different reading goal performed differently while reading passages. keywords: reading goals, computer-mediated reading environment, learning, immediate and delayed recall. introduction reasons for learning a second language (l2) vary widely from person to person. some people may learn an l2 for the pure intrinsic enjoyment that comes with learning a new language while others may learn an l2 in order to obtain the extrinsic reward of a better salary (noels et al., 2000). reader reads a text to understand its meaning, as well as to put that understanding to use. a person may read a text to learn, to find out information, to be entertained, to reflect or to practice religious issues. the reasons of reading will also affect the way a book is read. we read a dictionary in a different way from the way we read a novel. in the classroom, teachers need to be aware of their students’ learning needs, including their goals for reading (surber, 1992). as students move beyond the primary grades, the focus of their school lives shifts from learning how to read to using reading to learn. from the middle grades on, students are expected to read and to understand increasingly more difficult materials in an array of content areas. unfortunately, many students are unable to meet this expectation. for them, reading to learn from content area materials can be a struggle (biemiller, 1999). in the area of reading research, researchers have almost always been preoccupied with the question of how reading can be taught and learned in the best way possible. teachers always want to teach a reading passage in a way that it is best learned and remembered by students for a long time (duffy 2002; palinscar & brown 1984). most teachers amir toghyani khorasgani self-paced reading and the achievement of persian efl learners 26 want to reduce the burden of teaching passages and make students responsible for their learning, so students should make a decision whether or not they understand the text, or whether they need to read and practice on the text more. students should also use the best reading strategies in relation to their aims. hall (2001) stated that learning strategies are goal-directed actions used by learners to mediate their own learning. since the goal of most types of readings is comprehension, it is important for students to make decision about whether or not they comprehend the passages they are reading. if a student decides s/he does not comprehend the passages, s/he must use some strategies to solve this problem by adjusting studying patterns accordingly. in current trend of education, especially in distance learning, most students have to use computers and computer programs in their learning in order to be motivated to learn by themselves. motivated learners are able to set goals for themselves within a time frame. if they recognize that they do not have sufficient knowledge of a subject or the language, they may change their learning strategies according to their goals to match the time available (hall, 2001). the number of e-books, glossaries, and dictionaries which can be used in computer-mediated environments is rapidly increasing and students need to be familiar with these technologies and the way they are used. the use of these technologies makes it possible for all learners to learn twenty-four hour a day and any where if they want to, in other words, whenever they wish to learn. although students with different goals use different strategies, what is the best goal for reading comprehension in a computer-mediated environment? reading from the monitor would enable the researchers to pursue learning strategies and clarify their effects on reading comprehension and learning. as bialystok (1991: 71) stated, “language learning strategies are optional means for exploiting available information to improve competence in a second language”. there are few number of studies in relation to the effect of reading goals on the ultimate achievement of efl learners, the problem of which goal has more effect on reading comprehension and learning and the combination of these two areas with the vast effects of new technologies (computer programs) on the ways of presenting and learning new materials in circumstances that teacher is not easily available for students, and students should take the responsibility of their learning and comprehending the passages they read. the study pattern used in this research is the one suggested by garner and reis (1993), who found that good comprehenders consistently recognize comprehension problems and use “look-back” strategies to solve them (looking back in the text when a student realizes s/he needs more information from preceding pages). for reading behavior in this study the time for reading the whole text was calculated; this way of measuring is supported by three previous studies: the work of monty and senders (1983) who reported measuring the speed of word and letter identification; the work of rayner and pollatsek (1987) who took an interdisciplinary approach to timed reading research which included eyetracking studies, as well as a cognitiveanatomical approach to studying word recognition; and finally the work of just and carpenter (1992) on eye fixations who suggest that longer eye fixations occur when readers are confronted with uncommon words, while they are integrating information from important clauses in the text, and while making inferences at the end of sentences. although the scope of the present study 27 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee does not specifically include the detail of eye fixation, longer reading times might suggest differences in reading behavior. despite the fact that models and guidelines recommending pedagogically sound practices for incorporating computer-based materials exist (berry 2000; brandl 2002; chun & plass 2000), a major concern is that the number of such examples remains limited. a common theme in such studies is the benefit of learners from facilities offering support and assistance in computer learning environments, such as electronic dictionaries, glosses, graphics, and e-books. one of the new trends of education is related to distance learning in which teachers are not available for students most of the time and learning is self-paced. oxford (1990) stated that learning strategies are specific actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective, and more transferable to new situations. the concept of reading goal was discussed in literature review, but few publications have so far explored the effect of reading goals on learning in a computer environment. as hall (2001) mentioned, “students use some learning strategies for their reading and their learning strategies are directly related to their goal”. this idea emphasizes this fact that having different reading goals in mind would lead to using different learning strategies. thus, this research aimed at investigating the effect of reading goals on the students’ comprehension and recall of the materials to determine the most effective type of reading goal. method for this study the researcher made use of convenience sampling technique to select the efl learners studying english at ahlol-beyt language institute in isfahan. wallen & fraenkel (2001: 137) define convenience sample as “a group of individuals who (conveniently) are available for the study.” there were 60 participants (30 males & 30 females) and their ages ranged from 17 to 26. all participants were selected from term 12 and 13 (30 students from each term). they were equally distributed to each group of study according to their level of study and their gender to reduce the effect of participants’ proficiency levels and genders. then they were divided into three groups, 20 each, and each group was assigned a specific goal. in other words, one group was to know the passages, another group was to take a test about the passages, and the other group was to be able to teach the passages. these students were granted extra credit points as an incentive for participating in the study. for entering each of these terms all students had to take the proficiency test of the english institute, so all of the participants were homogenized as much as possible. the reading task (2000-word) included two different passages, namely, ‘how to cope with insomnia’ and ‘how to read body language’. by the use of two different topics for reading task the effect of background knowledge and familiarity with reading topics tried to be reduced. the criteria for choosing the texts were what nuttall (1996) offered: 1) suitability of content: interesting and enjoyable materials, 2) exploitability: a text that facilitates the achievement of certain language and content goals, 3) readability: a text with lexical and structural difficulty that will challenge students without overwhelming them, and 4) stimulating topic which increase curiosity of students to read the materials. the reading task was presented in the computer lab on computer monitors. reading from the monitor would enhance the ability to log reading time per page, re-reading time amir toghyani khorasgani self-paced reading and the achievement of persian efl learners 28 per page, and the number of visits per page. the text was presented in four-line ‘pages’ on a computer screen. reading was self-paced and readers were allowed to scroll forward and backward through the text. the computer program recorded the total amount of time spent on each page (read plus re-read) and total amount of time for reading the whole text. additionally, students were not allowed to take notes to remove the effect of note-taking ability (some of the participates might be familiar with the ways of taking notes meanwhile others may be weak in this part, and this variable could have affected the results of this study). the recall task consisted of a sheet of paper with 20 multiple-choice items and some instructions at the top. students had to write their goal of study at the related box. participants were asked to select the appropriate answer for each question. the reason for using the multiple-choice questions was due to varying students’ ability in essay type questions and to reduce the irrelevant variable effects (some students might be weaker than others in writing and it might affect the study results) and the ease and precise scoring. the whole question sheet included ten questions for each text (both main ideas and detail questions) so each student was to answer all twenty questions. the same procedures were followed after one month with the exception of reading passage (there weren’t any passages in the second exam). for the sake of having the same conditions, participants were not allowed to use any notes taken during the reading session of this study to assist with recall. it should be mentioned that the questions for this study were adapted from the mentioned book and as it was claimed on its back cover it tested by native and nonnative speakers of english, but for the purpose of this study the researcher again tested them in a pilot study with 15 students and its validity was confirmed by the experts and its reliability: 0.93 was calculated by using kr-21 formula. the questionnaire only collected demographic information for each of the participants. questions included: their name, gender, age, their level of studying in the institute, and their reading goals. the text was presented to subjects by means of a computer program written in c#.net. the program read the passage from the text file and presented the text on the screen in four-line page segments. subjects were able to move backward and forward through the passage by clicking on the navigation arrows on screen (‘previous’ key for moving backward and ‘next’ key for moving forward). in this manner, the participants could easily re-read previous passages if they wished, and the program saved their number of readings each page. the program recorded how much time the subjects spent on each four-line page for the first time reading and also a cumulative total of any re-reading time. all data from each participate were saved as a separate file. first of all, a pilot study was done with 15 students (7 females & 8 males). they were divided into three groups of 5 with three different reading goals (reading to teach, reading to know, and reading to take a test) like the main participants of this study. in the first step, they participated in a short warm-up section in order to become familiar with the presentation of text and the functions of the keys. then, they started to read the passages on monitor screen by using the same computer program as the one for the main participants. finally after distracter task, they answered the questions. the aim of this pilot study was to ensure the effectiveness of the computer program in recording each participant’s data and other facilities. the validity of questions 29 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee and answers had already been confirmed by authorities, but again in the pilot study it was tested by asking students if the questions were related to the passages and if they were satisfied with the choices or not. fortunately, there was no need for editing and revising the questions, their choices, and the length of passages. the participants for this section were selected from the same level of proficiency but in a different branch of language institute. the only difference between the pilot study and the main study was the number of exams; there was only one (immediate recall) exam for the pilot study. for the main study, 60 participants were selected from terms 12 and 13. they were divided into three groups, 20 each, and each group was assigned a specific goal and separated from each other according to it. finally, each participant sat in front of one computer in the computer lab. participants were given a short online warm-up passage to read in order for them to become familiar with the presentation of text and the functions of the keys. only two navigation keys were displayed for the participants; one symbol (next) to advance to the next screen of text, and one symbol (previous) to go back to the previous screen. participants were asked to practice using the symbols and were helped until they felt comfortable. a third symbol ( ) was available to terminate the study. participants were told that they could terminate the study at any time. then, the participants were told that they would be reading the passages on the computer screen. each student was given the instruction sheet which provided the reading goal (to understand the passage, or to take a test about the passage, or to be able to teach the passage). after that they were asked to read the passage from the screen at their own pace. specifically, one group was told to read the passages to understand. a second group was told to read the same materials in order to be prepared for taking test. a third group was told to read the same materials in order to teach. all questions were multiple-choice items and were answered by the researcher in advance. the passage for this study had 40 pages when presented four lines at a time. in previous studies, when text was presented on a computer, the page size varied from single words at a time (for very short passages less than one print page) to entire screens. the argument has been made (surber, 1992, 1994) that any unit size is to some extent arbitrary (book pages often end in mid-sentence). the decision of page length in this context became a matter of timing: many short pages would allow for fine-grained reading times; while a smaller number of pages would contain more text with less fine-grained reading times. fourline pages are short enough to provide a better measure of reading time, and also the time for reading is logical. this particular configuration has been used effectively in a number of previous studies (schoeller & surber, 2003; surber, 1992, 1994). finally, after one month, students took part in another test, but this time there was no reading part and they had to remember what they had read before. four sets of data were scored: (1) the recall task in which the participants were asked to recall the materials and select the correct answers for studied topics in the first test; (2) read and re-read times, measuring how much time was spent reading a page the first time, and any time spent re-reading the pages; (3) number of times pages were re-read; and (4) the recall task in which participants were asked to recall the materials for the topics in the second test. to reduce any errors in scoring, each answer sheet was scored twice by the amir toghyani khorasgani self-paced reading and the achievement of persian efl learners 30 table 4.9.the results of the lsd post hoc test for the time spent for reading and re-reading group group mean difference sig. reading to teach reading to know 24.73* .000 reading to take a test 28.18* .000 reading to know reading to teach -24.73* .000 reading to take a test 3.45* .000 reading to take a test reading to teach -28.18* .000 reading to know -3.45* .000 *. the mean difference is significant at the 0.05 level. researcher (intra rater reliability). as a result, each participant received one set of scores for recalling materials in each exam. to score the recall task, each of the selected responses was scored with a procedure already developed for the pilot study and was used in similar researches (schoeller & surber, 2003; surber, 2001). the passage was about two different topics– how to cope with insomnia, and how to read body language– to reduce the effect of other unrelated factors and variables. the intent of measuring recall is to investigate what the individual has learned. if learning is the ability to organize information into a schema, recall of both the main ideas and supporting details is important. for this reason in this study, the question included both main ideas and supportive details. there were ten questions for each passage. recall and selection of answers for these ten questions were scored by using a 0, 1 scale. a ‘0’ was given if the subject was not able to identify the answer and left it blank on the answer sheet or selected the wrong answer; a ‘1’ was given if the subject could clearly identify and select the correct answer. a total of 10 points were possible for the correct recall and selection of all ten answers. a total of 20 points was possible for the correct recall of materials and selecting the correct answers for both passages. the raw time was computed (in milliseconds) by the computer program and was saved by the computer program in separate files for each participant. students learned how to go to the next and previous texts on computer screen in the warm-up section, and after that students read the instructions which indicated the reading goal. finally, all times were converted to seconds for the clarity of presentation. there were two features in this part which might have affected the validity. first, it was considered that many participants might fail to follow instructions they had at warm-up section for the first page, and the computed time of that page may be irrelevant to the goals of this study. additionally, when the participants finished reading the text, they might have neglected to advance the screen for the last time to the end (although there was on-screen prompt to do so), so the timer would not stop. these extra amounts of time of the first and the last page did not deal with the students’ learning and decreased the validity of the test. so for the sake of confidence and valid results, the first and the last page of the passage were left blank and data from these two pages were not included in the results of this study. the computer program automatically kept a count of the number of times each page was reread. these rereads were summed for each individual. table 3.1 presents the final data set including the scores for each participant. table 3.1. final scores for each participant 1) recall of materials (range = 0 -20), in the first test 2) total time of reading and re-reading each page 3) total number of pages re-read 4) recall of materials (range = 0-20), in the second test results and discussion data analysis for the first hypothesis the first hypothesis related to the immediate posttest and stated that, “different reading goals do not have any significant effect on subsequent immediate-recall of the materials”. having completed the experiment, the researcher administered the immediate posttest and collected the data regarding this test. then the necessary calculations 31 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee were employed to test the validity of the first hypothesis. table 4.1 indicates the descriptive statistics for this test. table 4.1 tells us that the means of the three groups are different, but it doesn’t tell us whether the differences are statistically significant or not. to find out about this, a one-way anova was run. table 4.2 presents the results of this anova. by looking at table 4.2, one can easily understand that amount of f-observed is significant (f-observed = 13.932, p< .000). in order to find out the exact place(s) of difference(s), an lsd post hoc test was employed. table 4.3 depicts the results of this test. according to table 4.3, the following conclusions can be drawn: 1. group reading to teach outperforms the other two groups, that is, group table 4.1. descriptive statistics for the immediate posttest group no. minimum maximum mean sd reading to teach 20 16 20 18.20 1.281 reading to know 20 11 19 15.55 2.235 reading to take a test 20 10 19 14.55 2.946 table 4.2. the results of the one-way anova for the immediate posttest source ss df ms f sig. between groups 142.300 2 71.150 13.932 .000 within groups 291.100 57 5.107 total 433.400 59 table 4.3. the results of the lsd post hoc test for the immediate posttest group group mean difference sig. reading to teach reading to know 2.65* .000 reading to take a test 3.65* .000 reading to know reading to teach -2.65* .000 reading to take a test 1.00 .167 reading to take a test reading to teach -3.65* .000 reading to know 1.00 .167 *. the mean difference is significant at the 0.05 level. table 4.4. descriptive statistics for the delayed posttest group no. minimum maximum mean sd reading to teach 20 14 19 17.20 1.361 reading to know 20 7 16 11.85 2.519 reading to take a test 20 6 17 10.40 3.102 reading to know and group reading to take a test. 2. groups reading to know and reading to take a test performs statistically similarly on the immediate posttest; in other words, there is no statistically significant difference between these two group, although the mean of group reading to know is higher than that of group reading to take a test. therefore, the first hypothesis can safely be rejected, and it can be claimed that reading goals do have effects on reading performances of the learners. data analysis for the second hypothesis table 4.4 shows the descriptive statistics for this posttest. amir toghyani khorasgani self-paced reading and the achievement of persian efl learners 32 it can easily be seen in the above table that the means of the three groups under investigation are different. another one-way anova was used to understand whether or not the differences are statistically significant. table 4.5 gives us this information. by checking table 4.5, one can see that the amount of f-observed is significant (f-observed= 43.194, p< .000). once again to find out the exact place(s) of difference(s), another lsd post hoc test was run. table 4.6 is devoted to the results of this test. by examining table 4.6, it can be said that in the delayed posttest, too, the group reading to teach outperformed the other two groups– that is, reading to know and reading to take a test– but table 4.5. the results of the one-way anova for the delayed posttest source ss df ms f sig. between groups 513.100 2 256.550 43.194 .000 within groups 338.550 57 5.939 total 851.650 59 table 4.6. the results of the lsd post hoc test for the delayed posttest group group mean difference sig. reading to teach reading to know 5.35* .000 reading to take a test 6.80* .000 reading to know reading to teach -5.35* .000 reading to take a test 1.45 .65 reading to take a test reading to teach -6.80* .000 reading to know -1.45 .65 *. the mean difference is significant at the 0.05 level. table 4.7. descriptive statistics regarding the time spent reading and re-reading group no. minimum maximum mean sd reading to teach 20 70.02 75.08 73.07 1.51558 reading to know 20 47.22 49.28 48.34 .63438 reading to take a test 20 43.95 46.45 44.89 .66117 table 4.8.the results of the one-way anova for the time spent reading and rereading source ss df ms f sig. between groups 9451.403 2 4725.702 4519.962 .000 within groups 59.595 57 1.046 total 9510.998 59 the other two groups did not have any statistically significant difference in their performances. therefore, the second hypothesis also can safely be rejected. data analysis for the third hypothesis table 4.7 below shows the descriptive statistics for the amount of time spent on reading and re-reading by each group. the above table, too, shows differences among the means of all three groups, but it does not tell us if the differences are significant or not. to do so, a third one-way anova was applied to the results. table 4.8 indicates the results of this anova. one can easily find out by checking the amount of f-observed 33 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee (f-observed= 4519.962, p< .000) that the differences among the three means are statistically significant, but another post hoc test was needed to determine the exact place(s) of difference(s). table 4.9 gives us this information. the following conclusions can be reached at by considering table 4.9: 1. group reading to teach outperforms the other two groups, that is, group reading to know and group reading to take a test. 2. groups reading to know outperforms group reading to take a test therefore, the third hypothesis can also be rejected, and it can be claimed that reading goals do have effects on the amount of time spent on reading and re-reading the texts by the learners. data analysis for the fourth hypothesis a computer software was implemented to measure the number table 4.10. descriptive statistics for the number of times each page was read group no. minimum maximum mean sd reading to teach 20 2.11 4.01 3.01 .40099 reading to know 20 1.23 2.09 1.73 .24624 reading to take a test 20 1.17 2.11 1.69 .30529 table 4.11. the results of the one-way anova for the number of times each page was read source ss df ms f sig. between groups 22.538 2 11.269 107.450 .000 within groups 5.978 57 .105 total 28.516 59 table 4.12.the results of the lsd post hoc test for the number of times each page was read group group mean difference sig. reading to teach reading to know 1.28* .000 reading to take a test 1.32* .000 reading to know reading to teach -1.28* .000 reading to take a test .04 .648 reading to take a test reading to teach -1.32* .000 reading to know -.04 .648 *. the mean difference is significant at the 0.05 level. of times each page was read. table 4.10 presents the descriptive statistics for this measurement. the table indicates mean differences among the three groups involved in this study. a fourth oneway anova was needed to determine whether or not these differences are meaningful. table 4.11 is devoted the results of this anova. the results of this last anova also shows a significant amount of f-observed (f-observed= 107.450, p< .000). in other words, the three groups performed differently with regard to the number of times each page was read. here once again, it is necessary to find out about the exact place(s) of difference(s); therefore still another lsd post hoc test was used. table 4.12 indicates the results of this test. according to table 4.12, the results here are exactly the same as those of the first hypothesis; that is, amir toghyani khorasgani self-paced reading and the achievement of persian efl learners 34 the number of time each page was read by group reading to teach is more than those of the other two groups. however, the other two groups, that is, reading to know and reading to take a test, did not have any significant difference in this respect. therefore, the fourth hypothesis is rejected, too, and it can be said that the goal of reading influences the number of times a passage is read. the next chapter presents the discussion of the results in detail. in summary, regarding to the immediate recall tests according to the statistics the students with knowing goal and testing goal act statistically the same and students with teaching goal outperform other two groups. for the delay recall tests, students with teaching goal outperform other two groups and the other two groups (students with knowing goal and testing goal) do not have any statistically significant difference in their performances. regarding to the amount of spending time on reading and rereading assigned passages all three groups acted differently, group reading to teach outperforms the other two groups and groups reading to know outperformed group reading to take a test. finally, regarding to the number of time each page was read and reread by each group data analysis proves that reading to teach group rereads more than those of the other two groups and other two groups (reading to know and reading to take a test) do not have any significant difference in this respect. conclusion one of the problems currently facing language teachers is the problem of specifying factors to improve learning and direct students toward self reading and self study. the findings of this article suggest using of different goals to motivate students for achieving pre-established instruction aims, as covington (2000) introduced goal setting as part of motivational tools in the article goal theory, motivation, and school achievement. this study used a new program to study students’ reading behaviors and comprehension with different reading goals in mind. for each student this program saved his/her reading behaviors (amount of time spent on passages and the number of times reading and re-reading each page) in a separate file. regarding the immediate recall tests, it should be mentioned that the students with knowing goal and testing goal acted the same. this finding is consistent with that of another study in which the students tended to expect to be tested in experiments (orne 1962). therefore, the goal reading to test and reading to know may have essentially the same goals for those participants so the failure to find a difference between testing goal and the knowing goal is not a serious mystery. thus, of the three reading goal groups participated in this study, the teaching goal group did significantly better in recalling materials than the testing and knowing goal groups. this study also proved the amount of forgetting for students with the teaching goal is the least among all three groups, since they could remember more materials than other two groups could. in this study participants were responsible for their own learning since they had the opportunity to go back and forth through the passages and decided whether they learnt them or not. so this study reduced the burden of teaching on teachers and made the learners responsible for their study; it is toward the distance-learning trend instruction in which teachers are not available most of the time. this study reduced the burden on the classroom teachers because students were responsible for their learning and 35 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee they were aware that they were decision makers for their learning; they should make a decision if they understand the text or not, or if they need practice to read the text. students also had to use the best reading strategies related to their aims. this study is toward the new trend of using technologies in teaching and learning and distance learning. in distance learning students are responsible for their own learning. they should think what is important and needs more concentration, and pay attention to their aim of study. in addition, this computer-mediated reading program enables students to monitor both their reading and comprehension; it allows students to go back and forth through texts and stop anywhere they think it is necessary. for further studies researchers can use this way of research for other skills, like listening, and survey the different outcomes for each group. for example, after listening to a text by computer, the researcher can evaluate recalling of key words, main ideas, and topics of listening text in both introspection (immediate recall) and retrospection (time-delay recall) and also the number of times each group listen and re-listen to the script. a researcher also can conduct the same procedure and reading goals like those of this study with six groups (three non-native groups and three native groups) and evaluate the differences between these two pairs of groups. references berry, l. h. (2000). cognitive effects of web page design. in b. abbey (ed.), instructional and cognitive impacts of web-based education (pp. 41-55). london: idea group publishing. bialystok, e. (1991). a theoretical model of second language learning.language learning, 28, 69-83. biemiller, a. (1999). language and reading success. cambridge, ma: brookline books. brandl, k. k. (2002). integrating internetbased reading materials into the foreign language curriculum: from teacherto student-centered approaches. language learning & technology, 6(3), 87-107. chun, d. m., & plass, j. l. (1996). facilitating reading comprehension with multimedia.system, 24, 503519. _______________________. (2000).networked multimedia environments for second language acquisition. in m. warschauer& r. kern (eds.), network-based language teaching: concepts and practice (pp. 151170). new york: cambridge university press. covington, m. v. (2000). goal theory, motivation, and school achievement: an integrative review. annual review of psychology, 51, 171-200. de argaez, e. (january, 2006). internet world stats news, 14. retrieved december 15th, 2006 from, http://www. internetworldstats.com/pr/edi014. htm#3. duffy, g. g. (2002). the case for direct explanation of strategies. in. c. c. block & m. pressley (eds.), comprehension instruction: researchbased best practices (pp. 28-41). new york: guilford. garner, r., & reis, r. (1993). monitoring and resolving comprehension obstacles: an investigation of spontaneous text lookbacks among upper-grade good and poor comprehenders. reading research quarterly, 16, 569-582. hall, j. k. (2001). methods for teaching foreign languages. upper saddle river, nj: prentice-hall, inc. monty, r. a., & senders, j. w. (eds.).(1983). eye movement and psychological processes. hillsdale, nj: erlbaum. noels, k. a., pelletier, l. g., clément, r., &vallerand, r. j. (2000). why are you learning a second language? motivational orientations and selfdetermination theory.language learning, 50, 57-85. nuttal, c. (1996).teaching reading skills in a foreign language (2nded.). oxford: heinemann. amir toghyani khorasgani self-paced reading and the achievement of persian efl learners 36 orne, m. t. (1962). on the social psychology of the psychological experiment: with particular reference to the demand characteristics and their implications. american psychologist, 17, 776-783. oxford, r. l. (1990). language learning strategies: what every teacher should know. new york: newbury house. rayner, k., & pollatsek, a. (1987). eye movements in reading: a tutorial review. in m. coltheart (ed.), attention and performance xii: the psychology of reading. hillsdale, nj: erlbaum. surber, j. r. (1992). the effect of test expectation, subject matter, and passage length on study tactics and retention.reading research and instruction, 31, 32-40. __________. (1994). identification of important elements in lengthy instructional text.reading research and instruction, 33, 175-186. __________. (2001). effect of topic label repetition and importance on reading time and recall of text.journal of educational psychology, 93, 279-287. wallen, n. e., & fraenkel, j. r. (2001). educational research: a guide to the process. mahwah, nj: lawerence erlbaum associates. ayang winda sw apologizing strategies realization of indonesian 200 apologizing strategies realization of indonesian: a case study of the university of kuningan students ayang winda sw galileo english course, indonesia email: ayang.yasha@yahoo.com apa citation: winda, a. (2014). apologizing strategies realization of indonesian: a case study of the university of kuningan students. english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 200-208 received: 01-03-2014 accepted: 30-03-2013 published: 01-06-2014 abstract: this study examines the apologizing strategies used by 20 indonesian students of the kuningan university. a 8-item discourse completion task and interview are used to collect the data to know the apologizing strategies and the dominant strategies they used. this research applied the apologizing speech act of indonesian in apologizing which is analyzed by using blum-kulka (1984). the findings show that there are various strategies used by then when apologizing. that strategies including ifid, addressed, an explanation or account of situation, acknowledgement of responsibility, offer of repair and promise forbearance, phatic and interjection. ifid was used by them as a favorite strategy. generally, they used different ways when apology depend on power, social distance and ranking of imposition. keywords: apology, strategy, indonesian students apology is an action used to create a better situation, especially a bad situation created due to someone’s mistake. this apology is a social custom that takes place in the community. smith (2008: 19) defines that apology is a speech act addressed to b’s face needs and intended to remedy an offense for which a takes responsibility, and thus to restore equilibrium between a and b (where a is the apologizer, and b is the person offended). searle (1979) assigns appologies as the category of “expressive” which further includes: thanking, congratulating, condoling, deploring, and welcoming. apologies as transactions involving “a bid to change the balance-sheet of the relation between s and h” (leech, 1983: 125). people in most cultures would probably agree that an apology is needed when an offence or violation of social norms has taken place. deutschmann (2003) in ogeirmann (1984) says that apology can be negative introduction language can not be separated from culture as they are assumed as two sides of the same coin (fatimah, et al: 2011). language is a result from what the person has taken from the culture. language is used as a tool of communication in doing activities in social life. in other words, language is a unifying every culture in the world that serves as a medium of communication between one culture with another culture. in addition to cultural differences, language can also be used by an individual who are in the same culture and so it can be said that language is an important part of a culture. by using language, people can interact, communicate and also they can express their thought and feeling to another. one of indonesian culture that shown through the use of language is apology. apology shows our feeling of regret, so we can apologize to another by using language. 201 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee face but larina (2003) thinks that it can be positive face. based on two opinion above, the writer can say that apology can be positive and also negative depend on where we see. it can be negative because it is focussing on the damage caused by the offence that done by the speaker to the hearer without focussing on s’s face when apologizing. also it can be positive because in this point, we can see the function of apology is to repair s’s mistakes to the addressee. so we can see the s’s respect and s try to maintenance the better relationship with the addressee. by apologizing, the speaker recognizes the fact that a violation of a social norm has been committed and admitted to the fact that s/he is at least partially involved in its cause. hence, by their very nature, apologies involve loss of face for both interlocutors. according to leech’s classification of illocutionary functions (1983), apologies can be assigned to the convivial speech act type, in which the illocutionary goal similar to the social goal. in the case of apologies, it is the goal of keeping harmony between speaker and hearer, which makes them inherently polite. there are some strategies (blumkulka, 1984) used by indoneisan students such as (a) ifid, (b) an explanation or account of situation, (c) acknowledgement of responsibility, (d) offer of repair, (e) promise forbearance. the following example illustrates the five strategies (blum-kulka, house and kasper 1989: 290) in jucker (2008: 231). “ i’m sorry (ifid), i missed the bus (responsibility), and there was a terrible traffic jam (explanation). let’s make another appointment (repair). i’ll make sure that i’m here on time (forbearance).” in indonesia, the people used some strategies (choer 2010: 97) to express their apology such as addressed, phatic and interjection. owing to the fact that sometimes the speakers use more than one strategy. they can merge one strategy with another. mostly, they used ifid followed by addressed like “maafkan saya bu”. but when they know to whom they apology, they will more pay attention their politeness which can be seen from power, distance and ranking of imposition. they will use formal situation when apologizing to the higher power like their lecturer, and they usually use informal situation when apologozing to their friends which is in same power or have close social distance. they mostly add phatic or interjection to express their apology in informal situation like ‘ wah maaf ya hehe”. like in most cultures, indonesian students has been familiar with apologetic expression which is said by person after doing a mistake. when indonesian apologizing, it can make the speaker behaves impolite just because of a smal thing like “maaf” or sometime they say in english “eh, sorry ya” or just “sorry” which isn’t reveal the explicit meaning when the speaker asking for apologizing. aziz & lukmana (2006) argue that the indonesian people behave likes that may be because of their ignorance, unconscious and their coincidence. the culture of apologizing in indonesia is influenced by other factors out of linguistics such as gender, age, sosial distance and imposition. this is a case study which aims to analyze indonesian students strategies in asking for apology in the university of kuningan. this research talks about speech act, in which apology strategy types are dealt with. to make clear about apologizing used by indonesian students, this study involved 20 respondents of indonesian language and literature students to get the answer of two research questions: (1) what are the apologizing strategies used by indonesian students? and (2) what are the dominant apologizing strategies they use? ayang winda sw apologizing strategies realization of indonesian 202 method this study was conducted in the university kuningan, west java, indonesia. this study involved twenty students of indonesia language and literature, the university of kuningan as respondents. they have a same ethnic, sundanese indicating the same opportunity to get ‘bahasa indonesia’. the participants are chosen by using purposive sampling. sugiyono (2012: 124) defines purposive sampling is a technique of determining a sample with certain consideration. in this study, the disparity of student’s ability in mastering speaking and writing are selected in hope to extend important information and also give a qualified data because it can show the influence of the performance in asking for apology. the respondents are chosen purposively from the first level of this department in hope the researcher know the capability of using apologies speech act of indonesian students in this university of kuningan. the participants are chosen based on some considerations. discourse completion task (dct) and interview were used to collect data. dct is a form of questionnaire making use of some natural situation in which the respondents are expected to respond by making apology. items in a dct include a situational description and a brief dialogue which has one turn as an open slot (oatey, 2000: 292). they are given eight apologetic expressions in ‘bahasa indonesia’ which a university student is likely to encounter in his/her daily language interactions in the classroom activities. the students are asked to relate to the situation and express their normal language reaction in such situations. according to ogeirman (2009: 68) dct can be translated in other language because this intrument is very ideal to be changed into other language for comparing speech act produced in the balance situation in different language. besides dct, the interview was also held to know their reason about apologizing in depth when they were selecting the strategies, but the interview was held for some respondents based on their respond in questionnaire. these interviews involve unstructured and generally open-ended questions that are few in number and intended to elicit views and opinions from the participants (creswell, 2009: 181). interview can provide additional information that was missed in observation and can be used to check the accuracy of the observation (maxwell, 1996: 76). on the other end of the continuum, collecting data might involve visiting a research site and observing the behaviour of individuals without predetermined questions or conducting an interview in which the individual is allowed to talk openly about a topic (creswell, 2009: 15). in interviewing the participants, the interviews will be taped. creswell (2007) states in his book (2009: 183) that an interviewing process should use interview protocol for asking questions and recording answers. results and discussion based on the data, from eight situations which is spread to the 20 participants, there are 160 utterances consist of 558 strategies appeared. the 558 strategies are classified into 8 general strategies. the 8 general strategies are illocutionary force indicating device (ifid), an explanatiion or account of the situation, an acknowledgement of responsibility which has three subcategories like accepting responsibility, explicit self blame, denial of fault. the forth category is an offer of repair which has two sub categories, there are specified and unspecified offer of repair. then, a promise forbearance, addressed, phatic and the last is 203 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee interjection. the most dominant category used by indonesian students is ifid with the frequency is 169 or it can reach 30,3 table 1: the description frequency of apologizing strategies no types of apologizing strategies frequency % 1. ifid 169 30,3 2. an explanation or account of the situation 48 8,6 3. an acknowledgement of responsibility a. accepting responsibility b. explicit self blame c. denial of fault 114 20,4 75 13,4 28 5 11 2 4. an offer of repair a. specified offer of repair b. unspecified offer of repair 36 6,4 25 4,5 11 2 5. promise of forbearance 28 5 6. addressed 116 21 7. phatic 37 6,6 8. interjection 10 1,8 frequency 558 100 illocutionary force indicating device (ifid): the formulaic expression of regret (performative verb). ifid was the most frequent strategies used by indonesian students both to their lecturer and their classmates in the teaching learning process. choer (2010) says that the most utterances which is used by indonesian people is “maaf” or it can be called in english language as performative verb like (be) sorry, apologize, pardon, regret, etc. because of that, this utterance can be easily to use by people for indicating their apology because that utterance is really well-known by the hearer. the indonesian are never rare with “maaf” because in this present era, we can see or we can say “maaf” directly as a tool in asking for apology. they use that words easily because it is their habitual language which is used in their daily activities. the following are utterances of ifid situation employed by the participants: maaf, saya enggak akan ngobrol lagi. (i’m sorry, i will not chat again) maaf pak, saya akan mencoba membuat yang baru. mohon maaf, ini kesalahan saya (i’m sorry sir, i will try to create a new. i’m sorry, this is my fault) aduh maaf ya teman – teman. aku juga bingung. maaf ya. (oops sorry my friends. i am also confused. sorry) sometimes, ifid used in double time in an utterance. it may happened when the speaker really sorry for making an offence to the hearer. it shows that they are feeling regret for what they are having done. an explanation or account of situation: an explanation may be explicitly related to the offence or it may present the ‘state of affairs’ in a general way, thus relating implicitly to the offence (blum kulka, 1984: 208). explanations are indirect apology strategies (ogeirmann, 2009: 134). these following utterances are the example of what the participants said when answering an explanation or account of situation: %. the detail description of apologizing strategies will be shown in the table below : ayang winda sw apologizing strategies realization of indonesian 204 maaf pak, kemarin saya dapat info kalau bapak tidak akan hadir hari ini dan saya tidak mendapat info lagi. (i’m sorry sir, yesterday i got information that you will not come today and i didn’t get the information again) most of indonesian were using an explanation or account to show their reason why they made an offence or it said to imply apology in affair or indirectly apology especially when they were coming late to the class. it can be seen in the third situation that there are 15 utterances showed explanation or account of the situation. the other data showed that the indonesia students explained uncontrolled situation. they force to make an offence because they could not control the situation for avoiding the mistakethe strategy of explanation has been defined as a form of “self-justification by explaining the source of the offence as caused by external factors over which the speaker has no control”. this case mostly presented in the first situation. and these are the following utterance said by the respondents in explanation situation: iya pak maaf, saya lapar soalnya tadi belum sempat sarapan (yes sir, i’m sorry. i am hungry because i had not yet had breakfast) maaf bu, saya lupa tidak membawa tugas saya, tadi saya buru – buru (sorry mom, i forgot to bring my task, i had to rush) but there are some students who answered the situation using an account and the lecturer can accept their reason because it can cause unexpected risk like the following utterance employed by the respondents: maaf pak .............. karena saya sakit perut kalau tidak makan soalnya saya punya maag (i’m sorry sir.............because my stomach will be sick if i don’t eat because i have stomach disorder) saya lapar takut maag saya kambuh (i’m hungry. i’m afraid my stomach disorder will be relapse) an acknowledgement of responsibility: in this data, there are 20% or 114 strategies of acknowledgement. the most obvious strategy termed ‘acknowledgement of responsibility’ is that it presupposes some degree of responsibility acceptance. the speaker realizes their responsibility of the offense. based on blum – kulka et al (1984), this strategy consist of three sub categories called accepting responsibility (s expresses trait of self-deficiency), explicit self-blame, and denial of fault. accepting responsibility: show the admission of the speaker for what he had been done. they accept it as their fault. olshtain in ogeirmann (2009: 134) states that an expression of s’s responsibility“could realize an apology in any situation” (1989: 157). in the three sub categories of acknowledgement, accepting responsibility showed the highest frequency 13,2%. it shows that the indonesian students are not shy in acknowledging their fault. this strategy can show the speaker’s deficiency in doing a mistake. the following are utterances of accepting responsibility situation employed by the participants : maaf pak, saya salah (sorry sir, i was wrong) maaf, saya sudah mengacaukan presentasi anda (sorry, i stir your presentation up) the data show that the respondents used accepting responsibility after using ifid to insist their apology. beside that, there are some students who used accepting responsibility before using ifid but it has same meaning that they wants to insist their apology. this strategy can show the speaker’s 205 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee deficiency in doing a mistake. the following are utterances of accepting responsibility situation employed by the participants : kami sadar kami salah, kami meminta maaf (we realize we were wrong, we are sorry) kami salah dan khilaf. kami minta maaf (we were wrong and erroneous. we are sorry) explicit self blame: shows that the speaker explicitly acknowledges the fact that he or she has been at fault (blum kulka et al, 1989: 291). we can see that in this strategy, the speaker’s face threatening is occured in accepting his blame. the following are utterances of explicit self blame situation employed by the participants. maaf pak / bu, ini kesalahan saya (sorry sir/mom, this is my fault) maaf, itu semua salah saya (sorry, that’s all my fault) ini murni keteledoran saya (this pure my negligence) those data above show that the speaker really blamed their self for what they having done. they were judging their own self. they judged that all of the confusion was done by them, it was their fault. the word “keteledoran” is a judging word that they means as their boner and thought that only they who did a mistake. denial of fault: shows the speaker’s refusal to acknowledge guilt. the speaker completely rejects responsibility for the offence. this strategy includes all the utterances negating the speaker’s involvement in the offence and shifting the blame to other people or the hearer (ogeirmann, 2009: 139). this strategy can be found both in questionnaire and interview. these are the following utterance said by the respondents in denial of fault situation: maaf saya telat, saya dengar bapak tidak akan masuk jadi bukan salah saya (sorry i came late, i heard that you will not come so it was not my fault.) maaf tapi kan saya sudah menjelaskan sebisa saya (sorry but i have explained as much as i can) the data show the explicit denying of speaker’s mistake. they directly said that “jadi bukan salah saya” or it can be translated “it’s not my fault”. even, they were wrong because they were coming late but they can’t realize that they were wrong. they served a reason which support that they were right. the word “tapi” can be a key for denying. s/ he indirectly deny their mistake. when interviewing, the researcher found some students who said that they couldn’t apology because they think that they were right. here are the following utterances employed by the respondents: mmmmmm, saya pernah sih gamau minta maaf hehe. ya soalnya saya ngerasa kalo diri saya paling benar. apapun yang saya lakukan saya ngerasa bener, jadi saya rasa tidak perlu minta maaf. gengsi dong hehe. (mmmmmm, i’ve still not want to apologize hehe. because i feel that i am always in the righteous. whatever i do i feel right, so i feel no need to apologize. it’s so prestige hehe) another respondent said: pernah sih gamau minta maaf hehehe, soalnya saya males buat minta maaf. apa yang dia tuduhkan kan tidak semuanya benar jadi kenapa saya yang harus minta maaf, harusnya dia dong yang minta maaf ke saya kan dia sudah menuduh saya. (i ever does not want to apologize hehehe, because i am lazy to make apologies. what he accused to me, it was not right at all so why should i apologize, he should apologize to me because he had accused me). ayang winda sw apologizing strategies realization of indonesian 206 the interview result shows that the speaker chose this strategy because of their ego. they are saving their face and deny their mistake. implicitly, they didn’t want that the hearer know their fault so they act as if they were always right. an offer of repair: show that the students compensate to repair their fault. as blum kulka et al (1989: 293) said that if the damage or inconvience which affected the hearer can be compensated for, the speaker may choose to offer repair, this offer must be directly related the offence perpetrated. here are the following utterances employed by the respondents in offer of repair situation: maaf bu saya meminta waktu untuk mengerjakan kembali tugas saya (sorry mom i ask for the adding to rework my task) maafkan aku. aku yang akan bicara pada dosen itu agar mau menerima tugas kamu (i’m sorry. i will talk to the lecturer in hope she would like to receive your task) maaf pak, saya akan mencoba membuat yang baru (i’m sorry sir, i will make a new) from the above example, the respondent showed that they served their repairment specifically. they pointed out what will they did to correct their mistake. here are the following utterances that employed by the respondents in the offer of repair situation: kami bersedia menerima apapun untuk menebus kesalahan kami (we are willing to accept anything for changing our fault) apapun yang bapak minta, kami akan melakukannya asalkan bapak mau memaafkan kami. (whatever you ask, we will do it in the hope you want to forgive us) from both data above show that the speaker wants to repair their mistake but they didn’t know what to do. they believed to the offended for the the repairment for their fault. they accept their fault and they want to repair. they ask for the repairment because they wanted to make sure the hearer that they were really sorry promise forbearance: the speaker promise that the offence will never happen again. promises of forbearance are generally offered in potentially recurrent offensive situations, which makes them highly context-specific (ogeirmann, 2006: 196). these are the following utterances that employed by the respondents in the promise forbearance situation: pak, mohon maaf atas kesalahan kami. kami berjanji tidak akan mengulanginya lagi (sir, sorry for our fault. we promise that we will not do it again) untuk kali ini saja pak, selanjutnya saya berjanji tidak akan mengulangimya lagi (only for this moment sir, for the next time i promise that i will not do it again) kami janji kami tidak akan mengulaginy lagi (we promise will not do that again) the word “saya janji”or “i promise” indicates that they will never do the same fault again. in the strategy of promising, the speaker promise to the hearer to change his or her behavior and showed their intention not to repeat the mistake. they ensured to the hearer that their bad behavior will never do again in the future. addressed: showed to whom they apologize. generally, they used addressing in formal situation or they used it when they apologized to the person who has higher power than them, like to the lecturer. these are the following utterances that employed by the respondents in the addressing situation: 207 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee ibu, mohon maaf (sorry mom) pak, maafkan saya (sir, forgive me) kami minta maaf pada bapak (we are sorry to you sir) the adressing above addressed to the higher age or higher power. it can show their politeness when they were apologizing. it is the way to maintain social relationship betwenn people in a society. phatic: serves to seek approval or opinion from the opposed speaker. the use of phatic “ya” implies the meaning that the apologizing is accepted by the opponent (choer, 2010: 97). these are the following utterances that employed by the respondents in the phatic situation: iya maaf. maafin atuh ya (yap sorry. forgive me yeah) aduh mohon maaf ya (ouch, i’m sorry ya) iya bu maaf (yap mom, sorry) wah maaf ya (oouch, i’m sorry yeah) interjection: shows emotive (eg.: expressed pain, sadness, regret , disappointment ). the use of interjection “wah” and “aduh” imply a sense of sorrow. these are the following utterances that employed by the respondents in the interjection situation: aduh mohon maaf ya (ouch i’m sorry) waduh maaf ya hehehe (ouch i’m sorry hehe) wah maaf ya (ow, i’m sorry yeah) aduh maaf pak hehehe (ouch, i’m sorry sir hehe) conclusion indonesian students were used 8 general apologizing strategies to express their sorry like illocutionary force indicating device (ifid), an explanation or account of the situation, an acknowledgement of responsibility which has three subcategories like accepting responsibility, explicit self blame, denial of fault. the forth category is an offer of repair. then, a promise forbearance, addressed, phatic and the last is interjection. the dominant strategies used by indonesian students is illocutionary force indicating device (ifid) which reached 169 frequency or 30,3%. the second highest strategy is addressed with 116 or 21%, the third is an anckowledgement. and the forth strategies used by indonesian students is an explanation or account of the situation which the frequency is 48 or 8,6%. phatic is the fifth highest frequency used by the indonesian students with reach 37 or 6,6. and the sixth strategy used by indonesian students is an offer of repair. for the seventh and the last strategies are promise and interjection with the frequencies are 28 and 10 or 5% and 1,8%. the indonesian students used ifid when they are asking for apology. they say “sorry” followed by addressing to make sure their apology are addressed to whom. beside that, they also can accept their fault by giving an explanation of the situation why they did the mistake. generally, they offered a repair to correct their fault. they made a promise that they will not do the wrongdoing again in hope the hearer will be sure with their apologizing. but they also used phatic and interjection. for all the strategies that used by indonesian students, it can be called that indonesian students have a politeness enough when they were apologizing. they can realize their fault and accept their fault by giving a repair. ayang winda sw apologizing strategies realization of indonesian 208 references achmad, s. (2012). strategi kesopanan berbahasa masyarakat bugis pinrang provinsi sulawesi selatan. bahasa dan seni, tahun 40, nomor 1, februari 2012. austin, j. l. (1962). how to do things with words. oxford: oxford university press. aziz, e. a. (2000). refusing in indonesian: strategies and politeness implications. unpublished dissertation in department of linguistics. australia: monash university aziz, e. a. & lukmana, i. (2006). realisasi pertuturan meminta maaf dan berterima kasih di kalangan penutur bahasa indonesia: sebuah kajian kesantunan berbahasa. jurnal linguistika, vol 13, no. 25, 122-142. barron, a. (2003). acquisition in interlanguage pragmatic: learning how to do things with words in a study abroad context. thesis doctoral at universitat hamburg: john benjamins. blum-kulka, s & olshtain. (1984). request and apologies: a cross cultural study of speech act realization patterns (ccsarp). applied linguistics,5(3), 196213. blum-kulka, j. house & g. kasper. (1989). cross cultural pragmatics: request and apologies. norwood, nj: ablex publishing corporation. brown & levinson. (1987). politeness: some universal in language usage. cambridge: cambridge university press. choer, a. (2010). kesantunan berbahasa. jakarta: rineka cipta creswell, j. r. (2009). research design: quantitatie, qualitative and mixmethod approaches (3rd edition). california: sage publications ltd. fatimah, a. et al. (2011). strategi-strategi meminta maaf yang digunakan oleh penutur asli bahasa indonesia dalam berbahasa inggris. makasar: universitas hasanuddin. gunawan, i. (2013). metode penelitian kualitatif: teori & praktik. jakarta: bumi aksara. jucker, a. h. & taavitsainen, i. (2008). speech act in the history of english. amsterdam: john benjamins publishing company. leech, g. (1983). principles of pragmatics. new york: longman group limited. maros, m. (2006). apologies in english by adult malay speakers: pattern and competence. the international journal of language, society and cultures. 19 (pp.114) mey, j. l. (2009). concise encyclopedia of pragmatics. oxford: elsevier. oatey, h. s. (2000). culturally speaking: culture, communication and politeness theory. london: continuum international publishing group. ogiermann, e. (2009). on apologizing in negative and positive politeness culture. amsterdam: john benjamin publishing company paltridge, b. (2006). discourse analysis an introduction. london: mpg books ltd. searle, r. j. (1979). expression and meaning: studies in the theory of speech acts. newyork: cambridge university press. smith, n. (2008). i was wrong: the meaning of apologies. newyork: cambridge university press. subana, et al. (2000). statistik pendidikan. bandung: pustaka setia sugiyono. (2012). metode penelitian pendidikan. bandung: alfabeta. thomas, j. (1995). meaning in interaction: an introducing to pragmatics. newyork: longman publishing. yule, g. (1996). pragmatics. newyork: oxford university presss. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee content and language integrated learning (clil): an experimental study on clil compatibility with the modern greek educational system catherine georgopoulou-theodosiou department of electronics eng., t.e.i. of piraeus, egaleo 12244, greece e-mail: catgeo@hotmail.gr apa citation: theodosiou, c. g. (2016). content and language integrated learning (clil): an experimental study on clil compatibility with the modern greek educational system. english review, 4(2), 149-160 received: 14-02-2016 accepted: 18-03-2016 published: 01-06-2016 abstract: this paper focuses on the content and language integrated learning (clil) method for (foreign) language teaching. the clil approach is rapidly gaining momentum across europe and all over the world. it is the result of recent european union efforts to develop and apply innovative educational practices of interdisciplinary character in order to bridge the gap between foreign language education and optimum learning outcomes. in order to investigate the compatibility of clil with the contemporary greek educational reality, a small-scale experimental research study was set up, including the development of original e-learning material, a pilot class instruction based on this material and the evaluation of the results. the class instruction was based on project-based learning whereas collaborative learning was supported by the edmodo e-learning platform. information on the progress of the pilot class instruction and the learning outcomes achieved was disseminated through a wiki set up for this task. keywords: clil, interdisciplinarity, plurilingualism, multiculturalism, assessment, information and communication technology (ict) introduction in their effort to achieve economic success based on mobile multilingual populations, countries across the globe and the european union in particular, are recently expressing a great interest in human capital. linguistic capital is one of the most important components of human capital. multilingualism and the support as well as the preservation of linguistic diversity in europe are among the main goals of the european union's language policy. indeed, eu policy states that all european citizens should learn to communicate and use at least three languages –‘mother tongue plus two other languages’ and that teaching must start at an early age (barcelona declaration, 2002). the clearest indication of this interest is the appointment of a commissioner for multilingualism in january 2007. in the discussion on how to achieve the above goals while providing a quality education for all citizens, the clil method and its future developments play a central role. as clil develops and expands, it is linked to the educational evolution accompanying economic and sociopolitical changes, bringing with it opportunities and challenges worth taking. integrating language with non149 mailto:catgeo@hotmail.gr catherine georgopoulou-theodosiou content and language integrated learning (clil): an experimental study on clil compatibility with the modern greek educational system language content, in a dual-focused environment, has emerged as a solution, the most obvious advantage being that exposure to a foreign language does not need any extra time within the curriculum. it is more than the desire of governments, parents and the educational community to equip young people with higher competence in languages what promotes the clil approach. it is the very nature of the clil method, an educational innovation which suits the times, needs and aspirations of learners, that justifies the expectations for a huge impact in the near future. learners nowadays are increasingly unwilling to learn now for use later; they prefer to learn and use now, which suits the immediacy of purpose common in our times. globalization, mobility, technology and assessment issues are also considered likely to have a further impact on learners’ attitudes towards how they learn, particularly with regard to foreign language learning. clil’s four major components, the 4cs (coyle, 2010), content (subject matter), cognition (learning and thinking processes), communication (language learning and using) and culture (developing intercultural understanding and global citizenship) clearly underpin the conclusion that clil method is not just another way of learning a foreign language, but an innovative educational process that integrates major contemporary learning theories. within this framework of theoretical background and pedagogical method, the two research questions investigated through this project were (i) how efficient is the use of ict technology as a supportive tool in clil-based class instruction, and (ii) whether clil is compatible with the contemporary greek educational system. method the ‘eat well – be healthy’ project, designed and developed as a clil method application, took place in the 20th primary school of ilioupolis, a typical public school in the city of athens, greece, where english is taught as a foreign language four times a week in 40 or 45-minute sessions. the 5th and 6th grades of this school, each consisting of about 20 pupils, served as the research and the control group, respectively. the class instruction based on clil was designed and implemented by the author of this paper working as an english language teacher at the school. it lasted for eight weeks (april may 2015) using english as the medium language and involving the following subject areas: (i) informatics, (ii) english language teaching and (iii) pshe (personal & social health education). the students worked in five groups of mixed ability levels, following the steps and instructions of project based learning to foster learner motivation through an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge. the main goal of the project was to promote healthy diet and good eating habits as a necessary component of students’ knowledge about life, health and wellness. the educational objectives were based on bloom’s revised taxonomy of educational goals and were divided into cognitive, affective and psychomotor, as indicated. the teacher resources were all gathered for reasons of convenience into a mind mapping software available through https://www.mindmeister.com /. the original work and material created by the students during this project were both digital and analogue, as they can be seen in the video available in http://www.kizoa.com/, a free web 150 https://www.mindmeister.com/ https://www.mindmeister.com/ http://www.kizoa.com/ english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 2.0 tool. some of them were crafts and posters for the class; other forms included recordings, digital storytelling works, publications, electronic posters and power point presentations. the lesson plans created were four (4) to correspond to the four objectives (4cs) of the clil approach. according to coyle (2000, 2007) they are absolutely significant for the educational process which is based upon them differentiating this method from traditional foreign language teaching. the specific objectives and corresponding activities are described below: • content: students are expected to fulfill the objectives of the curriculum for the subject area taught with the clil method, enriching their knowledge by studying the content from different angles allowing more depth and understanding on the area concerning nutrition and health. more specifically, in the first unit entitled 'eat a rainbow', the research group of students were invited, among other things, to work online on a collaborative digital canvas, which is provided by the web tool 2.0 www.linoit.com and is available online at: http://linoit.com/users/catherinegeo/canvases/eat%20a%20rainbow . on the canvas, they had to match the nutritional value of foods with their origin and benefits, adding comments and observations, an activity which the control group of students performed in the classroom, with fewer chances for adding comments or for information search at home. picture 1 shows an aspect of the electronic canvas. picture 1. aspect of the collaborative digital canvas • communication: students are expected to understand and communicate in the target language on issues related to nutrition, acquiring greater awareness of both mother tongue and the target language by practising communication skills and developing a positive attitude towards plurilingualism. in the second unit entitled 'my eat well plate', the students of both classes 151 http://www.linoit.com/ http://linoit.com/users/catherine-geo/canvases/eat%20a%20rainbow http://linoit.com/users/catherine-geo/canvases/eat%20a%20rainbow http://linoit.com/users/catherine-geo/canvases/eat a rainbow catherine georgopoulou-theodosiou content and language integrated learning (clil): an experimental study on clil compatibility with the modern greek educational system were asked to work in groups in order to design and present a healthy dish and then to be recorded during the description of their healthy dishes. participation in this activity came from both teams and the final digital storytelling product, available by the web 2.0 tool www.utellstory.com can be visited at the web address: http://www.utellstory.com/vie wstory/view/8ae80672f14123ba65e590b b2da83989#player. • cognition (knowledge): students are expected to develop cognitive skills and mental processing of information on healthy eating and other subject areas, strategies of an active learning approach to knowledge through critical and creative thinking and development of lifelong pursuit of language learning. picture 2. aspect of the digital storytelling web tool in the third unit, entitled 'do you like bread?', students of both groups were asked to create in groups their own recipes and present them to class, an activity that ended up in an electronic recipe book as a final product with the support of the web tool 2.0 www.issuu.com. it is available at the web address: https://issuu.com/catheringeo/docs/final_cookbook. 152 http://www.utellstory.com/ http://www.utellstory.com/viewstory/view/8ae80672f14123ba65e590bb2da83989#player http://www.utellstory.com/viewstory/view/8ae80672f14123ba65e590bb2da83989#player http://www.utellstory.com/viewstory/view/8ae80672f14123ba65e590bb2da83989#player http://www.issuu.com/ https://issuu.com/catherin-geo/docs/final_cookbook https://issuu.com/catherin-geo/docs/final_cookbook http://www.utellstory.com/viewstory/view/8ae80672f14123ba65e590bb2da83989 https://issuu.com/catherin-geo/docs/final_cookbook http://www.utellstory.com/viewstory/view/8ae80672f14123ba65e590bb2da83989 https://issuu.com/catherin-geo/docs/final_cookbook english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee picture 3. aspect of the electronic recipe book • culture: students are expected to understand their own culture compared to the culture of other people, fostering intercultural knowledge, respect, tolerance towards diversity, not only in the area of nutrition but of various other issues, as well. for the fourth unit entitled 'food around the world', the students of the research group were invited to create, among other things, a digital interactive poster presentation in which they recorded their opinions and comments on the problem of world hunger, malnutrition and on appetite disorder issues such as bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. the electronic poster provided by the web tool 2.0 www.glogster.com is available at the web address: http://catgeo.edu. glogster.com/world-hunger/. the students of the control group expressed their views on the above issues in a classroom discussion and created analogue posters at school. picture 4 presents the collaborative work of the students of the research group on the digital poster. picture 4. aspect of the collaborative digital poster the teacher’s comments and critical thinking were saved in a digital diary available through https://penzu.com/. educational platforms and e-learning material educational platforms and elearning material were both employed in 153 http://www.glogster.com/ https://penzu.com/ http://catgeo.edu.glogster.com/world-hunger/ catherine georgopoulou-theodosiou content and language integrated learning (clil): an experimental study on clil compatibility with the modern greek educational system the specific project to support collaborative learning and enhancement of learning outcomes for the students. more specifically, the educational platforms were two. the first one, edmodo (for more information visit the web address: https://edmo.do/j/3x6hpq), is a social learning network (the so-called ‘facebook of pupils’) that offers collaboration and coaching tools to k-12 schools and teachers. edmodo is included in the list of "the top apps for teachers" published by the pc magazine in 2013. picture 5 shows the edmodo platform interface. the second platform developed for this project is a wiki called “clil taste” (visit the wiki at the web address: https://cliltaste.wikispaces.com /what+is+clil%3f), a tool that promotes collaborative learning and enhances learning outcomes. this is shown in picture 6. picture 5. the edmodo platform interface picture 6. aspect of the wiki’s interface 154 https://edmo.do/j/3x6hpq https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pc_magazine https://cliltaste.wikispaces.com/what+is+clil%3f https://cliltaste.wikispaces.com/what+is+clil%3f https://edmo.do/j/3x6hpq https://cliltaste.wikispaces.com/what+is+clil? https://edmo.do/j/3x6hpq https://cliltaste.wikispaces.com/what+is+clil? english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee results and discussion 1. assessment starting with the project assessment, the procedure followed was the one indicated and promoted by the relevant instructions of the greek national curriculum which suggests three forms of assessment: initial, formative and summative. digital and analogue questionnaires were given to the students to assess (i) their prior knowledge on the subjects dealt with and (ii) the degree of assimilation of new material and teaching input with or without the support of technology (project and control group respectively). a common framework of assessment, especially designed and used in clil, that integrates content at different complexity levels, functions and cognitive skills, was employed for the evaluation of results of the teaching intervention (barbero, 2012). it is based on the knowledge framework by mohan (1986), a taxonomy where knowledge is considered in relation with language at three different levels: (1) classification /concepts, (2) principles/processes, and (3) evaluation/creation. the assessment suggested by mohan recommends "scale classified criteria" (matsagouras, 2004) or the so-called rubrics and focuses on how language is incorporated into the content in different difficulty levels of cognitive and academic requirements (calpcognitive academic language proficiency). the rubrics were adapted in the greek language by the instructor and author of this article to accommodate the age group of students and educational objectives of the project. 1.1. the leuven scale the leuven scale (laevers, 2005) is a standard instrument to measure the degree of well-being and the degree of involvement of learners during an educational process, which was also used for the assessment of the class instruction. according to the creator, both well-being and involvement are important during the educational process as they ensure a quality and an optimal relation of students with the environment and therefore a successful deep level learning and development. 1.2. the clil matrix a crucial thing in clil is to assess both language and communication skills and assimilation of content, a demand that is very difficult to satisfy as they are integrated into each other to produce the expected outcome. the most successful evaluation approach to assess the quality and analyse the integration of cognitive and linguistic levels in activities and materials used during a lesson employing the clil methodology has been adapted by professor do coyle (2002) from cummins’ work (1984). it is a key tool named clil matrix which teachers adopting the clil approach find quite useful as a means of evaluating their educational material, of the students’ progress in both the linguistic and cognitive domain alike and as a guide towards improvement of learning material in the future. it consists of four (4) quadrants to assess a single task, a sequence of tasks or even the quality and output of a whole unit in the teaching procedure. positioning tasks in the quadrants helps us analyse and ascertain the type of task and the balance between the task and the learner’s performance and needs. the matrix allows an overview of the learning progress in terms of linguistic and cognitive development. picture 7 shows a simple clil matrix but there is a more informed awareness-raising tool created by an international team of clil experts, which cross-combines content, language, integration and learning with culture, 155 catherine georgopoulou-theodosiou content and language integrated learning (clil): an experimental study on clil compatibility with the modern greek educational system communication, cognition and community. it is composed of 16 indicators which lead to examples and a number of questions for clil teachers to answer about their own teaching at the following web address: http://archive.ecml.at/mtp2/cl ilmatrix/en/qmain.html. picture 7. the clil matrix as one can notice in picture 8, the final depiction of the clil matrix was formed by the assessment of the educational material and the project activities. the conclusions could be processed if we followed the arrow, which charted the course of each unit in relation to the cognitive and language aims and objectives set beforehand. an interesting observation that could be made was that there was a decline in interest and involvement in the beginning of the intervention, as the leuven indicators also marked, created as a result of the exclusive use of the target language and the abundance of stimuli during the teaching of the first unit. for that reason, it was considered appropriate for the second unit to maintain cognitive and language requirements at a lower level in order to normalise the process of assimilation of content and new language requirements in the foreign language. the remaining modules seamlessly evolved steadily rising while fulfilling the expectations and anticipated outcomes of the students’ performance. picture 8. schematic representation of the assessment of the learning material of the project with the use of the clil matrix 156 http://archive.ecml.at/mtp2/clilmatrix/en/qmain.html http://archive.ecml.at/mtp2/clilmatrix/en/qmain.html english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee an interesting result obtained through the assessment and evaluation procedure of this project is that the engagement with technology leads to understanding and assimilation of the content of teaching to the same degree or extent as does the traditional teaching method without any technological support. where technology does make a difference, though, is in rendering learning more enjoyable and interesting and thus providing incentives and increased motivation for learning. as regards (foreign) language learning with technological support, our results show that students (i) individually interacted with technology (active learning), (ii) developed technological skills, (iii) managed to enhance their performance and (iv) ultimately gained more opportunities for language acquisition and communication. picture 9. tables of comparative assessment of language skills delivered through clil picture 10. tables of comparative assessment of content delivered through clil 157 catherine georgopoulou-theodosiou content and language integrated learning (clil): an experimental study on clil compatibility with the modern greek educational system the advantages of the approach are listed below along with some more thoughts that best describe the dynamics of the approach: • background knowledge of the english language in greece renders the introduction of clil methodology easier. • clil promotes linguistic and cultural diversity and the development of a european identity. • project-based learning and technology positively enhance the approach. • the introduction of the approach with low exposure to foreign language is considered advantageous if taught in a way appropriate to children's age (llinares, 2005). • clil helps learners better conceive even the use of mother tongue, namely to go deeper into the operating mechanisms of the two language systems (sanz, 2000). • clil is very useful for young learners who "use language to learn" and "learn to use language"(marsh, 2002). there are, however, a number of disadvantages coming from the implementation of the approach summarised below: • the demands on teachers are increased with respect to the preparation for the lesson and the development of the appropriate material. • at present, the clil method does not lead to any certification of knowledge, at least in greece. • the method should be disconnected from the teaching of english to fully develop its dynamics. • its adoption implies an increase in the time dedicated to foreign language teaching in the school timetable, which creates problems because of the pressing time limitations. • teachers’ training, both in a specific subject area and in the teaching of a foreign language, requires time and money. • the implementation of the method requires reforms in the school timetable up to the national curriculum and educational policy towards foreign language teaching, prerequisites which take time and are difficult to accomplish for various reasons. conclusion the conclusions following are based on this small-scale educational intervention and the experimental study of the clil approach at a school and reflect the writer’s personal ideas. they can be summarised in the following remarks: • the adoption of the clil approach would upgrade primary education in greece, mainly by reinforcing the substantial contact of students with a foreign language. • there is an urgent need for training of educators involved in clil and their participation in online communities for information and support. • countries worldwide respond to the need for increase of their linguistic capital through a series of policies concerning languages and clil can help transform these educational policies into reality. • teachers’ and students’ satisfaction from the implementation of clil, both in greece and europe, paves the way for further research on this approach, that could end up to a comprehensive proposal to the state. • the adoption of alternative educational models, better suited to 158 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the target content per case, is another suggestion. • the introduction of the clil method merits serious consideration in the context of both (foreign) language teaching reform and the country's more general planning and development policies. • the vision of clil is to promote linguistic and cultural experiences for every person providing inclusion and the privileges of plurilingualism and multiculturalism. the results mentioned above support a positive answer to the second research question: the clil approach is compatible with the modern greek public schools, even at the (pre-)primary education grades. an educational policy that considers clil as a realistic solution to the european and universal need to upgrade formal education and invest in education for the benefit of society can clearly be adopted in modern greece. clil emerges as a practical and sustainable solution with additional social, psychological and economic benefits. it is a solution compatible with the european policy and its goals which needs to be given a serious consideration. references anderson, l., kratwohl, d., airasian, p., cruikshank, k., m ayer, r., pintrich, p., raths, j., merlin, c., & wittrock, m. (2001). a taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: a revision of bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. new york: longman. barbero, t. (2012). assessment tools and practices in clil. in assessment and evaluation in clil. barbero, t. & maggi, f. (2011). assessment and evaluation in clil, in marsh d., meyer o., quality interfaces, eap. eichstätt: eichstaett academic press ug bloom, b. s. (ed.).taxonomy of educational objectives. vol. 1: cognitive domain. new york: mckay, 1956. coyle, d., hood, ph., & marsh, d. (2010). clil, content and language integrated learning. cambridge: cambridge university press. cummins, j. (1984). bilingualism and special education: issues in assessment and pedagogy. clevedon: multilingual matters. cummins, j. (2000). language, power and pedagogy. clevedon: multilingual matters. eur-lex (access to european union law). communication from the commission to the council, the european parliament, the economic and social committee and the committee of the regions promoting language learning and linguistic diversity: an action plan 2004 – 2006. retrieved from the web address: http://eurlex.europa.eu/legalcontent/en/txt/?uri=celex:52 003dc0449 european comission. (eurydice network). (2008). key data on teaching languages at school in europe. retrieved from: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/about/ eurydice/documents/kdl2008_e n.pdf eurydice. (2006). content and language integrated learning (clil) at school in europe. european commission. retrieved from: http://www.indire.it/lucabas/lk mw_file/eurydice/clil_en.pdf ioannou, s., & pavlou, p. (2011). guidelines for clil implementation 159 https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=utf8&text=lorin+w.+anderson&search-alias=books&field-author=lorin+w.+anderson&sort=relevancerank https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_3?ie=utf8&text=peter+w.+airasian&search-alias=books&field-author=peter+w.+airasian&sort=relevancerank https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_4?ie=utf8&text=kathleen+a.+cruikshank&search-alias=books&field-author=kathleen+a.+cruikshank&sort=relevancerank https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_5?ie=utf8&text=richard+e.+mayer&search-alias=books&field-author=richard+e.+mayer&sort=relevancerank https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_5?ie=utf8&text=richard+e.+mayer&search-alias=books&field-author=richard+e.+mayer&sort=relevancerank https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_6?ie=utf8&text=paul+r.+pintrich&search-alias=books&field-author=paul+r.+pintrich&sort=relevancerank https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_7?ie=utf8&text=james+raths&search-alias=books&field-author=james+raths&sort=relevancerank https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_8?ie=utf8&text=merlin+c.+wittrock&search-alias=books&field-author=merlin+c.+wittrock&sort=relevancerank https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_8?ie=utf8&text=merlin+c.+wittrock&search-alias=books&field-author=merlin+c.+wittrock&sort=relevancerank catherine georgopoulou-theodosiou content and language integrated learning (clil): an experimental study on clil compatibility with the modern greek educational system in primary and pre-primary education. kilpatrick, w. h. (1918). the project method. teachers college record, 19, 319-335. krashen, s. (1981). second language acquisition and second language learning. retrieved from the web address: http://www.sdkrashen.com/conte nt/books/sl_acquisition_and_lear ning.pdf laevers, f. (2005). (ed. in collaboration with: mieke daems, griet de bruyckere, bart declercq, julia moons, kristien silkens, gerlinde snoeck, monique van kessel) well-being and involvement in care settings. a process-oriented self-evaluation instrument. kind & gezin and research centre for experiential education. (manual: http://www.kindengezin.be/img /sics-ziko-manual.pdf) llinares, g. a. (2005). an introduction to clil. presentation at cracow european language label conference llinares, a., morton, t., &whittaker, r. (2012). the roles of language in clil. cambridge: cambridge university press. marsh, d. (2002). content and language integrated learning: the european dimension actions, trends and foresight potential. dg education & culture, european commission. maljers. a., marsh, d., coyle, d., hartiala, a.k., marsland, b., pérezvidal c., &wolff, d. (2002). the clil compendium. mavromara, l. a. (2010). the pedagogy of project-based learning (project method) and its application in the teaching of a foreign language language specialty. pi inspection of educational affairs, 17. mehisto, p. (2008). clil counterweights: recognizing and decreasing disjuncture in clil. international clil research journal, 1(1), 93-120. mertler, c. a. (2001). designing scoring rubrics for your classroom. practical assessment, research & evaluation. retrieved from: http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v =7&n=25 ministry of education. (2002).cross curriculum framework (depps) and curricula (a.p.s.) of compulsory education. volume i. athens: ministry of education pedagogical institute. mohan, b. (1986).language and content. massachussetts: addison-wesley publishing company. mohan, b., & van, n. m. (1997). understanding cause-effect: learning through language. forum, [online] 35 (4). quartapelle f. (2012). aicle/emile. retrieved from: http://www.aeclil.net/ sanz, c. (2000). bilingual education enhances third language acquisition: evidence from catalonia. applied psycholinguistics, 21: 23-44. 160 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 115 the implementation of jumbled-sentences toward students’ skill in writing report text fatmawati setia utami english education department, faculty of education, universitas teknologi yogyakarta, indonesia e-mail: fatmatami73@gmail.com mustaqim pabbajah guidance and counseling department, faculty of education, universitas teknologi yogyakarta, indonesia e-mail: mustaqim_pabbajah@uty.ac.id juhansar english education department, faculty of education, universitas teknologi yogyakarta, indonesia e-mail: juhansar@uty.ac.id apa citation: utami, f. s., pabbajah, m., & juhansar, j., (2018). the implementation of jumbledsentences toward students’ skill in writing report text. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 115-124. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1501. received: 19-08-2018 accepted: 25-10-2018 published: 01-12-2018 abstract: this study aims at describing the implementation and the effectiveness of jumbledsentences as a technique to enhance students’ skill in writing report text and finding out the factors influencing students’ skill in writing report text. this study was conducted in man 2 yogyakarta that involved 24 tenth graders of ipa 3 in academic year 2018/2019. this study was a classroom action research. to collect the data, observation checklist, structured interview, and tests were used. the result showed that most of students could understand the subject easily and involve actively during the technique implementation. besides, the test results showed students’ mean improvement in writing report text from pre-test (3.00), post-test i (3.36), and post-test ii (3.78). it means that jumbled-sentences technique is effective to enhance students’ skill in writing report text. moreover, the factors influencing students’ writing skill were having lack of vocabulary, getting anxiety in making grammar errors, getting difficulties in understanding and translating words or sentences, and having limited classroom for learning-teaching process. keywords: implementation; jumbled-sentences; students’ skill; writing; report text. introduction writing is an activity of expressing and developing idea in a written form. writing is also known as a recursive process involves a series of steps to create a good and a correct text. pestaria, et al. (2014) said that writing is one of the four skills that has always formed part of the syllabus in teaching english. it means that no one can deny writing as the part of syllabus in english subject. in english education, learning to write is a must. through writing, students can write the words by arranging them into a correct order of a sentence. the words in a sentence should be meaningful and understandable by the readers. therefore, words in english writing cannot be written in any way without following the rules and the structure as the way it should be. related to the rules and the structure in writing, some students think that writing is more difficult than other skills because it has certain rules and takes long time to think the words in correct order and to make the readers understand it easily. there are particular structures of texts which usually written in a form of paragraph or essay. those texts are descriptive, narrative, recount, and report text. descriptive text describes about someone or something such as place, picture, or people. narrative text and recount text are kinds of text which tell fatmawati setia utami, mustaqim pabbajah, & juhansar the implementation of jumbled-sentences toward students’ skill in writing report text 116 about story in the past time, but narrative and recount have different generic structure in which narrative text has a conflict in the middle of story while recount text does not. besides, narrative text usually tells about the fictive story such as fable, fairy tale, legend, etc. meanwhile, recount text tells about true story which comes from the past event or the real experience of the writer. indeed, report text is a text that gives factual information to the reader. to write a text, students have to know first the definition and the elements of a paragraph. a paragraph is usually written in logical order from the introduction to the conclusion which consists of topic sentence, supporting sentences, and concluding sentence. in writing a paragraph, the sentences should be arranged orderly and connected each other in explaining the topic of the paragraph. in writing an english paragraph, the students may get difficulties to develop the idea. according to richards (1990) in al-gharabally (2015, p. 44), learning to write well is a difficult and a lengthy process; one that induces anxiety and frustration in many learners. it means that students need to understand first the process of writing in appropriate way. to learn writing a paragraph, students should be able to organize the sentences in a right place. in organizing the sentences, the students have to know the process of writing to achieve the best result. based on the researchers’ experience when teaching and observing praktik pengalaman lapangan (ppl) at man 2 yogyakarta, it found that most students were unable to write and organize a good and a correct english paragraph because they have less willingness to focus and to enjoy the learning process. besides, most students tend to be passive and bored when they were learning writing. some studies have found some common problems in writing including content, organization, vocabulary, and grammar. sari (2013) described that the common problems would be; students cannot formulate the main ideas and provide the supporting sentences to write a good and a correct paragraph; students are lack of vocabulary so they could not express the ideas and the opinions. furthermore, students also found difficulties in grammatical aspect where they cannot write the text in a good and a correct sentence structure. accordingly, the researchers realized that there should be an appropriate technique to use in overcoming the students’ problems in writing an english paragraph. therefore, the researchers try to implement jumbledsentences technique to help students overcome their difficulties in writing english paragraph. besides, this technique can also be used to develop students’ understanding and participation in the learning-teaching process of report text writing. jumbledsentences is a technique of teaching writing in which the students are asked to rearrange a group of scramble sentences into a good and a correct order. jumbled-sentences which is known as jumbled texts is cooperatively sequencing piece of jumbled texts by at first skimming for a meaning to establish a quick order, then scanning for detail to confirm its accuracy (wright et al., 2006, p. 87). jumbled-sentences technique helps the students to think creatively and logically to determine the sentences appropriately to be the topic sentence, supporting sentences, and concluding sentence. jumbled-sentences technique is important to be practiced because through practicing this technique, it can help the students to generate the ideas, to enrich the vocabulary, and to emphasize their writing skill (mardiana, 2017). the implementation of jumbledsentences does not only involve the students, but the teacher who has an important role in the learning-teaching process. to connect with the roles of teacher in the learningteaching process, barnawi (2016) wrote some teacher’s roles such as teacher as a facilitator, teacher as a learning conceptor, and teacher as an evaluator. as a facilitator, a teacher should be able to help students in developing and initiating their idea and creativity. furthermore, the students are also english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 117 asked to be independent in the learningteaching process. by analyzing the students’ need and condition, a teacher as a learning conceptor is required to design a good lesson plan to be implemented the learningteaching process and also a good classroom management (juhansar, et al., 2016). a learning conceptor also should decide the appropriate media to set a conducive classroom and to increase the students’ learning-teaching interest. indeed, when a teacher acts as an evaluator, he or she should measure the objective and the learningteaching achievement based on the information that he has. the information can be collected through an observation or an exercise given to the students. it can be guidance for a teacher to continue, to fix, to change, or to evaluate the method or technique which has been implemented. murray (2011, p. 157) said that there are two learning-teaching instruction strategies, namely gradual release practice and independent practice. gradual release practice is a strategy of teaching where a teacher guides the students practically and gradually till they could understand and practice the work by themselves or in pair. otherwise, independent practice means that a teacher gives an opportunity to students to practice and to explore their understanding based on the material that they have learnt without teacher’s guidance and assistance. all in all, to overcome students’ problems in writing report text and to enhance students’ writing skill, the researchers explore the following research questions to be answered: 1) what is the implementation of jumbledsentences toward the students’ skill in writing report text?; 2) what is effectiveness of jumbled-sentences technique toward students’ writing skill?; and 3) what factors are influencing students’ skill in writing report text?. method this research was conducted on 24 tenthgraders of ipa 3 in man 2 yogyakarta in academic year 2017/2018 for two weeks. this research was classroom action research using qualitative and quantitative data. this research design consisted of two cycles. each cycle had two meetings. it means, there were four meetings in two cycles. in collecting qualitative data, the researchers used structured observation and structured interview, while tests used to get the quantitative data. to get data concerning the implementation of jumbled-sentences technique, the researchers used structured observation, while the data concerning the factors influencing students’ writing skill were collected through structured interview which was supported by structured observation. moreover, tests were used to find out the effectiveness of jumbledsentences in improving students’ writing skills. the tests consisted of pre-test, posttest i, and post-test ii. to know the students’ initial writing skills, a pre-test conducted. in analyzing qualitative data, the researchers set paragraph scoring criteria which consisted of some aspects, namely topic sentence, supporting sentences, coherence, organization, and generic structures. when the paragraph scoring criteria has been set, the researchers decided the technique of analyzing the result of structured observation and structured interview data. to analyze the structured observation data, the researchers described it by mapping, reviewing, and exploring the data during the implementation of jumbledsentences. after analyzing the structured observation data, the researchers also analyzed the structured interview data by reporting and interpreting what the researchers got from the research. when the interview data reported and interpreted, the researchers described the result of the analysis based on the relevant theories. furthermore, to analyze the quantitative data, the researchers used statistic descriptive method by calculating the mean of writing aspects and the mean of improvement percentage. indeed, to decide the students’ mean, the researchers determined the criteria as follows: 5 (very good), 4 (good), 3 (fair), 2 (poor), and 1 (very poor). fatmawati setia utami, mustaqim pabbajah, & juhansar the implementation of jumbled-sentences toward students’ skill in writing report text 118 after deciding the technique of data analysis, the researchers measured students’ writing skill and pre-understanding about report text by giving pre-test. here, the students were asked to write the text which consisted of 2 paragraphs contained topic sentence, supporting sentences, coherence, organization, and generic structures. after giving pre-test, the researchers made lesson plans and prepared the report text material, jumbled-sentences texts, and students’ worksheets as the next task for post-test i and post-test ii to be conducted in cycle i and cycle ii. moreover, the researchers prepared the structured observation sheets and structured interview questions. after preparing those items, the researchers implemented jumbled-sentences as the treatment during the learning-teaching activity about report text in the first meeting of cycle i. the researchers did not only implement technique, but also observed the implementation and learning-teaching activity in the first meeting. in the second meeting of cycle i, the researchers gave post-test i to measure the students’ writing skill improvement after receiving the treatment. in giving post-test i, the students were asked to write a report text about technology around them in 40 minutes. after conducting cycle i, the researchers evaluated result of jumbled-sentences implementation including the result of observation and posttest i, whether it needs development or not. in addition, the researchers also determined the minimum mean as the consideration for conducting the creativity and innovation in cycle ii to achieve the better result. the creativity and innovation were necessary to do when the students got mean less than 3. the creativity and innovation were in the form of changing the setting of learning-teaching process and changing the teaching strategy as well as the way of jumbled-sentences technique implementation. after deciding the creativity and innovation, the researchers conducted cycle ii which had similar activity in cycle i. furthermore, the activity in cycle ii might be different based on creativity and innovation as the result of the reflection in cycle i. in cycle ii, the researchers re-explained the material and implemented jumbledsentences as the individual task in the third meeting to make the students understand more about the report text. the researchers also changed the teaching strategy from independent practice to gradual release practice. in the fourth meeting of cycle ii, the researchers gave post-test ii by asking the students to write a latest report text on technology in 40 minutes. when the learning-teaching process was done, the researchers interviewed some students. after conducting those cycles, the researchers analyzed the whole results to consider whether the cycle should be continued or stopped. results and discussion the implementation of jumbled-sentences technique in teaching report text as the results of the implementation, it was found that students were enthusiastic and active in the learning-teaching process. the script below shows that the student tried to be confident to ask the material that they have not understood yet. the script was taken from observation during the jumbledsentences implementation in cycle i. student a : pak, kalau misal di bagian general classification itu dideskripsikan dulu penemunya baru definisikan bisa gak? (sir, could i describe the inventor first then define the general classification? [free translation]) researcher(s) : ya bisa, atau lebih baik definisi dulu baru deskripsikan penemunya. (yes, it could be or it is better to define first then describe the inventor. [free translation]) observation; april 26 th , 2018 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 119 based on that script, even though there was a student who asked about the general classification of report text, there were some students who felt difficult to rearrange the jumbled-sentences because there were some vocabularies that they did not understand, such as since, bulb, filament, and crockery. in addition, when students wrote a report text, some of them were still confused to decide what they want to write and how to develop the idea as it is shown in the following script: student b : pak, aku mau nulis apa ya pak? kalau tentang teknologi, biasanya apa aja? (sir, what should i write? if i write about technology, what technology is it about? [free translation]) researcher(s) : kamu bisa menulis tentang teknologi yang ada di sekitarmu, seperti handphone, kipas angin, dan lain-lain. (you could write about technology around you, such as handphone, fan, etc. [free translation]) student c : pak, setelah menulis definisi dan ciri-ciri, terus apa lagi pak? (sir, what should i write after writing the definition and characteristic of the topic? [free translation]) researcher(s) : kamu bisa menuliskan tentang fungsi dan jenis-jenis dari teknologi yang kamu tulis. (you could write about functions and kinds of the technology. [free translation]) observation; april 28 th , 2018 based on the script, it could be said that the use of jumbled-sentences could make the students be active and enthusiastic in learning-teaching process and help them in writing report text. yet, there were some students who still found difficulties to decide what they want to write and how to develop the idea. therefore, the researchers needed to revise the planning creatively and innovatively to achieve the better result and to overcome students’ difficulties in the next cycle. based on the result in cycle i, there was unsatisfied result which made the researchers should revise some aspects related to the learning-teaching process such as students’ participation and understanding. therefore, the researchers revised the planning. in cycle ii, the researchers conducted the learning-teaching process based on the creativity and innovation. in the third meeting of cycle ii, the researchers asked the students to rearrange jumbledsentences individually using gradual release strategy. the changing of rearranging sentences individually aimed at making students understood more about the report text and the basic organization of paragraph such as topic sentence, supporting sentences, and concluding sentence. it also made them be able to create a good organization and a coherence text. the changing of gradual release practice also meant to make the students be more active and confident to ask the material that they did not understand yet. mushola is also chosen as the setting of learning-teaching process to make the learning-teaching process be more conducive. in the fourth meeting, cycle ii, the researchers taught the students in the third floor of library to make them be more focus and concentrate to the learningteaching process especially when they were writing a report text about the latest technology as the post-test ii. after conducting cycle ii, the researchers found that the observation result in this cycle increased from the result of cycle i. the students were more active in the learningteaching process. they were also enjoyed and understood more about report text and the basic organization of a paragraph. those improvements were proved in this following script: fatmawati setia utami, mustaqim pabbajah, & juhansar the implementation of jumbled-sentences toward students’ skill in writing report text 120 student e : pak, gimana sih cara membedakan kalimat-kalimat yang masuk ke general classification sama bagian description? (sir, how to differentiate the sentences which are included in general classification and description? [free translation]) researcher(s) : kalau kalimat-kalimat di general classification biasanya menjelaskan topik secara umum, seperti definisi dan penemu suatu teknologi. sedangkan kalimat di bagian description merupakan kalimat-kalimat khusus yang menjelaskan bagian general classification. (the sentences in general classification usually explain the topic generally such as definition and the inventor of technology. in description, the sentences explain the general classification specifically. [free translation]) observation; may 3 th , 2018 student f : pak, topic sentence itu biasanya yang di awal paragraf kan? (sir, the topic sentence is usually put in the beginning of the paragraph, isn’t it? [free translation]) researcher(s) : ya, tapi kadang ada juga yang letaknya di akhir paragraf. (yes, it is. but, sometimes there is also topic sentence which is put in the end of paragraph. [free translation]) student g : pak, kalau bagian deskripsi di report teks itu biasanya jelasin tentang ciri-ciri dan fungsi apa bukan? (sir, does the description part of report text explain about the characteristics and the function of the text? [free translation]) researcher(s) : ya. (yes, it does. [free translation]) observation; may 5 th , 2018 after implementing the creativity and innovation toward the jumbled-sentences implementation in both cycle i and cycle ii, most of students were no longer confused to decide what they wanted to write, how to develop the sentences, and how to organize the sentences related to the generic structures of report text. in addition, the observation result showed that the students’ participation, understanding, and writing development on the report text using jumbled-sentences were better than previous one. the students became more aware about report text and its generic structures. moreover, students enjoyed practicing jumbled-sentences because they got intensive guidance from the researchers. it meant that the implementation of jumbledsentences as the teaching technique for writing report text could help the students in developing the idea and organizing sentences into a good and a correct paragraph. the choosing of place for learning-teaching also supported the students to be more focus to the learning-teaching process because it helped the researchers to create the classroom atmosphere to be more conducive. the cycle i and the creativity and the innovation in cycle ii drove the researchers to end the cycle because there were students’ better participation and students’ better understanding during the learning-teaching process. it meant that students were aware to be actively involved in the learning-teaching process. the effectiveness of jumbled-sentences technique toward students’ skill in writing report text the researchers was not only describing the result of observation but also providing the analysis result of students’ writing tests. based on the result of data analysis, it was found that there was students’ mean improvement on each aspect. from the result, the students got mean 3.00 (pre-test); english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 121 3.36 (post-test i); and 3.78 (post-test ii). it means that the use of jumbled-sentences could help the students to understand the report text better. in addition, it also proved that jumbled-sentences could improve the students’ writing skill on each aspect. to make it clear, the researchers showed the mean improvement in table 1. table 1. the improvement of students’ mean table 1 shows the mean improvement of students’ pre-test (3.00), post-test i (3.36), and post-test ii (3.78) on each aspect. in the column of pre-test, there are two aspects which belong to category poor (2), namely topic sentence and supporting sentences. the table also shows the mean in both topic sentence and supporting sentences are more than 2 and less than 3. it means that jumbled-sentences implementation is needed to practice for increasing the students’ mean in those aspects. when the jumbledsentences was practiced, the researchers gave post-test i to measure the students’ result and improvement in writing skill, whether it needs to do the creativity and innovation or not. based on the result in the column of post-test i, there is no aspects which belong to category poor (2). there is good improvement in all aspects in the result of post-test i. in the result of post-test i, all the mean on each aspect belongs to fair (3) category. it means that jumbled-sentences technique helps the students to improve their writing skill, not only in topic sentence and supporting sentences aspects but also in other aspects. although there is an improvement in all aspects, it does not mean that the result is satisfied and no need to do creativity and innovation. from the result of post-test i, there is similar mean in the aspects of topic sentence (3.25) and supporting sentences (3.25). it means that the researchers should do the creativity and innovation in cycle ii before conducting post-test ii. after practicing jumbledsentences and applying the creativity and innovation in cycle ii, the researchers gave post-test ii to measure the mean improvement of students’ writing skill and the effectiveness of jumbled-sentences technique. the result of post-test ii shows better improvement than post-test i. in the column of post-test ii, there is no mean which less than 3 even more than 4 in aspect of generic structures. besides, there is no similar mean in all aspects as the previous result in post-test i. furthermore, there is also mean improvement percentage among the aspects of writing about 12% (from pretest to post-test i) and 13% (from post-test i to post-test ii). in short, the use of jumbledsentences is effective to help the students in understanding the material, developing the idea, and improving their writing skill. factors influencing students’ skill in writing report text after analyzing the result of observation and tests, the researchers described the result of interview with the students to see the factors influencing their skill in writing report text. from the interview, there were at least four common problems faced by the students, they are: no aspects mean pre-test post-test i post-test ii 1 topic sentence 2.96 3.25 3.79 2 supporting sentences 2.75 3.25 3.71 3 coherence 3.17 3.33 3.46 4 organization 3.13 3.42 3.75 5 generic structures 3.00 3.54 4.17 overall mean 3.00 3.36 3.78 % improvement 12% 13% fatmawati setia utami, mustaqim pabbajah, & juhansar the implementation of jumbled-sentences toward students’ skill in writing report text 122 lack of vocabulary and information when the researchers interviewed students, they said that their obstacle in writing report text were lack of vocabulary and information. it was proved by the interview data below. researcher(s) : kendala apa yang kalian alami saat menulis report text? (what is your obstacle in writing report text? [free translation]) student 1 : kurang data atau informasi bu. (i have less data or information, mom. [free translation]) student 2 : kurang vocabulary bu. (i am lack of vocabulary, mom. [free translation]) student 3 : sama bu, kurang vocabulary. (i have the same problem with student 2, mom. i am also lack of vocabulary. [free translation]) interview; may 5 th , 2018 the researchers also found this factor during the observation when implementing jumbled-sentences as a technique in learning-teaching process. when implementing the technique, some students were confused to rearrange the sentences. they also did not bring pocket dictionary then asked the researchers. the following is the script. student h : bu, filament artinya apa? (mom, what is filament? [free translation]) researcher(s) : filament itu artinya kawat pijar. (filament in bahasa indonesia is kawat pijar. [free translation]) observation; may 26 th , 2018 based on those results, it means that lack of vocabulary and information influenced students’ skill in writing a report text because without having enough vocabulary and information, they could not develop their idea. being afraid of making grammatical errors besides vocabulary and information, students’ anxiety also could be the factor influencing students’ writing skill. when they were afraid, they were not able to focus and concentrate in writing their ideas. below is student statement about anxiety. researchers : kendala apa yang kalian alami saat menulis report text? (what is your obstacle in writing report text? [free translation]) student 4 : takut pola grammarnya salah bu. (i am afraid of making mistake in grammatical pattern, mom. [free translation]) interview; may 5 th , 2018 based on that statement, it means that students who were afraid to make mistake would think more and more to avoid making a mistake. finally, it would make them be longer to write and it of course influences the result of the task. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 1, december 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 123 understanding and translating words or sentences to write an english report text, the students are obligated to be able to understand and to translate words or sentences from bahasa indonesia to english. based on the result of interview, a student said that his/her obstacle in writing report text is difficult to understand and to translate the english words. it was proved by the script below. researchers : kendala apa yang kalian alami saat menulis report text? (what is your obstacle in writing report text? [free translation]) student 2 : susah memahami dan menerjemahkan kata dan kalimat, bu. (it is difficult to understand and to translate the words and sentences, mom. [free translation]) interview; may 5 th , 2018 based on several statements before, besides lack of vocabulary and information, and students’ anxiety in making grammatical errors, the students’ difficulties in understanding and translating english words also affected the students’ work in writing report text. in other words, students’ difficulties to understand and to translate words or sentences made them took several minutes to continue their report text writing. limited classroom for learning-teaching in this factor, the students moved from one classroom to another according to the subject that they learnt. from this situation, sometimes it influenced the students’ concentration in learning-teaching process. for example, in class of x ipa 3, the learning-teaching process was conducted in class of x ips 3, as a consequence, when the learning-teaching process was still running, there were some other students of x ips 3 came to that classroom before the lesson done. this situation automatically disturbed the focus and concentration of tenth-grade students ipa 3 to finish the work. as a result, some students were not able to finish the work by on their best. conclusion based on the results of study, the researchers conclude that the implementation of jumbled-sentences in learning-teaching process can help students to develop their report text writing skill performance on the tenth year students of man 2 yogyakarta, class x ipa 3, in academic year 2017/2018. besides, jumbled-sentences also can attract students’ enthusiasm in learning-teaching report text. in addition, the result of students’ test also shows the mean improvement percentage from pre-test to post-test i (12%) and post-test i to post-test ii (13%). it proves that the use of jumbledsentences is effective to help the students in understanding the material and improving the students’ writing skill performance to develop the idea to write report text about technology. furthermore, the researchers also find and sums up some factors influencing students’ skill in writing report text. those factors are lack of vocabulary and information, students’ anxiety in making mistakes at grammar, understanding and translating words or sentences, and limited classroom for learning-teaching process. references al-gharabally, m. (2015). the writing difficulties faced by l2 learners and how to minimize them. international journal of english language and linguistics research, 3(5), 42-49. barnawi & arifin, m. (2016). micro teaching. yogyakarta: ar-ruzz media. juhansar, j., et al. (2016). the implementation of higher order thinking skill at universitas teknologi yogyakarta indonesia: opportunities and challenges. proceedings of the international conference on education and hots. malaysia: universiti teknologi malaysia. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324720 219_the_implementation_of_higher_order_thi nking_skills_at_universitas_teknologi_yogyak arta_in_indonesia_opportunities_and_challenge s/download malinda, r. p. (2017). improving students’ writing ability in recount text writing through jumbled sentences at the first grade of sma kartikatama metro. thesis. lampung: universitas lampung. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324720219_the_implementation_of_higher_order_thinking_skills_at_universitas_teknologi_yogyakarta_in_indonesia_opportunities_and_challenges/download https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324720219_the_implementation_of_higher_order_thinking_skills_at_universitas_teknologi_yogyakarta_in_indonesia_opportunities_and_challenges/download https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324720219_the_implementation_of_higher_order_thinking_skills_at_universitas_teknologi_yogyakarta_in_indonesia_opportunities_and_challenges/download https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324720219_the_implementation_of_higher_order_thinking_skills_at_universitas_teknologi_yogyakarta_in_indonesia_opportunities_and_challenges/download https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324720219_the_implementation_of_higher_order_thinking_skills_at_universitas_teknologi_yogyakarta_in_indonesia_opportunities_and_challenges/download fatmawati setia utami, mustaqim pabbajah, & juhansar the implementation of jumbled-sentences toward students’ skill in writing report text 124 mardiana, n. (2017). using jumbled sentences game in teaching recount text. unpublished thesis. banten: the state institute for islamic studies sultan maulana hassanudin banten. murray, d. e., & mary a. c. (2011). what english language teachers need to know: facilitating learning. new york: routledge. pestaria, f., et al. (2014). students’ difficulties in writing report text at grade ix of smp negeri 5 tanjungbalai. iosr journal of humanities and social science, 19(1), 28-34. sari, f. p., et al. (2013). an analysis of students’ ability and problems in writing recount texts at grade viii of smpn 29 padang. journals of english language teaching, 2, 73-85. tyas, a. s. p. (2012). using jumbled paragraphs to improve paragraph writing skills of xa students in sma mikael warak sleman. unpublished thesis. yogyakarta: sanata dharma university. wardhani, e. p. (2015). using jumbled sentence games to improve the writing ability of the seventh grade students of mts muhammadiyah 6 bayat klaten. unpublished thesis. yogyakarta: university of muhammadiyah yogyakarta. wright, a., et al. (2006). games for language learning (3 rd ed.). new york: cambridge university press. multimedia-based activity in young learners’ english class: implementation and outcome ida zuraida supri multimedia-based activity in young learners’ english class: implementation and outcome multimedia-based activity in young learners’ english class: implementation and outcome ida zuraida supri department of english, widyatama university, indonesia email: ida.zuraida@widyatama.ac.id apa citation: supri, i. z. (2015). multimedia-based activity in young learners’ english class: implementation and outcome. english review: journal of english education, 3(2), 210-222 received: 10-03-2015 accepted: 27-04-2015 published: 01-06-2015 abstract: this research aims at investigating how multimedia facilitates young learners’ learning english. the study utilized a descriptive method. this comprised observing, collecting data, classifying data, and analyzing data. observation to the multimedia is carried out to seek for steps of lessons and the steps are facilitating young learners leaning. the subjects in this study were series of multimedia programs. the results showed that the multimedia programs have presented to five young learners’ learning traits in designing the lessons. those traits were transferred in terms of activities presented into stages, time allotment/duration, having specific topic, providing songs and funny cartoon characters and scenes, and materials recycling in the lessons. thus, it can be concluded that the use of multimedia program is beneficial and recommended either in a classroom as a supplementary activity, at home for home learning or watch for fun. keywords: multimedia, young learners, learning traits introduction young learners are categorized into generation who are aware of technology at a very young age. in learning english, then, it is obvious that multimedia such as computer, internet and video are advantageous to be used in children classroom. on the other hand, english mastery is important in preparing learners for better achievement in all levels of education and future career. this has made educators both in formal and non-formal schools try to facilitate the best way of teaching and learning english. in some big cities in indonesia, english has been introduced to young learners starting elementary level of education. many parents send their children to english courses to learn english. they do this with the assumption that if their children are introduced to english since early stage of life they will get sufficient exposure (mustafa, 2002). with sufficient exposure they are expected to be successful language users in the future. of course, this can be realized if the children get good quality of exposure, such as good pronunciation; and sufficient frequency and volume of contact with the target language (mustafa, 2002). the challenges above should be well observed and solved. they may be solved by providing young learners suitable, good and interesting materials. in accordance with good and interesting material, using multimedia in teaching young learners are beneficial (harmer, 2002; ellis and brewster, 2002; stempliski, 1990). therefore, the present study seeks to explore whether multimedia program, 210 mailto:ida.zuraida@widyatama.ac.id english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee specificallymewere designed by attending to young learners’ learning traits and also to find young learner’s response towards them. following are young learners’ learning traits that are synthesized from different sources. according to brown (2002) and shin (2006) another characteristic which should be noted is that young learners have limited attention span; unless activity are extremely engaging they can easily get bored, losing interest after several minutes of the activity. because they are centered to here and now, on the functional purposes of language, activities should be designed to capture their immediate interest (brown, 2000). shin (2006) emphasizes, “one way to capture their attention and keep them engaged in activities is to supplement the activities with lots of brightly colored visual, toys, puppet, or objects to match the one used in stories that you tell or songs that you sings”. young learners learn best when learning is kept whole (whole language approach), meaningful, interesting and functional; as opposed to adult who learn from parts to whole; they learn words, phrases, sentence constructing, (brown, 2002). in line with brown’s words, musthafa (2002) also states that they tend to learn things holistically in the form of script (such as going to a market, going to school, family, etc.). building on this theory, in the case of learning english as a foreign language, children will find it easy if it is embedded in play, such as story lines, or real life conversation. providing them video may be useful because generally they are presented in topic (ishihara and chi, 2004, ambrose, 2002). young learners are able to deal with one thing at a time without much difficulty. teaching or presenting a lot of things to them at once may cause frustration and failure, both to the children and the teachers. sinaga (1997) in his article proposes when teaching ‘likes and dislikes’, for example, a teacher does not have to use all the subjects at once as it is possible to be done in adult classes. he should limit based on their timely need (i and you first then next session followed by he and she). shin (2006) highly recommended teach the lessons in themes. it is obvious that young learners pick up new things easily and quickly, but at the same time forget them quickly. this is because they have a relatively weak long-term memory. to facilitate this learning character, shin (2006, p. 4) proposed: “moving from one activity to others that are related in content and language helps to recycle the language and reinforce students’ understanding and use of it”. this is in line with sinaga (1997) that lesson should be recycled and children should be reminded frequently of what they have learned. well (1997) as quoted by ashworth and wakefield (2005), also stated that knowledge cannot be transmitted in isolation, but must be reinvented as the learner brings to each new situation his own previous experience and background and interprets new information from that perspective. moreover, young learners’ learning is a process, not merely a product. the process of learning can be accelerated or enhanced by breaking learning into stages and providing building blocks which connect these together (bruner, 1983 as cited from ellis and brewster, 2002) young learners cannot be expected to sit down and do a certain activity for a long time. activities should be designed 211 ida zuraida supri multimedia-based activity in young learners’ english class: implementation and outcome to capture their interest, short, and varied to allow a change of mood on the part of the children. according to ellis and brewster (2002, p. 162) song is an ideal vehicle for language learning because young learners love songs and sing songs are fun for them. they also added that letting young learners watch video or film also is another way to vary activities in order to capture and maintain their interest. on the other hand, instructional materials play an important role in english learning. appropriate instructional materials should be carefully selected based on the instructional objectives and children‘s interest. teachers may choose book appropriate for the children. suyanto (1997) writes that there are various kinds of materials, which can be used for children in english program, such as songs, stories, games, flashcards, and reading texts. as mentioned earlier that learner learns better through fun activities. teaching techniques for them should vary so that they will not feel bored. clapping hands, playing games, chanting rhymes, singing, and drawing real objects can also be done to create fun atmosphere english class. the role of instructional media is very important in a foreign class. according to richards (1988) as cited from suyanto (1997) good instructional media should have, at least, three roles i.e. attentional role, communicational role and retentional role. using media, particularly multimedia, is to attract children’s attention and heighten their curiosity while the teacher is delivering the message. in this case, using pictures, and realia are very helpful for teacher to do his activity. this is in line with wright (1989, p. 23) who stated “… pictures are not just an aspect of method but through their representation of places, objects, and people, they are an essential part of the overall experiences which we must help our students to cope with”. it does not only provide them the sound of the language but also facial expression and gesture which can give them better overall understanding of the use of the language in particular context. another benefit is it allows children to look at situation far beyond their classroom, for example, in greeting besides shaking hands, people can also greet by taking off their hat or nodding their head a little. from video, children can also learn food eaten or apparel worn by people in other countries. in terms of motivation, children show an increased level of interest when they have a chance to see language in use as well as hear it, and if this is coupled with interesting tasks. as quoted from harmer (2002) one of the main advantages of video is that learners do not just hear the language, they see it too. this greatly aids comprehension, as for example, in actuality general meaning and moods are often conveyed through expression, gesture and other visual clues. it does not only provide them the sound of the language but also facial expression and gesture which can give them better overall understanding of the use of the language in particular context. another benefit is it allows children to look at situation far beyond their classroom, for example, in greeting besides shaking hands, people can also greet by taking off their hat or nodding their head a little. from video, children can also learn food eaten or apparel worn by people in other countries. in terms of motivation, children show an increased level of 212 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee interest when they have a chance to see language in use as well as hear it, and if this is coupled with interesting tasks .thus, children observe how intonation can match facial expressions. stempleski (1990) also adds that the introduction of the moving picture component as a language teaching aid is a crucial addition to the teacher’s resources. through video children feel their interest quicken when language is experienced in a lively way. the combination of moving picture and sound can present language more comprehensively than any other teaching medium. video can take students into the lives and experiences of others. the use of video sequence in class makes students more ready to communicate in target language. ellis and brewster (2002, p. 205-206) also state that there are three main reasons for viewing. the first is global viewing or viewing for general understanding. this means young learners need to see a whole video sequence or extract shown straight to the first so that they can follow and understand the global meaning. after that the teacher may go back over the sequence or extract and exploit it in order to focus on particular aspects of language and content. the second is viewing for detail. this usually requires young learners to focus on something very specific and they may require a physical response such as putting up a hand each time they see a specific item or hear a specific word or structure. the third is viewing for pleasure. young learners are given opportunities to absorb language presented and practiced through the video in order to accomplish particular tasks assigned, like comparing information, writing instructions or recipes, questionnaires, etc. after completing their tasks, they are rewarded by viewing the video again for pleasure. gersten and tlustý (1998) cited in amato (2003) found out that the use of video program would have a positive effect on their students’ performance and participation. interviews with students afterwards revealed that they had all found the experience helpful in developing english proficiency and in using english to communicate. amato (2003) also adds that the use of interactive multimedia program in the classroom serve as an excellent tool for developing communicative skills in a language. it can be concluded that armed with the knowledge of the reasons of video viewing, teachers can be highly assisted in designing kinds of activities in the class in which video are used. teachers may confidently decide what pre and post viewing activities given. using multimedia in teaching english is beneficial. since it is audio visual, young learners can see and listen the use of language displayed. therefore, they have an opportunity to get exposed the target language used in context and performed by native speakers. there have been numerous studies on the use of multimedia in teaching english language (mayora, 2006 and ishihara and chi, 2004) in informing how useful the use of multimedia in teaching english. although these studies are different in terms of participant, the studies are considered relevant. mayora (2006) conducted a research on integrating multimedia technology in high school efl program in caracas, venezuela. the results show that all those students felt that it provided them with substantial opportunities to listen to 213 ida zuraida supri multimedia-based activity in young learners’ english class: implementation and outcome authentic language, which is a key element for the acquisition of english. a large majority of the students also felt positive about the opportunities the multimedia provided to increase their vocabulary and practice grammar. in addition, most students indicated that computerand video-based activities had a positive effect on their process of learning english. it can be said that the results indicates that the students regard the use of multimedia, particularly computerand video-based, in general as motivating, productive and advanced way to learn english. from the elaboration above it can be seen that studies on the use of multimedia in teaching english with different participants have had positive responses and outcome. the use of multimedia indicates many benefits (mayora, 2006), such as it is more appealing and entertaining; it exposes students to authentic language in natural situations; it provides a situational and visual context to language interactions; and it exposes students to authentic nonverbal (body language, cultural tradition) and verbal (register, colloquial speech) elements of language. me released by the walt disney to provide children with an interesting way in learning english through multimedia, which is calledmagic english. table 1.topics in me series 1. hello 2. family 3. happy houses 4. friends 5. animal friends 6. it’s delicious 7. happy birthday 8. tick tock time 9. night and day 10. let’s play 11. numbers 12. at home 13. my body 14. party time 15. cooking 16. the forest 17. the sea 18. let’s travel 19. colors 20. wild animals 21. funny faces 22. country life 23. music 24. mountains method this study aimed at unearthing young learners’ learning traits attended to by me and how those characteristic are presented in me. strauss and corbin (1990, p. 75) state that “it was largely qualitative which could be used to uncover and understand what lies behind any phenomenon about which little is yet known”. to gather the data, observation is conducted to me. there are three series under focus: happy birthday, tic toc time, and night and day. observation on the above series is to see the flow of the lessons in each series. this activity essential to see whether me’s contents attended to young learners’ learning traits or not. descriptive inductive analytical approach is applied in this study. the general patterns of data analysis were a simultaneous action during the data collection stage. in the observation method it is suggested that the analysis is carried out as soon as the observation finishes (maxwell, 1996), otherwise it will lose visual details that might be important and they might be forgotten if it waits to be analyzed at a later time. since this study applies largely qualitative, so the findings would only be true to the subjects involved in it. therefore, there will not be an attempt of generalization because there might be other possible interpretation to the issues raised in this study. 214 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee results and discussion data from observations reveal that me series have presented to five young learners’ learning traits. they were learn when kept as a whole, limited attention span, one thing at a time, fun learning, and learn fast forget quickly characteristic. this can be indicated by having its own topic; almost the same; duration: around twenty five minutes; presenting the topic into stages with different kinds of activities the flow; and focusing on one topic in each series. the flow of lessons of me is summarized into a table (see table 2). table 2. flow of lessons series#1 series#2 series#3 stages duration stages duration stages duration opening 1.50 opening 1.50 opening 1.50 presentation 1 6.05 presentation 1 2.51 presentation 1 5.24 practice 1 1.19 song 1.29 song 1.16 song 0.46 practice 1 1.02 presentation 2 6.13 presentation 2 5.24 presentation 2 2.18 practice 1 0.34 practice 2 1.24 practice 2 2.20 presentation 3 1.26 presentation 3 5.32 presentation 3 2.32 practice 2 5.04 practice 3 1.34 practice 3 1.23 presentation 4 2.32 closing 2.29 presentation 4 4.11 practice 3 2.11 practice 4 4.18 closing 2.24 closing 2.08 total 25.03 total 25.02 total 25.10 * duration is in minute. * opening and closing are presented through a song entitledmagic english. * presentations are stages where the materials of the lesson are explained. * practices are stages where viewers should do exercises, such as repeating words or expressions, answering questions. * song is a song related to the topic is presented. viewers are invited to sing along. the first young learners’ learning characteristic facilitated by me is limited attention span. young learners find it difficult to stay focus on a lesson discussed in a long period of time unless the activities are really engaging. they can easily get bored and lose their interest after several minutes of activities. me try to facilitate the above characteristic. it was observed in terms of activities presented and time allotted. in terms of activities, looking at the table presented earlier on the flow of lessons of me (table2) shows that each series applies similar flow of lesson; opened by a song me followed by several presentations and practices, a song related to the topic is also inserted, then closing. it can be inferred that the flow of lesson in me facilitates young learners to focus on the show and to follow what is given easily. with the nature of young learners which cannot stand doing one activity for a long time, the design of the lesson of me may engage them to keep watching because it is not monotonous. the activity changed; from presentation, in which they should listen, watch, and understand what is presented, then they should actively involve with the practice activities, such as repeating some words or expressions, answering questions and singing. furthermore, the appearance of 215 ida zuraida supri multimedia-based activity in young learners’ english class: implementation and outcome popular cartoon characters that they may already know helps to draw and maintain their attention to keep watching until the end of the show. in terms of time, it was observed that the duration of each series is around twenty five minutes; series#1 25.03 minutes, series#2 25.02 minutes, and series#3 25.10 minutes. . it is quite short for a show. the duration of each stage ranges from two to five minutes. it relates to the characteristic of limited attention span mentioned by brown (2002), and shin (2006). furthermore, the duration of each series is approximately twenty five minutes which are divided into several stages of presentations and practices allow learners to maintain their attention during the watching. the explanation above is in line with what is stated by holden (1980) quoted by brewster (1991) quoted by sinaga (1997) to limit one activity to ten minutes maximum. it can be interpreted that with the flow of lesson of me learners may have no chance to do other activities but watch. the appearance of disney’s cartoon characters may keep them watch and enjoy slides of stories or films presented on the screen. even tough, the stages in the multimedia follow the same patterns. in accordance with the characteristic of young learners, who respond easily to particular theme they have already known, this pattern helps them to predict what they are going to find in the next stage. however, there is an element of surprise since the song is not inserted in the same sequence. sometimes it comes right after presentation 1 like in series#2 and series#3 or after practice, like in series#1. therefore, it can be concluded that the flow of the lesson facilitates the limited attention span characteristic. secondly, me facilitates young learners whose learning traits is holistic learning. they learn best when learning is kept whole (whole language approach), meaningful, interesting and functional; as opposed to adult who learn from parts to whole; they learn words, phrases, sentence constructing, (brown, 2002). in line with brown’s words, musthafa (2002) also states that young learners tend to learn things holistically in the form of script (such as going to a market, going to school, family, etc). this characteristic is facilitated in me. it can be observed in terms of having specific topic in each series. ; series#1 happy birthday,series#2 tic toc time, and series#3 night and day. packed in a specific topic, the series facilitates young learners whose learning characteristic is learning holistically to learn better. since the lesson is kept as a whole, they may find it meaningful, functional and interesting. slides of pictures and stories/films related to the topic help learners to understand what is being presented. words and expressions are not only presented in verbal form but also in written form. therefore, learners can listen how the words and expressions are pronounced and also see the spellings. it can be said that when young learners find the lesson meaningful to them they would be interested to pay attention to what is given in the show. when attention is obtained, the process of learning is expected to take place. as mentioned earlier that words and expressions were given either in written or spoken. this is good because they are not only exposed to the spelling of the word but how the native speakers of the 216 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee language pronounce them. this relates to what is stated by ashworth and wakefield (2005, [p. 4) young learners need to hear the language model. furthermore, since in this stage of life they experience what brown (1991, p. 12) called “critical period” for language acquisition, they are expected to be able to absorb a lot of simple vocabulary, say and write them correctly. hopefully, in the future they will be good language users. moreover, slides of pictures and stories or films related to the topic help learners to understand what is being presented. this condition is in line with what is stated by stempleski (1990) that children feel their interest quicken when language is experienced in a lively way. the combination of moving picture and sound can present language more comprehensively than any other teaching medium. in addition to that, the availability of slides of stories or films greatly aid comprehension, as for example, in actuality general meaning and moods are often conveyed through expression, gesture and other visual clues. thus, children observe how intonation can match facial expressions (harmer, 2002). words and expressions are not only presented in verbal form but also in written form. this way, learners not only can listen how the words and expressions are pronounced but also see the spellings. because english words are spelled and pronounced differently from that of indonesian, this is quite difficult to handle for most indonesian students. the display of the spelling of the words or expressions may help them recognize and remember them. moreover, the words and expressions presented in each topic is meaningful and functional, for example in series#1 cake, presents, party, birthday party, singing, dancing are things and activities that they commonly encountered in birthday party. the word birthday is something that learners may know. they celebrate their birthdays and sometimes are invited to birthday parties. and in birthday party they sing happy birthday. therefore it can be said the vocabulary in this topic is meaningful and functional to them. in series#2, the following expressions such aswhat time is it? it’s eight o’clock, wake up!, seven o’clock, breakfast, it’s breakfast time, school, it’s school time, it’s lunch time, it’s play time, it’s dinner time, it’s bed time are things and activities that they routinely do. since the words and expressions are presented with slides of stories and pictures, learners may find it easy to understand. for instance, they can understand wake up from the movement of the cartoon character and the background of the picture. the cartoon character is in bed sleeping then the clock is ringing and he opens his eyes. then a voice says wake up! seeing this fragment, it is expected that the learners understand the meaning of the expressions. series#3 which discusses day and night is also presented in the same way. words and expressions like: the moon. look at the moon. the stars. look at the stars. it’s morning. good morning. what a beautiful morning! the sun. it’s a new day. what a beautiful day! it’s night. what a beautiful night! the above vocabulary would be meaningful to them because they are parts of their daily life. they are presented in slides of stories or films which help them understand the meaning of words and expressions 217 ida zuraida supri multimedia-based activity in young learners’ english class: implementation and outcome written on the screen. in presenting the moon, a picture of a moon in a dark night is displayed. by looking at the picture, learners are facilitated to understand the word. judging from the discussion on the topics presented, we can see that it has catered the principle of learn when kept as a whole principle. fun learning is the third traits attended to by me. young learners’ willingness to learn emerges when the lessons are presented in interesting ways (brown, 2000; shin, 2006). this characteristic can be observed in terms of providing songs and funny cartoon characters and scenes. each series was opened by a song titledmagic english. the song is relatively easy and interesting to listen to and to follow. it is not long; the duration is around one minute fifty seconds. the lyric of the song is about activities that students can participate during watching the series. the following is the song: magic english, magic english magic english, magic english have fun with disney every day, have fun with disney everyday come along and discover english listen well, watch carefully you can singyou can play and you can have fun with disney magic english, magic english look and speak and sing and play magic english, magic english have fun with disney everyday have fun with disney everyday look! when you see this, it’s your turn to play play time! if you see this ♪it’s your turn to sing play time! if you see this ☺ it’s your turn to repeat play time! if you see this?it’s your turn to answer besides me song which can be found as the opening in each series, there is also one song related to the topic presented in each series; series#1 happy birthday song, series#2 tic toc time song, and series#3 night and day song. it can be said that fun learning characteristic is attended because of the availability of the songs. this relates to ellis and brewster (2002) who mentioned that song is an ideal vehicle for language learning. young learners love songs and sing songs are fun for them. me multimedia provide songs in each series. if what is preferred by young learners is facilitated, they are expected to learn better. ellis and brewster (2000) also mention the benefits of songs in language learning, such as they allow new language to be introduced and structures and vocabulary to be reinforced and recycled and are motivating and fun to help develop positive attitudes toward the target language. therefore when they listen to the song they are exposed to how words in english are said. when it comes to their turn to sing, their pronunciation skill is being trained. the song uses certain terms in asking students to do activities while watching it. instead of using a term “do exercises”, it invites students to do exercise by saying “play time”. it can be inferred that the instruction is given that way to attract students’ interest because play is something fun. play is children’s part of life. from the last verse of the lyric of the song it is clear that the exercises or “play time” involve singing, repeating and answering questions. not only do the songs make the multimedia fun but also the display of disney’s cartoon characters, which young learners may know or recognize in some funny scenes such as, donald 218 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee and daisy duck, mickey andminnie mouse, snow white, and others may attract them to watch and listen to it. for instance, when explaining how to ask someone’s age and how to respond to it a funny scene below is presented: a smiling cute baby only wearing a diaper crawls in a cute way. then, a voice asks “how old is she?”. there is pause for few seconds, then that voice responds “she is one year old”. after that, a character of an old fat man with long white beard looks like a santa clause, walks in a funny way. again a voice asks, “how old is he?” the response is “he is a hundred years old”. the above evidence shows what ellis and brewster (2002) propose that the advantage of using multimedia is because it combines sound and vision and provide a full context for language so children see language in use making it more accessible and memorable. furthermore, it shows all factors of communication, including non-verbal communication. therefore, young learners may find the content of the multimedia meaningful. me also facilitated young learners in terms of learning traits is to learn fast but to forget quickly. this is observed in terms of presenting the lessons into stages and recycle. it is obvious that young learners’ learning is a process, not merely a product. bruner (1983) as cited from ellis and brewster: (2002) mentioned that the process of learning can be accelerated or enhanced by breaking learning into stages and providing building blocks which connect these together. in terms of presenting the lessons into stages, looking at the flow of lesson previously presented in table 4.1, the presentations are given in several stages. some vocabulary given in presentation 1 may reappear in the next presentations, for example #1, in presentation 1 vocabulary like present, surprise, party, cake, a dress are reappeared in presentation 2 . in #2 words and expressions like, what time is it?, wake up!, it’s breakfast time, it’s school time, etc are presented in presentation 1 and practice 1 are reused in practice 2, presentation 3 and practice 3. recycle of material is also found in #3. for instance, the use of yes/no questions and how to respond to them related to the topic night and day can be found practice 1, presentation 3, and practice 3. following are some examples, is it night? yes, it’s night; is it day?, no, it’s night; what a beautiful day. so, it is clear that the multimedia recycle materials of the lesson. the above examples show that the materials taught are not only divided into stages but also recycled. it can be concluded, the flow of lesson, which is divided into stages, interprets the scaffolding of learning. the series have applied the theory mentioned by bruner (1983) to accelerate students’ learning. reappearance of vocabulary presented in the earlier presentation in the next presentation is a method to recycle the materials. in practice stage, vocabulary to be repeated and questions to be answered by learners are those which appear in presentations stages. therefore, learners may find practice stages fun because the questions given are things that they have heard, seen, and they are not overwhelming. in short, young learners, whose learning characteristic is learn fast and forget quickly, are facilitated. this may help them to learn better. young learners learn one thing at a time is also catered by me. it can be 219 ida zuraida supri multimedia-based activity in young learners’ english class: implementation and outcome observed in terms of giving specific topic to discuss in each series. topic of #1 is happy birthday. it discusses things and activities related to a birthday. #2, tic toc time, discusses time; how to ask and tell the time, activities done in particular point of time, like in the morning, the activity is breakfast time, school time, etc. in #3, night and day is the topic. since each has its own topic, it can be said that the design of me adopted one thing at a time principle. young learners learn one thing from each series. this may help them deal with the materials presented. they may not find the materials overwhelming because they learn specific thing at a time. having a specific topic in each series, me multimedia has adopted the one thing at a time principle. each series focuses on one thing or one topic. learners are exposed to expressions, and activities related to a birthday in #1. they learn how to say happy birthday and to tell the age. they also learn words, expressions and activities related to a birthday party, like presents, cake, sing, and, dance. therefore, the adoption of one thing at a time principle may facilitate learners to learn the target language easier as mentioned by brown (2000), and harmer (2000) who state that young learners are able to deal with one thing at a time without much difficulty. teaching or presenting several things at once may cause frustration and failure, both to the learners and teachers. from the discussions above, it can be concluded that since five traits of young learners learning have been attended to, they may be facilitated when learning english using me multimedia. the lessons were designed to assist children’s learning characteristic. therefore, this may result in positive learning outcome. conclusions this research is completed as the answers to the two questions posted earlier were obtained. based on the findings and discussions in the previous chapter, it can be concluded that firstly, this multimedia programs facilitate young learners’ to learn english. apparently, the making of them were carefully designed. this can be observed in terms of attending to five young learners’ learning traits in designing the series of multimedia. those traits were limited attention span, learn when kept as a whole, fun learning, learn fast forget quickly, and one thing at a time. those traits can be observed in terms of presenting activities into stages and allotting relatively short time, having specific topic, providing songs, funny cartoon character and scenes, and recycling materials in the lessons. secondly, with respect to young learners’ responses, all data obtained indicate that in general all multimedia under focus gained positive responses. this can be observed from their positive attitude when they watched them and their willingness to actively take part in the activities provided, namely repeating some words or vocabulary, answering questions, and singing. positive responses were obtained because multimedia alone is interesting for young learners and when it is designed in an interesting way it may obtain positive responses. in addition, in terms of young learners’ traits the affective factor is also noticeable in me. so, through the use of me warm, supportive and safe atmosphere in learning the language may be created and this may lead to 220 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 2, june 2015 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee lessen the above potential barriers in learning. the efforts can be observed in the multimedia from the availability of cartoon characters, colorful pictures, funny show fragments, and interesting songs. finally, it provides authentic and meaningful language. the topics discussed in each series are within young learners’ world. happy birthday, night and day, family, and so on (see table 3.1). therefore, they may be willing to learn the language if it can be used for here and now. because the series were designed by attending to some young learners’ learning traits, the use of them in young learners’ classes would be recommended. it is useful to use as a supplementary lesson in the class. since young learners are easily get bored, giving them as a variation of learning english would be fun and enjoyable. they would find learning english is fun not monotonous. before the it is played, teachers need to explain what learners are going to watch, and what they have to do during the watching, especially, when they watch it for the first time. they might not know what the teachers expect them to do. by doing so, they will not feel confused what to do and they may feel ready with the watching activity. however, as it is mentioned earlier that they can be used as supplements. teachers still hold the important roles in a class room. multimedia could not replace teachers’ roles. there may be some questions or comments from learners after watching them that teachers should answer or explain. finally, the series can be given to the class as pre or post activity. when it is given as pre activity, learners should get the core explanation from the teacher after watching them. if it is given as post activity, teachers should have explained the lesson before they watch them. by doing so, they aid learners to focus on what they are learning. to summarize, the use of multimedia programs as supplementary activity is recommended because their lessons are designed by attending several young learners’ learning traits. this can vary the learning activity so that learners may find learning english is fun and enjoyable. however, multimedia cannot replace teachers’ roles. teachers still have to explain when learners ask question after watching. references alwasilah, a. c. (2002). pokoknya kualitatif. bandung: pustaka jaya. ashworth, m. & patricia, w. (2005). teaching the world’s children esl for ages three to seven. english teaching forum, 43(1), 2-7. brown, h. d. 2000. teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. new york: longman creswell, j. w. (1994). research design: qualitative & quantitative approaches. california: sage publication, inc. fillmore, l. w.& catherine, s. (2000). what early childhood teachers need to know about language. retrieved on 23 february 2015 from http www.ericdigests.org/20013/early.htm harmer, j. (2002). the practice of english language teaching. kualalumpur: longman klein, k. (2012). teaching young learners. english teaching forum, 31 (2) retrieved on 23 february 2015 from http//exchanges.stategov/forum/vol2/ vol31/no2/pg14/htm. latha, r. h. (2005). a reading program for elementary schools. english teaching forum, 43(1), 18-23. maxwell, j. a. (1996). qualitative research design: an interactive approach. california: sage publication, inc. 221 ida zuraida supri multimedia-based activity in young learners’ english class: implementation and outcome musthafa, b. (2002) efl for young learners. bandung: crest. musthafa, b. & wachyu, s. (1993). teaching efl learners sociolinguistics concepts for intercultural understanding. retrieved on 23 february 2015 from files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ed397661.pdf. paton, j. (2002). fostering second language development in young children. esl articles collection. retrieved on 10 may 2015 from http://www.1-language.com pinter, a. 2006. teaching young language learners. oxford: oxford university press. suyanto, k, k. e. (1999). teaching english to young learners in indonesia (p. 164-171). presented in national seminar: the development of tefl in indonesia. 1999. shin, j. k. (2006). ten helpful ideas for teaching english to young learners. english teaching forum, 44 (2). sinaga, m. (1994). teaching english to children (as opposed to adults) (p.173-178) presented in national seminar: the development of tefl in indonesia, 23 1994 strauss, a & corbin j. (1990). basic qualitative research: grounded theory procedures and techniques. new york: sage publication. amato, r. & patricia, a. (2003). making it happen: from interactive to participatory language teaching. new york: longman stempliski, s & barry, t. (1990). video in action: recipes for using video in language teaching. london: prentice hall. 222 references english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 127 implementing constructivism approach in online writing course: learners’ need analysis lidwina sri ardiasih english education study program, universitas terbuka, indonesia e-mail: lidwina@ecampus.ut.ac.id emzir applied linguistics, postgraduate of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: emzir.unj@unj.ac.id yumna rasyid applied linguistics, postgraduate of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: yumna.rasyid@unj.ac.id apa citation: ardiasih, l. s., emzir, & rasyid, y. (2018). implementing constructivism approach in online writing course. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 127138. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1261. received: 14-02-2018 accepted: 23-04-2018 published: 01-06-2018 abstract: learning a new language is inevitably working on activities in relation to the four language skills, namely reading, listening, speaking and writing. reading and listening are categorized as receptive skills, while speaking and writing are productive skills.differing from the other skills, in developing writing skills learners do not merely focus on the writing products, butmore on its process in which they have to follow certain steps.it is the teacher’sresponsibility toguide the students to develop excellence in writing. universitas terbuka (ut), as a higher education institution applying distance learning, has provided an online tutorial (tuton) to enhance students’ writing skills. in this study, the writer focuses on students’ skills in writing essays, particularly argumentative essays. furthermore, constructivism is taken as tutor’s point of view to evaluate the materials as well as the learning process in the tuton of pbis4313/writing iii course. this research aimed at analyzing the students’ perceptions about the needs of writing iii course, regarding both the materials and the learning process, particularly the implementation of the constructivism approach. the descriptive qualitative method was applied in this research. an online survey was carried out to gain some information on the perceptions of the students regarding the learning materials as well as the learning approach needed in this course. from the online survey, it showed that more than 50% students find difficulties in writing. however, they shared their opinions about the needs of the materials appropriate for writing iii course as the basic information for further development of the materials. moreover, this research also resulted in some learning activities to be designed based on the constructivism approach. keywords: constructivism approach, online tutorial, writing skills, argumentative essay introduction writing is categorized aproductive skill that learners must master in learning a language. in learning a second language or a foreign language, writing skills are considered complex. learners must be able to put their ideas into the writing products. this requires a lot of practice, which should be done continuously. brown (2001) explains that for half a century the paradigmin the teaching of writing skills shifted from product-oriented to process-oriented. this is in line with the student-centered learning paradigm in which the teaching of writing skills needs to address the needs of the real learners, including their progress. therefore, it is expected that learners are accustomed to perform the process of writing with correct procedures and trained in producing and reviewing the results of their writing in order for it to be feasible for the readers. lidwina sri ardiasih, emzir, & yumna rasyid implementing constructivism approach in online writing course: learners’ need analysis 128 the main purpose of practicing writing skills for learners is that they can produce pedadogical writing by focusing on how to generalize their own ideas to the phase of producing the final products (brown, 2001). related to this purpose, it is obvious that there is a close relationship between the process approach and the student-centered learning paradigm. writing involves complex skills such as focusing on spellings, punctuation, word choice/diction, and other aspects of writing. in addition, the learners’ writingis the result of their thoughts, concept development, and revision procedures that require the special skills not naturally possessed by learners. learners cannot obtain these instantly, butmust go through a process. the principles of the constructivism approach are appropriate to be applied inthe learning of writing skills in line with studentcentered learning principles that are fully focused on learners’needs. by implementing the process-oriented principle, this constructivism approach supports learners in developing their own ideas through the process of writing with the help of teacher’s feedback and the revision process to obtain optimal writing results. universitas terbuka (ut) as a distance learning institution offers several courses that train students in writing skills. the pbis4313/writing iii course is one of the writing skills courses that give students learning experiences in writing various kinds of essays. the online tutorial service or tuton for writing skills is expected to deliver learning materials and activities that are appropriate to the characteristics of ut learners who belong to the adult learning category through their independent as well as autonomous learning process. the discussion of material in this paper focuses on one of the topics in this course i.e. writing argumentative essays.the aim of this paper is analyzing the students’ perceptions ofthe needs of the writing iii course, particularly in writing argumentative essays, in terms of both the materials and the implementation of constructivism approach. method this study was a needs analysis that applied a descriptive method with the aims at analyzing the learners’ perceptions towards the needs of the writing iii course, particularly in writing argumentative essays, and including both the materials and the learning approach based on the constructivists’ point of view. the data collection was conducted through a questionnaire to obtain data and information related to the learners’ needs of the materials and the learning methods to be applied in the writing iii course. the questionnaire consists of two forms of questions that are multiple choiceselections and open questions. the questionnaires were distributed during two months from march to may 2017. the population in this study was ut learners who registered and attended the online learning of the writing iii course provided by ut. the purposive sampling method was used to determine the respondents. the sample selected is the participants of the online tutorial of the writing iii coursefrom the period 2016.2 held from august 29, to october 23, 2016. the data obtained from the questionnaire were analyzed by summarizing in a graph and applying descriptive analysis. all comments or qualitative information obtained from the respondents were coded to determine the category of answers. the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods through questionnaires and observation results of online learning have been processed to support the data triangulation. results and discussion this section discusses the results of the survey describing the learners’ perceptions towards the needs of teaching materials and the learning approach to be applied in the tuton of the pbis4313/writing iii course. the process of the data collection using a questionnaire is presented on the following report. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 129 figure 1. the process report of the online survey figure 1 illustrates that during the eight weeks after the questionnaires were sent, the number of respondents who filled out the questionnaire through the online survey was 17 out of 86 respondents, or 20% of the respondents living throughout the country. the first part of the questionnaire discusses the respondents’ identity which is very important to describe their characteristics. however, in this paper the discussion focuses on the second and the third part as the core parts of the overall information gathering, which discusses the content or teaching materials and the learning process (including the approach to be applied) of the pbis4313/writing iii course. participants were asked to determine the level of the material needs which is divided into four categories, namely "badly needed", "needed", "not needed" and "totally unnecessary". learners’ perceptions towards the needs of the materials for pbis4313/writing iii the following graph illustrates the analysis of the results of the survey conducted in relation to the needs of learners of the content or subject matter of the tuton of pbis4313/writing iii course. figure 2. the learners’ needs of the contents of pbis4313/writing iii course the first material discussed in the questionnaire was about "the definitions of argumentative essay". the results showed that 28.57% of participants stated this material is badly needed and 42.86% thought that this material is needed, whereas 14.29% stated that the material is not badly needed and another 14.29% thought it is absolutely not needed. the second material wasabout "the characteristics of argumentative essay". forty percent of participants stated that the material is badly needed and 40% said it was needed. however, as much as 20% of participants thought that this material is not very necessary. lidwina sri ardiasih, emzir, & yumna rasyid implementing constructivism approach in online writing course: learners’ need analysis 130 the next statement relates to the material on how to "identify topic sentences". a total of 25% of participants stated that the material is badly needed and the remaining 20% of participants agree with the discussion of this discussion. furthermore, the fourth statement item was related to “analyzing the coherence of the argumentative essay” and a total of 25% of participants stated that the material is badly needed and 75% said it is needed. the fifth item was discussing the material about “the schematic structure of an argumentative essay”. there were 40% of participants who thought that the discussion of the structure of the essay is urgently needed and another 40% of the participants who supported the opinion by stating that this material is needed. nevertheless, there were 20% of participants who stated that the discussion of the material on the argumentative essay structure is not necessary. the sixth item raised in this survey is about “identifying the components of an argumentative essay” (the introductory paragraph, the body paragraph(s), and the concluding paragraph). in this section, as much as 66.67% stated that the discussion of this material is badly needed and the remaining 33.33% chose the options needed. furthermore, in relation to “the outline development of an argumentative essay”, the survey results were dominated by 75% of participants who stated that this material is needed, and supported by the remaining 25% of participants who stated that this material is badly needed. the eighth material is “the development of paragraphs of argumentative essay with the correct schematic structure”, as much as 20% of participants stated that this material is badly needed, and 80% said this material is needed. the “availability of argumentative essay examples” is an important statement raised in this survey and the participants’ responses were very positive. the results were dominated by 75% of participants who believed that the availability of these examples is badly needed and another 25% said this material is needed. furthermore, the results in relation to the “explanation of the self-assessment components of the argumentative essay” remained dominated by as much as 42.86% of the participants who stated that the explanation of this material is needed. a total of 14.29% stated that this material is badly needed, while 28.57% stated they do not really need this material. at the point of this statement, participants who assume that the material explanation of the component of independent assessment is not required at all, number as much as 14.29%. the last material raised in this survey was the “availability of tips or how to write argumentative essay in video programs”. this statement received a positive response from 55.56% of participants who stated that the availability of this video is badly needed, 33.33% said the video is needed, and as much as 11.11% thought that the video is not needed at all. based on the survey results, it is evident that the survey of content/learning materials for the pbis4313/writing iii course, especially the material given in the online tutorial, got very positive responses. the results were dominated by more than 50% of participants choosing ‘badly needed’ and ‘needed’ options against the eleven subject matters discussed. it is indicated that the most needed material is the discussion of “how to identify topic sentences in the argumentative essay”, followed by the participants’ needs for the argumentative essay examples. the next most desired material is that which discusses how to identify the components of the argumentative essay (introduction, the body of paragraphs, the concluding paragraph). the development of paragraphs of an argumentative essay with the correct schematic structure is ranked four thin terms of the highest needs of learners in this course. furthermore, the materials that discuss “how to analyze the coherence of the argumentative essay” and the material on “the outline development of the argumentative essay” are the next most favored requirement of the participants. basically, the results of this survey imply that the eleven subjects or subject matter offered in this survey are needed by participants inthe learning process ofthe online tutorial pbis4313/writing iii courses. these english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 131 results are important as underlying factors in the development of online learning models in research in terms of content/material discussion. learners’ perceptions towards the implementation of constructivism approachin the tuton of the pbis4313/writing iii the next part of the questionnaire discusses the learners’ perceptions towards the learning process needed in the tuton of the pbis4313/writing iii course. some information was collected from the participants in relation to their needs towards the implementation of a constructivism approach (collaborative learning method) in the tuton activities. the following is the results of the participants’ information obtained through the implementation of a constructivism approach in the tuton of the pbis4313/writing iii. figure 3. the learners’ needs of the implementation of constructivism approach in the tuton of pbis4313/writing iii in the previous section, the results were dominated by groups of participants who stated ‘badly needed’ and ‘needed’ in most of the statements given. in this section, researchers collect information related to the implementation of a constructivism approach (collaborative learning methods) and the participants’ opinions vary widely as shown in figure 3. there are seven issues raised in this section in relation to what the tutor has to consider. here are the details. the first issue raised is the need for tuton participants to interact with each other. a total of 20% of participants stated that giving participants the opportunity to interact to each other in tuton activities is badly needed and 40% of participants stated needed. however, 40% of participants thought that the interactionin the tuton is not necessary. the second statement is related to dividing the participants into several small groups. as much as 50% of participants responded very positively by declaring that dividing participants into several groups of interaction is badly needed. on the contrary, there were 16.67% who stated that the dividing participants into interaction groups is not very necessary and even the remaining 33.33% stated it is not needed at all. the third statement raises an issue of providing learning activities with a ‘dialogue journal’ for taking notes of ideas to be exchanged with other members for comments or statements. this writing learning technique is categorized as a method of collaborative learning. in this activity the participants record ideas or ideas in a journal and exchange with other participants for comments or questions. on this issue, participants’ responses vary greatly, i.e. 20% stated that this technique is badly needed, another 40% said it is needed. in contrast, there were also participants who were less supportive of this technique. as much as 20% of participants thought that the technique is not very necessary and remaining 20% stated that this technique is not needed at all. statement four raised in this section is the need for “providing instructional activities with dyadic essays techniques”. this technique consists of an activity in which learners are given a reading text and write lidwina sri ardiasih, emzir, & yumna rasyid implementing constructivism approach in online writing course: learners’ need analysis 132 essay questions and model answers, then they exchange those answers for use as a model. in addition to a dialogue journal, “dyadic essays techniques is another component of collaborative learning methods in which participants write each essay question and answer model, exchange questions, and compare the answers to be used as a model. participants are quite enthusiastic about this technique. this can be seen from their response to the survey that as many as 20% said this technique is badly needed and supported by 40% of participants who declared this technique is needed. however, as much as 40% thought that this technique is not needed. in the fifth statement, the researchers raised another technique called peer editing. peer editing of writing involves critically reviewing and preparing editorial feedback for other participants’ essays, reports, arguments, research reports or other writing assignments. in this technique the participants critically review the writings of other participants based on groups that have been made by researchers. in addition to critically reviewing, participants practice preparing editorial feedback for other participants’ essays, reports, arguments, research reports or other writing assignments. in this section, the participants’ responses were quite good. based on the percentage of survey results on 28.57% of participants, it was revealed that the technique is needed, while 28.57% thought that the technique is not very necessary. the sixth statement discusses the learners’ perceptions towards the needs of another technique called the collaborative writing technique of essay. the learners write essays together for practice and display the writing stages more effectively. the participants’ responses regarding this technique is very positive in that 57.14% stated that this technique is badly needed and the remaining 42.86 stated that this technique is needed. the last statement discussed by the researcher is a self-assessment for writing to conduct independent evaluations and revise the learners’ writing results up to the final results. in this research it was expected that self-assessment guidelines were developed as one of the products. the main purpose of these guidelines is for the participants to conduct independent evaluations and to revise the results of their writing into the final stages by going through the right process. on the issue of providing self-assessment guidelines, the participants showed an excellent response in which as much as 40% of participants stated that these self-assessment guidelines are badly needed and supported by 40% of other participants who stated that these are needed. on the contrary, there were 20% of the participants thought that the self-assessment guidelines are not necessary. the survey results related to the application of interaction and the constructivism approach, especially the method of collaborative learning, show high enthusiasm of the participants. figure 3 shows that of the seven issues raised, more than 60% of participants stated that the application of interaction and the use of collaboratvie writing techniques as the embodiment of the constructivism approach is really needed. the results of this data analysis become the basis for the researcher to consider the collaborative writing techniques in the process of developing the online learning model. one of the most needed techniques by the participants is the collaborative writing technique in which they can work together and practice writing witheach other through more effective stages. in addition, the participants’ enthusiasm towards the use of peer editing techniques in which they can do a critical review of the other participants’ writings and give feedback to each other for improving their writing, is quite high. utilization of self-assessment guidelines or self-assessment has also taken the highest priority for participants in which as much as 40% of the participants stated that selfassessment guidelines are urgently needed and the remaining 40% of the participants stated that these guidelines are needed. therefore, in the process of developing online learning for argumentative essay writing skills the researcher needs to develop such selfassessment guidelines to assist participants in their writing process. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 133 learners’ perceptions towards the overall learning process of the tuton of pbis4313/writing iii the open questions are the last parts of the questionnaire which aim at finding out the participants’ responses regarding four important things: 1) the frequency of english essay writing, 2) obstacles in writing argumentative essay, 3) obstacles during the tuton pbis4313/writing iii, and 4) the importance of pbis4313/writing iii course in supporting the participants’ professions. the open questions came with explanatory columns that are open or free of participants. the participants’ answers comments, or recommendations are useful to strengthen the options chosenby the participants in the previous parts. the following is the detailed explanation of the results of the open questions. the first open question is whether the participants frequently write essays in english. here is the result. figure 4. learners’ practice of writing english essays regarding the learners’ practice of writing essays in english, the survey results show that only 26.67% were accustomed to writing english essays and as much as 73.33% stated that they were not used to writing essays in english. the percentage of the participants who were used to writing english essays is very small and there were four participants who put additional explanation of the types of the essays they used to write. the types of essays they normally write are: 1) storytelling, 2) description and narrative (the reason is because it is easy to get), 3) personal experience story, and 4) grammar (additional writing skills). in terms of the writing process conducted by the participants, the researchers also obtained some information about the constraints faced by participants in their writing process. there are five academic obstacles mentioned by the researcher on the questionnaire and participants have the option to choose more than one obstacle. these constraints are: 1) difficulties in getting ideas to be developed in the writing, 2) lack of information about the characteristics of an argumentative essay, 3) lack of knowledge about appropriate argumentative essay structures, 4) lack of knowledge about appropriate argumentative essay components, and 5) difficulties developing ideas in the form of paragraphs/essays. the results of the survey can be seen in the following figure. lidwina sri ardiasih, emzir, & yumna rasyid implementing constructivism approach in online writing course: learners’ need analysis 134 figure 5. the students’ academic obstacles in following the tuton of pbis4313/writing iii figure 5 shows that the biggest obstacle experienced by participants in writing argumentative essays is the lack of knowledge about the appropriate components of an argumentative essay. a total of 46.67% of the participants claimed that they encountered these constraints and this directly pointed to the needs for individual emphasis on material discussion of the appropriate components of the essay. moreover, the next two obstacles that the participants experienced most were the lack of knowledge about the characteristics of the argumentative essay and the difficulty of finding ideas. in this section, there are two participants who commented to clarify the obstacles they experienced especially in relation to the ideas. first, one of the participants stated that “ideas become an important part of essay writing. if the idea is not assembled well it will create difficulties in describing and writing essays” (respondent 7). second, another participant reinforced the previous opinion regarding the importance of ideas in the writing process by sharing his experience as follows. “every time i wrote essays, i always got problems in getting the main ideas as well as developing them. so, sometimes i had to delete and repeat it again because the writing that has been made is not appropriate or even out of the context” (respondent 5). the difficulties in getting ideas for this form of writing has been an obstacle that was experienced by 40% of participants and supported by another 33.33% who expressed their difficulties in developing their ideas in the form of paragraphs or essays. the results of this survey demonstrate the importance of providing more knowledge to the participants about how to identify ideas and develop them into broader forms. in relation to the learning process of participants through the tuton of the pbis4313/writing iii course, some technical obstacles were presented by researchers in the questionnaire to find out about other constraints most experienced by the participants in addition to academic ones. the obstacles offered are: 1) time to follow the tutorial, 2) access of learning resources, 3) cost of the internet subscription, 4) difficulties of writing (e.g. writing assignments), 5) understanding the tutorial material, and 6) limited bandwidth/internet network. participants may choose more than one option. here is the description of the survey results obtained by the researcher about the constraints experienced by participants. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 135 figure 6. learners’ technical obstacles during following the tuton of pbis4313/writing iii figure 6 describes the technical obstacles experienced by most participants. as much as 57.14% of the participants experienced time constraints to follow the tutorial. this is very understandable since most of the participants are in-service teachers so they have difficulties arranging time for routine activities at home, workplace, and learning activities in ut. this was confirmed by one of the participants who stated that “due to insufficient time to access the tuton, i was late in following the instructions and even it was untouched” (respondent 5). the next most cited technical obstacle is the bandwidth/internet access, which is experienced by as much as 42.86% of the participants. this problem has become one of the main obstacles of some participants in following the tuton, especially those living in remote areas and far from internet access. furthermore, and no less important, the constraint experienced by as much as 35.71% of the participants is the difficulty of writing. the participants experienced this at the time of submitting the assignments of writing. a total of 14.29% of the participants stated they had problems with learning resources. one of the participants explained that “since i do not have writing iii modules i have difficulties in getting references in accordance with tuton writing iii, but i often looked for other information related to the material by browsing the internet” (respondent 7). this is very relevant to the purpose of the tuton as a means of enriching the material given in printed materials that help participants enrich their knowledge through the online activities available in the tuton. furthermore, there were participants who mentioned other obstacles related to the technical implementation of the tuton as follows. “i could not submit the assignments because there is no 'submission column' available. i've often experienced this in my account” (respondent 4). in this part, the researcher also collected information about the extent to which the pbis4313/writing iii course has supported the participants’ professions. the following figure shows the result of the survey. figure 7. learners’ opinions about the extent to which pbis4313/writing iii course has supported their professions lidwina sri ardiasih, emzir, & yumna rasyid implementing constructivism approach in online writing course: learners’ need analysis 136 figure 7 shows the participants’ positive response towards this matter in which as much as 86.67% of the participants stated that this course has supported their professions, whereas the rest 13.33% stated that this course did not support their professions. some participants who argued that the pbis4313/writing iii course supported their professions provided their explanation as follows. table 1. learners’ explanation about the extent to which pbis4313/writing iii course has supported their professions no respondents explanations 1. r 1 to practice writing and composing in correct english sentences 2. r 2 as an english teacher, i was supported in my teaching ability especially for text and compose 3. r4 it helps me understand the kinds of essay and how to develop them 4. r 6 not only support the professions, but in this modern era i learn how to use such passive and active english communication is common practice 5. r7 as an english language teacher in high school, writing iii course is very helpful for me in giving examples of good writing in english 6. r 8 use as a learning material 7. r 9 able to improve my competence as a teacher 8. r 10 support the teaching and learning activities in schools 9. r 11 this course can help me to have better understanding about the characteristics and components of writing 10. r 17 for the development of the profession of teachers, then make the essay a means to develop the talent of writing and developing ideas. in a service, the users’ satisfaction becomes the main goal to be achieved. in this study the researcher also looked at the participants’ satisfaction with the tuton of pbis4313/writing iii course as a whole. here is an overview of the survey results. figure 8. learners’ opinions about their satisfaction with the tuton of pbis4313/writing iii course the survey results showed that most participants were satisfied with the tuton service in this course that is as much as 86.67% and only 13.33% who expressed dissatisfaction with the tuton service they have followed. in this section, the researcher gives a recommendation, suggestion, and feedback column about the participants’ reasons of being satisfied with the tuton of pbis4313/writing iii course as described in the following table. table 2. learners’ comments and recommendations in relation to pbis4313/writing iii course no respondents explanations 1. r 1 it's pretty good english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 2, june 2018 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 137 2. r 2 yes, because there is a guide in the form of material and material analysis 3. r 6 because i can find out how the arrangement of the writing and pronunciation of english which is good and correct 4. r 7 i am very satisfied with the material given in tuton writing iii especially on the material in the form of video because the material can be delivered properly 5. r 8 should be presented more communicatively 6. r 10 more lectures should be given 7. r 11 sometimes i do not understand the material presented 8. r 17 materials composed starting from writing i should be sustained and starting at a simple stage since vocabulary constraints are a classic problem for beginners based on the results of the survey, there are some important things related to the presentation of teaching materials and online tutorials in the tuton of pbis4313/writing iii. re-examining the theoretical studies discussed earlier that the process of selecting instructional materials should be tailored to the needs of the learners as well as the learning objectives, has resulted in several criteria that the instructor has fulfilled. one of the important items that has been implemented is the selection of topics on the tuton that match the material discussed so that learners can gain a meaningful learning experience. the responses of the participants are good and they are active in responding and interacting with both the tutor and the learners themselves. in the beginning, learners had difficulties in understanding the teaching materials they obtained, but they were greatly helped by the tuton support services. it is shown by their satisfaction statement in which over 60% of the respondents stated that they were very satisfied and felt very supported in understanding the teaching materials with the tuton service. in addition to the selection of topics, the types of essays raised in the tuton also has described the ability of tutors in determining the material in accordance with the needs of learners. however, there are several forms of essays that need to be replaced for learners’ learning outcomes to be more meaningful. reviewing the survey results from the constructivism approach points of view, the participants have implied their experiences of practicing this approach though it was not optimum. this can be determined from their opinions about their interests in being able to express their opinions, ideas, knowledge, and even share experiences with tutors and other participants. through the discussion forum or other online facilities, there is an opportunity for learners to collaborate with other participants if needed. thus, the learners have an opportunity to build their own knowledge. furthermore, the discussion on the assigned tasks have represented a constructivism approach in which tutors are not limited to asking questions to answer, but rather on assigning tasks to learners to produce their own writing through the construction of their ideas or knowledge. the disadvantage found in this process is the lack of opportunity for participants to receive feedbacks from the tutor for the improvement of his/her writing. conclusion it is important for educators to evaluate some aspects of the teaching and learning, including the materials, the strategies, as well as the assessments, by conducting a learner need analysis. this paper has delivered the result of a study in order to obtain some information about the learners’ perceptions about the materials related to writing argumentative essays and the implementation of a constructivism approach in an online writing course. from the overall discussion, it is concluded that some topics be taken as the highest priorities to discuss in a writing course for advanced level learners, i.e. how to identify some main ideas as well as how to develop them into a good argumentative essay by considering some appropriate writing aspects in its process. moreover, there is a possibility to offer a collaborative writing technique in an online writing course. this lidwina sri ardiasih, emzir, & yumna rasyid implementing constructivism approach in online writing course: learners’ need analysis 138 technique is the embodiment of the constructivism approach in which the learners can build their own knowledge about the subject based on the prior knowledge, learning experiences, as well as the new knowledge they get from the learning process. therefore, it is another challenge for a language instructor to create an online course by applying a constructivism approach, particularly the online collaborative writing technique, in order to enhance the learners’ writing skills. references badger, r., & white, g. (2000). a process genre approach to teaching writing. english language teaching journal, 54(2), 153-160. doi: 0.1093/elt/54.2.153. barkley, e. f., cross, k. p., & major, c. h. (2005). collaborative learning techniques. san fransisco: jossey-bass. brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. new york: pearson education inc. knapp, p., & watkins, m. (2005). genre, text, grammar: technologies for teaching and assessing writing. sidney: university of new south wales. mason, r., & rennie, f. (2006). e-learning: the key concepts. new york: routledge. oshima, a., & hogue, a. (1999). writing academic english (3rd ed.). usa: addison-wesley publishing company. renkema, j. (1993). discourse studies: an introductory textbook. amsterdam: john benjamins publishing co. richardson, v. (1997). constructivist teacher education: building a world of new understandings. london: falmer press. simonson, m., smaldino, s., & svacek, s. m. (2012). teaching and learning at a distance: foundations of distance education. boston: pearson education inc. wang, p. (2011). constructivism and learner autonomy in foreign language teaching and learning: to what extent does theory inform practice. theory and practice in language studies, 1(3), 273-277. doi: 10.4304/tpls.1.3.273-277 . zuhairi, a., adnan, i., & thaib, d. (2007). provision of student learning support services in a large-scale distance education system at universitas terbuka, indonesia. turkish online journal of distance education-tojde, 8(4), 44-64. english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee rape cases: genre and rhetorical analysis of controversial malaysian legal judgements maya khemlani david university of malaya, malaysia email: mayadavid@yahoo.com neda saeipoor university of malaya, malaysia email: nsaeipour@yahoo.com mumtaz ali university of karachi, pakistan e-mail: mumtaz.human@gmail.com apa citation: david, m. k., saeipoor, n., & ali, m. (2016). rape cases: genre and rhetorical analysis of controversial malaysian legal judgement. english review: journal of english education, 5(1), 71-78 received: 03-10-2016 accepted: 08-11-2016 published: 01-12-2016 abstract: kachru and smith (2008) emphasize that effectual communication in the context in which different varieties of world english are used, entails awareness of the varieties in use and their cultural, social, and ideational functions. court reports by malaysian judges are part of legal documents, which may be considered as a genre. investigating the linguistic details of these reports may be helpful in understanding the argumentative and persuasive strategies used in these judgments. the issue of rape and justice is an important concern in society. the aim of this study is to investigate malaysian judgment reports in the english language on rape cases from a linguistic perspective. specifically, the aim of the study is to identify court of appeal judgment reports of rape cases as a genre and to identify the moves used in this genre. the moves within the genre were identified by studying two controversial reports which showed that the judgments might suffer from relying on pathos argumentation in one critical move. keywords: language, law, legal, judgment, malaysia and courts introduction the literature on language and the law is replete with references to the central importance of language in the legal process. given the close relationship between language and law, it is not surprising that both lawyers and applied linguists have devoted considerable time and energy to the description of legal texts and associated legal literacy practices (hafner, 2010). according to richards, gillespie, & smith (2014) in most cases‘law enforcement officers are often first responders and are most likely to provide news media with a description of the crime’. the present study seeks to utilize interconnecting bridges between language and law in order to reveal the fundamental moves in this professional genre in the courts of appeal in malaysia with a focus on rape cases. the legal support in interpreting the rape cases is important (barnes & stringer, 2014). in a paper on blame attribution in rape cases finch and munro (2005) said 71 mailto:mayadavid@yahoo.com mailto:nsaeipour@yahoo.com maya khemlani david, neda saeipoor, & mumtaz ali rape cases: genre and rhetorical analysis of controversial malaysian legal judgements that the merger of provision of statutory and common law are criticized as illequipped to deal with the intricacies of modern sexual (mis) behavior. while bentham and other scholars such as wittgenstein looked at the relationship between language and law from a philosophical and even political point of view, other scholars have sought to address other levels of relationship between language and law. castero (1991) for instance studied criminal appeal cases in the philippines and attempted to establish the appeal case as a unique genre in itself. he applied bhatia’s model and concluded that the arrangements of the different moves of a legal case are structured and the sequence in which they occur are shaped by shared conventions. in malaysia, interdisciplinary work on linguistics and law is a relatively new area of study. a few malaysian scholars have selected malaysian courts to study different aspects of language and its interrelations with law in general and court reports in particular. several comprehensive studies have examined the linguistic aspects of court interactions and documents from different perspectives. for example, zubaidah ibrahim (2002) studied the adequacy of interpreting services and the effectiveness of the malaysian judicial system in providing such services in courts by exploring roles and expectations. she questions the insufficiency of interpreting systems, which affect the quality of judicial process, and secondly absence of proper supervision which adversely affects the reliability of the system. other studies including nadzimah's (2008) have looked at language choice and use among practitioners who deal with justice and order through the language of law. another example of such linguistic/law interdisciplinary research in malaysia is noraini (2007) who studied proceedings in the criminal courts of kuala lumpur. her study looks at the issue of chosen language, specifically those other than bahasa malaysia (malay language). the language act of malaysia asserts that bahasa malaysia is the medium of national communication and is used in all government departments. at the turning point of the millennium, the malaysian government decided to establish “a full-fledged ministry that demonstrates the government’s commitment to raise the status of women in this country”, first called as “the ministry of women's affairs" the ministry of women, family and community development has since been aiming for empowerment of women, promoting gender equality and securing women’s rights by setting strategies for related department and organizations as well as carrying out short and long term projects in order to enhance the situation of women. among different aspects of women and children issues, the phenomenon of rape can be considered as one of the most crucial and widespread problems worldwide and malaysia is not an exception. the matter is not only limited to the rights of women but the public health and psychological problems for women are related with domestic violence and rape (richards, gillespie, smith, 2014). according to the 2005 annual report of malaysian government to the united nations asia and far east institute for the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders (unafei), regarding the issue of rape in malaysia, most of the abused, suffer in silence because they are not aware of the law and their rights and potential available 72 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee protections (unafei, 2005). according to women aid organization (wao) and based on royal police data, rape cases increased by more than 100% between 2000 and 2012. the present study seeks to shed light at a darker corner of women’s status in malaysia by looking at the rape cases from a linguistic point of view, in order to unearth the fundamental arguments in the reports of judges in rape cases. the significance of this issue is emphasized by the social and public interest devoted to the subject in social public media both online and offline. malaysian public’s awareness about rape cases, judgments on rape cases and the judicial system rules and regulations with regard to rape is reflected in the media in the form of protests, petitions and articles in newspapers, blogs, forums and online social networks. there is no known work on the generic structure of malaysian rape appeal case reports, which may be used by law students, lawyers, and judges as a source of information or reference. providing a clear picture of underlying steps in these reports might be helpful for law students and practitioners. different linguistic theories have been used to study written and oral legal discourses. interdisciplinary studies in law and linguistics have approached legal discourse using various methods and theories such as discourse analysis, critical discourse analysis, rhetoric arguments, speech act theory, politeness theories, etc. considering our data and objectives we have decided to use a genre analysis approach to analyze rape case judgment reports of the court of appeal in malaysia. the framework for genre analysis used in this study is now presented. one of the basic concepts in genre analysis is the discourse community, which according to swales (1990) is a discourse in a community who shares a common public goal and has an intercommunication system and mechanism. discourse community has its own discoursal conventions, thus genre can be considered as communicative events by members of a discourse community, which is conventionalized through some explicit or implicit principles. some of the comprehensive works in this area that studied moves and steps in a genre include swales’ work (1990) on introduction to research articles that creates the cars model, bhatia’s work (1993) on sales promotion letters, and bunton’s study (2005) on phd thesis genre. bhatia (1991) and candlin (2003) have published on professional genre especially in legal discourse. bhatia (1997) explains the multidisciplinary nature of the generic framework and states genre analysis is “the study of situated linguistic behavior in institutionalized academic or professional settings”. earlier martin (1984) sought to describe rhetorical action in discourse. regardless of field of study, genre analysis is an academic approach to decipher the structural approaches of a known discourse and to unearth the underlying strategies of a discourse to achieve a certain goal through the realm of language. judges’ stance can affect the nature and formulation of their judgment. this can lead to variation in judgments, a consequence of which may be risk of a loss of trust. the particular stance taken by judges in their arguments is linguistically manifested in judgment reports. analyzing these legal reports from a genre perspective may serve to 73 maya khemlani david, neda saeipoor, & mumtaz ali rape cases: genre and rhetorical analysis of controversial malaysian legal judgements provide useful information on such variation and thereby enable the avoidance of social risk and the building of trust. mazzi (2007) conducted a multinational genre analysis, comparing european communities, uk and ireland. he reinforces the linguistic component of the analysis of legal on the argumentative discourse of judicial decisions by combining the perspectives of genre and corpus analysis. his focus is on the generic structure of the judgments concentrating on the more argumentative move of it, i.e. arguing the case. la free, as far back as 1980 said that response on reaction toward rape seemed flawed by theoretical and methodological problems that have prevented a reliable determinants assessment (la free, 1980). the analysis by mazzi (2007) was carried out on a small corpus of 40 judgments, 20 of which were delivered by the court of justice of the european communities, and ten by the house of lords (uk) and irelands's supreme court respectively. the corpus amounted to 425,502 words, and was designed according to two basic criteria: first of all, three courts of last instance were chosen, in order to ensure the homogeneity of corpus data and at the same time provide for a comparative framework provided by the inevitable differences among jurisdictions (european, english and irish) and legal systems (ec v. common law). the small corpus was randomly drawn from a larger reference corpus of 221 judgments (1,646,502 words) that had previously been created along the same guidelines. bhatia's model was taken as a standard reference, in order to re-construct the generic structure of the three types of judgments included in the corpus. the careful reading of all corpus texts revealed that english and irish judgments share the generic structure reported below: • identifying the case • establishing facts of the case • arguing the case • stating history of the case • identifying the conflict of categorization • presenting arguments • deriving ratio decidendi • pronouncing judgment this structure is close to bhatia's model in that it also features the four main moves identifying the case, establishing facts of the case, arguing the case and pronouncing judgment. however, it distances itself from it, since arguing the case is sub-divided into four rather than three sub-moves. when identifying the conflict of categorization it may be anticipated that through that move the judge explicitly acknowledges his categorization of the facts of the case, i.e. his interpretation of them under the appropriate predetermined legal category (e.g. murder v. manslaughter), and this may clash with an alternative categorization proposed by other subjects such as the representatives of a party in the dispute, another judge of the same bench or another court of the jurisdiction. on the other hand, ec judgments appear to be characterized by the slightly different generic structure reproduced below: • identifying the case • identifying the scope of proceedings before the court • retrieving relevant community and/or national legislation • stating history of the case • arguing the case • arguments of the parties • arguments of the court 74 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee • settling costs • pronouncing judgment even if european judgments are on an average shorter than english and irish ones, they are nonetheless articulated into more moves. for instance, a section of judgments is devoted to the identification of the scope of proceedings before the court in terms of: when did who bring what action against whom, and before judgment is pronounced, the court decides who is to bear costs. moreover, a peculiarity of european judgments lies in the courts accurate retrieval of relevant legislation at both a community and a member state level: this move is all the more important when the dispute is considered to center on an alleged incompatibility between ec law and national legislations. in addition, it is noteworthy that arguing the case is realized more briefly than in english and irish judgments, because it is limited to a summary of the parties opposed lines of argument followed by the court's own argumentation. english/irish and ec judgments both belong to the judicial genre, because they are both governed by the “discourse community” (swales, 1990, p. 9) of judges, whose communicative purpose is to settle a dispute by presenting wellfounded arguments in support of a judicial conclusion through which a number of more or less controversial facts are interpreted within the framework of a valid legal order. method the purpose of this study was to reveal fundamental contributing segments of language in court reports in the courts of appeal in malaysia with a focus on rape cases. considering the unique nature of the court of appeal judgment reports genre analysis was selected as a suitable technique to analyze the data. judgment reports can be defined as a genre based on bhatia (1997, p. 205) who defines genre as “the study of situated linguistic behavior in institutionalized academic or professional settings.” the reports in this study are analyzed based on bhatia’s seven steps for genre analysis: 1. determine the situational context 2. survey literature 3. refining the contextual analysis • speaker/writer and hearer/audience • history of discourse community • network of texts • subject/topic 4. select corpus 5. study how the genre is used 6. choose focal level for analysis • lexico-grammatical features • textualization (text-patterning) • structural analysis • cognitive move structure’ (focus on purpose) 7. get opinions of specialist informants objectives of the present study include: identifying the genre moves in court of appeal judgment reports in two controversial rape cases and identifying the rhetorical arguments in different moves in these judgments. based on lexisnexis database (online authoritative sources (which are relied upon by legal professionals) such as halsbury's laws of malaysia, malaysian precedents and forms, atkin's court forms malaysia, etc.) we accessed 242 judgment reports related to rape cases from different criminal courts in east and west malaysia. 103 cases concerning rape and murder were excluded because the victim was killed .the cases in the malay language from the “mahkamah” (religious) courts were also excluded. we focused 75 maya khemlani david, neda saeipoor, & mumtaz ali rape cases: genre and rhetorical analysis of controversial malaysian legal judgements on statutory rape cases (n= 102) and two 2 controversial cases were selected for analysis. results and discussion a total of 313 cases of rape were judged between 1963 and 2012. out of these documented cases the ones including other offences like murder, defamation, outraging modesty and other unrelated cases were deleted and 112 homogenous rape cases were collected and studied as a genre to find the general moves as well as submoves within them. five moves were distinguished to be common in all the reports: preambles, body of the case, appeal explanation, arguing the case and final sentence. these moves and their relevant sub-moves are classified below: 1. preambles • name of the alleged rapist • name of the court • name of attorney • identification number • date • summary of the nature of the case • particular to the case or their representatives o from the appellant, plaintiff o from the respondent, defendant o judge’s name 2. body of the case • explanation about the case history of the case • previous court’s judgment • grounds of last court’s sentence • scenario of the rape 3. explaining the appeal • appellant reasons 4. arguing the case • referring to other cases • referring to existing evidence o medical tests o extract of testimonies o reasons • wrapping up the reasons (conclusion) 5. final sentence • declaration of allowing or dismissing the appeal • (name of the reporter) the last part of the reports is declaration of the final sentence including the enhancement or mitigation of the sentence as well as restating whether the appeal has been allowed or dismissed. rhetorical analysis rhetorical analysis is an attempt to categorize the different aspects of the argumentation of the creator of an utterance. the argumentations are grouped in three major categories: 1. ethos (ethical appeal): writer’s credibility/qualifications to justify the argument made. 2. logos (logical appeal): the occasions where the judge mentions reasons and evidences in his argument. 3. pathos (pathetic appeal): tries to make use of the audience’s emotions for persuading the audience to attain approval, for instance creating sympathy or antagonism. accountability, expertise and professionalism are the basic elements of efficient and reliable investigations and judgments (fahsing & ask, 2015). according to sagana, sauerland & merckelbach (2015) critical legal practices create complications in decision-making processes. the moves and sub-moves were similar in both cases. the rhetorical arguments were 76 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee used only in the move named “arguing the case”. the analysis of the reports showed the tendency of the judges towards “pathos” backed with “ethos” emphasizing on the emotional aspects to raise the audience’s sympathy to approve the judgment. the judges also emphasized their authority to justify the sentence. “logos” on the other hand is used only in 2 or 3 sections in each report. the rhetorical argument pattern in the “arguing the case” move may help professionals avoid the risk of the effect of personal and emotional views. this can cost a loss of trust in the judicial system. the selected data was analyzed based on the above frameworks. there is a profound use of pathos. this argument is used several times to arose the audience’s sympathy and justify the sentence especially in the controversial cases in which the judges have shown a greater tendency to victimize the victim and make her share some of the responsibility for the occurrence of the crime and in this way explain the reduced sentence on the alleged rapist. this attitude is justified by drawing the audience’s attention to emotional aspects of the case more than the logical aspects. both cases show a fair amount of the use of pathos as a rhetorical device. conclusion bhatia (2008) argues that studies of professional genres and professional practices complement each other, in that they not only influence each other but also are often co-constructed in specific professional contexts. he emphasizes the function of interdiscursivity in critical genre analysis by drawing examples from a range of professional contexts for a shift towards an integration of discursive and professional practices. this view of professional discourse would account for and, to a large degree, integrate professional discourse and professional practice into a single framework. the moves and sub-moves were similar in the cases studied, allowing us to call the judgment reports of court of appeal for rape cases in malaysia “a genre” which law professionals and their audience use and understand. the rhetorical arguments were used only in the move named “arguing the case”. the analysis of the reports showed the tendency of the judges in these two controversial cases to move more towards “pathos” thus emphasizing the emotional aspects of the case and in this way logically explain the reduced sentence on the alleged rapists. references barnes, s. l., & stringer, e. c. (2014). is motherhood important? imprisoned women’s maternal experiences before and during confinement and their postrelease expectations. feminist criminology, 9 (1), pp. 3-23. bhatia, vijay k. (1997). translating legal genres. in: a. trosborg, ed. text typology and translation, amsterdam/philadelphia: john benjamin publishing company. (n.d.). retrieved november 23, 2013, from ministry of women, family and community development: http://www.kpwkm.g ov.my/latar-belakang bunton, d. (2005). the structure of phd conclusion chapters. journal of english for specific purposes, 4, pp. 207-224. christoph a., & hafner. (2010). a multiperspective genre analysis of the barrister's opinion: writing context, generic structure, and textualization written communication 27, pp. 410. http://wcx.sagepub.com/content/27/ 4/410. 77 http://www.kpwkm.gov.my/latar-belakang http://www.kpwkm.gov.my/latar-belakang http://wcx.sagepub.com/content/27/4/410 http://wcx.sagepub.com/content/27/4/410 maya khemlani david, neda saeipoor, & mumtaz ali rape cases: genre and rhetorical analysis of controversial malaysian legal judgements fahsing, i., & ask, k. (2015). the making of an expert detective: the role of experience in english and norwegian police officers’ investigative decisionmaking. psychology, crime & law, pp. 1-21. finch, e., & munro, v. e. (2005). juror stereotypes and blame attribution in rape cases involving intoxicants the findings of a pilot study. british journal of criminology, 45(1), pp. 25-38. kachru, y. & smith, l. e. (2008) cultures, contexts, and world englishes. routledge. new york, london. la free, g. d. (1980). variables affecting guilty pleas and convictions in rape cases: toward a social theory of rape processing. social forces, 58(3). mellinkoff, d. (1963). the language of the law. little brown and co. sleney, j., clarke, a., & moran ellis, j. (2002). attitudes to date rape and relationship rape: a qualitative study. united nations asia and far east institute for the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders. (n.d.). retrieved october 25, 2013, from unafei: http://www.unafei.or.jp/english/pdf /rs_no69/no69_15pa_jonit.pdf richards, t. n., gillespie, l. k. & smith, m. d. (2014). an examination of the media portrayal of femicide–suicides: an exploratory frame analysis. feminist criminology, 9 (1). pp. 24-44. sagana, a., sauerland, m., & merckelbach, h. (2015). the effect of choice reversals on blindness for identification decisions. psychology, crime & law, (just-accepted), pp. 1-25. swales, j. (1990). genre analysis: english in academic and research settings. cambridge: cambridge. up. yamuna kachru, y. & nelson, c. l. (2006). world englishes in asian contexts. hong kong university press. yan, l. s., chin abdullah, m., ju lin, o., & peck lin, w. (2002). an overview of rape in malaysia. strategic info research development. 78 http://www.unafei.or.jp/english/pdf/rs_no69/no69_15pa_jonit.pdf http://www.unafei.or.jp/english/pdf/rs_no69/no69_15pa_jonit.pdf teachers’ perceptions on the use of ict in indonesian efl learning context sophia fithri al-munawwarah teachers’ perceptions on the use of ict in indonesian efl learning context teachers’ perceptions on the use of ict in indonesian efl learning context sophia fithri al-munawwarah department of english education, indonesia university of education, indonesia email: sophiafithri@yahoo.co.id apa citation: al-munawwarah, s. f. (2014). teachers’ perceptions on the use of ict in indonesian efl learning context. english review: journal of english education, 3(1), 70-80 received: 12-10-2014 accepted: 25-10-2014 published: 01-12-2014 abstract: this study aims to investigate teachers’ perceptions towards the implementation of ict in efl teaching and learning process. the present study applied descriptive qualitative method, and the data were collected through open-ended questionnaire and interview to gain relevant data. the results of the present study were in line with the previous findings from the studies conducted by park & son (2009); barnawi (2009); and others. the research findings of the present study discovered that there were three benefits of using ict in english teaching and learning process; namely, helping the teachers to conduct interesting and enjoyable learning activities, promoting learner autonomy, and motivating the students to learn. the present study also reveals some challenges encountered by the teachers in using ict in efl classes and strategies to overcome the challenges. overall, the teachers’ perceptions towards the utilization of ict in english teaching were positive. thus, it is recommended to use ict in english teaching and learning process. keywords: english language teaching, ict, teachers’ perceptions. introduction it is logical to say that the development of information and communication technologies (abbreviated into icts) influence all educational fields. the internet, especially, has become a useful tool as the greatest source of information for students to learn (harmer, 2007b). in relation to this, it is noted that the utilization of ict in education has a positive impact on the learning environment, particularly in primary and secondary education (mikre, 2011). by using ict, we can increase the quality of learning process (davies, 1997) in kandasami & shah (2013). in addition, it pointed out that actually efl teachers may design learning activities without supplementary materials, nevertheless, it is important to bear in mind that much of the richness of language instructions can be designed by using supplementary materials including icts (brown, 2001). moreover, in all educational fields, there is a common belief that ict has important contributions in teaching practices, school innovations, and community services (lee, 2007; mikre, 2011). in english language teaching, particularly in efl and esl context, it has been noted that the implementation of ict in the teaching and learning process has been increasingly growing (suherdi, 2012 & romero, 2008). it is in line with kandasami & shah (2013) that research findings over the past 20 years english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee show some evidences of the positive effect of ict in students learning. in other words, it is probably safe to say that the benefits of the implementation of ict, especially in esl/efl context are undeniable. nevertheless, it is still rare for schools in indonesia to use ict particularly in english language teaching (unesco bangkok, 2008; suherdi, 2012). in fact, according to curriculum 2013, ict is an essential component that should be integrated in each subject including english especially in secondary education. due to the demand of incorporating ict for each subject in educational curriculum, it can be assumed that it is crucial for teachers to use ict in teaching and learning process in order to help students to gain high quality of english. to do this, english teacher should be able to utilize ict and be accustomed to search and manage ict-based resources. according to atkins and vasu (2000) in park & son (2009), teachers perceptions have a crucial influence on the use of ict in english language teaching (elt). as pointed out by dexter, anderson & becker (1999) in kizil (2011) that teachers’ perceptions of the advantages of utilizing ict for language teaching influence teachers’ decisions regarding the use of ict. similarly, kim (2002) cited in park & son (2009) states that important factors influencing successful integration of ict into english language teaching are associated with teachers’ attitudes and perceptions. in relation to this, some teachers may be happy and confident to employ ict in elt, and others may be reluctant, and somemay be even refuse to learn it (suherdi, 2012). however, eugine (2006) as cited in dashtestani (2012) affirms that there is a discrepancy between teachers’ attitudes and beliefs and their real implementation of technology in their classes. in other words, it is assumed that a positive attitude toward ict does not guarantee that teachers can utilize ict in the classroom (egbert, paulus, and nakamichi, 2002) cited in mollaei and riasati (2013). it is probably due to some factors that may prevent teachers in implementing ict. in addition, great deals of research had been conducted to seek teachers’ perceptions towards the implementation of ict in english language teaching, including the benefits and factors that may inhibit the teachers to use ict. in english as foreign language context, a study conducted by barnawi (2009) to college teachers of yanbu industrial college in saudi arabia reports teachers’ positive attitudes and willingness of the use of ict in english language teaching. besides, the study particularly shows teachers’ attitudes toward the use of internet as a wonderful and rich source of information for learning english. seeing the teachers’ positive attitudes of the use of ict in english teaching particularly in efl context, this study tries to investigate teachers’ perception in indonesian context. different from barnawi’s research which focused on college teachers, this study is intended to focus on vocational teachers’ perception. the scope of this study exposed the vocational teachers’ perception toward the use of ict in english language teaching and learning process. this study tries to investigate: what are the teachers’ perceptions on the use of ict in efl teaching and learning process? what kind of ict that teachers use in their efl classes? what are the benefits that efl teachers find in utilizing ict in efl teaching and sophia fithri al-munawwarah teachers’ perceptions on the use of ict in indonesian efl learning context learning process? what are the challenges encountered by the teachers in using ict in efl classes? how do the teachers overcome the challenges? this study limits its investigation on the teachers’ perceptions of the use of information and communication technology in english language teaching and learning process in one of vocational schools in bandung. the concern is within the context of using ict in english as foreign language teaching. besides, it is expected to provide theoretical, practical and professional benefits. in terms of theoretical benefit, the research findings can be used to enrich theories in efl teaching. besides, in terms of practical benefits, it is expected to provide advantages to the development of teaching and learning english in indonesia. these research findings particularly are expected to be useful for teachers and the implementation of ict in english language teaching. moreover, the use of ict in english language teaching is expected to give benefits for teaching english within the context of english as a foreign language. in other words, it is expected that the research can give valuable input for efl teaching and learning process. besides, it is hoped that teachers’ perceptions toward the use of ict may contribute to the success of the implementation of ict in english classes. method this study was designed to seek teachers’ perception towards the use of information and communication technology (ict) in english language teaching and learning process in one of vocational schools in bandung. the present study applied qualitative research design taking on characteristics of descriptive study. it is commonly used to describe an experience or event that happens in reality as completely as possible (sandelowski, 2000). furthermore, this study has similar characteristics to a qualitative method because of two reasons. firstly, it attempted to focus on participants’ perspectives. as stated by mcmillan and schumacher (2010) that qualitative can be used to reconstruct reality based on participants’ point of view. secondly, since the data in this study gathered in open-ended questionnaire and in the interview session which were in the forms of words, this research design was an appropriate approach. it is in line with creswell (2003) that in qualitative design, the nature of data are in the forms of words. the present study was undertaken at one of public vocational schools in bandung. the participants were four efl teachers out of six who were available to get involved in interview session. their teaching experience ranged from two years to seven years. meanwhile, it was investigated that their experiences in employing ict for teaching-related purposes range from two years to five years. actually, there were six english teachers who taught efl in the school. however, since the other two had a duty outside the school for one semester, it was impossible to ask them to participate in this study. in addition, the school was selected for two considerations. first, the school is provided with good quality of ict so that it enabled the teachers to utilize ict-based resources for teaching and learning process. second, the school was accessible easily. third, it was also feasible for researcher to negotiate with the object of the study. it is in line with alwasilah (2011) that it is important for english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee researcher to establish rapport with participants and site before conducting the study. the data collection techniques employed in this study were openended questionnaire and interview. first, an open-ended questionnaire designed to elicit teachers’ perceptions of the use of ict in efl classes. it was administered to all participants. second, to obtain further information related to the research question, semi-structured interview was conducted. before conducting the interview, the interviewees had been informed about the objective of this study. each interview lasted for about 20 minutes. as affirmed by calabreses (2006) and silverman (2006) cited in emilia (2009: 198) that ‘triangulation, especially in qualitative study can enhance validity and “trustworthiness” of the research.’ furthermore, each technique in collecting the data will be described below. the first data collection technique was distributing the questionnaire to the teachers. the questionnaire consisted of 15 open-ended items in order to investigate participants’ background information and experience of the use of ict. besides, it is also aimed to elicit teachers’ opinions toward the use of ict in teaching and learning process, including preferences for utilizing ict in the classroom. all participants were asked to answer the following questions in their own words. it is in line with brown (2009) that open-response questionnaire items call for the participants to answer the questions in their own words. the time and place to conduct this session was administered to be comfortable for the teachers. to obtain further information related to the research question and to ensure that the data obtained were accurate, the interview was conducted to all of participants. the interview was carried out from october 24, 2013 to october 25, 2013. it was applied to gain in-depth information which could not accessible from questionnaire (alwasilah, 2011). the interview applied in this study was semi structured interview since it was guided by a list of questions (merriam, 1988). the interview was provided after the questionnaire was administered. it was delivered in bahasa indonesia to make the participants easier to answer the questions and to avoid misunderstanding. during the interview, the participants were allowed to ask for clarification when they found any questions that confused them. the time of interview was organized to be comfortable for the teachers to participate in this session. the interview was purposed to obtain more individual and personal experiences from the participants. after all the data were obtained, they were analyzed by descriptive qualitative analysis. in order to gain valid and reliable data, the triangulation was needed (gall and borg, 2003). the data were analyzed and interpreted based on the information from the questionnaire and the interview. the analysis from each instrument will be presented in a form of descriptive explanation. as stated by miles and huberman (1984: 54) that “in analyzing data of qualitative research, the analysis is done chiefly with words, not with numbers.” furthermore, the researcher analyzed the data based on several steps stated by miles and huberman (1984), i.e.: transcribing the data, reading through all the data, coding the data, organizing categorization and generating sophia fithri al-munawwarah teachers’ perceptions on the use of ict in indonesian efl learning context themes, and analyzing and interpreting the data based on certain criteria. after collecting the data from questionnaire, they were analyzed to discover patterns that were revealing and interesting. this process involved coding, analyzing and interpreting the data. it is in accordance with brown (2009) that the process to organize and interpret data from questionnaire involving coding, analyzing, and interpreting the data. in addition, in coding the data, researcher got the data down on paper to enable the researcher analyzed the data easily. to clarify, the interviews were conducted to the english teachers. the analysis began with replaying the interview recording. then, the researcher transcribed the interview. it was done in order to explore the general sense of the data (creswell, 2010). in analyzing the data, the researcher read the overall transcribed data so that the data can be coded then categorized. as stated by alwasilah (2011) that there are some advantages of coding the data, which are: (1) it can assist the researcher to simplify phenomenon which is being investigated, (2) it may help the researcher to seek the frequent of phenomenon emerging, (3) it can assist researcher to see the tendency of the findings, (4) it can also help the researcher to organize the categorizations and sub-categorization of the findings. in coding the data, the researcher categorized the data based on the research questions. after that, the data were interpreted into some main issues according to the research questions. results anddiscussion this section provides the findings and discussion of the data. the data are presented based on the research questions and data collection instruments. to obtain the data regarding the types of ict utilized by the teachers in teaching english, open-ended questionnaire was conducted. in this procedure, all of the respondents mentioned a few types of ict. in the meantime, the interview also administered in order to gain in depth information. to begin with, based on the data obtained from the questionnaire, the teachers which comprised t1, t2, t3, and t4 utilized several varieties of ict including software and hardware. according to the data from questionnaire, all of the respondents utilized computer, internet, and web browser to find appropriate materials from on-line websites including written materials and videos, and they also use in-focus to assist them to teach. besides, all of the teachers also selected video by using web browser as one of ict-based resources to be tailored into their teaching and learning process. meanwhile, t4 also applied dyned as one of classroom blended english language learning program that can be conducted in language laboratory. these data from questionnaire was also affirmed by teachers statements in interview session conducted in l1. one of the teachers said: “ i usually use video especially for teaching speaking and listening” and “...besides, sometimes, i ask the students to find other text from online website, for example to find news item, before ask them to make their own text...). another statement can be found from t2. she said that she employed computer, in-focus and authentic materials, such as newspaper articles, brochures, and songs, which are taken from online websites. she uttered, ”i english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee usually use online website to find the materials related to the topic being discussed, such as articles, brochures, pictures and also video... and “…computer and in-focus to present the materials in the classroom... similarly, t3 also stated that she utilized ict to help her in conducting teaching and learning process. she stated, “i used that facility (ict). for example, such as video, and also monologue. sometimes, we do the exercises on the worksheets taken from online website, article, brochure, like that. and also, i often use computer and in-focus). moreover, t3 claimed that the use of ict enabled her to transfer the materials easily since there were various examples related to the materials given. on the other hand, according to the data obtained from questionnaire and interview, t4 utilized various types of ict than others. she used computer, projector, internet connection, web browser to find downloadable video, and also dyned as one of learning management systems. in interview session, the t4 said that she used dyned once a month in each class. overall, the data obtained from the questionnaire and interview can be seen in this following table: table 1. types of information and communication technology (ict) used by the teachers in teaching english teachers data from the questionnaire data from the interview t1 hardware: computer and data/video projector. software: web browser to search downloadable videos. computer, internet, web browser to find written materials from online websites, and in-focus. t2 hardware: computer and data/video projector. software: web browser to find authentic resources. computer, internet, web browser to seek materials from online website, and projector. t3 hardware: computer and data/video projector. software: web browser computer, internet, web-browser to find written materials from online website, projector. t4 hardware: computer, headphones, and data/video projector. software: web-browser and dynet program. computer, internet, web-browser to seek written materials from online website, ebook reader, dyned, projector. from those findings, it shows that all of the english teachers believed that information and communication technology (ict) is a useful tool to help them in conducting teaching and learning process. based on the data gained from the questionnaire and the interview, there were three benefits of using ict in english teaching and learning process; namely, helping the teachers to conduct interesting and enjoyable learning activities, promoting learner autonomy, and motivating the students to learn. further explanation of each benefit is presented below. helping teachers to conduct interesting and enjoyable learning activities from the data obtained from questionnaire, all of the teachers claimed that the use of technology could assist them to conduct teaching and learning process. moreover, they argued that ict is very useful to engage students to learn. for instance, one of the teachers admitted that “by integrating technology into teaching, it helps me to give example and design interesting teaching materials”. in addition, based on the data obtained from the interview, all of the sophia fithri al-munawwarah teachers’ perceptions on the use of ict in indonesian efl learning context teachers stated that they felt comfortable using technology in order to find and conduct interesting and enjoyable learning activities. t2 explained that the use of technology in efl class is very beneficial. t2 said , “of course it is beneficial. i personally think that it make teacher more creative since internet help the teacher to be more creative to develop learning activities, and the teaching and learning indicators can be developed by the teacher. in addition, it can also be beneficial for the students since it make the students did not get bored easily”. meanwhile, t3 explained that the use of ict enabled her to find many interesting sources easily. she argued that the use of ict is helpful since it enabled her to access the materials needed and commonly the materials from online website are more interesting so that it makes students engage in the learning in the classroom. from these data, it can be assumed that by incorporating information and communication technology in english language teaching and learning process helped the teachers to organize interesting and enjoyable learning activities. in addition, the data reveals that all of the teachers commented that since the authentic materials taken from online websites are interesting and creative, the students became not get bored easily. in other words, it indicates that the use of ict in english classes is necessary. promoting learner autonomy according to the teachers’ opinion from the interview session, it indicated that the use of ict promoted learner autonomy since technology enabled students to find various authentic resources and materials from english language websites and to learn by using learning management system such as dyned. t4, in particular, admitted (in l1) that she asked students to find other sources related to the materials given, particularly they were asked to learn from some examples which are appropriate to the materials. she argued: “...for some materials or topics that have not finished yet to be learnt by the students, i ask them to find online materials and learn those materials at home and i also give them homework to attain the learning goal.” furthermore, t3 added that by employing ict, teacher can help the pupils to become more independent. moreover, another teacher also appeared the issue of the use of ict in promoting autonomy. she pointed out that: “students assume that their teacher is like google, they ask many things due to the lack of learning sources. ict particularly online websites can help students to learn independently”. the excerpt above reveals that the use of ict, particularly web-browser may help the teacher to build students awareness to learn by assisting them to seek various resources related to the materials given. in addition, t2 affirmed that although online websites can be regarded as a great source to learn but using unreliable websites could hamper students’ learning. thus, it is necessary for the teacher to guide the students to learn. motivating students to learn according to the questionnaire, the teachers pointed out that the use of ict was beneficial for language teaching process. besides, they also believed that the materials taken from online language websites and language program or learning management system increased students motivation to learn since it english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee provided the students with motivating learning atmosphere to engage in the teaching and learning process. moreover, the teachers affirmed that those values in using ict motivated them to integrate it in their classes. in addition, the finding related to the use of ict in motivating students to learn is also supported by the teachers’ statements from interview. based on the data gained from interview, t2, t3, and t4 argue that by utilizing ict, students seemed to enjoy the learning process enthusiastically. it is as stated by the t3, “...the students seemed enthusiastic if i use video or materials taken from internet which are interesting rather that only using textbook....” in other words, she assumed that the use of ict created the learning activities more appealing for students so that it could motivate them to learn. challenges faced by the teachers in using ict to investigate the challenges encountered by the teachers in applying ict, the researcher employed interview as a tool. based on the data from interview, it was found two challenges faced by the teachers; namely, time allocation and technical problem. time allocation t4 of this study remarked that one of challenges in using ict was time allocation, particularly when she utilized dyned in the learning process. the teacher mentioned a lack of time as a challenge in using ict and admitted that she spent more time to check the program before using it. meanwhile, t2 said that it was necessary to get more time to find appropriate materials and/or modify teaching materials especially for written texts since the level of language used in several authentic materials taken from online websites did not appropriate for her students’ level. she said that: “...materials taken from internet, particularly texts, and the language level of texts should be modified. so, i need time to modify them to the students’ language level so that the texts become readable”. overall, it is clear that time allocation is one of challenged encountered by the teachers in using ict in english classes. technical problems it is revealed that all of the teachers, including t1, t2, t3, and t4, encountered technical problem. the teachers stated that the lack of internet connection in some classes discourage the teachers to utilize internet in their classroom. in addition, t4 admitted that she faced problems in technical support when conducting teaching and learning process in language laboratory due to some headphones, language programs, and computers which were unusable. as reported by t4 that “ ....if i conduct the learning process in laboratory the barrier is technical support, such as there were unusable headphones and computers...” similarly, another teacher confessed that occasionally she faced unexpected situation in the middle of teaching and learning process, such as it because the online language websites could not be used, due to the lack of internet connection. the strategies used by the teachers to overcome the challenges in using ict the present study appeared that all teachers had similar strategies to overcome the challenges in using ict. regarding the time allocation, they preferred to use downloadable materials including videos and prepared those sophia fithri al-munawwarah teachers’ perceptions on the use of ict in indonesian efl learning context materials before conducting teaching and learning process in the classes. likewise, all of teachers also confessed that they often designed powerpoint presentation before entering the classroom. by doing these, they could conduct the learning process more effective. in addition, the results from interview also show that all of the teachers tended to use available materials from textbooks when they encountered problems in utilizing technology. t1, for example, she decided to use worksheet on the textbook or used their own materials to conduct the learning activities when the internet connection did not work well. meanwhile, all of the teachers said that dysfunction of technologies frequently occurred, particularly when using laboratory. as mentioned above, it was happened to t4 who sometimes utilized dyned in language laboratory. to cope with this problem, the teacher was asking for the technician support who was capable to solve that problem. she uttered: “....if there is a technical problem we have technician that can help”. furthermore, the complete transcript of interview can be seen in appendix. overall, it is obvious that the teachers could cope with the problems in using ict in the teaching and learning process. based on the findings of the present study, it is clear that the teachers’ perceptions toward the use of ict in english language teaching, particularly in efl context, were generally positive. it can be seen from the evidence obtained from the questionnaire and interview. the teachers tended to believe that the use of ict in english language teaching was beneficial. generally, the findings of this study concurs with the previous study conducted by park & son (2009); barnawi (2009), prathibha (2010), kaffash et al. (2010), rahimi & yadollahi (2011); mikre (2011), martinez and gillings (2012), dashtestani (2012), bolandifar (2013). as it was mentioned above, it is obvious that by utilizing information and communication technology in english classes may assist the teachers to conduct interesting and enjoyable learning activities. it is in line with lam (2000, cited in park & son (2009) and suherdi (2012) that technology is a useful teaching aid that offers opportunities for better language practice since it can help teacher to design interesting learning activities. in addition, cox (1997) cited in cox, preston, & cok, (2000) adds that one of the factors affecting teachers to use ict is it may help them to design their lessons more interesting and enjoyable. another benefit of ict in english classes found in the present study is that it may promote learner autonomy. as stated by harmer (2007a), it is crucial for teachers to find ways of helping pupils to become more independent. to do this, ict can be an alternative way to promote autonomy. according to the data, the teachers believe that by using ict students would be keen to take responsibility for their own learning especially in doing homework since they can find relevant sources easily. it is in accordance with martinez and gillings (2012) that it would be beneficial for students it they use technology, particularly web-browser to find online language websites which are recommended by the teachers, to assists them to learn independently. moreover, the data also reveals that the use of ict in efl classes motivates students to learn. this finding supports the previous research conducted by english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee bolandifar (2013) and dashtestani (2012) that the use of technology increases students’ motivation to learn better. in addition, it is also found that the students’ motivation increased since the utilization of ict built the learning process more attractive. it is as stated by facer & owen (2004) that teachers tend to apply ict since it may increase students’ motivation to learn languages. overall, the findings show that all of the teachers in the present study considered information and communication technology (ict) as a useful teaching tool. however, according to the data, it was also appeared that there were two challenges encountered by the teachers in utilizing ict, which are: time allocation and technical problem. as mentioned above, it was discovered that one of challenges in using ict was time allocation since the teacher should spent more time to check the program before using it. in relation to this, bolandifar (2013) states that lack of time may affect the utilization of ict. furthermore, mc.clelland (1996) cited in lee (2007) affirms that limited time is a common barrier faced by teachers in incorporating ict into the learning process. in terms of technical problem, it was found that the low bandwidth services inhibit the teachers to use online websites in the classes. this finding supports previous research conducted by lee (2007) and kandashami & shah (2013) that the lack of internet connection prevents the teachers to use ict in the classroom. nevertheless, the data show that the teachers could overcome the challenges faced by them in using ict in the english classrooms. regarding the time limitation, they preferred to use ict, particularly application software in preparing the materials, such as powerpoint presentation and web browser to find downloadable materials, before using it in the classes. it is as stated by park & son (2009) that teachers usually use ict to assist them in designing teaching materials. besides, as mentioned above, another challenge faced by the teachers was technical problem. moreover, it was also mentioned that the teachers asked the technician to help them to cope with technical problem. it is in line with smoekh (2008) in ertmer & leftwich (2009) that school can support the use of technology in the learning process by providing technician to assist teachers solve the problem in incorporating ict during the teaching and learning process. to sum up, it has been outlined that the teachers reflected their positive perceptions towards the use of ict in efl classes. clearly, it is discernible that the use of information and communication is beneficial for the english language teaching and learning activities. conclusion this present study was administered to find out the teachers’ perceptions towards the use of ict in english language teaching and learning process. previously, similar studies on the use of ict in english classes have been conducted. this study confirms findings from previous research conducted by barnawi (2009), dashtestani (2012), and bolandifar (2013) that ict is beneficial tool to be used in english teaching particularly in efl context. referring to the findings and discussion that have been elaborated above, the researcher revealed that although it was found that there were some challenges encountered by the sophia fithri al-munawwarah teachers’ perceptions on the use of ict in indonesian efl learning context teachers in utilizing ict, they could find the strategies to overcome the challenges. therefore, it can be said that the researcher demonstrated teachers’ positive perceptions related to the use of ict in the learning process. this can be seen from the results of the questionnaire and the interview. thus, it is logical to say that the use of ict is necessary in the teaching and learning process, particularly within the context of english as foreign language. the use of ict is recommended to be applied for teachers in teaching english as a foreign language. it can be an effective supplementary material to make the learning process more appealing for the students. references alwasilah, a. c. (2011) pokoknya kualitatif: dasar-dasar merancang dan melakukan penelitian kualitatif. jakarta: dunia pustaka jaya. barnawi, o. z. (2009). the internet and efl college instruction: a small-scale study of efl college teachers’ reactions. international journal of instructional technology & distance learning. retrieved from http://www.itdl.org/journal/jun_09/a rticle04.htm bolandifar, s. (2013). the teachers’ attitudes toward integrating internet technology in english language classes. international journal of language and applied linguistic world. vol 4 (3). cox, m., preston, c., & cox, k. (1999). what motivates teachers to use ict? a paper presented at british educational research association annual conference. retrieved from http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/docu ments/00001329.htm dashtestani, r. (2012). barriers to the inmplementation of call in efl courses: iranian efl teachers’ attitudes and perspectives. jalt call journal. vol. 8 (2). p.55-70. emilia, e. (2009).menulis tesis dan disertasi. bandung: alfabeta. ertmer, p & leftwich, a. o. (2009). teacher technology change: how knowledge, beliefs, and culture intersect. retrieved from: www.edci.purdue.edu/ertmer/docs/ae ra09_ertmer_leftwich.pdf. facer & owen (2004). the potential role of ict in modern foreign language. retrieved from: www.futurelab.org.uk. merriam, s. b. (1988). case study research in education: a qualitative approach. london: jossey-bass inc. rahimi, m. & yadollahi, s. (2011). ict use in efl classes: a focus on efl teachers’ characteristics.world journal of english language. vol. 1 (2). romero, m. i. h. (2008). the use of information and communication technology among elt students from the university of quintana roo. a journal. retrieved from: www.fonael.org. sandelowski, m. (2000). focus on research methods whatever happened to qualitative description? a journal in research of nursing & health, 23, p.334340. retrieved from: www.wou.edu. suherdi, d. (2012). towards the 21st century english teacher education: an indonesian perspective. bandung: celtics press. unesco. (2008). ict in teacher education. retrieved from: www.2.unesco.bkk.org. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 137 framing of journalism discourse to improve discourse competence of senior high school students dadang s. anshori fpbs, indonesia university of education, indonesia e-mail: dadanganshori@upi.edu apa citation: anshori, d. s. (2017). framing of journalism discourse to improve discourse competence of senior high school students. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 137-146. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.780. received: 29-08-2017 accepted: 26-10-2017 published: 01-12-2017 abstract: this study aims to describe the analysis model of framing on journalism discourse in indonesian textbooks in senior high school to be used in language learning. this research used qualitative method with framing theory from pan and kosicki as an tool of analysis. the research data is journalism discourse in textbook amounted to 30 pieces of discourse taken from 10 text books of class x, xi, and xii in senior high school. the results show the following: (1) the discourse of journalism has received acceptance in the world of education, especially in textbooks. the use of journalism discourse in 10 textbooks is very high and very diverse in terms of number, topic, source, and usage. (2) the journalism discourse in the textbook meets the criteria of reporting value, even if not all reporting value is fulfilled. (3) the frame construction of the journalism discourse in indonesian textbooks is packaged in different angles according to news topics and facts. (4) the analysis model of journalism discourse framing is developed by focusing on the structural analysis of category, syntax, script, thematic, diction/phrase, and rhetoric. keywords: construction, discourse, framing, journalism introduction the development of information technology leads to the emergence of a variety of language use in accordance with the media used. information technology becomes a new round of world order and the development of human communication. according to latief and ibrahim (1996) this communication revolution if sorted can be started from the stage of pre-spoken, spoken, written, print, mass media to telematics. schramm’s note in latief and ibrahim (1996) mentions that the development of telecommunications from spoken to written language took at least 50 million years; from writing to printing took as much as 5,000 years; and printing to audiovisual media (photography, telephone, sound recordings, radio, television) took about 500 years. the use of indonesian language in the mass media is increasingly widespread, even forming its own genre, namely indonesian journalism. variety of indonesian journalism is used by journalists to convey information in the form of news to the readers. in fact, in indonesian journalism, there are variations, such as newspaper journalism, magazine journalism, tabloid journalism, television journalism, radio journalism, and internet journalism. these differences are more due to the functions of the mass media in different times, thus demanding the use of different languages too. sociolinguistically, the language of journalism is a variation or variety of indonesian language formed because of differences in delivery media of language, namely print and electronic media. therefore, the language of journalism is understood as a variety of mass communication languages used by print and electronic media. in the language of journalism we see two important things, the first is picture of the society’s progress in the language, especially related to the language creativity. journalism language is the daily language of society dadang s. anshori framing of journalism discourse to improve discourse competence of senior high school students 138 because the information submitted by the newspaper is consumed daily by millions of indonesian people. second, the language of journalism reflects the social dynamics that are in it or that accompany it. through the language of the mass media we know the dynamics of society from the ideological to the pragmatic life of society. therefore, in studying the language of journalism we should also see the presence of language function in the context of mass media in the midst of society’s dynamics. thus, we will not be surprised or amazed to see news headlines that are persuasive, judgmental, provocative, even more interesting than the content of news delivered. the languages in the mass media are used by various circles for various purposes. in general, media readers have an interest in mass media to obtain new information. the authors of textbooks utilize the mass media in addition to the interest of information (knowledge source) as well as an example of presentation of discourse or exercise materials. writers of indonesian textbooks take a lot of discourse from the mass media (newspapers, tabloids, magazines, internet) as examples of text, exercise materials, or sources of knowledge. based on anshori’s (2002) research on the source of text (discourse) of high school indonesian textbooks shows that as many as 41.67% of class x source discourse comes from newspapers and magazines. the source of the discourse of class xi textbooks as much as 79.12% comes from newspapers and magazines. sources of discourse textbooks of class xii as much as 52.94% comes from newspapers and magazines. this data shows the high frequency of newspaper usage as a learning resource in schools in indonesia. the high use of discourse sourced from newspapers and magazines means the dynamics of news coverage in the mass media, indirectly become part of language learning in the classroom. based on the various studies that have been conducted by experts on textbooks, research using framing analysis in understanding the discourse in the textbook is still somewhat rare. on the other hand, the use of journalism discourse in indonesian language learning at schools requires the teachers’ ability to understand more in depth about journalism activities and journalism language analysis, so that teachers have sufficient ability to understand and put the journalism language in language learning at schools. similarly, research on discourse by using discourse analysis has been conducted by many previous experts, but research on journalism discourse in textbook with framing analysis is still somewhat rare. various perspectives are given in understanding discourse, both as text and as the source of the message. heracleous (2006) examines discourse in the context of enterprise organizational change. using the ethnographic paradigm, a search of the company's players is done by looking at how the company's managers strive to manage the organization effectively. data were collected through instruments ranging from lower to higher levels, in addition to interviews with senior managers. this research is conducted by analyzing dominant discourse, strategic change discourse, and counter-discourse. ethnographic research was also conducted by georgakapoulou (1998) who examined conversations of three egyptian women who have been good friends for 17 years. the aspects analyzed are themes, plot, character of speech, and mode of delivery. the results showed that each participant made a different contribution in the figuration of different identity construction in the spoken discourse formed by the three persons. similar research has been conducted by mulyana (2001) towards 25 indonesians living in melbourne, australia. mulyana found out the type of ethnic identity, namely religious ethnic, moderate ethnic, cosmopolitan ethnic, and nationalist ethnic. these four components show differences in self-image and selflocation of respondents in their social world, all of which are based on their initial socialization, maintained in their interactions with old significant others and their generalized others in new and modified states through interaction with new significant others. the study even though scientifically entered the area of sociology-anthropology, english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 139 but the data respondents were delivered through discourse (interview). in other words, this identity is reflected in the spoken discourse of the respondents. meanwhile, research on mass media languages is also widely studied by indonesian researchers and foreign researchers. suroso (1999) analyzed the use of indonesian language in kompas, media indonesia, republika, and suara pembaruan during the period of may-july 1999. suroso (1999) showed that mass media do deviations in the form of morphological errors, syntax errors, vocabulary errors, and spelling errors. in the news according to suroso (1999) there are differences in perspective reflected in the attitude of journalists based on certain ideological values, and it is reflected in the use of language in various aspects, namely the strategy of information presenting. viewed from the perspective of newspapers there are four news perspectives as a manifestation of the value, knowledge, and point of view adopted. the four perspectives are (1) the prosociety perspective, (2) the pro-government perspective, (3) the neutral perspective, and (4) the religious perspective. hong (ni, 2003) describes his research on four types of texts, namely academic writing, news texts, fiction, novels, and conversations. the study is of english background as a language corpus and is implemented in singapore. the results of his research indicate that the phrase occurrence of objects in the type of text above is differentfrequency objects per 1000 words examined. the information presented on the object phrase in academic text is more compact than the text of the conversation. noun phrase (nps) that are not primary pronouns appear in academic text as much as 283.8 words, 248.5 word in news texts, 203.9 words in novel text, and in conversations as much as 118.6 words. meanwhile, the percentage of occurrences of major pronouns of nps in academic writing is 10.9%, news as 17.6%, novels as 38.6% and conversations as 57.7%. based on previous studies it is clear that many perspectives and focuses are given to the topic of discourse, mass media and textbooks, both qualitatively and quantitatively. this shows that the language in mass media and textbooks is interesting to be studied and researched in various focus. in general, discourse studies are detached from the world of education, especially discourse in the mass media. this research is considered to have its own position because the discourse used as the study material is a discourse in the textbook, which is expected to contribute to the writing of textbooks and language learning at schools. in addition, the use of framing techniques is also a novelty in discourse analysis in school textbooks. based on data analysis of curriculum of education unit level (ktsp) in class x of senior high school, there are four standards of competence (50%) from eight competence standards and five basic competences (50%) from 10 basic competences of language skills containing journalism elements. in grade xi of senior high school there are four competence standards (50%) of eight competence standards and five basic competences (50%) of the 10 competence standards of language skills containing journalism elements. in grade xii of senior high school there are two standards of competence (25%) of eight competence standards and two basic competences (22%) of the nine basic competences containing journalism elements. the elements of journalism in question are language activities that include materials derived from journalism practices (print and electronic mass media), and language activities that intersect directly with the activities (practice) of journalism, such as interviewing and writing news. many aspects of journalism in the curriculum prosecute teachers to have the competence of journalism and strategy in understanding journalism discourse as a product of mass communication. indonesian teachers are not only able to understand how a story is compiled by including what, who, when, where, how, and why elements but also understand how a news loaded with frames of journalists is understood by the reader. without such abilities, it is difficult for teachers to be able to teach adequate dadang s. anshori framing of journalism discourse to improve discourse competence of senior high school students 140 journalism discourse to students and form students into critical mass media users. the discourse of journalism can not only be placed as a speech analyzed syntagmatically or paradigmatically, but it must also be understood the social cognition of the speaker. understanding the social cognition of speakers is very important in journalism discourse because the news in the mass media involves various interests, whether journalists, media managers, community, and media owners. during this type of analysis is more widely used in the fields of science outside the language, but in accordance with its development the study becomes an important part of functional language studies. the above thought confirms the importance of studying the framing construction of journalism discourse in textbooks and formulating analytical techniques in learning journalism discourse in accordance with the needs of learning which in turn is expected to increase the competence of the discourse of the students so that learning indonesian language becomes more meaningful. in this context, the texts presented in indonesian textbooks sourced from the mass media can not only be understood and taught as part of the realization of communicative purpose of language learning, but also can be used as an ingredient to improve the competence of discourse and critical thinking of the students in the language . critical thinking is important for students so that they can utilize and empower all information obtained from the mass media for the benefit of their lives. method this research used qualitative method. this research began with preliminary study in the form of observation of the discourse learning at school, study of indonesian textbook, and study of literature about discourse, journalism discourse, framing analysis, and language learning. based on the preliminary study, there had formulated topics and research problems. the developed theories are the discourses framing theory of pan and kosicki (eryanto, 2007). the model development is done by complementing the structure of the analysis developed at the beginning. the developed structure consists of categories, syntax, script, thematic, diction/phrase, and rhetorical. qualitative methods developed are interpretive (mulyana, 2001; muhadjir, 2000), that researchers engaged in interpreting data that is deemed not fixed, but interpretive. this interpretive study was first developed by geertz in the scientific field of sociology. qualitative research methods are interpreted as research that produces qualitative data in the form of written or spoken words of the people or behaviors observed (moleong, 2002). qualitative research is considered to describe the object of research more complete and comprehensive (fraenkel and wallen, 1993). data or corpus of research are in the form of journalism discourse in 10 textbooks of indonesian high school taken purposively. results and discussion the use of journalism discourse in textbooks based on data analysis of journalism discourse use in 10 high school indonesian textbooks were found very diverse discourses in terms of number, topic, source, type and usage. this diversity is possible given the ability of each writer to understand the different curriculum. the diversity of this discourse also occurs because there is no provision guided by textbook authors regarding the use of discourse in textbooks. each author performs his own creations in utilizing the source of mass media. technically, the reason for the use of discourse from newspapers, magazines, the internet is seen by authors as easier to obtain than other sources. the choice of theme or topic, type of discourse, competence standard and basic competence classification leads to different author's orientation. based on the classification of language and literary competence, for example, authors who emphasize literary competence will write textbooks by giving greater weight to the field of literature than to the field of language; and vice versa. thus, in the framework of material balancing, especially discourse, the absence of these guidelines has led to the diverse directions of each author of the book. english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 141 the vast amount of discourse in indonesian textbooks indicates that textbook authors make the discourse a body or an important part of textbook writing. this is evidenced by the average frequency of the discourse of 10 books amounted to 61.6 pieces of discourse. this large number indicates that discourse is an important learning resource for language learning. moreover, low selection of discourse themes will have implications for the diversity of information presented, even all themes or topics will be presented in textbooks. as a result, the students must have the ability to understand new vocabulary in the context of its use, old vocabulary, new sentences, and new discourses. the diversity of discourse from the aspect of the number, topic, source, type and usage will have implications on the readiness of students in dealing with these various discourses. although these discourses can be paralleled for other learning, the ability of students to understand the content of the discourse is often a constraint. in reading competence, the ability to understand the content of discourse is directly related to the students' ability to read effectively. especially when associated with the position of discourse as a basis of improvement of one's life, as mentioned vygotsky (1986) that is the involvement of high-level mental, psychological and intellectual function in understanding the discourse for the sake of progress and improvement of life. in this context, of course, all forms of diversity must be considered so that the interests of language learning are truly achieved. meanwhile, the average frequency of journalism discourse is 19.7 pieces of discourse. if the average amount of journalism discourse is 32.58%. this figure is of course quite large considering that in addition to newspapers, magazines, and the internet, actually the author of the book has the possibility to take the discourse from other sources. there is a tendency of the author of the book to take the discourse by considering the aspects of convenience and practicality. newspapers, magazines, tabloids, and the internet today can be obtained much easier and cheaper than books. moreover, the media has the advantages of diversity of aspects of the contents. viewed from the topic of discourse aspect, journalism discourse is generally adapted to the subject matter or chapter in the book. before determining the topic of discourse the authors of the book determine the chapter theme beforehand. the next stage, the authors seek and determine the discourse in accordance with the theme of the chapter. this book-making pattern is highly possible given the determination of lesson topics or chapters is not specified in the curriculum. based on the position and function of the discourse (text) in relation to language competence, journalism discourse is placed at the beginning of the explanation of matter, in the middle as an example or case, and at the end as an affirmation of the material or proof. in the listening competence of the discourse is generally used as sources and examples; on reading comprehension discourse used as a source of reading; on speaking competence discourse is used as an example; on the competence of writing discourse is used as an example and source of practice. in general, journalism discourse has a function as an example of competence, reading resources, and sources of analysis in the exercise. hymes (1972) calls the ability to communicate means to create discourse, as communicative competence. based on the classification of literacy capabilities developed by wells in general the students are at the level of the ability of performative discourse or "breaking the code", that is the ability to speak or control communication between people who are known or know the relationship between spoken and written language symbols. some students have put discourse on the informational level, understanding the text in the sense of connecting what is in the text with the background of knowledge so that there will be construction of meaning that can respond to the meaning. however, in discourse learning the students have not reached the level of epistemic discourse, that is capable of using language for the development of science. whereas this level of ability is expected to be dadang s. anshori framing of journalism discourse to improve discourse competence of senior high school students 142 owned by the students in mastering the discourse. with epistemic abilities, students can make discourse as a medium to improve science skills and will in turn build awareness and understanding of the importance of information for their lives. the large portion or frequency of journalism discourse in senior high school indonesian textbooks gives an indication that the authors place the actuality or novelty of information as part of the textbook writing strategy. this actuality will have implications for the presence of new information that can be transferred to the students. thus, through the presence of journalism discourse in textbooks, students constantly update the information they obtain. the same thing is done by readers of print media: updating information or knowing the latest information. however, the pursuit of actuality does not mean that the authors of the book can easily determine the type of journalism discourse because not all journalism discourse can be well received. the authors of the book should consider many aspects before choosing the discourse, the theme, content, type, length of writing, and the degree of legibility. the most important thing in considering the presence of journalism discourse is the position of journalism discourse with the terms of interest. the journalism discourse in fact not only conveys some information to the reader, but also transmits certain interests and agendas, either explicitly or implicitly. brown and yule (1996) assert that discourse analysts are obligated to investigate what language is being used. fairclough (1992) also believes that discourse domination is an increasingly dominant way of showing one's dominance or power over another. this opinion is relevant to the fact of this research that journalism discourses contained in textbooks have power and dominance. therefore, heracleous (2006) argues that discourse approach as a communication activity is one way of interpreting social construction and existing reality. social construction and reality in journalism discourse can be observed through analysis of the news frames. the results showed that the frames (frames) of journalism discourse in senior high school indonesian textbooks is packed in various viewpoints in accordance with the news topic and facts. based on the results of the analysis, it turns news frames play an important role in determining the direction of news, both aspects of writing and selection of materials and news data presented. projection of facts and omission of facts are done by journalists in accordance with the news frame. the projection and disappearance is the way journalists construct the news. in other words, news is constructed by frame. it is this framework that gives perspective (tendency to part) of a news, which based on suroso’s (1999) research consists of (1) pro-society perspective, (2) pro-government perspective, (3) neutral perspective, and (4) religious perspective. journalism discourse in textbooks based on news values in the aspect of news values, this research shows that the journalism discourse in indonesian textbooks can be explained below. of the 30 news that became the data of this study, as many as 16 news (53.33%) has an important news value and prominance. the importance and magnitude of the commodity can be measured from the position of loading the news in the media and the position of the news in the conversation in the community. those news are news about the destruction of forests, the outer islands of indonesia, violations of the implementation of the national exam and others. viewed from the humanitarian aspect (human interest), from 30 data of this research found only 8 news data (26,66%) containing human element or involving humanity aspect. the rest, which is 22 news data (73.33%) pertained to news that does not have the element of humanity. based on the aspect of conflicts (conflix), from 30 data of this study found as many as 15 news (50%) meet the aspects of conflict. in this case the aspect of disagreement is categorized into two parts, namely the first is contradiction of the two facts presented in the news and the contradictions in the news headlines. based on extraordinary or unusual aspects, from 30 english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 143 research data found 11 news data (36.66%) news have unusual or extraordinary elements. the remaining 19 news data (63.33%) did not meet the extraordinary or unusual elements. based on the proximity aspect, most of the news fulfilled the proximity aspect, from 30 research data, 19 news (63.33%) fulfilled the aspect of closeness while the remaining 11 news (36.66%) did not fulfill the closeness element. when viewed from each title and news content, there are only two news that meet all aspects of the news values above, the news about the expedition of the forefront of the archipelago islands and timika riots. in addition to these two news not all aspects of news value is met in the news that became the data of this study. data on the aspect of the news values indicate that the discourse in the textbook does not have all the elements of news value: prominance, human interest, conflix, unusual, and proximity. selection of journalism discourse conducted by the author thus is not based on the five principles of the news, but done randomly. from the aspect of news value, of course, many journalism discourses are not eligible to be presented in the textbook to be the source (reference), except in its position as an example. similarly the author of the book should choose the type of news that is worthy to be presented in the textbook, given the light news (soft news) will be different from the feature-type news. research data indicate that it is unlikely that the author of the book will notice such things. construction of journalism discourse framing in textbooks based on the framework developed by pan and kosicki, namely syntax, script, thematic, and rhetorical it is known that from 30 journalism discourse of this research data, all meet the frame device. the way journalists compose news (syntax) is done using headlines, leads, background information, quotes, sources, statements, and closings. almost all journalism discourse has headlines, leads and background information. however, some journalism discourses do not have news sources, statements, and citations, especially on feature-type news or reports (trevel features). based on how to tell the news (scripts), 5w + h elements are used in many journalism discourses, but not all of these elements of fulfillment are fulfilled, especially the why and how elements. the results of this study reinforces previous research (suroso, 1999) that the language of journalism is poor structure, because in most news does not contain elements of why and how. when viewed from language learning, the type of news that does not contain the elements of why and how pertained discourse that is not critical and can not make students critical. critical ability becomes one of the domains of psychomotor goals taxonomy in language learning. stern (1992) develops a taxonomy of psychomotor or behavioural goals that include mechanical skill domains, knowledge skills, transfer skills, communication skills and criticism skills. based on how to write the news (thematic), journalism discourses have between 2 to 6 themes. the journalism discourse studied also has details with many variations, intra-sentence and inter-sentence coherence, various sentence forms, and pronouns of people (aposition) as the source position of the news source. the choice of sentence, detail, coherence, and sentence form is one way for journalists in writing news. meanwhile, based on how to emphasize the news (rhetoric), the discourses in this study use lexicon and metaphor as a way of emphasizing the news. keywords (lexicon) are used in the title or body of the news. metaphors are widely used to describe cases, facts and events to make the news more engaging and reader-friendly. meanwhile, the elements of graphics and presuppositions are not often found in this discourse. the emphasis of diction, figure of speech, stigmatization, acronymization, and technical rationing characterize the language of journalism. the studies of heryanto (2000), lewuk (1995), alwasilah (20003), halliday (1985), rachmat (1984) indicate that journalism language is used through a specific strategy for the interest of journalists or media owners to the reader. based on these studies, dadang s. anshori framing of journalism discourse to improve discourse competence of senior high school students 144 the language of journalism appears to be a tool for stigmatizing a case and the occurrence of politicization in the case. in this study, the strategy appears on the rhetorical device, the way journalists emphasize the news. the choice of diction and the way of presentation (figure of speech) becomes the power of journalists to emphasize the news frame.. analysis model of journalism discourse in language learning the analysis model of journalism discourse developed focuses on the structure of analysis, ie categories, scripts, syntax, thematic, diction/phrase, and rhetorical. this model of analysis will enable readers of journalism discourse to be open minded, critical, and understand the nature of the presence of journalism discourse in language learning. the design of this research development covers the theoretical basis, the characteristics and principles of learning, the role of the teacher, the role of the students, the themes and topics, the focus of learning, the learning objectives, methods and techniques, materials and resources, learning scenarios, evaluation and follow-up. the theoretical basis used is critical linguistic theory, the theory of constructive discourse, and the theory of frames. characteristics and principles of learning include critical, discursive, analytical, ideological, and functional. meanwhile the role of the teacher becomes the facilitator of the learner and the role of the student as a critical discourse analyst in identifying the facts of the language. the themes and topics of learning are tailored to competence standard and basic competence. similarly, the focus of learning and learning objectives. learning methods and techniques should be inquiry (tracing) and analytical. the learning scenario consists of exploration, elaboration, and confirmation. this development uses an authentic evaluation of students' work results (student portfolios) as a valued product in addition to the assessment of the learning process. conclusion the use frequency of journalism discourse in indonesian textbooks are high and very diverse in types and themes. the use of journalism discourse in the 10 textbooks of research data is very diverse in terms of number, topic, source, and usage. this diversity occurs because there is no provision guided by textbook authors regarding the use of discourse in textbooks. based on the position and function of discourse (text) in relation to language competence, journalism discourse is at the beginning of explanation of matter, in the middle as an example or case, and at the end as the material or proof. in general, journalism discourse has a function as an example of competence, reading resources, and sources of analysis in the exercise. the journalism discourse in indonesian textbooks has different news values. in general, journalism discourse meets the values of the news, namely the important elements and great scope, the element of humanity (human interest), elements of conflict (conflix), unusual or extraordinary elements, and proximity. when viewed from each title and news content, there are only two news that meet all aspects of the news values above, the news about the expedition of the forefront of the archipelago islands and timika riots. in addition to these two news not all aspects of news value is met in the news that became the data of this study. frame construction (framing) of journalism discourse in senior high school indonesian textbooks is packed in various viewpoints according to news topics and facts. based on research data, it turns news frames play an important role in determining the direction of news, both aspects of writing and selection of materials and news data presented. in other words, news is constructed by frame. based on the analysis of the construction of journalism discourse frames is found the following important matters. the analysis model of journalism discourse developed focuses on the structure of analysis, ie categories, scripts, syntax, thematic, diction/phrase, and rhetorical. this model of analysis will enable readers of journalism discourse to be open minded, critical, and understand the nature of the presence of journalism discourse in language learning. the development model undertaken english review: journal of english education volume 6, issue 1, december 2017 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 145 in this study includes rational, theoretical basis, learning characteristics and principles, analytical structures, teacher and student positions, instructional materials, learning methods and techniques, learning scenarios, focus and learning objectives, and learning evaluations. reference alwasilah, a. c. (2003). bangsa yang besar adalah bangsa yang menulis. pidato pengukuhan jabatan guru besar tetap dalam bidang pendidikan bahasa dan sastra inggris, fpbs upi, 17 oktober 2003. bandung: upi. anshori, d. s. (2002). bahasa koran sebagai bahan ajar pembelajaran bahasa. bahasa & sastra, 2(3), 8294. brown, g., & yule, g. (1996). analisis wacana. jakarta: gramedia. eriyanto. (2007). framming, konstruksi, ideologi, dan politik media. yogyakarta:: lkis fairclough, n. (1992). language and power. london: longman. fraenkel, j. r., & wallen, n. e. (1993). how to design and evaluate research in education. new york: mcgraw-hill, inc. georgakapoulou, a. (1998). small and large identities in narative (inter)action. in de fina, a., schiffrin, d., & bamberg, m. (eds.), discourse and identity. cambridge: cambridge university press. halliday, m. a. k., & hasan, r. (1985). language context and text: aspects of language in a social, semiotic perspective. victoria: deakin university press. heracleous, l. (2006). discourse, interpretation, organization. cambridge: cambridge university press. heryanto, a. (2000). perlawanan dalam kepatuhan, esai-esai budaya. bandung: mizan. hymes, d. (1972). on communicative competence. in j. b. pride, & j. holmes (eds.), sociolinguictics. harmondsworth: penguin. latief, y., & ibrahim, i.s. (1996). bahasa dan kekuasaan. bandung: mizan. lewuk, p. (1995). kritik filosofis atas pembangunan: beberapa serpihan pemikiran. jakarta: fosko’66. muhadjir. n. (2000). metodologi penelitian kualitatif (4th edition). yogyakarta:: rake sarasin. mulyana, d. (2001). metodologi penelitian kualitatif, paradigma baru ilmu komunikasi dan ilmu sosial lainnya. bandung: rosdakarya. moleong, l. j. (2002). metodologi penelitian kualitatif. bandung: remadja rosdakarya. ni, y. (2003). noun phrases in media texts: a qualitative approach. in aitchison, j., & lewis, d.m. (eds.), new media language. london: routledge. vygotsky, l. s. (1986). thought and language. cambridge: the mit press. rakhmat, j. (1984). a model for the study of mass media effects on political leaders: a study in indonesia. unpublished thesis. usa: iowa state university. stern. h. h. (1992). issues and options in language teaching. oxford: oxford university press. suroso. (1999). bahasa jurnalistik perspektif berita utama politik surat kabar indonesia pada awal era reformasi. unpubished dissertation. jakarta: pps unj. dadang s. anshori framing of journalism discourse to improve discourse competence of senior high school students 146 taj mohammad phonological, morphological and syntactical influences of mother tongue on arab learners phonological, morphological and syntactical influences of mother tongue on arab learners taj mohammad department of english, najran university, k.s.a. e-mail: tajmohd09@gmail.com apa citation: mohammad, t. (2015). phonological, morphological and syntactical influences of mother tongue on arab learners. english review, 4(1), 54-65 received: 02-02-2015 accepted: 04-07-2015 published: 01-12-2015 abstract: arab learners' mother tongue influence on target language (english) is a very usual and well-known phenomenon in schools and universities. the present study attempts to find and analyze phonological, morphological and syntactical influences of mother tongue on arab learners. the study aims to critically analyze students’ writing samples and focus on the problems like capitalization, punctuation, language use and spelling. it critically diagnoses teachers’ perception on the above-mentioned writing problems through a personal interview and offers some recommendations based on the findings through writing samples and interview responses. to achieve these objectives, researcher analyzes forty writing samples of students from first and second midterm examinations at pyp (preparatory year program), najran university. to the surprise of researcher, writing samples had ridiculous errors. four writing samples are attached to expose errors of students. twenty teachers, especially teaching writing at pyp, najran university, were interviewed in order to investigate the real causes of extremely poor performance of students. teachers, in the interview, denoted various causes for the present condition of students. they admitted that use of mother in the classroom was one of the major causes of the present condition of students. the study offered some recommendations (based on the findings) like elimination of gt method and implementation of clt approach in the classroom. key words: gt method, mother tongue influences, target language introduction arab learners are influenced by mother tongue while studying english language. this problem is more common where english is taught through grammar and translation method. as a result of using gt method, students try to translate every expression in the target language that is almost impossible. it results into various kinds of phonological, morphological and syntactical errors. as ellis (1997) stated that errors reflect gaps in students' competence. it is so because the student does not know what is correct. mistakes reflect occasional lapses in performance or slips of tongue (brown, 2007). a mistake can be self-corrected, but an error cannot. errors are systematic, in the sense that they occur recurrently and not accepted by the learner. hence, only teachers or researchers would trace them, learners would not (gass and selinker, 2008; ellis, 1998). learners commit errors because there are distinctive differences between arabic and english in almost all syntactical, morphological, phonological, lexical, semantic, rhetorical and orthographical aspects (ali, 2007). 54 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee arabic and english do not share the same linguistic properties. one of the most noticeable differences between the two languages is that arabic is written from right to left. english, on the other hand, is written from left to right (sabbah, 2015) it is very difficult to adopt arabic as a linguistic model for transfer of learning. arabic is completely different (phonologically, morphologically and syntactically) from english. according to jie (as cited in james, 2007), transfer is "the carrying-over of learned responses from one type of situation to another.” transfer can be of two types: positive transfer and negative transfer. the positive transfer refers to the process of using rules from l1, which facilitates or has a positive influence on learning l2. this transfer is mostly due to similarities between l1 and l2. in contrast, negative transfer is the transfer of rules from l1, which impedes or has harmful influence on the command of rules of l2. this is due to differences between l1 and l2. (sabbah s.s., 2015) because of these linguistic variances, use of gt method often leads to negative transfer. using mother tongue in the classroom is not a fruitful idea. moreover, it also inspires students rely more on their mother tongue, arabic than the target language. despite rigorous attempts, students are not able even to write a paragraph in the target language, english. most of their errors in target language denote to capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar etc. for the ease of analysis and interpretation of data, this study is divided into four major parts namely capitalization, punctuation, spelling and grammar. this paper attempts to throw light on some of the commonest errors made by arab learners especially in the four areas. the study thoroughly analyses the writing samples of students and interview teachers with a certain set of questions (based on the major issues of students) to inquire the real causes of errors. literature concerning elt in general is available in a large number, but pragmatic researches conducted on writing are comparatively very few. some of the researchers have accomplished their research work on identifying the problems of the arab efl learners in four language skills like o’malley. however, arab learners of english encounter problems in both speaking and writing. this fact has been clearly stated by haq (1982). for example, yemeni students learn english in their country where native language is arabic. a range of overflowing psycholinguistic theories has long mystified foreign language teachers. many problems dealing with arab students have been identified in their course of studying english language. for example, the work of haq (1982) concluded that most arab students usually face problems in writing skills. another study conducted by zughoul (1984) confirmed the findings of haq(1982) and revealed that most jordanian students enrolled in efl classes have poor oral communication skills, as they usually commit gross lexical errors. they lack proper knowledge of syntax and spelling rules. they also have difficulty in expressing themselves. most of the studies conducted by mukattash (1983), suleiman (1983), and ibrahim (1983) noted that arab students’ problems in learning english denote to deficiency in english language curricula, alarming teaching methodology and psycholinguistic theories and problems with proper language environments etc. diab (1996) investigated the interference of arabic in english writings 55 taj mohammad phonological, morphological and syntactical influences of mother tongue on arab learners of lebanese students. the results showed that the transfer of arabic linguistic structures influenced english writings of lebanese students on the grammatical, lexical, semantic and syntactic levels. in his study, al-shuaibi (2009) focuses on the phonology of phono tactics, and he finds that learners have difficulty in pronouncing english initial consonant clusters having three members and final consonant clusters of three and four members. he showed some processes involved in the pronunciation of these clusters, namelyreduction, substitution and deletion. kharma & hajjaj (1989) tried to investigate the problems that arab students of english encounter at the initial stages and showed four major areas of difficulty. first, they found that arab learners confuse certain pairs of consonant sounds. second, learners insert a short vowel to break down the long consonant clusters. third, certain diphthongs are replaced by other sounds due to l1 interference. last, arab learners are generally confused with the distinction between certain pairs of vowels. the belief that l2 should be developed with no reference to l1 is known as language compartmentalization and the reasoning behind this belief is to avoid l1 interference (i.e. errors result from l1 negative transfer) (cook, 2001). macdonald's advice to teachers is "if you get stuck in the middle of a lesson, try to communicate your message by some other means, such as mime or demonstration" (macdonald, 1993, p. 23). however, there are researches, which support use of l1 in the classroom. for example, willis and willis (2007) consider that l1 cannot be avoided in l2 classrooms since it can bring some benefits to the classroom, especially with beginners. for instance, some teachers have found that learners who did a task in l1 before doing it in l2 showed good progress in l2; moreover, their overall use of l1 decreased. a similar view is held by harbord (1992). he considers l1 a natural communication tool between teachers and students, as in giving class instructions, but he stands firmly against using l1 for explaining grammar. butzkamm (2003) supports the previous reasons for employing l1 and adds that l1 promotes learners’ dependence on l2. the advice being "use as much of the target language as possible, and ensure that use of first language supports the children's language learning" (cameron, 2001: 199). while reviewing the above research works, it has been observed that most of the researchers have identified problems of arab efl learners, but very few have given the remedial measures and solutions for these problems. this study specifically focuses on the pragmatic problems of the four major areas of capitalization, punctuation, language use (grammar) and spelling in writing among the students of writing skills courses at preparatory year program, najran university. the present research attempts to suggest techniques, methods and elucidation to improve the major problems faced by arab saudi learners in general and najran university in particular. this study also attempts to provide some practical remedies and suggestions for the above mentioned problems. method fifty students were randomly selected for this study from different writing sections. their first and second 56 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee midterm examination scripts were selected in order to analyze the writing problems. the teachers, especially teaching writing, were contacted with the samples of writing and interviewed on the causes of errors, which students usually commit. teachers explained the reasons of students' errors in writing. students’ fifty writing samples from first and second midterm tests were selected randomly. four of them are presented for this study to examine and to offer the suggestions and relevant remedies to improve the teaching writing instructions and/or to develop the writing skills among learners. during the interview, teachers elaborated the reasons of students' poor performance in writing classes. results & discussion capitalization writing sample 1 there were many samples that the researcher studied though only four of them are presented here with analysis. the researcher has presented a general analysis of the rest of the samples which were not feasible to be pasted here. as shown in writing sample-1, most of the students were confused with capitalization. the student writes pronoun ‘my’ with a capital letter in the middle of the first sentence of the paragraph. in the same sentence he writes ‘shop’ where last letter of the word ‘shop’ is capitalized. in the second sentence, he writes the common nouns: ‘some’ and ‘person’ with a capital letter in the middle of a sentence. in the third sentence, he writes verb ‘sail’, pronoun ‘your’ and adjective ‘pity’ with a capital letter. they did not know that a new sentence must begin with a capital letter. in sentence 5, he again writes verb ‘sail’ with a capital letter. in sentence 6, he misspells the noun ‘peope’ for people and writes ‘p’ in capital letter. in the same sentence, he writes the noun ‘service’ with a capital letter. then again in sentence 7, he writes ‘sail’ with a capital letter. in sentence 8, he writes ‘some’ and ‘service’ with a capital letter. 57 taj mohammad phonological, morphological and syntactical influences of mother tongue on arab learners again in sentence 9, he writes ‘sail’ with a capital letter. in the last sentence, the student again writes ‘some’ with a capital letter. in the same sentence, he writes ‘people’ with capital ‘p’. it shows they are confused while capitalizing the letters. they are unaware of the rule that proper noun is to be written with a capital letter and common noun needs not be capitalized. sometimes, students use verb with a capital letter like sail. it is because of the influence of their mother tongue, they try to translate each and everything including capitalization and spelling too. there is no capital letter in arabic. in arabic, sentences do not start with capital letter. as influenced by mother tongue, they do not write proper noun and personal pronouns with capital letters. for example, هو means ‘he’. they write ‘he’ with small letter, no matter middle or start. the same is the case even with proper noun for example, they get confused with al that .السعودية means 'the'. they write in english it with ‘the saudi arabia’. it happens so because they confuse al with definite article ‘the’. students do not capitalize proper nouns. punctuation writing sample 2 as shown in writing sample-2, at the end of sentence 2, no (.) is used. sentence 3 is confusing. at the end of sentence 4, no (.) is used. in sentence 5, commas are not used at their proper places. at the end of sentence 6, no full stop is used. at the end of sentence 7, no full stop is used. sentence 8 is obscure and commas are not used at proper places. punctuation is found in arabic, but it is a little bit different from english. there is full stop (.) in arabic. for example, he reads a book. هو يقرا الكحاب. this is the reason that most of the students do not make mistakes in (.). comma (,) is there but its position in arabic is different from english. for example, ‘he reads book, magazines, newspapers etc’. .هو يقرا الكحاب،المجالت،الجرائد 58 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee colon (:) has the same position in arabic too. that is why students do not make mistakes in this area. for example, 1:09مه الساعة semicolon (;) is the same in arabic. so students hardly make mistakes in semicolon. question mark (?) is also the same in arabic. for example, ماذا جريد؟ inverted commas are also put at the same place in arabic. for example, ".اريد ان اذاكر الدرس"قال عادل another problem is that arabic is written from right to left but english is vice versa. students are organized to write from right to left. therefore, there are organizational differences between arabic and english which result into serious mistakes so often. language use writing sample 3 as shown in writing sample-3, student misspelled the verb ‘travilled’. in sentence 2, student was not able to write pronoun ‘we’ and preposition ‘in’ properly. in sentence 3, helping verb was not used. in sentence 4, no verb is used. sentence 5 is obscure. in sentence 6 again, helping verb is not used. in sentence 7, no verb is used. in sentence 8, proper form of verb ‘go’ is not used. in sentence 9, no verb is used. in sentence 10, no verb is used. in sentence 11, no proper form of verb according to tense is used. in the last sentence 12, no subject is used. the form of verb ‘go’ is also misused. the major problem that students face is that there is no helping verb in arabic. that is why students hardly use any helping verb in their sentences. for example, they commonly make mistakes in continuous tense, perfect tense, passive voice etc. there is no present perfect tense in arabic. therefore, students are more prone to commit these sorts of mistakes. another important aspect is that students are always confused with singular and plural. they treat plural of english as singular. for example, ‘the boys was in class’. in english, there is no masculine and feminine when demonstrative pronouns are used. for example, ‘this is a cat’. here you don't know if the cat is (he or she. ) هذه )ام ( هذا قط)ال تعرف هو يقصد .(قطة 59 taj mohammad phonological, morphological and syntactical influences of mother tongue on arab learners in arabic, one can change from masculine to feminine or vice versa by changing one letter in the word. (هى تكتب -هو يكتب ) normally sentences start with a يقرا الدرس verb in arabic. the sentence structure in arabic is verb+sub+object. for example, ‘yaqra aldas’ means ‘he reads the lesson’. verb changes according to doer. it is different with ‘he’ or ‘she’. they are called verbal clause. (jumla failiya) يقرا الدرس جقرا الدرس jumla ismiya (noun clause) starts with subject, for example, adil plays football.عادل يلعة الكرة. here the structure is subject +verb+ object. there are two ways of writing a sentence; verbal or noun clause. usually, sentence starts with verb. if name of the doer is given, it can start either way. for example, adil plays football. (يلعة عادل الكرة) while in standard arabic it is like عادل يلعة الكرة there is no auxiliary verb in arabic. for example, adil is playing football. ( االوعادل يلعة الكرة) here adverb decides the tense that denotes continuous but there is no auxiliary verb. these kinds of structures confuse the learners. students influenced by their mother tongue are likely to commit mistakes with these kinds of structures. arabic has model verbs too like ‘will’. for example ( كرةعادل سوف يلعة ال ) adil will play football. ‘sawf+verb’ ( سوف will play’. ‘may’ in arabic is called‘ ( يلعة he may play‘ هو رتما يلعة الكرة (رتما) football’. ‘must’ in arabic is called.يجة for example,يجة ان اذاكر الدرس means ‘he must study the lesson’. like english, in arabic too, model comes before the verb. that is why students do not make mistakes regarding models in english. arabic doesn’t have present perfect, past perfect, present perfect continuous and past perfect continuous. it has only indefinite and continuous which are written with a little difference in arabic. for example, .adil plays football يلعة عادل الكرة (present indefinite) adil is playing the يلعة عادل الكرة االن football. (present continuous) here are some examples from the past tense too. for example, adil played the football لعة عادل الكرة yesterday. (past indefinite) adil was playing the عادل كان يلعة الكرة football yesterday. (past continuous) kana (كان) is adverb here. here, for auxiliary verb, كان is used and that is adverb of time referring to past. االن(now) is also adverb that denotes to present. so, in arabic, there is no auxiliary verb but adverbs are used in the sense of expressing past or past to denote auxiliary verbs. there is a lot of difference between the sentence structure of arabic and english. that is why students who try to translate each and everything in english commit serious errors. in future tense too, adverbs denote the auxiliary verb expressing the future. for example, يلعة الكرة غدا adil will play عادل سوف football tomorrow. (future indefinite) يلعة الكرة غدا adil will be عادل سوف يكون playing football. (future continuous) is adverbial phrase that سوف يكون denotes ‘will be’. no future perfect or future perfect continuous tenses are there in arabic language. students have difficult time in understanding perfect and perfect continuous tense sentences. as far as articles are concerned, there are definite and indefinite articles in arabic language. for example: الجامعة means ‘the university’ and جامعة 60 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee ‘university’(any university). so it is an indefinite article. but there is no ‘a’ and ‘an’. because of a very common use of ‘al’ in arabic, students often use ‘the’ even if there is no need of definite article in english structure. prepositions are also found in arabic. for example, the book is on the table.الكحاب على المىضدة .here على means on. ‘under’ is denoted by جحث for example, الكحاب جحث المىضدة 'the book is under the table’. ‘in’ means ,for example الىto’ is denoted by‘ . فى . ذاهة الى المدرسةاوا students, usually, do not make mistakes in prepositions because there is a wide use of prepositions in arabic. spelling writing sample 4 as shown in writing sample-4, most of the students have problems in spelling. in sentence 1 of the paragraph, students misspelled the noun ‘friends’. in the second sentence, he misspelled the verb ‘flwe’ and noun ‘ciro’. in the third sentence he misspelled adverb of number ‘tow’. in sentence 4, he misspelled the verb ‘stud’ and ‘ciro’ in the same sentence. in sentence 5, he misspelled the noun ‘cinme’. in sentence 7, he misspelled the verbs ‘visted’, ‘stdy’ and noun ‘frind’. in sentence 9 he repeated the same mistake ‘visted’. in sentence 11, he misspelled the verb ‘enjoed’. students commit serious mistakes in spelling as shown above. spelling is very much influenced by phonetic transcription. students listen to an english word and then try to spell it as they listen to it. for example, there is no p sound in arabic. they write b for p. they write ‘pepsi’ as ‘bebsi’. p can be pronounced only in cluster sounds like ‘th’ and ‘za. that is why most of the spelling mistakes are due to phonic transcription. english words are complex in writing and pronunciation as well. for example, international if written according to pronunciation will be intarnashonal. in arabic, there are fixed rules of writing 61 taj mohammad phonological, morphological and syntactical influences of mother tongue on arab learners coping with pronunciation without any difference. one problem with english consonants is the distinction between the voiceless post alveolar fricative and the voiceless post alveolar affricate, namely ‘sh’ and ‘ch’ respectively. since standard arabic does not treat the distinction as phonemic, arab english learners confuse ‘catsh’ for ‘catch’. equally confusing to arab speakers of english is the distinction between vowels. since arabic has only long and short versions of three vowel phonemes, the distinction between e, i, ee, y, and ai as in ‘turkee’, ‘italya’, and ‘palestain’ is extremely challenging to arabs who tend to mispronounce and consequently misspell words with these vowels. a similar peculiarity of each is the spelling of the /f/ sound. is it spelt as ‘f’, ‘ph’, or ‘gh’? arab learners struggle with the spelling of this sound and the phonemic voicing contrast between /f/ and /v/ since the voiced version is not a phoneme in arabic; hence, these spelling errors0 ‘selfestor stalon’ for ‘silvester stallone’ are very common. analysis and discussion on interview another method used to collect the data was interview method. twenty samples were selected out of 30 which were filled in with complete information. the participants responded to the following questions in the interview: 1. some major causes for poor performance in capitalization: 2. some major causes for poor performance in punctuation: 3. some major causes for poor performance in language use: 4. some major causes for poor performance in spelling: table-1: results and discussion on interview question no. 1 q.1. number of participants some major causes for poor performance in capitalization: 5 students lacked motivation. impractical writing activities. 6 most of the students had poor background in writing. students were reticent to write in target language. limited vocabulary. 5 writing exercises were not as practical as they should be. students were not exposed to writing at an early stage. 4 most of the students were unable to understand what is proper noun and how to capitalize it students faced difficulties in understanding how to start a new sentence students didn’t distinguish among nouns, verbs, pronouns etc. as shown in table 1, in response to question number 1, most of teachers admitted that students had a poor background in writing because there was not much emphasis on writing in their schools. they hesitate to write in target language. they also have limited vocabulary. all these factors often lead students to commit grave mistakes. table-2: results and discussion on interview question no. 2 q.2 number of participants some major causes for poor performance in punctuation: 5 students did not get an opportunity to practice punctuation in the classroom students didn’t pay much attention on punctuation 62 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee in early schools, students didn’t have much exposure to punctuation 8 students compare punctuation with arabic, their mother tongue students were taught through gt method in their earlier classes that influenced their learning of punctuation 7 some students do not know english at all and teachers do not know arabic at all. it often results into lack of communication. sometimes students do not understand the technicality of punctuation because they cannot understand english teachers as their english is too poor as shown in table 2, in response to question number 2, there were some common difficulties faced by the students. teachers admitted that students compare english punctuation with arabic one as mother tongue influenced their writing practice. some bilingual teachers also used gt method in classes, which caused the problem to its severity. arabic had a great influence on them while writing english language. because of the bilingual approach, students often commit serious mistakes. table-3: results and discussion on interview question no. 3 q.3. number of participants some major causes for poor performance in language use: 05 students are often confused with tenses 15 gt method is a big obstacle because arabic and english are two completely different languages on the basis of structure and grammar as shown in table 3, in response to question number 3, 5 teachers completely agreed that the students were confused with tenses. the rest of fifteen teachers accepted that bilingual method of teaching is a big problem. they translated each and everything from arabic to english and vice versa. translation practices often lead to serious mistakes in target language. table-4: results and discussion on interview question no. 4 q.4 number of participants some major causes for poor performance in spelling: 6 students have no knowledge of english phonetics. they cannot speak certain sounds like 'p' and 't'. it often leads to spelling errors. textbook does not have enough space to practice the spelling of words 5 spelling games are not provided in the textbook 5 students are not motivated to improve their spelling 4 in early classes, students were not exposed to rigorous practice of spelling as shown in table 4, in response to question number 4, there were some common causes of poor performance of students in spelling. the most common causes were no knowledge of phonetics, confusing sounds, textbook lacking activities to improve spelling. writing is only considered as a part of formal courses. sometimes it is boring for students. as they do not enjoy writing, they hardly pay attention to spelling. 63 taj mohammad phonological, morphological and syntactical influences of mother tongue on arab learners their only aim is to get pass marks in the examination. conclusion the analysis of students' ability to capitalize sentences shows they are confused while capitalizing the letters (see writing sample-1). arabic language does not capitalize starting of a sentence, proper noun etc. students' dependence on mother tongue often results into negative transfer and sample one is a good representation of it. therefore, it is recommended that use of mother tongue should be completely banned not only in the university but also in schools. punctuation is found in arabic, but it is a little bit different from english. students, as influenced by arabic punctuation, often commit errors in punctuation (see writing sample-2). these errors also attribute to excess use of mother tongue in the classroom. therefore, punctuation can be improved with the help of practice exercises. teachers can also assess progress of students by conducting quizzes and class tests from time to time. the analysis of students’ ability to use language and grammar shows that they have many problems in expressing ideas even if they are given controlled writing paragraph (see writing sample3). as interview with teachers demonstrate that gt method is a major cause of these errors. students should be discouraged to think in arabic and then translate into english. teachers can use direct method or communicative language teaching approach as it is the best solution to tackle this problem. in case of spelling, the analysis of writing samples shows that there are many errors (see writing sample-4). for example, students are usually confused with ‘p’ and ‘b’ as ‘p’ sound is not found in arabic alphabet. teachers also accepted it one of the major causes of spelling mistakes during the interview. this confusion, as teachers opined, often leads to spelling errors. cook (1999) suggests that the most common spelling errors are related to pronunciation and this is shown through substituted vowels and phonological mistakes. bebout (1985) is of the opinion that foreign speakers’ mispronunciation of english is a recognized cause of spelling errors. these kinds of spelling problems which arabic speakers have are discussed in more details in swan & smith (1987) and kharma & hajjaj (1989). the former, for example, highlights problems arabic learners of english have with the ‘mirror’ shaped letters(e.g. p and q) and comment on the difficulties which stem from the fact that arabic is written from right to left (thus learners may write crwon rather than crown). this reveals that either students are not aware of these sorts of mistakes or their attention is never invited to it. this can be attributed to the lack of background knowledge of the students in foreign language. students should be exposed to phonetics. teachers must practice phonemic transcription in the class to avoid spelling errors. references haq, a. f. (1982). an analysis of syntactic errors in the composition of jordanian secondary students" unpublished ma thesis. yarmouk: yarmouk university. ali, n. (2007). some linguistic problems facing arab learners of english. adab alrafidayn. (48), pp 1-14, retrieved from http://www.iasj.net/iasj?func=fulltext&ai d=33586 bebout, l. j. (1985). an error analysis of misspellings made by learners of english as a first and as a second language. journal of psycholinguistic research 14, 569-593 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf01067386 brown, d. (2007). principles of language learning and teaching (fifth edition). london: pearson longman. 64 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf01067386 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee butzkamm, w. (2003). we only learn language once: the role of the mother tongue in efl classrooms: death of a dogma. language learning journal, 28, 29-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0957173038520 0181 cameron, l., 2001. teaching languages to young learners. cambridge: cambridge university press.http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780 511733109 cook, v. j. (1999). teaching spelling. retrieved may 17, 2015 from http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~vcook/ obs2o.htm cook, v. (2001). using the first language in the classroom. canadian modern language review, 57(3), 402-423 http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.57.3.402 diab, n. (1996) the transfer of arabic in the english writings of lebanese students. esp 18(1) 71-83. ellis, r. (1997). second language acquisition. oxford: oxford university press. gass, s., and selinker, l. (2008). second language acquisition: an introductory course, mahwah, nj: lea, chapter 3.2. retrieved on oct 23, 2015 from http://ecaths1.s3.amazonaws.com/soleda dpampilloadquisicion/1865601592.second language-acquisition.pdf harbord, j. (1992). the use of the mother tongue in the classroom. elt journal, 46(4), 350355. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/elt/46.4.350 ibrahim m (1983). the role of english departments in arab universities, in dihayat and ibrahim (eds.), papers from the first conference on the problems of teaching english language and literature at arab universities, university of jordan, amman-jordan. jie, x. (2008). error theories and second language acquisition [electronic version]. us-china foreign language, 6(1), 35-42. kharma, n. & hajjaj. (1989). errors in english among arabic speakers: analysis and remedy. london: longman macdonald, c. (1993). using the target language. cheltenham: mary glasgow. ministry of education (1974). the educational policy in the saudi arabian kingdom. 2nd ed. riyadh: ministry of education. mukattash, l. (1983). the problem of difficulty in foreign language learning. in dahiyat, e./ibrahim, m. (eds.) papers from the first conference on the problems of teaching english language and literature at arab universities. amman: university of jordan. o'malley, j. and chamot, a. (1990). learning strategies in second language acquisition. cambridge: cambridge university press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo978113952 4490 sabbah, s. s. (2015). negative transfer: arabic language interference to learning english. arab world english journal, 6(4), 269–288. suleiman, s. (1983), teaching english to arab students at the university level. in dihayat and ibrahim (eds.), papers from the first conference on the problems of teaching english language and literature at arab universities. amman: university of jordan. swan, m. & smith, b. (eds.) (1987). learner english: a teacher's guide to interference and other problems. new york: cambridge university press. wallace, m. j. (1998). action research for language teachers. cambridge: cambridge university press. willis, d. and willis, j. (2007). doing task-based teaching. oxford: oxford university press. zughoul, m. (1984). the linguistic attitudes of arab university students: factorial structure and intervening variables (in arabic). j. the jordanian academy of arabic, 25-26, 148-200. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/ijsl.1984.50.155 65 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09571730385200181 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09571730385200181 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511733109 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511733109 http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~vcook/obs2o.htm http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~vcook/obs2o.htm http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.57.3.402 http://ecaths1.s3.amazonaws.com/soledadpampilloadquisicion/1865601592.secondlanguage-acquisition.pdf http://ecaths1.s3.amazonaws.com/soledadpampilloadquisicion/1865601592.secondlanguage-acquisition.pdf http://ecaths1.s3.amazonaws.com/soledadpampilloadquisicion/1865601592.secondlanguage-acquisition.pdf http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/elt/46.4.350 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139524490 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139524490 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 69 the correlations among critical thinking skills, critical reading skills, and reading comprehension mawaddah hidayati english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: mawaddahhidayati2@gmail.com rita inderawati (corresponding author) english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: ritarudisaid@yahoo.com bambang loeneto english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: loenetobambang@gmail.com apa citation: hidayati, m., inderawati, r., & loeneto, b. (2020). the correlations among critical thinking skills, critical reading skills, and reading comprehension. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 69-80. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3780 received: 27-06-2020 accepted: 29-09-2020 published:11-12-2020 introduction in education, critical thinking skills cannot be separated from language learners. they are constantly exposed to different types of information from what they have to see and read which require them to be able to investigate as well as critical thinking skills simultaneously. critical thinking skills cannot develop naturally and automatically. the skills must be practiced to increase students’ engagement to have the potential effect. they need to be taught, learned, and practiced (hammond, flook, harvey, barron, & osher, 2020; ghanizadeh, hoorie, & jahedizadeh, 2020; trinidad, ngo, nevada, & morales, 2020). the practice of critical thinking should be integrated in classrooms through questioning and reasoning. the students should be encouraged to question all information they got and they must also have reasons for their beliefs and actions. a study is conducted by saleh (2019) that it is a must that students’ critical thinking must be stimulated. it is relevant to pnevmatikos, christodoulou, & georgiadou (2019) that students’ critical thinking skills must be promoted. they argued an instructional approach that is values and knowledge education (vake) to apply. meanwhile, the teachers has good perspectives toward the integration of teaching critical thinking in the classroom since this skill can be an intellectual stimuli to facilitate abstract: critical thinking skills, critical reading skills, and reading comprehension were the most crucial life skills that should be mastered by the students, especially for university students. the objectives of this study were: (1) to find out whether or not there was a significant correlation among students critical thinking skills and reading comprehension, (2) to find out whether or not there was a significant correlation among critical reading skills and reading comprehension, and (3) to find out whether or not there was a significant correlation among the predictor variables (critical thinking skills and critical reading skills) and the criterion variable (reading comprehension) of english education study program students of uin raden fatah palembang. in this study, 90 undergraduate english education study program of uin raden fatah palembang in the academic year 2018/2019 in the fourth semester were chosen as a sample by means of purposive sampling. this study conducted correlational research design. the data were collected by using tests. pearson product moment correlation and regression were used to analyzed the data. based on the data collected and analyses applied in this study, the findings revealed that (1) there was a significant correlation among critical thinking skills and reading comprehension with r-value 0.810, (2) there was a significant correlation among critical reading skills and reading comprehension with r-value 0.844, (3) there was a significant correlation among predictor variables (critical thinking skills and critical reading skills) gave 71.3% contribution to criterion variable (reading comprehension). keywords: critical thinking; critical reading; reading comprehension mailto:ritarudisaid@yahoo.com mailto:loenetobambang@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3780 mawaddah hidayati, rita inderawati, & bambang loeneto the correlations among critical thinking skills, critical reading skills and reading comprehension 70 student’s learning. therefore, education for now on should pay close attention to the development of student’s thinking skills. curriculum and implementation in relation to critical thinking must be designed (bezanilla, nogueira, poblete, & dominguez, 2019). the cultivation of thinking skill has been the focus of education for years. it is one of the most life skills that should be possessed by all people in order to survive in the future life (unesco, 2011). beside critical thinking skills, good at reading literacy is also important because it can help students to engage with the progress of information in the global era. reading is not only the way to share ideas between the writer and the readers, but also a very common way used by most of people in order to get information and enrich their knowledge. reading is a receptive skill, but it practically involves an active process of thinking and has cognitive consequences for the readers. according to yamasaki, mcgregor, & booth (2020), one of the categories in reading skills is critical reading skills. critical reading skills are skills that will help students be able to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate what is read as it represents a cognitive skill that is academically has high relevancy. when teachers expose students to critical reading skills, they will also make students see the cause – and – effect or comparing relationships in the text, or adopting critical stance toward the text. in other words, when teachers teach critical reading skills to students, they will develop students to be critical thinkers as well because when they do critical reading it will lead to critical thinking (critical reading will come first before critical thinking). it means that, students need to have fully understood a text where they would analyze, synthesize, and evaluate it, then only they would think critically about the text – choose or reject the ideas put forward, agree or disagree with the issues, and most important of all they know the reasons why they do it. moreover, reading comprehension is related close to critical thinking skills and critical reading skills. reading comprehension itself is a cognitive process of making meaning from text. the goal, therefore, is to gain an overall understanding of what is described in the text rather than to obtain meaning from isolated words or sentences (woolley, 2011). it means that, reading comprehension is the ability to process text, understanding its meaning, and to integrate with what the readers already knows. it is clear that the process involves analytic thinking and evaluating what one reads that requires to the higher order comprehension (cognitive skills) such as making inferences, reasoning and judging. these skills are important in order to infer, compare, distinguish between fact and opinion, and identify the author’s intention. in this information era, students must have critical thinking skills, critical reading skills, and reading comprehension ability. critical thinking skills will help students and graduates to achieve higher levels in their study and profession. critical thinking skills will help create students become leaders and professionals that are selfgoverning. then, critical reading skills will help students to not only know how to convert orthographic symbols to language (word attack skills), use context and knowledge to comprehend what is read (comprehension skills), or see larger sentences as wholes, but also it can help students to read fluently (fluency skills). further, if students have critical reading skills, they would definitely have good reading comprehension skills and could be successful in schools or universities. students with good reading comprehension skills could perform well in any subject or course because they have developed the critical reading skills to not only understand but analyze any text given to them. this will also help them to score better in any tests or exams they have to take in schools. the more crucial goal here is that teachers will prepare them to be better students if they embark in any program at the tertiary education (hudson, 2007). in the faculty of teacher training and education of uin raden fatah palembang, the students were practiced and taught to be a teacher. ideally, a teacher should be good at thinking and reading skills. for english majoring, thinking skills and reading skills was taught from semester 1 to semester 3. the writer assumed that critical thinking skills, critical reading skills and reading comprehension were practiced in integrative during reading classes. based on this assumed, this study attempted to know (1) whether or not there was any correlation between critical thinking skills and reading comprehension, (2) whether or not there was any correlation between critical reading skills and reading comprehension, (3) whether or not there was any correlation between predictor variables (critical thinking skills and critical reading skills) and criterion variable (reading comprehension) of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 71 english education program students of uin raden fatah palembang. method method of the study in this study, the writer used a quantitative research approach with a correlational research design. creswell (2012, p. 338) stated that a correlation is a statistical test to determine the tendency or pattern for two or more variables or two sets of data to vary consistently. in this study, the writer has found that there was a significant correlation between variables: critical thinking skills, critical reading skills and reading comprehension of english education study program students of uin raden fatah palembang. site and participant in this study, the total number of the population were 270 students of english education study program students of uin raden fatah palembang in the academic years 2018/2019. moreover, in the process of taking samples, the writer used a purposive sampling. according to johnson and christensen (2012, p. 231) purposive sampling is the way of researcher specifies the characteristics of a population of interest and then tries to locate individuals who have those characteristics. it is a nonrandom sampling technique in which researcher solicits persons with specific characteristics to participate in a research study. since this study aimed at seeing the correlations among critical thinking skills, critical reading skills and reading comprehension, only students who had taken all the reading courses (reading i, reading ii, reading iii and intensive reading) were taken as the sample. because the fourth-grade students had already taken and passed all the reading classes, they were considered as the sample. a purposive sampling was used in this study to take 90 samples from 270 undergraduate students of english education study program of uin raden fatah palembang in the academic year 2018/2019. technique for collecting the data the data were collected by using tests which measured student’s critical thinking skills, critical reading skills and reading comprehension. student’s critical thinking skills measured by using collegiate assessment of academic proficiency (caap) critical thinking test that designed by american college testing (act) program in 2008. the test comprised 32 items of multiple choices that measured the students’ skills in analyzing, evaluating, and extending (creating) arguments. then, for the students’ critical reading skills measured by using a readymade test of the sat for critical reading published by peterson’s in 2005. the test consists of 20 items of multiple choices that measured the student’s skills in evaluating an argument, analyzing an argument, analyzing the limitation of the study and concluding an argument. moreover, for students’ reading comprehension measured by using toefl preparation test from heinemann in 1996. the total questions of the reading comprehension test were 50 questions in form of multiple choices that measured the student’s skills in analyzing main idea, analyzing detail, analyzing cause-effect, analyzing inference, evaluating vocabulary, evaluating sequence, and analyzing the author’s tone. technique for analyzing the data the data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential analysis. results and discussion the descriptive analysis of the test results this analysis summarized the general information about the students’ test results of critical thinking skills, critical reading skills and reading comprehension. therefore, this analysis included; (1) the results of critical thinking test, (2) critical reading test, and (3) reading comprehension test. mawaddah hidayati, rita inderawati, & bambang loeneto the correlations among critical thinking skills, critical reading skills and reading comprehension 72 table 1. descriptive statistics of variables measured n minimum maximum mean std. deviation critical thinking 90 19 78 59.28 17.021 critical reading 90 20 75 46.17 14.727 reading comprehension 90 26 80 46.76 13.646 valid n (listwise) 90 based on the statistical analyses, the results showed critical thinking minimum score was 19, maximum score was 78, mean score was 59.28 and the standard derivation was 17.021. next, the results showed critical reading minimum score was 20, maximum score was 75, mean score was 46.17, and the standard derivation was 14.727. then, the results showed reading comprehension minimum score was 26, maximum score was 80, mean score was 46.76 and the standard derivation was 13.646. table 2. score distribution of critical thinking level of critical thinking score interval number of students percent (%) very good 64 – 80 8 8.8 good 48 – 63 44 48.8 average 32 – 47 19 21.1 poor 16 – 31 19 21.1 very poor 0 – 15 0 0 based on the descriptive data above, there were 8.8 % students who had very good in critical thinking, 48.8 % had good in critical thinking, 21.1 % had average in critical thinking, 21.1 % had poor in critical thinking, and 0 % had very poor in critical thinking. table 3. score distribution of critical reading level of critical reading score interval number of students percent (%) excellent 80.00 – 100.00 0 0 good 70.00 79.99 50 55.5 average 60.00 – 69.99 19 21.1 poor 50.00 – 59.99 12 13.4 very poor 0.10 – 49.99 9 10 from the result above, it found that there were 0 % students who had excellent level of critical reading, 55.5 % students had good level of critical reading, 21.1 % had average level of critical reading, 13.4 % had poor level of critical reading, 10 % had very poor level of critical reading, and 0 % had failed in critical reading. table 4. score distribution of reading comprehension level of reading comprehension score interval number of students percent (%) excellent 80.00 – 100.00 1 1.1 good 70.00 79.99 56 62.2 average 60.00 – 69.99 20 22.2 poor 50.00 – 59.99 9 9.9 very poor 0.10 – 49.99 4 4.4 from the data, it can be seen that there were 1.1 % students who had an excellent reading comprehension, 62.2 % had good reading comprehension, 22.2 % had average reading comprehension, 9.9 % had poor reading comprehension, 4.4 % had very poor reading comprehension, and 0 % had failed in reading comprehension. the results of normality, homogeneity, and linearity tests before analyzing all of the results statistically, it should be ensured that the data were normal, homogeneous, and linear. the data were obtained from the results of the tests. the results showed that the data of critical thinking, critical reading and reading comprehension tests were normal, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 73 homogeneous, and linear since the significance value were higher than 0.05. the results were presented in the following table: table 5. the results of normality variables kolmogorov smirnov sig. critical thinking 0.086 .099 critical reading 0.088 .079 reading comprehension 0.089 .077 table 6. the results of homogeneity (n=90) variables levene statistic sig. critical thinking & reading comprehension 1.185 .296 critical reading & reading comprehension 0.986 .490 table 7. the results of linearity (n=90) variables f sig. critical thinking & reading comprehension 0.847 .667 critical reading & reading comprehension 1.295 .205 the inferential analysis of the test results this analysis included; (1) the correlations among critical thinking and reading comprehension, (2) the correlations among critical reading and reading comprehension, and (3) the correlations among predictor variables (critical thinking and critical reading) and criterion variable (reading comprehension). table 8. the correlation among students’ critical thinking and their reading comprehension the correlations among students’ critical thinking skills (x1) and reading comprehension (y) pearson product moment correlation coefficient explain how well two sets of continues data correlate to each other. the value can fall between 0.00 (no correlation) and 1.00 (perfect correlation). alpha level (p-value) is as determiner to see whether there is significant correlation or not. generally, p-value lower 0.05 are considered significant. after conducting pearson product correlation between the outcome of the whole critical thinking categories scores and the reading scores, the result revealed that pearson correlation value was 0.810 for sample of n=90, and the significance was .000 which is lower than 0.05 and that was considered significant. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a strong significant correlation between students’ critical thinking and their reading comprehension. table 9. correlation between critical thinking skills and reading comprehension correlations reading comprehension critical thinking pearson correlation .810** sig. (2-tailed) .000 n 90 critical thinking skills reading comprehension analyzing argument pearson correlation .170 sig. (2-tailed) .093 n 90 evaluating an argument pearson correlation .233 sig. (2-tailed) .020 n 90 extending an argument pearson correlation .177 sig. (2-tailed) .080 n 90 mawaddah hidayati, rita inderawati, & bambang loeneto the correlations among critical thinking skills, critical reading skills and reading comprehension 74 correlation between critical thinking skills and its aspects to reading comprehension based on table 9, the result of the correlation analyses for each aspect of students’ critical thinking and students’ reading comprehension show that the correlation coefficient of analyzing argument and reading comprehension was 0.170 with the significance value was .093. the correlation coefficient of evaluating argument and reading comprehension was 0.233 with the significance value was .020. the correlation coefficient of extending argument and reading comprehension was 0.177 with the significance value was .080. it means that among three aspects of critical thinking, only one aspect had significant correlation with reading comprehension. it was evaluating an argument. table 10. contribution critical thinking skills and its aspects and reading comprehension based on the regression analysis using stepwise method, from three aspects of critical thinking, only evaluating an argument contribute to reading comprehension, used enter method, the contribution of aspect of critical thinking was 5,4%. table 11. the correlation among critical thinking skills and aspects of reading comprehension reading comprehension critical thinking skills main idea pearson correlation 1 sig. (2-tailed) n 90 detail pearson correlation .993** sig. (2-tailed) .000 n 90 cause effect pearson correlation .957** sig. (2-tailed) .003 n 90 inference pearson correlation .969** sig. (2-tailed) .001 n 90 vocabulary pearson correlation .968** sig. (2-tailed) .002 n 90 sequence pearson correlation .976** sig. (2-tailed) .001 n 90 author tone pearson correlation .970* sig. (2-tailed) .030 n 90 based on table 11, the result of the correlation analyses for each aspect of students’ critical thinking and students’ reading comprehension aspects show that the correlation coefficient of main idea and critical thinking was 1 with the significance value was (-). the correlation coefficient of detail and reading comprehension was 0.993 with the significance value was .000. the correlation coefficient of cause-effect and reading comprehension was 0.957 with the significance value was .003. the correlation coefficient of inference and reading comprehension was 0.969 with the significance value was .001. the correlation coefficient of vocabulary and reading comprehension was 0.968 with the significance value was .002. the correlation coefficient of sequence and reading comprehension was 0.976 with the significance value was .001. the correlation coefficient of author’s tone and reading comprehension was 0.970 with the significance value was .030. it means that among seven aspects of reading model summary model r change statistics r square change f change sig. f change 1 .233a .054 5.550 .020 a. predictors: (constant), evaluating an argument english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 75 comprehension, only one aspect had no significant correlation with critical thinking. it was main idea. table 12. contribution critical thinking skills and its aspects and reading comprehension model summary model r change statistics r square change f change sig. f change 1 .987a .975 78.370 .013 a. predictors: (constant), vocabulary based on the regression analysis in table 12 showed that the contribution of vocabulary was 97,5% to reading comprehension of english education study program of uin raden fatah. table 13. the correlation among students’ critical reading skills and their reading comprehension the correlations among students’ critical reading skills (x2) and reading comprehension (y) the result showed there was a significant correlation between critical reading and reading comprehension, since the p-value .000 was lower than 0.05 and the pearson correlation value was r=0.844. it meant that the strength of correlation between critical reading and reading comprehension was in strong level. table 14. correlation between critical reading skills and reading comprehension critical reading skills reading comprehension evaluating an argument pearson correlation -.240 sig. (2-tailed) .004 n 90 analyzing an argument pearson correlation -.331 sig. (2-tailed) .011 n 90 analyzing the limitation of the study pearson correlation .391 sig. (2-tailed) .443 n 90 concluding an argument pearson correlation .106 sig. (2-tailed) .822 n 90 correlation between critical reading skills and its aspects to reading comprehension based on table 14, the result of the correlation analyses for each aspect of students’ critical reading and students’ reading comprehension show that the correlation coefficient of evaluating argument and reading comprehension was -0.240 with the significance value was .004. the correlation coefficient of analyzing argument and reading comprehension was -0.331 with the significance value was .011. the correlation coefficient of analyzing the limitation of the study and reading comprehension was 0.391 with the significance value was .0443. the correlation coefficient of concluding argument and reading comprehension was 0.106 with the significance value was .0822. it means that among fourth aspects of critical reading, only two aspects had significant correlation with reading comprehension. it was evaluating an argument and analyzing argument. correlations reading comprehension critical reading pearson correlation .844** sig. (2-tailed) .000 n 90 mawaddah hidayati, rita inderawati, & bambang loeneto the correlations among critical thinking skills, critical reading skills and reading comprehension 76 table 15. contribution critical reading skills and its aspects and reading comprehension model summary model r change statistics r square change f change sig. f change 1 2 .286a .377b .082 .142 8.669 6.735 .004 .011 a. predictors: (constant), evaluating argument b. predictors: (constant), evaluating argument, analyzing argument table 16. correlation between critical reading skills and aspects of reading comprehension reading comprehension critical reading main idea pearson correlation .985* sig. (2-tailed) .015 n 90 detail pearson correlation .957* sig. (2-tailed) .043 n 90 cause effect pearson correlation .933 sig. (2-tailed) .067 n 90 inference pearson correlation .991** sig. (2-tailed) .009 n 90 vocabulary pearson correlation .965* sig. (2-tailed) .035 n 90 sequence pearson correlation .947 sig. (2-tailed) .053 n 90 author tone pearson correlation .978* sig. (2-tailed) .022 n 90 in addition, the writer also conducted to see the correlation between critical reading and each aspect of reading comprehension. as showed in table 16, it was found that the correlation between main idea and critical reading was 0.985 with the significance value was 0.015. the correlation coefficient of detail and critical reading was 0.957 with the significance value was .043. the correlation coefficient of causeeffect and critical reading was 0.933 with the significance value was .067. the correlation coefficient of inference and critical reading was 0.991 with the significance value was .009. the correlation coefficient of vocabulary and critical reading was 0.965 with the significance value was .035. the correlation coefficient of sequence and critical reading was 0.947 with the significance value was .053. the correlation coefficient of author’s tone and critical reading was 0.978 with the significance value was .022. it means that among seven aspects of reading comprehension, there were two aspects had no significant correlation with critical reading. they are cause-effect and sequence. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 77 table 17. contribution reading comprehension and students’ critical reading model summary model r change statistics r square change f change sig. f change 1 2 3 4 5 .985a .957b .991c .965d .978e .953 .926 .983 .958 .965 101.443 112.324 114.573 102.654 111.785 .015 .043 .009 .035 .022 a. predictors: (constant), main idea b. predictors: (constant), detail c. predictors: (constant), inference d. predictors: (constant), vocabulary e. predictors: (constant), author tone the writers also found the contribution aspects of reading comprehension and critical reading. table 17 showed the result of regression analysis of each aspect of reading comprehension to critical reading using stepwise method. it showed that main idea, detail, inference, vocabulary and author tone had contribution from the seven aspects of reading comprehension to critical reading. the contribution was 95, 3% for main idea, 92,6% for detail, 98,3% for inference, 95,8% for vocabulary and 96,5% for author tone. regression analysis regression analysis by using stepwise method was applied to find out the contribution of critical thinking and critical reading to reading comprehension, to find out the contribution of critical thinking concept and its aspects to reading comprehension, and to find out the contribution of critical reading and its aspects to reading comprehension to english education student of uin raden fatah palembang. table 18. the correlations among predictor variables (critical thinking and critical reading) and criterion variable (reading comprehension) variable r r square f sig. predictor variable and criterion variable .844 .713 218.809 .000 the result showed that the correlation coefficient between predictor variables total and criterion variable total was .844 with significance value was .000. it means that there was a significant correlation between predictor variables and criterion variable. moreover, the contribution of predictor variables (critical thinking and critical reading) to criterion variable (reading comprehension) was 71,3%. table 18 presents the result of regression analysis among critical thinking and critical reading to reading comprehension. discussion the result of the tests showed that the fourth semester students of uin raden fatah palembang were in good level in terms of critical thinking. it can be seen from the table 2. they can think in clearly and rationally. they have a skill to engaged in reflective and independent thinking; they can decide what to do or what to believe. it was in accordance with what ennis (2011) state that critical thinking was the ability to think clearly and rationally. it included the ability to engaged in reflective and independent thinking; the ability to decided what to did or what to believed. meanwhile, because of they were students of the higher education, it was easy to do critical thinking. they have the greatest experiences to think critically. this was in accordance with akyuz and samsa (2009) claimed that taught students critical thinking skills was the aim of higher education. they believe that one of the greatest experiences for students in higher education was to think critically and to challenge other students’ ideas with those of their own. thinking skills were crucial for educated persons and by these skills they could cope with a rapidly changing world and deal with reality in a reasonable and independent manner. mawaddah hidayati, rita inderawati, & bambang loeneto the correlations among critical thinking skills, critical reading skills and reading comprehension 78 from the data distribution showed that students were in good level in terms of critical reading. this finding was the same as the study conducted by dianti (2013) that the critical and analytical reading skills of the english education study program students of sriwijaya university were at good level despite their high academic achievement. this might happen because the students can comprehend what they were reading, not only literal meaning but also implied meaning. it was in line with what pirozzi (2003) state that a critical reading was as very-high level comprehension of written material requiring interpretation and evaluation skill and it also entails using reference to go beyond what was stated explicitly, filling in informational gaps and coming to logical conclusions. moreover, critical reading refers to a careful, active, reflective and analytic reading (kurland, 2006). moreover, the data distribution of reading comprehension showed that most of the fourth semester students of uin raden fatah palembang was in good level. it can be seen from the table 11. it could happen since they had already completed their reading courses, so they have enough knowledge and skills in reading comprehension questions. however, there was no one in excellent level of reading comprehension. this might happen due to many factors involving in comprehension. as stated by baier (2005) that is reading comprehension is a skill that is critical in the educational success of all individuals. without adequate reading comprehension skills, students could struggle in many subject areas. in addition, hansen (2016) also stated that reading is often described as an interactive process, where comprehension is a result of joint efforts from the author and the reader. the author has to formulate the content so that it is interpretable, whereas the reader must mobilize the skills and knowledge needed to comprehend the text – a joint venture. however, the reader is the one most likely to spoil the process; fail to understand, give in, and stop reading. hence, the reader is considered to be the one most responsible for gaining comprehension. it might be that the students did not engage fully during the test, or they had low motivation to do the test. besides, their interest and ability in thinking critically also influences their achievement in reading comprehension. the correlation analysis between critical thinking and reading comprehension showed that there was a significant correlation. this finding was in accordance with what commeyras (1990, p. 201) stated that critical thinking is closely related to reading comprehension. it was similar to the view that reasoning was an integral part of reading. critical thinking which involved reasoning, was the process the reader used to determine which interpretations were consistent with textual evidence and background knowledge. furthermore, there is a connection between critical thinking and reading comprehension. readers must have the inferential and reasoning skills to establish meaningful connections between information in the text and relevant background knowledge. central to these skills is knowing what constitutes an inferential or causal/logical relation and being able to recognize or construct one when need in order to form a coherent mental representation of the text (broek & kremer, 2000, pp. 11-12). there was a significant correlation between critical reading and reading comprehension. this finding was in accordance with what cleveland state university (2017) mentioned that a critical reading means that a reader applies certain processes, models, questions, and theories that result in enchanced clarity and comprehension. in line with that, reading comprehension could be utilized by a set of related concepts, such as: critical thinking, prior knowledge, inferencemaking, and meta-cognitive skills (zabit, 2010). besides, shanahan (2006) supports that one of the components that could influence the readers to read effectively was comprehension. comprehension was the only reason for reading. without comprehension, it meant that someone just read for word calling exercise. by comprehending the meaning of the text deeply, someone could enrich their knowledge, skills, and experiences. last, the answers to the three questions can be seen from the results of statistical analyses showing that there were significant correlations among predictor variables (critical thinking and critical reading) and criterion variable (reading comprehension achievement). it can be concluded that students’ critical thinking and critical reading had effect on their reading comprehension. it could happen since critical thinking becomes the starting point to involve in the way students gain the information especially in a reading activity, and the critical reading helps the students process and connect their prior knowledge and the new knowledge they get while reading. critical reading ability was largely explainable through fluent execution of critical thinking skills in that reading and thinking were two interdependent skills and the reading process could not take place english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 79 without active use of thinking activities (zin, eng & galea, 2014). critical reading was related to critical thinking in that engaging critically in reading meant employing critical thinking skills while reading. these included the analysis and inference skills. reading critically differed from other forms of reading in that the reading act goes beyond the literal meaning by questioning the functions and purposes of the text. reading with awareness of similarities and differences between what the reader has already seen and what he was seeing in the text he is reading. it was clear that the process involves analytic thinking and evaluating what one reads i.e. it required higher order cognitive skills and comprehension skills such as making inferences, reasoning and judging. these skills were important in order to inferred, compared, distinguished between fact and opinion, and identify the author’s intention. conclusion based on the basis of the interpretation of this study, the following conclusions can be drawn. first, the students’ critical thinking was significantly correlated with their reading comprehension. in other words, the more students’ critical thinking in reading, the better their reading comprehension. second, the students’ critical reading was significantly correlated with their reading comprehension. therefore, it can be said that the more students’ critical read, the better their reading comprehension. third, the students’ critical thinking, critical reading, and reading comprehension were significantly correlated. in conclusion, students’ success in reading comprehension was significantly affected by their critical thinking and critical reading. references akyuz, h. i., & samsa, s. (2009). the effects of blended learning environment on the critical thinking skills of students. journal of procedia social and behavioral sciences, 1, 1744-1748. baier, r. j. (2005). reading comprehension and reading strategies (a research paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the master of education degree in education, university of wisconsin-stout, as). retrieved from https://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle1793/41543 bezanilla, m.j., nogueira, d.f., poblete, m., & dominguez, h.g. (2019). methodologies for teaching-learning critical thinking in higher education: the teacher’s view. thinking skills and creativity, 33. broek, p. v. d., kremer, k. e. (2000). the mind in action: what it means to comprehend during reading. in b. m. taylor & p. v. d. broek (eds.), reading for meaning: fostering comprehension in the middle grades, newark, de, 1-31. cleveland state university. (2017). critical reading. retrieved from https://www.csuohio.edu/writing-center/criticalreading-what-critical-reading-and-why-do-ineed-do-it. collegiate assessment of academic proficiency (caap) critical thinking sample test questions booklet. (2008). american college testing program: act. http://www.act.org/ commeyras, m. (1990). analyzing a critical-thinking reading lesson. journal of teaching and teacher education. 6(3), 201-214. dianti, r. (2013). the correlation between critical thinking skills and critical reading skills of english education study program students of sriwijaya university (magister’s thesis, sriwijaya university, palembang, indonesia). ennis, r. h. (2011, january 10). what is critical thinking. retrieved from http://www.criticalthinking.net/definition.html ghanizadeh, a., hoorie, a.h., & jahedizadeh, s. (2020). higher order thinking skills in the language classroom: a concise guide. second language learning and teaching. berlin: springer link. hammond, l.d., flook, l., harvey, c.c., barron, b., & osher, d. (2020). implication for educational practice of the science of learning and development. applied development science, 24(2), 97-140 hansen, e. j. (2016). reading comprehension (master i fremmedspråk i skolen, fordypning i engelsk). retrieved from https://brage.bibsys.no/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1 1250/2396307/16-00400-21 heinemann, m. (1996). the heinemann elt toefl preparation course. oxford: macmillan education. hudson, t. (2007). teaching second language reading. oxford: oxford university press. kurland, d. j. (2000). how the language really works: the fundamentals of critical reading and effective writing. retrieved from http://www.criticalreading.com/critical reading thinking.htm peterson’s, t. (2005). peterson’s new sat critical reading workbook. united states of america: a nelnet company. retrieved from https://www.petersons.com pirozzi, r. p. (2003). critical thinking & critical reading. new york, ny: longman. https://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle1793/41543 https://www.csuohio.edu/writing-center/critical-reading-what-critical-reading-and-why-do-i-need-do-it https://www.csuohio.edu/writing-center/critical-reading-what-critical-reading-and-why-do-i-need-do-it https://www.csuohio.edu/writing-center/critical-reading-what-critical-reading-and-why-do-i-need-do-it http://www.act.org/ http://www.criticalthinking.net/definition.html https://brage.bibsys.no/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2396307/16-00400-21 https://brage.bibsys.no/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2396307/16-00400-21 http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_reading_thinking.htm http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_reading_thinking.htm https://www.petersons.com/ mawaddah hidayati, rita inderawati, & bambang loeneto the correlations among critical thinking skills, critical reading skills and reading comprehension 80 pnevmatikos, d., christodoulou, p., & georgiadou, t. (2019). promoting critical thinking in higher education through the values and knowledge education (vake) method. studies in higher education. 44(5). saleh, s.e. (2019). critical thinking as a 21st century skill: conceptions, implementation, and challenges in the efl classroom. european journal of foreign language teaching, 4(1), 116. shanahan, t. (2006). the national reading panel report: practical advice for teachers. university of illinois, chicago. trinidad, j.e., ngo, g.r., nevada, a.m., & morales, j.a. (2020). engaging and/or effective? students’ evaluation of pedagogical practices in higher education. college teaching journal, 68(4), 161-171. unesco. (2011). world data on education. (7thed.). retrieved from http://www.ibe.unesco.or.id woolley, g. (2011). reading comprehension: assisting children with learning difficulties. springer science + business media. doi 10.1007/978-94-007-1174-7 2. zabit, m. n. (2010). problem-based learning on students’ critical thinking skills in teaching business education in malaysia: a literature review. american journal of business education, 3(6), 19-32. zin, z. m., eng, w. b., & galea, s. r. (2014). critical reading ability and its relation to l2 proficiency of malaysian esl learners. 3l: the southeast asian journal of english language studies, 20(2), 43-54. http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/3l2014-2002-0 http://www.ibe.unesco.or.id/ english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 55 the local-global innovation of an indonesian toefllike game: a cultural hybridity model ekawati marhaenny dukut english department, faculty of language and arts, soegijapranata catholic university, indonesia e-mail: ekawati@unika.ac.id apa citation: dukut, e. m. (2019). the local-global innovation of an indonesian toefl-like game: a cultural hybridity model. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 55-66. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1605. received: 07-01-2019 accepted: 15-03-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: the door to globalization for an indonesian product is believed possible only when fulfilling some characteristics of other nation’s culture. to ensure the global popularity of a product, therefore, there is a need of mixing the local with a global culture. the cultural hybridity strategy of mixing local-global scenes is evident in the invention of a toefl-like game software, which based itself on a mobile application for its platform. with the platform, the game becomes easily downloadable through google playstore. it is innovative as it accommodates the generation z’s characteristics who are digital savvy. in the game, an animation is created for listening section which takes in some forms of javanese culture that are made hybrid with some american and japanese ones. in finding out how successful the game is in fulfilling the needs of toefl-like game players, a technology accepted model questionnaire is given to students from indonesia and japan. japanese players, who are english department students, were chosen on the assumption that they are more digital savvy. this article reports that the game is useful and beneficial in raising the english competence of both indonesian and japanese students. with the cultural hybridity strategy in creating the animation, the players agree that the game is a good model for learning about the english language in a fun and innovative way. keywords: cultural hybridity; digital media; google playstore mobile application; local-global innovation; popular culture. introduction the generation z (gen-z) in indonesia are claimed as those born in between the years 20002010 (putri, 2016). the gen-z, according to the 2017 nielsen total audience report from the u.s., is, however, born much earlier, i.e. from 1997. as the youngest generation in the planet, it is reported to make up as the largest population with the percentage of 26% as shown in figure 1 (sterling, 2017). figure 1. a general composition of today’s generations as a generation who by the year of 2018 ranges from 8 to 21 years old, means that the gen-z are currently in primary school and up to a tertiary level of education. acknowledging the gen-z as being the “click’n’go kids, the i-gen, or digital integrators, upagers, screenagers, and the global gen” as well as “double wrap generation” (kompasiana, 2016) entails that the generation is characterized by the easiness of consuming ready-made packaged meals from fast food ekawati marhaenny dukut the local-global innovation of an indonesian toefl-like game: a cultural hybridity model 56 restaurants and also having a wide range of electronic gadgets as their main means of survival. according to seemiller and grace (2016), if the previous gen-y or the millennials had to be given lessons on how to make use of the computer or mobile phone to surf the internet to find information which is globally valid and reliable, the gen-z are known to have an inborn quality with gadgets, hence are often labelled as digital natives or ebay babies as products are easily made available and paid online. the genz as "information curators" often depend on their “google reflex” for the source of information (cited in mohr & mohr (2017, p. 86) and enjoy instant rewards. they are also characterized as “loyal” to their friends, “thoughtful, compassionate, open-minded, responsible, entrepreneurial, excited,” yet “not creative” and “fearful about the future” as they are “suffering from fear of missing out (fomo) anxiety” (mohr & mohr, 2017, p. 87). one of the effects of having fomo anxiety is that, in education, the gen-z still needs an educator to help narrow resources for the completion of their coursework (buchanan & murray, 2018, p. 2). with this kind of condition and situation, as an educator, there is a challenge to equip the burning need of the gen-z with educators that can innovate suitable education materials for them. the sorts of materials gen-z like the most are electronic gadgets that are easily accessed around the globe. one such particular gadget is the popular mobile smartphone. as a popular culture product, the phone always has something to please its consumers by providing ways to satisfy its consumers, like being readily availabale at any place, yet constantly changing its features, in order to suit consumers’ needs from all over the world. the internet facility that it has, not only functions as a notepad and media for communication through email or social media, such as whatsapp, twitter, instagram, and facebook; but it is also a gadget to save whatever information needs to be saved in the data storage facility. previous research from the vision critical announces that the gen-z are using 15.4 hours on the smartphone each week (kleinshmit, 2015) to daily surf the web, make interactions with their social media friends, play online games and listen to live streaming music (lubis, 2016). the small yet compact smartphone is, thus, a gadget that not only provides games for entertainment but also for serious games that can help students excel in their education. derakhshan and khatir (2015) believe that games by nature are created to make players feel they have achieved something by playing something they enjoy doing. as implied above, games are not made purely for fun but also to support some aims of education. consequently, serious educative games are created to entertain and educate student players, in order to have a positive attitude to learning as the games would increase the student player’s motivation to do class work. surati (2014, p. 9) informs that educative games have the mission to develop student players’ problem-solving ability by taking advantage of their desire to learn and enthusiasm to play (donmus, 2010). surati (2014, p. 11) continues to explain that an educative game has the following swot analysis: it has a (1) strength, because it can increase learning motivation, (2) weakness, because not all schools have a computer lab or allow students to use game gadgets in class and some children still prefer to play games outside, (3) opportunity, because it is played by all ages in the evening at home or at school to support learning activity, (4) threat, because it is easily distracted with other gadgets, like interesting tv channels. in addition to frequent game playing, the gen-z also frequently uses the internet that relies on the english language for global communication. this condition, therefore, forces the gen-z to master the english language. viewing through an education perspective, therefore, the researcher believes that an educative game material like the toefl (test of english as a foreign language) exercise is relevant to produce as it is a gateway to further education or work. in indonesia, the ministry of foreign affairs sets a minimum of 550 pbt (paper based toefl) for employment. although not dealing much with english during their daily conversation, the ministry of stateowned enterprise, national archives, and bureaucracy reformation of the republic of indonesia have also set a minimum of 450 pbt (hamdani, 2018). according to nurhayati and nehe (2016, p. 10), a mastery in english is “extremely needed” because most indonesian schools and employers believe the high toefl score shows how globally prepared a person is. the toefl game to be discussed in this article is created by a team of indonesian researchers from the english department and the information system of game technology from english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 57 soegijapranata catholic university of semarang, indonesia. in creating the test materials, the team adheres to the criteria of gaming that provides entertainment. usually, students have to prepare themselves for the toefl by studying about the u.s. history, culture and academic life. even though the questions are presented in multiple choice format like the toefl, the contents are not about u.s. history nor academic life. instead, it is about a general knowledge that can be enjoyed by university as well as elementary and high school students. as head researcher, there is the intention from the beginning that the toefl game should help indonesian gen-z youngsters to increase their english competence in an entertaining way with a topic that is not far from the local scene yet also give some knowledge about the global scene. therefore, in designing the game, there is a deliberate purpose of inserting globalization and cultural hybridity concepts from the popular culture of gaming. paying attention that gen-z’s favorite gadget is the smartphone, the educative toefl game is set to have the phone as its platform. as a product of popular culture, the contemporary gadget meets the needs of the gen-z people who want to communicate with each other from a distance. as a popular culture, the mass production of smartphones makes it available in the market with a reasonable price for people to buy. this becomes the reason why the phone is never off from the gen-z’s fingertips. purcell et al. (2010) exclaim that “along with the widespread embrace of mobile technology has come to the development of an apps culture”, hence, a phone is no longer just a voice device but it is a multi-channel device that functions like a mobile mini-computer. gen-z loves to use smartphones because alongside entertainment facilities, such as games and music, the informative apps are equipped with sending and receiving email, seeing maps and navigation, weather, news, and doing banking activities. according to pew research center that did a national survey to 1.917 cell phone users; as much as 82% of american adults are cell phone users. out of the 82% of adults, there are 43% of them that have apps in their phones. compared to the 30-49-year-olds, who are the x generation, the young adult users who are within the range of 18-29-year-olds have more app facilities. the average number of apps for the youngsters is 22, meanwhile for the adult is only 8. the numbers prove that the gen-z really is a digital savvy generation. in indonesia, according to statista.com (2018), in the year of 2017, there were 173.3 million phone users. this increased to 184 million in 2018 and is predicted to be even higher in 2019 as it will reach up to 193.4 million. as the fourth most populous country on earth, with 87% of households in indonesia owning a mobile phone, it is an ideal place to popularize smartphone apps. a research on mobile games trend in indonesia 2017: behavior of mobile games usage (nusaresearch, 2017) reports that 518 samples of 17-49 year-olds citizens enjoy their free time playing mobile games are reported to rely on android platform. only 3.7% users prefer an ios. part of the reason for this occurrence is because the apple-branded phone, which has the ios, is a more expensive gadget to use. in using the gadget, 100% of the people taken as sample respond that they play games in their free time. indonesians also devour over free or cheap games with rp 3.000 to rp 15.000, which is equivalent to a us $1 per download. the preferred method of download is through google playstore and the purchase is by phone credit. games preferred are those that have an interesting storyline (69.1%), great graphics (68.5%), many levels (67.07%), less memory usage (60.68%), is responsive (55.6%), and others (1.4%). this lets the researcher see that the toefl-like game app she and her team created and provided for free in google playstore as a model for learning english is a correct decision to do. by using google playstore, the game is easily downloaded by anyone with an internet facility. nalliveettil and alenazi (2016, p. 264) informs that mobile phones with internet connectivity, however, give disadvantages, such as (1) almost replacing reference books that the library is no longer visited, (2) hinder students from activating cognitive skills like brainstorming and re-calling that are necessary for creativity, (3) make students believe that storing information in the mind is not important, and (4) affect classroom performance due to social networking chatting and browsing nonacademic websites. by comparison, the advantages of having mobile phones are, it is (1) helpful for vocabulary retention, (2) reliable to learn english, (3) dependable to understand english words and phrases, (4) a medium of communicating for whatsapp messenger and email, and (5) helpful to enhance speaking, writing, translation, spelling and english ekawati marhaenny dukut the local-global innovation of an indonesian toefl-like game: a cultural hybridity model 58 language skills (nalliveettil & alenazi, 2016, p. 265-268). these advantages are supported by dehaan (2011) who, after completing two projects, i.e. on game design and game magazine creation, finds that the games have improved his students’ spoken and written english language skills. language games are thus, not only a motivation for students to learn english in an entertaining way, but are also a media for authentic discussion about english. the researcher sees that the toefl-like game should be popularly globalized. becoming global means that there should be some western elements in it because “globalization is tied up with [the] modernity” of the western culture (pieterse, 2006, p. 658). further, pieterse (2006) informs that, economically, globalization refers to the economic internationalization and capitalist market relations. culturally, it focuses on global communications, where worldwide cultural standardization arises, such as in the american mcdonaldization and cocacolonization. sociologically, globalization concerns also with the increasing worldwide social densities. thus, in a sociologist’s mind, it is inferred that the usa’s modernity is a key to globalization. in devising the mobile smartphone game software, therefore, the concept of the local and global space becomes one of those important factors to ensure the continued attraction of the game played by anyone from the gen-z community. for this reason, the researcher deliberately mixes indonesian local culture with usa’s culture, thus adhering to the concept of cultural hybridity. just like the cultural hybridity of the dutch culture that has influenced the indonesian bestik; likewise, the american kentucky fried chicken that became the javanese indonesian’s kentuku fried chicken; the making of the toefl-like game has some local javanese indonesian culture that are made hybrid with the usa and other globalized countries’ culture as a strategy of continually popularizing the game globally. reflecting on the above description, the problems raised in this study are formulated into the following research questions; 1) how successful is the game in the viewpoint of local javanese indonesian players and japanese players as a representative of global players in increasing their english skills? and 2) what kinds of local and global aspects were evident in the game? method in formulating a teaching learning model for english, the researcher has designed a two-year toefl-like game software project. the first year was to create the software on a pc (personal computer) platform (dukut, 2018), whereby the second year was on a mobile smartphone. the choice of transforming the game onto a smartphone is due to the aim of having the game becomes more globally popular. in the first year, the game players as participants of the research were 8 th grade junior high school students in semarang, indonesia who has a computer lab with at least 20 computers. the three schools who agreed to have their students try out the game were from smp kebondalem (a catholic-based school), smp eka sakti (a moslem-based school), and smp permata bangsa (a school for foreign students). in the second year of the research, the targeted players were elevated for the 11 th grade of senior high school and first-year university students of some universities. the schools that agreed to have their students as participants were chukyo high school in japan, the english department and game technology students of soegijapranata catholic universitty in indonesia, and the english department students of chukyo university, japan. the instrument to find out how successful the game is in providing an experience to do the game was a close-ended questionnaire with some open-ended questions as a follow-up. the questionnaire was based on a technology acceptance model (tam) theorized by bargozzi et. al., which consist of statements dealing with (1) peou or perceived ease of use, which is the degree to which a person believes that the use of a particular system would be free of effort, (2) pu or perceived usefulness which is the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance job performance, (3) atu or attitude toward using, which is a summary evaluation of a psychological object captured in such attribute dimensions as good-bad, harmful-beneficial, pleasant-unpleasant, and likable-dislikable, and (4) bi or behavioral intention, which is the degree to which a person has formulated conscious plans to perform or not perform some specified behavior. the data collection procedure consists of an observation of the gen-z community. after mapping out that the generation is digital savvy, english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 59 a toefl-like software is made to enhance english language competence. once the game is paled by the participants, the questionnaire is distributed. answers from the tam modeled questionnaire using a likered scale of 5 are then analyzed. the responses are categorized and interpreted as a finding for the research. results and discussion tommy & pokina toefl-like app games can be used to enhance a teachinglearning experience in english. the toefllike mobile game application named tommy & pokina is created and is downloadable from the google playstore with the aim of increasing as many indonesian gen-z students’ english ability through a fun yet serious educative game. there are four kinds of english skills being used in the game. having an integrated-based toefl (ibt) as a model, the game offers thematic exercises which test players’ listening, reading, writing and speaking ability. in the game, players are firstly, offered the choice of either playing with tommy or pokina. in the game tommy, players are given an animation for the listening section about a tomato character named tommy who is a movie actor. tommy shows that as a tomato, he benefits from his routine of using tomatoes as a facial mask, in addition to having it as the main menu for his diet because tomatoes have nutrients and vitamins that will keep him healthy. details on the kinds of nutrients and vitamins tomatoes have are elaborated in the reading section. a tomato pudding recipe is then shared as the topic for players to write about in the writing section, and lastly for the speaking section, players are given a poster on tommy to describe in detail who he is, what he does, what kinds of nutrients and vitamins he has and what other factors help him become a popular movie actor. by comparison, in the game pokina, players are given an animation for the listening section about a pakchoy character named pokina who is a talented chef. pokina shows that as a pakchoy, she benefits from her daily consumption of pakchoy that is often seen in the indonesian meal: bakso and capjay. as a green vegetable, the pakchoy also has certain nutrients and vitamins that can support someone’s health. details on the kinds of nutrients and vitamins a pakchoy has are elaborated in the reading section. a pakchoy ice cream recipe is then shared as the topic for players to write about in the writing section, and lastly for the speaking section, players are given a poster on pokina to describe in detail who she is, what she does, what kinds of nutrients and vitamins she has and what other factors help her become a popular chef. understanding that a thematic game is much easier to do, thus, the game based its theme on the advantages of consuming tomatoes and pakchoy vegetables. the idea of using this theme is due to the researcher’s concern that the gen-z prefer to consume some franchised usa food that is popularly shown in magazine advertisements and tv commercials, rather than locally home-made food. in indonesia, more gen-z consume kentucky fried chicken, the macdonald’s burger and the pizza hut products, which rely heavily on meat and carbohydrate and very little or even no vegetable salad nor vegetable soup as a compliment of the menu. with only seeing some tomato sauce on the indonesian’s plates rather than fresh cut tomatoes, or only one slice of lettuce and one ring of onion to put inside a king burger product, it shows that the young indonesian generation is lacking vegetable consumption. for this reason, in incorporating a cultural hybrid culture in the animation used for the toefl-like game, the researcher not only provided vocabulary and grammar exercises in the game to improve the student players’ english skills, but also put in the idea that having a fresh cut tomato and pakchoy in the daily diet is importatnt. actually, in the pizza hut restaurant, a consumer can enjoy a bowl of healthy green salad or a vegetable pizza to fulfill the vegetable diet someone needs. however, most indonesian gen-z prefers to consume the american favorite pizza, which only has beef and chicken meat on top of its cheesy pizza crust that is made from flour. this diet choice needs to be corrected, if indonesian gen-z wants to grow with better health. this becomes the reason why the toefl-like game has a dual aim: (1) to improve the student players’ english, and (2) to improve a healthier diet for the gen-z. unlike the real toefl where the pbt lasts for around 110-120 minutes, or the thematic based ibt which lasts for around 240 minutes, the tommy & pokina toefl-like app game is created for only 45 minutes to play with. although only 45 minutes, the apps offers exercises for listening, reading, writing, and speaking. tommy & pokina toefl-like app game can be played for those in the middle (junior & senior high school) and tertiary ekawati marhaenny dukut the local-global innovation of an indonesian toefl-like game: a cultural hybridity model 60 schools (university level). without the questions, the animated movie, which is within the listening exercise is applicable for elementary school students to play with. the reading section is also easy for elementary school players because the concentration is on how to make use of the english tenses correctly. it is difficult for some players to do, however, because there are only a few seconds allocated to choose the right answer for the multiple choice questions provided. the writing section is also timed and is limited to only 1000 words to narrate the process of cooking the tomato pudding or pakchoy ice cream menu. depending on the vocabulary used in the writing, a teacher who evaluates the result can assign different marks for either elementary, high school or university students of english. finally, the speaking section just gives out a poster with the vegetable cartoon character on a poster. with a limited time, the players are to describe in as much detail about what they see, hear and read about the character. as a teacher, he/she can decide on what kind of speech should receive a high score that is based on how complex the vocabulary is produced in the recorded speech. indonesian vs japanese viewpoints on the game one of the questions asked in this study is “how successful is the game in the viewpoint of local indonesian players and japanese players as a representative of global players in increasing their english skills?” this question is answered by (1) taking into account the answers made in the game, and also (2) through the answers collected from the questionnaire. ever since the beginning, students have asked whether or not the answers they fill in the game would affect their regular school or course scores because they are given the explanation that it is far important to know that the game can be played well. it is assumed that students do not do the game seriously. it was then proven by the result of test takers from the english department students in soegijapranata catholic university who were in the second semester. out of 83 students that did the test, especially for the listening and reading test which had multiple choice questions, focused on their structure competency (see chart 1). as revealed in the result, only 3 students (7.89%) scored an a, 4 students (10.53%) scored a b, 7 students (18.42%) scored a c, 5 students (13.16%) scored a d, and 19 students (50%) of them scored an e. the 50% of the students who were not doing the test seriously is most likely because they knew from the beginning that the recorded answers would not affect their school performance. it is revealed from the answers given in the questionnaire. in the questionnaire, 24 close-ended statements were given with a 5 scale likert score to reflect the respondents’ opinions. the statements were based on tam’s guidelines. chart 1. listening and reading section test result first, statements dealing with peou were reflected in the following statements with the results in percentage (see table 1). with all of the highest percentage shown within the agree column, it shows that the student players perceive the game as easy and entertaining to do, as well as easy to download when needed. second, statements dealing with pu were reflected in the following statements with the following results in percentage (see table 2). table 1. peou percentage result no. peou statements sd d n a sa 2 the english language in the toefl-like game exercises are easy to understand 6.06 6.06 18.18 54.54 15.15 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 61 10 the time provided in each section is enough for me to complete the exercises 9.09 15.15 39.39 27.27 9.09 13 the toefl like app instructions in each section is easy to follow 3.03 12.12 27.27 36.36 21.21 14 the button symbol for back, next, record, stop in the game application are easy to follow 12.12 9.09 21.21 39.39 18.18 15 the navigation in the app is easy to follow 9.09 3.03 33.33 36.36 18.18 16 the multiple choice questions in the exercise are easy to do 9.09 0 18.18 66.66 6.06 22 searching toefl-like app tommy & pokina in google playstore is easy 3.03 9.09 24.24 48.48 15.15 table 2. pu percentage result no. pu statements sd d n a sa 1 learning english with an animation is more interesting than learning in a classroom with no digital media 3.03 9.09 15.15 42.42 3.03 5 i learn about different culture in the animation 6.06 9.09 33.33 36.36 15.15 6 i learn more about the benefits of vegetables in the animation of the listening section 9.09 9.09 21.21 48.48 12.12 7 i found new information about vegetable consumption in the reading exercise 9.09 9.09 27.27 33.33 21.21 17 the application works well 6.06 24.24 18.18 45.45 6.06 21 toefl like app tommy & pokina meets the needs of learners having various learning styles 6.06 3.03 24.24 57.57 9.09 similar to the result of peou, all of the statements receive a high percentage of agreement. this is gratifying to find, as it means that not only is the game helpful to elevate students’ mastery in english through playing a toefl-like game, but the students also acknowledge that they learned something new about the culture of the west as well as east, in addition to the importance of consuming vegetables to keep them in good health. the aim of creating an educative game that gives benefits is successfully met. third, attitude toward using (atu) the game, by means whether it is regarded as good-bad, harmful-beneficial, pleasant-unpleasant, and likable-dislikable is shown the following statements with the results in percentage (see table 3). it shows that most of the players agree that the game is beneficial. proof of this is seen in statement numbers 3, 4, 9, 18 and 20 having the highest percentage in the agree section. table 3. atu percentage result no. atu statements sd d n a sa 3 learning english in class is more fun than learning through an animated digital media 6.06 12.12 39.39 36.36 6.06 4 the culture-based characters in tommy and pokina animation is interesting 6.06 3.03 33.33 36.36 21.21 8 i like the vegetable recipe 3.03 9.09 39.39 33.33 15.15 9 i enjoy playing interactive digital media that challenges my knowledge of english grammar 6.06 9.09 18.18 54.54 12.12 12 i like doing the integrated based toefl like app exercise 3.03 6.06 42.42 36.36 12.12 18 the audio recording in the animation is clear 12.12 9.09 30.3 42.42 6.06 19 the visual images are excellent and vivid 3.03 15.15 39.39 33.33 9.09 20 the color used in visualizing tommy and pokina is appealing 9.09 9.09 21.21 39.39 21.21 lastly, the behavioral intention (bi) component of tam, in which a conscious plan of promoting or re-doing the game to enhance english skills, is revealed through the responses for the statements below (see table 4). ekawati marhaenny dukut the local-global innovation of an indonesian toefl-like game: a cultural hybridity model 62 table 4. bi percentage result no. bi statements sd d n a sa 11 the speaking exercise encourages me to use my english more actively 6.06 3.03 30.3 54.54 6.06 23 i will recommend my friend to use this application to learn english 3.03 9.09 45.45 33.33 9.09 24 i will play this english language interactive learning game again to get the best result 3.03 16.16 30.3 33.33 15.15 in the behavioral intention, although in one of the statement a high percentage is in neutrality, the other two statements receive a high percentage in the agree section. this shows that the game will likely be enjoyed by others as it enhances the active use of english in speaking. to give opportunities for the game testtakers to reflect back about the answers they have given through a likert scale, four openended questions were asked. the questions not only confirmed tam’s questions on pu, atu, and bi; but they also help the researcher have a better idea on what to do if there is a chance to modify the game. the questions dealing with pu were questions number 2 and 3. first, in response to question 2, “what kind of feature can be added to make the toefl-like app more interesting”, the responses from the indonesians were to: add music, add similar mini-games for iphone users, add a help button, add a back button, modify the game into an adventure game where a multiplayer can come to play, add longer conversations, add more entertaining gestures, add more character interaction with the players, add questions with pictures, and use native speakers as the voice over. to see how popular, the game can be for people outside of indonesia, the researcher also tested the game to japanese students from chukyo high school and chukyo university in nagoya. the japanese students gave additional suggestions such as to: prolong the animation story, add more questions on the main idea of the story rather than on grammar, add a highlighter for the reading section, more difficult questions are needed, and the game should give a bonus to correct answers given. second, in response to question 3 that also deals with pu, the question, “which toefllike section (listening, reading, writing, speaking) is the most beneficial to learn english? why?” the responses of the most beneficial from indonesian students (see chart 2) were for: listening (37.83%), reading (27.02%), speaking (24.32%), and writing (0.10%). whereas, the japanese (see chart 3) regarded the most beneficial in listening (50%), speaking (31.25%), reading (0.10%), and writing (0%). the responses show that both indonesian and japanese students nowadays feel that listening exercises need to be more facilitated, and becomes a logical explanation to why in the questionnaire, the students as players mostly agree that the animation feature in the toefl-like game is what makes the game interesting. the bi is shown through question 4 “if you could design an animation, what kind of animation do you want to make, so english learning is fun?” as an answer to the question, the indonesians suggest: making an animation about animals, flowers, scrabble, vocabulary, word connect, grammar, landmark, artist, hangman, puzzle, daily lesson, and quiz up games. the japanese also have similar suggestions, but added that an interesting game should deal more with issues on family relationship, animals, sweets, disney characters, translation, and classroom interaction between teacher and students. for the researcher, the answers all mean that students see the game as influencing them to be creative and imaginative, thereby, raising their english competency. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 63 chart 2. the toefl-like game app’s benefits for indonesian students chart 3. the toefl-like game app’s benefits for japanese students lastly, the atu is reflected in question number 1, “in your opinion, what are the disadvantages of the digital media that makes use of animation?” students reported that the disadvantages lie in some of the unclear picture and audio quality, the restricted time to do the test, the continual handling on the mobile phone, the incomplete feeling because there is no teacher intrusion, the non-auto orientation of watching the animation, the small writing area in the mobile phone, and the unfortunate game capability, which is only for the android and not for the iphone. whereas, the advantages of the game were reported as helping students learn english better, giving a good learning method, making students more imaginative and creative, interesting and colorful characters in the animation were met, and facilitating beginner’s need for studying toefl. they also reported that not many toefl games are available, so this game is beneficial for them because the game is easy to play with, and the animation was advantageous for them to help understand quickly with what they have heard. the cultural hybridity and identity of the local and the global aspects of the game in this study, another question has been formulated: what kinds of local and global aspects were evident in the game? the reason for this questioning is because the researcher understands the toefl as being usa made with usa facts and history inserted in the questions. with this kind of condition, the researcher assumes that not many asians, unless already knowing about usa history and campus life and courses well, will have difficulty in understanding the topics and questions put forward in toefl tests. by the use of cultural hybridity in designing the animation, it is believed that the toefl can be enjoyed more by people, particularly asians, such as the indonesians and japanese who became the main respondents of the study. the hybrid of the local to the global is believed to better attract the targeted test-takers’ interest and enthusiasm in using english actively. therefore, the researcher comes with the idea that there is a need to create a toefl-like exercise, which will not only increase the test-takers english competence but also make the test-takers feel that taking an english competency test can be fun. the insertion of the locality within the toefl, which has been accepted globally as the best way to test someone’s english competence, is seen clearly in the animation created for listening section. in the scene of tommy, the tomato actor, he is given a western suit and is seen showing his mastery of being an mc in the middle of a theater and exercising his muscles by going to a gym in order to show a global scene often shown up in popular media. this is made hybrid with the scene of tommy being a tomato with a white towel on his head that would cleanse himself as though immersed in a local japanese jacuzzi bathtub (see figure 2). ekawati marhaenny dukut the local-global innovation of an indonesian toefl-like game: a cultural hybridity model 64 figure 2. tommy in a jacuzzi figure 3. tommy with tomato facial mask figure 4. pokina with her wok figure 5. a bakso seller with his bowl another scene is with tommy still in his white towel but using the local indonesian's way of using the tomatoes as a facial herb to clean his face. indonesians believe that the tomatoes can make the face become brighter, so whatever dark blemishes were there can be reduced. in one of the answers of the japanese test-takers, this particular scene (see figure 3) is a new culture learned for them. in the animation of pokina the pakchoy chef, the global scene of the western environment is having pokina with a white uniform in a kitchen with an electric stove near a cupboard full of hanging kitchen utensils with plates and cutlery inside. this is made hybrid with the local javanese indonesian batik design on the white chef uniform. another locality of the asian’s habit is also seen with pokina preferring to use a chinese wok (see figure 4), or frying pan to stir fry her pakchoy vegetables with broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. in another scene, the pakchoy is informed as to the vegetable used to consume with bakso, a meatball soup favorite for many indonesians. the scene of bakso sellers using a wheel cart pushed around indonesian streets also adds onto the local scene. in the animation, the sound of spoons hitting the bakso bowl (see figure 5) is also deliberately added to point out the indonesian environment. conclusion this article brings forth the result of a research done to enhance the english competence needed by english department students in indonesia and japan. by the use of cultural hybridity which makes possible the mixture of local with global scenes, the researcher made a toefl-like mobile game application that accommodates the local and global scenes of popular culture. this strategy is deliberately used in the design to popularize the local into a global culture, just like how the global culture gets into the local one. in making hybrid the local into the global or vice versa, each of the culture’s identity is not troubled, instead they complement each other. the innovation of having the toefl as a game software that provides both entertainment and education has fulfilled the wish of the gen-z people, who are currently within their years of elementary, secondary and the first year of tertiary level. using tam as a guideline to a questionnaire that seeks to see how acceptable the gen-z are towards the product, this article shows that the study has answered the question of how successful the game is in increasing students’ english skill. as seen by the results shown in the previous chart 2 and 3, both indonesian and japanese test-takers see the tommy and pokina toefl-like mobile game app that can be downloaded from google playstore as being useful and beneficial. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 65 in answer to the second question about the local and global aspects, this article has also put forth the researcher’s innovation of providing animated scenes and characters in the toefl game, which are touching the indonesian and japanese culture. this is different from the usual scenes used in toefl tests that would focus wholly on just the american culture. to conclude, therefore, the toefl game software as a product made by an indonesian researcher does prove itself to be an appropriate model to increase students’ english competency as the students who agreed to become test-takers have had the opportunity of exercising their english in a fun and creative way. acknowledgement the researcher is thankful to the republic of indonesia’s ministry of technology, research and higher education who has provided a grant via the 2018 psni scheme to realize the creation of tommy & pokina toefl-like game mobile app. the app is a product of the research she leads, which is entitled “model pembelajaran bahasa inggris interaktif dengan cergam animasi berbasis budaya” (an interactive english language learning model using a culturally based animated picturebooks). the app has become a model for a better interactive english teaching-learning environment that culturally hybrids a local into a global culture. acknowledgement is also given to the 1st american studies international conference, where the initial paper draft was presented in 2526 october 2018, at soegondo room, faculty of cultural sciences, gadjah mada university, yogyakarta, indonesia. references buchanan, r., & murray, t. (2018). ’the internet is all around us’: how children come to understand the internet. digital culture & education, 10(july), 1–21. retrieved from http://www.digitalcultureandeducation.com/cms /wp-content/uploads/2018/07/murray and buchanan.pdf. dehaan, j. (2011). teaching and learning english through digital game projects. digital culture education, 3(1), 46–55. retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.17477379.2003.tb00155.x. derakhshan, a., & khatir, e. d. (2015). the effects of using games on english vocabulary learning. journal of applied linguistics and language research, 2(3), 39–47. retrieved from http://www.jallr.com/index.php/jallr/article/ view/40. donmus, v. (2010). the use of social networks in educational computer-game based foreign language learning. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 9, 1497–1503. retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.12.355. dukut, e. m. (2018). popularizing indonesian scenes through picturebooks and digital animation software: a world englishes teaching idea. asian englishes. retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2018.1459071 . hamdani, t. (2018). lamar cpns di instansi ini harus kuasai bahasa inggris. retrieved from: https://finance.detik.com/lowongan-kerja/d4222370/lamar-cpns-di-instansi-ini-haruskuasai-bahasa-inggris. kleinshmit, m. (2015). generation z characteristics: 5 infographics on the gen z lifestyle. retrieved from: https://www.visioncritical.com/generation-zinfographics/. kompasiana. (2016). gen z, bonus demografi, dan masa depan indonesia. retrieved from: https://www.kompasiana.com/yudikurniawan/5 83fc7f9ba22bda00c8d8bf9/gen-z-bonusdemografi-dan-masa-depan-indonesia. lubis, m. (2016). gen z: konsumen potensial masa depan. retrieved from: https://www.nielsen.com/id/en/pressroom/2016/gen-z-konsumenpotensial-masa-depan.html. mohr, k. a. j., & mohr, e. s. (2017). understanding generation z students to promote a contemporary learning environment, 1(1). doi: 10.15142/t3m05t. nalliveettil, g. m., & alenazi, t. h. k. (2016). the impact of mobile phones on english language learning: perceptions of efl undergraduates. journal of language teaching and research, 7(2), 264–272. retrieved from: https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.07 02.04. nurhayati, n., & nehe, b. m. (2016). an analysis of students’ strategies in answering toefl. the journal of english language studies, 01(01), 10–18. retrieved from: http://jurnal.untirta.ac.id/index.php/jels/article /view/682/535. nusaresearch. (2017). mobile games trend in indonesia 2017 behavior of mobile games usage, (august). retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1038/320124a0. pieterse, j. n. (2006). globalization as hybridization. in m. g. durham & d. m. kellner (eds.), media and cultural studies: kyswore (pp. 658– 680). cornwall: tj international ltd. purcell, k., entner, r., & henderson, n. (2010). the rise of apps culture. retrieved october 1, 2018, ekawati marhaenny dukut the local-global innovation of an indonesian toefl-like game: a cultural hybridity model 66 from: http://www.pewinternet.org/2010/09/14/therise-of-apps-culture/. putri, e. (2016). generasi x, y, z, alpha, baby boomers: termasuk yang manakah kamu? retrieved from: https://magazine.banananina.co.id/generasi-x-yz-alpha-baby-boomers-termasuk-yangmanakah-kamu/. seemiller, c., & grace, m. (2016). generation z goes to college. new york: jossey-bass. statista.com. (2018). number of mobile phone users in indonesia from 2013 to 2019 (in millions). retrieved september 30, 2018, from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/274659/forec ast-of-mobile-phone-users-in-indonesia/. sterling, g. (2017). move over millennials, gen-z now the largest single population segment. retrieved from: https://marketingland.com/move-millennialsgen-z-now-largest-single-population-segment219788. surati, s. (2014). strategi pembangunan game edukasi berbasis desktop untuk anak usia 4-6 tahun. journal speed-sentra penelitian edukasi dan engineering, 6(1), 8–17. 57 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee improving students’ competence in writing descriptive texts through “fresh” technique faisal department of english education, muhammadiyah university of purwokerto, indonesia e-mail: faisal_aulia@yahoo.com yasinta wulandari department of english education, muhammadiyah university of purwokerto, indonesia e-mail: yasinta9074@yahoo.com apa citation: faisal & wulandari, y. (2013). improving students’ competence in writing descriptive texts through “fresh” technique. english review: journal of english education, 2(1), 57-65 received: 18-07-2013 accepted: 29-10-2013 published: 01-12-2013 abstract: this research was aimed to know whether “fresh” technique can improve students’ competence in writing descriptive texts. this research was conducted in one of the junior high schools in banyumas in academic year 2012/2013. the method of this research is classroom action research (car). the research participants were the students of viii e class consisting of 28 students. the treatment was carried out in two cycles of four actions, from november 9th, 2012 to december 1st, 2012. the quantitative data (tests) were evaluated by using burhan nurgiyantoro’s writing evaluation criteria which consisted of evaluation in content, organization, vocabulary, language, and mechanics. based on the data analysis, it could be described that the students’ competence in writing descriptive texts improved. it could be seen from the improvement of students’ score in pre-test and post test. the improvement of students’ score was 23.607%. this meant that “fresh” technique improved the students’ competence in writing descriptive text in the eighth grade students of in academic year 2012/2013. keywords: descriptive text, fresh technique, classroom action research, writing competence written form, as writing is a means of communication. in the teaching and learning writing process in indonesia, students have been introduced since they were in the elementary school, from the simplest form e.g. writing words to writing sentences. in the junior high level, students are taught to write more complex sentences and paragraphs. based on the junior high level syllabus, there are some texts that should be learned by the students, especially in the eighth grade. those are descriptive, narrative, and recount texts. the purposes of learning those texts is that the students can express their ideas in a simple written form such as functional text and essay, and can use those texts in their daily life. introduction writing is said to be the fourth competence in learning language. although many students said that writing is a difficult competence, yet writing is actually an easy and enjoyable activity if there are appropriate methods, interesting teaching techniques, and actual materials. writing is an activity in which learners form graphic symbols, arrange them to form words, and put the words in order and link them together in a certain way to produce a logical sequence of sentences (hernowo, 2004: 43). it is a complex activity since requiring students’ comprehensive abilities such as mastering grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation. besides, to write well, the students are expected to be able to present their ideas in the faisal & yasinta wulandari improving students’ competence in writing descriptive texts through “fresh” technique 58 a descriptive text becomes the first text learned by the students, for it has the closest relation with the students’ lives. as wanting to describe something in a written form, they have to write it in a descriptive text, even in the simplest form. however, in the real writing classes, there have been obstacles faced by students, especially in writing a descriptive text. most of them find some difficulties in doing their tasks given by the teachers especially in writing. they often show inconsistency in using either british or american spelling. often time, their grammar used is not suitable for the tense desired. they are supposed to use past tense to tell about an event occurring in duration of time in the past by using since or for. instead, what they thought is that they have to use present perfect because there is since or for as the time marker. based on the interview with an english teacher of class viii at one of the junior high schools in banyumas, many students still had problems in writing, especially in writing descriptive texts. when the teacher asked the students to write a descriptive text, they seemed still confused about what they should write and how they should organize their writing. it was likely that they had so many things to write, but unabling to express their ideas in a written form well. the problem mainly faced by the students was their confusion on what is first, next, and on to write a descriptive text. there are some important factors influencing this present facts. their insufficient vocabularies and provided materials seem to play importantly. beside that, they have less ability to develop and organize ideas in such an appropriate way that their writings are difficut to understand. then, their weak comprehension and mastery of grammar also make their writings hard to understand. as a result, many students fail to meet the standards given by the institution although having given enough exposures for students in writing lesson. besides, these happen because they are not used to writing, even in their own language. it is argued that the students’ reluctance to write can also happen because they rarely write even in their own language, and so the activity feels like alien (harmer, 2004, p. 61). further, for many years, the teaching of writing has focused on the written product rather than on the writing process. in other words, the students’ attention was directed to the what rather the how of text construction (harmer, 2004, p. 11). this means, students are likely to be taught the form only without the process of forming itself. the teacher may often uses some kinds of media, such pictures, mind map, and other visual aids, but those are not helpful enough. nevertheless, they still have difficulties in writing a descriptive text. considering those problems, a technique believed can help students in writing descriptive text, especially in organizing their ideas was proposed “fresh” one. “fresh” technique is the new one of generating ideas to write a descriptive text in which each letter of the acronym has meaning. “fact” stands for “fact”, “r” stands for “reason”, “e” stands for “elaboration”, and “sh” stands for “shift”, which can also mean decision or conclusion (faisal, 2010, p. 8). through this technique, it is hoped that students can write a descriptive text easily since “fresh” technique will help them to organize their ideas in writing descriptive. as the result, students will be able to write a descriptive text in a clear, detail, and fluent organization. generally, there are three types of rating scales used in scoring writing: holistic scoring, primary trait, and analytic scoring. in this occassion, the hoistic scoring will be employed. 59 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee holistic scoring uses a variety of criteria to produce a single score. brown (2004) states that each point on a holistic scale is given a systematic set of descriptors and the reader-evaluator matches an overall impression with the descriptors to arrive at a score. descriptors usually follow a prescribed pattern. it is states that the rationale for using a holistic scoring system is that the total quality of written text is more than the sum of its components (o’malley 1996). writing is viewed as an integrated whole. the elements of the holistic scoring involved four dimensions as follows: (1) idea development/ organization: focuses on central idea with appropriate elaboration and conclusion; (2) fluency/structure: appropriate verb tense used with a variety of grammatical and syntactic structures; (3) word choice: uses varied and precise vocabulary appropriate for purpose; and (4) mechanics: absence of errors in spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. writing is the last skill which should be mastered after the english learners master listening, speaking and reading. even the native still have difficulties in doing writing activities. lyons (1987: 2) states few people write spontaneously and few feel comfortable with a formal writing task intended for the eyes of someone else. as the problems above, the teacher should find an effective way to teach writing to the students. gaffield-vile (1998) in harmer (2003: 259) states that creative writing is a journey of self-discovery, and selfdiscovery promotes effective learning. if the students find something thaythey are learning by themselves, they will be easy to understand and apply it. they will be more interested in the thing they understand well. moreover, badley in hudson (2011, p. 34) states that creative writing as a new or alternative form of writing in higher education, which is perceived as developmental, therapeutic and self-expressive rather than academic. from the both quotations above, it can be concluded that creative writing can be used as the expressive writing more supporting the learners to find what they should write . learners can find their ideas through the surrounding that they see or think. this underlies the “fresh” technique. “fresh” is an acronym in which each letter has meaning. “f” stands for “fact”, “r” stands for “reason”, “e” stands for “elaboration”, and “sh” stands for “shift”, it also can mean decision or conclusion (faisal 2010, p.8). in fact, it is a technique of an application of creative writing. “fresh” technique itself can be seen as the way of developing descriptive text’s generic structure. there are two main parts of descriptive text; those are general identification and descriptions. students are more likely confused on what they have to write as the general identification and what they have to write as the descriptions. while in “fresh” technique, students will get easy to construct a descriptive text because the two parts before are developed specifically. there will be four parts provided. “f” is fact meaning the facts related to the topic which will be developed in writing descriptive text. here, students are required to think about the general facts eaily found in their minds. wishon & burks (1980: 65) mention that another method of paragraph development is to begin with a general statment and support the statement with a number of sentences giving particular details or additional information. this supports the writer that the first thing students must do is to write the general things of subject that the students want to describe. “r” is reason consisting of some reasons which can support the faisal & yasinta wulandari improving students’ competence in writing descriptive texts through “fresh” technique 60 facts they have written before. the reason which will be mentioned can be sense impressions. description gives sense impressions – the feel, sound, taste, smell, and look of things (wishon & burks 1980: 128). this will really help the students since they can disclose their personal feelings in describing the subject. after that, the students have to develop their reasons into “e” (elaboration). wishon and burks (1980: 129) say that the writer may begin with a dominant impression and proceed to specific details. this means that after establishing generals statements having been mentioned before, students must develop it into the detaiedl one so that they will get are creative, complete, and coherent paragraph. the last part is shift. this part is in the form of conclusion of all things the students have written before. based on the previous research (faisal 2010, p. 9), here are the procedures of teaching descriptive text using “fresh” technique: dealing with fact, the students are asked to think and draft the general facts of subject they want to describe. example “bunny, my rabbit”: “i have a rabbit. its name is bunny.” coming to the second part, reason, the teacher invites the students to write the reasons or impressions of the subject. “i like bunny because it is cute and funny.” teacher encourages the students to elaborate the draft they have made before as the development. the teacher guides the students to make description why bunny is cute and funny. “it has a white and soft fur. its body is fat. it likes eating carrots very much. it likes to enter the house, especially my parents’ room.” the last step is making conclusion of all ideas which have been described. “those are the reason why bunny is cute and funny. my family and i love it very much.” from those sentences, it will form a descriptive paragraph: i have a rabbit. its name is bunny. i like bunny because it is cute and funny. it has a white and soft fur. its body is fat. it likes eating carrots very much. it likes to enter the house, especially my parents’ room. those are the reason why bunny is cute and funny. my family and i love it very much. method the research conducted was a classroom action research. arikunto (2010: 132) states that classroom action research is an observation of activities intentionally given and happen in a class. this research was conducted at one of the junior high schools in banyumas regency in the academic year of 2012/2013 from august until december 2012. there were 28 students, consisting of 16 males and 12 females as research participants. in conducting the research, the kemmis and mctaggart’s research design was employed. there are cycles in an clasroom action research, and each cycle consists of stages. the stages are planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. taken from arikunto (2010), there were two cycles of four meetings conducted. technique for collecting data is aimed at supporting the success of the research. it helped to obtain data and information about the process of improving students’s competence in writing descriptive text by using fresh technique by giving test. nurgiyantoro (2001: 58) states that test is one way to do measurement in the form of assignment ha to be having to be done by the students to get the data of their mark being able to be compared with their friends of the standard mark. here, test was used to know the improvement of students’ 61 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee competence in writing after “fresh” technique was implemented as an aid to develop their descriptive text. the form of the test was writing descriptive paragraphs. the test consisted of pre-test and post-test. pretest was given before the collaborator taught writing descriptive text by using “fresh” technique, while the post test was given after the cycles were completely conducted. the quantitative data were used to evaluate the success of implementation of each cycle. by processing the quantitative data, it was revealed whether the success target had been reached or not. according to nurgiyantoro (2001) in martani (2001: 307), there is a model of scale instrument for every certain class in aspect scored. each point of each component has different score. it can be seen at the following table of scoring. to get the average of students’ writing score, the following formula was used: m = 𝚺𝚺𝑿𝑿 𝑵𝑵 m = mean m = σ𝑋𝑋 𝑁𝑁 = individual score n = number of sample (nurgiyantoro 2001: 361) to know improvement from the pre-test until post-test, the formulas were as follows: p = 𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚 − 𝒚𝒚 𝒚𝒚 x 100% p = 𝒚𝒚𝟐𝟐 − 𝒚𝒚 𝒚𝒚 x 100% where: p = percentage of students improvement y = pre test result y1 = post test 1 result y2 = post test 2 result results and discussion the following are the evaluation results out of cycle 1 and cycle of the research. to know the improvement of students’ competence in writing descriptive text, pre-test and post-test were given. pre-test was conducted on november 9th, 2012. from pre-test, the average of students’ score was obtained. the average of students’ writing score in pre-test was 66.25. after conducting the both cycle 1 and cycle 2, post-test was given in order to know the improvement of students’ competence in writing descriptive text after they were taught “fresh” technique. the post-test 1 was conducted after the cycle 1 had been done. it was on november 21st, 2012, while, the post-test 2 was done on december 1st, 2012. the students’ improvement was calculated by using the following formula: p = 𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚−𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚 x 100% where: p = percentage of students’ improvement y = pre-test result y1 = post-test 1 y2 = post-test 2 calculation of post-test 1 result: p = 𝟕𝟕𝒚𝒚.𝟖𝟖𝟖𝟖−𝟔𝟔𝟔𝟔.𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐 𝟔𝟔𝟔𝟔.𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐 x 100% = 8.513 % calculation of post-test 2 result: p = 𝟖𝟖𝒚𝒚.𝟖𝟖𝟖𝟖−𝟔𝟔𝟔𝟔.𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐 𝟔𝟔𝟔𝟔.𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐 x 100% = 23.608% the improvement of students’ writing competence can also be seen through the following table: faisal & yasinta wulandari improving students’ competence in writing descriptive texts through “fresh” technique 62 table 1. the scale of writing evaluation criteria no aspect score criteria indicators 1. content 27-30 very good complete information, substantive, complete in developing writing, relevant with the problem 22-26 good enough information, less substantive, not enough in developing writing problem 17-21 fair limited information, less substantive, insufficient development of writing problem 13-16 bad no content and problem 2 organization 18-20 very good fluent in expression, clear in expressing idea, well organized, logic and cohesive sequence 14-17 good less fluency, unorganized but clear main idea, limited supporting material, logic but incomplete sequence 10-13 fair not fluent or irregular idea, illogical sequence and idea development. 7-9 bad not communicative, unorganized, and invaluable organization 3. vocabulary 18-20 very good appropriate diction, good word order mastery 14-17 good sometimes incorrect choice of the word which does not change the meaning 10-13 fair limited word use, some mistakes in vocabulary which can change the meaning 7-9 bad bad choice of the word, less and invaluable vocabulary 4. language 22-25 very good effective complex construction, only few language mistakes. 18-21 good simple but effective construction, few mistake in complex construction which does not change the meaning 11-17 fair serious mistake in sentence construction, unclear meaning. 5-10 bad lack of syntactical construction’s mastery, many mistakes, not communicative and invaluable language 5. mechanics 5 very good good mastery of the writing mechanics, only few spelling errors 4 good some spelling errors which do not change the meaning 3 fair many spelling errors which can change the meaning. 2 bad lack of mastery in writing mechanics, many spelling errors, unreadable and invaluable writing table 2. model of writing evaluation criteria using score no evaluation aspects score 1. content 13-30 2. organization 7-20 3. vocabulary 7-20 4. language 5-25 5. mechanics 2-5 the sum of score ……… 63 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 3. the evaluation result in cycle 1 and 2 meeting activity positive result negative result action 1, cycle 1 identifying generic structure using “fresh” technique and language features of descriptive text. 1. most of students understood the parts of descriptive text in detail. 2. some students understood more about simple present tense and adjectives. 1. some students were confused in determining each element of “fresh”. 2. the rests were confused in distinguishing verbs and adjectives. action 2, cycle 1 1. writing sentences using adjectives and simple present tense. 2. writing a short descriptive text 1. half of the students were able to write simple sentences using simple present tense correctly. 2. some students were able to write simple descriptive text. 3. the mean score of the posttest was 71.89 compared to the pre-test which was 66.25. 4. the improvement from pre-test to post-test showed 8.513% . 1. some students got problems in writing sentences using simple present tense. 2. some students got difficulties in writing descriptive text because they lack vocabulary. 3. some students were confused in distinguishing the “fact” and “reason” of “fresh”. action 1, cycle 2 1. gathering information from the pieces of text into a good arrangement of descriptive paragraph in group discussion. 2. completing incomplete essay of descriptive text. 1. half of the students were able to determine the elements of “fresh” and gather the information into good paragraph. 2. students were able to differentiate the adjectives and verbs to complete the incomplete essay. 1. some students were not involved in group discussion. 2. some students were chatting with their friends while having group discussion. 3. some students did not finish in rewriting the information gotten. action 2, cycle 2 1. arranging jumbled sentences. 2. writing descriptive text using “fresh” technique. 1. most of students were able to determine the elements of “fresh” that they could arrange the jumbled sentences correctly. 2. students were able to write descriptive text more fluently than before. 3. the mean score of the post test was 81.89. 4. the improvement was 23.608%. 1. some students did not focus on the lesson. 2. some students often asked the teacher the english translation of words when they were practicing writing. from the table above, the students’ writing score improved 23.607% from the pre-test score which was 66.25 to 81.89 in the post-test. the improvement above had reached the success indicator which was 20%. based on the result of cycle 1, the improvement could be seen through the ways the students improved their competence in writing descriptive text by applying “fresh” technique. the students could write quite good content in their descriptive text. through the elements of “fresh”, students were faisal & yasinta wulandari improving students’ competence in writing descriptive texts through “fresh” technique 64 able to put sufficient information in identification by its “fact” and “reason”, and, in the description by the use of “elaboration” and the “shift”. even though it was not complete enough, it was better than before. they could organize their ideas better as well. by the arrangement of “fact”, “reason”, “elaboration” and “shift” of “fresh” technique, students were able to determine what should be written first and next to get a fluent descriptive text easier. even though, their organization was not fluent enough, the students could write their ideas in sequence. they used more new vocabularies in developing their descriptive paragraph. when students were asked to write a descriptive paragraph using “fresh” technique, they tried to get vocabularies appropriate for their ideas in each element of “fresh”. even though, they sometimes made mistakes in spelling. in cycle 2, half of the students could write simple sentences using simple present tense and adjectives correctly when they were practicing writing descriptive text. through the elements of “fresh”, students understood the rule of how to write a good descriptive paragraph. they knew how to express their ideas as the content and organize it better than before they were introduced “fresh” technique. however, they still needed to learn it more. in general, after the treatment, the students’ capability in writing descriptive text improved as well. most of students could provide enough information about what they described. it could be seen in the students’ result that they wrote more sentences in the form of descriptive paragraph to describe something. they also organized their ideas clearly and fluently. the students could use good dictions and write those words correctly. their understanding about simple present tense improved too. it could be seen when the students write descriptive text, there were only some of them who made few mistakes in sentence construction. they also mastered the writing rule better than before, so their texts were easier to understand. furthermore, this was in line with the research result conducted by suwandita (2013) stating that after the implementation of fresh technique, the students’ competence in writing a descriptive text increased. through the elements of fresh, the students were able to put adequate information in identification its “fact” and “reason”, and in the description and conclusion by the use of “elaboration” and “shift”. they were capable of organizing their ideas by the arrangement of “fact”, “reason”, “elaboration”, and “shift”. they were able to determine what should be written first and next to get a fluent descriptive text easier. furthermore, they were capable of using more new vocabularies in developing their descriptive paragraph because when the teacher instructed them to write descriptive paragraph using fresh technique, they tried to find vocabularies suitable for their ideas in each element of fresh. also, they made few mistakes in spelling. automatically, the students were able to write simple sentence correctly. throughout the table 4. the improvement of students’ writing competence indicator pre-test post-test average 66.25 81.89 improvement (%) 23.607% 65 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee elements of fresh, the students were capable of mastering the rule of how to write a descriptive paragraph. in short, the students could write a good descriptive text. conclusion the result of the test showed that there was improvement of students’ writing score for about 23.607% from the pre-test which was 66.25 to 81.89. this improvement had reached the success indicator which was 20%. from the result, it can be concluded that “fresh” technique helped the students develop their ideas in writing descriptive text. through the elements of “fresh”, students are able to give more complete information as the content of their descriptive text. they are able write the “fact” and “reason” as the identification, and the “elaboration” and “shift” as the description. they can also organize it well by the “fresh” arrangement, so that, they will get their fluent descriptive text. they use more vocabularies and appropriate diction to make their ideas understandable to read. students can use simple present tense and the adjectives in writing their descriptive text correctly. moreover, they understand and apply the rule of writing descriptive text well. because of “fresh” arrangement, students can make their descriptive text fluent and easy to understand. references arikunto, s. (2010). prosedur penelitian: suatu pendekatan praktik. jakarta: rineka cipta. brown, h. d. (2004). language assessment: principles and classroom practices. san francisco state university. faisal. (2010). penerapan “fresh” untuk mengembangkan paragraf deskriptif bagi guru lbpp lia purwokerto. purwokerto. unpublished research report. harmer, j. (2003). the practice of english language teaching, third edition. england: edinburg gate. --------------. (2006). how to teach writing. england: longman. hernowo. (2003). quantum writing. bandung: mizan learning center. hudson, l. s. a. (2011). enhancing academic writing competence in radiography education. cput theses and dissertations. accessed on may 21st 2012. lyons, l. h. (1987). study writing course in written english for academic and professional purpose. london: cambridge university. martani, a. t. p. (2011). an effort to improve students’ writing ability using scaffolding strategy at the viii grade of smp n 1 patikraja academic year 2010/2011. unpublished thesis, muhammadiyah university of purwokerto. murphy, r. (1994). english grammar in use. united kingdom: cambridge university press. nurgiyantoro, b. (2001). penelitian dalam pengajaran bahasa dan sastra. yogyakarta: bpfe. o’malley, j m., & valdez,l. (1996). authentic assessment for english language learners. usa: addison-wesley publishing company, inc. rozi, f. (2012). descriptive text – language features. accessed on june, 12th 2012 at https://peperonity.com/go/sites/ mview/descriptive/14825324. suwandita, k. (2013) the effectiveness of fresh technique to teach descriptive writing at the tenth grade students of man 1 purwokerto in academic year 2012/2013. unpublished thesis, muhammadiyah university of purwokerto. tarigan, h. g. (1994). menulis sebagai suatu keterampilan berbahasa. bandung: angkasa. wardiman, a., masduk b. j., and djusma, m. s. (2008) english in focus 2. jakarta: pusat perbukuan, departemen pendidikan nasional. wishon, g. e., & julia, m. b. (1980). let’s write english, revised edition. new york: litton educational publishing inc. i english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee developing students’ knowledge from the results of scaffolding in english teaching diah gusrayani department of english education, indonesia university of education, indonesia email: gusrayanidiah@yahoo.com apa citation: gusrayani, d. (2014). developing students’ knowledge from the results of scaffolding in english teaching. english review: journal of english education 3(1), 31-40 received: 13-10-2014 accepted: 20-10-2014 published: 01-12-2014 abstract: some issues of the difficulties of teaching english in indonesia have significantly revealed and analyzed by some researchers (nurweni, 1997; moedjito and harumi, 2008) and the issues have provoked some studies to anchor several solutions for teachers to consider (supriadi and hoogenboom, 2004; thalal, 2010). in indonesia, the issue has also been thoroughly investigated. this paper attempts to reveal the problems of teaching english experienced by 2 junior high school teachers in sumedang along with the alternative solution namely scaffolding concept which has been widely investigated and believed as appropriate tool mediation for children to learn english with particular difficulties hampered: culture, teachers’ background, quantity and quality of teaching and similar causes (vygotsky, 1962; tudge, 1992; stone, 1998; kong, 2002; donovan and smolkin, 2002). this concept of scaffolding is considered in this research as a bridge to a better understanding of the requirements of curriculum 2013 that students have to possess knowledge (k3) specifically factual, conceptual and procedural knowledge having experienced the learning. as students are conditioned to achieve these skills: remembering, understanding, implementing, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and producing, at that pinpoint the presence of scaffolding concept in english teaching is an inevitable strategy to be applied. keywords: scaffolding, students’ knowledge (k3), curriculum 2013, tool mediation, metacognitive. introduction issues of teaching english in a cultural context as a case of indonesia have been widely investigated by some researcher (erlenawati, 2002; bradford, 2007; cahyono andwidiati, 2008). same topics have so long been a concern to many researchers all over the world started from the influence of different cultures affect students’ mastery of language (li, 2004; baker, 2003; chen, 2006; englebert, 2004; nault, 2006; yanpu, 2004; darren, 2006 in faridi, 2008) to the impact of different sociocultural background to different learning strategies and different results in language learning (lengkanawati, 2004; erlenawati, 2004; astini, et. al, 2002 in faridi, 2008). these issues reveal not only indonesian students’ difficulties in learning english but also teachers’ difficulties in teaching english. the causing factors come from both the teacher and the students. the problems originated from students’ characteristics in their learning, that they are often shy, silent and passive (exely, 2005); unreflective (pikkert and foster, 1996); adopt memorization that they tend to adopt what teachers note down in the blackboard (lengkanawati, 2004); motivated only by immediate needs diah gusrayani developing students’ knowledge from the results of scaffolding in english teaching (bradford, 2007). the problems rooted from teacher are various. socioeconomic factor that teachers are among the underpaid profession in indonesia (jalal, et.al, 2009) so that they have to double shift their earnings by doing, too often, low status occupation. this kind of life cycle impact their quality of teachings (supriadi and hoogenboom, 2004) and even their attendance at school (thalal, 2010). english teachers in indonesia also experienced ‘malpractice’ as it is in medical term, that they ‘did not undertake sufficient educational degree (firman and tola, 2008). more than 60 percent of the total 2.78 million teachers did not hold undergraduate degree in education (thalal, 2010). this has becoming another crucial issue that can hamper english teaching and learning in indonesia. another problem comes from the tasks and learning materials. meanwhile tasks and learning materials should be carefully thought and selected by teacher as an adult whose assistance is prominently needed in teaching young learners (mcdevitt and ormrod, 2002), many indonesian teachers ignores the fact (gusrayani, 2011). the selecting and leveling of the teaching materials, designing the teaching steps and evaluating the whole performance are activities included in the design of lesson plans. teachers find students are dissatisfied of their language learning (li, 2004; baker, 2003; chen, 2006 in faridi, 2008), students master language competence faster and more accurate as they are mingled with sociocultural issues (englebert, 2004; nault, 2006; yanpu, 2004; darren, 2006 in faridi, 2008), students with different sociocultural background have different learning strategies and therefore achieve different results in language learning (lengkanawati, 2004; erlenawati, 2004; astini, et. al, 2002 in faridi, 2008). the consideration of choosing the tasks, teaching materials, teaching strategy, teaching tools and many others is one significant factor contributes to what could simply be described as good teaching. teacher is the most prominent actor in its execution. how teacher could provide adequate support in order to enable students to learn effectively, deals with tasks, strategies, teaching materials that facilitate students to move towards new skills, concept or understandings. but, as hammond (2001) pointed out that the support and assistance should be also designed to ‘help learners to work with increasing independence—to know not only what to think and do, but also how to think and do, so that new skills and understandings can be applied in new contexts. knowledge is constructed in the midst of our interaction with others and is shaped by the skills and abilities valued in a particular culture (vygotsky, 1978). the vivid picture of how knowledge is constructed with the help of others is the illustration of parents and their children. parents shape the skills and abilities of their children since earlier stage of life by talking to them. children learn how to do simple thing like producing alphabetical sounds to a more complex one as problem solving, by the assistance of their parents, peer or adults around them. children solve problems by their speech as appropriate as they do with their hands. they talk aloud indicating the beginning of thinking process. as they grown up, it is internalized as part of their repertoire of strategies for problem solving. language helps children be strategic in their english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee approach to complex problems (vygotsky, 1962). hammond et.al (2001) argues that children are influenced by their parents, peers, and adults in developing their language which supports their thinking. the interaction between a child and his parents, peers and/or adults provides feedback and assistance that supports ongoing learning. it finally forms the basis of the understanding that eventually become internalized in the individual. from this point of view, there are 2 main points drawn about how learning occurs. first, learning becomes real when there is assistance from others. second, interaction between a learner and his surrounding becomes very prominent, so the quality and quantity of the interaction should be assured. the scaffolding concept that will be elaborated below is framed by this twofold. since the term scaffolding was coined in 1976 (earlier than zpd concepts), there has been a great deal of discussion and debate about what the concept of scaffolding actually means. many experts assume that scaffolding is an operational term for zpd. zpd is defined as a distance between two levels of child’s performance: the lower level that reflects the tasks the child can perform independently and the higher level reflective of the tasks the same child can do with assistance. zpd is the distance between students current and potential development. vygotsky assumes that learning takes place before development. connection between learning and development: what develops next (proximally) is what is affected by learning (through formal or informal instruction). consequently, the concept of zpd is only applicable to development only to the degree in which development might be influenced by learning. in the area of zpd, scaffolding falls into practice. the assistance of adults in children’s zpd awakens and rouses to life the mental capacities of learners of all ages (tharp and gallimore, 1991). scaffolding is no longer associated with interactions between individuals only. these days, artifacts, resources, and environments themselves are also utilized as scaffolds (puntabekar & hubscher, 2005). put differently, scaffolds can consist of tools, strategies, and guides which support students so that they can achieve a higher level of meaning making; one which would be impossible if students worked on their own (gale, stewart, & steel, 2007; vygotsky, 1978). hotlon and clarke (2006) propose more concrete tools be used as scaffolds. according to them, “scaffolding may also be provided in book form, over the internet, by telephone, and so on” (p. 130). more importantly, scaffolding can be provided through supplying hints, prompts, probes, simplifications or other similar learning supports (ronen & langley, 2004). in terms of practice, some theorists propose ideas of put the concept into practice. mercer, et.al (2004) proposes to implement scaffolding, teacher should consider this. 1. children can be enabled to use talk more effectively as a tool for reasoning; 2. talk-based activities can have a useful function in scaffolding the development of reasoning and scientific understanding; real teaching, according to tharp and gallimore (1991) is understood as assisting the learner to perform just diah gusrayani developing students’ knowledge from the results of scaffolding in english teaching beyond his/her current capacity. a teacher who stops by a student’s desk to ask questions to determine her progress and then provide hints, subtle suggestions, and guidance to move the students along, that is instructional scaffolding (hogan, 1997). meanwhile, roehler and cantlon (1997) argue that scaffolding can also be performed as teacher offer explanations, invite students’ participation, verify and clarify students’ understandings and model desired behaviors. learners are given the opportunities to act like they know how to complete a task before they actually do (rommetveit, 1978). scaffolding developed to help students internalize information and it best occurs where the learners have opportunities to communicate their thoughts. teacher should converse the students and vice versa. martin (1985) suggests that a good conversation is neither a fight nor a contest. circular in form, cooperative in manner, and constructive in intent. it is an interchange of ideas by those who see themselves not as adversaries but as human beings come together to talk and listen and learn from one another. the knowledge required from the students covers three domains: process, object and subject. students are urged to have these specific competences: know, understand, apply, analyze, and evaluate. the range of knowledge students has to mingle in such a way that represents their competence is: factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive. for the level of elementary school and junior high school, the level of knowledge students should acquire is factual, conceptual and procedural. curriculum 2013 with its scientific approach urges teachers to create students’ self-strategy in learning by facilitating them with various real life experiences. teacher demonstrates many actions instead of merely explaining. at this pinpoint, teacher hold significant role in creating assistance to the students meanwhile at the same time teacher is obliged to establish students’ individual initiative to learn many things so that at the end they can analyze, synthesize and evaluate their learning. teacher should ensure that students are significantly assisted so that they can continuously grow and make progress even one step from what they have already known. this is called scaffolding. teacher should think of any possibilities that create movement of the students from their assisted performance to their individual one. an important aspect to effective scaffolding is that teacher should understand and develop the timely support. teacher needs to plan and provide support at the point of need. no need to be excessive yet it can scaffold students in the knowledge that they have already seen factually, achieved conceptually, performed procedurally and analyzed in a metacognitive way. this is how students are urged to be leveled in 2013 curriculum. the research is specifically designed to answer the questions: (1) how teachers understand and perceive the concept of scaffolding?; (2) how is the scaffolding concept reflected in their teaching? (3) in what way does the scaffolding concept help or hinder students from their language mastery? method considering the objective of this study that is to reveal teacher’s understanding and perception on scaffolding concepts and the reflection of english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the concept in their english teaching as teacher builds students’ knowledge i decide to conduct a mixed method studies where the qualitative component had priority and the researchers identified themselves primarily as qualitative researchers (brannen, 2005). creswell (1998: 15) argues that qualitative research needs interpretive and naturalistic approaches to the subject matter and multiple sources of information. this research will be a case study because the characteristics of genre are embedded in a certain community communication. since the research will typically describe an entity and the entity’s action, the how and why the entity acts as it does, this research took case studies as the method qualitatively (thomas, 2003). the entities investigated are the teaching (process and product). a case study in qualitative research requires a natural setting and purposeful sampling (creswell, 1998:14, 62; maxwell, 1996: 70-71; miles and huberman, 1994: 27). the general aim of this study is to explore and describe the reflection of scaffolding concepts in the teachings of english in junior high schools in sumedang along with their teaching practices. investigation were drawn upon teachers in terms of their understanding on the concept, how they implement it in their classroom teaching and how they perceive it. the results were framed and discussed in the light of curriculum 2013. given this objective, it is imperative to find junior high schools in sumedang that has implemented or trained the teachers with curriculum 2013. it is critical also to consider that the schools have facilitated the teaching with supportive teaching materials sufficient and relevant to the subject matters to support the english teaching activities to their students. it is considerable also—to certain amount— to involve teachers who have been actively participated in some improvement programs in teaching english for sumedang district at least. having considered above reasoning, the participants of this study are two teachers who have been reviewed thus far based on the requirements. they were interviewed, observed, and requested to be engaging and mingling into the establishment of the new model of scaffolding teaching. their opinion, assumption and teaching practices were triangulated with interview, questionnaires, observation, focus ground discussion and other necessary instruments. they interviewed purposely and had their english teaching observed thoroughly. the process were carefully recorded and documented. mixed method and qualitative research needs multiple techniques to collect data from multiple sources (creswell, 1998). in general, the data were taken from the following techniques. the data were collected through both questionnaires and interview. the questions asked were about scaffolding concepts: how far teacher understands the concept, apply and perceive it in curriculum 2013? questionnaires were given first, and interview was served as the confirmation and elaboration of what had been sounded in the questionnaire. the data to answer this question were collected from classroom observation, field note and interviewing teachers and students. the data were triangulated and collected thoroughly and continuously guided by some purposively designed formats. the diah gusrayani developing students’ knowledge from the results of scaffolding in english teaching interview was targeted to teachers and students and structure of interview is subject to change accordingly. the points to which teachers reflect scaffolding in particular ways were deeply elaborated. the data were gathered from classroom observation triangulated with interview and test results. the interviews were conducted both to the teachers and the students. having observed the teaching, the teacher was asked about the scaffolding they have planned and implemented and how significant it is to help students’ mastery. the framing of the questionnaire was: does the concept help the students in acquiring new skills or the opposite? how far and significant does the help or hinder created? how can it help or hinder students and why? what is the reasoning? the interviews were continued with discussion. interview to students was in regard to their impression during the teaching. whether or not they were helped by the teaching were elaborated. test results were also analyzed to support the opinions. results and discussion teacher’s understanding and perception about scaffolding both teachers were interviewed with several open questions regarding their understanding about scaffolding and whether they perceive the concept empowering or the opposite. teacher a explained that he heard the scaffolding term written in many scientific books. it is written mostly in a positive encouragement, as in the title of the book. nevertheless, he admitted that he did not aware about the meaning and the ‘magical effect’ it has on the teaching. he thinks that that scaffolding might be associated with a good teaching. this is relevant to what hammond (2001) says that assume scaffolding as good teaching is common among teachers. teacher b is the opposite of teacher a. she understood the concept, believed it as a good teaching strategy and even was able to mention the theorists. teacher b thinks scaffolding is what a teacher should learn and apply. reflection of scaffolding in the teaching teacher a the observation was conducted twice for two meeting schedules, each of which has 2x35 minutes. the very prominent artifact used by the teacher as the scaffold is the slides projected contain some pictures which were very attractive and familiar to the students. explaining the date and time, the teacher brought the real birthday date of the famous celebrities students were well recognized. students were very enthusiastic and they tried hard to answer each of the question proposed by the teacher, as their eyes were glued to the pictures. even one student which is firstly failed on answering correctly, tried to re-answer by requesting the teacher to play on the picture of the celebrities she likes. the slide has successfully attracted their attention and forced them to think harder. this kind of assistance falls into students’ mental capacity (tharp and gallimore, 1991, gale et. al, 2007). unfortunately, there is rarely framed another meaning-making strategy used by the teacher as it should be able to work with, as to teacherstudent talk (merceret.al, 2004). the students have not given enough time and space to use the tool for reasoning, that is, a talk. teacher provides almost all answers if they failed to point it english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee correctly. meanwhile, students’ participation whether they are answering or correcting others, that is a crucial thing teacher need to boost and invite, as it is a ‘useful function in scaffolding the development of reasoning and scientific understanding (ronen and langley, 2004). teacher rarely used understandable hints, probes or simplification. he often showed hints by nodding his head or pausing. students were less directed to understand the ‘subtle suggestions and guidance to move along’ (hogan and pressley, 1997) and ‘frame the intended meaning’. after explanation in the first 10 minutes, students were not provided by ‘point in need scaffolding’ as suggested by hammond (2001) that students were not only prompted to their mistakes but also invited to clarify themselves of what they are thinking at that time being and guide those thinking into the correct path. for example, one student mispronounce the date and month in reverse, the teacher reacted only by shaking his head instead of guiding by sentences like: ‘what did you say again? which one is the date? are you sure? is month more than 12 in a year? so 15 means? a month or a day? this is what martin (1985) argues as ‘conversation’. teacher should converse his student. circular in form, cooperative in manner, and constructive in intent; this is a desired model of explaining things or examples. if students do not ‘talk’ his mind ‘aloud’, it would be difficult to measure the beginning of the thinking process because no correction, assimilation, or accommodation of the new learning (vygotsky, 1978). teacher b the teacher also performed two teachings in different days, with the same minutes. she applies task division in teaching reading. she selected two different reading texts. as i interviewed before she started the class, she argued that the two texts has different level of difficulties. the first one is easy; the second one is a bit difficult. it is performed in purpose so that the students ranging from lower to upper level of competencies can be measured and appropriately treated. this assistance reflect ‘contingency’ in scaffolding (hammond, 2001) in which teacher assures students’ recent capability in order to move along to one step higher. teacher tried to give an anchor for all the students by giving them the easier one to depart on students zone of proximal development (zpd) and later on landed on students farthest zpd (brunner, 1984). at this point, teacher made simplification as her teaching support (ronen and langley 2004) and provided the students with something to trigger their potential development. teacher also communicates well; performed a lot of interactional scaffolding by providing many teaching media beside the textbook. the media are then successfully played the role as teaching catalyst (tharp and gallimore, 1991). the interaction between teacher and students were clearly patterned as the teacher seized the students’ answer and used them to develop their higher thinking ability. the teacher used point in need scaffolding (hammond, 2001). for example, as the teacher asked: t: so why she (the main character) felt so sad? s: because she lost her earrings (pausing)..err..and..but.. diah gusrayani developing students’ knowledge from the results of scaffolding in english teaching t: yes? but what? s: but also her husband did not care about that… t: about her? about her earring? or what? s: about her lost. not the earring. the lost. her lost. her husband ignore. t: her husband ignored the fact that she lost her earrings? that what makes her so sad do you think? s: yes. the effect to students’ understanding teacher a and b can actually move along the path of students’ further distance of their zpd by the scaffolding applied. teacher a, with the interactivity built by the slides, the pictures, the vivid explanations (roehler and canton, 1997), his stopping in each student’s desk (tharp and gallimore, 1991) has already succeeded in building students’ mental capacity (gale, 2007) as students were attached and concerned. students moved from remembering to understanding level of conceptual knowledge. they rarely moved from their chair, yet their mind moved the higher point. nevertheless, the level of knowledge the students reach was still in conceptual phase. teacher b, with her skillful interactional scaffolding and teacher’s talk has also succeeded in developing students’ internalized and strategic way of thinking. she has also created a conducive learning atmosphere. she brought the students from the level of remembering to applying. teacher moved around and mingled with the students, the interaction gave meaningful contribution to the mastery of the learning. students reached procedural knowledge level as they are asked to make their own text and successfully made it with significant themes and development of the themes. conclusions in the class where teacher a taught, students are mostly less capable of answering questions from the textbook and the teacher. even if they can answer, the level of understanding measured is in the point of remembering the fact and understanding the issue. those who are able to analyze further were only five persons. but some of the students, who were initially shown less interest and understanding, were able to catch their outstanding students finally. class tended to be quiet, even if the teacher asked, they looked very reluctant to answer. the hesitation of the teacher to give sufficient assistance or to lead the path for the students to move along create the hesitation for the students to answer almost all questions. some of the students were scaffold, but most of the rest were only stayed there, in their previous condition. in teacher b’s class, the atmosphere tended to be pleasurable. even though not all of them can answer the questions correctly, they looked distressed, they learned happily. students who were initially given the easier task can also finish the more difficult ones at last. teacher knew when to scaffold and when to let them go. but still, both of them were applied scaffolding techniques in their teaching and succeeded in lengthen their students’ zpd. references bradford, a. (2007). motivational orientations in under-researched fll contexts: findings from indonesia. relc journal, 38, 302-323. bruner, j. (1984). vygotsky's zone of proximal development: the hidden agenda. in b. rogoff, & wertsh, j. (eds), english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 3, issue 1, december 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee children's learning in the 'zone of proximal development'. san francisco: jossey-bass. cahyono, b. y., & widiati, u. (2008). the teaching of efl vocabulary in indonesian context: the state of art. teflin journal, 19(1), 1-17. creswell, j. w. (1998). qualitative inquiry and research design. california: sage publications. donovan, c. & smolkin, l. (2002) children's genre knowledge: an examination of k5 students performance on multiple tasks providing differing levels of scaffolding. reading research quarterly newark. 37 (4), 428-465 erlenawati. (2002). belief about language learning: indonesian learners' perspectives, and some implication for classroom practices. australian journal of education, 46(3), 323-337. exely, b. (2005). learner characteristics of ‘asian’ efl students: exceptions to the ‘norm’. paper presented at the proceedings pleasure passion provocation. joint national conference aate & alea 2005. faridi, a. (2008). pengembangan model materi ajar muatan lokal bahasa inggris di sekolah dasar jawa tengah yang berwawasan sosiokultural. disertasi program pascasarjana universitas negeri semarang firman, h., & tola, b. (2008), the future of schooling in indonesia. journal of international cooperation in education 11(1), 71 – 84. gallimore, r. & tharp, r.g. (1989) rousing minds to life: teaching, learning, and schooling in social context. cambridge: cambridge university press. gallimore, r. & tharp, r. g. (1990). teaching mind and society: a theory of education and schooling. in l. moll (ed.), vygotsky and education: instructional implications and applications of sociohistorical psychology. (pp. 175-205). cambridge: cambridge university press. gallimore, r. & tharp, r. (1991). a theory of teaching as assisted performance. in: learning to think: child development in social context, vol. 2.; paul light, sue sheldon, & martin woodhead, (eds.) pp. 42-61. routledge: london. hammond, j. (2001). scaffolding: teaching and learning in language and literacy education. australia: peta hogan, k., and pressley, m. (1997). scaffolding student learning: instructional approaches and issues. cambridge, ma: brookline books holton, d., & clarke, d. (2006). scaffolding and metacognition. international journal of mathematical education in science and technology, 37(2), 127-143. kong, a. (2002) scaffolding in a learning community of practice: a case study of a gradual release of responsibility from the teacher to the students. 47th annual international reading association convention, san francisco. lengkanawati, n. s. (2004). how learners from different cultural backgrounds learn a foreign language. asian efl journal, 6(1). life, j. (2011). motivation and efl university students in north-east asia. asian efl journal, 13(3). linn, r.l., baker, e.l., & dunbar, s.b. (1991). complex, performance-based assessment. educational researcher, 20(8), 15-21. martin, j. (1985) factual writing: exploring and challenging social reality oxford: oxford university press. maxwell, j. (1996). qualitative research design. thousand oaks, ca: sage. mcdevitt, t.m. & ormrod, j.e. (2002). child development and education. upper saddle river, nj: merrill prentice hall. miles, mb. & huberman, am. (1994). qualitative data analysis (2nd edition). thousand oaks, ca: sage publications. moedjito, & harumi, i. (2008). perceptions of the seriousness of mispronunciation of english speech sounds. teflin journal, 19(1), 70-90. nurweni, a. (1997). how many words do senior high school students acquire per week. teflin journal, 8(1), 103-115 pikkert, j. j. j., & foster, l. (1996 ). critical thinking skills among third year diah gusrayani developing students’ knowledge from the results of scaffolding in english teaching indonesian english students. relc journal, 27, 56-64. ronen, m. & langley, d. (2004). scaffolding complex tasks by open online submission: emerging patterns and profiles. journal of asynchronous learning networks (jaln), 8(4), 39-52 roehler, l. r., & cantlon, d.j. (1997). scaffolding: a powerful tool in social constructivist classrooms. in k. hogan & m. pressley (eds.), scaffolding student learning: instructional approaches and issues (pp. 6-42). cambridge, ma: brookline. rommetveit, r. (1978). ‘on negative rationalism in scholarly studies of verbal communication and dynamic residuals in the construction of human intersubjectivity’, in michael brenner, p. marsh and marilyn brenner (eds), the social contexts of method, london: croom helm, pp/ 16-32. stewart, t.m., macintyre, w.r., galea, v.j., & steel, c.h. (2007). enhancing problem-based learning designs with a single e-learning scaffolding tool: two case studies using challenge frap. interactive learning environments, 15(1), 77–91. stone, a. (1998) the metaphor of scaffolding: its utility for the field of learning disabilities. journal of learning disabilities, 3(4), 344-364 supriadi, & hoogenboom. (2004). teachers in indonesia: their education, training, and struggle since colonial era until the reformation era. jakarta: ministry of education, indonesian republic. thalal, m. (2010). new insights into teaching of english language to indonesian students. retrieved from http://www.lkas.org/pendidikan/det ail/15/new_insights_into_teaching_of_ english_language_to_indonesian_stude nts.html tudge, j. (1992) vygotsky, the zone of proximal development, and peer collaboration: implications for classroom practice. in moll, l.c. (ed.) vygotsky and education: instructional implications and applications of sociohistorical psychology. cambridge: cambridge university press. vygotsky, l. s. (1962). thought and language. cambridge, ma:mit press --------------------(1978). mind in society: the development of higher psychological processes (m. cole, v. john-steiner, s. scribner, & e. souberman, eds.) cambridge, ma: harvard university press english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 81 the use of ict in authentic assessment of the students’ productive skills wardah zahra english education department, faculty of teaching training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: wzahraa@gmail.com rita inderawati (corresponding author) english education department, faculty of teaching training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id ismail petrus english education department, faculty of teaching training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: ismailpetrus@yahoo.com apa citation: zahra, w., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2019). the use of ict in authentic assessment of the students’ productive skills. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 81-90. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2110. received: 24-09-2019 accepted: 19-11-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: making use of ict and applying authentic assessment in the teaching and learning activities represent an obligatory from indonesian ministry of education and culture. this study aimed at finding out types of ict used in the authentic assessment of the productive skills, describing the implementation of ict in the authentic assessment of the productive skills, explaining the possible problems faced by the english teachers in the implementation, and explaining the solution used by the teachers to solve the problems. this study was a descriptive study with qualitative approach. the data were collected through interview, observation, and documentation to three english teachers, a curriculum coordinator, a facility and infrastructure administrator, and three students, were validated through methodological triangulations and were analyzed using miles and huberman’s analysis model (1994), namely data reduction, data display and conclusion, and verification. the results discovered that there were three types of ict in the authentic assessment of the productive skills, the teachers had different methods in implementing the three types of ict tools based on the types of authentic assessment concerning aspects of productive skills, they encountered three main problems in the implementation, and they were educated and motivated to have their solutions to overcome the difficulties. keywords: ict; authentic assessment; ict-based authentic assessment; speaking skill; writing skill. introduction an unprecedented revolution in information and communication technologies (ict) has been changing the standard and nature of the english language by imposing new practices that have been influencing how the students are evaluated in the current years. for the students growing up in a culture of technology integration, ict provides relevant new learning and assessment chances that are in related to their real-world activities. similarly, jonassen, howland, and marra (2009) point out that the use of technology to support assessment is not only done by converting traditional forms of assessment into a digital format, but it can also be used to assess higher-order learning outcomes based on the realbased situation as students have chances to demonstrate what they learn. mueller (2014) agrees that authentic assessment as a form of assessment which requires the students to achieve real-world tasks as a purposeful implication of knowledge and skills. categorically, luo and lei (2012) confirm that there are four different common types of ict in educational purposes, those are, (1) educational networking: an educationally focused network which is accessed by online (ning), (2) web-based learning: an internet-based instructional delivery tool or online application or services allowing those who access the platform to have interactively collaboration in searching, accepting, organizing, and delivering educational content (wiki, social bookmarking, blog, and podcast), (3) mobile learning: means of technologies conducted by portable devices aiding in educational activities (smartphones and laptop), and (4) classroom equipment: any facilitation in the form of devices to support the interaction between the teachers and the students in classroom (projectors and speakers). thus, the mailto:wzahraa@gmail.com mailto:ismailpetrus@yahoo.com wardah zahra, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus the use of ict in authentic assessment of the students’ productive skills 82 applicable achievement of the language learning activities would help the students to bestow their knowledge into the real-life situation. productive skills—speaking and writing skills have relation to authentic assessment since they may occur the opportunities to develop real-life activities relevantly. according to harmer (2015), productive skills are the skills in a language produced by the students. in other words, the students need to articulate and write words to generate language. aspects of speaking include fluency—the involvement of the speakers to be able to keep maintaining the utterance spontaneously and accuracy—vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. in writing, the aspects are handwriting, correct spelling, punctuation, and layout. (harmer 2015; nunan 2003). specifically, authentic assessment involving ict in the speaking practices can be in the form of oral practice or presentation using computers, movie-based description, digital story or text retelling, radio broadcasts, voice or video conferences, web-based video clips and digital oral directed report. in another productive skill, writing skill practices, the assessment is classified into computer-based writing practices, a website learning and online publication, and written presentation. (thanyalak, 2012; zhang & han, 2012). indonesia, one of the non-english-speaking countries, emphasizes on productive skills measured by authentic assessment together with the use of ict in its latest curriculum. according to the regulation of the ministry of education and culture numbers 27 and 22 years 2017 and 2016 about graduate competency and process standards, teachers of english should specifically focus on productive skills of english and emphasize on the implementation of ict to improve efficiency and effectiveness in teaching and learning activities. in reality, there are still several constraints in educational practice. the most common problems in relation to the use of ict in assessing the students of non-englishspeaking countries are the teachers are lack of sufficient skills and knowledge about ict, limited to ict facilities, accessibilities, network connection, time, and training. (unesco, 2011). in terms of ict development, indonesia is ranked 111 out of 176 countries worldwide (international telecommunication union, 2017). badan akreditasi nasional (2018) shows that the standard of educators and education personnel are grouped in the three lowest standards. identically, zaim (2013) in his study found out that english teachers faced difficulties in constructing appropriate assessment instruments to evaluate oral and written language skills. he found that teachers were not confident in describing the theory of authentic assessment as they merely do not understand the authentic assessment. trisanti (2014) also discovered that some teachers did not have enough basic theory of authentic assessment. the application of scoring rubrics was unclear for them. thus, the low level of english proficiency probably comes from lack ability of the teachers in administering and evaluating the materials that would be responsible to low scores of the students’ productive skills. in line with the rationales, the writer decided to have sma ligm as the further observed school in discovering types of ict in authentic assessment of productive skills in the academic year 2019/2020, describing the implementation the assessment to measure the students’ english productive skills, elaborating the difficulties in implementing it and the solution used by the teachers to overcome those difficulties. based on the vision and mission of the school, the implementation of authentic assessment together with ict is highlighted. likewise, the curriculum development of the school standardizes that teaching and learning activities must be based on scientific approach and evaluated by conducting authentic assessment involving learning, motivation, and attitudes. additionally, the school intends to consider ict in every aspect of teaching and learning activities aiming to create conducive learning situation. the utilization of ict is expected to result in the students to be globally qualified in the workplaces. method this study was a descriptive qualitative study concerning the use of ict in the processes of authentic assessment. fraenkel and wallen (2012) state that a descriptive method is a method used to explain, analyze and classify something through various techniques, survey, interview, questionnaires, observation, and text. the qualitative approach resulted organized and authentic descriptions of the investigation of relationships, activities, situations and materials in descriptive phenomena such as words, sentences, and utterances. this study involved three english teachers at sma ligm, a curriculum coordinator, a facility and infrastructure administrator, one student of science grade xi taught by teacher 1 (student a), english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 83 one student of social grade xi taught by teacher 2 (student b), and one student of grade x taught by teacher 3 (student c). the students that were chosen were the representatives who got actively involved in the classroom activities of the teachers. in the data collection, the teachers of english, were interviewed (semi-structured) and observed. similarly, the curriculum coordinator, the facility and infrastructure administrator, and the students were also interviewed with the unstructured questions. the last, some documents related to the activities during the investigation were reviewed. to validate the data, a methodological triangulation technique was used. cohen, manion, and morrison (2011) determine this technique as the use of more than one instrument in collecting data. it may involve interviews, questionnaires, observations, and documents. after the data were obtained, they were analyzed by using three steps of miles and huberman’s (1994) analysis model, which include; data reduction: focusing on the specified objectives of this study to make a detailed interpretation; data display and conclusion: displaying the analyzed data covering credible data in text and or tables to confirm the conclusion; and verification: examining through reference to the writer existing field notes and further data collection. results and discussion the results of interviews, classroom observation, and documentation were analyzed into four main objectives to draw conclusions. types of ict used in authentic assessment of the students’ productive skills mobile learning in the productive skills, all the three teachers operated mobile learning—laptop and smartphones and involved the students in the classroom assessment as the subject of the assessment. in the interview, teachers 1 and 3 frequently benefited smartphones and laptops to document and ask the students to do assignment in the speaking and writing skills assessment activities. teacher 3 specifically said that she utilized some functions in students’ smartphones such as social media like in whats-app group and email to conduct the assessment in writing skill. additionally, although teacher 2 did not mention about the implementation of the smartphones as the media in the assessment activities during the interview, the observation found out that she utilized the smartphones in assessing speaking skill assessment. she recorded the students’ performance through her smartphone and she shared the files to the students. later, the students had peer assessment about the recordings. moreover, teacher 2 involved the students to get in charge of designing both speaking and writing materials in the form of powerpoint through laptops to be authentically assessed by the teacher 2. however, there was only one lesson plan (about caption text) stated that mobile learning (smartphones) as one of the learning media. it could probably because the teachers were not aware about the detailed lesson plans. throughout the authentic assessment activities enabled the teachers to design innovative creation of certain tasks on the basis of the students’ reallife activities, sharples et al. (2014) state that mobile learning allows the teachers to have innovative practices and social learning environment. therefore, it can be said that by applying mobile learning as devices in measuring the students’ productive skills through authentic assessment, the teachers creatively varied their kinds of means of authentic assessment focusing on the students’ outcomes. classroom equipment since classroom equipment refers to any supporting devices in the classroom used by both the teachers and the students to construct interaction between them, all the findings showed that the three teachers run the provided classroom equipment in their assessment activities for the productive skills. in most assessment activities, the teachers frequently applied classroom equipment that was available in every classroom. the teachers engaged the students into both speaking and writing materials and stimulate them to demonstrate the materials that then would be assessed by the teachers. identically, all of the teachers also listed the utilization of projectors in their lesson plans as one of the supporting tools in the classroom activities. likewise, according to the facility and infrastructure administrator, the projector in each classroom was in good quality as the projector was completed by its supporting equipment. she also mentioned about any other equipment that can be used by both the teachers and the students in the assessment activities such as the smart board and the language laboratory that could be used in turns. in relation to this, american library association (1998) states that the practical use of available technologies around the students motivate the students to learn faster, wardah zahra, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus the use of ict in authentic assessment of the students’ productive skills 84 become problem-solvers and more self-regulated. through the availability of the technologies around the students discovered in the findings, therefore, the students would certainly get positive contribution to their achievement. web-based learning in authentic assessment for writing skill, the three teachers integrated the materials through internetbased instructional delivery tool or internet services. as concerns to the results of the teachers’ interview, the teachers mainly focused on the internet-based materials in their authentic assessment activities which purposely involved the students in the activities. teacher 1 applied the internet to stimulate the students to do some practices regarding their writing tasks. besides, both teachers 2 and 3 accounted for the sources of their writing skill assessment from the internet. particularly, teacher 2 asked the students to browse the materials by themselves through the internet such as blog and wiki and designed the sources into some powerpoint files to be projected that were authentically assessed by the teacher. similarly, the findings of the observation resulted that all the teachers browsed some sites on the internet to look for materials to the students. the teachers used internet-based materials browsed from blogs and wiki. likewise, the teachers also asked the students to browse additional information about the materials. after searching the materials, both the teachers and the students had brief discussions and assessment activities. in the lesson plans, the sources of websites as sources of learning were listed. by means of this tool and the teachers’ method, the students became more independent—not waiting the materials only from the teachers and they would have critical minds and this made the teachers focus on what the students were doing. it is in correlation with wasim et al. (2014) has discovered in their study. they said that web-based learning helps the teachers to easily control the students to be more independent in learning. furthermore, it also connects with the regulation in 2013 curriculum. according to ministry of education and culture number 27 the year 2016 about graduate competence standard, it says that active learning should be centered to the students. the implementation of ict in the authentic assessment of productive skills of sma ligm students the implementation of mobile learning according to the interview and observation, smartphones were applied by both teachers 1 and 2 in the same way. these two teachers asked the students to record their performances of the authentic real-based material by means of the students’ smartphones into videos. they engaged the students to get involved in teaching and learning activities as advised by sharples et al. (2014)—they said that mobile learning helps the students to be more active. specifically, the teachers recorded the students’ performance through her smartphone and they shared the files to the students. in the assessment activities, the teachers measured the students’ speaking skill based on the criteria or rubrics they have prepared. the benefits of mobile learning applied by both the teachers and the students certainly facilitated them in having comprehendible materials which were accessible and manageable. in the writing skill, teacher 3 used the smartphone to facilitate her in sending the students’ tasks. she asked the students to submit the tasks through e-mail and whats-app group after the students finished demonstarating what teacher 3 asked during the assessment activities. the tasks mostly about the students’ writing results of narrative text. moreover, laptops were also chosen by the teachers to be one of ict tools used by the students in typing the writing tasks about narrative and explanation text. however in the lesson plan, the only material stated mobile learning (smartphones) was about caption text. in the activities, the students were asked to upload and send the tasks through social media. therefore, although the teachers properly applied mobile learning, they were still not able to detail their appropriate method and media in the activities to be put in the lesson plans. the implementation of classroom equipment according to the all findings of the instruments, the ict that was available and utilized by the english teachers and the students at each classroom of sma ligm was multimedia projector. the materials mostly were conferenced through the projectors. after having the knowledge from what the teachers have taught, the students were asked to design their own powerpoint that would be shared in front of the class through the projectors. during the presentation, the teachers assessed both the students’ speaking and writing skill. the english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 85 students’ speaking skill was assessed while the students were having presentation and discussion by means of projectors. the writing skill was measured by the teachers through the powerpoint that they had designed before the presentation. the materials chosen during the investigation were based on their real-life activities such as designing announcement and caption texts, describing certain objects around them to be critically analyzed in analytical exposition, and singing song lyrics. furthermore, as the teachers constructed the innovative environment of the classroom by having attractive materials or slides and engaging the students to make ones, the students seemed to easily understand the materials. it is in line with what ozaslan and maden (2013) have found in his study. they discovered that the interactive learning materials could help the students to learn better. related to this finding, it happened in the school since all the teachers were not bounded in accessing classroom equipment and they were aware of the benefits from integrating their teaching and learning activities including assessment. the implementation of web-based learning learning through websites means that the participants in the classroom require internet and appropriate websites as the sources of learning in the classroom. according to the findings of the interview, observation, and documentation, the teacers considered that the students have to look for additional sources to be compared that would be beneficial for their learning activities and it would bestow their knowledge into the real-life situation. the teachers’ efforts in integrating web-based sources to the students were successfully make the students be more independent and critical as they have to look for other sources and try to have their own perspectives. these were in coherence with what wasim et al. (2014) found in their study. according to them, as the teachers introduce the students to integrate web-based learning in the teaching and learning activities, the students would be encouraged to be more very involved in the activities and it would lead them to learning which are centered to the students. in the factual implementation, all of the english teachers at that school involved all their students to enrich the knowledge of the students about the real-based mateials that they delivered both in speaking and writing skill. the teachers asked the students to obtain many resources, discuss all of them in group, and design the materials designed by the students themselves. then, the teachers would measure whether the sources were appropriate to the material or not. ict and authentic assessment are requisite the significance of ict and authentic assessment has been noticed by the curriculum coordinator and three english teachers at sma ligm. according to the curriculum coordinator in the interview, the necessity of ict and authentic assessment in the teaching and learning activities has been regulated and the mandatory of 2013 curriculum was also implemented in the school’s curriculum development. she also said that sma ligm put 2013 curriculum as its fundamental base of teaching and learning activities. explicitly, she also mentioned that all of the teachers at sma lti indo global mandiri had understood the concept of the authentic assessment. three teachers of english at sma lti indo global mandiri also acknowledged in the interview that the importance of ict and authentic assessment in their teaching and learning activities. the statements are also in line with the documentation and observation parts. according to the curriculum development of the school, every member of the school should emphasize on the use of ict and the involvement of authentic assessment involving learning, motivation, and attitudes in each aspect of the teaching and learning activities. in the observation, the teachers perceived the significance of ict and authentic assessment. during their classroom activities, the teachers not only engaged the students with ict but also assessed the students with real-life materials. therefore, these findings are in agreement with the minister of education and culture regulation no. 23 (2016) which rules that the teachers or educators, school (satuan pendidikan) and government or private institutions have to organize authentic assessment. the teachers concerned aspects of productive skills in the authentic assessment according to the results of the interview and observation, it was found that the teachers considered aspects of productive skill in the authentic assessment activities. it is summarized into table 2 below. wardah zahra, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus the use of ict in authentic assessment of the students’ productive skills 86 table 1. aspects of productive skills concerned by the teachers productive skills teachers aspects of productive skill results of interview results of observation speaking skill teacher 1 content pronunciation and vocabulary use teacher 2 fluency and pronunciation fluency and pronunciation teacher 3 grammar writing skill teacher 1 opening, body and closing opening, body and closing teacher 2 she could not mention the aspects spelling teacher 3 grammar, words selection, spelling, punctuation, and layout grammar, punctuation and spelling. table 1 shows that all the teachers stated that they should consider four sub-aspects of speaking as suggested by nunan (2003) in designing authentic assessment. besides, teacher 1 in the interview indicated that she was more into the content limitation of the materials which is similar to theory of gower, philips, and walter (1995). they suggest that the teachers should limit what should be assessed in their classrooms. therefore, it can be concluded that all the teachers involved the appropriate aspects of speaking skill. in writing skill, the results of the interview and observation of teacher 1 and 3 highlighted the aspects as suggested correspondingly, these aspects were involved in fundamental aspects of writing skill recommended by harmer (2015). besides, teacher 2 could not mention the aspects of writing skills in the interview session. it could be the results of unawareness of the teacher about what she needs to fill unless for filing. although teacher 2 could not remember about the aspects of writing in the interview, she considered certain aspects of writing in taking authentic assessment in her classroom. in the observation, she considered the students’ spelling and punctuation while having authentic assessment integrated with ict and she was frequently measured the students’ writing skill through self and peer review. in a like manner, four lesson plans, rubrics, and the students’ works were analyzed. first, lesson plans listed the same aspects of both speaking and writing skills. in speaking skill, all of the teachers of english concerned intonation, pronunciation, fluency, content, and vocabulary as indicators of aspects of speaking skill. moreover, in terms of writing skill, the teachers put layout, grammar, words selection, structure, and punctuation. table 3. scoring rubrics and instrument from the lesson plans competency domains main focus productive skills speaking writing affective the students’ growth in emotional field observation checklist observation checklist cognitive knowledge in the learning process scoring guideliness psychomotor physical skills intonation, pronunciation, fluency, content and vocabulary coherence, grammar, accuracy and content ict simplifies teaching, learning, and assessing activities in reference to teachers’ interview, all the teachers said that the classroom activities supported by ict would very sure simplify nowadays pedagogy. peculiarly, teachers 1. 2 and 3 believed that the simplified ict-integrated materials were properly functioned and accessible as a means of authentic assessment practices. unesco (2011) also supports that ict and internet can improve the effiency and effectiveness of education and they increase the better changes of educational transformation. correspondingly, the convenience brought by the ict is proven by the documentation and observation. the teachers’ assessment instruments integrated by the ict tools became more practical to the students as the teachers could simply deliver the assessment instruments to the students with a few problems and ict positively affected the students’ products. the products implied the sophisticated outcomes of the students. further, the benefits experienced by the teachers are similar like what selwyn (2003) has been stated that ict applied nowadays is currently being used to make the all the activities of teaching and learning activities become more effective and efficient. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 87 the use of ict in authentic assessment influences the students’ performances all of english teachers at sma ligm in the interview agreed that integrating ict in authentic assessment would positively motivate the students to strive for valuable performances. according to interview, the teachers stated that could the students provide reliable sources to smarten their performances as a part of authentic assessment in the classroom, the students would get additional scores. during the process of the observation which were in line with the interview sessions, the teachers attempted to positively stimulate the students with ict integrated into the assessment materials in the classrooms by connecting every aspect of the assessment with their real-life and integrating it with ict. the teachers carried out specific indicators with the help of some strategies written in their lesson plans to direct the students in getting additional information with curiosity. also, the students’ works showed that the teachers’ efforts in stimulating the students with certain assessment activities integrated with ict influenced the students’ works. as the teachers involved the students into activities which required the students’ higher order thinking skill through productive skills’ assessment integrated with ict in such a way, it surely influenced the students’ performances. dudeney (2000) states that the use of ict tools have potency to benefit the students in developing their english skills. the problems limited time insufficient time becomes one of the major issues in integrating ict to the materials. unesco (2011) agrees that limited time in the classroom would affect the teachers’ readiness in their preparation. sicilia (2005) revealed in her study that most of her participants were struggled by adequate time. in relation to this, two from the english teachers at sma ligm expressed in their interview that ict limited their time. teachers 2 and 3 in the interview compared that the integration of ict for either teaching or assessing activities in her classroom took more time and the integration of ict for the teaching, learning, and assessing activities was shortened their effective time in delivering the materials in the classroom. specifically, they stated that sets of the ict preparation in the classroom needed a lot of time. regardless of the two teachers mentioned above, teacher 1 was certain in her interview that ict supported her activities in the classroom on the whole without any problems including the lack of time. further, the lesson plans depicted that all of the teachers have allocated exact time while having ict as one of their teaching, learning, and assessing aids. surprisingly, the observations held to all of the teachers revealed that all of the teachers faced the same problems—lack of time when integrating ict in their classrooms. all of them indicated that they did not follow the time allocation they arranged in their lesson plans. in addition, during the observation, teacher 1 seemed to be difficult to manage her time when it came to applying ict in her classroom. afterward, she frequently exceeded the time allocation regulated by the school. she often took the students’ break time to continue her activities with the students in the classrooms. network connection based on the observation done, it was found that the issues on the network connection was one of the problems faced by the teachers. moreover, according to unesco (2011), network and connection failure is included to one of possible variables that could be considered in the use of ict at the classroom. during the observation, all the tree teachers were found that they had troubles in connecting their and the students’ devices to internet or network available at the school. teacher 1 discovered that she could not turn on the available multimedia projector in the classroom. it was assumed that there was any failure in the connection related to the cables or the electric socket. teacher 2 observed that as she sent the materials through email, some of the students didn’t have internet connection. moreover, teacher 3 also experienced in disconecting to internet network. the website showed by teacher 3 cannot be frequently loaded. lack of ict awareness during the interview, teacher 2 admitted that she got inadequate awareness of ict integration to teaching, learning and assessing materials as she confessed that she was not an innovative teacher. she mentioned that she would prefer choosing traditional methods than developing new ideas in having sophisticated materials in her classroom and she planned to have her resignation soon. further, she was observed that she was mostly unprepared to the activities which should be integrated into ict as she stated in her interview session at the first. it is assumed that teacher 2 was not aware of what technology brings to education even though the facilities and infrastructures have surely supported the teachers wardah zahra, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus the use of ict in authentic assessment of the students’ productive skills 88 to be aware and have knowledge about ict. moreover, teachers who are lack of ict awareness would negatively impact the students’ concept of learning as stated by thakur (2014) in his study. the solutions some barriers related to ict resulting from lack of training activities have been noticed by an expert. according to unesco (2011), insufficient training activities is one of major causes of teachers’ problems in using ict. the first solution disclosed by the curriculum coordinator and the teachers in the interview was that the school set up training which was specialized to ict to all teachers of the school. the training involved the school’s it teachers to be the professional instructor in the training and who are responsible to help other teachers who would face certain problems in using ict in their classrooms. through the training, the teachers had an appropriate understanding of ict. in the observation, it seemed that the teachers purposely managed the students to purposely get involved in the assessment activities that were integrated with ict. as all of the teachers of english dealt with a limited amount of time when they integrated assessment materials with ict, they lengthen their activities in the classrooms into one or two additional meetings and added their duration in each meeting to cover all the activities she arranged in her lesson plan. certainly, this made some discrepancy between the allocated time in the lesson plans and in the real implementation. however, teacher 2 claimed that it would perhaps negatively influence the students’ performances in certain aspects; therefore, she decided to assign the students with tasks that would balance the students’ performances with the materials that were skipped. according to unesco (2011), failure in network connection could be included as several barriers dominantly faced by the teachers. through this theory, teachers using ict in their classroom activities should pay heed to the available network connection. in relation to this, it is proven that teachers of english at sma ligm run into inadequate network connection while having ict during their assessment activities. according to the findings of the interview and the observation, it was found that the three teachers uttered that they would innovate the drawbacks happened in their classroom while applying assessment integrated by ict in the classroom. preferably, the teachers prefered to provide internet connection by themselves rather than letting the students learning without any connection. by covering up the network by themselves, the teachers could incorporate ict to their assessment and prevent the minor problem in the classroom. conclusion this study conducted to describe the types and the implementation of ict used on the authentic assessment of the productive skills of the students, the problems faced by the english teachers and the solutions from the teachers in using ict in the authentic assessment in the productive skills. first of all, it is determined from the results of the study that the teachers made use of three types of ict which were mobile learning, classroom equipment, and webbased learning creatively based on their specific purposes. second, most of the teachers had a significant understanding about authentic assessment and they were mostly ict literate since both authentic assessment and ict are necessary. with these intentions, the teachers had various methods in implementing the three types of ict tools based on the types of authentic assessment concerning aspects of productive skills that they were teaching for the purposes of simplifying assessment activities and influencing the students’ performances. third, they went through three main difficulties in using ict and constructing authentic assessment by the integration of ict. the last, they were educated and motivated to have their solutions to overcome the difficulties. references badan akreditasi nasional. (2018). laporan standar akreditasi tahun 2018 tingkat sekolah menengah dan madrasah. retrieved from http://ban-smindonesia.kemendikbud.org/. american library association. (1998). resource guides for school library media program development. retrieved 26 november, 2018 from http://www.ala.org/printertemplate.cfm?sectio n=resource_guides&template=/contentmana gement/contentdisplay.cfm&contentid=1528 8. cohen, l., manion, l., & morrison, k. (2011). research methods in education (7th ed). retrieved from http://cw.routledge.com/textbooks/cohen7e/. dudeney, g. (2000). the internet and the language classroom. cambridge: cambridge university press. http://ban-sm-_______indonesia.kemendikbud.org/ http://ban-sm-_______indonesia.kemendikbud.org/ english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 89 fraenkel, j., & wallen, n. (2012). how to design and evaluate research in education (8th ed). new york: mcgraw-hill inc. gower, r., phillips, d., & walters, s. (1995). teaching practice handbook. oxford: macmillan heinemann. harmer, j. (2015). the practice of english language teaching (5th ed.). london: pearson education limited. indonesian ministry of education and culture. (2016). peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan no. 22 tentang standar proses. jakarta: indonesia the ministry of education and culture. indonesian ministry of education and culture. (2017). peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan no. 27 tentang standar kompetensi kelulusan. jakarta: indonesia the ministry of education and culture. international communication union. (2017). global ict development index. retrieved from https://www.itu.int/net4/itud/idi/2017index.ht ml. jonassen, d., howland, j., marra, r. m., & crismond, d. (2009). meaningful learning with technology. new jersey: pearson education inc. luo, h., & lei, j. (2012). educational stages and interactive learning: from kindergarten to workplace training. china: peking university press. retrieved from 10.4018/978-1-4666-01376.ch005. miles, m. b., & huberman, m. (1994). qualitative data analysis: a sourcebook of new methods. london: sage publication, inc. mueller, j. (2014). what is authentic assessment? retrieved november 28, 2018 from http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatis it.html. nunan, d. (2003). practical english language teaching. pennsylvania, ny: mcgraw-hill education. ozaslan, e. n., & maden, z. (2013). the use of powerpoint presentation in the department of foreign language education at middle east technical university. middle eastern & african journal of educational research, 2, 38-45. sharples, m., adams, a., ferguson, r., gaved, m., mcandrew, p., rienties, b., weller, m., & whitelock, d. (2014). innovating pedagogy 2014: open university innovation report 3. milton keynes: the open university. selwyn, n. (2003). ict in non-formal youth and adult education: defining territory. philadelphia: oecd/ncal international roundtable. sicilia, c. (2005). the challenges and benefits to teachers’ practices in constructivist learning environments supported by technology. unpublished master thesis, mcgill university, montreal. thakur, n. (2014). a study on awareness of trained teachers in relation to information and communication technology. iosr journal of research & method in education (iosrjrme), 4(1), 06–11. doi: 10.9790/7388-04150611. thanyalak, o. (2012). developing speaking skills using three communicative (discussion, problemsolving, and role-playing). international journal of social science and humanity, 2(6). doi: 10.7763/ijssh.2012.v2.164. trisanti, n. (2014). english teacher’s perspective on authentic assessment implementation of curriculum 2013. 61st teflin international conference, solo, indonesia: semarang state university. unesco. (2011). unesco ict: competency framework for teachers. fontenoy, paris: united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization. wasim, j., sharma, s., khan, i., & siddiqui, j. (2014). web based learning. international journal of computer science and information technologies, 5(1), 446-449. zhang, w., & han, c. (2012). a case study of the application of a blended learning approach to web-based college english teaching platform in a medical university in eastern china. theory and practice in language studies, 2, 1961–1970. doi: 10.4304/tpls.2.9.1961-1970. zaim, m. (2013). asesmen otentik: implementasi dan permasalahannya dalam pembelajaran bahasa inggris di sekolah menengah. proceeding of the international seminar on _languages and arts. padang: state university of padang. http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm http://dx.doi.org/10.7763/ijssh.2012.v2.164 wardah zahra, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus the use of ict in authentic assessment of the students’ productive skills 90 a study of english intonation in indonesian efl learners english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee a study of english intonation in indonesian efl learners roni nursyamsu department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia e-mail: roninursyamsu@gmail.com lukluk argita munif department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia e-mail: luklukargita94@gmail.com apa citation: nursyamsu, r. & munif, l. a. (2013). a study of english intonation in indonesian efl learners. english review: journal of english education, 1(2),223-230 received: 12-02-2013 accepted: 03-04-2013 published: 01-06-2013 abstract: this study examined the patterns of intonation and kinds of information structure that occur in efl learners. the objectives of this study were: (1) to know the patterns of intonation that occur in efl learners; (2) to know kinds of information structure that occur in efl learners. the method used in this study is descriptive qualitative and the subjects of this study is a debater and also a student in english department at one of private university in kuningan, west java. techniques of collecting data used in this research were library research, observation and interview. halliday’s theory and praat software analysis use in this research to analyze the data. based on the data analysis, it can be known that: (1) there were 5 kinds of intonation pattern used by the speaker: fall, rise (final), rise (nonfinal), fall-rise (final), fall-rise (non-final); (2) there were 158 clauses with 25 independent clauses and 133 dependent clauses from the respondent’s performance; (3) there were three systems from information structure: tonality, tonicity, and tone; (4) in tonality system, hts-t with the percentage 18% was the most pattern used by the respondent; (5) given-newgiven (g-n-g) with the precentage 36% was mostly used in her performance based on tonicity system; (6) incomplete information (rise non-final) was the most dominant intonation pattern used by the respondent with the precentage 33%. keywords: intonation, information structure, efl learners introduction phonology is the study of the organization of sounds in language (marlett, 2001, p. 2). it is different from phonetics, which is the study of the production, perception, and physical properties of speech sounds; phonology attempts to account for how they are combined, organized, and convey meaning in particular languages. only a fraction of the sounds humans can articulate is found in any particular language. in phonology, speech sounds are analyzed into phonemes, the smallest units of sound that can change the meaning of a word. a phoneme may have several allophones relating to sounds that are district but do not change the meaning of a word when they are interchanged. in a brief explanation, phonology is the study of sound structure in language, which is different from the study of sentence structure (syntax) or word structure (morphology), or how languages change over time (historical linguistic) (odden, 2005). kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david not careless but weak: language mixing of malaysian chinese in a business transaction as the part of phonology, intonation is the kinds of pitch modulation found in whole utterances (carr, 2008). the term of intonation refers to mean for conveying information in speech which is independent of the words and their sounds. intonation is also often referred to in everyday language as speech melody or sentence melody, terms that focus on pitch variations and modulation (chun, 2002). central to intonation is the modulation of pitch, and intonation is often thought of as the use of pitch over the domain of the utterance. however, the patterning of pitch in speech is so closely bound to patterns of timing and loudness, and sometimes voice quality, that we cannot consider pitch in isolation from these other dimensions. the use of an inappropriate intonation pattern may give rise to misunderstandings. the misunderstanding can be major or minor depending on the context in which the intonation pattern is used. as there is no one to one correspondence between intonation and meaning, an appropriate meaning can often be found when it fits with the ‘wrong’ intonation pattern. the aim of this research, for that reason, is not to find fault, but to find out information functions such as the segmentation of discourse that represents the speakers’ management of the total message into separate pieces of information and then after that it is located on the most prominent word in organization of information then the last is decision of status in each unit of information, focusing attention on important elements of the spoken message and also helping to regulate conversational interaction. the interaction of intonation and stress — the patterns of relative prominence which characterize an utterance — are particularly close in many languages, including english. for those who prefer to reserve ‘intonation’ for pitch effects in speech, the word ‘prosody’ is convenient as a more general term to include patterns of pitch, timing, loudness, and (sometimes) voice quality. in recent years, “the focus has been on generative models of intonation, also form-based, that rely on metrical representatives of text, indications of stressed vs unstressed syllables, and on phrasal tunes represented by strings of two discrete tones, high (h) and low (l)” (chun, 2002 , p. 15). in linguistics, stress is the relative emphasis that may be given to certain syllables in a word, or to certain words in a phrase or sentence. stress is typically signaled by such properties as increased loudness and vowel length, full articulation of the vowel, and changes in pitch. from the perceptual point of view, all stressed syllables have one characteristic in common, and that is prominence; stressed syllables are recognized as stressed because they are more prominent than unstressed syllables (roach, 1991). stressed syllables are often louder than non-stressed syllables, and may have a higher or lower pitch. they may also sometimes be pronounced longer. there are sometimes differences in place or manner of articulation – in particular, vowels in unstressed syllables may have a more central articulation, while those in stressed syllables have a more peripheral articulation. stress may be realized to varying degrees on different words in a sentence; sometimes the difference between the acoustic signals of stressed and unstressed syllables are minimal. an important role of intonation is as the ‘punctuation’ of spoken languages, marking the division between grammatical units and more generally helping the listener to follow the english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee utterance. the function is brought sharply into focus on occasion when the words used allow more than one grammatical parse. intonation in english is organized in units halliday calls tone groups. halliday (1970, p. 3) says of the tone group: the tone group is one unit of information, one “block” in the message that the speaker is communicating; and so it can be of any length. the particular meaning that the speaker wishes to convey may make it necessary to split a single clause into two or more tone groups, or to combine two or more clauses into one tone group. tench (2005) summarized the major contribution in triple systems which is express information structure, those are: tonality, tonicity and tone. the pattern by which tone groups are distributed throughout speech, called tonality, is crucial to the sense of an utterance. the speaker divides up the stream of spoken words into groups, and this reveals to the listener how to mentally organize the information. almost always, tonality follows a predictable course, with tone groups basically corresponding to grammatical clauses. tone group is one of the intonation feature of intonation that has three primary system, those are unit of information, focus of information and status of information. it is related to the number of tone group in utterance and each such tone group is seen as one ‘move’ in a speech act. tonality, the segmentation of discourse into individual units of intonation in sequence, represents the speaker’s perception of the number of units of information. we use clauses to convey information in grammatical terms in order to represent situation and we use intonation units to convey that information in phonological terms. each tone group has a tonic syllable, a place of prominence that the speaker seeks to mark as most important and that carries the most pronounced pitch change. it often carries the burden of “new information” in the clause and, as such, the normative place of a tonic syllable is on the last word in a clause. placement of the tonic syllable in places other than this is understood to be contrastive. the placement of tonic prominence is referred to as tonicity. tonic segment is the most prominent stress (= tonic syllable) and carries the most significant pitch movement of the whole unit. the location of the tonic syllable relates to another sub-system, known as tonicity. in english, there is a very high level of expectation that the tonic syllable will be found on the last lexical item in each intonation unit (unit of information – tonality). this expectation is in the order of 80% probability. it usually means that all the information in the intonation unit is new; thus the focus of information is broad. the tonic segment is usually preceded in the intonation unit by a stretch of sound known as the pre-tonic segment. in traditional terminology, the pre-tonic segment comprises a head, which consists of the first stressed syllable (the onset syllable) and all other stressed and unstressed syllables up to, but not including, the tonic syllable. any unstressed syllables preceding the head are called the pre-head. the tonic segment comprises the tonic syllable, often also called the nucleus or nuclear syllable, and any following stressed or unstressed syllables, called the tail. tonality reflects the experiential function, tonicity at least one aspect of the textual function. tone also reflects kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david not careless but weak: language mixing of malaysian chinese in a business transaction textuality in the sense that it represents the speaker’s perception of the status of information the relative importance of each successive piece of information (status of information). it marks the kind of activity involved, by a complex pattern built out of a simple opposition between certain and uncertain polarity. if polarity is certain, the pitch of the tonic falls, if uncertain, it rises. halliday (as cited in roach, 1991) has identified five basic tones, or pitch contours, in english. tone interacts with tonality (distribution of tone groups) and tonicity (placement of tonic prominence) to create meaning in english intonation. following are the tones identified in halliday’s system: simple tone groups: tone 1 falling tone 2 high rising, or falling-rising (pointed) tone 3 low rising tone 4 falling-rising (rounded) tone 5 rising-falling (rounded) (roach, 1991, p. 143) in segmentation of tonality, there are some divisions of intonational contour. roach (1991, p. 145) was the first one to divide the structure of toneunit into four main segments: 1. head is all that part of a tone-unit that extends from the first stressed syllable up to the tonic syllable. 2. pre-head is composed of all the unstressed syllables in a tone-unit preceding the first stressed syllable. 3. nucleus or tonic syllable is the most prominent syllable in the utterance or major pitch movement. 4. tail is any syllables between the tonic syllable and the end of toneunit. nucleus also has another name called tonic syllable. roach (1991, p. 145) states that: a syllable which carries a tone will be called a tonic syllable. it has been mentioned several times that tonic syllables have a high degree of prominence; prominence is, of course, a property of stressed syllables. chun (2002, p. 19) states that tone is “the major pitch movement within the tone unit or it can be said that the overall behavior of pitch is tone”. the total tone system to signal status of information is as follows: 1. low fall : polarity (truth value or validity) is known, stated or yes/no question. the voice falls during the word from a medium to a very low pitch. 2. high rising: the polarity is unknown and information is desired. the voice rises during the word from a medium to a high pitch. 3. rise fall : not doubt in order to dismiss it. the voice first rises from a fairly low to a high pitch, and then quickly falls to a very law pitch. 4. fall rise : something is known, but there is some doubt or reservation. the voice first falls from a fairly high to a rather low pitch, and then, still within the word, raises to a medium pitch. 5. low rise : imply uncertainty and that the assertation is conditional or something else. the voice rises during the word from a low to a medium pitch or a little above. halliday drew attention to differences between major information signalled by a falling tone and minor, signalled by a low rising tone. in this case, the theme is highlighted, as if the speaker wished to say something like this present visit (is, in fact, my first visit to india). thus the total tone system to signal status of information is as follows : fall : \ = major information (but i saw him yesterday in the \library) english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee (final) rise = minor information (but i saw him yester \day | in the /library) (non-final) rise : / = incomplete information (but i saw him yester /day | in the \library) (final) fall-rise : \/ = implication (but i saw him yesterday in the \/library) (non-final) fall-rise : \/ = highlighting of theme (but \/ i | saw him yesterday in the \library) (tench, 2005, p. 10) in this context of the research, the respondent is joining debate competition that uses british parliamentary debate as the system of the debate competition. debate is a formal discussion on a particular matter in a public meeting or legislative assembly, in which opposing arguments are put forward and which usually ends with a vote (simpson & weiner, 2010, p. 2). debaters they who do debate challenge ideas, they do not attack each other. as in other sports, the fair play is crucial. on the basis of the background to the present study mentioned above, the research attempted to address the following research questions: what are the patterns of intonation that occur in efl learner? and what are kinds of information structure that occur in efl learner ? method this study uses qualitative method to discover deep and whole comprehension on the information structures that occur in efl learner and the patterns that exist in learner's speech when she used intonation for delivering the message. the goal of qualitative research is to discover and develop the new and to develop empirically grounded theories (flick, 2009, p. 15). qualitative method is used for exploring, understanding and analyzing unstructured data. this method is considered appropriate since this study attempts to find out the kinds of information structure that occur in efl learners and to know the intonation patterns of the learners for delivering their messages. the respondent in this research was purposively chosen because she is in the 3rd grade who has followed the 4th semester of listening and speaking classes in university of kuningan. she also is a debater who followed english debate competition in iain syekh nurjati cirebon. three data collection techniques were employed in this study, which were library research, observation, and interview. however, in collecting the data, the researchers have to employ appropriate instuments such as library research, observation, and interview. all data collection was recorded in order to keep authenticity of the data. in the library research, the researchers found some theories to support the data in this research from many references (printed book, e-book, journal, and online reading). in the observation, the data was analyzed in several steps. first, the researchers transcribed the transcription of audio recorder when the respondent followed english debate competition. then, analyzing the data based on intonation patterns and kinds of information structure by using halliday’s theory and praat software analysis to analyze the data. next, identifying the data and interpreting the findings of the data analysis. in the interview, the data and information were gained from the respondent. the interview was conducted to clarify the result of data analysis from praat in order to know the respondent’s aim in delivering her speech. kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david not careless but weak: language mixing of malaysian chinese in a business transaction results and discussion the findings of the study are described in three categories. the first category is unit of information. the second category is about the focus of information, and the third is the status of information. all of them complete each other reaching the objectives of the research. in first step, the respondent’s speech will be divided into different clause segmentations based on grammar level and marking the stress syllable using praat software analyses. in clause segmentation, these clauses are differentiated into two units of information using grammar level. it is because we use clauses to convey information in grammatical terms as we use intonation units to convey information in phonological terms. there are 16 % or 25 independent clauses and 84 % or 133 dependent clauses, with the total clauses are 158 clauses. in stressing, the discussion can be noted that the respondent put 279 stresses that draw 222 amounts of time in a whole discourse. there are some words that did not get any stresses in that utterances. it is because the speaker decided to encode the message with stress placing. languages differ, however, in what might be termed their prominence gradient, the steepness of change between prominent and nonprominent elements. it is because the prominence of information has relation to stress. as chun (2002, p.148) states that “stress is the linguistic means of marking syllables or words as prominence or perceptually silent in relation to others no matter how prominence is achieved”. based on halliday’s theory, there are three kinds of information structure: tonality, tonicity, and tone. tonality is the chunking of speech into intonational phrases or tone unit. the finding of this division uses praat software for accurate analysis. it is because we cannot make decision about how high the pitch or how loud the intensity with human’ hearing as we know that every human has different ability to hear clearly. there are eight common patterns of unit of information that are coded by different colour. the first pattern is ph-ts with 10% or there are 16 units of information, the second pattern is h-ts-t with 18% or 29 units of information, the third pattern is ts-t with 17% or 27 units of information, the fourth pattern is ph-hts-t with 10% or 16 units of information, the fifth pattern is ts with 17% or 27 units of information, the sixth pattern is ph-ts-t with 18% or 28 units of information, the seventh pattern is h-ts with 7% or 11 units of information and the last is ph-h-ts with 3% or 4 units of information. the second system to organize information is focus of information (tonicity). focus of information is signaled by student’s stressing in the form of speech. speech is produced in batches of segments that are hierarchically ordered: within any such batch except the lowest a smaller batch can be identified (gussenhoven, 2002: 276). in the discourse, it is found four patterns of focus of information. in the first patterns is given-new (g-n) with 20 % or 31 units of information, the second pattern is new-given (n-g) with 21 % or 33 units of information in that monologue, the third pattern is givennew-given (g-n-g) with 36 % or 58 units of information and the last pattern is only new in the utterances with 23 % or 36 units of information. the last system to organize information is status of information (tone). tone reflects textuality in the sense that it represents the speaker’s perception of the status of information english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 1, issue 2, june 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the relative importance of each successive piece of information (status of information). there are five status of information in whole utterances in form of speech. the first is incomplete information (/) with 33 % or 52 incomplete information in whole utterances. the second, is major information (\) with 15% or 23 major information in whole utterances. the third, there are 13% or 21 implication information (\/) in whole utterances. the fourth status information is highlighted theme (\/) with 32 % or 51 in whole utterances and the last is minor information (/) with only 7 % or 11 minor information. conclusions from the results and discussion in the previous chapter, there are several conclusion that can be drawn. first, there are 5 kinds of intonation pattern used by the respondent: fall \ , rise (final) / , rise (non-final) / , fall-rise (final) \/ , fall-rise (non-final) \/. second, there are three kinds of information structures: unit of information (tonality), focus of information (tonicity), and status of information (tone). in tonality, h-ts-t, the percentage was 18% . it was the most dominant pattern used by the respondent to deliver the information. it means that the respondent wanted the listener to know and understand the information from her speech, because head (h) and tonic syllable (ts) themselves are the stressed syllables which have more prominence and major pitch movement. the most unit of information used by the respondent was dependent clause. it was because the respondent didn’t prepare any written text when she delivered her speech, even she didn’t give much attention on her tone which influenced the information. given-new-given was the highest formula in tonicity with the precentage 36%. it means that the respondent delivered the information in the simplest way, so that the listener would get the information easily, given means known or at least knowable by the listener at this point in the discourse, new means unknown or non-recoverable. the respondent mostly used incomplete information [ / : rise (non-final)] as her tone means that the information is not final or needs other information to make it complete with the precentage 33%. it happened because she could not control over the content of her speech. third, from the interview, it can be concluded that the respondent’s aim of her speech was to convince all of the participants and audiences that presented in debaters’ hall when the debate competition began. the placement of pauses and the use of intonation that inappropriate with the aim of the respondent happened because she was in spontaneous speech and did not use any prepared text (impromptu speech). it made her very nervous so that she could not use appropriate intonation and place the stress incorrectly. references carr, p. (2008). a glossary of phonology. edinburgh: edinburgh university press. chun, d. m. (2002). discourse intonation in l2. california: jhon benjamin publicing company. clarisse. (2008). debating : a brief introduction for beginners. canada: debating sa incorporated. creswell, j. w. (2007). qualitative inquiry & research design: choosing among five approaches. 2nd edition. california: sage publications. flick, u. (2009). an introduction to qualitative research. 4th edition. california: sage publications. kuang ching hei & maya khemlani david not careless but weak: language mixing of malaysian chinese in a business transaction gussenhoven. (2002). state-of-the-article glot international, 6(9/10), 276 halliday, m. a. k. (1970). a course in spoken english: intonation. london: oup halliday, m. a. k. (1985). an introduction to functional grammar. london: arnold. harmer, j. (2002). the practice of english language teaching. 3rd edition. cambridge: pearson education ltd. lacy, p. (2007). the cambridge handbook of phonology. cambridge: cambridge university press. marlett, s. (2001). an introduction to phonology analysis. dakota: university of north dakota. mcmahon, a. (2002). an introduction to english phonology. edinburgh: edinburgh university press. odden, d. (2005). introducing phonology: cambridge introductions to language and linguistics. cambridge: cambridge university press. parker, r. and tim g. (2002). the phonology of english: an introduction for teachers of esol. london: elb publishing quinn, s. (2005). debating. brisbane: act. roach, p. (1991). english phonetics and phonology: a practical course. 2nd edition. cambridge: cambridge university press. simpson, j. & e. weiner. (2010) the oxford english dictionary. 3rd edition. oxford: clarendon press. tench, p. (2005) talking intonation in speak out! 34: 3-15 issn: 1026-4345 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 401 item analysis of multiple-choice questions: an assessment of young learners maya marsevani english language education, universitas internasional batam, batam, indonesia email: maya@uib.ac.id apa citation: marsevani, m. (2022). item analysis of multiple-choice questions: an assessment of young learners. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 401-408. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6241 received: 26-02-2022 accepted: 23-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction it has been widely acknowledged that assessments are necessary to demonstrate students’ level of proficiency and to accurately measure their education progress. assessment questions aim at helping teachers to succeed in teaching, ensuring their goals in classrooms have been achieved. there are several types of assessment questions, namely true/false, matching, multiple-choice, short answers, and essays. among those types, multiple-choice questions (mcqs) are a ubiquitous assessment test type to assess students’ knowledge and progress (bhat & prasad, 2021; jayanti, husna, & hidayat, 2019; shin, guo, & gierl, 2019) mcqs have potential benefits for teachers and students. mcqs may provide students with direct feedback about their learning progress. furthermore, they significantly increase the chances to answer the question correctly by eliminating throw-away options. in addition, teachers can grade their answers easier and quicker without rater bias. mcqs also allow them to include a large amount of material on a single exam. across the discipline, teachers can use recycled questions that progressively develop question banks for re-use in different combinations and settings. several studies also found similar benefits (brown & abdulnabi, 2017; polat, 2020; patil, dhobale, & mudiraj, 2016). the studies argue that mcqs are useful to objectively assess students in different educational streams relatively quicker. it is also useful because mcqs can be used to cover a large amount of material. mcq is commonly used in other subjects, especially at the language instruction level. although its application has several benefits, mcqs can be problematic if they are not well designed and developed. to develop the questions properly, teachers need to have the required skills and expertise. however, the act of guessing the answer by students’ may decrease the mcqs’ validity and reliability (freahat & smadi, 2014). nowadays, students can recognize the correct option without fully understanding the material (polat, 2020). in this case, teachers are required to develop proper mcqs. the questions need to entail significant, complex, and subjective judgment, which requires time to develop. if mcqs are carefully designed, they may assess higher-order cognition abstract: although english has been taught for decades in indonesia, the quality of multiple-choice question given to young learners was hardly examined. to touch on the issue, this study aims at determining the quality of 10 multiple-choice questions (mcqs) in a public elementary school in terms of difficulty level (p), discrimination power (d), and distractor efficiency (de). this study employed a cross-sectional study to obtain information and evaluate mcqs in the students’ tests. it was found the multiple-choice items were efficient in which 80% of them have acceptable difficulty and 20% of them were fairly easy (p > 70%). the discrimination index of 8 (80%) items was excellent and 2 of the mcqs were good. among 40 distractors, 32 (80%) of them were functional distractors while 8 of them were non-functional distractors (nfds). it can be concluded that most of the difficulty index was acceptable, the items discrimination power was good. in terms of distractor efficiency, two items were completely inefficient. furthermore, mcqs that are considered poor should be revised, re-tested, and reviewed before incorporating them into the future test. this study hopefully encourages teachers to identify poorly developed mcqs and to improve their quality. keywords: item analysis; english subject; multiple-choice questions. maya marsevani item analysis of multiple-choice questions: an assessment of young learners 402 according to namdeo and sahoo (2016), there are three parts of mcq, which is the stem (question text), key response (the correct answer), and distractors (incorrect options/answers). regardless of whether they are the most utilized assessment method in classrooms, a clear mcq format is essential to guide teachers to develop proper mcq. it was found that teachers barely require much time and effort to develop and score the test (jannah, hidayat, husna, & khasbani, 2021). in this case, danuwijaya (2018) states item analysis is a conscious and unconscious process to assess the quality of each item regularly. it is useful to identify difficult and easy options, to check how it discriminates low and high scores, to alternate the function, and to build a good question bank. item difficulty is the percentage of students who answer correctly (karadag, 2016). item discrimination differentiates between students who understand the test and those who do not. on the other hand, distractor analysis is similar to item difficulty and item discrimination. it is an extension of item analysis to misdirect the test takers from choosing the correct answers. based on the description, there are three indicators of item analysis, namely item difficulty (p), item discrimination (d), and distractor analysis. several studies have examined the quality of mcqs. test analysis to identify mcqs has been conducted in several countries such as india, turkey, and indonesia. these studies analyzed and evaluated discrimination index, difficulty level, and distractor of item analysis of mcqs in various areas (danuwijaya, 2018; gajjar, sharma, kumar, & rana, 2014; shete, kausar, lakhkar, & khan, 2015). most of studies focused on analyzing mcqs of medical students. kowash, hussein, & halabi (2019) analyzed item analysis in two postgraduate pediatric dentistry (pd) examinations. the result shows that 81% of the questions consisted of information recall which means these questions had a low level of difficulties. another low difficulty index also found by rehman, aslam, & hassan (2018). they found that the quality of mcqs given to dental undergraduate students in islamabad was too poor. most of the mcqs had to revise because of more than 50% of the mcqs had poor discrimination level, high difficulties of the items and less functional distractors. another research found by purwoko and mundijo (2018) was in line with aforementioned studies above. they carried out the research focused on the medical students in indonesia. they investigated the quality of mcqs in medical faculty of muhammadiyah university palembang. the results showed that more than 50% of the questions should be revised because it had low discrimination level, poor difficulty index, and less discrimination efficiency. while obon and rey (2019) investigated item and test quality of pharmacology students using difficulty index and discrimination indices, with distractor efficiency. they found that most of the questions should be revised or discarded. it is because the quality of the items was too poor. however, almost 70% of the distractors were retained. this situation is supported by kusumawati and hadi (2018). they analyzed mathematics assessment in one of senor high school in yogyakarta. they found that the level of discrimination was low (60%). however, less than 40% of the mcqs had a difficulty level. in line with obon and rey (2019), all distractors were wellfunctioned. however, positive results showed in a few studies (gajjar et al., 2014; harti, mahapatra, gupta, & nesari, 2021; menon & kannambra, 2017; salih, jibo, ishaq, khan, mohammed, alshahrani, & abbas, 2020). all of these studies evaluated item analysis of mcqs of medical students. large number of mcqs they analyzed had acceptable level of p, d and distractor efficiency. from the previous studies above, it can be highlighted that most of studies investigated item analysis of mcqs in medical areas. most of the researchers also conducted the study in higher education level. it can be said that there were no researchers investigated and analyzed mcqs quality of english subject especially for young learners. therefore, this study was conducted to analyze the difficulty level, discriminating power, and distractor efficiency of mcqs of an english subject test for young learners. method this study employed a cross-sectional study to obtain information and evaluate mcqs in the students’ tests. it was done to determine their english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 403 difficulty level, discrimination power, and distractor effectiveness. in the middle of the term, the fifth-grade students were given a test about the english subject. ten mcqs were part of the official exam paper that includes matching, short answers, and mcqs. after permission from the english teacher and consent from the participants were given, 40 students were taking the exam in october 2021. the students should select one best answer out of four. the time given to the students to finish the exam was 60 minutes. they were supervised by the teacher in conducting the exam to avoid cheating. moreover, a mark was given if they pick the correct answer. no penalties were given for incorrect answers. the test results were adopted to determine the level of difficulty index, discrimination power, and the efficiency of the distractors. each item was analyzed by using anates ver. 4.0.9 and spss ver. 20 to reveal their mean and standard deviation of difficulty index (p) and discrimination index (d). microsoft excel was also used in the process. interpretation: difficulty index (p), if: p < 30% difficult p = 30 70% acceptable p > 70% easy discrimination index (d), if: d = negative, defective item/wrong key d = 0-0.19 poor discrimination power d = 0.2 0.29 acceptable discrimination power d = 0.3 0.39 good discrimination d > 0.4 excellent discrimination. the higher the index value of difficulty items, the lower the item difficulty and the index value of difficulty items, the better the difficulty level of mcqs. on the other hand, the higher the discrimination index, the higher the item discrimination among the students with highand low-test scores. results and discussion students’ knowledge measurement depends on the assessment that is given to the students. summative or formative assessments help students to measure their knowledge and skills. it is argued that mcq is one of the most efficient and effective methods for evaluation (gajjar et al., 2014). in doing this, it would be essential to analyze and evaluate mcqs based on the difficulty index (p), discrimination level (d), and distractor efficacy (de). bhat and prasad (2021) explain that to create a good question bank, item analysis of mcqs should be regularly analyzed so it can be used to evaluate students’ cognitive skills. the means and standard deviations of the difficulty index (p) and discrimination index (d) were found to be 60.75% ± 17.08 and 0.54 ± 0.19 respectively (table 1). table 1. students’ assessment result of 10 items item analysis parameters mean std. deviation difficulty index 60.75% 17.08 discrimination index 0.54 0.19 the table above shows that difficulty index and the level of the discrimination index were acceptable. this result was in line with most related studies in which the difficulty index was considered in an acceptable level with an excellent discrimination index (bhat & prasad, 2021; harti et al., 2021; menon & kannambra, 2017; salih et al., 2020; shete et al., 2015). item difficulty is related to the proportion of students who correctly respond to a particular item. the level of difficulty can be obtained by analyzing students’ responses. it means that question difficulty was not determined by teachers’ perceptions, but rather by students’ answers (wijayanti, 2020). in addition, distractors chosen by the students may be useful for the teachers to identify learning difficulties experienced by the students. it can be used to determine weak areas that require improvement. it directly helps teachers’ and students’ performances (shete et al., 2015). a low difficulty index indicates a difficult question. it means that the multiple-choice item was not taught well or it was too difficult for the students to understand. the difficulty level can be used as feedback on the test quality and a modification may be required before reusing the item in another test (obon & rey, 2019; salih et al., 2020). in this study, 10 mcqs and 40 distractors were analyzed. the first analysis was conducted to determine whether the items were difficult, acceptable, or easy to answer. each item was categorized based on several criteria, namely frequency (f) and percentage (p (%)). the following table shows the final analysis of the difficulty index. maya marsevani item analysis of multiple-choice questions: an assessment of young learners 404 table 2. distribution of items difficulty level difficulty level criteria f p (%) 0.00 0.30 (< 30%) difficult 0 0% 0.31 0.70 (30 70%) acceptable 8 80% 0.71-1.00 (> 70%) easy 2 20% out of 10 items, no mcqs were considered to be difficult. eight items were acceptable (p = 30 70%) and two items (20%) were easy (p = > 70%). the table implied that there were no difficult questions given to the students and acceptable questions were dominating. in several previous studies, moderate-level questions were dominating (elfaki, alamri, & salih, 2020; jannah et al., 2021; patil et al., 2016; rao, kishan prasad, sajitha, permi, & shetty, 2016). however, obon and rey (2019) found that nearly 60% of items should be revised substantially or discarded. it means that the quality of mcqs could be poor. the discrimination level of the mcqs was also analyzed. the discrimination power can distinguish between higher students (those who have mastered the materials) and lower students (those who have not mastered the materials). to evaluate items discrimination power, the discrimination index was analyzed priorly. discrimination index analysis results using anates software are presented in table 3. table 3. distribution of items discrimination level discrimination level criteria f p (%) negative rejected 0 0% 0-0.19 poor 0 0% 0.2-0.29 acceptable 1 10% 0.3-0.39 good 1 10% 0.4-1.00 excellent 8 80% it can be seen that items with poor discriminating power could not be found. on the other hand, the table shows an item with acceptable and good discrimination levels each. interestingly, it was found that 80% of the discrimination level of the items was excellent. this finding indicates that those items did not require modification. acceptable, good, and excellent items can be reused and stored in the questions bank. however, mis-key questions, poor measurement of material competency, or students’ misconceptions may occur for having more than one answer. therefore, revisiting and checking the items are recommended before reusing them. several studies also found various discrimination levels. obon and rey (2019) found most of the items were poor. they obtained poor discrimination power of 19.8% in which the questions were revised or rejected. other studies found that most of the questions were satisfactory or poor (namdeo & sahoo, 2016; danuwijaya, 2018; hartati & yogi, 2019; jannah et al., 2021). in another study, manfaat, nurazizah, & misri (2021) revealed that 83.33% of the items were good and 16.67% were poor. distractor analysis was also conducted in this study. the distractors of each item were analyzed. an item has good distractors if the lower students choose the wrong answers rather than higher students. in this case, distractor analysis is used to measure the efficiency of incorrect options to distract the lower groups (manfaat et al., 2021). the result of the distractor efficiency analysis is shown in the following table. table 4. distractor analysis distractor analysis number of items 10 number of total distractors 40 functional distractor 32 (80%) non-functional distractor 8 (20%) the result shows that 32 (80%) of the distractors were functional while 8 of them were nonfunctional. therefore, mcqs with functional distractors could be added to the question bank. on the other hand, the questions or the items with nonfunctional distractors should be changed. this result can be compared with several other previous studies (bhat & prasad, 2021; gajjar et al., 2014; hingorjo & jaleel, 2012; kaur, singla, & mahajan, 2016; patil, palve, vell, & boratne, 2016). earlier studies also revealed many nonfunctional distractors. the distractors in those studies were completely revised as they failed to misdirect the students (hartati & yogi, 2019; hingorjo & jaleel, 2012; mehta & mokhasi, 2014). developing good distractors and reducing nonfunctional distractors are important to make proper mcqs. non-functional distractors in mcqs also affect the discrimination level. the more nonfunctional distractors in an item, the easier it would english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 405 be for a student to choose the correct answer and vice versa (namdeo & sahoo, 2016). table 5. distribution frequency of non-functional distractors (nfd) number of nfd number of items distractor efficiency 0 nfd (de = 100%) 8 (80%) 100% 1-2 nfd (de = 50-75%) 1 (10%) 50% 3 nfd (de = < 50%) 1 (10%) 0% in the table, it can be seen that 8 (80%) items did not have nfds and only 2 (20%) of them had 1, 2, and 3 nfds. similar results were also discovered by the previous studies. from 40 items, patil et al. (2016) found that only 4 of them should be revised or discarded. another study by gajjar et al. (2014) revealed that there were no more than 20 items (out of 150) identified as nfds. this finding indicates that the designed distractors were useful in each item. from the discussion, several points can be emphasized including the importance and effectiveness of mcqs, discrimination difficulty index, and distractor analysis. by using the analysis, mcqs that are considered poor should be revised, re-tested, and reviewed before incorporating them into the future test. it would also improve the item quality that would be properly discriminated by the students (izah, odubo, ajumobi, & torru, 2021; karkal & kundapur, 2016; shaibani, ali, deifalla, & jaradat, 2021). conclusion this study highlighted three main findings, namely difficulty index, discrimination level, and distractor efficiency. the analysis items appear to be efficient. most of their difficulty was acceptable, which means the items were suitable for the students. it was also revealed that the items discrimination power was good, indicating they are not required to be revised or replaced. in terms of distractor efficiency, two items were completely inefficient. because several items were problematic, alternative items may be necessary for future use. the result of this study is expected to encourage teachers to identify poorly developed mcqs and to improve their quality. in addition, teachers should be responsible for the exam and item assessment after it. if teachers analyze the items, the school and the students would be benefited from the feedback. developing good mcqs requires knowledge, experience, and practice. therefore, teachers are suggested to attend seminars about designing proper items. in this case, schools should provide such classes for the teachers to ensure the items are welldeveloped and properly discriminated with functioning distractors. teachers can also have a chat with students to know about a test difficulty, discrimination power, distractor efficiency. for further study, it is suggested to investigate other item analysis factors such as students’ ability, the number of questions, the length of the questions, the quality of instructions, and the number of students about the quality of mcqs. references bhat, s. k., & prasad, k. h. l. (2021). item analysis and optimizing multiple-choice questions for a viable question bank in ophthalmology: a cross-sectional study. indian journal of ophthalmology, 9(2), 343–346. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijo.ijo_1610_20 brown, g. t. l., & abdulnabi, h. h. a. (2017). evaluating the quality of higher education instructor-constructed multiple-choice tests: impact on student grades. frontiers in education, 2(june), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2017.00024 danuwijaya, a. a. (2018). item analysis of reading comprehension test for post-graduate students. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1493 elfaki, o. a., alamri, a., & salih, k. a. (2020). assessment of mcqs in mbbs program in saudi arabia. onkologia i radioterapia, 14(5), 12–16. freahat, n. m., & smadi, o. m. (2014). lower-order and higher-order reading questions in secondary and university level efl textbooks in jordan. theory and practice in language studies, 4(9), 1804– 1813. https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.4.9.1804-1813 gajjar, s., sharma, r., kumar, p., & rana, m. (2014). item and test analysis to identify quality multiple choice questions (mcqs) from an assessment of medical students of ahmedabad, gujarat. indian journal of community medicine, 39(1), 17–20. https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-0218.126347 hartati, n., & yogi, h. p. s. (2019). item analysis for a better quality test. english language in focus (elif), 2(1), 59–70. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24853/elif.2.1.5970 harti, s., mahapatra, a. k., gupta, s. k., & nesari, t. (2021). all india ayush post graduate entrance exam 2019 – ayurveda mcq item analysis. journal of ayurveda and integrative medicine, 12, 356–358. maya marsevani item analysis of multiple-choice questions: an assessment of young learners 406 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2021.01.013 hingorjo, m. r., & jaleel, f. (2012). analysis of onebest mcqs: the difficulty index, discrimination index and distractor efficiency. journal of the pakistan medical association, 62(2), 142–147. izah, s. c., odubo, t. c., ajumobi, v. e., & torru, k. e. (2021). item analysis of multiple choice questions ( mcqs ) from a formative assessment of first year microbiology major students. res rev insights, 5, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.15761/rri.1000166 jannah, r., hidayat, d. n., husna, n., & khasbani, i. (2021). an item analysis on multiple-choice questions: a case of a junior high school english try-out test in indonesia. leksika: jurnal bahasa, sastra dan pengajarannya, 15(1), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.30595/lks.v15i1.8768 jayanti, d., husna, n., & hidayat, d. n. (2019). the validity and reliability analysis of english national final examination for junior high school. veles voices of english language education society, 3(2), 127–135. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v3i2.1551 karadag, n. (2016). analysis of the difficulty and discrimination indices of multiple-choice questions according to cognitive levels in an open and distance learning context. turkish online journal of educational technology, 15(4), 16–25. karkal, y. r., & kundapur, g. s. (2016). item analysis of multiple choice questions of undergraduate pharmacology examinations in an international medical school in india. journal of dr. ntr university of health sciences, 5(3), 183–186. https://doi.org/10.4103/2277-8632.191842 kaur, m., singla, s., & mahajan, r. (2016). item analysis of in use multiple choice questions in pharmacology. international journal of applied and basic medical research, 6(3), 170–173. https://doi.org/10.4103/2229-516x.186965 kowash, m., hussein, i., & halabi, m. al. (2019). evaluating the quality of multiple choice question in paediatric denistry postgraduate examinations. 19(2), 135–141. kusumawati, m., & hadi, s. (2018). an analysis of multiple choice questions (mcqs): item and test statistics from mathematics assessments in senior high school. research and evaluation in education, 4(1), 70–78. https://doi.org/10.21831/reid.v4i1.20202 manfaat, b., nurazizah, a., & misri, m. a. (2021). analysis of mathematics test items quality for high school. jurnal penelitian dan evaluasi pendidikan, 25(1), 108–117. https://doi.org/10.21831/pep.v25i1.39174 mehta, g., & mokhasi, v. (2014). item analysis of multiple choice questionsan assessment of the assessment tool. historical aspects of leech therapy, 4(7), 1–3. menon, a. r., & kannambra, p. n. (2017). item analysis to identify quality multiple choice questions. national journal of laboratory medicine, 7–10. https://doi.org/10.7860/njlm/2017/25690:2215 namdeo, s., & sahoo, b. (2016). item analysis of multiple choice questions from an assessment of medical students in bhubaneswar, india. international journal of research in medical sciences, 4(5), 1716–1719. https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20161256 obon, a. m., & rey, k. a. m. (2019). analysis of multiple-choice questions (mcqs): item and test statistics from the 2nd year nursing qualifying exam in a university in cavite, philippines. abstract proceedings international scholars conference, 7(1), 499–511. https://doi.org/10.35974/isc.v7i1.1128 patil, r., palve, s., vell, k., & boratne, a. (2016). evaluation of multiple choice questions by item analysis in a medical college at pondicherry, india. international journal of community medicine and public health, july, 1612–1616. https://doi.org/10.18203/23946040.ijcmph20161638 polat, m. (2020). analysis of multiple-choice versus open-ended questions in language tests according to different cognitive domain levels. novitasroyal (research on youth and language), 14(2), 76–96. patil, p. s., dhobale, m. r., mudiraj, n. (2016). item analysis of mcqs myths and realities when applying them as an assessment tool for medical students. int j cur res rev, 8(13), 12–16. purwoko, m., & mundijo, t. (2018). evaluating the use of mcq as an assessment method in a medical school for assessing medical students in the competence-based curriculum. jurnal pendidikan kedokteran indonesia: the indonesian journal of medical education, 7(1), 44–48. https://doi.org/10.22146/jpki.35544 rao, c., kishan prasad, h., sajitha, k., permi, h., & shetty, j. (2016). item analysis of multiple choice questions: assessing an assessment tool in medical students. international journal of educational and psychological researches, 2(4), 201–204. https://doi.org/10.4103/2395-2296.189670 rehman, a., aslam, a., & hassan, s. h. (2018). item analysis of multiple choice questions in pharmacology. pakistan oral & dental journal, 38(2), 291–293. https://doi.org/10.52206/jsmc.2020.10.2.320 salih, k. e. m. a., jibo, a., ishaq, m., khan, s., mohammed, o. a., al-shahrani, a. m., & abbas, m. (2020). psychometric analysis of multiplechoice questions in an innovative curriculum in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 407 kingdom of saudi arabia. journal of family medicine and primary care, 9(7), 3663–3668. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc shaibani, t. a., ali, f., deifalla, a. h., & jaradat, a. (2021). item analysis of type “a” multiple choice questions from a multidisciplinary units assessment in a problem based curriculum. bahrain medical bulletin, 43(2), 471–476. shete, a., kausar, a., lakhkar, k., & khan, s. (2015). item analysis: an evaluation of multiple choice questions in physiology examination. journal of contemporary medical education, 3(3), 106–109. https://doi.org/10.5455/jcme.20151011041414 shin, j., guo, q., & gierl, m. j. (2019). multiple-choice item distractor development using topic modeling approaches. frontiers in psychology, 10(april), 1– 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00825 wijayanti, p. s. (2020). item quality analysis for measuring mathematical problem-solving skills. aksioma: jurnal program studi pendidikan matematika, 9(4), 1223–1234. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24127/ajpm.v9i4.3 036 maya marsevani item analysis of multiple-choice questions: an assessment of young learners 408 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee interpersonal meaning in netanyahu’s speech arif firmansah department of english education, university of kuningan, indonesia e-mail: arif.firmansah.iced@gmail.com apa citation: firmansyah, a. (2015). interpersonal meaning in netanyahu‘s speech. english review: journal of english education, 4(1), 103-110 received: 20-08-2015 accepted: 11-10-2015 published: 01-12-2015 abstract: this study investigates how the interpersonal meaning is realized in the speech of israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. this study aimed to uncover (1) the mood structure which realized in netanyahu‘s speech of iran and palestine and (2) to what extent the difference in field determine the interpersonal metafunction of the speaker. this study is largely qualitative but in order to answer those research questions, this study will be assisted by some descriptive quantification to observe the trend in the interpersonal meaning of the speaker. it applies hallidayan theory of systemic functional grammar (sfg) in analyzing the research data. the data were taken from the websites which are readily accessible to the public. two different transcribed speeches are discovered to extract the data which are needed to investigate the interpersonal meaning. subject, finite and modality are the main tools to realize the interpersonal meaning of netanyahu in his speech. it can be realized by discovering the use of those parts in his speech in different issue and occasion. it is found that netanyahu‘s interpersonal meaning is realized through the placement of subject and the utilization of finite, modality and mood adjuncts. it is also found that the differences of the field influence the interpersonal meaning of the speaker through the comparison of subject and finite. the findings in this present study are expected to be useful for some purposes in the future. keywords: interpersonal meaning, mood, modality. introduction interpersonal meaning is a technical term in systemic functional grammar (sfg) related to someone‘s attitude and judgments. in an utterance, there is meaning that wants to be delivered to the hearer. ―meanings are realized in wordings through what is called mood and modality‖ gerot and wignell (1994:13). mood is most centrally influenced by the context situation named tenor. on the other hand, halliday in beaugrande (1991:245) explains briefly that the interpersonal metafunction concerns ‗forms of interaction‘ and ‗embodies all use of language to express social and personal relations‘, ‗personalities, and personal feelings‘, as well as ‗the speaker‘s intrusion into speech situation and speech act. the interpersonal meaning can be achieved by analyzing the mood system and its constituents. mood represents the organization of participants in speech situation and speakers‘ roles. mood system consists of two elements. they are mood element and residue. mood element contains subject and finite. meanwhile, residue ―is a remainder of the clause ―(gerot and wignell, 1994:25). mood and residue are the elements which set the clause as exchange. those can be analyzed to set 103 mailto:arif.firmansah.iced@gmail.com arif firmansah interpersonal meaning in netanyahu’s speech how the interpersonal meaning is constructed in such situation. the main structure of mood is subject and finite. subject is a part of nominal group and finite is a part of verbal group. finite can be a representation of time speaking and the judgment of the speaker as stated by halliday and matthiessen (2004:115). martin et al (1997:62) state that ―the mood element makes the clause ‗negotiable‘ and consists of finite, subject and sometimes modal adjunct(s). the finite makes the clause negotiable by coding as positive or negative.‖ it means that the finite is the decisive factor which realizes the interpersonal meaning of the speaker. for detailed explanation, the following section will give brief explanation about the mood elements. halliday and matthiessen (2004:117) define subject as something by reference to which the proposition can be affirmed or denied. it is also vested the success or failure of the proposition. subject is also responsible for the functioning of the clause. it can realize the offer or command in a clause. furthermore, halliday and matthiessen (2004, p. 119) also state regarding subject, ―subject has got distinct identity which can carry modal responsibility which is responsibility for the validity of what is being predicated (stated, questioned, commanded or offered) in the clause.‖ it means that subject can be placed as the actor of what being said in the utterance which is responsible to what is being discussed. matthiessen et al. (2010, p. 98) define ―the finite verbal operators has the function to express the arguability value of the clause as exchange by reference to either of tense or modality (probability, usuality, obligation, inclination, or ability; high, median or low value).‖ in constructing meaning in a clause, finite works by using two operators. they are primary tense (temporal operators) and modality (modal operators). the primary tense is past, present or even future of the speaking time. meanwhile, modality indicates the speakers‘ judgment or the obligations in what the speaker is saying (gerot & wignell, 1994, p. 27-28). finite modal operators represent the three values to set the interpersonal meaning of the speaker. they are high, median and low value. each of them has their own function. the high value shows the obligation of the matter. the median value functions the inclination or futurity. then, the low value functions the possibility or ability. the three value of it is represented in the modal used by the speaker. the detailed information will be provided below with the temporal finite operators as taken from halliday and matthiessen (2004, p. 116). based on the explanation, the researcher is interested in how netanyahu positions himself towards current issues faced by israel regarding palestine and iran. the main issues addressed in this study are the interpersonal meaning of netanyahu found in his speeches. the enquiry towards these issues is formulated in the following research questions: 1. how is the mood structure realized in netanyahu speech of iran and palestine? 2. to what extent does the difference in field determine the interpersonal metafunction of the speaker? method this research is conducted by considering both theoretical and practical purposes. theoretically, this research is aimed to prove and to develop the theory about interpersonal 104 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee meaning expressed by someone in a speech. it investigates interpersonal meaning performed by benjamin netanyahu in his speech by means of qualitative method. in order to answer those research questions this research employs qualitative research design. qualitative research occurs in natural setting where human behaviour and events occur. ―the researcher is the primary instrument in data collection rather than some inanimate mechanism and the data emerge from a qualitative study is descriptive‖ (creswell, 2003, p. 227). the primary data of this study was taken from the selected speech transcription in two occasion, they are netanyahu‘s speech of iran and netanyahu‘s speech of palestine. these data are available in international websites which is readily accessible by the public. the object of this study is transcription of the speech taken from several websites which readily accessible by the public. as cited by sugiyono (2011, p. 329) from bogdan ―in most tradition of qualitative research, the phrase personal document is used broadly to refer to any first person narrative produced by an individual who describes his or her own actions, experiences, and belief.‖ from the definition above, it can be concluded that the transcription is one of the personal documentation form. then, the data of the study collected from the document of transcribed speech of benjamin netanyahu. taking some notes was very helpful to analyze the data. in analyzing the data, literature review was the preliminary task. this activity was begun by reviewing related theories and previous studies. then, preparing the data to be analyzed in accordance with its literature review was done before doing the main activity. in addition, the main activity in this study was analyzing the data. according to halliday and matthiessen (2004, p. 115), ―finite is used to show the proposition to its context in the speech event. this can be done in two ways. one is by reference to the time of speaking; other is by reference to the judgment of the speaker.‖ the modality is a parameter of the speaker‘s judgment through his speech. as stated by gerot and wignel (1994, p. 23), ―modality indicates the speaker‘s judgment of the probabilities or the obligations involved in what he or she is saying.‖ finite and modality inseparable because they are the indicators of someone judgment deliver in his or her meaning through the utterances. furthermore, finite also combined with the polarity in constructing the meaning existing in utterances. in analyzing the data, the researcher needs to breakdown all the phrase and sentences using the theory of sfg. after getting the data, the researcher tabulates it to get the frequency of the occurrence of the subject of this research. finally, the researcher translates it into the result supported by further explanation. results and discussion the foundation used to examine the data in this present study is the mood structure and interpersonal of the speaker is hallidayan theory named systemic functional grammar (sfg). the main issue discussed in this chapter is about the speaker‘s judgment regarding the sensitive issue in the world; they are about iran and palestine. iran and palestine are two countries that have a relationship with israel. iran becomes israel‘s attention because of the developing of nuclear 105 arif firmansah interpersonal meaning in netanyahu’s speech program which can threaten israel. palestine is being a huge attention from israel because they have a conflict since 40 years ago. netanyahu as the prime minister of israel positions himself as the representative of his nation regarding these two sensitive issues through the interpersonal meaning realised in his speech. in this section, the influence of different field can be analysed which probably influence the interpersonal metafunction of the speaker. the interpersonal meaning of the speaker will be analyzed through the use of subject and also the use of finite modal operator because it refers to ―the speaker‘s judgment of the probabilities or the obligations involved in what he or she is saying‖ (gerot & wignell, 1994). the first focus which probably influences the interpersonal meaning of the speaker is the placement of the subject. the subjects which used by the speaker in both speeches will be compared to be interpreted. it can be an indicator of the speaker‘s interpersonal meaning on the issue under discussion. for detailed information, the following table will provide the comparison of the realisation of the subject in both speeches. table 1. realisation of subject in both speeches entities realisation about iran about palestine f % f % speaker i 9 6.48 39 16.32 we (inclusive) 4 2.88 13 5.44 we (exclusive) 4 2.88 36 15.06 subtotal 17 12.23 88 36.82 iran iran 17 12.23 iranian 1 0.72 they 10 7.19 it 1 0.72 that 1 0.72 subtotal 30 21.58 audience you 4 2.88 palestine palestinian 18 7.53 they 1 0.42 who 1 0.42 this 1 0.42 that 1 0.42 subtotal 22 9.21 israel israel 8 3.35 israeli 2 0.84 the jewish 5 2.09 the government 1 0.42 who 1 0.42 it 2 0.84 this 4 1.67 subtotal 23 9.62 total 51 36.69 133 55.65 106 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee based on the table above, it is found that the speaker placed himself as the subject more when he was speaking about palestine. it is found in 88 clauses or 36.82%. the speaker placed himself as subject in speech of iran in 17 clauses or 12.23%. it generally shows his attitude toward the problem. by using the word ―we (exclusive)‖ 36 times or 15.06% in speech of palestine means that he as the representative of the government wanted to show to the audiences that he and the government are able to overcome the problem with the neighbour country, palestine. he always stated what government did in the past to bring peace between two states. it is to ensure that they are in the doing good things on this problem. he also tried to represent the audience by using the word ―we (inclusive)‖ to equalize his position with the audiences (israeli citizen). it is different when he was speaking of iran. he did not place the word ―we (exclusive and inclusive)‖ too much. he preferred to use ―i‖ to draw his statement toward iran. he wanted to show his neutral position toward the problem because this problem is still debatable that may trigger the worse conflict. after that, the speaker placed iran as the subject more than palestine. it shows that the speaker more concern on the problem related to iran which is developing the nuclear program which potentially threatens the security of international community – especially israel. the speaker directly mentioned iran by using the word ―iran‖ itself to refer to the whole country. in contrast, the speaker used ―palestinian‖ to refer to the palestine. the choice of palestinian shows his judgement toward the palestine state itself. he did not want to recognize the palestine as a state so that he just mentioned the people of the palestine not the country. finally, the use of ―israel‖ in the speech of palestine also showed the judgment of the speaker as israeli citizen. he wanted to show that israel is the most deserved state to own the existing land which is owned by israel and palestine. he always states the positive things when he places israel as the subject. it shows his attitude that he wanted to the audiences that israel is in the correct position. in conclusion, by looking at the use of subject, the speaker‘s attitude and judgment can be interpreted that when he was talking about iran, he tried to be careful because of the sensitivity of the issue, but when he was talking about palestine, he looked so confident and sure in delivering the statement. the next focus is the use of modal finite operators which influence the interpersonal metafunction of the speaker. the following table will provide the comparison of the modal finite operators which used in both speeches. table 2. the frequency of modality in both speeches value realisation about iran about palestine f % f % low can 5 13.51 7 10.15 may 1 2.70 1 1.44 might 2 5.41 1 1.44 could 4 10.81 0 0 median will 8 21.62 30 43.48 107 arif firmansah interpersonal meaning in netanyahu’s speech would 4 10.81 5 7.25 should 3 8.11 0 0 will not 1 2.70 4 5.80 would not 0 0 2 2.90 high must 3 8.11 17 24.64 have to 5 13.51 0 0 cannot 1 2.70 2 2.90 total 37 69 regarding the table above, it can be generally concluded that the speaker‘s attitude on subject matter can be seen through the frequency of modal finite operator. netanyahu used more modal finite operators when he wass talking about palestine. he produced 17 modal which represents the obligation (must). compared to the speech about iran, he just used 11 modal operators which represent the obligation. netanyahu was not overconfident in talking about iran nuclear program. this significant differentiation, of course, has an influence to the speaker. the emergence of obligation in the speech of palestine is to show his judgment that the recognition of the israel as a sovereign state by the palestinian is a must. it also shows his judgment toward the problem that he did not place himself to respect to the palestine even he disposed to force palestine to do what israel wants. his power clearly appeared in this speech. he was easily to blame even to force palestine to recognize israel and to overcome factions in palestine such as hamas and hezbollah. on the other hand, the fewer number of the obligation in the speech of iran seems that he did not show his power to this issue. it is probably because of the sensitivity of the case that may trigger the war. the use of ―will‖ which indicates the futurity also appeared more in the speech of palestine which appeared 30 times. the use of this word is to figure out the future will be if the palestinian recognize the israel as a sovereign state. it is also used to ensure the audiences that the peace will be reached if the neighbour country is ready to live side by side with them. in contrast, netanyahu was more careful when talking about iran. he just stated 8 times to draw the futurity (will) of the iran nuclear program. the use of ―will‖ is used by the speaker to draw the futurity if the international community does not do real action to stop the enrichment of deadly weapon. the use of ―can‖ indicates the possibility. the emergence of this word is not too significant. the speaker used this word in 7 clauses in the speech of palestine. the use of this word in speech of palestine is to show the possibility if both countries co-operate in many sectors. it is also used to ensure the audiences of the importance of the unity of both countries. contrary, the speaker used the word ―can‖ in 5 clauses to describe that the iran nuclear program is possible to be observed by the public. he also used this word to show the possibility that the international community may be too late stop iran if they do not do clear action toward the problem because iran already run the nuclear program. in conclusion, the numeric results provided in this chapter uncover the baggage of the speaker concerning the subject matter. the speaker was able to position himself on the problems occur 108 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 1, december 2015 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee related to his country. he was able to select the appropriate modality to express his judgment in different field. he placed himself in a low value while talking about the highly-strung issue because it may trigger the worse condition. meanwhile, he placed his high value of judgment on the unfinished problem with the neighbour country, palestine. finally, the interpersonal meaning of the speaker can be influenced by the selecting of modality and field what or where he is saying. conclusion this study is aimed to reveal the interpersonal metafunctions found in benjamin netanyahu selected speech in two different occasions. this present study aims to uncover the mood structure which influences the interpersonal metafunction of the speaker and to what extent the difference in field determine the interpersonal metafunction of the speaker. it employs systemic functional grammar which is originally proposed by halliday as the main theory to analyze the data. this study has answered the questions of the research about how the mood structure realized in netanyahu speech of iran and palestine and also to what extent does the difference in field determine the interpersonal metafunction of the speaker. it was found that there are 426 clauses from two selected speech, 150 clauses found in the first speech and 276 clauses found in the second speech. furthermore, the speaker used some entities to be the subject in clauses. after that, finite as the primary constituent in mood element is becoming the main focus in this study. verbal operator that is frequently used is temporal finite. temporal finite in the both speech are significantly appeared in iran and palestine speech (73.38% and 71.72% out of clause). in addition, there is about 26.62% or 37 out of 139 of the finite operators in the first speech are modal. meanwhile, 28.28% or 69 out of 244 of the finite operators in the second speech are modal. in short, the numeric modal finite operators appeared in both speech is the expression, assessment, and judgment of the speaker to the issue under discussion. the adjunct of polarity is used 1 time, the adjunct of temporality is used 2 times and the adjuncts of mood appear 4 times in netanyahu‘s speech about iran. meanwhile, the adjunct of polarity is used 4 times and then the adjuncts of temporality appear 5 times, the adjuncts of usuality also appeared 5 times and the last adjuncts of mood appear 5 times in netanyahu‘s speech about palestine. furthermore, the interpersonal meaning of the speaker is also influenced by the field what or where he delivers his speech. the subjects used by the speaker in both speeches indicate that the speaker‘s interpersonal meaning toward the issue. it is found that the speaker‘s judgment and attitude are clearly seen when he was talking about the palestine issue than the iran issue. the interpersonal meaning of the speaker is also influenced by the use of modal operators. the speaker stated 8 times to draw the futurity, 5 times to draw possibility and 11 times to draw the urgency or obligation regarding the speech about iran which developing the nuclear program. the speaker holds on himself not to state offensive to prevent the worse condition. furthermore, regarding the speech of palestine, the speaker expresses possibility 7 times, the futurity 30 times, and obligation 17 times. it can be interpreted that the speaker has a high confidence in talking 109 arif firmansah interpersonal meaning in netanyahu’s speech about the conflict between the neighbour countries. finally, the construction of interpersonal meaning is really important to be understood. it is because the speaker is not always shows his/her judgment directly. he/she may show it through the diction of the word used in a communication. the speaker may also use indirect language to give a judgment toward something. this is really important to prevent misunderstanding between the speaker and the hearer or even it can be an indicator to know someone personality through his/her interpersonal meaning. references benjamin netanyahu: full speech on palestinian state. (2009) (2009, june 19). retrieved from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews /middleeast/israel/5535664/benjaminnetanyahu-full-speech-on-palestinianstate.html. creswell, j. w. (2003). qualitative inquiry & research design. thousand oaks: sage publications. de beaugrande, r. (1991). linguistic theory: the discourse of fundamental works. london: longman. eggins, s. (2004). an introduction to systemic functional linguistics. new york: continuum feng, h. & liu, y. (2010). analysis of interpersonal meaning in public speeches—a case study of obama‘s speech. journal of language teaching and research, 1(6), 825-829. gerot, l. & wignell, p. (1994). making sense of functional grammar. sydney: antipoaean educational enterprises. halliday, m.a.k & matthiessen, m.i.m. (2004). an introduction to functional grammar (3rd edition). london: arnold. halliday, m.a.k & webster, jonathan (2002). on grammar. london: continuum. key portions of israeli pm netanyahu's u.n. speech on iran. (2012, september 27). retrieved march 19, 2013 from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/27/u s-un-assembly-israel-textidusbre88q1rr20120927. september 27, 2012. marczyk, g. r., dematteo, d & festinger, d. (2005). essentials of research design and methodology. new jersey: john wiley & sons, inc. martin, j. r. christian matthiessen, m. i. m. & painter, c (1997). working with functional grammar. london: arnold. martin, j.r. (1992). english text system and structure. philadelphia: john benjamins publishing company. matthiessen, c. , lam, m., & teruya , k. (2010). key terms in systemic functional linguistics. london: continuum international publishing group. sugiyono (2011). metode penelitian pendidikan, pendekatan kuantitatif, kualitatif dan r&d. bandung: alfabeta. ye, r. (2010). the interpersonal metafunction analysis of barack obama's victory speech. english language teaching. 3(2), 146-152. 110 http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/author/christian-matthiessen http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/author/marvin-lam http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/author/kazuhiro-teruya english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 287 teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices in teaching content subjects through emi ulfah oktaviani english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia e-mail: uoktaviani@gmail.com soni mirizon (corresponding author) english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia e-mail: smirizon@unsri.ac.id machdalena vianty english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia e-mail: machdalenavianty@unsri.ac.id apa citation: oktaviani, u., mirizon, s., & vianty, m. (2021). teachers’ belief and classroom practices in teaching content subjects through emi. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 287-296 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5399 received: 27-10-2021 accepted: 28-11-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction the education sector has been influenced significantly by the globalization of english as a medium of instruction. english as a medium of instruction (emi) is the use of the english language to teach academic subjects in countries where the first language (l1) of the majority of the population is not english (dearden, 2016). in this era, there are a growing number of educational institutions in non-anglophone countries that have implemented emi (macaro et al., 2018) and this global trend has shown no sign of dwindling and has gained momentum in recent years that is likely to continue into the inevitable future (dearden, 2016). this phenomenon grow rapidly because of the belief that a foreign language will be more effectively acquired if it is integrated with content rather than learned in isolation as a school subject. in other words, english should rather be used in ‘real’ contexts than just learned formally. in line with this, smith et al. (2017) found that learning new language in a meaningful academic content can enhance students’ language level while absorbing abstract: the urge of 4.0 industrial revolutions has made the growth of english as a medium of instruction (emi) in the educational field unbearable. the beliefs of emi more or less would give a contribution to the teaching and learning process. this study aimed to investigate teachers’ beliefs towards emi, to find out how the beliefs reflect in their classroom practices, and the challenges that teachers encounter in teaching content subjects through emi. the qualitative in case study design was applied and questionnaires, observation, and interviews were used to collect the data. the observations and interviews data were analyzed through thematic analysis and the questionnaire data were analyzed by using descriptive statistical analysis. the findings of this study showed that most content subject teachers at sis palembang had a strong belief towards emi. in the classroom practices, it was found that all teachers put into practiced what they believed in teaching content subjects through emi such as they used english during the class, applied some strategies to illustrate new vocabulary, used prescribed teacher guide books, provided clear and explicit instructions, engaged the students, delivered the content greatly, and rarely did the code switching, the challenges they encountered in teaching content subjects through emi included language barriers, class discussion engagement, and lesson preparation. keywords: emi; teachers’ beliefs; challenges of emi. ulfah oktaviani, soni mirizon, & machdalena vianty teachers’ belief and classroom practices in teaching content subjects through emi 288 content materials. therefore, recent language teaching methods have been directed toward involving both content and language teaching simultaneously. in accordance with the phenomenon, in indonesia, the government has implemented several programs related to emi, one of them was the establishment of international standard schools (sekolah berstandar internasional or sbi). according to the law of national education system article 50 paragraph (3) of law no. 20 the year 2003, the indonesian government emphasizes that every district/province government must hold an international leveled school or at least one international leveled school for every unit of the education institution. in sbi schools, english as a medium of instruction is used in teaching content subjects such as math and science. through this implementation, students are expected to have more opportunities to practice the english language. according to government policy which is stated in the law of national education system no. 20 the year 2003 article 33 verse 3 about the use of foreign language in the teaching and learning process, it is said that a foreign language can be used as the medium instruction in a certain education unit to support the students’ language competence (national education system, 2003). according to government policy which is stated in the law of national education system no. 20 the year 2003 article 33 verse 3 about the use of foreign language in the teaching and learning process, it is said that a foreign language can be used as the medium instruction in a certain education unit to support the students’ language competence (national education system, 2003). however, there were limited schools in indonesia that has implemented emi. according to kemendikbud (2019), from 149,435 primary schools in indonesia, there were only 196 schools that have implemented emi since they were spk schools. this was because they were not aware of how important emi is and the benefits of emi. besides, teachers and schools didn’t realize one of the factors that influence a teacher's quality is their belief. according to pajares (1992), a teacher's belief has a greater influence than the teachers' knowledge on how they plan their lessons, on the decisions they make, and on their general teaching practice. also, wu et al. (2015) argue that teaching beliefs are crucial in influencing classroom behaviors that affect teachers' efforts, persistence, and resilience when faced with difficulties with students. furthermore, there were limited researches about teacher’s beliefs towards the benefits of emi in the primary level especially in indonesia. this factor caused lack of the awareness of the importance of emi from teachers and schools. as mahboob (2020) mentioned that there were some understudied issues about english language used as a medium of instruction in early grades. there were some previous studies related to this study that has investigated about teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices. first, yuan et al. (2020) who found that teachers formed different types of beliefs about the roles of english and emi, about emi teaching and learning, and about university curriculums and policies on emi. second, briggs et al. (2018) conducted a research about comparing teacher belief towards emi in secondary and tertiary education found that teachers in both phases believed that the greater exposure brought about by emi was beneficial to students in terms of their english language learning. third, khatri (2019) found that all teachers believed that emi helps not only student but also teachers to enhance competence in english language usage. besides, teachers shared that emi plays vital role in their professional development. however, since the first and second research data were teacher self-report which focused on university level students and the third previous study focused on secondary level students that is different with this study which focused on primary level and real classroom observation and interview. this present study hopefully might give the reality demonstration and depth information about teacher’s beliefs towards emi and classroom practices in primary level. therefore, this study were aimed to find out content teachers’ beliefs towards english as a medium of instruction, how content teachers’ beliefs reflect in their classroom practices, and the challenges that content teachers encounter in teaching content through english as a medium of instruction. method english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 289 this study applies qualitative in a case study design. a qualitative study was characterized as an research process of understanding a social or human issue, based on building a complex, holistic picture, formed with words, reporting detailed views of informants, and conducting a setting characteristic (john & creswell, 2018). the data were collected using questionnaires, interviews, and observations. this study took place at one famous private school in palembang. the participants were 3 mathematics and 2 science teachers who taught at the primary school level. the data collected using the questionnaires adapted from tan (2009) were analyzed by using descriptive statistical analysis and reported qualitatively. the data obtained from interview and classroom observation were analyzed using thematic analysis suggested by braun and clarke (2006) by familiarizing with the data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, producing the report in order to find out the depth information about teachers’ beliefs in teaching contents through english as a medium of instruction, to see how teachers’ beliefs were put into classroom practices and challenges that they encountered. findings and discussions teachers’ beliefs towards emi table 1. result of teachers’ questionnaire scores interval category number of teachers percentage 1-16 strongly not believe 0 0% 17-32 not believe 0 0% 33-48 believe 1 20% 49-64 strongly believe 4 80% based on table 1, the finding from the questionnaire showed that most teachers at the school strongly believed and believed in the benefits of english as a medium of instruction in teaching content subjects (math and science). the finding also showed that none of the teachers did not believe or strongly did not believe in the benefits of english as a medium of instruction in teaching content subjects. this finding in a line with the findings obtained in the interview where the teachers, generally, had a strong belief towards the benefits of english as a medium of instruction in teaching content subjects. besides, most teachers believed that emi is very important. they said that it is important because english is an international language and every activity that the students do will require them to understand english language. in this case, using english in teaching a content subjects gave the students a chance to learn and understand more about english. if the school is like this school, i think it’s good because the students will get both knowledge, from science they get and from the english skill they also will get. (t2) moreover, due to the globalization era and 4.0 industrial revolutions education, using english in teaching content subjects will prepare students to compete with others around the world and to continue their study abroad. it’s good for the students who will face the 4.0 industrial revolutions and globalization. as we know that globalization moves very fast right now, so we prepared for them. for example if they want to be a scientist in the future, they already can compete with scientists around the world. (t1) in this school, the purpose is clear, we teach mathematics by using english because our purpose is to use an international curriculum and the students will take the cambridge checkpoint test and it’s all in english. so, if our students want to study abroad they have already gotten used to the instruction. (t3) these findings were in accordance with çağatay (2018) findings that the aim of emi is to prepare an international career for the students. similarly, ernawati, et al. (2021) discovered that the use of emi at this primary school can improve students' english skills and prepare students for the international competitions such as debate, international science olympiad, and students could learn igcse cambridge materials which were more practical than 2013 curriculum materials. in line with teachers’ previous statements, teachers also believed that teaching and learning content subject using emi improved teachers and students’ english skills, increased their vocabulary mastery, and helped them understand the content better. personally, i can apply my english skill into communication. i can make my english become fluent at least. for students, as we know there are ulfah oktaviani, soni mirizon, & machdalena vianty teachers’ belief and classroom practices in teaching content subjects through emi 290 a lot of terms in science that have different meanings, if they learned science through emi they already know that for example. the symbol of force is f because it starts with the letter f. if the students are not from international school they will be confused because in bahasa, letters of force start with g and not f. (t1) for me the benefits are improving my speaking, reading, and writing skills. for students i think since they learn mathematics through emi they can comprehend the lesson better because the instruction is simpler …. besides, if from the language side, because students learned by using word problems in mathematics class they can improve their reading skills and enrich their vocabularies. (t4) this was similar with the findings from vidal and jarvis (2020) that emi give a lot of benefits to students such as helped students to improved their english language proficiency. in the same vein, noviani, et al (2018) found that a high degree of satisfaction in teachers’ mindsets and understanding of bilingual education because the english proficiency of teachers had increased and it reflected the success of the program in improving teachers’ english proficiency. furthermore, yang et al. (2019) revealed that both the teachers and the students english language skills for both general and academic purposes improved. they also believed that emi program had helped to cultivate the students’ independent thinking skills and selflearning skills. in addition to the benefits, teachers also believed that the students were able to cope with english as a medium of instruction since so far students at this school were able to follow the lesson and understand the content well and it was because the students were used to the english as a medium of instruction since they were in the early age. i think if the students from sis, we don’t have such a thing because they are able to learn and understand the lesson in english well. it is because students learn all subjects in english since they are pre-school and p1 (t1). i think my students can understand the lesson in english. the reason is because before entering the school all students here must have at least the basic of english and most student even have english as their second language or event first language because sis is an international school (t5) this result highlights the findings from wallin (2017) that early exposure to the second language is important because young learner learn a second or third language through listening to and interacting with different speakers which will bring exposure to sounds, words, and grammars of the languages that they will use in the future. therefore, it’s easier for the students to learn content subjects when they have mastered the language. teachers also mentioned that their school supported them in teaching contents through emi by providing them with resources, guidelines, and training about how to teach content subjects (mathematics and science) by using books that use english language and how to do the activity/ assess students’ work from the book. we have my pals' teacher's guide from singapore and from the teachers’ guide book there are steps on how to teach the materials to the students, hands-on activity, and steps on how to answer questions with different methods. the book explains clearly on how to teach students so it’s really helpful. (t3) we have a teacher's guide and the school guidelines are enough for us. even for the new teachers, they can read that. moreover, the guidelines in the teacher's guide book help us in asking questions to the students related to the topic so that the students can understand the lesson. (t5) actually, i have joined training but it’s not teaching science in english specifically but it’s training to teach science by using cambridge book from mentari. but yeah the book is in english. it’s about how to develop the topic, experiment, and how to teach in an inquiry method. (t1) this belief was built because of the school's readiness to support teachers in teaching and learning activities. in contrast with the government, teachers didn’t believe that the indonesian ministry of education has prepared them sufficiently well to teach mathematics and science in english. this finding is in accordance with the previous research that explained there are 60 percent of countries among 55 countries in the word that have no guidelines in implementing emi and only 27.3 percent have guidelines (dearden, 2016). in this case, indonesia is one of those who don’t have guidelines in implementing emi. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 291 furthermore, teachers shared that they believed that their content mastery and linguistic competence were sufficient to teach the emi class. no, i don’t have any problem using english. it is because i was a teacher in gloria and i have been teaching english before. (t2) no. i think if you don’t have any experience in teaching emi and never learned english before it will be a big problem. but for me, i have been teaching in an international school before i entered sis and they teach me a lot. besides, in sampoerna university all lecturers teach us by using emi so i can teach mathematics by using english. (t4) no, like what i have said before, in my university all students were trained to teach mathematics by using english. even before we graduate, we have ppl in international school before. so, we are used to it. (t5) these beliefs were shaped because teachers have been exposed to emi before they were teaching in sis. some teachers were taught to teach content by using emi in their university and the others have an experience in teaching emi class in previous school. in brief, this research results about teacher’s beliefs supported the theory from richardson (1996), who said that three main sources of teacher beliefs are personal experience, experience with instruction, and experience with formal knowledge. teachers classroom practices from the observation, it was found that teachers put into practiced what they believed in teaching content subjects through emi in the classroom. this is in line with what skott (2014, p. 19) said that beliefs are expected to significantly influence the ways in which teachers interpret and engage with the problems of practice. it was observed that teachers manifested their beliefs in many aspects. first, it was found that their belief about the benefits of english in teaching contents through emi was reflected in their effort to always use english during the classroom practice. second, it was found that their beliefs about the support/resource provided to aid emi implementation was reflected in their act to always use some strategies to illustrate new vocabulary, used prescribed textbooks/teacher guide books in english provided by school, and added other supplementary materials through various modalities (auditory and visual) in english such as using realia, bar graphs, picture, and video. however, teachers added that since the ministry of education didn’t provide them with the guidelines, they can only use the guidelines given by the school. third, it was observed that teachers’ beliefs about the sufficiency of their own linguistic competence was reflected in their way to provide clear and explicit instructions in english engage the students in various teaching and learning activities such as; class discussion, making a group project/experiment, and playing games, and summarize the ideas related to the content of mathematics and science in english well. this finding is in accordance with the results of the study conducted by kubanyiova (2014) that teachers’ practices are closely related to how they believe teaching should be carried out and to the teaching methods they have internalized throughout their careers. fourth, it was discovered that teachers’ beliefs of their content mastery was reflected in their act to always deliver the content greatly. it can be seen from the classroom interaction between teachers and students where teachers were able to answer unpredictable questions from students and students are able to understand teachers' explanations related to the lessons. this finding portrayed warshauer’s (2015) findings that an extensive and complex interplay of teacher knowledge of mathematics content and pedagogical content knowledge was important to teachers to maintain high cognitive demand of tasks, and sustain student struggle while supporting individual and whole class engagement. fifth, it was found that teachers’ beliefs in the impressions of students’ content mastery and linguistic competence was reflected in their effort to rarely did the code switching and gave the opportunities for the student to express and shared their ideas in english about the topics given individually in oral or written form. challenges in teaching content through emi despite the benefits and the strong beliefs towards emi in teaching content subjects, the challenges are things that were undeniable in the implementation process. fitriati (2015) found that teachers struggled to teach english after implementing a bilingual education program. besides, fauziah, et al. (2021) ulfah oktaviani, soni mirizon, & machdalena vianty teachers’ belief and classroom practices in teaching content subjects through emi 292 discover that cambridge science teachers felt the challenges while participating in the program. from the result of the interview, it was found that there were three challenges that teachers encountered in teaching contents through emi; language barriers, class discussion engagement, and lesson preparation. first, language barriers. teachers mentioned that since english was not their first language even they believed that their proficiency was sufficient, there were still a lot of terms in science and mathematics that they didn’t understand so they have to read carefully the spelling and the vocabularies before they were teaching. of course there must be challenges because it’s not my first language so like what i have said before. i have to check the vocabulary first before i teach and so do the spelling (t1). moreover, language barriers also caused them sometimes to misinterpret the meaning of the questions from the book. the challenges first, the terms in science that have been used. sometimes i don’t understand the terms. second, understanding the questions. like what i have said before, sometimes when we translate the questions it’s not what the questions really mean. i mean, interpreting the questions (t3) in line with this, fauziah, et al. (2021) discovered that it was really challenging for the teachers to teach the students science concepts using scientific language because teachers needed to to use scientific terms and they should also learn more vocabulary before teaching, just like the students. similarly, ma’ruf and sari (2020) found that science and mathematics teachers mentioned that it was difficult for them to explain terms of science and mathematics in english due to lack of vocabulary. moreover, aizawa and rose (2018) who found that emi teachers in japan expressed difficulty in teaching in english, regardless of the level of their english proficiency. in other words, even high proficiency teachers also reported linguistic challenges. another language barrier problem that the teacher faced was also caused by some students' low proficiency in english. teacher 4 mentioned that even though most students in sis palembang were able to speak english some students that just entered the school late like in p3 didn’t have good english. i think my students’ ability in sis is fine. of course some students that just enter the school late like in p3 don’t have a good english have difficulties (t4) teachers explained that these students made teachers spent more time teaching the class, they had to re-explain again the lesson, changed some vocabularies until the students understand, gave them extra time to do worksheets, and even did code switching. in the class, for some students, their english is excellent but there are some students that are not good at english. so, sometimes, we have to change and mention some words that the students with the low proficiency are familiar with. so i have to teach them repeatedly. so it’s fair for them. besides, it takes time to do the worksheet so i have to give them extra time (t1) it’s not too distracting or troublesome in teaching science because they just lack grammar. so sometimes they understand the lesson. but if in another case, it’s more tiring because i have to do code switching (t2) these findings similar with sela and luke (2020) that most teachers mentioned that the students with low level of english proficiency was a challenge for them because these students would hardly understand the content of subjects delivered or transferred. also, ahmad and qasem (2019) stated that learner’s first language (l1) is a barrier to the development of spoken english. therefore, this challenge was unavoidable since english is students’ second language the second challenge that teachers face was class discussion engagement. it was found that some students that had low proficiency found it difficult to engage in the class discussions. they tend to be quiet because they were not confident and afraid to make mistakes in saying the words. the difficulties are from the students with low proficiency level. maybe it’s because they are not confident so they are quiet during the discussion. besides, these types of students when they answer the questions their sound are too low maybe because they are afraid to make mistakes. but for some students that start learning english from preschool they can follow (t1). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 293 in addition, due to students’ anxiety, the students felt more comfortable to talk or asked questions to their friends rather than the teacher. ...sometimes there are some students that ask directly to their friends. that's where the discussion happened. it’s because some students feel more comfortable talking with their friends...it’s their initiative to ask their friends, maybe because they are afraid to ask me directly. that’s it (t3). this finding was in accordance with ozer (2020) that students’ reluctance to talk in english due to their low level of english proficiency. similarly, manalastas and batang (2018) discovered that the students confidence in emi class was lower than those in the multi lingual class due to language barriers in expressing themselves. furthermore, ibna seraj and habil (2021) identified that shyness, anxiety, self-efficacy, reluctance, emotions, and confidence of the students create barriers tostudents’ development in spoken english. the third challenge was lesson preparation. it was quite challenging because it was wasting the teachers’ time since they need to read the book carefully and look at the dictionary before they were teaching. it was because there were some vocabularies/ terms that they didn’t know the meaning and the pronunciation. there are a lot of students that like to ask but it’s out of the topic so we must answer their question as best we can and don’t let it become a question mark for a long time. so usually i study the topic first. if there are some vocabularies that i don’t know i will find it in the dictionary. besides, i like to make the script before i teach so i know what i want to say but that was when i was still a newbie in this school. now, i am not doing it anymore (t1). for the preparation, we need to find out the vocabularies first so the work is double. it’s because some terms in science are quite different from the english word that we use in daily conversation so we have to find out the meaning first whether it is ambiguous or not (t2). the difficulties are not a lot. i just need to read the book carefully first before teaching so i will not make mistakes in pronunciation (t3). moreover, teachers need to spend more time to understand the lesson and to read the material carefully before teaching. therefore the teacher knew how to deliver it to the student because english was not the teacher's mother tongue. i have to read the material first because i am using bahasa indonesia language so i have to read the materials so i know how to deliver it to the students with my language until they understand. i cannot directly teach the class without preparation except it’s urgent and for example we have 2 years’ experience in teaching. however, there must be a procedure for that because i am indonesian and bahasa indonesia is my mother tongue. and if i want to teach by using english i have to read and prepare (t5). regarding this finding, doiz et al. (2018) found that lesson preparation was a challenge because lecturers need to spend an extra hour in elaborating the classroom materials and lessons preparation in english. conclusion in relation to the objectives of the study, there were three conclusions that can be drawn. first, teachers’ believed in the benefits of english as a medium of instruction in teaching content subjects. second, teachers manifested their beliefs in accordance with the classroom practices. third, teachers faced the language barriers, class discussion engagement, and lesson preparation as challenges in teaching content subjects through english as a medium of instruction. based on the findings, it is suggested that first, school in indonesia especially in primary level could implemented emi because emi is very beneficial. second, school and teachers need to be aware of the source of teachers’ beliefs which might influence the reflection of the beliefs in the classroom practices. third, teachers cannot sweep aside to the challenges and further action is needed to overcome the challenges since it would affect the implementation of emi. references ahmed, s. t. s., & qasem, b. t. a. (2019). problems of teaching and learning english as a foreign language in south yemen: a case study of lahj governorate. els journal on interdisciplinary studies on humanities, 2(4). retrived from http://journal.unhas.ac.id/index.php/jish. aizawa, i. & rose, h. (2018). an analysis of japan’s english as medium of instruction initiatives within higher education: the gap between mesolevel policy and micro-level practice. higher education, 77(1), 1125–1142. doi:10.1007/s10734-018-0323-5 ulfah oktaviani, soni mirizon, & machdalena vianty teachers’ belief and classroom practices in teaching content subjects through emi 294 briggs, j. g., dearden, j., & macaro, e. (2018). english medium instruction: comparing teacher beliefs in secondary and tertiary education. studies in second language learning and teaching, 8(3), 673-696. doi:10.14746/ssllt.2018.8.3.7 çaatay, s. (2018). the pros and cons of english-medium instruction in higher education in an efl context. in journal of foreign language education and technology. 4,(2). retrived from http://jflet.com/jflet/206http://jflet.com/jflet/ dearden, j. (2016). english as a medium of instruction: a growing global phenomenon. london, england: british council. retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3092309 56_english_medium_instruction_a_growing_gl obal_phenomenon doiz, a., & lasagabaster, d. (2018). teachers’ and students’ second language motivational self system in english‐medium instruction: a qualitative approach. tesol quarterly, 52(3), 657. doi:10.1002/tesq.452 ernawati. e, sofendi. s, silvhany. s. (2021). english as a medium of instruction (emi): a primary school teachers’ and students’ perceptions. international research in counseling and education, 5(1): pp. 24-32, doi: 10.24036/00414za0002 fauziah, n., mirizon, s., & silvhiani, s. (2021). bilingual education program: teachers’ and students’ perspectives and challenges. jurnal pendidikan progresif, 11(2), 219-234. doi: 10.23960/jpp.v11.i2.202107. fitriati, s. w. (2015). english bilingual education in an indonesian public school. in p. a. danaher, p. redmond, & j. lock (eds.), educational innovations and contemporary technologies: enhancing teaching and learning (2nd ed., pp. 87– 102). london, england: palgrave macmillan. ibna seraj, p. m., & hadina, h. (2021). a systematic overview of issues for developing efl learners’ oral english communication skills. journal of language and education, 7(1), 229240. doi:10.17323/jle.2021.10737 john w, c., & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). pennsylvania, usa: sage publications. kementrian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. (2019). number of schools by time of operation and province 2019-2020. retrieved from http://statistik.data.kemdikbud.go.id/ khatri, k. k. (2019). teachers’ attitudes towards english as medium of instruction. journal of nelta gandaki. 2, 43-54. doi:10.3126/jong.v2i0.26602 krashen, s. (1982). principles and practice in second language acquisition. oxford, england: pergamon press. kubanyiova, m. (2014). motivating language teachers: inspiring vision. language learning and language teaching. 40, 71-78. doi:10.1075/lllt.40.04kub macaro, e., curle, s., pun, j., an, j., & dearden, j. (2018). a systematic review of english medium instruction in higher education. language teaching, 51(1), 36-76. doi: 10.1017/s0261444817000350 mahboob, a. (2020). has english medium instruction failed in pakistan? in j. f. d. giri, r., sharma, a. and d’angelo (ed.), functional variation in english: theoretical considerations and practical challenges (pp. 261–276). springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-52225-4_17 manalastas, a. k. e. m.-., & batang, b. l. (2018). medium of instruction on student achievement and confidence in english. tesol international journal, 13(3), 88-99. retrived from https://www.tesolinternationaljournal.com/volume-13-issue-3-2018 ma’ruf, h., & sari, h. y. (2020). teachers’ perspectives toward the implementation of bilingual immersion program in indonesian private schools. journal of english education, literature, and culture, 5(1), 118-125. doi:10.30659/e.5.1.118-125 national education system (2003). undangundang republik indonesia nomor 20 tahun 2003 tentang sistem pendidikan nasional. (indonesian government law no. 20, 2003 on the system of national education). ministry of education. retrieved from https://pusdiklat.perpusnas.go.id/public/media/reg ulasi/2019/11/12/2019_11_1203_49_06_9ab7e1fa524ba603bc2cdbeb7bff93c3. pdf noviani., dahnilsya., & novitri. (2018). the teachers’ perception on the implementation of bilingual program of smp and sma dharma yudha pekanbaru. jom fkip, 5(2), 1-11. retrived from https://jom.unri.ac.id/index.php/jomfkip/article/ view/20633 ozer,o. (2020). lecturers’ experiences with englishmedium instruction in a state university in turkey: practices and challenges. issues in educational research. 30(2). 612-634. retrieved from https://www.iier.org.au/iier30/ozer.pdf sela, s.t., & luke, j.y. (2020). english as medium of instruction implementation for communication and sustainability in 4.0 era. ethical lingua, 7(2). doi: 10.30605/25409190.219 skott, j. (2014). the promises, problems and prospects of research on teachers’ beliefs. in h. fives & m.g. gill (eds.), international handbook of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 295 research on teachers’ beliefs (pp. 13– 30). london, england: routledge. smith,f. b., humphreys, p., & walkinshaw, i. (2017). english medium instruction in higher education in asia-pacific from policy to pedagogy (1st ed.). switzerland, uk: springer. vidal, k., & jarvis, s. (2018). effects of englishmedium instruction on spanish students’ proficiency and lexical diversity in english. language teaching research, 1-20. doi:10.1177/1362168818817945 wallin, j. (2017). bilingual education for young children: recent research. guest editor’s note. rangsit journal of arts and science, 7(1). retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3297736 45_bilingual_education_for_young_children_r ecent_research warshauer, h. k. (2015). productive struggle in middle school mathematics classrooms. journal of mathematics teacher education, 18(4), 375-400. doi:10.1007/s10857-014-9286-3 wu, c., wan, s., & wong, y. (2015). exploring hong kong secondary school teachers' teaching beliefs on differentiated instruction. in d. garbett, & ovens (eds.), isatt:teaching for tomorrow today (pp.158-167). auckland, new zealand: edify ltd. yang, m., o’sullivan, p. s., irby, d. m., chen, z., lin, c., & lin, c. (2019). challenges and adaptations in implementing an english-medium medical program:a case study in china. bmc medical education, 19(1). doi:10.1186/s12909-018-1452-3 yuan, r., chen, y., & peng, j. (2020). understanding university teachers’ beliefs and practice in using english as a medium of instruction. teaching in higher education, 1470-1294. doi: 10.1080/13562517.2020.1715936 ulfah oktaviani, soni mirizon, & machdalena vianty teachers’ belief and classroom practices in teaching content subjects through emi 296 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 125 improving students’ speaking skill by using multimedia presentation strategy muhammad lukman syafii department of accounting, faculty of economic, universitas muhammadiyah ponorogo, indonesia e-mail: s.muhammadlukman@yahoo.com alip sugianto department of management, faculty of economic, universitas muhammadiyah ponorogo, indonesia e-mail: sugiantoalip@gmail.com nanang cendriono department of management, faculty of economic, universitas muhammadiyah ponorogo, indonesia e-mail: nanangcendriono@gmail.com apa citation: syafii, m. l., sugianto, a., & cendriono, n. (2019). improving students’ speaking skill by using multimedia presentation strategy. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 125132. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1690. received: 21-01-2019 accepted: 20-04-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: multimedia presentation strategy is one of strategies that can be used for developing students’ speaking skills. therefore, this research is intended to describe how multimedia presentation strategy can improve the eighth graders’ speaking skills. a collaborative classroom action research design was employed in this research. this action research was conducted in four main steps, namely planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. to collect the data, some instruments, i.e. students’ oral performance test, the observation checklist, field notes, and questionnaire, were used. the result showed that the students’ speaking performance improved from 64.29% in cycle 1 to 100% in cycle 2. meanwhile, the students’ involvement has achieved the criteria of success (100% of students) in cycle 1. here, they could fulfill at least 2 out of 4 indicators in cycle 1 and cycle 2. in addition, the students’ perception towards the implementation of multimedia presentation strategy was 94.29% and only 5.71% of students who were not interested in the implementation of multimedia presentation strategy in teaching speaking skills. hence, it can be concluded that multimedia presentation strategy can improve students’ speaking skill. keywords: action research; multimedia presentation; speaking skill; students’ involvement. introduction the objective of teaching english in indonesia based on the 2006 standard of content is that the students can develop their communicative competence, both in oral or written forms, to achieve a certain functional literacy stage. hence, the four language skills including listening, speaking, reading, and writing should be taught integratedly (pusat kurikulum, 2006). speaking is a productive skill that involves using speech to express meaning to other people (spratt, pulverness, & williams, 2005). here, teachers can develop students’ speaking skills by focusing regularly on a particular aspect of speaking, e.g. fluency, pronunciation, grammatical accuracy, etc. burns and joice (1993) argue that one of the most important aspects of speaking is that it always occurs within a context. when someone speaks, he/she is both using language to carry out various social functions and choosing forms of language which relate in a relevant way to the cultural and social context. a large percentage of the world’s language learners study english in order to develop proficiency in speaking (richards & renandya, 2002). it shows that many people are aware of the importance of mastering speaking skill in order to make the students able to communicate in english with other people from other countries. especially if they want to go abroad, it is an obligation for them to be able to communicate in english since english is used as the first international language in countries all over the world. in addition, mastering english for the students of junior high school level is very important since they want to continue their study to a higher level or they want to get a job. yet, in fact, students face a lot of problems in mastering the speaking skill. the lack of practice of the language both inside and outside the classroom is the main cause of the students’ mailto:s.muhammadlukman@yahoo.com mailto:sugiantoalip@gmail.com mailto:nanangcendriono@gmail.com muhammad lukman syafii, alip sugianto, & nanang cendriono improving students’ speaking skill by using multimedia presentation strategy 126 failure in mastering speaking skill. besides, the very limited time is also considered to support the failure of the students’ speaking skill since the english lesson at school is usually held just for four hours per week which is divided into two meetings. one meeting lasts for 80 minutes. schools apply the integrated teaching of english consisting of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. consequently, the proportion of teaching speaking is very limited because it is integrated with the other three language skills. since the time for teaching speaking is very limited, the english teacher is expected to be able to make use the available time more effectively and efficiently by applying a certain strategy that can encourage students to actively participate in the speaking class. this seems to be a real condition faced by most students in indonesia. this condition is also faced by the students at islamic junior high school in learning english, especially in mastering speaking skill. dealing with this reality, the english teacher is supposed to try to apply a different way in teaching speaking in which one of them is by using technology. as stated by parveen (2016), technology helps and encourages the playfulness of learners and involves them in a different way of learning. technology gives learners a chance to engage independently, provides opportunities for self-paced interactions, privacy, and a safe environment where mistakes are corrected and exact feedback is given. feedback helps the learners to exercise and focus on particular error which adds additional value by its ability. one of the technologies that can be used by teachers is multimedia presentation hence, this study focuses more on using multimedia presentation in the form of powerpoint slides to improve students’ speaking skills in the form of recount genre. male (2003) says that the use of the computer as a learning tool makes or influences students’ focus, engagement, and product during the teachinglearning process. in the same vein, wang and gearhart (2006) state that visuals are often more effective than words to express an idea or arouse emotion. method the design of this study is categorized into collaborative classroom action research (car) since it meets the criteria of classroom action research. in classroom action research, initially, a researcher identifies problems which happen in teaching-learning process, then sets the plan, designs a way to solve problems, and implements the plan. therefore, the researcher focuses on a particular classroom aiming at finding the solution for the problems occur. in conducting the study, the researcher is helped by one of the english teachers of islamic junior high school as a collaborator. kemmis and mctaggart (1988) assert that action research is collaborative when the researcher works together with his colleague from the beginning until the end of the research activities. the design of the present study follows the procedure of action research proposed by kemmis and mctaggart which stated that action research involves selfreflective spirals of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. this classroom action research (car) is conducted at mts al-islam nganjuk regency – east java, indonesia. the subjects are eighth graders consisting of two parallel classes, class a and class b. the subject of this study is 14 students of class a. the school is facilitated by one multimedia room. the data were collected through questionnaire, observation sheets, interview, and field notes. the use of questionnaire helps the researcher to gather clear and concisely structured feedback from the students about their attitude toward the strategy implemented. the type of questions used in the questionnaire is multiple choice questions in which each item provides four different alternative options (a, b, c, d) to choose. there are five items on the questionnaire which may lead the researcher to come to a conclusion about the students’ attitude. the result of the questionnaires is to reinforce data on the students’ active involvement gained from the observation sheets. the observation sheets are used to gather data about the students’ involvement in the teaching and learning activities. the technique of observation used are participant observation in which the researcher as a part of the action involved in doing observation and nonparticipant observation means that the observation is done by a collaborator who is sitting somewhere in the classroom, silent, but attentive to observe the students’ involvement in the action. in this case, the observer fills in the observation checklist by putting a tick (√) on one of the four indicators. moreover, the use of field notes is also very helpful for keeping a record of what happens, of why and where ideas evolved and the research process itself. thus, field notes refer to written english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 127 account of what the researcher hear, see, experience, and think in the course of collecting, evaluating, and reflecting on the data which might not be covered in the observation sheets, the students’ self-assessment sheet, and the questionnaires. there are three points covered in field notes, namely general point, good point, and point to improve. results and discussion since this study is conducted in two cycles, the discussion of the findings will be divided into two sections, namely cycle 1 and cycle 2. cycle 1 cycle 1 was carried out and conducted in three meetings with the time allotted 2 x 40 minutes for each meeting. the text given was a recount entitled “recreation, sport, and my sister’s activity”. the topic was chosen since it suited to the topic taught based on the regular schedule. here, the researcher used multimedia presentation as the instructional media. the researcher used the scoring rubric as the instrument to measure the students’ speaking performance. meanwhile, the observation checklist was used to get data about students’ involvement during the teaching-learning process. in addition, questionnaire and field notes were used as supporting data related to those two criteria above. students’ speaking performance in analyzing the students’ speaking performance, the researcher used an analytic scoring rubric adapted from ur (1996). the students’ speaking performances scores are presented in table 1. table 1. students’ speaking performance score no score range number of students percentage 1 80 – 100 1 7.14% 2 70 – 79 1 7.14% 3 60 – 69 3 21.43% 4 50 – 59 4 28.57% 5 0 – 49 5 35.72% total 14 100% based on the data, it can be seen that one student (7.14% of the students) achieved a score range of 80-100. there was one student (7.14% of the students) who achieved the score in the range of 70-79. there were three students (21.43% of the students) who achieved the score range of 60-69. there were four students (28.57% of 14 students) who achieved the score in the range 50-59. meanwhile, there were five students (35.72% of the students) who achieved the score in the range 0-49. table 2. students’ speaking performance score in each aspect aspect indicator number of students percentage fluency little or no communication 2 14.28% very hesitant and brief utterances, sometimes difficult to understand 6 42.85% get ideas across, but hesitantly and briefly 4 28.57% effective communication in short turns 2 14.28% easy and effective communication, uses a long turn 0 0% accuracy little or no language produced 3 21.43% poor vocabulary, mistakes in basic grammar, may have a very strong foreign accent 3 21.43% adequate but not rich vocabulary, makes obvious grammatical mistakes, slight foreign accent 7 50% good range of vocabulary, occasional grammar slips, slight foreign accent 1 7.14% wide vocabulary appropriately used, virtually no grammar mistakes 0 0% muhammad lukman syafii, alip sugianto, & nanang cendriono improving students’ speaking skill by using multimedia presentation strategy 128 in the aspect of fluency, two students (14.28 % of 14 students) were in “little communication” category. there were six students (42.85 % of 14 students) who were in “very hesitant and had brief utterances, sometimes difficult to understand” category. there were four students (28.57% of 14 students) who “got ideas across, but hesitantly and briefly”. then, there were 2 students (14.28 % of 14 students) in “effective communication in short-turn” category and no student was in “easy and effective communication” category. in addition, in this cycle, one student was absent (ts) in the first meeting. in terms of accuracy, three students (21.43% of 14 students) produced “little language”. there were three students (21.43% of 14 students) was “poor vocabulary, mistakes in basic grammar, may have a very strong foreign accent”. there were seven students (50 % of 14 students) who had “adequate vocabulary, made obvious grammatical mistakes, slight foreign accent”. also, there was one student (7.14 % of 14 students) had a “good range of vocabulary, occasional grammar slip, slight foreign accent”. meanwhile, no student spoke with wide vocabulary appropriately used, virtually no grammar mistakes. the score on each student’s speaking performance is obtained from the indicators of both fluency and accuracy. the score is summed up and then divided by maximum score and multiplied by one hundred. from the data, it was known that there were nine students out of 14 students who passed the minimum passing grade (kkm). it means that the percentage of the students’ speaking performance in this cycle was 64.29%. this means that the first criterion of success in this cycle has not been achieved yet and the research was necessary to continue to cycle 2. students’ involvement in obtaining the data on the students’ involvement in the teaching-learning process, observation checklist and field notes were utilized. the observation checklist consisted of four indicators or items which should be done by the students, they are: 1) asking questions for clarification frequently; 2) responding to and or answering the teacher’s instruction and questions; 3) doing the task(s) by making brief notes actively; and 4) helping and or asking for help from each other. meanwhile, field notes were used to cover things which were uncovered in the observation checklist. the observation was done during the implementation of this strategy. the criterion determined for the students’ involvement was 100% of the students achieve at least the “active enough stage”. in this case, the students are considered as active if they do two out of four indicators in the observation checklist. table 3 shows the students’ involvement based on the indicators of the observation checklist. table 3. students’ involvement no indicator number of students who fulfilled the indicators percen tage number and percentage of students who get category not active active enough active very active 1. asking questions for clarification frequently 8 57.14% 0 6 6 2 2. responding to and or answering the teacher’s instruction and questions 13 92.86% 3. doing the task(s) by making brief notes actively 10 71.43% 0% 42.86% 42.86 % 14.28 % 4. helping or and asking for help from each other 7 50% as presented in table 3, the result of the data analysis showed that there was no student who was “not active” (0% of 14 students). there were six students (42.86% of 14 students) who were categorized as “active enough”. there were also six students (42.86% of 14 students) that fell into the “active” category and two students (14.28 % of all students) were categorized “very active”. furthermore, in this cycle, there were eight students (57.14 % of 14 students) that fell into the category of “asking questions for clarification” frequently. 13 students (92.86% of 14 students) were responding to and or answering the teacher’s instruction and english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 129 questions. there were 10 students (71.43% of the students) who were doing the task(s). only seven students (50% of the students) were helping and or asking for help from each other. field notes revealed some points, general points, good points, and points to improve in the implementation of multimedia presentation strategy in the teaching and learning of speaking. in the pre-teaching activity, the teacher explained what was going to be done and all the students could easily understand the instruction. this is a general point. in the post-teaching, some of the students could do the task(s) well. besides, they were brave to speak louder and did not care when their friends laughed at them. this is a good point. in whilst-teaching, the male students played much and sometimes they did not understand the teachers’ instruction. this is a point to improve. to sum up, the result of the data analysis from the two sources of data, especially the observation checklist, indicated that the second criterion of success was not been achieved yet. it was not achieved been yet since the percentage of the active involvement (active + very active+ active enough) in the observation checklist was not 100%. thus, the researcher needed to continue to the next cycle because the first criterion of success has not been achieved yet. cycle 2 this section presents the findings found throughout cycle 2. it covered the data of the findings on the students’ speaking performance and the students’ involvement. the same as that in cycle 1, the researcher used the scoring rubric as the instrument to measure the students’ speaking performance. meanwhile, the researcher employed observation checklist to achieve the data about students’ involvement during the teaching-learning process. in addition, questionnaire and field notes were used as supporting data related to those two criteria. students’ speaking performance from the analysis of the students’ speaking performance, it was found that there was a significant improvement of the students’ speaking performance, although some of them still made mistakes on some language elements being observed, namely fluency and accuracy. the score of the students’ speaking performance in cycle 2 can be seen in table 4. table 4. students’ speaking performance score no score range number of students percentage 1 80 – 100 6 42.86% 2 70 – 79 1 7.14% 3 60 – 69 3 21.43% 4 50 – 59 4 28.58% 5 0 – 49 0 0 % total 14 100% based on the data, it can be seen that six students (42.86% of the students) achieved a score range of 80-100. there was one student (7.14% of the students) who achieved the score in the range of 70-79. there were three students (21.43% of the students) who achieved the score range of 60-69. there were four students (14.29% of 14 students) who achieved the score in the range of 50-59. meanwhile, there were no students (0 % of the students) who achieved the score range in the range of 0-49. the data in table 5 construed that in term of fluency in this cycle; no student fell into the category of “speechless or did not talk anything”. three students (21.43 % of 14 students) fell into the category of “very hesitant and brief utterances, sometimes difficult to understand”. there were four students (28.57% of 14 students) who fell into the category of “got ideas across, but hesitantly and briefly”. then, there were five students (35.71 % of 14 students) who fell into the category of “effective communication in short turn” and there were two students (14.28% of 14 students) who fell into the category of “had easy and effective communication”. in addition, in cycle 2, no student was absent. table 5. students’ speaking performance score in each aspect aspect indicator number of students percentage fluency little or no communication 0 0% very hesitant and brief utterances, sometimes 3 21.43% muhammad lukman syafii, alip sugianto, & nanang cendriono improving students’ speaking skill by using multimedia presentation strategy 130 difficult to understand get ideas across, but hesitantly and briefly 4 28.57% effective communication in short turns 5 35.71% easy and effective communication, uses a long turn 2 14.29% accuracy little or no language produced 0 0% poor vocabulary, mistakes in basic grammar, may have a very strong foreign accent 3 21.43% adequate but not rich vocabulary, makes obvious grammatical mistakes, slight foreign accent 5 35.71% good range of vocabulary, occasional grammar slips, slight foreign accent 4 28.57% wide vocabulary appropriately used, virtually no grammar mistakes, 2 14.29% in terms of accuracy, no student was in “little or no language produced” category. there were three students (21.43 % of the students) were in “poor vocabulary, mistakes in basic grammar, may have a very strong foreign accent” category. there were five students (35.71 % of 14 students) in “adequate vocabulary, made obvious grammatical mistakes, slight foreign accent” category. then, there were four students (28.57 % of 14 students) in a “good range of vocabulary, occasional grammar slip, slight foreign accent” category. in addition, there were two students (14.28% of 14 students) in “spoke with wide vocabulary appropriately used, virtually no grammar mistakes” category. since the percentage of the students who got a score in the rank of 50-100 was 100%, it can be said that the first criterion of success in this research was achieved and the cycle of the research was stopped. students’ involvement in obtaining the data on the students’ involvement in the teaching-learning process, observation checklist and field notes were utilized. the indicators used in observation checklist were the same as in cycle 1. meanwhile, field notes were used to cover things which were uncovered in the observation checklist. the observation was done during the implementation of this strategy. the criterion determined for the students’ involvement was 100 % of the students achieve at least the “active enough” category. in this case, the students are considered as active if they do at least 2 out of 4 indicators in the observation checklist. table 6 shows the students’ involvement based on the indicators of the observation checklist. table 6. students’ involvement no indicator number of students who fulfilled the indicators percen tage number and percentage of students who get category not active active enough active very active 1. asking questions for clarification frequently 10 71.43% 0 3 9 2 2. responding to and or answering the teacher’s instruction and questions 12 85.71% 3. doing the task(s) by making brief notes actively 14 100% 0% 21.43% 64.29 % 14.28 % 4. helping or and asking for help from each other 5 35.71% as shown in table 6, the result of the data analysis showed that there was no student who was not active. there were three students (21.43% of 14 students) who were categorized “active enough”. there were nine students (64.29% of 14 students) who were categorized” active and two students (14.28 % of all students) were categorized” very active”. furthermore, in this cycle, there were 10 students (71.43 % of 14 students) that are asking english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 131 questions for clarification frequently. 12 students (85.71% of 14 students) were responding to and or answering the teacher’s instruction and questions. there were 14 students (100% of the students) doing the task(s). only five students (35.71% of the students) were helping and or asking for help from each other. field notes revealed some points, general points, good points, and points to improve in the implementation of multimedia presentation strategy in the teaching and learning of speaking. in the pre-teaching activity, the teacher explained what was going to be done and all the students could easily understand the instruction and they pay attention to the teacher’s explanation. this is a general point. in the whilst-teaching, the students were enthusiastic in accomplishing the task(s). this is a good point. some students complain to create monologue many times. this is a point to improve. from the data, it was known that the percentage of the active involvement (active + very active + active enough) in the observation checklist was 100%. it was the same as the first cycle. basically, there are three aspects discussed, namely students’ speaking achievement, students’ involvement, and students’ perception. first is students’ achievement. the implementation of multimedia presentation strategy is used to increase students’ achievement. in this case, the students’ achievement is about the students’ speaking skill, especially in recount genre. the strategy is used to improve students’ speaking skill by following its procedure. the procedures are: (1) the teacher explained the form of activities that will be conducted in the speaking class, (2) the teacher showed a set of powerpoint slides to the students, (3) the teacher told a story based on a set of powerpoint slides, (4) the teacher asked questions to the students to check students understanding, (5) the teacher divides students into group of three, (6) the students make a story based on the powerpoint slides in group, (7) one of the students told a story in front of the class , and (8) the students made their own story. in addition, in analyzing students’ speaking performance, the researcher used analytic scoring rubric adapted from ur (1996). the score on each student’s speaking performance is obtained from the indicators of both fluency and accuracy. the score is summed up and then divided by maximum score and multiplied by one hundred. from the data, it was known that the percentage of students’ speaking performance was 64.29% (9 students of 14 students) in cycle 1 and it became 100% (all students) in cycle 2. the second is the students’ involvement. the implementation of multimedia presentation strategy can also increase students’ involvement during the teaching-learning process. in obtaining the data on the students’ involvement in the teaching-learning process, observation checklist was utilized. the observation checklist consisted of 4 indicators or items which should be done by the students. the criterion determined for the students’ involvement was 70% of the students achieved at least the active category. in this case, the students are considered as active if they do 3 out of 4 indicators in the observation checklist. from the data, it was known that the percentage of the students’ involvement was 100% (all students) in cycle 1 and it was also 100% (all students) in cycle 2. in addition, the researcher and his collaborator made an improvement and revision of the lesson plan and the media for the second cycle. there were some changes in the lesson plans and the media in cycle 2 than that in cycle 1. related to the lesson plan, the teacher explained the importance of multimedia in daily life in pre-teaching and the teacher explained the characteristic of recount text in whilst-teaching in cycle 1. these two learning activities were not done anymore in cycle 2. the time allotment was used to discuss related vocabulary. it was done because, during the implementation of cycle 1, the researcher and his collaborator noticed that one of the students’ difficulties in speaking was caused by limited vocabulary. another reason is that most of the students have understood the importance of multimedia in daily life and the characteristic of recount text because it has been explained during cycle 1. that is why the researcher and his collaborator thought it was not necessary to explain it anymore in cycle 2. meanwhile, in relation to the media used in cycle 1, the researcher and his collaborator used one or two animations in one slide. yet, in cycle 2, the researcher and his collaborator used more than two animations in one slide. it was done because it seems that the students were getting bored soon during the implementation of the strategy. thus, using only one animation in one slide can be called not accurate and not well designed yet. that is why the researcher and his muhammad lukman syafii, alip sugianto, & nanang cendriono improving students’ speaking skill by using multimedia presentation strategy 132 collaborator tried to use animation accurately and well designed by adding the number of animations in a slide. then, in cycle 1, the researcher and his collaborator did not use sound as media, but in cycle 2, the researcher and his collaborator used sound as additional media in implementing the strategy. the sound was related to the animation, for example when the animation was about a woman sang a song and musical equipment, we equipped with related sound during the implementation of this strategy. the third is students’ perception. in relation to the students’ perception, the data were collected by using a questionnaire distributed to the students. the questionnaire consists of 5 questions in which there were four options provided for each question. table 7 shows the students’ perception of the use of multimedia presentation strategy in teaching speaking. table 7. the result of students’ perception no. questions interesting (a and b) not interesting (c and d) frequency percentage frequency percentage 1. item 1 14 students 100% 0 student 0% 2. item 2 14 students 100% 0 student 0% 3. item 3 12 students 85.72% 2 students 14.28% 4. item 4 12 students 85.72% 2 students 14.28% 5. item 5 14 students 100% 0 student 0% average 94.29% 5.71% based on table 7, it was found that the students gave positive responses towards the implementation of multimedia presentation strategy in teaching english, especially teaching speaking. conclusion on the basis of the findings of the action research conducted in two cycles, it can be concluded that multimedia presentation strategy can improve the students’ speaking skills in terms of their skill in pronouncing english words and can increase the students’ involvement during the teaching-learning process as well as students’ interest. based on the results of the data analysis, it was shown that the multimedia presentation strategy was successful to improve students’ speaking skills. besides, multimedia presentation strategy also gives positive impact on the students’ involvement in the instructional process in which multimedia presentation implemented. the implementation of multimedia presentation strategy in speaking class can increase the students’ involvement in the teaching-learning process. it is proven from the result of the research which shows that the percentage of the students’ involvement during the implementation multimedia presentation strategy increases after the implementation of multimedia presentation strategy. references burns, a. & joice, h. (1993). focus on speaking (2nd edition). sydney: macquarie university. kemmis, s., & mctaggart, r. (1988). the action research planner. gee long: deakin university press. male, m. (2003). technology for inclusion. usa: pearson education group. nunan, d. (1989). designing tasks for the communicative classroom. cambridge: cambridge university press. parveen, b. w. (2016). use of technology in improving speaking skills. journal of english language and literature (joell), 3(2). pusat kurikulum (puskur). (2006). standar isi bahasa inggris (content standard for english). jakarta. richards, j. c., & renandya w. a. (eds). (2002). methodology in language teaching: an anthology of current practice. cambridge: cambridge university press. spratt, m., pulverness, a., & williams, m. (2005). the tkt (teaching knowledge test) course. cambridge: cambridge university press. ur, p. (1996). a course in language teaching: practice and theory. cambridge: cambridge university press. wang, h., & gearhart, d. l. (2006). designing and developing web-based instruction. new jersey: pearson education inc. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 255 applying digital storytelling to improve indonesian high school students’ visual memory and writing skill imam sudarmaji department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education universitas islam syekh-yusuf, indonesia e-mail: isudarmaji@unis.ac.id agus mulyana department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education universitas islam syekh-yusuf, indonesia e-mail: amulyana@unis.ac.id karsiyah department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education universitas islam syekh-yusuf, indonesia e-mail: karsiyahvl@gmail.com apa citation: imam, s., mulyana, a., & karsiyah (2020). applying digital storytelling to improve indonesian high school students’ visual memory and writing skill. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 255-264. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2987. received: 12-02-2020 accepted: 02-04-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: this study investigated the use of digital storytelling in improving students’ visual memory and writing skill of tenth grade students in one of senior high school in tangerang, indonesia. a total of 72 students are taken as the sample in the current study. the randomized pretest posttest control group design was used in the study. using quasi experimental research-non-equivalent control group design, the students in the experimental groups completed the process through digital storytelling. the students’ test and questionnaires were used to collect the data. in order to test whether there was an improvement within groups and to see if there were differences between groups, the hypotheses were tested using the t-test and obtaining gain scores. the result showed that the visual memory and writing skill of students undergoing digital storytelling technique and of those undergoing conventional teaching but no significant differences were found between the two conditions. they had same proficiency, focused and same concentration during the learning process, and the students had many opinions in experimental class. based on the percentages, students’ post-test showed that students’ visual memory was more dominant than students’ writing skill after applying digital storytelling. moreover, this research also found that students’ learning motivation was very good and created a good of class atmosphere in experimental class during the learning process by using digital storytelling. keywords: digital storytelling; visual memory; writing skill. introduction in the acquisition and fluency of language skills may be directly involved visual memory. magnussen (2009), said that memory is retain stimulus information in memory which is assessed in term precision. visual memory is one of the ability to remember or recall such as images, scenes, words, and other information which presented visually. visual memory is important to develop, because according to phillips & christie (2013), visual memory has a role in a wide variety of everyday tasks. it has also been considered fundamental on every type of academic learning. the students should be able to visualize the stimulus in their mind. visual memory is a complex process for students. current theory of visual working memory involving capacity and resolution as the two important aspects of visual working memory storage (yao, chen, and qian 2018). the memory storage system of working memory includes subsystems. they maintain verbal, spatial, and visual information. the feel is so hard to remember with what they have seen, so the students should learn and understand the ability to store and recall mental images in the memory efficiently to help their learning a foreign language (michel et al. 2019). this memory will store in short-term memory, as many as students should remember with the duration is briefly to mailto:isudarmaji@unis.ac.id mailto:amulyana@unis.ac.id mailto:karsiyahvl@gmail.com imam sudarmaji, agus mulyana, & karsiyah applying digital storytelling to improve indonesian high school students’ visual memory and writing skill 256 see. according to baddeley et al., (2015) that short-term memory is able to store limited quantities of information for limited periods of time. so if the students’ did not pay attention, they will feel difficult in placing visual which means that they need stimuli for be able to visualize. the students may have difficulty during several operations such as remembering general view of words in reading and writing, also sequencing the letters if such skills have not improved. while, writing is one of the four skills in english. the students felt that writing is as more complicated than the other skills and became challenging area of language learning (jabali 2018). javed et al., (2013) said that even native speakers of english can feel difficulty in demonstrating a good of writing. the students often feel confused when they are using the rules of writing such as grammatical and they also lack of vocabulary. according to ma’azi & janfeshan (2018) and nik et al., (2010) said that writing has an important role which is assumed as the most complex process. sylvester & greenidge (2009) stated that writing has difficulty to start and it is a very complex process to write, although after the teacher assists the students for prewriting activities such as brainstorming to generate the ideas or supports an upcoming writing assignment. learning to write is a difficult and complex process because it concerned with the knowledge about the structure of language rusinovci (2015). students also need to know how to express their idea, feeling, opinion, critical thinking in written text (fadhly 2014). the students still do not understand how to write in english and they don’t know their mistakes on their writing. the technique or strategies to teach writing may not be interesting for the students. klimova (2014) claimed that if the teacher uses appropriate technique/strategies to teach the students, it can be more interesting and considers students’ personality. writing instruction in language teaching and learning can improve students’ writing skill (coker et al. 2018). teacher should pay attention to the students’ writing strategies and the types of writing instructions (bai 2018; palermo and thomson 2018) the current advancement in the information and communication technology (ict) or digital era has provided the learners with various tools with the form of computer-based or internetbased resources. many teachers now use digital tools in addition to other instruction methods and not as a substitute learning (hillmayr et al. 2020). digital learning can help students take charge of their own learning and make them fun (schmoelz 2018; zwart et al. 2020). the use of digital technology can amplify this experience and provide a concrete support in the development of language and communication skills (rubegni and landoni 2018; thang et al. 2014). one of the technique in language teaching is digital storytelling (dst). dst technique helps students develop their better language skills and this technique can be considered as an essential tool in foreign language learning and teaching (razmi, pourali, and nozad 2014). dst which combines the characteristic of storytelling with different interactive media tools can benefit language learning in a variety of ways. it was found to encourage and motivate students and at the same time enhance their communication skills (ciğerci and gultekin 2017; thang et al. 2014). dst helps students to find, apply, learn, and share each other various amount of vocabulary and moreover helps them to think critically due to the limitation of script writing and presented digitally (tajeri, syal, and marzban 2017). teachers can provide students a sharing experience to enhance learning through seeing, hearing, and feeling (beck and sitzman 2019). dst is also a good technique that suitable for the students to teach visual memory and writing, also can help the students to improve their visual memory capacity and writing skill (sarica and usluel 2016). some researchers said that digital storytelling gives positive effect for the students. according to gallets (2005) that through storytelling, students can be more thinking and imaginative skill. also their mental process played more active role. story will influence memory, and the storytelling can facilitate students’ cognitive changes (schank and abelson 1995). besides visual memory, digital storytelling can be used as an effective learning tool to improve students’ writing skill (xu et al., 2011; campbell, 2012; yang & wu, 2012; sarica & usluel, 2016; yamaç & ulusoy, 2016; tarigan & liana, 2018). abdel-hack & helwa (2014) also said that through digital storytelling, narrative writing and critical thinking skills were developed. in the latest decade, many researcher conducted the research to investigate the use of digital story telling in language learning. first, eman mohamed & hasnaa sabry, (2014) had a research which investigated the effectiveness of using digital storytelling and weblogs instruction english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 257 in enhancing efl narrative writing and critical thinking skills among efl majors at faculty of education. the result showed that using digital storytelling and weblogs instruction is effective in enhancing the efl narrative writing and critical thinking skills among efl majors at faculty of education. second, sarica & usluel, (2016) investigated the effect of digital storytelling on the visual memory capacity and writing skills of students in primary school. then, tarigan & liana, (2018) conducted the research to examine the effectiveness of using digital story telling in teaching writing skill of students in higher education or university. the result showed that the students’ writing skill are improved after implementing digital story telling as the teaching media. the study showed that digital story telling is effective to enhance students’ writing skill. the previous research focus on the subject in primary school and university. the current study intend to confirm the use of digital storytelling as a language teaching technique in foreign language class in senior secondary school. the focus of the study is to know whether there is any significant effect of digital storytelling on the students’ visual memory and writing skill, to know which one is more dominant between students’ visual memory and writing skill, and to know how the students’ learning motivation and class atmosphere through applying digital storytelling. method this study used experimental method. the design of this study was a quasi-experimental research non-equivalent control group design. the researcher chose this design, because according to fraenkel et al., (2012) there were two different classes’ treatment, namely experimental class and control class, and do not include the use of random assignment. this study was conducted by the researcher who taught in two different classes, namely experimental class and control class. where experimental class was the class that applied by using digital storytelling, and control class that applied by using conventional teaching (gallery walk). table 1. research design class test treatments test ec pre-test o1a x1 post-test o1b cc pre-test o2a x2 post-test o2b source: processed primary data (2019) information: ec = experiment class cc = control class o1a = pre-test at experiment class o2a = pre-test at control class x1 = dst technique application x2 = conventional technique application o1b = learning outcomes of experiment class after treatment o2b = learning outcomes of control the population of this study was all of students in tenth grade in one senior high school in tangerang in academic year 2019/2020. while, the sample was students in mipa (science class) 1 as the experimental group and mipa (science) class 2 as the control group. the researcher chose the sample based on the previous information, their proficiency, and their relevancy with the study purpose. the data of this study was quantitative data. the quantitative data were obtained by the scores of students’ task from pre-test and post-test. writing test instrument and questionnaire are used to collect the data. after the students’ visual memory and writing scores had been collected, the researcher analyzed the data using one paired t-test to see the comparison between pre-test and post-test mean scores and to see the effect of using digital storytelling on students’ visual memory and writing skill. it also enabled the researcher to know the dominant between visual memory and writing skill after applying digital storytelling. while, questionnaire were used to know the added value that wanted to be known in the achievement of students’ learning outcomes was the students’ learning motivation and class atmosphere. results and discussion the classroom observation data showed that the result of experimental class and control class. in experimental class, the researcher started by giving materials about narrative text and how to write narrative text by using digital, it such as by power point. then, show the videos of the stories including with the sound system. after students watched, some pictures of the stories showed to them. they have to remember and understand of the story and can re-write the story of narrative text that they remembered. while, in control class the researcher gave the material about narrative text and how to write it by using conventional teaching (gallery walk). they have to remember imam sudarmaji, agus mulyana, & karsiyah applying digital storytelling to improve indonesian high school students’ visual memory and writing skill 258 and understand on it. the researcher rewrite the sample of story by written on the whiteboard. then, asked the students to rewrite the story of narrative text that they remembered. this research also measured the level of motivation of students after learning by using digital storytelling technique. questionnaire of learning motivation that has been given to the students in experimental class during the learning process. besides measuring of the learning motivation, researcher also measured the level of the class atmosphere. the score of class atmosphere was obtained from questionnaire that has been given to the students in experimental class during the learning process by using digital storytelling technique. students’ score of visual memory the students’ score in experimental class and control class are increased. as the minimum mastery criterion (kkm) at the tenth grade is 67. based on the result that there was no students not pass on visual memory in experimental class that taught by using digital storytelling technique. 100% students can pass kkm values means the students got the score than 67 as kkm values. while, based on the visual memory test that was given in control class the researcher got the total score was 11% students could not pass kkm values and 89% students could pass kkm values. it means, almost all of students in control class have score more than 67. even though there are several students got the score gain with kkm values. students’ score of writing skill the students’ score in experimental class and control class are increased, but many students have a score below the minimum criteria (kkm). in experimental class 42% students could not achieve kkm values and 58% students could achieve kkm values. while, in control class 56% students could not achieve kkm values and 44% students could achieve kkm values. it can be seen from graphic below: figure 1. students’ post-test in experiment and control class students’ learning motivation in experimental class in this research, the students’ learning motivation which measured by criteria that is consists of 1% 20% = bad, 21% 40% = not good, 41% 60% = sufficient, 61% 80% = good, 81% 100% = very good. this research analyzed by obtaining the total score of learning motivation, and got the total was 2321. so, based on the criteria of percentages that can be categorized that the students’ learning motivation was very good during the learning process by using digital storytelling with percentages 81%. class atmosphere in experimental class the questionnaire of class atmosphere has six statements which is given by the researcher to know the students’ perception and participation about class atmosphere during the learning process. the result of every statements can be explained as follows: class atmosphere the criteria of class atmosphere can be categorized by successive interval became 3 points with the higher score was 4,204 means the students answered good, 2,621 means the students answered sufficient, and the lower was 1,000 means the students answered bad. this research got the students’ answer as the following table: table 2. atmosphere class in experimental class categories total of students percentages answer 1 – 1,40 4 11% bad 1,42 – 2,81 26 72% sufficient 2,82 – 4,22 6 17% good source: students’ questionnaire data 0 % 10 % % 20 30 % 40 % 50 % % 60 ec cc higher than kkm lower than kkm 42 % 58 % % 44 56 % english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 259 based on the table above, it can be explained that the students who answer bad was 4 students with the percentages 11%, 26 students who answer sufficient with the percentages 72%, and the last, the students who answer good was 6 students with the percentages 17%. it can be concluded that the students are more dominant answer sufficient. so, the researcher find out during the learning process by digital storytelling was sufficient. the students do not understand during the learning process figure 2. students’ participation of class atmosphere the students who do not understand the material during the learning process would: 1) raise their hand and asked for more explanation was 53% can be categorized as the students active, 2) went to teacher after class to ask for more explanation was 25% can be categorized as the students initiative, and 3) did nothing was 22% can be categorized as the students silent. time passed most quickly during the learning process during the learning process, time passed most quickly for students. the answer from the statement contained of 3 answers were: 1) the teacher was teaching him/herself was 25%, 2) students solved the problem by themselves was 56%, and 3) the students did the exercise individually was 25%. students disagree with the teacher or they have a comment the answer from the statement contained 3 answers were: 1) students said that immediately was 61% can be categorized as an active students, 2) students waited until after class and told it to the teacher was 25% can be categorized an initiative students, and 3) students remained silent was 14%. the following graphic explained about the students disagree when they have an argument during the learning process: figure 3. students disagree in learningprocess the teacher who teach with the conventional learning the answers from the statement contained 3 answers were: 1) students can easily follow without having friend disturbing them was 44%, 2) students talked to fellow students about how they experienced the course after class was 42%, 3) there was at least no turmoil as we don’t have to work together was 14%. the process during learning in class the criteria of the process during learning in class categorized by successive interval became 3 points with the higher score was 3,530 means the students answered lot, 2,214 means the students answered sufficient, and the lower score was 1,000 means the students answered nothing. the process during learning in class got the students’ answer as the following table: table 3. the process during learning in class categorizes total of students percentage s answer 1 – 1,18 5 14% nothing 1,19 – 2,37 16 44% sufficient 2,38 – 3,56 15 42% lot source: students’ questionnaire data from the table above explained that the students who answered nothing was 14%, the students who answered sufficient was 44%, and the students who answered lot was 42%. based on analyzed from sixth statements above that has been explained one by one can be 0 % 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60 % total score 53 % 25 % 22 % active initiative silent 61% 25% 14% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% total score active initiative silent imam sudarmaji, agus mulyana, & karsiyah applying digital storytelling to improve indonesian high school students’ visual memory and writing skill 260 concluded overall by obtaining the total score with the criteria of class atmosphere were 1% 33% = bad, 34% 67% = sufficient, and 68% 100% = good. this research got the total score from the questionnaire data was 439,744 that can be categorized was 68% which means the class atmosphere using digital storytelling was good with the students were active during learning process such as students ask to the teacher for more explanation, also when they have an argument and disagree about the material with at least of students remained silent. after knowing that the data was normal and homogeneous because the significance was more than 0,05, for the further testing the researcher testing hypotheses test (t-test). table 4. independent sample test assumption levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper equal variances assumed .605 .439 -1.425 70 .159 -6.389 4.484 -15.331 2.554 equal variances not assumed -1.425 68.439 .159 -6.389 4.484 -15.335 2.557 source: statistical result spss 25 in this research, the researcher used statistical calculating of t-test formula to find out the effect of using digital storytelling in teaching narrative text on the students’ visual memory. the researcher analyzed the result 72 of the differences score experimental class and control class. the alternative hypotheses (ha) stated that there is no significant differences between experimental class that using digital storytelling and control class that using gallery walk. in this data analyzed, the researcher used t-test and the result of them consulted with the t-table. based on the table above, it is know > (-1,425 > -1,994) with sig = 0, 159 > 0,05, it can be concluded that ho is accepted and ha is rejected, it means there is no significant differences of visual memory between experimental class and control class at the tenth grade of high school in tangerang. table 5. independent sample test assumption levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper equal variances assumed .431 .513 -1.639 70 .106 -4.556 2.779 -10.099 .988 equal variances not assumed -1.639 69.291 .106 -4.556 2.779 -10.100 .989 source: statistical result spss 25 in this research, the researcher used statistical calculating of t-test formula to find out the effect of using digital storytelling in teaching narrative text on the students’ writing skill. the researcher analyzed the result 72 of the differences score experimental class and control class. the alternative hypotheses (ha) stated that there is no significant differences between experimental class that using digital storytelling and control class that using gallery walk. in this data analyzed, the researcher used t-test and the result of them consulted with t-table. based on the table above, it is known (-1,639 > -1,994) with sig = 0, 106 > 0,05, it can be concluded that ho is accepted and ha is rejected, it means there is no significant differences of writing skill between > english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 261 experimental class and control class at the tenth grade of high school in tangerang. so, digital storytelling that applied by the researcher has no difference to improve the students’ writing skill at the tenth of high school in tangerang. from the students’ analysis of visual memory and writing skill taught by using digital storytelling in experimental class and by using gallery walk in control class, the researcher has found the result of students’ visual memory and writing skill. the researcher have just given the pre-test, treatment, and post-test in order to know the students’ visual memory and writing skill. the result of teaching visual memory and writing skill taught by the researcher using digital storytelling technique was good, because the students’ scores are increased between pre-test and post-test score. so, their visual memory and writing skill had improved. the score of post-test was higher than pre-test. in visual memory 100% students can pass kkm values and in writing skill 58% students can pass kkm values. based on the percentages, students’ post-test of visual memory is more dominant than writing skill after applying digital storytelling technique. the testing of research hypotheses indicated that ho is accepted and ha is rejected, it means there is no significant difference of using digital storytelling on the students’ visual memory and writing skill. this research is related with the previous research such as from sarica & usluel (2016) about visual memory that is no statistical difference was found that the students less interaction with visuals in experimental class than control class. but, this research did not correspond to sarica & usluel (2016) for writing skill that can be said the significant result to improve writing skill of students in experimental and control class. also from yamaç & ulusoy (2016) stated that through digital storytelling could successfully result in improvement students’ writing skill. tarigan & liana (2018) said that the students’ writing skill after using digital storytelling technique was significantly higher than before their used. although fundamentally that visual memory need to take a long time to develop, because the development of memory capacity begins in infancy and continues through early adulthood (terry, 2009). while, also for writing is assumed the most difficult to be learnt by the students. as brown (2007) stated that there are many aspects that can be assessed when the teachers measure the students’ writing skill such as content, organization, grammar, vocabulary, mechanic and the score of writing test was taken based on proficiency categories. in this research, there is no different between experimental and control class. although there is no activities related to the digital storytelling were conducted in control class, because the condition of the students were same and had same proficiency. they focused and had concentration when researcher/teacher taught the students either by digital storytelling or gallery walk, but the students have many opinions in experimental class. so that the learning outcomes obtained almost same or have no different. based on this matter, the researcher conducted by giving questionnaire to get the students’ learning motivation and atmosphere class during the learning process in experimental class by using digital storytelling technique. the result showed that the application of this technique had proven to have a very good effect in increasing learning motivation. in addition, this technique also could create a good and conducive classroom atmosphere, students active to ask and students able to solve problem. witte & rogge (2014) stated that if the students are active during the learning process, so the technique has positive effect and it can believe the students’ learning motivation and class atmosphere were better. conclusion the students’ score of visual memory in experimental class are increased after applying digital storytelling. the students’ score of posttest was higher that pre-test, it was 100% students can pass kkm (minimum mastery criterion) values. while, the students’ score of writing skill in experimental class also increased after applying digital storytelling. the score of posttest was higher than pre-test, it was 58% students can pass kkm values. so, the level of achievement of the kkm values from these had improved. based on the percentages of students’ posttest score that visual memory was more dominant than writing skill after applying digital storytelling at the tenth grade students of higher school in tangerang in academic year 2019/2020. the result of statistic which obtained by analyzing data through t-test of statistic calculation, it indicated that ho is accepted and ha is rejected which means that there is no significant difference of using digital storytelling on the students’ visual memory and writing skill at the tenth grade of higher school in tangerang. imam sudarmaji, agus mulyana, & karsiyah applying digital storytelling to improve indonesian high school students’ visual memory and writing skill 262 some factors influenced no statistical difference between experimental class and control class due to the condition of students were same proficiency, and from both of classes that the students focused and had concentration when the teacher giving the materials either by digital storytelling or gallery walk, also the students in experimental have many opinions during the learning process. so, that the learning outcomes were same or no have different. although there is no statistical different, digital storytelling can contribute in experimental class. it can be proved from the students’ questionnaire showed that the students’ learning motivation was very good and created a good class atmosphere. almost all of students are interested with the technique of teaching and they are active during the learning process by using digital storytelling. references abdel-hack, e. m., & helwa, h. s. a. a. (2014). using digital storytelling and weblogs instruction to enhance efl narrative writing and critical thinking skills among efl majors at faculty of education. international research journal 5(1):8–41. baddeley, a. eysenck, m. w., & anderson, m. c. (2015). memory (2nd ed.) london: psychology press. bai, b. (2018). understanding primary school students’ use of self-regulated writing strategies through think-aloud protocols. system, 78, 1526. beck, m. s., & sitzman. k (2019). compelling reasons for using digital stories to teach: a descriptive qualitative study. teaching and learning in nursing, 14(4), 265–269. campbell, t. a. (2012). digital storytelling in an elementary classroom: going beyond entertainment. procedia social and behavioral sciences 69 (iceepsy), 385–393. ciğerci, f. m., & gultekin. (2017). use of digital stories to develop listening comprehension skills. issues in educational research, 27(2), 252–268. coker, d. l., austin, s. j., elizabeth, f. r., & macarthur, c. a. (2018). when the type of practice matters: the relationship between typical writing instruction, student practice, and writing achievement in first grade. contemporary educational psychology 54(june), 235–46. eman, m., abdel-hack, & abdel-hamid a. h. h. s. (2014). using digital storytelling and weblogs instruction to enhance efl narrative writing and critical thinking skills among efl majors at faculty of education. international research journal, 5(1), 8–41. fadhly, f. z.. & nurendah. (2014). applying scientific approach to enhance indonesian efl learners’ descriptive writing. english review: journal of english education, 1(2), 114–124. fraenkel, j. r., wallen, n. e., & helen, h. (2012). how to design and evaluate research in education (8th ed.). new york: mcgraw-hill. gallets, m. p. (2005). storytelling and story reading: a comparison of effects on children’s memory and story comprehension. proquest dissertations and theses. tennesse: east tennessee state university. hillmayr, d., ziernwald, l., reinhold, f., sarah i. h., & reiss, k. m. (2020). the potential of digital tools to enhance mathematics and science learning in secondary schools: a context-specific meta-analysis. computers and education 153(2), 103897. jabali, o. (2018). students’ attitudes towards efl university writing: a case study at an-najah national university, palestine. heliyon, 4(11). javed, m., wu, x. j., & nazli, s. (2013). a study of students’ sssessment in writing skills of the english language. international journal of instruction, 6(2). klimova, b. f. (2014). constraints and difficulties in the process of writing acquisition. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 122, 433–437. ma’azi, h., & janfeshan. k. (2018). the effect of edmodo social learning network on iranian efl learners writing skill. cogent education, 5(1), 1– 17. magnussen, s. (2009). implicit visual working memory. scandinavian journal of psychology 50(6). michel, m., kormos, j., brunfaut, t., & ratajczak, m.. (2019). the role of working memory in young second language learners’ written performances. journal of second language writing 45(march), 31–45. nik, y. a., hamzah, a., & hasbollah, h. (2010). why writing in esl is difficult for undergraduates in a public university in malaysia. journal of language teaching and research, 1,1–7. palermo, c., & thomson, m. m. (2018). teacher implementation of self-regulated strategy development with an automated writing evaluation system: effects on the argumentative writing performance of middle school students. contemporary educational psychology 54(2), 255–70. phillips, w. a., & christie, d. f. m. (2013). components of visual memory. quarterly journal of experimental psychology, 29(1), 117–33. razmi, m., pourali, s., nozad, s. (2014). digital storytelling in efl classroom (oral presentation of the story): a pathway to improve oral production. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 98(2011), 1541–44. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 263 rubegni, e., & landoni, m. (2018). how to design a digital storytelling authoring tool for developing pre-reading and pre-writing skills. proceedings of the 2018 chi conference. rusinovci, x. (2015). teaching writing through process-genre based approach.) us-china education review, 5(10), 699–705. sarica, h. c., & usluel, y. k. (2016). the effect of digital storytelling on visual memory and writing skills. computers and education, 94, 298–309. schank, r. c., & abelson, r p. (1995). knowledge and memory: the real stroy. lawrence erlbaum associates. schmoelz, a. (2018). enabling co-creativity through digital storyelling in education. thinking skills and creativity, 28, 1–13. sylvester, r., & greenidge, w. (2009). digital storytelling: extending the potential for struggling writers. the reading teacher, 63(4), 284–295. tajeri, m., syal, p., & marzban, s. (2017). enhancing vocabulary and writing skills through imanager. journal of educational technology, 14(3), 40–48. tarigan, k. e., & liana. (2018). improving students’ writing descriptive text through digital storytelling technique. budapest international research and critics institute (birci-journal) : humanities and social sciences, 1(3), 345–351. thang, s. m., lee, y. s., mahmud, n., lin, l. k., zabidi, n. a., & ismail, k. (2014). enhancing 21st century learning skills via digital storytelling: voices of malaysian teachers and undergraduates. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 118, 489–494. xu, y., park, h., & baek, y. (2011). a new approach toward digital storytelling: an activity focused on writing self-efficacy in a virtual learning environment. educational technology and society, 14(4), 181–91. yamaç, a., & ulusoy, m. (2016). the effect of digital storytelling in improving the third graders’ writing skills. international electronic of elementary education, 9(september), 59–86. yang, y. c., & wan-chi, i. w. (2012). digital storytelling for enhancing student academic achievement, critical thinking, and learning motivation: a year-long experimental study. computers & education, 59(2), 339–352. yao, n., chen, s., & qian, m. (2018). trait anxiety is associated with a decreased visual working memory capacity for faces. psychiatry research, 270, 474–482. zwart, d. p., noroozi, o., luit, j e. h. v., goei, s. l., & nieuwenhuis, a. (2020). effects of digital learning materials on nursing students’ mathematics learning, self-efficacy, and task value in vocational education. nurse education in practice, 44, 102755. imam sudarmaji, agus mulyana, & karsiyah applying digital storytelling to improve indonesian high school students’ visual memory and writing skill 264 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 219 project-based learning in teaching writing: the implementation and students’ opinion ningtyas orilina argawati english education department, faculty of language education, ikip siliwangi, indonesia e-mail: tyas.orilina@yahoo.com lilis suryani english education department, faculty of language education, ikip siliwangi, indonesia e-mail: suryani.lies3@gmail.com apa citation: argawati, n. o., & suryani, l. (2020). project-based learning in teaching writing: the implementation and students’ opinion. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 219-226. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2120. received: 03-01-2020 accepted: 15-03-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: writing becomes the most challenging skill for the students as it needs more time to develop and tend to raise problem to students. therefore, project based learning is offered to solve the problems in writing. some experts believe that project based learning (pbl) can provoke the students to get new knowledge through their own project. this research reports on the implementation of project based learning in teaching writing. the objectives of the research are to know the implementation of project based learning in elevating the students’ ability on writing and to know the students’ opinion of the implementation of project based learning in teaching writing. qualitative was used as a research method and classroom action research as a research design. the participants of the research were fourth semester students in one university in cimahi, west java. the collected data were obtained through observation, writing test and interview. then, data were analysed based on triangulation. as result, it was found that the implementation of project based learning in teaching writing worked well. it could be seen from the students’ responses during the implementation of this method as they gave positive opinion toward the method used; they actively involved in learning process. pbl was proved on helping the students wrote well. besides, the project given engaged the students in solving a real problem and answering it. in other word, this project could develop the students’ critical thinking and it could be a meaningful project for them. keywords: project-based learning; writing; classroom action research. introduction writing is one of productive skills that should be mastered by the students. as stated by hyland (1996), writing is a way of sharing personal meaning and writing course emphasize the power of individual to construct his or her own views on a topic. it can be inferred that a person delivers his/her own ideas through his/her own writing and everyone can have different perspective about something that they think. through writing, students can express feeling, describe something, discuss an idea, present a point of view, and share experience they have in the form of written product (argawati & suryani, 2017). besides, writing is a means of extending and deepening student’s knowledge; it acts as a tool for learning subject matter (graham & perrin, 2007). moreover, nunan (2003, p. 88) believes that writing is the physical act of committing words or ideas to some medium, whether it is hieroglyphics inked onto parchment or an e-mail message typed into a computer. on the other hand, writing is the mental work of inventing ideas, thinking about how to express them, and organizing them into statements and paragraphs that will be clear to a reader. concerning to study in higher education, students are necessary to attain academic writing ability since it influences their academic achievement (oktarina, emzir, & rafli, 2018). students in university level should master the way to write well. it has to be done to fullfill the purpose of learning writing for them as students. bailey (2015) wrote that the purposes of writing, as follow: 1) to report what the writer has done, 2) to answer writer’s questions, 3) to discuss one specific topic and provide writer’s opinions, 4) to synthesize research conducted by someone about one topic. nevertheless, writing is not an easy skill to do, especially for efl students. although they learn english since elementary school but writing is still the biggest problem for the students. this problem is faced by university students too. they ningtyas orilina argawati & lilis suryani project-based learning in teaching writing: the implementation and students’ opinion 220 are in trouble to start writing and to express ideas through writing. this is in line with kim and kim (2005) as cited in agustiana (2017) who say writing is considered to be difficult and challenging for most students. it is supported by heaton (1998) who states writing skill is complex and sometimes difficult to teach, requiring mastery not only grammatical and rhetorical devices but also of conceptual and judgmental elements. therefore, this indicates that writing is hard because there are several components or aspects to consider in writing, and it can cause that the students are afraid to write because they do not want to do mistakes. the components or aspects of writing that need to be considered by the teachers based on jacobson (2003) are covering: 1) content – refers to the substance of writing, the experience of main idea. i.e., group of related statements that a writer presents as unit in developing a subject. content of the paragraph do the work of conveying ideas rather that fulfilling special function of transition, restatement, and emphasis. 2) organization – refers to the logical organization of content. it is scarcely more than attempt to piece together all collection of fact and jumbled ideas. even in early drafts it may still be searching for order, trying to make out patterns in its materials and working to bring particulars of its subject in line with what is still only a half-formed notion of purpose. 3) vocabulary – refers to the selection of words those are suitable with the content. it begins with the assumption that writer wants to express the ideas as clearly and directly as he/she can. choosing words that express his/her meaning is precisely rather than skews it or blurs it. 4) language use – refers to the use of correct grammatical form and synthetic pattern of separating, combining, and grouping ideas in words, phrases, clauses, and sentences to bring out logical relationship in paragraph writing. 5) mechanic – refers to the use graphic convention of the language, i.e., the step of arranging letters, words, and paragraphs by using knowledge of structure and some others related to one another. writing needs process and it will take time for the students to write well. according to harmer (2007), writing is different from speaking; the final product of writing is not nearly instant. it means that process is needed for the students; they have to think the ideas, select vocabulary, write, edit, and then publish it. besides, the teachers have important role to help the students to develop their writing. so, the teachers are expected to implement suitable method or strategy in teaching writing. dealing with the problem, teachers need to continue seek for some methods or approach to implement in teaching writing. process approach seems appropriate to be used to this case. one of the methods belongs to process approach is project-based learning (pbl). pbl is a method that allows “students to design, plan, and carry out an extended project that produces a publicly exhibited output such as a product, publication, or presentation” (patton, 2012; as cited in riswandi , 2018). it is in line with task-based instruction which gives the opportunities for students to feel free doing their task in their ways. the most different thing is dealing with the term “project”. this project is be able to engage students on doing things done based on their own plan, idea, and creativity. in this research, the researchers asked the students to do such a project; it was mini magazine project. they chose their own topic, group, and design. this research aims on describing the implementation of project based learning in elevating the students’ ability on writing and on describing the students’ opinion of the implementation of project based learning in teaching writing. method method of research used on this study was qualitative with classroom action research. there were two objectives of the research, they were, it described the implementation of teaching writing using project-based learning (pbl) to improve the ability of the students on writing. beside, it also revealed the students’ opinion toward the implementation of the method of teaching used. classroom action research is defined as a research that is used to improve better learning (kemmis & mctaggart, 2005) and teachers as researchers in the classroom (mertler, 2009). in other word, teachers know the problems in the classroom and find out the solution to solve the problems. in this research, writing became the problem of the students and lecturer offered project based learning as the solution of the problem that were faced by students. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 221 the classroom action research has four steps to be implemented in the research; they are covering planning, action, observation, and reflection. those four steps are bond together in a cycle which can be repeated based on the researchers’ need. in every cycle, there must be pre-test and post-test to measure the improvement of the students’ ability on writing. on this study, the researchers conducted two cycles to collect the data. the study was already done on the even semester of 2017-2018, during february to april 2018. the participants of this study were the fourth semester students of a university in cimahi. it consisted of 30 students in one classroom. the instruments used were test, observasion and interview. tests were in the form of essay test related to the instruction for the students to build a descriptive text, and given to the students as a pre-test and a post-test. while the observation and interview were done during the action conducted in the classroom. the observation done towards all of the students in the classroom, while the interview was only done toward students to dig in depth information related to their responses on the instruction conducted. the data were then analysed through triangulation. it was used to find out the similarities and differences the data. the result of data would be discussed in the following section of this research. results and discussion the result of the research is divided into two parts; the first is the implementation of project based learning to improve students’ writing ability and the second is the students’ opinions toward project based learning in learning writing. implementation of pbl to improve students’ writing ability the first point of finding reflected the result of students’ learning writing using problem-based learning. the research was conducted using classroom action research which consisted of two cycles. before doing the cycle 1, the researchers began with pre-cycle. in this step, the researchers did the pre-test for the students to know their ability before the pbl was implemented. here is the detail information of the result of implementing car to the students: pre cycle the researchers conducted the research within three months from february – april 2018. every cycle consists of four steps; they are planning, action, observation, and reflection. in the first meeting, the researchers did pretest by asking the students to write two paragraphs regarding to the topic that the students chose. the topic given were related to descriptive text. they were getting the opportunity to choose the topics by themselves to make them felt free to write, so that it could reflect their genuine ability of writing. the result was then used as the beginning score before implementing project based learning as the score of pre-test 1. the mean score of pre-test in this pre cycle was 65 and it was considering as a ‘not good enough’ score regarded to the minimum standart of score. therefore, project based learning was offered to be implemented to solve this problem. then, the next step done was cycle 1. cycle 1 after getting the score from pre-test in the pre cycle, the researchers did a planning step. they discussed about lesson plan and the topics that would be implemented in the classroom. cycle 1 was conducted into three meetings and post-test for the fourth meeting. 1) the first meeting in cycle 1 the lecturer wrote down six topics, they were: healthy, business, mind, education, leisure, and technology. every student could choose the topic based on his/her passion. then, they made a group of 5 and 6. in one group, every student was given a chance to choose subtopic about education and every student could not choose same sub topic, they had to have different perspective but the point was the same, education. they could choose the topic based on real problem in society and find out the solution. the lecturer explained about topic sentences and supporting sentences, she also asked the students to analyse one text in pre cycle. 2) the second meeting the students were introduced about the project and at the end of the project; the students had to submit mini magazines. the lecturer explained the steps in doing project based learning. there are four steps in doing project based learning; they are starting the project, developing, reporting, and assessing the project. the lecturer also explained about editing and proofreading. 3) the third meeting the lecturer asked the students to write a text in a group. they could discus with their friends related to the content, vocabulary, etc of the text. then, the students did peer ningtyas orilina argawati & lilis suryani project-based learning in teaching writing: the implementation and students’ opinion 222 correction. peer correction was based on the criteria of proofreading that the students have already got in the previous meeting. 4) the fourth meeting this meeting was used for conducting posttest 1. the post-test done by giving the students instruction to write down a composition in descriptive text. in this section, they could freely choose the topic with their preference by their own. after the students wrote the text, then the researchers analysed the result based on writing component rubric. the result showed that the mean score of post-test 1 on cycle 1 was 70. it means there was an improvement based on pre cycle result of the students. in the reflection step, the students gained good improvement from pre cycle, 65 to cycle 1, 70. most of the students had good responses and they could discuss actively. critical thinking of the students appeared in learning and it was meaningful for them. it can be seen from peer feedback that they did with their friends in their own group. they could share and analyse text. nevertheless, some of the students were confused and they did not have idea to write. some of them could not develop and write down the topic sentences and supporting sentences when they made the composition. grammar errors and punctuation were still found in the students’ writing. in summary, the activities done by the students can be seen in table 1. table 1. activities on cycle 1 meeting activities lecturer students 1  gave topics to students to be chosen  gave examples of topic sentences and supporting sentences  made group of 5-6 persons  chose the topic given  then analyzed the topic and supporting sentences given 2  explained about the pbl used in the teaching and learning activities  gave them a project (wrote a text in a group)  set their plan and idea on the project given 3  asked the students to finish the text.  peer correction  wrote a text and discussed it with his/her friends in a group  submitted the text  peer correction with another group 4  gave a post-test  did the post-test cycle 2 cycle 2 was conducted in march, 2018. reflection in cycle 1 was used to revise planning in cycle 2. the lecturer tried to explain more to the students about topic sentences and supporting sentences. the lecturer showed some examples of grammar error and punctuation, so the students could revise it. the lecturer gave feedback and correction to the students. cycle 2 was divided in four meeting. here are the meeting conducted: 1) in fifth meeting, the lecturer asked the students to do individual exercises based on the sub topic. in this step the lecturer gave them some topics and the students were having the opportunity to practice and develop their skill on building concept and making composition. they wrote text based on their own topic. 2) in sixth meeting this meeting was conducted to do peer correction. peer correction was done to know the students’ error in writing and they could revise it. it was also be done to give oportunity to students to recognize error from their friends’ work. recognizing error could help them to build a better writing and make a good composition. besides, beeing corrected by their own friends rose less intimidation feeling if compared with corrected by the lecturer. through peer correction, students could study better and could fix their error or mistakes if they had any. 3) the seventh meeting the students designed their own layout of mini magazine containing their coposition they had already made in descriptive text by using some digital apllications like canva, lucidpress, or adobe in design. the students were more creative in using some applications that can be used in designing their mini magazine. every student had to collect his/her own text and compiled in a english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 223 group to attach in mini magazine. the final result of the project was in the form of mini magazine. the students revised their composition and their mini magazine again and made final revision before submitting it in the next meeting. 4) the eighth meeting after doing some revision, the students submitted the complete mini magazines as the unity of their result of writing of all the member in team to the lecturer. then, the lecturer assessed the students’ composition as their score of writing subject. in this meeting the lecturer also conducted post-test for cycle 2. the post-test was individual test which was done in the classrom. the students needed to make their own composition regarded to the mini magazine they made before. they only had thirty minutes on making the composition of descriptive text by their own. after doing the post-test, their final score was revealed. the mean score in cycle 2 was 74. it means that quantitatively there was an improvement for the students from pre cycle to cycle 1, and from cycle 1 to cycle 2. grammar errors and punctuation decreased even though there were some mistakes and errors which were still found. however, it was considering having a good improvement since the mistakes and errors were not as many as in the first meeting. it was as the result of several steps implemented regarded to the project-based learning which had been choosen. beside, this project could develop the students’ critical thinking since they had to work both in group and in individual work. it means that they had opportunity to discuss the material with their friends, then they were given opportunity too to improve themselves individually. in addition, the project done could be a meaningful project for them. 5) the ninth meeting in the last meeting, the students were asked some questions related to project based learning. it was done to reveal their responses toward the use of project-based learning in teaching writing descriptive text in their class. interview was conducted to the students. the result showed that most of the students had positive responses to project based learning. it could happen since they felt that the method use could effectively improve their ability which measured through several test; pre-test, post-test 1, and post-test 2. moreover, the project given engaged the students in solving a real problem and answering it. for an easy checking, table 2 serves the summary of the activities in cycle 2. table 2. activities on cycle 2 meeting activities lecturer students 5  asked the students to write individual text.  wrote a text 6  peer correction  the students read and revised their friends’ writing. 7  design layout  gave a post-test for cycle 2  did the project with their group  collect his/her own text and compiled in a group to attach in mini magazine  revised it again and made final revision  did the post-test on cycle 2 8  gave a post test  students did their writing activities 9  conducted an interview to 6 students related to the their opinion toward the use of pbl  students answered some questions delivered by the researchers as a result of the classroom action research which had been applied, the researchers could analyze the mean score of the students from test to test. here is the detail information of the students’ scores as served on figure 1. ningtyas orilina argawati & lilis suryani project-based learning in teaching writing: the implementation and students’ opinion 224 60 65 70 75 pre cycle cycle 1 cycle 2 65 70 74 mean score figure 1. the mean score of cycle 1 and 2 based on figure 1.1 above, it can be seen that there was an improvement from pre-test in pre cycle, which was 65 became 70 on the post-test 1 in cycle 1. then, it was continued to the second post-test in cycle 2 which gained 74. through this finding, it can be inferred that project based learning applied to teach writing descriptive text to the fourth semester students can help the students in improving their ability on writing measured from their three different test above. besides, the students’ error in writing got decrease from pre cycle into the last cycle, in other words, project based learning could help the students to write well. it can be inferred from peer feedback that the students did in each cycle. students’ opinion toward the implementation of problem-based learning in teaching writing the second objective of the research is to describe the students’ opinion towards the implementation on project-based learning in teaching writing descriptive text. the researchers collected the data regarded to the second aim of study through observation and interview, then analyzed the result through data triangulation. the observation was done during the teaching and learning process of writing activities to the whole class. while the interview was conducted to 6 students represented their groups. table 3 serves the detailed presentation of the data gained through triangulation. table 3. triangulation data finding observation interview result 1 they did the discussion with their friends in group willingly. the interaction was increased from meeting to meeting they stated that they had willingness to do discussion with friends in group. they had many things to discuss with their friends. students felt that the project-based learning they did was good to increase their activeness during learning process 2 they searched some vocabularies on dictionary and some meaning of words in the internet they stated that they needed dictionary to look for the meaning of some words and vocabularies students thought that their motivation was improved from time to time by doing the project in group 3 they found their own way to do the project given by the lecturer and created their mini magazine based on their group idea they said that they had already found their own design for their mini magazine, and the way to make it based on their discussion students’ creativity was overwhelmed during their work on their project of mini magazine. they created their own and made it into something they like the most. 4 they seemed to revise their work due to the new finding of something new. they made some corrections on some errors occured during their work. they fixed the grammatical errors and the incorrect punctuation they felt that they knew something new during their work in group. most of them said that in group they found many grammatical errors which could not be found if they did their work individually. many students admitted that they study more. they sharpened their knowledge during constructing their project. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 225 together in their group corrections they made during the making of their project. 5 they laughed more. they smiled more. they interacted more. they build connection through the project worked. they helped each other and seemed so comfortable being in their group making their mini magazine they answered the questions with smile and said that it was fun during the discussion and work. they said that they could work better with their friends and felt that their mini magazine was great. students seems to be happier during the learning process. their project could raise so much fun. on top of that, they did enjoy their class activity. there were five points that the researchers got highlighted to reveal the information related to the second objective. those five points were also be the issue in the observation list when it was conducted. the result showed that there were several things that could be an improvement during the teaching and learning activity covering: activeness, motivation, creativity, knowledge and they way the enjoy the writing activities. writing activity to the students could be so difficult to master. students had many things to deal with in order to improve their ability on writing. this situation raised the willingness of the researchers to use new method in teaching writing especially in descriptive text. projectbased learning is one method which worthtrying. it is a method which based on the project given to students and let them do that with their own creativity and effort (patton, 2012; as cited in riswandi , 2018). pbl was conducted during the even semester to teach writing descriptive text in university level. the lecturer gave them a meaningful project to do. the project was to make a mini magazine based on the topic given by the lecturer. however, the topic given were so many that they could choose whichever topic they wanted. they did the project in group as they work together to design and create the mini magazine by their own. the implementation of this method to teach writing to the fourth semester students of university level seemed to gain many results. first, the use of pbl could literally improve students’ score of writing assignment. it could be seen from their increasing movement of their score of writing. on the pre-cycle, their mean score was only 65, but they showed their improvement on score on the cycle 1, which was 70. it was then continued to their result of cycle 2. they gained 4 more point to 74. in other word, we could say that they statistically improved on the field of knowledge and ability. moreover, the researchers could tell that they had improved their attitude qualitatively during teaching and learning activity. when they were asked to make a composition in descriptive, they showed their less desire since they felt that writing is difficult. however, by implementing project based learning, their attitude started to move to the good one. they could work and discuss the project with their friends in their group duringthe writing session. working in group to complete the project seemed to make them be more active and increase their motivation to write. it is supported by bagheri & abdullah (2013) as cited in eliana, senam, wilujeng, and jumadi (2016) state that pbl could be more effective result by allowing the students to participate actively in the learning process and allowing the students to produce something in collaborating with others. they also felt enjoy on making new composition related to the description on thing they had chosen. second, the researchers revealed the students’ opinion toward the use of pbl on their writing class. it could be seen from the result of observation and interview conducted during the teaching and learning activity. they had and showed good responses during the activites of writing. the data triangulation showed some points of finding. those findings were: students thought that pbl was able to increase their activeness during discussion in writing class, and the motivation as its effect was also elevated. besides, they felt that the application of pbl was able to improve not only their knowledge but also their creativity during writing activity on creating mini magazine. last but not least, they stated that they were so much happier on joining the lesson. it could be proven from their way of learning in the classroom. they laughed more, they smiled more, and they interacted more. so, project based not only help the students learn well but also the good atmosphere of learning. ningtyas orilina argawati & lilis suryani project-based learning in teaching writing: the implementation and students’ opinion 226 conclusion the research was conducted into eight meetings, from february to april, 2018. pre cycle was conducted one meeting, cycle 1 was conducted into three meeting, cycle 2 was conducted into three meetings, and last meeting for interview. the result showed that there was an improvement before and after implementing project based learning. pre cycle mean score was 65, cycle 1 was 70, and cycle 2 was 74. in addition, they had positive opinion toward the method used; they actively involved in learning process and they were motivated well. pbl was proved on helping the students wrote well and raised their creativity. besides, the project given engaged the students in solving a real problem and answering it. moreover, pbl could make them happily join the writingclass. in other word, this project could develop the students’ critical thinking and it could be a meaningful project for them. it was proved that pbl could be use to improve students writing ability and gained positive opinion from the students. references agustiana, v. (2017). four square writing method applied in product and process based approaches combination to teaching writing discussion text. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 89-98. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.774. argawati, n.o., & suryani, l. (2017). teaching writing using think-pair-share viewed from students’ level of risk-taking. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 109-116. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.776. bailey, s. (2015). a handbook for international students. london: routledge. eliana, e. d. s., senam, s., wilujeng, i., & jumadi, j. (2016). the effectiveness of project based elearning to improve ict literacy. jurnal pendidikan ipa indonesia (jpii), 5(1), 51-55. doi: 10.15294/jpii.v5i1.5789. graham, s., & perrin. (2007). writing next: effective strategy to improve writing of adolescent in middle and high school. new york: carnegie corporation of new york. harmer, j. (2007). how to teach english. cambridge: longman. heaton, j. (1998). writing english language test. new york: edinburg gate. hyland, k. (1996). second language writing. cambridge: cambridge university press. jacobson, e., degener, s., & purcell-gates, v. (2003). creating authentic materials and activities for the adult literacy classroom: a handbook for practitioners. retrieved from: mwww.ncsall.net.fileadmin/resources/teach/jaco bson.pdf. kemmis, s., & mctaggart, r. (2005). participatory action research: communicative action and the public sphere. thousand oaks, ca: sage publications ltd. mertler, c. a. (2009). action research: teachers as researchers in the classroom. thousand oaks, ca: sage publications ltd. nunan, d. (2003). practical english language teaching. new york: mc graw hill. oktarina, s., emzir, e., & rafli, z. (2018). students’ and lecturers’ perception on academic writing instruction. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 69-76. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1256. riswandi, d. (2018). the implementation of projectbased learning to improve students’ speaking skill. international journal of language teaching and education, 2(1), 32-40. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 463 formative assessment in english learning of junior high school dian fitriani english education department, faculty of teaching training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: dianfitrianii85@gmail.com bambang a. loeneto english education department, faculty of teaching training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: loenetobambang@gmail.com rita inderawati english education department, faculty of teaching training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: ritarudisaid@yahoo.com apa citation: fitriani, d., loeneto, b. a., &inderawati, r. (2021). formative assessment in english learning of junior high school. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp.463-474. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4982 received:17-02-2021 accepted:09-03-2021 published:15-06-2021 introduction assessment is considered important to improve students‟ performance, as well as to contribute in the better teaching and more efficient learning (flucher & davidson, 2007). in indonesia, assessment is one of the core competences as it is stated in the regulation from minister of education and culture number 16 year 2007. based on the context of the implementation of 2013 curriculum which is now applied in indonesian schools, there are three kinds of assessment; assessment done by educators (teachers), by a unit of education (schools), and by government (stakeholders) (mulyasa, 2018). in mulyasa‟s book (2018), it is also described that the assessment done by teacher is used to measure the students‟ attitude improvement in which based on the national standard of education and on the regulation of education and culture number 23 year 2016, the assessment from teacher is done in line with the things to maintain the process, evaluation process of teaching and learning, the learning improvement, and the result improvement. on the implementation of curriculum 2013, teachers have to be able to conduct the assessment of the process and the result of the students‟ learning achievement involving the affective, cognitive, and psychomotor. gani & mahjaty (2017) added that this curriculum requires abstract:formative assessment (assessment-for-learning) helps teachers to conduct teaching and learning activities that can enhance the students‟ learning achievement. this study was aimed to find out the teachers‟ understanding about formative assessment, the implementation of a formative assessment for english learning including the use of formative assessment to improve the teachers‟ teaching and students‟ learning, and the supporting and/or hindering factors in implementing a formative assessment. qualitative in case study design was used in this study. the data were collected through interview, observations, and documentation to four teachers, the school principal, and some observed students as the participants. the data collected were validated through methodological triangulations and were analyzed qualitatively and reported descriptively. the result discovered that teachers‟ understanding of formative assessment was in “good” category. the implementation of formative assessment in english learning given by the teachers followed the steps of input, process, and output. the teachers gave follow – up actions namely remedial and enrichment for students although the actions were not carried out as properly as what it is supposed to due to some hindering factors in giving the formative assessment. in conclusion, teachers‟ lack of assessment training affects their understanding in implementing formative assessment. therefore, the teachers need to participate in such a seminar and they need to be given opportunities to join assessment training so that they can get input on how to give assessment well, and moreover to make the right assessment instruments. keywords:formative assessment;teachers’ understanding; implementation; english learning; follow-up actions dian fitriani, bambang a. loeneto, &rita inderawati formative assessment in english learning of junior high school 464 teacher to have knowledge of standards for content, teaching-learning processes, and evaluation. moreover, 2013 curriculum as the latest version used in indonesia, requires teachers to have an expertise in assessing the students either in formative (assessment for learning) or summative assessment (assessment of learning) to help students be able to develop themselves and have life-long learning as well. dolin, black, harlen, & tiberghien (2018) explained that formative assessment aims to seek the students‟ achievement and decide the following action, while summative assessment aims to report students‟ level of learning at particular time unfortunately, in recent decades, using a simple assessment and neglecting assessment implementation in the teaching and learning process are still considered done by most teachers in indonesia. saefurrohman (2015) found that there are several reasons why english teachers are lack of assessment implementation or practices. first, it is due to the varied background of the students and obstacles learning faced by the students in the classroom during the learning process. second, the teachers‟ lack of instructional instruments used to teach efl students as well knowledge to conduct such a proper assessment to promote students‟ learning and assess their learning progress is considered a problem. furthermore, the problems are not only faced by the teachers of public and private schools located in remote areas but also it possibly happens in schools located in downtown area. over the years, formative assessment (assessment for learning) is considered important since it contributes in giving impact on the students‟ learning, to make them have a better achievement as well as an improvement. karimi (2014) reported formative assessment as one of the most influential things to the teaching and learning process. this type of assessment is used to assess students‟ understanding, learning needs, and learning progress concerning a particular unit of learning materials. it is in line with the purposes of assessment stated by southeast asian minister of education (seamoe) (2015) which include monitoring process and progress of students‟ learning, and improving process and outcomes of students‟ learning continually. as applied in the curriculum 2013, government mentioned that assessment is as the process to collect and analyze the information in order to measure students‟ learning achievement. in addition, filsecker and kerres (2012) described that the formative assessment components include taking teacher student(s)‟ interactions, communicating about the students the criteria of success, gathering detail information about learning activities, providing learning feedback, and providing instructional corrective adjustments. teachers are required to understand these components of formative assessment so that they can carry out the formative assessment in classroom practices properly. one of the characteristics of the 2013 curriculum regarding assessment is the requirement that teachers doauthentic assessment. according to the regulation of ministry of education and culture of indonesia no 66 and 81 (2013b), authentic assessment isa comprehensive assessment to assess the start of input, process, and output (learning), which includes the domain of attitudes, knowledge, andskills. the principles of implementing an assessment is also related to these three dimensions; input, process and output(may,2013). even though the regulation and guidance to implement the standard of assessment has clearly stated, the implementation done by teachers of english is still considered unsatisfying enough, especially the assessment for learning (formative assessment). data from education for all monitoring report (2012) emerged that indonesia efa development index (edi) ranking was 64 out of 120 countries, categorized into medium level; the point in this research was learning assessment. moreover, teachers‟ understanding of formative assessment itself is still considered a problem. for instance, kuzel and shumba (2011) found that teachers in selected schools in fort beaufort in south africa did not understand well about formative assessment and had a negative attitude towards it. as a result, the formative assessment did not seem applicable to be used by most teachers as a way of their teaching improvement. similarly, a study conducted by foster and poppers (2009) showed that most teachers in their study could not carry out an appropriate formative assessment in their teaching practices, instead of using formative assessment to improve their teaching and students‟ learning, the teachers use formative assessment only to test students‟ ability. nielson (2015) also argued that indeed, such examinations are designed and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 465 have been proved to fulfill standard requirements for reliability. in addition, widiastuti and saukah (2017) who conducted research on the formative assessment practices in efl classroom claimed that based on the result of their research, the majority of the english teachers do not have comprehensive understanding of formative assessment yet; as a result, the follow up actions are not properly carried out. several improvements have been done by the teachers after conducting formative assessment; however, these were not done in various high quality activities. in contrast to the teacher‟s lack of understanding of formative assessment, the result of the study conducted by and panchbhai and srivastava (2014) in deemed university which took undergraduate students of dental faculty as the participants showed that 95.46% students agreed that formative assessment is needed to trigger them to study. based on the result of panchbhai and srivastava‟ (2014) study, it shows that formative assessment is needed and so is the feedback given to the students by the teachers. it drives to the appropriate follow up actions taken by the teacher in responding to the students‟ needs based on the result of the formative assessment. finally, based on the previous studies, it is clearly concluded that teachers must have a good understanding of the formative assessment which lead them on how to conduct the right formative assessment itself, because the better teachers‟ understanding of the formative assessment, the better students‟ outcome will be. in line with the rationales, the writer decided to have smp negeri 14 palembang as the further observed school in implementing formative assessment in english learning. smp negeri 14 palembang has been implementing the formative assessment as they apply 2013 curriculum which is considered as curriculum-based assessment. this school holds a accreditation and based on the vision and mission of the school, the assessment for learning is highlighted both to improve the quality of teaching and learning of the school and the quality of the students and teachers. additionally, the school intends to have formative assessment in every activity involving learning, motivation, and attitude as it helps to improve their learning achievement as well as to improve the teachers‟ teaching. method this study used qualitative in case study design. according to ary, jacobs, sorensen, & razavieh (2010), qualitative research is designed to reach information of the current status of phenomena that is related to the existing situation at the time of the study. this study involved four teachers of english of smp negeri 14 palembang, the school principal, and some observed students. the data were collected through interview, observations, and document review. the interview was adapted from brink (2017). to support the findings on the data from interview, the observation was held and was supported by the document review analysis regarding teachers‟ lesson plan and assessment instruments. interview was administered to the four teachers of english concerning their understanding about formative assessment, how formative assessment was implemented in english learning, and the supporting and / or hindering factors in implementing formative assessment in the teaching and learning process. the interview was based on interview guide. the interview was recorded by using voice recorder and then it was transcribed. the analysis of the interview and document analysis followed the data analysis procedure through the following steps as noted by ary et al. (2010): the steps are: (1) familiarizing with and organizing the data. to do that, the obtained data must be re-read and repeatedly listened to from the audio-tapes. then, the information must be transcribed without omitting or adding anything to the recorded original data; (2) coding and reducing, that is identifying codes as many as needed from the transcription, then reducing the codes into categories and themes; (3) interpreting and presenting, that is telling story, providing elaborations and developing plausible explanations of the obtained data, then presenting the information. in addition, the four representative students were also interviewed to confirm and also crosscheck the teachers‟ answer related to how the teachers implement the formative assessment in teaching and learning process and whether they use the formative assessment to improve the students‟ learning. the data obtained from the interview about teachers‟ understanding of formative assessment were analyzed using rubric of understanding of formative assessment and were categorized into bad, good, and very good with the scoring range: 010 was categorized bad, 11-20 was categorized dian fitriani, bambang a. loeneto, &rita inderawati formative assessment in english learning of junior high school 466 good, and 21-30 was categorized very good. the result of the teachers‟ understanding was presented in a chart. however, the result of the teachers‟ understanding was still described descriptively with themes. then, the data obtained from interview about the implementation of formative assessment in english learning, the use of formative assessment to improve teachers‟ teaching and students‟ learning, and the supporting and / or hindering factors in implementing formative assessment were analyzed qualitatively and reported descriptively by using an analysis procedure suggested by ary et al. (2010), and analyzed by following what is stated in the regulations of ministry of education and culture no.23 year 2016 about formative assessment based curriculum 2013. some themes were emerged in describing the results. the data obtained were supported by the observations in the teaching and learning process and strengthened by the document reviews regarding teachers‟ lesson plans, assessment instruments, and also the teachers‟ monthly report. results and discussion results the results of interviews, classroom observation, and documentation were analyzed into three mainobjectives to draw conclusions. teachers’ understanding of formative assessment based on findings on the interview, most teachers‟ understanding of formative assessment based on the highest score was in very good category. the total number of teachers who had this category was 1. meanwhile, 3 teachers were in category of good. the result showed that teachers of english had no serious problem in answering the interview questions of understanding of assessment in general and formative assessment. this implication showed that the teachers were comprehensive enough about assessment in general and formative assessment based on curriculum 2013. the result of the teachers‟ understanding of formative assessment was presented in figure 1 below. figure 1.description of teachers’ understanding of formative assessment based on the data from interview, it was found that there were three teachers of english of smp negeri 14 palembang who had the same idea that formative assessment deals with its use to see the students‟ progresses. in assessment guidance of 2013 curriculum, ministry of education and culture via directorate of primary and secondary education (2017) defined that assessment for learning (formative assessment) is a set of activities in assessing students in which it enables educators to use the information of the condition of the learners to improve their learning. in indonesia, teachers take classroom practice which can be described as assessment activities. according to directorate general of primary and secondary education(2017), daily assessment is considered as one of formative assessments which is defined as the process of gathering and processing information on student learning outcomes used for establish improvement or enrichment programs based on the level of mastery of competencies and improving the learning process. the findings reflected that the teachers had right concept on when to conduct formative assessment. it is in line with the concept of assessment for learning regulated in assessment guidance of 2013 curriculum, regulation of ministry of education and culture no. 23 year 2016 about the procedure of evaluating the learning process and learning outcomes by educators (teachers) is carried out with 0 5 10 15 20 25 teacher 1 teacher 2 teacher 3 teacher 4 understanding of formative asssessment score english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 467 some ways, one of them is by setting assessment objectives with reference to the lesson plans that have been prepared. in relation to the definition of formative assessment as regulated by the indonesian government in curriculum 2013, the understanding of formative assessment also covers the knowledge of when the assessment is given, what activities are given in implementing formative assessment, what the aspects to assess are in formative assessment, and what the importance of formative assessment is both for students and teachers. filsecker and kerres (2012) described that the formative assessment components include taking teacher student(s)‟ interactions, communicating about the students, the criteria of success, gathering detail information about learning activities, providing learning feedback, and providing instructional corrective adjustments. teachers need to understand these components of formative assessment so that they can carry out the formative assessment in classroom practices properly. therefore, english teachers have to have a good understanding of formative assessment as the good understanding will determine their ability in taking the follow up actions as the way to improve students‟ learning achievement and improve the teaching quality. in other words, the understanding includes how teachers define the formative assessment, the characteristics of formative assessment, and how they give feedback after giving formative assessment to students. this is in line with bennet‟s (2011) suggestion that teachers‟ understanding of assessing students‟ understanding is also dependent upon the teachers‟ cognitive ability in theories of learning. he further emphasized that teachers might have difficulties in conducting formative assessment without comprehensive understanding of learning theories. as stiggin (2002) said that teachers who conduct assessment for learning work with the classroom assessment process, collecting information about learners that it supplies in order to advance, and check on the learners‟ learning. in terms of the time in giving formative assessment, it was found that the teachers of english of smp negeri 14 palembang understood that formative assessment was done to see the students‟ ability in learning every lesson taught and improve their learning; therefore the teachers should give formative assessment after finishing one basic competence or one lesson. in relation to regulation, it was reflected that what teachers of english of smp negeri 14 palembang uttered is in the same boat referring a set of activities in assessing students for learning as well as deciding the right time to conduct the formative assessment which is done during instruction. this is in line with the theory of formative assessment, according to wiggins and mctighe (2007), in which formative assessment occurs during instruction, as part of instruction rather than a separate activity. teachers who conduct formative assessment should provide feedback as well as the follow up actions they take after implementing the assessment. wiliam and thompson (2008) distinguished between different terms used along with the term “formative assessment”: “another way of thinking about the distinction being made here is the terms of monitoring assessment, diagnostic assessment, and formative assessment. an assessment monitors learning to the extent that it provides information about whether the student, class, school or system is learning or not; it is diagnostic to the extent that it provides information about what is going wrong; and it is formative to the extent that it provides information about what to do about it” (p. 62). it can be inferred from the statement above that formative assessment is important as it gives information to both teachers and students to check their success in teaching and learning process and make an improvement afterward. through the formative assessment, both teachers and students get feedback on what they have to improve. in response to the importance of feedback as the follow up action after giving formative assessment to the improvement of both teachers‟ teaching and the students‟ achievement, it is claimed that formative assessment is required to be given during instruction as the assessment for learning. as explained by linquanti (2014), formative assessment is a process done during instruction in which some feedback is provided by teachers to make adjustment toward the teaching and learning process to improve students‟ achievement of the learning. in other words, formative assessment functions to inform learners of their progress in learning and to empower them to take action to improve their performance as well as for teachers to dian fitriani, bambang a. loeneto, &rita inderawati formative assessment in english learning of junior high school 468 take the appropriate actions needed by students as the improvement of their teaching. realizing the importance of formative assessment both for students and teachers, according to stiggin (2002), teachers who conduct assessment for learning work with the classroom assessment process, collecting information about learners that it supplies in order to advance, and check on the learners‟ learning. assessment for learning is done during the teaching and learning; this helps also teachers to conduct more appropriate teaching and learning activities to enhance the students‟ learning achievement. panchbhai and srivastava (2014) explained that the term formative assessment refers to the assessment to assign the teacher in designing new materials and improvement of teaching in response to students‟ needs. since this assessment occurs throughout the learning process, teachers could visibly see the students‟ understanding towards the lesson and decide what they can do to help students‟ progress. assessment for learning is the part of formative assessment which means that the assessment conducted by teachers who keep monitoring the level of the success of the students‟ learning based on the learning objectives (stiggins, 2004). after analyzing the result of the interview, the writer found that the findings were in line with the prediction over those four teachers that their answers on interview showed that they knew something about assessment in general and formative assessment in particular. the implementation of formative assessment (inputprocess-output) the findings on interview and observations about how formative assessment implemented for english learning, the writer used the theory of implementation (input, process, output) following what is stated in the regulation of ministry of education and culture no.23 year 2016 and supported by the theory of implementation suggested by may (2013) to analyze the data obtained. document reviews regarding teachers‟ lesson plans, teachers‟ daily journal, and the assessment instruments were also collected and analyzed to strengthen the findings of this study. the obtained data about the implementation of formative assessment for english learning at smp negeri 14 palembang could be seen in table 2. table 1.formative assessment implementation: input-process-output dimensions indicators participants input 1. objectives  teacher 1: what to assess based on the indicators in the lesson plan  teacher 2: assess students‟ progress on their cognitive, psychomotor, and affective in every meeting  teacher 3: what to assess based on the material taught to the students  teacher 4: assess students‟ learning progress, their attitude on each learning domain. a. syllabus followed the syllabus for one semester b. lesson plans stated and followed the learning objectives in the lesson plan based on the material taught to give the assessment c. instruments all participants got used to make assessments instruments like preparing questions sheet made by themselves related to one material/chapter that has been learnt and giving daily test. teachers also have daily assessment report to assess students‟ in every meeting. d. human resource teachers and students process a. setting assessment objectives with reference to the lesson plans that have been prepared according to the syllabus; b. arranging assessment grids; c. deciding and providing the   english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 469 assessment instruments along with the assessment guidelines; d. conducting instrument quality analysis; e. doing the assessment; f. processing, analyzing, and interpreting the results of the assessment; g. providing feedback h. taking follow-up actions as creating opportunities for learners to undertake remedial action and/or consolidation activities and / or enrichment i. reporting the results of the assessment; j. utilizing the report of the assessment results       output the process and output of implementation both for students and teachers;  students‟ score as the representative of their learning progress  formative assessment result to see teachers‟ success in teaching  formative assessment result to see students‟ learning progress (regulation of ministry of education and culture no.23 year 2016) the findings on the implementation of formative assessment in english learning at smp negeri 14 showed that teachers of smp negeri 14 palembang did some of those steps in conducting formative assessment. discussion assessment instruments as described in the „understanding of formative assessment‟part, it is stated that the teachers assessed the students on what they have learnt stated in the indicators and learning objective in the lesson plan. afterward, the teachers said that they had to prepare the assessment instruments. in this case, the teachers considered daily test as a kind of formative assessment that they give to the students. according to the regulation of ministry of education and culture no. 23 year 2016, the procedure of evaluating the learning process and learning outcomes by educators (teachers), such as; (1) setting assessment objectives with reference to the lesson plans that have been prepared; (2) arranging assessment grids; (3) deciding and providing the assessment instruments along with the assessment guidelines; (4) conducting instrument quality analysis; (5) doing the assessment; (6) processing, analyzing, and interpreting the results of the assessment; (7) reporting the results of the assessment; (8) utilizing the report of the assessment results. the results of the interview showed that teachers did some of those steps in conducting formative assessment. in the input, the teachers prepared some kinds of assessment instruments. as described in the „understanding of formative assessment‟ part, it is stated that the teachers assessed the students on what they have learnt stated in the indicators and learning objective in the lesson plan. afterward, the teachers said that they had to prepare the assessment instruments. in this case, the teachers considered daily test as a kind of formative assessment that they gave to the students. the teachers knew the input part of formative assessment implementation. however, most of the teachers did not really understand about the assessment instruments that they needed to prepare, they only prepared the media like questions sheet as the instruments for formative assessment instead. according to the ministry of regulation of education and culture (no 66/2016), some criteria of mechanisms, procedures, and instruments of assessment as the learning outcomes are the standards of educational assessment. educational assessment as the act of collecting and processing information to measure the learning outcomes of the learners including the authentic assessment, selfdian fitriani, bambang a. loeneto, &rita inderawati formative assessment in english learning of junior high school 470 assessment, project-based assessment, examinations (daily, semester, and final semester), competency test, competency of quality level test, national examination, and school examination. follow-up actions in formative assessment in the process of the implementation of formative assessment, teachers are required to carry out follow-up actions as feedback for both teachers and students. according to smith and gorard (2005), feedback is vital to help teachers improve the dayto-day assessment of their students, because it improves learning and gives learners specific guidance on strengths or weaknesses. brookhart (2001) also pointed out that assessment can be considered formative if the information is used to form students‟ performance. it is in line with fulcher and davidson (2007) defining formative assessment that it is designed in order to encourage students‟ learning and improvement. formative assessment is considered to be given a bigger portion since it is engaged with the practices in learning and contributes much in students‟ performance. since feedback is very vital, ceri (2008) stated that it is important for teachers to give a feedback which leads students to know how well their learning progress as well as to give suggestions for the future better learning achievement. based on the results of the interview, the teachers gave follow – up actions namely remedial and enrichment for students. in the teachers‟ point of view, the passing grade has become their parameter of deciding which students should be given a remedial and which students should be given enrichment. in the daily test done after one basic competence, or a quiz given in every meeting, the teachers analyzed the students‟ scores. for those students whose score under the passing grade, they had to be given such a remedial. in terms of the form of the remedial, each teacher had their own ways in deciding it. teacher 1: “like remedial and enrichment. after i analyze the result of the students‟ score then i give them like assignment. i usually ask some students who have the same problems then i group them up. i give them explanation about the materials that they still do not get it yet then i give them like assignments to do in group. it is done after the class dismissed. that‟s what i did if only some students who need to take remedial, but if many of the students in the class need to take remedial then i ask them to stay after other students leave, then i give another teaching and i explain the material.” teacher 2: “follow up action of course. for students whose scores are under the passing grade, i gave them like remedial. before remedial i gave them another explanation about the material. and for enrichment is what i like the most because enrichment is for the chosen ones. the remedial is in the form of assignments, but before given the assignments, the students are called and given explanation of which one they still do not understand. (follow up action of course. for students whose scores are under the passing grade, i gave them like remedial. before remedial i gave them another explanation about the material”. it means that both teacher 1 and teacher 2 decided to use assignments as the remedial for students. however, teacher 3 gave assignments for those students who have reached the passing grade score instead. then, the remedial students were asked to repeat the test doing the questions that they failed to answer in the previous daily test. teacher 3: “i give remedial for the students who cannot reach the passing grade, and those who have reached the passing grade or got score over the passing grade, i give them enrichment. the enrichment is in the form of assignments which can trigger them more to study and understand the lesson. for the remedial students, they have to repeat answering the questions which they failed in the previous test, and it is given after the daily test after i return their daily test sheet and give them the score. they have to repeat doing the test, only answering the points that they couldn‟t do previously”. out of four teachers who were interviewed, teacher 4 could only explain that she took followup action like remedial and enrichment and mentioned for which students she gave the remedial and enrichment to. teacher 4: “i give remedial test after daily test for the students who haven‟t reached the passing grade and i give enrichment for those who have reached the passing grade”. the way teachers assessed the students is in line with the regulation of the government. directorate general of primary and secondary of ministry of education and culture (2017) mentioned assessment for learning is the process of gathering information / english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 471 data about learning achievement of learners in affective, cognitive, and psychomotor aspects done in a planned and systematic manner. furthermore, based on the regulation of ministry of education and culture of indonesia no. 23 (2016), there are some components of assessment mechanism that are used as the principals to assess the students on elementary and secondary education level. those components are: (1) planning assessment strategies when teachers conducting lesson plan based on syllabus; (2) assessing affective domain through observation and other relevant techniques of assessment and the report is accounted to the teachers; (3) assessing cognitive domain through written test, oral test, and tasks which suit the assessed competence; (4) assessing psychomotor domain through practice, product, portfolio, and other techniques of assessment which suit the assessed competence; (5) students who obtain score lower than the passing grade, they must have remedial; (6) the result of cognitive and psychomotor domain possibly reported either in number or description. moreover, based on teacher 1 and teacher 2‟ explanations, they claimed that they did such a reteaching by giving another explanation first for the students who will take remedial. before giving them assignments as the remedial action, the students were given some explanation on the materials that they still did not understand about analyzed from their result of daily test, although the other 2 teachers did not do the same thing. this is in line with some elements or steps which should be implemented in conducting assessment for learning according to jones (2005): (1)explain the learning objectives and feedback opportunities, (2) check learner understanding of learning objectives, (3) brief learners on what they have to do and what they have to hand in, (4) introduce the assessment criteria to learners and check their understanding, (5) provide learner with the opportunities to apply the assessment criteria to examples of work produced, possibly by a previous cohort, to illustrate standards required and application of the assessment criteria, (6) provide the necessary guidance to learners on an individual basis and provide oral feedback, (7) provide peer-assessment opportunities, (8) provide self-assessment opportunities, (9) undertake the teacher –led assessment of learners‟ work, (10) provide written feedback to learners, (11) create opportunities for learners to undertake remedial action and/or consolidation activities and also enrichment. additionally, to ensure the teachers‟ statements on how they took follow-up actions such as remedial and enrichment and moreover include the way the teachers assess the students, some students were interviewed. it is assumed that the teachers have the same focus on the three domains in assessing the students which is through assignments, exercise, and the daily test. in the output process, it was found that taking follow-up actions is important. thus, the teachers have already told some kinds of follow-up action they took in formative assessment. according to jones (2005) who stated that there are three kinds of feedback used in classroom setting;affirmative feedback, developmental feedback, and effective feedback. first, affirmative feedback is defined as a direct feedback done after a performance has been observed. second, developmental feedback considered as a feedback containing a developmental comments on someone‟s work. third, an effective feedback is used to meet the needs of the individuals and is directly linked to observable evidence – either a learner‟s written or practical work or a performance from a task given, then it focuses on individual‟s action points and deals with one point at one time. it was found in the observation of the teaching and learning process that teachers of english of smp negeri 14 palembang did a direct feedback when the material is speaking skills such as having a dialogue in front of the class by giving correction in students‟ speaking performance and written feedback for exercises. moreover, teachers also have the teachers‟ journal as they assess students in every meeting. teachers use the teachers‟ journal to make such a feedback for students. for example, facing students‟ negative attitude and we should take follow-up action like giving advice, and also we have to note down the positive attitude of the students and give them compliment as follow up action from teacher. based on the result of documentation, the teacher could prove that she had teacher‟s agenda containing teacher‟s journal on assessing students‟ every meeting as well as giving comments and stating the idea to improve her teaching every meeting. in the process of the implementation of formative assessment, teachers are required to carry out follow-up actions as feedback for both teachers dian fitriani, bambang a. loeneto, &rita inderawati formative assessment in english learning of junior high school 472 and students. according to smith and gorard (2005), feedback is vital to help teachers improve the day-to-day assessment of their students, because it improves learning and gives learners specific guidance on strengths or weaknesses. brookhart (2001) also pointed out that assessment can be considered formative if the information is used to form students‟ performance. supporting and or hindering factors in implementing formative assessment the findings on supporting and or hindering factors faced by the teachers in implementing formative assessment could be seen in table 2. table 2. supporting and or hindering factors in implementing formative assessment supporting and or hindering factors teacher 1 teacher 2 teacher 3 teacher 4 1. students‟ different ability     2. teaching and learning media   3. insufficient number of class meetings   4. lack of assessment training.     it was claimed that the teaching and learning media has become both opportunity and challenges for teachers in teaching. it seems that teachers need sufficient guidance and support in applying assessment. the good support both from schools and environment would bring an opportunity to both teaching and learning process and teachers‟ assessment practices. in line with it, saefurrohman (2015) found that there are two reasons why english teachers are lack of assessment implementation or practices. first, it is due to the varied background of the students and obstacles learning faced by the students in the classroom during the learning process. second, the teachers‟ lack of instructional instruments used to teach efl students as well knowledge to conduct such a proper assessment to promote students‟ learning and assess their learning progress is considered a problem. some of the teachers also said that they got difficulty in handling the teaching due to the unexpected things such as the bad weather in palembang at that time (in october-november 2019) which led the education government ruled all schools in palembang to have some days off due to the haze. this impact the teaching and learning process did not run as planned. the teachers got difficulty in handling the class due to the insufficient number of class meetings where they sometimes had to combine two or three basic competences before taking the daily test. this situation was considered to result in the ineffective result of the students‟ formative assessment. moreover, even though some of the teachers said that they have participated in assessment training held at the school, however, they said that the training was considered still not enough to make them have good knowledge on assessment especially in 2013 curriculum. the teachers said that they still needed to take part in many kinds of assessment training, moreover in such a workshop or seminars. teachers need to participate in such a seminar and they need to be given opportunities to join assessment training so that they can get input on how to give assessment well, and moreover to make the right assessment instruments. conclusion the results of this study revealed that the teachers‟ understanding of formative assessment was mostly in category of good. this implication showed that the teachers were comprehensive enough about assessment in general and formative assessment based on curriculum 2013. then, the implementation of formative assessment for english learning, the results of the interview showed that teachers of smp negeri 14 palembang did some of the steps in conducting formative assessment based curriculum. however, in the input process, the assessments instruments used by the teachers were mostly in the forms of questions as they gave daily test as the assessment for english learning and then in the process, they gave both direct and indirect english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 473 feedback to assess students‟ learning. the follow up actions; remedial and enrichments were also taken by the teachers during the process of giving formative assessment. although the remedial and enrichment given were not specifically described and inserted in the lesson plan. one teacher out of four gave re-teaching before the remedial given to the students under the passing grade. however, some steps like preparing assessments grid, and conducting the quality of assessment were not done by the teachers as they only provided the questions sheet for students in the daily test as the assessment instruments, while the assessment rubric was also not included in their lesson plan. in using the results of formative assessment, the teachers‟ statements implied that assessment results are essential part in teaching and learning process. the results could give a feedback for both teachers and students to correct their methods in teaching. regarding the hindering factors such as the teachers were lack of assessment training, it was concluded that assessment training for teachers is very important. even though the school had ever hosted a training about 2013 curriculum for teachers, the teachers still consider they were insufficient in the assessment. teachers need to participate in such a seminar and they need to be given opportunities to join assessment training so that they can get input on how to give assessment well, and moreover to make the right assessment instruments. references ary, d., jacobs, l. c., sorensen, c. k., &razavieh, a. (2010).introduction to research in education (8 th ed). belmont, ca: wadsworth. bennet, r. e. (2011). formative assessment: a critical review. assessment in education:principles, policy & practice, 18(1), pp. 5-25. brink, k.m. (2017). teachers' perceived understanding of formative assessment and how this understanding impacts their own classroom instruction. southern illinois university carbondale, 5(1). brookhart, s. m. (2001). successful students‟ formative and summative uses of assessment information.assessmentin education: principles, policy and practice, 8(2), 153-169. centre for educational research and innovation (ceri). (2008). oecd/ceri international assessment for learning: formative assessmentconference. learning in the 21st century: research, innovation and policy. oecd, paris. pp. 1-24. directorate general of primary and secondary education. (2017). panduan penilaian pendidik dan satuan pendidikan: sekolah menengah pertama tahun 2017. jakarta, indonesia: kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. dolin, j., black, p., harlen, w., &tiberghien, a. (2018). exploring relations between formative and summative assessment. in j. dolin & r. evans (ed.), transforming assessment (vol.4, p. 53-80). cham, switzerland, springer international publishing. education for all monitoring report (2012). the education for all development index. retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/fileadmin/multimedia /hq/ed/pdf/gmr2012-report-edi-pdf filsecker, m., &kerres, m. (2012).repositioning formative assessment from an education. flucher, g., & davidson, f. (2007). language testing and assessment: an advanced resource book. new york, ny: routledge. foster. d., & poppers, a. (2009).using formative assessment to drive learning. silicon valley: the noyce foundation. gani, s. a. &mahjaty, r. (2017).english teachers‟ knowledge for implementing the 2013 curriculum.english education journal, 8(2), 199212. jones, c. a. (2005). assessment-for-learning. liverpool: newnorth ltd. karimi, m. n. (2014). iranian efl teachers' perceptions of dynamic assessment: exploringthe role of education and length of service.australian journal of teacher education journal, 39(8), pp. 143-162. kuzel, m. w.&shumba, a. (2011). an investigation into formative assessment practices ofteachers in selected schools in fort beaufort in south africa. j socsci journal, 29(2), pp.159-170. may, c. (2013).towards a general theory of implementation.implementation science, 8(18), 214. ministry of education and culture. (2013b). regulation number 81a: curriculum implementation.jakarta, indonesia: departemenpendidikannasional. ministry of education and culture.(2016). indonesian government policy act no. 23. 2016: assessment in education. retrieved from https://bsnpindonesia.org/wpcontent/uploads/2009 /09/permendikbud_tahun2016_nomor023.pdf ministry of education and culture.(2016). neracapendidikan daerah. retrieved from http://npd.data.kemendikbud.go.id/file/pdf//2016/ 116000.pdf http://www.unesco.org/fileadmin/multimedia/hq/ed/pdf/gmr2012-report-edi-pdf http://www.unesco.org/fileadmin/multimedia/hq/ed/pdf/gmr2012-report-edi-pdf https://bsnpindonesia.org/wpcontent/uploads/2009/09/permendikbud_tahun2016_nomor023.pdf https://bsnpindonesia.org/wpcontent/uploads/2009/09/permendikbud_tahun2016_nomor023.pdf http://npd.data.kemendikbud.go.id/file/pdf/2016/116000.pdf http://npd.data.kemendikbud.go.id/file/pdf/2016/116000.pdf dian fitriani, bambang a. loeneto, &rita inderawati formative assessment in english learning of junior high school 474 ministry of education and culture. (2016b). regulation number 22: standards of assessment. jakarta, indonesia: department of national education. mulyasa, m. (2018).implementasikurikulum 2013 revisi. jakarta: bumiaksara. nielsen, j. a. (2015). assessment of innovation competency: a thematic analysis of upper secondary school teachers‟ talk. the journal of educational research, 108, 318-330. panchbhai, s., & srivastava, t. (2014). students` perception about the formative assessment examinations. jhse journal, 1(1), 2-5. saefurrohman.(2015). classroom assessment preference of indonesian junior high school teachers in english as foreign language classes.journal of education and practices, 6(36), 104-110. smith, e.&gorard, s. (2005). “they don‟t give us our marks”: the role of formative feedback in students‟ progress. assessment in education: principles, policy and practice, 12(1), 21-38. southeast asian ministers of education (seameo). (2015). assessment in the curriculum 2013.jurnal penelitian dan evaluasi pendidikan, 20(2), 166178. stiggins, r.j. (2002). new assessment beliefs for a new school. phi delta kappan, 86, 22-27. stiggins, r.j. (2004). new assessment beliefs for a new school.phi delta kappan, 86, 22-27. widiastuti, s. & saukah, a. (2017). formative assessment in efl classroom practices. bahasa dan seni journal, 45(1). 50-61. wiggins, g.&mctighe, j. (2007).schooling by design: mission, action and achievement.alexandria, va: association for supervision and curriculum development. wiliam, d., & thompson, m. (2008). integrating assessment with learning: what will it take to make it work? in c. a. dwyer (ed.).the future of assessment: shaping teaching and learning(pp. 53-82). new york: lawrence erlbaum associate english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 323 investigating english language education students’ reading preferences rahmawati khadijah maro department of english language education, faculty of teachers training and education, university of muhammadiyah malang, indonesia e-mail: khadijah@umm.ac.id rosalin ismayoeng gusdian (corresponding author) department of english language education, faculty of teachers training and education, university of muhammadiyah malang, indonesia e-mail: rosalingusdian@umm.ac.id berliana febrianti safitri department of english language education, faculty of teachers training and education, university of muhammadiyah malang, indonesia e-mail: berlianafebriantisaff@gmail.com apa citation: maro, r. k., gudian, r. i., & safitri, b. f. (2020). investigating english language education students’ reading preferences. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 323328. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.3029. received: 02-04-2020 accepted: 13-05-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: this study aimed to determine students' preferences for their reading materials and dig out the benefits of their reading preferences. a descriptive research design was applied in this study. two instruments were employed to obtain the data, namely a questionnaire and an interview guide. the subjects of this study were 35 third semester students of the english language education department. these participants were selected by using a simple random sampling technique. in the data collection procedure, the participants filled in the questionnaire. then, three of the participants were selected further to be interviewed. the data were then analyzed by calculating each item in the survey to obtain the final result in the form of a percentage, transcribing, and examining the interview result. the findings found that most of the students preferred novels as their reading material with 54,2%. furthermore, as many as 31,4% preferred the genre of fiction. several benefits from having their own preference in reading constitute (1) the students were able to comprehend the content of the reading material easily, (2) the students got more interested in reading, (3) the students gained broader knowledge, and (4) the students got attached to and focused on the text. overall, this study implies that english language education students preferred novels as their reading material and fiction as their favored genre. these findings also signified that the students could gain many benefits from their preferences. keywords: reading preferences; reading materials; english language education students. introduction students' reading skills can be sharpened and improved, along with the desire or motivation to read. by reading, students can obtain, devote, and process the ideas; it can later be implemented into their social life (zare and othman, 2013). it can only be possible to increase the student's love of reading by identifying the interests and needs of these students and guiding them towards those needs and interests (blau & baker, 2006). it enables learners to pursue their preferences when deciding what to read by strengthening their motivation for reading (aydın and ayrancı, 2018). preference for reading lets students fulfill their personal needs, improve maturity levels, and ensure freedom of opinion formation & reflection (hussain and munshi, 2011). there are various methods and strategies to develop and improve students' reading interest, one of which is knowing the student's reading preference. regarding the development of reading skills, the priority of reading preferences should be given to make reading more attractive as well as improving the quality of reading itself (aydın and ayrancı, 2018). among young kids and adolescents, different intentions stimulate reading and reading habits (mart, 2015). their interests and context may be regarded as the fundamental motives that urge them to acquire information and comprehension (arthi & srinivasan, 2018). the need to obtain rahmawati khadijah maro, rosalin ismayoeng gusdian, & berliana febrianti safitri investigating english language education students’ reading preferences 324 data and understanding causes them to read books, magazines, novels, articles and study papers, etc. also, hussain and munshi (2011) state that reading preferences of all individuals may be dissimilar according to their precise age group(s) and need(s) of information. considering the students' preference in the process of reading selection is as essential as investigating students' requirements (bouchamma, poulin, basque, & ruel, 2013). discovering materials that students are likely to be interested in is the first stage to do to find out their reading preference because regardless of how hard or simple a text might be, if it is not exciting to the students, it would be boring or hard to read (celik, 2017) . students may hesitate to read unless they find materials that draw their interests. adolescents prefer to choose light, pleasant reading, and generally enjoy reading books for pleasure and education through fun (jacobs, 2014). if they begin to read with their own will and with the text of reading they preferred, without any coercion from any hand, then their enthusiasm and motivation to read will continue. it is wisely appropriate for readers who plan to choose reading materials to spend sufficient time to analyze the essential aspects (alshammari, 2015). several significant factors in the reading selection process are students' levels, preferences, interests, needs, and background knowledge. meanwhile, the text itself is associated with other factors, such as content, relevance, and authenticity (arias, 2007) . there are various kinds of reading materials that can be read, ranging from newspapers, magazines, novels, short stories, textbooks, and others. from those reading materials, students can communicate in the form of written language. students can read in different ways for specific purposes, pleasure, and understanding or even for scientific analysis. they read to look for ideas, find solutions, explore knowledge, or even entertain themselves in their spare time. two approaches can be used in expanding reading skills, namely extensive and intensive reading (erfanpour, 2013); they are believed to be a method that is very helpful in improving students’ reading comprehension skills. previous studies have examined students’ reading preferences in all levels of education (hussain and munshi, 2011; bouchamma et al., 2013; shonfeld & meishar-tal, 2016; aharony & bar-llan, 2018; lestari, 2018; eutsler & trotter, 2020 ). however, none of them have been investigating students' reading preferences at the tertiary level of english education department students, especially the third semester as the intermediate level. thus, to bridge the gap, this study is conducted to identify the reading materials preferred by the students at the intermediate level of english language education department. thus, this study focuses on finding out the students' preferred reading materials that are not merely to help their score and achievement, but for their comprehension throughout the reading process that reflects their level of intermediate students. method the study was carried out in one of a private university in malang, east java. the study selected thirty-five students out of approximately two hundred third-semester students of the english language education department as participants to obtain the data. the age of the participants ranged between eighteen and twenty years old. the participants were randomly chosen to avoid bias in one particular class as every student had the same opportunity to be the subject of this research. there were two instruments used in this study to obtain the data, questionnaire, and interview guide. to collect the data, the researcher developed a questionnaire consisting of a list of questions related to the students' preference for reading and created the interview guidelines comprised of questions to complete or add the data and information obtained from the questionnaire. later, the questionnaire was distributed to the third-semester students. to strengthen the data, the researcher selected three students as representatives to be interviewed. the questions were about the types of reading materials or their preference on reading, which they were interested in. then, to validate the answers, a respondent validation is used. this technique involves the results from both questionnaires and interviews to see if they still have in-tune answers. each student's answers were sorted out and classified based on the question items. the data were processed by calculating each item of the questionnaire to obtain the final result in the form of a percentage. lastly, after the final percentage results were obtained, the results were interpreted in the form of a description. the conclusions were drawn based on data that has been analyzed to get the english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 325 concrete final results to later be presented as the finding. results and discussion reading materials preferred by the third semester students at this point, the researcher addressed the findings that refer to the first question about students’ preferred materials. the results are explained as follows: novels as the most preferred reading materials by students from the results of the questionnaire, it is found that novels are chosen by more than half of the respondents (19 students) or 54.2% as their preferred reading material. those findings provide a clear view of the final results expected from this study. students use the textbook suggested by the lecturer as their reading material during the learning process, and it turns out that they do not like it. they preferred novels as reading material provided in class. besides, to strengthen the results of the questionnaire above, the researcher also added data taken from the interview as additional information. out of the five interview questions list, one of them is question number 1, which asked about their opinions on the reading preferred by students at the tertiary level who are considered as teenagers. students showed consistent answers stating that teenagers at age 18-20 mostly favor reading literature such as novels or short stories that depend on what genres they interested in, comics, the articles on the website, and the applications which are very famous among teenagers, namely, wattpad and webtoon. these findings imply that learners now have a wide range of reading materials to choose from because they have access to a wide range of reading materials, either in printed or digital form. fiction as the most preferred genre of reading by students the researcher also delves deeper into the genre of reading that students preferred. when the students were asked about what type of reading that they favored, it is found that the fiction genre is in the first place with 31.4% and chosen by 11 students. the results obtained indicate that the fiction genre of reading is the most popular among the students. children indeed much favor fiction at their age as many of them have selected novels as their preferred reading material. in the second place is the real-life genre chosen by ten students with 28.5%. in this case, they are allowed to choose more than one genre. it is aimed not to limit their choices to something they like. every student's tastes and preferences are different. that is why they are allowed to choose more than one genre of reading. it also offers broader and more varied insights into the preferred genres of students. the third most preferred is occupied by fantasy and adventure, which have the same percentage 25,7%. the difference is those who choose fantasy are female students, and those who choose adventure are male students. in short, the respondents favored reading materials such as novels and fiction readings. they seemed to be firm and clear in describing their tastes and their characters as readers at a young age. this type of leisure reading is an indication of reading achievement and can be seen as a motivating factor in increasing their passion for books and reading. journals and newspapers as the least preferred reading materials by students the results obtained show that journals are not chosen by even one student so that it gets 0% as well as for newspapers. based on students' opinions from interview results, this is because students have the impression that journals are very challenging. students do not want to use academic journals as reading material as learning and interpreting existing vocabulary would take a long time. if they are at an advanced level and ready to write an essay, they probably would like to read a journal. in the case of newspapers, students do not accept that newspapers are current reading relative to magazines or articles. not the least of their perception of a newspaper is that it featured hard-to-understand aspects of politics that do not suit their level or age. non-fiction as the least preferred genre of reading by students in this category, the least preferred genre of reading is non-fiction. this category is chosen only by two students, with a percentage of 5.7%. it is the reverse of fiction reading as the most favored genre among the students. further, the students articulated that many topics in the nonfiction reading genre, such as literature, history, or research, are not too common for students to become their daily reading. also, some of these readings are considered burdensome and tedious. the second position of the least preferred genre is science, which is chosen by three rahmawati khadijah maro, rosalin ismayoeng gusdian, & berliana febrianti safitri investigating english language education students’ reading preferences 326 students and has a percentage of 8.5%. these results are in accordance with the results of the least preferred reading, journals. from the perspective of students as readers, academic science readings are considered too complicated as they discuss scientific matters with unfamiliar terms for the students. the benefits of students’ reading preferences at this point the researcher discussed the results that refer to the second question in the research problem about the benefits of reading by students' preference for their reading comprehension. the results found are described as follows: students are able to comprehend the reading easily when the students were asked how they read with their preferences, 22 students answered that they understood the contents of the reading more easily when they read with their chosen preferences. it could be seen that more than half of the respondents answered that they would be able to quickly understand the content of reading while reading with their own preferences. the researcher asked students' opinions about whether reading with their preference of materials makes them comprehend the contents better. student a asserts that "i can understand the content well and get to know new vocabulary and knowledge according to the type of reading that i like. it also makes me want to read more and want to explore another book.” having a particular book or reading based on one's interest means that there is an intention or desire to read. it makes the student focus on knowing the overall contents of the reading. also, the students can enjoy the whole reading process and have better comprehension as well. the students become more excited to read another benefit is that they become excited more to read. it will foster their motivation and enthusiasm in reading. in the interview section, student b says that “for me, it is important to choose a reading that not makes me bored. a reading that we are interested in makes us feel passionate about reading and enjoying the whole text." it makes the students want to read more and want to explore another book. when someone has started to read more, they will be more familiar with vocabulary from each reading. therefore, reading with students' preferences could be a wise alternative because the students usually feel bored with previous reading material that is too monotonous. this problem can gradually weaken their motivation to read so that they will find it harder to understand the content of reading in the future. students have broader knowledge continuing the results of the questions raised in the interview, student c mentions that “in my opinion, reading with our own preferences means that we are free to choose the topics and themes we want, which will broaden our knowledge and insights about many diverse things.” giving students the freedom to choose reading according to their preferences will increase their knowledge and help them obtain more diverse information. moreover, the more they read different readings, the more vocabulary they learn. it will be very beneficial for students to develop their reading skills further. students are able to get attached and focused to the reading when the students were asked how they grew the bond between themselves and reading, student d answered that "i feel passionate and excited to read a book that i favored. it makes me more confident and gets hooked into the text so that the text's sense can be inferred. besides, i also able to read it with pleasure, more relaxed, and enjoy the reading process itself." all the details of the above results show how readings with our own preferences provide a great deal of help and advantages in interpreting the reading material. students claim that reading with the text they prefer will make it easier to understand the content and enjoy the entire reading process. this research intends to find out the reading materials preferred by the students and the benefits of reading by students' preference for their reading comprehension. the first findings from the questionnaire reveal that novels are the most favored reading material by students. related to that, they also preferred the genre of fiction, which they think are more exciting and entertaining. it is in line with arias (2007), who states that learning using literacy such as novels can provide edutainment for students that is able to motivate them to read more. the interview outcome also shows similar results where novels are chosen as fond reading materials for students. the alignment of answers between the questionnaire and the interview can be seen here as students like novels as reading material. the data can be ascertained the validity english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 327 of seeing how the students’ responses are very consistent. the findings indicate that students are more motivated and enthusiastic about reading material. furthermore, based on arias (2007), reading literary materials fosters the development of language for students and is supposed to be a channel for learning about other cultures. using novels or fictions as reading materials may help readers in many ways. tsai (2012) claims that when students read fiction or other similar types, they can learn about different environments or times, enhance their imagination, gain insight into human existence, pursue their particular hobbies or desires, and act as a way out of unpleasant realities. the second findings show what benefits are obtained by reading using our own preference. it turns out to be interesting findings where they can easily understand the content, capture the meaning, interpret the entire reading content well, and enjoy the reading process itself even more. as gilakjani (2017) states, comprehension is a very significant skill because understanding what we read, all kinds of topics, information, knowledge, and messages from the text will reach us well. reading will be a useless activity if we do not understand the information contained therein, cannot capture the knowledge that we will later apply to our real life. furthermore, zare and othman (2013) postulate comprehension as acquiring and creating written texts in context. it includes active techniques that contribute to understanding. the purpose of reading itself is to find the information contained therein, creating new meanings that can be applied to our real lives. therefore, the readers need to draw conclusions and interpret the new meaning of a reading so they can be categorized as good readers. from the findings presented, it can be seen that students are able to enjoy and concentrate more on the whole reading phase if it focuses on their preferences. related to the statement of arias (2007), who mentions that students' preferences in reading determine their interests and motivations, it will have an impact on their ability to interpret the content of the reading. reading by their preferences plays such an essential role in increasing students' reading comprehension. their interest in such reading materials boosts their enthusiasm to read, build their confidence, and make them more attached to the reading to build a good focus in the reading process. conclusion overall, students have expressed their opinions and preferences in reading. it can be captured that they like fictional reading material in which the majority of them chose novels. they enjoyed the light and pleasant reading which minimizes their level of boredom and increases their motivation. reading novels as material unconsciously helps students be more sensitive to their surroundings, more creative and more imaginative. furthermore, the students claim that reading by their preferences allows them to easily construct the meaning of the contents and enjoy the whole process of reading. so, when students can grasp the information, they have become successful in reading. there are some obstacles and difficulties faced by the students in reading. the students are given difficult readings, and they are concerned about what if they cannot catch the meaning or understand the content of the written text. the students mentioned interesting readings are strongly anticipated in the future. students preferred light readings about daily life, hobbies, novels, or reading with pictures, and dialogues. this study focused only on students' reading preferences and its benefits to their comprehension skills. there will be the possibility of other answers as one's choices might change over time in the future. from this study, novel is most preferred reading material by the students, but no one knows what they will choose and like for the next few years to come. references aharony, n., & bar-ilan, j. (2018). students’ academic reading preferences: an exploratory study.” journal of librarianship and information science 50(1), p.3–13. alshammari, m. m. (2015). new developments in teaching reading comprehension skills to efl learners. international journal of english language teaching, 3(1), p.1–10. arias, i. j. (2007). selecting reading materials wisely. letras, 41, p.131–151. arthi, m., & srinivasan, r. (2018). influence of reading comprehension strategies on english language teaching at the tertiary level. bodhi international journal of research in humanities, arts and science, 2(3), p.2–4. aydın, g., & bağcı, a. b. (2018). reading preferences of middle school students. world journal of education, 8(2), 127. https://doi.org/10.5430/wje.v8n2p127 blau, h., & baker, w. d. (2006). reading skills. the english journal, 49(9), p.657. https://doi.org/10.2307/810505 rahmawati khadijah maro, rosalin ismayoeng gusdian, & berliana febrianti safitri investigating english language education students’ reading preferences 328 bouchamma, y., poulin, v., basque, m., & ruel, c. (2013). impact of students’ reading preferences on reading achievement. creative education, 04(08), p.484–491. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2013.48070 celik, b. (2017). effects of extensive reading on learners: how it develops certain points in vocabulary and sentence structure. international journal of english linguistics, 8(2), 73. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v8n2p73 erfanpour, m. a. (2013). the effect of intensive and extensive reading strategies on reading comprehension: a case of iranian high school students. 14(41). eutsler, l., & trotter, j. (2020). print or ipad? young children’s text type shared reading preference and behaviors in comparison to parent predictions and at-home practices. literacy research and instruction, (00), p.1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388071.2020.1777229. gilakjani, a. p. (2017). how can students improve their reading comprehension skill ? https://doi.org/10.5296/jse.v6i2.9201. hussain, i., & munshi, p. (2011). identifying reading preferences of secondary school students. creative education, 02(05), p.429–434. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2011.25062. jacobs, g. m. (2014). selecting extensive reading materials. beyond words, 2(1), p.112–127. lestari, w. a. (2018). the difference between male and female students’ preference on types of reading text at university of muhammadiyah malang. malang: umm shonfeld, m. & meishar-tal, h. (2016). writing and reading preferences for student learning in a paperless classroom. in g. chamblee & l. langub (eds.). proceedings of society for information technology & teacher education international conference (p. 787-792). savannah, ga, united states: association for the advancement of computing in education (aace). retrieved july 9, 2020 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/171 772/. tsai, c. h. (2012). students’ perceptions of using a novel as main material in the efl reading course. english language teaching, 5(8), p.103–112. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v5n8p103 tuğrul, m. c. (2015). combining extensive and intensive reading to reinforce language learning. journal of educational and instructional studies inthe world, 5(4), p.85–90. retrieved from http://www.wjeis.org/fileupload/ds217232/file/ 09a.mart.pdf zare, p., & othman, m. (2013). the relationship between reading comprehension and reading strategy use among malaysian esl learners. 3(13), p.187–193. http://eprints.umm.ac.id/38803/ http://eprints.umm.ac.id/38803/ http://eprints.umm.ac.id/38803/ http://eprints.umm.ac.id/38803/ https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/171772/ https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/171772/ english student perception about the effectiveness of online tutor learning in distance education english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1 english graduate student’s perception about the effectiveness of online learning tutor in distance education fauzy rahman kosasih english education department of universitas terbuka, tangerang selatan, indonesia email: fauzyrahman@ecampus.ut.ac.id juhana english education department of universitas terbuka, tangerang selatan, indonesia email: juhana@ecampus.ut.ac.id zulmi ramdani department of psychology, faculty of psychology, uin sunan gunung djati bandung, bandung, indonesia email: zulmiramdani@uinsgd.ac.id lidwina felisima tae faculty of educational sciences, universitas of timor, nusa tenggara timur, indonesia email: lidwinafelisima@unimor.ac.id apa citation: kosasih, f. r., juhana., ramdani, z., & tae, l. f. (2023). english graduate student’s perception about the effectiveness of online learning tutor in distance education. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.5531 received: 28-08-2022 accepted: 23-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction distance learning is a lively issue and gets a lot of focus in carrying out the learning process, especially in a situation that full of uncertainty like what we experience today. the existence of distance learning has become the right choice, especially if the individuals and organizations that will organize the learning have limited time and certain distance (mishra et al., 2020). as done by many schools, universities and institutions in today's era, distance learning can become the best choice to access the education quickly and easily (budiastra et al., 2020; churiyah et al., 2020; lee et al., 2019). the distance learning model has been introduced for a long time, one of which is carried out by universitas terbuka. as a campus that uses a distance learning scheme, universitas terbuka has a curriculum structure, learning methods, learning media, and the interaction process that are carried out through online platforms (charina et al., 2022; prasojo et al., 2019; rosyadi, 2018). among the highlights of the campus is the term tutor who is identified as an educator and the person who will abstract: one of the successes of a learning program is obtained by the various feedbacks during the evaluation process, including when the program is implemented in the form of distance learning. the purpose of this study was to examine the perception of graduate students in english education department about the effectiveness of distance learning carried out by the tutors during the learning process. descriptive quantitative method was used in this study to answer the objectives of this study. a total of 21 students of master's degree in english education department were involved in this study by selecting the respondents using the purposive sampling technique. the researchers used the measurement with reference to kirkpatrick's model which explains the effectiveness of online learning through the aspects of reaction, learning, behavior and results. the result has shown that the majority of respondents were satisfied with the learning process provided by the tutor as seen from the satisfaction score that reached more than 75% for each aspect. meanwhile, other results also showed that the four aspects which were the manifestation of the effectiveness of a tutor's learning have a strong and significant relationship in supporting the performance of a tutor. this study emphasized the importance of elaboration of every aspect that must be possessed by the tutors in carrying out online learning. keywords: distance education; english graduate student; online learning tutor; student’s perception. fauzy rahman kosasih, juhana, zulmi ramdani, & lidwina felisima tae english graduate student’s perception about the effectiveness of online learning tutor in distance education 2 provide the teaching process in a distance mode. this is what distinguishes it from learning in general which can be done face-to-face (foo et al., 2021). although this distance learning scheme has developed rapidly and many educational institutions are also using it, the limited information regarding the optimization and success of this distance learning program is one of the problems that still occur (alyoussef, 2023; lytras et al., 2022). in fact, if distance learning is effectively carried out, it will make it easier and reduce the cost of the implementation when it is done face-to-face. the success of a distance learning program will depend on many things. it starts from the purpose of planning a program, the availability of human resources in it, the connectivity between the program and the activities provided, and the existence of a structured and consistent program evaluation (abuhammad, 2020; suárez et al., 2021). the existence of an evaluation in a distance learning program is essential to obtain the information about whether or not a program is being held, including a specific evaluation of the human resources who run the program. evaluation is basically a structured form to obtain the information about the sustainability of a program and to conclude that a program is good or not for the institutions and individuals in it (dijk & schodl, 2015; martinez et al., 2016). evaluation is an imperative part in a distance learning activity, because with this evaluation, the organization is able to predict things that are considered to be improved to get better productivity or goals. various evaluations can be manifested in various activities and methods, so that the information obtained about the object of evaluation will be more comprehensive (ramdani et al., 2019). nowadays, many evaluations of distance learning programs are considered ineffective and assumed to be just a formality, even though essentially this evaluation activity can be very useful to get better results. this happens because there is an assumption that evaluation only costs a lot of money and the results are sometimes inaccurate. the inaccuracies in choosing the method, target object, and timing of the evaluation are considered to be a large part that makes the evaluation not optimal (luo et al., 2021; saidi et al., 2021; vinogradova & kliukas, 2015). in addition, it is the existence of the evaluation subject who is prone to subjective assessment which also adds to a bad impression in evaluating a program (saidi et al., 2021; vinogradova & kliukas, 2015). one of the schemes that may be carried out by the institutions in evaluating the distance learning, is usually carried out to evaluate an educator or tutor. tutor himself as presented in the previous explanation is a term that is commonly used to define an educator in an online mode (fandiño & velandia, 2020). basically, they have the educational background and experience that are qualified to provide the teaching process. what distinguishes it may be from the status and formal identity that they do not have as in universities in general. the situation that occurs in a tutor then makes them more flexible to carry out the learning process according to what they want, even though there are rules that regulate these activities (rosyadi, 2018). this is also one of the causes of the non-optimal evaluation carried out by the tutor (fandiño & velandia, 2020; gould et al., 2014; kang et al., 2021). the evaluation process carried out for the tutors usually only focuses on student perceptions in general, but it is still rare to use an assessment model with a focus on important psychological aspects in the distance learning process itself. in fact, when referring to the learning evaluation model introduced by the kirkpatrick model (farjad, 2012; kirkpatrick & kayser-kirkpatrick, 2014; sakthi & moshi, 2021), it is clear that to get optimization of the distance learning process includes various aspects including (1) reaction, which is a response that shows the level of individual satisfaction with the tutor so that they can feel the benefits of the tutor's presence; (2) learning, which is a form of individual assessment of the learning process in increasing the capacity of existing knowledge and skills; (3) behavior, is a form of real behavior that can be learned by individuals in the learning process and get comprehensive feedback, and (4) result, namely the level of achievement of the learning process that is generated and supports all existing processes. many previous research has focused on the development of model evaluation in the distance learning process. several similar studies have explained the major obstacles and challenges that will be faced in the distance learning (harrison, 2020; johnson & cooke, 2016; martin & bolliger, 2018). in indonesia itself, the online learning evaluation model has been discussed by many researchers and the majority contained the qualitative descriptions of how online learning was carried out (abdullah, 2018; affandi et al., 2020; riyanto & yunani, 2020). meanwhile, the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 3 evaluation of online tutorials has also been carried out by ardiasih et al. (2018), but focused on the approach model used based on the student needs. however, research that focuses on direct evaluation of educators is not widely carried out, especially by using a comprehensive approach as described by kirkpatrick's model. the purpose of this study was to examine the perception of graduate students in english education department regarding the effectiveness of a tutor in providing the distance learning. method this study used a quantitative approach with a focus on descriptive quantitative design. this design was used to explain the descriptive data and then used it as supporting information for predetermined goals (ramdani et al., 2021; warsihna et al., 2021). this quantitative design is very useful for providing the initial information related to a topic, especially if the researcher does not have a lot of data and resources to explain a topic. but the researcher can objectively use a representative description to explain the initial situation of the phenomenon being raised. the subjects involved in this study were master students of english education department in universitas terbuka who were attending the distance lectures and were active as the students. the samples were selected using a purposive sampling technique, so that the respondents who filled in were those who fit the predetermined characteristics (kanya et al., 2021; ramdani et al., 2021). the selected sample will then be given an informed consent sheet containing their willingness to participate in this research activity consciously and without any coercion. meanwhile, the informed consent form itself has been validated by the research and community service institute of universitas terbuka. to answer the purpose of this study, the researcher used a research instrument in the form of a psychological questionnaire which was made using appropriate psychometric guidelines. the instrument made was based on a theoretical model of distance learning evaluation which was intended to see the effectiveness of a tutor in carrying out the learning process. the questionnaire was created using the theoretical foundation by kirkpatrick model which contains four aspects of distance learning (kirkpatrick & kayser-kirkpatrick, 2014). the four aspects are reaction, learning, behavior and results. the questionnaire was made using a likert scaling model consisting of 4 answer choices for each statement provided. the answer choices range from strongly disagree (1), disagree (2), agree (3), and strongly agree (4). each assessment aspect has a different number of items, including the reaction aspect as many as 12 items, the learning aspect as many as 3 items, the behavioral aspect as many as 6 items, and the results aspect as many as 4 items. thus, there are a total of 25 items used in this instrument. the instrument used in this study used an instrument that has been tested by in their research. based on the results of these trials, the psychometric properties of the instrument have met the quality of a good instrument. this was indicated by the validity value for each item reaching more than .3 and the resulting reliability coefficient was also above .7. after that, the researchers distributed the questionnaires directly to the subjects who were the target of filling out with a duration of 2 weeks for the data collection. data analysis was carried out by looking descriptively at the level of student satisfaction with the effectiveness of learning carried out by the tutors. the level of satisfaction was adjusted to the level of satisfaction above the average which indicates that if the results show a number above 75%, it means that the respondent is satisfied with the tutor's learning (kanya et al., 2021). meanwhile, correlational analysis using spss software was used to see the correlation and significance of the four aspects of learning carried out by the tutors, whether significant or not in supporting their learning performance. results and discussion the implementation of data collection resulted in as many as 21 subjects who successfully completed the questionnaire until it was complete. these 21 subjects are the master students in english education department in open university who are still active. for demographic data, the researchers present it in table 1. meanwhile, the results of the respondents' descriptive evaluation of the effectiveness of tutors in carrying out distance learning can be seen in table 2. table 1. respondent demographic data category total percentage gender man 3 14.3% woman 18 83.7% home address bandung 19 91.5% outside bandung 2 9.5% age 20 – 30 years old 3 14.3% 31 – 40 years old 15 71.5% fauzy rahman kosasih, juhana, zulmi ramdani, & lidwina felisima tae english graduate student’s perception about the effectiveness of online learning tutor in distance education 4 41 – 50 years old 2 9.5% 51 – 60 years old 1 4.7% occupation language teacher 21 100% based on table 1 regarding the data about research respondent, the majority of subjects in this study were dominated by female respondents. for the data on residence, most of them came from outside bandung, which reached more than 90 percent. meanwhile, the age of the subjects was dominated by the ages of 31-40 years which reached 15 people and the rest varied. for selfemployment, all subjects worked as english teachers. table 2. result of descriptive evaluation on tutor effectiveness aspect item average total average percentage reaction 1 3.76 3.51 87.75% 2 3.67 3 3.52 4 3.52 5 3.57 6 3.57 7 3.38 8 3.19 9 3.52 10 3.38 11 3.57 12 3.43 learning 13 3.24 3.25 81.25% 14 3.19 15 3.33 behavior 16 3.05 3.22 80.5% 17 3.19 18 3.24 19 31.4 20 3.33 21 3.38 result 22 3.33 3.39 84.75% 23 3.62 24 3.14 25 3.48 notes. the percentage results were obtained from the calculation of the total average value divided by the highest score on the scale, namely 4, then divided by 100%. the criterion is good if the percentage value is above 75%. the information in table 2 describes the description of the descriptive assessment given by the respondents to the existing tutors. it can be seen from table 2 that all the average values for the 25 items got the scores above 3 which means that interpretively the assessment given by respondents regarding the effectiveness of the tutors can be said to be good. then, if we make a percentage of the total average value for each aspect, the reaction aspect got the largest percentage, which was 87.75%, and the behavior aspect got the lowest percentage, which was 80.5/5. however, in general all aspects were considered to be good because everything was in over 75%. in table 3 below, the researchers present the correlation results from each aspect that will support the effectiveness of distance learning itself (see table 3). table 3. the correlation result of tutor effectiveness in distance learning aspect reacti on learnin g behavi our result reaction 1 .728** .717** .875** learning .728** 1 .737** .754** behaviour .717** .737** 1 .734** result .875** .754** .734** 1 notes: (the symbol ** represents a significant correlation at the 1% level) referring to the table 3 described above, the aspect of correlation results shown to the tutor resulted in significant scores and were at a satisfactory stage. the correlation value between the four aspects tested showed the scores above .3, with a significance of .01. this of course has illustrated that there was a positive and significant relationship between the four aspects tested. this study has provided the information that was quite clear in explaining the evaluation given by the participants, in this case the master students of english education department regarding the effectiveness of distance learning provided by the tutors. the researcher will in a structured way explain in advance the objectives to be explored in this study, which consist of two more specific objectives, namely explaining the description of the descriptive evaluation towards the quality of the tutors and further identifying the relationship between aspects in the assessment. the result has shown that the respondents felt that the existing tutors had provided good and effective teaching in the process. this can be seen from the high score of the assessment given to the tutors on the four aspects tested. the four aspects which included reaction, learning, behavior and results were considered good for the tutor. from the range of 0-100%, the percentage obtained in this study reached more than 75% for each aspect. these results certainly showed that the tutors had provided effective learning in these four aspects. when viewed from the explanation of each aspect, the reaction aspect was intended to see the satisfaction and interest in what has been shown by english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 5 the tutors. subjects considered that the tutors attracted enough attention in the learning process and what tutors did was able to attract and bind the students to be actively involved in various activities. in the learning aspect, the students also assumed that there was an increase in their knowledge and skills, one of which was due to the method and learning process carried out by the tutor. in terms of behavior, the result of tutor’s evaluation has shown that the behavior they showed and displayed was in accordance with what was learned with the tutor. as well as the last aspect, namely the results, in general, participants felt that the presence of a tutor could make them feel more satisfied and the final results that the students got were also according to their expectations. thus, the assessment form of the tutor was very good and has shown that the tutor played an active role in distance learning for students in this study. theoretically, the function and role of a tutor is of course being an educator as well as a partner for students to learn and discuss the challenging things (fandiño & velandia, 2020; gould et al., 2014). in the distance learning scheme itself, being a tutor is not easy and it requires mastery of the latest technology and media so as to be able to support the existing distance learning process. several previous studies also have assumed that the existence of a qualified tutor is able to provide an effective learning. in table 2 which has been explained previously, the reaction aspect got the highest score which was considered the best for the tutor. this reaction score was closely related to the level of care and creativity built by the existing tutor. this finding is also reinforced by the results of several previous studies which saw that personal aspects like this could be used as valuable capital in implementing the distance learning (johansen, 2023; obsuth et al., 2022; palali et al., 2018). as it is known that the existence of distance learning always limits a student's communication with a tutor to be more limited and less open, so a tutor who is able to be communicative, interactive, and passionate about learning is needed (fandiño & velandia, 2020; gould et al., 2014). meanwhile, other results which can also be seen in table 3 further strengthen the researchers’ findings that these four aspects tested play an important role in the quality of the learning provided. all aspects were positively and significantly correlated. this shows that when a tutor has a high level in one aspect, it will also increase other aspects. likewise, when one aspect is not optimal, the others will also not be optimal. as explained in the kirkpatrick model itself, which explains the four aspects as dimensions of continuity that will influence each other (dewi & kartowagiran, 2018; farjad, 2012; kirkpatrick & kayser-kirkpatrick, 2014; sakthi & moshi, 2021). in the first dimension, reaction and learning will be the two things that most determine how a tutor can be effective in providing learning. meanwhile, in third dimension, the behavior aspect will be a manifestation of the previous dimension and in the last dimension, the result, will show the quality of the process that has been passed. in general, the result of this research has provided quite comprehensive information about the existence of a tutor in distance learning. the effectiveness of learning carried out by the tutors is essentially determined by many things, although one of the dominant factors in distance learning is the mastery of media and technology. the result of this study has indicated that the personal aspect is also considered to have an influence on the sustainability of distance learning itself. this research is of course very limited to the number of subjects which was only 21 people. however, the involvement of a number of respondents could become the good information because it can be used by the institution as the evaluation material, meanwhile for the tutors themselves, it is necessary to improve their personal aspects, including abilities in reaction, learning, behavior and results. future research, of course, needs to involve more respondents by also looking more broadly at other non-personal factors such as relationships with students, organizational climate, and other technical factors. conclusion this study has shown that the effectiveness of a tutor in implementing distance learning depends on his/her personal aspects. respondents in this study assumed that the majority of existing tutors had carried out their roles effectively, judging by the assessment scores given by the respondents. acknowledgement the researchers thank the research and community service institute of the universitas terbuka for fully funding this study. we also thank all the respondents who have joined this study. references abdullah, w. (2018). model blended learning dalam meningkatkan efektifitas fauzy rahman kosasih, juhana, zulmi ramdani, & lidwina felisima tae english graduate student’s perception about the effectiveness of online learning tutor in distance education 6 pembelajaran. fikrotuna, 7(1), 855–866. https://doi.org/10.32806/jf.v7i1.3169 alyoussef, i. y. (2023). acceptance of e-learning in higher education: the role of tasktechnology fit with the information systems success model. heliyon, 9(3), e13751. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e137 51 abuhammad, s. (2020). barriers to distance learning during the covid-19 outbreak: a qualitative review from parents’ perspective. heliyon, 6(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e054 82 affandi, m. r., widyawati, m., & bhakti, y. b. (2020). analisis efektivitas media pembelajaran e-learning dalam meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa sma pada pelajaran fisika. jurnal pendidikan fisika, 8(2), 150-157. https://doi.org/10.24127/jpf.v8i2.2910 ardiasih, l. s., emzir, e., & rasyid, y. (2018). implementing constructivism approach in online writing course: learners need analysis. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 127-138. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1261 budiastra, a. a. k., warsihna, j., widiasih, & puspitasari, s. (2020). the development of science learning model for higher education of bachelor elementary school teacher education program in distance learning. advances in social sciences research journal, 7(5), 54–69. https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.75.8163 charina, a., kurnia, g., mulyana, a., & mizuno, k. (2022). sustainable education and open innovation for small industry sustainability post covid-19 pandemic in indonesia. journal of open innovation: technology, market, and complexity, 8(4), joitmc8040215. https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc8040215 churiyah, m., sholikhan, s., filianti, f., & sakdiyyah, d. a. (2020). indonesia education readiness conducting distance learning in covid-19 pandemic situation. international journal of multicultural and multireligious understanding, 7(6), 491– 507. https://doi.org/10.18415/ijmmu.v7i6.1833 dewi, l. r., & kartowagiran, b. (2018). an evaluation of internship program by using kirkpatrick evaluation model. reid (research and evaluation in education), 4(2), 155–163. dijk, d. van, & schodl, m. m. (2015). performance appraisal and evaluation. international encyclopedia of social & behavioral sciences, 17, 716–721. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-0970868.22034-5 escobar fandiño, f. g., & silva velandia, a. j. (2020). how an online tutor motivates elearning english. heliyon, 6(8), e04630. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e046 30 farjad, s. (2012). the evaluation effectiveness of training courses in university by kirkpatrick model (case study: islamshahr university). procedia social and behavioral sciences, 46, 2837–2841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.05.57 3 foo, c. c, cheung, b., & chu, k. m. (2021). a comparative study regarding distance learning and the conventional face-to-face approach conducted problem-based learning tutorial during the covid-19 pandemic. bmc medical education, 21(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-025751 gould, d., papadopoulos, i., & kelly, d. (2014). tutors’ opinions of suitability of online learning programmes in continuing professional development for midwives. nurse education today, 34(4), 613–618. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2013.06.006 harrison, t. (2020). how distance education students perceive the impact of teaching videos on their learning. open learning: the journal of open, distance and elearning, 35(3), 260–276. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2019.170 2518 johansen, k. (2023). challenges regarding digital distance learning of operationallyoriented professions, due to covid-19 pandemic. international journal of educational research open, 4, 100225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2023.10022 5 johnson, g. m., & cooke, a. (2016). selfregulation of learning and preference for written versus audio-recorded feedback by distance education students. distance education, 37(1), 107–120. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2015.108 1737 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 7 kang, k. i., lee, n., & joung, j. (2021). nursing students’ experience of online peer tutoring based on the grow model: a qualitative study. nurse education today, 107, 105131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2021.105131 kanya, n., fathoni, a. b., & ramdani, z. (2021). factors affecting teacher performance. international journal of evaluation and research in education (ijere), 10(4), 1462. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v10i4.21693 kirkpatrick, j., & kayser-kirkpatrick, w. (2014). the kirkpatrick for levels: a fresh look after 55 years. kirkpatrick partners. lee, k., choi, h., & cho, y. h. (2019). becoming a competent self: a developmental process of adult distance learning. internet and higher education, 41, 25–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2018.12.00 1 luo, y., geng, c., pei, x., chen, x., & zou, z. (2021). the evaluation of the distance learning combining webinars and virtual simulations for senior nursing students during the covid-19 period. clinical simulation in nursing, 57, 31–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.04.022 lytras, m. d., serban, a. c., ruiz, m. j. t., ntanos, s., & sarirete, a. (2022). translating knowledge into innovation capability: an exploratory study investigating the perceptions on distance learning in higher education during the covid-19 pandemic the case of mexico. journal of innovation & knowledge, 7(4), 100258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2022.100258 martin, f., & bolliger, d. u. (2018). engagement matters: student perceptions on the importance of engagement strategies in the online learning environment. online learning, 22(1), 205-222. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v22i1.1092 martinez, f., taut, s., & schaaf, k. (2016). evaluation classroom observation for evaluating and improving teaching: an international perspective. studies in educational evaluation, 49, 15–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2016.03.0 02 mishra, l., gupta, t., & shree, a. (2020). online teaching-learning in higher education during lockdown period of covid-19 pandemic. international journal of educational research open, 1, 100012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2020.10001 2 obsuth, i., brown, r. h., & armstrong, r. (2022). validation of a new scale evaluating the personal, interpersonal and contextual dimensions of growth through learning – the epic scale. studies in educational evaluation, 74, 101154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2022.1011 54 palali, a., van elk, r., bolhaar, j., & rud, i. (2018). are good researchers also good teachers? the relationship between research quality and teaching quality. economics of education review, 64, 40–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2018.0 3.011 prasojo, l. d., fatmasari, r., nurhayati, e., darmadji, a., kusumaningrum, f. a., & andriansyah, y. (2019). indonesian state educational universities’ bibliometric dataset. data in brief, 22, 30–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2018.11.128 ramdani, z., jaenudin, u., djamal, n. n., anggara, a., pertiwi, f., syamsiyah, i., luthfi, m., juliana, p., & wisda, t. (2021). the false memory and the effect of murottal al-qur’an. jurnal psikologi islami, 7(1), 1–9. ramdani, z., kembara, m. d., alhapip, l., amri, a., warsihna, j., & anas, z. (2021). teachers’ perception and readiness towards adaptive learning in the covid-19 pandemic: thematical content analysis study. alishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 13(2), 1383– 1393. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v13i2.915 ramdani, z., marliani, r., & rahman, a. a. (2019). the individual work performance scale: a psychometric study and its application for employee performance. humanities and social sciences reviews, 7(5), 405–414. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2019.7545 riyanto, a., & yunani, e. (2020). the effectiveness of video as a tutorial learning media in muhadhoroh subject. akademika, 9(02), 73–80. https://doi.org/10.34005/akademika.v9i02.1 088 rosyadi, s. (2018). revolusi industri 4.0 peluang dan tantangan bagi alumni universitas terbuka. universitas jenderal soedirman. saidi, r. m., sharip, a. a., abd rahim, n. z., zulkifli, z. a., & md zain, s. m. (2021). evaluating students’ preferences of open and distance learning (odl) tools. procedia fauzy rahman kosasih, juhana, zulmi ramdani, & lidwina felisima tae english graduate student’s perception about the effectiveness of online learning tutor in distance education 8 computer science, 179, 955–961. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2021.01.085 sakthi, t., & moshi, a. a. m. (2021). effectiveness measurement study on entrepreneurship awareness camp for technical education students using kirkpatrick’s model. materials today: proceedings, 45, 1609–1613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.08.419 suárez, j. l., garcía, s., & herrera, f. (2021). a tutorial on distance metric learning: mathematical foundations, algorithms, experimental analysis, prospects and challenges. neurocomputing, 425, 300–322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neucom.2020.08.0 17 vinogradova, i., & kliukas, r. (2015). methodology for evaluating the quality of distance learning courses in consecutive stages. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 191, 1583–1589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.36 4 warsihna, j., m anwas, e. o., anas, z., kosasih, f. r., ramdani, z., & amri, a. (2021). kesiapan guru dalam mengimplementasikan buku panduan pembelajaran pasca bencana. kwangsan: jurnal teknologi pendidikan, 9(2), 142-152. https://doi.org/10.31800/jtp.kw.v9n2.p142-152 the use of deixis persona of singular second pronouns in sidoarjo from the perspective of sociolinguistics’s dimensions isti’anatul hikmah sarjanawiyata tamansiswa university, yogyakarta, indonesia e-mail: ihikmah99@gmail.com apa citation: hikmah, i. (2017). the use of deixis persona of singular second pronouns in sidoarjo from the perspective of sociolinguistics’ dimensions. english review: journal of english education, 5(2), 283-292 received: 11-04-2017 accepted: 12-05-2017 published: 01-06-2017 abstract: the study analyzes the use of deixis persona of singular second pronouns in daily conversation in sidoarjo. this study applied a qualitative descriptive method. the theory of sociolinguistics’s dimension proposed by holems (1997) and deixis persona by yule (2006) are used in this study. as results, the study concludes two things; (1) there are six deixis persona of singular second pronouns that are usually used in sidoarjo society in their daily conversation, those are panjenengan, njenengan, sampeyan, peyan, awak mu, and koen; then there are three deixis persona of singular second pronouns that are seldom used by sidoarjo’s society, those are peno, ente, and koe; and (2) there are three sociolinguistics’s dimensions which influence the use of deixis persona of singular second pronouns namely solidarity, power, and situation. keywords: deixis persona, singular second pronouns, sociolinguistics’s dimensions, sidoarjo society introduction javanese as one of the biggest society in indonesia has complexity in its language used. javanese is uttered by people who were born as javanese. it is mostly used in java especially is east and central java. as stated by fergusson (2008, p. 1368), javanese, the first language of 45 percent of indonesian, is the principal language of central and eastern java. because of its huge use, each place which uses this language has its own characteristics. the differences of feature can be seen in east and central java. people seldom use krama inggil in east java. on the other hand, people in central java mostly use krama inggil. the other example can be found in east java. people who live in some cities in east java like bojonegoro, ngawi, madiun, nganjuk, kediri, and ponorogo tend to use ngoko alus. on opposing, people who live in lamongan, surabaya, gresik, sidoarjo, and malang lean to use ngoko. those diversities are similar to nadar’s statement. he stated that javanese has complicated levels and the use of the language relates to the speaker and hearer’s status, age, level, and relation (2009, p. 135136). those factors influence them in using javanese. although there are some varieties in javanese, it still has general characteristic which can be spotted in the level of language use. there are at least five level of language use, those are krama inggil, krama, madya, ngoko alus, and ngoko kasar. krama inggil is the highest level followed by krama, madya, ngoko alus, and ngoko kasar. krama inggil usually used by speaker or hearer who has low status to speaker or hearer who has high status. for example, a speaker has high status than b hearer, b hearer will automatically use krama inggil to a speaker. then, the use of krama is https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v5i2.542 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 283 mailto:ihikmah99@gmail.com almost similar to krama inggil. in addition, ngoko is used by speaker or hearer who has similar status and same age. for example, c speaker is a student and d hearer is also a student, both will use ngoko. the level of javanese which is used by javanese can be claimed as language style. based on linguistics analysis, the language style of javanese can be categorized into two; morphology and syntactic diversity (nadar, 2009, p. 136). morphology diversity is caused by the use of prefix and suffix in a word, whereas the syntactic diversity is caused by the use of another particle, personal pronoun, or preposition in utterances. one of syntactic diversity in a communication of javanese is the choice of deixis persona. yule (2006, p. 15) explained that deixis persona is divided into three including first, second, and third personal pronouns. the first personal pronouns refers to first person like ‘i’; second personal pronouns belongs to second person like ‘you’; third personal pronouns denotes to third person like ‘he, she, and it’. those three classification of deixis persona are also found in java. each area in java has different choice of it. mangga (2013, p. 221) said that every language has personal pronouns in its word. it means that different places or countries have different personal pronouns. this condition happens in java, for example, koen (you) is used as a second deixis persona in east java, but it is not used in central java. that diversity shows the variety of deixis persona in java. in addition, because there are many varieties of deixis persona in java, this study has some limitations. the first limitation is the diexis persona. it is limited into singular second pronouns. the second limitation is the place of observation. this study took place in sidoarjo, east java. those curbs must be done in order to get accurate result. the deixis persona in sidoarjo which is analyzed in this study is singular second pronoun. according to sidoarjo’s people, there are six singular second pronouns in sidoarjo. it involves panjenengan (you), njenengan (you), sampeyan (you), peyan (you), awakmu (you), and koen (you). they are used by the sidoarjo society in their daily communication and the use of those pronouns are influenced by some factors like status, age, situation, relationship, and others. the example of the use of singular second pronouns can be seen in a conversation described in table 1. table 1. example of sidoarjo society daily conversation using singular second pronoun general relationship close relationship a: piye kabare sampeyan? (how are you?) b: alhamdulillah apik. (alhamdulillah, fine) the speaker a has general relationship with hearer b, he uses deixis persona sampeyan to hearer b. c: koen gak sekolah ta? (don’t you go to school?) d: ora, aku lagi loro. (no, i am sick.) the speaker c has close relationship with hearer d, he uses deixis persona koen to hearer d. from the example, it can be seen that the degree of relationship between speaker and hearer influences the use of singular second pronouns by speaker. when they have general relationship, they will use ngoko alus like sampeyan; and when they have close relationship, they will use ngoko like koen. the level of relationship between speaker and hearer always persuades them isti’anatul hikmah the use of deixis persona of singular second pronouns in sidoarjo from the perspective of sociolinguistics’ dimensions 284 in choosing singular second pronouns. it is one of the parts of sociolinguistics’ dimensions. holmes (1997, p. 376) states that there are four dimensions of sociolinguistics, namely social distance/solidarity, status/power, formality, and function. distance or solidarity means the degree of relationship between speaker and hearer. then, the status or power means the authority of speaker or hearer in a society. it relates to their strength in society whether they have high or low status or power. next, formality means the situation. it relates to formal or informal situation which appears in conversation. moreover, function means meaning of the conversation between speaker and hearer. those factors persuade speaker or hearer in choosing singular second pronouns in a communication. therefore, the main objective of this study is to explain the use of second singular pronoun of deixis persona from the perspective of sociolinguistics’ dimensions. in other words, this study explains the use of second singular pronoun by the speaker and hearer as a representative of sidoarjo society’s culture. method qualitative descriptive method was used in this study. qualitative research is an umbrella term for a wide variety of approaches and methods for the study of natural social life (saldana, 2011, p. 03). the qualitative method in this study is divided into three techniques those are the data collecting, analyzing, and presenting. simak method is used to collect the data. mahsun (2005, p. 92) said that simak method is a collecting data by scrutinizing the oral and written of language use. specifically, the techniques of data collecting are simak bebas libat cakap, noting, interviewing, and recording. simak bebas libat cakap is a procedure which observes the language use by respondents (mahsun, 2005, p. 93). the second technique is noting which is used to note the written data in this study. it is done by noting some relevant forms for this study from the language use in a written manner (mahsun, 2005, p. 94). the third technique is interviewing. it is done to know the respondents’ reasons in using singular second pronouns. then, the last technique is recording. it is the continuous technique from interviewing. this technique is done by recording the interview section done with the respondents. the data of this study were collected by recording the sidoarjo society’s conversation and also by interviewing them. the data were taken from formal and informal situation which involves 10 women and 10 men as the respondents. the ages of the respondents were ranging 18 to 45 years old. further, padan method is used to analyze the data. sudaryanto (2015, p. 15) said that padan method is a method which uses extra lingual factors as determining tool. the data were transcribed first. after finishing the transcription of the data, the writer checked and analyzed it based on the theory used in this study. the data is presented using words, it includes the use of technical terminology (mahsun, 2005, p. 123). the results of collecting and analyzing the data are presented in detail based on the objectives of the study. results and discussion the discussion of this study will be divided into two main parts; (1) the variety of deixis persona of singular second pronouns in sidoarjo; and (2) the use of deixis persona of singular second pronouns from the perspective of sociolinguistics’ dimensions. the variety of second deixis persona in sidoarjo as stated above, the number of deixis persona of singular second pronouns english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 285 in sidoarjo is six. the number of those singular second pronouns was acquired by interviewing sidoarjo’s people because there is no printed literature which mentions about it. the data can be clearly seen in table 2. table 2. the list of deixis persona of second singular pronouns no deixis persona of second singular pronouns meaning 1. panjenengan y o u 2. njenengan 3. sampeyan 4. peyan 5. awakmu 6. koen the six second singular pronouns in sidoarjo above is arranged based on the highest level. the first is panjenengan, the second is njenengan, the third is sampeyan, the fourth is peyan, the fifth is awakmu, and the last is koen. those six singular second pronouns is used by sidoarjo society differently in daily communication. each of them is explained clearly below. a. panjenengan panjenengan is placed in the highest level of singular second pronouns used by sidoarjo society. it is seldom used by them because four main factors. first, in their daily communication, they almost use ngoko alus or ngoko kasar. the first factor relates to their habit of speaking with other people. second, some sidoarjo’s people do not know about this term, so this term is generally known by educated people who got javanese education in their school. third, they prefer to use njenengan than panjenengan. it is caused by the easy of the utterance. some people said that panjenegan is difficult to pronounce than njenengan. fourth, this term is only utilized to people who are honored and have highest position like kyai (a leader of moslem). the use of panjenengan in sidoarjo’s society is infrequently. although it is rarely used, they ever apply it. the society use panjenengan when they talk with someone who is respected, someone who has higher status, and someone who has older age. this situation can be seen in the following conversation. conversation 1. the conversation between female santri and kyai the first conversation happened in kyai’s house. the participants of conversation were santri as speaker and kyai as hearer. the kyai was older than santri. the situation of the conversation was formal. the speaker and hearer had close relationship. the topic of the conversation was about the invitation to the wedding party. santri : kulo mriki bade ngaturaken undangan walimah. menawi panjenengan wonten waktu, kulo aturi dateng griyane kula. (i come here to give a wedding invitation. if you have free time, please come to my house.) kyai : insyaallah tak usahakno yo nduk. (insyaallah i will try to come to your house.) as described in conversation 1, speaker used second singular pronoun panjenengan. it was used to replace kyai’s surname. speaker used it because of the higher status of kyai. in addition, it was used by her to show her respect to kyai although they have close relationship. their close relationship did not influence speaker to use other second singular pronoun. it happened isti’anatul hikmah the use of deixis persona of singular second pronouns in sidoarjo from the perspective of sociolinguistics’ dimensions 286 because santri had less power than kyai. the less power means that santri did not have enough knowledge than her kyai. therefore, she used panjenengan to address him. b. njenengan njenengan is ranked in the second level of singular second pronouns used by sidoarjo’s society. it is used by them in some moments. first, when speaker or hearer has high position, when speaker or hearer is older, when speaker and hearer have general relationship, and when they are in formal situation. njenengan is usually used by people in formal situation like people who are attending seminar, people in work area for example staffs to their boss, and others. njenengan is also employed by children towards their parents, but this condition is also rare. they will prefer singular second pronouns peyan than njenengan. it happens because of their custom. only a few family members who uses it when they speak to their parents. they who choose njenengan are people who have high education and have high status. the use of njenengan in daily conversation can be seen below. conversation 2. the conversation between teacher and headmaster the second conversation happened in school and in formal situation. the participants of the conversation were teacher as speaker and headmaster as hearer. the headmaster is a man and the teacher is a woman. then the headmaster is older than the teacher. the speaker and hearer had general relationship. the speaker reported to the headmaster about the meeting preparation. teacher : bu, rapate sampun siap sedanten. lek wonten sing kurang, njenengan saget langsung sanjang ten kulo. (mrs., the meeting is ready. if there is a thing that you do not agree, you can say to me.) headmaster : ok. as stated in conversation 2, speaker used second singular pronoun njenengan. it was used to replace headmaster’s surname. speaker used it because of the status of the hearer that was as a headmaster. the use of njenengan by speaker was applied to show her respect to her leader. it happened because the teacher had less power than the headmaster. the less power means that the position of teacher is lower than the headmaster. in other words, it relates to the position of their job. the one who has higher position must be respected by them who has lower position. c. sampeyan sampeyan is classed in the third level of singular second pronouns used by sidoarjo society. it is classified as ngoko alus. it is used by the speaker who has general relationship; and in formal or informal situation. the general relationship means that two people know each other but they do not close enough or two strangers who meet in some place at the first time. for example, when e speaker meets f speaker at the first time in bus station, they will use this term. the use of sampeyan shows admiration which means they appreciate us as human. they will not use peyan, awakmu, or koen because they do not have closeness. if they use those three singular second pronouns, it will sound rude and it may cause face threatening act. as a result, it shows polite manner of sidoarjo society towards other people especially new people or people who do not close to them. the example of the use of sampeyan can be seen below. conversation 3. the conversation among housewife the third conversation happened in front of their house and in informal english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 287 situation. the participants of conversation were housewife a as speaker and housewife b as hearer. their ages are similar. the speaker and hearer had general relationship. the topic of conversation is about hearer’s lateness in coming home. speaker : bu, sampeyan teko endi? jam sak mene kok gek muleh? (mrs, where have you been? why you come home at this time?) hearer : iki lo mau iku dalanan macet, ono demo nak bungurasih, mulakno aku gek muleh. (there is a traffic jam everywhere, there is a demo in bungurasih, that’s why i come late.) as shown in conversation 3, speaker used second singular pronoun sampeyan. it was used to replace hearer’s surname. speaker used it because they had general relationship. in other words, their connection was not too close. they only knew each other in general. sampeyan is used to esteem hearer and this conversation is only greeting conversation between neighbors, so this is only simple conversation. d. peyan peyan is categorized in the fourth level of singular second pronouns used by sidoarjo society. it can be classified as ngoko alus. word peyan comes from sampeyan. it is called abbreviation. some javanese including sidoarjo society use word peyan because of easy to utter. when speaker speaks sampeyan, it needs few second than utter peyan, so some javanese tend to use peyan. peyan is used by the speaker who has close relationship to hearer and the conversation happens in formal or informal situation. the close relationship here refers to relationship between parents and children, husband and wife, and men and women. most of children in sidoarjo use peyan to address their parents. although it is ngoko alus, it does not create problem because they always use it in their daily activities. most of parents also use it to call their children. they prefer to use it than use awakmu or koen. this term is always uttered by parents and children so it becomes habit for them. as a result, this term does not sound rude. in addition, peyan is also use to name wife or husband. as a married couple, they must use it in order to show respect and love to each other. moreover, this term is also used by men and women who have special relationship. they will use peyan to address their duo. it aims to prove that the men or women are different from their general friends. in other words, when someone uses peyan to call their friend, they may have special relationship. the example of the use of peyan can be seen below. conversation 4. the conversation among close friend the fourth conversation happened in the mini store and the situation is informal. the speaker is a man and the hearer is a woman. both have special relationship. the topic of conversation is informing hearer that speaker went to her house. speaker : aku mau teko omahe pean, tapi pean lagi metu. (i visited your house, but you were outside). hearer : iyo ta? aku mau ijek nang kantor. (are you sure? i was still at office.) speaker : iyo, aku ape nyileh novel ‘the joy luck club’. (yes, i want to borrow ‘the joy luck club’ novel.) hearer : ayo saiki nang omah ku. (let’s go to my house now!) as stated in conversation 4, speaker used second singular pronoun peyan. it was isti’anatul hikmah the use of deixis persona of singular second pronouns in sidoarjo from the perspective of sociolinguistics’ dimensions 288 used to replace hearer’s surname. speaker used it because they had close relationship. peyan used by sidoarjo society to people who have close relationship. when they used peyan instead of sampeyan, it can be said that the speaker and hearer have close relationship. in other words, it uses to someone who are special like from boyfriend to girlfriend or vice versa. e. awakmu awakmu is leveled in the fifth level of singular second pronouns used by sidoarjo society. it is classified as ngoko. many people use awakmu to address their listener. awakmu tend be used by woman. they will use it to call their friends who have close relationship with them, have similar age, and have similar status. in addition, there is additional situation when women use this term. the situation is when speaker is older than the hearer. for example, when an older woman speaks to a younger hearer, she may use this term. sometime men also use this term, but it is usually used by them to address listeners who have general relationship and have older age. this term is used in informal situation. the example of the use of awakmu can be seen below. conversation 5. the conversation among close friend the fifth conversation happened in speaker’s house and the situation is informal. the speaker and hearer are women. both have close relationship. the topic of conversation is asking about hearer’s drive license. speaker : awakmu sido njupuk sim a ta? sopo sing ngeterno nang kantor polisi? (have you already take sim a? who will accompany you to the police station?) hearer : iyo, mene aku nang kantor polisi. aku mrono karo x. (yes, tomorrow i will go to police station. i’ll go there with x.) as expressed in conversation 5, speaker used second singular pronoun awakmu. it was used to replace hearer’s surname. speaker used it because they had close relationship. it also influenced by their situation. they were talking in informal situation with daily conversation topic. f. koen koen is positioned in the sixth level of singular second pronouns used by sidoarjo society. it is classified as ngoko. most people in sidoarjo use koen to address their listener. koen in sidoarjo is used by men and women in their daily conversation. people utter it everywhere. this term is the most popular in sidoarjo because many people use it to speak with their listener. in central java, this term may sound rude, but in sidoarjo it does not rude. it is caused by their habit. once more habit plays significance role in the use of singular second pronouns. this term is used among close friend especially men to men. when men use this term, the different age does not become problem. women also use it, but they usually use it to address their men friends. women who use this term must be older than the men hearer. then this term is used in informal situation. the example of the use of koen can be seen below. conversation 6. the conversation among friend the sixth conversation happened in speaker’s house and the situation is informal. the speaker and hearer are men. the speaker is younger than the hearer. both have close relationship. the topic of conversation is about waiting speaker’s mother. speaker : koen budalo disik, aku isek nunggu ibu teko pasar. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 289 (you go first, i’m still waiting for my mother from traditional market.) hearer : tak tunggu gak po po. (that’s ok, i’ll wait for you.) as stated in conversation 6, speaker used second singular pronoun koen. it was used to replace hearer’s surname. the speaker and hearer had general relationship. it was used because they were in informal situation and they are men. g. the other forms of deixis persona of singular second pronouns in sidoarjo there are some other forms of deixis persona which are found in sidoarjo, but they are rarely used or they are only usef by some people who come from outside sidoarjo, those are peno, ente, and koe. peno is rarely used by people in sidoarjo because they usually use pean instead of peno. actually, the meaning of peno is similar to pean, but they prefer pean because of their custom. kramsch (2009, p. 4) said that culture refers to what has been grown and groomed. in other word, it can be said that the deixis persona in sidoarjo is influenced by their their culture. afterwards, in sidoarjo society, peno is used when speaker and hearer are making joke. ente is used by people of arabic race who live in sidoarjo. it is used by them when they communicate with their circle or with other races in the daily communication. ente is a second singular pronoun which is taken from arabic language that is anta. anta becomes ente because of the influence of betawi’s language. as a result, the word anta which means you becomes ente which also means you. the last is koe. it is used by people who are from outside sidoarjo. they usually come from central java or yogyakarta. the outsider use it because they are influenced by their original culture. it means that they still use their original way in talking with other people. basically, koe can be classified as ngoko; it is usually used by speaker and hearer who have similar age and status, and also have close relationship. the deixis persona of singular second pronouns from the perspective of sociolinguistics’s dimension the deixis persona of singular second pronouns which is used in sidoarjo is influenced by sociolinguistics’ dimension consisting of social distance or solidarity, status or power, formality, and function (holmes, 1997, p. 377). the social distance or solidarity emphasizes on how well you know someone. this dimension affects the way the speaker or hearer chooses it. the status or power refers to high and low status between speaker and hearer. the formality relates to formal and informal situation of communication. while, the function conveys referential and affective function scales. each of them is explained clearly below. a. social distance or solidarity social distance or solidarity in this study is classified into two; close and general. close social distance or solidarity denotes the close relationship between speaker and hearer. while general social distance or solidarity identifies that speaker and hearer have general relationship. when speaker and hearer have close relationship or when they know each other well, they use second singular pronouns awakmu and koen. the use of them is influenced by several factors. first, awakmu and koen are used by speaker and hearer in a communication which happens in informal situation. when the speaker and hearer are in formal situation, they will try to use other second singular pronoun. second is age. when speaker is older than hearer or vice versa, speaker or hearer will not use awakmu or koen. they will choose other second singular pronouns like sampeyan or peyan. this situation shows that age becomes important factor in using the isti’anatul hikmah the use of deixis persona of singular second pronouns in sidoarjo from the perspective of sociolinguistics’ dimensions 290 second singular pronouns. third is sex. when speaker and hearer have different sex, those deixis are rarely used by them because it sounds rude. for example, if men speak to women, they will choose other deixis of persona like pean. in addition, awakmu and koen are used by them when they have close relationship, have similar age, and have same sex. in addition, there are other second singular pronouns which are usually used by speaker and hearer who have close relationship. they are panjenengan, njenengan, and sampeyan. those three second singular pronouns are used by them because of age which means that the age of speaker or hearer is older. although speaker and hearer have close relationship, they will choose one of them. this condition can be seen in conversation 2. in contrast, the second singular pronouns used when speaker and hearer have general relationship are panjenengan, njenengan or sampeyan. they are used to show their respect since they do not know each other well. those pronouns have different level. the first high level is panjenengan, the second is njenengan, and the third is sampeyan. consequently, the use of them does not only show the level of solidarity but also the height status of speaker and hearer. b. status or power status or power in this study is classified into two, involving low and high status. low status/power means that speaker has low status than hearer or vice versa. while, high status or power identifies that speaker has high status than hearer or vice versa. status or power here contains many aspects like wealthy, knowledge, work position, and others. when speaker has low status than hearer or vice versa, he or she will use panjenengan and njenengan. in daily communication, panjenengan is rarely used by them. it is only utilized in special occasion, for example when they meet special person like leader of religion and government. the use of panjenengan is affected by other factors like relationship that is close or general, and formal or informal situation. on the contrary, njenengan is used in daily communication when ones speak to general person who has high status like headmaster and teacher. besides, it is also persuaded by other factors such as general relationship and formal or informal situation. when speaker or hearer has high status, they will use sampeyan, pean, awakmu, and koen. in other word, when those second singular pronouns are used by them, it may show that speaker has high status than hearer or vice versa. c. formality formality relates to formal and informal situation. when speaker and hearer are in formal situation, they will use panjenengan, njenengan, peyan and sampeyan. those four second singular pronouns are chosen for formal situation and the use of them are influenced by some factors like status or power, age, and solidarity. the use of them is already explained in point a (solidarity) and b (status or power). in addition, when speaker and hearer are in informal situation, they will use njenengan, sampeyan, peyan, awak mu, and koen. the five second singular pronouns are used in informal situation because of some factors, like status or power, age, and solidarity. d. function the function contains referential and affective function scales. it relates to the content of information and affectiveness of utterance. this situation associates to highlow information content and low-high affective content. moreover, the dimension of function cannot be explained here since it refers to the content while the focus of this english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 291 study is on the use of deixis persona in daily communication. conclusion based on the explanation above, there are six deixis persona of singular second pronouns found, namely panjenengan, njenengan, sampeyan, peyan, awak mu, and koen. those six deixis persona of singular second pronouns are used in sidoarjo’s society in daily communication. in addition, there are three additional deixis persona of singular second pronouns which are used by people in sidoarjo, those are peno, ente, and koe. those three are seldom used by original people of sidoarjo. when sidoarjo’s society chooses deixis persona in a communication, there are three sociolinguistics’s dimensions which influence it, namely solidarity, power, and situation. when the speaker and hearer have close relationship, they will use pean, awakmu and koen; when they have general relationship, they will use panjenengan, njenengan, and sampeyan. then, if the speaker has low status than the hearer, he or she will use panjenengan and njenengan; in contrast, when the speaker has high status than the hearer, he or she will use sampeyan, peyan, awak mu, and koen. next, when a speaker and a hearer in a formal situation, they will use panjenengan, njenengan, and sampeyan; whereas when they are in informal situation, they will use njenengan, sampeyan, peyan, awak mu, and koen. references holmes, j. (1997). an introduction to sociolinguistics. new york: longman. kramsch, c. (2009). language and culture. oxford: oxford university press. mahsun. (2005). metode penelitian bahasa: tahapan strategi, metode, dan tekniknya. jakarta: pt. raja grafindo persada. mangga, s. (2013). telaah pronomina diri orang kedua tunggal dalam bahasa jepang perspektif linguistik antropologi in celah bahasa kumpulan analisis linguistik (221-229). yogyakarta: green publishing. nadar, f. x. (2006). pragmatik dan penelitian pragmatik. yogyakarta: graha ilmu. saldana, j. (2011). fundamentals of qualitative research-understanding qualitative research. new york: oxford university press. sudaryanto. (2015). metode dan aneka teknik analisis bahasa. yogyakarta: sanata dharma university press. yule, g. (2006). pragmatik. yogyakarta: pustaka pelajar. isti’anatul hikmah the use of deixis persona of singular second pronouns in sidoarjo from the perspective of sociolinguistics’ dimensions 292 hamid ashraf & maryam salami web-based language club affecting efl learners’ proficiency 216 web-based language club affecting efl learners’ proficiency: a case of iranian learners hamid ashraf english department, torbat-e heydarieh branch, islamic azad university, torbat-e heydarieh, iran emails: h.ashraf@iautorbat.ac.ir; hamid.ashraf.elt@gmail.com maryam salami department of library and information science, payame noor university, iran e-mail : salamilib@yahoo.com apa citation: ashraf, h. & salami, m. (2014). web-based language club affecting efl learners’ proficiency: a case of iranian learners, english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 216-229 received: 11-04-2013 accepted: 30-04-2013 published: 01-06-2013 abstract: language clubs have been reported to be effective in learning languages, increasing motivation and independence (gao, 2009). the present study was an attempt to investigate the effect of a web-based language club on the language proficiency of iranian efl learners. a number of pre-intermediate learners form two universities (118) were selected among 154 through a test of proficiency (toefl pbl), then they were put into experimental and control groups. the participants in experimental group got on line and acted as a member of a virtual language club for a period of 6 months. they got involved with activities like emailing, chatting, and weblogging. data were collected through toefl pbl. the analyzed data from the test of proficiency indicated the outperformance of those in experimental group. consequently, it might be proposed that web-based language clubs can make language learning easier and more efficient. keywords: web-based language club, english proficiency, efl learners or institutes. however, the effective use of electronic means in learning languages may depend on lots of other factors among which are the access to appropriate materials, skillful teachers, and optimal interaction. learners in an efl context have only the opportunity to learn and use the language in their classes something which has made learning with less outcome than the situations where english is considered as a second language or an official language. efl learners’ membership and their activities in language clubs may compensate for the lack of exposure and use of language in efl environment as postulated by gao (2009). language clubs, as martyn & voller (1995) believe, can be appropriate places to develop learners’ independence to learn a language. they claim that language clubs introduction nowadays, information communication technology (ict) is regarded as a means to teach and learn. learners can use web-based technology, mobiles, audio-video files, etc. to learn in or out of classes. there are academic degree courses in the form of distant learning through the use of extensive means of internet technology. the attempts and innovative endeavors of experts in ict have led to the emergence of e-learning which in turn has made it possible for all learners to have access to courses, materials and even professors without bothering to go there in flesh. e-learning has also opened effective ways to learn languages. now, there are language schools on line where learners can get live or archived lessons. there are even free classes and other various learning sources handled by individuals 217 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee in china have been the most appropriate situation for the promotion of english learners’ independence in learning. in another study wengberg, lagnevik, and hemborg (2010) reported the success of such a kind of club or cafe in increasing the students’ ability of communicating, developing conversational skill sand learn how to express their own ideas in a foreign language. furthermore, the language café project provided them an opportunity to meet the pupils at an individual level. the same type of language clubs may not be easily established in iran due to factors such as the long procedure to get the official permit to open and run such clubs, the need for a place devoted to this purpose, cultural issues, and religious restrictions. therefore, the virtual type of these clubs, run on the internet, might be a suitable kind for iranian learners of english. the present research is an attempt in discovering any significant effect of web-based language club (ibl club) activities on the language proficiency of efl learners, and also it accounts for the probable significant effect of this kind of club on creating positive attitude, interest and learner autonomy in language learning. learning and use of english as a foreign language is mostly restricted to class time. learners usually have the only chance to converse with their classmates and teachers. this makes the use of language a type of artificial one. therefore, while they encounter its real use out of class or in natural setting, they find it almost impossible to continue. language learning activities in classes are mostly restricted to the presentation and practice of language while there is almost no opportunity for the learners to evaluate their ability to use the language. the other issue in efl situation is the fact that learners rely on their teacher to learn the language. this hinders their independence and autonomy in learning to the extent that they may not be able to use the language outside of their classes. as cohen (1998) notes the use of language out of classes by learners is among the positive features of successful language learners. therefore, language clubs, the focus of this study, could be significant in that they will provide a suitable context for language learners to practice and use language out of their classes. however, the existence of barriers in face-to-face communication such as the fear of making mistakes suggests virtual types of language clubs. also, with regard to some other problems such as the need for official permit, cultural and religious restrictions, holding web-based language clubs might be a significant solution to these problems. the present research findings might be limited for strong generalizations due to the fact that the members were volunteers among university students who agreed to take part in the process of research. the researchers did not have the access to the greater number of students. also, the study is limited to the efl context where the speakers speak farsi as their mother tongue. the other limitation of the study is the fact that only the virtual type of language clubs was studied in this research not the real type. the development of electronic devices and ict especially web 2.0 and 3.0 has led to innovations in learning and education. internet has played a major role in this regard. according to nunan (1999) the exponential growth of the internet since 1994 is perhaps the major cause of growing interest in revolutionizing language learning and teaching. there are endless opportunities for novelties, development and change. “students are becoming more and more engaged, the communication and learning are less and less teachercentered” as pointed out by mullamaa (2009). hamid ashraf & maryam salami web-based language club affecting efl learners’ proficiency 218 online learning as a recent kind e-learning has been considered with much more benefit than any other kind of learning ever. bowles (2004) compares the first four benefits of online learning as a kind of e-learning over other kinds of learning technologies. learner control, ease of access, ever access, and personalized learning are the stated benefits of on line learning. members can communicate whenever they feel there is a need. they can provide responses to the club member’s requests on their own time. they can get the access from home, work place or even when they are on the move. there is no need to attend the meeting in flesh. they can join the members on line without spending time and money to transfer. one of the major means to communicate and do the required activities in the present research was the use of email which has been placed among the most important facilities provided by the internet. e-mail has been called “the mother of all internet applications” which is a form of asynchronous computermediated communication (warschauer, shetzer, and meloni, 2000: 3). there are many benefits for the use of e-mail for educational purposes mentioned by gonglewski, meloni and brant (2001). the advantages have been stated as: language learning time and place is extended; a context for realworld communication and authentic interaction is provided, topics can be expanded beyond classroombased activities; student-centered language learning is promoted; equal opportunity participation is provided and encouraged; speakers are connected rapidly and almost cheaply; and collaborative projects can be developed. there have been some empirical studies considering the effect of emailing on the language learning. in a study by aminzadeh and molaesmaeli (2009) 48 iranian intermediate efl learners were investigated to check their writing improvement through emailing. the researchers found out that email developed the learning process of the learners, and increased their language proficiency. additionally, emailing promoted their positive attitude and interest, and enhanced their performance. in another study (motallebzadeh and ghaemi, 2009), the relationship between online reading strategies and the choice of offline reading strategies of intermediate efl learners was examined. they noted that problem solving online reading strategies and compensation (offline) reading strategies were prioritized by language learners while they were reading in online and offline environments. they suggested that language teachers should be aware of this phenomenon and focus their teaching reading strategies upon these types of strategies due to the fact that they are of language learners’ priorities. when teachers involve their learners in online learning activities, strategy awareness and training is necessary. motallebzadeh and amirabadi (2011) investigated second language writing of iranian efl students based on e-learning. the participants of the study were 83 efl students. the researchers stated that using e-learning can help to teach writing provided that the efl learners get familiar with it and its basics. they found that the role of teacher’s feedback via internet is a source of developing l2 writing proficiency which is well better than the other mode. al-saleem (2011) surveyed 14 efl jordanian students to check their ideas on the use of emails in learning english. he stated that the results showed that all students were very interesting and exciting to communicate via email. many indicated that their vocabulary and grammar 219 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee became much better than before. email exchange programs seemed to be positively useful and appropriate ways to improve efl learners writing skills. weblog was the other instrument utilized in the present study. it has been explained as “a reflective conversational tool for self-organized learning, which best portrays the constructivist essence with which the tool can be used for fostering autonomous, self-directed learning approaches” (fiedler, 2003). moreover, due to the fact that writing with weblogs has an authentic nature, users are encouraged to share their feelings with their fellow bloggers. weblogs can do many things for english language learners. according to stanley (2005) weblogs can provide extra reading for learners, direct learners to online resources, raise the sense of community in a class, encourage shy learners’ participation, stimulate out of class discussion, encourage a process writing approach, and can help build a closer relationship between learners in a large class. they also offer learners with a real audience, a chance for peer review. weblogs also provide a range of processbased writing tasks enjoyed by learners (raith, 2009; ward, 2004). there are studies in which the focus has been the implementation of blogs in language learning. blackstone, spiri, and naganuma (2007) reported on a new approach in which blogging activities were implemented in different levels of courses in english for academic purposes/composition program. they conducted an attitudinal survey involving eleven classes of 145 students over two semesters. they stated that more autonomous learning “can be encouraged through regular blogging”. in situations where student’s audience includes his or her classmates, the teacher and potentially anyone with an internet connection, one can witness an increase in the motivation to engage in meaningful written communication. their findings indicated that “they had extremely positive attitudes toward both blogging and the blogging buddy system” (blackstone, spiri and naganuma, 2007: 1). the other study on web logging and language learning (wu, 2006) attempted to find out efl adult learners reactions to writing pedagogic techniques: peer review and teacher feedback in efl composition class. in this study, peer review and teacher feedback were exchanged via the web to learners’ blog. the researcher aimed at finding out what effects, online peer review have on the revisions of low-intermediate efl writers. he examined 7 first drafts, 32 peer reviews, and 8 revised drafts. the teacher feedback led to both positive and negative revisions which depended on learners’ attitude and english proficiency level; however, “a significant proportion of the peer review did not serve a linguistic function to give meaningful and constructive comments but serve a pragmatic function to give complimentary praise or blessings”(wu, 2006: 1). usanoytim (2011: 1127) studied the weblog use on english language learning in an academic context in thailand. the study examined students’ awareness of weblogs and their attitudes towards them. the data were collected through short questionnaires, interview questionnaires and student blogs. the findings showed that the students observed “weblog as a tool for the development of their english, in terms of writing, reading, vocabulary, and recording their learning experience”. the other important findings were that the participants found weblog providing “an opportunity and freedom for selfexpression in english, writing for both a local and global audience, fostering creative, analytical and critical thinking skills, creating social interaction and good relationships between writer and hamid ashraf & maryam salami web-based language club affecting efl learners’ proficiency 220 reader, and supporting the learning community”. yu-chihsun, and yu-jung chang (2012) did a study on blogging and writing skill. they examined how blogs and their interactive and collaborative features assist advanced graduate students process academic writing knowledge and make sense of their writer identity. the participants were 7 graduate students doing master’s level study in tesol and linguistics. the results indicated that the blog activity encouraged the participants to actively and reflectively involve in sharing and generating knowledge. it also helped them develop numerous strategies to deal with problems faced in the learning process. blogs also provided students “a sense of authorship as the writers of blog entries and, at the same time, provide a space for them to sort out what being an author entails, their purposes of writing, and their authority in writing”. as a study in an iranian context, rezaee and oladi (2008) worked on the students’ social interaction in class community and foreign weblogs. sixty participants from medical school of the university of tehran took part in the class community weblog, cyberdiscovery. the data was collected in an academic year through observing the class community weblog. data collection means included observation, questionnaire, interview and ielts writing proficiency test. they concluded that “blogging is a meaningful medium which can improve the students’ social interaction towards the class community and also promote creativity in writing”. in another attempt to work on learning reading skill and blogging in the national context, rashtchi and hajihassani (2011) investigated the effect of blogging on the development of reading ability of some iranian students. they came to this conclusion that “the use of weblog in classroom, although not statistically significant, could enhance the reading ability of efl learners as compared to the non-weblog method”. the present research attempted to investigate the probable significant effect of web-based language clubs on the learning of english by iranian efl university students. the research question to meet the purpose of the study is: “does the membership of iranian efl university students in webbased language clubs significantly affect their english language proficiency?” method the data needed to account for the purpose and hypothesis of the study was collected through the administration of a standard test to a group of efl learners. the participants of the study were selected among efl learners at two english departments namely: islamic azad university, torbat-e heydarieh branch, and aria aviation college, mashhad, iran. all participants were selected among 154 learners through the scores they gained in a proficiency test (toefl pbt) they sat at the beginning of the study. based on the interpretation of scores cited in ets official site those who gain scores of 350-450 are considered as pre-intermediate learners of english. therefore, those whose scores were less than 350, and more than 450 were not included to be among the participants of this study. the students were almost equally from both sexes (female: 68, male: 50). the age range was 19-28. the sample under study included 118 students in control and experimental groups (i.e. 59 in each group). this study aimed at measuring the effect of use of web-based language clubs on the language proficiency of learners of english at pre-intermediate level. the other purpose of the study was to find out how web-based language clubs might affect members’ language skill. the instrument utilized to reach the 221 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee purposes of the study was tefl pbt. it includes four modules with a total score of 677 (excluding test of written english). the score of test of written english is reported separately and is not part of total score. the present study, based on the study by gao (2009) on the role of language clubs in learning english, initiated to measure the use of e-learning in the same area. therefore, some of available means like emailing, chatting and weblogging were utilized to check their effect on the language proficiency of a group of learners joining a web-based language club designed specifically for this purpose. there was a pre-test session through which 118 participants of the study were selected among 154 pre-intermediate learners. they were in different classes without being randomly assigned. the researcher conducted an orientation session for the participants in the experimental group to make sure they were familiar with internet activities. they were informed on various internet activities to be used in the internet language club: getting online, signing up for emails, sending emails, chatting, joining the internet club, using the designed weblog, and using other sites and weblogs active in language learning and teaching. it was also made sure that the participants in the experimental group had the sufficient access to computers and internet lines. a weblog was designed by the researchers of this project specifically for the internet club members. it included sections related to language learning such as: introduction of other language learning sites. the researchers acted as the moderators of the club. they directed the various activities done through the weblog, emailing and google group. also, they facilitated the probable problems the participants faced while using the technology. each participant in the experimental group had signed up for an email id to get connected to other members. they were directed to chat with the members online on specific time through the week. also, based on an agreed schedule, all members were on line in two occasions in each week to discuss the assigned materials. they discussed various topics mostly related to their education and daily life. the moderators of the club sent them articles mostly extracted from newspapers. then, the members were asked to study the article and get ready for an online discussion on the topic. in some cases, the members were asked to suggest the topics for discussion. as another activity they were forwarded podcasts to listen to and get ready for expressing their ideas on the included content. they also exchanged emails on life and academic topics they were interested in. as an ongoing activity they were required to get connected to the suggested language learning weblogs and websites. they were asked to express and share their opinions on the visited sites. furthermore, they stated what was interesting and new to them, and also expressed their probable questions or problems on the content of the visited sites. the participants in the control group were not involved in such kinds of activities through the web. some english books and audio-visual materials were introduced to them. they were asked to study the books, and listen and watch the audio-visual materials. the research method was a quasi-experimental since there was not a random selection of participants in experimental and control groups. results and discussion the present research project was to investigate the effect of web-based language project on the language proficiency of iranian efl learners. the hamid ashraf & maryam salami web-based language club affecting efl learners’ proficiency 222 participants of the study took toefl pbt as pretest and posttest to have valid data for quantitative analysis the result of which would account for the significant statistical rejection or acceptance of designed hypothesis. the data were entered into spss 17 to be analyzed for study purposes. toefl pbt pretest to ensure the homogeneity of groups with regard to language proficiency and check the participants’ probable progress, toefl pbt was administered to both groups as the pretest and posttest. the first analysis was done to check the normality of data from toefl pbt administered as pretest. test of normality of data of toefl pbtas pretest to investigate the normality of the data obtained from toefl pbt as pretest in both control and experimental groups, one-sample kolmogorovsmirnov test was applied. if the null hypothesis of this test is accepted, then we have to use non-parametric methods for analysis of the data. table 1 indicates the result of the test run on the data. as indicated in table 1, the results of one-sample kolmogorov-smirnov test revealed that the data obtained from the toefl pbt were normal in both experimental (p = .419 ˃ .05) and control (p = .206 ˃ .05) groups. consequently, to determine the statistical significance of the data, independent-samples t-test and paired-samples t-test were applied. in the first analysis, to select the participants at the same level of language proficiency, 118 participants were selected among others based on the scores the got in exam. table 2 illustrates the result. the means of scores they gained in the toefl exam were 403-407. based on the interpretation of scores cited in ets official site those who gain scores between 350-450 are considered as pre-intermediate learners of english. therefore, the ones whose scores were less than 350 and more than 450 were excluded from the study. there were 59 participants in each group. as indicated in table 2, minimum scores gained in experimental group and control group are 375 and 365 respectively. the maximum figures are 435 and 443 in experimental and control groups. experimental/control groups pretest to make sure on the homogeneity of the participants, the toefl scores from both experimental and control groups at the outset of the study were analyzed further. table 3illustrates the descriptive statistics of both groups at pretest. the figures in the table show that the difference between means of toefl scores in experimental and control groups is 4.249. the significant statistical difference between means of experimental and control groups is tested via independent samples t-test (see table4). as the data in tables 3 and 4 indicates, there is no statistically significant difference [t(116) = 1.782, p = .077 (two-tailed)] between experimental (m = 407.7119, sd = 13.47322) and control (m = 403.4322, sd = 12.60250) groups in connection with language proficiency at the beginning of the study(at 0.05 level of significance). therefore, it can be concluded that all participants were at almost the same level of language proficiency at the outset of the study. posttest to check the participants’ probable progress, toefl pbt was administered to both groups as posttest. the first analysis in this section was done to check the normality of data from toefl pbt administered as posttest. 223 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table. one-sample kolmogorov-smirnov (toefl pbt pretest) pretest experimental pretest control n 59 59 normal parameters(a,b) mean 407.7119 403.4322 std. deviation 13.47322 12.60250 most extreme differences absolute .115 .139 positive .115 .139 negative -.071 -.086 kolmogorov-smirnov z .881 1.065 asymp. sig. (2-tailed) .419 .206 a test distribution is normal. b calculated from data. table 2. the minimum and maximum scores of both groups at pretest pretest experimental pretest control n valid 59 59 missing 0 0 minimum 375.00 365.00 maximum 435.00 443.00 table 3. groups statistics (experimental and control pretest) mean n std. deviation std. error mean pair 1 pretest experimental 407.7119 59 13.47322 1.75406 pretest control 403.4322 59 12.60250 1.64071 table 4. results of independent samples test for toefl pbt as pretest f sig. t df sig. (2-tailed) mean difference std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper total equal variances assumed .631 .429 1.782 116 .077 4.2797 2.40180 -.47741 9.03673 equal variances not assumed 1.782 115.486 .077 4.2797 2.40180 -.47763 9.03696 table 5. one-sample kolmogorov-smirnov (toefl pbt posttest) posttest experimental posttest control n 59 59 normal parameters(a,b) mean 449.4068 430.8559 std. deviation 22.26089 15.20522 most extreme differences absolute .127 .068 positive .127 .051 negative -.063 -.068 kolmogorov-smirnov z .978 .523 asymp. sig. (2-tailed) .294 .947 a. test distribution is normal b. calculated from data. hamid ashraf & maryam salami web-based language club affecting efl learners’ proficiency 224 test of normality of data of toefl pbt as posttest one-sample kolmogorov-smirnov test was applied to calculate the normality of the data obtained from toefl pbt as posttest in both control and experimental groups. table 5indicates the result of the test run on the data. as illustrated in table 5, the results of one-sample kolmogorov-smirnov test indicated that the data obtained from the toefl pbt as posttest were normal in both experimental (p = .294 ˃ .05) and control (p = .947 ˃ .05) groups. consequently, to determine the statistical significance of the data, independentsamples t-test and paired-samples t-test were applied. experimental/control groups posttest the data from posttest (toefl) have been analyzed through comparing of means and also the use of cross tabulation (contingency tables) to check the probable relationships. table 6 shows the results of the group statistics analysis of the data. the figures in table 6 indicate that the difference between means of toefl scores in experimental (n = 59, m = 449.406) and control (n = 59, m = 430.855) groups is 18.509. to check on its statistical significant difference, data were analyzed through independent paired t-test (see table 7). as the data in tables 6 and 7shows, there is statistically significant difference [t(116) = 5.286, p = .000 (two-tailed)] between experimental (m = 449.4068, sd = 22.26089) and control (m = 430.8559, sd = 15.20522) groups in their language proficiency at the end of the study (at 0.05 level of significance). as a conclusion, the participants in the experimental group who received treatment through being a member of web-based language club gained a higher means of scores (449.4) in the posttest in comparison with those in the control group (430.8). therefore, it can be concluded that the null-hypothesis stating that ‘there is no significant difference between the participants in control and experimental groups after receiving treatment” is rejected. experimental group pretest and posttest to account for the probable progress of the participants in experimental group, the means of scores of these participants collected in two occasions (pretest and posttest) have been analyzed through the same procedure. table 8 illustrates the result. the figures in the table indicate that the difference between means of toefl scores in experimental group in two occasions of data collection is around 41.6.the significant statistical difference between means of pretest and posttest in experimental group has been tested via paired samples t-test (see table 9). the data in tables 8 and 9 indicate, there is statistically significant difference [t(58) = 17.532, p = .000 (two-tailed)] between experimental pretest data (m = 407.7119, sd = 13.47322) and experimental posttest data (m = 449.4068, sd = 22.26089) in their language proficiency at the end of the study (at 0.05 level of significance). therefore, the participants in the experimental group showed progress in posttest. this proves that they have been affected by being a member of web-based language club. regarding the changes in language proficiency, a further analysis is done on the data. table10 illustrates the maximum and minimum of means of the participants in the posttest. the minimum mean of scores at the posttest (table 10) is 410 while it was 375 at pretest stage. the maximum mean of scores is 502.5, but it was 435 at the beginning of the study. 225 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 6. group statistics (experimental and control posttest) grouping n mean std. deviation std. error mean total posttest experimental 59 449.4068 22.26089 2.89812 posttest control 59 430.8559 15.20522 1.97955 table 7. results of independent samples test for toefl pbt as posttest f sig. t df sig. (2-tailed) mean difference std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper total equal variances assumed 7.774 .006 5.286 116 .000 18.5508 3.50966 11.59952 25.50218 equal variances not assumed 5.286 102.446 .000 18.5508 3.50966 11.58981 25.51188 table 8. paired samples statistics (experimental group, pretest and posttest) mean n std. deviation std. error mean pair 1 pretest 407.7119 59 13.47322 1.75406 posttest 449.4068 59 22.26089 2.89812 table 9. paired samples test (experimental group, pretest and posttest) mean paired differences t df sig. (2-tailed) std. deviation std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pair 1 pretest posttest -41.694 18.26789 2.37828 -46.4556 -36.9343 -17.532 58 .000 table 10. statistics (minimum & maximum of means: experimental pretest & posttest) pretest posttest n valid 59 59 missing 0 0 minimum 375.00 410.00 maximum 435.00 502.50 experimental group pretest and posttest: language proficiency level as it was indicated, the participants in both groups did not differ in their language proficiency based on the data collected at the beginning of the study. however, based on the data collected from toefl scores as posttest, the participants in the experimental group acted much better than what they did at the beginning of the study. as stated in ets official site, those who get 450 to 520 in pbt toefl are labeled as intermediate learners. a further analysis (cross tabulation) will show how many participants have moved to the intermediate level of proficiency. furthermore, the relationship between the means gained in pretest and posttest would be illustrated. hamid ashraf & maryam salami web-based language club affecting efl learners’ proficiency 226 table 11. experimental group, pretest level * posttest level cross tabulation posttest level total preintermediate1 preintermediate2 intermediate1 intermediate2 pretest level preintermediate1 count 1 6 13 1 21 % within total pretest level 4.8% 28.6% 61.9% 4.8% 100.0% % within total posttest level 100.0% 100.0% 27.7% 20.0% 35.6% % of total 1.7% 10.2% 22.0% 1.7% 35.6% preintermediate2 count 0 0 34 4 38 % within total pretest level .0% .0% 89.5% 10.5% 100.0% % within total posttest level .0% .0% 72.3% 80.0% 64.4% % of total .0% .0% 57.6% 6.8% 64.4% total count 1 6 47 5 59 % within total pretest level 1.7% 10.2% 79.7% 8.5% 100.0% % within total posttest level 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% % of total 1.7% 10.2% 79.7% 8.5% 100.0% table 12. chi-square tests value df asymp. sig. (2-sided) pearson chi-square 14.487(a) 3 .002 likelihood ratio 16.386 3 .001 linear-by-linear association 10.164 1 .001 n of valid cases 59 a. 6 cells (75.0%) have expected count less than 5. the minimum expected count is .36. to make the analysis more precise, the participants’ scores have been labeled as “pre-intermediate1” (350400) and “pre-intermediate2” (401-450) based on the scores they received. a similar classification has been made to intermediate level. those who gained 450-480 are named as “intermediate 1”, and those with 481 to 520 labeled as “intermediate 2”. the classifications designed for the scores have been used in the cross tabulation in table11. as indicated in table 11, 61.9% of participants who were labeled as “pre-intermediate1” in pretest phase have moved up to “intermediate1” in posttest phase. the next stands for those participants labeled as “pre-intermediate1” who are now in “pre-intermediate2” (28.6%). it is also indicated that 4.8% of “preintermediate1” participants’ status has changed to “intermediate2”. the degree of changes in this group (preintermediate 1) is considered desirable since only 4.8% of them remained in the same group in posttest phase. the figures in “pre-intermediate2” in pretest phase (table 11) shows a stronger trend witnessed in “pre-intermediate1”. majority of participants in “preintermediate2” (89.5%) have moved to 227 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee “intermediate1” in posttest stage. the rest (10.5%) even had a better progress by being placed as “intermediate2”. based on the figures in table 11, it is apparent that only 4.8% of participants have not changed their group for the better. therefore, it can be assumed that almost all of the participants have been affected by the treatment they received. the data from pbt toefl administered in two occasions have been analyzed further to indicate the significance of the relations shown in variables of the study. chi-square tests, table12 indicates the result of this analysis. based on the data revealed in table 12, the significance value (2-sided) =.002 which is much lower than pearson chi-square value (14.487) which means that the two variables are, indeed, related. therefore, it can be concluded that the changes displayed in the cross tabulation table are significant with respect to the existence of relationship between variables and the changes witnessed. as an important finding of this study it is indicated that the set of analysis done on the data from pbt toefl as pretest and posttest confirms the idea that being a member of webbased language club can help learners improve their proficiency in english. conclusion the present study was an attempt to investigate the effect of webbased language club on the language proficiency of iranian efl learners. the design chosen for the study was a quasi-experimental one in which 118 pre-intermediate learners form two universities were selected among 154 through a homogenizing test (toefl pbl). they were put into an experimental group and a control group. the participants in experimental group were required to get on line and act as a member of a virtual club designed for the purpose of the study for a period of 6 months. they were mostly involved with activities like emailing, chatting, and weblogging. the research question of the study accounted for investigation of the effect of web-based language club on the language proficiency of iranian efl learners. the result of analysis on the data from pretest administered to both groups indicated that there was no statistical significant difference between the participants in both groups at outset of the study. the analysis of the data from toefl pbl test administered to both groups as posttest (independent sample t-test) statistically rejected the null hypothesis which suggested the lack of effect of treatment on the language proficiency of the participants. the participants in the experimental group who were the members of web-based language club outperformed in their language proficiency those in the control group. the other analysis done on pretest and posttest data of experimental group (paired sample t-test) also proved the fact that the participants in the web-based language club group made some significant development in their language proficiency. the further analysis on the data form pretest and posttest, done through cross-tabulation and pearson chi square, accounted for the probable development of participants in the experimental group which lead to results indicating the change of proficiency level. almost majority of the participants (88.1%) moved from the lower level to the next level of proficiency. therefore, it can be concluded that the membership of these students in the web-based language club as a kind of e-learning and getting involved in activities like emailing, blogging, and grouping on the net has been effective on their language proficiency. the finding of the present study that is in line with the development of language proficiency hamid ashraf & maryam salami web-based language club affecting efl learners’ proficiency 228 and language skills is partly supported by other previous studies in e-learning such as: corio and meloni (1995), spiri, and naganuma (2007), rezaee and oladi (2008), aminzadeh and molaesmaeli (2009), motallebzadeh and ghaemi (2009), al-saleem (2011), blackstone, rashtchi and hajihassani (2011), motallebzadeh and amirabadi (2011), noytim (2011), and sun and chang (2012). these studies have reported the success of students in the development of at least one of language skills through the use of one form of e-learning. the present research aimed at investigating the effect of web-based language clubs on the language proficiency of iranian efl learners. researchers interested in the field can work on both types of clubs (virtual and real ones) in the form of experimental research. there could be studies with the inclusion of participants speaking other languages in other contexts as efl or esl. similar types of language clubs could be developed for language teachers to maintain their professional development. references aminzadeh, r., & molaesmaeli, e. (2009). writing improvement through collaborative e-mailing. journal of teaching english as a foreign language and literature, 1(2): 59-73. al-saleem, b. i. t. (2011). the impact of the cross-cultural e-mail exchange program to enhance the efl undergraduate jordanian students’ writing skill. international research journals. 2(6): 1193-1198. retrieved from: http:// www.interesjournals.org/er. textbook company. belisle, r. (1996). e-mail activities in the esl writing class [www.document]. the internet tesl journal, 2(12). retrieved from: url http://www.aitech.ac.jp/ iteslj/ artieles/belisle blackstone, b., spiri, j. & naganuma, n. (2007). blogs in english language teaching and learning: pedagogical uses and student responses. retrieved from http:// www.nus.edu.sg/celc/publications/ retl62/01to20blackstone.pdf chen, c.c., & jones, k.t. (2007). blended learning vs. traditional classroom settings: assessing effectiveness and student perceptions in an mba accounting course. the journal of educators online, 4 (1). cohen, a. 1998. strategies in learning and using second language. harlow: longman. corio, r. & meloni, c. (1995). the guidelines net project. computer-assisted english language learning, 6(3), 20-24. fiedler, s. (2003). personal web publishing: as a reflective conversational tool for self organized learning. proceedings of ‘blog talk – a european conference on weblogs. vienna, austria, 23-24 may 2003. retrieved from: http://seblogging. cognitivearchitects.com/stories/ storyreader gao, x. (2009). the ‘english corner’ as an outof class learning activity. elt journal, 63(1): 60-67. gómez, l.a.o. & duart, j.m. (2011). a hybrid approach to university subject learning activities. british journal of educational technology, 42(2). gonglewski, m., meloni, c. & brant, j. (2001). using e-mail in foreign language teaching: rationale and suggestions. the internet tesl journal. 7:3 . retrieved from: www.iteslj.org. martyn, e. and p. voller. (1995). self-access and learner independence in east asia. independence, 12: 2–3. montero-fletaa, b., & pérez-sabaterb, c. (2010).a research on blogging as a platform to enhance language skills. procedia social and behavioral sciences 2: 773–777. motallebzadeh, k., & amirabadi, s. (2011). online interactional feedback in second language writing: through peer or tutor? mjal, 3(2): 156-174. motallebzadeh, k., & ghaemi, h. (2009). on the relationship between online reading strategies and the choice of offline reading strategies of intermediate efl learners. iranian efl journal, 3: 64-81. mullamaa, k. (2009). why resort to 229 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 2, issue 2, june 2014 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee e-learning in language teaching? ict as a support for language learning and communication. international conference ict for language learning, 2nd edition. mullamaa, k. (2010). ict in language learning-benefits and methodological implications international education studies, 3(1), 38-44. noytim, u. (2010). weblogs enhancing efl students’ english language learning. procedia social and behavioral sciences 2: 1127–1132. nunan, d. (1999). second language teaching and learning. boston, ma: heinle & heinle. raith, t. (2009). the use of weblogs in language education. in m. thomas (ed.), handbook of research on web 2.0 and second language learning (pp. 274-291). hershey: igi global reference. rashtchi, m. & hajihassani, h.(2011). blog-assisted language learning: a possibility in teaching reading to iranian efl learners. international journal of language studies, 4(4), 245-362. rezaee, a. a., & oladi, s. (2008). the effect of blogging on language learners’ improvement in social interactions and writing proficiency. iranian journal of language studies (ijls), 2(1), 73-88. rovai, a.p, & jordan, h. p. (2004). blended learning and sense of community: a comparative analysis with traditional and fully online graduate courses. international review of research in open and distance learning, 5(2). stanley, g. (2005). why blog? retrieved from http:// searchenglish.britishcouncil.org/ attachments/se/why%20blog.pdf. sun, y., & chang, y. (2012). blogging to learn: becoming efl academic writers through collaborative dialogues. language learning & technology february 2012, 16(1): 43–61. ward, j. (2004). having a ball with blog-assisted language learning. lore: an e-journal for teachers of writing. retrieved from http:// www.bedfordstmartins.com/lore/ digressions/content.htm?dis13 warschauer, m. (1995). comparing face-toface and electronic discussion in the second language classroom. calico journal, 13(2 & 3), 7-26. warschauer, m., shetzer, h. & meloni, c. (2000). internet for english teaching. alexandria, va: tesol publications. wengberg, l., lagnevik, a., & hemborg, j. (2010). language cafés: developing conversational language skills in school. international conference: ict for language learning, 3rd edition. florence, italy. wu, w. (2005). using weblogs in an efl writing class. proceedings of the 2005 conference and workshop on tefl and applied linguistics (pp. 426-432). taipei: crane publishing. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 273 understanding learners’ need of esp for accountancy program at vocational school semi sukarni english language education, faculty of teacher training and education universitas muhammadiyah purworejo, indonesia e-mail: semi.sukarni24@gmail.com apa citation: sukarni, s. (2020). understanding learners’ need of esp for accountancy program at vocational school. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 273-282. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2002. received: 18-01-2020 accepted: 28-03-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: the main objective of vocational high school (smk) is to prepare learners to specific job. at this school, learners are trained the major skills as well as the supportive skills. language, in this case english, must support the hard skills for the communication at work. however, based on the preliminary research, most teachers use general english as teaching materials. hence, this study aims to describe the learners‘ target need of learning english at accountancy program at vocational high school and to identify english skills needed by students of accountancy program. there were 124 evelenth graders involved in this study which consisted of students of smk 2 purworejo and smk 1 wonosobo. to obtain the data, a questionnaire was used. the findings showed that 63.8% of the students want to look for a job after graduated, while 36.2% of them want to continue their study. further, speaking is the most important skill and vocabulary related to the technical terms are needed by students. another necessity is the availability of textbook containing esp materials to support learners to develop their communication skill. keywords: esp; learning need; need analysis; smk; target need. introduction the 21st century skill framework is popular with 4cs including critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and creativity and innovation (forum, 2018). learning international language particulary english is related one of the important skills in global communication. the language is used in communication at work for sharing thought, asking questions, conveying ideas and giving solution. communication skills are related to the term communicative competence in learning a language which cover four competence as it is explained by canale and swain as cited in calce murcia & olshtain, 2000, p.16 there are (1) linguistic and grammatical competence which consists of basic elemens of communication: sentence patterns, morphological inflection, lexical resources, and phonological system; (2) sociolinguistic competence, which consists of social and cultural knowledge require to use language appropriately such as formality, politeness; (3) discourse competence, which involves the selection, sequencing, and arrangement of words, structure to achive a unified spoken or written whole with reference to a particular message or context; (4) strategic competence, which includes the strategies and procedure relevant to language processing and production. it activates knowledge of other competencies and help the language users compensate for gaps and deficiencies in knowledge when they communicate. in the basis of these communicatice competence the language learners must be exposed to the use of language aspects in various contexts in different language events. to achieve a good communication skill, institution must have an appropriate curriculum and instruction. as this study is focuses at vocational high school, the school must have curriculum sets including the syllabus and materials which are needed by prospective graduates. related to the act of the republic of indonesia no. 20 of 2003 on national education system article 15 as cited in mahbub (2018) states that vocational education is secondary education program for preparing learners for a specific job. to respond this statement, vocational high school should provide the english skills which related to the specific skill achieved by the gradutes. however, up to now in practice, there are no differences of english syllabus which used by senior high school and vocational high school.the materials contained in the syllabus of english subject are taught to students of senior high school and vocational high school. this matter, semi sukarni understanding learners’ need of esp for accountancy program at vocational school 274 in fact, had been emphasized in kusni, syaamawi and refnadi‘ finding that english for vocational high school students should be carefully redisigned and reconsidered before it is widely used throught the nation. related to sukarni‘s research finding on need analysis viewed by english teachers at vocational high school it was found that all teacher in the study taught english by using textbook that was required by government based on 2013 curriculum namely bahasa inggris sma/ma/smk/mak written by kementrian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. the content of the book is general english, it is not specifically written for vocational school. the general english does not specifically promote learners with language skills needed in the prospective work (sukarni, 2019). similar research finding showed that the teaching materials in vhs was not appropriate with the concept of esp because it was too general, it didn’t close to the students’ field study (ronaldo, 2016). general english, henceforth (ge) is different from english for specific purpose, henceforth (esp). esp involves teaching and learning specific skills and language needed by particular learners for particular purpose-a set of skills that learners currently need in their work or will need in their professional career, whereas, ge is aimed at a very wide range of learners (day & krzanowski, 2011). the different between esp and ge or general english language teaching, (henceforth general elt) in term of external and internal goals for language teaching, cook as cited in (basturkmen, 2010). external goals is related to the uses of language outside the classroom. internal goals relate to educational aims of the classroom. esp teaching generally more concerned with external goals. in esp learner engaged either in academic, professional or occupational pursuits. meanwhile esp according to dudley-evans and st john as cited in (basturkmen, 2010) focuses on when, where and why learners need the language either in study or workplace contexts. decisions about what to teach, or how to teach are informed by descriptions of how language is used in the particular context where learners will work or study. in order that the teaching materials in esp syllabus meet with the learners‘ need in the prospective work, need analysis must be carried out. need analysis is the process for the course developer to investigate what the learners need to know or be able to do in the targetr language in order for them to be able to use the language effectively in the chosen profession, work or study area (basturkmen, 2013). richards, (2001) had emphasized the purpose of need analysis, among them are to find out what the language skills a learners needs in order to perform a particular role, such as sales manager, tour guide, accountant, engineer; to identify a gap between what students are able to do and what they need to be able to do. related to the purpose, hutchinson & waters, (1991) as cited in nation and macalister (2010) divide needs into target needs (what learner needs to do in the target situation) and learning need (what learner needs to do in order to learn). the target needs include necessities (what necessary the learners‘ use of language), lacks (what the learner lacks) and wants (what the learners wish to learn). the need analysis must be carried out in order the course developer has information about the learner need to construct an english for specific materials. it is done commonly using questionnaire and interview to elicit the perception of learner needs as seen by stakeholders such as (learners, teachers and employers). the result of need analysis are generally used to determine the objective for the esp course and to specify the sequence of instruction or content (language, tasks, activities, and skills) to be covered in the course. need analysis is seen as a key process in the development and revision of language for specific purpose (lsp) as emphasized by dudley-evans and st john (1998), baturkmen and elder (2004) and kim (2008) in basturkmen (2013). she further explains that course developer investigates what learners need to know or be able to do in the target language in order for them to function effectively in the chosen profession, work or even study. a need analysis for students of accounting may indicate that the learners need to be familiar with vocabulary on topical areas such as loan and asset management and written genre such as financial statements and market reports and will need to draw on linguistic skills such as making notes while listening to telephone. these all to make the most of their accountancy studies (basturkmen, 2013) several studies had carried out need analysis to determine the course contents for esp in higher education such university in kusnawati (2017); lee (2016); peodjiastuties and oliver, (2017); suyadi (2015) studies but limited studies conducted in treshold level or vocational high english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 275 school. there were few studies such as kardijan, emzir, & zaenal rafli, (2017); khusni, syamwil, & rifnaldi, (2014) and mahbub, (2018). however, none of the three studies focused on esp for accountancy program at treshold level. lee’s and poedjiastuti and oliver’s study explored the perception of esp course in university level. the difference is that lee‘s study only involved the students perception of esp course, while poedjiastuti & oliver involved the stakeholders which included employers, teachers and students. the finding suggested on the important and useful of esp course for the future job and the stakeholders acknowledge the important of english as global and international language. earlier studies on need analysis for esp for accountancy in higher education did by kusnawati (2017) and suyadi (2015). these studies involved the students of accountancy program. the difference between the two studies were that kusnawati’s study explored the students‘ perpective on their target and present english needs, while suyadi’s study aimed at improving materials for accounting program needed by students. the result suggested the target communication needs were english conversation skills for social interaction, whereas, their occupational disciplinary need was accounting terminology mastery. meanwhile, suyadi (2015) had suggested that the students of accounting program need a special materials in learning english which has relationship with study program of accountancy: reading, vocabulary and writing report. need analysis should be done by multiple stakeholders which include teacher, students, the current/future employesrs, the administration of the educational institution, etc. in designing the course syllabus as it emphasized by huhta et al. as cited in chovancova (2014). sice there were no earlier studies as far as the writer found focusing on the need analysis of esp for vocational high school for accountancy program viewed from the learners, this study aims: (1) to describe the learners target need of learning english at accountancy program of vocational high school; (2) to identify english skills needed by students of accountancy program. method the research belongs to qualitative research. it also belongs to exploratory research as the writer explored the information about target needs which include necessities, lacks and wants and learning needs. the result of the need analysis can be used to develop a new syllabus and finally a new textbook which meets with the learners‘ needs. this study was conducted at the chosen vocational high school (vhs/smk) business and managemen in purworejo and wonosobo regencies of central java. the participants were the students in accountancy program of the eleventh grade. questionnaire was used to collect the data about the need analysis viewed from the students. the questions in the questionnaire covers both closed-ended and open-ended questions. an openended question requires participants in any way that they please and provide primarily qualitative data. on the other hand, closed-ended question requires participants to choose limited number of responses which are predetermined by the researcher and it primarily provides quantitative data (johnson and christensen, 2012, p. 169). there were 12 likert-scale items to obtain the data on lack and 1 item on necessity and three items/open-ended questions. a four-point likert scale response includes strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree. thematic data analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data about the learners’ needs for esp teaching materials. descriptive quantitative data was used to analyze the quantitative data by using descriptive statistics in a form of simple percentage calculation for the item analysis. results and discussion learners‘ target need of learning english to explain about learners‘ target need of learning english, there were three questions had to be answered by the students. the questions were related to the importance of learning english viewed by the learners; the sequence of the important language skills viewed by the learners and the sequence of the important language aspects viewed by the learners. the findings from research data were presented below. target need for learning english viewed from the learners the target need for learning english here means the learners’ reason for learning english whether they learn english for preparing further study in higher institution or for looking for a job after the learners graduate. the finding is presented in the table below. semi sukarni understanding learners’ need of esp for accountancy program at vocational school 276 table 1. target need for learning english viewed from the learners no target need for learning english total percentage (%) 1 preparing for further study 45 36.2 2 looking for a job 79 63.8 124 100 table 1 shows the comparison of the number of students for the reason of learning english. it shows that looking for a job is more than preparing for further study (63.8 >36.2). it shows that students in vocational school tend to have aim to work rather than to further study. it implies that the content of the english teaching materials needed by students of vocational school is not only general english (ge) but also materials which are related to the working situation in the future job, in this case is esp related to accounting or financial matters. if the schools only teach students with ge, it means that they only accommodate the students who want to continue studying in higher institution, however, they do not accommodate the students who want to work after graduate. the sequence of the importance of language skills needed by learners the second point about the target need is related to the sequence of importance of language skills which include listening, speaking, reading and writing which is needed by learners. in the learners‘ view which language skill they think is most important among four skills, which one the second, the third and the fourth. this information is important in order to provide learning experience which skill should receive emphasis than other skills which related to the learners‘ need. the finding is presented in the table below. table 2. the sequence of the importance of language skills needed by learners no language skill total percentage 1 listening 22 17.7 2 speaking 69 55.6 3 reading 20 16.1 4 writing 14 10.4 124 100 table 2 shows that the most important language skill needed by learners is speaking as it is seen that speaking has the highest percentage compare to other skills. it is possible that the learners had an assumption that speaking is for communication with other people particularly in working situation. it is seemed that the learners had already known that communication is needed for the prospective graduates in relation with one of the 2st century skills related to 4cs 21st century skills framework. however, communication skills here which refering for sharing thought, questioning, conveying ideas and giving solution is not only practice in speaking but also in writing. at the same time to be able to speak well, learners have to be exposed with listening in order for the graduates meet the job requirements they need to learn and practice during vocational school education. this finding support the earlier research finding from kusnawati (2017) that the target needs was english conversation skills for social interaction. the sequence of the importance of language aspects the third point is about the target need related to the sequence of importance of language aspects which include vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation which is needed by learners. the researcher would like to know, in learners view which one they think is the most important or urgent among the three language aspects. as this information is also important to provide learners learning materials which meet with the learners‘ need. the finding is presented in the table below. table 3. the sequence of the importance of language aspects needed by learners no language aspects total percentage % 1 vocabulary 71 57.2 2 grammar 37 29.8 3 pronunciation 16 12.9 124 100 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 277 table 3 shows that the most important language aspect needed by learners is vocabulary. this answer related to the answer for the most important language skill – speaking. the learners had already had assumption that in order to able to communicate in english, the learners need to have large number of vocabulary and the frequent practice in speaking. this is the resason why vocabulary is the most important. this finding supports the earlier research finding from kusnawati (2017) about the need of accounting terminology or technical term of vocabulary. however, other aspectsgrammar and pronunciation are also important. without the language three aspects learners cannot involve in english communication either active or passive. the three questions had given information about the target need viewed by learners. this information is important for the stake holders of vocational school educationl in order to provide learning materials which are needed by learners in order to meet the future need. as it related to the lenard and pintaric‘s study on students and employeers and it resulted that it was imperative need for communicative competency at the workplace. it is advised that schools design and implement a specialized course aiming to develop listening, writing, teamwork and presentation skills (lenard & pintaric, 2018). the lacks in the present textbooks used by vocational high school there are some questions in the questionnaire which try to analyze the textbook used at present by vhs students in order to understand real condition about the textbook. the information is presented below. table 4. questionnaire result of students’ response of textbook quality no statement teacher response (%) sa a d sd 1 english textbooks for smk in general relevant to the students’ need of english 18.5 36.2 43.5 1.6 2 the exposure in textbook is very relevant. 13.7 40.3 45.2 0.8 3 the content of vocabulary in textbook is relevant to the students’ skill 16.1 38 42.7 3.2 4 the content of grammar related to the students’ skill. 4 42.7 50 3.2 5. communicative expressions in textbook is related to the students’ skill 18.1 36.2 44.3 3.2 6 reading text in textbook is related to the students’ skill 13.7 40.3 42.7 3.2 7 context for speaking practice in textbook is related to the students’ skill. 16.1 38.7 43.5 3.2 8 textbooks contain various learning activities. 18.1 36.2 46.7 0.8 9 learning activities provided make students participate actively. 16.1 32.2 50 1.6 10 textbooks contain various evaluation types including authentic assessment. 13 33.8 51.6 1.6 11 textbooks stimulate students to learn english according to their skill. 16.1 16.1 50 3.2 there are eleven questions for textbook analysis which asked about the condition of textbooks that used at vhs at present viewed from the students. the students had to give response to 11 items related to quality of the textbooks used at present by giving response strongly agree (sa), agree (a), disagree (d) and strongly disagree (sd). based on the data analysis it was found that the percentage of response disagree (d) had highest among other responses, particulary strongly agree (sa) or agree (a). question 1: english textbooks for smk in general relevant to the students’ need of english. there were 45.1 % students answer in disagree. it means that the textbook at present is less relevant to the students’ need of english in specific areas of accounting. question 2: the exposure in textbook is very relevant. there were 46 % students answer disagree. it means the exposure in textbook is not really relevant to the target needs – for example the exposure related to the communication in the financial institution. semi sukarni understanding learners’ need of esp for accountancy program at vocational school 278 question 3: the content of vocabulary in textbook is relevant to the students’ skill. there were 45.9 % students answer disagree. it means many students feel that the content of vocabulary in textbook is less relevant to the students’ skill related to the technical terms used in accountancy. question 4: the content of grammar related to the students’ skill. there were 53.2 % students answer disagree. it means the majority of students feel that the content of grammar is not related to the students’ skill. in other words, the grammar which contained in the textbook is not relevant with the grammar/sentence construction for english for accountancy. question 5: communicative expressions in textbook is related to the students’ skill. there were 47.5 % students answer disagree. it means that many students think that the communicative expressions in textbook is not related to the students’ skills for conveying ideas, question and solution. question 6: reading text in textbook is related to the students’ skill. there were 45.9 % students answer disagree. it means many students feel that reading texts in textbook are related to the students’ skills in accountacy for example text for explaining account, management accounting, job in accounting, etc. question 7: context for speaking practice in textbook is related to the students’ skill. there were 46.7 % students answer disagree. it means that many students think that the context for speaking practice in textbook is little related to the students’ skills in more specific field of accountancy. question 8: textbooks contain various learning activities. there were 47.5 % students answer disagree. it means that many students think that textbooks do not contain various learning activities for students to learn and practice english. question 9: learning activities provided make students participate actively. there were 51.6 % students answer disagree. it means that majority of students feel that the learning activities provided do not make students participate actively to develop their communication skills. question 10: textbooks contain various evaluation types including authentic assessment. there were 53.2 % students answer disagree. it mean that the majority of students think that the textbooks contain do not various evaluation types including authentic assessment such as performance, oral practice, port folio, etc. question 11: textbooks stimulate students to learn english according to their skill. there were 53.2 % students answer disagree. it means that the majority of students feel that the textbooks do not stimulate students to learn english according to their skill needed in the specific area of accountany. based on the analysis above it can be stated that the textbooks used at present are a bit far from what students expected. for example: the exposure, content of vocabulary, communicative expressions reading text, context for speaking practice and learning activities are not related to the speacific field of study-accountancy. based on the data analysis the lack in learning need shows that the quality of the published textbooks in the market which are used at present are not enough to provide the students communicative competence needed in the specific field of accountancy. as there are some weaknesses like irrelevant with the students’ skills in terms of vocabulary, context, grammar, functional expression, reading texts; lack of relevant exposure, less various evaluation types, less learning activities, unstimulated learning activities. this finding is in line with mahbub‘s research finding that the english teaching and laerning were lack of opportunity to develop oral communication skill, lack of quality textbook and small quantity of english related to the study program. this result is also in line with sukarni’s (2019) earlier research on textbook quality analysis viewed from teacher. the group of teachers in the study acknowledged the weakness of textbook used at present. the learner target need on “want“ a question in the questionnaire was given to respond the lack in the learning need by asking students to what extend they need of publishing a textbook containing esp. the students had response by either sa for strongly agree, a for agree, d for disagree and sd for strongly disagree. the calculation and percentage were made and presented in the chart below. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 279 figure 1. students‘ need of publishing textbook containing esp the chart shows the students‘ percentage of the want: to publish textbook containing esp with the highest response percentage on strongly agree (sa)= 54%, the agree (a) 44%. while response disagree was only very small portion = 2% and strongly disagree was none. if the response for sa and a is combined = 98%. it can be said that 98% students agree to have a textbook containing esp. it is in line with lee’s finding that 80% students thought esp course are useful for the future job. english skills needed by students of accountancy program the next questions of the learning need related to want was about the textbook items and skills needed by the students to respond to necessities. the respondens had to give a tick mark on the items provided by the author for the future esp textbook. the responden responses was counted and made into the percentage. the response was presented below. table 5. textbook esp items viewed by students no textbook items total response percentage (%) 1 contexts in the textbook contain situation used in english for accountancy program. 112 90 2 vocabulary related to in english for accountancy program. 119 96 3 it contained language expressions needed in working environment. 121 98 4 it contained grammar or text structure which are used in oral and written communication. 116 93.5 5 it contained various learner-centered learning activities. 91 73.3 6 it contained both formative and alternative assessment. 90 72.5 table 5 shows the response about the textbook items which are expected by students in the learning needs. based on the total response it shows the high percentage for each question in the questionnaire. it means to response the lack fond in the textbooks used at present. the students expected that the textbook for accountancy program contains (1) contexts of situation used in english for accountancy program; (2) vocabulary related to english for accountancy program; (3) language expressions needed in working environment; (4) grammar or text structure which are used in oral and written communication; (5) various learner-centered learning activities; and (6) formative and alternative assessment. in the second want analysis, the author provided materials and skills related to the accounting matters to provide the esp-content material for the vhs accountancy program. the students are assigned to give a tick mark for the skills and materials they think are appropriate to be learned in english in accountacy program. a calculation and percentage were made and presented in the table below. sa 54% a 44% d 2% sd 0% students' need percentage of publishing textbook containing esp semi sukarni understanding learners’ need of esp for accountancy program at vocational school 280 table 6. esp materials and skills needed by accounting students no materials and skills percentage (%) agree percentage (%) disagree 1 understanding cultural diversity and socilizing 85 15 2 dealing with numbers 95 5 3 banking 100 0 4 accounting and financial statements 100 0 6 central banking and money 100 0 7 job in accounting 100 0 8 accounting principle 100 0 9 explaining account 100 0 10 tax accounting 100 0 11 management accounting 100 0 12 retail banking 100 0 13 foreign exchange 100 0 14 writing report 98.3 1.7 15 exchange rate 94.3 4.8 16 investment 99.2 0.8 table 6 shows the students‘ response about the materials and skills needed by the students of accounting program. based on the percentage in the table the least percentage of agree is 85% and the highest is 100%. it can be stated that the students agree with all topics offered by the author. the students believed that the topics must be learned and covered in esp-based textbook of accounting program. by learning these topics they will be exposed to the accounting context and situation, they will learn vocabulary related to accounting, practise language skills that have relevance with accounting. this finding is accordance with guerid and mami’s finding who suggested that the participants in their study who consisted of finance and accounting staff that esp should provide some topics like financial reports, accounting, auditing, etc., skills like reading and understanding financial report, grammar items like tenses, repoted speech, etc. and authentic and relevant materials like earning per share, account payable, dividents, etc. (guerid & mami, 2017). conclusion based on the finding and discussion, there are conclusion that can be drawn as follows. the target needs viewed by learners as the necessities showed that vocational high school prospective graduates tend to find a work compared to continue studying. as the majority prospective graduates preaparing to work, they perceived speaking is the most important skill in order to communicate in working situation. the students chose vocabulary was the most important language aspect in order they will be able to carry out communication. the students perceived the lack in the target need was the textbook used at present. as the school used bahasa inggris for sma/smk which contained ge. the book does not equip enough english aspects and skills needed in the working situation. the want analysis in the target need shows 98% of the students need an english textbook containing esp materials in order that they can practice both written or oral communication for preparing job requirement. the students expected that the esp textbook contain items which cover good criteria for textbook such as having language aspects vocabulary, grammar, skill activities, learning experience and assessment. the students perceived that the esp textbook contained materials and skills which are related to accountancy to support their specific competence. the implication from the findings of this study is related to the course plan and teaching practice at vocational high school. in planning the lesson, the teachers of english language should understand the learners‘ target need: preparing for work. so, lessons should accomodate the needs. besides teaching ge, teachers should supply esp materials which are taken from different sources from the internet covering the language aspects such as vocabulary related to the technical terms of accounting and the balance language skills for developing both spoken and written communication skills to equipt the students‘ target need. this is in line with the implication suggested by dahbi (2016) that esp teacher as a researcher to be in constant touch with the students. they should try to diagnose the learners‘ need and evaluate its english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 281 effectiveness of the language course (dahbi, 2016). for the policy maker in smk curriculum developer, it is necessary to add teaching hour for english subject so that learners have more learning period to learn and practice english for communication. references basturkmen, h. (2010). developing courses in english for specific purpose. new york: palgrave macmillan. basturkmen, h. (2013). needs analysis and syllabus design for language for specific purposes. the encyclopedia of applied linguistics, 1–8. doi: 10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal0861.pub2. chovancova, b. (2014). needs analysis and esp course design: self-perception of language needs among pre-service students. study in logic, grammar and rhetoric, 38(51), 43–57. doi: 10.2478/slgr-2014-0031. dahbi, m. (2016). toward an esp course for engineering students in vocational schools in morrocco: the case of the national school of applied science. arab world english journal, (december), 72–81. day, j. &, & krzanowski. (2011). teaching english for specific purposes: an introduction. singapore: cambridge university press. forum, w. e. (2018). the future of jobs report 2018. geneva: world economic forum. guerid, f., & mami, n. a. (2017). designing an esp syllabus for finance. the journal of teaching english for specific and academic purposes, 5(1988), 771–780. doi: 10.22190/jtesap1704771g. hutchinson, & waters. (1991). english for specific purposes. new york: cambridge university press. kardijan, d., emzir, e., & rafli, z. (2017). the gap between learning need and its implementation in english for hospitality specific purposes program, 6(1), 125–136. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.779. khusni, syamwil, & rifnaldi. (2014). diagnosing the need for english at vocational school: redesign the curriculum 2013? (pp. 4–5). kusnawati, a. (2017). assessing english language needs through the lens of esp – efl students’ perspectives. conaplin 9, 82, 52–57. lee, c. (2016). principles and practices of esp course design — a case study of a university of science and technology. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 15(2), 94–105. lenard, d., & pintaric, l. (2018). comparison of employers’ and students’ perceptions regarding communication skills. the journal of teaching english for specific and academic purpose, 6, 63–82. mahbub, m. (2018). english teaching in vocational high school: a need analysis. jeels, 1(29), 229–258. nation, i. s. p., & macalister, j. (2010). language curriculum design. london: routledge. peodjiastuties, d., & oliver, r. (2017). english learning needs of esp learners: exploring stakehoder perception at an indonesian university. teflin journal, 28(january 2017), 1–21. richards. (2001). curriculum development in language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. ronaldo, o. (2016). teaching material for english subject in vocational. proceeding of the fourth international seminar on english language and teaching (iselt-4), 170–179. sukarni, s. (2019). a need analysis for esp-content materials for accountancy programme at vocational high school. ellic. doi: 10.4108/eai.27-4-2019.2285343. suyadi, s. (2015). english for specific purposes for accounting students. proceedings of iselt fbs universitas negeri padang, 3, 467–473. semi sukarni understanding learners’ need of esp for accountancy program at vocational school 282 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 811 teachers’ reading habits and their effect on the students’ literacy hesni neno english study program, faculty of education science, universitas timor, kefamenanu, indonesia email: nenohesny@yahoo.co.id ulu emanuel english study program, faculty of education science, universitas timor, kefamenanu, indonesia email: ulu_emanuel@unimor.ac.id delti yulita english study program, faculty of education science, universitas timor, kefamenanu, indonesia email: yulitadelti@ymail.com apa citation: neno, h., emanuel, u., & yulita, d. (2022). teachers’ reading habits and their effect on the students’ literacy. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 811-820. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.5705 received: 19-06-2022 accepted: 21-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction the indonesian students’ literacy, especially in reading is still low compared to other asean countries. this result was exposed by pisa or oecd programme for international student assessment 2018 released in december 2019. the average score by indonesian students’ literacy are 371. this score is lower compared to china, singapore, macau, and hongkong which are on the top position with score 525 in students’ literacy. this fact about indonesian students’ literacy implicitly showed the quality of learning outcome in school and teachers’ practices is still far from the expectation. the lack of knowledge in literacy and teaching methodology in reading lead to the low quality in students’ literacy. based on pisa result analysis in oecd (2018), there are many factors that influence students’ literacy, those are economic, resources and all school components. at school, teachers hold the important role in learning process and encourage the students to improve their reading ability. from this situation, a question about teachers reading habits and affection on english reading is raised. whether the teachers are a good reader or not need to be investigated to support the teaching and learning process in the classroom. efl learners still found that reading is difficult and consuming time which caused the deficiencies of reading habits (bakken & lund, 2018; daniel, esoname, chima, & udoaku, 2017; gustine, 2018). research in efl reading showed abstract: this article is intended to show the importance of teachers’ reading habits to develop students’ literacy effectively. it is shown that the lack of teachers’ reading habits causing the deficiencies and lack of opportunity for students’ quality in efl literacy. this study used mixed method approach and the data were collected through questionnaire, interview, reading test, and observation. the participants in this study were 6 teachers and 120 students from 6 schools. the result showed that teachers’ reading habits and affective states in efl reading were in medium level and students’ literacy were in low level. it also exposed that teachers faced many reading problems and challenges throughout the years they studied english. there is a tendency that teachers’ deficiencies on their reading habits is from their perception about efl reading that still focus on translating the words into their first language rather than critically involved with the main ideas in the text. the result concludes that teachers’ lack of reading habits had caused the lack opportunity of their students’ quality literacy instruction in the classroom. this lack of instruction caused the students are thriving and struggling as efl readers who do not achieve proficiency, fluency, or comprehension. moreover, there are also many factors that affect reading habits such as socio-economic background. parents’ role and the development of technology that changes the medium of reading. keywords: literacy; reading habits; students; teachers. hesni neno, ulu emanuel, & delti yulita teachers’ reading habits and their effect on the students’ literacy 812 that reading is a complex mental process (denton, wolters, york, & swanson, 2014; yulita & safrina, 2019; yulita & neno, 2021). the process of reading become complex because it involves the mental process in mind to comprehend the text. this mental process is the ability to break the code of each sentence, find main ideas, and connect the meaning from each idea in the text. to understand the meaning of the text, denton et al. (2014) added that the readers have to synthesize the first information in the text and their general knowledge to build their mental map and cognitive development. therefore, to master and level up their reading ability, students need mind practice a lot and spend much time in reading. based on the previous research, the effect of reading is proven can increase students’ academic achievement (daniel et al., 2017; bano, jabeen, & quthosi, 2018; hasanah; 2017; & kusdemir, 2018). in addition to that fact, reichenberg & andreassen (2018) & sorman, ljungberg, & ronnlund (2018) stated that this requires a high standard for teachers as they are expected to cover the goal of curriculum and improve students’ literacy. therefore, teachers must have good reading habits because it affects the students reading ability in the class. in teaching and education field, generally reading habits is built from the repetition of reading practice in an unconscious time that became daily habits (alsaeedi, ngadiran, kadir, & altowayti, 2021; celik, 2019). good reading habits is determined by frequency, spontaneity, and accuracy, satisfaction in doing the activity, the length of time, and good ability in english (male, angelianawati, & sudirman, 2021; yulita & neno, 2021). it also requires positive attitude towards reading, high reading awareness, and having teachers who love reading (yulita & safrina, 2019, yulita & neno, 2021). moreover, some other factors like the choice of books, reading motivation, willingness to accept books as gift, and regular extensive reading time also plays important role in building good reading habits (alsaeedi et al., 2021; kusdemir & bulut, 2018). in the opposite, bad reading habit is classified as the low motivation in reading and negative attitude about reading and reluctant to accept books as gift. from the previous research about reading habits, it is revealed that there are some factors that influence reading habits. personally, reading habits are affected by age, social class, and parents job (bana, 2018), internet access and home video (male et al., 2021; loh & sun, 2019). moreover, reading habits are also affected by the environment such as parents, peer group, school curriculum, and teachers (ahmad, tariq, chaudhry, & ramzan, 2020; le, tran, trinh, nguyen, vuong, & vuong, 2019; & reichenberg & andreassen, 2018). thus, parents and teachers have important role in providing and supporting children reading habits by creating reading environment and being role model for developing good reading habits. regarding the affective states in educational field, this term points the students’ awareness in assessing and knowing themselves during learning process. according to yulita & neno (2021), affective states in reading consist of motivation, volition, feeling, attribution, and selfefficacy. motivation in learning consists of intrinsic and extrinsic that combining those two could improve learning outcome (kusdemir & bulut, 2018). yulita & neno (2021) stated that the self awareness and determination could help students to increase their motivation in learning. moreover, celik (2019) added that motivation could improve internalization process in learning. regarding volition, yulita & neno (2021) described volition as self-determination and selfcontrol towards learning experience. students who shows strong determination will have ability to seek solution and finish the task given and understand that learning success is affected by knowledge and skill. feelings in education field relate to emotional aspect in learning process. yulita & neno (2021) emphasis that students do not only think but also feel and it is important as an emotional aspect that could develop students’ cognitive aspect. yulita & neno (2021) added that english foreign learning needs a high personal belonging level to support the learning process. meanwhile attribution is explained by celik (2019) as effort and perception in learning success and failure. moreover, weiner explained that there are four factors that affect learning success and failure, those are ability, effort, perception about difficulties and luck. lastly, the term of self-efficacy described by yulita & neno (2021) as the students’ confidence in their ability in learning and finishing the learning task. this related to self-ability in controlling and practicing the right action in order to get the learning success. self-efficacy also influences the aspiration, strength, motivation and determination level when facing difficulties and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 813 setbacks in learning, also increase the ability to analyze the cause of failure and success in learning and increase the strength to face pressure and problem. literacy in education is associated with the ability to read current text in everyday world (gustine, 2018; tompkins, 2014). reading is considered as one of indicators of being literate by interpreting a written discourse. being literate is essential as it relates to the skill in millennial era. it can develop people’s social skills, improve hand-eye coordination, and give more fun and entertainment for people’s life. being literate is an access to social, economic, and civic life (tompkins, 2014) and one of fundamental skill to be success in learning process (andriani, 2017; ameyaw & anto, 2018). therefore, the ability in reading is important for students as a preparation for academic performance and career development in the future. however, there are some challenges faced by the teachers in implementing literacy in the classroom, for examples, the lack of knowledge about literacy (gustine, 2018), students’ characteristics that dependent and less autonomy in learning (lengkanawati, 2016), the limited use of technology to find in the classroom practices (karaarslan, 2015), and the conservation notion from students about efl literacy (septiarini, rahmat, & darmahusni, 2018). increasing students’ literacy is related with building up their reading habits. nowadays, students make use of the internet as vast resourceful information and provides a bounder less world of various reading materials (loh & sun, 2019). it cannot be avoided that students spend most of their time surfing on the internet to look for many information, either through reading or watching. thus, teachers and parents should be aware and notice what kind of information that the students and children get form the internet. in indonesian education context, reading instruction is integrated with other skills, those are listening, speaking and writing since junior high school. then it continues to senior high school and university. this showed that indonesian students have been learning english for 6 years and more. teachers should have more time and experiences in english learning and ideally they should have good and solid reading habits for those long period of learning time. however, the low ability of students in reading highlights the teacher reading habits to be questioned. based on the observation in some high schools and junior high schools in kefamenanu, east nusa tenggara, there was a tendency that teachers’ perception about english reading was quite conservative as they considered efl reading is a process of translating the words and sentences from the target language to the source language. the lesson plan and syllabus from the teachers have to point out cognitive and construction theory such as observing, asking, associating, collecting data, and communicating (sundayana, 2017). however, on the practice, the teachers have low tendency to use learning methods that support the reading activity. the reason that makes the teachers choose old tradition and convention in english reading was influenced by some factors and situation. as revealed by bakken & lund (2018) that most of the teachers consider that pronunciation and reading aloud are the most important activities in reading process. therefore, the process of reading mostly stops at pronunciation and reading aloud. this could degrade the students’ reading ability that are lower and indifferent. this situation has been complicated and seen in the learning process of efl reading where the students do not have any solid habits and strategies in reading to help them improving their reading ability. to make sure that the students get the useful information and wisely use the internet, teachers and parents need to guide and actively participate in students reading practices (bano et al., 2018). significantly, teachers’ important role is guiding and building their students’ reading habits. in order to build good reading habits for their students, teachers’ reading habits need to be considered. regarding those problems and situation above, this research is aimed to find out teachers’ reading habits and affective states in efl reading and how it effects their students’ literacy. since there is no study on investigating how teachers’ reading habits and affective states in efl reading effects their students’ literacy, therefore this research is significant for the improvement of increasing literacy and teaching methodology in education policy. in addition, this research is important as a scientific data and support to show the importance of teachers’ reading habits in developing students’ literacy that could be applied by school and institution to set their syllabus and curriculum. method hesni neno, ulu emanuel, & delti yulita teachers’ reading habits and their effect on the students’ literacy 814 this study used mixed method approach that combined the triangulation data from questionnaire, interview, and test in order to answer three research questions. those questions that underpin this study are: (1) how is teachers’ reading habit; (2) what is teachers’ affective states in efl reading; (3) how is teacher’s reading habits affected students’ literacy? the questionnaires were used to investigate teachers’ reading habits and their affective states. then, it was followed by interviewing the teachers to dig more and to analyze their response on the questionnaires. the questionnaire of reading habits and affective states was adapted from yulita & neno (2021). reading habits questionnaire consists of the amount of reading time, number of books, kind of books, and purpose in reading. the questionnaire about affective states was modified in which consist of motivation in reading, volition, feelings, and attribution in reading. furthermore, reading test was conducted to measure student’ reading ability and interview was applied to describe their literacy. the result of the data was analyzed by using data transformation to compare quantitative results with the qualitative data (hamied, 2017). the quantitative data is qualified in themes that can be compared with theme from qualitative data. results and discussion overall, the finding shows the tendency of teachers reading habits, their affective states in efl reading and their effects on students’ literacy. it is revealed that teachers’ reading habits were at low level and their affective states were in moderate level. meanwhile, students’ literacy was at low level. the results conclude that the lack of teachers’ reading habit causing the lack of opportunity in literacy. the detail explanation of these three research questions are described below. teachers’ reading habits the finding in teachers’ reading habits was divided into five sections, those are the amount of reading practice, the length of time of having reading habits, the types of text read, the number of books read, and the number of published writings. the details about teachers’ reading habits are formulated in the table below. table 1. teachers’ reading habits no description teachers’ response 1 the amount of reading practice 1-2 hours per day 2 the length of time of having reading habits since junior and senior high school 3 the types of text read all type of text 4 the number of books read less than 5 books per week 5 number of published writing none the amount of reading practice the result showed that the amount of reading practice was around 2-3 hours per day. teacher 6 stated that she does not read every day due to her busy time in daily activities. most of the teachers had some notion that they did not spend much time in reading unless it was for pleasure or entertainment. it indicated that teachers’ reading habits were still low quantitatively and it affected their teaching practice in the classroom. this poor reading habits reflected the low awareness of reading practice in the classroom. linear to that, the students’ reading habits also become low and unsteady. the students were rarely given the encouragement from the teachers to build their reading habits. the length of time of having reading habits regarding the length of time of having reading habits, most of teachers started their reading habits from senior high school. no one started their reading habits from elementary school. the interview revealed that the biggest problem faced by the teachers in the past time was the lack of reading sources so that they could not build their reading habits earlier. this fact indicated that external factor such as reading sources is so significant in order to build good reading habits. without broad access to reading sources, learner would not be exposed to many opportunities in building a solid reading habits. the types of text read regarding the types of text read, most of the teachers read all types of text. however, there was a tendency that the teachers were more interested in reading fiction and entertainment text for pleasure. due to the advanced technology recently, most of the teachers got the reading text from the internet that provides them many reading sources. it is a positive sign that their reading habits was assisted by the technology. meanwhile, the interview revealed that teachers’ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 815 knowledge about text types was considered poor since they rarely concern about the text they read. it was caused by their previous knowledge about text types was quite different compared to the newest development in text genre. the number of books read related to the number of books read by the teachers, it was shown that teachers read less than 5 books in a week. it is probably caused by the use of the internet that changed teachers’ habits in reading where they tended to read the online text than the conventional text. reading a hardcopy of books already been considered as an old way for the teachers. their motivation in reading become low when they saw thick books and they got interested in reading short text rather than long text. this revelation was related to their purpose in reading in which they read for pleasure instead of for getting knowledge. the number of published writings in case of publication, there was no teachers who ever published their writing. it indicated that their poor reading habits affected their writing ability and willingness to publish an article. teachers said that there was no obligation from their institution to publish their writing. because of there was no external motivation, they were reluctant to write academic paper or article. moreover, they also have low confidence in their ability in academic writing since they never attended any workshop or learned about how to publish in their past learning experiences. teachers’ affective states in efl reading regarding teachers’ affective states in reading, the interview and observation showed the details about a changing in their affective states due to long learning experiences. the advanced development of technology gives much contribution in teachers’ affective states towards efl reading. in one way, it helps them to find many reading resources and gets reading comprehension easier than the past time. however, in the other way, it does not lead to a better practice in the classroom and does not increase their motivation in publishing or writing article. the detail is explained below. motivation the interview showd that teachers’ motivation mostly determined by external factors rather than internal factors. it means that the teachers did not have a strong intention to maintain their reading habits consistently. teachers tended to think that reading was just an obligation of their job as a teacher. they did not consider it as something they needed to do in their spare time to gain knowledge and to improve their teaching. some reasons that decreased teachers’ motivation in reading were they were busy doing their daily activities, they were not interested in academic reading, and they were not familiar with the advanced technology that changed the text format from textbook to online texts. these reasons were a combination of internal and external factors that influenced teachers’ motivation in reading. feelings the result from questionnaire and interview revealed the mixed feeling, both negative and positive, of the teachers about efl reading. teachers got negative feelings in reading since they percept that efl reading was difficult and took a long time just to understand the words in the texts. this perception made teachers’ motivation become low in reading. meanwhile, the positive feelings occurred when they realized the importance of efl reading to support their teaching practice. they agreed that this awareness needed to be built to create more positive feelings towards reading. volition regarding teachers’ volition in efl reading, the study revealed that it depended on teachers’ interest towards the text and the obligation of their job. teachers had high volition in efl reading if they found that the text is interesting or in case the text related to their teaching material. they were willing to struggle and making effort to do the reading task in order to fulfill their curiosity about the text. so, the type of the text was also significant in increasing teachers’ volition to finish their reading. it can be concluded that teachers’ willingness in efl reading is affected by both internal and external factors. attribution the result showed that teachers’ attribution in reading was also determined by internal and external factors. the internal factor related to the text difficulty level and the lack of reading strategies. meanwhile, the external factor is influenced by the internet that help them to increase their reading ability. in this case, the external gives more positive input in teachers’ attribution in efl reading. hesni neno, ulu emanuel, & delti yulita teachers’ reading habits and their effect on the students’ literacy 816 self-efficacy teachers’ self-efficacy was on the medium level in their response towards efl reading. in doing efl reading, teachers admitted that they still focused on difficult words and tended to view that efl reading is a process of translating the text into their first language. this perception made them do not have high confidence in doing reading task. moreover, some of the teachers have never taken any reading test such as toefl or ielts, so that they do not sure about their ability in reading test. effect on students’ literacy the result for reading test showed that students’ ability in efl reading is still low with total percentage 59.35%. so, from the total number of questions in reading test, the students only could reach half of the correct answers. this result indicated that students’ ability in reading and their literacy are affected by teachers’ reading habit. the lack of teachers’ reading habits leads to the lack of opportunity for students to improve their literacy. the details about students’ literacy is shown in the table below. table 2. students’ reading test result students mean score percentage junior high school 3.5/6 58.7% senior high school 3/5 60% total 59.35% the observation and interview added the fact that students are struggling in understanding the text due to lack of vocabulary and reading strategies. in the reading process, instead of processing the information from the text and focusing on the meaning level, the students were focused on word by word. based on the reader level elaborated by yulita & safrina (2019), the students were at the low level of reader because they are still struggling in understanding the words rather than the whole context of the text. this majority of the conception of efl reading as translating the words were merely seen as the old tradition that surpass from time to time by the teachers to their students. besides, the lack exposure to english text also become the important factors that degrade students’ literacy since it caused unfamiliarity and increased reading anxiety. the findings also imply that the students are lack of reading strategies that could help them to understand the information from the text in the limited time. the students missed the strategic reading activity during classroom teaching and never get exposure to many reading strategies. meanwhile, a good vocabulary banks and good reading strategies could be achieved with a lot of reading practices. therefore, the importance of good reading habits could help students to increase their reading ability. in relation to the amount of time that the students spend in reading, unfortunately it is shown that students’ reading time is limited. although the advanced technology like the era of the internet has made it easier to access reading sources, students seldom use it to read more, they spend more time in the internet watching videos and playing games. based on the interview and observation, this decline of reading time was caused by students’ lack of interest in reading and there was no external motivation in reading english text. it is revealed that the teachers rarely give reading task for the students that could increase their reading habits and their interest in reading. this result was supported by gustine (2018) that found teachers are still insured about teaching literacy and promoting reading strategies to students that can develop students’ literacy and reading habits. discussion furthermore, the result of this study revealed that the teachers teaching practice did not expose students’ reading experience which was important to empower their literacy as the ability to read and see the reality of the world they are living (gustine, 2018). besides, students’ literacy in english text was also affected by students’ anxiety and negative perception about english text. both anxiety and negative perception were considered as the affective states. as supported by bana (2020), many students considered english text as difficult to understand. they said that it took a long time for them to understand the meaning of the text and many of students were perceived reading practice as translating practice. this conservative notion trapped the students in a belief that reading english text is just about translating the words into l1 instead of reading to learn and gaining knowledge (bakken & lund, 2018; gilakjani & sabouri, 2016). given the fact above, it is critical for education system and especially teachers to put the importance of literacy in teaching and learning process in the classroom. apart from the teachers’ lack of knowledge and practices in literacy, students revealed their willingness to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 817 complete efl reading task as long they were guided and aided well during reading process. this related to their dependency to their teachers rather than themselves in solving the problems. students said they did not have strategies in reading that can help them to understand the text faster and make reading more interesting. based on the result above, it is found the teachers and students were still struggling on building a good reading habits and creating positive affective states in efl reading. this phenomenon was relatable with a study by male et al. (2021) & loh & sun (2019) that found the difficulties in understanding the words and meaning in efl reading become number one factor that influence the reading habits. this negative treat made the teachers’ and students’ reading habits became poor and low. the study also shown that even the teachers have long period in learning english, it does not guarantee that they have a good reading habits. daniel et al. (2017) & hasanah (2017) proved that students with good reading habits have teachers that love all kinds of text. moreover, kusdemir & bulut (2018) added that motivation in efl reading by the teacher made the students could maintain a good confidence and positive affective in doing reading task. therefore, teachers’ reading habits are important to give positive influence towards students’ literacy especially in efl. as supported by reichenberg & andreassen (2018) and sorman, ljungberg, & ronnlund (2018) teachers’ professional development should be improved as it is significant to raise students’ reading habits and their literacy. teachers could improve the classroom situation by modifying the textbooks as the sources of reading practice and engaging students in more valuable and critical reading activities. surely, teachers could not rely on textbook fully since it is not always relevant to the current situation. teachers could mix the use of textbook with their teaching method that focusing more on reading process of getting knowledge from the text and not only translating word by word. moreover, the combination of teachers’ reading habits and affective states is significant towards their teaching practices. by improving their reading habits and changing their affective states to be more positive, the implementation of their teaching will nurture the students’ literacy in the class. as explained by gustine (2018), the significant of literacy is to connect the students to the outside world and current situation that could lead their future to be better and improving. this could be reached by developing solid reading habits and changing affection towards english reading. in addition, teachers should be more critical about the external factors that influence students’ literacy such as socio-economic, parents’ role and the advanced of technology that could help students to get more opportunity for effective literacy development. conclusion this study showed that the teachers’ reading habits were in medium level and they had mixed affective states, both positive and negative. in efl reading, there was a tendency that teachers’ reading habits were low due to their perception about efl reading text. teachers still focused on difficult words while reading and considered that translation is the best reading strategies they could apply in reading process and also in teaching reading. this poor habits and perception lead to the deficiencies of students’ opportunity to get more literacy instruction in the classroom. it can be concluded that teachers’ reading habits affected students’ literacy and reading ability. moreover, the development of technology helps the teachers and students to get more reading sources from the internet. it is hoped that their reading habits increase along with the increase in advanced technology that enables students to access the reading material easily. besides, other factors need to be considered in building good reading habits, those are economic and social status and individual perception about efl reading. thus, this study concluded that directing the teachers and the students to be more positive about efl reading is important to increase their reading habits. acknowledgement the authors would like to extend their gratitude to lppm universitas timor as the funder of this research. this study was funded by lp2m universitas timor as a part of lectures research program. the article publication is included as the report to respective institution. references ahmad, z., tariq, m., chaudhry, m. s., & ramzan, m. (2020). parent's role in promoting reading habits among children: an empirical examination. library philosophy and practice (e-journal). 3958. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/39 58 hesni neno, ulu emanuel, & delti yulita teachers’ reading habits and their effect on the students’ literacy 818 alsaeedi, z. s., ngadiran, n. b., kadir, z. a., & altowayti, w. a. h. (2021). an overview of reading habits amd medium preference among university students. 2021 international congress of advanced technology and engineering (icoten) (pp. 1-5). ieee. alsaeedi, z. s., ngadiran, n. m., kadir, z. a., altowayti, w. a., & al-rahmi, w. m. (2021). reading habits and attitudes among university students: a review. journal of techno-social, 13(1), 44-53. ameyaw, s. k., & anto, s. (2018). read or perish: reading habits among students and its effect on academic performance: a case study of eastbank senior high school-accra. library philosophy and practice. 1748. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/17 48. andriani, d. (2017). the influence of reading comprehension achievement at the eight grade students of smp muhammadiyah 1 rawa bening bu using drta and kwl strategies. journal of english language studies, 2(1), 32-45. bakken, a. s., & lund, r. (2018). why should learners of english read? norwegian english teachers' notion of efl reading. teaching and teacher education, 70(1), 78-87. bana, a. (2020). students' perception of using the internet to develop reading habits. journal of english teaching, 6(1), 60-70. bano, j., jabeen, z., & quthosi, s. b. (2018). perceptions of teachers about the role of parents in developing reading habits of children to improve their academic performance in schools. journal of education and educational development, 5(1), 42-59. celik, b. (2019). a study on the factors affecting reading and reading habits. international journal of english linguistics, 10(1), 101114. celik, b. (2019). a study on using the university library and reading habits of students: a study on tishk international university students in erbil. international journal of english linguistics, 9(4), 224-240. daniel, o., esoname, s. r., chima, o. d., & udoaku, o. s. (2017). effect of reading habits on the academic performance of students: a case study of the students of afe babalola university. teacher education and curriculum studies, 2(5), 74-80. denton, c., & wolters, c. a., york, m. j., & swanson, e. (2014). adolescents' use of reading comprehension strategies: differences related to reading proficiency, grade level, and gender. learning and individual differences, 37, 81-95. gilakjani, a. p., & sabouri, n. b. (2016). a study of factors affecting efl learners' reading comprehension skill and the strategies for improvement. international journal of english linguistics, 6(5), 181-187. gustine, g. g. (2018). a survey on critical literacy as a pedagogical approach to teaching english in indonesia. indonesian journal of applied lingusitics, 7(3), 531-537. hamied, a. f. (2017). research methods: a guide for first-time researchers. upi press. hasanah, a. (2017). the effect of teaching technique and reading habits towards student's writing skill at junior high school in serang. journal of english language studies, 2(2), 141-154. karaarslan, y. (2015). reading and reading comprehension skill levels of primary students and the opinions that they are reading and reading comprehension difficulties faced by classroom teachers. turkey: karadeniz technical university graduate school of education sciences. kusdemir, y., & bulut, p. (2018). the relationship between elementary school students' reading comprehension and reading motivation. journal of education and training studies, 6(12), 97-110. le, t. t., tran, t., trinh, t. p., t, n. c., nguyen, t. p., vuong, t. t., & vuong, q. h. (2019). reading habits, socioeconomic condition, occupational aspiration and academic achievement in vietnamese junior high school students. sustainability, 11(18), 5113. lengkanawati, n. s. (2016). teachers' belief about learner autonomy and its implementation in indonesian efl settings. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 6(2), 222-231. loh, c. e., & sun, b. (2019). "i'd still prefer to read the hard copy" adolescents' print and digital reading habits. journal of adolescent & adult literacy, 62(6), 663-672. male, h., angelianawati, l., & sudirman, a. (2021). a study of students online reading habits and preferences. degres article, 20(1), 172-183. oecd. (2018). handbook of pisa. paris: oecd. reichenberg, m., & andreassen, r. (2018). comparing swedish and norwegian teachers' professional development how human capital and social capital factor into teachers' reading habits. reading psychology, 39(5), 442-467. septiarini, t., rahmat, a., & darmahusni. (2018). the relationship between reading habits and reading comprehension of english department in untirta. journal of english language studies, 3(2), 178-191. sorman, d. e., ljungberg, j. k., & ronnlund, m. (2018). reading habits among older adults in relation to level and 15-year changes in verbal fluency and episodic recall. frrontiers in psychology, 9, 1-10. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 819 sundayana, w. (2017). telaah kurikulum & perencanaan pembelajaran. jakarta: erlangga. tompkins, g. e. (2014). literacy for the 21st century a balanced approach (6th ed.). new jersey: pearson. yulita, d., & neno, h. (2021). do teachers fond of reading? teachers' affective states in efl reading. journal of english language studies, 6(1), 52-64. yulita, d., & safrina, r. (2019). metacognitive in reading: the awareness of less proficient students on reading strategies. metathesis, 3(2), 135-145. hesni neno, ulu emanuel, & delti yulita teachers’ reading habits and their effect on the students’ literacy 820 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 409 the personality of “borno” in kau, aku, dan sepucuk angpau merah novel written by tere liye: psychoanalysis study eka yuningsih department of indonesian language education, indonesian language master program of sriwijaya university, palembang, indonesia email: ekayuningsih42@gmail.com nurhayati (corresponding author) department of indonesian language education, indonesian language master program of sriwijaya university, palembang, indonesia email: nurhayati@fkip.unsri.ac.id izzah department of indonesian language education, indonesian language master program of sriwijaya university, palembang, indonesia email: izzahzen@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa citation: yuningsih, e., nurhayati., & izzah. (2021). the personality of “borno” in kau, aku, dan sepucuk angpau merah novel written by tere liye: psychoanalysis study. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp.409-418. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4454 received: 29-02-2021 accepted: 20-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction literature work is an actual, imaginative, and creative realization of a writer with different processes from one to another. the differences consist of several methods, the creative progress appearance, and the expression models of the writer until the applied language modes. mursalim (2019) found four main approaches in literature works. they were mimetic, expressive, pragmatic, and objective. those approaches have developed into various approaches. they are such as structural, semiotic, sociological literature, receptive literature, psychological literature, and moral approaches. literature psychology is applied to analyze literary works correlated to the characters’ personalities. it is actually a combination between psychology and literature based on sigmund freud (el hafiz & himawan, 2020). the novel is a literature work with complex problems and allows the characters to experience various personality abstract: this research aimed to determine the psychological description of the main character, borno, reviewed from sigmund freud’s psychoanalysis. the subject was the novel of kau, aku, dan sepucuk angpau merah written by tere liye. the applied research methodology was descriptive qualitative. the data of this research consisted of words, phrases, sentences, and discourse related to the main character's personality structures in the novel. the data collection techniques were reading, noting, and analyzing the documents with literature psychological analysis of sigmund freud. the novel tells the love story of borno and mei due to a pincher, sepit. at that time, mei was doing field practice in pontianak. she crossed the kapuas river. borno saw her and fell in love with her, the chinese-breed girl. the red packet, angpau merah, was left on a pincher made borno wanted to return it. borno's struggles to find out her name, mei, was successful. from the analyzed data, the personality ego frequently appeared in borno. it was due to his considerations while being advised by the old man. the conflict of id and ego made an internal conflict for borno. their love story was begun from the boat. at that time, mei was doing an internship in pontianak. she crossed the kapuas river by boat. borno saw it then he fell in love with the indo-chinese breed girl. the red packet, angpau merah, was left on a pincher made borno wanted to return it. borno always kept an eye on mei. he even remembered what time mei went to teach and always kept trying to ensure his boat be always in the thirteenth line. it was the line in which mei would be on board every morning. keywords: psychoanalysis; character’s personality; sigmund freud’s theory eka yuningsih, nurhayati, & izzah the personality of “borno” in kau, aku, dan sepucuk angpau merah novel written by tere liye: psychoanalysis study 410 problems. this matter is known as psychological problem or conflict (rahmawati, 2017). psychological literature is influenced by several facts. first, it is a creation of the personal and cognitive processes of a writer in the subconscious stage. then, it is expressed in the conscious stage (endraswarra, 2003). second, psychological literature review refers to psychological reflection review of main characters to make readers experiencing the psychological problem story. it sometimes makes the readers involved in the story. the problems presented in novels might vary. studies by maulana (2014), mujihadi (2016), pratami, djohan, & purwaningsih, (2016), and sistiana (2016) showed that the problems could be mental torment, mental conflict, psychosexual problem, social-interaction, romance dilemma, etc. the novel, kau, aku, dan sepucuk angpau merah, written by tere liye also had psychological problems experienced by the main characters. although the novel brings a love story, tere liye could make it interesting with the presented problems. the problems could attract the psychological sides due to lots of conflicts experienced by the main characters. they were such as problems dealing with the romance or romantic element, the lifestyle, and the community values (basid, jannah, & hamzah, 2018; kholijah, priyadi, & sanulita, 2015; yulianto, 2019). some studies with psychological literature had been done for examples aras (2015) and khotimah, masulah, & mayasari (2017). they applied psychological literature analysis approach on novel but they did not investigate from id, ego, and superego. on the other hand, studies about the novel, aku, kau, dan sepucuk angpau merah, were done by basid et al (2018), kholijah et al (2015), and yulianto (2019). however, they did not investigate the novel based on psychological literature analysis. human characters are varied as expressed in the literature work. the novel written by tere liye was published by pt gramedia pustaka utama, the twenty-fourth print, in february 2020. it consisted of thirty-seven chapters and 507 pages. the simple love story between borno and mei becomes an amazing love story for the current era. the novel tells a life of a young man living near kapuas river, pontianak, western borneo, named borno. he fell in love with an indo-chinese girl, named mei. the love story was begun with a sept, a boat. mei who was doing field practice in pontianak, crossing the kapuas river with a boat. borno saw him and fell in love. a red packet was left on the boat. it made borno eager to return the packet and at that time he always kept an eye on mei. he even remembered what time mei went to teach. he even knew that the thirteenth line was the right queue for mei to be on board every morning. the love story theme always embellishes the community life. this argument is also supported by al-haj (2015). he found that the attitude of the character in a novel that kept on loving in the beloved one could attract readers. in the current novel, kau, aku, dan sepucuk angpau merah, is also entailed with conflicts of love stories that make the writers interested to create literary works. character psychology brings uniqueness to each literature work (santos, santos, & silva, 2018). thus, a literature work will be different not only from the story but also from the characters’ psychology. the characters in a literature work become the important parts in psychological approached studies (clare, 2019; mete, 2017; hans, 2018; xinyin, 2019). it is since literature works are frequently used as research studies about the psychological approach. the inner conflict experienced by borno could be reviewed with sigmund freud’s psychoanalysis (2000). psychoanalysis is a specific term of psychological literature study (kasimbara, 2020). according to freud, there are id, ego, and superego in humans. they cause humans to always have a personal conflict, anxiety, worry, restlessness, stress, etc. however, if they do not work equally, an abnormal character will appear (kasimbara, 2020). psychological science is used as a literature work review, especially to examine the characters. psyche, according to jung in wu & wei (2020), it is defined as the totality of all conscious and subconscious events. thus, human personalities consist of consciousness and subconsciousness (mededović, 2018). both of the states are compensatory connected. the functions of those states are (1) to adjust the external world (the consciousness) and (2) to adjust the internal world (subconsciousness). the border of both states is dynamic. it means the area of both states can be larger or narrower. the psychological literature should also prioritize the literature instead of the psychology. this study can be done in two manners. they are by english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 411 using the psychological theory understanding and analysis on a certain literature work or determining the literature work as the object and determining the relevant psychological theories. psychological literature in this discussion refers to the applied research methods and the literature work deployment as a dynamic event. literature work determines the theory and it is not the theory that determines the literature work (ratna, 2013). method the applied method was the descriptive qualitative method (haradhan, 2018). the collected data were words, phrases, sentences, and dialogues that described the main character's personality structures in the novel. the researcher in this research had roles as the key instrument. the researcher had the main role to collect the data by reading, classifying, and interpreting the data. the research data consisted of paragraph, sentence, and quotation explanations of the novel written by tere liye. they were in the form of dialogs among the characters, the explanations of the characters, and the actions in the novel. the applied instruments used the personality table of sigmund freud's theory in the form of id, ego, and superego. they were used to label the research focus, classification data based on the research focus, and data corpus table to determine the analyzed object codes. the procedures of collecting the data consisted of six stages. they were (1) selecting the novel, (2) reading and understanding the novel, (3) labeling the personality structures of the main characters, (4) classifying the data, (5) providing codes, and (6) interpreting the findings. the data checking was done with the reference adequacy technique. therefore, the researcher used sigmund freud’s psychoanalysis to analyze the main character, borno in the novel. results and discussion the main character’s personality in a literature work is always interested to review. one of them is by reviewing the personality with a psychological approach. psychology and literature are two different matters. however, they are connected due to the reviewed object. in this research, it was the personality. the characters in literature work are imaginative. however, they have psychological aspects as humans in the real world. this part is explained in this research. it is about the main character, borno, in kau, aku, dan sepucuk angpau merah novel, reviewed with sigmund freud’s psychoanalysis. the psychological description of borno the analysis of the psychological aspect of the character, borno, in the novel was based on human personality. it consisted of ide, ego, and superego. those matters cannot be separated from a human. the finding below was in line with aji (2019). borno, a young man of kapuas river, pontianak, western borneo had a story since he was 12 years old. at that time, the littler borno had to face a desperate fate. his father passed away but at the moment before it happened, his father agreed to donate his heart for another patient. borno was very sad, not only because of his father's death but questions. he was wondering how his father passed away whether it was due to the surgery or the accident. borno grew up and became a good personality character as his father was. after graduated from senior high school, borno tried to get a job, propose a job, and change jobs. borno was often insulted by his neighbors and the surrounding people of kapuas. one day, he decided to work at a ferry dock. his performance made his relative, bang togar, the chief of the speed boat community or sepit angry. then, as the result, he was prohibited to cross the river on the boat. borno decided to quit the job and stay away from his relatives and other people. he started to learn to drive the boat. although it was tough for him, due to the suggestions of his mother and the old man, he kept doing it. his love story was begun from the boat. at that time, mei was doing an internship in pontianak. she crossed the kapuas river by boat. borno saw it then he fell in love with the indo-chinese breed girl. the red packet left on the boat made borno had eager to return it. although in the end he was disappointed since the packet, containing money, was shared to celebrate the chinese new year. it was a temporal disappointment because mei called borno's name after sharing the packet. then, on that day, borno always kept an eye on mei. he even remembered what time mei went to teach and always kept trying to ensure his boat be always in the thirteenth line. it was the line in which mei would be on board every morning. borno chose to be loyal to mei although mei had several times left him without clear reasons. eka yuningsih, nurhayati, & izzah the personality of “borno” in kau, aku, dan sepucuk angpau merah novel written by tere liye: psychoanalysis study 412 however, borno believed that he would meet her again no matter what. finally, the secret was revealed. mei’s mother was a doctor. she was responsible for bornos’ father's death. she was the one who transplanted his father’s heart when there was a slight hope to live for his father. however, since she was blinded by carrier and position at that time, in which there had not been anyone who could transplant the heart, she was determined to do it. she was just realized once she completed the operation. she saw a young man and a woman hugging each other and cried due to losing someone’s important in his family. that was the reason why mei left suddenly without clear reasons and why she knew borno's name first. it was why although mei loved borno but she chose to let him go since she knew there would be a scar opened. data 12 “aku berjanji akan selalu mencintai kau, mei. bahkan walau aku telah membaca surat dalam angpau merah itu ribuan kali, tahu masa lalu yang menyakitkan, itu tidak akan mengubah apapun. bahkan walau satpam galak rumah ini mengusirku, menghinaku, itu juga tidak akan mengubah perasaanku. aku akan selalu mencintai kau, mei. astaga, mei, jika kau tidak percaya janjiku, bujang dengan hati paling lurus sepanjang tepian kapuas, maka siapa lagi yang bisa kau percaya?” (liye, 2012, p.507) “i will always love you, mei. even after i read the letters in the red packet a thousand times and knew the painful truth. it cannot change anything. even if this means security kicks me out and insults me. it will never change my feeling. i will be always loving you, mei. oh dear, if you do not believe in me, a young man with the pure heart in kapuan, who else will you believe?” (liye, 2012, p.507) data 13 malam itulah untuk pertama kalinya aku menyadari, mei datang dari keluarga yang amat berbeda denganku. taksi membawa kami menuju pusat kota, melewati jalan protokol surabaya, lantas masuk ke pintu gerbang besar, ke halaman dengan luas seperempat lapangan bola. aku yang sejak tadi lebih banyak diam, lebih banyak salah tingkah, bercakap sepatah-dua patah, menatap rumah besar tujuan kami itu dengan sebuah kesadaran baru. (liye, 2012, p.222) that night, for the first time i realized. mei came from a different family than me. the cap brought me to the central city, passing the highway of surabaya. we were brought through the large gate and yard, a fourth of the football field large. i was only keeping silent and turned into feeling awkward. i spoke once or twice, starring at the huge house, the objective of our journey with a new consciousness.” (liye, 2012, p. 222) the most dominant personality elements of borno the psychoanalysis theory of sigmund freud consists of id, ego, and superego. (1) id refers to the biological aspect. it is the most basic personality system under consciousness. (2) ego refers to the psychological aspect. it is the personality system acting as an individual’s direction toward an object of reality and promoting the function based on reality. (3) superego refers to the sociological aspect. it consists of values and regulations that are evaluative (dealing with good or bad things). the personality analysis of borno dominated could be seen on the figure 1. figure 1. the analysis of dominant personality of borno english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 413 the main character of the novel is borno. he struggled to know mei’s name. his first meeting failed and mei suddenly returned to surabaya to finish her study. borno was so crazy to contact each contact with mei's father's name. he hoped the contacted number was the address of mei. his struggle was also distracted by a beautiful chinesebreed woman. she was also as beautiful as mei and a doctor named sarah. she was the daughter of his father-donated heart recipient. she was the childhood friend of mei. a man's loyalty could be seen from borno. he remained loyal to mei although mei left him several times without clear reasons. however, borno believed that he would meet her again no matter what. finally, the secret was revealed. mei’s mother was a doctor. she was responsible for bornos’ father's death. she was the one who transplanted his father’s heart when there was a slight hope to live for his father. however, since she was blinded by carrier and position at that time, in which there had not been anyone who could transplant the heart, she was determined to do it. she was just realized once she completed the operation. she saw a young man and a woman hugging each other and cried due to losing someone’s important in his family. that was the reason why mei left suddenly without clear reasons and why she knew borno's name first. it was why although mei loved borno but she chose to release him since she knew there would be a scar opened. borno's personality as the main character from the id aspect the id aspect dealt with the biological aspect and was the original system in personality. from this aspect, the other two aspects were developed. the aspects consisted of matters brought since an individual was born or the biological elements, such as the instincts. id refers to psychics’ energy that has some principles, such as joy. guidance in the id function is to avoid an individual from inconvenience and convenience. borno experienced sadness since his father’s death. it was at his twelve years old. he was stung by jellyfish until it made him donating his heart to other people. the situation made him working as a speed boat driver. here are the quotations: data 10 “bapak belum matiii! dia bisa sadar kapan saja!”aku loncat, beringas menahan ranjang bapak. (liye, 2012, p.16) “he is still alive!!!!! he may regain his consciousness anytime” i jumped, holding my father’s bed. (liye, 2012, p. 16) data 11 “lulus sma, modal tak punya, keahlian tak ada, kesempatan minus, jaringan nol, yang tersisa cuma mimpi. dulu aku bermimpi bisa kuliah sambil bekerja. lihat sudah empat tahun lulus sma, itu-itu saja kemajuan mimpiku. jadi pengemudi sepit, penghasilan pas-pasan. sementara teman-teman kita dulu, sibuk kuliah, sibuk dengan masa depan. ada yang hendak jadi pns, ada yang mau jadi karyawan swasta necis. terus terang, aku cemas jangan-jangan aku tetap jadi pengemudi sepit. nasibku sama seperti bang jau, jupri, dan yang lain. dari kecil sudah jadi pengemudi sepit. bang togar masih lumayan, dia pernah bertualang ke hulu kapuas, punya masa muda yang berbeda. pak tua apalagi, menjadi pengemudi sepit hanya hobi, bahkan kupikir dia amat menikmatinya setelah berpuluhpuluh tahun berkeliling dunia, kaya, meski hidupnya sederhana. sedangkan aku? tidak ada hal hebat yang pernah kulakukan.” (liye, 2012, pp.281-282) after graduating from shs, i did not have anything, no skills, no opportunities, no network. i only had dreams. i was dreaming i could work and go to college. i have been graduated four years from shs and it is all my dream. thus, becoming a speed boat driver only brings limited income. on the other hand, our schoolmates are busy studying and busy with their future. some of them want to be civil servants while others want to be entrepreneurs. honestly, i am feeling restless. i am afraid i am always going to be a speed driver. i am afraid my life will be just like jau, jupri, and the others. they have become speed boat drivers since children. togar is better. he ever went to kapuas upstream. he had different young age. the old man became the speed boat driver as his hobby. i think he enjoyed it. he even went around the world for years although his life is just simple. what about me? i have not done anything great. (liye, 2012, pp. 281-282) data 11 “tidak usah bertemu?” aku memastikan, siapa tahu aku salah dengar. langit-langit warkshop terasa lenggang. “tapi kenapa?” intonasi suaraku terdengar bergetar. mei hanya diam, menunduk lagi. aku menepuk dari, aku sungguh tidak mengerti kalimatnya barusan. bukankah baru kemarin kami seharian pergi berdua? jalan-jalan yang eka yuningsih, nurhayati, & izzah the personality of “borno” in kau, aku, dan sepucuk angpau merah novel written by tere liye: psychoanalysis study 414 menyenangkan terlepas dari ulah bang togar dan kawan-kawan. kenapa tiba-tiba sore ini dia datang dengan wajah letih, bilang kalimat yang sangat tidak masuk akal? “kau hanya bergurau, kan?” aku menyelidik, tertawa kecil gadis itu mengangkat wajah, menggeleng. matanya berkaca-kaca, membuat tawaku bungkam, mematung. (liye, 2012, p.397). “what? i cannot see you?” i tried to ensure what i heard. the workshop atmosphere felt so free. “but why?” i trembling asked. mei was only keeping silent and bowed her head. i slammed my face. i really did not understand what she spoke. we were just dating yesterday. it was amazing, away from togar and the others. then, suddenly, this afternoon she came in with her long face and spoke nonsense? “are you just kidding?” i ensured it while smiling a little bit. she looked at me and shook her head. she was tearing. it made me stop smiling and frozen still. (liye, 2012, p.397). borno's personality as the main character based on the ego aspect the ego aspect refers to the psychological state due to the factual connection of an individual. the id is influenced by the environment to satisfy an individual. then, the ego tries to connect the internal part of the individual (id) and the external part (superego). the encouragement of ego to do what id expect could be achieved. the reality in the novel does not support the realization of the id. here are the quotations: data 6 berhari-hari berlalu. aku kadang tidak punya ide mau menulis apa, jadi lebih banyak asal. sebenarnya aku ingin menulis kalimat seperti “mei, aku suka kamu” atau “mei, aku kangen”. tapi kalimat itu tidak kuasa kutuliskan. situasiku sudah rumit tanpa perlu ditambah rumit— sebelum jelas benar apa perasaan mei padaku. sejauh ini, pesan-pesan pendek itu juga tidak pernah mendapat balasan. (liye, 2012, pp.456457) day by day, i still did not have any idea to write. i just recklessly wrote them. i actually wanted to write something like “mei, i like you” or “mei, i miss you.” but i could not write it. it was so complicated and i did not make it more complicated. i had no idea how was my feeling for her. so far, my letters had not been replied to by her. (liye, 2012, pp.456-457) data 7 “aku pikir, kita tidak usah bertemu lagi.” (liye, 2012, p.398). “i think we should not meet anymore.” (liye, 2012, p.398). data 8 “mei, kau tidak bisa melakukan ini tanpa penjelasan.” “suaraku serak.” (liye, 2012, p.398). “mei, you just cannot do it without reasons.” “i spoke unclearly.” (liye, 2012, p.398). data 9 aku tidak berkomentar lagi.ini hari ketiga mei tidak naik sepit. aku sebenarnya sama gugupnya dengan tiga hari lalu, berharap-harap cemas mei akhirnya muncul di gerbang dermaga. kemarin saat aku bertanya pada murid sekolah itu, yang naik sepitku, jawabannya tetap sama. “ibu guru mei mengajar seperti biasa.”jawaban yang mengambil separuh semangatku.aku sudah berusaha menuruti saran bang togar, selalu berprasangka baik, tapi itu tidak membantu. gugup menunggu di antrean nomor tiga belas, berpikir tentang kalimat apa yang akan kukatakan saat melihatnya, pertanyaan apa yang akan kukeluarkan, ternyata sia-sia. tiga hari berturut-turut mei tidak muncul di dermaga. (liye, 2012, pp.336-337) i cannot argue anymore. it is the third day mei does not go on board. i am actually nervous just like three days ago. i expect mei will come to the dock. yesterday, when i asked the student at that school, the one who went on my boat, the answer was just the same. “madam mei is still teaching as usual.” the answer took half of my spirit. i have followed bang togar's suggestion. i always think positively but it does not help. i am feeling nervous waiting in this thirteenth line. i am thinking about what i should say when i meet her, what question i should express but it was just in vain. she did not arrive at the dock. (liye, 2012, pp.336-337) borno's personality as the main character based on the superego aspect the superego aspect refers to the personal psychological aspect. it consists of traditional values and community images. superego is considered a personal moral aspect. it is to determine whether something is correct or not, suitable or not, moral or immoral as applied in a community. the superego deals with the subconsciousness and is a moral ethic to determine the correct one. the superego in the novel consists of etiquette, morals, and custom. borno was english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 415 described as a high-curiosity character. it could be seen from this excerpt. data 1 “usia enam tahun, aku suka memikirkan hal-hal aneh. salah satunya aku pernah sibuk memikirkan: jika kita buang air besar di hulu kapuas, kira-kira butuh berapa hari kotoran itu akan tiba di muara sungai, melintas di depan rumah papan kami? “kau ada-ada saja, borno. urusan kotoran saja kaulamunkan.” bapak bukannya menjawab, malah tergelak, sibuk membereskan jaring. aku mengeluarka “borno, jangan tanya macam-macam! melihat tingkah kau satu macam saja ibu sudah pusing.” ibu melotot, tangannya terus memilah-milah ikan hasil tangkapan semalam, menyuruhku bergegas mengantar pesanan.” (liye, 2012, p.7). “when i was six years old, i was thinking something strange. one of them was if i defecated the upstream of kapuas, how long would it take to reach the estuary. when would it pass our house? “you were kidding. did you reality think about that?’ after hearing that one, my father did not answer me. he was laying down and tidied up the net. i took them out. “borno, do not ask something strange! just looking at you doing that one has made me confused.” my mom stared at me. her hands were still selecting the fish caught last night. she asked me to deliver the order.” (liye, 2012, p.7). data 2 “...aku terus berjalan lurus menelusuri gang sepanjang kapuas. rumah sempit memadati tepian sungai. anak-anak asyik mandi. ibu-ibu tidak peduli mencuci di air keruh.” (liye, 2012, p.18). “...i was walking straight, passing the alleys along kapuas. the small houses stand near the bank of the river. many children were taking a bath there. many women washed with the dirty water.” (liye, 2012, p.18). data 3 “...dengan demikian, penduduk di jantung kota pontianak jika hendak menyeberang, terpaksa harus memutar jauh menumpang bus, mobil, atau opelet.” (liye, 2012, p.34). “aku menatap rumah yang ada di hadapanku. amboi, aku menelan ludah, apa aku tidak salah alamat? alangkah besar rumahnya! pintu pagar tidak dikunci, aku menggesernya, melangkah masuk. terdengar suara keran air penyiram otomatis.” (liye, 2012, p.148). “....thus, many citizens of pontianak should take the long route to cross by taking the bus, cap, or wagon.” (tere liye, 2012, p.34). “i starred at a house in front of me. oh dear, did i miss the address? how big it is! the gate was not locked. i moved it and got inside. i heard the automatic valve’s noise.” ( liye, 2012, p.148). data 4 “aku berjanji akan selalu mencintai kau, mei. bahkan walau aku telah membaca surat dalam angpau merah itu ribuan kali, tahu masa lalu yang menyakitkan, itu tidak akan mengubah apapun. bahkan walau satpam galak rumah ini mengusirku, menghinaku, itu juga tidak akan mengubah perasaanku. aku akan selalu mencintai kau, mei. astaga, mei, jika kau tidak percaya janjiku, bujang dengan hati paling lurus sepanjang tepian kapuas, maka siapa lagi yang bisa kau percaya?” (liye, p.507) “i will always love you, mei. even after i read the letters in the red packet a thousand times and knew the painful truth. it cannot change anything. even if this means security kicks me out and insults me. it will never change my feeling. i will be always loving you, mei. oh dear, if you do not believe in me, a young man with the pure heart in kapuan, who else will you believe?” (liye, p.507) data 5 malam itulah untuk pertama kalinya aku menyadari, mei datang dari keluarga yang amat berbeda denganku. taksi membawa kami menuju pusat kota, melewati jalan protokol surabaya, lantas masuk ke pintu gerbang besar, ke halaman dengan luas seperempat lapangan bola. aku yang sejak tadi lebih banyak diam, lebih banyak salah tingkah, bercakap sepatah-dua patah, menatap rumah besar tujuan kami itu dengan sebuah kesadaran baru. (liye, 2012, p.222) that night, for the first time i realized. mei came from a different family than me. the cap brought me to the central city, passing the highway of surabaya. we were brought through the large gate and yard, a fourth of the football field large. i was only keeping silent and turned into feeling awkward. i spoke once or twice, starring at the huge house, the objective of our journey with a new consciousness. (liye, 2012, p.222) from the analyzed data, the personality ego frequently appeared in borno. it was due to his considerations while being advised by the old man. the conflict of id and ego made an internal conflict for borno. their love story was begun from the boat. at that time, mei was doing an internship in pontianak. she crossed the kapuas river by boat. borno saw it then he fell in love with the indoeka yuningsih, nurhayati, & izzah the personality of “borno” in kau, aku, dan sepucuk angpau merah novel written by tere liye: psychoanalysis study 416 chinese breed girl. the red packet, angpau merah, was left on a pincher made borno wanted to return it. borno always kept an eye on mei. he even remembered what time mei went to teach and always kept trying to ensure his boat be always in the thirteenth line. it was the line in which mei would be on board every morning. conclusion after analyzing the personality based on sigmund freud’s psychoanalysis, it could be concluded that, with the psychoanalysis theory developed by sigmund freud, the personality structure is divided into the id, ego, and superego. from the analyzed data, it could be seen that borno was the only young man with a pure heart in kapuas. he even took the job as the speed boat driver that was prohibited by his father (superego). however, on the other hand, borno’s was crazy to contact each address with mei’s father name. he expected one of them was the address of mei. he did so because borno had a little clue about mei's presence in the city (id). borno could not accept the reality that mei left him when the love blossomed. borno could not forget her even he tried. the figure of mei always appeared in his heart (ego). the superego of the main character could be found when he found out the content of the red packets. finally, the secret was revealed. mei’s mother was a doctor. she was responsible for bornos’ father's death. she was the one who transplanted his father’s heart when there was a slight hope to live for his father. however, since she was blinded by carrier and position at that time, in which there had not been anyone who could transplant the heart, she was determined to do it. she was just realized once she completed the operation. she saw a young man and a woman hugging each other and cried due to losing someone’s important in his family. that was what made mei left without any clear reasons. it was also why mei figured the borno's name first. mei loved borno but she chose to leave her because she knew there would be a scar opened. borno has a complex character. the id, ego, and superego appeared together. the appeared id was when borno got angry, worry, and confused. the appeared ego was shown when borno kept his loyalty, effort to not give up, anxiety, and compassion. the superego personality was shown by the attention, loyalty, optimism, purity, intelligence, effort, autonomy, curiosity, and politeness of the character. references aji, h. a. p. (2019). struktur peranti mental (id, ego, super ego) pesantren dalam intimasi dengan lawan jenis. jurnal psikologi: jurnal ilmiah fakultas psikologi universitas yudharta pasuruan, 6(2), 114-127. al-haj, a. a. m. (2015). the depiction of true and pure love in charlotte bronte’s jane eyre. english language and literature studies, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.5539/ells.v5n1p97 aras, g. (2015). personality and individual differences: literature in psychologypsychology in literature. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 185, 250–257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.03.452 basid, a., jannah, n. i., & hamzah, m.-z. (2018). pola kehidupan masyarakat pontianak dalam novel kau, aku, dan sepucuk angpau merah karya tere liye berdasarkan perspektif strukturalisme genetik. lingua, 15(2). clare, a. c. (2019). treatment of women characters in arundhati roy’s the god of small things. ijellh: international journal of english language, literature in humanities, 7(3), 1689– 1699. el hafiz, s., & himawan, k. k. (2020). tantangan melakukan kajian literatur psikologi di indonesia: masalah mendasar dan solusinya. jurnal psikologi ulayat, 8(1), 6–17. https://doi.org/10.24854/jpu125 hans, m. (2018). esensi perlindungan hak cipta karakter fiktif. mimbar yustitia, 2(1), 40–58. haradhan, m. (2018). qualitative research methodology in social studies and related subjects. journal of economic development, environment and people, 7(1), 23–48. kasimbara, d. c. (2020). mango tree’s desire in the story of dengar keluhan pohon mangga: study on psychoanalysis of lacan. jurnal basis, 7(2), 301. https://doi.org/10.33884/basisupb.v7i2.2480 kholijah., priyadi, a. t., & sanulita, h. (2015). nilai budaya dalam novel kau, aku, dan sepucuk angpau merah karya tere liye. jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran, 4(10), 1–18. khotimah, s. k., masulah, & mayasari, l. (2017). an analysis charlie’s personalities in the perks of being a wallflower by using psychoanalitical approach. tell journal, 5(1), 43–62. liye, t. (2012). kau, aku, dan sepucuk angpau merah. gramedia pustaka utama. maulana s, f. (2014). siksa batin dalam cinta segitia: analisis psikologi sastra novel cinta di antara dua pria. humanis, 7(1), 1–5. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 417 mededović, j. (2018). what can human personality psychology learn from behavioral ecology? journal of comparative psychology, 132(4), 382–394. https://doi.org/10.1037/com0000120 mete, b. (2017). forsterian model of characterization and non-human characters in narrative fiction: iris murdoch’s mister mars and franz kafka’s gregor samsa. sefad, 2017(37), 67–78. mujihadi. (2016). analisis kondisi psikoseksual tokoh waras dalam novel trilogi ronggeng dukuh paruk karya ahmad tohari. paramastra: junal ilmiah bahasa sastra dan pembelajarannya, 3(2). mursalim. (2019). a sociological approach of literature in short story senyum yang kekal by korrie layun rampan. proccedings of the 28th international conference on literature: “literature as a source of wisdom,” 270–276. https://doi.org/10.24815/.v1i1.14439 pratami, a. v., djohan, r. s., & purwaningsih, e. (2016). the conflicts of the main character in the novel entitled “still alice” by lisa genova. jurnal ilmiah sastra, 4(2), 110–118. rahmawati. (2017). konflik kejiwaan tokoh utama dalam novel korupsi karya tahar ben jelleoun. kandai, 13(1), pp. 75–90). https://ojs.badanbahasa.kemdikbud.go.id/jurnal/in dex.php/kandai/article/view/93/0 santos, r. c. dos, santos, j. c. dos, & silva, j. a. da. (2018). psychology of literature and literature in psychology. trends in psychology, 26(2), 781– 794. https://doi.org/10.9788/tp2018.2-09en sistiana, d. (2016). analisis watak tokoh dalam novel sebening senja karya nawang wulan kajian psikologi. pembahsi: jurnal pembelajaran bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 6(1). wu, k., & wei, x. (2020). analysis of psychological and sleep status and exercise rehabilitation of front-line clinical staff in the fight against covid-19 in china. medical science monitor basic research, 26, e924085. https://doi.org/10.12659/msmbr.924085 xinyin, c. (2019). austen and dicken’s different views on their female characters and on women in nineteenth century. studies in literature and language, 18(1), 33–35. https://doi.org/10.3968/10877 yulianto, a. (2019). unsur romantsi sebagai pembentuk estetika dalam novel kau, aku, dan sepucuk angpau merah karya tere liye. tuah talino, 13(1), 1689–1699. eka yuningsih, nurhayati, & izzah the personality of “borno” in kau, aku, dan sepucuk angpau merah novel written by tere liye: psychoanalysis study 418 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 427 planning and developing creativity through mediabased learning in english language teaching mustasyfa thabib kariadi department of language education, faculty of humanities university of jenderal soedirman, purwokerto, indonesia email: mtkariadi_pbi@unsoed.ac.id m. riyanton department of language education, faculty of humanities university of jenderal soedirman,purwekerto, indonesia email: m.riyanton@unsoed.ac.id dini anggraheni department of economics, faculty of management universitas semarang, semarang, indonesia email: dinia85@usm.ac.id apa citation: kariadi, m. t., riyanton, m., anggraheni, d. (2021). planning and developing creativity in english language teaching. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp.427-436. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4519 received: 26-02-2020 accepted: 25-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction a study program in english language education is needed to prepare english teachers with the necessary professional, pedagogical, personal, and social skills. english teaching and english language learning have become central directives in newly emerging bilingual and multilingual high school classes. the need for effective teaching strategies, including strategies designed to motivate students, has become a part of elt educational models (sucuoglu, 2017). education is the best way to obtain these. because learners can develop their abilities to survive in the future, education is also a key to progress and quality growth. the system of education and life changes rapidly in the pandemic era. everything has come to a halt on a global scale. projects have been pushed back, businesses have been closed, and schools have been closed. the new coronavirus appears to have brought the globe to a halt. students, particularly in small cities like purwokerto, continue their education through online learning and video conferences with their teachers. because keeping schools open creates a safety risk to students, this model is now the best option. smp 7 purwokerto used several platforms to bridging the teaching and learning process. the learning process in the pandemic era needs teachers’ creativity. some experts believe that creativity should encompass novelty, originality, practicality, and efficacy (maley & peachey, 2015). the teachers consider personalized learning technologies a promising way to mitigate these differences. however, they also acknowledge that the swedish’ curricular focus on communication, abstract: this paper justifies the planning and development of teachers' creativity through media-based learning in english language teaching, especially in the pandemic era. this study used a descriptive-qualitative method with a case study. the data sources consisted of 37 english teachers, school principals, and students involved in the teaching and learning process in smp 7 purwokerto. the results showed that the teacher's creativity at the planning stage was demonstrated by consistently well-arranged planning the lessons and adequately preparing the learning media regarding the implementation of multimedia. regarding creativity at the preliminary stage, esl teachers employed various mediums to make it easier for pupils to acquire and grasp the topic. audio, visual, and audiovisual media are examples of media. audio and visual media were the most commonly employed in elt classes. the planning and creativity teachers become the main factors to make the class more interactive using several media. keywords: creativity; planning; teacher; learning; media; online platforms. mailto:mtkariadi_pbi@unsoed.ac.id mailto:m.riyanton@unsoed.ac.id mailto:dinia85@usm.ac.id mustasyfa thabib kariadi, m. riyanton, & dini anggraheni planning and developing creativity through media-based learning in english language teaching 428 seen as mainly acquired through human-to-human dialogue, does not match the fundamental idea behind many personalized learning technologies. based on these findings, we discuss the potential and problems when aiming to introduce personalized learning technologies for learning english in swedish schools (bunting, af segerstad & barendregt, 2021). implementing the creative method in esl teaching as one factor contributing to improving the students' motivation is one important requirement of the language skill and practice success in the professional language (rus, 2019). the development of computer and information technology offers a favorable external environment for english teaching. there are more than 300 million learners of english in china. information technology furnishes them with abundant english teaching materials, which also provides an opportunity for teachers to change their pedagogical strategies to improve the efficiency of teaching and learning (cai, 2012). esl teachers are constantly attempting to implement excellent and effective teaching methods and using suitable media. its purpose is to make the educational content easier to comprehend for students. teachers must offer the best lesson to meet the goals using excellent and appropriate media during the learning process. according to detailed research, adopting relevant learning media can help learners enhance and develop their vocabulary (anggraheni, anandha, & ts, 2020). according to rus (2020), paper provides a brief theoretical grounding and a working definition for creativity in teaching english for specific purposes. it also explores the role and function of creativity in the changing paradigm regarding the overall scope of the educational system in general and specialized language learning in particular. finally, it analyses the role and potential of creative methods and active strategies in fostering better language acquisition during esp classes. creative methods mark a next desirable superior level in modernizing the teaching strategies. so that, the full potential of a student's abilities can be activated and the desire for independence and originality, for competition, for searching novelty and working better in the language classes can be encouraged. the learners' best interests are satisfied. the recent advances in technology have resulted in the development of intelligent smartphones. these advances have attacked researchers studying in education, especially in teaching foreign languages (cavus, 2016). youtube to boost the english vocabulary (kim, 2021) and powerpoint (aziz, 2020). one of the famous online media to do the teaching and learning process is zoom online video conference. "zoom becomes the famous media to use in the pandemic era to do online teaching and able to enhancing the vocabularies on students," written by anggraheni et al. (2020). so, at the beginning of the pandemic era, zoom became the very famous application used by most people in the world. based on the aforementioned issues, the researchers concentrated their efforts on examining the teachers' originality in selecting learning material for seventh-grade students at smp 7 purwokerto. this study focused on how english teachers construct their teaching materials since they choose a suitable teaching medium in the online classroom when considering the various learning media. in addition, this study looked into the benefits and drawbacks of using media in their learning processes. method qualitative research and descriptive qualitative were used in this study. the descriptive design describes the response to recent questions linked to research difficulties, such as what, who, when, where, and how (meliala, purba, doloksaribu, panjaitan, & tarigan, 2021). the research subjects were observed in the environment by the researchers. the information gathered is thoroughly examined, leading to a significant recommendation. teachers were employed as data sources in this study. the data used in this study were obtained from data sources, including: two english instructors, one school principal, and thirty-two seventh-grade students are among the resource people. it was a part of the learning and teaching process. several questions are posed, and the results demonstrate the state of the online teaching and learning process. google form provide relevant information to executing the education unit level on english lessons found in the archives and documents. data collection techniques used in this study were interviews, observation, and document research. the interviews conducted in this study english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 429 were in-depth interviews. interviews were conducted with flexible and open discussions, not tightly structured, not in a formal atmosphere, and carried out repeatedly on the same informant with increasingly focused questions on a problem as more in-depth information. the interview form sends by whatsapp message. instrument of collecting data teachers' inventiveness in employing learning and teaching media during efl teaching-learning is one of the study findings. researchers used interview procedures to acquire data. the interview guidelines include fifteen questions that address characteristics of creativity in the use and selection of learning material. the questions as followed: (1) what is kind of media that used in your online class? (2) how excited are you about going to your online classes? (3) in your online classes, how eager are you to participate? (4) in your online class, which projects/assignments/activities do you find the most engaging? (5) what does your teacher do to make your online class engaging? (6) what is your favorite media to learn english in your online class? (7) how difficult or easy is it for you to try hard on your schoolwork right now? (8) how would you like to be learning right now? (9) what do you like about school right now? (10) what do you not like about school right now? (11) when you have online schoolwork, how often do you have the technology (laptop, smartphone, tablet, or computer) you need? (12) how difficult or easy is it for you to connect to the internet to access your schoolwork? (13) what has been the most challenging part of completing your schoolwork? (14) how happy are you with how much time you spend in specials or enrichment (art, music, video, short movie, or others)? (15) how long the duration of a face-to-face meeting in your online class? this research enlists the help of 32 seventhgrade students. the criteria for selecting a study topic are based on the experiences and certifications of teachers. the researchers then interviewed and recorded them to obtain the desired information using a form and whatsapp messages. researchers studied the results of teachers' innovation in mediabased learning after interviewing them. teachers use several media to teach an online class and how the students feel in an online class. the questions for teachers and school principle: (1) what is kinds of media that you used? (2) what are the important things to prepare for the online class? (3) what is your creativity to make the interactive class, especially in an online class? (4) what is the school provide for teachers in the teaching and learning process? (5) what is the most challenging situation in maintaining an online class? (6) what is the leading media you used to teach? (7) what is online video conference you prefer? (8) do you transfer your material into word and pdf? (9) do you share all the material in google classroom? (10) how long the duration of a faceto-face meeting in your online class? results and discussion the results of research on teacher's creativity in learning english, as seen through interviews and observations, and documentation, showed the following: table 1. teaching media selected in english language teaching media reasons 1. whatsapp  most students and teachers have this application.  easy to operate.  allowing teachers to chat with the students, share materials (picture, video, music)  allowing students to chat with teachers, download the materials.  it cannot assess the assignment.  it is allowed to record the sound and practice speaking. 2. powerpoint  it is presenting all materials in a short time.  teaching material presented skillfully and easy to understand with pictures and words.  it is giving students key points of teaching materials.  it is providing students with some additional insight dealing with the lesson. mustasyfa thabib kariadi, m. riyanton, & dini anggraheni planning and developing creativity through media-based learning in english language teaching 430 3. youtube  provide many educational materials, more fun and attracted students' attention to learn.  it is improving students' speaking accuracy and pronunciation.  students can imitate the english native speakers through video. 4. zoom  it can lead online face to face teaching and learning process.  it is allowing teachers to share ppt, links, music, and video in 45 minutes.  it is allowing teachers to record the meeting. 5. google meet  it can lead online face to face teaching and learning process.  it is allowing teachers to share ppt, links, music, and video in 60 minutes. 6. google classroom  allowing teaches to share the rpp materials, distribute assignments, assess assignments, and chatting with the students.  allowing students to see the material, download, doing the assessment, chat with teachers.  it is allowing teachers to make form and share it with students. english lesson planning learning planning is a development system for every element of learning, including the development of objectives, content, methods, and evaluation development. in principle, it has the same meaning that learning planning is a process of formulating, managing, and developing every element of learning into a planning system as an operational learning guide. these theories are following what the english teachers at smp 7 purwokerto have done below: based on the research documentation obtained, in learning planning, the teacher always prepared to learn tools, prepared syllabus and lesson planning plans (rpp), and examined the teaching methods properly. each teacher was not much different. the syllabus has indeed been determined from the center. likewise, the teachers' preparation of the learning implementation plan also included competency standards, basic competencies, learning objectives, learning resources, teaching media, learning tools, and implementing student teaching and learning activities. moreover, they were understandable, easy to understand. because the lesson plan made by the teachers was easy to be understood by those who read it, it can be shared in google classroom and made the students able to read it before class. based on the research interviews, the teacher's creativity in preparing the syllabus and the design of the implementation of learning and material preparation did not only stick to one guidebook. it was shown by writing various sources in the rpp. the teacher took material from online sources, mass media that was trending and liked by teenagers, thus attracting students in learning. local content, which is considered necessary for students to know, was also the teacher's concern. the teacher also planned a learning strategy and instructional media suitable for the automation requirements to be taught and following the basic competencies. all teachers often applied discovery learning strategies so that all students have the opportunity to find themselves in using knowledge, and students were also trained to be active in learning. not only just memorizing, creating new answers to existing problems, and getting new questions that needed to be answered but also applied with google classroom and google meet or zoom. implemented in the learning processes the learning process took a large portion of teaching and learning activities in schools. so that, a teacher was required to present the learning process well, interestingly, and meaningfully. teachers have to do planning before teaching in the learning process, among others, meaningful learning; the meaningfulness of the elements involved will support insights in the learning process. the more the meaning of the relationship between a component, the more effective something is learned. it was imperative in problem-solving activities, especially in identifying social issues and developing alternative solutions. the things that students learn should have a clear and logical meaning with their life processes. teachers must be creative in producing something new in carrying out the stages in learning, starting from the introduction, core activities, and closing learning activities using selecting media. transform all materials into power points (ppt) and words version. it aligns with ciu (2020), reflections s from the current experience and literature findings, and implications for the use english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 431 of powerpoint will be enhanceed the experience of online teaching. learning controls allow learning according to the rhythm of each individual. according to the researchers' observations and observations, the theory follows what the two english teachers did. based on the results of research from interviews and observations show that: preliminary learning activities the researchers' observations showed that the teachers showed quite excellent and exciting perceptual steps in the preliminary stages and were very familiar with each student asking the students' condition. conveying the learning objectives to be achieved and providing attractive stimulants related to the material will be discussed. teachers in the pre-test stage no longer used written questions that students must answer seriously to determine students' initial abilities towards the basic competencies to be taught. google form was used to assess student's understandability. video recording also became one of the pre-tests to submit in google classroom. the teacher allowed students to express answers in a fun and intimate atmosphere. in the learning theory, this pre-test had many uses in exploring the learning process to be carried out. the pre-test function, among others: (1) to preparing students for the learning process, the mind will focus on the questions they have to answer with the pre-test. (2) to determine the level of progress of students about the learning process carried out. (3) to find out the initial abilities that students already have regarding teaching materials used as topics in the learning process. (4) to find out where the learning process should have started, which goals have been mastered by students, and which plans have received particular emphasis and attention. the teachers also provided interesting feeds through pictures, music, and a short film to start this stage. the material source came from youtube and several internet sources. this concept of education is effectively used in various disciplines and subjects from elementary school to higher education. educational data generated through intelligent classroom iot devices and 5 g networks can lead to the 5 g era. iot analyzes it to form and create dynamic educational systems with intelligent collection concepts. the intelligent aggregation of the internet of things can propose new educational models based on the english smart classroom (bai & zhang, 2020). students are teenagers who like music, songs, and movies, so it is easier and faster to attract students' interest in learning. it is all a means to measure the extent to which students master the material to be delivered. the teachers realized that the initial abilities of each student differ from one another. nevertheless, several samples of students in the class can be taken, representing the basic ability to start lessons. the interview results with the researcher showed that the teacher, in the opening of the learning process, argued that in planning, the primary learning centered on students. the pre-test model in the form of written questions was rarely used. a teacher must present an exciting and creative early stage of learning to instill a strong sense of student curiosity to learn the subject. as suggested by mr. s and mr. c, to foster a high interest in learning english, teachers must prepare the lesson material through youtube and share the link with the students. it is maybe about new gossip that is interesting in society, and others that make students who are the teenagers felt included in the teacher's chat. the initial stage also determines the effectiveness of the learning process being held. the teacher must be a motivator and inspiration for students who want to learn. affection and cognitive needs are essential, and the goal is to develop human beings who can selfactualize in a cooperative and supportive environment. it was also explained that, in essence, every human being is unique, has individual potential and an internal drive to develop and determine his behavior. therefore, every human being is free and tends to grow and develop to achieve self-actualization. mr. s and mr. c have applied this theory. the core learning stage the researchers' observations showed that the english teachers have shown good abilities in delivering the core of learning. the existing multimedia supported many of the learning techniques used, whether in a language laboratory room or a classroom or outdoors with an internet connection—the visible communication between mr. r with students showing a conducive intimacy. the teacher applied a tutorial system in the learning mustasyfa thabib kariadi, m. riyanton, & dini anggraheni planning and developing creativity through media-based learning in english language teaching 432 process. so that, it seems that students were very enthusiastic about learning, and there was no fear of asking questions to the teacher. teachers and students collaborated well. the atmosphere of discussion and exchange of opinions between students and teachers was evident. teachers were not as if they should be considered the truest and smartest but complement each other. arguments can often be seen between teachers and students. the teacher used constructivism theory to think to solve problems, look for ideas and make decisions. students understood better because they were directly involved in building new knowledge; they understood better and can apply it in all situations. in addition, students were directly involved actively; they will long remember all the concepts. the teaching of productive language skills in the integration with receptive language skills is undoubtedly one of the priorities of elt (klimova, 2014). in the middle of profound learning, laughter and jokes as an intermezzo were punctuated so that the online class atmosphere was not tense. even so, the limits of a teacher's professionalism were still well preserved. such a classroom atmosphere made students more active in learning activities. moreover, the classroom atmosphere was alive and well. according to the humanist learning theory (abraham in taylor, 2013), these teachers do this, which says the humanist theory also argues that human learning depends on emotions and feelings. each individual has a different way of learning from other individuals. therefore, strategies and approaches in the teaching and learning process should be designed and structured according to the student's will and emotional development. he also explained that every individual has the potential and desire to achieve self-actualization. so, teachers should maintain the psychology of students and guide them so that their potential can be developed to the highest stage. the interviews conducted by researchers with teachers are the teachers who use approaches and methods that allow students to always be active in every lesson. the term students were forced to always concentrate on following the process at the core of this learning. the teacher considered himself a study partner for his students. teachers were not patronizing but exchange opinions with students and were democratic. the teacher always provoked students to argue and guides students in answering questions. the teacher respected the differences in students' arguments because the abilities and perceptions of each student are different. the teacher also applied a tutorial model between students and group work. students with low learning speed were guided by students who can catch quick lessons. the teacher guided students to motivate each other to learn and help each other to achieve exemplary achievements. students should not look down on one another. in addition, the teachers also provided time to serve students who wanted to ask questions both in class and outside class hours through the whatsapp group. the teacher also provided tutorials or additional hours for students who needed deepening of the material to better master the fundamental competencies being taught. performing the concluding stage of the learning process the researchers' observations showed that the teacher in ending the learning process was good enough with a written post-test that functions to determine students' level of mastery against determined competencies both individually and in groups to assess competencies and objectives. the objectives that students can master and competencies and goals that have not been mastered are finding out which students need to participate in enrichment activities and finding out the level of learning difficulties and as a reference component for making improvements with something interesting. the teacher provided the opportunity for students to conclude what has been studied together. then the teacher provided comments on the results of students' conclusions and reinforces the material discussed. the teacher also motivated students through film footage shown or writing to study hard and maintain attitudes from the youtube link. the teacher also gave assignments to do at home both in groups and individually. either the questions were taken from the handbook or respond to new problems in society. the teacher also provided interesting games to end the learning process. teachers also offered opportunities for students who have not mastered the basic competencies taught to ask questions both in class and outside class hours. the researcher's interviews showed that the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 433 teacher believed in ending the learning process with written tests and something interesting. the teacher must provide the opportunity for students to conclude what has been studied together. then the teacher provided comments on the results of students' conclusions and reinforced the material discussed in the google classroom. the teacher should also motivate students through the video footage shown or writing to study hard and maintain attitudes. the teacher also gave assignments to do at home both in groups and individually. either the questions were taken from the handbook or respond to new problems in society. evaluating english learning learning evaluation was carried out during the learning process and at the end of the lesson. during the learning process, evaluation was carried out by observing students' attitudes and thinking skills. the seriousness of doing the task, the results of exploration, the ability to think critically and logically in providing views/arguments, the willingness to work together, and responsibility together were examples of aspects that can be assessed during the learning process. evaluation at the end of learning was an evaluation of the innovative products produced by students. assessment criteria can be mutually agreed upon at orientation time. thus, an evaluation that can show student achievement is a continuous process of finding facts to conclude how the achievement describes students' strengths, abilities, and achievements, including conceptual understanding, reasoning and communication, and problem-solving. assessment in learning aims to improve the learning process by identifying cognitive conflicts that students have so that they need to be remedied, eliminated, or even replaced. in addition, the assessment is also to identify student learning strategies that can be most successful, inform students' strengths or weaknesses about their knowledge and approach, inform teachers to use them in learning so that they match the needs and abilities of students. teacher’s creativity in carrying out evaluations can take various forms. the teacher evaluates problem-solving tests, quizzes, midterm exams, final semester exams, or assignments done in class or homework. these evaluations are part of the pursuit system, which implements the curriculum, measuring the achievement of competencies and learning objectives. through google forms, the teacher can prepare the questions and the answers; it will make it easier for the teacher to score for students. english subject curricula could partially help english teachers overcome this problem by providing methodological guidelines. appropriate initial and in-service training could enable english teachers to acquire the necessary skills evoked in our interviews (bucur & popa, 2013). the results of the researchers' interviews with resource persons indicated that the evaluation was carried out to determine how far the students had mastered the material and know the success of the learning process. the learning process was effective or not. furthermore, the assessment results are helpful for student remedial or improvement programs and improvements to the learning process itself. the teacher argued that there are various forms of evaluation being developed. there are forms of performance, process, product, and portfolio. each of these forms has its purpose of assessing whether or not students have mastered specific basic competencies or subject matter. these evaluation forms can all be carried out in one basic competency, but only a few are suitable for use in specific basic competencies. teacher's creativity in this evaluation stage, through quizzes, daily tests, structured and unstructured assignments, midterm exams, and final semester exams. furthermore, evaluation was carried out in the form of performance (presentation, discussion, speech, drama), process (persistence, activeness, enthusiasm), products (clippings, and crafts), and portfolios. these assessments were based on essential competencies in each material discussed. in learning, the creativity that english teachers showed can be fostered by creating an online classroom atmosphere that allows students and teachers to feel free to study and explore essential topics of the curriculum. the teacher asked questions that made students think hard and then pursued students' opinions about big ideas from various perspectives. the teacher also encouraged students to demonstrate/demonstrate their understanding of essential topics in the curriculum in their way using video. discussion the inventiveness of instructors at smp 7 mustasyfa thabib kariadi, m. riyanton, & dini anggraheni planning and developing creativity through media-based learning in english language teaching 434 purwokerto in general, according to the instructors whom the researchers interviewed. first, they used google classroom, making it easier for teachers to execute the learning method by simplifying, distributing, and assessing assignments without meeting face-to-face. they claimed that google classroom is simple to customize to match the instructional materials. it offers all of the necessary features and instructional tools for use in an efl classroom. it aligns with gupta (2021), who claimed that google classroom is a platform for optimizing instructors' work processes and assisting teachers in saving time, controlling the classroom, and improving communication with students. furthermore, the usage of google classroom in this practice demonstrates that english teachers choose this platform because it allows them to save files or documents quickly. students can follow fast and offer them a grading procedure (abdullah, sulong, & rahim, 2020). the second is a powerpoint presentation. this media is thought to be appealing, and the instructional materials are simple to give and assist students in understanding concepts (el rouadi, & anouti, 2021). the majority of teachers worldwide used this medium to convey their materials both online and offline. because powerpoint includes multimedia assistance, most english teachers chose to utilize it for presentations in our survey. they claimed that powerpoint is simple to use and run. they can include anything they wish in their presentation, including movies, images, and audio. they claimed that powerpoint is simple to use and run. they can consist of anything they wish in their presentation, including movies, images, and audio. it agrees with azis and dewi (2020), who found that using powerpoint to improve students' speaking skills using movies, graphics, and audio was beneficial. in this study, english teachers used cambridge dict to produce their teaching materials, which included audio. they changed it so that pupils may hear the correct pronunciation of each english word. furthermore, this research discovered that english teachers used youtube videos to complete their presentations with smp 7 students. according to them, students were more interested in youtube with numerous modifications. it appeared to be more enjoyable and drew students' attention to learning. additionally, youtube is one of the most popular learning sites for english teachers all around the world. it is in line with kim (2021), who claimed that youtube for educational reasons is beneficial since it can be customized to meet teachers' learning goals and settings. kim (2021) also argued that using youtube to boost students' vocabulary acquisition can be done. students in this study were requested to watch videos from youtube links and write down any words they did not understand. teachers urged pupils to pay attention to the grammatical characteristics announced by native speakers in videos when practicing sentence analysis. its goal is to teach students how to think critically about grammar problems (kim, 2021). the last instructional medium used by english teachers with seventh-grade students was zoom meeting, a program that combines video conferencing and web meetings to give remote conferencing services (anggraheni et al., 2020). conclusion based on the research and data analysis findings was discovered that the creativity of teachers at smp 7 purwokerto, in general, developed in the pandemic era. the first to use google classroom, which aims to simplify, distribute, and assess assignments without meeting face-to-face, allowed teachers to implement the learning system more efficiently. students may have lost interest in the course if there was no visual representation of the content or auditory effects contributing to making the teaching and learning process more enjoyable. students would not absorb new and relevant knowledge as time passes because they did not learn anything from the classes due to a lack of enthusiasm and attentiveness. if we allow the situation to deteriorate, neither the teacher nor the students will profit. as a result, the link between the two parties will deteriorate. the creativity possessed by english teachers in planning english learning as follows: (1) planning learning prepares learning tools contained in the syllabus, and lesson planning plans which contain competency standards and basic competencies using powerpoint and google classroom; (2) preparing and making learning plans such as prepare the materials with some relate youtube link and the lessons; (3) creativity in the preparation of learning devices is arranged under the curriculum development desired by the school. doing assessment using google form and assess in google classroom. (4) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 435 teacher's creativity in preparing learning tools is always student-centered, not teacher-centered. the teacher becomes an inspiration, motivator, and facilitator for their student. face to face is the right way to create chemistry with google meet or zoom. the daily communication was made with the what's app group. there are benefits to using media. students are less likely to become bored; teachers can teach more effectively because they do not have to explain as much, and the content may be read anywhere and at any time, regardless of time or location. teachers must be able to use technology, the school must offer more finances, the manufacturing process is highly sophisticated, and it is tough to correct problems in the media. it might be exhausting to unpack and start again with the media. references abdullah, m. h., sulong, m. a., & rahim, m. a. (2020). development and validation of the music education teaching practice e-supervision system using the google classroom application. international journal of innovation, creativity, and change, 11(10), 102–116. anggraheni, d., anandha, a., & ts, h. l. (2020). enhancing english vocabulary using clt method toward slb d students via zoom application as interactive learning media. eternal (english teaching journal), 11(2). aziz, i. n., & dewi, y. a. s. (2020). the use of powerpoint as media of language teaching on students' speaking skills. humanities and social sciences reviews, 8(1), 344–358. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2020.8145 bai, h., & zhang, q. (2020). english smart classroom teaching system based on 5 networks and internet of things. microprocessors and microsystems, october, 103421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpro.2020.103421 bucur, n.-f., & popa, o.-r. (2013). teaching english as a foreign language in romanian primary education. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 78, 31–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.04.245 bunting, l., af segerstad, y. h., & barendregt, w. (2021). swedish teachers’ views on the use of personalised learning technologies for teaching children reading in the english classroom. international journal of child-computer interaction, 27, 100236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2020.100236 cai, h. (2012). e-learning and english teaching. ieri procedia, 2, 841–846. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ieri.2012.06.180 cavus, n. (2016). development of an intelligent mobile application for teaching english pronunciation. procedia computer science, 102(august), 365– 369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2016.09.413 el rouadi, n., & anouti, m. f. (2021). flipping the classroom concept through the whatsapp platform and the microsoft powerpoint presentations for the service of teaching mathematics, a case study in a lebanese public school. international journal of advanced research in science, engineering and technology, 8(1), 16384-16403. gupta, a., & pathania, p. (2021). to study the impact of google classroom as a platform of learning and collaboration at the teacher education level. education and information technologies, 26(1), 843-857. kim, t. p. t. (2021). the potential of youtube for teaching and learning for english learners. klimova, b. f. (2014). detecting the development of language skills in current english language teaching in the czech republic. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 158, 85–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.12.037 maley, a., & kiss, t. (2018). creativity and english language teaching.palgrave macmillan. meliala, e. p., purba, p. w. r., doloksaribu, l., panjaitan, l., & tarigan, n, w. p. (2021). an analysis of english teachers’ creativity in mediabased learning at the tenth-grade students, jollt journal of languages and language teaching, 9(1), 105-110. doi: https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v%vi%i.3388. rus, d. (2019). assessment techniques in teaching english for specific purposes to engineering students. procedia manufacturing, 32, 368–373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2019.02.227 rus, d. (2020). creative methodologies in teaching english for engineering students. procedia manufacturing, 46, 337–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2020.03.04 sucuoglu, e. (2017). analysis of motivational strategies used by english language teachers teaching at secondary schools. procedia computer science, 120, 189–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2017.11.228 taylor, d. c. m., & hamdy, h. (2013). adult learning theories: implications for learning and teaching in medical education: amee guide no. 83. medical teacher, 35(11), e1561– e1572. http://doi.org/10.3109/0142159x.2013.828153 https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v%25vi%25i.3388 mustasyfa thabib kariadi, m. riyanton, & dini anggraheni planning and developing creativity through media-based learning in english language teaching 436 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee noticing hybrid recasts in text chat mark j. oliver british council, singapore email: markjoliver78@gmail.com apa citation: oliver, m. j. (2016). noticing hybrid recasts in text chat. english review: journal of english education, 5(1), 25-36 received: 14-10-2016 accepted: 09-11-2016 published: 01-12-2016 abstract: this study examined ten efl learners’ noticing of the corrective nature of a form of text-based scmc (text chat) feedback that combined a recast of a grammatical error with metalinguistic information. the feedback, termed a hybrid recast, was provided by a nativespeaker interlocutor during two text chat activities: a spot-the-difference and pictureordering task. data was collected in two ways: analysis of task-based dyadic text chat interaction in which uptake was used as an indicator of learner noticing, and a post-task questionnaire containing questions that identified evidence of learner noticing. interaction analysis showed that learners responded to almost two thirds of the hybrid recasts with uptake. in addition, every learner provided evidence that they had correctly perceived at least some of the hybrid recasts as corrective in their post-task questionnaire responses. keywords: text chat (text-based scmc synchronous computed-mediated communication), corrective feedback, negative evidence, recasts, hybrid recasts, metalinguistic correction, uptake, repair, noticing introduction this study builds on the body of face-to-face and text chat studies of learner noticing of recasts. the purpose of the current study was to explore whether the corrective nature of recasts in text chat could be made more salient to learners by adapting them to include metalinguistic information in a form of feedback i termed ‘hybrid recast’. up to this point only one study by sheen (2007) had investigated such a form of feedback and this was conducted in a face-to-face environment. recasts have been repeatedly shown to be the most commonly used form of feedback by language teachers (lyster & ranta, 1997; lyster & mori, 2006), especially in response to grammatical errors (mackey et al., 2000). however, despite this popularity, a significant amount of research (lyster & ranta, 1997; mackey et al., 2000) points to recasts being less effective than more explicit forms of feedback, such as metalinguistic feedback. a common argument against their effectiveness is that they frequently fail to be perceived as corrective by learners. this is especially the case when the linguistic focus of the recasts is grammar (lyster 1998; mackey et al., 2000; sheen, 2006). a number of studies (doughty & varela, 1998; loewen & philip, 2006; sheen, 2006) have investigated whether certain characteristics of recasts resulted in greater learner noticing. loewen and philip (2006) and sheen (2006) found that recasts that were segmented, stressed and declarative, and therefore more explicit, were more likely to be perceived as corrective. sheen (2007) interestingly found that a form of feedback combining a recast with metalinguistic information, 25 mark j. oliver noticing hybrid recasts in text chat termed metalinguistic correction, led to more l2 gains than traditional recasts. in recent years there has been a growing interest in the utilization of textbased scmc or text chat in language learning (simpson 2002, p. 414). there is significant evidence (kung, 2004; lai & zhao, 2006; pellettieri, 2000, p. 81; smith, 2004; smith & sauro, 2009) that communication via text chat can increase learner noticing of both language and interactional feedback for three reasons: firstly, turn-taking proceeds at a slower speed; secondly, the language is written and thus more salient; thirdly, the enduring nature of the text chat means learners can reread previous messages, notice inconsistencies in their target language output and self-correct. however, despite of these benefits, when studies (lai & zhao, 2006; sauro, 2009) measured learner noticing of recasts provided via text chat, they reported a similar failure of learners to perceive recasts as corrective. this study attempts to investigate whether learners noticed the corrective nature of a form of feedback based on sheen’s (2007) metalinguistic correction which combined a recast of a grammatical error with a brief piece of metalinguistic information. interaction researchers, such as long (1996), have viewed noticing as an essential liaison that connects interactional input and learner output (egi, 2010). when considering learner noticing of recasts we must look at a number of issues that remain under debate. firstly, there is some debate as to whether recasts provide negative or positive evidence. secondly, while some view recasts as a form of implicit feedback, others see them as explicit feedback. thirdly, there are conflicting views regarding the uptake that recasts can trigger (ellis & sheen, 2006). ellis and sheen (2006, p. 585) define positive evidence as samples of grammatical and acceptable l2 and negative evidence as information about language which is not grammatical or acceptable. the developmental benefits of recasts are most widely held (long, 1996; oliver, 1995) to lie in negative evidence, which encourages the two types of noticing that schmidt (1990) argued were prerequisites for l2 acquisition. firstly, the linguistic feature being recast is made more salient to the learner and secondly, recasts prompt learners to compare their erroneous utterance with the recast allowing them to ‘notice the gap’ (schmidt & frota, 1986). however, bao et al. (2011) state that this argument rests on the assumption that learners are able to recognize the corrective intent of recasts. there is significant evidence that recasts, especially of grammatical errors, are often not perceived as corrective (lyster, 1998b; mackey et al., 2000; nicholas et al., 2001). interactionally, recasts can perform the function of acknowledging the content of the preceding turn (nicholas et al, 2001). in long’s (1996) definition, recasts are viewed as an implicit form of feedback where errors are implied and the focus is on meaning not form. however, others (ellis & sheen, 2006; loewen & philip, 2006) have broadened the definition of recasts to include varying degrees implicitness and explicitness. they posit that through the use of segmentation, stress and declarative intonation in recasts, the interlocutor can overtly state the existence of error and so switch the focus of interaction from meaning to form. a commonly used indicator that learners have perceived a recast as corrective is whether they react to the recast in their next utterance (lyster & 26 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee ranta, 1997; mackey et al., 2000). lyster and ranta (1997, p. 49) defined this learner reaction to feedback as uptake, and it is believed by many to be closely related to learner’s perceptions about feedback at the time it is delivered (mackey et al., 2000). lyster and ranta (1997, p. 49) stated that uptake could be classified as either repair or needs-repair. an utterance that contained a correct reformulation of the initial error was termed repair and an utterance that did not as needs-repair. needs-repair could range from a simple acknowledgment to a partial reformulation. lightbrown (1998, p. 193 in egi, 2010) noted that repair, in particular, gave some reason to believe that the learner had “noticed the gap” (schmidt & frota, 1986) between their erroneous utterance and the recast. an argument against the use of recasts is that they have often been found to result in lower levels of uptake than other feedback forms (lyster & ranta, 1997; mackey et al., 2000). however, there is some debate over whether uptake when used alone is an effective means of investigating learner noticing of recasts (ellis et al., 2001). sheen (2007) took recast research in a new direction by investigating an experimental form of feedback combing recast with metalinguistic information. sheen called this feedback type ‘metalinguistic correction’ and below is an example taken from her study (2007:307): student : there was a fox. fox was hungry.’ teacher: the fox. you should use the definite article ‘the’ because you’ve already mentioned “fox”. sheen (2007) found that in posttests measuring l2 gains the group receiving metalinguistic correction (in response to errors in article usage) outperformed the group receiving recasts, which also failed to perform significantly better than a control group. sheen (2007) explained the positive effects of metalinguistic correction in terms of schmidt’s (1995, in sheen, 2007) two levels of awareness; ‘noticing’ and ‘understanding’. she pointed out that schmidt (1995 in sheen 2007) argued that ‘noticing’ was an important step towards acquisition while ‘understanding’ could result in deeper learning. sheen (2007) concluded that the provision of a recast indicating the correct form, together with metalinguistic information was more effective than providing only a recast because it led to both the noticing and understanding of the underlying rule. despite the significant amount of literature on recasts and the potential of text-based scmc (synchronous computed-mediated communication) in language learning, there have been only a few studies (lai & zhao, 2006; sachs & suh, 2007; sauro, 2009) investigating recasts in a text-based scmc environment. interestingly, they observed a similar failure of learners to notice the corrective nature of recasts. lai and zhao (2006) compared the capacity of text-based scmc interaction and face-to-face interaction to promote learners’ noticing of interactional feedback. in stimulated recall sessions, learners exhibited noticing of 45% negotiation of meaning episodes in text chat compared with 24% in face-to-face interaction. however, for recasts the opposite was true, with learners noticing only 10% of text chat recasts compared to 18% of face-to-face recasts. it must be noted, however, that the information about recasts provided by the findings was very limited. lai and zhao (2006) explained that the low level of noticing of text chat recasts may have resulted from the recasts being provided 3 to 4 turns after the learner’s incorrect 27 mark j. oliver noticing hybrid recasts in text chat message. sachs and suh (2007) investigated the efficacy of textually enhanced and textually unenhanced recasts of errors in their use of indirect reported speech in terms of learner awareness and l2 gains. the textual enhancement involved underling the matrix verbs and representing the back shifted verbs in bold face. drawing on insights from schmidt (1995 cited in sachs in suh, 2007), they investigated learner awareness of l2 form at the level of noticing and understanding. schmidt (ibid:29) provided the following example to illustrate the difference: ‘awareness that a target language speaker says, on a particular occasion, ‘he goes to a beach a lot,’ is an example of noticing. being aware that goes is a form of go inflected for number agreement is understanding.’ to measure awareness, sachs and suh (2007) used an introspective tool called the think-aloud technique. verbalizations were coded according to three criteria for the presence of awareness: cognitive change, metaawareness and morphological awareness. cognitive change was considered awareness at the level of noticing and the others awareness at the level of understanding. the study found that 100% of the textually enhanced and textually unenhanced groups verbalized awareness at the level of noticing. however, only 43% of the unenhanced group reported meta-awareness and none reported morphological awareness. on the other hand, 100% of the textually enhanced group reported metaawareness and 33% reported morphological awareness. sachs and suh (2007) found despite outperforming the unenhanced group in post-tests, the enhanced group were not able to identify appropriate uses of backshifting in context or produce it themselves with greater ability. sachs and suh (2007) noted that while the enhanced recasts successfully highlighted the verb forms, participants may have still failed to perceive them as corrective. sauro (2009) investigated the effects of test-based scmc recasts and metalinguistic prompts on the development of learners’ l2 knowledge of the english zero article with abstract uncountable nouns. the study found greater improvement in the immediate post-tests for the metalinguistic prompt group than the recast group. furthermore, 44% of metalinguistic prompts resulted in uptake compared to 21% of the recasts. sauro (2009) suggested the greater l2 gains and uptake associated with the metalinguistic prompts resulted from its overtly explicit corrective nature. she argued that the corrective intent of the recasts was less clear and so reduced opportunities for learners to “notice the gap” between recasts and their erroneous utterances. the recasts in the study were generally full and long and these characteristics have been shown in face-to-face recast studies to reduce the saliency of recasts to learners (loewen & philip, 2006; sheen, 2006). also, at times there was a lack of adjacency between some of the recasts and the triggering erroneous utterance, an issue highlighted by lai and zhao (2006). doughty and long (2003:65) claimed learners needed to be able to hold both erroneous utterance and recast in their working memory to allow for comparison and noticing of any gap. this research covers two research questions: 1. to what extent do hybrid text-based scmc recasts of grammatical errors result in learner uptake? 28 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 2. how do learners perceive hybrid text-based scmc recasts of grammatical errors? method this study was unique in the sense that the researcher and participants were located in different countries. as stated by pellettieri (2000), text-based scmc does not have the geographical constraints of face-to-face communication. therefore, i decided that it would be interesting to carry out this research with participants located in a different country than myself. while i was located in malaysia, the participants of the study were parttime intermediate-level efl students at my previous school, the british council, beirut. participants were all female and aged between eighteen and thirty-two years old. they were university students, teachers, housewives, and office workers. two were from syria and eight were from lebanon and all had arabic as their first language. facebook messenger was used in nine of the text chat sessions and google talk in one. the materials used in this study included two text chat tasks performed by participants and a native-speaking interlocutor, in this case the researcher. these text chat tasks were a spot-thedifference picture task adapted from mackey et al. (2000), and a narrative picture task adapted from sachs and suh (2007). tasks were primarily meaningfocused, had clearly defined outcomes and required learners to make use of their own linguistic resources (ellis, 2003). the topic of the tasks was a holiday; selected in accordance to the topics the students had recently covered in class, participant interests and language levels. two task types were used because previous research (gass et al., 2005 in egi, 2007) found that task type could affect the nature of interaction. each learner met the researcher online once in a 40-minute text chat session. the date and time of this text chat session was arranged via email exchange. the learners performed two dyadic text chat tasks with the researcher acting as interlocutor. alongside performing the tasks, the interlocutor provided hybrid recasts of any grammatical errors made by the learner, as shown in the example below taken from the study. learner: he is wearing red t-shirt and shorts interlocutor: he is wearing a red t-shirt (indefinite article (a) + singular noun) the hybrid recasts consisted of a recast of the error and metalinguistic information relating to the error, which was bracketed to differentiate it from the recast. to identify episodes of recasts and any subsequent uptake, chatscripts were saved and later analyzed. participants also completed a posttask questionnaire immediately after finishing the text chat task. divided into two sections, the first consisted of five open-ended questions relating to learner noticing of the hybrid recasts; the second section included open-ended questions to elicit learner attitudes regarding the use of text chat in their language learning. the chatscripts were analyzed for instances of hybrid recasts and subsequent uptake using a coding scheme, adapted from lyster and ranta’s (2007) observational study of feedback and uptake in french immersion classes (figure 1 contains a summary of both coding schemes; figure 2 provides examples of each category of the coding scheme). 29 mark j. oliver noticing hybrid recasts in text chat the number and percentage of hybrid recasts that resulted in uptake and repair was then calculated for each participant and then for the study as a whole. this emulated the interaction analysis in previous recast studies (lyster & ranta, 1997; mackey et al., 2000). figure 1: coding schemes lyster and ranta (1997, p. 44) this study stage 1 learner produces an erroneous utterance learner produces a grammatically incorrect utterance stage 2 teacher provides a form of feedback or continues with topic interlocutor provides a hybrid recast of the error stage 3 if feedback provided, learner reacts to feedback (uptake) or continues with topic (no uptake); uptake classified as repair or needsrepair learner reacts to hybrid recast (uptake) or continues with topic (no uptake); uptake classified as repair or needs-repair stage 4 for repair, teacher continues topic or provides reinforcement; for needs-repair, teacher provides follow-up feedback or continues with topic for repair and needs-repair interlocutor continues with topic figure 2: coding scheme: examples from study hybrid recast episodes no uptake learner and he is wearing red shirt interlocutor wearing a red shirt (article (a) + singular noun) learner there are sofa and table uptake repair learner that clown is wearing colourful clothes interlocutor was wearing colourful clothes (use past continuous) learner that clown was wearing colourful clothes uptake needsrepair learner in front of desk there is open suit case. do you have the same? interlocutor there is an open suitcase (use article (a/an) with singular noun) learner all right. i understand. in addition to measuring uptake, the study analyzed participants’ questionnaire responses for evidence of learner noticing, using the following three indicators: 1. a direct reference to the interlocutor correcting their mistake 2. noticing the language feature that had been recast 3. correctly stating the number of grammatical errors they had made* (*the study posited that if a learner’s estimation of the number of grammatical mistakes made matched the number hybrid recasts they received, it could be concluded that they perceived every hybrid recast as corrective.) 30 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee results and discussion hybrid recasts of grammatical errors and learner uptake table 1: the frequency of hybrid recasts, uptake and repair participant number of hybrid recast episodes subsequent uptake (% of hybrid recasts) subsequent repair (% of hybrid recasts) 1 4 3 (75%) 0 2 6 3 (50%) 0 3 9 0 0 4 6 6 (100%) 5 (83%) 5 5 2 (40%) 0 6 4 4 (100%) 3 (75%) 7 8 8 (100%) 0 8 4 2(50%) 1 (25%) 9 6 5 (83.3%) 0 10 1 1 (100%) 0 total 53 34 (64%) 9 (17%) the frequency of hybrid recasts and subsequent uptake and repair is presented in table 1 above. participants received between four and nine hybrid recasts during the text chat tasks, with the exception of participant 10, who received only one. nine participants reacted to hybrid recasts with uptake. the lowest level of uptake among these nine was 40% and the highest was 100%, achieved by four participants. only three participants responded to hybrid recasts with repair. 47% of hybrid recasts were followed by needs-repair and 17% by repair. therefore, 64% resulted in some form of uptake. learners’ perception of hybrid recasts of grammatical errors all participants directly mentioned at some point in the questionnaire that the interlocutor had corrected their mistakes during the text chat tasks. four participants referred to this twice. although no limit was set on the number of features participants could report noticing, seven participants responded with only one answer and one participant did not respond. in addition, four participants indicated a number of mistakes that exactly matched the number of hybrid recasts they received. two participants provided answers that roughly matched. of the four that provided a number that did not match, one had misinterpreted the question. furthermore, four participants made some reference to their inability to use grammar accurately and a need to improve their english. two participants similarly mentioned a failure to use grammar correctly. this is further evidence that participants noticed their non-target use of english grammar, which implies that they perceived hybrid recasts to be negative evidence. hybrid recasts of grammatical errors and learner uptake the data collected from the analysis of chatscripts of the text chat tasks indicated that almost two thirds of the hybrid recasts provided resulted in uptake. table 2 shows the percentage of hybrid recasts that resulted in uptake, repair and needs-repair compared with feedback types in previous studies. 31 mark j. oliver noticing hybrid recasts in text chat table 2: uptake following hybrid recasts, recasts and metalinguistic feedback study setting feedback type % of student turns following the feedback that contained; uptake repair needs-repair this study (2013) text-based scmc hybrid recast 64 17 47 lyster and ranta (1997) face-to-face recast 31 18 13 metalinguistic feedback 86 45 41 panova and lyster (2002) face-to-face recast 40 13 27 metalinguistic feedback 71 29 42 sauro (2009) text-based scmc recast 21 not available (n/a) n/a metalinguistic prompt 44 n/a n/a as table 2 highlights, the level of uptake after hybrid recasts (64%) seems high when looking at the level of uptake that followed recasts in previous face-toface and text-based scmc study. only between 31%-40% of recasts in face-toface studies by lyster and ranta (1997), and panova and lyster (2002) were followed by uptake. this figure was even lower in the text-based scmc study by sauro (2009), which also experienced relatively low levels of uptake after metalinguistic prompts. interestingly, the hybrid recasts led to a level of uptake more usually associated with metalinguistic feedback. sauro (2009) explained that the low level of uptake identified in her study might have resulted from a lack of adjacency between the learner error and recast. in this study, 29% of the hybrid recasts were not provided in the turn immediately following the erroneous utterance, as highlighted in excerpt a. however, this did not seem to have an adverse effect on the level of uptake. excerpt a participant 9: this looks like a hotel room, there are two beds which are not used yet participant 9: and something on the bed interlocutor: which haven’t been used yet (use present perfect) participant 9: thank you! the relatively high level of uptake that followed hybrid recasts can be seen to result from learners more clearly perceiving them to be negative evidence. the low level of uptake usually associated with recasts has been explained by learners sometimes interpreting recasts as performing functions other than feedback, such as acknowledging (nicholas et al., 2000). in such cases, recasts are perceived to be positive evidence. the high level of uptake following hybrid recasts indicates that while the recast may or may not be perceived as negative evidence, the metalinguistic information most likely is. therefore, the level of uptake is more similar to that associated with metalinguistic feedback, as shown in table 2. another possible reason for the high level of uptake is that hybrid recasts are a significantly more explicit form of feedback than recasts. long (1996 in long et al., 1998) argued that recasts were implicit because they implied errors whose focus was on meaning rather than form. however, hybrid 32 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee recasts explicitly draw learners’ attention to the existence of an error. studies have repeatedly shown that learners are more likely to recast to explicit forms of feedback, such as metalinguistic feedback, as highlighted in table 2. while the overall level of uptake for hybrid recasts was quite high, only 17% resulted in repair. the majority of uptake was needs-repair and took the form of acknowledgement (lyster & ranta, 1997, p. 50) or recognize (ellis et al., 2001, p. 298), as shown in the excerpt b. excerpt b interlocutor: brown curtains (plural form) participant 1: yes thanks the text-based scmc setting of this study may have had an effect on the level of repair. in his text-based scmc study of negotiated interaction, uptake and lexical acquisition, smith (2005) found that only 11% of negotiated focus on form episodes resulted in repair. he argued that the low level of successful uptake or repair in text chat was due to the visual representation of the language, the pressure to respond quickly and the redundancy of retyping the recast. smith (2005) reported similar lexical gains from learners, independent of whether they produced repair, needsrepair or no uptake. learners’ perception of hybrid recasts of grammatical errors the qualitative data collected from the post-task questionnaires would seem to confirm that learners perceived the corrective nature of hybrid recasts of their grammatical errors. interestingly, despite every participant clearly reporting that recasts were corrective, only three participants provided uptake after every hybrid recast. in fact, one participant did not provide any uptake at all, yet still claimed to have noticed that they were corrective in the questionnaire. this contrasts with the findings of egi’s (2010) and mackey et al’s (2000) face-to-face studies. they found that when learners did not follow recasts with uptake, they were unlikely to perceive recasts as corrective in stimulated recall. also, egi (2010) observed that learners who produced repair were much more likely to accurately perceive recasts than those producing needs-repair. this study found otherwise, with accurate perception of recasts despite low levels of repair. in response to the findings, two claims could possibly be made about the use of uptake as an indicator of learner noticing in text-based scmc. the first is that as smith (2005) argued needs-repair is an equally good indicator that a learner has accurately perceived a textbased recast as repair. the second is that while uptake may indicate that the learner has correctly perceived the corrective force of the recast, an absence of uptake cannot be interpreted as evidence that the learner has not perceived the recast. as stated by smith (2005) uptake may be precluded by features of text chat, such as visual saliency and pressure to type responses quickly. ellis et al. (2001) argued that uptake could also be precluded by discourse considerations in face-to-face interaction. a possible explanation as to why all participants successfully perceived the hybrid recasts to be negative evidence in the post task questionnaire despite not always producing uptake is the visual and enduring quality of text chat (sauro, 2009). 33 mark j. oliver noticing hybrid recasts in text chat because the chatscripts were saved on the learners’ computer screens, they were able to revisit them post task while completing the questionnaire. therefore, while they may not have noticed that the hybrid recasts were corrective during the interaction, and so produced no uptake, a second or third reading may have facilitated noticing of their corrective nature. this revisiting of the hybrid recast episodes also provided learners with further opportunities for schmidt’s (1995) noticing of the gap between their interlanguage and the target form. the likelihood of this noticing occurring was potentially increased because learners did not need to hold both the erroneous utterance and recast in the working memory for comparison as in face-to-face interaction (williams, 2005 in sauro, 2009). another finding from this study was that four participants used metalinguistic terminology to report what they had noticed about english during the text chat tasks. in sachs and suh’s (2007) study, this was coded as morphological awareness and considered to indicate awareness of l2, which schmidt (1995 in sachs & suh, 2007) classified as at the level of understanding. in sachs and suh’s study, 33% of participants who received textually enhanced recasts reported morphological awareness in think-aloud vocalizations and 38% reported sensing that the interlocutor had been focusing on the correct use of verb tenses in the briefing questionnaire. therefore, the levels of morphological awareness reported by learners receiving textually enhanced and hybrid recasts was similar. sheen (2007) explained the greater l2 gains attributed to his metalinguistic correction, the feedback form that hybrid recasts were adapted from, in terms of schmidt’s (1995, in sheen, 2007) two levels of awareness; noticing and understanding. as noted by sheen, schmidt (1995) argued that ‘noticing’ was an important step towards acquisition while ‘understanding’ could result in deeper learning. sheen (2007) concluded that the provision of the correct form and metalinguistic feedback was effective because it led to both the noticing and understanding of the underlying rule. this provides a possible explanation for the morphological awareness reported by three learners. conclusion this study used two sources of data to investigate whether learners carrying out text chat tasks perceived hybrid recasts of grammatical errors to be corrective. chatscripts of the tasks were analyzed to identify the distribution of hybrid recasts and subsequent uptake and a post-task questionnaire yielded qualitative data on learner perceptions of hybrid recasts. both sources revealed that learners generally perceived the hybrid recasts to be corrective. when compared with findings from previous face-to-face (lyster & ranta, 1997; mackey et al., 2000) and text chat (lai & zhao, 2006; sauro, 2009) recast studies, results indicate that the corrective force of hybrid recasts might be clearer than traditional recasts. as such, further study into forms of text chat feedback that combine recast with metalinguistic information is warranted. references bao, m., egi, t & han, y (2011). classroom study on noticing and recast features: capturing learner noticing with uptake and stimulated recall. system, 39, 215-228. doughty, c., & long, m, (2003). optimal psycholinguistic environments for distance foreign language learning. 34 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 5, issue 1, december 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee language learning and technology, 7(3), 50-80. doughty, c., & v, e. (1998). communicative focus on form. in c. doughty &j. williams (eds.), focus on form in classroom second language acquisition, (114-138). cambridge: cambridge university press. egi, t, (2007). recasts, learner’s interpretations, and l2 development. in mackey, a. (ed.) (2007). conversational interaction in second language acquisition. oxford: oxford university press egi, t, (2010). uptake, modified output, and learner perceptions of recasts: learner responses as language awareness. the modern language journal, 94, 1-21. ellis, r, (2003). task based language learning and teaching. oxford: oxford university press. ellis, r., basturkmen, h., & loewen, s. (2001). learner uptake in communicative esl lessons. language learning, 51(2), 281–318. ellis, r., & sheen, y. (2006). re-examining the role of recasts in second language acquisition. studies in second language acquisition, 28(4), 575-600. cambridge university press. kung, s, (2004). synchronous electronic discussions in efl reading class. elt journal, 58(2), 164-173. lai, c., & zhao, y. (2006). noticing and textbased chat. language learning and technology, 10(3), 102-120. loewen, s., & philip, j. (2006). recasts in the adult l2 classroom: characteristics, explicitness and effectiveness. the modern language journal, 90(4), 536556. long, m. (1996). the role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. in ritchie, w.r, & bhatia, t.j., (eds.) handbook of second language acquisition. academic press, 413-468. long, m., inagaki, s., & ortega, l. (1998). the role of implicit negative feedback in sla: models and recasts in japanese and spanish. the modern language journal, 82, 357-371. lyster, r. (1998). negotiation of form, recasts, and explicit correction in relation to error types and learner repair in immersion classrooms. language learning, 48(2), 183-218. lyster, r., & ranta, l. (1997). corrective feedback and learner uptake, negotiation of form in communicative classrooms. studies in second language acquisition, 20, 36-66. cambridge university press. lyster, r., & mori, h. (2006). interactional feedback and instructional counterbalance. studies in second language acquisition, 28, 269-300, cambridge university press. mackey, a., gass, s., & mcdonough, k. (2000). how do learners perceive feedback? studies in second language acquisition, 22, 471-497. cambridge university press. nicholas, h., lightbrown, p., & spada, n. (2001). recasts as feedback to language learners. language learning, 51, 719-758. oliver, r. (1995). negative feedback in child ns-nns conversation. studies in second language acquisition, 17, 459481. cambridge university press. pellettieri, j. (2000). negotiation in cyberspace: the role of chatting in the development of grammatical competence. in warschauer, m., & kern. r. (2000). network-based language teaching: concepts and practice, (59-86), 3rd printing. cambridge university press. sachs, r., & suh, b. (2007). textually enhanced recasts, learner awareness, and l2 outcomes in synchronous computer-mediated interaction. in mackey, a. (2007). conversational interaction in second language acquisition, (197-228), oxford university press. sauro, s. (2009). computer-mediated corrective feedback and the development of l2 grammar. language learning and technology, 13(1), 96-120. schmidt, r. (1990). the role of consciousness in second language learning. applied linguistics, 11, 129-58. 35 mark j. oliver noticing hybrid recasts in text chat schmidt, r., & frota, s. (1986). developing basic conversational ability in a second language: a case study of an adult learner of portuguese. in day (ed.). 1986 sheen, y. (2006). exploring the relationship between characteristics of recasts and learner uptake, language teaching research, 10(4), 361-392. sheen, y. (2007). corrective feedback, individual differences, and acquisition of articles. in mackey, a. (2007). conversational interaction in second language acquisition, (229-248). oxford: oxford university press. simpson, j. (2002). computer-mediated communication. elt journal, 56(4), 414-415. oxford: oxford university press. smith, b. (2004). computer-mediated negotiated interaction and lexical acquisition. studies in second language acquisition, 26, 365-398. cambridge university press. smith, b. (2005). the relationship between negotiated interaction, learner uptake, and lexical acquisition in task-based computer-mediated communication. tesol quarterly, 39(1), 33-58. smith, b., & sauro, s. (2009). interruptions in chat. computer assisted language learning, 22(3), 229-247. 36 73 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee the analysis of presupposition in the short stories of silvester goridus sukur erwin oktoma department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, university of kuningan, indonesia. e-mail: oktoma09erwin@yahoo.com styfanus mardiyono department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, university of kuningan, indonesia. e-mail: mardiyonostyfanus@yahoo.com apa citation: oktoma, e & mardiyono, s. (2013). the analysis of presupposition in the short stories of silvester goridus sukur. english review: journal of english education, 2(1), 73-83 received: 09-07-2013 accepted: 30-10-2013 published: 01-12-2013 abstract: this paper is descriptive qualitative which describes the types of presuppositions and their meaning in the short stories by silvester goridus sukur. the research questions of this paper are; what are the types of presupposition and dominant type of presupposition in the short stories by silvester goridus sukur. in order to analyze the data, the writer employs yule’s theory which divides presupposition into 6 types: existential presupposition, factive presupposition, lexical presupposition, structural presupposition, non-factive presupposition and counterfactual presupposition. the data of the research are sentences which contains presupposition triggers. the results of this study shows that based on yule’s theory, it has been found that there are 219 presuppositions. 129 existential presuppositions or 58,90 %, 47 lexical presuppositions or 21,56 %, 9 structural presuppositions or 4,10 %, 15 factive presuppositions or 6,84 %, 7 non factive presuppositions or 3,19 % and 3 counterfactual presuppositions or 1,36 %. keywords: presupposition, type of presupposition, presupposition triggers, short stories of silvester goridus sukur. introduction this research investigated the presupposition in the short stories of silvester goridus sukur. this study aimed to find out the types of presupposition and the dominant type of presupposition used in the short stories by silvester goridus sukur. pragmatics is the study of contextual meaning (yule 1996). it is related to the interpretation what people mean in a particular context and how the context influences what is said. furthermore, levinson (1983) stated that pragmatics is the study of the relation between language and context basic to an account of language understanding. pragmatics is the last stage of linguistics started with a narrow discipline facing with physical data of speech becomes a wide discipline taking in form, meaning, and context (leech 1983). saeed (1997) stated that presuppositions are produced by particular words or construction, together sometimes called presupposition triggers. yule (1996) also stated that when speaker’s assumption expressed is analyzed, presupposition has been associated with the use of a large number of words, phrases, and structures. that is why there are presupposition triggers consisting of words, phrases and structures. the presupposition triggers according to karttunen (1973) in levinson (1983) are definite descriptions, factive verbs, erwin oktoma & styfanus mardiyono the analysis of presupposition in the short stories of silvester goridus sukur 74 implicative verbs, iterratives, change of state verbs, verbs like judging, temporal clause, cleft sentence, implicit clefts with stressed constituents, comparisons and contrasts, non-restrictive relative clause, counterfactual conditionals questions. yule (1996) stated that there are six types of presupposition: (1) existential presupposition, this type of presupposition is not only assumed to be present in possessive construction but more generally in any definite phrases; (2) factive presupposition that presupposed information following a verb like ‘know’ can be treated as a fact; (3) non-factive presupposition, it is the one that assumed not to be true; (4) lexical presupposition, in the case of lexical presupposition, the speaker’s use of a particular expression is taken to presuppose another (unstated) concept;(5) structural presupposition, this type of presupposition can lead listeners to believe that the information presented is necessarily true, rather than just the presupposition of the person asking the question; (6) counter factual presupposition, the meaning of what is presupposed is not only true, but is the opposite of what is true, or ‘contrary to facts’. presupposition are something like the background beliefs of the speaker – propositions whose truth takes for granted in making his statement (stalnaker 1999) so when the speaker wants to speak a and b, the speaker takes for granted b as if the listener understand the whole meaning or a. so in the presupposition there are explicit meaning and implicit meaning. explicit meaning is what is actually said; meanwhile implicit meaning is what left unsaid. according to grundy (2000), there are two ways that can be used to identify presupposition. the first way is through presupposition triggers, and the second one is to think of them as ways of expressing shared or non controversial knowledge. presupposition trigger can be used to reveal the presupposition from utterance or sentence. according to karttunen (1973) in levinson (1983) there are 12 kinds of such triggers: (1) definite descriptions used proper names and possessives construction (keenan 1972); (2) factive verbs is presupposing truth of the proportional complement. verbs like regret, aware, realize, odd, know, be sorry that, be proud that, be indifferent that, be glad that, and be sad that are included to this type (kiparsky & kiparsky 1972); (3) implicative verbs: manage, forget, happen, and avoid are the examples of implicative verbs (karttunen 1972); (4) presupposition trigger is change of state verbs such as stop, begin, continue, start, finish, carry on, cease, take, leave, enter, come, go, arrive, etc. (sellar 1954, karttunen 1973); (5) iterratives is presupposing that is being repeated. words like again, anymore, return, another time, to come back, restore, repeat, and for the nth time are examples of iterative. unlike the other presupposition, the implications are not attributed to the speaker, so much as to the subject of the verb as judging. the sentence of agatha accused ian of plagiarism presupposes that (agatha thinks) plagiarism is bad. the word criticize also includes to this type. (6) in temporal clause, such as before, while, since, after, during, whenever, as are the triggers of this temporal clause (frege 1892 in heinamaki 1972). (7) cleft sentence is argued to presuppose that something ‘y-ed’ (as in it was x that y-ed). it was henry that kissed rosie presupposes that someone kissed rosie (keenan 1972). (8) implicit clefts with stressed constituents, these particular presuppositions that seem to arise from two cleft sentence seem also to be triggered simply by heavy stress on a constituent (chomsky 1972; wilson & sperber 1979); (9) comparisons and contrasts may be marked by stress, 75 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee by particle like too, back, in return, or by comparative constructions; (10) non-restrictive relative clause, as in an example of the proto harrappans flourished 2800-2650 b.c. were great temple builders presupposes that the proto-harrappans flourished 2800-2650 b.c; (11) counterfactual conditionals have been claimed to presuppose falsity of the antecedent. if hannibal had only had twelve more elephants, the romans languages would this day exist presupposes that hannibal didn’t have twelve more elephants; (12) the last is questions. wh-questions introduce the presuppositions obtained by replacing the wh-word by the appropriate existentially quantified variable. the presupposition as intended by the linguists is found in the short stories of silvester goridus sukur chosen as data sources. in the short stories found the information that is a part what is communicated but not said in which the writer of the story seems to take for granted in making an utterance. therefore, the writer is curious to know a part better; the one what is communicated but not said. method all of the data in this research were taken from the short stories of silvester goridus sukur. concerning the method of collecting data, the writer did some strategies below. first, reading the short stories. second, identifying the words related to presupposition triggers, table 1: categories of presupposition adopted from yule (1996) no type example presupposition 1 existential 2 factive 3 non-factive 4 lexical 5 structural 6 counterfactual then collecting the sentences contained presupposition triggers. last, listing the sentences into the table categories of presupposition. the researcher focused on two books entitled “striptease dancer” and “one night with a maid”, firstly published in 2009. there are 11 short stories in striptease dancer; a striptease dancer, my sweetest julia, pretty woman, my son’s order, luxurious toilet, a shoplifter, going dutch, wet the bed, mr. mouse, a blue umbrella and not my friend’s room. meanwhile, there are 13 short stories in one night with a maid; one night with a maid, a passionatenight kissing, going to kiddo, true love, bad holiday, a bowl of water, dating with a dog, a crazy man, never-ending love, my radio, my-ex girlfriend, special gift, the parking attendant. the data analysis of presupposition were grouped based on the theory of yule (1996) in which the presupposition appeared from the presupposition triggers. meanwhile, to know the presupposition triggers, the writer employed the theory of kartuneen imparting there are 31 presupposition triggers that kartuneen collected (levinson, 1983) to obtain validity of the research, the steps below were applied by the researcher: first of all, the writer identified the word contained presupposition,then classifying the data into kinds of presupposition based on george yule’s theory. to know the dominant type erwin oktoma & styfanus mardiyono the analysis of presupposition in the short stories of silvester goridus sukur 76 is commonly used in the short stories by silvester goridus sukur, the writer employed the formula as follow: fk rel = fk ∑f x 100 fk rel : frequency of relative cumulative (percentage of types) fk : frequency of cumulative (total types frequency of sub-category) ∑f : frequency of total (total of all categories) 100 % : percentage (subana, 2000) the percentage of occurrences: existential : 138 occurrences x 100 = 63,01 % 219 lexical : 47 occurrences x 100 = 21,46 % 219 factive : 15 occurrences x 100 = 6,84 % 219 non-factive : 7 occurrences x 100 = 3,19 % 219 structural : 9 occurrences x 100% = 4,10 % 219 counterfactual : 3 occurrences x 100% = 1,36 % 219 result and discussion there was a calculation to have the dominant type of the presupposition of the research, applied to know the dominant type of presupposition. afterwards the writer collected the data and classified them. here is the formulation of the dominant type as follow: fk rel = fk ∑f x 100 fk rel : frequency of relative cumulative (percentage of types) fk : frequency of cumulative (total types frequency of sub-category) ∑f : frequency of total (total of all categories) 100 % : percentage as the calculation of the occurrences, it was found that dominant type presupposition used in the short stories by silvester goridus sukur was existential presupposition (63,01%), then lexical presupposition (21,46%), factive (6,84%), non-factive (3,19%), structural (4,10%), and counterfactual (1,36%). striptease dancer striptease dancer tells us about the story when silvester had a birthday and he got a surprise from his girlfriend and friends (see appendix for futher story). in this story, it was found 15 presuppositions; nine existential presuppositions, five lexical presuppositions and one structural presupposition. there was no factive, non factive and counterfactual in this story. 77 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee my sweetest julia this story tells us about silvester’s love letter; he intended to give his love letter to julia, but somehow, his friend found the letter and read in front of the class (see appendix for futher story) in this story the writer found that there were 14 presuppositions; seven existential presuppositions, four lexical presuppositions, two factive presuppositions and one structural presuppositions. there was no non factive and counterfactual presupposition in this story. table 2: research data of striptease dancer no type sentences presupposition explanation 1. existential it is my birthday. (2:1:9) -silvester had a birthday this data is triggered by adjective possessive “my”. so it is categorized into existential presupposition. 2. i wanted to go to movie with my girl friend, dewi (1:2:9) -there is a movie -silvester had girl friend this data is triggered by adjective possessive” my”, the name of the place and a person. when it is negated, the presupposition remains constant. 3. structural what the hell have you done to me? (9:6:11) -silvster’ friends had done something this is categorized into structural, because it uses wh question. it means that by using wh question, it is already known the situation before that question is being asked. table 3: research data of my sweetest julia no type sentences presupposition explanation 1. existential almost every normal boy in my school fell in love with her. (2:1:17) -there were normal boys -silvester had a school, -there was a girl whom every boy fell in love with this sentence is categorized into existential, it is triggered by definite noun phrase” every normal boy”, adjective “my” and pronoun “her”. when it is negated, the presupposition remains constant. 2. factive anton read some sentences that i knew very well (3:5:18) -anton read some sentences this is categorized into factive presupposition, because it is triggered by factive verb “knew” using knew, it is supposed to be fact. 3. structural how could anton have a letter with such sentences? (6:5:18) -anton had a letter it is categorized into structural presupposition, it is triggered by who question. luxurious toilet luxurious toilet tells us about silvester’s girlfriend birthday party. at that occasion, silvester wanted to urinate but suddenly the lamps went out, so it was so hard to find the toilet. and he found the room but in fact that room was not toilet but the room of his girlfriend’ parents.(see appendix for further story). in this story, the presuppositions found were four existential presuppositions, six lexical presuppositions, on factive presupposition and one structural presupposition. erwin oktoma & styfanus mardiyono the analysis of presupposition in the short stories of silvester goridus sukur 78 going dutch this story tells us about the story in which misunderstanding happened among his friend, the security and him about the payment of the lunch (see table 4: research data of luxurious toilet no type sentences presupposition explanation 1. existential one december evening, my girl friend invited me to attend her birthday party in her house (1:1:33) -i had a girlfriend -she had a birthday party, -she had a house this sentence is triggered by adjective possesive “my”, “her”. so it is categorized into existential presupposition. when it is negated, the presupposition remains constant 2. lexical i kept on going to the toilet.(12:1:33) -sylvester had gone to toilet before keep on is one of the trigger, it is a kind of change of state verb. by using a state verb, it is supposed that another meaning is being understood. 3. structural what happened? (1:4:34) -something happened this is a kind of structural presupposition, because it is triggered by wh question. table 5: research data of going dutch no type sentences presupposition explanation 1. existential i sometimes had a lunch in a restaurant near my boarding house. (2:1:43) -there was a restaurant near the boarding house -there was a boarding house in this story, the presupposition triggers are definite noun phrase “a restaurant” and adjective possessive “my”. when it is negated, the presupposition remains constant. 2. lexical i saw her sitting at our table again. (9:2:43) -she had sat at their table before the triggering is iterative “again”, it means that the activity is being repeated. she sat, she went and she sat again. 3. structural what did you say?(10:3:44) -the security guide said something to him it is triggered by w-h question, when someone asked this question, it means that before there was something said. 4. counterfactual if only i could move my face from my head, i would put it a while into my pocket. (3:5:45) -silvester could not move his face from his head. this is counterfactual presupposition, because it is triggered by counterfactual conditional. it is not only not true but contrary to fact. appendix for further story). in this story there were 11 presuppositions; five existential presuppositions, four lexical presuppositions, one structural presupposition and one counterfactual 79 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee presupposition. but, there was no factive and non factive presuppositions. wet the bed this story tells us about silvester’s smelly body, because the clothes that he wore was the clothes that his son urinated on it.(see appendix for further story). in this story, the writer found that there were 11 presuppositions; eight existential presuppositions, one factive presupposition, one non-factive table 6. research data of wet the bed no type sentences presupposition explanation 1. existential i went to campus where i taught. (2:2:50) -sylvester had a work in a campus this is triggered by the name of some place “campus” it means that there is someplace to reach by silvester. 2. counterfactual if only i had not got flue at that time, i would have known something strange with my trousers. ( 5:3:51) -sylvester got flue this is a counter factual, because it is triggered by counter factual conditional. this sentence is not only not true but contrary to facts. table 7: research data of one night with a maid no type sentences presupposition explanation 1. existential my friend, brian and i went to window shopping to waldoboro. (1:1:9) -sylvester had a friend --there was someone called brian -there was a place called waldoboro in this sentence, the sentence is triggered by adjective possessive “my”, the name of person and the name of place. so it is categorized into existential 2. lexical i reached the bed and slept again. (5:4:10) -sylvester had reached the bed and slept before it is triggered by iterative “again”. so it can be categorized into lexical. he slept, got up and slept again. 3. factive i realized that i was not in bed with brian but with his mad. (5:5:10) -sylvester was not in bed with brian, meanwhile with his maid this is a factive presupposition, it is triggered by word “realized” that is treated as fact. 4. non-factive i was dreaming about sleeping with a very beautiful girl. (1:5:10) -sylvester didn’t sleep with a very beautiful girl dream, pretend and so forth are the example of word in non factive, this sentence is triggered by word “dream” it is categorized into nonfactive. presupposition and one counterfactual presupposition. yet, the writer did not find lexical and structural presupposition. one night with a maid this story tells us about spending time at his friend’s house. in the mid of the night, he went to the toilet in the darkness because the lamps went out. when he backed to the room and he slept with the maid until morning (see appendix storyfor further). in erwin oktoma & styfanus mardiyono the analysis of presupposition in the short stories of silvester goridus sukur 80 this story, the presuppositions were five existential presuppositions, two lexical presuppositions, one factive presupposition and one non factive presupposition. see table 4.6 below: true love this story tells us about the true love that belonged to his girlfriend. where tanty, his girlfriend still loved him though silvester’ tooth fell out (see appendix for further story). it was found that there were eight presuppositions; two existential presuppositions, two lexical presuppositions, one factive presupposition, two non-factive presuppositions and one structural. a bowl of water this story tells us about having lunch in padang restaurant table 8: research data of true love no type sentences presupposition explanation 1. existential one day, tanty and i went to eat in a big and famous fried chicken restaurant. (1:2:21) -there was someone called tanty -the big and famous fried chicken restaurant existed it is triggered by the name of the person “tanty”, definite noun phrase “a big and famous fried chicken restaurant”. so it is categorized into existential presupposition. when it is negated, the presuppo-sition remains constant 2. factive i just realized that one of my front teeth which was actually a false tooth already fell out. (1:5:23) -one of silvester’s teeth which was actually a false tooth already fell out this is categorized into factive presupposition, it is triggered by factive verb “realized”. it is treated as a fact. 3. non-factive she stared at me as if i were a ghost. (7:4:22) -silvester was not a ghost this sentence is categorized into non factive, this is triggered by “s if” and the fact that silvester was not a ghost 4. structural what happened? (15:2:21) -something happened this is triggered by w-h question in which before everybody asked this question, something happened before. with his friend. suddenly the waiter came and brought two bowls of water. silvester drank one of them because he didn’t know what it was for; in fact, it was for washing finger (see appendix for further story). this story had eight presuppositions: three existential presuppositions, one lexical presupposition, one factive presupposition, one structural presupposition and two non-factive presuppositions. never ending love this story happened when it was saturday night. as usual he came to his girlfriend, santy. as he wanted to go home, romantically he kissed her forehead. he didn’t realize her dad’s coming of nowhere. 81 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee table 9: research data of a bowl of water no type sentences presupposition explanation 1. existential rina, my classmate, invited me to have lunch in a padang restaurant. (2:1:30) -there was someone called rina -silvester had a classmate -there was a padang restaurant in this sentence, the triggers are the name of the person, adjective possessive and definite noun phrase, when it is negated, the presupposition remains constant. so it is categorized into existential. 2. non-factive i felt as if my face was being burnt on a fire. (3:4:32) -his face was not being burnt on a fire this is categorized into non-factive presupposition. the fact that his face was not being burnt on a fire. table 10: research data of never-ending love no type sentences presupposition explanation 1. existential one day i visited my cute and beautiful girlfriend, santy in her house. (1:1:47) -silveter had a cute and beautiful girl friend -there was someone called santy -santy had a house this sentence is categorized into existential, it is triggered by adjective possessive “my” and “her”. when it is negated, the presupposition still remains constant. 2. counterfactual if only i had had another pair of eyes behind my head, i would have seen and known that he had been in the dim living room. (15:2:48) -silvester had no another pair of eyes this is categorized into counterfactual presupposition because it is triggered by counterfactual conditionals. the sentence is not only not true but also contrary to fact. my radio in this story, his wife and silvester went onto a two floor electronic shop to buy a radio. misunderstanding happened, after he bought and paid it. silvester went out and waited outside. suddenly a woman came and held the radio. he was accused of stealing his radio (see appendix for further story) . in this story, the writer found that there were six presuppositions; four existential, one lexical presupposition, one non-factive presupposition. conclusion the whole short stories by silvester goridus sukur have been analyzed. it can be concluded that all the types of presuppositions: existential presuppositions occur in all of stories, lexical ones just occur in the short stories (striptease dancer, my sweetest erwin oktoma & styfanus mardiyono the analysis of presupposition in the short stories of silvester goridus sukur 82 julia, pretty woman, my son’s order, a shoplifter, going dutch, mr. mouse, a blue umbrella, not my friend’s room, one night with a maid, a passionatenight kissing, going to kiddo, true love, bad holiday, a bowl of water, doing with a dog, my radio, my ex-girlfriend, the parking attendant). factive ones just occur in a few stories as well (my sweetest julia, pretty woman, luxurious toilet, a shoplifter, wet the bed, a blue umbrella, one night with a maid, a passionate night kissing, true love, bad holiday, a bowl of water, a crazy man). non factive ones occur in the short stories (wet the bed, mr. mouse, not my friend’s room, one night with a maid, true love, a bowl of water, my radio). structural ones occur in the short stories (striptease dancer, my sweetest julia, my son’s order, luxurious toilet, a shoplifter, going dutch, true love, a bowl of water, special gift), and counterfactual ones are found in the short stories (going dutch, wet the bed, never ending love). the number of presuppositions found are 219. table 11: research data of my radio no type sentences presupposition explanation 1. existential my wife and i went to a two-floor electronic shop to buy a radio.(1:1:52) -silvester had a wife -there was two-floor electronic shop -there was a radio to buy in this sentence, the presupposition triggers are adjective possessive “my” and definite noun phrase “a two electronic shop”. when it is negated, the presupposition remains constant. 2. lexical i tried to find my wife but she was not there anymore. (6:2:52) -she had been there/in the cashier before this is categorized into lexical presupposition, because the trigger is anymore, when someone uttered this sentence, it is supposed that another meaning was understood by another speaker. 3. non-factive i wish i could have flown away. (7:5:54) -silvester could not have flown away this is categorized into nonfactive, it is triggered by “wish” and the fact is not true percentages type of presupposition in the short stories: the percentage of existential presupposition is 138 or 63,01% of findings; that of lexical presupposition is 47 or 21,46% of findings, that of structural presupposition is 9 or 4,10 % of findings; that of factive presupposition is 15 or 6,84 % of findings; that of non-factive presupposition is 7 or 3,19% of findings and the last one is counterfactual: 3 or 1,36% of findings. so, the dominant type is commonly used in the short stories by silvester goridus sukur is existential presuppositions. references alwasilah, a. c. (2002). pokoknya kualitatif: dasar-dasar merancang dan melakukan penelitian kualitatif. jakarta: pt dunia pustaka jaya. grundy, p. (2000). doing pragmatics. new york: oxford university press. leech, g. n. (1983). principles of pragmatics. new york: longman linguistics library. levinson, s. c. (1983). pragmatics. 83 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol.2, issue 1, december 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee cambridge: cambridge university press. marczyk, g., dematteeo, d., & festinger, d. (2005). essentials research design and methodology. john wiley & sons, inc. new jersey. renkema, j. (2004). introduction to discourse studies. amsterdam: john benyamin publishing company. saeed, j. i. (1997). semantics. oxford: blackwell publishers, ltd. speneder, j. (2002). presuppositions in spoken discourse. department of linguistics (doctoral dissertation): stockholm university. subana. (2000). statistik pendidikan. bandung: pustaka setia. yingfang, w. (2007). analysis of presupposition and its function in advertisement. canadian social science. page 55-60: central china normal university. yule, g. (1996). pragmatics. oxford: oxford university press. zare, javad., abbaspour, e., nia, r. m. (2012). presupposition trigger-a comparative analysis of broadcast news discourse. international journal of linguistics. page 734-743: iran university of science & technology. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 453 the problem faced by students of islamic education in reading islamic comprehension text nyayu yayu suryani stik siti khadijah palembang,indonesia email: nyayu.ys@stikes-sitikhadijah.ac.id apa citation: suryani, n. y. (2022). the problem faced by students of islamic education in reading islamic comprehension text. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 453-464. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6246 received: 06-02-2022 accepted: 24-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction for a long time, reading comprehension issues have been a common difficulty in efl classrooms. reading and comprehension are inextricably linked because comprehension is the primary objective of reading (maulani & rachmanita, 2022). the reading part of the english course is on understanding the information and answering the questions (asmara, muhammad, & almubarokah, 2022). according to various studies, the majority of efl students have difficulty comprehending english texts (kasim & raisha, 2017). nanda and azmy (2020) explained that indonesian efl students have poor reading comprehension performance due to the lack of vocabulary, prior knowledge and motivation. reading is one of the four essential language abilities to achieve in learning from elementary to tertiary levels. furthermore, it is a skill that every student needs to have together with some others, namely listening, writing, and speaking because the four skills are related to each other. reading is complex because it involves many processes that must be skilfully coordinated, such as controlling eye movements, word recognition, giving a representation of the sentence’s meaning, and deciding what to do with the information being read (cornoldi, & oakhill, 2013; evenddy, nurlely, & marfu'ah, 2021). pourhosein gilakjani & sabouri (2016) likewise explained that reading is a collaborative activity that readers need to utilize in order to construct a meaningful representation of a text. the existence of prior knowledge about the assigned text (certain topic) can help the readers to construct the meaning (rusmiati, fitriani, & zakaria, 2021). background knowledge plays a vital role in students’ reading comprehension (rizqon, andreani, & astuti, 2021). effective reading techniques are important skills that have received a lot of attention in terms of improving students' reading comprehension. larasaty & fitriyani (2022) stated that in order to understand text, a reader must be able to identify words rapidly, know the meaning of almost all of the words and be able to combine units of meaning into a coherent message. reading with understanding and comprehension is an essential skill, thereby it should be mastered (spiro, bruce, & brewer, 2017). reading is a cognitive process that involves the interaction of the reader's prior knowledge and the printed text. students might not be able to comprehend the text if they do not have enough background knowledge to comprehend the text (rizqon, et al., 2021). reading may be inferred from the above definitions that it is a cognitive and abstract: students are often concerned with accuracy in pronouncing words when reading and not entirely focused on the content of what is being read. this study aims to find out the problems faced in reading comprehension (islamic reading text) by employing descriptive quantitative approaches. the method used in this study was the descriptive quantitative which translates data into numbers.the sample was 59 students of the islamic education study program raden fatah islamic state university palembang. furthermore, the data were gathered by using test and questionnaire as the instrument via google form. the result showed that most students failed reading comprehension assessments due to a lack of vocabulary, poor grammatical proficiency, difficulty in understanding long phrases and material, lack of media learning or family assistance, and lack of information about reading comprehension. in conclusion, the data obtained from the test showed that the islamic students still have difficulties in reading comprehension tests. keywords: reading comprehension; problem faced; islamic reading text. nyayu yayu suryani the problem faced by students of islamic education in reading islamic comprehension text 454 affective process of decrypting and comprehending written text in order to obtain the writer's message (yusthi, 2016). it means that, according to pratama (2019), reading skills can assist students with reading a book in a range of categories, which can help them achieve a lot in their activities, such as success in school, university, or other educational institutions. besides, as stated by calet, pérezmorenilla, & de los santos-roig (2019), reading comprehension is one of the most important transversal skills for the achievement of success in both school and society. according to roe & burns cited in rachmatia (2016), the types examples of reading comprehension questions: (1) a main idea question inquires about the selection's central theme; (2) a detail question is one that asks for specific details from the material;(3) a sequence question necessitates an understanding of events in their chronological order; (4) a cause-and-effect question identifies a cause and asks questions about its effect, or identifies an effect and asks questions about its cause; (5) an inference question seeks information from the passage that is indicated but not explicitly stated; (6) a vocabulary question asks questions about the definition of a word or phrase that appears in the selection. factor that causes students to struggle with understanding what they are reading is poor concentration. this is because, the ability to focus is a key factor for good and effective reading, which eventually leads to text comprehension (hidayati, 2018). the problems that indonesians experience in their learning activities, which limit learners' comprehension, and how to approach at pedagogy from a larger perspective on reading theories. it was discovered that the students lacked a basic understanding of the language system, lacked reading techniques, and had difficulty distinguishing between different types of reading comprehension. as bulut (2017) pointed out that reading comprehension is a multi-step process that involves the reader's vocabulary knowledge, textual interaction, and application of comprehension strategies. the findings revealed that cultural background, english teaching and learning processes, and teaching and learning methodologies all influence the difficulties and problems that indonesians encounter (sahmadan, 2020). the studies showed that the majority of learners fail with reading comprehension in five aspects. the reading comprehension problems related to the reading comprehension process were the percentage average of each element from highest to lowest. as mentioned by styati & khasanah (2022), reading activity needs a strategy and media to help the students understand the meaning of words in the text the second problem is motivation. students' lack of motivation can cause lack of interest in reading so that it fosters a sense of laziness (gunawan, 2022). the third problem has become one of background knowledge. the fourth problem is about a lack of reading strategies. last problems is language knowledge (febriani, elfrida, & jayanti, 2019). besides, teachers need to employ a range of strategies such as increasing students' vocabulary as garcia-castro (2020) mentioned that having limited vocabulary has been a problem for efl students, motivating them, and introducing new literacy teaching methods in order to address the issues and to broaden their knowledge of approaches used in the teaching and learning process (tuhumury, 2020). previous studies that relates with the difficulties in reading include shehu (2015) which stated that students of english language matura exam at albanian high colleges struggle with each bottomup and top-down techniques. hence, it is indispensable to motivate students, specifically foreign language students, to be examined as much as possible because this will noticeably help their language learning process. secondly, mentioned that the factors that contribute to poor english comprehension, include a lack of vocabulary, a tendency of cramming, and a lack of interest in learning creativity in reading, especially when the sole objective is not to write an exam. semantics was the most significant reading comprehension problem, with 81 percent of the respondents identifying unfamiliar terminology as their main difficulty in interpreting english texts (kasim & raisha, 2017). the students at jordan's yarmouk university experience a variety of reading difficulties, including confusing words, new language, with a finite amount of time to think and comprehend the material. this findings is also valuable to jordanian policymakers in improving the joy of students’ reading (qarqez, 2017). dara (2019) stated that despite the fact that the ministry of education, youth and sport had integrated this subject into the state curriculums for lower secondary to tertiary educations since 1993, the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 455 findings revealed that lack of language knowledge and motivation were the primary causes of english reading problems, with student personality, learning methods, and teacher personalities acting as a shadow behind the issues. furthermore, the study conducted by hamza aljarrah (2018) reveals that the main problem faced by arab efl students is their inability to detect different forms of text which have an impact on their english language skills and academic achievement. torppa, vasalampi, eklund, sulkunen, & niemi (2020) stated that reading comprehension problems are frequently separate from reading fluency problems. three studying challenge groups were then identified, namely poor readers who have difficulty with both fluency and analyzing comprehension (n = 46, 3.5 percent), gradual readers with solely fluency difficulties (n = 70, 5.3 percent), and negative comprehenders who just have problems with reading comprehension (n = 88, 6.5 percent). from the analysis, only readingrelated motivation was once low amongst sluggish readers. while in math and science, there is a lack of motivation also noted through weak comprehenders and readers (torppa et al., 2020). the majority of students' issues in reading comprehension, according to satriani (2018), students difficulty in reading comprehension due to a lack of desire in their reading habits, since the students read little or nothing. the ability of kids to comprehend a reading text is seen as a challenge. another student's reading comprehension issues come from a lack of reading ability. the learners expressed their dissatisfaction with the fact that they had to study hard in order to retain the information they had just read. they will also require a significant period of time to read the content in order to solve their difficulty. one of the learners' problems in understanding the reading text is too difficult reading material. they are unfamiliar with the reading content, and grammatical intricacy is also a factor in their failure to interpret the text correctly. referring to nurmalasari & haryudin (2021), students feeling trouble when they want to interpreting a text, because they have less knowledge of translating every word and then find the main idea of the text they read, they cannot conclude and answering the questions. the teacher has a responsibility to provide, select or create texts that are appropriate with the lesson plans and students' abilities, design of reading assignments that are useful for students to understand reading texts, organize effective learning activities, and create a supportive environment for practicing reading (setiawati & budiasih, 2021). in 2013 ef survey, reading achievement in indonesia is still low. the national reading index of 2019 (solihin, utama, pratiwi, & novirina, 2019) states that the indonesian students’ reading literacy level on indonesian text is categorized as low literacy level. then, the pisa 2018 score for indonesia in reading is 371 (oecd, 2018). this score is considered below average because the average score in pisa 2018 is 453. students should first focus on reading fluency to solve the problem of reading comprehension achievement. there is a correlation between reading fluency and comprehension. according to many researchers, they claimed that while fluency is an important aspect of the reading curriculum, but teachers are unaware of it (rachmatia, 2016). the studies above have similarity and differences, but they all focus on the students’ difficulties in reading. in summary, the first study shows that students’ problems are related to bottomup and top-down techniques, while the second shows that students’ problems are related to a lack of vocabulary, a tendency of cramming, and a lack of interest in learning creativity in reading. the third shows that the problem is related to interpreting english texts, while the fourth explains that the problems are related to confusing words, new language, and limited time to cognitively comprehend the reading material (iqbal, noor, muhabat, & kazemian, 2015). the fifth shows that the problem is related to the students' inability to detect different forms of text and the sixth explains that the problems are related to reading fluency. this study and the previous ones focused on the same topics about the students’ difficulties in reading comprehension. however, it further seeks to determine other problems of non-efl students’ in reading comprehension. the problems are they sometimes feel difficult when students have to comprehend the texts, how to pronounce the word correctly, mastering the vocabulary, connect the word ideas, the topics of the texts that serve in different culture, inferring the information, differentiate the main ideas and supporting ideas in the texts, and also find the strategies to find relate topic based on their own knowledge or experience. this is related with pang nyayu yayu suryani the problem faced by students of islamic education in reading islamic comprehension text 456 in sholeh, rosalina, & weganofa (2020), as they believed that understanding of text comes from the interaction between the written words and how they activate knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical of knowledge, experience with text and other strategies to help them understand the provided passage by teachers. also, teachers are suggested to apply some various models and strategies that give language experience and enthusiasm for language learners (alshumaimeri, 2017). furthermore, the result also showed the strategies they used to help them in reading problems, the strategies are using dictionary and context clues, using some reading strategies; using scanning and skimming techniques, and trying to predict the content (riadil, 2020). the three key themes that students faced in reading comprehension of english material were: (1) problems from the student; (2) problems from the teacher; and (3) external problems. the student's problems are divided into three categories: fundamental english competence, lack of interest in the subject, and lack of motivation (ganie, deliana, & rangkuti, 2019). another term used to describe reading comprehension components is the activation of past knowledge. some students are aware of this but are not able to activate such ability, which makes it difficult for them to comprehend the material. in terms of reading comprehension, vocabulary is also significant. to address these issues, beside so many kinds of the strategy in reading comprehension, the researcher should know what are the most problematic parts of reading islamic text that students face and what are the most problematic factors of reading comprehension. method the method used in this study is the descriptive quantitative which translates data into numbers in order to analyze the findings. the total sample was 59 students of the islamic education study program raden fatah islamic state university palembang and the data were gathered by using islamic reading text test and questionnaire as the instrument via google form. the students were given a reading test by the researcher to determine their reading comprehension. the researcher used the reading test to see if the students could answer the questions correctly. the students' correct and incorrect answers were utilized to determine whether they found the problems or not. the writer used one islamic reading text to obtain the information. 40 question multiple-choice test was administered by the researcher. this test is a method of collecting data through questions that must be answered, or tasks that must be carried out by the subject being tested. the interpretation of problem was classify ; 0-30 (easy), 30-70 (fair), 71-100 (difficult) (arikunto, 1998) furthermore, multiple choice type of reading test and arikunto's scale were used to calculate the results as seen below: s = r x 100% n where: s = correct percentage r = correct answers n = total questions the reading test includes the six aspects of comprehension namely details, main idea, inference, cause and effect, reference, and sequence. the writer also uses the test concerning vocabulary while the specification of the reading comprehension test is presented in table 1 below: table 1. specification of reading comprehension test indicators items total find out detail information in a txt 8,17,24,29,37, 40 6 find out the main ideas in the text 1,10,20,31 4 describing reference 2,23,39 3 find out sequence of the text 5,7,14,22,32,3 5 6 find out cause-effect in the text 3,16,26,36 4 to find out the inference of a reading text 4,12,15,18,27, 30,34 7 describing the meaning of words and terminology in the text 6,9,11,13,19,2 1,25,28,38 10 total 40 the distribution of questionnaires to students was a technique to obtain more conclusive information on the factors affecting students' reading comprehension problems. one method of determining the factors causing students' reading comprehension difficulties was to use a questionnaire. in this case, the questionnaire form was concluded with an alternative answer that the student would select. in this study, questionnaire was used via google form to gather data from people. it may be printed on paper, on a tablet, by text message, or online, and it may contain many sorts of questions (kara, 2018). the data was collected using a google form, and the scoring was english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 457 done using four option likert scale consist of never, sometimes, frequently, and always. the researcher used a questionnaire as one of the supporting tools to identify students' perceptions, opinions, problems, and reading comprehension abilities. in this example, the questionnaire form was concluded with an alternate answer that the students may select. only the best answers that are appropriate for them were chosen by the students. the students had to accurately respond to 9 questions on the questionnaire. the writers additionally give the students one essay question and some of their solutions to support the exam and questionnaire related to the students' problem with reading text. findings and discussion the goal of this study is to discover the students' difficulties in reading comprehension by giving test to know their ability, hence the result is presented as follow: the analysis of test the students’ incorrect answers in finding out detailed information the question items for finding detailed information are in number 8, 17, 24, 29, 37, and 40. also, the detailed information of calculated percentage in answering is seen in the table 2 below: table 2. the students’ incorrect answers in finding out detailed information no question items’ number the number of incorrect answers percentage of question item the percentage of reading for finding out detailed information 1 8 41 68% 67% (fair) 2 17 41 68% 3 24 31 52% 4 29 52 86% 5 37 30 50% 6 40 46 76% according to table 2, 41 students with an equivalent percentage of 68% of the total population answered question number 8 and 17 incorrectly, hence the query is classified as fair. also, 31 of the students (52%) answered question number 24 incorrectly, hence, it is classified as fair. question number 29 is answered by 52 of the students (86%), hence the percentage is labeled as difficult. question number 37 is answered by 30 students (50%), hence it is labeled as fair. meanwhile, question number 40 is answered by 46 students (76%), and the percentage is classified as difficult. based on the calculation of the proportion of difficulty, it was observed that the tough item share for this type of question was solely 67% out of 4 items which indicates that the questions are classified honest for college students in finding out the detailed information. it can be concluded that the questions are categorized fair questions for students’ answers in finding out detailed information. the students’ incorrect answers for determining the main idea the question items for getting the main idea are questioning in number 1, 10, 20, and 31 and the calculation of the percentage in answering the main idea is seen in the table 3 below: table 3. the students’ incorrect answers for determining the main idea no question items’ number the number of incorrect answers percentage of question item the percentage of reading for main idea 1 1 10 17% 46% (fair) 2 10 17 28% 3 20 45 75% 4 31 39 65% according to table 3, 10 of the students (17%) answered question number 1 incorrectly, hence the percentage is classified as easy. also, 17 students (28%) answered question number 10 incorrectly, and it is classified as easy. 45 students (75%) answered query number 20 incorrectly, and it is labeled as difficult, meanwhile question number 31 is answered by 39 students (65%), and it is labeled as fair. based on this calculation of the percentage of difficulty, the tough item share for this kind of question was solely 46% out of four items, hence it is categorized as fair for the students. it can be concluded that the questions are categorized fair questions for students’ answers for determining the main idea. the students’ incorrect answers for describing references the question items used for describing references are in number 2, 23, and 39 and the calculation of the percentage are seen in the table 4 below: table 4. the students’ incorrect answers for describing references no question the number percentage the nyayu yayu suryani the problem faced by students of islamic education in reading islamic comprehension text 458 items’ number of incorrect answers of question item percentage of reading for describing references 1 2 26 43% 56% (fair) 2 23 37 62% 3 39 37 62% the result above reveals that 26 of the students (43%) answered question number 2 incorrectly, which indicates that the questions are labeled as fair. furthermore, 37 of the students (62%) answered question range 23 and 39 incorrectly, and they are both labeled as fair. based on this calculation of the percentage of difficulty, the challenging proportion for this kind of question was solely 56% out of four questions items and are categorized as fair for students answers in describing references. it can be concluded that the questions are categorized fair questions for students’ answers for describing references. the students’ incorrect answers for finding out sequence of text the items for determining the find out sequence of text are the questions in number 5, 7, 14, 22, 32 and 35. the calculation of the percentage in answering are seen in the table 5 below: table 5. the students’ incorrect answers for finding out sequence of text n o questi on items’ number the number of incorrect answers percentage of question item the percentage of reading for finding out sequence of text 1 5 11 18,3% 39% (fair) 2 7 41 68,3% 3 14 12 20% 4 22 31 52% 5 32 20 33,3% 6 35 24 40% according to table 5, 11 of the students (18.3%) answered question number 5 incorrectly, hence it is categorized as fair. also, 41 students (68.3%) answered question number 7 incorrectly, hence they are categorized as fair. 12 students (20%) answer questions number 14 incorrectly, hence they are categorized fair. 31 students (52%) answer question number 22 incorrectly, hence they are categorized fair. 20 students (33.3%) answer question number 32 incorrectly, hence they are categorized fair. and 24 students (40%) answer question number 35 incorrectly, hence they are categorized as fair. based on the calculation of this percentage of difficulty, the challenging proportion for this kind of question was solely 39% out of four questions items, hence it is categorized as fair for students answers for finding out sequence of text. it can be concluded that the questions are categorized fair questions for students’ answers for finding out sequence of text. the students’ incorrect answer for determining cause and effect the question items for getting the cause and effect are found in number 3, 16, 26 and 36. while the calculation of the percentage in answering cause and effect are presented in table 6 below: table 6. the students’ incorrect answers for getting cause and effect n o question items’ number the number of incorrect answers percen tage of questio n item the percentage of reading for cause and effect 1 3 13 22% 49% (fair) 2 16 29 48% 3 26 38 63% 4 36 39 65% according to table 6, 13 of the students (22%) answered question number 3 incorrectly, hence the percentage is categorized as easy. furthermore, 29 of the students (48%) answered question number 16 incorrectly, hence it is categorized as fair. 38 of the students (63%) answered question number 26 incorrectly, and it is categorized as fair. question number 36 is answered by 39 of the students (65%), hence the potential is categorized as fair. based on the calculation of the percentage of difficulty, it was found that the challenging item percentage for this type of query was only 49% out of four questions items. hence, the questions are categorized as fair for students’ answers concerning cause and effect. it can be concluded that the questions are categorized fair questions for students’ answers for getting cause and effect the students’ incorrect answers for getting inference of text the question items for getting inference of text are in number 4, 12, 15, 18, 27, 30 and 34. while the calculation of the percentage is seen in the table 7 below: table 7. the students’ incorrect answers for getting inference of text no question items’ number the number of incorrect answers percentage of question item the percentage of reading answering inference of text english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 459 1 4 22 37% 62% (fair) 2 12 20 33% 3 15 7 12% 4 18 32 53% 5 27 32 53% 6 30 35 58% 7 34 33 55% according to table 7, 22 of the students (37%) answered question number 4 incorrectly, hence the percentage is categorized as easy. furthermore, 20 of the students (33%) answered question number 12 incorrectly, it is therefore categorized as fair. 7 of the students (12%) answered question number 15 incorrectly, and this capacity is categorized as fair. also, 32 of the students (53%) answered question number 18 and 27 incorrectly, hence the potential is categorized as fair. 35 of the students (58%) answered question number 30 incorrectly and it is categorized as fair and 33 of the students (55%) answered question number 34 incorrectly, hence the percentage is categorized as fair. based on the calculation of this percentage of difficulty, the challenging item for this type of query was only 49% out of four questions items and are categorized as fair for students in answers for getting inference of text. it can be concluded that the questions are categorized as fair questions for students’ answers for getting inference of text. the students’ incorrect answers for getting the meaning of words the question items for getting the meaning of words are seen in number 6, 9, 11, 13, 19, 21, 25, 28, and 38, while the calculation of the percentages are shown in the table 8 below: table 8. the students’ incorrect in answering meaning of words no questio n items’ number the number of incorrect answers percentage of question item the percentage of reading answering inference of text 1 6 12 20% 40% (fair) 2 9 44 73% 3 11 10 17% 4 13 14 23% 5 19 41 68% 6 21 33 55% 7 25 18 30% 8 28 30 15% 9 38 34 57% according to table 8, question number 6 is answered by 12 of the college students (20%), and this capacity is categorized as fair. also, question number 9 is answered by 44 students (73%), and it is categorized as difficult. 10 of the college students (17%) answered question number 11 correctly, hence the percentage is categorized as fair. likewise, 14 of the students (23%) answered question number 13 incorrectly, hence this percentage is classified as fair. 41 of the students (68%) answered question variety 19 incorrectly, and the percentage is categorized as fair. question number 21 is answered by 33 of the students (55%), hence it is categorized as fair. furthermore, question number 25 is answered by 18 students (30%), and the percentage is categorized as fair. question number 28 was answered by 30 of the students (15%), hence it is categorized as fair. the last question quantity 38 is answered by 34 of the college students (57%), and the potential is categorized as fair. based on the calculation of the proportion of difficulty, the difficult item percentage for this kind of question is only 40% out of 4 questions items, which means that the questions are categorized as fair for college students in answering the meaning of words. it can be concluded that the questions are categorized fair questions for students’ answers in meaning of words. the most common reading comprehension issue was semantics, with 81 percent of participants citing unfamiliar vocabulary as the most difficult aspect of comprehending english texts (kasim & raisha, 2017). the analysis of the questionnaire to comprehend the students’ perception about their problems in studying test, some of the questionnaires have been distributed to the students. this questions includes (a) students’ grasp about the vocabulary of the text; (b) students’ understanding about the intent of the text; (c) students’ difficulty in the awareness of the text; (d) students’ understanding about the strategies of studying the text; (e) students’ motivation from the family in reading english text; (f) students’ issue in finding out the main idea of the text; (g) students’ perception of the grammatical structure of the text; (h) students’ understanding about the context of the text (i) students’ difficulty in determining inferences of the text; (j) students’ problem in islamic reading text. the result of questionnaire can be considered in the table 8 below: table 8. the students’ problem in reading comprehension nyayu yayu suryani the problem faced by students of islamic education in reading islamic comprehension text 460 questionn aire vocabul ary intent concentra tion strategies motivatio n main idea grammat ical context inference always 10.7% 14.3 % 16.1 % 16.1 % 39.3 % 10.7 % 12.7 % 7.1 % 7.1 % often 25 % 55.4 % 41.1 % 32.1 % 14.3 % 42.9 % 63.6 % 35.7 % 44.6 % seldom 55.4 % 23.2 % 26.8 % 42.9 % 32.1 % 32.1 % 21.8 % 50 % 37.5 % never 8.9 % 7.1 % 16.1 % 8.9 % 14.3 % 14.3 % 1.8 % 7.1 % 10.7 % based on the table above, there are several problems in reading comprehension including vocabulary, intent, concentration, strategies, motivation, main idea, grammar, content, and inference. for example, 55.4% seldom and often have problem with vocabulary and intent respectively. meanwhile, 26.8%, 42.9%, and 39.3% seldom have problem with concentration, reading strategies, and motivation respectively. 42.9% and 63.6% often have problem with main idea and grammar. also, 50% seldom have problem with context, and 44.6 % often have problem with inference. to support the test and questionnaire related to the students’ problem in reading text, the writers also give one essay question to the students and some of their responses include: table 9. students’ responses of the questionnaire i am not fluent in english, it causes me difficulty in understanding the meaning contained in the text it's hard to understand the meaning of a text in interpreting the text, i do not understand the deep meaning of the text because the time is no enough. long texts make me have a little difficulty in interpreting, sometimes there are also some words that i do not know the meaning. i often fails to understand the reading of vocabulary that has just been seen, hence it is difficult to understand and translate the english long texts when reading i have difficulty in determining the main idea of the discussion, conclusions, and substitute words it's hard to understand the language because i do not understand english due to lack of vocabulary mastery, lack of understanding of grammar, limited time in terms of mention deal with the issue, a directed reading activity (dra) technique was proposed to help students improve their reading comprehension. according to the findings of the data analysis, students in man 1 pekanbaru improved their reading comprehension by 71.37 % after receiving treatment. it meant that employing the directed reading activity technique had a considerable effect on students' reading comprehension. as a result, directed reading activity can be used in the classroom as an alternative strategy for improving students' reading comprehension. (yusniar, 2021). students should initially focus on reading fluency to overcome the problem of reading comprehension accomplishment. there is a relationship between reading fluency and comprehension, according to many academics. they claimed that while fluency is an important aspect of the reading curriculum, teachers are unaware of it. this article suggests the readers theater technique as a way to increase reading fluency and comprehension, as well as briefly describe how the readers theater strategy might be used to efl students (rachmatia, 2016). thamrin & agustin (2019) found that in universitas kuningan, the phenomena of conceptual variants on reading comprehension was studied using the higher order thinking skill (hots) approach, which describes how the hots technique increases students' ability to comprehend academic reading texts. according to pourhosein gilakjani & sabouri (2016a) as cited in qarqez (2017) efl students benefit from reading strategies to help them understand what they're reading. some of the key aspects influencing reading comprehension are the learners' vocabulary knowledge, prior knowledge, and grammatical knowledge (wang & koda, 2007). reading strategy has a big influence on how well readers understand what they're reading. reading strategies can help both experienced and inexperienced readers improve their reading skills. readers employ a variety of reading methods and are aware of when, how, and why they should be used during the reading comprehension process(ahmadi & gilakjani, 2012). students' success in answering comprehension questions is influenced by the level of questions designed according to bloom's taxonomy(veeravagu et al., 2010). laoli (2021) stated that the kwl strategy can improve students' reading comprehension in the second language acquisition (sla) subject. based on the findings of the study, the researcher proposes that the kwl technique be used to activate students' reading comprehension on a regular basis. conclusion in conclusion, the data obtained from the test showed that the islamic students still have difficulties in reading comprehension tests. this is english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 461 seen from the result of the question items whose percentage. this percentages of the students answers in reading comprehension were categorized as fair. this study also highlighted why the learners have difficulty with certain problems. for example, the majority of students difficulty with reading comprehension assessments is due to a lack of vocabulary, poor grammatical proficiency, difficulty in understanding long phrases and material, dearth of knowledge about reading comprehension, as well as a lack of media learning or personal involvement. references ahmadi, m. r., & gilakjani, a. p. (2012). reciprocal teaching strategies and their impacts on english reading comprehension. theory and practice in language studies, 2(10), 2053–2060. https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.2.10.2053-2060 alshumaimeri, y. (2017). the effects of reading method on the comprehension performance of saudi efl students. international electronic journal of elementary education, 4(1), 185-195. arikunto, s. (1998). prosedur penelitian. pt. rineka cipta. asmara, c. h.,muhammad, r. n., & almubarokah, q. (2022). the effect of online learning using quizizz application to improve english reading skills of higher education students. jellt, 6(1), 17-29. calet, n., pérez-morenilla, m. c., & de los santos-roig, m. (2019). overcoming reading comprehension difficulties through a prosodic reading intervention: a single-case study. child language teaching and therapy, 35(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/0265659019826252 cornoldi, c., & oakhill, j. v. (2013). reading comprehension difficulties: processes and intervention. routledge. dara, d. (2019). investigating english reading comprehension problems of cambodian high school students. american international journal of social science, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.30845/aijss.v8n3p8 evenddy, s. s., nurlely, l., & marfu'ah. (2021). reading comprehension test and its challenges in students’ perspective. loquen: english studies journal, 14(1), 40-47. febriani, d., elfrida, e., & jayanti, f. g. (2019). reading comprehension problems in reading section of toefl test. jall (journal of applied linguistics and literacy), 3(2), 86. https://doi.org/10.25157/jall.v3i2.2537 ganie, r., deliana., & rangkuti, r. (2019). reading comprehension problems on english texts faced by high school students in medan. kne social sciences, 2019, 684–694. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v3i19.4896 gunawan. (2022). teaching reading comprehension through genre-based approach (gba) at junior high school. acitya: journal of teaching & education, 4(1), 266-273. hamza al-jarrah, n. s. binti i. (2018). reading comprehension strategies among efl learners in higher learning institutions. arab world english journal (awej, 9(2), 315–328. https://doi.org/https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/ vol9no2.21 hidayati, d. (2018). students difficulties in reading comprehension at the first grade of sman 1 darussalam aceh besar. ar-raniry state islamic university (thesis). ar-raniry state islamic university. iqbal, m., noor, m., muhabat, f., & kazemian, b. (2015). factors responsible for poor english reading comprehension at secondary level. ssrn electronic journal, 1(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2602630 kara, h. (2018). write a questionnaire: little quick fix. sage publications. kasim, u., & raisha, s. (2017). efl students’ reading comprehension problems: linguistic and nonlinguistic complexities. english education journal (eej, 8(3), 308–321. laoli, a. (2021). activate reading comprehension of second language acquisition (sla) by applying know-want to know-learned (kwl) strategy. ijee (indonesian journal of english education), 8(2), 179–197. https://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v8i2.20910 larasaty, g., & fitriyani, p. (2022). the effectiveness of mindly applied in teaching reading comprehension. jellt, 6(1), 79-87. maulani, e., & rachmanita. (2022). applying fishbowl strategy to enhance student’s reading comprehension skill. jeal (international journal of english and applied linguistics), 2(1), 118-123. nanda, d. w., & azmy, k. (2020). poor reading comprehension issue in efl classroom among indonesian secondary school students: scrutinizing the causes, impacts and possible solutions. englisia: journal of language, education, and humanities, 8(1), 12. retrieved from https://jurnal.arraniry.ac.id/index.php/englisia/article/view/6771 nurmalasari, n., & haryudin, a. (2021). the students’ difficulties in learning reading. project (professional journal of english education), 4(1), 29-24. https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v4i1.p29-34 nyayu yayu suryani the problem faced by students of islamic education in reading islamic comprehension text 462 oecd. (2018). pisa 2018 results: indonesia. paris: oecd publishing. pourhosein gilakjani, a., & sabouri, n. b. (2016a). a study of factors affecting efl learners’ reading comprehension skill and the strategies for improvement. international journal of english linguistics, 6(5), 180. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v6n5p180 pourhosein gilakjani, a., & sabouri, n. b. (2016b). how can students improve their reading comprehension skill? journal of studies in education, 6(2), 229. https://doi.org/10.5296/jse.v6i2.9201 pratama, a. (2019). investigation into a link between students’ english reading speed and reading comprehension achievement: the case of indonesian efl student teachers. edukasi: jurnal pendidikan dan pengajaran, 6(1), 205– 213. https://doi.org/10.19109/ejpp.v6i1.3204 rusmiati., fitriani., & zakaria, r. (2021). small group discussion toward students’ reading comprehension: effective. ta‘dib: jurnal pemikiran pendidikan, 11(1). qarqez, m. a. r. (2017). reading comprehension difficulties among efl learners: the case of first and second year students at yarmouk university in jordan. arab world english journal (awej), 8(3), 421–431. https://doi.org/https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/ vol8no3.27 electronic rachmatia, m. (2016). reader’s theater : a solution to improve reading fluency and reading comprehension achievements of efl students. the 2nd sriwijaya university learning and education international conference, 2006, 683– 700. http://conference.unsri.ac.id/%0aindex.php/sule /article/view/56/pdf%0a riadil, i. g. (2020). investigating efl learners’ reading comprehension problems and investigating efl learners ’ reading comprehension problems and strategies. jelltt, 4(april), 48–58. https://jurnal.unigal.ac.id/index.php/jall/index% 0ajall rizqon, m. k., andreani, s., & astuti, u. p. (2021). the problems faced by senior high school students in reading narrative text. jolla: journal of language, literature, and arts, 1(11), 1508– 1522 roe, b., & burns, p. c. (2010). reading inventory: preprimer to twelfth grade. cengage learning. sahmadan, a. a. s. (2020). investigating learners’ obstacles in second language reading comprehension. jurnal bilingual, 10(2), 1–8. satriani, e. (2018). reading comprehension difficulties encountered by english students of universitas islam riau. journal of english for academic, 5(2), 15–26. setiawati, m. d. a., & budiasih. (2021). strategies on teaching reading comprehension for the junior high school students during the covid-19 pandemic. ijretal international journal of research on english teaching and applied linguistics, 2(2), 15-25. shehu, i. (2015). reading comprehension problems encountered by foreign language students, case study: albania, croatia. academic journal of interdisciplinary studies, 4(1), 91–96. https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2015.v4n1s1p91 solihin, l., utama, b., pratiwi, i., & novirina. (2019). indeks aktivitas literasi membaca 34 provinsi. jakarta: pusat penelitian kebijakan pendidikan dan kebudayaan, badan penelitian dan pengembangan, kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. spiro, r. j., bruce, b. c., & brewer, w. f. (2017). theoretical issues in reading comprehension: perspectives from cognitive psychology, linguistics, artificial intelligence and education. routledge. styati, e. w., and khasanah, r. (2021). the impact of task-based activities in reading skill for the students during covid 19 pandemic. j. eng. educ. society. 7(1), 18-26. doi:10.21070/jees.v7i1.1532 thamrin, n. r., & agustin, s. (2019). conceptual variations on reading comprehension through higher order thinking skills (hots) strategy. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 93. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1777 torppa, m., vasalampi, k., eklund, k., sulkunen, s., & niemi, p. (2020). reading comprehension difficulty is often distinct from difficulty in reading fluency and accompanied with problems in motivation and school well-being. educational psychology, 40(1), 62–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2019.1670334 tuhumury, g. n. (2020). teachers’ strategiesin teaching reading at junior high schools in sirimau subdistrict : problems and solutions. matai international journal of language education, 1(1), 50–59. veeravagu, j., muthusamy, c., marimuthu, r., & subrayan, a. (2010). canadian social science using bloom’s taxonomy to gauge students’ reading comprehension performance utiliser la taxonomie de bloom pour evaluer les performances de comprehension ecrite des eleves. jeyamahla veeravagu chittra muthusamy; rasaya marimuthucanadian social science, 66(33), 205–212. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 463 www.cscanada.net%5cnwww.cscanada.org wang, m., & koda, k. (2007). commonalities and differences in word identification skills among learners of english as a second language. language learning, 57(1), 201–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.14679922.2007.00416.x yusniar. (2021). the effect of directed reading activity (dra) strategy on the students’ reading comprehension at madrasah aliyah negeri 1 pekanbaru. instructional development journal, 4(2), 190–194. yusthi, e. (2016). teaching reading comprehension in recount text by using teaching reading comprehension in recount text by using zooming in and zooming out (zizo) strategy to the eighth to the eighth grade students of smp sriguna palembang. edukasi jurnal pendidikan dan pengajaran, 3(2), 132–146. nyayu yayu suryani the problem faced by students of islamic education in reading islamic comprehension text 464 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 19 task-based learning in the textbook english for palestine rasha sameer karaki al-quds open university, hebron branch, palestine e-mail: karaki_2009@hotmail.com mohammed abdul hakim farrah english department, faculty of arts, hebron university, palestine e-mail: mfarrah@hebron.edu apa citation: karaki, r., & farrah, m. (2019). task-based learning in the textbook english for palestine. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 19-26. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2352. received: 14-09-2019 accepted: 19-11-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: the aim of the study is to examine the ninth grade teachers' perceptions towards task-based learning (tbl) method and analyze the tasks and activities in the textbook of english for palestine – ninth grade. in addition, this study aims at evaluating the appropriateness and the effectiveness of tbl in the classroom. the researcher used four methods to collect data, namely questionnaire, classroom observation, interview, and content-analysis checklist. the sample of the study consisted of 185 teachers (males & females) from the government and unrwa schools in hebron district. the overall findings of the study revealed that the teachers’ perceptions towards tbl were positive and highly acceptable; they supported the effectiveness of communicative language teaching (clt) and tbl in efl classrooms. then, the results of observational data showed that some teachers use new communicative methods for teaching language skills while others use the traditional ones. meanwhile, the results of interviews indicated that the challenges of task-based learning were big-sized classes, length of material, lack of time, and lack of technological tools. the study ended with recommendations for syllabus designers, teachers, and students. it is recommended that the teaching and learning of english language skills at the palestinian schools should be enhanced by the use of new flexible methods, such as tbl and communicative language teaching. keywords: evaluation; task-based learning; english for palestine. introduction communicative language teaching (clt) emerged as a new approach to language teaching and learning in the 1970s and 1980s. it is even regarded as a flexible approach to language teaching which is based on the theory that the primary function of language use is communication (richards & rodgers, 2001). this does not mean that this approach does not have limitation as there are others who criticized this approach (johnson & morrow, 1981; swan, 1985). in the past decades, several scholars in applied linguistics and in the field of second language acquisition (sla) asserted the significance of communicative activities for teaching language skills in the efl classroom; the teaching institutions, curriculum designers, researchers, and teachers all around the world started to rethink and plan strategies and language programs within the communicative approach (fotos & ellis, 1991; harmer 2007; nunan, 1989; thompson & millington, 2012). one of the methods that emerged from this approach is tbl (brown, 2007; ellis, 2003); it had gained increasing importance all around the world. the early implementation of tbl within the communicative framework for language teaching was prabhu’s (1987) bangalore project. in this methodology, the students were presented with a task and did not focus on the language rules during the performance; the task was meaning-based and had a non-linguistic outcome. because of tbl connections with clt methodology and support from some sla linguists, it gained considerable attention within applied linguistics. in recent years, a number of researchers, syllabus designers and material developers have called for a shift in language learning and teaching towards this method (ellis, 2003; helm, guth, & farrah, 2012; philp, adams, & iwashita, 2014). tbl is recognized as an effective way for developing students’ abilities in english language skills, grammar, and vocabulary. it focuses on the meaning of language rather than its form (brown, 2007; ellis, 2003; krashen, 1982; nunan, 2004; thompson & millington 2012; willis, 2007). skehan (1998) described the task as an activity or a related set of rasha sameer karaki & mohammed abdul hakim farrah task-based learning in the textbook english for palestine 20 strategies that includes the priority of meaning, a problem to solve, and a relationship to real-life tasks, objectives and outcomes. thus, the priority of tbl is placed on the completion of tasks that are assessed in terms of outcome (brown, 2007; willis, 2007). the use of tbl methodology in the efl classroom improves students’ interaction and motivation within the large classes. a number of studies reported the benefits of tbl. the benefits included better learning attainments, better oral english performance, and better learning motivation (zhang, 2013). the use of this method also gives students a different way for understanding the language as a tool instead of a specific goal. this is in line with chalak (2015) who indicated that tbi has positive effects on leaners. moreover, the use of tbl method facilitates implicit learning and acquisition of language, develops students’ knowledge of difficult grammatical rules, and enhances their critical thinking skills (awad, 2013; carless, 2002; fotos & ellis, 1991; ruso, 2007; thanh & huan, 2012; thompson & millington, 2012; wicking, 2011). despite the benefits of tbl, some researchers found that tbl was viewed with some challenges. for example, burrows (2008) argued that the japanese collectivist environments minimize the benefits of tbl due to cognitive and socio-cultural differences. in addition, stroud (2013) and careless (2002) showed that the rejection of tbl may be attributed to low motivation, non-participation, noise, lack of involvement, large classes, time limits, unqualified teachers and the use of l1. moreover, ganta (2013) claimed that the difficulty of task, the familiarity with the types of topics, the linguistic deficiency, the learners’ needs and desires, the teachers’ perceptions, and the issues of language expansion and correctness influence the tbl use in the classroom. similarly, dickinson (2010) claimed that the students’ expectations and styles as well as the affective dimensions, such as the culture background and geographical, demographic, and socio-cultural similarities may affect students’ participation and interaction during tbl. yet, tbl has a crucial role in enhancing the process of teaching and learning language skills. although it is significant and has been in practice for several decades, little research exists that has examined its appropriateness in the textbooks. in this case, several studies reported that the textbook is an essential component in the educational process (hutchinson & torres, 1994; richards, 2001; sheldon, 1988). in the same vein, cunnigsworth (1995) considers textbooks as effective sources for self-direction, ideas and activities, and an aid for novice teachers who are in their way to gain confidence. moreover, harmer (2007) considers that the most vital element in textbooks is the ability of the teachers to engage learners with the content they are going to be dealing with. textbook evaluation is an educational requirement since it displays how a textbook can be developed. a variety of definitions for evaluation have been used in the field of applied linguistics. brown and rodgers (2002, p. 289) define evaluation as “the process of seeking to establish the value of something for some purpose.” according to brown (1989, p. 223), evaluation “is a systematic collection and analysis of all relevant information necessary to promote the improvement of the curriculum, and assess its effectiveness and efficiency as well as the participants’ attitudes within a context of particular institutions involved.” sheldon (1988) added that the textbook evaluation consists of constructing criteria; the criteria and the key questions are basic elements for setting up the material evaluation scheme. long (2015) deemed there is a need to initiate a needs analysis in order to determine learners’ authentic needs before preparing a task-based. thus, it is a cyclical approach where needs are identified before preparing any textbooks, but then there is a need to evaluate and analyze the content of the textbook to examine whether the textbooks are achieving their objectives. according to the researchers’ view, textbook evaluation is an essential factor for understanding and comprehending the textbooks’ content, style, and objectives which suit the learners’ needs. accordingly, this study aims to examine the ninth grade teachers’ perceptions towards tbl and analyze the tasks and activities in the textbook, english for palestine –ninth grade (9a & 9b). the textbook english for palestine – ninth grade introduces a number of communicative activities and tasks with the objective of improving students’ abilities to learn the language skills communicatively. however, it is not known to what extent the tasks and activities in the textbook are appropriate and effective. therefore, this study is the first one which aims to investigate the ninth grade teachers’ perceptions towards tbl and evaluate and analyze the tasks and activities in the textbook. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 21 method a descriptive method was adopted for carrying out the study due to its relevance for examining teachers’ perceptions towards tbl and investigating its appropriateness in the textbook as well as its effectiveness in the classroom. the population of the study included all english teachers for ninth grade at the government and unrwa schools in hebron district. questionnaires were distributed through the directorate of education in hebron to schools. 180 english teachers consisting of 76 male and 109 female filled in the questionnaires. the 180 english teachers come from the government (162) and unrwa (23) schools in hebron district. the study used questionnaire, classroom observation, interview, and content-analysis checklist to collect data. first, a questionnaire was designed and administered in the second semester of the academic year 2014-2015. the questionnaire consisting of 68 items was divided into two sections; demographic data and teachers’ perceptions towards tbl. its main purpose was to examine teachers’ understanding of tbl concepts and to investigate their perceptions towards the tasks in the textbook as well as the tasks that they use. the reliability of the questionnaire was calculated by the cronbach alpha formula. the results indicated that the reliability of the questionnaire (0.91) indicating that the instrument is suitable for conducting such a study. second, according to several researchers (cunningsworth, 1995; mcgrath, 2002; miekley, 2005; mukundan & nimehchisalem, 2012), the checklist approach has the advantage of providing comprehensive and systematic way to determine that all relevant elements are available. in order to build appropriate criteria for evaluating tbl, the researchers reviewed different sources, such as akef (2011), ali (2010), awad (2013), ellis (2003), grainger (2002), mukundan and nimehchisalem (2012), mcgrath, 2002, and willis, (2007), miekley (2005). the most related items from these articles extracted, modified, and added by the researchers, and other referees. the researchers discussed the general criteria items that are mentioned in the checklist for evaluating tbl. the following criteria are emphasized in several studies; authenticity, motivation, variety in the topics of tasks, variety in types of tasks, the gradation of tasks, stages of task, language background knowledge, cultural background knowledge, and text visuals. a checklist was constructed after reviewing different resources (akef, 2011; awad, 2013; berardo, 2006; cunningsworth, 1995; mcgrath, 2002; miekley, 2005; mukundan & nimehchisalem, 2012; sheldon, 1988) for collecting and analyzing the information regarding the content of tasks and activities in the light of the suggested criteria. these criteria might be a clue to determine the main areas of strengths and weaknesses in tasks and activities. the checklist consisted of 20-item which included the most important characteristics of tbl. its main purpose was to identify to what extent the tasks and activities in pupil's book (9a & 9b) of english for palestine – ninth grade match the suggested criteria for evaluating tbl. third, fifteen visits were conducted by the researchers for observing classes of 9th grade from the government and unrwa schools in hebron city in the second semester of the academic year 2014-2015. an audio recording, notes, and an observation sheet were used for observing classes and collecting the needed information. its main purpose was to validate the teachers’ perceptions towards tbl by comparing whether what they indicated in the questionnaire was consistent with what they did in their classrooms. last, structured interviews were carried out with 15 teachers of the ninth grade; two english language supervisors from the directorate of education and 13 english teachers; 3 males and 10 females from the government and unrwa schools in hebron city. they were asked four questions based on the research questions of the study. this method was used as a follow up to the questionnaire and classroom observation. its main purpose was to discover teachers’ perceptions about tbl. results and discussion this section presents the results and discussion of the study. the information used in this study was collected through distributing a questionnaire, classroom observation, interviews, and a content analysis checklist. frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations were used to indicate and clarify the final collected data of the study. teachers’ general perception towards tbl to analyze teachers’ general perception towards tbl, descriptive statistics (means and standard rasha sameer karaki & mohammed abdul hakim farrah task-based learning in the textbook english for palestine 22 deviations) were calculated for the questionnaire items. table 1 shows the calculated mean of items and their standard deviation. table 1. means and standard deviations for teachers' general perception towards task-based learning (tbl) item m. sds. 1 provide a relaxed classroom atmosphere. 3.13 0.70 11 promote communicative competence. 3.12 0.60 5 integrate all language skills. 3.12 0.69 13 enable learners to participate in the different language functions. 3.12 0.62 9 suit both learners and teachers. 3.11 0.66 16 improve learners' interaction skills. 3.09 0.64 18 support a collaborative learning. 3.09 0.62 7 enhance students' creative thinking. 3.08 0.58 15 enhance self-learning. 3.07 0.60 2 promote the actual use of target language. 3.07 0.58 4 meet the learners' needs and interests. 3.06 0.66 6 require much preparation time compared with other approaches. 3.05 0.71 8 promote critical thinking. 3.02 0.66 14 enable learners to manipulate different features of the language. 3.01 0.66 19 allow learners to rehearse different real life skills. 3.01 0.66 12 encourage student-centered activities. 2.99 0.59 17 enhances learners' intrinsic motivation. 2.99 0.59 3 suit all students' levels. 2.88 0.82 10 don’t overlook the role of grammar in performing a task. 2.75 0.72 table 1 indicates that the teachers’ perceptions towards the concepts of tbl are generally positive and highly acceptable. they agreed with the effectiveness of using new communicative methods in the classroom. this comes in line with vazquez, molina, and lpoez (2015) and thanh and huan (2012) who emphasized the effectiveness of tbl in promoting students’ motivation for learning the language. the results of this table indicate that some tasks do not suit all students’ styles and expectations. this is consistent with burrows (2008) who pointed out that the classrooms do not always go with students’ expectations and teaching methodology due to various teacherstudent beliefs and ideas. additionally, the results indicate that the allocated time for applying tbl is insufficient. the teachers believe that tasks are time-consuming and need a long time to prepare. teachers’ perception towards tbl activities in english for palestine ninth grade to answer this question, descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) were calculated for the questionnaire items that are related to teachers’ perception towards task-based learning (tbl) activities in english for palestine ninth grade. table 2 shows the calculated mean of items and their standard deviation. table 2. means and standard deviations for teachers’ perceptions towards the tasks in the textbook english for palestine – ninth grade item m. sds. 1. the tasks provide opportunities for collaborative activities among learners. 3.09 0.63 2. there is a variety of meaningful activities. 3.06 0.65 3. some tasks are difficult for most of the students to deal with in language skills. 2.97 0.80 4. speaking tasks and activities motivate students to talk about their concerns and interests. 2.96 0.67 5. the tasks make comprehension easier in reading 2.94 0.66 6. the tasks are relevant to our culture. 2.94 0.74 7. the tasks are related to the learners' needs and interests. 2.92 0.69 8. the tasks are clear and specific. 2.91 0.67 9. the tasks help to increase student's talking time 2.90 0.66 10. the tasks help encourage critical thinking. 2.89 0.74 11. the tasks used help build students' confidence. 2.89 0.63 12. there is balance in the presence of tbl for the main skills, listening, speaking, reading 2.88 0.66 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 23 table 2 shows that the teachers’ perceptions towards the tasks in the textbook are positive and highly acceptable. with regard to the objectives of the textbook, the results indicate that the objectives of the textbook are appropriate and go with the desires of the targeted students where the means are between 2.94 – 2.81. the clarity of objectives in the textbook facilitates the teaching and learning process. this is in line with al-amri (2008) who emphasized that the objectives of the textbook should be explicit and the degree to which it satisfies them should be measurable. concerning the content of the textbook, the results indicate that the textbook has a variety of meaningful communicative activities from the real life that focus on learning language skills cooperatively, where the means are between 3.9 – 2.42. this is consistent with bahrami (2013), ruso (2007), robinson (2011) and burrows (2008) who asserted the effectiveness tbl method; they manipulated that the tasks provide a context for negotiating the meaning of language and opportunities for collaborative learning. the results also indicate that the allocated time for applying tbl is insufficient. the researchers attribute this to the long material, the difficulty of tasks, the large classes, and the limited time. this is in line with willis (2007) and carless (2002) who pointed out that the time for preparation and the length of material may affect the adoption of taskbased learning as a methodology in the efl classroom. first, the results of observational data indicated that three teachers out of 15 implemented tbl method in their classes despite its challenges, such as overcrowded classes and limited time. the students were involved and engaged during doing the tasks in groups. this agrees with vazquez, molina, and lpoez (2015) who state the students prefer to work in pairs or in groups; this may lead to the greater use of l2 as well as to the improvement of their linguistic skills. the researchers believe that working in pairs or in groups may relieve students’ anxiety and develop students’ interaction and rapport. this is in line with willis (1981, p. 188, as cited in ruso, 2007) who recommended a good friendly interaction between teacher and students as rapport; she states “when there is rapport, it becomes enjoyable for students and the teacher to study together.” in addition, the results showed that just two teachers out of 15 implemented tbl used technology. the researchers believe that the use of technological tools for applying tasks in the classroom attracts students’ attention and motivates them to learn and practice language skills for communication. this is in line with shehadeh and coombe (2012) who pointed out that the technology, such as internet, video recording, music, and songs can enhance tbl classroom context and facilitate l2 teaching and learning. the results of classroom observations also revealed that ten teachers out of 15 did not use tbl method in the classroom. although the textbook includes a lot of tasks and activities, such as pair work and group work activities, the teachers do not engage students in such interactive tasks. this indicated that some teachers usually use traditional methods for teaching language skills due to the lack of time, overcrowded classes, and the lack of educational and training programs. the results also indicated that some classes were teacher-centered; the students were just receivers of l2 knowledge due to their reluctance and shyness for speaking out. with regard to the use of l1, the results showed that some teachers mixed between l1 and l2 for explaining the rules and the steps of task due to students’ anxiety of using l2. this is consistent with swain and lapkin (2000) who studied a group of hungarian and french students and found that they frequently use their mother tongue during communicative tasks; the students may use l1 if they are not able to carry out the task in english. the researchers think that the use of mother tongue by students is a challenging issue as well as is one of the teachers’ concerns. this in line with carless and gordan (1997) and carless (2004) who pointed out that the hong kong primary students use l1 during tasks and teachers; they attributed this as a major difficulty in using tblt. second, the results of interviews indicated that just the task which are included at the end of and writing. 13. the tasks enhance free learning opportunities in writing 2.84 0.77 14. there are themes that encourage communication outside classroom. 2.83 0.75 15. the tasks meet the individual differences among students. 2.82 0.72 16. the tasks are suitable to the students' level. 2.70 0.80 17. the time for learning is sufficient 2.42 0.92 rasha sameer karaki & mohammed abdul hakim farrah task-based learning in the textbook english for palestine 24 each unit integrate the language skills. the researchers believe that all tasks which are included in the textbook should integrate language skills in order to improve students’ abilities for communication inside and outside the classroom. they also indicated that some tasks are difficult, complex, and confusing for both students and teachers. with regard to the relevance of tasks with the culture, all 15 teachers said that “the tasks are relevant to our culture.” one of the teachers said that “the tasks are relevant not only to our palestinian culture or arab-islamic culture, but also they are relevant to the international culture.” this result is positive and indicates the relevance of the material to students’ culture may facilitate the learning of language skills. moreover, the results indicated that the majority of teachers prefer working in pairs or in groups because more ideas and more views will be presented during doing the task or activity. they believe that the work in groups encourages students to express their ideas and speak aloud without any feeling of stress or shyness. some teachers said that “individual work is better than group work because working in groups may make noise as well as may affect the classroom management during doing the task.” the researchers think that the teachers preferred the individual work due to the difficulty of some topics of tasks in the textbook; they believe that the individual work may avoid the noise or indiscipline in the classroom. one of the teachers said that task-based activities promote the learning of english language just when we have ideal situations for teaching. the teacher believes that the implementation of tbl approach inside the classroom is a burden for teachers and students owing to the length of new material and large classes. concerning the teachers’ suggestions, the results indicated that the majority of teachers suggested that the allocated time should be sufficient for applying tasks. moreover, the material should be shorter, varied, and easier. the results also indicated that 7 teachers out of 15 suggested the use of technology for applying tbl; using it attracts students’ attention and motivates them to practice l2 and learn the language skills. lastly, the results of the content-analysis revealed that the textbook is rich in tasks and activities which enhance the learning of language skills. regarding the number of items per task, the results indicated that the items and ideas of tasks are not distributed appropriately. some tasks have four or five items while others have more than five. the researchers think that the distribution of tasks’ items should be appropriate and balanced in order to facilitate the implementation of tbl in the classroom. the results indicated that some tasks are graded appropriately, authentic, interesting, clear, and understandable while some are not. they also indicated that some tasks in the textbook do not suit all students’ needs and levels. in addition, the results of the content analysis indicated that all tasks in the textbook have appropriate and clear objectives and outcomes and introduce students to a variety of topics. they have also colorful and authentic artworks and graphs except the tasks in unit three. moreover, they indicated that some tasks are meaningful and aim to develop communicative language skills and enhance creative and critical thinking while some tasks do not have any communicative purpose and just focus on linguistic forms and rules. additionally, they indicated that not all included tasks integrate the language skills; they focus on one or two skills. the results showed that some tasks in the textbook are culture-specific while some are not. these results revealed that the textbook is rich in tasks and activities which enhance the learning of language skills, but the distribution of tasks’ items is inappropriate; some tasks have four or five items, while others have more than five. the researchers think that the distribution of tasks’ items should be appropriate and balanced in order to facilitate the implementation of tbl in the classroom. according to the researchers, all tasks in the textbook should be varied, graded appropriately, authentic, interesting, clear and understandable, and should suit both students’ abilities and teachers’ qualifications. the researchers believe that the meaningful and communicative authentic tasks and activities will attract students’ attention, enhance their critical and creative thinking skills, and motivate them to learn the language rules effectively. concerning the relevance of tasks to our culture, the researchers believe that the tasks should not talk about a specific culture or about contradicting beliefs and ideas in the ninth grade or previous grades because at this age this may cause difficulty and confusion for students while doing the tasks; the relevance of authentic tasks to students’ religion and culture will enhance their learning of language and add more new information to their knowledge. certain english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 25 contradicting beliefs could be introduced at more advanced grades. conclusion the aim of this study was to investigate the ninth grade teachers’ perceptions towards tbl. the aim also was to examine the appropriateness of tasks and activities in the textbook english for palestine – ninth grade as well as their effectiveness inside the classroom. the overall results indicated that the teachers’ perceptions in the questionnaire were not consistent with what they did in the classrooms. the observational data, interviews, and the checklist refuted some teachers’ perceptions towards the tbl. in fact, the majority of teachers agreed with the effectiveness and appropriateness of tbl and communicative activities, but in reality not all of them preferred the implementation of such communicative and flexible methods due to different styles and expectations, large classes, noise, bad classroom atmosphere, inadequate time, long material, and lack in workshops and training courses about efl language teaching and learning and using new communicative methodologies. the main weaknesses of tbl in the textbook as well as in the classroom in terms of suggested criteria are: 1) the textbook includes a lot of role play tasks; 2) some tasks in the textbook are not authentic; 3) some tasks are not related to the palestinian culture; 4) some tasks in the textbook do not aim to develop critical thinking skills; 5) some tasks are not graded appropriately; 6) the extensive language skills activities are not included in the textbook; 7) some tasks are difficult and ambiguous; 8) some tasks do not suit both teachers and students; and 9) the use of traditional methods instead of using communicative clt and tbl. the researchers attribute these weaknesses to: 1) the material developers and the syllabus designers are not aware of the significance of tbl characteristics and its suitability to students’ needs and interests; 2) the syllabus designers are not aware of tasks’ authenticity and their relevance to students’ culture; 3) designing tasks and activities which aim to develop students’ creative and critical thinking skills need much effort and time as well as high proficient and qualified designers; 4) the length of material and the large classes affect the preparation and implementation of tasks and activities in the classroom; 5) the allocated time for doing tasks inside the classroom is insufficient; and 6) the students’ levels, the teachers’ experience, and the classroom atmosphere also affect the adoption of the tbl methodology. based on the findings, the researchers present some recommendations for syllabus designers, ministry of education, teachers, and students as follows. first, the syllabus designers should simplify the material. in fact, the material is too long, it has a lot of activities and it needs a long time for preparation. additionally, they should change the difficult tasks and replace them with varied tasks which suit students’ abilities. the ministry of education should hold more workshops and training programs about tbl as well as efl classroom management. this will enhance teachers’ proficiency and qualify them to use flexible and communicative methods which work with students’ needs. second, the teachers should prepare enrichment materials with more varied tasks and encourage students to work in pairs or in groups. this will motivate them to speak aloud and enhance their critical thinking skills. last, the students should revise the basic grammatical rules and vocabulary of language to promote their practice of language skills. references akef, h. (2011). evaluating the english textbook “iraq opportunities” book 6 for the 2nd intermediate stage. faculty of arts, university of baghdad. al-amri, a. (2008). an evaluation of the sixth grade english language for saudi boys’ schools. master’s thesis. king saudi university, saudi arabia. ali, n. (2010). an evaluation of the reading texts and activities in sb and wb of english for palestine grade 9. ma thesis. islamic university of gaza, palestine. awad, r. a. (2013). evaluating english for palestine 12 in terms of the efl/ esl textbook evaluating checklist from the teachers’ perspectives in nablus directorate schools. an-najah univ. j. res. (humanities), 27(11), 2401-2432. bahrami, m. (2013). learning relative clauses by iranian efl learners: task-based activities versus teacher-focused activities. mediterranean journal of social sciences, 4(4), 83-90. berardo, s. a. (2006). the use of authentic materials in the teaching of reading. the reading matrix, 6(2), 60-69. brown, j. d. (1989). language program evaluation: a synthesis of existing possibilities. in r. k. johnson (eds.), the second language curriculum (pp. 222-241). cambridge: cambridge university press. brown, h. d. (2007). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. rasha sameer karaki & mohammed abdul hakim farrah task-based learning in the textbook english for palestine 26 englewood cliffs, new jersey: prentice hall regents. burrows, c. (2008). socio-cultural barriers facing tbl in japan. the language teacher journal, 32(8), 15–19. carless, d. (2002). implementing task-based learning. elt journal, 56(4), 389-396. carless, d. (2004). issues in teachers’ reinterpretation of a task-based innovation in primary schools. tesol quarterly, 38, 639-662. carless, d., & gordon, a. (1997). primary english teachers’ attitudes towards the implementation of task-based teaching. journal of basic education, 7, 139-159. chalak, a. (2015). the effect of task-based instruction on reading comprehension of iranian efl learners. applied research english language journal, 4(7), 19-30. cunningsworth, a. (1995). choosing your coursebook. oxford: macmillan heinemann. dickinson, p. (2010). implementing task-based language teaching in a japanese efl context. centre for english language studies postgraduate programmes. the university of birmingham, uk. ellis, r. (2003). task-based language learning and teaching. oxford: oxford university press. fotos, s., & ellis, r. (1991). communicating about grammar: a taskbased approach. tesol quarterly journal, 25, 605-628. ganta, t. g. (2015). the strengths and weaknesses of task-based learning (tbl). scholarly research journal for interdisciplinary studies, 3(16), 27602771. harmer, j. (2007). how to teach english. london & new york: longman inc. helm, f., guth, s., & farrah, m. (2012). promoting dialogue or hegemonic practice: power issues in telecollaboration. language learning & technology, 16(2), 103-127. hutchinson, t., & torres, e. (1994). the textbook as agent of change. elt journal, 48(4), 315-328. johnson, k., morrow, k. (1981). communication in the classroom. harlow: longman. krashen, s. (1982). principles and practice in second language acquisition. new york: pergamon. long, m. h. (2015). second language acquisition and task-based language teaching. west sussex, uk: wiley blackwell. mcgrath, i. (2002). materials evaluation and design for language teaching. edinburgh: edinburgh university press. miekley, j. (2005). esl textbook evaluation checklist. the reading matrix, 5(2). mukundan, j., & nimehchisalem, v. (2012). evaluative criteria of an english language textbook evaluation checklist. journal of language teaching and research, 3(6), 11281134. nunan, d. (1989). designing tasks for the communicative classroom. cambridge: cambridge university press. nunan, d. (2004). task-based language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. philp, j., adams, r., & iwashita, n. (2014). peer interaction and second language learning. new york, ny: routledge. prabhu, n. (1987). second language pedagogy. oxford: oxford university press. richards, j., & rodgers, t. (2001). approaches and methods in language teaching (2nd ed.). cambridge: cambridge university press. robinson, p. (2011). task-based learning: a review of issue. language learning research club, 61, 1– 36. ruso, n. (2007). the influence of task based learning on efl classrooms. asian efl journal, 18, 1-23. skehan, p. (1998). a cognitive approach to language learning. oxford: oxford university press. sheldon, l. (1988). evaluating efl textbooks and materials. elt journal, 42(4), 237-246. stroud, r. (2013). task-based learning challenges in high schools: what makes students accept or reject tasks? the language teacher, 37(2), 21-28. swan, m. (1985). a critical look at the communicative approach. elt journal, 39(2), 76-87. swain, m., & lapkin, s. (2000). task-based second language learning: the uses of the first language. language teaching research journal, 4, 251-274. thanh, l., & huan, n. (2012). task-based language learning and student motivation in vocabulary acquisition. language education in asia journal, 3(1), 106-120. thompson, c., & millington, n. (2012). task-based learning for communication and grammar use. language education in asia journal, 3(2), 159167. vazquez, v., molina, m., & lpoez, f. (2015). perceptions of teachers and students of the promotion of interaction through task-based activities in clil. porta linguarum, 23. wicking, p. (2011). tblt in japan: task-based language teaching and its effective implementation in the japanese university classroom. ceu journal, 3(3), 248-258. willis, j. (1981). teaching english through english. london: longman. willis, j. (2007). brain-based teaching strategies for improving students’ memory, learning, and test taking success. journal of the association for childhood education international, 83(5), 310‐ 315. zhang, x. (2013). a case study of exploring viability of task-based instruction on college english teaching in big-sized class. journal of language teaching and research, 4(4) 693-699. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 105 content analysis of speaking activities in english textbook based on 2013 curriculum for the first grade students at senior high school ali akbarjono english education program, tarbiyah and tadris, state islamic institute of bengkulu email: aliakbarj250975@gmail.com pipit melati english education program, tarbiyah and tadris, state islamic institute of bengkulu email: melatipipit98@gmail.com feny martina english education program, tarbiyah and tadris, state islamic institute of bengkulu email: feny@iainbengkulu.ac.id syafryadin university of bengkulu email: syafryadin@unib.ac.id apa citation: akbarjono, a., melati, p., martina, f., & syafryadin. (2021). content analysis of speaking activities in english textbook based on 2013 curriculum for the first grade students at senior high school. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 105-112. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5360 received: 26-08-2021 accepted: 27-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction speaking skill is one of the language abilities that are greatly essential to promote further verbal communication. speaking is an oral communication between a speaker and listener which includes productive skills, competence and understanding (thornburry, 2009; renandya & widodo, 2016). speaking is an interactive real-time activity to express our ideas to interact with others that is unplanned and just continues based on the situation. for that reason, the teaching of speaking tends to use the activities that consist of real situations. then, to make sure the students achieve speaking skill, they have to focus on studying and doing practice during the learning process. although speaking skill is the most complicated skill to promote, but it is really essential to assist oral communication. abstract: this research is focused on speaking activities in two versions of english textbooks published by the government/kemendikbud and published by private publications/erlangga based on the 2013 curriculum syllabus, and this research is also to find out which books meet the good category to help student learning activities. this research is very important for the academic world to make it easier for a student and teacher to choose a good textbook to meet their speaking needs. the method used in this research is content analysis. the researcher used two analysis matrixes in collecting data. the first analysis matrix will show the suitability of the speaking activities in the two versions of the textbook with the 2013 curriculum syllabus. the second analysis matrix will show the percentage scores of the two versions of the english textbook based on the guidelines evaluation. as for the results of data analysis, the first matrix shows that speaking activities in the two versions of the english textbook are in accordance with the 2013 curriculum syllabus, and the second matrix also shows that the two versions of the english textbook are in the "good" and “fair” category, which is the textbook published by the government/kemendikbud has an average percentage of 93%(good) and textbooks published by private publications/erlangga have an average percentage of 73% (fair). in conclusion, both versions of english textbooks published by the government/kemendikbud and published by private publishers/erlangga are good and fair categories for students in carrying out the teaching and learning process. keywords: speaking activities; textbook; 2013 curriculum. ali akbarjono, pipit melati, feny martina, & syafryadin content analysis of speaking activities in english textbook based on 2013 curriculum for the first grade students at senior high school 106 however, in reality most of students in indonesia cannot speak english fluently. english speaking skill is usually studied by students in the classroom that uses a textbook or media as a learning resource. in english speaking the student can practise and do improvisation to find out their potentials in communications (widiana, 2018). besides that, the teacher’s role becomes important because the teacher plans the materials that are needed by students during the learning process. the material that is commonly used in our education system is the textbook as a simple design for success in teaching and learning process. choosing the correct textbook becomes a challenge for the teacher, so that can make it easier for students or learners to know the material better. in support of the learning process, using media such as a textbook will help learners to learn easier, clearer, faster, and better. the textbooks also help teachers to do their job better, easier and organized. as a media in the learning process, the textbook is capable of contributing what teachers illustrate to learners. on the other hand, the textbooks are media and learning resources that have been designed to meet educational standards in a simple form to simplify the teaching-learning process at schools, and the most important things are if the contents, materials, and activities in the english textbook are have to suitable with the curriculum in force which is in the teaching-learning process our curriculum design is expected to create active learning, creative, fun and character. talking about curriculum has a relation in all aspects in education system because all learning processes are based on the curriculum established by the ministry of education and culture. and of course, the teaching and learning process cannot be separated from the curriculum both of them have relevance for each other. according to the government regulation number 20 year 2003 section 1 letter 19, curriculum means a set of plans and regulations about the aims, content and material of lessons and the method employed as the guidelines for the implementation of learning activities to achieve given education objectives. the education system in our country uses the 2013 curriculum (k13), which is the 2013 curriculum is a curriculum that is more focused on developing student character values and also focuses more on practical activities rather than theory, and it has several aspects including attitudes, knowledge, and skills competencies (kurniasih, imas & sani, 2014; poerwanti, and amri, 2013). based on the pre-observation conducted by researcher on tuesday, march 4, 2021. the researcher was able to collect data at sman 5 lebong. the researcher observed the english teacher and student of the first grade during the learning process, with identified problems including: first, the teacher is still dominating in the speaking class. second, students are a passive learner, and it is difficult to speak in front of their classmate. third, students are not confident to speak and afraid of making mistakes. fourth, students have low vocabulary of english. fifth, the teacher just uses the english textbook without knowing which textbook in the category is the good one. and the students claimed that the most difficult basic skill was speaking skills because the students were really scared of making mistakes and did not have the confidence to speak (lisa, 2016). they also had difficulty in delivering their opinions and ideas verbally. in addition, the students still have trouble with pronouncing particular words in english. then, the english teachers also claimed that students have difficulties in sharing their ideas to speak in english during the lesson, it is proven by the students' speaking scores which are still below average. besides that, for make sure to students master in speaking skill they certainly need a good textbook or material to support the learning process, but due to the many versions of textbooks, it will be difficult for teachers to choose the right textbook that has good criteria related to the syllabus and the teachers are also often confused about which textbook is more in line with the 2013 curriculum syllabus. using the correct textbook will be an important reference for teachers to provide opportunities for students to learn to speak, and it is important to give students as many opportunities to speak as possible. furthermore, several studies were conducted about speaking activities in textbook, but they just analyzed speaking activities in textbook of elementary school and junior high school and whether or not speaking activities belong to communicative competence (lesmana, 2015; kartini, 2015; ayu, 2017; fitri, 2019, and ariska, 2020). considering the above statement, by looking at the condition that speaking skills are a skill that is difficult for students to understand, besides that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 107 teachers also certainly need good references in learning, so as to help with these problems and make it easier for teachers and students to choose good english textbooks, especially content speaking activities that should be in accordance with the syllabus curriculum used at the school, namely the 2013 curriculum. then, to find out which english textbook is in the good category, the researcher wants to analyze some textbooks that are commonly used by teachers as learning resources for students in learning, and they will certainly be measured, with the criteria in choosing a good textbook, according to experts. in addition, seeing the many versions of textbooks available in schools, especially schools where researchers conducted research at sman 5 lebong, researchers compared two versions of english textbooks published by the government (kemendikbud) and english textbooks published by private publications (erlangga) for the first grade student. method the design of this research will be a content analysis. content analysis is a research technique for making replicable and valid inferences from data to their context (krippendorf, 2013; ary, jacobs, & sorensen, 2010; creswell, 2014). it means that in doing content analysis, the researcher tended to describe the source texts into inference meaning in order to be more understandable by the readers for implicit meaning stated in it based on its context of use in society. it indicated that this kind of research is more than a counting process, as the goal is to link the results to their context or to the environment in which they were produced. on the other hand, content or document analysis is a method that is applied for written or visual data with the purpose of identifying specific characteristic of materials. the materials can be taken from textbook, newspaper, television program, advertisements, musical composition, or any of a host of other types of documents (donald et. al., 2010, p. 457). in this research, content analysis will use to analyze the content of speaking activities of the two versions of english textbooks which are based on textbook evaluation criteria and both of them are based on the 2013 curriculum for the first grade student at senior high school. this research which focus on two versions of english textbooks published by government/ kemendikbud and published by private publications/ erlangga. the instruments used were two analysis matrixes, the first analysis matrix will use to explain how does the suitability of speaking activities in the english textbook of first grade student published by the government/ kemendikbud and private publications/ erlangga fulfill the content aspects suggested in the syllabus of the 2013 curriculum? then, the second analysis matrix will shows the percentage score in the textbook evaluation criteria which aim to find out which textbooks meet the content aspects better suggested by materials evaluation. in collecting the data, the researchers used two versions of english textbooks that are used at the senior high school it refers to a technique of collecting data by gathering speaking activities in english textbook and analyzing documents, while a document is a communicable material used to explain some attributes of an object, systems or procedures (sewagegn, 2020). it means that the qualitative data which is drawn with words and sentences, clustered following its category to gain conclusion. as for several steps that will be taken by the researcher, they are: first, researcher chose the school that has already implemented the 2013 curriculum. after the permission from the school to collect the data had been given, checking and asking the syllabus for their first grade students and the textbook which is used by the teacher and student in doing the learning process. furthermore, copying the syllabus and collecting english textbooks, especially more focus on speaking activities, into the table that the researcher has made to collect data. this table is to find out the suitability of english textbook with the syllabus of the 2013 curriculum. second steps are followed by designing the textbook evaluation criteria checklist containing a set of standard criteria for evaluating english textbooks which will be derived from the guidelines materials evaluation, this guidelines checklist is to know which english textbook is the good one (balachandra, 2014). third, to strengthen data and avoid information bias, researchers will also conduct interviews with english teachers about how they think about english textbooks commonly used in teaching and learning activities in class. this interview is only additional information for researchers in describing the data that has been collected. ali akbarjono, pipit melati, feny martina, & syafryadin content analysis of speaking activities in english textbook based on 2013 curriculum for the first grade students at senior high school 108 then, to find the percentage score of two versions of the textbooks, the researcher will use the formula: p = f x 100% n note: p = percentage f = frequency of fulfilled aspect criteria each unit. n = the total number of criteria in each aspect. the above formula was used to decide the results of data analysis as a final calculation was classified into one of four criteria proposed by pusat perbukuan (arikunto, 2016). table 1. the conversion of fulfilment range of fulfillment score category 80%-100% good 60%-79% fair 50%-59% sufficient 0%-50% poor results and discussion results the result of this research was divided into two parts. the first result shows the coverage of speaking activities contents in two versions of english textbooks published by the government (kemendikbud) and private publications (erlangga) for the first grade students of senior high school in line with the 2013 curriculum syllabus. the second result shows the percentage of which textbook is the good one between the two versions of english textbooks published by government and private publications by guideline material evaluation. there are 15 chapters of english material in the english textbook both published by government and private publications. the extent to which the textbook entitled “bahasa inggris” published by government suitable with the 2013 curriculum syllabus the material and activities in the textbook published by the government are already relatively easy to understand, especially for students who have not been able to understand english before. then, the language use in the textbook that was published by the government above is relatively good to help in improving students’ speaking. as shown in the table above, speaking activities in the textbook published by the government use the common or general language and correspond with our learning culture. on the other hand, the explanations and directions presented in speaking activities are also very clear, even though without instructions from the subject teacher, students can practise independently by using textbooks as their reference material in learning, and it is very necessary for students to avoid difficulties in learning, because basically students often feel less directed and do not know what to do understand english better. furthermore, the table above also shown if material and speaking activities in the textbook published by the government are already suitable with the syllabus of the 2013 curriculum, which focuses on standard competence such as core competence and basic competence that includes in explain about elements of precommunication and communication activities about vocabulary, structure, pronunciation, spelling, communicative expressions, role play, and simulation. the extent to which the textbook entitle “pathway to english” published by private publications suitable with the 2013 curriculum syllabus based on the table of researcher analyze about the textbook published by private publications above, the researcher capable of describing if that textbook is difficult to understand for student who don’t has the ability about english before. then, speaking contents on the textbook published by private publications has the high level of language, as we know our education system has been remove the english subject at school, it will show that if students are not really enough to learn english. futhermore, because of this textbook are published by private publication, it has been suitable enough with the syllabus of 2013 curriculum. the result shows the percentage of which textbook is the good one between the two versions of english textbooks published by government and private publications by guideline material evaluation the percentages of materials evaluation in two versions of english textbook published by the government and textbook published by private publications for the first grade students of senior high school based on the 2013 curriculum. there are 15 questions and every checklist for every english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 109 question was valuable 1 score. in the textbook 1 (published by government) there is valuable 14 score and in the textbook 2 (published by private publications) there is valuable 11 score. then, to find the total score of the instrument, the researcher will use the formulation below. textbook 1 (published by government/ kemendikbud) p = f x 100% n p = 14 x 100% 15 p = 93% note : p = percentage f = frequency of fulfilled aspect criteria each unit n = the total number of criteria in each aspect therefore, it can be concluded that the percentages of the textbook that published by government are 93%, based on the results, the researcher stated that “basaha inggris” textbook published by government/ kemendikud/ textbook 1 was categorized as “good” with an average score 93%. this statement was according to pusat perbukuan. textbook 2 (published by private publications/ erlangga) p = f x 100% n p = 11 x 100% 15 p = 73% note: p = percentage f = frequency of fulfilled aspect criteria each unit n = the total number of criteria in each aspect therefore, it can be concluded that the percentages of the textbook that published by private publications are 73%, based on the results, the researcher stated that “pathway to english” textbook published by private publications/ erlangga/ textbook 2 was categorized as “fair” with an average score 73%. this statement was according to pusat perbukuan. discussion the textbook is one of the determinants educations: success and failure of the quality of education depends on the textbook itself. the textbook is a course book which is used in the teaching-learning process based on curriculum recommended for a teacher and student. the majority of teachers in indonesia use textbooks as the main guideline for curriculum and learning resources, so that textbooks can support what teachers explain to students in the teaching and learning process. many textbooks do not contain enough speaking skill, which may be the reason why many students have difficulty with speaking and are very deficient in speaking skill (lee, 2012). textbooks are books prepared by experienced and qualified individuals and that the material contained in the reading materials is generally deliberately attempted in pilot concentration in the actual performance state prior to publication (cunningsworth, 1984). the textbook provides ready-made teaching texts and learning tasks. moreover, a textbook is an easily and cheaply way of preparing learning materials. such a tom hutchinson and eunice torres (1994, p. 319) state that only a textbook is capable of showing as much as possible what is actually going to be done in the lesson. textbook published by government textbook had 15 chapters. there were 15 lessons about interpersonal texts both oral and written. they were talking about self in chapter 1, congratulating and complimenting others in chapter 2, what are you going to do today? in chapter 3, which one is your best gateway? in chapter 4, let’s visit niagara falls in chapter 5, giving announcement in chapter 6, the wright brothers in chapter 7, my idol in chapter 8, the battle of surabaya in chapter 9, b.j. habibie in chapter 10, cut nyak dhien in chapter 11, issumboshi in chapter 12, malin kundang in chapter 13, strong wind in chapter 14, and you’ve got a friend in chapter 15. from the analysis, it can be concluded that the author of the textbook had tried to arrange this book as perfect as possible, but as human being short of lack still appeared in this textbook. the author also had been trying to provide the activities which related to the context, but there are not always acceptable for students. then, this textbook also has been suitable with the syllabus of 2013 curriculum it showed by matrix analysis that the researcher have been made. the textbook that published by government were classified as “good” category based on guidelines ali akbarjono, pipit melati, feny martina, & syafryadin content analysis of speaking activities in english textbook based on 2013 curriculum for the first grade students at senior high school 110 material evaluation. on the other hand, this textbook are really help students in learning, actually for students that really difficult to understand about english before. all content in the textbook are really useful and easy to understand, it will be good facilitated students in learning. each chapters in the textbook that published by government/ kemendikbud is in a good category because it have suitabilities with the documentary checklist which is in the textbook that published by government/ kemendikbud the interpersonal text can be found in some of the chapters which correspond with student daily life. it includes about the topic expression for introduction, where the student will talk about himself or herself. on page 29, there are any activities that make students understand about congratulating. on page 32, it explains about complimenting. and on page 40, it explains about the expressing intention. the transactional text in the textbook that published by government/ kemendikbud can be found in some of the chapters that explain that topic. on page 16, there are any activities that explain giving instruction to make students learn about guessing ‘who am i?’. on page 39, there is a topic that makes students explain their opinion about some of the places. and on page 47, there are any activities that explain the topic about plans. the functional text that be found in the textbook that published by government/ kemendikbud. on page 81, there are any topic that explain about giving announcement. on page 110, 123, 134, and145, it explains about recount text. on page 157, 172, and 183, it explains about narrative text. there is so many of presentational text found in the textbook that published by government/kemendikbud such as a person who told in the book, communication act, and illustration. on page 17, it shows that illustration that explains the topic about introducing. on page 27, there are any pictures that explain about activities for complete the blank. on page 34, there are any the illustration that expresses the topic about complimenting. on page 39, it explains about pictures that showing some place. on page 81, there are any illustrations about giving announcement. on page 120, 132, 143, 157, and 170, it shows some of the pictures of expert and types of recount and narrative text. in textbook that published by government/kemendikbud, it can be found some of the text such as transactional, interpersonal, descriptive, narrative, and recount text. some of the page are explains about particular type of text in explain about exposure. then, in the textbook that published by government/kemendikbud almost all of unit is include social function, generic structure, and linguistic features. on page 10 and 11, it explains about text structure and grammar review. on page 16, it shows that the language feature of content. in the textbook that published by government/ kemendikbud, actual production can be found almost in all of the chapters that explain about grammar review and text structure. on page 11, 43, 61, 89, 115, 127, 139, 151, 164, 176, and 188, it explains about grammar review on the content. besides that, the textbook that published by government/ kemendikbud is coverage the syllabus and the learners can be absent of the class because the material explain is same topic. on page 108, 132, 143, and 169 are explain the topic about recount text and narrative text. then, all of chapters in textbook that published by government/ kemendikbud is include the task, all of chapters is explain about grammar/part of speech, and all of chapters is explain about vocabulary and pronunciation. textbook published by private publications textbook had 15 chapters. there were 15 lessons about interpersonal texts both oral and written. they were let’s do it! in chapter 1, would you fill out this form, please? in chapter 2, i’m sorry to hear that in chapter 3, what should i do? in chapter 4, too hot, too cold in chapter 5, products on discount! in chapter 6, it was memorable event in chapter 7, a story to remember in chapter 8, whatever will be, will be in chapter 9, because of you in chapter 10, why does it occur? in chapter 11, both you and i in chapter 12, what’s the difference? in chapter 13, why is water like a horse? in chapter 14, and make a peaceful world through a songs in chapter 15. the textbook published by private publications is already suitable with the syllabus, it showed that from the lesson that usually develop interpersonal in each chapter. but, textbooks are usually difficult to understand for students who do not understand english previously. based on the guidelines english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 111 evaluation, this textbook categorized as “fair” based on percentages from pusat perbukuan. in the textbook published by private publications/ erlangga that can be found some of the text that relate with short interpersonal text such as making invitations, showing symphty, advice, and etc. on page 9, it explains about invitation. on page 38, it explains the topic about words of symphty. on the page 55, it explains about advice. on page 78, there are any activities that follow the situation. in the textbook published by private publications/ erlangga also can be found some of the text in the textbook is relate with the indicator such as discussing possibilities to do something. on page 5, it explains about instruction offering to do something. and on page 55 and 255, it explains about advice. some of the unit in the textbook published by private publications/ erlangga can be found is offering an invitation, advertisement, recount text, report, narrative, explanation text and etc. on page 11, there are any topic that explains about offering an invitation. on page 82, it shows that the topic about advertisement. on page 108, it explains the topic about recount text. on page 125 and 209, it explains about report. and on page 134, it explains about narrative text. there are so many of presentational text found in the textbook published by private publications/ erlangga such as a person who told in the book, communication act, and illustration. on page 3, 8, 67, 82, 89, 104,106, 132, and 221, there are any picture of activities. on page 7, 38, 52, 69, 217, and 219, there are any illustrations that showing about communication act. in the textbook published by private publications/ erlangga, it can be found many types of text such as recount text, report, narrative, and explanation text. on page 108, there are explains about recount text. on page 125 and 209, it explains about report. in the textbook published by private publications/ erlangga almost all of unit is include social function, generic structure, and linguistic features. on page 11, it explains about the structure in offering invitation. on page 53, it explains about the use of sentence ‘should have done’ on page 127, there are explain about the structure of report text. on page 130, it explains the structure of recount text. and on page 161, it explains about the generic structure of narrative text. in the textbook published by private publications/ erlangga, actual production can be found almost in all of the chapters that explain about grammar review and text structure. on page 11, 53, 127, 130, and 161, there are explains about the generic structure of the text, and the textbook published by private publications/ erlangga is coverage the syllabus. besides that, all of chapters in the textbook published by private publications/ erlangga is include the task, and all of chapters in the textbook published by private publications/ erlangga is explain about grammar/part of speech. conclusion first, based on the study of analyzing the english textbook published by government/ kemendikbud, the researcher concluded that the textbook was good to be used for the first grade of senior high school that has started using 2013 curriculum. this book fulfilled all the aspects of competence of 2013 curriculum, and this textbook is suitable with the syllabus of 2013 curriculum. on the other hand, this textbook is also categorized as “good” with the percentages 93% based on the guidelines evaluation and the percentages from pusat perbukuan. then, this textbook is really useful and helpful to students in order to be easier to understand english with basic knowledge about english. secondly, based on the study in analyzing the english textbook published by private publications/ erlangga, the researcher can concluded that the textbook was good enough to be used for the first grade of senior high school that started using the 2013 curriculum. this textbook was also suitable with the syllabus. even though the researcher said this textbook is good enough for learning, but this textbook is not suitable for students who do not have basic competence about english. on the other hand, this textbook is categorized as “fair” with the percentages 73% based on the guidelines evaluation and the percentages from pusat perbukuan. as the result, both of the textbooks that analyze above are categorized as good and fair, and they have differences in scores, which the textbook published by government/ kemendikbud/ textbook 1 has the average percentages of 93% ali akbarjono, pipit melati, feny martina, & syafryadin content analysis of speaking activities in english textbook based on 2013 curriculum for the first grade students at senior high school 112 and the textbook published by private publications/ erlangga/ textbook 2 has the average percentages of 73%. references arikunto, s. (2016). prosedur penelitian suatu pendekatan praktik. jakarta: rineka cipta. ariska, s. (2020). analysis of speaking activities on textbook (unpublished thesis). uin ar-raniry, aceh. ary, d., jacobs, l. c., & sorensen, c. (2010). introduction to research in. education. usa: wadsworth ayu, h. i. (2017). a content analysis of “when english rings a bell” english textbook in 2013 curriculum for the seventh grade student of junior high school published by kementrian pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia (unpublished thesis). iain surakarta. balachandra, d. (2014). criteria-based post-use evaluation of english textbooks. ijellh (international journal of english language, literature and humanities), 2(5). creswell, j. w. (2014). research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. approaches: fourth edition. thousand oaks, ca: sage publications. cunningsworth, a. (1984). evaluating and selecting efl teaching materials. great britain: biddles ltd. fitri, w.a. (2019). an analysis of english speaking activities found in the textbook “bahasa inggris untuk siswa sma-ma/smk-mak kelas x”. journal of english language teaching, 8(1). hutchinson, t. and torres, e. (1994). the textbook as agent of change. elt journal, 48(4). kartini. (2015). a content analysis on speaking materials and activities written on english alive i textbook (unpublished thesis). uin syarif hidayatullah. krippendorf, k. (2013). content analysis: an introduction to its methodology (3rd ed.). los angeles: sage publications inc. kurniasih, i., & sani, b. (2014). implementasi kurikulum 2013 konsep & penerapan. surabaya: kata pena. lesmana, s. i. (2015). the analysis of english speaking activity in students’ textbook entitled when english rings a bel used by seventh graders in 2013 curriculum. retain, 3(3). lisa, o. (2016). a framework for textbook analysis. an international journal of education, 12(4). poerwanti, l. e. and amri, s. (2013). panduan memahami kurikulum 2013. jakarta: pt. prestasi pustakaraya. renandya, w. a., & widodo, h. p. (eds.). (2016). english language & teaching today: linking theory and practice (vol. 5). springer. salinan permendikbud ri nomor 36 tahun 2018 tentang perubahan atas peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan nomor 59 tahun 2014 tentang kurikulum 2013 sekolah menengah atas/madrasah aliyah. sewagegn, a. a., & diale, b. m. (2020). authentic assessment as a tool to enhance student learning in a higher education institution: implication for student competency. in assessment, testing, and measurement strategies in global higher education (pp. 256-271). igi global. thornburry, s. (2009). how to teach speaking. new york: pearson education ltd. widiana, i. w. (2018). the effectiveness of communication learning activities based on tradisional game toward the cognitive process dimension. jurnal cakrawala pendidikan, 37(2). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 263 developing learning media of recount texts for vocational high school students novita sari english language education, faculty of teacher training and education sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: novitas2992@gmail.com soni mirizon (corresponding author) english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: smirizon@unsri.ac.id rita inderawati english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa citation: sari, n., mirizon, s., & inderawati, r. (2021). developing learning media of recount texts for vocational high school students. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp.263-276. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4351 received: 27-02-2021 accepted: 28-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction reading occupies a large portion of teachinglearning activities (maspufah, 2019). dealing with this, reading comprehension is an important thing in lifelong learning. it also has an important role in the learning process that involves an interactive process between the reader and the text. students need reading comprehension skills at all educational levels and for all school subjects. reading, a required skill in academic and social life, is a basic language skill (ozdemir & akyol, 2019). from the explanation above, it can be learned that reading is important and the students should be good readers and be able to comprehend the reading text that they learn in their learning process. meanwhile, the results of some studies in international measure showed the fact that reading performance is an issue in indonesia education. according to the organization for economic cooperation and development (oecd, 2015), the mean score of reading literacy in indonesia was still low. it was 397 for program for international student assessment (pisa) score, while the mean score for the overall participating countries, if compared to, was 493 points in average. the mean score just increased by one point from the previous pisa (oecd, 2013). this mean score in reading performance was one of the lowest among pisa participating countries and economies although the test was in bahasa indonesia, let alone in english. indonesia was ranked 64th out of 69th countries participating in pisa 2015. in 2018 the results of abstract: this study was aimed to develop interactive multimedia of recount texts in teaching english in one public vocational high school in palembang. in specific, this study was intended to see whether or not the developed interactive multimedia had validity, practicality, and potential effect. the subject of the study was the tenth-graders of multimedia study program of the school. this development research applied analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (addie) design. the formative evaluation was done through one to one evaluation, small group evaluation, and field test. the findings showed that the validity mean score of the developed product was 3.71, categorized as very high validity level. the practicality mean score in one-to-one evaluation was 3.69, in small group evaluation was 3.65, and in field test was 81.37, categorized as very high practicality level. the material of the reading test also had potential effect. it pointed out that there were 33 participants (94.28%) out of 35 participants in the test of reading achieved the minimum mastery criterion, which was 71. keywords: development research; interactive multimedia; recount text; vhs mailto:smirizon@unsri.ac.id https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4351 novita sari, soni mirizon, & rita inderawati developing learning media of recount texts for vocational high school students 264 pisa mean score of indonesia students was 371. this score was worse than the previous one. in national context, reading test results showed the inferiority of indonesian secondary school student reading ability. results of reading tests in various vocational high schools (vhs) are also evidence of indonesian student low competence in reading. diem and mirizon (2018) reported that vhs students in palembang had very low reading interest and critical thinking. those facts indicate that reading skill is one of the skills that students find difficulty to master, especially in understanding the contents of the text. this is in line with the reality in the field that most secondary school students also have problem in reading skills and find it difficult to learn all types of reading texts, one of which is recount text. the difficulties experienced by students include understanding the content of the text and the characteristics of the language contained in the recount text. these difficulties might be due to lack of teachers’ creativity and development in the teaching and learning process. it is apparent that in general, teachers depend on the use of textbooks and even did not make use of the rapid technological advances in this industrial revolution 4.0 era in the teaching and learning process. nasir (2018) argue that indonesia needs to improve the skills and capacity of its human resources through digital technology. besides, the demand of 2013 vhs curriculum was that 21st century teachers need to have functional competence, such as (1) critical and rational thinking skills and applying high-level thinking patterns, (2) creative skills, (3) communication skills, (4) collaborative skills, and (5) skills to utilize technology which is a mandatory task of a teacher who is required to be proficient in using technology in the delivery of learning material in teaching and learning processes such as using computer devices, multimedia, learning software and internet (directorate general of vocational high school guidance, 2017). regarding the fifth skill, teachers are required to be proficient in using and utilizing technology in delivering their learning and teaching processes because of the demands of the 21st century learning model. technology gives an important role in the world of education to facilitate and accelerate the learning process and the importance of using various types of technology. unfortunately, learning materials used at schools, especially vocational high schools were conventional and were supported by technology. moreover, english learning materials that are commonly used in vhs have not accommodated the specific needs of students. in other words, english learning materials are still in general english. as a result, they are not appropriate with the needs of each major available at vhs. certainly it would likely have an impact on the students' english competence. students would not be able to master english for specific purposes. in order that the students’ needs in english can be met, vhs should provide english for specific purposes (esp). the gold standard in esp is to allow students to use english to fulfill their needs in specific fields, such as read a manual, write a dissertation, listen to a lecture, present a sales pitch, and even for academic learning (sarmento & bocorny, 2018). according to 2013 curriculum, the graduate standard competence in vocational high school could be developed into english for specific purposes. it means that the teacher or school curriculum developer could provide and develop specific content of english for vhs students (ministry of education and culture, 2013). the revitalization of vhs poses that vocational fields are very diverse and demand adaptation of learning english to accommodate different needs of each of these vocational sectors. so, different learning materials should be provided in order to facilitate the students to achieve good specific english proficiency. it is expected that students have english knowledge and skills related to their jobs and work after they graduate. in this case, there is a need to provide english learning materials that fulfill vhs students’ needs. one of the ways in the learning materials provision is through material development. there are some previous related studies about designing english materials and develop interactive multimedia used for teaching english for vhs. jayanti (2015) developed reading materials for the tenth grade students of computer engineering and networking program at smkn 1 pundong. the target need was that students could learn english to communicate effectively and fluently, pass national examination on english subject, and understand technical terms related to computer engineering and networking. raharja (2016) found that students english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 265 preferred to learn written text related to their multimedia field to support their future career in developing english learning materials for the eleventh graders of multimedia study program at smkn 2 sewon. then, puspitasari (2011) did a study focusing on developing english learning materials. she found that students the eleventh graders smkn 1 sleman preferred learning materials that are able to support them in mastering vocabulary related to multimedia department. another study by komang, nitiasih, and budasi (2014) was about developing blended learning based reading materials for the tenth grade multimedia students of smk wira harapan. the result of this study showed that students need specific reading material based on their specific jobs; the design of blended learning, the developed blended learning and in developing and implementation the blended learning based reading material. leow and neo’s (2014) study aimed to improve the quality of student's learning achievement by developing an interactive learning module as the core component in forming the multimedia-mediate student-centered learning environment. significant improvement was found in the test results and showed that this learning environment enhanced the student's learning achievement. furthermore, puspita, sukmantara, and santihastuti (2016) developed esp reading materials by using authentic materials for automotive students at smkn 2 jember. the result was that esp reading materials for automotive students in the form of booklet. noho (2018) also developed supplementary english reading materials for the tenth grade students of computer networks at smk almamater telaga, gorontalo. the result showed that students preferred most reading texts that are specific to their field rather than the general one. other studies dealing with the use of technology in language teaching such as mobile reading (inderawati, agusta, & sitinjak, 2018), elearning (sopian, petrus, & inderawati, 2019), and interactive multimedia (eliviana, inderawati, & mirizon, 2020) conducted to provide learning materials blended with technology which were specific to vhs students. those studies are not identical with this current one. this study developed reading materials specifically for vhs students in the form of interactive media applications that can be used offline. interactive media-based reading materials were designed and developed with various types of recount text stories in the form of texts, audio, and videos about the bibliography of famous people. in addition, the reading materials are also completed with examples, explanations of recount texts, and evaluations to test students' abilities in recount texts. considering the importance of teaching the specific reading material for the specific purposes, the writers were interested in developing learning media of recount texts for vhs students. method research design this study employed mixed-methods approach in development research design. according to akker (1999), development research aims to design a product for certain purposes through certain procedures, i.e: analysis, design, evaluation, and revision activities which are iterated until a satisfying balance between ideals and realization has been achieved. in developing the recount text, analysis, design, develop, implement, and evaluate (addie) model of instructional design was applied (mcgriff, 2000; aldoobie, 2015; cheung, 2016). this study was conducted at one public vhs in palembang. the population was the tenth grade students consisting of four classes. they were chosen based on their english proficiency level in one-to-one and small group evaluation. their english proficiency level, was classified into low, medium, and high proficiency (dick, carey & carey, 2005), which were determined based on students’ grade point average. the subject of the study was described in table 1. table 1. the subject of the study no. stages of formative evaluation number of students description of the students 1. one-to-one evaluation 3 1 student for each category, i.e. low medium, and high english proficiency. 2. small group evaluation 9 3 students for each category, i.e. low medium, and high english proficiency. novita sari, soni mirizon, & rita inderawati developing learning media of recount texts for vocational high school students 266 3. field test 35 all students in a real class total 47 students in collecting the data, to determine its validity, practicality, and potential effect of the product, questionnaires, interview, and reading test were used. there were four questionnaires distributed to the subjects: (1) need analysis questionnaire, adapted from petrus (2012) and indriyani (2016), (2) need analysis multi-media questionnaire (adapted from wao, 2016), (3) expert review validation questionnaire, and (4) students’ questionnaire toward the developed interactive multimedia of recount texts (adapted from tessmer, 1993). need analysis questionnaire and need analysis multimedia questionnaire were administered to the all students in multimedia major. expert review validation questionnaire, and students’ questionnaire were passed to experts in an expert review in order to know about the validity and also to students in one-to-one evaluation and small group evaluation in order to know practicality, and to get an information of their opinion and comments after reviewing and/or using the developed interactive multimedia of recount texts. an interview was also conducted in one-toone and small group evaluation. it was aimed to obtain students' comments, critiques, and suggestions after conducting the using of the developed interactive multimedia of recount texts. it was also used as the basis for revision. reading test was given to the students to know the potential effect of the product. it was constructed based on recount texts developed in this study. the reading text evaluation was used by using reading comprehension test in the form of multiple choice questions, true-false items, and matching items. the reading comprehension test included several aspects, such as main ideas, inference, vocabulary in context, cause and effect, details, and sequence. results and discussion there were five stages of development research as follows: analysis phase instructional analysis the writers analyzed the materials related to the recount text that was available in the students’ textbook entitled ‘forward’ for the vocational high school students grade x which was issued by the government. based on the analysis of the textbook, there were eleven recount texts found that most of the texts did not have any title, the content was too general and not related to the students’ major. then, the learning environment in the vhs was in good condition, such as had good electricity, computer laboratory for each major was available, each computer laboratory equipped with one lcd and one whiteboard, student sometimes brought a laptop and used their laptop during the process of teaching and learning. based on these school conditions, it can be said that the developed interactive multimedia of recount text could be implemented and conducted well during the process of teaching and learning. students’ need analysis to find out information about the four classes students’ achievement, an interview to the english teacher of the tenth grade students was also conducted. the results of interview showed that: (1) students reading skill was still low; and (2) it was caused by some factors, such as lack of vocabularies, and low of motivation. it can be said that the students reading achievement fell into unsatisfactory level. then to find out the information about the students’ need analysis. there were 21 question items about students’ need analysis was distributed to 105 students. the result of students’ need analysis was illustrated in table 2. table 2. students’ need analysis no. question/statement students’ response nos* % target situation analysis (tsa) 1. the importance of learning english a. to pass the national examination 4/105 3.5 b. to support the carrier in the future 25/105 23.5 c. to help to continue further study in the multimedia field 18/105 17.9 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 267 d. to communicate with foreigners 58/105 55.1 e. others ... 0/105 0.0 2. the students’ expectation towards learning english a. able to communicate fluently using english in oral communicate in the future workforce 64/105 60.4 b. able to communicate in written communicate in the future workforce 5/105 4.7 c. mastering the vocabulary related to the multimedia field 33/105 31.6 d. using grammar correctly 3/105 2.1 e. others ... 0/105 0.0 3. the language use for students’ carrier a. to do oral communicate with colleagues or clients 46/105 43.5 b. to do written communication both in formal or informal contexts 8/105 7.9 c. to deepen the multimedia skill by reading the english text 50/105 47.9 d. others ... 1/105 0.4 4. the english proficiency level for students’ carrier a. beginner 17/105 16.5 b. intermediate 34/105 32.1 c. advance 54/105 51.6 d. others ... 0/105 0.0 present situation analysis (psa) 5. students’ current proficiency level of english a. beginner 74/105 70.2 b. intermediate 26/105 24.9 c. advance 5/105 4.7 d. others ... 0/105 0.0 6. students’ desired input for reading a. authentic materials (such as news, menu, receipt, announcement, schedule, etc) 35/105 33.4 b. texts that relate to the context of the multimedia field 58/105 55.1 c. texts with the list of new vocabulary 7/105 6.7 d. texts with picture 4/105 3.5 e. others … 1/105 0.4 7. the length of input for reading a. < 100 words 30/105 28.5 b. 100 – 150 words 22/105 20.4 c. 150 – 200 words 13/105 12.1 d. > 200 words 40/105 38.2 8. topic desired by students for learning input in reading a. daily life routines 42/105 40.0 b. education/school 13/105 12.1 c. the multimedia field 42/105 40.0 d. issues/latest news 8/105 7.7 e. others … 0/105 0.0 9. students’ preference activity for learning reading a. reading a text loudly with correct pronunciation and intonation 16/105 15.1 b. reading a text individually and answering questions related to the text 20/105 19.6 c. discussing and comprehending a text in a group 17/105 16.5 d. comprehending a text and translating it into indonesia langauge 44/105 41.8 e. analyzing the meaning of the new vocabulary from the context 8/105 7.7 10. students’ opinion toward the difficulty level of reading text in english textbook used in the classroom a. very easy 3/105 2.1 b. easy 42/105 40.0 novita sari, soni mirizon, & rita inderawati developing learning media of recount texts for vocational high school students 268 c. difficult 52/105 49.8 d. very difficult 8/105 7.7 11. students’ opinion toward frequency of english teacher in providing the reading text/material and reading assessment with the topic related to the multimedia field a. very often 13/105 12.1 b. often 31/105 29.8 c. sometimes 51/105 48.4 d. never 10/105 9.8 deficiency analysis (da) 12. students’ difficulties with the language skills and aspects a. listening 18/105 17.9 b. speaking 43/105 40.4 c. reading 11/105 10.2 d. writing 0/105 0.0 e. vocabulary 13/105 12.1 f. grammar 9/105 8.5 g. pronunciation 10/105 9.8 h. others ... 1/105 0.4 13. students’ difficulty with reading skill in the reading process a. comprehending the main idea 21/105 20.0 b. comprehending the detai information 16/105 15.1 c. making conclusion related to the chronological order of event 7/105 6.7 d. making conclusion related to cause and effect 13/105 12.1 e. making and drawing conclusion 48/105 45.4 f. comprehending certain words 0/105 0.0 strategy analysis (sa) 14. students’ preference activity for learning vocabulary a. matching the words or expressions with correct meaning in indonesia language 33/105 31.6 b. matching the words or expressions with the pictures 21/105 20.5 c. predicting the meaning of the new words based on the context 26/105 24.9 d. completing the incomplete sentences or paragraph with students’ own words 15/105 14.7 e. others ... 10/105 9.8 15. students’ preferences activity for learning grammar a. indentifying the incorrect sentences structure 36/105 34.7 b. correcting the incorrect sentences structure 36/105 34.7 c. writing sentences based on structure learned 32/105 30.2 d. others ... 1/105 0.4 16. students’ preference activity for learning pronunciation a. repeating the words pronounced by the teacher 29/105 27.9 b. pronouncing the words based on the phonetic transcription 32/105 30.2 c. discussing the correct pronunciation in a small group or with other friends 44/105 41.8 d. others ... 0/105 0.0 17. students’ preference class management for completing the task a. individual work 24/105 22.8 b. pair work 20/105 19.6 c. group work 42/105 40.0 d. whole class work 19/105 18.2 e. others ... 0/105 0.0 18. students’ learning style preference english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 269 a. listening to the teachers’ explanation only 29/105 27.9 b. discussing with other friends to solve the problem or to do the tasks 48/105 45.3 c. writing all information given by the teachers 28/105 26.7 d. others ... 0/105 0.0 19. students’ preference for teachers’ role a. giving students questions to finish and discuss them later 33/105 31.6 b. giving examples about the topic which is learned and give an assignment 53/105 50.2 c. supervising the students’ works and helping them when students get a problem 17/105 16.5 d. walking around and giving comment to students’ works 2/105 1.8 e. others ... 0/105 0.0 20. students’ opinion toward intergrating the topic/content related to the multimedia field in reading text a. very important 69/105 65.3 b. important 35/105 33.4 c. not important 1/105 0.4 d. very unimportant 0/105 0.0 21. students’ opinion toward discussing the content of the multimedia field in reading text could ease them to comprehend the text a. very agree 46/105 43.5 b. agree 56/105 53.4 c. disagree 3/105 2.1 d. very disagree 0/105 0.0 students’ need analysis multimedia questionnaire there were 30 questions in this questionnaire. the 25 questions were about multimedia use, and the other 5 questions were about student interest in reading. there were 105 tenth grade students answered the questionnaire. the findings showed that the use of multimedia technology in class: (1) promoted students’ interest in learning english, (2) was more practical; some students did not need to do note taking, (3) could obtain information accurately in a short time, (4) stimulated students’ attention in class, (5) helped develop students’ english communication skills, (6) made students want to take part in the discussion, (7) inspired them to avoid tardiness in class, and (8) enhanced their reading skills. students’ functional reading level analysis this analysis was intended to measure the students’ functional reading level by measuring the readability levels of the developed recount texts which had to match with their reading level. in this activity, jennings informal reading assessment developed by joyce (2001) at level 1 – 8 was given to determine the students’ functional reading level. the results were described in table 3 below. table 3. the result of students’ functional reading level analysis text level functional reading level stage frustrational (correct number ≤4) instructional (correct number 5 – 6) independent (correct number 7 – 8) nos % nos % nos % level 1 59 56.1 32 30.4 14 13.3 level 2 63 60.0 30 28.5 12 11.4 level 3 68 64.7 31 29.5 6 5.7 level 4 65 61.9 33 31.4 7 6.7 level 5 61 58.2 39 37.1 5 4.7 level 6 60 57.1 43 40.9 2 1.9 level 7 76 72.3 27 25.7 2 1.9 level 8 84 80.0 21 20.0 0 0 source: jennings informal reading assessment developed by joyce (2001) novita sari, soni mirizon, & rita inderawati developing learning media of recount texts for vocational high school students 270 based on table 3 above, it can be seen that 105 students (13.3%) were already at the independent stage in text level 1. for text level 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8, it showed that 63 students (60.0%), 68 students (64.7%), 65 students (61.9%), 61 students (58.2%), 76 students (72.3%), and 84 students (80.0%) were at frustrational stage respectively, whereas for the text in level 6, there were 43 students (40.9%) at instructional stage. as mentioned by burns and parker (2014) the instructional level as criterion to target reading intervention. therefore, it could be said that the reading level of students was at level 6 since the biggest percentage of learners who belonged to the instructional stage was in level 6. design and development phase paper-based design in this phase, there were eleven recount texts that the writers developed based on the students’ multimedia learning and student’s field. then the developed recount texts were checked to find out their readability levels using an online tool of flesch-kincaid (i.e.: https://www.webfx.com). for completing the materials of reading, several questions as warming-up activities were also made. the storyboard of interactive multimedia after the all reading materials had been accomplished along with the evaluation, then the materials had to be transformed into interactive multimedia. therefore, a storyboard was made to be used as a guideline to develop interactive multimedia. the storyboard consisted of some parts such as opening slide, student’s data, home slide, and computer-based design. computer-based design consisted of recount text and the storyboard of interactive multimedia were transformed into computer-based design by using adobe professional cs 6. the program was created and then launched in the form of software of interactive multimedia which could be operated in each pc or notebook. implementation phase evaluation and revision phase this phase was to find out the validity that was determined in the expert review phase, practicality that was determined in one-to-one and small group evaluation phase, and the potential effect of the product that was determined in a field test phase. the result of the evaluation and revision are described below. self evaluation in this phase, the writers tried to treat themselves as expert to evaluate the developed recount texts, so the evaluation process did not a simply look over the product. the self-evaluation covered all of the four aspects such as instructional desgin (construct), language, media (production), and content (subject matter). in addition, the writers evaluated the product which was aimed to find out some errors and mistakes, such as misspelling, ungrammatical sentences, and punctuation. experts review in this phase, a questionnaire consisted of 15 items was distributed to three different experts, i.e.: content (english), instructional design (curriculum/construct), and media (technology). the first expert of content (english) validation was a lecturer of english who has been teaching for 20 years and hold doctoral qualification in english. the second expert of instructional design (curriculum/ construct) was a lecturer of english who has been teaching for 36 years and his expertise in instructional design, the last expert of technology (media) was a lecturer of education technology who has been teaching for 30 years and his expertise in material development. the first evaluation aspect in the evaluation and revision phase was content (english). it was also important to make sure whether the validation sheet fulfilled the standardized requirement. therefore, it was developed by adapting from tessmer (1993). a lecturer of english reviewed the product. during the validation process, the expert gave some constructive comments and suggestions for better revision of the product, especially in content. the expert advised to pay attention to the narration of the story, so as not to confuse students when understanding and reading the contents of the story section. after the product was revised as suggested, it was found that the average score of content validity was 3.74 which was at very high validity, which means that it was valid without revision. the second evaluation aspect in this phase was instructional design (construct). to develop the product with good construct validation, another expert reviewed the product. it was found that there were some comments and suggestions which needed to be considered, such as change the https://www.webfx.com/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 271 incorrect writing on the validation construct sheet, i.e. the 2006 curriculum is replaced with the 2013 curriculum because it had to adjust to the learning objectives of the material made. he gave advice to think about the allocation of time in the subject matter test which must be adjusted to the total number of questions. the experts also suggested giving feedback to students to be actively involved in learning through material packaged in the form of interactive multimedia, like by adding a few more warm-up questions before starting core activities. after reviewing the product twice, the expert reviewer of the construct declared that the product was valid without revision, and the average score obtained from construct validity was 3.53, which was at very high validity. the last evaluation aspect in the evaluation and revision phase was done to complete all three product validation sheets. in terms of media, the product then was reviewed by an expert of technology who was a lecturer of education technology at sriwijaya university. he gave some comments and suggestions which needed to be considered, such as, when the user enters the "log in" column he must use only names not numbers. the expert also suggested that welcome sentence on the opening menu should not use the name of the school that was examined in the media. finally, after being revised for the third time, the expert reviewer of the media revealed that the product was valid without revision. the total average score of the validity of product design was 3.87, which was a very high validity. one-to-one evaluation the questionnaire consisted of 22 items was distributed to 3 students in one-to-one evaluation to determine the practicality of the product. the score of practicality obtained in one to one evaluation was 3.69, which was very high practical. the results of questionnaire were presented in table 4. table 4. result of questionnaire in one-to one evaluation aspect n o statement average score remarks the match between materials and students’ characteristics 1 the recount text materials in the interactive multimedia are suitable for my age. 4.00 very high practicality 2 the recount text materials in the interactive multimedia are suitable for my english proficiency. 3.67 very high practicality 3 i am excited to learn the recount text materials in the interactive multimedia because i learn and feel entertained at the same time. 3.67 very high practicality materials presentation 4 materials presentation in the interactive multimedia is clear and understandable. 3.67 very high practicality 5 the recount text materials in the interactive multimedia are presented in a good sequence so that they are not confusing. 3.67 very high practicality effectiveness and efficiency of the product 6 i can operate the interactive multimedia well without assistance. 3.33 very high practicality 7 i can use the interactive multimedia to learn at home or anywhere. 4.00 very high practicality 8 learning recount text by using the interactive multimedia can save my learning time. 3.66 very high practicality evaluation 9 the directions in evaluation are clear and understandable. 3.33 very high practicality 10 questions item in the evaluation are clear and understandable. 3.33 very high practicality 11 the number of question items in the evaluation are sufficient. 4.00 very high practicality 12 the forms of question in the evaluation are various. 4.00 very high practicality attractiveness of 13 i enjoy using the interactive multimedia in learning to read english recount texts. 4.00 very high practicality novita sari, soni mirizon, & rita inderawati developing learning media of recount texts for vocational high school students 272 interactive multimedia 14 the interactive multimedia makes me motivated to learn english recount texts. 3.67 very high practicality 15 the interactive multimedia attract my attention in learning materials of english recount texts. 3.67 very high practicality 16 i am more interested in learning english about recount text by using the interactive multimedia than learning it by using conventional method without technology. 3.67 very high practicality 17 learning by using the interactive multimedia is not boring. 4.00 very high practicality 18 doing the computer-based evaluation is exciting, easy, and time and energy saving. 3.67 very high practicality media quality 19 the use of navigation (buttons) in the interactive multimedia is very helpful to operate the interactive multimedia. 3.67 very high practicality 20 font, pictures, narration, and animation in the interactive multimedia are in line with the instructional materials. 3.00 high practicality 21 text, pictures, narration, and animations in the interactive multimedia are in line with the instructional materials. 3.33 very high practicality 22 colors used in the interactive multimedia are interesting and well-synchronized. 3.67 very high practicality average score 3.69 very high practicality after determining the practicality of the product using a questionnaire, the writers also conducted an informal interview with the students in the one to one evaluation to get their responses and comments toward the developed product to find out its strength and weaknesses. the result of students’ comments were: (1) the interactive multimedia was very interesting and colorful, lots of animations and images, and supported with relaxing music that does not interfere with concentration, (2) the recount texts was suitable enough with my field, and (3) the feedbacks were good and able to respond well and i could use the product at home independently. small group evaluation a questionnaire consisted of 22 items was distributed to 9 students in small group evaluation to determine the practicality. the students’ average score was evaluated and then interpreted into practicality categorization. the average score was 3.65, which was in very high category of practicality. the practicality level was presented in table 5. table 5. results of questionnaire in small group evaluation aspect no statement average score remarks the match between materials and students’ characteristi cs 1 the recount text materials in the interactive multimedia are suitable for my age. 3.44 very high practicality 2 the recount text materials in the interactive multimedia are suitable for my english proficiency. 3.33 very high practicality 3 i am excited to learn the recount text materials in the interactive multimedia because i learn and feel entertained at the same time. 3.56 very high practicality materials presentation 4 materials presentation in the interactive multimedia is clear and understandable. 3.67 very high practicality 5 the recount text materials in the interactive multimedia are presented in a good sequence so that they are not confusing. 3.56 very high practicality effectivenes s and 6 i can operate the interactive multimedia well without assistance. 3.44 very high practicality english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 273 efficiency of the product 7 i can use the interactive multimedia to learn at home or anywhere. 3.89 very high practicality 8 learning recount text by using the interactive multimedia can save my learning time. 3.67 very high practicality evaluation 9 the directions in evaluation are clear and understandable. 3.78 very high practicality 10 questions item in the evaluation are clear and understandable. 3.67 very high practicality 11 the number of question items in the evaluation are sufficient. 3.67 very high practicality 12 the forms of question in the evaluation are various. 3.56 very high practicality attractivene ss of interactive multimedia 13 i enjoy using the interactive multimedia in learning to read english recount texts. 3.67 very high practicality 14 the interactive multimedia makes me motivated to learn english recount texts. 3.78 very high practicality 15 the interactive multimedia attract my attention in learning materials of english recount texts. 3.67 very high practicality 16 i am more interested in learning english about recount text by using the interactive multimedia than learning it by using conventional method without technology. 3.67 very high practicality 17 learning by using the interactive multimedia is not boring. 3.33 very high practicality 18 doing the computer-based evaluation is exciting, easy, and time and energy saving. 3.89 very high practicality media quality 19 the use of navigation (buttons) in the interactive multimedia is very helpful to operate the interactive multimedia. 3.89 very high practicality 20 font, pictures, narration, and animation in the interactive multimedia are in line with the instructional materials. 3.56 high practicality 21 text, pictures, narration, and animations in the interactive multimedia are in line with the instructional materials. 3.78 very high practicality 22 colors used in the interactive multimedia are interesting and well-synchronized. 3.89 very high practicality average score 3.65 very high practicality after the test was conducted, the questionnaire of an informal interview in the small group evaluation was also distributed to get students’ comments on the developed interactive multimedia of recount text. the result of students’ comments were: (1) the students knew the learning objectives of they learned; they mentioned that they learned about kinds recount text and the generic structure of recount text, (2) the students felt challenged in learning the materials due to the feedbacks, picture animation, video and including the difficult evaluation, (3) the students mentioned that they could independently use the product at home due to interactive multimedia that related to the computer was their field, and (4) the students felt interested and motivated to learn recount text by using interactive multimedia. evaluation phase field test the field test evaluation was intended to know the potential effect of the developed interactive multimedia of recount text. in this phase, the field test was conducted in one meeting within 90 minutes. it involved a real class of the tenth-grade students of one vsh in palembang consisting of 35 students. from the result of the students’ scores in the reading comprehension test, there were 2 students (5.71%) who obtained score below the minimum mastery criterion which was 71. the rest of the students, 33 students (94.28%) obtained the score novita sari, soni mirizon, & rita inderawati developing learning media of recount texts for vocational high school students 274 above the minimum mastery criterion. the total students’ mean score in the field test was 81.37. after the data were analyzed, the result of the students’ scores was interpreted by using the criteria of mastery percentage of universitas sriwijaya (2012) in order to know the level of the potential effect of the product. the results indicated that: 10 students out of 35 students obtained very high category level (86-100), 23 students btained high category level (71-85), only 2 students obtained average category level (56-70), and no students scored below the low category (41-55) nor very low category (0-40). in addition, the result of a field test of 35 students revealed that 33 students obtained scores above the average and only 2 students obtained average scores based on mastery percentage categorization. in conclusion, the developed interactive multimedia of recount text had a potential effect and the students’ average scores were at the criteria of mastery percentage (71-85) in the high category of mastery level. however, of the 2 students who achieved grades below average were influenced by several factors during the final evaluation process. based on the teacher's observations and the questionnaire results of student responses to the interactive multimedia learning in the recount text, it was found that (1) these students did not like learning english, (2) they did not understand the presentation of material in interactive multimedia, and (3) they felt anxious while answering questions because the time allocation was limited on the media screen. the result of students score on the reading comprehension test can be seen in figure 1 below. figure 1. students’ score on the reading comprehension test conclusion based on the findings, some conclusions were drawn. first, the developed interactive multimedia of recount text in multimedia content was valid in terms of its content (english), construct (instructional design), and media (technology). its validity average score, based on three expert reviews was 3.71 indicating that the developed product had very high validity. second, the developed interactive multimedia of recount text in multimedia content was practical. the practicality score was 3.69 in the one-to-one evaluation and 3.65 in small group evaluation which was at a very high level of practicality. at last, the developed interactive multimedia of recount text in multimedia content had a potential effect on students’ achievement. since the number of students reaching the intended result score was 94.28%. it can be concluded that the potential effect of the product was at a very high level of mastery. references akker, j. v. d. (1999). principle and method of development research. london in j. akker, j.v.d., branch, r. m., gustafson, k., nieveen n., & plomp , t. (eds), design methodology and development research (1-14). dordrechi: kluwer academic publisher. aldoobie, n. (2015). addie model. american international journal of contemporary research, 5(6), 68-72. azizah, n., inderawati, r., & vianty, m. (2021). dveloping descriptive reading materials in efl classes by utilizing the local culture. studies in english language and education, 8(2), pp.596621. burns, m. k., & parker, d. c. (2014). instructional level for reading interventions: using the instructional level as a criterion to target reading interventions, minnesota center for reading research. usa: university of minnesota, minneapolis, minnesota. cheung, l. (2016). using the addie model of instruction design. journal of biomedical education, 1-6. doi: org/10.1155/2016/95029502572. dick, w., carey, l., & carey, j. o. (2005). the systematic design of instruction (6th ed.). florida: pearson. diem, c. d., mirizon, s., & sitinjak, m. d. (2018). students’ critical thinking and reading literacy: education levels, departments, grades, and gender. (unpublished research report), inderalaya: lppm, sriwijaya university. directorate general of vocational high school guidance (direktorat pembinaan sekolah menengah kejuruan). (2017). strategi implementasi revitalisasi smk melalui bilingual http://sx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/95029502572 http://sx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/95029502572 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 275 learning ecosystem. jakarta: direktorat pembinaan sekolah menengah kejuruan. elviana, r., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2020). developing interactive multimedia for teaching descriptive texts based on palembang local culture. indonesian efl journal, 6(1), pp. 19-26. inderawati, r., agusta, o. l., & sitinjak, mgrt. dinar. (2018). the potential effect of developed reader response strategy-based mobile reading for students’ establishing character and comprehension achievement. ijie (indonesian journal of indormatics education), 2(2). indriyani. (2016). developing local content-based instructional pictorial reading materials for tenth graders at sma n 3 oku baturaja (unpublished magister’s thesis). palembang, sriwijaya university. jayanti., e. d. (2015). developing reading learning materials for the grade x students of computer engineering and networking program at smkn 1 pundong in the academic year of 2014/2015 (s1 thesis, uny, yogyakarta). retrieved from http://epri-nts.uny.ac.id/id/eprint/27897. jennings, j. h., caldwell, j., & lerner, j. (2001). jennings informal reading assessment. in reading problems: assessment and teaching strategies (5th ed, appendix d). retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?ablongman.comric hek_appd. leow, f. t., & neo, m. (2014). interactive multimedia learning: innovating classroom education in a malaysia university. tojet: the turkish online journal of eduacation technology, 13(2), 99110. maspufah, m. (2019). improving students' reading comprehension by using reciprocal teaching strategy. j-shmic: journal of english for academic, 6(1), 26-32. retrieved from http://doi.org/10.25299/jshmic.2019.vol6(1).2649 mcgriff, s.j. (2000). instructional system design (isd): using addie model. penn state: collect of education meliawati, k., nitiasih, p. k., & budasi, i. g. (2014). developing blended learning based reading materials for the tenth grade multimedia students of smk wira harapan. jurnal pendidikan bahasa inggris indonesia, 2(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v2i1.1098. ministry of education and culture (2013). peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan nomor 54/2013 tentang standar komptensi lulusan pendidikan dasar dan menengah (the minister of education and culture regulation number 54/2013 on competency standards of graduates for primary and secondary school). jakarta: biro hukum dan organisasi kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. ministry of education and culture (menteri pendidikan nasional dan kebudayaan republik indonesia). (2016). peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan nomor 21 tahun 2016 tentang standar isi pendidikan dasar dan menengah (the minister of education and culture regulation number 21/2016 on content standards for primary and secondary school). jakarta: biro hukum dan organisasi kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. nasir, m. (2018). pemanfaatan teknologi dalam pembelajaran di era revolusi industri 4.0. (1-33). menteri riset, teknologi dan pendidikan tinggi. noho, h. fatsah, h., & talib, r. (2018). developing supplementary english reading materials for vocational high school. international journal of humanities and innovation (ijhi), 1(2), 3844. doi:10.33750/ijhi.v 1i2.12. oecd. (2013). pisa 2012 results: what students know and can do students’ performance in mathematics, reading and science. retrieved from http://www. oecd,org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-resultsvolume-i.pdf. oecd. (2015). pisa 2015: result in focus. retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/pisa-2015results-in-focus.pdf. ozdemir, e. c., & akyol, h. (2019). the development of a reading comprehension test. universal journal of education research, 7(2), 563-570. doi: 10.13189/ujer.2019.070229. petrus, i. (2012). english language teaching in higher education: an english course design at a state university (doctoral dissertation, graduate school of indonesia university of education, bandung). puspita, f. k. d., sukmaantara. p., & santihastuti, a. (2016). developing esp reading materials by using authentic materials for automotive students at smkn 2 jember. journal of international seminar and workshop on elt. retrieved from http://www.google.com/url?.unej.ac.id%2findex. php. puspitasari, m. a. (2011). developing english learning materials for the eleventh-grade students of the multimedia department at smkn 1 godean, sleman (s1 thesis, fbs uny, yogyakarta). retrieved from http://eprints.uny.ac.id/id /eprint/41161. raharja, e. (2016). developing english learning materials for the eleventh graders of multimedia study program at smk n 2 sewon in the first semester of the academic year of 2015/2016. english language teaching journal, 5. http://eprints.uny.ac.id/id/eprint/27897 https://www.google.com/url?ablongman.comrichek_appd https://www.google.com/url?ablongman.comrichek_appd http://doi.org/10.25299/jshmic.2019.vol6(1).2649 https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v2i1.1098 http://www/ http://www.oecd,org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results-volume-i.pdf http://www.oecd,org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results-volume-i.pdf https://www.google.com/url?.unej.ac.id%2findex.php https://www.google.com/url?.unej.ac.id%2findex.php http://eprints.uny.ac.id/id/eprint/41161 novita sari, soni mirizon, & rita inderawati developing learning media of recount texts for vocational high school students 276 sarmneto, s. & bocorny, a. e. (2018). english for specific purposes (esp). retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328964 474. sopian, s., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2019). developinge-learning based local-folklores for eighth graders. english review: journal of english education, 8(1). tessmer, m. (1993). planning and conducting the formative evaluation. philadelphia, pa: kogan page. universitas sriwijaya. (2012). buku pedoman fakultas keguruan dan ilmu pendidikan universitas sriwijaya 2012/2013. inderalaya: universitas sriwijaya. wao, j. s. j. (2016). multimedia questionnaire. retrieved from: https://www.scribd.com/document/331801849/questionnaire https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328964474 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328964474 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 211 pronunciation learning, participation, and attitude enhancement through mobile assisted language learning (mall) alfi hidayatu miqawati department of english study program, language, communication and tourism, politeknik negeri jember, indonesia e-mail: alfi_hidayatu@polije.ac.id apa citation: miqawati, a. h. (2020). pronunciation learning, participation, and attitude enhancement through mobile assisted language learning (mall). english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 211-218. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2118. received: 29-01-2020 accepted: 20-03-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: a mobile application, tflat english pronunciation, is proposed in the teaching of pronunciation for it possesses features that can assist students when learning how to enunciate english words and identify english phonemic symbols. thus, this study presents the results of the implementation of tflat english pronunciation mobile courseware to gain the ability of the first semester students of english study program politeknik negeri jember in pronouncing english words. this study is a collaborative classroom action research. thirty students enrolling in pronunciation class at english study program politeknik negeri jember were taken as the source of data. the result showed that the materials and practices in tflat courseware could enrich students' pronunciation learning, improve their participation, and nurture a positive attitude toward technological learning. the findings of this study also depict the potential and power of mobile assisted language learning (mall) to encourage students to engage in classroom activities and monitor their learning. hence, it can be concluded that mall is pivotal and can be one alternative to facilitate students’ pronunciation learning. keywords: pronunciation; participation; positive attitude; tflat english pronunciation; mall. introduction mastery of a language, including foreign languages and in this case english provides many benefits in various aspects and fields. moreover, globalization encourages everyone to be able to speak good english to create smooth and meaningful communication. however, to possess communication skills, one needs to go through contextual learning and training activities because communication itself involves complex processes including understanding, speaking, and listening systematically and continuously (ahmad, 2016). many experts have highlighted the importance of pronunciation in communication. pronunciation becomes a major aspect of understanding and interpreting speakers' intentions and spoken language and speakers can be considered unintelligible if they have poor pronunciation (reed & lewis, 2019; pennington & rogerson-revell, 2019; nair, krishnasamy & de mello, 2017). in the teaching of english as a foreign language in indonesia, many teachers still focus more on teaching grammar than pronunciation. the students are exposed to master lexical aspects and construct linguistic structure flawlessly but not to pronounce english expressions accurately and the teaching of pronunciation is overlooked, implicitly taught and often neglected (silalahi, 2016; haryanto, 2015; widagsa, wiyanah, & wahyuni, 2019) to investigate learners' proficiency in english pronunciation, the researcher conducted a preliminary study on the first-year students of the english study program at politeknik negeri jember. it was found out that the students’ english pronunciation ability was unsatisfactory. most of them could not achieve the minimum standard passing criterion, 65 (c). furthermore, in the teaching and learning process, the students showed a low degree of participation and motivation in pronouncing english words and utterances. the difficulties were due to several factors including students' low interest, limited vocabulary storage, first encounter with studying a language component (pronunciation) separately, and diffidence, colorless teaching strategy, and monotonous instructional media. among those factors, the instructional media were considered one of the most vital problems since the teaching of pronunciation needs instructional media so that the students can contextualize what they are learning and acquire it better and faster. to make the learning of pronunciation more mailto:alfi_hidayatu@polije.ac.id alfi hidayatu miqawati pronunciation learning, participation, and attitude enhancement through mobile assisted language learning (mall) 212 effective and interesting and to strive for intelligible and comprehensible speech, afshari & ketabi 2016) emphasize the need for teaching pronunciation to gain full communicative competence and the importance of incorporating the findings of other disciplines, such as psychology, nlp, and technology. the use of many technological devices and softwares in the teaching of english has gained much attention in the recent decade. the implementation of mobile assissted language learning (mall) has contributed siginificantly toward students’ success in learning. according to kumar, wotto, & bélanger (2018), mall is a powerful method for engaging learners on their own terms. klimova (2019) also stated that studying by using smartphones is effective in the enhancement of university students’ performance and can be a complementary method to other forms of course delivery. more advantages of mobile learning are also highlighted by hosseini, ezzadeen, & alhazmi (2015) that it can promote an enhanced understanding of material content, costeffectiveness, game learning, and informal learning. students also perceive mobile learning as a challenging and motivating activity (novawan, aisyiyah, wijayanti, miqawati, indrastana, 2019). many studies have also addressed the effectiveness of mobile phones in language teaching and learning. liu, lu & lai (2016) analyze 24 journal articles in order to examine developments and trends in mall. they claimed that mall approach is beneficial present some challenges to users, academics, and teachers. however, they suggested that more research is needed to further investigate the communication that occurs among learners with the use of various mobile devices, and their developments of various cognitive learning domains. in relation with the use of mobile phones, android-based applications or platforms have provided empirical results for assisting students’ in learning english pronunciation. arashnia & shahrokhi (2016) conducted an experimental study about the use of mobile learning application and they found out that students taught english pronuciation using mobile phone application outperformed those who were taught using ordinary methods (without mobile phones). liu, xu, li, han, chen, mo, chen & liu (2019) carried out a study about automatic speech recognition (asr) technology in english pronunciation correction. the findings showed that asr technology can help chinese english learners improve their english pronunciation. sufi & shalmani (2018) also found out that one courseware namely “tflat” could improve greatly the pronunciation ability of the students. the courseware contains complete materials and exercises for students to practice and assess their english pronunciation. in the recent five years, more applications are implemented and developed to increse students’ the motivation and make learning easier and more enjoyable, cure and prevent their fossilization of english pronunciation errors. and improve their overall english pronunciation and intonation (liu, zhu, jiao & xu, 2019; cavus, 2016; mutqiyyah & muhammad, 2016). considering the positive effect and complete features of tflat to the teaching of pronunciation and the need of the students to improve their english pronunciation, the researcher conducted a study on the implementation of tflat english pronunciation mobile courseware to enhance the ability of the first semester students of c-class english study program politeknik negeri jember in pronouncing english words. method after identifying the problem through the preliminary study, the researcher conducted a collaborative classroom action research (ccar) in c–class (semester 1) of english study program politeknik negeri jember which has 28 students. this design is called ccar because 1) is done by teaching practitioners or lecturers who teach in class, 2) is applied collaboratively, and 3) aims to change a thing/overcome the problems of students in the classroom. the collaborator in this study was a lecturer who teaches pronunciation course. the lecturer was equipped with explanations and training before the teaching media implementation. during the learning process, the researcher filled in the field notes and the list of observations with factual data of what happened during and after the learning process. the research aims to provide a new and practical way for elf/esl learners to improve english pronunciation as well as provide a new mode of english pronunciation teaching for relevant educators. planning at this stage, the researcher and collaborator jointly designed lesson plans, handouts, worksheets, and instruments dealing with the implementation of tflat english pronunciation. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 213 the application was chosen because it has complete activities that cover many language skills and provides ample information on how to articulate each vowel, diphthong, and consonant. besides, once the application is downloaded, it can be accessed anytime and anywhere without any internet connection (offline android application). implementing the procedure of teaching was implemented in cclass of english study program (first semester) – politeknik negeri jember. there were several steps covered during the teaching and learning process. first, the students were explained how to articulate the vowels and consonants while checking the detail information and examples in tflat english pronunciation mobile courseware. second, they practiced pronouncing the words. in this step, the teacher checked each student’s accuracy in articulating the sounds and helped the students to overcome their difficulties when learning. third, they had the sound details and checked whether they pronounced the words accurately or not while identifying their problems when pronouncing the words. fourth, they recorded their voices and identified the pronunciation accuracy in the application. to gain optimum mastery, they also did the reading, writing, and listening parts in the application. the implementation stage was conducted in seven meetings. observing in this step, the researcher observed the results of tflat english pronunciation implementation. two kinds of data were collected; numerical data and verbal data. the numerical data were obtained from the students' pronunciation scores. meanwhile, the results of the observation checklist, field notes, and open-ended questionnaire represent the verbal data. there were four instruments implemented in this study; questionnaire, observation checklist, field notes, and a test. the questionnaire was used to know the students’ opinions toward the implementation of tflat english pronunciation. in addition, the field note was used to find out the strengths and weaknesses of the application implementation. meanwhile, to monitor the students’ the students’ participation and performance during the teaching and learning process, the observation checklist was employed. the last instrument employed was a test administered after the students were taught using an android-based application. table 1 shows the students’ involvement description while table 2 shows the pronunciation scoring rubric. table 1. students’ involvement description no categories description 1 very poor < 20% participate 2 poor 20% 40% participate 3 fair 41% 60% participate 4 good 61% 80% participate 5 very good 81% 100% participate table 2. pronunciation scoring rubric aspects poor (0-1 point) fair (2-3 points) good (3-5 points) dimension student makes little or no effort to enunciate and articulate in the target language. the student has errors in pronunciation, some effort in articulation in the target language. the student makes minor or no errors in pronunciation, great articulation in the target language with expression. (adapted from http://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?code=f6w345&sp=true) reflecting this stage involves a result analysis of the action implemented in the first cycle. the analysis was conducted by analyzing the students' learning performance and the teaching and learning process. the results were compared with the predetermined criteria of success. if one of the indicators of the criteria was not reached, the researcher would carry out the second cycle by revising the planning stage. however, if the results were appropriate, the researcher would immediately conclude the research results. table 3 contains information about the criteria of success in this study. alfi hidayatu miqawati pronunciation learning, participation, and attitude enhancement through mobile assisted language learning (mall) 214 table 3. criteria of success components criteria of success data source instrument participation 90% of the students are engaged actively in the teaching and learning process. 90% of the students have positive attitudes. the students’ involvement in the classroom activities questionnaire observation checklist field notes learning performance 100% of the students obtain a minimum passing score of 66 (c) the scores of pronunciation accuracy pronunciation test results and discussion the findings of the study include the students’ involvement, the students’ opinion toward the implemented media, and the students’ pronunciation score. students’ involvement in the classroom activities to obtain data about the students’involvement in the implementation of tflat english pronunciation mobile courseware, the observer used observation checklists and fieldnotes. the findings showed a satisfying result for the expected outcome. the summary of the students’ involvement is presented in table 4. the information about the students’ involvement was obtained from analyzing the observation checklist and field notes. from the data obtained, the observer also pinpointed some findings related to the students'involvement. in meeting 1, two points were considered as the strengths and one point as the weakness. the students were enthusiastic to pay attention to the lecturer and directly downloaded the application. since it was their very first time learning pronunciation, they were amazed at the features provided in the application. the students admitted that they have never known the application. when they opened the application, they could find buttons for short vowels, long vowels, double vowels (diphthongs), voiced and voiceless consonants. all students explored every single feature in the application vivaciously. the weakness found was that two students used iphone and could not download the application. the lecturer lent him her mobile phone so that he could get engaged in the classroom activities. they identified their problems after the class and succeeded in downloading and operating the application. table 3. summary of the students’ involvement meeting activity % of ss’ involvement interpretation 1 exploring the application features and manuals 93 very good 2 utilizing the application (short vowels) 97 very good 3 utilizing the application (long vowels) 93 very good 4 utilizing the application (voiced consonants) 93 very good 5 utilizing the application (voiceless consonants) 100 very good 6 utilizing the application (other consonants) 100 very good 7 pronunciation test 100 class’ average involvement 96,6 very good several more strengths were also noted in meetings 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. when utilizing the application, students learned the materials provided in the application like understanding how the sounds are articulated and practiced articulating the sounds accurately. in each meeting, all students are involved except students who did not attend the class. since the application does not need any internet connection after being downloaded, the students could access it smoothly. in addition, the students adapted themselves fast with the application. the problem found in the meeting was several students hardly succeeded in articulating the intended sounds because they are not accustomed to articulating them or got confused as they sound similar to them. they also got difficulties in identifying and distinguishing symbols of the vowels, diphthongs, and consonants, especially when they did the listening and writing parts in the application. the observer suggested the lecturer tell the students to have more practice at home or every time they have spare time. before the test, the students were given information related to the test to be administered so that they were prepared for the english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 215 test. the observer did not find anything to pinpoint during the administration of the test. huang, yang, chiang, & su (2016) noted that mobile learning tool gain more superior results in term of students’ participation and motivation. in other words, it can be concluded that mall provides opportunities for students to actively participate in every classroom activity. students’ opinion toward the implementation of tflat english pronunciation the students expressed their opinion through the distributed questionnaire that showed that all of them enjoyed learning using the application. they also mentioned that the application was very useful in assisting them to learn how to pronounce words. it also gives them a new way of learning and optimizes the use of their gadgets. it corresponds positively with findings of studies conducted by ghounane (2019); saidouni & bahloul (2016); thomas & munoz (2016); and white & mills (2014) that students showed positive attitudes towards the introduction and integration of mobile technology in language learning and any classroom activities. students’ achievement the last criterion of success determined was the students’ learning performance. all students (30 students) needed to gain scores of more than 66. when converted, the needed to gain at least a c. c score was also the minimum requirement to pass the pronunciation class. after the test administration, the data obtained from the writing test showed that 30 students achieved the target score, 66. thus, it had met the criterion of success related to the students’ learning achievement. the findings showed that the use of tflat english pronunciation courseware could promote the students' ability in pronouncing english words. the improvement was gained through the materials in the application and the teacher’s guidance during classroom activities. each menu in the courseware provides an ample overview and practices to help students pronounce words accurately. the finding of this study is in line with those of arashnia & shahrokhi (2016) and kim & kwon (2012) that giving instruction through mobile phones can help students learn pronunciation effectively and mobile applications are also effective to provide students individualized and student-centered learning opportunity. that mobile assisted language learning (mall) can enhance students' language skills and knowledge has been proven by other findings in the previous studies. in line with what the researcher found regarding mobile learning and language proficiency improvement, burston (2015) pinpointed the learning outcomes of the implementations of mall are unquestionably positive. the optimum result of the implementation is also supported by the teacher’s roles during the teaching and learning activities. in this study, the teacher actively aided the students in their effort of enunciating english words. thus, the fact that mobile learning does not work solely to enhance students’ language ability cannot be neglected. burston (2015) supported this notion that the implementation of mall should focus more on how technology is manipulated to affect achievement, not attribute learning gain to the technology. ample models and examples are given to help students identify the sound and practice of pronouncing vowels and diphthongs. the screen display is attractive and the navigation buttons are simple and easy to access. cavus (2016), who developed an intelligent mobile application for english pronunciation teaching, also mentioned that this kind of mobile application features can make learning easier and more enjoyable than the traditional learning methods. during learning, students could access the mobile application and asked questions whenever they found problems and difficulties and the teacher addressed them directly. every learning activity utilizing the courseware required students' active engagement. passive students could be more active and engaged in the learning process without any hesitance and anxiety and it is in line with miqawati and wijayanti (2017) argument that mall enables students to be actively involved in the classroom pronunciation activities. besides being more involved in the teaching and learning process, the students perceived positively toward the implementation of tflat courseware. thus, it can be concluded that the implementation of mobile-assisted language learning can promote the students’ participation and positive attitude toward learning and it pointed out what is suggested by kukulska-hulme (2006) that mobile devices are representative for language learning purposes, two of which are for personal engagement and interaction as well as communication. alfi hidayatu miqawati pronunciation learning, participation, and attitude enhancement through mobile assisted language learning (mall) 216 conclusion the implementation of tflat english pronunciation courseware can enhance the students' learning performance, boost their involvement in classroom activities, and promote a positive attitude toward the potentials of mobile technology in language learning. the findings of the study presented here showed a promising model of language teaching to adult learners using a mobile application. the findings of this study also depict the potential and power of mobile assisted language learning (mall) to encourage students to engage in classroom activities and monitor their own learning. more exploration and experiment on the potentials of mobile-assisted learning media are eminently encouraged. references teaching of pronunciation in the esl classroom afshari, s., & ketabi, s. (2017). current trends and future directions in teaching english pronunciation. international journal of research studies in language learning, 6(2), 83-91. arashnia, m., & shahrokhi, m. (2016). mobile assisted language learning: english pronunciation among iranian pre-intermediate efl learners. journal of applied linguistics and language research, 3(4), 149-162. burston, j. (2015). twenty years of mall project implementation: a meta-analysis of learning outcomes. recall, 27(1), 4-20. cavus, n. (2016). development of an intellegent mobile application for teaching english pronunciation. procedia computer science, 102, 365-369. ghounane, n. (2019). the attitudes of second year efl students at dr moulay tahar university towards learning english pronunciation through mobile assisted language. arab world english journal (awej), 5(special issue on call), 110123. haryanto, e. (2015). teachers’corrective feedback on students’pronunciation at the daffodils english course kampung inggris pare indonesia. linguists: journal of linguistics and language teaching, 2(2), 78-82. hosseini, ebrahim s., ezzadeen, k., & alhazmi, a. (2015). acquiring knowledge through mobile applications. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 9(3), 71-74. huang, c. s., yang, s. j., chiang, t. h., & su, a. y. (2016). effects of situated mobile learning approach on learning motivation and performance of efl students. journal of educational technology & society, 19(1), 263-276. kim, h., & kwon, y. (2012). exploring smartphone applications for effective mobile-assisted language learning. multimedia-assisted language learning, 15(1), 31-57. klimova, b. (2019). impact of mobile learning on students’ achievement results. education sciences, 9(2), 90. doi: 10.3390/educsci9020090. kukulska-hulme, a. (2006). mobile language learning now and in the future. in svensson, p. (ed.), from vision to practice: language learning and it. sweden: swedish net university, 295-310. kumar, b. s., wotto, m., & bélanger, p. (2018). elearning, m-learning and d-learning: conceptual definition and comparative analysis. e-learning and digital media, 15(4), 191–216. liu, g. z., lu, h. c., & lai, c. t. (2016). towards the construction of a field: the developments and implications of mobile assisted language learning (mall). digital scholarship in the humanities, 31(1), 164-180. liu, x., xu, m., li, m., han, m., chen, z., mo, y., chen, x., & liu, m. (2019). improving english pronunciation via automatic speech recognition technology. international journal of innovation and learning, 25(2), 126-140. liu, x., zhu, c., jiao, j., & xu, m. (2018, july). promoting english pronunciation via mobile devices-based automatic speech evaluation (ase) technology. international conference on blended learning (pp. 333-343). springer, cham. miqawati, a. h., & wijayanti, f. (2017). optimalisasi penggunaan flashcards melalui mall (mobile assisted language learning) pada pengajaran pronunciation (optimizing the use of flashcards through mall (mobile assisted language learning) in teaching pronunciation). prosiding. mutqiyyah, r., & muhammad, a. f. (2016). developing mobile app of english pronunciation test using android studio. 2016 international electronics symposium (ies), 487-492. nair, r., krishnasamy, r., & de mello, g. (2017). rethinking the. the english teacher, 14. novawan, a., aisyiyah, s., wijayanti, f., miqawati, a. h., & indrastana, n. s. (2019). investigating students’ mall experience in light of an ecological perspective. journal of english in academic and professional communication, 5(2). pardede, p. (2018). improving efl students’ english pronunciation by using the explicit teaching approach. jet (journal of english teaching), 4(3), 143-155. pennington, m. c., & rogerson-revell, p. (2019). english pronunciation teaching and research. londres: palgrave macmillan, 10, 978-988. reed, m., & levis, j. (2019). the handbook of english pronunciation. new york: john wiley & sons. saidouni, k., & bahloul, a. (2016). teachers and students’ attitudes towards using mobile-assisted language learning in higher education. arab world english journal (awej), 3(special issue on call). english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 217 sharples, m., & spikol, d. (2017). mobile learning. in: duval e., sharples m., sutherland r. (eds), technology enhanced learning. springer, cham. silalahi, r. m. p. (2016). pronunciation problems of indonesian efl learners: an error analysis. journal of english language and culture, 6(2), 163-176. sufi, e., & shalmani, h. b. (2018). the effects of tflat pronunciation training in mall on the pronunciation ability of iranian efl learners. european journal of foreign language teaching, 3(2), 87-103. thomas, k., & munoz, m.a. (2016). hold the phone! high school students’ perception of mobile phone integration in the classroom. american secondary education, 44(3), 19-37. white, j., & mills, d. j. (2014). examining attitudes towards and usage of smartphone technology among japanese university students studying efl. call-ej, 15(2), 1-15. widagsa, r., wiyanah, s., & wahyuni, p. (2019). the influence of indonesian prosodic features on english word stress production. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 77-84. yudhiantara, r. a., & saehu, a. (2017). mobileassisted language learning (mall) in indonesian islamic higher education. ijeltal (indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics), 2(1), 21-31. alfi hidayatu miqawati pronunciation learning, participation, and attitude enhancement through mobile assisted language learning (mall) 218 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 565 the effect of problem-based learning model towards students’ comprehension of the english reading text iskandar rosyidin politeknik negeri sriwijaya palembang email: iskandarrosyidin_7317157770@mhs.unj.ac.id nurrudin department of applied linguistics, universitas negeri jakarta email: nuruddin.unj@unj.ac.id ratna dewanti department of applied linguistics, universitas negeri jakarta email: rdewanti@unj.ac.id apa citation: rosyidin, i., nurrudin., & dewanti, r. (2022). the effect of problem-based learning model towards students’ comprehension of the english reading text. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 565-578. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6259. received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction the objective of reading is related to reading comprehension. comprehension is related to knowledge gained after reading in order that readers are able to relate new things after reading the problems. this research is aimed at finding out the differences in students’ comprehension of english reading text using the pbl and the tbl models. this research recommends the revision of taxonomy bloom as a way of determining the standard of level in comprehension. they are remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating which the first three levels refer to low critical thinking and the other three belong to high critical thinking. it means that when we are teaching reading, it is recommended to have any strategies or models which are appropriate to use in order to gain better or maximum achievement. supriyadi, mayuni, & lustyantie (2019) in their paper found that the language learning model gives positive effects on the students’ comprehension. there have been so many strategies or models offered and applied but so far experiments are always done to fit what reading comprehension with what model is best to use. one of them is by singh (2019) who wanted to find the effectiveness of implementing a metacognitive strategy training approach in second language reading instruction to a japanese female participant. the result was that there was a significant improvement in scores of reading comprehension so he concluded that abstract: this research entitles the effect of problem-based learning model (pbl) on the students’ comprehension of the english reading text. it is aimed at finding out the differences in students’ comprehension of english reading text using the pbl and the tbl models. the methodology used was an experimental method in which there were two groups available. the first group was an experimental group that was treated using the pbl model and the second group was a control group that was treated using the tbl model. the learning models were applied to find out the one which had the greatest effect on the students’ achievement in english reading comprehension. since the subject delivered was reading iv, the sampling technique used was purposive sampling, the sample chosen was students of semester iv, english department of state polytechnics of sriwijaya. based on the result of two-way analysis of variance or anova ab on the level of significance of α = 0,05, it is found that fhitung = 4,555 dan ftabel (0,05;1:40) = 4,08. based on the value of significance on the table of tests of between-subjects effects on line a that if it is less than 0.05, the result of the test is significant. in the table of 4.12, the sig value for line a was 0.039, less than 0.05. then it is concluded that students treated using the pbl model were far higher in english reading text comprehension compared to those who were treated using the tbl model. keywords: students’ comprehension; english reading texts; pbl model; tbl model. iskandar rosyidin, nurrudin, & ratna dewanti the effect of problem-based learning model towards students’ comprehension of the english reading text 566 comprehension in reading can be gained through a metacognitive strategy training approach. macadangdang (2019) then recommended in the finding of her research that problem-solving (as one of the characteristics of a problem-based model) was successful in increasing students’ skills of identifying important details, writing summary, analyzing and making interpretation on the text. it indicates that the students’ reading comprehension was higly developed. pbl recommends some skills: 1. critical thinking, 2. the wise use of appropriate learning reseources, 3. small group work collaboration, 4. demonstration of communication skill verbally and in written, 5. use of knowledge and intellectual capability. then, arends (2012) acknowledged that pbl leads students to do problem solving, use high critical thinking and develop self confidence. for that, aliyu, fung, rashid, & nimehchisalem (2020) described in their findings that pbl was successfully led the students to critisely locate the opinions based on the discussion topic through the group interactions. arjuna & jufri (2016), any way, made research about the teaching of reading comprehension using pbl model. they wanted to increase the students’ skill in reading comprehension using pbl. their research fostered the same steps in pbl model with the current researcher but they did not compare it with the other model. single model they used recommended that pbl was effective for teaching reading comprehension. any way, they did not try to prove if pbl is more suggested to use compared to the other model. the researcher of this research tries to prove the more effective model to use in teaching reading comprehension between pbl and tbl. tbl has a purpose to strengthen the language acquisition to communicate, do some activities with the activity as the focus. in terms of characteristics, willis in rudd (2019) said that the concept of english language teaching using tblt could promote the use of language in students’ interaction and active participation. tbl negates language meaning and communication competency (chen, 2018). some researchers, through their researches, also recommend tbl as the model in teaching reading comprehension. one of them is the research done by gavel (2021). he used task-based in her research and teaching university students in the combination of using authentic materials in uzbekistan. it was proved that the activities made the students active and increased their critical thinking abilities. the class of reading comprehension became more effective. ahmed & lenchuk (2020), then, study to prove that tbl was effective to teach efl by using action research as the methodology. after some discussions and observasions, it was found that it was effective to increase students’ motivation and interest to actively involved in the teaching and learning process. critical thinking has a very strong influence to reading comprehension. fernando & bandara, (2020) recommended that in reviewing the literature of researches, critical thinking can be best promoted through the process of reading. then ardhian, ummah, anafiah, & rachmadtullah (2020) then stated that learning and understanding the very detail problem in a text needed reading comprehension. it shows that critical thinking skill like deductive and inductive reasonings, analysis, evaluation, and inference closely relate to skills needed in reading process. further, facione (2020) mentioned the 6 characteristics of critical thinking. they are interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation, and self-regulated. in the form of the research, fatmawati, zubaidah, mahanal, & sutopo (2019) concluded in their article that critical thinking skills contributed much in learning outcomes that the teaching was very successful. in this research, any way, the researcher tries to search whether or not the two models have any interaction to each other with critical thinking. consequently, this research tries to answer the research questions or hypothesis as follow: (1) english reading text comprehension of students treated with pbl is higher than those who were treated using tbl. (2) there are some interactions among pbl, tbl, critical thinking towards the comprehension of english reading text. (3) in the class of student with high critical thinking, the students’ comprehension of english reading text of pbl students is higher than those who were treated using tbl. (4) in the class of student with low critical thinking, the students’ comprehension of english reading text of pbl students is lower than those who were treated using tbl. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 567 there have been many researches dealing with the similar one done by the researcher. the followings are the state of the arts that could be presented. in the context of the tbl in asia schools, ji (2017) applied the model started elementary scools until universities. the variety of languages used and the big numbers of participants in each class (about 50 students) became problems along the application process of tbl model. the management improvement made tbl model contributed much in the great success of the application. it was concluded that tbl model was very effectively used in all levels in asia. in terms of tbl model done by the researher, the tbl model is purposely used in teaching reading comprehension and measured to test how effective it is compared to pbl model. in his study, lin (2017) proposed to examine the effect of pbl on the students who studied english reading comprehension through web-based english and their perceptions of pbl. the experiment was done to class using pbl strategy and to class using traditional strategy. students in the pbl class was directed by the problem and surveyed the internet to identify solutions. then, students in the traditional class were taught using the teacher lecture method. preand posttests, an instructional questionnaire, and self-reports were assigned to students in the two classes. the results showed that the pbl class was much more effective than the traditional class since the students in that class got much better mean scores than the the traditional one in english reading comprehension. besides, the questionnaire results showed that pbl helped students increase their active learning and synthesized their cognitive processing. it was concluded that pbl strategy for reading comprehension through web-based english was more effective than the traditional strategy. in researher’s study, the experiment compared the effectiveness of pbl and tbl, not the traditional strategy. adiantika & purnomo (2018) wanted to know whether tbl was effective and applicable in the subject of speaking in senior high school in kuningan. questionnaires and interviews were carried out in this qualitative study and there were several results found. 1. tbl provided some advantages for making students active in the process of teaching and learning and 2. tbl was successfully developing students’ abilities. on the other hand, there were also some difficulties using the tbl model when there were differences in time allocation, teachers’ and students’ proficiency at the english level. the difference with the researcer’s issue, the research also discusses pbl model to prove which one is more effective to use in reading comprehension lesson. aker, herrera, & daniel (2018) believed that problem-based learning and service leaning (pbsl) should be combined to provide instructional strategies to guide els to academic success in order to activate the skills identified by the partnership for 21st century skills. reflecting a studentcentered approach, we incorporate practice into the research process by illustrating a successful integration of pbsl into an esol learning environment in higher education and then highlight additional curricular opportunities for synthesizing pbsl at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. aker, in his research, promoted problembased and service learning to develop students’ skills in efl but did not clarify the certain subject skill to improve like listening, reading, speaking, or writing. azis (2018) specifically applied the tbl model at the high school level for speaking subjects using a quasi-experimental method. after comparing the results of the pre-test and post-test, it was found that the experimental group using tbl achieved better results than the traditional model. students are more confident and can speak english m ore clearly in public. this meant that tbl model is more effective. compared to the researcher’s discussion the tbl is not compared to traditional model, but pbl one. besides, contrary to the researher who uses reading subject in his experiment, azis did the experiment in speaking subject. the next research was done by hartman, renguette, & seig (2018), they tried to develop a program they called teacher-mentor by using pbl in their research in order to educate teachers to use pbl effectively in the classroom and to help teachers improve their own knowledge of pbl in united states classroom context. in their program, they used pbl to help teachers learn more about literacy and pbl. literacy learning for all students improves in classroom settings that take a cooperative, student-centered approach and they belived that pbl makes students involved in active learning and leads students do multiple learning styles through a variety of collaborative tasks. the iskandar rosyidin, nurrudin, & ratna dewanti the effect of problem-based learning model towards students’ comprehension of the english reading text 568 results showed that pbl has become an effective method in terms of students’ self-directed problem solvers. pbl also showed that the teacher could apply reflections, discussions, presentations, and self-evaluations in their classrooms while enhancing students’ collaboration. different from the issue fostered by this researcher to concentrate to the improvement of students’ capability in reading comprehension, hartman focused to improve teachers’ competences in using pbl for their students. the next research was done by amini, mahmoudi largani, & hedayat (2019). she found that tbl model was suitable to be applied in the middle schools and colleges. this survey research by distributing questionnaires to 117 high schools and colleges recommended that all teachers support the tbl model to be used since the results of the learning process were very satisfying. different from the researcher who uses experimental method, amini, any way, used survey method in the research. fatmawati et al. (2019), in her study tried to find the correlation between critical and creative thinking skills, critical thinking skills and learning achievement, creative thinking skills and learning achievement, and critical thinking, creative thinking, and learning achievement. the sample was 30 fourth-semester students from the department of biology education of ikip mataram, indonesia. the instrument used were 19 essay questions on photosynthesis and the critical thinking instrument which was composed of five aspects. the result showed that there were correlations among (1) critical and creative thinking skills; (2) critical thinking skills and learning achievement; (3) creative thinking skills and learning achievement; (4) creative thinking, critical thinking, and learning achievement. since critical and creative thinking skills affect learning achievement, the empowerment of these skills may lead to the enhancement of learning achievement. syahfutra & niah (2019) did the research entitled “improving students’ reading comprehension by using problem-based learning strategy”. the experiment was conducted at sekolah menengah pertama darma yudha and it proved that pbl provides strategies for expressing ideas in real-life contexts. this model enhances critical thinking and problem-solving skills. it also develops flexible knowledge, effective collaboration skills and life-wide learning. pbl also helps students improve their reading comprehension and motivation. any way, they did not prove that this model gave more contribution in student’s improvement in reading comprehension compared to the other model like tbl. then, supriyadi et al. (2019) carried out a research entitled "the effects of learning model and cognitive style on students' english listening skills". the purpose of this study was to determine whether there was an effect of the learning model and cognitive style on students' english listening skills. after going through an experimental study using two-way anova, it was found that students who were taught using the integrative learning model had better results than students who were taught using the experiential learning model. this study also proves that there is an interaction effect between learning models and cognitive styles with students' listening abilities. supriyadi’s research also employs learning model but not tbl and pbl. he, then, did the experiment in listening subjecct, not in reading comprehension. the next research is entitled “improving the critical thinking skills of secondary school students using problem-based learning” by lapuz & fulgencio (2020). this study wants to ensure that the use of pbl can improve the critical thinking skills of economic high school students. this research is the experiment research using purposive sampling, namely 27 students from high school in zambales, the philippines in the 20172018 school year. the results prove that there are significant differences in test scores before and after treatment. in conclusion, pbl is effective in improving students' critical thinking skills based on the results of the analysis of the mean, standard deviation and t-test. lapuz’s experimental research did the analysis using t-test, not anova and did not classify in low and high levels of critical thinking. then, hasyim (2021), explored reading proficiency for prospective arabic teachers or practitioners beside core competencies from the field of study they are studying. this study aimed at examining the effectiveness of the implementation of a student-centred learning method in the form of a problem-based learning method with seven-jumps (seven-steps) approach in increasing the reading proficiency in arabic. there were 50 people of muthala’ah mukatsafah class as sample of the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 569 research. the data analysis was performed through a significance test before and after treatment. the results show that there were differences in the subjects’ advanced reading proficiency level as well as an increase in empathy soft skill before and after the implementation of the learning method. the research done by hasyim was in arabic but the researcher in this experiment uses english with the application of pbl and tbl. the next research done by magaji (2021). the research question to be answered was what skills can science teachers promote and encourage among students through designing and implementing problem-based learning in their classrooms? the instrument used in his research were lesson observations, interviews, and focus groups. there were 52 students of second year of secondary education, aged 13 years old in england as sample of the research who used a theoretical framework of the 3c3r model (3ccontent, context, and connection, and 3rresearching, reasoning, and reflecting) in problem-based learning (pbl). the result of the study showed that the application of prior knowledge, collaborative learning, modeling and eliciting feedback were the skills promoted by pbl especially problem solving. besides, collaborative learning was also dominant. magaji did the research by using single model in secondary school. that was pbl. on the contrary, the researcher in this research paper uses pbl and tbl in college, ulla & perales (2021) conducted experimental research with tbl using group work to improve speaking skills in english. the experiment was conducted on 106 early-year thai university students. the subject taught is speaking with the work group method using task-based for 12 weeks. using additional data through surveys, questionnaires, and speaking performance scores in the classroom, it was found that although this group work method was new to students, they gave a good attitude. the students believe that the performance of assignments in class and activities in groups can improve and develop their english skills when they work collaboratively with classmates. this tbl experiment was done in speaking subject, not reading comprehension and it was not compared to pbl in order to find the more effective model between them. nasim, ghani, kausar, & khatoon (2022) tried to know effectiveness of pbl in developing knowledge of under graduate nursing students. they, then, conducted a pretest–posttest experimental design among b.sc. nursing students of saida waheed fmh college of nursing lahore. to determine the sample of the experiment, they used random sampling in lottery method and put them in experimental and control groups on the topic of diabetes mellitus. data were collected using mcqs-based questionnaire during pre-testpost-test processes. after doing the analysis of the data, it was concluded that pbl method has significantly improved more knowledge of the students of experimental group than the control group using traditional method. pbl is more effective teaching method in developing knowledge of nursing students than the traditional one. contrary to the research done by nasim and friends, the research done in this dissertation use pbl for experimental group and tbl for control group to the develop students’ reading comprehension. the above articles describe how pbl and tbl separately effective in students’ competency in english (not only in reading comprehension). the gap shown was determining the best model to be used in teaching reading comprehension. therefore, the novelty of this research paper is experimentally proof the effectiveness between pbl and tbl in teaching reading comprehension and shows which model is more affective to use than other (pbl or tbl). besides, this research proposes to see whether or not there is an interaction between the model used and critical thinking on the increase of students’ reading comprehension. method this is an experimental study in english department of politeknik negeri sriwijaya palembang, indonesia and designed as treatment by level 2x 2. this study applied two sample groups, experiment and control. the experimental group used the strategy or model of problem-based learning (pbl). on the other side, the control group used task-based learning (tbl). this research took 44 samples from the total of 83 students. they were taken from all fourth semester students of english department. since the requirement to follow this subject is passing reading iii, the sample technique chosen is purpossive sampling. it is the design that the researcher provides to get the best information for the purpose of his study (etikan & bala, 2017). iskandar rosyidin, nurrudin, & ratna dewanti the effect of problem-based learning model towards students’ comprehension of the english reading text 570 the next step was determining two classes into experimental and control groups. the two groups were then divided into: (1) experimental group consisted of 11 high critical students. (2) experimental group consisted of 11 low critical students. (3) control group consisted of 11 high critical students. (4) control group consisted of 11 low critical students. before doing the experiment to the two groups, the researcher, as the first phase, conducted pre-test in order to know the initial ability of the object of research in comprehending the english reading text. this pre-test also helped the researcher in considering putting the students in their category of critical thinking in each group both in experimental and control groups. then, he continued writing syllabus, peparing the models for the two groups, preparing learning materials and the facilities needed. at the the second phase, the researcher conducted 8 weeks experiment and applied the strategies or models of learning. they were problem-based learning model (pbl) to experimental group and task-based learning model (tbl) to the control group. the researcher firstly used readability test to make sure that the level of difficulty was suitable for the students. the researcher used flesch formula accessed in (no title, n.d.) http://www.readabilityformulas.com/flesch-readingease-readability-formula.php. the best reading score lays between 60-70 since it is acceptable and understandable. the following range presents the complete description about the readibility score based on flesch: (1) 90-100: very easy, (2) 80-89 : easy, (3) 70-79,: fairly easy, (5) 60-69: standard, (6) 50-59 : fairly difficult, (7) 30-49 : difficult, (8) 0-29: very confusing. post-test was given after the treatment to visibly show the result of students’ comprehension after learning using the given models. besides, the researcher used content validity to measure the validity of the instrument and used the formula of hoyt to determine the level of the reliability of reading instrument in english as follows: note: r = reliabality of appropriateness of observer/rater rjkb = variance of the respondence rjke = rest of variants the 30 questions multiple couice test become the instrument of the test. the questions given reflected the six elements of critical thinking: interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation and self-regulation suggested by facione (2011). besides, the questions were constructed based on level of difficulty in taxonomy bloom’s revision suggested by anderson dan krathwohl. they are remember (c1). understand (c2). apply(c3), analyze (c4), evaluate (c5), and create (c6). besides, the theoritical validity test involved 5 experts to judge. it showed that the theorotical validity was applicable. then, this research measured instrument reliabily by using the formula of k kr-20: note: = coeficient reliability kr-20 n = sum of poin = variance of respondent’s score = proportion 1 for each poin the data analysis is as follow: (1) conducting normality test using liliefors test. (1) conducting homogenity test to population using f test and bartlett test for the significance of a = 0,05. (2) conducting data analysis using two-way analysis of variance or anava on the level of significance of a = 0,05. (3) conducting the analysis of tuckey test. results and discussion results data description the data of this study were grouped into eight groups of data, namely: (1) students 'english reading comprehension scores were given the pbl model strategy (a1), (2) students' english reading comprehension scores were given tbl model strategies (a2), (3) students' english reading comprehension scores with high critical thinking skills (b1), (4) students' english reading comprehension scores with low critical thinking skills (b2), (5) students' english reading b eb rjk rjkrjk  r english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 571 comprehension scores given learning strategies pbl model with high critical thinking skills (a1b1) ), (6) students 'english reading comprehension scores who were given tbl model learning strategies with high critical thinking skills (a2b1), (7) students' english reading comprehension scores who were given pbl model strategies with low critical thinking skills (a1b2), (8) ) scores of students' english reading comprehension who are given tbl model strategies with low thinking skills (a2b2). complete descriptions of the eight groups of research data are as follows: english reading comprehension scores of students given the pbl model (a1) based on the data collected from 22 students as respondents, it was known that the scores of students' reading comprehension in english who were given the pbl model got the highest score of 46; lowest score of 22; an average score of 33.82; median value 35.0; mode value 26; variance 43.11; standard deviation 6,57. english reading comprehension scores of students given tbl model learning (a2) based on the data collected from 22 students as respondents, it was known that the scores of students' reading comprehension in english who were given the tbl model had the highest score of 40; lowest score of 22; average score of 31.27; median value of 30.5; mode value of 29; variance of 22.68; standard deviation of 4.76. english reading comprehension scores of students with high critical thinking ability (b1) based on the data collected from respondents as many as 22 students, it was known that the students' english reading comprehension score with the highest critical thinking ability score was 46; the lowest score was 22; the average score was 34.05; median value was 35.0; mode value was 37; variance was 42.81; standard deviation ofwas 6.54. english reading comprehension scores of students with low critical thinking ability (b2) based on the data collected from 22 students as respondents, it is known that the scores of students' english reading comprehension with low critical thinking skills get the highest score of 40; the lowest score of 22; average score of 31.05; median value of 30.0; mode value of 29; variance of 21.66; standard deviation of 4.65. students' english reading comprehension score given pbl model with high critical thinking ability (a1b1) based on the data collected from 11 students as respondents, it is known that the a1b1 score has the highest score of 46; lowest score of 35; an average score of 39.18; median value of 38; mode value of 35; variance of 11.96; standard deviation of 3.46. english reading comprehension scores of students given a tbl model with high critical thinking ability (a2b1) based on the data collected from 11 students as respondents, it was known that the a2b1 score got the highest score of 37; lowest score of 22; an average score of 28.91; median value of 29; mode value of 26; variance of 19.89; standard deviation of 4.46. english reading comprehension score students given learning strategy pbl model with low critical thinking ability (a1b2) based on the data collected from 11 students as respondents, it was known that the a1b2 score was the highest score of 36; the lowest score of 22; an average score of 28.45; median value of 28; mode value of 26; variance of 15.27; standard deviation of 3.91. english reading comprehension scores of students given tbl model with low critical thinking ability (a2b2) based on data collected from 11 students as respondents, it was known that the a2b2 score had the highest score of 40; the lowest score of 29; an average score of 33.64; median value of 35; mode value of 29; variance of 15.45; standard deviation of 3.93. testing requirements analysis the data analysis requirements to be tested in this study were the normality test and the homogeneity test. normality test the normality test was carried out to know whether or not the sample came from the population of 44 iskandar rosyidin, nurrudin, & ratna dewanti the effect of problem-based learning model towards students’ comprehension of the english reading text 572 students must be normally distributed. the normality test carried out in group a1: students' english reading comprehension scores which were given the pbl model, group a2: students' english reading comprehension scores which were given tbl model, group b1: students' english reading comprehension scores with high critical thinking, group b2 : students' english reading comprehension scores with low critical thinking, group a1b1: students' english reading comprehension scores who were given pbl model with high critical thinking, group a2b1: students' english reading comprehension scores were given tbl model with high critical thinking, group a1b2: students 'english reading comprehension scores were given the pbl model with low critical thinking, and group a2b2: students' english reading comprehension scores were with the ability of low critical thinking whether it came from a population whose distribution was normal. group a1 normality test the normality test criterion was that the sample scores of students' english reading comprehension who are given the pbl model came from a population with a normal distribution if lcount <ltable. the largest lcount value was 0.0863, ltable for n = 22 with a significant level of 0.05 is 0.183. thus, it could be concluded that the a1 data is normally distributed. group a2 normality test the sample scores of students' english reading comprehension as the criterion used in the normality test who were given a tbl model came from a population that is normally distributed if tcount <ltable. the largest lcount value was 0.1064, ltabel forn = 22 with a significant level of 0.05 is 0.183. thus, it could be concluded that the a2 data wass normally distributed. group b1 normality test the criterion which was used in the normality test was the sample of students' english reading comprehension scores with high critical thinking omes from a population that was normally distributed if tcount <ltable. the largest lcount value was 0.0869, the ltable for n = 22 with a significant level of 0.05 was 0.183. thus, it could be concluded that the b1 data is normally distributed. group b2 normality test the normality test criterion used was the sample of students' english reading comprehension scores with low critical thinking cames from a population that was normally distributed if the count <ltabel. the largest lcount value is 0.1321, ltable for n = 22 with a significant level of 0.05 is 0.183. thus, it could be concluded that b2 data was normally distributed. group a1b1 normality test the normality test used the sample of students' english reading comprehension scores who were given a pbl model with high critical thinking, came from a normally distributed population if lcount <ltabel. the largest lcount value was 0.1781, l tablen for n = 11 with a significant level of 0.05 is 0.249. thus, it could be concluded that the a1b1 data was normally distributed. group a2b1 normality test the basis used in the normality test was the sample of students' english reading comprehension scores who were given a tbl model with high critical thinking, came from a population that was normally distributed if tcount <ltabel. the largest lhitung value is 0.1214, ltabel forn = 11 with a significant level of 0.05 is 0.249. thus, it could be concluded that the a2b1 data was normally distributed. score normality test for group a1b2 the criterion used in the normality test is that the sample of students' english reading comprehension scores who were given the pbl model with low critical thinking, came from a normally distributed population if lcount <ltabel. the largest lcount value was 0.0997, ltabel for n = 11 with a significant level of 0.05 was 0.249. thus, it could be concluded that the a1b2 data was normally distributed. normality test for group a2b2 the normality test of the sample scores of students' english reading. comprehension who were given the tbl model with low critical thinking came from a normally distributed population if lcount < ltabel. the largest lhitung value s 0.1852, ltabel for n = 10 with a significant level of 0.05 is 0.249. thus, it could be concluded that the a2b2 data was normally distributed. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 573 the recapitulation of the calculation results of the data normality test is shown in the following table: table 3. summary of normality test results group lcount ltable status a1 0,0863 0,183 normal a2 0,1064 0,183 normal b1 0,0869 0,183 normal b2 0,1321 0,183 normal a1b1 0,1781 0,249 normal a2b1 0,1214 0,249 normal a1b2 0,0997 0,249 normal a2b2 0,1852 0,249 normal homogeneity test in addition to the normality test, one of the requirements that needed to be done before testing the research hypothesis was the homogeneity test. the homogeneity test for the treatment group (a) used the f test. while the test for 4 cell groups in the experimental design used the bartlett test at the level of α = 0.05. the homogeneity test was carried out to determine whether the data variance was homogeneous or not. homogeneity test of variance for group a1 and group a2 hypothesis tested: h0 : σ2 a1 = σ2 a2 h1 : not h0 based on the results of the calculation, it was found that fcount = 1.98 was smaller than ftable (0.05; 21: 21) = 2.08, so h0 was accepted. this means that the learning model of the two treatment groups had the same variance (homogeneous). homogeneity test of variance for groups a1b1, a1b2, a2b1, and a2b2 hypothesis tested: h0 : σ2 a1b1 = σ2 a1b2 = σ2 a2b1 = σ2 a2b2 h1 : not h0 2countthe test criterion was to accept h0 if < 2 table in the real level α = 0.05. 2count (0.65) 2table for the significance level (α) = 0.05 with the number of groups 4 1 = 3 was 7.82, which means that 2count = 0.65 while 2 based on the calculation, the value of < 2table (0.05; 3) (7,82) means that the meanings of the four groups are homogeneous. table 4. summary of homogeneity test results group variance variance 2 count 2 table summary combination a1b1 11,96 15,65 0,65 7,82 homogen a2b1 19,89 a1b2 15,27 a2b2 15,45 note: a1b1 = students' english reading comprehension score given the pbl model with high critical thinking a2b1 = student's english reading comprehension score given the tbl model with high critical thinking a1b2 = students' english reading comprehension score given the pbl model with low critical thinking a2b2 = students' english reading comprehension score given the pbt model with low critical thinking 2count = price of calculated chi square 2table = price of chi squared table hypothesis testing hypothesis testing in this study was carried out using two-way analysis of variance and continued with the tukey test, if there was an interaction in the test. two-way analysis of variance was used to examine the main effect and interaction effect between learning strategies and critical thinking skills on students' english reading comprehension scores. by using the two-way analysis of variance or anova table, the results were shown in table 5 below. table 5. spss results for two-way analysis of variance tests of between-subjects effects dependent variable: english reading comprehension source type iii sum of squares df mean square f sig. correcte d model 827,091(a) 3 275,697 17,622 ,000 intercept 46605,091 1 46605,091 2978,8 26 ,000 a 71,273 1 71,273 4,555 ,039 b 99,000 1 99,000 6,328 ,016 a * b 656,818 1 656,818 41,981 ,000 error 625,818 40 15,645 total 48058,000 44 correcte d total 1452,909 43 iskandar rosyidin, nurrudin, & ratna dewanti the effect of problem-based learning model towards students’ comprehension of the english reading text 574 a r squared = ,569 (adjusted r squared = ,537) based on the results of the two-way analysis of variance (anova) above, it can be explained: differences in students' english reading comprehension between groups of students given learning strategies of pbl model and groups of students given learning strategies of tbl model based on the results of the analysis of the variance of the two lines between a lines at a significant level of α = 0.05, it was obtained that fcount = 4.555 and ftable (0.05; 1: 40) = 4.08 the summary could be seen in table 4:12 and the calculations could be seen in the appendix. based on the sig. in the tests of between-subjects effects table for the a row if it was less than 0.05 then the test result is significant or h0 was rejected. in table 4.12, it could be seen that the sig. for row a was 0.039; less than 0.05, then h0 was rejected so that h1 was accepted. it could be concluded that there wass a significant difference in students' english reading comprehension between the group given the pbl model and the group given the tbl model. in other words, the pbl model (ῡa1 = 33.82) was higher than the tbl model (ῡa2 = 31.27). this means that the research hypothesis which stated that students 'english reading comprehension given the pbl model was higher than students' english reading comprehension given the tbl model could be accepted. the interaction between learning strategies and critical thinking ability against students' english reading comprehension scores based on the results of the two-way variance analysis on the interaction between learning models and critical thinking on students' english reading comprehension scores, it could be seen in the twoway anova calculation table above, that the value of the interaction fcount = 41.981 and ftable (0.05; 1: 40) = 4.08. based on the sig. in the tests of between-subjects effects table for rows a * b, provided that if it was less than 0.05 then the test result was significant or h0 was rejected. in table 4.12, it could be seen that the sig. for row a * b was 0.000; less than 0.05, then h0 was rejected so that h1 was accepted. the conclusion was that there was an interaction between learning strategies and critical thinking on students' english reading comprehension. by testing this interaction, further testing was necessary. the follow-up test was intended to find out about: (1) the differences in the scores of students' reading comprehension in english who were given the pbl model and those who were given the tbl model for student groups with high critical thinking (a1b1 and a2b1); and (2) differences in the scores of students' english reading comprehension who were given the pblmodel learning strategy and those who were given the pbt model for students with low critical thinking (a1b2 and a2b2). table 6 below. the calculations could be seen in the appendix. table 6. summary of the tukey test calculation results no compared group dk qcount qtable status α = 0,05 1 a1b1 with a2b1 4: 11 8,63 4,26 significant 2 a1b2 with a2b2 4: 11 4,35 4,26 significant differences in english reading comprehension of students given the pbl model and students given the tbl model in the group of students with high critical thinking ability students with high critical thinking have an influence on students' english reading comprehension scores with the existence of a model. this is proven based on the results of further tests using the tukey test which results are as follows: table 7. comparison of groups a1b1 with a2b1 no compared group dk qcount qtable status α = 0,05 1 a1b1 with a2b1 4 : 11 8,63 4,26 significant the scores of students 'english reading comprehension who were given the pbl model with high critical thinking (a1b1) were compared with the students' english reading comprehension scores who were given tbl model with high critical thinking skills (a2b1), obtained qcount = 8.63 and qtable (0.05).; 4: 11) = 4.26. thus, qcount is greater than qtable, so h0 was rejected, it could be interpreted that there was a significant difference between students' english reading comprehension scores and high critical thinking between pbl model and tbl model. in other words, students english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 575 who were given the pbl model with high critical thinking (ῡa1b1 = 39.18) were higher than those given the tbl model with high critical thinking (ῡa2b1 = 28.91) on the score of students' english reading comprehension. thus, the research hypothesis which stated that students' english reading comprehension with high critical thinking who were given the pbl model was higher than the tbl model could be accepted. differences in english reading comprehension of students given pbl model and students given tbl model in student groups with low critical thinking ability students with low critical thinking gave some effects to their scores of english reading comprehension. this was because of learning strategy. this was then based on the follow up tukey test with the following result: table 8. comparison of groups a1b2 with a2b2 no groups’ comparison dk qcount qtable note α = 0,05 2 a1b2 with a2b2 4 : 11 4,35 4,26 significant the scores of students' english reading comprehension who were given the pbl model with low critical thinking skills (a1b2) were compared with the english reading comprehension scores of students who were given tbl model with low critical thinking (a2b2), obtained qcount = 4.35 and q table (0, 05; 4: 11) = 4.26. thus, qcount was greater than qtable, so h0 was rejected, it could be interpreted that there was a significant difference between students' english reading comprehension scores and low critical thinking between pbl model learning and tbl model. in other words, students who were given the pbl model with low critical thinking (ῡa1b2 = 28.45) were lower than those given the tbl model with low critical thinking (ῡa2b2 = 33.64) on the students' english reading comprehension score. thus, the research hypothesis which stated that students' english reading comprehension with low critical thinking who were given the pbl model was lower than the tbl model could be accepted. discussion the general objective of this study was to obtain a more complete picture of the effect of learning methods and critical thinking skills on students' english reading comprehension. based on the results of the two-way analysis of variance in line a, it was found that fcount was 4.555 greater than table (0.05; 1: 40) = 4.08 with a probability value (sig.) of 0.039 which was smaller than the significant level (0.05). this shows that the students' english rading comprehension scores can be a significant difference between the pbl model and the tbl model. this difference is indicated by the average score of students 'english reading comprehension given the pbl model of 33.82 and the average score of students' english reading comprehension given the tbl model of 31.27. this means that there are differences in the scores of students' english reading comprehension who are given the pbl model and those who are given the tbl model. this supports dastgeer’s & afzal’s (2015) theory that pbl was more effective than other method for teaching english writing skill to the secondary level students. it means that pbl may also be applicable for teaching reading comprehension. the results of the two-way analysis of variance on the a * b interaction line found that the interaction fcount of 41,981 was greater than ftable (0.05; 1: 40) = 4.08 with a probability value (sig.) of 0.000 smaller than the significant level (0.05). this means that there was a significant interaction effect between learning strategies and critical thinking skills on students' english reading comprehension. because there is a significant interaction effect, it is followed by the tukey test for the two cells in the experimental design. this result supports lismayani, parno, & mahanal (2017) who said in their findings that there is a relationship between students critical thinking skill and problem-solving ability. that shows that there is an interaction between critical thinking and models of learning. the results of the tukey test on students 'english reading comprehension scores with high critical thinking skills obtained a value of qcount = 8.63 greater than qtable (0.05; 4: 11) = 4.26. this means that there was a difference in the scores of students' english reading comprehension who are given learning strategies pbl model and given the tbl model for student groups with high critical thinking. thus, it could be concluded that the average score of students' english reading comprehension with high critical thinking, in the group of students who were given the pbl model of 39.18 was higher than iskandar rosyidin, nurrudin, & ratna dewanti the effect of problem-based learning model towards students’ comprehension of the english reading text 576 the group of students who were given the tbl model learning strategy of 28.91. this result is in line with awang & raml stated in sada, mohd, adnan, & yusri (2016) that pbl enables students to use and develop a high thinking skill. the results of the tuke test on students' english reading comprehension scores with low critical thinking obtained the value of qcount = 4.35 greater than qtable (0.05; 4: 11) = 4.26. this means that there were differences in english reading comprehension scores of students who are given the pbl model and those who are given the tbl model for student groups with low critical thinking. thus, it could be concluded that the average score of students' english reading comprehension with low critical thinking, in the group of students who were given the pbl model of 28.45 was lower than the group of students who were given the tbl model of 33.64. this result is in line with awang & ramly stated in sada et al. (2016) that pbl enables students to use and develop a high thinking skill, not a low thinking skill. the lower thinking skill in tbl will transparently becomes dominant in score that makes tbl get better score than other models including pbl. conclusion all the questions raised have been answered through the data analysis made. then the research comes to the conclusions after learning all the results and findings. consequently, h1 is accepted since pbl model gives students’ higher comprehension in english reading text compared to tbl model. concerning with the interaction between the two models (pbl and tbl) and critical thinking against the score of students’ reading comprehension, it was significant that there was interaction between them. this proves that h0 is rejected and h1 is accepted after it was analized by using two-way analysis of variance. besides, students who were given the pbl model with high critical thinking got higher score in english reading comprehension compared to those given the tbl model with high critical thinking. it was proven that h0 is also rejected and h1 is accepted after the tukey test. at last, it is also proven that h0 is also rejected since the students who were given the pbl model with low critical thinking were lower than those given the tbl model with low critical thinking on the students' english reading comprehension score. references adiantika, h., & purnomo, h. (2018). the implementation of task-based instruction in efl in teaching speaking skill. indonesian efl journal, 4(2), 12–22. ahmed, a., & lenchuk, i. (2020). making sense of taskbased language teaching in the omani efl context. asian efl journal, 24(3), 6–26. aker, m., herrera, l.j, p., & daniel, l. (2018). back to the future: the implications of service and problem-based learning in the language, literacy, and cultural acquisition of esol students in the 21st century. the reading matrix: an international online journal, 18(2), 165–181. aliyu, m. m., fung, y. m., rashid, s. m., & nimehchisalem, v. (2020). a problem-based learning approach and its effects on the writing performance of nigerian undergraduates. international journal of language teaching and education, 4(1), 23–35. https://doi.org/10.22437/ijolte.v4i1.8750 amini, s., mahmoudi largani, f., & hedayat, b. (2019). exploring iranian efl teachers’ perspectives on task-based language teaching. international journal of research in english education, 4(4), 27–39. https://doi.org/10.29252/ijree.4.4.30 ardhian, t., ummah, i., anafiah, s., & rachmadtullah, r. (2020). reading and critical thinking techniques on nderstanding reading skills for early grade students in elementary school. international journal of instruction, 13(2), 107– 118. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.1328a arends, r. l. (2012). learning to teach. mcgraw-hill. arjuna, g., & jufri. (2016). the use of problem-based learning method in teaching reading comprehension. journal of english language teaching, 5. azis, a. (2018). the effect of task-based language teaching (tblt) strategy on students’ speaking ability in demonstrative speech. linguist journal of linguistics and language teaching, 4(2), 52–71. chen, x. (2018). a literature review of task based language teaching incollege reading comprehension-exploration of tasks design to foster reading strategies. international journal of english language teaching, 5(3), 90–106. dastgeer, g., & afzal, m. t. (2015). improving english writing skills: a case of problem-based learning. american journal of educational research, 3(10), 1315-1319. etikan, i., & bala, k. (2017). sampling and sampling methods. biometrics & biostatistics international journal, 5(6), 215–217. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 577 facione, p. (2020). critical thinking: what it is and why it counts. fatmawati, a., zubaidah, s., mahanal, s., & sutopo. (2019). critical thinking, creative thinking, and learning achievement: how they are related. journal of physics: conference series, 1417(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1417/1/012070 fernando, w. c. d. k., & bandara, r. m. p. s. (2020). reading as a learning strategy for engineering undergraduates. innovations in education and teaching international, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2020.1835687 gavel, m. (2021). task-based reading activities using authentic materials and skills. english teaching forum, 2–9. americanenglish.state.gov/englishteaching-forum hartman, p., renguette, c., & seig, m. (2018). problembased teacher-mentor education: fostering literacy acquisition in multicultural classrooms. interdisciplinary journal of problem-based learning, 12(1), 1–12. hasyim, m. (2021). the effectiveness of problem-based learning on advanced reading comprehension skill in online arabic language teaching. lisania: journal of arabic education and literature, 5(1), 1–18. ji, y. (2017). task-based language teaching (tblt) in asian efl classes: challenges and strategies. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 120, 152–164. lapuz, a. m. ., & fulgencio, m. n. (2020). improving the critical thinking skills of secondary school students using problem-based learning. international. international journal of academic multidisciplinary research (ijamr), 4(1), 1–7. lin, l. (2017). integrating the problem-based learning approach into a web-based english reading course. journal of educational computing research, 0(0), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633117705960 lismayani, i., parno, & mahanal, s. (2017). the correlation of critical thinking skill and science. problem-solving ability of junior high school students. jurnal pendidikan sains, 5(3), 96–101. macadangdang, d. m. b. (2019). problem solving proficiency and reading comprehension skills of college students and selected correlates. asian efl journal, 23(3.3), 52–79. magaji, a. (2021). promoting problem-solving skills among secondary science students through problem based learning. international journal of instruction, 14(4), 549–566. nasim, a., ghani, m., kausar, s., & khatoon, k. (2022). effectiveness of problem based learning in developing knowledge of undergraduate nursing students. annals of king edward medical university, 28(01), 19–25. rudd, m. (2019). examining the effect of task-based language teaching on university business students in bangkok. ijee (indonesian journal of english education, 6(1), 30–47. sada, a., mohd, z., adnan, a., & yusri, k. (2016). prospects of problem-based learning in building critical thinking skills among technical college students in nigeria. mediterranean journal of social sciences, 7(3), 356–365. https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n3p356 singh, s. (2019). developing reading comprehension through metacognitive strategy training. asian efl journal, 23(3.3), 264–277. supriyadi, a., mayuni, i., & lustyantie, n. (2019). the effects of learning model and cognitive style on students’ english listening skill. international online journal of education and teaching (iojet), 6(3), 546–561. syahfutra, w., & niah, s. (2019). improving students’ reading comprehension by using problem-based learning strategy. journal of education informatic technology and science (jeits), 1(1), 125–136. ulla, m. ., & perales, w. . (2021). employing group work for task performances in a task-based learning classroom: evidence from a university in thailand. 3l: language, linguistics, literature® the southeast asian journal of english language studies, 27(2), 69–100. iskandar rosyidin, nurrudin, & ratna dewanti the effect of problem-based learning model towards students’ comprehension of the english reading text 578 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 485 the correlation among reticence, personality types and speaking proficiency of english education study program students of pgri university palembang indah pratiwi hrp english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: indahpratiwiharahap@gmail.com sofendi english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: sofendi@yahoo.com ismail petrus english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: ismailpetrus@yahoo.com apa citation: hrp, i. p., sofendi., & petrus, i. (2022). the correlation among reticence, personality types and speaking proficiency of english education study program students of pgri university palembang. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 485-498. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6249 received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 29-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction language has been considered as a bridge which facilitates communication among people. over the years, the importance of english has become higher and higher, and it took place in the curriculum (tsui, 1995). in indonesia, english is learned as a foreign language and a compulsory subject in senior high schools up to university levels. thus, students should learn its four language skills, such as speaking, listening, reading, and writing. one of the language skills should be mastered in learning english is speaking skill. speaking is the ability that requires the process of communicative competence, pronunciation, intonation, grammar, and vocabulary. however, knowledge is almost nothing if not expressed. it is not necessary to say that the students at university level should have the ability to express their thoughts and ideas in english (chowdhury, 2016). so, it is expected that the students would be competent enough in oral and written english, when they get themselves admitted into a university. moreover, speaking has been given priority during english teaching and learning process nowdays. but unfortunately, it is observed that some problems still occur for most of the students, for instance, they feel like speaking tasks are rather difficult to do in the classroom, then, not all the students during english speaking activities have courage to speak, in addition though the students can write well, they are not ready to speak abstract: this study aims to investigate the correlations among reticence, personality types and speaking proficiency. for this purpose, the unwillingness-to-communicate scale (ucs) questionnaire and the ipip bigfive questionnaire were used. moreover, speaking proficiency test to the sample was employed to find the correlation among students’ reticence, personality types and speaking proficiency. the questionnaire and speaking test result revealed students’ reticence tend to reflect attitudes toward communication, and the students’ dominant personality type was agreeableness, and students’ speaking proficiency was in moderate category. the results revealed that, there was a significant correlation between traits (agreeableness, emotional stability, openness of experience) of personality type and speaking proficiency and there was a significant correlation between personality types and (vocabulary) aspect of speaking proficiency. keywords: reticence; personality types; speaking proficiency. mailto:indahpratiwiharahap@gmail.com mailto:sofendi@yahoo.com mailto:ismailpetrus@yahoo.com indah pratiwi hrp, sofendi, & ismail petrus the correlation among reticence, personality types and speaking proficiency of english education study program students of pgri university palembang 486 in english and if the teacher asks them any question in english, they would keep silent for sometime till the teacher helps them out, moreover, during speaking activity, the students only did some written exercises and the teacher mostly gave high attention in teaching grammar to their students with the less speaking exercises. therefore, some researchers have investigated this phenomenon which related to the problems above, it is student’s reticence, and they have discovered various reasons about it. for example, westgate, batey, brownlee, & butley (1985) claimed that the structure of the teacher fronted interaction in language classroom might cause the poor behaviors on the part of the students. wesgate et al. also observed that students attempts to avoid talking to deal with such classroom settings, which in turn exerts influences on the amount of learners’ talk in class. on the other hand, the study conducted by lee (2006) supported the above findings; lee stated that there are strict behavioral rules between the teacher and his/her students, for example, students speak only when they are spoken to. the interaction between the teacher and students’ character is that the teacher leads the students in the classroom, and students’ verbal participation is passive. also, language competence, previous negative speaking experiences in class, lack of confidence, personality, or cultural constrains are all possible reasons that prevent students from communication. reticence is defined by keaton, kelly, & finch (2000) as a communication problem with cognitive, affective and behavioral dimensions are is due to the belief that one is better off remaining silent than risking appearing foolish. therefore, when people avoid communication because they believe it is better to remain silent than to risk appearing foolish; this behavior is referred to as reticence, and people who tend to avoid communication, they are called reticent. the speaking problems above are probably closely related to the students’ personality types toward speaking in english. personality plays an important role that affects academic achievement (khatibi and khormaei, 2016). according to dzulkifli and alias (2012), personality is also described as a categorized set of attributes that is found in a person that influences and defines the individual’s cognition, motivations and behaviors. therefore, personality is one of the internal factors that takes crucial part in language learning. different students may have different personality, since they have their own weaknesses and strengths. the students will get different outcomes in their learning activities. it happens since each type of personality will influence students in taking decision and responding to it. thus, personality is a crucial thing in teaching and learning, because knowing students’ personality types is able to understand of the classroom dynamics and to be better able to determine what kinds of classroom activites and strategies would be effective in the class. consequently, teachers are suggested to acquire knowledge on students’ personality in order that the students will be treated differently and overcome the problems easily in order to achieve the goal in teaching and learning process, especially to enhance students’ speaking proficiency. hence, awareness of the of reticence of the efl students in language classrooms and the relationship between learners’ personality and their reticence in efl classroom can play an important role in identifying the potential causes of verbal nonparticipation and encouraging the students to speak and express their ideas in oral language classrooms. meanwhile, it can help the teachers to come to a better understanding of the students’ behavior in the learning situations. in english education study program, the students are demanded to have three such as main competence, the four skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing. while, the other skills such as grammar/structure, linguistics, translation, etc. related to this study, the researcher focus only to speaking subject. moreover, the greatest challenge in efl classroom is the development of students’ speaking skill. in english education study program, there are three speaking subjects offered, they are speaking-1, speaking-2 and speaking-3. thus, students who have passed the three speaking subject are considered having good english speaking. based on the researcher’s personal experience as an alumni student of the english department at pgri university of palembang and the latest conditions based on the results of my preliminary interview with one of the lecturers of english department at pgri university of palembang and concerning things discussed above, the researcher was interested in doing the study in pgri university in investigating the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 487 correlation among students’ reticence, personality types and speaking proficiency. method in conducting this study, correlational research was used. this study is aimed at finding out whether or not students’ reticence and personality types correlate to their speaking proficiency. the procedure of conducting this study were: first, researcher identified the students' reticence by using questionnaire. then, researcher identified the students' personality types by using questionnaire. the students' speaking proficiency obtained by using speaking test. pearson product moment correlation coefficient used in order to find out the correlation among the variables based on the result of questionnaires and speaking proficiency test. at last, the researcher discussed the explanation and interpretation of the results. the research design was as follows: description: x1 = students’ reticence x2 = students’ personality types y = students’ speaking proficiency r1 = correlation between students’ reticence and students’ speaking proficiency r2 = correlation between students’ personality types and students’ speaking proficiency r3 = correlation between the predictor variables (reticence and personality types) and the criterion variable (speaking proficiency) r4 = contribution of the predictor variables (reticence and personality types) to the criterion (speaking proficiency) table 1. population of the study no. class students 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1st semester 3rd semester 5th semester 7th semester 9th semester 84 91 77 30 26 total 308 source: pgri university palembang population is the larger group to which one hopes to apply the results (fraenkel and wallen, 2012). the population of this study is all active first till ninth semester students of english education study program of pgri university palembang. the population of the study is presented in the table 1 above. table 2. sample of the study no class students 1. 5th semester 59 total 59 source: pgri university palembang according to arikunto (2010), the sample is a part of the whole population of the investigation. to determine the sample this study, purposive sampling was used which the sample selection was not carried out randomly with certain criteria. according to fraenkel and wallen (2012), purposive sampling method is a method where investigators use personal judgment to select a sample. therefore, the researcher took the fifth semester students of the english education study program of pgri palembang in the academic year 2020/2021 as the samples of this study, because they passed speaking-1, speaking-2 and speaking-3 in first semester until third semester. from 77 of the total number students in fifth semester, there were only 59 students who participate to do the speaking test and questionnaires, because they passed the passing grade for speaking-3. the sample of the study is presented in the table 2 above. two techniques are used to collect the data, those are (1) asking for respondents’ opinion using ready-made questionnaire of ucs (unwillingnessto-communicate scale) for reticence and goldberg’s ipip big-five questionnaire for personality types and (2) testing the sample using speaking proficiency test in this study, two sets of questionnaires were used. the first is reticence questionnaire. to obtain the information about students’ reticence, the researcher used reticence unwillingness-tocommunicate scale (ucs) by burgoon (1976). it is indah pratiwi hrp, sofendi, & ismail petrus the correlation among reticence, personality types and speaking proficiency of english education study program students of pgri university palembang 488 developed to measure students’ reticence in speech communication. the questionnaire measures two dimensions of communication reticence: approachavoidance (aa) and reward (r). the aa dimension represents an individual’s tendency to avoid or participate in interpersonal and small group interactions. the r dimension, by contrast, reflects attitudes toward communication—whether one considers it a valuable, honest, and personally rewarding enterprise or feels socially isolated and regards communication as a deceptive, manipulative, or unprofitable activity. in this study, the 20-item (10 items for aa and 10 items for r) short form of the ucs will be used to measure students’ general tendency to avoid speech communication. the questionnaire contains 20 items, the specification of questionnaire items 1. (aa) approach-avoidance: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. 2. (r) reward: 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20. each type had 10 items having positive and negative statements. a response indicating a low level of reticence receives one point, and those showing a high level of reticence receive five points. the score ranges are represented by using numbers (likert-scale) from 1 until 5. the answers have five responses, which are (1) strongly disagree, (2) disagree, (3) netral, (4) agree and (5) strongly agree. the possible range of reticence scores is 20 for the lowest score and 100 for the highest score for reticence. the second, personality types questionnaire. the researcher used a ready-made ipip big five questionnaire from goldberg (1992) in ipip.ori.org. it is used to know which dominant type of students’ personality. the ipip big five questionnaire was categorized five types: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience. the questionnaire contains 50 items. the questionnaire consisted of 50 items by using likertscale from very inaccurate to very accurate. each type had 10 items having positive and negative statements. the specification of questionnaire items 1. extraversion: (positive statement) 1, 11, 21, 31, 41, 46, (negative statement) 6, 16, 26 and 36. (2) agreeableness: (positive statement) 7, 17, 27, 37, 42 and 47, (negative statement) 2, 12, 22 and 32. (3) conscientiousness: (positive statement) 3, 13, 23, 33, 43 and 48, (negative statement) 8, 18, 28 and 38. (4) emotional stability: (positive statement): 9 and 19, (negative statement) 4, 14, 24, 29, 34, 39, 44 and 49. (5) openness to experience: (positive statement) 5, 15, 25, 35, 40, 45 and 50, (negative statement) 10, 20 and 30. the personality types questionnaire was scored by assigning the value of 1 to 5 points to the chosen response. the score ranges are represented by using numbers (likertscale) from 1 until 5. the answers have five responses, which are (1) very inaccurate, (2) moderately inaccurate, (3) neither accurate nor inaccurate, and (4) moderately accurate and (5) very accurate. a response indicating a low level of personality types receives one point, and those showing a high level of personality types receive five points. the possible range of personality types scores is 50 for the lowest score and 250 for the highest score for personality types. the speaking test is aimed at identifying the students’ skill and attitude toward speaking. to know the result of students’ speaking score, analytical speaking rubric (2004: foreign language program of studies) was used. the rating sheet consists of a set of qualities to be rated such as task completion, comprehensibility, fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary and language control. the ratings have a range of one to four points. then, to get student points the researcher used the scoring system, student points = converted % score × (max score/100). the possible range of speaking proficiency scores is six for the lowest score and 24 for the highest score for speaking proficiency. the researcher conducted kinds of analysis in this study: first descriptive statistic and second pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. the descriptions of the degree of correlation are as follow: table 3. the degree of correlation interval degree of correlation 0.00 – 0.199 very weak correlation 0.20 – 0.399 weak correlation 0.40 – 0.599 fair correlation 0.60 – 0.799 strong correlation 0.80 – 1.000 very strong correlation source: sugiyono (2016) results and discussion the result of reticence questionnaire reticence questionnaire was from unwillingnessto-communicate scale (ucs). it was a ready-made questionnaire by burgoon (1976). it was administered to know a students’ tendency to be english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 489 reticent of fifth semester students of english education study program of pgri university palembang. reticence questionnaire consisted of 20 items. table 4 below shows the descriptive statistics of the reticence questionnaire. table 4. the descriptive statistics of reticence questionnaire n mini mum maxi mum mean std. deviation reticence 59 41 88 66.75 9.815 valid n (listwise) 59 source: output from spss version 20 based on the data obtained from reticence questionnaire, students reticence ranged from a minimum 41 to a maximum 88 with the mean of 66.75 and a standard deviation of 9.815. the result of personality types questionnaire personality types questionnaire was a ready-made questionnaire. it was from ipip big-five questionnaire by goldberg (1992). it was administered to know what dominant characteristics on that certain type of personality of fifth semester students of english education study program of pgri university palembang. personality types questionnaire consisted of 50 items. table 6 below shows the descriptive statistics of the personality types questionnaire. table 5. the descriptive statistics of personality types questionnaire n mini mum maxi mum me an std. devi ation personality types 59 103 196 16 1.3 9 17.4 44 valid n (listwise) 59 source: output from spss version 20 based on the data obtained from personality types questionnaire, students’ personality types level ranged from a minimum 103 to a maximum 196 with the mean of 161.39 and a standard deviation of 17.444. the result of speaking proficiency the researcher made speaking proficiency test in form of monologue. the researcher wanted to measure students’ speaking proficiency by asking their opinion, thought, feeling in a particular situation. the researcher used topics about the impact of covid-19 pandemic on education, economics and social. the following table 7 presents the descriptive statistics of the speaking proficiency test result. table 6. the descriptive statistics of speaking proficiency n mini mum ma xim um mean std. deviati on speaking_ proficiency 59 69.7 97. 0 84.89 0 6.1631 valid n (listwise) 59 source: output from spss version 20 based on the data obtained from speaking proficiency test, students’ speaking proficiency level ranged from a minimum 69.7 to a maximum 97 with the mean of 84.89 and a standard deviation of 6.1631. correlation analysis table 7. correlation reticence and speaking proficiency reticence speaking reticence pearson correlation 1 .053 sig. (2tailed) .692 n 59 59 speaking proficiency pearson correlation .053 1 sig. (2tailed) .692 n 59 59 source: output from spss version 20 as shown in the table above, the correlation test obtained between reticence and speaking proficiency. to make sure that there was a significant correlation between the two variables, the researcher consulted the value of r-table to check the value of r-obtained. if the value of robtained is higher than value of r-table and p (probability) is lower than 0.05, it means that there is a significant correlation between the variables. it was found that the r-obtained (.053) indicates a positive direction, meaning that there is a unidirectional correlation between reticence and speaking proficiency and it was lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.692) was higher than 0.05. it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the indah pratiwi hrp, sofendi, & ismail petrus the correlation among reticence, personality types and speaking proficiency of english education study program students of pgri university palembang 490 pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a very weak correlation between reticence and speaking proficiency. table 8. correlations the dimensions of the reticence and speaking proficiency appro achavoid ance rewa rd speaki ng proficie ncy approachavoidance pearson correlation 1 .447* * .028 sig. (2tailed) .000 .833 n 59 59 59 reward pearson correlation .447** 1 .064 sig. (2tailed) .000 .628 n 59 59 59 speaking proficiency pearson correlation .028 .064 1 sig. (2tailed) .833 .628 n 59 59 59 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). source: output from spss version 20 based on the table 8, the result of the correlation analyses for each dimension of reticence and speaking proficiency showed that there was no correlation which coefficient correlation of approach avoidance was .028. because the correlation coefficient value was lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.833) was higher than 0.05 it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a very weak correlation between approach avoidance and speaking proficiency. in addition, the correlation coefficient value of reward was .064 which is lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.628) was higher than 0.05 it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a very weak correlation between approach avoidance and speaking proficiency. table 9. correlations reticence and aspects of speaking proficiency task completio n compre hensibili ty fluency pronunc iation vocabu lary languag e control reticenc e t c pearson correlation 1 .760** .502** .477** .464** .461** .185 sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .160 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 59 c pearson correlation .760** 1 .509** .521** .471** .466** -.035 sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .791 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 59 f pearson correlation .502** .509** 1 .326* .385** .308* -.153 sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .012 .003 .018 .248 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 59 p pearson correlation .477** .521** .326* 1 .540** .729** .103 sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .012 .000 .000 .438 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 59 v pearson correlation .464** .471** .385** .540** 1 .645** .144 sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .003 .000 .000 .278 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 59 l c pearson correlation .461** .466** .308* .729** .645** 1 .125 sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .018 .000 .000 .344 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 59 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 491 r pearson correlation .185 -.035 -.153 .103 .144 .125 1 sig. (2-tailed) .160 .791 .248 .438 .278 .344 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 59 based on the table 9, the result of the correlation analyses for reticence and aspect of speaking proficiency showed that there was no significant correlation which coefficient correlation of task completion was .185. because the correlation coefficient value was lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.160) was higher than 0.05 it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a very weak correlation between reticence and task completion. in addition, the correlation coefficient value of comprehensibility was -.035. the correlation index number was given minus (-) symbol. it showed that the correlation direction was negative. thus, the correlation coefficient value of comprehensibility was lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.791) was higher than 0.05 it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a very weak correlation between reticence and comprehensibility. the correlation coefficient value of fluency was -.153. the correlation index number was given minus (-) symbol. it showed that the correlation direction was negative. thus, the correlation coefficient value of fluency was lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.248) was higher than 0.05 it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a very weak correlation between reticence and fluency. the correlation coefficient value of pronunciation was .103 which is lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.438) was higher than 0.05 it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a very weak correlation between reticence and pronunciation. the correlation coefficient value of vocabulary was .144 which is lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.278) was higher than 0.05 it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a very weak correlation between reticence and vocabulary. the correlation coefficient value of language control was .125 which is lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.344) was higher than 0.05 it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a very weak correlation between reticence and language control. table 10. correlation personality types and speaking proficiency personality types speakin g personali ty types pearson correlation 1 .197 sig. (2-tailed) .134 n 59 59 speaking proficien cy pearson correlation .197 1 sig. (2-tailed) .134 n 59 59 source: output from spss version 20 as shown in the table above, the correlation test obtained between personality types and speaking proficiency. based on table 10 above, the correlation coefficient value obtained is .197, with the sig value obtained is .134. the correlation coefficient value of .197 indicates a positive direction, meaning that there is a unidirectional correlation between personality types and speaking proficiency. the result of the correlation analyses for personality types and speaking proficiency showed that there was no significant correlation which coefficient correlation of personality types was .197. because the correlation coefficient value was lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.134) was higher than 0.05 it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a very weak correlation between personality types and speaking proficiency. table 11. correlations among the types of the personality types and speaking proficiency extraver sion agreeab leness conscie ntiousne emotion al opennes s speak ing indah pratiwi hrp, sofendi, & ismail petrus the correlation among reticence, personality types and speaking proficiency of english education study program students of pgri university palembang 492 ss profic iency extraversion pearson correlation 1 .418** .086 .079 .309* .095 sig. (2-tailed) .001 .518 .551 .017 .473 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 agreeablenes s pearson correlation .418** 1 .460** -.264* .580** .353** sig. (2-tailed) .001 .000 .044 .000 .006 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 conscientious ness pearson correlation .086 .460** 1 .051 .538** .180 sig. (2-tailed) .518 .000 .700 .000 .172 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 emotional pearson correlation .079 -.264* .051 1 -.229 -.306* sig. (2-tailed) .551 .044 .700 .081 .018 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 openness pearson correlation .309* .580** .538** -.229 1 .385** sig. (2-tailed) .017 .000 .000 .081 .003 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 speaking proficiency pearson correlation .095 .353** .180 -.306* .385** 1 sig. (2-tailed) .473 .006 .172 .018 .003 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). *. correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). source: output from spss version 20 based on the table 11, the result of the correlation analyses for each type of personality types and speaking proficiency showed that the correlation coefficient of extraversion and speaking proficiency was .095. because the correlation coefficient value was lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.473) was higher than 0.05, it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a very weak correlation between extraversion and speaking proficiency. the correlation coefficient value of agreeableness was .353 which is higher than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.006) was lower than 0.05 it showed that there was significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a weak correlation between agreeableness and speaking proficiency. the correlation coefficient value of conscientiousness was .180 which is lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.172) was higher than 0.05 it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a very weak correlation between conscientiousness and speaking proficiency. the correlation coefficient value of emotional was -.306. the correlation index number was given minus (-) symbol. it showed that the correlation direction was negative. thus, the correlation coefficient value of emotional was higher than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.018) was lower than 0.05 it showed that there was significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a weak correlation between emotional and speaking proficiency. the correlation coefficient value of openness was .385 which is higher than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.003) was lower than 0.05 it showed that there was significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a weak correlation between openness and speaking proficiency. table 12. correlation among personality types and aspect of speaking proficiency task completi on compre hensibili ty fluenc y pronunc iation vocabul ary languag e control personal ity types tc pearson correlation 1 .760** .502** .477** .464** .461** .224 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 493 sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .088 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 59 c pearson correlation .760** 1 .509** .521** .471** .466** .021 sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .873 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 59 f pearson correlation .502** .509** 1 .326* .385** .308* .053 sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .012 .003 .018 .690 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 59 p pearson correlation .477** .521** .326* 1 .540** .729** .100 sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .012 .000 .000 .453 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 59 v pearson correlation .464** .471** .385** .540** 1 .645** .299* sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .003 .000 .000 .021 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 59 lc pearson correlation .461** .466** .308* .729** .645** 1 .177 sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .018 .000 .000 .180 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 59 pt pearson correlation .224 .021 .053 .100 .299* .177 1 sig. (2-tailed) .088 .873 .690 .453 .021 .180 n 59 59 59 59 59 59 59 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). *. correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). source: output from spss version 20 based on the table 12, the result of the correlation analyses for personality types and each aspect of speaking proficiency showed that the correlation coefficient of task completion and personality types was .224. because the correlation coefficient value was lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.088) was higher than 0.05, it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a weak correlation between task completion and personality types. the correlation coefficient value of comprehensibility was .021 which is lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.873) was higher than 0.05 it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a very weak correlation between comprehensibility and personality types. the correlation coefficient value of fluency was .053 which is lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.690) was higher than 0.05 it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a very weak correlation between fluency and personality types. the correlation coefficient value of pronunciation was .100 which is lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.453) was higher than 0.05 it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a very weak correlation between pronunciation and personality types. the correlation coefficient value of vocabulary was .299 which is higher than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.021) was lower than 0.05 it showed that there was significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a weak correlation between vocabulary and personality types. the correlation coefficient value of language control was .177 which is lower than value of r-table (0.256) and p value (0.180) was higher than 0.05 it showed that there was no significant correlation between the two variables. the pearson’s correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a very weak correlation between language control and personality types. indah pratiwi hrp, sofendi, & ismail petrus the correlation among reticence, personality types and speaking proficiency of english education study program students of pgri university palembang 494 table 13. correlations among predictor variables (reticence and personality types) and criterion variable (speaking proficiency) model summary variables r r square f sig. predictor variables and criterion variable .219a .048 1.413 .252b a. predictors: (constant), personality types, reticence source: output from spss version 20 the result showed on table 13 that the correlation coefficient between the predictor variables total and the criterion variable total was .219 with a significance value of .252b. thus, it can be concluded that there was no significant correlation between predictor variables (reticence and personality types) and the criterion variable (speaking proficiency). regression analyses table 14. contribution of agreeableness and speaking proficiency model summary model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate 1 .353a .125 .109 5.8167 a. predictors: (constant), agreeableness source: output from spss version 20 stepwise method was used to see the contribution. squaring r value leads to 0.353= 0.125. it could be seen that the total contribution of agreeableness toward speaking proficiency was 12.5%. table 15. contribution of emotional and speaking proficiency model summary model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate 1 .306a .094 .078 5.9188 a. predictors: (constant), emotional source: output from spss version 20 stepwise method was used to see the contribution. squaring r value leads to 0.306= 0.094. it could be seen that the total contribution of emotional toward speaking proficiency was 9.4%. table 16. contribution of openness and speaking proficiency model summary model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate 1 .385a .148 .133 5.7375 a. predictors: (constant), openness source: output from spss version 20 stepwise method was used to see the contribution. squaring r value leads to 0.385= 0.148. it could be seen that the total contribution of openness toward speaking proficiency was 14.8%. table 17. contribution of personality types and aspect of speaking proficiency (vocabulary) model summary model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate 1 .299a .089 .073 .424 a. predictors: (constant), personality source: output from spss version 20 stepwise method was used to see the contribution. squaring r value leads to 0.299= 0.089. it could be seen that the total contribution of openness toward speaking proficiency was 8.9%. discussion based on the results of the students responded to reticence questionnaire, it is discovered that there were 31 students who tend to reward (r). while, there are 28 students who tend to approachavoidance (aa). in short, the majority of the students (53%) were in reward (r). meanwhile, 47% of students were in approach-avoidance (aa). the aa dimension represents an individual’s tendency to avoid or participate in interpersonal and small group interactions. the r dimension, by contrast, reflects attitudes toward communication— whether one considers it a valuable, honest, and personally rewarding enterprise or feels socially isolated and regards communication as a deceptive, manipulative, or unprofitable activity. the result of personality questionnaire shown that of three students had extraversion personality type, 24 students had agreeableness personality type, 22 students had conscientiousness personality type, three students had emotional stability personality type and 7 students had openness to experience personality type. the distribution of the result of personality types, showed that 41% (24) of the students were dominant for agreeableness. most students agreed that they did not get stressed easily, they were relaxed most of the time, they seldom felt english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 495 sad, they did not get depression and they did not have interpersonal problems. in short, most of students felt flexible, helpful, sympathetic, warm, kind, courteous, and appreciate with either people around them or their lives. mccrae and john (1992) state that agreeableness and extraversion generally define interpersonal circumflex. agreeableness appears the human aspects of humanity such as altruism, nurturance, and emotional support. it is in line with the study conducted by shahab (2016) in which most students got high scores in agreeableness. meanwhile, the conscientious students felt responsible, disciple, careful, organized, mindful, and related to hardworking, success-orientation, and tenacity. the open students felt creative, curios, imaginative, reflective, and adventurous. the extrovert students felt active, energetic, talkative, cheerful, and comfortable. the stable emotional students felt patient, confident, and respectable on emotion. therefore, some students displayed and brought out their personality types to the society and others focused on the achievement. based on students’ speaking proficiency test result, the researcher found that 10 students (17%) were in good category of speaking proficiency, 39 students (66%) were in moderate category of speaking proficiency, and 10 students (17%) were in poor category. in short, it can be concluded that majority of fifth semester students of english education study program of pgri university palembang speaking proficiency were in moderate category. this study revealed that reticence exists among students in english foreign language classroom. as reticence has been found to be a problematic behavior by many english foreign language instructors, this issue should be studied seriously. it has been explored that psychological factors contribute to students’ reticence and makes it a serious problem in foreign language learning. reticence is a phenomenon in which students tend not to participate or interact in the english foreign classroom. there are various reasons behind reticence such as low self-confidence, fear of losing face and past experiences. baktash and chalak (2016) state that the result showed that personality types influence on the efl students’ reticence. the influence is more prominent among the students with higher proficiency level. moreover, educational, situational, and emotional factors impact on the english foreign language learners’ reticence. in addition, the more proficient in english the students were, the more willing they were to participate in speech communication and the more positive they were about it. in order to avoid reticence and its consequences in english foreign language classrooms, both teachers and students are expected to transform the classrooms into a more active one. conclusion based on the findings of this study, the researcher shows the result of the research. the analysis of the data collected through the researcher found out that there was no significant correlation between reticence and speaking proficiency. second, there was no significant correlation between personality types and speaking proficiency. however, there was a significant correlation between trait of personality type and speaking proficiency and there was a significant correlation between personality types and (vocabulary) aspect of speaking proficiency. first, a significant correlation between agreeableness and speaking proficiency are found in this finding. based on the calculation of the distribution of personality types result, showed that the students’ dominant trait is agreeableness, it means that most students agreed that they felt concern for others, they sympathized with others’ feeling, they made people feel at ease, they felt others’ emotions. in short, most of students felt flexible, helpful, sympathetic, warm, kind, courteous, and appreciate with either people around them or their lives. agreeableness may have a positive contribution to academic achievement. it is in line with the study conducted by vermetten, lodewijks, and vermunt (2001). this was indicated by a study which mentioned that this factor was associated with compliance with teacher instructions and concentration on learning. this means that those who are high on agreeableness are generally good at academic adjustment as they can keep a positive relationship with their teachers and peers, and they usually show scholastic competence, behavioral conduct, and academic success. second, the researcher found that there was correlation between openness to experiences and speaking proficiency. those who are high on openness to experience are usually intellectually curious. this personality trait has been considered to be a reflection of the ideal student (de raad, and indah pratiwi hrp, sofendi, & ismail petrus the correlation among reticence, personality types and speaking proficiency of english education study program students of pgri university palembang 496 schouwenburg, 1996), due to its relationship with foresightedness and intelligence. openness to experience showed an association with academic achievement in school and at different university levels. students high in this personality factor tend to have more curiosity and interest to discover or learn new things including foreign languages. these students may consider english language a skill that is worth being learnt in order to explore the world and, therefore, broaden their experience. third, in this finding there was a significant correlation between emotional stability and speaking proficiency. in this study, most students agreed that they did not get stressed easily, they were relaxed most of the time, they seldom felt sad, they did not get depression and they did not have interpersonal problems. thus, learners with high scores on emotional stability may avoid holding a conversation in the english language as they usually have extreme worry. fourth, the researcher also found that the correlation between personality types and vocabulary as aspect of speaking proficiency. it is line with the study conducted by sukainah (2016), students could not recognize speaker’s idea because of limited english vocabulary and low motivation in learning. some students were shy to ask difficult learning materials but some of them were not. this study revealed that reticence exists among students in english foreign language classroom. as reticence has been found to be a problematic behavior by many english foreign language learners, this issue should be studied seriously. it has been explored that psychological factors contribute to students’ reticence and makes it a serious problem in foreign language learning. reticence is a phenomenon in which students tend not to participate or interact in the english foreign classroom. there are various reasons behind reticence such as low self-confidence, fear of losing face and past experiences. baktash and chalak (2016) state that the result showed personality types influence on the efl students’ reticence. the influence is more prominent among the students with higher proficiency level. moreover, educational, situational, and emotional factors impact on the english foreign language learners’ reticence. in addition, the more proficient in english the students were, the more willing they were to participate in speech communication and the more positive they were about it. in order to avoid reticence and its consequences in english foreign language classrooms, both teachers and students are expected to transform the classrooms into a more active one. lastly, for future researchers, the researcher hopes that other researchers are suggested to find out the better way and methods to advance the students’ speaking proficiency achievement. future researchers are also suggested to find different population which has different characteristics with the population in this study and to use the other recent instruments for measuring the students’ speaking proficiency test, reticence and personality type in order to do some better improvements. it is also advisable for english teacher to enhance student’ interest in and motivation to speak language, also promote students to be active participation in english lesson. acknowledgement i would like to acknowledge my advisors and english students at pgri university in palembang. references arikunto, s. (2010). prosedur penelitian: suatu pendekatan praktek. jakarta: rineka cipta. burgoon, j. k. (1976). the unwillingness-tocommunicate scale: development and validation. communication monographs, 43, 60-69. chowdhury, f. r. (2016). reasons of reticence in speaking english among the freshmen in port city international university; chittagong, bangladesh: a case study. asia pacific journals, 2(3). de raad, b., &schouwenburg, h. c. (1996). personality in learning and education: a review. european journal of personality, 10, 303-336. dzulkifli, m. a., & alias, i. a. (2012). students of low academic achievement – their personality, mental abilities and academic performance: how counselor can help?. international journal of humanities and social science, 2(23), 220225. fraenkel, j. r., & wallen, n. e. (2012). how to design and evaluate: research in education (8th ed.). new york, ny: mcgraw-hill higher education. goldberg, l. r. (1992). the development of markers for the big-five factor structure. psychological assement, 4(1), 26-42. keaton, j. a., kelly, j. l., finch, c. (2000). effectiveness of penn state program in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 497 changing beliefs associate with reticence. communication education, 41, 35-45. khatibi, m., & khormaei, f. (2016). learning and personality: a review. journal of educational and management studies, 6(4), 89-97. lee, y. (2006). towards respecification of communicative competence: condition of l2 instructions or its objectives? applied linguistics. 27(3). mccrae, r. r., &john, o. p. (1992). an introduction to the five-factor model and its applications. rerieved from www.workplacebullying.org shahab, a. (2016). the correlation among personality types, cross cultural understanding, and reading habits of efl students of sriwijaya university (graduate’s thesis). sriwijaya university, palembang, indonesia. tsui, a. b. m. (1995). introducing classroom interaction. london: penguin books. tsui, a. b. m. (1995). introduction classroom interaction. london: penguin. vermetten, y. j., lodewijks, h. g., &vermunt, j. d. (2001). the role of personality traits and goal orientations in strategy use. contemporary educational psychology, 26, 149-170. westgate, d., batey, j., brownlee, j., & butley, m. (1985). some characteristics of interaction in foreign language classrooms. british educational research journal, 113(3), 271-281. http://www.workplacebullying.org/ indah pratiwi hrp, sofendi, & ismail petrus the correlation among reticence, personality types and speaking proficiency of english education study program students of pgri university palembang 498 13 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, desember 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee abstract: innovative teaching model in the 21st century is of necessity because in this digital transformation era, lecturers deal with tech-savvy students. these students should be taught differently; it can be done by integrating teaching technique with newly-updated and technological-based media or platform. in english education study program, the lecturer still made use of conventional technique and it was monotonous and uninteresting. the present qualitative research with case study design was mainly intended to fathom out the students’ perceptions and the benefits of implementing tps-flipgrid in efl speaking class. the implementation of tps-flipgrid in the present qualitative research with case study design for the sake innovating efl speaking class has brought the language learning into certain level. the research clearly figured out that the perception of the third semester students was positive. they thought that tps-flipgrid was an innovative and flexible teaching model; besides, this model could invite active involvement and equalize classroom and online face-to-face interaction. the teaching model has successfully improved the students’ speaking performances and their 21st century life skills such as collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking. considering the significant results of applying tps-flipgrid, the implementation of this teaching model should be continuously carried out and improved. keywords: tps-flipgrid; efl speaking class; 21st century. tps-flipgrid: transforming efl speaking class in the 21st century i komang budiarta english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, university of mahasaraswati denpasar, bali, indonesia email: mrbudi@unmas.ac.id made hery santosa english language education department, faculty of languages and arts, ganesha university of education, bali, indonesia email: mhsantosa@undiksha.ac.id apa citation: budiarta, i k. & santosa, m. h. (2020). tps-flipgrid: transforming efl speaking class in the 21st century. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 13-20. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3824 received: 17-07-2020 accepted: 21-08-2020 published: 22-12-2020 introduction to create an innovative language teaching and learning, innovation is of necessity. it is a must if lecturers would like to enrich their graduate quality that meets the external stakeholder needs. it should be carefully done; moreover, careful analysis and process should be carried out so that the results might give positive impacts. the advancement of technology and the skills required to face the future involving the ability to communicate, collaborate, and think critically should be completely taken into consideration in designing pedagogical framework in this digital transformation era, industry 4.0. in addition, integrating english language learning and technology nowadays are inseparable aspects to transform the teaching-learning process. dealing with students in this digital transformation of industry, industry 4.0 and students who are categorized as z generation (bencsik, horváth-csikós, & juhász, 2016), teachers are required to become tech-savvy who could grasp children’s interest in digital literacy (motteram, 2013). moreover, digital literacy is vital characteristic to be developed as a part of 21st-century learning skills: creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration (bialik & fadel, 2015). thus, technology integration in the pedagogical framework is imperative in the teaching-learning process, especially in english language learning. tech-savvy teachers in the present digital disruption are completely needed to meet tech savvy students’ profiles (i.e. students of industry 4.0, z generation and 21st century). these students tend to be digitally literate that enable them to be acquainted with the uses of technology. one of the technology integration frameworks which can be developed is technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) framework. tpack framework has three main knowledge components used as the foundation (mishra and koehler in koehler, mishra, kereluik, shin, & graham, 2014). they mailto:mrbudi@unmas.ac.id mailto:mhsantosa@undiksha.ac.id 14 i komang budiarta & made hery santosa tps-flipgrid: transforming efl speaking class in the 21th century are technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge. the framework denotes the knowledge needed by teachers when they want to integrate technology into the way they teach the content area. mishra and koehler in pickering & gunashekar (2014) stated that the tpack framework needs to be integrated into any teacher training syllabus. besides, for practicing teachers, continual professional development that includes works on digital literacies is needed. teachers have an instinctive comprehension of the complex relationship within three basic components of knowledge: content, pedagogical, and technology by teaching content using apposite pedagogical methods and technologies (mishra & koehler, 2006; schmidt, baran, thompson, mishra, koehler, & shin, 2009). as tertiary students in indonesia are digitally literate, english teachers need knowledge about the multifaceted interrelationship among technology, pedagogy, and content that enable them to develop appropriate and context-specific teaching strategies. in general, the integration of technology still needs to be enhanced in the process of teaching and learning. in the university of mahasaraswati denpasar, especially the english language education study program, innovative language learning is essential to deal with heterogeneous students. lecturers still carried out teaching and learning which made use of traditional teaching techniques and lack of technology involvement. this created a learning atmosphere that was monotonous and boring for 21st-century students. they should be taught by applying a teaching technique or model which is technological-based, and how the lecturers could deliver the subject matter through newly updated technological based instructional practices or models that work for tech-savvy students. in this research, think pair share combined with flipgrid (henceforth tps-flipgrid) was applied as a teaching model that was used to transform efl speaking class. think pair share is a cooperative language learning which emphasizes on providing the students an opportunity to think individually, do pair discussion, and share it with the whole class sharing (richards & rodgers, 2001; arends, 2007; and arends, 2012). these stages allow the learners to learn english especially speaking in such a chronological procedure. as a result, their ideas can be structurally organized as well as possible which makes their speaking is well developed. flipgrid is a free online video discussion platform from microsoft that aids teachers see and listen to every student in the class and creates an enjoyable and supportive social learning environment (flipgrid, 2020). in flipgrid, lecturers post discussion stimuli and students reply with short videos. flipgrid provides an opportunity for students to do online face-to-face interaction. this also facilitates students to do virtual classroom discussion that enables them to interact with the other virtual class members. the use of flipgrid as an online video discussion platform could provide students with an opportunity to share their speaking performance freely and confidently. the implementation of tps-flipgrid is expected to be an innovative solution of integrating the technological-based teaching model in english as a foreign language class. flipgrid has some important features that support this video discussion platform; they are grids, topics, responses, and replies. first, a grid is a community of learners in which the lecturers can name the grid and create a custom flip code (or use the auto-generated one). second, topics are discussion starters or prompts, and students respond to the topics. third, responses are the recorded and uploaded videos by the students as their responses on the posted topics so that they can share their ideas through their voices. finally, replies in the flipgrid enables the students to make an interactive discussion in which they can reply to the previous responses that is added to the topic (fahey, moura, & saarinen, 2019). in addition, fahey et al. (2019) mention that using flipgrid is not about recording videos; it is about learning that is social and personal. it can happen anywhere and anytime, and it is about making connections. flipgrid also offers deep exploration and endorses that everyone can be a teacher and a learner as well. the use of flipgrid can create an efl learning atmosphere that makes students enjoy the class. to some extent, flipgrid enables students who are not really confident in expressing their ideas in face-to-face interaction to perform really well in responding to the topic of flipgrid discussion. they might perform expressively when they record themselves on the grid discussion. tps has already been massively applied in efl classes, and it was mainly intended to improve language performance. it was mentioned that tps was effective to teach writing (argawati & suryani, 2017 and budiarta, 2015). 15 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, desember 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee furthermore, it was much more effective than stad in essay writing (sutrisno, rasyid, & rahmat, 2018). in fostering speaking performance, tps succeeded not only improving speaking performance but also developing characters (budiarta & krismayani, 2014). this signified that tps was effective in improving and developing both productive skills and students’ characters. in this study, tps was combined with flipgrid to teach efl speaking class. choosing innovative approaches to be applied in tertiary levels is a must in this globalized and technological-minded era. thus, flipgrid can be used to deal with 21st-century students who also tune in to the rapid development of technology. many kinds of research have also been carried out by applying a technological-based teaching technique. syafii (2019) mentioned that multimedia presentation could effectively improve speaking performance; besides, other technological-based media digital comic toondoo (fatimah, santiana, & saputra, 2019) and pecha kucha presentations (mabuan, 2017) could promote students’ speaking performance. these researches proved that the use of media which made use of technology could effectively improve students’ language skills especially speaking. in accordance with the use of flipgrid in the teaching-learning process, some researches have been carried to figure out the efficacy of flipgrid. basko & mccabe (2018) confirmed that the application of flipgrid can maintain students’ persistence rates during the teaching-learning process; moreover, the media can also create a cognitive, social, and teaching presence (holbeck & hartman, 2018). they also added that the use of flipgrid could accommodate online face-to face interaction instead of traditional face-to-face classroom interaction. these researches confirmed that flipgrid can be possibly employed as a teaching platform that could uphold students’ focus in the teaching and learning process; furthermore, it can create community inquiry. the implementation of tps-flipgrid to transform the efl speaking class in the 21st century is expected to be an innovative teaching model. it is expected that the teaching model can innovate the efl speaking class and improve the students’ speaking performance. the combination of tps combined with flipgrid as an innovative video discussion platform was categorized as new in english as a foreign language class. it was very interesting to figure out the implementation of tps-flipgrid in efl speaking class because the teaching model was rarely used in the teaching and learning process. the results of this research are expected to contribute to the efforts of innovating efl speaking class so that the tech-savvy students might be well-accommodated and they can learn joyfully during the implementation of the model. in accordance with the elaborated research background, the application of tps-flipgrid to transform efl speaking class in the teaching learning process is a very thought-provoking topic as integrating technology in the teaching learning process is always challenging to do. tps-flipgrid is expected to be an innovative solution to the problem that is faced by lecturers particularly in integrating teaching techniques with technological-based platforms or media. in addition, the researches which were related to tps-flipgrid were also hardly found. it was researched separately during the process of teaching and learning in the efl class. therefore, the present research was mainly intended to fathom out the students’ perceptions in transforming efl speaking class by applying tps-flipgrid and the benefits of implementing tps-flipgrid in efl speaking class. method the present research which was mainly intended to figure out the students’ perceptions and benefits on implementing tps-flipgrid made use of qualitative research with a case study design. creswell (2009) stated that qualitative research is used to explore and understand the individuals or groups assigned to the social or human problem. besides, qualitative research studies attitudes, behavior, and experiences through such methods as interviews or focus groups (dawson, 2002). it is mainly intended to figure out a thorough opinion from the participants. as it includes attitudes, behavior, and experiences which are important, fewer people take part in the research. the present study was carried out at english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and education university of mahasaraswati denpasar particularly the third semester students. they were chosen as the samples of the present action case study because they were not really enthusiastic during the classroom teaching and learning process. these caused their speaking performances were not really good. in this class, there were 22 students altogether who were considered as the samples. the course that was taught during the present 16 i komang budiarta & made hery santosa tps-flipgrid: transforming efl speaking class in the 21th century research was “speaking for formal interactions” and the topic which was taught was “storytelling”. to collect data in the present case study, three kinds of instruments were prepared. the research instruments were carefully constructed in order to establish the validity and reliability of the research instruments because only valid and reliable instruments can be administered to collect valid and reliable data. the research instruments were observation, online open-ended questionnaire, and semi-structured interview. the data that were resulted by the research instruments were considered as the primary data in the present action case study. in the process of collecting the data, the researcher, first of all, started the process of teaching and learning by implementing tps flipgrid. it was carried out in three meetings. the first meeting was mainly intended to teach the learning material about storytelling. the second meeting was used to perform their storytelling in front of the class. the third meeting was used to prepare their final projects to be posted on the flipgrid. during the three times meetings, the researcher carefully observed the samples. after the teaching-learning processes were carried out, the samples were then asked to fill in the online open-ended questionnaire. the link of the open ended questionnaire was sent to the sample mobile. finally, based on the results of the observation and open-ended questionnaire, twelve samples were interviewed through a one to-one semi-structured interview. this was an important part to get more comprehensive data on the implementation of tps-flipgrid in transforming the efl speaking class. the required data that were collected in this action case study were then analyzed to figure out the answer to the research problems. the collected data were transcribed, classified, interpreted, and concluded as the findings of the present case study. in order to yield worth findings of the study, the qualitative data were analyzed using triangulation in which the data that were resulted from the observation, open ended questionnaire, and semi-structured interview were combined. the process of triangulating the collected data was important in order to analyze the data more comprehensively. therefore, the findings could be categorized as valid and reliable findings. results and discussion the present qualitative research with case study design was mainly intended to figure out the students’ perception and benefits of implementing tps-flipgrid in efl speaking class. to collect the data of the present case study, the researcher prepared three research instruments. they were observation, open-ended questionnaire, and semi structured interview. these research instruments were carefully designed and submitted so that they could collect the expected data for this study. after the submission of the research instruments, the researcher finally obtained the expected findings that were respectively discussed as follows. first of all, the results of the observation were focused on two major areas: the application of tps-flipgrid both in-class learning and in the flipgrid platform and the samples’ responses. based on the observation concerning the application of tps-flipgrid which has been well planned in the lesson planning, the procedural steps were carried out as they were expected during the process of teaching ‘speaking for formal interactions’ especially on the topic ‘storytelling’. in addition, the samples’ responses to tps-flipgrid showed that they were enthusiastic. they enjoyed both the classroom teaching and flipgrid discussion. in general, they responded to the teaching process well; besides, they undoubtedly enjoyed the efl speaking class. secondly, the online administration of the openended questionnaire clearly revealed that the samples really liked the teaching process which applied tps-flipgrid. they thought that it was really innovative and new for them. they enjoyed the opportunities to respond to the topic and they were also creative in creating their responses on the video. they also stated that their speaking performance improved gradually. besides, they felt that they were more confident speaking in front of the class. the use of tps-flipgrid also enabled them to develop their social skills especially 21st-century life skills. to sum up, they enjoyed almost every step of the teaching and learning process as they stayed tune in during the elucidation of the learning material until the implementation of tps-flipgrid. finally, the results of the semi-structured interview clearly revealed some findings that were in line with the results of the observation and open-ended questionnaire. they mentioned that they really enjoyed learning speaking by using flipgrid. they can be more expressive in delivering their speech in their video that they english review: journal of english education volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 17 made as to the final project. they expected that flipgrid could be used frequently to practice their speaking. they thought that the implementation of tps-flipgrid in the efl speaking class was really innovative. besides, they also mentioned that the lecturer should equalize classroom and online face-to-face interaction. the students’ perceptions of applying tps flipgrid the first research problem was focused on finding out the students’ perceptions of implementing tps-flipgrid in innovating efl speaking class. the implementation of this model was considered as an innovation because previously they were taught by applying traditional, monotonous teaching techniques that dominantly focused on classroom face-to-face interaction. on the other hand, the lecturer faced tech-savvy students who were in the middle of digital transformation so that the use of technology could make their learning more enjoyable. based on the results, the students’ perceptions can be elaborated as follows: innovation, flexibility, balancing interaction, and active involvement. first of all, the implementation of tps flipgrid was considered as an innovative model for the samples as contextually it was totally new for them. they never experienced the application of tps which was combined with flipgrid. the application of the model could create an efl speaking class atmosphere which was interesting and always challenging for the students. since flipgrid is an online video discussion platform, they were really happy as if they were using their social media, and at the same time, they can develop video content creation skills for the digital era (stoszkowski, 2018). they can watch their friends’ videos which were posted to respond to the topic that was posted by the lecturer in the grid. the students also mentioned that they really tuned in with the application of tps-flipgrid. the use of flipgrid as a virtual discussion platform enabled the students who were categorized as 21st-century students felt comfortable when they built online video interactions with their friends. the use of flipgrid could make them more expressive in practicing their speaking. besides, they belonged to z generation who were tech-savvy so that the application of technology would make them interested in language learning (bencsik et al., 2016). they really loved the application of tps flipgrid because they could explore themselves not only in the classroom. they considered they had another social media that they could use for the sake of not only doing online social interaction with their friends in the class but also learning and improving speaking at the same time. language learning through the integration of technological-based media or platform was always interesting. the second perception of the students was in terms of flexibility. the students who became the samples of this research were mostly digitally literate with the existence of new technology. that is why, when the tps-flipgrid was introduced, they could easily identify the features and use the platform. they warmly welcomed this online video discussion platform because it offered high flexibility. its flexibility was because the discussion was evenly distributed across cohorts (stoszkowski, 2018) so that the students considered that tps-flipgrid accommodated the desire of 21st-century students to get involved in the virtual class which has the learning flexibility. they can learn everywhere and every time as long as they have access to the internet, they can join and post their responses on the topic assign by the lecturer. they can access the platform on their laptop or smartphone. moreover, unlimited space and time of learning enable them to be more persistent in learning. the application of tps-flipgrid also provided a very wide private room for the students. they had a lot of chances to practice their speaking performance as they could socially and personally learn anywhere and anytime (fahey et al., 2019). they can assess the online video discussion from their smartphone and start practicing their speaking ability. they could easily respond to the video that was posted or assigned by the lecturer, and they could also figure out the feedback for their responses. in other words, the students might develop themselves during the learning process independently. they can also explore themselves in order to improve their ability to speak. continuous practice using the platform might also enhance their speaking performance and they could bring their effort to the maximum so that their learning objective can be attained. balancing interaction (i.e. classroom and online face-to-face interaction) was the third students’ perception. students thought that language learning should not be managed by eliminating the role of face-to-face interaction. they expected that the use of tps-flipgrid or 18 i komang budiarta & made hery santosa tps-flipgrid: transforming efl speaking class in the 21th century particularly flipgrid still accommodates the existence of classroom face-to-face interaction because it was important to emotionally learn how to deal with other people directly. for language learning, they emphasized that classroom interaction was still needed to practice their spontaneous response when they were talking about a certain topic. this might not happen when they only focused on online interaction. the students confirmed that both classroom and online face-to-face interaction should be well managed because, in online face-to-face interaction, they could deepen their speaking performance as their learning was not limited by time and space. in online discussion also they might have time to think and to make concepts of the video responses that would be uploaded. both classroom and online interaction should be well considered on the implementation of tps flipgrid as they complete each other to achieve the learning objectives. this was in line with holbeck & hartman (2018) who mentioned that the application of flipgrid provided both lecturer and students opportunities to virtually and personally connect. finally, the students’ perception was mainly on their active involvement in the efl speaking class. they confirmed that the application of tps-flipgrid could increase their involvement in the classroom activities. they got involved very often during the online discussion which made them practice their speaking frequently. they actively followed both in-class learning and online learning even though the frequency of their involvement was still much higher than in online learning. this might happen because flipgrid was totally new to all of the samples and as 21st-century students, they were very curious to make acquainted with the platform. hence, they could use it for their purpose. the samples clearly mentioned that they can access the flipgrid more than twice a day and the frequency increased in line with the topic that was assigned by the lecturer on the grid. the application of tps-flipgrid could increase students’ persistence (basko & mccabe, 2018). in addition, the students’ engagement can be well maintained through the integration of ict in both in-class and outside-class of teaching and learning (melwani, tay, & lim, 2018). the benefits of implementing tps-flipgrid figuring out the benefits of implementing tps flipgrid in innovating the efl speaking class was the second research problem that was researched in this study. the main purpose of innovating a teaching model to be implemented in the teaching and learning process was to yield fruitful impacts or benefits. the present action case study was expected to find out the benefits of applying tps-flipgrid in the efl speaking class. based on the results, the benefits of conducting tps-flipgrid in transforming efl speaking class can be seen from two viewpoints: speaking improvement and social skills development. they can be elaborated as follows. first of all, the benefits that were experienced by the samples after the implementation of tps flipgrid were in terms of progressing improvement of their speaking ability. the students’ speaking performances improved significantly, particularly on their fluency and comprehension. the students’ fluency was getting improved which can be clearly seen from their live performance in the classroom. they could cope with the problem of speaking previously especially in fluency. their active involvement in responding to the topic in flipgrid enabled them to frequently practice in speaking. furthermore, their comprehension was also enhanced as they were required to understand the topic that was posted before they responded to it. the improvement of students’ english speaking ability might happen because they had a lot of opportunities to practice their speaking performance both in-class learning and online learning through flipgrid. the use of flipgrid enabled students to practice by themselves at home and they can practice it again and again until they thought that it was appropriate to be published. these frequent performances also made students more confident when they spoke english. the use of technology or apps provided students frequent practices (mabuan, 2018) and better learning experiences (fatimah et al., 2019) that made students speak confidently. they also mentioned that involving with all of their friends in flipgrid so many times made them familiar with their friends so that the feelings of nervousness can be tackled down when they performed in front of their friends. the implementation of tps-flipgrid did not only improve the students’ speaking performance but also their 21st-century life skills. one of the social skills that was really dominant as the result of the application of the teaching model was the sense of collaboration among students. the use of tps could put students into a language learning atmosphere that was enjoyable (budiarta & english review: journal of english education volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 19 krismayani, 2014) and flipgrid enabled them to share with the other students (basko & mccabe, 2018). in tps, the lecturer emphasized that students should be responsible for their pair so that they needed to kindly help each other to obtain the purpose. their classroom practice with flipgrid also required them to be able to collaborate with their pairs. furthermore, creativity and critical thinking were the other 21st-century life skills that significantly developed after the implementation of tps-flipgrid. to create a good video, the students were required to be creative so the content that they would deliver would be interesting for the other students to respond. some students also considered that they have employed their critical thinking both during in class learning and online video discussion. the results showed that the integration of ict in the classroom could enhance the 21st-century learning skills (pheeraphan, 2013). conclusion the implementation of tps-flipgrid in the present qualitative research with case study design for the sake of innovating the efl speaking class has brought the language learning to a certain level. the third-semester students who were chosen as the samples thought that tps-flipgrid was an innovative technological based teaching model that would be well applied for 21st-century students. they also considered that the efl speaking class through the application of the teaching model was flexible in terms of when and where it can be done. furthermore, the active involvement of the students during the process of teaching and learning enables them to frequently practice in speaking. they also gave emphasis on equalizing classroom face-to-face interaction and online video discussion through tps-flipgrid. in addition, the teaching model has successfully improved the students’ speaking performances as well as their speaking ability especially the elements of fluency and comprehension improved significantly. they were much better in the english-speaking class. moreover, the students’ 21st-century life skills were also well-developed such as collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. considering the significant results of applying tps-flipgrid in this action case study, the implementation of this teaching model should be continuously carried out and improved. references arends, r. i. (2007). learning to teach (7th ed.). new york: mcgraw-hill compnaies, inc. arends, r. i. (2012). learning to teach (9th ed.). new york: mcgraw-hill compnaies, inc. argawati, n. o., & suryani, l. (2017). teaching writing using think-pair-share viewed from students’ level of risk-taking. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 109–116. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v6i1.776.received basko, l., & mccabe, c. (2018). keeping your sanity while keeping your students: how teacher engagement can increase student persistence when teaching students during their first college course. journal of instructional research, 7, 119–123. bencsik, a., horváth-csikós, g., & juhász, t. (2016). y and z generations at workplaces. journal of competitiveness, 8(3), 90–106. https://doi.org/10.7441/joc.2016.03.06 bialik, m., & fadel, c. (2015). skills for the 21st century: what should students learn? boston: center for curriculum redesign. budiarta, i. k. (2015). the efficacy of think-pair-share with peer assessment in improving writing skill and developing character of the teacher candidates. jurnal bakti saraswati, 4(2), 191– 203. budiarta, i. k., & krismayani, n. w. (2014). improving speaking skill and developing character of the students through collaboration of think pair share and the concept of tri kaya parisudha. jurnal santiaji pendidikan, 4(2), 73– 80. creswell, j. w. (2009). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). california: sage publications inc. dawson, c. (2002). practical research methods: a user-friendly guide to mastering research. oxford: how to books ltd. fahey, s., moura, k., & saarinen, j. (2019). the educator’s guide to flipgrid. retrieved from https://static.flipgrid.com/docs/flipgrid_ebook_ 2nd_edition.pdf fatimah, a. s., santiana, & saputra, y. (2019). digital comic: an innovation of using toondoo as media technology for teaching english short story. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 101–108. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1526.receive d flipgrid. (2020). getting started with flipgrid. retrieved january 6, 2020, from http://blog.flipgrid.com/gettingstarted holbeck, r., & hartman, j. (2018). efficient strategies for maximizing online student satisfaction: applying technologies to increase cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence. journal of educators online, 15(3). retrieved from http://blog.flipgrid.com/gettingstarted 20 i komang budiarta & made hery santosa tps-flipgrid: transforming efl speaking class in the 21th century https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1199226.pdf koehler, m. j., mishra, p., kereluik, k., shin, t. s., & graham, c. r. (2014). the technological pedagogical content knowledge framework. in handbook of research on educational communications and technology: fourth edition (pp. 1–2). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1 4614-3185-5 mabuan, r. a. (2017). developing esl/efl learners’ public speaking skills through pecha kucha presentations. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v6i1.765.receive d mabuan, r. a. (2018). using blogs in teaching tertiary esl writing. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1238.receiv ed melwani, m., tay, l. y., & lim, c. p. (2018). digital storytelling as a pedagogy to develop literacy and twenty-first century competencies in a singapore primary school: teachers as designers. mobile technologies in children’s language and literacy, 67–81. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78714-879 620181005 d mishra, p., & koehler, m. j. (2006). technological pedagogical content knowledge: a framework for teacher knowledge. teachers college record, 108(6), 1017–1054. retrieved from http://one2oneheights.pbworks.com/f/mishra _punya.pdf motteram, g. (ed.). (2013). innovations in learning technologies for english language teaching. london: british council. pheeraphan, n. (2013). enhancement of the 21st century skills for thai higher education by integration of ict in classroom. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 103, 365–373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.10.346 pickering, g., & gunashekar, p. (eds.). (2014). innovation in english language teacher education. new delhi: british council. richards, j. c., & rodgers, t. s. (2001). approaches and methods in language teaching. (2nd ed.). cambridge: cambridge university press. schmidt, d. a., baran, e., thompson, a. d., mishra, p., koehler, m. j., & shin, t. s. (2009). technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack): the development and validation of an assessment instrument for preservice teachers. journal of research on technology in education, 42(2), 123–149. retrieved from http://one2oneheights.pbworks.com/f/mishra _punya.pdf stoszkowski, j. (2018). using flipgrid to develop social learning using flipgrid to develop social learning. (december). https://doi.org/10.21100/compass.v11i2.786 sutrisno, b., rasyid, y., & rahmat, a. (2018). the effect of cooperative language learning and personality types towards essay writing. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 95– 104. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1259.receive d syafii, m. l. (2019). improving students’ speaking skill by using multimedia presentation strategy. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 125–132. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1690. http://one2oneheights.pbworks.com/f/mishra http://one2oneheights.pbworks.com/f/mishra english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 291 compound words that occur during the global pandemic covid-19: a morphosemantic study ervina cm simatupang english department, widyatama university, indonesia e-mail: ervina.simatupang@widyatama.ac.id ida zuraida supri english department, widyatama university, indonesia e-mail: ida.zuraida@widyatama.ac.id apa citation: simatupang, e. c., & supri, i. z. (2020). compound words that occur during the global pandemic covid-19: a morphosemantic study. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 291-298. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2824. received: 16-02-2020 accepted: 23-03-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: this study aims to analyse and examine closely the category of compound words that occur during the global pandemic covid-19 and their type of meaning. the method used in carrying out the study was a descriptive analysis method. the data used were taken from the official website of the world health organization (who) in the ‘your questions answered’ section. the results demonstrated that there are two types of compound word found, namely compound nouns (67%) and compound verbs (33%). besides, there are three types of meaning found, namely literal meaning (50%), semi-idiomatic meaning (33%), and idiomatic meaning (17%). furthermore, in the category of compound nouns, the types of meaning that occur are literal meaning (50%), semi-idiomatic meaning (25%), and idiomatic meaning (25%). meanwhile, the types of meaning that appear in the category of compound verbs are literal meaning (50%) and semi-idiomatic meaning (50%). keywords: covid-19; coronavirus disease; compound words; meaning; word formation. introduction currently, the world is facing and struggling with a new virus that has been announced as a global pandemic by the world health organization (who) on march 11, 2020 that is the coronavirus disease, covid-19. after first found as an unknown pneumonia disease on 31 december 2020 in wuhan, china, according to the situation report 116 published by who on 15 may 2020, a total of 4.338.658 cases have been confirmed in more than 200 countries. as the virus progresses, every day, the world’s community is introduced to terms that may sound unfamiliar. after going through the who official website, the terms found are commonly constructed in a form of compound words. commonly, a compound or compound word is regarded as a phrase that is constituted by the combining of two words. it is in line with mcmanis et al., (1987) stating that a compound is a word formed by the combination of two independent words. on the contrary, according to spencer and zwicky (2001), a compound is a word that consists of two or more words. furthermore, akmajian et al., (2001) explain that “compounds are not limited to two words”. similarly, leech (1974) emphasizes a similar definition in which he states a compound is a word which contains two or more other words. in this regard, as this study progresses, the term compound is used to refer to the word combination that consists of two or more words. further, as stated by yule (2006), the process of combining two or more words is known as compounding. it is one of the types of word formation and arguably the most common one. as the coronavirus pandemic goes on, the terms emerge with it are countless starting from medical scientific terms, i.e. coronavirus disease, incubation period, to slangs that the community establishes, namely quarantine. it is a slang term for a cocktail people drink, martini (a cocktail made with gin or vodka and dry vermouth served with either a green olive or lemon peel), that is blended with the word quarantine as people could not go out to drink and instead drink at home. conceivably, terms that are occurring are not only caused by the new virus that needs certain terms for the medical or scientific matters, but it is also because of the ‘new normal’ that people are being forced into. the ‘new normal’ also brings terms like work-from-home, stay-at-home, and self-quarantine as the state mandates people ervina cm simatupang & ida zuraida supri compound words that occur during the global pandemic covid-19: a morphosemantic study 292 to have less physical contact. presumably, people are also trying to find new ways to get through the pandemic as it has been going on for around five months now. the phenomenon of creating and forming new terms/words during covid-19 can be studied through two of the linguistics branches, namely morphology and semantics. one branch of linguistics that studies the structure of a word and its formation process is referred to as morphology. etymologically, morphology derives from the greek word ‘morph’ which means shape or form. it is the system of categories and rules involved in word formation and interpretation as described by o’grady (1997). furthermore, it is defined as a study of the way words are built up from smaller parts (burling, 1992). similarly, bauer (1988) says that as a sub-branch of linguistics, morphology deals with the internal structure of word-forms. this is also comparable with the statement of payne (1997) that “morphology is the study of the internal structure of words”. additionally, morphology includes the constructions of words and parts of words. spencer (1999) argues that “morphology is at the conceptual centre of linguistics.” it is due to what morphology studies, that is the structure of words. specifically, aronoff and fudeman (2005) assert that morphology is the study of form or forms. linguistically, it refers to the mental system contained in word formation, its internal structure, and how it is formed. hence, based on those definitions, it can be concluded that morphology is the analysis of word structure which involves the internal structure of words, the processes, and the rules to form them. in morphology, it is known that the smallest unit to be analysed is a morpheme. according to o’grady (1997), there are two types of morphemes, namely free morpheme and bound morpheme. free morpheme has its meaning by itself, while bound morpheme has to be attached to another root to have a meaning. in other words, it can be said that free morphemes are roots (the simplest form of a word with no affix attached) and bound morphemes are affixes. according to yule (2006), there are seven morphological processes that can affect morphemes and therefore form new words, namely: 1) affixation – according to chaer (2003), affixation is the process of attaching affixes to roots. for example, the word manager (manage + -er) has experienced an affixation process particularly suffixation. it is the addition of an affix at the end of a root. this process cause changes in the class of words, namely from a verb (manage) to a noun (manager). 2) compounding – yule (2006) mentions compounding is a process of combining two or more words. in other words, it is the process of putting words together to build a new one that does not denote two things, but one. arguably, compounding is one of the most common ways to form words. moreover, williams (1975) emphasizes that compounding is the process of putting together two or more independent words to make one word. 3) blending – this process concerns the formation of words whereby new words are formed by combining parts of two words; for example, smog (smoke + fog), brunch (breakfast + lunch), and newscast (news + broadcasting). 4) clipping – clipping is the process of shortening a word to form a new word. the shortened form represents the word in its entirety. it is considered less formal and in some cases, the spelling is adapted to suit the pronunciation. for instance, nark for narcotics or bike for bicycle. 5) back-formation – it is the process in which new words are formed by the deletion of a supposed affix from an already existing word, which appears to be derivative, e.g. laze from lazy, edit from editor, and enthuse from enthusiasm. this process is more likely to cause a class of word change. 6) conversion – conversion is the process of forming new words by shifting the word category without necessarily changing the word. in other words, it is assigning an already existing word to a new syntactic category. for instance: i use comb after a shower – comb (noun) i comb my dog’s hair – comb (verb) 7) acronym – acronym is the process whereby a new word is formed through extracting the initial letters of the constituent words of a phrase. the words created from this process mostly function as nouns, e.g. nasa (national aeronautics and space administration) and vip (very important person). as one of the common ways in morphological processes, compounding has served the community to extend their creativity in creating new words by combining words. however, two or english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 293 more words combined can be misinterpreted as a phrase (quirk et al., 1985). there are seven characteristics of compounds, as follows: 1) compounds behave grammatically and semantically as single words; even though on a lexical level, each constituent has its meaning; 2) they have no affixes attached except for inflectional suffix, e.g. bathrooms; 3) the whole meaning of the compound word can often be obtained from the individual meaning of each component, e.g. boathouse which means a shed for storing boats. however, certain terms cannot be interpreted the same way; for example, the word ‘redcoat’ means a british soldier, not a coat that is red; 4) the second or the last element of the compounds usually determines the grammatical category of a compound. this is also called the headword; 5) compounding is a recursive process in which it may be a part of a larger compound, e.g. lighthouse keeper; 6) phonologically, the primary stress of a compound is on the first element; and 7) a compound can be written in three different ways: open (with a space separating each constituent), e.g. post office; hyphenated (with a hyphen in between), e.g. twoyear-old; and closed/solid compound (with no space or hyphen in between), e.g. beeswax. in addition to having those characteristics, compounds are also distinguished based on categories. according to katamba (1993) compounds can be put into three categories, as follows: 1) compound nouns – derive from two or more words combined that function as nouns. compound nouns can be formed by putting together words in category either noun (n) + noun (n), adjective (a) + noun (n), preposition (p) + noun (n), or noun (n) + adverb (adv). for example, skyline (n+n), sourdough (a+n), undergraduate (p+n), and hanger-on (n+adv). 2) compound verbs – are formed by the combination of two or more words that grammatically function as verbs. the common combinations are preposition (p) + verb (v), verb (v+v), and verb + preposition (p). for instance, underestimate (p+v), cross-check (v+v), and turn off (v+p). 3) compound adjectives – are modified by combining two or more words which as a unit function as adjectives. this combination can be done by combining noun (n) + adjective (a), adjective (a) + adjective (a), and preposition (p) + adjective (a). for example, user-friendly (n+a), short-lived (a+a), and outspoken (p+a). as it has been mentioned earlier, the terms introduced during this time are mostly found in a form of compounds. a compound is one of the topics discussed in morphology concerning wordformation or morphological process. compound words on a lexical level have their meaning; while being combined they can either add other meaning to one of the words or form a different meaning. for example, the word medical mask adds another meaning to the word mask that is the type of mask, which can be a cloth mask or a surgical mask. on the contrary, the words ‘flulike’ or ‘influenza-like’ do not add another meaning to one of the words, instead, they form a new meaning that is the symptoms similar to flu or influenza including fever, cough, runny nose, headache, and fatigue. on the other hand, semantics is the study of meaning in human language (o’grady, et al., 1997). additionally, palmer (1983) emphasizes that semantics is the technical term used to refer to the study of meaning. similarly, according to hurford (2007), semantics is the “study of meaning in language”. therefore, it can be concluded that semantics is the term used to denotes the study of language meaning. as the study of meaning, semantics is the centre of the study of communication (leech, 1981). this explanation is due to the increasing cruciality of communication and with that comes the necessity to understand language and its meaning deeper. o’grady, et al. (1997) notes meaning is the message conveyed by signs. they can be something spoken, written, or expressed in other ways (quirk et al., 1978). in other words, simatupang (2019) elaborates that semantics is the science of the meaning of words and sentences. from those definitions, it becomes clear that in semantics, meaning is an immensely important part. nevertheless, semantics as the study of meaning is frequently intertwined with another branch of linguistics that also studies meaning, pragmatics. the distinction between the two primarily relies on which meaning one holds. semantics discusses meaning in the language, the meaning as the language suggests. on the contrary, pragmatics holds meaning from the speaker’s point of view or known as the speaker’s meaning (yule, 2006). semantically, leech (1981) divides meaning into three types, namely conceptual meaning ervina cm simatupang & ida zuraida supri compound words that occur during the global pandemic covid-19: a morphosemantic study 294 (meaning that consists of primary concepts), associative meaning (figurative meaning), and thematic meaning (meaning defined by structure to deliver a certain message, e.g. emphasizing). on the contrary, downing (2006) states that meaning can be divided into three types, namely literal meaning (original or lexical meaning), the semi-idiomatic meaning (consists of at least one literal and one figurative meaning), and idiomatic meaning (non-literal meaning). this study is carried out using the data from the ‘your questions answered’ section on the who official website. as the pandemic continues, more unreliable sources of information are spread. therefore, the who official website is used as the main data source to avert any mislead. it is found to be unethical to use inaccurate data as they can cause panic and fright. hence, this study aims to discuss thoroughly the category of compound words related to covid-19 found in the ‘your questions answered’ section on the world health organization (who) official website and the meaning of the compound words. simply put, the problems discussed in this study are formulated into the following questions: 1) what is the category of the compound words related to covid-19 found in the ‘your questions answered’ section on the world health organization’s official website? and 2) what is the meaning of the compound words found? method this study aims to analyse the compound words related to covid-19 found in the ‘your questions answered’ section on the official website of the who, https://www.who.int/ that are last retrieved on 14 may 2020. the method used in conducting the research was a descriptive analysis method. trochim (2006) explains that the descriptive analysis method is used to illustrate the basic features of the data in a study. in this way, this method provides simple summaries. furthermore, whitney (1960) mentions that the descriptive method is carried out by the presence of facts analysed with correct interpretations. similarly, nazir (2006) states that it is a method in examining the case of a group of people, an object, a set of conditions, a system of thought, or a class of events in the present. this descriptive study illustrates or paints systematically, factually, and accurately the facts and the relationship between the phenomena. in other words, the approaches used in this study are classifying, analysing, and explaining the data obtained according to the theories related to compound words and meaning. results and discussion after analysing the compound words found in the ‘your questions answered’ section on the who official website, there are three types of compound words identified, namely compound nouns, compound verbs, and compound adjectives. thereafter, this study also discusses the meaning of the compound words on a lexical level and their type of meaning after having experienced compounding. the main theories used in this research dealing with compound words are taken from katamba (1993), and regarding the semantics view, it will be viewed according to downing (2006). the followings are the data based on the types of compound words found in the data source. compound nouns data #1 “what is a coronavirus?” (who, 2020, q&a on coronaviruses (covid-19)) from the data, the compound word found is coronavirus. morphologically, coronavirus represents the type of compound nouns due to the combining of the word corona and virus, which are in the category of noun + noun. semantically, on a lexical level, corona has mainly two different meanings depending on the field in which it is being used. in terms of environment, corona means a circle of light that can sometimes be seen around the moon at night, or around the sun during an eclipse or the outer atmosphere of a star as defined by cambridge dictionary. in terms of anatomy, corona means the top rounded part of a body part, such as a tooth or the skull. the word virus has the meaning of an extremely small piece of organic material that causes disease in humans, animals, and plants. however, the two meanings of corona have shown no relationships with any sort of virus. this is because the word corona in coronavirus does not derive from english, instead it derives from latin. in latin, corona means crown. this name is given since coronavirus seen under a microscope has a series of crown-like spikes on its surface. who mentions coronavirus to regard to the large family of viruses that may cause illnesses, specifically respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. the https://www.who.int/ english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 295 previously known coronavirus diseases include middle east respiratory syndrome (mers) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (sars). for this reason, the word coronavirus carries the semi-idiomatic meaning in which it has one literal meaning that is virus and has one figurative meaning that is corona. data #2 “follow national guidance on self-isolation” (who, 2020, q&a on coronaviruses (covid-19)) the compound word found in data 2 is selfisolation. this compound word formed by the combination of the word self and isolation holds the category of compound nouns. it is because the word self is in the word category of nouns and so does the word isolation. therefore, it is formed by the combination of two nouns. the word self on a lexical level means oneself or itself or of oneself or itself. meanwhile, the word isolation means the action of isolating or the condition of being isolated. furthermore, who defines self-isolation as an act of separating people who are ill with symptoms of covid-19 and may be infectious to prevent the spread of the disease. based on the meaning of the two words combined, it can be concluded that the word selfisolation presents a literal meaning. data #3 “in the lockdown, i am spending much more time online playing games, socializing, and studying. should i be worried about this?” (who, 2020, q&a: adolescents, youth and covid19) from the data above, the compound word found is lockdown. it is formed by combining the word lock and down. the word lock is in the word category of nouns. on the contrary, the word down is in the word category of adverbs. therefore, lockdown is the combination of a noun and an adverb. in this case, lockdown falls into the type of compound nouns. on a lexical level, the word lock means a fastening (as for a door) operated by a key or a combination. additionally, the word down means toward or in a lower physical position. however, the combination of the two does not represent the meaning of a fastening operated by a key or a combination toward a lower physical position. on the opposite, lockdown means the confinement of prisoners to their cells for all or most of the day as a temporary security measure or a temporary condition imposed by governmental authorities (as during the outbreak of an epidemic disease) in which people are required to stay in their homes and refrain from or limit activities outside the home involving public contact. the latter suits the covid-19 situation. for this reason, the type of meaning of lockdown is idiomatic meaning in which it is interpreted non-literally. data #4 “it is who view that all countries with community transmission should seriously consider postponing or reducing mass gatherings that bring people together…” (who, 2020, q&a: mass gathering and covid-19) from data 4, the compound word found is community transmission. the word includes the compound nouns due to the combination of a noun (community) and another noun (transmission). the lexical meaning of the word community is a unified body of individuals, while transmission means an act, process, or instance of transmitting or the process of passing something from one person or place to another. after being combined, the meaning of community transmission is a situation where a country, territory, or area is experiencing larger outbreaks of local transmission. therefore, the type of meaning that community transmission represents is literal meaning since the meaning derives from the literal meaning of each word. compound verbs data #5 “stay at home, self-isolate and monitor your symptoms.” (who, 2020, q&a on coronaviruses (covid-19)) in the data, the compound word found is selfisolate. the category of the word is the compound verb. it is due to the combination of a noun (self) and a verb (isolate). although katamba (1993) does not mention the combination of a noun and a verb in the formation of a compound verb, this conclusion comes from one of the characteristics of a compound word that is the headword of the compound determines the word category of the compound. on its own, the word self means oneself or itself or of oneself or itself. meanwhile, the word isolate means to set apart from others or to be alone. the combination of the two creates the meaning of separating oneself from others or, in the case of covid-19, separating an ill person ervina cm simatupang & ida zuraida supri compound words that occur during the global pandemic covid-19: a morphosemantic study 296 from others. therefore, the type of meaning selfisolate portrays is the literal meaning. data #6 “what does it mean to self-quarantine?” (who, 2020, q&a on coronaviruses (covid-19)) from the data, the compound word found is self-quarantine. its compound word category is the compound verb. it is because the word self is a noun while the word quarantine is in the word category of verbs. lexically, the word self means oneself or itself or of oneself or itself and the word quarantine means to detain in or exclude or to isolate from normal relations or communication. this combination of words creates the meaning of to isolate oneself. for this reason, the word selfquarantine is often mistaken as self-isolation. therefore, the who published an answer concerning the difference between the two. according to who, self-quarantine means restricting activities or separating people who are not ill themselves but may have been exposed to covid-19. in this enlightenment, the sole difference between self-quarantine and selfisolation relies on the condition of a person that needs to be isolated. on this account, selfquarantine presents the type of meaning of semiidiomatic meaning. briefly, based on the analysis, it was found that there are two types of compound word categories, namely compound nouns and compound verbs. the percentages of occurrence of the two categories of compound word found are presented in figure 1. figure 1. the occurrence of compound words meanwhile, in terms of meaning, there are three types of meaning found, including literal meaning, semi-idiomatic meaning, and idiomatic meaning. the percentages of the three types of meaning found are presented in figure 2. figure 2. the percentage of meaning in compound words conclusion based on the analysis, it is found that there are two types of compound word, namely compound nouns (67%) and compound verbs (33%). on the other hand, there are three types of meaning, including literal meaning (50%), semi-idiomatic meaning (33%), and idiomatic meaning (17%). additionally, it can also be concluded that in the category of compound nouns, the type of meaning that occurs frequently is literal meaning with the percentage of 50% followed by semiidiomatic meaning and idiomatic meaning with each percentage is 25%. moreover, the type of meaning that appears frequently in the category of compound verbs are literal meaning and semiidiomatic meaning with each percentage is 50% while idiomatic meaning does not occur. this study also notes that as the covid-19 progresses, the number of ‘new’ or ‘re-emerge’ terms will also be increasing. most of the terms’ meanings are discoverable through news articles published massively on the internet. references akmajian, a., et al. (2001). an introduction to language and communication. mit press. aronoff, m., & fudeman, k. (2005). what is morphology? new jersey: blackwell publishing ltd. bauer, l. (1988). english word-formation. cambridge: cup. burling, r. (1992). pattern of language structure, variation and change. san diego: academic press. chaer, a. (1994). pengantar semantik bahasa indonesia. jakarta: rineka cipta. chaer, a. (2003). linguistik umum. jakarta: pt. rineka cipta. downing, a., & locke, p. (2006). english grammar (2nd ed.). abingdon: routledge. literal meaning 50% semiidiomatic meaning 33% idiomatic meaning 17% occurrence percentage of meaning in compound words compound nouns 67% compound verbs 33% occurence percentage of compound word categories english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 297 hurford, j. r. (2007). semantics: a coursebook. cambridge: cambridge university press. katamba, f. (1993). modern linguistics: morphology. great britain: macmillan press ltd. leech, g. n. (1974). semantics: the study of meaning. harmondsworth: penguin books. leech, g. n. (1981). semantics (2nd ed.). harmondsworth: penguin books. lyons, j. (1981). language, meaning and context. fontana. mcmanis, c., et al. (1987). language files: materials for an introduction to language. advocate pub. group. nazir, m. (2006). metode penelitian. jakarta: ghalia. o’grady, et al. (1997). contemporary linguistics. london and new york: longman. palmer, f. r. (1983). semantics. cambridge: cambridge university press. payne, t. e. (1997). describing morphosyntax: a guide for field linguists. cambridge: cambridge university press. quirk, et al. (1978). comprehensive grammar of the english language. england: longman. quirk, et al. (1985). a comprehensive grammar of the english language. london: longman. saeed, j. (1997). semantics. usa: blackwell publisher, inc. simatupang, e. c., & aulia, g. a. (2019). syntactic and semantic analysis on slogans of aviation companies in asean countries. english journal literacy utama, 3(2), 123-131. doi: 10.33197/ejlutama.vol3.iss2.2019.273. spencer, a. (1999). linguistics: an introduction. cambridge: cambridge university press. spencer, a., & zwicky, a. m. (2001). the handbook of morphology. uk: blackwell. trochim, w. m. l., & donnelly, j. p. (2006). the research methods knowledge base (3rd ed.). cornell university. whitney, e. l., & milholland, m. (1960). a four year continuation study of a teachers college class. education res. williams, m. j. (1975). origins of the english language. new york: the free press. yule, g. (2006). the study of language. new york: cambridge university press. ervina cm simatupang & ida zuraida supri compound words that occur during the global pandemic covid-19: a morphosemantic study 298 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 205 english teachers’ knowledge on higher order thinking skills (hots) wisma yunita (corresponding author) english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, university of bengkulu, bengkulu, indonesia email: wismayunita@unib.ac.id syahrial english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas bengkulu, bengkulu, indonesia email: eric.syahrial@gmail.com gita mutiara hati english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas bengkulu, bengkulu, indonesia email: gitamutiara@unib.ac.id apa citation: baker, r. a. (2020). english teachers’ knowledge on higher order thinking skills (hots). english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 205-216. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3800 received: 29-06-2020 accepted: 27-09-2020 published: 11-12-2020 introduction in the 21st century, hots is needed by every individual in facing the global era in the form of critical and creative thinking, collaboration, and good communication skills. as stated by brookhart (2010), hots is the ability to think critically, logically, reflectively, meta-cognitively, and creatively. further, hots leads the individual to have the ability to apply knowledge, skills, and values in reasoning, reflection, problem-solving, decision making, innovating, and creating new things (kusuma, rosidin, abdurrahman, suyatna, 2017; sulaiman, muniyan, madhvan, hasan, & rahim, 2017; abdullah, mokhtar, halim, ali, tahir, & kohar, 2017; hugerat & kortam, 2014). the skill of hots has been invaded in all aspects of life, including in the education field. for example, the ministry of education and culture of the republic of indonesia has been embodied hots in the 2013 curriculum. it is because education is the main place to introduce and practice the hots knowledge, especially teachers. the teachers are regarded as the main actors to transfer the knowledge of hots in all lessons and it is the easiest to see the changes in the students’ thinking skills in their daily life (rajendran, 1999; as cited in singh & marappan, 2020). they are the main factors that influence the success or failure in applying hots in the classroom (seman, yusoff, & embong, 2017). the teachers teach this skill to their students at schools, including at jhs and shs. therefore, the abstract: the higher order thinking skills (hots) has been embodied in the 2013 curriculum by the government of indonesia, in which aims every individual in indonesia has good skills at critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration, and communication to face life in the 21st century. therefore, the english teachers in indonesia should have good knowledge of hots to teach their students. this study aims to investigate the knowledge of the junior high school (jhs) and senior high school english (shs) english teachers on hots in bengkulu province. data obtained by providing a questionnaire containing questions with four answer choices (strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree) in the form of google form to 69 jhs english teachers and 74 shs english teachers in bengkulu province. the data were analyzed using simple statistics by calculating the average value of all answers from all question items and categorized them into very good (3.26-4.0), good (2.6-3.25), less good (1.76-2.5), and very poor (1-1.75). the results of this study revealed that the level of knowledge of english teachers in bengkulu province on hots is in a good category (3.24) for jhs teachers and very good (3.31) for shs teachers. these findings give contributions related to the knowledge of jhs and shs english teachers in bengkulu province about hots. keywords: higher order thinking skills; 2013 curriculum; english teachers mailto:wismayunita@unib.ac.id mailto:wismayunita@unib.ac.id wisma yunita, syahrial, & gita mutiara hati english teachers’ knowledge on higher order thinking skills (hots) 206 teachers in all subjects should have good knowledge of hots to achieve the goal of the 2013 curriculum itself. hots is closely related to language learning. eran (2016) proclaims that language is an instrument of thought, in which thought is expressed by using a language. students will think critically before conveying their ideas and argument when solving the problems, promoting creativity, understanding the discourse, and explaining things well so that hots is required in the learning process. the english teachers integrate hots with the teaching methods that will be applied in the english classroom. several studies on the analysis of teachers’ knowledge of hots has been conducted by some scholars in different disciplines. for example, mathematics (retnawati, djidu, kartianom, risqa & anazifa, 2018; abdullah et al., 2017; madu, 2017), physics (kusuma et al., 2017), history (hashim, osman, arifin, abdullah, & noh, 2015), or integrated fields of science such as at the basic education level (yusoff & seman, 2018). those studies revealed that the teachers and pre-service teachers of those subjects at schools have different knowledge and perception about hots in the teaching and learning process. also, the implementation of hots in the teaching and learning process was still far from hots principles. in addition, several studies on hots were also found in the english language teaching field. for example, how to innovate with hots in the reading class at the university level in malaysia (yoke, hasan, jangga, rohani. & kamal, 2015), this study found that the esl students have a positive perception toward the teaching of hots in the reading classroom. a survey on level questions in the field of teaching english at the university level was conducted by ashadi and lubis (2017) and yuliati and lestari (2018). the results of the survey revealed that the lower thinking level is dominantly used in questions. thamrin and agustin (2019) investigated the shs english teachers’ perceptions, the practice, and the constraints in endorsing hots in teaching a foreign language. from three generations (baby boomers, generation x, and generation y) and mursyid and kurniawati (2019). the results show that the teachers from all generations were aware of hots and applied it differently when teaching english. thamrin and agustin (2019) discussed the phenomenon of conceptual variations on reading comprehension through the hots strategy in universitas kuningan and described how the hots strategy improved the students’ skills in comprehending the academic reading text. various concepts on reading comprehension are seen from the c1-c6 phase of hots strategy and critical reading. moreover, studies on hots analysis in english textbooks were also investigated by indonesian scholars (e.g. sukmawijaya, yunita, & sofyan, 2020; febriani, yunita, & damayanti, 2020). the results show that there was a textbook that has integrated well and unwell of hots proportion in the language skills and language knowledge tasks. as aforementioned, in the field of english teaching field, most studies focused on hots in reading, level of questions, teachers’ perception, practice and constraints, and hots proportion in language tasks in textbooks. there is no study as far as those authors investigating the english teachers’ knowledge on hots in indonesia. therefore, it is rational for this study to investigate the state jhs and shs english teachers’ knowledge of hots in bengkulu province. to address the issue the research question of this study is; “how is the state jhs and shs english teachers’ knowledge of hots in the learning process in bengkulu province?” method the method deployed in this study was descriptive-quantitative. descriptive research is research that describes the data and the characteristics of the subject of the research (margono, 2010), while quantitative research collects and analyzes the data in terms of the numerical procedure (gay, mills, & airasian, 2012). thus, this study used the descriptivequantitative method to describe and explain the findings of the study in terms of english teachers’ knowledge on hots in bengkulu province. the respondents of this study were 69 jhs english teachers and 74 shs english teachers in bengkulu province. the data of this study were collected by providing the questionnaire that was made using google form to all of the respondents. the questionnaire used in this study was adapted from a questionnaire by retnawati et al. (2018) and andini (2017). it was modified to be fifty questions about hots and ten questions of protocol test that contain hots criteria. the item questionnaire consisted of five components, namely 1) teacher’s knowledge on hots, 2) implementing hots in the learning process, 3) learning strategies in implementing hots, 4) measuring and assessing hots, and 5) the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 207 benefits of hots for students in the learning process. the measurements used in this study are by using a likert scale with four options (i.e., strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree). the data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively using simple descriptive statistics by calculating the average value of all answers from all question items. finally, the data were organized to go through data interpretation where the results were interpreted to become findings by categorizing the answers into very good (3.26-4.0), good (2.6-3.25), less good (1.76-2.5), and very poor (1-1.75) following arikunto’s (2003) theory. results and discussion the aim of this study is to investigate the knowledge of the jhs and shs english teachers on hots in bengkulu province. the results of the analysis are presented in the table 1; table 1. results of the questionnaire no components of hots teachers jhs shs mean category mean category 1 teachers’ knowledge on hots 3.38 very good 3.43 very good 2 implementing hots in learning process 3.31 very good 3.31 very good 3 learning strategies in implementing hots 3.18 good 3.29 very good 4 measuring and assessing hots 3.08 good 3.24 good 5 benefits of hots for students in learning process 3.25 good 3.30 very good average 3.24 good 3.31 very good as shown in table 1, it shows that the jhs and shs english teachers in bengkulu province understand hots in the english learning process. the knowledge of the jhs english teachers on hots was a good category with a mean score of 3.24. it is viewed from five components of hots in which two of them were a very good category (e.g. teachers’ knowledge on hots and implementing hots in the learning process), other components were a good category (e.g. learning strategies in implementing hots, measuring and assessing hots, and benefits of hots for students in the learning process). also, the shs english teachers’ knowledge of hots was a very good category with a mean score of 3.32. among the five components, there was one only component that had a good category, namely measuring and assessing hots, while other components were a very good category. teachers’ knowledge on hots the teachers’ knowledge on hots explains about the teachers’ understanding on hots. it consisted of twelve questions. the results are presented in table 2. wisma yunita, syahrial, & gita mutiara hati english teachers’ knowledge on higher order thinking skills (hots) 208 table 2. teacher’ knowledge on hots no statements jhs shs mean category mean category 1 i know the terms of hots or higher order thinking skills. 3.44 very good 3.50 very good 2 i understand that hots is a thinking skill that is not just remembering and identifying 3.55 very good 3.58 very good 3 i understand that hots is a thinking skill that is in the cognitive domain of bloom's taxonomy 3.24 good 3.37 very good 4 i understand the six cognitive levels in boom taxonomy 3.20 good 3.16 good 5 in hots, knowledge of dimension developed in factual knowledge encourages the growth of meta-cognitive abilities 3.20 good 3.18 good 6 in hots, the knowledge of dimension developed in conceptual knowledge encourages the growth of metacognitive abilities. 3.14 good 3.31 very good 7 in hots, the knowledge of dimension developed in procedural knowledge encourages the growth of metacognitive abilities. 3.24 good 3.31 very good 8 hots fits the needs of 21th century skills. 3.60 very good 3.55 very good 9 hots increases the thinking level of students to be higher. 3.53 very good 3.54 very good 10 in the learning process that uses hots includes the level of analysis. 3.52 very good 3.63 very good 11 in the learning process that uses hots includes the level of evaluating 3.37 very good 3.50 very good 12 in the learning process that uses hots includes the level of creating 3.50 very good 3.54 very good average 3.38 very good 3.43 very good as presented in table 2, the jhs and shs english teachers have the same knowledge on hots that is very good. it indicates that they have been familiar with hots (e.g. terms and definition, the way of thinking skills, knowledge of dimension, level, the needs of hots for the 21st century). however, when it is viewed from each item of the question, there is a different response between the jhs and shs english teachers. the shs english teachers have a better understanding (a very good category) of hots’ knowledge than jhs in terms of items number 3, 6, and 7. implementing hots in learning process this component is intended to see the jhs and shs english teachers’ knowledge in implementing hots in the learning process. the results of the analysis are shown in table 3. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 209 table 3. implementing hots in learning process no statements jhs shs mean category mean category 13 i know a model of teaching based on hots that needs to be implemented in the process of learning english. 3.21 good 3.29 very good 14 project-based learning model encourages the thinking level of students to be higher. 3.39 very good 3.37 very good 15 problem-based learning model encourages the thinking level of students to be higher. 3.40 very good 3.40 very good 16 discovery learning model encourages the thinking level of students to be higher. 3.40 very good 3.32 very good 17 inquiry-based learning model encourages the thinking level of students to be higher. 3.37 very good 3.25 good 18 in the learning process, hots can be facilitated by practicing question and answer between students and teachers 3.28 very good 3.36 very good 19 in the learning process, hots can be facilitated by practicing question and answer between students and students 3.21 good 3.31 very good 20 in the learning process, hots can be facilitated by practicing group discussions 3.36 very good 3.36 very good 21 in the learning process, hots can be facilitated by using games 3.20 good 3.25 very good 22 in hots, students can be honed by providing questions that contain higher-order thinking processes 3.34 very good 3.24 good average 3.31 very good 3.31 very good as shown in table 3, the jhs and shs english teachers’ knowledge on implementing hots in the learning process is in a very category. it indicates that they know that hots can be integrated with learning models (e.g. projectbased learning, problem-based learning, discovery learning, and inquiry-based learning), practicing question and answer, group discussion, and games. the learning model applied in the learning process will influence the students’ interest to follow the learning in the classroom especially when applying hots. the learning model should have presented the stages of learning to provide a memorable, creative, and innovative learning experience (wahana, 2019) so that hots can be applied effectively. the teachers who can implement hots in the learning process give a positive impact on students. the student can develop their thinking quality and improve their knowledge for solving the problem and making the right decision (yee, lai, tee, & mohammad, 2016). also, it assists students' productive and receptive skills in english language learning. the students will be accustomed to thinking critically in everyday life whether in writing something, responding to a problem, listening to an event or opinion, and understanding the content in texts, articles, books, and so on. it confirms rosyida’s (2019) statement, language learning should link to the real situation of daily life. the students can get and feel the benefits of hots for their life. learning strategy in implementing hots in the learning process, hots is implemented with some learning strategies. it aims at improving students’ thinking skills in all learning activities. in this component, the questions about learning strategy in implementing hots consisted of seven questions. the results of the analysis are presented in table 4. wisma yunita, syahrial, & gita mutiara hati english teachers’ knowledge on higher order thinking skills (hots) 210 table 4. learning strategy in implementing hots no statements jhs shs mean category mean category 23 learning containing hots can be done using the project-based learning model. 3.30 very good 3.39 very good 24 learning containing hots can be done using the discovery-based learning model. 3.08 good 3.28 very good 25 learning containing hots can be done using the inquiry-based learning model. 3.24 good 3.24 good 26 learning containing hots can be done using the problem-based learning model. 3.31 very good 3.41 very good 27 i know a learning model that can facilitate hots 3.05 good 3.18 good 28 in the learning process using hots, teachers can provide problems to be solved by students from low to high levels 3.28 very good 3.39 very good 29 in the learning process using hots, the teacher can assign students to read literature about hots 3.01 good 3.20 good average 3.18 good 3.29 very good as presented in table 4, there is a difference in knowledge between the jhs and shs english teachers on hots in which the jhs english teachers’ knowledge is a good category while the shs english teachers’ knowledge is a very good category. it implies that the shs english teachers’ knowledge of learning strategy in implementing hots is more superior than jhs english teachers. based on each item of the question, the jhs and shs english teachers have a different understanding in terms of item 24 (e.g. learning containing hots can be done using the discovery-based learning model) in which the response of the jhs english teachers is in a good category while the shs english teachers are in a very good category. meanwhile, other items of questions are responded to by both jhs and shs english teachers in a good category (e.g. item 25, 27, and 29) and a very good category (e.g. item 23, 26, and 28). for the responses in a good category, both jhs and shs still lack the understanding that hots can be done using the inquiry-based learning model, facilitate students to improve their hots ability, and assign students to read literature. the findings above imply that english teachers understand the learning strategies in the implementing hots in learning process. as emphasized by jamaluddin, kadir, abdullah, & alias (2020) and lopez, ibanes, & racines (2017), implementing the right and appropriate learning strategies for students can make the learning process becomes easier and can maximize students' potential for hots. thus, the learning models such as project-based learning, problem-based learning, discovery learning, and inquiry-based learning, practicing question and answer, group discussion, and games are the appropriate learning strategies in implementing hots for jhs and shs students. those ask students to think higher in solving the problems and find the right solution. measuring and assessing hots this component informs the jhs and shs english teachers’ knowledge of measuring and assessing hots in the learning process. this component of hots consisted of seven questions. the results of the analysis are presented in table 5. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 211 table 5. measuring and assessing hots no statements junior high school senior high school mean category mean category 30 i know how to design an assessment instrument that contains hots 2.94 good 3.06 good 31 students' high-order thinking skills (hots) can be measured using written assessments (for example, reading test questions in the form of multiple choice) 3.08 good 3.14 good 32 students' higher order thinking skills (hots) can be measured using oral assessments (e.g. presentations) 3.18 good 3.33 very good 33 students' higher order thinking skills (hots) can be measured using observational assessments in the learning process 3.18 good 3.35 very good 34 students’ higher order thinking skills (hots) can be measured using an assessment in the form of an essay 3.18 good 3.37 very good 35 students’ higher order thinking skills (hots) can be measured using an assessment in the form of open-ended problems. 3.15 good 3.35 very good 36 in making questions containing hots, i know what operational verbs (ov) can do 2.85 good 3.12 good average 3.08 good 3.24 good as presented in table 5, the results show that both jhs and shs english teachers have the same knowledge on measuring and assessing hots in the learning process that is a good category. however, there is a different response in each item of the question. the jhs english teachers’ response in all questions is a good category, while the shs english teachers’ response consists of two categories, namely a good category (questions number 30, 31, and 36) and a very good category (questions numbers 32, 33, 34 and 35). the results of this analysis indicate that both jhs and shs english teachers have known how to measure and do assessment hots in the learning process in bengkulu. abosalem (2016) argued that teachers should create assessment techniques that help them in their job and reveal students’ skills. therefore, the varieties of assessment methods should be applied by teachers such as observations, short answer questions, and multiple-choice questions (doganay & bal, 2010). widana (2017) suggested three characteristics of assessment hots for teachers, they are; 1) measure the ability of a high level; it includes the ability to solve problems (problem-solving), critical thinking skills (critical thinking), creative thinking (creative thinking), argued ability (reasoning), and make decisions (decisionmaking). 2) contextual issue; it loads stimulus in the form of the case (based on case) such as global issue. 3) not familiar for students; it aims at building students to think to be more creative. with those suggestions, the teachers should follow the assessment principles in assessing and measuring hots in the learning process. the benefits of hots for students in learning process hots gives students some benefits in the learning process. the benefits of hots are described in fourteen questions. the results of the analysis are presented in table 6. it shows that shs english teachers have better knowledge than jhs english teachers on the benefits of host for their students in the learning process. wisma yunita, syahrial, & gita mutiara hati english teachers’ knowledge on higher order thinking skills (hots) 212 table 6. the benefits of hots for students in learning process no statements junior high school senior high school mean category mean category 37 in learning using hots, students ask questions more often 3.21 good 3.21 good 38 in learning using hots, students become more courageous in expressing their opinions. 3.24 good 3.32 very good 39 in learning using hots, students become more willing to make observations. 3.15 good 2.82 good 40 in learning using hots, students want to do experiments. 3.23 good 3.37 very good 41 in learning using hots, it will foster the students’ creativity. 3.30 very good 3.47 very good 42 in learning using hots, students take advantage of existing information technology in schools. 3.20 good 3.43 very good 43 in learning using hots, students apply procedural knowledge to specific areas of study to solve problems. 3.18 good 3.31 very good 44 in learning using hots, students process what they learn at school independently 2.97 good 3.18 good 45 in learning using hots, reasoning from what he learns in school independently. 3.01 good 3.16 good 46 in learning using hots, presenting what they learn in school independently. 3.01 good 3.10 good 47 in learning using hots, students are encouraged to do higher physical activity 3.20 good 2.67 good 48 in learning using hots, students are encouraged to do higher mental activity 3.07 good 3.08 good 49 in learning using hots, it encourages the creativity of students to solve problems and ultimately find solutions. 3.30 very good 3.43 very good 50 in learning using hots, it opens opportunities for students to use a variety of techniques, media and equipment. 3.31 very good 3.44 very good average 3.25 good 3.30 very good table 6 shows that among fourteen questions, the jhs english teachers only responded to three items of questions with a very good category. item 41 (hots will foster students’ creativity), item 49 (hots encourage students’ creativity to solve problems and ultimately find solutions), and item 50 (hots opens opportunities for students to use a variety of techniques, media, and equipment). meanwhile, the shs english teachers responded to seven items of questions with a very good category, namely item 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 49, and 50. according to the results of the research presented in table 1, it indicates that both jhs and shs english teachers have good ability in implementing hots principles in the english teaching and learning process even though the jhs english teachers’ knowledge on hots is in a good category. it also assumes that they have had good cognitive skills because hots and cognitive are related to each other. the cognitive skill in taxonomy bloom's theory includes knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation (brookhart, 2010). it means that the level of hots is higher than memorizing facts or retelling something that is heard (yuliati & lestari, 2018). thus, hots is an important thing in educational policy implementation in indonesia to improve the students’ ability in thinking skills. in this case, teachers and students are the main targets for implementing hots. english teachers who have good and very good knowledge of hots affect the english language teaching and learning process, the students, and the goals of the english language learning at jhs and shs. as affirmed by dinni (2018) and saputra (2016), hots is the ability to solve problems, think creatively, think critically, the ability to argue, and the ability to make decisions. students in every learning activity must have the skill of hots today (kusuma et al., 2017; sulaiman et al., 2017). it can be applied when making questions in language skills and language knowledge tasks for the students in the english teaching and learning process. the teachers develop those questions containing hots principles, and the students will answer the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 213 questions by using their critical thinking skills. therefore, teachers and students are related to the importance of hots in english language learning (retnawati et al., 2018). the students support the teachers’ professional development, so do the students (avargil, herscovitz, & dori, 2012). in addition, table 1 shows that the shs english teachers tend to have better knowledge than jhs english teachers do. however, their knowledge is in a good and a very good category. it seems that there are some factors influenced such as class environment (budsankom, sawangboon, damrongpanit, & chuensirimongkol 2005), academic background (nisa, nadiroh, & siswono, 2018), teachers’ motivation (teachers’ want to know. the difference of finding on the jhs and shs english teachers’ knowledge on hots is not only shown in the questionnaire, but also the results of the protocol test. this test was tested consisting of ten questions. among those questions, only seven questions contain hots (e.g., question no of 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10) while others contain lower-order thinking skills (lots) (e.g., question no of 1, 2, and 6). the results are presented in table 7. table 7. the results of protocol test no level of questions junior high school n senior high schools n correct wrong correct wrong 3 cognitive 3: (hots) – c5 (evaluate) – ov conclude 30 39 69 32 42 74 4 cognitive 3: (hots) – c5 (evaluate) – ov choose 53 16 69 63 11 74 5 cognitive 3: (hots) – c5 (evaluate) – ov decide 48 21 69 59 15 74 7 cognitive 3: (hots) – c5 (evaluate) – ov decide 64 5 69 69 5 74 8 cognitive 3: (hots) – c5 (evaluate) – ov choose 43 26 69 53 21 74 9 cognitive 3:(hots) – c4 (analyze) – ov check 65 4 69 70 4 74 10 cognitive 3: (hots) – c5 (evaluate) – ov decide 23 46 69 27 47 74 total 326 157 483 373 145 518 percentage 67.50% 32.50% 100% 72% 28% 100% table 7 shows that the percentage of correct answers from shs english teachers is higher than jhs english teachers. it indicates that the shs english teachers are better than jhs english teachers in answering the hots questions. the results assume that higher education levels demand the english teachers to have more ability to hots in the english teaching and learning process. comparing to the previous studies, the findings of this study were in line with sukmawijaya et al's. (2020) study, the authors of the english textbook for tenth-grade who have a background in english language teaching entitled bahasa inggris published by the ministry of education and culture of the republic of indonesia to have good knowledge of hots. it is viewed from the proportion of hots that has been integrated well by the authors in making language skills and language components tasks in the textbook. however, the different findings were also found in several studies conducted by several scholars about the english teachers’ and nonenglish teachers’ knowledge of hots. pratiwi, dewi, & paramartha (2019) reported that the knowledge of the english teachers in bali about hots is still low. it was proved by the summative tests made by them is still far from the hots principle. likewise, in the english textbook context, febriani et al. (2020) reported that the composition of hots in the language skills and language knowledge tasks in the textbook were not fulfilled yet the criteria of hots. it assumes that the authors of the textbook have not had a good ability in hots. the low knowledge about hots is also found in nonenglish teachers. retnawati et al’s. (2018) study revealed that the mathematic teachers’ knowledge of hots was low. although the findings of this study revealed that the english teachers’ knowledge of hots wisma yunita, syahrial, & gita mutiara hati english teachers’ knowledge on higher order thinking skills (hots) 214 was good and very good, this study also has weaknesses. it is in terms of the numbers of the participants of the study that has not received a larger number of samples in bengkulu province, especially jhs and shs english teachers who live in remote areas. therefore, it is suggested for the further researcher to conduct a study with more numbers of respondents, so that more comprehensive data will be reached. conclusion this paper has done analyzing the jhs and shs english teachers’ knowledge on hots in bengkulu province. based on the results of the analysis, it can be concluded that the jhs and shs english teachers in bengkulu have different knowledge of hots. the knowledge of jhs english teachers is a good category, while shs english teachers’ knowledge is very good on hots. their knowledge on hots was viewed in five components, namely teacher’s knowledge on hots (terms, definition, and level of hots), implementing hots in the learning process, learning strategy in implementing hots, assessing, and measuring hots, and the benefits of hots in the learning process. also, the results of the protocol test on hots show that the shs english teachers have more correct answers than jhs english teachers. the findings of this study inform the knowledge map of the junior high school and senior high school english teachers in bengkulu province on high-level thinking skills (hots), which can be useful for determining government policies related to teaching the english language, especially in bengkulu province. references abdullah, a h., mokhtar, m., halim, n. d. a., ali, d. f., tahir, l. m., & kohar, u. a. h. (2017). mathematics teachers’ level of knowledge and practice on the implementation of higher-order thinking skills (hots). eurasia: journal of mathematics science and technology education, 13(1), 3-17. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.00601a. abosalem, y. assessment techniques and students’ higher-order thinking skills. international journal of secondary education. 4(1), 1-11. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsedu.20160401.11. ashadi, r. i., & lubis, n. (2017). a survey on the levels of questioning of elt: a case study in an indonesian tertiary education. advances in language and literary studies, 8(3), 26-31. http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.8n.3p.26. andini, s. n. (2017). teachers’ perception, knowledge and behavior of higher order thinking skill (hots). eternal (english teaching journal), 8(2), 20-33. https://doi.org/10.26877/eternal.v8i2.3045. avargil, s., herscovitz, o., & dori, y. y. (2012). teaching thinking skills in context-based learning: teachers’ challenges and assessment knowledge. journal of science education and technology, 21(2), 207-225. doi: 10.1007/s10956-011-9302-7. budsankom, p., sawangboon, t., damrongpanit, s., & chuensirimongkol, j. (2005). educational research and reviews an analysis of the quality assurance policies in a ghanian university. educational research and review, 10(16), 2331–2339. https://doi.org/10.5897/err2015. brookhart, s. (2010) how to assess higher-order thinking skills in your classroom. alexandria, va: ascd. dinni, h. n. (2018). hots (high order thinking skills) dan kaitannya dengan kemampuan literasi matematika. prisma prosiding seminar nasional matematika, 1, 170-176. retrieved from https://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/prisma/ article/view/19597. doganay, a. and bal, a. p. (2010). the measurement of students’ achievement in teaching primary school fifth year mathematics classes. educational science: theory & practice, 10(1), pp. 199-215. eran, a. (2016). language as an instrument of thought. glossa: a journal of general lnguistics 1(1),46. 1–23. http://dx.doi. org/10.5334/gjgl.34. febriani, ra., yunita, w., & damayanti, i. (2020). an analysis on higher order thinking skill (hots) in compulsory english textbook for the twelfth grade of indonesian senior high schools. journal of english education and teaching (jeet),4(2),170-182. https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.4.2.170-183. gay, l. r., mills, g. e., & airasian, p. (2012). educational research: competencies for analysis and application. (10th ed.). boston: pearson. hashim, a. t., osman, r., arifin, a., abdullah, n., noh, n. m. (2015). teachers’ perception on higher order thinking skills as an innovation and its implementation in history teaching. australian journal of basic & application science, 9(32), 215-221. hugerat, m., & kortam, n. (2014). improving higher order thinking skills among freshmen by teaching science through inquiry. eurasia journal of mathematics, science and technology education, 10(5), 447–454. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2014.1107a. jamaluddin, n. s., kadir, s. a., abdullah, a., alias, s. n. (2020). learning strategy and higher order thinking skills of students in accounting studies: correlation and regression analysis. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.00601a http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.8n.3p.26 https://doi.org/10.26877/eternal.v8i2.3045 https://doi.org/10.5897/err2015 https://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/prisma/article/view/19597 https://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/prisma/article/view/19597 https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.4.2.170-183 https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2014.1107a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 215 universal journal of educational research 8(3c), 85-90. doi: 10.13189/ujer.2020.081610. kusuma, m. d., rosidin, u., abdurrahman, dan suyatna, a. (2017). the development of higher order thinking skill (hots) instrument assessment in physics study. iosr journal of research & method in education (iosr-jrme), 7(1). 26-32. doi: 10.9790/7388-0701052632. lopez, v., ibanes, o. j., & racines, p. o. (2017). students’ metacognition and cognitive style and their effect on cognitive load and learning achievement. educational technology & society, 20 (3), 145–157. madu, a. (2017). higher order tinking skills (hots) in math learning. iosr journal of mathematics (iosr-jm), 13(5), 70-75. doi: 10.9790/5728-1305027075. margono. (2010). metodologi penelitian pendidikan. jakarta: rineka cipta. mursyid, m., & kurniawati, n. (2019). higher order thinking skills among english teachers across generation in efl classroom. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 119-124. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1775. nisa, n. c., nadiroh., & siswono, e. (2018). kemampuan berfikir tingkat tinggi (hots) tentang lingkungan berdasarkan latar belakang akademik siswa. pendidikan lingkungan dan pembangunan berkelanjuta, xix(2), 1-14. http://doi.org/10.21009/plpb.192.01. pratiwi, n. p. w., dewi, n. l. p. e. s., & paramartha, a. a. g. y. (2019) the reflection of hots in efl teachers’ summative assessment. journal of education research and evaluation,3(3),127133. retnawati, h., djidu, h., kartianom, apino, e., risqa d, & anazifa. (2018). teachers’ knowledge about higher-order thinking skills and its learning strategy. problems of education in the 21st century, 76(2),215-230. rosyida, u. f. (2019). higher order thinking skills (hots) dalam pembelajaran bahasa inggris sd/mi di era revolusi industry 4.0. elementary, 7(2), 323-335. saputra, h. (2016). pengembangan mutu pendidikan menuju era global: penguatan mutu pembelajaran dengan penerapan hots (high order thinking skills). bandung: smile’s publishing. seman, s. c., yusoff, w. m. w., & embong, r. (2017). teachers challenges in teaching and learning for higher order thinking skills (hots) in primary school. international journal of asian social science, 7(7), 534–545. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.1.2017.77.534.5 45 singh, c. k. s., & marappan, p. (2020). a review of research on the importance of higher order thinking skills. journal of critical reviews, 7(8), 742-747. doi: 10.31838/jcr.07.08.161. sukmawijaya, a., yunita, w., & sofyan, d. (2020). an analysis of high order thinking skills (hots) on english textbooks for the tenth grade of indonesian senior high schools. joall (journal of applied linguistics and literature),5(2),137-148. http://dx.doi.org/10.33369/joall.v5i2.10565. sulaiman, t., muniyan, v., madhvan, d., hasan, r., & rahim, s. s. a. (2017). implementation of higher order thinking skills in teaching of science: a case study in malaysia. international research journal of education and sciences (irjes), 1(1), 2550–2158. retrieved from http://www.masree. info/wpcontent/uploads/2017/02/20170226 irjes-vol-1-issue-1-article-1.pdf. thamrin, n. r., & agustin, s. (2019). conceptual variations on reading comprehension through higher order thinking skills (hots) strategy. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 93-100. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1777. wahana, r. (2019). penerapan model pembelajaran creative problem solving (cps) untuk meningkatkan kemampuan high order thinking skills (hots) dalam pembelajaran bahasa indonesia pada kompetensi teks deskripsi kelas vi (a parallel conference paper). prosiding seminar nasional bulan bahasa (semiba) 2019, 298-305. https://ejournal.unib.ac.id/index.php/semiba. widana, i. w. (2017). higher order thinking skill assessment. journal of indonesian students assessment and evaluation, 3(1), 32-44. yee, h. m., lai, s. c., tee, k. t., & mohammad, m. m. (2016). the role of higher-order thinking skills in green skin development. matec web conferences, 70, pp. 1-5. doi:10.1051/matecconf/20167005001 yoke, s. k., hasan, n. h., jangga, r., rohani., & kamal, s. n. m. (2015). innovating with hots for the esl reading class. english language teaching, 8(8), 10-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/elt.v8n8p10. yuliati, s. r., & lestari, i. (2018). higher-order thinking skills (hots) analysis of students in solving hots questions in higher education. perspektif ilmu pendidikan, 32(2), 181-188. https://doi.org/10.21009/pip.322.10. http://doi.org/10.21009/plpb.192.01 http://dx.doi.org/10.33369/joall.v5i2.10565 https://ejournal.unib.ac.id/index.php/semiba http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/elt.v8n8p10 https://doi.org/10.21009/pip.322.10 wisma yunita, syahrial, & gita mutiara hati english teachers’ knowledge on higher order thinking skills (hots) 216 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 165 technological pedagogical and content knowledge (tpack) perception of english education students mitha septiyanti english education study program, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: mithaseptiyanti.yoko@gmail.com rita inderawati (corresponding author) english education study program, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id machdalena vianty english education study program, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: vianty.unsri@gmail.com apa citation: septiyanti, m., inderawati, r., & vianty, m. (2020). technological pegadogical and content knowledge (tpack) perception of english education students. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 165-174. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2114. received: 25-01-2020 accepted: 21-03-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: technological pedagogical and content knowledge, abbreviated as tpck or tpack, is the interdependent, situated knowledge needed to integrate the use of digital tools and resources effectively in curriculum-based teaching. this study aims to find out the tpack perception of english education students at lampung university, the way the students obtain tpack in learning, and the role of lecturers in assisting the students to obtain tpack in learning. by applying a mixed method, questionnaire and interview were used to gather the data. 225 english education undergraduate students in academic year 2018/2019 and 3 lecturers participated in this study. as result, the tpack perception of the students was generally good as the score of all domains measured (technological knowledge/tk, technological content knowledge/tck, technological pedagogical knowledge/tpk, technological pedagogical content knowledge/tpck, and technology-related learning experiences/tle) was 722.1. moreover, the students obtained tpack by observing lecturers teaching in the classroom and doing self-learning with internet as media. further, it was found that there were five roles of the lecturers in assisting the students to obtain tpack in learning, namely provider, model, controller, facilitator, and motivator. keywords: tpack; english dducation students; role of lecturers; students’ learning; ict. introduction the role of lembaga pendidikan tenaga kependidikan (lptk) or teachers’ education institution is vital as it is the institution holding the responsibility to form and prepare professional teachers. article 1 paragraph 14 of law no. 14/2005 states lptk is a university assigned by the indonesian government to organize teacher procurement programs on early childhood education of formal education, basic education and/or secondary education, and to organize and develop education and noneducation. there are various forms of lptk in indonesia, including fakultas keguruan dan ilmu pendidikan (fkip) or faculty of teacher training and education within state universities, private universities, universitas terbuka (ut) or open university, institut keguruan dan ilmu pendidikan (ikip) or former state of teacher training and education institute, private ikip, and sekolah tinggi keguruan dan ilmu pendidikan (stkip) or teacher training and education academy (ganefri, 2017). lptk plays an important role to provide english education students, pre-service teachers, with knowledge and skills to teach english. according to hudson and nguyen (2008), efl pre-service teachers are those who learn to teach english as a foreign language (henceforth, efl). the pre-service teachers refer to efl student teachers who have no previous experience in teaching english. in addition, pre-service is a stimulating experience that requires the application of theory to practice, or praxis, as preservice teachers transform and construct identities within often unfamiliar, fast-paced, and intense practicum environments. however, pre-service teachers (psts) and also inexperienced in-service teachers (ists), who are in the first year of their teaching profession, use information technologies mailto:mithaseptiyanti.yoko@gmail.com mailto:vianty.unsri@gmail.com mitha septiyanti, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty technological pegadogical and content knowledge (tpack) perception of english education students 166 in their classrooms in a very narrow manner and have limited knowledge about technology integration and utilization (dawson, 2008; ertmer, 2005; ottenbreit-leftwich, glazewski, newby, & ertmer, 2010; vanderlinde, van braak, & tondeur, 2010). therefore, it is now very important for english education students as preservice teachers to possess technology knowledge as one of 21st century skills. twenty first century skills refer to 12 abilities that today’s students need to succeed in their careers during the information age. one of those abilities is technology literacy. this is one of the important considerations for teachers to bring technology into the classroom nowadays. some previous researchers have investigated how technology had important roles in learning english to enhance students’ literacy (inderawati, 2011; fajri, inderawati, & mirizon, 2015; inderawati, petrus, & jaya, 2019). then, a specific term about integrating technology in education came up. technological pedagogical content knowledge, abbreviated as tpck or tpack (thompson & mishra, 2007-2008), is the interdependent, situated knowledge that is needed to integrate the use of digital tools and resources effectively in curriculum-based teaching. tpack framework provides a theoretical model for studying the ways in which teachers use information and communication technology (ict) in education. ict in education refers to computer based communication that is inserted into daily classroom instructional process. the ict has strength to give a contribution to the refinement of indonesian students’ english proficiency. however, the strength of ict will be more realized if the utilization of ict in the classroom is also guided by principles of good curriculum design and qualified pedagogy to teach english. voogt, fisser, roblin, tondeur and braakt (2013) believe that teachers must be familiar with various pedagogical approaches and appropriate ways to use ict to support the development of their students’ 21st century skills. this is also strengthened by inderawati (2017) that modern classroom must apply technology as the essential key component in the 21st century learning. it is because expanding learning opportunities through technology is a necessary skill for english teachers today. english teachers who do not have the skills to integrate technology in their teaching practices will be out of date (bugueño, 2013). thus, these previous studies proved that 21st century skills especially technology literacy must be invested by the lecturers in teacher education and tpack can be a term to achieve that goal. previous studies on tpack resulted in different findings. for example, yan and yuhong (2012), who examined how the pre-service english teachers could benefit from the inclusion of icts both as english language learners (ells) and would-be teachers in china, found that no matter how much the teacher knew about ict, it could not be automatically utilized in teaching. yan and yuhong (2012) also reported that the integration of icts on pre-service english teacher education impacted on changing focus from the teaching knowledge to teaching competence, from teacher-centered to student-centered learning facilitating learners to construct knowledge. another study conducted by öz (2015), who carried out a research aimed to assess pre-service efl teachers’ tpack by involving 76 preservice efl teachers at the end of four-year teacher education program at a major state university in turkey, found a highly developed knowledge of tpack. whereas the analysis of qualitative data revealed that faculty members used more tpack in the courses than cooperating teachers at practicum schools. in indonesian context, an example of research study on tpack was conducted by mahdum (2015) who investigated the use of tpack among senior high school efl teachers in pekanbaru by using self-assessed questionnaire. the result showed that overall tpack of english teachers in pekanbaru was in good category. it implies that they have been able to integrate ict, content and appropriate approach in english teaching and learning process. another study was done by inderawati, sofendi, purnomo, vianty, and suhendi (2019) about pre-service efl teachers’ engagement in utilizing technology for learning supports in palembang. it showed in the first year research that there were many things to be included: the place, class management, equipment used by students, application used, instructional material used, supporting crew, and instructors’ relation in learning activities. this present study is crucial within the recent context of education in indonesia. the indonesian ministry of education (mone) has stated that indonesian teachers need to integrate ict in the teaching and learning process (ministry of national education, 2007a; ministry of national education, 2007b; ministry of national education, 2009). in order to support the ict integration, mone has embedded on the provision of ict infrastructure at schools by english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 167 providing schools with computers, internet connection and online learning content (ministry of national education, 2010). mone has also embedded in various ict related teacher professional developments (unesco, 2007). based on the explanation and facts above, the researcher was interested in conducting a research towards english education students as pre-service english teachers. therefore, this study aims to find out the result of tpack perception of english education students’ at lampung university, the way they obtain tpack in learning, and the roles of the lecturers in assisting them to obtain tpack in learning. method this study applied a mixed method. related to the purpose of this study, the researcher took english education undergraduate students and some lecturers in academic year 2018/2019 in lampung university as participants. the researcher used questionnaire as quantitative data and interview as qualitative data. first, this study used a questionnaire to collect the data. in this case, the researcher distributed a set of questionnaire to be filled up by 225 students consisted of 72 in the second semester, 72 in the fourth semester, and 81 in the sixth semester in order to get perception of their current tpack. the questionnaire about survey of technology use, teaching, and technologyrelated learning experiences among pre-service english language teachers was adopted from ready-made one by ciptaningrum (2017). it was developed in accordance with the contexts of english as a foreign language in indonesia and pre-service english teachers. the questionnaire consisted of twenty-nine questions as the main part which were divided into five domains: (1) technological knowledge (tk), (2) technological content knowledge (tck), (3) technological pedagogical knowledge (tpk), (4) technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpck), and (5) technology-related learning experiences (tle). as long as the researcher took the data, there were 187 out of 225 students from the second till sixth semester who got involved in filling out the questionnaire. second, there were two sets of semi-structured interview conducted in order to support the first data. the first interview was constructed to some students of english education. it consisted of six questions which aimed to find out the way they obtained tpack in learning. meanwhile, the second interview was administered to get information from some lecturers. it consisted of five questions related to the roles of the lecturers in assisting english education students to obtain tpack in learning. it was held after distributing questionnaire. there were 25 students, who were chosen by employing random sampling technique and 3 lecturers by using snowball sampling technique, participated in the interview session. the researcher took likert scale form in the questionnaire as the main data. the category for each domain (five domains) was determined by its total and mean score (sd=1, d=2, n=3, a=4, sa=5). meanwhile, the results of answering descriptive questions on the questionnaire were reported in the form of percentage as supporting data. the last, it was interpreted generally and specifically to answer the first research question. for the interview, the researcher began the analysis from the transcription of interviews. codifications of the transcription were done to identify which data could connect to answer research questions, especially the second and third research questions. next, the researcher displayed the data from participants (english education students, and some lecturers) thematically in order to get a clear explanation, create meaning, and reduce overlapping and repetitive data. results and discussion the result of english education students’ tpack at lampung university the questionnaire items were devided into five domains: technological knowledge (tk), technological content knowledge (tck), technological pedagogical knowledge (tpk), technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpck), and technology-related learning experiences (tle). there were 29 items on a 5point likert scale (strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and strongly agree) which covered information about english education students’ tpack. the following section presents the results of the analysis of the questionnaire. students’ technological knowledge (tk) the first domain was technological knowledge (tk). it focused on students’ knowledge of new technology or digital technology, such as internet, smart phones, computers, laptops, and software programs. there were 3 items which students had given responses to. the result showed that the total score of responses on 3 items of technological knowledge (tk) domain was 2163 and the mean score was 721. mitha septiyanti, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty technological pegadogical and content knowledge (tpack) perception of english education students 168 students’ technological content knowledge (tck) the second domain was technological content knowledge (tck). it focused on the relationship between students’ knowledge on how to use technology and their knowledge on non-teaching topics they studied at university. there were 10 items which students had given responses to. the result showed that the total score of responses on 10 items of tck domain was 7854 and the mean score was 785.4. students’ technological pedagogical knowledge (tpk) the third domain was technological pedagogical knowledge (tpk). it focused on the relationship between students’ knowledge on how to use technology and their knowledge on teaching topics they studied at university. there were 6 items which students had given responses to. the result displayed that the total score of responses on 6 items of tpk domain was 4465 and the mean score was 744.17. students’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpck) the fourth domain was technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpck). it focused on the relationship between students’ knowledge on how to use technology and their knowledge on english language topics (both teaching and non-teaching topics) they studied at university. there were 6 items which students had given responses to.the result revealed that the total score of responses on 6 items of technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpck) domain was 4075 and the mean score was 679.17. students’ technology-related learning experiences (tle) the last domain was technology-related learning experiences (tle). it focused on the practice of using technology in the classroom. there were 4 items which students had given responses to. the result informed that the total score of responses on 4 items of technologyrelated learning experiences (tle) domain was 2723 and the mean score was 680.75. five domains of technological pedagogical and content knowledge (tpack) as previously described, there were five domains of tpack measured by likert scale in this study. the mean score was presented in table 1. table 1. mean score of five domains domains mean score category tk 721 good tck 785.4 good tpk 744.17 good tpck 679.17 good tle 680.75 good the whole domain 722.1 good the first data was obtained from the students’ questionnaire to answer the first research question. according to the result of questionnaire which used likert scale, the highest mean score (785.4) was tck domain. then, it was followed by tpk domain (744.17), tk domain (721), tle domain (680.75), and tpck domain (679.17). all domains got good category. therefore, the mean score of the whole domain was 722.1 with good category too. generally, english education students at lampung university had good perception towards tpack. it implied that the students believe that they are able to integrate technology both on content and pedagogical subject in english learning. specifically, the results pointed that the students’ perception on technological content knowledge (tck) was the best among other domains. according to koehler, mishra, kereluik, shin, and graham (2014), tck refers to inter-relationship between technology and content. then, richards (1998), as cited in van olphen (2008), stated that english language content knowledge includes an understanding of linguistics components (phonetics, phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, socio-linguistics, and pragmatics), second language acquisition, cross-cultural awareness, and language proficiency skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). the assumption meant almost all english education students in that campus were able to relate their knowledge on how to use technology and non-teaching topics (content knowledge) they studied at university. moreover, the reason of the students’ tck was higher than their tpk was most of the students were in the first and second years of learning (2nd and 4th semester). they were still english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 169 studying about non-teaching topics and had not passed teaching topics at the university yet, such as curriculum and syllabus design, lesson plan and material development, english teaching (et) method, et assessment, teaching english for specific purposes (tesp), teaching english to young learners (teyl), micro teaching, etc. it could be assumed that they prefer using technology to learn than to teach. in addition, based on the students’ interview, they claimed that they always used technology daily to search for learning materials related to the content subject, such as listening and reading practice through youtube and goodreads with or without guidance from their lecturers. the students also confirmed that they could access technology for learning purposes because they had the facilities to support their learning either at campus or at home. furthermore, the lowest two mean score of all was technology-related learning experiences (tle) in the classroom which was done by the lecturers and technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpck). although those were the lowest percentage, it still pointed good perception from the students. tpck was the lowest because most of the students did not know how to combine technology, content, and pedagogy subjects. in other words, they have no experience in teaching english by using technology. it was in line with dawson (2008), ertmer (2005), ottenbreit-leftwich, et al. (2010) and vanderlinde, et al. (2010) who stated that preservice teachers (psts) who are in the first year of their teaching professions use information technologies in their classrooms in a very narrow manner and have limited knowledge about technology integration and utilization. another lowest was tle. based on the lecturer’s interview, the head of study program said that it was because not all of the lecturers in that university integrated technology in their teaching. therefore, the students did not get full learning experiences to use technology in all subjects in the classroom. there were certainly many reasons behind it all. according to the students’ interview, the reasons of a few lecturers did not use technology in teaching were age factor, lack of knowledge and skill in operating technology, the lecturers were very busy to prepare supporting technology, the lecturers thought that technology, especially internet, brought more negative effects to the students, or it was only their alternative way to deliver materials more effectively. this finding was supported by newhouse (1999) who discussed the common barriers associated with the adoption of technology and found that the barriers preventing teachers from integrating technology were poor computer literacy, lack of time, lack of confidence, and hardware malfunctions. the way of english education students obtain tpack in learning according to the result of students’ interview, there were two themes which were related to the second research question; by observing their lecturers and doing self-learning. observing the lecturers there were several answers from students in several questions which showed that they obtained tpack by observing the way their lecturers taught in the classroom. it was proved by students’ statements below. “from the beginning i enter this campus until now (sixth semester), the lecturers always use technology in almost every subject. the media used are different, such as power point, email, youtube, until edmodo.” (question 3, student 10) “yes. some lecturers applied google classroom in their subjects. they teach us how to discuss in it, know the tasks given, collect, even see our score there.” (question 4, student 6) most of students agreed that their lecturers had integrated and involved them to use many kinds of technology and its application, such as using power point, whatsapp, email, youtube, even google classroom. it is very important for teachers to have a full knowledge of technologies in teaching language skills (pourhosein gilakjani, 2017; solanki & shyamlee1, 2012). it was because technology had an important role in promoting activities for learners and a significant effect on teachers’ teaching methods. similarly, inderawati, agusta, and sitinjak (2018) found that mobile learning as one of the modes of learning had a potential effect on students’ reading achievement. doing self-learning in addition to observing the lecturers in campus, other data revealed that the students obtained tpack by doing daily self-learning. it was proved by students’ statements below. “it helps me a lot in learning, because i often use several applications like goodreads for practicing my reading skill and youtube for my listening skill.” (question 5, student 12) mitha septiyanti, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty technological pegadogical and content knowledge (tpack) perception of english education students 170 “technology is really helpful for me. it is because i learn english by myself (autodidact) through game, film, and also music from the internet. moreover, because of technology, i have some friends from some continents. i often sharpen my english skills with them via message, phonecall, or even videocall.” (question 5, student 19) in this case, the students admitted that they got tpack in learning more because of their own learning by using internet. they were accustomed to browse material in google, open video in youtube, watch english film, listen english song, play online game with english subtitle, etc. according to lam and lawrence (2002) and gilakjani (2017), technology assists learners in adjusting their own learning process and they are able to have access to a lot of information that their teachers are not able to provide. in other words, the students could explore many things related to learning english by using technology freely. the roles of the lecturers in assisting students to obtain tpack in learning the result of lecturers’ interview showed that there were five themes which were related to the third research question. the themes were as provider, model, controller, facilitator, and motivator. provider the first role was provider some facilities and infrastructures related to the technology. it was pointed by two lecturers’ statements below. “yes. this campus provides some facilities and infrastructures related to the technology. there are lcd, projector, computer, sound system, wifi, etc. besides that, this campus has two language laboratories; university level that we call language centre (upt bahasa) and department level that is usually used for listening subject.” (lecturer 2) “yes. coincidentally unila especially fkip is now developing blended-learning. the lecturers are suggested to prepare, present, evaluate, and even communicate with the students through blended-learning (offline and online). it is supported by the campus by providing some facilities and infrastructures, such as server (internet access) in fkip. although it is not available in all buildings, it can still be served adequately. then, there are university and fkip language laboratories with all facilities inside. the last, there is a micro teaching laboratory for all departments in fkip.” (lecturer 3) in this case, all lecturers declared that the campus especially fkip had provided some facilities related to the technology, such as lcd, projector, computer, sound system, and internet server. moreover, there were also some infrastructures related to the technology to support their teaching, such as two language laboratories (faculty and university level) with all facilities inside, and a micro teaching laboratory. besides, the best condition of teachers for integrating ict were the teachers had good knowledge in technology, they were confident and eager to do the technology integration, and they were fully supported by facilities and infrastructures in the institution. this was in line with the research conducted by bingimlas (2009) who elaborated that one of the major barriers in integrating ict into teaching and learning process was lack of access to resources. thus, it was necessary for the institution such as university to provide adequate facilities and infrastructures related to the technology in this era. model the second role was model in demonstrating tpack to the students. it was pointed by two lecturers’ statements below. “yes. i always use lcd every meeting when i teach students in the classroom. it is because in my opinion, technology can be integrated in almost all english subjects. i usually share and accept students’ tasks through email and whatsapp. there is also google classroom which is officially used in this year. it is for all grades but not all lecturers apply that due to each other’s activities.” (lecturer 1) “yes, i do. i have integrated technology in my teaching since ten years ago. i always do it for almost all subjects which i hold. for example, in qualitative research data analysis and second language acquisition (sla), i always use videos from youtube about the learning theories from some experts. so, the students’ insight can be broader.” (lecturer 3) based on the result of interview, it approved the results in previous questions. the lecturers had already integrated technology to teach their subjects, although the way and the frequency were different. lecturers needed to show the ability in using new technology like the internet and digital video in order to give example directly to the students about the utilization of technology in education, especially in english. the ability included teachers’ skills in sharing and accepting students’ tasks through email and whatsapp, english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 171 teaching students through web-based technology, such as virtual class, and using videos from youtube about learning theories from some experts. it was supported by the statement from murphy, depasquale, and mcnamara (2003) that teachers should model the use of technology to support the curriculum so that learners can increase the true use of technology in learning their language skills. controller the third role was controller for the utilization of technology in the classroom. it was pointed by two lecturers’ statements below. “i prefer to use technology in teaching due to some reasons; it will be more interesting for students, data can be stored by all students for a long time, and it opens chance for indirectly teaching and learning when it is needed.” (lecturer 1) “there are 2 considerations when i use technology; the availability of facility and infrastructure in faculty (e.g. lcd is ready, projector is in good condition, or even internet server does not get down at that time) and readiness of human resources in this case students in accepting material through technology.” (lecturer 2) in fact, every lecturer had different considerations in using technology when they were in the classroom. based on lecturers’ interview, the considerations were divided into 3 categories; the readiness of lecturers, students, and environment. the lecturers’ readiness included their knowledge and skill in using technology in the classroom. the students’ readiness included their mental readiness in receiving learning material through technology. whilst, environment readiness included the availability of facilities and infrastructure, condition of server, electricity, etc. on the other hand, technology was used in teaching and learning process regarding to its advantages, such as it was up-to-date, interesting, could be long lasting data, opened indirectly teaching and learning process, etc. moreover, koehler and mishra (2008) asserted that teachers should also need to decide whether the technology supports or hinders the attainment of the purpose of the lesson. it was done because the lecturers’ decision would influence students’ learning directly or indirectly. facilitator the fourth role was students’ facilitator in getting tpack. it was pointed by two lecturers’ statements below. “yes. i always give tasks which force them to use technology. for example, in pragmatic subject, i asked them to search a film and then analyse the utterances inside. so, the students would learn how to download a film, present it in power point, cut the segments needed, etc. the point is giving the students tasks about technology will indirectly make them think how to use technology for learning. in this case, the students who have ability to do it will help the others in his/her group because it is a group work.” (lecturer 1) “yes. i like to challenge my students to use technology as learning media. for example, in oral translation subject, i ask them to make a video about the translation and then they must upload it in their own youtube channel. the last, they do not need to burn the video in cd, they just have to send their video-link to me.” (lecturer 2) the lecturers recognized that they were used to invite their students to use technology actively in learning with many kinds of activities, such as giving tasks which forced them to use technology, challenging students to use technology as learning media, and enriching the learning material. the goal was to get the students and technology engaged. moreover, the use of technology has changed the teaching method from teachercentered to learner-centered. therefore, teachers should be facilitators and guide their learners’ learning and this change is very useful for learners to increase their learning (riasati, allahyar, & tan, 2012). motivator the last role was motivator in encouraging students to integrate technology in their learning. it was pointed by two lecturers’ statements below. “yes, it is really helpful in enriching and presenting material. moreover, it can make the students be more active inside and outside classroom.” (lecturer 1) “yes. it is not only lecturers who get the benefits of using technology, but also the students. through technology, the students can learn and get material needed from many sources faster, easier, more directed, and more interesting.” (lecturer 3) mitha septiyanti, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty technological pegadogical and content knowledge (tpack) perception of english education students 172 the three lecturers who had been interviewed were optimistic about the good impact of technology in their students’ learning. the lecturers always encouraged their students to use technology because they assumed many benefits of technology for students’ learning. for example, the students could learn, get, and enrich material needed from many sources in the internet faster, easier, more directed, and more interesting, present material through technology, and also give their best performances in the classroom. it was in line with mishra’s and koehler’s (2006) point of view that technology is able to provide access to explanations, representations, analogies, and demonstrations that make the subject matter more accessible to the learner. conclusion first, the tpack perception of english education students at lampung university in academic year 2018/2019 is generally in good category. it implies that the students believe that they are able to integrate technology either on content or pedagogical subject in english learning. the mean score of all domains measured (technological knowledge/tk, technological content knowledge/tck, technological pedagogical knowledge/tpk, technological pedagogical content knowledge/tpck, and technology-related learning experiences/tle) is 722.1. the highest mean score is on tck domain (785.4), while the lowest one of all is on tpck domain (679.17). second, there are two ways how english education students obtain tpack in learning. the first is by observing lecturers when they teach in the classroom. the second is by doing self-learning with internet as media. third, it was found that there are five roles of the lecturers in assisting english education students to obtain tpack in learning. the roles are provider of facilities and infrastructures related to the ict, model in integrating ict in the classroom, controller whether the learning material needed ict or not, facilitator between students and technology, and motivator to encourage students to use ict wisely. references bingimlas, k. a. (2009). barriers to the successful integration of ict in teaching and learning environments: a review of the literature. eurasia journal of mathematics, science & technology education, 5(3), 235-245. bugueño, w. m. r. (2013). using tpack to promote effective language teaching in an esl/efl classroom. (unpublished graduate research papers). university of northern iowa. ciptaningrum, d. s. (2017). the development of the survey of technology use, teaching, and technology-related learning experiences among pre-service english language teachers in indonesia. journal of foreign language teaching & learning, 2(2), 11-26. dawson, v. (2008). use of information and communication technology by early career science teachers in western australia. international journal of science education, 30(2), 203–219. departemen pendidikan nasional. (2005). undangundang nomor 14 tahun 2005, tentang guru dan dosen. jakarta, indonesia: depdiknas. ertmer, p. a. (2005). teacher pedagogical beliefs: the final frontier in our quest for technology integration. educational technology, research and development, 53(4), 25–39. fajri, h. m., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2015). the implementation of peer editing technique to improve students’ writing achievement. the journal of english literacy education: the teaching and learning of english as a foreign language, 2(2), 48-57. ganefri. (2017). kebijakan lptk dalam mempersiapkan guru profesional. jakarta: tim pengembang program ppg. hudson, p. b., & nguyen, t. m. h. (2008). what do preservice efl teachers expect from their mentors? in australian association of research in education (aare) conference. retrieved from http://eprints.qut.edu.au/. inderawati, r. (2011). from classroom to peer comment in facebook: bridging learners’ literacy. paper presented in the 4th international conference ict for language learning. pixel, italy. inderawati, r. (2017). the dynamics of efl teaching in indonesia: be innovative teachers through social media. english language teaching and research, 1(1), 29-37. inderawati, r., agusta, o., & sitinjak, m. (2018). the potential effect of developed reader response strategy-based mobile reading for students’ establishing character and comprehension achievement. indonesian journal of informatics education, 2(2), 117-126. inderawati, r., petrus, i., & jaya, h. p. (2019). exploring and identifying technology-based dynamic learning through social media in academic writing. english community journal, 3(1), 317–324. inderawati, r., sofendi, purnomo, m. e., vianty, m., & suhendi, d. (2019). students’ engagement in utilizing technology for learning support. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 173 english franca: academic journal of english language and education, 3(2), 181-195. koehler, m. j., & mishra, p. (2008). introducing tpck. aacte committee on innovation and technology (ed.), the handbook of technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpck) for educators, (pp. 3-29). mahwah, nj: lawrence erlbaum associates. koehler, m. j., mishra, p., kereluik, k., shin, t. s., & graham, c. r. (2014). the technological pedagogical content knowledge framework. in j. m. spector et al (eds), handbook of research on educational communications and technology, (pp. 101-111). new york: springer science. lam, y., & lawrence, g. (2002). teacher-student role redefinition during a computer-based second language project: are computers catalysts for empowering change? computer assisted language learning, 15(3), 295-315. mahdum. (2015). technological pedagogical and content knowledge (tpack) of english teachers in pekanbaru, riau, indonesia. mediterranean journal of social sciences, 6(5), 168-176. ministry of national education. (2007a). peraturan menteri pendidikan nasional republik indonesia nomor 16 tahun 2007 tentang standar kualifikasi akademik dan kompetensi guru [the minister of national education regulation no. 16/2007 about teacher academic qualification and competency standard]. jakarta, indonesia: kementerian pendidikan nasional. ministry of national education. (2007b). peraturan menteri pendidikan nasional republik indonesia nomor 41 tahun 2007 tentang standar proses untuk satuan pendidikan dasar dan menengah [the minister of national education regulation no. 41/2007 about the standardize processed for primary and secondary level of education]. jakarta, indonesia: kementerian pendidikan nasional. ministry of national education. (2009). peraturan menteri pendidikan nasional republik indonesia nomor 78 tahun 2009 tentang penyelenggaraan sekolah bertaraf internasional pada jenjang pendidikan dasar dan menengah [the minister of national education regulation no. 78/2009 about the implementation of international standard school at primary and secondary level of education]. jakarta, indonesia: kementerian pendidikan nasional. ministry of national education. (2010). rencana strategis pendidikan 2010-2014 [strategic plan in education 2010-2014]. jakarta, indonesia: kementerian pendidikan nasional. mishra, p., & koehler, m. j. (2006). technological pedagogical content knowledge: a framework for teacher knowledge. teachers college record, 108(6), 1017-1054. murphy, k., depasquale, r., & mcnamara, e. (2003). meaningful connections: using technology in primary classrooms. young children, 58(6), 1218. newhouse, p. (1999). examining how teachers adjust to the availability of portable computers. australian journal of educational technology, 15(2), 148-166. ottenbreit-leftwich, a., glazewski, k., newby, t., & ertmer, p. (2010). teacher value beliefs associated with using technology: addressing professional and student needs. computers & education, 55, 1321–1335. öz, h. (2015). assessing pre-service english as a foreign language teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge. international education studies, 8(5), 119-130. pourhosein gilakjani, a. (2017). a review of the literature on the integration of technology into the learning and teaching of english language skills. international journal of english linguistics, 7(5), 95-106. riasati, m. j., allahyar, n., & tan, k. e. (2012). technology in language education: benefits and barriers. journal of education and practice, 3(5), 25-30. solanki, d., & shyamlee1, m. p. (2012). use of technology in english language teaching and learning: an analysis. in 2012 international conference on language, medias and culture ipedr, 33, 150-156. singapore: iacsit press. thompson, a. d., & mishra, p. (2007-2008). breaking news: tpck becomes tpack! journal of computing in teacher education, 24(2), 38-64. unesco. (2007). initiating and managing schoolnets. retrieved from http:// www2.unescobkk.org/elib/publications/111/ van olphen, m. (2008). tpck an integrated framework for educating world language teachers. in aacte (ed.), the handbook of technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpck) for educators. new york: routledge. vanderlinde, r., van braak, j., & tondeur, j. (2010). using an online tool to support school-based ict policy planning in primary education. journal of computer assisted learning, 26, 434–447. voogt, j., fisser, p., roblin, n. p., tondeur, t. j., & braakt. (2013). technological pedagogical content knowledge: a review of the literature. journal of computer assisted learning, 29, 109121. yan, c., & yuhong, j. (2012). integration of icts into subject teaching in preservice english teacher education. proceedings of 2012 international conference on information technology based higher education and training (ithet), (pp. 15). istanbul, turkey: ieee. mitha septiyanti, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty technological pegadogical and content knowledge (tpack) perception of english education students 174 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 555 form and modulation of metaphor translation to indonesian of vingt-milles lieues sous les mers of jules verne yusi asnidar universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia email: yusiasnidar_7317157789@mhs.unj.ac.id m. syarif sumantri department of applied linguistics, postgraduate studies, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia email: syarifsumantri@unj.ac.id ninuk lustyantie department of applied linguistics, postgraduate studies, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia email: ninuk.lustyantie@unj.ac.id apa citation: asnidar, y., sumantri, m. s., & lustyantie, n. (2022). form and modulation of metaphor translation to indonesian of vingt-milles lieues sous les mers of jules verne. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 555-564. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6255 received: 27-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction language and cultural diversity is not only a phenomenon, but also an important foundation in foreign language teaching which is regulated in the european language teaching frame of reference, namely cefr (council of europe, 2020). plurilingualism is presented in the cefr as a changing competence, in which the learner’s resources in one language or variety may be very different in nature to those in another (council of europe 2018). the council of europe refers to this competence as the repertoire of resources which the students acquire in all the languages they know or have learned, and the cultures associated with them (beacco, jean-claude, byram, cavalli, coste, cuenat, goullier, and panthier, 2016). it is indeed essential that students gain knowledge and understanding of different languages so that they develop social and intercultural understanding, but in order to achieve this, plurilingualism needs to be promoted in the classroom (chabert, 2018), and it is marked by the move from language separation to integration of languages in the classroom (piccardo, antony-newman, chen, & banafsheh, 2021). the abstract: this research aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the form and modulation of metaphor translation from french to indonesian, its use in the communicative context of speech events. furthermore, this study also looks at the relevance of the results of the translation of the form and modulation with mediation, plurilingual and pluricultural competences in the cefr european standard language proficiency. the data sources used are the novel vingt-milles lieues sous les mers by jules verne and its translated novel 20.000 mil di bawah laut by nh dini. the data in this study is a metaphor in a broad sense. the most dominant form of metaphor translation used is reproduction. next, there are substitutions and paraphrases. the combined form of reproduction+paraphrasing is found in the vlm metaphor translation. equivalence of meaning is obtained by using explicit and implicit modulation, special and general meanings, and point of view. the context of speech events contributes to producing an equivalent and natural translation. the results of this translation indicate that translation activities are complex language activities and require precision and accuracy. translating literary works requires cultural mastery and an advanced level of linguistic mastery. the competencies are described in the petra project terms of reference contained in the cefr 2020 and cecrl 2018 terms of reference. translating skills require guided practice acquired through a well-oriented education. the ability to understand metaphors and other cultures and be able to compare them by providing analogies in the local culture is a plurilingual and pluricultural competence. keywords: metaphor; forms of metaphor translation; modulation; mediation competence; plurilingual and pluricultural competence. yusi asnidar, m. syarif sumantri, & ninuk lustyantie form and modulation of metaphor translation to indonesian of vingt-milles lieues sous les mers of jules verne 556 language teaching curriculum should place plurilingualism and pluriculturalism as important components in teaching, including mediation activities, one of which is translating text. along with the development of science and information technology, the need for translation is currently increasing. the cultural representation in the novel can be seen from the choice of words and the use of figurative expressions. one of the figurative forms that are often found in literary works is metaphor. dubois (2002) explained that metaphor is a figure of speech or figurative expression commonly used in rhetoric. metaphor is a concrete word that describes an abstract concept. hence, metaphor is defined not as a deviant linguistic representation but as the result of conceptual metaphors through which the underlying concept is expressed by a linguistic element (aprouz & mohammadi, 2022). metaphor is a concern in the field of cognitive linguistics, which was first coined by lakoff and johnson (1980). metaphors can be general in nature, but they can also be specific and can be influenced by certain cultures. in line with this, lustyantie and dewi (2020) emphasized that language does not only determine cultural styles, but also ways of thinking. translators often experience difficulties in translating metaphors. therefore, the translation of metaphor was handled under the cognitive framework by taking into consideration that each linguistic metaphor is created by the human cognitive system, through which things and events are conceptualized by using the experiences in a particular culture (hastürkoğlu, 2018). in literacy translation, there is even a term of untranslatability which some scholars have used this idea to mediate, comprehend, and translate the linguistic and cultural differences (fani, 2021). as putranti (2018) stated, translation is concerned with not only transferring message written in one language into another language accurately, but also obtaining the naturalness of message delivery, so that equivalent translation can be produced. larson in rahmatillah (2017) mentioned four points of translation difficulties reasons: (1) the components of meaning are always packed in the points of lexical (words) but the way translators transfer the words maybe different between the sources to the target language. (2) the components of the same meaning may appear in different words. (3) a certain word could be used to represent multiple meanings. (4) a meaning can be expressed with many different kinds of words. despite the difficulties, metaphor is an indispensable reality of translation that should be encountered by translators (supardi, 2018). metaphors can be translated through three techniques (snell-hornby 2006; baker, 2011), namely; 1) translating sl metaphors into metaphors that have the same equivalent (procedure m→m), 2) translating metaphors with different metaphors, but with the same meaning (procedure m1→m2) which results in substitution forms, 3) translating sl metaphors with nonmetaphors / paraphrases (procedure m1→p). in the translation process, the shift includes not only form, but also meaning, which is known as modulation. /meaning, which is also known as modulation. modulation is generally divided into changing the point of view, general/special meaning coverage, and explicit/implicity (durjava, 2012). through the medium of the translator’s voice, multiple linguistic and cultural framings are brought into relation so that meanings may be communicated across linguistic and cultural boundaries (liddicoat, 2016). this is in line with gonzález-davies (2019), believing that aside from linguistic skills required in translation, intercultural mediation skills are necessary required as well. according to hartono (2011), modulation is a procedure when there is a change in point of view, focus or cognitive category in the source language text, both lexically and structurally. this procedure has the characteristic of changing the point of view of the category focus in the source language, both lexically and structurally. machali (2000) explained that meaning shift or modulation can be done by lexical substitution which is divided into two, namely concretization and generalization. based on the various types of modulation proposed by vinay and dalbernet (1977) and durjavu (2012), it can be simplified into 1) a change of point of view, 2) the scope of general and specific meanings, and 3) explicitation / implicit. this study used a combination of the theories of vinay and dalbernet (1977), and durjava (2012). metaphor cannot be translated literally; it has to undergo some adjustment or alteration (hong & rossi, 2021). this adjustment is called as mediation. mediation is the intervention of a translator in a process of finding equivalents which english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 557 can be in the form of word choice, grammatical form, or phonology. mediation concerns how far the translator intervenes in the transfer process, incorporating his knowledge and belief in the translation process (hatim & munday, 1997). mediation frames the act of translation as a complex engagement with meanings across languages and cultures (katan, 2013). it is also emphasized in hoed (2003) that mediation mainly occurs in the translation of culturally charged texts, such as fairy tales, children's stories, literary works, philosophical works, and religious texts. translation is a form of mediation that aims to facilitate the pluricultural sphere as seen in mediation activities and strategies described below in the european language curriculum reference framework (council of europe, 2020). figure 1. mediation activities and strategies in the reference to the petra project (2016), mediation competence in transferring messages includes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to translate into tl at the required level. these capabilities are described as follows. (1) understanding st. (2) identify translation problems. (3) knowledge of translation strategies. (4) implementation of translation strategies. (5) production of tsu. (6) justification of translation. (7) literary approach. (8) literary creativity. media activities translating texts are closely related to aspects of plurilingualism and pluriculturalism. plurilingual and pluricultural competence are defined as the competence to communicate with language and interact in culture owned by someone who masters (to varying degrees) several languages and has experience interacting with various cultures (to varying degrees). typically, individuals who have high ppc levels are aware of similarities and differences among cultural groups and comfortable navigating between and among cultures (galante and dela cruz, 2021). plurilingual approaches empower learners through recognition of their plurilingual repertoire and their diverse knowledges and identities (canagarajah, 2013; galante, 2019, 2021; lin, 2013). this concept was first coined by coste, et al. in beacco et al., (2016). these competencies include the use of pluricultural repertoire, plurilingual understanding, and the use of plurilingual repertoires (conseil de l’europe, 2018). figure 2. plurilingual and pluricultural competence plurilingual and pluricultural competence exploit pluricultural repertoire plurilingual comprehension exploit pluricultural repertoire yusi asnidar, m. syarif sumantri, & ninuk lustyantie form and modulation of metaphor translation to indonesian of vingt-milles lieues sous les mers of jules verne 558 a review of several previous research results that are relevant to this study aims to find a gap between previous research and this research. olynyk (2014) in his article discussing the metaphor translation strategy by maintaining metaphorical and non-metaphorical forms in ukrainian focuses on the theory of metaphor translation proposed by newmark (1988). hemphill (2019) examined the importance of identifying conceptual metaphors and analyzing them first before translating text techniques. shi (2014) examined the translation of metaphors from english to chinese using two main strategies, namely domestication and foreignization. in this case, the translation is based on three procedures: 1) finding a suitable conceptual metaphor in the target language, 2) the cultural techniques involved in the metaphor must be maintained as well as possible, and 3) the technique of translating the metaphor that is culturally specific and unique. we should use a translation strategy that is in accordance with the purpose and function of the metaphor itself. based on the descriptions of articles relevant to the research, translation has an important role in the development of civilized society that upholds cultural diversity and democratic life. translation is a mediation activity that is the main concern in the framework of reference for the european language teaching curriculum, namely cefr (council of europe, 2020). there are four main types of linguistic activities, namely understanding, production, interaction and mediation. this shifts the old paradigm that views the four language activities of oral comprehension, spoken production, written comprehension, and written production. the aspects of plurilingualism and pluriculturalism promoted by the division of linguistic policy of the council of the european union are the primordial elements in foreign language teaching. plurilingualism, with its embedded construct of plurilingual and pluricultural competence (ppc) (which we elaborate on below), encompasses an explicit and equal emphasis on the cultural dimension (pluriculturality) which is essential to language pedagogy (chen, karas, shalizar, & piccardo, 2022). of course this is closely related to mediation competence. the translator as a mediator is responsible for producing translations that are accepted by the community and commensurate with emphasizing the meaning to be conveyed. mediation competence, which cannot be separated from plurilingual and pluricultural competencies, plays an important role in translation activities, especially the translation of metaphors which are closely related to sl culture. the complexity and description of the processes that occur in translation implies the importance of teaching translation. this is the background of this research to review the form and modulation of metaphor translation from french (sl) to indonesian (tl) and its relevance in developing mediation, plurilingual and pluricultural competencies in the common european framework of reference for languages. /cefr). instead of saying equivalence of meaning, many theorists give the term functional equivalence or skopos theory: a translated text must produce the same aesthetic effect as the original text. to be precise, equality in the exchange of values. therefore, this research novelty is formulated in the problem of the research as follows: (1) what is the form of translation used in translating metaphors? (2) how is modulation used in metaphor translation? (3) how is the relevance of the form and modulation of metaphor translation with the development of mediation, plurilingual, and pluricultural competencies in the european standard language proficiency terms of reference (cefr)? method this study uses a qualitative approach because the data collected is in the form of words. this is one of the main characteristics of qualitative research as stated by creswell (2012). the method used is a qualitative content analysis method. as stated by kripendorff (2004) that qualitative content analysis is a research methodology that analyzes textual information systematically which is then standardized to produce interpretations. the analysis step is to match the metaphors contained in the french novel and its translation, then analyze the translation form, then determine the modulation used, explain the factors that cause the use of form and modulation in the translation of the metaphor, as well as its relevance to mediation skills, plurilingualism, and pluriculturalism in the scope of the cefr. this study was designed by using wiersma (1986) method. the researcher determined the research focus, submitted a research statement, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 559 collected research data, and validated the data. furthermore, the researcher analyzed and interpreted the research findings, until at the final stage, the researcher conducted verification and drew conclusions from the research results. this design is also in accordance with the components of qualitative data analysis presented by miles and huberman (2014), namely data collection and reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. the sources of data in this study are metaphors contained in: (1) the novel vingt-mille lieus sous les mers, (2) 20,000 miles under the sea by nh. early. the qualitative data collection techniques used according to this research are documents and indepth interviews as well as verifying the comparison of meanings in the french-french dictionary and the big indonesian dictionary. results and discussion results the metaphors collected as data are metaphors in a broad sense, namely all forms of figure of speech, idioms, and proverbs contained in the french novel as a source language (sl) by jules verne, entitled vingtmille lieues sous les mers (vlm) and the translation results. into indonesian as the target language (tl) in the novel translated by nh. early, 20,000 miles di bawah lautan (dbl). there are 156 metaphors found. the metaphors are collocations in the form of phrases, clauses, and sentences. metaphor translation produced reproductive forms, namely replicating the same form with a total of 92 with a percentage of 59%, substitution, replacing the sl metaphor with a different metaphor with a number of 39, with a percentage of 25%, paraphrasing, using non-metaphorical forms, amounting to 22 with a percentage of 14%, and combined forms of reproduction + paraphrasing as much as 3 with a percentage of 2%. table 1. metaphor translation form percentage form of metaphor total percentage reproduction 92 59 % substitution 39 25% paraphrase 22 14% reproduction +paraphrase 3 2% figure 3. form of metaphor translation metaphor translation modulation the translation of metaphors using explicit/implicit modulation is 73 with a percentage of 41%. furthermore, there is the use of general and special modulation, namely a shift in meaning that experiences an expansion of meaning from specific to general, and narrowing of meaning from general to specific, totaling 35 with a percentage of 10%. the use of point of view modulation is 27% as much as 25%, and the use of combined general/special + explicit/implicit meaning modulation is 21 with a percentage of 15%. table 2. percentage of translation modulation modulation total percentage explicitation/implicitation 73 47 % general and specific 35 22 % point of view 27 17% general/specific+ exp/imp 21 15% figure 4. the use of translation modulation discussion reproduction metaphor yusi asnidar, m. syarif sumantri, & ninuk lustyantie form and modulation of metaphor translation to indonesian of vingt-milles lieues sous les mers of jules verne 560 data 1 1a) un ecueil fuyant (vlm, p.1) 1b) terumbu karang yang menghilang (dbl, p.1) the metaphor in french is in the form of personification. ecueil, an inanimate object as if depicted as a living being that can disappear. the translation above shows that the metaphor is translated by means of reproduction, which is to reproduce the same metaphor in sl. the french metaphor is re-translated into a metaphor that has exactly the same meaning. reproduction + paraphrase metaphor data 2 2a) aussi bien, n’en déplaise à monsieur, répondit conseil, qu’un bernard-l’ermite dans la coquille d’un buccin. » (vlm, p.24) 2b) « sesenang udang pertapa di dalam cangkang kerang laut. suka atau tidak kita terpaksa » (dbl, p.20) the translation of the above metaphor uses reproduction and paraphrasing techniques. the translator tried to maintain the metaphorical form by translating literally, but also provided additional information. the result of this translation technique is called the form of reproduction metaphor + paraphrase. substitution metaphor data 3 3a) nulle affaire n’a été couronne de plus de succès (vlm, p.7) 3b) tidak ada usaha yang membawa hasil lebih baik dari itu (dbl, p.6) the expression above contains a metaphor in the form of a passive sentence. literally, the meaning is that there is no business that is not crowned by success. translators still tried to maintain the french metaphor, but replaced it with a different metaphor, namely by using a substitution technique so that the result is called a substitution metaphor. the meaning of this metaphor is influenced by the context that surrounds it. paraphrase metaphor data 4 4a) l’abraham lincoln ne pouvait lutter de vitesse avait modéré sa marche et se tenait sous petite vapeur (vlm, p.49) 4b) karena tidak bertanding kecepatan, abraham l mengurangi kelajuannya dan berlayar dengan tekanan uap kecil (dbl, p.39) the sentence in french uses a metaphor in the form of personification which analogizes the abraham lincoln ship as a human walking and stepping. instead of using metaphors as equivalents in indonesian, translators preferred to provide explanations by paraphrasing. explicitation/ implicitation metaphor data 5 5a) cette mystérieuse mer (vlm, p.31) 5b) laut yang penuh misteri (dbl, p.25) the french metaphor literally means this mysterious sea is translated using explicit modulation. the translation of the french metaphor into indonesian is laut yang penuh misteri. the translator tried to translate literally, but added words so that it becomes laut yang penuh misteri. this translation is correct and in accordance with the rules of the indonesian language. data 6 6a) mille diable (vlm, p.355) 6b) sialan! (dbl, p.251) the french mille diable metaphor, literally means thousands of demons. satan is a spirit that is associated with the concept of l'esprit du mal, le démon. evil spirit, devil. the translation into indonesian becomes «sialan». the word sialan is a metaphor for sarcasm. in indonesian dictionary, sialan is a noun used to curse, including harsh words. in this case, the translator used implicit modulation of meaning. sialan, comes from the root word sial, meaning unlucky. general/specific meaning modulation data 7 7a) la mer étant belle (vlm, p.7) 7b) laut tenang (dbl:6) french metaphor which literally means beautiful sea in its translation to indonesian is a calm sea. the word beautiful is a physical description of qui suscite un plaisir esthétique d'ordre visuel ou auditif that evokes visual or auditory aesthetic pleasure. laut tenang has the meaning of looking still, not moving or making waves, not being restless: not rioting; not messed up; not noisy; safe and secure (about feelings, circumstances). this translation uses special meaning modulation. the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 561 word belle has a wider range of meanings when compared to the word tenang. data 8 8a) le bruit du vent et de la mer (vlm, p.49) 8b) suara angin dan laut (dbl, p.40) french metaphor le bruit du vent et de la mer literally means the sound of the wind and the sea. in its translation into indonesian it becomes suara angin dan laut. the word bruit refers to a special meaning, namely noise, noise. the translation into indonesian becomes suara that has a broader and general meaning. in this case, the translation of the french metaphor into indonesian undergoes a special to general meaning modulation. general specific meaning + exp/imp modulation data 9 9a) ces lueurs qui flottent dans les plus profondes nuits (vlm, p.70) 9b) sinar tak menentu yang melayang dalam kehitaman paling padat sekalipun (dbl, p.55) the french metaphor above literally means a flash of light that floats in the darkest night. the translation into indonesian is an erratic ray that floats in even the densest blackness. there is an explicit meaning in lueurs (irregular rays), les plus profondes (even the densest), and modulation of specific to general meaning in the word nuit (blackness). data 10 10a) a six heure, le jour se fit subitement avec cette rapidite particuliere (vlm, p. 314) 10b) pukul enam, tiba-tiba suasana menjadi cepat terang (dbl, p.224) the french metaphor above literally means at six o'clock, suddenly the “day” rushes by at a certain speed. in translating it to indonesian, it was six o'clock, the atmosphere suddenly became light. the modulation of explicit and implicit meaning is shown in the addition of the word to and the omission of prepositions before the phrase "six morning". the modulation of general to specific meaning is found in the word jour which is paired with atmosphere. point of view modulation data 11 11a) nulle affaire n’a été couronne de plus de succès (vlm, p.7) 11b) tidak ada usaha yang membawa hasil lebih baik dari itu (dbl, p.6) the sl metaphor above literally means that there is no business that is not crowned by success. the translation into tl becomes no effort that brings better results than that. in this case, the translation uses point of view modulation by replacing passive diathesis in sl to passive diathesis in sl. relevance of translation form and modulation with mediation, plurilingual, and pluricultural competencies based on the results of the metaphor translation found, reproduction is the form that appears the most. furthermore, there is the use of substitution and paraphrasing forms. the combined form variations found are reproduction+paraphrasing. this shows that the translation of the vlm novel seeks to bring the sl culture closer to the reader. furthermore, in terms of meaning modulation, the most commonly found use of modulation is the variation of meaning explication/implication. the next use of modulation is the variation of general to specific meaning and special to general meaning or in other terms also called concretization, generalization, narrowing, and expansion of meaning. next is point of view modulation. combined variations between the specific general meaning and the explicit/implicit are also found. implicity is done to avoid repeated meanings, as in the sentence un danger réel, sérieux éviter. bahaya yang nyata, serius untuk dihindari, translates to bahaya yang sangat serius. variations in general and special meanings cannot be avoided because of cultural differences between sl and tl. in this case, there are various nuances of meaning, such as velocité (speed) which has a wider or general scope of meaning. this word is often translated into a more specific agility. then, the more general word esprit is translated into a more specific idea. penible which of meaning is more specific is translated into difficult which has a more general and broad meaning. point of view modulation bridges the cultural differences between sl and tl. in french culture, a person who is so hungry that his stomach hurts is expressed in the metaphor of la faim nous aigullionait (the hunger pierces our stomachs). in translating it into tl, the sentence translates to rasa lapar melilit perut kami. in this case, french culture yusi asnidar, m. syarif sumantri, & ninuk lustyantie form and modulation of metaphor translation to indonesian of vingt-milles lieues sous les mers of jules verne 562 analogizes hunger with a sharp needle, while in indonesian culture, hunger is analogous to a snake or a rope that can be tightly wrapped. this shift in point of view also gives the impression of fairness so that the translation is not rigid. in this case, it can be seen that there is a dynamic equivalence as described by nida & taber (1969) and halverson (2010), namely that translation must bring the idea and nature of the text in sl closer and use natural expressions that are easy for the reader to understand. in translating metaphors into sl, there are rigidities and irregularities as in the following examples. cette bienfaisante lumière ranima nos forces translates to sinar yang dermawan itu menghidupkan kembali kekuatan kami. the translator translates the metaphor literally. the word philanthropist which is juxtaposed with light feels stiff even though the translator tries to maintain the meaning of bienfaisante to present a «odd» feel. many forms of reproduction are found in narratives, which amount to 70. the forms of reproduction are also found in 12 monologues and 10 dialogues. although this translation tries to maintain the form as close as possible to the sl, a shift in meaning in the form of modulation must also be done to produce equivalence. most of the modulation used in the translation of this reproduction is explicit/implicit, totaling 39. furthermore, there are also 24 general/special modulations, 21 combined, and 8 points of view. the form of reproduction + paraphrasing (nonmetaphoric) which amounted to 3 pieces was found in the form of narrative and monologue storytelling. there are 30 forms of substitution found in narration, 5 dialogues, and 4 monologues. furthermore, there are 15 forms of substitution using point of view modulation, 13 of explanations, and 6 general/specific forms. large is found in the narrative. various findings in this study indicated that translation is a complex mediation activity because it involves culture, language system, and the context of communication between sl and tl. successful translation can bridge cultural differences. translation is an important language activity that cannot be separated from language activities in general, namely production, receptive comprehension activities, mediation, and interaction. furthermore, the findings of various types of forms and modulation of metaphor translation indicated that appropriate strategies, techniques, and procedures are needed in translation. its relevance in the petra project descriptor is the ability to transfer meaning, master translation strategies, be able to observe the impact of translation strategies, be able to carry out several translation strategies in an appropriate way, and be able to apply various strategies in the right direction. in the findings, there are different metaphors with sl, such as analogies using words bagaikan and ibarat or pleonasm sunyi senyap and sialan sarcasm. this is very relevant to the ability of the petra project descriptor, namely textual competence, which is to know well the specific language styles found in sl. in the findings of this study, there are mismatched translations, such as glowing dust which is literally translated from poussière lumineuse which is supposed to be a natural phenomenon of meteor showers. this vlm novel is a science fiction literary genre, so there are several terms related to natural knowledge. of course, translators must look for information and references as accurately as possible in translating specific terms. the findings show that time-related metaphors are often analogous to humans (personifications), such as malam hari segera berlalu, malam hampir tiba. the sea which has a beautiful / beautiful physical character is described as a human figure and is translated into calm. this refers to the context that surrounds it. conclusion the most dominant form of metaphor translation used is reproduction, which is 59%. next, there are substitutions and paraphrases. this is in line with the translation of sl-oriented literary works. substitution is the second most common form of translation, which is 25%. in contrast to reproduction which is mostly found in narratives, paraphrasing is found in narratives that involve professor arronax directly, so that the narration uses first-person singular pronouns (je/i) and plural first-person pronouns (nous/kami). the combined form of reproduction + paraphrasing is found in the vlm metaphor translation. the translator tries to maintain the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 563 figurative form, but by providing additional information that refers to the actual meaning to clarify the meaning of the intended metaphor. equivalence of meaning is obtained by using explicit and implicit modulation, specific and general meaning, and point of view. the shift in meaning is carried out to obtain a reasonable and acceptable translation result. based on the results of the translation of french metaphors into indonesian, the translator tries to present french colors. the translator tries to bring the reader closer by presenting french culture. on the other hand, the translator tries to clarify the meaning by getting closer to the culture of indonesian readers. the equivalent given by the translator is very tied to the context that surrounds it so that it produces a unified and intact meaning. the result of the translation shows the creativity of the translator and is also a parole representation of a translator translating literary works requires cultural mastery and an advanced level of linguistic mastery. the competencies are described in the petra project terms of reference contained in the cefr 2020 and cecrl 2018 terms of reference. the ability to understand metaphors and other cultures and be able to compare them by providing analogies in the local culture is a plurilingual and pluricultural competence. references aprouz, h., & mohammadi, r. r. (2022). translation quality assessment of metaphors in omar khayyam’s quatrains: conceptual metaphor in focus. journal of language and translation, 12(2), 59-71. beacco, jean-claude, byram, m., cavalli, m., coste, d., cuenat, m. e., goullier, f., and panthier, j. (2016). guide for the development and implementation of curricula for plurilingual and intercultural education. brussels: council of europe. canagarajah, s. (ed.). (2013). literacy as translingual practice: between communities and classrooms. routledge. chabert, a. (2018). developing plurilingual competences in primary education. fòrum de recerca, 23, 563-574. chen, l., karas, m., shalizar, m., & piccardo, e. (2022). from “promising controversies” to negotiated practices: a research synthesis of plurilingual pedagogy in global contexts. tesl canada journal, 38(2), 1-35. council of europe. (2018). common european framework of reference for languages: learning, teaching, assessment companion volume with new descriptors. brussels: language policy programme. council of europe. (2020). common european framework of reference for languages: learning, teaching, assessment – companion volume. council of europe publishing, strasbourg. www.coe.int/lang-cefr creswell, j. w. (2012). research design pendekatan kualitatif, kuantitatif, dan mixed. yogyakarta: pustaka pelajar. dubois, j. (2002). dictionnaire de linguistique. paris: larousse. durjava, i. (2012). modulation as variation in target– language translation equivalence: the case of english and slovene. elope: english language overseas perspectives and enquiries, 9(2), 7–22. https://doi.org/10.4312/elope.9.2.722 fani, a. (2021). the allure of untranslatability: shafiʿikadkani and (not) translating persian poetry. iranian studies, 54(1-2), 95-125. galante, a. (2019). “the moment i realized i am plurilingual”: plurilingual tasks for creative representations in eap at a canadian university. applied linguistics review, 11(4), 551–580. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2018-0116 galante, a. (2021). affordances of plurilingual instruction in higher education: a mixed methods study with a quasi-experiment in an english language program. applied linguistics. http://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amab044 galante, a. and dela cruz, j. w. n. (2021). ‘plurilingual and pluricultural as the new normal: an examination of language and identity in the multilingual city of montre´ al.’ journal of multilingual and multicultural development https://doi. org/ 10. 1080/ 01434632. 2021. 1931244 gonzález-davies, m. (2019). developing mediation competence through translation. in laviosa, s., & gonzález-davies, m. (ed.). the routledge handbook of translation and education routledge. hartono. (2011). analisis data statistika dan peneltian. yogyakarta: pustaka pelajar. hastürkoğlu, g. (2018). incorporation of conceptual metaphor theory in translation pedagogy: a case study on translating similie-based idioms. australian journal of linguistics, 38(4), 467483. hatim, b., & munday, j. (2004). translation: an advanced resource book. london: routledge yusi asnidar, m. syarif sumantri, & ninuk lustyantie form and modulation of metaphor translation to indonesian of vingt-milles lieues sous les mers of jules verne 564 hoed, b. h. (2006). penerjemahan dan kebudayaan. jakarta: gramedia pustaka utama hong, w., & rossi, c. (2021). the cognitive turn in metaphor translation studies: a critical overview. journal of translation studies 5(2), 83–115 katan, d. (2013). cultural mediation. in y. gambier & l. van doorslaer (eds.), handbook of translation studies. amsterdam & philadelphia john benjamins. kripendorff, k. (2004). content analysis an introduction to its methodology,2nd edition. london: sage publication. lakoff, g. & johnson, m. (1980). metaphor we live by. chicago: the university of chicago press liddicoat, a. j. (2016). translation as intercultural mediation: setting the scene. perspectives studies in translatology. lin, a. m. (2013). toward paradigmatic change in tesol methodologies: building plurilingual pedagogies from the ground up. tesol quarterly, 47(3), 521–545. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.113 lustyantie, n. (2012). pendekatan semiotik model roland barthes. (http://pps.unj.ac.id/publikasi/dosen/ninuk.lusty antie/16.pdf). machali, r. (2000). pedoman bagi penerjemah. jakarta: grasindo. miles, m. b., and huberman, a. m. (2014). qualitative data analysis: a method sourcebook. sage: london. newmark, p. (1988). a textbook of translation. london: prentice hall. nida, e. a. & taber, c. r. (1969). the theory and practice of translation. leiden: e.j. brill. olynyk, t. (2014). metaphor translation methods. international journal of applied and technology, 4(1),. piccardo, e., antony-newman, m., chen, l., & banafsheh k. (2021). innovative features of a plurilingual approach in language teaching: implications from the lincdire project. critical multilingualism studies, 9(1), 128–155. issn 2325–2871. putranti, a. (2018). modulation: a translation method to obtain naturalness in target language texts. journal of language and literature, 18(1), 98101. snell-hornby, m. (2006). the turns of translation studies. amsterdam: john benjamin publishing company verne, j. (1966). vingt-mille lieues sous les mers of jules verne. paris: librairie hachette verne, j. (2004). 20.000 mil di bawah lautan. terjemahan dari vingt-mille lieues sous les mers oleh nh. dini. yogyakarta: enigma publishing vinay, j.p & darbelnet, j. (1958). stylistique comparée du francais et de l’anglais. paris: didier. wiersma, w. (1986). research methods in education: an introduction. massachusetts: allyn and bacon, inc. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 121 systematic literature review of a scientific journal: improving literacy in online classroom learning eska perdana prasetya english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of ibn khaldun bogor, indonesia e-mail: eska@uika-bogor.ac.id apa citation: prasetya, e. p. (2021). systematic literature review of a scientific journal: improving literacy in online classroom learning. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 121128. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5362 received: 22-08-2021 accepted: 21-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction as we all know, starting in march 2020, president of republic of indonesia, jokowi announced the first case of corona in indonesia. starting from that announcement, we began to experience the covid pandemic in indonesia, many have started to be exposed to this corona virus. severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (sars-cov-2), the first time from wuhan, china to cause severe acute respiratory syndrome that is widespread globally (di gennaro, pizzol, marotta, antunes, racalbuto, veronese, & smith, 2020). the virus spreads rapidly from person to person through respiratory droplets produced when coughing and sneezing (hafeez, ahmad, siddaqui, & mishra, 2020). the process of spreading this virus will generate an immune response from the host body consisting of natural and adaptive immune systems (setiawan, puspitasari, sunariani, & yudianto, 2020). this corona virus was first discovered in wuhan, china which causes severe acute respiratory syndrome which is globally popular throughout the world including indonesia. the viral process spreads very rapidly through coughing and sneezing from one individual to another and ultimately produces an immune response from the body which consists of a natural and adaptive immune system. since indonesia officially entered the covid-19 pandemic, all life arrangements have changed completely from offline to online for all areas of life in indonesia. the initial step of the government to implement large-scale social restrictions (psbb), this step is useful for limiting activities in the community to prevent the transmission of the corona virus, this system is arguably a small-scale lockdown. likewise in the world of education, starting from the kindergarten level to the college level everything changes from face-to-face learning to online learning. this requires teachers, students and parents to change their views and methods of learning. at first everyone must feel heavy on online learning, the main problems experienced are of course starting from the gadgets and internet quota needed at the time of learning. there are two main contributing factors in effectiveness online learning in the covid-19 pandemic is the support capacity of network access abstract: this research is a systematic literature review research that can provide a clear picture of what has been investigated and what gaps require further research, then aims to overcome this problem by identifying, critically evaluating, and integrating the findings of all studies, and aiming not to just to gather all the evidence on the research question; it is also intended to support the development of evidence-based guidelines for practitioners. this study uses ten main articles to find out how to improve literacy in online classrooms. this main article was taken because it is related to the main objective of this research, namely improving literacy in online classroom learning, which we all know that we are living in the era of the covid 19 pandemic, which forces us to change all the order of life including in the world of education. the result of this research is that there are seven things that can improve literacy in online classroom. there are scientific literacy and literacy learning opportunities, digital tools and using technology, students' creativity and creating new applications, online environments and content knowledge, teachers and students hold positive attitudes, teaching philosophy and pedagogical knowledge, and texts and resource's positive identity work. keywords: systematic literature review; literacy; classroom; online learning. eska perdana prasetya systematic literature review of a scientific journal: improving literacy in online classroom learning 122 and the ability of devices to access the internet (hamid, sentryo, & hasan, 2020). there are several psychological effects of online learning: frustration, fear, anxiety, apprehension, stress and depression (dhull & sakshi, 2017). in learning activity, smartphone is a tool to help students connected to be online (lekawael, 2017). in essence, online learning requires two things to support learning, namely an internet connection and gadgets. the connection here can use wifi or internet quota. however, there are several psychological effects of online learning: frustration, fear, anxiety, apprehension, stress and depression. from the psychological effect, this does not only happen to students, but also to teachers and parents of students. there are several incidents from several online media which tell about a father who was forced to steal a smartphone for his child to study online, there were even students who committed suicide which was predicted due to pressure in online learning, the pressure could be in the form of a large number of assignments given by the teacher. online learning as it is today is not only related to the covid 19 pandemic. however, online learning is closely related to today's digital era, an era that demands the speed of the internet to communicate, search for information, and anything related to globalization. some things that show how easy it is to live in today's digital era: it is easy to communicate, is mobile and flexible, the internet is more powerful than quota, it's easy to shop, doesn't need to be complicated, cashless, and if you want to be an artist you can do it with youtube. what is called literacy? in general, literacy itself is a person's ability and skills in reading, writing, speaking, calculating, as well as solving problems in everyday life. even unseco also provides an understanding of literacy, which is a set of real skills, especially one's cognitive skills in reading and writing which are influenced by competence in the academic field, national context, institutions, cultural values, and experiences. literacy is indispensable for the group or community effectively and relates to using reading, writing and calculation (keefe & copeland, 2011). it is widely accepted that literacy generally is simply defined as the ability to read and write (rintaningrum, 2019). literacy is something that one either has or does not have; people are either literate or illiterate, and those who are illiterate are deficient (perry, 2012). some of the benefits of literacy are as follows: increase one's vocabulary, optimize brain performance because it is often used for reading and writing activities, get various new insights and information and a person's interpersonal skills will be better. in essence, the literacy movement will lead to improving the quality of human resources, the benefits of literacy are increasing vocabulary, making the brain work more optimally, adding insight, sharpening oneself in capturing information from a reading, developing verbal skills, training thinking and analysing skills, focus and concentration and can write and compose words well. method this research method uses systematic literature review (slr). in general, slr is slr is a method that identifies, assesses, and interprets findings on a research topic to answer pre-determined research questions. the aim of an slr is not just to aggregate all existing evidence on a research question; it is also intended to support the development of evidencebased guidelines for practitioners (kitchenham, brereton, budgen, turner, bailey, & linkman, 2009). the method in this study has several process flows, namely: 1. research questions or research questions are made based on the needs of the selected topic; 2. the search process, its used to get relevant sources to answer the research question (rq) and other related references; 3. inclusion and exclusion criteria, this stage is carried out to decide whether the data found is suitable for use in slr research or not; 4. quality assessment, in slr research, the data found will be evaluated based on the question of quality assessment criteria; 5. data collection. at this stage, the data required in the research are collected for further analysis process; 6. data analysis, data that has been collected in the previous stage will be analyzed at this stage. the results that have been analyzed will answer the research question that has been previously determined; 7. documentation, at this stage the research results are written in paper according to the format provided. results and discussion english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 123 this study uses the systematic literature review method, the authors take from several articles in reputable and indexed journals on improving literacy in online classroom learning. below are the steps of the systematic literature review method: the following are research questions in this study, namely what can improve literacy in online learning? the search processes and inclusion and exclusion criteria the results of the search process and inclusion and exclusion criteria were only 10 journal papers that met the criteria, namely journal papers published in the 2020-2021 timeframe and had a discussion related to improving literacy in online learning. the following are the types of journals that have been successfully obtained: table 1. types of journals that have been obtained no name of journal author and year 1 computer assisted language learning marie webb & evelyn doman (2020) 2 journal of education for students placed at risk (jespar) kristin s. farley & shayne b. piasta (2020) 3 the clearing house: a journal of educational strategies, issues and ideas katie walker (2020) 4 international journal of evaluation and research in education (ijere) ningtyas orilina argawati & lilis suryani (2020) i5 international journal of evaluation and research in education (ijere) r. ahmad zaky el islami & prasart nuangchalerm (2020) 6 studies in english language and education (siele) aji budi rinekso, rojab siti rodliyah, & intan pertiwi (2020) 7 studies in english language and education (siele) titus terver udu (2020) 8 studies in english language and education (siele) budi waluyo & aisah apridayani (2020) 9 international journal of language education (ijole) salasiah ammade, murni mahmud, baso jabu & suradi tahmir (2020) 10 social semiotics janine knight, melinda dooly & elena barberà (2020) quality assessment results in slr research, the data found will be evaluated based on the following quality assessment criteria questions: (1) qa1. was the article published in 2020–2021? (2) qa2. does the article discuss improve literacy in online learning? the following is the result of the quality assessment: table 2. comparative study of scientific literacy: indonesian and thai pre-service science teachers report author/ year (el islami & nuangchalerm, 2020) q1 yes q2 yes result of q1 and q2 accepted table 3. digital literacy practices in tertiary education: a case of efl postgraduate students author/ year (rinekso, rodliyah, pertiwi, 2021) q1 yes q2 yes result of q1 accepted and q2 table 4. digital-based instruction: chances and challenges in english language teaching context author/ year (argawati & suryani, 2020) q1 yes q2 yes result of q1 and q2 accepted table 5. examining early childhood language and literacy learning opportunities in relation to maternal education and children’s initial skills author/ year (farley & piasta, 2020) q1 yes q2 yes result of q1 and q2 accepted table 6. getting smart: towards critical digital literacy pedagogies author/ year (knight, dooly, & barberà, 2020) q1 yes eska perdana prasetya systematic literature review of a scientific journal: improving literacy in online classroom learning 124 q2 yes result of q1 and q2 accepted table 7. impacts of flipped classrooms on learner attitudes towards technology-enhanced language learning author/ year (webb & doman, 2020) q1 yes q2 yes result of q1 and q2 accepted table 8. teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards reading and writing: do they correlate to students’ achievement in english? author/ year (udu, 2021) q1 yes q2 yes result of q1 and q2 accepted table 9. teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices on the use of video in english language teaching author/ year (waluyo % apridayani, 2021) q1 yes q2 yes result of q1 and q2 accepted table 10. the english language arts classroom as a multilingual literacy community author/ year (walker, 2020) q1 yes q2 yes result of q1 and q2 accepted table 11. tpack model based instruction in teaching writing: an analysis on tpack literacy author/ year (ammade, mahmud, jabu, & tahmir, 2020) q1 yes q2 yes result of q1 and q2 accepted data analysis in this section the data is analysed and the results will answer the research question (rq) that has been determined previously and in total there are 10 journals obtained through the search process. result of qa2: does the article discuss improve literacy in online learning? after the data is selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria using the keyword "improve literacy in online learning", there are 10 journal articles which are then given a quality assessment (quality assessment). from the results of the quality assessment (qa), there are 10 relevant journal articles which are then grouped based on the techniques, strategies, approaches and methods used to answer the research question. these results answer rq1, which is shown in the table as follows: table 12. results of quality assessment no article title type 1 comparative study of scientific literacy: indonesian and thai pre-service science teachers report four components of scientific literacy: science content, science context, scientific process, and scientific attitudes based on local wisdom 2 digital literacy practices in tertiary education: a case of efl postgraduate students how the students used digital tools for academic/research and general purposes. 3 digital-based instruction: chances and challenges in english language teaching context. the findings showed that the chances of applying dbi cover activating students, elevating digital literacy, provoking students’ creativity, and creating new application. 4 examining early childhood language and literacy learning opportunities in relation to maternal education and children’s initial skills relations between children’s language and literacy learning opportunities, initial skills, and maternal education 5 getting smart: towards critical digital literacy pedagogies explores how different roles of human and non-human agents in an online environment can be made salient and how teachers can promote learner awareness of hidden agents at the layer of digital interfaces. 6 impacts of flipped classrooms on learner attitudes towards technology-enhanced language learning results showed that the usa experimental group showed a statistically significant difference in all selfreported attitudes in using technology for language learning overtime. 7 teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards reading and writing: do they correlate to learning would be facilitated if both teachers and students hold positive attitudes towards reading and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 125 students’ achievement in english? writing, and this, in turn, could impact the students’ achievement in the english language. 8 teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices on the use of video in english language teaching four key factors which involved teaching philosophy, there are: teacher’s knowledge, skill, facility, and reading literature. 9 the english language arts classroom as a multilingual literacy community through texts, resources, and positive identity work, the english language arts (ela) classroom contains the building blocks for empowering multilingual literacy places and spaces. 10 tpack model-based instruction in teaching writing: an analysis on tpack literacy the main points on the survey were about technological knowledge (tk), pedagogical knowledge (pk), content knowledge (ck), and technological pedagogical and content knowledge (tpack) below are some keywords related to improve literacy in online learning based on ten research articles that were researched: table 13. some keywords related to improve literacy in online learning type article number: scientific literacy and literacy learning opportunities 1 and 4 digital tools and using technology 2, 6 and 10 students’ creativity and creating new application. 3 online environment and content knowledge 5 and 10 teachers and students hold positive attitudes 7 teaching philosophy and pedagogical knowledge 8 and 10 texts and resource’s positive identity work 9 by using the systematic literature review method, the authors get facts and data from ten articles related to improve literacy in online learning, namely: scientific literacy and literacy learning opportunities this section is divided into two, namely scientific literacy and literacy learning opportunities. for scientific literacy, the fourth category of scientific literacy, there are cultural scientific literacy, civic scientific literacy, scientific literacy practice, and aesthetic literacy and consumer science (drago & mih, 2015). when students have the opportunity to learn literacy, this opportunity also allows the student to become an agent who is engaged and ultimately excited to learn and study (loerts & heydon, 2016). the most important things for students of scientific literacy are culture, civic practice and an aesthetic that can make students as mobile agents and ultimately eager to learn and learn. digital tools and using technology in general, digital tools and technology are something that cannot be separated. a digital tool is a program, website, or online resource that can make tasks or communications easier to complete. while technology is the application of scientific knowledge that is useful for human life to be practical. the use of digital tools is recognized by teachers of all subjects and people in charge extracurricular activities, which will ultimately diversify learning activities in class ivaniuk, soroko, gritsenchuk, & kravchyna, 2020). the use of technology in the classroom is associated with test scores but the results will be positive if it is implemented in schools with a higher level of accuracy (gilakjani, 2017). students’ creativity and creating new application a student must have creative abilities, creative abilities are the ability to create innovative ideas, new theories, insights, and new objects for the reconstruction and development of various fields of science. because when students have creative abilities, they will be able to produce new applications for learning or other functions. student creativity is fostered when teachers minimize the use of assessments in making social comparisons (beghetto, 2005). the way to create an app is design, implementation, testing, and publishing (seymour, hussain, & reynolds, 2016). online environment and content knowledge eska perdana prasetya systematic literature review of a scientific journal: improving literacy in online classroom learning 126 the goal of an online environment is to challenge educators in their environment to approach and develop competent students' cultural awareness and skills (jacobsen & jacobsen, 2019). the main goal of an online environment is to challenge educators how to make competent students who are expected to produce knowledge content that has subject matter knowledge such as knowledge of language, mathematics, natural sciences and social sciences. teachers and students hold positive attitudes teachers’ positive attitudes have positively influence students’ personality as well as their life performances (ulug, ozden, & eryilmaz, 2011). teachers must have a polite character, knowledgeable and good moral character so as to create a favourable atmosphere for students when studying (gowder, 2016). teachers must have a polite character, knowledgeable and good moral character so as to create a favourable atmosphere for students when studying. teaching philosophy and pedagogical knowledge the statement of teaching philosophy is generally individual because it reflects the personal values and what the teacher has (faryadi, 2015). various pedagogical approaches and appropriate ways to use ict to support the development of their students’ 21st century skills (septiyanti, inderawati, & vianty, 2020). in increasing literacy, it must also be considered side 6. teaching philosophy and pedagogical knowledge, two things that are important to have by a teacher reflect personal values and what they have and a pedagogical approach and the right way to use ict. texts and resource’s positive identity work to create knowledge from textual in the form of offline and online resources, a student needs to be supported by the process from the start and during the learning process schmidt & skoog in (schmidt & skoog, 2020). the text must pay attention to the following things such as using language that is suitable for spelling, paying attention to punctuation, using appropriate capital letters and avoiding body language. the types of text have several sections such as; a. narrative text is a written work that tells or describes an event in detail based on a timeline, b. an exposition text is a written work that presents the author's ideas / opinions accompanied by facts and logical reasons, c. explanatory text is often used to write scientific texts, d. persuasion text is a written work in the form of an invitation or persuasion to the reader to do or follow the contents in the persuasion text that has been made, e. argumentation text is a written work in the form of paragraph development that aims to convince or persuade readers to have the same thoughts as the author, f. descriptive text is a writing whose content aims to give the reader a detailed and clear description of an object. conclusion this study uses a systematic literature review method using several steps to find out how to improve literacy in online learning. a systematic literature review can provide a clear picture of what has already been investigated and what existing gaps (tan, le, & xuan, 2020). this study using ten main articles, it is known that there are seven things that can influence literacy in online learning. there are scientific literacy and literacy learning opportunities, digital tools and using technology, students' creativity and creating new applications, online environments and content knowledge, teachers and students hold positive attitudes, teaching philosophy and pedagogical knowledge, and texts and resource's positive identity work. there is something that should not be forgotten in this online learning, don't just assume that online learning is only carried out during a pandemic like today, but what we must pay attention to is that we also live in the digital age. the digital age then implies important modifications in how we connect to the world, in a broader, more interactive and simultaneous way (gutiérrez-martín, 2008) and the era of the industrial revolution 4.0 which is all related to the power of the internet as a life extender to find the desired information and news. industry 4.0 is really a disruptive concept or simply a natural incremental development of industrial production systems (rojko, 2017). references ammade, s., mahmud, m., jabu, b., & tahmir, s. (2020). tpack model based instruction in teaching writing: an analysis on tpack literacy. international journal of language education, 4(1), 129–140. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v4i2.12441 argawati, n. o., & suryani, l. (2020). digital-based instruction: chances and challenges in english language teaching context. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 9(4), 1138–1144. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 127 https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v9i4.20579 beghetto, r. a. (2005). does assessment kill student creativity? educational forum, 69(3), 254–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131720508984694 dhull, i., & sakshi, m. (2017). online learning. international education and research journal, 3(8), 32–34. di gennaro, f., pizzol, d., marotta, c., antunes, m., racalbuto, v., veronese, n., & smith, l. (2020). coronavirus diseases (covid-19) current status and future perspectives: a narrative review. international journal of environmental research and public health, 17(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082690 drago, v., & mih, v. (2015). scientific literacy in school. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 209(july), 167–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.11.273 el islami, r. a. z., & nuangchalerm, p. (2020). comparative study of scientific literacy: indonesian and thai pre-service science teachers report. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 9(2), 261–268. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v9i2.20355 farley, k. s., & piasta, s. b. (2020). examining early childhood language and literacy learning opportunities in relation to maternal education and children’s initial skills. journal of education for students placed at risk, 25(3), 183–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/10824669.2019.1689506 faryadi, q. (2015). teaching_philosophy_statements_examples.pdf. iosr journal of research & method in education, 5(6), 61–66. https://doi.org/10.9790/7388-05636166 gilakjani, a. p. (2017). use of technology in classroom for professional development. july 2013. https://doi.org/10.4304/jltr.4.4.684-692 gowder, s. (2016). pleasant attitude of a teacher –a key factor in the success of education. international journal of school and cognitive psychology, 03(01), 106. https://doi.org/10.4172/24699837.1000e106 gutiérrez-martín, a. (2008). media education in the digital age. comunicar, 16(31). https://doi.org/10.3916/c31-2008-03-034 hafeez, a., ahmad, s., siddaqui, s. a., & mishra, s. (2020). a review of covid-19 (coronavirus disease-2019) diagnosis, treatments and prevention. eurasian journal of medicine and oncology, 4(2), 116–125. https://doi.org/10.14744/ejmo.2020.90853 hamid, r., sentryo, i., & hasan, s. (2020). online learning and its problems in the covid-19 emergency period. jurnal prima edukasia, 8(1), 86–95. https://doi.org/10.21831/jpe.v8i1.32165 jacobsen, j., & jacobsen, j. (2019). diversity and difference in the online environment diversity and difference in the online environment. journal of teaching in social work, 39(4–5), 387–401. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2019.1654589 keefe, e. b., & copeland, s. r. (2011). what is literacy ? the power of a definition. research & practice for persons with severe disabilities, 36(3), 92–99. kitchenham, b., brereton, o. p., budgen, d., turner, m., bailey, j., & linkman, s. (2009). systematic literature reviews in software engineering a systematic literature review. information and software technology, 51(1), 7–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2008.09.009 knight, j., dooly, m., & barberà, e. (2020). getting smart: towards critical digital literacy pedagogies. social semiotics, 0(0), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2020.1836815 lekawael, r. f. j. (2017). the impact of smartphone and internet usage on english language learning. erjee, 5(2), 255–262. loerts, t., & heydon, r. (2016). multimodal literacy learning opportunities within a grade six classroom literacy curriculum : constraints and enablers. 4279(march). https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2016.1139608 ovcharuk, o., ivaniuk, i., soroko, n., gritsenchuk, o., & kravchyna, o. (2020). the use of digital learning tools in the teachers’ professional activities to ensure sustainable development and democratization of education in european countries. e3s web of conferences, 166. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202016610019 perry, k. h. (2012). what is literacy ? – a critical overview of sociocultural perspectives. journal of language and literacy education, 8(1), 50–71. rinekso, a. b., rodliyah, r. s., pertiwi, i. (2021). digital literacy practices in tertiary education : a case of efl postgraduate students. studies in english language and education, 8(2), 622–641. rintaningrum, r. (2019). literacy : its importance and changes in the concept and definition. teflin journal, 20(1), 1–7. rojko, a. (2017). industry 4.0 concept: background and overview. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 11(5), 77–90. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v11i5.7072 schmidt, c., & skoog, m. (2020). textual resources in the classroom: the challenge of integrating critical approaches. pedagogies, 15(4), 296–314. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554480x.2019.1706525 septiyanti, m., inderawati, r., & vianty, m. (2020). (tpack) perception of english education students. journal of english education, 8(2), 165–174. eska perdana prasetya systematic literature review of a scientific journal: improving literacy in online classroom learning 128 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2114.received setiawan, f., puspitasari, h., sunariani, j., & yudianto, a. (2020). molecular review covid19 from the pathogenesis and transmission aspect. jurnal kesehatan lingkungan, 12(1si), 93. https://doi.org/10.20473/jkl.v12i1si.2020.93-103 seymour, t., hussain, j. z., & reynolds, s. (2016). how to create an app. international journal of management & information systems –, 18(2), 123–138. https://doi.org/10.19030/ijmis.v18i2.8494 tan, l. p., le, a. n. h., & xuan, l. p. (2020). a systematic literature review on social entrepreneurial intention. journal of social entrepreneurship, 11(3), 241–256. https://doi.org/10.1080/19420676.2019.1640770 udu, t. t. (2021). teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards reading and writing: do they correlate to students’ achievement in english? studies in english language and education, 8(1), 143–156. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i1.17524 ulug, m., ozden, m. s., & eryilmaz, a. (2011). the effects of teachers’ attitudes on students’ personality and performance. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 30, 738–742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.10.144 walker, k. (2020). the english language arts classroom as a multilingual literacy community. the clearing house: a journal of educational strategies, issues and ideas, 93(6), 284–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2020.1789038 waluyo, b., apridayani, a. (2021). teachers ’ beliefs and classroom practices on the use of video in english language teaching. studies in english language and education, 8(2), 726–744. webb, m., & doman, e. (2020). impacts of flipped classrooms on learner attitudes towards technology-enhanced language learning. computer assisted language learning, 33(3), 240–274. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1557692 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 135 students’ expectation toward teacher’s teaching style and contribution to students’ english performance gita loveta english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: gitaloveta25@gmail.com bambang a loeneto english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: loenetobambang@gmail.com machdalena vianty english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: vianty.unsri@gmail.com apa citation: loveta, g., loeneto, b. a., & vianty, m. (2020). students’ expectation toward teacher’s teaching style and contribution to students’ english performance. english review: journal of english education,9(1), 135-144. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3786 received: 17-06-2020 accepted: 15-09-2020 published:11-12-2020 abstract: students’ expectation of their teacher’s teaching style is one of the factors that can affect academic performance. however, it is unclear how much students’ expectation affects the english academic performance of students. the objectives of this study were: (1) to find the students’ expectation on their english teacher’s teaching style, (2) to find whether the english teacher’s teaching style matches with the students’ expectation, and (3) to find the contribution of students’ expectation toward teacher’s teaching style toward their english academic performance. the study’s sample was one english teacher from each public senior high school in sukarami district, sma n 13, sma n 17, and sma n 21, along with 11th-grade students they taught. this research used descriptive quantitative design. the data were collected by questionnaire and documents as quantitative data, and interview as qualitative data. pearson product moment correlation and regression were used to analyze quantitative data while transcribing was used to analyze qualitative data. the findings showed that (1) the students expected their english teacher to use expert and facilitator teaching style, (2) the student’s expectation is not perfectly fulfilled as the teachers prefer expert and formal authority teaching style, and (3) there was no contribution of students’ expectation toward their english teacher’s teaching style to their english academic performance. keywords: students’ expectation; teaching style; english academic performance introduction students, in the process of learning, are affected by internal and external factors to ensure that they absorb the material given, especially in learning language, in this case, the english language (edmondson, 1999). mahmoudi and mahmoudi (2015) explained that internal factors, also known as internal variables consist of motivation, intelligence, anxiety, risk-taking ability, and several other factors from the students themselves. on the other hand, external factors, also known as external variables include social class, first language, early start, curriculum, and teacher. as stated, teacher is one of the external factors that may affect students’ achievement in learning process. mahmoudi and mahmoudi (2015) stated that teacher influences all kinds of learning and affect the students’ enthusiasm. teachers, in order to be able to affect students’ achievement effectively, are recommended to have interpersonal skills that enable them to understand what the students want from them. to sum up, teachers as one of the students’ learning external factors should take students’ expectation into account to ensure successful teaching and learning process, as students’ expectation is part of the motivation that affect students learning internal factor. students have expectations and preferences regarding how the teacher should be when teaching them, which affects their enthusiasm in learning. when entering a class, students may mailto:loenetobambang@gmail.com mailto:loenetobambang@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3786 gita loveta, bambang a loeneto , & machdalena vianty students’ expectation toward teacher’s teaching style and contribution to students’ english performance 136 have with them some kind of images that they want to happen for them to fully enjoy the teaching and learning process. this expectation may or may not be met by teachers. this, in turn, might impact the students in their willingness to participate effectively in the classroom. this is because teachers’ teaching style determines the responses the students will give in teaching and learning process. according to grasha (1994), teaching style is a representation of a teacher’s way in presenting information, interacting with their students, managing classroom tasks, supervising coursework, socializing students to their field, and mentoring students. teachers develop teaching style based on their beliefs about what forms good teaching, as well as the teachers’ personal preferences, their abilities, and the norms of their particular discipline (aldajah, haik, & moustafa, 2014). grasha (1994) grouped teaching styles into five styles, which are expert, formal authority, personal model, facilitator, and delegator. expert style puts the teacher’s position as the transmitter of information; formal authority style puts the teacher’s position as someone who sets standards and defines acceptable ways of doing things in teaching and learning process; personal model style puts the teacher’s position as someone that teaches by illustration and direct example; facilitator style puts the teacher as guide and director of students by asking questions, exploring options, and suggesting alternatives; and delegator style puts the teacher as someone who develops students’ ability to function autonomously (grasha, 1995). however, despite the grouping, grasha himself explains that all teachers possessed all the qualities, only that some are more apparent than the other. these teaching styles may help or disrupt students’ ability in acquiring content and skills taught as the students’ expectation may be fitting or contradicting what the teacher does in the class. according to rubie-davis, peterson, irving, widdowson, and dixon (2010), the expectation of students toward teachers has a positive effect on student attitudes to school and possibly motivation to learn. students are more academically active toward teachers who are caring toward the students’ achievements and use facilitator style to support student achievement. moreover, according to shishavan and sadeghi (2009), students prefer their teacher to have a good personality rather than pedagogical, in which pedagogical style is reflected mainly in expert and formal authority teaching styles while personality is reflected by personal model, facilitator, and delegator teaching styles. furthermore, ibrahim and ahmad (2016) explained that students generally prefer facilitator teaching style from their teacher as it keeps the students accompanied during teaching and learning process as well as discusses the students’ problem in the classroom. on the other hand, beyhan (2017) found that the student teachers who are preparing to be teachers prefer expert teaching style which focuses on lectures and explanation of detailed knowledge, in which this is due to the classical educational philosophies in the place they learn to be a teacher. furthermore, grasha (1995) found out from his research that teachers prefer expert and formal authority teaching styles, which takes 38% of 761 classrooms. this means that there is a discrepancy in the students’ expectation, which prefer teachers with facilitator teaching style, and teachers’ preference, which is leaning toward expert and formal authority teaching styles. in indonesia, english is one of the main subjects of final exam of junior and senior high school. for this reason, the students are expected to have a good score on english academic performance. academic performance refers to how well or bad the person in doing something especially in english. the students’ exam score of english or the note that the teacher writes in the students’ report book is one of the descriptions of students’ academic performance. however, ef english proficiency index (2018) shows that indonesia is ranked 51 among 88 countries in the world and 13 among 21 countries in asia, with average score of 51.58 and categorized as low proficiency in terms of english language. the result of the index implies that there might be a possibility of the students having problem in following the teaching and learning process of english language. the writer wonders whether the students’ expectation toward particular teacher’s teaching style contributes to their english academic performance, as the expectation is prone to mismatch with the real classroom situation. based on this question, this research intended (1) to find the students’ expectation on their english teacher’s teaching style, (2) to find whether the english teacher’s teaching style matches with the students’ expectation, and (3) to find the contribution of students’ expectation toward teacher’s teaching style toward their english academic performance. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 137 method this research used quantitative research design supported by qualitative data collection to answer the research questions. creswell (2012) explains that quantitative research design is done to examine relationships between and among variables to answer questions through surveys and/or experiments. this research uses quantitative data to provide numbers to be analyzed statistically, while the qualitative data are used to offer the perspective on the topic studied as supporting data for the quantitative. the data for this research were gathered by using questionnaire and interview, which serves as the quantitative and qualitative data respectively. the data were further supported by documents in the form of students’ score of english test. population and sample the population of this study was all public senior high school (sma) in sukarami district, palembang, which are sma negeri 13 palembang, sma negeri 17 palembang, and sma negeri 21 palembang. the following table shows the detail of the population of study: table 1. distribution of english teachers and students in the population no. school number of english teachers number of 11th grade students 1 sma negeri 13 palembang 5 423 2 sma negeri 17 palembang 5 440 3 sma negeri 21 palembang 5 320 source: http://sekolah.data.kemdikbud.go.id the sample taken was one civil servant english teacher along with the classes he/she teaches. the sampling method used is probability random sampling. this decision was made with consideration that the teacher is professional and possesses the four standard competences set by the government. the second-grade students were picked with the reasoning that the students already have some experiences with the teacher, in which the experiences come in the form of interaction inside of the class as the academic experience and outside of the class as social experience. despite having more experience, the third-grade students cannot be picked since they were preparing for the national exam and were not allowed to be observed. technique for collecting the data the data used in this study were collected by using questionnaire, interview, and english test score this questionnaire used in this study was a ready-made questionnaire designed by grasha and hruska-riechmann (1996) known as teaching style survey. there are 40 items in this questionnaire, which are measured in likert scale with five levels. as the questionnaire is designed for teachers, an adaptation is made to be given to students by modifying the items to address the students’ expectation. the following table shows the questionnaire specification and the interval score of the questionnaire: table 2. specification of teaching style survey questionnaire by grasha and hruska-riechmann (1996) no. teaching style items 1 expert 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, 31, 36 2 formal authority 2, 7, 12, 17, 22, 27, 32, 37 3 personal model 3, 5, 13, 18, 23, 28, 33, 38 4 facilitator 4, 10, 14, 19, 24, 29, 34, 39 5 delegator 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 table 3. interval score of teaching style survey questionnaire by grasha and hruska-riechmann (1996) no. teaching style preference score very low low medium high very high 1 expert ≤10 11-20 21-30 31-40 40-50 2 formal authority ≤10 11-20 21-30 31-40 40-50 3 personal model ≤10 11-20 21-30 31-40 40-50 4 facilitator ≤10 11-20 21-30 31-40 40-50 5 delegator ≤10 11-20 21-30 31-40 40-50 http://sekolah.data.kemdikbud.go.id/ gita loveta, bambang a loeneto , & machdalena vianty students’ expectation toward teacher’s teaching style and contribution to students’ english performance 138 the interview used in this study was general interview guide approach with one-on-one interview process. one-on-one interview is a data collection process in which the researcher asks questions to and records answers from only one participant in the study at a time (creswell, 2012). the interview guide is based on the theory of five teaching styles by grasha (1994), which states the strength and weaknesses of each style to find out the basis of the teacher’s tendency in choosing a particular style. the interview consists of 15 items. the following table shows the questionnaire specification: table 4. specification of teaching style interview by grasha (1994) no. teaching style items 1 expert 1, 2, 3 2 formal authority 4, 5, 6 3 personal model 7, 8, 9 4 facilitator 10, 11, 12 5 delegator 13, 14, 15 as for the document, the students' english test score is used. the english test score was obtained from the school. the score used was the result of the students’ english semester examination. technique for analyzing the data the questionnaire is analyzed according to the likert style interval score. as for the correlation and regression, pearson product moment correlation and stepwise regression were used to analyze the data. transcribing was used to analyze interview which is the qualitative data to support the quantitative data. results and discussion students’ academic performance the english semester score of the students from each school was used as their english academic performance for this research. the score obtained from the school is cognitive aspect without taking into account the affective as well as the psychomotor, in which this helps to show their english academic performance purely. table 5. summary of students’ english academic performance school n average score sma n 13 183 50 sma n 17 174 86 sma n 21 176 50 total 533 62 table 5 shows the average scores for each school as well as in total. sma n 13 and sma n 21 both have an average score of 50 although the number of the students differs. as for sma n 17, the average score is quite high, which is 86. students’ expectations toward english teacher’s teaching style to get the information about the students’ expectations toward their english teacher’s teaching style, a questionnaire was distributed to the students. table 3 shows a summary of the students’ responses. table 6. summary of students’ expectation toward english teacher teaching style teaching styles sma n 13 sma n 17 sma n 21 total average n average n average n average expert 39 30 35 30 36 32 30.7 formal authority 32 28 33 28 33 29 28.3 personal model 38 31 35 30 35 30 30.3 facilitator 38 32 36 31 36 31 31.3 delegator 36 30 35 29 34 30 29.7 table 6 shows that the students’ expectation toward their english teachers’ teaching style is mixed. sma n 13 students leaned their preference toward the facilitator teaching style, with average score 32, followed by personal model with average score 31. sma n 17 students leaned their preference toward the facilitator teaching style, with average score 31, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 139 followed by expert and personal model with average score 30. sma n 21 students leaned their preference toward the expert teaching style with average score 32, followed by facilitator with average score 31. from this result, it can be concluded that facilitator teaching style is a bit more favorable with average score of 31.3, which is considered high based on the interval. english teacher’s teaching style preference to get the information about the english teacher’s teaching style, a questionnaire was distributed to the english teachers. table 7 shows a summary of the teachers’ responses. as only one teacher was taken for each school, n represents the number of items in the questionnaire: table 7. summary of english teachers’ teaching style preference teaching style sma n 13 sma n 17 sma n 21 total average n average n average n average expert 40 35 40 40 40 34 36.3 formal authority 32 39 33 34.6 personal model 33 34 34 33.6 facilitator 30 38 35 34.3 delegator 33 36 33 34 table 7 shows that the teachers’ teaching style preference is quite balanced. sma n 13 teacher leaned her preference toward the expert teaching style, with average score 35, followed by personal model and delegator with average score 33. sma n 17 teacher leaned her preference toward the expert teaching style, with average score 40, followed by formal authority with average score 39. sma n 21 teacher leaned her preference toward the facilitator teaching style with average score 35, followed by expert and personal model with average score 33. from this result, the average result of the teaching style preference showed that expert teaching style is a bit more favorable with average score 36.3, meaning the teachers prefer to be in control of the classroom. the results of interview the results of the interview are presented to support the teachers’ responses in their questionnaire. the interview functions as information on how the teachers are doing and their common preferences in teaching method. these common preferences and method were used to find out where the actions are represented in the teaching style. four points can be concluded based on the teachers’ interviews: detailed explanation, guideline, leadership, and moral supports. detailed explanation detailed explanation refers to the professional competence of the teacher. as mulder (2014) explains, professional competence is explained as generic, integrated and internalized capability to deliver sustainable effective (worthy) performance (including problem-solving, realizing innovation, and creating transformation) in a certain professional domain, job, role, organizational context, and task situation. detailed explanation means that the teacher is obliged to explain materials as interesting and clear as possible to the students for the students to achieve their learning goals. all of the teachers think that it is crucial to explain the materials in detail to the students. for example, the english teacher of sma n 13 states the following, “it is important for teacher to explain material in detail because if not explained in detail, the students will not understand the material and are not able to do the task correctly. explaining in detail is part of teacher’s duty.” as the english teacher of sman 17 said, if the materials are not explained in detail, the students cannot work on the task given correctly. sma n 17 english teacher also followed this by stating that detailed explanation is important for students to reach the lesson’s goal. meanwhile, sma n 21 english teacher stated that detailed information serves as a way to allow students to have information to compare with what they found. detailed explanation is an apparent method used by expert and formal authority teacher as this method is teacher-centered teaching method where teachers give materials as detailed as possible to avoid misconception. thus, it can be said that the sample teachers have preference toward teacher-centered teaching styles. gita loveta, bambang a loeneto , & machdalena vianty students’ expectation toward teacher’s teaching style and contribution to students’ english performance 140 guideline in teaching and learning process, a guideline is a must for teacher and students to understand the importance of learning something. the guideline is set to make clear learning goal for the students. as the education hub (2018) explains, setting the guideline with clear learning goal can help students engage in learning better. all of the english teachers from the sample schools agreed that students should be given guidelines in learning activity. for examples, teacher of sman 17 and sman 21 state the following, “the purpose of giving guideline to students is to help them achieve the goal of learning more accurately.” (teacher of sma n 17 palembang) “giving guideline is very important in order for the students to understand what they should do” (teacher of sma n 21 palembang) both the teacher of sma n 17 and sma n 21 explained that providing guidelines allow students to achieve the learning goal easier. the teacher of sma n 13 further stated that providing guidelines also allows the student to relate the material with daily activities. teaching guideline is undoubtably inherent in all teaching styles. however, providing the guideline to the students is more apparent in expert teaching style and formal authority teaching style as the other three teaching styles stimulate the students by providing a more flexible and general idea which opens the chance to approach the goal in dynamic manner. the sample teachers’ act of providing guideline shows that they prefer teacher-centered teaching style. leadership in teaching and learning process, a teacher should be able to lead the classroom in order to be successful. this stems from the personality competence points from permendiknas no 16 in 2007, specifically point three which states that a teacher should show himself or herself as a steady, stable, mature, wise, and authoritative person. all of the english teachers agreed that teachers should assume the position as leader both in and out of class. sma n 21 and sma n 13 english teachers explained that assuming the position of leader helps coordinating the students in order for them to not only achieve the learning goal but also be disciplined. this is in line with the teacher questionnaire result, which shows a bit more preference toward expert teaching style followed by formal authority teaching style. moral supports moral supports are part of a teacher job as according to permendiknas no 16 in 2007, teacher should possess pedagogical competence including understanding learners. the education hub (2018) states that creating authentic relationship with students can improve students' academic and social progress. the interview showed that the teachers agreed that teacher cannot only monitor the student activities. teachers should also support their students morally. the teacher from sma n 13 stated, “teacher should be able to ignite the learning spirit of the students”, while the teachers from sma n 17 and sma n 21 explained that teachers should be the motivator of students and build the interaction and communication during teaching and learning process. these statements showed that the english teachers are capable of adjusting their teaching style according to what the students need at certain moments as moral supports reflect personal model, facilitator, and delegator teaching style better. the contribution of teacher’s teaching style toward students’ english academic performance to find out the contribution of teaching style with english academic performance, a regression analysis was conducted. however, first of all, a correlation analysis was done in order to find out which teaching styles correlated significantly with english academic performance. the correlation analysis used in this study is the pearson product moment correlation analysis. as all students possess preference in all teaching style albeit there is a higher preference to certain style, all students were taken into account in this correlation, hence the n is 533. table 8 shows the result of the correlation analysis. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 141 table 8. correlation analysis between english academic performance and teaching style expectation correlations teaching style score expert pearson correlation ,095* sig. (2-tailed) ,029 n 533 formalauthori ty pearson correlation ,124* sig. (2-tailed) ,004 n 533 personalmodel pearson correlation ,032 sig. (2-tailed) ,468 n 533 facilitator pearson correlation ,024 sig. (2-tailed) ,577 n 533 delegator pearson correlation ,017 sig. (2-tailed) ,688 n 533 *. correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). table 8 shows that expert and formal authority had significant correlations with the students’ english academic performance with pvalues lower than .05. based on the result of the correlation analysis, the regression analysis was conducted by including variables expert and formal authority in the analysis (stepwise regression analysis). table 9. stepwise regression analysis of correlated data model summaryb model r change statistics r square change f change sig. f change 1 ,124 a ,015 8,311 ,004 a. predictors: (constant), formalauthority b. dependent variable: score excluded variablesa model beta in t si g. partial correlati on collinearity statistics toleran ce vif minimum tolerance 1 exp ert .024b .42 5 .6 71 .018 .576 1.73 7 .576 a. dependent variable: score b. predictors in the model: (constant), formalauthority the stepwise regression analysis shows that the r-square change for the formal authority teaching style is 0.015, which means that the contribution of this teaching style is 1.5% toward the students’ english academic performance. as for the expert teaching style contribution, it was considered as excluded variable as its beta value is very close to zero, showing that it virtually does not affect the english academic performance. discussion based on the findings, some interpretations were drawn. first, based on the results of the questionnaire, the students prefer varying teaching styles in practice, which means that the students like if the teachers teach according to the situation in the classroom at the specific moment of the class. however, there is a preference for certain styles to be used more than the other albeit not too distinct. the students are expecting more toward facilitator teaching style, which answered the first research question. this is in line with what bullock (2015) found that students gita loveta, bambang a loeneto , & machdalena vianty students’ expectation toward teacher’s teaching style and contribution to students’ english performance 142 have stronger preference toward teachers with a more positive character. korthagen (2004) also states that teachers who stimulate the students to be active in teaching, which is done by facilitator teachers, and learning process are preferable as they affect the motivation of students in participating in classroom activities. the second interpretation is focused on the result of questionnaire and interview from the teachers. the result shows that the teachers adjust themselves in teaching their students according to the classroom condition, with expert style being the more preferable in the common situations. this is in line with grasha’s (1995) statement that teachers possess all the qualities of teaching style with only one or two is more apparent. however, the students themselves are expecting facilitator style to be more apparent as well, which is more toward student-oriented where the students possess more freedom with the teacher as someone who supports them. this result shows that the teachers’ teaching style preference does not match the students’ expectation which answers the second research question. the third interpretation focuses on the teaching style expectation contribution to the students’ english academic performance. the correlation analysis shows that among the teaching style, expert teaching style has a significant correlation with the students’ academic performance. surprisingly, formal authority affects the academic performance higher than the other styles. as for the regression analysis, it shows that formal authority teaching style affects the students’ english academic performance by 1.5%. this showed that teaching style does not contribute even a quarter of students’ english academic performance. this result is similar to what shaari, yusoff, ghazali, osman, and dzahir (2013) found that the contribution of teaching style affects the students’ academic performance modestly. the regression result answers the third research question that students’ expectation in their english teacher’s teaching style does not affect their english academic performance highly. this is probably because many factors affect english academic performance. shahzadi and ahmad (2011) explain that home environment, study habit, learning strategies, and academic interaction are the four factors that affect students’ academic performance, which can be deduced that home environment, study habit, and learning strategies are more prominent compared to the interaction itself. home environment does not only about the psychological factor of the students but also the economic state of the students, both provides great influence on the emotional state of the students. hussain and suleman (2017) explain that subfactors of home environment that particularly plays more critical role are lack of parental attention on children, tension between parents, death of parents or guardian, parental illiteracy, and poverty. these subfactors affect students in scholastic and behavioral aspects, in which the mental of students may keep focusing on familial matter instead of academic matter, thus reducing their focus when learning (alami, 2016). as for study habit, this factor is usually hindered by the lack of favorable studying environment, which in turns affect students’ motivation. the lack of opportunity to apply what they learned from the class may cause students to perform poorly academically since this affected their study habit to be pessimistic (amua-sekyi and nti, 2015). availability of facilities that support teaching and learning process such as books also affects the study habit because lack of facilities means that the students lost means to explore the materials which in turn lower the students’ eagerness to improve themselves (mosha. 2014). lastly, learning strategies developed by teacher also affected the students' study habit. the more interesting the material was delivered by the teacher, the more the students feel eager to explore the material further (mosha, 2014). in conclusion, the students’ expectation toward their english teacher affects their english academic performance modestly at best as there are many factors such as home environment and study habit which affect performance more prominently. conclusion based on the findings, the writer can conclude that students expect that their english teacher should teach them with facilitator teaching style more compared with other styles although the other styles are not rejected at all, students’ expectation toward their english teacher style does not match with the teacher’s teaching style, who leans more in using the expert teaching style. however, the teachers themselves adjust their teaching style with the classroom situation. the last is students’ expectation toward their english teacher’s teaching style does not contribute their english academic performance highly. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 143 references alami, m. (2016). causes of poor academic performance among omani students. international journal of social science research, 4(1), 126-136. aldajah, s., haik, y., & moustafa, k. (2014). compatibility of teaching styles with learning styles: a case study. european journal of educational sciences, 1(1), 50-58. amua-sekyi, e. t. & nti, s. k. (2015). factors affecting students’ performance in english at colleges of education in ghana. impact: international journal of research in humanities, arts and literature, 3(10), 29-44. beyhan, ö. (2017). student perceptions on the teaching styles of their teachers. hacettepe üniversitesi journal of education, 33(4), 10381048. bullock, m. (2015). what makes a good teacher? exploring student and teacher beliefs on good teaching. rising tide, 7, 1-30. creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research fourth edition. boston, massacchusetts: pearson education, inc. edmondson, w. (1999). twelve lectures on second language acquisition: foreign language teaching and learning perspectives. tubingen, germany: gunter narr verlag tubingen. ef english proficiency index. (2018). ef english proficiency test. retrieved from https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/regions/asia/indon esia. grasha, a. f. (1994). a matter of style: the teacher as expert, formal authority, personal model, facilitator, and delegator. college teaching, 42(2), 142-149. grasha, a. f. (1995). teaching with style: the integration of teaching and learning styles in the classroom. essays on teaching excellence: toward the best in the academy, 7(5). grasha, a. f. & hruska-riechmann, s. (1996). teaching style survey. retrieved from http://longleaf.net/teachingstyle.html. hussain, i. & suleman, q. (2017). factors contributing to students’ unsatisfactory academic achievement in english at secondary level. journal of culture, society and development, 35, 22-30. ibrahim, i. & ahmad, a. (2016). teaching styles preferred by students on their achievement in history subject. iosr journal of humanities and social science, 6(5), 47-53. korthagen, f. a. j. (2004). in search of the essence of a good teacher: towards a more holistic approach in teacher education. teaching and teacher education, 20, 77-97. mahmoudi, s. & mahmoudi, a. (2015). internal and external factors affecting learning english as a foreign language. international journal of language and linguistics, 3(5), 313-322. mosha, m. a. (2014). factors affecting students’ performance in english language in zanzibar rural and urban secondary schools. journal of education and practice, 5(35), 64-76. mulder, m. (2014). conceptions of professional competence. international handbook of research in professional and practice-based learning. dordrecht: springer. pp. 107-137. peraturan menteri no. 16 tahun 2007 tentang standar kualifikasi akademik dan kompetensi guru. (2007). rubie-davies, c. m., peterson, e., irving, e., widdowson, d., & dixon, r. (2010). expectations of achievement: student, teacher and parent perceptions. research in education, 83(1), 36-53. shaari, a. s., yusoff, n. m., ghazali, i. m., osman, r. h., & dzahir, n. f. m. (2014). the relationship between lecturers’ teaching style and students’ academic engagement. solls.intec.13: international conference on knowledge-innovation-excellence: synergy in language research and practice. selangor, malaysia. shahzadi, e. & ahmad, z. (2011). a study on academic performance of university students. proceeding of 8th international conference on recent advances in statistic. lahore, pakistan. sishavan h. b. & sadeghi, k. (2009). characteristics of an effective english language teacher as perceived by iranian teachers and learners of english. english language teaching, 2(4), 130143. the education hub. (2018). how to develop high expectations teaching. wellington, new zealand: the education hub. https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/regions/asia/indonesia https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/regions/asia/indonesia http://longleaf.net/teachingstyle.html gita loveta, bambang a loeneto , & machdalena vianty students’ expectation toward teacher’s teaching style and contribution to students’ english performance 144 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 47 the roles of critical incidents to construct public senior high school english teachers’ identities development arima renny dayu putri english education master program, sanata dharma university, yogyakarta, indonesia e-mail: rimarenny@gmail.com paulus kuswandono english education master program, sanata dharma university, yogyakarta, indonesia e-mail: kus@usd.ac.id apa citation: putri, a. r. d. & kuswandono, p. (2020). the roles of critical incidents to construct public senior high school english teachers’ identities development. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 47-60. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3778 received: 27-06-2020 accepted: 29-09-2020 published:11-12-2020 abstract: this study investigated the role of critical incidents (cis) to construct public senior high school english teachers’ identities development. the researchers examined the meanings of cis and how these developed their identities as public senior high school english teachers. to gain the data, the researchers conducted open-form questionnaire and open-ended interview toward eight public senior high school english teachers in yogyakarta. the data were collected using narrative inquiry statements which displayed respondents’ life story in constructing teachers’ identities related to their cis. the result of this research demonstrated that there were 12 cis which were classified into 3 major categories of cis namely: students’ misbehavior, smart student, and self-improvement. the meanings of these cis were; motivating teacher to be reflective teacher, empower teacher to be agentic teacher in finding solution, developing teachers’ identities, supporting teachers to have better quality of teaching, and improving teacher confidence. those meanings of cis gave a great role to construct senior high school english teachers’ identity. keywords: critical incident (cis); teacher identity; public senior high school english teacher introduction experiencing critical incidents in teaching process can substantially help teachers develop their identities. critical incidents (cis) often take place unpredictably and they are crucial to change people’s lives (schutz, nichols, & schwenke, 2018). cis are useful for teachers to learn and reflect on their most meaningful experiences, both positive and negative experiences (wijaya & kuswandono, 2018). after experiencing cis, instead of simply experiencing and forgetting it, the teachers would remember and scrutinize it as an insightful compass to a better envisage clearer direction as reflective teachers. it is crucial as cis often happened as unexpected moments. thus, it is fundamental that teachers continuously reflect on incidents to find ways to foster their professional identities. the efforts to be good and useful teachers for students will also shape teachers’ identities. teacher’s identity is dynamic and formed by motivation and goals before becoming a teacher, which particularly involves a long and continuous process to develop (schutz et al., 2018). it is constructed by the extent to which the teacher plays a role related to the tasks of the community and their profession in the future (richardson & watt, 2018). the willingness to embrace those professional tasks sincerely is the essential factor which can distinguish passionate and impassionate teachers from the perspective of professional calling. likewise, it is through experiencing and reflecting critical incidents can teachers develop the capacity of their professional calling. deciding teaching as a job, teachers are aware that they are holding teaching responsibilities for their whole life long. a teacher is concerned with teacher’s quality, belief, motivation, and skill to take the responsibilities as a teacher (richardson & watt, 2018). teaching as a career involves, among others, teachers’ motivation, goals, agency, and self-efficacy to accommodate the society needs mailto:rimarenny@gmail.com mailto:kus@usd.ac.id https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3778 arima renny dayu putri & paulus kuswandono the roles of critical incidents to construct public senior high school english teachers’ identities development 48 about education, as well reflection on critical incidents in classrooms. teachers sometimes experience cis while teaching, which in turn affect the teachers’ identities. cis are beneficial to challenge or support teachers’ goals, values, and beliefs based on teachers’ attributions and emotional responses, and it is significant in authoring their identities (schutz et al., 2018). the diagram below explains that cis are related to teachers’ motivation, goals, emotion, self-efficacy, and self-agency to construct teachers’ identities. diagram 1. the formulation of how cis shape teacher’s identity experiencing cis, teachers need a sense of agency and self-efficacy to solve the problems and to make meanings of those cis. in the journey of teaching english, teachers may have experienced several mandated versions of curriculum, a number of incidents in the class, many kinds of students’ character, and a large number of learning materials which should be delivered. several problems might have happened and have been solved. those problems require teacher’s agency, which is defined as teacher’s power to take better actions or transform their ideas to achieve their defined goals (beauchamp & thomas, 2009). agentic teachers are those who are active and able to shape their responsibilities to the challenging classroom (biesta & tedder, 2007). they define agency in three-dimensional pattern as a configuration of influences from the past condition, present situation, and future result. agency is connected to teacher identity because a teacher is a person who applies agency continuously. it means that teachers always think about their teaching history, on-going teaching activity, and the goals of teaching in the future. self-efficacy is people's beliefs in their ability to achieve goals that affect their life (bandura, 2010). believing that teachers can achieve their goals is the principal realization in constructing professional identity as english teacher. without keeping the belief in them, teachers do not have english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 49 any expectation. deriving the concept of bandura (1982), day (2018) indicated that empowered schools will usually focus on teachers’ sense of collective efficacy, on how they can take action to solve their problems and improve their teaching activities. while authoring their professional english teachers’ identities, they also at the same time develop the school’s identity. the better teachers’ identities are constructed, the better school’s identities are developed. in solving the problem, teachers need to remember their motivation and goals in order to regulate their identities. richardson and watt (2018) defined motivation as the energy to achieve defined goals. there is a solid connection between the self-identity and motivation by which teachers are motivated to take actions to control and make sense of their selves. through motivation, teachers will build their identities as their desired goals. nevertheless, without sufficient motivation, teachers who have extraordinary abilities cannot place appropriate strategies to achieve their desired goals (hong, day, & greene, 2018). motivation becomes the key point for teachers to regulate their identities to be always in line with their goals. it accompanies teacher to develop their professional identities. accepting teaching as a job must be decided after somebody set their life goals. as confirmed by schutz, nichols, & schwenke (2018), incoming goals, standard, and beliefs are significant points teacher used to measure their achievement in teaching. teachers have set their teaching goals before starting their journey of teaching. these certain goals can be used as the level of their achievement. furthermore, according to garner & kaplan (2019), purpose and goals are defined as the teachers’ knowledge and emotions about their personal purpose and objectives in teaching. hence, it is essential that teachers set their goals before starting their career as teachers. teachers’ emotions also play critical role in solving the occurring problems. emotion is related to the discussion of teacher’s identity because it is a feature between teacher-self and a factor that influence his/her identity and the shaping of it (beauchamp & thomas, 2009). how teachers manage their emotion when some cis occurred in their teaching process can significantly influence their identities. the good emotion influences good result to students as the main focus that teachers care about students. schutz et al. (2018) explained about the central value of emotional episodes that they involve conscious and unconscious judgments regarding perceived successes in achieving teacher’s goals or maintaining their beliefs. related to teachers’ identities, teachers must control emotion to keep good image in front of students. many studies about reflecting cis as one way to develop teachers’ identities and professional teachers have been carried out. wijaya and kuswandono (2018) investigated the effectiveness of reflection with critical incident theory (cit) framework as a form of teacher professional development. in their study towards six english teachers at a private school located in cirebon, indonesia, they found that by reflecting their cis, all of the participants could understand their experiences deeper and making them meaningful. furthermore, farrell (2011) also conducted a study on the professional role identity of three experienced esl college teachers in canada as communicated in regular group meetings. in his paper, he found that esl teachers can become more aware on their identities roles and reflect about how they have been shaped by being reflective teachers. in the same vein, sisson (2016) conducted a study to explore the significance of cis to develop identity and self-agency. the researcher presented cece stories about the relationship between her strong sense of life in the family, her troubling experiences in school and how these experiences developed her identity, and agency as a teacher. reflecting between the cis occurring in her studies and caring community she had with her family, she finally took action to promote caring relationship in her classroom. in this study, it can be drawn that the analysis of cece’s narrative stories created a powerful tool to shape her identity and agency. from those studies above, it is clear that cis are of imperative in developing teachers’ identities. why is this study crucial? although many studies have been carried out to reflect cis as one way to develop teachers’ identities as mentioned above, most of them were done outside indonesia, which may share different cultural persepectives. thus, it is fundamental to study cis because cis experienced by teachers have strong influences to the teachers’ behavior and their way of teaching. arima renny dayu putri & paulus kuswandono the roles of critical incidents to construct public senior high school english teachers’ identities development 50 the researchers are aware that it is crucial to conduct similar study in yogyakarta, indonesia because yogyakarta is very popular known as an education city. in this city, there are a lot of reputable senior high schools. hence, the researchers conducted a study investigating the role of cis in teaching processes to construct english teachers’ identities development by interviewing senior high school english teachers located in yogyakarta, indonesia. based on the background of the research, the problems are formulated as follows: 1. what were the meaningful critical incidents (cis) identified from senior high school english teachers? 2. how did the critical incidents (cis) develop senior high schools teachers’ identities? method research method and participants this was a qualitative research where the researchers investigated the quality of relationship between cis and teachers’ identities development. the researchers followed the theory of qualitative research from fraenkel & wallen (1993, p. 380), and ary, jacobs, sorensen, & razavieh (2010). in this study, the researchers analysed public senior high school english teachers’ stories about how cis developed their identities by focusing on the total knowledge to get the depth understanding. to be specific, this study employed a narrative inquiry technique that focused on teachers’ meaningful experiences when they encountered unexpected situation. cis become a learning moment for teachers to process their actions during the teaching and learning activities which ultimately can authorize their own teacher identities (harrison, lee, harrison, & lee. 2011). as mentioned by ary et al. (2010), in narrative inquiry, the researcher analyses the knowledge of someone’s story. in this study, the researchers analyzed the story of teachers’ meaningful experiences as well as cis occurring during their teaching process which were useful to develop their identities as senior high school english teachers. the researchers investigated a small group of teachers from the population of public senior high school english teachers in yogyakarta. a population is a group of individual that shares one or more characteristic in common (best and kahn, 2006; fraenkel and wallen 1993). from this population, the researchers invited eight public senior high school english teachers to share their experiences in teaching english and to identify the quality of relationship between cis and teachers’ identity development. data collection and analysis technique the researchers used three kinds of method in gaining the data. they are open form questionnaire, open–ended interview, and classroom observation. the researchers collected the data in january 2020 up to march 2020 and carried out data validation by member’s checking in april 2020. to analyse the data, the researchers prepared data transcription continued by data coding. the data collection and analysis technique were arranged by the following diagram. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 51 diagram 2. the formulation of data collection and analysis technique first, the open form questionnaire was conducted to get prior information about how public senior high school english teachers defined and designed their identities as english teachers and whether cis helped them to develop their identities. second, the researchers completed the data transcription and data coding to develop the interview questions. the researchers followed the theory from ary et al. (2010) about “coding” to develop the concepts from raw data. it was designed to categorize the differences and similarities found in the data collection. third step, the researchers carried out individual open – ended interview to gain deeper data about the story of teachers’ identities development and gained information about how cis occurred, shaped, and developed their certain identities as public senior high school english teachers in yogyakarta. fourth, the researchers made the data transcription and data coding from the result of open-ended interview. after finishing data coding, the researchers observed the teachers carrying out the learning process in the class and later on analyzed the respondents’ stories. nevertheless, the process of classroom observation did not encounter cis as precisely experienced by the teachers. the initial intention of classroom observation was to provide research triangulation. next, the data collections were discussed with the supporting theories related to the teacher identity development and cis theory. the researchers analyzed the result using narrative inquiry in which the researcher told the teachers’ story during their teaching process related with the function of cis towards their identities development. the researchers followed the theory of ary et al. (2010) that is in narrative inquiry, researchers examine and analyze someone’s stories. after writing the analysis, the analysis was sent to all respondents in order to get data validation (member check). the researchers conducted member check to all respondents so that the data can be categorized as trusted and valid data. in writing the discussion, the respondents’ names are all disguised to protect their privacy. finally, from the data analysis, the researchers drew the conclusions. results and discussion in total, there are twelve critical incident stories gathered from the public senior high school english teachers to be discussed in this study. the stories were organized to answer the two research questions, namely the meanings of cis as reflected by the teachers and the roles of those cis to develop the teachers’ identities. the meaning of critical incidents for teachers the twelve stories of cis were categorized into three major categories of cis, namely students’ misbehavior, smart students, and selfimprovement. arima renny dayu putri & paulus kuswandono the roles of critical incidents to construct public senior high school english teachers’ identities development 52 the researchers summarized the cis stories in the three tables below. students’ misbehavior students’ misbehavior was improper behavior or unaccepted behavior for the teacher occurring in the teaching and learning process. the study found three kinds of students’ misbehavior, namely; “sleeping students”, “impolite words”, and “late arrival”. these students’ misbehavior suggested meaning for the teachers as mentioned in table below. table 1. students’ misbehavior no teacher’s name story / number meaning 1 ms. patricia sleeping student (1) i have to make reflection about the teaching method and material. 2 ms. elsa sleeping student (2) i have to discuss with other teacher to design our next step related to the students’ misbehaviour. 3 ms. anna impolite words (3) this kind of incident helped me to change my identity from fun teacher to firm and discipline teacher by creating consequence related to the students’ misbehaviour. 4 ms. sofia late arrival (4) i have to be a wise and caring teacher who is able to choose the right action related to the lateness of the student. 5 mr. henry late arrival (5) i developed an identity as a caring teacher who was able to find the reason and solution about the student’s lateness. the public senior high school english teachers in yogyakarta experienced some students’ misbehavior in their teaching process. first, the cases of “sleeping students” (1, 2) were defined as cis and experienced by ms. patricia and ms. elsa several times. these cases provided great meaning for both ms. patricia and ms. elsa. experiencing some cis like “sleeping students”, ms. patricia realized that she was given a big chance to evaluate or reflect her teaching techniques and material designed. ms. patricia’s case was in line with joshi (2018) and hall & townsend (2017) that cis are useful for teachers to learn and reflect on their most meaningful experiences for both positive and negative experiences. ms. patricia has done the right thing that she evaluated herself based on the case of “sleeping students” in her teaching process. thus, the case of “sleeping student” provided a meaningful experience for teacher to conduct reflection about her teaching techniques and material designed. second, ms. elsa’s case of “sleeping student” (2) took her to a related action which was conducting a discussion with the homeroom’s teacher and other teachers to find a solution. her action was confirmed by hall & townsend (2017) that cis become a meaningful learning moment for teachers to take related actions. in this case, ms. elsa defined that the case of “sleeping student” was a meaningful moment to find related useful action. case number three, “impolite words” (3) were experienced by ms. anna and categorized as meaningful experience because it could change her identity. ms. anna’s awareness on her identity’s role was confirmed by farrell (2011) that critical incident can generate teachers’ awareness of their identities’ roles. ms. anna changed her identity from fun english teacher to be a firm and discipline english teacher after designing consequences for students who produced impolite words in the school environment. ms. anna’s critical incident of “impolite words” was in line with schutz, hong, & cross francis (2018) and gilstrap & dupree (2002) that cis often occur unpredictably and they are potential to change people’s lives as well as their development of identities. thus, it is discernible that ms. anna’s case of “impolite words” was categorized as a meaningful experience because it was potential to transform the identity as an english teacher. other cases of students’ misbehavior were the cases of “late arrival” (4, 5) experienced by ms. sofia and mr. henry. these cis were meaningful moments to develop their identities as a genuine english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 53 caring teacher (noddings, 2017). both ms. sofia and mr. henry’s actions corroborated the arguments from joshi (2018) and hall & townsend (2017). the arguments suggest that cis are meaningful learning moment to develop teachers’ professional identities as they may guide teachers to choose related action to deal better with students’ problem or inappropriate behaviour. both of them had to find the best action to deal with the late-arrival problem through critical discretion. it means that by arriving late, the students will not always deserve bad effect in their learning progress. smart students having smart students are meaningful to every teacher. they also become a distinct sign that meaningful learning process have occurred. on the other hand, smart students can create some learning problems leading to cis as figured out in the following table. table 2. smart students no teacher’s name story / number meaning 1 ms. elsa student’s feedback (6) pronunciations mistakes help me to evaluate myself. i have to learn and prepare the material well before teaching in order to be a good example for my students. 2 ms. sofia smart student (7) the students were smarter than me made me realized that i have to study hard in order to be a better teacher. 3 ms. sofia ill-timed material coverage (8) i have to be more creative teacher in designing learning materials which are suitable for my students’ potential. resulting smart students is the goal of every teacher. however, having smart students can be a rewarding cis for some teachers. there were three stories about “smart students” in the classroom as reflected by ms. elsa and ms. sofia. ms. elsa’s case of “student’s feedback” (6) was a serious moment in her teaching career and it provided a substantial meaning to her. being corrected by her student after having mispronunciations, she turned into deep embarrassment. it was a quite unpredictable and unforgettable moments for ms. elsa. this event was confirmed by schutz et al. (2018) that cis often happen unpredictably but they are significant to change people’s lives. ms. elsa’s case of having student’s feedback really took place in sudden and provide great opportunity for her to change her style of being a senior high school english teacher. ms. elsa was motivated to prepare her teaching better in order to be a good model for her students. her motivation to be better was confirmed by richardson and watt (2018) that motivation is somebody’s energy to achieve their defined goals. furthermore, critical events are beneficial to challenge or support teachers’ goals, and it is principal in authoring teacher identity (schutz, et al., 2018 ; joshi, 2018). ms. elsa’s goal is to be a good model for her students. therefore, by having wrong pronunciation in her teaching, she had to change her strategy in preparing and conducting teaching. so, it was assumed that “student’s feedback” provided a great meaning for an english teacher to be a better teacher by preparing and conducting teacher activities in a correct way. case number seven, the story of having “smart students” (7) gave a great meaning for ms. sofia. in this case, she thought that her students were smarter than her since they could answer the task faster and better than her. the meaning of this critical incident was providing a learning moment for teacher to take related action as well as study hard to have better performance and knowledge in teaching english. she believed that teachers have to learn and learn over the time. as a teacher, she believed that studying harder will produce better teaching activities. ms. sofia’s meaningful experience was in line with atai & nejadghanbar (2015) that cis become a meaningful learning moment for teachers to take related actions. it was clear that having smart students led ms. sofia to learn more as a teacher. likewise, the case of “ill-timed material coverage” (8) contributed a great meaning for a better material designed. in this case, ms. sofia arima renny dayu putri & paulus kuswandono the roles of critical incidents to construct public senior high school english teachers’ identities development 54 experienced all materials that have already been delivered to the students before the semester ended. to cover the rest of the time, it was difficult for her to find materials to be delivered to the students. atai & nejadghanbar (2015) explained that cis become a meaningful learning moment for teachers to take related actions. in line with their findings, ms. sofia assumed that critical incident gave her meaning to design more creative material and well time management in teaching. self-improvement teachers’ self-improvement is continuous development of teacher’s knowledge and teaching quality. it is the requirement to upgrade their quality to be better in their teaching profession. the table below specified some experiences of cis supporting teachers’ self-improvement. table 3. self-improvement no teacher’s name story / number meaning 1 mr. christian high potential students (9) i have to upgrade my own quality in teaching and preparing the material for my high potential students. 2 ms. sofia high potential students (10) i have to learn how to design better material and to choose the better teaching methods to be applied in the new school. 3 mr. christian going abroad (11) i felt that my english was tested during school visit in australia. this experience improved my selfconfidence. 4 ms. sofia peer teaching (12) i developed my identity as a creative teacher who can design more interesting material for my students using technology as i learnt from the student-teacher. the last big major category of cis in this study was “self-improvement” which was experienced by two respondents. both mr. christian and ms. sofia experienced the case of “high potential students” (9, 10). their cis appeared when both of them faced high potential students on their movement in new public senior high schools. these new senior high schools as their new work places were categorized as favorite schools. the students there were very smart in comparison to their previous students in the previous schools. both of them thought and experienced that to deal with smarter students, it is mandatory to prepare better teaching techniques and materials. having such incidents, they realized that upgrading the quality of teaching must be done. mr. christian and ms. sofia’s actions were in line with harrison et al. (2011) that cis become a meaningful learning moment for teachers to take related actions. in this case, both mr. christian and ms. sofia were being agentic teachers to find solution in the challenging new classrooms. biesta and tedder (2007) argued that agentic teachers are those who are active and able to shape their responsibilities to the challenging classroom. in line with biesta and tedder (2007), mr. christian and ms. sofia took responsibility by upgrading themselves in terms of materials design and teaching methods. they were motivated to take responsibility so that they can be a good and appropriate teacher for high potential students. as richardson and watt (2018) defined motivation is somebody’s energy to achieve their defined goals, both of them had energy to have better teaching qualities. thus, having high potential students provided great meaning for teachers to burn up their energy or motivation to upgrade themselves and have better quality of teaching. the next case concerning with selfimprovement was the case of “going abroad” (11) experienced by mr. christian. he had an unforgettable experience on his first time visiting another senior high school in australia. unforgettable experience is confirmed by farrell (2013) that a critical incident is any unpredictable and unforgettable experience occurring both in the teaching process and outside class. both mr. christian and the natives’ teachers found difficulty and misunderstanding conversation since they had different dialects. thus, mr. christian struggled to have better communication. even though having difficulty, mr. christian thought that his english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 55 experience was a critical incident for him to achieve a better value of himself as an english teacher. his great point of view in analyzing critical incident was in line with schutz et al. (2018) that critical events are beneficial to challenge or support teachers’ goals, values, and beliefs and it is vital in authoring teachers’ identities. after visiting another senior high school in australia for about a month, he felt more confident to be an english teacher. in other words, his speaking english has been tested well by native speakers. it was clear that the case of “going abroad” provided special meaning for mr. christian for his english fluency improvement and his confidence in being senior high school english teacher in a favourite school. “peer-teaching” (12) was the last case of selfimprovement category which also provided deep meanings. ms. sofia learned how to design material using technology from the studentsteacher who practiced teaching in her classroom. by designing more interesting material and applying technology in teaching, she developed her identity as creative teacher. her critical incident’s meaning is in line with schutz et al. (2018) that cis take place unpredictably, they are potential to change people’s lives as well as their development of identities. it was found that ms sofia positively assumed the meaning of “peer-teaching” as having self-improvement to be creative teacher and have a better quality of teaching. the roles of critical incidents to develop teachers’ identities learning a larger study on teacher identity construction, those public senior high school teachers as the research respondents provided the roles of cis to develop their professional identities. the roles of cis to construct teachers’ identities were analyzed based on three major categories of cis. students’ misbehavior teacher identity is created during teacher’s life and the process of teaching. it means that identity can be developed by many factors, experiences, and conditions. identity is defined as a continual and dynamic process which involves both a person and a context (beauchamp & thomas, 2009). students’ misbehaviors were useful context which provided chance for teachers to develop their identity. ms. patricia’s case of “sleeping students” (1) was useful for her to be a reflective teacher. the incident of “sleeping student” made ms. patricia reflected on her quality of teaching. it was found that ms. patricia preferred to evaluate her quality of teaching than to classify “sleeping students” problem as students’ mistake. it was in line with schutz et al. (2018) that critical events are beneficial to challenge or support teachers’ goals, values, and beliefs based on teachers’ attributions and emotional responses, and it is essential in authoring their identities. the case of “sleeping students” was a challenging moment for ms patricia to develop her identity. it was assumed that ms. patricia chose more interesting teaching techniques and more creative material. the better quality of teaching was useful to develop students’ motivation in learning english. in this case, ms. patricia was an agentic teacher as she found solution related to the crucial problem in her english classroom. ruohotie-lyhty (2018) explained that an individual’s agency in a particular environment is crucial to identity development. she could design better qualities of teaching to support reaching her goal in teaching english trough self-efficacy. according to bandura (2010), self-efficacy indicates the success of a person’s belief in his ability to achieve goals that affect his life. by reflecting her teaching quality and designing better english teaching activities, ms. patricia’s identity as senior high school english teacher was developed to be interesting and creative teacher. the other case of “sleeping students” (2) could be regarded a role to develop teacher’s identity as experienced by ms. elsa. it was assumed that ms. elsa developed her identity as agentic and responsible teacher by creating solution dealing with students’ misbehavior. choosing teaching as a career involves individual qualities, expectancies, values, beliefs, and talents, as well as accommodating required social roles, responsibilities, and expectations (richardson & watt, 2018, p.39). in line with richardson and watt’s (2018) theory that teacher’s quality deals with responsibility, ms. elsa realized that she has the responsibility to educate students. therefore, she conducted discussion with homeroom teacher and other teachers related to the case of “sleeping arima renny dayu putri & paulus kuswandono the roles of critical incidents to construct public senior high school english teachers’ identities development 56 students” to find out the best solution. this was a challenging problem and demanded active teachers to find the solution. agentic teachers are those who are active and able to shape their responsibilities to the challenging classroom (biesta & tedder, 2007). evidently, ms. elsa seriously appreciated her profession as agentic and responsible teacher and consistently developed her identity. the case of “impolite words” (3) experienced by ms. anna gave beneficial function for her to develop her identity as a firm and discipline teacher. ms. anna’s first identity was a fun english teacher. she wanted to have successful english teaching by being a fun teacher. however, she found a critical incident in her teaching that her students produce impolite words. it was assumed that her students had low respect to her. after having such incident, ms. anna realized that she had to develop a better character as well as being firm and discipline teacher in order to fulfill the responsibility of educating students. she designed consequences for the students who produce impolite words. the development of ms. anna’s identity was in line with ruohotie-lyhty (2018) that identity development depends on the people who actively take action to construct their identity or how they create better identity over time. it was clear that ms. anna has developed her identity from fun english teacher to be firm and discipline english teacher because of having the case of students’ “impolite words”. “late arrival” could create bad emotion for both the students and the teacher. however, it could be very useful for reflective teachers in developing their identities. late arrival provided benefits for mr. henry and ms. sofia. they were identified as caring teachers. they always managed their emotion in facing late arrival students so that there is not bad effect appeared to all students in the class. being able to control emotion is one of teachers’ identities developments. emotion is related to the discussion of teacher’s identity because it is a feature between teacher-self and a factor that influence his/her identity and the shaping of it (day, 2018). both mr. henry and ms. sofia chose to control their emotion and care to the students who came late to the class. emotion was an essential factor in the teachers’ identity development because it is a feature between the teachers and factors that influence their identities (wolff & de costa, 2017). both mr. henry and ms. sofia chose to control their emotion and gave good attention to the students who came late to the class. thus, it was shown that the case of “late arrival” contributed a great role in developing teachers’ identities as well as being caring teachers. smart students every student needs good teachers to obtain good education, particularly in the ways they guide students to generate meanings in their learning moments. ms. elsa and ms. sofia’s cases of “smart students” (6, 7, 8) are good evidences for teachers to develop their identity. the three cases namely “student feedback”, “smart students”, and “illtimed material coverage” were in line with richardson and watt (2018) that choosing teaching as a career involves individual qualities, expectancies, values, beliefs, and talents, as well as accommodating required social roles, responsibilities, and expectations. having mispronunciation during teaching process and being corrected by her students, ms. elsa was motivated to be a better teacher in order to be a good model for her students. teacher’s identity is dynamic and formed by motivation and goals before becoming a teacher. it is constructed by the extent to which the teacher plays a role related to the tasks of the community and their profession in the future (richardson & watt, 2018). in this case, she was motivated to develop her identity to be a good model for her students as her goal in the beginning of being an english teacher. furthermore, case number seven (7) was beneficial for ms. sofia to construct her identity. according to ruohotie-lyhty (2018), identity development depends on the people who actively take action to construct their identity or how they create better identity over the time. in these cases, she realized that she had to improve her quality of teaching and prepare more creative material for the students. in this study, it was found that teacher identity is a dynamic process. every teacher could evaluate and improve their quality of teaching after having such cis. senior high school english teachers developed their identity during their teaching process from the existing cis. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 57 self-improvement personal growth and development can create teachers’ identities. to gain teacher’s personal growth and development, upgrading teaching quality will be one requirement in developing teachers’ identities. the cases of “selfimprovement” (9, 10, 11, 12) were related to teachers’ personal growth to develop their identities as senior high school english teachers. the case of “high potential students” (9 & 10) motivated mr. christian and ms. sofia to upgrade their teaching quality. their motivations to upgrade their teaching quality upon their movement into favorite schools are confirmed by richardson and watt (2018, p.40) that motivation was extended to explain processes that empower people to engage in tasks to achieve goals. teachers wish to create better identities for themselves through upgrading their teaching quality. in this case, both mr. christian and ms. sofia had high potential students that empowered them to take a decision as well as upgrading their teaching methods and material for the students. similarly, the case of “going abroad” (11) provided mr. christian a great role to improve his confidence as an english teacher who was successfully having conversation with native english teachers in australia. he thought that his first visit to australia strengthened his identity as fluent speaking senior high school english teacher. the last case, “peer teaching” (12) also provided a useful function to develop senior high school english teacher’s identity. the critical incident experienced by ms. sofia as well as having peer teaching with student-teacher corroborated the notion from meijer and oosterheert (2018) that learning to teach for creativity can then be approached as a process of professional identity development. this study found that ms. sofia learned how to be a more creative teacher by applying some new application using technology to have more interesting teaching and learning process. thus, ms. sofia developed her identity to be a creative teacher. in accordance with two respondents’ life experiences, both of them proved that teacher identity is dynamic and is continually developed by career motivations and goals, playing the roles required of a teacher related to social needs of teacher profession, and is committed to the career (richardson and watt, 2018). both mr. christian and ms. sofia were undertaking self-improvement because of their cis reflection in the teaching process. they were committed to have better quality of teaching in order to take up the responsibility of public senior high school english teachers. conclusion teacher’s identity is essentially a dynamic cycle of teacher’s experience during their teaching process. cis in the teaching process occasionally occurred and actually contributed profound roles to construct teacher’s identity. in this study, there were 12 stories of cis revealed and subsequently classified into three major categories respectively: student’s misbehavior (5 stories), smart students (3 stories), and teachers’ self-improvement (4 stories). the stories motivated the teachers to be reflective teacher, empowered themselves to be agentic teachers in finding solution, developed teachers’ identities, supported their confidence, and encouraged them to have better teaching quality. those 12 stories constitute the evidences of significant reflections on the english teachers’ identity construction as public senior high school. the researchers perceive that this study can provide contribution to english teachers, english education study program students, and other researchers. to english teachers, this study provides additional contribution to the existing varieties of cis in developing teachers’ identities. to pre-service teachers in english education departments, this study is expected to provide clear information and knowledge concerning the role of cis in teaching and learning process. preservice teachers can reflect the usefulness of cis to improve their identities as professional english teachers in the future. to future researchers, this study suggests that the roles of cis are not limited to teacher identity construction, but are also available to benefit students. by reflecting cis in students’ learning experiences, for example, the teachers can help students to craft their agencies to be more autonomous and self-motivated learners. the integration of cis for students’ learning can provide challenging research ground, and yet, worthwhile for further investigation. arima renny dayu putri & paulus kuswandono the roles of critical incidents to construct public senior high school english teachers’ identities development 58 reference ary, d., jacobs, l. c., sorensen, c., & razavieh, a. (2010). introduction to research in education. (8th ed.). wadsworth: cengage learning. atai, m. r., & nejadghanbar, h. (2015). unpacking inservice efl teachers’ critical iincidents: the case of iran. relc journal, 47(1), 97–110. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688216631177 bandura, a. (2010). self-efficacy-bandura. the corsini encyclopedia of psychology, 1–3. https://doi.org/10, 9780470479216. beauchamp, c., & thomas, l. (2009). understanding teacher identity: an overview of issues in the literature and implications for teacher education. cambridge journal of education, 39(2), 175–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057640902902252 best, w. j., & kahn, v. j. (2006). research in education. tenth edition. boston: a and b pearson. biesta, g., & tedder, m. (2007). agency and learning in the lifecourse: towards an ecological perspective. studies in the education of adults, 39(2), 132–149. https://doi.org/10.1080/02660830.2007.11661545 day, c. (2018). professional identity matters: agency, emotions, and resilience: mapping challenges and innovations. in research on teacher identity, (pp.61-70). farrell, t. s. c. (2011). exploring the professional role identities of experienced esl teachers through reflective practice. system, 39(1), 54–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2011.01.012 farrell, t. s. c. (2013). critical incident analysis through narrative reflective practice : a case study. iranian journal of language teaching research, 1(1), 79–89. fraenkel, j. r., & wallen, n. e. (1993). how to design and evaluative reseach. new york: graw-hil inc. garner, j. k., & kaplan, a. (2019). a complex dynamic systems perspective on teacher learning and identity formation: an instrumental case. teachers and teaching: theory and practice, 25(1), 7–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2018.1533811 gilstrap, d. l., & dupree, j. (2008). assessing learning, critical reflection, and quality educational outcomes: the critical incident questionnaire. college & research libraries, 69(5), 407–426. https://doi.org/10.5860/0690407 hall, j. m., & townsend, s. d. c. (2017). using critical incidents and e-portfolios to understand the emergent practice of japanese student-teachers of english. teaching and teacher education, 62, 1– 9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.10.017 harrison, j. k., lee, r., harrison, j. k., & lee, r. (2011). exploring the use of critical incident analysis and the professional learning conversation in an initial teacher education programme learning conversation in an initial teacher education. journal of education for teaching: international research and pedagogy, 37–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2011.558285 hong, j., day, c., & greene, b. (2018). the construction of early career teachers’ identities: coping or managing? teacher development, 22(2), 249–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2017.1403367 joshi, k. (2018). critical incidents for teachers’ professional development. journal of nelta surkhet, 5, 82–88. meijer, p. c., & oosterheert, i. e. (2018). student teachers’ identity development in relation to “teaching for creativity.” in research on teacher identity (pp. 121–130). springer. noddings, n. (2017). care ethics and education. in n. aloni & l. weintrob (eds.), beyond bystanders: educational leadership for a humane culture in a globalizing reality (pp. 183–190). rotterdam: sensepublishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-946351-026-4_14 richardson, p. w., & watt, h. m. g. (2018). teacher professional identity and career motivation : a lifespan perspective. in a. paul schutz, j. hong, & d. c. francis (eds.). new york: springer. ruohotie-lyhty, m. (2018). identity-agency in progress: teachers authoring their identities. in a. paul schutz, j. hong, & dionne cross francis (eds.), research on teacher identity (pp. 25–36). new york: springe schutz, p. a., hong, j., & cross francis, d. (2018). research on teacher identity: mapping challenges and innovations. in a. paul schutz, j. hong, & d. c. francis (eds.), research on teacher identity (pp. 3-9|). new york: springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93836-3 schutz, p. a., nichols, s. l., & schwenke, s. (2018). critical events, emotional episodes, and teacher attributions in the development of teacher identities. in a. paul schutz, j. hong, & d. c. francis (eds.), research on teacher identity (pp. 49–60). new york: springer. sisson, j. h. (2016). the significance of critical incidents and voice to identity and agency. teachers and teaching: theory and practice, 22(6), 670–682. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2016.1158956 wijaya, a. r., & kuswandono, p. (2018). reflecting critical incident as a form of english teachers’ professional development: an indonesian narrative inquiry research. ijee (indonesian journal of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 59 english education), 5(2), 101–118. https://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v5i2.10923 wolff, d., & de costa, p. i. (2017). expanding the language teacher identity landscape: an investigation of the emotions and strategies of a nnest. the modern language journal, 101(s1), 76–90. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12370 arima renny dayu putri & paulus kuswandono the roles of critical incidents to construct public senior high school english teachers’ identities development 60 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 91 integrating process-genre approach with project ibunka to improve students’ english writing elis homsini maolida department of english education, universitas suryakancana, cianjur, indonesia e-mail: elishomsini@unsur.ac.id vina aini salsabila department of english education, universitas suryakancana, cianjur, indonesia e-mail: vnsabila91@gmail.com apa citation: maolida, e. h., & salsabila, v. a. (2019). integrating process-genre approach with project ibunka to improve students‟ english writing. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 91-100. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2057. received: 22-10-2019 accepted: 19-11-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: this study goes into how an integration of process-genre approach and project ibunka improves students‟ english writing. through process-genre approach, students put in writing essays by combining process and genre based writing. meanwhile, project ibunka as an online collaborative writing project is deployed as a means of publishing the students‟ writing to be read and commented by other students from various cultures and countries. in the context of this study, ibunka also provides sources used to explore the topic and as a writing model. this study is a classroom action research that involved 46 university students in two classes who learned to compose english essays in three learning cycles within twelve meetings. the integration of process-genre and project ibunka is implemented in four stages: introducing and exploring theme and topics of writing, modeling and determining genre, joint writing and independent writing. in joint and independent writing, the students go through several stages of writing process such as planning, drafting, writing, revising and editing. the result of essays scoring shows average score improvement in both classes from cycle 1 to cycle 2 and cycle 3. this students‟ writing improvement is also confirmed by students‟ positive responses revealed from observation, questionnaire and students interview. keywords: process-genre; project ibunka; writing; classroom action research. introduction writing is claimed as a challenging skill for learners (ali & ramana, 2016; cotos, link, & huffman, 2017) due to its complex processes (gonzales, 2010). the writing complexity arises from requirements to master multiple skills of writing (nyasimi, 2014) such as contribution of the writer‟s long-term memory, task environment, writing process (flower & tillema, 2013) and involvement of language knowledge, language contexts, and language usage skills (tudor, 2017) furthermore, this complexity seems to affect learners‟ writing ability. many learners encounter some obstacles in expressing ideas and thoughts in written text. these obstacles entails writer‟s block, low proficiency (maolida, 2015), inadequate content mastery, incorrect use of grammar, first language interference, limited vocabulary and insufficient teaching and learning resources (nyasimi, 2014). additionally, based on the result of direct observation, it is found that learners‟ writing ability tends to be the lowest comparing to other english skills. it is reflected in learners‟ difficulty to develop ideas and compose an organized and a cohesive text. the above issues appear to be worrying when contrasted with the primacy of mastering writing since writing skill is a beneficial tool for learning, communicating, self-expressing (khoeriah, 2018), assisting students in dealing with their academic demands and performing effectively in their professional contexts (nyasimi, 2014). in academic settings, the writing skill is required to keep and store both information and literary works (brindley, 2005). it is relevant to bailey (2004) who states that the writing skill is indispensable to the composition of essays used in most academic courses. in regard to the issues, teachers need to detect effective and innovative ways of teaching. one interesting way is by integrating teaching method of writing and technology. in this study, processgenre approach and project ibunka are integrated as the effort of conducting an effective and innovative way of teaching writing for tertiary level students. mailto:elishomsini@unsur.ac.id mailto:vnsabila91@gmail.com elis homsini maolida & vina aini salsabila integrating process-genre approach with project ibunka to improve students’ english writing 92 process-genre approach is the combination of process approach and genre-based approach. it is used since it facilitates students to “improve their knowledge of writing the genre, the structure, and the language features of a particular text, the social context (the purpose of the text), and the process of writing” (badger & white, 2000). this approach encourages students learn the relationship of purpose and form of particular genres. furthermore, process-genre approach also provides students to conduct processes of prewriting, drafting, revision, and editing in order to make them get familiar with various text types and composing process (saputra & marzulina, 2015). moreover, badger and white (2000) identify process-genre approach into six steps including preparation, modeling, planning, join constructing, independent constructing and revising and editing. these steps can be seen in figure 1. figure 1. process genre approach (badger & white, 2000) the first step of process-genre approach is preparation (badger & white, 2000). both process approach and genre-based approach begin the teaching steps by doing preparation (the term used in process approach) and background knowledge of the field (the term used in genrebased approach). in this step, the teacher provides the situation to be used as the topic (pujianto, emilia, & m.i., 2014) and puts it into a specific genre. furthermore, the teacher can also facilitate students to practice other language skills relevant to the topic such as listening exercises containing specific words in the genre, reading comprehension tasks, and discussing the topic to increase students‟ speaking skill and their knowledge regarding the topic in context (emilia, 2012). the next step of this approach is modelling in which students are introduced to genre type, grammatical and rhetorical features of the texts (hyland, 2007; pujianto et al., 2014). this phase also allows students to begin to identify the purpose of the text (badger and white, 2000) from myriad text sources and to understand of the organizational development of the text (pujianto et al., 2014; yan, 2005). the third step is planning. this step deals with brainstorming ideas of the text, discussing, and reading associated materials to help students develop their interest in the topic and relate it to their experience (yan, 2005).this is also the step for preparing students to get involved in the jointconstructing phase. the next step is joint-constructing which allows the teacher and students to start writing a text together. yan (2005) avows that the aim of this phase is “to produce a final draft which provides a model for students to refer to when they work on the individual compositions”. moreover, in this phase, the teacher introduces feedback towards writing to students (emilia, 2010, 2012). the activities might include brainstorming, revising, and editing. additionally, independent constructing is carried out as the continuation of the jointconstructing stage. in this step, students start to write their text individually through teacher‟s guidance. students also can decide the topic of their writing independently. this step can be conducted inside the classroom so that the teacher is “available to help, clarify, or consult with them individually during the process” (yan, 2005, p. 22) or it is also very likely to be used as home assignments. at the end of the activity, students can produce a draft of their writing (pujianto et al., 2014). english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 93 finally, revising and editing are conducted as the feedback on students‟ draft. the teacher can facilitate students to check, discuss, and evaluate their work with other students (peer feedback) (khoeriah, 2018). the teacher can also publish students‟ work for the sake of giving appreciation of students‟ achievement (belmekki & sekkal, 2018). in relation to the stages of process-genre based, project ibunka can be a medium for students to obtain information vis-à-vis the topic, the source of text in the modelling stage, and to publish their final draft of writing. project ibunka also provides chances for students to share their ideas through writing essays on this website. additionally, it is an internet-based collaborative project, initiated by professor watanabe, among students from various countries all over the world (watanabe, kasami, chung, & tsai, 2007). furthermore, watanabe et al. (2007) explain that project ibunka has three main features; 1) textbased bulletin board discussion, 2) chat sessions, and 3) video letter exchange. in this forum, students are able to freely write various topics of the text about three issues, i.e. school life, culture, and social issues. many studies show the strength of process genre approach in teaching writing as a study conducted by pujianto et al. (2014) who explore teaching steps of process genre approach to develop senior high studentss‟ writing skills. the result of this descriptive qualitative study indicates students‟ writing skill development after process genre approach implementation. the writing development specifically appears in the genre knowledge, writing process, and feedback from peers and teachers. another study was conducted by tuyen, osman, dan, and ahmad (2016) who implemented process genre approach to increase efl students‟ ability in writing research papers. this study is restricted only to the provision of teaching modules including theory, practice and assessment through the progress tests. the result of this study shows the stages of process genre approach can successfully be applied for designing research paper program in tertiary level. furthermore, a study of agesta (2016) also shows another strength of process genre approach implementation in teaching writing. this study aims to offer solutions in helping efl students to develop their writing ability by providing teaching scenarios using process genre approach. this study indicates that process genre approach can overcome students‟ writing obstacles. in addition, belmekki& sekkal (2018) strengthen the prominence of process genre approach as they applied this approach to improve students‟ achievement in writing business letters. this study is aimed at investigating the effect of process genre approach on esp students‟ writing achievement and to reveal students‟ responses to the use of process genre approach. this action research study reveals that there was a significant effect of process-genre approach on the students‟ writing achievement, covering four writing components: organization, vocabulary, grammar, and mechanics. regarding the study on project ibunka, watanabe et al. (2007) discuss the benefits of deploying project ibunka in developing students‟ writing ability and understanding culture, technology, and communication. another study of ayuningsih (2015) investigates the use of project ibunka in writing practice and the result indicates that students‟ writing skill has improved especially in the grammatical aspect. furthermore, maolida & mustika, (2018b) explore students‟ writing process in conducting project ibunka. this study highlights students‟ various sequence and strategies during writing process. additionally, maolida& mustika (2018a) discuss the benefits and challenges of writing in project ibunka. the result of this study indicated that students‟ challenges in writing were unstructured writing process and low proficiency. these obstacles become driving force to continue the research by integrating process-genre approach and project ibunka to improve students‟ writing ability. method this study employed three cycles of classroom action research (car) adapted from kemmis & mctaggart (1988) by involving 46 students who participated in two writing classes (class a and class b) for one semester. since each cycle consists of four meetings, this research is carried out in 12 weeks. the data were collected from classroom observation, questionnaire, interview and writing product (essays) scoring in each cycle. students‟ writing products published in project ibunka were scored to look into their writing improvement. in this case, students‟ writing product (essays) for theme 1 (my school life) was considered as students‟ writing product for cycle 1, students‟ writing (essays) for theme 2 (culture) was considered as the writing product elis homsini maolida & vina aini salsabila integrating process-genre approach with project ibunka to improve students’ english writing 94 for cycle 2, and students‟ writing (essays) for theme 3 (social issues) was considered as the writing product for cycle 3. the results of scoring were compared to denote students‟ writing progress. the observation was conducted to describe in detail how the integration of process-genre approach and project ibunka was implemented. the observation was focused not only on the learning process in the classrooms but also on students‟ writing interaction in project ibunka. in addition, the observation was also used to support the data from writing scores about students‟ development on their english writing. furthermore, the interview was administered and the questionnaire were distributed to support the data concerning the integration of process genre approach and project ibunka as well as students‟ perspectives on their english writing progress and improvement. results and discussion the findings of this study are divided into four sections: the activities during the integration of process-genre and project ibunka in the first cycle of car, the activities during the integration of process-genre and project ibunka in the second cycle of car, the activities during the integration of process-genre and project ibunka in the third cycle of car and students‟ writing improvement viewed from students‟ writing product scores in each cycle as well as students‟ responses from observation, questionnaire and interview. learning activities in the first cycle of processgenre integration and project ibunka in cycle 1, the integration of process-genre and project ibunka started. the implementation of learning stages can be seen in the following figure: figure 2. integration of process genre and project ibunka as depicted in the figure, the students underwent four stages of learning: introducing and exploring writing theme and topics, modeling and determining writing genre, joint writing and independent writing (badger & white, 2000). in the first meeting, the students were introduced to project ibunka and all of them were very excited for knowing that they had an opportunity to write essays and their writing would be read and commented by other students from different cultures and countries. in spite of their excitement, most of them were confused about what to write. even though ibunka determined the theme „my school life‟ for the first cycle, the students looked puzzled. then, the students explored the topics by reading various essays posted in previous project ibunka and other sources. this stage of exploration aimed to familiarize students with the topics (pujianto, emilia, & m.i., 2014; emilia, 2012). after that, they discussed the topics in small groups and the result of discussion was shared in a class discussion. at the end of the meeting, the students came up with several ideas about the topics they were going to write. in the second meeting, the students and the lecturer discussed and decided to write descriptive and recount texts about „my school life‟. then, a descriptive text and a recount text posted in previous project ibunka were used as writing models. in this case, the students discussed the texts, analyzed the generic structures and linguistic features of the texts to make the students comprehend the text english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 95 organization and its linguistic features (pujianto et al., 2014; yan, 2005). at the end of the meeting, the students were encouraged to think about their ideas of the topic and think about how their chosen topic would be written. in the third meeting, joint writing (it is already known as joint-constructing (yan, 2005; emilia, 2010, 2012) was conducted with the lecturer leading the process by writing the sentences on a whiteboard. in this case, the students and the lecturer discussed and decided a topic to be constructed together in the classroom. then, the students and the lecturer constructed a text together by going through the writing processes such as pre writing through brainstorming, drafting, revising and editing. through this stage, the students were expected to have prior experience of constructing a text using a specific genre. the last stage of process genre approach, independent writing to produce a writing draft (pujianto et al., 2014), was conducted outside the classroom with the students writing their first draft at home. in the fourth meeting, the first draft was brought to the writing class to be proofread, revised and edited by peer correction as suggested by khoeriah (2018) and lecturer‟s review. after the process of editing and revision, the final draft was published in project ibunka. in addition to posting their writing, the students also commented and gave feedback to essays posted by other ibunka participants. the result of evaluation and reflection from the first cycle collected from observation, interview and questionnaire reveals that most of students struggled with the ideas, not to mention common writing problems such as writing structure problems, grammatical obstacle and vocabulary limitation (maolida, 2015; nyasimi, 2014). some of them also admitted that they were anxious due to unfamiliarity with the system of project ibunka, the scoring system, the requirement to give and receive comments or feedback and insecurity toward other participants from other countries. in addition, few students experienced writer‟s block and they had not finished the draft in four meetings and were late in publishing their first essay. learning activities in the second cycle of process-genre integration and project ibunka the activities in the second cycle were arranged by considering the evaluation and reflection result of the first cycle. basically, the learning stages conducted in the second cycle were similar to those in the second cycle: introducing and exploring writing themes and topics, modeling and determining writing genres, joint writing and independent writing. however, several modifications were made as an effort to improve the students‟ writing. in exploring topics, as an example, small group brainstorming was skipped so the students directly brainstormed in a class discussion. each student then wrote their topic plan on the whiteboard. in the second stage of modeling and determining genres, explanation and procedure texts were added, reviewed, modeled and analyzed. the samples of the modeled texts were taken from texts posted in previous project ibunka. in addition, basic citing and referencing were introduced to avoid plagiarism. in joint writing, the students were urged to express their ideas to construct sentences and paragraphs together. compared to the stage of joint writing in the first cycle when the lecturer wrote the sentences on the whiteboard, the activity in cycle 2 was more student-centered since a student replaced the lecturer‟s role in conducting joint writing. however, the lecturer was there to give feedback towards writing to students (emilia, 2010, 2012). at the end of learning process, the students discussed their chosen topic and how the topic would be constructed in a specific type of genres. the modification was also made in drafting, revising and editing stage. in the second cycle, the students did not only write their first draft at home but also edit and revise their own draft. it was expected that they came to the class with better drafts. the revised draft was then brought to the class to be proofread and corrected by their partner who was considered as having higher degree of writing proficiency. however, several students insisted that their writing needed to be proofread by the lecturer. the results of evaluation and reflection in the second cycle yield that it was easier for several students in getting ideas of writing since they were more familiar with project ibunka so some students checked the topics in ibunka web prior to classroom discussion. besides, the theme of „culture‟ allowed them to explore a high variety of writing aspects. in addition, in the stage of classroom brainstorming and joint writing, the students were more active. most students participated in writing their topic plan and gave feedback to their friends‟ topic choice, and wrote their ideas on the whiteboard. however, some students still chose homogenous topics with elis homsini maolida & vina aini salsabila integrating process-genre approach with project ibunka to improve students’ english writing 96 traditional food and festivals as their favorite. some were also inconsistent with using grammatical form for their writing. in addition, few students copied and pasted some sources without giving any proper citations. learning activities in the third cycle of process-genre integration and project ibunka in the third cycle, the activities were carried out by taking into account the reflection results of cycle 1 and cycle 2. some adjustments were made to improve students‟ writing process and product. in pre writing stage, for instance, the students had independently searched and explored the theme and alternate topics given in ibunka website. as a result, when the students came to the class for the first meeting in third cycle, most of them had been well prepared with some samples of the text and the sources. it resulted in the brainstorming stage more interactive and interesting. moreover, the theme „social issues‟ made topics exploration more challenging since some topics such as terrorism, abortion, lgbt and other controversial issues offered various perspectives. in this stage, the students expressed ideas orally(emilia, 2012) by sharing their opinions supported with data. in determining genre and its modeling, exposition and discussion texts were reviewed, discussed and analyzed. different from cycle 1 and cycle 2 where the students discussed and analyzed the sample texts in terms of generic structures and linguistic features, in cycle 3 the students also critically discussed the texts in terms of its objectivity, its source validity and its conviction. the joint writing stage was also modified. previously, the students and the lecturer constructed the text on a whiteboard together. in the third cycle, an lcd projector was used to make it more efficient for students and the lecturer in constructing the text by providing supporting sources. in this stage, the students were also reminded about citation rules and were given practice of citing and referencing. as a preparation of the drafting stage, students were required to print the source they were going to cite to avoid plagiarism. so, when the students submitted their draft they also submitted the printed source that they used for their writing. after joint writing, the students made their own outline to write in the independent stage. in line with the independent writing stage in cycle 1 and cycle 2, the independent writing stage in cycle 3 was conducted outside the classroom with the students writing their text about „social issues‟, self-editing their text, selfrevising their text and asking their partner who was considered as a more proficient writer to proofread, edit and revise the text. the result of their writing and the printed sources were submitted in the last meeting of the third cycle. the lecturer checked and gave feedback to the draft, including the citing and referencing aspect. in the third cycle, the students showed more excitement and learning autonomy in exploring the topics and supporting sources. in addition, the students were more reflective and critical of the issues and became more critical of reading the sources for their writing. the students also showed more involvement during joint writing and had better preparation for their writing. the progress of students‟ writing result and process is discussed in the next section. students’ writing improvement the results of students‟ writing product average scores in cycle 1, cycle 2 and cycle 3 are illustrated in figure 3. in this case, the chart depicts two classes‟ average scores, class a and class b. as depicted in the chart, class a‟s average score was 78.09 in cycle 1, 79.27 in cycle 2 and 80.59 in cycle 3. the result of students‟ average score shows that the integration of process genre approach and project ibunka contributes to students‟ writing score improvement. this result is confirmed by the result of class b‟s average score of students‟ writing with the average score of 79.8 in cycle 1, 82.45 in cycle 2 and 83.05 in cycle 3. students‟ improved average score of writing in both classes corroborates the contribution of process genre and project ibunka integration in developing students‟ writing skills. this result confirms the positive influence of process-genre to students‟ writing in various contexts (pujianto et al., 2014; tuyen, osman, dan, & ahmad, 2016; agesta, 2016; belmekki & sekkal, 2018). english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 97 figure 3. the average score of students’ writing in each cycle in the first cycle, most of the students were excited yet confused about what to write. the result of the questionnaire reveals that in the beginning, many students admitted that it was hard for them to decide on what topics to write. in this case, they came up with homogeneous ideas such as subjects they learn, extracurricular activities and classroom atmospheres. on the other hands, several students said they had „too many ideas‟ but they were not focused in discussing the topic in their writing; they put and mixed several topics in an essay incoherently. in addition to those problems, common writing problems such as grammatical constraints and limited vocabularies(maolida, 2015; nyasimi, 2014) became two of other writing obstacles faced by the students. as a result, some students experienced writing anxiety that influences their writing quality as shared by one of the interviewed students: i was worried about everything, i knew about descriptive text or recount text but my problem was the ideas, i had so many things to write but i did not know which idea would make an interesting essay, i did not know how to put my ideas in my writing, my english was not good. i was also worried about the readers‟ reaction to my essay, especially the readers from other countries. #student11# the excerpt indicates a student‟s anxiety on various writing problems she faced in the first cycle. furthermore, the questionnaire reveals several students‟ reflection in the first cycle toward their writing obstacles in terms of vocabulary choice and intercultural knowledge, as stated by one of them: i should be more careful in composing my next essay. the students from different country misunderstood what i tried to say in my essay…i considered my story about my habit of borrowing pen to my classmates as funny since many students did that here but someone from another country considered this as a bad habit that would seriously influence people‟ trust on me. it did not only happen to me, my friend used a term „killer lecturer‟ in her writing and someone misunderstood the term. #student4# the excerpt reveals that the student received an unexpected comment from an audience who came from different country that made him more aware that the aspects accepted in his culture might not be accepted in another culture. it also reveals that the student learned from his and his friend‟s choice of vocabulary/term that was ambiguous to the audience from other culture who did not share similar background with him. it shows that project ibunka can be used not only to publish students‟ writing to appreciate students‟ achievement(belmekki & sekkal, 2018), but also to provide students with contextual feedback. in cycle 2, students‟ writing score improved with class a 78.09 in cycle 1 to 79.27 in cycle 2 and class b with 79.8 in cycle 1 to 82.45 in cycle 2. in this case, most students improved their writing in terms of content, language usage and mechanic. the improvement of their writing content was likely to result from the students‟ improved engagement in the topic exploring stage. the observation reveals that they had more awareness, more involvement, more autonomy in preparing, searching, and exploring the topic to develop their ideas in writing. meanwhile, the improvement of mechanic and language usage was likely generated from a more intensive revision process in which the students did selfediting and -revising before their writing was proofread, revised and edited by their more competent peer and the lecturer(see pujianto et al., 2014). the improvement was also recorded vis-à-vis learners‟ more awareness of structure and language feature of text type as stated by one of the students: in writing my second essay, i prepared it by reading some sources before discussing it in the class, it helped me to be more confident to write my draft. i wrote a report text about sundanese fruit salad „rujak‟so i made sure i used elis homsini maolida & vina aini salsabila integrating process-genre approach with project ibunka to improve students’ english writing 98 appropriate structure, i asked my friend who got good score in writing last semester to check my grammar …#student 3# it can be seen from the excerpt that the student was more aware of language features of her text choice. different from cycle 1 when the proofread and revision were done by a random partner in the class, in cycle 2 the students‟ writing was proofread and revised by a more proficient writer partner. however, many students in cycle 2 had not properly cited the sources in their writing due to lack of citing practice and experience. many also had not made coherent and logical sequencing in their essay. students‟ writing score improvement was also shown in cycle 3where class a‟s average score of 79.27 in cycle 2improved to 80.59 in cycle 3 and class b‟s average score of 82.45 in cycle 2 improved to 83.05 in cycle 3. even though the topic was considered as the most challenging topic by the students, they showed more excitement in exploring the ideas for their writing and they were aware that writing needs supporting valid and objective data. my first essay explored my personal life at campus then the second essay explored culture so i needed to broaden the coverage of discussion in my essay and searched for more information and the third essay discussed social and global issue that pushed me to further learned about various issues in detail. i wrote this not for myself, students from other countries probably read my essay, they could disagree with me, so i should see something from both sides #student 2# besides showing student‟s awareness of preparing the objective content and justifiable data, the excerpt also shows that the student had audience or reader orientation. in this case, he did not only write his ideas but also considered the potential readers. another student‟s perspective (student 22) well wrapped up the contribution of process genre and project ibunka toward students‟ writing improvement. this pushed me to write with purpose, like when i wrote a discussion essay i put perspectives from two sides. my writing also improved, i think, because it was checked and rechecked by me and my friends before i posted it in ibunka. i also tried to make interesting essays so i could get comments from other participants…#student 22# the excerpt reveals that genre approach helped the student to write her essay with clear purposes and with specific structure and language features. in the meantime, process approach facilitated her to improve her essay quality through writing process, especially editing and revising stage. in this case, the integration of both process and genre approach allows students to be more purposeful in composing and at the same time experience recursive writing process (deng, chen, & zhang in saputra & marzulina, 2015). meanwhile, project ibunka served as a means to publish students‟ writing and get comments as meaningful feedback to their writing. as a result, the students did not only get benefits of processgenre approach for their writing improvement but also utilized their writing to exchange ideas in a contextual way and got useful and meaningful response from real audience. conclusion this study discusses the integration of process genre with project ibunka to improve students‟ english writing. the results show that four stages of introducing and exploring theme and topics of writing, modeling and determining genre, joint writing and independent writing were implemented. in this case, writing process such as planning, drafting, writing, revising and editing were carried out by the students in joint writing stage and those steps were repeated in independent writing stage followed by the additional step to publish writing product in project ibunka. this integration results in students‟ writing improvement that is shown from the scoring results of students writing product published in project ibunka with class a‟s average score of78.09 in cycle 1, 79.27 in cycle 2 and 80.59 in cycle3 and class b‟s average score of 79.8 in cycle 1, 82.45 in cycle 2 and 83.05 in cycle 3. this improvement is confirmed by students‟ improved involvement and autonomy during their writing process and is also substantiated by students‟ responses revealing their writing improvement. acknowledgement we would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to direktorat riset dan pengabdian masyarakat (drpm), direktorat jenderal penguatan riset dan pengembangan – kementerian riset, teknologi dan pendidikan tinggi (ristekdikti) for funding this study under penelitian dosen pemula (pdp) category. references agesta, s. (2016). process-genre approach: breaking students‟ barriers in writing. international conference on education, (811–817). retrieved english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 99 from http://pasca.um.ac.id/conferences/index.php/ice/a rticle/view/107/104. ali, s. s., & ramana, d. v. l. (2016). academic writing challenges at universities in saudi arabia and solutions. international journal of english language, literature and humanities, iv(x), 291–298. ayuningsih, l. (2015). the use of online media to improve students’ writing skill: a case study in a senior high school in bandung. unpublished thesis, universitas pendidikan indonesia. badger, r., & white, g. (2000). a process genre approach to teaching writing. elt journal, 54(2). doi: 10.1093/elt/54.2.153. bailey, s. (2004). academic writing: a practical guide for students. new york: routledge falmer. belmekki, a., & sekkal, f. (2018). the effect of process-genre approach on esp students‟ achievement in writing business letters. european journal of research and reflection in educational sciences, 6(2), 10–14. brindley, s. (2005). teaching english. walton hall, milton keynes: taylor & francis e-library. cotos, e., link, s., & huffman, s. (2017). effects of technology on genre learning. language learning & technology, 21(3), 104–130. emilia, e. (2010). teaching writing: developing critical learners. bandung: rizqi press. emilia, e. (2012). pendekatan genre based dalam pengajaran bahasa inggris: petunjuk untuk guru. bandung: rizqi press. gonzales, e. f. (2010). improving efl writing through the process approach. university of birmingham. hyland, k. (2007). genre and second language writing. michigan: the unversity of michigan press. kemmis, s., & mctaggart, r. (1988). the action research planner. waurn ponds: deakin university press. khoeriah, a. (2018). the effect of process-genre approach on students' writing ability of recount text. jakarta: uin syarif hidayatullah. maolida, e. h. (2015). dialogue journal in two efl writing classrooms: its benefits and challenges (a case study in a university in cianjur). journal of english pedagogy, linguistics, literature, and teaching, 3(1), 33-53. maolida, e. h., & mustika, g. (2018a). laporan akhir penelitian dosen pemula: memanfaatkan project ibunka untuk melatih kemampuan mahasiswa bahasa inggris dalam menulis. unpubished report. cianjur: universitas cianjur, maolida, e. h., & mustika, g. (2018b). students‟ writing process for project ibunka: a case study of efl writers. journal of english language teaching and linguistics, 3(3). doi: 10.21462/jeltl.v3i3.147. nyasimi, n. b. (2014). challenges students face in learning essay writing skills in english language in a secondary school in manga district, kenya. retrieved form: https://irlibrary.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/11907. pujianto, d., emilia, e., & m.i., s. (2014). a processgenre approach to teaching writing report text to senior high school students. indonesian journal of linguistics, 4(1), 99–110. doi: 10.17509/ijal.v4i1.603. saputra, h., & marzulina, l. (2015). teaching writing by using process genre approach to the eighth grade students of smp negeri 22 palembang. edukasi, 2(1), 1–12. tillema, m. (2013). writing in first and second language: empirical studies on text quality and writing processes. utrecht university. retrieved from https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/241028. tudor, e. (2017). the process genre writing approach:  an alternative option for the modern classroom. eric, 1–8. retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ed571522. tuyen, k. t., osman, s., dan, t. c., & ahmad, n. s. (2016). developing research paper writing programs for efl/esl undergraduate students using process genre approach. higher education studies, 6(2), 19-3. doi: 10.5539/hes.v6n2p19. watanabe, m., kasami, n., chung, n. s., & tsai, s. h. (2007). project ibunka: an international collaborative online project. retrieved from www.jlet.org/~wcf/proceedings/e-004.pdf. yan, g. a. (2005). process-genre model for teaching writing. english teaching forum, 43(3), 18–26. https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/11907 https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/11907 https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ed571522 elis homsini maolida & vina aini salsabila integrating process-genre approach with project ibunka to improve students’ english writing 100 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 421 developing millennial drama performance basedtextbook on “siti zubaidah” for undergraduate efl students selly septiandini english education study program, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: andiniseptiselly@gmail.com rita inderawati (corresponding author) english education study program, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id ismail petrus english education study program, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: ismail_petrus@fkip.unsri.ac.id nurhayati english education study program, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: nurhayati@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa citation: septiandini, s., inderawati, r., petrus, i., & nurhayati. (2022). developing millennial drama performance based-textbook on “siti zubaidah” for undergraduate efl students. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 421-430. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6243 received: 04-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction local culture is one of an identity of a region. mukherjee (2018) said that identity is a complex concept that envisages local, cultural, ideological, linguistic, and environmental affiliations. it is an amalgamation of the complex tapestries of the history of a land and its people, along with considerations of the present development. according to khan (2020), the character of a language in the development of cultural identity varies at a greater length across societies. futhermore, rahyono (2009) puts forward that the local culture as wisdom constitutes intelligence which is generated based on one’s experiences so that it belongs to everybody. government regulation no. 5 year 2017 states that every citizen including student has the right to conserve, develop dan promote the cultures in indonesia. it means that it is relevant and important to insert local culture in abstract: this study aimed at developing a dynamic teaching-learning process by integrating the millennial drama performance-based-textbook on “siti zubaidah” to improve students learning outcomes. the research design in this study was development research that covered the phases of analysis, design, evaluation, and revision. the data were collected through questionnaires, validity tests, and the effectiveness of the developed millennial drama performance based-textbook on “siti zubaidah” from south sumatra through stages designed according to akker models. the data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. to determine its validity, practicality and potential effect of the product, a formative evaluation was conducted. the validity of the developed product was 4 (high validity). the product was evaluated in experts’ review related to instructional design and content. the practicality of the developed reading materials was evaluated in one to one evaluation (4.16), categorized into high category and small group evaluation (4.44) which categorized as very high practicality. in field test, the result was 90% which the developed product was regarded as a high potential effect. the millennial drama performance-based-textbook on “siti zubaidah” was potential to be applied for undergraduate efl students because it became a basic reference to improve the students’ drama performance. moreover, the textbook gave the students insight into one of the local cultures in palembang, sumatra selatan. keywords: design research; performance; siti zubaidah. mailto:andiniseptiselly@gmail.com mailto:rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id mailto:ismail_petrus@fkip.unsri.ac.id mailto:nurhayati@fkip.unsri.ac.id selly septiandini, rita inderawati, ismail petrus, & nurhayati developing millennial drama performance based-textbook on “siti zubaidah” for undergraduate efl students 422 english subjects since language and culture are indivisible. then, local culture consists of drama performances, dances, musical instruments, folk songs, traditional houses, clothes, traditional weapons, tradition, and traditional cooking. to accommodate the elt at sriwijaya university, the lecturers teaching prose, drama, poetry, short stories, and fables. this study focused on drama performance in which the students played dramas without any good references for them to learn how to perform so far. drama performance is a kind of independent art, which is an integration between various types of arts such as music, lighting, painting (decoration, stage), costume art, and arrangement (waluyo, 2001). a drama work in aiming for a show to entertain the audience. one of the drama performances from palembang, sumatera selatan is siti zubaidah. drama is one of the lessons that are always taught in the literature course at sriwijaya university. according to fleming (2006) (in ozbek, 2014), using drama in education can lead to the development of broader understanding through “generalizing and making connections” via the personal involvement that initially engages and motivates students in their learning. moreover, puspitasari (2018) found that there are some findings using drama performance. firstly, the implementation of drama performance is a medium of practice on basic analysis of drama performance in the english education department. basic analysis of drama course divided into two parts; preparation and performance. secondly, student's perceptions of drama performance helps students develop basic language skills; listening, speaking, reading, and writing and language areas; pronunciation, vocabulary, and spelling. thirdly, the drama performance has some possible challenges; self-confidence, time management, financial, stamina to preparation. however, there were still many students who had difficulty understanding what is in the drama, what should they do, especially in drama performances. they only knew information from the lecturer and the internet, even only in general. nurhayati (2014) also found that out of 36 students, only 12 (33%) who were interested in drama performance because it is not interesting. thereafter, based on an interview conducted by the writers to the lecturer who taught the literature course on april 27, 2019. it was discovered that there were some problems in learning drama performance which was included in literature in the elt course. first, some students did not like literature, especially drama. second, there were still many students who did not understand the parts of the drama. third, the students did not have textbooks about drama, especially for a drama performance. therefore, to improve the process of learning in literature course, the writers developed a textbook as a teaching material that students need in drama performance to facilitate the students to perform the drama and support the learning process. teaching materials in the form of textbooks also used as a reference for students. trisnaningsih (2007), says that the development of teaching materials is one form of learning process activities to improve the quality of learning. according to garinger (2001), the usefulness of textbooks emphasizes that using a textbook is one of the most effective and readily available ways to relieve some of the pressures put on lecturers or teachers, lessens preparation time, provides ready-made activities and finally provides concrete samples of classroom progress through which external stakeholders can be satisfied. then, the development of teaching materials of textbooks is an inseparable part of the learning activities carried out by lecturers and students to achieve the set goals (inderawati, petrus, eryansyah, & meilinda, 2021). so, developing a drama performance based-textbook made the learning process in the class more active because there are guidelines. national ministerial education regulation number 41 of 2007 concerning process standards also said that in this case the lecturers or teachers are expected to be able to develop teaching materials as a source of learning. therefore, through drama performance based-textbook, students can more easy to understand to learn. not only that but also the writers gave the students questionnaires to know what the students need in the drama book. some previos studies also focused on the students’ need when they developed learning materials (azizah, inderawati, & vianty, 2020; septiana, mael, & lestari (2020), inderawati, et al., (2021). after giving the questionnaire, the writer found that the student needed (1) a textbook of drama, (2) parts of a to be prepared drama, because the students still have difficulty prepare when they doing drama, (3) drama in the local culture is also needed because it is important for students to know english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 423 their culture. (4) the levels of knowledge of students is still limited to general information, especially in drama and drama in local. there were several parts that distinguish drama performance in ancient times and today, because the writers includesthe millennial part. therefore, millennials were urgently needed in the current era to always develop if there is any renewal, because millennials are an important role to make drama performance more modern, so it was not monotonous. then, millennials can be more interested and enjoy it. hauw and vos (2010) find that millennials are more willing to put forth the extra effort to help an organization succeed. not only are millennials achievement-focused, but they feel accountable for their actions. millennials also enjoy utilizing technology. ghavifekr and rosdy (2015) state that the 21st century, the term “technology” is an important issue in many fields including education. according to flintoff (2005), educational systems are continuing to prioritize the importance of technology in learning. curriculum guidelines and frameworks from across the globe insist that all learning areas find ways to utilize appropriate technologies in the teaching-learning process. research center (2010) found that millennials have been leading technology enthusiasts. for them, these innovations provide more than a bottomless source of information and entertainment and more than a new ecosystem for their social lives. they also are a badge of generational identity. many millennials said that the use of modern technology is what distinguishes them from other generations, one of them is also in drama performance. to sum up, performing arts are evolving with time due to the impact of developing technology. as steve dixon says; “digital performance is an extension of a continuing history of the adoption and adaptation of technologies to increase performance and visual art’s aesthetic effect and sense of spectacle, its emotional and sensorial impact, its play of "meanings and symbolic associations, and its intellectual power." furthermore, a study conducted by subasi, aydin, and seven (2016) revealed that the effect of drama technique on students' academic performance and permanence found that the result using the technique of drama on the post-test and retention test, the testing group was more successful and it has a positive impact on academic success and retention of learning for students. then, fiftinova, inderawati, and rosmalina (2018) found that the students give an agreeable response to the learning with project-based drama learning. the participants believe that it could facilitate english learning. additionally, the phases which exceedingly facilitate reading capability are critical reading and character analysis. next, a study by nurhayati (2016) shows that there is an improvement of the students’ appreciation of the performing art of siti zubaidah in the cognitive, attitude, and psychomotor aspects. another previous study by inderawati and nurhayati (2017) found the results of from siti zubaidah lyric to character identification and storyline writing for local culture revitalization are: (1) from the data, there were 37% or 15 students who categorized as very good, meanwhile, there were 63% students who categorized as excellent in identifying the characters of the lyric, (2) the storylines arranged by the students were categorized as good enough with the average score was 70, and(3) there were 66 % or 23 students who positively perceived the importance of lyric for the local culture revitalization. based on the previous studies, the writers did not find any dealing with drama performance learning material for millennial. therefore, it is essentialto develop such kind of textbook for university students. thus, the aim of this study was to develop millennial drama performance based-textbook “siti zubaidah” for undergraduate efl students which was valid, practical and had a potential effect. method the method of this study was design research by akker (1999). this research aimed to developed millennial drama performance based-textbook on “siti zubaidah” as the developed product which was valid, practical, and had a potential effect. there were three main phases conducted namely analysis, design, and evaluation and revision. in the analysis phase, some analyses conducted in order to get some information needed as the grounded consideration to develop the product. the analyses involved instructional analysis and students’ need analysis. in the design phase, the product was designed and developed based on the result of the analyses. the evaluation and revision phase conducting by applying a set of formative selly septiandini, rita inderawati, ismail petrus, & nurhayati developing millennial drama performance based-textbook on “siti zubaidah” for undergraduate efl students 424 evaluation proposed by tessmer (1993). tessmer (2003) explains that formative evaluation needed to be conducted as a problem-finding part of a design or product development process to improve the quality of the product. the formative evaluation of this study involved five-stage; self-evaluation, expert review, one-to-one evaluation, small group evaluation, and field test. akker (1999) explained that there were three main criteria to determine the quality of the product such as validity, practicality, and the potential effect of the developed product. validity refers to the extent to which the design of the intervention is based on language knowledge (content validity) and that all components included in the intervention are consistently related and connected (construct validity). practicality refers to the extent that uses consider the intervention is in normal condition. the potential effect refers to the extent that the experiences and the outcomes with the intervention are consistent with the intended aims. in this study, the validity, practicality, and the potential effect of the developed product were investigated and determined in the formative evaluation. the study was conducted at one of the universities in indonesia (sriwijaya university). the population of this study was the 5th-semester undergraduate efl students consisting of a and b classes academic year 2020/2021. the subject of this study was described in table 1: table 1. the subject of the study no formative evaluation stage number of students description of the students 1 one-to-one evaluation 3 1 students for each gpa category, i.e: low, medium, and high level 2 small group evaluation 9 3 students for each gpa category, i.e: low, medium, and high level 3 field test evaluation 20 all students in real class total 32 students the subject was selected based on their score gpa in literature course (drama) which are low, medium, and high. dick, carey and carey (1990) cited in tessmer (1993) stated that the minimal number in the one-to-one stage is three students, in the small group stage is nine students and in the field test stage at least twenty students. the proceduresof the study were three main phases proposed by akker (1999); analysis ,design, and evaluation modified with the formative evaluation proposed by tessmer (1993). this research aimed to develop millennial drama performance based-textbook on "siti zubaidah", which was valid, practical, and had a potential effect. therefore, to determine its validity, practicality, and potential effect, instruments used in this study were questionnaires and a drama performance textbook. questionnaires were given to the experts in expert review and the students in one-to-one and small group evaluation to get information about their opinion and comment after reviewing and using the developed product which in form of a likert scale ranging from 1 to 5 which illustrates sa (strongly agree), a (agree), n (neutral) d (disagree) and sd (strongly disagree) from tessmer (1993). the specification of the questionnaire (validation sheets) in expert review was described in table 2, 3, and 4. table 2. specification of questionnaire for validation sheet of content aspects number of statement the appropriateness of contents with students’ characteristics 1, 2, 3 the importance and completeness toward learning objectives 4, 5, 6, 7 the accuracy of the presentation of conent 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 linguistics aspects of the contents 14, 15, 16, 17 evaluation aspects 18, 19, 20, 21 table 3. specification of questionnaire for validation sheet of instructional design aspects number of statement the completeness of learning objectives 1, 2 the effectiveness and efficiency of product in the implementation 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 contents presentation 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 typography 14, 15, 16 visual art and lay out 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 cover design 22, 23, 24 physical makeup 25, 26, 27 the appropriateness paper 28 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 425 based media with students’ characteristic the appropriateness between paper based media with contents 29 usability 30, 31 table 4. specification of students’ questionnaire aspects number of statement the appropriateness of the material with student needs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 contents presentation 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 attractiveness of the contents 12, 13, 14, 15 technique the data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. the quantitative method was used to assess the data obtained from the questionnaire and drama performance textbook. the qualitative method was used to interpret and describe the information obtained from the interview. in this study, the validity of the products was reviewed in terms of content, and instructional design. thus, there were three experts who validated the product. the experts evaluated and determined the validity of the developed product. after evaluating the product, the expert was gave scores and comments or suggestion in the provided validation sheet. their comments were used as a basis for the revision of the developed product. the products are classified valid if the average scores were not less than 2.61.the category of validity level of the product developed is described in the table 5 below: table 5. validity categorization avarage score categogy 4.21 – 5.00 very high 3.41 – 4.20 high 2.61 – 3.40 average 1.81 – 2.60 low 1.00 – 1.80 very low source: modified from kubiszyn & borich, 1993 the practicality of the developed product was evaluated by using a questionnaire about the students’ response in one-to-one and small group evaluation. after applaying the developed product, the sudents who were included in one-to-one and small group evaluation gave their comments on the questionnaire of students; response. then to determine the practicality of the product, the data from the questionnaire were calculated. the developed product was considered as practical if the average score was not less than 2.61. the category of practicality level of the product is described in the following table: table 6. practicality categorization avarage score categogy 4.21 – 5.00 very high 3.41 – 4.20 high 2.61 – 3.40 average 1.81 – 2.60 low 1.00 – 1.80 very low source: modified from kubiszyn & borich, 1993 to find out the potential effect of the developed product, the students’ answer in a drama performance test in the field test. the developed product was considered to have a potential effect if the students could reach the minimum passing grade that was 70 and the total percentage of the students who passed the required passing grade that was 70%. after calculating, the result was classified into the potential effect category as described in table 7: table 7. potential effect categorization avarage score categogy 86 – 100 excellent 71 – 85 good 56 – 70 average 41 – 55 low 0 – 40 very low source: university of sriwijaya, 2012 results and discussion analysis phase instructional analysis in this analysis, the writer analyzed the syllabus a set of goals and objectives of the course based on the existing syllabus used at university. students’ need analysis students' need analysis was conducted to find out the information about the needs of the students on drama performance textbook. the main information was gathered from the view of the 5th-semester undergarduate efl students. the questionnaire consisted of 30 questions. needs analysis includes necessities analysis, present situation analysis, want / target analysis, and analysis of local culture knowledge. the additional information related to the students need was obtained from the view of lecturer. based on the result of the questionnaire showed that (1) in the drama process, the difficulty selly septiandini, rita inderawati, ismail petrus, & nurhayati developing millennial drama performance based-textbook on “siti zubaidah” for undergraduate efl students 426 that students often encounter is parts to be prepared (63.6%); (2) the type of drama performance teaching material that students use at university is module (60.6%); (3) the percentage of topics related to local culture in the text for the drama performed is 25% 50% (48.5%); (4) in the teaching and learning process, the frequency provide material or stories related to the local culture of south sumatra (siti zubaidah) is never (54.5%); (5) in teaching, the frequency make/develop material or text books related to drama performance is seldom 59.4%. design phase in the designing process developed product, first, there was 10 chapter of millennial drama performance textbook developed, that chapter 1. drama (drama and teater in the world, history, and development of drama in indonesia, drama in indonesia, drama in education, structure drama, genre/form drama, and benefit drama performance); chapter 2. drama in management concepts (management principles, management elements, and management functions); chapter 3. production management of drama performance (producer, leader of production, drama administration); chapter 4. elements of drama performance (script, directors, players, and audiences); chapter 5. directing drama (history of director, and the task of the director); chapter 6. actuality and acting (the nature of the acting, elements of acting, and technique for acting); chapter 7. makeup and costumes; chapter 8. lighting and sound; chapter 9. stage management (kinds of stage, and composition of the stage); chapter 10. siti zubaidah (siti zubaidah, and video description of siti zubaidah). the writer developed this textbook by gathering information from some books written by cultural practitioners and official sources from the internet and the writer also used “siti zubaidah” as one of the drama performances from palembang to be introduced. second, completed the developed product with a real picture. third, made a list of the words used for the glossary to easy the student find the meaning. the fourth was designed in the textbook presentation and the cover of the developed product. evaluation and revision phase self-evaluation in this stage, the writer evaluated prototype 1 of the developed product to revise some mistakes in the textbook. the mistakes found were related to misspelling, capitalization, punctuation, and ungrammatical sentence. additionally, the concern of the evaluation was in the layout of the pictures, cover, material presentation. after being revised, the developed product was given to an expert to be evaluated and validated. experts review in the expert review, the developed product was reviewed by two expertsin terms of the content and instructional design to judge its validity. the experts' review determined whether the millennial drama performance based-textbook on“siti zubaidah” were valid or not by evaluating, giving comments or suggestions for the revisions of the developed product, and scoring the aspects of evaluation based on the questionnaire of the validation sheet provided. the content validity was reviewed by a lecturer of sriwijaya university who teaches in the english study program master's program in language education. she is qualified and has expertise in their field especially related to the english language and writing. after reviewing the developed product, she stated it was valid with revision. the instructional design validity of the developed product was also reviewed by a lecturer of sriwijaya university who teaches in the english study program master's program in language education. he is qualified and has expertise in their field especially related to the english language and instructional design. he gave some suggestions related to the ways of grammatical errors, writing some description, and explanation. then, he considered that this developed product was valid with revision. the result score of the validity level of the developed product is shown in table 8: table 8. validity level of the product no aspects score category 1 content 3.71 high validity 2 instructional design 4.25 very high validity average score 4 high validity based on the level of validity in content, it is presented that the average score of the content was 3.71 which can be categorized into high validity. while, instructional design, it is presented that the average score of the instructional design was 4.25 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 427 which can be categorized into very high validity. the total average score achieved from content and instructional design were 4, which means that the developed millennial drama performance basedtextbook on “siti zubaidah” had high validity. one-to-one evaluation the one-to-one evaluation was held on monday, august 10th,2020 at one of the universities in palembang (sriwijaya university). due to the current situation in a pandemic and the teaching and learning process being shifted to learning at home, the writer conducted research online. in one-to-one evaluation, google form, whatsapp, and google classroom were used. based on the results, from the total 15 items of the questionnaire, the average score of practicality in one-to-one evaluation from the three students’ score was 4.16 showed table 9, which was in high practicality. it can be concluded that millennial drama performance based-textbook on “siti zubaidah” practical and categorized as high practicality level. table 9. the result of practicality in one-to-one evaluation aspects average score category the appropriatness between students’ characteristic 4.13 high practicality content presentation 4.11 high practicality attractiveness of the content 4.25 very high practicality total average score 4.16 high practicality small-group evaluation the small group evaluation was held on thursday, august 13th, 2020 at one of the universities in palembang (sriwijaya university). it still the same as one-to-one, the teaching and learning process being shifted to learning at home, the writer conducted research online. in one-to-one evaluation, google form, whatsapp, and google classroom were used. based on the results, from the total 15 items of the questionnaire, the average score of practicality in one-to-one evaluation from the three students’ score was 4.44 showed table 10 which was in very high practicality. it can be concluded that millennial drama performance based-textbook on “siti zubaidah” practical and categorized as very high practicality level. table 10. the result of practicality in small group evaluation aspects average score category the appropriatness between students’ characteristic 4.35 very high practicality content presentation 4.54 very high practicality attractiveness of the content 4.42 very high practicality total average score 4.44 very high practicality field test there were 20 students involved in the field test. the field trial in this study was conducted on monday, august 17th, 2020. the students who were participated in one-to-one and small group evaluation were not involved anymore. the teaching and learning process google form, whatsapp, and google classroom were still used. the result of the students’ score in pretest showed that there were 15 students (75.00%) who obtained a score below the intended minimum mastery criterion which was 70 and 5 other students (25.00%) who reached the intended result score. from the result of the students’ score in the post-test/field test, there were 2 students (10.00%) whose score was below 70, and 18 other students (90.00%) obtained scores exactly or above 70. based on these results, it can be concluded that there was an improvement in the students’ scores after using the developed millennial drama performance based-textbook on “siti zubaidah”. the improvement of students’ drama performance is presented in the following figure 1 below: selly septiandini, rita inderawati, ismail petrus, & nurhayati developing millennial drama performance based-textbook on “siti zubaidah” for undergraduate efl students 428 figure 1. comparison of pre-test and post-test of 5th-semester undergarduate students at sriwijaya university. sources result data processing, 2020 discussion based on the finding in the research result, it is found that the students have never use the drama performance textbook “siti zubaidah” in teachinglearning activities. some factors as the main cause of those conditions. first, in the drama process, the difficulty that students often encounter is part to be prepared. second, the type of drama performance teaching material that students use at university is a module. there was no textbook provided by the university and the lecturer only give some information about the material on the internet and module, but the module did not focus on the part of the drama. third, the percentage of topics related to local culture in the text for the drama performed is 25% 50% (48.5%). it is still low, so the students need some local culture into learning drama performance; fourth, in the teaching and learning process, the frequency provides material or stories related to the local culture of south sumatra (siti zubaidah) is never. the lecturer did not focus on local culture but also outside culture; and fifth, in teaching, the frequency of make/develop material or textbooks related to drama performance is seldom. the lecturer usually used the story to learn the drama and asked students to make the script. they are not focused on parts of the drama. analysis of the students’ needs was done once to the 5th-semester undergraduate students before developing millennial drama performance basedtextbook “siti zubaidah”. it aimed to obtain preliminary information about the students’ needs related to drama, the questionnaire was distributed to the students in 5th-semester undergraduate students. in other words, there must be a need for developing learning material as previously discoreverd by (inderawati, et al. 2021). based on the result of students’ needs analysis, it was found that most of the 5th-semester undergraduate students at sriwijaya university needed a drama performance textbook. one way to make learning activity more effective, efficient, and enjoyable was by developing instructional media based on local culture (inderawati & sofendi, 2018). in a previous study in which the developed sociodrama textbook (tri, 2013) were used to guide to learn to perform drama. the developed product has been evaluated in the self-evaluation stage before it was given to the experts. the developed millennial drama performance based-textbook on “siti zubaidah” was reviewed by two experts, one expert for the content aspect, and one for instructional. it aimed to determine the validity of the developed product. the expert checked the developed millennial drama performance based-textbook on “siti zubaidah” by filling their evaluation in the likert scale questionnaire. the result of the experts' review was analyzed to determine the validity of the developed product. after being analyzed, it was stated that the content and instructional design of developing millennial drama performance a textbook for the undergraduate efl students were a high category, and for the instructional design, a review was a very high category. the total from two aspects has belonged to high validity. it is relevant to other previous studie, after the product was validated, it met its validity (azizah, et al., 2021; sopian, et al., 2019) then, to determine the practicality and potential effect of the product, the writer conducted three evaluations such as; one-to-one evaluation, small group evaluation, and field test (azizah, et al., 2021; sopian, et al., 2019). however, before english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 429 conducting the assessment by using the developed product, the writer did a pretest to the students to obtain preliminary information about students' drama achievement before they used the developed product. the result of 32 students' pretest showed that only 5 students passed the test or reached the minimum mastery criterion (kkm) which was 70 and 15 students who were failed. the writer provided the questionnaire for the one-to-one evaluation and small group evaluation. the average score of a questionnaire in the oneto-one evaluation developed product at the level of high validity. the result of small group evaluation has belonged to very high practicality. the last evaluation was the field test (posttest), the writer analyzes the students' drama performance test to determine the potential effect of the developed millennial drama performance based-textbook on “siti zubadiah”. after analyzing the students' answers, there was an improvement in the students reading achievement after they used the developed products. it was summarized that there were 18 students who passed the test or reached the minimum master criterion and 2 students who did not reach the minimum mastery criterion. so, it can be concluded that the millennial drama performance based-textbook on “siti zubadiah” can be applied in university especially 5th-semester undergraduate efl students, english education study program, because that textbook improves the students' interest and achievement in learning drama performance. in line with the previous study, the developed millennial drama performance based-textbook "siti zubaidah" for 5th-semester undergraduate efl students of sriwijaya university was effectively used to lecturer and students. conclusion millennial drama performance textbook for the students should support their needs based on their study program. one of the ways is integrating the students' local culture into drama performance. the aim of local cultural involvement in efl is students can communicate effectively about their own culture and beliefs by using english. futhermore, the use of local culture in drama performance is considered can improve the skills and understanding of the students. the developed product of this study was considered valid, practical, and had a potential effect based on the result shown in the evaluation and revision phase. additionally, this developed product supported the students' content subjects. thus, it can be concluded that the developed millennial drama performance based-textbook “siti zubaidah” in this study can be implemented to undergraduate efl students in english education study program. finally, the development of textbooks using other media should be taken into consideration. it is suggested to develop other textbooks of the other skills related to sumatera selatan local culture. acknowledgment the writers would like to express their gratitude to the rector of universitas sriwijaya who had funded their research through hibah unggulan profesi universitas sriwijaya references akker, j.van den. (1999). principles and methods of development research. dordrecht: kluwer academic publishers. azizah, a., & nugraha, s. i. (2021). a qualitative study: exploring efl students’ attitude towards learning writing during online learning covid 19 in karawang senior high school. edukatif: jurnal ilmu pendidikan, 3(4), 2265-2270. azizah, n., inderawati, r. & vianty, m. (2020). bangkaculture-based descriptive reading materials for tour and travel in smk: students’ needs analysis. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 21-34. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3776 elvina, r., inderawati, r., mirizon, s. (2020). developing interactive multimedia for teaching descriptive text based on palembang local culture. indonesian efl journal, 6(1), 19-26. fiftinova, inderawati, r., & rosmalina, i. (2018). students' perceptions on the use of project-based drama learning for english reading. the journal of english literacy education, 5(1), 89-108. fleming, m. (2006). drama and language learning: the relevance of witgenstein’s concept of language games. humanising language teaching, 8(4), 97-110. flintoff, k. (2005) drama and technology: teacher attitudes and perceptions (thesis). edith cowan university, mount lawley, western australia. garinger, d. (2010). textbook selection for the esl classroom. eric digest. retrieved february 5, 2014 from http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/0210garing er.html http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/0210garinger.html http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/0210garinger.html selly septiandini, rita inderawati, ismail petrus, & nurhayati developing millennial drama performance based-textbook on “siti zubaidah” for undergraduate efl students 430 ghavifekr, s. & rosdy, w.a.w.(2015). teaching and learning with technology: effectiveness ofict integration in schools. international journal of research in education and science (ijres), 1(2),175-191. hauw, s., & vos, a. (2010). millennials’ career perspective and psychological contract expectations: does the recession lead to lowered expectations?. journal of business & psychology, 25(2), 293-302. inderawati, r. & nurhayati. (2017). from siti zubaidah lyric to character identification and storyline writing for local culture revitalization. paper presented at international conference on studies in arts, humanities and social sciences. jan. 31-feb. 1, 2017 bali: indonesia inderawati, r. & sofendi. (2018). creating and innovating english language teaching by developing cultural model for literacy. proceedings of the first indonesian communication forum of teacher training and education faculty leaders international conference on education 2017 (ice 2017). https://doi.org/10.2991/ice-17.2018.38 inderawati, r., petrus, i., eryansyah., & meilinda. (2021). needs analysis of vocational high school textbook to local culture materials and the 21st century competencies. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), 245-252. indonesia government regulation. (2005). indonesian government regulation no. 19/2005 about national education standard. jakarta: kementerian pendidikan nasional. khan, w.a. (2020). your langauge, your identity: the impact of cultural identity in teaching english as a foreign language. european journal of english language teaching. 5(4), 109-120. retrieved from www.oapub.org/edu kubiszyn, t., & borich, g. (1993). educational testing and measurement: classroom application and practice. new york, ny: harper collins college publisher. mukherjee, r. (2018). postcolonial and eco-critical readings of identity, culture and environment from selected works of shillong poets. a biannual peer – reviewed journal of departement of english and culture studies, panjab university, chandigarh. issn: 0975-4881. retrieved from https://dialog.puchd.ac.in/wpcontent/uploads/2020/10/14.rituparnamukherjee-postcolonial-and-eco-criticalreadings.pdf nurhayati, subadiyono, and suhendi, d . (2014). seni pertunjukan tradisional dulmuluk: revitalisasi and apresiasi mahasiswa. litera, 2(14), 229238. nurhayati, purnomo, m. e., & subadiyono. (2016). seni pertunjukan dulmuluk: upaya pelibatan budaya lokal dalam pembelajaran sastra [dulmuluk performing art: an attempt on local culture involvement in teaching literature]. in international seminar and annual meeting 2016 bks-ptn wilayah barat on language, literature, art, and culture proceeding, 12-14 agustus 2016 (pp. 549–556). puspitasari, g.a. & rohmatika, a. (2018). the fourth semester students of english education departement's perception towards drama performance as a means to develop their english langsuage skills in the academic years 2016/2017 iain surakarta. (thesis). retrieved from http://www.core.ac.uk/reader/2964754 rahyono, f.x. (2009). kearifan budaya dalam kata. jakarta: wedatama widyasastra. research center. (2010). millennials: a portrait of generation next: confident, connected, open to change. retrieved 24 february, 2010 form http://www.pewresearch.org/millencials septiana, h., mael, m. r., & lestari, t. e. (2021). the use of kasino (synonym word) learning media in the intermediate grammar class of bipa. proceedings of the international joint conference on arts and humanities (ijcah 2020). sopian, s., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2019). developing e-learning based local-folklores for eighth graders. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 100-112. subasi. m, aydin, s., and seven. s (2016). the effect of drama technique on students' academic performance and permanence. international journal of education, science and technology, 2(1), 29-38. tessmer, m. (1993). planning and conduction formative evaluation: improfing the quality of education and training. london: psychology press. tri, w. e. (2013). a drama textbook with sociodrama method: research and development in linguistic education study program in central java. journal of education and learning. 7(2), 91100. waluyo, h.j. (2001). drama teori dan pengajarannya. yogyakarta: pt hanindita graha widia. https://dx.doi.org/10.2991/ice-17.2018.38 http://www.oapub.org/edu https://dialog.puchd.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/14.rituparna-mukherjee-postcolonial-and-eco-critical-readings.pdf https://dialog.puchd.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/14.rituparna-mukherjee-postcolonial-and-eco-critical-readings.pdf https://dialog.puchd.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/14.rituparna-mukherjee-postcolonial-and-eco-critical-readings.pdf https://dialog.puchd.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/14.rituparna-mukherjee-postcolonial-and-eco-critical-readings.pdf http://www.core.ac.uk/reader/2964754 http://www.pewresearch.org/millencials conference full paper template english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 41 english teacher professional development in indonesia: the challenges and opportunities anchieta ave avillanova the english education master program, sanata dharma university, indonesia e-mail: anchieta.ave@gmail.com paulus kuswandono the english education master program, sanata dharma university, indonesia e-mail: kus@usd.ac.id apa citation: avillanova, a. a., & kuswandono, p. (2019). english teacher professional development in indonesia: the challenges and opportunities. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 41-50. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.1972. received: 02-10-2019 accepted: 10-11-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: this study investigates the challenges and opportunities of junior high school english teacher professional development in indonesia. the objectives of the study are to examine the english teachers’ challenges and needs to develop their tpd. this qualitative study employed questionnaire and in-depth interview as the main instruments for data collection. the findings revealed that the challenges of tpd related to, firstly, program timing as the program was carried out during working hours; and, secondly, lack of information about workshop schedule from the government (education office) because, geographically, some schools are located in remote areas. the study also explored the teachers’ needs for tpd concerning student assessment, classroom management, knowledge and understanding of english, content of performance standards, giving instruction, ict skills for teaching, teaching students with special learning needs, and school management and administration. suggestion for further study concerns with the bottom-up approach of carrying tpd based on the teachers’ real needs as opposed to given programs. keywords: junior high school; english teachers; teacher professional development; challenges; needs. introduction studies on teacher professional development (tpd) have been an essential part of educational discipline as it is closely associated to improve the quality of education (bank & mayes, 2012; darling-hammond, hyler, & gardner, 2017; tanang & abu, 2014). besides, tpd is often linked to learning opportunities for teachers who have different background, level of confidence, and motivation to develop themselves (whithworth & chiu, 2015). however, the practice of teacher professional development program can pose some extensive challenges. in their study, whithworth and chiu (2015) argue that teachers’ background experiences may substantially affect the decision as to whether or not they wish to attend professional development programs. if teachers realize that they do not have enough experiences on teaching, they are aware of the need to attend professional development programs to learn new educational experiences to develop themselves. in contrast, for those who assume that they have already got adequate professional experiences, they may not aspire to participate in the tpd program anymore. teacher professionalism means “an approach to educational reform – as improving teacher quality became viewed as the key to student achievement….” (oecd, 2016, p. 8). thus, improving teachers’ quality as one of the fundamental factors in education directly affects the students’ learning attainment. in fact, every country all over the world has its own way to develop teacher professionalism. in indonesia, starting from 2006, the ministry of education establishes a program named teacher certification in order to develop teacher professionalism and to produce more qualified teachers. nonetheless, teacher certification is indeed only one of the means to develop teachers’ professionalism in indonesia. the goals of the teacher certification program are, among others, to ensure that the teachers perform their job properly, to improve the quality of education, to improve teachers’ professionalism, and to show that the teachers already have obtained sufficient competency to perform as teachers. article 1 of indonesia’s teacher and lecturer law number 14 year 2005 states that a teacher is a professional educator who should master four competencies, namely: 42 pedagogy, professionalism, social, and personality. the most interesting benefit for the teachers who have got the certification is that they get financial incentives to support their professional and daily needs. this becomes one of the motivations for teachers because, in fact, the teachers’ salary in school tends to be small (kuswandono, 2014, p. 2). it is also in line with fahmi, maulana, and yusuf (2011) who argue that the certification can improve teachers’ welfare. since the teacher certification is found to be beneficial for the teachers, many teachers who meet the requirements in following teacher certification register themselves in the program. nevertheless, the teacher certification can be highly laborious for many teachers as this requires reliable teachers’ professional portfolio and sufficient cognition on most recent pedagogy. there have been some previous studies on teacher certification in indonesia which investigate the program outcome. wahyudi, supranoto, and suji (2012) argue that although not yet satisfactory, the teacher certification gives positive results. another study by kuswandono (2014) reveals that there are some problems in the teacher certification programs, namely, “the problematic nature of standardization as a result of ‘deficit model’ approach of pd, an elusive link between performance and reward, an external motivation, ‘one shot program’, and limited resources and facilities” (p. 5). indeed, it is difficult to standardize all of teachers in indonesia. however, this may become a way to improve and make the education in indonesia equal. within the contexts of teacher certification and professional development, continuous professional development done after the certification is also needed to improve the quality of the teachers. it can also promote improvements in teaching (kennedy, 2016, p. 1). however, the continuous professional development is found limited as kuswandono (2014) states in his study that “after the teachers receive their educator certificate, there is no clear, continuous support for professional development (pd) to maintain any learning they did during the certification process or to improve the quality of their teaching” (p. 8). therefore, this current study intends to explore better understanding about professional development in terms of experiences and challenges experienced by english teachers in junior high schools in indonesia, especially in cilacap regency, central java, indonesia. to make the research setting clearer, cilacap regency is a small city which is located in the southern part of central java, indonesia. this study is urgent for indonesia and other countries where the top-down education becomes the fundamental element in education. besides, there have not been many studies focusing on the tpd in a smaller area such as cilacap regency, central java, indonesia. in this study, there are two main points used as the underlying theories. the first one concerns with the definition of tpd; while the second relates to the factors that influence tpd. those theories are elaborated as follows. as previously described, teachers need professional development to develop themselves in terms of teaching and learning. it is equally important to have professional development because, based on the study by taylor, yates, mayer, and kinsella (2011), it is not prudent for teachers to stagnate in their current roles without developing themselves through new learning opportunities. in the same vein, frost (2012) mentions that having continuous professional development is productive for the teachers. salleh and dimmock (2012) are more specific on the purposes of tpd in their study. they argue that the policy of tpd concerns mostly on improving teachers’ competency to meet academic objectives and students’ development. this idea is also reinforced by banks and mayes (2012) who argue that tpd is “the acquisition or extension of the knowledge, understanding, skills and abilities that will enable individual teachers and the schools…” (p. 12). from this arguments, it is clear that teachers are advised to continuously enhance their knowledge and skills in teaching. teachers usually attend professional development programs to develop their pedagogical practice, reflect on their teaching experience, research, and practice, to “contribute to the professional life of the school” (banks & mayes, 2012, p. 12). besides, banks and mayes (2012) also state that professional development allows the individual teachers to uphold and develop the educational practices that have been done well, to be critically aware of the educational policy, and to develop the teachers’ understanding of changes in the society, for example in terms of technology. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 43 the above idea is significant because the number of studies as such is still limited in indonesian contexts. a few of the studies are, among others, a study by sari (2012) that examines the issues of online learning community to improve teachers’ professionalism. next, tanang and abu (2014) examine the effects of effective tpd towards continuous pd based on some factors, such as pedagogic skills and various learning activities. meanwhile, zein (2015) focuses on how to overcome the deficiency of teacher’s quality in indonesia and also what teachers need in the professional development. understanding the contexts and findings of those studies, the researchers propose a different angle as it focuses on the variety of tpd activities and programs provided by the government and also the challenges faced by the teachers. to this date, such focus of tpd study is still underrepresented. there are several factors of tpd programs as discussed in previous studies which can be used to build on more comprehensive knowledge. banks and mayes (2012) believe that by having professional development program, teachers can reflect on their commitment to teaching. reflecting on teachers’ commitments in their profession is imperative as it can affect what they want to do later in their teaching career development. in accordance with the tpd program, whitworth and chiu (2015) in their study mention three factors that affect professional development, namely, teachers’ motivation, school culture, and working conditions (p. 132). teachers’ motivations become the first factor because this aspect plays an important point. next, school culture, which substantially stems from collegial atmosphere in school, may affect teachers’ decisions in continuing their profession and developing themselves by attending professional development. the third factor relates to the teachers’ working conditions and job satisfaction in school. it may be caused by the time they spent in the school, the salary they received, the students, and other aspects in the school (whitworth & chiu, 2015). slight different from the previous tpd research, a study by misbahuddin (2013) demonstrated that the factors inhibiting the development of teacher profession in south sulawesi are related to the lack of awareness of teachers in developing the profession continuously, the lack of confidence in the training, the lack of opportunity to develop skills, and the lack of attention from local government to the teacher network’s activities. from the background previously described, the following two research questions are proposed: 1. what have the english teachers in junior high schools in cilacap done to develop their teacher professionalism? 2. what are the challenges for the teachers’ professional development they experienced? method this study was a qualitative study using a small survey and in-depth interview as the methods of data collection. the researchers focused on the respondents’ points of view regarding their professional development program. all data collected in this study were elaborated in the form of narrative account in order to get a better understanding about the results. the data collected were also analysed inductively to make sure that the researchers captured the responses of the respondents accurately. due to the time available, the researchers used purposive sampling. according to wahyuni (2012, p. 33), purposive sampling is one of the strategies to collect data by selecting the respondents based on specific criteria relevant to the research question. the purposive sampling here was used to choose the schools, not the respondents. therefore, since there are 258 junior high schools in cilacap regency, the researchers limited the study to seven junior high schools from four sub-districts (out of 24 sub-districts) in cilacap regency, namely, center cilacap, south cilacap, jeruklegi, and kawunganten. those seven schools, consisting of three state junior high schools and four private junior high schools, were chosen because the researchers wanted to know the tpd in two different types of schools (state and private schools) in two different parts of the region: rural and urban areas. meanwhile, the respondents were nineteen in-service junior high school english teachers. sixteen female teachers (84.2%) and 3 male teachers (15.8%) participated in this study. the age range of the respondents was between 25 and 59 years old and the teaching experiences range from 3 to more than 20 years. initially, the researchers contacted the respondents whether or not they consented to participate in this study voluntarily. the background information of the respondents could be seen in the following figure. 44 figure 1. the background information of the respondents for data collection, a questionnaire was used as one of the research instruments. the questionnaire was adapted from oecd teaching and learning international survey (talis) by the organization for economic cooperation and development (oecd, 2016). oecd questionnaire model was used in this study as the questionnaire enquired information about school education and policy which suited indonesian context. this was also to investigate the professional development activities carried out by the respondents. after getting and analysing the result of questionnaire, the researchers did indepth interviews with five english teachers to get a better understanding about their experiences in attending tpd program in cilacap regency. the interviews lasted for about 30-90 minutes. the discussion covered some areas about teaching and tpd program. in choosing the interviewees, the researchers also used purposive sampling based on the questionnaire responses which really met the criteria for answering this study. in this study, the quantitative data from the questionnaire were analysed using descriptive statistics. the researchers focused on the total responses of each question in numbers and percentage. then, the researchers analysed the qualitative data in a form of descriptive narrative to better understand the respondents’ answers. results and discussion from the results of the questionnaire and interview, the researchers classified those results into two parts which examine teachers’ experiences in pursuing tpd programs and how they perceived the programs. the first part analyses the programs carried out by the teachers to develop their professionalism. the second was about the challenges they faced in following the programs. each of them is elaborated as follows. tpd programs in cilacap regency based on the interview done with one employee of department of education and culture in cilacap regency, there were some programs provided to develop teacher professionalism. they were technical training, workshop, and continuous professional development through mgmp which covered professional development and teacher’s competency. those programs were done through full online learning and blended learning for continuous professional development. in doing those programs, the government provided financial supports from the center of government budget through pusat pengembangan pendidik dan tenaga kependidikan (the centre of education staff development) for every subject. figure 2. teachers’ participations in tpd 18 18 18 15 17 1 1 1 4 2 workshop conference teacher network (mgmp) individual or group research peer mentoring r e sp o n d e n t( s) programs teachers' participations on programs provided yes no 2 7 3 7 25 – 29 30 – 39 40 – 49 50 – 59 age (years old) age 1 4 5 4 5 3 – 5 6 – 10 11 – 15 16 – 20 >20 teaching experience (years) teaching experience english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 45 the results of questionnaire revealed that most of the respondents experienced the programs or activities provided by both teacher network and government during their teaching. 91% respondents have experienced tpd programs, namely, workshop, conference, teacher network, individual or group research, and peer mentoring. they remarked that tpd programs gave meaningful impacts for them. however, from the above figure, it could be seen that the respondents had less interest in doing individual or group research. only 15 respondents clearly indicated that they conducted individual or group research. the following is the interview excerpt from betty, explaining the reason and the consequence of doing an educational research: “doing a classroom action research consumes so much time. therefore, this limits teachers to do the research. teachers should have enough time to do it. (in addition), if there is no further action in doing the research, it will not do any good.” (betty, interview) here, betty thought that doing a classroom action research should not be done halfway. betty realized that the results would not be useful if she did not do the research well. however, when it was done well and thoroughly, the teachers did not have time to do it. betty added that in doing the research, she did not have any other options to choose. therefore, she had to conduct a research because the government asked her to do so. it was a kind of dilemma for teachers. from those tpd programs in figure 2, 11 respondents (57.89%) said that they did not need to pay for the programs. however, 8 respondents (42.11%) said that they should top up the fee to follow the programs. as what one of the teachers said, for teacher network (mgmp) programs, they needed to pay some amount to follow the program. however, the teacher did not literally pay it by themselves as it is often organized by their schools. only sometimes did they use their own professional incentives to join the tpd activities. most of the teachers in this study shared more or less the same tpd programs, such as technical training, curriculum 2013 and graduate competence analysis to prepare for the national examination. the challenges of tpd in cilacap regency in doing the programs to develop english teachers’ professionalism in cilacap, there were some challenges faced by the english teachers. based on the questionnaire results, the challenges that were found to have prevented teachers to participate more in professional development in cilacap were classified into seven challenges. they were conflicting schedule, limited time because of family responsibility, inadequate prerequisites for tpd, lack of employer support, expensive program, no suitable program offered, and lack of information. meanwhile, zein (2015) reported a study about professional development in indonesia had some affecting factors, such as inadequate in-service education, inadequate teacher educators, issues with training management, and ambiguous selection of training participants. however, compared to this study, he did not mention that program timing became one of the challenges of tpd. moreover, those factors were in line with a study by tanang and abu (2014) which indicated that “time management, cost, bureaucracy system, and the internal factors of teachers, such as personality, motivation, and commitment are still the main impediment challenges of teaching profession” (p. 31). furthermore, as it can be seen that the biggest challenge faced by the respondents in following professional development programs in this study was about the conflicted schedule. ten out of nineteen respondents (52.63%) agreed that they were hindered by the time of the programs. 46 figure 3. challenges of tpd from figure 3, it is clearly seen that there are two crucial factors influencing the respondents to take part in the tpd programs. the first challenge concerns with program timing. the researchers saw that program timing was the most crucial thing because this could affect other factors, for example the family responsibility. next, another challenge was about the lack of information received. although there was only one respondent revealed that she had a lack of information, the researchers saw this as a serious problem to discuss because the information about tpd programs was the very first thing the teachers needed to develop themselves. program timing in his research, zein (2015) argues that the only matter regarding to time management for the teachers was the deliberately shortened duration by the administrator of the tpd program. the government usually reduced the time of tpd, for example from three-day program into just one day, which certainly disadvantaged them. meanwhile, in this research, the crucial problem was the conflicted schedule as tpd programs were usually held during the school working hours. thus, in order to follow the programs, those teachers had to leave their students. as a substitute for being absent, the teachers should give assignments for the students for one day or even more (up to 10 days), depending on how long the programs were planned. this became a big problem because after the teachers returned from the programs, they were faced by students’ enormous tasks which should be checked and evaluated. the following is one of the respondents’ comments on this experience: “tpd program is usually held exactly at the same time of my teaching schedule. my students felt abandoned because i left them. moreover, i cannot deliver the materials to my students effectively.” (steve) from this point, it is obvious that the program schedule became the biggest barrier. however, this problem did not only happen to the respondents in cilacap regency, but also those teachers in south sulawesi (indonesia) as tanang and abu (2014) have mentioned earlier. this shows that this problem did not only occur in one particular area in indonesia. in addition, it would seem that this program timing also affected the respondents’ responsibilities in their families. it was because when the program was done in 10 days, the respondents should leave their families for that long. apart from the problem above, those teachers felt divided from their concern to improve their professionalism and to accompany their students’ learning process, as well as their families as an integral part of their life responsibility. meanhwile, the teachers understand how important it is to participate in tpd programs, they have already had enough understanding of the consequence, which often cannot be easily resolved. the teachers were faced with the tough discernment on their intrinsic motivation as a teacher against extrinsic motivation, for example to get incentives or a duty obligation. indeed, zein’s (2015) study discloses that tpd implementation in indonesia needs to be evaluated as teachers’ participations in tpd programs were often not professionally oriented. lack of information cilacap regency consists of 24 sub-districts with 275 junior high schools. although the 3 1 2 10 4 1 1 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 i did not have the prerequisites the program was too expensive. there was a lack of employer support. the program conflicted with my work schedule. i did not have time because of family responsibilities. there was no suitable program offered. i have a lack of information about the program. the challenges of tpd responses english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 47 department of education and culture of cilacap already distributed information about tpd programs through letters for every school or facebook and whatsapp group, the information given by the government may not be received and informed well by the teachers in the rural areas of cilacap regency. in this study, two teachers from the rural areas (jeruklegi and kawunganten) revealed that they often did not get enough information about tpd programs held by the teacher network in cilacap regency. moreover, this problem has a similarity with zein’s (2015) study which mentions that there were very limited and not widely accessible programs in rural areas (p. 8). a teacher shared an experience about one of her problems as follows. “state schools perhaps often get the information about mgmp; but, in this school we rarely get the invitation to follow mgmp. i think they prioritize the state schools rather than the private schools. i do not know whether this also happens to another school or not. however, this school hardly received the invitation.” (diane) diane saw that there was a gap between state schools and private schools in terms of information about tpd programs. in short, the information given by the teacher network was not distributed well. diane also described that if the teacher network meeting was done regularly, it would give some benefits since teachers could share about the teaching practices and materials that were used as a standard in the regency. indeed, as what soebari and aldridge (2016) mentioned in their study, the teacher network is expected to help teachers to obtain various models of teaching and learning materials. thus, they can prepare the students to be more creative, critical, and skilful. having lack of information about the teacher network meeting was found as disadvantaging her in teaching. for example, she said that she did not know the limitation (scope) of materials used for the mid semester test or even for the final test. she was just guessing and trying to look at the last year questions of the test. it could be inferred that the teachers needed tpd programs to support their teaching. however, in cilacap regency, some of the schools still required the printed invitation letter for the purpose of teacher network administration. when the distance of schools was quite far from the central government, it would also be quite difficult to send teachers the printed letters. this situation connects well with the findings from tanang and abu (2014), arguing that “the level of participation and motivation of teachers to share and disseminate the experience is interrupted by communication” (p. 29). tanang and abu (2014) are right in saying that the teachers’ motivation, whether intrinsic or extrinsic, were often compromised by the information distribution problems. whereas, teacher motivation is indeed one key factor that affect professional development (whitworth & chiu, 2015, p. 132). based on previous discussion, it is necessary to evaluate how the information of tpd programs is disseminated. it is because there are some teachers who do not have enough information of tpd programs so they cannot take a part on it. whereas, widodo and riandi (2013) argue that the success or failure of tpd programs depends on the participations of the teachers. when the teachers do not participate in tpd programs because of the lack of information, it leads to the failure of tpd programs and delays teachers’ professional development. as what rahman (2016) also mentions, the schools with low levels of social and economic conditions (those which are in the rural areas) should get the same information and assistance in tpd practices as the schools which have high levels of social and economic conditions. therefore, the government should pay attention to all the schools without exceptions. the government should also try to close the gap between teachers in rural and urban areas and also between state and private schools. opportunities to improve tpd programs after understanding the challenges found in tpd programs, the researchers tried to assess the opportunities in terms of teachers’ needs on the materials of tpd programs which were expected to be beneficial for them. eight classifications of materials are identified as the english teachers’ needs, namely, student assessment, classroom management, knowledge and understanding of english, content of performance standards, giving instruction, ict skills for teaching, teaching students with special learning needs, and school management and administration (see figure 4). 48 figure 4. needs assessment for tpd from figure 4, it could be seen that most of the teachers wanted to have more knowledge about students’ assessment and classroom management. this is partially in line with tanang and abu’s (2014) findings arguing that tpd programs are expected to focus on specific training for pedagogy, subject content knowledge, and classroom management which are appropriate to teachers’ current needs (p. 36). it was because in following tpd programs, the respondents usually only received materials about how to make lesson plans and general knowledge about the 2013 curriculum. this problem also occurred in zein’s (2015) research which depicts the situation when the teachers mostly got learning theories and had limited chances to learn the practical input. referring to the government tpd programs, which more often than not concerned with technicality and general knowledge, the respondents expected to have more practical training or workshop to develop their teacher professionalism. therefore, rather than predominantly focusing only on the theories, the participants infer that they should focus more on the real teaching practices. the other topic that did not catch the teachers’ interest was about teaching students with special learning needs; and, school management and administration. for the latter, only 11 respondents thought that it was necessary to learn about school management and administration. the following interview result gave clearer insights why learning about student assessment was important. “i was asked by a supervisor from the education office what remedial test was. i replied that for those who have already got scores above the average, the remedial test is used as enrichment. i usually divide the scores, but the supervisor said that it was wrong. instead, the supervisor said that we should only use the student’ highest score, without dividing the score.” (betty) it could be inferred that before betty was informed by the supervisor, she did not know how to assess students’ remedial tests correctly. thanks to tpd programs, betty is provided with feedback on how to assess students’ works and minimize such misunderstanding. the other teachers’ need for tpd relates with classroom management as it is expressed by marie. “as far as the classroom management is concerned, students’ misbehaviour in class has now also taken different forms. in the past, the students did not have smartphones. now, the students have smartphones, even for those living in the distant village. this really affects the teaching process in negative ways. therefore, we as teachers should be trained how to use smartphones for learning in the classroom. besides, we should be given a lesson how to handle the students to use smartphones properly. if there is such a workshop, we will know how to handle students” (marie). from this point, it is necessary for teachers to learn how to manage the classroom because that kind of problem does not only happen to one teacher. students may see gadgets or smartphones as tools which are exceptionally exciting. however, it can disturb the teaching and learning process if the students do not know how 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 3 4 3 14 17 17 15 14 12 10 11 4 2 2 4 3 3 2 3 c o n te n t a n d p e rf o rm a n c e s ta n d a rd s s tu d e n t a s s e s s m e n t c la s s ro o m m a n a g e m e n t k n o w le d g e a n d u n d e rs ta n d in g o f e n g li s h g iv in g in s tr u c ti o n ic t s k il ls f o r te a c h in g t e a c h in g s tu d e n ts w it h s p e c ia l le a rn in g n e e d s s c h o o l m a n a g e m e n t a n d a d m in is tr a ti o n teachers ' needs 1 (strongly disagree) 2 (disagree) 3 (neutral 4 (agree) 5 (strongly agree) english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 49 to use the gadgets properly. besides, given the fact that the teachers also do not have enough opportunities to get the knowledge of how to cope with technology in the classroom, the teachers will always find the difficulties in managing the students. lazar (2015) clearly reveals that a teacher should be able to provide interesting and effective classroom activities using technology to motivate students in learning. tanang and abu (2014) are more comprehensive in seeing this classroom learning problem. workshop may be important, but more importantly is the teachers taking a good time to reflect about their educational practices. besides, they need “initial preparation in their methodologies, language fluency for teaching instruction, instructional materials, and strategy for classroom management before entering the class” (tanang & abu, 2014, p. 36). therefore, having peer mentoring or supervision from the principal was important so that the teachers do not only learn about the technicality, but also practicing and experiencing by themselves. thus, the teachers could learn more to develop themselves from the feedback given. from the above exploration regarding teachers’ needs for tpd, it is essential to understand the teachers’ needs first (bottom up) rather than simply providing trainings (topdown). this may not be simple as teachers’ needs may be different from one another, from one regions to different regions. in the same vein, zein (2015) explains that tpd programs designed by bureaucrats “often did not match the needs of the teachers as well as the contextual situations in which their work demonstrates the administrators’ narrow understanding of the depth of english language teaching” (p. 12). it is in line with the study by utami (2015) arguing that the government should do a little research regarding the teachers’ need so that the teachers can get expected materials from the programs offered. therefore, the government should be more aware of this situation and be able to provide programs suitable to teachers and students’ needs especially about classroom management and also how to integrate ict to the classroom discussion. conclusion this paper has demonstrated challenges and opportunities of tpd programs of the english teachers of junior high school in one of indonesia’s regencies. nonetheless, there are still some challenges facing the program implementation. the challenges are about the program timing, lack of information, and limitation of the programs. most teachers encountered a lot of challenges when the programs are organized during the working days due to family problems as well as additional workload problems for checking students’ assignments. therefore, it is critical for the government to understand what the teachers need and feel in following tpd programs. these measures can engender more meaningful tpd programs for the teachers in general. in terms of the research scope, this study investigated limited number of participants in one small region. therefore, other researchers can use this study as a reference to do further studies by including larger respondents and schools to accommodate richer data in different parts of indonesia. as an integral part of this study, the bottom-up approach by looking into the teachers’ needs to participate in tpd is also a key factor which requires further investigation in a larger scale. references banks, f., & mayes, a. s. (2012). early professional development for teachers. london: david fulton publishers. darling-hammond, l., hyler, m. e., & gardner, m. (2017). effective teacher professional development. palo alto, ca: learning policy institute. fahmi, m., maulana, a., & yusuf, a. a. (2011). teacher certification in indonesia: a confusion between means and ends. bandung: padjajaran university. frost, d. (2012). from professional development to system change: teacher leadership and innovation. professional development in education, 38(2), 205–227. doi: 10.1080/19415257.2012.657861. kennedy, m. m. (2016). how does professional development improve teaching? review of educational research, xx, 1-36. doi: 10.3102/0034654315626800. kuswandono, p. (2014). proceeding of teaching and learning of english in asia (tleia): challenges of teacher certification in indonesia. sintok: universiti utara malaysia. lazar, s. (2015). the importance of educational technology in teaching. international journal of cognitive research in science, engineering and education, 3(1), 111-114. misbahuddin. (2013). the development of teacher profession (unpublished thesis). program pascasarjana universitas negeri makassar. 50 oecd. (2016). talis supporting teacher professionalism: insights from talis 2013. paris: oecd publishing. rahman, a. (2016). teacher professional development in indonesia: the influences of learning activities, teacher characteristics and school conditions (doctoral thesis). retrieved from https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/4721. salleh, h., & dimmock, c. (2012). singapore schools and professional learning communities: teacher professional development and school leadership in an asian hierarchical system. educational review, 64(4), 405–424. doi: 10.1080/00131911.2011.62511. sari, e. r. (2012). online learning community: a case study of teacher professional development in indonesia. intercultural education, 23(1), 63-72. soebari, t., & aldridge, j. m. (2016). investigating the differential effectiveness of a teacher professional development programme for rural and urban classrooms in indonesia. teacher development, 20(5), 701-722. doi: 10.1080/13664530.2016.1185031. tanang, h., & abu, b. (2014). teacher professionalism and professional development practices in south sulawesi, indonesia. journal of curriculum and teaching, 3(2), 25-42. doi: 10.5430/jct.v3n2p25. taylor, m., yates, a., meyer, l. h., & kinsella, p. (2011). teacher professional leadership in support of teacher professional development. teaching and teacher education, 27(1), 85–94. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2010.07.005. utami, i. g. a. l. p. (2015). teacher certification program in indonesia: problems and recommendation for the betterment of the program. international journal of english and education, 4(2), 471-481. wahyudi, k. e., supranoto, & suji. (2012). measuring performance of teacher certification program. international journal of administrative science & organization, 19(3). wahyuni, s. (2012). qualitative research method: theory and practice. jakarta: salemba empat. whitworth, b. a., & chiu, j. l. (2015). professional development and teacher change: the missing leadership link. journal of science teacher education, 26(2), 121–137. doi: 10.1007/s10972014-9411-2. widodo, a., & riandi. (2013). dual-mode teacher professional development: challenges and revisioning future tpd in indonesia. teacher development: an international journal of teachers' professional development, 17(3), 380392. doi: 10.1080/13664530.2013.813757. zein, s. (2015). factors affecting the professional development of elementary english teachers. professional development in education, 1-18. doi: 10.1080/19415257.2015.1005243. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 247 the implementation of write-around plus strategy to improve students’ writing skill muziatun department of english language, faculty of letters and culture, state university of gorontalo, indonesia email: muziatun@ung.ac.id thalia miranda virginia department of english language, faculty of letters and culture, state university of gorontalo, indonesia email: thalyavirginia96@gmail.com ansar tario jusuf department of english language, faculty of letters and culture, state university of gorontalo, indonesia email: ansartario@gmail.com apa citation: muziatun., virginia, t. m., & jusuf, a. t. (2020). the implementation of write-around plus strategy to improve students’ writing skill. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 247-254. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.3001. received: 29-01-2020 accepted: 20-03-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: writing ability is one of english skills that need to be mastered by students. it is because students must express their idea well in order those readers can easily understand what students write. moreover, many students’ problems are found in writing such as generating idea, lack of vocabulary, grammatical mistakes and so on. regarding the occurrence of problem in mostly students’ writing, the researchers want to improve students’ writing skill in descriptive text by implementing write-around plus strategy. the purpose of conducting this research is to investigate whether the implementation of write-around plus strategy can improve students’ writing skill or not. this study is conducted by a pre-experimental study with measurement as the technique of collecting the data and written test as the tool of collecting the data. the research participants were 25 students as the eighth grade students in junior high school smp negeri 1 gorontalo in academic year 2018/2019. the result of this study shows that there were improvements in all writing aspects such as fluency, grammar, vocabulary, content and spelling. the improvements of students’ writing can be shown by data analysis, namely the average result of the research for pre-test got 9.04 score and it currently has been increased in post-test about 13.4 score. keywords: write-around plus strategy; descriptive text; pre-experimental study. introduction students need to master writing skill because they can communicate and express their idea well so that the teacher will understand easily what those students write (bakeer, 2018; kusna, 2019; maolida & salsabila, 2019; namasivayam, singh, mostafa, janoory, & abdullah, 2017). this idea is also supported by nunan (2003) that writing is the mental work of inventing ideas, thinking about how to express them, and organizing them into statements and paragraph that will be clear to a reader. although mostly students feel writing is a complicated skill (karademir & gorgoz, 2019; setyowati & sukmawan, 2016; ximenes, guterres, & pereira, 2019), but in fact both education curriculums in indonesia between curricuum 2013 and kurikulum tingkat satuan pendidikan (ktsp), the curriculums require those students are expected to have extensive knowledge in writing task. however, it is hard to teach in the beginner level students about how to write (alharbi, 2019; teng, 2019), because teachers should consider many components in teaching writing such as structure, vocabulary, content and spelling as the requirement of curriculums. moreover, many problems were found in teaching and learning writing (astrini, ratminingsih, & utami, 2020; haerazi & irawan, 2019; xie, 2020), such as generating idea, lack of vocabulary, grammatical mistakes, spelling mistakes etc. the same problems also found by researchers during teaching practice at smp negeri 1 gorontalo as the junior high school in gorontalo city. mostly students at eighth grade were found difficulties in writing. first, the muziatun, thalia miranda virginia & ansar tario jusuf the implementation of write-around plus strategy to improve students' writing skill 248 students have limited vocabularies to expand their sentences. second, they found difficulties in generating ideas when they start writing a text. third, they have a problem to use grammar well in formulating descriptive text. the last, the students have lack of motivation in learning writing because of inappropriate strategy and learning media in teaching process. this study wants to apply one of the elaboration appropriate learning strategies that have been believed to be able to increase students writing skills ability. to overcome the problems of students’ writing, more appropriate learning strategies in teaching writing should be implemented in junior high school. one of learning strategies is cooperative learning. based on piaget’s theory, cooperative learning is an active and participatory learning strategy. this theory needs students’ participation in learning activity. therefore, it will make students more active and work in group (kimmelmann & lang, 2019; yusuf, jusoh, & yusuf, 2019), so students will understand the learning material easily. one of the strategies from cooperative learning that useable to teach writing descriptive text is write-around (munnisa, 2015). this strategy will improve students’ skill and they can organize or arrange the sentence step by step as per the instruction of that strategy itself. by applying write-around as a learning strategy in a writing activity, the students will not only can learn how to write and organize the sentence in english, but they also can cooperate and communicate each other during the process of teaching and learning. as the strategies explained before, cooperative learning means student’s learning together in groups (strom, hendon, strom, & wang, 2019), which are structured that group members have to cooperate succeed. students learn their material in-group; also they will find and solve the problem of the material together. the concept of cooperative learning is teamwork (asrori & tjalla, 2020; salim, abdullah, haron, hussain, & ishak, 2019; strom et al., 2019). students will interact with others and make small groups to be motivated and help one another to gain objectives of the study. according to mandal (2009) cooperative learning is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. each member of a team is responsible not only for learning what is taught, but also for helping teammates learn. thus, it is creating atmosphere of achievement. based on mandal’s research, there are many types of cooperative learning. they are think pair share, three steps interview, jigsaw, round robin, threeminute review, numbered heads, buzz groups, talking chip, critical debate, write-around and praise question polish. one of cooperative learning type that will be use is write-around strategy. the advantage of write-around strategy is that students will be easier to produce a text because they are not work individual but they will work in-group. write-around plus strategy is a development from previous research and modification of writearound strategy. the researchers make a new innovation in this strategy. this makes the previous study unique. some studies that apply techniques and strategies in teaching and learning sometimes do not make some adjustments when applying such techniques and strategies. however, this study is different by doing some modifications to accommodate students’ necessities. therefore, the implementation of the new strategy could improve students’ writing skill ability. the researchers try to teach from base of writing for beginner level. there are how to make simple sentence and learn word classes such as noun, adjectives and verbs that related to descriptive text and also how to make descriptive text complete. in learning and teaching process, there are some steps that can be used by teacher in this study, in order to make students be more active. following steps of write-around plus strategy: • teacher splits students into several groups; it will be 4-5 members in each group. • teacher chooses the topic that will write it • teacher gives starter sentence for all of the groups. • each student in-group will read a sentence and add another sentence to finish the text. the strength of write-around plus strategy is beside this strategy has the concept of teamwork; this strategy also can help students to stimulate their mind to generate their idea in writing a sentence creatively. the weakness of this strategy is taking a time a lot for student to understand what they want to write, because they need to understand the starter sentence or their friend’s opinion before they write their own sentence. the reason why the researchers proposed this strategy was because of the purpose of write-around plus strategy as a bridge for students to share their idea. in order to create an interesting way to learn descriptive text, it is also so much fun strategies for students, english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 249 because they do it in-group. based on the background presented earlier, the research question for this paper is: can write-around plus strategy improve students’ writing skill in formulating a descriptive text? method this study has been conducted at smp negeri 1 gorontalo as one of educational institutions in gorontalo city. it is pre-experimental design one group pretest and posttest design which is to be used in order to see the use of write-around strategy to improve students’ writing skill in descriptive text based on the score before applying the strategy and the score after applying the strategy. the research participants were selected based on purposive sampling which is a technique to determine the sample of research with some consideration to make the data will be more representative. so the researchers consider the participants of this study were students at eighth grade at smp negeri 1 gorontalo in academic year 2018/2019. based on curriculum 2013, one of the materials learned by students in eighth grade is descriptive text. in this case, students in this level need to be able to make a descriptive text. so, there are some specific requirements are needed to filter the objectives for this research. in smp negeri 1 gorontalo academic year 2018/2019, there are nine class of eighth grade. the researchers choose one class as the participants of this research, which is viii-2 because the students are selected based on the requirement of primary observation with their english teacher at the school itself. there are 25 students selected as samples. those 25 students have major problems in writing, such as lack of generate idea, grammatical errors, lack of vocabularies etc. the researcher collected the data b using a test as the main method. the details of each instrument will be described next: test the researcher used test as the main method in collecting the data because the researchers measured students’ ability in writing. as mentioned earlier, students’ ability can be measured by doing the test (munnisa, 2015). because brown (2004) states that a test can be defined as a method of measuring a person’s ability, knowledge, or performance in a given domain. as the main method, it is an instrument – a set of techniques, procedures, or items that require performance on the part of the test taker. overall, test will be conducted in order to know the students’ achievement in learning process. there are two kinds of test that would be conducted in this study. they were pre-test and post-test, both tests will be explained further below. pre test pretest is preliminary test administered to determine a student’s baseline knowledge or preparedness for an educational experience or course of study (hamzah, 2016). it can be used before the teacher extends the material of learning. in this test the researchers gave the students a written test about descriptive text. the students would choose one topic and describe the topic itself. treatment treatment is activities from teacher to the students by giving teaching learning material in the class (hamzah, 2016). this strategy is kind of way that can improve students’ writing skill. the researchers taught in learning process during eight times of treatments by using write-around strategy. it is because eight times of treatments were suitable for students in order they can make an appropriate paragraph of descriptive. besides that, it is also related with their schedule of academic for material about descriptive text. post test post-test was given after a lesson or a period of instruction to determine what students have learned. the researchers gave a written test again for the students in order to know how the improvement those students get after they have a treatment. this research used quantitative data analysis. it is because the researcher used analyzing and assessing the students’ work in pretest and posttest and give the score based on rubric assessment. in this way, each student score in pre-test and post-test would have been compared in order to see the improvements of students’ writing skill. in scoring their work, the researchers used the scoring rubric in writing taken from heaton grid and his categories (1975) in five areas, there are fluency, grammar, content, vocabulary and spelling. the researcher used heaton’s grid because some researchers used his grid as guide to assess test of writing. subsequently this study used statistical analysis, because the aim of this study was to see the comparison scores of pre-test and post-test. in analyzing the data the researcher used t-testing. muziatun, thalia miranda virginia & ansar tario jusuf the implementation of write-around plus strategy to improve students' writing skill 250 it analyzed the hypothesis of this study as described below. notes: t = the value of t for correlated sample = the amount of average differences divide with the amount of sample sd = deviation standard differences divide with the amount of sample statistic hypothesis h0 : write-around strategy cannot improve students’ writing skill h0 : µ1 = µ2 it means rejected h1 : write-around strategy can improve students’ writing skill h1 : µ1 ≤ µ2 it means received results and discussion pre-test in the first meeting, the researchers conducted pre-test in order to find out students’ ability in writing description text. the researcher asked students to choose one topic about one of family member, favorite place in gorontalo or favorite thing to make simple descriptive text. after calculating the students’ worksheet, the researcher found that the students’ score of pretest data as follow: table 1. students’ score in pre-test students’ score in pre-test the lowest score 5 the highest score 17 the range of interval class (r) 12 the amount of interval class (k) 6 the wide of interval class (p) 2 the mean of score 9.04 table 2. students’ components of writing score in pre-test no components of writing the score of pre test 1 fluency 46 2 grammar 36 3 vocabulary 42 4 content 41 5 spelling 61 total 226 based on the tables presented earlier, it shows that the highest interval class in 5-6 consisted of eight students. it means there were eight students who got 5-6 score in the pre-test. furthermore, the lowest interval class was 13-14, 15-16 and 1718 consist of one student which means only one student who got score 13-17 score. students’ problem in pre test the result of pre-test show that many students were still confused to write descriptive text, students made some mistakes, dealing with the organization problems that students did not understand about the generic structure of descriptive text. for example, some students did not write clearly both identification and description. one of students in viii-2 did not write clearly both identification and description. especially in identification part, the student only mentioned the name of his favorite things without writing more information about his favorite thing while in the part of description, the student only wrote the general information and not the specific information of the thing that he described. in this case, student was expected to be able to write more information about his favorite thing. students also made some grammatical problems, such as the using of simple present tense as the main tense in descriptive text. for the example, the student wrote “i was use my computer”. the word “was” is inappropriate because it is past participle. in this case the student is expected to be able to write “i use”. students also got problem in using of vocabulary. the student had lack of vocabulary and also made some errors in expressing his idea such as “television shape, television color”. it should be changed become “the color of television” and “the shape of television”. the last aspect of writing is mechanic. some students of the second grade of smp negeri 1 gorontalo have problems in spelling the words. they understood to use the words but they got some errors to spelling it into written form. the english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 251 words “thirteen five years old, thirteen nine years old, and fother” were incorrect spelling. it should be changed “thirteen five years old” become “thirty-five”, “thirteen nine years old” become “thirty-nine” and “fother” become “father”. the description of treatments in pre-test, students faced several problems in their writing forms. during the treatments, students have improved their writing form. there are some explanations of the situation when the researchers did the treatments in the classroom: in the first meeting, students learned about definition of descriptive text and the example of descriptive text. this meeting students only paid attention to what the researchers had explained and the students understood about descriptive text. the second meeting, the researchers explained more about descriptive text such as the generic structure of descriptive text and the language features of descriptive text. from first meeting until second meeting some students confused about the material, because when the researcher asked to the students to give another example of descriptive text, some of them did not give the answer. then, the researcher explained more about descriptive text and the students understood about that. next to the third meeting, the researchers started applying write-around plus strategy in classroom. before that, the researchers split students into several groups and the researchers explained about the rule of write-around plus strategy. then, the researchers separated the students into five groups. after that, the researcher explained about word class as the use of adjective in descriptive text. by using writearound plus strategy, the researcher gave them the first task in group to write a simple sentence using adjectives each person in group. all students in viii-2 felt enjoy when they did their task because they could discuss how to make a simple sentence using adjective with their friends in group or the researcher as teacher in the class. then fourth treatment, the researcher explained about grammar that use in descriptive text, it was about simple present tense. students were divided into same group and the researcher explained about simple present tense. the researcher gave them task to make simple sentence based on simple present tense by using write-around plus strategy. some students confused about the use of simple present tense and they asked to the researchers. after the researchers explained more about simple present tense, they understood and they finished their task. fifth meeting, the researcher explained again about simple present tense. besides that, the researcher reviewed about the generic structure of descriptive text, because students started making a simple descriptive text about favorite place in gorontalo. the researchers asked students in each group to discuss about the place that they want to describe. then, the researcher gave them sentence starter: my favorite place in gorontalo is…” then, the first person in group wrote name of place and continue wrote his/her opinion in a sentence about that place. the second person continued to write her/his opinion in a sentence and until last person to finish the task. actually, some students had lack of ideas to write their opinion in a sentence. so, the researchers tried to help them to guide what they need to write in their simple descriptive text. next in the sixth meeting, the researches explained about the use of have/has. students paid attention with the researchers’ explanation. the students were still in their groups. after that, the researcher gave the topic to the students about my friend/classmate. the researcher gave sentence starter “i have a friend, my friend’s name is”. the way to finish their task was same with the one in the fifth meeting. in sixth meeting, some students in group understood what they want to write. so, the researcher did not to guide them again. some students also sometime asked to the researcher about some words that they did not know. students in each group could finish their task well. come to the seventh meeting, the researcher reviewed and explained about the use of have/has. it made students still understand about how to use have/has. in this meeting, students were still in their group and made simple descriptive text about favorite thing. for this topic, students in group choose the thing that they need to describe. the researcher gave them some pictures about things; there were bag, doll, shoes, clothes, book and pencil. every group chooses a thing that they want to describe. as usual, the researcher gave a sentence starter “i have a…” then, the students continued to give their opinion in a sentence until the last person in group. in this meeting, all of students felt enjoy when they did their task, because they know what they wrote for that thing. each group did their task well done. the last meeting, the researcher rechecked again their previous tasks. when doing muziatun, thalia miranda virginia & ansar tario jusuf the implementation of write-around plus strategy to improve students' writing skill 252 rechecked, the researcher found significant improvement on students’ tasks. it can show that there was one of group, their tasks were developed their simple descriptive text. then, the researchers gave appreciation to all of students viii-2. after that, the researchers did brainstorming and reviewed all material about descriptive text to prepare students for post-test. the description of post-test data after scoring the students’ worksheet in post-test, the researchers found that the students’ score of post-test have been improved. the lowest score of post-test was six score. the highest score was 20 score and the mean of score was 13.4 score. furthermore, the results of post-test in each component of writing have improved the result of pre-test. there were for fluency and vocabulary aspect was 64 score, the grammar aspect got 60 score, the content was 69 score and for spelling aspect got 78 score. based on explanation about the result of pretest and post-test, students’ ability in pre-test and post-test have been improved. the significant differences came from content aspect. in content aspect, students only got 41 score but in post-test students got 69 score. content aspect becomes increase because they paid attention with the generic structure of descriptive text and they can generate their idea to make descriptive paragraph. grammar aspect and vocabulary aspect also have significant differences. in grammar aspect students only got 36 score in pre-test, but in posttest students got 60 score. grammar aspects also increase because they put their attention about simple present tense as the language feature of descriptive text. the effect of write-around plus strategy in students’ writing descriptive text in last meeting, the writer gave post-test to students and it showed that there was a significant improvement especially in organization, grammar and vocabulary aspect compared the score result of pre-test and post-test. it was clearly different. for example, in student’s answer, the student already understood about the generic structure of descriptive text because he could organize it well. in this following student’s answer, he only made an error in the use of word “is”. this word should be “are”, because the favorite food of character that he has been described was plural. from this example, in student’s written form, only a few errors that contain in this paragraph, for example the word “things” should be “thing”, because it is singular and then words “searching, chatting, playing and listening” should be “search, chat, play and listen”, because descriptive text use simple present tense. based on some example of students’ answer, it can be concluded that by applying write-around plus strategy, students could understand and know how to make a descriptive text well. the students had given sentence starter then they were continuing to produce a text by making sentence by sentence in their group. then, they were combined the sentences to be good descriptive text. munnisa (2015) stated that write-around strategy could help students learn how to write descriptive text and make it enjoyed in class. write-around strategy is very useful for students to help them in process of writing. descriptive text is a text with a purpose to describe particular thing, animal, person or other. the generic structure of descriptive text divided into two: identification and description (gerot and wignel, 1994). besides the generic structure, descriptive text also has own language features that should be mastered by the writers. the language features of descriptive text are: focus on specific participant, the use of adjectives and compound adjective, the use of linking verb, the use of degree comparison, the use of simple present tense (munnisa, 2015). based on pre-observation, all of students in viii-2 cannot write an appropriate descriptive text, they faced the difficulties to generate their ideas about the generic structure of descriptive text. they also have lack of vocabularies and difficulties in expressing their idea by using simple present tense. therefore, in order to solve the problem, the researcher gave the treatment to students by using write-around plus strategy. as we concern that the education in indonesia applying 2013 curriculum, which is emphasizes to the students to learn contextually. in a class, there are many kinds of students’ ability. teacher should have a learning strategy to teach students contextually, however students in a class have many kinds of students’ ability. therefore, cooperative learning strategy can fulfill the aim of 2013 curriculum. as stated by (mandal, 2009) cooperative learning is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding ofa subject. one of strategies in cooperative learning is write-around strategy. by applying the strategy, the students could understand and remember how to write english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 253 descriptive text. the students choose the topic that they want to write in group. after that, the students are given a starter sentence then they continue producing a text by making sentence by sentence with their group. then, they combine the sentences to be a good paragraph. after making the descriptive text, the students discussed with their group and memorized what they would write in producing descriptive text. the impact of this implementation is the students can increase their group learning activity. after researcher gave the treatment by using write-around plus strategy during the eight meetings, students have shown significant improvement on their writing ability. it has been proved in the result of post-test. in post-test, the researcher gave in the last meeting, which showed that there were significance improvements of the students’ work especially in organization, grammar and vocabulary aspect. the comparisons of the result of pre-test and post-test were clearly different. based on munnisa (2015) stated that write-around is appropriate strategy in teaching writing. therefore, write-around plus strategy is suitable for teaching writing descriptive text. the result of ttest from pre-test and post-test also have shown the difference that between tcount and tlist. tcount is more than tlist 6,79 ≥ 1,711. based on the data above, it can be said that writearound plus strategy can improve students’ ability in writing descriptive text. this statement also has been supported by munnisa (2015) who stated that write-around strategy could improve students’ writing skill, because the result can make students mastering vocabulary, adjective and structure in descriptive text. students also have ability to gain their idea. write-around strategy promotes group learning activity that can make students enjoyable when using write-around strategy. conclusion using write-around plus strategy is an effective way to teach students in improving students’ writing in descriptive text. it is because students become more encourage in writing, will being motivated to each other, paying more attention during the learning process, students will have so much fun and even the teacher will have enthusiasm in teaching process. it can be proven from the result of pre-test and post-test that presented earlier. the result of students’ improvement in writing ability to write descriptive text can be seen from the increasing of students’ mean writing score from 9,04 in the pretest to 13,4 in the post-test. the use of writearound plus strategy as a teaching strategy that is applied in teaching descriptive text considers as an effective strategy. it can be seen from the result effect of treatment phase. write-around plus strategy using teamwork in learning process makes students will be more responsible, not only for learning but also for helping teammates to learn and creating atmosphere of achievement. references alharbi, m. a. (2019). saudi arabia efl university students’ voice on challenges and solution in learning academic writing. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 8(3), 576-587. asrori, m., & tjalla, a. (2020). increasing teamwork capacity of high school students through collaborative teamwork learning. american journal of educational research, 8(1), 46-50. astrini, f., ratminingsih, n., & utami, i. (2020). the model of strategies employed by english teachers in teaching writing skill in national plus schools. journal of education research and evaluation, 4(1), 59-62. bakeer, a. m. (2018). effects of information and communication technology and social media in developing students’ writing skill: a case of alquds open university. international journal of humanities and social science, 8(5), 45-53. baliya, r. (2013). enhancing writing abilities of primary class students through cooperative learning strategies: an experimental study. journal of behavioral social and movement science, 2(1), 294-305 boardman, c. a. (2001). writing to communicate (2nd ed.). new york: distance learning center. boardman, c. a., & frydenberg, j. (2002). writing to communicate. new york: pearson education. brown, d. h. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy (2nd ed.). new york: addison wesley longman, inc. bsnp. (2016). peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia nomor 024 tahun 2016 tentang kompetensi inti dan kompetensi dasar pelajaran pada kurikulum 2013 pada pendidikan dasar dan pendidikan menengah. jakarta: badan standar nasional pendidikan. gerot, l., & wignell, p. (1994). making sense of functional grammar. sydney: gerd stabler. griffee, d. t. (2012). an introduction to second language research methods. new york: tesl-ej publications. haerazi, h., & irawan, l. a. (2019). practicing genrebased language teaching model to improve students’ achievement of writing skills. indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 4(1), 9-18. muziatun, thalia miranda virginia & ansar tario jusuf the implementation of write-around plus strategy to improve students' writing skill 254 hamzah, n. s. (2016). the use of sense (simple present tense) word wall in increasing students’ ability in writing descriptive text. gorontalo: state university of gorontalo. harmer, j. (2001). the practice of english language teaching. new york: longman. husna, l, zainil, & rozimela, y. (2013). an analysis of students’ writing skill in descriptive text at grade xiipa 1 of man 2 padang. journal english language teaching, 1(2), 1-16. huy, n. t. (2015). problems affecting learning writing skill of grade 11 at thong linh high school. asian journal of educational research, 3(2), 53-69. karademir, c. a., & gorgoz, s. (2019). english teachers' problems encountered in teaching four basic language skills. international education studies, 12(4), 118-127. kimmelmann, n., & lang, j. (2019). linkage within teacher education: cooperative learning of teachers and student teachers. european journal of teacher education, 42(1), 52-64. kusna, s. s. (2019). using picture prompts to improve student’s writing skill in narrative text (an action reseach at the tenth graders of sma plus al amanah bojonegoro in the academic year of 2018/2019). ikip pgri bojonegoro. mandal, r. r. (2009). cooperative learning strategies to enhance writing skill. the modern journal of applied linguistics, 1(2), 94-102. maolida, e. h., & salsabila, v. a. (2019). integrating process-genre approach with project ibunka to improve students’ english writing. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 91100 munnisa, t. (2015). the use of write-around strategy to improve students writing skill of descriptive text. semarang: semarang state university. namasivayam, p., singh, c. k. s., mostafa, n. a., janoory, l., & abdullah, m. s. (2017). improving esl students’ descriptive writing through wh-question technique. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 7(7), 219-231. nunan, d. (2003). practical english language teaching. new york: the mc-grew hill companies. salim, k., abdullah, m., haron, h., hussain, n., & ishak, r. (2019). a team-teaching model in an informal cooperative learning classroom. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (ijet), 14(20), 44-57. setyowati, l., & sukmawan, s. (2016). efl indonesian students’ attitude toward writing in english. arab world english journal, 7(4), 365 378. strom, p. s., hendon, k. l., strom, r. d., & wang, c. h. (2019). how peers support and inhibit learning in the classroom: assessment of high school students in collaborative groups. school community journal, 29(2), 183-202. siahaan, j. (2013). an analysis of students’ ability and difficulties in writing descriptive texts. journal of english and education, 1(1), 114-121. teng, f. (2019). tertiary-level students’ english writing performance and metacognitive awareness: a group metacognitive support perspective. scandinavian journal of educational research, 64(4), 1-18. xie, q. (2020). diagnosing linguistic problems in english academic writing of university students: an item bank approach. language assessment quarterly, 17(2), 183-203. ximenes, l. p., guterres, c. f., & pereira, s. (2019). a study on the ability of 4th semester students’ writing skill of english study program in the academic year 2018. isce: journal of innovative studies on character and education, 3(1), 155164. yusuf, q., jusoh, z., & yusuf, y. q. (2019). cooperative learning strategies to enhance writing skills among second language learners. international journal of instruction, 12(1), 13991412. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 139 a bibliometric analysis of efl reading fluency from 2016 to 2021 hijril ismail english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of muhammadiyah mataram, indonesia e-mail: hijrilismail@yahoo.com edi english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of muhammadiyah mataram, indonesia e-mail: edi.dompu.80@gmail.com apa citation: ismail, h., & edi. (2021). a bibliometric analysis of efl reading fluency from 2016 to 2021. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 139-148. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5364 received: 25-08-2021 accepted: 23-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction reading is a crucial skill to be increased in children (abd ghani, muslim, & zakaria, 2020), a complex task that involves not only word decoding but also linking pieces of information across longer text passages (eilers, tiffin-richards, & schroeder, 2018), an active, reflective and interactive process between the reader and the text, where the reader’s prior knowledge, objectives, and expectations play a fundamental role in the meaning construction (duran, ribosa, & sánchez, 2020), a complex task requiring appropriate eye movements, attention, and information processing (dodick, starling, wethe, pang, messner, smith, master, halker-singh, vargas, bogle, mandrekar, talaber, & leong, 2017), an important element for effective language learning (ismail, rahmat, & emzir, 2020), an important skill in language learning that connects the students’ prior knowledge with the information contained in the reading text (ismail, aceng, & emzir, 2021), a fluent process of readers combining information from a text and their background knowledge to build meaning (nunan, 2003). there are four main ways of reading (grellet, 1983). first, skimming is high-speed reading that can save a lot of time. one skims to get the general sense of a passage or a book (mikulecky & jeffries, 2004). harmer (2003) claims that skimming means that we do not have to read every word and line; on the contrary, such as approach would stop them from scanning successfully. juan and flor (2006) assert that skimming is a rapid sample reading to obtain general gist. brown (2004) argues that skimming constitutes the process of rapid coverage of reading matter to determine its gift or main idea. it is a prediction of rapid coverage of reading matter to determine its first or main idea. it is a prediction strategy used to give a reader a sense of the topic, the purpose of a text, the organization of the text, the perspective or point of view of the writer, its ease or difficulty, and/or its usefulness to the reader. assessment of skimming strategies is usually straightforward: the test-taker skims a text and abstract: the aim of the research is to provide an extensive literature review on reading fluency. articles were located through publish or perish software and the google scholar database. scanning by scimagojr.com (q1, q2, q3, and q4). we analyzed 60 articles from 2016 to 2021. mendeley software was used to manage and resume the references. we have reviewed this database and attempted to classify articles using vosviewer software. four clusters are identified. cluster 1 consisted of ten items (disability, elementary students, fluency intervention, impact, intervention, reader, reading fluency, reaped reading, student, and teacher), cluster 2 consisted of seven items word (child, effect, fluency, language, present study, reading, and word), cluster 3 consisted of five items word (comprehension, oral reading fluency, relationship, research, and vocabulary), and cluster 4 consisted of 4 items word (accuracy, development, relation, and study). keywords: bibliometric analysis; reading fluency. hijril ismail & edi a bibliometric analysis of efl reading fluency from 2016 to 2021 140 answers questions such as (what is the main idea of this text?, what is the author’s purpose in writing the text?, what kind of writing is this (newspaper, article, manual, novel, etc)?, what type of writing is this expository/technical/narrative, etc)?, how easy or difficult do you think this text will be?, what do you think you will learn from the text?, and how useful will the text be for your profession/academic need/interests?). second, scanning as high-speed reading. when one scan, he/she has a question in mind. he/she does not read every word, only the words that answer his/her question. practice in scanning will help one learns to skip over unimportant words so that he/she can read faster (mikulecky & jeffries, 2004). harmer (2003) puts forward that scanning is reading texts for particular bits of information they are searching for. juan and flor (2006) claim that scanning is rapid and partial search reach reading for specific information. and, brown (2004) classifies that scanning as a strategy utilized by all readers to find relevant information in a text. third, extensive reading, it usually read longer texts for pleasure which undertaken by a fluency activity involved global understanding (grellet, 1983), reading many books (longer segment of the material) without focusing on classroom exercises that may test comprehension skills (nunan, 2003), involves somewhat longer texts such as journal articles, technical reports, longer essays, short stories, and book (brown, 2004), involves reading fluency of large quantities of texts and longer reading (e.g. whole books) for general comprehending, with the focus generally on the meaning of what is being read than on the certain language (richards & renandya, 2002). forth, intensive reading constitutes involves a short reading passage followed by textbook activities to develop comprehension or a particular reading skill (nunan, 2003). grellet (1983) argues that intensive reading means reading short texts, not extracting specific information. this is more an accuracy activity concerting to reading for detail. this study concentrated on reading fluency, as the ability to read at an appropriate rate with adequate comprehension (nunan, 2003), as the ability to read text quickly, accurately, and with proper expression to identify fluency (chang, 2020), a fundamental aspect for successful reading development (archambault, mercer, cheng, & saqui, 2019), a critical skill necessitated to free up cognitive resources for more complex tasks such as comprehension (van norman & nelson, 2021), as the ability to read age-appropriate text with speed, accuracy, and proper expression (vess, begeny, norwalk, & ankney, 2018), as the ability to read text quickly and accurately with few miscues and little effort and to read expressively with appropriate pausing, phrasing, and articulation. (lee & yoon, 2017), as the ability to read quickly and accurately with proper prosody, is one of the most crucial components of reading skills (wu, gadke, & stratton, 2018), a necessary capacity ensuring work efficiency, life quality and often refers to the ability to read rapidly and accurately (huang, liu, & zhao, 2021), a linked to the ability to recognize the correct spelling of whole words (krasa & bell, 2021). reading fluency has been widely discussed in many articles. however, a bibliometric analysis of reading fluency has never been performed so we are interested in carrying out research entitled "a bibliometric analysis of the term "reading fluency". method a literature review was carried out by applying a systematic, explicit, and reproducible method or a mind-mapping method that give emphasizes the limitation of knowledge. a bibliometric review was generally utilized in scientific disciplines and concentrated in a quantitative study of journals paper. this study adapted to the five steps method of bibliometric analysis introduced by fahimnia, sarkis, & davarzani (2015). these five steps are defining research keywords “reading fluency”, initial search results, refinement of the search results, compiling statistics on the initial data, and data analysis. defining search keywords a literature search was undertaken in december 2021, employing the keyword “reading fluency”. publish or perish software with google scholar was utilized to gather the data. to start, we entered the keyword “reading fluency” into the publish or perish software, arrange to publish names for ‘journal’, ‘title word’, and years ‘0-0’. from the google scholar database, we gain 482 articles in the initial search for the period from 1973 to 2021 (48 years). initial search results during this step, we did not control the range of years, the oldest article about reading fluency was english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 141 published in 1973. these top fifteen articles were identified from publish or perish software. table 1. top fifteen articles identified from publish or perish (unrefined search) authors titles years of publication jm pullis how important is reading fluency in shorthand? 1973 pa schreiber on the acquisition of reading fluency 1980 e le coultre, m carroll the effect of visualizing speech rhythms on reading comprehension and fluency 1981 j marvan a pilot study: the effectiveness of the neurological impress method on fluency, accuracy and power of oral reading. 1983 dl share, af jorm, r maclean, r matthews the contribution of language skills to reading fluency: a comparison of two orthographies for hebrew 1984 lj o'shea, pt sindelar… the effects of repeated readings and attentional cues on reading fluency and comprehension 1985 ba cooper, kj stewart the influence of variations in syntax on oral reading fluency 1987 t rasinski, d reinking redefining the role of reading fluency 1987 j zutell current directions: attending to oral reading fluency 1988 tv rasinski effects of repeated reading and listening-while-reading on reading fluency 1990 bb swanson reading fluency and the novice reader 1990 pg aaron, j whitefield dysfluency‐fluency: implications of a new cognitive style for reading consultation 1990 cl carroll, s mccormick, jo cooper effects of a modified repeated reading procedure on reading fluency of severely disabled readers 1991 r parker, je hasbrouck… greater validity for oral reading fluency: can miscues help? 1992 dr reutzel, pm hollingsworth effects of fluency training on second graders' reading comprehension 1993 refinement of the search results to refinement the search results, the authors excluded articles that were not published in scopus indexed journals (q1, q2, q3, and q4). the number of articles that meet the requirements for five years is 60 articles. while these that do not meet the requirements are 124 articles. the total that appeared after the year limited (2016 to 2021) is 184 articles. the comparison of the result between the initial search and refinement search can be shown in table 2. table 2. comparison metrics metrics data initial search refinement search query journal, reading fluency journal, reading fluency from 2016 to 2021 (5 years) source google scholar google scholar paper 484 60 citations 19295 1279 years (1973-2021) 48 years (2016-2021) 5 years cites/year 19295.00 255.80 cites/paper 40.03 21.32 authors/paper 2.49 3.10 h_index 71 16 g_index 131 35 hi_norm 41 10 hi_annual 41.00 2.000 ha_index 71 8 hijril ismail & edi a bibliometric analysis of efl reading fluency from 2016 to 2021 142 compiling the initial data statistics the result after refinement was downloaded, saved in the mendeley software to the ris format to include vital information related to the paper, including; title, authors’ name, abstract, keywords, and journal specification (publication journal, year of publication, issue, and pages). then, data were analyzed to classify the year publication trend, source of publication, and the publishers. figure 1. year-over-year publication trend (note: the trend of publications on reading fluency in the last five years is in 2016 there were eight articles published in the scopus indexed journal. in 2017 was 9 articles, in 2018 was 13 articles, in 2019 was 7 articles, in 2020 was 9 articles, and in 2021 was 14 articles.) figure 2. publishers of cited articles (note: journals.segeput.com, wiley online library, taylor & francis, elsevier, researchgate.net, springer, and search.proquest.com are the seven most often appearing publishers.) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 143 figure 3. journal in which articles in analysis appeared 33 journals have to data only published on articles on the theme of “reading fluency”. the 33 journals are australian journal of education, australian journal of psychology, electronic journal of research in educational psychology, international journal of education research, international journal of educational development, international journal of music education, international journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology, international journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation, international journal of psychosocial rehabilitation, journal of adolescent & adult literacy, journal of autism and developmental disorders, journal of child neurology, journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology, journal of computer assisted learning, journal of early childhood research, journal of education and practice, journal of educational practice and research, journal of educational psychology, journal of educational technology system, journal of language teaching and research, journal of psychoeducational assessment, journal of psycholinguistic research, journal of research in music education, journal of research in special education needs, journal of research on educational effectiveness, pedagogies: an international journal, scandinavian journal of psychology, the asian efl journal quarterly, the journal of educational research, the journal of general psychology, the journal of research in reading, and universal journal of educational research. in total 41 journals discussed issues related to reading fluency. data analysis this paper presents the bibliometric analysis for the term “reading fluency” from the google scholar database. a bibliometric review in this paper was utilized to publish and parish software version 7.33.3388.7819. the author obtained 484 papers in the initial result and 60 in the refinement result. the data regarding citations changes with 1279 citations and 255.80 citations/year. results and discussion this study shows that articles published in scopus indexed journals have a substantial impact on metrics related to citations. table 3 shows that the most cited article on reading fluency is the article written by sebastian p. suggate entitled “a metaanalysis of the long-term effects of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and reading comprehension interventions”. the article was written in 2016, published in the journal of learning disabilities, and cited by 341 authors. the second most-cited article is an article written by j lee, sy yoon entitle “the effects of repeated reading on reading fluency for students with reading disabilities: a meta-analysis” the article is written in 2017, published in the journal of learning disabilities, and cited by 150 authors. and, the third most-cited is an article was written by elizabeth a. stevens, melodee a. walker, and sharon vaughn entitle the effects of reading fluency interventions on the reading fluency and reading comprehension performance of elementary students with learning disabilities: a synthesis of the research from 2001 to 2014. the article was written in 2017, published in the journal of learning disabilities, and cited by 138 authors. https://www.proquest.com/pubidlinkhandler/sng/pubtitle/journal+of+educational+practice+and+research/$n/2041167/openview/2244569375/$b/55209cd8b1f4f32pq/1;jsessionid=22358d01ded6fbdadd421a01fbfd4b24.i-0ffafdc2bb9c3c535 https://www.proquest.com/pubidlinkhandler/sng/pubtitle/journal+of+educational+practice+and+research/$n/2041167/openview/2244569375/$b/55209cd8b1f4f32pq/1;jsessionid=22358d01ded6fbdadd421a01fbfd4b24.i-0ffafdc2bb9c3c535 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022219416638028 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022219416638028 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022219416638028 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022219416638028 hijril ismail & edi a bibliometric analysis of efl reading fluency from 2016 to 2021 144 figure 4. network visualization mapping (note: four colors in figure 4 shown that there are four clusters of reading fluency.) after counting for citation frequency and other metrics, the author analyzed the output from publish or perish application into vosviewer application to determine what keywords were occurring frequently and utilized for visualizing bibliometric analysis maps. the vosviewer application shows the bibliometric mapping on three different visualizations, they are network visualization, overlay visualization, and density visualization. figure 5. density visualization mapping extracting from the title and abstract fields, full counting with the minimum number of occurrences set to 3, we get 444 terms and 30 items meeting the threshold and four common words were excluded. four clusters are identified here. cluster 1 consisted of ten items (disability, elementary students, fluency intervention, impact, intervention, reader, reading fluency, reaped reading, student, and teacher), cluster 2 consisted of seven items word (child, effect, fluency, language, present study, reading, and word), cluster 3 consisted of five items word (comprehension, oral reading fluency, relationship, research, and vocabulary), and cluster english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 145 4 consisted of 4 items word (accuracy, development, relation, and study). table 3. article with 10 or more citations n o citatio ns per year authors title year publication publisher 1 341 68.20 .00 sp suggate a meta-analysis of the long-term effects of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and reading comprehension interventions (2016) journal of learning disabilities journals.s agepub.c om 2 150 37.50 .00 j lee, sy yoon the effects of repeated reading on reading fluency for students with reading disabilities: a meta-analysis (2017) journal of learning disabilities journals.s agepub.c om 3 138 34.50 .00 ea stevens, ma walker, ... the effects of reading fluency interventions on the reading fluency and reading comprehension performance of elementary students with learning disabilities: a … (2017) journal of learning disabilities journals.s agepub.c om 4 94 0,805 5555 56 b piper, l schroeder, b trudell oral reading fluency and comprehension in kenya: reading acquisition in a multilingual environment (2016) journal of research in reading wiley online library 5 63 0,677 0833 33 tv rasinski, sc chang, e edmondson, ... reading fluency and college readiness (2017) journal of adolescent & adult literacy wiley online library 6 62 0,879 8611 11 m torppa, k eklund, s sulkunen, ... why do boys and girls perform differently on pisa reading in finland? the effects of reading fluency, achievement behaviour, leisure reading and homework activity (2018) journal of research in reading wiley online library 7 38 0,333 3333 33 i ribeiro, i cadime, t freitas, ... beyond word recognition, fluency, and vocabulary: the influence of reasoning on reading comprehension (2016) australian journal of psychology wiley online library 8 37 12.33 re o'connor reading fluency and students with reading disabilities: how fast is fast enough to promote reading comprehension? (2018) journal of learning disabilities journals.s agepub.c om 9 33 08.25 nh clemens, d simmons, ... the prevalence of reading fluency and vocabulary difficulties among adolescents struggling with reading comprehension (2017) journal of psychoeduca tional assessment journals.s agepub.c om 10 31 06.20 c young, c valadez, c gandara using performance methods to enhance students' reading fluency (2016) the journal of educational research taylor & francis 11 30 06.00 sp ardoin, ks binder, te foster, ... repeated versus wide reading: a randomized control design study examining the impact of fluency interventions on underlying reading behavior (2016) journal of school psychology elsevier 12 29 07.25 d dodick, aj starling, the effect of in-school saccadic training on reading fluency and (2017) journal of child journals.s agepub.c https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14679817 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14679817 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14679817 hijril ismail & edi a bibliometric analysis of efl reading fluency from 2016 to 2021 146 j wethe, y pang, ... comprehension in first and second grade students: a randomized controlled trial neurology om 13 27 0,302 0833 33 y liu, gk georgiou, y zhang, h li, h liu, ... contribution of cognitive and linguistic skills to word-reading accuracy and fluency in chinese (2017) international journal of education research elsevier 14 23 0,338 1944 44 jc begeny, ra levy, sa field using small-group instruction to improve students' reading fluency: an evaluation of the existing research (2018) journal of applied school psychology taylor & francis 15 17 0,254 8611 11 c young, d pearce, j gomez, ... read two impress and the neurological impress method: effects on elementary students' reading fluency, comprehension, and attitude (2018) journal of educational research taylor & francis 16 16 05.33 ej solari, ca denton, y petscher, ... examining the effects and feasibility of a teacher-implemented tier 1 and tier 2 intervention in word reading, fluency, and comprehension (2018) journal of research on educational effectivenes s taylor & francis 17 12 03.00 ca wolters, ma barnes, pa kulesz, m york, ... examining a motivational treatment and its impact on adolescents' reading comprehension and fluency (2017) journal of educational research taylor & francis 18 10 03.33 le johnston, sh mercer, ... incorporating vocabulary instruction in individual reading fluency interventions with english language learners (2018) canadian journal of school psychology journals.s agepub.c om 19 10 02.50 s santos, i cadime, fl viana, ... assessing reading comprehension with narrative and expository texts: dimensionality and relationship with fluency, vocabulary and memory (2017) scandinavia n journal of psychology wiley online library conclusion reading fluency is a complex skill defined as “reasonably accurate reading at an appropriate rate with a suitable expression that leads to accurate and deep comprehension and motivation to read. this study reviewed 60 articles with a theme related to “reading fluency”. the articles were gathered from the google scholar (gs) database by using the publish or perish software version 7.33.3388.7819. these 60 articles were extracted from a larger original set of 482 articles obtained from the initial result. the number of data citations is 1279 citations and 255.80 citations/year. the most cited article on reading fluency is the article written by sebastian p. suggate entitled “a meta-analysis of the long-term effects of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and reading comprehension interventions”. the article was written in 2016, published in the journal of learning disabilities, and cited by 341 authors. and, the second most-cited article is an article written by j lee, sy yoon entitle “the effects of repeated reading on reading fluency for students with reading disabilities: a meta-analysis” the article is written in 2017, published in the journal of learning disabilities, and cited by 150 authors. references abd ghani, a., muslim, n. h., & zakaria, m. n. (2020). the effects of gender and academic achievement on reading fluency among year 2 malaysian school children. international journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology, 132(january), 109907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2020.109907 archambault, c., mercer, s. h., cheng, m. p., & saqui, s. (2019). lire en français: cross-linguistic effects of reading fluency interventions in french immersion programs. canadian journal of school psychology, 34(2), 113–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/0829573518757790 ardoin, s. p., binder, k. s., foster, t. e., & zawoyski, a. m. (2016). repeated versus wide reading: a randomized control design study examining the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 147 impact of fluency interventions on underlying reading behavior. journal of school psychology, 59, 13–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2016.09.002 begeny, j. c., levy, r. a., & field, s. a. (2018). using small-group instruction to improve students’ reading fluency: an evaluation of the existing research. journal of applied school psychology, 34(1), 36–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2017.1328628 brown, h. d. (2004). language assessment principles and classroom practices. white plains, ny: person education, inc. chang, i. (2020). influences of executive function, language comprehension, and fluency on young children’s reading comprehension. journal of early childhood research, 18(1), 44–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718x19875768 clemens, n. h., simmons, d., simmons, l. e., wang, h., & kwok, o. m. (2017). the prevalence of reading fluency and vocabulary difficulties among adolescents struggling with reading comprehension. journal of psychoeducational assessment, 35(8), 785–798. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282916662120 dodick, d., starling, a. j., wethe, j., pang, y., messner, l. v., smith, c., master, c. l., halker-singh, r. b., vargas, b. b., bogle, j. m., mandrekar, j., talaber, a., & leong, d. (2017). the effect of inschool saccadic training on reading fluency and comprehension in first and second grade students: a randomized controlled trial. journal of child neurology, 32(1), 104–111. https://doi.org/10.1177/0883073816668704 duran, d., ribosa, j., & sánchez, g. (2020). peer tutoring for improvement in rhythm reading fluency and comprehension. international journal of music education, 38(2), 299–312. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761419898313 eilers, s., tiffin-richards, s. p., & schroeder, s. (2018). individual differences in children’s pronoun processing during reading: detection of incongruence is associated with higher reading fluency and more regressions. journal of experimental child psychology, 173, 250–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2018.04.005 eklund, k., sulkunen, s., niemi, p., & ahonen, t. (2018). why do boys and girls perform differently on pisa reading in finland? the effects of reading fluency, achievement behaviour, leisure reading and homework activity. journal of research in reading, 41(1). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/14679817.12103 fahimnia, b., sarkis, j., & davarzani, h. (2015). green supply chain management: a review and bibliometric analysis. international journal of production economics, 162, 101–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2015.01.003 grellet, f. (1983). developing reading skill. cambridge university press. harmer, j. (2003). the practice of english language teaching (3rd ed.). longman. huang, c., liu, n., & zhao, j. (2021). different predictive roles of phonological awareness and visual attention span for early character reading fluency in chinese. journal of general psychology, 148(1), 45–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221309.2019.1711356 ismail, h., aceng, r., & emzir. (2021). bahan ajar pemahaman bacaan bahasa inggris berbasis elearning moodle. arden jaya. ismail, h., rahmat, a., & emzir, e. (2020). the effect of moodle e-learning material on efl reading comprehension. international journal of multicultural and multireligious understanding, 7(10), 120. https://doi.org/10.18415/ijmmu.v7i10.2069 johnston, l. e., mercer, s. h., & geres-smith, r. (2018). incorporating vocabulary instruction in individual reading fluency interventions with english language learners. canadian journal of school psychology, 33(1), 63–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/0829573516658855 juan, e. s., & flor, a. m. (2006). current trends in the development and teaching of the four language skills. mouton de gruyter berlin. krasa, n., & bell, z. (2021). silent word-reading fluency is strongly associated with orthotactic sensitivity among elementary school children. journal of experimental child psychology, 205, 105061. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2020.105061 lee, j., & yoon, s. y. (2017). the effects of repeated reading on reading fluency for students with reading disabilities: a meta-analysis. journal of learning disabilities, 50(2), 213–224. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219415605194 liu, y., georgiou, g. k., zhang, y., li, h., liu, h., song, s., kang, c., shi, b., liang, w., pan, j., & shu, h. (2017). contribution of cognitive and linguistic skills to word-reading accuracy and fluency in chinese. international journal of educational research, 82, 75–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2016.12.005 mikulecky, b. s., & jeffries, l. (2004). more reading power. reading for pleasure, comprehension skills, thinking skills, reading faster (2nd ed.). longman. nunan, d. (2003). practice english teaching. new york: mcgraw hill. o’connor, r. e. (2018). reading fluency and students with reading disabilities: how fast is fast hijril ismail & edi a bibliometric analysis of efl reading fluency from 2016 to 2021 148 enough to promote reading comprehension? journal of learning disabilities, 51(2), 124–136. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219417691835 piper, b., schroeder, l., & trudell, b. (2016). oral reading fluency and comprehension in kenya: reading acquisition in a multilingual environment. journal of research in reading, 39(2), 133–152. https://doi.org/10.1111/14679817.12052 rasinski, t. v., chang, s. c., edmondson, e., nageldinger, j., nigh, j., remark, l., kenney, k. s., walsh-moorman, e., yildirim, k., nichols, w. d., paige, d. d., & rupley, w. h. (2017). reading fluency and college readiness. journal of adolescent and adult literacy, 60(4), 453–460. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.559 ribeiro, i., cadime, i., freitas, t., & viana, f. l. (2016). beyond word recognition, fluency, and vocabulary: the influence of reasoning on reading comprehension. australian journal of psychology, 68(2), 107–115. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajpy.12095 richards, j. c., & renandya, w. a. (2002). methodology in language teaching. cambridge university press. santos, s., cadime, i., viana, f. l., chaves-sousa, s., gayo, e., maia, j., & ribeiro, i. (2017). assessing reading comprehension with narrative and expository texts: dimensionality and relationship with fluency, vocabulary and memory. scandinavian journal of psychology, 58(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12335 solari, e. j., denton, c. a., petscher, y., & haring, c. (2018). examining the effects and feasibility of a teacher-implemented tier 1 and tier 2 intervention in word reading, fluency, and comprehension. journal of research on educational effectiveness, 11(2), 163–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/19345747.2017.1375582 stevens, e. a., walker, m. a., & vaughn, s. (2017). the effects of reading fluency interventions on the reading fluency and reading comprehension performance of elementary students with learning disabilities: a synthesis of the research from 2001 to 2014. journal of learning disabilities, 50(5), 576–590. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219416638028 suggate, s. p. (2016). a meta-analysis of the longterm effects of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and reading comprehension interventions. journal of learning disabilities, 49(1), 77–96. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219414528540 van norman, e. r., & nelson, p. m. (2021). the importance of growth in oral reading fluency to predict performance on high-stakes assessments among students receiving supplemental intervention. journal of applied school psychology, 37(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2020.1772432 vess, s. f., begeny, j. c., norwalk, k. e., & ankney, r. n. (2018). tier 2 reading fluency interventions with middle school students: a comparison of the helps-sg program and a teacher-directed evidence-based intervention. journal of applied school psychology, 34(4), 316–337. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2018.1443985 wolters, c. a., barnes, m. a., kulesz, p. a., york, m., & francis, d. j. (2017). examining a motivational treatment and its impact on adolescents’ reading comprehension and fluency. journal of educational research, 110(1), 98–109. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2015.1048503 wu, s., gadke, d. l., & stratton, k. k. (2018). using video self-modeling as a small group reading fluency intervention for elementary school students. journal of applied school psychology, 34(4), 297–315. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2018.1443984 young, c., pearce, d., gomez, j., christensen, r., pletcher, b., & fleming, k. (2018). read two impress and the neurological impress method: effects on elementary students’ reading fluency, comprehension, and attitude. journal of educational research, 111(6), 657–665. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2017.1393650 young, c., valadez, c., & gandara, c. (2016). using performance methods to enhance students’ reading fluency. journal of educational research, 109(6), 624–630. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2015.1016599 open access proceedings journal of physics: conference series english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 613 the effect of learning strategy and cognitive style on students’ narrative writing ability tata tambi department of applied linguistics the post-graduate school of universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia email: tatatambi_7317157802@mhs.unj.ac.id fathiaty murtadho department of indonesian education faculty of language and arts, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia email: fathiatym@gmail.com aceng rahmat department of applied linguistics program universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia email: aceng.rahmat@unj.ac.id apa citation: tambi, t., murtadho, f., & rahmat, a. (2022). the effect of learning strategy and cognitive style on students’ narrative writing ability. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 613620. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6278. received: 05-02-2022 accepted: 23-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction the study of the relationship between learning strategies and cognitive styles interest many researchers. changju shi from school of foreign language and cultures, nanjing normal university, china focuses on relationship between cognitive styles and learning strategies of 184 second-years english majors from the foreign language school of a university in wuhan. in this study, quantitative data is presented. two selfreported inventories are employed. learning survey style is used to examine the learning style of the participants and the chinese version of oxford’s strategy inventory for language learning (sill) is conducted to survey the subjects’ learning strategies. the results show that cognitive styles have significant influence on learners’ choices of learning strategies. synthesizing style, sharpener style, field-independent style, and impulsive style of cognitive styles correlate positively almost with every strategy presented in this paper, so they turn to be the most influential cognitive styles that have an impact on learners’ learning strategy choices (shi, 2011). the other study related to communicative language learning in class was titled students’ abstract: in the class, most of the teacher use a single teaching strategy to students who have different cognitive styles when teaching narrative essays in the class. therefore, it is necessary to improve teaching strategies in the teaching and learning process. the teaching strategies that fit with the cognitive style of students in order that the learning objective is improved. this paper investigates the effect of learning strategy and cognitive style on student’s narrative writing ability. this study was conducted on the vii grade students at madrasah tsanawiyah ibnu taimiyah bogor, west java. treatment by level design and two-factorial anova analysis with α = 0.05 were applied in this experimental study. the sample was 40 students grouped into experiment classes and 40 students was grouped into control classes. there was a different ability in narrative writing in bahasa indonesia between students having field independent cognitive style (a1) and students having field dependent cognitive style (a2). results of two-way interrow analysis of variance showed that fcalculated (4.123) was higher than ftable (3.97) at a significant level of α = 0.05. the findings showed the ability to write a narrative writing in bahasa indonesia of students having a field independent cognitive style was higher than that of students having a field dependent cognitive style. keywords: inquiry-based learning strategy; expository-based learning strategy; writing narrative text; cognitive style. mailto:tatatambi_7317157802@mhs.unj.ac.id tata tambi, fathiaty murtadho, & aceng rahmat the effect of learning strategy and cognitive style on students’ narrative writing ability 614 output in communicative language teaching classrooms by ahamad shah and normala othman. the study was conducted in two learning classes, one of which was in a university in malaysia. in this study, data were collected from two classes of elementary and intermediate levels in a malaysian university. interaction between teacher and students in class was recorded and analyzed. this was expected to motivate students to modify their utterances. results of the study showed that the chance of output production was not always applicable to students. this indicated the necessity of adaptation by teacher during the interaction process in class in order to improve communication and make a better language teaching (mohamed, ismail, ahamad, shah, & othman, 2006) considering learning implementation in the classroom also influences students’ success in learning (damopolii, keley, rianjani, & hendriek, nunaki, nusantari, & kandowangko, 2020). in a learning process, the teacher should be creative to find an appropriate leaning srategy. learning will be more meaningful if students are given the opportunity to know and be actively involved in finding concepts from existing phenomena from the environment with the guidance of teachers (suwandy and irhasyuarna, 2017). moreover, teachers are required to be more creative in providing materials or topics that suit the needs of students to achieve learning objectives by creating techniques that can create classes, more interesting and fun (ode & suherman, 2022). as stated by brown (2007), an interaction between the approach and practice of teaching in class is a key to the creation of dynamic and spirited teaching (richards & renandya, 2002). teachers’ experience in class can support the teacher to find and practice that learning strategy. considering teachers’ experience in class, the principles of a teaching approach should not be rigid. learning experiences given by teacher are the aim of training students' process skills (af’idayani, setiadi, fahmi, 2018). furthermore, setting and context play an important role in acquiring a language as well as to be successful in language learning (diptoadi, mindari, and tedjasuksmana, 2018). there are internal and external factors that influence the student’s learning succes. external factors are factors that come from outside of students, such as family factors, school environment, quality of teaching and learning, and playing environment. while internal factors are factors that come from within a person such as intelligence, interests, talents, and motivation. in addition to these two factors, other factors can affect student learning outcomes, namely cognitive style (vergas, ibáñez, & prada, 2017; payung, nuriah, & sarkadi, 2019; & lin, lu, & lin, 2018). cognitive style relates to how a person receives, processes, and uses the information to address various environmental problems or situations (kozhevnikov, 2007). herman a. witkin was one of the pioneers of the theory of cognitive style and a learning style by using the field-dependency and field-independency concepts (witkin, 2016). knowledge of cognitive style is needed to design or modify learning material, learning objectives, and learning methods as it is expected that with the interaction of cognitive style factors, goals, materials, and learning methods, student learning outcomes can be achieved to the maximum extent possible (wahyuddin, satriani, ernawati, nursakiah, 2022). further, it assists them in planning their learning and developing strategies that bridge with different learning environments to make learning more meaningful and effective (liyadipita, 2021). this is proven by previous researcher, singh (2017) who highlighted and found that there is a specific bond between cognitive style with academic achievement of students. students with good cognitive style ability can perceive and organize the information they get such as how to remember, think, solve problems, and make conclusions (nahdi, cahyaningsih, jatisunda, suciawati, sofyan, 2022). compared to fielddependent learner type, learners with fieldindependent type are considered to be independent in developing their skills. in this study, the instrument developed by othman, raskin, and witkin, known as a group embedded figures test (geft), was used as the instrument to develop the cognitive style. this instrument was used to measure students’ ability to find a simple form hidden in a complex pattern. the test consisted of three parts containing 7 problems in the first part, 9 in the second part, and 9 in the third part. through this test, students were grouped into field independent and field dependent cognitive style learners. in this study, inquiry-based language learning strategy was used. inquiry learning is considered appropriate to be used for seventh grade students of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 615 smp, because the characteristics of class vii junior high school students who are still not fully able to learn self-directed, the level of cognitive development of students in the intermediate stage from concrete operations to formal operations (rahayu, hadi, istyadji, zaini, sholahuddin, & fahmi, 2018). according to bruce joyce and marsha wei, an inquiry teaching method is a method which makes students as the center of learning (child-centered learning). maryam, kusmiyati, merta, & artayasa (2020) asserted that the process of inquiry begins with collecting sources and data using the human senses, like listening, seeing, touching, tasting, and smelling. the inquiry based learning model seeks to instill the basics of scientific thinking in students, and places students in a role that demands great initiative in finding important things for themselves (yusuf, hobri, & suparti, 2022) which is developed to find and use various sources of information and ideas to improve their understanding of specific problems, topics, or issues (ulansari, ansori, & yennita, 2018). in inquiry based learning, the students can explore their ability to express their thoughts and feelings in the text (masyithah, jufrida, & pathoni, 2017). all students' abilities or by inquiry is a process that involves students in the learning activity, formulate the question, investigating objectively and then developing new understanding, knowledge and meanings (amelia & prystinianta, 2021). whereas in an expository method, teacher is the center of learning (teacher-centered learning) (joyce & weil, 2015). expository learning strategy is a series of learning activities that emphasize the delivery of facts, ideas and important information to students sourced from textbooks, references, or personal experiences using lecture techniques, demonstrations, and study reports (nasution, 2020). in expository method, the students only become object not subject of the learning as the model is such a direct explanation from lecturer or teacher to student (heryadi & sundari, 2020). in the class, most of the teacher use a single teaching strategy to students who have different cognitive styles when teaching narrative essays in the class. therefore, it is necessary to improve teaching strategies in the teaching and learning process. the teaching strategies that fit with the cognitive style of students in orther that the learning objective is improved. in this study, the researcher conducted a study using inquiry-based language learning strategies and expository-based language learning strategies. in this study, an inquiry-based language learning strategy was implemented in experimental classes. cognitive style of students was determined before the learning process started. the narrative writing ability of students with field independent cognitive style was expected to improve after they received narrative writing materials by using an inquirybased language learning strategy. students easily acquire writing skills when they bring and show positive responses during their learning (aditiya, 2022). the complexities of writing lie both on how ideas are generated and organized, and on how these notions are translated into legible text (budiharto, 2018). students naturally believe that writing is difficult because they must pay attention to a variety of factors, including ideas, concepts, vocabulary, and grammar (falihah, rahmawati, & baihaqi, 2020). likewise, that of students with field dependent cognitive style was expected to improve after they received narrative writing materials by using an expository-based language learning strategy. this research concerns in the writing skills of junior high school learners either grade 7, 8, or 9. and equivalent taught both in grades vii, viii, and ix. narrative texts themselves are generally taught to the intermediate level (azis, bugis, harziko, 2022). writing naration is one of the subject taught continouslly for the three grades. the narrative text is a type of english text that aims to tell a story that has a series of connected chronological events (hidayatullah, 2022). the genre mapping of indonesian language subject carried out based on the basic competencies of ki-3 and ki-4 of junior high school curriculum 2013, the narrative writing materials focus on narrative stories and local fables/legends for grade 7, drama narration for grade 8, and inspiring story narratives for grade 9. the hypothesis in this study is the ability to write a narrative writing in bahasa indonesia of students in the field independent cognitive style group is higher than that of students in the field dependent cognitive style group. the tested statistical hypothesis was: h0 : µb1≤ µb2 h1 : µb1> µb2. method tata tambi, fathiaty murtadho, & aceng rahmat the effect of learning strategy and cognitive style on students’ narrative writing ability 616 john w. creswell stated that an experimental research is conducted to assess whether an idea (practice or procedure) affects the results or dependent variables (cresswell, 2012). an experimental method in a 2 x 2 factorial design was used in this research. a 2 x 2 factorial design was used and the layout of the experiment is shown in table 1. table 1. the experimental design cognitive style (b) learning strategy (a) inquiry-based language learning strategy (a1) expository-based language learning strategy (a2) field independent (b1) a1b1 a2b1 field dependent (b2) a1b2 a2b2 ability to write a narrative writing in bahasa indonesia result of narrative writing in bahasa indonesia result of narrative writing in bahasa indonesia notes: dependent variable: ability to write a narrative writing in bahasa indonesia treatment variables: a = learning strategy a1 = inquiry-based learning strategy a2 = expository-based learning strategy attribute variables : b = cognitive style b1 = field independent cognitive style b2 = field dependent cognitive style a1b1 = students participating in learning process using an inquiry-based strategy and having field independent cognitive style a2b1 = students participating in learning process using an expository-based strategy and having field independent cognitive style a1b2 = students participating in learning process using an inquiry-based trategy and field dependent cognitive style a2b2 = students participating in learning process using an expository-based strategy and field dependent cognitive style the population in this study was all 180 students of grade vii in odd semester, academic year of 2017/2018 in mts ibnu taimiyah, bogor. these students were divided into six learning groups, namely vii a, vii b, vii c, vii d, vii e, and vii f. all students had equal chance to be selected as samples in this study. samples were taken by using a cluster random sampling method. wibisono stated that in a cluster random sampling method, all elements of a population share equal chance and are known to be selected as subjects. for example, if there are 1000 elements and the researcher needs to select 100 subjects, each element will have a 0.1 chance to be selected as subject. this sampling method is known as a simple random sampling which has the smallest bias and offers a good generalizability (wibisono, 2013). four of six classes of grade vii including vii a, vii b, vii d, and vii e in mts ibnu taimiyah, bogor were selected by using a drawing method. then, another drawing was taken to select 2 classes as experiment and control classes. the drawing was conducted by using ballot paper. each ballot paper was identified as either experiment or control class. results of the drawing showed that classes vii a and vii d were selected as experiment classes and classes vii d and vii f as control classes. twenty of 59 students in the experiment class had a field independent cognitive style and 20 students had a field dependent cognitive style. nineteen students were excluded from the subject of the study. these students followed a narrative writing in bahasa indonesia by using an inquirybased strategy. twenty of 58 students in the control class had a field independent cognitive style and 20 students had a field dependent cognitive style. eighteen students following a narrative writing in bahasa indonesia by using an expository-based strategy were excluded from the subject of the study. in grouping the students into field independent cognitive style and field dependent cognitive style in both experiment and control classes, 33% of students of high score group and 33% of students of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 617 low score group were selected. this was in line with what was stated by naga (1992) that subjects of the study could be divided into three parts which should not be equal in number. the top part was called the highest group and the bottom part, which was usually as big as the top part, was called the lowest group. no attention was given the middle part (naga, 1992). the experiment class was the one followed by students who became the samples of the study. these students were given a learning process by using an inquiry-based language learning strategy in a narrative writing class by considering the students’ field independent and field dependent cognitive styles. meanwhile, students in the control class were sample students who followed a narrative writing learning process by using an expository-based language learning strategy by considering the students’ field independent and field dependent cognitive styles. results and discussion the followings are the results of the test of the study hypothesis. table 2. ability of narrative writing in bahasa indonesia score calculation results cognitive style learning strategy inquiry-based learning expository-based learning total field independent n = 20 ∑x = 87 ∑x2 = 7569 n = 20 ∑x = 74 ∑x2 = 5476 n = 40 ∑x = 80 ∑x2 = 6400 field dependent n = 20 ∑x = 76 ∑x2 = 5776 n = 20 ∑x = 81 ∑x2 = 6561 n = 40 ∑x = 77 ∑x2 = 5929 total n = 40 ∑x = 81 ∑x2 = 6561 n = 40 ∑x = 77 ∑x2 = 5929 n = 80 ∑x = 157 ∑x2 = 24649 notes: n : number of data in each cell ẍ : mean score of narrative writing ability there was a different ability in narrative writing in bahasa indonesia between students having field independent cognitive style (a1) and students having field dependent cognitive style (a2). results of two-way interrow analysis of variance showed that fcalculated (4.123) was higher than ftable (3.97) at a significant level of α = 0.05. this meant that h0 was rejected and h1 was accepted. therefore, the hypothesis stating that there is a different ability of narrative writing in bahasa indonesia between students having field independent cognitive style (a1) and students having field dependent cognitive style (a2) was accepted at a significant level of α = 0.05. this indicated that the ability to write a narrative text of students having a field independent cognitive style was higher than that of students having a field dependent cognitive style. students in the field independent cognitive style group had better ability to write narrative text in bahasa indonesia than those in the field dependent cognitive style group did. this might be caused by the finding that students in the field independent cognitive style group had higher analytical ability than those in the field dependent cognitive style group. writing a narrative text in bahasa indonesia requires strong analytical and abstraction ability in order to produce a writing which has good content and organization. witkin in tennant (2006) stated that in the test called the embedded figures test, designed to measure this general ability, the subject is asked to locate a simple figure in a complex design. once again some people find this task easy and complete it quickly (field independent), while others find it difficult and take longer to complete the test (field dependent). students in the field independent cognitive style group had better ability to analyze data in the form of interesting experiences which were experienced by the students themselves or others than those in the field dependent cognitive style group. with better analysis ability, students in the field independent cognitive style group had better availability of narrative materials than those in the field dependent cognitive style group did. these students were easier to be independent and did not depend on others with authority. in general, in order to draw a conclusion or finish a work, they believed more in their own or standardized values. tata tambi, fathiaty murtadho, & aceng rahmat the effect of learning strategy and cognitive style on students’ narrative writing ability 618 nugraha & awalliyah (2016) on the study with the aim to analyze the differences in cognitive styles of students, namely field dependent and field independent cognitive style towards mastery of concepts found the students with field dependent cognitive style increased mastery of concepts with n-gain of 0.27, while students with field independent cognitive style increased mastery of concepts with n-gain 0.23. based on the research results, mastery concepts for field dependent students slightly larger than field independent students, it is predicted because of the learning process tend to be clustered so that more support dependent cognitive style. in contrast, students in the field dependent cognitive style group, in the language learning process, tended to have dependency on other people having authority in certain thing and had preferences in works requiring cooperation with others. in order to draw conclusions, they needed guidance from authority holder or peer groups. in addition, the students in the field independent cognitive style group can fully develop their imagination in writing their narrative texts in bahasa indonesia. in general, students were found to have difficulty in developing their imagination which made it not easy for them to pour their ideas down in the narrative form. the students develop their own narrative ideas so that they needed to write independently. this had resulted in more varied narrative ideas and more interesting narrative organization. for the students in the field independent cognitive style group, the learning process did not only push them to develop their narrative ideas in the form of narrative writing but also gave them chance to organize the intrinsic elements and structure of narrative text by themselves. this made students get accustomed to analyzing data and draw conclusion. in contrast, the students in the field dependent cognitive style group get a lot of examples and guidance in the process of narrative text writing. students received exercises and assignments in the process of narrative text writing. teacher played a role as the center of the learning process. conclusion based on the results of data analysis described previously, the following conclusion was drawn. the ability to write a narrative writing in bahasa indonesia of students having a field independent cognitive style was higher than that of students having a field dependent cognitive style. references aditiya, m. d. (2022). students’ perspectives in writing narrative texts using the animated film. ahmad dahlan journal of english studies, 9(1), 27-36. af’idayani, n., setiadi, i., fahmi. (2018). the effect of inquiry model on science process skills and learning outcomes. european journal of education studies,4(12), 177-182. amelia, m., & prystiananta, n. c. (2021). using inquiry based learning strategy in teaching writing descriptive text. linguistic, english education and art (leea) journal, 5(1), 1-10. azis, a. s., bugis, r., harziko. (2022). the ability in writing narrative text by using english poetry at the students of al asyariah mandar. els journal on interdisciplinary studies in humanities, 5(1), 119-125. brown, h. d. (2007). h. douglas brown teaching by principles, an interactive approach to language pedagogy, third edition (third). new york: pearson education. cresswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed). boston: pearson. damopolii, i., keley, u., rianjani, d. t., hendriek, j., nunaki., nusantari, e., & kandowangko, n. y. (2020). potential of inquiry-based learning to train students’ metacognitive and science process skill. the international journal of social sciences, 8(1), 83-98. diptoadi, v. l., mindari, r., and tedjasuksmana, h. (2018). teachers’ implementations of teaching techniques for young learners. a journal of culture, english language, teaching & literature, 18(1), 19-46. falihah, n., rahmawati, e., baihaqi, a. (2022). efl students’ difficulties in writing narrative text. jelts, 5(1), 77-90. heryadi, d., & sundari, r. s. (2020). expository learning model. international journal of education and research, 8(1), 207-216. hidayatullah, m. h. (2022). improving students’ writing skill in writing narrative text through picture and picture method. journal of english ibrahimy, 1(1), 35-41. joyce, b. r., & weil, m. e. c. (2015). models of teaching (9th ed). new york: pearson. kozhevnikov. m. (2007). cognitive styles in the context of modern psychology: toward an integrated framework of cognitive style. psychological bulletin. 133(3), 464–481. doi: http://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.3.464. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 619 lin, p. c., lu, h.k., & lin, y.c., (2018). a study of knowledge dimension and cognitive process pattern of cognitive style differences in stem cooperative learning environment. international journal of information and education technology, 8(10): 720-724. doi: http://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2018.8.10.1128 liyadipita, l. a. m. h. p. (2021). self-confidence and the cognitive styles among the secondary school students in sri lanka. kjm, 10(special issue), 49-62. maryam, m., kusmiyati, k., merta, i. w., & artayasa, i. p. (2020). pengaruh model pembelajaran inkuiri terhadap keterampilan berpikir kritis siswa. jurnal pijar mipa, 15(3), 206–213. https://doi.org/10.29303/jpm.v15i3.1355. masyithah, d. c., jufrida, j., & pathoni, h. (2017). pengembangan multimedia fisika berbasis model pembelajaran inkuiri terbimbing dengan menggunakan adobe flash cs6 pada materi fluida dinamis untuk siswa sma kelas xi. jurnal edufisika, 2(1), 51–60. https://onlinejournal.unja.ac.id/edp/article/download/4042/8 538. naga, d. s. (1992). pengantar teori sekor pada pengukuran pendidikan. jakarta: besbats. nahdi, d. s., cahyaningsih, u., jatisunda, m. g., suciawati, v., sofyan, d. (2022). pre service elementary teacher’s digital literacy with cognitive style and self-regulated learning. international journal of educational innovation and research, 1(1), 19-26. nasution, w. n. (2020). expository learning strategy: definition, goal, profit and procedure. iosr journal of humanities and social science (iosr-jhss), 25(5), 7-10. nugraha, m. g., & awalliyah, s. (2016). analisis gaya kognitif field dependent dan field independent terhadap penguasaan konsep fisika siswa kelas vii. prosiding seminar nasional fisika (volume 5), snf2016-eer-71-snf2016-eer76. https://doi.org/10.21009/0305010312 ode, m. n. i, & suherman, l. o. a. (2022). developing student motivation through scientific writing learning guidance. room of civil society development, 1(1), 70–74. payung, m.s.b., nuriah, t., & sarkadi (2017). pengaruh model pembelajaran dan gaya kognitif terhadap hasil belajar sejarah siswa di sman 28 kab. tangerang, jurnal pendidikan sejarah, 6(1), 29-41. doi: https://doi.org/10.21009/jps.061.04 rahayu, a. b., hadi, s., istyadji, m., zaini, m., sholahuddin, a., & fahmi. (2018). development of guided inquiry based learning devices to improve student learning outcomes in science materials in middle school. european journal of alternative education studies, 3(2), 107-117. richards, j. c., & renandya, w. a. (2002). methodology in language teaching: an anthology of current practice. new york: cambridge university press. singh, v. (2017). exploring the relationship between cognitive style and learning style with academic achievement of elementary school learners. educational quest: an international journal of education and applied social sciences, 8, 413419. suwandy, f. i., and irhasyuarna, y. (2017). misconceptions of reaction rates on high school level in banjarmasin. iosr journal of research & method in education (iosrjrme), 7(1), 54-61. tennant, m. (2006). psychology and adult learning. in psychology and adult learning (3rd ed.). https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203441619 ulansari, p. t., ansori, i., & yennita, y. (2018). penerapan model pembelajaran inkuiri untuk meningkatkan aktivitas dan hasil belajar siswa. diklabio: jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran biologi, 2(1), 27–33. https://doi.org/10.33369/diklabio.2.1.27-33. vargas, o.l., ibáñez, j.i., & prada, o.w., (2017). students’ metacognition and cognitive style and their effect on cognitive load and learning achievement. educational technology & society, 20(3), 145–157. wahyuddin, satriani, s., ernawati. (2020). analysis of troubleshooting ability reviewed from student cognitive style. nursakiah international journal of mathematics trends and technology (ijmtt), 66(2), 155-162. wibisono, d. (2013). panduan penulisan skripsi, tesis, dan disertasi. yogyakarta: penerbit andi. witkin, h. (2016). bipolar, one-dimensional models and measures. retrieved november 17, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cognitive_style yusuf, a. m., hobri., & suparti. (2022). development of learning tools to improve writing skills with the inquiry based learning model of indonesian lessons for students’ class iv sd negeri 2 bungatan situbondo. pancaran pendidikan, 11(1), 7-20. tata tambi, fathiaty murtadho, & aceng rahmat the effect of learning strategy and cognitive style on students’ narrative writing ability 620 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 83 investigating indonesian efl learners’ critical thinking: current state and future directions eleazar evan moeljono english language education study program university of brawijaya, malang, east java, indonesia e-mail: el22ezer@gmail.com alies poetri lintangsari english language education study program university of brawijaya, malang, east java, indonesia e-mail: alieslintang@ub.ac.id apa citation: moeljono, e. e., & lintangsari, a. p. (2021). investigating indonesian efl learners’ critical thinking: current state and future directions. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 83-92. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5357 received: 25-08-2021 accepted: 18-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction the emerging collaboration opportunities around the globe due to globalization enable both developing and developed countries to work handin-hand leveraging the life qualities of their citizens. numerous studies have been conducted and lead to the fact that there is a dire urgency of human development to maximize the existing potential of this era. the world economic forum listed the top 10 skills required for the job of the future. among the 10, five are from problem-solving skill type, two from self-management, two from technology use and development, and one from working with people (whiting, 2020). analytical thinking, complex problem-solving, and critical thinking belong to the top required skills for everyone to possess, yet not everyone is ready, or even aware of this. this does not only lead to opportunities but also challenges, specifically in terms of the medium of communication which is language. although english has been determined as the lingua franca globally, english’s position as the second or third language in some countries, specifically in developing countries, hinders non-native speakers from comprehending english well. not only for the use of communication, the barrier in reading and listening also hinders non-native english speakers to learn critical thinking and any other specified skills that are available on the internet. as a result, a huge gap arises among people coming from developing countries. indonesia is one of the developing countries expected to become the largest economics in the world and part of the outer circle of world englishes. they are positioned at 74 out of 100 countries worldwide and 15 out of 24 countries in southeast asia for english first english proficiency index (ef epi). the considerably low level of english comprehension hinders the possibility to communicate among countries, discuss political, economic, social, legal, environmental, and technological issues globally. since this situation might weaken the national growth in the global setting, it is urgent to add the notion of english abstract: this research aims to investigate the critical thinking skills of 86 indonesian english as a foreign language (efl) learners who are prepared to be english teachers using an adapted questionnaire measuring critical thinking skills. this research uses a descriptive quantitative research design to examine the critical thinking skills of indonesian efl learners. it reveals the ability of indonesian efl learners’ critical thinking skills through a diagnostic test which results in a moderate level, implying that the strategies to embed critical thinking in an efl classroom setting need to be improved. this eventually might lead to a wide gap between the existing teacher's competence and the expected qualities. this research argues the diagnosis of critical thinking state in indonesia’s pre-service english teachers and the future directions to leverage critical thinking skills. keywords: critical thinking; developing country; english education; teacher development. mailto:alieslintang@ub.ac.id https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=mi0590 eleazar evan moeljono & alies poetri lintangsari investigating indonesian efl learners’ critical thinking: current state and future directions 84 teaching for indonesian students that facilitates critical thinking development. english has been embedded as a compulsory part of the national curriculum starting from the secondary level. this implies that at least 78.2% of the indonesian population who has enrolled in secondary schools have been introduced to english. however, the attempt done by educational institutions to leverage english skills has been considered unsatisfactory. according to rahmawati (2018), one of the key factors of english comprehension is learners’ ability to think critically. the fact that teachers’ ability to possess critical thinking skills is essential for teaching students critical thinking leads to an unanswered question of how is the current state of indonesian pre-service english teachers’ critical thinking skills. this study is important to be investigated to showcase the existing pre-service english teachers’ critical thinking skills that might give hints for the future direction of the teacher’s development program. previous studies have shown that teachers perceive professional development positively (nugraha, maulida, 2021) as a sign of opportunity in developing their critical thinking skills (syahrial, kurniawan, pratama, & perdana, 2017). with the positive opportunity, future direction for teachers’ critical thinking skills improvement is optimistically expected to be present in the future. critical thinking plays a pivotal role in learning and teaching activities. (mustofa, ubaidillah, & harianti, 2020; oktaviah, 2020) implementing critical thinking development within the classroom aligns with what is being considered as one of the most prominent skills in the 21st century (collins, 2014). within the context of english as a foreign language (efl) in the 21st century, teaching english is expected to be integrated with critical thinking development, despite no common agreement on how it should be implemented (vaseghi, 2012). rigorous attempts have been made to foster critical thinking skills in indonesia. the most prominent move was found in the enactment of the 2013 curriculum, as stated in permendikbud number 58 year 2014. critical thinking has become one of the required skills that students need to possess that is expected to be fostered through scientific inquiry. students are trained to be autonomous learners who perform intentional interactions with teachers, peers, and communities to build firm global understanding. directive learning is no longer encouraged within the classroom setting to avoid the pitfalls that the former education system had faced. in consequence, critical thinking mastery among teachers is mandatory. past studies have shown a genuine interest in establishing critical thinking skill skill-driven english classes in indonesia (puspitasari, 2020). mustofa (2020) elaborated the implementation of critical thinking skills in the classroom through intentional instructions that enable learners to sharpen their critical thinking skills specified through the four basic english skills: speaking, writing, listening, and reading. the context of teaching english as a foreign language plays a central role by adding content-based instructions rather than pursuing fluency like how native speakers do. for example, teachers could invite students to read passages and discuss their comprehension instead of just pushing them to pronounce the vocabulary well. this is aligned with what omar and albakri (2016) have concluded, that the essential traits of critical thinking include reading because literature reading’s mental process requires critical thinking skills. the use of technology also gives teachers the opportunity to explore potential strategies and techniques in developing critical thinking skills within the efl classroom. learners might be able to reach a wide array of reading materials whilst learning the context, background, controversies, and critics through the internet. teachers also could connect their classes to native english speakers that might benefit their classes. with the rich resources available, teachers and learners need to acquire an adequate judgment and inference ability which belong to critical thinking skills. critical thinking covers a wide array of subsets that each needs to be considered during critical thinking implementation in education. past studies have shown various components of critical thinking that slightly differ from one another. cambridge assessment (black, 2008) identified five processes that belong to the taxonomy: analysis, evaluation, inference, synthesis, and self-reflection. mustofa (2020) pointed out similar processes with one extra component: interpretation, analysis, inference, evaluation, explanation, and self-regulation. according to assessment day (2021), the most common critical thinking test used is the watsonhttps://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=dvwlyh https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=oasghw https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=oasghw https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=lcntly https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=lcntly https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=oasghw https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=whglvl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=whglvl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=ehlkgo https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=efewwp https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=uhlapz https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=x4ype5 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=wmpbf4 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=rfy6gd english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 85 glaser critical thinking appraisal (w-gcta) that uses selected-response items such as multiplechoice or likert-type items. diversified the components into analyzing arguments, assumptions, deductions, inferences, and interpreting information. the outline of these components are as follows: assumptions. statements might or might not include assumptions. this component deals with the judgment of whether an assumption has been made or not from the provided statements. analyzing arguments. there are strong and weak arguments according to their relationship with questions. this component assesses how strong is the relationship between the argument with the question. the argument might be considered as strong if it directly aligns with the question or statement, and weak if it is not directly aligned with the question or statement. deductions. comprehending information from a passage might need an evaluation if there is a deduction made in a form of a statement based on the passage. this ability to deduce should be entirely based on the passage and not on self-made conclusions based on one’s own existing knowledge. inferences. true, false, and the possibilities in between are the elements of inferences. this component assesses one’s ability to infer truth and false facts based on the information provided. interpreting information. conclusions can be made from different perspectives based on one passage. this component involves someone’s ability to interpret the information and decide whether some conclusions follow the presented information or not. like the previous points, interpreting information should not be intruded on with existing knowledge. conducted on the basis of critical thinking implementation in the efl classroom setting, this research aims to investigate the current state of indonesian efl learners’ critical thinking and formulate the future directions that will be a prominent assistant for the fulfilment of the vision to upscale the human resource quality of indonesia intellectuals. this research discusses the possibilities of critical thinking improvement through teaching strategies in the efl classroom, particularly in higher education. method this research used a descriptive quantitative research design to examine the critical thinking skills of indonesian efl learners. descriptive quantitative has been widely used in educational research (nazri, wijaya, & zainurrahman, 2020; dabbagh, 2017; hasbi, 2013; husin & nurbayani, 2017). through this method, this research aims to define the characteristics of the indonesian efl learners’ population in terms of critical thinking skills, particularly in pre-service english teacher classrooms to forecast the quality of indonesian english teachers in the upcoming years. this study took the 82 second-year students of english language education in a public university in indonesia as the respondents of the research. the sample choices were taken based on the criteria as follows: (1) the second-year students were considered knowledgeable in decoding words well due to the development of critical thinking that takes place largely after decoding becomes automatic and (2) they were considered as adult learners with a possibility to be the future english teachers. thus, they have the tendency to comprehend more properties of critical thinking than the beginning learners. a set of critical thinking diagnostic tests using watson-glaser critical thinking appraisal (wgcta) by assessment day (2018) was used to measure the initial level of the student's critical thinking skills. the instrument used comprises five sections. each section measures different aspects of critical thinking: analyzing arguments (6 questions), assumptions (9 questions), deductions (6 questions), inferences (10 questions), and interpreting information (7 questions). some of the questions were dropped off due to the validity result. internal consistency reliability has been conducted with the alpha cronbach score of .652 which indicates that the score is acceptable at a moderate level (taber, 2018; ursachi, 2015). validity coefficients results show that most of the items are valid, yet, there are invalid items that have been dropped out during the data. the data analysis utilizes the summary of the calculation using descriptive statistics that include mean, median, mode, standard deviation, minimum and maximum scores. a histogram is used to distinguish the distribution of the score in each component, determining the critical thinking ability that the learners possess. https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=zatgyj https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=zatgyj https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=pwiytq https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=pwiytq https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=pwiytq eleazar evan moeljono & alies poetri lintangsari investigating indonesian efl learners’ critical thinking: current state and future directions 86 results and discussion a diagnostic test was circulated among the (n) 82 respondents that consist of 62 females and 20 males. in order to measure the initial level of critical reading. a diagnostic test adopted from assessment day (2018) has been implemented to measure efl students’ critical thinking skills with 33 questions in total consisting of 6 questions measuring students’ skills in evaluating arguments, 8 questions measuring students skill in evaluating assumptions, 3 questions measuring students skills in deduction reasoning, 10 questions measuring students skills in induction reasoning and 6 questions measuring students skills in interpreting information that has met the validity and reliability criteria. students’ general critical thinking table 1 shows the general descriptive statistic of efl students critical thinking skills (n=82) with the mean score (m= 17.232), median (mdn=16), mode (15), standard deviation (sd=5.414), minimum score 9 of 33, and the maximum score is 33 of 33. + table 1. students critical thinking score valid 82 missing 0 mean 17.232 median 16.000 mode 15.000 std. deviation 5.414 minimum 9.000 maximum 33.000 figure 1 shows the histogram that describes the distribution plot of the critical thinking score. it shows that the distribution of the scores was rightskewed that indicates most of the students’ scores are relatively below the mean. most of the students’ scores are in the range 9-17 (n-50) while (n=32) students are having scores above the mean (m=17.232). figure 1. distribution plot of critical thinking score students’ critical thinking in evaluating argument table 2 describes the detailed data of each skill. it shows that the students’ mean score in evaluating arguments is (m=4.2), median (mdn=4), the mode is 4, standard deviation (sd=1.2), and the maximum score is 6. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 87 table 2. students critical thinking in evaluating argument score argument valid 82 missing 0 mean 4.232 median 4.000 mode 4.000 std. deviation 1.240 minimum 1.000 maximum 6.000 figure 2 illustrate that the score distribution is left-skewed which means that most of the students’ score in evaluating the argument is above the mean score and close to the maximum score. the histogram shows that most of the students’ scores are above the mean (n=61) and (n=21) students are having scores below the mean. figure 2. distribution plot of evaluating argument score students’ critical thinking in evaluating assumption in evaluating assumption, the mean score is (m=3.78), the median score is (mdn=4), the mode is 4, the standard deviation is 2.2 and the maximum score is 8 of 8. table 3. students critical thinking in evaluating assumption score assumption valid 82 missing 0 mean 3.780 median 4.000 mode 4.000 std. deviation 2.272 minimum 0.000 maximum 8.000 the histogram as shown in figure 3 describes that the score distribution plot is fairly distributed as the frequency of the students’ scores above the mean are (n=47) and the students’ scores below the mean are (n=35). eleazar evan moeljono & alies poetri lintangsari investigating indonesian efl learners’ critical thinking: current state and future directions 88 figure 3. distribution plot of evaluating assumption score students’ critical thinking in deductive reasoning table 4 illustrates the descriptive statistics of students’ critical thinking skills in deductive reasoning. it shows that the mean is quite high with the score (m=2.11) of the total score of 3. the median is (mdn=2), the model is 3 and the standard deviation is 0.81. table 4. students’ critical thinking in deductive reasoning score deduction valid 82 missing 0 mean 2.110 median 2.000 mode 2.000 std. deviation 0.817 minimum 0.000 maximum 3.000 as shown in the histogram (figure 3) that the distribution of students’ scores in deductive reasoning skills is left-skewed which indicates that most of the students’ scores are around and above the mean (n=65) and only (n=17) students are having the score below the mean. figure 4. distribution plot of deduction score students’ critical thinking in inferences (inductive reasoning) table 5 illustrates the descriptive statistics of students’ critical thinking skills in inductive reasoning. it shows that the mean is quite low with english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 89 the score (m=3.84) of the total score of 3. the median is (mdn=4), the mode is 3 and the standard deviation is 2.247 with a total score is 10. table 5. students’ critical thinking in inductive reasoning score of inductive reasoning valid 82 missing 0 mean 3.841 median 4.000 mode 3.000 std. deviation 2.247 minimum 0.000 maximum 10.000 the students’ score of the inductive reasoning is skewed right as shown in figure 5 with 44 students are having a score around the mean, 38 students are having a score below the mean score, and only 16 students and only 1 student reach the perfect score. figure 5. distribution plot of inferences score students’ critical thinking in interpreting information the mean score of the student’s critical thinking in interpreting information is (m=3.2), the median is (mdn=3.00), the mode is 4 and the standard deviation is (std=1.61) with the maximum score is 6. table 6. students’ critical thinking in interpreting information score of interpreting information valid 82 missing 0 mean 3.268 median 3.000 mode 4.000 std. deviation 1.618 minimum 0.000 maximum 6.000 the students score in interpreting information is also skewed right as shown in figure 6 with 27 students are having the score below the mean, 19 students are having the score around the mean, and 20 students are having the score of mode (4), while 16 students reached the score above the mean score including 12 students reach the perfect score. eleazar evan moeljono & alies poetri lintangsari investigating indonesian efl learners’ critical thinking: current state and future directions 90 figure 6. distribution plot of inferences score the findings indicated that an intentional attempt to foster critical thinking skills among efl learners who happen to be aspiring english teachers is urgently needed to be implemented effectively. among the five components measured in the diagnostic test, the result indicates that deductive reasoning is the hardest component with the lowest result. intentional practice on deductive reasoning in the classroom might be a significant assistance for the learners. learning critical thinking skills could be done through reading, writing speaking, listening, viewing, and visual literacy in the english language classroom to assist learners (omar & albakri, 2016). each of the items has its own strengths and weaknesses in leveraging critical thinking skills. teaching speaking skills in the efl setting relies on the students’ motivation (astuti, 2019). on the other hand, teaching writing skills requires the scaffolding technique, specifically among learners with low to moderate english skills (faraj, 2015). reflecting on what previous studies have concluded, critical thinking is highly impacted by the activity of critical reading in the classroom (par, 2018). critical reading involves synthesizing, evaluating, interpreting, and selectively using the information provided in the passage. it bears a close resemblance to the critical thinking components. efl learners are expected to be able to not only comprehend texts in a proper way but also to evaluate the accuracy of the information through critical reading. the information gained from the reading activities will develop the learners’ critical thinking (delfi, diah, & jismulatif, 2018). conducting critical reading activity requires careful planning and execution as it is part of learning. learning includes the cognitive, social, and emotional processes (national academies of science, 2018). learning might be incomplete if the learners fall short in one of the specified processes. in other words, critical reading activity needs to facilitate cognitive, social, and emotional processes. reading discussion group was found as one way to leverage learners’ confidence in using english that includes all three processes of learning (moeljono, 2020). the activity commences with an extensive reading done by the learner, followed by a reflection-in-action, then continued to the discussion. these three activities foster cognitive, emotional, and social processes respectively. however, the implementation has not been commonly talked about among adult learners, specifically in higher education (fenton-smith & stillwell, 2011). one of the untapped issues in the reading discussion group lies in the quality assurance of the discussion. the discussion quality relies fully on the interest of the learners, making the learners who have lower-to-none interest might be passive during the discussion. resolving the issue of the reading discussion group, macphail (2001) introduced one technique to maximize learners’ participation in a discussion that is known as the nominal group technique (ngt). there are various formats of ngt that have been widely used, but the most relevant with the respondents’ situation is the process conducted by chapple and murphy (1996) because of the characteristics of the learners. https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=ydhtiv https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=ydhtiv https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=fnnkde https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=71gcdy https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=0qx8cy https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=0qx8cy https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=w8cuma https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=w8cuma https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=m4lybc https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=o43fnh https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=o43fnh https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=bvzplg https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=g65wns english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 91 silent phase. leaners are provided with questions to be responded to in private without discussion. this is to facilitate all individuals processing the idea generation and avoid any dominating person. item generation phase. the responses then are distributed within the group. still avoiding discussion, this procedure records the responses until no more ideas are submitted to the group. discussion and clarification phase. the process continues to a conversation between individuals that enable seek clarification, ask questions, and indicate judgment whether the individual agrees or disagrees with any item on the list. this helps learners to utilize their critical thinking skills, specifically in analyzing arguments. voting phase. after the discussion ends, each of the learners is asked to choose the items they consider the most important to them by listing them in accordance with their priority. the ability to infer and deduce ideas is sharpened through this activity. conclusion derived from the discussed theories and findings, critical thinking implementation among efl learners in indonesia might affect the performance of learners in comprehending english which will indirectly boost the potential international collaborations in the global setting. this can be done by well-equipped teachers who possess critical thinking skills that involve analyzing arguments, assumptions, deductions, inferences, and interpreting information. after assessing these components in efl learners who have the potential to be future english teachers, it is concluded that intentional critical thinking training among efl learners is urgently needed because the current state shows an unsatisfactory result. as one of the aspects of english learning, reading can be one of the most effective ways to foster critical thinking skills. activities such as the reading discussion group and the nominal group technique are among the potential strategies for future direction. further studies on these strategies might be beneficial for the betterment of efl learners’ critical thinking skills implementation within the classroom setting. that being said, embedding critical thinking skills through other aspects such as speaking, listening, and writing might lead to other possibilities of significant improvement in critical thinking skills implementation in the efl classroom. acknowledgements this study was funded by the southeast asian ministers of education regional open learning centre (seamolec) research funding scheme. the highest appreciation is given to the participants who have partaken in the data collection process. the writers also would like to state that this research was conducted as a part of the requirements of study fulfilment of bachelor’s degree of faculty of cultural studies of brawijaya university. references astuti, y. (2019). efl students’ achievement motivation and their speaking performance. education of english as a foreign language, 2 (2), 63–73. https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.educafl.2019.002.02. 02 chapple, m., & murphy, r. (1996). the nominal group technique: extending the evaluation of students’ teaching and learning experiences. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 21(2), 147–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293960210204 collins. (2014). skills for the 21st century: teaching higher-order thinking. http://www.curriculum.edu.au/leader/teaching_hig her_order_thinking,37431.html?issueid=12910 dabbagh, a. (2017). the effect of dialogue journal writing on efl learners’ descriptive writing performance: a quantitative study. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 6 (3), 71. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.6n.3p.71 delfi, s., diah, f. s., & jismulatif, j. (2018). exploring personal reading histories in developing reading interest of english study program learners of university of riau. ijeltal (indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics), 2(2), 205. https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v2i2.103 faraj, a. k. a. (2015). scaffolding efl students’ writing through the writing process approach. journal of education and practice, 12. hasbi, m. (2013). the attitudes of students from esl and efl countries to english. register journal, 6(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v6i1.1-16 husin, m. s., & nurbayani, e. (2017). the ability of indonesian efl learners in writing academic papers. dinamika ilmu, 17(2). https://doi.org/10.21093/di.v17i2.725 macphail, a. (2001). nominal group technique: a useful https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=2fi3iv https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=2fi3iv https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=2fi3iv https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=2fi3iv https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.educafl.2019.002.02.02 https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.educafl.2019.002.02.02 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=m0ndhk https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=m0ndhk https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=m0ndhk https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=m0ndhk https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=m0ndhk https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=m0ndhk https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=m0ndhk https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=9iqzof https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=9iqzof https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=9iqzof https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=9iqzof https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=9iqzof https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=9iqzof https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=9iqzof https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=9iqzof https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=9iqzof https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=3uck35 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=3uck35 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=3uck35 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=4pojwu https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=4pojwu https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=4pojwu https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=4zlevb https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=4zlevb https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=4zlevb https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=4zlevb https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=qeaagy eleazar evan moeljono & alies poetri lintangsari investigating indonesian efl learners’ critical thinking: current state and future directions 92 method for working with young people. british educational research journal, 27(2), 161–170. https://doi.org/10.1080/01411920120037117 moeljono, e. e. (2020). improving english reading attitude and proficiency of middle school teachers through reading discussion group. 8. mustofa, m., ubaidillah, m. f., & harianti, l. r. (2020). critical thinking skills in efl learning: what and how? 8. national academies of sciences (2018). how people learn ii: learners, contexts, and cultures. national academies press. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=lsr9dwaa qbaj nazri, m. a, wijaya, h., & zainurrahman. (2020). efl students’ ability in answering toefl reading comprehension section. journal of physics: conference series, 1539, 012044. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1539/1/012044 nugraha, m. a., maulida, i. (2021). english teacher professional development to education 4.0 during the covid-19 pandemic. english review: journal of english education. oktaviah, r. (2020). inquiry-based teaching to develop efl students’ critical thinking in reading comprehension. educafl : journal of education of english as foreign language. omar, a., & albakri, i. s. m. a. (2016). thinking maps to promote critical thinking through the teaching of literature in the esl context. ijeltal (indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics), 1(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v1i1.6 par, l. (2018). the efl students’ critical reading skills across cognitive styles. jeels (journal of english education and linguistics studies), 5(1), 73–96. https://doi.org/10.30762/jeels.v5i1.541 puspitasari, e. (2020). project-based learning implementation to cultivate preservice english teachers’ 21st century skills. 13. rahmawati, a. (2018). efl students’ critical thinking in speaking activities. 18. syahrial, a., kurniawan, d. a., pratama, r. a., & perdana, r. (2017). towards improving the critical thinking skills of pre-service teachers in indonesia. journal of education and learning (edulearn). watson glaser critical thinking appraisal. (2021). https://www.assessmentday.co.uk/watson-glasercritical-thinking.htm whiting, k. (2020). what are the top 10 job skills for the future. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/top10-work-skills-of-tomorrow-how-long-it-takes-tolearn-them/ https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=qeaagy https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=qeaagy https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=qeaagy https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=brbam3 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=brbam3 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=brbam3 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=brbam3 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=lcntly https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=lcntly https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=lcntly https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=j2oomz https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=j2oomz https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=j2oomz https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=j2oomz https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=j2oomz https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=j2oomz https://books.google.co.id/books?id=lsr9dwaaqbaj https://books.google.co.id/books?id=lsr9dwaaqbaj https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=cyzmej https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=cyzmej https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=cyzmej https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=cyzmej https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=cyzmej https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=cyzmej https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1539/1/012044 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=k5bkhx https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=6qmz02 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=6qmz02 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=6qmz02 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=6qmz02 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=6qmz02 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=6qmz02 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=6qmz02 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=6qmz02 https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=bdlozl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=bdlozl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=bdlozl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=bdlozl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=bdlozl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=bdlozl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=bdlozl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=bdlozl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=oa10tl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=oa10tl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=oa10tl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=lemunl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=lemunl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=lemunl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=hhdvnm https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=hhdvnm https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=hhdvnm https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=hhdvnm https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=hhdvnm https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=mma5xl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=mma5xl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=mma5xl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=mma5xl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=mma5xl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=mma5xl https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?broken=mma5xl english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 253 the practices of intentional vocabulary acquisition for asian efl learners: a systematic review peggy magdalena jonathans english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, university of kristen artha wacana, indonesia & doctoral student in english language education, graduate school, state university of malang, indonesia email: jonathanspeggyofficial@gmail.com; peggyj@ukaw.ac.id utami widiati faculty of letters, state university of malang, indonesia email: utami.widiati.fs@um.ac.id indri astutik english language education program, faculty of teacher training and education, university of muhammadiyah jember, indonesia & doctoral student in english language education, graduate school, state university of malang, indonesia email: indri@unmuhjember.ac.id devinta puspita ratri english language education program, faculty of cultural studies, university of brawijaya, indonesia & doctoral student in english language education, graduate school, state university of malang, indonesia email: devinta@ub.ac.id apa citation: jonathans, p. m., widiati, u., astutik, i., & ratri, d. p. (2021). the practices of intentional vocabulary acquisition for asian efl learners: a systematic review. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp.253-262. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4350 received: 22-02-2021 accepted: 21-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction vocabulary acquisition has aroused attention of esl and efl practitioners from the second half of century. the acquisition and learning of vocabulary are indispensable from l2 learners to obtain proficiency and competence in english (ahmad, 2012). with particular interests, intentional vocabulary acquisition has a profound implication for second language learners but has received minimal attention from efl formal teaching settings. since 2006, the publications of incidental vocabulary acquisition outnumber than those of intentional mode. incidental is a byproduct of learning something else while intentional is by designing l2 learning (yali, 2010). both modes of learning are of different abstract: this systematic literature review attempts to shed light on the practice of vocabulary acquisition in efl contexts (incidental versus intentional mode) and the recommendation for asia. aiming to fill theoritical gap, the present study elucidates methodological-related variables dealing with vocabulary acquisition asia efl teaching mostly needed and relevantly applicable. the study serves as a call for asia efl teachers to elaborate all reviewed components into elt practice and curriculum. prisma is applied for the study methodology while inclusion criterion used to key terms in search engines which found 13,653 articles, and resulted into 27 the most related studies within the 15-year-time frame after being circumscribed, comprising publication on incidental and intentional vocabulary acquisition. the findings from the analysis indicated that extensive reading as the main input with additional of other skills. exposure and repetition for meanings and retentions should be balancedly planned preventing from counterproductive effects. the explicit instruction needs of integration of interrelated components for the acquisition and learning to occur, namely input, media, time length, meanings, tasks, efl teachers roles, l2 learners motivation, references, and evaluation. the larger the vocabulary size, the greater their engagement in l2 learning and real communication. the pedagogical implication recommends strongly intentional vocabulary acquisition with intentional vocabulary mode as supplementary since the two modes codeswitch in the cognitive domain. keywords: vocabulary acquisition; intentional mode; incidental mode; codeswitching mailto:jonathanspeggyofficial@gmail.com mailto:indri@unmuhjember.ac.id https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4350 peggy magdalena jonathans, utami widiati, indri astutik, & devinta puspita ratri the practices of intentional vocabulary acquisition for asian efl learners: a systematic review 254 kinds but points on the acquisition continuum (barcroft, 2009). the lack is best explained since english is not of daily use in efl contexts, whereas esl contexts apt to provide the learners with all potential sources of acquiring english faster. thus, when the l2 learners’ vocabulary expands, relatively their english proficiency increases (juanggo, 2018). juanggo added that the l2 vocabulary knowledge as a benchmark to reflect how well they perform in the acquisition. three similar systematic reviews and/or metaanalysis are compared to the present study, such as vocabulary instruction impacting text comprehension (wright & cervetti, 2016); the effects of repetition on incidental vocabulary learning (uchihara, webb, yanagisawa, 2019); mobile-assisted sl/fl vocabulary learning (lin & lin, 2019) and incidental vocabulary acquisition through different input (tang, 2020). nevertheless, they did not specify the acquisition for asia context of needs and interests and they embodied the incidental vocabulary acquisition which outperformed intentional mode. their unbalanced proportion of study on intentional vocabulary acquisition due to lacking investigation of intentional vocabulary learning in efl formal settings. if teachers have to provide learners with language experiences that offer vocabulary exposure either incidentally or intentionally, the focus is to envisage which quantity input for the acquisition most likely to occur in efl contexts. of all possible inputs for vocabulary acquisition, reading is more potential for the acquisition. reading plus vocabulary exercise is better than narrow reading approach in enhancing target vocabulary and retention (min, 2008). this is also true with text-based tasks, and background knowledge moderated passage reading comprehension, where lexical input processing from the reading is for intake, receptive gain, and retention (o’loughlin, 2019; pulido, 2007). vocabulary learning is more likely to occur frequently in the texts than reading-whilelistening and listening-to-stories, and the input from the textbook proved more resistant to decay (brown & waring, 2008). besides, reading extensively beyond the classroom by providing a certain length of time would contribute to the acquisition (alsaif & masrai, 2019). as reading dominates the school works and activities, the learners' extensive words knowledge enable them to participate and engage effectively (wright & cervetti, 2016), this is true in efl contexts. in comparison, multimodal sources mediate enhanced input by triggering explicit and implicit acquisition, for instance, authentic web-delivered video. the video was used as online instruction for the incidental acquisition of vocabulary and exposure through listening. ashcroft et al (2018) also utilized captioned movies for japanese learners, while pavia et al (2019) found songs for listening for acquiring new words but unfortunately, the learning gains were not achieved. though listening is one of the important inputs for the acquisition, the efl curriculum is required to think of having one main and extensive intentional acquisition (e.g., reading) with the addition of other exposures aiming to gain the learning, considering the timeconstrained most asia efl formal settings have whose teacher’s concentration tends to be divided for all learners of big size classes. to the most recent systematic review by lin & lin (2019), though sophisticated mobile-assisted language learning (mall), l2 vocabulary learning effectiveness remained inconclusive. these imply, nevertheless, the exposure from reading was quite high and significant for receptive word acquisition as opposed to the other inputs (yali, 2010) whose length of retention was quite short rather than exposing from reading. in line with the assertion, explicit instruction is needed (barcroft, 2009). as a practitioner in efl teaching, i oversee the ideal condition of intentional vocabulary acquisition should be designed systematically so the learners' english grows at an achievable rate comparable to their schooling learning time could be intervened. nevertheless, one may wonder what the urgency of applying intentional mode within the curriculum allocation. some rooms left by previous studies to pursue further including codeswitching between incidental and intentional learning of vocabulary (ong & zhang, 2018); and incidental academic vocabulary acquisition using vks measurement (frietmuth, 2020), the two also motivated the present study. providing evidence, efl vocabulary acquisition should be deliberately designed in learning and acquisition and systematic organization. thus, the reviewed questions of the present study are: (1) what has been practiced in esl/efl regarding incidental versus intentional vocabulary acquisition within a 15-year time frame? (2) what is the best-recommended mode of vocabulary acquisition for the efl formal setting? can intentional override the incidental english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 255 and vice versa? if the modes cannot be separated, can codeswitching between the two happen in a classroom setting? (3) what are essential factors suggested for the instruction integrating intentional vocabulary acquisition? the current review serves to bring into the wider perspective of vocabulary acquisition and learning in esl which relevantly for efl in asia, recommending the potential intentional mode or explicit teaching in formal setting as the primary exposure in efl contexts for better learners’ input prior to and whilst learning. method research design the present systematic literature review aims to answer conceptualized reviewed questions, of the concerned interests by compiling sufficient evidence after thinking systematically about the topic under a theoretical framing and time frame. rereferring to prisma (http://www.equatornetwork.org/), the steps of the guideline are defining the reasons for slr (why); considering people involve (who) or the subject of interest (what); formulating the problem (what has/has not been done within the set time frame); conducting the search (defining key terms and applying into search engines and citing tools); extracting the data (sorting out the most relevant ones); appraising the studies critically and assessing them; synthesizing the data; displaying the reports (writing and presentation under the objective as operational guidelines); keeping updated on the topic of slr (any recent studies and suggestions from the results). subjects of the study the subjects of the present study are 27 shorlisted articles within 15-year-time frame on incidental and intentional vocabulary acquisition in asia efl contexts or esl contexts to equip sufficient analysis. the number was achieved by, firstly, seeking the articles from the ‘science direct’ database and eric using proquest interface. particular key terms were selected, “vocabulary acquisition” (came up with 13,653 articles), and were specified to "vocabulary acquisition intentionally" (1,446 articles). then narrowing into "vocabulary acquisition intentionally in the second language in elt", it resulted 89 articles. then inclusion criteria was applied to circumscribe "vocabulary acquisition intentionally in second language acquisition in elt in asia" from only research-based and reviewed articles (total of 27 articles). besides that, additional sources was from google scholar manual searching using similar key terms. instruments having the highly selected articles, big mapping tables were elaborated to organize into: first authors, year, country of study, primary data resource, instrument / theory, respondents / participants, findings (intentional versus incidental mode). the articles' entries were systematically inputted on listing the central part and findings and seeking the state of the arts from the table. data analysis techniques deriving from the three questions, data analysis was made under core themes: the practice in esl/efl contexts (incidental versus intentional vocabulary acquisition); the mode of acquisition recommended for asia efl; the explicit instruction integrating vocabulary acquisition. overall, narrative analysis is conducted all through the present paper by examining the themes below, which are pivotal for interpretation leading to the conclusive results and important conclusion. the analysis was taken by contrasting, comparing, and corresponding the previous research findings. findings and discussion in terms of vocabulary acquisition and learning, visual presentation stimuli make pseudowords salient (elgort, 2011), and this is very useful to enhance texts which should be intertwined with enriched input (rassaei, 2015). duan (2018) shared the idea by investigating multiple-choice (mc) gloss and single-gloss choice (sg) on participants to measure the increased vocabulary knowledge. the gloss was enhanced with a short explanation of each word while hsu (2018) chose captioned video for vocabulary enhancement in the professional business domain and later investigated the incidental acquisition occurred. up to date, repeated exposure for acquisition elaborating multimodal stimuli has been tested towards the incidental effects, but the effects are not always constant (bisson, van heuven, conklin, k., & tunney, 2014). reynolds (2015) utilized digital games under the right conditions to induce incidental vocabulary acquisition but the amount of words gains is not comparable to that of reading exposure. more comprehensively, a study by ashcroft et al (2018) examined audio, visual, contexts, plot, songs, music, and the whole setting of a movie production affect to 167 http://www.equator-network.org/ http://www.equator-network.org/ peggy magdalena jonathans, utami widiati, indri astutik, & devinta puspita ratri the practices of intentional vocabulary acquisition for asian efl learners: a systematic review 256 japanese natives (efl learners). their experimental groups showed that they can recall targetted words exposed within the movie by which the participants never encounter before the study and match the meaning of each in l1. the investigation was to prove the meaning recognition through reading at natural. thus, some scholars have embraced various studies with their findings in support to intentional vocabulary acquisition through explicit teaching. barcroft’s (2009) study confirmed the explicit instruction since target word recall was higher using the instruction. referring to the meaning of the input, kim (2008) found that low-frequency words were learned better than those of the higher frequency, but the meaning of the lower frequency words are crucial to comprehend reading passages. on the other hand, van zeeland & schimtt (2013) claimed that frequency affected word meanings slightly. in the broader scope, kweldju (2004; 2005) believed language is not solely a list of words or lexical glosses but also a linguistic phenomenon. she explained the words and the meanings operate on a conceptual level; thus, to optimize the human mind's storage, recognition, and retrieval is through lexically-based teaching. file & adams (2010) in more balanced proposition came to the findings that both instructions (words taught in isolation before reading, and vocabulary instruction was integrated with reading) led to more learning and retention of vocabulary knowledge than incidental exposure alone. within the three questions leading this study, the discussion part elaborates all 27 main previous studies in addition to others related findings on the issue. incidental versus intentional vocabulary acquisition: the practice in esl/efl context (rq1) vocabulary acquisition is quite robust in theories and research findings, leading this review into the target of vocabulary acquisition: text comprehension; semantic knowledge; acquiring parts of speech; retention. esl specifies here as l2 learners studying english inner-circle countries. on the other hand, efl learners predominantly learn english in their home country where english is used only in certain places. incidental vocabulary learning refers to the learning approach through texts and doing tasks or other activities indirectly related to vocabulary; while intentional vocabulary learning concerns all sorts of conscious vocabulary learning strategies centralizing on vocabulary and ways of memorizing words (yali, 2010). one main vocabulary acquisition argued and investigated by many authors is dealing with text comprehension. the proponents of incidental vocabulary acquisition, e.g., ahmad (2012), stressed the importance of incidental type over intentional in term of the l2 ability to understand reading, retain, and use new words actively in a different teaching situation. this type flexibly maximizes the learners in instruction the active processing to link in their cognition, which leads to comprehension. in the same vein, task-based extensive reading improved participants' depth of vocabulary knowledge although there were no significant differences between the effect of form-focused and meaning-focused tasks on learners' lexical knowledge (khonamri & roostae, 2014). this clearly posed the need to improve the current efl situation that the text comprehension could be conveyed when there are other activities to use cognition because it is more a matter of a gradual process and not an immediate and instant process (chen & truscott, 2010). it is undeniably true that reading is a major input for the incidental acquisition of vocabulary but argued on the inadequacy. tang (2020) urged to elaborate reading with listening, speaking, and writing realizing all skills are interrelated in sla. even in esl context, teaching word meaning of a passage directly is not impactful compared to active-cognitiveprocessing of the leaners (wright & cervetti, 2016). narrowing to semantic knowledge, extensive reading (er)-plus-post-reading discussion and er-only has comparable facilitative effects to word gain, but for word-association knowledge, er-plus obtained gain significantly larger than the other one (boutorwick, macalister, & elgort, 2019). to rationalize, activating the l2 learners' cognition is the reason for incidental vocabulary acquisition and learning. rassaei (2015) drew the learners' attention to specific linguistic features in input and simultaneously keeping the activity meaning-focused. he found that enhancing the input salient was more effective than enriching the input with the extra token of target forms. however, he perhaps should think of the learners’ cognition across levels, to catch salient target forms. for example, l2 adult vocabulary size may predict their semantic lexical engagement of novel words (garcia-castro, 2020), as they deal with the cognitive structure of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 257 meanings. the larger the size they acquire, the more engagement they participate in vocabulary learning. encountering many english words also supportse one’s vocabulary size. degree of vocabulary use corresponds to one’s reading strategy (alemi & tayebi, 2011). moreover, semantic knowledge includes sense, reference, implication, and logical forms substantiate textual comprehension and these deal with abstraction. yali (2010) deduced that learners experienced incidental vocabulary learning deal with meaning which are less sufficient and thus, they are prone to error but the vocabulary retain was quite long. however, efl teachers should not be overwhelmed by semantic-orientated-vocabulary teaching which should be taken care wisely. it is not always positive grouping vocabulary by semantic fields, as notional-functional approaches tend to take because a product of excessive association with semantic categories (semantic-category entanglement) would inhibit learning (bolger & zapata, 2011). in this regard, contextualization is much better, e.g. allowing learners to educated guess from various stimuli. the other studies describe how schools in efl contexts, teach vocabulary from parts of speech. sato (2016) made metaphors as their subject of scrutiny in regards with explicit teaching. both initiate explicit teaching of metaphors as related to vocabulary acquisition because by understanding of metaphors activates learners’ conceptual association that allows meaningful and memorable vocabulary. different from the focus, alemi & tayebi (2011) came to similar findings that out of the three, meaningbased intentionally learned is the highest in means compared to the two (etymology-based intentionally and incidentally acquired vocabularies). however, this does not mean rendering the words with the learners’ native language, otherwise it is counterproductive. xie (2013) found misconception of teachers dealing with meaning-based activity by allowing their learners to respond in l1 to l2 equivalence. the similar case happens in asia whereby translation equivalent words in l1 instead of elaborating other approaches (realia, body language). regardless the massive number of studies on incidental acquisition, the question about number of encounters required for meaning-focused input for this mode remains unsolved (uchihara et al, 2019). retention, one of the acquisition expectations, could be achieved by the learners’ combined modes (incidental and intentional) which proved by higher recalling l2, only if synonym generation is not required (barcroft, 2009). deeper, file & adams’s (2010) findings showed learning and retention gains happened for words taught prior reading in isolated instruction, or in integrated instruction which incidentally flows. this proves that the two learning modes are inseparable. while this is true for any ages, except for children in esl, which show the otherwise: teacher interruption on read-out-loud story benefited less and left unenjoyable experiences, so retention is not achieved (mcquillan, 2019). this nevertheless is different from efl teacher dealing with young learners, whom would be very pleased if the teacher can address l2 meaning through other things (e.g., body gestures, facial expressions, changing of tones, voices, and volume), but not of the translation equivalent. even colorful background on the wall works best to the children minds sending them pre-reading context of what will being told to them through the stories. mcquillan (2019) though, to some extent criticized teacher’s intervention (e.g., the question-and-answer session and interruption) which he considered inappropriate. this however in efl context still is useful to strategically maintain the joy of story for the children. the mode recommended for asia efl formal setting: the merits (rq2) some tenets mention about codeswitching between incidental and intentional vocabulary learning. despite the comprehensive development period of incidental-versusintentional-vocabulary-acquisition studies (tang, 2020), relatively little studies that explicitly reveal about the codeswitching between the two because they operationalize in cognitive domain. ong & zhang (2020) pointed out that codeswitching only involved using l1 equivalent of the target language rather using both l2 and l1 in the attempts for vocabulary acquisition. the unconscious process transition to the conscious stage is undeniably true of mental state in every l2 learner. jib & webb (2020) took account of teachers' talk in the classroom viewing relationship between vocabulary gains and l2 equivalents. however, the study discouraged l1 use if vocabulary acquisition is the main concern. the equivalent use may disadvantage the learners, although for the communicative language teaching, the equivalent may serve well. teacher talk could be intentionally planned to peggy magdalena jonathans, utami widiati, indri astutik, & devinta puspita ratri the practices of intentional vocabulary acquisition for asian efl learners: a systematic review 258 assist l2 learners by emphasizing forms to be noticed through the teacher talk. as hypothesized reasonably by uchihara et al (2019) that the wider range l2 vocabulary encounter, the higher the relationship between learning that occurs and the frequency of encounters, although the exact role of the frequency still remains unconclusive. this suggests that efl teachers could plan certain range of l2 vocabulary with frequency of occurence and different difficulty degrees. despite incidental vocabulary acquisition surmounted the intentional vocabulary teaching in several studies, the result of many efl studies yield the idea that the intentional should be maximized, along with the incidental acquisition as complementary. explicit instruction integrating vocabulary acquisition: considering the essential factors (rq3) to improve the current situation of the prime importance of vocabulary teaching in efl contexts, the following components are recommended that might help l2 learners effectively acquire english vocabulary through better curriculum system. extensive reading as a source of main input in intentional vocabulary teaching for asian efl curriculum summing up all previous findings, er as the main input of intentional vocabulary acquisition should be a dominant part of the asia efl formal setting under intentional vocabulary learning. supplementing er with guided discussion provides an opportunity for further vocabulary development (boutorwick et al., 2019), besides considering the considerable amount of vocabulary knowledge as er's nature (brown & waring, 2008). nevertheless, efl teachers can specify certain vocabulary within the er program, out of the bulk, leading to a greater depth of knowledge (yali, 2010). however, for children whose sla is quite different from other age groups of l2 learners (see the golden age as a very potential to conceive any languages from the environment), the tasks are not really needed along with their reading, arguing that by engaging the children in the target language discussion may counter productively recast the meaning of the word (mcquillan, 2019). in addition to er tasks, efl teachers may design form-oriented and meaningoriented activities to interchangeably use and help sufficient helping for the learners developing their english, as there are no significant differences between the two orientations (khonamri & roostae, 2014). if the most substantial target of er both are for comprehension and vocabulary acquisition, it would be better in investing instruction time in words the closest to the key ideas and themes might have the greatest payoff in terms of comprehension (wright & cervetti, 2016), and this surely will save time for the lesson but the two purposes achieved. how to help the learners making use of all sources for the acquisition, listening and watching need to be integrated as an addition to er. one main objective is to extensively enable the learners at their choice make use of input according to their characteristics, as taken all together, there is the value from l2 incidental vocabulary learning through reading, listening, and tv viewing (feng, 2019). efl teachers may also think of engaging activities as the attached tasks of er as a study proved that tasks contributed more to the acquisition as opposed to reading itself (laufer & rozovski-roitblat, 2011), while at the same time maintaining their motivation to work and enjoy more in the activities provided. listening and watching and the extent of exposure and the frequency of repetition to make the acquisition require careful plan within the lesson. repeated exposure to the stimuli was found to have a large impact on learning during the initial few exposures and decreases thereafter, suggesting that the effects of repeated exposure on vocabulary acquisition are not necessarily constant (bisson, et al., 2014). however, repetition is a crucial variable promoting l2 incidental vocabulary acquisition and the frequency effects size varies greatly (uchihara et al, 2019). examining the counterproductive of excessive exposure, laufer & rozovski-roitblat (2011) attempted win-win solution proposing a realistic combination of tasks and number of words encountered in the classroom, having calculated statistically of the significance of effects resulting from word repetitions occurred when the words were practiced in 3-4 exercises, with the interest of exposure of paramount importance. students’ preferences: important internal drive in l2 learning, beside other factors in vocabulary acquisition albeit prioritizing on the acquisition, efl teacher should welcome if the learners have their own preferences for vocabulary acquisition english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 259 beside what has been designed systematically by the school because motivation is the internal driving force for any efl learners to achieve success. motivation is qualitatively linked to cognitive aspects of l2 learning since motivational effects regulate task-based learning processes at three different regulatory levels (papi, 2018). he espoused the levels as follows: 1) the regulatory focus of the participants; 2) the rewards and feedback structure of the task; 3) the regulatory focus of the task. it is important to bear in mind that acquisition is a complex growth of l2 learners, in which the efl teachers should think of all possible perspectives, including encouraging condition potential for the learners to progress. traditional, but works up to these days, is a vocabulary notebook, suggested by dubiner (2017), one known and simple way to know the development amongst l2 learners, which could be personally done by the learners under the monitoring of their teachers which assist on the process. concerning the students’ level in english relating to cognition, each learner vocabulary acquisition may not be the same. directing the focus to low english learners, ertürk (2016) recommended different glossing types, but his study findings indicated that l1 glossing is beneficial for low english proficiency. this is a common issue but challenging in efl that even adult learners could position at beginner or elementary english levels despite their ages and length of schooling. visualization, also, serves better vocabulary learning experiences for these l2 learners, rather than verbalization since the visualization technique is transmitting pictures to the learners' minds (ghaedi & shahkori, 2016). if the visualization utilizes technology, efl teachers are encouraged to examine the available technology in order to create relevant features to the targetted l2 knowledge (sato, 2016), because such distraction may inhibit the acquisition. pictures can tell more than one information or even bring the past to present, so a thoughtful picture selection can captivate the learners' concentration and stimulate the active process that they may retain longer than the use of any random pictures. another factor concerning the learners’ level is their age since their years of experiences with the l2 and text comprehension enable them to derive word meanings from strategies elaborated (uchihara et al, 2019). they moreover added that student-related variables and methodological variable pertain to the acquisition outcomes that explain differences may possibly happen to each individual. this broadened our perspectives then to facilitate the acquisition within the explicit teaching with the most relevant approach for efl in asia. meaning and retention: efl teaching main goal having some findings on vocabulary embedded tasks, it is quite comprehensive highlighting the co-relation between meanings and retention from the vocabulary acquired, regardless of the objection of some studies against l1 in vocabulary acquisition. by contrast, asia efl practices still compromise the l1 use having evaluated on varie learners proficiency and the urgency for meaningful approach. efl learners in thailand preferred the multimedia-linking visual and auditory information contained l1 and l2 captions on the video exposed to them accompanied with proper audio (yawiloeng, 2020). this problematic choice between l1 and l2 use in efl teacher endeavour for the learner vocabulary acquisition will be solved better by the teachers if they consolidate the theoretical underpinned their beliefs and the merits of both modes, with the intentional mode (for the dominant) as well as other effective strategies revealed within this paper. besides, multimodality, e.g., mall, if it is included in the curriculum of asia efl, may turn up into motivating, interesting, and effective input for the learners (yawiloeng, 2020), and this part of classroom plan actually could be extended for beyond classroom activities with engaging acquisition program. evaluating the intentional vocabulary learning to this end, an evaluation and assessment for the vocabulary acquisition is essentially important, acts as a guidepost of the program accomplishment, although not every detail of the cognition process dealing with acquisition is measurable. at least the school may be well informed on how the system works well for their learners through the evaluation and sort of assessment. freitmuth (2020), pioneered by iqbal & komal (2017), adapted vocabulary knowledge scale (vks), as a measuring tool to indicate the learners' vocabulary knowledge (noun, verb, adverb, and preposition) after er. vks should be in the school syllabus (iqbal & komal, 2017) to quantify something abstract resulted from the acquisition. vks is adaptable to meet what prioritized in the curriculum which target on the increase number of the learners’ word gains. peggy magdalena jonathans, utami widiati, indri astutik, & devinta puspita ratri the practices of intentional vocabulary acquisition for asian efl learners: a systematic review 260 conclusion naturally, the two modes, incidental and intentional vocabulary acquisition and learning, are inseparable. the intentional learning (mode) of vocabulary would be more relevant to asia efl in terms of explicit teaching, language use and contexts, with embedded incidental acquisition tasks, for the sake of extensive exposure of vocabulary. this does not mean one overrides the other, but both are more appropriately addressed to complement each side the acquisition may take place. moreover, the efl teachers in asia are supposed to shift their mind-sets by referring to all previous studies, and further insert intentional vocabulary acquisition to the school curricula if the learners' vocabulary size, one of their main concerns, which can lead the efl learners into more engaging learning. the idea proposed here could be one of those in the education milestone to achieve, yet the teachers are called to commit to apply all suggestions from previous studies into real acts even in a small scope of their teaching. if they are in one accord to apply explicit vocabulary teaching, efl education policy makers in asia might have more real data to establishing organized and systematic intentional vocabulary acquisition programs that better suit their learners. references ahmad, j. (2012). intentional vs. incidental vocabulary learning. elt research journal, 1(1), 71-79. retrieved from http://www.udead.org.tr/journal. alemi, m., & tayebi, a. (2011). the influence of incidental and intentional vocabulary acquisition and vocabulary strategy use on learning l2 vocabulary. journal of language teaching and research, 2(1), 81-98. doi: 10.4304/jltr.2.1. ashcroft, r. j., garner, j., & hadingam, o. (2018). incidental vocabulary learning though watching movies. australian journal of apllied linguisctics, 1(3), 1-15. doi: 10.29140/ajal.vln3.89. barcroft, j. (2009). the effects of synonyms generation on incidental and intentional l2 vocabulary learning during reading. tesol quarterly, 41(1), 79-104. doi: 10.1002/j.15457249.2009.tb00228.x. bisson, m-j., van heuven, w. j. b., conklin, k., & tunney, r. j. (2014). the role of repeated exposure to multimodal input in incidental acquisition of foreign language vocabulary. language learning, 64(4), 855-877. doi: 10.1111/lang.12085. bolger, p., & zapata, g. (2011). semantic categorized and context in l2 vocabulary learning. language learning, 61(2), 614-647. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9922.2010.00624.x. boutorwick, tj., macalister, j., & elgort, k. (2019). two approaches to extensive reading and their effects on l2 vocabulary development. reading in a foreign language, 31(2), 150172. retrieved from http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/ brown, r., & waring, r. (2008). incidental vocabulary acquisition from reading, readingwhile-listening, and listening to stories. reading in a foreign language, 20(2), 136163. doi: 10.1080/17501229.2016.1203328 chen, c., & truscott, j. (2011). the effects of repetition and l1 lexicalization on incidental vocabulary acquisition. applied linguistics, 31(5), 693-713. doi: 10.1093/applin/amq031. dubiner, d. (2017). using vocabulary notebook for vocabulary acquisition and teaching. elt journal, 71(4), 1-11. doi: 10.1093/elt/ccxoo8. elgort, i. (2010). deliberate learning vocabulary acquisition in a second language. language learning, 61(2), 367-413. doi:10.1111/j.14679922.2010.00613.x. ertürk, z. ö. (2016). the effects of glossing on efl learners' incidental vocabulary learning in reading. procedia: social and behavioral sciences, 232, 373-381. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.052. feng, y. (2019). learning vocabulary through reading, listening, and viewing: which mode of input is most effective? studies in second language acquisition, 1-25. doi: 10.1017/s0272263119000494 file, k.a., & adams, s. (2010). should vocabulary instruction be integrated or isolated? tesol quarterly, 44(2), 222-250. doi : 10.5054/tq.2010.219943. ghaedi, r., & shahrokhi, m. (2016). the impact of visualization and verbalization techniques on vocabulary learning of iranian high school efl learners: a gender perspective. ampersand, 3(1) 32-42. doi: 10.1016/j.amper.2016.03.001. juanggo, w. (2018). investigating lexical diversity and lexical sophistication of productive vocabulary in th written discourse of indonesian efl learners. ijal, 8(1), 38-48. doi: 10.17509/ijal.v8i1.11462. khonamri, f., & rostaee, s. (2014). the impact of task-based extensive reading on lexical collocation knowledge of intermediate efl learners. procedia: social and behavioral sciences, 133(1), 265-270. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.05.326. kim, j. (2008). the role of task-induced involvement and learner proficiency in l2 vocab acquisition in l2 vocabulary acquisition. language http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 261 learning, 58(2), 285-325. doi: 10.1111/j.14679922.2008.00442.x. laufer, b. & rozovski-roitblat, b. (2011). incidental vocabulary acquisition: the effects of task type, word occurrence and their combination. language teaching research, 15(4), 391-411. doi: 10.1177/1362168811412019. lin, j. j., & lin, h. (2019). mobile-assisted esl/efl vocabulary learning: a systematic review and meta-analysis. computer assisted language learning, 33(8), 1-43. doi: 10.1080/09588221.2018.1541359. mcquilban, j. (2019). we don't need any stinkin' exercise: the impact of extended instruction and storybook reading on vocabulary acquisition. language and language teaching, 8(1), 25-38. retrieved from http://publication. azimpremjifoundation.org/1876/. min, h. (2008). efl vocabulary acquisition and retention reading plus vocabulary enhancement activities and narrow reading. language learning. doi: 10.1111/j.14679922.2007.00435.x. o’loughlin, r. (2019). turning in to vocabulary frequency in the coursebook. relc journal 43(2), 225-269. doi: 10.117/0033688212450640 papi, m. (2018). motivation as quality: regulatory fits effects on incidental vocabulary learning. studies in second language acquisition, 40(1), 707-730. doi:10.1017/5027226311700033x. paradis, j. (2019). english second language acquisition from early childhood to adulthood: the role of age, first language, cognitive and input factors. proceedings of the 43rd boston university conference on language development, ed., 11-26. retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/author/johan ne-paradis/115242420. rassaei, e. (2015). effects of textual enhancement and input enrichment on l2 development. tesol journal, 6(2), 281-302. doi: 10.1002/tesj.149 reynolds, b. l. (2015). a mixed-methods approach to investigating firstand second-language incidental vocabulary acquisition through the reading of fiction. reading research quarterly, 50(1), 111-127. doi: 10.1002/rrq.88. sato, t. (2016). applicability of technology-enhanced visual glosses for explicit l2 vocabulary learning: the enhancement of metaphoric competence through the learning of english polysemous words. ampersand, 3(1) 4-51. doi: 10.1016/j.amper.2016.03.003. tang, z. (2020). a review of studies into incidental vocabulary acquisition through different input. china, guangzhou: english language teaching, 13(6), 89-95. doi: 10.5539/elt.v13.6p89 uchihara, t., webb, s., & yanagisawa, a. (2019). the effects of repetition on incidental vocabulary learning: meta-analysis of correlational study. language learning research, 1-41. doi: 10.1111/lang.12343. wright, t. s., & cervetti, g. n. (2016). systematic review of the research on vocabulary instruction that impacts text comprehension. reading research quarterly, 0(0), 1-24. doi: 10.1002/rrq.163. xie, x. (2013). vocabulary explanation in englishmajor university classroom in china. elt journal, 67(4), 435-446. doi: 10.1093/elt/cct031 yali, g. (2010). l2 vocabulary acquisition through reading-incidental learning and intentional learning. chinese journal of applied linguistics, 33(1), 1-15. retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/l2vocabulary-acquisition-through-readinglearning-ya-li/7d4eeb50135378db3856b 19389301ecd04bfeb20. http://publication/ https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/l2-vocabulary-acquisition-through-reading-learning-ya-li/7d4eeb50135378db3856b%20193893 https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/l2-vocabulary-acquisition-through-reading-learning-ya-li/7d4eeb50135378db3856b%20193893 https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/l2-vocabulary-acquisition-through-reading-learning-ya-li/7d4eeb50135378db3856b%20193893 https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/l2-vocabulary-acquisition-through-reading-learning-ya-li/7d4eeb50135378db3856b%20193893 peggy magdalena jonathans, utami widiati, indri astutik, & devinta puspita ratri the practices of intentional vocabulary acquisition for asian efl learners: a systematic review 262 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 359 why do themes matter? the teachers’ voices about thematic units for teaching english to young learners ivana nabilah qoriroh mujahidah english language education, graduate school universitas muhammadiyah malang, indonesia email: ivanamimanarulislam2017@gmail.com fardini sabilah (corresponding author) english language education department, faculty of teacher training and education universitas muhammadiyah malang, indonesia email: fardini@umm.ac.id rina wahyu setyaningrum english language education department, faculty of teacher training and education universitas muhammadiyah malang, indonesia email: rina@umm.ac.id apa citation: mujahidah, i. n. q., sabilah, f., setyaningrum, r. w. (2022). why do themes matter? the teachers’ voices about thematic units for teaching english to young learners. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 359-370. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6237 received: 28-02-2022 accepted: 24-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction english continues to be taught as a foreign language in indonesia, where it was originally part of the national elementary school curriculum. however, since the implementation of the 2013 curriculum, english at the primary school level is no longer included in compulsory subjects and can be taught through extracurricular program. this is in contrast with the fact clarified by rixon (2019) that english has been a compulsory subject in primary school worldwide and it continues to be the medium of instruction. therefore, the exclusion of english subject in the compulsory curriculum provokes both positive and negative impacts for teachers. on the one hand, there is flexibility for the them to develop their own eyl curriculum. on the other, the absence of the government endorsed curriculum for teyl, they are challenged to develop their own eyl syllabi, learning materials, and evaluation (lestariyana & widodo, 2018). as matter of a fact, the wider arena for teachers of english in primary schools provided by the abstract: teaching english to young learners (teyl) in indonesia has been an intriguing field that there never been ending studies about it. as a locally-tailored school subject that can be local content or elective subject without curriculum guideline, english for young learners (eyl) program is carried out in various ways by the primary schools in indonesia. this present study aims to discover the essential role of implementing thematic model in teyl. this paper discusses a phenomenological investigation of five eyl teachers who employ thematic units for teaching the pupils in different cities of indonesia. graduated from english education department, all participants have been teaching young learners english more than five years and planning their teaching based on their students’ needs by utilizing themes. using semi-structured interview questions, the teachers were guided to explain their experience in valuing the themes for teaching english thematically, how to incorporating themes into teyl, and challenges in implementing eyl thematic units. the data were analyzed thematically to get the emerging themes which correspond to this research topic. the results revealed that teaching english thematically is critical for young learners as their english learning scaffolding to achieve language skills and ability to communicate in particular discourse. all participants agreed that their students enjoyed the eyl thematic activities for gaining new knowledge using english despites challenges faced by the teachers in preparing the lessons. keywords: teachers’ voice; teyl; thematic unit; themes. ivana nabilah qoriroh mujahidah, fardini sabilah, & rina wahyu setyaningrum why do themes matter? the teachers’ voices about thematic units for teaching english to young learners 360 government is not supportive for them to teach young learners (yls) english creatively. only some primary schools that conduct a need analysis before planning the eyl lessons and it affects the application of outmoded teaching learning process by vocabulary memorization, text translation, as well as teaching grammar in isolation. fathimah (2014) evidenced the practice of how the yls were introduced to english vocabulary by translating every single word into bahasa indonesia, then memorized them without experience in using them in various contexts. additionally, hawanti (2014) noted the previous situation existed because of the lack of school resources for running the eyl program and make the teachers used low quality textbook or workbook solely. it was a teachercentered learning that the activity focuses on exercises provided by the textbook or workbook. hence, these eyl program affect the unsatisfactory learning output of english to yls because of the absence of teachers’ awareness in considering the english veracity in everyday life. in the contemporary research of eyl, teachers are the actors of the teyl success because of their contribution in providing the learners meaningful and joyful activities. to respond the implementation of 2013 curriculum of indonesia, setyaningrum and purwati (2020) suggested thematic units to be adopted by linking the teaching materials with themes suggested by the curriculum for primary level. this suggestion is based on the rationales that teyl program should be centered on young learners’ linguistics exposure as well as unique agerelated needs age (parker & valente, 2019). moreover, topic-based/ task-based syllabus proposed by bourke (2006) as well as dörnyei and ushioda (2011) that provides the young learners experience to communicate effectively, acquire the language, engage in gradual reading introduction, as well as take part in topic-related unit activities for scaffolding around the language growth and development, was in line with shin and crandall (2014) who recommended thematic units for the sake of building a larger context for young learners’ language learning. in addition, themes could be appointed based on the students age (parker & valente, 2019), including animals, friends and family, or units revolving around a storybook, such as the very hungry caterpillar by eric carle, which includes food and the days of the week (shin, 2014). convincingly, rixon (2019) endorsed topic as an organizing-principles in young learners’ curricula in order to make the learning meaningful and interesting, as well as to provide the learners clear context for lexical sets to be introduced and practiced. some scholars also believed that themebased teaching for eyl is suitable with the 21st century learning (cameron, 2001, 2003; pratama, 2016) because integrating theme is claimed to better suit the way young children naturally learn. dealing with situation in indonesia, it is suggested to connect english and other curriculum context for the eyl program within modest time allotment (1 – 1,5 hours per week). therefore, johnstone’s (2019) concept could be adapted by endorsing thematic units for eyl program. by time limitations, teacher’s confidence in teaching, english language exposure, teaching materials, as well as authentic models, eyl teachers in indonesia need to instill the basic concept of teaching english through this experiential learning process using english. by thematic units, teachers are required to choose theme or topic to plan a range of teaching and learning activities and incorporate aspects such as mathematics, science, art, language, history, geography, and music. creative and innovative teyl that have been practiced were reported in the following scenes. empirical evidence, lestariyana and widodo (2018) showed that engaging activity for yls had been carried out to avoid textbook-based activities with test-oriented exercise, by making digital stories that are relevant to their daily life. furthermore, setyaningrum and purwati (2020) reported that the urgency of english for the pupils has encouraged the teachers in three schools surrounded by a well-known tourism destination of indonesia, to teach the young learners english thematically. exposure of using english contextually like in the real-life situation were provided for the students. they implemented “soft” content and language integrated learning (clil) for teaching english as a foreign language (efl). they urged to connect the existing regular lesson themes to english lesson as the background knowledge for students before learning english. the findings showed that the students engaged in the teaching and learning process by voluntarily practice to use english. more recently, waloyo, khoiriyah, & farah (2021) disclosed that cliltailored program in a primary school of indonesia was feasible to be conducted by integrating content, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 361 supported by the ict platforms and the teachers scaffold their students learning by translanguaging. it is crystal clear that teyl should be planned carefully to be meaningful and engaging (rixon, 2019) lesson. themes for teyl were strongly suggested by the scholars from the previous research, however, the researchers hardly found the indonesian eyl teachers’ voices about the implementation of thematic units for their teaching. to fill the gap, this study aims at investigating the rationales of indonesian eyl teachers in employing thematic units, how they practice it in the teaching and learning process, as well as challenges that they face. most importantly, this research would promote the feasibility of thematic units’ adaptation for different primary education institutions in indonesia. method this phenomenological study was conducted since thematic units in teaching eyl is expected to accommodate the students’ needs of learning english. yin (2016); merriam and tisdell (2016) stated that in phenomenological study, the focus is participants’ description that they have in common as they experience a phenomenon. then, the description culminates in the essence of the experiences for several individuals who have all experienced the phenomenon. this design has a strong philosophical-underpinnings and typically involves interviews. thus, the data of this research were gained by in-depth semi-structured interviews to five teachers as research participants. furthermore, the researchers transcribed the interviews and grouped them based on the emerging themes to answer the research questions: 1) what are the urgency of themes for teyl?, (2) what classroom activities work well with yls?, and (3) what are the challenges encountered by the teachers? the participants of this study were selected based on the criteria designated by the researchers, such as educational background and experience in teyl. all participants agreed and obtained permissions for their school principals to participate in this phenomenological study because they had experience that they could share as the research data. the following table explains the participants’ demographic information. table 1. the participants’ demographic information n o na me gen der (f/ m) age (year ) education institution experie nce (year) 1. jy f 25 english education private primary school 5 2. zi f 25 english education private primary school 5 3. m a f 31 english education private primary school 8 4. ja f 28 english education private primary school 5 5. ih f 28 english education intensive english course for young learners 5 all of the participants were teaching in nongovernment institutions which had specific excellences including english as locally-tailored subject offered to all students. jy and zi were specialist teachers, teaching english across grades and using different approaches while teaching english thematically. both of them were lucky because the school also assigned them to develop module for their students so that all their teachings had been planned carefully. ja experienced teaching very young learners english when she worked at a kindergarten before shifting to teach english in an islamic primary school. ma experienced teaching thematic lesson in japan and she turned to be specialist teacher, teaching english across grades, once she was back to indonesia. different from other participants, ih owned her institution, teaching english to young learners across grades and providing the lessons based on the students’ needs. she offered the programs for beginners and advanced students. to gain the data for this study, semi-structured interviews questions were developed. by carrying out these interviews, the researchers got the opportunities to ask some extended questions to complete the participants’ answers. all of five participants were interviewed based on their availability, through various online platforms as well as face-to-face interview. jy and zi attended interview session on the 26th of july 2021 by a video conference. due to incomplete data gained from the interview sessions, they were also interviewed via text messaging on the 18th of august, 2021. ih had an interview session on the ivana nabilah qoriroh mujahidah, fardini sabilah, & rina wahyu setyaningrum why do themes matter? the teachers’ voices about thematic units for teaching english to young learners 362 29th of july 2021. meanwhile, ma and ja had a face-to-face interview session on the 3rd of august. the following table contains the questions asked to the research participants which were adapted from some sources (i.e. akyeampong, 2017; hawanti, 2014; irby, tong, lara-alecio, guerrero, guo, abdelrahman, & serrano, 2020; kilinc, 2016; murphy, haller, & spiridakis, 2019). table 2. primary questions for interview no. questions 1. do you think that thematic units are suitable for teyl? why or why not? 2. what are your opinions about implementing thematic units for teyl in teaching and learning activities? 3. how do you agree/ disagree about the effectiveness of activities based on the selected themes for teyl? 4. what factors influence your decision to use thematic units for teyl in your classroom? 5. how did you implement the thematic lessons for teyl in your teaching and learning activity? 6. how far are your thematic units’ implementation for teaching young learners in your classroom? 7. would you please mention the advantages of implementing thematic units for your eyl class dynamic? 8. what is the most challenging fact that you faced when implementing thematic units for teyl? 9. what factors make you give up implementing themes if you find they do not even fit your teaching at a certain point? 10. do you intend to continue using thematic units for teyl? in analyzing the data from the interviews, widodo (2014) proposed methodological considerations including (a) listening to talking data, (b) shaping talking data, (c) communicating talking data with an interpretative intent, (d) reproducing or (re)constructing talking data, and (e) building data credibility. by those considerations, the data from the interviews were transcribed and grouped based on the objectives of this research. they were analyzed thematically (saldana, 2013) in which the emerging themes were arranged and described as the research findings. moreover, the data credibility was built by member checking. birt, scott, cavers, campbell, & walter (2016) urged member checking by inviting all participants to attend a group discussion to check the data accuracy. result and discussion the findings revealed that out of all teachers as the participants of this study showed their positive attitudes towards thematic units for teyl. they consider thematic units are critical for providing the learners experience of using the language contextually. they also expressed their idea about linking the teyl with other subjects in order to relate their english learning with real life experience. significant challenges in implementing thematic lesson were showcased specifically by a lower grade (i.e. grade one) teacher because of the students limited background knowledge about english. thematic lesson for clear context of english lexical, grammatical features, and discourse for providing yls experience in using english contextually, shin and crandall (2014) suggested themes for teyl because of some reasons such as providing the yls with activities contextually, focusing the learning to communication on the other language structure as well as linking the lesson with other subjects. jy agrees the essence of implementing thematic units for teyl in association with the previous theories and confirms, “pembelajaran berbasis tema dalam pengajaran bahasa inggris akan memudahkan murid saya karena hal itu berhubungan dengan mata pelajaran tematik yang ada di kelas regular. tentunya, hal tersebut berbasis pada kurikulum yang ada di sekolah dasar. saya bisa mengeksplor berbagai macam mata pelajaran secara fleksibel berdasarkan kemampuan dan ketertarikan siswa dalam belajar” (jy, zoom, juli 26, 2021) “thematic lesson will ease my students to learn english because it is linked to their thematic regular lesson based on the indonesian primary school curriculum. i can explore various lessons flexibly based on the students’ ability and interest.” (jy, zoom, july 26, 2021) her positive attitudes towards the thematic lesson because of its strength in providing yls with contextual settings. as the yls learn new vocabulary related to the theme, they will use the english grammar contextually. ching & lin (2019) asserted the contextualized grammar focuses on english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 363 various linguistics choices in the context. it implies that by understanding the vocabulary usage in particular grammar or sentence patterns, the yls will get opportunity to practice english for communication. shin (2014) suggested the teachers to provide enjoyable classroom atmosphere for yls to hear sounds of english, build vocabulary and improve their listening and speaking skills. she asserted that yls should be familiarize with oral language for communication in particular discourse. using thematic units has indirectly broadened yls vocabularies and phrases. the class’ atmosphere has automatically encouraged the students to speak english. although not all the students spoke english well because they were in the beginner level of english, they, at least, still tried to use english. their effort in using english to communicate shows the successful teacher teaching english using thematic lessons. therefore, thematic environment can make the yls get easier ways in mastering the language target. bourke (2006); dörnyei and ushioda (2011) proposed the best type of syllabus and learning model for teaching young learners english should make the learners master the acquisition-poor environment of the classroom. thematic units could make the yls learn english contextually by experiencing to use the language for communication. ma and ja on similarly state, “anak-anak yang belajar bahasa inggris tidak akan terkukung lagi. mereka akan belajar secara kontekstual dan belajar bagaimana menggunakan bahasa untuk berkomunikasi. itulah mengapa, tematik model adalah sebuah cara yang efektif dalam mengajar bahasa inggris. terlebih untuk level pemula.” (ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021 “the yls won’t learn english in isolation anymore. they will contextually learn to use the language for communication. that’s why it is an effective way to teach yls english, especially for the beginners.” (ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021; ja, personal communication, 18 july, 2021) ma and ja's ideas require their careful preparation for teaching yls which include young learners' holistic needs (setyaningrum & purwati, 2020) for making the communication run smoothly. the teachers should analyze the students' needs and schools' goals before they decide the learning materials and wrap them into activities related to yls’ real-life experience, like daily activities. nikolov & djigunović (2019) suggested that teaching must be in harmony with learning. it is essential to discover and understand the learners' activities to participate and respond to the question using their daily life experience. in addition, littlejohn (2016) suggested that english syllabus content in the thematic model should enable yls to develop high order thinking skills (hots). meanwhile, shin and crandal (2014) stated that thematic instruction gives the learners many chances to learn english by integrating it into other learning contexts. ma and ja agree and they add, “…ketika mengajar anak-anak menggunakan pembelajaran tematik, kita juga mengajarkan berbagai macam pelajaran seperti sains, matematika, ips, dan agama. unit-unit di dalam tematik untuk mengajar bahasa inggris pun bisa digunakan untuk mengajar bahasa inggris melalui berbagai macam mata pelajaran.” (ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021) “…while teaching eyl using thematic lesson we also teach various lesson including science, math, social, and religion. thematic units for teyl could be carried out by teaching english through various subjects.” (ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021) meanwhile, jy elucidates, “saya hanya butuh menambahkan penguatan materi tata bahasa menggunakan permainan untuk membuat mereka menikmati pelajaran tanpa harus merasa takut dengan tata bahasa. intinya, semua hal bisa diintegrasikan di dalam unit-unit tematik.” (jy, zoom, july 26, 2021) “i just need to add grammar awareness by using games in order to provide them less threatening lessons. all can be integrated in thematic units.” (jy, zoom, july 26, 2021) jy’s consideration to teach english grammar through games was conforming chou’s (2017) notion that yls do not easily understand the complex language components like grammar and expression before their eight. in addition, the teachers need to re-discover how to make the yls’ english learning is not labeled as lexis, phonology, grammar or discourse. therefore, since the students are engaged with the technology right now, it is not the time to teach them grammar textually, tell them the meaning of each vocab and phrase, ask them to memorize the vocabularies and expressions, and many more. however, it is time to let them know ivana nabilah qoriroh mujahidah, fardini sabilah, & rina wahyu setyaningrum why do themes matter? the teachers’ voices about thematic units for teaching english to young learners 364 and realize the use of language itself. in this point, ja firmly believes, “…saya rasa, ini bukanlah lagi waktu untuk menghafal kosakata dengan diartikan secara langsung karena itu adalah cara lama untuk mengajar bahasa inggris. menurut saya, anakanak perlu memahami bahasa secara kontekstual berdasarkan tata bahasa yang sesuai.” (ja, personal communication, 18 july, 2021) “…it’s not the time to memorize the vocabularies from its direct translation because that’s the old way of teaching english, i think. to me, students need to understand the language from its context based on appropriate grammar.” (ja, personal communication, 18 july, 2021) then, ma also conveys, “mereka juga harus tahu bagaimana menggunakan bahasa inggris dalam hidupnya. mereka akan memiliki pengalaman belajar dalam menggunakan bahasa inggris. selain itu, keuntungan menggunakan tematik di pengajaran bahasa inggris akan memudahkan mereka untuk membuat lingkungan yang bilingual.” (ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021) “they have to know how to use english in their life. they will have learning experience in using english. besides, the use of thematic learning in teyl will help them to make a bilingual environment.” (ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021) those statements are highly related to the concept of thematic learning in teyl that provides a learning environment to make students learn collaboratively as active participants in the class. cameron (2003) stated that theme-based teaching and learning focus on linked activities. therefore, the young learners who experience learning english in thematic units are expected to understand better how they use the language to communicate with others. in addition, shin and crandall (2014) affirmed that the eyl teachers could use thematic units in their teaching by incorporating some activities ranging from singing some english songs to reading or telling stories. they could be followed by total physical responses (tpr) activities suggested by nuraeni (2019) as well as xie (2021). teachers play their pivotal roles in introducing some language skills or components in actions. they should be order takers, model providers, and action monitors and yls could serve as models and action performers until they are ready to speak out. young learners’ needs, teacher’s deeds: yls’ knowledge advancement through english learning young learners need to feel comfortable and selfconfident when they involve in learning situation. the teacher needs to identify the students’ expectation towards learning. as they like to play than listen to the teacher’s explanation, the teacher should pay attention to the most appropriate learning materials. identifying materials could not be done by only classifying the materials' difficulties level. teachers should consider the use of english materials in the students' real life, the student's understanding of english contextually, the student's interest and motivation in learning english at a very young age. in this case, the thematic units for teaching and learning english provides the integrated activities in which yls can learn english contextually from different aspects based on their needs. this is in line with the jy's perspective. “fleksibilitas dalam mengajar anak-anak menggunakan tema yang bervariasi telah memberikan pengaruh terhadap kemampuan mereka dalam menggunakan bahasa yang telah mereka pelajari dart ema tersebut untuk berkomunikasi.” (jy, zoom, july 26, 2021) “flexibility in teaching yls from various themes has influenced their ability in practicing to use the language that they learned from the themes into communication.” (jy, zoom, july 26, 2021) jy’s statement shows that teachers can scrutinize and decide the materials that support the students’ daily life. the learning output from the english lesson using the thematic units is a proper understanding of the english lesson contextually. context-based teaching and learning english will make the students learn something unconsciously. they will gain more knowledge than they expect. ma illustrates, “pembelajaran tematik memiliki cakupan yang sangat luas. siswa akan mendapatkan banyak sekali kosakata dan mereka akan menggunakannya di dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. kemudian, berdasarkan kosakata yang berhubungan dengan tema, anak-anak bisa membangun ilmu pengetahuan yang baru dari kegiatan-kegiatan yang mereka ikuti.” (ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021) “thematic lesson has a large learning scope. the students will gain a lot of vocabularies and they will use them in their daily life. by those vocabularies related to themes, the yls could build new knowledge over activities they involve english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 365 in.” (ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021) that statement also supported by ja and ih’s perceptions, “...siswa akan belajara berbagai macam mata pelajaran menggunakan bahasa inggris dalam unit tematik. mereka akan mendapatkan kosakata lebih dibanding belajar bahasa inggris seperti pada umumnya. mereka akan mengetahui bagaimana cara menggunakan kosakata tersebut di dalam kehidupan sehari-hari dan memahami budaya dari bahasa tersebut.” (ja, personal communication, 18 july, 2021; ih, video call, july 29, 2021) “…the students will learn various lesson in english using thematic units. they will get more vocabularies than learning english as usual. they will know how to use the vocabularies in daily activities and also understand the language culture.” (ja, personal communication, 18 july, 2021; ih, video call, july 29, 2021) teaching english thematically could be considered suitable for enhancing foreign language development in such context and fulfilling broader, more far-reaching educational goals (ellison, 2019). themes are also employed in soft clil approach for elt. it integrates content learning of various subjects such as science, math, social science, and many more. this approach aligns with the thematic concept where the students learn other subjects through english contextually. as eyl thematic units aim at teaching young learners english through specific themes or content, advanced knowledge will be obtained from learning content from particular theme and using english to communicate that knowledge. in this case, ma and jy shared their experience of their teaching. ma justifies, “saya memberi mereka tema yang menarik seperti tata surya dan saya biasanya bercerita tentang hal tersebut. saya juga bertanya kepada mereka untuk membuat karya seni terkait tata surya untuk meningkatkan praktik mereka saat bercerita tata surya.” (ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021) “i gave them an interesting theme such as solar system and i usually tell a story related to it. i also asked my students to make art about solar system to scaffold their practice in telling the story about solar system.” (ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021) in addition, jy also explains, “…contohnya, bagaimana cara menghemat energi di rumah, muridku bisa praktik dengan cara mengucapkan: mama, tolong hemat energinya! bisakah kamu mematikan lampu?” (jy, zoom, juli 26, 2021) “…for example, how to save energy at home my students could practice to say: “mama, please save the energy. could you please switch off the light?” (jy, zoom, july 26, 2021) therefore, their examples evidenced how eyl thematic units were practiced and english could be internalized to the yls’ daily communication. the teachers should let the students create opportunities to apply new knowledge and express their understanding using additional language. although this is a complex process for teachers and students to achieve the right balance of cognitive and linguistic demands, they could compromise how to use english without neglecting the content concepts (ching & lin, 2019) to get the right balance of cognitive and linguistic demands, setyaningrum and purwati (2020) suggested theme-based teaching should be carefully planned by considering the yls’ needs. at this point, the teachers can decide whether they adopt the themes from the regular thematic classes endorsed by the 2013 curriculum for primary school or adapt the themes from the designated curriculum with respect to the yls’ english learning needs and new knowledge advancement. movements from effortless to challenging tasks implementing thematic units in teyl brings out the acceptances and challenges simultaneously. teaching english thematically will automatically enhance the students’ general knowledge. they can learn other subjects like, mathematics, science, arts, and others using english as the medium of instruction. thematic teaching allows yls to learn english by incorporating it into other learning contexts. implementing thematic lessons in teaching english will make the teaching concept more meaningful and flexible to the teacher and students (shin & crandall, 2014; sehan, 2018). however, the teachers also faced challenges while implementing thematic units in teyl. teaching preparation is the most challenging of all while the other efforts should be put during teaching and learning activities. the teachers have been struggling since lesson planning by ivana nabilah qoriroh mujahidah, fardini sabilah, & rina wahyu setyaningrum why do themes matter? the teachers’ voices about thematic units for teaching english to young learners 366 determining the theme, skills to be emphasized, target structure, vocabulary focus, objectives, materials, and activities. then, they have to make all activities work with the yls as well as provide additional activities once particular activity does not work. the teachers should be flexible and adaptable towards the class situation. classroom management’s skill is necessarily needed to operate the teaching and learning process in eyl thematic lesson. the teachers should facilitate the learning process without ignoring the essence of teaching thematically. in this case, ma states her judgement. “…meskipun saya telah mendapatkan banyak manfaat dari mengajar bahasa inggris menggunakan unit tematik, saya sebenarnya harus menyiapkan segala sesuatu sebelum mengajar dengan baik. hal itu akan membantu saya untuk memanajemen aktivitas belajar mengajar agar dapat berjalan lancar.” (ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021) “…although i got so many advantages from eyl thematic units, i actually need to prepare everything before teaching properly. it will help me manage the teaching and learning activities to run smoothly.” (ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021) in addition, ja also acknowledges the complexity of the preparation in teyl thematic units. she clearly declares, “sebagai seorang guru, saya menghadapi banyak kesulitan dalam menyiapkan hal-hal sebelum mengajar terutama mengajar anak-anak. saya harus menyiapkan berbagai macam aktivitas agar proses pembelajaran menjadi berarti, terintegrasi, dan menarik.” (ja, personal communication, 18 july, 2021) “as a teacher i got a lot of difficulties in preparing my teaching especially for younger learners. i have to prepare various activities so that the learning process can be meaningful, integrated, and interesting.” (ja, personal communication, 18 july, 2021) those statements illustrate how challenging their teaching preparations are. teaching teyl must be planned carefully and adequately. each activity should be meaningful and engaging (rixon, 2019). a meaningful and engaging activity means the activity which significantly impacts the students’ real life. the students can independently reflect on the values after doing the activity. they can also use new knowledge from class in daily life by communicating with others. moreover, the english materials in the thematic model should be systematically created. the materials have to respond to the students’ specific needs and be originated on how young learners learn the language (hayes, 2014). in addition, ih also reveals that, “…bagian yang paling menantang dalam membuat materi bahasa inggris tematik adalah menentukan struktur yang paling layak untuk anak-anak.” (ih, video call, july 29, 2021) “…the most challenging part in making thematic english materials is determining the most feasible scaffolding for the yls’ learning.” (ih, video call, july 29, 2021) regarding to the ih’s statement, the materials must be developed based on the students’ language level. it should be from the easiest to the most complicated one. additionally, jy adds, “…nanti akan ada level untuk materi bahasa inggris tematik tetapi saya akan membungkusnya sesempurna mungkin untuk melewati semua level tanpa harus peserta didik merasakan kecemasan.” (jy, zoom, july 26, 2021) “…there will be levels for eyl thematic materials but i have to wrap them faultlessly in order to keep the yls comfortable in getting through all levels without any significant anxiety.” (jy, zoom, july 26, 2021) both ih’s and jy’s perceptions were in line with pinter’s (2011) recommendation that teacher and/or curriculum designer needs to consider how children engage in distinct communicative language tasks in order to provide materials appropriate for various age groups and to assist children in completing these tasks more effectively. an ideal development can be accomplished gradually and contextually so that the students can adequately understand the materials given by the teacher. challenge in preparing the lesson for eyl thematic units was initially an effect of the teachers’ earlier experiences in teyl in indonesian context. english has been taught theoretically rather than contextually. they experienced teaching english based on the existing curriculum with the availability of text-books. they just need to move forwards to get themselves accustomed to practice eyl thematic lesson with all its preparation. ma insists, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 367 “…mengajar bahasa inggris menggunakan tematik sebenarnya tidak sulit. kita hanya perlu memahami konsepnya dan bagaimana cara kerjanya. sayangnya, banyak guru yang memahami bahwasannya tematik adalah mata pelajaran. padahal, tematik adalah model pembelajaran.” (ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021) “…teyl using thematic lesson is actually not difficult. we just need to understand the concept and how it works. sadly, the teachers themselves still believe that thematic is a name of lesson. in fact, thematic is a learning model.” (ma, personal communication, july 12th, 2021) shin and crandall (2014) suggested thematic units in teyl because it provides an integrated english lesson where the students can learn various subjects/contexts through learning english. therefore, a teacher who teaches yls english thematically needs a good proficiency in english and has a relevant educational background. in this case, ih and ma believe, “…guru-guru yang mengajar bahasa inggris terutama mengajar anak-anak harus menguasai pengetahuan pedagogi pada tingkat dasar. mereka tidak hanya mengajar ilmu pengetahuan bahasa inggris tetapi juga nilai-nilai dalam pembelajaran bahasa inggris itu sendiri. mentransfer ilmu pengetahuan dan menanamkan nilai-nilai pembelajaran memerlukan kualifikasi guru yang sangat spesifik.” (ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021; ih, video call, july 29, 2021) “…teachers who teach english, especially for young learners need to fulfill the knowledge of pedagogy in primary level. they are not only teaching the knowledge of english but also the values of learning english itself. transforming knowledge and embedding the values of learning need a specific teachers’ qualification.” (ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021; ih, video call, july 29, 2021) the statement emphasizes that having a high level of english proficiency is not enough. there are many components to be an ideal english teacher who must be a proficient english user with specific teaching qualifications in primary pedagogy (hayes, 2014). some previous studies revealed that many who teach english to young learners are inconsistent, often ambiguous, have no formal qualifications of english but a qualified teacher or someone who is not qualified teacher but knows english (rixon, 2019). furthermore, primary english teachers are expected to teach english, but they have no support in enhancing their teaching competencies. thus, ja firmly believes that school management should provide intensive training before assigning the teachers to teach english thematically. by doing so, the teachers will understand the concept of teaching theoretically and practically based on the schools’ needs and goals. in contrast, zi, ma, and ja explained about additional challenge for making the yls understand the meaning of vocabularies or expressions. “terkadang memang tidak mudah untuk membuat murid saya memahami bahasa inggris karena itu bukan bahasa kedua mereka. saya mengajar anak-anak di kelas bawah dan kebanyakan dari muridku ada pada level pemula. jadi, saya sering berpikiran kalau saya tidak mungkin membuat mereka mengerti tanpa memberikan pengertian secara langsung menggunakan bahasa indonesia.” (zi, zoom, july 26, 2021; ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021; ja, personal communication, july 18, 2021) “sometimes it’s not easy to make my students understand english because english is not their second language. i am teaching the lower grade and most of my students are in the beginner level of english and have no basic english. so, i frequently think that it is impossible to make them understand without giving them a direct understanding in indonesian.” (zi, zoom, july 26, 2021; ma, personal communication, 12 july, 2021; ja, personal communication, july 18, 2021) the statement implies that they believed to younger learners need to get sessions for vocabulary building before they integrate themes into teyl. however, this should not be considered as challenge because themes could be integrated to all levels in primary schools without requirement of yls english proficiency. thus, if the teachers still consider this as a challenge, they should pay attention to their teaching strategies. they could use semiotic sources to support the yls’ english learning while scaffold it with translation, translanguaging, and trans-semiotizing (carbonara & scibetta, 2020; johnstone, 2019; zein, 2017). it is necessary to keep in mind that young learners need to focus on how the language works, not what language says. ivana nabilah qoriroh mujahidah, fardini sabilah, & rina wahyu setyaningrum why do themes matter? the teachers’ voices about thematic units for teaching english to young learners 368 never-ending motivation for young learners to learning consistency teaching english thematically provides contextual language learning, integrating the variety of lessons and experience in using english. the yls enjoy the fun and joyful learning as central to this teaching and learning process. since english has become a global language, everyone is forced to understand english even fundamentally. thus, teaching and learning english at a very young age is necessary. there are ten ideas of teaching eyl such as 1) using visual, realia, and movement; 2) involving students in making realia; 3) unstoppable activity; 4) teaching themes; 5) using stories and familiar context to the students; 6) conducting english classroom instructions; 7) using l1 as resources based on necessity; 8) involving helpers from the community; 9) collaborating other teachers at school; and 10) communicating with teyl experts (shin, 2006). those activities have essential roles for making the english learning exciting and motivating. yls like discovery activities in which they can respond to what are being asked by using imagination, or they can be involved in making things, in drawing things, in games, or physical activities (harmer, 2007; othman & kiely, 2016; zein, 2016) in teyl, yls have more opportunities to express themselves and involve in each learning activity. the students' motivation is highly related to the materials and activities in the classroom. bourke (2006); dörnyei and ushioda (2011) stated that to enhance students' motivation in learning english; the teachers need to provide topics of interest to children, to tell stories, to play games, to do physical activities, to use the song, chants, or rhymes, to make pair work and group work tasks, and to introduce early childhood literature. intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to learn english could be developed during the learning sessions. the students’ motivated behavior can be seen while entering the classroom and enthusiastically following all the learning activities. they may start their day by saying ‘good morning’ to their teachers and friends, then they will enjoy the learning activities and try to be active in a class. they will get a reward when they get involved in every activity, finish their tasks, or answer the questions. huang, hoi, & teo (2018) found that the first graders in the content-based language instruction class displayed more motivated behavior, such as eagerly volunteering in class. they have high motivation in learning english because they learn and find something new from a delightful class atmosphere. as ja explains, “mereka mendapatkan sesuatu yang berbeda ketika belajar bahasa inggris. mereka secara bertahap mempelajari hal-hal baru menggunakan bahasa inggris. saya memiliki pengalaman yang tak terlupakan ketika siswa saya mengatakan bahwa mereka suka belajar bahasa inggris karena menyenangkan. mereka tiba-tiba berbicara kepada saya setelah membuat seni dan belajar matematika (dalam bahasa inggris). sehingga menurut saya, pelajaran tematik membuat siswa saya senang belajar bahasa inggris.” (ja, personal communication, july 18, 2021) “they get something different when learning english. they gradually learn new things using english. i had a memorable experience when my students said that they love learning english because it’s fun. they suddenly talked to me after making art and learning math (in english). to me, thematic lesson makes my students love to learn english.” (ja, personal communication, july 18, 2021) hence, various external and internal factors inside or outside the classroom can affect young learners’ dynamic motivation to learn english. once they have a good impression at the first time they learn english; they want to learn and explore more. conclusion themes do matter to be integrated into the teyl and requires significant understanding from the teachers of eyl in implementing it. the activities should be planned carefully to cater yls’ learning by practicing english contextually. they learned new vocabularies from new knowledge emerged from the thematic content and used them for communication which linked to their real-life experience. hence, thematic units which cover english and the integration of multiple knowledge in different subjects like mathematics, science, arts or others should be considered for teyl because of feasibility of activating yls’ multiple intelligences that should be sharpen during their age-period. all teachers as the participants of this study affirmed that this is as a solution dealing with the absence of eyl curriculum endorsed by the indonesian government. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 369 shifting the teyl pedagogical beliefs and practices requires the teachers’ creativity in developing the materials and administering the tasks. it is challenging for the teachers as they needed to devote their time for careful lesson planning to cater the yls with advanced knowledge through the english learning. specifically, for younger learners who have less or no input of english, the teachers challenge to teach theme could be solved by incorporating themes by emphasis on vocabulary building that could be introduced by various activities (shin & crandall, 2014) like using songs and movements (shin, 2014). the yls should dominantly get involved in every learning activity to obtain knowledge of using english in a genuine context. as this current study was participated by small numbers of eyl teachers within the researchers’ teyl circle who incorporated thematic units, the further research should involve more teachers as the participants. also, additional instruments, like teaching documents, as well as observation checklist could be selected to strengthen the research findings. despite the limited instruments used in this study, the thematic eyl lesson has the potential to motivate yls to improve their english skills in accordance with their educational levels. acknowledgment we wish to extend our special thanks to all the participants involved in this research who are willing to be interviewed in the process of gaining the data. those five participants, ja, ma, jy, zi, and ih, have contributed to providing the data related to this study. references akyeampong, k. (2017). teacher educators’ practice and vision of good teaching in teacher education reform context in ghana. educational researcher, 46(4), 194–203. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189x17711907 birt, l., scott, s., cavers, d., campbell, c., & walter, f. (2016). member checking: a tool to enhance trustworthiness or merely a nod to validation? qualitative health research, 26(13), 1802–1811. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732316654870 bourke, j. m. (2006). designing a topic-based syllabus for young learners. elt journal, 60(3), 279–286. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccl008 cameron, l. (2003). challenges for elt from the expansion in teaching children. elt journal, 57(2), 105–112. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/57.2.105 cameron, l. (2001). teaching languages to young learners. cambridge university press. carbonara, v., & scibetta, a. (2020). integrating translanguaging pedagogy into italian primary schools: implications for language practices and children’s empowerment. international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 25(3), 1049-1069. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2020.1742648 ching, f., & lin, m. y. (2019). context of learning in teyl. in s. garton & f. copland (eds.), the routledge handbook of teaching english to young learners (first, pp. 95–109). routledge. chou, m. h. (2017). english language education in formal and cram school contexts: an analysis of listening strategy and learning style. education 313, 45(4), 419–436. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2015.1103768 dörnyei, z., & ushioda, e. (2011). teaching and researching: motivation. routledge ellison, m. (2019). clil in the primary school context. in s. garton & f. copland (eds.), the routledge handbook of teaching english to young learners (pp. 247–268). fathimah, n. m. (2014). theme-based teaching in teaching english vocabulary to young learners. journal of english and education, 22(5), 49-55. hawanti, s. (2014). implementing indonesia’s english language teaching policy in primary schools: the role of teachers’ knowledge and beliefs. international journal of pedagogies and learning, 9(2), 162–170. https://doi.org/10.1080/18334105.2014.11082029 hayes, d. (2014). factors influencing success in teaching english in state primary schools. british council. huang, f., hoi, c. k. w., & teo, t. (2018). the influence of learning style on english learning achievement among undergraduates in mainland china. journal of psycholinguistic research, 47(5), 1069–1084. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-018-9578-3 irby, b. j., tong, f., lara-alecio, r., guerrero, c., guo, w., abdelrahman, n., & serrano, j. (2020). teacher perceptions of the effectiveness of a science-infused literacy intervention for english language learners. pedagogies, 15(1), 18–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554480x.2019.1673165 johnstone, r. (2019). language policy and english for young learners in early education. in s. garton & f. copland (eds.), the routledge handbook of teaching english to young learners (pp. 269–287). routledge. kilinc, h. h. (2016). teachers’ perception of 2nd grade ivana nabilah qoriroh mujahidah, fardini sabilah, & rina wahyu setyaningrum why do themes matter? the teachers’ voices about thematic units for teaching english to young learners 370 english curriculum of primary school in turkey. anthropologist, 23(1–2), 251–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/09720073.2016.11891949 lestariyana, r. p. d., & widodo, h. p. (2018). engaging young learners of english with digital stories: learning to mean. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 8(2), 489–495. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v8i2.13314 littlejohn, a. (2016). how young learners learn language. iatefl young learners & teenagers sig newsletter: c&ts digital special pearl anniversary edition, 31-32. merriam, s. b. & tisdell, e. j. 2016. qualitative research: a guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). jossey-bass. murphy, a. f., haller, e., & spiridakis, j. (2019). teachers’ perceptions of a mentoring cohort model in a program leading to certification to teach english language learners. mentoring and tutoring: partnership in learning, 27(3), 295– 316. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2019.1630997 nikolov, m. & djigunovic, j. m. (2019). teaching young learners. in second handbook of english language teaching (pp. 577-599). springer. nuraeni, c. (2019). using total physical responses (tpr) method on young learners english language teaching. metathesis: journal of english language literature and teaching, 3(1), 26-34. https://doi.org/10.31002/metathesis. v3i1.1223 othman, j., & kiely, r. (2016). preservice teachers’ beliefs and practices in teaching english to young learners. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 6(1), 50–59. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v6i1.2661 pinter, a. (2011). children learning second languages. springer. pratama, e. y. (2016). integrating 21st century skill into eyl class: a new ideal course design and planning for eyl class. english journal, 10(1), 16. http://dx.doi.org/10.32832/english.v10i1.234 rixon, s. (2019). developing curricula for young language learners. in x. gao (ed.), second handbook of english language teaching (pp. 277295). springer nature switzerland. saldana, j. (2013). the coding manual for qualitative researchers (2nd ed.). sage. sehan, z. (2018). an investigation on the last year efl university students" ideas on using story in teaching english to young learners. journal of language and linguistic studies, 14(1), 125-138. setyaningrum, r. w., & purwati, o. (2020). projecting the implementation feasibility of clil approach for teyl at primary schools in indonesia. jees (journal of english educators society), 5(1), 23– 30. https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v5i1.352 shin, j., & crandall, j. (2014). teaching young learners english: from theory to practice. heinle cengage learning. shin, j. k. (2014). using songs and movement with young learners of english. english teraching forum, 14–25. waloyo, a. a., khoiriyah, k., & farah, r. r. (2021). teachers’ perception to clil and web-based material implementation in a primary school. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), 227-234. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4347 widodo, h. p. (2014). methodological considerations in interview data transcription. international journal of innovation in english language, 3(1), 101– 107. xie, r. (2021). the effectiveness of total physical responses (tpr) on teaching english to young learners. journal of language teaching and research, 12(2), 293-303. yin, r. k. (2016). qualitative research from start to finish (2nd ed.). the guilford press. zein, s. (2016). factors affecting the professional development of elementary english teachers. professional development in education, 42(3), 423–440. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2015.1005243 zein, s. (2017). language-in-education policy on primary efl: the case of indonesia. international journal of pedagogy & learning, 12(2), 133–146. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00598171 https://doi.org/10.31002/metathesis english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 167 the correlations among english language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension achievement of high school students in palembang galiansa english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: galiansa20tahun@gmail.com bambang a loeneto (corresponding author) english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: loenetobambang@gmail.com mgrt. dinar sitinjak english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: magiedinar@yahoo.com apa citation: guliansa, loeneto, b. a., & sitinjak, m. d. (2020). the correlations among english language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension achievement of high school students in palembang. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 167-182. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3794 received: 28-06-2020 accepted: 29-09-2020 published:11-12-2020 introduction indonesia is one of the largest multilingual countries in the world. according to ethnologue (2018), there are 719 languages in indonesia. there seems to be little doubt that indonesians are accustomed to speaking more than one language. all indonesians are taught the national language, bahasa indonesia, but also grow up speaking unique local languages that exist throughout the country. in addition to being exposed to a diversity of languages in the country, indonesian students also learn foreign languages, such as arabic, german, and english, in formal settings. unlike the other foreign languages taught in schools, english holds a greater position in indonesia. this is in line with what nasution (1995) has said that english has become the language of commerce and one of the compulsory subjects in secondary education since the dutch colonization. as such, many people in indonesia are motivated to learn abstract: language exposure and learning motivation are two of the most essential aspects in learning any language. in english language acquisition, the development of these two components facilitates the development of other language skills, such as reading comprehension. in turn, reading comprehension is one of the significant indicators of fluency in second or foreign language acquisition. if a correlation can be determined between either language exposure or learning motivation and the development of reading comprehension, educators and specialists can focus their efforts on increasing these predictor variables in curriculum development to further reading comprehension and, ultimately, fluency. this study focused on the reading comprehension of senior high school students in palembang, indonesia and sought to find out whether or not there was any significant correlation between students’ english language exposure and reading comprehension, students’ learning motivation and reading comprehension, and among the predictor variables (english language exposure, learning motivation) and the criterion variable (reading comprehension). the samples of this study were 210 eleventh graders in sma unggulan, a high-performing senior high school in palembang. the data were analyzed by using correlational and regression analyses. the findings showed significant positive correlations among english language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension. the contribution of english language exposure to reading comprehension was 41.8%, while the contribution of learning motivation to reading comprehension was 51.7%. moreover, the contribution of predictor variables to the criterion variable was 58.9%. keywords: english language exposure; learning motivation; reading comprehension mailto:loenetobambang@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3794 galiansa, bambang a loeneto, mgrt. dinar sitinjak the correlations among english language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension achievement of high school students in palembang 168 english in order to expand their opportunities for success. english is one of the most fundamental factors that can help indonesians compete as global citizens in the 21st century. the status of english as the most dominant worldwide language of the 21st century has long been stressed by kachru’s analogy (1986) that knowing english is like having the aladdin’s lamp; once it opens, the roads to international business, technology, science, and travel are all opened. as such, it is crucial that students learn sufficient english in formal settings in order to expand their opportunities for success. in second or foreign language acquisition, the amount of exposure to the goal language must be adequate to be able to have the best learning outcome. according to magno, lajom, regondo, and bunagan (2009), english exposure is the total amount of time in which an individual has contact with a language. this contact may be verbal, written, formal, informal, active, or passive. the importance of language exposure has long been addressed by wikins (1972) that if children are exposed to the l2 in the same way as they are exposed to the l1, greatest success will be achieved since, being in the natural l2 learning situation, the pressure to acquire the tl so as to control the environment is indeed tremendous. similarly, children who live in a country where english is as a foreign language can also achieve greatest success if the english exposure that they receive is adequate. however, in general, indonesian students are only exposed to english for about four hours a week, which is inadequate. moreover, according to an english native speaker, adam (2013) who raises his children in japan where english is as a minority language, he needs to expose his children to english for 25 hour a week in order to keep pace with the development of their english skills. besides english language exposure, english language learners, especially students, also need to have learning motivation to push them to be adequately resourceful in exposing themselves to english. learning motivation aids them to keep on going regardless of the difficulties that they may encounter. according brown (1987), motivation is generally believed of as an internal determination, desire, emotion, or desire that interchanges one to a specific action, particularly, human beings collectively have desires that are relatively distinctive, however their intensity is naturally trained. it is likely that language exposure impacts learning motivation in students, because students will be more motivated to learn if being able to interact with and control their environment requires it (wikins, 1972). every individual has different motivations in learning. some people are highly motivated because they have particular goals to achieve, while others are equally motivated for other reasons. despite the various sources of motivation, learning motivation is desperately needed in second language acquisition to help students persevere toward fluency, including the development of their reading comprehension. the role of english language exposure and learning motivation in the development of reading comprehension is especially essential for english language learners due to the integral role that a fluency in english can play in students achieving success in this global era. crystal (2003) states that the current status of english as an international language is supported by its widespread use in politics, diplomacy, international trade, commerce, science, technology, education, media, information technology, and popular culture. hermida (2009) considers that academic success largely depends on an individual's reading skill and goes on to add that, with the need to handle lengthy assignments of various difficulty levels, the student must master reading skills to succeed academically. reading is a resource for continued education, for the acquisition of new knowledge and skills, and for gaining information through various media (noor, 2011). this is in accordance with the vision and mission of the international reading association (ira, 2012) that in order to succeed in life, reading literacy is very important to be conquered to train people to develop productive citizens in this 21st century. moreover, reading is less meaningful if one cannot absorb what is being read. it needs comprehension when reading takes place. if students simply focus on reading words correctly without understanding their meaning, their pronunciation may improve, but their ability to confidently and competently use new words in new situations—their proficiency—will not. moreover, comprehension needs a variety of strategies that students must know and manipulate in order to understand reading (ortlieb & norris, 2012). in other words, reading requires skills and to acquire them, students should be exposed to abundant reading materials there should be adequate exposure to either printed books or electronic books as well as a variety of visual and auditory stimuli. current research shows that indonesian students have english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 169 always faced problems with reading comprehension over the years, which has affected their ability to reliably use english proficiently. diem and lestari (2016) found that low achievement of indonesian students in the reading literacy test that they assigned directly correlated to low scores in students’ efl literacy (listening, reading, speaking, and writing). hence, there is an urgency to address this phenomenon into a larger scale since reading comprehension impacts english proficiency. english language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension are three essential keys for students to be academically successful. this is an essential consideration for indonesia, because the reading comprehension level of indonesian students is below the world average in every metric used. the program for international student assessment (pisa, 2015) traced the reading achievement of indonesian students and found that it was below the organization for economic cooperation and development's (oecd) average. indonesian students' achievement in reading was 62nd out of 70 countries. furthermore, results from the test of english for international communication (toeic) on test takers worldwide (2018) showed that the reading performance of indonesian students ranked 49th out of 49 countries with a mean score of 464. the test of english as a foreign language (toefl) also ranked indonesia's score unsatisfactorily. indonesia's mean score on the toefl itp was 470 in 2018, which was below the standard (test and score data summary, 2018). finally, the english proficiency index (epi) results placed indonesia at 61st out of 100 total countries and 13th out of the 25 countries in asia with a mean score of 50.06 (english proficiency index, 2019). more specifically, epi traced the english proficiency of students in south sumatra province as low within the country of indonesia. it ranked 16th out of 22 provinces with a mean score of 45.68 (education first, 2019). all senior high school students in indonesia learn english in school. such low proficiency scores on global tests may be due to a lack of english exposure and learning motivation in english instruction. some schools have a good program for learning english, while many schools, unfortunately, don't offer any program for students to learn english. high-performing school systems set ambitious goals, are clear about what students should be able to do, and enable teachers to figure out what they need to teach their students. they have moved on from administrative control and accountability to professional forms of work organization (andreas, 2018). students in highly developed schools are more likely to be adequately exposed to english, to have high learning motivation, and to exhibit better reading comprehension than other schools in palembang. based on the phenomena above, the researcher was interested in conducting a research entitled ―the correlations among language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension of senior high school students in palembang. the population sample of this research consisted of eleventh graders in sman 1, sman 3, sman 4, sman 5, sman 6 (try-out), sman 8, sman 17, and sman 18 palembang. there were some rationales for choosing these schools. first, the limitation of this study was to explore english language exposure, learning motivation and their correlations to reading comprehension in highperforming schools in palembang to see if they are good in of themselves. it was shown that when looking at high-performing schools, it can be concluded based on their own statistics, that it was not necessary to compare them to lowerperforming schools. second, eleventh graders have been exposed to english for 4 years or more if they previously attended private schools where english was taught as a compulsory subject. third, the population of this study were schools located in the city-based-district (cbd) in the heart of palembang and the districts which have all levels of education (aled) from kindergarten to university. according to mirizon, diem, and vianty (2017), ―the most influential factors on comprehension are school location and grades. students from city based districts (cbd) and districts where all levels of education (aled) existing are known to be better achiever, while the farther the location of the schools from the center of the business and government activities is, the lower the students’ english comprehension would be (p. 538). therefore, these three factors likely indicated that students in these eight schools have similar experiences and opportunities in their education, which would allow the researcher to reveal whether or not they were highly exposed to english and had high learning motivation and allow the researcher to see the whether or not there were correlations among english language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension as well as to see their contribution. galiansa, bambang a loeneto, mgrt. dinar sitinjak the correlations among english language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension achievement of high school students in palembang 170 method a quantitative research approach was used with a correlational research design. creswell (2012, p. 338) states that ―a correlation is a statistical test to determine the tendency or pattern for two or more variables or two sets of data to vary consistently. it enabled the researcher to see the relationships among the predictor and criterion variables. the focus of this study primary investigated the correlations among english language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension of senior high school students in palembang sman 1, sman 3, sman 4, sman 5, sman 6, sman 8, sman 17, and sman 18. quantitative research approach was used with a correlational research design. creswell (2012, p. 338) states that a correlation is a statistical test to determine the tendency or pattern for two or more variables or two sets of data to vary consistently. the results of this study revealed that there was a significant correlation between variables: english language exposure and learning comprehension and reading comprehension of senior high school students in palembang. the limitation of this study was to explore english language exposure, learning motivation and their connection to reading comprehension in highly developed schools in palembang to see if they are good in of themselves. when looking at highly developed schools, it can be concluded based off their own statistics, that it was not necessary to compare them to lower performing schools. there were 8 high-performing high schools in palembang. one of these schools was taken as a sample to try out the instruments. hence, the population in this study was made up of eleventh graders in 7 high-performing schools in palembang during the academic 2018/2019 years. students were selected using purposive sampling, which involves identifying and selecting individuals or groups of individuals that are especially knowledgeable or experienced with a phenomenon of interest (cresswell & plano clark, 2011). according to patton (2002), purposive sampling is a technique widely used in qualitative research for the identification and selection of information-rich cases for the most effective use of limited resources. since this study aimed at seeing the correlations among english language exposure and learning motivation and reading comprehension, but was limited to a small number of students, only students who had taken extra-curricular english courses in their school participated in this research. the process of taking the sample was facilitated by teachers from the various schools, who selected students whom they knew took extra-curricular english courses. the total number of samples in this study was 210 eleventh graders in the academic year 2018/2019. results were collected by using questionnaires, which measured the students’ english language exposure and learning motivation, and a test, which measured students’ reading comprehension achievement. the english language exposure of the students was measured by using a ready-made questionnaire of magno et al. (2009). this questionnaire consisted of 23 items measuring four aspects in english language exposure. learning motivation was measured by a ready-made questionnaire by pintrich and groot (1990) consisting of 44 items measuring five parts of learning motivation. students’ reading comprehension achievement was measured by using a reading comprehension test adapted from the jennings’ informal reading inventory (2001), which comprised 40 multiple choice questions measuring seven aspects of reading comprehension: main idea, cause and effect, sequence, vocabulary, inference, reference, and detail. results general results of english language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension the table below summarized the general information of the predictor variables (english language exposure, learning motivation) and the criterion variable (reading comprehension). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 171 table 1. general results of predictor and criterion variables n minimum maximum mean std. deviation english language exposure (x1) 21 0 46.00 101.00 65.5476 9.65630 learning motivation (x2) 21 0 160.00 193.00 170.4952 5.85980 reading comprehension (y) 21 0 27.50 100.00 60.8333 18.34402 valid n (listwise) 21 0 based on the statistical analyses, the english language exposure result shows that the minimum score of the students was 46, and their maximum score was 101. their mean score, in general, was 65.5476, and the standard derivation was 9.65630. statistically, based on the interval category of the english language exposure, it can be concluded that the english language exposure of senior high school students in high-performing schools in palembang belonged to the average category. moreover, the learning motivation result showed that the students’ minimum score was 160, and their maximum score was 193. in general, their mean score was 170.4952, and their standard derivation was 5.85980. statically, according to the learning motivation interval, the learning motivation of the students was in the average category. total distribution of english language exposure and the score distribution of each aspect table 2. total score distribution of english language exposure interval category frequency percentage x > 56 low 34 16.2% 57 – 75 average 143 68.1% 76 > x high 33 15.7% total 210 100.0% based on the descriptive data above, it can be seen that there were 16.2% of the students fell in the low category, 68.1%, while over 68% of them belonged to the average category, and the rest 15.7% of students belonged to the high category. table 3. score distribution of the aspects of english language exposure aspects mea n std. dev percentage home 1.78 0.50 16.6% friends 2.82 0.76 26.3% school 2.90 0.58 27.0% media 3.23 0.53 30.1% total 100.0% the score distribution of each english language exposure aspects presented that they were highly exposed to english through media, which made up 30.1%, followed by the exposure from the school, which was 27.0%, friends 26.3%, while the lowest english exposure the students received was exposure from their home, which was 16.5% galiansa, bambang a loeneto, mgrt. dinar sitinjak the correlations among english language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension achievement of high school students in palembang 172 total distribution of learning motivation and the score distribution of each aspect table 4. total score distribution of learning motivation interval category frequency percentage x > 165 low 19 9.0% 166 176 average 167 79.5% 177 > x high 24 11.4% total 210 100.0% the table illustrated that, there were not many students fall in the low category. there was only 9.0% of the students belonging to the low category. meanwhile, there number of students who fell in the average category was 79.5%, and the rest 11.4% of the students belonged to the high category. table 5. score distribution of the aspects of learning motivation aspects mean std. dev percentage efficacy 3.91 0.34 20.5% intrinsic 4.26 0.32 22.4% anxiety 3.35 0.74 17.6% cognitive 3.96 0.26 20.8% regulation 3.57 0.33 18.7% total 100.0% the score distribution of the learning motivation above depicted that, the highest learning motivation aspect was the intrinsic aspect that there were 22.4% of the students who whose learning motivation who fell into this aspect. the second highest was the cognitive aspect, which was 20.8%, followed by efficacy 20.5%, regulation 18.7%, and anxiety 17.6% respectively. total distribution of reading comprehension and the score distribution of each aspect table 6. total score distribution of reading comprehension interval category frequency percentage < 44 very poor 56 26.7% 44 55 poor 45 21.4% 56 70 average 48 22.9% 71 85 good 25 11.9% 86 100 excellent 36 17.1% total 210 100.0% the total score distribution of reading comprehension of the students presented that, there were 26.7% of the students who fell in the very poor category, 21.4% of students belonged to the poor category, while 11.9% of the students were in the good category, and the highest percentage fell in the average category, which made up 22.9%, and 17.1% of students in the excellent category. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 173 score distribution of the aspects of reading comprehension table 7. distribution of the aspects of reading comprehension aspects mean std. dev percentage main idea 0.70 0.21 15.9% cause and effect 0.59 0.28 13.4% sequence 0.63 0.21 14.2% vocabulary 0.57 0.26 12.9% inference 0.64 0.25 14.4% reference 0.70 0.23 15.9% detail 0.59 0.24 13.4% total 100.0% the score distribution of the reading comprehension aspects illustrated that, the highest reading comprehension aspects were main idea and reference, which made up 15.9%. two other reading comprehension aspects which had the same percentages were cause and effect and detail 13.4%. the other reading comprehension aspects, such as inference and sequence distributed 14.4% and 14.2% respectively. meanwhile, the reading aspect for vocabulary was only 12.9%. results and discussion these statistical analyses analyzed (1) the normality, homogeneity, and linearity of the instruments, (2) correlation between students’ english language exposure and their reading comprehension as well as the correlations among the aspect of the students’ english language exposure and their reading comprehension (3) total contribution of the students’ english language exposure to their reading comprehension as well as the contribution of its aspects to their reading comprehension, (4) the correlation between students’ learning motivation and their reading comprehension as well as the correlations among the aspect of the students’ learning motivation and their reading comprehension (5) total contribution of the students’ learning motivation to their reading comprehension as well as the contribution of its aspects to their reading comprehension, (6) the correlation among predictor variables (english language exposure and learning motivation) and the criterion variable (reading comprehension), (7) the total contribution of the predictor variables (students’ english language exposure and learning motivation) to their reading comprehension. pearson product moment correlation coefficient explains how well two sets of data correlate to each other. the value can fall between 0.00 (no correlation) and 1.00 (perfect correlation). alpha level (p-value) is a determiner to see whether there is a significant correlation or not. generally, p-values lower than 0.05 are considered significant. the results of normality, homogeneity, and linearity before any analysis done statistically, the writer tested the normality, homogeneity, and linearity of the instruments. after testing the instruments for english language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension, they revealed to be normal, homogeneous, and linear. the significance value of the variables was higher than 0.05, as the requirement for data to be significant. the results are presented in the following tables: galiansa, bambang a loeneto, mgrt. dinar sitinjak the correlations among english language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension achievement of high school students in palembang 174 table 8. the results of normality (n= 150) variables kolmogorov smirnov sig. english language exposure 0.080 .087 learning motivation 0.193 .213 reading comprehension 0.186 .075 table 9. the results of homogeneity between english language exposure and reading comprehension (n=150) levene statistic sig. 1.069 .090 table 10. the results of homogeneity between learning motivation and reading comprehension (n=150) levene statistic sig. 1.447 .062 table 11. the results of linearity between english language exposure and reading comprehension (n=150) f sig. 1.275 .153 table 12. the results of linearity between learning motivation and reading comprehension (n=150) f sig. .998 .475 the correlation between students’ english language exposure and their reading comprehension after conducting pearson product correlation between the outcome of the whole english language exposure and the reading comprehension, the result revealed that the pearson correlation value was 0.646 for n= 210 with a significance value of .000, which is lower than 0.05 that it was significant. pearson's correlation coefficient r indicates that there was a strong significant correlation between students' english language exposure and their reading comprehension. table 13. correlation between english language exposure and reading comprehension reading comprehension english language exposure pearson correlation .646** sig. (2-tailed) .000 n 210 the correlations among the aspects of the students’ english language exposure and their reading comprehension based on table 9, the result of the correlation analyses for each aspect of students’ english language exposure and students’ reading comprehension showed that the correlation coefficient of exposure from home and reading comprehension was 0.277 with a significance value of .000. the correlation coefficient of exposure from friends and reading comprehension was 0.323, with a significance value of .000. the correlation coefficient of exposure from school and reading comprehension was 0.263, with a significance value of .000. the correlation coefficient of exposure from media and reading comprehension was 0.721, with a significance value of .000. in conclusion, all four aspects of english language exposure had a significant correlation with reading comprehension. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 175 table 14. correlations among english language exposure aspects and reading comprehension y pearson correlation sig. (2tailed) n home 0.277 0.000 210 friends 0.323 0.000 210 school 0.263 0.000 210 media 0.721 0.000 210 x1 0.646 0.000 210 y 1 210 the contribution of the students’ english language exposure to their reading comprehension table 15. contribution of english language exposure to reading comprehension mode l r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate 1 .646a .418 .415 5.61142 based on the regression analysis using the stepwise method, it can be seen that the total contribution of the students’ english language exposure to their reading comprehension was neither low nor extremely high 41.5%. it was highly dependent on the student and their english exposure contribution of the aspects of the students’ english language exposure to their reading comprehension table 16. contribution of english language exposure aspects to reading comprehension y pearson correlation r square sig. (2 tailed) n home 0.277 0.077 0.000 210 friends 0.323 0.104 0.000 210 school 0.263 0.069 0.000 210 media 0.721 0.520 0.000 210 y 1 210 based on the regression analysis using the stepwise method, it can be seen that the contribution of the aspects of the students' english language exposure to their reading comprehension was varied. the highest aspect contributing to their reading comprehension was exposure from media 52%, while the smallest aspect was exposure from school 0.69 %. the other aspects of english language exposure from friends contributed (10.4%), and exposure from home contributed (07.7%). the correlation between students’ learning motivation and reading comprehension table 17. correlation between learning motivation and reading comprehension reading comprehension learning motivation pearson correlation .719** sig. (2tailed) .000 n 210 galiansa, bambang a loeneto, mgrt. dinar sitinjak the correlations among english language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension achievement of high school students in palembang 176 the pearson product correlation between the outcome of the learning motivation (total) and the reading comprehension revealed that the pearson correlation value was 0.719 for n=210 with a significance value of .000, which was lower than 0.05, meaning that it was significant. pearson's correlation coefficient r indicated that there was a strong significant correlation between students' learning motivation and their reading comprehension. correlations among the aspect of the students’ learning motivation and their reading comprehension table 18. correlation among learning motivation aspects and reading comprehension y pearson correlation sig. (2 tailed) n efficacy 0.393 0.000 210 intrinsic 0.205 0.003 210 anxiety 0.178 0.010 210 cognitive 0.234 0.001 210 regulation 0.367 0.000 210 y 1 210 based on table 9, the result of the correlation analyses for each aspect of students’ learning motivation and students’ reading comprehension showed that the correlation coefficient of efficacy and reading comprehension was 0.393 with a significance value of .000. the correlation coefficient of intrinsic and reading comprehension was 0.205, with a significance value of .003. the correlation coefficient of anxiety and reading comprehension was 0.178, with a significance value of .003. the correlation coefficient of cognitive and reading comprehension was 0.234, with a significance value of .001. the correlation coefficient of regulation and reading comprehension was 0.367, with a significance value of .000. in conclusion, all five aspects of learning motivation had a significant correlation with reading comprehension. total contribution of the students’ learning motivation to their reading comprehension table 19. contribution of learning motivation to reading comprehension model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate 719a .517 .515 5.11269 a. predictors: (constant), x2 based on the regression analysis using the stepwise method, it could be seen that the total contribution of students’ learning motivation toward their reading comprehension was 51.7. the contribution of the aspects of the students’ learning motivation to their reading comprehension table 20. contribution of learning motivation aspects to reading comprehension y pearson correlation r square sig. (2 tailed) n efficacy 0.393 0.154 0.000 210 intrinsic 0.205 0.042 0.003 210 anxiety 0.178 0.032 0.010 210 cognitive 0.234 0.055 0.001 210 regulation 0.367 0.135 0.000 210 y 1 210 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 177 based on the regression analysis using the stepwise method, it can be seen that the contribution of the aspects of the students’ learning motivation toward their reading comprehension was various. the highest learning motivation aspect that contributed to the reading aspect was efficacy (15.4%), while the other aspects of english language exposure provided small contributions. regulation contributed 13.5%, cognitive 0.55%, intrinsic 0.42%, the correlations among the predictor variables (english language exposure and learning motivation) and criterion variable (reading comprehension) table 21. correlations among the predictor variables and criterion variable variables r r square f predictor variables and the criterion variable 768 .589 148.46 6 a. predictor and criterion the result showed that the correlation coefficient between the predictor variables total and the criterion variable total was .768 with a significance value of .000. thus, it can be concluded that there was a significant correlation between predictor variables and the criterion variable. the contribution among the predictor variables (english language exposure and learning motivation) and criterion variable (reading comprehension) table 22. contribution among predictor variable and criterion variable variables r r square f predictor variables and the criterion variable 7 6 8 .589 148.46 6 a. predictor and criterion this table showed that the r-square, which indicated the contribution of predictor variables (english language exposure and learning motivation) to the criterion variable (reading comprehension) was 58.9%. interpretation of the study firstly, the results of the english language exposure questionnaire revealed that the eleventh graders in high-performing schools in palembang, in general, were classified in the average level, with a mean score of 65.5476 and std. deviation of 9.65630. on the one hand, in terms of aspects of english language exposure, they were highly exposed to english through media, which was 30.1%, followed by schools at 27% and friends at 26.3%. on the other hand, they were only exposed to english 16.6% from home. nevertheless, each aspect of english language exposure impacted the students’ reading comprehension development. this result was in line with a previous study done by mol et al. (2008) finding that students who were exposed to english, particularly reading material adequately, had good reading comprehension. the eleventh graders in palembang were exposed to english through media 30.1%, which was considered the highest among the other aspects. one of the reasons may be that students had access to any reading material on the internet. living the 21st century, students across the globe, particularly students in high-performing schools in palembang were benefited from advanced technologies that enabled them to have access to nearly any reading material they needed on their smartphone. meanwhile, the lowest percentage of english exposure was from home. the students didn’t frequently use english at home with their families. one of the reasons for this was likely to be that the status of english that is still as a foreign language. hence, there are less people use english on a daily basis, and in the case of english language exposure from home, these students are likely the only english speakers in their households. moreover, in schools setting, despite the fact that they took the english extracuticular, they could only learn english in a minimal amount of time. as a result, it was not surprising that students’ english language galiansa, bambang a loeneto, mgrt. dinar sitinjak the correlations among english language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension achievement of high school students in palembang 178 exposure was only in the average category. similarly, with that average amount of english language exposure they received, it was reasonably unsurprising that their reading comprehension was also in the average category. the english exposure they received through media was neither high nor extremely low 30.1%, which aided their reading comprehension to not fall into the poor category. statistically, some students scored perfect grades in their reading comprehension test, and some other students scored poorly. however, in general, there was a significant correlation between english language exposure of the eleventh graders of senior high school students in high-performing high schools in palembang and their reading comprehension. the pearson correlation revealed that it was .646**, which was greater than 0.05, meaning that their english language exposure and reading comprehension were significantly correlated: an average level of english exposure equaled an average reading comprehension. furthermore, the students' english language exposure, in total, contributed 41.8% to their reading comprehension, while 58.2% of the contributions were from other factors. furthermore, the contribution of its aspects was 52% for exposure from media, 10.4% for exposure from friends, 0.77% for exposure from home, and 0.69% for exposure from school. from this, it can be seen that the media plays a vital role in helping students with their reading comprehension. concerning this, al-zoubi (2018) pointed out that students should be continually exposed to the english language through watching english movies and program, surfing the internet, listening to radio, reading english books, magazines, newspapers, and practicing english language with native speakers on a daily basis to encourage them overcoming their weaknesses and improving their fluency as well as proficiency in acquiring english language. additionally, teachers and parents should raise learners' awareness of the importance of learning the english language through exposure to the language daily using different techniques that can enhance second language acquisition. secondly, the result of the learning motivation questionnaire filled out by the eleventh graders, in general, showed that they were in the average category level, with a mean score of 170.4952 and std. deviation of 5.85980. moreover, in terms of aspects of their learning motivation, the students were highly motivated to learn english intrinsically, which was 22.4%, followed by efficacy 20.5%, and the rest of the learning motivation aspects, such as cognitive 20.8%, regulation 18.7%, and anxiety 17.6%. this learning motivation result likely reflects the characteristics of high performing schools that require students to perform academically best. in some ways, it could be intimidating for some students as well. however, agreeing to go to a high-performing high school seemed to suggest that they were already highly motivated to learn in the first place. this statistical result confirmed that the lowest learning motivation aspect was anxiety, meaning that students were less anxious in learning what they learned in school. therefore, their learning motivation had a significant impact on their reading comprehension. this result was in line with what maleki and zangani (2007) found that learning motivation, particularly reading motivation, is an essential element that distinguishes students' success in text recognizing and understanding reading comprehension must be considered in university levels. in foreign language learning, one of the most important factors for the learners is the method which teachers use in their teaching to facilitate learning. this was also in accordance with what john and vanleirsburg (1994) had long highlighted in their study that when students are highly motivated to read, the likelihood that they will increase their reading comprehension. in short, learning motivation have immense impacts on students’ reading comprehension. consequently, there was a significant correlation between students’ learning motivation and their reading comprehension. the pearson correlation revealed that it was .719**, which was greater than 0.05, meaning that their exposure to english and reading comprehension were significantly correlated, although their reading comprehension was in the average level. this result was still reasonable because reading comprehension is not easy. reading comprehension is a difficult process because students should be able to read the written words and decode the vocabularies and recognize the meanings of the texts. english language learning showed that reading comprehension is the main factor which should be focused on english language teaching. (ahmadi & hairul: 2012). this is in line what pang, muaka, bernbardt, and kamil (2003) stating that reading is about understanding written texts and comprehension is english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 179 the process of making sense of words, sentences, and connected text. readers will use background knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, and other strategies to help them to understand a written text. nevertheless, the students’ total learning motivation contributed 51.7% to their reading comprehension. moreover, the contribution of its learning motivation aspects was 15.4% for efficacy, 13.5% for regulation, 0.55% for cognitive, 0.42% for intrinsic, and 0.32% for anxiety. the highest contribution learning motivation towards reading comprehension was efficacy 13.5%. a study conducted by barkley (2006) investigating selfefficacy and reading comprehension revealed that students’ self-efficacy beliefs about using prior knowledge, self-monitoring, and graphic organizers were statistically significantly correlated with reading comprehension scores on the stanford achievement test. in other words, the students' learning motivation, particularly the efficacy, impacted their reading comprehension. lastly, based on the statistical analysis, the answers to the research questions of this study were that predictor variable (english language exposure and learning motivation) and the criterion variable (reading comprehension achievement) had a significant correlation to each other because they were higher than 0.05 and the impact of english language exposure and learning motivation on reading comprehension contributed 58.9%. conclusion based on the interpretation of this study, the following conclusions can be drawn. first, there was a significant correlation between students' english exposure and their reading comprehension. the distribution of each aspect gave various percentages, which indicted that each aspect of english language exposure was essential. therefore, there was a significant contribution the english language exposure as well as its aspects to the students’ reading comprehension. in other words, the higher exposure they received, the better students’ reading comprehension. second, students’ learning motivation was also significantly correlated with the students’ reading comprehension. the distribution of each aspect similarly provided certain amount of percentages to the reading comprehension. hence, there was a significant contribution the learning motivation and its aspects contributed to the reading comprehension. from the analyses, it was clear that the more motivated the students, the better their reading comprehension. third, there was significant correlations among the predictor variables (english language exposure and learning motivation), and the criterion variable (reading comprehension) of senior high school students in palembang. the contribution of the predictor variables contributed 58.9 % to the reading comprehension of senior high school students in palembang. the writer suggests that english teachers be more aware of identifying the amount of their students’ english language exposure. distributing a questionnaire on english language exposure on the first day of class would likely help to recognize how much english exposure of each student has on a daily basis, so that teachers have time to sit and think of ways to help the students to be sufficiently exposed to english. there is also the need of teachers to be more courageous in infusing fun into the idea of learning english so that students will be more motivated in learning since learning motivation plays an essential role in boosting students' reading comprehension. it seems to be easier for teachers nowadays to trigger students to like reading. there are abundant free sources of learning english on the internet. the teachers should be able to provide students with the information as where they can access them. additionally, the writer would like to encourage other researchers who might be interested in further study, especially in english language exposure since it has not been widely discussed in indonesia, conduct a research on it with certainly different approaches, methodologies, and populations. the time constrains didn’t enable the writer to have a richer way to do the research, especially when conducting the reading test. the size of the samples was large. it would be wholesome if the writer could have one student at a time to do the reading comprehension test with him. for example, giving each of them certain amount of time to read and asking them questions regarding what they have read right away would create a more transparent result and better understanding about their difficulties in reading. references adam. (2013). how many hours per week is your child exposed to the minority language. bilingual monkeys. http://bilingualmonkeys.com/how-many hours-per-week-is-your-child-exposed-to-thehttp://bilingualmonkeys.com/how-many-hours-per-week-is-your-child-exposed-to-the-minority-language/ http://bilingualmonkeys.com/how-many-hours-per-week-is-your-child-exposed-to-the-minority-language/ galiansa, bambang a loeneto, mgrt. dinar sitinjak the correlations among english language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension achievement of high school students in palembang 180 minority-language/ ahmadi, m. r., & hairul, n. i. (2012). reciprocal teaching as an important factor of improving reading comprehension. journal of studies in education, 2(4),153-173. al-zoubi, s.m. (2018). the impact of exposure to english language on language acquisition. journal of applied linguistic and language research. 5(4), 151-162. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3284 92845_the_impact_of_exposure_to_english_ language_on_language_acquisition andreas, s. (2018). what makes high-performing school systems different, in world class: how to build a 21st-century school system, oecd publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264300002-3-en barkley, j. m. (2006). efficacy beliefs and reading comprehension: relations between middle grades teachers' and students' efficacy beliefs, outcome expectancies, and students' reading comprehension performance. (published doctoral dissertation). auburn university. brown, d. (1987). principles of language learning and teaching (2nd ed). englewood cliffs, nj: prentice hall regents. creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). boston, ma: pearson. crystal, d. (2003). english as a global language. (2nd ed.). cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. deci, e. l., & ryan, r. m. (1985). intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. new york: plenum. diem, c. d., & lestari, p. (2016). interaction effects of lcs and gender on tenth graders’ english achievements. a paper presented at the fourth 21st century academic forum, at harvard, ma, 19-22 march. https://www.21caf.org/uploads/1/3/5/2/135276 82/4hrd-3041_diem_c.pdf education first. (2019). ef english proficiency index. https://www.ef.com/ca/ education testing service (ets). (2018). 2018 report on test taker worldwide: the toeic https://www.ets.org/s/toeic/pdf/2018-reporton-test-takersworldwide.pdf education testing service (ets). (2018). 2018 test and data summary for the toefl itp test. epi/regions/asia/indonesia/. https://www.ets.org/s/toefl_itp/pdf/toefl-itptest-score-data-2018.pdf ethnologue. (2008). languages of the world. https://www.ethnology.com/about hermida, j. (2009). the importance of teaching academic reading skills in first year university courses. the international journal of research, 3, 20-30. https://www.mansfield.edu/fye/upload/acade mic-reading-skills.pdf https://www.ets.org/s/toefl_itp/pdf/toefl-itptest-score-data-2018.pdf international reading association. (2012). adolescent literacy: a position statement of the international reading association. http://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/defaul t-source/where-westand/adolescent-literacyposition-statement.pdf?sfvrsn=8 jennings, j. (2001). jennings informal reading assessment. http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/ 2688/2753469/richek_ap pd.pdf kachru, b. j. (1986). the alchemy of english: the spread, functions and models of non-native. magno, c., filho, m. k., lajom, j. a., regodon, j. r., & bunagan, k. s. (2009). assessing the level of english language exposure of taiwanese college students in taiwan and the philippines. asian efl journal, 11(1), 62– 73. maleki, a., & zangani, e. (2007). a survey on the relationship between english language proficiency and the academic achievement of iranian efl students. asian efl journal, 9, 86-96. mirizon, s., diem, c.d., vanty, m. (2018). students’ specific comprehension skills in english based on school locations, grades, and gender. indonesian journal of applied linguistic, 3(7), 538-548. mol, s. e., bus, a. g., de jong, m. t., & smeets, d. j. h. (2008). added value of dialogic parentchild book readings: a meta-analysis. early education and development, 19, 7-26. http://doi.org/10.1080/10409280701838603 nasution, s. (1995). sejarah pendidikan indonesia. jakarta: bumiaksara. noor, n.m. (2011). reading habits and performances of efl post graduates: a case study. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 1(1),1-9. ortlieb. e., & norris, m. (2012). using the thinkaloud strategy to bolster reading comprehension of science concept. current issues in education, 15(1), 64-69. pang, e. s. a., muaka, e. b., bernbardt, m. l., & kamil. (2003). teaching reading, education practice12, pdf book. pintrich, p. r., & de groot, e. v. (1990). motivational and self-regulated learning http://bilingualmonkeys.com/how-many-hours-per-week-is-your-child-exposed-to-the-minority-language/ http://www.researchgate.net/publication/328492845_the_impact_of_ex http://www.researchgate.net/publication/328492845_the_impact_of_ex http://www.researchgate.net/publication/328492845_the_impact_of_ex http://www.21caf.org/uploads/1/3/5/2/13527682/4hrd-3041_diem_c.pdf http://www.21caf.org/uploads/1/3/5/2/13527682/4hrd-3041_diem_c.pdf http://www.21caf.org/uploads/1/3/5/2/13527682/4hrd-3041_diem_c.pdf http://www.ef.com/ca/ http://www.ef.com/ca/ http://www.ets.org/s/toeic/pdf/2018-report-on-test-takershttp://www.ets.org/s/toeic/pdf/2018-report-on-test-takershttp://www.ets.org/s/toeic/pdf/2018-report-on-test-takershttp://www.ets.org/s/toefl_itp/pdf/toefl-itp-test-score-data-2018.pdf http://www.ets.org/s/toefl_itp/pdf/toefl-itp-test-score-data-2018.pdf http://www.ets.org/s/toefl_itp/pdf/toefl-itp-test-score-data-2018.pdf https://www.ethnology.com/about https://www.ethnology.com/about http://www.mansfield.edu/fye/upload/academic-reading-skills.pdf http://www.mansfield.edu/fye/upload/academic-reading-skills.pdf http://www.mansfield.edu/fye/upload/academic-reading-skills.pdf https://www.ets.org/s/toefl_itp/pdf/toefl-itp-test-score-datahttps://www.ets.org/s/toefl_itp/pdf/toefl-itp-test-score-datahttps://www.ets.org/s/toefl_itp/pdf/toefl-itp-test-score-datahttp://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/adolescent-literacy-position-statement.pdf?sfvrsn=8 http://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/adolescent-literacy-position-statement.pdf?sfvrsn=8 http://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/adolescent-literacy-position-statement.pdf?sfvrsn=8 http://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/adolescent-literacy-position-statement.pdf?sfvrsn=8 http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/2688/2753469/richek_appd.pdf http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/2688/2753469/richek_appd.pdf http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/2688/2753469/richek_appd.pdf http://doi.org/10.1080/10409280701838603 http://doi.org/10.1080/10409280701838603 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 181 components of classroom academic performance. journal of educational psychology, 82, 33-40. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.82.1.33 pisa. (2015). literacy skill for the world of tomorrow. unesco institute for statistic. http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2015-resultsin-focus.pdf http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2015-results-in-focus.pdf http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2015-results-in-focus.pdf http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2015-results-in-focus.pdf galiansa, bambang a loeneto, mgrt. dinar sitinjak the correlations among english language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension achievement of high school students in palembang 182 correlation among semantics, syntaxes, pragmatics, and cognitive barriers towards the accuracy of geometry proofs of math students english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 309 correlation among semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, and cognitive barriers towards accuracy geometry proofs erna iftanti department of english education, faculty of teacher education, uin tulungagung; indonesia e-mail: erna.iftanti@iain-tulungagung.ac.id umy zahroh department of math education, faculty of teacher education, uin tulungagung; indonesia e-mail: umyzahroh@iain-tulungagung.ac.id musrikah department of math education, faculty of teacher education, uin tulungagung; indonesia e-mail: musrikahstainta@gmail.com apa citation: iftanti, e., zahroh, u., & musrikah. (2021). correlation among semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, and cognitive barriers towards accuracy geometry proofs. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 309-322. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5711 received: 04-08-2021 accepted: 27-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 abstract: the purpose of this article is to discover the correlation among language elementssemantic, syntactic, pragmaticand cognitive barriers towards the accuracy of geometry proofs. this interdisciplinary study was carried out in response to the fact that students of math neither focus on mathematical procedures nor integrate the topics of math into the representation of mathematical concept which brings about the constraint of achieving the goal of learning math. this fact is resulted from either external or internal factors such as students’ background knowledge that is influenced by cognitive or communicative factors. thus, effective communication consisting of semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic can be big barriers towards achieving learning goal. this study was conducted through a correlational study with 30 students of math department, iain tulungagung indonesia as the sample out of 120 populations. they were selected randomly based on their own availability and willingness to seriously take part in this interdisciplinary research. the instrument used was a set of achievement math test on triangle congruency. the findings of this study prove that there is a correlation and negative effect of semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, and cognitive barriers towards the accuracy of geometry proof. the result of this study is pedagogically implemented for tutors of math to consider either oral or written communicative barriers which inhibit the students’ learning success in math. further studies on efforts of minimizing language barriers in geometry proof accuracy is suggested to be conducted. keywords: communicative barriers; cognitive barriers; accuracy of geometry evidences. introduction to have mathematical communication skills is essential to achieve the learning goal. referring to rohid & rusmawati (2019), the skills cover students’ ability to (1) arrange and link their mathematical thinking through communication; (2) communicate their logical and clear mathematical thinking to their friends, teachers, and others; (3) analyze and assess mathematical thinking and strategies used by others; and (4) use mathematical language to express mathematical ideas correctly. such skills are important to explore and support their mathematical abilities (hafifah & bharata, 2018). however, rohid & rusmawati (2019) in their study found that only 1 out of 3 students of junior high school in indonesia is able to express mathematical ideas; understand, interpret and assess or respond to mathematical ideas; and use terms, notations, and symbols to present mathematical ideas. in indonesian context, students’ mathematical skills need to be improved. another study (fauziyah & jupri, 2020l) ferret out that most students encounter problems in mathematical communication skills. there have been studies related to language and mathematical communication skills which cover three areas. the first is problems and challenges in teaching and learning mathematics. some studies revealed a not well established system of mathematic instruction (tanujaya, prahmana, & erna iftanti, umy zahroh, & musrikah correlation among semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, and cognitive barriers towards accuracy geometry proofs 310 mumu, 2017), low communication skills and mathematical representations (fauziyah & jupri, 2020), mathematical problem solving (martins & martinho, 2021), cognitive obstacles (herscovics, 2018), and misconceptions and other difficulties in syntactic knowledge, conceptual knowledge, and strategic knowledge (qian & lehman,2017). the second area of research in math is ways to promote students’ mathematical communication skills. studies ferret out that students’ mathematical communication ability can be promoted through project based learning with scaffolding (paruntu, sukestiyarno, & prasetyo, 2018), metacognitive based contextual learning (ahdhianto & santi, 2020), problem based learning (surya, syahputra, & juniati, 2018), core (connecting-organizingreflecting-extending) learning (yaniawati, indrawan, & setiawan, 2019), probing-prompting based on ethnomatematics learning (hartinah et.al. 2019), pisa with realistic learning (sari, 2019), and brain-based learning (bbl) approach with autograph (triana & zubainur, 2019). the third area is learners’ communication barrier. for example ofulue (2011) investigated communication barriers in long distance class. meanwhile, ozmen, akuzum, muhammed & selcuk (2016) studied communication problems between teachers and students’ parents. sbaragli et al.(2011) conducted a study on cognitive and epistemology barriers. bishop et al (2014) researched barriers and competence on integers. mallet (2012) studied the cognitive barriers on integral, and magajna (2013) conducted a study on cognitive obstacles of the learners with insufficient knowledge. meanwhile, nyikahadzoyi (2013) studied only on the learners’ cognitive problems. however, it is almost hardly found a study concerning with correlation among those barriers with the accuracy of the learners’ geometry proof. thus, it is necessary to investigate the correlation between and among the barriers towards their accuracy of geometry proof. taking a closer look at the above-mentioned facts, it is significant to carry out a study on finding out the correlation between the skills of mathematical communication and problem solving in maths. there are three reasons underlining this interdisciplinary study. the first is language is considered as the key notion for the understanding of the complexity of math (planas,2018). he further explains that language is a shifting resource for the communication of tensions which consider languages of learners and the creation of newer situations toward the production of meaning taken as mathematical. participants in mathematics lesson use their languages to communicate their mathematical thinking in the multilingual mathematics classroom. consequently, language is variably realized within the network of options produced and activated at the intersection of language system, the language of mathematics and the language of instruction. the second reason is regarding the importance of language in math. as proved by peng et. all. (2020) that the language use for retrieving mathematics knowledge may be more important for foundational mathematics skills. this in turn can further strengthen linguistic thought processes to perform more advanced mathematics tasks. the more complicated language and mathematics skills are associated with stronger relations between language and mathematics. furthermore, perez & alieto (2018) proved that the proficiency in the use of mother tongue has a very strong positive correlation with math achievement. an effective communication either between students and students or between students and teachers becomes underlying factor of learning success. this communication process involves semantic, syntaxes, and pragmatic factors (ongstad, 2006). the third is serious effort need to be given in order to reduce cognitive problems and thoughts which focus on helping the learners’ cognitive barriers (bishop et al., 2014). one of which is by discovering the correlation between barriers on mathematical communication skills and mathematical problem solving. this study is then intended to reveal what barrier which correlates to the learners’ learning failure to accurately accomplish the task and to know whether each barrier affected each other. method this research employed correlational study. the population of this study were 120 students of math education department of iain tulungagung, indonesia who learned euclid geometry. the material learned in this subject is geometry proof. the sample was selected randomly by asking those who were available and willing to take part seriously in this research. there were 30 students selected as sample who were not forced to get involved in this research because they were asked to do the test. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 311 the object of investigation in this present research was triangle congruency. this material needs to be comprehensively understood about axiom, theorem, definition, and their uses during the process of proving. this material did not only require cognitif competence, but the skills of constructing and arranging argumentative sentences appropriate to the context as well. thus, there was a complexity of competence namely cognitive and communicative competences which need to be achieved by the sample. those competences were used as the underlying basis to measure their competence to construct proof sentences. accordingly, the predictor variables of this research were semantic (x1), syntaxes (, x2), pragmatic (x3) and cognitive (x4) barriers. the dependent variable (y) is the accuracy of geometry proof. the instrument used to collect the data in this research was a set of achievement test which consisted of 4 questions asking about how to prove the accuracy of geometry. it was written in bahasa indonesiathe sample’s mother tongue. the test is divided into two types of questionpictured question and narrative questions. the first type comprised 2 questions which were equipped with pictures and known elements. the latter one consisted of two narrative test items without pictures. it was developed through the following steps: 1). arranging indicators and descriptor of test ítems; 2). developing test; 3) developing rubric for test validation; 4). conducting expert validation; 5). conducting try out test; 6). the test was used to collect data if they are valid and reliable; 7). the questions selected are the ones with the highest validity of the two types of questions; 8). if the questions are not valid and reliable yet, then the steps of test development are repeated. the validity of the instrument was tested using pearson correlation which showed that the sig. score is less than 0,05. meanwhile, its validity is done by taking a look at the scores of alpha cronbach’s which shows 0,848 showing its high reliability. the design of this research was as follows: the researchers 1). decided the materials of the research, namely triangle congruency; 2). arranged indicators and descriptors of the materials; 3) arranged indicators and descriptors of the constraints; 4). developed instrument and scoring rubric; 5). conducted expert validation; 6). revised draft of instrument based on the feedback given by the expert; 7). conducted try out test to students sharing common characteristics with the sample of the research; 8).conducted validity and reliability test; 9). selected test items which have high validity of both types of questions; 10). conducted test to the sample of the research; 11). did scoring and tabulating the score obtained from the sample of this research; 12). conducted test requirement and hypothesis; 13. drew conclusion from the result of hypothesis test findings and discussion this research is intended to see both the correlation between predictor and dependent variables and their effects predictively. the collected data were tested by using multi regression test and simple regression test for each predictor variable towards dependent variable (y = a  bx.). the result of simple regression test of semantic barrier ( ) towards geometry proof accuracy (y) this hypotheses testing is aimed at knowing whether the coefficient regression is significant or not. the hypothesis to be tested is whether there is significant effect of semantic barrier ( ) towards accuracy proof (y). table 1. correlation between semantic barrier and accuracy proof correlations accuracy proof semantic barrier pearson correlation accuracy proof 1.000 -.486 semantic barrier -.486 1.000 sig. (1-tailed) accuracy proof . .003 semantic barrier .003 . n accuracy proof 30 30 erna iftanti, umy zahroh, & musrikah correlation among semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, and cognitive barriers towards accuracy geometry proofs 312 correlations accuracy proof semantic barrier pearson correlation accuracy proof 1.000 -.486 semantic barrier -.486 1.000 sig. (1-tailed) accuracy proof . .003 semantic barrier .003 . n accuracy proof 30 30 semantic barrier 30 30 table 1 shows that coefficient correlation between semantic barrier and accuracy proof is 0,486 which means that there is negative correlation between the two variables. this correlation is defined as the higher the semantic barrier the weaker the accuracy proof. the score of r square as seen in table 11b. is 0,236. this number indicates that the semantic barrier contributes 23, 6% to the accuracy of arranging proof, and 76, 4 % is determined by the other factors. that percentage points out the contributing number of semantic competence in doing accuracy proof of geometry. the strength of geometry proof is partly dependent on the students’ semantic competence-the way defining and comprehending any math symbols employed in the test items. either students or teachers should then notice the importance of semantic knowledge and competence in producing accurate proof in math. this finding supports mimau et.al. (2019) who proved that syntactic awareness acts together with semantics in order to foster the use of context in word reading such as narrative math test item. table 2. correlation between semantic barrier and accuracy proof model summary model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate 1 .486a .236 .209 24.005 a. predictors: (constant), semantic barrier meanwhile, it is found that the score of sig is 0,007 and it is smaller than 0, 05. thus, it is feasible to be continued doing regression test in order to see how much semantic barrier towards accuracy proof can be predicted. in addition, the result of simple linier regression equation found is y = 67,813  0,643 x which indicates that the semantic barrier (x1) negatively affects the proof accuracy (y). this means that for every increase in the value of x by one unit, the value of y will decrease by 0, 643 units. the result of simple regression test of syntactic barrier (x2) towards geometry proof accuracy (y) the result of correlation test as seen in table 2a shows that the ccorrelation coefficient between semantic barriers and proof accuracy is 0.907. this indicates that there is a very strong correlation between syntactic barriers to the accuracy of evidence. a negative sign indicates a negative relationship, the higher the syntaxes obstacles, the weaker the proof produced. this indicates that syntax-related math is influential in learning math as proved by klibanoff et .al. (2006) that teachers' math-related talk was related significantly to the growth of preschoolers' mathematical knowledge. further study has indicated that algebraic systems can be taught using generalizations from written english syntax (ostler & bruckner, 2017) table 3. correlation between semantic barrier and the proof accuracy correlations accuracy proof syntaxes barrier english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 313 pearson correlation proof accuracy 1.000 -.907 syntaxes barrier -.907 1.000 sig. (1-tailed) proof accuracy . .000 syntaxes barrier .000 . n proof accuracy 30 30 syntaxes barrier 30 30 . table 4. the effect of semantic barrier towards the proof accuracy model summaryb model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate 1 .907a .823 .817 11.549 a. predictors: (constant), syntaxes barrier b. dependent variable: proof accuracy table 4 shows that the score of r square is 0,823. this coefficient of determination indicates that the syntactic constraints 82.3% contribute to produce the proof accuracy, while 17.7% was determined by other factors. thus, it can be said that the syntactic barriers have a strong influence to produce the correct geometry proof. mahfudy (2017) in his study revealed that students employ syntactic proof production type consisting of identifying and manipulating the statement or information in the question, translating the information in the question, choosing the relevant theorem, using formal mathematical symbol or notation in conducting the proof stage, using sketch, and making conclusion from every statement. this indicates that syntax correlate with the success or failure of the geometry proof. in addition, the result of anova test that the sig score is 0,000 and it is smaller than 0, 05. this demonstrates that the syntactic barrier is predicted to be significant towards the proof accuracy of geometry. table 5. the significance of anova testing on the effect of syntactic barriers towards proof accuracy anovab model sum of squares df mean square f sig. 1 regression 17381.346 1 17381.346 130.305 .000a residual 3734.909 28 133.390 total 21116.255 29 a. predictors: (constant), syntaxes barrier b. dependent variable: proof accuracy so, it can be predicted that syntactic barriers (x2) negatively affect the accuracy of proof (y). moreover, it can be stated that for each increase in the score of x by one unit, the score of y will decrease by 0.961 units. based on the score of a and b obtained, the regression equation can be written y = 91.559 0.961x. the regression coefficient is minus. then it can be predicted that the syntactic barriers (x2) negatively affect the accuracy of proof (y). furthermore, it can be stated that for each increase in the score of x by one unit, then the score of y will decrease by 0.961 units. table 6. the predictive effect of syntactic barrier towards proof accuracy coefficientsa model unstandardized coefficients standardized coefficients t sig. b std. error beta 1 (constant) 91.559 4.707 19.451 .000 syntactic barrier -.961 .084 -.907 -11.415 .000 erna iftanti, umy zahroh, & musrikah correlation among semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, and cognitive barriers towards accuracy geometry proofs 314 coefficientsa model unstandardized coefficients standardized coefficients t sig. b std. error beta 1 (constant) 91.559 4.707 19.451 .000 syntactic barrier -.961 .084 -.907 -11.415 .000 a. dependent variable: proof accuracy the result of simple regression test of pragmatic barrier ( ) towards geometry proving accuracy (y) pragmatic barrier is concerned with how to define meaning from context either problem or proving contexts. in this research, it was found that the coefficient correlation between pragmatic barrier and geometry proving accuracy arranged by math students is 0,745 (see table 16). this shows that there is a strong negative correlation between pragmatic barriers and geometry proof accuracy the higher the pragmatic barriers, the weaker the proof accuracy. table 7. correlation between pragmatic barrier and accuracy proof correlations proof accuracy hambatan pragmatic pearson correlation proof accuracy 1.000 -.745 pragmatic barriers -.745 1.000 sig. (1-tailed) proof accuracy . .000 pragmatic barriers .000 . n proof accuracy 30 30 pragmatic barriers 30 30 then, it was found that r square showing the strength of the effect of pragmatic barriers towards proof accuracy in geometry. table 7 shows that the score of coefficient determination coefficient is 0,555 which mean that the contribution of pragmatic barrier towards the accuracy of geometry proof is 55.5% and the rest 44, 5% is affected by the other factors. table 8. the effect of pragmatic barriers towards proof accuracy model summaryb model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate 1 .745a .555 .540 18.310 a. predictors: (constant), hambatan pragmatic b. dependent variable: proof accuracy meanwhile, the significance of its effect can be seen from the sig. score of anova testing and it was found that it is 0,000 (see table 7). since the sig. score is smaller than 0, 05, it can be sum up that there is significant effect of pragmatic barrier towards geometry accuracy proof. table 9. significance of anova testing on the effect of pragmatic barrier towards geometry accuracy proof anovab model sum of squares df mean square f sig. 1 regression 11728.723 1 11728.723 34.983 .000a residual 9387.532 28 335.269 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 315 total 21116.255 29 a. predictors: (constant), pragmatic barrier b. dependent variable: accuracy proof this can also be found that the predictive regression equation of pragmatic barriers towards geometry accuracy proof is y = 77,029 – 0,894x (see table 8). because the score of regression coefficient is minus (), it can be predicted that pragmatic barrier ( ) negatively influence the geometry accuracy proof (y). it can also be stated that each increase in the score of x by one unit, then the score of y will decrease by 0,894 units. table 8. regression equation on the effect of pragmatic barriers towards geometry accuracy proof coefficientsa model unstandardized coefficients standardized coefficients t sig. b std. error beta 1 (constant) 77.029 6.578 11.709 .000 pragmatic barrier -.894 .151 -.745 -5.915 .000 a. dependent variable: proof accuracy the result of simple regression test of cognitive barrier (x4) towards geometry proving accuracy (y) this cognitive barrier refers to the one in understanding the content of the materials which covers understanding on definition, axiom, and theorem. the result of correlation test (see table 9) shows that the score of correlation coefficient between cognitive barrier and geometry accuracy proof is 0,881. this score indicate strong negative correlation between the two variables meaning that the higher the cognitive barrier the weaker the accuracy proof made. table 9. correlation between cognitive barrier and accuracy proof correlations proof accuracy cognitive barrier pearson correlation proof accuracy 1.000 -.881 cognitive barrier -.881 1.000 sig. (1-tailed) proof accuracy . .000 cognitive barrier .000 . n proof accuracy 30 30 cognitive barrier 30 30 meanwhile, the effect of cognitive barrier towards the geometry accuracy proof can be seen in table 10. the score of r square is 0,777 which means that its determination coefficient is 77, 7%. this can be noted that 77, 7% accuracy proof is affected by cognitive barrier and the rest 32, 3% is the other factors which might influence the learners’ geometry accuracy proof. noto et.al (2019) who studied about learning obstacles on transformation geometry found that the learning obstacles are related to cognitive factor such as applying the concept, visualizing, principle, understanding of the problem and how to prove. table 10. the effect of cognitive barrier towards geometry accuracy proof measures of association r r squared eta eta squared proof accuracy * cognitive barrier -.881 .777 .892 .795 then, whether such an affect is significant or not can be seen in table 11. from the table, it can be erna iftanti, umy zahroh, & musrikah correlation among semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, and cognitive barriers towards accuracy geometry proofs 316 found that the sig. score (.000) < 0, 05 which demonstrates that there is significant effect of cognitive barrier towards geometry accuracy proof. table 11. significance of anova testing on the effect of pragmatic of cognitive barriers towards geometry accuracy proof anovab model sum of squares df mean square f sig. 1 regression 16397.892 1 16397.892 97.309 .000a residual 4718.363 28 168.513 total 21116.255 29 a. predictors: (constant), cognitive barriers b. dependent variable: accuracy proof subsequently, to know how much the correlation between cognitive barrier and accuracy proof can be taken into a look at table 12 below. the table tells that the score of a = 93,051 and b = – 0,974. the common regression equation is y = a + bx. thus, on the basis of the result of count score, the regression equation is y = 93,051 – 0,974x. since the score of regression coefficient is minus (), then it can be predicted that cognitive barriers ( ) has negative influence towards accuracy proof (y). in addition, it can be sum up that each increase in the score of x by one unit, and then the score of y will decrease by 0,974 units table 12. regression equation on the effect of cognitive barriers towards geometry accuracy proof coefficients model unstandardized coefficients standardized coefficients t sig. b std. error beta 1 (constant) 93.051 5.552 16.758 .000 hambatan cognitive -.974 .099 -.881 -9.865 .000 a. dependent variable: accuracy proof the result of multiple regression test: semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, and cognitive barriers towards accuracy proof this kind of test is done in order to if there is any effect of semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, and cognitive barriers towards geometry accuracy proof done by math students. the process of finding out the answer is started from looking at the scores of mean, deviation standard, correlation test, the effect, significant effect, and regression equation used to predict the accuracy of the answer when the learners encounter semantic, syntactic, pragmatism and cognitive barriers. table 13 indicates that the result of the descriptive statistic shows that the mean score of the accuracy proof is 43, 52 and its deviation standard is 26,984. this means indicates that the learners’ competence to do geometry proof is relatively low. table 13. descriptive statistic of barriers and accuracy proof descriptive statistics mean std. deviation n accuracy proof 43.52 26.984 30 semantic barrier 37.78 20.381 30 syntactic barrier 50.00 25.480 30 cognitive barrier 50.83 24.404 30 pragmatic barrier 37.50 22.505 30 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 317 meanwhile the mean score of semantic, syntactic, cognitive, and pragmatic barriers are sequentially 37,78; 50,00; 50,83; 37,50 with each sequential deviation standard is 20,381; 25,480; 24,404; 22,505. this finding shows math students tend to experience obstacles in doing geometry proving as also revealed by noto et.al (2019). the biggest barriers are on cognitive and syntactic. then the correlation of each barrier toward accuracy proof can be seen table 14. there are some points that can be noticed from the table. the first, the correlation between accuracy proof and semantic barrier is found -0,486 indicating sufficient level of correlation. however, the negative correlation shows that the correlation between the two variables is opposing each other. this means that the higher the semantic barrier, the weaker the accuracy proof resulted by the learners. the second, the correlation between accuracy proof on geometry and syntactic barrier is -0.907. this score indicates strong negative correlation showing that the higher the syntactic obstacle the weaker the accuracy proof arranged by the learners. table 14. correlation between semantic, syntactic, cognitive and pragmatic barriers and accuracy proof correlations proof accuracy semantic barrier syntactic barrier cognitive barrier pragmatic barrier pearson correlation accuracy proof 1.000 -.486 -.907 -.881 -.745 semantic barrier -.486 1.000 .529 .512 .595 syntactic barrier -.907 .529 1.000 .858 .756 cognitive barrier -.881 .512 .858 1.000 .785 pragmatic barrier -.745 .595 .756 .785 1.000 sig. (1tailed) accuracy proof . .003 .000 .000 .000 semantic barrier .003 . .001 .002 .000 syntactic barrier .000 .001 . .000 .000 cognitive barrier .000 .002 .000 . .000 pragmatic barrier .000 .000 .000 .000 . n accuracy proof 30 30 30 30 30 semantic barrier 30 30 30 30 30 syntactic barrier 30 30 30 30 30 cognitive barrier 30 30 30 30 30 pragmatic barrier 30 30 30 30 30 the third, the correlation between accuracy proof and cognitive barrier is 0,881. this score indicates negative strong correlation between the two variables which means that the higher the cognitive barrier the weaker the accuracy proof resulted by the learners. the last is the correlation between the accuracy proof and pragmatic barrier. the result of the computation shows -0,745 which demonstrates negative strong correlation. this negative correlation means that the higher the pragmatic barrier encountered by the learners, the weaker the accuracy proof which can be performed by the learners. then to see how much effect of barriers towards geometry accuracy proof, table 15 tells that the score of r square is 0,864 which shows that the determination coefficient is 86, 4%. the score shows that the semantic, syntactic, cognitive, and pragmatic barriers contribute 86, 4 % to do accuracy of proving arrangement. meanwhile, the rest 13, 6 % is determined by other factors as also proved by noto et.al (2019) that the use of language and mathematical notation are obstacle of preservice math teachers on transformation geometry table 15. the effect of semantic, syntactic, cognitive, and pragmatic barriers towards geometry accuracy proof erna iftanti, umy zahroh, & musrikah correlation among semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, and cognitive barriers towards accuracy geometry proofs 318 then, to know if the score is significant or not, this can be seen from the result of anova testing which is reported in table 16 below. table 16. significant effect of semantic, syntactic, cognitive, and pragmatic barriers towards geometry accuracy proof anovab model sum of squares df mean square f sig. 1 regression 18244.058 4 4561.015 39.700 .000a residual 2872.197 25 114.888 total 21116.255 29 a. predictors: (constant), semantic, syntactic, cognitive, and pragmatic barriers b. dependent variable: accuracy proof the result of the computation of the significant effect shows that the score of sig. is 0, 00. it is smaller than 0,05 which indicates the predicted effect is significant and this can be made into a regression equation stating that there is correlation between predictor variables and the independent variable. the significance of the anova test can be used to test the feasibility of a regression model with the provisions that a good probability value to be used as a regression model is less than 0.05. thus, this regression model is very feasible to be used in predicting the proof accuracy. subsequently, table 17 demonstrates that constant values is 95, 126 and the coefficients for each independent variable are x1 (semantic barriers), x2 (syntactic barriers), x3 (pragmatic barriers), x4 (cognitive barriers) respectively 0.42; 0,608; -0,038; -0,421. so that, the form of the regression equation is y = a1x1 + a2x2 + a3x3 +a4x4 + c y = 0,42 x1 – 0,608 x2 – 0,038 x3 – 0,0421 x4 + 95,126 these equations indicate that for each increase in the value of x1 by one unit and the value of the other x variables do not change, and then the value of y will increase 0.42 units. for each increase in the value of x2 by one unit and the value of the x other variables do not change, then the value of y will decrease by 0.608 units. then, for each increase in the value of x3 by one unit and the value of the other x variables do not change, then the value of y will decrease by 0.038 units. table 17. regression equation on the effect of semantic, syntactic, cognitive, and pragmatic barriers towards geometry accuracy proof coefficientsa model unstandardized coefficients standardized coefficients t sig. 95% confidence interval for b correlations co linearity statistics b std. error beta lower bound upper bound zeroorder partial part toleranc e vif 1 (constant) 95.126 4.990 19.062 .000 84.848 105.404 semantic barrier .042 .123 .031 .339 .738 -.212 .295 -.486 .068 .025 .631 1.584 syntactic barrier -.608 .159 -.574 -3.831 .001 -.934 -.281 -.907 -.608 -.283 .243 4.122 cognitive barrier -.421 .174 -.381 -2.425 .023 -.778 -.063 -.881 -.436 -.179 .221 4.527 model summaryb model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate change statistics durbinwatson r square change f change df1 df2 sig. f change 1 .930a .864 .842 10.719 .864 39.700 4 25 .000 2.480 a. predictors: (constant), pragmatic barrier, semantic barrier, syntactic barrier, cognitive barrier b. dependent variable: proof accuracy english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 319 pragmatic inhibitions -.038 .156 -.031 -.240 .812 -.360 .285 -.745 -.048 -.018 .319 3.131 a. dependent variable: keewatin butte in addition, for each increase in the value of x4 by one unit and the value of the other x variable do not change, then the value of y will decrease by 0.421 units. this shows that the increasing barrier of syntactic, pragmatic and cognitive can result in the weakness of the result of geometry proof accuracy. however, the semantic barrier does not correlate to the accuracy proof. conclusion this study proves some important notes on the correlation between the semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, and cognitive barriers and the geometry accuracy proof. the first, the all four barriers have correlation and a significant negative effect with the accuracy of the geometrical proof constructed by students. however, all types of obstacles correlate and significantly influence the accuracy of the evidence when they are tested individually. the second, the average proof accuracy produced by math students is still in the poor category. meanwhile, the average successive barriers are respectively cognitive, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic barriers. the correlation between the semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, and cognitive barriers with the geometry proof accuracy is sequentially arranged from the strongest one into correlation between syntactic, cognitive, semantic, and pragmatic barriers to the proof accuracy. subsequently, the amount of effect of the barriers can be explained that: a) semantic barrier contributes to the proof accuracy for 23,6% with the regression equation y = 67,813  0,643 x; b) the syntactic barrier contributes to the proof accuracy for 82.3% with the regression equation can be predicted in the form of equation y = 91.559 0.961x; c) the pragmatic obstacles give effect of 55.5% with the regression equation y = 77.029 0.894x; d) the cognitive barriers have an effect of 77.7% with the regression equation is y = 93,051 0,974x; e) the all four barrier simultaneously give an effect of 84.2% with the regression equation can be predicted in the form of the equation y = 0.42 x1 0.608 x2 0.038 x3 0.0421 x4 + 95.122. accordingly, the result of this study can be pedagogically implemented that math lecturers should consider some possible linguistic barriers which might inhibit the students’ achievement in doing geometry accuracy proof. they should provide their students with correct instructional planning and activities either cognitively or linguistically. further researchers are suggested to do research on finding out the best way of helping the students proving geometry accurately. acknowledgement this paper and research behind it was financially supported by research grant under dipa iain tulungagung year 2019. we thank the rector, prof. dr. maftukhin, m.ag. and lp2m, a research and community service chamber of iain tulungagung that greatly provided financial assistance to carry out this research. references ahdhianto, e., & santi, n. n. (2020). the effect of metacognitive-based contextual learning model on fifth-grade students' problem-solving and mathematical communication skills. european journal of educational research, 9(2), 753-764. bishop, j. p., lamb, l. l., philipp, r. a., whitacre, i., schappelle, b. p., & lewis, m. l. (2014). obstacles and affordances for integer reasoning: an analysis of children’s thinking and the history of mathematics. source: journal for research in mathematics education, 45(1), 19– 61. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc.45.1.0019 fauziyah, r. r., & jupri, a. (2020, april). analysis of elementary school students’ ability on mathematical communication and mathematical representation. in journal of physics: conference series (vol. 1521, no. 3, p. 032080). iop publishing. hafifah, d. n., & bharata, h. (2018). the importance of mathematical communication skills for students in mathematics learning. in proceeding of international conference: 3rd shield (pp. 125130). hartinah, s., suherman, s., syazali, m., efendi, h., junaidi, r., jermsittiparsert, k., & rofiqul, u. m. a. m. (2019). probing-prompting based on ethnomathematics learning model: the effect on mathematical communication skill. journal for the education of gifted young scientists, 7(4), 799-814. herscovics, n. (2018). cognitive obstacles encountered in the learning of algebra. in research issues in erna iftanti, umy zahroh, & musrikah correlation among semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, and cognitive barriers towards accuracy geometry proofs 320 the learning and teaching of algebra (pp. 60-86). routledge. imam ghozali, aplikasi analisis multivariat dengan program spss, (semarang: badan penerbit universitas diponegoro, 2002) klibanoff, r. s., levine, s. c., huttenlocher, j., vasilyeva, m., & hedges, l. v. (2006). preschool children's mathematical knowledge: the effect of teacher" math talk.". developmental psychology, 42(1), 59. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.42.1.59 magajna, z. (2013). overcoming the obstacle of poor knowledge in proving geometry tasks. ceps journal 3 (2013) 4, s. 99-116 urn: urn:nbn:de:0111-opus-85033 mahfudy, s. (2017). strategi pembuktian matematis mahasiswa pada soal geometri. jtam| jurnal teori dan aplikasi matematika, 1(1), 31-40. doi: https://doi.org/10.31764/jtam.v1i1.101 mallet, d. . (2012). an example of cognitive obstacles in advanced integration: the case of scalar line integrals. international journal of mathematical education in science and technology, 44(1), 152–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739x.2012.678897 martins, l. g., & martinho, m. h. (2021). strategies, difficulties, and written communication in solving a mathematical problem. bolema: boletim de educação matemática, 35, 903-936. mimeau, c., laroche, a., & deacon, s. h. (2019). the relation between syntactic awareness and contextual facilitation in word reading: what is the role of semantics?. journal of research in reading, 42(1), 178-192. doi:10.1111/14679817.12260 noto, m. s., priatna, n., & dahlan, j. a. (2019, february). analysis of learning obstacles on transformation geometry. injournal of physics: conference series (vol. 1157, no. 4, p. 042100). iop publishing. ofulue, c.i . (2011). survey of barriers affecting the use of information communication
technologies (icts) among distance learners: a case study of nigeria. turkish online journal of distance education , 12 (3) , 142-154 . retrieved from https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/tojde/issue/16905/1 76276 ongstad, s. (2006a). mathematics and mathematics education as triadic communication? a semiotic framework exemplified. educational studies in mathematics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-0068302-7 ostler, elliott and bruckner, jill (2017) "are english teachers the first math teachers? a comparison of english and mathematics syntax," journal of curriculum, teaching, learning and leadership in education: vol. 2 : iss. 2 , article 4. available at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/ctlle/vol2/iss 2/4 ozmen, f., akuzum, c., muhammed, , z., & selcuk, g. (2016). the communication barriers between teachers and parents in primary schools. eurasian journal of educational research, 66(66), 27–46. https://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2016.66.2 paruntu, p. e., sukestiyarno, y. l., & prasetyo, a. p. b. (2018). analysis of mathematical communication ability and curiosity through project based learning models with scaffolding. unnes journal of mathematics education research, 7(1), 26-34. peng, p., lin, x., ünal, z. e., lee, k., namkung, j., chow, j., & sales, a. (2020). examining the mutual relations between language and mathematics: a meta-analysis. psychological bulletin, 146(7), 595. perez, a. l., & alieto, e. (2018). change of" tongue" from english to a local language: a correlation of mother tongue proficiency and mathematics achievement. online submission, 14, 132-150. planas, n. (2018). language as resource: a key notion for understanding the complexity of mathematics learning. educational studies in mathematics, 98(3), 215-229. qian, y., & lehman, j. (2017). students’ misconceptions and other difficulties in introductory programming: a literature review. acm transactions on computing education (toce), 18(1), 1-24. rohid, n., & rusmawati, r. d. (2019). students' mathematical communication skills (mcs) in solving mathematics problems: a case in indonesian context. anatolian journal of education, 4(2), 19-30. sari, h. (2019). effectiveness of development lks based on international program for student assessment (pisa) with realistic learning for improving mathematical communication skills of student of mtsn 2 medan. budapest international research and critics in linguistics and education (birle) journal, 2(2), 388-398. sbaragli, s., arrigo, g., d'amore, b., fandiño pinilla, m. i., frapolli, a., frigerio, d., & villa, o. (2011). epistemological and didactic obstacles: the influence of teachers' beliefs on the conceptual education of students. mediterranean journal for research in mathematics education, 10, 61-102. available at http://repository.supsi.ch/id/eprint/3384 surya, e., syahputra, e., & juniati, n. (2018). effect of problem based learning toward mathematical https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0012-1649.42.1.59 https://doi.org/10.31764/jtam.v1i1.101 http://repository.supsi.ch/id/eprint/3384 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 321 communication ability and self-regulated learning. journal of education and practice, 9(6), 14-23. tanujaya, b., prahmana, r., & mumu, j. (2017). mathematics instruction, problems, challenges, and opportunities: a case study in manokwari regency, indonesia. triana, m., & zubainur, c. m. (2019). students' mathematical communication ability through the brain-based learning approach using autograph. journal of research and advances in mathematics education, 4(1), 1-10. yaniawati, r. p., indrawan, r., & setiawan, g. (2019). core model on improving mathematical communication and connection, analysis of students' mathematical disposition. international journal of instruction, 12(4), 639-654. erna iftanti, umy zahroh, & musrikah correlation among semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, and cognitive barriers towards accuracy geometry proofs 322 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 195 university students’ needs of writing course materials: a case of indonesia ilham english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: ilham.ummataram@gmail.com bachrudin musthafa english education department, faculty of language literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: dinmusthafa@upi.edu fazri nur yusuf english education department, faculty of language literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: fazrinuryusuf@upi.edu apa citation: ilham, musthafa, b., & yusuf, f. n. (2020). university students’ needs of writing course materials: a case of indonesia. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 195202. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2988. received: 22-02-2020 accepted: 15-03-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: the aim of this study is to explore the target needs (i.e. necessities, lacks and wants) of the students to inform academic writing courses materials. a case study design was employed as this design to provide in-depth data information. to collect the data, questionnaire and interviews were used. twenty-three undergraduate students of english department at a private university in mataram west nusa tenggara who take academic writing course in the 2019-2020 academic year participated in the study. the result of the study showed that the students need to learn the types of writing texts, vocabulary and construct sentences into paragraph, have good skills in writing different genres since they are lack of grammar knowledge and vocabularies, and improvement on the aspect of teaching writing. this finding may promise implications for updating the current curriculum and materials as practiced for tertiary level english department students in an attempt to keep up with the latest changes in the methodologies of english language teaching. this study recommends that lecturers and universities should conduct a need analysis regularly and updated the curriculum with such insightful needs. keywords: target needs; learning needs; writing courses; materials. introduction learning materials have been scientifically confirmed as "one of the essential components of the language curriculum" in the area of language teaching and learning (mishan & timmis, 2015; richard, 2001; tomlinson, 2012). materials are anything which is used by teachers and leaners to facilitate the learning of a language, including coursebook, videos, graded readers, flash cards, games, websites and mobile phone interactions (tomlinson, 2016). instructional materials typically serve as the basis for much of the language input leaners and the language instruction that is conducted in the classroom. it was also generally agreed that most language teachers use coursebooks and that no coursebook would fulfill the needs and expectations of any class (tomlinson, 2016). material development play such a central role in efl learning because they effectively mediate between the course content, the teacher and pupils. material development can also be useful as a way helping teachers to understand and apply theories of language learning and fostering teachers’ continuing personal and professional development (bouckaert, 2018; tomlinson, 2016). teaching materials are fundamental part to language learning and teaching (augustonavarro, 2015). it facilitates students’ learning about culture, combining the linguistic competence along with the socio-cultural and communicative competence (cruz rondón & velasco vera, 2016). good teaching material is informative (informing the leaner about the target language), instructional (guiding the leaner in learning the language), experiential (providing the leaner with experience of the language in use, eliciting (enabling the leaner to use language) and ilham, bachrudin musthafa, & fazri nur yusuf university students’ needs of writing course materials: a case of indonesia 196 exploratory (helping the learner to explore the language) (tomlinson, 2012). good materials may have an important role to play as they become the ' de facto ' curriculum. materials can support novice teachers who lack confidence. materials are deemed to provide a clear set of activities and guideline for both teacher and students (garton & graves, 2014). it is also argued that appropriate coursebook can facilitate curricular change because they provide a feasible framework that both teachers and students can follow and they help teachers to fully understand and routinize change. language learning materials, particularly for english language learning, have gone from being a neglected area of research and publishing to one that has attracted a number of new publications (macalister, 2016; mishan & timmis, 2015; tomlinson, 2016). the majority of previous publications focus on the use of elt materials, namely books and chapters on design and development of materials (tomlinson & masuhara, 2018) material evaluation, adaptation and exploitation (bouzid, 2017; işik, 2018; kashoob, 2018; mishan & timmis, 2015; roohani & sharifi, 2015; spirovska tevdovska, 2015; tomlinson, 2013; tomlinson & masuhara, 2018; widodo, 2015), the writing material process (augusto-navarro, 2015; mishan & timmis, 2015; tomlinson & masuhara, 2018), and types of material (tomlinson, 2013), and adopting an ecological approach in the classroom that describes three key areas in which material interacts: education, classroom discourse and language acquisition (garton & graves, 2014). in recent review, the literature on material development focuses less on ways of selecting materials and more on application on theory to practice and practice to theory. the materials will increasingly be delivered electronically through computers and smartphones which develop locally (soleimani & esmaili, 2016; tomlinson & masuhara, 2018). at this level, there is a gap to be able to contribute to the teaching material development through analysis of university students’ writing needs of writing course material. it is manifestation of an effort of teachers to construct appropriate material that harmonizes with students’ need and wants. innovative english language teaching material (textbook) will play a pivotal role. textbook can help teachers through potentially disturbing and disruptive processes of transition, illustrate new and/or untried methodologies, gradually introduce change, and create scaffoldings on which teachers can develop their own more innovative methodology. textbooks provides the main basis for the curriculum (richards, 2014). textbook determines the goals and content of teaching, as well as the method teacher use. the textbook provides a map that lays out the general content of lesson and a sense of structure that give coherence to individual lesson that give coherence to individual lessons as well as entire course. furthermore, (mishan & timmis, 2015) notes that material development has purposes as: (1) material meet a psychological need; (2) materials provide exposure to the language; (3) materials are vehicles of information; (4) materials provide a stimulus for other activities; (5) materials can act as teacher education. material support the teacher, complement the teacher and support the leaner (mcgrath, 2013). one of the most important things in developing teaching materials is the analysis of the students’ need toward their learning materials. need analysis is the starting point of course design which aims to determine learners’ need in a particular learning context. need analysis guides the teachers select appropriate taks and content and teachers’ statement of goals and to provide a better understanding of the purposes of instruction for the leaner (darici, 2016). need analysis of learning material context is a process to find students’ expectations and needs by identifying the effective way of instructional material context to be presented (yundayani et al., 2017). need analysis will provide insight for policy makers and stakeholders to evaluate the success of a course, find the points of strength and weaknesses as well as to do the required amendments to improve the course (zohoorian, 2015). identification and analysis of leaners’ needs, interest, and purpose of learning will facilitate setting learning objectives, and goals, setting up positive language learning environment, enhancing leaners motivation, and the progress of specific skills such as reading and writing (rostami & zafarghandi, 2014). furthermore, identifying and analyzing learning needs will facilitate the setting of learning goals and objectives, establish a positive language learning environment, improve learning motivation and evaluate the progress of students. in addition, needs analysis helps to give teachers a clear view of students’ needs, wants, and lacks and control over their learning when needs analysis is used as an ongoing teaching process. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 197 needs analysis allows teacher to be aware of students’ needs, their desire and shortcomings in the learning process (al-hamlan & baniabdelrahman, 2015). pertaining to the issue of needs analysis in writing skills, the number of studies conducted in the topic of need analysis is increasing simultaneously such as the analysis of student needs for writing skills materials development (tjalla, akil, hamra & haryanto, 2017), designing academic writing material (ampa & quraisy, 2018; ghufron, saleh, warsono, & sofwan, 2016; ibrahim, ali, rahman, & salih, 2013; shree, mohd, nor, & din, 2014; sumarsono, bagis, & arrafii, 2017; yundayani, 2017, 2018), a model of instructional material of academic writing (ghufron et al., 2016; linh & suppasetseree, 2016). the current study is a need analysis which is conducted in academic writing to develop academic writing material that matches with the current curriculum and condition of learning writing for the indonesian university context. based on the researcher's observation of english writing materials taught at english department muhammadiayah university of mataram, it was found that the process of implementing writing skill instructional materials in the context of english classes is far from ideal, especially in terms of making students involved in the teaching and learning process. such phenomena are due to the expectations of the students, and needs are seldom identified to meet their exact want to learn english. teachers have limited time span in planning concrete writing materials and a lesson plan that suits students ' needs. furthermore, teachers have not found sufficient writing materials for the leaners, either because materials are not available or because they do not reflect changes in the curriculum. the students ' writing skills are alarmingly weak and under-standard. most of the problems are due to incompetence in grammar, coherence, ideas development selection of content thematic sentences, rhetorical conventions, mechanics organization, lack of vocabulary and improper use of vocabulary (fareed, ashraf & bilal, 2016). moreover, the students face difficulties in academic writing since there are limited source of material which are appropriate to be implemented. in the implementation, the lecturer merely uses the textbook which is available in the market. the book itself does not represent the students’ need and the curriculum (ghufron et al., 2016). this problem can be overcome by the proper use of instructional material as one of the learning sources. by considering the factors above, this paper aims to ascertain students’ needs in learning writing skills in an english department in tertiary education. data of students’ needs revealed through needs analysis will be the basis for designing model academic writing materials. however, this study only focuses on analyzing the students’ needs toward the writing materials for an academic writing course. method this study adopts a qualitative approach as it involved the collection and qualitative data analysis. this study belongs to a case study because it focused on a particular phenomenon, situation or event within its real-life context (merriam, 2012); (fraenkel et al., 2012); (silverman, 2005) and concern on “a small scale and a single case” (bogdan & biklen, 1998). a single case of this study referred to the issue of need analysis for developing writing subject material. the participants in this research are 23 students in the english department of muhammadiyah university of mataram. those 23 students were chosen by purposive sampling. this study uses a close-ended checklist questionnaire and interviews with students for collecting data. the questionnaire was used to investigate the students’ target needs (i.e., what the students’ needs to do in target situation). the student's target needs consist of necessities, lacks and wants. the purpose of delivering questionnaire was to find out what the students need to do to learn. the questionnaire consisted of 6 closeended checklist target needs questionnaire which described students’ necessities, lacks and wants of what students need to do in order to learn. the major advantage of close-ended questions was that their coding and tabulation was straight forward and leaves no room for rater subjectivity (dörnyei, 2003). the questionnaire was translated into indonesian language in order to ensure that the subjects clearly understand each item. the writing class teacher helped the students to respond to the questionnaire. the data from the questionnaire was analyzed by using descriptive statistics while the data from interview was transcribed and subsequently categorized and interpreted in a condensed body of information (alwasilah, 2002). in addition, interviews were arrange to serve as supplementary source and help correlate the data collected from the questionnaire (yin, 1994). for ilham, bachrudin musthafa, & fazri nur yusuf university students’ needs of writing course materials: a case of indonesia 198 this reason, out of the 23 students who completed the questionnaire, 9 were selected to be interviewed to support the finding with the data collected through the questionnaires. the questions of the interview were designed on the basis of target need which involves necessities, lacks and wants. the data analysis was guided by the research questions. it started with the data organized in the table and presented in form of explanation then moved to analysis and the last verifying the conclusion. the checklist questionnaire was analyzed using the likert scale as proposed by (dörnyei, 2003). all answers item on the closeended checklist questionnaire were classified and analyzed into a percentage. the calculation of the result was changed into the percentage. results and discussion the results are elaborated based on the result of questionnaires and interviews. the data elaborates students’ perspectives of target needs such as necessities, lacks and wants and learning needs i.e. goal, inputs, procedures, teacher role, student role, and setting in writing subject classroom. students’ target needs in writing class this section discussed the students’ target needs in writing class. the analysis of the response of target needs is divided into three main parts: necessities, lacks and wants. the students' views of those needs are displayed in the following table. necessities necessities is what the leaner has to know to function effectively in the target situation (hutchinson & waters, 1987). the results of the students’ needs in numerical are shown in table 1 below. table 1. percentage and frequencies for necessities in writing skill statement frequencies 1. in your opinion, are the following text types needed in a writing course? strongly needed needed not needed strongly not needed sum a. descriptive text 12 (52%) 11 (48%) 23 (100%) b. procedure text 6 (12%) 14 (61%) 3 (13%) 23 (100%) c. report text 11 (48%) 10 (43%) 2 (9%) 23 (100%) d. exposition text 9 (39%) 13 (57%) 1 (4%) 23 (100%) e. explanation text 9 (39%) 13 (57%) 1 (4%) 23 (100%) f. discussion text 7 (30%) 15 (65%) 1 (4%) 23 (100%) 2. in your opinion, how important to master writing skill for completing writing tasks? a. mastering punctuation in english 11 (48%) 11 (48%) 1 (4%) 23 (100%) b. mastering spelling in english 10 (43%) 13 (57%) 23 (100%) c. mastering the vocabulary of english 19 (83%) 4 (17%) 23 (100%) d. arrange phrases into simple sentence 12 (52%) 11 (48%) 23 (100%) e. construct sentences into a paragraph in english 16 (70%) 6 (26%) 1 (4%) 23 (100%) f. understanding cohesion and coherence in english. 14 (61%) 9 (39%) 23 (100%) as is shown in table 1, from among the text types, discussion text, procedure text, exposition text and explanation text were highly preferred of majority students to learn in their writing class. however, another text type such as descriptive text was chosen by the students as not needed. furthermore, ab out the need for mastering writing skill to complete the task of writing course, learning the vocabulary of english, constructing sentences into a paragraph, understanding cohesion, and coherence, and arrange phrases into simple sentence were highly preferred by the students. this finding implies that students are in favor of being taught those skills of writing so that they need to learn from the exercises and many sourcebooks. the data from the questionnaire was strengthened with the interview result to provide supplementary source of information and to help corroborate the data obtained from questionnaire yin (1994). consistent with the result achieved through questionnaire, interviews revealed that students’ need to learn different kinds of genre. the following sentences are the students’ english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 199 responses which suggest the need to learn different kinds of genre. these, for example, are stated by s1 and s2: “i think it's important to know the type of text because if i don't learn this type of text, i can't write arguments about an issue” (s1). “i think it's important to learn the type of text because each text has different objectives” (s2) the data seemed to emphasize that students need to learn different types of text because they can describe people if they have knowledge of descriptive text and each text types has different purposes. asked about the importance of mastering skills of writing to complete the writing task, students acknowledge that they need to have knowledge of writing skill to complete the task such as the response delivered by s3 and s4: “i think it is important to learn how to arrange sentences into paragraphs and then to learn how to organize them in paragraph because the sentences have to be interrelated” (s3). “it is important to master the arrangement of sentences and phrases in paragraphs, as well as cohesion and coherence in order to write correctly” (s4). the data may suggest that students seemed to aware the importance of learning the way to arrange good sentences in paragraph with good coherence and cohesion ideas. hence, it can be inferred that the students really need the writing activity which improves their writing skill. in brief, the response of the students leads to the conclusion that majority of the students in this study need to learn a number of text types in english, writing text type to complete writing assignments, the importance of mastering writing skill for completing writing tasks and the need of mastering writing technique to complete the writing tasks. this was in line with nation & macalister (2010) who proposes that necessities such as learning text types ad mastering writing skills are the type of needs determined by the demands of the target situation, that is what the leaner has to know to function effectively in the target situation. lacks lacks refers to the gaps between the existing proficiency of the leaner and the target proficiency. the result of the students' response on lacks is illustrate in detail in the following table. table 2. percentage and frequencies for lack in writing skill statement frequencies 1. in your opinion, how well you can write text type in writing class? very good good fair poor sum a. writing descriptive text 14 (61%) 8 (35%) 1 (4%) 23 (100%) b. writing narrative text 11 (48%) 10 (43%) 2 (9%) 23 (100%) c. writing exposition text 7 (30%) 14 (61%) 2 (9%) 23 (100%) d. writing explanation text 9 (39%) 13 (57%) 1 (4%) 23 (100%) e. writing discussion text 13 (57%) 9 (39%) 1 (4%) 23 (100%) 2. in your opinion, what difficulties do you have in writing class? option yes no sum a. difficulties determining topic 10 (43%) 13 (57%) 23 (100%) b. difficulty of putting ideas into writing 17 (74%) 6 (26%) 23 (100%) c. difficulty of developing ideas into paragraphs 17 (74%) 6 (26%) 23 (100%) d. limited english vocabulary 18 (78%) 5 (22%) 23 (100%) e. lack of spelling knowledge 14 (61%) 9 (39%) 23 (100%) f. lack of grammar knowledge 20 (87%) 3 (13%) 23 (100%) table 2 shows that the ability of students on writing exposition text, and explanation text were on a fair level; meanwhile, writing descriptive text and writing discussion text were on a good level. regarding the data of students difficulties in writing class, the data shows that grammar was the greatest area of difficulties, though limited vocabulary, difficulties of putting ideas into writing and difficulties of putting ideas into paragraph also proposed serious problem. the next serious problem was spelling while determining a topic was a less serious problem. it was also stated by some students from the interview result that most of their ability of ilham, bachrudin musthafa, & fazri nur yusuf university students’ needs of writing course materials: a case of indonesia 200 writing text type were in adequate level. in addition, they had difficulties in learning writing such as they had difficulties of determining a topic, develops ideas into paragraphs, and difficulties of vocabulary skill because of lack of practice and reading. other students’ difficulties were not too good in spelling and grammar because it was influenced by the indonesian language, and lack of grammar knowledge. as noted, for example response by s5, s6, and s7: “during the writing process, i have problems developing ideas in writing, and difficulty in vocabulary and grammar” (s5). “my difficulty in writing is the creation of ideas due to a lack of vocabulary and grammar skills “(s6). “my problem when writing is lack of grammar and vocabulary” (s7). these were similar to the previous studies in the same topic (al-hamlan & baniabdelrahman, 2015; boroujeni & fard, 2013). based on the response of the students, it can be summed up that the students’ ability in writing was in sufficient level. this might be caused by the low motivation for reading and practicing the textbook and also the difficulties in writing. this result shows that the students are in favor taught different types of text and provide good material to solve their lacks in writing. this support nation & macalister (2010) view regarding this matter. they contend that lacks is an important part of need analysis which involve looking at where leaners at present who proposes that necessities such as learning. wants wants are described as “what the leaners think they need” (nation & macalister, 2010). the following table 3 will illustrate the result of need analysis on students’ wants. table 3. percentage and frequencies for want in writing skill statement frequencies in your opinion, what aspects of writing you might expect in a writing course? yes no a. improvement of vocabulary mastery 23 (100%) b. improvement on cohesion, coherence, and spelling 20 (87%) 3 (13%) c. improvement of grammar 23 (100%) d. improvement of writing material which stimulates students to write 22 (96%) 1 (4%) e. improvement of knowledge of academic writing 23 (100%) f. improvement of mastering text types 23 (100%) when you study in writing class, what type of text you might want to write? a. writing literature text such as drama, novel, short story, etc. 20 (87%) 3 (13%) b. writing factual text in daily life 21 (91%) 3 (13%) c. writing imagination text 16 (70%) 7 (30%) from table 3, it can be seen that most students preferred material which improves their vocabulary mastery, improvement of grammar, an improvement on knowledge of academic writing, and improvement on mastering text types. furthermore, the data of questionnaire was also strengthened by the interview result that the students highly preferred material which improves their knowledge of academic writing, materials of how to develop ideas and the structure of a text such as introduction, body, and conclusion. then it is also important to study organization, grammar, mechanics, and spelling of text’, as represented by s8 and s9: “i expect to learn grammar since english grammar is different from indonesian, and then i expect to learn how to develop ideas and organize writing.” (s8). “the things i would like to learn are how to organize text and also grammar” (s9). in brief, from the result of the questionnaire and interview, it reported that most of the students need to be guided with the material that they most need in writing class. conclusion needs analysis is an important stage in developing english as a foreign language teaching materials which are appropriate with the leaners characteristics and learners needs. the result of the needs analysis questionnaires and interview shows that students need to learn a number of text types, need to write varies of text, mastering writing skill and writing techniques to complete writing tasks, need to have good proficiency of writing course, good ability of writing varies of text and need to solve the difficulties in their english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 201 writing skills. furthermore, most of the students prefer on material that meet their interest which improves several aspect of writing, highly preferred writing varies of text, highly preferred writing activities which enable students to have good writing skills, and their vocabulary. based on the conclusion, it is highly recommended that there will be a model of teaching material of writing which is appropriate with the students' needs, characteristics, curriculum and purposes of english department students of muhammadiyah university of mataram, west nusa tenggara indonesia. further research regarding the need analysis on learning writing in a wi der context involving more students would be a great help for the improvement of teaching and learning writing in indonesia efl context. references al-hamlan, s., & baniabdelrahman, a. a. (2015). a needs analysis approach to efl syllabus development for second grade students in secondary education in saudi arabia : a descriptive analytical approach to students’ needs. american international journal of contemporary research, 5(1). alwasilah, a. c. (2002). pokoknya kualitatif: dasardasar merancang dan melakukan penelitian qualitatif. pustaka jaya. ampa, a. t., & quraisy, h. (2018). needs analysis of the english writing skill as the base to design the learning materials. shs web of conference 42, 00050, 1–6. doi: 10.1051/shsconf/20184200050. augusto-navarro, e. h. (2015). the design of teaching materials as a tool in eflteacher education: experiences of a brazilian teacher education program. ilha do desterro, 68(1), 121–137. doi: 10.5007/2175-8026.2015v68n1p121. bogdan, r., & biklen, s. k. (1998). qualiative research for education: an introduction to theories and methods. allyn and bacon. boroujeni, s. a., & fard, f. m. (2013). a needs analysis of english for specific purposes (esp) course for adoption of communicative language teaching: a case of iranian first-year students of educational administration. international journal of humanities and social science invention, 2(6), 2319–7722. bouckaert, m. (2018). current perspectives on teachers as materials developers: why, what, and how? relc journal, 1–18. doi: 10.1177/0033688218810549. bouzid, h. a. (2017). an evaluation of selected moroccan elt textbooks: a standards-based approach perspective. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 7(1), 229–238. doi: 10.17509/ijal.v7i1.6879. cruz rondón, e. j., & velasco vera, l. f. (2016). understanding the role of teaching materials in a beginners’ level english as a foreign language course: a case study. profile, 18(2), 125–137. doi: 10.15446/profile.v18n2.52813. darici, a. (2016). the importance of needs analysis in materials development. in m. azarnoosh, m. zeraatpishe, a. faravani, & h. r. kargozari (eds.), issues in material development (pp. 1– 219). sense publisher. dörnyei, z. (2003). questionnaires in second language. in mahwah: lawrence erlbaum associates. lawrence erlbaum associates. fareed, m., ashraf, a., & bilal, m. (2016). esl learners’ writing skills: problems, factors and suggestions. journal of education & social sciences, 4(2), 83–94. doi: 10.20547/jess0421604201. fraenkel, j. r., wallen, n. e., & hyun, h. h. (2012). how to design and evaluate research in education (8th ed.). mcgraw-hill. garton, s., & graves, k. (2014). materials in elt: current issues. in s. garton & k. graves (eds.), international perspectives on materials in elt (pp. 1–285). palgrave macmillan. doi: 10.1017/cbo9781107415324.004. garton, s., & graves, k. (2014). identifying a research agenda for language teaching materials. the modern language journal, 98(2), 654–657. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-4781.2014.12094.x. ghufron, m. a., saleh, m., warsono., & sofwan, a. (2016). a model of research paper writing instructional materials for academic writing course. english language teaching, 9(3), 1. doi: 10.5539/elt.v9n3p1. ibrahim, h., ali, h., rahman, a., & salih, a. (2013). perceived views of language teachers on the use of needs analysis in esp materials writing, 6(3), 11–19. doi: 10.5539/elt.v6n3p11. işik, a. (2018). elt materials evaluation: a system and criteria. theory and practice in language studies, 8(7), 797. doi: 10.17507/tpls.0807.11. kashoob, m. m. d. (2018). evaluating elt materials with specific reference to colleges of applied sciences general foundation programme in oman : towards a viable checklist. doi: 10.1515/iral.1999.37.2.111. linh, n. d., & suppasetseree, s. (2016). the iafor journal of language learning 2(1), 48–66. macalister, j. (2016). adapting and adopting materials. in m. azarnoosh, m. zeraatpisha, a. faravani, & h. r. kargozari (eds.), issues in material development (pp. 1–219). sense publisher. mcgrath, i. (2013). teaching materials and the roles of efl/esl teachers, practice and theory. in bloomsbury. doi: 10.1017/cbo9781107415324.004. merriam, s. b. (2012). qualitative research and case study application in education. mishan, f., & timmis, i. (2015). materials ilham, bachrudin musthafa, & fazri nur yusuf university students’ needs of writing course materials: a case of indonesia 202 development for tesol. doi: 10.1093/elt/ccx062. nation, & macalister. (2010). language curriculum design. routledge. nunan, d. (1988). the leaner-centered curriculum. cambridge: cambridge university press. richards, j. c. (2014). the elt textbook. in s. garton & k. graves (eds.), international perspectives on materials in elt (pp. 19–36). palgrave macmillan. roohani, a., & sharifi, m. (2015). evaluating visual elements in two efl textbooks. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 4(2), 68–77. doi: 10.17509/ijal.v4i2.684. rostami, f., & zafarghandi, a. m. (2014). eap needs analysis in iran: the case of university students in chemistry department. journal of language teaching and research, 5(4), 924–934. doi: 10.4304/jltr.5.4.924-934. shree, j., mohd, p., nor, s., & din, r. (2014). user needs analysis in learning argumentative writing via mobile platform. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 118, 198–205. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.02.027. silverman, d. (2005). doing qualitative research. sage publication. soleimani, h., & esmaili, m. (2016). technology in materials development: a call perspective. in m. azarnoosh, m. z. pishe, a. faravani, & h. reza kargozari (eds.), issues in material development (pp. 1–219). sense publisher. spirovska tevdovska, e. (2015). selecting and adapting materials in the context of english for academic purposesis one textbook enough? the journal of teaching english for specific and academic purposes, 3(1), 115–120. sumarsono, d., bagis, a. k., & arrafii, m. a. (2017). students’ need to develop english writing materials. lingua cultura, 11(november), 67– 71. doi: 10.21512/lc.v11i2.1504. tjalla, m., akil, m., & hamra, a. (2017). the analysis of efl students’ needs for writing materials development, 6(8), 313–317. doi: 10.21275/art20175922. tomlinson, b. (2012). materials development for language learning and teaching. in language teaching. doi: 10.1017/s0261444811000528. tomlinson, b. (2013). developing materials for language teaching. in bloomsbury (second). bloombury. tomlinson, b. (2016). the importance of material development for language learning. in m. azarnoosh, m. zeraatpishe, a. faravani, & h. r. kargozari (eds.), issues in material development (pp. 1–219). sense publisher. doi: 10.1017/cbo9781107415324.004. tomlinson, b., & masuhara, h. (2018). the complete guide to the theory and practice of materials development for language learning. wiley backwell. doi: 10.2307/2071122. widodo, h. p. (2015). the development of vocational english materials from a social semiotic perspective : participatory action research (issue march) [university of adelaide]. retrieved from: https://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/bitst ream/2440/97910/2/02whole.pdf yin, r. k. (1994). case study research: design and method. sage publication. yundayani, a. (2018). present situation analysis: students’ early characteristics in writing for academic purposes. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 119–126. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1262. yundayani, a., emzir, & rafli, z. (2017). need analysis: the writing skill instructional material context for academic purposes. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 59–70. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i1.771. zohoorian, z. (2015). a needs analysis approach: an investigation of needs in an eap context. theory and practice in language studies, 5(1), 58. doi: 10.17507/tpls.0501.07. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 35 content and language integrated learning (clil) in science class during covid-19 outbreak: a narrative inquiry rina wahyu setyaningrum doctoral program, language and literature education state university of surabaya, indonesia e-mail: rina.19019@mhs.unesa.ac.id english language education department university of muhammadiyah malang, indonesia e-mail: rina@umm.ac.id slamet setiawan english department, faculty of languages and arts state university of surabaya, indonesia e-mail: slametsetiawan@unesa.ac.id syafi’ul anam english department, faculty of languages and arts state university of surabaya, indonesia e-mail: syafiul.anam@unesa.ac.id pratiwi retnaningdyah english department, faculty of languages and arts state university of surabaya, indonesia e-mail: pratiwiretnaningdyah@unesa.ac.id apa citation: setyaningrum, r. w., setiawan, s., anam, s., & retnaningdyah, p. (2020). content and language integrated learning (clil) in science class during covid-19 outbreak: a narrative inquiry. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 35-46. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3777 received: 02-11-2020 accepted: 29-11-2020 published:11-12-2020 introduction covid-19 outbreak has shifted the face-to-face (f2f) to remote teaching and learning process. this forced remote teaching and learning process require teachers to manage their onsite planned activities that they have prepared throughout the 2020 abstract: covid-19 outbreak that has shifted face-to-face (f2f) to forced remote learning challenged the clil science teacher to thrive in a new teaching form. the f2f adaptation of the virtual meeting using video conferencing software has driven the teacher to have an effective and accessible synchronous learning environment, in addition to the asynchronous one. this research was a narrative inquiry participated by a clil science teacher teaching the first-grader in a small town in indonesia. by employing an in-depth interview, the data were collected and then analyzed by emotional geography frameworks. the findings showcased the f2f adaptations made by the teacher that synchronous mode of delivery was conducted in thirty minutes by careful attention on clil frameworks, the language (s) use, and students’ engagement. her sociocultural, moral, professional and political geographies led her to decide what to do to make the students learning feasible. an implication of this is the possibility that the experience of how the clil science teacher taught the young learners using english would be a new insight for other teachers in dealing with real-time live lesson delivery during the covid-19 outbreak. keywords: clil science; covid-19 outbreak; face-to-face adaptation; young learners rina wahyu setyaningrum, slamet setiawan, syafi’ul anam, & pratiwi retnaningdyah content and language integrated learning (clil) in science class during covid-19 outbreak: a narrative inquiry 36 academic year, which cannot directly be implemented remotely. moorhouse (2020) suggested the new mode of delivery during the covid-19 outbreak using asynchronous and synchronous platforms. osman (2020) reported that various asynchronous platforms such as google classrooms, schoology, seesaw, blackboard, and moodle had been used in private and international schools in oman once the covid-19 pandemic started. meanwhile, on-air lessons and other elearning platforms were the different options for public schools there. in other parts of the world, schools that are well-equipped with information and technology (it) support like in singapore, synchronous platforms like zoom, microsoft teams, and google suite are used (monbec, 2020). regarding remote learning platforms, student engagement issues, which involve student psychological investment in learning and mastering materials or encouragement and learning strategies (cohen, madsen, touchan, robles, lima, henin, & parra, 2018; richardson & newby, 2010), were emerging. therefore, the use of the platforms and the students' engagement should be the essential considerations taken by the teachers for teaching students during the covid-19 outbreak. in the clil setting, forced remote learning should shift the learning by scaffolding the content and composition of the various technologies and the different interactions to achieve the same learning outcomes of f2f (monbec, 2020). f2f adaptation during covid-19 pandemic for young learners clil lessons requires more effort because of the complexity of situations. grieveson and wendy (2012) claimed that clil for young learners was carried out for various purposes. they are: (a) children's educational experience is enhanced when the quality of the subject is more emphasized than the words used, (b) language is taught in context and thus is more important to children, (c) clil is more inspiring and offers a wider variety of opportunities for a broader range of learners, (d) it gives learners greater exposure to foreign languages in a natural way, and (e) it does not need any extra time. with young learners in primary schools applying clil, the teachers should pay attention to clil frameworks. content, cognition, communication, and culture (4cs) frameworks proposed by coyle, hood, and marsh (2010) should be practiced to produce engaging, high-level lessons with meaningful consequences for the students' oral language and content knowledge related to the use of l1 that support l2 as the medium of instruction. tragant, marsol, serrano, and llanes (2016) compared the vocabulary building of primary school students and found that they have been exposed to more words and more abstract and technical vocabulary in clil content than those in efl context. still, students in both groups have made substantial improvements in vocabulary learning in both contexts. indeed, learning vocabulary from content has proven more challenging than learning english in the efl class. shao-jun and liu (2018) found the students' engagement was higher in the clil science classroom discussing life cycle. to acknowledge it, karlsson, larsson, and jakobsson (2019) have shown that translanguaging in science classrooms could be a medium for multilingual students in the mutual sharing of scientific information and related languages to combine knowledge of science with prior experience. it demonstrated the authentic use of the young learners l1 and l2 from a sociocultural point of view. they used english in addition to their home-language in science class, and it was found the gradual movement of scientific knowledge and language (laere, aesaert, & braak, 2014). related to the languages used in the clil classroom, lin and he (2017) have investigated the languages used to negotiate meanings. for example, translanguaging was found as a dynamic flow in the clil classroom as the students communicated by their community or home language during group tasks instead of english which is required language in the classroom. this is because the specific goals of clil and english language teaching (elt) contribute to different classrooms. for instance, in the clil classroom, mathematics and science are taught in english, while english is taught as an elt program. evnitskaya & dalton-puffer (2020) found that in the clil classroom, the students often noticed the gaps in their oral output and initiated to repair them, which is rarely found in the elt context. nevertheless, the affective component of foreign language learning is crucial in clil environments. the study's object is not language per se, but also the subjects through the target language and young learners are significantly english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 37 affected by the learning situation and their attitudes and beliefs towards foreign language learning (pladevall-ballester, 2018). to deal with forced remote learning situations, the clil science primary school teachers should find the most appropriate strategies for making their teaching meaningful. an experience of forced remote teaching in primary schools in indonesia, as reported by rasmitadila, aliyyah, rachmatudtullah, samsudin, syaodih, nurtanto, and tambunan (2020), exemplified factors that support remote learning. it comprised changes in instructional strategies, technology readiness to teachers in implementing forced online learning, support, and the motivation of teachers, parents, schools, and government involvement. additionally, cheng (2020) found the significant role of teachers when the school is off, but the class is on, such as emotional communication between teachers and students, which differs from f2f and the lack of realtime feedback. suppose the previous findings are connected to the clil context at the primary school level; in that case, the teacher position is central to get the students engaged in the remote learning that the f2f adaptation can be practiced well. for young learners, the teacher's "real" presence by synchronous learning mode provokes a stronger sense of social sensibility than asynchronous one (humphry & humpden-thompson, 2018). an hour of real-time live lesson delivery using synchronous platform, as suggested by moorhouse (2020), can be the option if the teacher should accommodate the young learners' needs in learning content and language, resembling the f2f situation. it can be combined with the asynchronous mode activities using the school's learning management system (lms) or other asynchronous platforms to share individual tasks and other additional instructions. meanwhile, monbec (2020) recommended how to plan online learning during the covid-19 outbreak for university students by dividing it into 100-minutes learning, including the pre-tutorial preparation and the post-tutorial follow up activities that can be adapted for young learners learning. the teacher should carefully plan it by preparing task guidelines and learning materials like videos and reading texts by asynchronous platforms before the activities are conducted synchronously. during synchronous learning using zoom, the students follow the activities such as a short lecture, the whole class discussion, and group discussion in breakout rooms. hence, during post-tutorial, the students work on individual tasks using asynchronous platforms provided by the teacher. teaching in clil setting should provide young learners linguistics resources in their second language instruction (mahan, 2020). at the time of the covid-19 outbreak, the studies on young learners clil remote teaching are very few. therefore, how the young learners clil science teacher manages her teaching and her emotional geography of making her teaching meet the clil learning requirements are critical to investigate. they are as the answers of the following research question: in what ways do the teacher manage the clil science at a primary school by f2f adaptation during covid-19 outbreak? therefore, this study makes a major contribution to research on clil for young learners during the forced remote learning. methods narrative inquiry documents the participants' stories or experiences related to their social interaction activities (clandinin & huber, 2010). this research employed narrative inquiry to describe a grade-one clil science teacher's experience in teaching her students during the covid-19 outbreak. riessman (2008) claimed that documents and visual data could be sources of narrative inquiry. in addition, oral data were transformed into textual form while the verbal data were transcribed as narrative data from stories and the answers of the semi-structured interviews. the research was conducted at an islamic primary school located in a small town near surabaya-indonesia that synergizes three curricula: national curriculum, cambridge curriculum, and al-islam, kemuhamadiyahan dan bahasa arab (ismuba) or islamic teaching, muhammadiyah ideology, and arabic. those three curricula are holistically integrated into learning and applied to international class program (icp) since grade one. every student has to complete a pre-icp program before enrolling in grade one. during five days perweek meeting the students have been exposed to english language like greetings, instructions, english-indonesian translation, and reading aloud sessions. to internalize the english language use, rina wahyu setyaningrum, slamet setiawan, syafi’ul anam, & pratiwi retnaningdyah content and language integrated learning (clil) in science class during covid-19 outbreak: a narrative inquiry 38 some common english words were in use during thematic lessons this research was participated by a millennial female clil science teacher who who has been a homeroom teacher of clil classroom since her graduation four years ago. previously, she was teaching at a well-known demonstration school owned by a public university in malang indonesia before moving to the school she is working for now. it was also reported that her english was advanced as she has passed a year training of english for specific purposes program that she joined during her undergraduate education. during her teaching service, she had opportunities to join teachers' professional development organized by cambridge center id 110. at the recent school, she teaches grade one, aged 6-7 years, who take various subjects and deal with three languages; bahasa indonesia, english, and arabic. the research data were obtained from in-depth interviews. to support, the teachers clarified her explanation by showing the teaching documents consisting of lesson plans (modified by the researcher for consistent display) and student worksheets. during the interviews, the teacher told her stories of teaching young learners in clil setting based on some topics such as how the teacher adapted the f2f learning for forced remote clil lesson, the integration of 4cs clil frameworks, the language (s) use, and the students' engagement. the interviews were conducted online by using whatsapp and zoom meeting platforms. to analyze the results of interviews, the researchers followed the steps suggested by widodo (2014) by listening to the interview recording and making notes for essential parts, writing the data and coding them, interpreting the data, and validating the data by discussing the data with the participant to avoid misinterpretation. furthermore, the data were analyzed using the emotional geography frameworks proposed by hargreaves (2001). it identifies the patterns of closeness and distance in human interaction that shape emotions that someone experiences about relationships with self, others, and the world. sociocultural, moral, professional, political, and physical closeness and distance are five elements of teaching's emotional geography. meanwhile, the teaching documents were described by considering f2f adaptation principles during the covid-19 outbreak connected to clil principles for young learners. the following table explains the emotional geography. table 1. emotional geography (adapted from hargreaves (2001)) emotional geography definition sociocultural sociocultural closeness or distance leads teachers to stereotype and to be stereotyped by the communities they serve. moral since emotion is a moral phenomenon, it is closely linked to and caused by purposes. it also lets anyone select the most suitable choice from a wide variety of options. professional it is related to closeness or distance of authority relations, occupation, or ethics within a rationalized ad bureaucratized structure. political as emotion is not just a personal matter, it is bound with the people's experiences of power or powerlessness. it deals with closeness or distance of how the teacher experiences anger, resignation, depression, anxiety, or satisfaction with authoritarian parties (like principals). physical this is the most visible emotional geography of teaching. it is related to closeness or distance to emotional understanding and maintaining emotional relations that require closeness and some measure of the strength, frequency, and consistency of contact. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 39 results and discussion the teacher narrated her experience in teaching clil to young learners by explaining her first job as a clil school teacher after graduation. because of her professional and pedagogical performance and her english language proficiency, she was assigned as a homeroom teacher and mathematics in a well-known bilingual school, a demonstration school of the state university in malang indonesia. when teaching at the school operated by a prominent university that prepares prospective teachers in indonesia, she got opportunities to meet educational experts and practitioners in clil during her first year of teaching. she was lucky as she was assigned as a home-room teacher who taught the thematic subject and mathematics using english as a medium of instruction based on the cambridge curriculum. she was learning and practicing how the national curriculum and one of the organization of economic co-operation and development (oecd) countries (cambridge curriculum) were synergized. the two-year experience had given her foundation for teaching her students. after her turning to the recent school for two years, the challenging time of the covid-19 outbreak has changed her teaching to the first graders. like almost all schools globally, the policy of emergency remote learning due to the pandemic is applied. she has to deal with the situation by doing some feasible activities. the adaptation of f2f learning is taken to get the students learning as targeted by the curricula. as a millennial, she quickly responded to the situation by preparing materials to support her teaching. she was also ready to be online for answering questions from parents and students. using both synchronous and asynchronous delivery modes, she affirmed that she has prepared her lesson plan for the whole semester. f2f adaptation in clil science for the first graders to provide the students learning activities similar to f2f before the covid-19 outbreak, the school offered full synchronous learning using zoom for three hours from 07.30 – 11.15 in the morning. this aimed at providing the students with learning experiences resembling those of before the pandemic. the next session continued in the evening for those who could not access the learning time during working hours and those who would like to get more reinforcement for the day's theme. however, based on the parents’ request to reduce the time for synchronous learning and the number of meetings per week, the school reduced the screening time to 07.30 – 10.30. the parents concerned their children’ health as the effect of screening times and attention span. the following narration explains the situation. “alhamdulillah, our school has provided the students' opportunity to learn synchronously. to support the learning, the teacher-made video was sent to the students by whatsapp and was uploaded to the school's youtube channel. the video was in english, so the students could learn some important points before the real-time live lesson.” (the teacher, zoom interview, october 18, 2020) for the teacher, the covid-19 outbreak was not a big problem because she could stay positive in dealing with the learning situation. her expression of alhamdulillah that translates all praise be to god was a sign of her moral geography. she could make a decision by creatively making a video using english to solve the problem related to the time limitation of forced online learning and get the purpose of her teaching. by sharing the video through whatsapp and uploading it to the school's youtube channel, her sociocultural geography existed because of her willingness to serve the community. contrasting to her efforts in providing video for the students before the synchronous class the next day, the students started to refuse to watch the video before the scheduled zoom meeting. the teacher looked a little bit disappointed with the situation, but she tried to accept the reality. the following story helps explain the situation. “the students used to enjoy watching the video before class, but they gradually forget that it is their individual task. i understand that it was boring to watch a video of a unit like living and non-living things with a long duration. so, i decided to trim the video and make it chunked into smaller sub-unit like parts of body or parts of plant. unfortunately, they confirmed that they did not watch the video before class, although it is in a shorter version. i was disappointed with this situation, but i think i have to find a way to make them watch rina wahyu setyaningrum, slamet setiawan, syafi’ul anam, & pratiwi retnaningdyah content and language integrated learning (clil) in science class during covid-19 outbreak: a narrative inquiry 40 the video as part of their forced online learning.” (the teacher, zoom interview, october 18, 2020) the teacher's sociocultural emotion has forced her to do her best for the community she served. although she was upset because of the situation, she chose to find ways to make her students watch the video as part of their learning. her moral geography led her to choose the most appropriate choice among those that might be taken but making the situation worse. for science lesson, particularly, she managed thirty minutes synchronous learning in addition to asynchronous one. to deal with the situation, she was making the science learning schedule in the following table. table 2. the clil science lesson activities aims learning platforms sending the video for the next day science class (a day before the class) providing the students' points to learn whatsapp greetings and introduction (5 minutes) preparing the students to get ready for the class and checking their attendance. zoom apperception – watching the video sent before the class or reviewing the video if the students have watched it in advance (5 minutes) linking the students' background knowledge and real-life experience with the materials learn during the day. zoom teacher's presentation and students activities (10 minutes) engaging the students in learning the materials based on the lesson zoom students' presentation (5 minutes) providing the students an opportunity to read, give opinions, or answer the questions in english zoom closing (5 minutes) concluding the lesson and reinforcement zoom students individual task (with time limitation) providing the students with some activities related to the theme autonomously at home whatsapp and hard copy submitted to the teacher weekly source: teacher made schedule table 2 shows that combining the synchronous and asynchronous modes of delivery (monbec, 2020; moorhouse, 2020) was the right decision because there should be a limitation of synchronous learning and there should be some individual tasks that the students have to complete. finding the most appropriate strategy in teaching young learners in primary school is essential for supporting the forced remote learning that depends on technology (rasmitadila et al., 2020). therefore, the teachers should open to any possibilities since online learning is not suitable for young learners, the first graders in particular, because of their very short attention span and preference to actively move than stay still. rasmitadila et al. (2020) reported that the teacher should reduce the time for synchronous learning and changed the instructional objectives to be fewer than f2f. the integration of 4cs clil frameworks there were external factors that arose during the forced remote learning. by synchronous mode of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 41 delivery, integrating 4cs frameworks of clil in teaching young learners clil science was another challenge. she should struggle to make her teaching suitable with the 4cs frameworks, such as starting with the content, linking the content with communication, exploring the kind of thinking skills the teacher developed that suited to what has been planned in content and communication, and making consideration to the culture where the clil was taught by including the existing language in learning. there will, likewise, be a situation that the teachers needed to attract the students' attention during the forced learning time. prompting questions was an option, for attracting the students' attention to the clil lesson (evnitskaya & daltonpuffer, 2020). calling the student's name and asking her/him to answer a question worked for the student's learning and thinking process. the questions were based on the video that they watched or their real-life experience related to the lesson. if one meeting was not enough, she extended the learning process to the following session. her narration is as follows. “i should be patient in teaching online. if i can choose, i prefer f2f learning to this forced online learning. for me, teaching is not only transferring knowledge but also educating my students. that is a part that i missed because of the pandemic. if i could not finish my teaching within one synchronous learning session, the next session means a lot to me because i have another session to wrap up and reinforce the content and language learning.” (the teacher, zoom interview, october 18, 2020) notwithstanding her obstacle in teaching clil science for the first graders, her moral geography drove her to make the learning meet 4cs clil frameworks. adequate reception of teacher support is considered very necessary to ensure that students have achieved meaningful results at the level of inputs they have obtained (meyer, 2017). she found that a student did not want to sit still in front of the computer during the learning time because that student considered unimportant to sit for a certain length of time in front of the computer if he could listen to the teacher's voice in the distance. to control the existing situation, the teacher should be back to the 4cs frameworks by resetting what to teach, how to communicate, how to make the student thinking and learning, and how to attract cultural opportunity in the first language. the language (s) use since english is a medium of instruction in the clil science lesson, pivotal exposure in the target language should be considered. in her class, english has been used up to 50%, aside from the use of bahasa indonesia for daily communication. the language reinforcement was still in practice during the forced remote learning by establishing video in english, asking the students to read the materials in english, and asking them to do the worksheets written in english. a thirty-minute real-time live meeting was just enough to get the students learning both content and language, despite the spotlight session's constraint on the students' english. she explains the situation as follows. “dealing with english language integration for young learners' clil lesson, i tried my best to get a chance to exploit the students' linguistic competency. i used to get time to spotlight the students' english before zoom time reduction to 30 minutes. now, i only can make it with a few students. the time is not enough for intensive english reinforcement. what i can do if i want to see the students' written english product, i ask them to write it on the paper, and they will send the photos of their work to my personal contact number through whatsapp.” (the teacher, zoom interview, october 18, 2020) from the narration, the teacher did not consider the situation as a burden. her moral geography set her to choose the best thing to do to make her students learn english. if there is no natural language support for young learners in the clil lesson, they will not get their learning goals. she showed political geography as she could not change the real-time live learning duration, her professional geography forced her to find a way to control the students' english learning. scaffolding is one of the strategies that clil that the teacher can integrate into learning the language while learning the content (mahan, 2020). she believed that young learners in grade one still needed support for their language learning as they learned the content in the target language with non-native english speaker rina wahyu setyaningrum, slamet setiawan, syafi’ul anam, & pratiwi retnaningdyah content and language integrated learning (clil) in science class during covid-19 outbreak: a narrative inquiry 42 teacher (nnts), who was not a foreign language expert (dalton-puffer, 2011; evnitskaya & daltonpuffer, 2020). there is evidence to suggest that young learners' language learning requires literacy experience. the young learners' english literacy should be conceptualized to better their language proficiency (satriani, 2019). the teacher affirmed that a thirtyminute meeting was only used for explaining the lesson without any extra time to train students' english literacy. the following is her explanation about the literacy program. “students' literacy in english is one of my attentions. that is the rationale for providing the students in my class with printed worksheets that should be submitted to the teacher every other week. i believe that the first graders need to learn how to write words related to science in english. reading those words and writing them for completing the individual tasks on worksheets helps advance their english literacy.” (the teacher, zoom interview, october 18, 2020) the teacher's professional geography has led her to pay attention to the literacy program. she understood that in the clil setting, young learners should get more exposure to the target language in various ways; one of those is to use multimodal texts. they can lead the young learners' comprehension, participation, and motivation to use the target language naturally (kaminski, 2019). accordingly, the teacher provided worksheets for students to develop their english literacy at home. her professional geography guided her to do things that support the students learning. the following is an example of the worksheet used for literacy support. figure 1. worksheet for english literacy at home (source: teacher-made worksheet) printed worksheets provided by the teacher for literacy support were for making the students use multimodal texts. this worksheet could make the students respond toward multimodal text in the form of pictures and writings. the instruction like to circle, underline, or cross different groups of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 43 things can positively impact english language learning. young learners' language learning is not a matter of vocabulary memorization but how they can experience using the language in context (shin & crandall, 2014). translanguaging as dynamic activities flows in the clil classroom (lin & he, 2017) was another teacher's endeavor in clil science. as she taught young learners, she had to manage her teaching by providing them the opportunity to practice translanguage. a translanguaging approach in teaching and learning is not a matter of code-switching, but rather an agreement that normalizes bilingualism without a diglossic functional distinction (creese & blackledge, 2015). although the teacher did not know the term translanguaging, her teaching efforts for clil science in grade one has proved it. she clarified her statement as follows. “i don't know what translanguaging is. what i know is that i always use english in teaching and i make a video using english. i usually ask my students to translate some reading text to understand a particular concept in science. if they cannot say any words in english, i let them use bahasa indonesia. i also clarify my explanation in english by using bahasa indonesia. i also use media to make the students understand the content through their thinking and learning process.” (the teacher, zoom interview, october 18, 2020) the explanation shows that the teacher's professional and moral emotional geographies have led her to make the learning environment feasible for the students to learn the content using the appropriate languages for communication to make the students understand the science concept by their thinking learning competencies. in the clil lesson, the meaning is negotiated using l1 and/or l2 to increase classroom conversational dynamics by shifting from one language to another (griva, 2017). in accordance, coyle, hood, and marsh (2010) affirmed that an additional language could be used for the clil lesson, and it can be supported by the l1, specifically for explaining the course. hence, zein (2018) claimed that translanguaging is a realistic strategy for advancing multilingual pedagogy among linguistically different young learners. the students' engagement teacher's attention during synchronous learning is essential to engage in the learning process. one of the teacher's attention was to call the students' names. this research participant told a story about the parent's request for calling her child's name frequently to make him back to his synchronous learning device. “i know that every student has a different learning style. for the student who likes kinesthetic learning, she/he cannot sit in front of their virtual learning device for a long time, while the audio learner can multiple tasks while listening to the teacher. one day, a mother informed me that her child was leaving his device to do something else, and he was back to it if the teacher was calling him, he's got his turn. it was true that i can control students' engagement when i call their names to do something.” (the teacher, zoom interview, october 18, 2020) from the interview transcription about the students' engagement, the teacher's professional geography was shown from her understanding of the students' learning style. she was also convinced that doing the parent's request to call the student's name showed her sociocultural geography for being stereotyped by society. students' engagement in remote learning is crucial because they cannot perform in the learning process similar to f2f. time limitation and the learning situation do not permit the students to demonstrate their excessive-performance (groccia, 2018). since the students' position at home, the teacher tried to engage them in teaching and synchronous learning by asking them to get living and non-living things around the house. the following is her narration. “to reduce the students’ boredom during remote learning, i involve the students to get the materials for learning. i asked them to tell what they know about the materials, like living things. i encouraged them to use the english and bahasa indonesia. i have to be ready for guiding them learning both content and language. repeating the words in both languages with them is always fun.” (the teacher, whatsapp interview, 19 october 2020) rina wahyu setyaningrum, slamet setiawan, syafi’ul anam, & pratiwi retnaningdyah content and language integrated learning (clil) in science class during covid-19 outbreak: a narrative inquiry 44 based on the narration, the teachers moral and professional geographies have motivated her to engage the students in learning by showing the teacher and friends learning media that might be different from others’. they proudly presented what they found at home, like pets, plants, even the people around them. this participatory activity was meant to avoid boredom. it was understandable by the students, easy to follow, and involving the students' presentation. boredom is classified as one of the "activity-related" emotions that shows students emotional experience during online learning (humpry & hampden-thompson, 2018). when the students are engaged in the activity, janna, christopher, barbara, kalle, joseph, jari, & katariina (2018) affirmed that they are in a situational engagement because the students feel that the task is exciting and challenging for them that they can use their skills to complete it. conclusion the implementation of clil to young learners underpins a variety of comments. from a pedagogical viewpoint, clil relies on constructivist and socio-cultural notions where the learning process makes it easier for young learners to provide more concrete feedback and output in l2 or target language. in addition to this, there will be more and more versatile options for both content and language learning. clil provides more practical and natural opportunities for young learners to learn and use additional language. in the time of the covid-19 outbreak, young learners clil science forced remote learning requires the teacher's commitment to f2f adaptation because of time limitation for the synchronous mode of delivery. it was too short that the teacher only focused on the content with only a little time for english language reinforcement. the initiatives taken by the clil science teacher in this research has allowed the students to engage in the material with considerable potency and efficacy as it puts out some fundamental tenets of a particular system of task-based learning and communicative language teaching by accommodating the state of sincerity and meaningfulness in communication. real-time live lessons using a particular synchronous platform was advantageous for the teacher and students to interact just like f2f learning session, but drawbacks of screening time for the young learners' health and psychology should be sensitive consideration. that is why in teaching science to the first graders, the teacher combined synchronous and asynchronous modes of teaching. the teacher's creativity was pivotal in getting the young learners engaged in doing content and language learning activities by using the two modes of delivery. clil, as a new trend in language teaching, can be practiced remotely as the teacher to direct content scaffolding through learning. limited time and space the teacher shared with the students could be manipulated by the teacher's creativity in arousing young learners' curiosity about their learning. references cheng, x. (2020). challenges of "school's out, but class's on" to school education: practical exploration of chinese schools during the covid-19 pandemic. sci insigt edu front, 5(2), 501-516. clandinin, d. j., & huber, j. (2010). narrative inquiry. in p. peterson, e. baker, & b. mcgaw, (editors). international encyclopedia of education (3rd edn.),(pp. 436-441). amsterdam: elsevier. cohen, s. s., madsen, j., touchan, g., robles, d., lima, s. f. a., henin, s., parra, l. c. (2018). neutral engagement with online educational videos predicts learning performance for individual students. neurobiology of learning memory, 115(nov 2018), 60-64. doi: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.06.011 coyle, d., hood, p., & marsh, d. (2010). clil: content and language integrated learning. cambridge: cambridge university press. creese, a., & blackledge, a. (2015). translanguaging and identity in educational settings. annual review of applied linguistics, 35, 20–35. doi:10.1017/s0267190514000233 dalton-puffer, c. (2011). content-and-language integrated learning: from practice to principles? annual review of applied linguistics, 31, 182– 204. doi: 10.1017/s0267190511000092 evnitskaya, n. & dalton-puffer, c. (2020). cognitive discourse functions in clil classrooms: eliciting and analysing students’ oral categorizations in science and history. international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism. advanced online publication (pp. 1-20). doi: 10.1080/13670050.2020.1804824 grieveson, m., & wendy, s. (2012). the clil resource pack: photocopiable and interactive whiteboard https://doi.org/10.1017/s0267190511000092 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 45 activities for primary and lower secondary teacher. stuttgart, germany: delta publishing. griva, e. & chostelidou, d. (2017). clil in primary education: promoting multicultural citizenship awareness in the foreign language classroom. reseacrch papers in language teaching and learning. 8(2), 9-23. groccia, j. e. (2018). what is student engagement? new directions for teaching and learning, (154), 11– 20. doi: 10.1002/tl.20287 hargreaves, a. (2001). emotional geographies of teaching. teachers college record, 103(6), 1056– 1080. doi: 10.1111/0161-4681.00142 humphry, d. & hempden-thompson, g. (2019). primary school pupils' emotional experiences of synchronous audio-led online communication during online one-to-one tuition. computer & education, 135(july 2019), 100-112. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2019.03.003 janna, i., christoper, k., barbara, s., kalle, j., joseph, k., jari, l., katariina, s. a. (2018). science classroom activities and student situational engagement. international journal of science education, 41(3), 316-329. doi: 10.1080/09500693.2018.1549372 kaminski, a. (2019). young learners' engagement with multimodal text. elt journal, 73(2), 175-185. doi:10.1093/elt/ccy060 karlsson, a., larsson, p. n., & jakobsson, a. (2019). multilingual students' use of translanguaging in science classrooms. international journal of science, 41(15), 2049–2069. doi: 10.1080/09500693.2018.1477261 laere, e. van, aesaert, k., & braak, j. van. (2014). the role of students' home language in science achievement : a multilevel approach. international journal of science education, 36(16), 2772–2794. doi: 10.1080/09500693.2014.936327 lin, a. m. y., & he, p. (2017). translanguaging as dynamic activity flows in clil classrooms. journal of language, identity & education, 16(4), 228–244. doi:10.1080/15348458.2017.1328283 mahan, k. r. (2020). the comprehending teacher: scaffolding in content and language integrated learning (clil). the language learning journal. advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/09571736.2019.1705879 meyer, o. (2017). introducing the clil-pyramid: key strategies and principles for quality clil planning and teaching. unpublished paper, catholic university of eichstaett-ingolstadt, october 2010. accessed on september 19, 2020, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/2758877 54 monbec, l. (2020). scaffolding content in an online content and language integrated learning (clil) module. international journal of tesol studies, 2(2), 157-173. doi: 10.46451/ijts.2020.09.12 moorhouse, b. l. (2020). adaptations to a face-to-face initial teacher education course 'forced' online due to the covid-19 pandemic. journal of education for teaching. advance online publication (pp. 1– 3). doi: 10.1080/02607476.2020.1755205 osman, m. e. (2020). global impact of covid-19 on education systems: the emergency remote teaching at sultan qaboos university. journal of education for teaching. advance online publication (pp. 1–9). doi: 10.1080/02607476.2020.1802583 pladevall-ballester, e. (2018). a longitudinal study of primary school efl learning motivation in clil and non-clil settings. language teaching research, 23(6), 1–22. doi: 10.1177/1362168818765877 rasmitadila, aliyyah, r. r., rachmadtullah, r., samsudin, a., syaodih, e., nurtanto, m., tambunan, a. r. s. (2020). the perceptions of primary school teachers of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic period: a case study in indonesia. journal of ethnic and cultural studies 2020, 7(2), 90-109. doi: 10.29333/ejecs/388 riessman, c. k. (2008). narrative methods for the human sciences. los angeles, ca: sage publications. richardson, j. c. & newby, t. (2006) the role of students' cognitive engagement in online learning. american journal of distance education, 20(1), 23-37. doi: 10.1207/s15389286ajde2001_3 satriani, i. (2019). storytelling in teaching literacy: benefits and challenges. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 113-120. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.1924 shao-jun, d., & liu, j.-h. (2018). application of clil in teaching young learners about life cycle in english. destech transactions on social science, education and human science, (icaem), 344–348. doi: 10.12783/dtssehs/icaem2017/19104 shin, j., & crandall, j. (2014). teaching young learners english: from theory to practice. singapore: heinle cengage learning. tragant, e., marsol, a., serrano, r., & llanes, à. (2016). vocabulary learning at primary school: a comparison of efl and clil. international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 19(5), 579–591. doi: 10.1080/13670050.2015.1035227 rina wahyu setyaningrum, slamet setiawan, syafi’ul anam, & pratiwi retnaningdyah content and language integrated learning (clil) in science class during covid-19 outbreak: a narrative inquiry 46 widodo, h. p. (2014). methodological considerations in interview data transcription. international journal of innovation in english language teaching and research, 3(1), 101-107. zein, s. (2018). translanguaging in the eyl classroom as a metadiscursive practice: preparing prospective teachers. in s. zein & r. stroupe (editors). english language teacher preparation in asia: policy research and practice, (pp. 4762). new york: routledge. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 445 english teacher professional development to education 4.0 during the covid-19 pandemic muhammad anjar nugraha english education study program faculty of teachers training and education, subang university, indonesia e-mail: anjarnugraha@ymail.com ida maulida english education study program faculty of teachers training and education, subang university, indonesia e-mail: izdamaulida@gmail.com apa citation: nugraha, m. a. & maulida, i. (2021). english teacher professional development to education 4.0 during the covid-19 pandemic. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp.445-452. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4546 received: 22-02-2020 accepted: 24-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (covid 19) has impacted all aspects of human existence. one of the areas affected by the covid19 epidemic is education. closing schools and moving to online learning is one of the government’s policies. many educators working with in-service and pre-service teachers are having trouble planning for online or blended learning (hartshorne, baumgartner, rakowski, & ferdig, 2020; muhayimana, 2020). despite the fact that this condition is in line with the vision and mission of future learning in the industrial revolution (ir) 4.0 era, it nevertheless has advantages and disadvantages (abidah, hidaayatullaah, simamora, fehabutar, & mutakinati, 2020). professional development (pd) acts as a fundamental and crucial to guarantee or real contribution to students learning (marcelo, 2009; mizell, 2010). pd can be defined as the educators’ effort to strengthen their practices and experiences throughout their careers. they assume that teacher professional development refers to a variety of both formal and informal experiences of an individual or collective process that should be accomplished by the teachers. professional development is not only referred to as a formal process such as a conference, seminar, workshop, course, college, but it also occurs in informal contexts such as independent reading, peer discussion, or group discussion (mizell, 2010). tanang & abu (2014) claim that a real contribution to students' learning is a commitment to do the self-improvement. policymakers, scholars, and educators around the world agree that promoting the pd of teachers is one of the keys to success in the globalized world changes (bautista & oretga-ruiz, 2015). lisnawati (2019) argues that the professional development of indonesian teachers consists of three demands: (1) having pedagogic, personality, personality, and social competence, (2) implementing a current curriculum for language teaching and learning, (3) producing graduates with 21st-century skills. abstract: teachers' professional development (pd) is one of the solutions to make the teachers always improve their skills and adapt to current issues. one of the challenges that teachers have to face nowadays is industrial revolution 4.0 (ir 4.0). furthermore, skills development in the time pandemic is required. this study aims at investigating english teachers' professional development to the 4.0 education era during the covid 19 pandemic. this research was conducted on a member of the english teachers support group (mgmp) in subang, west java. to collect the data of the research, the questionnaire and semi-structured interview have administered to the participants. the data analysis found that the participants have a positive perspective towards pd to 4.0 education era with five factors (time, funding, time, school principal, colleague influence, and school culture); courses or workshop is the most helpful in pd activity; last, availability of facilities is the most challenge in using technology in the classroom. furthermore, it is known that young teacher from public school has a wide chance to join pd activities; age, colleague and school principal influence the participation of mgmp event; determining teaching content is a the most challenge in implement the education 4.0 during the covid-19 pandemic. keywords: professional development; education 4.0; teacher support group (mgmp) mailto:anjarnugraha@ymail.com mailto:izdamaulida@gmail.com muhammad anjar nugraha & ida maulida english teacher professional development to education 4.0 during the covid-19 pandemic 446 many programs have been implemented by the government to professionalize more than 2.7 million indonesian teachers such as conducting teacher certification programs, facilitating their undergraduate's degrees, conducting teacher competency test (ukg), providing kinds of training and workshops, and conducting teacher education program (ppg) (afrianto, 2018). he claims that the challenges of becoming a professional teacher are not easier. one of the challenges that teachers have to face nowadays is industrial revolution 4.0 (ir 4.0). industrial revolution 4.0 seems a current issue to be discussed among practitioners and academics in many countries including indonesia. technologies and broad-based innovation emerge much faster and more widely in ir 4.0 that has impacted society, economy, business, and also education (schwab, 2016; fisk, 2017). historically, industrial 1.0 was indicated at the end of the 18th century by the influence of production mechanization to the effectiveness and efficiency of human activities; industry 2.0 is started in the early 20th century indicated by mass production and quality standardization; robotbased manufacturing was characterized as industry 3.0; however, industry 4.0 goes beyond manufacturing collaboration that caused by the information technology revolution (hermann, otto, & pentek, 2015). there are nine trends of education 4.0: (1) learning can be taken anytime and anywhere, (2) learning refers to student-centered, (3) students can determine what and how they learn, (4) project-based will enhance students learning, (5) exposing students to more hands-on learning, (6) exposing students in data interpretation, (7) students’ factual knowledge can be assessed during the learning process, (8) students opinion plays as the input to the curriculum designersupdate and usefulness, and (9) students will learn independently ( fisk, 2017). english teachers should adapt to education 4.0. it means they have to develop their professionalism. learners’ achievement depends on the readiness of the teacher’s skill itself. the teacher must make the graduates have the skills that ir 4.0 needed. teachers professionalism development (pd) is one of the solutions to make the teachers always improve their skills and adapt to current issues. (lokita, utami, & prestridge, 2018) researched how english teachers learn in indonesia. they focused on the tension between policy-driven and self-driven professional development. the findings show that the participants learn through pd events such as attending the seminar, workshop, and training. besides, these teachers as well do online professional learning (pl) which was selfdirected such as web-browsing, reading articles, and downloading. besides, they mentioned that they preferred to share with their colleagues at their school site. a variety of online platforms are used to aid in the teaching and learning process. as a result, technological skills are essential for both teachers and students since it has become an important role in the online learning implementation during covid-19 pandemic (al kodri, 2020; nugraha & yulianto, 2020). reimers, schleicher, saavedra, & tuominen (2020) have identified the efforts or alternative methods for students and teachers to continue with their lessons during this pandemic. they investigate online educational resources that 333 participants from 99 countries had found helpful in supporting education continuity. the resources are divided into three categories based on their intended use, they are curriculum resources, professional development resources, and tools resources. it can be concluded that the teachers or the educators realized the common curriculum should be transformed to covid-19 curriculum. that is why the minister of education in several countries design the emergency curriculum under pandemic circumstances, including indonesia. the ministry of education, culture, research, and technology provides the courses, online workshops, webinars to participate. that played as the aid for indonesian teachers to develop teaching and learning skills. moreover, the government also cooperates with some learning management systems to enrich the use of digitalization in the online learning process. hence, this study aims at answering three research questions: first, what are the teachers’ perspectives towards professional development in education 4.0 during covid-19 pandemic? second, what are the activities of pd that have been enrolled to improve the skill of education 4.0 during covid-19 pandemic? last, what are the challenges to involve education 4.0 during covid19 pandemic? method this research was conducted on a member of the teacher support group (mgmp) in subang, west java. subang decided to be the place for this research was because the researcher is one of the lecturers of universitas subang which is located in the same town. even though subang is english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 447 near bandung, most academicians are rarely given attention. the participants of this research are the member of teacher support group (mgmp) of english subject. the reason why the researcher only took mgmp of high school because most of the graduates of high schools refer to apply for the job rather than continue their study to the university. high school teachers must prepare graduates for a future life with any unpredictable situation. they have to face education 4.0 and 21st-century abilities. to collect the data of the research, the researcher administered both close-ended and open-ended questionnaires to the participants. the questionnaire is adapted from (bayar, 2013). the questionnaires cover internal (personal) factors and external (environmental) factors. the former consists of teachers’ attitudes toward professional development and teachers’ self-efficacy. the latter consists of time, funding, principal influence, colleagues’ influence, and school culture. malik, r.s. & hamied, f. a (2014) state that the questionnaire helps the researcher to get and collect large data relatively for a short time. semi-interviewed data was taken as secondary data to support the data from the questionnaire. three participants were chosen to be interviewed. the collected valid qualitative and quantitative data were systematically transcribed, organized, coded, looked for patterns, thematically categorized, synthesized, interpreted, and concluded to answer the research questions (gay et al., 2009; fraenkel et al., 2012). results and discussion this part is started by establishing participants’ demographics. seventy-eight english teachers participated in distributing the questionnaire. the data can be shown in the table below: table 1. participants’ demographics gender male: 56 participants female: 22 participants age under 25: 0 25-29: 12 participants 30-39: 11 participants 40-59: 55 participants 60 more: 0 teaching experience under 25: 61 participants 25-29: 5 participants 30-39: 11 participants 40-59: 1 participant 60 more: 0 level of formal education d3: 0 s1: 54 participants s2: 24 participants s3: 0 regarding the table 1, it is known that: most of the participants is male; most of the participants are male between 40-59 years old; most of the participants have a teaching experience under 25 years; and most of them got a bachelor degree of level of formal education. after delivering the questionnaire, the researcher interviewed three participants to enrich the primary data. the researcher selected participants with various backgrounds. the information can be seen as follow. table 2. participants in the interview t#1 t#2 t#3 age 40-59 30-39 30-39 teaching experinece 30-39 under 25 under 25 school public private public rq#1 what is the teachers’ perspective on professional development? to answer the first question, this study divides the questionnaire data into two factors: internal and external factors. the internal factor refers to the participants’ attitudes of self-efficacy. it means how their attitude, behavior, and cognitive view towards pd in education 4.0 during the covid-19 pandemic. meanwhile, the external factor refers to how the environment affects them in conducting professional development. the external factor includes time, funding, principal influence, colleague, and school culture. hence, this study will not only find either a positive or negative perspective but also investigate to what extent the teachers claim it. the findings of internal factors can be seen from the table below. internal factor table 3. internal factors no. statements neg. n. pos. sd d n a sa 1. professional development activities are necessary for teachers. 2 30 46 2. professional development activities help teachers to develop their instructional skills 2 1 38 37 3. professional development activities are valuable enough to justify the time spent. 2 1 7 56 12 muhammad anjar nugraha & ida maulida english teacher professional development to education 4.0 during the covid-19 pandemic 448 4. participating in professional development activities makes me feel better about myself. 1 46 31 5. the best way for teachers to learn more is to participate in professional development activities 9 47 24 6. i enjoy participating in professional development activities. 3 54 21 neg: negative, n: neutral, pos: positive sd: strongly disagree, d: disagree, n: neutral, a: agree, sa: strongly agree the data from table 3 shows that almost all the participants agreed with the six statements above. they agree that pd is necessary, helps them to develop the instructional skills, is valuable enough to justify the time spent, makes them feel better about themselves, the best way for them to learn more enjoys in participating in it. thus, the teachers have a positive attitude towards professional development. however, how effective their belief, as the internal factor, influences the consistency in continuing pd. in contrast, the study from hürsen (2012) found that pd activities are unstable. it is influenced by age, gender, and teaching experience. women teachers, younger teachers, and less experience have positive attitudes towards pd. however, teachers’ motivation and commitment play key factors for professional development to deal with a high-demand workload condition (kusmaryani, siregar, widjaja, & jatnika, 2016). it is in line with teachers’ challenges in the new normal. teachers have to adapt to the internet of things (iot). we can conclude that even though the participants claim that pd activities are demanded for them, they have to show their commitment to developing their skills. this study will find out as well how the external factors influence their commitment. the data will be explained in the following sub-topics. external factors time figure 1. time the findings show that 61.5% agreed that they have time to regularly attend offered pd activities. in contrast, 3.9% disagreed about it and 34.6% is neutral. it can be concluded that almost half of the participants are having doubt either they can attend professional development activities or not. the research from (mascher, 2016) found that time was the biggest factor impacting the decision whether or not to participate in pd activities, followed by a lack of incentives and scheduling. besides, the data demonstrate that the main reason why the participants want to spend time on pd is for improving their skills followed by getting their knowledge. the findings can be seen in the chart below. chart 1. the reason to spend on pd it can be inferred that the participants are willing to spend their time developing their skills. webinars and online workshop are the examples of pd common activities during the pandemic. the teachers can choose and attend the webinar with any topic they want. spending time to participate in those activities will be very possible since it has conducted online. in another word, the teacher can attend the event at any time from almost anywhere via the internet. however, not all indonesian areas are covered with stable internet connection. some major regions facing slow internet connections, some other regions have no internet. funding funding, in this case, is divided into two parts: first, funding to pay the additional teacher to cover the classes; second, funding to support the salary supplements during pd activities. the data can be seen in the table below. table 4. funding statements pos. neut. neg. lack of funding for an additional person to cover classes prevents me from participating in 48.7% 25.6% 25.7% english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 449 professional development activities. salary supplements would encourage me to participate in professional development activities. 66.6% 23.1% 10.3% pos: positive, neut: neutral, neg: negative regarding the first statement, almost half of the participants agreed that they have to find an extended person to be in charge of school activities. the school has to prepare for an extra teacher to replace the teacher who attends pd activities. meanwhile, due to the pandemic situation, most courses, workshops, seminars, group discussions are conducted online. so, the teachers do not need to leave the school to attend those events. furthermore, teachers will have extra motivation or willingness if they get salary supplements to encourage them in participating pd activities. hence, school principals should be able not only to encourage but also to fund support the teachers. it conforms to the first statement, even though the teachers do not need to come to the event venue, they need to pay a registration fee (if it is not free) and for internet data. school principal influence figure 2. principle influence the data in the figure 2 shows that 83.3% of participants claimed that their school principal boost them to participate in pd activities. it is known that the principal of each school gives a huge chance for his/her staff or teacher to improve skills in pd activities. it is because the school principal gives a significant influence and a substantial impact on teacher professional development. these roles are: first, as the instructional leader and teacher; second, as the learning environment creation; third, as the direct involvement of design, delivery, and content; last, the assessment of professional development (bredeson & johansson, 2000). it is supported by the research findings from (hilton, hilton, dole, & goos, 2015) that the impact of the school principals’ participation in teacher professional development give a positive influence on the capacity for teacher to enact and reflect on new knowledge and practices, and the professional growth of the principals themselves. colleague influence several studies have identified the importance of the influence of colleagues in teachers’ participation in pd activities. (drossel & eickelmann (2017) discovered in their study that the teacher systematically collaborates with colleagues to develop information and communication technology (ict). teachers who participate in professional development are more likely to utilize computers, place a greater focus on teaching ict skills, and have a stronger sense of ict. horn, garner, chen, & frank (2020) found that teachers' participation in learning-rich, in-depth sessions was revealed to be a strong predictor of the creation of new advice-seeking ties. the table below shows the participants’ responses to three statements of colleague influence on pd activities. table 5. colleague influence statements p neutral n my colleagues encourage me to participate in professional development activities. 84.6% 14.1% 1.3% my colleagues and i share common values related to professional development activities. 92.3% 7.7% my colleagues and i participate in professional development activities together. 85.9% 14.1% it can be seen from table 5 that almost all the participants have a positive response towards the three statements above. they get encouragement in pd activities (84.6%); they do sharing, and they do pd together. therefore, colleague influence is one of the external factors that affect to increase in the participants of pd activities. the research from (park, steve oliver, star johnson, graham, & oppong, 2007) found that the nature of interaction among teachers in national board certification can be described in several ways: (a) enhancing reflection on teaching practice; (b) establishing a professional discourse community; (c) raising the standard for teaching performance, and (d) facilitating collaboration. muhammad anjar nugraha & ida maulida english teacher professional development to education 4.0 during the covid-19 pandemic 450 school culture school culture is one of the factors affecting teachers’ participation in professional development. professional school culture refers to a school environment that has learning communities among all the stakeholders through training, mentoring, research, and communication (khalil & abiodullah, 2013). the sociodemographic situation is strongly linked to the teaching site. parental engagement, working environment, income, personal growth, and family environment are all five problems mentioned by rural school instructors (ling, na, yan-li, & sriyanto, 2020). further, they suggested educational beliefs, cooperation relationships, and teacher self-training as the three primary techniques utilized for pd. the figure below will establish the availability of pd activities in the participants' workplaces. figure 3. school culture figure 3 above stated 90.4 of participants agreed that their school environment has a good school culture. rq#2 what are the activities of pd that have been enrolled to improve the skill of education 4.0 during pandemic? the second question is to investigate pd activities that have been attended by the participants. the findings showed that courses and workshops are the most helpful in pd (76.9%). courses here refer to continuing study. meanwhile, a workshop refers to a small activity rather than a conference to discuss a specific theme. it complies with continuing professional development (cpd) program that has a purpose to develop and enhance teachers’ abilities. they need a workshop certificate that has a credit score. in other words, they will select which pd activities that can give a credit score as much as they can. most workshop events offer a course with a minimum of 32 hours. because the teachers will get a credit when score when an event offers at least 30 hours. the findings can be seen in chart 2 below. chart 2. pd activities however, there was a surprising finding of pd activities that have attended by the participants a year back. the data can be seen as follows. chart 3. pd courses that have attended regarding the data in chart 3, it is known that 27 teachers did not attend any pd activities a year back. most of them were able to attend 1 until 3 times pd activities. then, only 20 teachers attended pd activities more than 3 times in a year back. from the data as well, it is known that the participants are keeping up with pd activities during the pandemic by (a) joining the webinar or workshop; (b) individual research from google and books; (c) learning and discussing with colleagues; (d) whatsapp group. the questionnaire data is supported by the interview data. this study has interviewed three teachers who have different teaching experiences and school statuses. the teachers were asked about their experience in attending a seminar, course, or webinar about education 4.0. it is known that t#3 got the skill to improve education 4.0 during participation in the teacher professionalism training program (ppg). meanwhile, t#1 and t#2 said that they have never participated in any pd focusing on education 4.0. it can be seen from the excerpt below. t#3: i have ever learned about education in the industrial revolution era 4.0 during mgmp and ppg daljab 2020. t#1: never followed q#2: so far i have never attended which is focused on education 4.0 the expert above shows that the teacher who is 30-39 years old and in public school seems to have an easy access to get current information. it is proven by the participants who claimed that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 451 most of young teachers from public schools have a big chance to join the mgmp event. however, the private teacher has a tight schedule to join the event. q#1 i've ever heard, but i didn't attend this activity. i’ve another business. the young teachers who were usually attended. q#2 maybe there were other events that i couldn't attend because it coincided with my teaching schedule. rq#3 what are the challenges to involve education 4.0 during covid-19 pandemic? education 4.0 demands teachers to adapt to technology. due to this pandemic, teachers must conduct e-learning. the data found that the availability of facilities is the most chosen by the participants, followed by students’ involvement, and self-readiness. the facilities here are not only the devices that belong to teacher but also students. not all students have their gadget as their learning tools. it influences their involvement in the teaching and learning process. particularly, both teachers and students are struggling with online learning. the table below will demonstrate the challenges to involve in education 4.0 chart 4. the challenges to involve education 4.0 the data from the questionnaire is in line with the interview data. the participants claimed that sometimes they need more time to prepare the material to be implemented during the pandemic, less institutional support and colleague, and the content to support education 4.0 as can be seen in the excerpt below: t#1: the difficulty is when i have to prepare contextual material, especially during this pandemic. because the school is in the rural area, we face lack of school facilities. t#2: it will be very difficult when there is no support from the school and there is no cooperation with colleagues. t#3: maybe it's more about what content should be taught to answer the challenges in education 4.0 the findings above conform with tafazoli (2021) who claims that teachers’ expectation of pd activities during the covid-19 pandemic can be divided into six categories, they are technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge, technological pedagogical knowledge, technological content knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge. conclusion this study investigates teachers professional development (pd) to 4.0 education era during covid-19 pandemic. it can be concluded into three main points regarding research questions. first, the participants have a positive perspective towards pd to 4.0 education era during covid-19 pandemic with five factors (time, funding, school principal, colleague influence, and school culture). second, courses or workshop is the most helpful in pd activity. most of the participants attend once to three times of pd activities this year. last, the availability of facilities is the most challenge in using technology in the classroom. furthermore, it is known that young teacher from public school has a wide chance to join pd activities; age, colleague and school principal influence the participation of mgmp event; determining teaching content is a challenge to implement education 4.0. acknowledgement we are grateful to all related institutions, participants, especially ministry of research and technology for funding support. references abidah, a., hidaayatullaah, h. n., simamora, r. m., fehabutar, d., & mutakinati, l. (2020). the impact of covid-19 to indonesian education and its relation to the philosophy of “merdeka belajar.” studies in philosophy of science and education, 1(1), 38–49. https://doi.org/10.46627/sipose.v1i1.9 afrianto. (2018). being a professional teacher in the era of industrial revolution 4.0: opportunities, challenges and strategies for innovative classroom practices. english language teaching and research, 2(1), 1–13. al kodri, m. n. (2020). the role of digital technology in sustaining online learning during the pandemic covid19. uhamka international conference on elt and call (uicell), (december), 24–31. retrieved from https://bit.ly/3cksbrv bautista, a., & oretga-ruiz, r. (2015). teacher professional development: international perspectives and approaches. psychology, muhammad anjar nugraha & ida maulida english teacher professional development to education 4.0 during the covid-19 pandemic 452 society, & education, 7(3), 240–251. https://doi.org/10.25115/psye.v7i3.1020 bayar, a. (2013). factors affecting teachers’ participation in professional development activities in turkey. retrieved from http://ir.obihiro.ac.jp/dspace/handle/10322/3933 bredeson, p. v., & johansson, o. (2000). the school principal’s role in teacher professional development. journal of in-service education, 26(2), 385–401. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674580000200114 drossel, k., & eickelmann, b. (2017). teachers’ participation in professional development concerning the implementation of new technologies in class : a latent class analysis of teachers and the relationship with the use of computers , ict self ‑ efficacy and emphasis on teaching ict skills. large-scale assessments in education, 19(5). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40536-017-0053-7 hartshorne, r., baumgartner, e., rakowski, r., & ferdig, r. (2020). special issue editorial: preservice and inservice professional development during the covid-19 pandemic. journal of technology and teacher education, 28(2), 137–147. retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/216910/ hermann, m., otto, b., & pentek, t. (2015). design principles for industrie 4 . 0 scenarios : a literature review working paper a literature review (no. 1). https://doi.org/10.13140/rg.2.2.29269.22248 hilton, a., hilton, g., dole, s., & goos, m. (2015). school leaders as participants in teachers’ professional development: the impact on teachers’ and school leaders’ professional growth. australian journal of teacher education, 40(12), 103–125. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2015v40n12.8 horn, i., garner, b., chen, i., & frank, k. a. (2020). seeing colleagues as learning resources : the influence of mathematics teacher meetings on advice-seeking social networks. aera, 6(2), 1– 19. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858420914898 hürsen, ç. (2012). determine the attitudes of teachers towards professional development activities. procedia technology, 1(december 2012), 420– 425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.protcy.2012.02.094 khalil, u., & abiodullah, m. (2013). creating professional school culture through professional development of educational leadership . far east journal of psychology and business, 12(2), 34–54. retrieved from http://www.fareastjournals.com/files/fejpbv1 2n2p5.pdf kusmaryani, r. e., siregar, j. r., widjaja, h., & jatnika, r. (2016). key factors in teacher professional development. 2nd asean conference psychology and humanity, (july 2016), 704–708. ling, z., na, j., yan-li, s., & sriyanto, j. (2020). school culture and professional development of school teachers from urban and rural areas in china. cakrawala pendidikan, 39(3), 609–619. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v39i3.31580 lisnawati, i. (2019). the professionalism of indonesian teachers in the future. jetl (journal of education, teaching and learning), 3(1), 28. https://doi.org/10.26737/jetl.v1i1.458 lokita, i. g. a., utami, p., & prestridge, s. (2018). how english teachers learn in indonesia: tension between policy-driven and self-driven professional development. teflin, 2(july 2018), 245–265. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v29i2/245 -265 marcelo, c. (2009). professional development teachers. sisifo: educational sciences journal, 3(8), 5–20. mascher, e. a. (2016). factors influencing participation in professional development to promote online course excellence and the impact on faculty confidence and teaching (university of arkansaa). retrieved from http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etdhttp://scholarw orks.uark.edu/etd/1626 mizell, h. (2010). why professional development matters. locus st. oxford: learning forward. muhayimana, t. (2020). teacher professional learning during the global pandemic: five critical areas to address. journal of school administration research and development, 5(s2), 66–79. https://doi.org/10.32674/jsard.v5is2.2840 nugraha, m. a., & yulianto, s. w. (2020). teaching speaking in new normal : some practical ideas. 1(1), 53–58. park, s., steve oliver, j., star johnson, t., graham, p., & oppong, n. k. (2007). colleagues’ roles in the professional development of teachers: results from a research study of national board certification. teaching and teacher education, 23(4), 368–389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2006.12.013 reimers, f., schleicher, a., saavedra, j., & tuominen, s. (2020). supporting the continuation of teaching and learning during the covid-19 pandemic. paris. tafazoli, d. (2021). call teachers’ professional development amid the covid-19 outbreak: a qualitative study. call-ej, 22(2), 4–13. tanang, h., & abu, b. (2014). teacher professionalism and professional development practices in south sulawesi, indonesia. journal of curriculum and teaching, 3(2), 25–42. https://doi.org/10.5430/jct.v3n2p25 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 159 id efl learning: an implication for learning internalization saniago dakhi english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kristen indonesia, indonesia e-mail: saniagonias@gmail.com erni murniarti educational management, universitas kristen indonesia, indonesia e-mail: ernims3@gmail.com noh ibrahim boiliu prodi pendidikan agama kristen, fkip, universitas kristen indonesia, indonesia e-mail: boiliunoh@gmail.com mila falma masful prodi ilmu komunikasi, fikom, universitas sahid jakarta, indonesia e-mail: mila.falma88@gmail.com apa citation: dhaki, s., murniarti, e., boiliu, n. i., & masful, m. f. (2019). id efl learning: an implication for learning internalization. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 159-168. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1560. received: 20-01-2019 accepted: 29-04-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: it is plausible that the psychoanalytic approach holds an important role in exploring people’s personalities, the world of conscious drives. the human personality is categorized into id, ego, and superego, while consciousness is divided into three different provinces, namely unconscious, subconscious, and conscious. however, limited language teachers’ interest in exploring such beneficial approach to learning is found. to respond to such gap, a systematic literature review was employed with following phases: identification, comprehension, application, analysis, and synthesis. results revealed that four id efl learning characteristics are primitive personality, biological identity, an instinct to seek pleasure, and automaticity. hiding, covering, and undressing are the indicators of the primitive personality and are human biological responses to danger. on the other hand, the human senses, cognitive process, and speech organs define the efl learners' biological personality. as for the automaticity learning, it seems to be achievable by unconscious learning and good learning culture. the basic assumption is that a higher-level skill cannot be acquired unless a lower one has been automatized. applying such concepts, the characteristics of seeking pleasure to learn language, needs the creativity of efl teachers, delightful teaching, good teaching culture, and facilities as once efl learning automatized or internalized, enormous impact will be gained. keywords: automaticity; efl internalization; id; psychoanalysis; unconscious drive. introduction defining an internalization of english as a foreign language (henceforth efl) learning directs us to logan’s findings (1985). it was stated that the internalization is a process of learning something so that it can be used as a basis for production. to this view, the internalization is characterized as a step efl learners do for their language productivity and proficiency. it is based on the assumption that once the language is internalized, it can then be retained and retrieved when needed for communication. having internalized learning, so-called inner learning, requires an unconscious process. logan (1985) termed it as automaticity. the automaticity is defined as a control of one's internal psychological processes by external stimuli and events in one's immediate environment, often without knowledge or awareness of such control. such argument obviously implies two crucial concepts in the efl learning. these are ‘what’ and ‘how’ to control the efl learning process for entirely achieving intended learning objectives. the ‘what’ refers to psychological aspects which have to be controlled, and the ‘how’ refers to procedures to apply towards achieving it. there has been a strong relationship (believed by psychologists since the last century) between saniago dakhi, erni murniarti, noh ibrahim boiliu, & mila falma masful id efl learning: an implication for learning internalization 160 the automaticity and skill. logan (1985) stated that automaticity is a necessary component of skill as a higher-level skill which cannot be acquired unless a lower one has been automatized. in this regard, learning efl has to be started from the easiest material to the most complicated one. since the efl learning is not merely concerned with material, media and facility, curriculum, and learning policy, an account for approach to the efl learning is suggested to be considered. one of the classical theories from which the efl learning internalization discussed is psychoanalytic approach. such approach comprises three basic domains: id, ego, and superego. studies on psychoanalytic approaches to learning have been a longstanding topic to scholars across countries (gilmore & anderson, 2016; drakulić, 2014, passone, 2015, andrade, 2016). gilmore and anderson reported that psychonalytically-improved learning was achieved through a defensive behaviour performed by students and teachers in reducing enxiety. drakulić provided a summary of initial stage of a psychoanalytic development established by a viennese physician. it was concluded that a child must learn to control intrinsic as it provides a possibility to gain freedom. summarized by passone, it revealed that linkage between an assessment and incentives has made the education an even tougher event since it reinforced an effect of hegemonic educational discourse and reduced conditions for education to happen for a large portion of the brazilian population. finally, andrade studied a specificity of language in psychoanalysis. he argued that rationality and verbalization language exceeding its semantic function and representation system are not restricted to the field of the rationality and verbalization. aforementioned studies explored the connection between the education and psychoanalysis in general, an initial stage of psychoanalytic development, the psychoanalytic description on brazilian education assessment, and the specificity of language in psychoanalysis; however, no founded research is on an implication of psychoanalysis in general and id in particular for the efl learning. different from the previous studies, therefore, the present article aims at describing the conceptions of id. it also provides an account for considerations when they are applied in an efl teaching and learning process. method the present report is a descriptive-reflective study applying a systematic literature review method on the substance of id, one of the sigmund freud’s theories of psychoanalysis, and its implication for the efl learning. source of data was online documents indexed by scopus and google scholar. another important criterion of the selection of the data is citation. the four phases of the systematic literature review employed to analyze the data were identification, comprehension, application, analysis, and synthesis. however, a conceptcentric method was used to ‘identify and comprehend’ the published document, and a systematic matrix of literature review (murniarti et al, 2018) was administered to display findings. after that, they were synthesized, discussed, and interpreted using previous studies and related theories. though researchers acted as a key instrument to the study, establishing trustworthiness of the finding is obliged. to meet it, a twice-cycliccomprehension step toward the data was used to assure a result dependability. finally, a peer scrutiny of project and member check by applied linguists and psychologists was conducted to gain credibility of the finding. results and discussion human mental life is a longstanding study among scholars (lapsley & stey, 2012; schetz & szubka, 2012). a well-known study on such field was reported by sigmund freud. he argued that the mental life consists of three agencies such as id, ego, and superego. furthermore, those mentioned provinces are core centers of psychoanalysis, both a set of psychological theories and a group of techniques, each of which emphasizes the unconscious as an essential factor in human adaptation and behavior (lipner, mendelsohn, & muran, 2017). id as primitive personality the id is the oldest and most primitive psychic agency of human beings (lapsley & stey, 2012). it represents a biological foundation of personality. furthermore, it is a reservoir of basic instinctual drives motivating an organism to seek pleasure (lapsley & stey, 2012). supported by schmetz and szubka (2012), it was stated that the id is an unconscious repository of the basic instincts. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 161 such arguments indicate some fruitful implications. first, the id is primitive psychic agency of personality. hiding, covering, undressing, and other behavioral elements of minor relevance like confusion, fumbling, and screaming are credited to primitive behavior. he argued that those behaviors seem to originate from early developmental stages of human instinctive behavior as a reaction pattern in response to danger and stress. though avoidance is viewed as the primitive response, it was believed that it was applied as a technique to reduce a potentially detrimental impact of harmful situations. thus, the avoidance can indicate two contradictory interpretations in the efl learning. negatively it can be a primitive reaction of learning process, and partially reduces harmful feedback of a certain dangerous situation. moreover, contextualizing them in the efl learning, hiding is characterized by avoiding english class, english question-answer interaction, and cheating-in-exams. though there is a limited number of studies on avoiding english classes, it appears to cause students’ absenteeism (trotman, 2016). he reported, 109 students and 43 teachers had varying reasons and perceptions of why students were absent from language lessons. he argued that the absenteeism of turkish state university students (participants of the study) was largely due to logistical and personal problems. avoiding the english question-answer interaction is predicted by emotionality, conscientiousness, lower openness, and extraversion. accentuated by oosterhoff, shook, and lyer (2018), it was discovered that diseaseavoidance traits were correlated with greater emotionality (r = 0.19), conscientiousness (r = 0.08), lower openness (r = -0.110), and extraversion (r = -0.04). furthermore, francis and oliver (2018) who pointed out that the emotional responses are central to communicative decision-making, and the emotions reflect a conscious interpretation of affective responses explain reasons and functions of emotion in communication and interpretation. the cheating-in-exams refers to achieving a result by a dishonest method. the aforementioned unlawfulness is exhibited by both male and female students as it is not associated with socio-demographic characters (mcclain, gulbis, & hays 2018). confirmed by yaniv, siniver, and tobol (2017), it was discovered that there was no significant difference in cheating levels based on the students’ genders. however, they concluded higher achievers are bigger cheaters as the cheating of both genders was found to significantly increase with each achievement measure. additionally, the frequency of academic dishonesty across students' friends indicates that a closer friendship of efl learners with low grades increases the probability of cheating. similarly, the dressing and undressing are very interesting topics in the efl learning. a phenomenon of being undressed is rarely experienced in the classroom as it is a violence against teacher-student professional boundaries. interesting reports on undressing student during the efl learning, however, are discovered. reading whitbourne's (2016) work arguing that cloth functions to cover up human naked body defines a functional role of the cloth. it was also stated that desire for recognition is behind choices people make in their clothing, and striking individual differences in dress color perception is positively determined by their different interpretations of illumination cues to achieve color constancy (witzel, o’regan, & hansmann-roth, 2017). such views indicate two crucial implications in the efl learning. firstly, dressing is fruitful for socially avoiding a negative image, or unexpected audience’s reaction, towards the naked body during the efl learning. this is because the naked body, erotic body (knott, impey, fisher, delpero, & fedoroff, 2016), will interrupt efl participants’ attention and attitude on studying. secondly, efl students’ and teacher’s cloth types are mainly influenced by their purpose to be known sexy. more broadly, the primitive man tries to be rational, but he fails to be systematic; or he is systematic, but not rational. an implied meaning appears to be drawn then that the cognitivelyprimitive people fail either the systematicity or irrationality. the rationality is defined as a relation of conformance (efficacy) between preestablished ends of communication, and a means to reach them and to genuinely understand a thought related to other thoughts termed as the systematicity (symons & calvo, 2014). id as biological personality secondly, the id refers to a biological personality. farooq (2011) points out biological factors of personality are very important for a formation of human personality. as asthon (2018) believes that the personality is influenced saniago dakhi, erni murniarti, noh ibrahim boiliu, & mila falma masful id efl learning: an implication for learning internalization 162 by various fluids in the body, it also reminds us about biological bases of personality in learning. bringing them into the efl learning highlights that the efl learning is closely related to a biological capability that includes courage, coward, intelligence, and weakness (farooq, 2011). those so-called biological traits predict an achieved language learning. this is supported by hussel and laing (1967). they accentuated that an individual appears to hope to become capable only by processing a basic understanding of functions of body and ability to comprehend facts of a biological nature of learning. it means a basic ability to help the efl learners study the language skills is through an awareness of their five senses, brain, and organ of speech as those are functional to communication. there are five human senses: vision, touch, hearing, taste, and smell (macpherson, 2011). however, two senses are dominant over the others vision and hearing in the language skills. the vision received by sense organ of eyes, particularly the retina, is biologically treated to read a written discourse and perceive nonverbal language including physical appearance (i.e. attractiveness, clothes, ornaments, body shape, etc.), face and head (i.e. facial expressions, head nods, head shakes, gaze, etc.), gestures and posture (i.e. orientation of the body with respect to others, self-touching, arm folding, spontaneous hand movement), vocal (prosody, intonation, vocalizations, pauses, voice quality), and space and environment (i.e. mutual distance, spatial formation, pattern of movement, etc.), vinciarelli (2017). on the contrary, hearing helps the language users listen to and comprehend spoken language. the brain disputably holds a fundamental function to efl acquisition, production, and comprehension. though brain structure does not necessarily predict differences in language task performance (etchell et al., 2018), the brain is exclusively used to acquire and learn the language. it is rooted from a view that language is a reflection of the brain. as a reflected brain, there is no language acquisition without the brain function. the brain in language production is traced through a concept that it is a stored reference or linguistic concepts (borghi, barca, binkofski, & tummolini, 2018). this is to say that linguistic meaning exists in the human mind. in other words, the only means to associate referent, existing world of concept, and sign, and linguistic symbol is the brain. another account for brain and language is that language learning, for the first time in adulthood, has marked effects on brain language processing (mayberry, davenport, roth, & halgen, 2018). this suggests, therefore, that language also influences the brain development. lastly, the awareness promoting language users’ biological personality is the organ of speech. this is in conjunction with what has been explained by johar (2016) that sound uniqueness, a drive to distinguish one personality from another, is caused by size and shape of vocal cords. such argument indicates at least two fruitful implications. firstly, the sound uniqueness produced by the efl learners characterizes their biological personality and forms their speaking efficiency. secondly, the only instrument to make oral communications happen is speech organ. id as instinctual drive to seek pleasure human instinctual need is to be well-being. though the individual still does complicated and painful work, his or her strength is usually grounded from an expected satisfaction. it is interesting to note that a displeasure is a basic need to avoid. stated by xu and du (2018), it was reported digital libraries’ quality in chinese universities significantly affected user’s satisfaction and loyalty. it indicates that being delightful, by library's quality that may include teaching atmosphere and attractive learning materials, to learn efl probably makes students satisfied and continue to learn. another equally important indicator of the pleasure in the efl learning context is welldesigned schools that has a correlation with learning achievement. reported by raj et al. (2015), it was emphasized well-designed school, a novel schooling intervention in the state of karnataka in india, had a positive impact on learning outcomes of poor rural children and those with socially-disadvantaged backgrounds. referring to tews, michel, and noe's (2017) finding that fun activities were significantly related to learning from others and noninterpersonal sources testifies the previous argument. conversely, it is important to notice that an increasing experience will weaken the delight and satisfaction (ahrholdt, gudergan, & ringle, 2018), a nature of the human mind which needs dynamic external stimuli. in the same way, motivation (carreira, 2011; dakhi & damanik, 2018) and attitude towards learning are two english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 163 crucial attributes to the id efl learning. it is in line with alhodiry’s argument (2016) that motivation is an inseparable aspect in the efl learning. the previous concept suggests that efl teachers be creative, a response to avoid boredom and maintain a stable joyful learning environment (raj et al., 2015). however, a notion of creativity and motivation are still debatable. most notably, the creativity, so-called making (giannakos, divitini, & iversen, 2017), is not merely to be a new name, but required to be problem-solving, design thinking, collaboration, and innovation. on the other hand, özütürk and hürsen’s (2014) report supports the debate on the notion of motivation by female and male english learners. more precisely, the female students’ belief for english language learning motivation score was higher (m=4.16, sd=.727) than that of the male students’ (m=3.82, sd= .538). moreover, the results show that there is a significant difference between female and male students’ motivation in english language learning environment (t=40.623, p<0.05). the dynamic of efl learning was also supported by alhodiry’s argument (2016), which concluded that most students had an intrinsic motivation, meaning distinctive degrees of internal motivation found, whereas there were some variations in the level of extrinsic motivation among the students. id as automaticity unconscious learning the language learning internalization and automatic (logan, 1985) process of learning, to some extent, are interchangeable. two fundamental things to understand in the internalization and automaticity are unconsciousness and culture. the automaticity is predicted by unconsciousness as the internalization is an instinctual property of language learners, and the automaticity is understood as a predictor of skill advance mastered (logan, 1985). in a medical study, cooksley and holland (2017), and holt, sarmento, and goodman (2017) stated that unconsciousness is a medical emergency. another equally important report by sanders, tononi, laureys, and sleigh (2012) is that the consciousness, connectedness, and responsiveness are three distinctive physical and psychological reactions of mankind. it was emphasized that awaken people are those who are conscious, connected, and responsive, and no ‘non-rapid eye movement' are experienced by conscious, connected, and responsive people. finally, only a conscious learner can have a ‘rapid eye movement’. table 1. consciousness, connectiveness, and responsiveness in wake and sleep states consciousness connectedness responsiveness awake nrem sleep rem sleep yes no yes yes no no yes no no *nrem = non-rapid eye movement sleep, or a low-wave sleep in the night when subjects are often unconscious; rem = rapid eye movement asleep contextualizing it in the efl learning, therefore, the unconscious drive holds an important role in learning. more broadly, it was argued that the non-consciousness influences the perception and interpretation of the social world. awan (2017) supports this view saying there is a teachers' dire need to be aware of the more powerful nature of unconscious drives of the efl learners than a surface power of their conscious selves. this is caused by the fact that the unconscious drive is the source of all psychic energy and a primary component of personality. more precisely, an account for an unconscious is a process in which the motivation and emotion, decision making, and social psychology are determined. this process has been a longstanding focus on educational researcher studies. some of these are kuldas, ismail, hashi, and bakar’s (2015) work. they concluded that all leaners did not always have a conscious awareness, control, and intention to learn. though it is plausible that there is no efl learning goal achieved without conscious process, the previous argument strengthens that subliminal efl learning is powerful. it means the learning automaticity and unconsciousness are enormously useful to meet a natural learning, a technique to thoroughly achieve an intended goal, as once it is internalized, it can then be retained and retrieved when needed for learning. saniago dakhi, erni murniarti, noh ibrahim boiliu, & mila falma masful id efl learning: an implication for learning internalization 164 in addition to the previous account, it was also concluded that the social interaction, evaluation and judgment, and the operation of international goal structure seem to be achievable without an intervention of conscious acts of will and guidance of process. this seems to conduct when we judge someone through his or her face. bargh et al (2012) suggest that a powerful form of preconscious automaticity for the impressions and other important judgments we make about other people concern the immediate appraisal of faces. in this regard, the efl learning as a social interaction of both student-student and studentteacher, to some extent, is probably to be conducted unconsciously. this means highfrequency words are more likely automatic than low-frequency ones. similarly, logan (1985) also confirmed that the automaticity is a necessary component of skill as higher-level skill cannot be acquired unless the lower one has been automatized. wang et al. (2018) claimed that in addition to the challenges of highly variable of non-native, learner, speech and noisy real-world recording conditions, spontaneous spoken english requires any automatic system to handle disfluent, non-grammatical, spontaneous speech with the underlying text unknown. three effects of automaticity on language are reduction in reaction time, load effect, and dual-task interference. therefore, creating unconscious teaching atmosphere of efl is likely to be functional and influential. consequently, efl teachers have to consider practical procedures of teaching for which learning internalization is accessible to any language learners. the learning automaticity can be achieved by controlling one’s internal psychological processes through external stimuli and events in one's immediate environment without knowledge or awareness of such control. additionally, it was suggested automaticity is produced by training subjects under consistent mapping conditions. secondly, both internalization and automaticity are formed by culture and traditional behavior. it is because culture can shape automatic mental processes as well as controlled reasoning. the shaped automatic, reflective, mental processes by culture according to corr (2010) are fast, coarse-grained, ballistic (implicit/procedural learning), and prenonconscious. unlikely, controlled processes are slow, fine-grained, deliberative (explicit/declarative learning), and often accessible to conscious awareness. the table 2. differentiates between automatic and controlled processes. referring to it, some implications for efl teaching determining natural learning (amstrong, 2011) are then drawn. firstly, the automatic efl learning runs fast in a non-conscious mode of process which suggests that the implicit knowledge and instruction, and procedural teaching method are the finest content and procedure of automatic efl learning. the implicit leaning proceeds without making demands on central attentional resources. a contribution of the implicit learning on reading reported by drouillet, stefaniak, declercq, and obert (2018) is that the implicit learning facilitates the understanding of literal expressions. on the contrary, controlled both cognitive and learning process are slowly conducted as it is a conscious process. on the other hand, the explicit language learning is necessarily a conscious process and is generally intended as well. table 2. dual-process models of behavioral control (modified from corr, 2010) models indicators automatic fast coarse-grained ballistic (implicit/procedural learning) pre/non-conscious controlled slow fine-grained deliberative (explicit/declarative learning) conscious learning culture another equally important implication of culture is the understanding of language meaning. shimizu, lee, and uleman (2017) reported that culture functions as an automatic procedure for making meaning. to schoenmakers (2012, p. 67) culture is a web of meaning. aforementioned arguments result in two implications for language, i.e. procedure and treasure. first, culture is a systematic and automatic procedure for which language meaning is communicated. it is systematic as making an inference is formed through receiving, identifying, comprehending, and responding, and it is automatic since a retrievable mental concept of words is used to comprehend the received messages. secondly, english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 165 culture appears to be a treasure of references, stored concepts, in the human mental process due to human experiences are entirely stored in the human web of thought. ten considerations that appear central and critical in culture are symbolism, value, authority, order, ceremony, love, honor, humor, beauty, and spirit. it is known that daily actions are the symbolic culture. moreover, as studying language at symbolic level is inseparable, there are two basic senses of symbols in language specifically when we are reading, namely sign and image. the sign is a representation of a thing the pattern of words, a centrifugal direction of the words and the things they mean. the image is a symbol of sense realized in the words, a centripetal movement of the words to a larger pattern of context. the value, an everyday practice embedded in the stream of social interaction (thornberg & oğuz, 2013), in efl learning is very substantial since the taught and learned teaching materials are derived from recorded social values. it means the fewer values the education offers, the sooner teaching and learning culture ends. intrigued by the urgency of value in education, it is then suggested that the values have to be imparted by either teacher and parents (kaur, 2015). another crucial predictor of culture is authority of efl teachers. the authority is related to power, but not equivalent to it, and is opposed to violence, coercion, argumentation, and laughter (haugaard, 2017). despite the fact that argument and laughter, a powerful signal of social acceptance (ritter et al., 2015), will lower the authority, the argumentation is likely central to cognitive reasoning and laughter holds a key role to joyful learning. supported by kim and ho (2018), it was stated that humor and laughter influenced learners’ interactions with the game, the teacher, and classmates. moreover, an order is likely identical to graded efl learning. to this view, mohd and saiden (2015) claimed that students have received increased reading skills after they were taught with graded reading materials. rare to find a relation between ceremony and efl teaching, two previous studies conducted by hewson and rowold (2012) and wang (2015) shed light on them. the ceremony, discovered by hewson and rowold (2012), did not enhance participant’s physical and emotional quality of life, but it had a positive effect on spiritual and mental one. on the other hand, it signifies ideology, morality, and faith of the efl learners (wang, 2015). as learning is obliged to be fun, it is expected to be a fear-free process for which relationship among participants of efl learning and connections among disciplines are thoroughly protected. having harmonious connections result in love (karandashev, 2015) of learning. the love of learning is ‘wanting to learn’ with a certain tolerated degree of joy and enthusiasm. in addition to the previous concept, code of ethics is understood as truth, justice, honesty, right, and fairness used as a standard of ethical behaviors (mchaney, cronan & douglas, 2016). the honesty, more specifically, affects many aspects of life. two of them are usefully determining the economic growth and efl learning. concluded by hugh-jones (2016) regardless of large cross-country differences in honesty perception, honesty correlated at country level of gross domestic product (gdp). increasing the integrity of teacher and student, ma’s et al (2018) argument that ‘observational learning can be used to promote moral value, honesty’, promotes the alternative strategy to build honesty among efl learning participants. the seventh central to culture is humor, a multidimensional ability including production, recognition, and appreciation (scheel, 2017). an account for humor and culture has been recorded by many scholars. most notably, mireault and reddy (2016) stated that humor, so-called comedy, is dependent on culture as it varies enormously in their appreciation of attitudes toward playfulness. a successful sense of humor, therefore, is obliged to be culture-based. one simple basic reason why it is identical to culture is its fundamental influence on communication. producing and understanding, in this case, an appreciation of an effective humor is totally an accumulation of a humor teller's knowledge of the current trend of an intended audience. the beauty posits in the ninth central thing to culture, an overwhelmingly significant issue in modern life (dambrin & lambert, 2017). an account of what beauty and its impact on culture and efl learning is another interesting topic to discuss. hamermesh and abrevaya (2013) concluded that ‘the relationship between happiness and beauty were subjective’ testifies an urgency of beauty in people’s happiness and its various impact across countries. such subjectivity is mainly influenced by the culture. in different terms, madan, basu, sharon ng, and saniago dakhi, erni murniarti, noh ibrahim boiliu, & mila falma masful id efl learning: an implication for learning internalization 166 lim (2018) stated that the impact of interdependence on usage of appearanceenhancing tools is moderated by strength of norms. last but not least, it is the spirit in culture and efl learning. there is no consensus on spirit and culture, and their implication for efl learning. it was accentuated that the spirit of learning is not nurtured or encouraged in schools because the spirit of teaching is absent. however, it was explained that spirit is the potentiality of thinking as it accesses the truth and the universal. implying this to language skills and teaching, it suggests that spirit is a macro-level of language and teaching. it is supported by keane (2013) who said that spirit writing needs an affordance which depends on the nature of people's experience of language and writing. such experience is mediated by particular linguistic and semiotic ideologies. regarding the significance of the culture, frank (2013) suggested some strategies to make language leaners aware of the culture. this is through (1) web quests, (2) playing a role, (3) observing the cultural practices, and (4) studying the documented culture. conclusion it is plausible that the psychoanalytic approach holds an important role in exploring people's personalities, the world of conscious drives, as well as learning. the human personality is categorized into id, ego, and superego, while consciousness is divided into three different provinces, namely unconscious, subconscious, and conscious. furthermore, four interpretations of the id in efl learning are described in this article, such as primitive personality, biological personality, seek pleasure, and automaticity. hiding, covering, and undressing are indicators of primitive personality and are human biological responses to danger. on the other hand, human senses, cognitive process, and speech organs define efl learners' biological personality. to meet such goals, therefore, there are needs for the creativity of efl teachers, delightful teaching, good teaching culture, and facilities as once efl learning automatized or internalized the enormous impact will gain. the previous account suggests some further works. firstly, as the present study is a purely theoretical review, observing efl learners' personality in the context of indonesia, and studying efl teachers’ pedagogical knowledge (moradkhani, 2017) and its characteristics will be challenging. secondly, the present study generally focusing on id efl provides an opportunity to explore id for learning to listen, speaking, reading, and writing. thirdly, the study is limited on id in efl, so it suggests further studies on ego and superego in efl learning. acknowledgements the present article was completed with an indepth review from lyndall edmonds, evi deliviana and eustalia wigunawati, and was entirely funded by the english education department (eed), faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kristen indonesia (uki) in 2018. references ahrholdt, d. c., gudergan, s. & ringle, c. m. (2018). enhancing loyalty: when improving consumer satisfaction and delight matters. journal of business research, 94, 18-27. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.08.040. alhodiry, a. a. (2016). the libyan efl teachers’ role in developing students’ motivation. procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 232, 83-89. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.020. andrade, c. b. (2016). the specificality of language in psychoanalysis. agora, 19(2), 279-294. doi: 10.1590/s1516-14982016002009. amstrong, j. s. (2011). natural learning in higher education. retrieved from https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi ?article=1151&context=marketing_papers. awan, m. a. (2017). freudian notion of psychoanalysis: its implications in contemporary teaching practices. advances in language and literary studies, 8(5). doi: 10.7575/aiac.alls.v.8n.5p.150. bargh, et al. (2012). automaticity in social-cognitive processes. trends in cognitive sciences, 16. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2012.10.002. borghi, a. m., barca, l., binkofski, f., & tummolini, l. (2018). varieties of abstract concepts: development, use, and representation in the brain. philosophical transactions of the royal society b: biological sciences, 373. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0121. carreira, j. m. (2011). relationship between motivation for learning efl and intrinsic motivation for learning in general among japanese elementary schools students. system, 39(1), 90-102. doi: 10.1016/j.system.2011.01.009. cooksley, t., & holland, m. (2013). the unconscious patient. medicine, 41(3), 146-150. doi: 10.1016/j.mpmed.2012.12.002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.08.040 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.08.040 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.020 http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s1516-14982016002009 http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s1516-14982016002009 https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1151&context=marketing_papers https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1151&context=marketing_papers http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.8n.5p.150 http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.8n.5p.150 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2012.10.002 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0121 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0121 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2011.01.009 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2011.01.009 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mpmed.2012.12.002 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mpmed.2012.12.002 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 167 corr, p. j. (2010). automatic and controlled processes in behavioral control: implications for personality psychology. european journal of personality, 24, 376-403. doi: 10.1002/per.779. dakhi, s. & damanik, i. s. (2018). students’ motivation in reading english text: a qualitative study in efl context. journal of english teaching, 4(2), 81-93. dambrin, c. & lambert, c. (2017). beauty or not beauty: making up the producer of popular culture. management accounting research, 35, 35-46. doi: 10.1016/j.mar.2016.03.003. drakulić, a. m. (2014). a psychoanalytic approach to education and raising school children of divorced parents. croatian journal of education, 16, 79-92. drouillet, l., stefaniak, n., declercq, c., & obert, a. (2018). role of implicit learning abilities in metaphor understanding. consciousness and cognition, 61, 13-23. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2018.03.015. etchell, a., et al. (2018). a systematic literature review of sex differences in childhood language and brain development. neuropsychologia, 114, 19-31.doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.04.011. farooq, u. (2011). factors of personality, biological, social, cultural & situational. retrieved from: http://www.studylecturenotes.com/socialsciences/sociology/120-factors-of-personality. francis, a. l., & oliver, j. (2018). psychophysiological measurement of affective responses during speech perception. hearing research, 369, 103-119. doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2018.07.007. frank, j. (2013). raising cultural awareness in the english language classroom. english teaching forum, 5(4), 2-11. giannakos, m. n, divitini, m., & iversen, o. s. (2017). entertainment, engagement, and education: foundations and development in digital and physical spaces to support learning through making. entertainment computing, 21, 77-81. gilmore, s., & anderson, v. (2016). the emotional turn in higher education: a psychoanalytic contribution. teaching in higher education, 21(6), 686-699. doi: 10.1080/13562517.2016.1183618. hamermesh, d. s., & abrevaya, j. (2013). beauty is the key to happiness? european economic review, 64, 351-368. doi: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2013.09.005. haugaard, m. (2017). what is authority? journal of classical sociology, 1-29. doi: 10.1177/1468795x17723737. hewson, p. d. & rowold, j. (2012). do spiritual ceremonies affect participants’ quality of life? a pilot project. complementary therapies in clinical practice, 18(3), 177-181. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.03.005. holt, g. e., sarmento, b., kett, d., & goodman, k. w. (2017). an unconscious patient with a dnr tattoo. new england journal of medicine, 377(22), 2192-2193. doi: 10.1056/nejmc1713344. hugh-jones, d. (2016). onesty, beliefs about honesty, and economic growth in 15 countries. journal of economic behavior & organization, 127, 99-114. doi: 10.1016/j.jebo.2016.04.012. karandashev, v. (2015). a cultural perspective on romantic love. online reading in psychology and culture, 5(4). doi: 10.9707/2307-0919.1135 kaur, s. (2015). moral values in education. journal of humanities and social science, 20, 12-26. keane, w. (2013). on spirit writing: materialities of language and the religious work of transduction. journal of the royal anthropological institute, 19, 1-17. kim, b., & ho, w. (2018). emergent social practices of singapore students: the role of laughter and humor in educational gameplay. international journal of child-computer interaction, 16, 8599. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcci.2018.01.001. knott, v., impey, d., fisher, d., delpero, e., & fedoroff, p. (2016). pedophilic brain potential responses to adult erotic stimuli. brain research, 1632, 127-140. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2015.12.004. kuldas, s., ismail, h. n., hashi, s., & bakar, z. a. (2015). unconscious learning process: mental integration of verbal and pictorial instructional materials. springer plus, 2(1). doi: 10.1186/2193-1801-2-105. lapsley, d. k., & stey, p. c. (2012). id, ego, and superego. encyclopedia of human behavior, 393-399. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-12-3750006.00199-3. lipner, l. m, mendelsohn, r. & muran, j. c. (2017). the sage encyclopedia of abnormal and clinical psychology. thousand oaks: sage publications. logan, g. d. (1985). skill and automaticity: relations, implications, and future directions. canadian journal of psychology, 39(2), 367386. ma, et. al (2018). promoting honesty in young children through observational learning. journal of experimental child psychology, 167, 234245. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2017.11.003. macpherson, f. (2011). taxonomizing the senses. philosophical studies, 153(1), 123-142. doi: 10.1007/s11098-010-9643-8. madan, s., basu, s., sharon ng, & lim, e. a. c. (2018). impact of culture on the pursuit of beauty: evidence from five countries. journal of international marketing. doi: 10.1509/jim.17.0064. mayberry, r. i., davenport, t., roth, a., & halgen, e. (2018). neurolinguistic processing when brain matures without language. cortex, 99, 390-403. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.12.011. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.779 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mar.2016.03.003 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2018.03.015 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2018.03.015 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.04.011 http://www.studylecturenotes.com/social-sciences/sociology/120-factors-of-personality http://www.studylecturenotes.com/social-sciences/sociology/120-factors-of-personality https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2018.07.007 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2018.07.007 https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2016.1183618 https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2016.1183618 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2013.09.005 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2013.09.005 https://doi.org/10.1177%2f1468795x17723737 https://doi.org/10.1177%2f1468795x17723737 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.03.005 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.03.005 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2016.04.012 https://doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1135 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2018.01.001 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2015.12.004 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2015.12.004 https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-1801-2-105 https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-1801-2-105 https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-375000-6.00199-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-375000-6.00199-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2017.11.003 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11098-010-9643-8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11098-010-9643-8 https://doi.org/10.1509/jim.17.0064 https://doi.org/10.1509/jim.17.0064 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2017.12.011 saniago dakhi, erni murniarti, noh ibrahim boiliu, & mila falma masful id efl learning: an implication for learning internalization 168 mcclain, l., gulbis, a., & hays, d. (2018). honesty on students evaluations of teaching: effectiveness, purpose, and time matter! assessment & evaluation in higher education, 43(3). doi: 10.1080/02602938.2017.1350828. mchaney, r., cronan, r., & douglas, d. e. (2016). academic integrity: information systems education perspective. journal of information systems education, 27(3). mireault, g. c., & reddy, v. (2016). humor and culture. humor in infants, 55-59. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-38963-9_6. mohd, m., & saiden, m. n. (2015). application of graded reading materials in the teaching of reading skills for children with reading difficulties. procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 191, 2631-2633. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.518. moradkhani, s. (2017). language teacher educators’ pedagogical knowledge: validating a proposed model. iranian journal of language teaching research, 5(2), 91-111. murniarti, e., et al. (2018). writing matrix and assessing literature review: a methodological element of a scientific project. journal of asian develepment, 4(2), 133-146. doi: 10.5296/jad.v4i2.13895. oosterhoff, b., shook, n. j., & lyer, r. (2018). disease avoidance and personality: a metaanalysis. journal of research in personality. doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2018.09.008. özütürk, g., & hürsen, ç. (2014). determination of university students motivation in efl classroom. procedia-social behavioral sciences, 116, 7-12. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.159. passone, e. f. k. (2015). psychoanalytic notes: contemporary discourses on educational assessment in brazil. educ. pasqul., 41(1), 185201. raj, et al. (2015). joyful learning? the effects of a school intervention on learning outcomes in karnataka. international journal of educational development, 40, 183-195. doi: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2014.09.003. ritter, j., et al. (2015). laughter perception in social anxiety. journal of psychiatric research, 60, 178-184. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.09.021. sanders, r. d., tononi, g., laureys, s., & sleigh, j. (2012). unresponsiveness ≠ unconsciousness. anesthesiology, 116(4). doi: 10.1097/aln.0b013e318249d0a7. scheel, t. (2017). definition, theories, and measurement of humor. springerbriefs in psychology. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-65691-5_9 schmetz, a., & szubka, t. (2012). freudianism. encyclepedia of applied ethics, 345-352. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-12-373932-2.00203-9. schoenmakers, h. (2012). the power of culture: a short history of anthropological theory about culture and power. university of groningen. shimizu, y., lee, h., & uleman, j. s. (2017). culture as automatic processes for making meaning: spontaneous trait inferences. journal of experimental social psychology, 69, 79-85. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2016.08.003. symons, j. & calvo, p. (2014). systematicity: an overview. retrieved from http://www.johnsymons.net/wpcontent/uploads/2013/04/systematicity-anoverview.pdf. tews, m. j., michel, j. w., & noe, r. a. (2017). does fun promote learning? the relationship between fun in the workplace and informal learning. journal of vocational behavior, 98, 46-55. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2016.09.006. thornberg, r. & oğuz, e. (2013). teachers’ views on values education: a qualitative study in sweden and turkey. international journal of educational research, 59(1), 49-56. doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2013.03.005. trotman, w. (2016). ‘where have all the students gone?’ absenteeism in a turkish state university english language preparatory year. asian education studies, 1(1). doi: 10.20849/aes.v1i1.32. vinciarelli, a. (2017). body language without a body: nonverbal communication technology mediated settings. proceedings of the 7th annual workshop on audio/visual emotion challenge. doi: 10.1145/3133944.3133954. wang, y. (2015). status analysis on the education space and ceremony in chinese schools. international conference on arts, design and contemporary education, 818-820. wang, y., et al. (2018). towards automatic assessment of spontaneous spoken english. speech communication, 104, 47-56. doi: 10.1016/j.specom.2018.09.002. witzel, c., o'regan, j. k., & hansmann-roth, s. (2017). the dress and individual differences in the perception of surface properties. vision research, 141, 76-94. doi: 10.1016/j.visres.2017.07.015. xu, f., & du, j. t. (2018). factors influencing users’ satisfaction and loyalty to digital libraries in chinese universities. computers in human behavior, 83, 64-72. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2018.01.029. yaniv, g., siniver, e., & tobol, y. (2017). do higher achievers cheat less? an experiment of selfrevealing individual cheating. journal of behavioral and experimental economics, 68, 91-96. doi: 10.1016/j.socec.2017.04.005. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1350828 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38963-9_6 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38963-9_6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.518 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.518 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2018.09.008 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.159 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.159 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2014.09.003 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2014.09.003 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.09.021 http://doi.org/10.1097/aln.0b013e318249d0a7 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65691-5_9 https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-373932-2.00203-9 https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-373932-2.00203-9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2016.08.003 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2016.08.003 http://www.johnsymons.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/systematicity-an-overview.pdf http://www.johnsymons.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/systematicity-an-overview.pdf http://www.johnsymons.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/systematicity-an-overview.pdf http://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.jvb.2016.09.006 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2013.03.005 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2013.03.005 https://doi.org/10.20849/aes.v1i1.32 https://doi.org/10.20849/aes.v1i1.32 https://doi.org/10.1145/3133944.3133954 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.specom.2018.09.002 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.specom.2018.09.002 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2017.07.015 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2017.07.015 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.01.029 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.01.029 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2017.04.005 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 393 efl student’s difficulties in extensive listening activities: a thematic content analysis indra cipta putra mandiri english education study program, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: indra18@upi.edu muhammad handi gunawan (corresponding author) english education study program, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: handi_gunawan@upi.edu suharno english education study program, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: suharno@upi.edu apa citation: mandiri, i. c. p., gunawan, m. h., & suharno. (2022). efl student’s difficulties in extensive listening activities: a thematic content analysis. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 393-400. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6240 received: 19-02-2022 accepted: 26-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction extensive listening is defined as all types of listening activities that allow learners to receive a lot of comprehensible and enjoyable listening input (ivone & renandya, 2019). in the world of english teaching, the concept of extensive listening is a relatively new one. listening itself (as a language skill) receives a relatively smaller teaching or research attention, in comparison with other language skills (burns & siegel, 2017), and the concept of extensive listening itself is quite possibly developed from the pre-existing concept of extensive reading (er), or perhaps simply from the novel concept of l1 listening (chang, 2018). regardless of its origin, it is beneficial to the increase of listening comprehension as it allows learners to adjust their learning activities to the type of text, and their comprehension needs (ivone & renandya, 2019). with the aforementioned definition of extensive listening, it should come as no surprise that extensive listening activities involves the act of listening to large amounts of motivating and engaging materials which are linguistically appropriate over a period of time, in which they listen to materials with a reasonable speed for general understanding (renandya & jacobs, 2016). with this, we can infer that generally, extensive listening is an engaging listening activity where its listeners focus on attaining a general understanding of what is being spoken. one of the most abundant extensive listening resources that are readily found in the internet is videos, sourced from sites like youtube, dailymotion, and many others. these resources can be considered as authentic e-learning resources abstract: the study of extensive listening (el) is a comparatively new field in comparison to its peer, extensive reading (er). extensive listening itself can be defined as an engaging and enjoyable listening activity that is beneficial in increasing one’s listening comprehension. although there have been extensive studies in regards to the field of listening in general, the field of extensive listening receives relatively little attention. this study aims to uncover the difficulties encountered by efl students in their extensive listening activities, and to contribute itself to the present gap of studies concerning extensive listening, specifically difficulties encountered in it. this study involves twenty-three efl students under the class of listening for general communication 1, and conducts a thematic analysis on the participants’ questionnaire and interview responses. the findings showed that the difficulties encountered by the participants in their extensive listening activities can be divided into three major categories, namely comprehension difficulties, technical difficulties, and motivational difficulties. keywords: extensive listening; listening difficulties; thematic analysis. indra cipta putra mandiri, muhammad handi gunawan, & suharno efl student’s difficulties in extensive listening activities: a thematic content analysis 394 (kobayashi, 2020), and with it, comes several benefits, including (but not limited to): a way of implementing a comprehensive approach to learning, and significantly increasing learner’s motivation to learn a foreign language (zhdanov & baklanov, 2020). saputra and fatimah (2018) argued in their journal that extensive listening activities allows the students to receive abundant comprehensible and enjoyable input (sourced from sources like youtube, ted, etc). listening itself (perhaps a byproduct of receiving a relatively smaller teaching or research attention, in comparison with other language skills), is considered to be a particularly difficult skill to acquire, especially for language learners (nawir, 2020). this is because in listening, extra attention and concentration would be crucial in comprehending the speakers’ utterances (zulfikar, aulia, & akmal 2020). in this regard, renandya (2011) has eloquently illustrated four notable reasons why listening is perceived to be difficult by language learners: first of all, speech is fast, as even in normal speech rate, spoken information could still be perceived as being too fast by beginner language learners. in addition to that, if the speakers speak too fast, problems in comprehension may occur for those who are not native speakers of the english language (saraswaty, 2018). second, speech is variable, as when words are woven in a speech, they will oftentimes undergo (up to some extent, radical) phonological changes (e.g. modification, reduction, et cetera). third, word boundaries tend to get blurry, as in some words could seemingly “blend” with other words in certain dialects or speech rates. lastly, speech is by nature processed in real-time, meaning that unlike reading something, there is little to no chance to “re-read” what one may have missed, although the option of asking the interlocutor to repeat the sentence is viable. there had been previous studies conducted in light of revealing difficulties that learners encounter in listening activities. nushi and orouji (2020) discovered that encountering phonological processes such as assimilation, deletion or addition of sounds, and not understanding the sounds in combination poses itself as a significant difficulty for learners in relation to their listening. another evident difficulty is when learners try to comprehend considerably lengthy and/or comparatively complex materials. another research was also conducted by nadhira and warni (2020), and it revealed additional insight to the plausible difficulties that learners encounter in listening. these difficulties include perception of unfamiliar words and/or vocabularies, rate of speech, accent used by the speaker (alongside his/her pronunciation), and technicalities (audio quality, for example). another study conducted by rakhman, tarjana, and marmanto (2019) reflected similar results in regards to listening difficulties, especially in the question of having difficulty with the speech rates of the speakers. additional difficulties were also revealed, namely difficulties related with inadequate practice of listening outside the classroom, and difficulties in recalling spoken information. reflecting on the preceding paragraph, it is clear that a number of studies have been conducted under the guise of revealing difficulties in listening. however, from it we can also infer that there is a lack of study that specifically focuses itself on revealing the difficulties under the context of extensive listening activities. it is for this reason that this paper aims to fill in the present gap of scarcity of studies exploring difficulties in extensive listening. this paper means to conduct a thematic analysis of efl students’ difficulties in extensive listening activities in order to unveil difficulties that may arise in extensive listening activities, under the demography of indonesian efl students. thematic analysis is chosen as the study does not only intend to simply generalize the difficulties found, but also to thematically group common themes found in each difficulty, the factor inducing the aforementioned difficulties, and to see whether cooccurrences are found along the way. thematic analysis is a form of analysis that moves beyond counting the occurrence of explicit words and phrases, and instead focuses itself on identifying and describing both implicit and explicit ideas within the data’s themes (macqueen, guest, & namey, 2012). in that regard, thematic analyses may include the comparison of code frequencies, the identification of code co-occurrence, and the graphic display of existing relationships between codes contained in the data. method as previously mentioned, this paper aims to conduct a thematic analysis of efl students’ difficulties in extensive listening activities in order english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 395 to unveil difficulties that may arise in extensive listening activities, under the demography of indonesian efl students. specifically, this study involves first-semester english education department students of a public state university located in indonesia, under the class of listening for general communication 1 as its participants. the data that serves as the main focus of the analysis is sourced from a reflection questionnaire in regards to their experience throughout the course. among other questions, the reflection questionnaire also includes questions that inquire the participants’ difficulties in their extensive listening activities, and the way they cope with said difficulties. all 23 students of the selected class are participating in the study, and 5 out of the 23 participants are selected for an additional interview session as a means of clarification and/or to provide additional insights, as their responses are deemed unclear and are in need of further elaboration. these interview sessions implemented a semi-structured style of interview, as the writer prepares a set of predetermined questions, but opens the possibility of formulating more questions should it be deemed necessary. it is important to note that both the questionnaires and the interview uses bahasa indonesia, and therefore the original text and excerpts that will be provided in the article will include both its bahasa indonesia version and its translated to english variant, as a means to provide transparency to the readers. the time allotted to each individual interview with each participant is 30 minutes, and the three main questions that the interview is centered around are: (1) kesulitan-kesulitan apakah yang paling sering muncul ketika anda melakukan extensive listening? (2)dari kesulitan-kesulitan tersebut, yang manakah yang menurut anda merupakan kesulitan yang paling sukar untuk ditangani? (3)bagaimana anda mengatasi kesulitan yang telah anda hadapi? (1) what do you think are the most prevalent difficulties that you encounter in extensive listening activities? (2) from the aforementioned difficulties, which one do you think is the most challenging one to deal with? (3) how do you cope and manage the difficulties that you have encountered?) under the context of the aforementioned course, it should be noted that in the practice of listening, both intensive and extensive listening practices are combined. this is due to the fact that in the department of english education in the aforementioned university, there is no standalone class that focuses itself on extensive listening. listening courses in the department heavily relies on intensive listening, where the lecturers previously dictate the materials that would be used in the course. the extensive listening part of the course comes in the form of a weekly assignment where the students would have to listen to various extensive listening materials such as podcasts, ted talks, etc. in addition to that, they were also required to record their extensive listening activities through the use of listening journals, adapted from takaesu (2013). after recording their extensive listening activity in their weekly listening journals, they would then be allotted time to discuss their journals with their peers in class, after they are finished with the intensive listening part of the class. the time allocation for each session in the class is roughly 40 minutes. results and discussion an analysis of the gathered data from the distributed questionnaire revealed that there exists three major recurring themes under the context of difficulties faced by students in extensive listening activities. these three major difficulties are comprehension difficulties, technical difficulties, and motivational difficulties. each of these difficulties would be further elaborated alongside relevant factors that induced each accordingly in the following passages. the ways that these students cope with the difficulties will also be discussed. 1. 2. comprehension-related difficulties comprehension-related difficulties concern itself with difficulties that pose a challenge in comprehending the listening material that the students are listening to. for comprehension related difficulties, three factors play a pivotal role in inducing it: a. b. range of used vocabulary thirteen students (approximately 57% of the students that filled out the questionnaire) admitted that the extensive range of vocabularies used in the extensive listening materials they listen to poses a challenge for them in comprehending said podcast. a few examples of the statement are provided below: “kendala yang saya alami yaitu terkadang sulit untuk memahami topik yang dibicarakan di indra cipta putra mandiri, muhammad handi gunawan, & suharno efl student’s difficulties in extensive listening activities: a thematic content analysis 396 podcast/sumber lain tersebut karena beberapa kosa kata masih terdengar asing bagi saya.” (“a hurdle i experienced was the difficulty of comprehending the topic being talked about in the podcast/other sources i was listening to, as some vocabularies still sound relatively unfamiliar to me…”) “terdapat banyak slang yang asing bagi saya dan ketika saya mencarinya di google berbeda dengan apa yang dimaksud.” (“there are many slang words that sound alien to me, and when i look up what they mean on google, it would sometimes be different than what was intended.”) “...kurangnya kosa kata yang saya miliki, hal tersebut membuat saya sulit memahami isi percakapan dalam podcast maupun dari sumber listening lainnya. (“...due to the little range of vocabulary i am familiar with, i often find it hard to understand the topic of a conversation in a podcast or other sources.”) accent of speakers seven students (approximately 30% of the students that filled out the questionnaire) admitted that the accent of the speakers in the extensive listening media that they listen to poses a challenge for them in comprehending said media. a few examples of the statement are provided below: “terkadang saya sulit memahami jika bahasa inggris yang podcast bicarakan itu aksennya yang sulit dimengerti.” (“sometimes i find it difficult to understand the spoken english in the podcast if the accent itself is difficult to understand.”) “kesulitan yang saya dapatkan yaitu pelafalan dan aksen mereka yang masih asing untuk saya dengar…” (“the difficulties i faced are the speakers’ pronunciation and accent, which are still unfamiliar to me…”) “aksennya yang kadang kurang dimengerti.” (“the accents are sometimes a challenge to be understood.”) rate of speech three students (approximately 13% of the students that filled out the questionnaire) admitted that the speakers’ rate of speech in the extensive listening media that they listen to poses a challenge for them in comprehending said media. a few examples of the statement are provided below: “kadang-kadang terdapat kata yang saya belum ketahui dan tidak ada script atau subtitle seperti pada platform youtube, sehingga saya harus mengulang-ulang pengucapan kata tersebut dari podcastnya dan mencari penulisan dan arti dari kata tersebut. atau ketika pembicara dalam podcast tersebut berbicara terlalu cepat.” (“sometimes there are words that i don't know and there are no scripts or subtitles like on the youtube platform, so i have to repeat the pronunciation of the word from the podcast and look for the writing and meaning of the word. or when the speaker in the podcast is talking too fast.”) “jika peserta yang ada di podcast mengomong terlalu cepat/keras/rendah sampai microphone mereka tidak meregistrasi suaranya, membuatnya bersuara tidak jelas dan tidak dapat dipahami. (“the problem i encounter when listening to a podcast is if the participants of the podcast speak too fast/loud/low, to the point where the microphone cannot register the sound, making it unclear and incomprehensible.”) “ketika saya mendengarkannya (podcast) di spotify saya selalu kebingungan ketika mereka berbicara dengan cepat…” (“when i listen to podcasts on spotify, i always get confused when they talk quickly…”) it can be seen from these findings that the comprehension difficulties encountered by students in extensive listening activities are in line with the findings made by renandya (2011), in regards to difficulties in listening. just like in renandya’s findings, the idea that “speech is fast”, as spoken information could still be perceived as being too fast by beginner language learners, is evident in the provided example, specifically “the main problem i face is when the native speakers start to talk. when they start talking, they do so rather quickly…” another recurring finding is where word boundaries tend to get blurry, as in some words could seemingly “blend” with other words in certain dialects. this is exemplified in the provided response example stating “sometimes i find it difficult to understand the spoken english in the podcast if the accent itself is difficult to understand.”. under the context of comprehension-related difficulties, it can also be inferred that the major english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 397 factor that plays a role in inducing it is the vocabulary-induced ones. this particular factor stems from the fact that apparently, the participants’ unfamiliarity with the used vocabulary, or the use of slangs in the materials that they listen to, serves as a challenge for them in their effort to comprehend the aforementioned material. another inducing factor is the accent used by the speakers in the material they are listening to. this mirrors what renandya & farrell (2011) had previously stated, that word boundaries tend to get blurry, as some words could seemingly “blend” with other words in certain dialects. as all of the participants of the research are not native speakers of the english language, for accents and dialects to pose a challenge in their comprehension of the materials that they listen to is surely something that is to be expected. the last factor related to comprehension difficulties is the rate of speech of the speakers, which also mirrors previous findings by renandya in the preceding sentence. technical difficulties technical difficulties concern itself with difficulties encountered by the participants of the study that are related to the technicalities of the activity. as the materials used are sourced online, this section’s difficulties mainly concerns itself with hurdles related to online material technicalities. seven students (approximately 30% of the students that filled out the questionnaire) admitted that the technical difficulties, (poor connection, audio playback errors), pose a challenge for them. a few examples of the statement are provided below: “banyak kendala yang saya hadapi, misalnya internet yang lambat…” (“there are many hurdles i experienced, slow internet for example…”) “terkadang saat menemukan topic yang kita inginkan audionya tidak bisa diputar…” (“sometimes when we find the topic that we want, the audio cannot be played…”) “kendala atau kesulitan yang saya alami ketika mendengarkan podcast atau sumber lain yaitu kendala jaringan dan kesulitan menemukan media tersebut.” (“the hurdles, or the difficulties i experienced when listening to podcasts or other materials are the difficulties with the connection, and the difficulty of finding the media.”) as previously mentioned, technical difficulties concern itself with difficulties encountered by the participants of the study that are related to the technicalities of the activity. these difficulties are present– and are taken into account as the extensive listening activities being carried out by the participants are under the confines of the material being sourced from online resources. the findings indicated that when it comes to technical difficulties, poor internet connection (resulting in buffering video/audio) and playback errors are the most prevalent technical difficulties encountered by the participants. the sentiment of having these technical difficulties are shared by approximately 30% of the participants involved in the study. motivational difficulties albeit being the comparatively smallest number of occurring difficulty that surfaces in the questionnaire and interviews (by only summing up to a total of 22%), this difficulty is still worthy to be discussed, as it remains a factor that plays in the grand scheme of encountered difficulties in extensive listening activities. motivational difficulties concern themselves with difficulties that pose a challenge in a student’s motivation and focus to follow through in their extensive listening activities. for comprehensionrelated difficulties, the factor that unanimously induces it is mainly centered around how the material is being delivered. example of responses that voice these difficulties are provided below: “...cara penyampaian yang membosankan, dan penyampaian yang tidak jelas/ terkesan mumbling.” (“...boring delivery, and the delivery is unintelligible/felt like mumbling.”) “sejauh ini kendala yang dialami adalah dari podcast itu sendiri. seperti saat pembawaannya datar atau materinya yang kurang menarik, saya sangat cepat kehilangan minat untuk lanjut mendengarkan.” (“so far, the problem is from within the podcast itself. like when the delivery is flat or the material is uninteresting, i very quickly lose interest in listening to it further.”) “kendala saya ketika mendengarkan podcast yakni, bosan dan kesal, tidak dapat dipungkiri bosan dan kesal adalah alasan terkuat yang menyulitkan saya.” indra cipta putra mandiri, muhammad handi gunawan, & suharno efl student’s difficulties in extensive listening activities: a thematic content analysis 398 (“the hurdle when listening to podcasts for me is being bored and annoyed, it is undeniable that boredom and annoyance are the strongest reasons that make it difficult for me.”) 3. students’ coping mechanisms coping mechanisms here mean ways of how students involved in the study cope with the difficulties in comprehending their selected listening material in their extensive listening activities. the coping mechanisms are divided into two ways, one being repetition of their extensive listening material, and two, enlistment of subtitles and/or transcripts of their selected extensive listening material. both of these coping mechanisms and their example will be elaborated below, and cases of co-occurrences will also be discussed. a. repetition of the material repetition of material is quite self-explanatory. it simply means that the way these students cope with the difficulty is by the repetition of listening to the material until they deem that they understood the material, and or/ what is being spoken by the speakers there. sixteen students (approximately 70%) have shown that repetition of their listening material is their preferred method of coping with the difficulties. some examples are listed below: “saya biasanya mendengarkan berulang kali sampai saya mengerti.” (“i usually listen over and over again until i understand.”) “biasanya saya akan mendengarkan podcast/sumber lain tersebut secara berulangulang hingga saya bisa memahami topik yang dibicarakan.” (“usually i will listen to the podcast/other source over and over again until i can understand the topic being discussed.”) “apabila ada kata yang belum diketahui, saya harus mencari script podcast tersebut pada platform google kalau tidak ada, saya mengulang perkataan pembicaranya pada podcastnya berkali-kali.” ("if there is a word that i haven’t known, i have to look for the podcast script on the google platform. if it's not there, i repeat what the speaker said on the podcast again and again.") enlistment of subtitles and/or transcripts enlistment of subtitles and/or transcripts means that the way these students cope with the difficulty is by using the aid of subtitles and/or transcripts of their extensive listening materials so that they could understand the material, and or/ what is being spoken by the speakers there. seven students (approximately 30%) have shown that enlistment of subtitles and.or transcripts is their preferred method of coping with the difficulties. some examples are listed below: “mencari alternatifnya seperti mencari teks pembicara di website resmi sumber video. seperti contoh ted talks di youtube biasanya menyediakan link untuk membaca teks yang dibawakan narasumber dalam video.” (“looking for alternatives like looking for the speaker's text on the official website of the video source. for example, ted talks on youtube usually provides a link to read the text presented by the speaker in the video.”) “…namun, setelah 3 kali pengulangan dan isi video yang saya dengar belum cukup jelas, maka saya akan mengaktifkan subtitle berbahasa inggris.” (“…however, if after 3 repetitions and the content of the video i am hearing is still not clear enough, i will then turn on english subtitles.”) “…dan cara saya mengatasi kesulitan ketika mendengarkan podcast yaitu dengan menggunakan transcript text untuk memahami percakapan dalam podcast tersebut…” (“…and the way i overcome difficulties when listening to podcasts is to use the transcript of the text to understand the conversations in the podcast…”) b. c. co-occurrences found throughout the interview and questionnaires, three co-occurrences in regards to the way students cope with difficulties they encounter in extensive listening appear. the three found co-occurrences include both repetition of the material and enlistment of transcript and/or subtitles as a way of coping with the difficulties that these students encountered. the three co-occurrence excerpts are provided below: “biasanya saya akan mendengarkan podcast/sumber lain tersebut secara berulangulang hingga saya bisa memahami topik yang dibicarakan. apabila masih terdapat kosa kata yang belum dimengerti, saya akan english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 399 memperkirakannya dan menghubungkannya dengan topik yang dibahas. namun jika terdapat script audio atau subtitle, saya akan melihatnya dan mencari tahu arti dari kosa kata yang belum saya ketahui.” (“usually i will listen to the podcast/other source over and over again until i can understand the topic being discussed. if there is still a vocabulary that is not understood, i will estimate it and relate it to the topic discussed. but if there is an audio script or subtitles, i will look at it and find out the meaning of the vocabulary that i don't know.") “saya selalu mencari transcript dari podcast yang saya dengar atau mendengarkan 2x audio tersebut, yang pertama tanpa subtitle dan yang kedua saya membaca transcriptnya.” (“i always look for transcripts of podcasts that i listen to or listen to twice the audio, the first without subtitles and the second i read the transcript.”) “sebelum masuk ke podcast, waktu yang paling banyak saya habiskan ialah untuk mencari sumber betul-betul saya tertarik dengan sumber tersebut. kemudian, saya akan mendengarkannya berulang semisal 2-5 kali. karena ketika diulang, akan ada tambahan kata-kata yang dapat pahami sehingga isi dari podcast tersebut lebih tertangkap jelas. namun, setelah 3 kali pengulangan dan isi video yang saya dengar belum cukup jelas, maka saya akan mengaktifkan subtitle berbahasa inggris.” (“before getting into podcasts, i spent most of the time looking for sources i was really interested in. then, i will listen to it over and over again like 25 times. because when repeated, there will be additional words that can be understood so that the content of the podcast is more clearly captured. however, after 3 repetitions and the content of the video i hear is not clear enough, then i will turn on english subtitles.”) from the provided excerpt samples, it can be inferred that there exists a connection between the two coping mechanisms. the first coping mechanism, the repetition of the extensive listening material, has the tendency to be the first coping mechanism utilized by the participants in the event where they think they were unable to comprehend the extensive listening materials that they are listening to. the second coping mechanism, the enlistment of subtitles and/or transcripts have a tendency to be chosen under the circumstances where repetition is deemed insufficient to fully comprehend the extensive listening materials that the participants are currently listening to. conclusion in conclusion to the aforementioned findings and discussions, the difficulties that are faced by efl students in extensive listening activities can be divided into three major parts. the three parts are comprehension difficulties, technical difficulties, and motivational difficulties. comprehension difficulties on its own are mainly induced by three key factors, which are the range of vocabulary being used in the extensive listening material being listened to (approx. 57% of cases), the accent of speakers who are speaking in the material (approx. 30% of cases), and the rate of their speech (approx. 17% of cases). the latter two factors are in-line with the findings of renandya (2011) that stated that speech rate in spoken information could still be perceived as being too fast by beginner language learners, and as when words are woven in a speech, they will oftentimes undergo (up to some extent, radical) phonological changes (e.g. modification, reduction, et cetera), meaning that word boundaries would get blurry, as in some words could seemingly “blend” with other words in certain dialects or speech rates. technical difficulties as the name suggests means that the difficulties encountered by the participants of the study are related to the technicalities of the activity. as the nature of the materials used are online, the difficulties mainly concern themselves with hurdles related to online material technicalities, like connection problems and audio playback problems. these technical difficulties are encountered in approximately 30% of the cases. motivational difficulties are induced mainly by how the extensive listening material is delivered by the speaker. among the three, this difficulty is the least-encountered, amounting to just approximately 22% of cases. flat and boring delivery are the prominent complaints listed by the participants of the research, and it tampers with their motivation in carrying out the extensive listening activities. the participants cope with these difficulties mainly using two ways, repeating the materials that they are listening to, and by enlisting the aid of transcripts and/or subtitles. cooccurrences of these two coping strategies are found, where the latter serves as a consequence to the former not being viable enough to attend comprehension of the material being listened to. indra cipta putra mandiri, muhammad handi gunawan, & suharno efl student’s difficulties in extensive listening activities: a thematic content analysis 400 results of this study may be applied as “heads-up” for educators who would like to employ extensive listening to their students. in other words, the findings may serve as an insight to the possibilities of difficulties encountered by the students and/or the practitioners of extensive listening activities in general. as a recommendation for a follow-up or continuation of the study, it is possible that further study in regards to efl students’ preferred media and/or materials for extensive listening to be conducted, in order to complement the findings discovered in this study. acknowledgements the writer would like to profess utmost gratitude to allah swt, for allowing the chance to write this article to be possible, and to the two lecturers and co-authors of this study, muhammad handi gunawan, m. pd. and suharno, m.pd. for providing the chance and possibility to work on this study concerning the field that the writer is interested in, and tirelessly guiding the writer throughout the study. the writer is also very grateful to all of the writer’s cherished family members, who had been naught but very supportive in the writer’s endeavors, be it mental, physical, and monetary support. without them, the writer would not have the capacity to perform as best as possible in this study. very special thanks to the individuals: kevin aprilio, muhammad arya raqi wardhana, muhammad cisco zulfikar, muhammad yusuf dzaudan agus, and wildan rahadian, for being irreplacable friends who kept the writer in check throughout the process of writing this paper. references burns, a., & siegel, j. (eds.). (2018). international perspectives on teaching the four skills in elt: listening, speaking, reading, writing. springer international publishing. chang, a. c.-s. (2018). extensive listening. in j. i. liontas (ed.), the tesol encyclopedia of english language teaching, (1st ed., pp. 1-6). john wiley & sons, inc. 10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0564 ivone, f. m., & renandya, w. a. (2019). extensive listening and viewing in elt. teflin journal, 30(2), 237-256. http://dx.doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v30i2/237 -256 kobayashi, a. (2020). fostering learner autonomy in an efl classroom through an action research by adapting extensive listening activities. language education & technology, 91-120. macqueen, k. m., guest, g., & namey, e. e. (2012). applied thematic analysis. sage publications. nadhira, s., & warni, s. (2021). students’ listening difficulties in english as a foreign language learning at secondary school in indonesian context. advances in social science, education and humanities research-atlantis press, 547, 186-193. https://dx.doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210430.029 nawir, m. (2020). utilizing videocast: fostering students' listening comprehension. english teaching, learning, and research journal, 6(1), 89-95. https://doi.org/10.24252/eternal.v61.2020.a8 nushi, m., & orouji, f. (2020). investigating efl teachers’ views on listening difficulties among their learners: the case of iranian context. sage open, 1-16. 10.1177/2158244020917393 rakhman, f. a., tarjana, s. s., & marmanto, s. (2019). indonesian english department students listening difficulties and listening strategies. indonesian journal of educational research, 4(2), 60-67. https://doi.org/10.30631/ijer.v4i2.113 renandya, w. a., & farrell, t. s.c. (2011). teacher, the tape is too fast!’ extensive listening in elt. elt journal, 65(1), 52-59. 10.1093/elt/ccq015 renandya, w. a., & jacobs, g. m. (2016). extensive reading and listening in the l2 classroom. in english language teaching today (pp. 97-110). routledge. saputra, y., & fatimah, a. s. (2018). the use of ted and youtube in extensive listening course: exploring possibilities of autonomy learning. indonesian journal of english language teaching, 13(1), 73-84. saraswaty, d. r. (2018). learner's difficulties and strategies in listening comprehension. english community journal, 2(1), 139-152. https://doi.org/10.32502/ecj.v2i1.1003 zhdanov, d., & baklanov, p. (2020). training english listening using e-learning resources. arpha proceedings, 2895-2908. 10.3897/ap.2.e2895 zulfikar, aulia, c. t., & akmal, s. (2020). exploring efl students' problems in listening to english news broadcasts. language literacy: journal of linguistics, literature and language teaching, 4(2), 340-352. 10.30743/ll.v4i2.2940 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 113 the utilization of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz in maritime english learning angga aminullah mansur cirebon maritime academy email: qazkila246@gmail.com dian nur asmawati smk negeri 3 kuningan email: dianurasmawati@gmail.com apa citation: mansur, a. a., & asmawati, d. n. (2021). the utilization of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz in maritime english learning. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 113120. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5361 received: 19-08-2021 accepted: 14-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction one of the impacts of today’s covid-19 outbreak is global transformation. this swift-change happens globally in every aspect of life—from healthcare systems to socio-economics, from agricultures to energy. not excludingly in education (oyedotun, 2020), school life has also transformed its outlook from initialy classical face to face teaching-learning activities to various online learning settings and has led to both the employment of distance learning and the comprehension of the use of technology by the tutors/lercturers online learning has commonly been associated and interchangeably used with other alike-terms such as ‘e-learning’, ‘blended’ or ‘distance learning’ (hockly, 2015) and is often considered as a growing educational alternative that evolves the role of technology in providing instructional materials and educational tools as well as in facilitating teachers-students’ interactions in distant learning (horn and staker, 2011; blake, 2011; hockly, 2015). however, as to evade the overlaping use of the terms from conffusions, some distinctions are given out. online learning refers to teachinglearning activities that are partially or entirely conducted through the internet (means, toyama, murphy, bakia, and jones, 2009). blake (2011) associates online language learning with a number of learning arrangements namely web-facilitated class, blended or hybrid course, and fully virtual or online course. hockly (2015) attempts to clarify the notion by distinguishing between ‘blended’ and ‘fully online learning’. he defines the later as fully online via the internet without any face-to-face component in both formal and more informal learning schemes. white (2003) emphasizes more on the independency of the learners to distinguish between face-to-face classroom and distance language learning. on the other hand, kuama (2016) pointed out some significant benefits that abstract: this current pandemy has led both educators and students to acquire the ability to vastly adjust themselves in picking out and applying both a suitable and convinient way of teaching and learning that involve the use of technology. this paper is aimed at describing (1) how online learning platforms namely zoom, google classroom, and quizizz are collaboratively utilized in maritime english (me) learning (2) how effective they are, and (3) what setbecks the students encounterd during the learning proscess via this collaboration. the study uses a qualitative approach in which 62 of the total numbers of 110 students were surveyed by applying a purposive sampling inquiry technique after having accomplished their me course for about three months to find out the effectivity and setbacks of the integration of those three online learning platforms. according to the survey, it turns out that the integration of those three platforms tends to be effective to be applied for me learning in the meantime situation with the interval scale of 83.55% (strongly agree) and respectively feel that online learning method is the best method of learning to be applied in this current pandemic situation with the interval scale of 81.61% (strongly agree). however, the scale went lower, notching only 58.71% (unsure), when the students were inquired whether the online learning method in general is suitably applied regularly in normal time. this happens due to some constrains they have as well. keywords: maritime english; online learning platforms; utilization; effectivity. angga aminullah mansur & dian nur asmawati the utilization of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz in maritime english learning 114 online learning provides as clear distinctions to traditional or face to face classroom settings. they mention that online learning gives students flexibilities in preferring better learning style and creating opportunities for active learning due to its self-centered platform. in addition, harasim, calvert and groeneboer (1997) point out that the use of good online learning applications or software can support the students to have opportunities in participating in discussions, expressing oppinions, and sharing konwledges without having to relly on classroom size and time. zoom, google classroom, and quizizz are some of many online instructional paltforms designed for facilitating online teaching-learning activities. each platform with each of its features represents distinctive characteristics and functions. zoom embodies the nature of synchronuous online learning. as one of synchronuous meeting tools (smts), zoom offers immersive and convenient features to facilitate authentic communicative language learning in interactive syncchronuous classes (kohnke and moorhouse, 2020). the interactions established through zoom by using its features such as its web-cam and microphone facilities facilitate similar interactions to those run in traditional classroom activities (rahayu, 2020). on the other hand, google classroom and quizizz are typically used asynchronically. as the integral part of google apps for education (gafe), google classroom plays a significant role in engaging students in asynchronuous distance learning activities. sudarsana, putra, astawa, & yogantara (2021) describes it as a virtual extension of brick and mortar classroom in which information is shared, discussions are conducted, and tasks are distributed and collected. this platform also enables the teachers to provide their students with readily available materials such as audio/video lectures, handouts, articles, and power point presentations that can be accessed anythime anywhere (perveen, 2016). lastly, quizizz is an online assesment tool with interactive and entertaining test features like avatars, themes, memes, and music that brings a refreshing experience to the test takers (zhao, 2019). practically, this gamification platform can be used in several ways and many types of online classroom activities. maritime english (me) is the english used, particularly in multicultural and multilingual context, to ensure seafarers’ works and safety in the shipping industry (progulaki & roe, 2011; ismail, rizani, & rauzilan, 2019). the necessity of the use of me in maritime practice is derived from the fact that english communication defficiency has been one of the major causes of maritime accidents (rashed, 2010; shi & fan, 2021) and thus the need for acceptable standard english ability is essential (ismail et al., 2019). in addition to that, tchkonia, kalandadze, & dolidze (2019) underline the importance of effective english communication at sea as a means of safety ship operations. they mention that the practice of english communication is essential for the effective and safe running of the ship as it takes place in many ways and involves multi-parties. therefore, the english communication practiced should be as precise, simple, and unambiguous as possible. this importance of good english comprehensions and skills is parallel to the sellection of the right unless the best teaching techniques. the use of online learning platforms in me teaching-learning and in teaching-learning in general has previously discussed in some previous researches. yurzhenko (2019) studies the work of lms moodle e-courses she designed for me learning. the study reveals that the platforms tend to be effective to utilize for improving foreign profesional competence of future maritime specialist. shi and fan (2021) investigate the status of online me education in china from the perspectives of both chinese maritime students and me teachers. it is found out that online me education in china was underdeveloped due to its simplicity and lack of explorations. sudarsana et al (2019) point out the suiatbility of google classroom in overcoming the obstacles of distance education and in improving teacher’s and student’s quality. rahmawati (2021) focuses more on discussing the challenges faced by me lecturers in delivering me through online learning. similar to rahmawati (2021), mu’awanah (2021) point out both benefits and challenges that zoom brings to the learners involved in distance english learning. therefore, based on the reviews above, the writer was then tempted to study the collaboration of three online learning platforms namely zoom, google classroom, and quizizz in me learning and to investigate their effectivity and challenges from the students’ perceptions. this paper is then aimed at describing how three online learning platforms namely zoom, google english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 115 classroom, and quizizz are collabaorativley utilized in me learning, how effective they are, and what setbacks the students face during the learning through the collaboration. it is expected that the paper can contribute well in providing both me teachers and learners an alternative model of me online learning required to be applied in this current situation. method the research applies a qualitiative approach in which the applications of the three online learning platforms (zoom, google classroom, and quizizz) in me online classes are observed and described. by using a purposive-sampling technique, in order to obtain information about learners’ perceptions on effectivity and challenges of this collaboration, questionaires are given (creswell, 2014). the respondents are restrictively sellected only to those participating in the learning. from the total of 110 participants, 62 are taken into the inquiries. the research is conducted based on the research plan shown as in this following chart: figure 1. flowchart of the research it can be seen from the chart above that the research comprises a series of stages. it begins with the stage of preparation, the stage where everything required for the learning is ellaborated. the second stage is the stage of application, that is the stage at which the materials are applied through the use of those three online learning applications in the learning process. in the final phase of learning, the students are given questionaires to discover their perceptions towards the application of those three online learning platforms used and the challenges they may find along the way. lastly, by applying the likert scoring, the data taken are then analyzed to determine whether the use of the three applications in the learning works well and effective. results and discussion in this online me learning, zoom, google classroom, and quizizz are collaboratively applied. the applications of these three online learning platforms are synchronous, asyncrhonous, and hybrid (mixed-type). the following table describes the applications of the platforms in the learning: table 1. the applications of the platforms in the learning no learning activity mode of learning mode of oll application 1. class session lecturing, explaining, drilling synchronousasynchronous (hybrid) zoom + google classroom 2. assignment session doing homework, assignment, final project asynchronous google classroom 3. reinforcement session giving quiz, test asynchronous quizizz the learning is divided into three main activities namely (1) class session (2) assignment session, and (3) reinforcement session. the materials given are derived from selected topics of smcp with a 75 angga aminullah mansur & dian nur asmawati the utilization of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz in maritime english learning 116 minute learning duration per-meeting. in the class session activity that particularly consists of main and drilling activities, the first 45 minutes is allocated for giving explanation on the topics or issues to be delivered. the class is orginized synchronously via zoom and the materials are mostly presented through power-point presentations in combination with other audio-visual media like video presentations from you-tube. the zoom activity is in the form of monologues with only a minimum student interaction as most of synchronous meeting tools (smts) might feature in a lecture-style (kohnke and moorhouse, 2020). the materials are presented thoroughly with comprehensive explanation and examples. the rest 30 minutes is provided for drills and practice. in this later stage of learning, the students are engaged in spoken practice either individually or collectively in a group through the use of the ‘breakout room’ panel, making the class more lively and controllable. another scenario for this session is by combining the synchronous and asynchronous modes. the first 45 minutes is similar to the first one; when it comes to the drill and practice sessions, the mode is switched and centrilized to activities in google classroom. the students practice the smcp phrases and expressions by keeping up with either video or audio practice modulations uploaded in the ‘classwork activity’ panel. by splitting the class into small groups through the ‘breakout room’ panel, the instructor only does the observation and interact once in a while to check the progress while the students are doing the practice. besides synchronous modes described previously, asychronous modes are applied in the assignment and the evaluation sessions. in the assignment sessions, the students work on the assignments or projects both individually and collectively at their most convenient time based on all the materials and instructions uploaded in the ‘classwork activity’ panel in their google classroom accounts. the works are later submitted into the submission panel based on the due date. the instructor do the scoring and evaluation right at the same panel. another asynchronous mode of learning is applied in the reinforcement quiz. quizizz, with its gamification features, is utilized to meassure students’ vocabulary comprehension through the provision of vocabulary quizes. through quizizz, the students experience a new perspective on having a quiz since they do not feel like doing a quiz or exam as they commonly do in a more conventional mode with pen and paper. the utilization of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz as mentioned above does not entirely eliminate but particularly restore the roles and functions of conventional or classical face to face settings. by utilizing zoom and its features, the instructor is still able to have a real interaction with the students as to ask questions and receive answers immediately (skylar, 2009) and the students, on the other hand, are able to repeat all the materials given by accessing and replaying the recording of the materials as to master them (perveen, 2016). through the use of google classroom, the instructor and the students are engaged interactively in material and assignment sharings. the instructor can provide the students with various types of materials such as text, audio, video, etc. the students, on the other hand, can work independently by optimizing the time they have in doing the assignments. this functionalizes google classroom as a learning center for communicatiing, feedback sending, and homework providing (sudarsana et al, 2019) alike we commonly see in conventional face to face classroom activities. quizizz, on the other hand, restores the role of test-paper in a conventional classroom. the use of this platform makes the quiz or exam paperless. its test formats can be designed in many ways and its gamification features bring a unique atmosphere to both the learning and the learners. about 62 of 110 students who participated in the learning were taken as respondents. they were handed out a set of deductive perceptional propositions they had to respond on the use of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz in the me learning they participated in. among the inquiries, some were intentionally proposed to investigate the effectivity of the utilization of the three platforms. table 2. set of perceptional propositions on the use of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz no propositional inquiry 1. online learning is suitably applied for learning in this current pandemy situation. 2. you are satsfactorily able to participate in online learning activities throughout this pandemy situation. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 117 3. you have excellent supporting devices for online learning (smartphone / laptop /pc, etc). 4. you have good internet connection for participating in online learning activities. 5. you have installed zoom, google classroom, and quizizz platforms and been able to utilize them well. 6. as far as your concerned, the online me learning has been suitably applied throughout this pandemy situation. 7. as far as your concerned, the online me learning has been suitably applied through the use of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz throughout this pandemy siatuation. 8. the zoom platform used in the me learning has so far been effective. 9. the gooogle classroom platform used in the me learning has so far been effective. 10. the quizizz used in the me learning has so far been effective. 11. the me learning materials delivered by utilizing zoom, google classroom, and quizizz are easily understood and comprehended. 12. you are satisfied with the me learning with zoom, google classroom, and quizizz. 13. you will be more contended to have online than offline learning as your prefernce for your future learning. those thirteen propositions above go from general to more specific issues. all are channeled to explore the students’ perceptions on the use of the three platforms in the me learning. the first five propositions concern about the students’ online aparatus availibility for joining the me learning, while the rests are directly related to the applications of the three platforms in the learning itself. in order to understand students’ opinions/perceptions, the responses to the propositions are assessed through the application of likert scale by operating its symetric scoring (joshi, kale, chandel, & pal, 2015). the responses are categorized into ‘strongly agree’, ‘agree’, ‘unsure’, ‘disagree’, and ‘strongly disagree’ with the scoring scale of 5 to 1 representing the highest to the lowest continuum of proposition score. to eventually come to a final finding of each of the proposition measured, all the scores of all the items are combined (sum) to generate a composite score (joshi et al, 2015) by applying interval scoring formulation (pranatawijaya, widiatry, priskila, & putra, 2019). after having been summed up through a certain formulation, the interval index for each of the category is decided as follows: table 3. category interval index index scale 0% 19, 99% strongly disagree 20% 39, 99% disagree 40% 59, 99% unsure 60% 79, 99% agree 80% 100% strongly disagree as we can see in the following table of all five first propositions below, all are within the index of 78% to 86%. it means that most of the respondents show positive attitude towards the inquiries. the respondents, as for instance, have no complain with the online learning applied in this current pandemy situation. they are in the same opinion that online learning is suitably applied in this pandemy times. in term of their accesibility and readiness to follow or participate in online learning activities, the majority of respondents do not have much trouble in joining the program due to the excellent supporting devices they have and the availibility of the internet connection they use. they are also able to install and utilize zoom, google classroom, and quizizz well. table 4. responses to the first five inquiries no propositional inquiry response index strongly agree agree unsure disagree strongly disagree 5 4 3 2 1 1 online learning is suitably applied for learning in this current pandemy situation. 22, 6% 53, 2% 17,7% 6, 5% 0% 78, 39% angga aminullah mansur & dian nur asmawati the utilization of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz in maritime english learning 118 2 you are satsfactorily able to participate in online learning activities throughout this pandemy situation. 19, 4% 48, 4% 21, 0% 11, 3% 0% 75, 16% 3 you have excellent supporting devices for online learning (smartphone / laptop /pc, etc). 37, 1% 54, 8% 6, 5% 1, 6% 0% 85, 48% 4 you have good internet connection for participating in online learning activities. 19, 4% 51, 6% 22, 6% 6, 5% 0% 76, 77% 5 you have installed zoom, google classroom, and quizizz platforms and been able to utilize them well. 38, 7% 56, 5% 4, 8% 0% 0% 86, 77% meanwhile, how the respondents respond to the rests of the propositions is described in the following table below. table 5. responses to the rests of the inquiries no propositional inquiry response index strongly agree agree unsure disagree strongly disagree 5 4 3 2 1 1. as far as your concerned, the online me learning has been suitably applied throughout this pandemy situation. 27, 4% 53, 2% 19, 4% 0% 0% 81, 61% 2. as far as your concerned, the online me learning has been suitably applied through the use of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz throughout this pandemy siatuation. 29, 0% 59, 7% 11, 3% 3, 2% 0% 83, 55% 3. the zoom platform used in the me learning has so far been effective. 27, 4% 50, 0% 3, 2% 0% 0% 80, 32% 4. the gooogle classroom platform used in the me learning has so far been effective. 25, 8% 64, 5% 9, 7% 0% 0% 83, 23% 5. the quizizz used in the me learning has so far been effective. 29, 0% 59, 7% 11, 3% 0% 0% 83, 55% 6. the me learning materials delivered by utilizing zoom, google classroom, and quizizz are easily understood and comprehended. 25, 8% 51, 6% 22, 6% 0% 0% 80, 65% 7. you are satisfied with the me learning with zoom, google classroom, and quizizz. 21, 0% 50% 21, 0% 8, 1% 0% 76, 77% 8. you will be more contended to have online than offline learning as your prefernce for your future learning. 11, 3% 22, 6% 21, 0% 38, 7% 6, 5% 58, 71% according to the table above, the respondents similarly have positive attitudes towards most of the propositions with the index ranging from 76% to 83% (‘agree’ to ‘strongly agree’). they believe that me learning is appropriate to be applied online in this current situation. furthermore, they strongly agree that the collaboration between zoom, google classroom, and quizizz in the online me learning english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 119 is effective as they single out each of the platforms to have been effectively applied in the learning. they also believe that the delivery of the materials through the utilization of the three platforms is easily understood and comprehended. however, as to the last proposition having them to respond whether they will be more contended to sutdy online than offline for their future learning, the response does not show similar trend as it only reaches 58, 71% (‘unsure’). to finally determine whether the utilization of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz in the me learning is effective, all the index are summed up and then divided by the total numbers of propositions or items given through this following equation: equation 1 average of total index equation through the aplication of the above equation, it is found out that the final average of the index of all the items is 79, 30%, within the range of the interval of 60% 79, 99%. this means that the majority of the respondents agree on the online me learning and the utilization of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz in it. in the other words, the application of those three platforms in the online me learning is considered to be effective. although the result shows that the learning is considered to be effective, some challenges are still encountered by the students along the process of learning. most of them feel that sometimes learning online at home is not as convinient as it is offline. when they are offline, the focus and concentration portions will be alloted to the class activities---the instructor, the materials presented, the discussion conducted and so on. however, at home, the may have lack of concentration due to any possible distractions coming from the environment. the internet connection is sometimes the hamper itself. when they are online at home, their areas are varied and so are their internet accessibilities. as online learning at home is a self-fulfilment activity and requires a lot of internet quota package, the students feel that online learning is a little costly as they will have to buy the internet package more often than when they are offline. conclusion the utilization of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz in online me learning does not eliminate but restores the principle roles and functions of a conventional face to face setting. it is channeled in synchronous, asynchronous, and hybrid modes of learning within three forms of activities namely class session, assignment session, and reinforcment session. the use of zoom represents the function of a classroom with its properties like whiteboard and markers. by utilizing zoom, the instructor is able to present materials and interact with the students. these activities are as much as similar to what we commonly do in a classical face to face setting. google classroom is like a classroom cabinet in which reference books, work books, and class agendas are orginized there. it is utilized as a means of material and assignment storage and distribution. on the other hand, quizizz represents the role of a test-paper with a joyful gamification mode and outlook. based on the survey, it turns out that the utilization of those three platforms tends to be effective to be applied for me learning in the meantime situation with the index of 83.55% (strongly agree) and respectively feel that online learning method is the best method of learning to be applied in this current pandemic situation with the index of 81.61% (strongly agree), heighten by the average of 79, 30% (agree) of all the total index of the items. however, inspite of its effectivity, the students still encounter both internal and external constraints in doing the online learning. references blake, r. j. (2011). current trends in online language learning. annual review of applied linguistics, 31, 19-35. harasim, l., calvert, t., & groeneboer, c. (1997). virtual-u: a web-based system to support collaborative learning. khan, 62, 149-158. hockly, n. (2015). developments in online language learning. elt journal, 69(3), 308-313. horn, m. b., & staker, h. (2011). the rise of k-12 blended learning. innosight institute, 5, 1-17. ismail, m. r. s., rizani, m. s., & rauzilan, m. i. m. (2020). a study on improving maritime english performance among cadets at maritime universities. maritime technology and research, 2(2), 82-89. joshi, a., kale, s., chandel, s., & pal, d. k. (2015). likert scale: explored and explained. british journal of applied science & technology, 7(4), 396-403. angga aminullah mansur & dian nur asmawati the utilization of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz in maritime english learning 120 kohnke, l., & moorhouse, b. l. (2020). facilitating synchronous online language learning through zoom. relc journal, https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220937235. kuama, s. (2016). is online learning suitable for all english language students? pasaa: journal of language teaching and learning in thailand, 52, 53-82. means, b., toyama, y., murphy, r., bakia, m., & jones, k. (2009). evaluation of evidence-based practices in online learning: a meta-analysis and review of online learning studies. mu'awanah, n. (2021). strengths and challenges in using zoom to support english learning during covid-19 pandemic. jurnal ilmiah sekolah dasar, 5(2), 222-230. oyedotun, t. d. (2020). sudden change of pedagogy in education driven by covid-19: perspectives and evaluation from a developing country. research in globalization, 2(june), 100029. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resglo.2020.100029. perveen, a. (2016). synchronous and asynchronous elanguage learning: a case study of virtual university of pakistan. open praxis, 8(1), 21-39. pranatawijaya, v. h., widiatry, w., priskila, r., & putra, p. b. a. a. (2019). penerapan skala likert dan skala dikotomi pada kuesioner online. jurnal sains dan informatika, 5(2), 128-137. progoulaki, m., & roe, m. (2011). dealing with multicultural human resources in a socially responsible manner: a focus on the maritime industry. wmu journal of maritime affairs, 10(1), 7-23. rahayu, d. (2020). students' e-learning experience through a synchronous zoom web conference system. journal of elt research: the academic journal of studies in english language teaching and learning, 68-79. rahmawati, y. (2021, april). challenges of using technologies in teaching and learning process of maritime english stuides in new normal era. english language and literature international conference (ellic) proceedings, 4, pp. 11-15. rashed, c. s. k., & kamal, c. a. e. (2010). maritime english holds a great stake both the safety and security of merchant vessels. proceedings of the 22nd international maritime english conference, egypt, pp. 1-13. sudarsana, i. k., putra, i. b. m. a., astawa, i. n. t., & yogantara, i. w. l. (2019). the use of google classroom in the learning process. in journal of physics: conference series, 1175(1), 012165. iop publishing. shi, j., & fan, l. (2021). investigating teachers’ and students’ perceptions of online english learning in a maritime context in china. sage open, 11(3), 21582440211040800. skylar, a. a. (2009). a comparison of asynchronous online text-based lectures and synchronous interactive web conferencing lectures. issues in teacher education, 18(2), 69-84. tchkonia, m. n., kalandadze, m. e., & dolidze, m. n. (2019). teaching maritime english with innovative technologies. presented at conference: international conference on new trends in social sciences. white, c. (2004). independent language learning in distance education: current issues. in proceedings of the independent learning conference 2003 (vol. 20). yurzhenko, а. y. (2019). an e-course based on the lms moodle to teach" maritime english for professional purpose". information technologies and learning tools, 71(3). zhao, f. (2019). using quizizz to integrate fun multiplayer activity in the accounting classroom. international journal of higher education, 8(1), 37-43. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 479 unveiling coherence: analyzing grammatical devices in recount text dewi nurpitriyani department of english education, faculty of educational sciences, uin syarif hidayatullah jakarta indonesia e-mail: dewi.nurpitriyani20@mhs.uinjkt.ac.id didin nuruddin hidayat department of english education, faculty of educational sciences, uin syarif hidayatullah jakarta, indonesia e-mail: didin.nuruddin@uinjkt.ac.id nida husna department of english education, faculty of educational sciences, uin syarif hidayatullah jakarta, indonesia e-mail: nida.husna@uinjkt.ac.id alek department of english education, faculty of educational sciences, uin syarif hidayatullah jakarta, indonesia e-mail: alek@uinjkt.ac.id apa citation: nurpitriyani, d., hidayat, d. n., husna, n., & alek. (2023). unveiling coherence: analyzing grammatical devices in recount text. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 479-488. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.5703 received: 19-02-2023 accepted: 27-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction writing is an essential skill because it allows us to express our ideas and thoughts as well as convince and persuade others in written form (novariana et al., 2018; sianturi et al., 2020). however, writing is not an easy process and generating a text that the reader can easily understand is complicated since it involves a long process and multiple practices (chung et al., 2020). in the case of english for foreign language (efl) students, writing is considered much more difficult as students tend to transfer their first language into the target language (aziz et al., 2020). besides, students struggle to express their ideas into sentences, turning sentences into paragraphs, and turning paragraphs into a whole discourse for their lack of writing practice (nasiba & norboyevich, 2022). furthermore, the abstract: the purpose of this study is to examine the grammatical cohesive devices used in the recount text writing of bilingual students. the cohesive device is crucial because it consists of grammatical and lexical devices that contribute to the writing’s strength and accuracy, as well as its contextual understanding. twenty bilingual ninth-grade students of a junior high school participated in this study. the students’ recount text writings were used as the main data in this research. the qualitative descriptive method employed in this study to thoroughly assess and describe students’ writing and its’ cohesive device used. further, the data analysis used was content analysis consisting of three steps: categorization, abstraction, and coding. the result shows that the bilingual ninth-grade students were able to use grammatical cohesion in their recount text writing. the result revealed the reference is most dominated in 68.42% and the second device is in conjunction with 29.97%. meanwhile, substitution showed the low rank with 1.61% and the last was ellipsis with 0%. furthermore, in the reference device category, personal reference becomes the most highly used at 85%, meanwhile in the conjunction category, additive category becomes the most frequent one at 46% as well as nominal substitution at 50% in the substitution device. it was also found that the ninth-grade students of bilingual class can write well using numbers of grammatical cohesive devices even though there was still some monotonous repetition in their writing. he findings of this study have pedagogical implicature as the need to enhance students’ knowledge of grammatical cohesion device because understanding of cohesiveness is necessary for pertaining to the text’s cohesion and coherence particularly in writing ability. keywords: grammatical cohesion devices; recount text; students’ writing. mailto:dewi.nurpitriyani20@mhs.uinjkt.ac.id mailto:alek@uinjkt.ac.id dewi nurpitriyani, didin nuruddin hidayat, nida husna, & alek unveiling coherence: analyzing grammatical devices in recount text 480 problems get more complicated in curriculum 2013 as students are required to master a variety of genres simultaneously with their distinct purposes, language features, and structures specified for each genre (ariwibowo et al., 2023). three elements of constructing well-structured writing are unity, coherence, and adequate development (asfah, 2019). accordingly, they also stated that good writing should be cohesive and coherent. cohesion is required to establish connections between what is being said in the writer’s mind and what the writer tends to say in a text. cohesive is the element that binds the text together by redundant information at the semantic, syntactic, and discourse structure levels (khalaf, 2020). akbar et al. (2022) also used a similar definition, stating that cohesion connects phrases to retain their fundamental meaning. a well-chosen cohesive device will result in a wellstructured and coherent text. meanwhile, inappropriate usage of a cohesive device will result in readers’ confusion. cohesive devices also have a strong influence on writing’s cohesion as they provide learners with a variety of syntactic that can be used to make any piece of discourse more cohesive (schiffrin et al., 2001; ludji et al., 2022). an effective way to construct a good paragraph in writing is from its coherence and cohesion. according to marashi (2021), coherence is the ability to join one word to another. the sentences that must hold together demonstrate the text’s coherence, which indicates that the transitions between words and phrases must be logical and easy to follow (putri, 2021). each word, phrase, and sentence should be simple to comprehend and organized rationally. halliday and hasan (1976) added that cohesion is symbolized and shared partially through grammar or the vocabulary in the text provided. cohesive devices are significant for creating effective writing, both coherence and cohesion. yule (2019) argues that cohesion could be drawn as a tie and connection within the text. it can also be pointed as a part of the system to correlate an item with either the first or the following text. without cohesion and coherence, writing would be unclear and misunderstood by the readers. as islami et al. (2021) address, cohesion contributes to text readability, comprehensibility, and clarity of arguments. although cohesion and coherence seem different, they have some common features; both are evolving. cohesion is symbolized and shared partially through grammar or the vocabulary in the text provided. therefore, it includes two types of cohesion: grammatical and lexical. grammatical cohesion represents the tie, the rope, and the link conveyed and indicated in the grammatical system of a language, such as reference, substitution, conjunction, and ellipsis. in contrast, lexical cohesion refers to the connection achieved by selecting vocabulary (verdiansyah et al., 2019). the cohesion of grammar and lexicon is one of the essential factors for the process of receiving the organization for human thoughts. thus, if the grammatical and lexical cohesion are appropriate enough, the discourse is structured well. previous research from rudiana (2021) evaluated the use of grammatical cohesiveness in argumentative essays written by students. he discovered that students commonly employed the sort of grammatical cohesion devices and that it enhanced students’ writing successfully. moreover, shahzad (2021) found that the students focus on some grammatical devices and neglect others. in the paragraphs, the misuse and overuse of devices showed their lack of grammatical knowledge and a bad influence on english. as an instructor, she noticed more influence on them of their mother tongue. from these two studies, we can conclude that a grammatical cohesion device is significant in building coherence and cohesive writing, both effective and meaningful. furthermore, other related research from nurhidayat et al. (2021) and syam (2020) revealed how significant grammatical cohesive devices are to build a well and meaningful writing since using grammatical cohesive devices, enhances us to use references to show our personal thought or to address the existence of the writer by using reference device, it may also to add something, or to oppose something by using conjunction, or to make our writing more natural, we are also able to substitute to avoid the redundant or repetition in our writing by using substitution device, and or omit something in the term of ellipsis device. the findings above indicate that students continue to struggle with using cohesive devices. thus, studying the coherent strategies used in students’ writing is vital to ascertain where gaps exist and what aspects of students’ writing should be reviewed and improved. cohesion is one of the vital factors in determining the quality of writing; meanwhile, cohesive devices are significant because they include grammatical and lexical devices that help strengthen the writing and make it more accurate and contextually understandable. subsequently, without discourse analysis, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 481 grammar, vocabulary, and other linguistic components, the literary result will be inadequate and inaccurate (meylinda, 2023). cohesive devices indicate relationships between sentences and elements of the text. this means that the proper use of coherent devices allows readers to grasp the connection between what comes before and what comes after. cohesive devices play a crucial role in the context of english as a foreign language (efl) learners. according to cheng and tsang (2022), cohesive writing is highly relevant for all efl students, as it is a key factor in producing more coherent written compositions. furthermore, it guides students in improving their writing skills. in indonesia, mastering english writing is considered an essential skill for students. one of the necessary skills for effective writing is the ability to complete coherence and cohesion. notably, bilingual schools in indonesia offer a unique educational environment that further highlights more exposure to english. this notion raises interesting questions regarding students' use of grammatical cohesive devices in bilingual schools. recount text, a genre characterized by providing information or retelling experiences, is often examined as an expression that reflects personal opinions and emotions (mingsakoon & srinon, 2018). notably, when students write about themselves, their engagement with the writing task tends to be higher, which motivates them to write more (barratt-pugh et al., 2021). in recount text, students must follow language features such as tenses, action verbs, conjunction, and so on (iriana, 2018). given this view, it becomes evident that recount text is a suitable genre for encouraging student writing and examining the use of grammatical cohesive devices. regarding the importance of students’ writing ability development, exploring and investigating the use of grammatical cohesive devices in the students’ recount text writings will give more valuable insight into how students engage cohesive devices. furthermore, this is also expected to give a more profound understanding of how these cohesive devices into the writing to make it more coherence and clearer. then, we will be able to identify the weaknesses and strengths in every aspect of each grammatical cohesive device and help uncover the specific challenges and difficulties students encounter when attempting to create cohesive and coherent texts. all in all, research on grammatical cohesive devices is to inform teachers or other language and education practitioners to increase students’ writing skills and contribute to developing more effective language teaching methods. considering these notions, it is noteworthy to explore the specific aspects of grammatical cohesive devices employed by students in bilingual classes, which may demonstrate better variation and proficiency than in other educational settings due to their english exposure. thus, this research aims to investigate the use of grammatical cohesive devices in the bilingual ninth-grade students recounting text writings. the research questions were proposed as follows: (1) what common grammatical cohesive device types are frequently used in the ninth-grade bilingual students’ recount text writing? (2) what kinds of grammatical cohesive device specifications are found in the ninth-grade bilingual students’ recount text writing related to its grammatical cohesive device specification? method the method used in this study is qualitative descriptive analysis to characterize a phenomenon and its characteristics (doyle et al., 2020). in this type of method, the data is presented in a description to give detailed results. the grammatical cohesion devices that students employ in their recount text writing are discussed in detail through analysis and description. the students’ recount text writings were analyzed and categorized to identify the types or subtypes of grammatical cohesion devices; reference, substitution, conjunction, and ellipsis used by the students and their dominance in the writings. 20 of the ninth-grade bilingual students of mts pembangunan uin jakarta were chosen as the subjects of this research. they were asked to share their experience of having online classes during the covid-19 pandemic into recount text writings. in this study, the instrument was a writing test. it measures students’ writing ability to tell their experiences in online learning during the covid19 pandemic into recount text writing and to identify types and subtypes of grammatical cohesion devices used in their writings. twenty bilingual ninth-grade students of mts pembangunan uin jakarta were required to write recount texts on their experiences attending online classes during the covid-19 pandemic. the writing should follow the recount text generic structure consisting of orientation, event, reorientation, and language feature characteristics, which include using simple past tense to convey dewi nurpitriyani, didin nuruddin hidayat, nida husna, & alek unveiling coherence: analyzing grammatical devices in recount text 482 information that has already occurred. the text was typed on a4 paper with a 3 cm margin on each side, at least three paragraphs with a minimum of seven sentences in each, saved as pdf, and uploaded to the google drive provided. the steps were collecting students’ recount text writing, reading and calculating every grammatical cohesion device in students’ writing, and classifying them based on their subtypes with the formula: p = percentage n = types or sub-types of grammatical cohesive devices t = total grammatical cohesive devices produced by students in accordance with lindgren et al. (2020), content analysis consists of three steps: categorization, abstraction, and coding. categorization is a procedure in which the researchers grouped the data based on similarities to construct a generalization. the data is classified according to the material that pertains to the research’s theoretical framework on cohesive devices. the second is an abstraction, which refers to the process through which the researchers developed a broad explanation by elaborating on a specific explanation. then the third is code. when coding the data, the researchers read it thoroughly from beginning to end, looking for every line with information relevant to the research’s primary category. the researchers should match the elements discovered in the text to the categories established previously during the categorization process. it makes it easier for the researcher to locate the data to be evaluated. after completing all procedures, the researchers drew a conclusion regarding the types of cohesive devices that bilingual students typically employ in their writing and the accuracy of the cohesive devices used by bilingual students. results and discussion this research's result is divided into two parts to reveal the research questions stated before. the first part focuses on the problem of what common grammatical cohesive device types are frequently used in ninth-grade bilingual students’ recount text writing. each device was categorized into its own part in the percentage. meanwhile, the second part was the answer to the kinds of grammatical cohesive device specifications found in the ninth-grade bilingual students' recount text writing, and it explained in detail its grammatical cohesive device specification. the use of grammatical cohesion devices this section explained the most frequent grammatical cohesion devices used by the ninthgrade of bilingual students of mts pembangunan uin jakarta in their recount text writings are shown in the table below: table 1. frequent grammatical cohesive devices type of grammatical cohesion students’ grammatical device use students’ cohesion in percentage (%) references 1,018 68.42% substitution 24 1.61% conjunction 446 29.97% ellipsis 0 0 total 1,488 100% table 1 shows a reference as the most frequent grammatical cohesiveness device used by bilingual ninth-grade students with 68.42 % of all grammatical cohesion devices. the second type of grammatical cohesive device is 29.97%. meanwhile, substitution was used at just 1.61 %, while ellipsis received 0%. this result draws into the assumption that ninth-grade students are unfamiliar with substitution and ellipsis. in line with the findings of trisnaningrum et al. (2019), who discovered that participants were more familiar with both reference and conjunction than substitution or ellipsis, the study found that participants were more familiar with the reference and conjunction. furthermore, the findings revealed that students' writing was unable to make use of grammatical cohesiveness techniques because of their incapacity to do so. to obtain more particular information, the researchers divided the grammatical cohesive devices used by the bilingual ninth-grade students into specific types and subtypes of grammatical cohesive devices, which show the highest among other grammatical cohesion devices in reference with 861 in personal reference, followed by conjunction with 204 in additive conjunction, and the last is substitution with 12 nominal substitution as the most frequent subtype of grammatical cohesion devices used. the detail data is shown in the table below: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 483 table 2. types of grammatical cohesive devices use list of student references substitution conjunction ellipsis total perso nal dem onstr ative com parat ive nom inal verb al clau sal addi tive adve rsati ve tem poral cau sal nomi nal ver bal cau sal student 1 48 3 1 2 1 0 2 6 2 5 0 0 0 70 student 2 37 10 0 1 1 0 6 3 4 2 0 0 0 64 student 3 57 6 1 0 0 0 6 4 3 3 0 0 0 80 student 4 57 2 2 0 1 1 5 1 4 4 0 0 0 77 student 5 30 4 2 0 0 0 10 3 4 4 0 0 0 57 student 6 67 11 0 1 1 0 10 2 10 6 0 0 0 108 student 7 37 3 2 0 1 0 10 1 16 2 0 0 0 72 student 8 35 3 0 1 0 0 6 1 9 2 0 0 0 57 student 9 37 5 3 0 1 0 18 5 4 1 0 0 0 74 student 10 40 13 5 0 0 1 13 4 9 1 0 0 0 86 student 11 50 2 8 1 0 0 13 4 4 1 0 0 0 83 student 12 48 3 5 1 0 0 15 9 5 8 0 0 0 94 student 13 38 4 4 2 1 0 15 2 2 2 0 0 0 70 student 14 57 3 2 0 0 1 3 1 4 4 0 0 0 75 student 15 35 7 6 1 1 0 13 5 5 4 0 0 0 77 student 16 33 4 0 1 0 0 6 1 9 2 0 0 0 56 student 17 45 3 1 1 1 0 14 3 6 6 0 0 0 80 student 18 30 3 1 0 0 0 9 2 3 3 0 0 0 51 student 19 38 7 3 0 0 0 17 5 4 1 0 0 0 75 student 20 42 11 4 0 0 0 13 4 7 1 0 0 0 82 total 861 107 50 12 9 3 204 66 114 62 0 0 0 1,488 to get more detail on the percentage of each type, the following table provides a description of each kind of sub-type grammatical cohesion found in the bilingual students' recount text writings. three different pie charts consist of reference, conjunction, and substitution due to ellipsis not found in the students’ writing. each section indicates a sub-type of grammatical cohesion device and the device's frequency. the pie chart figures are shown in the following ways: figure 1. reference according to the pie chart above, reference is the form of grammatical cohesive device most frequently utilized compared to other types. a personal reference is the most prevalent subtype with 85%, followed by demonstrative reference at 10% and comparison at 5%. furthermore, the researchers discovered a large number of reference devices that were employed in this study. the number of reference devices used by bilingual ninth-grade students illustrates their preference for personal references to make their recount text writing more accessible and to link their own experiences to the readers, which is the major purpose of the recount text. personal pronouns such as i, my, our, his, her, and it are frequently used in formal writing. additionally, the text makes use of demonstrative references such as this, that, and there, as well as comparative references such as less and more. next, the most frequent grammatical cohesive device is followed by conjunction in 29.97%. in conjunction, additive conjunction has the most frequent, which is 48%, temporal 25%, adversative 15%, and causal 14%. the pie chart is as follows: dewi nurpitriyani, didin nuruddin hidayat, nida husna, & alek unveiling coherence: analyzing grammatical devices in recount text 484 figure 2. conjunction conjunction, as a means of connecting one clause to another, is frequently used among bilingual ninth-grade students. there are four types of conjunction devices: additive, adversative, temporal, and causal. the additive conjunction joins two language parts that are in the same place. while adversative conjunctions arise when the first clause’s statement contradicts or is not equivalent to the second clause’s statement. then, a temporal conjunction is used to connect events in time, but a causal conjunction is used to connect causes and effects that occur in the same phrase. researchers discovered that additive conjunctions were more frequently used than adversative conjunctions. this is seen by the numerous instances in which conjunctions like “and” and “also” are used in repetition. the second is temporal conjunction, in which students relate their experiences to time using numerous examples such as then, next, after that, first, and at that time. the usage of adversative conjunctions, on the other hand, is restricted to forms such as but in a few. the last kind of conjunction is causal, which students frequently use because and thus. additionally, nominal substitution uses 50% of substitution devices, followed by verbal substitution at 37% and clausal substitution at 13%. the chart is as follows: figure 3. substitution substitution is a cohesive device that substitutes later phrases that are not repeated in the next clause or sentence. the replacement device generates more dynamic sentences by substituting for the term. the research discovered that substitute sentences were relatively evenly distributed and varied. these terms contain substitutes such as one, one’s, do, did, and thus. this demonstrates that there is a connection between the two sentences. the kinds of grammatical cohesive devices specifications the description of grammatical cohesion devices used by the bilingual ninth-grade students recount text writing presented in table 3 below: table 3. the kinds of grammatical cohesive devices specifications type of grammatical cohesion devices a subtype of grammatical cohesion devices the kinds of grammatical cohesion devices in students’ the number of grammatical english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 485 recount text writing cohesion devices uses references personal i, me, my we, our, us, she, her, he, him, his, it, they, them, their 861 demonstrative this, that, there, now 107 comparative more, less, better 50 substitution nominal one, one’s 12 verbal do, did, done 9 causal so 3 conjunction additive and, and also, in addition, moreover 204 adversative but, however, even though, despite all, instead 66 temporal then, the last, after that, before, beforehand, next day, until, in the end, at the same time, previously, later, another day 114 causal because, for, so 62 ellipsis nominal verbal causal total 1488 reference the study discovered 861 personal references the ninth-grade bilingual students used in recounting text writings. the students use personal pronouns such as i, me, my, mine, we, our, she, his, her, them, and it. in terms of writing about prior experiences or occurrences, they undoubtedly tell their own and incorporate the other person (male/female) and item as the references. additionally, the findings indicate that students use this, that, there, and now as demonstrative references when referring to the total 107 and other, less, more when referring to the total 50. thus, the results indicate that most students are familiar with the kinds of references in their recount text writing. conjunction the study found 204 additive conjunction and the most frequent such as and, additionally, and then followed by adversative in total 66 such as but even though, despite all, and instead. after that, it is also found 144 temporal conjunctions such as then, the last, after that, before, beforehand, next day, until, in the end, at the same time, previously, later, another day and the last one is a causal conjunction such as because, for, and so. substitution the study located 12 nominal replacement devices, such as one or one’s, followed by 9 verbal substitutions, such as do, done, or, did, and three clausal so. the explained result above reveals that the use of grammatical cohesion devices in the bilingual ninth-grade students’ recount text writing is dominated by reference devices as the most frequent device, which is 68.42%, followed by conjunction at 29.97%, and substitution at 1.61%. this present study's results are in line with several similar research such as those conducted by trisnaningrum et al. (2019), which showed a result that 1048 grammatical cohesion devices were found in the students’ academic writing essays with reference devices as the most frequent ones at 53.3%. moreover, another similar research from satria and handayani (2018) found that students’ descriptive text writing consisted of reference with 63.70%, conjunction with 30.66%, ellipsis with 6.35%, and substitution with 0.27%. both research studies revealed that the reference device is the most frequent one compared to the other, and this is also in line with the writer’s research, which found reference 68.42% with the most frequent use sub-type in reference is the personal reference at 85%. this finding is possibly caused by the particular genre that the students wrote. since they wrote about recount text which has the social function of telling the writer’s personal experience (mediska & adnan, 2019). they require the use of more personal references such as i, my, our, his, her than any dewi nurpitriyani, didin nuruddin hidayat, nida husna, & alek unveiling coherence: analyzing grammatical devices in recount text 486 other text types. thus, the students’ massive use of reference in their recount writing in this study is as expected and as it is supposed to be based on the genre characteristics. further, this finding implies that students were aware of the genre they were writing and aware of its function as well as its linguistic features. in addition, additive conjunctions are found still limited and monotonous. students frequently use “either-or” and “also” to add something, but only a few uses in addition or moreover. this is also in line with adversative conjunction, which is frequently used but to contrast something only a few students use however and even though. the findings also identify a gap between additive conjunction and adversative conjunction which is three times higher, from 48% or 204 to 15% or 64. this finding is in line with faizah et al. (2020), harliani et al. (2021), and jayanti and hidayat (2021) results, in which the additive conjunction is repeated many times of all the forms of conjunctions from the writing they analyzed. the number of additive conjunctions revealed in this study compared to adversative conjunctions shows that were more concerned with adding information rather than opposing the information, which may reflect their understanding of the concept of sequencing events in the recount text. meanwhile, the limited variety of conjunction used by the students might not only imply their glossary, their richness of vocabulary, as well as their frequency of writing practices but may also imply their thinking patterns and how their brains work which need to be investigated further. there is also a gap in the result of analysis data, specifically in ellipsis. ellipsis was not found in the students’ writing. ellipsis is defined as the deletion of unnecessary things in a sentence (halliday & hasan, 1976). it may also be called “zero substitution”. it is like omitting the word, e.g., i lay on my back and let them move as they would, so the move was not repeated. in the present study, where students tell their own experiences in writing in the form of recount text, they always use complete sentence. meanwhile, the study also found that students used substitution the least in their recount writing. this shows that most students still lack competence in using grammatical cohesive well, as is also shown in albana et al. (2020), sari (2021), and trisnaningrum et al. (2019), where ellipsis was not found in their results of the research. however, in this case, junior high students have not used the ellipsis and substitution in their writing due to several factors, such as their lack of awareness of the items, their level of understanding, and their level of grammatical. in contrast with the prior discussions, it is also found that some students could write many grammatical cohesive devices in their recount writing (shown in table 2), with the highest being 108 and the least being 56. this result is even higher or the same as the subject in albana et al. (2020), reaching 100 grammatical cohesive devices. this also revealed that junior high schools could use grammatical cohesive devices. the findings of this study also show pedagogical implicature, including the need to enhance students’ knowledge of grammatical cohesion devices. increasing this knowledge and experience will increase students’ ability to use a variety of cohesive devices. therefore, students should receive material about the text’s cohesion and coherence. in junior high school, they will be exposed to beneficial device cohesion, particularly in terms of writing ability. conclusion in conclusion, the bilingual ninth-grade students of mts pembangunan uin jakarta employ a variety of grammatical cohesive devices. the students utilized all of the cohesive items to create cohesion and coherence in their writing. cohesion enables students to comprehend certain missing components, resulting in a more precise understandable writing. only ellipsis does not appear in the bilingual ninth-grade students’ recount text writing. no student makes use of ellipses in their work. furthermore, it can be argued that students have a strong ability to write a coherent paragraph as a result of their ability to use grammatical cohesion devices: reference, substitution, and conjunction in their writing. it was also found that the ninth-grade students of bilingual class are able to write well using numbers of grammatical cohesive devices even though there was still some monotonous repetition in their writing. the findings of this study also show pedagogical implicature, including the need to enhance students’ knowledge of grammatical cohesion devices. increasing this knowledge and experience will increase students’ ability to use a variety of cohesive devices. therefore, students should be provided with material pertaining to the text’s cohesion and coherence. in junior high school, they will be exposed to device cohesion that is beneficial particularly in terms of writing ability. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 487 references albana, h. h., marzuki, a. g., & hidayat, d. n. (2020). cohesive devices in student’s writing: a discourse analysis on argumentative text). jurnal pendidikan humaniora, 8(1), 6–11. akbar, p., mujiyanto, k. j., & sutopo, d. (2022). assessing grammatical cohesive devices in the findings and discussion of research articles by graduate students. english education journal, 12(3), 427–436. ariwibowo, t., hidayat, d.n., husna, n., & alek. (2023). a discourse analysis of cohesion devices on students’ writing of recount text. pendidikan jurnal, sosial, dan agama, 9(1). 33-42. https://doi.org/10.53565/pssa.v9i1.687 asfah, i. (2019). an analysis of paragraph writing abilities of english department students unm. elt worldwide, 6(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.26858/eltww.v6i1.9339 aziz, z. a., fitriani, s. s., & amalina, z. (2020). linguistic errors made by islamic university efl students. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 9(3), 735–748. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v9i3.23224 barratt-pugh, c., ruscoe, a., & fellowes, j. (2020). motivation to write: conversations with emergent writers. early childhood education journal, 49(2), 223–234. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-020-01061-5 cheng, a., & tsang, a. (2022). use and understanding of connectives: an embedded case study of esl learners of different proficiency levels. language awareness, 31(2), 155–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658416.2021.1871912 chung, p., patel, d. r., & nizami, i. (2020). disorder of written expression and dysgraphia: definition, diagnosis, and management. translational pediatrics, 9(s1), 46–54. https://doi.org/10.21037/tp.2019.11.01 doyle, l., mccabe, c., keogh, b., brady, a., & mccann, m. (2020). an overview of the qualitative descriptive design within nursing research. journal of research in nursing, 25(5), 443–455. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987119880234 faizah, sutopo, d., & faridi, a. (2020). the use of cohesive devices in english education journal articles written by graduate students of universitas negeri semarang. english education journal, 10(2), 208–213. halliday, m. a. k., & hasan, r. (1976). cohesion in english. routledge. harliani, n., zamzam, a., hanafi, n., & mataram, u. (2021). a study on grammatical cohesion in the descriptive essays by the third semester students of english education program in the university of mataram in the academic year 2019/2020. lisdaya: jurnal linguistik (terapan), sastra, dan budaya, 17(1), 49–58. iriana, a. l. (2018). analyzing language features of recount text written by ma hidayatu umam students. retain, 6(1), 26–37. islami, h. h., saleh, m., & bharati, a. l. d. (2022). the use of cohesive devices in descriptive text by english training participants at pst. english education journal, 12(1), 96–103. jayanti, d. n., & hidayat, d. n. (2021). grammatical cohesive devices in reading text: a discourse analysis of english test for junior high school. jet (journal of english teaching) adi buana, 6(01), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.36456/jet.v6.n01.2021.2963 khalaf, y. s. (2020). cohesive ties in english language. journal of archaeology of egypt/egyptology, 47(2). 521–532. lindgren, b., lundman, b., & graneheim, u. h. (2020). abstraction and interpretation during the qualitative content analysis process. international journal of nursing studies, 108, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103632 ludji, i. d. r., hambandima, e. s. n., & christiani, y. n. (2022). cohesive devices used in students’ argumentative essay: a discourse analysis. veles (voices of english language education society), 6(1), 14–24. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v6i1.4969 marashi, s. j. (2021). impact of teaching cohesive devices to iranian efl learners: case of ielts writing task 2 examination. jl3t (journal of linguistics, literature and language teaching), 6(2), 115–126. https://doi.org/10.32505/jl3t.v6i2.2050 mediska, g., & adnan, a. (2019). improving student’s speaking by using cocktail party technique in teaching recount text for senior high school students. journal of english language teaching, 8(2), 296–304. meylinda, l. (2023). exploring students’ perception on online efl learning through whatsapp application. english learning innovation, 4(1), 12–21. https://doi.org/10.22219/englie.v4i1.23622 mingsakoon, p., & srinon, u. (2018). development of secondary school students’ generic structure execution in personal experience recount writing texts through sfl genre-based approach. advances in language and literary studies, 9(6), 112–119. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.9n.6p.112 nurhidayat, e. f., apriani, e., & edy, s. (2021). the analysis of cohesive devices used by tertiary english students in writing english paragraphs. international journal of multicultural and multireligious understanding, 8(4), 70–81. novariana, h., & tarjana, s. s. (2018). senior high school students’ problems in writing. english language and literature international conference (ellic), 2(1), 216–219. putri, d. n. (2021). cohesiveness in informal written text, song lyrics. asels, 1(1), 18–22. dewi nurpitriyani, didin nuruddin hidayat, nida husna, & alek unveiling coherence: analyzing grammatical devices in recount text 488 https://doi.org/10.51773/asels2021.v1i1.6 rudiana. (2021). the realization of grammatical cohesion devices recount text. jall (journal of applied linguistics and literacy), 5(1), 101–108. satria, r., & handayani, n. d. (2018). grammatical cohesive devices analysis in descriptive writing by english department students in putera batam university. prosiding seminar nasional ilmu sosial dan teknologi (snistek), 1(1), 145–150. schiffrin, d., tannen, d., hamilton, h. e., & martin, j. r. (2001). the handbook of discourse analysis. blackwell publishing. shahzad, s. (2021). investigation of grammatical cohesion errors in written paragraphs made by esl students of khwaja fareed university of engineering and information technology (kfueit). linguistica antverpiensia, 1(1), 4996-5005. sianturi, l. p. d., silalahi, d. e., & purba, c. n. (2020). improving students’ writing ability based on higher order thinking skills (hots) questions at 8th grade in smp swasta kartika 1-4 pematangsiantar. jetafl (journal of english teaching as a foreign language), 6(2), 1–17. https://ejournal.uhn.ac.id/index.php/jetafl/article/ view/103 syam, s. (2020). reference: a grammatical cohesion in seloka journal introduction published by semarang state university. journal polingua: scientific journal of linguistic literature and education, 9(1), 5–9. https://doi.org/10.30630/polingua.v9i1.132 trisnaningrum, y., alek, a., & hidayat, d. n. (2019). discourse analysis of grammatical cohesion devices in college students’ academic writing essay. ijee (indonesian journal of english education), 6(1), 79–90. https://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v6i1.12502 yule, g. (2019). the study of language. cambridge university press. verdiansyah, z. m., sahrudin, & degeng, p. d. d. (2019). lexical cohesions in a grade x english textbook by indonesian education and culture ministry. diglossia, 11(1), 14–23. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 345 investigating undergraduate students’ perceptions of extensive reading toward their vocabulary mastery in english department of pattimura university ambon rosina f. j. lekawael faculty of teacher training and education, pattimura university, ambon-maluku, indonesia email: rosina.lekawael@gmail.com marcy s. ferdinandus faculty of teacher training and education, pattimura university, ambon-maluku, indonesia email: ferdinandusmarcy@gmail.com apa citation: lekawael, r. f. j. & ferdinandus, m. s. (2021). investigating undergraduate students’ perceptions of extensive reading toward their vocabulary mastery in english department of pattimura university ambon. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp. 345-354. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4362 received: 21-02-2021 accepted: 24-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction reading is one of the critical skills in learning english in which students can develop their cognition, building vocabulary, as well as bring enjoyment. reading can support students to get many language inputs to be used in their daily communication. teachers of higher education tried hard to create various materials and develop their reading ability better. before the teachers design reading materials, they must identify students’ need. reading materials may offer vocabulary inputs and improve students’ comprehension in reading various texts. the second language curricula of most developing countries put stress mainly on intensive reading leaving the idea of extensive reading ignored (haider, 2012). the focus of intensive reading is reading speed and fluency of the reader. while, extensive reading concerns on critical thinking and analytical skill in the reader. here, we can say that extensive reading extends the knowledge and skill of the students. to be an effective reader, critical thinking is of great significance. therefore, a critical thinker has an ability to analyze the chosen texts and handle problematic parts during the reading time. as we know that extensive reading is a continuation of intensive reading. extensive reading has posited as one of the useful approaches besides intensive reading to build students’ vocabulary repertoires by engaging students to read as much as they can be based on their appropriate reading level. the idea of the meaning of extensive reading differs between related experts. extensive reading can bring about a smoother reading experience, allowing readers to automatically identify and comprehend new words in a piece of writing, and reading is one of the critical skills in learning english in which students can develop their cognition, build vocabulary, as well as bring enjoyment. extensive reading is known as one of the useful approaches to build students’ vocabulary repertoires by engaging students to read as much as they can be based on their appropriate reading level. therefore, this survey study aims to find out how the students perceive their reading experiences in the extensive reading, how this approach increases their english vocabulary, as well as their reading comprehension. for the data collection technique, we distributed questionnaires for 40 undergraduate students in their second and fourth semester in the english department. to gain more comprehensive data, we also interviewed 20 students. the results of this study revealed that the majority of students show their positive response to and perception of extensive reading. we also found that this approach impacts the progress of students’ reading comprehension as well as the development of their vocabulary building. the findings of this study shed light on students’ perceptions of extensive reading and how it impacts their vocabulary building and reading comprehension. this study prompts further studies to examine the effectiveness of extensive reading on vocabulary learning of english foreign language students in various reading levels. keywords: perception; extensive reading; vocabulary building; reading comprehension mailto:rosina.lekawael@gmail.com mailto:ferdinandusmarcy@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4362 rosina f. j. lekawael & marcy s. ferdinandus investigating undergraduate students’ perceptions of extensive reading toward their vocabulary mastery in english department of pattimura university ambon 346 can also cause a more positive reading attitude (lin, 2010). extensive reading is intended to get the reader to focus on reading for the sake of reading (for information or entertainment), and less on reading for the sake of mastery of a particular linguistic structure of even a particular reading strategy or skill (carrell & carson, 1997). given the many positive benefits of er, l2 scholars, including elt experts (e.g. macalister, 2014; maley, 2005, 2008), l2 reading specialists (e.g. day and bamford, 1998; grabe, 2009; nuttall, 2005), coursebook researchers (e.g. brown, 2009; tomlinson and masuhara, 2013), and sla researchers (e.g. ellis, 2005; nation, 2007) gave er a respectable place in language teaching. this kind of reading creates many activities to be done by the students freely and voluntarily. it becomes a substantial area because it can be helpful in spreading awareness of the english language. the benefits of this reading are to increase students’ self-esteem and develop reading fluency. in this current study, the researchers tried hard to find out students’ concepts of extensive reading itself. extensive reading becomes a prerequisite program at english department in indonesia. the idea behind extensive reading has shown that a lot of materials available to attract students’ interest in reading and enrich their vocabulary knowledge. many research studies found that extensive reading can affect vocabulary knowledge. vocabulary knowledge plays important role in foreign language learning process. efl students give significant improvements in their reading and vocabulary growth to make them feel interested to gain new words through their reading passages. therefore, day and bamford (2002) proposed the following important features of extensive reading: (1) students should do their best to extensively read materials not related to the classroom. (2) there should be a wide variety of reading materials to help encourage reading from different perspectives. (3) students can freely choose their reading materials. if they find one book to be boring, they can stop reading then find a different book. (4) reading goals should be determined by the content of the reading materials and personal interests. (5) students read for themselves and therefore seldom need to hand in homework relating to what they have read. (6) the vocabulary and grammar level of the reading materials should not exceed the students’ language abilities so that they do not need to refer to a dictionary when reading. constant breaks to look up words in the dictionary can make a smooth reading experience impossible. (7) reading is a personalized and sedentary experience. students should read outside of the classroom at their own pace and decide when to finish reading a book. (8) reading speed is often rapid. students should read books or articles that they find easy to understand. (9) teachers should guide students to their goals, explain to students the methods of extensive reading, follow up on books read, and guide students to completion of their reading goals. (10) a group of students in a class can be viewed as a reading community. the teacher should be an example for students. the teacher is also a member of the reading community and should display the temperament of a good reader to set an example for students. we can see that extensive reading can be successful done if the students are eager to read more and completed whether inside or outside the classroom. extensive reading is about students’ reading willingness. the reading materials are chosen freely by the students based on their interests on their contents. it was said that the materials should be those that students actively enjoy reading and gain enjoyment from, which can increase their motivation for english learning (day & bamford, 2000; 2002). by choosing a good material, the reading habit can be increased. successful promotion of extensive reading relies on the aforementioned features and suitable english reading materials and strategies that can guide students to a habit of extensive reading (liu & young, 2015). therefore, cultivation of the reading habit is a way to help students to find joy in and be willing to continue reading. in this current study, the researchers guided the students in reading activities. students worked in small groups and applied certain strategy in order to gain enjoyment while reading various materials. in extensive reading learning, enjoyment has become a principal aspect needed by the students. sometimes, it can be an obstruction in reading activities. some researchers also concern about it. based on the national reading survey conducted by global views journal in 2014, showed that people in all ages in taiwan did not enjoy reading and contact with books in daily lives, this was much english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 347 lower than contact with personal computer or laptops and smartphones (wang, 2015). this data affirms that the students’ reading habit should be more encouraged by the parents at home, as happened in taiwan. the implementation of 12years compulsory education policy has caused parents to be more encouraging of reading habits in their children, showing that traditional asian parental desires for success continues to impact deeply upon parental attitudes to the reading habits of their children (wu & honig in liu, 2016). for this reason, extensive reading is regarded as an effective strategy to enhance students’ language abilities when learning a foreign language, especially english. in extensive reading, the students had low persistence to develop the habit impacted to the vocabulary mastery. they did not enjoy in reading. vocabulary is an important component of extensive reading instruction for english students who has weaknesses in comprehending reading materials from easy to complex one. in practice, researchers operationalize vocabulary breadth knowledge as knowledge of form–meaning mapping (schmitt, 2014). laufer, elder, hill, & congdon (2004) and laufer and goldstein (2004) distinguished four categories of form–meaning mapping knowledge: active recall, passive recall, active recognition, and passive recognition: (1) active recall is defined as the ability to produce the l2 form of a given meaning (e.g. word translation task). (2) passive recall involves the ability to provide the meaning for an l2 word (e.g. word definition task). (3) active recognition requires language users to recognize the l2 word form of a given meaning (e.g. word selection task based on a given meaning). (4) passive recognition requires language users to recognize the meaning of an l2 word (e.g. meaning selection task based on a given l2 word form). there are number of studies confirmed that fl or l2 learners can acquire vocabulary knowledge through extensive reading (renandya, 2007; horst, 2005; pigada & schmitt, 2006; suk, 2016). it is a complication to assessing how english learners acquire vocabulary through extensive reading because each student may read different books. besides, other studies have explored ways that vocabulary instruction can be incorporated into individual reading interventions for ell students, and development of such interventions would be beneficial to schools given that ell students as at a greater risk for reading difficulties (august, carlo, dressler, & snow, 2005; helman, 2008). from the previous studies, it can be assumed that vocabulary learning is very influential in extensive reading. without vocabulary learning, the extensive reading becomes empty. accordingly, this current study examines how efl students acknowledge that their vocabulary is going to improve as well as interest to extensive reading. extensive reading for enjoyments has numerous benefits and have ideas to promote this habit among the students in learning class. it can motivate students to read more with various texts. teacher facilitates them to be active readers and choose the books that they are interested to read. the teacher is a role model of a reader (day & bamford, 2002). the teacher should promote pleasure reading either in classrooms or homes. there are previous studies related to this current issue. first, ferdila (2014) investigated benefits of using extensive reading in teaching reading. the findings revealed that extensive reading is beneficial in teaching reading. there are five benefits found, those are reading as fascinating activity, creating enjoyable learning atmosphere, helping students in developing a wide vocabulary, improving students’ reading comprehension, and increasing students’ motivation. second, fawzia & salwa (2016) identified the current practices regarding the implementation of extensive reading in omani public schools. result of the study revealed that the frequency of reading among students is very low as 53% of the students read only once a semester and they read the same type of genre. besides, most of the english teachers chose the same reading materials for their students regardless of the students’ interests or proficiency level. third, johnston, et al., (2016) did a preliminary study to determine whether incorporating vocabulary instruction in individual reading fluency interventions for english language learners (ells) would improve reading comprehension. results indicated that the two vocabulary instructional procedures, on average, did not affect reading comprehension. finally, hsu (2018) studied about vocabulary level of voa news as voluminous reading material for mid-frequency vocabulary learning. results showed that voa news reached the sixth 1,000-word-family level at 98% text coverage. the results may serve as a reference for english extensive reading practitioners rosina f. j. lekawael & marcy s. ferdinandus investigating undergraduate students’ perceptions of extensive reading toward their vocabulary mastery in english department of pattimura university ambon 348 and learners who are concerned with mid-frequency vocabulary learning. based on the findings above, the researchers were more focused on students’ perception of extensive reading toward their vocabulary mastery. based on that there are some crucial problems appeared here that is the students have lack of motivation in reading and also lack of vocabulary. those facts become focus of this study. this survey used survey method to find out how the students perceive their reading experiences in the extensive reading, how this approach increases their english vocabulary, as well as their reading comprehension. the survey was intended to address three broad questions: (1) what do students know about extensive reading? (2) what do students know about the effect of extensive reading on vocabulary? (3) what are students’ expectations to extensive reading course? method the current study adopted survey method to analyze students’ perception of extensive reading in english department. there were only forty undergraduate students in second and fourth semester that filled out the complete questionnaire. on the other hand, interview was conducted for ten students. the data were collected using questionnaire and interview. the questionnaire contained a variety of questions about the extensive reading practice. the questionnaire was constructed based literature review and also observation during teaching of extensive reading for two years. the form of interview was a structured interview which consisted of five questions. the first question was regarding extensive reading materials; the second question looked into the effect of extensive reading to students’ comprehension and vocabulary learning; the third question inquired about learning situation; the fourth question asked about extensive reading practice in english department; and the last question targeted to discover students’ expectation to extensive reading course. findings and discussion in this section, the results for each of ten questions are given. in this study, the researchers administered the questionnaire sheet and in-depth interview. the questionnaire was distributed for 40 undergraduate students in their second and fourth semester in the english department. the questions are discussed in two broad categories: knowledge about extensive reading and the effect of extensive reading on students’ vocabulary. the result of the questionnaire is as follows. table 1. the result of questionnaire semester 2 respondent knowledge about extensive reading yes no unsure 1 i know what extensive reading is 48% 10% 42% 2 i know extensive reading is important course 95% 0% 5% 3 i believe that extensive reading activities encourage me to be comprehensive reader 88% 0% 12% 4 i believe that extensive reading can enhance my language skills very greatly 93% 0% 7% 5 i can learn english through reading for pleasure 93% 0% 7% respondent the effect of extensive reading on students vocabulary yes no unsure 1 i believe that extensive reading has a positive effects to increase comprehension and vocabulary 98% 0% 2% 2 i believe that extensive reading materials affect me to be motivated on the vocabulary building in class 88% 3% 9% 3 i believe that materials written with a vocabulary range help me to acquire many new words 90% 0% 10% 4 i understand words in text and able to introduce them to many words 30% 0% 70% 5 i can manage my vocabulary difficulties 53% 3% 44% english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 349 and the following is the categorization of the questions in the questionnaire. part 1 figure 1. the students’ knowledge about extensive reading in part 1, the graph focuses on the students’ knowledge about extensive reading. it showed that most of the students knew and had experience of extensive reading. the students had little (48%) information about extensive reading. but, they did agree (95%) that this course is important to increase their reading skill. by studying extensive reading, most of the students (88%) believed that extensive reading activities encourage them to be comprehensive reader. besides, many of them agreed (93%) that it can enhance their language skills very greatly. so, almost all students agreed that they can learn english through reading for pleasure. part 2 figure 2. the effect of extensive reading on students’ vocabulary in part 2, it shows about the effect of extensive reading on students’ vocabulary. from the graph, the researcher can say that most of them (98%) believed that extensive reading has positive effects to increase comprehension and vocabulary. while, most students (88%) agreed that extensive reading materials affect them to be motivated on the vocabulary building in learning activity. on the other hand, many of them (90%) believed that materials written with a vocabulary range help them to acquire many new words. but, unfortunately little students (30%) could not understand words in text and able to introduce them to many words. so, some students (53%) felt unsure that they can manage the vocabulary difficulties. the result of part 2 can be seen in the graph above. interview result the interview was conducted in order to gain data about students’ expectations to extensive reading course. there were 20 students involved in this interview session. as the interview proceeded, the researchers asked each student about the reading materials in extensive reading class. through the question “say about reading materials in extensive reading class”, the participants generally conveyed the same answer towards this particular question. they pointed out about their appreciation towards their enhancement in new vocabularies through the extensive reading materials. since the lecturer required them to read and list their new vocabularies in the vocabulary log. student 1 and 2 stated: “um what i think about materials for me that first i experienced it, it really helped me at the time because it was really full with any kind of text that discusses any kind of events or a person or things that happened around us. also in those texts, there are so many new vocabulary words that i can learn and remember. that is what i think about extensive reading material, ma’am.” “for me it’s interesting. because the lecturer has given materials that require me to read to increase my vocabulary especially in vocabularies log.” beside new vocabularies, they also admitted that reading materials in extensive class was helping them in understanding countries’ culture and short story such as fairy tale. as what student 3 explained below: “i think, when i was in the extensive reading class ma’am, we got a lot of materials. but i think it is really helpful material for us as students. i think it rosina f. j. lekawael & marcy s. ferdinandus investigating undergraduate students’ perceptions of extensive reading toward their vocabulary mastery in english department of pattimura university ambon 350 really helps us to understand many things, like other countries’ cultures, and also about short story, fairy tale. the point is i think the material really enhance our ability to understand the reading passage ma’am, in our class. yes, i think reading materials are really good for us as students. it also brings us many benefits for learning process ma’am.” meanwhile, there were slightly different answers than what have been stated by the other participant. some of the participants believed that the reading materials in extensive reading were more complex than intensive reading since it provided harder vocabularies to be understood and remembered. reading material in extensive reading class was not only about gaining new vocabulary but also required and helped them to build their perspective reading and develop their critical thinking. these two aspects were implicitly happening since they read and built their perception regarding things and asking questions before reading. moreover, the reading material was valued good and interesting because of the activities after reading itself. the students had to summarize and made a mind map of the reading passages. “there is a statement which mentions that extensive reading is important to enhance students’ comprehension and to mold students’ motivation on vocab, do you agree?” being asked, all the participants boldly showed their agreements toward the statement. they mostly agreed that extensive reading materials could enhance their comprehension and vocabularies. the answers are represented by students 4: “yes, i strongly agree. because when i find some new words in the text that i never knew before it is really important to help me understand the whole text, and to motivate me to increase my vocabulary.” further explained, the new word which they discovered in the text triggered their curiosity in order to understand the whole passages or text. the situation of not acknowledging a new word motivated them to find the meaning and it was easier for the new words to be absorbed. extensive reading materials also probed the students to gain more benefits such as applying their new vocabularies into their academic writing. aligned with that, to enrich their word bank they had to find the synonyms in words thesaurus. in a deeper answer, student 5 explained as follow: “i agree with it because vocabulary is important not just in reading but also in writing and more beneficial if you have a lot of vocabulary and if you have big vocabulary here is a big chance you know their synonyms. i often use thesaurus to look for similar words.” “okay what do you think about the learning situation during class?”. this question focused on their opinion of the class situation or atmosphere during extensive reading class. whether the class situation provided by the lecturer helped them comprehend the material or otherwise. since the question focused on students’ opinion, the answers were varied and not stagnantly in the good side only. this question divided the participants into two sides where some of them agreed that the class situation was interesting and helpful for them, while the rest of the participants seemed to disagree. the participants who believed that the situation was helpful is represented by student 6, as she stated: “talking about the learning situation during the class, actually, i really like it ma’am. because our lecturer provides many good materials, we got something new to learn. our lecturer also tries to make a good situation, like comfortable situation for us to learn where we as students can really be active to answer his or her questions and then also learn more about many things ma’am.” by stating that the lecturer provided many good materials, some of the participants believed that these good materials helped them building their reading comprehension. in the activities during class, the students were required to do more than only read. such as, discussing the content of the passages in order to gain the implicit meaning from the text provided by the lecturer. discussing in extensive reading class was not only revolving between lecturer and particular students, but the discussion also revolved among students themselves. by discussing and sharing among students, when they were divided in groups, they could independently gain new insights through the session. since there was no gap between them. the discussion could go easy and surely eased them to deliver their thoughts and to listen to others’. the explanation highly conveyed the answer by the participants that the lecturer provided comfortable situation to the students for them to be active in the class activities. on the other side, the rest of the participants believed that the class situation was no that helpful. it was due to the monotonous learning strategy english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 351 where they were required to read and there was no interesting activity afterwards. it is also supported by student 7, as she answered: “i think it is not really active but because just a few students are speaking and they are always speaking and no one really stands up for speaking other than them. the students are not really active.” being interpreted, these participants agreed that the reading class was not active as the students tended to be quiet rather than spoke up. this also related to the situation where there were no following activities after reading. student 2 admitted that the class situation was boring. the case was “the situation in extensive reading class is quite boring ma’am. i’m so bored at that time because it’s only read and read and no activity that is interesting.” he elaborated more. it could not be denied that dividing the students into groups might be a good strategy for learning, however this could not guarantee the students’ motivation in studying and participating in class. instead, this situation was considered to demotivate students’ willing to participate. since the students who would take the role in speaking when asked were always the same students. they believed, this situation of being in a group was not enough to motivate each other in participating and be active in class. thus, the class situation became boring and more quite despite having discussion. supporting these, student 1 stated: “at that time truly it’s a bit boring because i think it’s just monotone and students do not have motivation to stand up and say what we think or opinion during class about the materials. the class did not really motivate us.” the next question, the researcher tried to probe the participants’ outlook toward the practice of extensive reading in english department by asking “okay, that was about learning situation, you already passed extensive reading and you have experience. maybe you can share with friends from the other class and maybe your seniors about this course, how do you see the practice of extensive reading in english department?”. being asked about the question, the participants portrayed varied answers to one another. although, in some points, the paths of their answer was aligning and headed for the same purpose. according to the answers, they accepted as true that the practice of extensive reading in english department was relatively enjoyable. as the class provided interesting reading materials about foreign countries’ culture and stories. there were projects such as mind mapping, presentations, and assignments as well. to this condition, the participants admitted the improvement of their creativity in thinking and practicing reading activities. having elaborated more, the practice of extensive reading class delivered beneficial insights in helping the students to comprehend the text or passage. through the reading materials, the students might discover brand new knowledge, terms, vocabularies which they had never known previously. nevertheless, there were always possibilities of diversity when it dealt with perspective. the minority of the participants conveyed their contrast points of view regarding the practice of extensive reading. these minorities perceived that the practice had not gone well. they believed the practice of this class had to be improved in terms of the activity and class management. since a good practice of a class was where all students should talk about their own opinion and perspectives instead of only small number of students. aligned with this, student 3 supported by saying: “in my opinion, i see that it’s not going well because there are some people that don’t have any comprehension when they read something. that is why it’s not going well since there is only about 40% of the students that can comprehend what they read. so, i think it’s not going well ma’am.” moreover, beside the new vocabularies they gained through the reading materials provided in the class, there was no big difference between extensive reading class and intensive reading class. therefore, the minority of the participants believed that the practice of reading extensive class had to be improved. although there were different answers toward this question, the majority of the participants still believed that despite the weaknesses of this class, extensive reading class still had a part in helping them to be a good reader. furthermore, the practice helped them to understand the passage clearer and once again added their vocabularies through vocabulary log. to the last question of the interview, the researcher asked “after you have extensive reading class, what do you expect or what do you hope from this class?”. the answers to this question were aligned from one participant to the others. they more likely hoped that in the future the class could rosina f. j. lekawael & marcy s. ferdinandus investigating undergraduate students’ perceptions of extensive reading toward their vocabulary mastery in english department of pattimura university ambon 352 get more creative in providing many new and unique materials. not only from the cultures of foreign countries but also indonesia as well. not only about stories, but also journals, famous books, and novels to increase the level of the class to be more complex. as well as distinguish the class from intensive reading. this way, the students could be more interested in the class, they believed. furthermore, they hoped the class was able to help them improve their reading fluency and reading comprehension. as they had their own ambition relating to reading, they wished to be improved and motivated by the extensive reading class. through extensive reading, their language skills become better. besides, it contributed largely to the students’ vocabulary gain through texts read. finally, it can raise awareness and impact on materials’ design change to be prepared for better extensive reading learning practice. these results may reflect the real learning situation in extensive reading course. it cannot be avoided that teacher’s role is needed in the case of determining the students’ needs and situation in the classroom. data from this study demonstrated the important role of pedagogy aspect to enhance students’ comprehension and promoting students’ motivation on the vocabulary learning. more studies are needed to explore more about effectiveness of extensive reading on vocabulary learning of efl students. research on extensive reading materials used in classroom should be the focus for the future researchers. conclusion the results of this study revealed that the majority of students show their positive response to and perception of extensive reading. we also found that this approach impacts the progress of students’ reading comprehension as well as the development of their vocabulary building. the findings of this study shed light on students’ perceptions of extensive reading and how it impacts their vocabulary building and reading comprehension. when fl students do more reading and become more fluent readers, their ability to comprehend texts improves as well as vocabulary. this study prompts further studies to examine the effectiveness of extensive reading on vocabulary learning of english foreign language students in various reading levels. references august, d., carlo, m., dressler, c., & snow, c. (2005). the critical role of vocabulary development for english language learners. learning disabilities research & practice, 20, 50-57. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5826.2005.00120.x. brown, d. (2009). why and how textbooks should encourage extensive reading. elt journal, 63(3), 238–245. carrell, p. l., & carson, j. g. (1997). extensive and intensive reading in an eap setting. english for specific purpose, 16, 47-60. day, r. r. & bamford j. (1998). extensive reading in the second language classroom. cambridge: cambridge university press. day, r. r. & bamford j. (2000). reaching reluctant readers. english teaching forum online, 38(3), 12-17. day, r. r. & bamford j. (2002). top ten principles for teaching extensive reading. reading in a foreign language 14(2), 136-141. ellis, r. (2005). principles of instructed language learning. system 33(2), 209–224 fawzia, a. s. & salwa, a. r. (2016). a closer look at extensive reading in omani public schools: current practices and teachers’ perceptions. english language teaching, 9(8), 93-105. ferdila, r. (2014). the use of extensive reading in teaching reading. journal of english and education, 2(2), 68-80. grabe, w. (2009). reading in a second language: moving from theory to practice. cambridge: cambridge university press. haider, m. z. (2012). extensive reading in efl classroom at secondary schools in bangladesh: current practices and future possibilities. international education studies 5(3), 126-133. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/2873073 26. helman, l. (2005). english words needed: creating research-based vocabulary instruction for english learners. in a. e. farstrup & s. j. samuels (eds.), what research has to say about vocabulary instruction (pp. 211-237). newark, de: international reading association. horst, m. (2005). learning l2 vocabulary through extensive reading: a measurement study. canadian modern language review, 61(3), 355382. hsu, w. (2018). voice of america news as voluminous reading material for mid-frequency vocabulary learning. relc journal, 1-14. doi: 101177/0033688218764460. johnston, l. e., et al. (2016). incorporating vocabulary construction in individual reading fluency interventions with english language learners. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 353 canadian journal of school psychology, 1-19. doi: 10.1177/0829573516658855. laufer, b. & goldstein, z. (2004). testing vocabulary knowledge: size, strength, and computer adaptiveness. language learning 54, 399–436. laufer, b., elder, c., hill, k., & congdon, p. (2004). size and strength: do we need both to measure vocabulary knowledge? language testing, 21, 202–226. lin, l. f. (2010). senior high school students’ reading comprehension of graded readers. journal of language teachng and research, 1(1), 20-28. liu, i. f. (2016). an exploration based in intrinsic, extrinsic, and interpersonal motivation that affect learners’ intention to participate in an english reading contest: from extensive reading perspective. journal of educational computing research, 0(0), 1-25. doi: 10.1177/0735633116682340. liu, i. f., & young, s. s. c. (2015). an exploration of participative motivation in a community-based online english extensive reading contest with respect to gender difference. interactive learning environment, 1-14. retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/101080/1049 4820.2015.1090457. macalister, j. (2014). teaching reading: research into practice. language teaching 47(3), 387–397. maley, a. (2005). review of ‘extensive reading activities for the second language classroom’. elt journal 59(4), 354–355. maley, a. (2008). extensive reading: maid in waiting. in tomlinson b (ed) english language learning materials: a critical review. london: continuum, 133–156. nation, isp. (2007). the four strands. innovation in language learning and teaching 1(1), 2–13 nuttall, c. (2005). teaching reading skills in a foreign language (3rd ed). oxford: macmillan. pigada, m., schmitt, n. (2006). vocabulary acquisition from extensive reading: a case study. reading in a foreign language, 18(1), 1-28. renandya, w. a. (2007). the power of extensive reading. relc journal, 38(2), 133-149. schmitt, n. (2014). size and depth of vocabulary knowledge: what the research shows. language learning, 64, 913–951. suk, n. (2016). the effects of extensive reading on reading comprehension, reading rates, and vocabulary acquisition. reading research quarterly, 52(1), 73-89. tomlinson, b. & masuhara, h. (2013). adult coursebooks. elt journal 67(2), 233–249. wang, m. j. (2015). the worst and the best of times for reading: global views journal 2014reading survey. journal of national new books, 19(6), 12-15. rosina f. j. lekawael & marcy s. ferdinandus investigating undergraduate students’ perceptions of extensive reading toward their vocabulary mastery in english department of pattimura university ambon 354 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 337 the learning style of high achiever students of english department of iain samarinda umar fauzan iain samarinda, indonesia e-mail: umar.fauzan@iain-samarinda.ac.id rostanti toba iain samarinda, indonesia e-mail: rostantitoba@gmail.com nirmayana iain samarinda, indonesia e-mail: nirmayana1811@gmail.com apa citation: fauzan, u., toba, r., nirmayana. (2020). the learning style of high achiever students of english department of iain samarinda. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 337-344. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.4656 received: 12-04-2020 accepted: 05-05-2020 published: 01-06-2021 introduction learning style can be used by students to learn a language, including english. it can be described as the set of factors behavior and attitudes facilities learning for an individual in a given situation. learners can perceive and process information in a learning situation (amelia, 2018). in this case, the dominant factor that influences students’ learning is learning style. it is a factor that dominant the success of learning in order to understand that every individual has a unique style of learning whether visual, auditory, and kinesthetic, they are different from each other (gunawan, 2012a; 2012b). moreover, learning style is one dominant factor because learning style is influenced by our brain (winardi, 2010). it is the combination between brain domination of how people manage and deal with information and the modality of the easiest way how people deal with information (deporter & hernacki, 2005). the learning style is influenced by human brain because it has a big capacity to save memories or experiences of learning. some people have a different brain capacity to receive and understand things through the brain. additionally, human brain has a different capacity in the process of accumulating and managing information, while some of the human brains are capable of receiving and managing information quickly, some of the brains that process information slowly. learning style is happened naturally and goes by quite unnoticed in many cases. in psychology, the term learning styles refers to learner’s preferred general approach to learning, which includes the process of absorbing, processing, and retaining new information. in the process of second language acquisition, the term language learning style refers to language learners’ preferred approach to language acquisition. it is internally based characteristic often not perceived or used consciously, that are the basis for the intake and understanding of new information (reid, 1995; 1998; 1987). learning style has been defined as a consistent way of functioning that reflects the underlying causes of the learning behavior (keefe, 1987). learning style is both a characteristic that abstract: learning style is the method of a person to get solutions from problem-solving in process of learning. in this case, students’ learning styles have closely relation to their achievement. in this research, the researchers focus on the the type of learning styles of high achiever students of the english department at iain samarinda. this is a survey research where the researchers collected by usig the perceptual learning style preference questionnaire. the subject of this research is the high achiever students of the english department at iain samarinda that consists of twenty-two students from fifth and seventh semester students. this research found that all of learning styles exist in this research results where visual learning style become the highest percentage among others. students’ learning habits in everyday life also play important role in determining their learning style. research discussion and suggestion are provided further in this study. keywords: english language learning; high achiever students; learning style umar fauzan, rostanti toba, & nirmayana the learning style of high achiever students of english department of iain samarinda 338 indicates how a student learns and likes to learn, as well as instructional strategy informing the cognition, context and content of learning. to go further, learning style has some characteristic on which they are based. the first is that every person, student, and teacher alike has a learning style, learning strength, and weakness. teachers can use students’ learning style as a tool to develop their student learning. teachers can help students by understanding or knowing their students' preferred learning style (deporter & hernacki, 2005). in other words, a successful learning place teacher to boost students’ strength and build their capacity to learn in a range of style. thus, teachers need to have an understanding for different learning style within the class. moreover, learning style is characterized by the degree to which the learner emphasizes abstractness over concreteness in perceiving information and the degree to which he or she emphasizes action over reflection in processing information in a learning situation (kob et al., 2018). additionally, learning style is a term that describes the variation among learners in using one or more senses to understand, organize, and retain experience (dunn & dunn, 1998). then, it is also a learner’s consistent way of responding and using stimuli in the context of learning (claxton & ralston, 1978). the characteristic of learning style differs on learner from another, such as visual, auditory and kinesthetic. based on reid (1995; 1998; 1987), there are six fundamental characteristics of learning styles including 1) every person, student, and teacher alike, has a learning style and learning strengths and weaknesses; 2) learning styles exist on wide continuums, although they are described as opposites; 3) learning styles are value-neutral, that is, no one’s styles are better than others; 4) students must be encouraged to ‘stretch’ their learning styles so that they will be more empowered in a variety of learning situations; 5) often students’ learning strategies are linked to their learning styles; 6) teachers should allow their students to become aware of their learning strengths and weakness. furthermore, learning style is connected to learning strategies. in this case, direct learning strategies are useful to help students store and recover information (oxford, 1990). additionally, learning strategies can influence students’ success in learning. it means that learning strategies can help learners to produce language even when there is a knowledge gap, it can also help them to understand and use new language. learning strategies are specific actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective, and more transferable to new situations (oxford, 1990). in this case, learning strategies have twelve key features i.e 1) contribute to the main goal that is communicative competence; 2) allow learners to become more self-directed; 3) expand the role of teachers; 4) problem-oriented; 5) specific action was taken by the learner; 6) involve many aspects of the learner, not just the cognitive; 7) support learning both directly and indirectly; 8) not always observable; 9) often conscious 10) can be taught; 11) flexible; and 12) influenced by a variety of factors (oxford, 1990). learning strategies can assist students in facilitating everything in the learning process such as making it easier for students to complete assignments in their way without having to follow the directions given. it means students have different skills in answering and completing their assignments with the learning styles they have. identifying learning styles and strategies could be very beneficial both for students and for teachers. many specialists suggest to teachers of foreign languages not deal only with teaching a language but pay attention to learning strategies (amelia, 2018). concerning with high achievers students, they have different reasons in applying learning strategies when they get problems. therefore, there are several criteria of high achievers i.e high achiever students develop their own effective and efficient strategies that suit themselves in their learning process (mubarok et al., 2016), and high achievers who interested in learning and enjoying school (kingore, 2004). moreover, regarding with learning style, some experts said that there are three types of common learning styles i.e visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. yong (2010) said that visual learning style refers to a preference for learning through vision and visual learners rely on their sight to take the information. additonally, sadker & sadker (2005) stated that students learn the best seeing, students will find the information when it is explained by the aids of textbooks, charts, picture, course outlines, and graphics and visual learners like to keep their on the teacher by sitting in front of the class and watching the teacher closely. moreover, deporter & hernacki (2005) were covering that characteristic of visual learner are tidy and order, talk active, a good planner and manager, detail and attentive, good performing in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 339 appearance and presentation, good speller, good at remembering what they see, good at memorizing using visual association, not easy to be disturbed by noisy, bad in memorizing verbal instruction, good in reading speed and diligent, good in learning by reading than listening to someone, need whole vision and objective, good in taking notes during in phone cell. different with visual learning style, auditory learning style is learning through hearing lectures or audiotapes (daiek & anter, 2004). additonally, daiek & anter (2004) elaborate features of auditory learners are listening to tapes, watching documentaries, speaking about the subject, sounding out words, using rhymes, having discussions, explaining notes, using word links, taping-recording studying, using oral direction, talking, and listening with a partner, using rhythmic sounds, listening carefully, talking to own selves and reading aloud. student can accurately remember details of information heard in conversation or lectures. according to deporter & hernacki (2005), they pointed that auditory learners talking to own self when working, getting easy to be disturbed by noise, speaking in a good rhythm, used to be a fluent speaker, listening to music rather than art, learning by listening and remembering what they discussed rather than seeing, speaking, discuss and telling a story completely, having a job problem which commits to visualization, spelling loudly rather than to write, making a joke than to read comic. regarding with the next learning style, kinesthetic learners will show a preference for demonstration and physical activity involving bodily movement (brown, 2007). this type of learner learns best by doing. they will catch the idea easily when it is explained by instructional aids of skits and role-play (brown, 2007). students learn best by using their hands “handson learning” or by full-body movement. deporter & hernacki (2005) claimed the characteristic of kinesthetic learners are speaking slowly, responding to physical gesture, touching people for getting their attention, standing closer when talking with someone else, orienting to physics and much made moving, learning through manipulation and practice, memorizing by walking while seeing, using fingers to point when reading, using body language intensively, never staying quiet for a long time, bad to remember geography, excluding if they have ever visited the place, using much action verbs, reading a book which oriented to the plot, having an untidy characteristic, tending to do everything, playing games much. everyone has a different learning style, but everyone has uniqueness (felder & silverman, 1988). if lecturers or instructors do not adjust teaching to students' learning styles, it will create discomfort and lack of attention from students (felder & silverman, 1988). students’ learning styles may be influenced by their reactions to personal life experiences and approaches to learning as well as their previous learning habits. additionally, students’ learning style is influenced by students’ personality, habits, and behaviour (kolb & kolb, 2013). in fact, people usually have just one dominant style (deporter, 1992). in other words, everyone has a different learning style from the others, but one of those styles will be dominant. researches concerning with students’ learning style (amchosihi, 2013; amelia, 2018; pramongkit, 2019; tabatabaei & mashayekhi, 2013; phantharakphong, 2012), learning strategies (mubarok et al., 2016), learning achievers (kob et al., 2018; salikin et al., 2017), as well as relationship between learning styles used by high, mid, and low achievers (samperio, 2019; kamarulzaman, 2012; violita, 2014; jahanbakhsh, 2012; khasanah, 2014), connectivity between teaching methods and learning styles to students’ achievement (munir et al., 2019) seems very fascinating and connected to each other. considering the importance of the topic chosen by the researchers, it is obvious that learning style which related to students’ achievement in english learning becomes very important. therefore, the researchers are intended to investigate the learning styles of high achiever students in learning english particularly in the context of higher education at iain samarinda, indonesia. method this research is a survey study (creswell, 2012b) where the intention of the researchers is to investiagte the learning style of high achiever students at english department at iain samarinda, indonesia. in terms of choosing the subject, the researchers relied on purposive sampling technique (bhatti & sundram, 2015; allen & yen, 1979) in order for the researchers to get apropriate subject who are suitable for this research. purposive sampling technique was done by seting up the criteria of high achiever students i.e those who got “a” grade for speaking course umar fauzan, rostanti toba, & nirmayana the learning style of high achiever students of english department of iain samarinda 340 and have atleast 3.5 for the gpa. thus, from three classes from fifth semester and two classes from seventh semester, the total number of subject selected was twenty-two students. moreover, the data in this research is divided into two types of data i.e primary and secondary data. in order to gain the primary data, the researchers used close-ended questionnaire (creswell, 2012; johnson & christensen, 2000) in the form of statements referring to learning styles so that the students can choose whetehr to strongly agree, agree, undecided, disagree, and strongly disagree. in this case, the questionnaire analysed by using likert-scale (creswell, 2014) in order to figure out the high achiever students’ types of learning styles. meanwhile, the secondary data were obtained from semistructured interview (cresswell, 2005; bernard, 2002; dörnyei, 2007) to those students which conducted online. the secondary data contained learning devices and habits of high achiever students in learning english. results & discussion findings data gained from questionnaire types of learning style table 1. types of learning style of high achiever students indicators stro ngly agre e % agree % unde cided % disa gree % stro ngly disa gree learning better by reading when the teacher writes on the whiteboard 0 0% 17 77% 2 9% 3 14% 0 remember better when reading the instructions 4 18% 11 50% 6 27 % 1 5% 0 understand better when reading the instructions 2 9% 17 77% 2 9% 1 5% 0 learn better by reading than by listening 4 18% 7 32% 6 27 % 5 23% 0 learning more by reading textbooks than listening lecture 2 9% 7 32% 9 41 % 4 18% 0 understand better when the teacher tells the instructions 4 18% 14 64% 2 9% 2 9% 0 learning better when someone told something 2 9% 13 59% 6 27 % 1 5% 0 remember things by learning, heard is better than reading 2 9% 14 64% 5 23 % 1 5% 0 learning better when the teacher gives a lecture 0 0% 14 64% 7 32 % 1 5% 0 learning better in class when listening to someone 1 5% 14 64% 4 18 % 3 14% 0 prefer to learn by doing something in class 2 9% 10 45% 6 27 % 3 14% 1 do something in class, learning make better 2 9% 12 55% 5 23 % 3 14% 0 enjoy learning in class by doing an experiment 6 27% 12 55% 4 18 % 0 0% 0 understand things better in class when participating in roleplaying 4 18% 12 55% 6 27 % 0 0% 0 learning best in class when can participate in related activities 5 23% 12 55% 5 23 % 0 0% 0 the most dominant learning style table 2. table of the most dominant learning style item frequency percentage i learn better by reading what the teacher writes on the whiteboard 17 77,3% english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 341 when i read instruction, i remember them better 11 50% i understand better when i read instructions 17 77,3% i learn better by reading than by listening to someone 7 31,8% i learn more by reading textbooks than by listening to lectures 9 40,9% when the teacher tells me the instruction i understand better 14 63,6% when someone tells me how to do something in class, i learn it better 13 59,1% i remember things i have heard in class better than things i have read 14 63,6% i learn better in class when the teacher gives a lecture 14 63,6% i learn better in class when i listen to someone 14 63,6% i prefer to learn by doing something in class 10 45,5% when i do things in class, i learn better 12 54,5% i enjoy learning in class by doing experiments 12 54,5% i understand things better in class when i participate in role-playing 12 54,5% i learn best in class when i can participate in related 12 54,5% data gained from interview this part of research findings, the researchers found high achiever students in terms of learning devices used as well as habits of learning style they used to do in daily life. in terms of communication, high achiever students actively use english in their daily lives e.g whatsapp application for long-range comunication by sending messages both in terms of chatting and voice call. other than that, in terms of using smartphones, all of them use english as the language used on their smartphone setting. the next fact showed that high achiever students often listen to english music and watch youtube on their smartphones. specifically, they use english music to learn english vocabulary and pronunciation through listening to the english songs as well as reading and pronouncing the lyrics provided online. in terms of the use of youtube, they often watch english movies with english subtitle, video of english songs, and english learning content from famous youtubers. other than that, some other social media also used as devices for learning english by the high achiever students i.e twitter, instagram, and facebook. in this case, they use those three platforms of social media to share their daily activities, thought, and feeling by using english. additionally, they use those social media to make a friend with foreign citizens so that they can practice to speak and write in english. moreover, the high achiever students also learn vocabulary through english quotes shared on the social media. not only regarding with english learning habits in daily life as well as devices they use in learning english. another fact showed that the high achiever students have certificate of merit from prestigious english competitions e.g english poetry and speech competitions. in this case, they said that by joining such english competitions, they can have memorable and reputable achievements in english. additionally, they can develop as well as invent their talent in english language area as well as training their mentality to perform in front of public. discussion from the research findings above, all of the three types of learning styles used by the high achiever students. in this case, major findings in this research is that most of high achiever students are considered as visual learners. it is indicated by the result where 77,3% students mentioned that they learn better by reading what the teacher writes on the whiteboard. additinally, 77,3% students noted that they have better understanding when they read instruction given by lecturers. it is supported by the result found from interview where most of the students use social media to read english quotes and information e.g from whatsapp, instagram, twitter, and facebook. this result is similar to the previous study conducted by pramongkit (2019) where visual learners are more dominant than the auditory and kinesthetic learners in class. this research also supported by kob et al. (2018) where visual is the highest percentage of students’ learning style among others. the second place of learning style used by high achiever students is auditory style. specifically, 63,6% students said that they remember lessons they heard better than what they see. in addition, 63,6% students pointed out that they understand better when they listen to lecturers’ explanation as well as when lecturers giving oral instruction. in this case, high achiever students who are considered as auditory students use social media for listening to english songs such as the use of spotify, joox, sound cloud, resso, and youtube. similar with this research, a research from phantharakphong (2012) found that auditory became the second learning style of the students. finally, kinesthetic becomes the lowest percentage of learning style of the high achiever umar fauzan, rostanti toba, & nirmayana the learning style of high achiever students of english department of iain samarinda 342 students. particularly, 45,5% students understand better when they are learning by doing such as having classroom experiments and role-playing. in this case, this type of students love watching english movies. in a research from phantharakphong (2012), it showed that kinesthetic is the most learning style having by students in learning. meanwhile, visual learning is the lowest percentage of learning of the students. it is also similar to a research from amchosihi (2013) where kinesthetic learning style became students’ learning style preference. the findings from this research indicate that none of the three learning styles whether visual, auditory, or kinesthetic always become the highest learning style. surely there is an influence from learning behavior and students’ personality (kolb & kolb, 2013). therefore, the students’ daily activity on learning and the way they use various types of learning devices contribute to the shaping of the students’ learning style. conclusion the findings of this research drive to two major results. the first is that all of the types of learning styles whether visual, auditory, or kinesthetic do exist in learning styles of english department students at iain samarinda. the second main result in this research is that from those three learning styles, it is found that most of the high achiever students of english department at iain samarinda is visual learning style. specifically, they have better understanding when they read instruction given by lecturers as well as see and read the display of explanation from the lecturers. the learning style of the high achiever students have closely relation to the learning habits in their daily lives. particularly in this research, the high achiever students use different platforms of social media to learn english e.g youtube, twitter, facebook, instagram and some others to search and share information in english. in conclusion, none of those learning styles become the most popular or better than others, but it really depends on the students’ personality and habits in learning. therefore, it is suggested to further researchers to dig deeper to efl students’ learning styles in relation to students’ behaviour and attitude that shape their learning styles. references allen, m. j., & yen, w. m. (1979). introduction to measurement theory. cole publishing company. amchosihi, f. (2013). a study on english learning style used by 11th graders of sman 1 kauman tulungagung. universitas brawijaya. amelia, s. (2018). thesis learning style of xi grade students in language class at madrasah aliyah negeri 2 samarinda. iain samarinda. bernard, h. (2002). research methods in anthropology: qualitative and quantitative approach (3rd editio). alta mira press. bhatti, m. a., & sundram, v. p. k. (2015). business research quantitative and qualitative methods. pearson malaysia. brown, h. d. (2007). principles of language learning and teaching (5th ed.). pearson education, inc. claxton, c., & ralston, y. (1978). learning style: their impact on teaching and administration. association for the study of higher education. cresswell, j. (2005). research design: qualitative and quantitative approaches. longman. creswell, j. w. (2012a). educational research : planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). pearson. creswell, j. w. (2012b). educational research: educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). pearson. creswell, j. w. (2014). research design: qualitative, quantitaive, and mixed methods approaches. sage publication, inc. daiek, d., & anter, n. (2004). critical reading for college and beyond. mc graw hill. deporter, b. (1992). quantum teaching: mempraktikan quantum learning di ruangruang kelas. kaifa. deporter, b., & hernacki, m. (2005). quantum learning: membiasakan belajar nyaman dan menyenangkan. kaifa pt. mizan pustaka. dörnyei, z. (2007). research methods in applied linguistics: quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies. oxford university press. dunn, r. s., & dunn, k. j. (1998). the complete guide to the learning style in service system. pearson allyn and bacon publishing. felder, m. r., & silverman, k. l. (1988). learning and teaching style in engineering education. journal of engineering education, 78(7). gunawan, a. w. (2012a). born to be a genius. pt. gramedia pustaka utama. gunawan, a. w. (2012b). genius learning strategy. pt. gramedia pustaka utama. jahanbakhsh, r. (2012). learning styles and academic achievement: a case study of iranian high school girl’s students. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 51(1988), 1030–1034. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.08.282 johnson, b., & christensen, l. (2000). educational research: quantitative and qualitative approaches. allyn and bacon, inc. kamarulzaman, w. (2012). high achiever’s learning style: a case study of a student on the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 343 president’s list at a public university. ssrn electronic journal, january 2012. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2189177 keefe, j. w. (1987). learning style: theory and practice. national association of secondary school principals. khasanah, n. (2014). learning strategy used by high, mid and low achievers of english to develop reading skill: a case study at muhammadiyah university of surakarta. universitas muhammadiyah surakarta. kingore, b. (2004). differentiation: simplified, realistic and effective. professional associates publishing. kob, c. g. c., kannapiran, s., & abdullah, a. s. (2018). learning styles among higher achievers student at seberang perai polytechnic malaysia. journal of engineering science and technology, 13. kolb, a. y., & kolb, d. a. (2013). the kolb learning style inventoryversion 4.0 a comprehensive guide to the theory, psychometrics, research on validity and educational applications. www.learningfromexperience.com mubarok, s., regina, r., & ikhsanudin, i. (2016). the learning styles and strategies of effective language learners. jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran khatulistiwa, 7(5), 1–18. https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/s03462 51x1100056x?token=4c98e34a58280795b6 ab8ece5f9b9d726b9ef251d7cf6f721de b1eb068b27506107482a790a870697b18585 1b7674696 munir, s., emzir, e., & rahmat, a. (2019). the effect of teaching methods and learning styles on students’ english achievement (an experimental study at junior high school 1 pasangkayu). jetl (journal of education, teaching and learning), 2(2), 233. https://doi.org/10.26737/jetl.v2i2.292 oxford, r. l. (1990). language learning strategies: what every teacher should know. newbury house publishers. phantharakphong, p. (2012). english learning styles of high and low performance students of the faculty of education, khon kaen university. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 46, 3390–3394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.072 pramongkit, s. (2019). the learning style of thai students of english department of iain samarinda. iain samarinda. reid, j. m. (1987). the learning style preferences of esl students. tesol quarterly, 21(1). reid, j. m. (1995). learning styles in esl/efl classroom. heinle & heinle. reid, j. m. (1998). understanding learning style in the second language classroom. prentice hall regants. sadker, m. p., & sadker, d. m. (2005). teacher, schools and societies. mc graw hill. salikin, h., saidna zulfiqar bin-tahir, & emelia, c. (2017). the higher achiever students’ strategies in english learning. modern journal of language teaching methods (mjltm), issn(7(11)), 087–102. www.mjltm.org samperio, n. (2019). learning strategies used by high and low achievers in the first level of english. profile: issues in teachers’ professional development, 21(1), 75–89. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v21n1.68246 tabatabaei, o., & mashayekhi, s. (2013). the relationship between efl learners’ learning styles and their l2 achievement. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 70, 245–253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.01.061 violita, d. (2014). the influence of students’ learning style on their learning achievement at the eleventh grade of smk muhammadiyah kutowinangun in the academic year of 2013/2014. universitas muhammadiyah purworejo. winardi, a. (2010). optimizing the potential of children through understanding learning style. http://ideguru.com/2010/04/13/mengoptimalkan -potensi-anak-melalui-pemahaman-gayabelajar/ yong, f. l. (2010). a study on cultural values, perceptual learning style and attitudes toward oracy skills of malaysian tertiary students. european journal of social sciences, 1. umar fauzan, rostanti toba, & nirmayana the learning style of high achiever students of english department of iain samarinda 344 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 177 the implementation of teaching genre in l2 listening classroom: iranian pre-intermediate efl learners in focus ehsan namaziandost department of english, faculty of humanities, shahrekord branch, islamic azad university, shahrekord, iran sajad shafiee department of english, faculty of humanities, shahrekord branch, islamic azad university, shahrekord, iran behrouz ahmadi department of english, ahvaz branch, islamic azad university, ahvaz, iran apa citation: namaziandost, e., shafiee, s., & ahmadi, b. (2019). the implementation of teaching genre in l2 listening classroom: iranian pre-intermediate efl learners in focus. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 177-184. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.2618. received: 27-02-2019 accepted: 14-04-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: this study tries to implement genre-based instruction in iranian pre-intermediate efl learners’ l2 listening skill. moreover, it aims to investigate if genre-based instruction impacts the listening skills of efl learners at different skill levels equally. to achieve this goal, 60 efl learners have been selected. these were split into groups a and b. groups a and b, respectively, consisted of 30 and 30 members. group a was split into experimental and control groups and administered the pre and posttest of listening skills. findings from one-way ancova showed that because of using genre-based instruction, the experimental group outperformed the control group. group b was also classified into proficient and lessproficient classes as demonstrated by the proficiency test; each administered two pre-and posttest of listening. nonetheless, the findings of one-way ancova revealed that both classes were improved from pretest to posttest; the professional group performed remarkably better than the less skilled group. generally speaking, the results of this study showed that gbt is a key and crucial factor in developing listening comprehension. keywords: genre-based teaching; listening proficiency; iranian pre-intermediate efl learners. introduction genre-based teaching (gbt) is dominantly associated with the teaching method of second language writing and is based on genre study. it is based on the idea that each writer produces their texts in an inimitable and peerless way, but in relation to the social base and other textualities (knapp & watkins, 2005). speaking from a similar perspective, hyland (2004, p. 5) describes gbt as "being careful about what students do when they speak," not a technical fastening of words together. therefore, gbt presumes writing as a social relevance defined by its commitment to systems of vocabulary, subject matter, writing styles, and textual types. this concentrates on teaching students how to use language in order to construct a meaningful dialogue. as gbt elucidated students are taught by cope and kalantzis (1993, p. 8) in "the manner that the hows' of text form procreate the causes for social impact." it has been an axiom among second and foreign language researchers to confine genre researches principally to written discourse. because of such a restricted view, research on genre-based teaching method is still inadequately represented (cheng, 2006, 2008). however, there is no motivation to restrict gbt to writing teaching method and place it into the straitjacket of written discourse. swales (1990, p. 33) characterizes genre as alluding to “a discernable class of discourse of any kind, spoken or written, with or without inconcrete appetence.” a few researches proclaimed positive connection among gbt and enhancement in students’ propensities towards language learning (henry & roseberry, 1998). in addition, these researches have assessed the efficacy of the genre-based teaching in enhancing students’ genre-based (cheung & lai, 1997; namaziandost, neisi, kheryadi, & nasri, 2019). listening is commonly viewed as a striking linguistic ability as an area of language acquisition where language students gain superiority faster and at a more significant level than other language skills. it also has a critical influence on the egress and development of ehsan namaziandost, sajad shafiee & behrouz ahmadi the implementation of teaching genre in l2 listening classroom: iranian pre-intermediate efl learners in focus 178 language skills, especially in reading and writing (oxford, 1990, 1993; scarcella & oxford, 1992). brown (2001, p. 248) describes the valence of listening in such a manner that it is "a major skill by which students mask linguistic data from which they cannot produce information." nevertheless, as brown (1995) said, listening is an unpleasant capacity to extend because it involves extraordinary quantities of cognitive processing. underwood (1989) refers to the small size of the vocabulary information of students and the absence of contextual indications in the spoken language to name a couple of different reasons. chiang and dunkel (1992) presumed the absence of adequate background information from listeners to be obstacles before expanding listening. despite extensive and thorough gender theory and role-based teaching possibilities, scholars have often concentrated on writing teaching (cheng, 2006, 2008; cheung & lai, 1997; namaziandost, hashemifardnia, & shafiee, 2019; manzouri & shahraki, 2014). clearly, such a trend does not seem unusual, as the concept of genre arose from the study of writing teaching for the first time. as bhatia (1993) stated, language students are required to provide basic skills and classification learning in the profession for diverse participation in a particular informative occasion. eventually, students should draw the expert community under such specialty-oriented instruction and hit their enrollment in the amplification of the target discourse. in order to fill the work void in the field, this analysis aims to drive the edges of gbt uses into one of the main language skills; listening. genre genre, based on hammond and derewianka (2001, p. 69), is associated with "antiquated greeks and their study of expository form of various historical, poetic and dramatic groups." johns (2003) reproaches the traditional definition of genre and argues that typical genre analysis is extremely focused on taxonomy of literary works. in any case, recent interpretations of the word consider it to be of a social nature. in order to highlight the social virtues of the genre, hyland (2003, p. 21) characterizes the genre as "dynamic, socially understood forms of language usage." gender-based teaching oriented on the cuttingedge senses of the word is seen as a revolutionary advancement in the form of language teaching, especially in the second-language writing. prior to finding new conceptions of genre and its use for language teaching system, writing classes were largely dominated by the approach of product and procedure. from the 1940s to the 1960s, and under the influence of the product approach, the system of teaching focused primarily on the last product's verbal accuracy and simple well-formedness. the product approach focused on teaching linguistic tenets for the position of instructor, which could potentially enable learners to construct syntactically correct sentences (pincas, 1982). due to various shortcomings of the product technique, it was replaced by its experienced partner; the process solution. kern (2000) suggests that attention is diverted from language structure, pronunciation and phonetic precision to enable learners to communicate without hesitation in the method approach. thus, in the process approach "writers ' procedures" (p. 182) were demonstrated, despite the product approach in which phonetic structures were displayed. hyland (2004) believed that genre instructional approach might potentially explain writing "as an attempt to speak for learners, to gain a better understanding of the forms in which vocabulary styles are used, and to achieve consistent, conscious visibility" (p. 5) on the grounds that gbt is encouraging, simple, verbal, convey, deliberate, needs-based, and stable. in other words, gbt precedes the way students do not compose what they compose (hyland, 2004; martin, 1992). gender-based instruction, as paltridge (2001) suggests, may help students to succeed in semantic communication and provide them with socially conscious language forms by providing common knowledge and skills. in order to highlight the capacity of genre as a powerful instructive method, numerous research in the field of language education has been completed (bhatia, 1993; cheung & lai, 1997; namaziandost, sabzevari, & hashemifardnia, 2018; henry & roseberry, 1998; 2001; holmes, 1997; hopkins & dudley-evans, 1988; hyland, 2002; manzouri & shahraki, 2014). some researchers have generally confirmed that as a result of gbt, the writing of students has been significantly improved and they would use communicative movements more frequently in their study. in the class activities, gbt has showed a strong interaction with the students ' diverse involvement. many researchers found that gbt results enabled respondents to establish a positive approach to language learning (cheng, 2008; emilia, 2005; krisnachinda, 2006). listening as a key language ability, listening is the most broadly used language ability in our everyday life english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 179 (morley, 2001; rost 2002). it is commonly seen as a working and diligent mechanism in which members of the audience concentrate on extracting the vital data from the spoken phonetic content, grasping its meaning and understanding its action, and generating phonetically suitable output by consolidating them with the related signs and their context learning (o'malley, chamot & küpper, 1989). in any case, listening is also seen as an extreme ability to secure in view of the fact that it allows listeners to infer meaning from the verbal information that is spoken. goss (1982) suggests that listening is a complex mental mechanism in which members of the audience seek to replicate the context from the speakers. this intellectually complex process is carried out when listeners rely on their experience of learning the language and, in addition, their learning of reality (nagle & sanders, 1986; young, 1997) and recombine data in their long-term memory to construe the spoken language (mendelsohn, 1994; young, 1997). gbt can help language students improve their listening skills by acclimatizing them with the traditions of language use and by providing them with background information in the specific types of language spoken. the following research questions are to be responded in the present study: 1) does gbt significantly affect iranian pre-intermediate efl learners’ listening skill? and 2) does gbt equally affect the listening proficiency of iranian pre-intermediate efl learners at various proficiency levels? method the current study is a two-part longitudinal analysis that used quantitative methods to expose the effect of gbt on the listening skills of iranian efl students. the respondents of this study were 60 iranian pre-intermediate efl learners who were segregated into group a, and group b. class a consisted of 30 members of the efl and was equally split into study and control groups, each with 15 students. group b, on the other hand, consisted of 30 efl students. with regards to the evaluation of listening skills, group b respondents were divided into groups of proficient and less-proficient. in a private language school, the respondents were learning english as a foreign language (tefl). group a students studied in their 3rd semester, while group b students learned in their 2nd and 4th semesters. class a was administered ahearing pre-test and then half of them (the study class) took part in a gbt listening series of 10 hours. the class took 3 weeks and they focused on listening learning in each session by answering questions of interpretation and transcribing the audio file. the listening file was classified as a "documentary" genre and was part of the bbc planet earth series. to investigate their understanding, they could communicate and discuss with each other and their instructor. at the same time, a placebo was given to the control group. they were asked to participate in a seminar on english short stories in a 13-session listening comprehension. upon completing four weeks of listening training, all respondents (both study and control groups) in the form of another listening comprehension test were administered a posttest. on the other hand, group b learners first completed a hearing ability test and were then assigned to classes of proficient and less proficient. over four weeks and 10 days, these two participants were asked to participate in hearing comprehension courses. documentary files accepted by bbc planet earth were the class material. after completing the instruction, a listening comprehension test was carried out by both groups. the independent samples t-test and paired samples t-test were performed to analyze the data through spss program version 25. results and discussion rq 1. does gbt significantly affect iranian pre-intermediate efl learners’ listening skill? the one-way ancova was performed to compare the posttest scores of the learners in the eg and cg (and to see if gbt was successful as far as efl learners ' listening skills were concerned). this mathematical method was used in particular because it was able to control on the pretest any potential pre-existing variations between the eg and cg participants, and make adjustments accordingly, then compare their posttest scores. the results of descriptive statistics for comparing the listening posttest scores of the eg and cg learners are shown in table 1. table 1. descriptive statistics comparing the listening posttest scores of eg and cg learners groups m sd n eg 28.36 6.12 15 cg 22.36 4.39 15 ehsan namaziandost, sajad shafiee & behrouz ahmadi the implementation of teaching genre in l2 listening classroom: iranian pre-intermediate efl learners in focus 180 total 25.36 5.25 30 as shown in table 1, the eg students outperformed their cg peers on the listening posttest. in table 2, the p value under the sig, to see if this disparity between the eg and cg learners ' listening posttest scores was of statistical significance or not. columns should be presented in the groups called lines. table 2. ancova results comparing the listening posttest scores of eg and cg learners source type iii sum of squares df mean square f sig. partial eta squared corrected model 560.53 2 280.26 22.18 .00 .64 intercept 44.21 1 44.21 4.16 .08 .09 pretest 270.66 1 270.66 21.26 .00 .43 groups 219.66 1 219.66 18.90 .00 .38 error 418.36 27 18.67 total 21216.49 30 corrected total 1315.26 29 the value of p below the sig. the column across the group row was lower than the meaning level, indicating that the difference between the two eg and cg groups on the listening posts was statistically significant. it could be concluded, therefore, that gbt helped the eg students improve their listening skills and significantly surpass their cg counterparts on the listening posttest. the effect size in table 2 under the partial eta squared section indicates the magnitude of.38, which is a large effect size dependent on cohen (1988, as cited in pallant, 2010). rq 2. does gbt equally affect the listening proficiency of pre-intermediate efl learners at various proficiency levels? to order to find a reasonable answer to this study's second research question, group b learners, a communication ability test was taken first. we were allocated to proficient and lessproficient groups based on the research results (table 3). an independent samples t-test are conducted to guarantee the reliability of the test results. there was a statistically significant difference in the pre-test scores for proficient and less-proficient groups p<0.05 based on the information presented in table 3. this conclusion was reached since the value of p was lower than the level of meaning (p <.05). it could therefore be concluded that the students in the two classes were at the same level of skill. table 3. independent samples test for pretest of group b levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference pretest equal variances assumed 36.91 .000 11.26 28 .00 14.37 1.08 since the study's second research question was intended to establish whether using gbt similarly influences efl learners ' listening skills at different skill levels, it was appropriate to compare the posttest scores of the proficient and less-proficient classes. to achieve this goal, the researcher may run a t-test of separate samples, but to look for any potential pre-existing discrepancies between these two subgroups and compare their posttest scores accordingly, oneway ancova was selected to be done. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 181 table 4. descriptive statistics comparing the listening posttest scores of learners with differing proficiency levels proficiency levels mean std. deviation n proficient 48.12 7.16 15 less proficient 30.62 3.29 15 total 39.37 11.09 30 table 4 reveals that the proficient learners ' post-test mean score was higher than the less proficient learners ' post-test mean score. the analysts had to look down on the sig to figure out if this disparity was statistically significant or not. column and the skill level row in table 5. table 5. ancova results comparing the listening posttest scores of learners with differing proficiency levels source type iii sum of squares df mean square f sig. partial eta squared corrected model 3628.11 2 1814.05 126.19 .00 .91 intercept 249.16 1 249.16 16.96 .00 .42 pretest 369.98 1 369.98 29.19 .00 .53 proficiency level 168.26 1 168.26 11.89 .00 .34 error 789.67 27 12.986 total 7809.58 30 corrected total 3906.19 29 when you find the row called proficiency level in the leftmost column in table 5, and read below the sig throughout this section. line, you will consider the p value that should be compared to the significance level of the alpha (i.e., 0.05). the p value here was lower than the meaning level alpha (.00<.05), which indicates the difference between the two proficient and less proficient groups learners on the listening posttest was statistically significant. it indicates that the use of gbt influenced proficient groups slightly more than their peers, i.e. less proficient group. based on the data collected from this analysis and the figures previously demonstrated, it is quite clear that the use of genre-based approaches can be effective compared to conventional teaching methods. yes, there was a significant difference between the posttest ratings of the trial and control group. thus, due to its many advantages and advantages, an integration of genre-based teaching instruction is considered one of the best ways to instruct efl learners to listen. the explanation can be seen in the arguments suggested by hayland (2004), who argues that gender-based instruction makes learning easier to understand. furthermore, hayland (2004) suggests that gbt offers a consistent structure to concentrate on both vocabulary and meaning. however, genre-based ensures specific purposes and scope of the course. another reason for this may be that the genrebased teacher plays a primary role as a motivator for student learning and creativity, and this approach makes available patterns and variation possibilities in valued texts. the noted debate explores the influence of listening from different aspects of genre-based instruction. to sum up, if we regard doing something with the knowledge as the intention of listening to a text, the results of the current study showed that listening to genre-based teaching has an important and positive effect on enhancing the listening comprehension capacity of efl learners. the findings of this study largely corroborate the utility of gbt in language teaching identified in previous studies by other researchers (bhatia, 1993; cheung & lai, 1997; dudley-evans, 1997; emilia, 2005; namaziandost, shatalebi, & nasri, 2019; henry & roseberry, 1998, 2001; holmes, 1997; hopkins & dudleyevans, 1988; hyland, 2002; krisnachinda, 2006; manzouri & shahraki, 2014; swales, 1990). when these experiments focused primarily on learning, the results of this research corroborated gbt output in other than written language skills. such studies that indicate the significant influence of gbt in helping language students deal with the difficulty they face in the course of language learning. meanwhile, other research will concentrate on the effectiveness of gbt to improve reading and expression. however, the findings of this study support rozimela's research (2014), which found a significant relationship between efl students ' ehsan namaziandost, sajad shafiee & behrouz ahmadi the implementation of teaching genre in l2 listening classroom: iranian pre-intermediate efl learners in focus 182 knowledge of genre and perception of reading. in fact, the findings of his research showed that students with higher awareness of the genre performed significantly better in reading comprehension. moreover, this research is consistent with the report by sadeghi, taghihassani and hemmati (2013), who studied the effect of gender-based teaching on the interpretation of reading by esp learners. the results of the reading understanding test, analyzed through a t-test and independentsamples t-test, showed that gender-based teaching significantly enhances the ability to understand the reading of efl learners. the descriptive and inferential statistics showed a significant improvement in the understanding of learners reading compared to non-genre groups. with regard to pedagogical implications, it should be noted that the results of this study could particularly enrich the literature in the field of foreign language learning by teaching listening to iranian efl students. in turn, language therapists and program planners should adapt the results of the study to take into account the students ' need for genres in the content review process. once again, those that are more genre-based can be used to pick the teaching content to have a better educational context in which to improve the listening comprehension of efl learners. ultimately, as the most relevant actors, teachers should take advantage of the results of the current study to improve the communication understanding of the efl learners. current study and findings such as this that reinforce the understanding of the efficacy of genre-based teaching in improving hearing can enable teacher educators, english teachers, course book writers and curriculum creators to become more aware of the benefits of genre-based teaching and to integrate genre-based ideas into their classes, course books and curricula to assist learners be aware of the positive and beneficial properties of listening classes. conclusion gender-based instruction has historically been more related to second and foreign language learning writing preparation (swales, 1990). notwithstanding this, it was argued (cheng, 2008) the definition of genres can also be used for certain language skills. this research aimed to explore the impacts of genre-based instruction (gbt) on iranian efl learners’ listening as an effort to show the realms of genre theory. the results of all-group data analysis indicated that gbt had a remarkable impact in improving the listening skills of iranian efl learners. in addition, the findings revealed that gbt can be analogous for both skilled and less skilled listeners; therefore, skill is a significant agent in the effectiveness of gender-based teaching. the results of this study will enable language teachers to leverage the power of genre theory to teach language skills, particularly listening. the research can also allow students to take a broad view of the aspects used in communication. the subject needs to be more explored in some other experiments to complete the results of the current study. as far as the current study is concerned, more work may be needed in the following areas: the main concern of the current study was to explore the effect of gender-based instruction on the listening capacity of iranian efl learners. analogous studies on other language skills, such as speaking, writing, and reading understanding of iranian efl learners, can be carried out. the participants were male efl learners in the current study. if it is possible to conduct the same research on co-educational students, the outcomes may be different. if it is possible to conduct the same research on coeducational students, the findings may be different. this study used experimental design; other designs may therefore be used to further our understanding of the concept at issue. efl students from different fields can act in different ways to listen to classes that use this strategy. with respect to the materials used in this study, it is possible to examine different types of audio files and texts to see if similar findings are obtained. references bhatia, v. k. (1993). analyzing genre: language in professional settings. london: longman. brown, g. (1995). dimensions of difficulty in listening comprehension. in d. mendelsohn & j. rubin (eds.), a guide for the teaching of second language listening (pp. 59–73). san diego, ca: dominie press. brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy (2nd ed.). white plain, ny: pearson education. cheng, a. (2006). understanding learners and learning in esp genre-based writing instruction. english for specific purposes 25, 76–89. doi: 10.1016/j.esp.2005.07.002. cheng, a. (2008). analyzing genre exemplars in preparation for writing: the case of an l2 graduate student in the esp genre based instructional framework of academic literacy. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 183 applied linguistics, 29, 50-71. doi: 10.1016/j.esp.2005.07.002. cheung, d., & lai p. c. (1997). the genre analysis approach to technical report writing: a template or an analytical framework? esp malaysia, 5, 56-68. chiang, c. s., & dunkel, p. (1992). the effect of speech modification, prior knowledge, and listening proficiency on efl lecture learning. tesol quarterly, 26, 345–374. cope, b., & kalantzis, m. (1993). powers of literacy: genre approach to teaching writing. falmer press. dudley-evans, t. (1997). genre models for the teaching of academic writing to second language speakers: advantages and disadvantages. in t. miller (ed.), functional approaches to written text: classroom applications (pp. 150–159). washington, dc: english language programs, united states information agency. emilia, e. (2005). a critical genre-based approach to teaching academic writing in a tertiary efl context in indonesia. unpublished phd thesis, dept of language, literacy and arts education, university of melbourne. goss, b. (1982). listening as information processing. communication quarterly, 30, 304-307. hammond, j., & derewianka, b. (2001). genre. in r. carter & d. nunan (eds.), the cambridge guide to teaching english to speakers of other languages. cambridge: cambridge university press. henry, a., & roseberry, r. l. (1998). an evaluation of a genre-based approach to the teaching of eap/esp writing. tesol quarterly, 32, 147– 156. henry, a., & roseberry, r. l. (2001). a narrowangled corpus analysis of moves and strategies of the genre: letter of application. english for specific purposes, 20, 153-167. holmes, r. (1997). genre analysis and the social sciences: an investigation of the structure of research article discussion sections in three disciplines. english for specific purposes, 16, 321-37. hopkins, a., & dudley-evans, t. (1988). a genrebased investigation of the discussion sections in articles and dissertations. english for specific purposes, 7, 13-21. hyland, k. (2002). genre: language, context and literacy. annual review of applied linguistics, 22, 113-135. hyland, k. (2003). genre-based pedagogies: a social response to process. journal of second language writing, 12, 17-29. hyland, k. (2004). genre and second language writing. ann arbor, mi: the university of michigan press. kern, r. (2000). literacy and language teaching. oxford: oxford university press. knapp, p., & watkins, m. (2005). genre, text, and grammar. sydney: unsw press. krisnachinda, s. (2006). a case study of a genre-based approach to teaching writing in a tertiary context in thailand. unpublished phd thesis, faculty of education, education, university of melbourne. manzouri, h.a., & shahraki, a. (2014). the effects of raising efl students’ genre consciousness on their writing performance. iranian efl journal, 10, 232 – 243. martin, j. r. (1992). english text. philadelphia: john benjamins. mendelsohn, d. (1994). learning to listen: a strategybased approach for the second language learner. san diego, ca: dominie press. morley, j. (2001). aural comprehension instruction: principles and practices. in m. celce-murcia (ed.), teaching english as a second or foreign language (pp. 6985). boston: heinle and heinle. nagle, s. j., & sanders, s. l. (1986). comprehension theory and second language pedagogy. tesol quarterly, 20, 9-26. namaziandost, e., hashemifardnia, a., & shafiee, s. (2019). the impact of opinion-gap, reasoninggap, and information-gap tasks on efl learners’ speaking fluency. cogent social sciences 5(1), 116. doi: 10.1080/23311886.2019.1630150. namaziandost, e., neisi, l., kheryadi, & nasri, m. (2019). enhancing oral proficiency through cooperative learning among intermediate efl learners: english learning motivation in focus. cogent education, 6(1), 1-15. doi: 10.1080/2331186x.2019.1683933. namaziandost, e., sabzevari, a., & hashemifardnia, a. (2018). the effect of cultural materials on listening comprehension among iranian upperintermediate efl learners: in reference to gender. cogent education, 5(1), 1-27. doi: 10.1080/2331186x.2018.1560601. namaziandost, e., shatalebi, v., & nasri, m. (2019). the impact of cooperative learning on developing speaking ability and motivation toward learning english. journal of language and education, 5(3), 83-101. doi: 10.17323/jle.2019.9809. o’malley, j. m., chamot, a. u., & kupper, l. (1989). listening comprehension strategies in second language acquisition. applied linguistics, 10, 418–437. oxford, r. l. (1990). language learning strategies: what every teacher should know. new york: newbury house harper collins. oxford, r. l. (1993). research update on teaching l2 listening. system, 21, 205-211. pallant, j. (2010). spss survival manual. maidenhead: open university press/mcgraw-hill education. paltridge, b. (2001). genre and the language learning classroom. elt, 56, 426-429. ehsan namaziandost, sajad shafiee & behrouz ahmadi the implementation of teaching genre in l2 listening classroom: iranian pre-intermediate efl learners in focus 184 pincas, a. (1982). writing in english. london: macmillan. rost, m. (2002). teaching and researching listening. london: longman. rozimela, y. (2014). the students' genre awareness and their reading comprehension of different text types. international journal of asian social science, 4, 460-469. sadeghi, b., taghihassani, m., & hemmati, m. r. (2013). the effects of genre-based instruction on esp learners' reading comprehension. theory and practice in language studies, 3, 1009-1020. scarcella, r. c., & oxford. r. l. (1992). the tapestry of language learning: the individual i the communicative classroom. boston, ma: heinle & heinle. swales, j. m. (1990). genre analysis: english in academic and research settings. cambridge: cambridge university press. underwood, m. (1989). teaching listening. london: longman. young, m. y. c. (1997). a serial ordering of listening comprehension strategies used by advanced esl learners in hong kong. asian journal of english language teaching, 1, 35-53. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 355 learning module development on compiling exposition and argumentation text using projectbased learning sakdiah wati university of muhammadiyah palembang, english education department, south sumatra, indonesia email: sakdiahwati@gmail.com syafryadin university of bengkulu, postgraduate program of english education, bengkulu, indonesia email: syafryadin@unib.ac.id eka apriani iain curup (state college for islamic studies of curup), tadris of english language, bengkulu, indonesia email: eka.apriani@iaincurup.ac.id apa citation: wati, s., syafryadin., & apriani, e. (2021). learning module development on compiling exposition and argumentation text using project-based learning. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp.355-366. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4370 received: 27-02-2021 accepted: 12-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction learning is essentially a process of interaction of all situations around an individual. “learning can be seen as a process that is directed towards goals and the process of acting through various experiences. learning is also a process of seeing, observing and understanding something” (sudjana in rusman, 2016, p.1). learning activities are carried out by two actors, which are teachers and students. teacher activity is teaching and student activity is learning. teaching activity is not teach about the material but also character (apriani, 2016; apriani, 2017; apriani, supardan, sartika, suparjo, & hakim, 2019). all of that is related to learning materials. meanwhile, schools as an educational institution must be able to carry out teaching and learning processes or activities that involve students as a whole. the learning process carried out in the classroom is an activity to transform knowledge, attitudes, and skills. teachers are expected to develop the full learning capacity, learning competence, basic competence, and potential of students. learning that is carried out is more student-centered, so that students participate in the learning process, can develop independent learning methods, play a role in planning, abstract: this development research aims to develop and produce a learning module to compile an exposition text. besides, this research and development also aim to describe the process of developing a material learning module, compiling an exposition text with a project-based learning (pjbl) model for grade viii smp students, describing the feasibility of the module based on assessment and validation by media experts, material experts, linguists, and student trials. this research is included in the research category utilizing descriptive quantitative. the resulting quantitative data will be converted into qualitative data to describe the feasibility of the product being developed. the results of the research and development of the module show that the module developed is based on tessmer's development with two main stages, namely the preliminary stage which consists of the analysis and design stages, the formative evolution stage which consists of self evaluation, prototyping, and export review. (expert test), one-to-one, small group, and field test. the validity of the learning module is seen based on the validation test, the results of the validation of media experts reach 75%, material experts 90%, and linguists 75% which can be categorized as valid. based on product testing at the field test stage, the average score of students was 83.00 which could be categorized as good, while the results of the student response questionnaire obtained a score of 96% which could be categorized as very feasible. based on the validation test, it can be concluded that the developed learning module can be used both in the student learning process independently and in the indonesian language learning process, especially in the exposition text material of class viii students in the class. keywords: development; learning modules; exposition text; project-based learning (pjbl) model https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4370 sakdiah wati, syafryadin, & eka apriani learning module development on compiling exposition and argumentation text using project-based learning 356 implementing, assessing the learning process itself, so here the student's experience is prioritized in deciding the starting point of activities. based on the 2013 curriculum for junior high school equivalent class viii, one of the learning materials in the odd semester is exposition text. in this case, students are required to be able to understand to compile an exposition text both oral and written. writing exposition text is contained in the 4th core competency, which is "processing, reasoning and presenting in the field of the concrete (using, parsing, arranging, modifying, and making) and the abstract field (writing, reading, counting, drawing, and composing) related to development of what is learned in school independently, and is able to use methods according to scientific principles.” however, the students' skills in writing exposition text were still lacking. this is because the teaching materials used are still limited. schools do provide text books for students. however, students' knowledge is only limited to the textbook. thus, students find it difficult to develop their ideas in writing text. in the exposition text written by students, it is known that the students' abilities related to language are still low. there are errors in the use of indonesian spelling, such as commas (,), periods (.), capital letters, and hyphens. apart from mistakes in the indonesian spelling rule, there are also several other mistakes. the first mistake is in the form of a writing error such as shortening words. the word is shortened to "yg" (yang=which). furthermore, the number of sentences in one paragraph does not meet the requirements of a paragraph. even though writing a paragraph requires the main sentence and several explanatory sentences. according to kosasih, engkos, and kurniawan (2018, p.96), "an exposition text is a text that puts forward some arguments accompanied by facts." an exposition text can also be interpreted as a paragraph or an essay that contains some information in which the contents are written to explain or give meaning in a short, concise, and accurate writing style. " the text structure of the exposition generally consists of 4 main parts, that is the opening, content, argumentation, and reaffirmation. in the textbooks used by students, exposition text teaching materials are still lacking, both in terms of content and appearance. the text structure has not been described very clearly. also, in exposition text learning, the emphasis is more on the skills to understand the content of the text, while writing skills are still lacking. this makes students less understanding and less able to develop ideas in writing an exposition text. the lack of attractiveness of the teaching materials provided was also a factor in the low skills of students in writing exposition texts. learning that was previously teacher-centered can be transformed into student-centered learning. the teacher in this case acts as a facilitator. according to prawoto (2012, p.104), "module is a book written with the aim that students can learn independently without or with teacher guidance." the module is an independent learning package that includes a series of learning experiences that are planned and designed systematically to help students achieve learning goals. learning with modules allows a student who has a high learning speed to have more abilities than others. thus the module must be presented appropriately, in good and interesting language, so that students can learn to understand the material well even without the help of the teacher. learning modules can also be used anytime and anywhere, making it easier for students to learn and not depending on the subject teacher. students can learn according to their respective abilities and learning speed so that the complete learning process can be carried out using the learning module. besides, lubis, syahrul, juita (2015) stated that learning modules can attract students' interest in learning with new teaching materials. thus students will be helped in the learning process either independently or with the teacher. the reason for the researcher taking the project-based learning model is to be able to make students independent to play a more active role in solving a problem or task given by the teacher with a series of activities that allow students to be more active and quickly understand the material presented and be able to conclude the learning results that have been passed. dananjaya (2017) stated that the project-based model is to carry out tasks through a series of activities. the first activity is observing by counting, measuring, weighing, classifying, looking for relationships with time and space. second, make hypotheses or predictions. third, planning the implementation of activities. fourth, interpret events in activities and analyze them. fifth, conclude by describing the results or solving existing problems. sixth, communicate it. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 357 the learning steps in project-based learning consist of: starting with the essential questions. take a topic that corresponds to real-world reality and begin with an in-depth investigation. essential questions are asked to provoke knowledge, responses, criticism, and ideas of students about the project theme to be taken. planning the project rules. planning contains the rules of the game, selecting activities that can support in answering essential questions, by integrating as many subjects as possible, and knowing tools and materials that can be accessed to help complete the project. scheduling the activities. educators and students collaboratively compile a schedule of activities in completing the project. this schedule is structured to find out how long it will take to work on the project. monitoring the progress of the student project. educators are responsible for monitoring the activities of students while completing projects. monitoring is done by facilitating students in each process. assessing student work. the assessment is carried out to help educators measure the achievement of standards, play a role in evaluating the progress of each student, provide feedback about the level of understanding that has been achieved by students, assist educators in developing subsequent learning strategies. evaluating the student experience. at the end of the learning process, educators and students reflect on the activities and results of projects that have been carried out. the reflection process is carried out both individually and in groups. at this stage, students are asked to express their feelings and experiences during the completion of the project. besides, the reason the researcher took the title of this study was to increase students' understanding and activeness in learning, so that students not only listen to the teacher's explanation, but students can form study groups to discuss learning, exchange ideas, and dare to express opinions. like writing an exposition, students are assigned to make an essay about an event that is described in detail, both natural and other events. therefore, there need to be improvements in indonesian language learning to improve student learning outcomes. efforts to improve student learning outcomes in understanding the material is the development of teaching materials in the form of learning modules using models, methods, approaches, and learning strategies. one of them is by using a project-based learning (pjbl) model. wena (2009) stated that the project-based learning model is innovative, and emphasizes contextual learning through a series of complex activities. according to bie in trianto (2014), the project-based learning model is a learning model that involves students in problem-solving activities and provides opportunities for students to work autonomously in constructing their learning activities and ultimately producing student work products with realistic values. method according to sugiyono (2015), the research method is a scientific way to obtain certain data, objectives, and uses. so, the research method is the method used by a researcher with a predetermined procedure. arikunto (2014) stated a method is a way of studying a series of hypotheses using certain techniques and tools to achieve goals. this study uses the research and development (r & d) method. research and development methods are research methods used to produce certain products and test the effectiveness of these products. the definition of development research according to borg & gall (in sugiyono, 2015, p.407) is "a process used to develop and validate educational products.” following are the material steps presented in the following flowchart form: figure 1. flowchart of zulkardi's modification tessmer (2002) for the research development stage (in hendri, 2010, p.31) sakdiah wati, syafryadin, & eka apriani learning module development on compiling exposition and argumentation text using project-based learning 358 based on the diagram above, this research goes through the following stages: preliminary stage at this stage, it is divided into two stages. analysis. at this stage, the analysis of activities carried out is to analyze students, curricula, and textbooks. then contact the teacher at the school and interview the teacher concerned and prepare scheduling and cooperation procedures with the classroom teacher used. design. at this stage the researcher designed a learning module with a project-based learning model, the material was compiling the exposition text. formative evalution stage the stages, among others: self evaluation. at this stage, self-assessment is carried out on the design of the learning module with the project-based learning model, the results are referred to as prototype 1. prototyping. at the prototyping stage, prototype 1 went through several stages to produce a final product that was valid, practical, and had potential effects. export review. products that have been designed, assessed, and evaluated by experts. these experts review the content, concepts, and language of each prototype. the meeting time with the experts is consulted with the experts. as proof of validation, a scribbled document/prototype is attached, as well as the expert's comments. experts' suggestions are used to revise the tools being developed, to be tested. one-to-one. the researcher tested the designs that had been developed on 1-3 students who became testers. the results of this implementation are used to revise the designs that have been made. small-group. the revised results from the difficulties experienced in the first prototype trial were used as the basis for revising the prototype and called the second prototype. then the results were tested on the small group. at this stage, the second prototype was tested on 5-8 students. students are asked to provide comments on the developed module. the results of this implementation are used to revise before being tested at the field test stage. field test. suggestions and the results of testing the second prototype were used as the basis for revising the design of the third prototype. the revised results were then tried out on the research subject in this case as a field test. at this stage, the final test will be carried out and the calculation of the scores obtained by each student to see the potential effects of the modules that have been developed. data collection technique in this study, the data collection techniques used were documentation, walkthroughs, and learning outcomes tests. documentation. documentation is a record of past events, documentation can take the form of writings, pictures, or monumental works of a person. this documentation data is in the form of photos in the learning process from expert review, one-to-one, and small groups. walkthrough. the design of teaching materials that have been made is given to the experts then the experts comment on the content, construction, and language of the teaching materials that have been made. the comments are used as a guide in the revision of the next student activity sheet. learning outcomes test. the test is used to obtain the potential effect of the module created, and to measure the level of understanding of the indonesian language of students after learning using a module with the project-based learning model. this test is given in the form of multiplechoice questions and essays which refer to indicators on the teaching materials contained in student activity modules. data analysis technique in this study, the data analysis techniques used were documentation analysis, walkthrough analysis, and analysis of test result. documentation analysis. analysis of the results of the documentation in the one-to-one and small group stages was used to analyze the practicality of these student activity sheets. the researcher analyzed at each meeting by looking at the students' answers from the questions given, correcting each answer, and seeing where the student's difficulties were. analysis of this document is used to revise the teaching materials in the form of modules and to see the location of the students' difficulties in answering those contained in teaching materials in the form of student learning modules. walkthrough analysis. based on the results of the walkthrough that was carried out at the expert review stage, the expert provided input on the student learning module used, and the researcher conducted an analysis based on descriptive notes and suggestions from experts. this will be the basis for validating the product being made. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 359 besides, the researcher also provided validation questionnaires to experts to determine the validity category of the products that have been developed. to determine the percentage of validity from the results of the validation questionnaire, the following formula can be used: source: arikunto (2014, p.313) information: p = percentage of validity = the total score of the assessment answers = the total number of the highest answer scores the validation criteria used in the validity of the study are presented in the following table: table 1. validation criteria no achievement level qualification explanation 1 81-100% very good very feasible, no need to revise 2 61-80% good feasible, no need to revise 3 41-60% good enough less feasible, need to be revised 4 21-40% not good not feasible, need to be revised 5 <20% not very good not very feasible, needs to be revised source: arikunto (2014, p.35) analysis of test result. analysis of the test results at the field test stage was used to see the potential effects of the student learning module with the project-based learning model. the student learning module that has been completed is then analyzed based on the predetermined scores on completing the learning module that the researcher has compiled and then observed in the following table. table 2. learning outcomes assessment category student scores category 85 – 100 very good 75 – 84 good 56 – 74 enough 40 – 55 deficient 0 – 39 very deficient source: arikunto (2012, p.281) findings and discussion findings this study are using research and development (r&d) model with developing learning module in the form of project based learning (pjbl). there are two steps in this developing process. the first step is preliminary that consist of: analyzing and designing. the second steps is formative evolution that consist of: self evolution, prototyping, export review, one-to-one, small group and field test. preliminary step analysis students analysis. this research was conducted at smp negeri 01 pemulutan barat. subject of the research wass students from viii a class. the total number of the subject was 20 students (10 male dan 10 female). curriculum analysis. based on observation result, smp negeri 01 pemulutan barat has been using kurikulum 2013 in their teaching-learning process. in this research, the researcher was focus on exposition text arrangement as a part of bahasa indonesia subject in k-13 curriculum. book and module analysis. based on observation and interview result, students from viii grade at smp negeri 01 pemulutan barat have never usedlearning module a project based learning model. teacher interview analysis. interview conducted with the bahasa indonesia teacher was conducted at smp negeri 01 pemulutan barat, her name was eva tamala, s.pd. based on interview result, the researcher found some points, the limited number of modules that are provided so that students find it difficult to learn independently by using it, and most students find some difficulties to understand the material and answer of the evaluation questions that contained in the module for the reason that the explanation of the material is too short and monotonous. sakdiah wati, syafryadin, & eka apriani learning module development on compiling exposition and argumentation text using project-based learning 360 design tabel 3. initial design of project based learning module no explanation picture 1 front cover 2 table of content 3 initial display of each chapter 4 back cover formative evaluation self evaluation self evaluation are conducted to comprehend whether the learning module are appropriate with basic competence (kd), competence achievement indicator (ipk), project based learning characteristics and the principle of ejaan bahasa indonesia (ebi) or not. from the researcher’s assessment, the result of this module was appropriate. the result of this step were named prototype 1. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 361 expert review table 4. expert suggestion on module (walkthrough) experts suggestions muslimin, s.pd., m.pd 1. adjust the cover to the context of the pjbl in everyday life 2. give the answer key in every practice question 3. page variations, header and footer are adjusted to the characteristics of the pjbl model. 4. for each group activity question, give an interesting picture and in accordance with the pjba context. eva tamala, s.pd 1. in every discussion of the material give an example so that it is easy to understand. 2. distinguish the questions that are done in groups with those that are done individually. 3. give each chapter a mind mapping dr. sakdiah wati, m.pd 1. use language that is easy for students to understand 2. modify the sub-material 3. add index and glossary 4. the domain of the source is clarified 5. use communicative language so that students understand more quickly product revision picture 1. design revision result sakdiah wati, syafryadin, & eka apriani learning module development on compiling exposition and argumentation text using project-based learning 362 product validity 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% media expert material expert linguistics expert validity percentage validity percentage figure 2. comparison of validity result by media expert, material expert, and linguistics expert one-to-one test tabel 5. students’ suggestion on one-to-one test name suggestions explanation tatia syalsyabila 1. make the material clear and give any example so that easy to understand. 2. give any advice and guidance for every test with new variation. have revised small group test tabel 6. students comments in small group step no name comments explanation 1 student 1 there are many interesting picture 2 student 2 so many practice that make me understand about material 3 student 3 this module is easy to understand 4 student 4 display of this module is interesting 5 student 5 there are some question that hard to understand have revised 6 student 1 the materials are easy to understand field test tabel 7. rekapitulation of viii grade students’ questionnaire responses no name assessment indicators score percentage category 1 2 3 1 student 1 22 22 12 56 93% strongly appropriate 2 student 2 24 22 12 58 96% strongly appropriate 3 student 3 24 22 12 58 96% strongly appropriate 4 student 4 24 21 12 57 93% strongly appropriate 5 student 5 23 22 12 57 93% strongly appropriate 6 student 6 23 22 12 57 93% strongly appropriate 7 student 7 23 22 12 57 93% strongly appropriate 8 student 8 24 22 12 58 96% strongly appropriate 9 student 9 24 23 12 59 98% strongly appropriate 10 student 10 24 23 12 59 98% strongly appropriate 11 student 11 23 24 12 59 98% strongly appropriate english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 363 12 student 12 24 22 12 58 96% strongly appropriate 13 student 13 24 22 12 58 96% strongly appropriate 14 student 14 24 23 12 59 98% strongly appropriate 15 student 15 24 23 12 59 98% strongly appropriate 16 student 16 24 22 12 58 96% strongly appropriate 17 student 17 24 24 12 60 100% strongly appropriate 18 student 18 23 23 12 58 96% strongly appropriate 19 student 19 23 23 12 58 96% strongly appropriate 20 student 20 24 23 12 59 98% strongly appropriate total 1162 96% strongly appropriate discussion the learning product developed by the researcher in this study is the student learning module. however, the material discussed as a whole in this module is only limited to exposition text material that is adjusted to basic competencies, competency achievement indicators, and in accordance with the characteristics of the projectbased learning model. the research method used by researchers is the development method according to tessmer which consists of two major stages, that is preliminary (preparation) and formative evolution (evaluation format). at the preliminary stage, the researcher collected data and information about the curriculum and modules used. at the initial information collection stage, the researcher analyzed students by observing the class. after that, the researcher made observations about the curriculum used, the learning modules, and the learning tools used in the learning process. the results of the student analysis stage obtained information about the students' ability to understand the exposition text. before using the exposition text module students tended to have difficulty understanding the material and were less active in learning activities due to the lack of examples in the previous module. however, after using the exposition text module that has been developed, the students become more active and understand the material in the learning. this result in line with insyasiska, zubaidah, & susilo (2015) who said that project based learning design can increase students’ motivation, creativity and critical thinking. this can be seen from the test results of students who get an average score of 83.00 and can be categorized as good and in accordance with the learning objectives. after analyzing the students, the researcher analyzed the curriculum used. the results obtained at this stage are that the researcher knows the basic competence and competency achievement indicators which will be used as a reference in preparing the module material to be developed. students understand it easier because the material in the developed module is arranged systematically according to the basic competencies of the exposition text material. furthermore, the researcher also analyzed the textbooks and modules used by conducting interviews with indonesian teachers regarding problems related to the learning module and constraints in the learning process. the results of the interview regarding the learning module were obtained information about the students' lack of understanding of the material caused by a lack of explanation of each material contained in the module so that there is a need for innovation so that learning runs more effectively and efficiently. modules that have been developed contain material that is clearer and more complete than the previous modules. besides, the existence of activity and exercise questions accompanied by examples also makes it easier for students to understand more about the exposition text material. based on the results of the textbook analysis and interviews that have been conducted, the researcher makes the initial design and design of the learning module. the arrangement of the learning module is oriented towards the characteristics of the project-based learning model. project based learning is an approach that accentuates learning in the form of long-term activities that are interdisciplinary, studentcentered and assimilated with real-world issues and practices (solomon, 2008). in this module, there are several practice activities and answer sheets for students to solve problems/questions. the concept of the questions contained in the module is adjusted to the characteristics of the pjbl model to make it easier for students to understand the material being taught. also, the concept and customized design will motivate students to be more active in learning. the next stage is the formative evolution stage, this stage consists of several stages, that is self evaluation, expert review, small group, sakdiah wati, syafryadin, & eka apriani learning module development on compiling exposition and argumentation text using project-based learning 364 and field test. at the self evaluation stage, the results are obtained in the form of an initial design of the learning module being developed. the initial design at this stage is called prototype 1 which will be used in the expert validation test stage (expert review). in the expert review stage, prototype 1 that has been made is then given to experts consisting of media experts, material experts, and linguists and is assessed based on the aspects contained in the validation questionnaire. the result of the score obtained becomes a reference for determining the validity category of the module being developed. the score obtained from the media expert validation test was 111 (75%), the material expert's assessment obtained a score of 145 (90%), and the linguist's assessment was 21 (75%). based on the scores of the three validators, if accumulated, the overall score obtained from the expert validation test results is 277 (88%) and is included in the very good category. the results of the expert's assessment (expert review) become the basis for revising prototype 1. the results of the revised prototype 1 are called prototype ii. after the module made was valid according to the experts, the researcher then conducted the first try out on students in small groups. based on the small group trial, the results obtained were in the form of student opinions about the modules used. some students said that there were practice questions that were difficult to understand and solve. this is a reference for researchers to improve the module so that it can make it easier for students to learn. the revised results from this stage are called prototype iii, which will be the final prototype at the field test stage. field testing is the final stage of this research. this stage was carried out in two meetings with a total of 20 students at smp negeri 01 pemulutan barat. at this stage, the researcher distributes questionnaires and questions to students and explains the usefulness of the learning modules that have been distributed. the first meeting was held on thursday, july 16, 2020. at the first meeting, the researcher conducted learning activities using a learning module with the project-based learning model and gave students an explanation of the exposition text material contained in the module. furthermore, the second meeting was held on saturday, july 18, 2020, the researcher explained the exposition text material then the researcher gave the students questions related to the exposition text material. after students finish the given questions, the researcher gives a questionnaire in the form of an assessment sheet. students are asked to provide an assessment of the learning module with the project-based learning model on the student response questionnaire sheet that has been provided. during the final ability test, most students made mistakes in answering test question number 4. in these questions, students were asked to name the elements that need to be considered in editing the exposition text. however, students consider that the elements that need to be considered in editing the exposition text are the same as the language elements of the exposition text. this is a reference for the researcher to make several revisions to the questions contained in the learning module to make it easier for students to understand. the results of the revision of the field test stage are the final results of the learning module being developed. the results of the field test stage are the final prototype form in the form of a learning module with a valid and practical project-based learning model. this can be seen from the results of the student response questionnaire analysis during the field test. the learning module with the projectbased learning model got a total score of 1,162 from the total maximum score of 1,200. the total score is presented to be 96% and it can be categorized that the learning module with the project-based learning model developed is very good and practical.. in the indonesian language learning process using the exposition text learning module with the project-based learning model, the researcher provided the module sheet that has been developed to students and then explained the material contained in the module briefly and clearly. when the researcher explained the material, the student's response looked good and enthusiastic in learning activities. in addition to explaining the material, researchers also provide opportunities for students to ask questions and express their opinions. at the first meeting, several students asked about the material in the learning module. most of the students asked about how to determine the sentences included in the thesis, a series of arguments, and reaffirmation in an exposition text. then the researcher gave an example and allowed the student to try to analyze one of the examples of the exposition text contained in the module. after students understood the material that has been described, the researcher divided the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 365 students into 4 groups of 5 people each and asked students to analyze one example of the exposition text contained in the learning module. each group discussed determining the parts included in the exposition text. these activities help students to think critically and exchange opinions with their friends, then find solutions and work together to solve problems through several processes such as the discussion process and then re-examine the problems that have been resolved before being collected and assessed by the educator. this is in accordance with the characteristics of the projectbased learning model delivered by ravitz, hixson, english, and megendoller (2012) who confirmed that pjbl can improve several skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication skills, collaboration skills, and creativity. the effect of the learning module with the pjbl model on student learning outcomes can be seen from the final test in the field test trial. learning module with a valid pjbl model was then tested on research subjects, that is students of class viii a smp negeri 1 west pemulutan. at each meeting, students complete the questions contained in the learning module and at the third meeting, students are given final ability test questions to measure how much effect the learning module has. the potential effect of the learning module with the project-based learning model is reflected in the students' final scores during the final ability test in the field trial stage. a total of 12 students obtained results that could be categorized as very good with an average value obtained of 85, and 8 students obtained results that could be categorized as good with an average value of 80. the results of the final ability test scores of these students also showed that the average final score of students is 83.00 which means that student learning outcomes are categorized as good. it means that pjbl is effective in enlarging knowledge, especially in science and social discipline as well as language learning (quint and condliffe, 2018). based on the analysis of the learning module with the project-based learning model products that have been developed have a potential effect on student learning outcomes. conclusion based on the results of research and discussion, the following conclusions were obtained: based on the development process, it is also found that the developed module has the characteristics of self contained (complete) because it contains learning material that is completely discussed in the module. also, the potential effects resulting from module development also affect student learning outcomes. this is illustrated by the results of the students' final ability test on the exposition text material individually. it can be seen that of the 20 students there are 12 students (60%) including the very good category and 8 students (40%) including the good category. overall the average ability of students who are research subjects is 83.00. based on the student learning outcomes criteria, the test results obtained by students were in the good category. learning modules developed in this study are categorized as valid. this is illustrated by the results of the validator's assessment, where all validators state both based on content (material according to basic competencies and indicators), construction (according to the characteristics of the project-based learning method), and language (according to indonesian spelling rules). the practicality of the module can be seen from the results of observations in the small group trial where students can solve the questions given. the modules that are made can be used properly, are easy to read, and are understood by students. references apriani, e. (2016). a new literacy: the role of technology to develop student’s character. ta’dib: journal of islamic education (jurnal pendidikan islam), 21(1), 59-72. apriani, e. (2017). the misuse of ict by students: the effects of phornography and the teacher solutions. tadrib, 1(2), 185-203. retrieved from http://jurnal.radenfatah.ac.id/index.php/tadrib/a rticle/view/1046. apriani, e., supardan, d., sartika, e., suparjo, s., & hakim, i. n. (2019). utilizing ict to develop student’s language ethic at islamic university. potensia: jurnal kependidikan islam, 5(1), 114. arikunto, s. (2014). prosedur penelitian suatu pendekatan praktik. jakarta: rineka cipta. solomon, b. g. (2008). project based learning: a primer. technol. learn. 23(6), 3. dananjaya, u. (2017). media pembelajaran aktif. bandung: nuansa. hendri, e. (2010). guru berkualitas: profesional dan cerdas emosi. jurnal sang guru. http://file.upi.edu/. accessed on january 2nd, 2020 http://file.upi.edu/ sakdiah wati, syafryadin, & eka apriani learning module development on compiling exposition and argumentation text using project-based learning 366 insyasiska, d., zubaidah, s., & susilo, h. (2015). pengaruh project based learning terhadap motivasi belajar, kreatifitas, kemampuan berpikir kritis, dan kemamppuan kognitif siswa pada pembelajaran biologi. jurnal pendidikan biologi, 7(1), 9–21. quint, j. and condliffe, b. (2018). project-based learning: a promising approach to improfing student outcomes. mdrc build. knowledge to improv. socal policy, no. january, pp. 1–2, 2018. kosasih., engkos., & kurniawan. (2018). jenis-jenis teks. bandung: yrama widya lubis, m.s., syahrul., & juita, n. (2015). pengembangan modul pembelajaran bahasa indonesia berbantuan peta pikiran pada materi menulis makalah siswa kelas xi sma/ma. jurnal bahasa, sastra, dan pembelajaran universitas negeri padang. accessed on january 2nd, 2020. ravitz, j., hixson, n., english, m., and megendoller, j. (2012). using project based learning to teach 21 st century skills: findings from a statewide initiative jason ravitz buck institute for education. paper presented at annual meetings of the american education research assosiation, 2012. prawoto, a. (2012). panduan kreatif membuat bahan ajar inovatif. yogyakarta: diva press. rusman. (2016). model-model pembelajaran, mengembangkan profesionalisme guru. jakarta: pt rajagrafindo persada. sugiyono. (2015). metode penelitian pendidikan pendekatan kuantitatif, kualitatif, r dan d. bandung: alfabeta. trianto. (2014). model pembelajaran terpadu teori dan praktek. jakarta: prestasi pustaka publisher wena, s. (2009). perencanaan dan desain sistem pembelajaran. jakarta: kencana english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 587 students’ beliefs about social media in efl classroom: a review of literature anita dewi ekawati english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah prof. dr. hamka email: anita.dewieka@uhamka.ac.id apa citation: ekawati, a. d. (2022). students’ beliefs about social media in efl classroom: a review of literature. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 587-592. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6261. received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction the popularity of social media cannot undoubtedly. people use social media platforms for entertainment. since the pandemic era, people have relied more on social media to express feelings, get information, communicate with each other and even use social media as a tools for the teaching and learning process. this has an impact on increasing social media users as illustrated in the following table (cinelli, quattrociocchi, galeazzi, valensise, brugnoli, schmidt, zola, zollo, & scala, 2020): table 1. social media users according to cinelli et al. (2020) posts comments users period gab 6,252 4,364 2,629 01/0114/02 reddit 10,084 300,751 89,456 01/0114/02 youtube 111,709 7,051,595 3,199,525 01/0114/02 instagram 26,576 109,011 52,339 01/0114/02 twitter 1,187,482 390,866 27/0114/02 total 1,342,103 7,465,721 3,734,815 the data above depict the traffic on social media usage during the pandemic is quite high. the use of social media can have a good impact on increasing literacy skills, especially digital literacy. digital literacy can be translated into a third space in teaching (mcdougall, readman, & wilkinson, 2018). social media as part of digital applications makes it easier for people to communicate with each other even though they are in different places. easy access to social media allows everyone to talk freely even if they just know each other. on social media applications such as facebook, instagram, whatsapp, telegram, twitter, youtube, etc., everyone can upload photos and write captions and give each other comments. they can also upload live videos and video blogs (vlogs). by using social media, people can hone their language skills such as speaking, writing, listening, reading, and language components such as vocabulary, grammar, etc. in the teaching and learning process in the pandemic era, social media can be used as an interesting learning media. this can attract students' attention to learning activities that they are not aware of. students and some teachers as generation z have characters that support digital learning through social media. generation z are people born after 1995-2010 (mohr & mohr, 2017) who tend to be digital natives (ayuni, 2019). so for generation z, both students and teachers, there abstract: this article reviews research on student beliefs about the use of social media in english as a foreign language (efl) classrooms. this study involves a discussion of how social media impacts students' language learning from previous studies. this study uses a systematic literature review (slr) in reviewing articles. in determining the article, it is carried out in three stages, namely peer-reviewed articles, re-examined articles, and analyzing the selected articles. the literature review summarizes research on student beliefs from 2017 to 2021. a total of seven articles are referenced in this study. the conclusion drawn from the seven literatures is that students' beliefs about the use of social media in efl classrooms are positively affected. social media helps students to improve their english skills. the use of social media can be a reference for teach media that efl teachers can present in learning activities to attract students' attention and achieve goals in language learning. keywords: student; beliefs; social media; ef; classroom anita dewi ekawati students’ beliefs about social media in efl classroom: a review of literature 588 are very few obstacles in using digital media and using social media applications. they can operate both. some teachers have implemented the application by using social media even before the covid-19 outbreak. in addition, several studies have also suggested the effectiveness of social media in learning itself. some studies described about the advantages of using social media for students learning process. soviyah & etikaningsih (2018) in their articles concluded there is a significant difference in students writing score. students taught using instagram had a good score than those who aren't. azlan, zakaria, & yunus (2019) in their article believes instagram encourages and improvements pupils interest to practice english speaking and at the same time increase their speaking skills. they were concluded after they gave observation and semi structured interview for student year 6. gonulal (2019) in his study claims that the effectiveness of social networking platforms and mobile-assisted language learning (mall) applications in a mobile language learning tool is highly recommended. moreover, ahmed (2020) claimed social media let students to free communication with native-speakers. students had a good impact to elaborate the language. the effectiveness of the use of social media in teaching can also be seen from various points of view, namely the teacher as a teacher and students as learners. in this study reviews the effectiveness of students as users of social media in learning. this study uses a literature review of research that has been done previously. the questions that will be answered in this research are: how are the current researches of students’ beliefs about social media in efl classroom? the sequences of this review involves the methods in selecting the studies to improve the review and current the findings of the review. in section three discusses the results and discussion of the review. lastly, the conclusion of the review findings in the fourth section. method this research entitled students’ beliefs about social media in efl classroom: a review of literature. this study uses a systematic literature review method (slr). systematic literature review (slr) demands thorough and accurate understanding beyond traditional literature in answering questions or discussing topics of interest (xiao & watson, 2019). moreover, xia et al. in tan, le, & xuan, 2020 explained the sequences of slr as follow: first, search databases using keywords taken from abstract titles, search databases on wos, scopus, google scholar, and others, search for publications based on article research and time span: before doing research. second, re-check the articles obtained by eliminating duplicate documents, and eliminating unrelated articles. third, analyze the content of research articles through coding and synthesizing. in analyzing the text, the typology used is a narrative review method. the data obtained were extracted in an informal way (nonstandardized or systematic) and the data were synthesized by juxtaposing narrative evidence (xiao & watson, 2019). therefore, in this article the data is taken using three steps. first, the peer-reviewed article is collected from the online database of “scopus” and “google scholar” using publish or perish. specified key words were chosen; “students perspective using social media”, “students’ perception using social media”, “social media for writing”. furthermore, the criteria of article were 100 articles published from 2017 until 2021. second, re-examined unrelated articles. third, the articles were analyzed. observation is continued by processing data using vosviewer. the result of vosviewer as follow: figure 1. the results of vosviewer from the figure 1 above, it can be concluded that “student”, “perspective”, and “social media” are rarely discussed topic in research. hence, in this articles those topics interest to explain. results and discussion a total 7 articles chosen to described about social media in efl classroom. the articles illustrated in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 589 table 2. it is divided into five columns consist of the author, the year of the publication, instruments, the number of participants, and the study result. table 2. articles about social media in efl classroom author year instrument participants the study result ayuni akhiar, alamin mydin & shaidatul akma adi kasuma 2017 questionnaire 101 students have very positive responses and wider views on using instagram to improve their writing skills. ismail xodabande 2017 classroom observation 30 social media had a great deal to helped writing class. geminastiti sakkir, a. eritme yustika abrar 2018 questionnaire 20 facebook group could attracting students in learning to write. renata kenanga rinda, adriadi novawan, alfi hidayatu miqawati 2018 questionnaire 70 instagram could control students to correct grammar, ideas to construct writing, spelling correction, and motivated to compose a better essay ari hilman 2019 pre test, post test, questionnaire 48 instagram had positive impact for students in writing activity. rahmah fithriani, utami dewi, sholihatul hamidah daulay, maryati salmiah, and widia fransiska 2019 questionnaire , interview, and observation of students’ 52 using facebook depict significant for students confidence, encouraging students participation in class discussion, and gaining students proficiency in the writing skill. nikenda putri, dyah aminatun 2021 questionnaire 20 students provide their positive response of using facebook to drill their writing skill. first, article entitled “students’ perceptions and attitudes towards the use of instagram in english language writing” written by akhiar, mydin, akma, & kasuma (2017) which published in malaysian journal of learning and instruction: special issues. in their research, 101 participants, consists of 70 percent female and 30 percent male, answered questionnaire with 20 closed-ended items, and five open-ended questions about using instagram for english language learning process. the close-ended questionnaire analyzed using quantitative to found mean scores and the openended questionnaire analyzed using mixed method (quantitative to found up mean scores and qualitative for content analysis). second, article entitled “the effectiveness of social media network telegram in teaching english language pronunciation to iranian efl learners” written by xodabande (2017) which published in cogent education. 30 efl learners from iran as the participants in this research. those students divided into experimental and control class. 14 students in experimental class and 16 in control class. they taught using different treatments over four weeks. they filled pre-test and post-test. then the test analyzed using spss and anova. third, article entitled “students’ perception of the implementation facebook group in learning writing skill” written by sakkir & abrar (2018) which published in the 65th teflin international conference. the participant were 20 students of second semester english education department in 2016/2017 academic year. the data taken from the questionnaire about the students’ perception and implementation in writing of facebook group. the scored were examined by using likert scale. fourth, article entitled “students’ perspectives on social media-based learning of writing through instagram” written by rinda, novawan, & miqawati (2018) which published in journal of english in academic and professional communication (jeapco,). the data collected using close ended questionnaire and focus group discussion. after that, the data were analyzed using qualitative method. anita dewi ekawati students’ beliefs about social media in efl classroom: a review of literature 590 fifth, article entitled “the effectiveness of using instagram in developing students’ descriptive text writing” written by hilman (2019) which published in journal of applied linguistics and literacy (jall). the participants were 48 students of tenth grade. they were divided into 24 students in control and 24 students in experiment class. their aged between 16-17 years old. the pre-test and post-test examined using quantitatively and the questionnaire counted using qualitatively. sixth, article entitled “using facebook in efl writing class: its effectiveness from students’ perspective” written by fithriani, dewi, daulay, salmiah, & widia (2019) which published in the second annual international conference on language and literature. the participants were 53 students, 40 female and 13 male. the data were composed using three instruments; close-ended and open-ended questionnaire, semi-structured openended in-depth interview; and observation. the data used mix method, qualitative and quantitative method. seventh, article entitled “using facebook to practice writing skill: what do the students think?” written by putri & aminatun (2021) which published in journal of english language teaching and learning (jeltl). the participants were 20 english students. the instruments were questionnaire adopted likert-type scale, and interviewed. from the five articles it can be concluded that social media attracts students to learn and explore their ideas. social media can be a media for traditional learning methods through drilling and discussion. through social media, students have more confidence in learning. this is good news for educators, learning can be done with social media. in addition to attracting students according to the data obtained from previous research, social media can also reduce students' feelings of depression while studying. conclusion advances in technology have brought smartphones that make it easier for everyone to access the internet. various applications are offered for various purposes. this application can be used by various groups such as applications to watch videos on youtube and youtube kids, social media applications such as facebook, instagram, whatsapp, and so on. however, the use of this technology has not been maximized in learning. most of the students spend much of their time accessing social networks and others, some students use the internet for dictionaries and games, and only a few students use the internet for educational purposes (lekawael, 2017). as time goes by, learning by using applications is getting more interesting and easier for both teachers and students. several studies reveal that the use of social media can be maximized in helping students learn. learning using social media also has a positive impact, namely fun learning without feeling pressured and not limited by space and time. students can also cultivate their creativity. the research was conducted using a systematic literature review (slr). the purpose of the slr is to assess a systematic literature review (secondary study) by conducting research as a tertiary literature review (kitchenham et al., 2009). a total of seven journal articles related to the research title "students' beliefs about social media in efl classroom: a review of literature" were analyzed. the conclusion that can be drawn from the seven articles is that students' beliefs about the use of social media in efl classes have a positive impact. social media is considered to be able to help students to improve their ability in learning english. thus, the use of social media can be a reference for teaching media that can be used by efl teachers in learning activities that serve to attract students' attention and achieve goals in language learning. from the results of the literature review in this study, it is hoped that it can provide a gap so that it can facilitate further research. references ahmed, b. e. s. (2020). social media in teaching of languages. ijet, 15(12), 72–80. akhiar, a., mydin, a.-a., akma, s., & kasuma, a. (2017). students’ perceptions and attitudes towards the use of instagram in english language writing. malaysian journal of learning and instruction (mjli, (special issue on “graduate students research on education”), 47–72. ayuni, r. f. (2019). the online shopping habits and eloyalty of gen z as natives in the digital era. journal of indonesian economy and business, 34(2), 168-184. azlan, n. a. b., zakaria, s. b., & yunus, m. m. (2019). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 591 integrative task-based learning : developing speaking skill and increase motivation via instagram. ijarbss, 9(1), 620–636. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v9-i1/5463 cinelli, m., quattrociocchi, w., galeazzi, a., valensise, c. m., brugnoli, e., schmidt, a. l., zola, p., zollo, f., & scala, a. (2020). the covid ‑ 19 social media infodemic. scientific reports, 10(16598), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-73510-5 fithriani, r., dewi, u., daulay, s. h., salmiah, m., & widia, f. (2019). using facebook in efl writing class: its effectiveness from students’ perspective. aicll 2019 the second annual international conference on language and literature conference, 2019, 634–645. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v3i19.4892 gonulal, t. (2019). the use of instagram as a mobileassisted language learning tool. contemporary educational technology, 10(3), 309–323. hilman, a. (2019). the effectiveness of using instagram in developing students’ descriptive text writing. jall (journal of applied linguistics and literacy), 3(1), 31–44. kitchenham, b., o. pearl, b., budgen, d., turner, m., bailey, j., & linkman, s. (2009). systematic literature reviews in software engineering a systematic literature review. information and software technology, 51(1), 7–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2008.09.009 lekawael, r. f. j. (2017). the impact of smartphone and internet usage on english language learning. english review: journal of english education, 5(2), 255–262. mcdougall, j., readman, m., wilkinson, p. (2018). the uses of (digital) literacy. learning, media and technology, 43(3), 263-279. mohr, k. a. j., & mohr, e. s. (2017). understanding geneation z students to promote a contemporary learning environment. journal on empowering teaching excellence, 1(1), 84-94. putri, n., & aminatun, d. (2021). using facebook to practice writing skill: what do the students think ? journal of english language teaching and learning (jeltl), 2(1), 45–50. rinda, r. k., novawan, a., & miqawati, a. h. (2018). students ’ perspectives on social media-based learning of writing through instagram. journal of english in academic and professional communication (jeapco), 5(1), 23–33. sakkir, g., & abrar, a. e. y. (2018). students’ perception of the implementation facebook group in learning writing skill. proceeding the 65th teflin international conference (pp. 30– 34). soviyah, s., & etikaningsih, d. r. (2018). instagram use to enhance ability in writing. indonesian efl journal, 4(2), 32–38. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v4i2.1373.receive d tan, l. p., le, a. n. h., & xuan, l. p. (2020). a systematic literature review on social entrepreneurial intention. journal of social entrepreneurship, 11(3), 241–256. https://doi.org/10.1080/19420676.2019.1640770 xiao, y., & watson, m. (2019). guidance on conducting a systematic literature review. journal of planning education and research, 39(1), 93– 112. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456x17723971 xodabande, i. (2017). the effectiveness of social media network telegram in teaching english language pronunciation to iranian efl learners the effectiveness of social media network telegram in teaching english language pronunciation to iranian efl learners. cogent education, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2017.134708 1 anita dewi ekawati students’ beliefs about social media in efl classroom: a review of literature 592 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 15 teacher assessment literacy: indonesian efl secondary teachers' self-perceived on classroom-based assessment practice dewi aria department of english education, faculty of language and literature education, indonesia university of education, bandung, indonesia email: dewiariadi@upi.edu didi sukyadi department of english education, faculty of language and literature education, indonesia university of education, bandung, indonesia email: dsukyadi@upi.edu eri kurniawan department of english education, faculty of language and literature education, indonesia university of education, bandung, indonesia email: eri_kurniawan@upi.edu apa citation: aria, d., sukyadi, d., & kurniawan, e. (2021). teacher assessment literacy: indonesian efl secondary teachers’ self-perceived on classroom-based assessment practice. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 15-26. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5349 received: 15-08-2021 accepted: 05-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction an assessment is a crucial activity in the teaching and learning process (cheng & fox, 2017 in xu, 2018; ashraf & zolfaghari, 2018) besides it has been widely acknowledged as the essential element of a teachers' job (khadijeh & amir, 2015; luthfiyyah, basyari, & dwiniasih, 2020; vogt, tsagari, & spanoudis, 2020). furthermore, this is increasingly being recognized as an integral part of teacher professionalism (giraldo, 2018; tian, louw, & khan, 2021). this is due to teachers spend their professional time performing classroom assessment activities (deluca, lapointe-mcewan, & luhanga, 2015); up to 50 percent of their time (howell, 2013) to monitor their students' achievement towards learning outcomes (giraldo & abstract: assessing students' performance is an essential part of a teacher's job. hence, they are believed to be familiar with various kinds of assessments, especially classroom-based assessments (henceforth cba). language teaching and assessment are two interrelated that affect each other to a great extent. undoubtedly, language assessment becomes a more complicated activity in the field of language teaching. the major objective of this study was to describe how efl secondary teachers’ self-perceived on the basic principles of assessment and their own practice in cba. this study was conducted in the form of a descriptive survey research. shim's (2009) survey instrument was adapted to collect data and gathered using an online survey. 48 respondents willingly fulfilled the online survey containing 80 statements concerning classroom assessment procedures. the data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics. the findings of the current study revealed that teachers seemed to practice assessment for learning (henceforth afl), in which most teachers conducted assessments to support students’ learning and used the results as feedback to improve and revise their teaching. the teachers in this study appeared to be literate and excellent in understanding the concept and using it in practice. however, a question remains as to whether their classroom practice was excellent. since most studies have largely reported results on teacher's assessment literacy (henceforth tal), future programs and research should be directed toward classroom-based research on how the cbal can improve students' learning and improve the quality of teacher instructions. the implications of the result are expected to provide a clear understanding and theoretical foundations of cbal. keywords: assessment literacy; classroom-based assessment practice; efl secondary teachers. dewi aria, didi sukyadi, & eri kurniawan teacher assessment literacy: indonesian efl secondary teachers’ self-perceived on classroom-based assessment practice 16 murcia, 2018) and influence their quality of instruction towards the quality of the assessments used (rad, 2019; rusli, 2017). to this end, teachers must have an adequate assessment literacy level to properly assess students' learning outcomes (deluca et al., 2015; koh, burke, luke, gong, & tan, 2017; luthfiyyah et al., 2020; popham, 2011; zulaiha, mulyono, & ambarsari, 2020). studies concerning assessment literacy (henceforth al) have been appearing in education literature since 1990s (stiggins, 1991). since then, many scholars have proposed the meaning of al. one of them defined al as the ability of teachers to properly design, select, interpret, and use the assessment results for educational decisions (quilter & gallini, 2000). a literate teacher can incorporate assessment with teaching (pastore & andrade, 2019); hence they are able to draw accurately and efficiently students' achievement as well as to communicate the assessment results to the relevant stakeholders (scarino, 2013). therefore, it seems that al reinforces teachers' assessment practices substantially influence the students' learning quality (coombs, deluca, lapointe-mcewan, & chalas, 2018). though al is perceived as a central core in language teaching, some researchers (al-bhalani, 2019; muhammad & bardakçi, 2019; yamtim & wongwanich, 2014) found that teachers' assessment skills are generally weak. similarly, stiggins (2001) states that he noticed unacceptably low levels of al among teachers and administrators in schools. he also saw that assessment illiterate resulted in inaccurate assessment for students and would prevent them from reaching their full academic potential. the results from several empirical studies also found that there was a mismatch between teachers’ knowledge and skills (jannati, 2015; lam, 2014; luthfiyyah et al., 2020; zulaiha et al., 2020) and more knowledgeable for summative assessment rather than formative assessment (deluca & klinger, 2010). lam (2019) confirmed that teachers in his study had fundamental knowledge about cba more than the theories of reliability and validity. furthermore, this study also found that despite the teacher had good knowledge of cba, the assessment practice was not more than grading activities. additionally, some other researchers even point out some teachers knew only a limited set of language testing terminologies for their practical use (vogt & tsagari, 2014). hence, those problems urged this research to explore teachers' assessment literacy, especially in terms of cba practice in different settings. although many researchers have conducted studies in the field of al, similar studies in indonesian context are still underexplored. this is due to al is still a relatively new concept in language assessment (bahtiar & purnawarman, 2020). puspawati (2019) investigated teachers’ language assessment literacy in a higher education context. the findings showed that the teachers had a sound understanding of language assessments' knowledge, skills, and principles. furthermore, prasetyo (2018) researched a student-teacher experience of teaching practice in one of the senior high schools in yogyakarta. it was found that the teacher got more experience in administrative tasks than guidance in teaching and assessment. bahtiar & purnawarman (2020) investigated language teachers’ assessment literacy, perceptions, and experiences in assessing students. the participants were teachers in junior and senior high school. thematically, the results showed that most of the teachers do not know the term of al, and they still need training to improve their assessment ability. then, a case study research by saputra, hamied, & suherdi (2020) attempted to examine trajectory teachers who enrolled in a professional learning community (plc) project. findings showed that the plc broadened teachers’ understandings of al and the use of authentic assessment in practice. the last, more recent studies by luthfiyyah et al. (2020) and zulaiha, et al. (2020). luthfiyyah et al. (2020) examined junior and senior high school teachers, while zulaiha, et al. (2020) examined only junior high school teachers. both studies investigated the alignment of teachers’ perception of cba and their classroom practices quantitatively. based on the previous studies in indonesian context, a survey study on efl secondary teachers’ assessment literacy especially in term of classroom practice seems rarely discussed from such empirical studies. therefore, this study intends to fulfill the gap focusing on surveying teachers' assessment literacy with the coverage of the study deals with teachers' self-perceived on classroom-based assessment practice in terms of the basic principles of cba proposed by shim (2009), i.e., planning, implementation, monitoring, as well as recording and dissemination. in particular, this study was aimed to address three research questions: (1) is english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 17 there any significant relationship between efl teachers' perception of the basic principles of cba and their self-perceived on their own practice, (2) how efl secondary teachers’ self-perceived the basic principles of assessment with their own practice of cba? and (3) to what extent do the teachers perceive their classroom assessment practice? the growing interest in studies of al has resulted in a wealth of research conceptualizing and providing insight into understanding it. many scholars also attempted to define the meaning of al and developed measurements in assessing teacher assessment literacy. the main concept of al and studies on it are floored below. the term assessment literacy was firstly coined by richard stiggins almost thirty years ago in terms of assessment literate person characteristics. he argued that an assessment-literate educator realizes that effective instruction, learning, and assessment are to reach high-quality education, and they act assertively to prevent unsound assessment (stiggins, 1991). however, stiggins did not provide a clear definition of assessment literacy. he then portrayed teachers who are assessment literates know what they assess, why they do so, how best to assess the achievement of their students' interests, how to generate sound samples of students' performance, what can go wrong, and how to prevent those problems before they occur (stiggins, 1995). since then, assessment literacy has become a term commonly used by scholars and researchers trying to conceptualize the meaning of assessment literacy further. for instance, davies (2008) suggested the combination of the practical (the skills) with the descriptive (the knowledge) and the theoretical (the principles) for assessment literacy. skills describe the practical know-how in assessment and construction, and knowledge to the relevant background in measurement and language description (davies, 2008; see also fulcher, 2012) and principles concern the proper use of language tests, their fairness, and impact, as well as questions of ethics and professionalism, necessitating consideration of the growing professionalism of language testing, language testers' responsibilities and the impact of their work on a variety of stakeholders, as well as the ethical choices they must make (davies, 2008). similarly, webb (2002) defined al as the knowledge for assessing what students know and can do, interpreting the results from these assessments, and applying these results to improve student learning and program effectiveness. moreover, quilter & gallini (2000) defined al as the ability of teachers to properly design, select, interpret, and use the assessment results for educational decisions. mcmillan (2001) in pastore & andrade(2019) defined teachers with a robust background in the assessment are well-positioned to integrate assessment with instruction so that they employ appropriate forms of teaching. otherwise, (koh et al., 2017) affirms that teachers’ assessment literacy refers to their demonstrated understanding of the principles behind selecting and designing tasks, judging student works, and interpreting and using assessment data to support student learning. taylor (2009) also described al as stakeholders' ability to use assessment to fulfill both learning and grading purposes. from the sociocultural lens, willis, adie, & klenowski (2013) offered the definition of al as a dynamic, context-dependent social practice that involves teachers articulating and negotiating classroom and cultural knowledge with one another and with learners in the initiation, development, and practice of assessment to achieve the learning goals of students. as the theories have been mentioned above, it can be seen that al is constructed by some aspects, including knowledge, skill, practice, and interconnecting with other aspects such as experience, sociocultural, personal beliefs, and others that can improve both learning quality and teaching instruction. the following will discuss cba. meanwhile, chappuis & stiggins (2020) describes cba as an assessment carried out in the classroom by the teachers with formative assessment use day-to-day to gain its primary focus on the ongoing improvement of learning for all students. as a result, the terminology of assessment for learning (afl) is used for assessment practices that are ongoing processes and take place during a lesson (deluca et al., 2015) or using assessment information (e.g., self, peer, or teacher feedback) to support learning (lam, 2019). assessment as learning (aal) is typically considered a subset of afl, emphasizing learner capacity to review and improve learning metacognitively via reflection and self-assessment (lam, 2019). while, an assessment practice that serves an evaluative function (summarizing and judging student learning) at the dewi aria, didi sukyadi, & eri kurniawan teacher assessment literacy: indonesian efl secondary teachers’ self-perceived on classroom-based assessment practice 18 end of a unit or term refers to as assessment of learning (aol) (lam, 2019). in afl, both teacher and learner use cba information to modify teaching and learning activities. by applying the principles of afl, teachers will get the effects that high-quality and formative assessment can have on student achievement (chappuis & stiggins, 2020). in addition, chappuis, stiggins, chappuis, & arter (2014) defined classroom-based assessment literacy (henceforth cbal) as the knowledge and skills needed to be required by the teacher to gather accurate information about student achievement and use the assessment process and its results effectively to improve student's achievements. in addition, deluca & klinger (2010) argued that a cba literate employs various pedagogical techniques, including self and peer assessment, modeling various learning levels, offering continuous descriptive feedback, and establishing student-friendly expectations and assessment criteria to encourage focused and meaningful learning. lan & fan (2019) summarized the cbal mainly includes the skills in designing, developing, and evaluating tests critically, using other assessment methods, grading and scoring assessment as the basis of knowledge, and the last, skills in interpreting and communicating the assessment results. from the research undertaken in cba, there is a need for constant professional development for stakeholders (language teachers) to be up to date with the challenges and expectations that arise in cba, which highlights the level of tal (vogt et al., 2020). regarding the level of tal, bybee (1997), as expanded by kaiser & willander (2005) and pill & harding (2013), identified and described it into five categories; a) illiteracy (ignorance of language assessment concepts and methods); b) nominal literacy (understanding that a specific term relates to assessment, but may indicate a misconception); c) functional literacy (sound understanding of basic terms and concepts); d) procedural and conceptual literacy (understanding central concepts of the field, and using knowledge in practice), and e) multidimensional literacy (knowledge extending beyond ordinary concepts including philosophical, historical and social dimensions of assessment). before elaborating on teacher perception, standards for teacher competencies in student assessment are discussed in the following section. to be assessment literate, teachers not only need to be knowledgeable and skilled in different areas of assessment, they need to use appropriate assessment methods that maximizes benefits for both students and teachers. in 1990, aft, ncme, and nea (pastore & andrade, 2019; xu & brown, 2016) developed a set of teacher competencies in assessment called standards for teacher competence in educational assessment of students, herein known as the standards. there were seven standards that teacher should be skilled in: (1) choosing assessment methods appropriate for instructional decisions. (2) developing assessment methods appropriate for instructional decisions. (3) administering, scoring, and interpreting the results of both externally produced and teacher-produced assessment methods. (4) using assessment results when making decisions about individual students, planning teaching, developing curriculum, and school improvement. (5) developing valid pupil grading procedures that use pupil assessments. (6) communicating assessment results to students, parents, other lay audiences, and educators. (7) recognizing unethical, illegal, and otherwise inappropriate assessment methods and uses of assessment information. (aft, ncme, & nea, 1990). the standards are the most widely cited in studies of teacher competence and have served as the basis for instruments to measure teacher competence in assessment (deluca et al., 2015). two instruments which have been empirically tested and offer reports of reliability and validity, namely the teacher assessment literacy questionnaire (talq) and the assessment practices inventory (api). in addition, many studies use adaptations of these instruments to measure assessment literacy. for instance, a study conducted by braney (2010) and howell (2013) used api revised version called apir, quilter & gallini (2000) used only 21 of 35 items of talq in their study. in a very different study of tal, wang, wang, & huang (2008) developed a web-based model and investigated its effectiveness at promoting tal, and shim (2009) presented four stages in teachers’ cba; planning, implementation, monitoring, and recording and disseminating. further discussion related to teacher perception. teacher perceptions of assessment are seen as an internal guiding framework on how teachers perceive the purposes and use the assessment in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 19 relation to their beliefs (xu & brown, 2016). therefore, it should be taken into consideration. the processing of a person's perception is connected with the person's conception, expectation, and knowledge which also influence his/her perception. studies reported that teachers’ assessment conceptions had influenced their assessment practices (coombs et al., 2018; lam, 2019; luthfiyyah et al., 2020). xu & brown (2016) categorized into two dimensions of teacher conceptions of assessment; cognitive and affective dimensions. cognitive refers to the teacher’s perception towards assessment purposes (assessment of/for/as learning). in this case, studies (brookhart, 2011; deluca et al., 2015) revealed that teachers tend to be more skillful and confident in performing assessment of learning (aol) than assessment for/as learning (af/al). otherwise, the affective dimension points to teachers' emotions towards assessment (lam, 2019). some teachers have a definite system belief of assessment (e.g., assessment can improve students' learning), and others do not (e.g., assessment is irrelevant, or the scoring methods is hard to do) so they did not particularly favour the assessment. teacher's experiences in assessment practices in the classroom can impact the way they view the assessment in recent times (vogt & tsagari, 2014). consequently, teachers who have positive conceptions about assessment may find some merits from assessment practices, while the negative conceptions may resist or upset in practicing assessment (vogt & tsagari, 2014). thus, how teacher perceived the assessment is basic in assessment practices. method this study employed descriptive survey research. it aims to describe, compare, contrast, classify, analyze and interpret an individual or a group's beliefs, point of view, or practice about a particular issue (creswell & creswell, 2018; hamied & malik, 2017). in this study, descriptive survey research utilizes to depict how efl secondary teachers’ self-perceived on the basic principles of assessment and their own practice in cba. an online survey was conducted as remained the best way to collect the data during the pandemic covid19. other benefits include saving both time and money for the researcher. forty-eight efl secondary teachers willingly participated in the online survey. they are teachers from senior and vocational high schools in riau. most participants were female (n=79.17%) aged between 31 and 35, with more than 11 years of teaching experience. table 1 briefly describes the participants’ demography includes gender, age, and teachers’ ownership of competence certificates, and teaching experiences. since this study was a small scale, the current study cannot represent or generalize the view of all efl teachers in indonesian context. table 1. demography data of the participants demography category n % gender female 38 79.17 male 10 20.83 age 26 – 30 years old 6 12.50 31 – 35 years old 23 47.92 > 35 years old 19 39.58 competence certified 30 62.50 non-certified 18 37.50 teaching experience < 3 years 0 0.00 3 – 10 years 17 35.42 11 – 20 years 28 58.33 > 20 years 3 6.25 the questionnaire was adapted from shim (2009). it comprises three sections to examine participants' demographic information, teachers' perceptions of the basic principles of cba, and self-perceived on their own practice, consisting of 80 statements (40 items regarding teacher perceptions and the rest related to teacher selfperceived on their own classroom practice) with four likert scales from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree,” typed in google form. the questionnaire covers four sub-aspects based upon classroom-based assessment procedural principles, i.e., teachers' practice of planning, implementation, monitoring, and recording and dissemination. this questionnaire was translated in indonesia; hence it is necessary to check the validity of the instrument. pearson product moment was used to check the instrument item's validity. the result showed that all items were valid with the r > .284 (n=48, sig. 5%). the online questionnaire was then distributed through whatsapp teacher group, known as musyawarah guru mata pelajaran (mgmp). the question items were tested on ten teachers to check the items' validity and reliability before they are distributed. dewi aria, didi sukyadi, & eri kurniawan teacher assessment literacy: indonesian efl secondary teachers’ self-perceived on classroom-based assessment practice 20 the data obtained from the questionnaire were tabulated and analyzed statistically using spss to calculate the frequency, mean (m), and standard deviation (sd) of all the questionnaire items. after screening and selecting the data, descriptive statistics were calculated to respond to the aforementioned research questions. results and discussion results the results of this research were arranged under three research questions. beforehand, the questionnaire findings also revealed that most teachers performed the assessments more than three times each semester. table 2 below presents the descriptive statistic of assessment frequencies that the teacher has done in one semester. table 2. frequencies of assessment done by the teacher each semester once two times three times more than three times total 3 5 8 32 48 6.2 10.4 16.7 66.7 100% it was seen that more than 60% of teachers performed the assessment tasks more than three times. it indicated that assessment practices were teachers' normal routine activities in their english classroom. the questionnaire findings also revealed that more than 64% of teachers constructed the assessment by themselves. this number indicated that the teacher might have had difficulty finding ready-serve assessments or perceived the assessment material they found questionable for their classroom. the relationship between efl teachers' perception of the basic principles of cba and their selfperceived on their own practice. to answer the first research question concerning the correlation between teachers' perceptions of principles of cba and their self-perceived on their own practice was run by pearson correlation. the results were displayed in table 3. table 3. the correlations between teachers' perceptions and their practices teachers’ perceptio ns teacher s’ practice s teachers’ perceptio ns pearson correlation 1 .706** sig. (2-tailed) .000 n 48 48 teachers’ practices pearson correlation .706** 1 sig. (2-tailed) .000 n 48 48 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2tailed). as seen in table 3 above, there was a significant relationship (𝜌<0.01) between teachers' perceptions of the classroom-based assessment principles and their self-perceived on their own practice. in addition, there was a positive relationship which indicated that teachers' perceptions reflect on what and how they did in classroom assessment practice. how efl secondary teachers’ self-perceived the basic principles of assessment with their own practice of cba. furthermore, to assess the second research question regarding how efl secondary teachers selfperceived the basic principles of assessment with their own practice in cba according to shim's classroom-based assessment principles, the summary of descriptive statistics was shown in table 4 below. table 4. a summary of descriptive statistics of assessment literacy competences n mi n max mean convers (100) teachers’ perceptio ns 48 129 168 151.5 90.2 teachers’ practices 48 105 168 147.0 87.5 total n (listwise) 48 the average score of teachers' perceptions on the principles of classroom-based assessment based on the table above (𝛭=151.5) or after converting (𝛭=90.2) was more than satisfactory. in addition, the average score of teachers' practice (𝛭=147.0) or after converting (𝛭=87.5) was also satisfied. furthermore, the average score of those two variables was 88.85. the statistics showed that efl english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 21 secondary teachers’ perceptions and the way they perceived their own practices of cba in this study were on the procedural and conceptual literacy level based on bybee's categories as expanded by kaiser & willander (2005) and pill & harding (2013). the level indicates that the teachers seemed to understand the concepts of the classroom-based assessment principles and use their knowledge in practice. to what extent do the teachers perceive their classroom assessment practice? to elaborate the answer of research question 3 regarding what extent the teachers perceive their classroom assessment practice, it was demonstrated as follows. table 5 presents teachers’ planning in cba practice. table 5. teachers’ classroom practice of shim’s planning assessment principles q propositions m sd q16 i make sure that all students are given the same learning opportunities in their classroom 3.79 .410 q17 i make sure that assessment is not affected by students’ personal characteristics such as gender, appearance, and economic and social background. 3.73 .449 q7 assessments (tasks) are meaningful to the students. 3.67 .519 q12 assessment focuses on students’ progress and achievement rather than on comparisons between the students in the classroom. 3.67 .476 q8 assessment (tasks) is designed in such a way as to obtain information about what students know at that particular time. 3.63 .489 q14 i receive advance ‘informed consent’ from the students or their parents with regard to carrying out the assessment. 3.62 .570 q6 assessment (tasks) is related to what the students do in real class time. 3.56 .542 q13 i give the students advance notice, so that the students are able to prepare for the assessment. 3.54 .582 q4 i balance the attainment targets with the students’ needs when i design the assessment 3.52 .652 q3 i consider what the students’ needs are when i design the assessment. 3.50 .715 q9 assessment (tasks) is designed in such a way as to obtain information about what students can do at that particular time. 3.50 .546 q2 i consider the standards or attainment targets which the curriculum requests when i design the assessment. 3.48 .583 q11 the appropriateness of assessment (tasks) are checked by calling for peer comment or with reference to published guidelines (if these are available). 3.46 .544 q1 i first identify the purpose of the assessment when i design the assessment. 3.46 .771 q5 i use assessment specifications when i carry out the assessment. 3.46 .544 q10 assessment (tasks) is designed in such a way as to obtain information about students’ potential to use the language effectively. 3.42 .539 q15 i respect the privacy of the students and guarantee confidentiality. 3.04 .824 from table 5 above, the propositions q16, q17, q7, and q12 obtained the highest score (m>3.65), indicating that teachers perceived cba tend to focus on students’ progress rather than grading and comparing students. the results also indicated that teachers avoid discrimination against students. however, little concern was given to proposition q15, showing that teachers less respect students’ privacy and confidentiality. table 6 below describes teachers’ implementation of the cba principles. table 6. teachers’ classroom practice of shim’s assessment implementation principles q propositions m sd q24 assessment (tasks) processes are completed within a manageable time considering the given context. 3.58 .498 q20 students understand the desired outcome of the assessment (tasks). 3.56 .580 q23 i give students immediate feedback after they complete each assessment (task). 3.54 .504 q18 i inform the students of the reasons why they are being assessed. 3.50 .652 dewi aria, didi sukyadi, & eri kurniawan teacher assessment literacy: indonesian efl secondary teachers’ self-perceived on classroom-based assessment practice 22 q22 i provide students with an opportunity to monitor their own work while they are performing the assessment (tasks). 3.48 .583 q21 students are supported when they have a problem hindering their completing the assessment (tasks). 3.46 .683 q19 i explicitly instruct the students how to do the assessment (tasks). 3.44 .580 from table 6 above, propositions q24 and q20 obtained the highest mean score in this stage (m=3.58 and m=3.56), indicating the teachers strongly agree that assessment is done within a manageable time and the students should know the desired outcome of the assessment they did. however, proposition q19 indicates the teachers less agree that the students need explicit instruction. table 7 presents the survey findings regarding teachers’ perceived their own practices on monitoring assessment principles. table 7. teachers’ classroom practice of shim’s monitoring assessment principles q propositions m sd q30 i use the results of assessment positively not negatively 3.77 .425 q31 i make assessment a part of teaching and learning. 3.77 .425 q29 i use the results of assessment for revising my teaching. 3.67 .519 q25 i construct a marking system as a part of the whole assessment process. 3.63 .489 q33 the overall feedback enables students to know how to improve their work and take their learning forward. 3.54 .504 q28 i mark the students’ performance consistently. 3.52 .583 q26 marking criteria are connected with the aims of the assessment and the learner’s characteristics in a given context. 3.50 .583 q34 the whole process of assessment is consistent in terms of procedure and administration. 3.40 .536 q36 i monitor the misuse of the overall consequences of the assessment as a tool of power. 3.31 .719 q27 i let students have detailed information about the marking criteria. 3.27 .818 q35 the process of assessment is supported by the involvement of the parents. 3.15 .684 q32 i share the findings of assessment with other teachers 3.08 .767 table 7 above showed that the four propositions (q30, q31, q29, and q25) achieved the highest scores, indicating that teacher did the assessment for learning; the assessment is used to improve learning both students and teachers. the students used the result to improve their learning, while teachers used the result of cba to improve and revise their teaching. however, teachers’ responses to q32 suggest that teachers preferred not to share their assessment findings for certain reasons with other colleagues. the findings concerning teachers’ self-perceived their own practices on recording and dissemination assessment principles are presented in table 8. table 8. teachers’ classroom practice of shim’s recording and disseminating assessment principles q propositions m sd q38 i am aware of my responsibilities for the output of my professional work. 3.79 .410 q39 local or nationwide report systems about the students’ progress and achievement are provided. 3.58 .539 q37 i consider students’ rights as assessment takers; they must never be harmed by the assessment. 3.56 .681 q40 my schools develop their own report system of students’ progress and achievement 3.48 .583 q42 a formal review of a student’s progress and achievement is reported to the local education authority and the central government 3.27 .610 q41 i am involved in the development of the report system at all levels. 3.10 .722 table 8 shows that the teachers generally agreed to all propositions presented. proposition q38 had the highest score (m = 3.79, sd = .410), with the lowest proposition q41 (m = 3.10, sd = .722), english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 23 indicating that the teachers strongly believed that assessment becomes the responsibilities of their professional work and they less agreed that they should be involved in reporting at all levels, perhaps they thought that they did not teach at all levels. discussion this study surveyed efl secondary teachers’ perceptions of cba principles and their selfperceived on their own cba practice. there was a significant relationship between teachers' perceptions of cba principles and their selfperceived of their own practice. this is aligned with the idea of some scholars (coombs et al., 2018; lam, 2019; luthfiyyah et al., 2020), who believed that teachers’ assessment conceptions had influenced their assessment practices. the questionnaire results also indicated that teachers had an excellent understanding of the cba concepts and using their knowledge into practice. as a whole, the current study indicated that teachers seemed to practice assessment for learning, in which most teachers conducted assessments to support students’ learning and using the results as feedback to improve and revise their teaching. teachers also tried to be transparent regarding the desired outcome of the assessment would be done. the teachers also realized that assessment activities are the responsibilities of their professional work. moreover, these results were consistent with the findings of jannati (2015) and zulaiha et al. (2020) that some teacher focused on improving their teaching and monitoring students’ progress, while others still viewed assessment merely as a tool for measuring or scoring students’ achievement (learning outcome). however, findings revealed that teachers had better respect students’ privacy and maintain students’ confidentiality in relation to assessment results. it is aligned with the idea of maccarthy (2014) that test scores could be considered “sensitive” confidential information. therefore, the teachers must be able to use the results of the assessment positively. conclusion in general, the teachers in this study appeared to be literate and excellent in understanding the concept and using it in practice. however, a question remains as to whether their practice in the classroom was excellent. therefore, future programs and research should be directed toward classroom-based research on how the cbal can improve students' learning, especially involving four language skills and improving the quality of teacher instructions. document analysis and classroom observation are also deemed necessary in future research. this study also had some limitations on the number of participants due to time constraints and resources as well as the setting of the study, which involved only efl secondary teachers in one province. despite these limitations, the findings of this study could contribute to a better understanding of teachers’ assessment literacy in their particular context as they intensively interact with relevant assessment materials and assessment stakeholders. references al-bhalani, s. m. (2019). assessment literacy: a study of efl teachers’ assessment knowledge, perspectives, and classroom behaviors [the university of arizona]. https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/63324 0 american federation of teachers, & national council on measurement in education, national education association (aft, ncme, n. (1990). standards for teacher competence in educational assessment of students. educational measurement: issues and practice, 9(4), 30–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.17453992.1990.tb00391.x ashraf, h., & zolfaghari, s. (2018). efl teachers’ assessment literacy and their reflective teaching. international journal of instruction, 11(1), 425– 436. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11129a bahtiar, i., & purnawarman, p. (2020). investigating english teachers’ comprehension in language assessment literacy (lal). advances in social science, education and humanities research, 508, 303–310. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201214.253 braney, b. t. (2010). an examination of fourth grade teachers’ assessment literacy and its relationship to students’ reading achievement (issue april 2009). university of hartford. brookhart, s. m. (2011). educational assessment knowledge and skills for teachers. educational measurement: issues and practice, 30(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3992.2010.00195.x chappuis, j., stiggins, r., chappuis, s., & arter, j. (2014). classroom assessment for student learning (second edi, vol. 2). pearson education limited. http://ir.obihiro.ac.jp/dspace/handle/10322/3933 dewi aria, didi sukyadi, & eri kurniawan teacher assessment literacy: indonesian efl secondary teachers’ self-perceived on classroom-based assessment practice 24 chappuis, s., & stiggins, r. (2020). classroom assessment for learning. british society for middle eastern studies. bulletin, 60(1), 40–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/13530198908705494 coombs, a., deluca, c., lapointe-mcewan, d., & chalas, a. (2018). changing approaches to classroom assessment: an empirical study across teacher career stages. teaching and teacher education, 71, 134–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.12.010 creswell, w. j., & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. davies, a. (2008). textbook trends in teaching language testing. language testing, 25(3), 327–347. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532208090156 deluca, c., & klinger, d. a. (2010). assessment literacy development: identifying gaps in teacher candidates’ learning. assessment in education: principles, policy and practice, 17(4), 419–438. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594x.2010.516643 deluca, c., lapointe-mcewan, d., & luhanga, u. (2015). teacher assessment literacy: a review of international standards and measures. educational assessment, evaluation and accountability, 28(3), 251–272. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-0159233-6 fulcher, g. (2012). assessment literacy for the language classroom. language assessment quarterly, 9(2), 113–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2011.642041 giraldo, f. (2018). language assessment literacy: implications for language teachers. profile: issues in teachers’ professional development, 20(1), 179–195. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v20n1.62089 giraldo, f., & murcia, d. (2018). language assessment literacy for pre-service teachers: course expectations from different stakeholders. gist education and learning research journal, 16(16), 56–77. https://doi.org/10.26817/16925777.425 hamied, f. a., & malik, r. s. (2017). research methods: a guide for first-time researchers. bandung: upi press. howell, c. a. (2013). development and analysis of a measurement scale for teacher assessment literacy. east carolina university. jannati, s. (2015). elt teachers’ language assessment literacy: perceptions and practices. educational research association the international journal of research in teacher education, 6(2), 26–37. kaiser, g., & willander, t. (2005). development of mathematical literacy: results of an empirical study. teaching mathematics and its applications, 24(2–3), 48–60. https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hri016 khadijeh, b., & amir, r. (2015). importance of teachers’ assessment literacy. international journal of english language education, 3(1), 139. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijele.v3i1.6887 koh, k., burke, l. e. c. a., luke, a., gong, w., & tan, c. (2017). developing the assessment literacy of teachers in chinese language classrooms: a focus on assessment task design. language teaching research, 22(3), 264–288. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168816684366 lam, r. (2014). language assessment training in hong kong: implications for language assessment literacy. language testing, 32(2), 169–197. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532214554321 lam, r. (2019). teacher assessment literacy: surveying knowledge, conceptions and practices of classroom-based writing assessment in hong kong. system, 81, 78–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.01.006 lan, c., & fan, s. (2019). developing classroom-based language assessment literacy for in-service efl teachers: the gaps. studies in educational evaluation, 61(8), 112–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2019.03.003 luthfiyyah, r., basyari, i. w., & dwiniasih, d. (2020). efl secondary teachers’ assessment literacy: assessment conceptions and practices. journal on english as a foreign language, 10(2), 402–421. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v10i2.2101 maccarthy, m. (2014). student privacy: harm and context. international review of information ethics, 21, 11–24. muhammad, f., & bardakçi, m. (2019). iraqi efl teachers’ assessment literacy: perceptions and practices. arab world english journal, 10(2), 431–442. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no2.33 pastore, s., & andrade, h. l. (2019). teacher assessment literacy: a three-dimensional model. teaching and teacher education, 84, 128–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.05.003 pill, j., & harding, l. (2013). defining the language assessment literacy gap: evidence from a parliamentary inquiry. language testing, 30(3), 381–402. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532213480337 popham, w. j. (2011). assessment literacy overlooked: a teacher educator’s confession. teacher educator, 46(4), 265–273. https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730.2011.605048 prasetyo, a. h. (2018). language assessment literacy development: a student-teacher’s experiences in teaching practice program. llt journal : a journal on language and language teaching, 21(2), 199–206. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 25 puspawati, i. (2019). understanding teachers’ knowledge, skills, and principles on language assessment: a survey on teachers’ language assessment literacy. atlantis press, 353(icosihess), 70–75. https://doi.org/10.2991/icosihess-19.2019.11 quilter, s. m., & gallini, j. k. (2000). teachers’ assessment literacy and attitudes. teacher educator, 36(2), 115–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730009555257 rad, m. r. (2019). the impact of efl teachers’ assessment literacy on their assessment efficiency in classroom. britain international of linguistics arts and education (biolae) journal, 1(1), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.33258/biolae.v1i1.14 rusli. (2017). efl teachers’ perception and practice on formative assessment. universitas pendidikan indonesia. saputra, e. r., hamied, f. a., & suherdi, d. (2020). the development of beliefs and practices of language assessment literacy: does a professional learning community help? journal of education for teaching, 46(3), 414–416. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.1761250 scarino, a. (2013). language assessment literacy as selfawareness: understanding the role of interpretation in assessment and in teacher learning. language testing, 30(3), 309–327. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532213480128 shim, k. n. (2009). an investigation into teachers’ perceptions of classroom-based assessment of english as a foreign language in korean primary education [the university of exeter]. http://hdl.handle.net/10036/67553 stiggins, r. (1991). assssment literacy. the phi delta kappan, 72(7) (mar., 1991), pp. 534-539, 72(7), 534–539. stiggins, r. (1995). assessment for the 21st literacy century. phi delta kappa international, 77(3), 238–245. stiggins, r. (2001). the unfulfilled promise of classroom assessment. educational measurement: issues and practice. taylor, l. (2009). developing assessment literacy. annual review of applied linguistics, 29(april 2009), 21–36. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0267190509090035 tian, w., louw, s., & khan, m. k. (2021). covid-19 as a critical incident: reflection on language assessment literacy and the need for radical changes. system, 103, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102682 vogt, k., & tsagari, d. (2014). assessment literacy of foreign language teachers: findings of a european study. language assessment quarterly, 11(4), 374–402. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2014.960046 vogt, k., tsagari, d., & spanoudis, g. (2020). what do teachers think they want? a comparative study of in-service language teachers’ beliefs on lal training needs. language assessment quarterly, 00(00), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2020.1781128 wang, t. h., wang, k. h., & huang, s. c. (2008). designing a web-based assessment environment for improving pre-service teacher assessment literacy. computers and education, 51(1), 448– 462. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2007.06.010 webb, n. l. (2002). assessment literacy in a standardsbased urban education setting. in annual meeting of the american educational research association, new orleans, 20 p. willis, j., adie, l., & klenowski, v. (2013). conceptualising teachers’ assessment literacies in an era of curriculum and assessment reform. australian educational researcher, 40(2), 241– 256. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-013-0089-9 xu, y. (2018). assessment in the language classroom: teachers support student learning, by l. cheng and j. fox (eds.). london, uk: palgrave, 2017, 246 pp., $31, isbn: 978-1-137-46483-5 (paperback). language assessment quarterly, 15(4), 423–425. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2018.1446959 xu, y., & brown, g. t. l. (2016). teacher assessment literacy in practice: a reconceptualization. teaching and teacher education, 58, 149–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.05.010 yamtim, v., & wongwanich, s. (2014). a study of classroom assessment literacy of primary school teachers. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 116, 2998–3004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.696 zulaiha, s., mulyono, h., & ambarsari, l. (2020). an investigation into efl teachers’ assessment literacy: indonesian teachers’ perceptions and classroom practice. european journal of contemporary education, 9(1), 189–201. https://doi.org/10.13187/ejced.2020.1.189 dewi aria, didi sukyadi, & eri kurniawan teacher assessment literacy: indonesian efl secondary teachers’ self-perceived on classroom-based assessment practice 26 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 153 flashcard media effectiveness in enriching students’ english vocabulary at vocational school bambang nur alamsyah lubis english department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah sumatera utara email: bambangnuralamsyah@umsu.ac.id rakhmat wahyudin sagala english department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah sumatera utara email: rakhmatwahyudin@umsu.ac.id khairun niswa english department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah sumatera utara email: khairunniswa@umsu.ac.id apa citation: lubis, b. n. a., sagala, r. w., & niswa, k. (2023). flashcard media effectiveness in enriching students’ english vocabulary at vocational school. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 153-160. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.6852 received: 19-10-2022 accepted: 17-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction english proficiency is one of the most essential skills that every student must master in school. there are many ways for teachers to increase their students’ english skills, such as by using media to help them present their learning material. english teachers are having a hard time right now because most students do not know how to speak english well. to teach students to speak english, teachers must have a high level of expertise. teachers should be creative and innovative in presenting materials, so that the materials are easily accepted by students and applied in daily activity. the students’ low interest in learning english makes teachers in difficult position; to make the student see that learning english is fun instead of scary but fun. teachers’ skills are tested and enhanced. the use of media is one of the most effective solutions for improving the english language skills of students. one of the media that is considered effective in improving the english vocabulary of students is the flashcard media. this is because flashcards media can be an effective media because students can immediately see the image of an object and the name of the object in english. the media should be one of the media platforms for teachers to improve the english language skills of students, in particular their vocabulary. teachers often use flashcard media to help students improve their english pronunciation. in this study, however, flashcards are used to improve students' english vocabulary, the foundation of their ability to write, read, and speak the language. this research contributes knowledge to school teaching effectively and creatively. many students struggle with english vocabulary, so it is a major focus for teachers in the classroom. english vocabulary becomes important thing to student to improve their english ability. vocabulary mastery is one of the most important things to make our communication fluent (lubis et al., 2022), vocabulary is one of the most essential abstract: this study aimed to describe the effectiveness of flashcard media in enriching student’s english vocabulary. the objective of the study referred to identify the effectiveness of flashcard media, and to evaluate flashcard media in enriching student english vocabulary. descriptive qualitative was used as a research method. the data of this study was a result of questionnaire and interview, and the source of the data was taken from students at smk swasta yapim biru-biru. the result of this study was that flashcard media were successfully effective in enriching students' vocabulary, and flashcard media must have more variety. for instance, the flashcard did not only show animal, school tool, and home furniture pictures; it could also show road signs, motorcycle and car spare parts, machine material, and computer material pictures, all of which were suitable for student vocational needs.flashcard media must be appropriated to students’ needs. its purpose, to make sure flashcard media was accepted and right on target. keyword: effectiveness; flashcard media; enriching; vocabulary. bambang nur alamsyah lubis, rakhmat wahyudin sagala, & khairun niswa flashcard media effectiveness in enriching students’ english vocabulary at vocational school 154 aspects of language acquisition (ha, 2022). vocabulary instruction is a crucial component of language instruction (cheng and matthews, 2018; dang, 2020). many people would like to speak english fluently, but their english vocabulary becomes their weakness (gyllstad et al., 2021). there was not much that can be conveyed without grammar, but nothing can be conveyed without vocabulary. knowing grammar was actually much needed in studying english, but remembering much vocabulary is the most important thing in learning english. vocabulary becomes basic knowledge to english learning (ha, 2021). in general, vocabulary is the knowledge of words and their meanings. nothing could be done if there was no vocabulary. someone cannot speak without vocabulary. someone cannot write without vocabulary. someone cannot interpret listening and reading without knowing vocabulary. vocabulary is needed to improve four skills in language, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing (lubis & syahputri 2022). therefore, mastering a lot of vocabulary is something important to master a language (lange & matthews, 2020). for instance, someone would like to master english. it means that someone should master a lot of english vocabulary. the primary component of a language is its vocabulary (nurmukhamedov, & sharakhimov, 2021; aryadoust & sayama, 2021). the formation of a phrase that communicates a concept relies on vocabulary. a rich vocabulary enables someone to communicate more ideas. understanding english will be difficult with a limited english vocabulary, because vocabulary becomes fundamental aspect in english language communication (stoeckel et al., 2021). decades of study have provided a solid basis for understanding the link between vocabulary knowledge and comprehension (nurmukhamedov and webb, 2019). lack of vocabulary accurately limits the speaker's ability to speak fluently, understand the interlocutor's language, and may lead to misunderstanding. vocabulary is the fundamental foundation for building language in communication (dang, 2020; nguyen, & boers, 2019). learning vocabulary is the very beginning step to learning second or foreign language (qian and lin, 2019; sun and dang, 2020). the acquisition of new vocabulary is a continuous process. it is because something changes in language and gives the language learner new experiences. there are many methods, techniques, approaches and media that are able to help people in acquire english vocabulary, but the most effective way to enrich students’ english vocabulary was through media. many teachers use media as their tools in english classroom (puspitarini & hanif, 2019; widodo, 2019). media give student new experience in learning english. therefore, teacher has to choose right media to teach english, especially teaching english vocabulary. teaching vocabulary is not as simple as imagination, it needs much creativity and energy because english is a foreign language in some developing countries, especially in indonesia. because media is anything that can be used to transmit a message from sender to receiver, media can stimulate students' thoughts, feelings, interests, and attention in such a way that it aids in the learning process (dwijayani, 2019). media is able to convey information that people wish to learn. educational media are indeed a tool for teaching and learning (myori et al., 2019; novita et al., 2019). everything that can be used for students' ideas, emotions, focus, and talents or skills to enhance the learning process, supporting the learning process, learning media is a component of the teaching delivery system. the utilization of learning media throughout the learning process has a significant impact on students' motivation and interest in learning. in the teaching and learning process, the usage of learning media may produce new needs and interests, generate motivation and stimulate learning activities, and even have psychological effects on pupils (romadhon et al., 2021). media also helps people understand something that is basically new or that they need to explore more than usual. there are numerous media that can assist people in carrying out activities. (atsani, 2020; sherley, ardian & kurnia, 2021). especially in this case, media is going to be used to transfer english learning activities to enrich students’ vocabulary. media is essential for english learning, particularly for young learners. teaching and learning english for children should be accompanied by using media, especially visual media. visual media helps children to focus in leaning (parede et al., 2022; di ronco, & allen-robertson, 2021). it is because children are able to see the media and how it works in teaching learning activities. there are many kinds of visual media that are able to use in teaching learning process, especially in enriching english vocabulary. flashcard is a special media that is able to be used as it should be. flashcards are one of the visual media that can be provided to students (aisyah et al., 2020). flash cards are small cards with images, text, or symbols that are used to remind or instruct students about anything english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 155 associated with images. one of the visual media types is flash card. significant study has been conducted on flashcard as a popular vocabulary teaching instrument, but digital flashcard has gotten far less attention (sage et al., 2020; pasaribu, hutasoit & sihombing, 2022). students may improve their verbal skills and test results with the use of flashcard (khairunnisa et al., 2022). according to students, flashcard media is useful for memorizing, convenience, self-testing, and repetition (sage et al., 2019; musyaffa, 2020). a flashcard is a card with information printed on both sides that is meant for memorizing purposes. on one side of each flashcard is a question, and on the other, the corresponding answer. flash cards are cards containing symbols, signs, images, words, and definitions intended to aid pupils in comprehending a learning content. however, flashcard may be harmful to learning for a variety of reasons, including their shallow learning method, their creation burden, and their inapplicability to specific subjects. the success of flashcard is also influenced by variables such as students' motivation and their perception of the task's importance. traditionally, flashcard are printed on paper, often index cards. typically, each independent word is printed on a separate card. a standard flashcard has a word or question on one side and a definition or answer on the other. paper flashcard includes simple information, such as a word and its corresponding picture (chen & chan, 2019). traditional flashcard can be utilized in numerous ways to enhance children's vocabulary acquisition, and numerous trials presented by researchers have proved the usefulness and utility of conventional paper flashcard for language acquisition. because conventional flashcard visuals are static, children's understanding of the language may be confined to a single viewpoint. due to their perspectives, they may not be able to change or extend the visual cues on the flashcard, which might restrict their engagement with typical paper flashcard. paper is preferred over digital cards for a variety of reasons, including technological difficulties and distractions. students often like utilizing flashcard for selfevaluation. they may associate the meaning of new words with simple images using flashcard (chen & chan, 2019; nalendra, et al., 2020). frequently, flashcard are used to remember vocabulary, historical dates, formulae, and any other topic that may be learnt via a question-andanswer format. flashcard are an application of the testing effect, which is the discovery that long-term memory is strengthened when a portion of the learning time is dedicated to recovering knowledge via testing with appropriate feedback. study habits influence the pace at which a flashcard user learns, and it has been shown that optimal spacing of flashcard enhances learning. flashcard could have positive effect on pupils' test performance (sage et al., 2020; fitriani et al., 2021). the use of flashcard as a learning tool for enhancing a language's vocabulary knowledge is a common practice. this is due to the fact that flashcard was visual aids that aid pupils in acquiring knowledge, especially in english vocabulary. flashcard was one method for teaching vocabulary. as a visual aid, flashcard was an engaging medium that may help children memorize words. the vibrant picture stimulates a student's desire to study (romadhon et al., 2021) method this study was conducted by applying descriptive qualitative as research method. the researcher is the key instrument. another instrument was supporting instrument that help researcher to find data, such as text (vocabulary test) and questionnaire sheet and interview. the data of this research was answer of students’ questionnaire and interview and the source of the data was taken from smk swasta yapim biru-biru. the technique of data analysis used interactive analysis. the purpose of technique analysis consist of three concurrent steps, they were: data condensations, the process of selecting, focusing, simplifying, abstracting and/or transforming the data that appeared in test, questionnaire sheet and interview that was taken from students at smk swasta yapim biru-biru. data display is the process of organizing the data. the researcher displayed the data to look at the whole test, questionnaires sheet and interview. it was applied to make sure all of data that was taken from students at smk swasta yapim birubiru was accurate and surely needed to organize the result of the study. drawing and verification conclusion were done through deciding meaning of data that was found in data condensation and data display. result and discussion students' vocabulary is successfully expanded through the use of flashcard media, particularly in vocational schools. students actually feel confused about much english vocabularies, because many teachers asked their students to open dictionary and find out what vocabulary in english they needed. actually, it was a traditional technique to enrich bambang nur alamsyah lubis, rakhmat wahyudin sagala, & khairun niswa flashcard media effectiveness in enriching students’ english vocabulary at vocational school 156 students’ vocabulary. there are many ways to enrich students’ vocabularies. this research served flashcard media effectiveness in enriching student vocabulary. as a result of students' participation in a test and questionnaire and the teacher's implementation of flashcard media in class, the effectiveness of flashcard media in enhancing students' vocabulary has been increased. after seeing students’ vocabulary test, 95% students had significant increased vocabularies, especially in animal name, school tools and home furniture. the rest 5% students did not follow the classroom or absent when flashcard media was applied. table 1 student’s range score average student’s score vocabulary before applying flashcard media after applying flashcard media 60-75 85-100 the table demonstrates that flashcard media actually enhances students' vocabulary. before using flashcard media, the student's range score was between 60 and 75. after the teacher implemented flashcard media, the student's score ranged from 85 to 100. this result was also supported by questionnaire result that has been concluded. the questionnaire was administered following classroom vocabulary testing. the questionnaire's content is based on students' reactions to the use of media flashcard in the classroom. there are ten statements in questionnaire that are needed to mark () by students. table 2. questionnaire sheet no statements sa a n da sda 1 flashcard media is very interesting to motivate me in learning 2 the picture displayed on flashcard media are able to increase my learning interest 3 flashcard media was not boring when it was applied in learning processes 4 the picture on flashcard media are very clear and colourful 5 the picture on media flashcard helps me to increase my english vocabulary 6 flashcard media is very helpful to enrich english vocabulary 7 pictures that are used on flashcard media are objects that i have never known in english 8 flashcard media helps me to know the names of nouns around me 9 flashcard media helps me to know the names of animal in english 10 flashcard media helps me to know about school tools which i used in english *notes: sa (score 5) : strongly agreed a (score 4) : agreed n (score 3) : neutral da (score 2) : disagree sda (score 1) : strongly disagree the result of the questionnaire that was applied can be seen below: the first statement “flashcard media is very interesting to motivate me in learning”, based on students’ marking on questionnaire sheet, there are 100% of students who strongly agreed (sa) about this statement. it can be seen from student’s range scores, following the use of flashcard media, students' vocabularies grew in depth. second statement “the picture displayed on flashcard media are able to increase my learning interest”, based on students’ marking on questionnaire sheet, there are 99% of students who strongly agreed (ss) and 1% of students who agree (s) with questionnaire statement. the proof of this statement can be seen from student’s range scores, 85-100. third statement “flashcard media was not boring when it was applied in learning processes”, there are 90% of students who strongly agreed (ss) with that statement and 10% of students who were neutral (n) about this statement. as a proof, not all of students got 100 for their scores. fourth statement “the picture on flashcard media are very clear and colourful”, there are 100% of students who strongly agreed (ss) about this statement. it can be demonstrated by the expansion of a student's vocabulary. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 157 fifth “the picture on media flashcard helps me to increase my english vocabulary”, based on the mark in questionnaire sheet, there are 95% of students who strongly agreed (ss) and 5% of students who were neutral (n). it can be seen from student’s range score, the range of the score 85100. this meant that not all students receive a score of 100. sixth statement “flashcard media is very helpful to enrich english vocabulary”, there are 100% of students who strongly agreed (ss) about this statement. it can be proofed based on student’s range scores after flashcard media is applied. seventh “pictures that are used on flashcard media are objects that i have never known in english”, there are 80% of students who strongly agreed (ss), 20% of students who agreed (s). this percentage can be utilized to determine the student's range scores. the scores after applying flashcard media were higher than before. eight statement “flashcard media helps me to know the names of nouns around me”, and there are 100% of students who strongly agreed (ss) about this statement. students had a rich vocabulary after flashcard media was applied in the classroom. ninth statement “flashcard media helps me to know the names of animal in english”, based on questionnaire sheet that has been collected, there were 75% of students who strongly agreed (ss) and 25% of students who agreed (s). the proof can be seen in student’s range scores. after using flashcard media, students' vocabulary increased. tenth statement “flashcard media helps me to know about school tools which i used in english”, 100% of students who strongly agreed (ss) about this statement. actually students have known the names of school tools in indonesia language, but they did not know them in english. based on that, 100% of students got help with flashcard media. it can be proofed based on student’s range scores. there are 85–100 students whose scores increase after flashcard media is applied. table 3. percentage of questionnaire point no statements sa a n da sda 1 flashcard media is very interesting to motivate me in learning 100% 2 the picture displayed on flashcard media are able to increase my 99% 1% learning interest 3 flashcard media was not boring when it was applied in learning processes 90% 10% 4 the picture on flashcard media are very clear and colourful 100% 5 the picture on media flashcard helps me to increase my english vocabulary 95% 5% 6 flashcard media is very helpful to enrich english vocabulary 100% 7 pictures that are used on flashcard media are objects that i have never known in english 80% 20% 8 flashcard media helps me to know the names of nouns around me 100% 9 flashcard media helps me to know the names of animal in english 75% 25% 10 flashcard media helps me to know about school tools which i used in english 100% table 3 explains that most of the students identified strongly agreed about the effectiveness of flashcard media in enriching students’ english vocabulary. flashcard media was proven to increase students' scores in english vocabulary, especially in animal names, school tools, and home furnishings. after identifying the results of the vocabulary test and questionnaire, the next action that had to be seen, it was about the result of the interview. the result of interview was used to evaluate the application of flashcard media in enriching bambang nur alamsyah lubis, rakhmat wahyudin sagala, & khairun niswa flashcard media effectiveness in enriching students’ english vocabulary at vocational school 158 students’ english vocabulary. based on whole interview recorder, there was still found weakness about flashcard media application especially at vocational school. smk swasta yapim biru-biru has an engineering and computer department, therefore, animal names, school tools, and home furniture did not need very much in their practice activities. actually this vocational school needed more specific vocabulary that increased their students’ vocabulary, such as road sign, bike and car spare part, machine material, computer material english vocabulary, those kinds of english vocabularies that were needed at smk swasta yapim biru-biru. consequently, the application of flashcard media must be evaluated before applying and must be specific to the department that has run in that school. the effectiveness of flashcard media in enriching students' english vocabulary at smk swasta yapim biru-biru was discovered through research. students' english vocabulary had significantly increased, and the use of flashcard media must be appropriate to the department of vocational itself. its goal was to ensure that the vocabulary that was increased, was applicable to the students' daily activities. conclusion the effectiveness of flashcard media accurately enriched students’ english vocabulary at smk swasta yapim biru-biru. student’s range score increased after flashcard media applied in english learning activity. flashcard media also built up students’ confident in memorizing english vocabulary. the application of flashcard media actually needs much evaluation, but specifically in this case, flashcard media should be applied based on student’s necessity. for instance, engineering student should be given flashcard media that support their english vocabulary. acknowledgment funded by apb universitas muhammadiyah sumatera utara in accordance with the assignment agreement in the context of the implementation of the beginner lecturer research program/basic research/applied research (adjusting to the skim that you and your mother won) apb umsu funds for the 2022 fiscal year. references aisyah, n., ridwan, r., huda, h., faisol, w., & muawanah. (2022). effectiveness of flashcard media to improve early childhood hijaiyah letter recognition. jurnal obsesi: jurnal pendidikan anak usia dini, 6(4), 3537-3545. aryadoust, v., ng, l. y., & sayama, h. (2021). a comprehensive review of rasch measurement in language assessment: recommendations and guidelines for research. language testing, 38(1), 6–40. atsani, k. l. g. m. z. (2020). transformasi media pembelajaran pada masa pandemi covid19. al-hikmah: jurnal studi islam, 1(1), 82-93. chen, r. w., & chan, k. k. (2019). using augmented reality flashcards to learn vocabulary in early childhood education. journal of educational computing research, 57(7), 1812-1831. cheng, j., & matthews, j. (2018). the relationship between three measures of l2 vocabulary knowledge and l2 listening and reading. language testing, 35(1), 3-25. dang, t. n. y. (2020). vietnamese non-english major efl university students' receptive knowledge of the most frequent english words. vnu journal of foreign studies, 36(3), 1-11. dang, t. n. y. (2020). high-frequency words in academic spoken english: corpora and learners. elt journal, 74(2), 146-155. di ronco, a., & allen-robertson, j. (2021). representations of environmental protest on the ground and in the cloud: the notap protests in activist practice and social visual media. crime, media, culture, 17(3), 375-399. dwijayani, n. m. (2019). development of circle learning media to improve student learning outcomes. journal of physics: conference series , 1321(2), 1-7. fitriani, h., imanda, r., rahmi, a., & nurmalinda, s. (2021). the development of flashcard learning media based on make a match on colloid. international journal for educational and vocational studies, 3(5), 373-379. gyllstad, h., mclean, s., & stewart, j. (2021). using confidence intervals to determine adequate item sample sizes for vocabulary tests: an essential but overlooked practice. language testing, 38(4), 558-579. ha, h. t. (2021). a rasch-based validation of the vietnamese version of the listening vocabulary levels test. language testing in asia, 11(1), 1634. ha, h. t. (2022). issues in matching learners to their reading levels using receptive vocabulary knowledge a closer look at the vocabulary levels tests and scoring methods. heliyon, 8(8), e10244. khairunnisa, a., khairil, h., & rahmatan, h. (2022). the influence of problem based learning models combined with flashcard media on creative thinking skills of students. jurnal penelitian pendidikan ipa, 8(1), 247-251. lange, k., & matthews, j. (2020). exploring the relationships between l2 vocabulary knowledge, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 159 lexical segmentation, and l2 listening comprehension. studies in second language learning and teaching, 10(4), 723-749. lubis, b. n. a., rambe, k. r., & husda, a. (2022). two stay two stray techniques to improve junior highschool students’ english vocabulary mastery. english teaching and linguistics journal (etlij), 3(2), 68-74. lubis, b. n. a., & syahputri, d. (2022). mnemonic device technique increase students’ vocabulary mastery. indonesian journal of education, social sciences and research (ijessr), 3(1), 28-33. musyaffa, m. l. (2020). flashcard as a media to improve students’writing skill in descriptive paragraph. e-link journal, 7(2), 83-97. myori, d. e., chaniago, k., hidayat, r., eliza, f., & fadli, r. (2019). peningkatan kompetensi guru dalam penguasaan teknologi informasi dan komunikasi melalui pelatihan pengembangan media pembelajaran berbasis android. jtev (jurnal teknik elektro dan vokasional), 5(2), 102-109. nalendra, r., wiyokusumo, i., & leksono, i. p. (2020). the effect of learning model learning learning with youtube versus media flash card media and learning motivation on learning outcomes in english. journal of english educational study (jees), 3(2), 129-139. nguyen, c. d., & boers, f. (2019). the effect of content retelling on vocabulary uptake from a ted talk. tesol quarterly, 53(1), 5-29. novita, l., sukmanasa, e., & pratama, m. y. (2019). penggunaan media pembelajaran video terhadap hasil belajar siswa sd. indonesian journal of primary education, 3(2), 64-72. nurmukhamedov, u., & sharakhimov, s. (2021). corpus-based vocabulary analysis of english podcasts. relc journal, 1-15. nurmukhamedov, u., & webb, s. (2019). lexical coverage and profiling. language teaching, 52(02), 188–200. parede, m. r., mogea, t., & andreas, f. a. (2022). improving students' vocabulary by visual media. jotell: journal of teaching english, linguistics, and literature, 1(9), 1049-1056. pasaribu, s. p. y., hutasoit, r. d., & sihombing, y. n. (2022). enhancing student’s vocabulary by using flashcard media via google classroom during covid-19. edukatif: jurnal ilmu pendidikan, 4(1), 227-232. puspitarini, y. d., & hanif, m. (2019). using learning media to increase learning motivation in elementary school. anatolian journal of education, 4(2), 53-60. qian, d. d., & lin, l. h. (2019). the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and language proficiency. the routledge handbook of vocabulary studies, 66-80. romadhon, l. r., mutiarani, & hadi, m. s. (2021). the use of flashcard media in improving students’ ability in learning vocabulary at english class vii an-nurmaniah junior high school. getsempena english education journal , 8(2), 361-372. sage, k., krebs, b., & grove, r. (2019). flip, slide, or swipe? learning outcomes from paper, computer, and tablet flashcard. technology, knowledge, and learning, 24(3), 461–482. sage, k., piazzini, m., downey iv, j. c., & ewing, s. (2020). flip it or click it: equivalent learning of vocabulary from paper, laptop, and smartphone flashcards. journal of educational technology systems, 49(2), 145-169., sherley, y., ardian, q. j., & kurnia, w. (2021). rancang bangun sistem informasi media pembelajaran berbasis website (studi kasus: bimbingan belajar de potlood). jurnal teknologi dan sistem informasi, 2(3), 136-147. stoeckel, t., mclean, s., & nation, p. (2021). limitations of size and levels tests of written receptive vocabulary knowledge. studies in second language acquisition, 43(1), 181-203. sun, y., & dang, t. n. y. (2020). vocabulary in highschool efl textbooks: texts and learner knowledge. system, 93, 102279. widodo, s. a. (2018). selection of learning media mathematics for junior school students. turkish online journal of educational technologytojet, 17(1), 154-160. bambang nur alamsyah lubis, rakhmat wahyudin sagala, & khairun niswa flashcard media effectiveness in enriching students’ english vocabulary at vocational school 160 judul dalam bahasa indonesia, ditulis dengan huruf tnr-14 bold, maksimal 14 kata, rata kiri english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 227 the use of request strategies of industrial engineering students yoga prihatin department of english education, universitas pancasakti tegal, indonesia e-mail: yogaprihatin@yahoo.com nur aflahatun department of english education, universitas pancasakti tegal, indonesia e-mail: nuraflahatun@gmail.com apa citation: prihatin, y., & aflahatun, n. (2020). the use of request strategies of industrial engineering students. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 227-236. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.1994. received: 12-10-2020 accepted: 02-03-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: the aim of this study is to investigate the types of the request strategy used by industrial engineering students as efl learners. using qualitative data, this study discusses the use of request strategy in case-based teaching of foreign languages. the participants of the study are 37 industrial engineering students who learnt english in the second semester. the testing instruments used were discourse completion task. for this aim, a discourse completion test was used to generate data related to the request strategies by each group. selection of request situation in discourse completion test was based on three social factors of relative social distance, power, and rank of imposition. the participants’ responses were analyzed according to the classifications of request strategy by blum-kulka & olshtain. the case study findings indicate that 57% of industrial engineering students’ responses mostly use conventional indirect strategies, 29.2 % responses are direct strategies, and 13 % responses belong to non-conventional indirect strategies. 49.7 % responses belong to query preparatory. 17.8 % responses are identified as explicit performatives, 10.3 % responses categorized as want statements, 9.2 % responses classified as strong hints, 6.5 % responses grouped as mild hints, 4.9 % responses recognized as suggestive formulas, and 1.6 % responses indicated as mood derivable. the indirectness is greatly influenced by students’ cultural background, which belong to high-context culture. people in high context culture refer to the value cultures placing on indirect communication. a message is understood with a great deal of gesture, facial expressions, tone of voice, eye contact, body language, posture, and other ways people can communicate without using language. the findings of this study may set pedagogical implications for teachers, and learners of efl therefore conducting a further field investigation is recommended to have in depth exploration about request strategies made by efl learners. keywords: industrial engineering students; request strategy; indirectness; direct strategies; high-context culture. introduction the study of request speech act has been widely investigated by wichmann (2004), derakhshan & arabmofrad (2018), saadatmandi, m., modarres, s., and pourdana (2018) herget and pérez (2019). the findings obtained in those studies help the teacher to concentrate overcoming problematic aspects in pragmatic, discover, and employ strategies and activities to improve students’ pragmatic competence and solve difficulties in intercultural communication. other studies of the importance of explicit teaching of indirect strategies used in english requests also have been conducted (al aamri, 2014; bitterlin, johnson, price, ramirez, & savage, 2008; mccarthy, mccarten, & sandiford, 2014; soars & soars, 2010). following the previous studies and blum-kulka & house as cited in anhangari & shoghli (2011) shows that social/contextual variables in certain situations influence the speaker's speech directly or indirectly, this study focuses on the indonesian learners’ requests. due to the complexity of speech acts such as in the field of interlanguage pragmatics, vásquez and sharpless (2009) highlighted the importance of teaching pragmatics to efl learners avoiding devotion made by efl learners due to the complexity of speech acts such as request learned by l2 learners. the difficulty or deviation of certain speech acts is strongly influenced by social, cultural, situational, and personal factors of the speaker. these factors are actually quite important in shaping the end of the linguistic output of l2 students. mailto:yogaprihatin@yahoo.com yoga prihatin & nur aflahatun the use of request strategies of industrial engineering students 228 to obtain the goals of communication and to promote pragmatic ability of efl learners, it is necessary for the learners to understand speech acts, namely the use of request spoken in their utterances and find out strategies used by learners to achieve their communication purposes in different countries. by recognizing and understanding request strategy usage helping them to be more pragmatically and culturally aware of their own utterances (hussein & albakri, 2019), therefore investigating request strategy used by industrial engineering learners in indonesia enriches the references of pragmatic research. efl learners may find similarity and differences among different countries in which english is taught as the foreign language. brown and levinson in yazdanfar & bonyadi (2016) stated request is the face threatening acts (ftas); because speakers impose their will on listeners. brown and levinson in liu & allen (2014) propose, that facing the need to conduct an fta, individuals must choose between conducting an fta directly and efficiently and trying to reduce the effects of fta on the listener's face. when the speaker’s utterance is completed in a direct, clear, unambiguous, and concise way, he uses on record fta, on the other hand when the utterance is ambiguous in order for the interactant to not be held responsible for a particular intention of a future act, off record strategy is used. requests can be expressed in a variety of ways with different types of strategies and levels of directness. the most well-known empirical study of cross-cultural pragmatics was the crosscultural speech act realization project (ccsarp), by blum-kulka, house, and kasper in (daska which identified three levels of directness for 'request' speech actions: direct requests, conventional indirect requests, and nonconventional indirect request on social constraints, social distance and power, as well as on the level of imposition. it is very challenging and interesting to know the way industrial engineering students of universitas pancasakti tegal making requests from various situations provided in the discourse completion task. they should be efl learners at the intermediate level since they have learned english since they were in junior high school. this study analyzes 'request' strategies used by first-semester students of industrial engineering universitas pancasakti tegal. participants' responses were analyzed according to the classification of request strategies proposed by blum-kulka et al. in daskalovska, ivanovska, kusevska, & ulanska, 2016. learners are unable to master the target language without having language competence and this is the aim of language learning and teaching (daskalovska, ivanovska, kusevska, & ulanska, 2016). intercultural communication may not run well because of the different level of language competence in english language. request is one of speech acts used in communication. making a request needs strategy so it will not cause misapprehension. request strategy is compulsory choice of the level of directness in which the act of requesting is realized (blum-kulka et al. in mohamed, 2019). a request should be carefully made as misunderstanding may occur because of different cultural background. by making a request, the speaker violates on the recipient’s freedom from imposition. request imposes an intrusion or power play on the recipient’s freedom. a requester also very often hesitates to make a request as recipient’s lose face possibility takes place. both the speakers and the recipient’ face are at risks of face threatening acts of imposition on freedom of action (brown and levinson in amer et.al, 2020). however, there are crucial sociological factors in establishing level of directness in making request such as power, social distance, and imposition to save face threating act in making request. avoiding or minimizing impositions, speakers of efl learners tend to use more indirect request strategies resulting more polite requests and saving the recipients’ face. eslamirasekh in deveci & hmida (2017) stated that each culture constructs a different set of difficulties for learners to improve their own strategies in applying the speech act of request in english language. there are three categories of directness of request strategies (blum-kulka & olshtain in mohamed, 2019): a) direct strategies/explicit requests, such as imperatives: go to the room. i’m asking you to go to the room. i’d like to ask you to go to the room. you’ll have to go to room. i really wish you’d go to the room. b) conventionally indirect strategies (referring to contextual preconditions necessary for its performance as conventionalized in the language): how about going to the room? could you go to the room, please? english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 229 c) non-conventionally indirect strategies (hints) (partially referring to the object depending on contextual clues): you have left your room dirty. i’m a married. (in response to a persistent womanizer) communication is mostly performed without offending others wherever possible in indonesia. indirect communication mostly used by indonesian as messages exchanged in a highcontext culture carry implicit meanings with more information than they did actually spoken parts. this condition affects efl learners in indonesia when using english as a means of communication. (thomas in yazdanfar & bonyadi, 2016) indirect request can be defined as politeness. indonesians assume using indirect strategies make their request more interesting and resulting goals different from their partners, or when higher levels of politeness the three directness levels of request strategies are further categorized into nine sublevels of request strategy types ‘that form a scale of indirectness’ (table 1). the first five strategies are the direct level, the next two belong to the conventional indirect level, and the last two are the nonconventional indirect level. table 1. request categories proposed by blum-kulka no descriptive categories examples 1. direct strategies mood derivable (the grammatical mood of the verb in the utterance marks its illocutionary force as request) leave me alone! 2. explicit performative (explicitly named by the speaker) i’m asking you to leave alone. 3. hedged performative (utterances embedding the naming of the speaker’s intention) i would like to ask you to teach me. 4. obligation statement (the intention point is direct) you’ll have to clean up the mess. 5. want statement (the utterance expresses the intention of the speaker vice versa the fact that the hearer does) i really wish you to marry me. i really wish you to leave me alone. 6. convention ally indirect strategies suggestive formulae (the utterance contains suggestion) how about calling your advisor? why don’t you come and discuss the problems we have? 7. query preparatory (the utterance contains reference to prepatory conditions as conventionalized in any specific language) could you come to see me, please? would you mind coming to see me, please? 8. nonconvention ally indirect strategies strong hints (a) (the utterance has partial reference to object for the implementation of the act). you have left me without food to eat. 9. mild hints (b) (utterances do not refer but are interpretable through the context as requests). the baby is crying. furthermore, blum-kulka and olhstain in daskalovska, et. al (2016) speaker has various strategies in mitigating request depending on request perspectives, syntactic and other downgraders and upgraders and adjuncts to the head act. request perspectives categories are: a. speaker oriented (could i take you home?) b. hearer oriented (could you make up your bedroom?) c. speaker-hearer oriented (could we finish the dispute?) d. impersonal (it may be a good idea to finish the dispute) yoga prihatin & nur aflahatun the use of request strategies of industrial engineering students 230 syntactic downgraders include: a. the use of interrogatives (could you go?), b. negation (hi, i wonder if you wouldn't mind cleaning the room?) c. the past tense (i wanted to ask for a cancelation) d. embedded ‘if’ clause (i would happy it if you took me home). e. consultative devices (do you think i could borrow your lecture notes from yesterday?) f. understatements (could you tidy up a bit before i start?), g. hedges (it would really help if you did something about the kitchen) h. downtoners (will you be able perhaps to drive me?). communication style varies across cultures. people need to define the characteristics of both high context and low context culture in the interactions. hall in zhang (2019) speaker of high context culture often disguise the message they intend to deliver to keep harmonious relationship in the process of communication causing more miscommunication and misunderstanding especially when the communication occurs between the two person from different cultural background. on the other hand, speaker of low context culture expresses their message more dependently on context, and their intention need to be interpreted, and understood by the other side directly and clearly. indonesia is a country belongs to high context cultures, in which the social relationship, power, distance, and socio cultural norms impact on the way people talk each other stressing the aspect of cooperation in communication. indonesians consider the superiority and inferiority of the elder and the younger, and peers should use the way of lowering themselves and honoring others in order to be polite. the communication relies on the hearer ability to read ‘between the lines’ what is being spoken or written. meaning is not the intended message of the communicators. the hearers need to observe non-verbal behaviors. facial expressions, the tone, and pitch of the voice, gestures, and the physical distance between the communicators must be well noticed to avoid misunderstanding in the interaction as message is very little coded, explicit, or transmitted part of the message in a high context communication. jaliliafar (2009) concludes that the efl learners at advanced level of language proficiency overused the indirect request strategies relative to the excessive use of direct request strategies by less proficient efl learners. interruption is not highly likely to happen as communication in a linear way. it is indirect, ambiguous, and harmonious, reserved, and understated (gudykunst and ting-toomey: 1988). high context culture speakers are not able to provide enough contextual information in their sentences and even in their body language to take every fact of what they do and say seriously when communicating with someone from a different background (holliday, et. al, 2010). the hearer must be able to read the between the line to understand fully what the speaker’s intention. the hearer needs his knowledge of speaker’s cultural background to read between the lines because there are so many cultural influences involve in communication. in a low context culture, as hall in zhang (2019) explains, communication style is very direct, clear, and straightforward. meanings are explicitly stated giving little room for confusion or interpretation. further explanation will be informed details to make up for what is missing in the context (both internal and external), when meaning negotiation stuck. communication is a way of exchanging information, ideas, and opinions by using clear meaningful words. it is precise, dramatic, open, and based on feelings or true intentions based on trust builder relationship it is easier to interpret the interaction of people in low context culture since they say what they mean to say. implicit meaning is less used in the conversation, it does not need much effort to understand the speaker’s intention minimizing misunderstanding between the speaker and the hearer. method this case study aims to analyze the requests strategies made by students of industrial engineering and to investigate the possible factors influencing the strategies related to literatures. the participants of the study are 37 industrial engineering students at intermediate level in universitas pancasakti tegal. to collect the data, the participants were given task instruction in the form of discourse completion tests (dct) to investigate the extent of the learners’ pragmatic competence in making requests. dct is the most popular method deployed by researchers in interlanguage pragmatics despite some drawbacks (brown, 2008). five situations were provided for participants in written dct form based on social distance, level of power, and level of imposition. the given situations are listeners have a lower status, the english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 231 listener has an equal status, or the listener has a higher status. the examples of distance are the other person knows each other, or they do not know each other, and the level of imposition can be low or high. participants' pragmatic competencies were challenged to use effective request strategies by means of the dct. they had to write what they would say in the given context. data was analyzed by using coding scheme, and crosscultural speech acts (ccsarp). the schematized ccsarp request strategy covers three categories: direct, conventional indirect and indirect nonconventional which are further elaborated as a nine-point scale. the data accumulated through dct were analyzed and categorized according to the type and frequency of the strategies used by students. dct instruments this study used discourse completion task (dct) in eliciting students’ request strategy. the task describes the setting and situation including the information of social distance, relative power and the degree of imposition between the participants in the scenario. the students completed the five given situation below by creating a dialogue of request strategies for each situation; situation 1 create a dialogue of request to a person of superior status. you meet your lecturer in his office and ask his permission to have make-up test. situation 2 create a dialogue of request to a person friend (equal status) you ask your friends to help you doing group assignment. situation 3 create a dialogue of request to a friend (equal status). you have a new friend on facebook. you ask him to meet up in person. situation 4 create a dialogue of request to a person of superior status you ask your parents to give you money for university tuition. situation 5 create a dialogue of request to a stranger. you meet a stranger at the street and ask him the direction to hospital. results and discussion categories of directness of request strategies the following table is the type of request strategies and the frequencies of request strategy occurrence used by industrial engineering students in english class. the analysis of the participants’ responses was based directness categories of request strategies proposed by blum-kulka & olsthain in mohamed (2019). table 2. categories of directness of request strategies dct direct strategy conventional indirect strategy non-conventional indirect strategy total students class a class b class a class b class a class b s1 10 5 9 9 4 37 s2 10 15 7 4 1 37 s3 5 7 12 10 2 1 37 s4 5 8 9 6 5 4 37 s5 2 1 13 15 4 2 37 frequency 23 31 60 47 12 12 185 percentage 12.4 16.8 32.4 25.4 6.5 6.5 100% (blum-kulka&olshtainin mohamed, 2019) figure 1. categories of directness of request strategies yoga prihatin & nur aflahatun the use of request strategies of industrial engineering students 232 the findings show that 57% or 107 out of 185 industrial engineering students’ responses mostly use conventional indirect strategies, 29.2 % or 44 responses are direct strategies, and 13 % or 24 responses belong to non-conventional indirect strategies. most of the responses in all situations related to social distance, level of power, and level of imposition, are indirect both conventional and non-conventional strategies. cultural background influences much the way indonesians communicate each other in their daily conversation. the learners of english as a foreign language in indonesia tend to express their request indirectly since the characteristics of indonesians do not convey their ideas explicitly. in high context culture such as indonesia the purpose of communication is to maintain and strengthen the relationships by minimizing the hearer’s face threat. the use of indirect also request ensures the harmony within the speaker and the hearer in high context culture. non-verbal behavior involves in any communication to hide negative comments. it is not what is said with words but how it is said and expressed. by using 70 % of indirect strategies in making requests, industrial engineering students in universitas pancasakti tegal seem to trust the non-verbal messages more, rather than the words used as mentioned previously as one of characters of high context culture. they tend to not expressing a clear request for saving face of both speaker and the hearer. indirect strategies or by not saying something directly is indicating politeness, especially when the speaker considers him/herself powerless compared to the hearer as chiravate in sukarno (2018) stated that request is proposing someone to perform something which is rewarding to the speaker but costly to the hearer, and therefore politeness strategies are employed. the purpose of indirect strategies used by industrial engineering students are mostly to keep the communication stay in harmony by minimizing imposition or face threatening act whereas nearly 30% of direct strategies usage occurs when the speaker considers that his/her power is equal to that of the hearer’s, the speaker tends to use direct strategy in posing requests. this may be due to the fact that there is less risk of threatening the face of the hearer as in the situation 3. the use of indirect strategy in making request is contradictory with in low context culture. low context communication runs very differently to high context communication systems. lowcontext cultures lean to stress logic and rationality, based on an objective truth that can be reached through linear processes of discovery. cross-cultural studies indicate that people raised in western cultures would rather have global rules than those raised in eastern cultures such as indonesia. norenzayan et al. (2002) stated that western preferred to characterize based on formal rules, whereas eastern decided based on family resemblance. therefore, the hearer comprehends the message clearly minimizing misunderstanding especially in cross-cultural communication. nine sub-levels of request strategy the nine sub-levels of request strategy types form a scale of indirectness. direct level has five sub level categories, mood derivable, explicit perfomative, obligation statement, and want statement. the next two belong to the conventional indirect level, they are suggestive formulae, and query preparatory. the last two are the non-conventional indirect level; strong hints, and mild hints. table 3. nine sub-levels of request strategy no descriptive categories class a class b frequency percentage 1. direct strategies mood derivable 3 3 1.6 2. explicit performative 12 21 33 17.8 3. hedged performative 4. obligation statement 5. want statement 13 6 19 10.3 6. conventional ly indirect strategies suggestive formulae 6 3 9 4.9 7. query preparatory 48 44 92 49.7 8. nonconventional strong hints (a) 11 6 17 9.2 9. mild hints (b) 5 7 12 6.5 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 233 ly indirect strategies total responses 95 90 185 100 % (blum-kulka, 1987) the findings show that query preparatory is used most significantly and mood derivable constitutes the least frequently used in making request. the table shows that 49.7 % or 92 out of 185 responses belong to query preparatory. 17.8 % or 33 responses are identified as explicit performatives, 10.3 % or 19 responses categorized as want statements, 9.2 % or 17 responses classified as strong hints, 6.5 % or 12 responses grouped as mild hints, 4.9 % or 9 responses recognized as suggestive formulas, and 1.6 % or 3 responses indicated as mood derivable. the following is a further explanation of the examples of each sub-level of request strategy. the following request in situation 1 is conventional indirect strategy belong to query preparatory: “excuse me, sir. may i have a make-up test for today?” the example of conventional indirect strategy belongs to suggestive formulae in situation 2. “how about doing physics assignment tomorrow?” the speaker’s indirect requests to the hearer of higher or superior status (situation 1) and of equal status (situation 2) indicate that she or he is trying to save his or her own face and the hearer’s. it is the way for the speaker to minimize the imposition by employing indirect strategies rather than direct ones. by minimizing the imposition on the hearer, the speaker is avoiding the embarrassment on the hearer or even selfembarrassment. the desired goal of communication may not be reached but it can maintain their good interpersonal relationship by making appropriate request. the example of a request strategy in situation 3 belongs to direct strategy want statement: “hi, i want to meet you.” direct strategy belongs to explicit performative in situation 4. “mom, i ask for money to pay the semester test.” the speaker’s direct requests to the hearer of equal status (situation 3) and of superior status (situation 4) are clear, and brief. its illocutionary purpose is to get the hearer to do something. the more transparent it is the less of a burden the hearer bears in interpreting the request. the direct request made is surprising, as people of high context culture such as indonesians tend to use some more complex means of persuasion rather than simply asking. non-conventional indirect strategy belongs to mild hints in situation 5. “excuse me, sir. the hospital is on the buqeinville street closed to the bank.” the speaker’s request to the stranger implies indirectness. the speaker wants to put imposition on the hearer to show the direction to the hospital. the use of indirectness implicitly gives small burden on the hearer the pleasure to perform the speaker’s need. the mild hints used lightly state the recent situation of being in need of showing direction. in this situation, the speaker troubled the hearer less to do the speaker’s intention. non-conventional indirect strategy belongs to strong hints in situation 4. “mom today is the last day to pay.” the indirectness shows the strong hints to a person of superior status the last day to pay university tuition. the utterance has partial reference to object for the implementation of the act and intents to impose more on the reference by using gentle reprimand ‘the last day’ to show respect and politeness to the person of superior status ‘his/her mom.’ to mitigate or soften the effect of speech acts, speaker may choose to state their utterances indirectly. indirect requests can be intended to save face and to show respect, particularly in indonesian cultures. face-saving can be the speakers’ intention to maintain the relationship such as in indonesian cultures (social utility; yoon, tessler, goodman, & frank, 2016). a speaker with a high weight on social utility will try to save her listener’s face: she hides or risks losing information in her intended message by making her utterance false to some degree. direct strategy belongs to mood derivable in situation 2. “go home, do group assignment, please.’ the grammatical mood of the verb in the utterance marks its illocutionary force as request. the speaker uses direct strategy to convey the message reducing the occurrence of misapprehension. when the request is clearly stated, the objective of the communication will be simply achieved. the other findings also show that request perspectives categories frequently used by students is hearer oriented and the syntactic yoga prihatin & nur aflahatun the use of request strategies of industrial engineering students 234 downgrader mostly used is interrogative frequently to show indirectness and politeness: situation 1: “may i meet you tomorrow?’ situation 2: “can you help me doing assignment?’ situation 3: ‘would you meet me at alun-alun tegal to night?” situation 4: “mom, can i have money fro semester test?” situation 5: “can you show me the direction to the hospital around here?” conclusion indirectness are mostly used by indonesian efl learners in response to the given situations regardless social distance, level of power, and level of imposition. they are conventional indirect strategies and non-conventional. the indirectness is greatly influenced by students’ cultural background, which belong to highcontext culture. the use a lot of unspoken information is used to place a larger importance on long-term relationships and loyalty. people in high context culture such as the students of universitas pancasakti tegal refer to the value cultures placing on indirect communication. communication occurs by relying much on cultural information background and non-verbal behavior. a message is understood with a great deal of gesture, facial expressions, tone of voice, eye contact, body language, posture, and other ways people can communicate without using language. it sometimes causes misunderstanding during the communication therefore providing clarification is needed if the communication does not run well. understanding what the speaker intends fully, a listener must employ their ability to “read between the lines.” the finding of the current study has implications for english teachers in all educational setting, especially at university level in recognizing the strategies used by engineering students of universitas pancasakti tegal. the finding can be used for efl learners to enrich their pragmatic knowledge, and crosscultural understanding to avoid communication breakdowns, since learners will aware more the differences in using request strategy and noticing the fta. industrial engineering students of universitas pancasakti tegal do not represent all efl learners in indonesia. they are not homogeneous in english competency, which may have some effects on the results of this study therefore further studies need to expose efl learners to various types of request strategies in the different situations. references al aamri, r. (2014). teaching speech acts to efl college-level omani learners: requests and refusals (unpublished master’s thesis). wisconsin: university of wisconsin–river falls. anhangari, s., & shoghli, m. (2011). investigating request strategies between iranian efl learners and canadian native speakers of english in various social situations. international conference on languages, literature and linguistics ipedr vol.26, singapore: iacsit press. amer, f., buragohain, d., & suryani, i. (2020). politeness strategies in making requests in jordanian call-centre interactions. education and linguistics research, 6(1), 69-86. doi: 10.5296/elr.v6i1.16283. bitterlin, g., johnson, d., price, d., ramirez, s., & savage, l. (2008). ventures. cambridge: cambridge university press. brown, j. d. (2008). raters, functions, item types and the dependability of l2 pragmatics tests. in e. alcón soler & a. martínez-flor (eds.), investigating pragmatics in foreign language learning, teaching and testing (pp. 213-219). bristol, england: multilingual matters. choe, y. (2005). intercultural conflict patterns and intercultural training implications for koreans. international area studies review, 5, 111-128. doi: 10.1177/223386590200500106. cohen, a. (2010). coming to terms with pragmatics. in n. ishihara, & a. cohen (eds.), teaching and learning pragmatics: where language and culture meet (pp. 3-21). london: pearson. daskalovska, n., ivanovska, b., kusevska, m., & ulanska, t. (2016). the use of request strategies by efl learners. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 232, 55-61. derakhshan, a., & arabmofrad, a. (2108). the impact of instruction on the pragmatic comprehension of speech acts of apology, request, and refusal among iranian intermediate efl learners. english teaching & learning 42, 75–94 (2018). doi: 10.1007/s42321-018-0004-6. devecia, t & hmida, i. b. (2017). the request speech act in emails by arab university students in the uae. journal of language and linguistic studies, 13(1), 194-214. guest, m. (2009). is english really low-context? the daily yomiuri. tokyo; japan. herget, k., & pérez, n. (2019). analysis of the speech act of request in the foreign language classroom. 5th international conference on higher education advances (head’19) universitat polit`ecnica de val`encia, val`encia, doi: 10.4995/head19.2019.9097. holliday, a., hyde, m., & kullman, j. (2010). intercultural communication: an advanced resource book for students. new york: routledge. hussein, n., & albakri, i. (2019). the importance of the speech act of request in the iraqi efl https://doi.org/10.1007/s42321-018-0004-6 https://doi.org/10.1007/s42321-018-0004-6 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 235 classroom. international journal of english research 5(2), 95-98. hussein, n., & albakri, i. (2019). the role of strategies on developing iraqi learners’ usage of request in efl classroom. international journal of english, literature and social science, 4(5), 1337-1341. jalilifar, a. (2009). request strategies: cross-sectional study of iranian efl learners and australian native speakers. english language teaching, 2(1), 46-61. liu, x., & allen, t.j. (2014). a study of linguistic politeness in japanese. open journal of modern linguistics, 4, 651-663. mccarthy, m., mccarten, j. & sandiford, h. (2014). touchstone (2nd ed.). cambridge: cambridge university press. mcnamara, t. f., & roever, c. (2006). language testing: the social dimension. oxford, uk: basil blackwell. mitkovska, l., kusevska, m., & buzarovska, e. (2013). corpus investigations of the english interlanguage of macedonian learners. skopje: fon university. mohamed, h. (2019). request strategies and level of request directness in moroccan arabic and american english. iosr journal of humanities and social science, 24(8), 10-20. norenzayan, a., smith, e. e., kim, b. j., & nisbett, r. e. (2002). cultural preferences for formal versus intuitive reasoning. cognitive science, 26, 653-684. soars, j., & soars, l. (2010). american headway (2nd ed.). oxford: oxford university press. sukarno. (2018). politeness strategies, linguistic markers and social contexts in delivering requests in javanese. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 7(3), 659-667. saadatmandi, m., modarres, s., & pourdana, k. n. (2018). teaching english pragmatic features in efl context: a focus on request speech acts. theory and practice in language studies, 8(7) 829-835. doi: 10.17507/tpls.0807.14. vásquez, c., & sharpless, d. (2009). the role of pragmatics in the master’s tesol curriculum: findings from a nationwide survey. tesol quarterly, 43(1), 5–28. wichmann, a. (2004). the intonation of pleaserequest: a corpus-based study. journal of pragmatics, 36, 1521-1549. doi: 10.1016/j.pragma.2004.03.003. yazdanfar, s., & bonyadi, a. (2016). request strategies in everyday interactions of persian and english speakers. sage open october-december: 1-11. doi: 10.1177/2158244016679473. yoon, e. j., tessler, m. h., goodman, n. d., & frank, m. c. (2016). talking with tact: polite language as a balance between kindness and informativity. proceedings of the thirty-eighth annual conference of the cognitive science society. zarepour, f. (2016). an analysis of iranian efl learners’ english written requestive e-mails. journal of language teaching and research, 7(3), 579-585. zhang, c. (2019). a study on politeness principle of intercultural communication of hcc and lcc. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 345. conference: proceedings of the 2019 3rd international seminar on education, management and social sciences (isemss 2019). doi: 10.2991/isemss19.2019.141. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2004.03.003 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2004.03.003 https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016679473 yoga prihatin & nur aflahatun the use of request strategies of industrial engineering students 236 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 119 higher order thinking skills among english teachers across generation in efl classroom mursyid english education magister program, faculty of arts and language, state university of jakarta, indonesia e-mail: mursyid_pb17s2@mahasiswa.unj.ac.id nia kurniawati english education study program, suryakancana university, indonesia e-mail: nia@unsur.ac.id apa citation: mursyid, m., & kurniawati, n. (2019). higher order thinking skills among english teachers across generation in efl classroom. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 119-124. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1775. received: 25-01-2019 accepted: 22-03-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: higher order thinking skills are the next cognitive ability to evaluate, analyze and create. it is a must for english teachers across generation (baby boomers, generation x, and generation y) to grasp and implement the idea of hots in their classrooms. teaching english in efl setting certainly forces the teachers to have expertise in planning the learning activities that would foster students’ thinking skills, especially their hots. this study aims at investigating the perceptions, the practice, and the constraints in endorsing higher order thinking skills in teaching foreign language. this case study involved seven senior high school english teachers from three generations (baby boomers, generation x, and generation y). data were collected through open-ended questionnaire, classroom observation, and document analysis for triangulation purpose. data were then categorized and classified to form themes for the study. the results showed that teachers from all generation are aware of hots and they are applying it in their teaching in a different way. however, some obstacles are still found in incorporating hots in their classroom. keywords: efl; english teaching strategies; generation theory; hots. introduction the demand of 21st century in education comes with the need of thinking ability which is called as higher order thinking skills. many experts have mentioned that higher order thinking skills (hots) and students’ academic performance are interrelated. in this sense, students who learn with critical thinking skills often perform well in their education (tam & linh, 2017). the use of hots is significant for educational process especially in teaching and learning. learners’ thinking ability in learning can affect the effectiveness of learning itself. the skills cover all kind of ability of the abstract skills, including critical thinking skills and problems solving skills (nourdad, masoudi, & rahimali, 2018). those thinking skills are needed in nowadays situation in which students are forced to use their critical thinking skills to solve their problems. as for example, students can use their thinking skills to analyze and choose correct information from the internet and students can also create new idea to write a report or to present their finding about a social phenomenon at school. that is why higher order thinking is urgent for students. the urgent needs of critical thinking skills has been stated by reid (2014) that students become self-conscious and self-monitoring to what they think about strategies to solve the problem. self-conscious means students aware of what they are learning and self-monitoring means that students reflect about their ability and barrier to solve the problems. the ability to solve the problem is one of the thinking skills that human need in current situation. the theory of human thinking skills was classified by benjamin bloom in the beginning of his publication entitled educational objectives: the classroom of the educational goals. it was the original version explaining the learning objectives and thinking ability. according to weay, masood, and abdullah (2016), bloom divides the educational objectives into three, namely cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domain. in the bloom taxonomy, cognitive domain is classified into six levels, namely knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. affective domain is classified into five levels, namely receiving, responding, valuing, organizing, and characterizing. meanwhile, psychomotor domain mursyid & nia kurniawati higher order thinking skills among english teachers across generation in efl classroom 120 is classified into seven levels, namely perception, set, guided response, mechanism, complex over response, adaptation, and origination. those three educational objectives are then popularly known as bloom taxonomy. on the other hand, anderson and krathwohl (2001) as cited in harris et al., (2014) declare the new cognitive domain which include remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. the differences between the original and revised version are on the analyzing, evaluating and creating that previously are analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating. thus, the new version states creating is the highest thinking ability and remembering is the lowest thinking ability. further, the thinking skills are not only categorized based on cognitive domain, but also based on cognitive levels. basically, there are three categories of cognitive levels including lots, mods, and hots. in this sense, remembering is categorized as lower order thinking skills (lots); understanding and applying are categorized as middle order thinking skills (mods); and the next cognitive ability to evaluate, analyze and create are categorizes as higher order thinking skills (hots). as stated by rajendran and idris (2008) in chidozie (2014), higher order thinking skills involve the need of analysis, evaluation, and creation or production as thinking skills. as parts of hots, analyzing is an ability to break information into parts and to arrange the useful information; evaluating is the ability to reflect to something and make judgment; and creating is the highest ability to generate new ideas or concepts. the process of learning and gaining new knowledge should pass the lower order thinking before goes to the higher order levels. therefore, learner should remember, understand, and apply the knowledge to reach the next cognition (rosli & maarof, 2016). thus, it means that thinking is an order sequence process and it is not a sudden process. higher order thinking skills always become hot issue in education (latief, pabbajah, & karim, 2016). the importance of those thinking skills has been acknowledged since decades ago. thus, it can be assumed that hots should not have become a problem for teachers from all generation to incorporate it in their classroom. basically, there are three generations of teacher nowadays. first, whoever born between the years 1945 and 1964 is typically called baby boomers. they who were born between 1965 and 1979, the smallest generation, are called digital immigrants or gen x. the newest generation, gen y, is whoever born between 1980 and 1999. other names for this generation include millennial, echo-boomers, and net gen (gibson, greenwood, & murphy, 2009). in the teaching and learning process, teachers should have the ability to design and execute hots integrated with subject matter (sutarto, 2017). basically, hots can only be activated when individuals encounter unfamiliar problems that need to solve in complex, non-routine and non-structured solution. yet, as revealed by margana and widyantoro (2017), students in indonesia are developed under the basis of lots cognitive level. hence, this study intends to find out: 1) the teachers’ perception towards hots, 2) the implementation of hots in the classroom, and 3) the constraints faced by teachers in implementing hots in efl classroom. method this descriptive qualitative study was conducted at sman 2 cianjur, a public senior high in the center of cianjur, by involving senior high school teachers from different generations. the teachers are members of english teacher association in cianjur. it is an organization where teachers from various schools gather together as forum communication among english teachers. the data in this study were collected through open-ended questionnaire, document analysis, and interview. first, the open-ended questionnaire consists of 16 questions which explore the teachers’ perspective, the application, and the constraints faced by teachers in implementing hots. questions numbers 1-5 ask about the teachers’ perception and understanding on higher order thinking skills. questions numbers 6-10 ask how teachers apply the concept of higher order thinking skills on students’ learning. then, questions number 11-16 try to analyze constraints faced by teachers in implementing higher order thinking skills in the classroom. second, documents are in the form of teachers’ lesson plan. finally, the interview is conducted to teachers participated in this study. the data were then analyzed descriptively. results and discussion the discussion will be divided into three subsections following the central themes of this study, namely the teachers’ perception towards english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 121 hots, the implementation of hots in the classroom, and the constraints faced by teachers in implementing hots in efl classroom. to make relevant comparison, the study compares only two generations which are mostly active on teaching in current years; they are teachers from generation x and y. basically, there are three elements assessed, namely comprehension to theory, point of view on hots, and perception based on importance. teachers’ perception toward hots to explore teachers’ perspective and understanding, questions number 1-5 in the questionnaire covers what teachers know about the theory of hots, teachers’ opinion about students having hots, teachers’ understanding on preparing the teaching, etc. when a teacher from generation baby boomers (gen bb) is asked about what s/he knows about hots, the teacher states: “it is the way where thinking is levelled. higher order thinking skills refer to the ability to evaluate, analyse and create.” the teacher has been teaching for years so that s/he really knows about the definition and the importance of hots for students. the teacher knows that the ability to evaluate, analyse, and create are strongly needed by students. then, when two teachers from generation x are asked with the same question about what they know about hots, both have same answers: “hots (higher order thinking skills) are the ability of thinking in high level in order to help students to prepare their future.” the teacher from generation x seems to know the definition of high level thinking. teachers from this generation want to prepare their students for better life in the future. it implies that they were focusing on students’ life. more description on teachers’ perspective came from gen y teachers as the youngest generation. they were teachers who just started teaching so that they have less than five-years experiences of teaching. one of them provides the following response: “i personally don’t know much about hots. but i ever heard that in curriculum material development (cmd) subject in my college.” from the statement, it can be seen that the gen y teacher does not know about hots since s/he has lack of experience in teaching. the next finding is related to teachers’ opinion on students with higher order thinking skills. there are two teachers who gave clear response concerning their view on their critical students: (#1) students can perform in higher order thinking skills such as in creating text. (#5) i assume that students with hots will be more active, have higher understanding, and become creative thinkers. teacher #1 is from gen bb and teacher #5 is from gen y. from the statement, it can be clearly seen that the gen bb teacher tends to see hots as the highest level on the result of thinking that is creating. meanwhile, the gen y teacher sees the general view on their students. from the discussion, it is revealed that teachers from generation bb and x have well understanding about hots. this generation is senior teachers. they are capable on pedagogical theory, including blooms’ taxonomy. regarding their understanding about hots, they know that hots covers the ability to evaluate, to analyse and to create something. the data of the teachers’ perception towards hots are depicted at the following tables. table 1. gen bb teachers’ perception towards hots elements teacher: generation bb comprehension to theory teachers understand the definition and theory related to hots. they also know that hots covers the ability to evaluate, to analyse, and to create. point of view on hots teachers view students who have higher order thinking skills can create or product something like create a text, for example. perception based on importance hots are important for students and their future. from table 1, it was clear that teachers from generation bb completely comprehend the concept of hots. it was because they have experience on teaching for years. however, they will be retired for some next years, so that teachers from newer generations should learn more about thinking skills from the gen bb teachers. mursyid & nia kurniawati higher order thinking skills among english teachers across generation in efl classroom 122 table 2. gen x teachers’ perception towards hots elements teacher: generation x comprehension to theory teachers know that higher order thinking skills used as the way for levelling the thinking ability. teachers know that hots include the ability to evaluate, to analyse, and to create. point of view on hots students can perform by using higher orders, such as creating and explaining concept both in written and oral text. perception based on importance hots are important for students to understand such concepts. from the table, it can be seen that the generation x teachers have already known hots concepts as the highest level in thinking skill. furher, they realized that it covers several stages such as evaluating, analysing or synthesizing and creating. they also consider it as important skill to be mastered by the students. teacher has implemented the theory on the practice of learning reading and writing, such as in creating a text about certain theme. teachers from generation y have enough understanding on hots, but they still find difficulties to use the theory in practice. because of the lack of experience, the teachers from this generation have perception that students’ higher order thinking skills will develop depending on situation. the gen y teachers’ perceptions on hots are presented in table 3. table 3. gen y teachers’ perception towards hots elements teacher: generation y comprehension on hots teachers only know that thinking ability with high levels is called as hots. point of view related to hots it can help the students, but they still face various difficulties to use it on that way. perception based on importance hots demand students to create something. the data shows that the teachers from generation y only recognize hots as thinking ability. they mentioned that hots is important, but it is still very difficult to be implemented in efl classroom since it demands students to create a product. finally, the analysis reveals that each generation perecieved hots differently. surprisingly, generation x exceed the expectation that they have no sufficeient understanding on hots concept. they even understand hots concepts much better than gen y teachers. this finding has proven that different age and experience of teachers affect the teachers’ perception on the implementation of hots. in short, teachers’ perceptions are strongly influenced by experience. the praxis of hots in efl classroom this study reveals interesting data regarding the practice of hots in efl classrooms by the english teachers from two different generations. the data is gained from questionnaire and teachers’ lesson plans. the questionnaire covers the teacher perceptions and their daily teaching experience on teaching language by levels. the lesson plan is then used as a comparison. the result of the analysis is summarized in the following table. table 3. the practice of hots in efl classroom hots implementation gen xs gen ys teacher preparation develop lesson plan, prepare the teaching material, prepare the multimedia and learning activity with various text. read a lot and prepare media or materials to be given to the students. classroom practice involving students in such activities that demand them to evaluate collaboratively stimulating the students by observing the activity related to text. multimedia usage yes yes students’ activity discussion, presentation, discovery, project and problem based learning. activities are designed to make students use their optimum thinking skills. reading speaking writing listening english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 123 it is interesting to know that there are some similarities as well as differences among english teachers accross generations in implementing hots in their classroom. there are several points used as the indicator to see similarities or differences between the two generation; preparation, implementation, and evaluation to the students. regarding the preparation, basically, all of the teachers develop lesson plan and prepare the materials comprehensively. the teachers from gen x also read before teaching and the teachers from gen y practice the teaching technique beforehand. these two activities show the teachers’ professional competence. as professional, preparation is an important key to provide aligned learning and assessment for students. next, in practice, the analysis shows a different way of practice. first, the teachers from gen x involve the students in such activities that foster collaboration among students, such as project based learning and problem based learning. then, the gen y teachers prefer to stimulate the students through observation activity. the observation is the very beginning process of learning. the activity designed by the teachers from gen y is still at the low cognitive level, including remembering until applying. however, surprisingly, the gen y teachers admitted to not implement hots in their classrooms, but they focus on text exploration on understanding level. moreover, teachers from both generations have utilized multimedia in their teaching and they have varied the students’ activities. the gen x involve discussion, presentation, discovery, project based learning and problem based learning for the students’ activity. meanwhile, the gen y teachers choose the language comptence-based activities; they prefer discussion, watching english movie or listening to english songs for their classroom activities. the different practice among them might appear due to teaching hours and experience. the gen xs, in this case, have more teaching hours and experience compared to gen ys. constraints faced by teachers in implementing hots in efl classroom implementing hots in the classroom is not an easy task. teachers must be encountering many obstacles. from the interview, it is found that teachers face various constraints in implementing hots in efl classroom as the following. 1) teachers’ limited knowledge in choosing operational words. 2) lack of experience in developing lesson plan based on thinking skill that is suitbale with basic competence. 3) teachers’ lack of ability in infusing creativitities to classroom activities. 4) teachers too focus on transferring the knowledge rather than practicing students’ metacognitive and thinking skills. conclusion from the analysis, it can be concluded that the gen x teachers have shown more understanding on hots concepts compared to gen y teachers. they also applied it in their classroom in various ways and have utilized multimedia. meanwhile, the gen ys admitted to not implement hots in their classroom yet. this condition might appear due to different experience among them. the baby boomers who have more teaching hours are benefitted to have more knowledge and skills from their experience. conversely, the gen y teachers only have the basic theories of teaching and lack of practice in teaching. however, implementing hots in efl classroom is not an easy task. teachers from the three generation adimtted that they often face some constraints since many of them are lack of understanding and experience in developing lesson plan based on thinking skill that is suitbale with basic competence. they also need to change the paradigm from transferring the knowledge into training the students’ metacognitive and thinking skills. references chidozie, c. c., yusri, k., muhammad sukri, s., & wilfredo, l. h. (2014). implementing higher order thinking skills in teaching and learning of design and technology education. international seminar proceedings on technical and vocational education. gibson, j. w., greenwood, r. a., & murphy, e. f. (2009). generational differences in the workplace: personal values, behaviors, and popular beliefs. journal of diversity management, 4(3), 1-8. doi: 10.19030/jdm.v4i3.4959. harris, g., stone, k. b., mayeshiba, t., componation, p. j., & farrington, p. a. (2014). transitioning from teaching lean tools to teaching lean transformation. journal of enterprise transformation, 4(3), 191-204. doi: 10.1080/19488289.2014.930545. latief, j. a., pabbajah, m., & karim, s. a. (2016). the implementation of higher order thinking mursyid & nia kurniawati higher order thinking skills among english teachers across generation in efl classroom 124 skills at universitas teknologi yogyakarta in indonesia: opportunities and challenges. proceeding of international conference on education and higher order thinking skills (ice-hots), 1, 80-90. margana, m., & widyantoro, a. (2017). developing english textbooks oriented to higher order thinking skills for students of vocational high schools in yogyakarta. journal of language teaching and research, 8(1), 26–38. doi: 10.17507/jltr.0801.04. nourdad, n., masoudi, s., & rahimali, p. (2018). the effect of higher order thinking skill instruction on efl reading ability. international journal of applied linguistics & english literature, 7(3), 231-237. doi: 10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.7n.3p.231. reid, g. (2014). assessing higher-order thinking (hot) skills in icas tests. sydney: unsw global, the university of new south wales. rosli, m. f. m., & maarof, n. (2016). the effects of higher order thinking skills (hots) questions in improving esl pupils’ writing performance. sutarto, h. p. (2017). articulation of high order thinking skills in competency-based instruction in indonesia vocational and technical high school. advances in social sciences, education, and humanities research, 102, 211–217. tam, n. t. m., & linh, n. t. t. (2017). influence of explicit higher-order thinking skills instruction on students’ learning of linguistics. thinking skills and creativity. doi: 10.1016/j.tsc.2017.10.004. weay, a. l., masood, m., & abdullah, s. h. (2016). systematic review of revised bloom taxonomy, solo taxonomy and webb’s depth of knowledge (dok) in assessing students’ historical understanding in learning history. malaysian journal of higher order thinking skills in education, 1-27. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 399 investigating the components of outcome based education in efl classroom: a lesson plan analysis nurti rahayu (corresponding author) hotel management department, trisakti school of tourism, jakarta, indonesia email: nurti@stptrisakti.ac.id dwi sloria suharti english department, fkip, university of muhammadiyah tangerang, tangerang, indonesia email: dwisloria@umt.ac.id fikri asih wigati english department, fkip, university of singaperbangsa karawang, karawang, indonesia email: fikri.asihwigati@staff.unsika.ac.id emi taufanawati smkn 3 karawang, karawang, indonesia email: emitaufanawati@gmail.com apa citation: rahayu, n., suharti, d.s., wigati, f.a., taufanawati, e. (2021). investigating the components of outcome-based education in efl classroom: a lesson plan analysis. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), 399-408. doi: 10.25134/erjee. v9i2.4419 received: 19-02-2021 accepted: 26-04-2021 published: 15-06-20211 introduction since the seminal of spady in 1994, outcomebased education (obe) has contributed to the discourse of education curriculum framework. some researchers reported the implementation of this framework in various countries such as malaysia (yusof, othman, norwani, ahmad, & jalil, 2017), pakistan (shaheen, 2019), and finland (sahlberg, 2014). other studies discussed the adoption of obe in teaching various subjects, such as engineering; mechanics (oreta & roxas, 2012), art carving training (analita, haryono, & florentinus, 2021), and physician competencies (frank & danoff, 2007). in indonesia, obe has gained much attention since the minister of education launched the new curriculum change in 2013, introducing outcomebased curriculum (obc), and officially replaced the previous competency-based curriculum (cbc). in the new curriculum, students’ learning outcomes previously called competency standards, have been changed to learning outcomes. this policy supports the national qualification framework (nqf) referred to in presidential regulation no. 8. in 2012. the obc guides the syllabus as comprises of kompetensi inti (core competencies) and kompetensi dasar (basic competencies). abstract: this study aimed to investigate the implementation of outcome-based education (obe) to teach english in a vocational school. this study is qualitative with document analysis. the data were taken from foursession english lesson plans from a vocational school, observation, interview, and library research. the results showed the crucial impact of obe to ensure the learning outcome, especially in a vocational school. obe is expected to answer the education challenge in the 21st century to provide students with the required skills and competency. the area of analysis covers three areas: objectives, teaching materials, and assessment. it is recommended that teachers construct concrete materials and action in the viewpoint that the english skills taught can be used in the students' lives in the upcoming time in their future job related to the expertise in accounting. finally, this study has important implications for accomplishing the framework for the practice and methods of goal setting, classroom activities, and assessment and evaluation of student's performance based on the obe framework. keywords: esp; lesson plan; vocational school; outcome-based education (obe) mailto:nurti@stptrisakti.ac.id mailto:dwisloria@umt.ac.id mailto:fikri.asihwigati@staff.unsika.ac.id nurti rahayu, dwi sloria suharti, fikri asih wigati, & emi taufanawati investigating the components of outcome-based education in efl classroom: a lesson plan analysis 400 this obe framework is applied to the "merdeka belajar" education curriculum. the "merdeka belajar" education curriculum concept is the education system's needs in the era of industrial revolution 4.0. nadiem makarim in kemendikbud.go.id (2019) said that "merdeka belajar," or freedom of learning/independent learning, was freedom of thought. it is the teacher's freedom of thought of teaching that promotes independent learning. the main points of the policy on independent learning include: (1) in 2020, the usbn will be replaced with an exam (assessment), which will only be hosted by the school, (2) teachers can freely choose, create, use, and develop a lesson plan format, and (3) three core components (other components are complementary and can be selected independently) are learning objectives, learning activities, and assessment (one page is enough). thus, lesson planning writing is done efficiently and effectively. the teachers have more time to prepare and evaluate the process so that the teaching-learning outcomes will be achieved (kementerian pendidikan & kebudayaan indonesia, 2019). then, current and new directive policy curriculum education in indonesia can be seen in the following table: table 1. current and new directive policy of the lesson planning implementation current situation new policy directive 1. teachers are directed to follow the rpp format rigidly. 2. rpp has too many components teachers are asked to write in every detail (one rpp document can reach more than twenty pages) 3. writing rpp takes a lot of teacher time, which should be used to prepare and evaluate the learning process itself. 1. teachers can freely choose, make, use, and develop a lesson plan format. 2. three core components are learning objectives, learning activities, assessment. other components are complementary and can be selected independently. one page is sufficient. 3. writing rpp is done efficiently and effectively so that teachers have more time to prepare and evaluate the learning process. (kementerian pendidikan & kebudayaan indonesia, 2019) to facilitate teaching and learning practice, the core and basic competencies are cited in the lesson plan. a lesson plan is further described as a teaching written document (nesari & heidari, 2014) serving as a systematic record for a teacher (farrel, 2002) and functions as a practical objective of what the students will do in terms of behavioral and activities (shrum and glisan in farrel, 2002). the significant role of the lesson plan in the successful teaching-learning process is uncontested. planning for instruction is an essential and integral part of complex activities such as teaching (zazkis, liljedahl, & sinclair, 2009). it also aids the enactment of particular routines or recipes (furlong, 2000). pulverness and williams asserted in naimie, siraj, ahmad, aziz, kasim, & abuzaid (2012) contend that the lesson plan is one way for teachers to handle the class properly. given the importance of lesson planning, the researchers investigated an extensive research body in that area. one research reported educational attitude, lesson planning, and students' outcome (nesari & heidari, 2014). other research also mentioned a framework analysis to measure: the lesson plans can meet the students' learning needs (chizhik & chizhik, 2018), the gaps between the lesson plan preparation and its implementation (emiliasari, 2019), pre-service teachers’ experience in implementing their lesson plan in practicum classes (mudra, 2018). in designing a lesson plan based on the "merdeka belajar” curriculum, there are some practical aspects that teachers need to consider. the so-many pages of lesson plan teachers previously engaged has now been adjusted into a one-page lesson plan (rpp) (kementerian pendidikan & kebudayaan indonesia, 2019). despite its simple format, some components of the lesson plan remain the same. although the fact that no standard formats of what a lesson plan should contain, the common agreement shows several essential elements that should be included in the lesson plan (brown, 2007). the aspects are as the following: objectives objectives contain what the teacher wants the students to accomplish at the end of the lesson (brown, 2007). in some cases, objectives are often english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 401 overlapping with goals. but richards (2002) has made clear distinctions of objectives compared to goals. the way of expressing objectives is known as behavioral objectives which “… take the idea of describing learning outcomes … by further operationalizing the definition of behavior” (richards, 2002, p.13). operationalizing the learning objectives can be done by including the aspects of "abcd" as proposed by mager, findlay, and nathan (richards, 2002). “a” stands for “audience” and refers to the students as the subject. “b” stands for “behavior” that defines performance to be learned stated by action verbs. “c” stands for “condition” under which the demonstration of students’ performance is to occur. “d” stands for “degree” which describes how well the students must be able to demonstrate the performance. materials good lesson planning includes the materials/equipment/platforms that the teachers need to arrange their classroom activities in online teaching-learning. activities under the implementation of the new directive curriculum education in indonesia, there are three stages to be exemplified in learning activities: opening activities (modeling), core activities (a set of exercises of the lesson), and closing activities (students’ tasks). assessments after students have sufficient learning opportunities, then the teachers have to consider how they assess the success of the learning. they should apply a certain kind of assessment such as dynamic assessment or create a rubric. then, the teachers may think about making appropriate adjustments for their next lesson plan so that outcome-based learning will be achieved. this study is essential to be conducted since the implementation of obe is still far from effective seeing from the new directive curriculum in indonesia. also, the researchers personally find some teachers in their circle who still find some problems in implementing a good lesson plan based on the new curriculum. their classroom practices are still conducted conventionally. this results in incompetent graduates which are far from the objectives of the obe. besides, few studies (if any) have been investigated the real teaching artifact from teachers and how these artifacts are implemented in the classroom. therefore, this paper seeks to investigate the lesson plan written by a team of the in-service teacher in a vocational school in karawang, west java. the lesson plan is intended for grade twelve (xii) vocational school. to provide a deeper analysis, this study focuses to answer the following research questions; (1) how the learning objectives signify the necessary competence, (2) how the teaching and learning activities theoretically can be a guarantee of learning objective accomplishment, and (3) how the assessment written in the lesson plan is suitable. the research findings provide feedbacks for the inservice teachers to evaluate their lesson plan as reflected on the document and classroom practices. in addition, the pre-service teachers can also benefit from the finding as it provides factual data on how the lesson plans were implemented in online session. last but not least, curriculum developers and other policy makers can learn from the findings to see the real implementation of their policy and seek some areas of improvements. method this study is qualitative, which aims to portray data on local participants' conceptions from the inside through a process of deep interest, empathetic understanding, and suspension or overlap of preconceptions on the topics under discussion (miles, huberman, & saldana, 2014). in specific, this study uses document analysis (bowen, 2009). a case study is used to portray a single entity in a comprehensive picture. it has a high level of comprehensiveness, depth of analysis, and readability. besides, new assumptions, models, and conceptions about the nature of language learning or other processes may be generated (duff, 2008). site and participants a case study may focus on one or more than one entity for a deep analysis of the phenomenon in the context (yin, 2009). this research participant is a team of in-service teachers teaching for a vocational school in karawang. she handles english for vocational high school for grade xii majoring in business. the teachers have been teaching for various years, and they have been working as teamteaching to produce the lesson plans. nurti rahayu, dwi sloria suharti, fikri asih wigati, & emi taufanawati investigating the components of outcome-based education in efl classroom: a lesson plan analysis 402 the technique for collecting data the multiple sources of data were used in this study as part of triangulation. the primary data was the lesson plans of four sessions, and the second data was the class observation. the researchers analyzed both data in line with the obe framework. the researchers sought permission from the research participant to observe and record the class to gather the data. she allowed the researchers to observe and record four accounting and financial institutions courses for the xii grade class. the lesson plans, observation results, and class-recording are used as the primary source of data. the technique for analyzing the data the primary data analysis was from the teachers’ lesson plans and the zoom recording. then, this study employed document analysis (bowen, 2009). it also employed library research to find appropriate references to support the data. it served as a systematic procedure for document review or evaluation—both printed and electronic material. the step was performed by examining and interpreting the documents to elicit meaning, gain understanding, and develop empirical knowledge (corbin & strauss, see also rapley as cited in bowen, 2009). the researchers used the observation as supplementary data to complete the primary data analysis. the lesson plan was intended for grade xii accounting class in one vocational school in karawang. in addition to lesson plans, the researchers also took the documents from the class recording. the researchers firstly converted the zoom recording into video and audio recording. then, they transcribed the recordings. before they analyzed them, they went through the validation process by comparing them with the video recording. finally, the documents from the lesson plans and transcription were sorted, classified, and analyzed for specific themes to answer the research questions. the lesson plans consisted of (1) cause and effect (47 minutes), (2) procedural text (an hour, 11 minutes), (3) on the job training (an hour, two minutes), and (4) application letter (45 minutes). findings and discussion how do the learning objectives signify the necessary competence? the researchers found the lesson plans' learning objectives signify the necessary competence by looking at the learning assessment, as shown in the attachment. based on the teacher's lesson plan, the learning objectives showed that the teacher tried to suit the lesson plans' learning objectives with the students' necessary competence that indicate in the assessments. all of the assessments are dynamic assessment types. the teacher used written tests: complete sentences, write a simple report, and oral test: create dialogue and present it, respond to dialogue text gaps, monologue text gaps, present the reports verbally. all the evaluations revealed to reach the learning indicators (language skills competencies: listening, speaking, reading, and writing). these language skills depict the students' necessary competencies for their future, such as the ability to elaborate cause-effect relationship in the form of performing dialogues under life's issues, to perform how to use the technology tools (procedure text), to write a simple report on the job training, and to write an application letter. those competencies are necessary for students' future needs in life. in line with jonathan (2017) and spady (1996), consistent learning outcomes can be seen after significant learning experiences. it is an application of our analysis. it implies that the outcomes are aspects such as the activities and performances representing and demonstrate the learners' competence. however, the researchers found that the teacher still employed the old type of lesson plans, which have many components. meanwhile, new lesson plans consist of only three core components: learning objectives, learning activities, and assessment. the teacher has more time to plan and assess the process so that the teaching-learning process's outcomes will be realized (kementerian pendidikan & kebudayaan indonesia, 2019). it is an effort to accomplish the students' necessary competencies for their future life. what are the teaching and learning materials and activities' recommendations to guarantee the learning objective accomplishment? the teacher established accounting skills competency to introduce and learn the bookkeeping system, either manually or computerized. it is expected that accounting students will compete and be competent in facing the current globalization. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 403 graduate competency the ability to graduate from the accounting program are: (1) experts in the field of financial administration, (2) able to make accounting managers of service companies and goods, (3) able to present financial statements of small and medium-sized companies, and (4) able to perform inventory and warehousing governance. scope of work fields of work that can be filled by the graduates of the accounting skills program include: (a) book stylist in the scope of accounting; (b) cashier; (c) payroll; (d) counting machine operator; (e) warehouse administration. (struktur kurikulum smk (perdirjen dikdasmen no. 07/d. d5/kk/2018, 7 juni 2018) | direktorat smk (kemdikbud.go.id)) compared to other majors, accounting majors' advantages are that accounting students can do financial bookkeeping from simple to complex, both manual and computer accounting (myob). also, accounting graduates are more thorough in working than other graduates because they have always been trained to work carefully. after all, financial and accounting graduates are more flexible in entering the world of work and broader employment opportunities than other majors. related to the english subject in the accounting program in the school being observed, it is a compulsory course that each student must take. after analyzing the document, this course is aimed to enable students to communicate using english. however, having checked the lesson plans, it is found that the activities of the english course are as follows: writing on the job training report (ojt report) the writing on the job training report (ojt report include: (1) analyzing social functions, text structures, and language elements of transactional interaction texts involving giving and requesting information related to writing simple reports through the following activities: determining true and false statements related to social functions, text structure, and language elements in the example of an accountant apprenticing reports and answering questions related to detailed information based on the accountant apprenticing report's text. (2) developing text of written transactional interactions that involve giving and requesting information related to simple report writing concerning social functions, text structure, and correct language elements and by the context of their use in the world of work through following activities: drafting reports by answering questions given by teachers and writing a simple report based on the draft that has been made. procedural text on the use of technology the procedural text on the use of technology are: (1) analyzing the social functions, text structure, and linguistic elements of some oral and written procedure texts by giving and requesting information related to technology use manuals and tips, short and straightforward, according to the area of expertise and context of their use through activities such as completing the text heard from audio, mentioning the characteristics of the text structure of the procedure related to the use of technology and tips, answering specific questions from information related to the use of technology and guidance. (2) developing procedural, oral, and written texts, in a manual form related to the use of technology and tips, taking into account social functions, text structure, and elements of language, correctly and in context through retelling the text of procedures related to the use of technology and tips and verbally demonstrate the use of technology and tips. cause and effect relationship the cause and effect relationship: (1) analyzing the social functions, text structure, and linguistic elements of oral and written transactional interaction texts involving giving and requesting information related to causal relationships by the context in which they are used by answering questions relating to general and specific information involving giving information relating to causal relationships and completing the playback dialogue of the listened audio involving the act of giving and requesting information related to causal relationships (2) developing texts of oral and written transactional interactions involving giving and requesting information related to causal relationships, taking into account the correct social functions, text structure, and linguistic elements and nurti rahayu, dwi sloria suharti, fikri asih wigati, & emi taufanawati investigating the components of outcome-based education in efl classroom: a lesson plan analysis 404 in the context of the text by mentioning sentences stating causal relationships of the given image and presenting a dialogue involving giving and requesting information regarding causal relationships by the theme given by the teacher in front of the class writing application letter analyzing the social functions, text structure, and language elements of the text of the cover letter, by the context of its use and developing the text of the cover letter, taking into account the social functions, structure of the text, and elements of the language, correctly and in context. analyzing the lesson plan's content from the point of view of obe it shows that the instruction designs are not yet directly based on the exit outcome framework. it is not distinct how and when the skills taught can be used in the students' future life and in the real context of the student's life in the upcoming time in their future job. from the obe paradigm perspective, teachers should shape decision-making and concrete action patterns to determine whether students learn successfully in the class and the real workplace as an accountant. it is more important than when and how they learn something. the teacher's task is to explain the standard of competence to be more specific about how the learners will use english in the accounting workplaces. teachers are then expected to respond to direction from a content-based and teachercentered approach to a student-oriented paradigm. schools and teachers are mandated to develop innovations of teaching models to improve their teaching performance. besides, obe also encompasses an active learning approach with the students determinedly carrying out performance roles. along with their learning and performance team members, students must engage in progressively complex content (spady, 1994). therefore, it is suggested that the teaching and learning activities involve vocational competency such as: applying professional principles of work as an accountant and conducting business communication as an accountant. related to the teaching and learning activities, since the curriculum uses a scientific approach, along these lines, the exercises ought to be arranged towards students' capacity to look for, build, and use the accounting activities using english. the teacher can stress relevant learning. along these lines, the instructor can utilize relevant education and learning and authentic materials in the class' learning cycle because the focal idea of a scientific theory is realities and experimental information (blackwell & martin, 2011). it plans the students to utilize language in reality and use language to accomplish objectives, for example as follows. all of the activities can be in the form of activities that are related to accounting activities, such as: (1) processing documents of small cash funds; (2) processing cash fund documents at the bank; (3) processing journal entries; (4) processing led books; (5) manage receivable cards; (6) manage inventory cards; (7) manage fixed asset cards; (8) manage debt cards; (9) present the product principal price report; (10) compile financial statements; (11) set up tax returns; (12) operate number processing/spreadsheet program packages; and (13) operates accounting computer applications. activities in the scientific approach can also help to develop students' critical thinking. students' curiosity can be increased by questioning processes, for example, asking or asking for information about essential data in the spreadsheet program packages. the more trained the student is asking; the more curiosity can be developed. the scientific approach has several steps: observing, questioning, associating, experimenting, communicating / creating. the observing stage in the scientific approach is the process of doing observations by reading and listening. students are encouraged to build knowledge and explore the situation by examining critical problems such as conducting business communication and manage transaction documents. then, in observing activities in the scientific approach, the teacher opens opportunities for students to ask questions about what has been seen, listened to, read, or seen related to the business communication and transaction documents. the experimenting stage provides students an opportunity to implement their understanding and ability to produce any texts related to business accountancy that is being taught. in the last communicating stage, students get the chance to speak and write skills they have learned in the previous stages and communicate the results of their activities, such as presenting the product principal price report and financial statements. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 405 moreover, in this globalization era, the students must have the ability to adapt all parties to the development of science and technology. then, 21stcentury skills must be prepared and mastered. the first is creative, critical, and innovative thinking skills. critical thinking skills are two essential factors for practicing self-ability. these skills are necessary for students to have when they are involved in a much different world from the classroom situation. when students possess these creative, critical, and innovative skills, they will adapt well to the world of work. second, digital technology skills. industrial revolution 4.0 demands the mastery of ict such as word processing, spreadsheet programs, presentation programs, social media, online forums. for communication aspects, students are expected to have the ability to communicate and share data. the principle of openness and multiculturalism is a must-have capability in the 21st century. the principle of transparency means understanding and accepting shared values from various cultures such as justice, peace, tolerance, doing good to others. last but not least is a team collaboration and negotiation skills. through collaboration, there will be negotiations to equalize perceptions and objectives. the result of the collaboration will bring up new ideas or ideas. the teacher can immerse those skills in teaching and learning activities (oeygardener, rahayu, amin, effendi, darma, dartanto, aruan, 2017). how does the assessment meet the lesson objectives? the discussion covers some theoretical perspectives on the obe assessment and its actual implementation in the efl teaching at vocational school understudy. the implementation of obe at the vocational school level would entail changes of relevant systems and procedures to facilitate attaining the desired outcomes of education. as for efl teaching, english teachers need to undergo critical restructuring of assessment methods and evaluating student performance. the evaluation process is critical in that it provides evidence of the achievement of outcomes. besides, assessment results show the rate of students' learning progress, and at the same time, it is a source of information of opportunities for further improvement. finally, assessment findings in an obe school serve as bases to enhance educational services and systems on an institutional level (bresciani et al. in jonathan, 2017). the ideal assessment in obe needs a change of mindset from the educational stakeholder. the change of paradigm is learner-centered and outcome-minded education. the first paradigm encourages the shift from traditional assessment into obe assessment. the second paradigm is outcome-minded education. this paradigm can be conducted by implementing four operating principles of obe and their implications for assessment. they are clarity of focus, high expectation, expanded opportunity, and design down (pp. 5-6). efl assessment was traditionally designed by following a bottom-up approach. teachers initially develop micro-learning tasks such as quizzes and assignments; then, they develop the end-of-term tasks such as mid-term and final test/project. in the obe context, it focuses on the culminating outcomes. thus, assessment development follows the same principle. the teacher firstly developed and designed the final assessment. after this, smaller measures (discrete tasks) can be logically designed and progressively implemented. this top-down approach (richards, 2013) ensures that all course assessments are constructively linked and aligned with the course/subject's desired outcomes and, ultimately, to the culminating education outcomes. regarding the implementation of obe in the vocational school understudy, the lesson plan, observation, and interview data did not show significant evidence on the implementation of obe. the lesson plans are there as teaching preparation showing some useful components for teaching. nevertheless, in actual classroom activities, the teacher undergoes several adjustments based on last-minute updates. the assessment is developed per session to measure how well the students are progressing. however, it still adopts the bottom-up approach when micro-learning tasks are assessed, and the final objective of the course outcome is left unnoticed. even though the government has stated the accounting program's learning outcomes, such as being a financial administration expert, performing several skills such as making financial statements of small and medium-sized companies, performing inventory and warehousing governance, english course outcomes can support english competence in specific skills, such as writing and understanding manuals, writing job nurti rahayu, dwi sloria suharti, fikri asih wigati, & emi taufanawati investigating the components of outcome-based education in efl classroom: a lesson plan analysis 406 applications, writing and understanding procedures, and other skills linked with the students' jobs upon graduation. obe assessment makes sure that the students can have the necessary skills as required by their future jobs. conclusion this study aims to provide a glance description of the implementation of obe in a vocational school. four-session english lesson plans arranged by a teacher are used as the fundamental consideration for analysis and other supporting documents. the results showed the crucial impact of obe to ensure the learning outcome, especially in a vocational school. obe is expected to answer the education challenge in the 21st century to provide students with the required skills and competency. the area of analysis covers three areas, objectives, teaching materials, and assessment. in general, to fully implement the obe framework, schools require an academic organization to realign and adjust educational processes and systems according to education's desired outcomes. in effect, this necessitates significant education stakeholders (e. g., academic leaders, educators, and external academic partners) to work together in determining, defining, and stating outcomes at various curricular levels (i.e., culminating, program, course outcomes). besides, schools need to undergo a paradigm shift and consequently adopt some redefinition of the kind of education and educational services that they deliver to the student, changing into student-centered, and adjust both formative and summative assessment based, select practical and contextual teachinglearning activities, and learning objectives to match with the course, program and learning outcome. the teacher should shape decision-making and patterns of concrete materials and action from the obe paradigm viewpoint. the skills taught can be used in the students' future life and in the real context of the students' lives in the upcoming time in their future job related to the expertise in accounting. it is also suggested that teaching and learning activities involve vocational competency. as the vocational school uses the scientific approach, the teaching and learning process had better have a theoretical foundation used in the scientific approach. therefore, the activities should be oriented towards students' ability to seek, process, construct, and use accounting knowledge. last but not least, the skill of the 21st century also can be applied in the curriculum. references analita, h. p., haryono, h., & florentinus, t. s. (2021). outcomes based education curriculum development in art carving training. innovative journal of curriculum and educational technology, 10(2), 64–73. https://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/ujet/articl e/view blackwell, j., & martin, j. (2011). a scientific approach to scientific writing. new york: springer bowen, g. a. (2009). document analysis as a qualitative research method. in qualitative research journal. researchgate.net. brown, h. d. (2007). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy (5th ed.). new york: addison wesley longman, inc. chizhik, e. w., & chizhik, a. w. (2018). using activity theory to examine how teachers' lesson plans meet students' learning needs. teacher educator, 53(1), 67–85. duff, a.p. (2008). case study research in applied linguistics (1st ed.). taylor and francis. emiliasari, r. n. (2019). lesson planning in efl classroom: a case study in lesson plan preparation and implementation. wiralodra english journal, 3(2), 367–375. farrel, t. s. (2002). lesson planning. in j. c. & w. r. richards (ed.), methodology in language teaching (1st ed., pp. 30–40). cambridge university press. frank, j. r., & danoff, d. (2007). the canmeds initiative: implementing an outcomes-based framework of physician competencies. medical teacher, 29(7), 642–647. https://doi.org/10.1080/01421590701746983 furlong, j. (2000). school mentors and university tutors: lessons from the english experiment. theory into practice, 39(1), 12–19. jonathan, v. m. (2017). implementing outcome-based education (obe) framework: implications for assessment of students' performance. educational measurement and evaluation review, 8(1), 1–10. kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan indonesia (2019). “kebijakan merdeka belajar 1: empat pokok kebijakan merdeka belajar.” (11 desember 2019). kemendikbud.go.id. retrieved on january 15, 2021 from https://www.kemendikbud.go.id/main/blog miles, m. b., huberman, a. m., & saldana, j. (2014). qualitative data analysis: a methods sourcebook (third edition). sage publication inc. https://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/ujet/article/view https://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/ujet/article/view https://www./ https://www./ https://www./ https://www./ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 407 mudra, h. (2018). pre-service efl teachers' experiences in teaching practicum in rural schools in indonesia. the qualitative report. naimie, z., siraj, s., ahmad, n. a., aziz, a. a., kasim, n. h. a., & abuzaid, r. a. (2012). "have you heard about the new fashion?" (tailoring your lesson plan based on learners’ preferences). procedia social and behavioral sciences, 46, 5840–5844. nesari, a. j., & heidari, m. (2014). the important role of lesson plan on educational achievement of iranian efl teachers' attitudes. international journal of foreign language teaching & research, 2(5), 25–31. oey-gardener, m., rahayu, s. i., amin, m., effendi, s., darma, y., dartanto, t., aruan, c. d. (2017). era disrupsi peluang dan tantangan pendidikan tinggi indonesia. akademi ilmu pengetahuan indonesia oreta, a. w. c., & roxas, c. l. c. (2012). implementing an outcomes-based education framework in the teaching of engineering mechanics (statics). december. richards, j. c. (2002). curriculum development in language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. richards, j. c. (2013). curriculum approaches in language teaching: forward, central, and backward design. relc journal, 44(1), 5–33. sahlberg, p. (2014). finnish lessons 2.0: what can the world learn from educational change in finland? books.google.com. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=6 sicbgaaqbaj&oi=fnd&pg=pp1&dq=analysing +lesson+plan+with+outcome+based+education& ots=u0quuty5bv&sig=7vtbj0bwvl9fk4kptf rm3sg1joa shaheen, s. (2019). theoretical perspectives and current challenges of outcome-based education framework. international journal of engineering education, 1(2), 122–129. https://doi.org/10.14710/ijee.1.2.122-129 spady, g. w. (1994). outcome-based education: critical issues and answers. in journal of adolescent health care (vol. 7, issue 1). the american association of school administrator yin, k. r. (2009). case study research: design and methods (4th ed.). sage publication. yusof, r., othman, n., norwani, n. m., ahmad, n. l. b., & jalil, n. b. a. (2017). implementation of outcomebased education (obe) in accounting programme in higher education. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 7(6), 1186–1200. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v7-i6/3352 zazkis, r., liljedahl, p., & sinclair, n. (2009). lesson plays: planning teaching versus teaching planning. lesson plays: planning teaching versus teaching planning., 29(1), 40–47. https://doi.org/10.14710/ijee.1.2.122-129 nurti rahayu, dwi sloria suharti, fikri asih wigati, & emi taufanawati investigating the components of outcome-based education in efl classroom: a lesson plan analysis 408 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 475 investigating teachers’ belief and practices toward digital media of english learning during covid-19 pandemic berlinda mandasari english education department, faculty of arts and education, universitas teknokrat indonesia, indonesia email: berlinda@teknokrat.ac.id dyah aminatun english education department, faculty of arts and education, universitas teknokrat indonesia, indonesia email: dyah_aminatun@teknokrat.ac.id apa citation: mandasari, b., & aminatun, d. (2022). investigating teachers’ belief and practices toward digital media of english learning during covid-19 pandemic. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 475-484. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6248 received: 21-02-2022 accepted: 26-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction the immense development of technology in the 21st era has been a big advancement in every life sector, including education. this brings enormous merits for the improvement of teaching and learning process for both teachers and students. kaharuddin (2020) stated that technology aids students’ english learning process and culture included in material content may attract students’ interest to learn english. it is clearly seen that technology or lately it is broadly called as ict (information and communication technologies) has led to the upgraded teaching techniques in the classroom. especially for teachers, the role of ict in teaching process will facilitate the educators in the process of teaching and learning as well as improve their professionalism (aminatun, 2019). the use of digital tools or media for teaching is really varied in many ways, including in teaching english since english is such a complex thing to learn. there are many applications that can be used to support english teaching and learning process and absolutely ease the teachers to teach. technology is such a vital part of human life, and used as an effort to elevate the efficacy of language learning activities (mckenney & voogt, 2017). digital media as one of the products of technology also has a big impact on the development of teaching english skills, and has attracted many educators to use and implement it. the inclusion of digital media in language teaching has resulted in teachers having to design new teaching strategies incorporating digital tools (de jager, rwodzi, & mpofu, 2020). this phenomenon has proved that the rapid growth of technology really matters on english teaching evolution. further, the reality that digital learning nowadays has become really popular for educators, has also influenced the way teachers think and do toward the impact of technology for teaching. abstract: the advancement of technology has made a lot of changes especially in educational field. online learning is one of teaching modes as the response to the educational changes. moreover, during covid-19 pandemic, online learning is not an alternative solution, but a compulsory one. in response to this, various kinds of online learning media do exist to use. this study aimed at exploring teachers’ beliefs toward digital media of english learning during covid-19 pandemic. this study uses qualitative design with participants coming from teachers teaching english at vocational school. observation and semi-structured interview are used to gain data about teachers’ beliefs. data were collected and analyzed by descriptively. the result of this research shows that google classroom, instagram, and whatsapp are preferable for conducting online learning. it shows the common digital media are preferred used by the teachers in order to enable the students to easily engage in the english learning process since the media are reachable and easy to access. keywords: beliefs; digital media; online learning. berlinda mandasari & dyah aminatun investigating teachers’ belief and practices toward digital media of english learning during covid-19 pandemic 476 whether the teachers want it or not, they are demanded to adjust their way of teaching to the era and to the development of technology since the students will always mostly come from new generation. therefore, teachers’ attitude toward the implementation of technology will change according to the era. the use of grammar translation method, teaching english using blackboard or whiteboard in the classroom, has evolved to something beyond than that. students as digital natives must be supported by teaching strategies that resonate and support their needs, that is by implementing new and developing digital technologies (kincey, farmer, wiltsher, mckenzie, & mbiza, 2019). many teachers are currently exposed to various digital media for teaching and implement them in their class. it is because the shifting of learning from conventional way to technology-based is really popular nowadays (mandasari & aminatun, 2020). besides its interesting sides, technologybased teaching tools also bring some merits for teachers. meidasari (2016) also found that the use of digital media boosts the english language proficiency and reduces the level of cultural stress, academic difficulties, and negative emotions. in addition, nugroho & mutiaraningrum (2020) also explained that digital technology and mobile devices can increase learners’ confidence and motivation, facilitate them to do more practices, trigger their learning autonomy, and have significant impacts on language learning. although, it also cannot be denied that there are still many teachers struggling with the use of abundant sophisticated technology because they lack of insight and experience in dealing with new technology. however, regardless of the negative impacts, the previous studies show that the use of technology and digital media brings positive effects to the process of teaching and learning if it can be used properly and wisely. the use of technology and digital media will always progress from day by day. educators, especially teachers cannot just stay quiet seeing this phenomenon. they are demanded to always study, enrich their professional skills and get familiar with the latest development since there are some conditions that cannot be predicted in the future. one of those conditions is the sudden coming of covid-19 as the global pandemic that has changed everything in almost every life sector, and education is one of the sectors that is significantly affected by this. even, it is stated by hermanto & srimulyani (2021) that this change is a challenge for indonesian education, which must also prepare students to adapt to face the challenges of the era of society 5.0. remote teaching and learning during covid-19 faced ongoing challenges, as does the need for teachers’ professional development (chin, ching, del castillo, wen, huang, del castillo, gungon, & trajera, 2022). teachers faced new and challenging environments, instructional approaches, and roles as educators (pressley, 2021). teaching and learning process that is usually done face to face must be avoided since this pandemic does not enable people to meet directly in order to decrease the dangerous effect of the virus. a government circular regarding to this matter was also issued considering the seriousness of this pandemic. no one is really ready for such condition, yet the fact demands all educational parties have to deal with it. there were actually several solutions proposed to keep teaching and learning process and the interaction among teachers and students run well. one of the solutions that makes sense and almost can be done by almost everyone in educational field is online learning. as it is stated before that the government, specifically the ministry of education and culture has obliged to close schools and replace classroom teaching learning process by distant learning. by implementing this, teaching has changed drastically with the distinctive rise of online learning, whereby teaching is embraced remotely and on computerized stages (famularsih, 2020). considering that online learning is actually not a new thing for many educational institutions in indonesia, this solution is the most likely to be implemented and has the highest effectiveness in carrying out the process of teaching and learning. it is also supported by research conducted by ulfia (2020) which found that the conditions of facilities and infrastructure by educators and students adequately illustrate the readiness of implementing online learning. since the implementation of online learning is strongly related to digital things, many digital media, like email, blog, chatting application, learning application, video, virtual conference or meeting platform, and e-learning management system are used to fulfill the need of distant learning. information and communication technologies (ict) tools, particularly digital teacher english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 477 competence and teacher education opportunities to learn digital competence, are instrumental in adapting to online teaching during covid-19 school closures (könig, jäger-biela, & glutsch, 2020). several studies related to the implementation of online learning during the pandemic of covid-19 had been conducted, and most of them show the positive results related to the implementation of online learning using digital media for teaching. fitria (2020) concluded that implementing online learning system during covid-19 pandemic has a potential to help the lecturers and students in the teaching and learning process. more, mardiah (2020) suggested that e-learning system is considered as the one and only relevant teachinglearning method in the time of pandemic because both teachers and students can access the e-learning application that has been approved by the institution from home. in accordance with those findings, suardi (2020) found that the implementation of elearning using zoom gives some advantages, such as learning process becomes more relaxed and both teacher and students, who are prospective teachers, can learn a new skill in teaching using digital platform. nevertheless, still, it cannot be neglected that there still be many problems and challenges in carrying out full online learning process using digital technology, especially during covid-19 pandemic, such as economic condition, students’ anxiety, government’s policy, the risk of user data security, and choosing appropriate and effective teaching and learning media (simamora, 2020). it also cannot be denied that the utilization of digital technology or digital media in online learning during the pandemic found pros and cons. this leads to the fact that teachers as learning managers certainly have a tendency to carry out their teaching activities. not all students have enough access to gain the facilities, such as the cost for buying internet data, mobile phone, and the reachable and stable signal for internet; therefore, teachers and students may require eligible infrastructures to run the class properly (amnan, 2020). as it has been stated previously that teachers’ belief and attitude toward the implementation of technology will change according to the era and condition. english teachers, especially, need to consider various teaching components during covid-19 pandemic since english is a complex language to be taught and every skill is integrated. digital learning of english as proposed by lee & drajati (2019) has been widely implemented in the learning process by employing a range of digital devices, for example, computer, tablet, web apps, and smartphones though they are still traditionally used. however, amid this pandemic, not all teachers have the same thought and treatment in utilizing digital media for teaching english. moreover, each school also has its own focus and goals for its students, such as vocational high schools. teaching english in vocational high school demands multiple knowledge of material, methods, and strategy since teaching english must refer to the program study of the students who are being taught (muliyah & aminatun, 2020). here, it is fascinating as well as necessary to know what teachers of vocational high school think about and perform their teaching and learning process equipped by digital media during the pandemic of covid-19. this becomes crucial because understanding teachers’ belief of digital technology use for language learning would be fruitful in improving the quality of technology integration practices (nugroho & mutiaraningrum, 2020). moreover, it can also become favorable information for other teachers and provision teachers in the future if they face such similar conditions. further, it can also be a profitable resource for designing teaching curriculum for hybrid or even full-online learning in the institutions. method this study aimed at investigating teachers’ beliefs and practices on english teaching media during pandemic covid-19. in order to gain the data on teachers’ beliefs, the researchers employ a qualitative design by adopting semi-structured interview and questionnaire. contextualization becomes the important aspect in selected research design (harding, 2018). the present study focuses on portraying, summarizing, and depicting an indepth understanding toward the issue. it limits the scope by concerning on the phenomenon gained from the data of indonesian efl teachers teaching on vocational high school. this study was conducted at a vocational private school in lampung province. the participants were two female english teachers; mrs. r (30 years old) and mrs. h (33 years old). these two teachers were selected and chosen based on the criteria on having experience on conducting distance learning during berlinda mandasari & dyah aminatun investigating teachers’ belief and practices toward digital media of english learning during covid-19 pandemic 478 covid-19 pandemic and having been teaching english for at least four years. both of them have experience in professional teacher training in undergraduate level. this study used questionnaire and semistructured interview as the instruments to collect the data. questionnaire is used to gain the data of respondents’ identity, teaching experience, training experience, and references toward some digital media. the instrument of questionnaire was distributed to the teachers via google form. the data gained from questionnaire were used to formulate their beliefs. these data were then being clarified through semi-structured interview. as pandemic covid-19 limits face-to-face interaction, interview was conducted via phone cell calls for 45 minutes. the data gained from questionnaire and semistructured interview were analyzed based on creswell (2013). data obtained were tabulated and coded. then, data were reduced based on the research objective. data were then analyzed and integrated as reflected from both participants. then, data were brought into conclusion drawing. as an effort of maintaining validity and reliability of the data, the researchers code the data independently. discussion between researchers were done to gain data that meet the research objective. results and discussion it is notified that both participants realized that digital media integration in efl learning contributes positive impact for learners. as the students taught nowadays are digital native, it is believed that digital media enables learners to learn fast. it also shapes learners to be independent, improves their motivation and interest. as stated by mrs. h, she shared her beliefs that digital media integration has benefits to improve students’ ability in communicating using target language. “anak-anak saya sekarang kan berasal dari genz yang notabennya pengguna media digital. mereka itu sudah pada bisa menggunakan media digital supaya bisa memperoleh informasi sebanyak mungkin missal, dengan menggunakan hp, aplikasi dan internet untuk berselancar di dunia maya. positifnya yakni anak-anak saya ini cepat memperoleh informasi, sumber belajar bahasa inggris, dan menggunakannya untuk saling komunikasi. artinya, media yang digunakan mereka itu sangat mendukung mereka untuk belajar.” (mrs. h) “my students are coming from gen-z which is most of them are digital native. they are literate with some digital devices that enables them to gain information as much as possible. mobile phone, mobile applications and internet connection are such best combination as media to surf on online world. the positive side of it is my students can get knowledge fast, gain a lot of english learning sources, and even make use of them to interact with others. in other words, this media might support students to learn better.” (mrs. h) on the other side, digital media is believed to boost the learners’ motivation and interest. the learners enjoyed studying by using digital technology. “saya biasanya mengajar menggunakan aplikasi google classroom dan whatsapp. siswa saya bisa membaca materi yang terunggah di aplikasi google classroom. mereka juga punya grup wa dimana mereka bisa diskusi terkait materi yang ada. di wa group, mereka bisa merespon pertanyaan saya, merespon pertanyaan teman lainnya, dan mengumpulkan tugas. semua siswa saya punya aplikasi whatsapp di hp mereka masing-masing. nampaknya, sih tidak sulit menggunakan aplikasi whatsapp tersebut” (mrs. h) “i usually teach online using google classroom and whatsapp application. my students can read the teaching materials on google classroom. then, they also can make a group discussion via whatsapp group. this whatsapp group enables them to response my questions, to response their friends’ questions, and share their works. all of my students have whatsapp application on their mobile phone. it is not hard to use it as learning tool.” (mrs. h) “saya biasanya menggunakan instagram sebagai media ajar. siswa saya senang pakai instagram karena mereka bisa mengunggah penampilan mereka saat praktik berbicara bahasa inggris di akun instagram dan memperoleh tanggapan dari teman lainnya” (mrs. r) “i usually use instagram as learning media. my students enjoy using instagram because they can post their speaking practice on it and get feedback from their friends.” (mrs. r) the teachers’ preference on using digital media on language learning efl teachers’ beliefs on digital media closely relates to the fact that most of the students are english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 479 digital native which means that the students have been familiar with selected digital media. therefore, teachers strongly believed that those digital media could affect the learners’ language performance. since the school did not provide an online learning platform that can be used by all teachers, whatsapp is the most preferred application as a tool to conduct online learning by the participant of this research. “saya lebih memilih pakai instagram dan whatsapp sebagai media ajar bagi siswa saya. aplikasi tersebut memberikan manfaat dari segi tamppilan, kegunaan dan kemudahan. di instagram, siswa saya bisa menulis sesuai dengan materi yang diajarkan dan menambahkan gambar yang mendukung tulisan mereka semenarik mungkin. selain itu, instagram juga ada fitur sukai, komen dan bagikan yang memungkinkan untuk menarik pengguna instagram untuk memberikan respon melalui fitur yang ada. kadang juga saya kasih tugas anak-anak untuk membuat kegiatan live di ig berbahasa inggris. biar siswa saya ini lebih percaya diri. saya yakin anak-anak ini punya akun instagram. jadi pastinya anak-anak ini bisa mengikuti instruksi yang diberikan. yang selanjutnya yakni saya menggunakan aplikasi whatsapp. di aplikasi ini, ada beberapa fitur untuk mengirimkan pesan teks, gambar, pesan suara dan video. saya juga punya grup whatsapp buat anak-anak sebagai wadah diskusi. jadi kedua aplikasi ini sangat mendukung saya dalam mengajar bahasa inggris. anak-anak juga terlihat aktif mengikuti pembelajaran online dan mereka pun bisa menggunakan kedua aplikasi ini dengan baik.” (mrs. r) “i prefer to use instagram and whatsapp as digital media used by my students. those applications bring benefits in terms of attractiveness, usefulness, and easiness. instagram enables my students to create an output of writing skill supported by relevant picture. the students could find out relevant picture and make it as interesting as possible. instagram provides like, comment and share features that may attract viewer to give response to the task. i sometimes assign my students to make a kind of live video via instagram using english. it is done in order that the students can be much more confident to talk in english. besides, i believe that all of my students have this instagram account on their mobile phone. therefore, i believe that my students can make use of it based on the instruction given. another digital media that i prefer is whatsapp. it provides some features that enable my students to send text, picture and voice notes and even make a video call. i provide whatsapp group for the class to facilitate classroom discussion. these two applications support me in teaching english. i found that my students are actively involved during online learning and could use those two applications well.” (mrs. r) “saya lebih suka menggunakan google classroom dan whatsapp selama pembelajaran online. kalau pakai google classroom, saya bisa posting materi, bisa minta anak-anak untuk mengumpulkan tugas disitu dan juga diskusi. tapi kadang diskusi dilakukan di whatsapp karena mereka bisa merespon diskusi dengan cepat. kalau di whatsapp ada fitur kirim pesan teks, kirim pesan suara dan video. kalau missal saya mau kasih tugas keterampilan membaca, saya biasanya akan menugaskan mereka membaca dan merekamnya lalu mengirim tugas tersebut menggunakan fitur pesan suara. lalu, siswa lainnya saya minta untuk memberikan tanggapan.” (mrs. h) “i prefer to use google classroom and whatsapp in conducting online learning. by using google classroom, i could post the learning materials, enable students to post the assignment, and make a discussion. however, discussion session is sometimes conducted via whatsapp. i prefer whatsapp to conduct discussion because the students could response my questions in real time. whatsapp provides not only chat feature but also voice note and video call. whenever i need to know my students’ progress on reading, i assigned them to send their voice note via group. then, i assigned other students to listen and give comment on their friends’ voice using chat feature.” (mrs. h) teachers’ challenges in using digital media in teaching english the participants believe that involving digital media nowadays is important. however, their beliefs implemented on the classroom practices encountered some challenges in terms of personal and conditional constrains. “kadang susah juga untuk mengontrol anak-anak kalau mneggunakan aplikasi whatsapp. di satu sisi, anak-anak senang dan terlihat mengikuti instruksi yang diberikan. namun di sisi lain, karena siswa saya banyak dan mereka merespon dalam waktu yang bersamaan, maka aka nada banyak sekali pesan yang menumpuk. jadinya saya harus scroll up dulu untuk baca pesan satu per satu dan itu butuh waktu.” (mrs. h) “i found that it is hard to control my students berlinda mandasari & dyah aminatun investigating teachers’ belief and practices toward digital media of english learning during covid-19 pandemic 480 when they are using whatsapp application. in one side, my students seem enjoying the learning process and follow the instruction given. on the other side, my students’ response at one time results a lot of chats. consequently, i need to scroll up to read the chat one by one. it takes time.” (mrs. h) internet connection becomes one of the challenges for teachers and students. the school is located in a suburb which only certain internet provider could be accessed by the students. “kadang anak-anak ini lama responnya. alasannya karena koneksi internet yang buruk. hal ini menyebabkan anak-anak ini tidak mengikuti diskusi dengan baik.” (mrs. h) “i found that some of my students give slow response during discussion. they said that they encounter bad internet connection access. it results the students could not participate the discussion well.” (mrs. h) teachers believe that the digital media can be helpful. however, they are not well equipped with proper trainings. the teaching technique they use is based on their personal adaptation. “saya rasa penggunaan teknologi dalam pembelajaran bahasa inggris akan sangat bermanfaat. namun, yang saya lakukan selama mengajar menggunakan instagram dan whatsapp hanya sebatas pengetahuan saya saja. nampaknya kalau ada training jauh lebih bagus supaya kita ngajarnya tidak ragu-ragu. kita sepertinya butuh best practice bagaimana cara memanfaatkan aplikasi di hp untuk belajar bahasa inggris.” (mrs. h) “i think utilizing technology in teaching english can be very useful. however, what i have done in teaching english using instagram and whatsapp is based on my personal adaptation. if there is such kind of professional training, it will be much better. we, as teacher, won’t be hesitant in teaching. we need some best practice in utilizing some mobile applications for english learning.” (mrs. h) lastly, the teachers suggested that the school must have one digital media that can accommodate all teachers at school to conduct online learning. professional development such as workshop is required. this workshop should accommodate teachers to prepare teaching materials, discussion forum, conduct synchronous and asynchronous learning, and prepare for assessment method. it is to ensure that all teachers could create classroom activities based on digital learning pedagogy. “sekolah kami ini tidak punya pelatihan atau workshop pemanfaatan media. kami sebenarnya membutuhkan pelatihan tersebut. setidaknya ada satu media/platform belajar yang bisa digunakan oleh semua guru seperti moodle atau yang lainnya. jadi, nantinya semua guru akan menggunakan platform yang sama. kalau aplikasi di hp ini jadi pendukung saja.” (mrs. h) “the school does not provide us with some training or workshop in utilizing digital media. we actually need that training. at least there is one main learning platform that can be used by all teachers such as moodle or something. therefore, all teachers will use the same online learning platform. mobile application can be used as supporting media.” (mrs. h) “saya kira semua proses pengajaran kudu dimonitor oleh pihak sekolah, termasuk kegiatan siswa-siswi. sebaiknya siyh sekolah pakai satu platform saja yang ada fitur-fitur yang lengkap yang nantinya memudahkan guru untuk menyiapkan materi, forum diskusi dan metode penilaian. jika demikian, saya yakin bahwa tujuan pembelajaran dapat tercapai. tujuan monitoring siswa dan guru adalah dala, rangka meningkatkan kemampuan mengajar guru.” (mrs. r) “i think all teaching process must be monitored by the school, including students’ activity. i can suggest that the school must decide to use one main online learning platform which provide complete features and enables teachers to prepare the materials, discussion forum and assessment method. if it is so, i believe that the learning objective can be achieved. teachers and students’ activities can be monitored as an attempt to improve the teachers’ pedagogical skills.” (mrs. r) this study uncovers that the teachers have strong beliefs on the digital media in efl teaching. teachers could provide teaching activities that grab students’ interest, improve students’ motivation, and lead students to be autonomous learners assisted by technology in efl practices. nevertheless, some personal and conditional challenges hamper the teaching practices. first, in indonesian context, it is notified that face-to-face learning is preferred rather than making use of digital technology to assist students’ english learning. however, pandemic covid-19 brings english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 481 changes in all aspects, including teaching mode. the ministry of education, culture and higher education of indonesia has made a policy to switch face-to-face learning into online learning as an effort to prevent the spread of virus. this policy brought a surprise for teachers, students and school since this kind of teaching mode is such a new teaching mode for them. however, this rapid change of teaching mode does not always match with teachers’ professional developments. it results the gap between teachers’ beliefs and practices (nugroho & mutiaraningrum, 2020). this also happened when teachers implement a new method of teaching, in this case is by integrating digital media in teaching english. as stated in the findings, digital media used in teaching english for efl students brings lots of benefits, such as boosting students’ autonomous learning, improving their motivation, and gaining students’ learning interest. the implementation of google classroom, whatsapp, and instagram has done a big contribution in bridging the gap among students. students with various learning types can do learning activities more confidently and independently. sari (2021) stated that using digital media makes students enjoy the learning process and feel relaxed; besides, it also elevates their creativity. learning motivation is also enhanced by implementing digital media during the process of teaching and learning using digital media. students were showing high involvement compared to conventional class without implementing digital media. it is also in line with lin & chen (2017) who stated that the implementation of digital learning which is also by applying digital media can present positive learning motivation and learning outcome better than the traditional class can. this also implies that the role of digital media can also enhance students’ engagement since digital media is really close with students nowadays. therefore, it is really important for teachers to know and understand the employment of technology and use current digital media that can engage students and improve students’ motivation in learning. moreover, in pandemic situation, nothing can bridge the distant learning process effectively, but technology. in teaching language especially, teachers need to be able to select an appropriate teaching medium in order to achieve learning goals that have been set. knowing students’ interest can also be a factor in managing the classroom setting. choosing teaching media which are relevant to the materials, to the assessment, and to the students are being an important thing to be considered. selecting and using appropriate and relevant learning applications and platforms could support the online teaching and learning process to take place (lusiyani & anindya, 2021). seeing the findings that have been explained previously, teachers chose some digital media to support teaching process during covid-19 pandemic and to enable students to be actively involved in learning process. google classroom became the main platform used by teachers to upload and share the materials. this medium is very useful for online teaching and learning, and can be obtained for free of charge and can be used on any device (alim, linda, gunawan, & saad, 2019). moreover, google classroom helps teachers to save their time, keep classes organized, and communicate better with students (azhar & iqbal, 2018). the features of google classroom are easy to operate and students get familiar with them fast. this platform is also really beneficial for teachers because it has large space to upload learning materials with big size. moreover, through this learning platform, teachers can assign the students’ assignment, give homework, and evaluate students’ work. it cannot be denied that google classroom has become the main learning management system chosen by many school and educational institutions to conduct teaching and learning process. however, google classroom is sometimes not enough to be the only learning tool in conducting teaching and learning process during pandemic. there were many cases when the students did not have sufficient mobile data or incompatible devices to access the complete materials. students sometimes also missed the class since they cannot see the reminder without accessing their mobile phone or laptop. therefore, another supporting medium was used to facilitate this. whatsapp was selected as the secondary digital medium employed by the teachers as a tool for communication. besides that, whatsapp was regarded as a practical application to support teaching process in a simpler way. whatsapp usage has enabled students to obtain learning-related information and get involved in learning discussions for the perceived usefulness aspect (mulyono, suryoputro, & jamil, 2020). in addition, all students knew how to use this berlinda mandasari & dyah aminatun investigating teachers’ belief and practices toward digital media of english learning during covid-19 pandemic 482 application and it was really practical for teachers to share materials or assignment that do not have large size. students with the teachers can create a whatsapp group and discuss the material that is being learned. teachers can also give feedback directly toward the students’ works and inform students the materials that have been uploaded on google classroom. kholis (2020) stated that whatsapp can support the language learning to be more effective and efficient for the reason that it is accessible for distant learning; moreover, the students were more responsive and enthusiastic in joining the class. after that, besides google classroom and whatsapp, in displaying students work, teachers also chose another digital medium, instagram as a place to show students’ assignment. instagram is also one of the applications in which students are really familiar with. this application can also be a choice for the teachers to boost students’ confidence and creativity. nevertheless, the implementation of digital media to support learning process during pandemic will always face some problems and challenges. bad internet connection became the main problem in conducting an online learning during covid-19 pandemic. zhong (2020) stated that the insufficient access, the availability of the internet, the lack of technology and students’ capacity to participate in digital learning and lack of proper interaction with instructors became the major effects in the implementation of online learning. these problems also happened during teaching and learning process in this research setting. therefore, teachers need to think clearly to overcome this kind of situations. guiding students patiently and having good communication with students were believed to help teachers and students keep in the same learning pace. besides that, not every teacher and student were trained to the employment of new technology, so that it led to several technical problems in operating the learning media. learning by doing from time to time was the only solution for this phenomenon. no one could not predict this pandemic, so this situation was possibly to happen. teachers then found out by themselves the ways to improve their professional development and distribute it to the students. although finally it could run properly with some obstacles, but systematic training initiatives should be provided to improve teachers’ and learners’ technological skills in relation to new emerging models and approaches encouraging the effective use of online learning (ferri, grifoni, & guzzo, 2020). conclusion the coming of covid-19 pandemic that hit many sectors in life including education has become a new trend in teaching. online learning is not only as a choice anymore, yet it is a necessity. every teacher, student, and school must conduct this kind of learning model regardless the setting they are currently at. digital media are tools needed to support this teaching system. this research digs english teachers’ belief and practices towards the use of digital media in conducting online teaching and learning process. some findings show that the use of digital media, such as google classroom, instagram, and whatsapp really helped teachers to do online learning. it shows the common digital media are preferred used by the teachers in order to enable the students to easily engage in the english learning process since the media are reachable and easy to access. although there must be some obstacles and problems happened in the process of implementing it, teachers and students could manage it well, so the learning objectives still can be achieved. this study is limited to the setting of online english learning in a private vocational high school. it is suggested for the next researchers to have different research setting and add other related variables to be observed. acknowledgment the writers want to acknowledge universitas teknokrat indonesia for the endless support in completing this article. references alim, n., linda, w., gunawan, f., & saad, m. s. m. (2019). the effectiveness of google classroom as an instructional media: a case of state islamic institute of kendari, indonesia. humanities & social sciences reviews, 7(2), 240-246. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2019.7227 aminatun, d. (2019). ict in university: how lecturers embrace technology for teaching. jurnal smart, 5(2), 71-80. https://doi.org/10.52657/js.v5i2.815 amnan, a. (2020). the use of ict in english teaching at smk (vocational high school) regency of ngawi during covid-19 pandemic. eltall: english language teaching, applied linguistic and literature, 1(2), 45-50. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 483 https://doi.org/10.21154/eltall.v1i2.2447 azhar, k. a., & iqbal, n. (2018). effectiveness of google classroom: teachers’ perceptions. prizren social science journal, 2(2), 52-66. chin, j. m. c., ching, g. s., del castillo, f., wen, t. h., huang, y. c., del castillo, c. d., gungon, j. l., & trajera, s. m. (2022). perspectives on the barriers to and needs of teachers’ professional development in the philippines during covid19. sustainability, 14(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010470 creswell, j. w. (2013). steps in conducting a scholarly mixed methods study. dber speaker series. de jager, l., rwodzi, c., & mpofu, n. (2020). the innovative use of social media for teaching english as a second language. td: the journal for transdisciplinary research in southern africa, 16(1), 1-7. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-1d2c55516c famularsih, s. (2020). students’ experiences in using online learning applications due to covid-19 in english classroom. studies in learning and teaching, 1(2), 112-121. https://doi.org/10.46627/silet.v1i2.40 ferri, f., grifoni, p., & guzzo, t. (2020). online learning and emergency remote teaching: opportunities and challenges in emergency situations. societies, 10(4), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc10040086 fitria, t. n. (2020). teaching english through online learning system during covid-19 pandemic. pedagogy: journal of english language teaching, 8(2), 138-148. https:// doi: 10.32332/pedagogy.v8i2. 2266 harding, j. (2018). qualitative data analysis: from start to finish. sage. hermanto, y. b., & srimulyani, v. a. (2021). the challenges of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. jurnal pendidikan dan pengajaran, 54(1), 46-57. http://dx.doi.org/10.23887/jpp.v54i1.29703 kaharuddin, a. (2020). contributions of technology, culture, and attitude to english learning motivation during covid-19 outbreaks. contributions of technology, culture, and attitude to english learning motivation during covid-19 outbreaks. systematic reviews in pharmacy, 11(11), 76-84. https:// doi:10.31838/srp.2020.11.13 kholis, a. (2020). the use of whatsapp app in distance language learning in pandemic covid-19: a case study in nahdlatul ulama university of yogyakarta. let: linguistics, literature and english teaching journal, 10(2), 24-43. http://dx.doi.org/10.18592/let.v10i2.4051 kincey, s. d., farmer, e. d., wiltsher, c. y., mckenzie, d., & mbiza, s. t. (2019). from chalkboard to digital media: the evolution of technology and its relationship to minority students' learning experiences. the journal of faculty development, 33(1), 65-76. könig, j., jäger-biela, d. j., & glutsch, n. (2020). adapting to online teaching during covid-19 school closure: teacher education and teacher competence effects among early career teachers in germany. european journal of teacher education, 43(4), 608-622. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.1809650 lee, j. s., & drajati, n. a. (2019). affective variables and informal digital learning of english: keys to willingness to communicate in a second language. australasian journal of educational technology, 35(5), 168-182. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.5177 lin, m. h., & chen, h. g. (2017). a study of the effects of digital learning on learning motivation and learning outcome. eurasia journal of mathematics, science and technology education, 13(7), 3553-3564. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.00744a lusiyani, r., & anindya, w. d. (2021). choosing and using learning media during remote teaching: teachers’ thought. journal of english language teaching and linguistics, 6(2), 407-423. http://dx.doi.org/10.2146/jeltl.v6i2.555 mandasari, b., & aminatun, d. (2020). improving students’ speaking performance through vlog. english education: journal of english teaching and research, 5(2), 136-142. https://doi.org/10.29407/jetar.v5i2.14772 mardiah, h. (2020). the use of e-learning to teach english in the time of the covid-19 pandemic. english teaching and linguistics journal, 1(2), 45-55. http://dx.doi.org/10.30596%2fetlij.v1i2.4894 mckenney, s., & voogt, j. (2017). expert views on tpack for early literacy: priorities for teacher education. australasian journal of educational technology, 33(5), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.2502 meidasari, v. e. (2016). the using of digital media to enhance teaching and learning english on the well-being of indonesian students. journal of english language and culture, 6(1), 76-86. muliyah, p., & aminatun, d. (2020). teaching english for specific purposes in vocational high school: teachers' beliefs and practices. journal of english teaching, 6(2), 122-133. https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v6i2.1756 mulyono, h., suryoputro, g., & jamil, s. r. (2021). the application of whatsapp to support online learning during the covid-19 pandemic in https://doi.org/10.21154/eltall.v1i2.2447 https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010470 https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-1d2c55516c https://doi.org/10.3390/soc10040086 http://dx.doi.org/10.23887/jpp.v54i1.29703 https://dx.doi.org/10.18592/let.v10i2.4051 https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.1809650 https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.5177 https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.00744a https://doi.org/10.29407/jetar.v5i2.14772 http://dx.doi.org/10.30596%2fetlij.v1i2.4894 https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.2502 https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v6i2.1756 berlinda mandasari & dyah aminatun investigating teachers’ belief and practices toward digital media of english learning during covid-19 pandemic 484 indonesia. heliyon, 7(8), e07853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07853 nugroho, a., & mutiaraningrum, i. (2020). efl teachers’ beliefs and practices about digital learning of english. edulite: journal of english education, literature and culture, 5(2), 304-321. http://dx.doi.org/10.30659/e.5.2.304-321 pressley, t. (2021). factors contributing to teacher burnout during covid-19. educational researcher, 50(5), 325-327. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189x211004138 sari, f. m. (2021). study-from-home program: motivational beliefs of college students in the online learning environment. eternal (english, teaching, learning, and research journal), 7(2), 350-358. https://doi.org/10.24252/eternal.v72.2021.a8 simamora, r. m. (2020). the challenges of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic: an essay analysis of performing arts education students. studies in learning and teaching, 1(2), 86-103. https://doi.org/10.46627/silet.v1i2.38 suardi, m. (2020). the effectiveness of using the zoom cloud meetings application in the learning process. icsat proceeding 3rd edition (pp. 590602). ulfia, n. (2020). pembelajaran daring di masa pandemi covid-19: refleksi para siswa. prosiding nasional pendidikan: lppm ikip pgri bojonegoro, 1(1). zhong, r. (2020, march 17). the coronavirus exposes education’s digital divide. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/ china-schools. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07853 http://dx.doi.org/10.30659/e.5.2.304-321 https://doi.org/10.3102%2f0013189x211004138 https://doi.org/10.24252/eternal.v72.2021.a8 https://doi.org/10.46627/silet.v1i2.38 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/china-schools https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/china-schools english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 115 abstract: this thesis presents the language style used by jimmy fallon in the tonight show talk show. the objective of this study is to investigate the types of language style used by jimmy fallon in his talk show based on joos’s (1967) theory. this research applied descriptive qualitative method. the data of this research were taken from the talk show video and the video transcript. the main theory which was used in this research was taken from five o’clock book by martin joss (1976) and the book of an introduction to sociolinguistics by janet holmes (1992). the result of this research showed that the researcher has found 29 conversations that contain types of the language style based on joos’s (1967) theory. as the result, it finds consultative style with 11 data and casual style with 18 data, which casual style becomes dominantly used. keywords: language style; jimmy fallon; talk show; sociolinguistics. five language style analysis of the host in the tonight show talk show: a sociolinguistics analysis muziatun department of english education, state university of gorontalo, indonesia email: muziatun@ung.ac.id syarifuddin achmad department of english education, state university of gorontalo, indonesia email: syarifuddinachmad@ung.ac.id puspita wulandari samidu department of english education, state university of gorontalo, indonesia email: pitasamidu07@gmail.com apa citation: muziatun, achmad, s. & samidu, p. w. (2020). five language style analysis of the host in the tonight show talk show: a sociolinguistics analysis. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 115-124. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3784 received: 01-11-2020 accepted: 15-11-2020 published:01-12-2020 introduction talk show is one of the discussion forms that used to talk about some interesting topics. usually, there is a host and a guest speaker that sharing opinion about some topics in their conversation at the talk show program (abbas & setiawan, 2020). therefore, the host in a talk show will invite a various guest because from the entire different guests, they can see a different style of language. setting can influence the speech style also and it shows that the function of language is not only for communication, but also for other goals (putra & rosa, 2019). furthermore, “language could articulate someone inner feelings by referring to emotional states explicitly or implicitly” (schwarz-friesel, 2015, p.164). in the same way, language is used and is employed by humans creatively in their daily life as in direct and indirect interaction, which people who spoke language (direct) could also be different in style from the style they use in written language (indirect) (mangala & simon, 2017). it showed that language is one of the most powerful emblems of social behavior. meanwhile, people who express themselves in a particular situation are referring to their style. everyone has their own language style hence; every language individual has their own style to differentiate the way of representing (mulyani, hamzah & rosa, 2018). language style can describe the personality, mindset, condition of human (meyerhoff, 2006). also, the utterances produced can reflect the personal character of the speaker (batmang, gunawan, samad, & saad, 2018). in any case, language style can reflect the background of education and age of the user (indra & hamzah, 2018). therefore, language style is a way of expressing someone’s thoughts through language (keraf, 2010, cited in aflahah, 2017). furthermore, language style is a form of language that is characterized by degree of formality (joos, 1967). hence, the level of formality in language style is also influenced by the level of social diversity (jamil & nasrum, 2018). the explanation above tries to tell the readers why the language style is always selected as the research focus. some people realize that by seeing someone’s language style, particularly on the types of language style that they usually use, mailto:muziatun@ung.ac.id mailto:pitasamidu07@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3784 muziatun, syarifuddin achmad, & puspita wulandari samidu five language style analysis of the host in the tonight show talk show: a sociolinguistics analysis 116 it shows their character and mind indirectly. hence, it makes some researchers interest to analyze language style. however, in other objects such as two previous studies that the researcher got: in haqqo (2016), which is entitled ‘language style in the jakarta post advertisements’, stated that advertisement is a form of written communication that develops with the advance of technology, whether in oral or written way. moreover, the language of advertisement is compact and persuasive; it is different from the other language uses in daily life. thus, she is interested to choose the topic because she would like to know how the advertisements influence the readers with a language style. another research conducted by rahardian (2016) under the title of ‘an analysis of language style in “fury”’ movie’. he stated that the condition of human can create humans’ language style and that is happened in movie if we see in a language style perspective. hence, he is interested in that movie because during the war, there were many language styles appeared and used in their conversation, hence he wanted to analyze the types of language style that appear in the movie. the two previous studies are strengthening the researcher’s inspiration to observe deeply this research focus ‘language style’ in the other object. therefore, talk show is selected as the object of this research. in addition, the object of this research intended to be the host of the talk show. moreover, talk show is selected because people in a talk show do not speak the same in every episode, which they speak to a different person so that they have to change their style while they were speaking. in the same way, the researcher found a talk show that is interesting to be analyzed. the talk show named the tonight show starring jimmy fallon. the talk show is selected as the object of this analysis, particularly the host of the talk show. this research wants to see the language style phenomena that contains in social media such as youtube. language style has been broadly employed as a part of educating and examining language formality in the social media environment (rostami & khodabandeh, 2019). meanwhile, this analysis chose sociolinguistics approach because it is concerned about language used that occurs in society. it is supported by trioktaviani (2019) who stated that the language style is one of the categories in language variety and language variety is one of the topics discussed in sociolinguistics. moreover, a variety of language should be used by the speaker both in certain culture and certain situation (luthvia, nababan & kristina, 2020). additionally, this analysis has some significances particularly for the further researchers and english lecturers. this analysis can be a reference for the further researchers that may refer to in conducting their research. it is important because before observing the language style, it is necessary to have an insight of the language style phenomenon that might happen around us. meanwhile, the result of this study has a meaningful reference that might be referred to by the higher educators in building up their linguistic material, which is using the other illustration such as the language style phenomenon in a talk show. it can be stated that the result of this research is useful for the other researchers in the future, because we cannot deny that language is dynamic, which is always developed in the future condition, that is way a language has to be observed and researched continuously. in the same way, this analysis tells the readers how the language role in communication, how the impact of the language style used in the environment, also how the way we determine what types of language style that is used in speaking. it also becomes the reason why the readers are suggested to read this analysis. therefore, in analyzing this new object, the researcher decided to take five videos from different episodes to be the data of this research. the researcher chose some guests, which come from some different fields such as politician, singer, comedian, and youtuber. regarding this, an analysis is needed to know what are the types of language style used by the host in the talk show. therefore, that makes the topic important to be analyzed further. method qualitative method is used in this research. qualitative research is used to investigate the meaning, concept, definition, character, symbol, and description of the thing (lune & berg, 2017). for instance, qualitative research explicitly covers the contextual and environmental condition of data (yin, 2016). a qualitative description could be understood as a comprehensive description, one that seeks to provide a detailed description of the findings more likely to generate consensus among observers (seixas, smith & mitton, 2018). hence, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 117 the data of this research used the utterances that contain in the five talk show videos. in addition, the script is used in getting the accurate data. the method is used to collect the data in the form of the object’s speech texts on the sub-title that is not a number, but the data comes from their interview and other official document (susatyo & wardhono, 2019). data collection is important to determine the data of the study (dewi, ediwan & suastra, 2020). besides, this analysis took the data source from the object youtube channel that is the tonight show starring jimmy fallon. meanwhile, the data is collected through watching the video. analyze the data in starting the process of data analysis, the researcher analyzed the object utterances in the video, which is being guided by language style theory; particularly the types of language style theory by joos (1967). the utterance or the conversation will be categorized into one of the types if it contains some characteristics from the types itself. mark the data the researcher marked the utterances based on the types of language style from joos’s theory (1967), which the researcher wrote a different code in each type. categorize and interpret the data after marking the data, the researcher categorized it based on the theory from joos (1967) that is types of language style. in this case, the data will be categorized into a table. besides, the researcher interpreted the meaning of utterances for each type of the language style found. stating a conclusion the conclusion is the important point that the readers pay close attention to as the research finding. therefore, in this part, the researcher concluded the explanation in chapter four based on the researcher’s interpretation of the data. results and discussion in analyzing data of this research, it is based on the language type theory that had been found by joos (1967). to apply that theory in analyzing this research data, the researcher collected data from youtube video (ytv), as an object of this research. the name of the object youtube channel is “the tonight show starring jimmy fallon”. thus, the researcher identified and analyzed the video, which is being guided by joos’s (1967) language style theory. as what had been explained, the researcher will categorize the data analysis that already got into a table. in addition, interpreting some data themselves is based on the date when the video was uploaded. by the explanation above, the finding and analysis of each style found in the data are presented, as follow: muziatun, syarifuddin achmad, & puspita wulandari samidu five language style analysis of the host in the tonight show talk show: a sociolinguistics analysis 118 table 1. language style in “the tonight show” guest/ date types of language style utterances situation barack obama (10th of june 2016) consultative style utterances 1 jimmy asked obama about donald trump. utterances 2 2. jimmy asked about republican’s response utterances 3 3 jimmy asked about supreme court thing. utterances 4 4. jimmy asked how obama’s opinion after his job is over. evan and jillian (4th of january 2017) casual style utterances 1 1. jimmy asked why they did review toys. utterances 2 2. jimmy asked how to play jillian’s toy. utterances 3 3. jimmy played evan’s toy. utterances 4 4. jimmy was curious with jillian’s toy. bts (25th of september 2018) consultative style utterances 1 1. jimmy joked with the members of bts. utterances 2 2. jimmy let the members of bts to introduce themselves. utterances 3 3. jimmy asked how their felling when speaking at the u.n. utterances 4 4. jimmy asked the bts message when speaking at the u.n. utterances 5 5. jimmy asked their opinion about the new york city. utterances 6 6. jimmy asked what bts next project is. utterances 7 7. jimmy gave his support to the members of bts. madonna (20th of june 2019) casual style utterances 1 1. jimmy told madonna’s experience with obama. utterances 2 2. jimmy told how was madonna’s expression when she has to meet obama. utterances 3 3. jimmy asked about madonna tour. utterances 4 4. jimmy told his opinion about madonna’s tour. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 119 utterances 5 5. jimmy told the audience about the ticket tour was already sold out. utterances 6 6. jimmy asked how madonna’s tour would be like. utterances 7 7. jimmy asked madonna to teach him dance with the audience. utterances 8 8. madonna explained about her dance. utterances 9 9. madonna taught her dance. jimmy, madonna and the audience did “cha cha cha” dance together. eddie murphy (21th of december 2019) casual style utterances 1 1. jimmy asked about eddie’s feeling after coming back to the snl. utterances 2 2. jimmy asked about how eddie’s audition was like. utterances 3 3. eddie told his experience in the snl audition. utterances 4 4. jimmy asked eddie how his after parties was like. utterances 5 5. jimmy showed eddie’s iconic character when he was in the snl from the table above, this analysis found two types of language style from the five videos; namely consultative style and casual style. while the rest of the styles had never been used. research question: types of language style used by the host in a talk show the question of this study sought to find out the types of language style that the host used in his talk show. in this case, jimmy fallon is selected as the object of this analysis, which the data were collected from his talk show namely the tonight show starring jimmy fallon. in the following subsections, all the types of language style used by the host are discussed; which is being guide by joos’s (1967) theory. this step consists of the phenomena that happened regarding the types of language style, why the data called as types of language style, what is the different degree in the use of both language styles, how the previous study dealt with this phenomenon, and the theories that could strengthen the data. the types of language style that has been found in this research are explained below: the first video when the guest is barack obama (utterances 1) situation: the discourse or the conversation occurred when jimmy asked obama about the republicans’ response after the presidential election, which is when donald trump was declared as the elected president. meanwhile, jimmy was curious about the harder thing that obama went through after he was declared as the elected president in previous election. then, it muziatun, syarifuddin achmad, & puspita wulandari samidu five language style analysis of the host in the tonight show talk show: a sociolinguistics analysis 120 was what jimmy asked to obama afterwards. this discourse or the conversation included consultative style. this is because there were some characteristics of consultative style occurred in jimmy’s utterance. for instance, in utterance “people are gonna go, like not work with me?”. jimmy said the utterance because of his curiosity about obama’s feeling when he became a president of the united state of america. furthermore, this utterance showed jimmy used word ‘gonna’ in the middle of his utterance, in which the word ‘gonna’ is a shortened form of ‘going to’, and the word belongs to informal form. otherwise, some of his utterances have a good structure sentence. in joos’s (1967) theory, one of consultative style characteristics is that it has subject and predicate in every utterance, but some words of vocabularies are non-standard ones. moreover, the situation was semi-formal that can be seen from the way they talked. in the conversation, the situation was looked serious but sometimes they laughed together. another reason, jimmy asked someone that has specialized knowledge in political field that was barack obama. in addition, this is one of one of consultative style characteristics in joos’ (1967) theory. in the second video when the guest is evan and jillian (kids) (utterances 1) situation: the discourse or the conversation occurred when jimmy asked evan about his story and reason why he did review toys. the discourse or the conversation belongs to casual style because there was a shortened and slang in jimmy’s utterance; “how’d you end up reviewing toys?”. jimmy said the utterance to his guest because he wanted to know why they did review toys as their youtube content. moreover, the reason why that is categorized as casual style because based on joos’s (1967) theory, casual style consists of some characteristics such as use of slang, use of ellipsis. another reason, jimmy called his guest with their first name that can be seen in utterance “yeah i guess i've been saying that all the time. jillian?”. in addition, joos’ (1967) theory said casual style is also characterized by the use of the first name rather than a little name and last name in addressing one another. in the third video when the guest is bts (boyband) (utterances 3) situation: the discourse or the conversation occurred when jimmy asked bts about their experience when they spoke in the united nation. in addition, jimmy asked about how their feeling was at that time. this discourse or the conversation is classified into consultative style. this is because there was background information in jimmy’s utterance such when he said “and you got to speak at the u.n.”. in joos’s (1967) theory, consultative style can be classified into two features, one of the features is the speaker supplies background information, and he or she does not assume that they will be understood without it. furthermore, jimmy continued his question as when he said, “what was that like? was that amazing?”. in that utterances, jimmy gave a clear question to his guest also. this is what joos (1967) informed in his theory. consultative is for communication with strangers, so that each sentence that the speaker pronounces must be explicit and clear (joos, 1967). besides, bts members as the hearer gave some short responses while were jimmy asking, like “yeah, you know.”. on the other hand, there were some signals intimacy found in jimmy’s utterance such “buddy”, “guys”, “dude”, and “man”. however, they are not friend. it can be seen from their conversation, which there was no sign that indicated they knew each other. furthermore, there is no characteristic of casual style found in the conversation. for instance, containing slang, incomplete grammar, unclear sentence or pronunciation that was also contained ellipsis and shortened. jimmy used those signal intimacy words because of the language used development in society. nowadays in the united states and some places, people use intimacy signal not only to their close friend but also to the people that they talk with, such as stranger. in the fourth video when the guest is madonna (utterances 3) situation: the conversation occurred after jimmy explained madonna’s experience when she met obama. moreover, in that situation madonna said that she came to the show just to meet jimmy and no more reason. furthermore, in that video, jimmy asked madonna about her next project in that year, which was her tour. this discourse or conversation included casual style; because there is jimmy’s spontaneous occurred when he heard what madonna said to him. in the conversation, he english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 121 said “wow, thank you so much”. furthermore, there was an opinion that can be seen when jimmy’s said “our relationship has grown”. additionally, there were some ellipsis occurred in jimmy’s utterance. there were two ellipsis occurred; when he said “i feel-thank you so much” and “what are you gonna do that’s-i know you’re..”. in both utterances, jimmy did not continue his word and changed it to another one. in the first utterance he stopped in word ‘i feel..’ and the second utterance he stopped in ‘you gonna do that’s..’, in which there were ellipsis. furthermore, slang occurred in jimmy’s utterance such as when jimmy said “another curveball that you threw this year..”. spontaneous, opinion, ellipsis, and slang are the characteristics of casual style proposed by joos (1967). as he disclosed in his theory, there are two kinds of casual style. the first is ellipsis and the second is slang. moreover, the casual conversation is the type of talk in which we feel most relaxed, most spontaneous, and usually people prefer to use slang in their daily conversation. furthermore, the types of casual conversation are narrative, anecdotes, recounts, exemplum, observation or comment, opinion, gossip, joke telling, sending up, and chat. in the fifth video when the guest is eddie murphy (utterances 2) situation: the conversation occurred when jimmy asked about how eddie’s audition was like. this is because jimmy was curious about how the situations when eddie followed the saturday night live audition for the first time, which was on december 21th, 1984. this conversation belongs to casual style because there is ellipsis in jimmy’s utterance such as when he said, “do you remember your audition for the show?”, where it should be “do you remember how was your audition for the show?”, also another ellipsis can be seen when jimmy said, “what was it? do you remember - …” in this utterance, jimmy did not continue his utterance and directly asked another question like “what did you do?”. furthermore, there was spontaneous like when jimmy said ‘”wow..”. from joos’s (1967) theory, there are two kinds of casual style. the first, ellipsis (omission) that usually shows the differences between casual grammar with consultative grammar. the second is the type of talking in which we feel most relaxed, most spontaneous and usually people prefer to use slang if they talk to their friend in their daily conversation. the data analysis shows that from five types of the language style proposed by joos (1967), only two types found in the five talk show videos, they are consultative style and casual style. the first type used by jimmy fallon in his talk show is consultative style. based on the explanation of types of language style by joos (1967), this study found 11 data from two different videos, which were categorized as consultative style. the two videos that contain consultative style are the video with a politician that is barack obama and the video with a nonnative speaker, which is bts (korean boyband). this style used by jimmy fallon as the host of the talk show when he talked to obama. he used this style because of his respect. he knows that obama was his president, so that he spoke carefully but still relaxed. style refers to the atmosphere and its means of expression form of language (zhang & huang, 2020). in the same way, this consultative style is used by jimmy when he talked to bts in the talk show because they are not friend. indeed, there are some intimacy signals found in their conversation. however, jimmy knows that they are not american, which cannot speak english fluently so jimmy tried to make the conversation not awkward. the language style that someone used can be formal or informal depends on the social status of the person or a group of people she or he is talking to (febriyan, 2019). besides, there is an analysis from rahardian (2016), which is about language style in fury movie. meanwhile, the researcher found the similar finding between rahardian’s (2016) and this analysis. for example, the researcher found some short response in bts and obamas’ video such as “yeah, i did”, “no”, “of course”, “all right.” in the same way, in rahardian’s (2016) finding there are some short responses he found from his data such as “all right, sir.”, “yeah. i am”. moreover, the second type that jimmy used in his talk show is casual style. there were 18 data that indicate casual style. the data found in three videos, the first video with comedian that is eddie murphy. the second is video with singer that is madonna. the third is video with kids, those are evan and jillian. the host used casual style when he talked to these guests because of their relationship that indicated they have met before, so nowadays they become as close acquaintances or even friend. it supports by firda (2020) who stated that casual style is muziatun, syarifuddin achmad, & puspita wulandari samidu five language style analysis of the host in the tonight show talk show: a sociolinguistics analysis 122 used in a normal situation and used by some friends, such as jimmy and all musicians because they are from the entertainment field. this is what the researcher found in eddie murphy and madonna video. moreover, another reason that makes the host used casual style when he talked to his guest is because the guest is children, which the host needed to adjust their language when speaking in order to make the children understand and answer what the host asked. in addition, this is what the researcher found in evan and jillian video. from finding and analysis above, the researcher found the similarity with rahardian’s (2016) finding in casual style. for instance, the researcher found some opinion states from the object utterance in the conversation, such as “i mean, these are iconic” (in eddie murphy video), “i love that you’re doing this” (in madonna video), and “this is like so cool” (in evan and jillian video). meanwhile, there are some opinion states found in rahardian’s (2016). for example, “if they do, we'll know exactly where they are” and “we've been lucky till now”. additionally, it can be seen that among all of the types of language style found in data, casual style was the most dominantly used by the host of the talk show. based on the researcher interpretation of the data, the style mostly appeared in the video because the situation was relaxed. a host should be able to read the situation, create atmosphere to make the talk show runs well (rumpoko, 2013, cited in situmorang, 2015). each has a different style with other individuals especially in communication in essence (gunawan et al., 2019). also, the use of language styles is able to determine the purpose of communication (sakti & weda, 2020). in the same case, after analyzing all data, the researcher found a difference degree in the use of both types in each video. for instance, jimmy used consultative style when speaking to bts members and barack obama. however, when speaking to bts members the style tended to be intimate style, while it did not occur in barack obama’s video. it can be seen from the words that jimmy used; he often called the bts members with ‘man’, ‘dude’, and ‘guys’. in the conversation, jimmy said “yeah, that’s right. good to see you buddy. guys, it’s been so fun, exciting having you here in new york city, and you got to speak at the u.n”. jimmy said that utterance when he wanted to start the conversation with bts in which jimmy asked about their experience when they spoke at the united nation. another example that jimmy said is “wow. tell me. you spoke at the u.n. you sold out citi field in less than 10 minutes. i mean, this is –it’s a big deal for you guys”. in addition, there is another slang word that jimmy used in his conversation with bts in the video such as ‘dude’ and ‘man’. whereas, those slang words are not found in his conversation with barack obama. there are many semi-formal styles found in jimmy utterances, which do not contain slang or any non-formal words. therefore, it becomes a difference degree between the use of a consultative style of bts with barack obama video on jimmy’s talk show. moreover, there is a difference use of casual style found between the kids’ (evan and jillian) video with madonna and eddie murphy’s video. casual style is used in madonna and eddie murphy’s video. however, the style tended to be intimate style. it can be seen from their conversation. there is a short conversation that sounds a little intimate; when madonna said “i'm sorry, but the truth hurts. so, now we don't have any -we have no distractions, and there are no illusions. i am only here to see you”. that utterance expresses her feeling when she comes to jimmy’s talk show. moreover, jimmy replied her utterance like when he said “see, wow, thank you so much. i've grown. i feel - thank you so much. our relationship has grown” and madonna said “your hair has grown”. they tried to joke one another and the conversation shows how close their relationship, which is more than just a close acquaintance perhaps. in the same way, the same case also was found in eddie murphy video, which there is a conversation or utterance included into casual but tends to be intimate. it can be seen from the first utterance that jimmy said in the beginning of the video “thank you for coming by. what's it like? what's this week been like? you're back on "snl." is it like going back to school or”. the utterance “is it like going back to school or” is included into casual but sounds a little intimate. this is because it sounds like jimmy knows well how the snl influence the eddie murphy carrier. furthermore, in their conversation, there is a slang word found, when eddie murphy said “35 years since i’ve been back”. and jimmy replied “man oh man”, he said that slang word to show english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 123 his feeling after knowing how long eddie left the show. in addition, that is why their language style sounds casual but a little intimate. however, that case was not found in evan and jillian video, in which there are no utterances that tended to be the other style. jimmy used the casual style when talking to evan and jillian, although they are not friend which never meet before. however, jimmy used the casual style in order to make them feel comfortable when speaking to him. hence, jimmy chose a style that is suitable in speaking to a kid, and that is casual style. the way of delivering people thought, whether in the form of formal or informal can be understood from the styles of their language (syuhada, samad & muthalib, 2020). conclusion the major goal of this research is to describe the types of language style used by jimmy fallon in the tonight show talk show. this study used the theory of joos (1967) to analyze the types of the language style. furthermore, the result of this research has shown that the host of the talk show that is jimmy fallon used two types from five language styles proposed by joos (1967). those are consultative style and casual style. furthermore, the more significant findings in this research are the use of casual style. it is because jimmy wanted to make his conversation with his guest not awkward when speaking one another. therefore, this style becomes the most dominant in jimmy’s talk show because he wanted his guest feeling comfortable in speaking just like how they speak to their friend. “the most dominant function is created from the needs of people itself in communication” (putri, oktama & nursyamsu, 2016, p. 128). to understand the language, the hearer can not only know the meaning, but also the situation whether it is formal or informal, who is being addressed and who might be able to overhear (ivan, 2020). overall, the participant, the setting, and the function become the important things that have to be known when analyzing these types of language style. besides, joos’s (1967) theory teaches how style in language can be distinguished based on someone’s relationship with others. references abbas, a., & setiawan, h. i. (2020). how talk show presenter using code mixing and code switching on tv program in indonesia. journal of education, language teaching and science, 2(2), 20-39. doi: 10.0906/klasikal.v2i2.57. aflahah. (2017). language style of habiburrahman el-shirazy in the dwilogy of ayat-ayat cinta: a stylistic study. okara: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 1(11), 85-122. batmang, b., gunawan, f., samad, i. a., & saad, m. s. md. (2018). the influence of lecturers’ language style toward higher students’ psychological condition in indonesia. arab world english journal, 9(4), 211-220. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol9no4.15. dewi, n. m. a. j., ediwan. i. n. t., & suastra. i. m. (2020). language style in romantic movie. journal of arts and humanities, 24(2), 109-116. doi: http://doi.org/10.24843.jh.2020.v24.i02.p01. firda, a. a. (2020). language style used by musicians in the tonight show starring jimmy fallon talk show. (undergraduate thesis, state islamic university of sunan ampel surabaya, indonesia). retrieved from http://digilib.uinsby.ac.id/43752/ febriyan, f. f. (2019). an analysis on language style used by the winner of toast masters world champion of public speaking 2014. (undergraduate thesis, university of muhammadiyah malang, indonesia). retrieved from http://eprints.umm.ac.id/52097/ gunawan, f., mayasari. r., muna, w., & masruddin, m. (2019). lecturer’s language style and students’ academic self-efficacy in higher education of indonesia. arab world english journal, 10(2), 77-87. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no2.7. haqqo, o. a. (2016). language style in the jakarta post advertisements. (undergraduate thesis, state islamic university of maulana malik ibrahim malang, indonesia). retrieved from http://etheses.uin-malang.ac.id/4089/ indra., & hamzah. (2018). an analysis of language style of teenagers found in facebook status. ejournal of english language and literature, 7(1), 98-105. ivan, m. d. (2020). an analysis of the five language styles found in the lean on me movie. (undergraduate thesis, university of sumatera utara, indonesia). retrieved from http://repository.usu.ac.id/handle/123456789/277 95 jamil, r. f., & nasrum. (2018). language style used in j.k. rowling’s harry potter and the cursed child. english and literature journal, 5(2), 190200. joos, m. (1967). the five clocks. new york: harcourt, brace and world inc. luthvia, z., nababan, m. r., & kristina, d. (2020). translator’s creation in language style and illocutionary shift: gender utterance in romance. international journal of linguistics, literature http://doi.org/10.24843.jh.2020.v24.i02.p01 http://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no2.7 http://etheses.uin-malang.ac.id/ http://repository.usu.ac.id/handle/123456789/27795 http://repository.usu.ac.id/handle/123456789/27795 muziatun, syarifuddin achmad, & puspita wulandari samidu five language style analysis of the host in the tonight show talk show: a sociolinguistics analysis 124 and translation, 3(1), 1-7 doi: 10.32996/ijllt.2020.3.1.1. lune, h., & berg, b. l., (eds.). (2017). qualitative research methods for the social science. (9th ed.). england: pearson education. mangala., & simon, a. (2017). the transitivity process patterns and styles in the characterization of the protagonist character in phuoc’s “the story of tam and cam”. journal of language and literature, 17(1), 65-73. meyerhoff, m. (2006). introdducing sociolinguistics. london and new york: routledge taylor and francis group. mulyani, r., hamzah & rosa, r. n. (2018). language style between presenters in talk show. e-journal of english language & literature, 7(4), 452-461. putra, e. t., & rosa, r. n. (2019). the analysis of speech style used by ellen degeneres in ellen talk show. e-journal of english language and literature, 8(3), 317-328. putri, m. w., oktama, e., & nursyamsu, r. (2016). figurative language in english stand-up comedy. english review: journal of english education, 5(1), 115-130. rahardian, r. (2016). an analysis of language style in “fury” movie. (undergraduate thesis, state islamic university of sunan ampel surabaya, indonesia). retrieved from http://digilib.uinsby.ac.id/5971/ rostami, f., & khodabandeh, f. (2019). a comparative study of language style variations in e-mail and telegram messages by non-native intermediate learners of english. teaching english with technology, 19(4), 69-89. sakti, a. e. f., & weda, s. (2020). the kind of speech styles in allan plenderleith’s “the bunker (2017)” movie. els journal on interdisciplinary studies in humanities, 3(3), 376-392 doi: https://doi.org/10.34050/elsjish.v3i3.9858. schwarz-friesel, m. (2015). emotion in language: theory – research – application [e-book]. retrieved from http://books.google.co.id/books/about/emotion_i n_language.html&id=e4oxcwaaqbaj&redir_ esc=y seixas, b. v., smith. n., & mitton, c. (2018). the qualitative descriptive approach in /international //comparative studies: using online qualitative surveys. international journal of health policy and management, 7(9), 778-781. doi: 10.15171/ijhpm.2017.142. situmorang, t. (2015). presenter talk show “sarah sechan” dan minat menonton (studi korelasional presenter talk show “sarah sechan” pada televisi net dengan minat menonton talk show sarah sechan pada mahasiswa department ilmu komunikasi fakultas ilmu social dan ilmu politik universitas sumatera utara) [presenter of talk show “sarah sechan” (study correlation of talk show’s presenter “sarah sechan” on net television program with the interest of watching the talk show on department of communication sciences student political and social science faculty sumatera utara university]. (thesis, sumatera utara university, indonesia). retrieved from http://repository.usu.ac.id/handle/123456789/502 susatyo, b., & wardhono, a. (2019). study of language style in hillary clinton’s speech. journal of english teaching, literature and applied linguistics, 3(1), 1-12 doi: 10.30587/jetlal.v3i1.785. syuhada, r. f., samad, i. a., & muthalib, k. a. (2020). language style used in educational advertisement of the jakarta post newspaper. english education journal, 11(3), 303-315. trioktaviani, s. (2019). language styles on bedtime story in free kids’ online books. (undergraduate thesis, maulana malik ibrahim state islamic university of malang, indonesia). retrieved from http://repositori.uin-alauddin.ac.id/7826/ yin, r. k., (ed.). (2016). qualitative research from start to finish. (2nd ed.). new york & london: guilford press. zhang, j., & huang, y. (2020). good reviews go out the door, bad news travels fast? research on the influence of reference groups and their language styles in positive online review on consumers’ brand attitudes. open journal of social sciences, 8. 271-295. doi: http://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2020.82022 http://digilib.uinsby.ac.id/5971/ http://books.google.co.id/books/about/emotion_in_language.html&id=e4oxcwaaqbaj&redir_esc=y http://books.google.co.id/books/about/emotion_in_language.html&id=e4oxcwaaqbaj&redir_esc=y http://books.google.co.id/books/about/emotion_in_language.html&id=e4oxcwaaqbaj&redir_esc=y http://repository/ http://repositori.uin-alauddin.ac.id/7826/ http://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2020.82022 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 129 developing magic round to teach interrogative sentences tri agustini solihati english education department, faculty of education and teacher training, universitas perjuangan tasikmalaya, indonesia e-mail: triagustini@unper.ac.id lystiana nurhayat hakim english education department, faculty of education and teacher training, universitas perjuangan tasikmalaya, indonesia e-mail: lystiananurhayat@unper.ac.id apa citation: solihati, t. a., & hakim, l. n. (2019). developing magic round to teach interrogative sentences. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 129-138. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2030. received: 22-09-2019 accepted: 18-10-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: vocabulary mastery and sentence structure are often considered to be the most challenging things in mastering english. besides, both teacher and students are often bored on how they are explained and understood. thus, keeping students’ motivation in learning vocabulary and sentence structure needs more effort as it should be more than just teachers’ attendance and explanation. choosing a proper teaching media can be one of the solutions. this research aims to produce magic round as one of the choices for teaching interrogative sentences. it was developed through research and development (r&d) by implementing several steps, including preliminary studies, research planning, product design, product validation, product trial, and producing final product. validity was assessed by both technological and material experts. those reached 90% and 92%. the usefulness and feasibility were taken by the user and observer. those gained 91% and 91%. in conclusion, this media is quiet appropriate to be used in teaching english interrogative sentences. keywords: magic round; interrogative sentences; research and development; supplementary teaching media; tenses. introduction the objective of teaching english in indonesia based on the 2006 standard of content is that the students can develop their communicative competence, both in oral or written forms, to achieve a certain functional literacy stage. hence, the four language skills including listening, speaking, reading, and writing should be taught (pusat kurikulum, 2006). the essential aspects to have adequate writing skill are vocabulary and grammar mastery (soviyah, & etikaningsih, 2018). in this case, grammar itself needs to not only being memorized, but also comprehended by students (haryudin, & argawati, 2018). yet, in reality, indonesian students often lost their interest to study english. they often get stuck on that language. most of them blindly mix and blend the grammar into their sentences. they got language gap between bahasa indonesia and english. they had many differences including structure, grammar, terms, and styles (soviyah, & etikaningsih, 2018). consequently, students often get confused in writing activity. yet, those obstacles can be overcome by engaging the appropriate strategy, method, or media (manan, 2017). for example, solihati (2016) suggested smart wheel as a choice to teach english tenses and magic round (solihati, 2017, 2018). yet, to teach affirmative sentence and negative sentence, different magic round will be used as magic round was developed in three series, including affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentence. the separation avoids users’ confusion as experienced in the usage of smart wheel. the developed media had functions which are in line with the characteristics of teaching media. they are clarifying the message, overcoming the limitation of time, space, and energy, having more direction between student and teacher, enabling students to learn independently, and fulfilling five components in learning process; teacher, material, media, student, and learning goals (daryanto, 2016). since the previous developed media had not touched interrogative sentence yet, thus the last series of verbal sentence needed to be designed. it tri agustini solihati & lystiana nurhayat hakim developing magic round to teach interrogative sentences 130 is called magic round for interrogative sentence. the core of the content itself is the same. it was designed to teach simple sentence, verbal type, and interrogative form. thus, the intended material would be the agreement between subject and predicate. table 1 presents the pattern that students should know to arrange good sentences with full consideration on tenses. table 1. pattern and tenses for interrogative sentence present past future past future simple do/does+s+ v1? did+s+v1? will+s+v1? would+s+v1? continuous am/are/is+s+ ving? was/were+s+ v.ing? will+s+be+ ving? would+s+be+ving? perfect have/has s+v3? had+s+v3? will+s+have+ v3? would+s+have+v3? perfect continuous have/has+s+ been+ving? had+s+been+ ving? will+s+ have+been+ving? would+s+ have+been+ving? after using magic round negative students will be able in comprehending 16 (sixteen) tenses; simple present tenses, simple past tense, simple future tense, simple past future tenses, present continuous tense, past continuous tense, future continuous tenses, past future continuous tense, present perfect tense, past perfect tense, future perfect tense, past future perfect tense, present perfect continuous tense, past perfect continuous tense, future perfect continuous tense, and past future perfect continuous tense. method the research was conducted in sma at-tajdid boarding school, grade xi ips, tasikmalaya west-java. the class consists of 21 students; 6 males and 15 females. the 6 (six) steps model of research & development (r&d) which was a combination of borg & gall’ and dick & carey’ are used in this research (sugiyono, 2010). the modification of the model could be seen in figure 1. figure 1. research model preliminary study covered several activities, namely references finding, field observation, problem identification, and needs identification. they were the keys of digging up related information to the raised issue. planning step included identifying general goal in learning process, analyzing learning process to develop the media, developing learning strategy, developing or selecting appropriate material, developing test instrument and product validation. meanwhile, the product design concerns on creating and developing the media itself. it considers the material included, the design developed, the color used, the content provided, the font size applied, etc. product validation was the next step to carry out. it would engage the assessment from the technology expert, material expert, and teacher as the user in delivering the material, observer, and students. after doing product validation, product trial should be assessed. it would consist of 3 (three) scales; individual scale, small scale, and limited scale. all the scales’ assessment toward the developed media would decide the revision on the developing media. the feedback from doing product validation and its trial were the constructive suggestions for producing the final product. table 2 shows the instruments used to final product product trial product validation product design planning preliminary study english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 131 gather data, especially for doing product validation. table 2. instrument to get the accuracy of developing media the function to assess the accuracy of magic round to assess the feasibility of magic round to assess the usefulness of magic round to assess students’ achievement the instrument questionnaire teacher’s response observation sheet objective test the respondent technology expert material expert teacher observer students the amount 23 items 14 items 24 items 25 items except the instrument fulfilled by the students, the assessment would be evaluated by giving score 1–4. each would indicate level of agreement, including strongly disagree, disagree, agree, and strongly agree. on the other hand, to measure the effectiveness of the media, multiple choices test was used. both pre-test and post-test consist of 25 items with matching model. the students had to match the sentences on the left toward the tenses type on the right by putting the number and the letter. product trial would spend 6 (six) meetings for each scale. the meeting consists of pre-test, present tenses mastery, past tense mastery, future tense mastery, past future tense mastery, and post-test. the obtained data will then be interpreted following the criteria proposed by widoyoko (2012) as presented in table 3. table 3. data interpretation no. percentage description 1. 86% 100% quiet valid and practical, can be used without revision 2. 71% 85% valid and practical enough, can be used with a little revision 3. 56% 70 % less valid and practical, need much revision 4. 41% 55% not valid and practical, cannot be used 5. 26% 40% not valid at all, cannot be used results and discussion product validation magic round interrogative was the third series of the whole magic round for learning verbal active sentences. it was developed the same as the previous media. corel draw application was implemented during the development of the media. magic round interrogative had a very little different from the negative series. those were from the colour, the sentence pattern, and the examples of the sentence. magic round had 4 (four) layers; the first described the types of tense and the pattern, the second and the third displayed the 99 irregular verbs, and the forth provided the explanation and the examples. using magic round was easy. just spin the layer 1 to get the verb that the user wanted. if they did not understand the meaning, the outer part had provided the meaning in bahasa indonesia. the verbs were arranged alphabetically. if the verbs could not find in the 2 nd layer, handle it together with the 1 st to see the verbs in layer 3. magic round itself had 99 irregular verbs which were separated in 49 and 50. the backside of the media provided the function or explanation of the english tenses. the users could easily get their comprehension toward various tenses. then they would use the tense appropriately as their needs and meaning. the explanation itself was also completed by examples. thus, the users could check their own writing or sentence arrangement. for the visual description, magic round could be seen in figure 2. tri agustini solihati & lystiana nurhayat hakim developing magic round to teach interrogative sentences 132 figure 2. four-sided magic round magic round as seen above had already been validated by the experts. those were technology expert and material expert. validation itself was done in three scales. first, the experts gave their assessment toward the developed media through 23 items of questionnaire. the level of agreement over each statement should be between score 1-4. the given score was converted into percentage and categorized as seen in table 4. table 4. experts validation the experts validation scale score converted score conclusion 1 2 3 4 technology expert individual 14 9 85 quiet valid and practical, can be used without revision small 12 11 87 limited 10 13 90 material expert individual 14 9 85 small 11 12 88 limited 7 16 92 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 133 80.00 82.00 84.00 86.00 88.00 90.00 92.00 94.00 individual scale small scale limited scale expert validation technology expert material expert figure 3. the result of expert validation by observing the data, magic round was quiet valid and practical and can be used without revision. it was determined from data interpretation in table 3. the result ranging from the top 2 category was gained. both technology expert and material expert gave the same score in individual scale which was 85. it reflects that the media was valid and practical enough. it could be used with a little revision. little revision suggested by them was about the following topics; colour and picture. at the beginning of the steps, magic round was printed in uninteresting colour. actually, it was an error from the ink of the printing machine and also from the resolution of the design. there was a change of resolution from the previous developed magic round. then, the second point was about the picture which modified the media. it was not good in the first because many pictures often distracted students’ attention. they would be more attracted to the given pictures instead of the material inside. the picture was successfully simplified and already represented the content of the developing material. otherwise, the result of product validation was very great in both small scale and limited scale. it was absolutely because of the suggestions in the individual scale were done very well. no more notes and suggestions, instead of conveying high appreciation toward the media. the given results in small scale were 87 and 88. besides, in limited scale, the results from technology expert reached 90 compared to material expert which was 92. the entire result was determined as valid and could be used without revision. one thing that experts said was about the existence of the media. the previous similar media had already developed and been accepted by students and teacher very well. product trial product trial was done in 3 (three) scales as well as the product validation. it was divided into individual scale, small scale, and limited scale. for the first two, the students were chosen based on teacher’s suggestion to have high, medium, and low cognitive level. yet, the last would have the rest of two scales. all activities for each were the same. it consists of the assessment from the teacher as the user of magic round to measure the feasibility, the observer to measure the usefulness of magic round, and students’ achievement test to measure their comprehension toward the material learnt (interrogative sentences). feasibility questionnaire consists of 14 items, usefulness questionnaire has 24 items, and achievement test has 25 items. the summary result of product trial in all stages is shown in table 5. table 5. product trial the assessment validation scale score converted score 1 2 3 4 feasibility individual 8 6 86 small 7 7 88 limited 5 9 91 tri agustini solihati & lystiana nurhayat hakim developing magic round to teach interrogative sentences 134 usefulness individual 16 8 83 small 14 10 85 limited 10 14 91 78.00 80.00 82.00 84.00 86.00 88.00 90.00 92.00 individual scale small scale limited scale product trial feasibility usefullness figure 4. usefulness and feasibility of magic round from the data presented in table 5, the feasibility of magic round interrogative had been assessed as valid and practical media. it could be used without revision. the data was gained from the observer. the observer proposed 14 statements to be assessed. it covered the overall performance of the teacher (the user of magic round in the classroom) relating to the media in the classroom activities. in the individual scale, 8 items got point 3 and 6 items got point 4. it bridged the result of 86. meanwhile, in small scale, point 3 and 4 had the same amount of the item. it was 7 items for each. it resulted 88. the last scale or limited scale, 5 items got point 3, and 9 items got point 4. the evaluated items were presented in table 7. table 7. questionnaire of feasibility of magic round number of item the statements 1 teacher opens the class by greeting, praying, and checking students’ attendance. 2 teacher does an apperception to invite students in digging up what to learn that day. 3 teacher states the learning competency. 4 teacher informs the students on what activities will be done during the class. 5 teacher connects the benefits of today lesson toward daily life. 6 the media engages students’ activities. 7 the media is appropriate to use to reach learning objectives. 8 the media assists students to find a concept that relates to the learning objectives. 9 the media facilitates the students in comprehending the material toward a set of activity inside. 10 the media bridges students to have easy and fun learning. 11 the media supports the students to have joyful learning experience. 12 the media is possibly designed to help students in observing, asking, collecting, analyzing data, and drawing conclusion. 13 teacher supports the students to state their learning impression. 14 teacher invites the students to write down some constructive suggestions as a reference to a better learning process later. moreover, in assessing the usefulness of magic round interrogative, the score in individual scale and small scale indicated that the media needed a little revision. 16 items got point 3 and 8 items got point 4. it results 83 in individual scale. 14 items got point 3 and 10 items got point 4. it brought the result of 85 in small scale. it was because the language that teacher used sometimes was hard to understand. teacher needed to blend bahasa indonesia and english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 135 english, and talk a bit slowly. yet, in the limited scale, it can be concluded that the media was practical and could be used without revision. the result was 91 with 10 items got point 3 and 14 items got point 4. table 8 presents the statement to be assessed. table 8. questionnaire of measuring the usefulness of magic round number of item the statements 1 learning activity is more fun by the developing teaching media. 2 the material within the media is easy to understand by the teacher. 3 teacher is able to create creative learning activity by the usage of the developing media. 4 teacher is able to discuss with the students using the media. 5 the material is very helpful for students to reach the learning objectives. 6 the examples of the explanation are suitable to learning objectives which must be reached by the students. 7 the material is suitable with the students’ growth level. 8 the explanation fulfills the learning indicators. 9 the language is communicative while being used in explaining the material/ learning activity 10 using the developing media in learning activity has engaged students actively in constructing or creating their own knowledge. 11 students’ learning activity is better than the previous similar material without using magic round 12 students’ activity is more active, creative, and fun. 13 the developing media motivates students to study harder by using it. 14 students are motivated and have more spirit to study. 15 the media is helpful to easily understand the material. 16 the media is valuable to assist students’ indoor and outdoor activity. 17 the media’s font size is readable. 18 the media’s font face is interesting. 19 the appropriateness of media’s layout is attractive. 20 the appropriateness of media’s layout does not distract students’ attention. 21 the illustrated picture is suitable toward the developing media. 22 the color of media does not disturb students’ concentration. 23 the media is easy to use. 24 the media is practical to use by the students. after being analysed in the preliminary study, looking at the students learning experience and discussing with the teacher, the researcher decided score 68 as the minimum standard (passing grade) to measure the students’ understanding and achievement. table 9 shows the result of students’ achievement test. table 9. students’ achievement result in individual scale no. name correct answer pre-test score correct answer post-test score 1. r-1 9 36 18 72 2. r-2 9 36 17 68 3. r-3 12 48 20 80 average 10 40 18 73 from the table, the comparison between the result of pre-test and post-test showed a good progress. all respondents could improve their understanding by passing the minimum score as the passing grade which was 68. they were given 25 matching test. respondent 2 got only a minimum passing grade, but the overall average reached 73. it was about the minimum score that determined the success of magic round to improve their understanding. in the middle of having pre-test and post-test, they had a set of meeting to especially focus on the usage of magic round in learning interrogative sentence. they stated in the end of the meeting that magic round was very interesting to use, easy to understand the material, and covered all material about interrogative sentence. patterns, examples, explanation, and irregular verbs were provided completely in a teaching media. it was their first time seeing and using magic round to master english tenses. tri agustini solihati & lystiana nurhayat hakim developing magic round to teach interrogative sentences 136 table 10. students’ achievement result in small scale no. name correct answer pre-test score correct answer post-test score 1. r-1 7 28 16 64 2. r-2 9 36 18 72 3. r-3 8 32 17 68 4. r-4 13 52 20 80 5. r-5 10 40 18 72 6. r-6 17 68 22 88 average 11 43 19 74 table 10 shows the result of students’ achievement on the usage of magic round to master interrogative sentence. it consisted of 6 respondents. respondent 1 was the only one who got the post-test score below the minimum grade. after being interviewed, the cause was healthy condition that decreased concentration. the amount of the test was the same as the previous scale which was 25 items of matching test. the overall average for the small scale reached 74 and it was absolutely above the determined grade. the students highly appreciated the magic round. they considered this as innovative media, because the complex material was easy to understand by using it. it was very helpful and able to increase their learning motivation. table 11. students’ achievement result in limited scale no. name correct answer pre-test score correct answer post-test score 1. r-1 12 48 18 72 2. r-2 11 44 23 92 3. r-3 12 48 22 88 4. r-4 10 40 20 80 5. r-5 10 40 23 92 6. r-6 9 36 18 72 7. r-7 12 48 25 100 8. r-8 11 44 22 88 9. r-9 12 48 18 72 10. r-10 15 60 25 100 11. r-11 10 40 17 68 12. r-12 10 40 17 68 average 11 45 21 83 the last scale of product trial was limited scale. it was followed by the rest students from the individual and small scale. thus, the amount of respondent was 12 students. two of them had the same post-test score as the minimum passing grade. the other two got perfect score or 100. both of them were able to answer all the tests correctly. the rest scores itself were varied. yet, it brought this scale to get the average of 83 which was the highest among the scales. it showed that students’ achievements and understanding were good, because it was above the minimum passing grade. the students stated that learning activity was very interesting. magic round was very helpful. it facilitated the students to understand the english tenses, especially in the form of interrogative sentence. they had been aware to combine grammar blindly and just put the question mark at the end of sentence to differ interrogative sentence to others. magic round was developed completely, including tenses names, their patterns, their explanation, their examples, and irregular verbs to use. figure 5 describes the comparison of students’ average scores in all stages. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 137 0,00 10,00 20,00 30,00 40,00 50,00 60,00 70,00 80,00 90,00 individual scale small scale limited scale achievement test average score of pre-test average score of post-test figure 5. average score of achievement test how to use magic round in teaching process first of all, teacher needs to dig up students’ knowledge toward kinds of english tenses by mentioning their names. then, they have to create some sentences related to english tenses they mentioned. they can also make a little discussion with their classmates to develop their understanding. the common mistakes of making interrogative sentences were; 1) changing only the intonation while producing interrogative sentence; 2) adding only the question mark at the end of the sentence; 3) using only simple form (v1) in all kinds of english tense. students blindly mix the structure as they feel as true; 4) being confused to have subject and verb agreement and other parts of speech; and 5) having lack of knowledge about the function or the usage of each english tense. it made inappropriate use of tense toward the intended message to tell. to minimize these mistakes, teachers need to make students aware of english tenses by knowing their names. thus, the second thing a teacher could do was emphasizing the students to remember the abbreviation of “secoperpeci”. that word was very familiar for indonesian people. “se” would be used forever to indicate “simple”, “co” would indicate “continuous”. “per” would show “perfect”, and “peci” would describe “perfect continuous”. furthermore, to get 16 (sixteen) tenses, secoperpeci needed to be combined to main terms. those were present, past, future, and past future. after being able to mention fluently and memorize the name perfectly, teacher could start explaining the function of each tense which was provided in the back side of magic round. then, teachers ask the students to analyse the difference sentence structure from the example, go back to the front side of magic round to see the pattern and subject-verb agreement, and then make some sentences using different verbs and tenses. those teaching arrangement could be repeated the same or better using another teaching approach, strategy, model, or method. conclusion in short, after being assessed through some evaluation that engaged different participants, magic round was appropriate to be used in teaching interrogative sentence. it can improve students’ mastery of interrogative sentence. they could easily know the pattern of the sentence, memorize and enrich their vocabulary both english and bahasa indonesia, comprehend the usage of each tense from the explanation, and match their comprehension with the sentence example. magic round was suitable to use for the beginners. thus, everyone that is interested in english, especially for the sentence structure mastery could bring magic round along their study. magic round was designed to be used both individually and group work. as long as they knew the way to use it, self-study was very possible to do. teachers also could provide fun learning by attending or engaging teaching media on their classroom activities. to sum up, magic round for teaching interrogative sentence was valid and practical. tri agustini solihati & lystiana nurhayat hakim developing magic round to teach interrogative sentences 138 acknowledgements i would like to express our highest gratitude to sma at-tajdid tasikmalaya where this research was carried out, especially for english teacher and students of xi-ips, the technology and material experts, the dean of faculty of education and teacher training, and all of the lecturers in universitas perjuangan tasikmalaya. the last, i thank to drpm kemenristekdikti which supported this research. references daryanto. (2016). media pembelajaran. yogyakarta: gava media. haryudin, a., & argawati, n. o. (2018). lesson study to improve student english grammar mastery using jigsaw technique to the third semester of ikip siliwangi. indonesia efl journal, 4(1), 4956. doi: 10.25134/ieflj.v4i1.798. manan, n. a. (2017) whatsapp mobile tool in second language learning. indonesia efl journal, 3(1), 87-92 pusat kurikulum (puskur). (2006). standar isi bahasa inggris (content standard for english). jakarta. solihati, t. a. (2016). the effect of using smart wheel toward the skill of arranging simple sentences (pengaruh penggunaan smart wheel terhadap keterampilan menyusun kalimat sederhana. jurnal saung guru, ix(3). solihati, t. a. (2017). pengembangan magic round pada pembelajaran tenses untuk penyusunan kalimat affirmative. tasikmalaya: universitas perjuangan. solihati, t. a., & aristi, g. (2018). akselerasi pemahaman tenses dalam menyusun kalimat negative dengan magic round. jurnal sosial & humaniora ikra-ith humaniora, 2(3), 126132. soviyah, s., & etikaningsih, d. r. (2018). instagram use to enhance ability in writing descriptive texts. indonesian efl journal, 4(2), 32-38. doi: 10.25134/ieflj.v4i2.1373. sugiyono. (2010). metode penelitian pendidikan pendekatan kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r & d. bandung: alfabeta. widoyoko, s. e. p. (2012). teknik penyusunan instrumen penelitian. yogyakarta: pustaka pelajar. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 147 teachers’ attitudes and problems of using ict in teaching efl arif aminullah department of english education, sriwijaya university, palembang, indonesia e-mail: arifaminullah1994@gmail.com bambang apriady loeneto department of english education, sriwijaya university, palembang, indonesia e-mail: loenetobambang@gmail.com machdalena vianty department of english education, sriwijaya university, palembang, indonesia e-mail: vianty.unsri@gmail.com apa citation: aminullah, a., loeneto, b. a., & vianty, m. (2019). teachers’ attitudes and problems of using ict in teaching efl. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 147-156. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2324. received: 10-10-2019 accepted: 13-11-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: the implementation of ict is very important in education. by using ict, the process of teaching and learning is more effective and efficient. the objectives of this research were (1) to find out the attitudes of english teachers of public senior high schools in palembang towards the use of ict in the process of teaching and learning english, and (2) to find out the problems that commonly faced by english teachers towards the use of ict in the process of teaching and learning english. this research was conducted at 16 public senior high schools in palembang. there were 19 respondents who were selected by using ‘purposive sampling’ technique. the data were collected by using questionnaire, interview, observation and documentation. the obtained data were analyzed in descriptive statistics. the statement checklist which used likert scale was presented in the form of percentage while the results of answering descriptive questions was reported descriptively. the results showed that the attitudes of the teachers towards the use of ict in the process of teaching and learning english were positive. however, some of them still faced many problems such as lack of ict equipments, lack of competency, and also unsupported regulation from institution. therefore, the facilities and infrastructures in each school and also the teachers’ ability and knowledge about the use of ict need to be increased. keywords: information and communication technology; attitudes; problems. introduction teachers’ life in the 21st century was marked by easy access to an abundance of information and technology. to be able to survive in the life in the 21st century, people who involved in the educational sectors must be able to acquire a range of skills that were functional to utilize information, media, and technology. teachers must be able to evaluate information critically and must be able to use the information to solve problems at hand. “although english has been taught as a foreign language in indonesia since the 1950s and was formally mandated as the first foreign language in 1967, efl teaching in indonesia has never achieved satisfactory outcomes” (eryansyah, 2017, p. 77). “in the 21st century, technology should be part of the solutions to be introduced. the idea of using technology to improve efl teaching and learning was not considered a novelty for it was already established in academia as well as in the literature that proves its efficacy and positive impacts” (cf. barr, 2004; chapelle, 2003; chapelle & douglas, 2006; dudeney & hockly, 2007; lewis, 2009). information and communication technology (henceforth, ict) has become more and more popular used in education field, including in english classroom. previous studies found that the use of ict were effective in learning english. for example, sharndama (2013) argues that icts are indispensable tools that facilitate the teaching and learning of english in large classes. in addition, al-munawwarah found that teachers’ perceptions towards the utilization of ict in english teaching were positive. thus, she recommended to use ict in english teaching and learning process. mailto:vianty.unsri@gmail.com arif aminullah, bambang apriady loeneto, & machdalena vianty teachers’ attitudes and problems of using ict in teaching efl 148 in indonesia, ict for education was first introduced at the end of 1990 (adimphrana, 2005). likewise, english as a subject taught in schools in indonesia could be presented in the classroom by using multimedia. it will support the development of students’ competence in english. ict becomes more integrated into most aspects of school affairs. administration works, teaching program and evaluation, and even classroom learning were programmed and done using ict appliances. adopting the current movement and educational trend, the regulation of minister of national education number 103 in ministry of education and culture (2014) mentions that teachers should utilize ict in order to achieve the standard quality of the curriculum. it indicates that teachers need to be able to use ict in designing their english teaching, finding materials needed to be applied in their teaching, finding and applying ict-based assessments which give positive backwash to students as well as to themselves. efl teachers may use an innovative way in teaching and learning process. the teachers can integrate or apply technology in elt classroom. “technology has been applied for centuries in language teaching areas” (dudeney & hockly, 2007). indonesia government also emphasizes the integration of ict in teaching and learning process (indonesia ministry of education and culture, 2013). as stated in 2013 curriculum, the teachers are demanded to apply technology for all of subjects to support teaching and learning process. “the influence of technology innovation forces educators to be more creative to utilize the technology as instructional media” (vianty & palmi, 2014). jager and lokman (1999) state that a teacher must have some competencies such as a great pedagogical, didactical and educationally psychological craftsmanship, s/he must be a professional on the subject matter, s/he must have knowledge and skills of modern educational tools. a teacher must have a skill in guiding students such as formulating assessment and structuring the instructional design. the teacher’s knowledge and skills of modern educational tools mean that the teacher must know well about the use of multimedia or ict in the field of education. the use of ict in the process of teaching and learning at school helps teachers and students to do their jobs easier (reeves, 1998). moreover, inderawati (2011) argues that ict can be valuable and comfortable media for the learners to express their opinion through reading and writing. the use of media and technology is expected to encourage learners to establish their literacy. in other words, the main advantage of using ict in school is making the process of teaching and learning run more effectively and efficiently. unesco (2005) highlights that ict can play a major role in ensuring quality in view of improving access and promotes equity in education, quality of teaching and learning, management and efficiency of education. the implementation of ict in the classroom still faces some problems as explained by dudeney and hockly (2007). they identified some problems of using ict at schools such as lack of ict tools, lack of knowledge and also negative attitude towards technology was usually the result of a lack of confidence, lack of facilities or a lack of training, resulting in an inability to see the benefit of using technologies in the classroom. it was also often the case that teachers may not fully control their work situations. a teacher may want to use more technology in their teaching process, but the school may not have the facilities. on the other hand, a teacher may be instructed to start using technology for which she/he feels unprepared or untrained. in relation to teachers’ skill and knowledge in ict, unesco (2005) divides four levels of ict usage in education. they are emerging, applying, integrating, and transforming. the use of ict in indonesia is still low, it is relevant to the statement by unesco (2009) that categorized the use of ict in this country in the level of learning to use ict, not in the level of using ict. ict can give a major boost of every field of life, including the teaching of language. the implementation of ict in the process of teaching and learning takes significant roles in enhancing and developing students’ comprehension towards subjects being taught at the school. inderawati (2011) argues that the use of technology in the classroom importantly increases and will become a part of english language teaching (elt) practice in the coming years. this fact was supported by diknas sumsel that noted the increasing of the use of technology at school year by year. unfortunately, because of some problems in the use of ict or multimedia at school, especially at public senior high schools level in palembang, seems not to run maximally and faces many problems. that is why, to find out the implementation of ict in schools, the english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 149 attitudes of english teachers towards ict and problems faced by them in using ict in the process of teaching and learning language in the classroom are considerably pivotal. method this study applied survey research design to present the data that was found during the research. creswell (2005, p. 376) defines survey research designs as procedures in a research in which investigators administer a survey to a sample or population by using questionnaires or interviews to described the attitudes, opinions, behaviors, or characteristics of the population. survey can be conducted either privately or in groups. this research was aimed to find out the attitudes and problems which were faced by teachers in applying ict in english classroom. this study was conducted to english teachers in public senior high schools in palembang. there are 24 public senior high schools in palembang. the samples were the english teachers. the sample was chosen using purposive sampling technique, since the writer determined the sample by determining specific characteristics that were appropriate to the purpose of the study so that it was expected could answer the research problem. fraenkel et al (2012, p. 100) defines purposive sampling as a non-random sampling technique where the researchers rather use their judgement to select a sample that they believe, based on prior information, will provide the data they need. in choosing the participants, the writer determined 3 criteria. first, the writer chose those who have mastered in education. second, the writer chose those who have already certified. third, the writer chose those who have work experience >10 years. sitinjak (2014) argues that standards of foreign language teachers should be fulfilled by the certified teachers. table 1. site and participants no. school names the total number of english teachers the total number of english teachers who met the criteria 1. sman 1 palembang 5 1 2. sman 2 palembang 5 1 3. sman 3 palembang 5 1 4. sman 4 palembang 6 1 5. sman 5 palembang 6 1 6. sman 6 palembang 3 7. sman 7 palembang 3 1 8. sman 8 palembang 5 1 9. sman 9 palembang 4 10. sman 10 palembang 9 1 11. sman 11 palembang 4 1 12. sman 12 palembang 4 13. sman 13 palembang 6 1 14. sman 14 palembang 5 15. sman 15 palembang 4 1 16. sman 16 palembang 4 17. sman 17 palembang 6 2 18. sman 18 palembang 6 1 19. sman 19 palembang 7 3 20. sman 20 palembang 5 21. sman 21 palembang 4 1 22. sman 22 palembang 4 1 23. sman sumsel 4 24. sman olahraga sriwijaya 3 total 117 19 in collecting the data, the writer used questionnaire, interview, observation and documentation. the questionnaire were distributed to the participants in order to get the informations about their attitudes and problems towards the use of ict in the process of teaching and learning english in the classroom. this study used two questionnaires. first questionnaire consisted of four categories, focusing on teacher’s attitudes and knowledge about the ict equipments and their applications in teaching and learning english at schools. first category asked about the attitudes arif aminullah, bambang apriady loeneto, & machdalena vianty teachers’ attitudes and problems of using ict in teaching efl 150 on the use of ict in the aspects of planning. the second category asked about the attitudes on the use of ict in the aspects of teaching process. the third category asked about the attitudes on the use of ict in evaluation aspects, and the last category asked about the attitudes on the use of ict in evaluating and reflecting aspects. second questionnaire identified teachers’ problems on using ict at schools, it consisted of 2 categories. the first category asked about the problems deal with school policy, and the second category asked about teachers’ internal problems in using ict tools. these two questionnaires were adapted from integrating literacy and technology by susan watts taffe and carolyn b. gwinn. copyright 2007 by the guilford press. and british educational communication and technology agency (becta). 2005. using ict to support students who have english as additional language: guide for ema coordinators and teachers and students information technology use and skills in higher education: 2005 survey questionnaire, was developed by educase center for advanced research (ecar). likert scale method was used in this research. this method prevents a number of positive and negative statements regarding to the use of ict. in responding to the items on these scales the subjects indicate whether they strongly agree, agree, slightly disagree, disagree, and strongly disagree with each statement. another method used by researcher to collect the data was by interviewing selected individuals. interview is an important way for a researcher to check the accuracy of-to verify or refute-the impressions he or she has gained through observation (fraenkel et al., 2012). the purpose of interviewing people is to find out what is on their minds, what they think or how they feel about something. furthermore, punch and oancea (2014, p.182) define interview as the most well-known data collection tool in qualitative research and it is a very effective method to explore people perceptions, meanings definitions of situations and construction of reality as well as to understand others. this interview was formed as semi-structured interviews. semi-structured interviews mean the researcher has some list questions, to elicit a specific answer or if the answer is not satisfying, the researcher can dig it more to get the deeper information through improvised questions that depend on the answer given by the interviewee (fraenkel et al., 2012). the researcher also used one-on-one interview. it means that the researcher asked questions and recorded the answers from only one interviewee in the study at the time (creswell, 2012). in this research, some questions were asked to the respondents while conducting the interview related to the ict usage. the interview only administered if the researcher need further informations or to confirm unclear informations gained from the questionnaires and the observation, or if the researcher needed additional informations related to the implementation of ict in one school. in this research, observation was also used by researcher to collect the data. observation is an activity done by researchers to participate in the situation or settings they are observing about how people act or how things look (fraenkel et al., 2012). furthermore, creswell (2012) explains that observation is the process of collecting openended, original information by observing participants and place at a site of research. an observation was administered as a supportive data. in this research, the observation was conducted to all respondents (19 english teachers). it was aimed at getting real informations about the use of ict in the process of teaching and learning done by english teachers in the classroom. the observation used check list adapted from integrating literacy and technology by susan watts taffe and carolyn b. gwinn. copyright 2007 by the guilford press. and british educational communication and technology agency (becta). 2005. using ict to support students who have english as additional language: guide for ema coordinators and teachers and students’ information technology use and skills in higher education: 2005 survey questionnaire was developed by educase center for advanced research (ecar). there were three aspects of observation with 100 checklists. the researcher scored the observation checklist not by the items but by the thick given, one point for each thick. the possible lowest score was 0 and the highest one was 100. as stated before that this checklist was divided into three aspects: teachers’ knowledge and the availability of ict tools, teachers’ knowledge and the availability of the supported software, and teachers’ capability in integrating ict tools in teaching and learning process. those aspects belong to teachers’ understanding about ict, in terms of this understanding the scores were 0-100. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 151 table 2. the score categories for observation checklist no. score range categories score categories 1. 81-100 excellent 4 2. 61-80 good 3 3. 41-60 average 2 4. 0-40 poor 1 the last method used by researcher in collecting the data was documentation. it was used to get the additional data about site and participants, the ict equipments that schools have and also to find the number of english teachers and other data from public senior high schools in palembang. some photos about ict equipments at those schools were taken by the writer. in this study, data analysis means the process of systematically arranging all the data that accumulated after the process of collecting the data. data analysis was done to build an understanding of the data and to enable the researcher to report the results of the study to the readers. the data from questionnaires were analyzed in descriptive statistics. the distribution of all items on the questionnaire was categorized by the researcher. the statement checklist which used likert scale was presented in the form of percentage while the results of answering descriptive questions was reported descriptively. finally, it would be interpreted generally and specifically to answer the research questions. results and discussion results of questionnaires teachers’ attitudes this questionnaire consisted of 4 categories deal with teacher’s attitudes and knowledge about the ict equipments and their applications in the process of teaching and learning. each category consisted of 4 to 7 questions. first category focused on the attitudes of the teachers towards the use of ict in planning the lesson. the second category discussed the attitudes of the teachers on the use of ict in teaching and learning process in the classroom. the third category focused on the attitudes of the teachers towards the use of ict in evaluation aspects. the last category of this questionnaire asked about the attitudes of the teachers towards the use of ict on evaluating and reflecting aspects. all of the statements in this questionnaire were positive. this questionnaire was given to 19 english teachers of 16 public senior high schools in palembang. teachers’ attitudes in the aspect of planning there were six statements focusing on teachers’ attitudes on the use of ict in terms of planning. the result showed that the dominant answered were point 4 and 5. this fact showed that almost all respondents agreed with the statements of questionnaire in this aspects. in other words, the attitudes of the teachers towards the use of ict in the aspect of planning were positive. teachers’ attitudes in the aspect of teaching process there were seven statements focusing on teachers’ attitudes on the use of ict in the aspect of teaching process. the result showed that the dominant answered were point 4 and 5. this fact showed that most of respondents agreed with the statements of questionnaire in this aspects. in other words, the attitudes of the teachers towards the use of ict in the aspect of teaching process were positive. teachers’ attitudes in the aspect of evaluation there were six statements asked to gain information about teachers’ attitudes on the use of ict in terms of evaluation. the result showed that the dominant answered were point 4 and 5. this fact showed that almost all respondents agreed with the statements of questionnaire in this aspects. in other words, the attitudes of the teachers towards the use of ict in the aspect of evaluation were positive. teachers’ attitudes in the aspect of reflection there were four statements asked to gain information about teachers’ attitudes on the use of ict in terms of evaluation and reflection. the result showed that the dominant answered were point 4 and 5. this fact showed that almost all respondents agreed with the statements of questionnaire in this aspects. in other words, the attitudes of the teachers towards the use of ict in the aspect of evaluation and reflection were positive. teachers’ problems this was the second questionnaire for teachers. there were two categories deal with teachers’ problems and knowledge about the ict equipments and their applications in teaching and learning english at school. each category consisted of 10 statements. first category focused arif aminullah, bambang apriady loeneto, & machdalena vianty teachers’ attitudes and problems of using ict in teaching efl 152 on the problems of the teachers towards the use of ict in the aspect of school policies. the second category discussed about the internal problems that the teachers face on using ict in the teaching and learning process in the classroom. all of the statements in this questionnaire were negative. similar to the previous questionnaire, it was given to 19 english teachers of 16 public senior high schools in palembang. teachers’ problems in the aspect of school policy this aspect was asked to find out teachers’ problems towards the use of ict at school. there were ten statements about the schools’ ict policies and schools’ ict tools. the result showed that the dominant answered were point 1, 2 and 3. this fact showed that most of respondents disagreed with the statements of questionnaire in this aspects. in other words, we can say that most of the teachers do not have problems towards the schools’ policies on the use of ict in the process of teaching and learning in the classroom. teachers’ internal problems on the use of ict there were also ten statements asked about the teachers’ internal problems on the use of ict tools in the process of teaching and learning english. those statements state about teachers’ ict competency and capability and also teachers’ weaknesses in using ict. the result showed that the dominant answered were point 1, 2 and 3. this fact showed that most of respondents disagreed with the statements of questionnaire in this aspects. in other words, we can say that most of the teachers do not have problems towards the internal aspects on the use of ict in the process of teaching and learning in the classroom. results of observation the observation was conducted to all respondents (19 english teachers). the aims were to find out the real facts about ict tools at schools, teachers’ ict competence and knowledge, and also the use of ict by english teachers in the process of teaching and learning in the classroom. to record the observation, a checklist which consisted of 100 items was used. as stated before, this list was counted based on the number of checklist, not based on the number of questions. table 3. results of observation checklist to the teachers no. names of the teachers total number of thick score category category 1. teacher 1 82 4 excellent 2. teacher 2 71 3 good 3. teacher 3 84 4 excellent 4. teacher 4 82 4 excellent 5. teacher 5 70 3 good 6. teacher 6 64 3 good 7. teacher 7 78 3 good 8. teacher 8 62 3 good 9. teacher 9 74 3 good 10. teacher 10 73 3 good 11. teacher 11 51 2 average 12. teacher 12 63 3 good 13. teacher 13 59 2 average 14. teacher 14 86 4 excellent 15. teacher 15 70 3 good 16. teacher 16 66 3 good 17. teacher 17 83 4 excellent 18. teacher 18 75 3 good 19. teacher 19 61 3 good the results showed that from 19 english teachers, only 5 of them were in an excellent category in all aspects of using ict at schools. meanwhile, 12 of them were in good category. furthermore, the rest of them, 2 english teachers were in average category. from the explanation above, it can conclude that the use of ict by the english teachers in the process of teaching and learning was in good level. nevertheless, the facilities and infrastructures in each school and also the teachers’ ability and knowledge about the use of ict need to be increased. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 153 results of interview one method of data collection is by interview. the interview was conducted to all respondents (19 english teachers) from public senior high schools in palembang. the aims of interview were to find out the real fact about ict tools at schools, teachers’ ict competence and knowledge, and also their attitudes and problems towards the use of ict in the process of teaching and learning english in the classroom. the implementation of ict is very important since it improves the quality of learning and expands access to education. in the era of globalization, teachers and students will deal with technological devices. it cannot be denied that technology is very helpful in teaching and learning process. this statements is supported by teacher 1 and teacher 3. teacher 1: “in the process of teaching and learning, technology really helped me, especially in the aspect of planning, aspect of teaching process, and also aspect of evaluation and reflection.” teacher 3: “by involving technology in the process of teaching and learning, the students could find many informations from certain sources that could be used in learning activities.” the integration of ict in language education has become a major interest of topic in language educational realm. some research findings provide some evidence as to the positive effects of the use of ict on students. this statements is supported by teacher 2, teacher 4 and teacher 5. teacher 2: “by using technology, the process of teaching and learning was more interesting and practical. in addition, the students could provide opportunities that trading of today was not the same as what it was in the past.” teacher 4: “there were many advantages of using ict in the process of teaching and learning. in integrating technology in the classroom, i used online learning applications, such as edmodo, ruangguru, and quipper video.” teacher 5: “nowadays, learning resources do not only depend on books, but we could find additional materials from internet that can be adjusted to the students’ needs.” in the era of industry 4.0, teachers and students were required to be technology literate. they must be able to operate technology devices especially in the learning process. nevertheless, there were some teachers who complain because the ict devices in their schools are inadequate, as stated by teacher 5, teacher 10 and teacher 13. teacher 5: “the most common problem that i and other teachers often face in using ict devices was when power failure.” teacher 10: “i have problems in using ict in this school. there were no multimedia and language laboratory.” teacher 13: “i have problems in using ict related to school policies. the problem that i face was the lack of lcd. in this school, many of the lcds were broken.” based on the findings of the study, the general interpretations towards the teachers’ attitudes and problems on the use of ict in the process of teaching and learning english at schools can be described based on the results of questionnaires, interview, observation and documentation. first questionnaire was to find out teachers’ attitudes on the use of ict in the process of teaching and learning. this questionnaire consisted of four aspects deal with teachers’ attitudes and knowledge about ict equipments and their applications in teaching and learning english at school. first aspects were teachers’ attitudes on the use of ict in planning of teaching english at schools which consists of six statements. in this aspects, almost all respondents chose point 4 and 5. this fact showed that almost all respondents agreed with the statements of questionnaire. in other words, the attitudes of the teachers towards the use of ict in the aspect of planning were positive. second aspects discussed about the teachers’ attitudes on the use of ict in the process of teaching at schools which consisted of seven statements. in this aspects, most of respondents chose point 4 and 5. this fact showed that most of respondents agreed with the statements of questionnaire. in other words, the attitudes of the teachers towards the use of ict in the aspect of teaching process were positive. third aspects discussed about the teachers’ attitudes on the use of ict on evaluation aspects which consists of six statements. in this aspects, almost all respondents chose point 4 and 5. this fact showed that almost all respondents agreed with the statements of questionnaire. in other words, the attitudes of the teachers towards the use of ict in the aspect of evaluation were positive. the last aspects discussed about teachers’ attitudes on the use of ict on evaluation and reflection aspects which consists of four statements. in this aspects, almost all respondents chose point 4 and 5. this fact showed that almost arif aminullah, bambang apriady loeneto, & machdalena vianty teachers’ attitudes and problems of using ict in teaching efl 154 all respondents agreed with the statements of questionnaire. in other words, the attitudes of the teachers towards the use of ict in the aspect of evaluation and reflection were positive. second questionnaire was to find out teachers’ problems on the use of ict in the process of teaching and learning english in their schools. there were two aspects had been asked in this questionnaire. first aspects were about teachers’ problems on the use of ict in the aspects of schools’ policies which consists of ten statements. in this aspects, most of respondents chose point 1, 2 and 3. this fact showed that most of respondents disagreed with the statements of questionnaire. in other words, we can say that most of the teachers do not have problems towards the schools’ policies on the use of ict in the process of teaching and learning in the classroom. second aspects were about teachers’ problems on the use of ict in the aspects of teachers’ internal in using ict equipments which consists of ten statements. in this aspects, most of respondents chose point 1, 2 and 3. this fact showed that most of respondents disagreed with the statements of questionnaire. in other words, we can say that most of the teachers do not have problems towards the internal aspects on the use of ict in the process of teaching and learning in the classroom. the next findings showed the results of observation. from 16 english teachers observed, only 5 of them were in an excellent category in all aspects of using ict at schools. meanwhile, 12 of them were in good category. furthermore, the rest of them, 2 english teachers were in average category. from the explanation above, it can conclude that the use of ict by the english teachers in the process of teaching and learning english were in good level. nevertheless, the facilities and infrastructures in each school and also the teachers’ ability and knowledge about the use of ict need to be increased. lam (2000) also emphasizes that teachers’ personal beliefs of the advantages of using technology for language teaching influence teachers’ decision regarding technology use. similarly, kim (2002) points out that critical factors affecting successful integration of technology into the classroom are associated with teachers themselves, such as teachers’ perceptions and attitudes. the last findings showed the results of interview. from all respondents interviewed, they agreed that the use of ict in the process of teaching and learning was very important. moreover, technology really helped them in the process of teaching and learning, especially in the aspects of planning, aspects of evaluation and aspects of reflection. from 19 english teachers interviewed, some of them have problems related to aspects of school policies. they stated that there were no computer laboratory, language laboratory and multimedia laboratory at their schools. another problems were the lack of lcds and the unavailability of free internet access. besides that, there were 9 english teachers who said that computer training for teachers or staffs was very rarely. there were even those who do not understand how to operate ict devices properly. in the globalization era, the involvement of technology in the process of teaching and learning is very important. as stated in 2013 curriculum, the teachers are demanded to apply technology for all of subjects to support teaching and learning process. in addition, the rapid evolution of ict has made great changes in societies and education. technology not only gives learners the opportunity to control their own learning process, but also provides them with ready access to a vast amount of information over which the teacher has no power or control (lam & lawrence, 2002). conclusion this study aimed at investigating the attitudes and problems of teachers in using ict in teaching efl using descriptive survey methods. the locations of a research were in all public senior high schools in palembang. the findings of this study indicated that the attitudes of the teachers towards the use of ict in the process of teaching and learning english at schools were positive. however, some of them had problems in applying technology in their teaching. these constraints came from the institutions or schools and also from the teachers themselves. their schools did not have an ideal regulations towards the use of ict, especially for english subject, and some schools also did not have enough ict facilities to support the teachers’ teaching and learning activity. references adimphrana, k. (2005). education innovative on ict in indonesia. retrieved from http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/ict_education. al-munawwarah, s. f. (2014). teachers’perceptions on the use of ict in indonesian efl learning context. english review: journal of english education, 3(1), 70-80 http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/ict_education english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 155 barr, d. (2004). ict–integrating computers in teaching: creating a computerbased languagelearning environment. oxford: peter lang publishing. british educational communication & technology agency (becta). (2005). using ict to support students who have english as additional language: guide for ema coordinators and teachers. retrieved from http://www.naldic.org.uk/does/resources/docume nts.ealdocumentguideforemagcoordinators. pdf. chapelle, a. c., & douglas, d. (2006). assessing language through computer mtechnology. cambridge: cambridge university press. chapelle, a. c. (2003). english language and learning technology: lectures on applied linguistics in the age of information and communication technology. amsterdam: john benjamins publishing company. creswell, j. w. (2005). educational research: planning, conducting, & evaluating quantitative and qualitative. berkeley, ca: lehigh press. creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating qualitative and quantitative research (4th ed.). boston, ma: pearson. diknas sumsel. (2010). data pendidikan provinsi sumatera selatan tahun 2010. palembang. dinas pendidikan provinsi sumatera selatan. dudeney, g., & hockly, n. (2007). how to teach english with technology. essex, uk : longman pearson press. eryansyah, e. (2017). developing efl students’ communicative skills through content-based instruction: a case study of efl teaching in an undergraduate degree program at a tertiary institution in indonesia (thesis, doctor of philosophy). university of waikato, hamilton, new zealand. retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10289/10921. fraenkel, j., wallen, n., & hyun, h. (2012). how to design and evaluate research in education (8th ed.). new york, ny : mcgrawhill. inderawati, r. (2011). from classroom to peer comment to facebook: bridging to establish learner’s literacy. a paper presented in one day seminar “empowering indonesian learners’ english literacy” graduate school program of sriwijaya university, january 12th 2011. jager, a. k., & lokman, a. h. (1999). the impacts of ict in education: the role of teacher and teacher training. retrieved from http:leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00001201.ht m. kim, h. (2002). teachers as a barrier to technologyintegrated language teaching. english teaching, 57(2), 35-64. lam, y. (2000). technophiliacs, technophobia: a preliminary look at why second-language teachers do or do not use technology in their classrooms. canadian modem language review, 56(3), 389-420. lam, y., & lawrence, g. (2002). teacher-student role redefinition during a computer-based second language project: are computers catalysts for empowering change? computer assisted language learning, 15(3), 295-315. lewis, g. (2009). bringing technology into the classroom. oxford, uk: oxford university press. punch, k. f., & oancea, a. e. (2014). introduction to research methods in education (2nd ed). london: sage publication. reeves, t.c. (1998). the impact of media and technology in schools. a research report for the bertelsmann foundation, georgia university. from http://www.athensacademy.org/instruct/media_te ch/reeves0.html. sharndama, e. c. (2013). application of icts in teaching english (elt) in large classes. federal university wukari, faculty of humanities, management and social sciences, department of english and literary studies., taraba state nigeria. pages 34-39. sitinjak, m. d. (2014). certified efl teachers’ performances in conducting teaching/learning activities in classrooms: a case study of certified efl teachers in bandung. palembang: sriwijaya university. unesco. (2009). guide to measuring information and communication technologies in education. montreal: unesco institute for statistics. unesco. (2005). regional guidelines on teachers development for pedagogy-technology integration. based on a series of workshop in pedagogy-integration: organized by asia and pacific regional bureau for education. bangkok. thailand. (online), from http://www.naldic.org.uk/does/resources/docume nts/ealdocumentsguideforemagcoordinators .pdf. vianty, m., & palmi, r. (2014). the use of instagram to promote reading interest and build student characters. palembang: sriwijaya university. http://www.naldic.org.uk/does/resources/documents.ealdocumentguideforemagcoordinators.pdf http://www.naldic.org.uk/does/resources/documents.ealdocumentguideforemagcoordinators.pdf http://www.naldic.org.uk/does/resources/documents.ealdocumentguideforemagcoordinators.pdf http://www.athensacademy.org/instruct/media_tech/reeves0.html http://www.athensacademy.org/instruct/media_tech/reeves0.html http://www.naldic.org.uk/does/resources/documents/ealdocumentsguideforemagcoordinators.pdf http://www.naldic.org.uk/does/resources/documents/ealdocumentsguideforemagcoordinators.pdf http://www.naldic.org.uk/does/resources/documents/ealdocumentsguideforemagcoordinators.pdf arif aminullah, bambang apriady loeneto, & machdalena vianty teachers’ attitudes and problems of using ict in teaching efl 156 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 27 teachers’ attitude towards peer observation at najran university: a case study soada idris khan the preparatory year program, najran university, king of saudi arabia e-mail: khan.soada@gmail.com apa citation: khan, s. i. (2019). teachers‟ attitude towards peer observation at najran university: a case study. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 27-32. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2350. received: 08-10-2019 accepted: 10-11-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: the present research paper aims to analyze teachers‟ attitude towards peer-observation and suggest remedies to improve practice of peer-observation. as part of the methodology, the researcher selected twenty questionnaires as a sample of this study. twenty teachers involved in peer-observation (as observer and participants) were also interviewed and their suggestions and opinions were taken into consideration to improve practice of peer-observation at pyp, najran university. the analysis of data showed that teachers do not whole-heartedly support peer-observation. the study also found that most of the teachers are not well familiar with the concept and application of peer-observation. they often consider evaluation as an excuse to termination. the study accomplishes that a teachers‟ performance/ability cannot be judged in 20-30 minutes. therefore, the study recommends that there must be many peer-observations for the same class and the best one must be assessed. the study also suggests organizing seminars and workshops to orient teachers to the process and advantages of peer-observation. keywords: teachers’ attitude; evaluation; teaching practices; peer-observation. introduction teachers usually do not like their classes to be observed especially when the observee is more qualified and experienced than the observers. they do not wholeheartedly welcome feedback form their juniors. moreover, remaining completely unbiased, honest and true is also a big challenge for the observers. richardson (2000), in a study designed to improve teaching methods in his teaching establishment, found that requests to visit another teacher‟s classroom were met with suspicion and mistrust. observees get more anxious and tense while someone comes to observe their classes though they are very good teachers. a psychological fear does not allow observee perform in a natural way. it is observed that some of the observees get so furious and tense that they cannot even speak properly. fear of being terminated, even in formative evaluation, does not let them perform well. it is attributed to teachers‟ fear of being judged since any kind of observation is synonymous with evaluation. it seems it is not so much a matter of being watched that causes the uneasiness about peer observation, but the fear of being evaluated (richardson, 2000). some novice teachers are more nervous as they have never been observed. often, it is seen, that observers themselves are not well trained for the job. they participate in the process just to obey administrative orders, not willingly. however, various teachers expressed their utmost satisfaction with the practice of peer-observation. they admitted peer-observation helped them reflect on their own teaching and feedback was quite rewarding for them. in this regards, richards and farrell (2005, p. 85) defines peer observation as “a teacher or other observer closely watching and monitoring a language lesson or part of a lesson in order to gain an understanding of some aspect of teaching.” it is such a collaborative practice that offers opportunity for interchange and whose power resides in its collegial orientation and its exposure of colleagues to a variety of experiences through exchange of ideas (marshal, 2004, cited in donnelly, 2007, p. 29). moreover, hammersley-fletcher and ormond (2005), in a study of teachers‟ views on peer observation, found a number of areas for concern: anxiety over giving and receiving feedback, the possibility of collegial relationships being damaged, not knowing what was required of them and the time involved in the process were all areas perceived by teachers to present difficulties. however, one teacher did acknowledge that, in time, peer observation could be effective and another that it could lead to improved relationships with colleagues they previously had little contact. peer observation is presented as a developmental mode of observation that aims at soada idris khan teachers’ attitude towards peer observation at najran university: a case study 28 improvement of performance by identifying strengths and weaknesses through reflection and provision of feedback in a collaborative environment (cosh, 1999). as far as reflection is concerned, the peer observation process promotes a more systematic and focused approach to it. scrivener (1994) states that teachers are expected to demonstrate the ability to identify their own strengths and weaknesses, to take steps to remedy the latter, and to carry out effective selfevaluations of their own teaching (cited in brandt, 2008, p. 43). the feedback received will help identify ill practices, resulting in improving teaching skills, while persuasive feedback on a teacher‟s ability to teach well will also result in enhancing teacher self-efficacy, thus, leaving teachers more confident to implement more groundbreaking techniques (donnelly, 2007). thus, there is no doubt in the fact that peer-observation is a very important practice and it must be continued. teachers usually advocate the importance and positive aspects of peer-observation. however, there are also some doubts, fears that must be taken into account. the present study attempts to take into account teachers‟ attitude (positive and negative) towards peer-observation as well as to suggest remedies to improve practice of peerobservation. method this action research analyses teachers‟ attitude towards peer-observation. wallace (1998, p. 4) defines action research as “… systematically collecting data on your everyday practice and analyzing it in order to come to some decisions about what your future practice should be.” the study, thoroughly, analyzes data collected from teachers, especially to find out teachers‟ attitude towards peer-observation and provide some suggestions, based on the findings, to improve practice of peer-observation. as wallace (1998) states, “action research involves the collection and analysis of data related to some aspect of our professional practice; this is done so that we can reflect on what we have discovered and apply it to our professional action” (p. 16). this process is followed in this research. at the core of this process was a sincere effort to eliminate psychological fear of observee and improve the practice of peer-observation at pyp, najran university, by bringing changes where needed. to collect the data, the researchers circulated the questionnaire to forty participants and thirty were returned. finally, twenty questionnaires given serious attention were selected as a sample of this research. twenty teachers involved in peer-observation (as observer and observee) were also interviewed and their suggestions and opinions were taken into consideration to improve practice of peer-observation at pyp, najran university. results and discussion the discussion of the findings is divided into two parts; the first contains a detailed analysis and discussion on the statements of the questionnaire and the second one contains a detailed analysis and discussion on the responses of interview. questionnaire analysis reed (1989) is of the opinion that likert-type rating scale should be used to generally gather data. jung, osterwalder and wipf (2000) support the likert scale by stating: “this was the only assessment instrument i found that was practical for the classroom” (p.2). to interpret the level of means, the authors applied rahaya and salbiah‟s (1996) model of explaining means as summarized in table 1. table 1. score category breakdown adopted from rahayu and salbiah (1996) means corresponding level 1.0 1.80 very low 1.81 2.60 low 2.61 3.40 moderate 3.41 4.20 high 4.21 5.0 very high table 2. descriptive statistics of the survey’s statements and discussion result s. no.↓. scales → statements ↓ 5 strongly agree 4 agree 3 can`t say 2 disagree 1 strongly disagree mean 1. peer-observation increases nervousness/anxiousness of the observe 3 15% 12 60% 4 20% 1 5% 0 0% 3.85 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 29 2. observee is more qualified and experienced than the observers 5 25% 10 50% 3 15% 2 10% 0 0% 3.9 3. observers usually tend to compare, a natural phenomenon which can potentially be beneficial to teachers if used in a positive way 2 10% 13 65% 2 10% 3 15% 0 0% 3.7 4. observers and observees are reluctant giving and receiving feedback 5 25% 6 30% 4 20% 5 25% 0 0% 3.55 5. observers' evaluation is influenced when they find observee using same methodologies and techniques in the classroom that they usually do 2 10% 7 35% 8 40% 3 15% 0 0% 3.4 6. the feedback given by observers was helpful in improving teaching instructions 0 0% 12 60% 8 40% 0 0% 0 0% 3.6 7. observers are biased when observing the observee because of individual differences 4 20% 10 50% 1 5% 5 25% 0 0% 3.65 8. peer-observation is an essential activity to bring professional development 6 30% 6 30% 2 10% 5 25% 1 5% 3.55 9. the opportunity to observe, compare and reflect allows to absorb new ideas and encourage questioning our own teaching and values and, leading to selfevaluation. 0 0% 8 40% 8 40% 4 20% 0 0% 3.2 10. it is essential that the two observers who go to observe a class must have mutual respect and trust 2 10% 12 60% 2 10% 4 20% 0 0% 3.6 the first statement in the questionnaire peerobservation increases nervousness/anxiousness of the observe reveals that there are 15% participants who felt peer-observation increases nervousness/anxiousness of the observee. 60% of the participants admitted to it, though (20%) of the participants did not express their opinion. 5% of the participants disagreed. the mean of the statement is 3.85 that lies in the category of „high‟ as per the breakdown adopted from the scale of rahaya and salbiah (1996). the second statement in the questionnaire observee is more qualified and experienced than the observers displays that there are 25% of the participants who opined that the observee is more qualified and experienced than the observers. 50% of the participants agreed, though (15%) of the participants had no idea. 10% of the participants did not accept the statement. the mean is categorized as high. the third statement in the questionnaire observers usually tend to compare, a natural phenomenon, which can potentially be beneficial to teachers if used in a positive way, shows that 10% of the participants are of the opinion that observers usually tend to compare, a natural phenomenon, which can potentially be beneficial to teachers if used in a positive way. 65% of the participants agreed to the statement, though 10% of the participants had no opinion. 15% of the participants dissented. the mean is high. the fourth statement in the questionnaire observers and observees are reluctant giving and receiving feedback exhibits that there are 25% of soada idris khan teachers’ attitude towards peer observation at najran university: a case study 30 the participants who strongly agreed that observers and observees are reluctant giving and receiving feedback. 30% of the participants also admitted to it. 25% of the participants disagreed to the statement. 20% had no response, while there was none who strongly disagreed. the mean is ranked as high. the fifth statement in the questionnaire observers’ evaluation is influenced when they find observee using same methodologies and techniques in the classroom that they usually do divulges that there are 10% of the participants who strongly agreed to the statement that observers’ evaluation is influenced when they find observee using same methodologies and techniques in the classroom that they usually do. 35% of the participants agreed with the statement, though (40%) of the participants did not express their opinion. 15% of the participants disapproved. the mean is moderate. the sixth statement in the questionnaire the feedback given by observers was helpful in improving teaching instructions discloses that there is none who strongly agreed to the statement. 60% of the participants concurred that the feedback given by observers was helpful in improving teaching instructions. 40% of the participants were not sure about it. there is none with disagreement. the mean is high. the seventh statement in the questionnaire observers are biased when observing the observee because of individual differences shows that 20% of the participants stated that observers are biased when observing the observee because of individual differences. 50% of the participants accepted the statement and 5% of the participants had no opinion. 25% of the participants did not accept the statement. the mean is categorized as high. the eighth statement in the questionnaire peer-observation is an essential activity to bring professional development unveils that 30% of the participants were in absolute agreement to the statement that peer-observation is an essential activity to bring professional development. an equal number (30%) of the participants agreed, while 10% of the participants did not state an opinion. 25% of the participants did not agree with the statement and 5% were in absolute disagreement. the mean falls in the category of high. the ninth statement in the questionnaire the opportunity to observe, compare and reflect allows to absorb new ideas and encourage questioning our own teaching and values and, leading to self-evaluation reveals no participant thought that the opportunity to observe, compare and reflect allows to absorb new ideas and encourage questioning our own teaching and values and, leading to self-evaluation. 40% of the participants agreed with the statement, though the same number (40%, a significant percentage) of the participants had no opinion. 20% of the participants disagreed with the statement. the mean is placed as moderate. the tenth statement in the questionnaire it is essential that the two observers who go to observe a class must have mutual respect and trust reveals that 10% of the participants strongly agreed with the statement that it is essential that the two observers who go to observe a class must have mutual respect and trust. 60% of the participants agreed to it, while 10% of the participants did not express their opinion. 20% of the participants did not agree with the statement. the mean is ranked as high. interview analysis another method used to collect the data was interviewing teachers. twenty samples filled in with complete information were selected for the study. the participants responded to the following questions: 1. how was peer-observation helpful in improving teaching instruction? 2. what are the barriers in the practice of peer-observation? 3. please provide suggestions for improving practice of peer-observation! table 3. results of interview question no. 1 q.1. number of participants how was peer-observation helpful in improving teaching instruction: 5 it helped reflect on our own teaching it helped us develop professionally peer-observation promotes collaborative work 8 it helped develop confidence evaluation affirmed that teaching methodologies and techniques were successful for a particular class it exposed to different teaching styles english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 31 7 feedback was helpful in improving teaching it makes feel good when colleagues appreciate good points of teaching instructions as shown in table 3, in response to question number 1, there were varied responses. only common and recurrent responses are listed above. many teachers agreed that peer-observation helped boost their confidence level and affirmed their teaching methodologies, techniques and style were appropriate for the particular classroom. meanwhile, feedback helped improve teaching further and develop professionally. table 4. results of interview question no. 2 q.2 number of participants what are the barriers in the practice of peer-observation 5 observers are not qualified enough to comment on colleagues' teaching it is too much time consuming in planning and executing 8 it often leads to biased commentary because of individual differences the department doesn‟t always provide stress free environment for peer-observation 7 peer-observation is not always reliable because observee often loses his natural style of teaching out of fear and nervousness observers and observees reach to an understanding of favoring each other in their respective session as their roles are often mutually switched as shown in table 4, in response to question number 2, there were some common barriers in the practice of peer-observation. a majority of teachers believe (as shown in responses) that peer-observation often becomes victim of individual differences. the department does not always provide stressfree environment. peer-observation cannot be reliable as observee often gets nervous and loses his natural style of teaching. table 5. results of interview question no. 3 q.3 number of participants suggestions for improving practice of peer-observation: 8 observers must be especially trained for peer-observation there must be workshops and seminars on peer-observation to orient faculty to its concept and advantages 6 external faculty should be called to evaluate to eliminate the fear of biasness there must be a follow-up session on the feedback of peer-observers 6 observee must be rewarded for good performance classroom teaching must be recorded and then evaluated by a committee of expert as shown in table 5, in response to question number 3, there were some common suggestions by the teachers. the common suggestions were that observers must be specially trained for peer-observation. respondent should also be oriented to the benefits of peer-observation by conducting workshop and seminars. external faculty should be called for peer-observation to make the evaluation more reliable. conclusion the results of the questionnaire exhibit that most of the statements fall in the category of high as per the breakdown adopted for the study. it proves that most of the teachers are in favor of peer-observation. 8 out of 10 statements score high, while the rest two fall in the category of moderate. however, none of the statements scores very high. it shows that teachers do not whole-heartedly support peer-observation. the study also finds that most of the teachers are not well familiar with soada idris khan teachers’ attitude towards peer observation at najran university: a case study 32 the concept and application of peerobservation. they often consider evaluation as an excuse to termination. that is one of the reasons that teachers (observee) get nervous as soon as observers enter the classroom. they lose their natural style of teaching. peer-observation does more harm than good for these anxious/nervous teachers. a teachers‟ performance/ability cannot be judged in 20-30 minutes. therefore, the study recommends that there must be many peerobservations for the same class and the best one must be assessed. observeee must be given sufficient time to feel comfortable with the practice of peer-observation. students should also be allowed to participate in the evaluation as they are the real evaluators and often unbiased. the best way is to provide teacher/observee a camera and record his/her lecture to be subsequently evaluated by a committee of expert on peer-observation. it is also not a good practice that observers, without prior training, are commanded to evaluate teaching performance of an observee that is highly technical in its nature and requires a considerable amount of training. besides, there should be some arrangement to reward (a financial one) a good performer, as it will motivate him to do better. moreover, it will encourage colleagues to compete with each other and thus improve their performance in a healthy competitive environment. feedback should be given in a healthy and non-judgmental way. the data gathered through the observation tool are analyzed and, during the ensuing discussion, explicit feedback is provided in a nonjudgmental manner (edge, 1992; gosling, 2002; hendry & oliver, 2012). further, there should be seminars and workshops to orient teachers to the process and advantages of peer-observation. kotsiomyti (2010, p. 264-265) has asserted that “the overwhelming majority of teachers have never participated in a peer observation process, while those having participated in one have done so only once, thus leading to the formation of attitudes based on little or no experience on the subject, accounting for the creation of the association aforementioned. moreover, peer observation is considered to have been executed poorly, with the preand poststages of the observation being inadequately realized or entirely absent from the process.” references brandt, (2008). integrating feedback and reflection in teacher preparation. elt journal, 62(1), 37-46. cosh, j. (1999). peer observation: a reflective model. elt journal, 53(1), 22–27. donnelly, r. (2007). perceived impact of peer observation of teaching in higher education. international journal of teaching and learning in higher education, 19(2), 117-129. gosling, d. (2002). models of peer observation of teaching, learning, and teaching support. network, 2-5. hammersley-fletcher, l., & orsmond, p. (2005). reflecting on reflective practices within peer observation. studies in higher education, 30(2), 213224. hendry, g. d., & oliver, g. r. (2012). seeing is believing: the benefits of peer observation. journal of university teaching and learning practice, 9(1), 1-9. jung, t., osterwalder, h., & wipf, d. (2000). teaching and assessing middle-year students’ speaking and listening skills. teaching and learning research exchange. retrieved from: http://www.mcdowellfoundation.ca/main_mcdo well/projects/research_rep/52_teaching_assessin g.pdf. kotsiomyti, m. (2010). teacher observation and greek state teachers of english: current practices and suggestions for improvement. language learning/teaching – education, 1, 197–214. rahaya, s. a., & salbiah, m. (1996). pemikiran guru cemerlang: kesan teradap prestasi pengajaran: kertas kerja seminar isu-isu pendidikan. fakulti pendidikan, universiti kebangsaan malaysia. reed, v. (1989). adolescent language disorders: general strategies for teaching language comprehension/listening. eau claire, wi: thinking publications. richards, j. c., & farrell, t .s. c. (2005). professional development for language teachers: strategies for teacher learning. cambridge: cambridge university press. richardson, m. (2000). peer observation: learning from one another. the nea higher education journal, summer. wallace, m. j. (1998). action research for language teachers. cambridge: cambridge university press. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 213 efl teachers’ capability and barriers in using information and communication technology (ict) harli zadtyi english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia harlizadtyi@gmail.com ismail petrus english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia ismailpetrus@yahoo.com machdalena vianty english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya,indonesia machdalena074@yahoo.com apa citation: zadtyi, h., petrus, i., & vianty, m. (2021). efl teachers’ capability and barriers in using information and communication technology (ict). english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 213-222. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5385 received: 04-08-2021 accepted: 27-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction integration of communication and technology (ict) in english foreign language (efl) is important for education in the future. utilizing ict in the process of teaching and learning activities, either in or outside the school. it helps developing teaching strategies, and rising teaching quality. one essential instrument for addressing the digital immigrant divide inside the state is knowledge data and communication technology (ict) in education. according to prensky (2001), digital immigrants mean people who weren't born within the digital world before 1990. the utilization of ict in education will cut the digital divide and build new learning strategies. gilakjani (2017) states that ict is in addition viewed as media to push a brand new learning method. it means ict as a key in facilitating acceptable activities for students and also as an impact to contemplate fun and purposeful teaching ways. according to roy (2015, p.75), "ict is all devices and tools in digital form, which can be distributed for realizing the goals of teachinglearning." ict will support the teaching and learning process. similarly, zahra, et al. (2019) found that the use of ict was highlighted at the school. meanwhile, cakici (2016) states that information and communication technologies (ict) have increased dramatically reinforced and have a powerful learning atmosphere. as we know english in indonesia is a foreign language, using ict teaching and learning will be more exciting and abstract: integrating and developing ict for the school has become an important facet and conferred a more robust pattern to get the new teaching and learning models. the combination of ict has several benefits to form a context for teaching and learning english skills. in this pandemic situation, teachers should use kind of ict tools for online teaching. supported this necessity, there must be problems faced by the teacher in the access of ict. studying the teachers' capability and barriers in education will help teachers become successful technology adopters in the future. this study applied a qualitative descriptive research design conducted through questionnaires, observation, and interviews. the result of the questionnaire, interview, and observation was described. participants were efl teachers from senior-high-schools in sanga desa. the study findings teachers category good in capability and the main barriers faced by teachers were lack of facilities, time, training, and internet problem. the research has the purpose of exploring teachers' capability and the barriers they face to improve the quality of ict use in teaching english in the future. keyword: ict; teachers’ capability; barriers. harli zadtyi, ismail petrus, machdalena vianty efl teachers’ capability and barriers in using information and communication technology (ict) 214 make the learning atmosphere more enthusiastic. then, it takes a more creative way of learning (fajri, et al., 2015; inderawati, 2017; apriani, et al., 2021) suherdi (2012) in his study found the utilization of ict focus at schools particularly rare notably in english language teaching. supported curriculum 2013 program, ict could be a primary tool that ought to be integrated into every subject. also in teaching english, particularly for high school. teachers need to determine the exact tools of ict to support teaching to be more effective. the utilization of technology is crucial, most lecturers would acknowledge, there is still rather a lot of to do an effective and pleasant use of the (latest) technology” (rank et al., 2011, p.1). in the 21st century today, most tools are operations using english. there are examples of ict devices used in the educational field as interactive whiteboards, interactive tables, tablets, digital books, laptops, multimedia, virtual teaching platform, and online applications (“life persona,” 2020). based on curriculum 2013, ict integration as the in english language teaching and learning as concept to promotes students' learning autonomy and communicative development. the use of ict has barriers within the educational systems, like the way to increase the students' involvement to achieve higher academic accomplishment in smeda, et al. (2014). if teachers have the potential to use kind of ict tools in daily learning activities, the implementation of ict is going to be successful for teaching and learning (inderawati, et al., 2019a; inderawati, et al., 2019b; . capability in ict includes knowledge, skill and attitude should develop to support the teachers be professional in teaching efl. such as the two blades, ict will be very helpful on the other hand the barriers that always exist from various factors. next, elemam (2016) states if the teachers have numerous barriers to deploying ict. supporting elemam’s opinion (2016), payal and kanvaria (2018) claim there are barriers to implementing ict tools in teaching and learning. the lack of computers, content, and material for teachers, teachers' skills, technical support, pedagogical support for lecturers, and school time organization. examine the benefits of victimization ict itself, it's needed to research the sort of ict barriers faced by efl teachers out of urban areas. the research focusing on the topic of ict is not something new there studies of ict focus on different objectives. mollaei and riasati (2013) conducted a study in shiraz, iran. they focus on teachers' perceptions of ict in the class kind of technology, facilitating, implementation, and attitudes of male and female teachers toward using ict. other research, juliana and muslem (2017) conducted a study in banda aceh. the topic was the use of ict: perceptions and challenges. the study found that academics faced three important challenges in explore of ict. (1) restricted ict tools and (2) low-level connections (3) the last challenge could be a lack of information and skill development. this study focuses on the teachers' capability: knowledge, skill, and attitude on barriers faced by efl teachers. this analysis supported the standard of education as a result of the event of technology modification continued and renewable. significantly during this current pandemic, the teaching and learning method ought to be online. in this case, all the teachers should have the ability the use ict. all the teachers must access ict tools and provide learning based on curriculum, learning materials, time, and appropriate strategies. learning material should be understood even online (inderawati, 2011; inderawati,et al., 2018). from the researchers' point of view, there is a shock wave for the use of ict. teachers will face barriers. teachers may found teaching problems and support by lack of knowledge, skill and attitude, but they could solve the problem as easy by access in the city. now the question is how to use kind of ict tools for online teaching in the regions. in this case, the research focus on teachers’ capability and barriers of using ict at senior-high-school in sanga desa by identifying the teachers’ capability and barriers to the utilization of ict in education would be a great step to rising the standard of teaching and learning. ict the use of technology in teaching english isn't new for education system. rank et al. (2011) state that info and communication technology (ict) provide learners with authentic content. all materials will help students expand their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. in the technology and knowledge-based era today, the utilization of ict in teaching is characterized by technology devices to support teaching and learning activities. information also helps students increase their understanding because of the use of media technology itself. it has english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 215 associated an important role within the field of education to boost the quality of teaching and learning. it conjointly affects teaching and supporting teachers in their education ways and serving to students perceive (bingimlas, 2009). nowadays, students think and learn in different ways. teachers need to understand and interact with students to adapted teaching approaches and learning strategies. the professional use of technology by teachers includes the planning of different classroom tasks. preparing educational content, engaging or interacting with peers, students, and parents, finding interactive tools, and drawing up lesson plans (bebell, russell & o'dwyer, 2004). teachers should know how to consider the focus and desires of students in the classroom. as liu (2009, p.101), "technology taking part in classroom system as computer-assisted teaching and interactive media technologies. in the listening class, teachers use computers and the network to find an authentic model which helps learners with native pronunciation. the teachers should open their minds to the integration of technology in teaching. hsu (2016) states three components of belief to find teachers' classroom technology use. it is a pedagogical, selfefficacy, and the value of technology for students. pedagogical define as teachers' acceptance in utilizing technology. self-efficacy refers to the teachers' self-confidence, it closely connects to the skills and knowledge. the last positive value of teachers influences the frequency of using the technology in the class. teachers’ capability in this research, teachers' capability divided into three: knowledge, skill and attitude. inside: it defines as condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association (webster, 2018). the present research refers to the teachers' understanding of how to manage ict for personal use, using ict as a tool for teaching— understanding the policy dimensions of using ict for teaching and learning process. another is mastery of a range of 7 assessment paradigms involving ict, knowledge of various educational paradigms related to ict use (kirschner and woperies, 2003). skills: it refers to the teachers' ability the use ict that includes skills in internet experience, skills in computer experience, skills in computer-mediated communication, and skills in microsoft office (al-furaydi, 2013). attitude: attitudes refer to measure a reaction to some referent or object, inferred supported the individual's beliefs. in line with al-zaidiyeen (2010), states readiness of mental organized through expertise, exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon the individual's response to all or any objects and things which connected." it means that perspective may be a positive or negative reaction of feeling toward a specific state of affairs. barriers in this case, the teacher needs to learn fastly to use ict tools, helping facilitate teaching and learning activities/processes. schoepp (2005, p.5) states integrating ict in education, significantly into classroom instruction isn't as simple as flipping a switch. it includes integration with the complex method, and result teachers might encounter difficulties or barriers. however, the barriers faced by each teacher to integrate ict and teaching ways were different. potter and szapkiw (2012) state teachers need a shift in thinking to find out and applicate the way to manage learning behavior otherwise as they use ict within the classroom, it such as the two blades that the one hand ict are going to be terribly useful. vice versa barriers exist from numerous factors. support this crusader (2017, p.12) states most of the teachers face barriers in applying technology into the teaching method as a result of lack of proficiency. a lot of teachers, not mastery of integrating educational technology in their curriculum. it means the lack of ability impacts the increasing number of barriers that teachers will face. ict barriers classify into two categories: extrinsic and intrinsic. according to ertmer (1999), there are external such as access to resources and time. next, intrinsic factors relate to the attitudes, values, behaviours, and resistance to ict. support this, mingaine (2013) states the main obstacles that prohibit school teachers from using ict effectively are: a) lack of ict preparation time, b) low ict practice models, and c) weak school administration. method to collect the data, the writer used questionnaires, observation, and interviews for both schools: seniorhigh-school 1 and vocational-high-school 1 of sanga desa. after the data of the questionnaire got, the writer chose two teachers to represent with a harli zadtyi, ismail petrus, machdalena vianty efl teachers’ capability and barriers in using information and communication technology (ict) 216 maximum and minimum score to be an interview and observed—the analysis used reduction of the text; exploration of the text and integration of the exploration. according to attride (2001), claims qualitative analysis procedure into three main stages, including the reduction of the text, exploration of the text, and integration of the exploration. data reduction means the process of selecting, identifying, classifying the data that are considered essential. next is the exploration of the text, which means the researcher explores and describes data in sentence form. the last integration of exploration means the researcher concludes the data exploration. also, use categorized based on scores: the interview analyzed by transcribed, categorized, and code. the observation was transcribed descriptively to support the interview results. this research applied a qualitative descriptive. according to hamid (2017), qualitative research acknowledges participants' behavior and the researcher understood in context. issac & michael (1984, p.73) stated that descriptive research is the kind of research to systematically and accurately describe the situation and facts of a given population. this methodology suited with this research aims to understand teachers' capability, barriers and find the solutions. in this research, the researcher selected efl teachers from two schools: senior-high-school 1 and vocational-high-school 1 of sanga desa. the schools have facilities such as a computer lab, computers, laptops, and a projector. the participants were six efl teachers who teach in major related to ict were willing to be participants. in qualitative research to describe the accuracy and credibility to validate, the writer used methodological triangulation, and it employs more than a method to gather the data: questionnaire, observation and interview. questionnaire given for completeness of data and gather much information relevant to research needs on teachers capability and barriers. the information obtained will be more prosperous and more complete by the data or additional data from questionnaires. a detailed description of the study's final results was genuinely comprehensive and provided convincing and valid conclusions. the questionnaire gave to the participants (efl teachers) in senior-high-school1 and vocationalhigh-school1 of sanga desa. the total question was 51 questions and divided into three sections: teacher profile, section two was teachers' capability, and section three barriers. in doing the observation, researchers design some means for recording notes. it's called field notes. according to creswell (2012), field notes are text (word) recorded by the research worker throughout the observation during a qualitative study. the researcher used an observation note sheet to describe the result of the observation. the interview used to got many sources to gain information that could not explain. the researcher used open-ended in the interview section. next, chose the respondent who represented the maximum and minimum score. based on the form results, elaborated data is required to enhance the detail of information also complete the data. interviews session were applied with the teachers as participants. it completes individually and for about 15 minutes with each participant. results and discussions to determine the scale rating of all answers, the researchers divided into two category; each items (1-51) and aspect (knowledge (10), skill (20), attitude (10), barriers (11) items), the ideal score is used with the formula: table 1. score of each aspect t x pn (knowledge & attitude with each 10 items) t x pn (skill with 20 items) scale t x pn (barriers with 11 items) scale 10 x 4 = 40 20 x 4 = 80 very good 11 x 4 = 44 no problem 10 x 3 = 30 20 x 3 = 60 good 11 x 3 = 33 slightly 10 x 2 = 20 20 x 2 = 40 medium 11 x 2 = 22 medium 10 x 1 = 10 20 x 1 = 20 poor 11 x 1 = 11 poor source: sugiono (2012) below was the result of rating scale english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 217 figure 1. the result of rating scale teacher profile this is a profile of the efl teachers from seniorhigh-school1 and vocationalhigh-school1 of sanga desa. the teachers' profile includes age, gender, last degree, teaching experienced, experienced use of ict, time use ict in a day, and kinds of use ict tools. table 2. teacher profile name age g en d er l as t d eg re e t ea ch in g e x p er ie n ce experie nce with the use of ict spent time in access internet in a day kind of ict use teach er 1 2630 male bachelor degree 1-3 years less than a year 2-3 hours word processing, spreadsheet, powerpoint, electronic learning resource centre (cd & ebook), social media, e-mail, www, wiki, text & video chatting teach er 2 3640 femal e bachelor degree 11-15 years more than ten years 4 hours and over word processing, database, spreadsheet, powerpoint, multimedia(audio&vi deo), social media, email, www, blog teach er 3 3135 femal e bachelor degree 7-10 years 7-10 years 1-2 hours powerpoint, multimedia(audio&vi deo), social media, email,www, text & video chatting teach er 4 3640 male bachelor degree 11-15 yeas 1-3 years 2-3 hours sosmed teach er 5 3640 femal e bachelor degree 11-15 years 7-10 years 3-4 hours word processing, multimedia (audio&video), social media, e-mail, text & video chatting teach 36femal bachelor 11-15 7-10 2-3 hours word processing, harli zadtyi, ismail petrus, machdalena vianty efl teachers’ capability and barriers in using information and communication technology (ict) 218 er 6 40 e degree years years multimedia(audio&vi deo), social media, email, wiki based on the info higher than, the participants of this study were 2 males and 4 females, whereas the age of the participants ranges from 26 to 40 years. for the last education, all the teachers were bachelor degree. relating to their age and teaching experience 1 to 15 years, their experience with the use of ict was less than a year until more than ten years. all the participants spent the time for access the internet range one until more than four hours. the last kind of ict used, almost all participants used word processing, multimedia (audio & video), social media, and e-mail. teachers capability after got the teacher profile, the researcher used data in section two in questionnaires. it includes knowledge, skill, and attitude. the red number mark as negative questions. table 3. knowledge results of each item respondents knowledge t o ta l q1 q2 q3 q4 q5 q6 q7 q8 q9 q10 teacher 1 3 4 3 2 4 4 3 4 4 3 34 teacher 2 3 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 38 teacher 3 3 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 27 teacher 4 4 3 4 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 33 teacher 5 3 3 2 2 3 3 3 3 2 3 27 teacher 6 3 3 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 2 27 total 19 19 16 15 21 20 19 20 19 18 the table shows the teachers have “good” information within the mastery of creating personal use of ict. in terms of a way to use graphic software package, do computer maintenance, and mastery a variety of academic paradigms associated with the utilization of ict to grasp a variety of academic paradigms associated with ict use. others may be categorized as “very good” within the mastery of creating personal use of ict within the term of use of spreadsheet/excel, powerpoint and do internet surfing for the new information. next, they knew how to access kind of ict tools in teaching, understanding the policy dimensions of using ict for teaching and learning, and last mastering a range of assessment paradigms that involve ict use (zahra, et al., 2019). table 4. skill results of each item based on the data above, teachers' skill was called "medium" in the skill on internet experienced in creating website/blog, creating & accessing databases, and using a concordance. next could categorize as "good" in the skill of internet experienced in term of creating & manage wiki and use electronic learning resource centres (such as cd and e-book). in skill in computer experience in terms of using real audio and windows media player and play computer games, as well as in microsoft office skills. the last category was "very good" in skill on internet experienced in terms of browsing the internet is easy, downloads sound files are familiar with audio and video on the internet, and searches for online research. in skill in computer experience in terms of using the language software, and skill in computer-mediated communication. table 5. attitude results of each item english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 219 respondents attitude total q31 q32 q33 q34 q35 q36 q37 q38 q39 q40 teacher 1 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 37 teacher 2 2 4 4 3 4 4 4 2 4 4 35 teacher 3 3 2 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 28 teacher 4 3 3 4 2 3 3 2 3 4 3 30 teacher 5 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 3 2 4 28 teacher 6 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 31 total 18 19 21 17 19 21 18 17 19 20 based on the data above, teachers' attitude was "very good" in all items, including perceived usefulness and ease of use. table 6. barriers results of each item respondents barriers total q41 q42 q43 q44 q45 q46 q47 q48 q49 q50 q51 teacher 1 3 4 4 4 2 3 4 3 3 3 3 36 teacher 2 3 3 1 4 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 36 teacher 3 2 2 1 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 28 teacher 4 2 3 1 3 2 3 3 4 4 2 4 31 teacher 5 2 2 1 3 2 3 1 3 2 3 2 24 teacher 6 3 3 1 2 1 2 2 3 2 2 3 24 total 15 17 9 19 12 17 16 20 18 17 19 the teacher barriers were "poor" in teacher ict skills (teacher level barrier) based on the data above. they faced difficulty in using ict. next, for "medium" category in teacher confidence (teacher level barrier), training, access to ict, ict infrastructure (school level), ict support on school’s overall strategies (school level), projectrelated experience (school level) in term of the school follows an ict project handled by the government or other parties. the last have “good” category in project-related experience (school level) in term of the need to prepare for the public examinations does not limit the use of ict. based on an interview, the biggest problem was accessibility for teaching english and time to utilize ict in teaching. it measures if they don't have enough time to use ict. based on observation, teacher one and teacher five taught online in this situation because of a pandemic. the researcher got the information if both teachers used edmodo to give the assignment and whatsapp to explain the materials. for using other applications such as zoom and google classroom, they got a problem in connection. they told if they didn't have enough time to present the material because online teaching gave the teacher a short time to teach. next, barriers came from school facilities, and teacher 5 asked if the school have a projector and computer lab. but to use a projector is not efficient because only one projector and need some of time to prepare to operate it. besides that problem in access to ict tools, both teachers have a problem using ict tools because they didn't have much experience teaching using ict. teachers 5 never join the training for education using ict. if she got a problem accessing or operating ict tools, she prevents it by learning from the other teacher. both teachers agreed that ict training would develop their pedagogical knowledge and skill. teacher 1 assumes that joining the training it will make the teacher more professional. conclusion in line with this research, the result shows if all the teachers have basic knowledge of accessing ict in teaching efl. the result of the questionnaire, teachers' capability was category as good. we could say they have readiness in using ict. the biggest problem was accessibility for teaching english and utilizing ict in teaching, limited school facilities, teacher training also is the problem faced by teachers. they never join the training that could increase their experience in teaching using ict tools. both teachers agreed that ict training would develop their pedagogical knowledge and skill and make the teacher more professional. based on the barriers found, several solutions to the barriers. first, support for the development of teachers' harli zadtyi, ismail petrus, machdalena vianty efl teachers’ capability and barriers in using information and communication technology (ict) 220 capability should always conduct so that all their ict knowledge, skills, and attitude are sufficient to implement ict use. the barriers impeding the success of ict use in teaching english should overcome. regular training on the use of ict, adequate ict facilities such as solid internet facilities, computer laboratory come as an utmost factor to be concerned. to develop the teacher's ict knowledge, skills, and attitude to use ict, barriers faced by ict use in efl classrooms should overcome. first, regular training on the use of ict means teachers should support the school with training, or teachers must join training outside the school to increase their use of ict and make them professional. second, the school expected to collaborate with teachers to improve the facilities needed by teachers, such as complete the facilities. it means computer/laptop enough for all students, projector, wifi for teachers and students. third, taking the limitation of this study into consideration, additional analysis is sometimes suggested to involve many academics as participants of the analysis to induce loads of general and representative results by applying qualitative. references al-furaydi, a. a. (2013). measuring e-learning readiness among efl teachers in intermediate public schools in saudi arabia. english language teaching, 6(7), 110–121. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v6n7p110 allport, g. w. (1935). attitudes. in c. m. murchison (ed.), handbook of social psychology. clark university press. apriani, e., syafryadin, s., inderawati, r., arianti, a., wati, s., hakim, i. n., & noermanzah, n. (2021). implementing e-learning training toward english virtual lecturers: the process, perspectives, challenges and solutions. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (ijet), 16(04), pp. 240–255. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i04.14125 attride-stirling, j. (2001). thematic networks: an analytic tool for qualitative research. qualitative research, 1(3), 385-405. retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3286329 11_step_by_step_approach_for_qualitative_data_ analysis bebell, d., russell, m., & o'dwyer, l. (2004). measuring teachers' technology uses: why multiple measures are more revealing. journal of research on technology in education, 37(1), 45– 63. retrieved from https://larrycuban.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/be bell_04.pdf bingimlas, k. a. (2009). barriers to the successful integration of ict in teaching and learning environments: a review of the literature. eurasia journal of mathematics, science & technology education, 5(3), 235–245. retrieved from https://www.ejmste.com/article/barriers-to-thesuccessful-integration-of-ict-in-teaching-andlearning-environments-a-review-of-the-4156 cakici, d. (2016). the use of ict in teaching english as a foreign language. participatory educational research (per), iv, 73–77. retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3222942 14_the_use_of_ict_in_teaching_english_as_a_f oreign_language creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. pearson education, inc. elemam, a. e. (2016). barriers to implementation of information and communication (ict) in public sudanese secondary schools: teacher's perspective. journal of sociological research, 7(1). 33–43. retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/2954009 17_barriers_to_implementation_of_information_ and_communication_ict_in_public_sudanese_s econdary_schools_teacher's_prospective ertmer, p. (1999). addressing first-and second-order barriers to change: strategies for technology integration. educational technology research and development, 47(4), 47–61. retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/2256851 17_addressing_first_and_secondorder_barriers_to_change_strategies _for_technology_integrationeducational_technol ogy_research_and_development_474_47-61 fajri, h, m., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2015). the implementation of peer editing technique to improve writing achievement. the journal of english literacy education: the teaching and learning of english as a foreign language, 2(2), 48-57. gilakjani, a. p. (2017). a review of the literature on integrating technology into the learning and teaching of english language skills. international journal of english linguistic. 7(5). 95–106. retrieved from http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ijel/arti cle/view/69101 hamid, f. (2017). research methods: a guide for firsttime researchers. upi press. hsu, p. s. (2016). examining current beliefs, practices, and barriers about technology integration: a case https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v6n7p110 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328632911_step_by_step_approach_for_qualitative_data_analysis https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328632911_step_by_step_approach_for_qualitative_data_analysis https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328632911_step_by_step_approach_for_qualitative_data_analysis https://larrycuban.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/bebell_04.pdf https://larrycuban.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/bebell_04.pdf https://www.ejmste.com/article/barriers-to-the-successful-integration-of-ict-in-teaching-and-learning-environments-a-review-of-the-4156 https://www.ejmste.com/article/barriers-to-the-successful-integration-of-ict-in-teaching-and-learning-environments-a-review-of-the-4156 https://www.ejmste.com/article/barriers-to-the-successful-integration-of-ict-in-teaching-and-learning-environments-a-review-of-the-4156 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322294214_the_use_of_ict_in_teaching_english_as_a_foreign_language https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322294214_the_use_of_ict_in_teaching_english_as_a_foreign_language https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322294214_the_use_of_ict_in_teaching_english_as_a_foreign_language https://www.researchgate.net/publication/295400917_barriers_to_implementation_of_information_and_communication_ict_in_public_sudanese_secondary_schools_teacher's_prospective https://www.researchgate.net/publication/295400917_barriers_to_implementation_of_information_and_communication_ict_in_public_sudanese_secondary_schools_teacher's_prospective https://www.researchgate.net/publication/295400917_barriers_to_implementation_of_information_and_communication_ict_in_public_sudanese_secondary_schools_teacher's_prospective https://www.researchgate.net/publication/295400917_barriers_to_implementation_of_information_and_communication_ict_in_public_sudanese_secondary_schools_teacher's_prospective https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225685117_addressing_first-_and_secondorder_barriers_to_change_strategies_for_technology_integrationeducational_technology_research_and_development_474_47-61 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225685117_addressing_first-_and_secondorder_barriers_to_change_strategies_for_technology_integrationeducational_technology_research_and_development_474_47-61 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225685117_addressing_first-_and_secondorder_barriers_to_change_strategies_for_technology_integrationeducational_technology_research_and_development_474_47-61 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225685117_addressing_first-_and_secondorder_barriers_to_change_strategies_for_technology_integrationeducational_technology_research_and_development_474_47-61 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225685117_addressing_first-_and_secondorder_barriers_to_change_strategies_for_technology_integrationeducational_technology_research_and_development_474_47-61 http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ijel/article/view/69101 http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ijel/article/view/69101 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 221 study. techtrends, 60(1), 30–40. retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1090180 inderawati, r. (2011). from classroom to peer comment in facebook: bridging learners’ literacy. paper presented in the 4th international conference ict for language learning. pixel, italy. inderawati, r. (2017). the dynamics of efl teaching in indonesia: be innovative teachers through social media. english language teaching and research, 1(1), 29-37. inderawati, r., agusta, o., & sitinjak, m. (2018). the potential effect of developed reader response strategy-based mobile reading for students’ establishing character and comprehension achievement. indonesian journal of informatics education, 2(2), 117-126. inderawati, r., petrus, i., & jaya, h. p. (2019a). exploring and identifying technology-based dynamic learning through social media in academic writing. english community journal, 3(1), 317–324. inderawati, r., sofendi, purnomo, m. e., vianty, m., & suhendi, d. (2019b). students’ engagement in utilizing technology for learning support. english franca: academic journal of english language and education, 3(2), 181-195. issac, stephen and michael, w.b. 1984. handbook in research and evaluation. edits publisher. juliana, r., & muslem, a. (2017). the use of information and communication technology (ict) amongst efl teachers: perceptions and challenges. english education journal. 8(4). 469– 487. retrieved from http://www.jurnal.unsyiah.ac.id/eej/article/view/ 9211 kirschner, p. & i.g.j.h. woperies, 2003. mindtools for the teacher. technology, pedagogy, and education, 12(1): 127-149. available from http://www.triangle.co.uk/jit/ [accessed december 23, 2003]. lifepersona. (2020). 7 examples of the use of its in education. retrieved from https://www.lifepersona.com/7-examples-of-useof-icts-in-education liu, j. (2009). a survey of efl learners' attitudes toward information and communication technologies. english language teaching, 2(4), 101–106. retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/4238640 7_a_survey_of_efl_learners'_attitudes_towar d_information_and_communication_technologie s mingaine, l. (2013). leadership challenges in the implementation of ict in public secondary schools, kenya. journal of education and learning, 2(1), 32–43. retrieved from http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jel/artic le/view/22772 mollaei, f., & riasati. m. j. (2013). teachers' perceptions of using technology in teaching efl. international journal of applied linguistics & english literature, 2(1), 13–22. retrieved from https://www.journals.aiac.org.au/index.php/ijale l/article/view/817/0 payal, kanvaria, v. k. (2018). learning with ict: use & barriers from teachers' perceptions. international journal of recent scientific research, 9(1), 23545–23548. retrieved from https://www.recentscientific.com/sites/default/file s/9815-a-2018.pdf potter, s. l., & szapkiw, a. r. (2012). technology integration for instructional improvement: the impact of professional development. performance improvement, 51(2), 22–27. retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej977040 rank, t., warren, c., &millum, t. (2011). teaching english using ict: a practical guide for secondary school teachers. continuum. roy, s. d. (2015). application of ict in the teachinglearning process. international research journal of interdisciplinary & multidisciplinary studies (irjims), 1(vii), 72–84. retrieved from http://oaji.net/articles/2015/1707-1442037069.pdf schoepp, k. (2005). barriers to technology integration in a technology-rich environment. learning and teaching in higher education: gulf perspectives, 2(1), 1–24. retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1719/33df49a3d0 dc9157bdad9ecbff9ca165045e.pdf smeda, n., dackich, e., & sharda, n. (2014). the effectiveness of digital storytelling in the classrooms: a comprehensive study. smart learning environment, 1(6), 1–21. retrieved from https://slejournal.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1 186/s40561-014-0006-3. suherdi, didi. (2012). “towards the 21st century english teacher education: an indonesian perspective”. celtics press. retrieved from. http://file.upi.edu/direktori/fpbs/jur._pend._ bahasa_inggris/196211011987121didi_suherdi/etalase/21st%20centur y%20english%20teacher.pdf townsend, m. b. (2017). ipads ink-12 schools: a grounded theory study of value. the university of phoenix. retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/openview/4c9682262 19520d7032600df13d36619/1?pqorigsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y zahra, w., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2019). the use of ict in authentic assessment of the students’ productive skills. english review: journal of https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1090180 http://www.jurnal.unsyiah.ac.id/eej/article/view/9211 http://www.jurnal.unsyiah.ac.id/eej/article/view/9211 https://www.lifepersona.com/7-examples-of-use-of-icts-in-education https://www.lifepersona.com/7-examples-of-use-of-icts-in-education https://www.researchgate.net/publication/42386407_a_survey_of_efl_learners'_attitudes_toward_information_and_communication_technologies https://www.researchgate.net/publication/42386407_a_survey_of_efl_learners'_attitudes_toward_information_and_communication_technologies https://www.researchgate.net/publication/42386407_a_survey_of_efl_learners'_attitudes_toward_information_and_communication_technologies https://www.researchgate.net/publication/42386407_a_survey_of_efl_learners'_attitudes_toward_information_and_communication_technologies http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jel/article/view/22772 http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jel/article/view/22772 https://www.journals.aiac.org.au/index.php/ijalel/article/view/817/0 https://www.journals.aiac.org.au/index.php/ijalel/article/view/817/0 https://www.recentscientific.com/sites/default/files/9815-a-2018.pdf https://www.recentscientific.com/sites/default/files/9815-a-2018.pdf https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej977040 http://oaji.net/articles/2015/1707-1442037069.pdf https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1719/33df49a3d0dc9157bdad9ecbff9ca165045e.pdf https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1719/33df49a3d0dc9157bdad9ecbff9ca165045e.pdf https://slejournal.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s40561-014-0006-3 https://slejournal.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s40561-014-0006-3 http://file.upi.edu/direktori/fpbs/jur._pend._bahasa_inggris/196211011987121-didi_suherdi/etalase/21st%20century%20english%20teacher.pdf http://file.upi.edu/direktori/fpbs/jur._pend._bahasa_inggris/196211011987121-didi_suherdi/etalase/21st%20century%20english%20teacher.pdf http://file.upi.edu/direktori/fpbs/jur._pend._bahasa_inggris/196211011987121-didi_suherdi/etalase/21st%20century%20english%20teacher.pdf http://file.upi.edu/direktori/fpbs/jur._pend._bahasa_inggris/196211011987121-didi_suherdi/etalase/21st%20century%20english%20teacher.pdf https://search.proquest.com/openview/4c968226219520d7032600df13d36619/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y https://search.proquest.com/openview/4c968226219520d7032600df13d36619/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y https://search.proquest.com/openview/4c968226219520d7032600df13d36619/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y harli zadtyi, ismail petrus, machdalena vianty efl teachers’ capability and barriers in using information and communication technology (ict) 222 english education, 8(1), 81-90. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2110. webster, m. (2018). knowledge. retrieved from https://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/kno wledge. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 293 developing descriptive reading materials about palembang historical buildings arko nica department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education sriwijaya university, indonesia email: uchaarko16@gmail.com ismail petrus department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education sriwijaya university, indonesia email: ismailpetrus@yahoo.com machdalena vianty department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education sriwijaya university, indonesia email: machdalenavianty@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa citation: nica, a., petrus, i., & vianty, m. (2021). developing descriptive reading materials about palembang historical buildings. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp.293-300. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4354 received: 27-02-2021 accepted: 19-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction in english language teaching and learning process, reading is one of the important skills that should be focused on. as stated by carrel (1998), reading is one of four major skills considered as the most important in learning english. it is a skill that can help the students to get more knowledge and information. in indonesia, learning english is a compulsory subject for junior and high school students. based on the national curriculum 2013 used, reading is one of the skills which has to be focused on teaching. it is also mentioned that the students have to be able to achieve good reading competencies. however, students’ reading achievement in indonesia has not been satisfied yet. the data from education first english proficiency index (ef epi) showed the ability of indonesian students to comprehend english texts was low. in 2017, indonesia was on the 39th world rank out of 80 countries with a score of only 52.15. in 2018, indonesia was on the 51st world rank out of 88 countries with a score of 51.58. this score was below the epi average (56.64). in the asia context, indonesia was on the 13th rank out of 21 countries with a score of 51.58 in 2018. the score also was below the epi average (53.49). this data implied that teachers should do something that can encourage the students to have better achievement in reading. some factors influence the student’s reading achievement. mohammed and amponsah (2018) abstract: the purpose of this study was to find out the validity, practicality, and potential effect of developed descriptive reading materials about historical buildings. the developed reading materials were for the seventhgrade students. the development research was based on akker’s three phases: 1) analysis, 2) design, and 3) evaluation and revision. in the evaluation phase, the formative evaluation modified by tessmer was applied and there were five stages: self-evaluation, expert review, one-to-one evaluation, small group evaluation, and field test evaluation. the validity was determined based on the results of the experts’ review and the product was valid which was categorized as high validity. the practicality was determined based on the result of the one-to-one evaluation and the small group evaluation. the product was categorized as very high practical level. the potential effect was evaluated in the field test. the result showed that the product has a potential effect since the students reached the passing grade score. in conclusion, the developed descriptive reading materials about palembang historical buildings were valid, practical, and has potentially effective for the seventh-grade students. keywords: development research; descriptive text; historical buildings mailto:uchaarko16@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4354 294 found that the students lack the confidence to practice, poor motivation from the teachers, lack of pre-reader books, lack of the library, low phonemic awareness skills, and teachers’ inadequate knowledge on phonemic awareness strategy. another thing that the teachers need to focus on had to consider the cultural aspect in teaching english. based on badan standar nasional pendidikan indonesia (2006), curriculum development has to go along with the socio-cultural characteristics of local communities. in line with this, the indonesian 2013 curriculum points out that learning materials should be integrated with a variety of cultures or local cultures of where the students live. indonesia’s government has supported the implementation of local culture materials in education. it is stated in the ministry of education and culture regulation no. 22 and 23 the year 2006 that the indonesian government gives great opportunities for local culture to be integrated into various school subjects for both the curriculum of primary and secondary education. in the indonesian curriculum of 2013 for junior high school, it is emphasized that the english teaching and learning process aims to develop the students’ potential to have good communicative competence in interpersonal, transactional, and functional texts by learning some types of text. one of the text types is the descriptive text which is for the seventh-grade students who were the participants of this present study. descriptive text is a text that describes the features of someone, something, or a certain place (wardiman, jahur & djusman, 2008). it means descriptive text says what a person or a thing is like; it describes and reveals a particular person, place, or thing. the descriptive text tells about the characteristic of the subject and description of people, animals, and things in detail. noprianto (2017) stated that introducing descriptive text to language learners as soon as possible is important because when students learn nonfiction genres, they automatically engage with the world outside themselves. integrating local culture into teaching materials gives valuable benefits for students because it can engage them to be aware and care of their own culture while learning english. students can add their knowledge about their own culture, maintain and promote their culture to others. learners who gain certain cultural knowledge can develop more positive attitudes towards and come to be more tolerant of other cultures (nguyen, 2017). furthermore, agustina, harahap, and syahrial (2018) found that the students interested in the reading materials developed. besides, wulandari, vianty, and fiftinova (2018) found that the integration of local culture in reading materials could improve students’ reading comprehension. integration of local culture in the curriculum will guide the development personality of creative learners so they can choose the cultural values, then applied into their real life. there are three ways to insert the local content (hartini, 2012), such as culture in teaching material. first, insert the local content in the form of ideas including norms, morals, ethics, and religious values. second, insert the activities including the traditional ceremony. the last is inserting the artifacts including historical or tourism places, food, and stories. for this present study, historical buildings served as the base for developing the reading materials. the historical building is an object in the surrounding as documents of cultural expressions or artifacts. they are generally considered buildings or structures that have historical values. the buildings hold special historical interests related to particular historical events or periods. historical buildings are one kind of local culture in palembang. integrating historical buildings into teaching materials is very important to enrich the students’ knowledge. it is also considered for having better moral values and it can help to create meaningful learning and influence the students’ learning. the most important point of integrating historical buildings as the reading topic is to make the students always remember and be proud of their own culture. historical buildings in palembang included benteng kuto besak (bkb), balaputera dewa museum, sultan mahmud baddarudin ii museum, monpera, water tower, limas house, siguntang hill, masjid agung palembang, rakit house, and kampung kapitan. this present study was started by having an informal interview with the english teacher of a junior high school in palembang. it was found out that the english teachers only used one textbook “when english rings a bell” which was provided by the indonesian government. in the textbook, there is only one descriptive text entitled “i’m https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/structure english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 295 proud of indonesia”. the content of the textbook lacked the local content especially the one that is related to the culture. whereas, it is important to provide reading text that consists of the students’ background or prior knowledge. besides, the readability level of the text in the textbook is not relevant to the student’s reading level at level 3. this was the reason why this present study was conducted. it is considered necessary to have supplementary reading materials related to students’ local culture. in this case, supplementary reading is related to the place where the students live. they need to know well, describe and promote the tourism places, products, and local cultures to others. the previous studies (ningtyas, 2016; indriyani, 2016; and mariana, 2017) have developed palembang local cultures related to clothes, folklores, and tourism destinations. some studies conducted local culture in reading materials (pitaloka, 2015; susanti, 2017; monica & vianty, 2019; sopian, inderawati & petrus, 2019; elviana, inderawati & mirizon, 2020; and azizah, inderawati & vianty, 2021). this present study focused on developing a supplementary reading on the historical buildings in palembang. as previously mentioned, the content of descriptive text lacks of the local content and only one paragraph is concerned. the study also aims to use historical buildings in reading materials because no one is exposed to local culture, especially historical buildings in reading materials. it also enriches the students’ local cultural knowledge through the developed reading texts. there is detailed information about historical buildings in the text, so the students will be more familiar with that famous places. in addition, the students can promote and spread widely the existence of palembang historical buildings in the global world. from the explanation above, the researchers are interested in developing descriptive reading materials about palembang historical buildings. method this present study used a development research method to develop descriptive reading materials about historical buildings. it was described by akker (1999) who stated that development research aims to design a product for certain purposes through three phases: (1) analysis, (2) design, and (3) evaluation and revision. in the evaluation phase, the formative evaluation modified by tessmer (1993) was applied. formative evaluation is a judgment of the strengths and weakness of interaction in its developing stages, for purposes of revising the interaction to improve its effectiveness and appeal. there are five stages in the formative evaluation: selfevaluation, expert review, one-to-one evaluation, small group evaluation, and field test. this research was conducted at one of the junior high schools in palembang, involving the seventh-grade students of the academic year 2019/2020 as the participants of the study (see table 1). table 1. participants of the study no formative evaluation stages number of students descriptive of the students 1 one-to-one evaluation 3 1 student for each reading level category, i.e: frustrational, instructional and independent. 2 small group evaluation 9 3 students for each reading level category, i.e: frustrational, instructional and independent. 3 field test 30 all students in a real class. total 42 students the participants of this study were selected based on their reading level. their reading levels were determined based on reading level tests by using jennings informal reading assessment which was developed by jennings (2001). the student’s reading level is categorized into three levels: frustrational, instructional, and independent reading levels. the students were selected randomly in each reading level category. a questionnaire and a reading comprehension test were used to collect the data which were analyzed to determine its validity, practicality, and potential effect. the validity of the product was determined based on the experts’ evaluation. the 296 products are classified as valid if the average score of the questionnaires is not less than 2.51. the practicality of the product was determined based on the result of the questionnaire that was given to the students in one-to-one and small groups. the product is considered practical if the average score is not less than 2.51. finally, the potential effect of the developed reading materials was determined based on the result of the field test. the developed product is considered to have the potential effect if the students’ score is not below the passing grade (70) and the total percentage of the students who pass the passing grade was 70%. results and discussion analysis phase instructional analysis the researcher analyzed the materials related to descriptive text available in students’ textbooks. from the textbook, there is one descriptive text entitled “i am proud of indonesia”. this descriptive text is available in the textbook for seventh graders but there is no local cultural values in the text. the textbook used by the students entitled “when english rings the bells” provided by the indonesian government. the writer also analyzed the 2013 curriculum to determine the basic competence, learning indicators, and learning objectives for developed materials. students’ need analysis students’ need analysis was conducted to obtain the following information: 1) students’ opinion toward reading, 2) obstacles in reading comprehension, 3) perception of the teaching and learning process, 4) perception about the available reading materials, and 5) students’ expectations on the developed reading materials. a questionnaire consisted of 30 items was given to the seventhgrade students to obtain the information. based on the results of students’ need analysis, it can be concluded that developed reading materials (i.e. descriptive text about palembang historical buildings) were needed to be developed. students’ reading level analysis the analysis was conducted to find out students’ reading level that was used as the reference for determining the readability levels of the developed descriptive text. in this analysis, jennings informal reading assessment by jennings (2001) was given to the students. the level of reading texts in the test included levels 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. the reason for giving these reading levels to the seventh graders because based on the english teacher reports and the students’ reading achievement was at a low level. table 2 presents the result of the students’ reading test. table 2. the distribution of students’ reading level text level reading stage frustrational (correct number ≤ 4) instructional (correct number 5-6) independent (correct number 7-8) n % n % n % level 1 100 69.4 % 26 18.0 % 18 12.5 % level 2 88 61.1 % 35 24.3 % 21 14.5 % level 3 66 45.8 % 40 27.7 % 38 26.3 % level 4 99 68.7 % 27 18.7 % 18 12.5 % level 5 143 99.3 % 0 0 % 1 0.6 % *n = number of students *% = percentage of students design phase in this phase, the writer developed the reading materials about historical buildings in palembang as the topic of the text. based on the result of students’ reading level analysis, this developed product was designed for reading level three students. there are ten descriptive texts constructed which are seven texts for reading material and three texts for reading comprehension. every reading text has different readability levels that were checked by using flesh kincaid. reading texts for reading materials was used as an instrument to determine the potential effect of the developed product. the items were informed of multiple choices and true or false statements which consist of 70 items of questions. reading texts for reading comprehension consists of 30 multiplechoice questions. the content validity and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 297 instructional design validity were validated based on the experts’ judgments. evaluation and revision phase self-evaluation self-evaluation was conducted by the writer to recheck the developed reading materials. some grammatical mistakes and misspelling words were found. afterward, necessary changes were done to correct the mistakes. expert review the language and content as well as the instructional design were validated based on the experts’ judgments. the comments and suggestions as the results of the experts’ judgments were used to improve the quality of the product. one-to-one evaluation in this phase, three randomly selected participants were involved. they had different levels of reading that represented each level of reading i.e. frustrational, instructional, and independent reading levels. this evaluation was conducted by video call. each student was individually shown the developed product to read and they were asked to give comments about the strengths and weaknesses of the product. after that, the students were given the product and completed the exercises in the google form. the one-to-one evaluation aimed to determine the practicality of the developed product and it was done by analyzing the results of the questionnaire given to the students. the researcher calculated the students’ average score from 15 items of the questionnaire and the average score was 3.17 showed in table 3. it can be concluded that the developing descriptive reading text materials about palembang historical buildings for seventh graders were practical with the high category. table 3. result of questionnaire in one-to-one evaluation aspects no. average score remarks the appropriateness between materials and students’ needs 1. 2.66 high practicality 2. 2.00 low practicality 3. 3.33 very high practicality content presentation 4. 2.66 high practicality 5. 3.33 very high practicality 6. 3.33 very high practicality 7. 3.66 very high practicality 8. 3.33 very high practicality exercise and evaluation aspects 9. 3.33 very high practicality 10. 3.33 very high practicality 11. 3.33 very high practicality 12. 3.33 very high practicality attractiveness of the content 13. 3.66 very high practicality 14. 3.33 very high practicality 15. 3.00 high practicality average score 3.17 high practicality small-group evaluation in this phase, the product was given to nine participants who had different reading levels. there were three students in each reading level i.e. frustrational, instructional and, independent reading level. the students who had joined in the one-toone evaluation were not involved. this phase was similar to the one-to-one evaluation, each student was shown the developed product to read and they were asked to review or evaluate it. the questionnaire was the same used in the one-to-one evaluation. after that, the students were given the product and did the exercises in the google form. then, the result of the questionnaire was calculated to determine the practicality of the product. the result in table 4 shows that the average score was 3.44. it can be concluded that the developing descriptive reading text materials about palembang’s historical buildings for seventh graders were practical with the very high category. 298 table 4. result of questionnaire in small group aspects no. average score remarks the appropriateness between materials and students’ needs 1. 3.11 high practicality 2. 3.11 high practicality 3. 3.66 very high practicality content presentation 4. 3.55 very high practicality 5. 3.66 very high practicality 6. 3.44 very high practicality 7. 3.22 high practicality 8. 3.33 very high practicality exercise and evaluation aspects 9. 3.77 very high practicality 10. 3.66 very high practicality 11. 3.55 very high practicality 12. 3.55 very high practicality attractiveness of the content 13. 3.44 very high practicality 14. 3.22 high practicality 15. 3.33 very high practicality average score 3.44 very high practicality field test the field test was a phase in which the developed products were implemented in a real class of seventh graders of junior high school. the students who were participating in the one-to-one evaluation and small group evaluation were not involved anymore in the field test. thirty students from the real class of seventh grade involved in the field test. the test consisted of three reading texts with 30 multiple-choice questions. similar to inderawati, nurhayati, sitinjak, & susanti (2019) who developed narrative text reading material, haryanti, et al. (2021), and agustina, petrus, & inderawati (2021) who also produced descriptive reading materials. the developed descriptive reading materials on historical buildings in palembang were given to determine the potential effect of the developed product. the result of the student’s achievement in the reading comprehension test is shown in figure 1. figure 1. the result of the student’s achievement in the reading comprehension test conclusion the developing descriptive reading text materials about palembang historical buildings for seventh graders was valid, with an average score was 3.20. from the validity categorization, the developed descriptive reading materials were categorized high validity. the developed product was also practical based on the results of the one-to-one evaluation with a score of 3.17, the product had a high practical level. in the small group evaluation, the average score was 3.44. therefore, it can be concluded that the developed product had a very high practical level. finally, the result of the field test confirmed that the product was valid and had a potential effect on students’ reading achievement since 73.33% of students reached the passing grade. references agustina, k., petrus, i., & inderawati, r. (2021). descriptive reading materials: palembang tourist destination. yogyakarta: spasi book. agustina, l., and harahap, a. (2018). developing reading material based-on local culture for junior high school in kabupaten rejang lebong. journal of applied linguistics and literature, 3(1), 115128. akker, j. v. d. (1999). principle and methods of development research. in j. akker, r. branch, k. hustalfon, t. nieveen n, g plomp (eds.), design methodology and development research (pp. 1-14). london, uk: kluwer. azizah, n., inderawati, r., & vianty, m. (2021). developing descriptive reading materials in efl english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 299 classes by utilizing the local culture. studies in english language and education, 8(2), 596-621. badan standar nasional pendidikan (bsnp). (2006). panduan penyusunan kurikulum tingkat satuan pendidikan jenjang pendidikan dasar dan menegah. retrieved from http://bsnpindonesia.org/id/wpcontent/uploads/kompetensi/pa nduan_umum_ktsp.pdf. carrel, p.d. (1998). interactive approaches to second language reading (7th ed). cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. elvian, r., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2020). developing interactive multimedia for teaching descriptive texts based on palembang local culture. indonesia efl journal, 6(1), 19-26. ef epi. (2017). education first english proficiency index. the world’s largest ranking of english skills. retrieved from http://www.ef.co.id/epi/. ef epi. (2018). education first english proficiency index. the world’s largest ranking of english skills. retrieved from http://www.ef.co.id/epi/. hartini, r. (2012). studi mengenai insersi budaya lokal dalam pembelajaran oleh guru bahasa inggris di yogyakarta. universitas negeri yogyakarta. unpublished thesis. haryanti, l., inderawati, r. & eryansyah. (2021). descriptive reading materials: sekayu local culture. yogyakarta: spasi book. inderawati, r., nurhayati, sitinjak, d.s., & susanti, s. (2019). reading materials: siti zubaidah lyricbased narrative texts. yogyakarta: penerbit sulur. indriyani. (2016). developing local content-based instructional pictorial reading materials for tenth graders. (unpublished magister’s thesis). sriwijaya university, palembang. jennings, j. (2001). jennings informal reading assessemnt. retrieved from http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/medi/objects/2668/ 2753469/richek_appd.pdf. mariana, d. (2017). developing local-folklore instructional reading materials for the eight graders of smp negeri 6 talang ubi. (unpublished magister’s thesis). sriwijaya university, palembang. minister of education and cultures regulation (peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan) no. 22/23/2006. pedoman penyusunan kurikulum tingkat satuan pendidikan jenjang pendidikan dasar dan menengah. retrieved from http://www.bsnp.go.id. mohammed, i., and amponsah, o. (2018). predominant factors contributing to low reading abilities of pupils at elsie lund basic school in the tamale metropolis, ghana. african educational research journal, 6(4), 273-278. monica, s., and vianty, m. (2019). developing local content-based instructional graded reading materials for reading level three students. linguistic english education and art journal, 3(1), 1-16. nguyen, t.t.t. (2017). integrating culture into language teaching and learning: learner outcomes. the reading matrix: an international online journal, 17(1), 145154. ningtiyas, u. k. (2016). developing local culture-based instructional descriptive reading materials for reading level four students. (unpublished magister’s thesis). sriwijaya university, palembang. noprianto, e. (2017). students descriptive text writing in efl perspective. indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 2(1), 65-81. pitaloka. n. l. (2015). developing interactive multimedia with local-content-based narrative texts for the eighth grade students. (unpublished magister’s thesis). sriwijaya university, palembang. sopian, s., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2019). developing e-learning based local-folklores for eight graders. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 100-112. susanti, s. (2017). developing instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative texts for the tenth grade students. (unpublished magister’s thesis). sriwijaya university, palembang. tessmer, m. (1993). planning and conducting formative evaluation. philadehelphia, pa: kogan page. wardiman, a., jahur, m. b., & djusman, s. (2008). english in focus for grade ix junior high school. jakarta, id: pusat perbukuan departemen pendidikan nasional. wulandari, a. a., vianty, m., & fiftinova. (2018). using local culture as teaching materials for improving students’ reading comprehension. the journal of english literacy education (the teaching and learning of english as a foreign language, 5(1), 11-24. http://bsnp-indonesia.org/id/wpcontent/uploads/kompetensi/panduan_umum_ktsp.pdf http://bsnp-indonesia.org/id/wpcontent/uploads/kompetensi/panduan_umum_ktsp.pdf http://bsnp-indonesia.org/id/wpcontent/uploads/kompetensi/panduan_umum_ktsp.pdf http://www.ef.co.id/epi/ http://www.ef.co.id/epi/ http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/medi/objects/2668/2753469/richek_appd.pdf http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/medi/objects/2668/2753469/richek_appd.pdf http://www.bsnp.go.id/ 300 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 283 the use of ict in learning process by vocational teachers of english resty wiranda english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: restywirandabayumi@gmail.com ismail petrus (corresponding author) english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: ismailpetrus@yahoo.com machadalena vianty english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: vianty.unsri@gmail.com apa citation: wiranda, r., petrus, i., & vianty, m. (2020). the use of ict in learning process by vocational teachers of english. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 283-290. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2617. received: 19-02-2020 accepted: 21-03-2020 published: 01-06-2020 introduction in the 21st century, there have been many changes in several areas such as technology, culture, society, and education. in the era of modernization, people are very dependent on technology, in education itself technology has important role in teaching and learning process, information communication technology (ict) is defined as ‘any technology used to support information gathering, processing, distribution and use’ (beckinsale & ram, 2006). in the 21st century the development of information technology is very rapid so that it has a very significant impact on the world of education. one of the most vital contributions of ict in the field of education is-easy access to learning. it is in line with what inderawati, sofendi, purnomo, vianty, &suhendi (2019) had conducted to the pre service efl teachers’ engagement in utilizing technology for learning supports. it showed that there were many things to be included: the place, class management, equipment used by students, application used, instructional material used, supporting crew, and instructors’ relation in learning activities. with the help of ict, students can browse information through e-books, sample examination papers, previous year papers etc. and can also have an easy access to resource persons, mentors, experts, researchers, professionals, and peers-all over the world. this flexibility has heightened the availability of just-in-time learning and provided learning opportunities for many more learners who previously were constrained by other commitments (young, 2002). in addition to flexibility in usability, ict is also considered flexible in time space, as explained by julio and carmen (2013), the flexible time space accounted for by the integration of ict into teaching and learning processes contributes to increase the interaction and reception of abstract: in the era of modernization, people are very dependent on technology, information communication technology (ict) in education itself has important role in teaching and learning process. the purpose of this study was to investigate the kind of ict used by the teachers, the utilization of ict in learning process, the problems and solutions in teaching by using ict, and the role of schools in assisting teachers to overcome the problems at vocational high schools in sekayu. this study applied descriptive qualitative research design. the data were collected by using questionnaire, interview, observation, and document review. the participants of this study were the teachers of english, the vice-principal of facility and infrastructure, and the students. the findings of this study showed that the teachers of english at vocational high schools in sekayu used hardware such as projector, laptop, speaker, headset, and smartphone, while software such as internet, dictionary application, e-book, microsoft office, and browsing application. the teachers used discovery learning to utilize ict in the syntax of the learning model. the main problem faced by the teacher was the unavailability of students’ personal ict devices. the school also had the role to assist teachers in overcoming the problems. the conclusion was the teachers had applied ict in the learning process however they did not fully apply ict in each syntax of the learning model used. keywords: ict; the use of ict; learning process, teachers of english; vocational high school. mailto:restywirandabayumi@gmail.com mailto:ismailpetrus@yahoo.com mailto:vianty.unsri@gmail.com resty wiranda, ismail petrus & machadalena vianty the use of ict in learning process by vocational teachers of english 284 information. ict also can be used in various ways where it helps teachers and students to learn about their respective subject areas, as stated in the 2013 curriculum, information and communication technology (ict) is integrated into learning. inderawati (2017) put forward that modern classroom must become technology as the essential key component in the 21st century learning. unesco (2016) stated that there are five competencies for the teacher in the 21st century, one of them is the use of ict in the process of teaching to prepare and to support the learning competencies in their classroom. this makes a teacher obliged to master ict in learning. the role of icts becomes very important in the learning process because it can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of learning so that it can increase the attractiveness and attention of students. the global expectation to ict in education from ministrial regulation of national education and culture of republic of indonesia no. 22 year 2016 chapter i explained that the use of information and communication technology is to improve efficiency and effectiveness of learning. inderawati, agusta, &sitinjak (2018) found that mobile learning as one of the modes of learning had a potential effect on students’ reading achievement. however, it is not relevant with the facts from weaver and pier (2011) explained that entering the 21st century which is full of technology does not make students more creative and energetic, instead it decreases student communication skills. weaver and pier's research was strengthened by a survey conducted by nace (national association of colleges and employers) in 2017 indicating that as many as 67.5% of students had low communication skills. some studies related to the use of ict by the teacher, such as the study conducted by fitriyadi (2012). the results of this study showed that the vocational high school productive teachers’ ict skills in general are in the low category, the ict implementation in productive teaching in vocational high school in general is in the moderate category, and the constraints in the ict implementation in productive teaching in vocational high school are related to the local government’s policies, program funding, professional development in ict, availability of ict resources, and ict utilization in schools. other study by miraj (2017) showed that the use of ict (computers, internet) has been used by students of vocational high school, however usability of ict does not fully support the learning process. the government’s expectation on ict has not been achievable because there are some obstacles found from some research results. these results show that there are many obstacles faced by both teachers and schools in implementing ict in schools. nevertheless, some previous researchers have investigated the important roles of technology in learning english to enhance students’ literacy (inderawati, 2011; fajri, inderawati, mirizon, 2015; inderawati, petrus, & jaya, 2019). according to djojonegoro (1998) a good vocational high school is responsively and anticipatory to technological progress. based on the observation the researcher did at three vocational high schools in sekayu, the schools had implemented ict in the teaching and learning process. technology-based education is also supported by the muba government with the vision and mission of the muba regent as follows: “realizing the smart musi banyuasin regency with the entire opd digitalization program. the service is integrated in realizing optimal, efficient and transparent governance in providing information access”. in addition, the data obtained by researchers from the three schools are that there are three majors in vocational high schools in sekayu related to technology, such as: multimedia, technology of science, and computer engineering and networking. one of the objectives of this study is to find out what media are used by teachers in the teaching and learning process, considering the students in this majors have a background with the ability in the field of ict. in relation to the explanation above, the aims of this study were to find out the kind of ict used by the teachers of english, the utilization of ict used by teachers of english in learning process, the problems and solutions in teaching by using ict, and the role of schools in assisting teachers to overcome the problems. method this study was a descriptive qualitative research conducted through data collection in field through interview, questionnaire, observations and document review, to find out the kinds of ict used by teachers of english in vocational high schools in sekayu, the utilization of ict by teachers of english in the classroom, the problems faced by teachers of english in teaching by using ict and the solution to overcoming the problems, the role of schools in assist teachers of english in english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 285 overcoming the problems faced by teachers of english towards ict. this study was conducted at three vocational high schools in sekayu: vocational high school 1 in sekayu, vocational high school 2 in sekayu, and vocational high school 3 in sekayu. these three schools are selected because they have received to ict facilities, such as: free internet access, electric power, lcds, laptops from the government. the participants of this study were the teachers of english, the vice-principal of facilities and infrastructure each school and students. the five teachers of english selected in each school based on the observation the writer did on vocational high school in sekayu there were five teachers who teach in major related to ict who are willing to be participants in this study. to collect the data, the researcher used four instruments. the instruments included interview, questionnaire, observation, and document. after the data was collected, the writer analyzes for answer the research questions. questionnaire was analyzed by a simple statistical analysis that is by calculating the respondents’ answers from each item and putting the answer in the form of percentage. the results of questionnaire are transcribed descriptively used for showing the problems faced by teachers of english in teaching by using ict and the solution of the problem. while, for the interview is transcribed descriptively. in order to obtain supporting information for interview results, observation technique was conducted. the researcher took some pictures and writing a comment in observation paper during teaching and learning process, after obtaining the results, then the transcribed descriptively in order to strengthen the interview results. lastly, the documents collected from lesson plan that used during the observation analyzed by responses to the research question. this study used triangulation to determine validity by analyzing from various perspectives. denzin (2006) stated that triangulation is the process of corroborating evidence from different individuals. based on the types of triangulation, the study used methodological triangulation. therefore, data triangulation helped the writer to justify the findings and results of this study. results and discussion the results of this study cover four areas. they are the result of questionnaire to the teachers, interview to the teacher of english, the vice principal of facilities and infrastructure in each vocational high school in sekayu, and students, observation in classroom during learning process, and document collected from lesson plan that used during the observation. hardware and software used by the teachers the results of interviews conducted by researchers showed that all the teachers at the vocational school in sekayu had applied ict in the learning process. the ict they use also varies. the following are the statements from the teachers. “i utilized a smartphones for browsing and access to the google translate application, and i have received permission from the school to allow students to use their smarphones during my lessons.” (ey) “…and i used the language laboratory for the study room where i can access some electronic learning media, such as: e-books, videos, audio and visuals. and for the hardware i used to use computers, projectors, and speakers.” (ag) “sometimes i use laptops and projectors to display material on power point. although i didn't use in every teaching because at school only provides one laptop and lcd for one major. while laptops and lcds were more prioritized for teachers from productive subjects” (i) “ict facilities available at the school are wifi for, lcd and laptop and from that facility i used lcd and wifi” (nma) “at vocational high school 3 in sekayu, it provides a language laboratory equipped with computers, projectors, tvs, speakers, headsets, and wifi even though wifi can only be used by teachers and students cannot use it because many users are feared to slow down internet connections. sometime i use a laptop and lcd available in the language laboratory, and wifi.”(sh) the data of interview was relevant to the data of observation and the lesson plan that used during the observation. the table 1 shows the results of hardware and software used by the teachers. resty wiranda, ismail petrus & machadalena vianty the use of ict in learning process by vocational teachers of english 286 table 1. ict used by the teachers of english at vocational high school in sekayu ict used by the teachers of english schools teachers hardware software vocational high school 1 in sekayu ey smartphone internet and applications (dictionary application and browsing application) ag laptop,projector, speaker, and headset internet and e-book vocational high school 2 in sekayu i projector and laptop microsoft office (power point) vocational high school 3 in sekayu nma projector and laptop internet sh projector and laptop internet the kinds of ict used by the teachers of english at vocational high school in sekayu are divided into hardware and software. in line with anderson and glend (2003) defined information and communication technology (ict): ict generally relates to those technologies that are used for accessing, gathering, manipulating and presenting or communicating information. the technologies could include hardware e.g. computers and others devices, software applications, and connectivity e.g. access to the internet, local networking infrastructure, and video conferencing. in conclusion the hardware used by teachers of english at vocational high schools in sekayu includes: projectors, laptops, computers, speakers, and headsets. while for software including: internet, e-book, and electronic dictionary. in line with the study by prasanea (2017) the finding showed the use of hardware such as: television, computers and sound systems make students more easily understand the material presented. the utilization of ict the kinds of ict chosen by the teachers is utilized in assisting the learning process, one of the ict is smartphone. in line with wastiau et al. (2013) note that laptop and tablet computers as well as cell phones are increasingly seen as useful in education as they offer portability and choice as to when and where to use them.from the results of observation and document, the all of the teachers who participated in this study used discovery learning as a learning model, however each teachers used ict only part of the syntax in discovery learning and every teachers have a different method in utilizing ict in learning process. it was also stated in an interview, the table 2 were describe the result of interview. table 2. the utilization of ict by the teachers of english at vocational high school in sekayu schools teachers learning media syntax ict use ey discovery learning data collection smartphone and internet vocational high school 1 in sekayu ag discovery learning stimulation and data collection stimulation: laptop, projector, speaker, and headset data collection: internet and e-book vocational high school 2 in sekayu i discovery learning stimulation projector and laptop vocational high school 3 in sekayu nma discovery learning stimulation and data collecting stimulation: projector and laptop data collecting: internet stimulation data collection, and generalization stimulation: projector and laptop data collecting: internet sh discovery learning english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 287 in conclusion, the all teachers utilize ict in the core activities where all teachers use discovery learning as a learning model but ict is only used for a few syntaxes, such as: stimulation, data collection, and generalization. the utilization of ict in the learning process could be seen from the learning model used by the teachers. the syntax of the learning model would show the teacher's activities in teaching using ict. there were several learning models that are used in the learning process and involve the role of ict as a learning media. there are 4 learning models that are generally used based on ministry of education and culture number 22 year 2016 stated that learning model that brings out activity and creativity, inspiring, fun and initiative, centered on students, authentically, contextual, and meaningful to daily student life. the learning models are developed, among others: discovery learning, inquiry learning, problem based learning, and project based learning. the problem and solution in using ict from the results of the interview and questionnair, the teachers in each school found several problems in applying ict in the learning process. in addition, they also have their own way of dealing with the problem. the problems faced by the teachers of english at vocational high school in sekayu as shown in table 3. table 3. the problem and solution of the problems faced by the teachers of english at vocational high school in sekayu the data conducted by interview and questionnaire to the teachers. the most common problem faced by the teachers of english at vocational high schools in sekayu were unavailability of students’ personal ict devices. the teachers’ statement to support this data is below. “…i find problems where students do not have personal’s ict devices to work on tasks using ict for example: typing papers, making discussion material using power points, discussions on facebook”. (i) “i have a plan to create a study group on social media to become their members for discussion and sharing because in my opinion the school time is only two hours of study and it is still very lacking, i also want students to do independent assignments at home using the edmodo application because this application is automatic correct and score so it is very effective. but not all of my students can access the internet or have their own laptop.”(nma) “the problem i faced was that not all students at vocational high school 3 in sekayu had ict devices to use outside of school hours so that i sometimes chose not to give assignments that needed ict devices.”(sh) the most common problem faced by the teachers of english at vocational high schools in sekayu were unavailability of students’ personal schools teachers problems solutions vocational high school 1 in sekayu ey school regulation asking permission from the school to students are allowed to use smartphones during english lessons ag the awareness of students in maintaining school facilities. unavailability of technicians 1. giving advice and punishment to students 2. repairing the damage by themselves or asking student for help vocational high school 2 in sekayu i unavailability of students’ personal ict devices to giving homework giving students more time to collected assignment (homework) nma unavailability of students’ personal ict devices to make learning group in social media only use the english lesson time to discussing and sharing sh unavailability of students’ personal ict devices to access the internet dividing students into groups resty wiranda, ismail petrus & machadalena vianty the use of ict in learning process by vocational teachers of english 288 ict devices as discussed in the study from around the world about ict in education, young (2003), the students identified three negative reasons were also given. computer access to those students who did not have computer at home. lack of home computer access to those students at disadvantage because they can only use class time and class breaks to access computers in the computer lab. although the problems they faced were the same namely unavailability of students support ict devices, each teachers faced this problem in the application of ict with different goals, as shown in the table 3, so that three out of five teachers who faced this problem have their own ways in overcome the problem. how the schools assist teachers the results of interview were gained from the teachers and the vice-principal facility and infrastructure. the results showed that the role of each schools in assisting the teachers’ problems. the following are the statements of the vice principal facility and infrastructure. “we always coordinate with the teacher to ask what ict equipment is needed and then we will submit it to the principal so that the facility is immediately provided if from the results of discussion and consideration of the principal that the device is indeed needed and the lack of awareness of students in maintaining school facilities, we always support every teacher's policy during the learning process. for teachers who face problems related to school regulations, we have coordinated with these teachers and have given permission for students to use smartphones during english lessons.”(ad) “for this problem i can only advise the teacher to give another alternative task to these students or can divide students into groups so that students who do not have ict devices can join students who have ict facilities because the school does not facilitate students to use laboratories outside school hours”. (dm) “so it is true that at vocational high school 3 not all students come from capable families, so there are only a few students who have laptops and other ict devices. but in schools students can use laptops and the internet in the laboratory”. (ms) the role of schools in assisting teachers in overcoming the problem is presented in table 4. table 4. the role of schools in assist teachers of english in overcoming the problem faced by the teachers schools teachers problems the role of schools in assist teachers of english in overcoming the problems vocational high school 1 in sekayu ey school regulation giving permission for students to used smartphones during english lessons ag 1. the awareness of students in maintaining school facilities. 2.unavailability of technicians 1. support teachers and repair damaged facilities 2. asking teachers to report to the vice-principle of facilities and infrastructure if there are facilities that need to be added or damaged. vocational high school 2 in sekayu i unavailability of students support ict devices to giving homework the school only appealed to the teacher to give another alternative task to these students or can divide students into groups vocational high school 3 in sekayu nma unavailability of students’ personal ict devices to make learning group in social media only use the english lesson time to discussing and sharing sh unavailability of students support ict devices to access the internet internet access for students is being submitted to the principal to increase the capacity of the internet connection in conclusion, schools have an important role in facilitating teachers to utilize ict as a learning medium given that these three schools have used the 2013 curriculum where technology is a english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 289 learning medium that must be applied to learning media as coincides with the result of the study conducted fitriyadi (2012), the constraints in the ict implementation in productive teaching in vocational high school are related to the local government’s policies, program funding, professional development in ict, availability of ict resources, and ict utilization in schools. in the era of modernization, people are very dependent on technology, in education itself technology has important role in teaching and learning process according to ministrial regulation of national education and culture of republic of indonesia no. 22 year 2016 chapter i, it states that the use of information and communication technology is to improve efficiency and effectiveness of learning as of the role of schools in facilitating and assisting teachers in dealing with problems during the application of ict in the learning process is very needed. conclusion this study investigated the kind of ict used by the teachers, the utilization of ict in learning process, the problems and solutions in teaching by using ict, and the role of schools in assisting teachers to overcome the problems at three vocational high schools in sekayu. this study concluded that the kinds of ict used by the teachers divided into hardware such as: projector, laptop, speaker, headset, and smartphone, while program such as: internet, e-book, microsoft office, dictionary application and browsing application. the teachers had utilized ict in the learning process however the teacher did not fully utilized ict in each syntax of the learning model used. moreover, the descriptive analysis of the results showed that the main problem is the unavailability of students’ personal ict devices was important problem. the main solution proposed by teachers was asking student to used smartphone. the schools also had different ways in assisting teachers in overcoming the problems related to ict. the conclusion was the teachers have applied ict in the learning process however the teacher did not fully apply ict in each syntax of the learning model used. moreover, the unavailability of students’ personal ict devices was another important problem in giving assignments, motivating students to prepare material for the next meeting, and for accessing the internet. references anderson, j. & glenn, a. (2003). building capacity of teachers facilitators in technology-pedagogy integration for improved teaching and learning: final report. bangkok: unesco, asia and pacific regional bureau for education. retrieved from: www.unescobkk.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ict/e book/ictbuilding_capacity/buildingcapacity.pd f. beckinsale, m., & ram, m. (2006). delivering ict to ethnic minority businesses: an actionresearch approach. environment and planning c: government and policy, 24(6), 847 – 886. denzin, n. (2006). sociological methods: a sourcebook (5th ed.). aldine transaction. isbn 978-0-202-30840-1. djojonegoro, w. (1998). pengembangan sumber daya manusia melalui sekolah menengah kejuruan. jakarta, indonesia: pt. jayakarta agung offset. fajri, h, m., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2015). the implementation of peer editing technique to improve writing achievement. the journal of english literacy education: the teaching and learning of english as a foreign language, 2(2), 48-57. fitriyadi, h. (2012). integrasi teknologi informasi komunikasi dalam pendidikan. jurnal pendidikan teknologidankejuruan, 21(3), 269 284. inderawati, r. (2011). from classroom to peer comment in facebook: bridging learners’ literacy. paper presented in the 4th international conference ict for language learning. pixel, italy. inderawati, r. (2017). the dynamics of efl teaching in indonesia: be innovative teachers through social media. english language teaching and research, 1(1), 29-37. inderawati, r., agusta, o. &sitinjak, m. (2018). the potential effect of developed reader response strategy-based mobile reading for students’ establishing character and comprehension achievement. indonesian journal of informatics education, 2(2), 117-126. inderawati, r., petrus, i., & jaya, h. p. (2019). exploring and identifying technology-based dynamic learning through social media in academic writing. english community journal, 3(1), 317–324. inderawati, r., sofendi, purnomo, m. e., vianty, m., & suhendi, d. (2019). students’ engagement in utilizing technology for learning support. english franca: academic journal of english language and education, 3(2), 181-195. julio, a., & carmen, l. (2013). application of expert judgment as an evaluation technique for information and communication technologies (ict). eduweb revista de tecnología de http://www.unescobkk.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ict/e resty wiranda, ismail petrus & machadalena vianty the use of ict in learning process by vocational teachers of english 290 información y comunicaciónen educación, 7(1), 11-22. ministrial regulation of national education and culture of republic of indonesia. (2016). government regulation no. 22 tahun 2016. retrievedfrom: bsnp indonesia.org/.../permendikbud_tahun2016_no mor022_l... miraj, y. z., rohendri. d, yanuar, nurhabibah, & wendi, h. f. (2017). ict literacy of vocational high school students. materials science and engineering. doi: 10.1088/1757 899x/306/i/012138. national association of colleges and employeers. (2017). the key attributes employers seek on students’ resumes. retrieved from http://naceweb.org/about-us/press/2017/the-key attributes-employers-seekon-students’-resumes at 13 august 2018. prasanea, j. t. (2017). the use of information and communication technology in english classes at vocational high schools un ambon. paper presented at international seminar on language, education, and culture, malang, indonesia. retrieved from: http://sastra.um.ac.id/wp content/uploads/2017/11/110-115-joke-thabita pasanea-edited_layouted.pdf. unesco. (2016). preparing & supporting teachers to meet the global challenges of 21st-century learning in asiapacific. bangkok: education sector. wastiau, p., blamire, r., kearney, c., quittre, v., van de gaer, e., & monseur, c. (2013). the use of ict in education: a survey of schools in europe. european journal of education, 48(1), 11-27. weaver, k.d., & pier, p.m. (2010). embedded information literacy in the basic oral communication course: from conception through assessment. public service quarterly, 6(3), 259 270. young, s. c. (2003). integrating ict into second language education in a vocational high school. journal of computers assisted learning, 19, 447-461. young, j. (2002). the 24-hour professor. the chronicle of higher education, 48(38), 31-33. http://naceweb.org/about-us/press/2017/the-keyhttp://sastra.um.ac.id/wp resty wiranda ismail petrus (corresponding author) machadalena vianty introduction method results and discussion the utilization of ict the problem and solution in using ict how the schools assist teachers conclusion references english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1 teaching english through youtube: grammar video analysis of three brazilian youtube channels dedicated to efl teaching aline fay de azevedo school of humanities, pontifical catholic university of rio grande do sul, rio grande do sul, brazil e-mail: aline.azevedo@pucrs.br juliana matias school of humanities, pontifical catholic university of rio grande do sul, rio grande do sul, brazil e-mail: juliana.matias@acad.pucrs.br apa citation: fay, a. a., & matias, j. (2019). teaching english through youtube: grammar video analysis of three brazilian youtube channels dedicated to efl teaching. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 1-10. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2351. received: 03-10-2019 accepted: 15-11-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: the objective of this research is to analyze grammar lessons of three brazilian youtube channels of english as a foreign language. it compares the approaches applied by each teacher in their videos and investigates if the lessons approach the explanation of meaning, use, and form of the grammar. it also aims to find out if the lessons are hackneyed regarding the online learning environment. the analysis consisted of watching two videos of the youtube channels english in brazil, inglês compartilhado and mairo vergara. the results showed that out of the six videos, five contained a grammar explanation that addressed meaning, use, and form of the language. they also adopted the deductive approach to grammar teaching. only one video did not explain the grammar (quantifiers), but a trick to memorize the use of quantifiers. as for technology, the main tool teachers used was captions to illustrate example sentences of the grammar. other tools consisted of the use of the software „notepad‟ and animation. thus, there was not an innovation on the videos regarding technology. future research is needed to understand if there is the necessity to apply cutting-edge tools to teach on youtube and if it is mandatory to review and to adapt the pedagogical practices for language learning youtube videos. keywords: english grammar; videos; youtubers; technology; deductive approach. introduction the education 3.0 along with technology has provided more tools and opportunities for english language teachers (gerstein, 2014). the interactive whiteboard, for instance, allows the teacher to save notes and send them to students. there are also official and unofficial blogs dedicated to english language teaching with several resources for all levels. such tools become accessible due to the computer assistance language learning (levy, 1997). besides, call has also provided online platforms, such as teacher‟s personal courses and moodle to teach english online. lately, youtube has provided minicourses and a guideline for teachers who want to start an education channel or who want to improve their existent one. thus, it is not a surprise that there is an increasing number of youtube channels specialized in teaching english to non-native speakers. in brazil, the number of efl youtube channels are up to 38 (youtube education project, 2018). apparently, students have been using youtube as a complementary tool of learning english. the platform has also allowed free access to learning, which leads people who cannot afford a regular course to study by watching the videos. however, students may not be able to identify the quality of the lessons and many ask teachers to suggest efl youtube channels. hence, the origins of this paper lie on this issue. deductive approach vs. inductive approach there are two different ways of teaching a given grammar point in english: the deductive and inductive approaches. the former is traditional teaching whereas the latter considers the student as the center of learning. both approaches have contributed enormously to elt, but there is still discussion about their application in class since teachers have different point of views about their efficiency. the deductive approach, also addressed as rule-driven learning, consists of presenting a rule, along with showing examples in which the rule is applied and finally, a written exercise practice of that rule (thornbury, 1999). aline fay de azevedo & juliana matias teaching english through youtube: grammar video analysis of three brazilian youtube channels dedicated to efl teaching 2 this approach is also recognized as a traditional one since it is teacher-centered and focuses on rules rather than the use of the language. its use, however, appears to rely on the teacher‟s personal beliefs and teaching habits. some may feel more comfortable providing the examples themselves rather than engaging students to observe the rules independently. different from the deductive approach, the inductive approach consists of providing examples and inferring rules afterwards. according to thornbury (1999), the typical inductive approach is: 1) the teacher provides example sentences; 2) the teacher asks the students to identify the grammar, speculate it and come up with hypothesis; 3) the students exchange ideas and show their findings to the class; 4) the teacher explains the grammar briefly and may ask students to reproduce the language providing some keywords; and 5) the students do a controlled-practice exercise. not surprisingly, many also call this approach discovery learning since it engages students to find rules themselves before hearing any formal explanation from the teacher. the three dimensions larsen-freeman, et al. (2016) suggest that it is important to give attention to the three dimensions: form, meaning and use. according to them, if there is a change in one of the dimensions, then a change in another one happens as well. figure 1. the three-dimensions chart form concerns the sequence and constructions of grammar within a sentence. for instance, in a class focusing on the simple past with regular verbs, the teacher might provide the following information to students (not necessarily, using the same words and terminologies): we create regular verbs in the past by adding –ed to the base form. for verbs that end in –e (like), we add –d (liked). if the verb ends in a consonant + y, we change y to –i and add –ed (study – studied). we double the consonant and add –ed if it has one syllable and ends in consonant + vowel + consonant (stop – stopped). meanwhile, meaning refers to the denotation of a particular grammar construction. as an example of meaning, the teacher could approach time expressions. they inform when an event occurred in the past and might mean a different time. in the sentence “i played soccer yesterday,” the time expression yesterday means the previous day. the event in the past can also refer to something that endured for a certain period: “i played soccer for five years.” in this sentence, the subject specified the duration of the action by using the time expression for. since it may be too much information for students, especially beginners, the teacher should analyze which ones are more relevant for the class and teach them with context. in addition to form and meaning, use is an essential aspect of language that students need to understand. it is curious that even though books for efl teachers provide information about the use of a grammar aspect, grammar-teaching researches do not mention it (parrot, 2010; scrivener, 2010). on the other hand, larsenfreeman (1991) and larsen-freeman et al. (2016) discuss this issue. thus, use approaches the way such a construction works in a certain context. an example of language use in the simple past the teacher can adopt is emphatic statements (scrivener, 2010). when the speaker wants to emphasize something that occurred in the past, it is possible to use did + the base form of the verb: “i did keep your secret, i swear!” in this example, the person wants to make sure that the action happened, even though someone says the contrary. youtube and education the contribution of youtube to education did not go unnoticed. oliveira and viggiano (2018) claim that according to youtube, 65% of users access the platform when they want to learn something. furthermore, educational content is watched 500 million times a day every day and is watched four times longer than cute kitten videos. not surprisingly, on november 11th, 2013, google launched youtube edu (ytedu), a special part of the platform exclusive for learning. according to galastri (2013), youtube edu is a complement to the traditional class and its aim is to provide content that students and teachers can use inside and outside the classroom. it contains reliable channels of different school subjects as well as internet safety tips. in brazil, if a teacher wants to english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 3 be part of youtube edu, he/she must fill an application form and professionals of fundação lemann, unicamp and curso poliedro will analyze the channel. if it matches their criteria, the channel is included in the platform. regarding english teaching, there are numerous studies about the use of youtube to teach listening and writing (kelsen, 2009; mayora, 2009; silviyanti, 2014; watkins & wilkins, 2013). in addition, the website lyricstraining (lyricistraining.com) uses music videos from youtube on its game, which consists of filling the gaps of popular song lyrics. another website that features youtube is youglish (youglish.com) which dedicates to demonstrate the pronunciation of english words in american, australian and british accent. nowadays, educators are also using ted-talks from ted (ted.com) in their classes in order to work with different english skills. in fact, the website also provides a section called teded (https://ed.ted.com/lessons) in which educators can make lesson plans based on talks and share on the platform. it seems that most educators see it only as an auxiliary tool to include in the language classroom. thus, there is little is discussion in the literature about youtube as a potential tool to teach english. in fact, there is still a lack of studies regarding teaching english on this platform. this may be partially dangerous since anyone could upload a video explaining something about the english language in a wrong way or without providing enough input to make learners understand the content. thus, apart from youtube edu, there is no control about the quality of lessons on the platform. that being said, the present paper intends to provide a little demonstration of what teachers are creating on brazilian youtube regarding grammar teaching. based on the background previously described, the guiding questions of this paper are: 1. is there anything ingenious being produced by the brazilian efl teachers on youtube? 2. which grammar approach(s) do the teachers apply? 3. do teachers approach form, meaning and use in their lessons? how do they illustrate these three dimensions? method one of the aims of this paper is to analyze three grammar lessons of three (3) brazilian youtube channels: mairo vergara, inglês compartilhado by tainá alves and english in brazil by carina fragozo. although youtube is one of the most accessed types of media and teachers have been using it for educational purposes, it is important to mention that there is little literature dedicated to this phenomenon. alhamami (2013, p. 4) supports this statement and claims, “language teachers might not find clear guidelines that help them use this technology in their careers.” the analysis will consist of watching the videos carefully and take notes of the lessons‟ steps according to the evaluation guideline designed by alhamami (2013). the author made the guideline focusing on youtube language learning videos (youtube llvs), therefore it does not focus on grammar teaching exclusively. since the objective of this research is to analyze how teacher explain grammar, it adapts the guideline by adding specific questions regarding grammar teaching. that being said, the evaluation guideline will consist of questions that analyze the youtube videos in general and the grammar content. results and discussion videos about quantifiers much/many/a lot of: aprenda a regra! (countable/uncountable nouns) english in brazil by carina fragozo carina starts the lesson by saying that “much” and “many” have the meaning of “a large amount of something” in many contexts. the fact that she explains it orally gives evidence that the grammar approach is deductive (thornbury, 1999). figure 2. english in brazil's video about quantifiers the teacher approaches the form of the quantifiers by saying that “many” goes with countable nouns and “much” goes with uncountable nouns. for “many”, she uses the example of apples. a short animation of three apples shaking appear on the video and then, she counts in brazilian portuguese and english “one apple, two apples, three apples” and say that they aline fay de azevedo & juliana matias teaching english through youtube: grammar video analysis of three brazilian youtube channels dedicated to efl teaching 4 are countable and that it is possible to transform the noun “apple” in the plural form. by mentioning that countable nouns have the plural from, she provides important information of the grammar aspect. figure 3. animation to illustrate that the noun "apple" is countable following the explanation of countable nouns, carina explains that “much” is for uncountable nouns. in other words, nouns that you cannot quantify. she considers “water” as a classical example because similar to brazilian portuguese, it is not possible to say, “there are many waters here”. she then provides the example “how much water do you drink every day?” that appears in the video in the same colors as the previous examples. the meaning she provides is an explanation in her native language of the sentence. as for the form of questions with uncountable nouns, there is not any explanation. a reason for not approaching the question forms in the video might relate to larsen-freeman‟s (1991) claim that it is not necessary to explain everything in one lesson. the steps of explanation are the same for the sentence “i don‟t drink much juice” and the teacher says that, according to grammar books, liquids, in general, are uncountable. example sentence only for the first one ( i drank too much coke yesterday). the next example sentences are “can i have two cokes?”, “two cokes, please” and “two cans of coke.” again, she provides extra information about the grammar, following the claims of larsenfreeman et al. (2016) and larsen-freeman (1991). after the explanation of “much” and “many”, carina reviews the grammar points by revisiting the examples that appeared before: a) how much water did you drink? b) how many bottles of water did you drink? c) how much money do you have? d) how many dollars do you have here? finally, she introduces another use of quantifier: a lot of. the first example sentence is “i made a lot of mistakes in my test” in which she says that it was possible to exchange for “i made many mistakes in my test.” in addition, she says it is more common and more informal to say “a lot of”. carina also presents the form “lots of” and the example sentence “there are lots of people here” and says that this form is also informal and it is more common to appear in affirmative sentences rather than “much” and “many”, which corresponds to the use of the three dimensions (larsen-freeman et al., 2016). furthermore, the teacher says that “much” and “many” are more common to appear in questions and negative sentences. she finishes the grammar explanation with the example “how much is it” and says that it is used to ask for the price of something. based on this video, it seems that carina opted for a deductive approach. she first explains the grammar and then gives the example afterwards. she talks about the form generically by giving its definition in oral form. the examples sentences were not authentic and there was not any contextualization before approaching the grammar topic. the meaning she provided was a translation of every example sentence she used. for the use of the grammar, she mentioned “a lot of” and “lots of” but she did not give a satisfying explanation of the difference between the two; she only mentioned that the second one is even more informal. for the technology, the use of animations to illustrate the counting of nouns might be good for students who are able to understand a concept better with a visual aid. furthermore, the scene of a tv show showing a person alone right after a sentence that says, “i don‟t have friends” was a good idea to elicit the example, besides being a good source of authentic material (bernardo, 2006). the use of captions with a different color on the grammar topic is also interesting to make student visualize the concept and focus on it. there was no interaction with students, but it is worth to mention that on the day the video was uploaded, she posted a quiz about the quantifiers on her instagram stories. however, it only stays for 24h so it was not possible to check the exercises. much and many não erre mais!| #videotododia by inglês compatilhado the teacher did not specifically clarify the reason for her video. she said that she struggled with memorizing the use of “much” and “many” and english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 5 that the she needed a “trick” in order to apply the correct quantifier. after that, she said that “much” contains the letter “u” of uncountable, and that every time she would use a quantifier she would remember that letter. for “many” she said that it was used with the “rest”, with the countable, although she did not elaborate on its meaning. as the video was short, there was no review or conclusion on the topic. thus, it is dubious if there was any approach since she did not explain the difference between countable and uncountable nouns. thornbury (1999) says that grammar lessons consist of working the grammar a rule, providing examples in which the rule is applied, doing written exercises and, if possible, putting the content in speaking practice. since there was not interaction with students, it was not possible to consider the grammar video as inductive as well. in fact, this video cannot stand-alone and depends on another one that provides such information. there is another video on the teacher‟s channel, she gives examples of countable and uncountable nouns, but she does not mention the quantifiers. if a student watched both videos, she or he might have difficulties linking the two ideas together, especially because there is not exposure to examples and illustrations of the two ideas together. the only example provided is on the comment of the channel of this video and consists of two decontextualized sentences: one to illustrate “much” and another to illustrate “many.” figure 4. inglês compartilhado's video about quantifiers regarding technology, the teacher only used the letter “u” in orange color in the word “much”, while the rest of the word was in purple. to sum things up, the title of the video might be misleading since there was no approach of meaning, use or form of the grammar topic, which might be the reason students decided to watch it. furthermore, the approach does not correspond to the deductive or inductive one since both require a deeper contact with the grammar point (larsen-freeman et al., 2016; thornbury, 1999). finally, the technology was minimum but quite relevant for explanation the teacher provided on the video. much x many: qual a diferença e como usar? by mairo vergara mairo starts the explanation with the quantifier “much”: “think about much as a large amount… like much water… which literally means “muita água”. he then gives a similar explanation with “much money” and says that anything that you cannot count goes with much. he orally provides examples of form as “too much” and “how much” and quickly gives their translation in brazilian portuguese. he continues the explanation and provides the context of the importance of drinking water, which comes with the example on the video: “how much water should i drink per day?” next, he admits that the example sentence “there‟s too much water in the bucket” does not make much sense, but he uses it to illustrate even so. this whole part of the video corroborates with the deductive approach since most of the contextualization of the grammar is done orally (thornbury, 1999). although he claims that thinking about the grammar rules of countable and uncountable nouns confuses people‟s mind, he clarifies the grammar form of much by saying that you use it with words that you cannot count. thus, so far, he addresses one of the dimensions: the form (larsen-freeman et al., 2016). figure 5. mairo vergara's example sentence of much after that, he starts the explanation of “many”. in order to contextualize the first example, he mentions a person that is popular on facebook and shows the sentence “i have many friends on facebook.” for the meaning of the sentence, he translates it. he also uses the camera aline fay de azevedo & juliana matias teaching english through youtube: grammar video analysis of three brazilian youtube channels dedicated to efl teaching 6 that is recording the video, his computers and his table to illustrate the phrases “many cameras”, “many computers” and “many tables” and says that you use many with things that you can count. moreover, he approaches the question form with the example “how many friends do you have on facebook?” and addresses that like “too much”, it is possible to use “too many”, even though he does not explain its use and meaning. figure 6. mairo vergara's example sentence with many he reviews the content again by saying that “much” is for things that you cannot count and “many” is for things that you can count. there is no mention of the form of nouns (singular and plural) which is an important part of the grammar if you follow the three dimensions by larsenfreeman et al. (2016). there are also exercises, but there is a link to his website with extra explanation and download of a pdf and audio file. although he did not explain the form of the quantifiers deeply, it is undeniable that the teacher used the deductive approach to explain the quantifiers, since he first mentions the rule and provides an example sentence (thornbury, 1999). in the end of the video, mairo says that if the students expose to the language naturally, they will learn the difference between “much” and “many” better. he then claims that his video is to enhance their learning by giving a notion of the two quantifiers. videos about phrasal verbs phrasal verbs que você precisa saber em inglês! by english in brazil carina defines phrasal verb as a combination of a verb and a preposition; a verb and an adverb; and a verb, an adverb and a preposition. this was the only approach to the form of phrasal verbs during the video. she then explains that she decided to talk about 10 phrasal verbs that she finds useful and common. in general, the meaning the teacher gives consists of a brazilian portuguese word equivalent to the phrasal verb and a translation of the example sentences. the only phrasal verb for which she gives the meaning only in english was “carry on”. a reason for that may be that “to continue” is similar to brazilian portuguese, so it is not necessary to translate it. as larsenfreeman (1991) considers meaning as the denotation of a grammatical aspect, we can consider the meaning carina provides as enough for students‟ understanding. she also addresses synonyms for the phrasal verbs in english, but she does not explain the difference between them. for the phrasal verbs, “come up with”, “find out”, “get away”, “go on” and “make up”, she provides more than one meaning. since the number of phrasal verbs is quite lengthy, table 1 shows all the phrasal verbs. table 1. english in brazil example sentences of phrasal verbs phrasal verb meaning example sentence(s) call off to cancel the strike has been called off. she called off the wedding. carry on to continue carry on! you‟re doing fine! i gotta carry on my work. come up with to propose, to contribute, to emerge, and to give an idea. he finally came up with a great idea. don‟t worry! i‟ll come up with a solution. find out to find, to discover that‟s what i‟m trying to find out. we may never find out the truth. the police is going to find out who killed her. i don‟t want anybody else to find out about it. get away (with) to escape, to run i can‟t wait to get away from this town. the thieves managed to get away. how to get away with murder. go on to continue, to happen we can‟t go on like this anymore. go on, go on, … just walk away. what‟s going on? i wonder what‟s going on next door. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 7 look for to search (for) i‟m looking for my keys. i‟m searching for something on google. make up to invent, to make piece with someone he made up a very interesting story. why don‟t you make up? she made up with tom. run out of to be out of they‟re running out of money. we‟ve run out of sugar. watch out to pay attention watch out! you‟re gonna hit the car! you‟d better watch out. out of the ten phrasal verbs of the video, carina only provides the use of “look for”. she says that it is possible to use “search for” as well. however, she does not clearly explain the appropriate situation in which the speaker should use it, which does not match larsen-freeman‟s (1991) view about the approach of use. in fact, she said, “i‟m searching for something on google” and moved on to the next phrasal verb. with reference to the description of the teacher‟s explanation, it is conclusive that her approach was deductive, since it corroborates with thornbury (1999); she firstly introduced the topic of the video and then she explained the content, and finally provided examples. the examples were not in context excepted for the phrasal verb “watch out”, where pictures of sign appear to illustrate that the verb means caution. in fact, it was the only extra technology appeared on the video. figure 7. pictures of signs to illustrate the phrasal verb "watch out" phrasal verbs i always use by inglês compartilhado the video is completely in english and tainá provides the form of phrasal verbs: two or three words that together have one meaning. furthermore, she specifies that they consist of a verb and an adverb or a verb and a preposition. we can say that this is a good attempt to „form‟ according to larsen-freeman‟s et al. three dimensions (2016). tainá also mentions that the phrasal verbs can be separated. although she acknowledges there are grammar rules regarding it (separable and inseparable phrasal verbs), she does not explain them. she believes students do not need to think about them since they probably learn phrasal verbs by watching movies or reading articles. contrary to that, she says that if the words “something”, “someone” or “somebody” appear, it means that the phrasal verbs are separable. such explanation might not be enough for students, though. as thornbury (1999) claims, apart from being a set of rules and a question of correctness, grammar is also a tool for conveying meaning and this meaning is important when the context information is not explicit. she addressed the meaning by providing its meaning with an alternative word. thus, she taught a formal word that is the equivalent to the phrasal verb. an example was the phrasal verbs “get back” and “go back” that mean “to return”; but “go back” specifically means "to return to a place.” as for the use, she said it was the students‟ choice to use one or another. hence, she misses the opportunity to clarify the difference in formality between the phrasal verbs and words that derive from latin. figure 8. inglês compartilhado's example of phrasal verbs' meaning regarding technology, the video has subtitles in english and captions to illustrate the grammar. however, the subtitles were delayed and sometimes they did not correspond with what the teacher was saying. in particular, the teacher says, “to get back means to return” but the subtitles showed “right gasps back many years to regard so”. for a video that did not specify the target level of english, it probably misled many viewers, which might make understanding it more difficult. aline fay de azevedo & juliana matias teaching english through youtube: grammar video analysis of three brazilian youtube channels dedicated to efl teaching 8 the teacher mentioned the phrasal verb, provided its meaning and example sentences. the examples were not in context except when she uses “find out” since she always loses things. she repeats the examples sentences and the phrasal verbs individually, but they are not authentic. regarding content review, the teacher did not provide any. the lesson was deductive, although there were not exercises. table 1 presents the examples sentences appeared on the video. table 2. inglês compartilhado's example sentences of phrasal verbs phrasal verb meaning example sentence put up with to tolerate why do you still put up with/tolerate this situation? call sth off to cancel i‟m sorry but i have to call off/cancel the party. i‟m sorry but i have to call the party off. fall down fall to the ground. hey! caution! it‟s gonna fall down/ fall to the ground again. find sth out to discover i found it out yesterday morning. i need to found out/discover where my keys are. i found it out/ discovered yesterday morning. get back to return do i need to get back/return? go back to return to another place do i need to go back/return to the party? mini-aula de inglês | phrasal verbs #001 | fall down by mairo vergara mairo recalls that a verb represents an action (walk, talk, write, run) and in english, it is possible to have until three words together to represent an action, but two words is more common. grammatically, that combination of words forms the phrasal verbs (he selects “phrasal verbs” on the notepad he projects from his computer on the video). that was his approach to the form of the grammar which did not mention what type of words form a phrasal verb. regarding larsen-freemans et al. (2016) view on grammar, this explanation might not be enough for students, since they can imply that any word put together with another word can be considered a phrasal verb. figure 9. mairo vergara's video about phrasal verbs then, he says that he is going to start with the phrasal verb “fall down” because it has two different meanings. the first meaning is “to fall to the ground”, whereas the second one is similar to the brazilian portuguese expression “cair por terra”. he exemplifies it by saying that when a theory is no longer able to sustain its thesis, it is possible to say that it fell down. for the use of the phrasal verb, he said that it was possible to use “fall” of “fall down” since both mean the same and did not provide a difference between the two. overall, he shows two example sentences with their respective translation in his native language to illustrate “fall to the ground” and one example to illustrate something that is not true anymore. although his example sentences did not contain a context and were not authentic, the teacher provided translation sentences for them. he used the software notepad on his computer to select the sentences in real time which permitted the students to focus on what he was saying. table 3 shows the example sentences of phrasal verbs appeared on the video. table 3. mairo vergara's example sentences of phrasal verbs phrasal verb meaning example sentence fell down to fall to the ground i feel down and hurt my knee. eu caí e machuquei o meu joelho. fall down to fall to the ground walk carefully on this ice or you will fall down. ande cuidadosamente nesse gelo ou você vai cair. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 9 falls down does not sustain its claim their argument falls down on several important points. o argumento deles “cai por terra” em muitos pontos importantes. conclusion regarding the grammar approach, the deductive one was unanimous among the videos that contained grammar explanations (inglês compartilhado‟s video about quantifiers did not have grammar, only a trick to memorize the use of “much” and “many”). broadly speaking, the videos about quantifiers and phrasal verbs followed a similar pattern of addressing the grammar topic, mentioning some grammatical form, meaning and use of the grammar and providing example sentences. as for the form, teachers tended to explain the concept of quantifiers and phrasal verbs orally which probably required more cognitive effort from the students. this corroborates with the fact that there were no specific tags for the level of the audience and carina fragozo was the only one to mention in the video about quantifiers was for basic levels. although the form of the grammar topics consisted of affirmative examples, there was a short mention of the question form of quantifiers but the teachers did not provide further explanation on how to construct questions. the meaning of the grammar on carina fragozo and mairo vergara‟s videos did have a translation of the example sentences they provided. both mentioned that “a lot of” meant “much” and “many”, respectively. as for the phrasal verbs, carina particularly provided many meanings in her native language for “come up with”. she also provided two different meanings for “make up”. mairo vergara did also provide more than one meaning for “fall down”. taina‟s video resulted in providing formal words that share the meaning of the phrasal verbs since it was entirely in english. as for the use of the grammar, carina fragozo and mairo vergara focused on different use for the quantifiers. while carina said that “a lot of” and “lots of” were an informal way to substitute “much” and “many”, mairo vergara opted for mentioning that it was also possible to use “too much” with further explanation. he also claimed that it is possible to use the quantifiers to make questions. the approach of use with the phrasal verbs had difference among the teachers. since taina‟s video was in english, she said that it was the student‟s choice if they wanted to use the phrasal verb or the words that derived from latin. mairo vergara said that students could use the verb “fall” or the phrasal verb “fall down” since both mean the same. he also addressed that it was possible to use “fall down” when someone needed to say that a theory did no longer sustain its claim. carina only mentioned the use of “look for”, in which she claims that it was possible to use “search for” as well, meaning “looking for answers”. captions were the prevalent technology that teachers used in order to illustrate the three dimensions and carina was the only one who used a different color to highlight the grammar. besides the use of captions, other technological tools were part of the teachers‟ videos. taina used subtitles in english on her phrasal verbs video, but it presented some delay and its description frequently did not match with her speech which would possibly confuse viewers. carina used pictures of caution signs to illustrate the phrasal verb “watch out”, whereas mairo vergara projected the software notepad from his computer to highlight the example sentences he prepared to address the phrasal verb “fall down”. all things considered, although these technologies are not cutting-edge, they are practical, since they are not time-consuming and usually appeared on time of the teacher‟s explanation. all in all, in terms of the pedagogical approach, this paper found that the grammar videos, in general, followed a traditional teaching that is similar to what happens in physical classrooms. the main difference regards technology tools. the captions and notepad that appeared on the videos substitute the markers on the whiteboard or the slide presentation. furthermore, they are not as time-consuming because they appear at the moment of the teachers‟ speech. for further investigation and future studies, it is important to evaluate the student‟s comprehension of the llvs through exercises. what is more, it is important to interview the teachers in order to understand their choices about their approaches and beliefs in teaching. this information is vital to investigate if there should be some type of modification regarding teaching practice for online videos and if it is aline fay de azevedo & juliana matias teaching english through youtube: grammar video analysis of three brazilian youtube channels dedicated to efl teaching 10 necessary to innovate in terms of pedagogical approach and technology. references alhamami, m. (2013). observation of youtube language learning videos (youtube llvs). teaching english with technology, 13(3), 3-17, 2013. bernardo, s. a. (2006). the use of authentic materials in the teaching of reading. reading matrix: an international online journal, 6(2). english in brazil by carina fragozo. 10 phrasal verbs que você precisa saber em inglês | english in brazil. retrieved on oct. 6th, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r7jba1l1 u4/. english in brazil by carina fragozo. much/many/a lot of: aprenda a regra! (countable/uncountable nouns). retrieved on oct. 6th, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff4pmscf 5sm/. english in brazil by carina fragozo. youtube channel. retrieved on oct. 3rd, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/user/carinafragozo/. gerstein, j. (2014). moving from education 1.0 through education 2.0 towards education 3.0. in l. m. blaschke, c. kenyon, & s. hase (orgs.), experiences in self-determined learning. united states: create space independent publishing platform. retrieved on nov. 3rd, 2018 from https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/edtech_facp ubs/104/. inglês compartilhado. 5 phrasal verbs i always use | #englishvideo. retrieved on oct. 20th, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzc2iwm ayeu/. inglês compartilhado. much and many não erre mais! #videotododia. retrieved on oct. 15th, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayk4beg9 1y4/. inglês compartilhado. youtube channel. retrieved on oct. 3rd, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/channel/ucylpc7b 0qjv4hivqsfs-h5q/featured/. kelsen, b. (2009). teaching efl to the igeneration: a survey of using youtube as supplementary material with college efl students in taiwan. call-ej online, 10(2), 1-18. larsen-freeman, d. (1991). teaching grammar. teaching english as a second or foreign language, 2, 251-266. larsen-freeman, d., et al. (2016). the grammar book: form, meaning, and use for english language teachers (3rd ed.). massachusetts: national geographic learning, heinle cengage learning. levy, m. (1997). computer-assisted language learning: context and conceptualization. oxford: clarendon press. lyrics training. retrieved on sept. 28th, 2018 from https://lyricstraining.com/. mairo vergara. mini-aula de inglês | phrasal verbs #001 | fall down. retrieved on october 6th, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8seinbls 2g/. mairo vergara. much x many | qual a diferença e como usar? retrieved on oct. 6th, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8cybon p3sc/. mairo vergara. youtube channel. retrieved on oct. 3rd, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/user/mairovergara/. mayora, c a. (2009). using youtube to encourage authentic writing in efl classrooms. tesl reporter, 42(1), 1-12. oliveira, a. j., & viggiano, g. (2018). youtubers democratizam o acesso à educação: conheça principais canais. retrieved on sept. 26th, 2018 from https://revistagalileu.globo.com/revista/noticia /2018/03/youtubers-democratizam-o-acessoeducacao-conheca-principais-canais.html/. scrivener, j. (2010). teaching english grammar: what to teach and how to teach it. oxford: macmillan. silviyanti, t. m. (2014). looking into efl students‟ perceptions in listening by using english movie videos on youtube. studies in english language and education, 1(1), 42-58. ted: ideas worth spreading. ted talks. retrieved on september 28th, 2018 from https://www.ted.com/. teded: lessons worth sharing. lessons. retrieved on sept. 28th, 2018 from https://ed.ted.com/lessons. thornbury, s. (1999). how to teach grammar. harlow: longman. watkins, j., & wilkins, m. (2013). using youtube in the efl classroom. language education in asia, 2(1), 113-119. retrieved on sept. 28th, 2018 from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9367/8536235 9166c33467e3e48d0242188cfe31d.pdf/. youglish. (2018). retrieved on sept. 28th, 2018 from https://youglish.com/. https://ed.ted.com/lessons https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9367/85362359166c33467e3e48d0242188cfe31d.pdf https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9367/85362359166c33467e3e48d0242188cfe31d.pdf english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 637 enhancing efl in-service teachers’ teaching skill through the role of video-based reflections zainuddin universitas terbuka, banten e-mail: ainuddinpau@gmail.com sunu dwi antoro universitas terbuka, banten e-mail: sunudwi@ut.ac.id herri mulyono universitas prof. dr. hamka, jakarta e-mail: hmulyono@uhamka.ac.id nani solihati universitas prof. dr. hamka, jakarta e-mail: nani_solihati@uhamka.ac.id rosalina universitas prof. dr. hamka, jakarta e-mail: ocalinaoca@gmail.com ferawati universitas prof. dr. hamka, jakarta e-mail: ferawati1996@gmail.com apa citation: zainuddin., antoro, s. d., mulyono, h., solihati, n., rosalina., & ferawati. (2022). enhancing efl in-service teachers’ teaching skill through the role of video-based reflections. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 637-644. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6286. received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction the practice of reflection in education has been comprehensively investigated, especially video reflection in the last decade (sablić, mirosavljević, & škugor, 2021). referring to reflection itself, it can be considered an element of self-evaluation to determine someone’s competence, which is interrelated with thinking and behaving. in this regard, dewey in lebak (2017) suggested reflection to be fundamental in the learning process, and views it to be “active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusions to which it tends”. building on dewey’s belief, hamel and viauguay (2019) associates this idea with educators in a way that reflection supports to encourage teachers’ performance in the classroom. in more detail, selfabstract: the essential purpose of the research was to examine efl in-service teachers’ perceptions after watching their teaching video recording. this research attempted to explore more insight of the video-based reflections roles focusing on teacher development. the research applied a qualitative design with eight efl inservice teachers as participants. the data were conducted through semi-structured interviews, journal reflective, and video recording. all these data were then analyzed using thematic analysis. the result demonstrates that video-based reflection is an accomplished way to gain self-evaluation. these in-service teachers have gained new views, and have chances to analyze both deficiencies and potencies using video-based reflections in their teaching experiences. conclusively, video-based reflections can promote teachers’ professional development. keywords: english as a foreign language; teachers’ teaching skill; video-based reflections; in-service teachers; reflection. mailto:sintalumbangaol12@gmail.com mailto:noviadamayanti800@gmail.com mailto:nani_solihati@uhamka.ac.idm mailto:ocalinaoca@gmail.com mailto:ferawati1996@gmail.com zainuddin, sunu dwi antoro, herri mulyono, nani solihati, rosalina, & ferawati enhancing efl in-service teachers’ teaching skill through the role of video-based reflections 638 reflection is crucially needed for teachers to evaluate previous activities in the classroom to improve their future performance (bergman, 2016). thus, reflection is now perceived as a key factor in developing teaching quality. in the same vein, mann, davidson, davis, gakonga, gamero, harrison, & mosavian (2018) highlighted that such videos have often been used as an instrument to improve professional teachers in various fields, for instance in mathematics and science. as indicated by wass and rogers (2022), videos allow actions in teaching schemes to be monitored and focus on the mentors and tutors’ individualized, contextual, and relevant professional development. similarly, gelfuso, (2016) offers a framework of reflection which assists pre-service teachers to create ‘warranted assertibility’ about literacy teaching and learning. the evidence presented through videos has an excessive impact on teaching programs. unfortunately, there has been little discussion with regard to this method in the indonesian teaching community. hence, the objective of this study is to explore the use of video-based reflection for efl teachers in indonesia and teachers’ perception of video-based reflection. our inquiry into this current study was prompted by the following questions: (1) what is the efl inservice teachers’ perception of watching a video of themselves in their teaching program? (2) does video recording help efl in-service teachers improve their teaching skills during the teaching program? the primary objectives of this current study are to explore the perception of english as a foreign language (efl) for in-service teachers after watching a video recording of their teaching process. it is intended to accomplish two aims: first, it is designed to develop the literature on efl teacher education in indonesia by scrutinizing critical issues in an undertaking of teaching sessions. second, it is aimed at harnessing more teaching skills, improving methods and performances in the subsequent teaching sessions, in addition to gaining fruitful insights to teachers in other educational and cultural contexts. method a qualitative approach was employed in this current research in order to gain an insight into the perceptions of in-service teachers after watching their teaching recording. subsequently, the narrative inquiry was implemented in this study because the researcher was interested in porting intensely personal of the teachers’ experience. thus, bell, (2010), p.21 indicated that a narrative inquiry is a strategy which includes reflective autobiography, personal story, or the incorporation of extracts from the respondent's stories to illustrate a theme that developed by the researcher. therefore, this current study conducted from may to june 2019. the journal reflective and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. as a result, this study took a month and thirteen days to collect all the data. eight efl in-service teachers who taught english as a foreign language in secondary school have participated in this research. participants engaged from five different schools in jakarta. the participants selected by purposive sampling. with this regard, robinson (2014) declared that purpose sampling techniques are non-random methods to ensure that specific categories of instances within a sampling universe were identified in the final sample of a study. the criteria for selecting the participants because of two main reasons: (1) english teachers of secondary school who teach in jakarta and, (2) the teachers volunteered to engage in this research. all of the participants were aged between 22-50 years old, and their teaching experience ranged from two up to thirty-three years whose backgrounds were: table 1. background of the participants me mbe rs name* sex level of teaching teaching experience s 1 mr. arya male senior high school 3 years 2 mr. gio male junior high school 8 years 3 ms. leen female senior high school 3 years 4 ms. deli female junior high school 2 years 5 mrs. nada female junior high school 2 years 6 mrs. arana female junior high school 33 years english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 639 7 mrs. aleena female junior high school 30 years 8 mrs. dania female junior high school 27 years results and discussion results this study was examined to explore the perceptions of efl in-service teachers after watching their teachings videos. the data was presented based on the reflective journal and interview. the main goals of this study were supporting the teachers in identifying their teaching for improving the teaching skill. with this regarding, the teachers highlighted that the video-based reflection was beneficial in teachers’ development. the teachers revealed a change process in these following steps: (a) recognizing the need to change, (b) brainstorming ideas for change, (c) implementing the ideas, and (d) evaluating changes (tripp & rich, 2012). recognize the need to change gain a new perspective the teachers gain new insight into their teaching. the most exciting finding was that seven from eight respondents claimed that this is their first time to watch their teaching during the entire teaching experiences. for instance, several teachers confirmed in these following statements: “this is the first time that i used video for selfreflection. i felt there are some weaknesses that i can recognize”. (mrs. dania interview in-line 4647) “i was shocked because this is my first time having reflection through video” (mrs. aleena interview in-line 27-28) “i haven’t seen my performance during 32 years of teachings” (mrs. arana interview in-line 21-22) perceiving themselves for the first time during the teachings’ experiences was gain a new perspective and realized something new. hence, observing themselves through a video provided them a chance to evaluate and realize the way of the teaching process. the teachers mentioned that it is like placing a mirror on their face. reflecting through video supported the teachers to comment on their teaching in real situations. mrs. dania felt she gained something different and funny to watch her video. when the researcher investigated how was her feeling to watch of her video, and she declared, “it is funny because during this time we watched others’ teachers and gave commented about their mistakes. then, after watching ourselves, we realized that there were several weaknesses. then, for me, having self-evaluation through video was great tools because i can see every single performance of myself.” (mrs. dania interview in-line 119121) watching the own teaching video realized the teacher that teacher during this time, the teacher focused on others’ teacher performance than reflecting their own performance. in addition, she mentioned that the video-based reflection such a significant component as selfevaluation. focus analysis teachers explained that they had reflected themselves by reviewing what was going on in the classroom. then, the other teachers obtained feedback from the supervisor’s comment. it was beneficial because teachers can understand what needs to be enhanced. similarly, with other teachers who represent the feedback from the student in every year. the reflection showed several benefits in the process of teaching. in addition, the teachers contrasted the reflection of what they organized earlier with video-based reflection. as a result, the teachers defined the video more beneficial because the video showed whole the part what they have done from opening to closing. every single portion can be seen while supervisors and students’ feedback, they only listen without knowing in which portion that needs to be improved. while analyzing the video, the teachers have a specific part of being identified. for instance, mrs. aleena indicated, “in my first video because i identified that i was talking too much” (mrs. aleena interview in-line 166-167) the teacher above specified the way she was delivering the materials that she realized how she talked more than the students. hence, mrs. arana focused on their pronunciation, grammar structure. she explained, “from the video, i knew when i am teaching, i have weak points in using the articles, an in several sentences. it is better to prepare the media zainuddin, sunu dwi antoro, herri mulyono, nani solihati, rosalina, & ferawati enhancing efl in-service teachers’ teaching skill through the role of video-based reflections 640 which is suitable for the materials.” (mrs. arana interview in-line 180-182) the explanation from the teacher overhead can be concluded in two aspects. first, the teacher recognized what have done in the previous activities. then, she also prepared the plan for better performance in the future. see with own eyes after watching their video, the teachers were feeling thankful because they can see the reality of themselves during this time. the focus of thankful here because the teachers mentioned that watching the teachers’ performance presented the teachers a new chance to see their performance with their own eyes. through video, teachers were seeing their performance along the time how they are delivering the materials and their communication with the students. everything is easy to be recognized. for instance, the teacher realized that she was too serious in order to deliver the materials. she mentioned, “my viewpoint video is … oh, this is the way that i am teaching, and i realized that i am too serious in teaching.” (mrs. arana interview in-line 90-91) mrs. arana realized how serious she is while explaining the material. watching themselves with their own eyes gave them a more obvious situation then listened to the suggestion from the students and supervisors. brainstorm ideas for change after recognizing each part in the video, the teachers enquire to write what would they improved and changed for the next. the main focus of the teachers was realized how teaching method is essentials. previously, the teachers mentioned that they found several weak points on their selves. several teachers highlighted by the comment, “video helped me to see my teaching performance to evaluate how i teach in the class. it was beneficial to prepare things for the next teaching. i need to up my voice, be active in approaching the students, and motivating the students more.” (mrs. deli interview in-line 7376) “maybe i would develop an enhancement in instructional media during my teaching. in each session, i would yield an entertaining media based on the lesson plan.” (mrs. deli interview in-line 143-146) watching the video of teaching assisted the teachers to brainstorm several ideas for developing the teaching performance in the upcoming sessions. gain a new change the following stage, the teachers had a plan to change their teaching method became students center in order to gain fun learning and to make active interaction with students. for example, mr. gio reflected in this statement, “from the video, i realized how important the teaching method is. because my teaching method is still on the teachers’ center, then, i would implement the student’s center approach for the next performance.” (mr. gio interview inline 7376) the teachers focused on the teaching method while analyzing their video. numerous of the teachers mentioned that they applied the teachers’ center than students’ center. as regard, the video presented how their method didn’t show excessive interaction with the students. moreover, the teachers assumed to change the method for the upcoming sessions. implementing ideas implementing the ideas are the next steps after brainstorming the ideas for change. teachers commented that they generate the change after identifying their self on video. with this concern, the teachers mentioned that they prepared a change for the students in upcoming sessions. in addition, the teachers specified the ideas what must be employed in the classroom. for example, mrs. nada explained, “i am a spontaneous teacher. i am preparing the plan, but i am teaching the classroom differently.” (mrs. nada interview in-line 125) the teacher taught based on the contextual. she performed based on her mood. therefore, planning and action were different. hence, reflecting through video. then, she supported the ideas with her planning for the future sessions as corresponding to her ideas, “then, after watching my teaching video, i decided to develop the lesson plan with the material which is concentrating on the students ' creativities. the lesson plan will assist us as english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 641 teachers to deliver the materials properly. then if i have extra time in the class, i will generate a vocabulary with a flashcard.” (mrs. nada interview in-line 158-161). some participants expressed how they desired to implement new things to develop their teaching for the next. as a result, the teachers always struggled to give their best effort to make better teaching and learning. overall, video-based reflection revealed as substantial elements supported the teachers to increase their teaching quality. vivid images in order to reflect ourselves, the teachers declared that from the video, the teachers perceived obviously about the real situations. in this case, mrs. deli stated, “from the video, i noticed our manner, how we performed, and how we noticed the students. in fact, i realized that without video, i could not see my performance clearly.” (mrs. deli interview in line 53-57). the vivid images helped the teachers to evaluate the situation in detail. how the teachers act, how the teachers speak, exclusively of activities can be recognized easily. repetition the value of reflecting through video is the video can be watched multiple times, which is the function to reach more and more something that needs to be identified. in proven in these following sentences that the teacher explained, “we could play the videos many times to observe and convince ourselves that i lacked here. then it could be an archive for us to see the progress of our teaching in the long term.” (mr.gio interview in line 291-294) evaluating changes video realized mrs. aleena how she was active in class without giving a chance to the students to explore their ideas. as regards, she attempted her best to develop classroom interactions to obtain active learning. mrs. aleena highlighted, “i noticed that i was too much delivering with speech method, but effectively in the next teaching, i was struggling to talk less to allow the students to explore their thoughts. with this reflection like this, it influences the teachers”. (mrs. aleena interview in-line 166-170) mrs. aleena presented how video helped herself to change her teaching strategies. she took an effort to implement the new activities that she evaluated in the reflective journal after watching her first video. proof video can be an element as proof when the teacher performance was improved. the teachers recognized the enhancement of the part that they have been predictable earlier. one of the teachers indicated how her performance improved in order to approach the students, and she stated, “from the video, i noticed several parts in myself. the part that i focused on was my action. i realized that i lack noticing the students in my first video. but in the second video, i am trying to approach my students one by one by questioning, “do you understand?” (mrs. deli interview in-line 65-68) the video showed the proof of how the teacher became more aware in order to check the students’ understanding. as regards, the teacher above proved the implement of her change in the teaching process. formative evaluation the formative evaluation is an activity which has a goal to involve the feedback to improve the next performance. the teachers such has a new motivation after analyzing their performance to develop their teaching method. the number of teachers defined that video has a beneficial tool as the self-evaluation by stating, “by watching my video, i sensed a lack of confidence because the students in the classroom were passive and also only several students coming to the school. moreover, in the second video, i noticed that i have a significant intonation when explaining the materials.” mrs. nada “here what i think, oh, the fact i realized that i am full of weaknesses and i supposed to do this, but it is not like what i hope.” however, i am happy because all of those are great feedback for me.” (mrs. deli interview in-line 11-17) “in my mind, video is helping the teacher to recognize the mistake. and i will prepare for this and if i can for the next semester i will ask the students to record my teaching. i feel that i am lucky.” (mrs. arana interview in-line 180-184) zainuddin, sunu dwi antoro, herri mulyono, nani solihati, rosalina, & ferawati enhancing efl in-service teachers’ teaching skill through the role of video-based reflections 642 interestingly, one of the teachers have stated that she would request her students to record her in teaching for the next time because reflecting through video helped the teachers to identify the weaknesses in details. overall, the teachers contributed how video-based reflection is vitally needed for the teachers to ensure great feedback from themselves by observing by their own eyes. discussion as mentioned in the literature review that two initial objectives of the study were to explore the teacher's perceptions of english as a foreign language (efl) in-service teachers after watching the video recording of their teaching. this study aimed to generate valuable insights to teacher educators in indonesia contexts. this study also has a conclusively huge purpose of developing the quality of the teacher in the next teaching sessions which has similar goals with the previous studies such as (baecher & mccormack, 2015; tripp & rich, 2012), which focus on developing teachers’ quality. the present study yielded the two significant aspects; firstly, the teachers presented the positive impact of the used video-based reflection as evaluation tools for analyzing themselves. these results agree with the result of the previous study, in which baecher, kung, jewkes, & rosalia (2013) indicated that observing the video of teaching involved to obtain the teachers more aware of assessing and prepared themselves for the future teaching. in similar with (tripp & rich, 2012) which stated that the benefit of observing videos is to support the prospective teachers and encourage the teachers’ development in teaching. interestingly, the teachers indicated how video-based reflection helps them in fostering the teachers’ development. secondly, eight of efl teachers mentioned how video-based reflection assisted them to improve their teaching in the way the teachers’ delivering the material, the teaching method, and the preparation such has been declared above. in addition, the teachers mentioned that reflecting through video is easier to recognize the weak points. in a nutshell, my research findings specified the valuable of video-based reflection in order to gain the teachers’ perspective about their own teaching. with this regard, the outcomes of this research revealed that video-based reflection is a component as self-evaluation to assist the teachers in being aware of the teaching sessions. reflecting through video by teachers’ itself is gain a new perspective to identify the strengths and weaknesses in details. however, zhang, lundeberg, koehler, & eberhardt (2011) claimed that watching the others teachers’ recordings were enormously contributing in teachers’ enhancement than watching videos of one’s own teaching because the others teacher’s recording assisted the teachers in gaining a new perspective about how their performance. by the present results, previous studies have demonstrated that gelfuso (2016) video supported to capture the teachers’ performances in the real context and writing the comment in the reflective journal is essential in order to provide the video with knowledgeable to create “warranted assertability” to support professional improvement. conclusion this study contributed the efl in-service teachers in expanding their teaching quality in the classroom by reflecting themselves through video-based reflection. these findings enhance our understanding of how important of video-based reflection with the purpose to reflect what has accomplished in preceding performance. the key strengths of this study are the teachers have reliable data to observe and recognize their performance with their own eyes. as mentioned earlier, the teachers highlighted, such as having a mirror on their face. by the same token, this study declared the idea that the teaching skills can be developed in view of the teachers has a high desire to improve the part that needs to be established. additionally, this study has attempted to enrich the literature on efl teacher education in indonesia by examining essential concerns in undertaking the teaching sessions and to the development of an efl teacher education curriculum. finally, a number of significant limitations need to be considered. firstly, this study focused on efl in-service teachers’ perception after watching their own teaching video. the second, this study identified the impact of video-based reflection in improving the teaching skill. furthermore, the researcher should provide the codes while watching the video for the participants is recommended for the future study in order to assist the teachers in supporting the statement in the specific. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 643 acknowledgement earlier findings of the research in this paper was presented at the 2nd international conference on advance and scientific innovation, icasi 2019, 18 july, banda aceh, indonesia. funding the current research was funded by universitas terbuka, indonesia. references baecher, l., & mccormack, b. (2015). the impact of video review on supervisory conferencing. language and educcation, 29(2), 153–174. baecher, l., kung, s. c., jewkes, a. m., & rosalia, c. (2013). the role of video for self-evaluation in early field experiences. teaching and teacher education, 36, 189–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2013.08.001 bell, j. (2010). doing your research project (fifth ed). new york: open university press. gelfuso, a. (2016). a framework for facilitating videomediated reflection: supporting preservice teachers as they create “warranted assertabilities” about literacy teaching and learning. teaching and teacher education, 58, 68–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.04.003 gelfuso, a., & dennis, d. v. (2014). getting reflection off the page: the challenges of developing support structures for pre-service teacher reflection. teaching and teacher education, 38, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2013.10.012 lebak, k. (2017). international and multidisciplinary perspectives using video-supported reflection in peer groups to increase instructional effectiveness instructional effectiveness. reflective practice, 3943(january), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2016.1251412 mann, s., davidson, a., davis, m., gakonga, j., gamero, m., harrison, t., & mosavian, p. (2018). video in language teacher education. london: the british council. hamel, c., & viau-guay, a. (2019). using video to support teachers’ reflective practice: a literature review. cogent education, 6(1), 1-14. sablić, m., mirosavljević, a., & škugor, a. (2021). video-based learning (vbl)—past, present and future: an overview of the research published from 2008 to 2019. tech know learn, 26, 1061– 1077. wass, r., & rogers, t. (2022). using video-reflection and peer mentoring to enhance tutors’ teaching. innovations in education and teaching international, 58(1), 36–46. robinson, o. c. (2014). sampling in interview-based qualitative research: a theoretical and practical guide. qualitative research in psychology, 11(1), 25-41. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2013.801543 tripp, t. r., & rich, p. j. (2012). the influence of video analysis on the process of teacher change. teaching and teacher education, 28(5), 728– 739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2012.01.011 zhang, m., lundeberg, m., koehler, m. j., & eberhardt, j. (2011). understanding affordances and challenges of three types of video for teacher professional development. teaching and teacher education, 27(2), 454–462. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.09.015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2013.08.001 zainuddin, sunu dwi antoro, herri mulyono, nani solihati, rosalina, & ferawati enhancing efl in-service teachers’ teaching skill through the role of video-based reflections 644 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 193 investigating the effectiveness of flipped learning on enhancing students' english language skills hadeel abu safiyeh english department, faculty of arts, hebron university, palestine email: hadeel_safiyeh93@outlook.com mohammed farrah english department, faculty of arts, hebron university, palestine email: mfarrah@hebron.edu apa citation: abu safiyeh, h. & farrah, m. (2020). investigating the effectiveness of flipped learning on enhancing students’ english language skills. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 193-204. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3799 received: 06-12-2020 accepted: 20-12-2020 published:20-12-2020 introduction due to the outbreak of covid-19 pandemic, universities and schools were obliged to shut down world-wide. the closure of educational institutions disrupted the educational process and most schools and universities shifted towards online learning (farrah and al-bakry, 2020). to overcome this problem, many educational institutions took effective steps to cope with the covid 19 pandemic and to resume the teaching/learning process. one of the approaches which issued is flipped learning which aims to engage students inside and outside the classroom. the flipped learning approach depends on presenting the materials through pre-class input like recorded video lessons. flipped learning also provides students more time to practice their language in the classroom because students have to go to the classroom to do some exercises and activities (lockwood, 2014). there are several advantages for flipped learning such as saving the classroom's time for discussion and providing plenty of materials covering the same topic. besides, flipped learning is effective because it supplies immediate feedback which increases the learners' comprehension of the provided content (brown, 2007). bergmann and sams (2012) have mentioned that flipped learning allows students to study individually and they can learn and revise the materials anytime and anywhere they want (p.18). furthermore, lockwood (2014) has stated that flipped learning develops students' high thinking skills like synthesizing, application, and evaluation. felder, brent, and prince (2011) have also mentioned that flipped learning increases the learners' critical thinking abilities and literacy efficiency. the new technological devices like smartphones, laptops, and tablets enable students to access and search for what they require at any time and place they want. they allow learners to interact with their teachers and colleagues in easiness. moreover, various educational resources offer a wide range of data for the researchers. and these sources help to improve the learners' competency abstract: this study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of utilizing flipped classrooms on seventh graders' english language skills (reading comprehension, writing, listening, and speaking) and areas (grammar and vocabulary) at farahat secondary girls' school. the researchers chose two 7th classes for the study, and then the flipped learning was implemented with the experimental group, while the control group had traditional learning. according to data collection, the researchers used a pretest and a posttest to measure the students' achievements after 9 weeks of flipping the classrooms, which were executed on 36 female students. then, a semi-structured interview was conducted to draw a clear picture of flipped learning. the major findings of the study revealed that there were significant differences in english language skills and areas between both groups. the experimental group achieved higher scores than the control one, and the most prominent improved skills are listening, speaking, and communication. keywords: flipped learning; english skills mailto:mfarrah@hebron.edu hadeel abu, safiyeh, mohammed farrah investigating the effectiveness of flipped learning on enhancing students’ english language skills 194 in various english language skills and areas like grammar and vocabulary. reading comprehension the major goal of reading texts for readers is to understand the main ideas of them. puskorius (2011) has stated that reading comprehension is an active thinking process that depends on students' prior knowledge to understand vocabulary, concepts, and expressions in order to find out the main ideas of the text. abu nejmeh (2011) also has defined reading comprehension as a meta-cognitive procedure, which is subordinate to readers' previous experiences. also, it is not efficient to read words in order to understand the whole meaning of the text, but it is necessary to integrate different thinking abilities with discourses and texts in order to figure out the main messages behind them and to construct the right meaning (alharbi, 2015). writing skills writing is a productive skill and it needs practicing in order to master it properly. it is considered as one of the main difficult skills for students. sharples (1993) has indicated that the nature of the writing skill makes it harder than other skills and that demotivates the learners. moreover, that leads them to hold negative attitudes toward acquiring this ability. therefore, integrating technology into the classroom is like a solution to this problem and that can help teachers to create an enjoyable environment for learning this skill appropriately. listening and speaking skills learning the english language is a necessity these days for students, so that makes the teachers vary their methods in order to make students able to use the language efficiently. therefore, flipping the classroom may enhance learning the language and communicating with others sufficiently. listening and speaking skills are inseparable. therefore, before measuring the communicative ability the students need to acquire the language and expose to various listening scripts (teng, 1970). he also mentioned that flipping the classroom shifting students from passive into active participants and respondents. grammar grammar is the structure and the meaning system of such a language, and it is necessary to know the grammar in order to communicate and use the language properly (saidvaliyevna, 2018). native speakers can interact with each other because they recognize the sounds, words, and they are able to form meaningful sentences. vocabulary vocabulary is a prominent area of a language and it plays a significant role in language acquisition (alqahtani: 2015: 30s). schmitt (2000) also stated that learning vocabulary is a central point of language acquisition because it allows language learners to improve their communicative competence. moreover, nation (2001) mentioned that learning vocabulary is complementary to language use, whereas mccarthy (1988) confirmed the significance of learning vocabulary because it has a crucial role in all language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), and it is important for language mastery and production, while the lacks of vocabulary cause a major problem for learners. generally speaking, using technology for teaching and learning the english language may enhance the students' understanding and language acquisition. brame (2013) has stated that teaching the language through technology can motivate students to interact and discuss topics with their colleagues rather than focusing on the teaching process. he also added that flipped the education make teachers devote more time for discussion and sharing ideas. several researchers have stated that flipped learning is efficient for improving the students' skills and abilities. also, the discussion inside the classroom makes the materials clear and comprehensible for students, and they are responsible for their learning in the flipped style of teaching rather than the traditional model. recently, flipped learning has become popular because of using and employing technology for teaching, which is important for completing the instructional procedures. many researchers have studied blended learning as a new procedure of learning and teaching by mixing face-to-face learning with online materials like doing exercises. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 195 the ultimate goal of teaching the english language through blended learning and the flipped classroom is to enable students to apply their knowledge in their real life and to use the language communicatively. the idea of flipping the classroom is created by jonathan bergmann and aaron sams (2000). they have reversed the classroom lecturing and explanation of the topics included in the course material with activities and interactive tasks to be done in the classroom. they have mentioned that the theoretical martial will be studied by the students individually through recorded classes or videos while the class time is devoted to doing exercises and tasks relevant to the theoretical topics (bergmann & sams, 2012). marsh (2012) has pointed out that flipped learning has several advantages like such as promoting collaborative teaching environments, improving language skills, developing 21st-century skills and providing immediate feedback. however, according to some researchers, flipped classroom is not without drawback. for example, goodwin and miller (2013) have mentioned that some students are not qualified enough to deal with technological devices and they need special courses in order to be prepared regarding downloading videos or submitting some homework. jones (2016) has stated that one of the major disadvantages is the internet disconnection, so that leads teachers to put the recorded material on cds and dvds to enable students to keep in touch with their studying. on the other hand, he has argued that some parents do not prefer to share their laptops with their kids, while others are stressed out because they have to train their kids how to use laptops or pcs. moreover, the individual differences between students cause a big challenge because some students can achieve the main goal quickly, directly, and easily while others cannot do that with the same easiness because they need more time and effort to accomplish the requirements. in addition, some learners do not have positive attitudes or they are not enthusiastic to be learned by flipped classes (abeysekera & dawson, (2016). there are various studies were conducted to measure the impact of the flipped classroom on the students' english language proficiency. for example, ahmed (2016) has stated that the flipped classroom has affected the egyptian efl students' listening comprehension. he utilized a pretest and a posttest to measure the students' achievement and performances, and he concluded that flipped learning affected and raised the learners' comprehension, communication abilities, social relationships, and solidarity. moreover, tyson (2010) has investigated the effectiveness of flipped learning through mobile devices on saudi learners' achievement in the english language proficiency at a college level. also, he has concentrated on their beliefs and attitudes toward the english classroom environment. the sample of his study was 42 students, which were divided into an experimental and control group. he used an english proficiency test to measure their development. he has found that flipped learning enhanced the saudi learners' improvement in the english language skills sufficiently, especially grammar, and the learners had positive attitudes toward this style of learning. consequently, he recommended this model to be implemented in several saudi universities. pudin (2017) has found that his indonesian efl students were more engaged in a flipped classroom rather than traditional classes. he also added that flipped learning improved students' interaction and communication skills, and it increased their motivation toward learning english language skills. on the other hand, he mentioned that he faced a challenge at the beginning of the program, which is that some students are not familiar with this model of teaching so they were uncomfortable. moreover, lee and wallace (2017) have conducted an empirical study on 79 students at south korean universities to find out the impact of flipped classroom learning on students' english competence. data were collected through three tasks, three surveys, and teachers' feedback on students' participation in the class. the major results of this study show a significant difference between the students' achievement because the students who experienced flipped learning achieved higher scores than students in the traditional mode of teaching. moreover, the instructor found that learners in the flipped classroom participated and engaged more than the second group. furthermore, yousefi (2017) has measured the effects of flipped learning on the 67 iranian efl students' listening, speaking, interaction, and participation out of the classroom. for data hadeel abu, safiyeh, mohammed farrah investigating the effectiveness of flipped learning on enhancing students’ english language skills 196 collection, the researchers utilized a listening test, a speaking test, a questionnaire to elicit students' perceptions, and four open-ended questions. the finding revealed that flipped learning improved efl learners' listening skills through listening to various videos, tubes, and interacting with each other, which leads to enhance their speaking and communication skills as well. fauzan and ngabut (2018) have found out the efl students' perceptions on implementing flipped learning in writing classes at an indonesian university in central kalimantan province. the researchers used a survey and a questionnaire to gather the data. the results of the study displayed positive attitudes toward utilizing flipped learning in the writing classes. moreover, the learners pointed out that flipped classrooms created a flexible and enjoyable environment for them, which enhance their progress in their writing abilities. likewise, in a quantitative qualitative study, farrah and qawasmeh (2018) examined the attitudes of english major students in hebron university towards the flipped classroom. they found that the flipped classroom promotes more learner autonomy, motivation, engagement and self-direction. accordingly, they suggested integrating the flipped classroom technology improve learning outcomes and to provide better learning opportunities that enable students have better achievement. finally, evseeva and solozhenko (2015) have evaluated the impacts of flipped classroom technology on the learning of english at a technical university. moreover, the researchers aimed at analyzing the advantages and the disadvantages of the flipped classroom on the educational procedure of the english language. the main finding which was based on a survey revealed 85% of the students liked the integration between the flipped learning and the technology in the instructional procedure, while 15% of them disliked and uninspired by this implementation because of several factors like the internet connection, low self-confidence and self-discipline toward their learning to do the required works appropriately. ekmekci (2017) has mentioned that flipped learning is considered to be a pedagogical approach to teaching english language skills. his study explored the effects of flipped learning on the learners' writing skill, which was received as a difficult and boring skill to be learned. then, the researcher compared the students' performances in the writing classes relevant to flipped learning and to faceto – face instruction. he has used a pretest and a posttest to measure the writing achievement in both the experimental and the control groups. the experimental group consisted of 23 students, while the control group consisted of 20 students. the main results revealed that there was a great difference between the achievement of the experimental and the control group in the post-test in terms of their writing achievements. moreover, the students expressed and held positive attitudes toward the flipped writing model. khan and oiriddine abdou (2020: 2) proposed a modified model of the flipped learning approach to continue the educational process during covid19 pandemic. this approach enables educators share the learning materials with their students and encourages students to prepare the lesson and try to comprehend it “prior to the class time and offers teachers the opportunity, during class time, to ensure that every student actively participates in the explanation of the lesson and deep understanding is acquired”. kawinkoonlasate (2019) acknowledged the importance of integrating the flipped classroom technology in teaching the language skill. he reviewed a number of studies on the implementation of the flipped classroom technology approach and its impact on improving english language learning skills. he noted that integrating the flipped classroom technology approach is expected to have beneficial outcomes in the process of learning and learning environments. as 7th graders at farahat secondary girls' schools have a lack of english language proficiency and they hold negative attitudes toward learning the english language, mplementing flipped learning as a new model of blended learning on the 7th graders' may enhance their english language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) and areas (grammar and vocabulary). therefore, this study aims to examine the effectiveness of the flipped instruction on 7th graders at farahat secondary girls' school in bethlehem. methodology this section presents the methodology of the study and displays the participants, the instruments, and the procedure of conducting the study. it shows the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 197 analysis of the pre-test and post-test of the 7th graders, and the interview with an english teacher from farahat secondary girls' school. participants the researchers applied the flipped learning class on the 7th graders in farahat secondary girls' school in the first semester of 2020 in order to measure the differences between the students' achievement in the traditional and the flipped classes. the researchers have chosen one of two groups of the 7th graders randomly. both of the groups consist of 18 students. the flipped learning was implemented in the group (1), which consisted of 18 students, all of them are female, and their age range between 12 to 14. instruments the researchers used two different methods to achieve the aim of the study. they prepared and used a pre-test as the main tool of the study to measure the 7th graders' achievement and a posttest applied after the experiment. both the pre-test and the post-test were conducted to measure the students' english language proficiency. moreover, the test was divided into sections such as; listening and speaking, reading comprehension, vocabulary and grammar, and writing. each section gauge a student skill or some linguistic areas. moreover, the researchers have conducted a semi-structured interview with an english teacher at farahat secondary girls' school. an interview is a useful tool for collecting data because the teacher who delivers the textbook can provide fundamental information about the students, the textbooks, and the best style of teaching the material. long (2005) has stated that "the interview is a key datagathering tool in many branches of social sciences, most notably in anthropology and linguistic fieldwork" (p.35). it is worth mentioning that the interview was decided to be structured. but the conversation with the english teacher was fruitful which was shifted the interview into a semi-structured type. furthermore, the researcher asked about several points and issues. the procedure of the study this study was conducted at farahat secondary girls' school in bethlehem. the population was the 7the graders, and the researchers selected one group to implement the study and to compare their grades with the second one. the pre-test and posttest were prepared by the researchers and modified by two english teachers at farahat secondary girls' school to adapt to the situation. the content of the textbook was 12 lessons for 9 weeks. by the end of last week, the data was ready to be analyzed. by this time, the interview with the english teacher was conducted to discuss some beneficial issues. moreover, the goals of the study and the achievements of the course were taken into consideration during the design of the tasks and the activities of the nine weeks instructional plan. table 1. the procedure for using flipped classroom for teaching english language skills. the phase setting procedures phase one outside the classroom teachers post videos, pictures, worksheets, lessons, questions on microsoft teams. the students watch them and prepare themselves for the classroom activities. phase two inside the classroom 10 minutes of discussion and answering some students' questions. engaging students in doing some activities and tasks. phase three outside the classroom students doing some worksheets. teachers respond to their homework and send them feedbacks. phase four inside the classroom students correct their mistakes according to the teachers' feedback. submitting the assignments. after two weeks of school duration and taking the head teacher's permission, the researchers informed the students of the adoption of the flipped classroom approach. then, the researchers illustrated how the approach works, explained how to open their emails on the microsoft teams, illustrated how to utilize them, and exchanged their emails. some video lessons, pictures, and some hadeel abu, safiyeh, mohammed farrah investigating the effectiveness of flipped learning on enhancing students’ english language skills 198 worksheets for each new lesson were posted at the microsoft teams to discuss and cover the whole material. moreover, to check the students' comprehension, some questions were embedded at different stages of the videos. microsoft teams enabled the students to ask questions directed either to the teacher or to their colleagues. after that, the post-test was conducted to show the effectiveness of using flipped classrooms in contrast to traditional teaching classes. results of the study in this section, the researchers display the statistical analysis of the data gathered about the impact of the flipped classroom model on the 7th graders' english language skills. the information was collected through a pre-test to measure the students' achievement of the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading comprehension, and writing) and areas (grammar and vocabulary). the post-test was implemented in order to find out the differences between the students' achievement at the pre-test and the post-test and the impacts of the flipped classroom on the students' english language competence. the table below shows descriptive statistics of the pretest and posttest obtained by the experimental and the control group table 2. statistics of pretest and posttest scores relevant to experimental and control group this table shows the statistical analysis of the 7th graders' level in english language skills and areas. it is clear that there is no difference between their pretest scores, but there is a significant increase in their grades after implementing the flipped model on the experimental group, which is explained in the following tables. group english language skills and areas pretest percentage of achievement posttest percentage of achievement experimental group number 18 100% 18 100% mean 5.19 60.5% 6.44 78.9% listening & speaking 5.27 61.1% 6.61 83.3% reading comprehension 5.26 61.6% 6.72 80.1% writing 4.88 55.3% 5.73 73.2% grammar 5.16 61.4% 6.42 83.2% vocabulary 5.31 62.1% 6.49 70.8% control group number 18 100% 18 100% mean 5.23 59.6% 5.71 70.4% listening & speaking 5.21 59.5% 5.83 72.2% reading comprehension 5.18 62.2% 6.27 77.7% writing 4.72 54.3% 5.33 71.2% grammar 5.19 60.5% 5.63 65.3% vocabulary 5.22 61.3% 5.48 63.2% english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 199 table 3. comparison between experimental and control group regarding pretest scores english language skills & areas group number mean percentage of achievement listening & speaking experimental 18 5.27 61.1% control 18 5.21 59.5% reading comprehension experimental 18 5.26 61.6% control 18 5.18 62.2% writing experimental 18 4.88 55.3% control 18 4.72 54.3% grammar experimental 18 5.16 61.4% control 18 5.19 60.5% vocabulary experimental 18 5.31 62.1% control 18 5.22 61.3% table 3 shows a comparison between the experimental and the control group according to their pretest grades. the results show that there is no significant difference in english language skills and areas (grammar and vocabulary) between both groups. also, it is worth mentioning that the researchers conducted a t-test to measure the distinction between the experimental and the control group before implementing the flipped learning, and the results show that the two groups extremely have the same level of english language competency and the difference between them is (0.02) and it is less than (0.05). table 4. comparison between experimental and control group regarding posttest scores english language skills & areas group number mean percentage of achievements listening & speaking experimental 18 6.61 83.3% control 18 5.83 72.2% reading comprehension experimental 18 6.72 80.1% control 18 6.27 77.7% writing experimental 18 5.73 73.2% control 18 5.33 71.2% grammar experimental 18 6.42 83.2% control 18 5.63 65.3% vocabulary experimental 18 6.49 70.8% control 18 5.48 63.2% table 4 shows a comparison between the experimental and the control group regarding the post-test grades. the results show that there is a great difference in the english language skills and areas (grammar and vocabulary) between the experimental and control group. the scores of the experimental group are higher than the control group which is approved and confirmed the effect of the flipped classroom on the students' achievement of english language competency. the result of the interview with the english teacher the following are the questions requested from a teacher of english at farahat secondary girls' school and the answers generated during the interview: 1. do you prefer traditional classes or flipped classes? why? "this is a critical question because the students are accustomed to be taught by the traditional style. on the other hand, it is better to change the routine of teaching. the flipped hadeel abu, safiyeh, mohammed farrah investigating the effectiveness of flipped learning on enhancing students’ english language skills 200 learning provides an enjoyable environment for students, and it encouraged them to discover new topics. therefore, i prefer it more than the traditional classes." (teachers) 2. do you think that flipped classrooms enhance students' communicative skills? teachers: "yes, i think so. the flipped learning requests students to interact and communicate with their teachers and colleagues in order to do the required tasks and activities. the interaction between them improves the students' fluency and encourages them to practice their language." 3. do you think that flipped classrooms enhance students' reading skills? “sure, the students read, watch, and answer some questions at their homes in order to be prepared for the classes at their schools. furthermore, some teachers provide students with some samples to read and discuss. but at school, they depend highly on reading to do interactive tasks." (teachers) 4. do you think that students feel more comfortable when they can display the provided material at any time they want? "the challenging point here is the internet connection. they need a good internet connection to watch the provided videos or to describe the pictures. i think it is a good point to display the material at any time, especially for absent students who miss some classes." (teachers) 5. how does the flipped classroom enhance the students listening and speaking skills? "flipping the classes depends highly on downloaded videos and recordings for students to watch them and to prepare themselves to do tasks and exercises in school. all that may improve students' listening skills. moreover, when they meet at school, they are gathering for doing some activities which are developing their communicative competence and speaking skills." (teachers) 6. do you think that a flipped classroom can enrich the students' personalities? "i believe that flipped learning improves the students' self-efficacy, self-discipline, and self-confidence because they are more aware of their learning. also, they are responsible for their achievements." (teachers) 7. what are the main advantages that the students can gain by using the flipped classroom? "flipping the classes have several benefits and drawbacks. the main benefits are improving the students' skills and abilities and it contributes to language acquisition. moreover, students like experiencing new models of teaching. furthermore, it saves the time of presentation of the lessons in the classroom for discussion, and it provides various sources of information for students." (teachers) 8. do you recommend your students to watch extra videos or to search for further information? "yes, sure. i ask them to notice the different accents and dialects that are spoken from native and non-native, and i ask them to search for the same information from different sources to see the difference." (teachers) 9. what are the main drawbacks of flipped learning? "in my point of view, our students need to have positive attitudes toward learning the english language in order to acquire it easily and sufficiently as i notice at this school and this is one of the challenges that face teachers every day. furthermore, some students are still depending on the teachers as the only source of knowledge and they refuse to engage in any new model or style of teaching. nevertheless, some students do not have internet connections in their homes, which are frustrating them. generally speaking, flipping the classes make students take their learning responsibility and trying to keep abreast with new lessons and topics." (teachers) 10. which prominent skills do you think that flipped learning develops the most? teacher: " i think that flipped learning develops interaction between students which improves their listening and communication skills. moreover, utilizing interactive tasks and activities encourage normal and shy to speak and express their ideas." (teachers) discussion of the results as shown in table (3) there were no significant differences between the experimental and the control groups in their pretest results, so that revealed that they are extremely at the same level of the english language competency before conducting the study. on the other hand, the post-test scores reflected a great impact of the flipped classroom on the experimental group compared with the control group's results. the impacts of the flipped classroom were prominent in listening and speaking skills which match the english teachers' answers in the interview, she expressed that flipped classroom develops students' listening and communication english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 201 skills as the teacher utilizes interactive tasks and activities which leads to encourage normal and shy students to interact and declare their ideas and thoughts. returning to table (4), the findings of conducting the flipped learning on the experimental group show the students' improvement in the english language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) and areas (grammar and vocabulary) as the following: listening and speaking skills are the most improved skills (83.3%), followed by grammar (83.2%), reading comprehension (80.1%), writing (73.2%), and finally vocabulary (70.8%). the flipped classroom developed the learners' listening and speaking skills because it depends on the communication skills and interaction for doing tasks and activities at the classroom, which is shifted the students from passive into active participants and respondents as mentioned by teng (1970). moreover, the findings of this study meet the results of ahmed's (2016), he has mentioned that the flipped classroom affected the egyptian efl students' listening comprehension and performances. he also concluded that flipped learning affected and raised the learners' achievements and communication abilities. in addition, the findings of this study match the results of these studies: of pudin (2017), yousefi (2017), and lee and wallace (2017), who have found that flipped classrooms improved students' communication skills , engagement and participation. secondly, the flipped classroom enhanced the learners' linguistics area, which is grammar. that is in line with tyson's study (2010) who found that the flipped learning enhanced the saudi learners' improvement in the english language skills sufficiently, especially grammar and the learners had positive attitudes toward this style of learning. then, flipped learning improved the learners' reading comprehension ability, because they have to depend on themselves for reading the provided topics and understanding the main ideas of the texts. after that, they can interact and do the tasks inside the classroom as mentioned by the english teacher in the interview. next, the development of the students' writing skills appears in doing and completing the needed exercises. also, utilizing this model is helpful because the teachers change the teaching routines and create a motivating environment for students as mentioned by the teacher of english in the interview. this result is matched with the study of fauzan and ngabut (2018) who noted that the students had positive attitudes toward utilizing flipped learning in the writing classes. moreover, the learners pointed out that flipped classrooms created a flexible and enjoyable environment for them, which enhance their progress in their writing abilities. furthermore, ekmekci's study (2017) has concluded that using flipped learning was the right choice because it increased the students' achievement in the writing classes. finally, practicing the language inside and outside the classroom encourage students to learn new expressions and vocabulary, which is affected the learners' lexical abilities, self-confidence, and selfdiscipline as stated by the teacher of english in the interview. conclusion to sum up, this study investigated the effects of flipped learning on the students' achievements in english language skills (reading comprehension, writing, listening, and speaking) and areas (grammar and vocabulary). the main results revealed a significant difference in students' achievements and performances regarding all english language skills and areas. moreover, the flipped classroom created an enjoyable atmosphere for learners and changed the traditional style of teaching. this model is also efficient for students as it caused a radical change in their learning process. references abeysekera, l., & dawson, p. (2016). motivation and cognitive load in the flipped classroom: definition, rationale, and a call for research. higher education research and development, 34(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2014.9343 36 abu nejmeh, s. (2011). integrating higher-order thinking skills on the tenth graders to improve learners' achievement in reading comprehension in jenin district (unpublished master's thesis). an-najah national university, palestine. ahmed, s. (2016). the flipped classroom model to develop egyptian efl students' listening comprehension. english language teaching, 9(9), 166-178. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n9p166 https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2014.934336 https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2014.934336 https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n9p166 hadeel abu, safiyeh, mohammed farrah investigating the effectiveness of flipped learning on enhancing students’ english language skills 202 alharbi, a. m. (2015). building vocabulary for language learning: approach for esl learners to study new vocabulary. journal of international students, 5(4), 501-511. alqahtani, m. (2015). the importance of vocabulary in language learning and how to be taught. international journal of teaching and education, 3(3), 21-34., 10.20472/te.2015.3.3.002 bergmann, j., & sams, a. (2012). flip your classroom: reach every student in every class every day. eugene, or: international society for technology. in education. brame, c., (2013). flipping the classroom. vanderbilt university center for teaching. retrieved from: url: http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guidessub-pages/flipping-the-classroom/. brinks lockwood, r. (2014). flip it! strategies for the esl classroom. ann arbor: university of michigan press. brown, d. (2007). principles of language learning and teaching. new york, ny: pear-son education. ekmekci, e. (2017, march 31). the flipped writing classroom in turkish efl context: a comparative study on a new model. retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1145315 evseeva, a. & solozhenko, a. (2015). use of flipped classroom technology in language learning. paper presented at xv international conference "linguistic and cultural studies: traditions and innovations", lkti 2015, tomsk, russia. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.10.006 farrah, m. & qawasmy, a. (2018). english students' attitudes towards using flipped classrooms in language learning at hebron university. research in english language pedagogy, 6(2). 275-294. farrah, m. & al-bakry, g. h. (2020). online learning for efl students in palestinian universities during corona pandemic: advantages, challenges and solutions. indonesian journal of learning and instruction, 3(2), 65-78. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/ijli.v3i2.3677 fauzan, a., & ngabut, m. (2018). efl students' perception of flipped learning in writing class. retrieved from http://e-journal.iainpalangkaraya.ac.id/index.php/jefl/article/vie w/792 goodwin, b., & miller, k. (2013). research says evidence on flipped classrooms is still coming in. technology-rich learning, 70(6), 78-80 kawinkoonlasate, p. (2019). integration in flipped classroom technology approach to develop english language skills of thai efl learners. english language teaching, 12(11), 23-34 khan, md. shahadat hossain and oiriddine abdou, benadjih, flipped classroom: how institutions of higher education (heis) of bangladesh could move forward during covid-19 pandemic. available at ssrn: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3615400 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3615400 jones, m. (2016). a case study of blended learning in higher education in malaysia: flipped, flopped, or forgotten? teaching education, 132–13 lee, g., & wallace, a. (2017, may 14). flipped learning in english as a foreign language classroom: outcomes and perceptions. retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1 002/tesq.372 long, m. h. (2005). methodological issues in learners need analysis. in long, m. h. (ed), second language needs analysis (pp.19-76). cambridge: cambridge university press. marsh, d. (2012). blended learning. creating learning opportunities for language learners. cambridge university press. mccarthy, m. j. (1988). some vocabulary patterns in conversation. in r. a. carter and m. j. nation, i. s. p. (2001). learning vocabulary in another language. cambridge: cambridge university press. pudin, c. s. j. (2017). exploring a flipped learning approach to teaching grammar for esl students. indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 2(1), 51–64. https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v2i1.47 puskorius, r. (2011). reading comprehension strategies for elementary students. retrieved from http://createcomputelearn.com/comrehensio n-strategies saidvaliyevna, i. (2018). the role of grammar in learning the english language. retrieved from http://journalpro.ru/articles/the-role-ofgrammar-in-learning-english-language/ schmitt, n. (2000). vocabulary in language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. sharples, m. (ed.) (1993). computer-supported collaborative writing. springerverlag. http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/flipping-the-classroom/ http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/flipping-the-classroom/ https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1145315 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.10.006 https://doi.org/10.25134/ijli.v3i2.3677 http://e-journal.iain-palangkaraya.ac.id/index.php/jefl/article/view/792 http://e-journal.iain-palangkaraya.ac.id/index.php/jefl/article/view/792 http://e-journal.iain-palangkaraya.ac.id/index.php/jefl/article/view/792 http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3615400 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/tesq.372 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/tesq.372 https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v2i1.47 http://createcomputelearn.com/comrehension-strategies http://createcomputelearn.com/comrehension-strategies http://journalpro.ru/articles/the-role-of-grammar-in-learning-english-language/ http://journalpro.ru/articles/the-role-of-grammar-in-learning-english-language/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 203 teng, m. (1970, january 01). flip your classroom to improve efl students' speaking skills. retrieved from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/97 8-981-10-6968-0 tyson, t. (2010). making learning irresistible: extending the journey of mabry middle. in heidi hayes jacobs (ed). curriculum 21. yousefi, m. (2017). the incorporation of flipped learning into conventional classes to enhance efl learners' l2 speaking, l2 listening, and engagement. retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.10 80/17501229.2017.1394307 https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-10-6968-0 https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-10-6968-0 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17501229.2017.1394307 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17501229.2017.1394307 hadeel abu, safiyeh, mohammed farrah investigating the effectiveness of flipped learning on enhancing students’ english language skills 204 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 409 the efl students’ perceptions of the quality of the english language textbook arsen nahum pasaribu english department, faculty of language and arts, universitas hkbp nommensen, medan, indonesia email: arsen.pasaribu@uhn.ac.id apa citation: pasaribu, a. n. (2022). the efl students’ perceptions of the quality of the english language textbook. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 409-420. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6242 received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 08-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction textbooks are essential and cannot be separated from the school-based learning process. a textbook is one of the key sources of learning materials used in the classroom by teachers (shahid, qasim, & iqbal, 2021). the textbook can then be utilized as a compass, guiding teachers and students through the teaching and learning process. along with a learning syllabus, teaching materials, and instructional methods, a textbook includes a learning evaluation that assesses students' mastery of the book's material as taught by the teacher. as a result, the textbook utilized must be of high quality in order to engage teachers to teach textbook material to students in class and to enhance student achievement of textbook material presented. the provision of high-quality textbooks is a priority that teachers, schools, and even the government must address. teachers are required to be able to select textbooks that meet appropriate criteria for classroom use. additionally, the school, in this case the principal, is urged to be more selective in procuring high-quality textbooks for classroom usage. book publishers are also critical to the production of high-quality textbooks. book publishers must adhere to book publishing standards in terms of content and layout in order to ensure the book's quality. meanwhile, the government is critical in enacting policies and regulations that enable access to high-quality textbooks. the collaboration of all parties involved in ensuring the existence of high-quality textbooks is crucial for implementation and improvement. the indonesian government has made a policy to provide textbooks for students in elementary (sd), junior high (smp), and high school (sma) levels issued by the indonesian ministry of education and culture in order to ensure the availability and quality of textbooks that teachers and students will use in the classroom. the government also recognizes the necessity of having inexpensive, high-quality books available for students who have limited access to good textbooks in the classroom. as a result, students can now obtain books in soft copy, which they can obtain via a website supplied by the indonesian ministry of education and culture. an english book used by class xi high school students entitled "bahasa inggris" is one of abstract: the purpose of this study is to elicit students' perceptions about the quality of english textbook used by indonesian efl students. although numerous teaching researchers have undertaken research on textbooks, it is still uncommon to conduct textbook research to ascertain students' perceptions on the quality of textbooks. this study employed a mixed-methods approach and gathered data from 300 senior high school students in grade eleven. they were chosen at random among 674 students. these students come from sma 12 medan and smk 3 parulian medan. each school was represented by 150 students in the eleventh grade. google forms were utilized to collect data. simple statistics are used to calculate the number and percentage in research data analysis, while interactive data analysis is used to examine qualitative data. the results of this study show that the textbook "bahasa inggris" meets the criteria for a textbook of appropriate quality in terms of external appearance, content quality, language or vocabulary used, scoring system, and positive impact. however, the quality of the textbook's look and content may be enhanced. the findings of this study provide a unique viewpoint on the difficulties studied in comparison to earlier textbook research. keywords: efl students’ perception; english textbook quality; high school. arsen nahum pasaribu the efl students’ perceptions of the quality of the english language textbook 410 the free textbooks in soft copy format that can be downloaded from the website provided by the government. cunningsworth proposed the following criteria for judging whether or not a textbook is of high quality (milarisa, 2021; jeong, 2019): 1) the textbook must cater to the needs of students and the learning program's objectives; 2) textbooks must assist students in effectively using language for their purposes; 3) textbooks must cater to the needs of students as students and facilitate the learning process without putting pressure on them to follow specific methods; 4) textbooks must cater to the needs of students as students and facilitate the learning process without putting pressure on them to follow specific methods; 5) textbooks must cater to the needs of students as students and facilitate the learning process without putting pressure on, and 6) textbooks must have a clear function in assisting teachers and students in the classroom teaching and learning process. based on the four criteria mentioned, it can be concluded that a good textbook may suit the needs of students while also assisting teachers in accomplishing the learning process' objectives. greene and petty (in ulumudin, mahdiansyah, & joko (2017) divided the criteria for a good textbook into ten categories, including the following: 1) the textbook must be attractive to students; 2) it must be able to motivate students; 3) it must provide attractive illustrations; 4) it must effectively use language (linguistic aspect); 5) it must be related to other lessons; 6) it must stimulate students' creativity and independent activities; 7) it must have clear and firm concepts; 8) it must have a point of view; 9) it must provide consolidation and emphasis on the values of children and adults; 10) can display respect for students' differences. of the ten criteria, we can summarize that the criteria for a good book must pay attention to aspects of the book's appearance, content, concepts, language, and its impact on students and other users. the ministry of education and culture's center for education and culture policy research in balitbang likewise divides hypothetical textbook criteria into four groups (ulumudin et al., 2017). 1) content feasibility; 2) learning support feasibility, such as displayed values and good attitudes; 3) learning support feasibility, such as the use of exact language; 4) presentation (layout) feasibility, such as an attractive picture display from the perspectives of the two experts above, as well as the formulation set forth by the center for policy studies on education and culture, mission of education and culture, it can be concluded that a good textbook must consider 1) the textbook's appearance; 2) the content or material contained in the textbook, including the evaluation system; and 3) the language used must be clear, without multiple interpretations, and have a positive impact on students. several scholars have conducted numerous studies on textbooks. jonathans (2018) examined image construction through the lens of the textbooks used by students in kupang, east nusa tenggara. the textbooks examined provide an accurate portrait of asian self-identity. suryani (2018) also delved into the contents of the textbook "when english rings the bell," which was produced by the indonesian ministry of education and culture and adheres to the ministry's requirements for a good textbook, which includes objectives, language use, content, and design. the findings indicated that the contents of the textbooks examined were of a high quality. additionally, agni, setyaningsih, & sarosa (2020), santosa (2020) and hendriwanto (2018) were interested in assessing textbook material in terms of gender representation. these studies demonstrate that the textbooks examined have a greater number of male characters than female ones. naturally, this conclusion demonstrates that the textbook's content has no beneficial effect on students' gender equality (greene and petty in ulumudin et al., 2017). rahmat & coxhead (2021) investigated the efl textbook quality in terms of vocabulary. it was a corpus-based study to explore the use of vocabulary in efl textbooks for senior high school students in indonesia. the findings of this study demonstrate that vocabularies in the efl textbooks influence the students’ comprensions of the textbooks. other studies examining textbook material in relation to its cultural setting have been conducted by several scholars (butar-butar & pasaribu, 2021; samsudin, ansas, & triarisanti, 2021; ariawan, 2020; kim & ma, 2018). butar-butar & pasaribu (2021) conducted a comparison of english textbooks published by domestic and international publishers in terms of the sort of culture and dimensions included in the two textbooks. according to this study, english textbooks issued english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 411 by international publishers have a greater amount of foreign cultural content than textbooks published by domestic publishers. the cultural elements included in the textbook will aid students in comprehending the textbook's meaning and substance. similarly, ariawan (2020) investigated the cultural dimension in efl textbook. moreover, kim & ma (2018) and samsudin et al. (2021) studied the cultural content of textbooks in south korea. he examined portrayals of american and south korean culture in korean high school textbooks. this study demonstrates how the textbook contributes to the formation of cultural stereotypes and the incorporation of a certain culture. other studies that attempt to elucidate additional facets of a textbook include the following. yolanda (2018), inderawati, petrus, eryansyah, & meilinda (2021), akbarjono, melati, martina, syafryadin (2021) and ali, javed, & murtaza (2020) used certain criteria to identify the strengths and limitations. additionally, miroud (2021) evaluated the reading material to ascertain the textbook's content. gho & pasaribu (2021) also used modality theory to analyse the content of textbooks in order to determine the semantic meaning of the language employed. in addition, sulistiyo, wulan, al arif, efriza, & anwar (2021) and darmayenti, besral, & yustina (2021) investigated content analysis of english textbooks in indonesia regarding cultural content and local wisdom. they found that the textbook contents were still lack of cultural information and context. all of the studies listed above focus on the textbook's content, language, appearance, cultural context, and meaning. meanwhile, other studies examine textbooks differently than the research above, and this study focuses on efl students' impressions of textbooks used in class. although there is a growing body of research on student perspectives of learning, particularly in the online teaching and learning process (ridho, 2020; nugroho, basari, suryaningtyas, & cahyono, 2020; rahman, 2020; lodhi, farman, ullah, gul, tahira, & saleem, 2019; bali & liu, 2018). there is still a dearth of study on student impressions of textbooks. wang & fan (2021) conducted a study in shanghai and england on secondary school students' perceptions of the use of mathematics books. they discovered substantial disparities in the role of textbooks used by students in shanghai and england using the mixed method. then morales & baker (2018) sought to elucidate how students' perspectives on open scientific textbooks differ. their research demonstrates that open textbooks can help students develop more positive attitudes and behaviors toward learning. jou (2017) also investigated undergraduate students' perceptions of writing textbooks. using the interview method, he discovered that the students had a favorable opinion of the textbook in question. nugraha, ratnawati, & surachmat (2019) did research on book perceptions in indonesia. this study differs from the previous one in that it looks at students' perceptions of the impact of utilizing edictionaries, rather than textbooks, on their vocabulary knowledge. the results of this study, which used a mixed method approach, show that the majority of students have favorable views about the usage of an electronic dictionary, such as google translate, in the translation process. from the aforementioned studies on students' opinions of textbook use, there are still several opportunities to investigate students' perspectives on the textbook they use in class from various angles. the quality of a textbook is one element that may not have been addressed or on which there has been relatively little investigation. as a result, the purpose of this research is to learn about students' impressions of the quality of their textbooks in class. the textbook under investigation is an english open textbook titled "bahasa inggris," which is used by indonesian eleventh-grade senior high school students. although there has been research on the quality of "bahasa inggris" books (sihotang, manik, & pasaribu, 2021), the focus of this research is solely on comparing the quality of the textbook's content to that of other textbooks, not on students' views of the book's quality. this study was considered critical to be arrayed to identify the problems or weaknesses of the textbook “bahasa inggris” that the students use in the eleventh grade of senior high school. the findings will enlighten the stakeholders (teachers, priciples, authors, publishers, and the government) who are involved in the production of the textbook to find the solutions for the improvement of the quality of the textbook method the purpose of this study is to examine efl students' impressions of the textbook "bahasa inggris," which was just issued by the minister of arsen nahum pasaribu the efl students’ perceptions of the quality of the english language textbook 412 education and culture. it was created for senior high school students in grade xi. the study adopted a mixed-methods approach (cresswell, 2014). a quantitative method in the form of a survey was used. it provides the number and percentage of students' perceptions based on the questions' parameters. meanwhile, a qualitative method was necessary to elicit additional descriptions of the students' perceptions via closed interviews conducted using google form. the research participants in this study were 300 senior high school students in grades 11 who were chosen at random from a group of 674 individuals. they are students from two separate medan schools. 150 students from each school's parallel grade 11 represented each school. sma 12 medan and smk 3 parulian medan were the schools that took part in this research. the school was chosen because both schools used the ministry of education and culture's "bahasa inggris" textbook as teaching material in english classes for class xi. another reason is because the two schools reflect the city of medan's public and private schools. the following google form was used to collect research data: https://forms.gle/qpg9kwhoyiprtwj19. on google forms, students were asked two types of questions. the first was a survey of students' attitudes of the "bahasa inggris" textbook they are currently studying in english classes. the question was multiple-choice, with the following options: very, standard, sufficient, and not/less. the three things in the questions are based on the criteria of an good textbook (milarisa, 2021; ulumudin et al., 2017). the criteria are: 1) the book's cover and content, 2) the material's feasibility, including the assessment method, and 3) the book's use of language and its impact. the second form of the question aims to elicit more information about what students think about the "bahasa inggris" textbook and what its benefits and drawbacks are. it is intended that by exhibiting these two forms of data, they will be able to demonstrate a thorough grasp of how students think about the "bahasa inggris" textbook they are using. the number and percentage of students' perception frequencies that appear were calculated using simple statistical procedures throughout the analysis of study data. in a pie chart format, the usage of google forms allows for automatic statistical analysis of the frequency of students' perceptions. then, using the interactive data analysis approach (miles & huberman, 1994), qualitative data in the form of words, phrases, and sentences shown by students in response to questions about what they believe about the "bahasa inggris" textbook was analyzed and also what benefits and drawbacks of the textbook the students had. results and discussion this study examines the perspectives of high school students in medan on the use of the indonesian ministry of education and culture's "bahasa inggris" textbook. the findings of this study will address the following research issues: how students perceive the textbook's external and internal look, whether the book's contents are easy to comprehend, and whether students find it easy to answer the textbook's practice questions. the view of the textbook a textbook's attractive design or layout, both on the cover and within the book, is one of the requirements for a good textbook. the value of a beautiful layout on the cover of this book is regarded a factor in students liking and reading their textbooks. the use of attractive imagery and a variety of colors to capture readers' attention, as well as the use of attractive fonts on the cover and throughout the book, are all factors to consider when determining whether students will be interested in reading a book. knowing the students' perspectives on the appearance of the "bahasa inggris" textbook is regarded necessary in order to evaluate the book's overall quality, including the cover and contents design, image selection, color scheme, font selection, and layout of the images and contents. the following pie chart illustrates students' perceptions of the appearance of this book. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 413 chart 1. students' perception of the layout of the book the perceptions of the textbook "bahasa inggris" are depicted in chart 1 by the images used, the color of the cover and contents of the book, the type and size of the letters used, and the layout of the contents or images in the book. a total of 101 students (33.7%) responded that the appearance of the book's cover and contents piqued their curiosity, and that the choice of photographs, colors, typefaces, and layout of the pictures and contents piqued their interest. the majority of the students, 45.5 % (136 students), claimed that the appearance of the textbook was all that mattered to them. meanwhile, 52 students (17.3 %) claimed they were very interested in the textbook's appearance. however, 11 students (3.7 %) admitted that the textbook's appearance did not appeal to them. this finding indicates that the majority of students found the book "bahasa inggris" appealing, however a minority percentage of students find the book's appearance unpleasant. in other words, this textbook is deemed to be of high quality in terms of aesthetics. the students stressed how the engaging illustrations and colors will entice them to study the textbook. this finding also aligns with (ulumudin et al., 2017) textbook standards, which suggest that the appearance or presentation of a textbook is a criterion for a high-quality book. jonathans (2018) and suryani (2018) research also reveals that beautiful images and photographs improve students' interest in textbook reading. increasing kids' interest in reading will surely help students' ability to meet the teacher's learning objectives (milarisa, 2021; jeong, 2019). the language used in the textbook using clear language in textbooks that students can understand is critical. several criteria for effective language use include the use of varied vocabulary that students can understand; the use of grammar that enables students to comprehend the book's reading text in its entirety; and the use of clear and easy-to-understand directions for students. these characteristics will aid students in comprehending the textbooks they use, as a good book is one that provides amazing convenience and benefit to students (milarisa, 2021). chart 2. students' perceptions of the language used in the textbook arsen nahum pasaribu the efl students’ perceptions of the quality of the english language textbook 414 students' impressions of the usage of language in the "bahasa inggris" textbook vary, as shown in chart 2. the most common comment from students was that the english textbook they were using was simple to grasp. this viewpoint was stated by 140 students (46.7%). furthermore, there were 76 students who thought that the textbook's usage of english was simple to comprehend (25.3 %). around 21.7 % of students indicated that the language utilized was relatively simple to understand (65 students). however, 6.3 % (19 students) believe they are unable to comprehend the language, syntax, and directions in this book. overall, the number of students who consider english in this book, the vocabulary used in the content and directions, and the usage of grammar is pretty good, ranging from 68.4 % to 69.4 % (205 students). however, 31.6 % of students believe that the textbook's use of language, including vocabulary, instructions, and grammar, is only somewhat easy, if not impossible to understand (95 students). the findings indicate that the textbook's language use, vocabulary selection, instructional language, and grammar still need to be evaluated and improved in order to reduce the number of students who do not grasp the language and grammar used in the book. the findings of this study contradict those of suryani, 2018), who asserts that textbooks issued by indonesia's ministry of education and culture are of high english quality and easy to understand. with regard to language use, some students, though fewer than 10% of all respondents, believed that a lack of understanding would impair students' comprehension of textbook material (morales & baker, 2018). the assessment in the textbook the assessment method employed in a textbook that is used by students during the learning process in the classroom is a vital component. the grading system is critical for determining students' comprehension of a textbook's material. as a result, it is critical to solicit students' feedback on the grading system employed in this "bahasa inggris" textbook, regardless of how difficult or easy it is to tackle. the assessment system in question is comprised of practice questions or sample exam questions found throughout this textbook. according to the survey results, the following graphic depicts students' impressions of the scoring system used in this book. chart 3. students’ perceptions of the assessment used in the textbook in chart three above, students' impressions of the grading method employed in the "bahasa inggris" textbook are depicted. 16.7% of students said the evaluation mechanism in the form of practice questions and sample tests in this book were simple to use (50 students). 122 students expressed the opinion that the exam questions in this book are simple to answer (40.7%). when compared to other perspectives, the number of people who hold this viewpoint is the highest. the students then reported that the questions in the textbook were pretty simple to complete. there were 106 students in all (35.3 %). finally, 7.3 % of people believe that the practice problems or examinations in this book are inaccessible or difficult to complete (22 students). there is a little variation in figures between the percentage of students who find it easy to answer practice problems in the book, 57.4 %, and the number of students who say the questions in the textbook are sufficient or tough to do, 42.6 %. these findings suggest that the assessment mechanism in this book, which includes practice english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 415 problems and tests, is difficult for students to understand. as a result, considering the varied levels of students' english skills, the form of questions, variations, and levels of difficulty of the questions in this book should be amended or enhanced. the findings of this study show that students' textbooks are still of poor quality in terms of the assessment system provided in the form of practice questions. this case contradicts cunnungsworth’s requirements (milarisa, 2021; jeong, 2019), which indicate that a textbook must help students in terms of content and have a good impact on them. as a result, the content of the textbook must be tailored to the teaching objectives and the needs of the students (miroud, 2021; inderawati, et al., 2021; akbarjono, et al., 2021). the strengths of the textbook each student is given the opportunity to express multiple points of view on the benefits of this book. "what are the benefits of this textbook?" is the question posed to students. this question was aimed to elicit further comments from students about english textbooks in addition to those already expressed in the previous questions. only 178 students out of 300 responded to the survey with their thoughts on the book. this question was not answered by the remaining 122 students. the table below illustrates the top five students' thoughts on the textbook's flaws. chart 4. students' perceptions of the strengths of the textbook the figure depicts students' perceptions of the textbook's benefits. the appealing appearance of the textbook is the most important element for determining the textbook's advantages. this view was given by a total of 154 students. additionally, 112 students stated that the book's material was simple to comprehend. a total of 107 students indicated that the book's vocabulary was adequate. a small number of students stated that the advantages of this textbook were that it contained an exciting text; for up to 25 students, this textbook was light and easy to carry; for 18 students, this textbook was light and easy to carry; and for 12 students, the advantages of this textbook were that it contained an accessible, practical, and opinionated text. this is in contrast to the criteria outlined in chart 1. according to the analysis findings, this textbook has an enthralling appearance. this study reveals that this book meets the aesthetic requirements for a quality book. ulumudin et al. (2017) asserted that a beautiful textbook would pique students' interest in reading. additionally, the textbook's appearance provides an overview of the textbook's contents (jonathans, 2018). the appearance of the textbook, both on the cover and within, must be a priority for the author or publisher. then again, this textbook is pretty adequate in terms of content. more than 30% of students indicated that the textbook's content was simple to comprehend. additionally, the terminology employed in this work is pretty adequate. this viewpoint is shared by more than 30% of students. according to the findings of this analysis, this textbook has a high level of substance and vocabulary. however, it still needs improvement in order to obtain the maximum amount of research from students that use it. the weaknesses of the textbook arsen nahum pasaribu the efl students’ perceptions of the quality of the english language textbook 416 each student is permitted to express multiple viewpoints on the book's strengths and flaws. only 145 of the 300 students questioned expressed an opinion regarding this book, and the majority of the remaining 155 students did not answer. the table below summarizes the five most significant weaknesses of this textbook as perceived by students. chart 5. students' perceptions of the weaknesses of the textbook students' perceptions of the limitations of this "bahasa inggris" textbook are depicted in bar chart 5. the following is a ranking of their perceived weaknesses with this book. it progresses from the most frequently reported criteria for the book's flaws to the least mentioned. to begin, this textbook's appearance is less appealing. this was the consensus of 112 students. additionally, 108 students stated that the book's material was difficult to comprehend. then 83 students stated that the information contained in this book was insufficient. 75 students indicated that the vocabulary employed in this textbook was difficult to comprehend. 27 students felt that the number of practice questions in this book was still insufficient. a tiny number of students voiced generalized comments that contradicted the criteria in chart two, such as the responses: there are no flaws, they are not good enough, and they are unqualified. several points stand out as a result of the data analysis above. the consequence of the analysis of this book's flaws is evident in its look. as a result of this result, we can see that the appearance of the book is also the most significant weakness of this textbook, despite the fact that the number of students who expressed this opinion is less, namely 112 students, compared to 154 students who stated that the appearance of the book was attractive. as a result of this comparison, we can conclude that while the appearance of this book is sufficient, the presentation quality may be improved. in other words, the appearance of textbooks is a major determinant for student attentiveness. as a result, authors and publishers alike must pay close attention to this issue. the textbook's content difficulty comes in second. this textbook was difficult to understand, according to a rather high score of 108 students. when contrasted to the 112 students who indicated that the contents of this textbook were easy to comprehend, we can conclude that some students found the contents of this textbook to be easy to understand, while others with almost the same number found it difficult to grasp. as a result, the criteria for the content of this textbook must be considered in delivering an explanation of the content that is easier for students to understand, particularly the practice questions in this textbook, which must be improved and added while taking into account the students' overall english skills (milarisa, 2021; ulumiddin, 2017). the inclusion of practice questions is expected to aid comprehension of the textbook's contents. this textbook information drew the next student's interest as well. they believe that the textbook's content is incomplete. although the textbook material is not covered in length, it is critical to supplement this textbook with more engaging and varied information to pique students' interest in using this book independently during english sessions. additionally, a textbook's use of terminology is critical. difficult-to-understand vocabulary, whether used in reading texts or instructions in textbooks, becomes a factor that students consider when evaluating a good textbook (rahmat & coxhead, 2021). according to the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 417 results of this analysis, the textbook's usage of language is appropriate, however some students believe it may be improved. additionally, students cite the following elements as shortcomings of this textbook: the book's size is excessive, the quantity of pages is still insufficient, the need for new discussion topics, and other minor concerns that account for 7.6 % of students who expressed this opinion. the results of the data analysis and discussion above indicate that this research was able to determine the quality level of the "bahasa inggris" textbook based on three textbook criteria: 1) the appearance of the cover and content of the book, 2) the feasibility of the content, including the scoring system, and 3) the use of language and its impact. this textbook meets two of the three criteria, while changes are still needed in terms of cover and content, subject matter and additional practice questions, and the use of simple-to-understand language for all students. additionally, the majority of students stated that the "bahasa inggris" textbook benefited students studying english significantly. this conclusion is based on cunningsworth’s theory (milarisa, 2021) and ulumudin et al. (2017) assertions that a textbook is considered to be a good one when it gives positive benefits and influences for the students who use it. conclusion this study was undertaken to ascertain the "bahasa inggris" language's quality level "the ministry of education and culture released a textbook based on the perspectives of students in grade 11 who use it. through the use of quantitative and qualitative data collecting and analysis techniques, it was determined that the textbook "bahasa inggris" meets the criteria for a good textbook in terms of its exterior and internal look. however, some students believe that the textbook's appearance might be improved. in terms of the textbook's content and grading system, the majority of students believed that the textbook's content was adequate for students to use when learning english. however, numerous students felt that the textbook's content and practice questions needed to be expanded and enhanced in quality in light of the students' ability. finally, based on the language criteria, this textbook could be enhanced in terms of instruction and the use of vocabulary that is easily understood by all students. additionally, the majority of students indicated that this "bahasa inggris" "they had profited greatly from the textbook in terms of english acquisition. the educational implication of this study is that textbooks are a necessary component of teaching and learning. as a result, all parties involved in assessing the quality of textbooks must exercise due diligence to ensure that the textbooks used by students are appropriate for their skills and deliver significant advantages and positive outcomes. publishers and authors of textbooks must guarantee that the books they produce meet the criteria for a good book in terms of appearance, content, rating system, and language utilized, as well as having a positive influence. additionally, authors or publishers must change textbooks on a periodic basis to improve or enhance the quality of textbooks based on input from students regarding the findings of textbook research such as this. additionally, the school, both the principal and instructors, should exercise prudent judgment in selecting textbooks for classroom usage based on the criteria for textbooks stated above. the government, through the ministry of education and culture, can exercise its regulatory authority over education by promulgating regulations or policies governing textbook publication and establishing standards for textbook quality. this research continues to have flaws in terms of the data collection techniques used. the secure interview method places a cap on the amount of information that may be gleaned regarding students' thoughts about their textbooks. additionally, because the number of respondents in this survey is still relatively small, the quantity of data collected and the outcomes of data analysis will be impacted. thus, researchers interested in analyzing the quality of textbooks used by elementary, high school, and university students should pay close attention to these issues in order to provide more accurate research results. acknowledgment sincer gratitudes are addressed to the students and teachers that have participated in this research. references agni, z. a., setyaningsih, e., & sarosa, t. (2020). examining gender representation in an indonesian efl textbook. register journal, 13(1), 183–207. arsen nahum pasaribu the efl students’ perceptions of the quality of the english language textbook 418 https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v13i1.183-207 akbarjono, a., melati, p., martina, f., syafryadin. (2021). content analysis of speaking activities in english textbook based on 2013 curriculum for the first grade students at senior high school. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 105-112. ali, a., javed, a., & murtaza, g. (2020). evaluation of oxford progressive english text book: a qualitative study. sir syed journal of education & social research, 3(3), 364–380. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36902/sjesrvol3-iss3-2020(364-380) ariawan, s. (2020). investigating cultural dimensions in efl textbook by using byram checklist. register journal, 13(1), 123–152. https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v13i1.123-152 bali, s., & liu, m. c. (2018). students’ perceptions toward online learning and face-to-face learning courses. journal of physics: conference series, 1108(1), 2–8. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1108/1/012094 butar-butar, k. b., & pasaribu, a. n. (2021). a comparative study of cultural types and dimensions in english textbooks. journal of english language teaching, 6(1), 23–29. https://doi.org/10.30998/scope.v6i1.10261 cresswell, j. w. (2014). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches (4th ed.). california: sage publications, inc. darmayenti., besral., & yustina, l. s. (2021). developing efl religious characters and local wisdom based efl textbook for islamic higher education. studies in english language and education, 8(1), 157–180. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i1.18263 gho, g., & pasaribu, a. n. (2021). an analysis of modalities of the book “how children succeed" by paul tough. ideas: journal of language teaching and learning, linguistics and literature, 9(2), 199–212. https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v912.2222 hendriwanto. (2018). the efl students’ reaction in english teaching materials: an analysis of gender representation in english textbook. indonesian efl journal, 4(1), 83–88. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v4i1.887 inderawati, r., petrus, i., eryansyah., & meilinda. (2021). needs analysis of vocational high schooltextbook to local culture materials and the 21st century competencies. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), 245-252. jeong, h. (2019). evaluation of the korean middle school english textbook: listening skill. kata kita, 7(2), 228–235. https://doi.org/10.9744/katakita.7.2.228-235 jonathans, p. (2018). image building through efl textbook “my pals are here” to students in kupang, eastern indonesia. indonesian efl journal, 4(2), 63–70. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v4i2.1377 jou, y. (2017). hidden challenges of tasks in an eap writing textbook: eal graduate students’ perceptions and textbook authors’ responses. journal of english for academic purposes, 30(6), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2017.10.001 kim, s., & ma, t. (2018). how cultural and linguistic diversity in an english textbook is being portrayed in south korea: a textbook analysis. in tesol journal, 15(1), 1–20. https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/intesol/articl e/download/22625/22180/ lodhi, m. a., farman, h., ullah, i., gul, a., tahira, f., & saleem, s. (2019). evaluation of english textbook of intermediate class from students’ perspectives. english language teaching, 12(3), 26. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n3p26 milarisa, s. (2021). book content analysis of brown’s “teaching by principles : an interactive approach to language pedagogy". in i. yuliasri, i. p. hapsari, & a. n. farida (eds.), proceedingunnes-teflin national seminar (pp. 262– 274). english department, faculty of language and arts, universitas negeri semarang. https://utns.proceedings.id/index.php/utns/article /view/109 miles, m. b., & huberman, a. m. (1994). qualitative data analysis (2nd edition). california, usa: sage publications, inc. miroud, s. (2021). an evaluation of the reading texts in the english text book for the 3rd year of secondary education. algerian scientific journal platform, 10(2), 69–92. https://www.asjp.cerist.dz/en/presentationrevue /300 morales, r., & baker, a. (2018). secondary students’ perceptions of open science textbooks. journal of interactive media in education, 2018(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.455 nugraha, g., ratnawati, r., & surachmat, a. (2019). exploring low and high students’ perception on engaging e-dictionary in mastering vocabulary: cross-sectional survey. indonesian efl journal, 5(1), 37–44. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v5i1.1609 nugroho, r. a., basari, a., suryaningtyas, v. w., & cahyono, s. p. (2020). university students’ perception of online learning in covid-19 pandemic : a case study in a translation course. in r. a. nugroho (ed.), ieee xplore proceedings 2020 international seminar on english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 419 application for technology of information and communication: it challenges for sustainability, scalability, and security in the age of digital disruption, isemantic 2020 (pp. 225–231). https://doi.org/10.1109/isemantic50169.2020.92 34251 rahman, k. (2020). learning amid crisis: efl students’ perception on online learning during covid-19 outbreak. eternal (english, teaching, learning, and research journal), 6(2), 179– 194. https://doi.org/10.24252/eternal.v62.2020.a1 rahmat, y. n., & coxhead, a. (2021). investigating vocabulary coverage and load in an indonesian efl textbook series. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 10(3), 804–814. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i3.31768 ridho, a. (2020). exploring efl students’ perception of online learning via microsoft teams: university level in indonesia. english language teaching educational journal, 3(2), 163–173. https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v3i2.2349 samsudin, d., ansas, v. n., & triarisanti, r. (2021). the representation of cultural values in korean as a foreign language (kfl) textbook. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 10(3), 628–638. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i3.31749 santosa, i. (2020). designation of gender on electronic efl textbook for senior high school. indonesian efl journal, 6(2), 127–138. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v6i2.3381 shahid, m. i., qasim, h. m., & iqbal, m. j. (2021). textbook evaluation: a case study of punjab, pakistan. register journal, 14(2), 283–300. https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v14i2.283-300 sihotang, a. s., manik, s., & pasaribu, a. n. (2021). which book do you use, “bahasa inggris” by kemendikbud or “pathway to english” by erlangga? : a content analysis. ideas, 9(2), 382–400. https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v912.2320 sulistiyo, u., wulan, r., al arif, t. z. z., efriza, d., & anwar, k. (2021). a critical content analysis of english textbook for senior high school students in indonesia. studies in english language and education, 8(1), 84–98. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i1.16778 suryani, r. w. (2018). when english rings the bell: an english textbook analysis. english language teaching and research, 2(1), 258–268. ulumudin, i., mahdiansyah., & joko, b. s. (2017). kajian buku teks dan pengayaan: kelengkapan dan kelayakan buku teks kurikulum 2013 serta kebijakan penumbuhan minat baca siswa (l. h. winingsih & y. wirda (eds.)). jakarta: pusat penelitian kebijakan pendidikan dan kebudayaan badan penelitian dan pengembangan, kemendikbud. https://litbang.kemdikbud.go.id wang, y., & fan, l. (2021). investigating students’ perceptions concerning textbook use in mathematics: a comparative study of secondary schools between shanghai and england. journal of curriculum studies, 53(5), 675–691. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220272.2021.1941265 yolanda, i. (2018). writing material analysis of office administration english textbook. in d. mulyadi, d. santoso, & d. hardiyanti (eds.), 2nd english language and literature international conference (vol. 2, issue 1, pp. 187–191). universitas muhammadiyah semarang. https://ellic.unimus.ac.id/2018/ arsen nahum pasaribu the efl students’ perceptions of the quality of the english language textbook 420 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 77 the influence of indonesian prosodic features on english word stress production rudha widagsa english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pgri yogyakarta, indonesia e-mail: widagsa@upy.ac.id sri wiyanah english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pgri yogyakarta, indonesia e-mail: wiyanapbi@gmail.com primasari wahyuni indonesian language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pgri yogyakarta, indonesia e-mail: sariprima87@gmail.com apa citation: widagsa, r., wiyanah, s., & wahyuni, p. (2019). the influence of indonesian prosodic features on english word stress production. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 7784. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1647. received: 19-01-2019 accepted: 15-04-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: generally, word stress tends to be ignored and is not considered a serious problem in indonesian efl; most teachers only focus on lexical and grammatical aspects of english. in fact, the prosodic features existing in english greatly affect meaning. this research, therefore, is intended to find out how indonesian learners of english (ile) produce the english word stress. the stressed syllables were identified by using the highest pitch in each word. this research involved 20 respondents whose mother tongue is indonesian. praat software was applied to analyze the recordings, including measuring the pitch of each word. word stress is indicated by the highest pitch of each word. the lowest pitch indicates weak stress. the result illustrated that ile produces inappropriate word stress in second language learning. most of them are not able to distinguish between strong and weak stressed syllables. this is because in their native language, prosodic features, such as word stress, do not prevail. thus, english word stress production was heavily influenced by indonesian features of stress. from the 36 words that become the instrument of this research, less than 50% were pronounced correctly, in most cases, and the highest pitch fell on last syllables. the absence of prosodic features in indonesian language and limited knowledge on english phonetics drive the ile to pronunciation error. keywords: acoustic measurement; indonesian efl; phonetics; pronunciation; prosodic features; word stress. introduction the “sound of a language”, which is primarily transmitted by prosodic features, does not only convey the content of the utterance, but also other important communicative information. it marks the emotional state of the speaker and can have the effect of being calming, detesting, encouraging, warm, cold, intimate or strange. moreover, individual way of speaking is a key feature of a speaker’s personality, an audible “business card”. for these reasons, prosodic features should be taught in the first line when teaching pronunciation. in indonesia, pronunciation and the other aspects of english phonetics have not been a major concern in english language teaching (elt). almost all english teachers get students to study grammar and vocabulary, practice functional dialogue, take part in productive skill activities and become competent in listening and reading. yet, some of these teachers make little attempt to teach pronunciation in any overt way and only give attention to it in passing (harmer, 2001). however, pronunciation is crucial in communication. it helps students to solve serious intelligibility problems. pronunciation not only makes students aware of different sounds and sound features, but can also improve their ability in using spoken english properly. understanding spoken english involves more than the ability to pronoun individual words correctly. it also rudha widagsa, sri wiyanah, & primasari wahyuni the influence of indonesian prosodic features on english word stress production 78 involves an ability to hear and produce stress of english words. on the other hand, students of english tend to ignore stress patterns when they learn pronunciation or vocabulary which consequently leads them to serious pronunciation problems, the problem with comprehension and intelligibility. communication in spoken english is organized by suprasegmental features. these suprasegmental features are similar to musical signals. thus, for the purposes of teaching pronunciation, the teacher needs to understand these musical signals work. kelly (2001) notes suprasegmental features, as the name implies, are features of speech which generally apply to groups of segments or phonemes. the features which are important in spoken english are stress, intonation, and how sounds change in a connected speech which is called the rhythm. the features of these musical signals are usually bound up in the first language. it means that the features are deeply rooted in the minds of students. thus, it is common for indonesian students of english to find it difficult when they hear themselves speak with these suprasegmental features of english. some features of english prosody nearly always lead to difficulties for language learners: typical melodic contours (e.g. the accomplishing of the final low at the end of utterances), assignment and production of lexical stress, structuring and realization of rhythm. depending on their first language or prior acquired foreign languages, speakers exhibit different problems with their english l2 prosody (hirschfeld, 1994). looking more closely at that problem, a teacher can help overcome this barrier and other challenges by thinking of the goal of pronunciation instruction not as helping students to sound like native speakers, but as helping them to learn the core elements of spoken english so that they can be easily understood by others. it can be said that the main concern in teaching pronunciation is intelligibility. clearly, some pronunciation features are more important than others. pronouncing the word ‘water’ with /wɔ:tə/ or /wɑdər/ may not cause a lack of intelligibility and it is less significant rather than stressing words and phrases inappropriately. in the case of intelligibility, students may have their own accent or retain their first language accent. they do not have to sound exactly like an american or a british. therefore, speaking english with a native accent, such as indonesian accent is acceptable. although students are allowed to retain their accent when speaking english, they may not be intelligible if they use inappropriate stress in communication. hence, stress is admittedly crucial in spoken english. learners have to be able to put the proper stress in english words. stress is applied in individual words in phrases, and in sentences. shifting it around in a phrase or a sentence causes change emphasis or meaning. all english words will contain one syllable that has primary stress: a syllable that is more prominent than the other syllables in the word (meyer, 2002). in the word ladder, for example, the primary stress lies on the first syllable because of the two syllables in this word, the first syllable is more prominent than the second one. many other variations in stress can be associated with the grammatical structure of the words. english words with more than one syllable mostly have a fixed stress alternation pattern. there are not many rules to show which syllable of a word will be stressed, learners of english usually have to learn the stress alternations of a word along with its meaning, spelling, and pronunciation. meanwhile, in indonesia, stress is considered an unimportant subject to be taught. correspondingly, students of english in indonesia barely perceive english word stress alternation. this misunderstanding of stress can cause vital intelligibility problem. there are previous research related to second language production in accordance with suprasegmental features, one of them is roosman (2010) who investigated the influence of indonesian on the production of dutch word stress. he found that the realization of dutch stressed vowels by the indonesian students is probably influenced by the durational structure of their mother tongue. the indonesian students of dutch realized stressed vowels with more lengthening than the dutch native speakers did. this may be because the length is not a distinctive feature in indonesian; it does not differentiate one vowel from another, as is the case with the lax (short) vowels and their tense (long) counterparts in dutch. the other one is adam (2013). he writes about how prosodic elements have abilities to improve pronunciation in english language learners. he states that second language pronunciation can improve to be near native-like with the implementation of certain criteria, such english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 79 as the utilization of prosodic elements. with the emphasis on meaningful communication and the understanding that speech production is affected by speech perception, there is a need to integrate prosodic with communicative activities providing situations to develop student pronunciation through listening and speaking. this short overview examines such elements. however, research on word stress, more specifically in english word stress by english-l2 speakers especially indonesian students has not been done. thus, this research intend to investigate the influence of indonesian prosodic features on english word stress. the research question proposed is how does the indonesian prosodic feature affect the english word stress? the nature of stress some languages are said to have fixed stress or to be fixed-stress languages. for example, in indonesian and javanese, stress normally found at the last syllable (si’ji, lo’ro, te’lu or sa’tu, du’a, ti’ga). in a general sense, stress is variable in english. if a person still learning english as a new language says ‘beginner instead of be’ginner, those who already know the language consider it a mispronunciation, even though the meaning is probably clear enough. in english, words stress is not fixed – but does that mean that it is not predictable? stress in english is produced by; (1) increased activity of the respiratory muscles, producing loudness, as well as by (2) exaggeration of consonant and vowel properties, such as vowel height and stop aspiration, and (3) exaggeration of pitch so that low pitches are lower and high pitches are higher (ladefoged, 2001). the pitch of a sound itself is an auditory property that enables a listener to place it on a scale going from low to high, without considering its acoustic properties. english is a language with variable stress rather than fixed stress. determining syllable can be difficult. english words with more than one syllable mostly have a fixed stress pattern. there are not many rules to show which syllable of a word will be stressed, learner of english usually has to learn the stress pattern of a word along with its meaning, spelling, and pronunciation. stress also has a function in distinguishing between a noun and a verb or an adjective and an adverb. many other variations in stress can be associated with the grammatical structure of the words. in english morphological derivation word, there are kinds of alternation in stress that can occur. it is not easy to define stress from a listener’s point of view. a stressed syllable is often but not always, louder than an unstressed syllable. roach (1991) added that every syllable is said on some pitch; pitch in speech is closely related to the frequency of vibration of the vocal folds and to the musical notion of low and highpitched notes. it is essentially a perceptual characteristic of speech. it means that if one syllable of our “nonsense word” is said with a pitch that is noticeably different from that of the others, this will have a strong tendency to produce the effect of prominence. for example, if all syllables are said with low pitch except for one said with high pitch, the high-pitched syllable will be heard as stressed and the others as unstressed. method to analyze the stress alternation patterns in ile, the writer randomly chose 20 students from indonesian language education study program of university of pgri yogyakarta. the twenty students came from different background. since they are student-teachers, they should be able to pronounce every single english word correctly and manage to convey the actual meaning in conversation. the object of this research is the highest pitch in each of instrumental words in order to draw the stress patterns produced by the participants. the data were obtained from the recording of participants. the research applies sound wave and pitch diagram. here, the praat software was used to describe the sound of language then converted to sound wave or pitch. there were two steps in collecting the data, firstly, the students are asked to listen to the instruments (5 morphological derivation words). secondly, the students are asked to produce what they exactly heard while the researcher records them one by one. after the listening and recording process is done, the sounds are converted to soundwaves and pitch graphs using praat free software. the soundwaves and pitch graphs are segmented syllable by syllable to analyze the movement of the pitch then the stress pattern can be drawn and seen. results and discussion every word in english has major stress (primary stress) that is stronger than the others. there are several ways to measure the word stress, such as loudness, syllable length, pitch, and vocal rudha widagsa, sri wiyanah, & primasari wahyuni the influence of indonesian prosodic features on english word stress production 80 quality. this research does not use all of these parameters, only the pitch contours will be used as a reference point of word stress. here are the instrumental words and the result of the measurement. table 1. instrumental words primary stress on first syllable phonetic transcription primary stress on second syllable phonetic transcription primary stress on the third syllable phonetic transcription accident /ˈaksɪd(ə)nt/ acceptance /əkˈsɛpt(ə)ns/ afternoon /ɑːftəˈnuːn/ strawberry /ˈstrɔːb(ə)ri/ vanilla /vəˈnɪlə/ absolute /ˈabsəluːt/ seventy /ˈsɛv(ə)nti/ examine /ɪɡˈzamɪn/ seventeen /sɛv(ə)nˈtiːn/ analyse /ˈan(ə)lʌɪz/ analysis /əˈnalɪsɪs/ analytical /anəˈlɪtɪk(ə)l/ diplomat /ˈdɪpləmat/ diplomacy /dɪˈpləʊməsi/ diplomatic /dɪpləˈmatɪk photograph /ˈfəʊtəɡrɑːf/ photography /fəˈtɒɡrəfi/ photographic /ˌfəʊtəˈɡrafɪk/ politic /ˈpɒlɪtɪk/ politician /pɒlɪˈtɪʃ(ə)n/ political /pəˈlɪtɪk(ə)l/ monotone /ˈmɒnətəʊn/ monotony /məˈnɒt(ə)ni/ monotonic /mɒnə(ʊ)ˈtɒnɪk/ yesterday /ˈjɛstədi/ tomorrow /təˈmɒrəʊ/ recommended /ˌrɛkəˈmɛndɪd/ president /ˈprɛzɪd(ə)nt/ policeman /pəˈliːsmən/ guarantee /ɡar(ə)nˈtiː/ salary /ˈsaləri/ employer /ɪmˈplɔɪə/ employee /ɛmplɔɪˈiː/ personal /ˈpəːs(ə)n(ə)l/ repairman /rɪˈpɛːmən/ personel /pəːsəˈnɛl/ translating /transˈleɪt/ translation /transˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ gasoline /ˈɡasəliːn/ elephant /ˈɛlɪf(ə)nt/ gorilla /ɡəˈrɪlə/ kangaroo /ˌkaŋɡəˈruː/ february /ˈfɛbrʊəri/ december /dɪˈsɛmbə/ overlook /əʊvəˈlʊk/ looking at table 1, it is clear that every word in english has specific stress. if the word only consists of one syllable then there is only one primary stress, if the word consists of more than one syllable then there will be major stress (primary stress) and the other syllables have a lower stress level and even none. in this research, the instrumental words consist of three categories of words based on the location of stress, namely the first, second and third syllable. unlike english, indonesian does not have word stress. indonesian speakers generally do not know the position of word stress in english. the following is the result of taking the data of speakers of indonesian in pronouncing the english word. in taking the data, 20 respondents in this research first listen to the word to be pronounced. respondents were asked to listen to native english speakers audiofile then practice the instruments, every instrumental word is inserted in a carrier sentence in order to make it sound more natural. in the data analysis, the recording of the respondents was analyzed by using praat software to find out the highest pitch position. this position is the reference that word stress falls on a particular syllable where the highest pitch is located. figure 1. the illustration of pitch contour measurement english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 81 figure 1 is one example of data retrieval in this research. in figure 1, the dashed vertical red line is the highest pitch marker of the word 'accident'. the highest pitch lies in the final syllable whereas in english the word ‘accident’ is a word with the word stress on the first syllable. further, the results of data recapitulation of all respondents were presented in three tables. the first table (table 2) is a table in which the first syllable gets more stress than the other syllables, the second table (table 3) is the word category with the word stress on the second syllable, and the third table (table 4) is the word instrument that has the stress of the word on the third syllable. table 2. english word stress on first syllable it can be seen from table 2 that less than 50% of respondents say the word instrument with the correct word stress. 57% word stress falls on the third or last syllable. only 24% of respondents put stress on the first syllable. the words ‘elephant’ and ‘translating’ occupy the top position where less than two respondents pronounce correctly. in those two words, most respondents put stress on the third syllable. it can be concluded that more than 75% of respondents put stress words in the wrong position. in indonesian, generally the last syllable gets more emphasis than the other syllables (zanten & goedemans, 2009; zanten & heuven, 1998). in this case, since word stress does not exist in indonesian phonological system, the speakers tend to ignore the existence of word stress in english phonological system. in other words, the production of english word stress by indonesian native speakers was greatly influenced by the prosodic system of indonesian language. apart from this, li, zhang, li, lo, & meng (2010) also mentioned that chinese learners of english produced inappropriate english word stress due to the influence of chinese prosodic features. table 3. english word stress on second syllable words number of responde nts actual data recorde d correct percentage variety of stressed syllables 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th accident 20 20 4 20% 4 7 9 0 0 strawberry 20 20 10 50% 10 0 10 0 0 seventy 20 20 7 35% 7 3 10 0 0 analyse 20 20 2 10% 2 4 14 0 0 diplomat 20 18 7 39% 7 2 9 0 0 photograph 20 20 5 25% 5 8 7 0 0 politic 20 20 5 25% 5 2 13 0 0 monotone 20 20 3 15% 3 2 15 0 0 yesterday 20 20 6 30% 6 5 9 0 0 president 20 20 4 20% 4 3 13 0 0 salary 20 20 7 35% 7 1 12 0 0 personal 20 20 4 20% 4 1 15 0 0 translating 20 20 1 5% 1 1 18 0 0 elephant 20 20 0 0% 0 4 16 0 0 february 20 20 7 35% 7 6 1 6 0 total 72 49 171 6 0 24% 16% 57% 2% 0% words no. of responde nts actual data recorde d correct percentage variety of stressed syllables 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th afternoon 20 20 7 35% 3 10 7 0 0 absolute 20 20 8 40% 5 7 8 0 0 seventeen 20 20 5 25% 10 5 5 0 0 analytical 20 20 6 30% 0 2 6 6 6 diplomatic 20 18 1 5% 7 7 1 3 0 rudha widagsa, sri wiyanah, & primasari wahyuni the influence of indonesian prosodic features on english word stress production 82 table 3 shows that the majority of respondents placed word stress on the third syllable with 39%, while the second position occupied by the first syllable with the percentage of 24%, 19% in the second syllable, and 18% in the fourth syllable. the primary stress is supposed to be in the second syllable. since most indonesian words has primary stress on the last syllable, respondents unconsciously make mistakes by placing the word stress on wrong syllables. table 4. english word stress on third syllable table 4 surprisingly shows a different result in which the highest percentage of word stress fell in the first syllable instead of the last syllable. however, indonesian learners of english still put inappropriate stress. it was supposed to be in the third syllable. in this experiment, only 27% of respondents were correctly put stress on the right syllable. figure 2 shows the total result of the measurement of english word stress produced by indonesian learners. photographic 20 20 1 5% 7 4 1 8 0 political 20 20 4 20% 2 4 4 10 0 monotonic 20 20 4 20% 5 2 4 9 0 recommended 20 20 2 10% 4 4 2 10 0 guarantee 20 20 10 50% 8 2 10 0 0 employee 20 20 7 35% 8 5 7 0 0 personnel 20 19 6 30% 6 7 6 0 0 gasoline 20 20 8 40% 7 5 8 0 0 kangaroo 20 20 5 25% 11 4 5 0 0 overlook 20 20 6 30% 6 8 6 0 0 total 89 76 80 46 6 30% 25% 27% 15% 2% words number of respondent s actual data recorde d correct percentage variety of stressed syllables 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th afternoon 20 20 7 35% 3 10 7 0 0 absolute 20 20 8 40% 5 7 8 0 0 seventeen 20 20 5 25% 10 5 5 0 0 analytical 20 20 6 30% 0 2 6 6 6 diplomatic 20 18 1 5% 7 7 1 3 0 photographic 20 20 1 5% 7 4 1 8 0 political 20 20 4 20% 2 4 4 10 0 monotonic 20 20 4 20% 5 2 4 9 0 recommended 20 20 2 10% 4 4 2 10 0 guarantee 20 20 10 50% 8 2 10 0 0 employee 20 20 7 35% 8 5 7 0 0 personnel 20 19 6 30% 6 7 6 0 0 gasoline 20 20 8 40% 7 5 8 0 0 kangaroo 20 20 5 25% 11 4 5 0 0 overlook 20 20 6 30% 6 8 6 0 0 total 89 76 80 46 6 30% 25% 27% 15% 2% english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 83 chart 1. total result of measurement the graph shows that most respondents did not pay attention to english word stress. the percentage is not higher than 50 percent. the words ‘seventy’ and ‘employee’ occupy the highest number of correct. the word ‘employee’ has similar characteristics with most indonesian words, the primary stress falls on the last syllable. on the contrary, the word ‘seventy’ is also indicated the highest number of correct, yet its stress is on the first syllable. it is because the word ‘seventy’ is more familiar than the word ‘employee’. indonesian learners used the identical word of ‘seventeen’ which has similar primary stress. influence of indonesian prosodic system on english word stress from the findings, it can be seen that the success of indonesian speakers in the production of english word stress was very low in which from 36 words that become the instrument of this research, less than 50% was pronounced correctly. second language acquisition (sla) experts argue that the absence of certain phonological features causes an influence on the production of second language pronunciation (adisasmito-smith, 1999; munson & solomon, 2004; baker, 2005). in addition, zanten & goedemans (2009) also mentioned that the inexistence of prosodic features in the indonesian language affected the production of second language acquisition. the absence of prosody in indonesia causes a negative transfer to learning english since english has prosodic features. english learning in indonesia does not consider pronunciation as an important part. the success of learning english is measured from the results of written exams, such as national examinations, the teachers of english do not pay attention to the feature. furthermore, english is only a subject in schools, it is not used as a tool of communication, the teachers do not even use the language as a medium of instruction in teaching english subject. as a result, pronunciation becomes neglected and it certainly affects the less sensitive english learning outlook with english sounds including the prosodic features in english. the features of a language as prosodic features that differ from one language and other languages can affect the production of each other (mcallister, flege, & piske, 2002). the error of pronunciation of the word stress spoken by the respondents in this research is caused by the influence of the indonesian prosodic system which is different from the english language. indonesian word stress is not a distinguishing feature, while word stress in english is a distinguishing feature (zanten & heuven, 1998). it can be concluded that the factors that most influence the success of native-like pronunciation are knowledge and awareness about prosodic features in learning english both in the traditional classroom and in the online classroom. otlowski (1998) also added that the pronunciation of the second language should be taught by being integrated with prosody, communicatively in order that the learner is able to communicate effectively. rudha widagsa, sri wiyanah, & primasari wahyuni the influence of indonesian prosodic features on english word stress production 84 some efl experts place more emphasis on learning outcomes in native-like areas, while some other efl experts like adams-goertel (2013) emphasized orientation on an understandable approach that develops clear pronunciation styles and easily understood by both native and non-native speakers, native-like is not a primary goal. the “understanding” is also not oriented to the perfection of pronunciation; most of the efl learning cannot achieve this goal. however, word stress is a crucial feature in english, it determines meaning. many identical english words which have various meanings are only distinguished by the word stress. this is due to the prosody. therefore, if english learners do not pay attention to the existing prosodic features in english, it could be a misunderstanding. conclusion from the analysis, it can be concluded that indonesian speakers do not consider the stress of words in english as an important feature in communication. this is because in the phonology system of indonesian, prosodic feature is not a distinctive feature. thus, indonesian speakers are unaware of the importance of such features in the mastery of spoken english. this was proved by the error pronunciation of the word instruments in this research. english learners may retain their indonesian accents when speaking english, but not stress. error production of stress words will cause misunderstandings in communication. english learners in indonesia should be able to put english word stress appropriately since such mistakes can lead to shift and change in meaning. by knowing the production error of speech, the teacher can arrange and develop teaching materials to solve the problem. therefore, efl teachers in indonesia are expected to design and develop proper materials to solve the problem. acknowledgement the author would like to thank the directorate general of higher education, indonesian ministry of research, technology and higher education who in partnership with university pgri yogyakarta funded this article. any of the opinions, findings, statements, and conclusions expressed in this article are solely the responsibilities of the author and do not necessarily expose those of the directorate general of higher education. references adams-goertel, r. (2013). prosodic elements to improve pronunciation in english language learners : a short report. applied research on english language, 2(2), 117–128. adisasmito-smith, n. (1999). influence of javanese vowel patterning on indonesian: an acoustic investigation. in 14th international congress of phonetic sciences (icphs-14), 14, 1109–1112. retrieved from https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.or g/icphs-proceedings/icphs1999/p14_1109.html baker, w. (2005). the interaction of the bilingual’s two phonetic systems: differences in early and late korean-english bilinguals. proceedings of the 4th international symposium on bilingualism, 163–174. harmer, j. (2001). the practice of english language teaching. essex: pearson education limited. hirschfeld, u. (1994). untersuchungenzur phonetischen verständlichkeit deutschlernender. frankfurt/m.: hector. ladefoged, p. (2001). a course in phonetics (4th ed.). texas: harcourt. li, k., zhang, s., li, m., lo, w. k., & meng, h. (2010). detection of intonation in l2 english speech of native mandarin learners. 7th international symposium on chinese spoken language processing, iscslp 2010, 69–74. doi: 10.1109/iscslp.2010.5684846. mcallister, r., flege, j. e., & piske, t. (2002). the influence of l1 on the acquisition of swedish quantity by native speakers of spanish, english and estonian. journal of phonetics, 30(2), 229– 258. doi: 10.1006/jpho.2002.0174. munson, b., & solomon, n. p. (2004). the effect of phonological neighborhood density on vowel articulation. journal of speech, language, and hearing research, 47(5), 1048–1058. doi: 10.1044/1092-4388(2004/078). otlowski, m. (1998). pronunciation: what are the expectations'? the internet tesl journal, iv(1). retrieved from: http://iteslj.org/articles/otlowskipronunciation.html. roach, p. (1991). english phonetics and phonology: a practical course. cambridge: cambridge university press. zanten, e. v., & goedemans, r. (2009). prominence in indonesian stress, phrases, and boundaries. wacana, 11(2), 197–225. zanten, e. v., & heuven, v. j. v. (1998). word stress in indonesian: its communicative relevance. nusa, 53, 1-20. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 101 developing e-learning based local-folklores for eighth graders sopian english language education, faculty of training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: sopian80.s8@gmail.com rita inderawati (corresponding author) english language education, faculty of training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id ismail petrus english language education, faculty of training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: ismailpetrus@yahoo.com apa citation: sopian, s., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2019). developing e-learning based local-folklores for eighth graders. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 100-112. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.1813. received: 24-09-2019 accepted: 21-11-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: the aim of this study was to develop e-learning based local-folklores application. this study was conducted based on addie (analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation) development research design. the formative evaluation was done through one to one evaluation, small group evaluation and field trial. the subjects of this study was eighth graders at one of junior high school in indonesia. there were three students involved in one to one evaluation, nine students in small group evaluation and a real class in a field trial. the validity was reviewed by expert of content, expert of instructional design and expert of developing e-learning based local-folklores. the mean validity score of the developed product was 3,67 which was categorized as very highly valid level. the practicality was conducted in one to one evaluation and small group evaluation. the practicality of one to one was 3,40 which was at very highly practical level and the practicality in small group evaluation was 3,58 which was at very highly practical level. the reading test material was categorized as effective. it showed that there were 19 students (76,93%) out of 26 students in reading test exceeded mmc (minimum mastery criterion) which was 75. keywords: e-learning; local-folklores; addie model. introduction reading is mainly considered as an essential element of language aptitude and the assessment of reading performance is generally used to assess linguistic ability. in english instructing, particularly reading skill in indonesia has been considered as one of the principle english language abilities that ought to be mastered by students. in accordance with this, sadeghi, kasim, tan, and abdullah (2012) express that until now, reading comprehension is one of the unmistakable parts in second language tests and examinations and it assumes a fundamental role in the educational and professional of numerous students since reading plays a role as an incredible source of knowledge on the other hand, students who do not like reading are in accordance students' reading ability in indonesia. reading literacy in indonesia is known at unsatisfactory level. pisa – a program conducted by organization for economic cooperation and development (oecd) which tests basic reasoning in math, science and reading to 15-year-old students in 65 countries, regardless of grade, achievement, and socioeconomic status–reported some unsatisfactory results of indonesian adolescents’ reading literacy. in 2009, indonesia was positioned in the 57th out of 65 countries with mean score 402 compared with oecd mean which was 493 (oecd, 2010). indonesia, then, was ranked in the 60th out of 65 countries participating in pisa 2012 with mean score 396 while the oecd mean was 496 (oecd, 2013). the data clearly revealed that adolescents’ reading literacy in indonesia is still poor contrasted with those of different countries. the skill of reading is available the 2013 curriculum, the eighth graders of junior high school are going to learn some english texts which include a report, recount, and narrative which have to be mastered by them. herlina sopian, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus developing e-learning based local-folklores for eighth graders 102 (2012) state that narrative text has a social function to amuse, entertain, and deal with the actual and vicarious experience. it focuses on specific and usually individualized participants. this is in line with the reality in the field, most of junior high school students have difficulties in learning narrative text. difficulties faced by students among of them is to understand the language features contained in the narrative text. in general, reading material in school uses textbooks while technological developments are very rapid, especially in industry 4.0. in the industrial era 4.0, the use of technology plays a role in education in the learning process. considering on the textbooks problems, the researcher integrates textbooks with technology in the learning process. one part of technology is ict (information and communication technologies). ict can be as one of the solutions to solve the problems. these developments have probably had an impact on teachers, students, and schools particularly school curricula, including the teaching and learning process. in line with these advancements, more recently many developing countries regarded the use of ict in education as a prominent leverage to accomplish educational transformation (aydin, gurol, & vanderlinde, 2016; cetinkaya, 2017), improve the quality of instruction, overcome a number of critical problems that many educational systems face in the 21st century, such as educational equity and students’ obtainment of 21st century ability (celik & kahyaoglu, 2007). today the utilization of information and communication technology (ict) in learning is developing. one of them, namely internet assisted learning through e-learning. e-learning is the premise and consistent outcome of the advancement of data innovation and correspondence. ict–based learning media designed in the form of e-learning based localfolklores. e-learning can be seen as an innovative approach for delivering well-designed, learnercentered, and facilitated learning environment to anyone, anyplace, anytime by utilizing the attributes and resources of various digital technologies along with other forms of learning materials suited for open, flexible and distributed learning environment (khan, 2005). by utilizing e-learning, students can access various subject areas in one website address. another advantage in using e-learning is that students can learn independently because the material and assignments are available on the web so they can download the material and send assignments and can see the feedback given by the instructor (teacher). e-learning is a learning media. e-learning is a tool in narrative text material about local folklore. the local folklore planned based e-learning is gainful not only to entertain but also, to show students in an alternate manner. it offers a fun and important educating and learning knowledge. however, making e-learning based local folklore which changes over a text material to become local folklore isn't as straightforward as illustration pictures. planning e-learning based local folklores for instructing and adapting needs some fundamental procedures and standards. as time passes by, e-learning based local folklores is likewise utilized as one of the media in educating. designing local folklores as a valuable material to comprehend about narrative text. numerous researches have been conducted regarding teaching by utilizing narrative text such as folklore, comic, picture story, and movie, as the teaching aid. the studies demonstrate some inspirational demeanors toward students’ performance in language learning, especially in their structure ability (mina & putranti, 2015, p. 116). in this research, e-learning based localfolklores is very attractive for them. indonesian government gives a big chance for local content to be integrated on various school subjects either in the curriculum of primary (basic) or in secondary education (dharma, 2008). national resource governance institute (2015, p. 1) states, “local content is the value that an extraction project brings to the local, regional or national economy beyond the resource revenues. the researcher used palembang local content in the form of palembang folklores. the example of folklores like the legend of kemaro island, the bitter tongue, and origins name of palembang. researcher uses supplementary book entitled “dongeng 3d nusantara: legenda pulau kemaro” (dian, 2018) and “seri cerita rakyat 34 provinsi: si pahit lidah” (hu, 2018) published by bhuana ilmu populer kelompok gramedia and “bahasa inggris: when english ring’s a bell” for eighth graders used books from the government as a compulsory book in 2013 curriculum revision 2017 (wachidah, asep, diyantari & yuli, 2017). as the common structure of narrative shows that this story has the opening which shows the setting and introduces the characters. the researcher tried to develop local-folklores based e-learning by using local folklores from english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 103 south sumatera for the eighth graders to (1) preserve the local culture of south sumatera; (2) introduce students’ local folklores in form of narrative text; (3) grow students’ sense of belonging and confidence for sharing about their surroundings. therefore, the researcher used south sumatera local folklores. they are the legend of kemaro island, the bitter tongue, and the origins name of palembang. as the basic structure of narrative demonstrates that this story has the opening which shows the setting and presents the characters. the research for eighth graders were chosen as the targeted subject because narrative texts have to be taught in grade eighth based on curriculum 2013. local-folklores based elearning designed in this study was a combination of texts, pictures, audio, and animation created by using computer programs such as html 5, css 3, php, mysql, and javascript. winarno, et al. (2015, p. 27) html is a language for displaying content on the web.html itself is a free programming language which means it is not owned by anyone, its development is done by many people in many countries and it can be said a language that developed together equally globally. html uses two kinds of file extensions: .htm and .html (saputra, 2012, p. 1). according to saputra (2012, p. 27), css is a web programming language that is designed specifically to control and build various components in the web so that the web look more neat, structured and uniform. according to arief (2011, p.43), php (php: hypertext preprocessor) is a server-side scripting language that integrates with html to create dynamic web pages. php is a programming language, in making a website or web-based applications, not just php code that we need, but we will also use html code to design the display, which set the text, tables and also create a form (nugroho, 2013, p.155). mysql is one type of database server that is very popular and widely used to build web applications using the database as the source and data management (arief 2011, p.151). according to sidik (2011, p.1-2), most javascript programs are embedded into web pages, so the web page becomes an application running inside a web browser. there were some previous related studies about the research. the first was a study done by yaumi (2012) who tried to develop an ict-based which was used in english for specific purposes program. in her study, the sixth-semester undergraduate students of english education study program, uin alauddin, makasar were involved as the subjects of the study and ictbased materials was developed ict-based materials was more effective compared to the use of printed materials. wulanjani (2012) also conducted another development study in which she developed an interactive multimedia cd for enhancing the fifth grade students’ listening comprehension. asih (2013) found that (1) the developed materials, reading interactive multimedia, were considered appropriate to be implemented to the students based on the results of the assessment both from the content expert and the media expert; and (2) the target needs of the eighth grade students of smp n 1 puring were able to read, understand english text, and master the vocabulary. research conducted by loeas (2011), the implementation of e-learning learning with sandwich patterns raises the joy of learning, fosters high interest or motivation because students can learn independently to master the competencies required in the course. in addition, based on the results of e-learning research through the warsihna (2011) home learning portal, it was found that with the presence of e-learning home learning portals adding to the source of learning for the world of education in indonesia. syafri, zainal and emzir (2018) found need of learning model of introduction to linguistics by using online is done by capturing input from participants of pbi program even semester 2016/2017 who have followed the course of introduction to linguistics by using questionnaire. the difference between the previous studies and my study are that media used e-learning based local-folklores and online system by using the website. so, students can access it using the password and username provided by the researcher. e-learning based local-folklores designed by researcher with video about localfolklores from south sumatera. in addition, elearning based local-folklores is equipped with examples and evaluation to test students' abilities in narrative text. based on the description above, researchers are interested in developing elearning based local-folklores for eighth graders especially in english subjects with narrative text material. method method of the study was development research. the development research method is applied to sopian, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus developing e-learning based local-folklores for eighth graders 104 develop local-folklores based e-learning. according to gay, mills and airasian (2012, p. 17), development research in education is the process of researching students need and then developing products to fulfill those needs. akker (1999, p.10) state formative evaluation holds a prominent place in development research, especially in formative research. he likewise expresses that during advancement processes, the accentuation in criteria for quality usually shifts from validity, to practicality, and effectiveness. validity refers to the extent that the design of the intervention is based on state of the knowledge (content validity) and that the various components of the intervention are consistently linked to each other (construct validity). practically refers to the extent that users (and other experts) consider the intervention as appealing and usable in ‘normal’ conditions. effectiveness refers to the extent that the experiences and outcomes with the intervention are consistent with the intended aims. in developing e-learning based local-folklores, this study uses addie model of instructional design with five phases: 1) analysis, the phase is the foundation in investigating, knowledge, skill, learner needs, instructional goal and learning objectives; 2) design, the phase creates blue print how the draft of instructional can be delivered effectively; 3) development, the phase shows creating and organizing actual material that uses during the instruction; 4) implementation, the phases actual delivery of instructional design and promoting developed instructional design; 5) evaluation, the phase was to measure and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of developed instructional design (mcgriff, 2000; aldoobie, 2015; cheung, 2016). figure 1. design and development stages in addie model this research conducted at one of junior high school in indonesia. the population of this study was the eighth graders consisting of three classes in academic year 2018/2019. the subject of this study was described in table 1. table 1. stage of formative evaluation no staged by formative evaluation number of students description of the students 1 one-to-one evaluation 3 1 student for each category, i.e.: low, medium, and high english proficiency 2 small group evaluation 9 3 students for each category, i.e.: low, medium, and high english proficiency 3 field test 26 all the students in a real class total 38 each stage used different class the subjects of this study were selected based on their english proficiency which are low, medium and high proficiency (dick, carey & carey, 2005). every stage of formative evaluation used a different class with cluster random sampling since there is no purposive students’ distribution. purposive students’ distribution meant school distributed students with high proficiency in one class. their english proficiency was determined based on their teachers’ evaluation. the procedure uses in this development is addie model in instructional design. aldoobie (2015, p. 68) stated addie model is one of the most common models used in the instructional design field a guide to producing an effective design. addie model of instructional design with five phases: analyze, design, develop, implementation and evaluate. in this study, the activities carried out during the three phases were described in figure 2. this research aimed to develop local-folklores based e-learning, which was valid, practical, and had potential effect. therefore, to determine its validity, practicality, and potential effect, instruments used in this study were questionnaires and reading material test. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 105 figure 2. the synthesize of addie’s development procedure questionnaires were given to the experts in expert review and the students in one-to-one and small group evaluation to get information about their opinion and comment after reviewing and using the developed product which in form of likert scale ranging from 1 to 4 which illustrates sa (strongly agree), a (agree), d (disagree) and sd (strongly disagree). the questionnaire is one of the instrument which can be used to elicit stakeholders’, teacher’ and students’ comments (richards, 2005, p.301). the specification of the questionnaire (validation sheets) in expert review (kubiszyn & borich, 1993) was described in table 2, 3, 4 and 5. table 2. specifications of validation sheet of content aspect (s) number(s) of statement the appropriateness of contents with students’ characteristics (currency) 1, 2, 3 the accuracy of the contents 4, 5 the presentation of contents 6, 7 linguistics aspects of the contents 8, 9, 10 exercises and evaluation aspects 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 table 3. specifications of validation sheet of design aspect (s) number(s) of statement the appropriateness between materials and curriculum 1, 2 material presentation 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 the appropriateness of materials with the students’ character 8, 9 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 the appropriateness between exercise and standard competence and learning goals 15 the number of exercises 16, 17 and 18 table 4. specifications of validation sheet of product design aspect (s) number (s) of statement software/application 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 usability 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 table 5. specifications of students’ questionnaire aspect (s) number (s) of statement the appropriateness between materials and students’ characteristic 1, 2 and 3 content presentation 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 exercise aspect 9 10, 11 and 12 attractiveness of content 13, 14, and 15 sopian, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus developing e-learning based local-folklores for eighth graders 106 technique for analyzing data consist of: 1) validity, to know whether the product valid or not, the validation sheets from the expert review related to the content and instructional design of local-folklore based e-learning was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. the data which were collected tabulated and the result of each instrument was calculated and classified based on validity level as follow in table 6. table 6. validity categorization average score category 3.26-4.00 very high 2.51-3.25 high 1.76-2.50 low 1.00-1.75 very low 2) practicality, the material was evaluated in one to one evaluation and small group evaluation to find out whether the product developed was practical. the category of the practicality of materials developed was determined by the result of the questionnaire in one to one evaluation and small group evaluation. all the collected data were analyzed by using tabulation. the category of practicality as in table 7. table 7. practicality categorization average score category 3.26-4.00 very high 2.51-3.25 high 1.76-2.50 low 1.00-1.75 very low 3) potential effect, to find out whether elearning based local-folklores developed had potential effect, the result of students’ reading test was considered to determine of potential effect. the developed materials were classified to be effective if the students had already reached and passed the criterion. the criterion was the minimum mastery criterion (mmc). standard score of english in this school was 75. results and discussion analysis phase document review & existing material analysis three local-folklores were used in developing elearning. the reading level of three localfolklores analysed by using the flesch-kincaid grade level. by using it, the researcher got three results, they were: 1) reading level of the legend of kemaro island were analysed by using flesch-kincaid grade level. the grade level of the legend of kemaro island was 5 and the reading level was easy to read. it meant the folklore was suitable for fourth and fifth graders; 2) reading level of the bitter tongue were analyzed by using flesch-kincaid grade level. the grade level of the bitter tongue was 6 and the reading level was fairly easy to read. it meant the folklore was suitable for fifth and sixth graders; 3) reading level of the origins name of palembang were analyzed by using fleschkincaid grade level. the grade level of the origins name of palembang was 8 and the reading level was fairly difficult to read. it meant the folklore was suitable for seventh and eighth graders. students’ need analysis there were 35 questions and there were 26 students who participated in answering the questionnaires. the outcomes were: (1) students’ reading skill was low but on the opposite side, the students concurred that having capability in reading english texts was very important; (2) students’ interest in reading was low and it was shown by students’ frequency in reading activity was seldom; (3) teacher of english used lecturing teaching method and seldom even never used innovative one; (4) students’ eagerness in reading was high; (5) students’ opinion in easy question was very high; (6) students agreed that reading with media technology was more interesting; (7) students never used e-learning based localfolklores as learning media; (8) students received that reading materials on the website online were difficult to comprehend and were not reasonable to students’ reading level. design and development phase the content of developed e-learning based local-folklores in the design and development phase, there were three local-folklores developed as reading materials in a set of e-learning based localfolklores. the selected narrative texts for reading practice were adjusted to students’ reading localfolklores consist of simulation and evaluation for each local-folklores. then, the question text were tested to the website (www.animatedlocalfolklore.com). e-learning based local-folklores in this phase, the developed e-learning based local-folklores was an online website with wifi access. the admin and user page of developed elearning based local-folklores as follow in figure 3 and figure 4. in developing this product, by using a lot of programmes as coding such as html 5, css3, php, and javascript. besides the coding, the database uses my sql in the database of application. e-learning based local-folklores http://www.webpagefx.com/ english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 107 guiding question was followed the narrative texts. there were three parts of questions in the form of multiple choice, true false, and essay. multiple choice question consists of fifteen questions. the true-false question consists of ten questions. meanwhile, the essay question consists of ten questions. local-folklores based e-learning used the online website by using hosting. the name of hosting is rumah web indonesia. figure 3. admin page figure 4. user page implementation expert validation in validating this product, three experts validated this product in content, instructional design and product design. there were some suggestions which needed to be paid attention were as follow table 8. table 8. suggestions for expert review no expert review judgement suggestion 1 application/ production design if possible, the media is made separately and not included in the test/application test 2 instructional design be sure in your teaching procedure (lesson plan) you follow what scientific approach deals with 3 validation sheet of content good job table 9. recapitulation of expert review (content validity) sopian, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus developing e-learning based local-folklores for eighth graders 108 table 10. recapitulation of expert review (construct validity) table 11. recapitulation of expert review (construct validity) the average score content validity (i.e: english) was 3.86 showed in table 9 which was at very highly valid level. it can be concluded that a set of local-folklores based e-learning was valid in content and categorized as very highly valid level. then, in term of construct validity (i.e.: instructional design), the expert reviewing the product was a lecturer of english education study program with expertise in instructional design including the 2013 curriculum. the average score construct validity (i.e.: instructional design) was 3.67 shown in table 10 which was at very highly valid level. it can be concluded that a set of localfolklores based e-learning was valid in instructional design and categorized as very highly valid level. after reviewing the product design, the expert of local-folklores based e-learning application declared that the product was valid without revision. the obtained score was calculated and interpreted into validity categorization. the average score of the validity of product design was 3.50 showed in table 11 which was at very highly valid level. it can be concluded that a set of local-folklores based e-learning was valid in product design, categorized as very highly valid level and deserve to publish. before validation, the researcher designed prototype 1 (e-learning for user) in figure 5. figure 5 showed e-learning in prototype was very simple without video. the expert explained that if the video could not be seen by students repeatedly only on certain numbers, it is likely that students will have difficulty in doing the test. figure 5. product revision english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 109 figure 6. final prototype revision based on suggestion from the expert, the researcher added the video menu on prototype 2 in figure 6. in figure 6, the researcher added a video menu in e-learning on prototype 2. so, the students could see the video repeatedly before they answered the questions. students watched the video repeatedly. the addition of videos in e-learning aims to facilitate students on the test. level of validation based on the result validity level of the product, it was concluded that in term of content validity, the average score of content validity was 3.85 which was at very highly valid level. then, in term of construct validity, the average score of the construct was 3.67 which was at very highly valid level. the last was product design validity, the average score of local-folklores based elearning application validity was 3.50 was at very highly valid level. to determine the overall validity of content validity, construct validity and product design construct validity, the average score of each validity were used. it was determined that the overall validity was 3.67 which was in a very highly valid level. in conclusion, a set of local-folklores based elearning was valid and categorized as very highly valid level. one to one evaluation the one-to-one evaluation was held on monday, february 25th, in 2019 at one of junior high school in palembang. the time allocation of one to one evaluation was two meetings and every meeting was 80 minutes. based on results, from the total 15 items of the questionnaire, the average score of practicality in one-to-one evaluation from the three students’ score was 3.40 showed table 12 which was at a very highly practical level. it can be concluded that local-folklores based e-learning was practical and categorized as very highly practical level. small group evaluation the small group evaluation was held on wednesday, february 25th, in 2019 at one of junior high school in palembang. time allocation of small group evaluation was two meeting and every meeting was 80 minutes. based on results, from the total 15 items of the questionnaire, the average score of practicality in small group evaluation from the three students’ score was 3.58 showed table 13 sopian, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus developing e-learning based local-folklores for eighth graders 110 which was at a very highly practical level. it could be concluded local-folklores based elearning was practical and categorized as very highly practical level. table 12. result of questionnaire in one-to-one evaluation table 13. result of questionnaire in small group evaluation evaluation/field trial there were 26 students followed the field trial. the field trial in this study was conducted on friday, february 29th, 2019. from the result of reading test material, the developed product was effective. it showed that 19 students (76.93%) out of 26 students in the reading test achieved the minimum mastery criterion was 75. the result of the field trial could be seen in the following figure 7. figure 7. test results the developed product was a set localfolklores based e-learning in relation to narrative text material exactly the local-content of south sumatera for eighth graders. there were some phases that exams to be done in the process of developing reading simulation material and reading evaluation material. the phases were a sequence of addie model: analysis, design and development, implementation and evaluation. in the analysis phase, document review showed that the eighth graders should be able to analyse, understand, capture and represent the values from narrative texts. the core competence and basic competence of narrative demanded students to response narrative texts actively and established students become an active reader. hans and hans (2015, p.65) state a good reader interacts actively with text and good reader strategies are predicting, connecting, inferring, summarizing, analysing and critiquing. it was in line with guiding questions to stimulate and invite students’ response actively about character values inside the text. local-folklores based elearning invited students understanding in appreciating narrative text by using an online website. therefore, students were able to attain learning objectives in capturing and representing values from the narrative text after they actively appreciated the narrative text. in teacher side, it was a chance to teacher to develop reading material by using e-learning. in term of students reading the level analysis, this study portrayed that there were some necessities, lacks and wants. the students’ necessities were having good competence in reading english was important because the national examination questions were predominantly reading texts and students’ ability in appreciating texts was important because english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 111 students should be able to represent values inside the texts orally and in writing. students’ lacks in this study were students reading competence was low, students’ interests in reading were low because learning media wants, students wanted to learn reading english text with innovative ways and to have a guidance strategy to enrich students’ comprehension including english text. the framework of this study was narrowed by students needs analysis and the framework was to fulfill students’ needs in having innovative learning with mobile technology based on students’ characteristic. need analysis should be in line, relevant to the course and satisfying the learners need (nation & macalister, 2010). implementation phase described expert validation, one-to-one evaluation and small group evaluation. in expert validation, the validity of developed local-folklores based e-learning was measured. the validity of the product was very highly valid level. it meant that the developed local-folklores based e-learning were suitable for content, instructional design and product design was proper to reach learning objectives. one-toone evaluation and small group evaluation conducted practicality of developed localfolklores based e-learning as reading practice material. the practicality was a very highly practical level where the local-folklore based elearning was practical to use for students and teacher. the advantages of local-folklore based elearning were practical, efficient and paperless. in the other side, the limitation local-folklores based e-learning application need wifi access to process the online website. the importance of the review process in the evaluation was to ensure the product design was adequately designed (richards, 2005). the last stage was the assessment stage. the potential impact of nearby e-learning based localfolklores was a reading test material was estimated in the assessment stage. the e-learning based local-folklores was effective since the vast majority of the students passed the minimum mastery criterion. duration in conducting the assessment stage was obviously limited since field trial was conducted at once. it indicated data about the potential effect of develop e-learning based local-folklore as a reading test material. “teaching material and tests are high quality, have been carefully selected and developed and regularly reviewed and revised” (richards, 2005, p. 204). it indicated narrative texts with education values accompanied by e-learning based localfolklores guiding questions were able to help students known about local-folklores from south sumatera. ideally, students increasingly comprehended about narrative text. conclusion this study aimed to develop a set of valid, practical and effective e-learning based localfolklores for eighth graders. there were some conclusions written as follows: first, developed the product of e-learning based local-folklores was valid in term of content validity, construct validity and product design validity after reviewed by three experts of english, instructional design and application. the obtained score was (3.85) which was in a very highly valid level. second, the developed product of e-learning based local-folklores was practical after giving the reading material to the students in one to one evaluation with the average score was (3.67) and small group evaluation with the average score was (3.51). the last, developed product of elearning based local-folklores was effective as reading assessment. it was conducted by the result of students’ reading test was (76,93%) covered by the intended learning of the 2013 curriculum. references akker, j. v. d. (1999). principle and method of development research. london. in akker, j. v. d., branch, r. m., gustafson, k., nieveen, n., & plomp, t. (eds.), design approaches and tools in educational and training. dordrecht: kluwer academic publisher. aldoobie, n. (2015). addie model. american international journal of contemporary research, 5(6), 68-72. arief, r. (2011). pemrograman web dinamis menggunakan php dan mysql. yogyakarta: stmik amikom. asih, w. k. (2013). developing interactive learning multimedia to teach reading narrative texts for the 8th grade student of smpn 1 puring. retrieved from http://www.eprints.uny.ac.id/html. celik, h.c., & kahyaoğlu, m. (2007). cluster analysis of elementary candidate teachers’ attitudes toward technology. journal of turkish educational sciences, 5(4), 571-586. cetinkaya, l. (2017). an educational technology tool that developed in the natural flow of life among students: whatsapp. international journal of progressive education, 13(2), 29-47. cheung, l. (2016). using the addie model of instruction design. journal of biomedical education, 1-6. doi: 10.1155/2016/9502572. sopian, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus developing e-learning based local-folklores for eighth graders 112 dharma, a. (2008). indonesian basic education curriculum current content and reform. presented in round table discussion in retrac governing board meeting at institut aminuddin baki, genting highland, malaysia. available at: http://www.ibe.unesco.org/curricula/indonesia/io _befw_2008_eng.pdf. dian, k. (2018). seri cerita rakyat 34 provinsi: si pahit lidah. jakarta: bhuana ilmu populer. dick, w., carey, l., & carey, j. o. (2005). the systematic design of instruction (6th ed.). florida: pearson. hu, l. (2018). dongeng 3d nusantara: legenda pulau kemaro. jakarta: bhuana ilmu populer. herlina. (2012). developing reading narrative text materials for eighth graders of junior high school implemented with character building. english education journal, 2(2), 148-153. khan, b. h. (2005). managing e-learning: design, delivery, implementation, and evaluation. pennsylvania: information science publishing. kubiszyn, t., & borich, g. (1993). educational testing and measurement: classroom application and practice (4th ed.). new york, ny: harper collins college publisher. loeas, s. (2011). pelaksanaan e-learning dengan pola sandwich pada program diii teknik komputer jaringan universitas sriwijaya. jurnal inovasi pendidikan, 1(1), 13-26. mcgriff, s.j. (2000). instructional system design (isd): using addie model. penn state: collect o education. mina, n., & putranti, s. d. (2015). designing picture story as a supplementary material for english structure subject. jurnal dinamika ilmu, 15(1), 116. nation & macalister, j. (2010). language curriculum design. new york, ny: rouletlege. national resource governance institute. (2015). local content strengthening the local economy and workforce. retrieved from https://resourcegovernance.org/sites/default/files/ nrgi_local-content.pdf. nugroho, b. (2013). dasar pemrograman web php – mysql dengan dreamwaver. yogyakarta: gava media. oecd. (2010). pisa 2009 results: what students know and can do: students performance in reading mathematics and science (volume 1). retrieved fromhttp://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/4885 2548.pdf. oecd. (2013). pisa 2012 results: what students know and can do-students performance in reading mathematics and science (volume 1). retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisakeyfindings/pisa2012-results-volume-1.pdf. richards, j. c. (2005). curriculum development in language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. sadeghi, n., kasim, z. m., tan, b. h., & abdullah, f. s. (2012). learning style, personality types and reading comprehension performance. english language teaching, 5(4), 116-123. saputra, a. (2012). php, html5 dan css3. jakarta: jasakom. sidik, b. (2011). javascript. bandung: informatika. syafri, f., zainal, r., & emzir. (2018). e-learning for learners’ comprehension in linguistics: a need analysis. english review: journal of english education, 7(2). wachidah, s., asep, g., diyantari & yuli, r. k. (2017). bahasa inggris: when english ring’s a bell. jakarta: kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. warsihna, j. (2011). e-learning melalui portal rumah belajar. jurnal teknodik, 16(1), 73-84. winarno, et al. (2015). design web responsif dengan html5 dan css3. jakarta: elex media komputindo. wulanjani, a. (2012). developing an interactive multimedia cd for enhancing fifth grade students’ listening comprehension. english education journal, 2(2), 140–146. yaumi, m. (2012). pengembangan bahan ajar english for specific purpose berbasis tik. lentera pendidikan, 15(2), 144–160. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 245 needs analysis of vocational high school textbook to local culture materials and the 21st century competencies rita inderawati language and art education department, faculty of teachers training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id ismail petrus language and art education department, faculty of teachers training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: ismailpetrus@yahoo.com eryansyah language and art education department, faculty of teachers training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: eryansyah@unsri.ac.id meilinda mathematics and science education department, faculty of teachers training and education, university of sriwijaya, indonesia e-mail: meilinda@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa citation: inderawati, r., petrus, i., eryansyah., & meilinda. (2021). needs analysis of vocational high school textbook to local culture materials and the 21st century competencies. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp. 245-252. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4349 received: 21-02-2021 accepted: 23-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction the importance of english in secondary vocational schools in the 21st century must not be overestablished; thus, student learning should be taught in a variety of ways depending on their major or study program. they must be prepared to compete for posts in indonesia or elsewhere after graduation. according to the oecd, the global economic market forces countries to be competitive in terms of goods and services quality. in addition, the oecd (2017) stated that if its abilities are closely aligned with industries' needs, countries may have a competitive edge in industries. the asean economic community (aec), according to aring (2015), exposes countries that participate in the organization to the risk of human resource rivalry by forcing them to develop their skills. this corresponds to one of the most important goals of 21st-century education: the growth of life and career skills. abstract: the needs to know local cultural materials and skills for the future of students in the 21st century motivated researchers to concentrate more on them. in this recent research, an english textbook developed with palembang local culture in mind and reviewed by students considers student needs. in smk negeri 3 palembang, the travel agent competency program had 35 graders who completed a questionnaire with 45 questions. questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect and quantitatively and qualitatively interpret the details. the findings showed: 1) english must be taught through technology to support students; (2) english is essential to students' future careers; (3) no existing english language education materials are included with local palembang culture; and (4) two main reasons for integrating local palembang culture into educational materials were to enhance the knowledge of students. due to the queries, learning resources such as blogs, twitter, video calls, and voice notes became important for the promotion of skills in the 21st century. keywords: needs analysis; textbook; vocational high school; local culture; 21st century competency https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4349 rita inderawati, ismail petrus, eryansyah, & meilinda needs analysis of vocational high school textbook to local culture materials and the 21st century competencies 246 graduates of vocational high schools (vhs) should have skills that will help them succeed in their careers, regulation no. 20 for 2016 according to indonesia's national ministry of education. this means that english is not only treated by the schools as a subject but also as a material awareness skill, based on the students’ study program and the requirements of industry at the high school vocational level. as a result, the aims of teaching english at vhs should be to develop specific skills in students through practical exercises based on their study program, so that they can perform well in the workplace later. the vhs students should have access to materials which are similar to those used in the english for specific purposes (esp) course. according to hussin (2018), one trend in education 4.0 is to take into consideration industrial revolution 4.0’s needs when developing and upgrading the experience of students. curriculum designers will use their feedback to keep the curriculum and its contents informed, meaningful and useful, including their interests, characteristics, and perspectives. as a consequence, when planning, designing, and developing instructional materials, the teacher should promote skills that are suitable for the students' learning needs. according to many kinds of research, developing students’ reading comprehension, extending their awareness, and becoming more aware of their own culture could be achieved by the help of local culture reading materials (elviana, inderawati, & mirizon, 2020; fu, 2018; sopian, inderawati, & petrus, 2019; yousef, chatti, & schroeder, 2014). the majority of english reading materials textbooks, on the other hand, are restricted in terms of students' ethnicity or local culture. on the basis of their findings from three different textbooks, dehbozorgi, amalsaleh, and kafipour (2014) argued that the target population was more influential than the other cultural classes. as a result, it is important to integrate local values into teaching materials. since there are currently no teaching materials containing local culture content, the development of teaching materials containing local culture content is considered necessary (sari, 2016). as a result, creating or designing materials of reading for vhs tour agent students which provided their own local culture in english is critical. one vital thing and most significant step before designing materials is to conduct an assessment of the situation. it was discovered through informal interviews with vocational teachers who studied in the instructional materials writing and evaluation course at universitas sriwijaya's magister program in the faculty of education that most english teachers used government and commercial publishers' textbooks as their primary source of teaching at school. despite the fact that the books' contents are not directly relevant to their research program, they are still considered general. they lacked of unique content, such as culture, that is covered by a content syllabus. as a result, the textbooks used remain generic and devoid of culture, especially local culture. on the basis of the textbooks they use, english teachers acknowledge that further reading opportunities are needed to meet the needs of their students. experts discussed the need for students to learn english more directly in their fields, which led them to develop english teaching materials for vocational school students. numerous needs analysis studies have been conducted in indonesia, many of which are related to esp in terms of syllabus design or materials development for particular levels of education (sularti, dradjati & supriyadi, (2019); mahbub, 2018; rahamdina & sofyan, 2019; ratri & puspita, 2019; sari, 2016; yundayani, et al, 2017). other countries have also undertaken a variety of needs recognition studies (bedoya, et al, 2015; chetsadanuwat, 2018). these findings highlight the value of performing a needs review while developing standards, textbooks, or instructional materials. the needs analysis may explain students' challenges, the expertise or skills required, or the teaching strategies to be used— besides, the findings of the study of needs. the study will be the most relevant thing to consider to fulfil the needs of students. in addition, literacy on reading skill is one of the skills that need to be considered as well as emphasized. students can gain more information to explain their skills, such as being a guide, by reading. then there is the descriptive text that is widely used in english. it was suggested by rajabi and ketabi (2012) that tools for reading locality were able to be supplemented with insightful or descriptive texts, manners, and viewpoints, and genuine human interest texts from literature. additionally, the teacher of english expected to see several supplementary english reading material english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 247 dealing with locality, especially the culture of south sumatra. the following is an extract from article 8 of the southern sumatra provincial regulation no 4 of 2015: (1) participation of the group in the implementation of cultural protection measures is expected. (2) the preceding paragraph's definition of community responsibility shall be prioritized as follows: (a) to contribute to a list of cultural activities in the area; (b) to participate in activities such as learning about regional history and inventorying regional cultural properties; (c) to take part in programs aimed at preserving cultural heritage; (d) to engage in the social interaction and publication of the community's regional cultural values; (e) to engage in activities aimed at facilitating the improvement of the quality of human capital in the field of cultural preservation. local culture materials, in the form of procedure, narrative, and descriptive texts, may intensify the students’ encouragement to learn on the basis of their needs. they will learn and practice student skills related to their field of study and gain a better understanding of the content of their everyday lives. after completing the course, all knowledge and skills related to their local community can be transferred to their workplaces. as a result, it is necessary to develop reading materials that are culturally acceptable for students. this is in line with research that shows that using local culture as a reading material will help students increase their reading comprehension, broaden their knowledge, and gain a better understanding of their culture (deghan & sadighi, 2011; sopian, et al, 2019; elviana, et al; 2020; fu, 2018). accordingly, teachers face many difficulties in promoting student competence and encouraging them to read because of a shortage of opportunities that meet their needs and interests. as a result, students must have access to reading materials that are suitable for their subjects and interests. if the content does not meet the students' standards, the instructor will have to create new material (elviana, et al., 2020; mahbub, 2018; mukundan, et al., 2016). teachers must be able to design, modify, and adapt teaching materials based on teaching and learning objectives and student characteristics, as set out in national education regulation no. 16 of 2007, relating to teachers' professional competence. adapting or altering other items or tools can be used for the development of materials (tomlinson, 1999). by reducing, adding, replacing, modifying, and adding to the importance of the book for each student, curriculum adaptation improves the content to enhance or make it more suitable for certain types of learners. as a result, the authors have attempted to build reading materials for vocational students based on a variety of texts relating to local culture or tourism. students research several aspects of local culture in tourism content subjects that cover local culture and are enriched with 21st-century skills or skills for life. pursuant to regulation no 10 of the indonesian ministry of national education of 2014 and regulation no 5 of the indonesian government of 2017, this research examined a number of topics related to their material subjects and the curriculum, with a focus on the form of culture for preservation. informal interviews were conducted with some students in the travel agent competency program and english teachers at smkn 3 palembang for the purpose of this report. several findings need to be taken into account when teaching and learning english in that grade. first and foremost, english had to be incorporated with the subject matter. this means that the standard of materials written in english will help students in their academic endeavours. second, most english teachers used government-published books and two-course books from private publishers as their primary teaching tools. however, because the course books' content was not specifically applicable to students, they were still considered to be general. there was a lack of cultural materials, particularly from the local area. after that, one of the qualities that needed to be stressed was the ability to learn. to meet the needs of their students, the english teachers confessed that they entailed more reading opportunities. due to a shortage of english reading materials on palembang's local culture, it was proposed that some additional local culture based reading materials be made accessible to suit the students’ needs while remaining compatible with their english skills. before designing local culture english descriptive reading subjects for students of vhs in palembang, it is necessary to carry out a needs analysis study that is specific to students' needs. several similar previous studies have been rita inderawati, ismail petrus, eryansyah, & meilinda needs analysis of vocational high school textbook to local culture materials and the 21st century competencies 248 compared and contrasted in this paper. the study of the student needs analysis was a crucial similarity. the students' level, the focus on english skills, and the depth of the needs assessment were all different from previous studies. the main difference was the inclusion of a specific local population, namely the culture of palembang. tsa, deficiency analysis, psa, and strategy analysis were all used to determine student needs. the need study looked at students' needs as seen by students of the travel agent competency program, english teachers, and other school stakeholders. as a result, this study aimed to clarify the perspectives of students, teachers, and stakeholders on the needs of students in english reading materials based on their cultural context. method a total of 35 research participants took part in this study. there are 45-question questionnaire was given to tenth-grade students at smk 3 palembang's travel agent competency program. the questions were divided into four categories: tsa, deficiency analysis, psa, and strategy analysis with 20 items on the likert scale and 25 items on a multiple-choice scale. issue classifications included tsa, deficiency analysis, psa, and strategy analysis. the discussion was centred on teaching english at vhs, available english reading subjects, and the introduction of palembang culture into english reading subjects. to interpret the information gathered from the questionnaire, the data was evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively. in order to evaluate questionnaire data, the qualitative approach was employed to decipher and clarify the interview data. findings and discussion students' tsa, weakness analysis, psa, and strategy analysis criteria were related to the knowledge gathered from their point of view. this paper's data included the highest proportion of students' answers to each of the questionnaire's questions. target situation analysis (tsa) this section focused on the students' needs, goals, and aspirations in terms of learning english. table 1 shows the information gathered. table 1. the view of the students on tsa no question/ statement percentage 1. the significance of knowing english 69.6 % 2. expectations of learners when it comes to studying english 77.3% 3. the language used by students in their professional lives 83.6% 4. the degree of english proficiency needed for a student's future career. 68.2% the prominent argumentation for studying english was to advance their careers in tomorrow, as seen in table 1. (68.2 %). it was in keeping with the goals of vocational secondary school as seen in the 2013 english curriculum and in the 2016 regulation no 20 of the indonesian ministry of education. the students then needed to be able to communicate fluently in english in the future workplace through oral communication. the majority of them wished to learn english so that they could interact with co-workers or visitors (83.6%). that became the reason why, in order to help their career, their english proficiency had to be advanced (77.3%). table 2. technology based english content no question/ statement percentage 1. english must be taught with technology in the technological era to help me understand what my main tourism services need. 86.7% 2. in the dynamic global economy, countries increasingly need to cope with the characteristics of products and merits that enable me to improve life and professional skills. 83.2% 3. including tourism in the city of palembang in the english language textbook, i automatically learn the local culture through my later work environment. 86.5% 4. in response to demands of the world's financial contest, i need interactive, integrated english training with technologies such as blogs, twitter, video calls and voice notes. 86.6% 5. since english is incorporated into these technologies, the virtual english textbooks is necessary for me. 82.1% 6. the texts i learned included interactive, communicative, critical and artistic practices, in keeping with the needs of the industrial revolution 4.0. 79.2% english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 249 in the 21st century, english must be taught using technology to help students understand what is required according to the students' competence travel agent. countries are increasingly being challenged to compete on the quality of their products and services in today's competitive global economy, which allows the students to develop life and career skills. students will learn about the local culture as a result of their potential use of english if an english textbook includes a section on tourism in palembang. interactive and integrated english learning is needed using technologies such as blogs, youtube, video calls, and voice notes in order to meet the demands of global economic competition. therefore, virtual english textbooks were entailed these technologies due to the integration of english with these technologies. present situation analysis (psa) this section focused on the students' current english proficiency, the resources they had learned, and their local cultural awareness. table 3 shows the data on the students' perceptions of their english proficiency. table 3. the students’ english proficiency no question/ statement percentage 1. the new english level for students 81.5% 2. the students' recent level of comprehension of the reading text 60.3% from the table, it can be identified that almost all students (81.5%) recognized that their current level of english skills was beginner. 60.3% of students, therefore, felt that their current understanding of the reading text was sufficient. deficiency analysis table 4 displays the existing desires and needs of the students in terms of topics or reading suggestions. table 4. students' perspectives on current wants and needs no question/ statement percentage 1. learners want to hear about a specific topic while they're learning to read. 70.3% 2. students' preferred reading feedback. 60.7% 3. topics related to students' general knowledge were integrated into the reading study program. 61.6% 4. including topics for reading that 72.5%% were related to palembang's local culture. according to the results of the survey, 70.3% of students chose to incorporate their own cultural culture in reading materials. it is reasonable to think that the students thought this subject would help them with their studies. it was clear that 60.7% of students wanted tour and travel contexts based textbook. it was discovered that 65.7% of learners felt it was very important to integrate topics related to general knowledge into their reading study program. in addition, they needed information on palembang's local culture. 72.5% of students said it was extremely important, and the remaining students said it was very important. discussion students in the travel agent competency program had to have knowledge related to their study program in order to communicate orally, particularly to tourists. one of them dealt with palembang's history. one of their potential tasks will be to illustrate and show their own local culture to domestic visitors, including those from other countries. reading materials were one way of disseminating information about their local community. according to petrovska (2001), language learning and language learning will benefit from local culture, inspire students to provide familiar perspectives, and prepare students to communicate in foreign languages about their own culture. the main incentive for vhs students to learn english was to help them progress in their careers. this was consistent with the goals of vocational high school as outlined in the 2013 english curriculum and regulation 20 year 2016 of the indonesian national education ministry. the students then needed to be able to communicate fluently in english in the future workplace through oral communication. the majority of them wished to learn english so that they could interact with coworkers and visitors. that became the reason why, in order to help their career, their english proficiency had to be advanced. as a result, smk tourism majors needed to have knowledge of their study program, one of which was about their own local culture, in order to communicate orally, especially with tourists. one of their potential tasks will be to illustrate and show their own local culture to domestic visitors, including those from other rita inderawati, ismail petrus, eryansyah, & meilinda needs analysis of vocational high school textbook to local culture materials and the 21st century competencies 250 countries. reading materials were one way of disseminating information about their local community. additionally, students desired reading materials that contained details about their own neighbourhood. it is fair to believe that the students felt this subject would assist them in their academic endeavours. the majority of the students clearly desired to read texts about tourism. the students believed that integrating topics related to their general knowledge into their reading study program was extremely important. they also needed more knowledge about their local culture. the majority of students gave supportive responses, saying that learning it was crucial. it supports rahamdina, harahap, and sofyan's results (2019), which looked into the english specifications of a tour and travel study program at an smk in bengkulu. cultural tourism was discovered to be one of the most fascinating reading topics for the students. the existing reading materials are expected to help students improve their english proficiency, especially their reading skills, to the level needed to support their future careers, based on the information gathered. conclusion teachers and educators must conduct a need review in order to acquire a wealth of information about their students' needs, interests, academic shortcomings, and preferred learning styles. this type of information can be used to build learning materials that are well-founded. for example, english reading materials for tourism majors should be adapted to their particular requirements. based on the findings of the need report, it is suggested that learning materials be created that integrate the use of technology for learning as well as palembang's local culture, are compatible with students' english proficiency, and aid in their majoring. references aring, m. (2015). asean economic community 2015: enhancing competitiveness and employability through skill development. bangkok: ilo. bedoya, p. a., valencia, l.m., & montoya, j. c. (2015). students’ need analysis in an efl program for university professors. how, 22(2), 11-36. chetsadanuwat, k. (2018). needs of english skills of thai nurses working in international hospitals accredited by jci in bangkok area. learn journal, 1(1), 26-46. dehbozorgi, m., amalsaleh, e., and kafipour r. (2014). exploring cultural content of three prominent efl textbooks in iran (a case study of american english files, top notch, and four corners). acta didactia napocensia, 7(1), pp.69-81. dehghan, f. & sadighi, f. (2011). on the cultural schema and iranian efl learners’ reading performance: a case of local and global items. journal of pan-pacific association of applied linguistics, 15(2), 97-108. elviana, r., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2020). developing interactive multimedia for teaching descriptive texts based on palembang local culture. indonesian efl journal, 6(1), 19-26. fu, w. (2018). read from local to global: a culturebased reading material. advance in social sciences research journal, 5(3), 57-65. hussin, a. a. (2018). education 4.0 made simple: ideas for teaching. international journal of education & literacy studies, 6(3). mahbub, m. a. (2018). english teaching in vocational high school: a need analysis. jeels, 5(2), 229258. maley, a. (2016). principles and procedures in materials development. in m. azarnoosh, m. zeraatpishe, a. faravani, & h.r. kargozari (eds.), issues in materials development (pp. 11-29). boston: sense. mcdonough, j., shaw, c., & masuhara, h. (2013). materials and method in elt: a teacher’s guide. london: wiley-blackwell. ministry of national education. (2016). peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia no.20 tahun 2016 tentang standar kompetensi lulusan pendidikan dasar dan menengah. jakarta: ministry of national mukundan, j., zarifi, a., & kalajahi, s., a., r., (2016). developing reading materials for esl learners. in m. azarnoosh, m. zeraatpishe, a. faravani, & h.r. kargozari (eds.), issues in materials development (pp. 65-73). boston: sense. petrovska, i. (2001). teaching intercultural communication in the global language classroom. 545-553. retrieved from https://www.uklo.edu.mk/filemanager/horizon ti%202019/serija%20a%20br%2023/p40.pdf rahamdina, harahap, a., & sofyan, d. (2019). need analysis of english for tour and travel department of vocational high school in bengkulu city. journal of applied linguistic and literature, 4(1), 1-12. rajabi, s. & ketabi, s. (2012). aspects of cultural elements in prominent english textbooks for efl https://www.uklo.edu.mk/filemanager/horizonti%202019/serija%20a%20br%2023/p40.pdf https://www.uklo.edu.mk/filemanager/horizonti%202019/serija%20a%20br%2023/p40.pdf english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 251 setting. theory and practice in language studies. 2(4), pp. 705-712. ratri, d. p., & puspitasari, i. (2019). need analysis for developing course book for english for elementary school students with local-content values. indonesian journal of english education, 6(1), 1-9. sari, r. a. (2016). teaching english for tourism in bali based on local culture: what do students need? iselt, 4, 221-229. sopian, s., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2019). developing e-learning based local-folklores for eight graders. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 100-112. sularti, drajati, n. a., & supriyadi, s. (2019). students’ need analysis on learning of the english listening skill in vocational high school. english language and literature international conference, 3, 244249. tomlinson, c. a. (1999). educational leadership: mapping a route toward differentiated instruction. personalized learning, 57(1), pp. 12-16. yousef, a. m. f., chatti, m. a., & schroeder, u. (2014). the state of video-based learning: a review and future perspective. international journal on advances in life sciences, 6(4), pp. 122-135. yundayani, a., emzir, e., & rofli, z. (2017). need analysis: the writing skill instructional material context for academic purposes. english review: journal of english education, 6(1). rita inderawati, ismail petrus, eryansyah, & meilinda needs analysis of vocational high school textbook to local culture materials and the 21st century competencies 252 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 59 impacts of classroom’s mobile learning: can smartphone support students’ collaboration? didik rinan sumekto english education department, widya dharma university, indonesia e-mail: didikrinan@unwidha.ac.id riyanto chemistry education department, islamic university of indonesia, indonesia e-mail: 006120101@uii.ac.id avin fadilla hilmi psychology department, gadjah mada university, indonesia e-mail: avinpsi@ugm.ac.id nursya’bani purnama management department, islamic university of indonesia, indonesia e-mail: nursyabanipurnama@yahoo.co.id apa citation: sumekto, d. r., riyanto, r., hilmi, a. f., & purnama, n. (2019). impacts of classroom’s mobile learning: can smartphone support students’ collaboration? english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 59-72. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2146. received: 23-09-2019 accepted: 20-11-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: the trend of facilitating technological devices for students in the classroom still becomes controversial among teachers, whether these devices can be effectively applied or conversely. this study aims at revealing students’ collaboration effectiveness using smartphones. 528 teachers of primary and secondary schools in sleman district, indonesia involved as the respondents. data collection used self-rated questionnaire indicating teachers’ perceptions and was analyzed by descriptive and factor analysis tests. the results confirmed that learning and discussion with peer, comfortableness with learning activity, dynamic learning atmosphere, mutual appreciation when giving feedback, mutual respect with peer, and collective usage encourages a good habit of learning descriptively engaged students’ collaboration effectiveness, whereas one factor, peer’s social relationships with teachers gain better showed its ineffectiveness. further, the principal component sequentially adjudged the position of seven perceived factors with the eigenvalue and the factorial analyses affirmed two rooted components with a total factor of 72.97%, where component 1 gained 67.16% and component 2 gained 5.81%. using smartphones coherently need an exploration and an engagement through the social mechanism to support students’ learning activities. keywords: collaboration; learning effectiveness; smartphones facilitation. introduction recently, efforts of facilitating mobile digital devices as one of the technological-based learning in schools become the considerable concern among media, schools (griffiths & williams, 2018), policy-makers, ngo’s, educator specialists, and teachers to obtain students’ well-being achievements. documented empirically from the early sixties, the new technological developments have inspired and supported the innovative learning cycles. the early generations of mobile phones, so-called by smartphones, facilitate great multimedia and high technology contents to heighten students’ pleasure and encouragement (gheytasia, azizifara & gowhary, 2015). the vogue of smartphones has hugely been worldwide for a few years. this actual establishment indicates smartphones usage and high average expectations among students (kétyi, 2013), as the daily use of smartphones had better contain the benefits, such as ubiquity, portability, interactivity, and teachers’ feedback and comments (kacetl & klímová, 2019). teachers have an important role to engage in students’ mobile learning (pedro, barbosa & santos, 2018) and to follow the existence of smartphones is enormously popular among students (salzer, 2018). however, as one of the communication strategies; the information tools, dispersion, and advancement will widely implicate positive and negative impacts (zinaida & havivi, 2019). mobile technology aims to support any innovative learning strategies on pedagogical mailto:didikrinan@unwidha.ac.id mailto:006120101@uii.ac.id mailto:avinpsi@ugm.ac.id mailto:nursyabanipurnama@yahoo.co.id didik rinan sumekto, riyanto, avin fadilla hilmi, & nursya’bani purnama impacts of classroom’s mobile learning: can smartphone support students’ collaboration? 60 effectiveness (lee, min, oh & shim, 2018). teachers become more amenable to campaign the mobile learning initiatives in their classrooms (farley, murphy, johnson, carter, lane, midgley, hafeez-baig, dekeyser & koronios, 2015), as smartphones attempt to connect students with the contents of social media, recording practical presentations and teachers’ talks, and producing videos for scientific purposes (barnwell, 2016). therefore, mobile technology can be applied in the classroom chiefly and energize the splendid-notso-splendid impacts of smartphones usage (pedro, barbosa & santos, 2018). conversely, the learning advantages with smartphones will be conditionally welldocumented, although some teachers still disincline to facilitate their classes with the technological-based learning (alrasheedi & capretz, 2015). teachers need to think harder modify their mobile-based learning classes, although they are not experts in dealing with smartphones that mostly become a distraction (barnwell, 2016) as citing time pressures as if restricting their mobile learning adoption (crompton, 2013) mainly. heading teachers to the technology-adapted teaching in the classroom refers to the pedagogical practices that can be circumscribed by its functions and lead difficulties for them to modify their persevering faiths and behaviors (sung, chang & liu, 2016). regarding these discrepancies, gheytasia, azizifara and gowhary (2015) took tertiary students’ perceptions of using smartphones, whose the responses are unsatisfactory. most students express negative impacts overbalancing the positive impacts of using smartphones. they also support prohibiting the use of smartphones in classroom. although some students agree there must be a limitation to access smartphones collectively. griffiths and williams (2018) testify evidence that smartphones usage in schools has created students’ well-being in both limited and mixed achievements. smartphones widely distract students’ learning, particularly at the tertiary level. pointedly, smartphones usage can embarrass students’ social interaction. however, smartphones will be encompassed gradually within the existence of school regulations. previous studies addressed students’ engagement in the classroom collaboration in which the use of smartphones supported their class activities. aljaloud, gromik, kwan, and billingsley (2019) proved that smartphones facilitation promoted the progressive teacherstudent and student-student relationships to gain and evaluate the knowledge, although this promotion did not guarantee students’ learning improvement. the collaboration was apparent in students’ knowledge gaps, barriers, sharing, mutual communication among peers to raise interactive learning qualities (bere & rambe, 2019). smartphones operation greatly dealt with students’ collaborative classroom activities which involved social interactions between group members whereas working with regular tasks (chang, chatterjea, goh, theng, lim, sun, razikin, kim & nguyen, 2012). its effectiveness conveyed students’ creativity matters, increased collaboration factors, provided difficulty decrease in learning, strengthened the learning organization, and oriented to problem-solving (sumekto, 2017a). smartphones openly developed knowledge, shared facts, emotions, and expanded peer’s social relationships towards panel discussion, mating and noting peer’s ideas, and other online sources (gatti, brivio & galimberti, 2017). nevertheless, teachers should knowledgeably understand some patterns of technological devices that engaged students’ mobile learning (jin, kim & baumgartner, 2019). however, groups’ working and interconnectedness towards shared objectives of positive interdependence characteristics became pieces of evidence regarding inputs and outputs through the portraits of togetherness among learners. students would be ready for peer's effective communication processes and collective workings hand-in-hand (mckinney & cook, 2018). other studies constructed students' collaboration might apply for classroom-based technological devices. they believed smartphones purposefully guided students’ communication and collaboration to predict the effectiveness of the endogenous aspects towards their creativity, elaborate problem-solving, and meta-cognition (lai & gwang, 2014), and affordability (kukulska-hulme & viberg, 2018). they found that collaboration complied with flexible usage, sustainability, well-timed feedback, socialization, self-reflection, total involvement, inspirational source, and peercoaching. pointedly, smartphones-based application promoted students’ motivation and satisfaction in learning activities, although its application would not guarantee students’ clinical skills and knowledge (lee, min, oh & shim, 2018). https://www.theatlantic.com/author/paul-barnwell/ https://www.theatlantic.com/author/paul-barnwell/ english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 61 this study pursues research questions in terms of classroom’s mobile learning and students’ collaboration effectiveness, as follows: (1) does smartphone facilitation in the classroom engage students’ collaboration? (2) can students’ collaboration become effective learning when using smartphones? as contextualized in the background, this study aims at engaging students' collaboration effectiveness when smartphones are facilitated in the classroom during their learning activities. method this study undertook 528 teachers who still actively served themselves at public and private schools in sleman district, indonesia to be the respondents. the reason for choosing the respondents was empirically undertaken as if they were the role models for the classroombased instruction issues. they were active teachers in 2019/2020 academic enrollment at their schools. as recorded into the database, 57% (n = 301) primary teachers and 43% (n = 227) secondary teachers respectively participated in fulfilling the questionnaire. respondents’ age profile set from 20 to 65 years old, which meant that mean age was 42.5 and standard deviation was 31.819 when the questionnaire is completed using the google form. of 528 respondents participated in this study, .4% (n = 2) teachers had educational background in arabic, 5.8% (n = 31) in indonesian, 6% (n = 32) in english, 2.6% (n = 14) in javanese, 2.3% (n = 12) in counseling, 45% (n = 238) in class teacher, .4% (n = 2) in history, 1.9% (n = 10) in information & communication technology, 2.5% (n = 13) in arts, 5.1% (n = 27) in science, 3.8% (n = 20) in social science, 1.3% (n = 7) in life skills, 7% (n = 37) in mathematics, 5.1% (n = 27) in islamic religion, .4% (n = 2) in christian religion, .1% (n = 1) in hindu religion, 6.3% (n = 33) in physics, sports, and health education, and 4% (n = 20) in civics education. data were collected from the self-rated questionnaire that indicated teachers' perception of facilitating smartphones in the classroom with a 4-likert scale. data were collected through the self-rated questionnaire of teachers’ perception upon students’ collaboration effectiveness determining seven perceived factors. these factors were to align cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient test (cronbach & shavelson, 2004). the factors had the internal consistency results upon teachers’ perception with cronbach’s alpha, as follows: .928 for students' learning and discussion with peer, .926 for students' comfortableness with their learning activity, .926 for students' dynamic learning condition, .927 for mutual appreciation among students when giving them feedback, 9.25 for students' mutual respect with peer, .931 for using collective smartphones encourages a good habit of learning and .935 for peer’s social relationships with teachers gain better. meanwhile, the scale mean ranged from 15.23 to 15.60. overall, the value of alpha gained .938. data analysis used descriptive and factor analysis tests (ary, jacobs & sorensen, 2010), which confirmed the results about principal components analysis of seven perceived factors with the eigenvalue (pallant, 2011) to gain the effectiveness of facilitating smartphones as one of the technological-based devices in the classroom learning. results and discussion first, the effectiveness of learning and discussion with peer referred to the descriptive and frequencies statistics results (table 1 and figure 1). the results were recorded teachers’ perceptions in the following: 78 (14.8%) of students’ learning and discussion with peer were not very effective, 174 (33%) was not effective, 217 (41.1%) was effective, and 59 (11.2%) was very effective if the smartphones were facilitated in the classroom for assisting students' learning activities. the highest score of the effectiveness of learning and discussion with a peer gained 3.00 (m = 2.49; sd = .878; n = 528). the overall effectiveness of learning and discussion with the peer was effective, with 41.1% and put this category in the fifth rank based on teachers’ perception. meanwhile, the score distribution was shown in figure. didik rinan sumekto, riyanto, avin fadilla hilmi, & nursya’bani purnama impacts of classroom’s mobile learning: can smartphone support students’ collaboration? 62 table 1. learning and discussion with peer figure 1. scatter with smooth lines & markers of learning and discussion with peer teachers showed their perception of accommodating students' learning with smartphones in the classroom. undertaken from the results, teachers perceived the effectiveness of students’ learning and discussion with peers was very effective as if the smartphones were facilitated for assisting students' learning activities. these facts are consistent with bere and rambe’s (2019) persistence in which the benefits of allowing the use of smartphones shall be accordingly relevant with the contextual functions of supporting disruptive behaviors. showing participation time and learning strategies can create a substantial role in engaging students’ mutual communication, solving complex problems, and supporting creativity that deal with students’ collaborative learning and higher-order-thinking skills efforts (lai & hwang, 2014). students’ initial collaboration emphasizes and entrusts a number of learning and discussion with peers’ creativity, communicative competence, critical thinking, problem-solving, and autonomy and confidence. these constructive interactions lead to chang, chatterjea, goh, theng, lim, sun, razikin, kim and nguyen’s (2012) findings relating to the benefits of smartphone for students’ collaboration as if these are appropriately best applied to facilitate the learning activities. moreover, sue and chrissi (2015) believed in students’ communication that is naturally conveyed by a two-way process with sharing ideas, thoughts, and experiences in turns that will construct meaningful learning and engage in multi-directional voices and perspectives. second, the effectiveness of students’ comfortableness with their learning activity was established through the statistical descriptive and frequency analyses (table 2 and figure 2). teachers perceived that students’ comfortableness with their learning activity proved in the following: 46 (8.7%) was not very effective, 122 (23.1%) was not effective, 259 (49.1%) was effective and 101 (19.1%) was very effective when teachers facilitated their students to learn with smartphones in the classroom. students’ comfortableness results also confirmed the highest score was 3.00 (m = 2.79; sd = .852; n = 528). the overall effectiveness of students’ comfortableness with their learning activity was effective, with 49.1% and placed in the first rank based on teachers’ perception. meanwhile, the score distribution was shown in figure 2. table 2. students’ comfortableness with their learning activity english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 63 figure 2. scatter with smooth lines & markers of students’ comfortableness with their learning activity students’ comfortableness with learning activity relates to class circumstances whilst the teacher conditionally allows students to use smartphones. the sophisticated use of the technological device may maintain a daily learning habit, in which smartphones challenge the individual efforts and social supports (jin, kim & baumgartner, 2019). this situation possibly becomes more comfortable since the frequency of using smartphones can be controlled by most students (kétyi, 2013) in learning activities. students’ collaboration is conceptually formatted as the learning habit towards groups' respectfulness and collegiality. the collaboration may conditionally share students' existing experiences in authentic and fair ways to increase the learning processes and meaningful outputs (sumekto, 2017b). of the determinants, sung, chang, and liu (2016) trust the suitable applications and software are wellinstalled in smartphones. the impact will be more effective than getting along with the lessons and self-directed study. third, the effectiveness of students’ dynamic learning atmosphere was found through the descriptive and frequencies analyses (table 3 and figure 3).the results showed that 54 (10.2%) students’ dynamic learning atmosphere was not very effective, 144 (27.3%) was not effective, 249 (47.2%) was effective, and81 (15.3%) was very effective if teachers took a decision to allow their students used smartphones in the classroom during classes for learning assistance. the highest score of its effectiveness was 3.00 (m = 2.68; sd = .855; n = 528). the overall analyses could be confidently withdrawn that the effectiveness of students’ dynamic learning atmosphere was effective, with 47.2% and gained the second rank based on teachers’ perception. meanwhile, the score distribution was confirmed in figure 3. table 3. students’ dynamic learning atmosphere figure 3. scatter with smooth lines & markers of students’ dynamic learning atmosphere didik rinan sumekto, riyanto, avin fadilla hilmi, & nursya’bani purnama impacts of classroom’s mobile learning: can smartphone support students’ collaboration? 64 students’ dynamic learning atmosphere comply with the use of smartphones. this takes up with students’ deep collaboration and engagement. dynamically, smartphones are still debatable among students conveying with low and high groups’ abilities. some are possible to perform better than other peers in any learning circumstance (tay, 2016). so, facilitating and integrating smartphones in the classroom are the challenging matter. a teacher needs to integrate the use of smartphones becomes attractive and inspiring class (anshari, almunawar, shahrill, wicaksono & huda, 2017). in this respect, clayton and murphy (2016) provide that smartphones can replace functions of papers, pencils, and textbooks to enhance students’ knowledge and learning experience as well as rapidly become an amused and alternative learning source. meanwhile, admiraal, kester, jansen, jonge, louws, post and lockhorst (2018) emphasize the personalizing learning with smartphones may develop teachers’ convergent and divergent teaching approaches and create students-control advocacy through the surface things of striding, practicing, concluding with a certain limitation directed by the teacher. fourth, the effectiveness of mutual appreciation among students when giving the feedback was summarized through the descriptive and frequencies statistics (table 4 and figure 4). the analyses indicated that 54 (10.2%) students’ mutual appreciation when giving the feedback was not very effective, 144 (27.3%) was not effective, 249 (47.2%) was effective, and 81 (15.3%) was very effective if students were given opportunities to work with their smartphones in the classroom to assist their learning activities. the highest score of the effectiveness of mutual appreciation among students when giving the feedback was 3.00 (m = 2.68; sd = .855; n = 528). this factor attained an effective category with 41.1% and raised the sixth rank based on teachers’ perception. meanwhile, the score distribution was set up in figure 4. table 4. mutual appreciation among students when giving feedback figure 4. scatter with smooth lines & markers of mutual appreciation among students when giving feedback this factor corresponds with mutual appreciation when giving feedback. it addresses social constructivist perspectives in measuring students’ interpersonal learning impacts conveying peer feedback, oral communication performance, and communication. so, smartphones are allowable to facilitate students’ engagement in group discussion assignments and carrying out peer feedback (fang, cassim, hsu & chen, 2018). the collaboration strategy allows for developing the adaptive expertise and deepening an understanding among students when using one-to-one smartphone enhances the scope of discussion and solves problems (masukawa & endo, 2013). students reflect their practical ways with the device and identify opportunities for the collaborative learning as well as express themselves creatively. this english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 65 relevant experience is playful-making on one to another (sue & chrissi, 2015). students share their constructive criticism and are ready to receive any feedback, whilst hard works and mutual respects are prioritized (furrer, skinner & pitzer, 2014). smartphones appropriately supports collaborative learning engagement more active, creates the growth of learning, and provides the significant inputs to encourage students (hashemi & ghasemi, 2011). fifth, the descriptive and frequencies statistics analyses of students’ mutual respect with peer (table 5 and figure 5) were not very effective. this was proved by 62 (11.7%) teachers who perceived this factor and 197 (37.3%) teachers answered that students’ mutual respect with peer was not effective when smartphones are allowed to use during the classes. on the other hand, 220 (41.7%) teachers’ perceived that the effectiveness of students’ mutual respect with peer was effective and 49 (9.3%) was very effective when smartphones are facilitated in students’ learning activities. the analyses also recorded that the highest score of the effectiveness of students’ mutual respect with a peer was 3.00 (m = 2.48; sd = .819; n = 528). however, the effectiveness entirely gained an effective category with 41.7% and took up the fourth rank based on teachers’ perception. meanwhile, the score distribution was indicated in figure 5. table 5. students’ mutual respect with peer figure 5. scatter with smooth lines & markers of students’ mutual respect with peer this factor deals with mutual respect with peers. in the case of enhancing mutual respect with peers, students may control an oral production and accept the corrective feedback heightening the communication skills (fang, cassim, hsu & chen, 2018). smartphones can be an advantageous device for a pair-study approach, collaborating corrective feedback for the subject matters, verifying students about contents misinterpretation, and supporting teachers to modify and adjust the subject matters (salzer, 2018). for example, a teacher can set up an online mind-map that is simultaneously editable to students work collaboratively with peers. in this case, a geography subject can be exemplified on how students can watch the mute imovie animation about the tectonic plate movements, then they work in groups to tape a voice-over to facilitate the imovie (tay, 2016). herein, students’ collaborative learning may gradually indicate the progresses involving enjoyment, social media usage, and learning satisfaction and successes (al-rahmi & zeki, 2017). sixth, the effectiveness of smartphones’ collective usage that encourages a good habit of learning (table 6 and figure 6) shown the result in the following: 51 (9.7) smartphones’ collective usage that encourages a good habit of learning was not very effective and 171 (32.4%) was not effective. but, 242 (45.8%) teachers’ perceived that the effectiveness of smartphones’ didik rinan sumekto, riyanto, avin fadilla hilmi, & nursya’bani purnama impacts of classroom’s mobile learning: can smartphone support students’ collaboration? 66 collective usage that encourages a good habit of learning was effective and 64 (12.1%) was very effective, in condition as if teachers allowed students' to use smartphones to support their learning activity in the classroom. the highest score of the effectiveness of the smart phones’ collective usage that encourages a good habit of learning was 3.00 (m = 2.60; sd = .822; n = 528). the effectiveness of students' mutual respect with peers was effective, with 45.8% and gained the third rank based on teachers’ perception. meanwhile, the score distribution was shown in figure 6. table 6. smartphones’ collective usage that encourages a good habit of learning figure 6. scatter with smooth lines & markers of smartphones’ collective usage that encourages a good habit of learning smartphones’ collective usage encourages a good habit of learning conditionally. it adopts mobile-based learning become prospective students’ learning opportunity. kacetl and klímová (2019) believed that the benefits flow students’ cognitive enlightenment, encouragement to learn both formal and informal settings, autonomy, and confidence, promotion of personalized learning, assistance for slow learners to fulfill their learning objectives. the use of smartphones encompasses a change in students' learning since the interactive mobile device contains the media-rich features. hence, technical and pedagogical elements facilitate teachers and students’ understanding to adapt the high technology device (montrieux, vanderlinde, schellens & de marez, 2015) as part of the effective e-learning innovation (burns & kurtoğlu-hooton, 2016). students’ selfexploration and ideas sharing build an autonomy-supportive context collaboratively (beiswenger & grolnick, 2010) and an appropriate occupation of instruction strategies regarding the interactive online learning (lin, chen & liu, 2017) with the relevant applications (school technology branch of alberta education, 2012). seventh, the effectiveness of peers’ social relationships with teachers that gained better dealt with the descriptive and frequencies statistics as shown in table 7 and figure 7. the results confirmed in the following: 79 (15.0%) teachers perceived the effectiveness of peer’s social relationships with teachers that gained better was not very effective and 205 (38.8%) was not effective. meanwhile, 186 (35.2%) teachers’ perceived the effectiveness of peer’s social relationships with teachers that gained better was effective and 58 (11.0%) was very effective. the highest score of the effectiveness of peer’s social relationships with teachers was 2.00 (m = 2.42; sd = .874; n = 528). therefore, the overall effectiveness was not effective, with 38.8% and proved in seventh rank based on teachers’ perception. meanwhile, the score distribution was shown in figure 7. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 67 table 7. peer’s social relationships with teachers that gain better figure 7. scatter with smooth lines & markers of peer’s social relationships with teachers that gain better peers’ social relationships with teachers gain better when the sophisticated use of the technological device is needed to maintain a daily learning habit either individual efforts or social supports (jin, kim & baumgartner, 2019). in creating peers’ social relationships, a teacher motivated to adopt the factual mobile-integrated education program and to gradually modify the program into students’ personalized program (sung, chang & liu, 2016). meanwhile, students can customize the technology contents complying with a more efficient learning (gheytasia, azizifara & gowhary, 2015). peers’ social relationships can flexibly be accommodated using accessible smartphones (anshari, almunawar, shahrill, wicaksono & huda, 2017) with the right situation for successful learning and teaching, and positive attitudes, where students stay with inclusiveness, appreciation, and enjoyment, and secure (aps group scotland, 2013). relationships create the objectives of building a loveable learning atmosphere (furrer, skinner, & pitzer, 2014) since the relationships and interactions are the point of leading an understanding commitment (pianta, hamre & allen, 2018). alternatively, smartphones will not only bother teachers and peer, but also annoy those who are willing to pay attention (ictech, 2018). in this case, baker, lusk and neuhauser (2012) confirm that nearly half of their respondents trust smartphones usage become harmful to the learning processes. text messaging from smartphones detracts students who are willing learn, blemishing the class session for those who are bothered (tindell & bohlander, 2012). further, jesse (2015) believed that the downside of increased number of using smartphones causes anxiety among students since they tend to have their smartphones with them. a nuisance or inconvenience to other classmates and teachers as this situation shows a lack of participation and teacher-students relationships when sharing personal and academic issues (sánchez, gonzález & martínez, 2013). based on the empirical result, the number of 38.8% shows that peer’s social relationships with teachers that gains better is not effective. furthermore, the analysis corresponded with seven perceived factors influencing in students’ collaboration effectiveness. the significant correlations were r = .743, n = 528, p<.000. the highest level of effectiveness of students’ comfortableness with learning activity associated with the lowest level of peers’ social relationships with teachers. however, the effectiveness of these factors was accordingly positive and significant with p<.01 level for 2-tailed prediction. table 8 showed the pearson correlations coefficients in the following orders: .743, .698, .728, .729, .633 and .595. didik rinan sumekto, riyanto, avin fadilla hilmi, & nursya’bani purnama impacts of classroom’s mobile learning: can smartphone support students’ collaboration? 68 table 8. pearson correlations coefficients among students’ collaboration effectiveness by aligning the coefficients outputs, the independent-samples t-test was next determined to generate primary and secondary teachers’ perception upon students’ collaboration effectiveness that compared a significance difference. there were no primary teachers’ significant difference (m = 2.06, sd = .789) and secondary teachers (m = 2.25, sd = .561; t (.757) = 27, p = .456 using two-tailed). the weightiness of the mean difference was -.193%; cl: -.718 to .331. seven perceived factors referred to the principal components analysis (pca) outputs. before indicating the pca, factor analysis suitability was examined through the correlational matrix that exhibited the existence of obtainable coefficients of .107 above. therefore, the kaiser meyer-olkin gained .612, reaching the entrusted value of .6 or above, whilst bartlett’s sphericity test was significant (p = .000). therefore, factor analysis was appropriate (pallant, 2011). this examination contended with the significance of the statistics and performed the factorability of the correlational matrix. the pca’s outputs inferred the existence of seven factors with the eigenvalue transcending 1, indicating 73%, 7.2%, 5.4%, 4.5%, 4%, 2.9%, and 2.7% of the factors correspondingly (table 10). the scree plot examination defined a bounded part afterward granting seven factors. after that, the scree plot was determinable to decline two axes for an analysis beyond (figure 8) and endorsed by the comparable analysis outputs. moreover, the scree plot demonstrated two axes with the eigenvalue that exceeded the corresponding criterion values for bringing about the accessible size of matrix data [7 factors x 528 primary and secondary teachers] at random. table. 10. total variance explained upon students’ collaboration effectiveness english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 69 figure 8. scree plot of seven perceived factors influencing students’ collaboration effectiveness the factorial analysis continuity extracted two substantial components with a value of 72.97%. this value was derived from component 1 that contributed 67.16%, whilst component 2 resulted in 5.81%. in determining seven perceived factors, the rotated oblimin consecutively reflected the results (table 11). this rotation confirmed the presence of a simple structure conveying component 1 and component 2. the components indicated the number of squared loadings with the factors partially emphasizing on component 1. the exposition of both components was reasonable with the experimental outputs of students’ collaboration effectiveness. herein, component 1 resulted a positive effectiveness, whereas component 2 complied with a negative effectiveness (r = .718) that separately scaled these factors. table 11. pattern & structure matrix for pca with the oblimin rotation of two-component of collaboration effectiveness conclusion the effectiveness of students’ interrelationships between the smartphones facilitation and the collaboration constitutes the potential strategy of learning performance by increasing students' participations. smartphones facilitation support the effectiveness of students' collaboration in the classroom within teachers' supervision. this condition relies on recognizing substantial collaborative learning qualities and integrating the purpose of smartphones facilitation insights. upon teachers' guided use of the smartphone, students’ collaboration effectiveness will continually provide their learning responsibility and maturation. nevertheless, students’ collaboration effectiveness somehow needs an exploration and an engagement through the social constructivism conveying their learning activities. conversely, teachers’ open-minded instructions may be still far-reaching options, carrying most teachers on retaining the conventional didactic approaches, and poorly lacking day-to-day implementable supports from the authorities. this study is also aware of students’ socio-cultural increase for the mobilebased learning implementation. acknowledgments the authors would like to address their gratitude to dewan pendidikan, sleman district, indonesia for financing this research. didik rinan sumekto, riyanto, avin fadilla hilmi, & nursya’bani purnama impacts of classroom’s mobile learning: can smartphone support students’ collaboration? 70 references admiraal, w., kester, l., janssen, c., jonge, m., louws, m., post, l., & lockhorst, d. (2108). personalizing learning with mobile technology in secondary education. in sánchez, i. a., isaias, p., & rodrigues, l. (eds.), proceedings of the 14th international conference mobile learning 2018, lisbon, portugal, 14-16 april 2018 (pp. 62-69). aljaloud, a., gromik, n., kwan, p., & billingsley, w. (2019). saudi undergraduate students’ perceptions of the use of smartphone clicker apps on learning performance. australasian journal of educational technology, 35(1), 8599. doi: 10.14742/ajet.3340. al-rahmi, w. m., & zeki, a. m. (2017). a model of using social media for collaborative learning to enhance learners’ performance on learning. journal of king saud university–computer and information sciences, 29, 526-535. doi: 10.1016/j.jksuci.2016.09.002. alrasheedi, m., & capretz, l. f. (2015). determination of critical success factors affecting mobile learning: a meta-analysis approach. tojet: the turkish online journal of educational technology, 14(2), 41-51. anshari, m., almunawar, m. n., shahrill, m., wicaksono, d. k., & huda, m. (2017). smartphones usage in the classrooms: learning aid or interference? education and information technologies, 22(6), 3063-3079. doi: 10.1007/s10639-017-9572-7. aps group scotland. (2013). better relationships, better learning, better behaviour. retrieved december 13th, 2019, from www.scotland.gov.uk. ary, d., jacobs, l. c., & sorensen, c. k. (2010). introduction to research in education (8th ed.). belmont: wadsworth, cengage learning. baker, w., lusk, e., & neuhauser, k. l. (2012). on the use of cell phones and other electronic devices in the classroom: evidence from a survey of faculty and students. journal of education for business, 87(5), 275-289. doi: 10.1080/08832323.2011.622814. barnwell, p. (2016). do smartphones have a place in the classroom? retrieved december 6th, 2019, from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2 016/04/do-smartphones-have-a-place-in-theclassroom/480231/. beiswenger, k. l., & grolnick, w. s. (2010). interpersonal and intrapersonal factors associated with autonomous motivation in adolescents’ after-school activities. journal of early adolescence, 30(3), 369-394. doi: 10.1177/0272431609333298. bere, a., & rambe, p. (2019). understanding mobile learning using a social embeddedness approach: a case of instant messaging. international journal of education and development using information and communication technology, 15(2), 132-153. burns, a., & kurtoğlu-hooton, n. (2016). using action research to explore technology in language teaching: international perspectives. london: british council. chang, c-. h., chatterjea, k., goh, d. h. -l., theng, y. l., lim, e. -p., sun, a., razikin, k., kim, t. n. q., & nguyen, q. m. (2012). lessons from learner experiences in a field-based inquiry in geography using mobile devices. international research in geographical and environmental education, 21(1), 41-58. doi: 10.1080/10382046.2012.639155. clayton, k., & murphy, a. (2016). smartphone apps in education: students create videos to teach smartphone use as tool for learning. journal of media literacy education, 8(2), 99-109. crompton, h. (2013). the benefits and challenges of mobile learning. learning & leading with technology (september/october), 38-39. cronbach, l. j., & shavelson, r. j. (2004). my current thoughts on coefficient alpha and successor procedures. educational and psychological measurement, 64(3), 391-418. doi: 10.1177/0013164404266386. fang, w-. c., cassim, f. a. k., hsu, c-. n., & chen, n-. s. (2018). effects of reciprocal peer feedback on efl learners’ communication strategy use and oral communication performance. smart learning environments, 5(11), 1-16. doi: 10.1186/s40561-018-0061-2. farley, h., murphy, a., johnson, c., carter, b., lane, m., midgley, w., hafeez-baig, a., dekeyser, s., & koronios, a. (2015). how do students use their mobile devices to support learning? a case study from an australian regional university. journal of interactive media in education, 14(1), 1-13. doi: 10.5334/jime.ar. gatti, f. m., brivio, e., & galimberti, c. (2017). the future is ours too: a training process to enable the learning perception and increase selfefficacy in the use of tablets in the elderly. educational gerontology, 43(4), 209-224. doi: 10.1080/03601277.2017.1279952. gheytasia, m., azizifara, a., & gowhary, h. (2015). the effect of smartphone on the reading comprehension proficiency of iranian efl learners. procedia–social and behavioral sciences, 199, 225230. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.510. griffiths, k., & williams, m. (2018). impact of mobile digital devices in schools. sydney: centre for education statistics and evaluation, new south wales, australia. hashemi, m., & ghasemi, b. (2011). using mobile phones in language learning/teaching. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 15, 2947-2951. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.220. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.3340 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-017-9572-7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-017-9572-7 https://www.theatlantic.com/author/paul-barnwell/ https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/04/do-smartphones-have-a-place-in-the-classroom/480231/ https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/04/do-smartphones-have-a-place-in-the-classroom/480231/ https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/04/do-smartphones-have-a-place-in-the-classroom/480231/ https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431609333298 https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431609333298 http://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2012.639155 http://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2012.639155 https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164404266386 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-018-0061-2 https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.ar https://doi:10.1080/03601277.2017.1279952 https://doi:10.1080/03601277.2017.1279952 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.510 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.510 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.220 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 71 ictech, b. (2018). smartphones and face-to-face interaction: digital cross-talk during encounters in everyday life. symbolic interaction, 42(1), 27-45. doi: 10.1002/symb.406. jesse, g. r. (2015). smartphone and app usage among college students: using smartphones effectively for social and educational needs. 2015 proceedings of the edsig conferenceon information systems and computing education, wilmington, north carolina usa, pp. 1-12. jin, b., kim, j., & baumgartner, l. m. (2019). informal learning of older adults in using mobile devices: a review of the literature. adult education quarterly, 69(2), 120-141. doi: 10.1177/0741713619834726. kacetl, j., & klímová, b. (2019). use of smartphone applications in english language learning: a challenge for foreign language education. education sciences, 9(179), 1-9. doi: 10.3390/educsci9030179. kétyi, a. (2013). using smartphones in language learning – a pilot study to turn call into mall. in bradley, l., & thouësny, s. (eds.), 20 years of eurocall: learning from the past, looking to the future. proceedings of the 2013 eurocall conference, évora, portugal, pp. 129-134. kukulska-hulme, a., & viberg, o. (2018). mobile collaborative language learning: state of the art. british journal of educational technology, 49(2), 207-218. doi: 10.1111/bjet.12580. lai, c-. l., & hwang, g-. j. (2014). effects of mobile learning time on students’ conception of collaboration, communication, complex problem-solving, meta-cognitive awareness, and creativity. international journal of mobile learning and organisation, 8(3/4), 276-291. doi: 10.1504/ijmlo.2014.067029. lee, h., min, h., oh, s., & shim, k. (2018). mobile technology in undergraduate nursing education: a systematic review. healthcare informatics research, 24(2), 97-108. doi: 10.4258/hir.2018.24.2.97. lin, m. -h., chen, h. -c., & liu, k. -s. (2017). a study of the effects of digital learning on learning motivation and learning outcome. eurasia journal of mathematics science and technology education, 13(7), 3553-3564. doi: 10.12973/eurasia.2017.00744a. masukawa, h., & endo, i. (2013). designing collaborative learning activity for the abstract knowledge creation. in choy, d. et al. (eds.), work-in-progress poster proceedings of the 21st international conference on computers in education. asia-pacific society for computers in education. bali, 18-22 november 2013, indonesia, pp. 6-8. mckinney, p., & cook, c. (2018). student conceptions of group work: visual research into lis student group work using the draw-andwrite technique. journal of education for library and information science, 59(4), 206227. doi: 10.3138/jelis.59.4.2018-0011. montrieux, h., vanderlinde, r, schellens, t., de marez, l. (2015). teaching and learning with mobile technology: a qualitative explorative study about the introduction of tablet devices in secondary education. plos one, 10(12), 1-17. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144008. pallant, j. (2011). spss survival manual: a step by step guide to data analysis using spss (4th ed.). new south wales: allen & unwin. pedro, l. f. m. g., barbosa. c. m. m. o., & santos, c. m. n. (2018). a critical review of mobile learning integration in formal educational contexts. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 15(10), 1-15. doi: 10.1186/s41239-018-0091-4. pianta, r. c., hamre, b. k., & allen, j. p. (2012). teacher-student relationships and engagement: conceptualizing, measuring, and improving the capacity of classroom interactions. in christenson, s. l et al. (eds.), handbook of research on student engagement. springer science+business media, llc, pp. 365-386. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4614-2018-7_17. salzer, r. (2018). smartphones as audience response systems for lectures and seminars. analytical and bioanalytical chemistry, 410(3), 16091613. doi: 10.1007/s00216-017-0794-8. sánchez, c. a. g., gonzález, b. s. g., & martínez, c. j. l. (2013). the impact of teacher-student relationships on efl learning. how: a colombian journal for teachers of english, 20(1), 116-129. school technology branch of alberta education. (2012). bring your own device: a guide for schools. retrieved november 23rd, 2019, from http://education.alberta.ca/admin/technology/res earch.aspx. sue, b., & chrissi, n. (2015). byod4l: learning to use own smart devices for learning and teaching through the 5c framework. in andrew, m (ed.), smart learning: teaching and learning with smartphones and tablets in post-compulsory education. melsig, sheffield hallam university, pp. 108-127. sumekto, d. r. (2017a). the effectiveness of preservice english teachers’ collaborative genrebased writing feedback. lingua cultura, 11(1), 31-38. doi: 10.21512/lc.v11i1.1595. sumekto, d. r. (2017b). pre-service english teachers’ collaborative learning experience as reflected in genre-based writing. selected papers: the 15th asia tefl & 64th teflin international conference. yogyakarta: uny press. retrieved december 1, 2019, from https://osf.io/preprints/inarxiv/7pwms/. sung, y-. t., chang, k-. e., & liu, t-. c. (2016).the effects of integrating mobile devices with https://doi.org/10.1002/symb.406 https://doi.org/10.1177/0741713619834726 https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9030179 https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9030179 https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12580 https://doi.org/10.1504/ijmlo.2014.067029 https://doi.org/10.4258/hir.2018.24.2.97 https://doi.org/10.4258/hir.2018.24.2.97 https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.00744a https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.00744a https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis.59.4.2018-0011 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0144008 https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-018-0091-4 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2018-7_17 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-017-0794-8 http://education.alberta.ca/admin/technology/research.aspx http://education.alberta.ca/admin/technology/research.aspx https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v11i1.1595 https://osf.io/preprints/inarxiv/7pwms/ didik rinan sumekto, riyanto, avin fadilla hilmi, & nursya’bani purnama impacts of classroom’s mobile learning: can smartphone support students’ collaboration? 72 teaching and learning on students’ learning performance: a meta-analysis and research synthesis. computers & education, 94, 252275. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2015.11.008. tay, h. y. (2016). longitudinal study on impact of ipad use on teaching and learning. cogent education, 3, 1-22. doi: 10.1080/2331186x.2015.1127308. tindell, d. r., & bohlander, r. w. (2012). the use and abuse of cell phones and text messaging in the classroom: a survey of college students. college teaching, 60(1), 1-9. doi: 10.1080/87567555.2011.604802. zinaida, r. s., & havivi, s. l. (2019). understanding the communication strategy of women’s rights protection in the digital era through website. jurnal the messenger, 11(2), 244-256. doi: 10.26623/themessenger.v11i2.1194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.11.008 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2015.1127308 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2015.1127308 https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2011.604802 https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2011.604802 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1 yemeni efl students’ perceptions and implementation of computer-assisted language learning sabri thabit saleh ahmed ph.d. scholar in english, s.m.d.m. college, dr. b.a.m. university & efl lecturer, department of english, university of aden email: sabri.thabt.edu.r@aden-univ.net bushra thabit ahmed salem ph.d. scholar in english, s.m.d.m. college, dr. b.a.m. university email: bushraahmed2018@outlook.com sunil v. pawar principal & professor in english, s.m.d.m. college, dr. b.a.m. university email: dr.pawarsunil@redifmail.com apa citation: ahmed, s. t. s., salem, b. t. a. & pawar, s. v. (2020). yemeni efl students’ perceptions and implementation of computer-assisted language learning. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3822 received: 29-06-2020 accepted: 27-09-2020 published:11-12-2020 abstract: this study investigated how yemeni efl students perceive computer-assisted language learning, the extent to which call is implemented in their learning of english in and outside their faculties and the difficulties they encounter when implementing call. data were collected through a questionnaire that targeted 74 yemeni efl students and then analyzed by using spss 21st version. results revealed that the students who participated in this study perceive call positively (overall mean = 4.1144 out of 5) and believe in its effectiveness in developing their language skills and making their efl learning enjoyable and interesting. moreover, female students showed a higher overall positive attitude towards call as compared to their male counterparts and that was reflected in their implementation of call too. a significant correlation was also found between students’ perceptions of call and their computer competence in the favor of those students with higher computer competence while no significant correlation was found in relation to age. the results have also revealed that call’s implementation by many of the participants is still low. unavailability of internet and lack of call tools at their faculty; in addition to students’ lack of computer competence are viewed as the major barriers to call implementation by the yemeni efl students understudy. as per the results, the study recommends yemeni universities to provide call tools and internet for their efl classrooms and libraries and to train students to use technology for english learning purposes. it also recommends yemeni efl students to invest technology at hand for their efl learning. keywords: computer-assisted language learning (call); students’ perceptions; efl learning; aden university; yemeni efl students introduction nowadays, computer technology is used in many aspects of our life and one of these aspects is to assist language learning which is called call. it has an endless range of functionalities that are highly beneficial to language learners as it plays an effective role in developing language skills and enhancing students’ motivation and learning (eslit, 2014; gruba & hinkelman, 2012; ilter, 2009; lee, 2004; levy & stockwell, 2006; motteram, 2010). it is not only important for classroom learning and teaching process but it also helps learners to self-learning as technology and internet have provided learners with several online and offline resources for language learning (ahmed, qasem & pawar, 2020; saud, basri, ramly, abduh, & patak. (2020). call’s successful implementation in foreign language teaching and learning usually depends on three main factors: teachers, students, and schools/university infrastructures. according to teo (2006), students' attitudes towards computers have an influential role not only on the extent to which they accept to use the computer as a tool for their learning but also on their future behaviours towards computers such as using it for further study and vocational purposes. students' attitudes towards computers are considered as “a critical criterion in the evaluation of computer courses and in the development of computer-based curricula” (woodrow, 1991). teachers’ attitudes towards mailto:email:%20sabri.thabt.edu.r@aden-univ.net sabri thabit saleh ahmed, bushra thabit ahmed salem, & sunil v. pawar yemeni efl students’ perceptions and implementation of computer-assisted language learning 2 computer technology are also very important as lam (2000) argued that teachers’ personal beliefs about technology affect their decision in using it. that seems to be true as we do things better when we are interested in it. attitudes of both students and teachers towards technology are the criteria that tell us whether they are ready to implement technology in language learning or not. the term ‘call’ stands for computerassisted language learning that refers to the use of computer technology in language learning and teaching. levy (1997, p.1) has defined ‘call’ as “the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning". egbert (2005) has also defined call as “using computers to support language teaching and learning in some way” (p. 4). these technological applications designed for language learning and teaching are numerous and ranged from traditional drills of the 1960s to recent web-based learning programs, mobile-assisted language learning applications, and online learning such as webinars. such learning tools provide opportunity for learning english from its native speakers and help in linking fl classroom with native speakers. anyway, call implementation and success in language learning and teaching depends on many factors such as learners’ perceptions of call, their computer competence, teachers’ computer competence, school infrastructures, etc. when all these factors are met, call implementation can lead to effective outcomes. there is no doubt that students’ attitudes towards technology as a teaching and learning tool play an important role in its successful implementation. lasagabaster and sierra (2003) have pointed out that learners are viewed as potential contributors to the development of language learning tools. therefore, researchers and educators should take learners’ perceptions in consideration when evaluating any learning tool as such perceptions are considered as an indicator of whether they are ready to use it in their learning or not. liaw, huang, and chen (2007) have also argued that "as individuals' attitudes on e-learning and computer-based learning become more positive, they will have greater behavioral intention to use it". so, such evaluations of students’ perceptions of call as learning tool will help language teachers to predict the effectiveness of using call tools and to cope with the problems and difficulties that they may encounter when implementing it in their classrooms. as far as technology as a learning tool is concerned, there are several studies that have addressed this topic (afshari, ghavifekr, siraj and jing, 2013; al-naqeeb, 2006; arishi, 2012; behroozian & sadeghoghli, 2017; buenoalastuey and lópez pérez, 2014; burrus, 2009; chamundeshwari and evelyn, 2017; garcíapeñalvo & casillas-martin, 2017; holmes, 1998; hsu, 2013; ilter, 2015; lodhi, fatima, ismail, amin, khalid, & siddiqa, 2019; navaz and sameem, 2013; pinto-llorente, sánchez-gómez, garci-penalvo & casillas martin, 2017; saeed and al-zayed, 2018;wiebe & kabata, 2010) and showed positive outcomes but there is still a gap in investigating call in the yemeni context that should be filled. these above-mentioned studies have shown positive attitudes in the part of students towards technology use in their language classrooms and these positive attitudes were somehow reflected in their utilization of technology in their learning as well. however, in some of these studies, there was a gap between students’ positive attitudes towards technology as a learning tool and their actual use of technology in their learning that was justified in some other factors such as students’ lack of computer competence, unavailability of call tools at their hands and teachers’ computer competence, and their attitudes towards technology in teaching. when gender variable was taken into consideration, studies have shown contradictory results. some studies have shown that female students tend to have more positive attitudes towards technology use in their learning than their male counterparts (hashim & mustapha, 2004; sabti & chachan, 2014) while other studies have shown that male students held higher positive attitudes (kay, 2008; lodhi, et. al., 2019; shashaani, 1997). however, it seems that gender does not represent a major variable in measuring students’ attitudes towards call as shown in the majority of the studies related to this area of research. as far as students’ computer competence variable is concerned, studies have shown that students with high computer competence held a higher positive attitude towards computer use in their learning than their low computer competence counterparts (divine, wilson & daubek, 1997; mitra, 1998; saparniene, merkys & saparnis, 2005; teo, 2006). only one study, according to our record, that showed that students’ experience with computer has no effect on their attitudes (kitchakarn, 2015). it seems clear here that those students who have good english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 3 experience with computers usually feel more comfortable to use it while those who are new to computers may feel anxious to use it in learning. call as a tool in language learning and teaching has proved a joyful use and effectiveness in developing students’ english (almekhlafi, 2006; al-shammari, 2007; jabir & omar, 2002; steven, 1991) and was highly recommended for efl classes as it facilitates language learning and enhances learners’ motivation. however, there are still some scholars who found that despite of students’ positive attitudes towards call in english classes, call should not be given priority over other skills (abalhassan, 2002; alkahtani, 2001; alrumaih, 2004). their main concern here was that students still need time to improve their computer skills and that will affect students’ learning of english. this could be a real problem for teachers especially in those contexts where students have no access to technology before joining english programs and teachers have to complete their syllabi within a limited period of time as planned by the educational authorities. therefore, this study hereby emphasizes the importance of setting a computer competence exam for students who want to join the tertiary efl programs in yemeni universities and to make computer competence one of the requirements of joining these programs. this will help teachers and students in coping with technology as a tool for their learning and save their times and efforts. it is for this reason that with applying computer-based language learning in our schools and universities in yemen, we need to know our students' attitudes towards computer-based learning and to correct any negative attitude they have. based on this discussion, this study aimed at achieving the following objectives: to examine yemeni efl learners’ perceptions of call. to investigate the extent to which call is implemented by yemeni efl students in their learning of english. to examine the effect of gender, age, and computer competence on students’ perceptions of call. to investigate the difficulties yemeni efl students encounter in call implementation. the study attempted to achieve these objectives with reference to the efl students of one of the yemeni facilities that utilizes to some extent icts tools in efl teaching. method this study is a descriptive survey that provides quantitative and qualitative results regarding yemeni efl students’ perceptions and implementation of computer-assisted language learning with the reference to the faculty of languages, aden. sample of the study the efl students of the faculty of languages aden were purposively selected as a sample for this study as it is one of the best faculties to implement icts in efl learning. the researchers aimed at targeting all the efl students of this faculty through a questionnaire that was distributed to more than 200 students in the form of hard copies in addition to sharing its google drive link with the students via their whatsapp groups. however, 74 efl students (n=74) responded to the questionnaire. 36 students were male and 38 students were female. their ages ranged between 21–40 years. data collection instruments the data of this study were collected through a questionnaire that was designed by the researchers. some items of the questionnaire were modified from vandewaetere and desmet (2009) to meet the objectives of the study. the questionnaire consists of four sections. the first section dealt with general details about participants such as age, gender, computer competence, etc. (independent variables). the second section consisted of 15 items and dealt with students' perceptions of call and its effectiveness in developing students' language skills and proficiency while the third section comprised 7 items that dealt with students’ implementation of call in and outside classroom and the types of technology programs and activities they utilize in their learning. the questionnaire ends with its fourth section containing open-ended questions that requested students to describe the extent to which call is implemented in their learning of english, technology programs they use in their language learning, and difficulties they encounter when using or trying to use call in their learning. validity of the questionnaire to measure its validity, the questionnaire was sent to five qualified professors in the field of teaching english as a foreign language. they were requested to give their opinions on its validity to achieve the objectives of the study. sabri thabit saleh ahmed, bushra thabit ahmed salem, & sunil v. pawar yemeni efl students’ perceptions and implementation of computer-assisted language learning 4 their comments and recommendations were taken into account in our revision of the last draft of the questionnaire. reliability of the questionnaire the questionnaire was piloted to 20 students of english departments at aden university and found reliable for measuring students’ perceptions of call and its effectiveness in english language learning. cronbach’s alpha was used to measure the internal consistency and the questionnaire was found reliable (r.= 0.780). statistical tools spss 21st version was used to get the frequencies, means, cronbach’s alpha, and anova. results and discussion results, as shown in table 1, reveal that 74 efl students participated in the questionnaire, 36 males and 38 females and their ages range between 21 and 40. 58 participants have computers at home while 16 students have no computer at homes. 60 participants are b.a. students and 14 m.a. students and their experience with computers range between 2 years to 17 years. 6 participants rated their computer skills as excellent, 25 good, 24 average, 12 poor, and 7 very poor. most of the poor and very poor students belong to the 16 students who said that they have no computers at home. table 1. general details about participants variables gender age program do you possess a computer at home? how long is your experience with the computer? how do you rate your competence in the computer? n total no. missing 74 74 74 74 74 0 m = 36 48.6% f = 38 51.4% 21-25yrs =60 26 -30 = 0 31-35 = 12 36-40 = 2 0 b.a.=60 m.a.=14 0 yes = 58 no=16 0 1 5 yrs = 34 6-10 yrs = 28 10 – 15 yrs =10 16 20 yrs = 2 0 very poor= 7 poor = 12 satisfactory=24 good= 25 excellent = 6 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 5 table 2. sudents’ perceptions of call items n mean std. deviation 1 using computer technology in the language classroom makes language learning more enjoyable. 74 4.4595 .55367 2 computer technology helps english language learners to develop their knowledge and skills. 74 4.5135 .60235 3 computer-assisted language learning is more effective than traditional teaching in which teachers explain lessons orally with the help of chalks and boards. 74 3.5676 1.15961 4 students who learn english by using the computer should be more proficient than those learning it through traditional teaching. 74 3.7297 1.11401 5 computer technology helps english as foreign language learners to develop their listening skills. 74 4.3514 .74819 6 computer technology helps english as foreign language learners to develop their speaking skills. 74 3.9595 .92809 7 computer technology helps english as foreign language learners to develop their reading skills. 74 4.0135 1.12862 8 computer technology helps english as foreign language learners to develop their writing skills. 74 3.9189 .78960 9 i am interested in learning english with the help of computer and ict tools. 74 4.2568 .79486 10 with computer technology, a language learner can easily do and submit his/her assignments. 74 4.4865 .60235 11 internet provides english as foreign language learners good and interesting opportunities for language learning. 74 4.3784 .67647 12 i think using computer technology in performing english language exams is better and more effective than using paper and pencil exams. 74 3.5135 1.27401 13 i feel motivated when english language learning is assisted by ict. 74 3.8649 .94106 14 i feel comfortable to use computer in my learning of english inside and outside classroom. 74 4.1622 .72200 15 computer and internet help me to develop my autonomy and self-competence as a learner of english. 74 4.5405 .60112 valid n (listwise) 74 4.1144 table 2 shows that the participants held positive perceptions of computer-assisted language learning as the majority of them agreed and strongly agreed that call makes language classroom more enjoyable and helps them to develop their proficiency in all language skills and competencies. they agreed and strongly agreed that call is more interesting and motivating and makes them comfortable to learn in classroom and outside classroom; it helps them to develop their autonomy and self-learning. such positive attitudes towards call are good predictors for students’ willingness to implement call in their learning and its potential success in promoting their learning. these results are in line with previous researches on call such as ayres (2002), al-shammari (2007), tunçok (2010), and arishi (2012). when students were asked whether call or traditional teaching is more effective in their efl learning, the majority of the participants agreed that call is more effective than traditional teaching and that students learn through call should be more proficient than those learning through traditional methods. however, there are still few participants who disagreed or showed neutral and negative attitudes towards the value of call in comparison to traditional teaching. such negative and neutral attitudes towards call’s effectiveness in comparison to traditional teaching can be explained in terms of their low experience with computer, difficulties sabri thabit saleh ahmed, bushra thabit ahmed salem, & sunil v. pawar yemeni efl students’ perceptions and implementation of computer-assisted language learning 6 they face in using it for learning purpose, in addition to their long-term experience with traditional learning that has become a part of their learning system and mentality. these attitudes should be corrected through providing training for them on how to use icts for english learning and building up their confidence in its implementation in their language learning. majority of the participants have also shown neutral attitudes towards using computers and technology in language exams to replace papers and pencils. these attitudes reflect students' fear of using the computer in exams as they used to conduct their exams via paper and pencil since they started learning. only a few students who have high computer competence have expressed positive attitudes towards using technology in language exams while those poor computer competence students expressed explicitly their negative attitudes toward using computers in language exams. as the majority of students expressed neutral attitudes, not negative, it means that they believe that computer technology is helpful and effective in language exams but they need some technical support to accept adapting it in their context. when comparing students' overall attitudes towards call to some variables such as students' gender, age, and computer competence as shown in the table 3, results revealed that female students held a higher overall positive attitude towards call than male students (pvalue = .007); and higher computer competence students showed higher positive attitude than their poor computer competence counterparts (pvalue = .016). no significant difference found that can be attributed to students’ age (p-value = .583). these results obtained confirm that gender and computer competence have a correlation to students’ perceptions of call. the study also investigated how call is implemented in the yemeni context in and outside classroom and the difficulties students encounter. students’ responses, as shown in table 4, revealed that efl teachers of the faculty understudy sometimes use ict tools in their teaching of english in b.a. classes while call is often implemented to m.a. classes. it seems that there is still a need for encouraging the implementation of call in b.a. and m.a. classes. students’ responses to the open questions showed that lack of icts and language laboratories at the faculty can be one of the factors affecting call implementation in their faculty. they also showed that teachers’ use of icts in their teaching is more limited to powerpoint presentation and listening activities. table 3. students’ overall attitude towards call in relation to their gender, age and computer competence table 4. how often do your teachers use ict tools in your classroom? program n minimum maximum mean std. deviation how often do your teachers use ict tools in your english classes? b.a. 60 1.00 4.00 2.5333 .81233 m.a. 14 3.00 5.00 3.4286 .64621 gender age computer competence male = 3.9815 out of 5 less than 25 = 4.1933 out of 5 poor and v. poor = 3.8982 out of 5 average competence = 4.1833 out of 5 female = 4.2404 out of 5 more than 30 = 4.1048 out of 5 good and excellent = 4.1935 out of 5 p-value (sig.) = .007 .583 .016 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 7 table 5. have you ever subscribed on online english lessons? frequ ency percent valid percent valid no 44 59.5 59.5 yes 30 40.5 40.5 total 74 100.0 100.0 from the table 5, it seems that 44 students have never subscribed on any online lessons while 30 students showed that they subscribed on online lessons. these lessons as shown in their responses to the open questions are youtube channels for teaching english. responses also revealed that among the students who subscribe to online lessons 80% are female students. table 6. how often do you use youtube for english learning purpose? frequ ency percent valid percent valid never 18 24.3 2.7 rarely 24 32.4 32.4 sometimes 22 29.7 29.7 often 8 10.8 24.3 very often 2 2.7 10.8 total 74 100.0 100.0 table 6 shows that 2 students very often use youtube for learning purpose, 8 students often use it, and 22 sometimes use it while 24 students rarely use and 18 students never use. responses revealed that those students who stated that they subscribed on online english lessons often, very often or sometimes use youtube, emphasizes their responses to the previous statement about their subscription on online lessons. it seems that youtube channels are employed by almost half of the participants in their learning of english when they are at home. on the other hand, there is still a high number of students (majority) who rarely use youtube on their learning. this, as shown in students’ responses to open questions, can be explained in terms of the unavailability of internet or its weakness. table 7. how often do you use social media accounts such as (facebook, what's up, email, twitter) for communicating with your classmates/ friends in english? frequ ency percent valid percent valid never 28 37.8 37.8 rarely 8 10.8 10.8 sometimes 19 25.7 25.7 often 10 13.5 13.5 very often 8 10.8 10.8 total 74 100.0 100.0 table 7 shows that 37.8% of the participants often and very often use social media in communicating with their classmates and friends in english while the majority (48.6%) never or rarely use social media for communicating in english. 25.7% of the participants sometimes use social media in their communication in english. table 8. do you participate in any whatsapp group or google classroom where you, your classmates and teachers share knowledge and have discussions? frequ ency percent valid percent valid no 28 37.8 37.8 yes 46 62.2 62.2 total 74 100.0 100.0 table 8 shows that 62.2% of the participants participate in whatsapp groups and google classroom where they and their teachers share knowledge and discussions in english and arabic while 37.8% of the students do not participate in such groups. some students showed that such groups are arabic-medium and their use of english is very rare. table 9. how often do you submit your assignment online? frequ ency percen t valid percent valid never 16 21.6 21.6 rarely 32 43.2 43.2 sometimes 10 13.5 13.5 often 14 18.9 18.9 very often 2 2.7 2.7 total 74 100.0 100.0 table 9 shows that 21.5% of the participants often and very often submit their assignments to their teachers online, 21.6% never use online service to submit their assignments, and 43.2% rarely use it. 13.5% of the participants showed that they sometimes submit their assignment online. most of those students who submit their sabri thabit saleh ahmed, bushra thabit ahmed salem, & sunil v. pawar yemeni efl students’ perceptions and implementation of computer-assisted language learning 8 assignment online are m.a. students. table 10. what is the approximate time do you spend on computer and internet for english language learning purpose? frequ ency perc ent valid percent valid never 2 2.7 2.7 less than 2 hours per week 42 56.8 56.8 3 5 hours per week 26 35.1 35.1 6 10hrs per week 2 2.7 2.7 more than 10hrs per week 2 2.7 2.7 total 74 100.0 100.0 the average time for using computer and internet to learn english seems to be low, as shown in the table 10, 2.7% of the participants never use computer and technology at all, 56.8% (the majority) use it for less than 2 hours per week, 35.1% use it for 3 to 5 hours per week, 2.7% use it for 6 – 10 hours, and only 2.7% who spend more than 10 hrs per week learning from computers and internet. it seems that for most students, computer and internet are not primary sources for learning as they spend only less than two hours per week on computer and internet and this has been supported by their responses to the open questions where they mentioned that due to low speed internet they depend on the hard notes and hard books given to them by their teachers. most of those students who spend more hours on internet and computer are m.a. students as they have assignments for which computer and internet are needed for searching and preparedness. participants were also requested to respond to three open questions regarding what icts they and their teachers use in the classroom, what programs they use for learning english outside classrooms, and the difficulties they face in using icts in and outside classrooms. their responses to the first question showed that m.a. teachers use powerpoint and data show for presenting their lectures while others use board and pens. b.a. students showed that most of their teachers do not use computer in their classroom and only a few teachers who use technology such as computers in presenting their lectures and cds and recorders in teaching listening skill activities. participants also mentioned that there is no complete language laboratory in their faculty as it was collapsed during the war and only few ict tools are available for teaching english right now. as far as call at home is concerned, students’ responses showed that students’ uses of computer and internet for learning english is still at its minimum level as only some students who use computers for learning while the majority only use dictionaries and translating programs. the most used call programs for learning english by the participants are smartphone online and offline dictionaries, translators like google translator, cat, and memoq, and microsoft office word for preparing assignments by m.a. students, google chrome, pdf books, and youtube. m.a. students mentioned that google chrome helps them a lot in getting information about any topic they want to understand while b.a. students rarely get access to google chrome for learning purpose as they usually depend on the notes provided by their teachers. youtube channels for learning english were also used by few students. students have also highlighted some barriers that interrupt their implementation of call in their classes such as unavailability of the internet, lack of ict tools, and lack of computer competence for some students. though most students have computers at home, computers and internet are not used too much in their learning of english due to low internet speed and high internet cost. this study, therefore, suggests the following for implementing call better in the faculty of languages –aden: a. faculty of language should provide icts and internet to its classrooms and library; b. language laboratories should also be equipped with english learning software and hardware materials; c. training and workshops should be conducted in the faculty of language to train students on computer skills and on how to use icts for english language learning purposes. it also recommends efl students of the faculty of language to exploit icts they have at their faculty and homes for their english language learning as that will make their learning more interesting and motivate them to develop their proficiency in english. these recommendations can be applied to all yemeni universities for implementing call in their efl programs. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 9 discussion this study has shown that students of the faculty of language held an overall high positive attitude towards call in their efl learning. this positive attitude towards call goes in line with several studies conducted in other places where english is learned as a foreign or second language (afshari, ghavifekr, siraj & jing, 2013; al-naqeeb, 2006; arishi, 2012; behroozian & sadeghoghli, 2017; bueno-alastuey and lópez pérez, 2014; burrus, 2009; chamundeshwari and evelyn, 2017; holmes, 1998; hsu, 2013; lodhi et al., 2019; ilter, 2015; navaz and sameem, 2013; nugroho & atmojo, 2020; pinto-llorente, sánchez-gómez, garcía-peñalvo, & casillasmartin, 2017; saeed and al-zayed, 2018; wiebe & kabata, 2010). these positive attitudes towards call can be considered as a good sign for call implementation in their learning as call implementation usually depends to a high extent on students’ attitudes towards call. however, having such a high positive attitude does not guarantee successful implementation of call as there are some other factors that might contribute to the matter. the study revealed a contrast between students’ attitudes towards call and their actual uses of call in their learning which can be attributed to some other factors. it has been revealed that a number of students lacks computer competence and this makes call implementation in language learning more difficult as there are some students who cannot deal with technology. another important factor is the lack of internet and technology in their learning environment. this makes call implementation very low and more limited to teachers’ personal interest in using their own technology available at hand in their learning. such variables affecting call implementation in efl classes of the faculty of language were also highlighted in other studies where call was used in efl learning (al-khaldi & al-jabri, 1998; al-naqeeb, 2006; arishi, 2012). though this study showed that both male and female students held high positive attitudes towards call, its results can be used as a support for those studies such as sabti & chachan (2014) whose results showed that female students have a higher positive attitude than their male counterparts. it somehow contrasts with those studies that found out that male students held a higher positive attitude and use computer technology in their language learning rather than their female counterparts (lodhi, et. al., 2019; shashaani, 1993). the study also revealed that the students with higher computer competence tend to have higher positive attitudes than their lower computer competence counterparts. this indicates that those who have good computer competence feel comfortable to learn through call while low computer competence students may feel uncomfortable to learn though call as they may face some difficulties. though many students with low computer competence expressed their high positive attitudes towards call, this study exhibited some correlations between students’ computer competence and the level of their attitudes towards call. this correlation between students’ perceptions of computer technology as a learning tool and their computer competence was also reflected in previous research (divine, wilson & daubek, 1997; mitra, 1998; saparniene, merkys & saparnis, 2005; teo, 2006). the results of this study indicated that call implementation can be effective in the yemen tertiary context as students recognize the significance of technology in their learning. what is left will be the responsibility of the education authorities to provide technology tools and internet to their classrooms and to train students on computer use. conclusion this study surveyed efl students' perceptions of call, their call implementation and barriers. it concluded that the yemeni efl learners studying in this faculty of languages aden held positive attitudes towards call and believe in its significance in developing their language skills and making language learning more motivating and enjoyable. however, it showed that call implementation by those concerned students is still at its minimum level due to many factors such as unavailability of the internet at the faculty, lack of ict tools, lack of training, and the poor internet connection at homes. this study recommends the yemeni universities to provide internet and technology tools to their classrooms, hold training to improve students’ computer competence, and make computer competence one of the requirements for joining english programs of yemeni universities. it seems that students are ready and enthusiastic employ call if such factors are met. sabri thabit saleh ahmed, bushra thabit ahmed salem, & sunil v. pawar yemeni efl students’ perceptions and implementation of computer-assisted language learning 10 references abalhassan, k. m. i. (2002). english as a foreign language instruction with call multimedia in saudi arabian private schools: a multi-case and multi-site study of call instructors' pedagogies and beliefs. indiana university of pennsylvania. afshari, m., ghavifekr, s., siraj, s., & jing, d. (2013). students’ attitudes towards computerassisted language learning. procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 103, 852-859. ahmed, s. t. s. (2018). challenges of english language teaching in yemeni primary and secondary schools. munich, grin verlag,https://www.grin.com/document/44427 1. ahmed, s. t. s. (2019). chat and learn: effectiveness of using whatsapp as a pedagogical tool to enhance efl learners reading and writing skills. international journal of english language and literature studies, 8(2), 6168.doi: 10.18488/journal.23.2019.82.61.68. ahmed, s. t. s. & pawar, s. v. (2018). communicative competence in english as a foreign language: its meaning and the pedagogical considerations for its development. the creative launcher, 2(6), 302-312. ahmed, s. t. s., qasem, b. t., & pawar, s. v. (2020). computer-assisted language instruction in south yemeni context: a study of teachers’ attitudes, ict uses and challenges. international journal of language education, 4(1), 59-73. al-kahtani, s. a. (2001). computer-assisted language learning in efl instruction at selected saudi arabian universities: profiles of faculty. indiana university of pennsylvania. al-khaldi, m. a., & al-jabri, i. m. (1998). the relationship of attitudes to computer utilization: new evidence from a developing nation. computers in human behavior, 14(1), 23-42. almekhlafi, a. g. (2006). the effect of computer assisted language learning (call) on united arab emirates english as a foreign language (efl) school students’ achievement and attitude. journal of interactive learning research, 17(2), 121-142. alnaqeeb, a. m. a. (2006). a study of problems of using the internet in second language learning encountered by 4thlevel ba students at the faculty of education/aden. (unpublished m.a. dissertation submitted to university of aden yemen). alotumi, m. a. (2015). use of call for efl instruction in elte programmes in yemeni universities an impact study. (a ph.d. thesis submitted to the english and foreign languages university, hyderabad). alrumaih, a. a. (2004). multimedia instructional applications for pronunciation instruction in english as a foreign language setting in saudi arabia: a study of attitudes, beliefs, and pedagogies. kansas state university. al shammari, m. h. (2007). saudi english as a foreign language learners' attitudes toward computer-assisted language learning. west virginia university. https://search.proquest.com/openview/ff7cc611 fe84810fa616165ba8b0d3f3/1?pqorigsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y arishi, s. a. (2012). attitudes of students at saudi arabia's industrial colleges toward computerassisted language learning (call). teaching english with technology, 12(1), 38-52. ayres, r. (2002). learner attitudes towards the use of call. computer-assisted language learning, 15(3), 241-249. behroozian, r., &sadeghoghli, h. (2017). a study of students’ attitudes toward using technology in second language learning. journal of applied linguistics and language research, 4(8), 201216. bueno-alastuey, m. c., & lópez pérez, m. v. (2014). evaluation of a blended learning language course: students’ perceptions of appropriateness for the development of skills and language areas. computer assisted language learning, 27(6), 509-527. doi: 10.1080/09588221.2013.770037 burrus, j. (2009). adult esl student perceptions on computer assisted language learning. bachelor thesis submitted to university of nevada, las vegas https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissert ations/162 chamundeshwari, c. and evelyn, s. (2017). engineering students’ perception towards the use of computer assisted language learning. international journal of english language, literature in humanities, 5(8), 409 – 431. divine, r. l., wilson, j. h., & daubek, h. g. (1997). antecedents of student attitudes toward computers. journal of marketing education, 19(2), 54-65. egbert, j. (2005). call essentials. principles and practice in call classrooms. alexandria, va: tesol. eslit, e. (2014). computer assisted language teaching: learning without dust. retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/11536522/compu ter_assisted_language_teaching _learning_without_dust gruba, p., & hinkelman, d. (2012). blending technologies in second language classrooms. palgrave macmillan. https://www.grin.com/document/444271 https://www.grin.com/document/444271 https://search.proquest.com/openview/ff7cc611fe84810fa616165ba8b0d3f3/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y https://search.proquest.com/openview/ff7cc611fe84810fa616165ba8b0d3f3/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y https://search.proquest.com/openview/ff7cc611fe84810fa616165ba8b0d3f3/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2013.770037 https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/162 https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/162 https://www.academia.edu/11536522/computer_assisted_language_teaching%20_learning_without_dust https://www.academia.edu/11536522/computer_assisted_language_teaching%20_learning_without_dust https://www.academia.edu/11536522/computer_assisted_language_teaching%20_learning_without_dust english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 11 hashim, r., & mustapha, w. n. (2004). attitudes toward learning about and working with computers of students at uitm. turkish online journal of educational technologytojet, 3(2), 3-7. holmes, b. (1998). initial perceptions of call by japanese university students. computer assisted language learning, 11(4), 397-409. hsu, l. (2013). english as a foreign language learners’ perception of mobile assisted language learning: a cross-national study. computer assisted language learning, 26(3), 197-213. ilter, b. g. (2009). effect of technology on motivation in efl classrooms. turkish online journal of distance education, 10(4), 136-158. i̇lter, b. g. (2015). how does technology affect language learning process at an early age? procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 199, 311-316. jabir, m., & omar, a. (2002). students’ and teachers’ attitudes toward computers in the schools in southern governorates of jordan. dirasat: educational sciences, 27(2), 312-327. kay, r. (2008). exploring gender differences in computer-related behaviour: past, present, and future. in social information technology: connecting society and cultural issues (pp. 1230). igi global. kitchakarn, o. (2015). efl learners' attitudes towards using computers as a learning tool in language learning. turkish online journal of educational technology-tojet, 14(2), 52-58. lee, l. (2004). learners' perspectives on networked collaborative interaction with native speakers of spanish in the us. language learning & technology, 8(1), 83-100. levy, m. (1997). computer-assisted language learning: context and conceptualization. oxford university press. levy, m., & stockwell, g. (2013). call dimensions: options and issues in computer-assisted language learning. routledge. liaw, s. s., huang, h. m., & chen, g. d. (2007). surveying instructor and learner attitudes toward e-learning. computers & education, 49(4), 1066-1080. lodhi, m. a., fatima, a., ismail, f., amin, n., khalid, f., & siddiqa, a. (2019). attitude of male and female students towards computer assisted language learning at intermediate level. english language teaching, 12(3), 108118. mitra, a. (1998). categories of computer use and their relationships with attitudes toward computers. journal of research on computing in education, 30(3), 281-295. mohammed, h. s. m. (2008). use of computer aided techniques in the teaching of aural-oral skills: a case study of the elt students in hodeidah university (doctoral dissertation, aligarh muslim university). motteram, g., & thomas, m. (2010). afterword: future directions for technology-mediated tasks. task-based language learning and teaching with technology, 218-237. navaz, a. m. m., & sameem, m. a. m. (2013). computer assisted language learning: perception and practice of undergraduate students of south eastern university of sri lanka. nugroho, a., & atmojo, a. e. p. (2020). digital learning of english beyond classroom: efl learners’ perception and teaching activities. journal of english education and linguistics studies, 7(2), 219-243. pinto-llorente, a. m., sánchez-gómez, m. c., garcía-peñalvo, f. j., & casillas martin, s. (2017). students’ perceptions and attitudes towards asynchronous technological tools in blended learning training to improve grammatical competence in english as a second language. computers in human behavior, 72, 632-643. sabti, a. a., & chaichan, r. s. (2014). saudi high school students’ attitudes and barriers toward the use of computer technologies in learning english. springer plus, 3(1), 1-8. saparniene, d., merkys, g., & saparnis, g. (2005). students' attitudes towards computer: statistical types and their relationship with computer literacy. online submission: online submission, paper presented at the european conference on educational research, university college (dublin, ireland, sep 7-10, 2005) https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ed494972.pdf saud, s., basri, m., ramly, abduh, a. & patak, a. a. (2020). using online resources technology for foreign language learning: strategies, impact, and challenges. international journal on advanced science engineering and information, 10(4), 15041511. shashaani, l. (1993). gender-based differences in attitudes toward computers. computers & education, 20(2), 169-181. shashaani, l. (1997). gender differences in computer attitudes and use among college students. journal of educational computing research, 16(1), 37-51. saeed, f. j. a. a., & al-zayed, n. n. (2018). attitudes of jordanian undergraduate students towards using computer assisted language learning (call). international journal of education and literacy studies, 6(1), 12-16. stevens, v. (1991). a study of student attitudes toward call in a self-access student resource centre. system, 19(3), 289-299. teo, t. (2006). attitudes toward computers: a study of post-secondary students in https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ed494972.pdf sabri thabit saleh ahmed, bushra thabit ahmed salem, & sunil v. pawar yemeni efl students’ perceptions and implementation of computer-assisted language learning 12 singapore. interactive learning environments, 14(1), 17-24. doi: 10.1080/10494820600616406. tunçok, b. e. z. e. n. (2010). a case study: students' attitudes towards computer-assisted learning, computer-assisted language learning and foreign language learning. psychology. https://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/ 12612479/index.pdf vandewaetere, m., & desmet, p. (2009). introducing psychometrical validation of questionnaires in call research: the case of measuring attitude towards call. computer assisted language learning, 22(4), 349-380. wiebe, g., & kabata, k. (2010). students' and instructors' attitudes toward the use of call in foreign language teaching and learning. computer assisted language learning, 23(3), 221-234. doi: 10.1080/09588221.2010.486577 woodrow, j. e. (1991). a comparison of four computer attitude scales. journal of educational computing research, 7(2), 165187. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820600616406 https://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/%2012612479/index.pdf https://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/%2012612479/index.pdf https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2010.486577 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 75 online learning perception during covid-19 pandemic viewed from high school students junaedi setiyono english language education, teacher training and education faculty, university of muhammadiyah purworejo, purworejo-central java, indonesia email: junaedisetiyono@yahoo.ac.id semi sukarni english language education, teacher training and education faculty, university of muhammadiyah purworejo, purworejo-central java, indonesia email: semi.sukarni24@gmail.com abdul ngafif english language education, teacher training and education faculty, university of muhammadiyah purworejo, purworejo-central java, indonesia email: abdulngafif@umpwr.ac.id apa citation: setiyono, j., sukarni, s., & ngafif, a. (2021). online learning perception during covid-19 pandemic viewed from high school students. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 75-82. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5356 received: 14-08-2021 accepted: 19-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction the emergence of the covid 19 outbreak has had an impact in various fields, including in the field of education. face-to-face learning held in schools is no longer possible due to physical and social restrictions. learning during a pandemic is turning into online learning. the change in learning from face-to-face to online learning raises new problems from both schools, teachers, students, and parents of students. not all schools are ready with an online management system, not all teachers have the skills by developing online it-based learning, not all students have the readiness to take part in online learning and not all parents can provide support to children in online learning the new practice of online learning certainly makes a lot of differences between the normal condition and this condition during covid-19 that there is no conventional learning. some of the education systems have changed in terms of learning methods, material delivery, duration of online learning, interaction during online learning, the intensity of tasks, attendance list, and online learning media. regardless of region or family economic background, online learning should take place not only in cities but also in villages and rural areas. depending on where online learning takes place and who the students are, these factors may result in different implementations. as a result, students require some of the educational institute's utilities to support this online learning program. in terms of learning methods, how the material is delivered, the duration, the interaction during online learning, the intensity of the tasks on the attendance abstract: the purpose of this study was to investigate sma and smk students' perceptions of online learning. secondly, to examine whether the two schools differ greatly and to describe their perception of online learning based on their perceptions. there were 133 participants, comprising 61 sma students and 72 smk students. the data was collected using likert scale questionnaires and an interview. to analyze the data, the authors carried out descriptive and inferential analyzes of the quantitative data, while a qualitative thematic analysis was used. the finding of the study shows that there was a significant difference in the perception of online learning between sma and smk students. the high perception was obtained from sma students, while medium perception was showed by smk students. based on the thematic analysis, it showed that smk students encountered more difficulties in attending online learning classes compared with sma students. keywords: online learning; perception; sma; smk; students junaedi setiyono, semi sukarni, abdul ngafif online learning perception during covid-19 pandemic viewed from high school students 76 list, and the media used, online learning is vastly different from traditional learning. with these distinctions, there are numerous perspectives on online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. students may be eager to participate in online learning, or they may not be. is there a positive or negative perception of online learning among students? the questions piqued the researchers’ interest, prompting them to conduct this reassessment. this study aims to identify students' perception of online learning of the english subject during the covid 19 pandemic. based on the background above, the writers identified some of the problems commonly faced by students and teachers during the online learning process as follows: there are some difficulties in conducting online learning that is not only faced by teachers but also the students. these problems include: some schools do not have enough facilities to learn online, some teachers cannot conduct online learning, different abilities among students to receive and understand online lessons, different utilities available to students to receive online lessons, and different perceptions among students about online learning. there is a lot of studies concerning the practice of online learning, research of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic, students and teacher's perception of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. in this part, the researcher would like to present previous research to analyze the research gap-an area which hasn't been studied by previous researchers. the first previous studies on the implementation of online learning before the covid-19 pandemic had been done by goodwin & twani (2017), guler (2020), joosten & cusatis (2020), rasheed, kamsin, & abdullah (2020), williams, howell, & hricko (2005), and yang, lavonen, & niemi (2018). these studies highlighted readiness, challenge, participation and obstacles, and teacher preparation in online teaching and learning. the second studies were about online learning during the covid-19 pandemic had been conducted by almusharraf & khahro (2020), alawamleh, altwait, & al-saht (2020), schaefer, abrams, kurpis, abrams, & abrams (2020), smith (2020), hodges & martin (2020), lassoued, alhendawi, & bashitialshaaer, (2020), wen & hua (2020). these studies emphasized the real conditions of online learning supports to the quality of online learning outcome which among them were family support, effective, communication, choosing appropriate platforms, methods and, preventing obstacles. the third research concerning the students' and teacher's perception of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic had been conducted by (alnofaie, 2020), niemi & kousa (2020), rojabi (2020), rusmiati, reza, achmad, syaodih, nurtanto, sultan, tambunan (2020), and syauqi, munadi, & triyono (2020). although these studies were about the students' perceptions, the focus was different. al-nofaie (2020) and rojabi (2020) drew learners' perceptions on the platforms of online learning. the first by using blackboard, while the second using microsoft teams. with the new platform, the learners were motivated while the learners were less interested via blackboard and they prefer to be asynchronous. syauqi, munadi, & triyono (2020) studied mechanical engineering education students, while (niemi & kousa, 2020) studied finnish high school students. there was a contrast finding the online learning in finnish high school was implemented successfully, on the other hand, the learning in with the vocational education was not by the students' expectation. (rusmiati et al., 2020) which focused on primary school teachers shown that the success of online learning must be done through collaborative learning between teachers, parents, and schools. through the discussion of the previous research, none of them conducted a comparative study on students' perception between two school types: senior high school and vocational high school, particularly in english subjects. thus, this paper aims to describe the different perceptions of students from the two schools, to report whether there is any significant difference of perception from the two schools and to describe their perception of online learning based on their view. method this research was held at two schools namely sman 1 samigaluh which is located in kulon progo regency, and smk 8 purworejo which is located in purworejo regency. however, this research was conducted online because the condition of the covid-19 pandemic did not allow the researchers to go directly to the field to maintain the physical distance. in collecting data, the researchers made online questionnaires in the form of google forms and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 77 distributed them to the students through whatsapp groups in march 2021. then the researchers conducted telephoning interviews in april 2021. the subject of this study were 61 of the twelfthgrade students of sma n 1 samigaluh, kulon progo, and 72 of the twelfth-grade students of smk 8 in the academic year of 2020/2021. thus, the number of participants of the study were 133 students. in this study, data were gathered through the use of a questionnaire and an interview. in order to collect data, several steps were taken. to begin, questionnaires were created that included twenty closed-ended questions about students' perceptions of online english learning during the covid-19 pandemic. the questionnaire was written in indonesian and later translated by the researchers to make it easier for students to fill out. the researchers created an online questionnaire using a google form, which they then distributed to each class's whatsapp group at each school. due to the fact that the questionnaire is a closed questionnaire, students only chose the answers available without having to think about their answers. second, the researchers prepared some interview questions and an interview guide then scheduled a phone interview with the informants. third, i conducted interviews with students using the interview guide and transcribed the results. in this research, the writers used questionnaires and interviews as the instrument for collecting data. questionnaire. questionnaires are written tools that present a number of questions or statements that respondents should either write their responses or select from existing answers to which they must respond (brown, 2001 cited in donyei, 2003). according to doryei (2003), the advantages of questionnaires are that they are efficient in terms of researcher time, effort, and financial resources. however, they have a limitation in that other researchers frequently claim that the data is less reliable or valid. as a result, additional instruments are required to complete the data. there are types of questionnaire items, as follows: closed questions. the respondent is provided in closed questions with ready-made response options, usually either by encircling or ticking one of them or by placing an x in a corresponding slot/box. the benefit of closed questions is that their coding and tabulation is simple and leaves no room for subjectivity. opened questions. open questions include items that do not follow up the actual question with the answer options that the respondent needs to choose but rather with some blank space. open format items can provide much more "richness" than entirely quantitative data by allowing greater freedom of expression. the most popular items in the research questionnaires include rating scales, which require the respondent to assess the target by marking one of a number of organized categories in scale. the different points on the scale continuum indicate the difference between the different degrees of a certain category, from different attributes (frequency or quality) to intensity (for example – not at all) and opinion (for example, strong agreement – strong disagreement). the likert scale, which comprises 20 items, used this research to address closed questions. interview. an interview is a way of collecting a data where an interviewer (the researcher or someone involved in a research) asks a question for an interviewee (the research participant). the interviewer obtains the data from the person who gives the details. personal interviews are called face-to-face interviews; telephone interviews are called. the strength of an interview is that a scientist can use samples freely prompts for obtaining clarity of response or further information (johnson & burke, 2019). to maintain the physical distance during the covid-19 pandemic, a telephoning interview was used to collect the data of the students’ recount of their real opinions, views and experience during the implementation of online learning. using quantitative and qualitative analyses, the authors analyzed the data after gathering. the descriptive analysis includes calculating the frequency, proportion, and significance of the answer of the likert scale questionnaire, namely strong consent, consent, neutrality, disagreement, and a strong discretion and, by using an inferential analysis, to see the average difference between the two schools. it has been used with spss version 22. in addition, the interview information was transcript and analyzed through thematic analysis in which themes and codes were determined. results and discussion junaedi setiyono, semi sukarni, abdul ngafif online learning perception during covid-19 pandemic viewed from high school students 78 related to the aims of the study, this paper seeks for the differences of perception between senior high school (sma) and vocational high school (smk). the result will be shown on the tables and in the description. these include the table frequency, result from inferential analysis, and table of the thematic analysis reported from interview result. high school students’ perception of online learning the perception is reported from the data analysis from 20 items of the questionnaire which was distributed to 61 students of sma n 1 samigaluh, kulonprogo. the questionnaire consists of eight learning aspects which cover learning method (3 items), material delivery (4 items), online learning duration (2 items), interaction during online learning (2 items), intensity number of tasks (3 items), attendant (2 items), online learning media (4 items) and support facilities provided by the school (1 item). to interpret the result, the writers adopted silaen & widiyono’s mean interpretation (2013:128) i.e. very high (4.20 – 5.00), high (3.40 – 4.19), medium (2.60 – 3.39), low 1.80 – 2.59, and very low (1.00 1.79). the result of the descriptive analysis is shown in table 1. table 1. senior high school students’ perception statement sa a n d sd m interpretation s1 13 32 14 2 0 3,93 high s2 3 26 27 5 0 3,48 high s3 0 26 28 7 0 3,39 average s4 7 37 16 1 0 3,82 high s5 1 19 34 5 2 3,23 average s6 0 19 32 9 1 3,18 average s7 7 27 22 4 1 3,64 high s8 0 17 26 16 2 2,98 average s9 11 30 17 3 0 3,79 high s10 1 30 23 5 2 3,41 high s11 5 29 25 2 0 3,67 high s12 1 28 28 4 0 3,49 high s13 3 20 28 10 0 3,28 average s14 15 35 11 0 0 4,05 high s15 10 34 16 1 0 3,87 high s16 9 37 13 2 0 3,87 high s17 0 32 26 3 0 3,51 high s18 3 25 30 3 0 3,51 high s19 1 40 18 1 1 3,69 high s20 20 30 10 1 0 4,11 high table 1 shows that the majority of each item in the questionnaire obtained a high perception of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic from 20 items in the questionnaire obtained high perception. there are only four items, namely item 5, 6, 8, and item 13 got average perception. the obtained mean is 3.59. it is in the high category. it is interpreted that the students in the study have a high or positive perception of the online learning implemented during the covid-19 pandemic. vocational high school students’ perception of online learning similar to high school students’ perception (sma), the data of vocational high school students' perception (smk) was obtained from the questionnaire and telephoning interview. the questionnaire was distributed to 72 students and the result of descriptive analysis is shown in table 2. table 2. vocational high school students’ perception statement sa a n d sd m interpretation s1 11 34 26 1 0 3.76 high s2 2 11 30 25 4 2.75 medium s3 1 16 29 23 3 2.85 medium english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 79 s4 6 34 29 2 1 3.58 high s5 2 10 24 33 3 2.65 medium s6 2 5 33 25 7 2.58 low s7 4 23 28 15 2 3.17 medium s8 2 5 31 23 11 2.50 low s9 5 36 22 8 1 3.50 high s10 3 15 34 18 2 2.99 medium s11 2 25 28 14 3 3.13 medium s12 4 19 33 11 5 3.08 medium s13 3 14 32 18 5 2.89 medium s14 25 28 16 1 2 4.01 high s15 9 27 30 4 2 3.51 high s16 9 28 28 5 2 3.51 high s17 2 19 39 11 1 3.14 medium s18 0 17 41 12 2 3.01 medium s19 4 37 27 4 0 3.57 high s20 22 29 18 2 1 3.96 high table 2 shows that the majority of each item in the questionnaire obtained a medium perception of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic from 20 items in the questionnaire. there are two items, namely item 6 and 8 were low. the obtained mean is 3.21. it is interpreted in the medium category. it shows that the part of the students agreed with the online learning but partly was unfavoured towards the practice of online learning done during the covid-19 pandemic. in other words, they are in a neutral position or just accept it because of the condition. different perception of sma and smk students to investigate the different perceptions between sma and smk students, an independent sample test with spss version 22 was used. the result of the test is shown below. table 3. a descriptive comparison of perception group statistics school n mean std. deviation std. error mean perception sma 61 3.5951 .43231 .05535 smk 72 3.2076 .44315 .05223 table 3 shows the result descriptive statistics of sma and smk students' perceptions. it shows different means from the questionnaire result. it is seen as 3.59 for sma students and 3.21 for smk students. it shows that sma students have a better perception than smk students as 3.59 > 3.21. table 4. independent samples test levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper perc eptio n equal variances assumed .175 .677 5.08 131 .000 .38744 .07626 .23659 .53830 equal variances not assumed 5.09 128.39 .000 .38744 .07610 .23687 .53802 the independent sample test results are shown in table 4. the t-value showed 5.08 with an important 0.00. the difference is said to be greater as 0.00 < 0.05 than the t-table 5.08 > 1.65. ho is rejected, but ha is accepted. in other words, during the pandemic between sma and smk students there is a different perception of online learning. junaedi setiyono, semi sukarni, abdul ngafif online learning perception during covid-19 pandemic viewed from high school students 80 to have a deeper understanding of the students' perception, a telephoning interview was conducted. it was done by interviewing both students and teachers who taught the english subject. for students, there were four aspects in the interview questions, namely learning process, learning platform, learning difficulty, and solution, while for teachers there were five aspects – the four questions were the same as the questions to the students which added by a question about teacher's opinion about the difficulty faced by students during the implementation of online learning. the result of the thematic analysis based on the interview is presented below. table 5. themes and codes of sma students' perception of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic theme code sma smk learning process a. given learning material a. given learning material b. given assignment c. explained the lesson d. given chance to ask questions e. submitted assignment b. given assignment c. given chance to ask questions d. submitted assignment learning platform a. whatsapp group a. google classroom b. google classroom difficulties faced by students a. understanding the material a. understanding material b. internet connection c. managing time between home chores and school assignments b. assessing internet connection c. managing time between home chores and assignment d. being bored with the lesson e. became stress with school tasks expected solution a. given more learning method variation b. given motivation to be active in lesson c. given more interesting learning media d. used more appropriate lms for a better explanation of learning material a. given more of learning method variation b. flexible learning schedule c. intensity number of assignments d. period of delivery assignment table 5 shows the result of thematic analysis from the interview of sma and smk students about the perception of online learning during a covid-19 pandemic. four learning aspects were provided on the left side as themes, while the responses from students about their perceptions were presented with codes on the right side. learning process. the first question of the interview asked students about the learning process. there is a slightly similar answer between students of sma and smk. based on the interview, the learning process of online learning includes the students were given learning material, given assignment, given an explanation about the lesson, given chance to ask questions, and submitted the assignment. but surprisingly, smk students have not explained the lesson. learning platform. the second question of the interview asked students about the learning platform. based on the students' interview results, the platforms were used for online learning in high school were google classroom and whatsapp group for sma, while smk were only used google classroom. the result shows that the schools used limited types of learning platforms which it can be assumed that there were limited learning variation and interaction. difficulties faced by students. the third question of the interview asked students about difficulties faced by them. the result shows that there were more difficulties of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic faced by smk students. there are three similar difficulties of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic faced by sma and smk students, namely difficulties in understanding the material, difficulties of connecting the internet, managing time between home chores, and school assignments. however, there are two more english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 81 difficulties faced by smk students namely being bored with the lesson and became stress with school tasks. expected solution. the fourth question of the interview asked about the expected solution viewed by students. there is the same number of expected solutions initiated by sma and smk students, however, only one answer is the same, namely given more learning method variation. other expected solutions for sma students were given the motivation to be active in the lesson; given more interesting learning media; used more appropriate lms for a better explanation of learning material. whereas, smk students were a flexible learning schedule, intensity number of assignments, and period of assignment delivery. the finding of the current research on the students' perception of senior high school (sma) is in line with abuhmaid's finding (2020) that the students have positive perception toward online learning, however, it doesn't appear for the perception of smk students as they have medium perception as it can be stated that partly positive and partly not in favor with online learning. however, the finding from the interview shows the different facts as both students of sma and smk feel unsatisfied and faced some difficulties in attending online learning. this finding supports alnofaie's (2020) that students online education is not always appealing for students. besides accessibility, the online learning platform is also another theme that receives comments from both students' participants of two studies as the students expected to have a friendlier platform that makes students easier to understand learning materials. thus, the finding of this study is in contrast with almusharraf & khahro (2020) as their research participants felt satisfied with the faculty members who used more specific platforms like google hangout, lms moodle and, google classroom. one reason for different perception because almusharraf & khahro (2020)'s research participants were university students, while the current study were high school students. another finding during online learning the students of smk felt bored and even felt stressed. these facts were in contrast with rojabi’s (2020) as he found that the participants of his study felt motivated and it was easier to comprehend the learning material. this fact is contradictory with high school students as they felt difficulties in understanding the material. why the result in contrast? it is because the two studies applied different learning platforms. in rojabi's study which participated by students of open-university, moodle and microsoft teams were used, while in the current research, google classroom and whatsapp group were used. it difficult to understand the material without teacher explanation and interaction. however, it is easier to understand the materials taught through microsoft teams as it is synchronous and that it is done through virtual learning. conclusion based on the findings of the study it can be concluded that there is a different perception among students of sma and smk which can be shown by the result of the t-test independent sample as the tvalue is 5.08 > 1.65 and there is a significant difference as the sig. was 0.00 < 0.05. sma students’ perception is high or positive towards the online learning, while smk students’ perception was medium as it can be stated that some students were positive towards the online learning, while parts were not unfavorable towards the online learning as they faced a lot of difficulties. students from both schools encountered problems during online learning such as internet accessibility, the difficulty of understanding materials, lack of interaction with teachers, difficulty with school assignments and limited and ineffective learning platforms. the implementation of online learning aroused many complex problems which are not easy to solve. the implication of the study suggests that cooperation among regional education authority, schools, faculty members, students and parents are completely needed to overcome the lost learning values. schools together with regional education authorities have to make a policy to realize the teaching-learning process to facilitate the students. references al-nofaie, h. (2020). saudi university students’ perceptions towards virtual education during covid-19 pandemic: a case study of language learning via blackboard. arab world english journal, 11(3), 4–20. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no3.1 alawamleh, m., al-twait, l. m., & al-saht, g. r. (2020). the effect of online learning on communication between instructors and students junaedi setiyono, semi sukarni, abdul ngafif online learning perception during covid-19 pandemic viewed from high school students 82 during covid-19 pandemic. asian education and development studies. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeds-06-2020-0131 almusharraf, n. m., & khahro, s. h. (2020). students’ satisfaction with online learning experiences during the covid-19 pandemic. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 15(21), 246–267. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i21.15647 donyei, z. (2003). questionnaires in second language. london: lawrence erlbaum associates. goodwin, b., & twani, e. (2017). let’s rethink online learning, (january). retrieved from www.mcrel.org. guler, n. (2020). preparing to teach english language learners: effect of online courses in changing mainstream teachers’ perceptions of english language learners. innovation in language learning and teaching, 14(1), 83–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2018.1494736 hodges, l. d., & martin, a. j. (2020). enriching workintegrated learning students’ opportunities online during a global pandemic (covid-19). international journal of work-integrated learning, 21(4), 415–423. johnson l. b., & burke, c. (2019). educational research. journal of chemical information and modeling, 53. los angeles: sage publication, inc. joosten, t., & cusatis, r. (2020). online learning readiness. american journal of distance education, 34(3), 180–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2020.1726167 lassoued, z., alhendawi, m., & bashitialshaaer, r. (2020). an exploratory study of the obstacles for achieving quality in distance learning during the covid-19 pandemic. education sciences, 10(9), 1– 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10090232 niemi, h. m., & kousa, p. (2020). a case study of students’ and teachers’ perceptions in a finnish high school during the covid pandemic. international journal of technology in education and science, 4(4), 352–369. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijtes.v4i4.167 rasheed, r. a., kamsin, a., & abdullah, n. a. (2020). challenges in the online component of blended learning: a systematic review. computers and education, 144(september 2019), 103701. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103701 rojabi, a. r. (2020). exploring efl students’ perception of online learning via microsoft teams: university level in indonesia. english language teaching educational journal, 3(2), 163. https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v3i2.2349 rusmiati, a. r., reza, r., achmad, s., syaodih, e., nurtanto, m., sultan, a., tambunan, s. (2020). the perceptions of primary school teachers of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic period : a case study in indonesia. journal of ethnic and cultural studies, 7(2), 90–109. schaefer, m. b., abrams, s. s., kurpis, m., abrams, m., & abrams, c. (2020). “making the unusual usual:” students’ perspectives and experiences of learning at home during the covid-19 pandemic. middle grades review, 6(2), 8. silaen, s. & widiyono. (2013). metodologi penelitian sosial untuk penulisan skrisi dan tesis. jakarta: in media. smith, r. (2020). flipped learning during a global pandemic: empowering students with choice. international journal of multidisciplinary perspectives in higher education, 5(1), 100–105. syauqi, k., munadi, s., & triyono, m. b. (2020). students’ perceptions toward vocational education on online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 9(4), 881–886. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v9i4.20766 wen, k. y. k., & hua, t. k. (2020). esl teachers’ intention in adopting online educational technologies during covid-19 pandemic. journal of education and e-learning research, 7(4), 387– 394. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2020.74.387.3 94 williams, d. d., howell, s. l., & hricko, m. (2005). online assessment, measurement and evaluation: emerging practices. online assessment, measurement and evaluation: emerging practices. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-59140-747-8 yang, d., lavonen, j. m., & niemi, h. (2018). online learning engagement: critical factors and research evidence from literature. themes in elearning, 11(1), 1–18. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 157 incorporating cultural factors in efl context aam alamsyah technocrat school of foreign language, tangerang, indonesia e-mail: alamsyah_expert@yahoo.com mutaat technocrat school of foreign language, tangerang, indonesia e-mail: mutaat@gmail.com radik darmawan technocrat school of foreign language, tangerang, indonesia e-mail: radik.darmawan@yahoo.co.id apa citation: alamsyah, a., mutaat, & darmawan, r. (2019). incorporating cultural factors in efl context. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 157-164. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2620. received: 02-06-2019 accepted: 10-08-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: this study highlighted the issue of the incorporation of english cultures, cultural preference and diversity in relation to the students’ english program. the need to analyze the students’ perception is imperative since the students are considered as one of the most important factors in determining the success or failure of their own learning process. the respondents recruited for the present study were 80 part-time college students of different departments (i.e., literature, informatics, and accounting). the use of mixed method aimed to elicit more elaborate data on the students’ perceptions toward the above issues. the instruments used in the present study were questionnaires and semi-structured interview. during the data collection, the questionnaire, and interview were administered within the same day. the results indicated that the students’ perception toward the incorporation of english culture was ambivalent. of the 80 participants, there were only 48 students who voiced to agree and to strongly agree with the exposure; while the rest of the participants did not seem to agree. it was also found that most of the students preferred to learn asian cultures instead of western ones. the most noticeable determinants affecting their preference were mainly the popularity of asian cultures exposed on various media as well as their jobs which mostly involved asian employers (japanese, korean, etc.). they were also found to appreciate the exposure conducted by the teacher as one of the relevant activity when learning foreign language. english grammar and vocabulary are skills to prioritize when speaking with asians, and they did not find pronunciation important to support communication among them. keywords: incorporating cultural factors; cultural preference; cultural diversity, asian cultures; efl. introduction the importance of incorporating culture has been widely acknowledged by numerous scholars. the need to incorporate english culture in efl is basically driven by the perceived connection between language and culture (brown, 2001; brown, 2007; dema, & moeller, 2012; nguyen, 2017). in the same notion, the other scholars such as doob (1985) and schaefer (2011) postulated that language belongs to one of the cultural elements, thus indicating the close connection between language and culture as well. however, with the growing awareness of the studentscentered paradigm in pedagogy the attempt to incorporate english-only cultures in efl learning process has become the subject of criticism (slavin, 2009). this is because the children, who enter their first learning process, will usually have absorbed their own cultural aspects as a result of their own parental upbringing (2009, p. 98). with this concept, exposing different culture to those who adhere to certain cultural beliefs may result in unfavorable responses or rejections. in sum, scholars consider that the differences exposed to the students can possibly trigger cultural conflicts which leads to the students’ rejection in learning english (see e.g., palmer, 2013). the present study aimed to investigate the students’ perceptions toward the incorporation of english cultures into their efl program in order to allow the educators to have more complete pictures on how to incorporate cultural factors within the students’ learning process. specifically, the present study aimed to provide those involved in higher education with more sound arguments for incorporating cultural aspects as well as serving their students better. mailto:radik.darmawan@yahoo.co.id aam alamsyah, mutaat, & radik darmawan incorporating cultural factors in efl context 158 the research questions were formulated as the followings: a) what are the students’ perceptions toward the incorporation of english cultures during the class? b) what are the most noticeable determinants affecting the students’ perceptions? c) which cultures do the students prefer to learn during their english class? d) what are the most noticeable determinants affecting the students’ preference? e) what are the students’ perceptions toward the issue of cultural diversity with regard to their english learning? there are numerous definitions of cultures leading to different concepts. the present study refers only to the definition of culture offered by tylor (2008, p. 43) as “the complex whole including knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities, and habits acquired by man as a member of society” scholars believe that language and cultures are naturally inter-connected (see e.g., brown, 2007). in the same vein, other scholars reinforced that language is basically part of cultural elements (doob, 1985; schaefer, 2011). more specifically, the argument for incorporating culture in language learning is mainly due to fact that the ability to communicate in a language requires knowledge of seeing, explaining and acting properly in line with the culture of the language (omaggio & hadley, 1986). with the increasingly important role of bilingualism, cultural diversity, and the studentcentered paradigm, the need to accommodate students’ cultural background has also been highlighted by numerous scholars. larsenfreeman (as cited in griffiths), for instance, postulated that learners are not merely passive recipients of a customized native-speaker input (2003). therefore, it is certainly impossible for second language learners to simply get rid of their culture when learning the second language (byrams & morgan as cited in hinkel, 2012). atkinson as cited in palmer 2013) reinforced that students’ cultural background is an important component of esl/efl teaching. therefore, he believes that the teachers will face it whenever they conduct the teaching process the teachers who ignore such differences will probably face “frustration, misapprehensions, intercultural conflict, and ultimately school failure” (le roux as cited in palmer, 2013, p. 4). likewise, alpetkin (2002) has long argued that the concept of native speaker itself is “shaky”. therefore, the concept of teaching english based on native speakeristic paradigm is not always necessary. specifically, alptekin (2002) elaborated that the instances of speaking practice in the future will probably occur more in non-native english context instead of in english speaking context. empirically, the perceived incompatibilities or differences between the students’ cultural background and the newly exposed english cultures have also been reported. in pakistan context for instance, some pakistani students who learned english were found to bear negative attitudes toward learning english due to the perceived differences (jabeen & shah, 2011). the teaching of english in the kingdom of saudi arabia have also been marred with some criticisms due to the perceived improper cultural presentation in their teaching materials (osman, 2015). the relatively current research on the teaching english in saudi arabian cultural context has also indicated slightly disheartening challenge, in that most of the learners of english language at jazan university admitted to having some sociocultural limitations, such as the fear of practicing english language, the paradigm that speaking english is not the part of the culture at jazan, westernization, and so forth (ullah, 2017). hopkyn’s (2017) current research, alike, has also found some relatively discouraging responses. for instance, while the influence of english toward the respondent’s identity was deemed as positive changes, the impact of english toward arab cultures was still considered harmful since it could probably incur negative changes to cultural identity such as arabic loss, the emergence of domestic rifts between generations adopting traditional and modern point of views, more modern clothing changes and the desires to behave like english nativespeakers (hopkyns, 2017). unlike the above disheartening reports, the study conducted in indonesian efl context revealed different results. murtisari and ma’s finding (2017), for instance, found that indonesian students tended to view the existence of english positively in terms of enriching their language and culture. more specifically, murtisari and ma (2017) indicated that there were more than half of the respondents who disbelieved that the existence of english could erode their cultures. in sum, scholars believe that the intercultural conflict arising between the students and the newly cultural exposure is generally caused by english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 159 the perceived or real incompatibility of goals, values, expectations, processes, or outcomes between two or more interdependent individuals or groups (see e.g., martin, & nakayama, 2008, p. 211). triandis (2009, p. 18), alike, corroborates that the intensity of conflict will usually depend on “how far the distance occurs”. method basically mixed method is generally considered as a study which employs both written and verbal means (frankel, wallen, & hyun, 2012; schoonenboom, & johnson, 2017). the use of written means as the data collection is due to the potentially simple and efficient way of collecting the data (bohner & wanke as cited in chung 2006). the data collected through questionnaire is therefore perceived very suitable to measure someone’s perception/attitudes (bohner & wanke as cited in chung 2006). in terms of eliciting someone’s perception, the use of likert scale-like option, for instance, enables the participants to categorize their thought on certain aspect easily (sinno, 2008; yu, 2010). in order to support the validity of the data collection, the use of interview can be administered in order to help validate the participants’ perception (yu, 2010; frankel, wallen, & hyun, 2012; schoonenboom, & johnson, 2017). this is because the use of questionnaire, which is solely administered without other means, can possibly prevent the participant to describe their thoughts further and the reasons behind their choices. some of the scholars even perceive that the use of sole questionnaire will allow the participants to conceal the truth about their perceptions (sinno, 2008). therefore, the use of interview which is conducted almost at the same time (concurrently) will possibly provide the participants with more chances to figure out the reasons behind their perception, thus making the data become more valid (schoonenboom, & johnson, 2017). the study was conducted in a privately funded university located in a suburban area. the university has been accredited and operating some majors at the moment. the recruitments of the students was not solely based on their majors but mainly based on their availability to support the study. in addition, the management of the university also required the researcher to obtain the participants’ consents prior to the commencement of the study. scholars such as frankel, wallen, and hyun (2012) perceived that it is possible for the researcher to select the subjects of research based on their availability due to several constraints such as the limited number of participants who are able to participate in the projects, etc. the participants were conveniently recruited based on their available time and their willingness to participate voluntarily (frankel, wallen, & hyun, 2012). there was no reward given to those attending the project. the research was conducted merely based on voluntary basis and only conducted for a day in order not to disturb the students’ learning process. the participants recruited were mostly the first semester students, while the rest were in their second semesters. the first data collection was taken from the questionnaire administered to the students in their own classes. the second data collection was taken from the random interview conducted to the students one by one in order to provide more elaborate data and much more relaxing atmosphere. since the present study was scheduled for only one day, the researcher did not interview the whole students. on the other hand, the researcher offered the students who were willing to be interviewed right after the process of eliciting written data. there were only 8 students who were interviewed after the administration of questionnaire. the followings are the data of the students participated in the study. table 1. the participants of the study department number occupation written data oral data english literature 20 yes yes yes informatics 20 yes yes yes accounting 40 yes yes note: not all of the students of the two departments were interviewed since the present study aimed to analyze students’ perceptions, some instruments were employed to elicit the data. in sum, the analysis of the research data was based on both written and oral data. the use of written instrument (i.e. questionnaire) was administered for the first time aam alamsyah, mutaat, & radik darmawan incorporating cultural factors in efl context 160 in order to allow the researcher to get the preliminary data indicating the participants’ perceptions toward the incorporation of english culture in their efl context. further, the oral/verbal data were used so that the researcher could get more complete reasons supporting the participants’ perceptions. the use of verbal data supporting the written data is also in line with patton’s concept suggesting the use of interview as the means for identifying the participants’ thought, idea, or perception. patton (as cited in frankel, wallen, & hyun, 2012), for instance, defended the use of interview in order to elicit someone’s mind instead of the other instruments e.g. observation. “we interview people to find out from them those things we cannot directly observe. the issue is not whether observational data is more desirable, valid, or meaningful than self-report data. the fact of the matter is that we cannot observe everything. we cannot observe feelings, thoughts, and intentions. we cannot observe behaviors that took place at some previous point in time. we cannot observe situations that preclude the presence of an observer. we cannot observe how people have organized the world and the meanings they attach to what goes on in the world. we have to ask people questions about those things” (p. 451). the followings are the brief steps of collecting the data: 1. the students were informed about the planned research which would be conducted in their classroom. 2. the students were given some brief information regarding the research, the procedures, and the confidentiality regarding the research. 3. the students were asked to fill in the questionnaire based on the students’ classrooms (i.e., literature, informatics, and accounting). 4. after handing in their questionnaires, the students were requested to attend the interview session for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. 5. the interview was offered to the whole participants and conducted in semi-structured manner. 6. the participants were selected to attend an interview session. 7. the interview aimed to identify more elaborate data on the students’ perceptions. 8. the interview was conducted in bahasa/students’ native language in order to allow the students to express their perceptions freely. results and discussion the section presents the findings from written data (i.e. questionnaire) taken from the first phase. for the sake of simplicity, the oral/verbal data elicited during the interview are presented partially in the discussion section. only certain relevant statements will be presented in the discussion. the verbal data are translated into english (muamaroh, 2013, p. 64). the students’ perception toward the incorporation of the english culture in efl table 2. students’ perceptions toward the incorporation of english culture the most noticeable determinant affecting students’ perception table 3. the most noticeable determinant affecting students’ perception english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 161 the cultures that the students prefer to learn during their class table 4. the culture that the students prefer to learn during their english class the most noticeable determinants affecting the students’ preference table 5. the most noticeable determinants affecting the students’ preference the students’ perception toward the issue of cultural diversity table 6. the students’ perception toward the issue of cultural diversity 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 cultural diversity is as important as the english that i learn cultural diversity is less important than english i don’t think that cultural diversity and english learning are related my own choice (learning english will not incur negative impact to my cultures) what are students' perception toward the issue of cultural diversity with regard to their english learning? n=80 the students’ need for learning english based on the finding of the first research question (please refer to table 2), it can be inferred that the english cultural exposure during the class was not fully supported by the whole participants. in fact, there were only 48 students (40 agrees and 8 strongly agrees) who voiced their agreement. in fact, the rest 32 students (approximately 40 % of the whole participants) were found to disagree with such exposures. one of the participants (a) who voiced his unfavorable written responses, openly stated: well, i think english is still important but i think presenting english cultures too much is not important anymore for us, as you see that i am not living abroad and i think there is not much benefit to my work at all (interview). similarly, another participant (b) who admitted to have voiced his favorable written response in the questionnaire indicated relatively the same perception i think my focus is now …how to find a better employment, so whether the teaching of english culture is important, may be, if one day i go to america or australia …but the most important thing that i have to do now is i have to be more aam alamsyah, mutaat, & radik darmawan incorporating cultural factors in efl context 162 prepared to apply my english in asian communities since my boss is japanese (interview) when being asked about the english skill was very important for him, he simply stated. what i need is, off course, the ability to communicate well, may be grammar, you know that asian doesn’t really care about pronunciation but they simply have accurate grammar to communicate, but again it doesn’t mean that they hate english pronunciation, but they just simply focus more on jobs (interview) the most noticeable determinants affecting students’ perception the ambivalent responses on the incorporation of english cultures was found relevant to the verbal utterances elicited by the researcher, in that the participants basically learned english for a mere practical reason; thus they did not focus much on cultural aspects as the followings. respondent c, for instance, simply stated: i think english is important, as we know that english is an international language, however, in this difficult time, we need to know what to do first in our study, so i think communication is the first (interview) based on the analysis, it could also be inferred that the students still indicated their appreciation toward the incorporation of the english cultures, despite the fact that they did not plan to travel or migrate to english speaking countries, as simply stated by respondent e: [i think it is logical if we are supposed to learn english cultures since we are english literature students; thus it is quite reasonable if we learn english culture so that we can appreciate things about english] (interview) the newly emerging cultural preference: the asian cultures and their business power based on the findings, it could also be inferred that students’ contacts with many non-native english speakers (chinese, koreans, japanese, etc.) have significantly increased the participants’ interest toward learning the cultures as firmly stated by respondent f: as you know that we, mostly college students, even teenagers, are now frequently exposed to asian cultures, such as tv’s drama, k-pop, or the other asian cultures or songs, in fact, one of my superiors is also a chinese, so i think we have no reason for not learning these cultures (interview) when being asked about the english of asian who sometimes produces many grammatical errors or improper pronunciation, she simply stated (f): certainly, it is very common for us to make some mistakes, even though we try to speak english, we admit that we sometimes make mistakes, but i don’t think that our communication is disturbed, in fact, we manage to get along well, for instance, my boss keeps using english when he talks to me and the other workers, this is mainly because i cannot speak chinese, and secondly because it is the language that we understand [interview] with reference to kachru’s circles, it could be interpreted that the participants were getting more interested in learning cultures from the expanding circles such as korean, japan, and china rather the ones coming from the inner or the outer-circles (pung, 2009). despite the potential mistakes which emerge during their english daily practices, they keep using their english to support their communication. this finding also confirms alptekin’s (2002) hypothesis in which the number of non-native english speakers will far exceed native speakers, thus resulting in the varieties of english usage. another participant (g), likewise, expressed the same idea when being questioned on the asian english which tends to indicate some deficiencies, such as less proper grammar or pronunciation: yes, i understand that speaking with asian or like my boss, they just use english for communication practice in my workplace, so i don’t think that pronunciation is important for us, since we communicate among asian, but so far we have no problem with our communication (interview) when being questioned further on the skill that the participant chiefly depends on when communicating his asian boss, respondent g firmly stated [i think we focus on accuracy, so i focus on grammar and vocabulary, we don’t really care with english pronunciation, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t appreciate it] (interview) based on the written and verbal data, it could be inferred that the participants tended to focus more on communication practices, thus focusing more on some aspects of accuracies such as grammar and vocabulary. the action which tends to ignore english-like pronunciation is somewhat relevant to yu’s (2010 finding that the chinese college students analyzed by her indicated strong wishes to be identified as chinese while learning english, thus partially indicating that englishnative like pronunciation is not really important for them. the students’ awareness toward cultural diversity based on the finding (see the last figure), it can be interpreted that basically the students are still aware of the importance of preserving their own culture, thus indicating the importance of english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 163 preserving their own cultures as well as the other cultures. another important finding from the questionnaire is the participants’ perception on the absence of potentially harmful impact due to the english learning process. in short, the present study confirms the previously conducted study in indonesian efl context indicating relatively positive responses toward learning english (murtisari & ma, 2017). this finding also confirms the studies conducted in some asian countries such as china (yu, 2010) in which the students that she analyzed indicated favorable responses/attitudes toward learning english and considered that english did not pose any harm to their cultures. the present study, whatsoever, disconfirms the other study conducted in the middle-eastern countries and pakistan in which some of the students of certain geographic regions tended to indicate strong disagreement toward learning english (jabeen, & shah, 2011; ullah, 2017; hopkyns, 2017). conclusion due to the increasing interest toward asian cultures indicated by the students, it is certainly important for the teachers/lecturers to incorporate asian cultures during the class. the need to accommodate the students’ interest is reasonable since the students recruited for the present study are the ones working for asian owned companies (japanese, koreans, chinese, etc.). based on the findings, it could also be found that basically the students’ interest to learn more asian culture is due to the fact that they will not permanently live in english speaking countries, or simply stated that the students tend to learn english for instrumental motives and not for integrative motives (dornyei, 1996; al-shamy, 2012). this finding also confirms the increasingly important role of the expanding circles since there will be more english communication practices which occur in this region (alptekin, 2002). references alptekin, c. (2002). towards intercultural communicative competence in elt. oxford university journal, 56(1), 57-64. al-shamy, a.a.m. (2012). attitudes and motivation of efl learners towards english: a case study of pyp saudi university students. (thesis master). faculty of education and society the university of sunderland. brown, h. d. (2001). the teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. new york: pearson education. brown, h. d. (2007). principles of language learning and teaching. new york: pearson education. chung, i-f. (2006). study of english learning attitudes and perceptions among senior high school students in taiwan. (doctoral dissertation). university of warwick. retrieved on january 12 2015 from: http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap/2449 dema, o., & moeller, a. (2012). teaching culture in the 21st century language classroom. faculty publications: department of teaching, learning and teacher education. retrieved december 10 2019 from: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu /teachlearnfacpub/181. doob, c.b. (1985). sociology: an introduction. new york: rinehart and winston dornyei, z. (1996) moving language learning motivation to a larger platform for theory and practice. in r. l. oxford (ed.), language learning motivation: pathways to the new century (pp. 71-80) honolulu, hi: university of hawai'i press. frankel, j. r., wallen, n. e., & hyun, h.h. (2012). how to design and evaluate research in education. (8th ed.). new york: mcgraw-hill. (e-book version). retrieved january 20 2019 from: https://www.academia.edu/3642866/how_to_de sign_and_evaluate_research_in_education griffiths, c. (2003). language learning strategy use and proficiency: the relationship between patterns of reported language learning strategy (lls) use by speakers of other languages (sol) and proficiency with implications for the teaching/learning situation. (doctoral thesis). department of education of university of auckland. retrieved september 15 2018 from: https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/bitstream/ha ndle/2292/9/02whole.pdf hinkel, e. (2012). introduction: culture in research and second language pedagogy. in eli hinkel (ed.), culture in second language teaching and learning (10th ed., pp. 1-7). new york: cambridge university press. hopkyns, s. (2017). a conflict of desires: global english and its effects on cultural identity in the united arab emirates. (doctoral dissertation). the university of leicester. retrieved july 20 2018 from: https://lra.le.ac.uk/handle/2381/40444 jabeen, f. & shah, s. k. (2011). the role of culture in elt: learners’ attitude towards the teaching of target language culture. european journal of social sciences, 23(4), 613-604. kneale, p. (2009). teaching and learning for employability. in fry, h., steve, k., & stephanie, m. (eds.) a handbook for teaching and learning in higher education: enhancing http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap/2449 https://www.academia.edu/3642866/how_to_design_and_evaluate_research_in_education https://www.academia.edu/3642866/how_to_design_and_evaluate_research_in_education https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/2292/9/02whole.pdf https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/2292/9/02whole.pdf https://lra.le.ac.uk/handle/2381/40444 aam alamsyah, mutaat, & radik darmawan incorporating cultural factors in efl context 164 academic practice. (pp. 99-111). new york: routledge. kottak, c, p. (2008). cultural anthropology. new york: mcgraw hill. martin, j, n. & nakayama, t, k. (2008). experiencing intercultural communication. (3rd ed.) new york: mcgraw hill. muamaroh. (2013). improving indonesian university students’ spoken english using group work and cooperative learning. (doctoral dissertation). charles darwin university, darwin, australia. retrieved june 2017 from: https://espace.cdu.edu.au/eserv/cdu:38908/thesis _cdu_38908_muamaroh_a.pdf murtisari, e.t., & ma, y.c.g. (2017). impact of english on the indonesian language and culture: high school students’ perceptions. research journal studies about languages kaunas technology university, 30(2), 90-104. nguyen, t.t.t. (2017). integrating culture into language teaching and learning: learner outcomes. the reading matrix: an international online journal, 17(1), 145-155. palmer, b. m. w. (2013). culture in the efl classroom: western instructors and arab students in the uae. (master thesis). american university of sharjah. college of arts and science. retrieved september 2 2015 from: https://dspace.aus.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11 073/5989/29.232-2013.06%20%20bridget%20palmer.pdf?sequence=1. pung, c. s. (2009). beyond the three circles: a new model for world englishes. (master thesis of nus). retrieved december 10 2019 from: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/48631539.pdf. schaefer, r.t. (2011). sociology. new york: mcgraw-hill. schoonenboom, j., & johnson, r. b. (2017). how to construct a mixed method design. ncbi. retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ pmc5602001/. sinno, z. s. (2008). the impact on language learning of lebanese -students’ attitude toward english in the context of globalization and antiamericanism. (doctoral dissertation). university of leicester, uk. slavin, r. e. (2009). educational psychology (8th ed.). new york: pearson. triandis, h, c. (2009). culture and conflict. in larry a, samovar, richard e, porter & edwin r, mcdaniel. (eds.). intercultural communication. (pp. 18-27). boston, ma: cengage-learning. omaggio, a. c., & hadley, a. o. (1986). teaching language in context: proficiency-oriented instruction. boston: heinle & heinle. osman, h. a. (2015). investigating english teachers’ perceptions of intercultural communicative competence in the kingdom of saudi arabia. (doctoral dissertation). university of san fransisco, usa. retrieved april 12 2016 from: http://repository.usfca.edu/diss. ullah, f. (2017). socio-cultural constraints in learning english language at jazan university, kingdom of saudi arabia. international journal of language and linguistics, 5(2), 29-33. yu, y. (2010). attitudes of learners toward english: a case of chinese college students. (doctoral dissertation). ohio: the ohio state university. https://espace.cdu.edu.au/eserv/cdu:38908/thesis_cdu_38908_muamaroh_a.pdf https://espace.cdu.edu.au/eserv/cdu:38908/thesis_cdu_38908_muamaroh_a.pdf https://dspace.aus.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11073/5989/29.232-2013.06%20-%20bridget%20palmer.pdf?sequence=1 https://dspace.aus.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11073/5989/29.232-2013.06%20-%20bridget%20palmer.pdf?sequence=1 https://dspace.aus.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11073/5989/29.232-2013.06%20-%20bridget%20palmer.pdf?sequence=1 https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/48631539.pdf http://repository.usfca.edu/diss english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 33 preponderant modality in students’ engaging argumentative essays marwito wihadi department of linguistics, faculty of cultural science, universitas padjadjaran, indonesia e-mail: marwito16001@mail.unpad.ac.id eva tuckyta sari sujatna department of linguistics, faculty of cultural science, universitas padjadjaran, indonesia e-mail: eva.tuckyta@unpad.ac.id apa citation: wihadi, m., & sujatna, e. t. s. (2019). preponderant modality in students’ engaging argumentative essays. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 33-40. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.1930. received: 07-09-2019 accepted: 15-11-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: expressing modality in appraisal is cordially expected to be prevalent in argumentative writings in that writers in the engagement system set up negotiation or alternative points of views. three conveniently selected student-writers’ hortatory argumentative essays in english in which they were courseinstructed in an accredited language institution were linguistically analyzed as to pinpoint their aptness to employ particular modality, furthermore to discuss the feasible resource factors on their employment. it was found out that they were prone to be lack of commitment as they delivered their stances, therefore attempting the readers to be engaged in an argumentative discourse to construe the meanings. subsequently, they had difficulty in manipulating epistemic and deontic modality, owning mundane syntactic constructions and imparting limited device ranges. therefore, applicably explicit genre-based instructions are in the need, bearing in mind the factual functions of modality in arguability of the utterances as well the resourceful linguistic features of modality. keywords: appraisal; engagement; modality; argumentative; essays. introduction there have been a number of research on modality in which they investigated its employment and how writers used it to evaluate, adopt stances, and express attitudes on their particular value positions (biber, 1999; mcenery & kifle, 2002; kong, 2006; qun, 2010). writing in hortatory exposition genre, an argumentative essay, feature appraisal devices, for instance semantic realizations of modality recurrently, are worth expecting to occur numerously (martin, 1989). modality, a resource for presenting the degree of probability, usuality, obligation and inclination, is notified as an essential strand in appraisal (martin, 2000). this study textanalyzing three argumentative essays was aimed at pinpointing modality employed as learners completed a seven paragraph hortatory essay in one of full-fledge language institution. pursuing them linguistically, it was intended to find out the scatter of its use in practice and to impart probable reasons for current combined classifications of modality (halliday’s and palmer’s) that writers/learners utilized in the reality. modality refers to as saying the world of realities, the speakers judge the probabilities or obligation in them (halliday, 2000). it is considered that modality and polarity are closely related in which they are inseparable in the mood system; polarity is “the choice between positive (yes) and negative (no)”, later modality has something to do more with “intermediate degrees” between the positive and negative poles, such as sometimes or maybe (halliday, 2000). the mere distinction halliday’s modality system relative to study is modalization: probability and usuality, and modulation: obligation and inclination. sensibly, modality is employed as construction of social relationship as well as recognized by communication parties as in an appraisal: a system of interpersonal meaning to evaluate, adopt stances, and express attitude, alongside resources for amplifying and engaging with these meaning (martin, 2000). stances that the speakers or the writers adopt primarily rely on the modality employment. in a similar vein, it is relative to one of social language functions, namely interpersonal meta-function in which its meaning is delivered in a modality system delicately. in so-doing, ‘meaning-potential’ mailto:marwito16001@mail.unpad.ac.id marwito wihadi & eva tuckyta sari sujatna preponderant modality in students’ engaging argumentative essays 34 denoted in proposition is possibly doubted or contradicted, affirmed or denied, insisted on or accepted with reservation. as an important strand in appraisal, in essence, modality used indicates attitudinal resources, a source of negotiation and a sign of heteroglossia. the study of mood and modality in typological way was much fundamentally undertaken by f. r. palmer, emphasizing the lexical forms of modality and diverse modal expression across languages (palmer, 2007). in a broad sense, on the basis of his previous research, it is pointed out that two major classifications of modality: propositional modality, comprising epistemic and evidential modality and event modality, making up deontic and dynamic modality. epistemic modality deals with the writers’ commitment, in divergent levels, that they put on their proposition expressed in their writing. furthermore, it is indeed obviously relevant that they produce the language normally (coates, 1983). it is being concerned with how they asses or assume the possibilities, in most cases, indicating their confidence as well as lack of confidence in the truth that they take for granted (coates, 1983). likewise, it is shown that epistemic modality is concerned with the speaker’s “judgments about factual status of the preposition”, whereas evidential modality reflects “the evidence” the speaker has for its “factual status” as exemplified in the up-coming examples: perhaps this book will be useful (propositional; epistemic; judgment), and he is said to be extremely rich (propositional; evidential; evidence) (palmer, 2007). on the other hand, event modality makes up: (1) deontic one accounting “obligation or permission” – a force from external world, and dynamic modality delivers the “ability or willingness”one of the inner feelings. let’s see the following utterance examples: jhon must come in now (deontic; external conditions) and mary can speak french (dynamic; internal conditions) (palmer, 2007). writing an argumentative essay, a hortatory type for an instance, expects the student-writers to corroborate the importance of both language competence and rhetorical skills in expressing their arguable propositions. to contribute the quality of their argument, modalities is one of the crucial elements, apart from claim, grounds, warrants, backing and rebuttals (toulmin et al., 1979 in mcenery & kifle, 2002). in fact, it is argued that negotiating views and qualifying claims at a suitable commitment grade is substantially bailed out as the writers’ mastery of epistemic devices is profound (long, 1995). such appropriate requirements are of difficulty to be applicably attained by both native and non-native ones, though (holmes, 1988 in mcenery & kifle, 2002). despite this fact, expository, argumentative, essays should contain ample numbers of modality expressions with various semantic realization (reilly, zamora & mcgivern, 2005 in kong, 2006). regarding typology of argument genres, it is proposed that there are four argument genres construing the reflection of both the writer’s purposes as and his/her argument about the world: analytical exposition genre, hortatory exposition genre, analytical discussion genre and hortatory discussion genre (coffin, 2004). genre itself is termed as grouping texts together, representing how writers typically use language to respond to recurring situations (hyland, 2007). in details, the term “analytical” is divergent from “hortatory” in that the earlier is an exposition persuading the readers that the thesis is adequately stated, and the latter is an exposition encouraging the readers to execute as the thesis formulated (martin, 1985 in promwinai, 2010). socially “exposition “genre, additionally, is set up to aim at persuading the readers to a particular point of view where the social goal of a discussion is to hold up two or more points of view not mention to argue for one point over the others. the four arguments constitute different phases in accordance with their purposes, accordingly. likewise, the hortatory exposition generates its own goal to impart a point of view and recommend a course action as well as comprise a typical staging: thesis (recommendation) + argument plus evidence + (counterargument plus evidence) + (reinforcement of thesis) + recommendation (coffin, 2004, p. 236). explicitly presented coming along with its elements, rhetorical structures for an argumentative essay are detailed as follow: (1) thesis makes up (gambit), (information), proposition, (evaluation) and (marker); (2) argument comprises marker, (restatement), claim and support; (3) conclusion owns (marker), consolidation, (affirmation) and (close) (hyland, 1990). in sfl tradition, thesis stage is labeled “elaboration” phase, the optional marker in the stages is termed the “preview” phase, and an obligatory marker in argument stage is referred to the “hyperclaim”. modality, appraisal theory and a particular genre of english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 35 argument in an essay, therefore, are more or less adequately elaborated. method the study was a descriptive-qualitative employing the researcher to interpret the real data to construe their meanings (creswell, 2009). essentially, this was one of three-dimensional frameworks for discourse study, namely textanalysis stemming from critical discourse analysis in which language is critically viewed as a form of social practice (fairclough, 1995; janks, 1997). one of the core techniques to collect and analyze the data is the content analysis enabling researcher to study human behavior in a direct way, i.e. the analysis of communication forms: (argumentative) essays (fraenkel & wallen, 2009). in addition, the text was analyzed to depict the employment of modality in three convenient argumentative essays-seven paragraph ones-pursued by three intermediate students in 2 a term writing course as one of their final completion level in a language course. the only three argumentative essays entitled being a single parent: gains behind grief, powerpoint as a reliable friend to study, and the risk on young children in about 3000 words completed in about 2 months in midst of high intermediate level completion course as researcher’s own construction of corpora were designed so that the institutional context in non-formal settings was appropriately addressed (paltridge, 2006). the participants, high school students aged 17 years old, had undergone writing conferences conducted outside of their class responding to meet the minimal quality standard before being presented in front of their classmates and their teacher and a language supervisor at the end of the course as one of written test fulfillment. particularly, to employ the classifications of modality, halliday and palmer’s ones were, as theirs are overlapped, intentionally incorporated so as to construct four types of modal expressions displayed in the below table. however, it was also essential to be come complete with an outline the semantic realization of modality (martin, matthiessen & painter, 1997, p. 70). table 1. modality classifications classsification function modal expression group epistemic modality probability perhaps e1 usuality usually e2 deontic modality inclination can, might d1 obligation must, have to a2 the above collaborated modality classification was inspired by the study conducted by qun (2010), still relevant to this study originating from two broad typologies promulgated by halliday and palmer. then, finding out the complexity of modality structure that the writers realized was then figured by referring the exhaustive sketch. the method of analysis was initiated to focus on the body of the essays, the argument stages in which they held up hyperclaims to support writers’ proposition (the 2nd-6th paragraphs) to read a number of times in order to grasp the writers’ stance that was intentionally stated in and its supporting clauses; mere sentences having clausal structures as well as contributing to maintain and develop stance were sorted to be both modality and semantic realization analysis. they were tallied as stanceenhancing clauses, thus included in total clause count differed from non-functional ones. certainly, the text should be writer’s goaloriented and readers intended-effects so that any parts of the text, the clauses, are excluded from the linguistics analysis; they are not contributive to the central purpose (palsmaekers, braecke, & geluykens, 1998 in qun, 2010). the selectcounted clauses were then scanned of the modality and their semantic realizations. results and discussion natures of modality prevalence relative with the first purpose of this study, the three essays were five-times read to grasp the nuances of writers’ conveyed stances in depth. in spite of prior examined by their instructors, it was necessary that any ill-supporting clauses logically of no arguability towards the macrotheme as well as hypertheme be deliberately discarded. the encountered kinds of modality after being well comprehended, scrutinized and classified as follow. marwito wihadi & eva tuckyta sari sujatna preponderant modality in students’ engaging argumentative essays 36 table 2. the tapestry of prevalent modality group number of occurrences percentage e1 43 39.81% e2 8 07.41% d1 36 33.33% d2 21 19.44% e1= epistemic modality (em) probability e2= epistemic modality (em) usuality d1= deontic modality (dm) inclination d2 =deontic modality (dm) obligation it was found out that the clauses containing epistemic modality in which the writers conveyed the probable arguments denoted by their propositions was predominant over the three other modality types (39.81%). the writers still thought of other alternatives that the readers perceived towards their stances. in further analysis in depth, it was will asserting probability encountered preponderant, dominating to deliver the writers’ viewing of possibility of ‘factual status’. as a matter of fact, under the heading em probability, will outnumbered the other modalities, such as can, it is possible, there is a possibility, certainly, etc. it covered 58.13%, while can, perceived denoting possible upcoming states/conditions, was on the second place at 29.91%. it was, moreover, pinpointed that the writers more or less neglected the basic function of may related to possibility (swan, 2006). it was an interesting fact that the altered function of will intentionally replaced can in which the writers lowered their commitment level, thus yielding less arguability of stances. similarly, referring to the term arguability, the use of epistemic modality to report claims in an academic argument or in an argumentative essay is one of the features that have been explored in research articles written by nnes scholars, which did not achieve the conventions of required discourse communities in various fields of study or disciplines (he & wang, 2013; ngula, 2017). will itself functions as prediction (make predictions that are not completely certain or definite) as in “gas prices will drop soon” or volition (express immediate decisions or intention) as in “and then i’ll take you home to get it” (beiber et al.,1999). subsequently, may and can respectively have functional meanings to possibility (expressing agent’s doubt in the truth of proposition or slight possibility) or permission (refers to present or future time when used to ask for permission or to make a polite request and giving permission to the agent) and permission (evidence of some condition that determines whether an agent is or is not permitted to do something) or possibility (express the degree to which something is possible: inanimate noun/dummy it + can + linking verb + adjective/ noun phrase; or inanimate noun + can + main verb) expressed in spoken and written modes (beiber et al.,1999). the l2 writers’ confusion to ascertain the precise functions of (epistemic and deontic) modalities as putting forward the arguability of stances definitely occur, in congruent with their delicate comprehension in that the same modals at times are employed to express divergent functions, such as that of “probability”, “possibility” and ‘certainty’, and of “inclination”, “ability”, “permission” and “obligation’. it was affirmed that malaysian learners were disclosed to be uncertain about which modals to make use of expressing modality in their clauses, possibly easy to be figured out in the inaccurate employment of modals at the levels of semantic in particular (khojasteh & rainer, 2013). additionally, advanced iranian efl learners were interpreted that they were competent to use some modals due to the fact that several meanings were overly used (like “ability” meaning of can) and some of them were not really like the “possibility” meanings of can and could; as modals’ interpersonal meanings were not fully grasped, they might deal with problems in social circumstances, like convincing their stances over interlocutors (torabiardakani, khojasteh, & shokrpour, 2015). in a similar vein, referring to metaphorical realizations of mental clause and/or attributive clause, such as i think and i guess (explicit subjective), it is possible and it is certain (explicit objective), such clauses were rarely come across due to the fact that there were two clauses identified, that was it is possible and there is a possibility, rarely found in learner corpus (qun, 2010). similarly, the usage of adverbs functioning as modality of probability was much barely taped: there were only two adverbs (adjuncts) recognized, namely probably and english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 37 certainly. it is possibly drawn into conclusion that they lacked of repertoire of semantic realizations of modality, particularly mental and attributive clauses as grammatical metaphors, i.e. expressions as well as linguistic negligence of fundamental function of may and adverbs. it was probable that one of the principles of stages in genre-based course design, genre sample analysis, was overlooked (hyland, 2007). pedagogically advocated, the inclusion of devrim’s intergraded model shall be taken into account. this is integrated sfl-inspired martin and rose’s genre theory, bernstein’s sociology of education and vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, particularly focused on how students develop their grammatical metaphor, among other things metaphor of modality (devrim, 2015). afterwards, the employment of em usuality was the least in number, just reaching 07.41%, displaying a surprising fact: mere two adverbs of usuality (adjunct, mood), usually and always and methaporical realization of usuality was not of prevalence. in addition, in line with the deontic modality (dm) inclination, it was the second most frequent modality activated by the writers to argue their propositions (33.33%) in which can was the most often used one, achieving 72.22%. it was obvious that adverbs (adjunct/mood) and metaphorical realizations (mental and attributive clauses) of inclination didn’t prevail at all, whereas two predicators of inclination were encountered, be inclined. interestingly, could whose tone is to negotiate proposition occurred only once. it functions as possibility, expressing the degree to which something was possible, exemplified in “that could be her or it could be anything you choose” (beiber et al., 1999). it was identical in chinese learners’ argumentative essay in a corpus, proven it is not yet acquired in their interlanguage (qun, 2010). concerning dm obligation, it was shown that it reached 19.44 where should dominated in its use (71.43%). the other dm modality must was counted 19.05%, the 0.95% of have to. the deliberate use of adjuncts, predicators (congruent realizations) and metaphorical realizations was not functionally manipulated. the word think semantically serving as probability in i think was not vividly located in the texts, even discerned to delegate the responsibility of the writers’ arguments to other parties, such as some parents think, parents think and many people think, without any profound stance-enhancing references. rationale of prevalent modality critically analyzing the data findings, some perspectives were purposely referred. modalities like will and can as elements of grammatical metaphors, i.e. interpersonal metaphor of modality, were frequently used in the three argumentative essays. they comprised 69 tokens over 108 (63.88%). especially referring to can, this finding was similar to previous corpus research (qun, 2010; torabiardakani, 2015). its overuse was owing to two probable reasons: (1) it is attained by the learners easily that can is followed by base forms of verb; and (2) possibly, it deals with learners’ ego to begin their ability to write a long enough essay in l2 (qun, 2010). in addition, the writers, as considering their frequently used indices of stance reflected by can, imparted the commitment about a person or proposition in the appraisal system referred; hence, they can align or misalign the stance taker with another person or proposition (biber et al., 1999). in other words, taking a stance (writers’ arguments) via metaphors of modality is one of the essential things people do with words (du bois, 2007 in gales, 2015). in line with the stance, the writers were unlikely get aware of various repertoire of transmitting the authority of the authors’ as well as demanding the credibility, and engagement, through its sub-category, namely entertainment ‘– a sub category of engagement in appraisal system can and will’, is the required instrument entailing readers. then, it prompts co-agents of the discourse in an interactive, in this case, argumentative genre. related to linguistic metafunction, interpersonally stance is the foci of language aspect, realized through strewn linguistics markers, modality for an instance, in a text – an essay (martin & rose, 2003). pertaining bahktinian’s (1986) sense, every “utterance is a link in a very complexly organized chain of other utterance,” hence the writer simply attempted to be engaged with the presence of the readers (speakers) by anticipating their alternative point of views. no utterances are classified into monolossic or heteroglossic, accordingly. however, the heterogloss use of can and will denoted the possibility of being dialogically expansive or entertain in that a range of potential opinions are possibly available regardless of how strong they are committed to particular viewpoints (martin & white, 2005). feasibly, the excessive employment of modality can and will relative to the insights of the polyfunctionality of modal markers, marwito wihadi & eva tuckyta sari sujatna preponderant modality in students’ engaging argumentative essays 38 seemingly geared by the complex communicative strategies of the speaker/writer and their coparticipants. as for speakers/writers, it is observed that in verbal dialogsm via the composed text, where participants are attempting to achieve simultaneously the goals of (a) saying something on the topic under discussion; (b) being sensitive to the face-needs of the various addressees; (c) qualifying assertions to avoid total commitment to a point of view which they may want to withdraw from; (d) qualifying assertions to encourage the flow of discussion; (e) creating cohesive text, then it does not seem feasible to conclude “this form expresses x and that form expresses y” (coates, 1983; voloshinov, 1995). the writers took the above aspects of dialogism into consideration, retrieving their surviving level of modality metaphor at hand. obviously encountered in the argumentative essays, it was feasible for them to have difficulty in expressing the semantic realizations of modality in further than finites (can, could, might) as the other parts of realizations (adjunct(mood)/adverbs), predicators, mental clauses and attributive clauses were barely localized in the texts. the prevalent fact possibly rested to explicit teaching on such modality as stated that learners should have the knowledge of “what is socially and culturally appropriate in terms of the writer roles, audience expectations, rhetorical and stylistic conventions, and situational or contextual features of written” (reid, 1990). in other words, it is argued that it is supposed to be promulgated in the course design (hyland, 2007; kong, 2006). according to devrim (2015), an integrated model shall be pedagogically cultivated as a rhetorically oriented approach to teaching grammatical metaphors like that of modality. likewise, an integrated model positions the metaphor of modality within english as a second/foreign language (esl/efl) contexts and concentrates on the text types – argumentative genre, for example, that diverse cohorts that occurred in the study were required to compose. juxtaposing the modal expression, it was notified that the frequent appearance of deontic modality was a bit higher than that of epistemic modality. this was then explained by sweetser’s cognitive perspective confirming that deontic modality is the root of modality whose semantic extension is epistemic one; hence, deontic modality acquisition and exercise is easier than epistemic modality one. moreover, learners who are exposed to particular language will build cognitive systems that can be activated any time when a stimulus is provided. this issue relates to the fundamental notion in second language acquisition: automaticity-linguistic knowledge and restructuring-internalized representations as a result of new learning (gass & selinker, 2001). in other words, exposure to the various metaphor of modality as an input in a specific writing genre ought to be ample, then followed up by meaningful metafunctions so as to pursue the application of certain linguistic features, turning into intake activated later on given situations. such interaction, therefore, indeed promotes the language acquisition substantially so that language aspects are linguistically and socially developed. the more recurrent interaction that entails cognitive and social domains, the better the language performance of the use of modality and the nearer to second language acquisition are. the discussed research findings shall be, subsequently, wrapped up to infer. conclusion critically analyzing the discourse on the three argumentative-hortatory-essays, it is succinctly drawn a conclusion that in general deontic modality is slightly higher in frequency than epistemic modality. the monotonous use of finite modals is overused and scattered in the texts, highlighting the fact that other semantic realizations of modality are overlooked, or much probably not yet adequately exposed so as to get acquired by the learners. furthermore, the solid insights of metaphor of modality are not well ingrained, leading the confusion employment in context. dialogism sense corroborates the low level of arguable stances, while considering participants’ potential viewpoints. on the other side, finite modals may and might are less favored to be employed, voicing writers’ realization of probability and inclination. exposing further functions and realizations of modality in a specific genre meeting discourse community features and conventions, then exercising them in the real contexts is in the need of applications in explicit genre-based teaching in the integrated model on-line and tutor-assisted to promote metaphor of modality. acknowledgement i thank lpdp (lembaga pengelola dana pendidikan) for financial support and prof. dr. eva tuckyta sari sujatna, m.hum. for academic supervision. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 39 references biber, d., johanssson, s., leech, g., conrad, s., & finegan, e. (1999). longman grammar of spoken and written english. london: longman. coates, j. (1983). semantics of the modal auxiliaries. london: croom helm. coffin, c. (2004). arguing about how the world is or how the world should be: the role of arguments in ielts tests. journal of english for academic purposes, 3(3), 229-246. creswell, j. (2009). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approach. london: sage publication, inc. devrim, d. y. (2015). grammatical metaphor: what do we mean? what exactly are we researching? functional linguistics, 2(3), 1-15. fairclough, n. (1995). critical discourse analysis. london: longman. fraenkel, j. r., & wallen, n. e. (2009). how to design and evaluate research in education (7thed). new york: mcgraw-hill higher education. gales, t. (2015). identifying interpersonal stance in threatening discourse: an appraisal analysis. discourse studies, 13(1), 27-46. doi:10.1177/146/445610387735. gass, s. m., & selinker, l. (2001). second language acquisition: an introductory course (2nd ed.). new jersey: lawrence erlbaum associates, inc. halliday, m. a. k. (2000). an introduction to functional grammar. london: edward arnold. he, y., & wang, h. (2013). a corpus-based study of epistemic modality markers in chinese research articles. chinese lexical semantics, 7717, 199– 208. hyland, k. (1990). a genre description of the argumentative essay. relc journal, 21(1), 6678. hyland, k. (2007). genre and second language writing. michigan: the university of michigan press. janks, h. (1997). critical discourse analysis as a research tool. accessed on may 22nd, 2017 from www.uv.es/gimenes/recursor/criticaldiscourse.p df. khojasteh, l., & reinders, h. (2013). how textbooks (and learners) get it wrong: a corpus study of modal auxiliary verbs. applied research on english language, 2(1) 33-44. kong, c. k. m. (2006). modality in appraisal in students’ essay: a study of the effect of genrebased instruction. accessed on april 2nd, 2017 from http://hdl.handle.net/10497/495. long, e. (1995). negotiating competing voices to construct claims and evidence: urban america teenagers rivalling anti-drug literature. in p. costello & s. mitchel (eds), competing and consensual voices: the theory and practice of argument (pp. 35-49). bristol: multilingual matters. martin, j. r. (1989). factual writing: exploring and challenging social reality (2nd ed.). oxford: oxford university press. martin, j. r. (2000). beyond exchange: appraisal system in english. in s. hunston & g. thompson (eds), evaluation in text: authorial stance and the construction of discourse (pp. 142-175). oxford: oxford university press. martin, j. r., & rose, d. (2003). working with discourse: meaning beyond the clause. new york: continuum. martin, j. r., & white, p. r. r. (2005). the language of evaluation. new york: palgrave macmillan. martin, j. r., matthiessen, c. m. i. m., & painter, c. (1997). working with functional grammar. new york: arnold. mcenery, t., & kifle, n. a. (2002). epistemic modality in argumentative essays of second language writers. accessed on june 21st, 2017 from http: www.reserachgate.net/publication/3.pdf. ngula, r. s. (2017). epistemic modal verbs in research articles written by ghanaian and international scholars: a corpus-based study of three disciplines. brno studies in english, 43(2), 1-24. doi:10.5817/bse2017-2-1. palmer, f. r. (2007). mood and modality. new york: world book publishing company. paltridge, b. (2006). discourse analysis: an introduction. london: continuum. promwinai, p. (2010). the demand of argumentative essay writing: experiences of thai tertiary students. accessed on july, 20th, 2016 from http://www.ro.uow.edu.au/theses/3298. qun, z. (2010). modality and generic features in chinese efl writings. chinese journal of applied linguistics, 33(5), 40-51. reid, j. (1990). responding to different topic types: a quantitative analysis from contrastive perspective. in b. krol (eds), second language writing: research insights for the classroom. cambridge: cambridge university press. swan, m. (2006). practical english usage. oxford: oxford united press. torabiardakani, n., khojasteh, l., & shokrpour, n. (2015). modal auxiliaries and their semantic functions used by advanced efl learners. acta didactica napocensia, 8(2), 51-60. voloshinov, v. n. (1995). marxism and the philosophy of the language. translated by l. matejka & i. r. titunik, cambridge, ma: harvard university press. http://www.uv.es/gimenes/recursor/criticaldiscourse.pdf http://www.uv.es/gimenes/recursor/criticaldiscourse.pdf http://hdl.handle.net/10497/495 http://www.reserachgate.net/publication/3 marwito wihadi & eva tuckyta sari sujatna preponderant modality in students’ engaging argumentative essays 40 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 521 the implementation of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum at state junior high schools dara novitasari english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: daranovitashaun@gmail.com ismail petrus english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: ismailpetrus@yahoo.com machdalena vianty english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: vianty.unsri@gmail.com apa citation: novitasari, d., petrus, i., & vianty, m. (2022). the implementation of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum at state junior high schools. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 521-532. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6252 received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 08-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction in education, curriculum is the main part besides teacher, tools in the education system. curriculum is very important tool in order to realize and achieve the goal of school education. this means curriculum becomes the guideline for teachers to understand what they have to achieve in their teaching activities. in indonesia, curriculum has been changed overtimes by the government. winarso (2015) describes that the curriculum change process started in 1947 and currently being used 2013 curriculum. indonesia now is implementing the 2013 curriculum which is revision of the previous curriculum, school-based curriculum (2006 curriculum). the 2006 curriculum was considered insensitive and irresponsive to social change at local, national, and global levels. this curriculum focused on educating abstract: this study aims at reporting the results of a qualitative study investigating how english teachers implement the scientific approach (sa) in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman. this study is particularly intended to answer three research questions: 1) how is scientific approach implemented in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman, 2) what are the problems faced by the teachers in implementing scientific approach in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman, and 3) what are the solutions to solve the problems in implementing scientific approach in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman. the data were collected by using questionnaire, interview, observation, and document review. the participants of this study were the teachers of english, the vice-principal of curriculum, and the students. the findings of this study showed that the teachers used discovery learning to implement of scientific approach in the syntax of the learning model and five stages implemented in english teaching and learning. the problem faced by the teachers in implementing of scientific approach were, the students’ lack of critical thinking, the students’ difficulty in finding the answer of the problem, the students’ inability in analyzing the material, and the students’ lack of vocabulary mastery. the solutions used by the teachers to overcome the problem in applying scientific approach were: motivating the students to be more active in learning, giving some stimulates questions related to the material, comparing between the recent material and the previous materials, and translating the difficult words found by the students. the conclusion is the teachers had implemented scientific approach in the learning process. keywords: teachers’ problems; scientific approach; curriculum 2013. dara novitasari, ismail petrus, & machdalena vianty the implementation of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum at state junior high schools 522 students to achieve knowledge, and lack of skills and attitude (regulation of ministry of education and culture, 2013). therefore, a curriculum that can educate students with knowledge, skill, and attitude is needed to improve the quality of education in indonesia. and the 2013 curriculum is designed to achieve this need. indonesian government has developed 2013 curriculum for these following reasons: 1) the need to increase the competency, 2) to improve communication skills, 3) to enhance the ability to think critically, and 4) to consider the moral aspects of the students (regulation of ministry of education and culture, 2013). based on 2013 curriculum, the students are encouraged to have a responsibility to the environment, interpersonal skills, and ability to think critically (kurniasih & sani, 2014). it is characterized by the development of attitudes, knowledge, thinking skills, and psychomotor skills in a variety of subjects. it should be relevant to the needs of life, developing abilities and interests, and responsive to the development of science and technology. according to regulation of ministry of education and culture no.22/2016, teacher is the facilitator of learning and learners as students are the learning center. 2013 curriculum also adopts a learning approach based on the taxonomic theory that includes three competency domains: affective, cognitive, psychomotor. the learning process is fully directed at the development of one domain cannot be separated from the other domains. in addition, 2013 curriculum introduces a new approach in teaching and learning process which is known as a scientific approach. ministry of education and culture (2013), argued that 2013 curriculum with the scientific approach can be implemented successfully and expectedly could develop and could improve the chances for the learners to take part indirectly in the learning process. scientific approach is defined as the process of finding out information in science, which involves testing the ideas by performing experiments and making decisions based on the result of analysis (longman, 2014). according to regulation of ministry of education and culture (2013), scientific approach is to encourage and inspire students to think critically, analytically, and precisely in identifying, understanding, solving problems, and applying the learning materials. the description is how teachers apply learning approach that is connected to real life and develop indicator competencies related to learning materials to be taught, by inviting students to take part and reaction of teachers to students’ response in the teachinglearning process (ministry of education and culture, 2007). in addition to learning activities in teaching and learning process such as involving group discussion, reading articles or watching videos, then answering questions are designed to encourage the development of critical thinking and social skills by exploring values, supporting content knowledge and developing practical skills (unesco, 2015). the realization of the scientific approach in the classroom is through the five stages as suggested by kirkpatrick (2016). the five stages are observing, questioning, experimenting, associating, and communicating. in line with it, scientific approach as described by curriculum 2013 covers the following steps: (1) observing; to identify the problem, (2) questioning; formulate the problems to develop critical thinking, (3) collecting the data; to collect the materials or data in various learning ways, (4) associating; to analyze and make conclusions data have been observed, and (5) communicating; to develop students’ knowledge and skill in delivering the idea clearly (ministry of education and culture, 2016). in the learning process, the students’ language development is also improved through their activeness. based on the research result of hidayati (2014), scientific approach made the students easier to understand the material and the students could improve their learning outcomes in the classroom. implementing new things in education will make the teachers face some obstacles like the english teacher confused how to implement 2013 curriculum in teaching at the class and also get difficulties in applying the scientific approach in the teaching and learning process. in other sides, some teachers have followed the workshop about the 2013 curriculum. in line with it, teachers who teach in schools that have implemented the 2013 curriculum are required to follow technical guidance and training in the 2013 curriculum, the main is that teachers do not misrepresent the subject matter related to the 2013 curriculum http://www.adakitanews.com/guru-it means the teacher has knowledge about the curriculum and knows how to implement it. dealing with this opinion, english teachers have to capable of http://www.adakitanews.com/guru-wajib-ikut-bimtek-dan-pelatihan-k13/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 523 implementing the 2013 curriculum well. in reality, there are still some problems in implementing of scientific approach. according to afrianto (2017), the implementation of scientific approach is having some obstacles like lacking clarity and complexity of teaching procedures, the teachers believe that they do not apply all scientific approach stages in the classroom. based on research from azizah, ariwidodo and adriana (2015), the implementation of the scientific approach to teaching english in the 2013 curriculum raises some obstacles in its implementation such as difficulties in making students active, they are not confident in answering questions from the teacher so they make themselves behind their friends. most teachers also find it difficult to motivate students to ask questions both to their friends and to their teachers. in addition, based on the researcher’s observation in state junior high schools in babat toman, some of teacher said that the main point teacher must understand the approach itself and how to apply it in the classroom. to apply all the stages of the scientific approach is not easy, questioning stage is the most difficult part to apply. other supporting problems, sometimes students feel shy, afraid of being laughed by their friends because of the lack of vocabulary. when teachers skip one or more steps in the scientific approach it means that sometimes the scientific approach is not appropriately applied. that is a problem that states as the weakness of the implementation of the education quality improvement efforts (jaedun, hariyanto and nuryadin, 2014). based on the explanation above, the researcher concludes that the implementation of the 2013 curriculum and applying the scientific approach to teach english needs to be integrated. schools and teachers in some of these state junior high schools have been running the 2013 curriculum for about three years and they have attended teacher training on the 2013 curriculum, which means they have used a scientific approach in teaching and learning activities while running the 2013 curriculum and. therefore, the researcher will investigate how scientific approach in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman is implemented, the problems faced by the teacher in implementing of scientific approach in teaching and learning, and the solutions to solve the problems in implementing of scientific approach in english teaching and learning through a study entitled "the implementation of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman" method this study was a descriptive qualitative study. the data collection conducted through interview, questionnaire, observation checklist, and document review to find out the implementation of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum in teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman, problems in implementing of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum in teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman and solutions to solve the problems in implementing of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum in teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman. this study was conducted at five junior high schools in babat toman: junior high school 1, 2, 3, 4, and junior high school 5. the participants of this study were the teachers of english, the viceprincipal of curriculum each school and students. the five teachers of english selected in each school based on the observation the researcher did on junior high schools in babat toman. there were five teachers who are willing to be participants in this study. to collect the data, the researcher used four instruments. the instruments included interview, questionnaire, observation, and document review. after the data were collected, the researcher analyzed for answer the research questions. while the data of interview, questionnaire, observation, and document were analysis by descriptive analysis. in interview, questionnaire was analyzed by likert scale to inquire the frequency of adaptation challenges in five-level from (1) strongly disagree, (2) disagree, (3) neither disagree, (4) agree, and (5) strongly agree. the results of questionnaire are transcribed descriptively used for showing the implementation of scientific approach in english teaching and learning. observation was analyzed by checklist with yes/no answer, putting the answer in the form of percentage and then describe. while the data of interview, and document were analysis by descriptive analysis. the researcher used triangulation to determine validity by analyzing from various perspectives. denzin (2006) stated that triangulation is the dara novitasari, ismail petrus, & machdalena vianty the implementation of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum at state junior high schools 524 process of corroborating evidence from different individuals (e.g., a principal and a student), types of data (e.g., observational fieldnotes and interviews), methods of data collection (e.g., documents and interviews) in descriptions and themes in qualitative research. based on the types of triangulation, the researcher used methodological triangulation. therefore, data triangulation helped the researcher to justify the findings and results of this study. results and discussion as it is described earlier, this study tried to answer the following questions: ‘how is scientific approach implemented in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman’, ‘what are the problems faced by the teachers in implementing scientific approach in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman’, and ‘what are the solutions to solve the problem in implementing scientific approach in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman’. in answering this question, the researcher obtained four types of data; semi structured interviews, questionnaires, observations checklist, and documents review. first, interview was done once to each teacher. secondary, questionnaire was done once to each teacher. thirdly, data were obtained through observation checklist that has been done four times for each teacher. moreover, documents review was also done by reviewing lesson plans. the findings were derived from the data based on the stages in scientific approach; observing, questioning, experimenting, associating, and communicating. result of questionnaire this part presents the results of questionnaire given to the teachers of english. the descriptions of the profiles of english teachers, the implementation of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman. profile of the teachers of english the data concerning the profiles of the state junior high school teachers contained the information about the teachers’ gender, age, highest academic level, for how long they have been teaching, and their participation in trainings related to 2013 curriculum. there were 5 teachers of english from state junior high schools, 1 teacher of english from junior high school 1 in babat toman, 1 teacher of english from junior high school 2 in babat toman, 1 teacher of english from junior high school 3 in babat toman, 1 teacher of english from junior high school 4 in babat toman and 1 teacher of english from junior high school 5 in babat toman. table 1. profile of the teachers of english the participants gender age highest academic level teaching experience participation in training related to 2013 curriculum h female 39 postgraduate 16 yes w female 37 undergraduate 16 yes f female 28 undergraduate 9 yes h female 25 undergraduate 6 yes wa female 26 undergraduate 2 yes the data from a questionnaire consists of 20 questions about the scientific approach which was constructed based on the regulation of ministry of education and culture number 103 the year 2014. the questionnaire used 5 point likert scales from veglas (2006). the scales were from one up to five. (strongly agree: 5; agree: 4; neither agree nor disagree: 3; disagree: 2; and strongly disagree: 1). the data were calculated by using formula from arikunto (2012). all of the scores are gained from five english teachers were accumulated, were multiplied by each scale, were divided by the maximum score and were multiplied by 100%. the calculation of the teachers’ comprehension of scientific approach shows in the following table: table 2. the teachers’ comprehension of scientific approach no statements sa a nd d sd total 1. s1 10 12 22 2. s2 16 19 3. s3 25 25 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 525 4. s4 10 12 22 5. s5 10 8 2 20 6. s6 20 20 7. s7 12 12 8. s8 10 12 22 9. s9 10 12 22 10. s10 10 12 22 11. s11 5 16 21 12. s12 10 12 22 13. s13 10 12 22 14. s14 10 8 18 15. s15 5 16 21 16. s16 10 12 22 17. s17 20 20 18. s18 15 4 20 19. s19 15 8 23 20. s20 20 20 total 415 from the table above, the highest scores are the statement number 3 with the total score 25. meanwhile, the lowest scores are the statement number 7 with the total score 12. there is 1 disagree answer in the questionnaire. it is in the statement number 5. the result of the teachers’ comprehension of scientific approach shows in the following table. table 3. the percentage of teachers’ comprehension of scientific approach in teaching english no. statements score total score percentage 1. s1-s20 415 500 83 % the total score of teachers’ comprehension of scientific approach is 415. then, in getting the percentage, the scores are divided by the total score 500. next, it is multiplied by 100%. the average result of the questionnaires the distributed for 5 teachers from 5 schools is 83%. based on the criteria of arikunto (2007), 83 % is included in category 61 % 80 % as excellent. it is meant that the teachers’ comprehension of the concept of scientific approach is excellent. the teachers understood the concept of the scientific approach for all of the five stages (observing, questioning, experimenting, associating and communicating). in the questionnaire, there is no teacher who fills strongly disagree answer in the questionnaire. it is interpreted that they have understood the importance of scientific approach. all of the english teachers agree with the statement number three. statement number three is in observing stage, the teachers ask their students to listen to the lesson. keep paying attention in a lesson is very important. the students also need to concentrate because it makes them absorb the knowledge. it is also supported by the findings from zeki (2009) revealed that nonverbal communication could be an important source of motivation and concentration for students’ learning as well as a tool for taking and maintaining attention. based on the explanation above, it can be obtained that from collecting data through questionnaires, good results are obtained. it can be seen with them supporting every point of the scientific approach. the results of interviews as it is described earlier, this study tried to answer the following questions: “how is scientific approach implemented in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman”, “what are the problems faced by the teachers in implementing scientific approach in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman”, and “what are the solutions to solve the problem in implementing scientific approach in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman”. in order to strengthen the questionnaire result, the researcher conducted an interview with teachers of english, the vice principal of curriculum and students during their break time. initial would be used in presenting the information source to keep the interviewees anonymous. table 4. list of the interviewees no. initial position 1. h the teacher of english at junior high school 1 in babat toman 2. w the teacher of english at junior high school 2 in babat toman 3. f the teacher of english at junior high school 3 in babat toman 4. h the teacher of english at junior high school 4 in babat toman 5. wa the teacher of english at junior high school 5 in babat toman 6. s the vice-principal of curriculum in junior high school 1 in babat toman dara novitasari, ismail petrus, & machdalena vianty the implementation of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum at state junior high schools 526 7. w the vice-principal of curriculum in junior high school 2 in babat toman 8. ue the vice-principal of curriculum in junior high school 3 in babat toman 9. ma the vice-principal of curriculum in junior high school 4 in babat toman 10. a the vice-principal of curriculum in junior high school 5 in babat toman 11. th student of junior high school 1 in babat toman 12. as student of junior high school 2 in babat toman 13. h student of junior high school 3 in babat toman 14. i student of junior high school 4 in babat toman 15. r student of junior high school 5 in babat toman how the implementation of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman this part presents the results of interview given to teachers of english, the vice-principal of curriculum and students. based on the first interview session, five teachers said they have already implemented observing stage in all meetings. most of teacher has implemented scientific approach; at least teachers who have attended the training have understood the approach. “as far as i can control it and commonly i used problem based learning as learning media in learning, depend on material that i am going to teach.” (h) teacher added, i use….. “….projector to delivered material by providing videos or images related to the material being studied (observing), students or teachers asking and answered questions related to the topics discussed (questioning). ask students to add the information from the other sources (collecting information), confirm the data with the teacher (associating) and students convey their work orally or in writing (communicating).” (h) “in implementing this approach was quite difficult even though i can implement all the stages. based on 2013 curriculum, i used discovery or problem based learning. in observing, i used book, magazine, paper to support observing stage. make a classroom discussion, give questions to trigger students’ critical thinking and students’ question (questioning). teacher ask students to used their dictionary or other sources to collect the information and sometimes homework as a report from communicating stage or they make a written or oral report” (w) “discovery / inquiry learning is a learning models that i used to implementation of scientific approach and sometimes not all stages are reached. in observing, i explained the lesson to be taught, after that the students are asked to ask questions while taking notes in a notebook. in experimenting or collecting data, i ask students to make classroom discussions. in associating, students asking the teacher or friends to confirm the information that they get and the last stage, i asked students to make a report in written or orally”. (f) “first of all i use discovery learning as a learning model to connect with scientific approach. in implementing of scientific approach is not easy as i imagine. heee…. here in implementation of this approach, i give stimulus to trigger their spirit (observing) and i divide students into discussion groups, provide material for them to discuss, ask them to ask and answer the question that are related to material taught and practice it with come forward to show their report.” (h) “teaching and learning process using a scientific approach can be implemented well with five stages and sometimes i used discovery in my teaching and learning process. of the five stages in the scientific approach, the questioning stage must be paid more attention to because it is very difficult for students to ask questions. provide interesting bait or stimulus so that it can provoke them to take lessons with enthusiasm.” (wa) the statement from the teacher is also supported by vice principal of curriculum “alhamdulillah, the teaching and learning process using a scientific approach can be implemented well with five stages. teachers play an active role in implementing the recommended scientific approach based on the k-13 curriculum which makes students as student-centered not teachercentered. facilities are provided by the school as a medium to support the learning process in the classroom. questioning, collecting information, associating and communication stage can be carried out properly, based on teacher creativity. if the stimulus at the beginning of learning is good, god willing, the next stage will be easier for students to carry out.” (s) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 527 “so far, the implementation of the scientific approach has been carried out, although the implementation has not been maximized. such as facilities that support the teaching and learning process are still not fulfilled. students are asked to observe the book, listen to the teacher's explanation and then are asked to answer questions and ask questions related to the material that has been observed. previously students were asked to bring other sources such as books, articles or others to add information related to the material being studied.” (w) “teaching and learning process using a scientific approach can be implemented well with five stages. teacher invite students to observe by reading a book, observe the examples around them that are related to the material involved in learning, students create and ask questions related to the material in learning, at the collecting information stage, students asked to read other sources than textbooks to find the most appropriate information in the classroom and and for the last they perform or collecting the report in written or orally.” (ue) “so far, teaching and learning process using a scientific approach can be implemented well with five stages. in observing, teacher invite students to observe by reading a book, observe the examples around them that are related to the material involved in learning, students create and ask questions related to the material in learning, at the collecting information stage, students asked to read other sources than textbooks to find the most appropriate information in the classroom. in associating, give examples to justify the data that has been obtained by students and for the last they perform or collecting the report in written or orally.” (ma) “in implementing of scientific approach is quit hard, as we know there are five stages in scientific approach. from the observing, questioning, experimenting, associating and communicating. we adapt to what we have, such as attracting students' attention by utilizing the surrounding environment or the creativity of the teacher. the demands of the k13 curriculum require students to be active, but sometimes teacher as a center. students still fully need the guidance of teachers and not all of the teacher applied training of k13, so they feel unfamiliar with this approach.” (a) the statement from the teacher and vice principal of curriculum is also supported by student’s answer: students added…. “sometimes we have discussed about the material being taught, watching a video, play games like guessing games, and teacher ask us to take a note that related material taught.” (th) “we learn by reading textbooks, paying attention to examples of existing questions, then being asked to do exercises." (as) “we are very happy to learn while playing games in class, very interesting. after playing, we were told to record what we got from the game, after that we made examples and did the work.” (h) “yes… we learn to use textbooks, once in a while we pay attention to the pictures brought by our teacher to observe and record the information that can be obtained.” (i) “the teacher gave an explanation, gave some examples and we were told to come forward and the teacher asked us to take a note that related material was taught. after that do the exercise.” (r) the problems in implementation of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman researcher conducted interview to find out the problem faced by teachers on applying scientific approach used in english teaching based on the curriculum 2013. here, difficulties mean all the difficulties faced by teachers on applying 5 steps of scientific approach: observing, questioning, experimenting, associating, and communicating. teacher answered…… “at the observing stage, i feel there is no difficulty because in this activity, i convey in any way, until students start to be interested in learning with this scientific approach, sometimes, conclude the lesson briefly.” (h) “what i have found that, students’ lack of critical thinking, the students’ difficulty in finding the answer of the problem, the students can't analyze the material and the students' shy to speak up and limitation time on implementing this approach.” (w) dara novitasari, ismail petrus, & machdalena vianty the implementation of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum at state junior high schools 528 “in teaching learning process, students are less active in asking questions, students felt bored, students felt confused in summarizes the report.” (f) “most of them can't speak english well. they often stop their presentation because there were some words that they didn’t know the meaning in english and they shy to answer and ask question.” (h) “students got difficulty to make presentation because they cannot speak english well caused lack of vocabulary mastery and some students not confident, students are less active in asking questions”. (wa) the solutions to solve the problems in implementing of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman “to solved the problem, teacher gave some motivation to the students in order that they will be more active, emphasized them the importance of english and told the students that the successful of teaching learning proses is depend on the students, not only depend on teacher, try to managing the time.” (w) “teacher gave some motivations to the students in order that they will be more active, provide an interesting media so that students are motivated to speak up, become guide to helped them by translating what are the students' difficult words.” (h) “teacher gave some motivations to the students in order that they will be more active, provide an interesting media so that students are motivated to speak up, become guide to helped them by translating what are the students' difficult words.” (u) “here, as a teacher helped them by translating what are the students' difficult words.” (as) "then teacher stimulated them by giving the comparisons. the recent material compared with the previous materials. then students understood the way to analyze, and the discussion be continued.” (wa) observation learning with a scientific approach is the process of planned in such a way that students actively through the stages of observing, questioning, trying and communicate. to obtain data on the implementation of the scientific approach conducted with observation checklist based on observations on the implementation of scientific attachment can generally be seen in the table below: table 6. teacher comprehension in implementation of scientific approach no statements score total score percentage 1. s1-s20 221 400 55.25 % based on researcher’s observation, the implementation of scientific approach from five stages is 55.25%. next, it is categorized based on arikunto (2007). from the result, 55.25% includes 41% 60% that is categorized as good. the implementation of scientific approach from five stages is categorized as good. all of the stages of the scientific approach (observing, questioning, experimenting, associating and communicating) are implemented in teaching english. although the frequency for each stage was varied, there is no stage that has 0% or not done at all. in addition, komariah (2016) claimed that in communicating stage, the teacher acted as a facilitator and confirmed if there was a mistake in the materials. in another side, the most rarely performed activity is asking the students to make an oral report with 25%. the teachers rarely applied this activity because usually the time is up at the end of the teaching and learning process. the teachers do not have much time to ask the students communicate the result one by one for every student. document review documents which were taken from junior high schools in babat toman from the lesson plan of the teacher of english in learning models, scientific approach stages and media used in implementation of scientific approach in english teaching and learning, it was not relevant to the results of interviews conducted previously, in the interview the teacher said that in the learning process the teacher used the book however from the lesson plan the learning media used projector. while the learning model used by the teacher was discovery learning. teacher cover all syntax of the approach. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 529 table 7. syntax of the approach which the teachers applied schools teachers learning model syntax media use junior high school 1 in babat toman h discovery learning  observing  questioning  collecting information/experimenting  associating  communicating  pictures (proyektor, laptop and speaker)  dialogue (students book)  video junior high school 2 in babat toman w discovery learning  observing  questionning  collecting information/experimenting  associating  communicating  pictures (proyektor, laptop and speaker)  dialogue (students book)  video junior high school 3 in babat toman f discovery learning  observing  questionning  collecting information/experimenting  associating  communicating  pictures (proyektor, laptop and speaker)  dialogue (students book)  video junior high school 4 in babat toman h discovery learning  observing  questionning  collecting information/experimening  associating  communicating  pictures (proyektor, laptop and speaker)  dialogue (students book)  video junior high school 5 in babat toman wa discovery learning  observing  questionning  collecting information/experimening  associating  communicating  pictures (proyektor, laptop and speaker)  dialogue (students book)  video discussion the implementation of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman after the data had been analyzed and triangulated, teachers of junior high schools in babat toman have implemented scientific approach. first, teachers used models of learning stated by regulation of ministry of education and culture no.22 year (2016). discovery learning is learning models used. discovery learning is to understand concepts, meanings, and relationships, through an intuitive process to finally arrive at a conclusion (budiningsih, 2005). the syntax of the discovery learning model is 1) giving stimulation (stimulation); 2) statement/identification of problems (problem statement); 3) data collection (data collection); 4) verification, and 5) draw conclusions / generalizations (generalization). except learning model, five stages of scientific approach or syntax such as observing, questionning, experimenting, associating, and communicating are also applied by teachers in the teaching process. in implementing this five stages used different strategies, for example using existing facilities by using a projector or other interesting media, asking questions or answering questions. bester & brand (2013) stated that achievement will be very likely to improve if a technology is used in a lesson to capture the attention of learners and to maintain their concentration. it is meant that the media have a positive effect on students’ achievement. in conclusion, in implementing of scientific approach, teacher has to choose what media being used in learning, teacher need managing the time, facilitate students with media used. apriani’s research (2015). in her research, the teachers stated that they implemented scientific approach by dara novitasari, ismail petrus, & machdalena vianty the implementation of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum at state junior high schools 530 asking the students to observe and identify the objects of observation in observing stage; giving opportunity to the students to ask in questioning stage; giving time and facilitating students to find the information related to the material; asking the students to discuss the information that was received in the group discussion and designing the discussion result that would be presented in communicating stage. the problems in implementation of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman after the data had been analyzed and triangulated, teachers of junior high schools in babat toman have implemented scientific approach. scientific approach is a scientific-based approach that can make students independent, critical thinking, creative and etc. in applying this approach there will be problems. as mentioned from the results of interviews, students’ lack of critical thinking, the students difficulty in finding the answer of the problem, and the students' shy to speak up and from the students can't analyze the material. and limitation time on implementing this approach is one of the problems. the students’ lack of critical thinking; the students’ difficulty in finding the answer of the problem; the students’s inability in analyzing the material; and the students’ lack of vocabulary mastery. the solutions to solve the problems in implementing of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum in english teaching and learning at state junior high schools in babat toman in implementation of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum at state junior high schools in babat toman. when problems come, of course you will need a solution to overcome. the solutions used by the teachers to overcome the problem in applying scientific approach were: motivating the students to be more active in learning, giving some stimulates questions related to the material, comparing between the recent material and the previous materials, and translating the difficult words found by the students to solved the problem, teacher gave some motivation to the students in order that they will be more active, emphasized them the importance of english and told the students that the successful of teaching learning proses is depend on the students, not only depend on teacher, try to managing the time. whereas, wahyu (2015) claimed that by giving the material with the media, picture or real object, it would stimulate the students to elaborate their knowledge into the next stage. the media will also make the students feeling curious to know about the material. conclusion based on the data analysis and the discussion, it can be concluded that the procedures used by teachers in teaching english were: observing, questioning, experimenting, associating, and communicating. those steps were written in the lesson plan as the rule of teacher in conducting teaching learning process in implementing of scientific approach. learning models used was discovery learning which the stages of the discovery learning model reflect the stages of the scientific approach. the difficulties faced by teachers in implementing scientific approach were: the students’ lack of critical thinking; the students’ difficulty in finding the answer of the problem; the students’s inability in analyzing the material; and the students’ lack of vocabulary mastery. the solutions used by the teachers to overcome the problem in applying scientific approach were: motivating the students to be more active in learning, giving some stimulates questions related to the material, comparing between the recent material and the previous materials, and translating the difficult words found by the students. references afrianto. (2017). the implementation of scientific approach for teaching english in senior high school: voices from the field. in advances in social science, education and hunabities research (assehr), volume 110 fifth internasional seminar on english language and teaching (iselt 2017), (pp. 183-1910. https://doi.org/10.2991/iselt-17.2017.33. apriauny, l., afrianto., nababan, m. (2014). the implementation of scientific approach in teaching english in senior high school pekanbaru. universitas riau: universitas riau. arikunto, s. (2012). prosedur penelitian suatu pendekatan praktik. jakarta, indonesia: rineka aksara. azizah, s., ariwidodo, e., & adriana, i. (2015). implementasi pendekatan saintifik dalam english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 531 pengajaran bahasa inggris kurikulum 2013 di smpn 1 pamekasan. okara 2 (x), 181-200. bester, g. &. (2013). the effect of technology on learner attention and achievment in the classroom. south african journal of education, 33 (2). budiningsih, a. (2005). belajar dan pembelajaran. jakarta: rineka cipta. denzin n. k. (2006). sociological methods: a sourcebook (5th ed). new york:aldine transaction. hidayati, n. (2014). pengaruh penggunaan pendekatan ilmiah (scientific approach) dalam pembelajaran terhadap hasil belajar peserta didik kelas xii 1 smk negeri 7 surabaya pada standar kompetensi mengoperasikan sistem kendali elektromagnetik. jurnal pendidikan teknik elektro, 25-29. jaedun, a. h. (2014). an evaluation of the implementation of curriculum 2013 at the building construction department of vocational high schools in yogyakarta. journal of education, 14-22. kirkpatrick, r. (2016). english language education policy in asia. switzerland: spinger. kurniasih, i. &. (2014). implementasi kurikulum 2013: konsep dan penerapan. surabaya, indonesia: kata pena. longman. (2014). dictionary of contemporary english for advanced learners. pearson education limited. ministry of education and culture. (2007). standar kualifikasi akademik dan kompetensi guru. jakarta: departemen pendidikan dan kebudayaan. ministry of education and culture. (2016). materi pelatihan implementasi kurikulm 2013. jakarta, indonesia: kemendikbud. musfiqon, h. m. (2015). pendekatan pembelajaran saintifik . sidoarjo: isbn 978-602-72376-0-5. regulation of ministry of education and culture. (2013). modul pelatihan implementasi kurikulum 2013. jakarta, indonesia: badan pengembangan sumber daya manusia pendidikan dan kebudayaan. regulation of ministry of education and culture. (2013). peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan np. 22 tahun 2013 tentang standar proses pendidikan dasar dan menengah. jakarta, indonesia: kemendikbud. regulation of ministry of education and culture. (2016). peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan ri no. 22 tahun 2016 tentang standar penliaian pendidikan. jakarta: kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. unesco. (2015). the curriculum in debates and in educational reforms to 2030: for a curriculum agenda of twenty-first century. genoa: ibe working papers on curriculum issues no. 15. winarso, w. (2015). dasar pengembangan kurikulum sekolah. cirebon: confident. zeki, c. p. (2009). the importance of non-verbal communication in classroom management. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 1, 1443-1449. dara novitasari, ismail petrus, & machdalena vianty the implementation of scientific approach of the 2013 curriculum at state junior high schools 532 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 437 culture shock and campus program in elt for thai undergraduate students at university of islam sultan agung and university of ahmad dahlan didik murwantono english literature department, faculty of language and communication science, university of islam sultan agung semarang, central java, indonesia email :didik.m@unissula.ac.id rinawati medical department, medical faculty university of islam sultan agung semarang, central java, indonesia email : rinawati@unissula.ac.id apa citation: murwantono, d. & rinawati. (2021). culture shock and campus program in elt for thai undergraduate students at university of islam sultan agung and university of ahmad dahlan. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp.437-444. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4545 received: 27-02-2020 accepted: 26-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction culture shock often happened for the foreign students while they are getting an interaction with the new environment. it is a logical response, most foreign students, in the first week of class, find difficulties to adapt with language and to interact with other students. they felt sheer panic, --panic at the sudden realization that they did not know how to communicate what they needed or wanted. they did not know where to go, what to expect or what to do. it was the same experiences with thai students who enrolled in university of islam sultan agung semarang and university of ahmad dahlan yogyakarta. they struggled for encountering the several problem of cross culture such as language barriers, attitudes, and local traditions. the roles of campus is very significant to get a better solution by giving benefit policies for the students who study efl in this global era. global culture still exists in the industrial modern society right now. understanding in cultural diversities is greatly needed for getting a better communication of across culture. the concept of multiculturalism and cultural diversity should be accepted in a global society. it is not an easy task to cover the problems around cultural diversity. hence the roles from government along with all citizens are very necessary to filter the changing of the cultural landscape. and university can be a model for promoting the cultural awareness to its students. students were chosen in this phenomenon because of their great contributions as an agent of change in the globalization era. university of islam sultan agung semarang and university of abstract. the existence of culture shock is undeniably true for foreign students studying in other countries. this phenomenon becomes more common nowadays. it also happened with some thai students who are studying at university of islam sultan agung semarang and university of ahmad dahlan yogyakarta. the main objectives of this article are to find out the cultural transition and to analyze the influence of culture shock and campus programs in elt for thai students. this research was under a mix-method combined between qualitative and quantitative research by using purposive sampling. twentyfour (n=24) thai university students participated in the study. the analysis technique applied an exploratory mixed-method research design by separating the result both quantitative and qualitative. the online interview along with questionnaires was used to collect information from the students by using zoom and google form. data collection was performed from october to december 2020. based on the questionnaire and interview as the primary data collection, this mini research reveals two findings. firstly, shock culture and campus programs have a great contribution to the cultural transition in elt. secondly, the thai students coped with the shock by adapting their experiences in academic programs and campus traditions. campus programs also played a critical role in lessening culture shock. keywords: culture shock; across culture; campus program; elt. mailto:didik.m@unissula.ac.id mailto:rinawati@unissula.ac.id didik murwantono & rinawati culture shock and campus program in elt for thai undergraduate students at university of islam sultan agung and university of ahmad dahlan 438 ahmad dahlan yogyakarta have the same experiences in facing this situation. at least there are four points, such as growth, renewal, change, and continuity being prominent factors for filtering the issues of global culture. there is no any single culture which is immune toward the existence of the global era. the alienation toward the phenomenon will be alienated from the relationship among nations over the world. there are two views regarding the impact of globalization on culture. one is the homogenization and the other is hybridization of cultures (xu, 2013). garrett relates cultural homogenization with cultural imperialism, westernization or americanization (garrett, 2010). the artifacts of american culture have dominated in a free global market, mainly the product of american popular culture. meanwhile a hybrid culture shows that there is no any genuine culture. the contact of traditional culture and modern culture gives a new birth of culture. it is any kind of hybrid culture. for the students, the culture of education is an principal element in continuing traditions (wekke, 2015). it was through culture that a student gets experience and human development (frempong, reddy, and kanjee, 2011). it is to be the main duty for the lecturers that they must survey the students’ behaviors because of their differences each other. through the education culture, the students will continuously respond (felderhof, 2010) in elt, teaching for foreign students needs the responsiveness for the lectures to observe the students’ backgrounds (yong, 2011). by knowing the different backgrounds, the lectures can manage the situation in teaching and learning process because each student needs different treatment (boudreau, 2011). it is mainly for teaching cross cultural understanding. the term of cross cultural understanding is well-known for undergraduate students. it consists of three key words—cross, cultural, and understanding denoting to different meanings. ‘cross’ is closed with the meaning of crossing the boundaries of other cultures. ‘cultural’ issue is a matter of cultural aspects. and ‘understanding’ is on how we can get a better communication among cultures around us. to get mutual understanding of different cultures, it is necessary to focus on communication among different backgrounds. by having different multi-cultures, it is fragile to invoke some conflicts. the guidance or campus program is needed to minimize the trigger of conflict. at least, the program we need ought to accurate and suitable with our local condition or environment. university of islam sultan agung semarang is familiar with islamic academic culture and university of ahmad dahlan introduces the concept of islamic integrity. besides the campus program, a lecturer must be able in conditioning himself. he can trigger the students to take any strategy in facing the differences and the strategies that can be taken (murphy, 2011). the cultural perceptions, beliefs, values and traditions of each culture have a direct influence on the ways of communication of the individuals and society (ay, 2018) the environment of students does not only consist of the educational environment (zuber, christian, and pfohl, 2016). sometimes it combined with an activity inside or outside campus. a study finds that the students have more free time to make a social interaction with their friends (lubis & wekke, 2009); (paugh, & dudley-marling, 2011). it illustrates that interaction can give positive impacts to complete learning goals. culture shock as a condition where a person experiences stress because the differences of culture, role, norms that had been there in his / her life (chung, 2011). the foreign students do not know how the host culture works, as the result, they feel uncomfortable to the target culture. it effects their academic progresses and consequently, they are reluctant to join the class. it is also a major reason to conduct this research. brita mattew stated that as an english teacher, we are often in cross cultural context (mattew, 2013). teachers must have any strategy to conduct english subject in the classroom when the class has foreign students. they have to create english environment moreover english is a must in facing global culture. elt and globalization is like a piece of coin. it is difficult to be separated. english is no longer subject but has become a central tool for communication. unfortunately, english is taught in the class room without considering how it is introduced and promoted in certain ways depending on historical, political, socio-cultural, and economic considerations in each country’s particular context. as a result, elt teachers are more deskilled and are not necessarily informed about or given opportunities to discover how their particular teaching activities and behaviors, as well as practices (suryanto, 2015). in indonesia, english does not become a part of tradition yet. it is difficult to master speaking— an example. even after the students completed english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 439 their undergraduate program, they do not speak english. the cultural environment plays a key role in elt. the other activities by listening music, watching movie, and hearing news in english can trigger in mastering english well. in short, english cultural academic is greatly needed by elt teachers. one of lecturer’s duties is to communicate the different culture by understanding the cross culture. it is the main task for elt teachers. understanding in cultural diversities is greatly needed for getting a better communication of across culture. it is not an easy task to cover the problems around cultural diversity. the roles from lecturers along with all students are very necessary to communicate the different cultural background hence they can filter the changing of the cultural landscape. in fact, the responses from people who have contacted with other cultures, are change or resistance. moreover, changes and traditions are both inter-correlated issues in studying the encountering of new cultures. lecturer and students must be astute enough to know that the cultural landscape of this millennial era. at university of islam sultan agung and university of ahmad dahlan, they have learned the rhetoric of change, but they have not changed. they have gone through the motions of change, but their perspective on cultural diversities remain unchanged. hence, discusses on some essential cultural diversities correlated with multiculturalism and communication are greatly needed by some scholars marwick characterizes culture shock being cognitive, behavioral, phenomenological, and socio-psychological. physical reactions as well as the characteristics of loss of identity, familiar cues, and incongruence in personal communication are features that are inherent in culture shock (marwick, 2016). culture shock needs something that we are be willing to go through in order to fully understand and appropriate others and other cultures. most if not all descriptions of culture shock indicate a progression of attitudes regarding one’s self and others from a lower to a higher level of development (pederson, 1995). special studies on the culture shock for foreign students in indonesia have not been conducted yet, but there are some researches related to indonesian students studying overseas. ernofalina reviews about culture shocks experienced by indonesian students studying abroad (ernofalina, 2017). some are the effects of culture shock (ward, 2017); (akhtar, kamal, hayee, imtiaz, 2018) and their experiences on the foreigners studying in indonesia (sulaiman and saputri, 2019) however, the discussion of culture shock is still focused on the effects and the experiences for foreign students. this paper reveals cultural transition along with thai’s struggles to get a better acculturation and assimilation. finally, there is a need to examine culture shock and campus program correlated with the process of english learning and teaching in a class. does shock culture along with campus program give any influence towards the process of elt in a class? method this research was conducted by using mixmethod, where it was combined between a qualitative and a quantitative research. this method was applied because it needed two collaboration designs to find out the result of this research (leech & onwuegbuzie, 2007) explain that the mixed-method represents a research covering, such as collecting, analyzing, and interpreting qualitative and quantitative data in single research with investigating the underlying phenomenon. the main goal of the approach is to come at a sketch of the nature of the particular phenomenon (creswell, 2013). phenomenology is a qualitative analysis methodology that focuses on the study of an individual's experiences within the environment (neubauer, witkop, & varplo, 2019). meanwhile qualitative research is a method of research which gathers and works with non-numerical data and attempts to interpret meaning from these data by observing targeted communities or places to help explain social life (crossman, 2020). in other words, it can be said that qualitative is a detail description of events, situation, interaction and observed behavior. in contrast, a quantitative research method involves a numeric or statistical approach to research design. this research was held in the period from september 2020 until december 2020. population was thai students studying in a higher education in jawa tengah and yogyakarta. this research took the purposive sampling. there were twentyfour students from university of ahmad dahlan and two students from university of islam sultan agung, who followed the class of the odd semester 2020. online media was used to support the data gathering, such as whatsapp, zoom, and didik murwantono & rinawati culture shock and campus program in elt for thai undergraduate students at university of islam sultan agung and university of ahmad dahlan 440 google form as the instruments in this research. by using zoom, the researchers conducted the semi-structured interview in less formal types of freedom interaction. the students also had opportunities to explore their experiences dealing with culture shock during they were active in the campus for several previous semesters ago. interview is a qualitative analysis technique involving intensive individual interviews with a small number of respondents to examine their views on a certain concept, program or condition (harvey, 2019). zoom meet was a means for interviewing the students to collect the data. the questions were about academic shock and social shock. the questions were divided into some categories based on the main themes, shock culture, campus program, and elt. and then they were followed by subcategories of questions. another instrument was questionnaire through online media of google form. purposive sampling was used to point thai students who have studied both in university of islam sultan agung semarang and university of ahmad dahlan yogyakarta. the respondents were 24 thai students who took the class of cross cultural understanding in the odd semester 2020. the questionnaire had 11 questions dealing with some variables, such as shock culture, campus program, and elt. the questionnaire section was on the likert scale and was graded with values ranging from 1 to 5. the scores for this statement as follows: strongly agree (sa) = 5, agree (a) = 4, netral (n) = 3, disagree (da) = 2, and strongly disagree (sda) = 1. the analysis technique used was an exploratory mixed-method research design. because this analytical research was a sequential design method, so the implementation of qualitative data analysis and quantitative data analysis was separated. these analytical procedures were prepared for the type of the data analyzed, explore the data, analyze the data to answer research questions, display the data, and validate the data. results and discussion quantitative results the findings of research showed the validity and reliability of the questions in the questionnaire were valid and reliable. validity testing used the spss program with the pearson correlation method, where it correlated each item with the total score of the questionnaire items. the decision of making a validity test is as follow: ‘if r count > r table, the question item is declared valid.’ r table can be seen in the r statistic table. given the value of r table with df = n-2 or 24-2 = 22 and the 2-sided test is 0.404. and the variables x1, x2, and y in the question items related with the values of pearson correlation between each item and total scores were more that r table (0,404). thus it concluded that the items in the questionnaire for these variables were valid. the reliability testing method which is used in this study was cronbach’s alpha. according to priyatno, if cronbach’s alpha > 0.60 = accepted reliability(priyatno, 2013). see the table for all variables below table 1. table of cronbach alpha test variable alpha r limits decision shock culture (x1) 0,912 0,600 reliable campus program (x2) 0,854 0,600 reliable elt (y) 0,915 0,600 reliable the result of reliability test can be seen from the output reliability or score of cronbach alpha (more than 0,800). the scores of x1, x2, and y were upper 0,600. it concluded that the measurement of the questionnaire had been reliable. the data that the researchers have got them by giving questionnaires to the thai students, the researchers checked the data by using a heteroscedasticity test. it is a condition where there is an unequal variance from residual for all of the researches in the regression model. to detect the emergence or not of heteroscedasticity can be used by looking the pattern of points on scatterplots regression. if the points spread unclear patterns on above the number of 0 in the y axis, it can be said that there is no heteroscedasticity problem (ghozali, 2016). picture 1. scatteploty : elt english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 441 the heteroscedasticity test result can be seen in the output regression on the scatterplot of picture 1. it can be seen that the points spread with unclear patterns above and below the number 0 on the y axis. it is simply a random scattering of points. it means that nothing giving any indication that the assumptions of the model (picture 1) are false. hence it can be concluded that there is no heteroscedasticity problem in this regression model. it indicates that shock culture and campus program has any influence partially toward the process of elt in the class. the hypothesis test in this research was carried using simple regression analysis for the first and the second. simple regression linear is used to determine the effect of independent variable toward dependent variable. meanwhile, the third hypothesis used double regression analysis. it was used to formulate the regression equation and to find out the increasing values or decreasing in y variable over the change in variable x. y = b0 + b1x1 + b2x2 + e information: y = elt b0 = constant b1-2= regression coefficients x1 = shock culture x2 = campus program e = mistake factor (score 0) the result from the data with spss program shown in table 2. table 2. table of coefficients elt (y) model unstandardized coefficients b std. error 1 (constant) 19.02 3 5.511 culture shock -.082 .204 campus program .104 .300 a. dependent variable: elt (y) the regression equation is as follow: y=19.023 + (-.082)x1 + 0.104x2 the meaning of these number is as follows: a constant is 19.023. it means that if x, the value is 0, then the magnitude of y is 19.023. the value of elt outcomes is a constant, namely 19.023 scales without any influence from the two predictors. regression coefficient of variable x1 is -0.082; it means that each increases x1 of 1 unit, it will contribute to an increase in y by minus (-0.082) unit. it indicates if shock culture rises, elt activities will be breakdown. meanwhile the regression coefficient of variable x2 is 0.104. it means that each multiplies x2 of 1 unit, it will increase y by 0.104 unit. renan saylag similarly claims that foreign students had some major difficulties adjusting to academic requirements, particularly the demands of the english as foreign language program(saylag, 2014). it short that shock culture is still an obstacle for efl learners. qualitative results the researchers also read the transcribed text of interview several times to seek the aspects both shock culture and campus program. in this section, we have organized the answers in logs for the different questions to find an answer for the second research question: what is the relative impact of shock culture and campus program towards elt. the researchers mapped out two categories to categorize the students’ responses according to dominant themes. those themes were shock culture and campus program. then, the researchers created subcategories within each general category and give codes, ft=female thai student and mt = male thai student. finally, the thai students’ narrative responses were analyzed by using qualitative content analysis(lambert & lambert, 2012) two themes from the narrative data and categories along with corresponding data are presented as follows: category 1. the knowledge of shock culture this category is to know whether the thai students have already known about shock culture. the researchers made a cluster of the similar answers from the thai students’ narration. the subcategories questions were headed in aspects of shock culture, such as “are you comfortable interacting a group of people from different culture in a class?”; are you tense and nervous while interacting with people from different cultures in elt?”; “what could you do in facing shock culture in a class?”; “tell me, how do you feel about the influence of shock culture had on your educational experience?”; “how far did the impacts of the lessening and the rising of shock culture in elt.” the thai students stated their knowledge dealing with shock culture in elt as follows: “i understand, it’s logic to experience culture shock when living in a foreign country, indonesia is a unique one” (ft-6, mt-11, ft20)” didik murwantono & rinawati culture shock and campus program in elt for thai undergraduate students at university of islam sultan agung and university of ahmad dahlan 442 “i have no difficulty to find new friends because they are very welcome and friendly. and campus environment support me to be active freely” (ft-2, mt-15) “based on my experience, students here more active during the teaching and learning process. if they don’t understand the lesson, they are initiative to ask questions freely. it makes me be free to do the same ways” (ft-1, ft-4) “in here, the teachers use more english in class, but in thailand, they used to using thai. but sometimes i feel disappointed with the unprofessional lecturers who were often absent in the class” (ft-8, mt-12, ft-17) “i am more confidence, my elder classmates were used to interacting with native students and others in the host community.” (ft-18,ft23, ft-24) “learning to recognize the stages of culture shock helps me moving through the process of adapting” (ft-7, mt-13, ft-14) “i begin to learn more about and understand yogyakarta’s culture (mt-22) “everyone is different, has different behaviors in the class. it (the classroom atmosphere) is nice for me, sometimes i feel at a disadvantage. but i know that i have to accommodate with this situation.” (ft-9, ft-16) here, the students’ experiences highlighted on the impact of shock culture and their efforts to accommodate the differences of cultural behaviors. academic shock and social shock were also found in their experiences, mainly the using of english in teaching and the support of campus environment. these findings also emphasize shock culture as a variable which gives influences toward english learning and teaching, that is, the reduction of shock culture will maximize student learning. all students can personalize how they study for a cross cultural understanding subject in the class. this view is in line with brandie yale who asserts that the students may be active without tense and can minimize the barrier of conflicts.eventually, most individuals who spend a considerable length of time in a new culture, are no longer negatively affected by differences in culture and can participate in social interactions without difficulty (yale, 2017). moreover, joseph and baker found that caribbean students studying in the u.s. reported feeling less culture shock when the had other students from their home country to create a sense of community. it can cause the students to remain in their comfort zone (joseph & baker, 2012). category 2. campus program in this part, we interviewed thai students dealing with the atmosphere of campus. we reviewed the students’ experiences in joining the class of cross cultural understanding. campus program is to be one variable in line with running learning and teaching well. university of islam sultan agung has ‘siakad’ (information academic system) each faculty and university of ahmad dahlan adopts simeru (room management system) for the service of room for teaching. both of them have significant attributes of islam. the researchers also made a group of the students’s narration which had the similar perception. thenthe subcategories of campus program were reflected in the following questions: “does the campus give any training dealing with language both indonesian and english?”; “how do you adapt the campus tradition like islamic academic culture that is practiced in the class”; “do you agree with the system of simeru that it helps classroom organization well?” see the students’ narration aftermath the interviews as follows: “to the best of my knowledge, there is any organization called ‘upt’ cilad but it focuses on english course and toefl course. i myself agree with my friend, hasuna that by making friends we could easily adapt with the environment. we could also explore indonesian and its culture through the local peers.” (ft-1, ft-2) “i absolutely agree with the campus islamic program, but i was also surprised when i saw unmarried women and men walking together because in thailand it is not commonly done”. i was also shocked while shaking hands with the male lecturer” (ft-8, ft-19, ft-21) “for me, simeru is very helpful. i can ask the schedule or anything dealing with my academic issues. in thailand, a lecturer must fulfill his schedule for teaching without changing the course time table, but i see that my lecturer sometimes change the schedule of teaching suddenly and it is without any notification before.?” (ft-3, ft-5, ft-7) “i along with my friends were welcome in campus warmly. it is like a family. the tradition makes me happy to make a friendship with other students” (ft-4, ft-9, mt-11, mt-12) “i used to eat thailand food; later on, i adjusted with some thai food at uad food corner. it english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 443 helped me to adjust to the overall situation.” (mt-22, ft-24) “in campus, i work on my english and indonesian. it is much easier understand a culture when i can understand the language being used.” (ft-10, mt-13) the above narrations show that campus program was strongly help for reducing shock culture. in the class, the students would not stress as much about getting the course. they could concentrate on what the lecturers said. campus program creates affordances that support learning by facilitating accessibility of using program or activities to students. some students were shocked about the relationship between unmarried men and women, even though the campus has the characteristics of islamic tradition but they did not obey it. in thailand, the activity was taboo. in yogyakarta, it is any tradition for some young men and women hang out together in café or ‘wedangan’. the lectures along with campus program of simeru in uad are perceived as creating opportunities for efficient and personalized learning that balance opportunities for success, minimize undisciplined lecturers and students, and improve in-class focus. this view is also supported by andrew c. pelling who asserts that a demand for shock culture understanding is necessary by both teachers and educational institutions that deal with international students (pelling, 2000). conclusion as a conclusion to this research, it can be said that in the opinion of thai students both in university of islam sultan agung and university of ahmad dahlan, they felt comfortable in elt when there was a decline in shock culture as well as the increase of campus program, mainly in the students’ services both academic and social aspects. shock culture have a meaningful contribution or role to play in improving student learning outcomes in elt. if the shock culture increases, the learning and teaching can be uncomfortable atmosphere. and it reverses, if the shock culture declines, the process of elt leads to a positive one. it also shows that there is a partial influence of campus program to thai students’ behaviors in elt. even though, it is not significant influence, but at least, the thai students can manage their shock cultures wisely, mainly in the class. in addition, it is also necessary to stress on the importance of flexibility and the acceptance of linguistic differences in the classroom. a lecturer must have responsibility for shifting in the current socio-educational context from the conventional role to the intercultural mediator in elt. the concept of culture shock as a psychological construct can be an alternative issue for other researchers. acknowledgement the authors broaden their gratitude to the students who shared their experiences of working in global virtual. this research is supported by funding from lppm unissula. a bunch of great thanks is dedicated to lppm, my co-author, rinawati, s.s., m.hum and my students-mohammad yudha aprilialdo and muhammad farid who have given great contributions in this research. references akhtar, m., kamal, a., hayee, a.a., imtiaz, s. (2018). development of a scale to measure reverse culture shock in fresh foreign degree holders. pakistan journal of psychological research, 33(1). ay, e. (2018). intercultural communication apprehension scale ( prica ): validity and reliability study in turkish, 11(3), 1638–1646. boudreau, s. (2011). from confessional to cultural: religious education in the schools of québec. religion and education, 38(3), 212–223. https://doi.org/10.1080/15507394.2011.609104 chung, k.-m. e. al. (2011). cross cultural differences in challenging behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorders : … the united of america. research in autism spectrum disorders, 6(2), 881–889. creswell, j. (2013). qualitative inquiry & research design: choosing among the five approaches. thousand oaks, ca: sage publications, inc. crossman, a. (2020). an overview of qualitative research methods. in thoughtco. retrieved from www.uq.edu.au/studentservices/sites/default/file s/imported/cultureshock.pdf (23 december 22, 2020). ernofalina, e. (2017). culture shocks experienced by indonesian students studying overseas. international journal of educational best practices, 1(2), 87. https://doi.org/10.31258/ijebp.v1n2. felderhof, m. (2010). degeneracy and english religious education. journal of beliefs and values, 31(2), 155–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/13617672.2010.503626 frempong, g. reddy, v. and kanjee, a. (2011). exploring equity and quality education in south africa using multilevel models. compare : a journal of comparative and international education, 14(6), 819–835. garrett, p. (2010). meanings of “globalization”: east didik murwantono & rinawati culture shock and campus program in elt for thai undergraduate students at university of islam sultan agung and university of ahmad dahlan 444 and west. in n. coupland (ed.), in the handbook of language and globalization (pp. 447–474). oxford, west sussex: wileyblackwell. ghozali, i. (2016). aplikasi analisis multivariat dengan program ibm spss 23. semarang: badan penerbit universitas diponegoro. harvey, l. (2019). social research glossary.quality research international. in sosial research glossary. retrieved from https://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/s ocialresearch/interview.htm. (december 22, 2020) joseph, a., & baker, s. (2012). themes caribbean students overseas perceive influence their levels. college student journal, 46(4), 716– 730. lambert, v., & lambert, c. (2012). descriptive qualitative research: an acceptable design. pacific rim international journal of nursing research, 16(4), 255–256. leech, n.l., & onwuegbuzie, a. j. (2007). a typology of mixed methods research designs. quality & quantity, 43(2), 265–275. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-007-9105-3 lubis, m. a., & wekke, i. s. (2009). integrated islamic education in brunei darussalam: the hopes and challenges maimun aqsha lubis & ismail suardi wekke, 1(2), 141–156. marwick, b. (2016). encyclopedia of tourism. in culture shock (2016th ed.). springer interntional publishing switzerland. retrieved from www.uq.edu.au/studentservices/sites/default/file s/imported/cultureshock.pdf (22 december 2020) mattew, i., b. (2013). cross cultural contexts in english language teaching, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.24036/id.v7i1.3529 murphy, a. r. (2011). religion, civil religion, and civil war: faith and foreign affairs in the lincoln presidency. the review of faith & international affairs, 9(4), 21–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/15570274.2011.630194 neubauer, b.e., witkop, c.t.& varplo, l. (2019). how phenomenology can help us learn from the experiences of others. the phenomenology, 8(2), 90–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037019-0509-2 paugh, p.c. & dudley-marling, c. (2011). ‘speaking’ deficit into (or out of) existence : how language constrains classroom teachers’ knowledge about instructing diverse learners. international journal of inclusive education, 15(8), 819–833. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603110903437144 pederson, p. (1995). the five stages of culture shock: critical incidents around the world. usa: greenwood press. pelling, a. c. (2000). culture schok of international students in canada. in opus: open uleth scholarship. retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10133/960 (23 december 2020) priyatno, d. (2013). mandiri belajar analisis data dengan spss. yogyakarta: media kom. saylag, r. (2014). culture shock an obstacle for efl learners. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 114, 533–537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.12.742 sulaiman, m., and saputri, k. (2019). culture shock among foreign students: a case study of thai students studying at universitas muhammadiyah palembang. english communicty journal, 3(1), 295–306. suryanto. (2015). issues in teaching english in a cultural context: a case of indonesia. the journal of english literacy education: the teaching and learning of english as a foreign language, 1(2), 75–82. wekke, i. s. (2015). arabic teaching and learning : a model from indonesian muslim minority. procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 191, 286–290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.236 xu, z. (2013). globalization, culture and elt materials: a focus on china. multilingual education, 3(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/2191-5059-3-6 yale, b. (2017). understanding culture shock in international students. in leigh. retrieved from https://nacada.ksu.edu/resources/academicadvising-today/view-articles/understandingculture-shock-in-international-students.aspx (23 december 2020) yong, a. (2011). disability form the margins to the center: hospitality and inclusion in the church. journal of religion, disability & health,15(4), 339–350. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228967.2011.620387 zuber, christian, and pfohl, h.-c. (2016). teaching international business without teaching international business: opportunities through considering the students’ international environment. in v. taras & m. a. gonzalezperez (eds.), the palgrave handbook of experiential learning in international business (pp. 1–900). u.s.: palgrave macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137467720 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 133 leech’s politeness principle in lenong betawi humorous dialogue entitled “anak durhaka” ninuk lustyantie language education department, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: ninuk.lustyantie@unj.ac.id figiati indra dewi indonesian language education department, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: f.indradewi@yahoo.com apa citation: lustyantie, n., & dewi, f. i. (2019). leech’s politeness principle in lenong betawi humorous dialogue entitled “anak durhaka”. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 133-142. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1731. received: 08-01-2019 accepted: 11-04-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: lenong betawi is one of community theatrical performance that still exists. it has a significant role in criticizing current social life. this paper aims to find leech’s politeness principle in the lenong betawi humorous dialogue entitled “anak durhaka.” a story staged by sanggar surya kencana group and held by betawi culture institute. the method used was a content analysis by using politeness principle of leech. the percentage results of fulfillment politeness maxims obtained 12.28% for agreement maxim, 10.52% for tact maxim, 8.11% for sympathy maxim, 2.41% for generosity maxim, 1.97% for approbation maxim, and 0.87% for modesty maxim. it means that agreement maxim as the highest and modesty maxim as the lowest fulfillment politeness maxims in lenong betawi humorous dialogue. meanwhile, the percentage results of violation politeness maxims obtained 9.21% for agreement maxim, 2.63% for tact maxim, 13.81% for sympathy maxim, 4.16% for generosity maxim, 20.83% for approbation maxim, and 13.15% for modesty maxim. it means approbation maxim as the highest and tact maxim as the lowest violation politeness maxims in lenong betawi humorous dialogue. finally, it can be concluded that the violation politeness maxims is more found than fulfillment politeness maxims in lenong betawi humorous dialogue entitled “anak durhaka.” keywords: fulfilment politeness maxims; humorous dialogue; leech’s politeness principle; lenong betawi; pragmatic; violation politeness maxims. introduction in pragmatics, there is two focus of attention, namely language use and speech context. one of speech context is humor which has a fairly central role in human life. humor is not merely as entertainment to release someone psychological burden, but also as a vehicle for social criticism of all forms of inequality that occur in the community. matwick (2017) said that humor and jokes are instruments for how social control is given and where self-identity is displayed. petraki and ramayanti (2018) argue that humor in the workplace is a tool for negotiating relationships and gender identity. the function of humor in indonesian business meetings reflects socio-political changes, including increasing women’s leadership positions and global influences. a unique form of inequality that occurs in society revealed in a humorous language and intrigued readers or listeners. according to dynel (2013), conversation humor is divided into two criteria, namely stylistic figures (e.g., metaphor, irony, paradox, punning or figurative) and pragmatic figures (e.g., jokes, banter, humor or humiliation). recently, the flow of modernization that hit indonesia cannot be stopped. many foreign cultures threaten indonesian native culture. one of them is lenong betawi as an asset of betawi culture. lenong is a part of the folk theater that still survives in globalization era. the use of humor in lenong betawi cannot separate from the stressful life of the betawi community. humor expressed as a manifestation of social criticism of the pressure that afflicts them. in general, humor in betawi culture is a manifestation of emotional expression and social criticism. therefore, humor serves as a counterweight to the souls of the betawi people. lenong betawi as a folk theater which is a mellow drama and contains traditional elements especially betawi culture. this performing art mailto:ninuk.lustyantie@unj.ac.id mailto:f.indradewi@yahoo.com ninuk lustyantie & figiati indra dewi leech’s politeness principle in lenong betawi humorous dialogue entitled “anak durhaka” 134 developed in jakarta and surrounding small towns, such as tangerang and bogor. according to ayudia and yakti (2016), the existence of lenong betawi is currently endangered. despite its diminishing presence, lenong betawi still exists on several occasions. it cannot be separated from its fans. the following are some of the reasons that make lenong betawi endangered: (a) people in urban areas are more appreciative of modern art than traditional; (b) government actions that are considered inadequate to help preserving lenong betawi; and (c) lack of public awareness to preserve lenong betawi so as not to disappear over time. to preserve lenong betawi, the following steps can be taken, namely (a) lenong betawi inheritance must remain smooth from generation to generation and people’s understanding of art can be understood carefully; (b) the community must have an awareness of their sense of responsibility in maintaining their identity; (c) the government’s role in lenong conservation is also important through a more intense regulation on lenong betawi performances; and (d) the government can realize the lenong betawi inheritance scientifically, for example, in school lessons in the form of local content, or establish an arts senior high school. for this case, the researchers conducted content analysis by using politeness principle of leech to analyze the existence of lenong betawi in indonesia. according to tarigan (1990), pragmatics is closely related to the language use and speech acts. pragmatics is a branch of linguistics that examines the relationship between language and context encoded in the structure of language. pragmatics help humans speak and act in speech. pragmatics used to send a message or desire intended by the speaker can be conveyed precisely because it reaches a mutual understanding without having to violate the principle of politeness. misunderstandings and ambiguities can occur if the speech partner does not understand the signs and context in the ongoing conversation. therefore, speakers and speech partners need to examine the context of the conversation to determine what is the purpose of a sentence. it also indirectly explains that the existence of pragmatics is very closely related to context. hymes in pangaribuan (2008) argues that a speech act has background components, participants, goals, keys, topics, channels, genres or message content, and message forms. the speech acts have binding components so that the conversation can be more directed. heatherington in nadar (2009) states that pragmatic theories is divided into three types of speech principles, including illocutionary force, conversational principles, and presuppositions. regarding the politeness principle, lakoff in jaszczolt (2002) tends to unite politeness with the cooperative principle of grice and two rules of pragmatic competence, namely clear and politeness. the three rules of politeness include do not drop, give choices, and make opponents say feel good or friendly. leech in bousfield (2008) states that all things can be equal if speakers can minimize feelings of impoliteness and maximize a sense of politeness. the leech politeness principle is complementary to grice’s cooperative principle because it helps principle application in realizing social goals. the intended social goal maintains relationships and feelings with the partner. leech in jaszczolt (2002) proposed politeness theory combined with the cooperative principle of grice. it was found six maxims of politeness, namely agreement maxim, tact maxim, sympathy maxim, generosity maxim, approbation maxim, and modesty maxim. nadar (2009) states that tact maxim demands participants to participate in minimizing the loss of others or maximizing benefits for others. according to leech (1984), tact maxim is based on the category of searle speech acts, namely directives and commissives. the element of humor in lenong betawi dialogue can be done by breaking the tact maxim, namely maximizing the loss of others or minimizing benefits for others. maxim generosity requires speakers to maximize losses for themselves and minimize benefits for themselves. the element of humor in lenong betawi dialogue can be done by breaking the maxims of generosity, such as maximizing self-benefits and minimizing losses to oneself. an approbation maxim requires speakers to minimize disrespect for others and maximize praise for others. the element of humor in lenong betawi dialogue can be done by breaking the approbation maxim, such as minimizing praise for others and maximizing disrespect or criticism for others. according to chaer (2010), a modesty maxim requires speakers to minimize praise to themselves and maximize disrespect to oneself. the element of humor in lenong betawi dialogue can be done by breaking the modesty maxim, such as maximizing praise for yourself english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 135 and minimizing disrespect or criticism for yourself. in agreement maxim, speakers and partners are required to maximize the compatibility between them and minimize incompatibility between them. the element of humor in the lenong betawi dialogue can be done by violating the agreement maxim, such as minimizing the compatibility between speakers and the speech partner and maximizing the incompatibility between the speaker and the speech partner. according to rahardi in supriyana (2012), cutting or even directly denying the words of the partners is an impolite act. a sympathy maxim demands each participant to maximize sympathy and minimize the sense of antipathy to the partner. the element of humor in the lenong betawi dialogue can be done by breaking the sympathy maxim, such as minimizing sympathy for the speech partner and maximizing the antipathy for the speech partner. thus, this study focused on the culture of jakarta (lenong betawi) and emphasized content analysis by referring to leech’s politeness principle. this analysis consists of six types of maxims, namely agreement maxim, tact maxim, sympathy maxim, generosity maxim, approbation maxim, and modesty maxim to conduct this study, researchers tried to extract data from a lenong betawi performance held at the 2016 lenong betawi festival. there were 10 lenong betawi groups who participated in the lenong betawi performance parade. however, researchers chose a group called sanggar surya kencana with his play entitled “anak durhaka’ which was allegedly liked by the audience. it was shown from the enthusiasm of the audience who followed the story to be involved in dialogue with the climbers. the lenong betawi play entitled “anak durhaka” indicated to have fulfillment and violation politeness principle language. the fulfillment politeness maxims consider as a quiet conversation because it adheres to the basics of politeness maxims themselves. whereas, the violation politeness maxims create funny aspects and make the audience laugh because of the deviation in the rules of politeness that are not obeyed or violated. method this study aimed to examine the use of the politeness principle which includes the fulfillment and violation maxims in the lenong betawi dialogue entitled “anak durhaka.” this qualitative research adopts a descriptive qualitative design. according to bogdan and biklen (2003), descriptive research is the characteristic of data in qualitative research because it was taken from documents, audiovideo recordings, transcripts, words, pictures, etc. the qualitative research implied a description of data that aimed to understand a social situation, events, roles, as well as interactions that are around us. bodgan and taylor in moleong (2002) defined qualitative methodology as a research procedure that produces descriptive data in the form of written or oral words from people and behaviors observed. this study used content analysis method. according to pamungkas (2010), content analysis is applicable to various studies including language studies which concern with analyzing content of certain matter through classification, tabulation, and evaluation. the lenong betawi dialogue entitled “anak durhaka” which contain humor and other utterances was the primary data source. in addition, the data were also collected through observation, interview, and document analysis. the transcription results were then analyzed using work tables and analysis criteria based on the leech’s politeness principle. results and discussion lenong betawi entitled “anak durhaka” tells about a child named kimung from a respected family in the south tangerang area. even though his parents were very respected, kimung had a disrespectful nature. he and his friends rob his parents’ house several times to steal money that would be used for having fun. at the end of the story, kimung’s disgraceful act was discovered by his family and made him end up at the police station. the performance art has a duration of 53 minutes 9 seconds with a conversation context of 43 findings with 912 number of speech pairs. based on those data, the fulfillment and violation maxims got 465 findings. ninuk lustyantie & figiati indra dewi leech’s politeness principle in lenong betawi humorous dialogue entitled “anak durhaka” 136 figure 1. recapitulation results of the fulfillment and violation of maxim politeness in lenong dialogue entitled “anak durhaka” based on figure 1, it can be seen that the fulfillment maxims got 165 findings and violation maxims got 191 findings. the following is the acquisition findings of each maxim which is accompanied by examples of conversations that contain the fulfillment maxims. the fulfillment of politeness principle in the lenong betawi the fulfillment of agreement maxim in agreement maxim, speakers are required to maximize agreement with the partner and minimize disagreement with the partner. besides, if a speech partner feels disagree, then a statement that contains a partial agreement is needed. based on the findings, the fulfillment of agreement maxim got 56 findings or 12.28% of the overall appearance in the fulfillment of politeness maxims. the following is an example of findings and discussion of the analysis. speech context 13, speech pairs 30: this conversation took place at noon on the terrace of haji burhan’s house. the situation became chaotic because kimung went and asked for money. then, there was a conversation between haji burhan, mother, and kimung on the topic of kimung who threatened his parents to give him money. (30) kimung: saya mau senang-senang ama tementemen saya pak. (31) ibu: iya tapi gak begitu caranya, tong… masya allah. in the utterance (31), there is a partial agreement to minimize disagreement with the partner. the agreement contained in the sentence, "yes, but it does not work that way ...". it can be interpreted that the word "yes ..." means that mother allows kimung to ask for money and have fun with his friends, then the word "...however,..." is an expression of disagreement because kimung’s goal of asking for money is to get drunk. thus, in the speech context 13 and speech pairs 30, there is the fulfillment of agreement maxim because the mother does not agree with kimung’s intention to ask for money to minimize the disagreement by using part of the agreement statement. the fulfillment of tact maxim in a tact maxim, speakers are required to minimize the loss of others or maximize benefits for others. besides, the tact maxim is also expressed in impositive or directive and commissive utterances. impositive speech or directive is intended to produce actions from the partner according to the direction of the speaker, such as ordering, asking, advising, and recommending. commissive speech is intended for the participants to take some actions in the future, such as promising and swearing. based on the findings, the fulfillment of agreement maxim in the lenong betawi dialogue entitled “anak durhaka” got 48 findings or 10.52% of the overall appearance in the fulfillment of politeness maxims. the following is an example of findings and discussion of the analysis. speech context 13, speech pairs 42: this conversation took place at noon on the terrace of haji burhan’s house. the situation became chaotic because kimung went and asked for money. then, there was a conversation between haji burhan, mother, and kimung on the topic of kimung who threatened his parents to give him money. (42) kimung: ah! ngapain pesantren kagak pinterpinter! (43) haji burhan: eh, belajar biar pinter. biar contohin ke orang sini yang baik. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 137 in utterance (43), haji burhan maximizes the benefits for kimung by advising kimung to study diligently to become an excellent example for residents. in other words, haji burhan uses directive utterances to convey his intentions to kimung. thus, in the speech context 13 and speech pairs 42, there is the fulfillment of tact maxim because haji burhan maximizes the benefits for kimung by using directive speech. the fulfillment of sympathy maxim in a sympathy maxim, speakers are required to maximize sympathy and minimize the sense of antipathy to the partner. it represents feelings of happiness and sorrow or joy. therefore, the sympathy maxim uses assertive and expressive speech. based on the findings, the fulfillment of sympathy maxims in the lenong betawi dialogue entitled "anak durhaka" got 37 findings or 8.11% of the overall appearance in the fulfillment of politeness maxims. the following is an example of findings and discussion of the analysis. speech context 43, speech pairs 49: this conversation happened in the morning at haji burhan's house. the police appeared to disperse the fight; then, there was a conversation with the topic of the arrest of kimung and his friends by the police. abang, haji burhan, and the police agreed to bring kimung and his friends to the police station. the situation which had stiffened became more controlled by the police. (49) kimung: maaak… tolongin aye maaak…! (50) ibu: huhuhu… (mengangis melihat kimung) in utterance (49), mother maximizes sympathy for kimung who is captured by the police by crying over his son who is about to be imprisoned. in this speech, mother expresses her grief by using expressive speech. thus, in the speech context 43 and speech pairs 49, there is the fulfillment of sympathy maxims because mother maximizes sympathy to kimung by using expressive speech. the fulfillment of generosity maxim in a generosity maxim, speakers are required to maximize losses for themselves and minimize benefits for themselves. it contains the value of cooperation or mutual assistance between speakers and speech partners. based on the findings, the fulfillment of generosity maxim in the lenong betawi dialogue entitled “anak durhaka” got 11 findings or 2.41% of the overall appearance in the fulfillment of politeness maxims. the following is an example of findings and discussion of the analysis. speech context 37, speech pairs 10: this conversation happened at night at haji burhan's house. gedor, boy, and kimung entered the house sneaking up. mother and haji burhan who did not realize the appearance of the three people talked to the topic of an uncomfortable feeling. (10) ibu: oh gitu ya? (11) haji burhan: lah duit udah bapak siapin, kalau dia minta baek-baek pasti bapak kasih. in utterance (11), haji burhan minimizes profits for himself by preparing money to give to kimung. in this speech, haji burhan intends to give money to kimung on the condition that kimung asks for it in a good way. thus, in the speech context 37 and speech pairs 10, there is a fulfillment of generosity maxim because haji burhan minimizes the benefits for himself by intending to give money to kimung. the fulfillment of approbation maxim in an approbation maxim, speakers are required to minimize disrespect for others and maximize praise for others. it contains expressions of praise and politeness to the speech partner. based on the findings, the fulfillment of approbation maxim in the lenong betawi dialogue entitled “anak durhaka” got nine findings or 1.97% of the overall appearance in the fulfillment of politeness maxims. the following is an example of findings and discussion of the analysis. speech context 5, speech pairs 10: this conversation took place at noon on the terrace of haji burhan's house. haji burhan met with mother; then, there was a conversation between haji burhan and mother on the topic of haji burhan which tempted mother. (10) ibu: buset, bapak… (11) haji burhan: lah iyalah ama preman… buset dah ibu mah dulu banyak yang ngelancongin lagi jaman ono mah. in utterance (11), haji burhan maximizes praise to mother by complimenting her because there were many people who liked mother until haji burhan competed with thugs to get mother. thus, in the speech context 5 and speech pairs 10, there is a fulfillment of approbation maxim because haji burhan maximizes praise to the mother. the fulfillment of modesty maxim in a modesty maxim, speakers are required to minimize praise for themselves and maximize self-disrespect or criticism. it contains expressions of euphemism (subtle), humble, and paradox. based on the findings, the fulfillment ninuk lustyantie & figiati indra dewi leech’s politeness principle in lenong betawi humorous dialogue entitled “anak durhaka” 138 of modesty maxim in the lenong betawi dialogue entitled “anak durhaka” got four findings or 0.87% of the overall appearance in the fulfillment of politeness maxims. the following is an example of findings and discussion of the analysis. speech context 30, speech pairs 30: this conversation happened at night in front of gedor's house. kimung wants to leave soon but boy and gedor block kimung's path. then, there was a conversation that boasted to each other that they were the rulers of the village. (30) kimung: oh… lo jago? (31) gedor: lah bukannya jago gua mah orang biasa. in the utterance (31), gedor minimizes praise for himself by lowering his heart which is considered a champion by kimung. in this case, gedor who was a village thug and famous for the silat champion humbled his heart by saying that he was just an ordinary person. in the speech context 30 and speech pairs 30, there is a fulfillment of modesty maxim because gedor minimizes praise for oneself by humbling himself. the violation of politeness principle in the lenong betawi beside the fulfillment maxims, there are violations of maxims in the lenong betawi dialogue entitled “anak durhaka.” the violation maxims got 191 findings. the following are examples of findings and discussion of the analysis. the violation of agreement maxim in an agreement maxim, speakers are required to minimize the match between the speaker and partner and maximize the discrepancy between the speaker and speech partner. in other words, the partner becomes the party given the disagreement, incompatibility, and objection. this violation has the characteristic of using utterances that do not lead to approval if they feel disagree, reduce agreement by using expressions that do not contain remorse or agreement, and utterances that cut off the speech of their partner are also a violation of the maxim of consent. based on the findings, this violation of the agreement maxim in the lenong betawi dialogue entitled "anak durhaka" got 42 findings or 9.21% of the overall appearance in the violation of politeness maxims. the following is an example of findings and discussion of the analysis. speech context 27, speech pairs 7: this conversation happened at night in front of gedor's house. the boy pulled gedor slightly back. then, there was a conversation between boy and gedor with the topic boy asking whether kimung was gedor's brother. (7) boy: tanya dong, hai coy! gitu… (8) gedor: lah lu tanya orang mabok mah ora ngerti! in the utterance (8), gedor minimizes agreement with boy by refuting the suggestions given by boy. this is done because kimung is drunk, so he cannot give the right answer. thus, in the speech context 27 and speech pairs 7, there was a violation of agreement maxim because gedor minimized agreement with boy. the violation of tact maxim in a tact maxim, speakers are required to maximize the loss of others or minimize benefits for others. in other words, speakers become the beneficiaries. the utterance that occurs usually uses speech that does not contain the value of politeness and has the intention that the speaker does not give an option to take action. based on the findings, this violation of tact maxims in the lenong betawi dialogue entitled "anak durhaka" got 12 findings or 2.63% of the overall appearance in the violation of politeness maxims. the following is an example of findings and discussion of the analysis. speech context 15, speech pairs 1: this conversation took place at noon on the terrace of haji burhan's house. the situation returned to chaos because of a conversation with the topic of kimung who asked haji burhan and his mother for more money by encouraging haji burhan. (1) kimung: bapak, serahin duit buat gua. (2) haji burhan: kagak dah, bapak gak kasih dah, kemaren baru dikirim sejuta tujuh ratus ke mana?! in utterance (1), haji burhan minimizes benefits for others by not giving other choices because he does not want to give money to kimung. thus, in the speech context 15 and speech pairs 1, there is a violation of tact maxim because haji burhan minimizes benefits for others. another finding found in the lenong betawi dialogue entitled "anak durhaka" is that there are fulfillment and violation of maxims in one pair of speeches. there are nine speech contexts with ten speech pairs that have fulfillment and violation of maxims in one speech pair. to english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 139 complete the data information, the following is a discussion of speech findings. speech context 10, speech pairs 45: this conversation took place at noon on the terrace of haji burhan's house. kimung went into the house drunk. then, there was a conversation between mother and haji burhan on the topic of trying to resuscitate kimung. (45) haji burhan: udah biarin jatoh ama anaknya biarin dah. (46) ibu: iya udah ah biarin bodo amat mau jatoh apa nggak. in utterance (46), mother maximizes the compatibility with haji burhan who agrees not to help kimung and maximize antipathy to kimung with a cynical expression. thus, in the speech context 10 and speech pairs 45, there is fulfillment and violation of maxims, namely fulfillment of agreement and sympathy maxims. speech context 13, speech pairs 26: this conversation took place at noon on the terrace of haji burhan's house. the situation became chaotic because kimung went and asked for money. then there was a conversation between haji burhan, mother, and kimung on the topic of kimung who threatened his parents to give him money. (26) ibu: eh eh eh. (memelas kepada haji burhan) pak… duit katanya… (27) haji burhan: gak. jangan dikasih, jangan dikasih. (melepaskan ibu dari tangan kimung) dari pada lu minta-minta duit mending lu tidur dulu dah tidur… (terputus oleh kimung) in utterances (27), haji burhan maximizes antipathy and maximizes disagreement by prohibiting mother from giving money. besides, there is also the fulfillment of maxims because it maximizes benefits by suggesting kimung sleep. thus, in the speech context 13 and speech pairs 26, there are three findings of linguistic phenomena, namely violations of the agreement, sympathy, and tact maxims. speech context 13, speech pairs 32: this conversation took place at noon on the terrace of haji burhan's house. the situation became chaotic because kimung went and asked for money. then there was a conversation between haji burhan, mother, and kimung on the topic of kimung who threatened his parents to give him money. (32) haji burhan: bapak lu, ini bapak lu… (menunjuk dirinya sendiri) (33) kimung: bapak saya orang baik! orang yang paling kaya se-tangerang selatan! in utterance (33), kimung maximizes praise for others by praising his rich father. while on the other hand kimung satirized his rich father but did not want to give him money. thus, in the speech context 13 and speech pairs 32, there is fulfillment and violation of maxims, namely the fulfillment of approbation maxim and violations of sympathy maxim. speech context 17, speech pairs 3: this conversation took place at noon on the terrace of haji burhan's house. kimung again whined asking for money, so there was a conversation with the topic kimung asked mom and haji burhan for money for a spree. (3) kimung: (diam) (4) haji burhan: (menepuk bahu kimung) jangan malu-maluin orang tua, orang tua lu pan terkenal di daerah sini. in utterance (4), haji burhan maximizes benefits for others by giving direction to kimung. besides, there are also violations because it maximizes praise for himself for calling himself as a famous person. thus, in the speech context 17 and speech pairs 3, there is fulfillment and violation of maxims, namely the fulfillment of tact maxim and the violation of modesty maxim. speech context 38, speech pairs 19: this conversation happened at night at haji burhan's house. gedor, boy, and kimung were caught red-handed by haji burhan and mother. then there was a conversation with the topic of kimung and his friends threatening mother and haji burhan to surrender their property. (19) kimung: (berjalan mendekati haji burhan dengan sempoyongan) (20) haji burhan: buset, lu nyebut dah jangan mabok mulu! in utterance (20), haji burhan maximizes the benefits for kimung by asking him to be aware and not get drunk again. besides, haji burhan maximized criticism for others using the degrading utterances of kimung. thus, in the speech context 38 and speech pairs 19, there is fulfillment and violation of maxims, namely the fulfillment of tact maxim and the violation of approbation maxim. the violation of sympathy maxim in sympathy maxim, speakers are required to maximize the sense of antipathy to others and minimize sympathy for others. it contains expressions of antipathy or cynicism to the speech partners. based on findings, this violation of sympathy maxim in the lenong betawi dialogue entitled "anak durhaka" got 63 findings or 13.81% of the overall appearance in the violation of politeness maxims. the ninuk lustyantie & figiati indra dewi leech’s politeness principle in lenong betawi humorous dialogue entitled “anak durhaka” 140 following is an example of findings and discussion of the analysis. speech context 12, speech pairs 5: this conversation took place at noon on the terrace of haji burhan's house. the situation returned because kimung fell several times. then there was a conversation between haji burhan, mother, and kimung on the topic of advising kimung. (5) ibu: eeeh eeeh… aduh jangan begitu pak… (6) haji burhan: biarin dah lagian gua jadi sewot ama ni anak. gua sekolain tu anak dari tk sd smp sma ampe pesantren. in the utterance (6), haji burhan minimizes sympathy for kimung for being annoyed with his son's increasingly uncontrollable behavior. this was stated by leveraging his services as a father, but kimung responded with bad behavior. thus, in the speech context 12 and speech pairs 5, there is a violation of sympathy maxim because haji burhan minimized sympathy for kimung who increasingly behaved badly. the violation of generosity maxim in generosity maxim, speakers are required to maximize benefits for themselves and minimize harm to themselves. in other words, the partner becomes the loser. besides, the emergence of this violation is marked by the use of speeches that do not contain the value of cooperation or mutual assistance between speakers and speech partners. based on findings, the violation of generosity maxim in the lenong betawi dialogue entitled "anak durhaka" got 19 findings or 4.16% of the overall appearance in the violation of politeness maxims. the following is an example of findings and discussion of the analysis. speech context 17, speech pairs 4: this conversation took place at noon on the terrace of haji burhan's house. kimung again whined asking for money, so there was a conversation with the topic kimung asked mom and haji burhan for money for a spree. (4) haji burhan: (menepuk bahu kimung) jangan malu-maluin orang tua, orang tua lu pan terkenal di daerah sini. (5) kimung: saya pengen foya-foya beh… pengen senang! ahahahaha… in utterance (5), kimung maximizes profit for himself by utterances that do not contain the value of cooperation by rejecting what has been expected from haji burhan and expressing his desire to have fun for himself. thus, in the speech context 17 and speech pairs 4, there is a violation of generosity maxim because kimung maximizes profit for himself. the violation of approbation maxim in approbation maxim, speakers are required to minimize praise for others and maximize disrespect or criticism for others. in other words, the speaker becomes the party given the praise. besides, utterances in violations of these maxims contain expressions of ridicule and condescension towards the partner and other parties. based on findings, violations of approbation maxim in the lenong betawi dialogue entitled "anak durhaka" got 95 findings or 20.83% of the overall appearance in the violation of politeness maxims. the following is an example of findings and discussion of the analysis. speech context 25, speech pairs 4: this conversation happened at night on the terrace of gedor's house. boy and gedor who were talking about how to make money were silent for a moment because they heard kimung singing while drunk. then, there were conversations between the three on the topic of asking for money to kimung. (4) gedor: justru itu gua ga punya duit! (5) boy: wah, orang kere nih. in the utterance (5), boy minimizes praise for gedor by calling him a man of kere. even if you see the previous statement, boy also has no money. thus, in the speech context 25 and speech pairs 4, there is a violation of approbation maxim because boy minimizes praise for gedor. the violation of modesty maxim in modesty maxim, speakers are required to maximize praise for themselves and minimize self-disrespect or criticism. in other words, the partner becomes a party given a sense of ignorance. besides, the emergence of this violation is characterized by the use of speech that contains expressions that are mocking, criticizing, and demeaning others. based on findings, the violation of modesty maxim in the lenong betawi dialogue entitled "anak durhaka" got 60 findings or 13.15% of the overall appearance in the violation of politeness maxims. the following is an example of findings and discussion of the analysis. speech context 1, speech pairs 2: this conversation took place at noon on the terrace of haji burhan's house. haji burhan entered the family room, then had a conversation with the audience on the topic of haji burhan who introduced himself arrogantly. (2) penonton: waalaikumsalam warohmatullahi wabarokatuh… english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 141 (3) haji burhan: alhamdulillah… (terdiam sejenak sembari menggeserkan kursi) saya yang disebut haji burhan. saya orang yang paling kaya di daerah tangsel. in the utterance (3), haji burhan maximizes praise for himself by revealing to the audience that he is the wealthiest person in south tangerang. thus, in the speech context 1 and speech pairs 2, there is a violation of modesty maxim because haji burhan maximizes praise for himself. from the analysis, the fulfillment and violation maxims got 465 findings. the percentage results of fulfillment politeness maxims obtained 12.28% for agreement maxim, 10.52% for tact maxim, 8.11% for sympathy maxim, 2.41% for generosity maxim, 1.97% for approbation maxim, and 0.87% for modesty maxim. it means agreement maxim is the highest and modesty maxim is the lowest fulfillment politeness maxims in lenong betawi humorous dialogue. the percentage results of violation politeness maxims obtained 9.21% for agreement maxim, 2.63% for tact maxim, 13.81% for sympathy maxim, 4.16% for generosity maxim, 20.83% for approbation maxim, and 13.15% for modesty maxim. it means approbation maxim is the highest and tact maxim is the lowest violation politeness maxims in lenong betawi humorous dialogue. it can be concluded that the violation politeness maxims is more found than fulfillment politeness maxims in lenong betawi humorous dialogue entitled “anak durhaka.” the type of violation of humor consists of two forms, namely schematic (ontological) violations and content (reproach or not reproach) (purzycki, 2011). based on the analysis, violations of agreement maxims included in the form of schematic (ontological) violations, violations of tact maxims included in the form of schematic (ontological) violations, violations of sympathy maxims included in the form of content violations (reproach), violations of generosity maxims included in violations schematic (ontological), violations of approbation maxims included in the form of content violations (reproach), and violations of modesty maxims included in the form of violations (not reproach). conclusion in the lenong betawi dialogue entitled "anak durhaka," there are 912 speech pairs and 456 findings for the fulfillment and violations of politeness maxims. it means that not all speech pairs have fulfillment or violation of modesty maxims because some of them are thought to be part of principle application maxims. an agreement maxim is the highest number of findings in the fulfillment politeness maxims. it showed from the percentage results of 12.28%. an approbation maxim is the highest number of finding in the violation politeness maxims. it showed from the percentage results of 20.83%. thus, it can be concluded that lenong betawi dialogue entitled "anak durhaka" contains expressions of ridicule, jokes, and degrading speech partners. therefore, lenong betawi dialogue entitled "anak durhaka" has many findings in the violations of approbation maxim. based on the conclusions, the researchers recommended for various academics to conduct further research on the principle of politeness in the lenong betawi dialogue. it implicated in learning to write a comedy-drama script by paying attention to the use of fulfillment and violation of politeness maxims. besides, this research can be followed up as a source of new information regarding the principle of politeness found in the lenong betawi dialogue entitled “anak durhaka.” reference ayudia, e. t., & yakti, r. p. (2016). eksistensi lenong sebagai aset kebudayaan betawi. retrieved on june 22, 2016, from http://mediapublica.co/2016/06/22/eksistensilenong-sebagai-aset-kebudayaan-betawi/. bogdan, r. c., & biklen, s. k. (2003). qualitative research for education: an introduction to theories and method (4th ed.). new york: pearson education group. bousfield, d. (2008). impoliteness in interaction. amsterdam: john benjamins publishing company. chaer, a. (2010). kesantunan berbahasa. jakarta: rineka cipta. dynel, m. (2013). humorous phenomena in dramatic discourse. the european journal of humour research, 1(1). doi: 10.7592/ejhr2013.1.1.dynel. jaszczolt, k. m. (2002). semantics and pragmatics. great britain: pearson education. matwick, k. (2017). self-deprecatory humor on tv cooking shows. language & communication, 56. doi: 10.1016/j.langcom.2017.04.005. moleong, l. j. (2002). metodologi penelitian kualitatif. bandung: pt. remaja rosdakarya. nadar, f. x. (2009). pragmatik dan penelitian pragmatik. yogyakarta: graha ilmu. http://mediapublica.co/2016/06/22/eksistensi-lenong-sebagai-aset-kebudayaan-betawi/ http://mediapublica.co/2016/06/22/eksistensi-lenong-sebagai-aset-kebudayaan-betawi/ http://dx.doi.org/10.7592/ejhr2013.1.1.dynel http://dx.doi.org/10.7592/ejhr2013.1.1.dynel https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langcom.2017.04.005 ninuk lustyantie & figiati indra dewi leech’s politeness principle in lenong betawi humorous dialogue entitled “anak durhaka” 142 pamungkas, d. a. (2010). the quality of the english textbook used by international standard junior high school. unpublished thesis. malang: faculty of letters, state university of malang. pangaribuan, t. (2008). paradigma bahasa. yogyakarta: graha ilmu. petraki, e., & ramayanti, i. (2018). navigating the indonesian workplace hierarchy: manager's use of humour as a rapport building strategy. journal of pragmatics, 134. doi: 10.1016/j.pragma.2018.06.010. purzycki, b. g. (2011). humor as violation and deprecation: a cognitive anthropological account. journal of cognition and culture, 11(2). doi: 10.1163/156853711x568752. supriyana, a. (2012). prinsip kerja sama dan prinsip kesantunan dalam wacana humor mahasiswa. unpublished thesis. program studi pendidikan bahasa universitas negeri jakarta. tarigan, h. g. (1990). pengajaran pragmatik. bandung: angkasa. http://doi.org/10.1163/156853711x568752 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 157 technological knowledge application on academic writing english education study program students irfan english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: irfan13@outlook.co.id sofendi english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: sofendi@yahoo.com machdalena vianty english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: vian .unsri@gmail.com apa citation: irfan, sofendi, & vianty, m. (2020). technological knowledge application on academic writing english education study program students. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 157-166. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3788 received: 28-06-2020 accepted: 29-09-2020 published:11-12-2020 abstract: technological knowledge plays a role in academic writing such as assisting in finding suitable references, checking plagiarism, and publishing the article. however, technological knowledge does not always provide benefits in academic writing. technological knowledge may affect the writers’ mentality to take shortcut in finishing and checking their writing. the objectives of this study were: (1) to find out the technological knowledge level of english education study program students, (2) to find out how english education study program students applied their technological knowledge in academic writing, and (3) to find out the problems english education study program students encountered in applying their technological knowledge in academic writing. the study’s participant was 13 students from class b 2016 palembang of english education undergraduate program along with the latest lecturer that teaches them writing. this research used descriptive qualitative design. the data were collected by questionnaire, observation, interview, and document gathering. percentage calculation, transcribing, and triangulation were used to analyze data. the findings showed that (1) the technological knowledge level of the participants is level two technical maxim, (2) the participants applied technological knowledge on academic particularly in finding references and structuring idea, and (3) the participants have several problems in applying technological knowledge in academic writing, such as in citing references correctly, avoiding tendency to copy-and-paste, structural error due to using automatic correction, and paper formatting. keywords: technological knowledge; academic writing; article writing introduction in the 21st century, technology moves along with the humanity and becomes part of human’s daily life. this includes in the world of education, in which the terminology “education technology” is created. grinager (2006) defined education technology as the use of hardware, software, and other digital technologies to advance learning, teaching and administration in k-12 and postsecondary education settings. the education technology is related to the technological knowledge (tk) in which technological knowledge ensures that the education technology can be applied effectively. schmidt, baran, thompson, mishra, koehler, and shin (2009) define technological knowledge (tk) as knowledge about various technologies which include low-tech technologies from pencil and paper up to digital technologies such as computer and internet. however, koehler and mishra (2009) explained that since technological knowledge is evolving over a lifetime, tk is directed more toward the information communication technology (ict) as the current form of technology. vincenti (1984) stated that there are three forms of technological knowledge, which are descriptive knowledge, prescriptive knowledge, and tacit knowledge. descriptive knowledge is a knowledge focused on the truth or fact. it is used to describe things as they are and cannot be adjusted easily to suit the needs (vincenti, 1984). mailto:sofendi@yahoo.com https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3788 irfan, sofendi, & machdalena vianty technological knowledge application on academic writing english education study program students 158 prescriptive knowledge is a form of knowledge used to find out whether something could be accepted as fact through the process of trial-anderror (houkes, 2009). prescriptive knowledge is a knowledge that can be altered depending on the situation in order to ensure the effectiveness (vincenti, 1984). these two knowledges compose explicit technological knowledge. on the other hand, tacit knowledge composes implicit technological knowledge. tacit knowledge is a special type of knowledge that is possessed by individual upon the process of learning something, which cannot be easily shared and will only expand into facts upon time (dampney, busch, & richards, 2002). this knowledge comes from individual practice and experience, thus making tacit knowledge rather inexpressible. vincenti (1984) explains that prescriptive knowledge and tacit knowledge are similar as both focus on procedures. these knowledges form the four levels of technological knowledge (herschbach, 1995). the following table describes the levels and the forms of knowledge they focus on: table 1. levels of technological knowledge no. level details 1 artisan skills focuses on tacit knowledge with little prescriptive and descriptive knowledge involved. 2 technical maxims focuses on prescriptive knowledge with little tacit knowledge. there is generalization of skills applied in making or using technology. 3 descriptive laws focuses on prescriptive knowledge with little descriptive knowledge, which addresses experience-based formulations through try-out and observation. scientific-like. 4. technological theories focuses on descriptive knowledge and prescriptive knowledge, which gives the user capability to apply scientific knowledge in real situations. in the world of education, 2030 education dictates that education process should contain technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack), where aside from improving the content and pedagogy of education, information and communication technologies have to be used to strengthen education (unesco, 2016). this means that technology should be applied in teaching and learning process, including in english education. english education ensures that the students of said study program should have good english skills and one of the skills that can coordinates with technology is the writing skill. technological knowledge plays a role in finding the suitable references, in which through browsing computer and internet, references can be gathered by specifying the correct keywords of what the writer wants to find. aside from that, academic writing is also structured using academic language, which is concise and clear, possessing formal language as well as having clear, straightforward toward the point style of writing. technology supports academic writing in this writing process where the language can be checked by spelling-checker as well as paragraph reviewer applications. moreover, technology can also be used for checking plagiarism, sharing the articles, and publishing article in journal. such kind of technologies makes the process of writing academic paper easier than ever if the proper technological knowledge is mastered and used effectively. mohamed and ayeche (2011) explain that using modern technology such as computer allows a whole new way of interaction in the process of writing that removes psychological obstacle that tamper students’ writing skill, such as fear and lack of confidence, if the technology is utilized correctly by the teacher and used appropriately by the students. similarly, inderawati (2017) emphasizes that technology must be become the important key element of the 21st century learning in sophisticated classroom. however, technological knowledge does not always provide benefits in terms of writing. alhusban (2016) explains that technological knowledge affects the student writers’ mentality in which the students believe that technology will provide them shortcuts of making a good and acceptable writing. the students can just find everything in the internet, copy it and use the computer application to check the writing automatically, truly believing that digital technology is flawless. this misuse of technology, rather than improving the students’ skill in academic writing, causes the writing skill to deteriorate since the students do not think critically in forming the ideas and set aside english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 159 cohesion and coherence of the paragraphs by copying what probably is suitable to the topic written without appropriate connection to the previous idea. it is worth saying that technological knowledge affects academic writing skills of the students as academic writers. the effects of technological knowledge can be either positive or negative. in the academic writing class, specifically the article writing class of english education study program sriwijaya university in academic year 2019, technological knowledge was applied in the writing activities, resulting students personal blog where the student posted his/her articles. this result shows that the implementation of technological knowledge in the academic writing of english education study program of faculty of teacher training and education of sriwijaya university is beneficial. the writer of this study was curious on how the students apply technological knowledge in the class as well as finding the possible challenges faced in applying technological knowledge in academic writing. thus, this study intended to (1) to find out the technological knowledge level of english education study program students, (2) to find out how english education study program students applied their technological knowledge in academic writing, and (3) to find out the problems english education study program students encountered in applying their technological knowledge in academic writing. method method of the study this research was a descriptive qualitative research. this research acquired the qualitative data through observing, interviewing, and gathering documents and quantitative data in the form of questionnaire is used to support the qualitative data. this research focused on matching the questionnaire result with data gained from observation, theory, and interview. the data were also gathered by getting the relevant documents to further support the results. the collected data were later analyzed to answer the research questions. site and participants the site of this study was the faculty of teacher training and education sriwijaya university in palembang. the participants were 17 students from class b 2016 palembang of english education undergraduate program (they will be referred as participants) along with the latest lecturer that teaches them writing. purposing sampling is used to pick the participants. the participants were chosen as they are the class that according to the syllabus has completed all writing class required in their study as well as the fact that prior information from lecturer tells that they used modern technology in their writing class. from the 17 students, four of them did not return the questionnaire. thus, they are not taken into account in the results. technique for collecting the data this research collected data by using observation, interview, and document gathering as quantitative data and questionnaire as quantitative data. the observation was done by using a check-list based on kirkwood and price’s (2016) questionnaire on learner use of technology as well as tpack assessment questionnaire by schmidt, baran, thompson, mishra, koehler, and shin (2009), which is also used as the basis for the interview questions and questionnaire. interview was given to the lecturer as the students were given the same questions in the form of questionnaire. the interview questions were adapted from kirkwood and price’s (2016) questionnaire on learner use of technology as well as tpack assessment questionnaire by schmidt, baran, thompson, mishra, koehler, and shin (2009). as for the documents gathered, the documents were the students’ writing results as well as the openended questions in the questionnaire which address the problems of the students in academic writing. the students’ writing results were checked by using the transparent academic writing rubric (tawr) developed by razi (2015), which combines several essential components of academic writing including in-text citation. the following table is the item distribution of the tawr by razi (2015): irfan, sofendi, & machdalena vianty technological knowledge application on academic writing english education study program students 160 table 2. transparent academic writing rubric (tawr) by razi (2015) item distribution no. writing evaluation criteria items 1 introduction 1-8 2 citation 9-24 3 academic writing 25-31 4 idea presentation 33-43 5 mechanics 44-50 the questionnaire used was adapted from kirkwood and price’s (2016) questionnaire on learner use of technology as well as tpack assessment questionnaire by schmidt, baran, thompson, mishra, koehler, and shin (2009). the questionnaire consisted of questions related to tacit, prescriptive, and descriptive knowledges which constitutes the levels of technological knowledge by herschbach (1995), which are artisan, technical maxim, descriptive laws, and technological theories. the adapted questionnaire items were divided into the three types according of the types of technological knowledge in the form of five-level likert scale. the following tables are the specifications of the questionnaire item distribution and the interval for the technological knowledge according to likert scale. as each knowledge is distinct to the other, the interval for the technological knowledge levels represent their importance in each level. table 3. technological knowledge questionnaire item distribution no. type of knowledge items 1 tacit knowledge 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 2 prescriptive knowledge 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 3 descriptive knowledge 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 table 4. interval score of technological knowledge questionnaire no. level of technological knowledge type of knowledge tacit knowledge prescriptive knowledge descriptive knowledge 1 artisan 5-30 5-20 5-15 2 technical maxim 31-45 21-35 16-25 3 descriptive laws 46-50 36-40 26-35 4 technological theories 46-50 41-50 36-50 technique for analyzing the data the observation was analyzed by compiling the similarities found in each meeting. the result from the checklists based on kirkwood and price’s (2016) questionnaire on learner use of technology as well as tpack assessment questionnaire by schmidt, baran, thompson, mishra, koehler, and shin (2009) was calculated by using percentage to get more concrete result. the interview given to the lecturer was analyzed by comparing the result with the theories regarding the use of technological knowledge as well as the students’ questionnaire responses to find out whether there are any differences between the students’ claim with the lecturer’s observation during the class. as for the documents gathered, the openended questions in the questionnaire were taken to be compiled to find the similarities between the students’ answer to get the general answer for the third research question. the students’ writing results were checked by using the transparent academic writing rubric (tawr) developed by razi (2015), with the score range of 0 to 2. 0 represents poor, 1 represents acceptable, and 2 represents excellent. the technological knowledge level questionnaire was analyzed quantitatively. the adapted questionnaire items were divided into the three types according of the types of technological knowledge in the form of five-level likert scale, ranging from strongly agree (5) to strongly disagree (1). the results of the questionnaire were calculated to find out the percentage of each type of knowledges to be further analyzed to find out the students’ technological knowledge level. the calculation was done by using the microsoft excel 2016 to sum up the result and calculate the percentage. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 161 results and discussion students’ technological knowledge level results of observations the observations were done by monitoring the class as non-participant. the observations of the participants were done starting from january 25th, 2019 to april 11th, 2019, with the total of seven meetings observed during the period, which is treated as n. the following table and chart are the summary of the checklists for all of the observations done. table 5. participants’ technological knowledge observation results summary n* knowledge result average tacit knowledge prescriptive knowledge descriptive knowledge 7 31 20 19 *n refers to the number of observations chart 1. the percentage of observations’ results summary table 5 shows that the average scores of the participants’ tacit knowledge, prescriptive knowledge, and descriptive knowledge are 31, 20, and 19 respectively. based on the interval score for technological knowledge level, the participants’ level can be categorized in the second level which is technical maxim. according to the herschbach (1995) technical maxim shows that students possess higher tacit knowledge with a moderate level of prescriptive knowledge. this is further supported by the chart which shows that the average percentage of participants’ knowledge is toward the tacit knowledge with 44%, followed by prescriptive knowledge with 29%, and descriptive knowledge with 27%. the observations also showed the progress of the students during their writing class. on the first meeting on january 25th, 2019, the students were gathering ideas for their topic. in this meeting, the students use microsoft word to type short drafts to be peer-checked later by posting in the group. the students checked each other drafts by giving very short comment. the lecturer explained the process of writing article by making thesis statement followed by monitoring the students’ activity and giving feedbacks when the students asked. on the second meeting on february 1st, 2019, the lecturer introduced the students to mendeley system, which was used to check the references the students gathered and learn how to write references correctly. the lecturer started by giving tutorial on how to use the mendeley system effectively and various functions in the application. in this meeting, some students can be seen to have certain confusion in using mendeley system. however, they assisted each other in learning the system and by the end of the meeting, some students are capable of using the mendeley system effectively while others keep practicing independently or with supports from both peer and lecturer. on the third meeting on february 15th, 2019, the students were introduced to grammarly application to assist them in writing their draft. the lecturer explained how to use and analyze the result given by grammarly in order to find out the structural error. the drafts produced were then posted to the facebook group to be peerchecked. the peer-checking once again is given in a very short comment. the drafts produced in irfan, sofendi, & machdalena vianty technological knowledge application on academic writing english education study program students 162 this meeting were rough and unpolished. some students still wrote the topic in an unclear manner or redundant. however, the peer-checking pointed these problems to be fixed in the next draft. the next observation was on the sixth meeting on february 21th, 2019. the students continued working on the second draft of their article, specifically the body. the students used microsoft word and grammarly to assist their writing process in order to utilize the grammar checker feature. the results were posted in the facebook group. the students’ writing improved in this meeting although they did not put the references as well as having some mechanic problem such as the formatting and punctuation. the lecturer gave the students some feedbacks afterward based on their writing in the form of comments in the facebook posts about which parts should be improved. the fifth observation was done on the seventh meeting on march 8th, 2019. the students were learning to create a blog for them to post their articles for free access. the students spent time more in this meeting to understand the way to set-up the blog instead of writing. the students enjoyed the blog although some students were distracted which consequently made them neglect the article checking. the lecturer monitored this meeting and constantly reminded the students to also work on their articles. on march 11th, 2019, the lecturer instructed the students to post their article drafts in their blog. the students used microsoft word to write and revise their draft. some of them also used grammarly to further check their grammar. however, very few students used the mendeley system to check their references. moreover, almost all students did not write references in their drafts, despite citing some experts. some students still copied the references without paraphrasing or quoting as well. the lecturer reminded the students to use the mendeley system whenever possible as well as reviewed the way to utilize the applications briefly. the last observation was done on the 14th meeting on 11th april, 2019. the students were tasked to post their revised article drafts, which include background and literature review, in the facebook group as well as in their blogs. the drafts the students wrote were improved in academic writing and idea presentation aspects. however, the students still had problems in citing articles. many of them still neglect referencing and did not use the mendeley system. the application of grammarly improved although not all students utilize this as few students still had grammatical mistakes. the lecturer provided feedbacks in the form of comments for the students to revise before writing and submitting their final draft. result of the interview according to the lecturer, the students were capable of learning and using the technology introduced during the writing iv class. the lecturer states the students practiced using the applications given to support their academic writing, although some students struggled in using the application effectively. the lecturer also states that the students did not use the application actively during writing process after they learned how to use the application, which implies that the students were more comfortable in writing without constantly opening and closing different applications. however, the lecturer explained that the students have more positive view in writing academic writing as they shifted their opinion that writing academically is not as difficult as they predicted as there are many technologies that can assist their writing process in both mechanical aspect and referencing aspect. the lecturer explained: “after practicing using the technology and applications, my students come to an end that article writing is easy because i really showed them how to do it. they easily get information for their writing from google and know how to quote directly and indirectly.” the lecturer finally stated that despite using technologies to assist their writing process, the students still needed guidance as well as constant feedbacks from the lecturer as relying on peercomments was not effective due to the tendency of being given very brief comments by their peers. results of the questionnaire the purpose of the questionnaire is to find out the technological knowledge of the students through measuring their tacit knowledge (tk), prescriptive knowledge (pk), and descriptive knowledge (dk) as well as to find out the students’ way of applying the technological knowledge in academic writing and the problems they faced. the questionnaire consisted of two sections. the first section is a five-level likertenglish review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 163 scale close-ended questions with 30 items and the second section is three items of open-ended questions. as there are four participants that did not return the questionnaire, only thirteen participants were taken into account. both results are presented as follow. result of the first section of questionnaire as stated before, the first section of the questionnaire is used to find out the students’ technological knowledge level through their tacit knowledge, prescriptive knowledge, and descriptive knowledge. the following chart shows the percentage of the students’ knowledges: table 6. participants’ technological knowledge questionnaire results summary n* knowledge result average tacit knowledge prescriptive knowledge descriptive knowledge 13 45 34 23 *n refers to the number of participants chart 2. the summary of participants’ technological knowledge questionnaire results table 6 shows that the students’ expectation table 6 shows that the average scores of the 13 participants’ tacit knowledge, prescriptive knowledge, and descriptive knowledge based on their responses to the questionnaire are 45, 34, and 23 respectively. based on the interval score for technological knowledge level, the participants’ level can be categorized in the second level which is technical maxim, which is in line with the observations’ result. the chart further supports by showing that the average percentage of the participants is toward the tacit knowledge with 44%, followed by prescriptive knowledge with 34%, and descriptive knowledge with 22%. result of the second section of questionnaire as for the second part of the questionnaire, which is the open-ended questions, the purpose of the three items asked is to find out the students’ way of utilizing the technology using their technological knowledge and the difficulties they faced. the result of the questionnaire shows that the students use mendeley system, which they were introduced to in this writing class, as the technology mostly used during their writing iv class and facebook and blogger as the place to post their writing. they also used grammarly to assist them in writing their academic writing. some of the students use several other supporting media such as google scholar and plagiarism checker to further help their writing process. as for the difficulties they faced, some of the students stated that it is difficult in finding the related studies for their reference, while some other tends to just copy directly from the references, which is an act of plagiarism if done incorrectly. some other students also state that they face some difficulties in using the newly learned media in the beginning. statistical analysis the statistical analysis is used to find out the students’ academic writing skills. as there were four participants that did not return the questionnaires, they were not accounted in the descriptive statistics result. the table below is the descriptive statistic of razi’s (2015) transparent academic writing rubric (tawr) result. irfan, sofendi, & machdalena vianty technological knowledge application on academic writing english education study program students 164 table 7. descriptive statistic of the students’ academic writing skill descriptive statistics n sum mean std. deviation introduction 13 11.38 .8750 .27481 citation 13 8.63 .6635 .22029 academic_writin g 13 18.25 1.4038 .22909 idea_presentation 13 14.18 1.0909 .31272 mechanics 13 6.86 .5275 .24317 valid n (listwise) 13 the table shows the mean of each category in the tawr for 13 participants. the mean for both academic writing and idea presentation categories are the highest, meaning that the students are capable of presenting their idea and following rules of academic writing. however, the students have very low mean for both citation and mechanics, which shows that they had difficulties in citing and quoting experts and writing in correct structure and format. the mean for introduction is also quite low which means that the students were having difficulties in explaining their article purposes. discussion based on the findings, several interpretations can be made. the first interpretation is that according to the result of the questionnaire, the participants technological knowledge level is on the second level, technical maxim. herschbach (1995) explains that technical maxim is the level where the capability of the technology user to generalize the skills in using technology is applied internally with very general way of explaining the way to do it. in this level, the students were capable of applying their technological knowledge in academic writing. however, the students had problems if they want to share their knowledge to their peers. this level also shows that the students were more comfortable with technology that is relatable to them as they possess prescriptive knowledge, in which the students prefer to pick up technology such as microsoft word that they are familiar with instead of using the newly learned one such as grammarly and mendeley system in order to avoid the trial-anderror process as many times as possible. this answered the first research question. the second interpretation focuses on the second research question. based on the observation, interview with the lecturer, and the questionnaire result. the students apply their technological knowledge on academic writing moderately. the observations showed that the students struggled when new technology is introduced to them and they tended to avoid using the new technology during writing, such as not using the mendeley system for their referencing process. the questionnaire results also showed that the students were applying their technological knowledge to the internet-based technology such as google scholar and plagiarism checker, but tends to copy-and-paste what they found instead of paraphrasing and rechecking what they found, which is in line with what razi (2015) found that university students have tendency to plagiarize. this indicates that the students were more comfortable if the technology is instantaneous in nature instead of having to be learned in a certain amount of time. this, in turn, impacted to the quality of their academic writing, in which the students were capable of composing ideas for their topic, but were incapable of explaining clearly what they intended to explain as well as backing up their writing with proper citation. as whitaker (2009) states, there are 10 principles in academic writing, which are clear purpose, audience engagement, clear point of view, single focus, logical organization, strong support, clear and complete explanations, effective use of research, correct apa style, and writing style. the students writing result shows that some principles such as clear purpose, audience engagement, strong support, effective use of research, correct apa style, and the writing style were not fulfilled by the majority of the students. the third interpretation focuses on the third research question. the main problem faced by the students in applying their technological knowledge in writing was their tendency to copyand-paste. this tendency affected the quality of the students’ academic writing as alhusban (2016) explained that the students were used to getting everything fixed automatically and set their mind that what they copied is correct english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 165 without doubt. the observations and questionnaire results also found that the use of technology in finding references was tedious as the references were abundant and finding the suitable as well as credible reference takes lot of time that once the student found what they feel fit with their research, the student just copied the reference without proper citation. another problem based on the observations and the students’ academic writing is that the students were neglecting the mechanics aspect of academic writing, indicated by the lowest mean in the academic writing rubric result. this matches with alfaki’s (2015) finding which states that mechanical problems are the most prominent writing problems faced by university students, followed by linguistic problems and cognitive problems. the students writing, as stated before, were fixed manually by the technology the students use. however, the technological knowledge of the students in using applications to assist their writing made the students neglected rechecking their own writing, resulting in persistence structural error in subsequent draft. moreover, as facebook and blogger are the media where they posted their writing afterward, this resulted in the students did not follow the appropriate writing format such as spacing and paper format as both media are devoid of the feature. despite the existence of peer-checking through commenting each other work, the peer-checking is not effective to improve the students’ writing as the comments from peers tend to be very brief and very general. this is in line with what pechenkina and aeschliman (2017) states that group work is preferable and more effective in face-to-face settings instead of online. further statements from pechenkina and aeschliman (2017) states that students prefer to use the technology as communication media between friends, thus they do not seek assistance from their instructor to assist them. on the other hand, it is also clear that students need guidance from instructor as explained by inderawati, sofendi, purnomo, vianty, and suhendi (2019) that the roles of instructor in learning using technology are developing material, evaluating the result, and giving feedbacks in order to ensure the students do not neglect the writing process. conclusion based on the findings, the writer can conclude that: first, the technological knowledge level of the participants is at level two, which is technical maxim where the students are capable of utilizing their technological knowledge personally but prefer in using the technology they are familiar with, second, the participants applied technological knowledge on academic writing moderately, particularly in finding references and structuring the idea of their topic, and third, the participants have several problems in applying technological knowledge in academic writing, such as in citing references correctly, avoiding tendency to copy-and-paste, structural error due to using automatic correction, and paper formatting. references alfaki, i. m. (2015). university students’ english writing problems: diagnosis and remedy. international journal of english language teaching, 3(3), 40-52. alhusban, a. m. (2016). the impact of modern technological tools on students writing skills in english as a second language. us-china education review, 6(7), 438-443. creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research fourth edition. boston, ma: pearson education inc. dampney, c. n. g., busch, p., & richards, d. (2002). the meaning of tacit knowledge. australian journal of information systems [special issue], 3-13. grinager, h. (2006). how education technology leads to improved student achievement. denver, co: national conference of state legislatures. herschbach, d. r. (1995). technology as knowledge: implications for instruction. journal of technology education, 7(1), 31-42. houkes, w. (2009). the nature of technological knowledge. in a. meijers (ed.), handbook of the philosophy of science (vol.9. pp. 309-350). amsterdam, netherland: elsevier. inderawati, r. (2017). the dynamics of efl teaching in indonesia: be innovative teachers through social media. english language teaching and research. 1(1), 29-37. inderawati, r., sofendi, purnomo, m. e., vianty, m., & suhendi, d. (2019). students’ engagement in utilizing technology for learning support. english franca: academic journal of english language and education, 3(2), 181196. kirkwood, a. & price, l. (2016). technology-enabled learning implementation handbook. burnaby, ca: commonwealth of learning. koehler, m. j. & mishra, p. (2009). what is technological pedagogical content knowledge? contemporary issues in technology and teacher education, 9(1), 60-70. irfan, sofendi, & machdalena vianty technological knowledge application on academic writing english education study program students 166 koehler, m. j., mishra, p., & cain, w. (2013). what is technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack)?. journal of education, 193(3), 13-19. mohamed, k. & ayeche, z. (2011). the impact of the internet on the development of students’ writing. revue des sciences humaines, 21, 5163. pechenkina, e. & aeschliman, c. (2017). what do students want? making sense of student preferences in technology-enhanced learning. contemporary educational technology, 8(1), 26-39. razi, s. (2015). development of a rubric to assess academic writing incorporating plagiarism detectors. sage open, 1-13. doi: 10.1177/2158244015590162. schmidt, d. a., baran, e., thompson, a. d., mishra, p., koehler, m. j., & shin, t. s. (2009). technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack): the development and validation of an assessment instrument for preservice teachers. journal of research on technlogy in education, 42(2), 123-149. unesco. (2016). sustainable development goal and its targets. retrieved from https://en.unesco.org/education2030sdg4/targets on august 14th, 2018. vincenti, w. g. (1984). technological knowledge without science: the innovation of flush riveting in american airplanes, ca. 1930-ca. 1950. technology and culture, 25(3), 540-576. whitaker, a. (2009). academic writing guide 2010: a step-by-step guide to writing academic papers. bratislava, slovakia: city university of seattle . https://en.unesco.org/education2030-sdg4/targets https://en.unesco.org/education2030-sdg4/targets english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 125 a study on students' needs in learning english for pharmacy (a starting point to design innovative syllabus) tri agustini solihati english education department, faculty of education and teacher training, university of perjuangan tasikmalaya, indonesia e-mail: triagustini@unper.ac.id nurti rahayu hotel management department, trisakti school of tourism, jakarta, indonesia e-mail: nurti@stptrisakti.ac.id apa citation: solihati, t. a. & rahayu, n. (2020). a study on students' needs in learning english for pharmacy (a starting point to design innovative syllabus). english review journal of english education. 9(1), 125-134. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3785 received: 27-06-2020 accepted: 29-09-2020 published: 11-12-2020 introduction english has been evolving as the working language in asian context (kirkpatrick, 2012). the specified learning foci of english in workplace context is under the umbrella of english for specific purposes (esp). esp is getting more popular since more english language programs are intended for the individuals who might want to learn english, which is applicable to their occupations (renandya & widodo, 2016). one of such occupations is pharmacy. english mastery is badly needed to cope with the global change of the healthcare system. in this case, pharmaceutical science instruction should always be adjusted with the recent condition in society. as with the global covid-19 pandemic, pharmacists belong to the front line to fight against the virus, and they are doing their best to support the patients despite their backgrounds and origins(wang & tang, 2020). lack of english mastery will seriously affect their ability to provide service to their patients. given the situation above, an area of specialized english learning should be well-arranged for pharmacy students. robinson stated three differences between general english and esp. those are (1) objective-oriented learning activity, the students learn english is not because the language itself but also for specific goals in an academic and professional field, (2) the course content is designed and developed based on students' need analysis, and (3) it is especially proposed to adult learners (sari, kuncoro, erlangga, 2019, p.30). besides, esp is an effort or program which facilitates learners' needs in english to run a specific role. the examples are english for engineering, english for pharmacy, english for the nurse, english for midwifery, english for management, english for tourism, english or accounting, and other related english subjects. it does need appropriate and much-related content to a particular field (richard & rodger (2011) as cited in agustina (2014, p.38)). based on the author's experience, the teaching of english for pharmacy as one of the english for specific course presents some challenges. not only do the teachers have to deal with an extensive area of content knowledge, but it also deals with students' lack of english ability since abstract: this study aims to discover the needs of pharmacy students as an input to design an esp syllabus. the needs analyses were conducted by distributing questionnaires to and interviewing the respondents. the responses were analyzed based on a comprehensive concept of need analysis proposed by dudley-evans and st. john. the findings showed that most students consider themselves poor in vocabulary and weak in speaking, listening, writing, and pronunciation. hence, it is crucial to improve their skills to enable them from communicating effectively with foreign patients and avoiding misunderstanding which may happen when interacting with foreign patients. therefore, developing an appropriate esp syllabus for pharmacy course could be possibly developed based on these findings and the theory of material development. keywords: needs analysis; pharmacy students; esp; syllabus design mailto:triagustini@unper.ac.id https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3785 tri agustini solihati a study on students' needs in learning english for pharmacy (a starting point to design innovative syllabus) 126 typical classes consisted of mixed-abilities students. another challenge is related to the course syllabus. not many schools have provided the teachers with a complete syllabus with learning material and evaluation criteria. several schools even left it for the teachers to arrange all the syllabus, methods, and evaluation. this practice will eventually present some problems since the schools cannot measure the expected learning outcomes for the students. in this view, the course evaluation should be conducted. the primary goal of esp classes is to provide targeted language instruction fulfill the students’ real communicative needs in various professional situations. (chovancová, 2014), in this case, teacher’s task to assist students to engage with their professional communities by providing the linguistic needs and they can be such as valuable feedbacks for syllabus design and improvements. research investigating about this roles are many, for example (cabinda, 2013; chostelidou, 2010; hu, 2017; menggo, suastra, budiarsa, & padmadewi, 2019; moslemi, moinzadeh, & dabaghi, 2011; seargeant, erling, solly, & chowdhury, 2017) the innovation was implemented in order to improve the current syllabus and more effectively to accomplish the goals of english language teaching in this institute. although the current syllabus is relatively sufficient, according to the lecturers involved, it is not entirely practical in terms of topic arrangement and is apparently difficult to implement in classroom teaching. it is, therefore, essential for improvements on the syllabus to be made, so that a lack of suitability between the learner's needs and the items taught can be avoided, and both teachers and learners can work together towards mutual goals. much research on needs analysis have been devoted on the area of healthcare workers (mazdayasna & tahririan, 2008), science students (a. ali & nasr, 2015), aviation english (aiguo, 2007), public and environment health (ibrahim, 2016), nurses (lu, 2018) airground staffs (cutting, 2012), and tourism industry (ibrahim, 2016; yasmin, sarkar, & sohail, 2016; zahedpisheh, b abu bakar, & saffari, 2017) in indonesian context, needs analyses were used to investigate the language needs in travel agencies (suprina & rahayu, 2018), maritime education (dirgayasa, 2014), vocational college students (paniya, 2008). in addition, some concerns on esp teaching in indonesia were reflected in some research such as challenges in esp in indonesia (marwan, 2009; poedjiastutie, 2017), esp teacher education model (ali,s.u 2015), issues and prospects of esp(kusni, 2013), and esp material development (paniya, 2008), and teacher identity in esp material development (widodo, 2017) despite the various research on needs analysis in esp and the crucial roles of healthcare professional in terms on pandemic, little attention has been given on needs analysis for english for pharmacy. a study on this area is essential as it provides empirical data on students’ english competence, topics, and preferred learning activities. the data serve as the basic consideration for designing effective syllabus which can guarantee the achievable learning outcomes. this study aims to investigate the students' need analysis on english for the pharmacy course, covering their personal information, current strength and weakness of english proficiency, the degree of importance of pharmacy skills/activities, and identification of topics that would interest them. in terms of investigating students' need analysis on english for pharmacy course, the followings are research questions proposed: a. how are the students' current strengths and weaknesses of english proficiency? b. how is the degree of importance of pharmacy skills/activities? c. how is the identification of topics that would interest pharmacy students? english at pharmacy school the study was conducted at one of pharmacy schools in tasikmalaya. it is in 117 out of 2100 non-vocational colleges in indonesia. there are four study programs. those are pharmacy, health analyst, optical refraction, and nurse. in this research, the respondents are only from the pharmacy department. the vision of this school is to manifest qualified national education, to create an academic culture which supports the adequate graduations in the health field with high morality, to have competent graduations as needed by the community, to produce research which contributes to the national development, to get contributive cooperation on developing knowledge in health field globally. this institution provides an english course in the even semester with two credits. this is a general basic course served to complete students' english skills, which emphasizes recognizing pharmaceutical terms. during the class, language aspects are english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 127 integrated comprehensively due to the improvement of students' skills. the aspects are vocabulary, grammar, listening, reading, writing, and speaking. the learning objectives of this class are (1) students are able to enrich their knowledge in the pharmaceutical field, (2) students are able to improve their english skills by integrating language aspects completely, (3) students are able to implement their english skills for daily life. english for specific purpose dudley evans (1998), as cited in (donesch, 2012, p.2), stated that english for specific purposes (esp) is defined to fulfill the specific needs of students. it uses both methodology and activities which underlie a particular field of study. it is also centralized to language activities such as lexis, grammar, passage, and genre. esp for adults commonly has basic english skills, and they are learning to communicate in relation to professional and career demands (hutauruk, 2012). the characteristic of esp is to fulfill specific learning needs (javid, choudhary zahid, 2013, p.140). besides, esp teaching methodology is appropriate with another language teaching model. in other words, esp shapes input, motivates students' desire in learning, manages learning strategy, and promotes its practices and uses (strevens, 1988) as cited in (eddine & chams, 2016). esp is defined as "an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner's reason for learning" (hutchinson and waters, 1987). esp has a long history in the field of language teaching, in which it was started in the 1960s when the general english course could not meet the needs of language learners. there are three common to the emergence of esp courses: the demands of brave new world, a revolution in linguistics, and focus on the learner (hutchinson and waters, 1987). celce-murcia (2001) claimed that esp is a movement based on the proposition that all language teachings should be tailored to the specific learning and language use needs for an identified group of learners and also sensitive to the socio-cultural context in which these learners will use english. esp is generally known as a learner-centered approach, since it meets the needs of (mostly) adult learners who need to learn a foreign language use in their specific fields, such as nursing, pharmacy, science, technology, hospitality, academic learning, and other fields. basturkmen (2006) stated that the most prominent feature in esp course design is that the syllabus based on an analysis of the students' needs because, in esp, language is learned to equip the learners to enter a more specific linguistic environment. due to the above description, english for pharmacy is designed to provide students' knowledge of the pharmacy field. it is in line with the syllabus arranged by the lecturer. it covers english skills, such as speaking, reading, writing, and listening. however, it is not limited to them, because the learning activity is formulated also to improve their critical thinking and vocabulary mastery. needs analysis needs analysis is generally considered the cornerstone of esp course design (dudleyevans & st john, 1998). it is the basis of language learning programs, which leads to a focused language learning course and aid the development and improvement of the programs. takaaki (2006) viewed needs analysis as a systematic collection and analysis of all relevant information that meets the language learning requirements of learners within the context of particular institutions involved in the learning situations. a needs analysis includes all the activities used to collect information about the students, learning needs, wants, etc. however, an issue in the students' needs analysis is that sometimes the students do not know what they actually need. kavaliauskiene and uzpalience (2003) pointed out that students often find it difficult to distinguish between the needs (the skills seen as being relevant to himself/herself) and wants (the desired competence). one of the ways to find the students' needs is by taking a survey or interviewing the lecturers involved, as the lecturers are more experienced than the students, and they also know better what the students' needs in order to be a professional english-speaking pharmacist. the process of needs analysis may also involve looking at the expectations and requirements of other interested parties such as administrators, patients, employers, and other people who may be impacted by the language program. moreover, having an expert in esp area as a consultant would also be very helpful to decide which the best is for the students. the information gained from a needs analysis can be used to help the curriculum or syllabus developer to define program goals. these goals can then be stated as tri agustini solihati a study on students' needs in learning english for pharmacy (a starting point to design innovative syllabus) 128 specific teaching objectives, which in turn will function as the foundation to develop lesson plans, materials, tests, assignments, and activities. basically, a needs analysis serves as an aid to clarify the purposes of a language program. the syllabus, which is designed based on the students' needs, will have high relevance to what the students studied. method design this research is aimed to investigate students' needs in english for the pharmacy course. thus a survey method was taken in this research. check & schutt (2012), as cited in (ponto, p.168), stated that a survey is collecting information from individual sampling through the response on questions. besides, this method is used to answer the proposed questions to assess needs and to decide objectives. (isaac & michael; 1997) as cited in (glasow, priscilla, 2005). kerlinger (1973), as cited in (mathiyazhagan & deoki, 2010: 39) classified data collection method into a personal interview, questionnaire, a phone call, and observation. thus, in this research, the data was taken from questionnaires and interviews. both data collections proposed the same instruments. the interview was done through a phone call. nevertheless, the respondents had an opportunity to convey their opinions toward the response. data collection sample the participants of this study were forty pharmacy students selected randomly over 160 in tasikmalaya. all students are native speakers of bahasa indonesia and have been learning english since junior high school for at least six years. instrumentation in this study, there is one set of a questionnaire used and distributed to all respondents. the questionnaire was divided into four sections: (a) personal information of respondents; (b) identification of current strength and weakness of their english proficiency; (c) identification of the degree of importance of nursing skills/activities; and (d) identification of topics that would interest the respondents. their responses on the section about their english proficiency were measured by the five-point scale, ranging from "very weak" to "very good"; and on the section about the importance of pharmacy activities, their responses were also measured by five-point scale ranging from "little important" to "highly important." in the section about the topics that interesting to them, their responses were measured by a threepoint scale ranging from "it is not helpful" to "it is important, and it is interesting to learn more about it." to eliminate any possible misunderstandings, the questionnaire was distributed in bahasa indonesia. the questionnaires used a modified version of the needs analysis questionnaire proposed by susandi & krishnawati (2016) as they are already validated and published. data collection procedure 1. the researcher arranged the questionnaire in the google form. 2. the questionnaire was written in bahasa indonesia to convince that the respondents understand each meaning of the statements in the questionnaire on may 14, 2020. through the whatsapp group, the link was spread and should be filled no more than may 18, 2020. 3. there were only thirty-seven students who filled the questionnaire through a google form. 4. the researcher interviewed three respondents who did not fill the questionnaire online. 5. analyze the transcribed data. 6. report the research result. data analysis since the questionnaire was distributed through a google form, the result was automatically calculated and provided in the form of a percentage. the highest percentage is 100%. the calculation will be from the total number of choices divided by the total number of respondents and times 100. results and discussion data presentation to answer research questions and interpretation of the findings (needs analysis) the following section outlines the results of the questionnaire, which is divided into four parts. the 1st presents the participants' personal information, the 2nd presents their english, the 3rd describes the pharmacy skills, and the last describes topics needed and wanted by pharmacy students to be included in the esp course. table1. personal information frequency percentage english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 129 1 gender female male 22 18 55% 45% 2 age 19 – 21 22 – 24 40 100% 3 studied english (english for pharmacy) previously yes no 35 5 87.5% 12.5% 4 make efforts to improve english yes no 30 10 75% 25% 5 frequency of practicing english outside of campus/week not at all 1 – 2 hours 3 – 5 hours more than 5 hours 5 15 15 5 12,5% 37.5% 37,5% 12.5% table 1 provides the personal information of students. most of them are female (55%), ranging from 19-21 years old. most of them have studied english for pharmacy previously (87.5%) because they were graduated from pharmacy vocational school. only a few of them graduated from senior high school, which did not specifically study english for pharmacy. only 75% who make efforts to improve their english. the majority also stated that they practice english outside campus (87.5%), ranging from one to more than 5 hours per week. table 2. the students' current strength and weakness of english proficiency very weak weak fair good very good grammar 20% 12,5% 27,5% 37,5% 2,5% vocabulary 12,5% 12,5% 30% 45% 0% pronunciation 15% 25% 50% 7,5% 2,5% speaking 10% 20% 60% 10% 0% listening 10% 17,5% 22,5% 50% 0% reading 2,5% 7,5% 12,5% 75% 2,5% writing 12,5% 15% 37,5% 35% 0% the data provided in table 2 describes that majority of students identifying their ability in speaking and listening, mastering grammar, vocabularies, pronunciation, and writing needs to be improved. the students feel confident with their english only on the reading skill, in which 75% identifies themselves as "good" in reading. table 3. the degree of importance of pharmacy skills/activities activities/skills percentage social skills 87,5% interaction with patients 75% administering medication 80% giving advice 87,5% cultural differences 50% interpreting medical terminologies / abbreviations 75% interaction with fellow co-workers 80% report writing 75% presentation skills 75% giving instruction effectively 87,5% inquiring skills 50% reading and interpreting reports, prescription charts, etc. 62,5% table 3 reveals that skills related to communication are the skills that the students think as more important compared to others. social skills, giving advice, and giving instruction effectively are those on the top of the list. the above percentage was taken from two perceptions, including important and highly important. in addition to speaking skills, administering medication and interaction with coworkers are also considered to be very important by students. on the other hand, inquiring skills and cultural differences are considered to be not highly important, according to the students. table 4. the identification of topics that would interest the pharmacy students tri agustini solihati a study on students' needs in learning english for pharmacy (a starting point to design innovative syllabus) 130 no topics percentage 1 giving directions 62,5% 2 explaining medication to patients 87,5% 3 hospital departments 75% 4 hospital equipment 70% 5 a pharmacy 62,5% 6 pharmacist 70% 7 pharmacist's job description 75% 8 prescription & over-the-counter (otc) drugs 95% 9 intelligence pills 80% 10 medical prescription 87,5% 11 confirming measurements 87,5% 12 administering medication 82,5% 13 describing the frequency of administering medication 82,5% 14 pharmaceutical company 70% 15 laboratory 75% 16 measurements 75% 17 jobs in the pharmaceutical industry 70% 18 non-production pharmaceutical professions 62,5% 19 pharmaceutical documentation 55% 20 quality assurance and auditing 32,5% 21 substance discovery and product development 42,5% 22 symptoms and indication 50% 23 prime questions 50% 24 warning, precaution, patient education 67,5% 25 rough situation 62,5% there are twenty-three topics among twenty-five topics that are considered to be interesting and wanted by most students to be included in the esp course (50% and above). it was only taken from important topics based on students’ perception. topics that seemed to be less attractive to the students are quality assurance and auditing, as well as substance discovery and product development. further investigation is needed to elicit the reason behind this opinion; however, there is a possibility that students have had enough knowledge on these topics and poses relatively good english for these topics, thus learning these topics becomes less attractive to them. designing the innovative syllabus the learning-centered approach was adopted to present the planning stage of designing the innovative syllabus. the approach was also used to collaborate with the core of an esp module which focuses on the specific needs learners require in the learning process. the evaluation will be an important aspect as learners’ performances which can be obtained through performance-based tests and feedback will be required to give a more qualitative perspective on the effectiveness of the curriculum once it is implemented. material development for the esp syllabus material development in teaching esp is very essential; it shows the creativity and the awareness of the teacher towards the subject. materials can be defined as anything or any source that can be used to assist the student in the process of language learning. it can be textbooks, workbooks, audio video, photocopied handouts, paper cutting or anything that informs the language being learned (tomlinson, 2008). material too can also be in the form of instructional, experiential, elucidative or exploratory (tomlinson, 2008). in the case of pharmacy students, the materials used for these students are materials integrated with the real-world situation, their working situation as a pharmacist in a hospital or other health centers. however, with the limited amount of time in each meeting, designing an appropriate material and syllabus for the proposed time frame are relatively complicated. the findings of this study revealed that it is necessary to improve english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 131 the students' english proficiency (see table 2). the first english proficiency that needs to be improved is pronunciation and speaking skills. students identified both skills are not good enough; mostly answered that their ability is very weak, weak, and fair (90%). further, it was also found that the essential pharmacy skills, according to the students, are those who require communication as social skills, giving advice, and giving instruction effectively (see table 3). thus, it is evident that students need to improve their speaking skills in order to be able to interact with their future patients. another english proficiency which needed to be improved was listening. since without having an adequate listening skill, communication could not happen. this is very essential. indonesia was very familiar to the accent of both american and british, but they were hard to understand the accents themselves. to fulfill the needs of students, a wide range of collection for audio and video is significantly needed. a way to solve this obstacle was by arranging a specific task. students were assigned to have virtual friend whose second language is english and bring them to the classroom activity. the most common applications used for having video call were whatsapp, google meet, zoom, etc. in their live communication, they could play a role between pharmacist and patient, for example, talking about certain topic. students then took some notes to the words or phrases they could not get or hear. this task could also aid students in practicing correct pronunciation. integrating the pronunciation practice with speaking and listening practice through a role play is a good scenario. students can directly know whether or not they have pronounce the words correctly when the foreigner cannot understand them. the foreigner will be the indicator in assessing the pronunciation of the student. further, the third english proficiency that needs to be improved is the writing skill. based on the result describes on table 2, majority of students identifying their ability in mastering grammar and writing is not good enough. 20% students reported that their grammar knowledge is very weak and 12.5% students said that their writing skill is very weak. in the real working world, pharmacist had less opportunity in writing instead of another activity. they simply wrote some important information related to medication. it covered patient identity, type of the medicine, how to administer it, and a simple information related to the symptoms. the rest activity done by the pharmacist was through oral communication. assessment a discrete point test and performance test were two types of assessment. the discretepoint test has a constructed response format, and is conducted in order to assess several components of english knowledge, such as reading comprehension and listening (mcnamara, 2000). on the other hand, the performance test demonstrates real language performance in writing and speaking skills. the writing test could be conducted by giving the students a particular task, such as writing a brief medication report. the speaking test could be set as a role-play test held in a pharmacy laboratory, in order to create a realworld pharmacy situation, as well as to give the opportunity for the students to perform and communicate while performing typical pharmacy procedures. conclusion the conclusions of this research were (1) most of the students had already studied english for pharmacy since they graduated from pharmacy vocational school. however, following their english skills, they made some efforts to improve them, such as watching youtube videos, reading english articles, and using english application to have autonomous learning. (2) pronunciation and speaking skills seemed to be very weak among all. based on these findings, it can be inferred that the expected curriculum to suit the students’ lack should focus more on how to improve their speaking skills. the suitable methods which can boost students’ speaking is communicative methods where students utilize the language in a real context which is tri agustini solihati a study on students' needs in learning english for pharmacy (a starting point to design innovative syllabus) 132 adjusted based on their expected future jobs. regarding students’ weaknesses in pronunciation, there should be specific section in the textbook/module about pronunciation drills. this can be integrated in the content and syllabus where students need to be able to speak with received pronunciation. (3) communication activity looked to be very interesting for them to master. it was based on the rank of activities that they considered very important. it was actually in line with the previous finding. since the most challenging english skill and students’ activity was speaking and communication, again the appropriate method to implement was communicative approach. sometimes the activity was not only by practicing dialog or conversation in pairs; it was possible to use some speaking applications on their smartphone to practice. thus, the real and virtual situations could possibly assist and improve their communication activity. (4) there were twenty-three topics ranging from 50% and above as students need and want to be included in the english course syllabus. since a semester only had 14 meetings, the lecturer should determine the order of the topics. it could be taken from the highest rank to the lowest as seen in table 4. english teacher/lecturer could use these findings as a starting point to develop the innovative syllabus. it matched with students' needs and their expectation toward the learning process. to perfect this study, the researcher also recommended further observation on another perspective from the teachers' side and professional pharmacist. after getting multiple perspectives on this needs analysis, the basis for developing an innovative syllabus will be excellent. references aiguo, w. (2007). teaching aviation english in the chinese context: developing esp theory in a non-english speaking country. english for specific purposes, 26(1), 121–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2005.09.003 ali, a., & nasr, m. (2015). english for specific purposes (esp) perspectives and their applicability among science students at jazan university – kingdom of saudi arabia. journal of language, linguistics and literature, 1(3), 41–45. http://www.publicscienceframework.org/journal /j3l ali, s. u. (2015). esp teacher education model in indonesian context. edukasi jurnal pendidikan, 13(2), 344–354. basturkmen, h. (2006). ideas and options in english for specific purposes. new jersey: lawrence erlbaum associates publishers. cabinda, m. (2013). the need for a needs analysis at uem: aspects of and attitudes towards change. linguistics and education, 24(4), 415–427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2013.10.001 celce-murcia, m. (2001). language teaching approaches: an overview. in calce-murcia, m. (ed.). teaching english as a second or foreign language. boston: heinle & heinle. chostelidou, d. (2010). a needs analysis approach to esp syllabus design in greek tertiary education: a descriptive account of students’ needs. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 2(2), 4507–4512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.721 chovancová, b. (2014). needs analysis and esp course design: self-perception of language needs among pre-service students. studies in logic, grammar and rhetoric, 38(51), 43–57. https://doi.org/10.2478/slgr-2014-0031 cutting, j. (2012). english for airport ground staff. english for specific purposes, 31(1), 3–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2011.06.002 dirgayasa, i. w. (2014). survey of english teaching and learning process in maritme education and training in indonesia: a case study in private met in indonesia. english language teaching, 7(7), 111–119. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v7n7p111 donesch, ewa. (2012). english for specific purposes: what does it mean and why is it different from teaching general teaching? confleunce, 1-7. issn 2250-138x. dudley-evans t. & st. john, m. j. (1998). developments in english for specific purposes: a multi-diciplinary approach. cambridge: cambridge up. eddine, chams. (2016). an introduction to english for specific purpose (esp). algeria: aboe bekr belkaid university. glasow, pricilla. 2005. fundamentals of survey research methodology. virginia: mitre washington c3 center. hu, s. (2017). a study on learners’ needs analysis in curriculum setting based on college english curriculum of non-english major students. 101(icemct), 667–675. https://doi.org/10.2991/icemct-17.2017.144 hutauruk, bertaria sonata. (2012). teaching module for english for specific purpose. medan: fkip uhn pematangsiar. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 133 ibrahim, a. s. e. m. (2016). esp needs analysis: a case study of peh students. sino-us english teaching, 13(12), 0–19. https://doi.org/10.17265/1539-8072/2016.12.00 javid, choudhary zahiud. (2013). english for specific purposes: its definition, characteristics, scope and purpose. european journal of scientific research, 112(1), 138-151. kavaliauskiene, g. & uzpalience, d. (2003). ongoing needs analysis as a factor to successful learning. journal of language and learning, 1(1), 1-6. kirkpatrick, a. (2012). english in asean: implications for regional multilingualism. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 33(4), 331–344. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2012.661433 kusni. (2013). reformulating english for specific purposes (esp) in indonesia : current issues and future prospects. selt proceeding, 36–48. http://ir.obihiro.ac.jp/dspace/handle/10322/3933 lazarus, a. d., sundaram, k. s., anbazhagan, k. (2017). an empirical study on enhancing linguistic skills through english for specific purposes (esp) course for pharmacy students. int. j. pharm. sci. rev. res., 42(2), 210-216 lu, y.-l. (2018). what do nurses say about their english language needs for patient care and their esp coursework: the case of taiwanese nurses. english for specific purposes, 50, 116– 129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2017.12.004 marwan, a. (2009). esp teaching challenges in an indonesian vocational higher institution. the english teacher, xxxviii, 1–12. mathiyazhagan & deoki. (2010). survey research method. media mimansa. mcnamara, t. (2000). language testing. oxford: oxford university press. mazdayasna, g., & tahririan, m. h. (2008). developing a profile of the esp needs of iranian students: the case of students of nursing and midwifery. journal of english for academic purposes, 7(4), 277–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2008.10.008 menggo, s., suastra, i. m., budiarsa, m., & padmadewi, n. n. (2019). needs analysis of academic-english speaking material in promoting 21st century skills. international journal of instruction, 12(2), 739–754. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12247a moslemi, f., moinzadeh, a., & dabaghi, a. (2011). esp needs analysis of iranian ma students: a case study of the university of isfahan. english language teaching, 4(4), 121–129. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v4n4p121 paniya. (2008). designing an esp course for indonesian vocational college students. jurnal pengembangan humaniora, 8(1), 11–19. poedjiastutie, d. (2017). the pedagogical challenges of english for specific purposes (esp) teaching at the university of muhammadiyah malang, indonesia. educational research and reviews, 12(6), 338–349. https://doi.org/10.5897/err2016.3125 ponto, j (2015). understanding and evaluating survey research. j adv pract oncol, 6(2), 168-171. renandya, w. a., & widodo, h. p. (2016). english language teaching today. linking theory and practice (eds (ed.)). springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2519-8_7 richards, j.c. (2001). curriculum development in language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. sari. r. k., kuncoro, a., erlangga, f. (2019). need analysis of english for specific purposes (esp) to informatic students. journal of english education, linguistics, and literature. 5(2), 2637. seargeant, p., erling, e. j., solly, m., & chowdhury, q. h. (2017). the communicative needs of bangladeshi economic migrants: the functional values of host country languages versus english as a lingua franca. journal of english as a lingua franca, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1515/jelf-2017-0008 suprina, r., & rahayu, n. (2018). need analysis on the use of english in travel agencies. susandi, n. k. a., krishnawati, n. l. p. (2016). needs analysis: esp syllabus design for indonesian efl nursing students. proceedings of the fourth international seminar on english language and teaching (iselt-4) takaaki, k. (2006). construct validation of a general english language needs analysis instrument. shiken: jalt testing & evaluation sig newsletter, 10(2), 1-9. tomlinson, b. (2008). english language teaching materials. cambridge: cambridge university press wang, z., & tang, k. (2020). combating covid-19: health equity matters. nature medicine, 26(4), 458. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-020-0823-6 widodo, h. p. (2017). constructing and negotiating agency and identity of english language learners: teacher-learner driven esp materials development in the indonesian secondary school context. electronic journal of foreign language teaching, 14(2), 233–249. yasmin, m., sarkar, m., & sohail, a. (2016). exploring english language needs in the hotel industry in pakistan: an evaluation of existing teaching material. journal of hospitality & tourism education, 28(4), 202–213. https://doi.org/10.1080/10963758.2016.122684 6 zahedpisheh, n., b abu bakar, z., & saffari, n. (2017). english for tourism and hospitality purposes (etp). english language teaching, 10(9), 86. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v10n9p86 tri agustini solihati a study on students' needs in learning english for pharmacy (a starting point to design innovative syllabus) 134 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 301 siti zubaidah: the islamic feminism review based on barlas’ theory selly putri pratami the student of postgraduate school indonesian language education, sriwijaya university email: putriparatamiselly@yahoo.com nurhayati (corresponding author) the lecturer of postgraduate school of indonesian language education, teacher training and education faculty, sriwijaya university email: nurhayati@fkip.unsri.ac.id agus saripudin the lecturer of postgraduate school of indonesian language education, teacher training and education faculty, sriwijaya university email: agus1062@gmail.com apa citation: pratami, s. p., nurhayati., & saripudin, a. (2021). siti zubaidah: the islamic feminism review based on barlas’ theory. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp. 301-312. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4355 received: 25-02-2021 accepted: 21-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction a literature work, included poems, can make readers joyful (dulce) and provide benefits (utile) for them. many studies dealing with poems showed poems’ capabilities to provide guidance, messages, suggestions, and positive values for life (astuti, beding, & helaria, 2019; meisterernst, 2019). the examples of poems’ powers are the messages about compliance (afifah & jamjam, 2020), messages about all human will return to their god, allah swt (ma’rifat, 2014), messages about carefulness to make the decision (ridho, 2019), messages to be attentive and avoid destruction (irmaniati, 2016), etc. therefore, poems are interested to be reviewed in these modern and global eras. poems have a lot of values. moreover, the values are applied in our country as a country with cultural diversity and mostly populated by islamic religious citizens. many poems from our culture are inculcated by islamic values that can prevent moral decline (anshari & widyantoro, 2020). one of them is about feminism. generally, studies about feminism deal with the more modern indonesian works of literature both poems and poetry. for example, feminism study by andayani (2020). the research found the feminist realizations, such as hard-working to earn money and to make a living, the assumption that a female could act as her late father, and the opinion that a female could do anything without listening to what other people argued about her. the other examples could be seen from a feminism study by tawaqal, mursalim, & hanum (2020). they found the practice of power liberal feminism. the other finding was from setiawan & harahap (2020) about the realization of gender inequality. abstract: this research aims to analyze islamic feminism in the heroic story of syair situ zubaidah. in this research, it is important to understand that islamic feminism is based on islamic religious principles. this research aims to identify the female characters of a literature work and to determine the positions and the role of the characters inside of a family. then, it is also to determine how the character defends and saves her family and people. the applied method was the qualitative descriptive method. the results showed that the islamic feminism themes also indicated heroic values. the findings showed the struggles, patience, determination, tawaqal, and istiqomah to deal with life. this research applied the interpretation of al-qur'an and al-hadith, in the forms of the findings of the previous studies. it was important to do and had to be based on the experts to avoid subjective interpretation. keywords: islamic feminism https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4355 selly putri, pratami nurhayati, & agus saripudin siti zubaidah: the islamic feminism review based on barlas’ theory 302 the feminism concept refers to female mainstreaming that wants to have an equal gender position in the community. the previous findings concluded there was male hegemony upon females. females or women were seen as powerless, emotional, and male-dependents (suhendi, 2014). this finding showed the images appeared due to dualism that females were different from males. they were assumed to have lower positions than males. females were assumed to have a second-class position. the other social facts were shown by suhendi (2014), such as female marginalization and physical-psychological acts of violence. studies by fahmi & arfiyanti (2020), mahdalia & qur’ani (2020), and pratama et al. (2020) also found the physical and psychological violence experienced by the female characters. females were underestimated and there were gender inequalities inside of the patriarchal community. studies about feminism in poems are rarely done. syair siti zubaidah (transliterated by sayekti and jaruki, 2010) describes a very different female character from other female characters in other literary works. for example, the female characters in belenggu are written by armijn pane. they were described as shackled females due to marriages (nurhidah & liana, 2015). then, layar terkembang written by sutan takdir alisjahbana, describes females in contradictory manner. a study by lizawati (2016) showed rational females with public-activity roles, entrepreneurship, and bravery. the features were found in a character named tuti. meanwhile, the emotional female that was dominated by her feeling was found in maria. the other findings were shown by suparman (2019). he found a lack of education experienced by the women in perempuan di titik nol's novel. it made them became the objects of divorce, polygamy, and prostitution. their fates were worsened by the poor socio-economic condition. syair situ zubaidah is different. it describes a female with authority, managerial skill, competitive capability equal to males, heroism, and bravery. on the other hand, siti zubaidah is described as a character that defends islamic values, such as pious, obedient toward her husband, and respects her parents. what made the poems interested to investigate was the great female characters especially siti zubaidah. she is described as a brave female that fights to save her husband. she is a beautiful, kind, loyal, modest, wise, and pious woman that marries sultan zainal abidin. she is a kind-hearted woman that loves to help, compliant, obedient toward her husband, and respects her parents-in-law. she is perfect, masculine, but also feminine. the characters are probably difficult to find in the real world. it triggered a question of why the writer, tengku abdul kadir (see syam, 1993) tells siti zubaidah as a female with those criteria. heretofore, literature works have been focusing on male writers and from novels (liasna & ansari, 2016; sugiantomas & nadiyaturahmah, 2017). the male writers told about females but their applied world perspectives were still males’ perspectives. females described by male writers also had male images, such as siti zubaidah in syair siti zubaidah. at the beginning of the poem, siti zubaidah is not directly told by the author. however, along with the stanzas of the story, the islamic feminism practices promoted by siti zubaidah are getting clearer. these different realizations of feminism should be reviewed. how siti zubaidah engaged her domestic life; how she struggled to free her husband; and how strong her belief was to undergo any difficulties while seeking her husband that was imprisoned by a chinese princess. siti zubaidah is described as a compliant and wise character in governing the country. poems contain various women’s voices to reveal problems experienced by women and to make a decision about various things. poems also describe the women’s life implicitly and explicitly from various places and times (damayanti, 2018b, 2018a; fatmawati, 2009; sari, priyatna, & muhtadin, 2017). thus, poems are interesting to be reviewed in terms of feminism. poems become the media to show, describe, and fight equality for women (nuryanti, 2016; vida, 2017). syair siti zubaidah is known as a heroic story due to the tough and brave struggles of the main character. the poems also have feminism study that inspires women at the present day. however, not all parties realize the positive feminism study from poems. feminism in islam does not only agree with each concept or perspective of the westerns culture especially about equalizing the position of males and females. on the other hand, islamic feminism attempts to fight gender equality rights in the conservative traditional community that assumes english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 303 females or women as the subordinates of males or men (mahzar, 2012). according to barlas (2002), islamic feminism is a combination between islamic principles and feminism (seedat, 2016). therefore, it is important to be introduced to english learners in indonesia (wijayanto, 2020). by inculcating islamic feminism for learners, they will realize what things to struggle with while studying and fighting later in the future (y. irawan, 2020). thus, islamic feminism mediates the traditional conservative party and the modern pro-feminism party (moghissi, 2011). this islamic feminism, by mahzar, is called as post-integrated islamic feminism. it puts women as the friends of men. dealing with english education, islamic feminism in poems could be an alternative for teachers to teach the language (annisa & hadijah, 2017). barlas’ theory (2012) tells that islamic feminism is guided by the islamic religion's principles. the principles can be found in alqur’an and al-hadith. in his research, barlas found the gender equality discussed in al-qur’an. barlas’ research had a purpose to determine how the islamic religion's principles in al-qur’an regulate gender equality for women and how they regulate male-female interaction. one of the discussed matters was the effects of staring for both women and men. in the discussion, all men that keep their eyesight and women that are kept from men's eyesight are equal to women that protect themselves. it proves the truth of barlas’ islamic feminism theory. the truth of his theory is based on the islamic religion's principles in al-qur’an and al-hadith. the concepts of feminism should be understood first. they are such as the definition, development, and feminism varieties. the reason is the emergence of feminist literary criticism is strongly correlated to the emergence and development of the feminism notion and movement in the community. without those notions and movements, feminist literary criticism would not exist. the word feminism has several definitions. according to humm (2007), feminism combines woman right equality doctrine. it becomes an organized movement to reach women's rights through social transformation ideology. the purpose is to create a fair world for women. on the other hand, barlas’ theory (2002) about islamic feminism is based on al-qur’an and al-hadith. it shows that women’s equality has been already existing for a long time ago. islamic feminism is the foundation of islamic religion teaching (latif, 2018). therefore, it could be understood that the feminist movements are not necessarily needed (qomariyah, 2019). it was proven by aminah (2019), who found that al-qur’an and al-hadith encouraged women to find their potentials. the problem formulation of this research is about the feminist values of syair siti zubaidah. the previous studies that investigated feminist values were done by putri & asri (2019) in a novel titled saman was written by ayu utami. lalu, telu, and mei (2015) investigated feminism in a novel titled beri aku waktu was written by evi idawati. then, purwanto (2015) analyzed feminism in a drama script titled marsinah menggugat written by ratna sarumpaet. then, puspita, erni, and mokh (2018) described feminism in a novel titled aminah was written by ws rendra. the last one is yeni, abdurahman, & nst (2013), they explained feminism in a novel titled cinta suci zahrana written by habiburrahman el shirazy. the similarities of this finding with the previous finding dealt with feminism value descriptions. then, the differences are about the analyzed literature works. some previous studies analyzed novels, short stories, drama scripts, and modern poems. meanwhile, this research analyzed poems. this research aims to analyze islamic feminism in the heroic story of syair siti zubaidah. this research is different from the previous studies that only sought the islamic feminism realizations. method the applied theory to analyze syair siti zubaidah was islamic feminism theory. this theory is different from the other theories. it is also stated by many experts. some of them are ismail (2019), mahfud, nazmi, & maula (2017), mulia (2017), suryorini & suryorini (2012), and wirasandi (2019). the applied feminism theory was to analyze the feminism study in syair siti zubaidah based on barlas’ theory (2002). this research aims to identify the female characters of a literature work and to determine the positions and the role of the characters inside of a family. then, it is also to determine how the character defends and saves her family and people. thus, this research considered selly putri, pratami nurhayati, & agus saripudin siti zubaidah: the islamic feminism review based on barlas’ theory 304 the principles and attitudes of the female characters, their mindset, attitudes, speeches, and other characters’ perspectives especially the male characters toward the female characters. these matters would provide more explanations about the characters. the applied method was the qualitative descriptive method. the descriptive qualitative method required researchers to collect information, analyze the data, find the pattern, conclusion, or theories from various themes or categories. then, all of them were concluded based on previous experience and works of literature (creswell, 2009). syah (2010), with his descriptive research, investigated the broader knowledge on educational materials in a certain period. according to setyosari (2010), descriptive research is research to explain or elaborate certain events, situations, and objects both human or nonhuman dealing with the variables that could be explained with numbers and words. supriyati (2011) defines descriptive research as a structured fact or characteristic description of a certain population in a certain field in actual and careful manners. islamic feminism review should be based on the data about the positions and roles of women as individual and social creatures. it deals with the roles in family, community, and other characters, such as with male characters. with these correlations, women could be described as full of hope, having strong principles, being an initiator, being responsible, seeking fairness, and demanding new updates. the applied islamic feminism is based on barlas’ theory (2002). it was modified with several finding themes of asriaty (2014), junaidi & hadi (2010), and solihatin (2017). the applied theoretical framework was from wiyatmi (2012). the activities were systematically started by these steps: (1) selecting and reading the reviewed literature works. (2) determining the problem focus with feminism literature perspective, for example the correlation between the feminist writing or figures about the female characters and their correlation with male characters in the literature work or about how the female characters engaged the problems in the community (education, social, cultural, politics, health, environment, law, employment, etc.). (3) promoting literature review to understand some theoretical concepts related to the focused problems and criticism or previous studies. the studies toward the theoretical concepts would facilitate the understanding about the reviewed problems. thus, the results would be scientifically reliable. (4) collecting the relevant primary and secondary data based on the focused problem. the primary data was from the reviewed literature works while the secondary data was from various information (books, reference, articles, research report, and direct field research). (5) reviewing the data by using feminism literature perspective. in this case, the researcher could select various feminism literature based on the studied problems. (6) interpreting and assessing the research results based on the selected feminism literature variety. (7) writing the report by using the appropriate language with the selected media to publish. barlas (2002) argued that islamic feminism is rooted in islamic religious principles. it makes feminism different from other feminisms. for example, the radical, liberal, social, racial, and orthodox feminisms. islam does not differ between males and females. it also does not have gender bias (junaidi & hadi, 2010). the analysis instrument of this research combined the previous study finding themes. the indicators were obtained from asriaty (2014), junaidi & hadi (2010), and solihatin (2017). findings and discussion the findings consist of the listed themes in the table. table 1. the guideline themes as the analysis instrument number theme 1 islam does not forbid women to work and to do good things for both men and women. 2 women are allowed to work with a purpose to support their life. 3 job responsibility 4 women as leaders 5 women working in child care, early childhood education, etc. 6 women working in trading and nursing sectors 7 keeping the politeness 8 having well attitude 9 keeping their self-respect 10 working professionally 11 working based on nature english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 305 12 keeping the domestic situation sakina 13 prioritizing the husband-wife discussion 14 having roles as wife and mother for the children to assist the family economic situation 15 the humanity and gender quality of women 16 women do not hinder the islamic advancement 17 having responsibilities and helping each other as equal partners (socially, culturally, politically, economically, institutionally, etc.). the applied themes were not merely the products of the researcher’s thoughts but the interpretations of al-qur’an and al-hadith. it was important to do because islamic feminism could not be separated from the islamic religion's principles. the themes guided the analysis processes. the results were all of the themes were found in syair siti zubaidah. the themes were found to dependent from one to another. there were several themes in a stanza. the first theme dealt with the fact that islam did not forbid women to work and to do good things for both women and men; gender equality; and partnership equality. for example, it could be seen from the following stanza. yang tua bernama kilan suara ialah kujadikan bendahara karena negeri ia memelihara gagah berani tak terkira (page18, stanza 1) it had been known that the profession as treasurer was excellent. treasury jobs were the active functions to put income and outcome in balance (darwis, 2013). from this matter, the profession was seen to have benefits. thus, the profession was included in an excellent thing to do. the other professions stated on page 18 were minister (stanza 2), judge (stanza 3), and king (stanza 4). the jobs were categorized as excellent and pious jobs so islam does not forbid them. it is shown by the qur’an, verse. al-nahl: 97. besides the first stanza on page 18, the other stanzas showing islamic feminism realizations were in stanza 6 and the first stanza on page 19. they are: seorang bernama kilan suari jadi juru tulis di dalam negeri sangat bijak sukar dicari pekerjaan menulis sehari hari (page 18, stanza 1) the next theme was about professionalism and job responsibility. they were also found in page 18 and in line with the islamic principles. (1) karena negeri ia memelihara gagah berani tidak terkira (page 18, stanza 1, lines 3-4). the lines indicated what the female character did for the man. the lines such as karena negeri ia memelihara or di negeri cina sukar bandingnya showed the responsibilities of the characters. what the characters did was in line with the teaching of allah in qur’an, surah al-qassas: 23) in the lines and pages, the responsibilities of the female characters were such as governing the country and promoting her positions as a treasurer. the responsibilities carried out by the character might be given by the superordinate or might be reached by the efforts of the character. however, the point was the character could govern the country. it was also seen in the following line. the lines such as di negeri cina sukar bandingnya, gagah berani tidak terkira, or sangat pendekar bukan suatu indicated how the female characters carried out their responsibilities professionally. it was in line with the teaching of allah in qur’an, surah al-isra: 84. in this page, the stanza also showed the islamic feminism of woman as a leader. it was in line with the teaching of allah in qur’an, surah an-naml: 23. according to jalalayn interpretation, the verse provides an example of a queen named balqis. it was also found on page 18, stanza 4. seorang bernama kilan cahaya ialah raja yang amat mulia menggantikan kerajaan ayahnda dia negeri cina memerintahnya dia (page 18, stanza 1) the other finding of this part was the nature job of women. it was not explicitly shown while siti rodiah was speaking. in the first, second, third, fourth, and sixth lines, the natures of a mother were shown. the mother did love her son and it made her able to accompany her son's departure. she even wanted to follow her son. (1) siti rodiah mendengar sabda seraya menangis menumbak dada, “wahai, anakku buah hati bunda hendak karna usul yang syahda selly putri, pratami nurhayati, & agus saripudin siti zubaidah: the islamic feminism review based on barlas’ theory 306 buah hati cahya mata bawalah ibu pergi serta tidak kuasa ibu bercinta bercerai dengan cahaya mahkota dari kecil bunda pelihara sedikit tidak diberi cidera gundah hatiku tidak terkira bercerai dengan seri negara patik hendak perginya juga mengingkan tuanku intan mustika inang sekalian bawa belaka mendapat tuan celaka.” (page 31, stanza 1 until 4) the stanzas showed the woman's compassion, the mother's love for her son. this compassion feeling is in line with the al-qur’an, surah alqasas, verse 28. the next theme was about noble character shown by the female character, siti zubaidah. it was realized into living modestly although she was rich. it was in line with surah al-israa 26-27. in the poems, the relevant actions with the surah were shown in these stanzas. zubaidah memakai sekadar sahaja berbaju kasa bunga seroja berseluwar panjang entalas saja berbincang emas perbuatan kamboja bersunting biar jagi berikat ruai berselang pudi berjurai-jurai bersinta intak emasnya urai bertali leher mayang mengurai bertudung kasa kain wilanda berbunga emas tepi berenda memegang salawat bertulis perada dari istambul diberi ayahnda (page 71, stanzas 3-5) the character was not only living modestly. the other noble characters were shown by siti zubaidah’s behaviors, such as always doing salawat for the prophet muhammad saw. it could be seen from this stanza. membaca salawat berlahan-lahan halus manis tertahan-tahan manis seperti madu curahan laksana embun di ujung dahan (page 71, stanza 7) salawat or salutation is a missing expression of a pious people that have not met rasullullah saw (hs. bunganegara, 2018). allah swt commands all believers to salute the prophet as stated in the qur'an, surah al-ahzab verse 56. other stanzas indicating the noble characters of siti zubaidah could be seen below. zubaidah berkata lakunya gundah, “beta nan sudah tentu berserah “tawakal hamba kepaanya allah untuk dan janji sudah terjelemah di dalam quran sudah tertentu di dalam hadinya semuanya begitu di tawakal ali dia lamamu itu hamba menurut dalilannya itu.” (page 233, stanzas 2-3) the next theme was siti zubaidah’s politeness. it could be seen from siti zubaidah while smiling at siti rodiah. zubaidah tersenyum seraya berkata sambil mununjuk pun perserta, “santaplah sirih bundanya beta sudikan apa sirihnya serta.” (page 74, stanza 4) the stanza is in line with al-qur’an, surah alfurqan, verse 63, and the hadith narrated by imam ali (pbuh). it says, “ethics is a renewed solution.” the politeness and ethics of siti zubaidah always became her beauty the next theme was the role of women as wives to reach sakinah family. it was found on page 111, the second stanza, until page 112. stanzas were showing the noble characters of a wife, the wife's effort to keep the family, and her politeness. they are shown in these stanzas. (1) ketika baginda sampai di kapalnya masuk mendapat akan istrinya memandang zubaidah gemarnya terlalu manis tingkah lakunya baginda duduk serta bertalukan segala pakaian semuanya ditanggalkan sudahlah tuan adinda makan kakanda tidak tuan nantikan (page 111, stanzas 2-3) (2) hati baginda terlalu suka memandang zubaidah hilanglah duka dibawa baginda gurau jenaka english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 307 bujuk dan cumbu berbagi tiga (page 112, stanza 1) the stanza shows the character of a wife based on al-qur'an, surah al-furqan, verse 74. it tells about the excellent features of a spouse to soothe her or his couple. these soothing attitudes referred to the noble behaviors, habits, and characters. from the stanzas and based on surah alfurqan, the character was found keeping her family. on the other hand, she also performed polite behaviors. they were shown in these stanzas. zubaidah tunduk seraya berkata, “sudah di adapan patik yang lata tuanku di darat lama bertahta jadilah patik di adapan serta.” suka tertawa raja bestari zubaidah sangat merendahkan diri disambut tangan dipegang jari sambil bertitah dua raja berseri, “mengapa demikian emas juwita bahasa seperti orang yang lata terlalu sangat merendahkan kata dengan kakanda tiada setahta (page 111, stanzas 4-6) the next obtained theme was modesty. it was found in stanzas on page 128. the stanzas showed the noble characters of siti zubaidah. the character is in line with al-qur’an, surah alfurqan, verse 63. rodiah tertawa seraya berkata, “inilah dia duduk bertahta tidaklah tampak duli mahkota zubaidah duduk hampar di mata.” baginda tersenyum seraya madah, mengapa di situ adidna zubaidah kursi teratur semuanya sudah duduk bertiga alangkah indah zubaidah tunduk seraya berkata, “biar disini patik yang lata paduka adinda diamlah serta patik nan takut di dalam cita.” the next findings were the noble characters and the women’s jobs in child care service. on this page, some stanzas showed the noble character, patience. although siti zubaidah was humiliated by her mother-in-law, she kept her patience. on the other hand, siti zubaidah also made her husband calm. it showed the efforts of siti zubaidah to keep her family sakinah. siti zubaidah was also sincerely caring for other people’s and the other ministries’ children to recite the al-qur'an. (1) zubaidah berkata, benarlah itu tetapi tuanku jangan begitu jangan dicapak barang suatu akhirnya kelak jadi tak tentu kepada piker patik seorang bukannya kasih demikian garang tuanku menyakiti hatinya orang patik juga dimarah orang patik jangan dibilangkan apa ditinggalkan tidak menjadi apa putri dua jangan diberi apa janganlah tidak tuanku sapa.” (page 152, stanzas 1-3) the stanzas were in line with al-qur’an, surah al-baqarah, verse 45, and verse 153 because even siti zubaidah was humiliated, she remained patient. she realized that patience was the solution. besides that, there were also pages showing how siti zubaidah took care of the children from other people and other ministries and teach them to recite the al-qur'an. (1) banyak orang menyerahkan anaknya disuruh perintah apa sukanya oleh zubaidah diterima semuanya belajar mengaji sekalian anaknya berhimpun sekalian anak menteri ia baik-baik di dalam negeri belajar mengaji sekalian anaknya diperbuat seperti saudara sendiri (page 153, stanzas 3-4) the stanzas were in line with al-qur’an, surah al-baqarah, 233. the next theme was about women as the partners of men. this finding could be seen on page 181 until 182. at that time, siti zubaidah was told by her husband that the enemy had approached the country's territory to catch them. zubaidah was shocked. she showed her compassion and responsibility to her husband. the islamic feminism realization was about the roles of women as the partners of men. seraya berpikir di dalam hatinya baik ikut bersama ianya selly putri, pratami nurhayati, & agus saripudin siti zubaidah: the islamic feminism review based on barlas’ theory 308 sebarang hal kuturut semuanya hidup mati bersama dianya tuanku ganti ibu dan bapa akan memeliharakan dagang yang papa sekarang tuanku demikian rupa patik pun juga ia serupa (page 181 182, stanza 7 and 1). the finding was in line with al-qur'an, surah at-taubah, 71. the next theme was the roles as wife and mother of children. the finding was in line with stanzas on page 216 as shown below. (1) ada sedikit patik pesanku zubaidah itu patik pertaruhkan jangan tidak tuanku simpankan karena amal patik tangguhkan siapa tahu patik nan mati putera nan kelak jadikan ganti bunda peliharkaan dengan seperti jangan sekali dirusakkan hati (page 216, stanzas 7-8) the next theme was about the job’s profession as a trader. the finding of the theme was implicitly found in syair-syair siti zubaidah. it was strengthened by the summary of syair siti zubaidah written by sayekti and jaruki (2010). the next finding was about self-respect. the theme was found implicitly in the poems. however, it could be felt and understood based on the emerging plot. it was when siti zubaidah was proposed by many men but she kept her principle to choose. the other evidence could be read from how she kept strong and patient although she was humiliated by her parent-in-law. she was also violated by kilan cahaya, the chinese daughter mated by her parents-in-law for her husband. it was in line with the al-qur’an, surah ahzab: 35. the poems were arranged orderly and continuously. it indicated the intention of the writer to tell the story about siti zubaidah without ignoring the beauty aspect. it was in line with faizin (2019). the emerging islamic feminism was not only found in the main character but also in the other characters. the finding showed the implementation of islamic feminism practices. two matters could be discussed: (1) the islamic feminism in general based on 17 themes taken from barlas’ theory (2002) and islamic feminism themes by asriaty (2014), junaidi & hadi (2010), and solihatin (2017), and (2) the heroic indications of women's characters based on the 17 guideline theme. the obtained islamic feminism could also rebut the assumption that islamic feminism in indonesia emerged in the 18s century. it was in line with a study by luthfiyah (2015). this islamic feminism is important to teach for english learners (l. a. irawan, 2020). in syair siti zubaidah, leadership and feminism did not only emerge in the main character. the emergence of the influential characters in the story indicated that islamic feminism, in the form of women's leadership, could also influence the economic state of a community. it was in line with a study by prantiasih (2014). in syair siti zubaidah, the finding was also shown by the profession of siti zubaidah, as a trader. the heroism also emerged when the main character went to the battle zone; when she had confidence and compliance; when she did something without ulterior motives and giving up; and when she did anything based on the taqwa attitudes toward allah swt (anri, 2014). the realization of heroism based on islamic feminism was such as the character and patience of the main character to deal with unpleasant action. the realization was also seen in how she kept her family sakinah and kept struggling. it was in line with nugraha (2019) about excellent examples of despair and pessimistic antitheses. in islam, being desperate is forbidden. it was in line with the commandment of allah in surah al-hijr: 55-56. they responded, “we give you good news in all truth, so do not be one of those who despair.” he exclaimed, “who would despair of the mercy of their lord except the misguided?” [qs. al-hijr: 55-56] the other efforts could be seen when the main character taught the children of her parent-in-law country to recite al-qur’an and when she departed to save her husband although she was pregnant. although the main character was reviled and although her husband could not do anything, she sincerely shared her knowledge and tried to get the news about her husband who was on the battlefield. her toughness was not an easy matter to do. women are commonly more aware of toughness. it was in line with a study by lisa, kintan, andhini, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 309 & risha (2015). this attitude could lead to good prejudice, allah’s blessing, struggles and prayers, and belief about the divine assistance of allah swt (istiningtyas, 2013). the efforts of siti zubaidah to get her husband’s news was realized when she masqueraded into syahra and a soldier. it seemed like a feminist practice but this finding was not in line with the 17 themes of islamic feminisms. however, her ingenuity could be categorized as the features of heroism. it was not giving up the character. it was in line with sakdiah (2016). as a realization of heroism, the commandment of allah swt indicates that humans are obligated to seek a solution and to observe and solve problems brilliantly and cleverly. it can be seen from surah al-baqarah: 164. indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth; the alternation of the day and the night; the ships that sail the sea for the benefit of humanity; the rain sent down by allah from the skies, reviving the earth after its death; the scattering of all kinds of creatures throughout; the shifting of the winds; and the clouds drifting between the heavens and the earth—˹in all of this˺ are surely signs for people of understanding. (qs. al-baqarah:164) ingenuity is the given wisdom by allah swt as a realization of heroism. it could be seen in surah al-baqarah: 269. allah grants wisdom to whoever he wills. and whoever is granted wisdom is certainly blessed with a great privilege. but none will be mindful ˹of this˺ except people of reason. (q.s al-baqarah: 269). fortitude is a heroic feature of siti zubaidah. however, it was not included in islamic feminism. this feature could be found in the stanzas containing the actions of kilan cahaya, the daughter of the chinese king. when the king was caught and he did not want to change his religion. thus, the king of kumbayat took his daughter to be married to sultan abidin. although siti zubaidah knew about it, she was patient, tough, and compliant. on the other hand, sultan abidin could not forget and ignore siti zubaidah from his heart. the fortitude and patience of siti zubaidah could be seen from these stanzas. kilan cahaya putri cina diserahkan dia memerintah istana memerintahkan kerja amat sempurna seberang dewata semua kena zubaidah memakaikan putri dudukkan diatas peraduan istri diadap jawatan kanan dan kiri parasnya elok sedang ada gahari setelah sudah hidup dikakannya memakaikan pulak akan suaminya terlalu manis rupa rajahnya sangat ikhlas rasa hatinya memberikan suaminya terlalu rela sedikit tidak berhati cela terlalu suka hatinya pula karena besar menapat pahala (page 350, stanzas 6 -7, page 351, stanzas 1 and 2). from the excerpt, it could be discussed that kilan cahaya, the one that was married to sultan abidin, was given a credence to govern the country. therefore, both siti zubaidah and kilan cahaya were interacting with each other. however, siti zubaidah knew what she had to do. she remained patient. she knew how this matter could happen. her fortitude was seen in stanza 1 and 2 of page 351. from this discussion, it could be understood that islamic feminism has been existing for a long time ago. it is regulated by allah swt and explained in al-qur’an and al-hadith. even so, human still has various perspectives that are the gifts of allah swt. thus, the human could realize their tolerance (nuh, 2015). english learners in indonesia should be aware of these islamic feminism practices. the purpose is to make them able to screen other feminist practices and adjust them based on islamic values and our national cultures (isa, 2017; sofa, 2018; zaitun & wardani, 2019). from the discussion, it could be known that islamic feminism could be grouped into heroic selly putri, pratami nurhayati, & agus saripudin siti zubaidah: the islamic feminism review based on barlas’ theory 310 values. however, the values could not always cover islamic feminism. islamic feminism is different from the other feminisms that demand gender equality as men. it is guided by al-qur’an and al-hadith and has been regulated fairly. by using barlas’ theory (2002) and the islamic themes of the three previous studies by asriaty (2014), junaidi & hadi (2010), and solihatin (2017), 17 themes of islamic feminism were found. they were used as the guideline to analyze islamic feminism in syair siti zubaidah. conclusion this research aims to analyze islamic feminism in the heroic story of syair siti zubaidah. the emerging themes could differ the islamic feminism to similar matters. the differences were about the women's images, daily behaviors, and other things that did not have islamic feminism. the emergence of the influential characters in the story indicated that islamic feminism, such as leadership, heroism, self-confidence, compliance, without ulterior motive, not giving up, and other actions based on taqwa attitude toward allah swt. it also indicated how noble characters and patience could deal with unpleasant activities; how female characters could keep the family sakinah and could struggle to go in the battle. the other struggles were such as teaching the children how to recite al-qur’an. it proved that islamic feminism was based on islamic religious principles. this research recommends the next researches to apply the study of al-qur’an and al-hadith. it is also suggested for the next researchers to use alqur'an and al-hadith interpretation from the experts and not the subjective interpretation. reference afifah, h. z., & jamjam, a. (2020). `arudl, qafiyah, dan pesan moral pada puisi-puisi al-`ainiyyah dalam antologi qais bin dzarih. hijai journal on arabic language and literature, 3(1). aminah, a. (2019). gerak muslimah di antara maraknya feminisme dan isu radikalisme: analisis pedagogi. an-nisa, 11(2), 417–431. https://doi.org/10.30863/annisa.v11i2.338 andayani, t. i. a. (2020). refleksi feminisme dalam novel guru aini karya andrea hirata. ubindo: jurnal ilmu pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 5(3), 116–122. https://doi.org/10.32938/jbi.v5i3.746 annisa, & hadijah, s. (2017). the integration of islamic values in the english teaching and learning process at man model palangka raya. proceedings of the 1st inacelt (international conference on english language teaching), 1516 december 2017, 35–50. anri, a. n. r. i. (2014). nilai-nilai kepahlawanan. sub. bag. publikasi, 24–26. www.anri.go.id anshari, m. z., & widyantoro, a. (2020). inculcating islamic values contented in qs. luqman through english speaking materials. journal of education and learning (edulearn), 14(1), 62–68. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v14i1.14285 asriaty. (2014). wanita karir dalam pandangan islam. al-maiyyah, 07(2), 166–189. astuti, s., beding, v. o., & helaria. (2019). analisis pesan-pesan syair nasihat pada video syair lagu melayu nusantara. jurnal kansasi, 4(1). barlas, a. (2002). believing women in islam unreading the patriarchal interpretation.pdf. university of texas press. creswell, j. w. (2009). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method approaches. in intercultural education (third edit, vol. 20, issue 2). sage publications, inc. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675980902922143 damayanti, s. (2018a). perempuan dalam puisi cinta shuntaro tanikawa dan w.s. rendra: sebuah kajian sastra bandingan 1. jurnal triton pendidikan, 1(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.30862/jtp.v1i1.791 damayanti, s. (2018b). perempuan dalam puisi cinta shuntaro tanikawa dan w.s. rendra: sebuah kajian sastra bandingan 1. jurnal triton pendidikan, 1(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.30862/jtp.v1i1.791 darwis, r. (2013). konsep dan dasar keungan dalam islam. tahkim, ix, 1–26. fahmi, r. f., & arfiyanti, r. (2020). kesetaraan perempuan dalam polemik budaya patriarkal dalam novel cinta suci zahrana. deiksis: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 7(1), 36. https://doi.org/10.33603/deiksis.v7i1.3203 faizin, m. s. (2019). syair “ma fi al-maqami lidzi ‘aql wa dzi adab” karya imam syafi’i (kajian ilmu arudh dan qawafi). lisanan arabiya: jurnal pendidikan bahasa arab, 3(2), 9–12. fatmawati, l. susana widya ayu. (2009). magister ilmu susastra magister ilmu susastra. universitas diponegoro. hs. bunganegara, m. (2018). pemaknaan shalawat: pandangan majelis dzikir haqqul yaqin. tahdis: jurnal kajian ilmu al-hadis, 9(2), 180–199. https://doi.org/10.24252/tahdis.v9i2.12478 humm, m. (2007). ensiklopedia feminisime. yogyakarta: fajar pustaka baru. irawan, l. a. (2020). islamic cultural notes in elt english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 311 instruction in the islamic boarding schools of haramain nahdlatul wathan narmada, west nusa tenggara. akademika: jurnal pemikiran islam, 25(2). https://doi.org///doi.org/10.32332/akademika.v25 i2.1437 irawan, y. (2020). situating islamic values in english language teaching: documenting the best practices in indonesia. jurnal islamika: jurnal ilmu-ilmu keislaman, 20(01), 95–103. irmaniati. (2016). analisis pesan moral yang terkandung dalam puisi “bersatulah pelacur-pelacur kota jakarta” karya w.s rendra. jurnal onoma: pendidikan, bahasa dan sastra, 2(2), 28–44. isa, q. n. m. (2017). pengintegrasian nilai islami dalam pelaksanaan simulasi pembelajaran bahasa inggris oleh mahasiswa micro teaching prodi pendidikan bahasa inggris ftk uin ar-raniry. aricis proceedings, 1(0), 78–88. https://jurnal.arraniry.ac.id/index.php/aricis/article/view/938/745 ismail, i. (2019). pendekatan feminis dalam studi islam kontemporer. jurnal hawa: studi pengarus utamaan gender dan anak, 1(2), 217–238. https://doi.org/10.29300/hawapsga.v1i2.2601 istiningtyas, l. (2013). kepribadian tahan banting (hardness personality) dalam psikologi islam. jurnal ilmu agama uin raden fatah, 14(1), 81–97. junaidi, h., & hadi, a. (2010). gender dan feminisme dalam islam. muwazah, 2(2), 245–256. latif, m. (2018). islam and feminism theology. jicsa, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351025348-4 liasna, t., & ansari, k. (2016). gender perspective in the novels padang bulan dan cinta di dalam gelas by andrea hirata: a study of structure and feminism literacy criticism and its relevance as the literature reading material for high schools. humanus, 16(2), 207–2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cirp.2016.06.001%0a http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2016.12.055% 0ahttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2019.02.006 %0ahttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2019.04.024 %0ahttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2019.12725 2%0ahttp://dx.doi.o lisa, w., kintan, m., andhini, f., & risha, w. (2015). kesabaran ibu bekerja dalam mengasuh anak hiperaktif di sdn putraco-indah. psympathic, 2(2), 169–174. lizawati. (2016). pendidikan karakter tokoh wanita dalam novel layar terkembang karya sultan takdir alisjahbana. jurnal pendidikan bahasa, 5(1), 116–127. luthfiyah, n. (2015). feminisme islam di indonesia. esensia: jurnal ilmu-ilmu ushuluddin, 16(1), 75. https://doi.org/10.14421/esensia.v16i1.988 ma’rifat, d. f. (2014). “syair jawi”: manuskrip ambon. madah, 5(april). mahdalia, r., & qur’ani, h. b. (2020). perlawanan ketidakadilan gender pada naskah drama pelacur dan presiden karya ratna sarumpet. sastranesia: jurnal pendidikan bahasa & sastra indonesia, 8(2). mahfud, d., nazmi, n., & maula, n. (2017). relevansi pemikiran feminis muslim dengan feminis barat. sawwa: jurnal studi gender, 11(1), 95. https://doi.org/10.21580/sa.v11i1.1448 meisterernst, b. (2019). the function of poetic language and rhymes in pre-modern chinese literature. the routledge handbook of chinese applied linguistics, march, 118–130. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315625157-9 moghissi, h. (2011). islamic feminism revisited. islamic femiism revisited. comparative studies of south asia, africa, and the middle east, 31(1), 76–84. https://doi.org/10.1215/1089201x-2010054 mulia, m. (2017). pedagogi feminisme dalam perspektif islam. journal of chemical information and modeling, 53(9), 21–25. http://www.elsevier.com/locate/scp nugraha, m. t. (2019). rekonsiliasi nilai-nilai kepahlawanan serta internalisasinya dalam pendidikan islam. ta’dibuna: jurnal pendidikan islam, 8(2), 241. https://doi.org/10.32832/tadibuna.v8i2.2371 nuh, m. (2015). islam, nilai sosial, sikap keberagamaan di tengah problem kebangsaan. politika: jurnal ilmu politik, 5(2), 60-65–65. https://doi.org/10.14710/politika.5.2.2014.60-65 nurhidah, k., & liana, c. (2015). perempuan tahun 1938-1940 dalam roman belenggu karya armijn pane. avatara, 3(2), 223–235. nuryanti. (2016). feminisme dalam kepemimpinan. istinbath, 15(2), 161–179. prantiasih, a. (2014). reposisi peran dan fungsi perempuan. jurnal pendidikan pancasila dan kewarganegaraan, 27(1), 1–6. arbaiyah.prantiasih.fis@um.ac.id pratama, d. a., kamidjan, & raharjo, r. p. (2020). figur tokoh perempuan dalam novel “hati suhia” karya khilma anis. sastranesia: jurnal program studi pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.32682/sastranesia.v8i2.1441 putri, e. n., & asri, y. (2019). feminisme dalam novel saman karya ayu utami dan implementasinya dalam pembelajaran teks novel kelas xii sma. pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 8(3), 94–104. http://ejournal.unp.ac.id/index.php/pbs/article/do wnload/107465/102890 qomariyah, e. j. (2019). issues of western feminism selly putri, pratami nurhayati, & agus saripudin siti zubaidah: the islamic feminism review based on barlas’ theory 312 and islamic paradigm in #uninstallfeminism digital campaign. leksema: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 4(2), 97. https://doi.org/10.22515/ljbs.v4i2.1760 ridho, a. (2019). pesan moral dalam puisi “padamu jua” karya amir hamzah. madah: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 10(1), 63. https://doi.org/10.31503/madah.v10i1.869 sakdiah. (2016). karakteristik kepemimpinan dalam islam (kajian historis filosofis) sifat-sifat rasulullah. jurnal al-bayan, 22(33), 29–49. sari, s., priyatna, a., & muhtadin, t. (2017). perempuan dan pendidikan gerakan perempuan dalam puisi “tjoemboean” (1919) dan “adjakan” (1931). metasastra jurnal penelitian sastra, 10i(1919), 57–72. https://doi.org/10.26610/metasastra.2017.v10i1.5 7 seedat, f. (2016). islam, feminism, and islamic feminism: between inadequacy and inevitability. journal of feminist studies in religion, 32(2), 138–142. https://doi.org/10.2979/jfemistudreli.29.2.25 setiawan, d. s. a., & harahap, m. (2020). ketidakadilan gender dalam kumpulan cerita pendek alif karya dhea puspita dkk (kajian feminisme). bahterasia, 1(2), 109–119. sofa, e. m. (2018). islamic values in higher education students’ communication in edmodo learning platform. edukasia islamika, 3(1), 50. https://doi.org/10.28918/jei.v3i1.1678 solihatin, i. r. (2017). konsepsi al-qur’an tentang perempuan pekerja dalam mensejahterkan keluarga. harkat: media komunikasi islam tentang gender dan anak, 12(2), 38–48. sugiantomas, a., & nadiyaturahmah. (2017). perbedaan gaya menulis cerita pendek siswa laki-laki dan perempuan di sma islam terpadu (it) binaul ummah kelas xi tahun ajaran 2013/2014. journal of chemical information and modeling, 53(9), 21–25. http://www.elsevier.com/locate/scp suhendi, d. (2014). citra perempuan rasional dan emosional dalam layar terkembang karya sutan takdir alisjahbana: analisis kritik sastra feminis (pp. 1–13). suparman. (2019). ketidaksetaraan gender dalam novel perempuan di titik nol karya el-saadawi. telaga bahasa, 7(01), 97–108. suryoniri, a. (2012). menelaah feminisme dalam islam. sawwa, 7(april), 21–36. tawaqal, w., mursalim, & hanum, i. s. (2020). pilihan hidup tokok utama zahra amala dalam novel supernova episode: partikel karya dee lestar: kajian feminisme liberal. diglosia: jurnal kajian bahasa, sastra, dan pengajarannya, 3(4), 435–444. http://www.diglosiaunmul.com/index.php/diglosi a/article/view/165 vida, h. d. (2017). feminisme dalam majalah perempuan. sociae polites, 153–168. https://doi.org/10.33541/sp.v1i1.468 wijayanto, m. e. (2020). the integration of islamic values in implementation of learning english: islamic education students' perspective. eternal (english, teaching, learning, and research journal), 6(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.24252/eternal.v61.2020.a2 wirasandi. (2019). wanita dalam pendekatan feminisisme. selong: universitas gunung rinjani volume 7 nomor 2, 7(2), 47–58. yeni, s., abdurahman, & nst, i. m. (2013). fenomena feminisme dalan novel cinta suci zahrana karya habiburrahman el shirazy. jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 1(2), 164–240. zaitun, z., & wardani, s. k. (2019). islamic values in the context of english learning and teaching. english language in focus (elif), 1(1), 70. https://doi.org/10.24853/elif.1.1.70-80 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1 exploring efl teachers’ new pedagogical content knowledge of genre-based approach suharyadi department of english, faculty of letters, universitas negeri malang e-mail: suharyadi.fs@um.ac.id utami widiati department of english, faculty of letters, universitas negeri malang e-mail: utami.widiati.fs@um.ac.id yazid basthomi department of english, faculty of letters, universitas negeri malang e-mail: ybasthomi@um.ac.id apa citation: suharyadi., widiati, u., & basthomi, y. (2021). exploring efl teachers’ new pedagogical content knowledge of genre-based approach. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 1-14. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5348 received: 26-08-2021 accepted: 19-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction in english language teaching, teachers’ knowledge, as an important part of teacher cognition, has been a burgeoning area of research in the last four decades as one of the indicators of successful teaching (shulman, 1987). as a crucial foundation, knowledge is needed by teachers not only to accomplish the teaching and learning process (stark, eadie, snow, & goldfeld, 2020; carter and gonzalez, 1993), but also to fulfill learners’ needs (hao, 2016), and to improve the teaching efficacy and students’ learning achievements (walshaw, 2012). even in the 21st century, teachers’ knowledge is consistently required to advocate learners’ learning (kereluik, mishra, fahnoe, & terry, 2013). with knowledge, teachers are able to think, know, believe, and do (borg, 2003) to make their teaching better. among the types of knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge (pck) has been an interesting topic investigated in the literature. theoretically, pck emphasizes not only what to teach (content) but also how to teach (pedagogy) (shulman, 1987). the combination of these two entities has been empirically effective to be applied in the classroom instruction (schmidt, baran, thompson, mishra, 2009), particularly to help students learn better (kleickmann, richter, kunter, elsner, besser, krauss, & baumert, 2013; baumert, kunter, blum, brunner, voss, jordan, klusmann, krauss, neubrand, & tsai, 2010). as pck plays an imperative role in reaching the instructional goals, cesur and ertaş (2018) suggested that teachers abstract: this study aimed at exploring the efl teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge of gba and english instruction in the indonesian context. the data were collected from 42 senior high school english teachers by making use of a set of questionnaires, interviews, and observations. the first type of data was analyzed through a response counting to calculate the scores and percentages, with which the categories of teachers’ knowledge were engineered. meanwhile, the second type of data was analyzed by describing all indicators in the observation checklists (in the forms of spoken cycle and written cycle and four stages of teaching: building knowledge of the field, modeling of the text, joint construction of the text, and independent construction of the text). the data analysis reveals that the english teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge of gba can be classified into two major groups: 38.1% english teachers had deep knowledge and 61.9% english teachers had shallow knowledge. in connection to the classroom teaching, teachers with these different levels of knowledge are identical in implementing the guidelines of spoken and written cycles. one of the essential implications is that both categories of efl teachers need to understand theories of gba and concepts of gba used in the curriculum more in-depth as the reference and signpost to perform a better classroom teaching. keywords: efl teachers; pedagogical content knowledge; teaching practices; gba. suharyadi, utami widiati, & yazid basthomi exploring efl teachers’ new pedagogical content knowledge of genre-based approach 2 should have good pck in order to be able to teach students the contents with more appropriate teaching method. to do so, pck should be viewed and assessed within three components: curriculumrelated knowledge, students-related knowledge, and teaching strategies-related knowledge (bukovagüzel, 2010). these components become a guideline for teachers to make teaching scenarios successfully (irvine-niakaris and kiely, 2015). so far, pck has been studied both in a single variable and integrated with other types of knowledge in different settings with various purposes. for example, könig, tachtsoglou, lammerding, strauß, nold, & rohde (2017) investigated the relationship between the learning opportunities in the efl teachers’ preparation program and their pck. the result shows that learning activities in the program can aid teachers to increase the level and development of their knowledge. liu (2013) also conducts a study focusing patterns and development of lecturers’ pck. she finds that policy and culture become important aspects in shaping teachers’ pck. similarly, al-jaro, asmawi, and hasim (2017) also study pck in the curriculum of english teacher education program (etep) at a faculty of education in a yemeni university. the results indicate that teachers possess different facets of pck and pedagogy-related courses provided are inadequate to increase teachers’ pck including their teaching skills. pck is also studied together with tpack. for example, lux, bangert, and whittier (2011) include pck in order to develop an instrument for pre-service teachers’ tpack. mishra and koehler (2006) assess teachers tpack and find out that teachers should possess sufficient knowledge in terms of content knowledge (ck), pedagogical knowledge (pk), and technological knowledge (tk). similarly, wu and wang (2015) combine pck with tpack in order to investigate teachers’ knowledge and teaching performance. they claim that teachers require more knowledge on technology in order to develop their pck and tpack. those aforementioned studies apparently adumbrate the importance of teachers’ knowledge pertaining to subject matter, pedagogy, and technology which is required to conduct an effective teaching. however, none of them gives adequate attention to the exploration of efl teachers’ knowledge on specific approach of teaching, namely genre-based approach (gba) and their teaching practices. previous research has shown that a study on what teachers know and how they teach it is essential to be undertaken (usak, ozden, and eilks, 2011). it is also believed that the harmony of these two parts (knowing and doing) can be a portrait of ideal classroom teaching (neumann, kind, and harms, 2019). further, none of the existing studies has explored the specific levels of teachers’ knowledge which refer to deep knowledge and shallow knowledge as proposed by bennet and bennet (2008). deep knowledge reflects teachers’ strong comprehension and abstraction as it is processed, structured and stored in memory so that it is useful for application and task performance (jong and ferguson-hessler, 1996). meanwhile, shallow knowledge shows teachers’ weak comprehension and abstraction and therefore it can insufficiently describe complex situations (badiru and cheung, 2002). knowing teachers’ levels of knowledge is surely pivotal for us to identify parts of knowledge teachers know and do not know so that we can develop an effective instruction. the intended knowledge in this study is different from knowledge commonly investigated in literature. it refers to knowledge in a specific context, that is the understanding of gba. as one of the teaching approaches, gba is strongly influenced by halliday’s systemic functional linguistics principles on texts, contexts, and meanings (halliday and webster, 2007). since its first prominence in 1980s, it has been formally embedded in the english curricula in several countries such as in australia (rose and martin, 2012; burns and joyce, 2007; marshall, 1991; hammond, 1987); new zealand (locke, whitehead, dix, & cawkwell, 2011); the uk (paltridge, 2004), the us k-12 schools (brisk, 2014; oliveira and lan, 2014; gebhard, chen, and britton, 2014; moore and schleppegrell, 2014, harman, 2013); singapore (lin, 2006); hong kong (graves and garton, 2017; maxwell-reid, 2014); and five european countries: sweden, denmark, scotland, portugal, and spain (whittaker and garcía parejo, 2018), including indonesia (mbau and sugeng, 2019; graves and garton, 2017; emilia and hamied, 2015; widodo, 2006). with deep knowledge of gba, teachers are able to achieve the expected aims of teaching and learning of english with gba which emphasize the understanding and production of various texts. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 3 knowledge of gba in this study is called pck as it comprises knowledge of basic concepts of gba, knowledge of curriculum of gba, and knowledge of teaching strategies of gba. as relatively new in the pursuit of knowledge, these elements of gba (presented in table 1) are needed by teachers to facilitate students’ learning (triastuti, 2020; kissau and algozzine, 2017; stran and curtner-smith, 2010). this study is, therefore, inevitable to be undergone as it will enrich the body of knowledge in relation to genre pedagogy and types of knowledge and broaden teachers or practitioners’ perspectives about the importance of knowledge and its benefits for teaching practices. finally, this study is believed to enable teachers to positively transform the ways they teach in the future and bring about better students’ learning outcomes. method this study involved 42 senior high school english teachers of twelve senior high schools. they were selected based on the set-up criteria as follows: they should graduate from an english department; they should at least have had an undergraduate diploma as a minimum requirement of the teachers’ qualifications; they taught english in state senior high schools, not in private senior high schools and/or vocational schools; they should be tenured and certified english teachers; and they should have an experience of joining workshops, conferences, seminars, or training on english language teaching. the instruments (questionnaires, interviews and observations) aiming at collecting data related to teachers’ knowledge and teaching practice were developed based on the theory of gba (halliday and webster, 2007) and aspects of gba in the curriculum used in high schools in indonesia (kemendikbud 2013; emilia, 2011) and validated by the experts in the field and tried out to other english teachers. the questionnaires contained 63 gba-related items which were grouped under three major categories of gba (parts b, c, and d) as presented in table 1. the questions used for the interviews were also developed following the same procedures as employed in the questionnaires. the reason was that the interviews were utilized to confirm the teachers’ responses obtained through the questionnaires. in relation to observations, the checklists were developed as the guideline, containing two cycles (spoken cycle and written cycle) by which teachers conducted the teaching and learning process. each cycle was then followed by four stages of teaching, namely building knowledge of the field (bkof), modeling of the text (mot), joint construction of the text (jcot), and independent construction of the text (icot). in each stage, specific descriptors were elaborated concerning what and how teachers taught students based on gba. mainly formulated with open-ended questions, the questionnaires were distributed to 42 english of twelve state senior high schools. appointments to have face to face meetings were made so that teachers could spend time completing the questionnaires in the schools. having finished answering the questionnaires, they were also requested to be interviewed and observed. however, only 15 english teachers were available and willing to be involved in these stages. the interviews were conducted once for about 30-60 minutes for each teacher within their convinience. the interviews were carried out in a confortable place or room in the school so that noise or any other disturbance could be eliminated. indonesian language was used to avoid misleading questions and answers and misinterpretation. dealing with teaching practices, teachers were observed and recorded with the help of observation checklists from the beginning to the end of meetings. table 1. items in the questionnaire (adapted from kemendikbud, 2013; emilia, 2011; halliday and webster, 2007) variables part a: teachers’ background (10 items) part b: basic concepts of gba (11 items) part c: principles and models of gba teaching (33 items) part d: gba concepts in the curriculum (19 items) teaching experience training formal education text context types of contexts field tenor 3 principles of gba teaching concept of the curriculum cycle spoken and written types of conversations short functional texts monolog texts types of texts (recount, narration, news item, suharyadi, utami widiati, & yazid basthomi exploring efl teachers’ new pedagogical content knowledge of genre-based approach 4 mode text types genre cycles stages of teaching with gba procedure, spoof, report, description, explanation, discussions, exposition, and review) types of competences levels of literacy the data revealed from questionnaires and interviews were analyzed by comparing the teachers’ answers with the predetermined expected answers taken from the existing theory (scharfenberg and bogner, 2016; kellner, gullberg, attorps, thorén, & tärneberg, 2011). here, the correct and incorrect answers were then calculated to obtain the scores and percentages. the scores were utilized to categorize the teachers’ knowledge based on two levels of knowledge proposed by (bennet and bennet, 2008) as presented in table 2. it is important to describe whether teachers have shallow knowledge or deep knowledge on gba. to get details of how teachers with different knowledge teach, the results of observations were analyzed by describing all indicators in the checklists (in the forms of spoken cycle and written cycle and four stages of teaching: bkof, mot, jcot and icot. table 2. indicators of teachers’ knowledge (adapted from bennet and bennet (2008) teachers have deep knowledge if they… teachers have shallow knowledge if they… have information about gba and full understanding of the basic concepts of gba, principles and models of gba teaching, and gba concepts in the curriculum. have information about gba and some understanding of the basic concepts of gba, principles and models of gba teaching, and gba concepts in the curriculum. know the basic concepts of gba, principles and models of gba teaching, and gba concepts in the curriculum and can use them in the classroom teaching. know the basic concepts of gba, principles and models of gba teaching, and gba concepts in the curriculum but cannot use them in the classroom teaching. can make relationship between the basic concepts of gba, principles and models of gba teaching, and gba concepts in the curriculum. cannot make relationship between the basic concepts of gba, principles and models of gba teaching, and gba concepts in the curriculum. can easily remember the basic concepts of gba, principles and models of gba teaching, and gba concepts in the curriculum (they are not easy to forget). cannot easily remember the basic concepts of gba, principles and models of gba teaching, and gba concepts in the curriculum (they are easy to forget). develop/ construct the basic concepts of gba, principles and models of gba teaching, and gba concepts in the curriculum for understanding. memorize the basic concepts of gba, principles and models of gba teaching, and gba concepts in the curriculum for understanding. have more than 5 years of experience in using the basic concepts of gba, principles and models of gba teaching, and gba concepts in the curriculum in the classroom teaching. have less than 5 years of experience in using the basic concepts of gba, principles and models of gba teaching, and gba concepts in the curriculum in the classroom teaching. results and discussion results teachers’ pck of gba the data analysis shows that the english teachers’ pck of gba can be summarized in table 3. table 3. categories of teachers’ pck of gba categories teachers scores percentage deep 16 71.23-95.89 38.1 shallow 26 17.80-69.86 61.9 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 5 table 3 highlights that the teachers’ pck can be classified into two major groups: deep and shallow. sixteen teachers (38.1%) belong to having “deep” knowledge while 26 teachers (61.9%) fall within the category of possessing shallow knowledge. in details, teachers with deep knowledge mean that they are strong in two or three assessed parts of gba covering parts b, c, and d. from the responses, teachers with deep knowledge are strong in parts c and d as they are consistently able to explicate those parts as expected by the relevant theory, but weak in part b as they cannot theoretically elaborate the concepts such as “text, context, context of culture, context or situation, three elements of context of situation (field, tenor, and mode), and genre”. different from teachers with deep knowledge, teachers with shallow knowledge are weak in two or three measured parts. based on the data, they are weak in parts b and d. they cannot define the concepts of text, context, context of culture, context of situation, genre, levels of literacy, and types of competences, etc. however, they are strong in part c, which is related to the principles and models of gba teaching. teachers’ teaching practices of gba teachers with deep knowledge and shallow knowledge are also described based on the teaching practices. as reflected from the analysis, none of the teachers adheres the expected cycle of teaching in the form of spoken and written cycles as the guidelines which state that the listening and speaking skills are incorporated into the spoken cycle and the reading and writing skills are amalgamated in the written cycle. in this regard, teachers are also expected to integrate the language skills and components appropriately in the teaching practice. as revealed from the analysis, teachers with deep knowledge utilize the cycles to integrate the language skills and/or language components in the following patterns. for instance, in particular meetings with bkof-mot-jcot stages, teachers integrate readingspeaking; grammar-writing; speaking-reading; speaking-reading-speaking; reading-grammar-writing; speaking-writingspeaking; listening-reading-writing; listeningwriting-speaking; and grammar. in some other meetings with bkof-mot stages, teachers have the following styles of integration: speaking-readingspeaking-vocabulary; and speaking-grammarwriting. in bkof-jcot, teachers integrate the language skills and language components as follows: writing-reading-vocabulary; readingspeaking; reading-grammar; reading; speakingwriting-speaking; and speaking. in bkof-icot, teachers emphasize the teaching on one language skill only: writing. teachers with shallow knowledge on gba also deploy different styles of interpreting the spoken cycle and written cycle. for example, in bkofmot-jcot, teachers teach the language skills and components in this hierarchy: speaking-writingspeaking; listening-reading-writing; speakingwriting-speaking; grammar; listening-readingwriting; speaking-reading-speaking-reading; and listening-speaking-listening. in bkof-mot, teachers employ ten styles of integration: speakinggrammar-writing; writing-speaking-listening; listening; reading; speaking-reading-listening; listening-reading; speaking-reading; listeningspeaking; grammar; and reading-grammar. in bkof-jcot, teachers incorporate the language skills and components under these styles: speakinglistening-writing-speaking; speaking, writingspeaking; speaking-listening-writing; speakingreading-writing; reading; reading-speakingreading-writing-speaking; writing-speakingreading; reading-speaking-grammar; writingreading; speaking-listening; and speaking. in bkof-mot-icot, teachers possess two styles: reading-writing; and speaking-listening-vocabulary. discussion the main findings in this study are teachers’ pck related to gba and their teaching practices in the classroom. as portrayed from the results, sixteen (38.1%) teachers’ pck fall within “deep” and 26 teachers (61.9%) are found to be in the category of “shallow”. these categories indicate that the majority of teachers’ pck is low (61.9%). this finding can also similarly be portrayed in several previous studies. for instance, sumarsono (2015) finds out that the english teachers’ competence (combination of abilities, knowledge and skills) in indonesia is low as indicated by their national average score reaching 56.02 out of 100, which is below the minimal national passing grade, 75. in terms of english teachers’ professional competence, their average score is 32 and their pedagogical competence is 17. in another setting of study, kömür (2010) measures preservice efl teachers’ suharyadi, utami widiati, & yazid basthomi exploring efl teachers’ new pedagogical content knowledge of genre-based approach 6 knowledge of teaching and the result shows that their knowledge was not applied in their teaching. chen and goh's study (2014) focusing on teachers’ knowledge about spoken english teaching shows that that teachers do not have adequate pedagogical content knowledge. a similar study done by deboer (2007) reflects that a number of teachers possess insufficient knowledge on how to teach listening and speaking. with regard to grammatical knowledge, some other studies indicate that both pre-service english teachers and in-service english teachers are weak in their grammatical knowledge (borg, 2001; andrews, 1999; williamson and hardman, 1995). these studies inform that english teachers in different settings have shallow knowledge not only in terms of the language skills and components but also in teaching method. therefore, it is important for teachers to involve themselves in more focused and intensive professional development programs in the form of joining seminars, conferences and workshops, pursuing their studies, doing research and writing articles to be published in the proceedings or journals. the discussion on possible factors attributing to the teachers’ deep and shallow knowledge is presented in the following. teachers’ deep pck versus teachers’ shallow pck teachers with deep knowledge do not mean that they know all aspects of gba. they have different areas of mastery and non-mastery in their pck. for instance, they are strong in the principles and models of gba teaching (part c) and the gba concepts in the curriculum (part d), yet they are weak in dealing with the basic concepts of gba (part b). teachers with shallow knowledge also possess areas of mastery and non-mastery in their pck. in general, they are strong only in part c, which is related to the principles and models of gba teaching, but weak in the gba concepts in the curriculum (part d) and the basic concepts of gba (part b). in this context, teachers with deep knowledge can be described as the ones who have information and full understanding about the principles and models of gba teaching (part c) and the gba concepts in the curriculum (part d). they have deep knowledge of gba as they develop or construct, not memorize it. therefore, they can easily remember them in all occasions. with this knowledge, they are able to apply and undertake a better classroom teaching. in line with these characteristics, badiru and cheung (2002); jong and ferguson-hessler (1996) state that deep knowledge refers to the internal and causal structure of a system and involves the interactions between the system’s components. it is embedded in the person’s knowledge and deals with comprehension and abstraction. it is processed, structured and stored in memory so that it is useful for application and task performance. teachers with shallow knowledge can be also described in the following points. they have information and some understanding about the basic concepts of gba (part b) and the gba concepts in the curriculum (part d). they get their shallow knowledge of gba by means of memorizing, not by developing / constructing ideas. consequently, they cannot make connections among the concepts and application. since they have difficulties retrieving their knowledge, they cannot apply and undertake a better classroom teaching. in line with these, badiru and cheung (2002) state that shallow knowledge deals with reproduction and trial and error. this knowledge basically represents the input/output relationship of a system. it is stored in memory more or less as a copy of external information. shallow representation is limited. it may have little to do with the manner in which experts view the domain and solve problems. this may limit the capability of the system to provide appropriate explanations to the user. shallow knowledge may also be insufficient in describing complex situations. therefore, a deeper presentation is often required. regardless of these categories, there are interesting sides to explore pertaining to why they have different areas of mastery and non-mastery in the context of gba. here, we can say that teachers who are strong in a particular part or all parts may be sufficiently exposed to the concepts in the school context and therefore there is likelihood for them to read and understand the concepts correctly. in contrast, teachers who are weak in one part or all parts may also have no or less exposure to the concepts, and therefore it is difficult for them to figure them out. teachers’ exposures to the concepts seem to play an important role in making them have different levels of knowledge. in fact, teachers with deep knowledge have a better understanding about parts c and d compared to teachers with shallow knowledge who are good english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 7 only in part c although both types of teachers are similar in that they know part c. teachers know the concepts as they are frequently exposed to in the school setting through various activities. for example, they join a teacher forum to share and discuss the issues or topics related to english teaching. when teachers read the curriculum and syllabus, they are supposed to know the goal of english instruction, competences students need to achieve, types of texts, etc. another example is when teachers are preparing lesson plans. commonly, they are required to determine the objectives of the teaching, the texts to be taught, methods of teaching (i.e. using spoken and written cycles and stages of teaching), media of teaching, activities to be done, and assessment tasks and procedures. in this regard, tagle, díaz, etchegaray, alarcón, quintana, & ramos (2020) stated that teachers activate six types of knowledge when designing lesson plans: content knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, curricular knowledge, knowledge of learners, and knowledge of educational contexts. in the semesterly workshop provided by schools, teachers are usually also requested to analyze the relevant documents before conducting the classroom teaching in the following semester. these regular activities are the exposures teachers always deal with regardless of their different ages and teaching experiences. thus, these exposures are believed to help teachers be familiar with and understand the concepts. although there is no specific research on the issue, the exposures have been claimed to be influential, particularly in english language teaching and learning. for example, the provision of sufficient exposures in the forms of media (movies, books, magazines, and tv programs) can increase students’ vocabulary knowledge (peters, 2018). a study done by unsworth, persson, prins, & de bot (2014) also showed that giving early efl students exposures of grammar weekly can improve their grammar scores. these two studies indirectly indicate that exposures contribute to teachers’ familiarity and understanding of the concepts. besides those mastery areas, teachers also have nonmastery areas of knowledge. for example, as reflected in part b, teachers with deep knowledge get difficulties in defining the fundamental concepts of gba which include “text, context, context of culture, context or situation, three elements of context of situation (field, tenor, and mode), and genre”. they cannot elaborate the concepts based on the theory probably because they are not obviously operationalized in the curriculum, syllabus, and textbooks, so they have no idea to deal with and therefore they possess less exposures. to the best of our observation, the curriculum, syllabus, and textbooks provide limited information, for instance, about types of texts, types of competences, language skills and components. in other words, the ideas of “text, context, context of culture, context or situation, three elements of context of situation (field, tenor, and mode), and genre” should also be sufficiently provided in the curriculum or in a supplementary book which specifically elaborates the concepts and is accessible to teachers. surprisingly, what happens to teachers with shallow knowledge is quite unique in the sense that they do not understand the aspects of gba in the curriculum though they have been exposed to them in the schools. different from teachers with deep knowledge, the exposure to the concepts seems to have less influence to teachers with shallow knowledge and it is in contrast with the studies stating that exposures will increase teachers’ knowledge (peters, 2018; unsworth et al., 2014). for example, they are weak in explaining types of conversations, short functional texts, monolog texts, social functions, generic structures, and linguistic features of the texts instructed in schools, including types of competences. in addition, their teaching experience seems to not go hand in hand with their development of knowledge. even though they belong to experienced teachers with more than five years of teaching, their knowledge on gba is not developed. for example, two teachers involved in the study have been teaching english for about 30 years, yet they have shallow knowledge on gba. another teacher with eight-year teaching experience also has poor knowledge on gba. these examples of teachers show that the length of teaching does not guarantee that they have deep knowledge. this fact contradicts with the existing research results. for instance, and, tomer, and tamir (1990) prove that there is no connection between the length of teaching experience and knowledge of subject matter. more specifically, teachers with short and long years of teaching are similar in the sense that they possess partial knowledge of pedagogy. another study by chen suharyadi, utami widiati, & yazid basthomi exploring efl teachers’ new pedagogical content knowledge of genre-based approach 8 and goh (2014) focusing on teachers’ knowledge about spoken english teaching also shows that there is no considerable difference in terms of knowledge among teachers with various teaching experiences and involvements in training. a more surprising research finding also reveals that teachers with more years of teaching tend to have less pck (asl, asl, and asl, 2014). it means that teachers’ knowledge is complex, as it is determined not only by years of teaching, but also beliefs and positive attitudes towards the concepts in particular or gba in general. beliefs and positive attitudes can impact the levels of teachers’ knowledge and quality of teaching. in line with this, hu and tian (2012) state that beliefs and positive attitudes are key factors in determining the levels of teachers’ knowledge and quality of teaching. similarly, bernat and gvozdenko (2005) also assert that beliefs and attitudes become important determiners to the success of the classroom instruction including scaffolding instructors in preparing the syllabus and implementing teaching. some other research has also suggested that teachers with positive attitudes tend to have better knowledge and quality of teaching (al harthy, jamaluddin, and abedalaziz, 2013; nadeem, rana, lone, maqbool, naz, & ali, 2011; duatepe and akkus-cikla, 2004). therefore, teachers need to be open and have willingness (wong, 2011) to learn any changes in curriculum or development of teaching methods/media so that they have adequate knowledge. to do so, any teacher preparation programs should be effectively designed by focusing on how to develop pck (mayne, 2019; kaplan and owings, 2002). in addition to lack of exposure, beliefs and positive attitudes, teachers’ shallow knowledge is also related to their not being accustomed to reading concepts which sound too theoretical. in the efl context, not all teachers are interested in associating with something conceptual, which is full of abstractions and difficult to understand. in a response to it, author, (2001) state that teachers need to be equipped with more theoretical underpinning in the training so that they understand what underlies the practical matters. it is quite challenging also for them to spend adequate time enjoying reading, particularly articles and books that contain many theories, which include the notions of, for example, text, context, context of culture, context or situation, three elements of context of situation (field, tenor, and mode), and genre. to them, enjoying reading for comprehension and pleasure is not their habit and interest. research done by khan and madden (2018) has proven that psychological factors such as interest, anxiety, and motivation affect the reading activities. therefore, teachers need to psychologically be ready to start reading. it can be true also that having a reading habit is fundamental for teachers as it reflects their attitude and increases their understanding or knowledge. studies carried out by whitten, labby, and sullivan (2016); cullinan (2000) have empirically shown that enjoying reading can significantly enhance students or even teachers skills of reading comprehension, fluency, and general knowledge. a correlational study has also evidenced that the attitude towards reading directly has a positive correlation with reading habit and indirectly with critical thinking (ulu, 2019). here, reading habits become the key factors for teachers to be able to enrich their knowledge not only related to the subject matters but also pedagogical aspects to improve the quality of teaching. therefore, there should be a policy on promoting a reading habit for school teachers including the provision of a free online and anchor reading sources. another factor is related to teachers’ routine activities in the schools. during their teaching career for years, they have dealt with repeated activities such as preparing lesson plans and instructional materials and media, choosing teaching strategies, assessing students, and correcting students’ work. they have also been busy with administrative matters (ertmer and ottenbreit-leftwich, 2010) such as managing school finance, making proposals for school funding, attending meetings, etc. (dewi, hendrawani, kurniasih, suryati, & khery, 2018). these activities have, to some extent, changed their perception about how to develop their profession as teachers. in several formal meetings, teachers deem that that their job is teaching, not researching nor writing. teaching seems to be the only way to enrich their competence. consequently, not many teachers have interests to conduct research, write articles to be published in journals or proceedings, and take part in a seminar, conference, workshop, or training, particularly on gba as to develop their professional and intellectual competences as shown in our previous work (author, 2001) which reveals english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 9 that 45.2% english teachers are not interested in writing articles for publication. a similar study done by kartowagiran (2015) also shows that 82.5%-90% teachers, in general, have not done research and published articles. it means that the existing regulation stating that activities teachers can do for a promotion through research, dissemination, and publication is not optimally manifested. thus, the government should periodically evaluate and control the implementation of this regulation so that teachers’ research, dissemination, and publication can be increased. teachers’ knowledge and teaching practices this study is not correctional, yet it is interesting to see the teachers’ knowledge and their teaching practices. viewed from the levels, teachers with deep knowledge are supposed to perform a better teaching than those of teachers with shallow knowledge. a better teaching in this context is defined as a full implementation of the curriculum cycle to integrate the language skills and components in the real instruction. as shown in the data, however, both categories of teachers, in the spoken cycle, integrate listening not only with speaking but also with other skills and components. in the written cycle, teachers integrate reading not only with writing but also with other skills and components. for instance, teachers with deep knowledge mix listening with reading, writing and grammar. they also mix speaking with reading and vocabulary; and with grammar and writing. in the written cycle, teachers integrate reading with speaking, with grammar and writing, with listening, and with vocabulary. a similar phenomenon is also found out in teachers with shallow knowledge. they combine listening with reading and writing; speaking with writing; speaking with grammar and writing, speaking with reading; speaking with listening and writing. in the written cycle, they blend writing with speaking and listening, reading with grammar, reading with speaking and speaking, writing with speaking and reading, etc. these findings apparently evidence that there is no striking difference among those teachers in terms of utilizing the cycles of teaching as well as integrating the language skills and components. both types of teachers apply similar procedures in teaching although they have different levels of knowledge. obviously seen in this context, teachers’ knowledge is not always parallel with their teaching practice in the classroom. several studies have reported regarding this phenomenon. for example, al-husban and alkhawaldeh (2016) try to investigate a relationship between english teachers’ knowledge and the teaching practice. they find out that there is no connection between english teachers’ knowledge with the teaching practice. another study by cesur and ertaş (2018) on 127 english teachers’ perceptions in relation to their pck levels and the use of their pck in teaching also proves that their belief (being able to do) is not considerably reflected in their actual teaching, particularly in terms of lesson planning, leaners, and evaluation. a recent study is also conducted by triastuti (2020) assessing pre-service teachers’ knowledge base and their reflection on the real teaching in indonesia. the results reveal that their good knowledge is not adequately implemented in their teaching practicum. these findings show us that the quality of teaching of both categories is not yet reflected in the real classroom and is far from the expectation. they seem not to know what to do and how to do in the classroom. particularly, they do not have a clear lesson planning on what to teach and how teach english with gba. consequently, what can be seen in the classroom is just a set of teaching routines which may not make significant differences on students’ learning. in other words, the quality of teaching is not entirely related with the knowledge teachers possess. other factors such as beliefs and positive attitudes can be strong predictors. as mentioned earlier that both beliefs and positive attitudes influence the quality of teaching (al harthy, jamaluddin, and abedalaziz, 2013; hu and tian 2012; nadeem et al., 2011; bernat and gvozdenko, 2005; duatepe and akkus-cikla, 2004). being able to reflect is also paramount for teachers to help enhance their teaching performance (wong, 2011). triastuti (2020) finds out that reflections are also needed by pre-service teachers so that they can identify what works and what does not work in teaching. in other words, why teachers with deep knowledge and teachers with shallow knowledge do similar patterns in applying the spoken and written cycles is not merely because of the levels of their knowledge, yet their beliefs, positive attitudes, and reflections. another interesting thing to probe is that it can be a new piece of evidence that teachers’ suharyadi, utami widiati, & yazid basthomi exploring efl teachers’ new pedagogical content knowledge of genre-based approach 10 knowledge and teaching practice are of two different entities. they are not in nature connected, but they need to be purposively connected. knowledge is something teachers obtain from much reading and discussing, but quality of teaching is something teachers attain from real teaching practices and watching or observing teaching practices in the classroom. according to graham, white, cologon, & pianta (2020), the quality of teaching is not always related with whether teachers are beginning teachers or experienced teachers. knowledge is built from teaching, not the opposite. in line with this, watzke (2007) states that the development of teachers’ knowledge particularly on a teaching method occurs through the processes which include classroom teaching, conflict, reflection, and resolution. nilsson (2008); hashweh (2005) add that having more teaching experiences is an effective way to develop teachers’ knowledge and teaching quality. therefore, to get a better teaching, teachers need to do more teaching tryouts than knowledge mining. conclusion based on the findings and discussions, some conclusions are generated. first, the levels of the english teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge on gba are grouped into categories. from these categories, however, 38.1% teachers have deep knowledge and 61.9% teachers have shallow knowledge. second, both types of teachers have various areas of mastery and non-mastery regarding their pck of gba. these areas of mastery and nonmastery are not comparable with teachers’ length of teaching and teaching practices. third, both teachers with deep knowledge and teachers with shallow knowledge have similar patterns in utilizing the spoken cycle and written cycle in teaching resulting in similar integrations of language skills and components. fourth, teachers need to do more teaching practices to remember and apply what they have learned and understood from scholarly activities such as reading, discussing, and joining conferences, seminars, etc. references al harthy, s. s. h., jamaluddin, s., & abedalaziz, n. a. (2013). teachers’ attitudes and performance: an analysis of effects due to teaching experience. international interdisciplinary journal of education, 2(9), 889–894. https://doi.org/10.12816/0002957 al-husban, n. a., & alkhawaldeh, a. m. (2016). exploring female efl teachers’ knowledge of marzano’s researchbased instructional strategies and its relationship with their level of performance in teaching reading comprehension. dirasat, educational sciences, 43(5), 2195– 2207. al-jaro, m., asmawi, a., & hasim, z. (2017). content analysis of the pedagogical content knowledge in the curriculum of yemeni efl teacher education programme. ssrn electronic journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2945906 and, r. h., tomer, y., & tamir, p. (1990). the relations between disciplinary and pedagogical knowledge and the length of teaching experience of biology and geography teachers. journal of research in science teaching, 27(10), 973–985. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.3660271006 andrews, s. (1999). “all these like little name things”: a comparative study of language teachers’ explicit knowledge of grammar and grammatical terminology. language awareness, 8(3–4), 143– 159. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658419908667125 asl, e. s., asl, n. s., & asl, a. s. (2014). the erosion of efl teachers’ content and pedagogical-content knowledge throughout the years of teaching experience. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 98, 1599–1605. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.583 badiru, a. b., & cheung, j. y. (2002). fuzzy engineering expert systems with neural network applications. j. wiley. http://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=9935 baumert, j., kunter, m., blum, w., brunner, m., voss, t., jordan, a., klusmann, u., krauss, s., neubrand, m., & tsai, y.-m. (2010). teachers’ mathematical knowledge, cognitive activation in the classroom, and student progress. american educational research journal, 47(1), 133–180. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831209345157 bennet, d., & bennet, a. (2008). the depth of knowledge: surface, shallow or deep? vine, 38(4), 405–420. https://doi.org/10.1108/03055720810917679 bernat, e., & gvozdenko, i. (2005). beliefs about language learning: current knowledge, pedagogical implications, and new research directions. tesl-ej, 9(1), 1–21. http://teslej.org/ej33/a1.pdf borg, s. (2001). self-perception and practice in teaching grammar. elt journal, 55(1), 21–29. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/55.1.21 borg, s. (2003). teacher cognition in language teaching: a review of research on what language teachers english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 11 think, know, believe, and do. language teaching, 36(2), 81–109. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444803001903 brisk, m. e. (2014). engaging students in academic literacies: genre-based pedagogy for k-5 classrooms (1st ed.). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781317816164 bukova-güzel, e. (2010). an investigation of preservice mathematics teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, using solid objects. scientific research and essays, 5(14), 1872–1880. http://www.academicjournals.org/sre burns, a., & joyce, h. d. s. (2007). adult esl programs in australia. prospect, 22(3), 5–17. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/revista?codigo= 9310 carter, k., & gonzalez, l. (1993). beginning teachers’ knowledge of classroom events. journal of teacher education, 44(3), 223–232. https://doi.org/10.1177/002248719304400309 cesur, k., & ertaş, a. (2018). examining the prospective english teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge: canakkale case. international journal of progressive education, 14(3), 128–139. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2018.146.9 chen, z., & goh, c. (2014). teacher knowledge about oral english instruction and teacher profiles: an efl perspective. teacher development, 18(1), 81–99. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2013.854270 cullinan, b. e. (2000). independent reading and school achievement. school library research, 3, 1–24. http://www.ala.org/aasl/pubs/slr deboer, b. b. (2007). effective oral language instruction: a survey of utah k–2 teacher selfreported knowledge [unpublished thesis]. utah state university. dewi, c. a., hendrawani, kurniasih, y., suryati, & khery, y. (2018). optimalisasi peningkatan profesionalisme guru-guru melalui pelatihan penulisan karya ilmiah. lumbung inovasi: jurnal pengabdian kepada masyarakat ikip mataram, 3, 20–26. http://ojs.ikipmataram.ac.id/index.php/lumbungin ovasi duatepe, a., & akkus-cikla, o. (2004). the attitudes towards teaching professions of in-service and pre-service primary school teachers. pedagogika, 71, 61–65. emilia, e. (2011). pendekatan genre-based dalam pengajaran bahasa inggris: petunjuk untuk guru. rizqi press. emilia, e., & hamied, f. a. (2015). systemic functional linguistic genre pedagogy (sflgp) in a tertiary efl writing context in indonesia. teflin journal a publication on the teaching and learning of english, 26(2), 155. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v26i2/155182 ertmer, p. a., & ottenbreit-leftwich, a. t. (2010). teacher technology change: how knowledge, confidence, beliefs, and culture intersect. journal of research on technology in education, 42(3), 255–284. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2010.10782551 gebhard, m., chen, i.-a., & britton, l. (2014). “miss, nominalization is a nominalization:” english language learners’ use of sfl metalanguage and their literacy practices. linguistics and education, 26, 106–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2014.01.003 graham, l. j., white, s. l. j., cologon, k., & pianta, r. c. (2020). do teachers’ years of experience make a difference in the quality of teaching? teaching and teacher education, 96, 103190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103190 graves, k., & garton, s. (2017). an analysis of three curriculum approaches to teaching english in public-sector schools. language teaching, 50(4), 441–482. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444817000155 halliday, m. a. k., & webster, j. j. (2007). language and education, 9. continuum international pub. group. hammond, j. (1987). an overview of the genre-based approach to the teaching of writing in australia. australian review of applied linguistics, 10(2), 163–181. https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.10.2.10ham hao, y. (2016). the development of pre-service teachers’ knowledge: a contemplative approach. computers in human behavior, 60, 155–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.02.054 harman, r. (2013). literary intertextuality in genrebased pedagogies: building lexical cohesion in fifth-grade l2 writing. journal of second language writing, 22(2), 125–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2013.03.006 hashweh, m. z. (2005). teacher pedagogical constructions: a reconfiguration of pedagogical content knowledge. teachers and teaching, 11(3), 273–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/13450600500105502 hu, b., & tian, l. (2012). do teachers and students share similar beliefs about teaching and learning strategies? system, 40(2), 237–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2012.04.001 irvine-niakaris, c., & kiely, r. (2015). reading romprehension in test preparation classes: an analysis of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge in tesol. tesol quarterly, 49(2), 369–392. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.189 suharyadi, utami widiati, & yazid basthomi exploring efl teachers’ new pedagogical content knowledge of genre-based approach 12 jong, t. de, & ferguson-hessler, m. g. m. (1996). types and qualities of knowledge. educational psychologist, 31(2), 105–113. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3102_2 kaplan, l. s., & owings, w. a. (2002). teacher quality, teaching quality, and school improvement. phi delta kappa international press. kartowagiran, b. (2015). kinerja guru profesional (guru pasca sertifikasi). jurnal cakrawala pendidikan, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v3i3.4208 kellner, e., gullberg, a., attorps, i., thorén, i., & tärneberg, r. (2011). prospective teachers’ initial conceptions about pupils’ difficulties in science and mathematics: a potential resource in teacher education. international journal of science and mathematics education, 9(4), 843– 866. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-010-9232-5 kemendikbud. (2013). pedoman pelatihan implementasi kurikulum 2013. kemendikbud. kereluik, k., mishra, p., fahnoe, c., & terry, l. (2013). what knowledge is of most worth: teacher knowledge for 21 st century learning. journal of digital learning in teacher education, 29(4), 127–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2013.10784716 khan, a., & madden, j. (2018). active learning: a new assessment model that boost confidence and learning while reducing test anxiety. international journal of modern education and computer science, 10(12), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.5815/ijmecs.2018.12.01 kissau, s., & algozzine, b. (2017). effective foreign language teaching: broadening the concept of content knowledge. foreign language annals, 50(1), 114–134. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12250 kleickmann, t., richter, d., kunter, m., elsner, j., besser, m., krauss, s., & baumert, j. (2013). teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge: the role of structural differences in teacher education. journal of teacher education, 64(1), 90–106. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487112460398 kömür, ş. (2010). teaching knowledge and teacher competencies: a case study of turkish preservice english teachers. teaching education, 21(3), 279–296. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2010.498579 könig, j., tachtsoglou, s., lammerding, s., strauß, s., nold, g., & rohde, a. (2017). the role of opportunities to learn in teacher preparation for efl teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge. the modern language journal, 101(1), 109–127. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12383 lin, b. (2006). genre-based teaching and vygotskian principles in efl: the case of a university writing course. asian efl journal, 8(3), 226– 248. http://www.asian-efl-journal.com liu, s. (2013). pedagogical content knowledge: a case study of esl teacher educator. english language teaching, 6(7), p128. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v6n7p128 locke, t., whitehead, d., dix, s., & cawkwell, g. (2011). new zealand teachers respond to the ‘national writing project’ experience. teacher development, 15(3), 273–291. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2011.608509 lux, n. j., bangert, a. w., & whittier, d. b. (2011). the development of an instrument to assess preservice teacher’s technological pedagogical content knowledge. journal of educational computing research, 45(4), 415–431. https://doi.org/10.2190/ec.45.4.c marshall, s. (1991). a genre-based approach to the teaching of report-writing. english for specific purposes, 10(1), 3–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/0889-4906(91)90012-l maxwell-reid, c. (2014). genre in the teaching of english in hong kong: a perspective from systemic functional linguistics. in d. coniam (ed.), english language education and assessment (pp. 87–102). springer singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-071-1_6 mayne, h. (2019). pedagogical content knowledge and social justice pedagogical knowledge: reenvisioning a model for teacher practice. research in educational administration & leadership, 4(3), 701–718. https://doi.org/10.30828/real/2019.3.9 mbau, a. t., & sugeng, b. (2019). critical literacy for elt in indonesia: what efl teachers should be aware of. journal of english language teaching and linguistics, 4(2), 143. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v4i2.255 mishra, p., & koehler, m. j. (2006). technological pedagogical content knowledge: a framework for teacher knowledge. teachers college record, 108(6), 1017–1054. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/99246/. moore, j., & schleppegrell, m. (2014). using a functional linguistics metalanguage to support academic language development in the english language arts. linguistics and education, 26, 92–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2014.01.002 nadeem, m., rana, m. s., lone, a. h., maqbool, s., naz, k., & ali, a. (2011). teacher’s competencies and factors affecting the performance of female teachers in bahawalpur (southern punjab) pakistan. international journal of business and social science, 2(19), 217–222. http://www.ijbssnet.com/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 13 neumann, k., kind, v., & harms, u. (2019). probing the amalgam: the relationship between science teachers’ content, pedagogical and pedagogical content knowledge. international journal of science education, 41(7), 847–861. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2018.1497217 nilsson, p. (2008). teaching for understanding: the complex nature of pedagogical content knowledge in pre‐service education. international journal of science education, 30(10), 1281–1299. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690802186993 oliveira, l. c. de, & lan, s.-w. (2014). writing science in an upper elementary classroom: a genre-based approach to teaching english language learners. journal of second language writing, 25, 23–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2014.05.001 paltridge, b. (2004). academic writing. language teaching, 37(2), 87–105. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444804002216 peters, e. (2018). the effect of out-of-class exposure to english language media on learners’ vocabulary knowledge. itl international journal of applied linguistics, 169(1), 142–168. https://doi.org/10.1075/itl.00010.pet rose, d., & martin, j. r. (2012). learning to write, reading to learn: genre, knowledge and pedagogy in the sydney school. equinox pub. scharfenberg, f.-j., & bogner, f. x. (2016). a new role change approach in pre-service teacher education for developing pedagogical content knowledge in the context of a student outreach lab. research in science education, 46(5), 743–766. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-015-9478-6 schmidt, d. a., baran, e., thompson, a. d., mishra, p., koehler, m. j., & shin, t. s. (2009). technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack): the development and validation of an assessment instrument for preservice teachers. journal of research on technology in education, 42(2), 123–149. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2009.10782544 shulman, l. (1987). knowledge and teaching: foundations of the new reform. harvard educational review, 57(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.57.1.j463w79r5645 5411 stark, h. l., eadie, p. a., snow, p. c., & goldfeld, s. r. (2020). the impact of a sustained oral language professional learning program on australian early years’ teachers’ knowledge, practice and beliefs: a mixed-methods exploration. professional development in education, 46(2), 178–194. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2019.1603170 stran, m., & curtner-smith, m. (2010). impact of different types of knowledge on two preservice teachers’ ability to learn and deliver the sport education model. physical education & sport pedagogy, 15(3), 243–256. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408980903273147 sumarsono, p. (2015). model pengembangan sumber daya manusia guru bahasa inggris di indonesia dari hulu hingga hilir. journal of educational innovation, 3(1), 10–23. https://erudio.ub.ac.id/index.php/erudio/article/vi ew/198 tagle, t., díaz, c., etchegaray, p., alarcón, p., quintana, m., & ramos, l. (2020). lesson planning: what types of professional knowledge are activated by chilean pre-service efl teachers? electronic journal of foreign language teaching, 17(1), 258–271. https://eflt.nus.edu.sg/ triastuti, a. (2020). assessing english pre-service teachers’ knowledge base of teaching: linking knowledge and self-portrayal. teflin journal, 31(1), 108–138. http://dx.doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v31i1/10 8-138 ulu, h. (2019). examining the relationships between the attitudes towards reading and reading habits, metacognitive awarenesses of reading strategies and critical thinking tendencies of pre-service teachers. international journal of contemporary educational research. https://doi.org/10.33200/ijcer.549319 unsworth, s., persson, l., prins, t., & de bot, k. (2014). an investigation of factors affecting early foreign language learning in the netherlands. applied linguistics, amt052. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amt052 usak, m., ozden, m., & eilks, i. (2011). a case study of beginning science teachers’ subject matter (smk) and pedagogical content knowledge (pck) of teaching chemical reaction in turkey. european journal of teacher education, 34(4), 407–429. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2011.592977 walshaw, m. (2012). teacher knowledge as fundamental to effective teaching practice. journal of mathematics teacher education, 15(3), 181–185. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857012-9217-0 watzke, j. l. (2007). foreign language pedagogical knowledge: toward a developmental theory of beginning teacher practices. the modern language journal, 91(1), 63–82. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.15404781.2007.00510.x whittaker, r., & garcía parejo, i. (2018). teacher learning for european literacy education (tel4ele): genre-based pedagogy in five suharyadi, utami widiati, & yazid basthomi exploring efl teachers’ new pedagogical content knowledge of genre-based approach 14 european countries. european journal of applied linguistics, 6(1), 31–57. https://doi.org/10.1515/eujal-2017-0021 whitten, c., labby, s., & sullivan, s. l. (2016). the impact of pleasure reading on academic success. the journal of multidisciplinary graduate research, 2(4), 48–64. https://jmgr-ojsshsu.tdl.org/jmgr/index.php/jmgr widodo, h. p. (2006). designing a genre-based lesson plan for an academic writing course. english teaching: practice and critique, 5(3), 173–199. http://education.waikato.ac.nz/research/files/etpc/ 2006v5n3nar2.pdf williamson, j., & hardman, f. (1995). time for refilling the bath?: a study of primary student‐teachers’ grammatical knowledge. language and education, 9(2), 117–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500789509541407 wong, r. m. h. (2011). developing teacher awareness of language use and language knowledge in english classrooms: four longitudinal cases. electronic journal of foreign language teaching, 8(1), 19–38. https://eflt.nus.edu.sg/v8n12011/wong.pdf wu, y.-t., & wang, a. y. (2015). technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge in teaching english as a foreign language: representation of primary teachers of english in taiwan. the asiapacific education researcher, 24(3), 525–533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-015-0240-7 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 377 how literate am i about assessment: evidence from indonesian efl pre-service and in-service teachers syafi’ul anam english department, faculty of languages and arts state university of surabaya, surabaya, indonesia email: syafiul.anam@unesa.ac.id nanin verina widya putri language and literature study program, postgraduate school state university of surabaya, surabaya, indonesia email: nanin.19029@mhs.unesa.ac.id apa citation: anam, s. & putri, n. v. w. (2021). how literate am i about assessment: evidence from indonesian efl pre-service and in-service teachers. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp. 377-388. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4374 received: 15-02-2021 accepted: 02-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 abstract: language assessment literacy (lal) for teachers is a pivotal content area which teachers must have for their prefessional development. despite increasing interest in language assessment, research focusing on lal of pre-service and in-service teachers, especially in indonesian efl context, has yet to receive due attention. nevertheless, understanding pre-service and in-service teachers’ literacy of classroom assessment is essential for the quality of classroom assessment practice, hence the improvement of language learning and teaching. this study aimed to investigate indonesian efl pre-service and in-service teachers’ literacy of classroom assessment. using a quantitative approach with ex-post facto research design, this study examined the extent of assessment literacy among efl pre-service and in-service teachers. participants were 60 english department students who have done teaching practicum courses and 41 in-service teachers in the indonesian province of east java. the finding revealed that the pre-service and in-service teachers perceived a moderate level of assessment literacy. further, the two groups of participants demonstrated a statistically significant difference in overall assessment literacy, as well as in two of its dimensions, namely administering and scoring assessment results and alternative assessment. the findings of this study could shed light to the understanding of efl pre-service and in-service teachers’ literacy of classroom assessment. keywords: assessment literacy; pre-service teachers; in-service teachers; classroom assessment introduction assessment is acknowledged as an inseparable part of the teaching and learning process (ashraf & zolfaghari, 2018; bijsterbosch, béneker, kuiper, & van der schee, 2019; cheng & fox, 2017; popham, 2009). without assessment, teachers will be difficult to identify the extent of students’ abilities, and students have no information about their current performance. it implies that assessment results enable teachers and students to understand how teaching and learning take place. however, to implement assessment practice successfully, teachers need to understand the basic principles of classroombased assessment. more importantly, they need to know how to employ their knowledge and principles of assessment in classroom practice. to this end, teachers across the educational context should be aware of their assessment ability and knowledge in order to develop students’ mastery of designated lessons. in language classrooms, english language teachers’ ability to implement assessment is considered as one of the most crucial skills. the way teachers practice assessment in the classroom can influence students’ learning quality. as umam and indah (2020) pointed out, how teachers assess students’ performance has a meaningful impact on everything in the classroom. similarly, zulaiha and mulyono (2020) have highlighted that the success of assessment practice could influence students' achievement. for this reason, teachers need to have adequate knowledge and skill of assessment to support classroom assessment practice (jeong, 2013; koh, burke, luke, gong, & tan, 2018; popham, 2009). the skill and knowledge of assessment is typically called assessment literacy, which is recognized as a crucial part of teachers’ professional development (abell & siegel, 2011; engelsen & smith, 2014; inbar-lourie, 2013; xu & brown, 2016). mailto:syafiul.anam@unesa.ac.id mailto:nanin.19029@mhs.unesa.ac.id https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4347 syafi’ul anam & nanin verina widya putri how literate am i about assessment: evidence from indonesian efl pre-service and in-service teachers 378 language assessment literacy (lal) is generally defined as ‘basic understanding of sound assessment practice and the ability to apply that knowledge to measure language learning in different contexts’ (yan, zhang, & fan, 2018, p. 158). teachers identified as assessment-literate are able to determine what assessment method they have to implement, how they assess, and when they have to assess so that teachers can gain information about students’ performance (jeong, 2013; stiggins, 1999). specifically, language teachers who are assessment-literate refer to those who have knowledge and abilities of assessment integrated with language-specific competencies (inbar-lourie, 2008). they have general assessment knowledge, understand the purposes of language assessment, know appropriate methods, and are capable of interpreting assessment practice (inbar-lourie, 2008; zulaiha, mulyono, & ambarsari, 2020). lal has three main components, including skills, knowledge, and principles (davies, 2008; deygers & malone, 2019; fulcher, 2012). consequently, language teachers are expected to master the concept of assessment theory which consists of knowledge of classroom assessment combined with language pedagogy (inbar-lourie, 2008; yan et al., 2018; zolfaghari & ahmadi, 2016). it is supported by harding and kremmel’s (2016) statement that language teachers, who frequently conduct classroom assessment, need to be “conversant and competent in the principles and practice of language assessment” (p.415). when they are assessment-literate, they are able to monitor students’ progress, know students' current improvement, and promote learning (earl, 2013). to help students gain their learning goals, teachers should be aware of improving their assessment literacy so that they can implement appropriate methods in classroom assessment (xu & brown, 2016). moreover, since they have learned about language assessment in pre-service education, they are expected to create meaningful assessment for the improvement of students’ learning. however, recent studies have showed that second/foreign language teachers still lack lal (lam, 2019; nemati, alavi, mohebbi, & masjedlou, 2017; popham, 2001; qian, 2014; tsagari & vogt, 2017). for example, a study by nemati et. al., (2017), investigating the assessment ability of iranian english teachers, demonstrated that teachers have inadequate assessment knowledge and training in writing skill. another study in hong kong context with similar results comes from qian (2014). it examined school-based english language assessment, and the result revealed english teachers’ low ability in marking skill when assessing learners’ speaking ability. the reasons why teachers have inadequate lal vary, such as contextual factors (i.e. assessment policy, stakeholders, resources, and constraints) and experiential factors (i.e. assessment development and use) (crusan, plakans, & gebril, 2016; vogt & tsagari, 2014; yan et al., 2018). the studies underscore that language teachers still face many challenges in assessment practice. despite the significance of assessment literacy for language teachers, it has yet to receive much attention from efl indonesian researchers (zulaiha, et al., 2020). a recent study by zulaiha et. al (2020), one among very few, investigated efl teachers' assessment literacy through their perception in the indonesian context. they asserted that efl teachers in indonesia were assessment-literate and aware of assessment principles. however, they asserted that they did not explore the quality of teachers’ assessment practice. another study by zulaiha and mulyono (2020) surveyed training needs of assessment literacy among 147 junior high school efl teachers. the finding showed that teachers expected to have abilities to select tests for use, develop test specifications, and develop test tasks and items. the other study of in-service teachers by umam and indah (2020) revealed that inservice english teachers have poor level of assessment literacy, which contradicts with the finding of luthfiyyah and basyari’s (2020) study, revealing a moderate literacy level of efl secondary teachers. the previous studies of lal conducted in indonesian and overseas are predominantly focused on in-service english language teachers (e.g. koh et al., 2018; lam, 2019; nemati et al., 2017; tsagari & vogt, 2017; yan et al., 2018; zulaiha & mulyono, 2020; zulaiha et al., 2020). consequently, empirical evidence about preservice teachers’ knowledge and skills of assessment is very limited, let alone from indonesian context. the evidence is important as the information of their level of assessment literacy. when they have poor literacy of assessment, they will ‘be less likely to help students attain higher levels of academic achievement’ (herrera & macías, 2015, p. 304). they should have more opportunities in assessment training during their education program to increase their professional english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 379 development (lopez & bernal, 2009). pre-service teachers also need to improve their knowledge and skills to allow them design the task and implement authentic assessment to prepare realworld practice properly. with adequate assessment literacy, they can utilize assessment data to support instructional practices and employ classroom-based assessment effectively (popham, 2009). regarding the previous studies already reviewed, examining assessment literacy of preservice and in-service teachers in indonesian efl classroom was worth doing. extending the research focus to indonesian efl classroom benefits assessment practice as well as teaching learning processes (edwards, 2017; willis, adie, & klenowski, 2013). for these reasons, the present study aimed to investigate the extent to which pre-service and in-service indonesian efl teachers rated their level of classroom assessment literacy, and whether they differed in classroom assessment literacy. method the study employed a quantitative approach with ex-post facto research. a total of 101 participants (42 male and 59 female) were recruited through convenience sampling, meaning that all the participants took part on the basis of their availability (weathington, cunningham, & pittenger, 2010). the participants comprised 60 english department students from one state university and two private universities who have done teaching practicum courses and 41 in-service teachers in east java. all participants reported having taken assessment courses when they did their undergraduate degree in english education, and in-service teachers also reported learning assessment when attending teacher trainings. all the in-service teachers had a range of teaching experience between 1 to 18 years. most of the inservice teachers taught in state secondary schools (64%) and the remainders taught in private secondary schools. the participants’ assessment literacy was measured using language assessment literacy scale (lals). the instrument was administered in english through google form. it gauged the participants’ perceived literacy in english classroom assessment, comprising the dimensions: (1) designing test/assessment, (2) administering and scoring assessment results, (3) alternative assessment, (4) validity and reliability issues, (5) using assessment results to make decisions in total, the instrument had 25 items, with a six-point likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all skilled) to 6 (highly skilled). the items were adapted from those developed by zhang and burry-stock (1997) and jarr (2012), as well as prompted by important literature on assessment literacy (coombe, vafadar, & mohebbi, 2020; mertler, 2003; national council on measurement in education (ncme), american federation of teachers (aft), 1990). to ensure content validity, the scale then was reviewed by two experts in language assessment, and necessary revisions were made accordingly. the researchers calculated reliability coefficients, for the 25-item lals (.93) and its five dimensions: designing test/assessment instrument (.80), administering and scoring assessment results (.86), alternative assessment (.84), validity and reliability issues (.88), and using assessment results to make decisions (.90). the instrument’ reliability coefficients suggested satisfactory consistency for research purposes. the survey data were then analysed quantitatively using descriptive and multivariate analysis of variance (manova). the descriptive statistics comprising mean and standard deviation as the summary statistics of the data set to determine the extent of pre-service and in-service english teachers’ assessment literacy. the descriptive statistics of the individual items in each subscale and score of the five dimensions were analysed and presented to display the level of assessment literacy the in-service and preservice teachers had, whether low, moderate, or high. to allow for such categorization, the participants’ responses were grouped into three levels of assessment literacy using equal cut-off points on the scale: low (1.00-2.70), moderate (2.71-4.40) and high (4.41-6.00). additionally, the one-way manova was employed to examine whether there were differences between the pre-service and in-service teachers in assessment literacy, as well as its five dimensions. this multivariate test was preferred instead of multiple independent sample t-tests as this could reduce the possibility of type 1 error (pallant, 2016). findings and discussion level of literacy in classroom assessment among pre-service and in-service teachers in order to address the first research objective about the level of literacy in efl classroom assessment for indonesian pre-service and inservice teachers, means and standard deviations the lals were calculated. the participants’ syafi’ul anam & nanin verina widya putri how literate am i about assessment: evidence from indonesian efl pre-service and in-service teachers 380 literacy in efl classroom assessment was analysed from five dimensions, as displayed in figure 1. the figure displayed a moderate level of assessment literacy for all participants, regardless of whether they were in-service teachers or preservice efl teachers (m=4.37 and m=4.03 respectively), suggesting that the participants had good understanding and skills related to efl classroom assessment. specifically, in-service teachers, on average, perceived themselves highly literate in administering and scoring assessment results (m=4.55) and using the results to make decisions (m= 4.60). on the other hands, preservice teachers only showed lower literacy of the two aspects of assessment, m= 4.12 and m= 4.12 respectively. meanwhile, both pre-service and inservice teachers only reported moderate level of literacy in the three other aspects of assessment, designing test/assessment instrument, alternative assessment, and validity and reliability issues, with the mean scores ranging from 3.96 to 4.38. compared to other aspects of assessment, the participants seem to be less confident with their ability in determining validity and reliability to ensure test quality. figure 1. means of assessment literacy dimention a closer inspection of the individual items for lals indicated that pre-service and in-service efl teachers felt capable of doing classroom assessment, with a mean range for all items measuring literacy assessment from 3.68 to 4.55 for pre-service teachers and from 3.71 to 4.74 for in-service teachers (table 1). the pre-service and in-service teachers shared similarities in two of the four highest rated items on the ability in using assessment results to improve teaching-learning process (m= 4.25; m=4.74 respectively) and the ability in ensuring fairness in assessing students (m= 4.55; m= 4.62 respectively). the two groups also rated their ability lowest on two items measuring literacy in determining the validity of objective tests (m= 3.72 for pre-service teachers; m=3.74 for in-service teachers) and performance assessment (m=3.70 for pre-service; and m=3.79 for in-service teachers). however, the two groups of participants also differed in other highest and lowest rated items. the two other items rated highest by the pre-service teachers were related to the ability to give feedback to students (m=4.20) and the ability to score students’ responses in listening and reading assessment (m=4.18). meanwhile, other highest ratings by in-service teachers were found on two items on the perceived ability to use formative assessment to monitor student learning (m=4.58) and the ability to use various test items for listening and reading (m=4.67). further inspection of the items also showed that the pre-service teachers rated their literacy lowest on the items measuring ability to develop blueprint/test specifications and using portfolio while their in-service teacher counterparts rated their literacy lowest on the items measuring ability to use reflective journal/learning log and to analyse items for better quality test. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 381 table 1. means and standard deviation of the assessment literacy items no item pre-service in-service designing test/assessment mean sd mean sd 1 developing blueprint/test specifications 3.68 .79 4.33 .61 2 developing various performance assessment based on learning objectives 4.08 .94 4.50 .67 3 developing various test items for receptive skills based on learning objectives 4.10 .99 4.43 .67 4 constructing a model answer for scoring essay questions 4.03 .94 4.38 .62 5 developing analytic and holistic scoring rubrics 4.05 1.03 4.29 .63 administering and scoring assessment results 6 implementing various performance assessment of speaking & writing skills 4.03 .99 4.48 .63 7 implementing various test items for listening & reading 4.12 .97 4.67 .61 8 scoring students’ task performance 4.17 .99 4.52 .63 9 scoring students’ responses of receptive skills 4.18 .99 4.55 .70 alternative assessment 10 using portfolio assessments 3.80 1.13 4.38 .54 11 using self-assessment 4.13 1.06 4.50 .59 12 using peer-assessment in english class 4.03 .66 4.50 .59 13 using formal observation in english class 3.87 1.16 4.45 .63 14 using informal, continuous, non-test type of assessment 3.93 .97 4.52 .63 15 using reflective journal/learning log 4.02 1.20 3.81 .71 validity and reliability issues 16 ensuring fairness in assessing students 4.55 1.11 4.62 .62 17 determining the reliability of objective tests 4.02 1.02 4.12 .67 18 determining the validity of objective tests 3.72 .89 3.74 .77 19 determining the reliability of performance assessment 3.92 1.11 3.83 .76 20 determining the validity of performance assessment 3.70 .79 3.79 .87 21 conducting item analysis 3.92 1.06 3.71 .80 using assessment results to make decisions 22 using assessment results when making decisions about individual students 4.03 1.01 4.57 .63 23 using formative classroom assessments to monitor student learning 4.00 1.09 4.58 .70 24 using assessment results to improve teachinglearning process 4.25 1.03 4.74 .66 25 giving feedback to students based on information from tests/assessment to improve students’ performance 4.20 1.02 4.52 .67 differences in literacy assessment between preservice and in-service teachers one-way manova was conducted to determine whether there were statistically significant differences in the mean scores of five dimensions of assessment literacy for pre-service and inservice teachers. prior to running the manova, preliminary analyses of the assumption and outlier were conducted. using the outlier labelling rule of hoaglin, iglewicz, and tukey (1986), there were no univariate outliers identified in either preservice and in-service group in the socres of five assessment literacy dimensions. multivariate outlier detection was also performed using mahalanobis d2 at p <.001. case no. 62 was spotted as multivariate outlier as its p value was less than .001 and then deleted accordingly. the visual assessment of histograms also suggested approximately normal distribution of the scores. as indicated in scatterplots, no curvilinear shapes were found and each pair of the scores in the two groups were linearly related. the assumption of homogeneity of variance-covariance was violated, the box’s m test value of 66.79, at p = .00 which was significant. however, with the group sizes are over 30, manova is robust to such violation. due syafi’ul anam & nanin verina widya putri how literate am i about assessment: evidence from indonesian efl pre-service and in-service teachers 382 to the violation, pillai’s trace statistic was reported instead of other statistics (tabachnick & fidell, 2001, p. 252). the results of the analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in overall assessment literacy scores of the pre-service and in-service teachers, f (5, 93) = 3.39, p < .005; pillai’s trace = 3.388; partial η2 = .154. the partial eta squared suggested that the effect of teacher category (preservice and in-service) on the combined scores of the assessment literacy was only 15%, which was small. the result means that in-service teachers were perceived more literate in classroom assessment than their pre-service teacher counterparts. following up the significant difference, multiple f-tests were performed to determine where the difference lay between the two groups of participants. a bonferroni correction was used to account for multiple tests being run; therefore, statistical significance at p  .01 is accepted (see tabachnick & fidell 2007, p. 270). as table 2 displays, a significant difference existed in two dimensions of literacy assessment, namely administering and scoring assessment results (f (1, 97) = 6.664; p = .01) and alternative assessment (f (1, 97) = 6.575; p = .01). the effect size of teacher category on administering and scoring assessment results and alternative assessment was relatively small, partial η2 = .064 and partial η2 = .063 respectively. the mean scores suggest that in-service teachers reported higher perceived literacy in administering and scoring assessment (m= 4.55, sd= .54) and alternative assessment (m= 4.36, sd=.45) than pre-service teachers (m= 4.12, sd= .82; m= 3.96, sd=.77) did. however, no significant difference was observed in the other dimensions of assessment literacy: using assessment results to make decisions (f (1, 97) = 4.347; p = .04; partial η2 = .043), designing test/assessment instrument f (1, 97) = 3.452; p = .06; partial η2 = .034), and validity and reliability issues f (1, 97) = 0.42; p = .83; partial η2 = .00). the nonsignificant differences suggest that the pre-service and inservice teachers didn't differ in the three areas, and the effect of the teacher category was very small. table 2. differences in assessment literacy between pre-service and in-service teachers variable pre-service in-service partial eta squared (η2) m(sd) m/sd) f (1, 99) p designing test/assessment 3.99 (.73) 4.38 (.47) 3.452 .06 .034 administering and scoring assessment results 4.12 (.82) 4.55 (.54) 6.664 .01 .064* alternative assessment 3.96 (.77) 4.36 (.45) 6.575 .01 .063* validity and reliability issues 3.96 (.77) 3.97 (.61) .042 .84 .000 using assessment results to make decisions 4.12 (.94) 4.60 (.51) 4.347 .04 .043 note: m (mean scores), sd (standard deviation), * p <.01 in view of less evidence about assessment literacy in efl classrooms, this study attempted to examine how efl indonesian pre-service and in-service teachers perceived their knowledge and skills of assessment in language classroom. in general, the findings reveal that the two groups of teachers claimed having quite good understanding and skills related to efl classroom language assessment. this suggests that the teachers are quite conversant and competent in practicing efl language assessment. this empirical evidence supports the finding of a study by luthfiyyah and basyari’s (2020), showing a moderate degree of assessment literacy among indonesian secondary teachers. a similar finding of a study by wise et.al (1991) also indicated pre-service teachers were quite skilled in assessment and measurement. the perception of being knowledgeable and skilled in classroom assessment can possibly be attributed to university coursework/training the participants have taken or trial and error in the classroom. the finding of the present study is certainly worth noting as teachers are required to possess adequate knowledge and skills of assessment to support assessment practice in efl classroom (deluca & klingerb, 2010; jeong, 2013; koh et al., 2018; popham, 2009). with such a literacy level, the participants seem to know various assessment methods they can use appropriately, to be capable of monitoring students’ learning progress, and make use of the results for the improvement of students’ performance in classrooms (jeong, 2013; stiggins, 1999). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 383 another finding shows that both pre-service and in-service teachers rated their literacy highest on the item about the ability in ensuring fairness in assessing students. this implies that they have conviction and strong intention to be fair in their assessment practice. the finding accords with that of studies conducted by phillips (2002) and tierney (2010) about teachers’ high awareness of students’ perception of fairness in classroom assessment practice. the awareness is crucial for teachers to have sound assessment practices and demonstrate school accountability for teachinglearning processes. in addition, with the increasing demands for recognizing diverse students and data-driven decision making, maintaining this principle of assessment is inevitable (campbell, 2013; tierney, 2013). teachers need to be aware of the importance of assessing their students fairly, especially in performance-based or authentic assessment. such awareness helps teachers conduct assessment without any forms of favouritism or bias. bias is likely to happen in classroom assessment which frequently uses subjective measurement and involves personal contacts. for example, teachers might favour students who are likeable or wellbehaved but mark down those who have negative or annoying traits. teachers’ conviction of being fair, as found in this study, can prevent such favouritism, while at the same time the teachers, as well as the school, need to have measures, like using the same assessment tasks or well-defined criteria, to ensure fairness in assessment. the other finding that both in-service and preservice teachers rated items lowest on the perceived ability to determine validity of performance and objective tests and to conduct item analysis to ensure test quality is no surprise. a previous study by brookhart (2001) demonstrated a similar finding that teachers lacked expertise in quality test construction and valid assessment procedure. it is likely that assessment-related trainings or courses the participants took didn't give adequate attention to issues related to validities and item analysis. the participants might also be less interested in validity evaluation because it is considered complicated and only dealing with psychometric properties of assessment. this finding is certainly concerning as validity is the main principle of language assessment (bonner, 2013; brown, 2010). the absence of the condition for validity will affect the quality of the instrument designed and used by teachers. therefore, raising teachers’ awareness of validity evaluation is crucial in ensuring the accuracy of an assessment and inference made by teachers based on the results of assessment. this is because teachers and schools currently have greater autonomy making decisions about students based on assessment, such as grades, promotions, and graduation (cirocky & anam, 2021), following the ministry of education and culture’s recent policy of “merdeka belajar” (freedom of learning) (circular no 1, 2020). through trainings or independent learning, teachers should be made more aware of the basic tenets of validity when constructing classroom assessment. for example, the teachers might ask their peers to check the content validity of the instrument in classroom assessment. they do not need to conduct any complex statistical analyses for validation process, typically required in that of high stake testing. the teachers also have the knowledge and ability of designing a rubric with well-defined score categories based on instructional objectives in their language classroom. additionally, the increasing attention to english as a lingua franca (elf) demands more effort from language teachers also need to learn more about validity and test constructs (lazaraton, 2017). the result of the manova demonstrates that inservice teachers had higher overall assessment literacy score, as well as the scores of administering and scoring assessment and alternative assessment dimensions, than their preservice teacher counterparts. this suggests that inservice teachers have better mastery of assessment theory and combine it with language pedagogy so that they are conversant in administering and scoring, as well as using various alternative assessment, like portfolios, learning log, peer assessment or self-assessment, suitable for their students. this finding lends support to that of plake, impara and fager’s (1993) study that preservice teachers exhibited somewhat weaker skills in classroom assessment than in-service teachers did. in-service teachers’ higher literacy found in this study might result from experiential factors, like experiences of developing and using assessment in their own classroom, teaching experience, teacher trainings, learning from peers in english teacher association (crusan et al., 2016; vogt & tsagari, 2014; yan et al., 2018). such experiential factors might raise their awareness of improving their assessment literacy so that they design and use appropriate methods of classroom assessment. pre-service teachers do not have such experiential factors. contextual factors, like the policy of assessment in merdeka syafi’ul anam & nanin verina widya putri how literate am i about assessment: evidence from indonesian efl pre-service and in-service teachers 384 belajar and resources provided by schools, might also make the difference in the degree of assessment literacy between in-service and preservice teachers. with the policy in place, teachers inevitably have to develop their knowledge and skills in classroom assessment and to implement them at school. the current study’s findings have pedagogical implications for secondary school teachers, school, and teacher educators. firstly, teachers have to be actively engaged in various activities of professional development specifically focusing on classroom assessment. such engagement will contribute to improving their knowledge and skills in assessment, which will then help students achieve learning goals and improve language skills. with their autonomy in hand, the teachers will be able to improve their literacy assessment through self-initiated or school-mandated professional development. secondly, school management should facilitate teachers to be actively engaged in teacher trainings or other activities which can enhance their knowledge in assessment. requiring teachers to be active in english teacher association or providing them with rich resources of classroom assessment can be effective forms of developing their assessment literacy. they also need to be ensured that school supports their autonomy to exercise their skills of classroom assessment because they have extensive knowledge of their students and classroom. school can also create collaborative environments in which teachers can share ideas and make joint work related to designing and administering assessment. thirdly, teacher educators need to review the contents of assessment coursework by giving adequate attention to validity related issues and awarding more semester hours. they also should provide student teachers more practical experiences in developing quality assessment instruments and ask them to research real practices of classroombased assessment so that the course content is relevant to the assessment realities of the classroom. conclusion the present study concludes that the efl preservice and in-service teachers’ literacy of classroom assessment were at moderate level, suggesting quite good understanding and skills in classroom assessment. specifically, the participants perceived themselves less capable in developing test specification, determining validity of test instrument, and performing item analysis, but they felt more capable of using assessment results to improve english teaching and of giving feedback to students’ work or performance. in addition, and there is a significant difference between assessment literacy scores of the preservice and in-service teachers. those findings should be read with caution in terms of generalizability because the participants of this study were selected through convenience sample. consequently, future research should involve more participants randomly to allow for generalizability of the results to other contexts. in addition, the findings of the study were drawn from self-report data only indicating perceived assessment literacy, which is although useful for diagnostic information. so, further studies are expected to measure the knowledge and skills of classroom assessment through a test which is able to allow for a behavioural measure of literacy. the use of such an instrument measures actual assessment literacy within a classroom-based assessment context. regardless of these limitations, the results of this study provide insights into the notion of language classroom assessment, as well as direct implications for curriculum development for pre-service and inservice teacher education and trainings in similar contexts. references abell, s. k., & siegel, m. a. (2011). assessment literacy: what science teachers need to know and be able to do. in the professional knowledge base of science teaching (pp. 205– 221). springer. ashraf, h., & zolfaghari, s. (2018). efl teachers’ assessment literacy and their reflective teaching. international journal of instruction, 11(1), 425–436. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11129a bijsterbosch, e., béneker, t., kuiper, w., & van der schee, j. (2019). teacher professional growth on assessment literacy: a case study of prevocational geography education in the netherlands. teacher educator, 54(4), 420– 445. https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730.2019.160637 3 bonner, s. m. (2013). validity in classroom assessment: purposes, properties, and principles. in j. h. mcmillan (ed.), sage handbook of research on classroom assessment (pp. 87–106). london: sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452218649.n6 brookhart, s. m. (2001). the standards and classroom assessment research. in paper presented at the annual meeting of the american association of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 385 colleges for teacher education (p. 15). dallas, tx.: eric document reproduction service no. ed451189. brown, h. d. (2018). language assessment principles and classroom practice (third). new york: pearson education. campbell, c. (2013). research on teacher competency in classroom assessment. in j. h. mcmillan (ed.), sage handbook of research on classroom assessment (pp. 71–84). https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452218649.n5 cheng, l., & fox, j. (2017). assessment in the language classroom. assessment in the language classroom. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-46484-2 cirocki, a., & anam, s. (2021). “how much freedom do we have?” the perceived autonomy of secondary school efl teachers in indonesia. language teaching research. . https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211007472 coombe, c., vafadar, h., & mohebbi, h. (2020). correction to: language assessment literacy: what do we need to learn, unlearn, and relearn? (language testing in asia, (2020), 10, 1, (3), 10.1186/s40468-020-00101-6). language testing in asia, 10(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-020-00114-1 crusan, d., plakans, l., & gebril, a. (2016). writing assessment literacy: surveying second language teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and practices. assessing writing, 28, 43–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2016.03.001 davies, a. (2008). textbook trends in teaching language testing. language testing, 25(3), 327– 347. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532208090156 deygers, b., & malone, m. e. (2019). language assessment literacy in university admission policies, or the dialogue that isn’t. language testing, 36(3), 347–368. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532219826390 earl, l. m. (2013). using assessment to motivate learning. in assessment as learning: using classroom assessment to maximize student learning (pp. 77–86). corwin press. edwards, f. (2017). the development of summative assessment literacy: an exploration of the experiences of beginner secondary science teachers in new zealand. the university of waikato. engelsen, k. s., & smith, k. (2014). assessment literacy. in designing assessment for quality learning (pp. 91–107). springer. fulcher, g. (2012). assessment literacy for the language classroom. language assessment quarterly, 9(2), 113–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2011.642041 harding, l., & kremmel, b. (2016). teacher assessment literacy and professional development. in handbook of second language assessment (pp. 413–427). germany: de gruyter mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781614513827-027 herrera, l., & macías, d. f. (2015). a call for language assessment literacy in the education and development of teachers of english as a foreign language. colomb. appl. linguist. j, 17(2), 302–312. https://doi.org/10.14483/udistrital.jour.calj.2015 .2.a09 hoaglin, d. c., iglewicz, b., & tukey, j. w. (1986). performance of some resistant rules for outlier labeling. journal of the american statistical association, 81(396), 991–999. https://doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1986.104783 63 inbar-lourie, o. (2008). constructing a language assessment knowledge base: a focus on language assessment courses. language testing, 25(3), 385–402. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532208090158 inbar-lourie, o. (2013). guest editorial to the special issue on language assessment literacy. language testing, 30(3), 301–307. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532213480126 jarr, k. a. (2012). education practitioners’ interpretation and use of assessment results. iowa research online. theses and dissertations, university of iowa. https://doi.org/10.17077/etd.35vh2oc1 jeong, h. (2013). defining assessment literacy: is it different for language testers and non-language testers? language testing, 30(3), 345–362. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532213480334 koh, k., burke, l. e. c. a., luke, a., gong, w., & tan, c. (2018). developing the assessment literacy of teachers in chinese language classrooms: a focus on assessment task design. language teaching research, 22(3), 264–288. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168816684366 lam, r. (2019). teacher assessment literacy: surveying knowledge, conceptions and practices of classroom-based writing assessment in hong kong. system, 81(1), 78 –89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.01.006 lazaraton, a. (2017). qaulitative methods of validation. in e. shohamy, i. g. or, & s. may (eds.), encyclopedia of language and education: language testing and assessment (pp. 211–224). cham, switzerland: springer. lopez, a., & bernal, r. (2009). language testing in colombia: a call for more teacher education and teacher training in language assessment. profile issues in teachers professional development, 11(2), 55–70. retrieved from http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_ arttext&pid=s1657-07902009000200005 luthfiyyah, r., & basyari, i. w. (2020). efl secondary teachers ’ assessment literacy : assessment conceptions and practices. journal syafi’ul anam & nanin verina widya putri how literate am i about assessment: evidence from indonesian efl pre-service and in-service teachers 386 on english as a foreign language, 10(2), 402– 421. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v10i2.2101 mertler, c. a. (2003). pre-service versus in-services teachers’ assessment literacy: does classroom experience make a difference? annual meeting of the mid-western educational research association, columbus, oh, 2–27. https://doi.org/10.1.1.556.4217&rep=rep1&type =pdf ministry of education and culture. (2020). freedom of learning in determination of student graduation and student admission (circular of no. 1, 2020). ministry of education and culture. national council on measurement in education (ncme), american federation of teachers (aft), national education association (nea). (1990). standards for teacher competence in educational assessment of students. educational measurement: issues and practice, 9(4), 30–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.17453992.1990.tb00391.x nemati, m., alavi, s. m., mohebbi, h., & masjedlou, a. p. (2017). teachers’ writing proficiency and assessment ability: the missing link in teachers’ written corrective feedback practice in an iranian efl context. language testing in asia, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-017-00530 pallant, j. (2016). survival manual: a step by step guide to data analysis using spss program. crows nest: nsw: allen & unwin. phillips, m. (2002). is “same” treatment “fair” treatment? in j. shulman, a. k. whittaker, & m. lew (eds.), using assessments to teach for understanding: a casebook for educators. new york: teachers college press. plake, b. s., impara, j. c., & fager, j. j. (1993). assessment competencies of teachers: a national survey. educational measurement: issues and practice, 12(4), 10–12. popham, w. j. (2001). the truth about testing: an educator’s call to action. ascd (association for supervision and curriculum development). popham, w. j. (2009). assessment literacy for teachers: faddish or fundamental? theory into practice, 48(1), 4–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405840802577536. qian, d. d. (2014). school-based english language assessment as a high-stakes examination component in hong kong: insights of frontline assessors. assessment in education: principles, policy & practice, 21(3), 251–270. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594x.2014.915207 stiggins, r. j. (1999). assessment, student confidence, and school success. phi delta kappan, 81(3), 191–198. tabachnick, b. g., & fidell, l. s. (2001). using multivariate statistics, ed. nh. boston: allyn & bacon, ma. tierney, r. d. (2010). insights into fairness in classroom assessment: experienced english teachers share their practical wisdom. doctoral dissertation university of ottawa (canada). tierney, r. d. (2013). fairness in classroom assessment. in j. h. mcmillan (ed.), sage handbook of research on classroom assessment (pp. 125–144). london: sage. tsagari, d., & vogt, k. (2017). assessment literacy of foreign language teachers around europe: research, challenges and future prospects. language testing and assessment, 6(1), 41–61. umam, a., & indah, y. a. (2020). exploring inservice teyl teachers’ assessment literacy : implication for continuing professional development. journal of english educators society, 5(1), 47–51. https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v5i1.364 vogt, k., & tsagari, d. (2014). assessment literacy of foreign language teachers: findings of a european study. language assessment quarterly, 11(4), 374–402. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2014.960046 weathington, b. l., cunningham, c. j. l., & pittenger, d. j. (2010). research methods for the behavioral and social sciences. john wiley & sons. willis, j., adie, l., & klenowski, v. (2013). conceptualising teachers’ assessment literacies in an era of curriculum and assessment reform. australian educational researcher, 40(2), 241– 256. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-013-0089-9 wise, s. l., lukin, l. e., & roos, l. l. (1991). teacher beliefs about training in testing and measurement. journal of teacher education, 42(1), 37–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/002248719104200106 xu, y., & brown, g. t. l. (2016). teacher assessment literacy in practice: a reconceptualization. teaching and teacher education, 58, 149–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.05.010 yan, x., zhang, c., & fan, j. j. (2018). “assessment knowledge is important, but …”: how contextual and experiential factors mediate assessment practice and training needs of language teachers. system, 74, 158–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2018.03.003 zhang, z., & burry-stock, j. (1997). assessment practices inventory: a multivariate analysis of teachers’ perceived assessment competency. paper presented at the annual meeting of the national council on measurement in education. chicago, illinois: eric. retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ed408333.pdf zolfaghari, f., & ahmadi, a. (2016). assessment literacy components across subject matters. cogent education, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2016.125256 1 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 387 zulaiha, s., & mulyono, h. (2020). exploring junior high school efl teachers ’ training needs of assessment literacy exploring junior high school efl teachers ’ training needs of assessment literacy. cogent education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.177294 3 zulaiha, s., mulyono, h., & ambarsari, l. (2020). an investigation into efl teachers’ assessment literacy: indonesian teachers’ perceptions and classroom practice. european journal of contemporary education, 9(1), 189–201. https://doi.org/10.13187/ejced.2020.1.189 syafi’ul anam & nanin verina widya putri how literate am i about assessment: evidence from indonesian efl pre-service and in-service teachers 388 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 311 the pre-service teachers’ reflection in english for young learners teaching practice kharisma naidi warnanda sabgini department of english language education faculty of teachers training and education, university of muhammadiyah malang, east java, indonesia e-mail: kharisma.naidi@umm.ac.id khoiriyah (corresponding author) department of english language education, faculty of teachers training and education, university of muhammadiyah malang, east java, indonesia e-mail: khoiriyah230693@umm.ac.id apa citation: sabgini, k. n. w., & khoiriyah, k. (2020). the pre-service teachers’ reflection in english for young learners teaching practice. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 311322. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.3028. received: 03-04-2020 accepted: 15-05-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: this study aimed to explore the use of self-reflection for the pre-service teachers (psts) in an english for young learners teaching practicum. through conducting classroom observation, semistructured interview, and document analysis, the result of this study revealed that psts are able to develop their teaching knowledge and teaching skills in term of classroom management, language pedagogy, and preparation trough having self-reflection. further, the usage of video recording provides self-critical and continuity for the pre-service teacher. teaching reflection is projected to improve the teaching practice. doing reflection in teaching practice is immensely important for professional development as student teachers are prepared to be a professional educator. as a result, the implication of this study will be further discussed. keywords: reflection; pre-service teacher; eyl teaching practice. introduction teacher must reflect their teaching practice. through reflection, he/she could self-evaluate what goes improper and what could be perfected from the teaching practice. therefore, it is paramount that the teacher reflects once the teaching practice ends. thus, based on the reflection, the teacher could improve at the sequence teaching practice. in other words, reflection is more of a process rather than a result. reflection has its roots on the constructivist approach. constructivist approach underlines the teacher to be aware toward their beliefs and views (ültanı 2012). the teacher reflects the teaching and learning process to conduct a fruitful learning experience as a part of education, teacher should maintain a continuum process of reflection (arslan 2019). in the process of reflection, the teacher could raise their awareness, personal, beliefs, and values that results, influences and is reflected in their professional teaching practice (marcosa, sanchez, and tillemab 2011). the term reflective practitioner is synonymous with the continuum process of reflection. reflection, as a part of the teacher’s lifelong learning professional development, is to enable the teacher to critique teaching process and make a better-informed teaching decision (larrivee 2000; pazhoman and sarkhosh 2019). in teaching practice, reflection refers to problemsolving that is the ability to look back in a critical and creative way, to analysis the task and also to look forward and make anticipatory planning during the teaching process (beauchamp 2015; chi 2010; mcalpine et al. 2004). for pre-service teachers, the purpose of the reflection is to evaluate what they have done to determine what changes might be made in the future. hence, there are advantages of being a reflective practitioner (leigh & bailey, 2013; nurmaulid, 2017). first, the teacher is aware of what the teacher actually does. second, it promotes collegial sharing as a means to enhance teacher collaborative learning. then, the teacher could gain insights to progress own teaching. next, doing reflection actually avoids burnout and saves time to prepare teaching. fifth, doing reflection is an affirmation to the current teaching practice. finally, doing reflection is the bridging gap between theory and practice. moreover, (fatemipour 2013; williamson, mears, and bustos 2015) mentions some tools of reflective teaching which are kharisma naidi warnanda sabgini & khoiriyah the pre-service teachers’ reflection in english for young learners teaching practice 312 categorized into three including formative feedback from learners, formative feedback from other teachers and self-generated sources of information. the tools are listed as follows: table 1. ways of gathering information for teachers’ reflection some tools of reflective teaching formative feedback from learners formative feedback from other teachers self-generated sources of information five-minute papers teacher assessment questionnaire dialogue journals written assessments student focus groups peer collaborations case interviews field notes and classroom ethnographies dialogue with supervisors observation schedules classroom observation video recording retrospective fieldnotes teaching journals lesson plan and lesson reporting as a matter of fact, the ministry of education and culture stated verbatim that the teacher should do reflection. the regulation of minister of national education no. 16: 2007 about teacher’s standard of academic and competence qualification is the legal basis of the notion. one of the core competences of being a teacher is that the teacher should do reflection. the teacher should do reflection continuously once the learning process finishes and apply the result of reflection to improve the sequence learning process. due to the fact that reflection is important, it is apparent that every teacher possess the ability to reflect their own teaching. regretfully, there are many teachers neglect the reflection phase due to confusion or simply are not accustomed to the practice (kim 2018; töman 2017). therefore, the principal step is to expose the teacher to reflection in the first place. moreover, for the pre-service teacher, who are on the initial step to teach and going to be the future of teacher, they need to be exposed to do the reflection. the objective is solely to train the pre-service teacher to be able to conduct selfreflection. clarke (2006) and clarke et al. (2014) argued that pre-service teacher is concerned about their teaching practice as to whether their teaching practice is effective. in the university, the pre-service teacher counts on the peers and the lecturer to give feedback or reflection about their teaching practice. once the pre-service teacher enrols in a classroom, the pre-service teacher is secluded from the peers and lecturer. on one hand, it is required for the pre-service teacher to reflect their teaching. meanwhile, on the other hand, the pre-service teacher has a limited access, even impossible, to gain feedback or reflection from their peers or lecturer. this issue calls an imperative action to train the pre-service teacher to self-reflect. as an endeavour to educate the pre-service teacher, the english for young learners (eyl) subject in the english language education department has equipped with a reflection phase in the teaching practice. every sunday morning that lasted for a semester, the pre-service teacher who takes eyl subject teaches young learners of english. the students of the eyl are 4 to 12 years old children. the teaching practice is lasted for 3 hours from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. the material in the teaching and learning process covers vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation, and very basic english skills. the lecturer of eyl supervises the teaching training to provide a written feedback. meanwhile, the pre-service teacher makes a video to record the teaching and learning process as a means to provide selfreflection at the end of the teaching training session. as zein (2017) argues that the larger emphasize attention in teaching young learners was on the young language learner rather than to the language itself. therefore, the pre-service teacher should pay attention to the development of child-friendly pedagogy. the pedagogy would not arise itself and pre-service teacher would not be able to achieve teaching expertise to reach children-friendly pedagogy without reflection (mergler and spooner-lane 2012; nilsson and karlsson 2019). further, güngör (2016) conducted a study about the pre-service teacher and the reflection practice. the objective of the study was to investigate whether the reflective practice can be promoted and how the practice contributes to the professional development, selfand peerreflection. the result of the study indicated that the reflective practice promoted self-correctness and self-decisions that leads to a better teaching english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 313 performance. then, the study provided a bridging gap between theory and practice between ideal and real teaching considerations. the study suggested that the pre-service teacher needs the encouragement to make video, journals, and selfreflection to develop critical reflective practice that leads to the professional development. however, the shortcoming of the study was the subject of the study involved the pre-service teacher neither had the experience of microteaching, internship, nor observed the young learners. beddal (2013) conducted a similar study that investigated the reflective practice in a training course for young learners’ teacher. the results pointed that the reflective practice had a significant effect on the research subject on the matter of practical technique and classroom management. the study claimed the research subject demonstrated a substantial positive progression during a limited training time. in other words, reflective could enhance teacher professional development program effectively in a short time. however, the study did not involve the pre-service teacher in a formal education setting. the subjects were mere a course participant. other previous researches are identified related to the reflection skill of pre-service teachers. halim et al. (2011) conducted research on examining the content of student teachers’ reflective thinking toward their teaching practice. student teachers were able to relate various aspects of teaching and learning such as 1) students’ enjoyment, achievement and diversity, 2) pedagogical practices, 3) peer coaching and 4) reflection to their day-to-day teaching. yet, this research is limited only two student teachers. meanwhile, santagata & guarino (2011) conducted action research by using recorded teaching video to develop pre-service teachers’ (psts) orientations. it aimed to enhance the knowledge and skills for analysing and reflecting mathematics teaching in ways they generated knowledge for improving their teaching technique. nonetheless, both studies suggested to conduct direct observation since some aspects of teaching and learning were not recorded well. although some previous researches are conducted for pre-service teachers, there is still a need to conduct a research regarding reflective process that is taken further to be incorporated into the actual teaching practice as it suggested by some previous studies (chee choy, yim, and sedhu 2019; liu 2015; salajan and duffield 2019; yalcin arslan 2019). hence, this research is intended to examine the reflection of teaching pts by having self-reflection and recorded teaching videos to gain more comprehensive insight from the pts teaching practice. by viewing videos of their teaching, pts become more aware not only of their embodied teaching techniques, but also of non-embodied aspects of teaching (e.g., pace of teaching, pedagogical decisions, classroom management, etc). those, more studies regarding the use of recorded teaching videos in reflection remains important. furthermore, although several studies related teaching and reflection have been conducted in indonesia (murtisari 2019; nurmaulid sakti 2017; yanuarti and treagust 2016; zulfikar and mujiburrahman 2018), those study are generally conducted in general education context. hence, this study will be the initial study that investigates reflection and teaching practice in english for young learners context. the use of video recording as an instrument to develop the preservice teacher self-reflection is investigated as well. in addition, the study will complete and perfecting the previous studies aforementioned. this study will investigate the subject who has experience in microteaching, internship, and observe young learners. finally, the subject of this study is the students of formal education in english language education department of a respectful private university. additionally, some practical suggestions regarding teaching reflective in eyl context will be addressed as well. method this study belongs to qualitative research since the main objective of this case study is to provide an in-depth, rich, and holistic description about the pre-service teacher’s reflection in their teaching experience, especially teaching english for young learners. the research involves 34 fourth-year students of eyl subject in the english department. they are 30 females and 4 males. the pre-service teacher chooses eyl subject as their elective course in which the elective course is offered since the semester 6, thus, there are three eyl courses across the undergraduate degree. the first two courses are intended to deepen the pedagogy of young leaner. then, at the last semester of eyl course is intended to give the pre-service teacher a teaching practice of young learners. the pre-service teacher has a weekly program of eyl that is conducted every sunday lasted for three hours. through this program, the respondents are required to record their teaching videos as well as kharisma naidi warnanda sabgini & khoiriyah the pre-service teachers’ reflection in english for young learners teaching practice 314 their lesson plan. further, they were also asked to join follow-up interview section in order to confirm some of the aspect of their teaching reflection. the researcher employs three techniques: observation, interview, and document analysis. the various techniques are intended to provide indepth analysis and to provide triangulation as a means of validity and reliability. meanwhile, the research instruments are video recording, semistructured interview guideline, and lesson plan. the usage of video recording is to provide the development of pre-service teacher as they study and reflect their own teaching practice. the researcher employs the video recording to distil the fact whether there is a development in the teaching practice based on the reflection. then, the semi-structured interview is intended to provide insight toward the development of the pre-service teacher according to their self. the researcher watched the video as well to develop the interview guide. finally, the lesson plan is intended whether the result of reflection is reflected in the lesson plan. in order to describe the reflection of preservice teacher in eyl, the researcher uses content analysis. it involves inductive analysis processes that are represented in three main phases including preparation, organizing and reporting (elo and kyngäs 2008). the assessment is the similar as the researcher give the preservice teacher to assess their own teaching practice. the video is watched numerous times to provide rich and depth data that are meaningful to the objective of the study. the video is also analysed to gather a similar theme and classify codes that are intended for systematic comparison method. the theme and codes then assigned to the interview and lesson plan until the data reaches saturation. hence, the concepts of reflection for pre-service teacher in teaching eyl are derived from the data in inductive content analysis. the examples in table 2 illustrate the reflection categories used in the analysis. further, to reach the validity of collected data, the researcher performs triangulation data. triangulation gives the results validity by combining multiple sources of data and methods. results and discussion prior to enlighten the extent of using selfreflection and video usage reflection to the preservice teaching practice, the researcher felt the urge of describing the problem in the classroom encountered by the pre-service teacher. once the problem identified, the pre-service teacher would be able to solve, develop, and perfecting their teaching practice. the researcher provided a table to present the theme and code found in the video. there were three themes and ten codes of problem. the comprehensive table is depicted in the table 2. meanwhile, the document analysis from lesson and video recording from the preservice teachers’ video recording and lesson plan as well as the data from the semi-structured interview were displayed into two sections below: the pre-service teachers’ reflection on the teaching practice, and their perception on the use of video recording to self-reflection. table 2. the list of code and theme no code theme 1 communication skill classroom management 2 confidence 3 being attentive 4 body language 5 voice 6 visual contact 7 knowledge of subject matter pedagogy 8 grammar and pronunciation 9 method and approach 10 material preparation the extent of pre-service teachers’ reflection on the teaching practice classroom management once the pre-service teacher watched their teaching practice, they could identify their weakness in their teaching practice. the most common identifications were in the teaching skills and classroom management. managing the space, the time, student’s engagement and participation are considered as the core element of classroom management (freeman et al. 2014; korkut 2017). moreover, in eyl teaching practice, even though the teaching practice is intended for english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 315 simulation as a part of learning process, the preservice teacher felt as if a real teaching. many teachers who do not receive adequate classroom management training feel unprepared to manage their student behaviours in their classrooms. they felt nervous, burdened, and depressed. one of the pre-service teachers admitted in the interview that: i was nervous at the time. teaching young learners is different from teaching junior high school like my internship experience. it is harder to manage the class. i just went along with the condition and had not had the time to look at my lesson plan and my time schedule had screwed up. i planned carefully for the teaching practice but when i face the young learners, i could not possibly implement it. it seems that i could not possibly focus on the entire class when all the children come to me and ask my help. i could not give a proper attention to the entire class. (it1_teacher#23) this finding is similar to the previous research (agustiana 2014; han, turgay and tulga 2019; peker 2009) highlighting the pre-service teachers’ anxiety in their teaching practicum. additionally, similar with the previous preservice teacher, there was another who admitted that their classroom management was not going well. the problem for this particular subject was her voice. she has a low voice and the students’ voice overwhelmed her. she had to scream her voice to grasp the young learners’ attention. she acknowledged that: the young learners would not listen to me. they were busy playing and doing something other than my instruction. it was like that i was not even there. maybe, i only instructed them once and in english. maybe, i should repeat my instruction or translate into bahasa indonesia, so they could understand. or, i could ask them whether they understand my instruction or not. and i think that my voice is not loud enough to say my instruction. i also noticed that sometimes i have wrong pronunciation. (it1_teacher#5) the pre-service teacher responsible as well toward their teaching practice (postholm 2012; walkington 2005; zein 2016). when they found their weaknesses, they did something about their weakness. they furnish their teaching practice based on the weaknesses they found. they did not accept the fact and give up about their teaching. identifying weakness and solve the problem indicated that they were responsible toward their teaching practice. as a part of lifelong learning and professional development, this attitude should be maintained throughout teacher’s life. finally, the pre-service teacher kept questioning their practice, actions, and attitude based on their wholeheartedness. they strived to keep improving their practice. they did not satisfy the current practice and would seek another alternate method, approach, or technique to make the teaching practice more effective for their teaching practice. wholeheartedness would allow the teacher to evaluate a problem for a different perspective (nurfaidah 2018; rodgers 2002). next, after doing self-reflection, the preservice teacher had successfully developed their confidence. she admitted that reflection helped him to develop his confidence as a part of his classroom management. she admitted: through reflection, i could see that my weakness is on my confidence. i was not confidence to speak in front of the children. i could not give the students warm-up activity because of this problem. i suddenly go to the main topic without giving the students greetings, pre-teaching, or apperception. therefore, it affected my presentation and material delivery. therefore, i try to develop my confidence, try to be calmer and relax in front of the students. (it2_teacher#17) besides, there were several pre-service teachers that admitted they should engage the young learners more in the teaching and learning process. they admitted that the learning approach and techniques they employed were lacking and needed more development. the young learners were easily distracted and bored, for the preservice teacher should be able to cope the problems (damar, gürsoy, and korkmaz 2013; uztosun 2018). one of them stated that: i get confused in the classroom. i think one technique did not suffice for the entire learning time. it seems that the children got bored with the technique and i need to do something about it. i prepared one activity and i thought it was going to enough for one meeting, but it was not. there was one time that there was nothing to do. the activity has finished and there was a lot of time left. i need to fill the time. i think my preparation was not enough. (it2_teacher#8) further, with the regards of classroom management, there was one pre-service teacher acknowledged that she did not give a proper attention. she also realized that she engaged in kharisma naidi warnanda sabgini & khoiriyah the pre-service teachers’ reflection in english for young learners teaching practice 316 more repetitive instruction rather than using body language. when she realized her shortcoming, she stated that: watching my teaching practice video made me realize that i was too focus on one place. i did not move as often as i should. i should have been moving from one place to another place and give proper attention to all the young learners. i also did not give them a proper feedback. therefore, maybe the students seemed to be bit boring in my class. when i move around the class and give them enough attention, they are all active and the teaching process runs well. besides, i used to instruct the students more using words or sentence. when the students did not understand, i directly translate it into bahasa indonesia. i realized that this was not a good instruction, because i speak bahasa. the young learners should hear more english rather than bahasa. so, i changed from translating into body language and gesture. i conclude that the students learn more when i use body language or gesture. for example, when i instructed them to sit, and i translate into indonesia they understand, but when i repeat the instruction for the second time with the same instruction, they did not understand. when i use body language and gesture, the second time i instructed them, they understand. (it1_teacher#22) based on saturated data, the main problems for the pre-service teacher were classroom management. this result is in line with the previous studies conducted by keser & yavuz (2018); peters (2012); and sueb (2013). the problem was acceptable since the pre-service teacher barely had a teaching experience. the only teaching experience they had was the internship. the arising classroom management problem called an immediate solution. thus, the pre-service teacher could solve the classroom management problem prior they had their handson real-world teaching. a mere fact that they had not had the experience should be made into an excuse. the pre-service teacher should be more than ready to take any challenge in the real-world teaching problem, particularly classroom management. in order to speed up their experience, the pre-service teacher should be taught how to manage the classroom well. therefore, self-reflection is a viable solution. self-reflection serves as doublesided blade. the pre-service teacher could criticize what they had done based on what have been learned. furthermore, training the preservice reflection would benefit them in the future. reflection is a part of professional development when teacher should do it overtime. in the future, there may be none available to criticize and evaluate their teaching practice. train them to self-reflect will train them to selfevaluate and self-critical about themselves. pedagogy despite the fact that there were numbers of shortcomings, none of the pre-service teacher complained about their subject matter. the entire pre-service teachers were confident regarding their subject mastery matter. however, there were some of the pre-service teacher expressed their uncertainties about their material design. one of them stated that: i should have made my flash card more colourful and bigger so the students who sat in the back can see the picture clearly and also attract their attention. i think my material is not interesting and too difficult. as a result, the students are not interested enough in my presentation. i also did not provide the vocabulary on my flashcard when i should have put the vocabulary in it. (it1_teacher#16) after analysing their teaching videos and having self-reflection, it was indicated that the pre-service teachers were able to develop their teaching practice. the most noticeable development was that the pre-service teachers’ pedagogy theme in proficiency and grammar code. they made a fewer mistake in grammar and pronunciation. based on the better pronunciation and grammar, one of the pre-service teachers acknowledged that: i did not realize that i have a lot of misspelled pronunciation. by doing self-reflection, i could identify my weakness. once i identified my pronunciation as my weakness, i tried so hard to correct my pronunciation. i even tried to speak as the native does. i believe that the young learners should be exposed to the correct form of pronunciation. if i do it wrong, the young learners may bring them for their live. it will be hard to correct their pronunciation. i have to do it right. i also try to ask the students to repeat the pronunciation after me to train their pronunciation and help them to remember the vocabulary. (it1_teacher#2) in spite of many weaknesses spotted, there were several pre-service teachers that noticed their strength. through reflection, they made their teaching practice better. moreover, they improve their teaching practice based on their strength. one of them stated that: english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 317 i like my teaching practice. the one in particular is my flash card. i think my flash cards is perfect. they are colourful, sturdy, and clear. the activity that i planned along with the flash cards also runs well. the students engaged in the activity actively and i gave them a good feedback. therefore, in the next meeting, i tried to make my flash cards better than perfect and i try to keep my performance. (it1_teacher#11) the pre-service teacher demonstrated three integral parts of reflection, open-mindedness, responsibility, and wholeheartedness. the preservice teacher opened their mind about their weaknesses. they opened to the idea that their teaching practice had many shortcomings and they were ready make their teaching practice better. the fact that they saw their weakness in teaching and committed to improve their teaching practice. the fact that they accepted questioned, and criticized their own teaching underlined that they a step closer to become a reflective practitioner. being open-mindedness was not easy. they must not be an idealist. they must accept and realize that their teaching practice needed an evaluation and far from perfect. to sum up, the pre-service teacher experienced a meaningful, hands-on, real teaching experience. they taught the young learner as well as to practice a professional development. a reflective teacher means that enable to be critical about one’s own teaching. there are many questions arise in teaching and they need to be answered, whether the method implemented is appropriate, whether the feedback given is sufficient, whether the explanation is comprehensible. answering the questions without any practical basis or empirical evidence and merely rely on experience will establish ineffective teaching. being reflective teacher means, first, heuristically solve the problem based on the fact in the classroom, based on the theory, and based on the empirical evidence. second, they are attentive to the institutional and cultural contexts in which they teach. third, they take part in curriculum development and involve in school development. fourth, they take responsibility of their own professional development (mathew, mathew, and peechattu 2017; salajan and duffield 2019). preparation the apparent findings were the pre-service teacher could differentiate their teaching practice before and after having teaching reflection. the self-reflection helped the pre-service teacher to criticize, evaluate, and improve their teaching practice, especially for preparing their teaching materials. the majority of the pre-service teacher acknowledged that doing reflection is useful as well as important to their teaching practice development. one of them admitted that: doing reflection is important. i could evaluate my teaching practice such as my teaching media, the materials and exercises for my students. reflection allows me to be more critical about myself. there are many mistakes that i did in my teaching practice. doing reflection helps me to correct my mistake. what i like the most about reflection is that i do not feel embarrassed. when my teacher corrects my teaching practice, my teacher writes it down on my assessment sheet and sometimes i do not realize that i make the mistake, or i cannot understand what my teacher is writing. the teacher did not give clear feedback and i cannot improve my teaching practice. therefore, doing reflection is helpful. (it2_teacher#8) the pre-service teachers were able to evaluate their teaching practice based on the empirical evidence. the video-recording is a paramount instrument for them to be able to question, criticize, evaluate, respond, and prepare their teaching practice and make their teaching practice to be better. the process of reflection is a neverending process (özen, raşit and öztürk 2016). this is a part of long-life learning the stage of reflection done by the pre-service teacher was in line with the schon’s theory (1984) of reflective practice (chee et al. 2019; slade et al. 2019). reflection takes place before, during, and after the teaching. before teaching means that teacher prepare and plan the entire teaching instrument related in place in order to establish a fruitful learning experience. during teaching means that the teacher implements the teaching instrument based on the plan. after teaching means that the teacher evaluates the teaching practice and prepare for the next teaching. figure 1. the phases for teaching reflection kharisma naidi warnanda sabgini & khoiriyah the pre-service teachers’ reflection in english for young learners teaching practice 318 the extent of pre-service teachers’ perception on the use of video recording to self-reflection the pre-service teachers had generally positive attitude toward the usage of video recording for self-reflection. the students expressed numbers of opinion toward the extent of video recording for their self-reflection. the most notable findings from the interview were presented as follows: video recording made me feel secure. at first, i thought that my performance would be seen by the entire class with my teacher. there, my teaching would be evaluated by my teacher and my friend. it would be a huge embarrassment. my friend could make a very mean comment and i would be very disheartened. however, my teacher asked to video the teaching and learning process and evaluate our own teaching instead. i was relieved, i am not confidence in my teaching. (it2_teacher#4) the pre-service teacher expressed her worried about doing feedback of teaching practice in the classroom. she was not happy with her teaching practice and if the teacher decided to make the feedback session in the classroom, she would be distraught. furthermore, she was anxious about the possibility of having her friend make a harsh comment about her teaching practice. further, the video-recording allowed the preservice teacher to be self-reflect. the necessity of using video recording as an instrument to selfreflect has been admitted (coffey 2014). the preservice teacher is trained to be more critical on their self. orlova (2009) stated that through video recording, the pre-service teacher will be motivated since they are not mere focus on their teaching pedagogy implementation. the preservice teacher will also examine their nonverbal side of their teaching. the pre-service teacher will also focus on their communicative competence, language proficiency, language functions, and the interaction built between teacher and student. there was another remark expressed about using video recording in self-reflection. this particular pre-service teacher admitted that using video recording for self-reflection could implement what has been learned and train the pre-service teacher to be more critical of their teaching practice. the best part about video recording is that i could be very critical about my own teaching. i can implement what i learned in the classroom and evaluate what i did based on the theory that i had learned. i became critical to myself. from the video recording, i also can prepare a better material for the next meeting. for example, i made a very bad material that my students cannot understand. by watching the video, i can avoid the mistake in the next meeting. i also can avoid repetitive mistake. for example, i did not greet the students when opening the class, i can avoid this mistake in the future mistake by remind myself about the mistake i made in the previous meeting. (it1_teacher#22) employing video recording is beneficial to train the pre-service teachers’ analytical skill as well. it is in line with the previous findings by murtisari (2019). she found that self-reflect using video recording makes the pre-service teacher more analytical, focus more on attention to the classroom management issue, teaching pedagogy, and language issue of the pre-service teacher rather than a general, descriptive and personal feelings issue. it is also supported by (brouwer 2015; dayan et al. 2015; tripp and rich 2012; xiao and tobin 2018). video recording allows the pre-service teacher to be more scientific, basing a judgement based on truth and evidence, and posing a clarification using facts in the field rather than using personal feeling and baseless assumption to evaluate and criticize. aforementioned, the pre-service teacher will more critical toward their self when using videorecording self-reflection. self-critical train the pre-service teacher to self-awareness and to be idealist. they will pursue the perfect and keep perfecting their self and their teaching practice for the better students and their self. the pre-service teacher will not satisfy with their current teaching practice. they will criticize their self and seek the solution of their teaching shortcomings. furthermore, the effect of employing video recording to self-reflect is beyond and bigger that a mere self-critical. through video recording, the pre-service teacher will be able to do self-reflect by their self in the future. when the pre-service teacher goes to the real world of teaching, when no one looks at their practice, the pre-service teacher will be able to do self-reflect. reflection is an important aspect of teaching and a part of long-life learning. when a teacher stops reflecting, the teaching practice is questionable. therefore, it is important to be able to self-reflect without help from colleagues. the video recording provides the solution. moreover, the video recording provides an immediate solution to the pre-service teacher reflection. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 319 conclusion there is a great extent of reflection toward the teaching practice of the pre-service teacher. there are numerous improvements in the teaching practice of the pre-service teacher once they implement reflection in their teaching process. thus, reflection should be trained, taught, implemented in every aspect of teaching and learning process specifically for the pre-service teacher. as a matter of fact, the pre-service teacher develops their competencies greatly through reflection. the pre-service teacher learns many things through reflection which are not taught in the classroom. the next problem should be addressed is the extent of using video recording for self-reflect. the pre-service teacher should be able to selfreflect in the future as a means of long-life learning. the pre-service teacher should realize that they need to strive for the perfection of teaching and keep developing their teaching skill. video recording provides a self-critical and continuity for the pre-service teacher to develop their self in the future when there is no colleague, lecturer, or supervisor to advise them, correct them. acknowledgement we thank all eyl four-year students of english department who were taking part to this research. further, this project was supported by direktorat penelitian dan pengabdian kepada masyarakat (dppm), university of muhammadiyah malang. references agustiana, v. (2014). pre-service teachers anxiety during teaching practicum.” english review: journal of english education 2(2), p.1–9. beauchamp, c. (2015). reflection in teacher education: issues emerging from a review of current literature. reflective practice 16(1), p.123–41. brouwer, n. (2015). video-based reflection on teaching : what makes it effective ? video-based reflection on teaching: what makes it effective? orbis scholae 9(2), p.139–44. chee, c.s., yim, j. s. c., & sedhu, d. s. (2019). preservice teachers’ reflection on reflective practices: a malaysian perspective. universal journal of educational research 7(12), p. 18–26. chi, f. (2010). reflection as teaching inquiry, examples from taiwanese in‐service teachers. reflective practice: international and multidisciplinary perspectives 11(2), p.171–83. clarke, a. (2006). the nature and substance of cooperating teacher reflection. teaching and teacher education 22(7), 910–921. clarke, a, valerie triggs, & nielsen, w. (2014). cooperating teacher participation in teacher education: a review of the literature. vol. 84. coffey, anne, m. (2014). “using video to develop skills in reflection in teacher education students.” australian journal of teacher education 39(9), p.86–97. damar, ebru, a., esim, g., & şule, ç. k. (2013). teaching english to young learners: through the eyes of efl teacher trainers. elt research journaljournal international association of research in foreign language education and applied linguistics elt research journal 2(3), p.95–110. dayan, leah, alain, b., gyeong, m. h., & lei, n. (2015). “use of video records of classroom practices to support teacher reflection in a professional learning network.” proceedings of edmedia: world conference on educational media and technology 2015. p.1100–1109. elo, satu, & helvi, k. (2008). the qualitative content analysis process. journal of advanced nursing 62(1), 107–15. fatemipour, h. (2013). the efficiency of the tools used for reflective teaching in esl contexts.” procedia social and behavioral sciences 93, p.1398–1403. freeman, jennifer, brandi, s., donald, e. b., & ashley, s. macsuga-gage. (2014). pre-service teacher training in classroom management. teacher education and special education: the journal of the teacher education division of the council for exceptional children 37(2), p.106– 20. güngör, m. n. (2016). “turkish pre-service teachers’ reflective practices in teaching english to young learners.” australian journal of teacher education 41(2), p.137–51. halim, lilia, nor, a. b., & t. subahan, m. m. (2011). guiding student teachers to be reflective. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 18, 544–550. han, t., & tulga, a. t. (2019). an analysis of the preservice teachers’ teaching anxiety and coping strategies: a turkish elementary school context. gist education and learning research journal 19, p.49–83. keser, kubra, & fatih, y. (2018). “classroom management problems pre-service teachers encounter in elt.” cypriot journal of educational sciences 13(4), p.511–20. kim, m. k. (2018). “pre-service teachers’ reflective journal writing on practicum : focus of reflection and perceptions.” modern english education 19(2), p.30–41. korkut, p. (2017). “classroom management in preservice teachers’ teaching practice demo lessons: a comparison to actual lessons by inservice english teachers.” journal of education and training studies 5(4),1. kharisma naidi warnanda sabgini & khoiriyah the pre-service teachers’ reflection in english for young learners teaching practice 320 larrivee, b. (2000). “transforming teaching practice: becoming the critically reflective teacher.” reflective practice 1(3), p.293–307. leigh, j. & bailey, r. (2013). “reflection, reflective practice and embodied reflective practice.” body, movement and dance in psychotherapy 8(3), p.160–71. liu, k. (2015). “critical reflection as a framework for transformative learning in teacher education.” educational review 67(2), p.135–57. marcosa, juanjo, m., emilio, s., & harm, h. t. (2011). “promoting teacher reflection: what is said to be done.” journal of education for teaching 37(1), p.21–36. mathew, priya, prasanth, m., & j. peechattu. (2017). reflective practices: a means to teacher development. asia pacific journal of contemporary education and communication technology issn(3), p.2205–6181. mcalpine, lynn, cynthia, w., denis, b., gail, fairbank-roch, & michele, o. (2004). reflection on teaching: types and goals of reflection. educational research and evaluation 10(4– 6):337–363. mergler, amanda, g., & rebecca, spooner-lane. (2012). what pre-service teachers need to know to be effective at values-based education. australian journal of teacher education, 37(8), 66–81. murtisari, e. t. (2019). the use of video-based reflection to facilitate pre-service. indonesian journal of english language teaching. 14(october):147–165. nilsson, pernilla, & göran, k. (2019). capturing student teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (pck) using cores and digital technology. international journal of science education 41(4), 419–47. nurfaidah, s. (2018). three attitudes of a reflective teacher. research and innovation in language learning, 1(1), 39. nurmaulid, s. w. o. (2017). reflective teaching in the english teaching and learning process at sma negeri 5 kendari. journal of english education. 426–34. orlova, natalia. 2009. “video recording as a stimulus for reflection in pre-service efl teacher training.” english teaching forum 47, p30-35. özen, r., & öztürk, d. s. (2016). the relationship between pre-service teachers’ lifelong learning tendencies and teaching profession anxiety levels. universal journal of educational research, 4(12a), 7–15. pazhoman, hamzeh, & mehdi, s. (2019). the relationship between iranian english high school teachers’ reflective practices, their self-regulation and teaching experience. international journal of instruction 12(1), p.995–1010. peker, m. (2009). pre-service teachers’ teaching anxiety about mathematics and their learning styles. eurasia journal of mathematics, science and technology education, 5(4), 335–345. peters, j. (2012). are they ready? final year preservice teachers’ learning about managing student behaviour. australian journal of teacher education, 37(9), 18–42. postholm, m. b. (2012). teachers’ professional development: a theoretical review.” educational research, 54(4), 405–29. rodgers, c. (2002). defining reflection: another look at john dewey and reflective thinking.” teachers college record, 104(4), 842–866. salajan, f. d., & stacy, k. d. (2019). enhancing preservice teachers’ professional practice through reflection on the action of others: the development of the heterospective reflection framework informed by virtual field experiences. teacher educator, 54(4), 333–58. santagata, rossella, & jody, g. (2011). “using video to teach future teachers to learn from teaching.” zdm international journal on mathematics education, 43(1), 133–45. slade, m. l., tammy, b., sarah, m. c., & tammy, w. (2019). the impact of reflective practice on teacher candidates’ learning. international journal for the scholarship of teaching and learning 13(2). sueb, r. (2013). pre-service teachers’ classroom management in secondary school: managing for success in teaching and learning. procedia social and behavioral sciences 90(incult 2012, 670–76. töman, u. (2017). investıgatıon of reflectıve teachıng practıce effect on traınıng development skılls of the pre-servıce teachers.journal of education and training studies 5(6), 232. tripp, t. r., & peter j. r. (2012). the in fl uence of video analysis on the process of teacher change. teaching and teacher education 28(5):728–39. ültanı, e. (2012). an epistemological glance at the constructivist approach: constructivist learning in dewey, piaget, and montessori. international journal of instruction 5(2):195–212. uztosun, m. s. (2018). “professional competences to teach english at primary schools in turkey: a delphi study.” european journal of teacher education 41(4):549–65. walkington, j. (2005). becoming a teacher: encouraging development of teacher identity through reflective practice. asia-pacific journal of teacher education 33(1), p.53–64. williamson, a. m., ann, m., & charlene, b. (2015). reflection tools in teacher education classes: an analysis of implementation in online, hybrid, and traditional environments. turkish online journal of educational technology, 14(2):138–43. xiao, b., & joseph, t. (2018). “the use of video as a tool for reflection with preservice teachers.” journal of early childhood teacher education 39(4):328–45. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 321 yalcin, a. f. (2019). “reflection in pre-service teacher education: exploring the nature of four efl pre-service teachers’ reflections.” reflective practice 20(1):111–24. yanuarti, endah, & david, f. t. (2016). reflective teaching practice (teachers’ perspectives in an indonesia context).” 1st upi international conference on sociology education (2):280–84. zein, m. s. (2017). professional development needs of primary efl teachers: perspectives of teachers and teacher educators. professional development in education, 43(2), 293–313. zein, s. (2016). factors affecting the professional development of elementary english teachers. professional development in education 42(3), 423–40. zulfikar, teuku, & mujiburrahman. (2018). understanding own teaching: becoming reflective teachers through reflective journals. reflective practice, 19(1):13. kharisma naidi warnanda sabgini & khoiriyah the pre-service teachers’ reflection in english for young learners teaching practice 322 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 121 translation of the relational values of euphemistic expressions into english from indonesian literary work ahdi riyono department of language education, postgraduate studies, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: ahdariyono_pb13s3@mahasiswa.unj.ac.id emzir department of language education, postgraduate studies, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: emzir@unj.ac.id ninuk lustyantie department of language education, postgraduate studies, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: ninuk.lustyantie@unj.ac.id apa citation: riyono, a., emzir, & lustyantie, n. (2019). translation of the relational values of euphemistic expressions into english from indonesian literary work. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 121-128. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2092. received: 21-09-2019 accepted: 26-11-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: this research is to describe the forms and translation techniques of euphemism in the rendering of the dancer novel by rené ta lysloff. the researcher used a qualitative method with a content analysis technique. the data of research are in the forms of clauses containing expressions of euphemism. the data source was taken from ronggeng dukuh paruk (rdp) novel and its translation of the dancer. the result showed that there were 35 data (83.3%) of the euphemism forms of translated into euphemisms, and only 7 data (16,7%) of euphemisms were translated into other forms. the techniques used include single, duplet, and triplet techniques. the conclusions of the research showed that there were shifts in ideological forms and values of the translated novel. keywords: translation; euphemistic expressions; ronggeng dukuh paruk; the dancer. introduction at present, translation research does not only focus on lexical or grammatical equivalences but also focuses on factors that can influence the translator to make decisions when having difficulties in the translation process. one of these factors is ideology. hatim & mason (1997) say that some factors, for instance, politeness, power, and ideology have roles in the selection of decisions emerging from the smallest element of language to the largest element of language. the ideological term has two contradictory understandings. positively, ideology is perceived as worldviews that state the values of certain social groups to defend, maintain and advance their interests, whereas negatively, ideology is viewed from false consciousness, namely a need to commit fraud by distorting people's understanding of reality. in a discourse, ideology is usually manifested or coded in linguistic elements, including lexical, grammatical, and textual elements. in the lexical aspect, ideology can be realized in relational values related to euphemistic expressions. these expressions aim to refine the real reality. euphemism is used to avoid something directly with educational goals. but it can also be misused to cover up the lack of political expression (darma, 2009; fairclough, 1989). there have been several previous studies that were used as references in this study, including mansourabadi and karimnia (2012) this research had a purpose to reveal differences in ideology between hoseini’ s novel a thousand splendid suns and the novel and two translations in persian by ganji and soleimani, and ghebrai. fairclough maintained that ideology in discourse is encoded in the lexical, grammatical, and textual items and changes in these items indicate different ideologies. hence, lexical choices of the sourcebook and the two translations were analyzed based on fairclough's approach to investigating the differences of ideology between them. the results of chi-square showed that there were no ideological differences between the original text and its two translations. furthermore, the translator selected similar ahdi riyono, emzir, & ninuk lustyantie translation of the relational values of euphemistic expressions into english from indonesian literary work 122 vocabularies for representing the ideology of the source text author. another study is written by anggraini & himmawati (2017) entitled “translation equivalence of swearword in the walking dead comic”. this study by using the theory of bell (1991) was to analyze how the equivalence of swearwords translation based on its translation technique proposed by davoodi (2009). this research found that all of the techniques are used to translate swearword, they were censorship technique, substitution technique, taboo for taboo technique, and euphemism technique. the translation result also has a shift of form, the shift of meaning, and the theme. the study of shehab, qodan, & hussein (2014) examines the role context plays in determining the translation strategies pursued by translators of arabic euphemisms into english. due to different cultural backgrounds, adherence to the employment of euphemism in a social context may differ in both arabic and english. while some situations call for the use of euphemism in one culture, the other culture finds no point in using such euphemisms for such situations; preserving the original arabic euphemisms when rendered into english, in this case, could lead to misunderstanding and may deprive the source language (sl) from a cultural trait. the study derives evidence from 11 arabic euphemistic expressions taken from five literary masterpieces written by the egyptian novelist and noble prize winner najib mahfouz, and it looks into the english translation of these euphemisms. the present study attempts to advance the proposition that arabic euphemisms in their context exhibit fluctuating, unstable meaning, which emanates from various contextual factors such as speakers, addressees, shared knowledge and background information, and hence, these factors combined dictate on translators the chosen transference strategies. then the study of meilasari, nababan, & djatmika (2016) entitled translation analysis of euphemism and dysphemism expressions found in online bbc news. this research is descriptive qualitative in nature with a single embedded case. the data of the research are all euphemism and dysphemism expressions found in 20 bbc news texts and their translations. the data collecting method applied in this research are document analysis, questionnaire, and focus group discussion. while the data analysis technique used in spradley’s ethnographic method. most of the euphemism dan dysphemism expressions are translated by maintaining those expressions in the target text. english dysphemisms rendered into indonesian ones are 50% data, and 25% data of euphemism expressions transferred into indonesian euphemism. the established equivalence technique is the more translation techniques used. based on previous research conducted by researchers, there are some gaps or problems that can be examined more deeply than previous research. some of the previous studies examined euphemism from political discourse, regional language, and stylistics in political and novel news discourses. however, the study of euphemism on the indonesian novel and its english in terms of fairclough’s ideological is more interesting than the previous studies. because it explores a euphemism in the context of local culture. a novel is a work in which it uses beautiful language. in adult novels, there are often found refinement of words that have vulgar meanings and taboos that can affect the acceptability of a novel. refinement also often occurs in translations of novels that are related to the existing culture. in this study, researchers chose the ronggeng dukuh paruk novel (2012) and its translation (2012). several things make researchers interested in examining the euphemism in the novel. first, the novel is a reflection of the author's ideology. ahmad tohari's novel rdp is famous for its portrayal and defense of the lives of small people, especially in rural areas. besides, the rdp novel has received many awards from literary lovers in indonesia and internationally. second, this novel has been published in various languages in the world, including in english. after reading the rdp text and the translation it was found that there were many euphemisms used to express certain meanings. moreover, according to (fairclough, 1989), the use of euphemism can be used to uncover the ideology of writers and translators. therefore, this is where researchers are interested in researching more about the ideology that is reflected in the use of euphemism and the way it is translated. from the use of euphemism, the theory says that ideology is seen from the use of lexical choices, especially its euphemism and its translation, as well as the translation of euphemisms and their equivalence. then, this research explores the kinds of euphemistic expression forms rendered into english, and how to achieve correspondence as well as equivalence chosen by the translator. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 123 euphemism term comes from the greek word the meaning of euphemizein is the use of words with appropriate senses or good-faith (keraf, 2004). the euphemistic expression is an expression of language that softens the actual reality. according to larson (1984, 1989), euphemism is a figure of speech that is similar to metonymy, namely the replacement of a word or phrase with another word or phrase. however, as beekman and callow (1974) cited by larson ( 1984, 1989); anita, nababan, santosa, & wibowo (2019) that euphemism used to avoid expressions that may offend people, who are not socially acceptable, or unpleasant. correspondingly keraf asserts that like the style, the language of euphemism is a reference in the form of expressions that do not offend or suggest something unpleasant (keraf, 2004). also, allan and burridge (1991) define euphemism as alternatives to dispreferred expressions and is used to avoid possible loss of face. the dispreferred expression may be taboo, fearsome, distasteful, or for some other reason has too many negative connotations to felicitously execute a speaker's communicative intention on a given occasion. the above definition, it should be noted, takes an explicit account of the face loss, the basic to euphemism. concerning this point, farghal (1995) cited by (shehab, qadan, & hussein, 2014) said that the face notion is the main factor to comprehend the speaker's meaning and subsequently the lexical correlates in his/her utterances. hence, it is not only important in choosing our utterances, but also in understanding the meaning of these utterances. with another language, the expression is euphemistically used to avoid anything directly with the goal of educational value. however, this euphemistic expression is often misused in political discourse to cover the shortfall expressions. it is also revealed by wijana that euphemism usage of the word or other forms to avoid any form of restrictions or taboo in the language (wijana & rohmadi 2008). all languages in the world have euphemistically expressions, especially in the realm of sexual activities, death and the supernatural (larson, 1984, 1989), for example; (1) ayahnya sudah tak ada di tengah-tengah mereka (= mati). her father was not there in the middle of them (= death). (2) pikiran sehatnya semakin merosot akhirakhir ini (= gila). his senses slump lately (= mad). jews, for example, uses the word of surga (heaven) to avoid using the name of allah or god directly. most languages have a way to say mati/ die, without using words that have a primary meaning of death. english uses the word pass away, indonesian uses the word death, passed away, back to the bosom of god, etc., using the hebrew language to the father gone, gone to sleep or is sleeping (larson, 1984, 1989). the speaker's choice for euphemism is seemingly meant to soften their face, that of the audience or some third party by softening negative connotations or including positive ones, as allan and burridge (1991) indicate. it should be emphasized that the use of euphemistic language reveals much about the speaker relations among speakers, addressees or some third parties. this may be true mainly because the speaker’s choice for euphemism is deliberate. for instance, a speaker may intentionally resort to using emotive euphemistic expressions to highlight the intended meaning to be conveyed through codes, since euphemism is generally associated with positive emotiveness. in the rendering of euphemism, the translator must also choose a phrase that in the form of euphemism is also comparable (larson, 1984, 1989; suryawinata & hariyanto, 2003), euphemism in this sl can be a literal translation of euphemism of sl if it has a figurative meaning closeness. only if he had any, euphemisms can be replaced with words that have the same literal meaning. the following are examples of translating sentences that use euphemisms (suryawinata & hariyanto, 2003); bs: ibunya telah berpulang tiga tahun yang lalu. bt: his mother passed away three years ago. (tl changed to euphemism.). bs: putra pak bupati terganggu jiwanya bt: the regent's son is mentally imbalanced. (euphemism bs euphemism replaced with the equivalent of bt). bs: he is a little slow. bt: ia sedikit lambat (euphemism bs translated literally to bt.). bs: she is not feeling well. bt: ia sedikit tak enak badan. the linguists of the summer institute of linguistics provides an important record if translated phrase euphemism (barnwell, 1980); a) keep alert to recognize when a euphemism is being used in the source text. if the source ahdi riyono, emzir, & ninuk lustyantie translation of the relational values of euphemistic expressions into english from indonesian literary work 124 language is not your mother tongue, make sure that you have understood the actual meaning, as distinct from the surface meaning of the words. b) be sensitive to the cultural conventions of the receptor culture. sometimes euphemism in the original text (st) can be transferred directly into the target language. sometimes euphemism in st must be translated into the target language euphemism (tt), but different in the forms despite having a meaning in line with tt. sometimes something that is referred to by st may be translated into the tt euphemism to avoid sensitive phrases in the reader’s culture. in the same expression larson (1984) explains that euphemism will often need to be translated by a comparable euphemism in the receptor language. the important thing is for the translator to recognize the euphemism nature of the source language expression and then translate with an appropriate and acceptable expression of the receptor language whether euphemistic or not. method this research focuses on describing the forms and techniques of translation of euphemism in the translation of the dancer novel by rené ta lysloff. this study used qualitative methods with the content analysis technique. the data in this research was taken from clauses containing euphemistic expressions of the dancer, an english version (tohari, 2012b), and the original one, ronggeng dukuh paruk (rdp) (tohari, 2012a). the note-taking technique was employed in collecting the data, in which firstly, they were read several times. secondly, the euphemistic expressions were noted and finally classified into types of translations. results and discussion the use of euphemisms in the literary text of the ronggeng dukuh paruk novel is closely related to the ideology adopted by the text writer, namely ahmad tohari and the translator, lysloff. tohari wants to show his appreciation for humanity universally by replacing taboo, rude, or disrespectful words with a form of euphemism. however, in translating the text into english, sometimes, lysloff is contrary to the ideology of the source text writer. this is evidenced by the existence of several shifts in number and form of euphemism expressions in the tt. these indicated that there are some ideological shifts in the tt. table 1 explains that the translation of euphemisms into euphemisms in english is 35 data (83.3%). this shows that there are some forms of euphemism in source languages that are not rendered into euphemism in the target text (tt). the forms consist of 7 data (16.7%). the existence of these differences indicates that there is a shift in the different forms of st. the following is a discussion of each translation form of euphemism. table 1. relational values of euphemistic expressions in rdp and translated novel of the dancer relational values of euphemistic expressions frequency ∑ percentage % euphemism->euphemism 35 83,3% euphemism-> non-euphemism 7 16,7% total 42 100% translating euphemism into euphemism [sample 1] st : tanpa terganggu oleh jerit dan tangis, maut terus menjemput orang-orang dukuh paruk. (p. 29). tt : undeterred by screams and mourning, death called upon the people of paruk. (p.27). the clause 'maut terus menjemput orangorang dukuh paruk in the [sample1] of st is a form of expression of euphemism. the verb of menjemput with the subject of maut, a form of smoothing meaning of the death continuing to fall due to the eating of tempe bongkrek. it showed that the association of menjemput has a positive meaning. the word of menjemput on [data 1] was translated into english by the word called upon. in the cambridge advanced learner's dictionary, the word call upon is to visit someone, especially to sell them something. this implies that the word call upon also associated with something positive. thus, the use of the word call upon in the tt inline in the form of a menjemput word in the expression context. it is in conjunction with what larson maintains that the translator must also choose a phrase that in the form of euphemism is also comparable https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/visit https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/especially https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/sell english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 125 (larson, 1984, 1989; suryawinata & hariyanto, 2003). [sample 2] st : dalam tempat tidur ini kelak srintil akan diwisuda oleh laki-laki yang memenangkan sayembara (p. 52). tt : in this bed, srintil would be deflowered by the man who won the contest. (p.52). the word of diwisuda contained in the [sample 2] of st is derived from the root word wisuda. the lexical meaning of the wisuda, according to big indonesian dictionary (kamus besar bahasa indonesia) is the dedication or inauguration with a solemn ceremony. in the context of the sentence in [data 2] the word of wisuda is a kind of euphemism of those who win the virginity contest to have a sexual intercourse with the candidate of ronggeng dancer, srintil, in the eve of bukak-klambu. while the words to diwisuda in st translated by lysloff into english being deflowered. the word deflowered in longman dictionary of english language and culture is defined as to have sex with a woman who has not had sex before. thus, the translation of the word form, deflowered with the word of diwisuda has been equivalence because it was the same form of a euphemism. it is also in line with larson (1984), and barnwell (1980). translating euphemism into non-euphemism [sample 3] st : di sana, di dalam kurung kelambu yang tampak dari tempatku berdiri, akan terjadi pemusnahan mustika yang selama ini kuhargai (p. 53). tt : there, inside the cage of mosquito netting, which was visible from where i stood, the destruction of something that i'd always valued, would take place. (p.53). the word of mustika on [sample 3] in the st is a euphemism form of keperwanan. the use of perusahaan and mustika words showed that tohari appreciated women. the word of pemusnahan in the context of the [sample 3] showed that bukak-klambu, an event that must be endured by srintil as the requirement to become a ronggeng is a tragedy for a woman's self-esteem in general. as said by fairclough that text writers often use strategies to avoid values of expressive words for relationship reasons. euphemism is a form of words used to replace other words, with the aim of making it more convenient and more known as a remedy effort to avoid negative values (fairclough, 1989), as for the target text (tt), the translator is difficult to find the equivalent word of mustika in st such as context, so he used a form of the clause to describe the purpose of the mustika word, ie something that i'd always valued (sesuatu yang selalu saya hargai). in terms of form, the word is not equivalent, on the other hands, it’s equivalent in terms of it’s meaning. the translation clause actually was not a euphemism, but it’s the usual description. it has been in connection with the theory of barnwell (1990). he said that sometimes, euphemism of st could be rendered onto the tt, different at the form but similar with the meaning. [sample 4] st : srintil hanya ingin disebut sebagai perempuan utuh. dia sungguh-sungguh ingin melahirkan anakku dari rahimnya. (p. 105). tt : but just as a woman, she truly wished to have my child in her womb. (p. 110). the phrase perempuan utuh on the [sample 4] of st has a connotation meaning, ie women who have a legitimate husband and have children. a javanese woman is not considered as a true woman when it is time for her to get married and to have children, she was still alone, and no man who proposed to her. the phrase perempuan utuh is a form of euphemism. namely, the smoothing to the meaning of the woman who has a husband. as for the phrase of perempuan utuh which was translated into english by lysloff just as a woman is not the connotation, but denotation. it is also in line with larson’s theory (1984). translation method and technique in a translated novel of the dancer the total data containing euphemistic expressions is 42 data (n = 42). referring to the results of the analysis, it was concluded that euphemistic expressions were translated using a single, duplet, and triplet translation techniques. the single translation technique used by the translator is a literal technique, the total of data is 15 (36%), descriptive equivalent techniques of 2 data (5%), modulation techniques of 8 data (19%), transference techniques of 2 data (5 %), naturalization techniques of data (2%), functional equivalent techniques of 2 data (5%), reduction techniques of 1 data (2%), and cultural equivalent techniques of 2 data (5%). then duplet translation techniques are literal + reduction techniques 4 data (10%), literal techniques + modulation 1 data (2%), naturalization + generalization of 1 data (2%), and literal techniques + additions 1 data (2%). then the triplet translation technique is transference + literal + addition of 1 data (2%), and the ahdi riyono, emzir, & ninuk lustyantie translation of the relational values of euphemistic expressions into english from indonesian literary work 126 technique of transposition + literal + add 1 data (2%). of the many singles, duplet, and triplet translation techniques used, the translator tends to be more dominant using translation techniques that are oriented to the target language (tl) with a percentage of 78%. the dominant method of translation used is communicative with a percentage of 78%. thus, it can be concluded that the translator is more oriented to the domestication translation ideology. table 2. translation methods and techniques frequency in the dancer novel ttranslation of euphemistic expressions (n = 42) technique single literal 15 36% descriptive equivalence 2 5% modulation 8 19% transference 2 5% naturalization 1 2% functional equivalence 2 5% reductions 1 2% cultural equivalence 2 5% duplet literal + reduction 4 10% literal + modulation 1 2% naturalization + generalization 1 2% literal + addition 1 2% triplet transference + literal + addition 1 2% literal transposition + + addition 1 2% method literal 17 40% semantics 3 7% communicative 21 50% idiomatic 1 2% ideology foreignization literal 17 40% semantics 3 7% domestication communicative 21 50% idiomatic 1 2% single techniques literal literal translation is often demostrated as interliniear translation, with the tl immediately below the sl words. the sl word-order is preserved and the words translated singly by their most common meanings, out of context. in another word, is can be said that literal translation is a word for word one to express the meaning of a single word (moentaha, 2008; newmark, 1988; suryawinata & hariyanto, 2003). the single technique used by the translator reaches 15 data (36%). so that , the most dominant technique of all the techniques used is literal translation. this also leads to the conclusion that t the semantic method is quite widely used as well. if it is summed up overall it reaches 47%, and this is a significant number showing that the ideology of foreignization is quite widely used by translators. [sample 1] ts : dalam tempat tidur ini kelak srintil akan diwisuda oleh laki-laki yang memenangkan sayembara. (p. 52). tt : in this bed, srintil would be deflowered by the man who won the contest. (p. 52). the word for diwisuda in the st sample was a form of euphemism from sexuality activity when srintil underwent the open-door ceremony as a condition to become a ronggeng. the word of diwisuda translated by lysloff becomes deflowered. the word of deflowered is also classified as the word euphemism in the tt. in terms of denotation, the word of deflower has the meaning of picking flowers. whereas according to the definition of web, deflower is the act of taking the virginity of a girl (u-dictionary). virginity is the person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse (someone who has never had sexual relations). the translation of euphemisms into euphemism is in line with those suggested by larson (1984, 1989) that the translation of the euphemism from the source language usually must be translated with euphemism in the target text (tt) as well. thus, the translation using the literal technique is commensurate with the meaning referred to in ts. this technique finding differs from those of meilasari’s finding that there was no literal technique employed by the translator (meilasari et al., 2016). this shows that not all euphemism could be transfered into euphemism literally in the tt. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 127 modulation technique modulation is a translation technique by looking for an equivalence in tt by changing the perspectives that have the same meaning (machali, 2000; newmark, 1988; suryawinata & hariyanto, 2003; venuti, 2000). the modulation technique is the second technique applied by the translator occurring for 8 times of the amount of data (19%). meanwhile, the dominant method employed by the translator is the communicative method. there are 21 data or (50%) showing the use of communicative one in the translation of euphemistic expressions. accordingly, the ideological orientation of the translator tends to use domestication. [sample 2] st : rasanya, sebagai anak laki-laki tak ada yang salah pada tubuhku. (p. 67). tt : i believed that i was a normally functioning male. (p. 67). the expression of euphemism on st sample tak ada yang salah pada tubuhku translated into tt with the expression of euphemism as well, namely the normally functioning male. the source text writer (ts) uses the point of view that there is nothing wrong as a man arises passion when rasus sees srintil naked (external viewpoint). while the translator uses the viewpoint as a normal man rasus naturally feels a tremendous lust when he sees srintil naked (internal perspective). this shows that the difference in semantic viewpoint between ts and tt does not cause differences in meaning or message between the two texts. translation with a different perspective in translation is called modulation (machali, 2000; newmark, 1988; suryawinata & hariyanto, 2003; venuti, 2000). translation with these modulation techniques has been in line with what was suggested by barnwell (1980) in the book introduction to semantics and translation from the summer institution of linguistics and also the same as the research’s result of meilasari et al. ( 2016), and arifin et al. (2017). couplets technique couplets are translation techniques using two different techniques in translating a speech or a sentence (newmark, 1988; ordudari, 2013). there are four duplet techniques applied by the translator, but the most widely used is the duplet of literal + reduction technique, which is 4 data (10%). the dominant method applied is the communicative method with a tendency to side with the target text reader or ideologically translation tends to domestication. the following is an example of the dominant duplet method; literal + reduction [sample 4] ts : di sana, di balik pusar, aku pernah bersemayam selama sembilan bulan dalam rahimnya. (h.67) tt : i had resided for nine months in her womb (p.67). the euphemism in the st is there, di balik pusar is translated into in her womb using the direct form in the tt. the translation techniques used by translators are literal and reduction techniques because the expression of di balik pusar is literally translated into non euphemistic form. triplet technique triplet is a way that translators do to combine three different techniques in translating speech or sentences (ordudari, 2013). there are two triplet techniques used by translators in translating euphemistic expressions, namely transference + literal + addition, and transposition + literal + addition. the following is an example of one of these techniques; [sample 5] ts : di sana, di dukuh paruk, aku juga tahu ada obat bagi perempuan-perempuan mandul. obat itu bernama lingga; kependekan dua kata yang berarti penis tetangga (h. 86). tt : i also knew of treatment for childless women which was common in the village. the treatment was called lingga: a combination of the abbreviation of two javanese words “neighbor’s penis. (p.88). the word acronym lingga is a short form of euphemism of two words, namely the neighboring penis. the word of lingga has ideological content, which is a symbol of virility, strength, and fertility. in javanese culture, lingga is always combined with the word of yoni, a symbol of femininity, motherland. for married women who are barren in the dukuh of paruk, it is not as a taboo if they have an affair with a neighbor so they have children because that's the medicine that works in overcoming infertility according to their ideology. dukuh paruk people have a loose norm because they are not bound by any religious norms and values. their belief was only focused on the spirit of their ancestors, namely ki secamenggala. the word of lingga is translated by the transference technique into lingga in the tt. then an additional description of two words, kependekan dua kata yang berarti penis tetangga which means the neighbor's penis, is translated by a literal technique and the ahdi riyono, emzir, & ninuk lustyantie translation of the relational values of euphemistic expressions into english from indonesian literary work 128 technique of addition with the word of the combination becomes a combination of the abbreviation of two javanese words "neighbor’s penis. conclusion this paper has examined kinds of euphemistic expression forms and the translation techniques used to render the euphemism in the st into the tt pursued by the translator. from the discussion on the research findings above, it can be concluded that there are 42 data of euphemism used in st. the relational values of euphemistic expressions which are translated into tt with the same form of euphemism are 35 data (83,3%), and only 7 (16,7%) data translated into noneuphemism forms. this shows that there are some shifts in the forms of euphemism in the tt. the shifts must be taken by the translator since there are socio-cultural differences in the tt. this is in line with larson (1984) maintains that all human codes have terms of expressing euphemistic utterances that substitute for certain words, especially in the area of sex, death, and the supernatural. euphemism often needs to be rendered by a comparable euphemism in the receptor language. the study reveals that the relational values of euphemistic expressions were translated into tt using single, duplet and triplet techniques of translation. the most dominant of a single technique used is literal technique, and the most dominant of duplet technique is the literal + reduction. on the other hand, there are two kinds of triplet techniques, namely transference + literal + addition and literal transposition +addition. the use of translation methods oriented to the source and target languages by translators is almost balanced. because of the overall method used, the source language-oriented method is around 47% and the opposite is around 52%. thus, in transferring the source text (tt) into the target one, the translator remains oriented towards the target language reader, so there are several cultural expressions of st that are translated into tt that used source-oriented techniques and there are also some which are oriented to the target language. from those discussions, it could be concluded that the translator, in this case, rené t.a lysloff tried to have a balance in the translation of literary texts, especially ahmad’s novel of rdp. references allan, k., & burridge, k. (1991). euphemism and dysphemism: language used as shield and wapon. new york: oxford university press. anita, nababan, m. r., santosa, r., & wibowo, a. h. (2019). the indonesian translation of english sexual euphemistic expressions in desperate duchesses by eloisa james. ellic proceedings, 3, 368–373. arifin, d. z., wiratno, t., linguistik, m., pascasarjana, p., sebelas, u., & maret, u. s. (2017). analisis terjemahan eufemisme organ dan aktifitas seksual dalam novel fifty shades of grey. prasasti: journal of linguistics, 2(2), 190– 204. barnwell, k. g. l. (1980). introduction to semantics and translation. horsleys green: summer institute of linguistics. fairclough, n. (1989). language and power (1st ed.). london and new york: longman. hatim, b., & mason, i. (1997). the translator as comunicator. london and new york: routledge. keraf, g. (2004). diksi dan gaya bahasa. jakarta: pt. gramedia pustaka utama. larson, m. l. (1984). meaning-based translation: a guide to cross-language equivalence (1st ed.). boston: university press of america. larson, m. l. (1989). penerjemahan berdasarkan makna: pedoman untuk pemadanan antarbahasa. jakarta: penerbit arcan. machali, r. (2000). pedoman bagi penerjemah. jakarta: pt. grasindo. meilasari, p., nababan, m. r., & djatmika. (2016). analisis terjemahan ungkapan eufemisme dan disfemisme pada teks berita online bbc. prasasti journal of linguistics, 1(2), 336–358. moentaha, s. (2008). bahasa dan terjemahan (2nd ed.). jakarta: kesaint blanc. newmark, p. (1988). a textbook of translation (1st ed.). new york: prentice hall. ordudari, m. (2013). translation procedures, strategies and methods. theory and practice in language studies, 3(5), 781–789. shehab, e., qadan, a., & hussein, m. (2014). translating contextualized arabic euphemisms into english: socio-cultural perspective. crosscultural communication, 10(5), 189–198. doi: 10.3968/4546. suryawinata, z., & hariyanto, s. (2003). translation bahasan teori & penuntun praktis menerjemahkan. yogyakarta: penerbit kanisius. tohari, a. (2012a). ronggeng dukuh paruk. jakarta: pt. gramedia pustaka utama. tohari, a. (2012b). the dancer. jakarta: yayasan lontar. venuti, l. (2000). the translation studies reader (1st ed.). london: routledge. wijana, i. d. p., & rohmadi, m. (2008). semantik teori dan analisis. surakarta: yuma pustaka. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 621 the effect of fiction short movie on students’ english speaking ability riswanto uin fatmawati soekarno bengkulu, indonesia email: riswanto@iainbengkulu.ac.id reko serasi uin fatmawati soekarno bengkulu, indonesia email: reko.serasi@iainbengkulu.ac.id azzah salandega uin fatmawati soekarno bengkulu, indonesia email: azzahazzah76@gmail.com kasmaini universitas bengkulu, indonesia email: kasmaini@unib.ac.id apa citation: riswanto., serasi, r., salandega, a., & kasmaini. (2022). the effect of fiction short movie on students’ english speaking ability. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 621628. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6282. received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction speaking is a crucial ability to develop when learning english. it plays a crucial function since the primary purpose of language is the ability to transmit thoughts or information vocally in addition to written information. the most crucial active skill in learning a foreign language is the ability to communicate verbally (rao, 2019; zarifa, 2020). it's the act of putting words together to convey a message. it signifies that speaking is the primary action of language. the majority of language activity is oral communication from one speaker to another in the context of daily living. clampitt (2016) mentioned that speaking is an important part of daily life that shouldn't be taken for granted. given that english is currently the most widely spoken language in the world, it is without a shadow of a doubt the case that oral communication ability is an essential component of english language proficiency in the modern period (islam, ahmad, & islam, 2022). hence, because of the importance of speaking skills in this international language, usmonov & usmonova (2020) argued that people of all ages, including students, must develop these foreign language abilities so that they are able to use english as a means of communication, particularly in their studies and job. iftanti & maunah (2021) implied that because students think that english is a path to academic and social success, they are challenged to become competent in english so that they may stay up with global innovation, compete in the global economy, and improve their quality of education in the face of global change. abstract: the purpose of this research is to investigate whether or not students' students' speaking skills may be improved by watching short films. quantitative research using a quasi-experimental design is the method that was used for the study. all of the pupils in the second grade at smp a'isyiyah pagaralam in south sumatra, indonesia, make up the population. this research was conducted with the participation of forty different students. it was decided that 20 students from class a would make up the experimental group, and the remaining 40 students from class b would serve as the control group. the method of data analysis makes use of a prerequisite test, specifically the normality test and the homogeneity test, and the final test is hypothesis testing. according to the findings of the research that was carried out, there is an effect in the use of short movies as a medium for improving students' speaking ability. keywords: fiction short movies; media; students speaking ability. riswanto, reko serasi, azzah salandega, & kasmaini the effect of fiction short movie on students’ english speaking ability 622 as a result, speaking skills must be prioritized throughout english lessons so that students may use them in everyday situations. speaking has become one of the primary abilities in learning english in the indonesian curriculum to make pupils learn it. at school, students study the four english skills including speaking. in order to be able to speak english well, the aspects of speaking must be considered. students needs to consider the accuracy which is the correct use of language related to grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. gower, phillips, & walter (1995) mentioned that accuracy requires making sure that one's vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation are all correct. in fact, students in speaking class should expect to cover a wide range of material, but the speaking component is smaller than the reading comprehension portion. furthermore, several issues arise throughout the teaching and learning process. some problems are usually found in speaking, such as feeling nervous when they try to speak in front of the class, lack of vocabulary, and feeling afraid of making mistakes. these problems belong to linguistics and psychological problems. wulandari, amalia, & ramdhani (2022) implied that low levels of proficiency in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation were contributing linguistic factors in students' inability to communicate effectively at the medium level. meanwhile anxiety, lack of practice and confidence were the psychological aspect that contribute to the students’ difficulty in speaking. more over pronunciation and fluency is one of the students’ weaknesses in learning speaking because, mastery of the both components means they can speak fully similar with native speaker or pronounce similarly with native speaker and speak as fluent and effortless as that of a native speaker (delozier & rhodes, 2017). students should be given the opportunity to use their language orally whenever possible so they can express themselves verbally (amalia & apriani, 2016). as a matter of fact, it is essential to engage the students to the learning process where they can feel more motivate to learn and involve in the speaking activities. other concerns, ineffective teaching methods and a boring classroom environment can lead to students being bored and disinterested. because there is no new setting, students have a hard time honing their speaking abilities when using the strategy. islam & stapa, (2021) indicated that because the learners are deprived of the opportunity to use the language and acquire the skills necessary for appropriate communication, their fluency suffers. using movie as a media in teaching speaking can be a solution. movies are the type of media that will pique students' interest because most teenagers enjoy watching movies. through movies, students will learn how foreigners use the language in different situation in daily life context. movies can be used as a pedagogic means to improve language learning, based on the premise that they provide real life language input (smaldino, lowther, & russell, 2012). conversations in films occur in real life contexts, therefore learners explore how language is used by its native speaker. one of the major benefits of films is their contribution to the development of spoken language comprehension. blasco, moreto, blasco, levites, & janaudis (2015) advocated that movies are helpful in teaching the human dimension, which is necessary for developing as a human being and for forming identity in early learners. movies are comforting, evocative, and non-threatening. they are also based in both visual and emotion. for teachers, the movies experience helps also to confirm and clarify their role to bring a new perspective in teaching. kanellopoulou (2019) stated that movies are an excellent way to gain exposure to actual language. the production of authentic materials takes place more in the context of actual dialogue than in the context of language instruction. because authentic materials include the qualities of language as it is used by a native speaker, using them can significantly contribute to the enhancement of language skills. berk (2009) argued that, when you watch a movie or a tv show, emotions like excitement, rage, laughter, relaxation, love, whimsy, or even boredom are often omitted. all of these elements of filmmaking inspire audiences to express themselves verbally about the feelings they're experiencing. bloomsabury international mentions that listening to native speakers will also help students improve their fluency in the language. listen to how to connect their words and where to place intonation on specific words and sentences. furthermore, through movies students and teachers can put the knowledge to practice. in english classroom they will learn a lot of vocabulary and grammar but they may not know how to use it in real life. watching english movies will help them understand how use all english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 623 knowledge that has lean in everyday situation. according to lynch (2016), because of the variety of dialects they can show and the enjoyment they provide, movies are frequently used in the classroom. other studies also reported the benefits of using movie in english language teaching classroom. it is more efficient and speedier for learners to acquire the english language by viewing a movie (yaseen & shakir, 2015). goctu (2017) mentioned that students can learn a variety of accents and practice speaking in an authentic setting by watching films. rao (2019) also argued that learning the english language in a real-world setting is made possible by the use of authentic materials and a wide range of language scenarios in english movies. the findings of the studies showed that language students around the world believe that movies are credible resources for language learning and that watching movies is an efficient way to develop a variety of language skills, including reading, listening, vocabulary, and speaking (albiladi, abdeen, & lincoln, 2018; goctu, 2017; kabooha, 2016). both students and teachers viewed the usage of films in the classroom to improve language abilities as a positive development. students' language learning might be enhanced and their motivation to study the target language could be increased by using carefully chosen film resources. films and also are now an integral part of students' daily life, so incorporating them into the language classroom is only natural. the use of film as a motivator makes learning a language more pleasurable and interesting (khan, 2015). this research focused on the utilization of short films as a movie format. this study calls for a video no longer than 15 minutes. to ensure that the students are not bored while watching the film, a short film is chosen. students will desire to mimic the character in the movie in order to enhance their english skills. there have been few research studies covering the use of short movies in the field of the teaching of english (audina & ratna suminar, 2018; irmanda, ahmad, & al baekani, 2021; madiyoh, hidayanto, & putro, 2018; masruddin, 2018; tnomat, densiana, billik, & banu, 2022). it is worthwhile to study the impact of short movies on students' speaking abilities because there are few studies on this topic. in addition, only few researches include junior high school students as a sample. it is important to put the students’ level of education, since different characteristics of the students influenced the choice of the materials as well as the teaching procedures. this study, on the other hand, focuses on the use of fiction short movie that depicts fictional characters, locations, or situations. method this study applied quasi-experimental research design. the design was nonequivalent groups pretest-posttest control group design. due to the impossibility of randomly assigning individuals, pre-posttest control or comparison group designs with non-equivalent groups are quite common and beneficial in education. the researcher employs entire, previously created groups of individuals, administers a pre-test, administers the intervention condition to one group, and then administers a posttest (mcmillan & schumacher, 2014). the design is presented in figure 1. figure 1. the notation of nonequivalent groups pretest-posttest control group design there were total of 40 students participated in this study. purposive sampling was used in order to select the participants. the students were chosen since they were in the same level of english achievement. twenty students from class a were assigned as experimental class, while the rests of 20 students were assigned as control class. the students in experimental class were given the treatment of using fiction short movie in speaking class. while the students in control group were not exposed to any new treatment. during the interventions, the teacher applied several teaching procedures. the students were split into four groups. the researchers then, instructed the students to pay close attention to the movie. then the researchers challenged the group to come up with ten words from the movie. the words then were riswanto, reko serasi, azzah salandega, & kasmaini the effect of fiction short movie on students’ english speaking ability 624 exchanged to other groups as the students practice to pronounce them. after then, each of the groups discussed about the movie. finally, the researchers formed a brand new group without letting the students to join their previous group, then with the new group the students’ practice speaking through retelling the story to each other. the instrument used in this study was speaking test which was in the form of talk as performance. according to richards (2008), talk as performance is a useful term for the third sort of talk that can be distinguished. this relates to public speaking, or speaking in front of an audience, such as school presentations, public announcements, and speeches. in order to collect the data of the students’ speaking score objectively, the students’ talks were analysed by using speaking rubrics that include four elements of speaking; pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and fluency. the researchers used t-tests to determine whether or not watching fiction short movies improved the pupils' capacity to communicate verbally. a paired-samples t-test was used in order to determine whether or not there was a significant change in the level of achievement attained by the students in the experimental class either before or after the treatments. in the meantime, the researchers utilized an independent sample t-test so that they could examine the differences in outcomes between the two groups. results and discussion after collecting the data on students’ speaking performance, researchers conducted prerequisite test to makes sure that the data were normally distributed. the results of kolmogorov-smirnov statistic of the whole collected data including pretest (sig-value =0,200)-posttest (sigvalue = 0.074) in experimental group and pretest (sigvalue= 0.200) -posttest (sig-value = 0.07) in control groups showed that the data were normally distributer, p > 0.05. therefore, parametric statistics can be implemented. a statistical analysis called a paired-sample ttest was carried out in order to determine whether or not there was a significant difference in the level of achievement exhibited by the pupils either before or after they were given access to the intervention. in the pretest the highest score in experimental group was 70 while the lowest score was 20 (m= 42). in the post test, the highest score was 85 while the lowest score was 55 (m= 73). the statistical analyses of paired-sample t-test showed that there was statistically significant difference on students’ speaking score before the intervention (m= 42), sd= 14.27) and after the intervention (m= 73, sd= 10.183), t(19)= 20.976, p<0.0005. the results indicated that there is significant improvement on the students’ speaking ability. figure 2 illustrates the distribution of the score in experimental group. figure 2. experimental class speaking score distribution the results of the test based on an independent sample demonstrated positive achievement as well. independent-samples t-test was conducted in order to compare the speaking score obtained by the students in experimental group and control group. there was significant difference in score for experimental group (m= 73, sd= 10.183), and control group [m= 66, sd= 9.542; t(38)= 2.243, p= 0.03 < 0.05. table 1 and 2 illustrated the analyses. table 1. independent group statistic class n mean sd std. error mean speaking exp 20 73 10.183 2.277 ability cont 20 66 9.542 2.134 table 2 independent sample t-test speaking ability levene's test for equality of variances f .12 sig. .913 t-test for equality of means t 2.243 2.243 df 38 37.841 sig. (2-tailed) .031 .031 mean difference 7.000 7.000 std. error difference 3.120 3.120 95% lower .683 .682 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 625 confidence interval of the difference upper 13.317 13.318 the findings of the statistical studies suggested that the utilization of a fiction short film brought about a considerable effect on the students' ability to communicate verbally. it is possible that the students' overall performance would benefit by incorporating media into their speaking class. the findings lend themselves to a number of interpretations. firstly, the result indicated that there was improvement on the students’ english speaking ability after the students taught by using fiction short movie. the presence of short movie as learning media has an important role in achieving learning objective. the presence of learning media can be able to bring and arouse students’ interest in participating in the learning process, which in the end arose the students’ motivation. this is in line with what masruddin (2018) found during his study that the use of short video in teaching speaking was effective. besides, there is evidence that short videos can help students get excited about learning a new language (madiyoh et al., 2018). hameed (2016) also reported that even with a small sample size of only fifty students, the study shows that the use of short films in english language education has a significant impact on students' learning results. irmanda et al. (2021) revealed that students became interested in english short films because of the film's audio-visuals. according to majority of them, they were able to overcome their apprehension and stiffness when it came to practicing their english skills. in addition, movies in english might encourage students to participate actively and enthusiastically in the teaching and learning process. hassan, murshidi, & al murshidi (2020) also added that the students' english listening and speaking abilities improve as a result of watching english films, and this positive link is strengthened by the students' increased enthusiasm to learn. furthermore, during the study, it was found that practically, almost all of the students’ engaged in the teaching and learning process. the movie attracted the students’ attention since it brings story line. it presented the whole language used in the real context in which the learners could get the real example with the real expression. madiyoh et al. (2018) also implied that authentic short movies present the real language used, new words, phrases, and expressions. students' capacity to communicate in english is enhanced through the use of short films, which provide a rich context for language learning. short english movies are an excellent teaching tool because they keep students interested in what they are learning and help them enhance their vocabulary through active listening (tnomat et al., 2022). eshboeva (2021) concluded that the screening of an original feature-length motion picture, when incorporated into a lesson on a foreign language, not only assists students in effectively developing their spoken communication abilities, but it also makes the session more instructional, cognitive, and intriguing for the learner. this is real when the researchers observed the students’ behaviour in the classroom. the level of the students' passion was reflected in their level of active participation in the process of teaching and learning. those students who had a history of experiencing shyness during the learning process made a concerted effort to participate actively in the various learning activities. conclusion this study brings empirical evidence of the effectiveness of using short movie in english speaking class. the study emphasized on the use of movie to improve students speaking ability. this study contributes to the growing body of research that demonstrates the efficacy of watching movies to enhance one's linguistic skills. the first thing that the research found was that when students were shown an activity that was familiar to them which is watching movie, it was much easier for them to become interested in what was going on in the classroom. those individuals who had been reluctant to talk were now able to speak freely as a result of this. the students are driven to enhance their general fluency as they hear native english speaking in an authentic accent since it inspires them to have more practice in pronouncing the words and to extend their vocabulary, both of which assist them improve their pronunciation. because of the many advantages that may be gained from utilizing fiction short movies in english classrooms, the investigators hope to persuade language teachers of the english language to adopt this instructional strategy. the choice of the movie is something else that needs to be taken riswanto, reko serasi, azzah salandega, & kasmaini the effect of fiction short movie on students’ english speaking ability 626 into account. this study, on the other hand, did not focus on the particular instructional strategy or method that need to be applied. as a result, a subsequent study might desire to incorporate the particular instructional approach that should be integrated in the utilization of instructional media. acknowledgement the researchers give many thanks to the rector of uin fatmawati soekarno bengkulu. the researchers also give many thanks to all of the respondents from uin fatmawati soekarno bengkulu who were involved and directly supported this research. references albiladi, w. s., abdeen, f. h., & lincoln, f. (2018). learning english through movies: adult english language learners’ perceptions. theory and practice in language studies, 8(12), 1567. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0812.01 amalia, s., & apriani, d. (2016). project-based instruction: integrating technology in speaking instruction. the english teacher, 45(2), 64–73. audina, a., & ratna suminar, a. (2018). the influence of subtitles in short movies on students’ listening comprehension (a quasiexperimental study in one of state junior high schools in garut). english education and applied linguistics (eeal) journal, 1(3), 192–196. berk, r. a. (2009). multimedia teaching with video clips: tv, movies, youtube, and mtvu in the collage classroom. international journal of technology in teaching and learning, 5(1), 1–21. blasco, p. g., moreto, g., blasco, m. g., levites, m. r., & janaudis, m. a. (2015). education through movies: improving teaching skills and fostering reflection among students and teachers. journal for learning through the arts, 11(1). clampitt, p. g. (2016). communicating for mahagerial effectiveness. sage. delozier, s. j., & rhodes, m. g. (2017). flipped classrooms: a review of key ideas and recommendations for practice. educational psychology review, 29(1), 141–151. eshboeva, d. a. qizi. (2021). using authentic feature films in speaking activities in early stage of learning. thematics journal of english language teaching, 5(1), 41–45. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5724094 goctu, r. (2017). european journal of language and literature studies using movies in efl classrooms. european journal of language and literature studies, 3(2), 121–124. gower, r., phillips, d., & walter, s. (1995). teaching practice: a handbook for teachers in training. macmillan. hameed, p. f. m. (2016). short films in the efl classroom: creating resources for teachers and learners. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 5(2), 215–219. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.5n.2p.2 15 hassan, g., murshidi, a., & al murshidi, g. (2020). effectiveness of movies in teaching and learning english as a foreign language at universities in uae. review article psychology and education, 57(6). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/34 4880376 iftanti, e., & maunah, b. (2021). belief, perception, and challenges of non-english department students to learn english in globalization era. indonesian efl journal, 7(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v7i1.3985 irmanda, i., ahmad, y. b., & al baekani, a. k. (2021). students’ perspectives towards english short movies as media to assist their vocabulary mastery in online learning. edukatif : jurnal ilmu pendidikan, 3(4), 2081–2091. https://doi.org/10.31004/edukatif.v3i4.1151 islam, m. s., & stapa, m. b. (2021). students’ low proficiency in spoken english in private universities in bangladesh: reasons and remedies. language testing in asia, 11(1), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-02100139-0 islam, w., ahmad, s., & islam, md. d. (2022). investigating the problems faced by the university efl learners in speaking english language. international journal of tesol & education, 2(2), 47–65. https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.22223 kabooha, r. h. (2016). using movies in efl classrooms: a study conducted at the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 627 english language institute (eli), king abdul-aziz university. english language teaching, 9(3), 248. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n3p248 kanellopoulou, c. (2019). film subtitles as a successful vocabulary learning tool. open journal of modern linguistics, 9(2), 145– 152. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojml.2019.92014 khan, a. (2015). using films in the esl classroom to improve communication skills of nonnative learners. elt voicesinternational journal for teachers of english, 5(4), 46– 52. lynch, l. m. (2016). 5 reasons to use popular movies for english language teaching. https://ezinearticles.com/expert/larry_m. _lynch/14967 article source: http://ezinearticles.com/287405. madiyoh, r., hidayanto, n., & putro, p. s. (2018). the effectiveness of authentic short movies in enhancing students speaking skill. international journal of english literature and culture, 6(3), 44–49. https://doi.org/10.14662/ijelc2018.030 masruddin, m. (2018). the efficacy of using short video through group work in teaching speaking to indonesian english as foreign language (efl) students. arab world english journal, 9(3), 282-293–293. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol9no3.19 mcmillan, j. h., & schumacher, s. (2014). research in education: evidence-based iquiry. pearson. rao, p. s. (2019). the impact of english movies on learning english in esl/efl classrooms. research journal of english language and literature (rjelal), 7(4), 430–438. https://doi.org/10.33329/rjelal.74.430 richards, j. c. (2008). teaching listening and speaking from theory to practice. cambridge university press. www.cambridge.org smaldino, s., lowther, d., & russell, j. (2012). instructional technology and media for learning. boston, ma: pearson. pearson. tnomat, densiana., billik, m. o., & banu, t. b. j. (2022). the implementation of short english movie to improve students’ vocabulary mastery in interpretive listening class. saga: journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 3(1), 59– 68. https://doi.org/10.21460/saga.2022.32.121 usmonov, a. q., & usmonova, u. b. (2020). linguopragmatic characteristics of the uzbek language equivalent. theoretical & applied science, 5, 855–858. wulandari, n. a., amalia, s., & ramdhani, m. i. (2022). investigating speaking difficulties of senior high school students: linguistics and psychological problems. english franca: academic journal of english language and education, 6(1), 151–166. https://doi.org/10.29240/ef.v6i1.4271 yaseen, b. h., & shakir, h. (2015). movie effects on efl learners at iraqi school in kuala lumpur. international journal of education and literacy studies, 3(3), 31–36. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.3n.3p.31 zarifa, i. (2020). the importance of speaking skill in the classroom. in proceeedings of 3rd international multidisciplinary scientific conference on innovative technology (ed.), proveeding of 3rd international multidisciplinary scientific conferemce on innovative technology (pp. 3–4). https://conferencepublication.com riswanto, reko serasi, azzah salandega, & kasmaini the effect of fiction short movie on students’ english speaking ability 628 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 21 bangka-culture-based descriptive reading materials for tour and travel in smk: students’ needs analysis nur azizah smkn 1 simpangkatis bangka tengah, bangka belitung province, indonesia e-mail: kanizatiara@gmail.com rita inderawati department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id machdalena vianty department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: vianty.unsri@gmail.com correspondence authors: rita inderawati and machdalena vianty corresponding e-mail: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id and vianty.unsri@gmail.com apa citation: azizah, n., inderawati, r. & vianty, m. (2020). bangka-culture-based descriptive reading materials for tour and travel in smk: students’ needs analysis. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 21-34. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3776 received: 29-06-2020 accepted: 30-09-2020 published:11-12-2020 introduction one of the characteristics of teaching english at vocational high school (smk) is the specification of the materials taught. this is due to the materials provided for smk students have the same purpose as english for specific purposes (esp) courses. materials provided aim to meet the students' specific language needs. mcdonough, shaw, and masuhara (2013) explain that as the need for social, economic, and technological communication increases at the global level, teaching english becomes diverse, for example, esp which taught for specific purposes of the certain areas studied to support a job. it can be assumed that the approach of teaching english in smk can refer to the esp approach that meets the students' needs to learn the language which is referred to the specific fields. as one of the skills in english learning, it cannot be denied that reading is the important one especially for the students who need to read english abstract: this research aimed to find out the vocational high school (smk) students' needs in english reading materials development based on bangka local culture reviewed by students', teachers', and stakeholders' views. the data were obtained through the use of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. the data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. the result of the need analysis showed that: 1) english was important for the students mostly to support their future carrier, 2) students’ english proficiency was in the beginner level, 3) students still had some difficulties in reading comprehension, 4) the kind of text needed was a descriptive text, 5) the forms of questions mostly suggested were multiple choice and essay, 6) there was a need of integrating english reading materials with the materials of the content subjects, 7) students still lacked knowledge about bangka local culture, 8) there were no existing english reading materials which were integrated with bangka local culture, 9) two main reasons of integrating bangka local culture in reading, were enhancing the students’ knowledge about bangka culture, and promoting their skills in their study program, 10) the aspects of bangka local culture needed to be integrated into english reading materials were about arts, customs, foods, traditional clothes, traditional equipment, folklores, and historical places. due to the needs, it was necessary to develop supplementary descriptive reading materials by integrating bangka local culture which matched the students’ english proficiency and could support their study program. keywords: english reading materials in smk; local culture; need analysis. mailto:kanizatiara@gmail.com mailto:rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id mailto:vianty.unsri@gmail.com mailto:rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id mailto:vianty.unsri@gmail.com nur azizah, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty bangka-culture-based descriptive reading materials for tour and travel in smk: students’ needs analysis 22 materials for their specialist (mcdonough, shaw, and masuhara, 2013). additionally, mukundan, zarifi, and kalajahi (2016) describe reading is one of the most prominent and dominant activities in language learning. the function of reading is not only to provide the information but also as a tool to improve and strengthen one’s knowledge about the language itself. in smk, learning reading is expected not only as a means to enhance the students' reading comprehension but also the information presented can support the students’ study program and the lesson in the content subjects. as described in english syllabus of 2013 curriculum, the knowledge involved should focus on preparing the students to have specific skills by having practical activities and knowledge based on their study program to develop the students’ potential at school, in the workplace, and in the community and worldwide. consequently, the materials should be paid more attention since they consist of the knowledge, source, or content taught and learned based on the learning goals. as explained by tomlinson (2012) that teaching materials mean anything that can be used to help the students in studying. furthermore, maley (2016) explains that material taught is required to offer more educational prospective for example critical thinking, life skills, citizenship, global issues, crosscultural understanding, and more. in the curriculum, materials are considered as one of the important components in the teaching and learning process since materials are the knowledge which the students need to learn. the materials taught in smk should be designed or developed appropriately to fulfill the students' needs. providing materials for reading in teaching english in smk can be integrated with the knowledge of the content subjects. based on the 2013 curriculum of the content subjects in the tour and travel study program, the integration of english reading materials to the content subjects can be about certain topics such as tourism, flight reservation, or cultural tourism. it is in line with the core competence of the english subject of the 2013 curriculum which is described the knowledge taught in english is about science, technology, art, culture, and humanities. regarding the culture as one of the areas of knowledge that can be integrated into reading materials for tour and travel study program in smk, it is necessary to employ the local culture in english reading materials. it can be one of the ways to incorporate and support the lessons in the content subjects, the students’ skills, and future careers. moreover, in global communication, learning culture in learning a language is not only about the target culture but also the students' own culture or local culture. students also need to understand, explore, discuss, and describe their own cultures to other people. as explained in indonesian government regulation no. 5 year 2017 states that every citizen including student has the right to conserve, develop, and promote the cultures in indonesia. it is crucial for researchers to also include local culture in learning materials. a lot of inquiries showed benefits of local culture used in english learning, that is to improve the reading achievement and encourage the learners to read. (estuarso, basthomi & widiati, 2017; yang, 2017; fu, 2018; and sopian, inderawati & petrus , 2019). there were many findings of the studies that reported the use of local culture as reading materials could help the students to improve reading comprehension, encourage the students’ knowledge and awareness of their local culture (dehghan & sadighi, 2011; yousef, karimi & janfeshan, 2014; yang, 2017; fu, 2018; wulandari, vianty & fiftinova, 2018; sopian, inderawati & petrus, 2019; elviana, inderawati & mirizon, 2020). however, most of the reading materials provided in english coursebooks seem limited in relation to the students' background or local culture. dehbozorgi, amalsaleh, and kafipour (2014) reported the target culture was more dominant over the other culture categories based on the result of their research by analyzing three different textbooks. sari (2016) found that local values needed to be embedded in teaching materials, thus the development of teaching materials was necessary since the unavailability of the materials. hence, it is needed to design or develop the reading materials for tour and travel students of smk to present them with their own local culture in english. the first and important thing to do before developing the materials is doing need analysis. according to brown (2009), need analysis means the process of gathering information about the needs of a certain group in industry or education. it means that, at smk, it is the activity of gaining information about the students' needs in learning based on their study program. need english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 23 analysis is essential to do in course design especially in esp which is the prior step in designing or developing processes (richards, 2001; long, 2005; brown, 2009). furthermore, brown (2009) described nine types of language need analysis. they are (a) target situation analysis (tsa) which concerns the information on the language requirements learners face in learning a language. it focuses on the students' purpose or necessities in learning language, (b) deficiency analysis which considers the students' current wants and needs and their target situations deficiencies or lacks, (c) present situation analysis (psa) which focus on the existing proficiency, knowledge, strengths and weaknesses of the students, (d) learning-oriented analysis which takes the view that the needs (in terms of syllabus, content, teaching method, materials and others) should be negotiated between students and other stakeholders, (e) strategy analysis which focuses on the students' preference in terms of learning strategies, error correction, group sizes, amount of homework, and others, (f) means analysis which examines the learning environment or situation with as few prejudices as possible such as in terms of utility, organization or cultural appropriateness, (g) language audits which get the view of need analysis in large-scale in terms of well-planned language policies, professional fields, governmental service, countries and others, (h) set menu analysis which sets out to create a menu of main courses from which the sponsors or students can select, (i) computer-based analysis which is done by computer to match perceived needs to a data base of the materials. there have been numerous studies that dealt with the need analysis related to esp in terms of designing syllabus or developing the materials at a certain level of education which were conducted in indonesia. those studies were as conducted by sari (2016), yundayani, emzir and rafli (2017), mahbub (2018), rahamdina, harahap and sofyan (2019), ratri and puspitasari (2019), sularti, drajati, and supriyadi (2019). a number of studies on need analysis also have been conducted in other countries such as hamlan and baniabdelrahman (2015), bedoya, valencia, and montoya (2015), ibrahim (2016), kayaoglu and akbas (2016), lee (2016), alsamadani (2017), chetsadanuwat (2018), and wu and low (2018). those investigations showed the necessity and unavoidable function of the need analysis in arranging instructions, designing textbooks, or developing teaching materials. from the need analysis, it could be identified the problem faced by the students, the knowledge or skills needed, or the teaching method that should be used. furthermore, the result of the need analysis could be the main points that had to be considered in order to meet the needs of the students. as previously stated, many studies highlighted local culture for vocational schools, especially tourism study programs. however, this recent study developed local culture-based reading materials in terms of descriptive texts. the texts are entailed by the students in order to inform and to describe bangka local culture descriptively to the visitors or the tourists from abroad. based on the explanations above, the researchers needed to conduct the need analysis study related to the students’ needs in advance, as the prior stage of developing english descriptive reading materials for tour and travel students of smk in bangka based on their local culture. this study had similarities and differences from several relevant previous studies. the main similarity was about the investigation of the students' need analysis. the differences from some previous studies were about the level of the students, the english skills focused, and the scope of need analysis. the main difference was about the specific local culture integrated; bangka local culture. the students’ needs analysis conducted included tsa, deficiency analysis, psa, and strategy analysis. this need analysis investigated the students' needs viewed by the students of tour and travel, english teachers, and other school stakeholders. thus, the objective of this research was to describe the views of the students, teachers, and stakeholders related to the students’ needs in english reading materials based on the student's local culture. methods the participants of this study involved tenth-grade students of tour and travel study program, english and content teachers, and other school stakeholders (the head of tour and travel study program and the assistant curriculum) at an smk in bangka belitung province. there were 35 ten grade students of tour and travel study program, 4 english teachers and 3 nur azizah, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty bangka-culture-based descriptive reading materials for tour and travel in smk: students’ needs analysis 24 content teachers, 1 head of study program, and 1 assistant curriculum. the data were obtained through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. the questionnaire was given to the students. it consisted of 25 questions. the questions were classified into tsa, deficiency analysis, psa, and strategy analysis. the interview was conducted to the english teachers and content teachers, head of the study program, and assistant curriculum especially related to teaching english in smk, the existing english reading materials, and the use of bangka local culture in developing english reading materials. the data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. the quantitative method was used to assess the data obtained from the questionnaire while the qualitative method was used to interpret and describe the information got from the interview. results and discussion the students’ needs viewed by the students the data got from the students' view were related to the students' needs in tsa, deficiency analysis, psa, and strategy analysis. the data presented in this paper were the highest percentage of the students' view of each question in the questionnaire. target situation analysis (tsa) this part was concerned about the students' necessities, a general intention, and expectations in learning english. the data obtained can be seen in table 1. from table 1, the main reason for learning english was to support their career in the future (68.6%). it was in line with the aims of the vocational high school which were described in 2013 english curriculum and the national education ministry regulation of indonesia no. 20 year 2016. then, the students expected that they could communicate fluently using english in oral communication in the future workplace (85.7%). most of them desired by learning english they could communicate with colleagues or tourists (91.4%). that became the reason that their english proficiency should be in advanced level in order to support their career (71.4%). therefore, to be able to communicate orally especially to the tourist, the tour and travel students had to have knowledge related to their study program, one of them was about their own local culture, bangka culture. they needed to explain and expose their own local culture to domestic tourists even the ones from overseas as one of their jobs in the future. one effort to provide knowledge about their local culture was by presenting it in reading materials. as stated by petrovska (2001) that the local culture can be used in teaching and learning language to enhance the new experience, motivate the students by presenting them with something familiar, and train them to speak about their own culture by using a foreign language for exchanging ideas, values, and knowledge. table 1. the students’ view on tsa no question/ statement students’ view percentage 1. the importance of learning english to support a career in the future 68.6% 2. the students’ expectation toward learning english to communicate using english in oral communication in the future workplace 85.7% 3. the language used for students’ career to do oral communication with colleagues or tourists 91.4% 4. the english proficiency level for students’ career advance 71.4% deficiency analysis this part considered the students' current wants and needs and their target situations deficiencies or lacks. the data about the students' current wants and needs related to the topics or input for reading are shown in table 2. based on the questionnaire result, 74.3% of students wanted the topic of their own local culture in reading materials. it could be assumed that the students felt that this topic could support their study program. it could be seen that 65.7% of the students desired texts related to the context of the tour and travel study program. it was showed that 65.7% of students thought integrating topics which were related to the general knowledge of students' study program for reading, was very important. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 25 additionally, the other topics that they also needed were about their local culture, bangka culture. 57.1% of the students gave the positive response that it was very important and the rest of the students stated it was important. it is in line with the finding of rahamdina, harahap and sofyan (2019) who conducted research which investigated the english needs of tour and travel study program at an smk in bengkulu. they found one of the important topics in reading needed by the students was about cultural tourism. table 2. the students’ view on current wants and needs no question/ statement students’ view percentage 1. topic desired by students in learning reading local culture (bangka local culture) 74.3% 2. students’ desired input for reading texts related to the context of the tour and travel field. 65.7% 3. integrating topics which were related to the general knowledge of students’ study program for reading very important 65.7% 4. integrating topics which were related to bangka local culture for reading very important 57.1% then, the students' view of integrating topics that were related to bangka local culture for reading was to help them for some reasons, as shown in figure 1. from figure 1, most of the students thought that integrating local culture in reading materials could enhance their knowledge about bangka culture (54.3%). then, 42.9% of students felt the reading materials based on bangka local culture could support their skills related to their study program. 40% of students considered that integrating local culture in english reading materials could encourage their cultural awareness and improve their english proficiency in reading skills. the other reason was encouraging motivation in learning english (25.7%). 11.4% of students assumed that it could make them more comprehend the texts. it can be because the students have prior knowledge about their local culture, are interested and familiar with the reading materials. it is in line with the explanation of cooper, warncke, and shipman (1988) about the prior knowledge which is as the background experience of the students is an important element in the reading process. it helps the students to construct an understanding of the reading text. mukundan, zarifi, and kalajahi (2016) explain that if there is no interest in reading, there will be little or no reading activities since the reader will be more delightful to read the topics which are about individual interest. therefore, providing reading materials which are suitable for the students’ interest will motivate them in reading, and finally, can improve their proficiency in reading skills. as reported by dehghan and sadighi (2011) the students significantly performed better on local items than the global ones which were influenced by text familiarity. furthermore, yousef, karimi, and janfeshan, (2014), and wulandari, vianty, and fiftinova, (2018) reported that local culture could be used as teaching materials, and could help students to improve their reading comprehension. fu (2018) found that the use of local culture was one of the effective ways to stimulate students' motivation in the language class. nur azizah, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty bangka-culture-based descriptive reading materials for tour and travel in smk: students’ needs analysis 26 11.4% 25.7% enhance the knowledge about bangka local culture encourage the awareness to learn bangka local culture more comprehending the content of english texts improve the english proficiency especially in reading encourage motivation in learning english the students’ view on the needs of integrating local culture in reading materials figure 1. the students’ view on the needs of integrating local culture in reading materials the aspects of bangka local culture that the students needed to be integrated into english reading materials can be seen in figure 2. from the figure, most of the students (62.9%) needed to learn bangka local culture related to arts, customs (60%), and foods (54.3%). the other aspects of bangka local culture that they need were about traditional clothes (40%), traditional equipment and folklores (37.1%), and historical places 17.1%. the data obtained could be the basic about the kinds of culture that should be integrated into developing the reading materials. these aspects of culture are also the ones that persevered and promoted by bangka belitung government based on the local regulation of bangka belitung province no. 14 year 2016 about conserving and managing bangka local culture. figure 2. the aspects of local culture needed dealing with the lack of the students, they found some difficulties with reading skills in learning. the data presented in figure 3 show the difficulties faced by the students. from the figure, the students faced some difficulties in reading skills. comprehending certain words was categorized as the most difficult skill (62.9%). then the other difficulties were arranging the chronological order or event (28.6%), comprehending the main idea (25.7%), and comprehending the detail information (22.9%). the least difficulty was about concluding cause and effect (8.6%). hence, it was suggested that in developing the reading materials, the aspects of reading comprehension had to be taken into account besides the content of the reading materials. cooper, warncke and shipman (1988) explain there are some aspects of reading comprehension that should be taught and learned; main idea, detail, reference, cause and effect, inference, sequence and vocabulary. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 27 figure 3. students’ difficulties in reading skill present situation analysis (psa) this part focused on the present students' proficiency in english, the materials learned, and the local cultural knowledge of the students. the data about the students' views on their english proficiency are shown in table 3. almost all students (88.6%) admitted that their current english proficiency was at the beginner level. then, 54.3% of students estimated that their current proficiency in comprehending the reading text was good enough. from the data obtained, it is expected that the developed reading materials can enhance the students' english proficiency, especially in reading skills, to a higher level as needed to support their career in the future. table 3. the students’ english proficiency no question/ statement students’ view percentage 1. students’ current proficiency level of english beginner 88.6% 2. students’ current proficiency in comprehending the reading text good enough 54.3% the students' view on the existing reading materials learned or provided at school can be seen from the data presented in table 4. the level of the reading text in english coursebooks used was considered difficult by 57.1% of the students. however, 71.4% of students felt that the topics were interesting. 62.9% of students thought that the kind of text commonly found or learned in learning english was descriptive text. 54.3% of students stated that sometimes english teacher provided reading materials or texts and the questions related to the general knowledge of students' study program for reading. meanwhile, 65.7% of students stated that english teachers rarely provided reading materials or texts and the questions related to bangka local culture for reading. it could be concluded that the students rarely got the reading materials related to their own local culture. table 4. the existing materials learned and provided no question/ statement students’ view percentage 1. the difficulty level of reading texts in english coursebook difficult 57.1% 2. the topics of reading texts in english coursebook interesting 71.4% 3. the kind of text commonly found or learned in learning english descriptive 62.9% 4. the frequency of english teacher provided reading materials or texts and the questions related to the general knowledge of students’ study program for sometimes 54.3% nur azizah, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty bangka-culture-based descriptive reading materials for tour and travel in smk: students’ needs analysis 28 reading 5. the frequency of english teacher provided reading materials or texts and the questions related to bangka local culture for reading rarely 65.7% the students' view on their current knowledge about bangka local culture can be seen from the data available in table 5. 62.9% of students estimated that their knowledge about bangka culture was enough. the aspects of bangka culture that the students know most were about traditional food (68.6%). 48.6% of students stated that they knew the local culture just from parents, grandparents, or elders. 60% of the students just knew the local culture in their place and the closer districts. then, 65.7% of them admitted that their knowledge about bangka local culture was still about general information. based on the data gathered, it was obvious that presented bangka local culture to the students' descriptive reading materials in learning was needed. table 5. the students’ local culture knowledge no question/ statement students’ view percentage 1. students’ knowledge about bangka local culture enough 62.9% 2. the aspects of bangka local culture that the students know traditional food 68.6% 3. the way students know about bangka local culture from parents, grandparents or elders 48.6% 4. the scope of bangka local culture that the students know in the students’ place and the closer districts 60% 5. the students’ knowledge level of bangka local culture general information 65.7% based on the students' view on their knowledge about bangka local culture, there were several things that the students thought they could do to preserve and develop the local culture. the activities that the students could do are shown in figure 4. figure 4. the students’ activities in preserving bangka local culture. promoting local culture (yellow), preserving the local culture actively (green), implementing local culture in daily life (purple), enlarging the knowledge about local culture (purple) based on the data obtained, 82.9% of students could preserve and develop their local culture by enlarging the knowledge about local culture, preserving local culture actively (42.9% students), promoting the local culture (40%), and implementing local culture in daily life (22.9). the data showed that the students had the intention to know more and preserve their local culture. hence, developing bangka-local-culturebased descriptive reading materials can be a way to enlarge their knowledge as well as to encourage their awareness of the existence of their own local culture, and help them culturally literate. sopian, inderawati, and petrus, 2019, and elviana, inderawati, and mirizon (2020) who developed teaching materials based on palembang local culture to meet the students’ needs found that developed teaching materials based on local culture had a potential effect to students. strategy analysis this part presented the students' preference in learning reading. the data obtained are showed in figure 5. the figure shows 42.9% of students english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 29 preferred to comprehend the text by translating. the other ways of learning reading were by reading aloud with correct pronunciation and discussing the content of the text in a group (34.3% students). then, 17.1% of students were interested in analyzing new vocabulary based on the context, and 11.4% of students preferred to read and answer the questions related to the text individually. the students' preference in learning reading should be considered as the strategy to help them to learn. figure 5. students’ preference in learning reading the students’ needs viewed by the english teachers based on the result of the interview with four english teachers, all of them had the same opinion that english subject was important for passing the examination as well as supporting the students' career in the future. one of the teachers (teacher 1) who strongly agreed stated: “the objectives of english subject are suitable for the requirements of the curriculum, and the english subject is needed to support the content subjects. after graduating, they will have a job based on their field of study so they have to be able to use english.” however, the teachers thought that the materials available were not really appropriate since most of them were still general. as stated by teachers: teacher 1: “especially, for the tour and travel students, there are a few english materials related to tour and travel study program. most of the existing materials are still general even though they have been designed for a vocational school.” teacher 2: “the texts available shouldn’t use general texts as can be seen from the title of the texts. they should be related to the study program.” teacher 3: “the book provided is still about something general.” teacher 4: “the reading texts are not really related to the students’ study program.” to overcome this situation the english teachers tried to get supplementary materials for reading by using an esp book, other commercial books, or taking the materials on the internet. as stated by teacher 1 and teacher 3: teacher 1: “i use the book which is provided by the government and another book that relates to the tour and travel study program, esp book.” nur azizah, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty bangka-culture-based descriptive reading materials for tour and travel in smk: students’ needs analysis 30 teacher 3: “i use the book from the government and a commercial one. i also search for the materials on the internet.” presently, teachers just used the materials from the supplementary books or the internet directly or adopt the materials. they did not adapt or develop supplementary reading materials for example related to the general knowledge of content subjects or the students' local cultures. all the teachers had a willingness to adapt or develop appropriate reading materials. however, they faced some problems. all teachers stated most of the reason was related to time. as stated by teacher 2: “i had a very tight schedule in teaching and sometimes i had other responsibilities at school. so, i had no time for developing teaching materials.” they also had problems with the way of developing the materials. as stated by two of the teachers: teacher 1: “i had ever tried to make reading texts for the students, but i am not sure it was procedurally correct.” teacher 4: “i want to develop reading materials, but i do not have time to do it alone and i am not sure the organization or the reading materials will be good or appropriate with the students.“ these problematic aspects were also faced by the other english teachers in developing english materials. syamsinar and jabu (2015) who conducted research dealt with the problems in professional competence faced by vocational school english teachers, reported one of the findings was teachers had problems in developing materials creatively such as the lack of references, the english knowledge was more likely about the general one, and because of the teacher’s capacity. metboki (2018) who conducted research about problems hindering the student teachers in developing elt materials found the problems were the lack of basic concepts about what and the way to develop elt materials that were appropriate to the needs of the students and the lack of time. in accordance with the students' english proficiency, all teachers estimated it was at the beginner level. then, two of the teachers considered that students' reading proficiency was good enough, while the other two teachers thought it was less. concerning the reading materials, all teachers stated that the reading texts provided in the course books were difficult for the students. as stated by teacher 2: “the language in the texts is difficult for the students. it should be simplified for example the vocabulary.” then, the english teachers assumed that the common difficulties faced by the students in reading were in terms of vocabulary and comprehending the text for example the main idea and detail information. as stated by teacher 2 and teacher 4: teacher 2: “in comprehending the text, the students needed to be guided. it depends on their understanding of the vocabulary in the text.” teacher 4: “the average problem faced by the students is the unfamiliar vocabulary. they need to look up in the dictionary first.” the most common kind of reading text taught was descriptive text, the other ones such as narrative, argumentative, and factual reports. all english teachers agreed that integrating certain topics which were related to the general knowledge of students' study program for reading was important. it was the same case as the integration topics which were related to bangka local culture for reading. as stated by one of the english teachers: teacher 1: “of course, it is needed to integrate bangka local culture in reading materials. it is very good for the students’ study program in which they will be tour guides someday. they will be able to explain about tourism, culture, historical places such as tin museum or others especially in english.” furthermore, all teachers admitted that it was necessary to develop local-culture-based reading materials since there were no reading materials which completed with reading comprehension test about bangka local culture which could meet the students' needs and match their reading level. teacher 2: “it is needed to present the materials related to the local culture, but there are no english reading materials presented to bangka local culture.” english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 31 the form of questions for enhancing reading comprehension, all teachers suggested in the form of multiple-choice and essay, as stated by teacher 4: “the multiple-choice and essay are commonly used in certain examinations like in the final semester exam or national examination.” the aspects of bangka local culture suggested were related to customs, arts, foods, traditional clothes, historical buildings, traditional equipment, and folklores. the students’ needs viewed by the content subject teachers the result of the interview with three content teachers showed that english subject could support the content subjects. as explained by one of the content teachers: “the students of tour and travel study program will not only interact with domestic tourists but also with the ones from abroad. we expect that the english subject can provide the materials that the students study in content subjects. the materials can be about ticketing, flight reservation, handling complaint, handling tourists, and cultural tourism.” the other content teacher stated: “when the students have studied certain topics that are also discussed in content subjects and should present the topics in english, the students will be ready. the content teachers do not need to teach or provide the materials in english anymore.” it is worth saying that if english materials can support the content subject, it can avoid the overlapping work of the content teachers. if the materials have been studied in english subject, the content teachers can focus more to train the students' skills in their field. in relation to integrating bangka local culture to english reading materials, all the content teachers interviewed, showed a positive response. it was one of their expectations. one content teacher stated: “it would be very useful for the students for example when they study tour guide subject later, they will have some references and knowledge about their local culture and can explain it in english.” the other content teacher said: “english reading materials based on local culture are related to tourism subject and tourism industry communication subject. the aspects of bangka local culture that need to be integrated are about customs, arts, traditional clothes, and foods.” the students’ needs viewed by the stakeholders the view of the head study program of tour and travel and the assistant curriculum was the same as the others' view that english was important to support the students' content subjects and careers. then, both of them recommended the integration were related to the general knowledge of the students' field and bangka local culture since the unavailability of reading materials. the head of the study program stated: “there have not been english materials which are integrated with the content subjects especially related to bangka local culture yet.” it was also justified by the assistant curriculum who said “i do not have any report, documents such as teaching materials, books, or other administration that show the integration of english subjects to content subjects.” both head of the study program and assistant curriculum hoped there would be an integration of english subject to content subjects for example by developing reading materials based on bangka local culture to meet the students' needs and administrated it. based on the result of identifying and analyzing the students’ needs reviewed by students, teachers, and stakeholders some points had to be highlighted. english was important for the smk students mostly to support their future carrier, students’ english proficiency was still in the beginner level, students still faced some difficulties in reading comprehension, the kind of text needed was descriptive text, there was a need of integrating english reading materials with the materials of the content subjects, students still lacked knowledge about bangka local culture, and there were no english reading materials provided which incorporate the bangka local culture in that school. from those points, english as one of the important subjects in smk is not only as a foreign language which should be mastered by the students but also a means that can assist the nur azizah, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty bangka-culture-based descriptive reading materials for tour and travel in smk: students’ needs analysis 32 students in the workplace. hence, some efforts to make the students’ english proficiency to be in higher level should be done. one of them is by preparing appropriate materials for the students. in reading skills, the materials should involve the aspects of reading comprehension. these aspects such as a main idea, detailed information, reference, inference, or vocabulary should be taught and drilled to the students as explained by cooper, warncke and shipman, 1988. incorporating students’ local culture in developing reading materials is necessary. as reported by sopian, inderawati, & petrus (2019) and elviana, inderawati, & mirizon (2020) that providing materials based on local culture could motivate students as well as enhance their reading comprehension, in which the result of their studies showed most of the students achieved the minimum mastery criterion using their developed product which based on local culture. furthermore, the use of local culture in reading materials is one of the ways to integrate english subjects with the content subjects in tour and travel study program since english is not a subject that stands alone but it is a subject taught to the students in order to support their skills based on their study program. one of the consequences, conducting need analysis especially related to the students’ needs is important to know what should be developed and integrated into english materials. these points should be taken into account by the english teachers and stakeholders in order to get closer to the students’ needs. conclusion the english reading materials such as for tour and travel students should support their needs based on their study program. once the materials cannot meet the students’ needs it is important to develop the materials. one of them by integrating the reading materials with the students’ own local culture. the prior thing that must be conducted is doing need analysis. by doing a need analysis, there will be a lot of information obtained. it can be about the necessities, wants, lack of studies, and even the preference in the learning style of the students. that information can be the grounded consideration in developing english materials. based on the result of the need analysis of this study, it is suggested to develop supplementary descriptive reading materials by integrating bangka local cultures which match with the students’ english proficiency and support the students’ content subjects. references alsamadani, h. a. (2017). need analysis in esp context: saudi engineering students as a case study. alls, 8(6), 58-68. asrifan, a., vargheese, k.j., syamsu, t., & amir, m. (2020). esp course design: the need analysis on tourism department in indonesia vocational high schools. journal of advanced english studies. 3 (2), 69-77. bedoya, p. a., valencia, l.m., & montoya, j. c. (2015). students’ need analysis in an efl program for university professors. how, 22(2), 11-36. brown, j. d. (2009). foreign and second language need analysis. in m.h. long and c. j. doughty (eds.), the handbook of language learning (pp. 269-293). london: wileyblackwell. chetsadanuwat, k. (2018). needs of english skills of thai nurses working in international hospitals accredited by jci in bangkok area. learn journal, 1(1), 26-46. cooper, j. d., warncke, e. w., & shipman, d. d. (1988). interactive approaches to second language reading. cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. dehbozorgi, m., amalsaleh, e., & kafipour, r. (2014). exploring cultural content of three prominent efl textbooks in iran (a case study of american english files, top notch and four corners). acta didactica napocensia, 7(1), 69-81. dehghan, f. & sadighi, f. (2011). on the cultural schema and iranian efl learners’ reading performance: a case of local and global items. journal of pan-pacific association of applied linguistics, 15(2), 97-108. elviana, r., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2020). developing interactive multimedia for teaching descriptive texts based on palembang local culture. indonesian efl journal, 6(1), 19-26. estuarso d., basthomi y., & widiati u. (2017). when local goes global: eglish teachers as cultivators of local culture in a globalized region. the 4th international conference on language, society and culture in asian contexts, kne social science, 60-69. retrieved from english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 33 https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7318/3c78b7c cdb90241abff754bff535ae51fc80.pdf fu, w. (2018). read from local to global: a culturebased reading material. advance in social sciences research journal, 5(3), 57-65. government regulation of indonesia. (2017). undang-undang republik indonesia no.5 tahun 2017 tentang pemajuan kebudayaan. jakarta: republic of indonesia. hamlan, s. a. a., & baniabdelrahman, a. a. (2015). a need analysis approach to efl syllabus development for second grade students in secondary education in saudi arabia: a descriptive analytical approach to students’ need. american international journal of contemporary research, 5(1), 118-145. ibrahim, a. s. e. m. (2016). esp needs analysis: a case study of peh students, university of khartoum. sino-us english teaching, 13(12), 905-923. kayaoglu, m. n., & akbas, r. d. (2016). an investigation into medical students’ english language needs. participatory educational research, 1, 63-71. lee, c. l. (2016). principles and practices of esp course designa case study of a university of science and technology. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 15(2), 94-105. local regulation of bangka belitung archipelago province (2016). peraturan daerah no. 14 tahun 2016 tentang pelestarian dan pengelolaan cagar budaya provinsi kepulauan bangka belitung. retrieved from http://www.visitbangkabelitung.com/public/fil e/download/perda_no__14_tahun_2016_ca gar_budaya_babel.pdf. long, m. h. (2005). second language need analysis. cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. mahbub, m. a. (2018). english teaching in vocational high school: a need analysis. jeels, 5(2), 229-258. maley, a. (2016). principles and procedures in materials development. in m. azarnoosh, m. zeraatpishe, a. faravani, & h.r. kargozari (eds.), issues in materials development (pp. 11-29). boston: sense. mcdonough, j., shaw, c., & masuhara, h. (2013). materials and method in elt: a teacher’s guide. london: wiley-blackwell. metboki, y. (2018). problems hindering student teachers’ elt materials development: a study in the internship program in eastern indonesia. english review:journal of english education, 7(1), 93-104. ministry of national education. (2016). peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia no.20 tahun 2016 tentang standar kompetensi lulusan pendidikan dasar dan menengah. jakarta: ministry of national education, the republic of indonesia. mukundan, j., zarifi, a., & kalajahi, s., a., r. (2016). developing reading materials for esl learners. in m. azarnoosh, m. zeraatpishe, a. faravani, & h.r. kargozari (eds.), issues in materials development (pp. 65-73). boston: sense. petrovska, i. (2001). teaching intercultural communication in the global language classroom. 545-553. retrieved from https://www.uklo.edu.mk/filemanager/horiz onti%202019/serija%20a%20br%2023/p40 .pdf rahamdina, harahap, a., & sofyan, d. (2019). need analysis of english for tour and travel department of vocational high school in bengkulu city. journal of applied linguistic and literature, 4(1), 1-12. ratri, d. p., & puspitasari, i. (2019). need analysis for developing course book for english for elementary school students with local-content values. indonesian journal of english education, 6(1), 1-9. richards, j. (2001). curriculum development in language teaching. new york, ny: cambridge university press. sari, r. a. (2016). teaching english for tourism in bali based on local culture: what do students need?. iselt, 4, 221-229. sopian, s., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2019). developing e-learning based local-folklores for eighth graders. english review:journal of english education, 8(1), 100-112. sularti, drajati, n. a., & supriyadi, s. (2019). students’ need analysis on learning of the english listening skill in vocational high school. english language and literature international conference, 3, 244-249. syamsinar & jabu, b. (2015). the problems in professional competence of teachers in teaching english subject at vocational high schools. elt worldwide, 2(2), 95-109. tomlinson, b. (2012). developing materials for language learning and teaching. cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. wu, j. r., & low, y. g. (2018). need analysis of chinese chemical engineering and technology undergraduate students in yangtze university in english for specifics purposes. creative education, 9, 2592-2603. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7318/3c78b7ccdb90241abff754bff535ae51fc80.pdf https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7318/3c78b7ccdb90241abff754bff535ae51fc80.pdf http://www.visitbangkabelitung.com/public/file/download/perda_no__14_tahun_2016_cagar_budaya_babel.pdf http://www.visitbangkabelitung.com/public/file/download/perda_no__14_tahun_2016_cagar_budaya_babel.pdf http://www.visitbangkabelitung.com/public/file/download/perda_no__14_tahun_2016_cagar_budaya_babel.pdf https://www.uklo.edu.mk/filemanager/horizonti%202019/serija%20a%20br%2023/p40.pdf https://www.uklo.edu.mk/filemanager/horizonti%202019/serija%20a%20br%2023/p40.pdf https://www.uklo.edu.mk/filemanager/horizonti%202019/serija%20a%20br%2023/p40.pdf nur azizah, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty bangka-culture-based descriptive reading materials for tour and travel in smk: students’ needs analysis 34 wulandari, a. a., vianty, m., & fiftinova. (2018). using local culture as teaching materials for improving students’ reading comprehension. the journal of english literacy education (the teaching and learning of english as a foreign language, 5(1), 11-24. yang, x. (2017). cultural background on reading comprehension in junior high school. journal of language teaching and research, 8(2), 370-374. yousef, h., karimi, l., & janfeshan, k. (2014). the relationship between cultural background and reading comprehension. theory and practice in language studies, 4(4), 707-714. yundayani, a., emzir, & rafli, z. (2017). need analysis: the writing skill instructional material context for academic purposes. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 59-70. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 277 learning english utilising online platforms during covid -19 in tertiary level: indonesian efl learners' retrospective perception rudi suherman english education program, faculty of education, universitas persatuan islam, indonesia e-mail: rudisuherman@unipi.ac.id sri yunita department of management, sekolah tinggi ilmu ekonomi yasa anggana, indonesia e-mail: sriyunita@stieyasaanggana.ac.id siti nurjanah hadiati department of islamic education, stai persis bandung indonesia e-mail: sitihadiyati@staipibdg.ac.id apa citation: suherman, r., yunita, s. & hadiati, s. n. (2021). learning english utilising online platforms during covid-19 in tertiary level: indonesia efl learners' retrospective perception. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 277-286 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5394 received: 12-10-2021 accepted: 23-11-2021 published: 31-12-2021 abstract: this study aimed to examine the indonesian efl learners' retrospective perception toward utilising online platforms in teaching english as a foreign language during a pandemic. the mixed quantitative and qualitative research design method is employed to achieve this goal. seventy-five efl learners from three different universities who took english for general communication courses were recruited in this study. the data were obtained by deploying two research instruments: questionnaires and a retrospective interview. many participants preferred to select the most suitable and economical online platform to maximise their online learning experience. they also regard that learning effectiveness and efficiency can only be achieved by utilising blended synchronous and asynchronous modes. the findings also show that lecturers pose a fundamental role in helping students maximise their learning experiences. thus, lecturer-student engagement during online learning is inevitably essential. keywords: online platform; online learning; covid-19 pandemic; efl learners’ perception. introduction the covid–19 pandemics have dramatically affected many life aspects, including education. in relation to this, indonesian education is forced to make a number of adjustments. therefore, the online platform came to give a light as, temporarily, a way out to meet the need of this demand. all school levels from primary, secondary to tertiary level of education in indonesia made a great shift of teaching mode from teacher-student face to face meetings to online meetings. for that reason, learning english utilising online platforms during covid-19 in the tertiary level is important to be discussed. some research has been conducted on this issue; however, they focus on certain aspects such as online platform preferences (amin & sundari 2020) or teachers' challenges and reflection during the teaching-learning process (atmojo & nugroho, 2020; tathahira & sriayu, 2020). as recognised, the study related to the student's experience and perspective after more than one year of online learning implementations during covid-19 is still under-researched. thus, this study is trying to investigate the issue in order to give the shield light for all parties in education during this prolonged pandemic. the literature review, research methodology, findings, discussion, and conclusion are fully presented below. during a pandemic, the teaching-learning process, which is typically taken place in a classroom or face to face mode needs to be adjusted to make the demand to avoid the risk of students or school stakeholders being infected by the highly contagious virus which has been considered a global threat (harapan et al., 2020). online learning is defined as learning carried out from a distance assisted by electronic devices, for instance tablets, smartphones, laptops, and computers which require internet connection (gonzalez & louis, 2018).online learning as mailto:rudisuherman@unipi.ac.id mailto:sriyunita@stieyasaanggana.ac.id mailto:sitihadiyati@staipibdg.ac.id rudi suherman, sri yunita, & siti nurjanah hadiati learning english utilising online platforms during covid-19 in tertiary level: indonesia efl learners' retrospective perception 278 opposed to face to face learning has proliferated rapidly for the past decades (e.g atmojo & nugroho, 2020; tathahira & sriayu, 2020). therefore, huang et.al (2020) said that the "flexible learning" technology was used to carry out the learning procedure during the covid-19 epidemic. santoso and lestari (2019) said that at present moment, information and communication technology literacy is the essential and basis of the education sector. conducting online learning becomes a new challenge for both students and teachers. according to cao., et al. (2020), these acts have a significant influence on education, notably on students' learning. in line with this case, this shifting certainly triggers problems, challenges, and opportunities worth discussing. the challenges include integrating pedagogies and technologies, developing engaging activities, improving formal learning, getting student support, and dealing with technology-related issues (son, 2018). as a lecturer, along with two other lecturers from different campuses, at a private university in bandung. the researchers took the initiative to capture this phenomenon. although a large number of quantitative and qualitative studies have been conducted to investigate the effectiveness of online learning (gonzalez & louis, 2018), research on online language learning conducted during a pandemic is very rare, particularly in the context of english as a foreign language (efl) in secondary school settings, as most online language learning research has been conducted at the tertiary education level (lin & warschauer, 2015). because of this extraordinary event, online language learning occurs unexpectedly and unprepared. a study of totally online language acquisition, on the other hand, is highly unusual (sun, 2014), especially during a pandemic. many efl/ esl teachers and researchers have extensively investigated the efficacy of online learning concerning students' learning achievement (waluyo, 2020). many studies about the effectiveness of online learning recognise that it is essential for students satisfaction and that it is a critical factor in students academic achievement (hew, 2016; yeh., kwok., chien., swean., baek., & mcintosh., 2019). related to academic achievement of positive student learning outcomes, attractive features in online platforms have engaged students. interactivity in the online environment is a key to keeping students engaged (deschaine & whale, 2017). online environments might benefit certain types of engagement (dumford & miller, 2018). and it is often related to the achievement of (akbari, naderi, simons, & pilot., 2016). in addition, ahmad, sosa and musfy (2020) stated that online learning is indeed beneficial. besides, others have been focused on its strengths and shortcomings as well, e-learning also facilitates networking and information exchange, but it has the disadvantage of possibly squandering time (salmon et al., 2015; hollis & was, 2016; brownson, 2014). however, only a few emphasise how students or efl learners perceive it (khotimah, widiati, mustofa,& ubaidillah., 2019; wright, 2017). therefore, the promptly significant shift and direction from offline to online has to be taken, furthermore in the context of force majeure due to an outbreak. given the opportunity to contribute significantly and fill in the gap on the proposed issue, this study is primarily intended to unfold how the students viewed the unprecedented shift of learning from face-to-face to online mode based on their personal experience. what they perceive likely affects the efficacy of the online program in the future, which can shed light on the online curriculum and some pedagogical aspects at a larger scale. thus, this study specifically put a focus on (1) the online platform references, (2) students' view toward lecturers' role during online learning, (3) the efficacy of the teachinglearning process, (4) students' comprehension toward the lesson on online learning, and (5) synchronous/ asynchronous tacit view. method to achieve the research goal, the mixed quantitative and qualitative research design method is employed, embracing the characteristics of survey research design. 75 efl learners who came from three universities. the participants were distributed equally from those campuses. they enrolled in education, economy, finance, management, and religious study programs. the vast background of the research participants is taken into consideration to prevail rich and robust data, which is discussed later. for ethical consideration, all participants' names in this study remain pseudonyms. firstly, the participants were asked to fill in the questionnaire, which consisted of 6 questions divided into several issues. the questionnaires were tailored in bahasa indonesia as participants' first language. secondly, they are then distributed online through google documents for its convenience. after all responses were collected, 3 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 279 participants from each university were invited to have semi-structured interviews consisting of 5 related questions. it was held via zoom and lasted between 15 – 25 minutes. the interview was performed in the participant's first language (l1). the questionnaire is then analysed quantitatively, whereas the interview results are transcribed and analysed qualitatively. those two findings support each other to reveal and answer the research objective being proposed profoundly (creswell, 2013; ubaidillah, 2018). the researchers translated the excerpt used in this study as accurately as possible. results and discussion results online platforms preferences among seventy-five students who participated in this study, more than half (52%) preferred to utilise whatsapp® as their learning platform during the online class. in contrast, google classroom comes into second choice (21.3 %), as shown fully on the pie diagram below. figure 1. online platforms preferences three of the interviewees stated that the reasons that drive them to use whatsapp® compared to other platforms are economical, practical reasons. ….it doesn't consume data much, and generally, everyone has this application, learning is not difficult to use, …………. makes it easy for us to interact with what lecturers …. if there is new material or ask questions that have not been understood (putri). …. more economical and i can study the lesson again….(guardian) …… it can make it easier for me to ask questions when there are some materials that i don't understand…. we don't need to scroll to find our answer. (iman) although whatsapp has its drawback, compared to other platforms, when it comes to real-life interaction, this handicap can be relatively covered by its useful default features. as stated below, the respondent found it very useful when learning as uttered by novyanti (pseudonym) and her peer. i prefer to use whatsapp because…(thinking) using it can support tasks both in terms of images, docs, and also voice notes (noviyanti). because in whatsapp, there is a feature reply which when the lecturer answers or when we ask, we can immediately find the answer to the question, especially in english (questionnaire responses) to sum up, this section displays that whatsapp has become the most preferred choice by the students due to several reasons. even though it does not possess all the required features, it still can relatively help them get most of the lessons given by the lecturers. this platform has met the demand of most respondents when participating in online learning. students’ view toward lecturers’ role during online learning the information gained from this section shows that the students had diverse viewpoints towards lecturers' role in the online class. for the top three, they considered lecturers as controller (30%), tutor (26.7%), and assessor (18.7%), respectively. it can be interpreted that the students may prefer to have the lecturer–centred based rather than student-centred based. figure 2. students’ view toward lecturers’ role during online learning comment from those who viewed lecturers serve as the controller included the following: students still feel unfamiliar with this method of learning, and they still need a lot of direction from the lecturer (questionnaire response) ... lecturers are very influential in the continuity of the teaching and learning process during online learning by continuously controlling students to do rudi suherman, sri yunita, & siti nurjanah hadiati learning english utilising online platforms during covid-19 in tertiary level: indonesia efl learners' retrospective perception 280 assignments on time (questionnaire response). with this online learning, the control (from lecturers) is very much needed. (questionnaire response) as depicted from those comments above, even college or university students are categorized as adult learners who generally tend to be independent learners and are expected to be more autonomous and be responsible toward their learning process and goal (khotimah et al., 2019). surprisingly, in the context of online learning in the outbreak situation, they tended to depend more on their lecturers. lecturers who act as controllers are more favorable for them. controlling is urgently needed by most participants in this study as they are not entirely familiar with the system approach, as the teaching materials potentially hinder them from comprehending the subject. the effectiveness of online learning one of the critical issues that become apparent is the effectiveness of the online class. interestingly, the finding shows that students were primarily uncertain (50,7%) about online class effectiveness they underwent, whereas 36% disagree and 13.3 % agree, as shown in the figure below: figure 3. the effectiveness of online learning they felt uncertain that the role played by the lecturers, as perceived, was not significant. some respondents considered that the lecturers did not assist them fruitfully during the learning process. the lecturers rarely explained the material. most of the lecturers only gave assignments without explaining….even some lecturers who only told students to fill in the absence without any assignments and materials (questionnaire response) most of the lecturers give assignments to students without explaining the lesson first (questionnaire response) following the former finding, the respondent expected the lecturers to play more role, compared to face to face learning which influences them in learning mastery, by explaining the materials in detail rather than merely assigned them to do the tasks ...understanding english learning is more effective in learning offline and explained directly by the lecturer concerned (nopri) on the other hand, the learners found a limitation of expressing what they felt compared with activities in the classroom as they can ask questions and get the points from the lecturers directly, as stated by teni below. for me, it's not an effective way since all of the students can't express more themselves in studying due to limitations (teni) a respondent also argued that online learning is not as effective as offline due to poor internet connection. the learning process from home becomes a new challenge because the signal cannot spread quickly to the whole of areas where they live, as it is uttered by anisah below: in my opinion, online learning is less effective than offline learning. offline learning has a more positive impact on students than online learning. because online learning is very dependent on signals. if the signal is bad, the learning material is left behind (anisah) it may happen because some students come from remote areas in which internet access is not stable. they further testament to going somewhere to get better internet access during the interview sessions. it was always challenging for me (every time i had online classes) i had to go to a hill close to my house or to go to my relatives to get better and stable internet access so i could follow the online class (nani) some participants argued that many online platforms could support their learning process predominantly depending on how the lecturers design and create the method to improve their understanding. thus, the lecturers need to adapt and add more skills about recent technologies in language teaching. still can understand because many applications can support learning english (questionnaire response) it is effective because the learning process is exciting and fun. the lecturers gave a new atmosphere and method to make the class is english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 281 comfortable (questionnaire response) the efficiency of online learning the online class efficiency tenet shows identical tendencies similar to effectiveness data findings. as it is shown in figure no. 4, the respondents were primarily unsure (53%), followed by disagreement (28%) and agreement (19%) toward the notion of online class efficiency during the pandemic. figure 4. the efficiency of online learning in the online class, students are required to fill in the online attendance list before the class; it can be writing a name list or filling out a google form which cannot guarantee that the students standby until the course finishes. the lecturers might not identify who paid attention to the lectures, including checking whether or not the students understands the lessons. the students could only come to sign the presence list and attend the closing part of the session. this finding is succinctly justified by the respondents' comments below. because some students rarely take online classes or are just absent without following the lecture flow (questionnaire response) effective yet not efficient (questionnaire response). some participants regarded only learning as money and time-consuming. the learning process took longer than it usually does. assignments and tasks need to be submitted later in the same day or even more. consequently, they need to spare more time to understand the material and finish the duty independently. at the same time, students need to add internet data in expenses allocation during the pandemic, as it is clearly stated. …. if it carries longer, so students will have a mental problem such as depression because of lack of sleep, radiation effect from electronic media or finance such as when internet data runs out, but the class goes normal, so it causes stress and lack of communication impacts of less confidence (nopri) the concept of online learning still cannot achieve its efficiency, where students need extra effort to benefit from the lessons. the lack of direct communication impacts the student's confidence, which is necessary to ask for help regarding the material and another activity. students ‘comprehension toward the lesson figure 5 displays the students ' self-evaluation on their lesson comprehension. most students place themselves in uncertainty tenet (63%). in contrast, about a quarter of them (27%) argued that they didn't comprehend the lesson, and the most negligible percentage of respondents (11 %) asserted that they could understand the class. figure 5. students’ comprehension toward the lesson this minority clustered (10.7%) is represented by some participants who highlighted learning commitment and being independent whatever the online class mode is being carried out or obstacle faced, as stated by one of the respondents below. overall, i can understand very well. but of course, there are many obstacles, and coming back to the reasons for whether online learning is effective or not, if we are serious about learning, any difficulties, we can certainly overcome them by looking for other sources for the lesson material we do not understand (questionnaire response). students' understanding of the lesson is influenced by the lecturers' method during the learning process. some students can easily understand all topics without any difficulty. the learning process comes so fresh with new designs and enables them to learn the subject passionately. it is the uniqueness of method, where it makes the students are feeling excited and can not wait for what will the lecturers brings for the next meeting (na) the lecturers always give the maximum explanation, which is even more than usual, and rudi suherman, sri yunita, & siti nurjanah hadiati learning english utilising online platforms during covid-19 in tertiary level: indonesia efl learners' retrospective perception 282 also they provide convenience such as the length of submitting tasks and absence (al). in contrast, most students are challenged to follow the learning process. they could not easily follow the class or catch the lesson because of multiple reasons, methods, tools and timetables. they argue that offline meetings are more detailed than online meetings. it's hard, i have no idea about the reason why online classes are too hard for us to follow (teni) the explanation given by the lecturer is more detailed if offline learning is carried (nopri) ….. the direct communication with lecturers and friends, even some of materials were not delivered clearly but many assignments handed; also we do not need to think about obstacles regarding with signals or too extravagant of internet data, and the last the timetable is not scheduled well during online class (al) no social interaction because it feels so pseudointeractions. it's not easy because at least the quality of data must be maximised, especially the time when we need to have a class via zoom, draining the interned data a lot (fi). it can be perceived that real-time interaction has become a vital element during the online learning process. they can easily ask for direct inquiry without being interrupted by poor signals that hinder them. most students inevitably demand direct, intimate interaction to benefit from the studied lesson. students’ preferences between synchronous and asynchronous approach for most participants, blending synchronous and asynchronous mode is considerably the best option. as seen from the figure below, more than half of respondents (52%) prefer to select this option, whereas mere synchronous and asynchronous places respectively at 30% and 17 %. this hybrid approach provides flexibility to the students and helps them better understand. figure 6. students’ preferences between synchronous and asynchronous approach here are the following arguments of the students who prefer to have both methods. by trying to use two methods of asynchronous and synchronous learning, students or lecturers can complement the lack of learning methods from one another (questionnaire response) i prefer direct interaction, but i'm also clueless about it; with the asynchronous learning system, i can at least operate it (questionnaire response) let learning be more engaging and not boring (by having) both modes (questionnaire response) both are very supportive for doing online learning, but i personally prefer learning in realtime because the material presented will be faster to understand (questionnaire response) as can be viewed from the commentary above, most students considered that both synchronous and asynchronous methods had each drawback. synchronous methods tend to consume more internet data if prolongedly applied and require a stable internet connection. this situation is disfavored for the students who reside in remote areas with poor internet connections. whereas asynchronous the lecturer student interaction is less intensive, students who demand further explanation or questions that require immediate response cannot be facilitated. in addition, it requires the students to be more independent and be responsible with their learning duty. in addition to this, by utilising and incorporating them. the lack of each learning method can relatively be minimised. therefore, the learning objective of each lesson can be fairly achieved better, and the students can get the benefit and most of the learning. discussion the finding of this study has yielded five points english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 283 that are worth discussing. firstly, regarding the platform preferences, the respondent prefers to utilise the platform during the class that is practical, economical in terms of data consumption and endows with valuable features that can support the learning objective. this finding is in line with perry's (2017). it confirms amin's (amin & sundari, 2020) in which friendly user platforms and its accessibility help the students to gain most of the benefit of the lesson as the offline class does. müller's research (2008) further supports that accessibility and comfort in the online learning environment enable students to become more interested in the study. secondly, regarding lecturers' role, most of the respondents still consider lecturers as the centre of learning and demand intensive interaction during online learning teaching. teachers need to scaffold interactions of student-teacher and student-material to enhance students’ learning (lin, zheng, & zhang, 2017). they believe that lecturers should take complete control of the online class, ensure the students' participation, check their understanding of the lesson, and monitor their learning progress. consequently, when the lecturers lack the assigned tasks formerly mentioned. the students are unlikely to grasp the lesson maximally. this tenet has confirmed deris, et al. (2012), who pointed out "teachers have a principal role in shaping students' learning experience and ultimately their persistence in learning" (p. 256). it is further revealed that student-lecturer interaction in a class can lead to a decreased sense of belonging. as a result of this tendency, it has been pointed out that feeling disengaged from teachers is one of the causes of attrition from a class. thirdly, concerning the effectiveness and efficiency of online learning, the respondents mostly regarded that the class is not entirely effective and efficient as opposed to offline learning due to lack of lecturer role and poor internet connection. this finding has been clarified by wright's (2017). some studies indicate that online learning is not as effective as face-to-face traditional instruction (pickering & swinnerton, 2019). despite its great flexibility, lecturers' commitment and poor capability and internet stability can account for the success and effectiveness of the online class in achieving its goal. in line with the above reality, the results of research by hikmat et al. (2020, p. 1) show that learning online in practice courses and online course subjects are less effective. fourthly, in the context of students' comprehension of the lessons, most respondents consider that the classes during online learning are more challenging to comprehend. due to two factors; lecturers 'presence and an internet connection, lecturers' presence have made the lesson more difficult to understand. according to them, some lecturers do not seem to take their lesson preparations as maximally as they could; this has negatively affected the quality of online learning. it is, therefore, inevitable that most students demand direct, intimate interaction to get most of the lesson, parallel to the theory that interaction between teachers and students leads to student satisfaction and student learning outcomes. other factors such as peer community, engaging online teachers, confidence and course design prove how online degrees can assist students with successful academic and engaging learning experiences (farrell & brunton, 2020). then the internet has contributed significantly to this tenet for some students who reside in remote areas with relatively poor internet connections. they can access or participate in the class when a stable internet connection such as zoom meeting or youtube live is provided. lastly, to date, offline or face to face learning still outperforms and is more preferable to online learning, especially for the students who endow socioeconomic disadvantages and are unable to have proper internet access. it is also discussed by green (2016) that online learning needs a bigger investment than face to face classes to make it properly designed and implemented. as suggested by moorhouse (2020) extensive studies that investigate the transition from face-to-face to online learning are equally worthwhile. therefore, a blended synchronous learning mode presents as the alternative to minimize its drawback and eventually achieve the learning objective. conclusion according to the respondents' perception who participated in this study, online learning should be easily accessed and implemented through the most practical and economic e-learning platforms, particularly in terms of internet data consumption and embedded features that enable the students to learn and comprehend the given lessons maximally. this study also found that the lecturers occupy a fundamental role during the online teachinglearning process. most respondents generally consider the lecturers' presence who can control the class as necessary as in the offline class. in rudi suherman, sri yunita, & siti nurjanah hadiati learning english utilising online platforms during covid-19 in tertiary level: indonesia efl learners' retrospective perception 284 addition to this, the lecturers are highly imperative to acknowledge and embrace the recent technologies in language teaching to minimize the technical issues related to the platform being utilized. furthermore, students are also expected to foster their internal and external motivation and intention to establish immediate goals and be in charge of individual responsibility towards their learning process and goal during online learning. another notable point that is intriguing to discuss is that the mixed-marriage approach between synchronous and asynchronous is regarded as the most effective and efficient option. this approach can facilitate learning style, need and expectation toward the lesson. this study has revealed that students and lecturers are highly advisable to have common ground and commitment to online learning. this can be achieved by having intensive lecturer-student interaction and engagement in pre-duringpostlearning activities. acknowledgement the sincere thanks are addressed to all 75 students from three different institutions who have been willing to participate in this study. references ahmad, l., sosa, m., & musfy, k. (2020). interior design teaching methodology during the global covid-19 pandemic. interiority, 3(2), 163-184. https://doi:10.7454/in.v3i2.100 akbari, e., naderi, a., simons, r. j., & pilot, a. (2016). student engagement and foreign language learning through online social networks. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 1(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-016-0006-7 amin, f. m., & sundari, h. (2020). efl students' preferences on digital platforms during emergency remote teaching: video conference, lms, or messenger application? studies in english language and education, 7(2), 362– 378. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v7i2.16929 atmojo, a. e. p., & nugroho, a. (2020). efl classes must go online! teaching activities and challenges during covid-19 pandemic in indonesia. register journal, 13(1), 49-76. cao, w., fang, z., hou, g., han, m., xu, x., dong, j., & zheng, j. (2020). the psychological impact of the covid-19 epidemic on college students in china. psychiatry res, 112934-112934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112934 creswell, j. w. (2013). data analysis workshop. research design qualitative quantitative and mixed methods approaches, 1 (9), 270. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781107415324.00 4 deschaine, m. e., & whale, d. e. (2017). increasing student engagement in online educational leadership courses. journal of educators online, 14 (1),n1 deris, f. d., zakaria, m. h., & mansor, w. f. a. w. (2012). teaching presence in online course for part-time undergraduates. procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 66, 255-266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.11.268 dumford, a. d., & miller, a. l. (2018). online learning in higher education: exploring advantages and disadvantages for engagement. journal of computing in higher education, 30(3), 452–465. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528018-9179-z farrell, o., & brunton, j. (2020). a balancing act: a window into online student engagement experiences. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 17(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239020-00199-x gonzalez, d., & louis, r. st. (2018). online learning. in j. i. liontas (ed.), the tesol encyclopedia of english language teaching (1st ed green, p. (2016). how to succeed with online learning. in n. rushby & d. w. surry (eds.), the wiley handbook of learning technology (1st ed., pp. 261–286). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118736494.ch15 harapan, h., anwar, s., nainu, f., setiawan, a. m., yufika, a., winardi, w., ... & wagner, a. l. (2020). perceived risk of being infected with sars-cov-2: a perspective from indonesia. disaster medicine and public health preparedness, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2020.351 hew, k. f. (2016). promoting engagement in online courses: what strategies can we learn from three highly rated moocs. british journal of educational technology, 47(2), 320–341. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.1223 5 hikmat, h., hermawan, e., aldim, a., & irwandi, i. (2020). efektivitas pembelajaran daring selama masa pandemi covid-19: sebuah survey online. http://digilib.uinsgd.ac.id/30625/ huang, r. h., liu, d. j., tlili, a., yang, j. f., & wang, h. h. (2020). handbook on facilitating flexible learning during educational disruption: the chinese experience in maintaining undisrupted learning in covid-19 outbreak. smart learning institute of beijing normal university: unesco. 1–54. khotimah, k., widiati, u., mustofa, m., & faruq ubaidillah, m. (2019). autonomous english learning: teachers’ and students’ perceptions. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 9(2), 371–381. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v9i2.20234 https://doi:10.7454/in.v3i2.100 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-016-0006-7 https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v7i2.16929 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112934 https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781107415324.004 https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781107415324.004 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.11.268 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-018-9179-z https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-018-9179-z https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-00199-x https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-00199-x https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12235 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12235 http://digilib.uinsgd.ac.id/30625/ https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v9i2.20234 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 285 lin, c‐h, zheng, b., & zhang, y. (2017). interactions and learning outcomes in online language courses. british journal of educational technology, 48(3), 730–748. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12457 lin, c-h., & warschauer, m. (2015). online foreign language education: what are the proficiency outcomes? the modern language journal, 99(2), 394-397. moorhouse, b. l. (2020). adaptations to a face-to-face initial teacher education course ‘forced’online due to the covid-19 pandemic. journal of education for teaching, 46(4), 609-611. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.1755205 pickering, j. d., & swinnerton, b. j. (2019). exploring the dimensions of medical student engagement with technology‐enhanced learning resources and assessing the impact on assessment outcomes. anatomical sciences education, 12(2), 117-128. salmon, g., ross, b., pechenkina, e., & chase, a.m. (2015). the space for social media in structured online learning. research in learning technology, 23(1), 1-14. santoso, a., dan lestari, s. (2019). the roles of technology literacy and technology integration to improve students’ teaching competencies. social sciences, 3(11): 243-256. son, j. b. (2018). technology in english as a foreign language (efl) teaching. the tesol encyclopedia of english language teaching, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt044 8 sun, s. y. h. (2014). learner perspectives on fully online language learning. distance education, 35(1), 18–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2014.891428 tathahira, & sriayu. (2020). the implementation of online learning during covid-19 pandemic: english teachers’ perceptions at senior high schools in south aceh. indonesian journal of curriculum and educational technology studies, 8(2), 113–122. http://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/jktp ubaidillah, m. f. (2018). the pedagogy of english as an international language: indonesian preservice teachers’ beliefs. journal of asia tefl, 15(4), 1186–1194. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2018.15.4.23.1 186 waluyo, b. (2020). learning outcomes of a general english course implementing multiple elearning technologies and active learning concepts. journal of asia tefl, 17(1), 160– 181. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2020.17.1.10.1 60 wright, b. m. (2017). blended learnings student perception of face-to-face and online efl lessons. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 7(1), 64–71. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v7i1.6859 yeh, y. c., kwok, o. m., chien, h. y., sweany, n. w., baek, e., & mcintosh, w. a. (2019). how college students' achievement goal orientations predict their expected online learning outcome: the mediation roles of self-regulated learning strategies and supportive online learning behaviors. online learning, 23(4), 23-41. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12457 https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.1755205 https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2014.891428 http://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/jktp https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2018.15.4.23.1186 https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2018.15.4.23.1186 https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2020.17.1.10.160 https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2020.17.1.10.160 https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v7i1.6859 rudi suherman, sri yunita, & siti nurjanah hadiati learning english utilising online platforms during covid-19 in tertiary level: indonesia efl learners' retrospective perception 286 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee utilizing peer and teacher feedback in academic writing class taufiqulloh department of english education, pancasakti university tegal e-mail: taufiqkayla@gmail.com yuvita department of english education, pancasakti university tegal e-mail: yuvieta@rocketmail.com imam yuliarto department of english education, pancasakti university tegal e-mail: imamyuli@yahoo.com apa citation: taufiqulloh, yuvita, & yuliarto, i. (2016). utilizing peer and teacher feedback in academic writing class. english review, 4(2), 161-170 received: 10-02-2016 accepted: 13-03-2016 published: 01-06-2016 abstract: a process approach is usually employed in the classroom instruction of academic writing, particulary essay writing, in the indonesian colleges or universities. this study investigates the role of teacher and peer feedback inserted in the steps of writing process on students’ writing achievement. it is an experimental research conducted at the english education department of pancasakti university tegal central java indonesia, in the seven semester of the academic year 2015/2016. the participants of this study are 40 students who attended essay writing class. the instrument is essay writing test which was administered before and after treatment to both experimental and control group. by using paired-sample t-test and f-test, it was found that the use of teacher and peer feedback were effective to teach essay writing. such a technique contributed a significant improvemental to the students writing achievement in the experimental group. the result also showed that the writing achievement of the students in the experimental group was better than that of those in the control group. to conclude, utilizing teacher and peer feedback is considered to be one of the effective ways for the students in learning essay writing. however, some drawbacks were found that need to be taken into account in the next related researches. keywords: teacher feedback, peer feedback, essay writing introduction in the efl context of higher education, writing is considered as an important skill since it is not only an object of education, but it is also a skill leading to professional development. students must produce academic writing works as part of their study. carolina c, et.al. (2003, p. 9) stated that at the university level, disciplinary knowledge, and understanding are largely exhibited and valued through the medium of writing. students can begin to understand the significance of writing by becoming aware that writing takes particular conventional forms in different contexts. however, it is undeniable that writing is assumed to be the most the difficult skill for learners to master. the complexity lies not only in inventing, expressing, and organizing ideas but also in translating or 161 mailto:taufiqkayla@gmail.com mailto:yuvieta@rocketmail.com taufiqulloh, yuvita &imam yuliarto utilizing peer and teacher feedback in academic writing class interpreting them into texts which are readable. as nunan (2003, p. 88) highlighted that writers typically serve two masters: themselves and their own desires to express an idea or feeling, and readers who need to have ideas in certain ways. in the process of teaching and learning of academic writing at schools or universities in indonesia in particular, teacher always plays an important role. teachers assign students to write a number of topics and then assess the substantive information contained in the message conveyed, and the mechanics of writing (spelling, capitalization, and punctuation). teachers typically define the topics for writing, establish the criteria for evaluating the writing and grade the writing themselves. this teacher-centered approach is not surprising given that many teachers have origins in a transmission model of learning and instruction, in which teachers provide the basic knowledge to be imparted to students. the transmission model isolates content areas in teaching and emphasizes mastery of component skills in sequential order. meanwhile, the current trend of in elt teaching in international context today focuses on creating competent and autonomous learners (illes, 2012, p. 506). therefore, to create such learners, the elt instruction must be student-centered. moreover, students should be more facilitated in searching feedback from their peers or teachers. this study presents peer and teacher feedback as a techique in teaching academic writing, particularly essay, to university students. it is intended to find out whether or not teacher and peer feedback are effective to teach academic writing (essay writing) to the students and to figure out the difference in the writing achievement between the students who are taught using teacher and peer feedback and those who are not. as we know that the need for designing specific support for student writing processes has received much attention in writing research in elt today. two specific support mechanisms that can be used are teacher feedback and peer feedback, which have been studied in different domains and educational levels (i.e., gielen, tops, dochy, onhema, & smeets, 2010). in writing instruction, feedback is usually given by the teacher when writing process is implemented. teacher gives comments or suggestions on the students’writing relating to various aspects of writing such as format, mechanics, content, organization, grammar and sentence structures. according to keh (1990) and hedgcock and leftkowitz (1996) cited in purnawarman (2011, p.21) suggest at least four teacher’s roles in providing feedback for students’ writing: a reader or respondent, a writing teacher or guide, a grammarian, and an evaluator or judge. in students’ writing assessment, teacher feedback gives contributions to evalute students’ writing quality. peterson (2013) states that teacher feedback should be both criterion-based and reader-based. criterion based feedback indicates how well the writing meets the criteria on scoring guides or rubrics. this feedback refers to features such as the appropriateness of the ideas and information, the level of detail and the chosen point of view. criterion-based feedback also addresses the clarity of communication through the organization of ideas and use of writing conventions and effective language. this type of feedback is most useful when students have previously been given the 162 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee assessment criteria and have a clear understanding of the expectations. indeed, students gain a deeper understanding of the expectations when they have an opportunity to participate in determining the assessment criteria. relating to peer feedback, it is a type of assessment performed by equal status learners. the assessor finds and discussess the strengths of weaknesses of students’ writing performance for further improvement. it is done during the process of writing. peer feedback, when guided by teacher modeling and assessment criteria, is a useful assessment for learning tool that has been shown to support students’ writing development and contribute to students’ revisions to improve their writing (boscolo & ascorti, 2004; graham & perin, 2007). there are some beneficials of using peer feedback according to gielen (2010); firstly, peer feedback can increase the social pressure on students to perform well on an assignment. this way, regardless of the actual output of the peer feedback, a mere announcement that it will take place might suffice to raise performance. secondly, research in higher education shows that students often perceive peer feedback as more understandable and more useful because fellow students ‘are on the same wavelength’ (topping, 2003). a third argument of peer feedback beneficials is that it increases the students’ ability to understand feedback. when a learner sees what happens behind the curtains of an assessment and participates in it, learning goals are clarified and internalised. fourthly, peer feedback is quicker. as teacher feedback often has a considerable delay after the submission of an assignment or test, feedback sometimes is not available until after the curriculum has passed to another topic. in that case, ‘imperfect feedback from a fellow student provided almost immediately may have much more impact than more perfect feedback from a tutor four weeks later’ (gibbs and simpson, 2004, p. 19). fifthly, peer feedback can be part of an increase in the frequency or amount of feedback. gibbs and simpson (2004) emphasise that only giving feedback at the end of the learning process is not enough to support learning effectively and may provoke frustration in the learner. another advantage is the individualisation of feedback. if teachers try to provide more timely and more frequent feedback, they often organise it collectively to make this feasible. thus, peer feedback on writing develops students’ self assessment abilities through providing opportunities to learn and apply scoring criteria. it also provides helpful information to guide revisions that improve students’ writing (peterson, 2013). to draw the findings of this study, some hyphotheses were made. hypothesis is a provisional or tentative judgment whether or not a certain technique, method, or model is effective regarding the problem researched. there are two kinds of hypotheses in this research: null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis. srinagesh (2006, p. 337) stated that in the context of experimental research, the null hypothesis is used when the experimental data (which is represented by a sample) does not necessarily warrant a generalization (which represents the entire population) that an intended improvement in the dependent variable did not occur. the null hypotheses of this research are formulated in the followings: h01 teacher and peer feedback are not effective to teach academic (essay) writing to high achievers 163 taufiqulloh, yuvita &imam yuliarto utilizing peer and teacher feedback in academic writing class h02 teacher and peer feedback are not effective to teach academic (essay) writing to low achievers h03 there is no significant difference in the writing achievement of the students who are taught using teacher and peer feedback and those who are not. method an experimental research was conducted to test whether or not teacher and peer feedback were effective to teach academic writing to the students, particularly essay writing. it was conducted at the english department of pancasakti university tegal central java indonesia, in the seven semester of the academic year 2015/2015 from march to july 2016. the participants of this study are the fourth semester students of english education department who attended academic (essay) writing class. the total number of population is about 40 students from four classes. the population was then identified in terms of two kinds of individual differences: high and low achievers. the identification was conducted through an essay writing test. regarding the results of identification, 40 students were taken as the participants of this study: 20 students as the experimental group (10 high and 10 low achievers) and 20 students as the control group divided in the same way. the intsrument of this study is an essay writing test. students were asked to write an essay of about 300-600 words by choosing one of the suggested topics that interested them. each essay is scored on the basis of how effectively it communicates a whole message for the stated purpose. it is also considered in terms of five characteristics: format and mechanics, content and organization, word/sentence use, and grammar. and to the test the hypotheses as the findings in this study, t-test and f-test were conducted. paired sample t-test was intended to examine whether or not teacher and peer feedback were effective to teach essay writing to the students. while f-test was to figure out the difference in the writing achievement of the students who were taught using teacher and peer feedback and those who were not. results and discussion presented in this part are pretesting analysis, hypothesis testing (findings) and its interpretation. lavene test was employed to test the homogeneity of the research sample. using one way anova in spss 22, the result of the statistic calculation of the test was figured out in the following table: table 1. the result of homogeneity test table 1 shows that the gained coefficient (sig.) correlation is 0.185. as it is greater than 0.05, it can be drawn a conclusion that the research sample is homogeneous. thus, the further analysis (hyphotheses testing) can be carried out. the results of null hypotheseses testing of this small scale research were figured out in the followings: levene statistic df1 df2 sig. 1.819 1 38 0.185 164 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1) the first null hypothesis (h01) said that “teacher and peer feedback are not effective to teach academic (essay) writing to high achievers.” using spss 22, paired sample ttest was utilized to test such a hypothesis. it was conducted by comparing the scores of pre-test and post-test of field independent students taught using self-assessment model. if the significance value (sig.) of the 2tailed test drops below the level of significance 0.05, the null hypothesis (h0) is rejected. otherwise, it retains. the results are described in the followings: table 2. paired sample statistics mean n std. deviation std. error mean post-test 86.60 10 1.776 0.562 pre-test 83.60 10 2.066 0.653 table 2 describes the statistic summary of the scores of essay writing test of the high achivers before and after treatment. the result shows that there is a difference on the mean scores of two variables. the mean score of post-test (86.60) is greater than that of pre-test (83.60). table 3. paired samples test paired differences t df sig. (2tailed) mean std. deviation std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper posttest & pretest 3.000 1.333 0.422 2.046 3.954 7.115 9 0.000 drawn from table 3, with the degree of freedom 9, the significance value (sig.2 tailed) is 0.000 which drops far below the significance level 0.05 meaning that there was a difference in essay writing achievement before and after the field-independent students were taught using self-assessment model. therefore, it can be concluded that the null hypothesis (h01) is rejected: teacher and peer feedback are not effective to teach academic (essay) writing to high achievers. 2) the second null hypothesis (h02) said that “teacher and peer feedback are not effective to teach academic (essay) writing to low achievers.” to prove this hypothesis, the same statistics analysis procedure as that of the first hypothesis was also utilized. the results are described in the following tables: table 4. paired sample statistics mean n std. deviation std. error mean post-test 72.30 10 3.529 1.116 pre-test 68.80 10 3.615 1.143 165 taufiqulloh, yuvita &imam yuliarto utilizing peer and teacher feedback in academic writing class the difference between the mean score of pre-test and post-test of the field dependent students taught using selfassessment model is figured out in the table above. as drawn from the table, the mean score of post-test is greater than that of pre-test (72.30>68.00). table 5. paired sample t-test paired differences t df sig. (2tailed) mean std. deviation std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper posttest & pretest 3,500 1.080 0.342 2.727 4.273 10.247 9 0.000 it was found from the table 5 that the significance value (sig.2 tailed) is 0.000. referring to the value, it can be drawn a conclusion that there is a difference between the scores of pre-test and those of post-tests due to the conducted treatment. thus, the null hypothesis (h02) is rejected: teacher and peer feedback are not effective to teach academic (essay) writing to low achievers. 3) the last hypothesis (h03) said that “there is no significant difference in the writing achievement of the students who are taught using teacher and peer feedback and those who are not.” to prove this hypothesis, f test was conducted. if the significance value (sig.) drops below the level of significance 0.05, the null hypothesis (h0) is rejected. otherwise, it retains. the results of the statistic calculation using two way anova in spss 22 were figured out in the following table: table 6. test between subject-factors (the result of anova) tests of between-subjects effects dependent variable: essay writing achievement source type iii sum of squares df mean square f sig. corrected model 1802.475a 3 600.825 63.152 0.000 intercept 244766.025 1 244766.025 25727.232 0.000 individual difference 1729.225 1 1729.225 181.758 0.000 learning method 60.025 1 60.025 6.309 0.017 individual difference * learning model 13.225 1 13.225 1.390 0.246 error 342.500 36 9.514 total 246911.000 40 corrected total 2144.975 39 a. r squared = .401 (adjusted r squared = .351) drawn from table 6, it terms of learning method, it was found that the gained the sig.value is 0.001. as the value drops below 0.05, it can be said that there is a significant difference in the writing achievement between between the students who were taught using teacher and peer feedback and those who were not. thus, the last hypothesis (h03) that said “there is no significant difference in the writing achievement of the students who are taught using teacher and 166 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee peer feedback and those who are not, ” was rejected. further difference is described in the following table: table 7. estimates (learning method) 95% confidence interval learning method mean std. error std. deviation std. error mean peer & teacher feedback 79.450 0.690 78.051 80.849 non peer & teacher feedback 77.000 0.690 75.601 78.399 the table above shows that the mean of students taught using teacher and peer feedback is greater than that of those taught without using the method (79.450>77.000). thus, it can be said that students taught using teacher and peer feedback received more improvement on their writing ability than those who were not. from the data analysis described above, it was found that this experimental research has drawn three findngs: teacher and peer feedback were effective to teach the students with high achievement (high achievers), teacher and peer feedback were effective to teach the students with low achievement (low achievers), and there was a difference in the writing achievement between the students taught using teacher and peer feedbak and those who were not. students who learned to write by gathering feedback from their teacher and peers experienced more improvement in their final achievement. at the beginning of this research, from the result of pre-test, some problems were found in students’essays that were not well formatted, containing innacuracies in the use of mechanical skills of writing, poor in content, unorganized, in errors in grammar and sentence structures. then, the treatment was conducted for one semester for both experimental and control group. in the experimental group, students learned to write essay by gathering feedback from their teacher and peers which were inserted in the steps of writing process of oshima and hogue (2006) that consists of creating, planning, writing the first draft, polishing (revising and editing), and writing the final draft. the use of teacher and peer feedback worked after the students wrote their first draft. this collaborative works contributed significant improvements on the students’ essays before they submitted their final copy to the teacher. these can benefit both teacher and students involved in the use of collaborative writing as a learning pedagogy (cerrato & rodriguez, 2002; onrubia & engel, 2009). using the checklist of writing dimensions (see appendix), students gathered written feedback from their peers and teacher. they let their peers edit and revise their essays. this activity encouraged the students to get enganged in reflective criticism of other students’ products and provide feedback, usually using previously defined criteria in rubrics (falchikov, 1986; prins, sluijsmans, kirschner, & strijbos, 2005). after gathering feedback from their peers, the students submitted their works to the teacher for gathering further feedback using the checklist. through the instrument, teacher assessed the students’ first texts in terms of format, mechanics, content, organization, grammar and sentence structures. this really worked well as the students considered writing teacher has reliable expertise in the classroom as 167 taufiqulloh, yuvita &imam yuliarto utilizing peer and teacher feedback in academic writing class guasch, et.al, (2013) said that teacher feedback acquires special significance for the student due to the teacher’s expert status. this is also strengthened by what is stated by alvarez et. al. (2011), that there is a significant correlation between text improvement and students’ discussions about the comments received from the teacher. at the end of the treatment, it was found that the use of teacher and peer feedback contributed a significant improvement on students’ essays that were well formatted and utilized accurate meachanical aspects such as capitalization, punctuation, etc. the essays were also rich of ideas, more interesting to read, and well organized since each of which contained introduction, body and conclusion. in addition to that, few mistakes were found in their essays in the use of grammar and sentence structures. conclusion to conclude, utilizing teacher and peer feedback is considered to be one of the effective ways for the students in learning essay writing. however, some drawbacks were found. getting involved frequently with others in working on their essays, the students became dependent. this is really in contrast with the current situation that the english language teaching today should lead the students to be more independent. poor quality of feedback from their peers and the increased workload became crucial problems that need to be considered in the next related researches. acknowledgement the authors are the teaching staffs of english education department, pancasakti university tegal central java indonesia. this research was supported under the funding scheme “penelitian dosen pemula (pdp)” from the directorate of research, technology, and higher education, republic of indonesia. references alvarez, i., espasa, a., & guasch, t. (2011). the value of feedback in improving collaborative writing assignments in an online learning environment. studies in higher education, 37, 387– 400. doi:10.1080/03075079.2010.510182 boscolo, p. & ascorti, k. (2004). effects of collaborative revision on children’s ability to write understandable narrative texts. in l. allal, l. chanqouy, & p. largy (eds.), revision: cognitive and instructional processes (vol. 13, pp. 157-170). boston, ma: kluwer. carolina, c., curry. m. j., goodman, s., hewings, ann., lilis, t.m., & swann, j. (2003). teaching academic writing: a toolkit for higher education. london: routledge cerrato, t., & rodriguez, h. (2002). studies of computer supported collaborative writing implications for systems design. in m. blay-fornarino, a. pinna-dery, k. schmidt, & p. zaraté (eds.). cooperative systems design (pp. 139–154). amsterdam: ios press. gibbs, g. & simpson, c. (2004). conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning. learning and teaching in higher education, 1, 3–31. gielen, sarah et al. (2010). a comparative study of peer and teacher feedback and of various peer feedback forms in a secondary school writing curriculum. british educational journal, 36,1. februari 2010: 143-162. gielen, s., tops, l., dochy, f., onhema, p., & smeets, s. (2010). a comparative study of peer and teacher feedback and of various peer feedback forms in a secondary writing curriculum. british educational research journal, 36, 143–162 doi:10.1080/01411920902894070 168 english review: journal of english education issn 2301-7554 vol. 4, issue 2, june 2016 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee graham, s., & perin, d. (2007). a metaanalysis of writing instruction for adolescent students. journal of educational psychology, 99, 445-476. guasch t., espasa a., alvares, i., kirschner. (2013). effects of feedback on collaborative writing in an online learning environment. distance education. vol. 34, no. 3, 324–338, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2 013.835772 illes, e. (2012). learner autonomy revisited. elt journal, 66(4):505-513 keh, c. l. (1990). feedback in the writing process: a model and methods for implementation. elt journal, 44(4), 294-304. nunan, david. (2003). practical english language teaching. new york: the mcgraw hill. onrubia, j., & engel, a. (2009). strategies for collaborative writing and phases of knowledge construction in cscl environments. computers & education, 53, 1256–1265. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.06.008 onrubia, j., & engel, a. (2009). strategies for collaborative writing and phases of knowledge construction in cscl environments. computers & education, 53, 1256–1265. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.06.008 oshima a., & hogue, a. (2006). writing academic english. new york: longman peterson, s. s. (2013). peer feedback on writing: an assessment for learning. research for teacher. university of toronto. prins, f. j., sluijsmans, d. m. a., kirschner, p. a., & strijbos, j. w. (2005). formative peer assessment in a cscl environment: a case study. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 30, 417–444. doi:10.1080/02602930500099219 purnawarman, p. (2011). impact of teacher feedback on esl/efl students’ writing: blackburg va (dissertation). november 29,2011 srinagesh, k. (2006). the principles of experimental research (first edition). massachusetts: butterworthheinemann topping, k. j. (2003). selfand peer assessment in school and university: reliability, validity and utility, in: m. segers, f. dochy & e. cascallar (eds.). optimizing new modes of assessment: in search of qualities and standards (dordrecht, kluwer academic). 169 taufiqulloh, yuvita &imam yuliarto utilizing peer and teacher feedback in academic writing class appendix: peer/teacher editing checklist of writing dimensions name of peer/teacher : day/date: format the essay is correctly formatted (title centered, first line of every yes no paragraph indented, margins on both sides) mechanics the essay was checked for punctuation, capitalization and spelling yes no content and organization the essay has all three parts ; introduction, body and conclusion yes no introduction : type of introduction used (funnel, historical background, surprising statistics, dramatic story, etc) __________________ the introduction ends with thesis statement yes no body : the body has _____ paragraphs. the topics of the body paragraphs are as follows : 1. _____________________________ 3. _____________________________ 2. _____________________________ 4. _____________________________ (if there are more or fewer paragraphs, add or delete the lines.) unity : each paragraph discusses only one main idea, yes no and there are no sentences that are “off the topics.” coherence : each paragraph has coherence. the essay flows smoothly from beginning to end. yes no repetion of key nouns transition signals are used to show yes no relationship among ideas transitions are used to link paragraphs yes no conclusion : the conclusion (a) summarizes the main points or (b) paraphrases the thesis statement (circle one) grammar and sentence structure number found and corrected the essay has been checked for ………………….errors _____________________ the essay has been checked for ………………….errors _____________________ the essay has been checked for ………………….errors _____________________ the essay has been checked for ………………….errors _____________________ (adapted from oshima and hogue (2006:325) 170 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 603 the use of google classroom for distance learning in the current covid-19 situation at the vocational school contexts in indonesia lia novita department of english education, faculty of language and literature institut pendidikan indonesia email: lienovitza@yahoo.co.id pupung purnawarman universitas pendidikan indonesia email: purnawarman@upi.edu didi suherli universitas pendidikan indonesia email: suherli_d@upi.edu apa citation: novita, l., purnawarman, p., & suherli, d. (2022). the use of google classroom for distance learning in the current covid-19 situation at the vocational school contexts in indonesia. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 603-612. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6276. received: 05-02-2022 accepted: 23-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction at this time, the world is entering the era of the industrial revolution 4.0 where technology has become the basis of human life. everything becomes limitless due to the development of the internet and digital technology. this era has influenced many aspects of life both in the fields of economy, politics, culture, art, and even to education (shaharanee, jamil, & rodzi, 2018; daniela & bond, 2019). the education field is required to keep up with technological developments that are developing rapidly and utilize information and communication technology to facilitate the learning process (yustanti & novita, 2019). in addition, it is hoped that with the use of information and communication technology, the learning mindset can shift from teacher centered to student centered (rahmad, wirda, berutu, lumbantoruan, & sintong, 2019; anwar & adnan, 2020). the development of learning is now experiencing progress which is based on the fact that information technology and communication in abstract: the aims of this study are (1) to find out how to implement optimization using google classroom in the distance learning process at vocational school, students’ response towards it, and whether it can achieve the learning objectives at vocational school. this qualitative study used exploratory sequential mixed methods with observation and questionnaires, analyze the results and then strengthen it with quantitative research (test) by using two groups consisting of the experimental group and the control group. this research was carried out in one of the existing vocational schools in west java and used the 184 twelfth grade students of the academic year 2020/2021 using purposive sampling technique. the sample was the students from computer and network engineering program, each subject taken from the population is chosen intentionally based on the class group selection. for data collection techniques, this study used observation, questionnaire with closed ended question, and test. based on the data, the results of this research that have been carried out, that: (1) application of optimization using google classroom in the distance learning process shows that the distance learning process carried out which run well and in accordance with classroom learning procedures starting from making classes, changing the old class themes, making general information about subjects, making subject matter, making and starting assignments, students working on assignments, until the teacher evaluates the results of the assignment. (2) student responses to the use of google classroom for distance learning were very good. (3) distance learning using google classroom can achieve the learning objectives. keywords: distance learning; google classroom. lia novita, pupung purnawarman, & didi suherli the use of google classroom for distance learning in the current covid-19 situation at the vocational school contexts in indonesia 604 its development has influenced the world of education. it increasingly feels in line with the shift in learning patterns from face-to-face advance towards a more open education by utilizing technology information and communication as learning media and fulfill needs they will have almost unlimited information (cassandra, brian, susanna, & michael, 2019). with advances in information and communication technology, the current learning strategy has evolved (ict). education is one of the fields that has had a significant impact on the development of ict; therefore, a teacher or lecturer should plan an innovative and creative teaching method that makes use of computer assisted instruction. students can obtain learning materials from a variety of sources quickly and affordably through ict-based learning (cheung, 2021). current technological literacy can be seen with the emergence of blended learning as part of the learning process. learning currently more directed at modernization activities with the help of technology sophisticated technology with the hope of helping students in learning lessons interactive, productive, effective, inspiring, constructive and fun (min & kavita, 2019). moreover, students are also expected to have life skills from the application of technology because learning by using technology provides opportunities for teachers to be able to improve and develop their competencies, especially pedagogic and professional competence (martin, 2020). technology in education is usually called elearning. it is a type of information technology used in education that takes the form of a website that can be accessed from anywhere. e-learning is the foundation and logical outcome of the advancement of information and communication technology. the benefit of using e-learning is to facilitate the learning process. through e-learning, learning process can be done anytime and anywhere (sarah & samantha, 2017; connie, 2019; kohnke & morhouse, 2020). the use of technology is expected to increase students' interest in learning because the conventional learning process is felt to be less fun and fairly monotonous (alim, 2019). other benefits of e-leraning are added flexibility and self-paced learning, better time mangement, demonstrated self-motivation, improved virtual communication and collaboration, a broader, global perspective, refined critical-thinking skills, and new technical skills (suresh, priya, & gayathri, 2018). at this moment, the world, including indonesia, is facing the covid-19 pandemic which is increasingly worrying due to the increasingly widespread spread of the virus, therefore, all learning activities have been carried out at home by distance learning in two years. in this case, the minister of education and culture of the republic of indonesia through circular no. 4 of 2020 stipulates that the student learning process is carried out at their respective homes through online/distance learning focused on life skills education, including the covid-19 pandemic. in this circular, it is stated that the purpose of implementing learning from home is to ensure the fulfillment of the rights of students to obtain educational services during the covid-19 emergency, protect education unit residents from the adverse effects of covid-19, prevent the spread and transmission of covid-19 in and ensure the fulfillment of psychosocial support for educators, students, and parents. when the implementation of home learning was officially announced by several local governments regarding the covid-19 pandemic, parents and teachers had to think about how to conduct learning activities remotely. in this digital-based era, it seems that parents need to know distance learning technology that can optimize children's learning activities at home. distance learning is a learning activity carried out by students and teachers through communication technology, information and other media by using various communication tools for learning (li & marsters, 2019). distance learning is a new experience for teachers and students. as a teacher, he/she will be motivated to improve his/her ability to teach online which is certainly related to the progress of science and technology (abid & iqbal, 2018). especially now in the digital era or industrial revolution 4.0, it is hoped that teachers can implement it in the teaching and learning process. many teachers have been teaching manually using whiteboards, laptops, lcds and the internet, but there are still few who use applications in learning which in fact these applications can make it easier for teachers to manage classes. additionally, students can also optimize their android phones according to technological developments in learning. teachers and students gain new learning experiences by utilizing science and technology, because they also apply various applications or platforms in the distance learning english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 605 process, for example google drive/google form, google classroom, moodle, edmodo, zoom and so on (tira, 2020). in this line, learning activities and assignments at home can also vary between students, according to their individual interests and conditions, including considering the gap in access/facilities for learning at home (harshavardhan, naveen, prakash, & venkatesh, 2021). this is of course welcomed by the issuance of circulars within the scope of local government and education units in schools. schools give teachers the freedom to determine distance learning strategies (pjj) which of course considers the gap in access/learning facilities at home. teachers and students will be motivated to learn applications in order to support this online learning process so that they are not only through wa (whatsapp) but also collaborated with applications that are easy and suitable to be applied. in online learning, teachers can apply simple learning applications or platforms and it is easier to adjust the teacher's ability to implement technology (maria & jan, 2016; ronald, 2020) one of the distance learning technologies is google classroom. this application can be downloaded for free and is certainly very effective. google classroom is part of g suite for education which also comes in a mobile app version. teachers and students must have a google account to connect with each other. also, being part of g suite, google classroom is tied to drive, calendar, forms, jamboard, hangouts meet, docs, sheets, slides, including gmail. this means that these services can be used in the learning process. google classroom enables teaching and learning to be more productive and meaningful by simplifying assignments, increasing collaboration, and fostering communication (gudivada & vijayalakshmi, 2021). teachers can create classes, assign assignments, send feedback, and see everything in one place. schools and nonprofits get google classroom as a core service of g suite for education and g suite for nonprofits for free. anyone with a personal google account can also use classroom for free. for organizations, google classroom is an additional service within g suite products such as g suite enterprise or g suite business. the google classroom feature can be set up easily. in this line, teachers can set up classes and invite students and teaching assistants. on the classwork page, they can share information—assignments, questions, and materials. with google classroom, teachers can save time and paper. they can create classes, assign assignments, communicate, and do management, all in one place. google classroom also offers better management. students can view assignments on the assignments page, in the class stream, or in the class calendar. all class materials are automatically saved in the google drive folder (gugino, 2017). in addition, google classroom allows for more effective communication flows between teachers and students or between students. teachers can create assignments, send announcements, and start class discussions in real time. students can share materials with each other and interact in a class stream or via email. teachers can also quickly see who has and who hasn't completed an assignment, and instantly provide real-time grades and feedback. equally important, an affordable and secure google classroom that is provided free of charge to schools, nonprofits, and individuals and contains no ads and never uses user content or student data for advertising purposes (andi, 2020). moreover, support google classroom can be accessed using the internet on a computer with any browser, such as chrome, firefox, internet explorer, including safari. in general, google classroom supports major browser releases on an ongoing basis. in other words, there is no need for installation because google classroom is website-based. however, installation is required when accessing google classroom via a mobile device, as it is also available for android and apple-based mobile devices. the advantages of google classroom are being fast and convenient class setting process, saving time efficiency, being able to improve cooperation and communication, being efficient, practical and fast resource sharing (ahmad, 2020) related to this issue, there are some previous studies which are conducted by some researchers. first, ketut, ida, i nyoman, & i wayan (2019) conducted the research entittled “the use of google classroom in the learning process”. this research aimed to show a new way of doing learning process by using google classroom as a medium of distance learning. with google classroom, there are many opportunities that can be created or prepared for learning, starting from how to join a virtual class and what can be done with google classroom. based on the experience of using google classroom, the researcher said that classroom offers an all in one solution where all documents are lia novita, pupung purnawarman, & didi suherli the use of google classroom for distance learning in the current covid-19 situation at the vocational school contexts in indonesia 606 managed automatically by the google drive folder for each teacher and student. second, alim (2019) conducted the research about “the effectiveness of google classroom as an instructional media”. this article describes google classroom was effective as an instructional media in teaching process. the students can share information or materials, communicate and discuss, submit assignment or quiz. they were statisfied with this media as online learning method. third, benjamin, yanna, & steve (2021) conducted the research about “e-classroom interactional competencies: mediating and assisting language learning during synchronous online lessons”. it was stated that the teachers recognised the additional competencies they need to mediate and facilitate interaction during the teaching process and actively explore their own context and practices. fourth, jason (2017) conducted the research about “wearable writing:enriching student peer review with pointof-view video feedback using google classroom”. it was stated that google classroom is a networks platform for interaction among teachers and students, collaborate, share and evaluate homework, grades, class discussions, notices, and evaluations. its objective is to help educators use social media power to customize the classroom for all students. awareness of the positive potentials of this learning style allowed google classroom to introduce a mixed learning approach in the classroom. it was discussed how google classroom facilitates english classroom teaching and learning writing. the argument continues with google classroom presentation and the idea of mixed education using google classroom and the application of this platform into actual teaching writing context and its outcome, the current and future challenges of google classroom in elt writing for efl learners as well as teachers. fifth,, dhawan (2020) investigated of online learning: a panacea in the time of covid-19 crisis. this article discussed about the importance of online learning and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, & challenges (swoc) analysis of e-learning modes in the time of crisis. this article also put some light on the growth of edtech start-ups during the time of pandemic and natural disasters and includes suggestions for academic institutions of how to deal with challenges associated with online learning. based on the description above, it is necessary to conduct a research with the title: the use of google classroom for distance learning strategies on the current covid-19 situation at vocational school in indonesia, with three main objectives, are; to know the implementation of optimization using google classroom in the distance learning process, to know students respond to the use of google classroom for distance learning, and to know whether distance learning using google classroom can achieve the learning objectives or not. method this study used exploratory sequential mixed method. it begins with a qualitative research phase and explores the views of participants. the data are then analyzed, and the information used to build into a second, quantitative phase. the researcher conducted qualitative research first with observation and questionnaires, analyze the results and then strengthen it with quantitative research (test) by using two groups consisting of the experimental group and the control group. each group was given different treatment, one group used the google classroom application as a media and learning tool, and the other one used the whatsapp (wa) application learning. after receiving different treatment, each group was given another test to see the results of using the google classroom application, the test carried out after receiving treatment is called a posttest. figure 1. conceptual framework of exploratorysequential mixed method this research was carried out in one of the existing vocational schools in garut regency, west java and used the 184 twelfth grade students of the academic year 2020/2021 using purposive sampling technique.. the sample was the students english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 607 from computer and network engineering class,each subject taken from the population is chosen intentionally based on the class group selection. this study uses three variables, namely the independent variable 1; the use of google classroom application, the independent variable 2; subject and the dependent variable 1; distance learning. based on the formulation of the problem and framework of thinking, the research hypothesis can be formulated as ha1 : there is an effect of using the google classroom application on the quality of learning. ha0 : there is no effect of using the google classroom application on the quality of learning. for data collection techniques, this study used observation, questionnaire with closed ended question, and test. the observation was applied to investigate the dependent variable, namely distance learning strategies that were applied using the google classroom application to class xii students. it has some components such as preliminary activities:. conditioning and testing students' initial knowledge and delivering learning objectives, main activities: explanation of material, approaches and learning strategies, utilization of media and learning resources, assessment of the learning process, closing activities: involvement in drawing conclusions. next, questionnaire. this questionnaire was applied to know the quality of learning that was applied using the google classroom application to class xii students. then, a test to measure students' abilities in cognitive aspects, or mastery of subject matter. the test instrument here aims to find out how much ability in understanding the material that has been given, whose learning and evaluation uses the google classroom application. the test instrument is in the form of multiple choice questions, consisting of five alternative answers a, b, c, d and e. the test is arranged based on indicators. from the network service technology material that has been taught. scores are assessed on multiple choice, worth 1 (one) for the correct answer and 0 (zero) for the wrong answer. results and discussion this study seeks to determine the role of using google classroom in the online learning process and student responses to the use of google classroom during learning and the extent to which the effectiveness of using google classroom to achieve learning objectives. google classroom is expected to be able to help teachers and students in distance learning activities (online) so that learning becomes more effective and communicative. one of the free services provided by google in online learning is google classroom. this service makes it easy for users because it is free and does not require requires special installation or equipment. google classroom can be accessed online using google account which can also be obtained for free. in this community service activity, organized training for teachers and students to use google classroom in order to support the online teaching and learning process during the covid-19 pandemic. with service activities to the community (abdimas), the learning process can continue well and optimally even if it has to be done online.google classroom already has adequate features and can support teaching and learning activities. from the results of research on the implementation of distance learning activities using google classroom, satisfactory results were obtained. based on the data source of the observation sheet, the optimization of distance learning using google classroom reached 84.54%, this shows that the distance learning process using google classroom can be implemented properly and optimally. there are some of the superior benefits or features of google classroom that can be got by the students. first, it can be prepared easily. teachers can set up classes and invite students and teachers. second, on the classwork page, students and teachers can share information, assignments, questions, and materials. third, save time and paper. teachers can create classes, assign assignments, communicate, and manage, all in one place. fourth, better management. students can view assignments on the assignment page, in the class stream, or on the calendar class. all class materials are automatically saved in the google drive folder. fifth, improved communication and input. teachers can create assignments, send announcements, and start a live class discussion. students can share materials with each other and interact in the class stream or by email. teachers can also quickly see who has and have not completed assignments, and immediately provide real-time grades and feedback. sixth, can work with a variety of other applications. classroom can be linked to google docs, calendar, gmail, drive, and forms. seventh, affordable, free and safe. classroom is provided free of charge to schools, nonprofits, and individual. classroom contains no lia novita, pupung purnawarman, & didi suherli the use of google classroom for distance learning in the current covid-19 situation at the vocational school contexts in indonesia 608 ads and never uses student content or data for advertising purposes. eighth, mobile friendly. it can be accessed via smartphone devices using browser or by installing the special google classroom application available on the google playstore. then, based on the data received from students by using questionnaire, more than 89 percent of students answered "yes" to every question. in particular, 180 students (97.8%) thought the google classroom tool was useful, while only 4 students (2.2%) said no. there were 178 students (96.7%) who said the google application was successful and productive, and 6 students (3.3%) who disagreed. in response to a question regarding how easy it is to use the google classroom program, 181 students (98.3%) said yes and 3 students (1.7%) said no. furthermore, 177 students (96.1 percent) said google classroom was simple to use, whereas 7 students (3.9 percent) disagreed. there were 175 students (95.1%) who believed google classroom aided the learning process, whereas 9 students (4.9%) disagreed. 176 students (95.6 percent) said they felt comfortable using google classroom, while 8 students (4.4 percent) said they were not. there were 161 students (87.5%) who said google classroom met their expectations, whereas 23 students (12.5%) disagreed. according to that explanation, more than half of the participants, or the majority of the students, were satisfied with the use of google classroom as an online learning technique for their educational process. in response to a question on the questionnaire about the benefits of google classroom for students, the majority of students stated that it is convenient to submit assignments without having to physically meet with their lecturer and that it is efficient in sending assignments because it is paperless and free. almost every student said that the most difficult part of using google classroom was the internet connection, which was especially problematic at the time the research was conducted because the faculty was in the process of constructing a new building, making the internet connection unstable. this was also a disadvantage for students who could not afford internet data. many students noted that, while this online learning approach via google classroom is highly useful, it should not be the sole tool used in their learning process and that its use should be adjusted according to the situation. it can be concluded that optimizing an online learning method application through google classroom was beneficial and satisfying for the majority of students due to its ease of use, particularly in the paperless and unprinted way of submitting assignments, where physical interaction was unnecessary. additionally, the researcher also would like to examine the extent to which students respond to distance learning using the google classroom application. student response is an important factor to determine the achievement and success of the learning process. to find out students' responses to the distance learning process using the google classroom application, researchers used a media questionnaire that was distributed to students after the learning process was completed. from the results of the questionnaire on student responses to distance learning using the google classroom application, it was quite good with a score of 54.44%, this shows that some students do not understand the use of google classroom in the learning process. hypothesis testing is carried out to test the truth and draw conclusions whether to accept or reject the hypothesis that has been made. the hypotheses are: ha : there is an effect of using the google classroom application on the quality of learning. ho: there is no effect of using the google classroom application on the quality of learning. based on the results of calculations with a simple linear regression test assisted by spss version 23.0 computer program. for windows, the results are known, as follows: table 1. significance test results with f . test anovab model sum of squares df mean square f sig. 1 regression residu total 3987.387 797.229 4784.615 1 24 25 3987.387 33.218 1210.037 .0002 based on the table above, the simple linear regression value of the use of google classroom on distance learning strategies (pjj) is 120,037 with a sig. (2-tailed) value of 0.000. this sig.(2-tailed) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 609 value is smaller than 0.05 (5 %). this means that ho is rejected and ha is accepted. in conclusion, the use of google classroom is effectively used in distance learning (pjj). from the results of linear regression calculations, the regression equation is then formulated with the following table: table 2. t-test significance test results unstandardized coefficients standardized coefficients t sig. b std. error beta 141.351 -1.032 6.991 .094 -.913 20.220 -10.956 .000 .000 based on the table above, the regression equation is y = a + bx = 141.351 + 1.032x. this equation shows the value of 141.351 which means constant (a). this means that if there is no increase in the profitability of using google classroom, distance learning (pjj) is only 141,351. meanwhile, the value of 1.032 is a regression coefficient which indicates that if the use of google classroom increases by 1 point, the distance learning outcomes (pjj) will increase by 1.032. then, to find the magnitude of the effect of using google classroom on the effectiveness of distance learning (pjj) it is known from the value of the coefficient of determination (kd). table 3. coefficient of determination test results (r) model summary model r r square adjusted r square std.error of the estimate 1 .9132 .833 .826 5.76349 based on the table above, it is known that the coefficient of determination (kd) or r square is 0.833 (83.3 %). this means that the influence of the use of google classroom on the effectiveness of distance learning (pjj) is 83.3% and the remaining 0.17% is influenced by other variables (factors) not examined in this study. based on the results of observations of 84.54% which shows that the distance learning process using the google classroom application is running well and optimally. student responses to learning using google classroom are also quite good as evidenced by the results of the questionnaire which reached 54.44%. with these results, it can be concluded that the distance learning process using the google classroom application takes place optimally. based on the results of hypothesis testing, it is known that the simple linear regression value of the use of google classroom on the effectiveness of distance learning (pjj) is 120,037 with a sig. (2-tailed) value of 0.000. compared to the significance level of 0.05 (5 %), the value of sig.(2-tailed) is smaller than 0.05 (5 %). this means that ho is rejected and ha is accepted. in conclusion, the use of google classroom is effectively used in distance learning (pjj). the test is also strengthened by seeing the magnitude of the coefficient of determination (rsquare) where the magnitude is 0.833. this means that the effect of using the old google classroom on the effectiveness of distance learning (pjj) is 833% and only 0.17% is influenced by other factors. referring to the evidence above, it strengthens the allegation of using google classroom, which is very effectively used in distance learning (pjj) which is carried out. google classroom is actually designed to make it easier for teachers and students to interact in cyberspace. this application provides an opportunity for teachers to explore their scientific ideas to students. teachers have the flexibility of time to share scientific studies and give independent assignments to students. in addition, teachers can also open discussion rooms for students online. however, there is an absolute requirement in applying google classroom, which is that it requires qualified internet access. google classroom is an application that allows the creation of classrooms in cyberspace. in addition, google classroom can be a means of distributing assignments, submitting assignments and even assessing submitted assignments (herman in hammi, 2017). thus, this application can help facilitate teachers and students in carrying out the learning process more deeply. this is because both the rest and the teacher can collect assignments, distribute assignments, assess assignments at home or anywhere without being bound by time limits or lesson hours. therefore, using google classroom will make it easier to arrive at the learning goals desired by a teacher. lia novita, pupung purnawarman, & didi suherli the use of google classroom for distance learning in the current covid-19 situation at the vocational school contexts in indonesia 610 conclusion based on the results of the study and understanding that refers to the formulation of the problem that has been determined and based on the data analysis described descriptively, it can be concluded that optimizing the application of using google classroom in the distance learning process, as evidenced by the results of observations, questionnaire and test, these shows that; the majority of the students of the participants were satisfied with google classroom application as an online learning method and find online learning with google classroom useful and facilitates the learning process in the form of various learning activities such as sharing information or materials, communicating and discussing, submitting assignment, quiz, and mid-test. the majority of participants believe that google classroom offers advantages in terms of convenience in completing assignments without having to meet with the professor in person, as well as its paperless and unprinted submitting process, which is more cost effective than the traditional method. besides, the implementation of google classroom gives the benefits in on-learning process such as first, the distance learning process carried out is running well and in accordance with learning procedures classroom starts from creating classes, changing the old theme of the class, making general information about subjects, making subject matter, making and starting assignments, students doing assignments, until the teacher evaluates the results of the assignment. second, student responses to the use of google classroom for distance learning at are very good. third, distance learning using google classroom can achieve the learning objectives. furthermore, the majority of the participants had trouble accessing google classroom due to a terrible internet connection or a lack of internet data. many of the participants noted that, while using google classroom for online learning was helpful, it should not be the sole way used in the learning process; rather, it should be a substitute approach that is altered according to the situation. based on the conclusions of the study, the authors in this section make suggestions to: first, the principal. he needs to carry out his roles and duties well as school principals and carry out educational programs in accordance with the national mandate and carry out government programs such as distance learning activities by using the classroom application better. and he needs to maintaining stake holders in the school environment in order to create a conducive learning atmosphere and the development of the educational institutions they lead can continue to advance and be in harmony with the ideals of the nation. many students and lecturers would be interested if the access was well-provided if the principle was more supportive in implementing online learning methods in the learning environment, notably in enhancing the internet network or connection. second, for teachers, they have to be more open-minded and attempt other types of teaching approaches in their courses based on their teaching needs, with the majority of students satisfied, according to the findings of the study. teachers should try to use online learning methods in class to train and familiarize themselves, and students should be involved in technology and information to increase mastery of technology and information in science, in line with the study program's mission of producing competent graduates who master the branches of science and technology. they should always motivate students to be able to carry out learning activities well, one of which is using distance learning with google classroom. and the last, the students should have a high spirit in studying, and following all activities in school well. references abid, a, k., & iqbal, n. (2018). effectiveness of google classroom: teachers’ perceptions. prizen social science journal. ahmad, s (2020). google classroom as learning platform in teaching writing. publisher: program studi s1 sastra inggris, fakultas ilmu budaya, universitas muhammadiyah gorontalo. http://dx.doi.org/10.31314/british.9.1.4864.2020 alim. (2019). the effectiveness of google classroom as an instructional media: a case of state islamic institute of kendari, indonesia. humanties & social sciences reviews, 7(2), 240-246. andi m. j. p. (2020). optimization of online learning method application through google classroom. journal of english education and development,4(1). september 2020. https://doi.org/10.3605/eduvelop.v4i1.754. anwar, k., & adnan, m. (2020). online learning amid the covid-19 pandemic: students perspectives. j. pedagog. res, 1, 45–51. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 611 benjamin,l.m., yanna.l., steve, w. (2021). eclassroom interactional competencies: mediating and assisting language learning during synchronous online lessons. relc journal, 1– 15. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220985274 ournals.sagepub.com/home/rel cassandra, m,d., brian, j., susanna, l., & michael, h. (2019). online learning, offline outcomes: online course taking and high school student performance. aera open, 5(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/2332858419832852 cheung, a. (2021). language teaching during a pandemic. a case study of zoom use by secondary esl teacher in hong kong. relc journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/003688220981784. connie, k,w. l. (2019). a holistic approach to flipped classroom: a conceptual framework using eplatform. international journal of engineering business management, 11, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1177/1847979019855205 journals.sagepub.com/home/enb daniela, p,b., & bond, b. (2019). globalizing online learning:exploring culture, corporate social responsibility, and domestic violence in an international classroom. e-learning and digital media, 16(4), 267–283. dhawan, s. (2020). online learning: a panacea in the time of covid-19 crisis. journal of educational technology systems, 49(1) 5–22. gudivada, v,r., & vijayalakshmi, d. (2021). preference for mode of learning for knowledge and skills by professional management students during the covid-19 pandemic period. management and labour studies. harshavardhan, r, k., naveen, k., prakash, c., & venkatesh, m. (2021). coronavirus disease 2019 and its effect on teaching and learning process in the higher educational institutions. higher education for the future, 8(1) 90–107, 2021. © 2021 the kerala state higher education council reprints and permissions: in.sagepub.com/journals-permissions-india https://doi.org/10.1177/2347631120983650 jason, c,k,t. (2017). wearable writing: enriching student peer review with point-of-view video feedback using google glass. journal of technical writing and communication, 47(1) 22–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047281616641923 gugino, j. (2017). using google docs to enhance the teacher work sample: building e-portfolios for learning and practice. journal of special education technology, 1-12 ketut,s., ida, b,m,a,p., i nyoman, t,a., & i wayan, l,y. (2019). the use of google classroom in the learning process. ist international conference on advance and scientific innovation (icasi). iop conf. series: journal of physics: conf.series. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1175/1/012165. kohnke, l., & moorhouse, b,l. (2020). facilitating synchronous online language learning through zoom. relc journal, 53(1), 296-301. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220937235. li, j. h., & masters. (2019). e-learning and knowledge management in the early years: where are we and where should we go? knowledge management and e-learning: an international journal, 1(4), 245-250, 2019. maria, l., & jan, n. (2016). information we collect: surveillance and privacy in the implementation of google apps for education. european educational research journal, 15(6), 644–663. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474904116654917 martin, a. (2020). how to optimize online learning in the age of coronavirus (covid-19): a 5-point guide for educators. posted at unsw newsroom. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/33994 4395 min, w, o., & kavita, r. (2019). digital tools for the inclusive classroom: google chrome as assistive and instructional technology. journal of special education technology, 34(3), 204-211. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162643419841546 rahmad, r., wirda, m. a., berutu, n., lumbantoruan, w., & sintong, m. (2019). google classroom implementation in indonesian higher education. j.phys: conf. series, 1175(1). ronald, o. (2020). medical education and e-learning during covid-19 pandemic: awareness, attitudes, preferences, and barriers among undergraduate medicine and nursing students at makerere university, uganda. journal of medical education and curricular development, 7, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1177/2382120520973212. sarah, g., & samantha, w. (2017). emotion online: experiences of teaching in a virtual learning environment. human relations, 60(4), 581–608. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726707078351. shaharanee, i. n. m., jamil, j. m., & rodzi, s. s. m. (2018). the application of google classroom as a tool for teaching and learning. journal of telecommunication, electronic and computer engineering, 8(10), 5-8. suresh, m., priya, v.v., & gayathri, r. (2018). effect of e-learning on academic performance of undergraduate students. drug invent today, 10(9), 1797–1800. tira, n, f. (2020). teaching english through online learning system during covid-19 lia novita, pupung purnawarman, & didi suherli the use of google classroom for distance learning in the current covid-19 situation at the vocational school contexts in indonesia 612 pandemic.pedagogy. journal of english language teaching, 8(2), 138-148. https://doi.org/10.32332/pedagogy.v8i2. 2266 yustanti, i., novita, d. (2019). pemanfaatan e-learning bagi para pendidik di era digital 4.0. prosiding seminar nasional pendidikan program pascasarjana universitas pgri palembang. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 329 tenses master application in english grammar learning badroeni early childhood teacher education major, stkip muhammadiyah kuningan, indonesia e-mail: badroeni_best@upmk.ac.id sofhian fazrin nasrulloh communication, information and technology education major, stkip muhammadiyah kuningan, indonesia e-mail: sfn@upmk.ac.id yoyo zakaria communication, information and technology education major, stkip muhammadiyah kuningan, indonesia e-mail: yoyo_tik@upmk.ac.id apa citation: badroeni, b., nasrulloh, s. f., & zakaria, y. (2020). tenses master application in english grammar learning. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 329-336. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2103. received: 25-01-2020 accepted: 21-03-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: the background of this research is based on the urgency of mastering basic english grammar in supporting the understanding of advanced english grammar. basic english grammar are tenses. tenses are basic language formulas related to the simple construction of sentences. tenses master application is designed based on need analysis which consists of functional needs and non-functional needs. the purposes of this study are to 1) identify the needs of grammar learning media according to teachers and students, 2) identify learning models that have been and are being carried out in schools, 3) know the principles of developing instructional media based on theoretical studies, identification of needs and analysis of existing instructional media, 4) design learning media based on the results of learning analysis, 5) design learning media, and 6) test application-based learning media tenses. the research method used was research and development. the stages of the r&d method in accordance with borg and gall theory are 1) conducting research and information gathering, 2) conducting planning, 3) developing initial forms of products, 4) conducting field tests and product revisions, 4) revising products, and 5) disseminating and implementing. the result indicated that the mean of pretest was 27.4 and the mean of posttest was 60.65. hence, it can be concluded that tenses master application can enhance the students’ grammar competence and practice. keywords: tenses master application; mobile learning; grammar learning. introduction learning english in indonesia is still classified as a foreign language. this is different from other asian countries that place english as a second language. thus, learning english at various levels; from early childhood education to tertiary institutions in indonesia, a lot of innovation is needed in terms of approaches, methods, techniques and learning media. more details can be found that difficulties in capturing foreign languages (listening) due to limited vocabulary, difficulty in conveying ideas in english (speaking) caused by difficulties in stringing words (vocabularies) and lack of understanding of english grammar structures and grammar, difficulty writing english sentences (writing) are caused by lack of reading (reading) so that the vocabulary is limited (megawati, 2016). educational innovation in the present context is related to technology in education. technology in education is present in the world of education now as a scientific discipline that is concerned with the development and utilization of learning resources (syahri, 2017). rooyacker argues that the technology is used in learning and learning is expected to create a pleasant atmosphere for students (klimova, 2015). even though language is something created by culture, if learning is not supported by attractive media it will fail. learning english is the first foreign language taught in primary and secondary education institutions (syahri, 2017). on the other hand, learning english in line with the 2013 curriculum is based on a scientific approach with characteristics centered on learning, including cognitive processes, providing opportunities for students to develop, finding knowledge through the learning process, learning from multi sources, encouraging students to be able to learn sustainably, build value and badroeni, sofhian fazrin nasrulloh & yoyo zakaria tenses master application in english grammar learning 330 implement the principle that teachers, students and schools are a unity in learning (ratnaningsih, 2017). the most basic thing that is needed by language learners is motivation and enthusiasm (nan, jianxi, & dongmei, 2018). building enthusiasm for students must be through a course that is always new and interesting. the media that continues to be loved with a variety of novelty features in it is it media. this it-based learning media was created to serve the needs of teachers, students, educational policy makers and all individuals involved in education. the development of this learning media can come from youtube (lestari, 2016), social media like facebook, whatsapp, online magazine (cakir, 2016). among social media which is currently a trend one of them is whatsapp (manan, 2017). technology-based learning media really provide solutions in improving the quality of learning english. so, 21st century learning framework requires every teaching and learning process to integrate aspects of technology to improve the quality of learning itself (innovation, 2019). recently, along with the increasing popularity of student mobile devices, mobile learning (mlearning) has emerged as a new way of doing elearning. (keng-boon, jun-jie, & voon-hsien, 2018). mobile learning also includes the mobility of long-term or lifelong learning and the development of an understanding of "how learning can be managed across life transitions". (pimmer, brühlmann, odetola, oluwasola, dipeolu, & ajuwon, 2018). over the past few years, the application of technology in education has evolved from instructions programmed through computer-assisted, e-learning instructions that are connected to the internet to mobile learning. (wen-min & chin-chung, 2017). mobile learning is defined by (aliwear, 2012) as: the intersection of mobile computing and e-learning: accessible resources wherever you are, strong search capabilities, rich interactions, powerful support for effective learning, and performance-based assessment. independent learning of location in time or space. mobile learning is a term to denote learning that involves the use of mobile devices. the term is fully defined as "learning in various contexts, through social interaction and content, using personal electronic devices" (crompton & burke, 2018). this definition provides insight into the rules of education about learning with mobile devices, because learning cannot be determined, occurring across contexts, time, subjects, people, and technology. cellular devices, cell phones and table t, have a quick on/off button and are easy to carry, following this definition, laptops were excluded from this study (crompton & burke, 2018). one of the innovations that has attracted the interest of many students, educators, and marketers or designers is mobile learning (mlearning) (chen, 2018). using devices such as mobile phones, the learning system can guide students to engage in learning tasks in a real environment, and can also immediately support related learning resources in the field and the application of self-assessment. (ching-jung & gwo-jenhwang, 2019). it media in learning can function as learning sources, tools of learning, education facilities, competency standards, administration support, school management support and school infrastructure (faridi, 2009). mcluhan also mentioned that the advantages of learning through smartphones or on line learning are having access, flexibility, response, repeatability, durability, modality, specificity, and cost (lekawael, 2017). from the big idea about the innovation of it-based learning media, many applications are available in the practical android or smartphone. method this research uses the r&d method. research and development is a research that starts with product testing on an ongoing basis. the product in this study is an android application that can be used in learning english. the ease and practicality in using the application makes mobile learning can be done by students. the steps in the research are research and information collecting, planning, develop primary of product, main product revision, main field testing, operational product revision, final product revision, and dissemination and implementation. the participants of this research were class x smk negeri 1 kuningan with a total of 31 students. data collection techniques used pre-test and post-test. a pre-test is conducted to measure the students' initial abilities, with 30 questions for three types of tenses. then the learning is carried out with material three types of tenses using the mobile learning as a media for supporting tense master application. after learning is finished, a post-test is conducted to measure student learning outcomes. and data analysis techniques used description and comparison of the two test results is done to determine the extent of the mobile learning method with the media tenses master application can improve learning outcomes in english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 331 english learning. comparisons were made statistically, with the t test. result and discussion the results of testing the functions are presented in table 1. table 1. application testing no function test result 1 the application loads the page thoroughly yes / no 2 the application brings up menus when the menu bar is clicked yes / no 3 the application displays a list of material yes / no 4 the application displays all material content, namely definition, indicator, example, form, time on line yes / no 5 the application displays a list of quiz that can be followed yes / no 6 users can join the quiz smoothly and register feedback yes / no applications in publish in the play store, a smartphone application for android ecosystem so that it can be downloaded by anyone. the application can be installed via the following link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co m.coffye.upmk or by searching for it in the play store with the keyword "tenses master". the tenses master application is used in learning english in class x smk negeri 1 kuningan with a total of 31 students. english learning in question is learning tenses with simple present tense, simple past tense and simple future tense material. before using the tenses master application, a pretest is conducted to measure the students' initial abilities, with 30 questions for three types of tenses. then the learning is carried out with material three types of tenses using the mobile learning as a media for supporting tense master application. after learning is finished, a post-test is conducted to measure student learning outcomes. the results of both tests are shown in table 2. table 2. pre-test and post-test results variables pre-test post-test the mean 27.4 60.65 median 27 70 mode 37 80 standard deviation 9.06 21.2 minimum 10 10 maximum 43 90 pre-test results the pre-test results showed the lowest value of students of 10, the highest value of 43, with an average of 27.4, standard deviation of 9.06. the distribution of values is shown in table 3. table 3. distribution of pre-test scores no interval value frequency percentage 1 10-15 3 10% 2 16-21 6 19% 3 22-27 4 13% 4 28-33 7 23% 5 34-39 5 16% 6 40-45 3 10% the pre-test scores were distributed at 28-33 intervals by 23%, which shows the normal distributed values at intermediate intervals. post-test results the post-test results showed the lowest value of students of 10, the highest value of 90, with an average of 60.65, a standard deviation of 21.02. the distribution of values is shown in table 4. https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=id&prev=_t&sl=id&tl=en&u=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details%3fid%3dcom.coffye.upmk https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=id&prev=_t&sl=id&tl=en&u=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details%3fid%3dcom.coffye.upmk badroeni, sofhian fazrin nasrulloh & yoyo zakaria tenses master application in english grammar learning 332 table 4. distribution of the value of post -test no interval value frequency percentage 1 10-24 2 6% 2 25-39 3 10% 3 40-54 6 19% 4 55-69 4 13% 5 70-84 14 45% 6 85-99 2 6% rated post-test many distributed at intervals of 70-84 by 45%, which shows the value of normally distributed at intervals of upper middle class. comparison of the two test results is done to determine the extent of the mobile learning method with the media tenses master application can improve learning outcomes in english learning. comparisons were made statistically, with the t test. the calculation result is stated that there is a significant difference if t arithmetic ≤ 0.05 (at a significant level of 5% or sig 2-tailed) and stated there is no significant difference if t arithmetic ≥ 0.05 (at a significant level of 5% or sig 2-tailed). from the results of calculations using statistical tools, it is known that t arithmetic is 0.00 which means <0.05. from the results of t arithmetic, it can be concluded that there are significant differences between student learning outcomes before using the mobile learning method and student learning outcomes after using the mobile learning method. the development of mobile learning applications uses a sequential model. they are needs analysis, application design, writing application code, application test and application implementation. application modeling uses the unified modeling language (uml) which is a common method in application modeling. uml consists of 13 diagrams that can be used. modeling the tenses master application using the use case diagram as shown in figure 2, and the activity diagram as shown in figures 3 and 4. figure 1. use case diagrams use case diagram above is used to map general application functions. there are eight application functions based on functional requirements analysis. figure 2. activity diagram i english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 333 the activity diagram above shows the activity process of each function carried out. in using the application, it starts with profiling to create a user profile and chooses what purpose to use the application, followed by a placement test by answering a number of questions that will produce the user's initial level. until this stage the application can be used fully with the initial display on the dashboard that will show a summary and progress of learning. on the other hand, the user can see the application profile. figure 3. activity diagram ii the activity diagram above shows the process of using an application in learning. starting by choosing the material provided, learning is done by following animated-based interactive instructions. to assess learning outcomes, a quiz method is used with a final assessment in the form of a score. learning outcomes can be shared to the social network site (sns) or also called social media. the application is written using the java programming language with android studio software. mysql based database. application testing uses the black box test method, which is a test based on the functions provided. requirements analysis functional requirements are used to analyze the needs for functions that can be performed by applications viewed from the perspective of the user. functional requirements of tenses master are: 1) there is a list of materials provided and can be studied 2) there is an explanation of each material accompanied by examples 3) there is an independent evaluation and training application design application modeling uses the unified modeling language (uml) which is a common method in application modeling. uml consists of 13 diagrams that can be used. modeling the tenses master application using the use case diagram. it consists of material list, definition, indicator, example, form, time on line and quiz. the application is written using html, css and java script programming languages so that it produces web-based applications for later conversion to android applications. after the application is made, the application is tested by using it and ensuring all functions are running, as for the application results described as follows: badroeni, sofhian fazrin nasrulloh & yoyo zakaria tenses master application in english grammar learning 334 figure 4. application development results conclusion technology in learning and teaching process is needed. it encompasses the need analysis conducted at smk negeri i kuningan. need analysis is the first step to diagnose the needs of students and teachers in teaching and learning process. the development of learning media of english language lesson is still in a monotonous phenomenon at the school, even teaching grammar. tenses master has been as an alternative solution in enhancing the understanding tenses. the indications of improvement in students’ achievement have been proven by pre and posttest. the tests given to the students to know the development students’ skill in grammar materials. this research has a product for supporting the students learn. tenses master is a grammar application that can be downloaded from playstore of android. the students easily use the application for learning, exercises and test. this product is for fulfillment of students and teachers’ need in teaching and learning process. references aliwear. (2012). bang ali wear. retrieved from: https://alisadikinwear.wordpress.com/2012/07/07 /mobile-learning-m-learning-solution-smart learning-current /. cakir, c. (2016). tesol plus telos: teaching english as a language of open sources (telos). procedia social and behavioral sciences, 232(2016), 600-603. cavus, n. (2016). development of an intelligent mobile application for teaching english pronunciation. procedia computer science, 102(2016), 365-369. chen, c. p. (2018). understanding mobile englishlearning gaming adopters in the self-learning market: the uses and gratification expectancy model. computers & education, 126, 217-230. ching-jung, c., & gwo-jenhwang, c. l. (2019). a review of the experimental car learning study in 2010–2016 based on the activity of the framework. computers & education, 129, 1-13. crompton, h., & burke, d. (2018). the use of mobile learning in higher education: a systematic review. computers & education, 123, 53-64. emzir. (2017). educational research methodology; quantitative and qualitative. depok: pt raja grafindo persada. faridi, a. (2009). ict-based english language learning innovation in order to improve the quality of education. educational science gazette, 38(1), 59-66. keng-boon, o., jun-jie, h., & voon-hsien, l. (2018). could the mobile and social perspectives of mobile social learning platforms motivate. retrieved from: www.sciencedirect.com. klimova, b. f. (2015). games in the teaching of english. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 191, 1157-1160. lekawael, r. f. j. (2017). the impact of smartphone and internet usage on english language learning. english review: journal of english education, 5(2), 255-262. lestari, r. (2016). the use of youtube as an english language learning media. muhammadiyah university, surakarta. manan, n. a. (2017). whatsapp mobile tool in second language learning. indonesian efl journal, 3(1), 87-92. megawati, f. (2016). the difficulties of students in achieving effective english learning. pedagogian journal, 5(2), 147-156. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 335 nan, g., jianxi, s., & dongmei, l. (2018). on the advantages of computer multimedia-aided english teaching. procedia computer science, 131(2018), 727-732. pimmer, c., brühlmann, f., odetola, t. d., oluwasola, d. o., dipeolu, o., & ajuwon, a. j. (2018). science direct. retrieved from: www.sciencedirect.com. syahri, i. (2017). development of ict-based english language learning media. medan, faculty of social sciences, medan state university, 123127. wen-min, h., & chin-chung, t. (2017). science direct. retrieved from: www.sciencedirect.com. zhang, f. (2012). computer-enhanced and mobileassisted language learning: emerging issues and trends. the united states of america: information science reference. badroeni, sofhian fazrin nasrulloh & yoyo zakaria tenses master application in english grammar learning 336 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 579 the correlation between students’ learning styles and the eleventh grade students’ speaking ability at sma n 4 palembang aprilia sari rahayu master of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya palembang, palembang, indonesia email: apriliasarirahayu01@gmail.com eryansyah eryansyah (corresponding author) universitas sriwijaya palembang, palembang, indonesia email: eryansyah@unsri.ac.id margaretha dinar sitinjak universitas sriwijaya palembang, palembang, indonesia email: magiedinar@yahoo.com apa citation: rahayu, a. s., eryansyah, e., & sitinjak, m. d. (2022). the correlation between students’ learning styles and the eleventh grade students’ speaking ability at sma n 4 palembang. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 579-586. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6260. received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 24-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction in today’s global society, communicative competence in english is increasingly important (tokunaga, 2021). comprehensively, burns (2019) elaborated that a competent speaker of english should have three core competencies, namely knowledge of language and discourse, core speaking skills, and communication strategies. english skill is needed in order to communicate well in this global world (rao, 2019). among other three english skills (listening, reading, and writing), nunan (2019) believed that in learning to communicate in english, speaking takes place as the most important language in the world. parmawati (2018) also added that it is even the most important to be used in daily life (parmawati, 2018). with optimal speaking skills, students understand expressing their thoughts and feel the benefits of learning so that learning becomes more meaningful (asnita & khair, 2020; khairoes & taufina, 2019). however, speaking is not as easy as it seems and more than just pronouncing words (supina, 2018). sahara, zulaikah, and jelita (2021) defined speaking as the action of delivering sounds or words to communicate with others to share a few thoughts or data orally. thoughts and data are involved in communication through speaking. besides, core speaking skill also refers to the capacity to negotiate speech (e.g. building on abstract: the objective of this study was to find out whether or not there was a significant correlation of learning style and the eleventh grade students' speaking ability. in this study, the population was ten students the eleventh grade students of sma n 4 palembang. the sample of this study, the researcher used purposive sampling technique. in order to collect the data, in this study used interviews and an oral test from virtual classes. analyze the data, the researcher used pearson product moment correlation coefficient on spps. the result speaks interviews with students used the scale rating scores. from these results, the minimum score was 80, the maximum score was 88, and the mean score was 86. second method was an oral test from virtual classes. in this test the researcher asked the students to tell about the most beautiful place that they have ever visited. based on the results of the oral test score from virtual classes, the minimum score was 86, the maximum score was 92, and the mean score was 90. it could be concluded, that there was significant correlation between learning style and the eleventh grade students' speaking ability at sma n 4 palembang. keywords: teaching; speaking; learning style; speaking ability. aprilia sari rahayu, eryansyah eryansyah, & margaretha dinar sitinjak the correlation between students’ learning styles and the eleventh grade students’ speaking ability at sma n 4 palembang 580 previous utterances, monitoring understanding, repairing communication breakdown, giving feedback), and the capacity to manage the flow of speech as it occurs (mutaat, 2022). speaking has many aspects in it; grammar, pronunciatin, fluency, and etc. in terms of core speaking skills, burns (2019) postulated that this skill refers to the ability to process speech quickly to increase fluency (e.g. speech rate, chunking, pausing, formulaic language, discourse markers). fluency measures attempt to tap into an underlying abstract concept, the socalled ‘cognitive fluency’, which is a speaker’s efficiency of planning and encoding speech (bielak, 2022). if the fluency level in the speaking skill is to be enhanced, there must be an increase in the classroom interaction in english, especially among students (phan, ho, & nguyen, 2022). many students believe that fluency to communicate verbally with others often consider more important than the ability to read or write (nazara, 2017). achieving the flow of fluency in speaking takes time, considering the language learner is far from an artificial environment, unlike the classroom environment in normal life, he needs to reach a normal speaking pace in order to be able to express himself effectively to the people he communicates with (bacha, kumar, bibi, & yunus, 2021). burnkart (2018) argued that speaking is the most important language skills that need to be controlled, and the achievement in mastering english is based on the ability to speak english. in addition, the new parameter used to determine success in second/foreign language education program is to develop english speaking proficiency (widiati & cahyono, 2016) in which it is followed by the changed paradigm of english learners that a large percentage of the world’s language learners study english on the goal of developing proficiency in english (richards & renandya, 2012). students’ speaking proficiency is based on their own vocabulary knowledge, size, depth and speed, which making a better view on relation between vocabulary and speaking (putra, ikhsanudin, & bunau, 2021). in indonesia, wardiman (2018) mentioned that the changed paradigm in learning english is not followed by the change of students’ proficiency in speaking english. although it was found that the position of indonesia in terms of the score of english proficiency has increased for the last three years based on education first-english proficiency index (ef-epi). in 2018, indonesia was predicated in low proficiency level with the rank of 34th out of 44 countries. in 2018, it increased to 27th out of 44 countries still in the low proficiency level with the score of 53.31. in 2013, indonesia was positioned in moderate proficiency level, in the rank of 25th out of 60 countries with the score of 53.44. in comparison with some countries in asia, indonesia is positioned under singapore (rank 12th) and malaysia (rank 11th) which included to high proficiency countries. at sman 4 palembang, the students often face some frequent problems, such as lack vocabulary due to their nescience of english words. this problem might lead into a language barrier in communication, as salawazo, simbolon, hutabarat, veronika, & saragih (2020) mentioned that if student cannot master and learn more vocabulary, they will face more difficulty in the language learning either in speaking, listening, or reading. nikijuluw (2020) also added to be a fluent english learner, they need to master its vocabulary. if they have it, they can express their idea, write in their own words, listen and understand what other people speak easily. specifically, to be a fluent speaker, it is necessary to have both a lot of practice and a sufficient amount of vocabulary (kumar, qasim, mansur, & shah, 2022). with sufficient vocabulary items, the speaker is able communicate and understand the written expression (siswanto, fitriana, and bram, 2019). therefore, teacher needs to link the new vocabulary to the context or class environment in order to make students easier to understand and remember the meaning of it. this is supported by sarifa (2018) arguing that learning vocabulary through context helps the student bridge the gap between the students’ real-life exposure to vocabulary and the learning environment of the class. otherwise, if the teacher sill use vocabularybased handbooks without the media, students will be bored and lazy to learn new words, thereby many students fail to master english because their vocabulary is still lacking (febriyani, mustain, kiptiyah, 2021), then they will not able to communicate fluently in consecutive sentences as well (lengari, 2022). not only vocabulary, the teacher also needs to teach the other aspects in speaking as having a good vocabulary does not guarantee the students have the same level of other aspect ability. this is in line with andriani & wahyuningsih (2019) who found that students whose great mastery of vocabulary english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 581 still have some difficulties in grammar and spelling. in sman 4 palembang, they also mentioned that they do not know what and how to express it. unfortunately, either in the classroom or outside the classroom, learners often neglect english practice. they only have a little amount of time in the classroom to speak english and tend to speak their mother tongue (indonesian) outside the classroom so their english practice is inadequate. as jaya, petrus, & pitaloka (2022) mentioned that the english speaking activities are always over as soon as they finish the class and they use mother tongue or local dialect to speak with their friends and family. in addition, the other factors that lead learners to find learning speech problems are that are afraid of making mistakes and are shy of speaking up in the classroom. according to baldwin (2011), speaking in front of people is one of the more common phobias that students encounter and feeling of shyness make their mind go blank or that they will forget what to say. students should pay attention the characteristics of good speaking activity, so that they can speak as fluency as possible based on the goal of speaking. in order to provide this fluent speaking, it is necessary to apply different methods and techniques to the student (kumar et al., 2022). according to ur (2013), there are many characteristics of good speaking activity as follow: (1) learners talk a lot, (2) participation is even, (3) motivation is high, (4) language is an acceptable level. on another research conducted by handayani (2019), there are some strategies which can be used by the teacher to improve the students’ speaking skill; role-play, drilling, outdoor activity, direct strategy, and giving motivation. furthermore, how students learn and how teachers teach, and how they connect with each other, are affected by their various styles of learning. there is a different and consistent way of perceiving, organizing and maintaining each learner. learning styles can be defined, categorized, and described as a collection of variables, behaviors and attitudes that improve learning in any situation. this is because this learning style is used as a measure of how learners view the learning environment, how to communicate, and how they react. therefore, educators must consider learning styles and learning strategies in selecting and designing learning materials to maximize student achievement (albeta, haryati, futra, aisyah, & siregar, 2021). moreover, hosseini & mehraein (2022) agreed that identifying and reflecting on learners’ individual differences can make them aware of their strengths and weaknesses and help them to be autonomous. there are three learning styles which summarize learning style: visual learning style (vision), auditory learning style (hearing), and kinesthetic learning style (moving, touching, and doing). each student has all three styles of learning with only one style usually dominating how he or she can learn. therefore, it would be easier for the instructor to incorporate teaching habits through different strategies and methods by understanding each student's characteristics and learning styles. from the researcher’s mini observation through one of teachers in sma negeri 04 palembang, she found two problems in learning speaking. first, students lack of confidence in speaking class. this phenomenon when students feel nervous, not confident, and anxious is called as foreign language anxiety (asysyifa, handayani, rizkiani, 2019). besides that, the students have no motivation to express themselves in english, fearful of criticism or losing face, worried about making mistakes and shy (sudirman, junaid, & tamallo, 2020). as hallemans (2021) stated, learning a speech as part of a study does not ensure students' confidence in speaking english publicly. speaking confidence grows along with the amount of effort. these can be reduced by self-motivation and concentration in learning english (sulastri & ratnawati, 2018). motivation in learning english comes from many aspects, such as being praised by others, self-eagerness to learn, looking up to someone with better knowledge, etc (maulana, ikhsanudin, & suhartono, 2020). second, students are lesscreative in developing speaking skills which possibly caused by many factors, not to mention, the technique that is used by the teacher. students’ speaking skill is not improved through acting out their own dialogue in front of the class. in this case, it is teacher’s duty to find the suitable topics which match with students’ interest. as rao (2018) stated, while selecting the topics, the teachers have to take into consideration of the learners' needs and interests that lead the learners to work more on the given topics with interest and enthusiasm. besides, in the process of learning and teaching english as a foreign language, teachers should also pay much attention to the students' aprilia sari rahayu, eryansyah eryansyah, & margaretha dinar sitinjak the correlation between students’ learning styles and the eleventh grade students’ speaking ability at sma n 4 palembang 582 personalities which can be affected by some affective factors (karsudianto, 2020). sarifa (2020) added that a language teacher needs to choose an appropriate method to teach each skill effectively. jabeen (2019) also added that teacher has to create a friendly environment for the students to learn a foreign language. based on the above statements, the researcher conducts a study entitled "the correlation among students learning style and the eleventh grade students' speaking ability at sma n 4 palembang” to find out whether there is a significant contribution of learning style and the eleventh grade students' speaking ability. method this study aimed to find out whether there is a significant contribution of learning style and the eleventh grade students' speaking ability. therefore, this research used correlation research. creswell (2012) stated, correlation is a statistical test to determine the tendency or pattern for two (or more) variables or two sets of data to vary consistently. concerning the sample of this research, the researcher used purposive sampling technique. in this research, the research data were from an interview the students and oral test from virtual classes, r-product moment, and multiple regression. first, the researcher interviewed the students. there were 10 questions that the researcher asked. after that, the researcher assessed their speaking interview used an adaptive speaking. table 1. interview questions no components rating score comments 1 pronunciation 5 has few traces of foreign accent 4 always intelligible, though one conscious of a definite accent 3 pronunciation problem necessities concentrated listening and occasionally lead to misunderstanding 2 very hard to understand because of pronunciation problems, most frequently be asked to repeat 1 pronunciation problems to serve as to make speaking virtually unintelligible 2 grammar 5 make few (if any) noticeable errors of grammar and word order 4 occasionally makes grammatical and word order errors that do not, however obscure meaning 3 make frequent errors grammar and word order, which occasionally obscure meaning 2 grammar and word order error make comprehension difficult, must often rephrases sentence and or rest rich himself 1 errors in grammar and we order so, severe as to make speaking virtually unintelligible 3 vocabulary 5 use of vocabulary and idioms is virtually that of native speaker 4 sometimes uses inappropriate terms and or must rephrases ideas because of lexical inadequacies 3 frequently uses the wrong words conversation somewhat limited because of inadequate vocabulary 2 misuse of words and very limited vocabulary make comprehension quite difficult. 1 vocabulary 4 fluency 5 fluency speech fluent and efforts less as that of a native speaker 4 speed of speech seems to be slightly affected by language problem 3 speed and fluency are rather strongly affected by language problem 2 usually hesitant, often forced into silence by language limitation 1 speaking is also halting and fragmentary as to make conversation virtually impossible 5 comprehension 5 appears understand everything without difficulty 4 understand nearly everything at normal speed, although occasionally repetition may be necessary 3 understand most of what is said at slower than normal speed without repetition english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 583 2 has great difficulty following what is said can comprehend only "social conversation" spoken slowly and with frequent repetition 1 cannot be said to understand even simple conversational english. (haris, 1969) after that, the researcher used the selected rubric and analyzed based on the indicators and scored as follows: final score = total score x 10 25 the second method was an oral test using virtual classes. in this test, the researcher asked the students to tell about the most beautiful place that they have visited. to assess the students' speaking performance, the researcher used score intervals, as follows: table 2. score intervals score interval category 86-100 excellent 71-85 good 56-70 average 41-55 poor 0-40 fail to analyze the data, the researcher used pearson product moment correlation coefficient on spps to find out whether or not there is a significant contribution of learning style and the eleventh grade students' speaking ability. results and discussion based on the results of speaking interviews with students used the scale rating scores of harris (1969), it was found that the minimum score was 80, the maximum score was 88, and the mean score was 86. meanwhile, based on the results of the oral test score from virtual classes, the minimum score was 86, the maximum score was 92, and the mean score was 90. you can see in the table below: table 3. descriptive statistics n min max mean std. deviation ls 10 80 88 85.60 3.373 sa 10 86 92 89.50 2.369 valid n (listwise) 10 based on the results of the speaking interview score and the oral test score for use virtual classes, there were 8 students in excellent category and 2 students in good category. you can see in the table below: table 4. score category score interval category students’ learning styles students’ speaking ability 86-100 excellent 8 8 71-85 good 2 2 56-70 average 41-55 poor 0-40 fail based on the research results, the researcher analyzed using the pearson product moment coefficient in spss. the result indicated that the value of r-obtained of the two variables was 0.946 higher than the r-critical 0.235 (0.946 > 0.235). meanwhile, the significant f result was 0.000. because the f value was less than 0.005 (0.000 <0.005). that is, there was a significant relationship between students' learning styles and speaking ability. you can see in the table below: table 5. correlations ls sa ls pearson correlation 1 .946** sig. (2-tailed) .000 n 10 10 sa pearson correlation .946** 1 sig. (2-tailed) .000 n 10 10 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2tailed). finally, based on the results r was 0.946. from this output, the adjusted r square results were 0.881. which means, 88.1% of the influence of student learning styles (visual learning styles, auditory learning styles, and kinesthetic learning styles) in learning english. and also 88% of students' speaking skills in learning english. you can see in the table below: table 6. model summary model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate 1 .946a .894 .881 .817 a. predictors: (constant), ls table 7. anovaa aprilia sari rahayu, eryansyah eryansyah, & margaretha dinar sitinjak the correlation between students’ learning styles and the eleventh grade students’ speaking ability at sma n 4 palembang 584 model sum of squares df mean square f sig. 1 regression 45.156 1 45.156 67.602 .000b residual 5.344 8 .668 total 50.500 9 a. dependent variable: sa b. predictors: (constant), ls from these results, the minimum score was 80, the maximum score was 88, and the mean score was 86. based on the results of the oral test score from virtual classes, the minimum score was 86, the maximum score was 92, and the mean score was 90. there are 8 students who were excellent category and only 2 students who were good category. the robtained result of the two variables was 0.946 higher than the r-critical 0.235 (0.946 > 0.235). there was even a very strong correlation between students' learning styles and speaking ability. and the last result r was 0.946. from this output, the adjusted r square results were 0.881. which means, 88.1% of the influence of student learning styles (visual learning styles, auditory learning styles, and kinesthetic learning styles) in learning english. and also 88% of students' speaking skills in learning english. conclusion the conclusion of this study is it was found that there was a significant correlation between learning style with the eleventh grade students' speaking ability at sma n 4 palembang. it can be seen from the mean score of students’ interview and the mean score on the oral test score using virtual classes about the most beautiful place that they have visited. acknowledgement the researcher would like to express her profound gratitude to the sriwijaya university community for the support and high appreciation to the research participants for their participation and cooperation. references albeta, s. w., haryati, s., futra, d., aisyah, r., & siregar, a. d. (2021). the effect of learning style on students’ learning performance during the covid-19 pandemic. jtk: jurnal tadris kimiya, 6(1), 115-123. andriani, d., & sriwahyuningsih, v. (2019). an analysis of students’ mastery of vocabulary universitas putra indonesia yptk padang. elt-lectura, 6(2), 169-176. asnita, a., & khair, u. (2020). penerapan model pembelajaran time token untuk meningkatkan keterampilan berbicara siswa. estetik: jurnal bahasa indonesia, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.29240/estetik.v3i1.1501. asysyifa., handayani, a. m., & rizkiani, s. (2019). students’ speaking anxiety in efl classroom. project journal, 2(4), 581-587. bacha, m. s., kumar, t., bibi, b. s., & yunus, m. m. (2021) using english as a lingua franca in pakistan: influences and implications in english language teaching (elt). asian esp journal. 17(2), 155-175. baldwin, c. (2011). how to overcome shyness during oral presentation. retrieved from http://www.ehow.com. bielak, j. (2022). to what extent are foreign language anxiety and foreign language enjoyment related to l2 fluency? an investigation of task-specific emotions and breakdown and speed fluency in an oral task. language teaching research, 131. burnkart, g. s. (2018). spoken language: what it is and how to teach it. washington, dc: cal. burns, a. (2019). concepts for teaching speaking in the english language classroom. learn journal: language education and acquisition research network, 2(1), 1–11. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1225673.pdf creswell, j. (2012). educational research. boston: pearson education. febriyani., mustain., & kiptiyah, m. (2021). the impact of wordlist media in learning vocabulary. sell journal, 6(1), 76-85. hallemans, n. (2021). using student-created video presentations to build experiential learning in the oral efl presentation classroom. korean journal of general education, 15(5), 229–245. https://doi.org/10.46392/kjge.2021.15.5.229. handayani, u. d. (2019). english teachers’ strategy in teaching speaking [state institute of islamic studies ponorogo]. http://etheses.iainponorogo.ac.id/6914/ harris, d. p. (1969). testing english as a second language. new york: mcgraw hill book company. hosseini, h. m., & mehraein, s. (2022). learning styles and task preferences in online language courses: match or mismatch? cypriot journal of educational science. 17(1), 81-94. https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i1.6683 jabeen, r. (2019). multicultural diverse classroom; addressing the instructional challenges and reflections from a teacher’s perspective. arab world english journal, special issue: the dynamics of efl in saudi arabia. 127-136 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 585 jaya, h. p., petrus, i., & pitaloka, n. l. (2022). speaking performance and problems faced by english major students at a university in south sumatera. indonesian efl journal, 8(1), 105112. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v8i1.5603 karsudianto, f. (2020). improving students’ motivation and self-confidence in speaking using ingling games. journal of applied studies in language, 4(1), 1-8. khairoes, d., & taufina, t. (2019). penerapan storytelling untuk meningkatkan keterampilan berbicara di sekolah dasar. jurnal basicedu, 3(4). https://doi.org/10.31004/basicedu.v3i4.220. kumar, t., qasim, a., mansur, s. b. & shah, a. h. (2022). improving efl students’ speaking proficiency and self-confidence using drama technique: an action research. cypriot journal of educational science. 17(2), 372-383 https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i2.6813 lengari, y. g. p. (2022). enhancing students’ speaking skills by using youtube for maritime english learning in akademi maritim nusantara. saintara: jurnal ilmiah ilmu-ilmu maritim, 6(1), 65-70. maulana, f., ikhsanudin, i., & suhartono, l. (2020). students’ motivation to speak in a group discussion. journal of english education program, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.26418/jeep.v1i1.40025 mutaat. (2022). students’ perceptions toward teaching speaking. acitya: journal of teaching & education, 4(1), 58-68. nazara, s. (2017). students’ perception on efl speaking skill development. journal of english teaching, 1(1), 28-43. nikijuluw, r. c. g. v. (2020). vocabulary journal strategy: one way to help students’ vocabulary. tahuri, 17(1). nunan, d. (2019). designing tasks for the communicate classroom. the united kingdom at the university press, cambridge: the press syndicate of the university of cambridge. parmawati, a. (2018). using analytic teams technique to improve students’ speaking skill. edulitics (education, literature, and linguistics) journal, 3(2), 21–25. phan, t. n. t., ho, d. v., & nguyen, t. h. l. (2022). improving non-majored freshmen’ fluency in the speaking skill through interaction in the online environment via ms-team. international journal of tesol & education, 2(1), 251-271. doi: https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.222116 putra, d. h., ikhsanudin., & bunau, e. (2021). correlation between vocabulary mastery and fluency in speaking at universitas tanjungpura. premise: journal of english education and applied linguistics, 10(1), 36-53. rao, p. s. (2018). developing speaking skills in esl or efl settings. international journal of english language, literature and translation studies, 5(2), pp. 286-293. https://doi.org/10.33329/ijelr.52.286orhttp://ww w.ijelr.in, 2018. online. rao, p. s. (2019). the importance of speaking skills in english classrooms. alford council of international english & literature journal(acielj), 2(2), pp. 6-18. richard, j. (2008). teaching listening and speaking from theory to practice. cambridge: cambridge university press. sahara, s., zulaikah., & jelita. (2021). students’ speaking problem in english presentation. english language education and literature, 6(1), pp. 18-23. salawazo, i. s., simbolon, m., hutabarat, v. e., veronika, a. n., & saragih, e. (2020). analysis of students’ vocabulary in learning english. linguistic, english education and art (leea) journal, 3(2), pp.469-475. sarifa, n. (2018). techniques of teaching professional vocabulary with special reference to vocabulary used in media. international journal of linguistics, literature, and translation, 1(4), 39-42. doi: 10.32996/ijllt.2018.1.4.6. sarifa, n. (2020). enhancing efl learners’ english proficiency and intelligence by implementing the eclectic method of language teaching. arab world english journal, 11 (1), 103-113. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no1.9 siswanto, i. l., fitriana, c., & bram, b. (2019). using word bank to enrich vocabulary of grade x students of taman karya madya vocational high school. eltin journal, 7(2), pp.75-86. sudirman, a. m., junaid, r., & tamallo, i. i. (2020). the correlation between students’ self-confidence and speaking performance. lets: journal of linguistics and english teaching studies, 1(2), 80-90. sulastri, & ratnawati. (2018). students’ strategies in reducing anxiety in learning english. els journal on interdisciplinary studies on humanities, 1(4), 423–428. retrieved from http://journal.unhas.ac.id/index.php/jish supina. (2018). four basic skills proficiency based on students’ perception in hospitality & tourism study program, bunda mulia university. journal of english language and culture, 8(2), pp. 128-139. tokunaga, m. (2021). investigating fluency and accuracy of japanese university efl learners’ spoken english production. journal of english teaching, aprilia sari rahayu, eryansyah eryansyah, & margaretha dinar sitinjak the correlation between students’ learning styles and the eleventh grade students’ speaking ability at sma n 4 palembang 586 7(1), 163-178. doi: https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v7i2.2775 ur, p. (2013). language teaching method revisited. elt journal, 67(4), 468-474. wardiman. (2018). english in focus. jakarta: departemen pendidikan nasional. widiati, u., & cahyono, b. y. (2006). the teaching of efl speaking in the indonesian context: the state of the art. bahasa dan seni, 34(2), 269292. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 85 teachers’ creativity in designing learning activities: sustaining students’ motivation lailatul khikmah department of english education, school of postgraduate studies, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia e-mail: lailatulkhikmah@upi.edu; lailatulkhikmah1993@gmail.com apa citation: khikmah, l. (2019). teachers’ creativity in designing learning activities: sustaining students’ motivation. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 85-92. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1639. received: 13-01-2019 accepted: 19-04-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: sustaining students’ motivation during teaching and learning process, unquestionably, is considered as the most challenging task. therefore, the teachers have to be mindful and creative in designing an activity as it is the core of the lesson. however, in practice, some teachers are sometimes found to aimlessly use an activity as they run out of idea. thus, this study is conducted to serve as a reference for the teachers in designing a specific activity that helps the students stay motivated. a descriptive qualitative was employed as the research design to gain deeper analysis on types of activity that encourage the students to learn english. the data were collected through interview which involved 5 professional english teachers as participants. the result revealed that the design of the activity should be appealing and correspond to the students’ interest, age, level of proficiency, school policy, materials and media availability. thus, it is suggested that the teachers should be brave to try out new activity and attend some teachers’ training, such as celta or delta, to improve their teaching skills. keywords: designing learning activity; learning activities; students’ motivation; sustaining students’ motivation; teachers’ creativity; teachers’ perspective. introduction motivation, undeniably, plays as one of significant aspects determining the success in language learning. yet, in fact, motivating the students to learn is considered as one of the greatest challenges because motivation itself has complicated definition or concept. according to vroom (1964), motivation is seen as the force that stimulates goal oriented actions. meanwhile, locke and latham (2004) stated that motivation refers to internal and external factors influencing individual to acquire and extend their skills and abilities. even though these two experts stated quite different definition of motivation, both parties stated the same factors that might discourage the students to learn, such as the students’ mood, peer-conflict, family problem or dislike the design of the activity. these factors then make the students have different level of motivation. therefore, the teachers have to fully understand various concept of motivation which includes definition and ways in assisting the students to accomplish their goals. by doing so, it is expected that the teachers could come up with solutions in sustaining students’ motivation during teaching and learning activity. further, as motivation is fluctuated, so it is possible for the students to feel discourage to learn at a certain point. therefore, the teachers should play their role as a motivation builder and keeper. in other words, teachers should know how and what to do if their students’ level of motivation is decreasing. in this case, harmer (2000) suggested five stages to build students’ motivation which include affect, achievement, attitude, activities, and agency. ferlazzo (2015), on the other hand, also added some strategies to sustain students’ motivation that include giving the students freedom in choosing final project, giving constructive feedback, developing a positive teachers-students relationship, and designing meaningful task. however, this study only focuses on the activities designed by the teachers to maintain students’ motivation. it is believed that teachers’ choice in using specific activities in teaching and learning can provide a positive impact on students’ motivation. some researchers have conducted studies on strategies to sustain students’ motivation. winston, train, rudolph, and gillette (2018), for example, conducted a study concerning faculty motivations to use active learning among pharmacy educator in united states. the result of the study suggested that the faculty members who are intrinsically motivated are more likely to use various active learning strategies. furthermore, another research conducted by vibulphol (2016) found that most students have mailto:lailatulkhikmah@upi.edu mailto:lailatulkhikmah1993@gmail.com lailatul khikmah teachers’ creativity in designing learning activities: sustaining students’ motivation 86 a high level of motivation since the teachers employed various strategies such as autonomysupport and controlling. this finding is in line with lai and ting (2013) who state the teachers should use various strategies to enhance students’ motivation. referring to the aforementioned studies, it can be discovered that it is important to implement a specific activity in order to sustain students’ motivation. the teachers will not know whether the activity they used can really help the students stay motivated unless they try it out. some studies may suggest that to deal with passive students, the teachers can use learning contract. however, this may not work in another classroom context as each student is unique. therefore, the teachers can also adjust the content or the way they implement the procedures. for instances, when a teacher tries to use youtube during teaching and learning, he firstly has to know whether his students are familiar with the use of it or not. if they are already familiar, so the teacher may adjust the project by asking them to create a video, for example about commenting a well-known youtubers or making a video about the trick to learn an idiom. furthermore, the teacher should also be able to identify whether the students are motivated intrinsically or extrinsically. for example, the teacher can design an activity that includes rewards, such as gaining more points for an active student. thus, the primary concerned of the study is to find out teachers’ creativity in designing activities to sustain students’ motivation. this study specifically investigates the types of activity used by some professional teachers who have gained celta or delta certificate or at least have more than 5 years of teaching experience. by investigating this issue, it is expected that teachers can know various activities that can be implemented in the classroom and consideration made by some professional teachers in choosing specific activities. the study delimited the aspect of sustaining the students’ motivation proposed by harmer (2000). specifically, this study only investigates the way the teachers enhance the students’ motivation through designing a fun and engaging activities. the activity is taken into account since the success of learning majorly depends on the way teacher design the activity. if the teacher carelessly designs the activity, the students might feel discouraged to learn as they found that the activity is too easy or boring. therefore, this study is also useful to be served as references when the teachers are out of idea. method as previously describe, the purposes of this study are to explore the activities that the teachers use to sustain students’ motivation. considering the purpose of the study, qualitative research is considered to be the appropriate research design for this study since it will help in gaining more specific and deeper analysis on a kind of activity that actually works in making the students stay motivated during teaching and learning. furthermore, the investigation was about the detail description of english teachers’ creativity in designing activity that can sustain students’ motivation. as paris and winn (2013) points out that qualitative research helps to conduct in-depth analysis and acquire detail description of current phenomenon and be highly engaged in current issues. in conducting this research, five efl teachers who have gained celta (certificate in teaching english to speakers of other languages) or delta (diploma in teaching english to speakers of other language, advanced tefl qualification) certificate or at least have more than 5 years of professional teaching experience were involved. these certificates are internationally well-known and hard to attain so it is assumed that the respondents are qualified to share more creative ideas in designing an activity that make students be motivated during teaching and learning. additionally, teachers who have more than five-years experiences were also included because they have encountered many experiences in teaching and know how to deal with it. the data of this study were collected through face-to-face interview. the interview consisted of five questions designed based on the research needs. after collecting the data, the researcher analyzed the collected data in order to find the result. the steps of analyzing the data that are; transcribing the interview sessions from audiotape recording, reading and analyzing the transcription relating to teachers’ creativity in designing the activity in order to sustain students’ motivation, interpreting the data, categorizing the data based on the relevant theory aiming to answer the research question and drawing conclusion from the interview data analysis. after the interview analysis, the researcher then takes a brief look on the lesson plan to know the teachers’ detail plan. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 87 results and discussion the data were collected from five respondents who are all teachers either from private or public school by using interview. before the interview, the researcher also asked for approval and notified them about the major core of the questions, then asked them to bring one lesson plan. the name of the respondents will be replaced by using r1 until r5. from the result of the interview, it is found that the teachers adjusted the learning steps which have been stated at the lesson plan that suit to the students. moreover, four out of five teachers suited the learning activity to the time allotment. however, this phenomenon is a common since the time allotment may influence the process of teaching and learning. this is in line with brandvik and mcknight (2011) who state the students take longer or shorter time to do the activity that the teacher thought. furthermore, it is found that one of the teacher chose to change the plan when the students are less motivated and feel asleep. it can be seen in the following excerpts: “there were some changes happening in the class, mostly because the timing is a little bit off, especially in the guided discovery part. however, most of the plan went out as planned”. (r1) “yes, there were some changes. the changes mostly depend on the condition. for instances, the time allotment. if the time is a bit off then automatically, some activities are being cut off or adjusted if in the implementation the students found it too hard to do the exercises”. (r2) “yes mostly because of the time is a little bit off”. (r4) “yes. sometimes, i have to omit some activities because of the time is a little bit off’. (r5) “there is because some students in the beginning of the lesson found out to be discourage to learn and feel sleepy”. (r3) referring to the aforementioned answer, it can be inferred that most of them have experienced making incorrect time prediction and they (r1, r2, r4, r5) decided to omit it from the lesson. as during the lesson, the students need more time in doing some exercises. therefore, it is suggested for the teacher to select the most important thing to do during teaching and learning. besides, it is also suggested to choose the best task for students that suit to the time allotment. therefore, the teachers have to select the appropriate material, activity and task which suit to the class situation and the time allotment. other than that, it bears in mind that there is no divine standard on how to make an adjustment step in teaching and learning. generally, the teachers make some adjustment step that is based on types of problems that the teachers encounter, such as the students’ and teachers’ readiness, students’ competency, teachers’ skills, and classroom situation. it is not necessarily that the changing in lesson plan should be highly sophisticated and eye-catching. the most important thing is to make sure the second plan is running. andy (2013), however, provides some suggestions about the things that the teachers can do if their plan does not work well including listen to feedback and act on it, use group work, pause for a minute, simplify the complicated activities, have some back up activities, provide ice breakers, or trim the fat that is move on to the meatier task if teachers find the task they provide is too easy for the students. in addition, one of the teacher decided to add some activities, such as warming up activities that involve physical activity in order to stimulate students to be more active, like doing hockey pokey dance. this happened when the students were passive at class. this is good as teaching young learners needs some physical activity in order to attract their attention and motivate them to learn. as mentioned by some experts, hokey pokey dance can captivate the students’ attention and help them to develop concentration, sequence skills, cultural competencies, and improve grammatical skills regardless of the teachers’ teaching approach and style (shehadeh & farah, 2016). in conclusion, there are many things that the teachers can do to replace the activity that is no longer serving as they plan, such as adjusting, omitting, or adding. thus, the teacher should always be prepared for the worst condition and be calm and confident because their positive energy will also make the students’ attitude towards learning be positive. the second finding is about the teacher’s consideration on choosing specific activity to be implemented at class. the activity is the core of the lesson which can be used to make the students grasp the materials. besides, the clear reason for choosing an activity will enable the teacher to connect it with a specific goal. as lailatul khikmah teachers’ creativity in designing learning activities: sustaining students’ motivation 88 stated by woolfolk (2013), the activity that the teachers use should be able to clearly fulfill one of the four types of goals that are learning goals, performance goals, work-avoidance goals, and social goals. based on the result of the intwerview, it is found that all the professional teachers can elaborate the reason of choosing a specific activity even though they do not specifically mention the activity they use is in line with a specific of goal. however, at least, the teacher know why they pick up a certain activity. this can be seen in the following excerpts: “there are some considerations why i chose the topic and the activities. generally speaking, i chose the topic of astrology because i knew they were interested in that, so i felt that choosing this topic would improve their engagement to the activities done in the class. i chose the topic of suffixes to differentiate word class because (1) i found students mixing their word class especially in writing and (2) knowing the suffixes can help them become more aware of different word classes which can help them in reading (to guess the meaning of words) and the productive skills (speaking and writing, to become more accurate)”. (r1) “it purely be based on the students’ ages. if i teach younger learner, i used a lot of games. but when i teach adult learners, mostly i used the activity that involved problem solving. other than that, the level of difficulty also has to be taken into account. for example, if we teach adult learners we also have to make sure about their competence level. if they have an elementary level, so the activities that we used should not be too difficult for them to follow. the words choice also should be in reading for example the number of words should be a little compared to the advanced learners”. (r2) “i added the "the hokey pokey dance" to make the students physically active but also having fun as they are required to sing along. this activity also will make them gaining new vocabulary. the hockey pokey dance is used because it has appealing rhythm and the lyric also not too difficult to follow. additionally, the move is also easy to imitate”. (r3) “the first is topic. learning activities should enable them to blend in with the topic of the lesson. the second is students' proficiency. i have to make sure students can accomplish the learning activities, which means the activities should not be too easy or too hard to do. the third is time allocation. activities fit the time allocated. the fourth is availability of facilities. let's say i want them to open an exercise online. if internet access is not something they have, it would be impossible.” (r4) i mostly design an activity which involve active communication such game based activity like finding culprit or commenting on their friends’ work or performance like what we commonly see on indonesian idol. but, i change it into indonesian best debaters or best story teller”. (r5) from the excerpts, it can be clearly seen that they have various reason for applying or choosing a specific activity. r1, specifically, choose the topic about astrology as this topic is very appealing in teaching teenagers. it is agreed that teaching teenagers is difficult because they are in the transaction age between adulthood and childhood. therefore, it is better for us to choose a topic that can stimulate their curiosity, such as astrology that can be both appealing and controversial. meanwhile, r2 and r5 claimed to adjust the activity based on the students’ age for example he will used a lot of games to teach young learners as they are easily distracted. thus, it is a good idea for teachers to involve games during teaching and learning so that the students will not feel bored. game-based learning itself is any types of educational game that is used during the teaching and learning activity which can entertain and make the students’ behavior towards learning changed (connolly, boyle, macarthur, hainey, & boyle 2012). usually, the focus of the approach is to make the students unaware that they are actually learning and to create a joyful learning environment. additionally, they added that teachers also have to consider the students’ level of competence. accordingly, it is suggested to design an activity that is not too difficult for students to follow. the most important thing is designing activity that could work or run in the classroom because if the activity designed is too difficult, the students will feel discouraged to learn. r3 and r4, on the other hand, proposed to include some physical activity such as hokey pokey dance. he stated that physical activity is needed to refresh the students’ mind. to teaching young learners, a lot of movement is necessary. basically, the design of the activity should be based on the students’ interest, students’ age, students’ level of proficiency, time allotment, and classroom situation. besides, the teacher english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 89 also has to consider the gender. as mention by broophy (2010) that an activity which relate to the real world will encourage the students to learn because they have a background knowledge on that and it is easy for them to remember as they can make a correlation with the real world context. moreover, he further suggested that the activity that the teachers used should have a clear instruction, directions, and significant of the task because unclear instructions will lead to decreasing the students’ motivation in learning. the third finding is about whether the activity used motivates students to learn. this can be found only after the teachers evaluated their teaching and learning activity. kulczycki and rozkosz (2017) point out that the evaluation helps the teacher to assess whether the learning has been successful and to clarify the teachers’ expectation. the findings can be seen in the following excerpts: “at that time, definitely, students were engaged throughout the lesson. however, i couldn't take full credit for that as they were naturally active students as well. i could give them any topics, and they would devour them.” (r1) “it depends. usually before teaching, i analyze what types of students that i am going to teach. if the students like game-based learning, i will design an activity that full of games. but, if they like project then i will design an activity that involved so many project. in a nutshell, the design of the activity i used is based (r2) “yes. definitely, they feel more motivated to learn”. (r3) “not always because to pay attention to the students’ individually sometimes it is hard especially when you have to teach more than 40 students. however, i mostly design an activity which involves classroom discussion so that it makes a contribution individually within a small group”. (r4) “yes, because they do not feel like they are actually learning but they can gain something from it.” (r5) it can be inferred that the activity that r1 to r5 used successfully make the students stay motivated. r1 specifically mentioned that the choice of the activity or topic for astrology that he used has flourishingly motivated the teenagers to learn. however, he added that their students are naturally active students so the choice of activity does not really matter. however, the activity that the teachers used still have the greatest impact on the students’ performance in the classroom because if the teachers just carelessly design activity even an active student would heartlessly follow the lesson, an active student can stay active because the teachers used appropriate activity that match with their level of competence and interest. in this case, bissengayeva, aigerim, zinagul and zhanar (2013) suggested the teachers to involve competence-oriented tasks (the topic should be based on real-life problem) in teaching and learning. he believed that by learning problem the students can be more independent learners and interested in learning. moreover, nicolaides (2012) added that in designing activity, the teachers should consider the students’ language ability, the educational content, the content standard, the content objective, the language objectives, the details of teaching strategy and learning activity as well as the methods to assess and evaluate the students’ learning achievement. additionally, r2, r3, r4, and r5 added that involving many physical activities, such as hokey pokey dance to teach young learners and designing problem-based activity and gamebased activity to teach adults learners can help teachers in sustaining students’ motivation to learn. choosing astrological topic for teenagers that include interview, group project, finding truth and involving activity which makes the students actively participate during classroom activity can also be done. besides, using technology-based teaching, such as creating blog or video in youtube can be an effective way. as stated by ghavifekr & rosdy (2015) and jamienson et al. (2013) that using technologybased teaching will enable the teachers to provide various appealing activities and help them to design a creative learning. however, wang (2015) suggested that the teachers need to pay attention on the content that they decided to use. one mistake can lead to a total failure in teaching and learning, such as the students feel addicted to a certain social media. therefore, the teachers really need to pay attention on all aspects that related with technology. wholly, all the professional teachers do not always use a sophisticated activity, but use the activity that can make the teaching and learning run smoothly. they all agree that it will be wasting time if they used the most-popular activity which the students are not familiar with lailatul khikmah teachers’ creativity in designing learning activities: sustaining students’ motivation 90 because the main purpose for teaching is to successfully transfer the knowledge and to successfully make the students comprehend the lesson. in addition, the activity used by all of the teachers has proven to sustain the students’ motivation. therefore, the teachers out there can use it as references if they are out of idea. however, the teachers have to make some adjustment based on their own situation and condition. the fourth finding is about the teachers’ point of view towards some suitable activities to improve students’ motivation in learning. the respondents stated their opinion as follows: “i would definitely suggest teachers to find topics students can relate to, either to their interest, or state explicitly why it can be useful for them in their life (maybe it can be useful for the test they might face, or when they enter university/working environment). the use of different types of activities can also become useful to avoid boredom in the classroom (think stirring-settling activities, pair work-individual work-class discussion, reading-writing-speaking-listening). if it is not possible to choose topic because of the constraint of materials from the school, think of different ways to make it relatable for them (for example, when they are learning personal recount text, rather than just asking them to write a composition, maybe ask them to write a postcard for a friend abroad, or when they are asked to write a narrative text, ask them to write for a competition in a magazine that has good prices). make the activity rewarding and meaningful for them. also, this is not related to the activities, but i find that building good rapport with students are also a must! when you have good relationships with the students, most of the time they will be more motivated and used multimodality and technology if it is possible because students are usually happy when they do some research from the internet. and also don't forget the power of reward”. (r1) “design a fun activity which matches with the students’ preferences. it does not mean that the teachers always follow what the students’ want. but mostly, students will feel motivated if they are given a chance to work independently. so, we as a teacher should not feed the students all the time but we should let them be an independent learner. additionally, we should give them reward by giving compliments and do not apply punishment, but we should make the students aware of the consequences for not doing their best in completing the task given”. (r2) “because the students have different level of concentration, i suggest not using a monotone activity but choosing more lively activity, especially for teaching young learners”. (r3) “one, use interactive and engaging activities, such as using a new technology like aengisup for deleting some lyrics. two, collaborative or group work is a good option. three, consider the level of difficulty or complexity of the task. four, use technology. five, use reward system”. (r4) “explicitly tell the objectives to the learners so that they know what they are going to learn and they know that the lesson is important”. (r5) from abovementioned result of interview, it can be concluded that there are many activities that the teachers can use to sustain students’ motivation, such as using various activity which correspond with the students’ interest. as stated by r1 and r2 that the teachers need to be really up to date about hot topic that suits to the students because this kind of topic usually makes them feel interested in teaching and learning process. however, it does not always mean that the topic should be really new, but teachers can also use topic that enables students to connect it with their knowledge. if they can find the connection, they will feel that the lesson is beneficial and meaningful so that they will pay more attention and follow the activity well. further, r1 added that if it is impossible to choose other materials because of the constrains of the school, just think another simple way when the students supposed to learn. for example, when learning personal recount, the teachers can ask students to write a letter for their friend or teachers can make a competition with the rewards, such as asking them to write for a magazine which have a good price, gaining more points, etc. the point is the teachers should not be discouraged or stressful about the school policy. the teachers have to stay professional and think another way. on the other hand, r2 mentioned that it does not always mean to design the activity that the students want because it will be overwhelming as the students have different preferences. however, r3 and r5 added that the activity should not be monotone and have a clear objective. thus, in teaching a text, the students do not always have to independently write a full text in the end of the lesson, the teachers can vary their activity, such as by conducting writing games or designing group project. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 91 if it is also possible, r4 suggested that the teachers can also design the activity that involve the use of technology because they also need to teach the students about what is new and make them to be technology expertise. in a nutshell, teachers have to be confident in using a specific activity because teachers’ positive attitude can also influence the students’ performance. other than that, the teachers should get feedback about the activity that they used from the students because it is really important to hear their opinion. from the abovementioned result of interview, it can be concluded that there are many activities that the teachers can use to sustain the students’ motivation, such as using various activity which correspond with the students’ interest. if the teachers know well the students’ interest, the teachers are expected to better relate the subject to the students’ life and know what to do in the class. conclusion there are numerous activities that can be used to sustain students’ motivation. in the practicality, the teachers should not be afraid of implementing new activity because the teachers do not know if the activity can work unless they try it. in doing so, however, they should consider some factors, such as school policy, students’ preferences, objectives that they have set, students’ level of proficiency, and students’ age. additionally, the important thing in designing activity is making sure that it can run smoothly and can facilitate the students to grow their ability and competence to their fullest. if teachers run out of idea, they can try to use some activity that proven to work. however, teachers should also make some adjustment because they have different condition and situation. also, teachers should be readily prepared for the worst and be confident because their positive attitude can also affect the students’ motivation in learning. this study provides some suggestion for the teacher and for the future researchers. firstly, for the teachers, it is suggested to discuss with the fellow teachers if they are unsure about implementing or using a new activity. additionally, the teachers can follow some training, such as tesol, tefl, celta, or delta to improve their creativity and skill in designing activities. lastly, for the future researchers, this study can be served as references for conducting similar study. acknowledgment my highest gratitude belongs to my beloved lectures prof. dr. nenden sri lengkanawati, m.pd. for her insightful feedback. besides, i am compelled to mention the following people for their kindness, chance and corporation in conducting the study, opel, aim, tika, wildan, vera, and fany. references andy. (2013). how to adjust lesson plans that just aren’t working. retrieved december 3rd, 2018 from https://www.schoolstickers.com/engb/blog/2013/12/13/how-to-adjust-lesson-plansthat-just-arent-working/. bissengayeva, z., aigerim, k., zinagul, t., & zhanar, n. (2013). students’ competency level evaluation on the basis of competence centered tasks. procedia-social and behavioral science, 89, 872-875. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.08.947. brandvik, m. l., & mcknight, s. k. (2011). the english teacher’s survival guide (2nd ed.). san fransisco, sf: jossey-bass. broophy, j. (2010). motivating students to learn. new york, ny: routledge. connolly, t. m., boyle, e. a., macarthur, e., hainey, t., & boyle, j. m. (2012). a systematic literature review of empirical evidence on computer games and serious games. computers & education. 59(2), 661–686. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2012.03.004. ferlazzo, l. (2015). strategies for helping students motivated themselves. retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/strategieshelping-students-motivate-themselves-larryferlazzo. ghavifekr, s., & rosdy, w. a. w. (2015). teaching and learning with technology: effectiveness of ict integration in schools. international journal of research in education and science (ijres), 1(2), 175-191. harmer, j. (2000). the practice of english language teaching. harrow, uk: pearson longman. jamienson, r., albion, p., finger, g., cavanagh, r., fitzgerald, r., bond, t., & grimbeek, p. (2013). development of the ttf tpack survey instrument. australian educational computing, 27(3), 26-35. kulczycki, e., & rozkosz, e. (2017). does an expertbased evaluation allow us to go beyond the impact factors? experiences from building a ranking of national journals in poland. scientometrics journal, 111(1), 417-442. lai, h. t., & ting, k. (2013). english language learners’ perception on motivational changes. english language teaching, 6(8), 10-20. doi: 10.5539/elt.v6n8p1. https://www.schoolstickers.com/en-gb/blog/2013/12/13/how-to-adjust-lesson-plans-that-just-arent-working/ https://www.schoolstickers.com/en-gb/blog/2013/12/13/how-to-adjust-lesson-plans-that-just-arent-working/ https://www.schoolstickers.com/en-gb/blog/2013/12/13/how-to-adjust-lesson-plans-that-just-arent-working/ http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/elt.v6n8p1 lailatul khikmah teachers’ creativity in designing learning activities: sustaining students’ motivation 92 locke, e. a., & latham, g. p. (2004). what should we do about motivation theory? six recommendations for the twenty-first century. academy of management review, 29, 388-403. nicolaides, a. (2012). innovative teaching and learning methodologies for higher education institutions. international research journal, 3(8), 620-626. paris, d., & winn, m. t. (2013). humanizing research: decolonizing qualitative inquiry with youth and community. los angeles, ca: sage. shehadeh, i., & farrah, m. (2016). the effectiveness of using children’s songs in developing elementary graders’ english vocabulary and pronunciation in jerusalem, palestine. journal of creative practices in language and learning (cplt), 4(2), 44-59. vibulphol, j. (2016). students’ motivation and learning and teachers’ motivational strategies in english classroom in thailand. english language teaching journal, 9(4). doi: 10.5539/elt.v9n4p64. vroom, v. h. (1964). work and motivation. new york, ny: wiley. winston, r. n., train, c. b., rudolph, j. m., & gilette, c. (2018). faculty motivations to use active learning among pharmacy educators. science direct journal, 10(3). 277-284. doi: 10.1016/j.cptl.2017.11.015. woolfolk, a. (2013). educational psychology. upper saddle river, nj: pearson. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2017.11.015 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 195 students’ responses towards e-learning schoology content on creative writing learning during the covid19 pandemic ernalida faculty of education and teaching, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: ernalida@fkip.unsri.ac.id santi oktarina faculty of education and teaching, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: santioktarina@fkip.unsri.ac.id ansori faculty of education and teaching, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: ansori@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa citation: ernalida., oktarina, s., & ansori. (2021). students’ responses towards e-learning schoology content on creative writing learning during the covid-19 pandemic. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 195-198. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5370 received: 12-08-2021 accepted: 24-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction the era of the covid-19 pandemic brought major changes in the world of education, not only in indonesia, but in the world. almost all countries feel the same way. the learning system has shifted from an offline/face-to-face to an online system. the covid 19 pandemic started a digital transformation in the world of education (adedoyin and soykan, 2021). this transition is a way so that the education sector is not disrupted. online learning that was previously rejected is now like a god of help in the world of education. according to dhwan (2020), this world disaster helps in showing the positive impact of online teaching and learning. this system is able to make the world of education exist in the midst of the crisis due to the corona virus. in this situation, this system is able to protect and save the academic community and society. this abstract: the era of the covid-19 pandemic brought major changes in the world of education, not only in indonesia, but in the world. almost all countries feel the same way. the learning system has switched from an offline/face-to-face to an online system. this world disaster has made many new applications appear or the famous applications that support online learning. one of them is indonesian learning which requires learning technology, especially writing skills; creative writing. writing skills in high school are needed. there are many types of creative writing that must be mastered by students, such as writing biographies, writing short stories, writing poetry, and so on. moreover, in the 2013 curriculum, indonesian language learning is text-based which directs students to be able to produce text-based writings. the purpose of this study was to determine the practicality of the content of e-learning schoology in learning creative writing in high schools in palembang city in terms of teachers. this research is research and development research. the object of research is the 10th grade indonesian at sma palembang. the method used is the delpi method. data collection techniques are questionnaires and fgds. data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. based on the results of research and discussion, it can be concluded as follows. first, the e-learning schoology content for creative writing learning has been practically used based on the small group test which was participated by 10 students. this practicality can be seen from the assessments given by students on aspects of material, language, content presentation, and e-learning which show a very decent value. mean value which was above 4.25. second, the students stated that the content developed has advantages such as, interesting, motivating, complete material, easy to use, inspiring, provides many learning experiences, the language is easy to understand, the features used are interesting and make it easier to learn. third, this content has weaknesses, but these weaknesses occured because of the lack of understanding of students in operating this e-learning. keywords: e-learning; schoology; creative writing. ernalida, santi oktarina, & ansori students’ responses towards e-learning schoology content on creative writing learning during the covid-19 pandemic 196 is a positive impact of technological advances in education which have developed rapidly although some do not yet have the ability to apply. however, this short-term change in the future will become permanent due to the rapid development of technology (yang, 2020). in indonesia, the transition of the learning system is regulated by the government based on the circular of the minister of education no. 4 of 2020 which contains the learning process carried out from home which means online learning/in distance learning. this is carried out to provide a meaningful learning experience for students without being burdened with the demands of completing all curriculum achievements for grade promotion and graduation. in order to get maximum results, the government issued guidelines for the implementation of online learning for students from elementary schools to universities. this is a form of government concern for the world of education. however, there are various obstacles from learning, including: (1) many teachers are not yet skilled in online learning implementation, (2) limited internet access, (3) lack of educators-students interaction, (4) differences in material understanding, ( 5) supervision during the learning process is lacking, (6) limited facilities for students and teachers, (7) students are less serious in learning, (8) lack of material understanding, (9) economic limitations, and others (dwi and sarjito, 2021; asmuni ,2020; dhawan, 2021). this situation is normal. the obstacles that arise are actually both an opportunity and a challenge for teachers and researchers to find effective solutions to this situation. teachers are required to be flexible and adaptable in dealing with unexpected situations and have multidisciplinary skills during the covid-19 pandemic (yang, 2020; kalloo, mitchell, and kamaloedeen, 2020). educators must be technology literate. they must be able and creative in providing media in order to achieve a successful learning. supportive online learning media is very much needed at this situation. that is why professional teachers are required to be professional to deal with all current issues and be able to demonstrate their ability to overcome the existed problems (nurgraha & mauliada, 2021; lokita, utami, & prestridge, 2018). however, technology cannot make online learning successful without the help of other aspects. so, here, digitally confident teachers are essential for successful learning (hog, 2021). this world disaster has made a lot of new and famous applications appear in supporting online learning. in fact, there are also many website providers, ranging from paid to free ones. for example zoom meeting, google meeting, moodle, etmodo, scholoogy, and others. these website or application is indeed very helpful in achieving learning goals, especially in the pandemic era that has lasted almost two years. there are quite a number of studies examining the reliability of this learning technology, both before the pandemic and now. there have been many studies exploring how technology frames professional learning for students and teachers (murray and kidd, 2016). in more depth, various studies on language learning have also proven the superiority of learning technology. such as the use of moodle, youtube, website, etmodo, and multimedia in language skills learning (oktarina, 2018; fay & matias, 2019; ramadhan, s., sukma, e., & indriyani, 2019; nispi, subadiyono, & oktarina, 2021) . one of them is indonesian learning which requires learning technology, especially writing skills, especially creative writing. in this study, writing skills in high school are needed. there are many types of creative writing that must be mastered by students, such as writing biographies, short stories, poetry, and so on. moreover, in the 2013 curriculum, indonesian language learning is text-based which directs students to be able to produce text-based writings. but in reality, the creative writing ability of students in high school is still weak. several studies have stated that high school students have not been able to write creatively optimally and they are less motivated in the learning process. if you review various previous studies, it is known that the application of learning technology in writing skills is developed or used in the form of separate components or not many use the latest learning technology (see wicaksono, roekhan, & hasanah, 2018; hudhana & sulaeman, 2019; afifah , 2021; hadi & eviyanti, 2021). even though in the era of the covid-19 pandemic which the learning is conducted online, complete learning media are still needed to help students with generation z characters in learning. this research is a continuation of the research in 2020. in previous research, a prototype of elearning schoology content has been produced. to find out the practicality of this content, it is english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 197 necessary to do a user or small group test. this aims to see the practicality of the e-learning schoology content reviewed by students. this research is expected to be useful for teachers and students to improve their creative writing skills. method this research is part of research and development using a mixed approach (qualitative and quantitative). the research subjects were 11 respondents consisting of 10 students and 1 teacher at smu south sumatra in palembang. data were collected through questionnaires and focus group discussions (fgd) and analyzed using qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques. results and discussion results e-learning schoology content creative writing learning is designed based on needs analysis (ernalida, oktarina, and turama, 2021). the characteristics of the content of the e-learning schoology for creative writing learning developed are as follows. first meeting. (1) material content: learning video writing poetry part 1. (2) sample content and learning resources: a teacher's blog containing examples of poetry. (3) assignment content: multiple choice questions using the kahoot application, so students are triggered by time to work on them. in addition to maintaining student integrity, students are like playing a game while working on these questions. second meeting. (1) material content: video learning steps to write poetry. (2) sample content and learning resources: examples of poetry on the teacher's blog, learning resources in the form of audio podcasts made by the researcher, and provided learning resources for doing assignments in the form of word rima links, a blog to find rhyme words easily by simply typing the word to be searched the rhyme. (3) assignment content: students are provided with the coggle application to make mind mapping online, easy, and same in the term of variety so that each student does not differ in form or application. third meeting. (1) material content: learning videos for writing and post-writing poetry. learning videos were made using the canva application for video background design, editing using the kinemaster application, teaching videos were taken by the researchers themselves. (2) sample content and learning resources: students are provided with learning resource facilities in the form of an electronic book of diction which is made by the researcher himself using kbbi sources. this book serves to help students in finding dictions that are not commonly used and beautiful dictions for their poetry writing assignments. the e-book is created using the 3d pageflip professional application which can include book audio. the background of the book and cover were made by researchers using the canva application to make it not monotonous and more interesting. (3) assignment content: students write poetry and submit it in the schoology space, this makes use of the application space. to find out the practicality of the content of elearning schoology, a small-scale trial was conducted. this trial was conducted in one class consisting of 10 students. the results of this practicality test are as follows. material aspect the material in the e-learning schoology content learning creative writing in high school is a very important thing. the material that is arranged optimally will become arranged learning objectives with satisfactory results. this content is developed with various sources and media. it aims to be able to transfer knowledge to students. after being tested in a small group test, the perceptions of students and teachers can be seen in the table below. table 1. the perceptions of students and teachers no statement score student n k 1 suitability of the material with the objective 4.40 sl 2 completeness of material content 4.30 sl 3 the truth of the substance of material 4.30 sl 4 clarity of the described material 4.30 ss 5 suitability of the material content with the norm 4.40 sl 6. fostering students’ interaction 4.40 sl ernalida, santi oktarina, & ansori students’ responses towards e-learning schoology content on creative writing learning during the covid-19 pandemic 198 mean score 4.35 sl based on the table above, it is known that all students perceive that the material developed in the content of e-learning schoology creative writing is very feasible with the mean value of all items is 4.3 with a very decent category. in detail, the students in perceiving as follows. first, they argue that the material developed in this content is very suitable to be used because there is a match between the material and the objectives. they gave a score of 4.40 which is a very decent category. second, the completeness of the material in this content is considered very decent with a mean value of 4.30. third, in terms of the substance of the material, the mean score given by the students was 4.30 with a very decent category. fourth, the clarity of the material described is considered very feasible with mean value of 4.30. fifth, the students in the small group test agreed that there was a suitability of the content of the material with the values with mean value of 4.40, the category was very feasible. sixth, the students thought that this content was able to foster student interaction with a mean score of 4.40, very feasible. language aspect the language aspect also has an important role in the development of content for creative writing learning. with good and correct use of language, the information to be conveyed can be well received. in addition, the language used in this content must comply with the applicable indonesian language rules. the following describes the results of student assessment on aspects of language use. table 2. the results of students’ assessment on aspects of language use no. statement score student s k 1 text readability in multimedia 4.40 sl 2 clarity of information 4.40 sl 3 the completeness of information 4.10 l 4 suitability with the indonesian language rule 4.30 sl 5 the accuracy of using language effectively and efficiently 4.30 sl mean 4.30 sl based on the table above, it is known that the students in the small group test assessed that the creative writing content in e-learning schoology was very feasible with the 4.30 category. for clarity, the following is described. first, the readability of the text in this multimedia content is considered very decent with a mean value of 4.40. second, the clarity of information is also considered very decent with a mean value of 4.40. third, the students considered that this content provided very appropriate information for learning creative writing. fourth, the use of indonesian language rules in this content is considered very feasible with a score of 4.30. fifth, this content uses language effectively and efficiently with a mean value of 4.30, very decent categories. aspects of e-learning schoology content presentation the aspect of presenting e-learning schoology content is very important in this research. this research develops this content for creative writing learning, which is writing poetry. after going through several stages in r & d research, this content prototype was tested in small groups to find out the practicality of its use for students. the report can be seen in the table below. table 3. report of statement no. statement score student s k 1 suitability of the order of presentation of the material in the e-learning content 4.40 sl 2 e-learning content is able to provide students’ learning motivation 4.20 sl 3 e-learning content can improve students’ understanding. 4.50 sl english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 199 4 e-learning content can increase students’ atterativeness. 4.20 sl 5 the accuracy of of font size and its type. 4.10 l 6 creativity and innovation of learning content. 4.20 sl 7 e-learning content documentation is clear 3.80 l 8 there is a continuity of display 4.20 sl 9 suitability with students’ characteristics. 4.20 sl 10 ease of media operation. 4.40 sl 11 text quality is clearly visible. 4.40 sl 12 audio can be listened well. 4.40 sl 13 video can run smoothly 4.30 sl 14 all navigation tools work fine 4.10 l mean 4.24 sl based on the table above, students agreed that the presentation of e-learning schoology content is very feasible to use with the mean value for all items is 4.24. in detail each item is as follows. first, the suitability of the order of presentation of material in e-learning content is considered very high, 4.40. second, e-learning content is able to provide very high learning motivation for students with a score of 4.20. third, e-learning content is able to increase students' understanding very high with a score of 4.50. fourth, e-learning content can increase student attractiveness very high. the students gave a score of 4.20. fifth, the students rated the accuracy of using the type and size of the font in this content high with a score of 4.10. sixth, creativity and innovation of e-learning content is rated very high, 4.20. seventh, the documentation of e-learning content is clearly rated high with a score of 3.80. eighth, display continuity is rated very high, 4.20. eighth, this content has a very high suitability for student characteristics with a value of 4.20. ninth, the ease of operation of the media is rated very high, 4.40. tenth, the text quality is very high, 4.40. eleventh, the audio can be listened well. this statement was rated very highly by the students, 4.40. twelfth, videos run smoothly. this statement is rated very high, 4.30. thirteenth, all navigation tools function properly. this statement was rated highly by the students, 4.10. aspects of e-learning schoology the e-learning schoology aspect is the focus of the assessment in the small group test so that this prototype is practically used by students and teachers. the results can be seen from the table below. table 4. the aspects of e-learning schoology no. statement score university students n k 1 the features used in schoology motivate students to learn. 4.10 l 2 the material facilities and students’ activities in e-learning schoology are easy to be used by the teacher and students. 4.40 sl 3 e-learning schoology has a guide that helps students and teachers to cary out the learning 4.30 sl 4 the navigation in this course is well organized. 4.30 sl 5 the accuracy of using language effectively and efficiently 4.20 sl mean 4.26 sl based on the table above, the overall aspect of e-learning schoology is considered very feasible with a score of 4.26. first, the features used in schoology motivate students to study highly. the students also gave a score of 4.0. second, on the statement of material facilities and student activities in electronic learning (e-learning) schoology, which is easy for teachers and students to use, the students gave a very high score, namely 4.40. third, electronic learning (e-learning) this schoology has a guide that helps students and teachers carry out learning. this statement is rated very high by students, 4.30. fourth, the navigation statements in this course are well organized; the students rated it very high, 4.30. finally, the accuracy of using language effectively and efficiently in this content was rated very high by the students, 4.20. to get deeper data, a focus group discussion (fgd) was conducted with the students involved in the small group test. there are 10 questions to ernalida, santi oktarina, & ansori students’ responses towards e-learning schoology content on creative writing learning during the covid-19 pandemic 200 discuss with the students. first, students were asked to argue about the attractiveness of this content and whether it is able to motivate students in learning. some students expressed the following. “it is interesting and easy to absorb the learning material. besides being interesting, it has also motivated the learning process to write poetry because there are links to rimakata.com and the diction book makes it easier in writing poetry.” (fgd: student 1) "it is very interesting and easy to learn because of the attractive appearance, the collection of materials is covered in schoology application, so when you want to repeat the material you can directly search in schoology because it has been covered well in it." (fg: student 2) second, students are invited to assess the material used in this e-learning content. there are two students who express their opinion as follows. “the material is very good and sufficient for the level of high school students. the material provided is clear, concise, solid and clear. it's not long, so it's easy to understand.”(fgd: student 3) “the material has been presented very well and effectively. the learning videos have been made very creatively, interesting, fun to watch, and not boring, so the material is easy to understand.” (fgd: student 4) third, the researcher asked students to think whether the developed e-learning content made students good at writing poetry or inspired students to write poetry. based on the results of the fgd, there are two students expressing their opinions. “it's been very inspiring. while working on the task of writing poetry, i experienced a loss of style to continue my poetry. then i opened the book of diction and rimakata.com and continued the writing. so, i was inspired to continue the poetry that i have written.” (fgd: student 5) "it is very inspiring. after reading the poems in the teacher's blog, i was inspired to make even more poems from them.” (fgd: student 3) to get input to make this content more perfect, the students were asked to give their opinion about the strengths and weaknesses of this content. here it can be seen clearly. strength “the learning process with existing e-learning content is simple, uncomplicated, easy to access (adequate internet network), features and language are easy to understand, the learning process is more exciting (because it is the first time learning to use schoology), the features are good and easy to understand.” (fgd: student 6) “the use of schoology is very easy, because the learning process usually uses a wa group, so it is difficult to find the material given by the teacher due to the stacked chats. the content is easily accessible. it is easy to access the material; you do not have to search in the chat room.”(fgd: student 3) “the features are very good and complete, because in schoology there are materials, assignments, we are able to search for materials while working on assignments, and also saving files. it is easy to find material files because they are categorized and you do not need to store them on your devices or laptops, so it does not take up storage memory space. the application file size is not large” (fgd: 10 students) weakness "in the initial view of the material list, you cannot return to the previous material, and it only return to the initial view" (fgd: student 9) discussion based on the results of the research above, it is known that the e-learning schoology content prototype for creative writing is feasible to use. this is known from the average assessment given by almost all students rated very decent. the students agreed to give a score above 4.25 for the assessment in terms of material, language, content presentation aspects of e-learning schoology, and e-learning schoology. in addition, based on the results of the fgd with students, it is known that this content has many advantages and is very suitable for the character of the students. this is in accordance with the opinion of ernida (2016), hasanah (2011), and mashudianti, sutomo, and suparno (2018) in their research that schoology has proven its success. however, there are drawbacks to this content. students argued the lack of a system for navigating the material. actually, it is already in this creative writing content. however, not all students know this because this media is new to them. this e-learning schooology content creative writing can be used as a teacher's choice in teaching, even more so in this covid-19 pandemic. with various advantages, it is able to motivate students and teachers in learning. in addition, this developed content positions students as student centers while teachers act as motivators and facilitators. students are formed as students who are independent in learning, but remain under english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 201 the guidance of the teacher. this creative writing content is in accordance with the character of students who live in the era of technological progress. therefore, it is necessary for teachers who are technology literate to be able to follow the flow of digital transformation in the world of education (adedoyin and soykan, 2021) conclusion based on the results of research and discussion, it can be concluded as follows. first, the e-learning schoology content for creative writing learning has been practically used based on the small group test which was participated by 10 students. this practicality can be seen from the assessments given by students on aspects of material, language, content presentation, and e-learning which show a very decent value, mean rating was above 4.25. second, the students stated that the content developed has advantages such as, interesting, motivating, complete material, easy to use, inspiring, provides many learning experiences, the language is easy to understand, the features used are interesting and make it easier to learn. third, this content has weaknesses, but these weaknesses occur because of the lack of understanding of students in operating this e-learning. acknowledgment the research team would like to thank the sriwijaya university research and community service institute (lppm) for providing competitive flagship research grants in 2021 to finance this research. references adedoyin, o. b., & soyka, e. (2020). covid-19 pandemic and online learning: the challenges and opportunities. interactive learning environments, doi: 10.1080/10494820.2020.1813180 afifah, l. (2021). pengembangan media adobe flash untuk pembelajaran menulis teks fabel pada siswa kelas vii smp jadid ar-rohman. prosiding snasppm, 5(2), 294-297. asmuni. (2020). problematika pembelajaran daring di masa pandemi covid-19 dan solusi pemecahannya. jurnal paedagogy, 7(4), 281– 288. https://doi.org/10.33394/jp.v7i4.2941 dewi, t. a. p. & sadjiarto, a. (2021). pelaksanaan pembelajaran daring pada masa pandemi covid19. volume 5 nomor 4 tahun 2021 halaman 1909 – 1917. jurnal basicedu. dhawan, s. (2020). online learning: apanacea in the time of covid-19 crisis. journal of educational technology,49(1) 5—22. doi : 10.1177/004723952093418. ernalida., oktarina, s., & turama, r. (2021). analysis of teacher needs related to e-learning schoology content in creative writing in middle schools throughout palembang city. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp. 51-58. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4352 ernida, d. (2016). pengembangan e-learning dengan schoology sebagai suplemen pembelajaran fisika materi kinematika gerak. pendidikan fisika. fakultas keguruan dan ilmu pendidikan. univeristas lampung. fay, a. a., & matias, j. (2019). teaching english through youtube: grammar video analysis of three brazilian youtube channels dedicated to efl teaching. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 1-10. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2351. hadi, w., & eviyanti, e. (2021). development of experiential learning-based learning module to improve creative thinking ability in writing free poetry class iv of state elementary school 166492, tebing tinggi city. sensei international journal of education and linguistic, 1(2), 650-665. hasanah, nur, dkk. (2011). e-learning dengan schoology sebagai suplemen pembelajaran fisika materi elastisitas dan hukum hooke. jurnal vokasi, 4(1). bandar lampung: universitas lampung. hoq, m. z. (2020). e-learning during the period of pandemic (covid-19) in the kingdom of saudi arabia: an empirical study. american journal of educational research, 8(7), 457-464. doi:10.12691/education-8-7-2. hudhana, w. d., & sulaeman, a. (2019). pengembangan media video scribe dalam peningkatan kemampuan menulis cerpen berbasis karakter siswa kelas x sma se-kabupaten tangerang. pena: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra, 9(1), 31-46. kalloo, r. c., mitchell, b., & kamalodeen, v. j. (2020). responding to the covid-19 pandemic in trinidad and tobago: challenges and opportunities for teacher education, journal of education for teaching, 46(4), 452-462, doi: 10.1080/02607476.2020.1800407 lokita, i. g. a., utami, p., & prestridge, s. (2018). how english teachers learn in indonesia: tension between policy-driven and self-driven professional development. teflin, 2, 245–265. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v29i2/245 265 mashudianti, u. m., sutomo, n., and suparno, s. (2018). the effectiveness of schoology to teach writing viewed from student's creativity. ernalida, santi oktarina, & ansori students’ responses towards e-learning schoology content on creative writing learning during the covid-19 pandemic 202 international online journal of education and teaching, 5(4), 943-955. murray, j., & w. kidd, eds. (2016. using emerging technologies to develop professional learning. london: routledge. nisphi, m. l., subadiyono, s., & oktarina, s. (2021). pengembangan multimedia interaktif berbasis mobile learning dalam pembelajaran membaca teks editorial pada kelas xii di sma negeri 3 palembang ( sriwijaya university). nugraha, m. a. & maulida, i. (2021). english teacher professional development to education 4.0 during the covid-19 pandemic. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp.445-452. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4546. oktarina, s., emzir, & rafli, z. (2018). students’ and lecturers’ perception on academic writing instruction. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 69-76. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1256. ramadhan, s., sukma, e., & indriyani, v. (2019). persepsi guru terhadap penggunaan bahan ajar bahasa indonesia dengan perangkat seluler dan aplikasi edmodo. in seminar internasional riksa bahasa. wicaksono, h., roekhan, r., & hasanah, m. (2018). pengembangan media permainan imajinasi dalam pembelajaran menulis puisi bagi siswa kelas x. jurnal pendidikan: teori, penelitian, dan pengembangan, 3(2), 223-228. yang, r. (2020) china’s higher education during the covid-19 pandemic: some preliminary observations. higher education research & development, 39(7), 1317-1321, doi: 10.1080/07294360.2020.1824212 https://doaj.org/toc/2148-225x https://doaj.org/toc/2148-225x english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 27 functions of euphemism in putu wijaya’s short story guru jumino suhadi english department, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: jumino.suhadi@sastra.aisu.ac.id m. manugeren english department, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: willyman1299@yahoo.com purwarno purwarno english department, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: purwarno@sastra.uisu.ac.id purwanto siwi english department, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: purwanto.siwi@sastra.uisu.ac.id susi ekalestari english department, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: susi.ekalestari1977@gmail.com apa citation: suhadi, j., manugeren, m., purwarno, p., siwi, p., & ekalestari, s. (2021). functions of euphemism in putu wijaya’s short story guru. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 27-36. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5351 received: 19-08-2021 accepted: 25-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction humans are social beings who must interact with one another in meeting various needs of life. therefore, a person cannot possibly live alone without interacting with other people. in everyday life, humans recognize culture and create various forms of ideas, activities, and artifacts to fulfill their needs (korneeva, 2019). related to this, humans highly need language, as the most important element that affects life and culture. language has an important role in human life because it is the main communication tool. as a means of communication, language includes words, collections of words, clauses and sentences that are expressed proportionally (candria, 2019). while the notion of language as a human communication system language is expressed through the arrangement of sounds or written expressions that are structured to form larger units, such as morphemes, words, and sentences. meanwhile, in the perspective of functional systemic linguistics (fsl), language is a form of social semiotics that is working in situational and cultural contexts, which are used both orally and in writing. in the lsf abstract: euphemisms in the form of non-offensive or subtle expressions to replace the one felt to be insulting or unpleasant become guidelines in social interaction, essentially, using words with good meanings or intentions. euphemism can also be interpreted as an expression that is not straightforward, the driving motive behind the development of pejorative, motivated by a natural human attitude, avoiding conflict by not hurting or offending other people. if there were no euphemisms, there might be depression or demeaning of meaning. this research is focused on the functions of euphemism in the short story entitled guru written by putu wijaya with the concept of the functions of euphemism in speech acts. the research is conducted by descriptive qualitative method related to social phenomena, in this case the uses of euphemism either in a literary or social text. the results show that out of the 15 data obtained, there are 12 data referred to the function of euphemism as a means of speech refinement (80%), 2 as a means of diplomacy (13%, and 1 keeping something secret (6%). keywords: euphemism; pejorative; social interaction; language refinement; diplomacy jumino suhadi, m. manugeren, purwarno purwarno, purwanto siwi, & susi ekalestari functions of euphemism in putu wijaya’s short story guru 28 perspective, language is seen as a construction formed through simultaneous functions and systems (endarto, 2017). language is also part of the most basic human abilities, as well as being the main feature of the homo sapiens species. although animals have the ability to use symbols or signs to communicate, the communication system is not a language. different from animals, humans are able to exchange speech through language to interact with one another. by this it is seen that the main function of language is to meet the needs of communication among human beings. in addition, in human life, language is also closely related to cultural development (cahyaningtyas, et.al, 2015). there are three factors that show the roles of language in cultural development. first, language is a cultural element. every activity in human life has an element of language in it. so, to understand the development of a culture, it is necessary to first examine the development of language in society. second, language is a marker of social stratification. language can show patterns of relationships and social stratification in a society. third, language is a symbol of ethnic culture. language can show cultural symbols in an ethnic group. this is evident from the existence of various dialects or from various ethnic groups. this is caused by geographical differences and the stratification of the social environment among ethnic groups in people's lives (boltayevna, 2020). obviously, there is a reciprocal relationship between language and culture. what is more, people’s cultural background and behaviors shape the way they interpret the world around them and since language we use and the social contexts in which it occurs are mutually related, language should be treated “not only as a mode of thinking but, above all, as a cultural practice (kavakli, 2020). therefore, language plays an important role in human life because language functions as a means of communication among humans. it is considered so commonplace that it is rarely thought about, as is walking and breathing. if we look further, the influence of language on human life is so strong, that it is not uncommon for disputes to occur in society or in other words, any kind of symptoms that arises in human life is caused by language (banga, 2015). it is 'natural' people say “language is power”. this word is so simple, but it has a complex meaning. this statement is put forward by norman fairclough, one of the founders of critical discourse analysis as applied to sociolinguistics (bulan and kasman, 2018) as fairclough is so concerned about language. in connection with this, on the other hand there are those who argue that: "we think with the word, and with words we form concepts". (erkoci and bushgjjikaj 2019). based on the description above, it is clear that the role or function of language in human life cannot be doubted, as whatever our activities are, starting from the morning: at school, at the office, at the market, and so on, it is always colored with "language" as a means of communication. even whatever the name of the scientific discipline is, absolutely uses language as an introduction for a writer to convey ideas readers. however, in certain circumstances many people still ask about the function of language. this is possible if answered with a statement that the function of language is as a means of communication. language is a crucial tool for human communication, central and most important among all human semiotic systems. language is created by human civilization in a row with the development of culture, thought, and also technology. it is one of the most important things in human life because humans are social beings, humans cannot live without having an interaction with other living things. language becomes a medium for the human to communicate with each other (kanaza, 2020). without language, science and technology cannot grow and develop. in addition, language in the cultural structure has a dual position, function, and role, namely as the root and product of culture which also functions as a means of thinking and supporting the growth and development of science and technology. therefore, if we are careful in using language, we will also be careful in thinking because language is a mirror of the power of reason or mind. language can be said to be a very effective social control tool because every day we use language as a means of communication among one another, both orally and in the form of writing (baydak, 2015). crystal in mansoor (2019) believes that politeness, in sociolinguistics and pragmatics, is a term that signifies linguistic features associated with norms of social behavior, in relation to notions english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 29 like courtesy, rapport, deference and distance. such features involve the usage of specific discourse markers (please), suitable tones of voice, and tolerable forms of address. theories of politeness are involved in what belongs to either of these linguistic subfields for politeness is specifically concerned with language use that is connected with pragmatics-and it is a phenomenon that represents a link between language and the social world. language is a reflection of one's personality; even language is a mirror of the nation's personality. the meaning of this statement is that through the language used, a person or a nation can know the level of their personality. the quality of the personality of a person or group of people will be difficult to measure, if they do not express their thoughts or feelings through language acts (both verbal and nonverbal) in a polite manner (caplan, adams, boyd, 2020). language politeness is a reflection of a person’s character. therefore, the character of a person can be built through one of the abilities of language skills, i.e. the ability to usepolite language. the strategy of language politeness as one of the efforts to build the character of a nation can be effected through: 1) family education by having habitual, creating a conducive atmosphere and guidance; 2) positive language attitudes, both local and national languages, by building cognitive, affective, and conative aspects, and 3) mastery of polite vocabularies, both receptive and productive (sulastriana, 2018). politeness plays a crucial role in all cultures and societies for maintaining relationships and for face saving. although politeness is common to all cultures and languages, how it functions and is realized varies from one culture to another. politeness exists as a result of interactions between people and culture, and politeness is acquired with the passage of time through the socio-cultural coexistence of people with one another. people perform functions of politeness to various degrees to successfully communicate with each other (shalihah and zuhd, (2020). accordingly, it can be said that politeness is not a natural phenomenon, but it is acquired gradually and programmed in terms of social norms in the mind of the individual who is going to express them through his behavior .this indicates that the social rules of a society are specific for that society, and the rules enable the individual to use his speech acts appropriately (al-duleimi, 2016) language politeness is closely related to euphemism. as a symptom of language, euphemism is a kind of reference in the form of expressions that do not offend people, or subtle expressions to replace references that may be felt insulting, offensive, or suggesting something unpleasant. in everyday communication, both spoken and written, we often hear or read words or sentences that contain such euphemisms. however, it feels natural, considering that communication requires the accuracy of message disclosure so that the intended message can be understood by those who receive the message properly (sibull, et.al. (2019). the use of euphemism can avoid conflict and this is the main function of euphemism which is under the umbrella of sociolinguistics. sociolinguistics is an interdisciplinary science or a combination of two disciplines, namely sociology and linguistics. this science explains the human ability to use language rules appropriately in different situations. using polite language through euphemism is a picture of the language maker to use good and polite language, but the messages contained in it, both implied and explicit, can be conveyed properly. euphemism through a sociolinguistic approach and based on the concept of the function of euphemism becomes the object of this research, with the aim of identifying and analyzing the functions of euphemism in putu wijaya's short story guru (2011) so that the readers, especially the academic community, understand and apply the functions of euphemism in spoken or written language. the concept of euphemism as a means of avoiding conflict by means of smooth expressions are also supported by two relevant studies. the first is conducted by khedir and almoayidi (2018) stating that euphemisms are sweet-sounding, or at least inoffensive, alternatives for expressions that speakers or writers prefer not to use in executing a particular communicative intention on a given occasion; and the second conducted by iswara and sastaparamitha (2020) stating that euphemisms are the replacements of taboo, rude and inappropriate expressions. from the two previous studies, it is clearly pictured that the main function of euphemism is to sustain harmony in social interactions by polite appropriateness of language use. jumino suhadi, m. manugeren, purwarno purwarno, purwanto siwi, & susi ekalestari functions of euphemism in putu wijaya’s short story guru 30 putu wijaya is a top indonesian writer who is often called putu. putu wijaya is known as a playwright, novelist, short story writer, and journalist. he starts writing since junior high school and he always says “writing for me is not an easy job”, as a way to remember anyone who has contributed to his writing development. for putu, writing is not just telling stories, but also expressing opinions with calculated strategies but without losing sense and spontaneity. putu wijaya does a deconstruction. he floods his readers' heads with works of this kind, with unexpected themes. some of putu's works depict a world that is turned upside down, which is strange and miraculous, and beyond common sense. it is appropriate to say that putu's works are modern fairy tales. in his career putu wijaya is famous as a playwright. from his hands have emerged several modern drama scripts with the flow of consciousness. the drama scripts he writes are not the same as conventional drama scripts. in addition, putu wijaya also writes several novels with new genres. his novels are also "stream of consciousness", "absurd". novels with psychological and philosophical patterns are the characteristics of putu wijaya's writings. putu wijaya also writes short stories. a number of short stories appears, both in the form of books and published in various magazines and newspapers. just like his dramas and novels, putu wijaya's short stories also have a new style, new streams of consciousness, and reveal many streams of consciousness. putu wijaya is a very energetic and versatile person. the element of alienation as a characteristic of modern man is increasingly evident in his novels. this is where he shows his talents as a novelist to the fullest. putu wijaya received several awards and prizes for his works. in 1967 putu wijaya's script "the singing ocean" won the third prize from the indonesian national theater development board in the play writing competition. in 1980 he received the asean literature prize (sea write award) held in bangkok, thailand for his work ‘telegram” and in 2008 he received the indonesian theater federation award at taman ismail marzuki (kasmanah, 2021). the short story entitled guru tells the story of a father who is restless and angry at the wishes of his son, taksu. this father is not happy that taksu aspires to be a teacher. according to the father, teachers have no future, teachers are jobs for people who fail. he has tried everything, such as buying a car for taksu so that taksu would change his mind not to dream of being a teacher anymore. however, his efforts fail. taksu is adamant that he wants to be a teacher, no matter what his father says. then after ten years, the father is no longer restless and angry. taksu has become a teacher, a teacher for young people, the nation and the country for transmitting the work ethic. in today's era, the teaching profession is still often underestimated. there are still many people like "bapak" character in putu wijaya's short story in the real world; people who think that teaching is not a profession that should be coveted. through this short story we can take a message. if we have a dream for our future, we must focus on that dream and ignore any negative words that other people say, as in the end, we will live our own lives. if we succeed in achieving the dreams we have, other people will automatically realize our abilities. putu wijaya's short story deserves thumb-up. through this short story he tells the real things in people's lives, the things as they are in society, including the language used, and certainly related to sociolinguistics. sociolinguistics, under which lies the research, is a study that compiles theories about the relationship between society and language. based on the previous understanding, sociolinguistics also studies and discusses social aspects of language, especially the differences in language related to social factors (nisa, 2019). based on some of the opinions above, it can be concluded that sociolinguistics does not only study language but also learns about aspects of language used by society. sociolinguistics is an interdisciplinary science between sociology and linguistics, two fields of empirical science that are closely related. sociology is an objective and scientific study of humans in society, institutions, and social processes that exist in society. sociology seeks to find out how society comes into being, lasting, and persisting. by studying institutions, social processes and all social problems in society, it will be known how humans adapt to their environment, how they socialize, and place themselves in their respective places in society. on the other hand, linguistics is a field of science that studies language, or the science that takes language as the object of study. thus it can be said that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 31 sociolinguistics is an interdisciplinary field of science that studies language in relation to the use of that language in society (ginting, 2020). from the description above, it can be concluded that sociolinguistics is an interdisciplinary study of language in relation to the language used in that environment. the use of sociolinguistics for practical life is very much, because language is a means of human verbal communication. in its use, sociolinguistics provides knowledge of how to use language in society. sociolinguistics provides knowledge about the various language variations that exist in society. we as humans who live in society, sociolinguistics provides knowledge about how we can place ourselves in the use of our language in a particular society. sociolinguistics also provides a description of language variations in relation to users and their uses. in addition, sociolinguistics allows us to examine the phenomena and symptoms of language that exist in society through sociolinguistic "glasses". as a science that studies language in society, sociolinguistics is able to "melt" with other fields of science. this is because language is a human verbal tool that exists in various other fields of science. as a means of communication, of course, language cannot be separated from other sciences as a means to express the results of thought. in addition, the object of sociolinguistic study is language in society. surely. it is very possible for sociolinguistics to be interrelated with other fields of science such as politics, culture, economics, and so on (akhtar, 2020). from the description above, it is illustrated that euphemism is part of sociolinguistic studies with the thought that euphemisms are part of language customs that are found in all cultures and are part of etiquette or language manners in interpersonal or group interactions at the level of power such as social, position, or age or solidarity. euphemism language is not just a means of communication. the relationship between a speaker and his interlocutor can be strengthened because of the use of the right language, on the other hand, if the language is used politely and appropriately, social relations can stretch and even break. polite and proper language refers to euphemism which is a characteristic of all languages. this statement does not imply that all languages have the same part of euphemism, which means that statements contained in one language and considered a form of euphemism are not necessarily the same as those in other languages. euphemism is a way of conveying information to audiences in the form of words, phrases or in a broader grammatical unit because euphemism is essentially using language politely without losing the concept of meaning it contains. the beginning of meaning is conceptual meaning, that is, meaning based on language conventions. conceptual meaning is the most important element in conveying messages because it includes logical, cognitive, and denotative meanings. in other words, the conceptual meaning is the meaning according to the concept, according to the referent, and there is no association or other meaning. however, in a certain text, euphemisms that are present may contain associations or other meanings because humans as reporters are creative through language. therefore, words, phrases, or sentences may experience changes in meaning and there is a tendency to manipulate reality because of this form of creativity. this can happen according to the practical interests of language users, including expressing arguments for social and cultural problems (mohammed and majeed, 2018). euphemisms give color to the use of language and reflect the attitude or policy of a person in presenting a message between uncertainty in facing facts and the need to convey information. this is related to the value of the taste of the language. choices of words that have a high sense of value tend to stick in the minds of listeners or readers than choices that have low value. the choice of words (diction) that has a high sense of value shows respect for the person or institution that is being discussed. euphemism can be positive because people, groups, institutions, authorities can use euphemisms to reconcile the atmosphere and stability, but it can also be negative because the reality is not known for certain. it is undeniable that the use of euphemisms in language is found in almost all ethnic groups in the world. its use is increasingly spreading to various fields of life and professions in our society. euphemisms which are part of language politeness are seen as important to use to maintain relationships with friends, work partners, relatives, and superiors. the use of euphemisms in language can be identified from the use of certain words in jumino suhadi, m. manugeren, purwarno purwarno, purwanto siwi, & susi ekalestari functions of euphemism in putu wijaya’s short story guru 32 communication. the right choice of words or diction marks the use of euphemisms in each professional field and life activity (al-khasawneh, 2018). the study of euphemisms is able to describe various uses of word meanings related to the tendency of language culture in modern society in general. changes that occur in a society can also be seen from the frequency with which certain words are used in everyday life. the emergence of new meanings in language, especially literary texts, indicates a change in the value system in the language that is closely related to the culture of the speaking community. avoiding language taboos and using euphemisms in communication is a form of politeness in language. the expression of euphemistic words makes us feel comfortable to express things that we feel are inappropriate, and neutralize them, for example topics about death, unemployment, taboos, and animals. we are constantly naming and labeling the words with expressions that make them sound better (serli, 2018). the function of euphemism the functions of euphemism according to bachriani, et.al. (2018) include: (1) as a means of language refinement. euphemism is used in the form of words or expressions that have indecent, unpleasant or terrible denotations, low connotations or dishonor which are replaced with other expressions to avoid various obstacles or social conflicts. (2) as a means to keep something secret. this euphemism serves as a tool to keep something secret, for example in the field of medicine where doctors cannot provide actual information to patients whose disease cannot be cured or is fatal. (3) as a means of diplomacy. this euphemism is usually used by leaders or officials to appreciate or satisfy their subordinates or people in order to avoid unwanted things. (4) as a means of education. euphemism is an educational tool. this is to avoid direct mention of words that are impolite or recognize words that are previously rarely known by the public at large because of the influence of the use of foreign words. (5) as a means of danger repellent. this euphemism used as a tool to ward off danger is a concept that reflects human efforts to obtain peace, safety, and welfare. method this type of research is qualitative research with content analysis method. qualitative method that requires categories as units of analysis, various categories made based on theoretical references, both categories of form and purpose and of meaning which are then simplified in steps by rational thinking (moleong, 2018); while the design uses inductive and deductive design models. the object of this research is related to euphemism. the data of this research are words, phrased and sentences that contain euphemisms. the data source is the short story guru by putu wijaya and the data are taken randomly in the forms of words, phrases and sentences oriented to euphemism. the data collection techniques used in this study are observation and recording. in order for this research to be more accurate, the writer (1) reads the the short story intensively, (2) notes the use of euphemism in the storyline, (3) sorts out the types of data that contain the functions of euphemism to be further presented in the form of discussions. the data analysis procedures in this study are related to the symbolic message of information with the following steps. 1) determine the form and function of each euphemism, 2) explore and reveal each euphemism meaning. 3) express the purpose or function of the euphemism used. 4) and based on these steps, conclusions are drawn which are then used as the basis for realizing the research report (busetto, 2020). results and discussion humans as cultured social beings have to pay attention to how expressions are presented in good language, especially regarding the uses of words that have cultural meanings. expression of language that is expressed in the form of words must remain in the corridor of social and cultural norms that can be accepted by the wider community. there are certain words that must be avoided, because they are considered taboo and are prohibited from being disseminated. by using euphemism in speaking and writing, social conflicts can be avoided. euphemism, a subtler expression instead of a harsh one and considered harmful or unpleasant becomes the object of this research based on the short story guru by putu wijaya. the data studied are in the form of words, phrases and sentences taken from the short story focused on the functions of euphemism, among others: language refinement, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 33 keeping things secret, diplomacy, education and hazard repellent. language refinement data 1: “anak saya bercita-cita menjadi guru. tentu saja saya dan istri saya jadi shok.” (wijaya, 2011, p.1) analysis: the word shok in data 1 is included in the euphemism category because it is considered a subtler expression to describe an atmosphere or situation that is very stressful. the word shok above itself comes from the english word “shock” which means unpleasant experience. this expression occurs when bapak characters knows the desire of his son who aspires to become a teacher. for bapak character, this is something that really surprises him and to hinder his son's dreams he is willing to do anything even if he has to drain the entire contents of his deposit. data 2: “kami dengar selentingan, kamu mau jadi guru, taksu?” (wijaya, 2011, p.1) analysis: the word selentingan in data 2 is euphemisms because it is felt to be subtler in expressing an utterance that has the meaning of being the subject of public discussion. data 3: “guru itu hanya sepeda tua.” (wijaya, 2011, p.1) analysis: the words sepeda tua, meaning old bicycle in data 3 is a euphemism to say a junk that has no value at all. junk refers to something so worthless that no one wants it. data 4: “ngapain jadi guru, mau mati berdiri? kamu kan bukan orang yang gagal, kenapa kamu jadi putus asa begitu?!" (wijaya, 2011, p.1) analysis: the word gagal or failed in the above expression shows a word refinement or euphemism to replace a harsher word, namely the mention of a person who has no future or a loser. data 5: “yang dijadikan bulan-bulanan, saya.” (wijaya, 2011, p.3) analysis: the word bulan-bulanan is a euphemism because it is considered to be a refinement of the condition of someone who is a victim of anger venting. data 6: “sekali ini kami tidak muncul dengan tangan kosong.” (wijaya, 2011, p.3) analysis: the words tangan kosong, or empty handed is a euphemism. the word empty-handed is used to avoid saying that we do not bring anything when we visit or meet someone so that we do not seem to respect the person concerned. data 7: “taksu senang sekali. tapi kami sendiri kembali sangat terpukul.” (wijaya, 2011, p.3) analysis: the word terpukul, which also means offended in data 7 is a euphemism of a disappointing situation. in addition, the word terpukul is generally used to refine words that have a sad or dissatisfied meaning data 8: “dipuji sedikit saja sudah mau banting tulang, kerja rodi tidak peduli tidak dibayar.” (wijaya, 2011, p.3) analysis: the words banting tulang or toiling is a euphemism to express working very hard regardless of time. the use of the words indicates a very unpleasant situation for a person to be able to meet the needs of his life or his family, so the word toil can be used to smooth out the meaning. data 9: “puji-pujian itu dibuat supaya orang-orang yang lemah hati seperti kamu.” (wijaya, 2011, p.3) analysis: the words lemah hati or weak-hearted in data 9 is considered a softer word to express the word not having a stand or determination, so it belongs to the category of euphemism. data 10: “pesawat penerimanya sudah rusak.” (wijaya, 2011, p.6) analysis: jumino suhadi, m. manugeren, purwarno purwarno, purwanto siwi, & susi ekalestari functions of euphemism in putu wijaya’s short story guru 34 the word pesawat conveys a subtler meaning for the expression or utterance using the word “brain”. the word “brain: is considered a word with harsh connotations, so that the word pesawat sounds smoother to replace it data 11: ketika kami tanyakan bagaimana hasil perenungannya selama dua bulan, taksu memberi jawaban yang sama. (wijaya, 2011, p.3) analysis: the words hasil perenungan, which means reflection result is a euphemism that falls into the category of smoothing words from thoughts or situations in undergoing the process of determining a difficult choice. data 12: “sudah waktunya membuat shock therapy pada taksu.” (wijaya, 2011, p.4) analysis: the words shock therapy is an expression of refinement of the word to put pressure on someone so that they want to do an order, a euphemism. keeping things secret data 13: kami berobat ke sana-kemari, sampai berkali-kali melakukan enseminasi buatan. (wijaya, 2011, p.9) analysis: the word inseminasi or insemination has a euphemistic meaning because it basically refers to an artificial pregnancy, an unnatural pregnancy; then the word insemination is a closure of the meaning of artificial pregnancy which is considered uncomfortable for the perpetrator. diplomacy data 14: “…padahal kamu masih muda, otak kamu encer, dan biaya untuk sekolah sudah kami siapkan.” (wijaya, 2011, p.2) analysis: the expression above is a category of euphemism used as a means of diplomacy. the expression above occurs when the bapak character persuades his son not to become a teacher because for him the teacher is a job that has no future. by using the expression in data 14, the bapak character tries to persuade his son not to do things that he thinks very bad as the son will plunge into life difficulties. data 15: “kamu kan bukan jenis orang yang suka dipuji kan? kamu sendiri bilang apa gunanya pujipujian, yang penting adalah sesuatu yang konkret.” (wijaya, 2011, p.4) analysis: the expression in data 15 is a refinement or euphemism in the diplomacy category because the series of expressions is a way to neutralize the situation or calm someone so that the person pays more attention to the expressions conveyed. in this case the above expression is conveyed by the bapak character to his son, taksu so that taksu can consider his decision to become a teacher. conclusion euphemism is an integral part of social interaction. humans as social beings must have social interactions to maintain life. one important means of sustaining life is the use of language, which must be polite, kind, and to the point and, more importantly, not offending others. thus euphemism is a must to be implemented by language users. figure 1. functions of euphemism the focus of this research is to identify and analyze the functions of euphemism in short the story of guru, based on the concept of euphemism initiated by wijaya and rohmadi (2011). there are five main functions of euphemism in oral and written speeches: as a means of language refinement, keeping things secret, diplomacy, education and hazard repellent. of the 15 euphemism data taken from the short story, 12 data of language refinement are found; 2 of diplomacy and 1 of keeping things secret; while no data is found for education and hazard repellent functions. thus, it can be seen that euphemism as a means of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 35 language refinement is the most dominant one used at 80%, followed by diplomacy at 13% and keeping things secret at 6%; references al-duleimi, h. y., rashid, s., abdullah, a. n. (2016). a critical review of prominent theories of politeness. advances in language and literary studies, 7(6). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1126942.pdf. al-khasawneh, f. (2018). an intercultural study of euphemistic strategies used in saudi arabic and american english 2018. jurnal upi. doi: 10.17509/ijal.v8i1.11466 http://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/ijal/article/vie w/11466 akhtar, s. (2020). code-switching and identity: a sociolinguistic study of hanif’s novel our lady of alice bhatti. international journal of english linguistics. 10(1). doi:10.5539/ijel.v10n1p364. bachriani., yassi, a. h., & rahman, f. (2018). a comparative study of euphemism in english and buginese: pragmatic stylistics contexts. els journal of interdisciplinary studies in humanities, 1(4). http://journal.unhas.ac.id/index.php/jish. banga, c. l. (2015). role of language in human life. international journal of english language, literature and humanities, 3(7). https://ijellh.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/09/16.-chaman-lal-bangapaper-final.pdf. baydak, a. scharioth, c., il’yashenko, i. a. (2015). interaction of language and culture in the process of international education. procedia: social and behavrioral sciences, 215, pp. 14-18. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.11.567. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-ncnd/4.0/) boltayevna, j. s. (2020). language and culture: problems of interaction. the relationship between language and culture. international journal on integrated education, 3(12), pp. 141-142. https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/33438 4-language-and-culture-problems-of-interace657433e.pdf busetto, l. (2020). how to use and asses qualitative research methods. bmc. https://neurolrespract.biomedcentral.com/articles/ 10.1186/s42466-020-00059-z. bulan, a. and kasman. (2018). analisis wacana kritis pada pidato ahok di kepulauan seribu. transformatika: jurnal bahasa, sastra dan pengajarannya, 2(1), pp. 50-57. doi: 10.31002/transformatika.v2i1.555. file:///c:/users/sastra~1/appdata/local/temp /555-1605-1-pb.pdf. cahyaningtyas, r. a., hasannah, r. n., prayogi, s. a., suwartono, t. (2020). characteristics of language. department of english language teaching universitas muhammadiya purwkerto. researchgate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3433921 95_characteristics_of_language. candria, m. (2019). stylistics and linguistics analysis of literary works. culturasistics: journal of cultural, literary and linguistic studies. 3(1), pp.29-24. http://ejournal.undip.ac.id/index.php/culturalistics. endarto, i. t. (2017). systemic functional linguistics: a brief introduction. presented at forum diskusi basantara yogyakarta. universitas kristen duta wacana. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3187006 37_systemic_functional_linguistics_a_brief_in troduction. erkoci, l. and bushgjjikaj, a. (2019). the power of language. presented at conference: cfp: the power of language. researchgate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3335208 65_the_power_of_language. iswara, a. a., and sastaparamitha, n. n. a. (2020). form and use of euphemism in hoax. rjib, retorika: jurnal ilmu bahasa. ginting, s. p. a. (2020). function of the language style used in women commercial product advertisement: a stylistics analysis of language. journal of literature, linguistics and cultural studies, 9(2). https://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/rainbow. caplan, j. e., adams, k., & boyd, r. l. (2020). personality in language. in the wiley encyclopedia of personality and individual differences: models and theories. (pp.311-316). publisher: john wiley & sons. kanaza, f. u. (2020). language function: the analysis of connotative functions in meghan markle’s speech. etnolingual, 4(1). kasmanah (2021). analisis karakter tokoh dan nilai pendidikan dalam cerpen guru karya putu wijaya. deiksis, 13(1). doi:10.30998/deiksis.v13i1.8364. kavakli, n. (2020). the relationship between language and culture, and its implications for efl teaching. in world englishes and culture in english as a foreign language (efl) education. (pp.95110). publisher: vizetek. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3448850 02_the_relationship_between_language_and_c ulture_and_its_implications_for_efl_teaching. khedir, a., and almoayidi. (2018). euphemism as a communicative tool: a descriptive study of hijazi https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1126942.pdf http://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/ijal/article/view/11466 http://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/ijal/article/view/11466 http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v10n1p364 http://journal.unhas.ac.id/index.php/jish https://ijellh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/16.-chaman-lal-banga-paper-final.pdf https://ijellh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/16.-chaman-lal-banga-paper-final.pdf https://ijellh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/16.-chaman-lal-banga-paper-final.pdf https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/334384-language-and-culture-problems-of-interac-e657433e.pdf https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/334384-language-and-culture-problems-of-interac-e657433e.pdf https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/334384-language-and-culture-problems-of-interac-e657433e.pdf https://neurolrespract.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42466-020-00059-z https://neurolrespract.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42466-020-00059-z file:///c:/users/sastra~1/appdata/local/temp/555-1605-1-pb.pdf file:///c:/users/sastra~1/appdata/local/temp/555-1605-1-pb.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343392195_characteristics_of_language https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343392195_characteristics_of_language http://ejournal.undip.ac.id/index.php/culturalistics https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318700637_systemic_functional_linguistics_a_brief_introduction https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318700637_systemic_functional_linguistics_a_brief_introduction https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318700637_systemic_functional_linguistics_a_brief_introduction https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333520865_the_power_of_language https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333520865_the_power_of_language https://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/rainbow https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344885002_the_relationship_between_language_and_culture_and_its_implications_for_efl_teaching https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344885002_the_relationship_between_language_and_culture_and_its_implications_for_efl_teaching https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344885002_the_relationship_between_language_and_culture_and_its_implications_for_efl_teaching jumino suhadi, m. manugeren, purwarno purwarno, purwanto siwi, & susi ekalestari functions of euphemism in putu wijaya’s short story guru 36 and southern region dialects spoken in saudi arabia. journal of modern linguistics. doi: 10.4236/ojml.2018.81001. https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.as px?paperid=82492 korneeva, a., kosacheva, t., parpura, o. (2019). functions of language in the social context. shs web of conference, 69. oi:10.1051/shsconf/20196900064. mansoor, i. k. (2019). politeness: linguistics study. international journal of research in social sciences and humanities, 8(4), 167-179. mohammed, f. o., and majeed, s. h. (2018). a content analysis of euphemistic strategies in the evro daily newspaper. humanities journal of university of zakho (hjuoz), 6(2). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3263491 49_a_content_analysis_of_euphemis mformation_strategies_in_evro_dail y_newspaper. moleong, l. j. (2018). metodologi penelitian kualitatif. bandung: remaja dharma. nisa, s. u. (2019). sociolinguistics. in m. a. english course ii, introduction to linguistics. publisher: school of distance education, the english and foreign languages university. serli, y., hamzah., wahyuni, d. (2018). an analysis of euphemism in crimes and politics news of posmetro padang. english language and literature online journal, 7(4). http://ejournal.unp.ac.id/index.php/ell/article/view /101388 shalihah, m., and zuhdi, m. n. (2020). language politeness in students’ text messages sent to the lecturers through whatsapp application: a sociopragmatic study. enjurme (english journal of merdeka), 4(2). sibull, v., malyuga, e., bazhura, i. (2019). linguistic and cultural analysis of politeness forms fixed in language consciousness and their role in corporate communication. modern journal of language teaching methods (mjltm), 9(11). www.mjltm.org. sulastriana, e. (2018), strategy of language politeness in effort to build character. kne social sciences, 3(9). doi 10.18502/kss.v3i9.2715. traore, d. (2017). the role of language and culture in sustainable development. presented at conference: risc doctoral & post doctoral school integrated and coherent sustainable development. west africa institute. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3319408 36_the_role_of_language_and_culture_in_sust ainable_development. wijaya, p. (2017). cerpen guru. https://sekadarbagibagi.wordpress.com/2017/05/2 3/cerpen-guru-karya-putu-wijaya/. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojml.2018.81001 http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20196900064 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326349149_a_content_analysis_of_euphemism-formation_strategies_in_evro_daily_newspaper https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326349149_a_content_analysis_of_euphemism-formation_strategies_in_evro_daily_newspaper https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326349149_a_content_analysis_of_euphemism-formation_strategies_in_evro_daily_newspaper https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326349149_a_content_analysis_of_euphemism-formation_strategies_in_evro_daily_newspaper https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326349149_a_content_analysis_of_euphemism-formation_strategies_in_evro_daily_newspaper http://ejournal.unp.ac.id/index.php/ell/article/view/101388 http://ejournal.unp.ac.id/index.php/ell/article/view/101388 http://www.mjltm.org/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331940836_the_role_of_language_and_culture_in_sustainable_development https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331940836_the_role_of_language_and_culture_in_sustainable_development https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331940836_the_role_of_language_and_culture_in_sustainable_development https://sekadarbagibagi.wordpress.com/2017/05/23/cerpen-guru-karya-putu-wijaya/ https://sekadarbagibagi.wordpress.com/2017/05/23/cerpen-guru-karya-putu-wijaya/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 919 the essence of the value courage of the buginese-makassarese man in the novel pulau by aspar paturusi: a genetic structural review syarifuddin tundreng universitas sembilan belas november, indonesia email: tundreng.syarifuddin@gmail.com noermanzah postgraduate program of indonesian language education, universitas bengkulu, indonesia email: noermanzah@unib.ac.id agus rofi’i english language education department, universitas majalengka, indonesia email: agusrafii@unma.ac.id musayyedah badan riset dan inovasi nasional, indonesia email: musayyedahhs@gmail.com apa citation: tundreng, s., noermanzah., rofi’i, a., & musayyedah. (2022). the essence of the value courage of the buginese-makassarese man in the novel pulau by aspar paturusi: a genetic structural review. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 919-928. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.5912 received: 25-07-2022 accepted: 26-09-2022 published: 30-11-2022 introduction socio-economic conditions are in line with the development of science and technology. it causes a change in the way of thinking because, on the other hand, technology affects the harm caused by science which builds itself by inhibiting the adequate capacity of the mind, and its reach has surpassed research on the potential benefits and harms for younger users although also has benefits in various fields (the lancet editorial, 2018; benitez et al., 2018). to guide one's life, of course, we need inherited cultural and philosophical values. values can be obtained normatively sourced from societal norms, philosophical norms, and views of life, even from religious beliefs held by a society. if the subject does not judge, then there is no value. thus, value is an appreciation or quality of something that can be the basis for determining a person's behaviour because something is pleasant, satisfying, profitable, or is a belief system. therefore, normative values are not value-free as in science (isaac & platenkamp, abstract: a novel is present as an effort to tell readers about the cultural values of a particular society. likewise, the novel pulau by aspar paturusi tells the values of the courage of the buginese-makassarese man. therefore, the purpose of this study is to gain an in-depth understanding of the values of the courage of bugis-makassar men in aspar paturusi's pulau novel wholly and entirely. this research uses a qualitative approach with a content analysis method. data were collected through repeated and in-depth reading of the novel. furthermore, recording, coding, identification, and classification are carried out. the data are analyzed and interpreted through a deep understanding and abstraction of the society that is told in the novel. the research findings show that in the life of the people of the 70s, the values of courage for buginesemakassarese man, which is one of the values in the buginese-makassarese philosophy of life, are highly guarded, maintained, and upheld. for buginese-makassarese man, courage is identity, pride, honour, and authenticity. the implications of the results of this research are expected to be continuously embedded in the current and future generations as a form of existence of a good life during life's difficulties. keywords: buginese-makassarese man; genetic structures; novel pulau; the value of courage. mailto:noermanzah@unib.ac.id syarifuddin tundreng, noermanzah, agus rofi’i, & musayyedah the essence of the value courage of the buginese-makassarese man in the novel pulau by aspar paturusi: a genetic structural review 920 2017; steel et al., 2017) and are a must to manifest in human behaviour. one of the studies on the philosophical values of life was also conducted by ratri et al. (2017). they revealed that family education values that were founded and described in the novels by kirana kejora were diligence to worship, honesty, respect, unanimous, having achievement, mandate, brave, independence, proportional, take care of self, affection, prelude other people, and fair. the novel is a prose essay that tries to tell an interesting event departing from the lives of the story characters (sulaeman et al., 2020). all the aspirations of the people recorded in the novel can voice the values in society. one of the literary novels that can lead us into a complex literary interpretation but contains a high level of life learning is the novel pulau by aspar paturusi. research on values in terms of the philosophy of life has also been carried out. they showed that in the social condition of the 1970s, the values of buginese-makassarese's life philosophy were highly preserved, maintained, and upheld so that they could live harmoniously and in peace. the condition is in the form of customs, the concept of manhood, honorarium of buginese-makassarese women, mythology in the belief, and awareness of buginese-makassarese society towards education (tundreng et al., 2017). buginese makassarese philosophical values of life, which are understood based on the teachings of their ancestors (to riolo), the value of the courage of buginese-makassarese men will be the focus of research. these values can be input for the preservation of cultural values during the development period both in the buginese makassarese community and in the world community in general at this time. the value of courage becomes the principle of life for the buginese-makassarese man in expressing truth in the context of the benefit of many people's lives. so, the concept of courage for the buginesemakassarese man in upholding the truth does not discriminate against anything that happens and has been imprinted on them since childhood. this is confirmed by darmapoetra (2014), who categorizes courage in four ways, namely: a). de nametag ri paniolo, always being in front or not afraid to be a pioneer, b). de nametag ri parimunri, always giving opportunities to others who are better than himself, or not afraid to be placed behind, c). de nametag mangkalinga kariba, can accept criticism and suggestions from others, and d). de nametag amita bali is brave to face opponents in negotiations and war situations and has a strong spirit, consistent and firm. observe the essence of the value of the courage of buginese-makassarese man in ancient times from the description of events in the novel by aspar paturusi. the forging of life as a sailor had a significant impact on the character of the buginese-makassarese man who was in tanjung bira. the representation of the life of the people of tanjung bira at that time was described as starting from traditions or customs, culture, religious concepts, social relations, and community laws that applied to the people in tanjung bira at that time (paturusi, 1976). they firmly hold on to the value of determination affiliated with the issue of principles and values of social life that are applied and upheld, making them forget all of that. they only have one option to finish it, which is a fight to the death (tokdokpuli). in addition, the principle of life embedded in the buginese makassarese man is a manifestation of the collaboration of the character of the bugis makassar man, who is tough, which is also influenced by the level of social status. social status in buginese-makassarese society is shaped by several things, namely through the role of individuals, wealth, power, and others (hidayat et al., 2013). the pattern of behaviour of the buginesemakassarese community contained in the story of the novel pulau by aspar paturusi reflects the pattern of community behaviour in the 70s which is far from the condition of the buginesemakassarese community today. current conditions have experienced mental and moral degradation in various aspects of social life. this is suspected because of the value of courage which is integrated with the values of honesty, determination, the value of shame, and other values which are the buginese-makassarese philosophy of life have been abandoned. therefore, the values of wisdom in buginesemakassarese law and culture, one of which is courage, need to be revived so that it can be used as the nation's momentum to avoid degradation or experience dark conditions in behaviour that are out of the norm-customary and legal norms (qamar et al., 2017). local cultural values originating from indigenous indonesian cultural values are no longer the main foundation in designing character formation in the family. these values are in line with the character of the indonesian people. this impacts the behaviour and character of children at almost all levels of https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0039368117301048#! english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 921 society in south sulawesi, in particular, in indonesia as a whole. overall, the concept of the value of courage is part of the buginese-makassarese philosophy of life contained in the novel pulau. it can be implemented in all aspects of life in the buginesemakassarese community in particular and indonesian society in general. the form of the implementation of the value of courage can be seen in passing regarding the order of the concept of the state, which was conveyed by arung matoa, who is better known as matinroe ri right once made a will to his son: "only a leader who has four things can prosper the country." the first is an honest leader, the second is a capable and wise leader, the third is a brave leader, and the fourth is a generous leader. the concept of courage, according to arung matao's view, is not hesitating to face or accept reprimands and not forgetting the land when worshipped or lauded (matthes, 1985). a study on the value of courage was analyzed by alimin & sulastri (2018) with the findings of courage research including (1) the value of courage in fighting, (2) the value of courage in facing challenges, (3) the value of courage in fighting for the truth, (4) the value of courage against the enemy, (5) the value of courage to save oneself from the enemy, (6) the value of courage to save others, and (7) the value of courage to seek evidence of the truth. these previous studies reveal the value of courage. the value of male courage needs to be carried out more deeply so that the values of male courage can be used as guidelines for parents, teachers, and society in the present and future. in revealing the values of courage contained in the novel pulau by aspar paturusi. researchers used a structural genetic perspective. this approach focuses on the social conditions of society, the relationship between literary works and society, and the author's worldview. method this study uses a content analysis method with a qualitative approach. emzir (2014) states qualitative content analysis is a qualitatively oriented procedure of text interpretation to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the problem being studied. then, titscher et al. (2000) explained that content analysis is a method of analyzing text by constructing categories of text meaning by referring to hidden content and context reconstruction and considering the meaning of specific examples. data in this study is data about the courage value of buginese-makassarese men in the novel pulau by aspar paturusi. the data is obtained through text excerpts and linguistic explanations in the form of paragraphs, expressions, sentences, and words that contain ideas that support the acquisition of in-depth knowledge of the values of the buginese-makassarese philosophy of life in the novel pulau by aspar paturusi through the structure of the story. furthermore, additional data in the form of excerpts of notes obtained from understanding the perspective of the values of the buginese-makassarese philosophy of life that occurred in the buginese-makassarese community in the 70s, as well as various reviews that talk about the author's biography, background of the author's life. or directly from the author's narrative through interviews. the source of data in this study is the novel pulau by aspar paturusi published by pt bhakti baru, ujung pandang in 1976. in addition, another source of data comes from aspar paturusi, the author of the novel pulau. the content analysis techniques are recorded, coded, identified, classified, interpreted, and drawn conclusions. the data are analyzed and interpreted through a deep understanding and abstraction of the society that is told in the novel. it is hoped that the qualitative content analysis technique can reveal the value of courage derived from the text of the novel pulau by aspar paturusi. results and discussion buginese-makassarese men as self-identity the term male (urane/bura'ne) in the novel pulau by aspar paturusi has a broad and deep meaning. it refers to a male person who has the complex values of the buginese-makassarese community: having a calm attitude in dealing with tense situations and having the courage to face death for the sake of life. upholding truth and self-respect (warani), persistence in keeping what has been said from his mouth (lempu na getting), intelligence, and tenacity are functionally applied in maintaining and maintaining self-esteem (napatettongi siri'na/napaentengi siri'na), and an attitude of tolerance to maintain the honour and dignity of others (natarowangi siri'na tau'e/nabolikkangi siri'na tauwwa). implementation in daily life, men are required to maintain morality and solidarity in behaviour concerning the people around them, where solidarity has the meaning of tolerance, solidarity, and social care. to fulfil all that, a man must have syarifuddin tundreng, noermanzah, agus rofi’i, & musayyedah the essence of the value courage of the buginese-makassarese man in the novel pulau by aspar paturusi: a genetic structural review 922 a brave attitude (warani) and the knowledge of manhood/knowledge of men. (paddissengng urane/pangngissengang bura'ne). men are measured by their calm attitude in dealing with tense situations and their courage to face death to uphold truth and self-respect (warani), their steadfastness in keeping what has been said from their mouths (lempu na getting), as well as an attitude of tolerance to maintain honour and dignity. other people (tarowwangi siri'na). in the life of the buginese-makassarese men, the designation becomes very important and is a shameful disgrace if a buginese-makassarese man does not have some attitudes, which become a barometer for bearing the title of men. because the title of man is considered very important for a buginese-makassarese man (who will later act as the head of the household), this condition can be described in the novel based on the following quote. “what are you doing? what? hah!" snapped sattu. before the person could answer, sattu had swept his legs, and the person was knocked down then because the balance of his body was lost. with anger overflowing, sattu grabbed the man's hair. "don't hit, sattu! i swear. i accidentally! no, i didn't peek at them. for god's sake, no." replied the man breathlessly and knew who slammed him. (data 5/ paturusi, 1976, pp.58-59). …“don't look down on other people, don't insult their honour. that's what their parents told them to do. but family, a girl's honour, is a lifelong honour. ringing in sattu's heart is a message always repeated from grandfather to grandson. (data 6/ paturusi, 1976, p.60) the attitude shown by sattu first is a defence of custom. customs for the buginesemakassarese men can be personified as humans who must be given a high and noble position in the midst of social life. second, such a brave attitude is an innate character of the buginesemakassarese tribe passed down from generation to generation from their ancestors. dare to defend the custom, which has become their way of life together. among those included, dare to guard and maintain the honour of self, family, and others. the role of custom in shaping and maintaining behavioural patterns of the social life of the buginese-makassarese community is significant. this can be seen in the incident when sattu forced himself to have the courage to face his father (tettanya ) to express his love for aminah, the girl he loves. the biggest fear for buginesemakassarese children in family interactions is when they have to ask or speak directly to their father. this is understood as a form of etiquette formed by tradition from generation to generation as an appreciation to parents. in addition, in sattu there is an honest nature. sattu's father acknowledges sattu's frankness, who dares to speak his thoughts and feelings in front of him. sattu hoped to convey his wishes politely and carefully, lest what he said hurt the feelings of his parents. honesty, basically a spontaneous reaction of true courage, as a more substantial informal control (blay et al., 2018), helps teach clean living (bar-el & tobol, 2017), a driver of increasing moral attitudes (ma et al., 2018) and can be the basis for increasing the cognition of a nation (rindermann et al., 2018). in bugis society, honesty, straightness, and sincerity are called lempu, meaning that what is said and done is not hampered by the slightest sense of fear; what is said and done always departs from the conscience. the buginese-makassarese men, especially men, are very flattered by being called buginesemakassarese men. it is a matter of pride for him as a man has fulfilled all the characteristics attached to that title. the characteristics referred to here is a man who has the complex values of the buginese-makassarese philosophy of life, who has the knowledge and understanding to place the value of self-esteem (siri') in its actual position, that is, the bugis-makassar man (urane ogi/burane mangkasara ). the tendency to use men in bugis-makassar, with male nicknames (uranena urane/bura'nena bura'nea) or real men (urane sitongengtongenna/bura'ne sitojengtojenna). these terms refer to the authenticity of a bugis-makassar man and the values of goodness attached to him. depiction of the essence of male values embedded in buginese-makassarese man in the story's events in the novel pulau by aspar paturusi is also found at several points of events. the first incident is the character of the older man at the beginning of the story as a selfrepresentation of sunu lompo; the second incident is when datu toa gives a message to his grandson, namely sunu lompo, about the authenticity of buginese-makassarese man; the third incident when salasa bora expressed his opinion about the form of a man called a man, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s2214804317300253#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s2214804317300253#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0022096517306811#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s016028961730226x#! english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 923 according to the buginese-makassarese philosophy of life; and the fourth event, namely the incident of sanneng karang and salasa bora, who faced each other not as friends, but as opponents who would kill each other. the male concept of buginese-makassarese can be found in the dialogue between sanneng karang and salasa bora. the two men confronted him mightily. both of them are stout. stand still. sharpen each other's eyes. for a moment, they reminisced about their childhood. just a moment. for their eyes guard one another, "i've never seen you scared, sanneng karang!" “you're the one who never, salasa bora'!” "never did i hate you." "neither am i!" (data 54/ paturusi, 1976, p.110) “why don't you want to attack first? take out and stab your kris, sanneng!” “i will try to dodge your attacks. stab your keris, salasa! waiting like this, torture harder!” (data 174/ paturusi, 1976, p.111) the situation described above shows the way buginese-makassarese men solve problems related to the value of family honour and selfesteem. all forms of ties, both family ties, friendships, and work ties, have been forgotten for self-esteem. the two friends defend each other's dignity and the dignity of their respective families. they are willing to risk their lives to maintain the family's dignity. the feud between the two friends is unavoidable. the urge to defend his family's honour and love for his son has made salasa bora solid and brave to duel with his best friend, sanneng karang. a final decision to resolve a very tragic problem. the incident where two friends face each other in a duel to kill each other is the last way to solve problems in the buginese-makassarese tradition when it comes to shame (siri). however, the incident mentioned above also implies an unusual phenomenon when people face each other to kill each other. even though the two friends face each other to kill each other, they still respect each other. this is the proper form of the courage of the buginese-makassarese men; even though he is nearing death, his human values in him are still strong. this situation is strong evidence of how the honour and dignity of the family in the buginese-makassarese tradition are highly upheld. friends, relatives, and family, if they make a mistake that violates custom, they must be given a penalty. a firm attitude helps build effective social communication (avşar & alkaya, 2017). for buginese-makassarese men, the fall in the value of one's honour and self-esteem must be paid for by facing each other one on one until one has to die. the term “man” (urane/bura'ne) is at stake to uphold self-respect (siri'). in the view of the buginese-makassarese people, the so-called man (uranena urane/bura'ne na bura'nea) was a man who was able to maintain and uphold his dignity (patettongi siri/paentengi siri'nu) and maintain honour. and self-esteem of others (tarowwangi siri'na/bolikkangi siri'). dealing with one-on-one is a form of the final solution and the only way that can be taken to defend the honour and maintain self-respect. because selfesteem (siri') about the events in the story above is a matter that already concerns the dignity and honour of the family of one party, even though it is described as such, there are still efforts to overcome the problems that arise between individuals in a social group, because the basic principle of self-esteem can improve the working principle or attempts to set strategies for adjustment (gilchrist et al., 2018). if various efforts have been made and there is no way out, like it or not, one on one is the solution. “i would rather die than live in shame” is equivalent to "kualleyangangi tallanga na towaliya" (i prefer drowning rather than having to go back to the beach). this jargon and which is also the character of the bugis makassar people, apply in conditions of time and place, anytime and anywhere. buginese-makassarese boys in the family the incident between salasa bora and sanneng karang was a manifestation of the genuine attitude of self-worth of courage shown by buginese-makassarese men. this confirms that courage cannot be separated from buginesemakassarese men. according to the buginesemakassarese view of life, the two people's attitude is justified because of maintaining the dignity of the family among the villagers. the courage of the buginese-makassarese people's philosophy of life is characterized by a calm soul, chivalry, responsibility, and a tolerant attitude towards others. salasa bora's courage is brave to face death in defending his family's honour and selfrespect. meanwhile, courage in the philosophy of life of the buginese-makassarese men is daring to die and courage, which includes peace of mind, courage to defend the truth, daring to be https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s088259631630166x#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s088259631630166x#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s1469029217307446#! syarifuddin tundreng, noermanzah, agus rofi’i, & musayyedah the essence of the value courage of the buginese-makassarese man in the novel pulau by aspar paturusi: a genetic structural review 924 responsible, and having an attitude of tolerance. a brave person always calms in the face of any complex problem. nevertheless, the attitude of the bugis-makassar courage still adheres to the attitude of salasa bora, who is brave and has a stable peace of mind. as buginese-makassarese men, it is an obligation to carry out a noble task as a shield for his family's honor. for this task, a buginesemakassarese man is provided with the knowledge of virility and mysticism by their parents or teachers, which is expected to be helpful in his life when he encounters a condition where his family's honour and self-esteem are threatened. therefore, in the view of the buginesemakassarese community, women are a symbol of family honour and self-esteem of buginesemakassarese men. buginese-makassarese women who are belittled, harassed and belittled mean dropping honour for the family. this fact is supported by the bugis custom, namely that a woman must always be under someone's protection. if he is single, regardless of age, he is under the care and protection of his parents, brothers (if any), and other male relatives; when she married, she was under the protection of her husband (idrus, 2005). therefore, buginesemakassarese man is expected to be able to stand as protectors of their safety, morals, and honour. this condition also causes the love relationship between a young man and a girl to be very tight and sensitive. the relationship between the young man and the girl he loves barely has the space and time to be alone. at the very least, the meeting will only be limited to seeing each other when there is a crowd at a party or wedding reception. girls whose faces were plastered with powder and lipstick watched in the window. through those windows, there are smiles, there are laughs, and there are sparkles sent to the courtyard. the atmosphere was lively, and excited shouts continued to soar. the shiny skin attached to the muscular bodies glowed even more in the light, and from them were born screams or sharp eyes stealing glances and the occasional mischievous smile. (paturusi, 1976, p.66) the buginese-makassarese place buginesemakassarese women as glass crowns that are not arbitrary to be touched or used without going through the terms and conditions that have been regulated by custom (ade'/ada). when the glass crown is touched and causes it to break, the honour and pride of the family will fall. women in the status of unmarried girls, but the above description also apply to the wives of the buginese-makassarese man. the husband, as the head of the household, in the social life of the buginese-makassarese community, is responsible for the safety, morals, and honour as well as the overall life and life of his wife. safety, morals, and honour are integrated into the value of a woman's dignity (makkunrai malebbi/baine malabiri). what is described by aspar paturusi through his views above, according to the researcher, is a reflection of aspar paturusi's life. this can be seen from the description of aspar paturusi 's artistic career journey, from leaving his hometown to makassar city until he penetrated the capital city of jakarta. aspar paturusi did not go through all that alone. during all phases of pursuing his artistic career, he passed accompanied by his family, children, and wife. until the second he decided to move to jakarta, aspar paturusi brought his family to jakarta. here, it can be seen that aspar paturusi, during his busy life, does not necessarily neglect his responsibility to always be by the side of his wife and children. his awareness as a buginesemakassarese man always led him to remain firm as a shield for his wife and children. this is reflected in what has been described above. buginese-makassarese man makes it imperative for themselves to assume responsibility as protectors of women. in this context, protecting buginese-makassarese women, especially those who are part of the family, is the same as protecting family honour and self-respect (siri') as buginese-makassarese. the author, through the pulau novel, wants to make an affirmation to return to the meaning of the philosophical values of the buginesemakassarese people's life, which include the values of honesty, courage, responsibility, determination, intelligence, tenacity, and the meaning of the value of self-esteem (siri'), and the designation of men which must be interpreted as the meaning and views of the ancients. the results of this study, when associated with the word value, several segments of events that emphasize value are a measure to punish or choose specific actions and goals. values are abstract realities that can be felt in each of us so that they become essential principles in life. therefore, the value system affects the mindset of humans, which will eventually shape human attitudes in society. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 925 the value of courage will form an attitude, namely the tendency to do or not do something towards certain people, objects, or circumstances. in other words, aspar paturusi tries to remind his readers that the perspective on the meaning of the value of courage contained in buginesemakassarese men is contained in pangngaderang/pangadadakg (custom) and messages (paseng/pairs) that exist in the life of the buginese-makassarese people. makassar, at this time, far shifted from the real meaning. buginese-makassarese man in social context on the social conditions of society, the novel pulau pulau tells about society in the 70s, which was more concentrated on virility or men's science (paddissengngeng and/pangngissengang bura'ne) and mysticism. this situation occurred as a reaction to the deep understanding received by a bugis-makassar boy about his role in the family and society, greatly influencing him to become the "man's man" in the buginesemakassarese concept of man. the value of men for the bugis-makassar community is measured when they can defend their dignity, family, and group. therefore, to defend his honour, family, and group, he must have male knowledge (kanuragan science and spiritual knowledge). apart from these reasons, it should be noted that buginese-makassarese man are the majority of seafarers who often travel long distances to other areas (masompe). the buginese-makassarese people's view of life regarding this matter is that they assume that wherever a person is, he cannot be separated from the attributes that are attached to him, both self-name, family, and the fragrance of the name of his hometown. this causes the buginese-makassarese people to consider masculinity or male knowledge (paddissengngeng urane/ pangngissengang bura'ne) and mysticism to be absolute for a bugis-makassar man. this can be seen in the following quote from the novel pulau. the man himself from childhood studied with his grandfather. he was studying virility and mysticism. relying on the power of god. (data 212/ paturusi, 1976, p.13) in general, buginese-makassarese people, especially men, have studied virility and mysticism since childhood. the concentration of buginese-makassarese parents on teaching virility and mysticism to their children was closely related to the social conditions of society at that time. the people of tanjung bira at that time were in a psychosocial condition, traumatized by the times of rebellion that occurred in the country after independence. they focus on teaching virility and mysticism to their sons due to their awareness that in the future, family honour and self-respect (siri') will be passed on to sons. historically, the description of the social life of the buginese-makassarese people, as described above, is the social impact of the many series of events that have occurred in this country. in addition, like other areas, tanjung bira village has a social problem that often arise robbery. this social condition triggers the buginesemakassarese community, especially men, to study martial arts, masculinity/male science, and spiritual knowledge. in addition, the buginesemakassarese felt that if he did not have content, they thought that he had not yet become a perfect man. the data above implies the importance of masculinity and mysticism at that time. this is related to one's efforts in upholding the value of self-esteem (siri') and honour. a buginesemakassarese man must have a brave attitude (warani) in any case. starting from the demands of this attitude, parents also provide provisions (ripaddokori/ripakekkengngi) knowledge of virility or knowledge of men and inner knowledge. buginese-makassarese men are sailors who will automatically sail far away to other countries. to protect him from all possibilities that could harm him, both in shipping and in other countries, buginese-makassarese men study male science from people who he considers excellent and powerful. it is also believed that this knowledge of virility/male knowledge can form brave buginese-makassarese men so that they can always face all situations in life, anytime and anywhere. in the life of the buginese-makassarese community, parents play a unique role in providing their children with helpful knowledge. mainly the science of masculinity (napaddokori), this science is not only oriented to the desire of children to be innovative. more than that, knowledge is used as a provision in living life. sunu lompo has a strong belief in what he has been given. the knowledge that he had been taught, he used in sailing to the destination. buginese-makassarese man in the author's world view from the analysis of the novel pulau by aspar paturusi, it is found that the term male syarifuddin tundreng, noermanzah, agus rofi’i, & musayyedah the essence of the value courage of the buginese-makassarese man in the novel pulau by aspar paturusi: a genetic structural review 926 (urane/bura'ne) has a broad and deep meaning. for the buginese-makassarese view, the term male refers to a male person who has the complex values of the buginese-makassarese community: having a calm attitude in dealing with tense situations and having the courage to face death to uphold the truth and self-respect (warani), his firmness in keeping what has been said from his mouth (lempu na magetteng), intelligence and tenacity which is functionally applied in maintaining and maintaining his self -esteem (napatettongi siri'na/napaentengi siri'na), and attitude tolerance for maintaining the honour and dignity of others (natarowangi siri'na tau'e/nabolikkangi siri'na tauwwa). implementation in daily life, men are required to maintain morality and solidarity in behaviour concerning the people around them, where solidarity has the meaning of tolerance, solidarity, and social care. to fulfil all that, a man must have a brave attitude (warani) and the knowledge of manhood/knowledge of men. (paddissengng urane/pangngissengang bura'ne). buginese-makassarese men do not want to be humiliated (ripakasiri') and embarrass others (mappakasiri'). regarding the designation of men, it can be interpreted that men in the understanding of the buginese-makassarese community are not limited to gender division alone. but it has a broader meaning. men are measured by their calm attitude in dealing with tense situations and their courage to face death to uphold truth and selfrespect (warani), their steadfastness in keeping what has been said from their mouths (lempu na magetteng), as well as an attitude of tolerance to maintain honor and dignity. from the perspective of the author's worldview, it can be stated that the author of this novel is consistent in fighting for and sticking to the values of courage. through his ideas, ideas, and attitudes, the author conveys his views on the values of courage related to adat. this can be seen in the story's depiction in the novel pulau by aspar paturasi, a pure artist who devotes himself to creating literary arts and culture—called a pure artist because of his totality and existence in the world of art, which is relentless in producing literary works. the values contained in this novel are based on past cultures, but the discussion in this novel is still very relevant to current living conditions. therefore, the values of courage are still needed; only the values of courage encountered in modern life are very diverse and apply not only to men but also to women. the ability to do something you know is difficult or dangerous or otherwise is the mental strength to try, endure, and endure danger, fear, or adversity—for example, the courage to speak out against injustice when no one else is doing it. living boldly in the present involves reaching a calm force deep within the person, which guides us beyond fear and anxiety and prepares and supports us against outside forces that threaten to shake our very foundations. to gradually shift to this new way of thinking about courage and reach deeper within ourselves to develop fortitude, strength, and resilience and move on with an open heart, people still feel their fear and take action. so our goal is not to get rid of fear but to change it to live completely independent of it. positive emotions tend to lead to less experience of fear, which also leads to more daring behaviour. courage is driven by personality traits. (vancampfort et al., 2018; neto et al., 2018; dixson et al., 2017; sellberg et al., 2018; stephens, 2018; and rucker & galinsky, 2017) recommends several mindsets or attitudes of courage that should be continuously trained, such as self-efficacy, hope, resilience, values and faith, and social power. this involves affirmation and building confidence in ourselves by mastering a skill, such as taking a public speaking class and seeing that we can build our confidence or practising speaking to a boss. we must also believe that something is possible and imagine a way to make it happen. expectations can be increased through cognitive therapy (wenzel, 2017; oar et al., 2017; kingdon & turkington, 2019; and jarrett et al., 2018) to create an attitude of assertiveness, relieve anxiety, reduce stress, and affirmations that positively show we are capable and skilled at doing something. for example, "i am strong and dare to drive a car to take my children to school”, "i am capable and skilled at doing that," and others. we have all experienced setbacks, or what we perceive as failures, but we must develop the belief that we can overcome them. we must practice the "art of laughter" to dispel our fears and move forward after setbacks. so, there are two most important factors needed for courage, namely (1) our inner convictions and (2) the social forces that surround us. conclusion the depiction of the value of courage in the novel pulau aspar paturusi's work is a reality of the life of the buginese-makassarese people, who are guided by the existing customs. courage is a https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0742051x17308971#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s1041608017301528#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0301479718303888#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0029646517300956#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s2352250x17300751#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s2352250x17300751#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0920996417305856#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0920996417305856#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0920996417305856#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0165032717308145#! english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 927 principle of life for the buginese-makassarese people in expressing the truth in the context of the benefit of the lives of many people. the concept of courage for the buginese-makassarese in upholding the truth, no matter what happens, this attitude is an innate characteristic of the people of south sulawesi, especially the buginesemakassarese tribe, which has been passed down from generation to generation from their ancestors. in addition, the concept of courage is his awareness as a buginese-makassarese man, always leading him to remain steadfast as a shield for his wife and children. buginese-makassarese men make it imperative for themselves to assume responsibility as protectors of women. in this context, protecting buginese-makassarese women, especially those who are part of the family, is the same as protecting family honour and self-respect (siri') as buginese-makassarese. the values of courage in this novel are the embodiment of the noble values of the buginesemakassarese community, which are full of not only the value of courage but also the virtues that can be used as role models to form good courage values in general, namely determination, selfconfidence, consistency, and integrity. optimism and, specifically, being able to think carefully and measure before acting, motivate others and be humble, fill the soul and mind with new knowledge in the right direction, act naturally, be enthusiastic, create progress, be ready to take risks, and be consistent. a person's behavior can be seen as a reflection of the values held by that person. referring to the research results, in today's sphere of life, it is highly recommended that the values of courage apply to not only men but also women. if we seek more courage within ourselves, we must look for role models for courage. if we believe in the power of selflessness, integrity, and honour within us, these beliefs have a significant impact on us in the face of fear. courage is also socially contagious. thus, it can be said that the value of courage is a mindset and strength. history proves that so many spectacular achievements in all fields were created in this world because of the "courage" factor. references alimin, a. a. & sulastri, s. (2018). nilai keberanian dalam novel negeri di ujung tanduk karya tere liye. jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 3(1), 1-5. http://dx.doi.org/10.26737/jp-bsi.v3i1.447 avşar, f. & alkaya, s. a. (2017). the effectiveness of assertiveness training for school-aged children on bullying and assertiveness level. journal of pediatric nursing, 36(7), 186-190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2017.06.020 bar-el, r. & tobol, y. (2017). honesty toward the holy day. journal of behavioral and experimental economics, 68(6), 13-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2017.02.005 benitez, j., llorens, j., & braojos, j. (2018). how information technology influences opportunity exploration and exploitation firm’s capabilities. inman, 55(4), 508-523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2018.03.001 blay, a., douthit, j., & fulmer iii, b. (2018). why don't people lie? negative affect intensity and preferences for honesty in budgetary reporting. management accounting research, 41(2019), 56-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mar.2018.05.001 darmapoetra, j. (2014). suku bugis: pewaris keberanian leluhur. arus timur. dixson, d. d., worrell, f. c., & mello, z. (2017). profiles of hope: how clusters of hope relate to school variables. learning and individual differences, 59(10), 55-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2017.08.011 emzir. (2014). metodologi penelitian kualitatif analisis data. rajagrafindo persada. gilchrist, j. d., sabiston, c. m., conroy, d. e., & atkinson, m. (2018). authentic pride regulates runners’ training progress. psychology of sport and exercise, 38(9), 10–16. http://10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.05.007 hidayat, r., amalia, l., sakti, m., faqih, m., & hayati, a. (2013). the expression of social status on house form (case: bugis-makassar modern house). international journal of scientific & engineering research, 4(3), 1-5. https://www.ijser.org/onlineresearchpaperview er.aspx?the-expression-of-social-status-onhouse-form-case-bugis-makassar-modernhouse.pdf idrus, n. i. (2005). siri’, gender, and sexuality among the bugis in south sulawesi. antropologi indonesia, 29(1), 38-55. https://doi/org/10.7454/ai.v29i1.3527 isaac, r. k., & platenkamp, v. (2017). value-free research: weber revisited. annals of tourism research, 63(3), 223–225. http://10.1016/j.annals.2017.01.014 jarrett, r. b., vittengl, j. r., clark, l. a., & thase, m. e. (2018). patients’ comprehension and skill usage as a putative mediator of change or an engaged target in cognitive therapy: preliminary findings. journal of affective disorders, 226(1), 163–168. http://10.1016/j.jad.2017.09.045 kelberer, l. j. a., kraines, m. a., & wells, t. t. (2018). optimism, hope, and attention to emotional stimuli. personality and individual https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s088259631630166x#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s088259631630166x#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s2214804317300253#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s2214804317300253#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s1041608017301528#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s1041608017301528#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s1041608017301528#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0191886917307109#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0191886917307109#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0191886917307109#! syarifuddin tundreng, noermanzah, agus rofi’i, & musayyedah the essence of the value courage of the buginese-makassarese man in the novel pulau by aspar paturusi: a genetic structural review 928 differences, 124(4), 84-90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.12.003 khon, n. & kim, a. (2016). from religious fanatic to maturity in faith: cross-confessional tolerance as a way to understand emotional components of others. procedia -social and behavioral sciences, 236(12), 260-264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.12.025 kingdon, d., & turkington, d. (2019). cognitive therapy of psychosis: research and implementation. schizophrenia research, 203(1), 62–65. http://10.1016/j.schres.2017.09.023 ma, f., heyman, g. d., jing, c., fu, y., compton, b. j., xu, f., & lee, k. (2018). promoting honesty in young children through observational learning. journal of experimental child psychology, 167(3), 234-245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2017.11.003 matthes, b. f. (1985). beberapa etika dalam sastra makassar. departemen pendidikan dan kebudayaan, proyek penerbitan buku sastra indonesia dan daerah. neto, r. c. a., rodrigues, v. p., stewart, d., xiao, a., & snyder, j. (2018). the influence of selfefficacy on entrepreneurial behaviour among k12 teachers. teaching and teacher education, 72(5), 44-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.02.012 oar, e. l., johnco, c., & ollendick, t. h. (2017). cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and depression in children and adolescents. psychiatric clinics of north america, 40(4), 661-674. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2017.08.002 paturusi, a. (1976). pulau. bhakti baru. qamar, n., mustamin, h., & aswari, a. (2017). local wisdom culture of bugis-makassar from a legal perspective. adri international journal of law and social science, 1(1), 35-41. http://ejournal.padri.org/index.php/ijls2/article/v iew/182 ratri, w. w., emzir. e., & lustyantie, n. (2017). family education values in kirana kejoras novels (genetic structural research). english review: journal of english education, 5(2), 263-274, http://10.25134/erjee.v5i2.541 renaud, k. (2017). facts do not change minds. network security, 2017(4), 20-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1353 4858(17)30041-7 rindermann, h., becker, d., & thompson, j. (2018). honesty, rule violation and cognitive ability: a reply to gächter and schulz. intelligence, 68(3), 66–69. http://10.1016/j.intell.2018.03.005 rucker, d. d. & galinsky, a. d. (2017). social power and social class: conceptualization, consequences, and current challenges. current opinion in psychology, 18(12), 26-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.07.028 seaton, b. (2013). siding with the world: reciprocal expressions of human and nature in an impending era of loneliness. emotion, space and society, 6(2), 73–80. http://10.1016/j.emospa.2011.11.002 sellberg, m. m., ryan, p., borgström, s. t., norström, a. v., & peterson, g. d. (2018). from resilience thinking to resilience planning: lessons from practice. journal of environmental management, 217(7), 906-918. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.04.012 steel, d., gonnerman, c., & o’rourke, m. (2017). scientists’ attitudes on science and values: case studies and survey methods in philosophy of science. studies in history and philosophy of science part a, 63(6), 22–30. http://10.1016/j.shpsa.2017.04.002 stephens, t. m. (2018). the role of faith-based organizations in the education, support, and services for persons living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. nursing clinics of north america, 53(1), 25-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cnur.2017.10.003 sulaeman, a., goziyah, purawinangun, i.a., noermanzah. (2020). social value in the novel hatta: aku datang karena sejarah by sergius sutanto as teaching materials in teaching literature in schools. international journal of scientific and technology research, 9(3). 611616. http://www.ijstr.org/paperreferences.php?ref=ijstr-0320-32332 the lancet editorial. (2018). children and social media. the lancet, 391(10116), 13–19, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(18)30049-7 titscher, s., meyer, m., wodak, r. & vetter, e. (2000). methods of text and discourse analysis. sage publications ltd. tundreng, s., emzir, e., & lustyantie, n. (2017). life philosophy values of buginese makassarese in the novel pulau by aspar paturursi (a genetic structural review). international journal of language and literature, 5(2), 98-103. doi:10.15640/ijll.v5n2a10 vancampfort, d., gorczynski, p., de hert, m., probst, m., naisiga, a., basangwa, d., & mugisha, j. (2018). exercise self-efficacy correlates in people with psychosis. psychiatry research, 262(4), 359-362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.08.095 wenzel, a. (2017). basic strategies of cognitivebehavioural therapy. psychiatric clinics of north america, 40(4), 597-609. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2017.07.001 zuriah, n. (2008). pendidikan moral dan budi pekerti dalam perspektif perubahan: menggagas platform pendidikan budi pekerti secara kontekstual dan futuristik. bumi aksara. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s1877042816316585#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s1877042816316585#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0022096517306811#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0022096517306811#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0022096517306811#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0022096517306811#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0022096517306811#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0022096517306811#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0022096517306811#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0742051x17308971#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0742051x17308971#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0742051x17308971#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0742051x17308971#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0742051x17308971#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s2352250x17300751#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s2352250x17300751#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0301479718303888#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0301479718303888#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0301479718303888#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0301479718303888#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0301479718303888#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0301479718303888#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0029646517300956#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0165178117304134#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0165178117304134#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0165178117304134#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0165178117304134#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0165178117304134#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0165178117304134#! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0165178117304134#! english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 103 innovation development strategy for hybrid learning based english teaching and learning entis sutisna english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and education sciences, bogor, pakuan university, indonesia email: entissutisna@unpak.ac.id lungguh halira vonti english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and education sciences, bogor, pakuan university, indonesia email: lunggh@unpak.ac.id apa citation: sutisna, e. & vonti, l. h. (2020). innovation development strategy for hybrid learning based english teaching and learning. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 103-114. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3783 received: 28-06-2020 accepted: 30-09-2020 published:11-12-2020 introduction the development of science and technology is a challenge for every college. one of the challenges, at present, is to increase the contribution of knowledge and technology to develop the ability to meet the lives of the nation and to increase the availability and quality of science and technology resources, both human resources and facilities and infrastructure. this is in line with hediansah & surjono (2019) who argued that the development of technology has a significant impact on the process of information exchange, including in the field of education. this is in line with surahman (2019) who believed that everyone can learn without having to sit in the educational institution. as stated by celtekligil and adiguzel (2019), with the help of technological development, people can learn new things, communicate with other people, make innovations and share innovations with others. therefore, it is important for the educational institution to provide the ability to hold the teaching and learning process in emergency situations such as pandemic that do not allow the implementation of the learning process offline. this challenge should be interpreted by the university in mapping the profile of graduates against graduate work and also to perform the sustainability of the learning process. gupta (2018) stated that new ideas, technologies, and services are innovation products. in education, innovative processes provide variation and personalityoriented trend of the educational process, so that the knowledge, skills, and abilities of students are transformed into a means of developing their cognitive and personal qualities, competence to ensure their ability to be the subject of innovative abstract: this research is motivated by the importance of the modernization of the implementation of learning in the education system within the university. the existence of various limitations of human resources, study space, and time to face-to-face causes the learning process to experience various obstacles to achieve optimal results. learning in the form of hybrid learning is one of several alternative efforts to improve the quality and quantity of the lecture process. through learning by using hybrid learning, students and lecturers can interact in learning across distances, time and space. the objective of this research was to obtain an overview of the hybrid learning model to improve digital literacy of students in the learning process. the data obtained from this study were the results of document analysis, observation, interviews, and questionnaires. the sources of this study were students of the english language study program, faculty of teacher training and educational sciences, pakuan university who were registered as active students for the 2018/2019 school year. the stages of research were observation, instrument calibration, research, evaluation, data analysis, revision of research results, dissemination of results, and reporting. the result of the research showed that the students' digital literacy was improved through the process of hybrid learning. keywords: hybrid learning; digital literacy; learning mailto:entissutisna@unpak.ac.id entis sutisna & lungguh halira vonti innovation development strategy for hybrid learning based english teaching and learning 104 professional activities (mykhalyshyn, kondur, & serman, 2018). according to haizar, kee, chong, and chong (2020), there are four components of innovation strategy namely strategy, resources, capabilities, and processes. this is important so that national strategic issues in the administration of higher education are dealt with effectively and efficiently. the learning model is a design and a stage used by the lecturer and learning. the model serves to bridge the delivery of learning messages in the form of information (cognitive, affective, and psychomotor) from various sources to students. learning models have an important role to influence students to be actively involved in learning. this is in line with the opinions of bruce, well, and calhoun (2019, p.30) explaining that learning models are designed for teachers to create an enforceable learning environment. with this model, it is very useful to make learning planning both of material and strategy. as stated by rahman (2018), educators’ lesson plan must push new ideas keeping in mind the end goal to promote the learning of every last one of the students. higher education, in this case lecturers, always make efforts to emphasize and improve the quality and quantity of the elements that function in an educational process. higher education tries to solve the problem in innovative ways. one of the efforts is that universities are trying to innovate face-to-face learning processes. the innovation was carried out by integrating communication and information technology in the learning process, known as hybrid learning. herdiansyah and surjono (2020, p.2) defined hybrid learning as “a learning method that combines two or more methods and approaches in learning to achieve the objectives of the learning process.” graham (in avgerinou, 2008) explains three important reasons a teacher would prefer to implement hybrid learning over both online and classical learning, namely: better pedagogy, increased, and flexibility, and increased cost-benefits. integrating hybrid learning in the learning process has several advantages. hybrid learning can overcome the limitations and differences in distance, time, and space between learners and instructors. as stated by zainuddin & keumala (2018), the use of technology and internet access are potentials for each college to develop hybridbased learning media by integrating technology. through hybrid learning, the learning process cannot only be done through a meeting between learners and instructors in a room but can be done wherever the learners and instructors are. simply, the learning process cannot only be done based on a specific schedule allocation but can be done anytime and anywhere. related to the challenges faced by tertiary institutions, this research was carried out as an effort to integrate sporadic and partial preliminary research so that national strategic problem solving becomes more focused, more comprehensive, in a more efficient way, both in terms of resources human and time and source of funds (costs). this research is also an institution-based research activity which is expected to create a superior research centre that is able to grow the capacity of innovation along with technological advances and is market-oriented and the implementation of research results for fostering the nation's character. this research is a technology-based research of the future. the application of this research design aimed to prepare human resources for the mastery and development of future technology. the substance of the research carried out is a continuation of the related research being carried out. based on the explanation of the implementation of hybrid learning described above, the researcher considers it necessary to conduct special research related to the innovation of the learning process through the implementation of hybrid learning in an effort to improve digital literacy capabilities and provide a hybrid-learning based learning model, to prepare the educational institution and also the students in industrial era 4.0 as well as to prepare for the possibility of having limited condition to hold offline teaching and learning process such as in covid 19 pandemic. the implementation of hybrid learning provides flexibility when issues of time and place are taken into consideration. in this model, every student has the luxury of choosing the place and time that suits him/her. the benefits of hybrid learning were also stated by smedley (2010), that the adoption of e-learning provides the institutions as well as their students or learners the flexibility of time and place of delivery or receipt of learning information. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 105 however, besides the benefits, there are several disadvantages of blended learning discussed by experts. first, in online learning, there will be possibilities for the students to skip or prevent doing all the assignments on time (bijeesh, 2017). other disadvantages are related to the equipment needed by the students (brown, 2017), as well as the social interaction with their friends and instructor (dyrud, 2000; brown 2017; hutt, 2017). based on the descriptions of the benefits above, the writers would like to promote the possible innovation strategy of the development of hybrid learning. here is the state of art, summarizing the background and theories of the research. method this study attempts to answer two research questions; how was the performance of lecturers and student activities in teaching learning process in the form of hybrid learning and what is the innovation development strategy of blended learning based on the students' need to overcome some disadvantages in applying hybrid learning. the data source of this research is the permanent lecturer of english education study program and the students experienced hybrid learning in their teaching and learning process. the informants determined were informants who fit the research category so that the type used in this study was purposive sampling. the informants in this study were students of the english language study program at the faculty of teacher training and educational sciences of pakuan university who were given a blended learning course in the academic year 2018-2019. there were three courses given in blended learning and the researcher only took 5 students from each class by using random sampling technique. data collection techniques carried out widely and in-depth through observation, interviews (interview instruments are open, structured with entis sutisna & lungguh halira vonti innovation development strategy for hybrid learning based english teaching and learning 106 guidelines), and study documentation. data collection can be obtained from observations, interviews, documentation, and combination/ triangulation. in this study, data collection techniques were used by means of observation, questionnaires, interviews, and documentation. the data analysis technique used is descriptive narrative which is applied through three streams, namely data reduction, data presentation, and verification. the observation was conducted by observing the e-learning courses including various learning activities related to the content of each unit. there were three courses of english language study program conducted in blended learning. each course should conduct at least 6 sessions in elearning and 6 sessions in a conventional classroom. these online lessons were developed by the lecturers for students studying english courses. during the development of the program, the units were tested by the english lecturers at the department to confirm that it covered similar content to the classroom lessons. the documents used as the object of this research is blended learning based rps written by the lecturers who taught by using blended learning. the lms platform used was also observed to see the performance of the teaching and learning process related to the improvement of students' digital literacy. the activities and the procedure of using blended learning were also examined during the research. the questionnaire was used to obtain students’ experiences of the use of hybrid learning related to the benefits and the disadvantages in some courses. the subjects’ responses to the questionnaire were analyzed in terms of mean scores and standard deviations on a five-point likert scales which were interpreted as follows: 4.51 to 5.00 = strongly agree, 3.51 to 4.50 = agree, 2.51 to 3.50 = undecided, 1.51 to 2.50 = disagree, and 1.00 to 1.50 = strongly disagree. students in the experimental group were required to do a questionnaire. to provide further support, 3 lecturers who taught a blended learning course were randomly selected for interviews of 8 questions at the end of the experiment. lecturers were asked for their opinions on using e-learning to supplement the course, and their innovative development strategy to overcome the disadvantages of using hybrid learning models in teaching and learning processes. results and discussion as it was stated in theoretical review, the type of hybrid learning/blended learning and instructional methods applied does not simply combine the online and face-to-face instruction, but the appropriate combination of any kind of instructional method, model, and delivery strategies both live face-to-face, synchronous virtual collaboration, asynchronous virtual collaboration, and self-paced asynchronous activities. research findings revealed that in the hybrid learning/blended learning courses in english language education study program, the lecturers mostly combine live face-to-face instruction/sessions, asynchronous virtual collaboration, and self-paced asynchronous activities. methods used in live face-to-face instruction was lecture, group presentation, and discussion. live face-to-face was more focused on deepening students' understanding on the subject or certain topics. methods used in asynchronous virtual collaboration were blogs, online discussion boards, and listservs. methods used in self-paced asynchronous activities were online searching, online reading, and online assignment. research findings also showed that e-learning tools used in hybrid learning/blended learning strategy for the courses were non-proprietary learning management system; e-learning with the website http://elearning.unpak.ac.id. almost all facilities offered in the learning management system were used. facilities used were learning path, course description, assignment, announcement, discussion forum, and document as a repository of all kinds of learning materials. one of the alternatives to developing a hybrid learning strategy in english teaching and learning process can be done with the following steps. planning stage this stage is the stage of designing courses that will be uploaded in the elearning.unpak.ac.id portal. this stage includes the design of the semester learning plan by formulating course descriptions, learning outcomes of the course, selecting study material to be presented, and making exercises based on study material. in the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 107 faculty of teacher training and educational sciences, each semester, the lecturer who will give blended learning courses will be gathered before the courses begin and they will be asked to make rps (lesson plan) as well as to prepare the activities and sources that will be used in elearning. in planning a blended learning lesson, things need to be considered are: 1) the formal face to face learning stage; the teacher designs the subject or material discussed according to what is contained in the syllabus. there were 6 face to face meetings and 6 blended learning sessions. therefore, the lecturers should discuss the material and teaching learning method and media with their subjects’ team. 2) e-learning stage; in this stage, the lecturer should prepare some online activities that would be uploaded in e-learning. they designed the material and activities that would be given to the students in e-learning. development stage after the analysis and design stages of the blended learning course are carried out, the next stage is the development stage. the stages of this development include the process of preparing course portals, developing online course content, and uploading material. implementation the implementation of blended learning was done with the following steps. 1) the teacher explains the material and examples contained in the rps (lesson plan) in accordance with the curriculum in face-to-face meeting. there are two possible methods in having a blended learning course; first, the course will be held conventionally for the half semester and the rest of the meetings will be held online, second, the conventional and online meetings are held in turn every week. 2) the teacher uses the internet by opening the elearning website (lms) and selecting the material discussed to be explained to students. material must be available and accessible to students regardless of place and time. the following are the sample screens of e-learning course: figure 1. sample screen of e-learning course 3) lecturers can check students’ attendance (online presence) based on online discussions (asynchronous). then, students study or listen to audio and watch learning videos uploaded on the e-learning page. learning material can also entis sutisna & lungguh halira vonti innovation development strategy for hybrid learning based english teaching and learning 108 be downloaded in the form of .pdf, .ppt, and word files. 4) submissions of online assignments are directly commented on and assessed by lecturers where students can review the results of their assignments. there is also an online quiz for each subject. the documentation used in this research was rps blended learning used by the lecturer who gave blended courses to the students. in the last semester, there were three courses conducted in blended learning, namely; english phrase structure, ept preparation, and genre based reading. the researchers observed and analyzed the correlation between the implementation of elearning lessons and the rps made by the lecturers; whether the materials given were correlated and became supplementary of the offline lessons or were relevant to the offline courses. the researchers checked the e-learning websites and also the rps used. the presentation of the blended learning applied was 50% face to face sessions and 50% online sessions with the numbers of meetings was 6 face to face meetings and 6 online sessions. after doing the e-learning courses observation and checking the documentation, students received a questionnaire to determine the effectiveness of blended learning on their needs related to their digital literacy. in the questionnaire, the subjects were asked about their perception of e-learning’s effect on their digital literacy. the subjects’ responses to the questionnaire were analyzed in terms of mean scores and standard deviations on a five-point likert scale. students in the experimental group were required to do a questionnaire. the questionnaire was divided into three parts. part one collected the students’ personal information regarding the place in the program whether they were in the first, second, third or fourth year. the first part also asks about their experience of having blended learning courses like how many subjects they took in blended learning courses last semester. part two consisted of nine questions aimed at obtaining students’ general opinions toward the use of blended learning courses, reactions towards the instruction used in e-learning, the content, and the relationship between face to face and online learning. the last part was asking questions about their opinions of blended learning related to their digital literacy. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 109 graph 1. students’ personal information based on the result of the questionnaire, 100 percent of 15 samples said that their first opinion of the blended learning course was its flexibility of being able to complete assignments anytime/anyplace. it means that most of the students were interested in blended learning because they could do and access the assignments anytime and anyplace they could, not only in the classroom. therefore, the flexibility of time and place matters for the students. the second topic was about the interaction with other students in blended learning class, 33% or about 5 people said that there was no difference; however, 26% or 4 people said that somewhat, the interactions decreased since they did not need to meet their classmates in the classroom. the rest were spread between increased and neutral. on the other hand, 40% of the respondents said that the interactions with the lecturer were increased. entis sutisna & lungguh halira vonti innovation development strategy for hybrid learning based english teaching and learning 110 graph 2. students’ opinion of blended learning about the course calendar given by the university, most of the students chose neutral and agreed. meaning that even though the teaching and learning process was conducted online, the course still fulfilled the university expectations of the course. about the resources and content of blended learning courses, almost 67% samples said that the resources in online courses were sufficient, and 67% samples said that the workload in blended learning was moderate or still acceptable. when the samples were asked about the relationship between face to face and online learning, 53% said that the online learning was relevant to the face to face course; and if they were offered to have blended learning class, 33% agreed and 55% were neutral. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 111 graph 3. content in hybrid learning overall, the students in the experimental group had favorable attitudes towards having a teaching and learning process through e-learning. in addition, there was a favorable response relating to motivational aspects delivered through the use of technology. this information was obtained through direct interviews with some of the samples about their digital literacy. there are three parts of the interview asked to the lecturers conducted hybrid/blended learning. first part was about the content, instructional method, and evaluation. in the first part, the questions were about the preparation, the strategies, the most and least effective aspects of hybrid/blended learning, and the lecturer's suggestion of this hybrid/blended learning. the questions were asked to three lecturers who taught using hybrid/blended learning. the lecturers said that the preparations were necessary since to have hybrid/blended learning courses, they need to have prerequisite skills such as time management, technology integrations, and learner centered pedagogy. by having the preparation, the lecturers would have more options and sources before conducting the courses. the strategies they did mostly were introducing hybrid/blended learning to the participants and including the schedule of each topic and this was done in the first meeting of the course. the lecturer also kept monitoring the progress to make the students keep on the track. the other lecturer integrated classroom activity and online assignments slowly and gradually. the aspect that was most effective about hybrid/blended learning according to the lecturers was time management since the participants learned how to manage their time to finish all administrative tasks and may lead them to discipline themselves and also the online discussion where students get a chance to express their ideas and opinions on a given topic. while the least effective aspect was when the system was down since it usually made the students lose motivation to finish the tasks. the other aspect that was least effective was the relationship between the lecturers and the students because it took more time when they had online sessions. the suggestion that the lecturers can provide about hybrid/blended learning was the orientation before conducting hybrid/blended learning both for the students and the lecturers. about the instructional method, the difference lies down on the learning process and the sources. the participants are becoming more independent and it is possible for them to explore their entis sutisna & lungguh halira vonti innovation development strategy for hybrid learning based english teaching and learning 112 capability. blended learning approaches may stimulate their critical thinking skills that may not be done effectively in traditional classrooms. for the first taker of hybrid/blended learning, they should not be anxious or worried of not being able to accomplish the tasks because blended learning does not mean there is no collaborative work between the participants and the instructor. the lecturers should also familiarize the students with the instruction and tell them how to access each section and that the online and offline courses are hand-in-hand with the offline. the last part was about doing the evaluation. almost all the lecturers use varied evaluation forms such as assignments, quizzes, and their log participations. however, the lecturers still determined that the most effective evaluations were asking questions and checking their participations both online or offline. conclusion hybrid learning is the learning strategy that is very important to facilitate learning more effectively, efficiently and appealing for students since it is related to technology. the first type of online learning still has weaknesses; however, it can be overcome by the strength of combination of faceto-face instruction and online instruction. thus, in the implementation of hybrid learning, the appropriateness method and delivery strategies are the important key. in this research case, it described how the lecturers applied the hybrid learning started from the preparations until the evaluation and also the students’ perception about the application of hybrid learning that was perceived positively by the students. research findings showed that the application of hybrid learning benefited the lecturers and also the students in some aspects; one of them is the students' need to improve their digital literacy. on the preparation stage, it is important for the lecturers and also the students to have an orientation toward the implementation of hybrid learning since there would be prerequisite skills for them before having hybrid learning courses. the development of lesson planning was also crucial for the lecturers so that they could prepare the material and the activities they would post in elearning. on the main activity phase, students also are trained to be autonomous in doing task and assignments provided in hybrid learning. students' discussion through the forum discussion board also maintained the relationship between the lecturerstudents and students-students. however, the suggestions about the implementation of hybrid learning was about the orientation to both the students and the lecturers. they need to be familiarized with the system and all the activities included in the hybrid learning. immediate and intensity of feedback from lecturer is also a success key to the activity of hybrid learning. supporting factors for the succeed of hybrid learning are among others; 1) the availability of internet access both at campus or home, 2) the high of students and lecturer familiarity or literacy on computer and internet, 3) the availability of online learning resources that can be found and downloaded through internet, 4) lecturer and most of students has own computer facilities such as pcs, laptop, notebook, etc. however, the addition of e-learning to classroom teaching provides students with opportunities for autonomous learning and a decentralized transfer of knowledge. references bernat, c. & mueller, r. j. (2014). individualized learning with technology. maryland: rowman & littlefield education. bijeesh, n. a. (2017). advantages and disadvantages of distance learning. retrieved from http://www.indiaeducation.net/onlineeducation/articles/advantages-and-disadvantagesof-distancelearning.html brown, c. (2017). advantages and disadvantages of distance learning. retrieved from https://www.eztalks.com/elearning/advantagesand-disadvantages-of-distance-learning.html brown, c. (2017). benefits of distance learning. retrieved from https://www.eztalks.com/elearning/benefitsofdistance-learning.html bruce, j., weil, m., and calhoun, e. (2019). models of teaching. (9th ed.). pearson celtekligil, k. & adiguzel, z. (2020). analysis of the effect of innovation strategy and technological turbulence on competitive capabilities and organizational innovativeness in technology firms. procedia computer science, 158, p.772780. ceylan, v. k., & kesici, a. e. (2017). effect of blended learning to academic achievement. journal of human sciences. 14. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 113 chairuman, u. a., wibawa, b., & syahrial, z. (2018). determining the appropriate blend of blended learning: a formative research in the context of spada-indonesia. american journal of educational research, 2018, 6(3), 188-195 available online at http://pubs.sciepub.com/education/6/3/5 chairuman, u. a. (2020). new learning space and its implications toward teaching and learning in the era of new normal. jurnal teknologi pendidikan, 8(1). gupta, m. (2018). the innovation process from an idea to a final product: a review of the literature. international journal comparative management, 1(4), 400-421. guzer, b., & caner, h. (2013). the past, present and future of blended learning: an indepth analysis of literature. retrieved 11 27, 2017, from http://www.emu.edu.tr/hcaner/wpcontent/upload s/2014/09/blended-learning.pdf haizar, n. f. b. m., kee, d. m. h., chong, l. m., & chong, j. h. (2020). the impact of innovation strategy on organizational success: a study of samsung. asia pacific journal of management and education, 3(2), p. 93-104. hediansah, d., & surjono, h, d. (2019). motivation and improving learning outcome with android based physics books: education 4.0. anatolian journal of education. 1(1). hediansah, d. & surjono, h. d. (2020). hybrid learning development to improve teacher learning management. jurnal kajian teknologi pendidikan, 3(1), p.1-9. horn, m. b., & staker, h. (2015). blended: using disruptive innovation to improve schools. (1st edition). jossey-bass hubbard, p. (2013). making a case for learner training in technology enhanced language learning environments. calico journal, 30(2), 163–178. hutt, m. (2017). top 10 disadvantages of distance learning. https://www.eztalks.com/elearning/top10disadvantages-of-distance-learning.html joyce, b. r. (2015). models of teaching. pearson. kenney, j., & newcombe, e. (2011). adopting a blended learning approach: challenges encountered and lesson learned in an action research study. journal of asynchronous learning network. khadeer, n. s. (2016). the effectiveness of blended learning in improving students' achievement in third grade's science in bani kenana. journal of education and practice, 7. kwofie, b. & henten, a. (2011). the advantages and challenges of e‐learning implementation: the story of a developing nation. paper presented on 3rd world conference on educational sciences bahcesehir university, conference centre istanbul – turkey leibold, n., & schwarz, l. m. (2015). the art of giving online feedback. 15(13). matei, ani., & vrabie, catalin. (2013). e-learning platforms supporting the educational effectiveness of distance learning programmes: a comparative study in administrative sciences. elsevier ltd. open access under cc by-nc-nd license. miller, m. d. (2014). minds online: teaching effectively with technology. harvard university press mykhailyshyn, m., kondur, o., & serman, l. (2018). innovation of education and educational innovations in conditions of modern higher education institution. journal of vasyl stefanyk precarpathian national university, 5(1), 9-16. rahman, a. m. a. (2018). english writing performance using blended learning in tvet education. language literacy, 2(1), p.28-36. doi: 10.30743 rasheed, r. a., kamsin, a., & abdullah, n. a. (2020). challenges in the online component of blended learning: a systematic review. computers & education, 144, 103701. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2 019.103701 reiser, r. a., & dempsey, j. v. (2012). trends and issues in instructional design and technology. (3rd ed.) upper saddle river, nj: erlbaum. roseth, c., akcaoglu, m., & zellner, a. (2013). blending synchronous face-to-face and computersupported cooperative learning in a hybrid doctoral seminar. techtrends, sabir, i. r., akhtar, n., bahadur, w., sajjad, m. s., & abbas. (2014). impact of distance education on student performance: a case of allama iqbal open university. middle-east journal of scientific research, 21(3), 472476 schwenger, bettina. (2016). enhancing students’ tertiary blended learning experience through embedding digital information literacy. journal of perspectives in applied academic practice. 4. smaldino, s. e., lowther, d. l., mims, c., & russell, j. d. (2019). instructional technology and media for learning. (12th edition). pearson education, inc. smedley, j.k. (2010). modelling the impact of knowledge management using technology. or insight. smith, k. m., & craig, h. (2013). enhancing learner autonomy through call: a new model in efl curriculum design. calico journal, 30(2), 252n/a. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.11139/cj.30.2.252278 entis sutisna & lungguh halira vonti innovation development strategy for hybrid learning based english teaching and learning 114 surahman, e. (2019). integrated mobile learning system (imoles) sebagai upaya mewujudkan masyarakat pebelajar unggul era digital. jinotep (jurnal inovasi dan teknologi pembelajaran) kajian dan riset dalam teknologi pembelajaran, 5(2), 50-56. tomlinsen, brian., & whittaker, claire. (2013). blended learning in english language teaching: course design and implementation. british council. london. uk. vlassenko, l., & bozhok, n. (2014). advantages and disadvantages of distance learning. national university of food technologies, ukraine. w. banyen, c. viriyavejakul and t. ratanaolarn. (2016). a blended learning model for learning achievement enhancement of thai undergraduate students. thailand. ijet, 11. wena, made. (2011). strategi pembelajaran inovatif kontemporer; suatu tinjauan konseptual operasional. jakarta: bumi aksara yu, z. (2019). mobile deviceand video-aided flipped english classrooms. international journal of mobile and blended learning, 11(2), 19–32. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijmbl.2019 040102 zainuddin, z. & keumal, c. m. (2018). method within indonesian higher education institutions. jurnal pendidikan humaniora, 6(2), pp. 69–77. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijmbl.2019%20040102 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 901 creative writing and innovative process of beowulf virtual drama undergraduate students karwandi magister program of language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: karwandis@gmail.com rita inderawati (corresponding author) magister program of language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id didi suhendi magister program of language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: didisuhendi@fkip.unsri.ac.id margaretha dinar sitinjak magister program of language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: magiedinar@yahoo.com eryansyah magister program of language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: eryansyah@unsri.ac.id sardianto markos siahaan magister program of language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: mr.sardi@unsri.ac.id apa citation: karwandi., inderawati, r., sitinjak, m. d., eryansyah., & siahaan, s. m. (2022). creative writing and innovative process of beowulf virtual drama undergraduate students. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 901-910. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6323 received: 25-07-2022 accepted: 26-09-2022 published: 30-11-2022 abstract: pandemic covid-19 forced education sector to have no more face-to-face classes since 2020. unluckily, students from drama classes no longer performed on the stage even though they have well-prepared for the performance. this article highlighted four main problems: 1) how creative were students in writing drama script for virtual drama performance? 2) what were innovative processes created by the students for virtual drama performance? 3) what were the problem faced by the students in writing drama script and performing virtual drama performance? and 4) how were the lecturers’ role for the students in writing drama script and performing virtual drama performance? to answer these questions, the study employed online observation, interview, and documentation to dig up the research questions. the result of the study showed that by using documented-limited creative writing, most of the students were able in creating the drama script collaboratively and they utilized zoom platform and canva application through these preliminary investigation, detailed investigation, development, testing and validation, and full production processes. as a whole, the students were creative and innovative during the process of virtual drama performance and it could make the process of teaching and learning are worthwhile because lecturers and students had collaborated very well. key words: creative writing; innovative process; virtual drama performance. introduction the presence of the covid-19 pandemic in indonesia, in particular, has brought various bad impacts in various sectors, including the education sector. according to the ministry of education and culture (2022), at least, there are three potential prolonged negative social impacts that threaten students due to the effects of the mailto:rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id mailto:magiedinar@yahoo.com mailto:eryansyah@unsri.ac.id karwandi, rita inderawati, didi suhendi, margaretha dinar sitinjak, eryansyah, & sardianto markos siahaan creative writing and innovative process of beowulf virtual drama undergraduate students 902 covid-19 pandemic. the three impacts include dropping out of school, decreasing learning achievement and violence against children and external risks. in indonesia, distance learning (pembelajaran jarak jauh – herein after referred to as pjj) ranging from kindergartens to universities started at the end of march, 2021 to impede and cope with the spread and transmission of covid-19. nevertheless, there were a lot of problems arising since the schools were required to carry out online learning without proper preparation. there are three problems faced by the students and teachers. the first is the students’ difficulty in understanding the subject materials, the second is the teachers’ ability to use the technology in online learning (inderawati, 2011; inderawati; 2017; inderawati et al., 2021; septiyanti et al., 2020), and the third is the limitation in the learning controlling (efriana, 2021). consequently, the government was encouraged to issue policies supporting the schools to run the learning process smoothly, specifically by holding webinars and quota assistance for teachers and students. the lecturers begin to innovate by participating in various online trainings and creating learning videos. in addition, they attempt to use online meetings with students in the learning process, for example using zoom meetings, google meetings, and so on (oktarina et al., 2022; inderawati et al., 2018; inderawati et al., 2019). as one of the language skills, writing is very important for students to practice and improve. through writing, the students can express their ideas and thoughts into a written form. creative skills plays an important role in language learning such as drama, music, storytelling, projects, and creative writing all require a lot of creativity and imagination (pentury et al., 2020; septiandini et al., 2021). the creative writing is an imaginative, crafted, productive and original writing process (inderawati, 2022). it generally covers all areas of fiction, such as novels, short stories, poetry, etc., but can also include non-fiction, such as feature articles for magazines. furthermore, the creative writing occurs when the writers (the learners) write in their own language creatively and use their own writing style (harshini, 2020). in line with the previous ideas, when students are writing a text, they may not be afraid, they can express the ideas in their mind enthusiastically and free (inderawati et al., 2018). in other words, the creative writing is the process of writing where the writers (learners) write their ideas creatively using their own language and their own writing style to produce a new idea (inderawati, 2022). innovative process is a series of steps between the conception of an idea and its implementation. innovation is the process of developing new solutions to defined problems (faludi, 2015). on the other hand, the young learners respond very positively to opportunities to co-create the dramatic narratives that bring these worlds into being (hulse & owens, 2017), to express their ideas in performing the virtual drama. therefore, to improve the students’ achievement there are some activities that can be conducted, one of them is by staging a virtual drama performed by the students and facilitated by the lecturers entitled “beowulf”, the old english poetry. drama is any activity in which students are asked to describe themselves or play other people in imaginary situations (angelianawati, 2019). a virtual drama is a drama staging activity performed virtually, it can be conducted through an online platform such as zoom (cziboly & bethlenfalvy, 2020). this virtual drama entitled “beowulf” was a collaboration between teachers and students to fulfill the final assignment of literature in english language teaching class. in carrying out virtual dramas that are still very rarely performed by lecturers and students, the obstacles that might occur are the ability of the teachers and students to use ict. supporting applications also enlivened technological developments during the covid-19 pandemic, for example google classrooms, rumah belajar, ruang guru, canva, virtual reality and so on. however, inderawati (2022) qualitatively focused her study on the innovative process of drama virtual performance. based on the perpetual observation conducted by the researchers, there were no other performances conducted during the spread of covid-19 pandemic. however, the researchers discovered that the drama existed in virtual performance on campus and also had the experience of writing the script creatively and performing virtual drama in the classroom. to carry out virtual drama performance, deep creative writing and innovative process between lecturers and students are required because these processes require long preparation and time in order to produce a spectacular performance even during the covid-19 pandemic where the lecturers and students could not meet face-to-face one another, instead they could only do it through virtual meetings. for this reason, the teachers and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 903 students had to be able to understand how to use the applications used in staging this virtual drama, for example, by combining zoom meetings and canva. this study focused on the students’ creativity in writing drama script and the process to perform beowulf virtual drama. to find out the creative writing and innovative process in implementing virtual drama performance, there were several previous studies related to the preliminary study already conducted by the researcher. the first is coming from houlihan and morris (2022) finding that performing drama digitally can improve students’ confidence, share their ideas and increase their collaboration to each other. in addition, the drama which is performed virtually can connect the real space and the virtual space thorough desktop drama (li, 2022). furthermore, after learning the role playing and writing the drama script, the students become more self-confidence to act and capable to conduct drama performance (dahlan, 2022). in conclusion, the previous related studies proved that the virtual drama could be performed and had significant effects for the students. based on three previous studies, the researcher conducted study entitled “creative writing and innovative process of virtual drama performance of the 4th semester students of english education study program of universitas sriwijaya.” this study was conducted to find out how creative were students in writing drama script for virtual drama performance, what were innovative processes created by the students for virtual drama performance, what problems were faced by the students in writing drama script and performing virtual drama and how were the lecturers’ role for the students in writing drama script and performing virtual drama performance. method a research design is a plan or strategy devised to conduct research and make it practical, so that research questions can be answered based on evidence and warrants (cohen et al., 2018). in addition, creswell and creswell (2018) state that qualitative methods rely on text and image data, have unique steps in data analysis, and use multiple designs. the research adopted a case study method located within an interpretive theoretical framework. the purposes of this case study were to investigate students’ creative writing, innovative process, students’ problem and lecturers’ role in performing virtual drama performance. therefore, the researcher used qualitative data to answer the research questions and to optimize the research findings. the participants of this study were the 4th semester undergraduate students of english education study program of sriwijaya university for the academic year 2020-2021. the total number of the participants was 34 students consisting of 8 male students and 26 female students. there are five steps in conducting this study as follows: (1) preparing and organizing the data using fieldnotes. (2) reviewing and exploring the data. . (3) developing a data coding system. (4) assigning codes to the data in qualitative interview analysis, going through each participant’s responses and tagging them with codes in a spreadsheet. (5) identifying recurring themes. linking codes together into cohesive, overarching themes. the data collection is obtained through observation, interview, and documentation to investigate how students were creative in writing drama script and what innovative processes are in implementing virtual drama performance. table 1. research problem and the instruments no research problems instruments obser vation inter view docum entation 1. how creative were students in writing drama script for virtual drama performance? √ √ √ 2. what were innovative processes created by the students for virtual drama performance? √ √ √ 3. what problem were faced by the students in writing drama script and performing virtual drama performance? √ √ √ 4. how were the lecturers’ role for the students in writing drama script and performing virtual drama performance? √ √ √ the data were analyzed by using qualitative data analysis methods to get the results, including (1) preliminary exploration of the data by reading through the transcripts and writing memos; (2) coding the data by segmenting and labeling the text; (3) using codes to develop themes by aggregating similar codes together; (4) connecting and interrelating themes; and (5) constructing a narrative (creswell, 2012). the interview results are qualitatively analyzed by coding: each segment (e.g., group of words) was assigned to a semantic reference category, as systematically and rigorously as possible. karwandi, rita inderawati, didi suhendi, margaretha dinar sitinjak, eryansyah, & sardianto markos siahaan creative writing and innovative process of beowulf virtual drama undergraduate students 904 results and discussion the students’ creativity in writing drama script the creative drama script was written by the students after the lecturers divided the scenes into 34 scenes based on the total of the students. so, all the students had the same position as writers. the students started to rewrite their scenes based on the situation they got. they had to learn the characters, characteristics, plot, setting, point of view, and conflict. besides that, they reported into their whatsapp group. they discussed to each other to connect one scene to another. the lecturers gave the suggestions if the scenes had a mistake or did not relate to the story. they also put the supported pictures and sounds by using links to strengthen their drama scripts. all of the writing processes were carried out through their homes since the covid-19 pandemic still exists. the interview data showed that the students were creative in writing drama script because all the students took a part and wrote the scenes by themselves (one student wrote one scene) from their home virtually, also connected the script to another script so that it could become unity and related to each other. besides that, they discussed the script in whatsapp group so that it helped them to transcribe and compose the drama script creatively. it is supported by yang (2022) stating that creative writing tells information in such a way that the reader can get emotional while reading it. furthermore, he states that good writing can help writers to connect with readers through good communication, and clearly express the thoughts, ideas, and opinions of the author. based on this information, the students were creative in writing drama script for the virtual drama performance because they could connect the writers and the readers by sharing the ideas through drama script with the new ways and valuable. figure 1. the process of creative writing done by participant although the scenes had been divided by the lecturers, it did not restrict them to write the drama script creatively because they used their own style in writing. in order they did not write out of the box, they had to see the scene to write the drama script. table 2 shows the percentage of students’ creativity in writing drama script. table 2. the percentage of students’ creativity in writing drama script no students’ creativity frequency (%) 1. the students wrote the drama script by themselves 34 100% 2. the students could use music and background through the links 34 100% 3. students discussed together (collaboration) through whatsapp group 34 100% 4. students could give the elements of drama 34 100% table 2 showed that there were 34 students (100 %) could write the drama script by themselves through their homes, 34 students (100%) also could use music and background to support their writing by giving the links, there were also 34 students (100%) could feel the collaborations among them because they did discussion together through their whatsapp group and there were 34 students (100%) could understand and give the elements of drama. this is supported by greenawald (2021) stating that creative writing is any form of writing that uses the author's own style or by combining several writing styles with the aim of conveying the story of a story in a new way so that it makes the reader entertained and surprised. the innovative processes created by the students for virtual drama performance they had discussion about the beowulf story and its characters in the whatsapp group supervised by the lecturers. then they got the scene one by one from the lecturers and they started to record in the canva application. after they recorded in the canva application, the lecturers and the students discussed together. after all the records had been presented, the lecturers divided the characters based on the total number of the students. in this chance, the students also discussed to decide which characters were suitable for them. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 905 these could be said as the innovative processes because the students had used the recent apps to be applied for their process in performing the virtual drama such as canva and zoom. besides, the recording and performing their drama virtually from their home and it was very different when the drama performed on the stage formerly. they could also use the online background and sound by using link. this findings were strengthened by inderawati (2022) that the students were really creative as well as innovative as they could create drama performed virtually by utilizing zoom platform as the virtual stage and canva application for the virtual setting. figure 2. the innovative process done by the students (discussing in the whatsapp group) figure 3. the innovative process done by the students (writing the drama script from their home, one student one scene) figure 4. the innovative process done by the students figure 5. the innovative process done by the students (the students recorded their drama through zoom) meanwhile they divided the characters, the lecturers gave the students limited time to record in zoom meeting because the video would be combined. there were some students having 2-3 minutes for recording. they had to record based on the characters on the scene so some students could record themselves more than one especially the main characters of the story. they had to record over and over until they got the best video to be presented. the lecturers would tell in their whatsapp group if their videos were good or not. if they were not good, they had to record again until their videos were better. it is also supported by olimov and mamurova (2021) that the innovative process can be done if the process can manage the changing happened to the process itself. in addition, silva et al. (2016) divide three main steps of innovation, namely idea of something new, development of something new, and commercialization of something new. figure 2,3,4, and 5 showed that all the students did their innovative processes by telling the story in their whatsapp group, recording in canva application, recording the scenes in zoom meeting, and writing their drama script through their home virtually. these could be said as innovative processes because they had used the recent apps to be applied for their process in performing virtual drama such as canva and zoom. besides that, they did the process of recording and performing virtual drama from their home (online) even they had to recorded over and karwandi, rita inderawati, didi suhendi, margaretha dinar sitinjak, eryansyah, & sardianto markos siahaan creative writing and innovative process of beowulf virtual drama undergraduate students 906 over until they got the best scene (video). the background and the sound used through online indicated the process of innovation. figure 6. the opening of virtual drama for scene 4 figure 6 above showed the opening for scene 4 narrated by the students. in this process, the students recorded the scene through zoom together with their pairs. the narrator (one of the students) told that the grendel always attacked the hrothgar’s kingdom. in the beginning of the video the students narrated the story accompanied by the sound. besides that, the student gave the opening background by showing the sky. the sound can be seen in the link from the drama script for scene 4 below. figure 7. the drama script for scene 4 figure 8. the characters were having a conversation in scene 32 figure 8 showed that the advisor gave the suggestion to the king about the contest for fighting the grendel. it could be seen that the students did the innovative process when they used another background at the same time and scene. the background was downloaded and changed through an online platform. figure 9. the geats wanted to meet king hrothgar figure 9 showed that the geats came to visit hrothgar’s kingdom and the guards asked him what to do. from the picture, it could be seen that the students could use different background, characters and sound at the same time and scene. it is proved that they could do the innovative process very well in performing beowulf virtual drama. figure 10. beowulf’s dialogue for scene 4 the problem faced by the students in writing drama script in writing drama script, there were some problems faced by the students for instance, the students got difficult to suit the condition with the story and also the setting because it played virtually, the students were also confused how to connect their scene with the other scenes because they did not meet to each other, the students also needed more vocabularies because there were some new words used to make the dialogue interesting, and the last they needed more time to write because they had to write over and over to get a good scene and related to other scenes to support the beowulf story. table 4 shows the percentage of students’ problems in writing drama script as follows. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 907 table 3. the percentage of students’ problem in writing drama script no students’ problem frequency (%) 1. adjusting the drama situation 11 32.35% 2. connecting the scenes 8 23.53% 3. lack of vocabulary 7 20.59% 4. lack of time 8 23.53% table 3 showed that there were eleven students (32.35 %) had difficulties in adjusting the drama situation, eight students (23.53%) had difficulty in connecting the scenes. there were seven students (20.59%) getting difficult in creating some words because of lack of dictionary and there were eight students (23.53%) had more time in writing drama script. these were found when they did creative writing in drama script. in addition, the observation and documentation data showed that the students had similar problems about writing the drama script. most of them needed more time to write beside that they needed to imagine the story in order the scene that they made to be more interesting and unique. they also needed to connect between one scene and another and if it did not connect, they had to rewrite so it could be the whole scenes supporting to each other. all of the problems above could be overcome by having discussion among the students and lecturers. the problem faced by the students to process virtual drama performance in doing the innovative process of virtual drama performance, there were some problems faced by the students for instance, the students had difficulty to have a good connection in using zoom and canva applications, the students were also confused how to edit the videos because they did not meet each other, the students also got difficult to use costumes and light to support their performance, and the last they needed more time to record their scene. most of them needed more time to write beside that they needed to imagine the story in order the scene which they made could be more interesting and unique. they also needed to connect between one scene and another and if it did not connect, they had to rewrite so it could be the whole scenes which was supported to each other. all the above problems could be overcome by having discussion among students and lecturers. besides, if the area (remote or rural area) does not have enough internet access and it could disrupt the students’ preparation and performance in staging virtual drama. the result of the interview is presented in figure 11 as follows. figure 11. the problem faced by the students to perform virtual drama performance figure 11 showed that ten students (29.41%) had bad internet signals when they recorded the scenes because they lived out of the city. some of them lived in the village which did not have good internet signals. there were fifteen students (44.12%) having lack of editing. some of them were still new in having a record and an edit by using canva or zoom. in addition, there were five students (14.71%) had difficulty to find the costumes to support their performance, and there were four students (11.76%) had difficulty to use appropriate time because they had to repeat the scenes over and over. it could be said that there were fifteen students (44.12%) having problems to process the virtual drama performances but the rest, nineteen students (55.88%) had no problem to process the virtual drama performances. the lecturers’ role in creative writing in the interview, the lecturers’ role gave significantly positive for the students when they wrote a drama script. they could write the script well and perfect to support the story and connect between one scene to another. the result of the interview is presented in table 4 below. table 4. the percentage of lecturers’ roles in writing drama script no lecturers’ roles frequency (%) 1. giving suggestions about scenes 7 20.59% 2. making students more understanding about writing drama 11 32.35% karwandi, rita inderawati, didi suhendi, margaretha dinar sitinjak, eryansyah, & sardianto markos siahaan creative writing and innovative process of beowulf virtual drama undergraduate students 908 3. making students more spirit 9 26.47% 4. making students had new experience in writing drama 7 20.59% table 4 showed that there were seven students (20.59%) felt that the lecturers had important roles to provide them suggestions about the scenes so that they could write the drama script based on the scene given, eleven students (32.35%) said that the lecturers made them have more understanding about writing the drama script. there were nine students (26.47%) becoming more excited in writing the drama script and seven students (20.59%) having a new experience in writing the drama script. in other words, the lecturers’ role had important things to support the students in writing the drama script. the interview result is presented in figure 12 below. figure 12. the lecturers’ roles to perform virtual drama performance figure 12 showed that all the students (100%) felt that the lecturers’ roles had positive influence to process the virtual drama performances. the lecturers could make the students use the recent applications such as zoom and canva. on the other hand, the students recorded the scenes spiritedly even they rerecorded to get the best video. besides that, they understood better how to create the virtual drama performance and felt the relationship among them grew better. the lecturers’ roles has many functions as a mentor, a mediator, an inspirator, a collaborator, a role model, a teacher plays, and a facilitator (teacher, 2022). they could write the script well and perfect to support the story and they could connect between one scene to another. the lecturers provided the suggestion not only in their whatsapp group but also in an online meeting such as zoom meeting. performing drama can make the communication between students and teachers (lecturers) improve and they can interact to each other to give response and feedback (bsharat, 2021). in line the with the previous information, karaosmanoglu et al. (2022) finds that online drama is effective if it is done virtually because it gives the students and teachers space to share their ideas and expression in the limitation of the movement in the covid -19 pandemic although there are some weaknesses found such as the students got difficult to make a circle, fluent interaction and so forth. conclusion based on the findings and discussion above, it could be concluded that students could do creative drama script writing due to some factors. first, they were very excited in learning something new like writing drama script. writing drama script was rare for them and it was performed virtually. they could understand about the characters, characteristics, plot and setting virtually. the drama script was usually written by one person and team, in this study, all the scenes were written by themselves (one student one scene) from their homes virtually. second, they learned the scenes which they got from their lecturers and they discussed each other using their whatsapp group so they helped and supported to each other. although they had some problems, by having discussions and lecturers’ roles, all the obstacles could be solved because their lecturers could make their scenes better and more interesting. third, all the students did their innovative processes by telling the story in the whatsapp group, recording in canva application and recording the scenes in zoom meeting. these could be said as innovative processes because they used the recent apps to be applied for their process in performing virtual drama such as canva and zoom. besides that, they could use online background and sound to support their performance. so, they had done the process of innovation. even though the problems appeared such as the students got difficult to have a good connection in using zoom and canva applications, they were confused how to edit the videos because they did not meet to each other, they also got difficult to use costumes and light to support their performance, and the last they needed more time to record their scenes. all the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 909 problems could be solved by having discussions among students and lecturers. finally, the lecturers’ roles were significantly effective to make the process of virtual drama performance better. acknowledgement this study was funded by the anggaran dipa badan layanan umum universitas sriwijaya tahun anggaran 2022 no. sp dipa023.17.2.677515/2022, tanggal 13 desember 2021 sesuai dengan sk rektor nomor: 0019/un9/sk.lp2m.pt/2022 tanggal 15 juni 2022. references angelianawati, l. (2019). using drama in efl classroom. journal of english teaching, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v5i2.1066 ardian. (2021). technology innovation vs process innovation what's the difference? taptalk.io. https://taptalk.io/blog/technology-innovationand-process-innovation/ bsharat, t. r. k. (2021). the role of drama in improving students' english from the teachers' perspective tahani refa'at khalil bsharat. international journal of science and research, 6(1), 300-304. https://doi.org/10.21275/art20164024 cohen, l., manion, l., & morrison, k. (2018). research methods in education (8 ed.). routledge. creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. pearson. creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5 ed.). sage publications, inc. cziboly, a., & bethlenfalvy, a. (2020). response to covid-19 zooming in on online process drama. the journal of applied theatre and performance, 25(4), 645-651. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569783.2020.181681 8 dahlan, s. d. (2022). the implementation of virtual pbl (project based learning) model in english drama course. english and literature journal, 9(1), 66-76. https://doi.org/10.24252/elite.v9i1.27562 efriana, l. (2021). problems of online learning during covid-19 pandemic in efl classroom and the solution. journal of english language teaching and literature2(1), 38-47. faludi, j. (2015). open innovation in the performing arts. examples from contemporary dance and theatre production. corvinus journal of sociology and social policy, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.14267/issn.2062-087x greenawald, e. (2021, 4 july 2022). the 5 types of writing styles with examples. skill share blog. https://www.skillshare.com/blog/the-5-types-ofwriting-styles-with-examples/ gupta, m. (2018). the innovation process from an idea to a final product: a review of the literature. holistica, 1(4), 400-421. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijcm.2018.10017885 harshini, p. (2020). creative writing and its influence in the generation of language skills-a creative approach. journal of critical reviews, 7(4), 186-188. https://doi.org/1031838/jcr.07.04.32 houlihan, b., & morris, c. (2022). introductionperforming in digital in the covid-19 era. the journal of applied theatre and performance, 27(2), 157-167. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569783.2022.206421 4 hulse, b., & owens, a. (2017). process drama as a tool for teaching modern languages: supporting the development of creativity and innovation in early professional practice. innovation in langauge learning and teaching, 13(1), 17-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2017.128192 8 inderawati, r. (2011). from classroom to peer comment in facebook: bridging learners’ literacy [paper presentation]. the 4th international conference ict for language learning. pixel, italy. inderawati, r. (2017). the dynamics of efl teaching in indonesia: be innovative teachers through social media. english language teaching and research, 1(1), 29-37. inderawati, r., agusta, o., & sitinjak, m. (2018). the potential effect of developed reader response strategy-based mobile reading for students’ establishing character and comprehension achievement. indonesian journal of informatics education, 2(2), 117-126. inderawati, r., ariani, d., & hambali, m. (2018). enhancing descriptive writing achievement of tenth graders by using internet meme picture. indonesian journal of english education, 5(2), 176-190. https://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v5i2.7666 inderawati, r., petrus, i., & jaya, h. p. (2019). exploring and identifying technology-based dynamic learning through social media in academic writing. english community journal, 3(1), 317–324. inderawati, r., petrus, i., eryansyah., & meilinda. (2021). needs analysis of vocational high school textbook to local culture materials and the 21st century competencies. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), 245-252. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4349 inderawati, r., susanti, s., nurhayati., & sitinjak, m. d. (2022). developing instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v5i2.1066 https://taptalk.io/blog/technology-innovation-and-process-innovation/ https://taptalk.io/blog/technology-innovation-and-process-innovation/ https://doi.org/10.21275/art20164024 https://doi.org/10.1080/13569783.2020.1816818 https://doi.org/10.1080/13569783.2020.1816818 https://doi.org/10.24252/elite.v9i1.27562 https://doi.org/10.14267/issn.2062-087x https://www.skillshare.com/blog/the-5-types-of-writing-styles-with-examples/ https://www.skillshare.com/blog/the-5-types-of-writing-styles-with-examples/ https://doi.org/10.1504/ijcm.2018.10017885 https://doi.org/1031838/jcr.07.04.32 https://doi.org/10.1080/13569783.2022.2064214 https://doi.org/10.1080/13569783.2022.2064214 https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2017.1281928 https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2017.1281928 https://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v5i2.7666 karwandi, rita inderawati, didi suhendi, margaretha dinar sitinjak, eryansyah, & sardianto markos siahaan creative writing and innovative process of beowulf virtual drama undergraduate students 910 texts for the tenth grade students. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 749-760. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6431 inderawati, r., sofendi., purnomo, m. e., vianty, m., & suhendi, d. (2019). students’ engagement in utilizing technology for learning support. english franca: academic journal of english and education, 3(2), 181-196. karaosmanoglu, g., metinnam, i., ozen, z., & adiguzel, o. (2022). can drama lessons be given online? perspectives of drama teachers during the covid-19. international online journal of education and teaching, 9(3), 12491272. li, b. (2022). the virtual remote presence of the body: research on the phenomenon of "desktop drama". atlantis press sarl, 643, 242-248. oktarina, y., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2022). needs analysis of palembang-tourist-destination recount text reading materials in the 21st century learning. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 381-392. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6239 olimov, s. s., & mamurova, d. i. (2021). the innovation process is a priority in the development of pedagogical sciences. european journal of research development and sustainability (ejrds), 2(3), 86-88. https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/340 940-the-innovation-process-is-a-priority-inadcb358a.pdf pentury, h. j., anggraeni, a. d., & pratama, d. (2020). improving students’ 21st century skills through creative writing as a creative media. deiksis, 12(2), 164-178. https://doi.org/10.30998/deiksis.v12i02.5184 septiandini, s., inderawati, r., nurhayati, & petrus, i. (2021). the marriage of siti zubaidah :millenial drama performance in english language teaching. sriwijaya university institutional repository. http://repository.unsri.ac.id/id/eprint/42731 septiyanti, m., inderawati, r., & vianty, m. (2020). technological pegadogical and content knowledge (tpack) perception of english education students. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 1-10. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2114. silva, f. m. d., oliveira, e. a. d. a. q., & moraes, m. b. d. (2016). innovation development process in small and medium technology-based companies. rai revista de administração e inovação, 13(2016), 176-189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rai.2016.04.005 yang, x. (2022). research on digital teaching of creative writing in the context of computer big data. hindawi wireless communications and mobile computing, 2022, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2699833 https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/340940-the-innovation-process-is-a-priority-in-adcb358a.pdf https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/340940-the-innovation-process-is-a-priority-in-adcb358a.pdf https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/340940-the-innovation-process-is-a-priority-in-adcb358a.pdf https://doi.org/10.30998/deiksis.v12i02.5184 http://repository.unsri.ac.id/id/eprint/42731 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rai.2016.04.005 https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2699833 the effect of using short silent animations on efl learners’ writing hamid marashi islamic azad university at central tehran, iran e-mail: hamid.marashi@iauctb.ac.ir hedieh adiban islamic azad university at central tehran, iran e-mail: h.adiban@gmail.com apa citation: marashi, h., & adiban, h. (2017). the effect of using short silent animations on efl learners‟ writing. english review: journal of english education, 5(2), 207-216 received: 18-04-2017 accepted: 16-05-2017 published: 01-06-2017 abstract: this study investigated the effect of short silent animations on pre-intermediate efl learners‟ writing. a homogenized group of 60 participants was non-randomly chosen and assigned as the control and experimental groups. those in the control group watched five short animations with dialogue, while those in the experimental group had five short animations which were silent. the procedure lasted 10 sessions. in both groups, the participants were asked to write five writings regarding the subjects of the animations during the term and each of the writings should have contained a minimum of 90 and maximum of 140 words. the participants were provided both oral and written feedback. at the end of the instruction, a sample pet writing posttest was administered to both groups, an independent samples t-test was run on the mean scores of the two groups, and the results (t = -2.02, p = 0.037˂0.05) revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group. keywords: elt, silent animations, writing introduction the unprecedented speed of the technological advancement and diversification of the media (tv, internet, etc.) is making these applications almost inevitable in modern life. naturally, the same trend would probably prevail in educational settings; that is to say that an abstinence from the utilization of the media in the classroom may seem unacceptable and demotivating to many learners. hence, there seems to be a growing tendency among teachers – efl ones being no exception – to use video materials in their classes. in the words of harmer (2004), visual aids such as films can contribute to enriching the context and enthusiasm in the teaching/learning process in efl classes. perhaps, one readily available such media are animations. these visual materials which technically are synthetic motion pictures through computer simulation are mostly considered to be an advantageous source for language learning (atkinson, 2002; cakir, 2006; craig, gholson, & driscoll, 2002; tversky, morrison, & betrancourt, 2000). there are of course those who assert that teachers must be cautious in using video aids and not lose the educational purpose in the language classroom (hegarty, kriz, & cate, 2003; mayer, hegarty, mayer, & campbell, 2005; rockler, 2002; schnotz & rasch, 2005), nevertheless, when carefully selected, films and animations can be a great source of social, cultural, and civilization information. animations, according to schnotz and lowe (2003), can also have a positive psychological effect on learners‟ understanding through the cognitive and perceptual process as they can provide a https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v5i2.536 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 207 great amount of “visual and aural stimulation” for learners (lum, 2009, p. 71). furthermore, to avoid any misunderstanding between watching animations and movies, it is critically important especially for elementary learners to be able to link between the animation pictures and the meaning they intend to convey (harmer, 2004). accordingly, the effectiveness of using short and simple animations may be more than long and complex ones; the reason for this argument may be the fact that complex animations might cause learners to be confused and therefore stay behind (strauss, 1991). one advantage of using animations can be their positive effect on vocabulary acquisition and therefore leading to writing improvement (bogaards & loafer, 2004) as cited by marashi and azarmi (2012). writing is the most difficult skill for l2 learners to master (richards & renandya, 2002). it is mostly known as a solitary activity that requires a long time and many efforts but produces few results (bazerman, little, & bethel, 2005) as cited in marashi and yavarzadeh (2014). according to richards and schmidt (2002), writing is the result of a complex process of planning, drafting, reviewing, and revising for which many procedures, decision makings, and planning are deployed by the writer and, therefore, learners‟ writing achievement is related to the extent and how well they have engaged in these processes. writing is not only a feature of language acquisition; it can be considered as a prerequisite for effective communication across a range of human activities. according to hacker (1998), writers must learn how to plan, organize, draft, revise, and edit; they must also consider audience, purpose, and genre during the writing process. possessing writing skills is a mark of distinction but it can also indicate other attributes and inclinations, one being powerful academic success (graham & harris, 2005) because it can help writers to think, remember, observe, and also communicate (barrass, 1995). writing is a cognitive and dynamic process and cannot be memorized like the other static bodies of knowledge (goddard & sendi, 2008; rao & prasad, 2009, as cited in marashi & dadari, 2012). perhaps one striking challenge is that many students consider writing as an assignment they are required to do for school, as “opposed to textual expression they engage in their own time” (purcell, buchanan, & friedrich, 2013, p. 14). accordingly, students need motivation to write about the subjects they are asked. using animation can thus be a useful source and not only considered as fun but also as a visual learning aid to help learners have some brainstorming in their mind and a motivational teaching tool for both practicing and stimulating the writing skill (katchen, 2002). the literature is perhaps abundant with research studies conducted on the impact of using videos in the language classroom. in their research, kayaoglu, dag akbas, and ozturk (2011) looked for the effect of animation on learners‟ vocabulary achievement; the results indicated that using animation could have a positive impact on students‟ achievement. zulfadlan and arifin (2013) investigated the effect of animation movies on sixth grade students‟ narrative writing. the results indicated that animation bore a significantly positive impact on learners‟ narrative writing. chan and black (2005) studied the comparative effect of animation and static visuals on language learning thus concluding that learners convey better understanding and comprehension through animation. in addition, baratta and jones (2008) have worked on the idea of the effect of films on academic writing skills. although there was not an absolute improvement, the final result showed a positive feedback taken from most of the learners. also, ghaedsharafi and bagheri (2012) sought into whether the three different hamid marashi & hedieh adiban the effect of using short silent animations on efl learners’ writing 208 presentations of audiovisual, visual, and audio could affect efl learners‟ writing ability. the results showed that the audiovisual group performed better than the other two groups in their writings. regarding what has been discussed so far, the researchers sought to respond to the following research question: does using short silent animations have any significant effect on efl learners‟ writing? method for the purpose of this study, 90 female pre-intermediate efl learners within the age group of 18 to 30 from a language school in tehran were considered and based on their performance on a sample cambridge esol preliminary english test (pet), 60 of them were chosen and non-randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups of 30. there were also 30 female participants with almost the same language proficiency background as the 90 learners mentioned above who sat for the piloting of the test. two tests, a course book, and 10 animations were used during the course. a sample pet (preliminary english test) was administered for the participant selection process as described above. the speaking section of the pet was not administered and both researchers whose inter-rater reliability had been established in the piloting phase (r = 0.787, p = 0.0001 ˂ 0.01) scored the writing papers. in addition, the writing paper of another sample pet was used as the posttest and administered to both groups at the end of the course. the participants in both control and experimental groups studied preintermediate english result course book and basic oxford word skills book. both groups were presented with five short animations. the control group watched five short animations with dialogue while the experimental group had five silent short animations. the maximum duration of each animation was 10 minutes. the context was mostly fiction and the genre consisted of comedy, romance, horror, and adventure. the titles of the five short silent animations were: the blue umbrella, the ugly duckling, alma, partly cloudy, and worlds apart. there were three short animations by the name of: the guardian tale, legend of mordue, and the hawaiian vacation. the other two were chosen from long animations: inside out, from 01:07:02 to 01:13:28, and also big hero 6, from 00:27:00 to 00:36:55, regarding the themes and context mentioned earlier. to commence the study, the teacher of both groups (one of the researchers) piloted a sample pet among 30 female efl learners alongside the item analysis reported earlier. the inter-rater reliability of the two raters scoring the writing section was established too (following a comprehensive mutual briefing they held together on how to score the writings) and the test was thence administered among 90 learners with 60 of them whose scores fell one standard deviation above and below the mean chosen as the participants of this study and assigned randomly to two groups of control and experimental in which each group containing 30 learners. both groups participated in the course three days a week for 20 sessions. in the last 20 minutes of five sessions during the course, each group watched five different short animations (silent ones for the experimental group and animations with dialogue for the control group, as described above). the animations covered the same subjects for both groups for a maximum duration of 10 minutes. if necessary, the teacher used to elicit the animation‟s main idea. the students were not bound to follow any particular style in their writings and were free in choosing the writing genre as long as they followed the necessary rules and grammars provided by their course book and teacher. the students in both groups subsequently underwent the writing process for 10 minutes and then gave their works to the teacher. the writings should have english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 209 contained at least 90 and a maximum of 140 words. their papers were corrected by the two researchers; the next session, the students received written and – if necessary – oral feedback. for the oral feedback, the teacher wrote the learners‟ grammatical and spelling errors on the board, without mentioning any names, either explaining them herself or asking the learners to correct them. in the control group, the learners watched five short animations with a dialogue and the participants in the experimental group were presented five short silent animations. the students were encouraged to be creative: to use their imagination in their writings and not solely write a summary of the animation. their writings could be a story and even the learners‟ own experience regarding the subject of the animation. each of their writings should have contained a maximum of 140 words and were submitted after 10 minutes. on the 18 th session of the course, the participants in both groups sat for the same posttest. results and discussion participant selection as described above, the first step in the participant selection was piloting the test. following the piloting, the mean and standard deviation of the raw scores were calculated: 49.90 and 9.69, respectively. the reliability of the test scores (estimated through the kr-21 procedure) gained by the participants on the pilot pet was also 0.83. next, the piloted pet was administered for participant selection. table 1 shows the descriptive statistics of this administration with the mean being 62.56 and the standard deviation 13.51, respectively. table 1. descriptive statistics of the pet administration n minimum maximum mean std. deviation pet administration 90 35 85 62.56 13.506 valid n (listwise) 90 among the 90 students who took the pet, the researchers selected 60 who scored between one standard deviation above and below the mean. as the students in the language school came from intact groups and the researchers did not have the luxury of random sampling, they had to make sure that the 30 learners in each of the two groups bore no significant difference in terms of the dependent variable of this study (writing skill) prior to the treatment. to this end, they checked whether the mean scores of the two groups on the writing section of the pet administered earlier bore any significant difference or not. first, however, the descriptive statistics of the scores obtained by these 60 learners on the pet writing section are presented (table 2). as shown, the mean and standard deviation of the control group were 15.90 and 3.54, respectively, while those of the experimental group were 16.02 and 4.61, respectively. table 2. descriptive statistics of the writing scores of the two groups on the pet administration n minimum maximum mean std. deviation skewness statistic statistic statistic statistic statistic statistic std. error control group prewriting 30 10.00 20.00 15.900 3.536 .068 .427 hamid marashi & hedieh adiban the effect of using short silent animations on efl learners’ writing 210 experimental group pre-writing 30 10.00 20.00 16.02 4.609 .664 .427 valid n (listwise) 30 going back to table 2, the skewness ratios of both groups (0.16 and 1.54) fell within the acceptable range of ±1.96, thus, signifying that, the score distributions in both groups represented normality. therefore, running an independent samples t-rest was legitimized. table 3. independent samples t-test of the mean scores of both groups in their writing prior to the treatment levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means 95% confidence interval of the difference f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference lower upper equal variances assumed 1.72 .195 -.25 58 .802 -.26667 1.06072 -2.38 1.856 equal variances not assumed -.25 54.3 .802 -.26667 1.06072 -2.39 1.859 as table 3 above indicates, with the f value of 1.722 at the significance level of 0.195 being larger than 0.05, the variances between the two groups were not significantly different. therefore, the results of the t-test with the assumption of homogeneity of the variances were reported here. the results (t = 0.251, p = 0.802 > 0.05) indicate that there was no significant difference between the mean scores of the two groups at the outset; consequently, any probable differences at the end of the treatment could be attributed to the effect of the treatment. posttest the researchers administered the writing posttest (described in detail earlier) among the two experimental and control groups once the treatment was completed. table 4 below displays the descriptive statistics of this administration. as shown, the mean and standard deviation of the control group were 15.08 and 2.21, respectively, while those of the experimental group were 16.23 and 2.18, respectively. table 4. descriptive statistics for the posttest in both groups n minimum maximum mean std. deviation skewness statistic statistic statistic statistic statistic statistic std. error control group posttest 30 10 18 15.08 2.213 -.806 .427 experimental group posttest 30 10 20 16.23 2.184 -.743 .427 valid n (listwise) 30 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 211 testing the null hypothesis to verify the null hypothesis of the study, the researchers intended to conduct the independent samples t-test. going back to table 4, the skewness ratios of both groups fell within the acceptable range of ±1.96 (-1.89 and -1.74), thus, signifying that, the score distributions in both groups represented normality. therefore, running a t-rest was legitimized. table 5. independent samples t-test on the mean scores of both experimental groups levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means 95% confidence interval of the difference f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference lower upper equal variances assumed .022 .882 -2.02 58 .037 -1.150 .568 -2.28 -1.49 equal variances not assumed -2.02 57.9 .037 -1.150 .568 -2.28 -1.48 as table 5 above indicates, with the f value of 0.022 at the significance level of 0.882 being larger than 0.05, the variances between the two groups were not significantly different. therefore, the results of the t-test with the assumption of homogeneity of the variances were reported here. the results (t = -2.02, p = 0.037 ˂ 0.05) indicate that there was a significant difference between the mean scores of the two groups at the posttest. it can thus be concluded that the presupposed null hypothesis was rejected meaning that the experimental group who gained a higher mean score on the posttest outperformed the control group in this study. following the rejection of the null hypothesis, the researchers were interested to know how much of the obtained difference could be explained by the variation in the two levels of the independent variable. to determine the strength of the findings of the research, that is, to evaluate the stability of the research findings across samples, effect size was also estimated to be 0.67. according to cohen (1988, p. 22), this is a moderate effect size. therefore, the findings of the study could be moderately generalized. regarding the studies done in recent years, the positive effect of media (animation and movies) on learning different skills has become apparent (ghaedsharafi & bagheri, 2012; maneekul, 2002; marvasti & mosavi, 2015; xhemaili, 2013). as fitria, jismulatif, and syarfi (2015) noted, using animation films can improve reading comprehension and many language skills such as vocabulary, comprehension, and sequencing. according to the results gathered by the tests in her research, kumalawati (2014) concluded that silent films can improve learners‟ narrative writing ability. hsu (2011) believes that having multimedia technology can be useful to improve writing abilities in classes. it should also be considered that video can provide learners with content, context, and language (shahani & tahriri, 2015); therefore, using it would be interesting for them. it can also be concluded that having funny animated pictures can result in higher hamid marashi & hedieh adiban the effect of using short silent animations on efl learners’ writing 212 learning rate in time compared to annotated funny pictures (ghaderi & afshinfar, 2014). this study focused on the visual aspect of short silent animations. as champoux (1999) claims, movies can help inexperienced learners to have a feeling of reality through visual aids which can also be helpful to instructors and teachers as mannan (2005) points out. throughout the research, it was clearly observed that the learners in the experiment group were more eager and interested to find and use new vocabularies and were more creative in their writing while those in the control group were mostly bound to the vocabularies they could understand and find in motion pictures and though being creative, they were mostly under the influence of the dialogues and the theme of the animation with speech. the higher writing scores of experimental group compared to those of the control group in this research showed that watching silent animations had more effect on the writing quality than those with dialogues. conclusion the main pedagogical implication of this study is yet further emphasis on using authentic materials especially animations to encourage students to participate more voluntarily in the writing process. in the researchers‟ experience, most learners consider writing classes were boring; hence, using animation can probably make them more interested in the parts that are taught. moreover, using silent animation would help the learners to focus more on the issue which is presented in the motion picture and less in the dialogues and, therefore, it would further motivate them in trying to use as many new vocabularies as possible. the important thing to note when learners are using silent animations is that they would not get lost in the story as these animations tend to encourage them to use their imagination and previous knowledge and experiences to come up with a proper writing. throughout this study, both groups demonstrated improvement but most of the participants in the control group were more bound to the animation and the dialogues used in them while the members of the experimental group were more interested in using new ideas and experiences rather than the summary of the story. elt schools may think of being able to provide the proper technology and time for these classes which would not only be helpful for writing but also could cover different skills such as reading and speaking. animation has been regarded as an appealing way for teaching and is considered as a tool which can make learning more fun. learners also find this material to be more interesting and motivating. at the same time, writing is viewed as a difficult task but an important subject to be learned; therefore, in order to gain optimal results, teachers in general can try to be creative and find innovative animations to show in classes for teaching this skill to students thereby encouraging them to absorb the lessons more effectively. references atkinson, r. k. (2002). optimizing learning from examples using animated pedagogical agents. journal of educational psychology, 94(2), 416-427. baratta, a. & jones, s. (2008). using film to introduce and develop academic writing skills among uk undergraduate students. journal of educational enquiry, 8(2), 15-37. barras, r. (1995). students must write: a guide to better writing in coursework and examination. london: longman. cakir, i. (2006). the use of video as an audio-visual material in foreign language teaching classroom. tojet: the turkish online journal of educational technology, 5(4), 67-72. champoux, j. e. (1999). film as a teaching resource. journal of management inquiry, 8(2), 206-217. chan, m. s., & black, j. b. (2005). effect of presentation mode and visualization type on understanding dynamic physical processes. paper presented at the american educational research association annual meeting, montreal, canada. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 213 cohen, j. (1988). statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). hillsdale, nj: lea. craig, s. d., gholson, b., & driscoll, d. m. (2002). animated pedagogical agents in multimedia educational environments: effects of agent properties, picture features, and redundancy. journal of educational psychology, 94(2), 428434. fitria, z., jismulatif, m., & syarfi, h. m. (2015). using animation films to improve the ability of the second grade students of sman 1 bantan in writing legend. journal online mahasiswa, 3(1). ghaderi, v., & afshinfar, j. (2014). a comparative study of the effects of animated versus static funny pictures on iranian intermediate efl students‟ intake and retention of idioms. procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 98, 522-531. ghaedsharafi, m., & bagheri, m. (2012). effects of audiovisual, audio, and visual presentations on efl learners‟ writing skill. international journal of english linguistics, 2(2), 113-121. goddard, y. l., & sendi, c. (2008). effects of selfmonitoring on the narrative and expository writing of four fourth-grade students with learning disabilities. reading and writing quarterly, 24(4), 408-433. graham, s., & harris, k. r. (2005). writing better: effective strategies for teaching students with learning difficulties. baltimore, md: paul h. brookes. hacker, d. j. (1998). definitions and empirical foundations. in d. j. hacker, j. dunlosky, & a. c. graesser (eds.), metacognition in educational theory and practice (pp. 1-23). mahwah, nj: lea. harmer, j. (2004). how to teach writing. new york: longman. hegarty, m., kriz, s., & cate, c. (2003). the roles of mental animations and external animations in understanding mechanical systems. cognition & instruction, 21(4), 325-360. hsu, w. (2011). you-tube in an efl composition class. arab world english journal, 2(2), 91-132. katchen, j. e. (2002). video in elt-theoretical and pedagogical foundations. proceedings of the 2002 kate (the korea association of teachers of english) international conference, 256-259. kayaoglu, m. n., dag akbas, r. d., & ozturk, z. (2011). a small scale experimental study: using animations to learn vocabulary. tojet: the turkish online journal of educational technology, 10(2), 24-30. kumalawati, a. n. (2014). the writing ability in narrative text of the 10 th grade students of senior high school taught by using silent film. unpublished doctoral dissertation, universitas muria kudus. lum, c. h. (2009). teaching world music through feature films. music educators journal, 95(3), 71-75. maneekul, j. (2002). use of authentic material and tasks to enhance english listening skill for undergraduate students majoring in teaching english at faculty of education, chiang mai university. unpublished master‟s thesis, chiang mai university. mannan, a. (2005). modern education: audio-visual aids. new delhi: anmol. marashi, h., & azarmi, a. (2012). the comparative effect of presenting words in semantically related and unrelated sets in intentional and incidental learning contexts on iranian efl learners‟ vocabulary learning. journal of second language teaching and research, 1(2), 71-89. marashi, h., & dadari, l. (2012). the impact of using task-based writing on efl learners‟ writing performance and creativity. theory and practice in language studies, 2(12), 2500-2507. marashi, h., & yavarzadeh, e. (2014). using critical discourse analysis instruction in argumentative and descriptive writing classes. issues in language teaching, 3(2), 209-236. mayer, r. e., hegarty, m., mayer, s., & campbell, j. (2005). when static media promote active learning: annotated illustrations versus narrated animations in multimedia instruction. journal of experimental psychology: applied, 11(4), 256– 265. mosavi, t. m., & marvasti, f. t. (2015). the effects of animation usage on first grade reading. british journal of education, society & behavioural science, 10(2), 1-10. purcell, k., buchanan, j., & friedrich, l. (2013). the impact of digital tools on student writing and how writing is taught in schools. washington, dc: pew research center. richards, j. c., & renandya, w. a. (2002). methodology in language teaching: an anthology of current practice. cambridge: cambridge university press. richards, j. c., & schmidt, r. (2002). longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics. london: pearson education. rockler, n. r. (2002). overcoming „it‟s just entertainment‟: perspective by incongruity as strategy for media literacy. journal of popular film and television, 30(1), 16-22. schnotz, w., & lowe, r. k. (2003). external and internal representations in multimedia learning. learning and instruction, 13(2), 117-123. schnotz, w., & rasch, t. (2005). enabling, facilitating, and inhibiting effects of animations in multimedia learning: why reduction of cognitive hamid marashi & hedieh adiban the effect of using short silent animations on efl learners’ writing 214 load can have negative results on learning. educational technology research and development, 53(3), 47-58. shahani, s., & tahriri, a. (2015). the impact of silent and freeze-frame viewing techniques of video materials on the intermediate efl learners‟ listening comprehension. sage open, 5(2). strauss, r. (1991). some basics of screen design for television-based multimedia. multimedia and videodisc monitor, 2(11), 24-28. tversky, b., morrison, j. b., & betrancourt, m. (2000). animation: can it facilitate? international journal of human-computer studies, 57(4), 247262. xhemaili, m. (2013). the advantages of using films to enhance students‟ reading skills in the efl classroom. academic journal of interdisciplinary studies, 4(13), 62-66. zulfadlan, a., & arifin, t. m. (2013). improving grade x students‟ achievement in writing narrative paragraph through animation movie. journal of english language teaching of fbs-unimed. 2(1), 1-16. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 215 teacher a teacher asks her class, "if there are 5 birds sitting on a fence and you shoot one of them, how many will be left?" she calls on little johnny. he replies, "none, they all fly away with the first gun shot" the teacher replies, "the correct answer is 4, but i like your thinking." then, little johnny says "i have a question for you. there are three women sitting on a bench having ice cream: one is delicately licking the sides of the triple scoop of ice cream. the second is gobbling down the top and sucking the cone. the third is biting off the top of the ice cream. which one is married?" the teacher, blushing a great deal, replied "well i suppose the one that's gobbled down the top and sucked the cone" to which little johnny replied, "the correct answer is the one with the wedding ring on, but i like your thinking." (source: http://www.study-express.ru/humour/funny-stories.shtml, picture: www.google.co.id) hamid marashi & hedieh adiban the effect of using short silent animations on efl learners’ writing 216 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 129 the implementation of google site as e-learning platform for teaching efl during covid-19 pandemic jusriati department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, university of muhammadiyah palopo, south sulawesi, indonesia email: jusriati@umpalopo.ac.id nasriandi department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, university of muhammadiyah palopo, south sulawesi, indonesia email: nasriandi@umpalopo.ac.id wisnu kurniadi department of informatics, faculty of computer engineering, university of cokroaminoto palopo, south sulawesi, indonesia. email: wisnukurniadi@uncp.ac.id ratna department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education university of muhammadiyah palopo, south sulawesi, indonesia email: ratnasyamsul01@gmail.com apa citation: jusriati., nasriandi., kurniadi, w., ratna. (2021). the implementation of google site as e-learning platform for teaching efl during covid-19 pandemic. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 129-138. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5363. received: 29-08-2021 accepted: 24-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction the rate of covid-19 cases worldwide are now declining, including indonesia. however, it cannot be the reason for people to turn their guard down, especially with some new mutations of the covid19. thus, the government are trying their best in order to keep this rate or even going down. the presence of this virus was discovered for the first time in wuhan, china, and has spread to virtually every country in the world, and indonesia being one of them. the republic of indonesia's national disaster management authority has decided to extend the period of the disaster emergency caused by the covid-19 pandemic until may 29, 2020, and in fact even exceeded the stipulated time. because of that the minister of education and culture of republic indonesia decided policies that lead students to study from home and teachers to teach from home, too (syarifah & zainil, 2021). it absolutely replaces face-to-face learning in school room setting into online learning. it has become a significant challenge for both students and teachers to manage online learning. as has been experienced by almost all people so far, the covid-19 certainly has a very negative abstract: the aims of this study are to find out whether the implementation of google site is effective or not for teaching efl and to know the student’s perception toward the implementation of google site in teaching efl. the subject of the study will be english students education at university of muhammadiyah palopo. the samples of this study will be chosen randomly. the data will be from the efl test and interview and all documents use by the lecturer in their teaching and learning process. the efl test used to measure the students’ improvement after implementing the google sites and the interview used to investigate while the interview done to dig more information on how the students’ perception toward the implementation of google site in teaching efl. however, through the implementation of the media, it can be said to be effective and attract the attention of students in efl learning. keywords: google sites, efl, e-learning, covid-19. jusriati, nasriandi, wisnu kurniadi, & ratna the implementation of google site as e-learning platform for teaching efl during covid-19 pandemic 130 impact on all aspects of life such as the economy, social life, education and many more. for some time ago, the indonesian government has issued cautions and restrictions on people leaving their homes, working, and attending school. work from home and learn from home are two new phrases that have arisen. even today the caution is still ongoing. education is one of the important things in human life. during the covid-19 pandemic, it faces very high challenges. one of the most challenging things in the world of education today is the enactment of a learning from home policy that directly requires all relevant parties to implement virtual learning (broto, miarsyah, & ristanto, 2021). the implementation of virtual or online learning is one of the learning models carried out during the pandemic, this is motivated by the principle of education policy during the covid-19 pandemic is to prioritize the health and safety of students, educators, education staff, families, and society in general, in the context of fulfilling educational services during the pandemic. virtual learning is also usually synonymous with the application of e-learning. it is a method or idea of education that incorporates information technology into teaching and learning, with the learning process being supported by an electronic or computer system. discussing about computer systems, there are of course many things that can be used in the learning process such as the implementation of google site as a platform in the teaching and learning process. however, students must continue to study even if it is done online, there are many platform that the teachers can use as media on online teaching and according to some research result regarding to teaching using web material shows positive result,(waloyo, khoiriyah, & farah, 2021) stated that the teachers basically agreed that implementing clil using web-based teaching materials has comprehensive impact for students due to its dualfocus, content, and language learning despite of the teachers’ lack of english proficiency, lack of appropriate teaching materials, and lack of ict facilities. according to the 2020 kemdikbud pusdatin online article, with the outbreak of the covid-19 virus, physical restrictions have been imposed in various public environments including the educational environment. physical restrictions imposed in schools make face-to-face learning difficult due to the various limitations that students and teachers have. there are many ways that can be circumvented to improve student learning outcomes during a pandemic, such as through a google site module so as not to consume a lot of internet quota compared to video conference. most people have some experience with visiting websites, and the world wide web constitutes an incredible resource to use with your students. webbased learning media able to improve student learning outcomes, this is due to the learning process student-centered and with many sources, with a mix of several pictures and videos will make students more interested in learning as well as with there will be more student web-based media get the material studied because models made according to child development and technology (peprizal & syah, 2020). google sites is a platform on google that allows you to easily create websites. in addition (jubaidah & zulkarnain, 2020) state that google sites is one of the products from google as a tool for creating websites. users can take advantage of google sites because they are easy to create and manage by ordinary users. so that anyone can use or create google sites, especially a subject teacher who is currently conducting wfh (work form home) learning activities during the covid-19 pandemic. the present of covid-19 pandemic environment has offered language teachers with several possible possibilities to utilize online apps and tools to enhance learners' language competence, there are several applications that have been used in the efl learning process such as: the blackboard ultra, podcasting, vodcasting, video conference, etc. (hakim, 2020). several research results have also revealed that the use of technology in learning english as a foreign language has a very important role, such as: (au-yong-oliveira, gonçalves, martins, & branco 2018) who stated important issue about the raise awareness about technology integration to the learning process among learners and parents. next, access to internet connection without disruption and bandwidth limitations is another technical aspect to be dealt with and resolved as it potentially discourages efl teachers from implementing new technologies to online classrooms (yadov, gupta, & khetrapal, 2018). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 131 adnan, ahmad, yusof, kamal, & kamal (2019), integration of vodcasting and podcasting into online classrooms was reported as successful. however, regardless of all the constructive steps taken and positive developments in language learning and teaching, there are certain issues that still need to be addressed. teaching english as a foreign language is not easy for several reasons. as we know that english is a foreign language, it certainly requires maximum effort in the teaching and learning process, especially during the current online learning period. for this reason, the process of selecting learning media is basically a very crucial thing. it must be done carefully so that it can be used and utilized properly, and in turn will be able to improve the quality of learning. the current learning model requires students to be able to learn independently. therefore, the learning process during the pandemic requires lecturers to be more interactive in choosing and implementing online learning media so that the material delivered is in accordance with learning outcomes. online learning can be implemented using an internet-based interactive model and a learning management system. for example, by using the google site this study aims to implement the google site as a learning platform in teaching english as a foreign language. method this research conducted on the basis of mixed method with central points on (1) the implementation of google site as learning platform for teaching efl, and (2) the extent the implementation of google site that facilitated students in learning english as foreign language. according to (creswell & creswell, 2018), a mixed method research is a procedure for collecting, analysing, and mixing both quantitative and qualitative methods in a single study or a series of studies to understand a research problem. therefore, the data were gathered from a combination of both quantitative and qualitative data namely open-ended interview. this research focused on 25 efl students of english education study program at universitas muhammadiyah palopo in academic year 2021/2022. the instruments used in this research namely: efl test that is used to find out the improvement of students’ ability in learning efl skill in pre-test and post-test, and interview that is used to find out the students’s perception toward the use of this google site in learning efl. the interview consisted of 6 open ended questions. next for techniques of collecting data in this preexperimental research namely efl test that is to find out the students’ the improvement of students’ ability in learning efl skill in pre-test and post-test. and then for the interview used to evaluate the students’ perception toward the use of this google site in learning efl. in analysing data, the researcher used both quantitative and qualitative. the data from efl test was analyzed quantitatively and the data from interview was analyzed qualitatively. results and discussion the first stage in this research before the implementation of the e-learning platform was development. the development of the efl teaching website was organized as follows: selection of topic in this research, the researcher preferred the topic academic writing. this is because the topic is a fairly complicated topic for students because they have to pay attention to several rules in its application so that something new and interesting is needed in the teaching process. through this research, the researcher tries to create something new for students in the writing course which so far has only been done in the conventional way, namely writing on a paper and then collecting it to the lecturer, which of course will make them bored. currently, with the development of this platform, researchers believe that it will create something different in terms of learning writing. developing the website after choosing a topic that is considered appropriate, the researcher then develops the learning media using the google site. the content in the google site was based on the outline as arranged in order as listed namely (1) home, (2) lesson plan, (3) teaching material, (4) middle and final test and (5) students project. jusriati, nasriandi, wisnu kurniadi, & ratna the implementation of google site as e-learning platform for teaching efl during covid-19 pandemic 132 figure 1. home page of the entire e-learning platform. the developed e-learning platform of academic writing has attracted the attention of students in its use. this e-learning platform utilize the students’ knowledge about academic writing. there several materials included in this platform such introduction of academic writing, the principles on it until the process and practices in writing. it can be seen in the following figure. figure 2. list of teaching materials not only that, this platform also displays a menu of projects or tasks that have been given to students. this certainly makes it easier for lecturers and students to control and check every project or task that has been done. the assignments or projects that have been collected can be checked via the url or link of each student that is loaded on the student project menu. it can be seen in the following figure. figure 3. list of students’ project after implementing the e-learning platform, the next step is calculating the students score in pre-test and post-test. however, the results show a difference. it can be seen in the following table about the distribution of students’ scores in english ability. where after conducting the treatment, the students’ english ability show an improvement. the mean score and standard deviation of the students’ english ability in pre-test and post-test are shown in table and figure below: table 1. students’ mean score and standard deviation of pre-test and post-test mean n std. deviation std. error mean pair 1 pre-test students 55.16 25 10.258 2.052 post-test students 70.52 25 8.856 1.771 table paired sample statistics above shows that the mean score of post-tests is higher than the mean score of pre-tests, (70.52 > 55.16). 70.52 is classified as good category. while,55.16 is classified as poor category. it means that by implementing google site in teaching efl is successful in improving the students’ english ability. the results of the students’ improvement in pre-test and post-test are shown in figure below: figure 4. students score in pre-test and post-test the pervious data associated with increasing student scores in the learning process as a result of this study is in line with the results stated by (broto et al., 2021) who found that the use of google site as a teaching material and media was very effective in its use. they can prove this by looking at the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 133 comparison of the mean value in the experimental class which has increased by 3 points. the students’ perception toward the implementation of google site in teaching efl. the next steps in this research are measuring the students’ perception toward the implementation of google site in teaching efl to determine the level of students’ acceptance of that website. from the questionnaire submitted to 25 students, there were eleven item statements that were asked, namely the students’ perception toward the implementation of google site in teaching and learning process. the following are the questions that have been given to the students. students’ response on the question based on the results of research that has been carried out, it was found that by using google site as a platform in teaching and learning efl can increase effectiveness in the efl learning process during the covid-19 pandemic. this can be needed through increasing student scores in the pre-test and post-test. not only that, this can also be confirmed through our online interview quote with the following students. researchers : “do lecturers always use media in efl learning?” ss : “yes, they do.” researchers : “what types of media are used by lecturers in efl learning?” ss : “google site, whatsapp, google classroom, zoom, google meet, blog, etc.” based on the results of the interview above, it can be said that basically lecturers in teaching have implemented various kinds of media as mentioned above, including the google site. to get more information related to the use of the google site in the learning process, the researcher again asks questions such as the following: researchers : “have you known the media (google site) before? if so, since when and through whom?” s1 : “ya, melalui guru bahasa indonesia di sma.” (yes, through an indonesian teacher in high school) s2 : “iya, sejak kegiatan english camp dan melalui dosen.” (yes, since the english camp activities and through lecturers.) s3 : “ya, saya tahu tentang google site melalui dosen saya yang mengajarkan tentang writing dan dia menggunakan itu agar proses belajar lebih menarik.” (yes, i know about google site through my lecturer who teaches about writing and he uses it to make the learning process more interesting.) s4 : “sejak semester 4 melalui salah satu dosen menerapkannya saat proses perkuliahan daring dimulai di kala pandemi.” (since semester 4, one of the lecturers has implemented it when the online lecture process began during the pandemic.) based on some of the quotes from the answers described above, we can see that some of them have known about the google site before through different people. but some of them also admit that through this research this is the first time they use the google site. furthermore, because the students were based on different prior knowledge related to the google site, the researcher was then interested in exploring more detailed information related to their experiences related to implementing the media in the learning process they experienced. researchers : “what is your experience related to the use of the media?” s1 : “pengalaman saya menggunakan media tersebut ialah saya sangat dibantu dalam menyalurkan isi pikiran yang ingin saya tuangkan dan dapat dibaca oleh semua orang.” (my experience using these media is that i am greatly assisted in channeling the contents of my thoughts that i want to pour and can be read by everyone.) s2 : “yahh sangat menarik,karna kita bisa menuangkan segala ide dan pemikiran kita dalam media tersebut.” (well, it's very interesting, because we can pour all our ideas and thoughts into the media.) s3 : “experience and knowledge saya bertambah, seru juga belajar sambil menggunakan teknologi. pengalaman saya belajar untuk membuat website yang belum pernah saya tau sebelumnya.” (my experience and knowledge has increased, it's also fun to learn while using technology. my experience is learning to create a jusriati, nasriandi, wisnu kurniadi, & ratna the implementation of google site as e-learning platform for teaching efl during covid-19 pandemic 134 website that i have never known before) s4 : “awal menggunakan agak susah, namun sekarang sudah bisa dan ternyata memudahkan dalam pembelajaran.” (at first it was a bit difficult to use, but now you can and it turns out to be easier in learning.) from the previous quotes we can see that there several students who said that by using the google site as a learning medium, of course, we can subconsciously increase our knowledge related to the use of technology. this is in line with research from (roodt & villiers, 2012) that state that google site gives positive impact on the students because it can improve the students general computer knowledge. after listing some of the answers given by the students, the researcher then asked their views and interests regarding the use of the google site. answers related to this can be seen in the following interview results. researchers : “how do you feel about learning with the use of these media? are you interested in taking lessons if the lecturer uses the media? if yes, why?” s1 : “tentunya saya sangat senang dan sangat berterima kasih kepada dosen yang terkait telah memberikan kami kesempatan untuk menggunakan media tersebut. dan ya tentunya saya tertarik jika selama pebelajaran daring ini dosen menggunakan google site ini karena lebih praktis.” (of course, i am very happy and very grateful to the lecturers concerned for giving us the opportunity to use these media. and yes, of course i am interested if during this online learning the lecturer uses this google site because it is more practical) s2 : “saya sangat beresemangat dalam proses belajar, karena kita diperkenalkan dengan salah satu cara baru dalam proses belajar daring. iya sudah pasti saya tertarik karena tidak terlalu ribet dan kita memiliki pengalaman baru soal media baru.” (i am very excited about the learning process, because we are introduced to a new way of learning online. yes, i'm definitely interested because it's not too complicated and we have new experiences about new media.) s3 : “rasanya seru karena mengenal media baru dan sangat bermanfaat pastinya apalagi berkaitan dengan pemanfaatan teknologi. dan yaa, saya setuju dan tertarik dengan pemanfaatan media itu sebab media tersebut bisa dijangkau atau diakses oleh siapapun.” (it feels exciting because i know new media and it is very useful, of course, especially related to the use of technology. and yes, i agree and are interested in using the media because the media can be reached or accessed by anyone) s4 : “saya merasa sangat senang, karena saya dapat mengetahui dan mempelajari hal yang baru. pastinya saya ya saya tertarik karena dengan menggunakan media tersebut mahasiswa jadi lebih muda dalam mengerjakan tugas tanpa kita harus bertemu secara langsung.” (i feel very happy, because i can know and learn new things. of course, yes, i am interested because by using this media, students will be younger in doing assignments without us having to meet in person.) based on some of the answers described above, we can conclude that overall, the students had a pleasant experience and interest in using the media because almost all of them showed interest through the answers they gave. it relates with results research that has been conducted by (parmar, patond, rathod, & ninave, 2020) who found that most of students on their research both students and faculties have a positive feedback on the use of teaching module based google site. after knowing the students' views related to the use of the media, the researcher then tried to ask about the advantages and disadvantages of the media and what suggestions or input from them related to the use of these media for the next learning process. researchers : “in your opinion, what are the advantages and disadvantages of google site media compared to other learning platforms such as lms ump etc.?” english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 135 s1 : “bagus, loginnya mudah tidak ribet, cuma kekurangannya yaitu tidak terlalu bagus jika akan melakukan editing via handphone.” (good, the login is easy and not complicated, the only drawback is that it is not very good if you are going to do editing via handphone.) s2 : “media ini dapat dijangkau oleh banyak orang tidak hanya mahasiswa yang ada di perguruan tinggi kita saja. kekurangannya yaitu jika melakukan editing menggunakan handphone kurang maksimal hasilnya karena layarnya kecil.” (this media can be reached by many people, not only students at our higher education. the drawback is that if you are editing using a handphone, the results are not optimal because the screen is small.) s3 : “kalau google site mudah, tidak membingungan seperti lms yang lain. tapi di google site belum disediakan form untuk absen oleh dosennya.” (if google site is easy, it is not confusing like other lms. but the google site has not provided a form for absent by the lecturer.) s4 : “tidak berbelit-belit dalam penggunaanya. misalnya pada saat akan melakukan editing tugas itu sangat mudah. tidak hanya itu ada banyak fitur-fitur menarik yang tersedia di dalamnya. menurut saya belum ada kekurangan yg saya temukan dan saya juga masih belajar menggunakan google site.” (not complicated to use. for example, when it comes to editing the task is very easy. not only that there are many interesting features available in it. i don't think i've found any flaws and i'm also still learning to use the google site.) although there were some disadvantages expressed according to the students, some of them still gave suggestions so that the use of this media could be implemented in the next lesson. from the previous quotes some of student state that by using google site will make it easier for students to access it and this can also be seen by others widely. it is accordance with the previous results research from (roodt & villiers, 2012) who state that the use of google site can encourage collaborative learning. in addition (parmar et al., 2020) who state that by using web-based teaching via google site can be accessed by students anytime comparing with traditional classroom. besides that, it also can be explored in depth by another one. the previous data discuss about advantages of google site that give good impression for the students so they suggest to use that media at a later stage. this can be seen in the quote below: researchers : “what are your suggestions regarding the use of the media (google site)?” s1 : “sekarang kita hidup di era modern di mana informasi mudah di akses di situs atau sosial media dengan adanya google site kita bisa membuat informasi dapat diakses oleh orang yang membutuhkan. untuk itu penggunaan media ini sangat membantu mahasiswa dalam berbagi informasi tentang tugas tugas kuliah dan lain sebagainya.” (now we live in a modern era where information is easily accessible on sites or social media with the google sites, we can make information accessible to people in need. for this reason, the use of this media is very helpful for students in sharing information about course assignments and so on.) s2 : “saran saya kedepannya agar tugas yang diberikan lebih menantang siswa untuk memaketkan tulisan tangan dengan desain yang berkualitas. agar pembaca / pengunjung site tidak bosan dengan apa yang dipaparkan. dan dengan adanya tantangan tersebut siswa juga bisa resah, nah disitulah ada timbul dari dalam diri siswa tersebut untuk melakukan improvement.” (my suggestion in the future is that the assignments given are more challenging for students to package handwriting with quality designs. so that readers / site visitors do not get bored with what is presented. and with these challenges students can also be restless, so that's where there is something that arises from within the student to make improvements.) s3 : “akan lebih baik jika google site digunakan untuk hal-hal positif jusriati, nasriandi, wisnu kurniadi, & ratna the implementation of google site as e-learning platform for teaching efl during covid-19 pandemic 136 misalnya dalam proses pembelajaan, seperti membagikan tugas berup cerita pengalaman di universitas, sekolah, ataupun pengalaman bekerja. hal yang juga dapat bermanfaat bagi semua orang.” (it would be better if the google site was used for positive things, for example in the learning process, such as sharing assignments in the form of stories about experiences at university, school, or work experiences. it can also be useful for everyone.) s4 : “perbanyak memberikan latihan menggunakan google site dengan latihan-latihan sebelumya. penggunaan google site sebagai media pembelajaran menurut saya sudah bagus, krna mahasiswa dapat menggunakan media yang lebih variatif.” (give lots of practice using the google site with the previous exercises. the use of the google site as a learning medium in my opinion is good, because students can use more varied media.) from the quotes, it can be seen that most of students suggested that the implementation of the google site in learning should be continued because it is very interesting where with this website, they can share about the tasks that have been made not only limited to lecturers or colleagues in only the scope of the university can see it but many people. however, it is better to give more challenging assignments in order to improve students' abilities. for this reason, in the covid-19 pandemic era, the implementation of google site as an e-learning platform is very interesting and makes it easier for students.this is in accordance with what has been disclosed by (agad, pitonang, terrado, salic-hairulla, gomez, nabua, & yuenyong, 2019) on their research which states that developing teaching materials using the google site can attract the attention of learners and is certainly very helpful. conclusion through this research, we can draw a conclusion that by implementing google site as an e-learning platform in efl learning, it can increase students' ability in efl learning so that it can be said to be effective. furthermore, related to student perceptions, overall they are interested in implementing the platform and agree if it is still used in further learning. references adnan, a., ahmad, m., yusof, a., kamal, m. m., & kamal, n. m. (2019). english language simulations augmented with 360-degrees spherical videos (elsa 360°-videos): ‘virtual reality’ real life learning! international invention, innovative & creative conference (iniic series 1/2019). au-yong-oliveira, m., gonçalves, r., martins, j., & branco, f. (2018). the social impact of technology on millennials and consequences for higher education and leadership. telematics and informatics, 954-963. agad, l. m. l., pitonang, d. j. a., terrado, t. f., salichairulla, m. a., gomez, r. g., nabua, e. b., & yuenyong, c. (2019). development of webquest using google site in teaching circulatory system. journal of physics: conference series, 1340(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1340/1/012060 broto, a. h., miarsyah, m., & ristanto, r. h. (2021). gsite development as teaching materials and science learning media to improve junior high school student learning outcomes on plant structure materials. abjadia, 6(1), 20–29. https://doi.org/10.18860/abj.v6i1.11398 creswell, w. j., & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. in journal of chemical information and modeling (vol. 53, issue 9). hakim, b. (2020). technology integrated online classrooms and the challenges faced by the efl teachers in saudi arabia during the covid-19 pandemic. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 9(5), 33. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.9n.5p.33 jubaidah, s., & zulkarnain, m. r. (2020). penggunaan google sites pada pembelajaran matematika materi pola bilangan smp kelas viii smpn 1 astambul. lentera: jurnal pendidikan, 15(2), 68– 73. https://jurnal.stkipbjm.ac.id/index.php/jpl/article/v iew/1183 parmar, p., patond, s., rathod, g., & ninave, s. (2020). google site as a tool for teaching undergraduate students in forensic medicine. indian journal of forensic medicine and toxicology, 14(4), 427– 431. https://doi.org/10.37506/ijfmt.v14i4.11512 peprizal, & syah, n. (2020). pengembangan media pembelajaran berbasis web pada mata kuliah english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 137 fisika modern. jurnal ilmiah pendidikan dan pembelajaran, 4(3), 455–467. http://repository.untad.ac.id/3668/ roodt, s., & villiers, c. de. (2012). using google sites as an innovative learning tool at undergraduate level in higher education. in ecis 2012 proceedings. syarifah, i., & zainil, y. (2021). teaching and learning challenges in efl classrooms during the pandemic era. proceedings of the ninth international conference on language and arts (icla 2020), 539(icla 2020), 111–115. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210325.020 waloyo, a. a., khoiriyah, k., & farah, r. r. (2021). teachers’ perception to clil and web-based material implementation in a primary school. erjee, 9(2), 227–234. http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee/article /view/4347 jusriati, nasriandi, wisnu kurniadi, & ratna the implementation of google site as e-learning platform for teaching efl during covid-19 pandemic 138 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 419 the need analysis of writing module with edmodo yanti juniarti department of indonesian language education, indonesian language master program of sriwijaya university, palembang, indonesia email: yanti@pap.ac.id subadiyono department of indonesian language education, indonesian language master program of sriwijaya university, palembang, indonesia email: subadiyono.unsri@gmail.com zahra alwi department of indonesian language education, indonesian language master program of sriwijaya university, palembang, indonesia email: zahra_alwi@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa citation: juniarti, y., subadiyono., & alwi, z. (2021). the need analysis of writing module with edmodo. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp.419-426. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4457 received: 28-02-2020 accepted: 29-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction the module is a thematic teaching material. it is packaged in an integrated manner and systematically. the module has a set of planned and designed learning experience instruments so that learners could master the specific learning objectives. according to warso (2016), a module is an arranged teaching material presented in a written manner. it should facilitate readers to understand the materials independently. the module is a specific preparation and a systematically designed teaching material based on a certain curriculum. daryanto (2013) argued that the module is a teaching material realization. it is packaged into a modular learning unit for learners to study independently and to achieve certain applied learning objectives (direktorat pembinaan sma, 2017). prastowo (2014) argued that the module is an arranged teaching material systematically with modest language and effective sentences. it is important to keep up with the learners’ cognitive levels and ages. thus, learners could learn autonomously or with the guidance of the teachers. wedemeyer (cited in rusman, 2016) argued that learners learn autonomously by reading the module and are expected to have a responsibility in managing and directing themselves during the learning process. abstract: paper writing skills for akamigas polytechnic students palembang had not reached the expectation. they still had difficulties organizing the ideas into written forms and effective sentences. they did not understand the paper writing systematically, how to cite, and how to write the bibliography. they were caused by the use of limited teaching materials, by relying on powerpoint as the main media. this research aimed to find out what the students needed of edmodo-writing module. this research is a part of the identification of teaching material needs to explore the needs of the teaching materials. therefore, this research applied the qualitative approach with descriptive method. the data were collected with a closed-questionnaire and interview. the need analysis showed a percentage of 97.1% of students preferred the internet as the reference source to any other. therefore, it is important to technology-based learning media that provided several applications. they could facilitate both lecturer and students to share and to learn the materials. the data showed 87.1% of students needed technology-based teaching materials, such as edmodo. a percentage of 91.4% of students stated that they wanted technology-based teaching materials that were developed into modules assisted with edmodo. besides that, a percentage of 95.7% of students wanted guidelines to facilitate them applying the module and using the edmodo. keywords: module; writing; e-learning yanti juniarti, subadiyono, & zahra alwi the need analysis of writing module with edmodo 420 prastowo (2015) found four purposes for creating a module. they were a learning resource, a guideline for understanding the materials, and measurement. thus, a module could be applied in each learning process, started from motivating readers, sharing information, and assessing the learning outcomes. many studies had been promoted by fadhilah, djaohar, & sunawar (2020), purwaningtyas, dwiyogo, & hariyadi (2017), and wijaya & iriani (2020). they developed edmodobased modules for learners so they could learn without being limited by learning sources. the modules could also facilitate teachers to develop their creativity. in this research, the developed teaching material was a paper-writing module of an indonesian language course. the module should have complete components. one of them was the teaching material structure. according to prastowo (2014), the module should cover six components. they are explicit teaching objective formulation, 2) student worksheet, 3) key answer sheet, 4) evaluation sheet, 5) evaluation answer sheet, and 6) teacher guideline. the arranged learning module based on module development principles consisted of the need analysis, the module-design development, the implementation, the assessment, the evaluation and validation, and the quality warranty. in this research, the stage only covered the need analysis. the module was developed to assist the students to write. writing skill becomes the main demand for the students. according to satata, suhardjono, and sadikin (2019), by having writing skills, students can think critically, express their ideas, and write them into academic writing. the writing skills of the students are expected to facilitate them while working on their tasks, such as paper works, final assignment, final project, thesis, and other tasks with scientific language variety. one of the indonesian language materials, stated in the semester lesson plan of akamigas polytechnic palembang is a writing paper. this skill is expected to facilitate students to write a paper by paying attention to the paper elements. the elements of the paper are such as paper form, validity, notion creativity, the proposed topic, data, information resource, analysis, systematic, and conclusion. according to the interview results with the indonesian language course lecturer on november 23, 2019, it was obtained that the paper writing skills for akamigas polytechnic students palembang had not reached the expectation. they still had difficulties organizing the ideas into written forms and effective sentences. they did not understand the paper writing systematically, how to cite, and how to write the bibliography. it made the students tended to copy directly from the internet without revising them. therefore, the paperwork results arranged by the students did not match the excellent criteria of paper writing. based on the preliminary survey from september 23, until november 23, 2019, the teaching material implementations were limited and relied on powerpoint as the main media. lecturers needed common books with the common indonesian language materials to support their teaching-learning process at the higher education level. the applied books by the lecturers could not be considered as teaching materials because they were only to share the reference during the course. the presented content materials in the book were still common and they did not cover the students’ needs. it made them not interested. based on the information, there had not been teaching materials arranged by the lecturers to support the teachinglearning process. from the explanation, this research aimed to describe the students’ and lecturers’ needs toward the paper-writing module with edmodo for akamigas polytechnic students of indonesian language course in palembang. theoretically, the findings of this research could enrich literature and become the reference to develop joyful teaching materials for students and to enrich their knowledge about the learning technology implementation. practically, the findings would be useful for any party, such as students, lecturers, and the campus. methods this research was conducted in akamigas polytechnic palembang. the subjects were the akamigas polytechnic students, palembang. the subjects were selected with purposive sampling. the sampling technique was chosen based on certain considerations with the objectives and the purposes of the research (ames, glenton, lewin, 2019a, 2019b; ernawati & kuncoro, 2016; english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 421 etikan, musa, alkassim, 2016; kuncoro & husnurrosyidah, 2015, 2017). the subjects of research were students and lecturers of the indonesian language course. this research was a part of the identification of teaching material needs to explore the needs of the teaching materials as suggested by jolly and bolitho (cited in tomlinson, 2011). this stage was important to carry because it would determine the following stages of an r&d (agastya, hati, machdum, 2018; azhari & agus, 2016; winayarti, handarsari, fathurohman, 2012). therefore, this research applied the qualitative approach. qualitative research collects evidence or findings to be reviewed, interpreted, and elaborated in which both findings and the explanations should be coherent (hardani, adriani, ustiawaty, utami, istiqomah, fardani, sukmana, auliya, 2020; çelik, baykal, memur., 2020; coombs, 2017; guetterman, 2015). the data were collected with a closedquestionnaire and interview. the interview in this research was addressed for the lecturers and the students. it was to obtain more information about something unclear found in the questionnaire results. the applied data analysis technique was descriptive. the obtained data of the questionnaire results were calculated in percentage and described. on the other hand, the data obtained from the interviews were only described. results and discussion the identification of needs was done for 68 students and a lecturer as the respondents. they were from the indonesian language course that had a lecturer taught the students paper-writing. from the questionnaire results, the student's needs could be identified to develop the teaching materials in the form of a module. some principles needed to develop the module were (1) respondents’ responses toward the paper-writing materials, (2) the importance of paper-writing teaching materials in the course, (3) the applied learning source during the paper-writing course, (4) hindrances or difficulties experienced during the course, (5) development of paper-writing teaching materials, (6) the content materials for writing paper, and (7) stages to present the concepts, examples, exercises, or tasks in paper-writing teaching materials. the students’ need analysis the students’ need identification was done by distributing the questionnaire via google form. it was done from june 10 until 14, 2020. the respondents consisted of 70 students in the second semester of akamigas polytechnic, palembang. based on the students’ responses toward the questionnaire, a percentage of 97.1% of students admitted they needed paper-writing material. a percentage of 67.1% of students stated that they needed textbooks or other handbooks to learn paper-writing material. the questionnaire results also showed that a percentage of 97.1% of students sought more materials via the internet besides the textbooks and handouts from the lecturer. the next question dealt with students’ difficulties in understanding the paper-writing materials in the textbook. the results showed a percentage of 90% of students had difficulties in understanding the materials from the textbook. the next question was about the use of a complementary module for paper-writing material understanding. based on the questionnaire, it was found that during the learning process, the lecturer did not use the module. it was proven with all no-answers of the students (100%). the next question showed a percentage of 85.7% of students had difficulties in understanding the material. a percentage of 92.9% of students admitted they had difficulties when they attempted to understand the material since it was limited. the next question dealt with the importance of an understandable and interesting module. a percentage of 91.4% students answered ‘yes’ while 8.6% students answered ‘no’. a percentage of 77.1% of students admitted that the lecturer did not use technology-based learning to share the course materials, especially on paper-writing material. learning by applying technology should be improved. it needs to keep up with the technology development that provides various applications to facilitate lecturers in sharing the materials. one of them is edmodo. the data showed 87.1% of students needed technology-based teaching materials, such as edmodo. a percentage of 91.4% of students stated that they wanted technologybased teaching materials that were developed into modules assisted with edmodo. besides that, a percentage of 95.7% of students wanted guidelines to facilitate them applying the module and using the edmodo. the results can be seen in table 1. yanti juniarti, subadiyono, & zahra alwi the need analysis of writing module with edmodo 422 table 1. the need analysis of edmodo-based module development number question items yes no a. the importance of paper-writing materials 1. the importance of paper-writing material learning 97.1% 2.9% b the applied learning sources 2. the students had textbooks or other handouts. 67.1% 32.9% 3. the students used the internet as a learning source. 97.1% 2.9% c. the paper-writing difficulties 4. the students’ difficulties to learn paper-writing material from textbooks. 90% 10% 5. the use of module by the lecturer as teaching material 0% 100% 6. the difficulties to understand paper-writing material learning 85.7% 14.3% 7. the difficulties to understand the materials from the applied teaching materials by the lecturer 92.9% 7.1% d. the module development with edmodo 8. the need for the module as the easier and more interesting teaching material 91.4% 8.6% 9. the information and communication technology-based learning by the lecturer 22.9% 77.1% 10. the importance of ict-teaching materials, i.e, edmodo 87.1% 12.9% 11. the importance of module with edmodo as teaching materials to understand the paper-writing material 91.4% 8.6% 12. the importance of guideline arrangement to apply module with edmodo during the learning activity 95.7% 4.3% based on the questionnaire results, the information of the most difficult matters to develop by the students were such as problems (65.7%), discussion (55.7%), introduction (35.7%), and conclusion (17.1%). the next statement was about the most difficult matters while writing papers. they were: paperwriting system (67.1%), idea development (50%), idea organization (47.1%), writing the introduction (22.9%), writing conclusion (18.6%), and the other matters (7.1%). based on the questionnaire, a percentage of 77.1% students argued that the developed teaching materials should cover paper concepts, discussions, and exercises; 30% of students needed teaching materials containing examples; 21.4% of students needed teaching material containing paper concepts; 20% students needed exercises, and 1.4% students mentioned other needs. it could be seen in the figure 1. figure 1. the need analysis results of the teaching material english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 423 the table below shows a percentage of 71.4% students wanted systematic and structured paper writing materials, 60% of students needed paperwriting guidelines, 55.7% demanded the definition of paper and its language features. 52.9% of students demanded paper types, 50% of students wanted to have paper examples. then, 24.3% of students chose different needs. it could be seen in the following table. table 2. the need analysis results of the teaching material number aspects percentage 1 paper definition 55.7% 2 paper types 52.9% 3 paper language features 55.7% 4 paper-writing guideline 60% 5 paper-structure system 71.4% 6 paper examples 50% 7 others 24.3% the following data deal with the exercise materials of the module. a percentage of 80% of students needed a paper-writing system exercise, 54.3% wanted to have an idea organization exercise, 51.4% of students wanted to have an idea development exercise, 47.1% of students needed writing introduction exercises, 40% of students wanted exercises to create a conclusion. then, 1.4% of students needed other exercises. it could be seen in the figure 2. figure 2. the need analysis results of the students the teaching material forms this session explains the findings of the concepts, exercises, examples, and tasks of the paper-writing module. a percentage of 71.4% of students preferred the exercises about the clear and ordered writing stages. 55.7% chose the stages to work on the exercises with accurate diction. 34.3% wanted to have exercises on how to answer the questions. then, 1.4% of students chose different forms. it could be seen in the figure 3. figure 3. the need analysis results of how to do the exercise in the teaching material yanti juniarti, subadiyono, & zahra alwi the need analysis of writing module with edmodo 424 the exercise of the teaching materials consisted of the clear and ordered stages to work on the exercises with accurate dictions. from the explanations of the opened questions, the researchers chose the students’ answers with higher percentages from 50% of each answer. they were used as considerations to develop the teaching materials. here are the results of the students’ analysis needs based on the opened question answers. figure 4. the need analysis results of the students the lecturer’s need analysis this identification was carried out on june 15, 2020. the respondent was a lecturer of an indonesian language course that taught “paper writing” course in akamigas polytechnic, palembang. based on the identification, he argued that writing is important for the students because they could not be separated from paper writing activities. during the learning process, the lecturer used various paper writing sources from textbooks and the internet. the lecturer had difficulties explaining the materials due to limited teaching materials and lack of teaching materials or specific guidelines to teach the material. these situations made the students had difficulties in developing their papers. most students had difficulties in developing the discussion and research methodology. therefore, they need more exercises to create better writing results. in the next question, the lecturer agreed with the idea to create paper-writing teaching materials in the form of an edmodo application-based module. the module should cover the descriptions, learning objectives, and learning materials, paper concepts, discussions, examples, and exercises. then, the content materials should discuss the paper-writing guideline, the paper system, and the paper examples. during teaching paper-writing materials, the lecturer should provide models about the examples for students both individually or in the group. the next question was about the exercise realizations of the module. the exercises should cover writing introduction, writing system, organizing ideas, and developing ideas. the guideline of the teaching materials was expected to cover how to work on the exercise clearly and orderly, how to work on the exercise of selecting the appropriate diction, and how to answer the questions. the most appropriate evaluation for the analysis of the students’ needs the difficulties the difficult parts the developed teaching material contents responses to the discussed materials responses to the developed materials responses to the ways to work on the exercises problem and discussion parts idea development the definition, type, language feature, guideline, and structures students wanted to have paper concepts, examples, discussions, and exercises containing clear and ordered stages to work with accurate dictions exercises of writing the systematics, introduction, and developing ideas english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 425 scientific writing learning, especially paper writing, was performance evaluation. based on the identification results, the developed module should contain guidelines, examples, stages, and exercises. edmodo from the need analysis, the students needed various learning sources. most students used the internet as a learning source. therefore, the students needed an edmodo-based teaching material. edmodo has similar look as facebook. it facilitates students to use it. the uploaded paperwriting module in edmodo could facilitate students to access the learning materials, to answer the exercises, to do the given tasks, and to facilitate the interaction among the students and with the lecturer. the writing module development for the indonesian language course is expected to facilitate the students in writing papers. hayati and rosids (2013) argued that edmodo as a social network could be used for learning management system (lsm). edmodo allows the lecturer to communicate, collaborate, share the learning content, share the questions for the students, discuss virtually, conduct online tests, etc. sulisworo, nursulistyo, and k (2018) found that edmodo could be one of a modest and effective learning management system to cover the learning needs. edmodo also has functions to share ideas, files, agendas, and tasks. these functions can create a lecturer-student interaction. edmodo can be also used to support the learning process and distance learning by using the current information and communication technology. edmodo provides a more interesting learning environment because it brings a different teachinglearning process atmosphere. edmodo also allows learners to be autonomous without ignoring the students’ minimum mastery standards. creative learning via edmodo can make students choose the learning promoted via the platform. then, once they enjoy it, they can learn new and challenging materials. this platform is easy to understand and use especially for lecturers that consider themselves to have less knowledge of current technology development. edmodo could motivate students to learn. even so, edmodo also has weaknesses, such as the absence of online syntax to connect directly with edmodo (basori, 2013). conclusion from the findings and discussion, a percentage of 97.1% of students chose the internet as the source of reference. therefore, it is important to technology-based learning media that provide several applications. they can facilitate both lecturer and students to share and to learn the materials. the data showed 87.1% of students needed technology-based teaching materials, such as edmodo. a percentage of 91.4% of students stated that they wanted technology-based teaching materials that were developed into modules assisted with edmodo. besides that, a percentage of 95.7% of students wanted guidelines to facilitate them applying the module and using the edmodo. references agastya, n. l. p. m., hati, g., & machdum, s. v. (2018). elemen-elemen pendukung proses assesment pada program pengembangan masyarakat untuk lingkungan kondusif bagi anak. sosio konsepsia, 8(1), 97–112. ames, h., glenton, c., & lewin, s. (2019a). purposive sampling in a qualitative evidence synthesis: a worked example from a synthesis on parental perceptions of vaccination communication. bmc medical research methodology, 19(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-019-0665-4 ames, h., glenton, c., & lewin, s. (2019b). purposive sampling in a qualitative evidence synthesis: a worked example from a synthesis on parental perceptions of vaccination communication. bmc medical research methodology, 19(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-019-0665-4 azhari, m. & agus, f. (2016). analisa kebutuhan sistem informasi manajemen perusahaan kayu ukir (simpku) (study kasus cv. embed). informatika mulawarman : jurnal ilmiah ilmu komputer, 11(1), 49. https://doi.org/10.30872/jim.v11i1.204 basori. (2013). pemanfaatan social learning network "edmodo" dalam membantu perkuliahan teori bodi otomotif di prodi ptm jptk fkip uns. jurnal ilmiah pendidikan teknik dan kejuruan, 6(2), pp. 99-105 çelik, h., baykal, n. b., & memur, h. n. k. (2020). qualitative data analysis and fundamental principles. journal of qualitative research in education, 8(1), 379–406. https://doi.org/10.14689/issn.21482624.1.8c.1s.16m yanti juniarti, subadiyono, & zahra alwi the need analysis of writing module with edmodo 426 coombs, c. (2017). coherence and transparency: some advice for qualitative researchers. production, 27, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-6513.006817 daryanto. (2013). menyusun modul: bahan ajar untuk persiapan guru dalam mengajar. yogyakarta:gava media. direktorat pembinaan sma. (2017). panduan praktis penyusunan e-modul. jakarta: kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. ernawati, n., & kuncoro, a. (2016). determinan persepsi etika mahasiswa akuntansi dengan love of money sebagai variabel intervening (studi kasus mahasiswa akuntansi universitas muria kudus). jurnal riset akuntansi terpadu, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.35448/jrat.v9i1.4279 etikan, i., musa, s. a. m., & alkassim, r. s. (2016). comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. american journal of theoretical and applied statistics, 5(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20160501.11 fadhilah, y., djaohar, m., & sunawar, a. (2020). pengembangan modul pembelajaran elektronik berbasis e-learning dengan aplikasi edmodo dalam mata pelajaran dasar listrik dan elektronika kelas x teknik instalasi tenaga listrik di smk negeri 34 jakarta. journal of electrical and vocational education and technology, 5(2), 61– 69. guetterman, t. c. (2015). description of sampling practices within five approaches to qualitative research in education and health sciences. forum qualitative sozialforschung / forum: qualitative social research, 16(2), art. 25. http://www.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?req uester=gs&collection=env&recid=7182482 hardani., adriani, h., ustiawaty, j., utami, e. f., istiqomah, r. r., fardani, r. a., sukmana, d. k., auliya, n. h. (2020). buku metode penelitian kualitatif & kuantitatif. cv. pustaka ilmu grup. hayati, a. f. & santihosi, r. e. (2013). e-learning dengan aplikasi edmodo. 6-7. kuncoro, a., & husnurrosyidah, h. (2015). kualitas layanan short message service (sms) terhadap efektifitas komunikasi dilingkungan organisasi kemahasiswaan. eksis, 10(1), 42–51. kuncoro, a., & husnurrosyidah, h. (2017). kinerja lembaga keuangan mikro syariah dan upaya untuk mempertahankan eksistensi perilaku masyarakat pedesaan. jurnal analisa akuntansi dan perpajakan, 1(1), 63–74. https://doi.org/10.25139/jaap.v1i1.102 prastowo, a. (2014). pengembangan bahan ajar tematik: tinjauan teoretis dan praktik. jakarta: kencana prenadamedia group. prastowo, a. (2015). panduan kreatif membuat bahan ajar inovatif. yogyakarta: diva press. purwaningtyas, dwiyogo, w. d., & hariyadi, i. (2017). pengembangan modul elektronik mata pelajaran pendidikan jasmani, olahraga, dan kesehatna kelas xi berbasis online dengan program edmodo. jurnal pendidikan, 2(1), 123, 121–129. journal.um.ac.id/index.php/jptpp/article/download /8471/4100 rusman. (2016). model-model pembelajaran: mengembangkan profesional guru. depok: kharisma putra utama offset. satata, s., suhardjono, d. w. sadikin, m. r. (2019). bahasa indonesia untuk perguruan tinggi mata kuliah wajib universitas. jakarta: mitra wacana indonesia. sulisworo, d., nursulistyo, e., & artha k, d. (2018). panduan pelatihan mobile cooperative learning. yogyakarta: cv. budi utama. tomlinson, b. (2011). materials development in language teaching. united kingdom: cambridge universitas press. warso, a. w. d. s. (2016). pembuatan buku, modul, diktat dan nilai angka kreditnya. yogyakarta: pustaka pelajar. wijaya, f., & iriani, a. (2020). pengembangan modul pelatihan penggunaan aplikasi edmodo untuk meningkatkan kompetensi ict guru di sekolah kristen kanaan semarang. jurnal imiah pendidikan dan pembelajaran, 4(1), 12–18. winayarti, e., handarsari, e., & fathurohman, a. (2012). analysis pengembangan model pembelajaran “wisata lokal” pada pembelajaran sains. seminar nasional hasil penelitian, 332– 341. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 187 the english teacher’s proficiency in south sulawesi: its implications to the teacher’s performance ishak english education, iain bone, indonesia email: ishak@iain-bone.ac.id apa citation: ishak. (2021). the teacher’s english proficiency in south sulawesi: its implications to the teacher’s performance. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp.187-194. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5368 received: 17-08-2021 accepted: 09-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction teaching proficiency is an important in any educational setting. the goal of teaching is to analyze the students’ need and to drive the students to reach goal. this is in line with abucayon, bautista, & romano (2016), stating that the prime aim of teachers is to help students to learn effectively and efficiently. the students’ problems have many sources. if the teacher could not overcome the students’ problem, it will affect the classroom quality. especially, mainly the students are incompetent in comprehending the subjects or hard to elaborate their competency in classroom. as many teachers have proficiency but they do not master to perform in classroom. as stated by özgenel and mert (2019), teacher performance is a key element in the success of school effectiveness and is very important. proficiency refers to the extent to which a person thinks that she is competent at communicating (richards, 2017; sumual & ali, 2017). instructional strategy and personal communication could support inexperienced persons to create innovation in learning innovatively target to create the process of thought and better education (ishak, 2020; seechaliao, 2017). teachers’ proficiency is an important issue to be investigated in teaching and learning process (garza, huerta, spies, lara-alecio, irby, & tong, 2018; suyansah & gabda, 2020) proved that to excel performance should be improved the english performance because it is a critical for english learners to succeed in the science classroom. this is supported by saruhan and yıldız (2012), argued that performance is a numerical or non-numerical result that results from predetermined goals. ertürk (2018) also added that the purpose of performance evaluation is to determine the degree of success of an individual for a job or task and to evaluate the factors affecting his/her success. the benefit of discourses strategies highlights the want to regulate the level and mode of conversation in assembly the language proficiency level of the learner. there is wide variety of studies related to the nature of expertise that desires to be learned and the results of the learning process (bråten & ferguson, 2015; macugay & bernardo, 2013). usman, silviyanti, & marzatillah (2016) stated the teacher’s captivation and his/her cognitive, effective and psychomotor expertise heighten energy to learn english. teacher is the main personality in the classroom. some number of researches proved that teachers and students in case of necessity to communicate abstract: in this article, it referred to the implications of proficiency to the teacher’s performance in the classroom in south sulawesi. most of english teachers associate level of language proficiency with greater powerful teaching performance skills. this research was descriptive qualitative research in south sulawesi, the participants consisted of several qualified teachers aged from 30 – 40, and they have been teaching more than 10 years, all of the participants interviewed felt strong desire about the implications of proficiency. the data were collected from observation, interview and documents and it was analyzed in interpretation to draw inferences and conclusions based on the description data. the result of this research provided a great interpretation of proficiency and its excessive implication for teaching english, the higher level of language proficiency is, the better performance of the teacher is. it is needed to investigate more about the role of language proficiency to determine the teachers’ performance. keywords: teacher; proficiency; implication; performance ishak the teacher’s english proficiency in south sulawesi: its implications to the teacher’s performance 188 their thoughts and concepts in the classroom hua, nor, & jaradat, 2012; mahmud, 2017; moazen, kafipour, & soori, 2016). while, thompson aizawa, curle, & rose (2019) in the studies explored the utility of the same tenor of academic english courses for not only the direct development of students’ academic english expertise but also their overall immediacy for content learning through second language english. the role of teachers in curriculum implementation is influenced by various factors competence which includes knowledge, skill, and attitude. in another view, a teacher not only knows manage their knowledge but also the classroom and the students in terms of discipline. teaching is a qualified contextual and textual process and there are many aspects that assist to teacher skillfulness; thus there are no worldly ready for occupancy criteria for knowing the teacher’s expertise. performance is one of the proportion components that develop a language teacher’s proficiency. cappelli & tavis (2016) characterized performance into two kinds, they are objective performance and subjective performance. having an adequate performance leads the teachers to be more adept at using english to bring out the classroom tasks and prepare appropriate skill the students. during a class relate to the concept of performance of the teacher, the teacher shall be supported by the proficiency. a teacher is a foster communication of ideas. they will show a total physical response, modeling, and demonstration to elaborate the concept of some topics. teacher’s appearance is designed to formulate the degree of teacher’s appearance in conjunction with teacher’s standard and their ability to appear process standards and product standards of learning (maba, perdata, & astawa, 2017; mantra, 2017). indonesian teachers have rather unfavorable language proficiency because in a context where english is mostly confined to the classroom or academic forums, as it in indonesia, teachers appear to lose their language gradually. the quality has been proven to be significant in improving employee performance (phytanza & burhaein, 2020; taylor, 2015). language performance should be taken as the most important reason for which a teacher shall concentrate on their oral communication in front of the students. alabdulkareem (2016) proved in his article that teacher’s trust has mostly focused on teachers’ essence views using self-breakdown mechanisms, including questionnaires and interviews, whereas research investigating whether these trust are conducted in the classroom is restricted. the cultural connections could be a great helping to integrate the students’ academic expectations (mahboob & dutcher, 2014; renandya, hamied, & nurkamto, 2018; tsang, 2017). they asserted that language proficiency is one of the keys unit that build up a language teacher’s professional knowledge and scientific language. while özgenel & mert (2019), and weda & sakti (2018) asserted that the purpose of teacher’s moral performance value is to predict the percentage level of the methods and practices of the teacher with measurement tools to give feedback to the teacher. the teacher can enable the students to develop their oral language for the sake of having a wonderful performance. language is used to form a meaning, produce a sound, body language or printed language which encodes and decodes information. the usefulness of sound is to communicate a meaning of language and to deliver the speaker thoughts to others. when the speaker begins to develop their language abilities, the main purpose is to communicate or interact with interlocutors. spoken language is students’ the prime way of communicating and it is very significant aspects of their learning legal action. it is something that could be implemented to all foreign language acquisition, where one of student’s purposes is to improve the communication expertise to be taken into consideration. english is taken as interest as foreign/second language as long as other school subjects becoming a vital product of a certain language used for learning and teaching in all academic courses. based on the experience and observations of the researcher as an english teacher, the researcher was interested to know much about the implication of proficiency to perform in the classroom. method this research was qualitative research which applied descriptive qualitative design. it was considered appropriate to know the proficiency of the teachers’ performance in classroom. qualitative research is a method to comprehend the phenomenon in depth which was based on how the participants in the research perceive it. gay, mills, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 189 & airasian (2011) stated that the design of descriptive qualitative research conducted to collect data, analyze and explain the some data that is connected toward the evidence of phenomenon, it is a way to communicate in learning process. observation and interview were utilized by the researcher focused on a proficiency levels, they are: accuracy, fluency, complexity. the participants of the research were from the qualified english teachers who are teaching in south sulawesi, indonesia. the research participants were english teacher aged 30 – 40, they have teaching more than 10 years. all of the participants consisted of 5 males and 5 females with different social and cultural background. the researcher selected participants according the researcher’s observation. the method of the research was to explain all aspects of existing proficiency english teacher. the techniques used by researcher in collecting data were: observation, interview, and documents. observation and interview were conducted to collect the unrefined data. the data particularly was analyzed by using thematic analysis. in qualitative research, the data was analyzed in dynamic, intuitive, and creative process of thinking and theorizing. as the analysis of data is based on the conceptual of discourse analysis which believes on the recording of data, the transcription of data, the selection of data and the interpretation of data (gee, 2010), the researcher therefore provide a description of the implications of accuracy, fluency, complexity, and capacity and the data reduction strategies that were essential in the analyses, then the description and analyses leaded into interpretation to draw inferences and conclusions to get a novelty of the research. results and discussion this part provides some extracts of informants when they were asked about the proficiency of accuracy, fluency, complexity, and capacity to the teacher’s performance: accuracy “accuracy is very important because it will minimize the students’ misunderstanding.” (informant#1) “the accuracy will make the teacher look fabulous, skillful, and professional in teaching his/her subject.” (informant #2) “a teacher's good looks are abilities that are possessed with the precision of choosing a word.” (informant#3) “we are able to convey ideas in a simple, precise, concise way, and easy to understand.” (informant#4) “being skillful in selecting and sorting words indicates the teacher thinks about performance.” (informant#5) “accuracy influences the teacher’s confidence and it plays an important aspect to the teacher’s performance.” (informant#6) “the teacher has to know students’ ability and level first, if the students are at beginner level; it means that the teacher should use the language by mixing or switching the explanation, so the students can understand what the teacher is talking about. besides, the teacher should use simple instruction to the students. for the intermediate and advanced students, the teacher could use full english, but in some situations for difficult or new materials, the teacher should switch his/her language.” (informant#7) the extracts above that show that by pronouncing the words accurately, by choosing appropriate words accurately, and speaking clearly and communicating all instructional materials to students, it will make students able to enjoy and comprehend the materials in the classroom and the teacher will look more professional. fluency “the fluency of a teacher in conveying their ideas will show their performance. so, the teacher should prepare their material before entering to class.” (informant#1) “the teacher has the ability to convey ideas in a simple way but with a wide content of meaning.” (informant#2) “we are able to explain the studies that are quickly understood by the interlocutor.” (informant#3) “the fluency is the image of the teacher’s ability to express his/her feeling accurately and appropriately.” (informant#4) “the teacher whose good english will speak clearly, understandable, and communicatively and it is a good performance.” (informant#5) “the teacher should master their teaching material in order to speak fluently.” (informant#6) “the teacher has to know the situation to determine the style of language used in teaching.” (informant#7) the extracts above show that the teacher has to build up the ideas before entering to the class. it refers to convince the students about the ideas and minimize to the use of fillers in speaking. using many fillers speaking such as “er…” or “em…” ishak the teacher’s english proficiency in south sulawesi: its implications to the teacher’s performance 190 indicates that the teacher lacks of the idea. telling the idea fluently means the teacher masters the topic and it is as a good performance. complexity “the teacher who masters vocabulary can easily convey their material and affect their performances in teaching.” (informant#1) “the teacher who lacks of vocabulary will face difficulties in his/her feeling precisely” (informant#2) “the lack of preparation, lack of knowledge, and psychology factors could hinder teacher’s vocabulary.” (informant#3) “sometimes, the teacher has many ideas, but because of psychological factors she/he gets difficulties to deliver concepts to the students.” (informant#4) “because understanding the students’ level will encourage and promote the effectiveness of learning itself.” (informant#5) “the teacher should know, not only constrained by the voice but also the idea to be conveyed.” (informant#6) “selecting topics / teaching materials in accordance with the expertise will have an effect on achieving the achievement of learning objectives that certainly determine the success of a learning process.” (informant#7) the extracts above show that the teacher should be promoted to the improvement of each individual aspects rather than believing learners able to present to every aspect of language performance; accuracy, fluency and complexity. by mastering the three aspects, the teacher will become plenary teacher. a great interpretation of proficiency language of the teacher’s performance includes accuracy, fluency, and complexity. in addition, teacher’s performance influences students’ skill motivation and interest in learning skill. thus, the teacher should show, tell, model, and exemplify the teaching and learning materials accurately in the classroom. the result shows that: accuracy is the ability of language user to pronounce the word. it refers to the extent to which language learner’s performance and the system that underlines to this performance derivates from a norm. the teacher needs to have proficiency to enrich the ability of the students and control the emotions and perceptions of other people. teacher should be adaptive alongside personality traits based on the cultural and social change, the teacher set up the students to socialize themselves to be easier to apply the rules, discuss the varieties of topics, and share knowledge among them. bradford (2019) reported the framework characteristics of student’s understanding of teachers, including the teacher’s specialized unfamiliar accents, spontaneous, dialect, and the way of teacher to elaborate their ideas in front of the students. the teacher’s accuracy is used to produce free speech clearly as much as possible. classroom should become a process of building the basis of language, culture, values, and social communication. fluency is the ability to manage the ideas in speaking. it will take longer to be carried out by the teachers in the classroom. fluency can be a rate and density of linguistics units produced, breakdown fluency (number, length and locations of pauses) and repair phonological phenomenon. rose & galloway (2019) elaborated in their studies took as conclusion that the challenging performances are the challenges of science of language, and it was always faced by students when the students become negotiating content, especially when the teacher’s proficiency levels are poor. the fluency of english differentiates between stages and levels of english. the teacher’s capacity to choose the topics in proficiency levels affects their performance, the teacher should be able to use language based on the situation by taking into the consideration where, when, the purpose, the social relationship, and the form of communications. learning system design is to guide to interact effectively and efficiently. the teacher has to know students’ ability and level first, if the students are at beginner level; it means that the teacher should use the language by mixing or switching the explanation, so the students can understand what the teacher is talking about. besides, the teacher should use simple instruction to the students. for the intermediate and advanced students, the teacher could use full english, but in some situations for difficult or new materials, the teacher should switch his/her language. fluency is as production model to construct the judgment to be expressed and take into declaration based on the linguistic structure. complexity is the ability to combine between vocabulary and grammar. teacher activates prior knowledge related to the proficiency in daily experiences, beyond gaining general and specific vocabulary to combine in the correct grammar. the teacher should enforce to learn the academic content such as science and skills of language, the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 191 teacher also should enhance the understanding of academic knowledge to develop english proficiency of complexity as dekeyser (2016) believed that complexity could be understood as a production of oral language by teacher or students, specifically, to produce a sound in lexical and grammatical complexity. language learning and the way of design of knowledge affects the proficiency process. proficiency refers to how we declare language knowledge and the capacity to produce sound spontaneously. the different performance of fluency, accuracy, and complexity would be result from the proficiency of the teacher. in this article, the researcher offers a specific instructional proficiency that the teacher can integrate proficiency and performance in the classroom. it would address flexible forms of literacy related to science and skills of language, the students would be a support to communicate the skills. the proficiency of complexity is needed to change the form of lexical and grammatical lexicon the role of the teacher is demanded to have achievement in high academic standards. english language learning is expected to develop english proficiency in content situations to achieve higher proficiency level but developing english language capacity needs to give attention for academic approach as the academic language function is to identify, explain, and interpret. effective teaching models help the students to perform to formulate the hypotheses, manage ideas, draw conclusions, organize the situations and communicate the ideas. ekperi, onwuka, & nyejirime (2019) supported that the classroom atmosphere is determined by the teacher’s attitude. academic language should be considered among disciplines to guide the students to manage the ideas of texts and tasks. the teacher is expected to give instruction to students to be able to create atmosphere in learning creatively at every stage. the difficulties of this concept could be varying based on vary situations, it depends on the contexts and the instructional designs by the teachers. instructional strategies for students to education should include sharing knowledge, solution, and consensus ideas. based on the result, the good performance of the teacher refers to the three levels of proficiency. the teacher should integrate them based on cultural practices. integrated is focused on classroom interaction to provide cultural and social performance in the classroom. teachers agreed that english proficiency is a basic to have a good performance, the more language use we know, the better likely to perform properly in the academic subjects. effective teacher guides the students to classify the vocabulary and manage their brain to recognize the pattern of language. recognizing the pattern of language is the key to provide the students with access to understanding science. the english teachers are responsible to perform well in the class to influence the students to learn. in the end, the teacher’s goal in the classroom is to facilitate the students to speak english as much as possible in the classroom. conclusion it can be concluded that the variables of teacher’s proficiency are the teacher’s appearance or performance, the teacher’s personality, and the teachers’ language use in the classroom. the better teacher’s proficiency, the better teacher’s performance is. it definitely shows that the teacher’s performance is the most important variable to promote the quality of the teacher. a teacher who has a qualified proficiency gains the confidence, powerfulness and good performance in the classroom. the teacher’s language is important to build the positive perception of the students. integrated proficiency (accuracy, fluency, and complexity) and performance are an approach to the teachers to teach based on the cultural, social, and educational practices, and become skillful into four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). the proficiency is beneficial for the teacher who is going to develop their academic performance. the teacher’s proficiency is predictor to teacher’s performance. some students resolutely rely on english language expansion as an important output of product for their studies, expecting to achieve not only the essence of language, but also to improve their english language proficiency. it is as procedural knowledge that reveals in the turn automatically of spoken components. references abucayon, r. i., bautista, y. t., & romano, j. m. (2016). levels of proficiency on the essential teaching skills among the pre-service teachers of the college of education. paper presented at the 9th international conference on educational research. alabdulkareem, s. a. (2016). the impact of science teachers’ beliefs on teaching science: the case of ishak the teacher’s english proficiency in south sulawesi: its implications to the teacher’s performance 192 saudi science teachers. journal of education and learning, 5(2), 233–249. bradford, a. (2019). it’s not all about english! the problem of language foregrounding in englishmedium programmes in japan. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 40(8), 707–720. bråten, i., & ferguson, l. e. (2015). beliefs about sources of knowledge predict motivation for learning in teacher education. teaching and teacher education, 50, 13–23. cappelli, p., & tavis, a. (2016). the performance management revolution. harvard business review, 94(10), 58–67. dekeyser, r. (2016). of moving targets and chameleons: why the concept of difficulty is so hard to pin down. studies in second language acquisition, 38(2), 353–363. ekperi, p., onwuka, u., & nyejirime, w. (2019). teachers’ attitude as a correlate of students’ academic performance. international journal of research and innovation in social science (ijriss), 3(1), 205–209. ertürk, m. (2018). i̇nsan kaynakları yönetimi. i̇stanbul: beta. garza, t., huerta, m., spies, t. g., lara-alecio, r., irby, b. j., & tong, f. (2018). science classroom interactions and academic language use with english learners. international journal of science and mathematics education, 16(8), 1499–1519. gay, l. r., mills, g. e., & airasian, p. w. (2011). educational research: competencies for analysis and applications. pearson higher ed. gee, j. p. (2010). how to do discourse analysis: a toolkit: a toolkit. routledge. hua, t. k., nor, n. f. m., & jaradat, m. n. (2012). communication strategies among efl studentsan examination of frequency of use and types of strategies used. gema online journal of language studies, 12(3). ishak, i. (2020). the strategies of english language teaching at iain bone. paper presented at the second international conference on english education. maba, w., perdata, i. b. k., & astawa, i. n. (2017). constructing assessment instrument models for teacher’s performance, welfare and education quality. international journal of social sciences and humanities (ijssh), 1(3), 88–96. macugay, e. b., & bernardo, a. b. i. (2013). science coursework and pedagogical beliefs of science teachers: the case of science teachers in the philippines. science education international, 24(1), 63–77. mahboob, a., & dutcher, l. (2014). dynamic approach to language proficiency—a model. in englishes in multilingual contexts (pp. 117–136). springer. mahmud, m. (2017). communicative styles of english students at the state university of makassar. gema online journal of language studies, 17(1). mantra, i. b. n. (2017). promoting primary school teachers’ competence through dynamic interactive workshop and partnership. international journal of linguistics, language and culture (ijllc), 3(1), 1–6. moazen, m., kafipour, r., & soori, a. (2016). iranian efl learners’ perception of the use of communication strategies and gender effect. pertanika journal of social sciences & humanities, 24(3). özgenel, m., & mert, p. (2019). the role of teacher performance in school effectiveness. international journal of education technology and scientific researches, 4(10), 417–434. phytanza, d. t. p., & burhaein, e. (2020). the effects of tenure, teacher certification, and work motivation on special needs teacher performance. universal journal of educational research, 8(9), 4348– 4356. renandya, w. a., hamied, f. a., & nurkamto, j. (2018). english language proficiency in indonesia: issues and prospects. journal of asia tefl, 15(3), 618. richards, j. c. (2017). teaching english through english: proficiency, pedagogy and performance. relc journal, 48(1), 7–30. rose, h., & galloway, n. (2019). global englishes for language teaching. cambridge university press. saruhan, s. c. ve yıldız, m. l. (2012). i̇nsan kaynakları yönetimi. i̇stanbul: beta yayıncılık. seechaliao, t. (2017). instructional strategies to support creativity and innovation in education. journal of education and learning, 6(4), 201–208. sumual, m. z. i., & ali, m. (2017). evaluation of primary school teachers’ competence in implementing 2013 curriculum: a study in tomohon city. journal of education and learning, 11(3), 343–350. suyansah, q., & gabda, d. (2020). an analysis of the effect of english proficiency towards students’ academic performance in university of malaysia sabah. universal journal of educational research, 8(3b), 83–88. taylor, b. m. (2015). the integrated dynamics of motivation and performance in the workplace. performance improvement, 54(5), 28–37. thompson, g., aizawa, i., curle, s., & rose, h. (2019). exploring the role of self-efficacy beliefs and learner success in english medium instruction. international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 1–14. tsang, a. (2017). efl/esl teachers’ general language english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 193 proficiency and learners’ engagement. relc journal, 48(1), 99–113. usman, b., silviyanti, t. m., & marzatillah, m. (2016). the influence of teacher’s competence towards the motivation of students in learning english. studies in english language and education, 3(2), 134–146. weda, s., & sakti, a. e. f. (2018). the relationship between study anxiety and academic performance among english students. xlinguage "european scientific language journal", 11(2), 718–727. ishak the teacher’s english proficiency in south sulawesi: its implications to the teacher’s performance 194 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 223 the investigation of modality and adjunct in spoken text of proposing a girl using waijewa language based on halliday’s systemic functional linguistic approach magdalena ngongo english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kristen artha wacana, kupang, indonesia e-mail: magdalenangongo12@gmail.com apa citation: ngongo, m. (2021). the investigation of modality and adjunct in spoken text of proposing a girl using waijewa language based on haliday’s systematic functional linguistic approach. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 223-10. doi: 0.25134/erjee.v10i1.5382. received: 04-08-2021 accepted: 27-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction modality in the text generally means expressing interpersonal meaning that is realized in in mood system. it indicates several implications, such as judgments, request and command. this study concerns to the analysis of modality used in the texts. it is only focused on what types of modality used by the speakers in oral texts, and what interpersonal meaning is revealed through the use of modality in the texts. modality represents the interpersonal meaning since it indicates the speakers’ judgement of the probabilities or the obligations involved in what he or she is saying (gerot & wignell in yang, 2021). other views such as matthews (2005) as cited in rui and jingxia (2018) defines modality as “category covering either a kind of speech act or the degree of certainty with which something is said”. moreover, eggins (2004) in arabzoozani & pahlavannejad (2019) writes that modality is a complex area of an english grammar which investigates how to convey the message of the text, and how human express their attitudes and judgements through different ways. furthermore, halliday and matthiessen (2004) in amalia et al (2018) write that modality as the speaker’s judgement, or request of the judgement of the listener, on the status of what is being said. from the definition above, modality is generally defined as a means of expressing the relationship between a speaker and an utterance, in a stricter sense a speaker and the truth-value of an utterance. as one of the sfl tools, modality also has a system. halliday and matthiessen (2004) in yang (2021) divided it into two terms, they are propositions and proposals which are also known as modalizations and modulations. halliday and matthiessen (2004) in yang (2021) state that modalizations involve the expression of intermediate possibilities; first, degrees of probability (possibly/probably/ certainly), second, degrees of usuality (sometimes, usually, always). eggins (2004) in xuan and huang (2017) defines the terms of probability and usuality as follows the speaker expresses judgements as to the frequency in which something happens. furthermore, eggins (2004) in xuan and huang (2017) argues that modal adjuncts and modal abstract: this paper is aimed to describe modality and adjunct in spoken text of proposing girl using waijewa language. modality refers to degrees of indeterminacy. it is to construe the region of uncertainty that lies between ‘yes’ and ‘no’. it refers not only to verb modal but also to modality idea. thus, modality is manifested into two ways, namely modalization and modulation. the use modality grammar enables people to emphasize what can or cannot be done on what is ordered or offered. data informing this study were from observation by recording oral texts of proposing a girl happened in wewewa community. these data then were transcribed and analysed based on systemic functional grammar. the results showed that the use of modality was realized simultaneously by verb such as baka amiko-ngga dede wa kadanu … ‘i will come to take my handbag…’. the use of modality showed varieties of probabilities and obligation. modalization tended to be uttered by bride’s party whereas modulation by groom’s party. this fact indicated interpersonal relationship in which groom’s party took a position as humble as possible in speaking and usually agreed everything stated or asked by bride’s parents. while bride’s party was dominant in speaking. this condition was influenced by honour value as one of the six values in this text. the use of adjunct related to mood adjunct that covered modal adjunct such as probability, usuality, obligation, obviousness, intensity, and polarity; and comment adjunct such as admissive, desiderative, entreaty, evaluative, opinion, predictive, persuasive, and presupposition. keywords: adjunct; modality; girl proposing; text; waijewa magdalena ngongo the investigation of modality and adjunct in spoken text of proposing a girl using waijewa language based on haliday’s systematic functional linguistic approach 224 operators can also be categorized into three values of certainty or usuality; first, in high: must, certainly, always, etc; second, in median: may, probably, usually, etc and third, low: might, possibly, sometimes, etc. the use of modality indicates as justifying idea as almaida and pastor’s statement (2017: 304) that participant internal and external possibility modality appeared as a useful resource in justifying idea. rahmasari and lawren (2020:118) found that medium and low category dominate the usage of modality in those ten highlights. it is also stated by farshbafiana and esmaeil (2021:782) that what is responsible for the truth and falsity of proposition, and the finite which includes three elements of modality, primary tense and polarity and as the chief constituent of the clause determines the mood of the clause. thus, related to this study, modality in the texts indicates several implications, such as judgments and command as interpersonal meaning. in addition, modality system in the texts can be power of language used by the speakers in the texts. related to this study, spoken text was one of text in which speaker utter varieties of probability and obligation that show the use modality system in texts. therefore, modality in the text generally means expressing interpersonal meaning between the speakers and listeners that indicates the truth value of modality. the use of modality in spoken texts especially in a proposal of a girl in local language were characterized by the context such as modality that were used by groom’s parents/ mediators and bride’s parents/mediators. the research about modality and adjunct in waijewa language did not have many references since not many researchers conduct the research. but, the researcher has found a previous study related to metafunction in a language presented by farshbafian & safaei (2021) in their research entitled a metafunctional approach to word order in persian language. matthiessen (2004)’s metafunctional model was used to describe and analyze word/element order in a simple persian declarative clause. in fact, based on evidence from the persian language, which includes samples from persian texts and works by other persian researchers, we have sought to show how the three experiential, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions are involved in determining the order of the main elements in an active simple declarative clause in persian. there is a "basic" order for the main elements in a persian simple clause and specifically a single-complement clause that is consistent with both experiential and interpersonal metafunctions, according to the findings of this research. based on the background previously described, the problems of the study related to the modality and adjunct used or uttered in spoken text. therefore there were two research questions that were answered, namely: (1) how is modality realized in spoken text of proposing a girl using waijewa language? (2) how is adjunct realized in spoken text of proposing a girl using waijewa language? systemic functional linguistics theory theory of functional systemic linguistics is employed to find out and describe modality system in text and how it realizes experiential metafunction of meaning in text. this theory has centered on the lexico-grammatical study of the three meta-functions of ideational meaning, interpersonal meaning and textual meaning by taking clause as representation, exchange and message (suardana, 2020; hutabarat et al, 2020). sfl, has developed from the work of halliday (1985, 1994, 2004, 2014). the sfl conception of language is a set of resources that enable speakers to exchange meanings. the relation between social context and language is conceived as ‘realization’, that is, social contexts are realized by language. this theory concerns to the function as a fundamental property of language (susanto and watik, 2017; herman, 2014; purba and herman, 2020). language enables human beings to build a mental pictures of reality, to make sense of what goes on around them and inside them (herman et al, 2019; zhao and ou, 2020). in other words, this theory describes how language functions in use and it uses text as its approach to analyze language. as what has been mentioned previously that modality system is included in mood system of lexico grammatical level that realizes experiential meaning (alaei and ahangari, 2016). it represents the interpersonal meaning since it indicates the speakers’ judgement of the probabilities or the obligations involved in what he or she is saying (xiuye and wencheng, 2020). modality system can be studied in the view of modalization ad modulation. (yang, 2021). it is also be studied in the viewed of adjunct. adjunct in text is an element that does not have potential of being subject. other adjunct can be viewed from it is usually realized by adverb or prepositional phrase that are called comment adunct. adjunct gave more and varieties information that were added to clauses. adjunct consisted of adverb group, prepositional phrase, and modal adjunct. therefore, this study covers the discussion of modality and adjunct used in text. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 225 method the method applied in this study was descriptive. the oral data were taken from observation by recording the events of proposing a girl happened in wewewa society in sumba island. these data were transcribed, identified and analysed following analytical procedures techniques that based on functional grammar (systemic functional linguistic), focused on the level of lexicogrammatical in which modality system as one important features realizing interpersonal meaning. it also covered additional information in clauses known as adjunct either mood or comment adjuncts. the results of the analysis is presented by using formal, informal method and combining formal and informal methods. results and discussion modality in text based on the texts analysis, it can be stated that modality in text refers to degrees of indeterminacy. speakers usually uttered their judgement of probability and obligation modality used referred to modal verbs, such as noto-ngge ‘may/might’, budi, wuku ‘’will/would’, takka ‘must’, and marginal modals, such as pongngu ‘had to’. modality used also refered to modality notion that was extended to every verb. relating to verbs, modality was manifested in two ways, namely modalisation and modulation. modalization relates to probability, certainty, or usuality. whereas modulation relates to obligation, permission, or inclination. participant internal and external possibility modality appears as a useful resource in justifying ideas. the following clauses are presented to show the use of modalisation in text. (ii:85) ///pamiyangge ba ndakura wi wawi// kata sabaya///. ///heti toro da ata panewe// kanda pandedaka ndi ne sabayango/// //notongge ka ta liwe bata sadeka ndi ata panewe///(01) table 1. clauses which show the use of modalisation in text noto-ngge may be ka ta we liwe discuss ba that ta we sadekka once ndi ata panewe this people speaker f/modal conj s p conj s ar c mood residue mood residue ‘may be we discussed once about mediators’ awards.’ (i:83) ///wai pona kira //nyaka baka na duada kabullu pakai da// gai ka nda duada kabullu//, na kabullu weitaka wi na kabullu//. ///nyaka na kabullu enga tama na//, nyaka touda kabullu karambo//, ia mane ia bei a kondo ndi/// /…// //ka wa’i kua pongngu ndi hida oma rara//.///mi ya kua pongngu-ngga ndi hida duada bolo oma rara //ne maromba na kana bowo kingge//, ka na manawara ndi hitti tante na// nya palunggu na//. //nyaka ne keto ullu lele na tama//. //nyaka bahina ko hida patekinggu nya ba wi//. (02) table 2. clauses which show the use of modalisation in text mi you ya give kua all pongngu must ngga me ndi hida dua bolo oma rara those two piece gold red s p ar am c c mood residue residue ‘ you must give me all two pieces of gold.’ (iii:51) ///ndapeibana neengge, ba ne palummu pongngungge//, ba na rato olumu// ba nya a nee waina lunggu hinangge// pakole dengngakya we wee maringngi ba oongge// ba indaki ba nyamo teki wi///. ///oo bahina pongngu bangge na maringngingge// mono kana tulu ama mawolo ama marawi lunggu hinangge nati pamama///…./// (03) table 3. clauses which show the use of modalisation in text pakole get dengngado will nda we wee maringngi water cool p modal s c mood residue ‘we will get cool water (blessing).’ all the clauses (01—03) have modalisation, such as notongge ‘may/might be (clause 01), pongngu ‘must’ (clause 02), and dengnga ‘will’ magdalena ngongo the investigation of modality and adjunct in spoken text of proposing a girl using waijewa language based on haliday’s systematic functional linguistic approach 226 (clause 03). especially clause (03), the word wee maringngi ‘cool water’ has metaphor meaning, namely ‘blessing’. modulation in text concerning to obligation, permission, or inclination, such as takka ‘must’ and enga ‘can’. the following data are presented to show the use of modulation in text. (i:83) ... //nyaka hida oma rara duada bolo ku dengngi wa na ana kabinne//, umba ka nda kai ka ngga ndi//. //ka wa’i kua pongngu ndi hida oma rara//.///mi ya kua pongngu-ngga ndi hida duada bolo oma rara //ne maromba na kana bowo kingge//, ka na manawara ndi hitti tante na// nya palunggu na//. //nyaka ne keto ullu lele na tama//. //nyaka bahina ko hida patekinggu nya ba wi//. (04) table 4. clauses which show the use of modulation in text hida duada bolo oma rara those two piece gold ka mi you ya give taka pongngu must ngga ndi me those c conj s p modal c residue mood mood ‘those two piece of gold, you must give them to me,’ you must give me those two pieces of gold.’ (05) table 5. clauses which show the use of modulation in text ka for enga would tuluki help ngga me ndi these hina say nati kaweda that oldman conj modal p c p s residue mood modus ‘that oldman said, ‘i would be helped ‘ in clause (04), the more information is stated by the use of modal adjunct taka pongngu ‘must or had to. it concerns to inclination or obligation. while in clause (05), it concerns to ‘probability or permission’ enga. the use of modality in text enable tenor to state or explain his message that can or cannot be done. by using varieties of probability, usuality, or frequency tenor also stated and explained something whether it can or cannot be done. the use of modality also enable tenor to exchange experience using varities of obligation, such as takka pongngu, must or had to’, okkoki ‘frequency’, notongge ‘may/might be’. these varieties of obligation were used by tenors to do what are asked or demanded. modality were always used by tenor in text, such as baka ami kongga dede wa kadanu lili wa kaleku ‘i will come to take my wallet and carry my handbag’. the use of modality baka ‘will’ in that clause has inclination meaning. the use of grammatical of proposition in text was to exchange experiences. when tenors exchanged his experience they used indicative type of mood. this type of mood in text can be differentiated from interrogative type of mood by the use of intonation. from the grammatical point of view of yes/no interrogative, it could be differentiated since it was the same as affirmative type. tenors could differentiate or understand whether it was interrogative or not by paying attention to the intonation that usually used raising intonation. in text, yes/no interrogative can be understood by the use of word peina ‘how’, garra ‘who’, gei ‘when’, where’, appa ‘what’. the examples of clauses in text using whinterrogative type of mood are presented as follows. (iii:6) ///nyaka bahinako ne a nee na ponu mareda byali// mono byali ba garraku ndi a nee na katuku tana rara// mono a nee na lenango pamareda// pakako lolongge/// (06). garra ndi ata panewe pa-pende mi who these people speaker be choose you ‘ who are these speakers/meditors you choose ?’ (ii:70) //kabullu iapo wa na ranga//, neengge bara mi//, geingge ne rapa ba ammi minggi ponnu wa ranga kette//, baka dekengge diki//. (07). gei na rapa ba ammi minggi ponnu ranga kette what the time that come you finish animal held ‘when do you come to bring/complete animal of proposing to a girl?’ as it has been explained before, clause 06) is wh-interrogative type, that is garra ‘who’ and in clause (07) gei na rapa ‘when’. more information relating to ‘who’ and when’ is the needed answer on the interrogative grammar. this kind of exchanging experience indicates some aspects of propositional grammar. the question and answer are stated by using mood form. this fact relates to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 227 almaida and pastor’s statement (2017:304) that participant internal and external possibility modality appeared as a useful resource in justifying idea. adjunct in text adjunct in text is an element that does not have potential of being subject. it is usually realized by adverb or prepositional phrase. adjunct gave more and varieties information that were added to clauses. adjunct consisted of adverb group, prepositional phrase, and modal adjunct. (i:4) ///nyado… bata babado na pamadengngi bara na ama mawolo marawi// tutuna bata ma dengngi// ba ata a wainda barra na ama mawolo marawi//, nyaka bahinna kowe / notongge /ka ta dukki ngge ne pamai dengnga nda ne bahinna///. ///nyaka ka kako belli hida pamama pata patama wainda//, kata mama belli// nyaka ba yodikyaki// appa ko ne padukki dengnga nda// kata padukki ndi hiddi pateki///. (08) table 6. adjunct in text noto-ngge may be ka that ta we duki-ngge arrive ne pamai dengnga nda the come with our ma conj s p c mood residue ‘ we may come to our presence.’ (ii:30) … …/// ///taka ndaku teki kipu ne// kana pandengge hindangu mi///. ///ia mane tanggu uma kalada//, okkokina netingge hina uma kalada baku kako barra da hittingge// nati ata nee ndi buka bera//, waimangura// neti ka lende zodina kaku ngare ngare kalete zodi// baku pangga hina pateki na/// ///.ia nenti nai manu// mono hida papala karewe langutaka//, kabola wirro// kabola rara taka wi// nai manu///. .//…// (09) table 7. adjunct in text okkoki na rarely netti-ngge even ba that ku i kako go barra da hitti-ngge to them ma ar conj s p prep mood residue m rarely i go to them.’/ i rarely go to them.’ (i:95) ///…//…/// // //hidi oma a pata bolo oma rara// gai ka na ya taka pongngu ngga ndi//. ///heti ba lunggu ku ngge// gai ne lodo boro mema// mawo roo karambo ba nee ko yodi kyaki bana bitaka tana gonggola mi donga watu// enga donggu ba mi tawa ngge ngundu// nibangge nangga// hidi paworo ma puu na// pakado ma lawina na bata///…/// (10) table 8. adjunct in text hida oma pata bolo these gold piece four ka mi you ya give takapongngu must ngga ndi me them c s p ma c conj mood mood residue ‘these two piece of gold, you must give me .’/ ‘you must give me those two pieces of gold.’ (iv:38/78) (11) table 9. adjunct in text papala pass beli first ndi them ba and budi will tekiku talk wi them p ar c konj ma p c mood mood residude ‘pass/retell these (information) first and they will be discussed.’ (ii:17)/ ///indaki ndahinaki hida ole//, ne bara mi yemi bapaduki na lodo// nya papala belli mu///. ///heti appaku pangindi mi// hida papapalami/// (iv:23) //kanyado dappa pasala lunggunya//. //nda hinaki nya ole…?// (12) magdalena ngongo the investigation of modality and adjunct in spoken text of proposing a girl using waijewa language based on haliday’s systematic functional linguistic approach 228 table 10. adjunct in text indaki, nda no, not hina say ki it hida those ole friend f p c c s mood residue ‘no, it (that saying) is not like that, friend.’ (13) table 11. adjunct in text ka mala ok duada gazu two bar pa that lu say nggu hina i ar c conj p s residue mood ‘ok, i have said two bars.’.’ adjunct in clauses (08--13) give or add more information to those clauses. additional information is realized by modal and adverbial adjunct. in clause (08), modal adjunct noto-ngge ‘may be’ adds more information relating to ‘probability’. in clause (09), modal adjunct okkoki ‘rarely’ adds information relating to usualilty, and adverbial adjunct netti ‘later’ adds information relating time. therefore, this clause has information that is realized by either modal or adverbial adjunct. in clause (10) modal adjunct taka ‘must’ adds information relating to obligation. in clause (11) adverbial adjunct beli ‘firstly’ adds information relating to time, and modal adjunct budi ‘wiil’ adds information relating to intensity. in clause (13) adverbial adjunct mala ‘ok” adds information relating to request. whereas, clause (12) is polarity indaki, nda. ‘no’ modal adjunct are clause constituents that add interpersonal meaning to the clause. it covers mood and comment adjuncts (eggins 1994:167168; halliday 1994:82-83). mood adjunct added/gave more information relating to probability and usuality, intensification, presumption, inclination and polarity. whereas comment adjunct add an expression and attitude and evaluation. it consisted of admissive, desiderative, entreaty, evaluative, opinion, predictive, persuasive, and presupposition. the use number of modal adjunct in texts are presented in table one below. table 12. the use number of modal adjunct in texts tipe modal adjunct text i text ii text iii text iv total adjunct % mood adjunct 158 42 71 149 420 66 comment adjunct 124 30 28 33 215 34 total of clauses 1250 472 544 854 635/ 3120 100 table one pictures the total use number of adjuncts in texts is 635. the use number of mood adjunct is 420.(66%).and comment adjunct is 215 (34%). the use number of mood adjunct is higher than the use number of comment adjunct. the following data can show the use of adjunct in clauses. (iv:14) (14) //ne ba wai ma ne lodo// ma tunda bana kira//. //ka ma woro-ngge ne lodo//, nda papande taka mi yemi//. //nyawi hida ka ma kako nee ba bawai ndi ne bahina// ne padengngi na kaweda dada// gai ka manowara-ngga hina ne panewe//. //nyaka waiku ndi ndapa pande ma yame ata ene// nya pahinda na kapapala ndi// kana ounda wi//. //remangga ba lu-nggu-ngge bahina-ngge waina heti tudana ba ndappa kambu ate we//. / //langka ndaiku taka orona ba wai ndi paworo ma heti// nyaka ne lodo kira na//. //nyaka teki we ka ounda// nya kaidu pakambu ate ma yame//. //today we are presence, we have postponed the time// so, we have discussed something that you really do not know // ///that is why we go there and they are here now // the demand of grandma, dada is that she was loved // so, if there is something that six of us do not know, i tell it now in order to be known/ understood /// ///what had been said to be waited last time does not seem not to have intension /// ///eventhough he is not here, we have had our discussion at that time. therefore, to day is the time /// /// so, tell it in order to be known and it is our purpose // // looking at the clauses or text (14), we can identify that it consists of eight independent clauses and six dependent clauses. when tenor gave information, he used affirmative type, such as ne ba wai ma ne lodo ma tunda bana kira ’ today english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 229 we are present, for we have postphoned the time’. tenor also used imperative type, such as teki we ka ounda,’’tell them in order to be known’. those clauses have additional information that are realized by modal adjunct such as nda papande taka mi yemi ( ‘nda ’ not’, taka ‘really) ‘that you really do not know’, and comment adjunct such as nyaka waiku ndi ndapa pande ma yame ata enne ‘so , if there was something that six of us did not know,’ look at the presented data below. the clauses have additional information realized by mood adjunct and comment adjunct. (i:45) //o…o.. kanyado tenababa//, ka netti banapa pillo.//. //nee bange ne barramu hidanggu//. //a pala bana hida ngawu//, na wawi wa’i ba ni tyana/gyounga//. //ka enga tekkimu ne patekimu//, a limma hidangge hida umbamu//, nda ta dapa padekuki hidanggu//. (15) nda ta dapa padekuki hinda-nggu am s ar p p s not we just follow say i ‘we did not just follow, i said.’ (iv:15) //nya ndapa wi wainda//, ne tanggal enam belas// wai keto agazu//. //malla tau wolla ingngi// wolla wee// ati ia manu//. //enga wai gobba na ne katopo nyapo // ongo tunda bina ko bangge takangge kira lodo// (16) enga wai gobba na ne katopo,… am p pos s must there was pair it this machete ‘this machete must have its pair.’ (iv:52) //kanyado nai ranga a touda kabullu ndara// touda kabullu karambo// ka ya takakingga ndi//, dukabana hinanggu// (17) nai ranga a touda kabullu ndara// touda kabullu karambo// ka mi ya those animal thirty hourses thirty buffalows so you give k s p taka-ki ngga ndi must them me them ma c c c you had to give me those animal, thirty hourses and thirty buffalows.’ i:34) ///kanyado hinna ngge na ama// kaba barra du barra dadi do// nya kanda rema na parangi tilli bendo// kanda mangga na kamutu leto tana// ka wak’i ndi ne ne ba toma ngge ne milla// ba dukki ngge ne ndengo// ka … na tenawi ba hida ngge///. ///takka ba hina wali kaia// ka mama belli ponggai na kaleku nggu// hina ngge pateki na ama umba mi ne olle.///. (18) ///takka ba hina wali kaia// ka mi mama belli na kaleku nggu eventhough/now that you eat first this handbag my ar s p ar c pos ‘now that you firstly eat my handbag.’ (it means that you firstly have betel and areca nut) (ii:38) //oo , malla… hina hida//. ///nee nda dappa nangu-nangu// nda etakaikipo wana pakambu ate kaida hida///. //heti paya lima yemi// apaumba na hida// (19) /oo , malla… hina hida//. ///nee nda dappa nangu-nangu// yeah, ok say they we continous talk am(ar) p s s am p ‘yeah/ok, we are still talking/discussing.’ (ii:25) //hinaba wi,// teki loloko pateki//. (20) //hina ba wi teki loloko pateki//. surely it say just speech ma s p ar c ‘surely it is, just say the speech.’ clauses (14--20) have additional information that are realized by mood adjunct nda, ‘not’, enga ‘ still’ and taka ‘must/had to’. nda’ not’ is polarity and enga ‘still’ and taka ‘must are obviousness. whereas, in clauses (18--20) have additional information that are realized by comment adjunct takka ba hina wali kaia ‘eventhough’, malla ‘all right’, and hina ba ‘ it is right’. examples of adjunct in text are presented as follows. table 13. mood adjunct budi okko domma ongo enga taka pongngu kali pata sadeka nda hinaki takka nda kali wai wuku nda, indaki ‘will’ noto ‘always’ okko ‘must’ ongo ‘usually’ pongngu ‘not like that’ sadeka ‘not usually’ takka no, not’ wuku ‘may/might be’ table 14. comment adjunct badekuko-ngge ‘according to’ bahinako ‘therefore’ baka ‘then, and’ balengnga ‘because’ bangge ‘then’ bengge ‘even if ‘ magdalena ngongo the investigation of modality and adjunct in spoken text of proposing a girl using waijewa language based on haliday’s systematic functional linguistic approach 230 kalongga ate ‘willingness’ kanyado, nyado ‘ok, surely’ karoba ‘surprise’ langka ‘though’ lapata ‘up to’ loko hina wali kaiya ‘though, eventhough’ louka-louka ‘even if, mainly’ malla ‘all right’ melle ‘‘if’ na tenaba it is right/surely, exectly’ na tenawi ‘it is right/surely’ nda kali waikina ‘not always’ nda peikina ‘does not matter’ ndua atedo ‘kindness’ nggai ‘kindness’ nyaka ‘so’ oro ‘because’ papangeda-nggu ‘my opinion’ taka nyakido ‘eventhough’ tutuba ‘it is enough’ utuba ‘luckily’ wali kalaki ate from deeply hard’ beside modal adjunct, comment adjunct that add more information in clause were found in texts. the table (2) below are presented to show the use of ar and prepositional phrase in text. table 15. the use number of adverbial residue and prepositional phrase in text adjunct types text i text ii text iii text iv total percentage adverbial 315 135 163 339 952 67 prepositional phrase 107 48 63 88 461 33 total adjunct 422 182 226 427 1.413 100 table two shows the additional information that are realized by ar and prepositional phrase. the total use number of adverbial adjunct is 952 (67%). the total use number of prepositional phrase is 461 (33%). ar is higher than prepositional phrase. this fact indicates that using adverbial adjunct is more important when tenor exchange experience. it is aimed to have other tenor ensure the information stated. if they miss the information realized in addvrbial adjunct, culturally there would be a cultural sanction. therefore, the aim or purpose should be understood and some decision can together be decided. the function of comment adjunct accordoing to eggines (1994:168) was to express an assessment about the clause as a whole. look at the data below. (iv:123). (21 a) //nyaka ole… neme bali tonga//, patoo baka nda na bali gollu dommo ka ne panewe//. ///pateki da bali tonga//, tanggala enam belas wulla ka ia tahun dua ribu tiga belas// ponu ranga heti//, ka ami pamalle///. //wale we koro dana// wulla ka ene tanggala satu// kappa malle tanggala tiga puluh hina ka ponu ranga//. //hina by ali //mono byali,// orona eta pateki na maro bali tonga hina koro dana///. //hinako heti yame pawai da ma a ene// ka tai ma ne tillu na// katuku tana rara// kangali dua paduana//, ba hina ne pateki// oro heti byali// mono byali// ba ma eta yame neti a nee na tillu na// ne tanggala enam belas// wulla ka lima// ponu ranga///. ///ponu ranga budi worongge kira pamalle// hina ne paworo ma //paduada ma ne tillu na// ba ma teki minggi///. ///ata pawai ya ma //nyaka tai ma ne tillu na bali tonga// koro dana//, gainanggu kadapa nya padeimba lunggu minggi ne bahina// pateki ma ata ene//, ka dukabana///. ///garra ko a wale ullu// koro dana //bali tonga, ka wale we…/// ///tanggala enam belas// wulla lima// ponu wi ranga//, pamalle//, hida pateki ma ata a ene///. //gara wale ullu//, koro dana//, bali tonga?// (iv:124) (21b) //nyado ku walepo yauwa bali tonga// ba lengnga limi dongge//. ///nyado nena ka ndaiki duka na// ba limiko-ngge ne bahina nee// mono ata pabeiba mi// nyaka tai minggi tillu na ata ene// ka pawai weki na///. //bahinako ne bahina nee ata pabei ba mi katorro na pamama//. // all underlined words in clauses (21a and 21b) are adverbial adjunct and prepositional phrases. those adjuncts add more information to the clauses. in clauses (21a), there are 19 adverbial adjuncts and eight prepositional phrases. whereas, in clauses (21b), there are four adverbial adjunct and one prepositional phrase. it seems that in clauses (21a), there is restated information used by tenor. this fact causes the use number of adjunct in clauses (21a) is higher than the use number of adjunct used in clause (21b). the purpose of repeated adjunct by tenor is to make or ensure other tenor get clear information that can be together understood. based on the fact shown in clause (21b) adjunct are less used since tenor has understood the message, and therefore he does not need to use more adjuncts in clauses (21a) . the following presented data are adverbial adjunct and prepositional phrases in text. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 231 table 16. prepositional phrase and adverbial adjunct in the text prepositional phrase adverbial adjunct aro umma ‘in front of house balitonga ‘waiting room’ barra ‘near’, ‘closed to’ byali ‘beyond’ dana ‘inside’ deta ‘on’ gyounga ‘outside’ katonga deta ‘on stage’ korodana in bed room’ lira ‘behind’ lola ‘down’ mbondo ‘above’ ne’e ‘over there’ nenna ‘there’ newe ‘here’ oma dana in the garden, field’ omba dana ‘in the lake’ pandou deta ‘on a bed’ ponnu ‘up’ tidi ‘beside’ tillu ‘middle’ umma dana ‘upstair’ duada wulla ‘two months later kapugede ‘in the morning’ kira ‘time’ koka ‘tomorrow’ male ‘last night’ mewa ‘day after tomorrow muriwali muri wali ‘for ever’ murri ‘follwing day’ ne bahina nee ‘now’ ne lodo ‘today’ neme ‘later’ neme ndou ‘next year’ nena ‘a while ago’ sebentar ‘for a moment’ tanggala ‘date’ touda dou ‘ three years’ ullu na ‘last time’ waina ‘last time’ wulla kaia ‘the first month’ wulla kapata ‘the four month’ yodikyaki ‘next time’ yone ‘over here’ adverbial adjunct included adjunct residue, such as circumstances. adjunct position can be either at the front or the end of a clause. look at the following data. (i:148, 182) //duka bana.// //kanyado kapeinda ndi hida ama anton?// //ne bahina ne’e hida ranga enne kabullu wa//, touda kabullu karambo// touda kabullu ndara//. ///ne toma nda ndakurapu hida wawi// ne kata naba memapu hida olle//, kana sadekapu ne/// (22) //ne bahina ne’e hida ranga enne kabullu wa//, touda kabullu karambo// now these animal sixty them thirty buffalow ar s c touda kabullu ndara thirty hourse ‘now, these animals are sixty of them, thirty buffalows, thirty hourses.’ (i:178) //oo, ka ne hida ngge hida ata wee leo// ne lodo ba waingga kette katonga weri kawendo// a lima hidi pangindi nggu// berarti kabullu lima powa nda wai na ranga kette katonga weri kawendo//. ///duada wulla nangge ka amiko ngga// kaku ponuku// kaku ngindi wa na kabullu lima// bolo oma rara//, hina ne pateki na///…/// (23) ///duada wulla na ka ami ngga// ka ku ngindi wa na kabullu lima// two month that come i in order i bring those fifteen ar p s conj s p c ‘two months later , i come to bring those fifteen.’ (iv:9) //heti nya ba wi// papala ndi pateki ullu na nena// //ne pateki mu na tena we// (24) //heti nya ba wi// papala ndi pateki ullu-na nena// these are they retell this speech a while ago ar p c ar ‘here they are, retell this speech a while ago.’ (iv:115, 118) ///pateki na kaweda kalli//, kana duki pongngumo neme dua ribu tiga belas///. //ka ba nyakido a hina na// kadaku sadekamo neme tahun dua ribu tiga belas// baami hinangge nati kaweda kalli///. ///yang berikut// nda lakawa a dapa mawanggoki wa neti gyounga// , remana manairo/// ///na marro pongngu we ne tanggala pateki mi//, hinangge pateki na nati kaweda kalli///. (25) nda lakawa a dapa mawanggo -ki wa neti gyounga// not chil that just play she out side am conj ar p s ar ‘she is not a child that just plays outside.’ (26) ba yodi kyaki ka nda dappa mawewaraka na yame ata a nee na tillu na later not just scaterred we people that are middle ar am p s ar ‘later, we, the six people that are in the middle (as mediators) are not scattered.’ magdalena ngongo the investigation of modality and adjunct in spoken text of proposing a girl using waijewa language based on haliday’s systematic functional linguistic approach 232 (iv:7) //nyaka ne hina nena koro dana//, tyana//, bali tonga//, pangau we kabutika gainanggu// ka parengnge pateki na//. //ne byali tonga piya lakawa//, koro dana piya lakawa// gainanggu yodi kyaki ka bana kako panewe// kadana matagelaka// nyaka hina kata teki//. (27) //ne byali tonga piya lakawa//, koro dana piya lakawa// in living room all children in bedroom all chilrdren ar ar s ar f s ‘in the living room and bedroom are all children.’ all clauses (22--27)) have additional information relating to time and place. information relating time such as ne bahina nee ‘now’ (clause 22) , dua wulla na ‘two months later’ (23), ullu na nena ‘ a while ago’ (clause 24), and information relating to place such as neti gyounga out side’ clause 25), ne byali tonga ‘in the living room’ (clause 26). in clause (25), there are additional information relating to modal adjunct nda ‘ not’ and residue adjunct neti gyounga ‘outside’. in clause (26), there are additional information relating to residue adjunct yodi kyaki ’later’, tillu na ‘ in the middle’, and adjunct modal nda ‘not’. conclusion the use of modality in spoken text related to two ways, namely modalization and modulation. modalization were always used by groom’s parent and mediators. while modulation were used by bride’s parent and mediators. this fact relates to what cheng and wang (2017) findings that the disparity of modals verbs in different situations depended on distinct situation. it is also proved ravelli’s statement (2000) that modalization related to fact (giving/demanding information, and modulation related to facts (giving/demanding goods and services). modalization involves the scale of probability and usuality and modulation relates to the scale of obligation and inclination (halliday and matthiessen (2004). the terms of probability and usuality as follows the speaker expresses judgements as to the frequency in which something happens (eggins, 2004). modal adjunct covers mood and comment adjunct were used in text that add more information to a clause. the use of polarity of modality in text indicated how strong the language reveals interpersonal meaning suggested by speakers. the more use of modal adjunct than comment adjunct indicates that the speaker’s judgement or request in propositions and proposals were very important in this text. modality system in text realized interpersonal meaning. it is suggested that it is interesting to conduct more study relating to modality system that also covers its orientation, value and polarity completely references alaei, m. and ahangari, s. (2016). a study of ideational metafunction in joseph conrad’s “heart of darkness”: a critical discourse analysis. english language teaching; canadian center of science and education vol. 9 (4). doi: 10.5539/elt.v9n4p203. almeida. a.f., pastor, l.m. (2017). variation and function of modals in linguistics and engineering research paper in english. evidentiality and modality in european languages. discourse pragmatic perspectives. bern: peter lang amalia, m., subandowo, d., faliyanti, e., and thresia, f. (2018). an analysis of domain mood and modality of interpersonal meaning in susilo bambang yudhoyono (sby)'s speech. english language teaching educational journal, v1 n1 p22-28 aug 2018. arabzoozani, m. a., & pahlavannejad, m. r. (2019). the investigation of mood and modality in the first letter of nahj elblahgheh based on halliday’s systemic functional grammar. global journal of foreign language teaching, 9(2), 101–109. https://doi.org/10.18844/gjflt.v9i2.3587 cheng, l. and wang, x. (2017). ‘modal and modality in legal discourse: a corpus based sociosemiotic interpretation.’ international journal of semiotics and visula rhetoric volume 1 issue 1 january-june 2017 farshbafian, a. & safaei asl, e (2021). a metafunctional approach to word order in persian language. journal of language and linguistic studies, 17 (special issue 2), 773793; 2021 halliday, m.a.k. (2014). halliday’s introduction to functional grammar. fourth edition. routledge taylor & francis group: london and new york herman. (2014). an experiential function on students' genre of writing. jakarta: halaman moeka publishing herman, murni, s. m., sibarani, b. and saragih, a. (2019). structures of representational metafunctions of the “cheng beng” ceremony in pematangsiantar: a multimodal analysis. international journal of innovation, creativity and change., volume 8, issue 4, 2019. hutabarat, e., herman, silalahi, d.e., and sihombing, p. s. r. (2020). an analysis of ideational metafunction on news jakarta post about some good covid-19 related news. veles voices of english language education society, vol 4, no 2 (2020), e-issn 2579-7484, pp. 142-151. purba, r. and herman. (2020). multimodal analysis english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 233 on ertiga car advertisement. wiralodra english journal (wej), vol 4 no 1 maret 2020, pp. 21-32. rahmasari. s., and lauwren s. (2020). modality analysis on the official website of indonesian tourism language. circle: journal of language and literature 15 (1) october 2020 112-119 rui, z. and jingxia, l. (2018). the study on the interpersonal meanings of modality in microblogging english news discourse by the case of “donald trump’s muslim entry ban”. advances in language and literary studies, 9 (2), pp. 110-118. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.9n.2p.110 suardana, i. k. (2020). grammatical metaphor in pan balangtamak: systemic functional linguistics perspective. international journal of linguistics and discourse analytics, 2(1), pp. 14-28, doi: https://doi.org/10.52232/ijolida.v2i1.26. susanto, d. a., and watik, s. (2017). the interpersonal meaning realized in the lyrics of christina perri’s album “lovestrong” and the contribution for teaching a modern english grammar. deiksis, 9 (3), pp. 283-291. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.30998/deiksis.v9i03.962. xiuye, y. and wencheng, g. (2020). a contrastive analysis of interpersonal function of public service advertising in english and chinese. sino-us english teaching, march 2020, vol. 17, no. 3, 99-105. doi:10.17265/15398072/2020.03.004 xuan, w., and huang, x. (2017). understanding interpersonal meaning-making in chinese high school students’ esl writing: a systemic functional perspective. asia-pacific edu res 26, 227–238. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-0170343-4 yang s. (2021). a systemic functional study of the system of modality in chinese. sage open. july 2021. doi:10.1177/21582440211040075 zhao, k. and ou, c. (2020). an analysis of interpersonal function in ted educational speeches. ieee/wic/acm international joint conference on web intelligence and intelligent agent technology (wi-iat), 2020, pp. 724-729, doi: 10.1109/wiiat50758.2020.00111. magdalena ngongo the investigation of modality and adjunct in spoken text of proposing a girl using waijewa language based on haliday’s systematic functional linguistic approach 234 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 183 metacognitive learning strategies in argumentative writing skills erwin oktoma language education study program, state university of jakarta email: erwinoktoma_7317157768@mhs.unj.ac.id zainal rafli language education study program, state university of jakarta email: zainal.rafli@unj.ac.id aceng rahmat language education study program, state university of jakarta email: aceng.rahmat@unj.ac.id apa citation: oktoma e., rafli, z., & rahmat, a. (2020). metacognitive learning strategies in argumentative writing skills. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 183-192. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3795 received: 28-06-2020 accepted: 29-09-2020 published:11-12-2020 abstract: this study aims to determine the effect of metacognitive learning strategies on students' argumentative writing skills. this research was conducted on third semester students of the english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kuningan. a quantitative approach was chosen with an experimental data collection technique tests as a used method, namely: (1) test of argumentative writing skills. this study examines the effect of metacognitive learning strategies on students' argumentative writing skills. the learning strategies used are metacognitive learning strategies (experimental class) and control class concept map learning strategies. the findings indicate that metacognitive learning strategies are effective in teaching students' argumentative writing in english. regarding the results of this study, the application of different learning strategies is needed in students' argumentative writing learning. based on the results and conclusions above, it turns out that metacognitive learning strategies have a significant effect on students' argumentative writing skills in english. thus, this research provides a beneficial implication in planning and developing learning strategies which will be used in improving students' argumentative writing skills in english, especially with regard to the application of appropriate learning strategies. the argumentative writing skills of students who were given metacognitive learning strategies were better than those who were given concept map learning strategies instead. in this case, the role of the lecturer is very important so that to improve students' argumentative writing skills, metacognitive strategies are more effectively applied in class. keywords: metacognitive learning strategies; thinking ability; argumentative writing introduction writing is seen as a means of a written communicating messages or information between the writer and the reader. in addition, writing is also a diction practice to convey the message in a more comprehensible manner for readers. writing means producing a series of sentences which are arranged in an orderly manner and are interrelated in a certain way so that a series of arranged sentences becomes a text; which is not an easy and spontaneous activity. the implementation of learning to write according to wage and dantes (2015), needs to pay attention to the following matters: (1) writing is a process of two parties namely students as writers and teachers as readers and guides, (2) the experience must depart from the students themselves, so that ideas can be developed easily, (3) writing can be improved if the exercises run continuously, (4) the meaning and expression of the mind is prioritized rather than the stylized and composed of the writing. in a writing, someone often needs arguments to express their ideas. one of the texts which requires arguments is argumentative text. in argumentative writing, which contains the author's opinion in order to influence others, must have a strong foundation in describing the facts. mccrimmon (1984) writes that persuasion or argumentation is verbal a communication which seeks to make changes in making decisions voluntarily so that audience accept a new belief which was not previously believed. the form of verbal communication used is through written communication to convince the reader to switch their stance voluntarily in making decisions in accordance with the expectations of the author. this opinion is supported by mcdonald (1996) who uses the term rhetoric or rhetoric as another mailto:aceng.rahmat@unj.ac.id https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3795 erwin oktoma, zainal rafli, & aceng rahmat metacognitive learning strategies in argumentative writing skills 184 term for argumentative, which is the use of persuasive language to influence readers or listeners. in other words, argumentative writing is the use of persuasive language or an invitation to influence the reader to make a change in thinking. these changes may be as simple as passing on one's beliefs to others or further influencing actions such as getting to choose person a over person b, asking to quit smoking, or to buy a product. argumentative writing is very important for students to master considering that this type of writing is widely used in various aspects of life, for example: in writing scientific papers, religious lectures, advertorials, for appeals, to campaign for someone or a program, and others. the writer must also be able to criticize something wisely and acceptable to reader's thoughts. in other words, the opinion expressed by the author must be reasonable and genuine. argumentative writing is not only concerned with clarity but requires conviction by means of existing facts, indirectly, through the writer's conviction, it can influence the author in uttering logical statements and the writer will be able to account for his writing properly. alwasilah (2008) explains that there are several components of an argument, as follows: the first component is an introduction or an exordium (exhortation) to the audience. introduction acts to attract the reader's interest or attention, and introduce the subject of discussion. second is thesis, a thesis is a statement regarding the position (attitude) towards an issue. the reader is led by the author to agree with the thesis or proposition (pro-position, i.e. side with a position) the evidence presented must support a thesis. third, conclusion, the conclusion means nothing but to strengthen the thesis previously described. in learning to write arguments for the use of learning strategies, basically, it is a suitable way of doing assignments or more generally in achieving goals (kirby, 1984). meanwhile, according to sanjaya (2006), to be able to achieve the results of learning to write english which is the goal of learning to write english, a strategy is needed which is in accordance with the nature of the writing lesson itself. according to sanjaya, the learning strategy is a way used by the teacher to achieve learning objectives which depend on the approach or method used. metacognition or metacognitive is a term coined by flavel and miller (1993) in 1976 starting from its limitations as a study of the psychology of cognition, since the 1970s metacognition has attracted the attention of scientists from other fields to also study it. now, besides being a study in the field of cognitive psychology, metacognition has become a study in the fields of language, mental disorders, mathematics and education. this development seems to be supported by a belief that metacognition as part of cognition is likely to experience changes in terms of capacities, strategies and forms of knowledge. research in the development of metacognition began in the 1970s brown, john flavell, and their colleagues. in the beginning, metacognition was broadly defined as knowledge or cognitive activity which makes cognitive activity its cognitive object, or which regulates cognitive activity itself (schneider, 2008). larkin (2010) says that "metacognition" comes from "meta" and "cognition". from his understanding, "meta" refers to a change in position, a thing which is moving outward or towards a higher level while "cognition" refers to our ability or ability to know or think. thus, "metacognition" describes a higher thought process, something which is reflective and constantly moves beyond the normal level of thinking in reflecting on the thinking itself. besides that metacognition is our knowledge of cognitive processes and how to use them optimally to achieve learning goals (pitenoee & ardestani, 2017). to illustrate this concept panahandeh and espandiari (2014) describe a study in which preschool and elementary children learn a set of items until they feel they can remember them perfectly. older children, once they have indicated they are ready, exhibit "perfect memories," whereas younger children usually do not. these results suggest that preschoolers are very limited in their knowledge and cognition of cognitive phenomena or in their metacognitive behaviour. it is clear that this definition refers to people's knowledge of information processing skills and knowledge of the nature of cognitive tasks, and of coping strategies for those tasks. this concept also includes executive skills related to monitoring and self-regulating their own cognitive activities. flavel in priscilla & ruan (2008) suggests three aspects of metacognition, namely metacognition knowledge, metacognition experience, and metacognition skills which are a strategy in controlling cognition. metacognitive knowledge is characterized by combinations of information around three self-knowledge variables. tasks and strategies which will be effective in achieving the objectives of the tasks english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 185 to be assigned. metacognitive experiences are metacognitive items which have entered the realm of consciousness, and can include evaluations where someone completes a task, or perhaps a sense of confusion where someone may or may not act. metacognitive knowledge is differentiated from metacognitive activity. metacognitive knowledge involves monitoring and reflecting on one's thoughts in the present moment. this includes factual knowledge, such as knowledge of tasks, goals or self and strategic knowledge, such as how and when to use specific procedures to solve problems. metacognition activity, on the other hand, occurs in students consciously adjusting and managing their thinking strategies when solving problems in thinking about a goal (santrock, 2004). baird in cubucku (2008) defines metacognition as knowledge, awareness, and selfcontrol. thus, the development of metacognition can be described as a development of one's metacognitive abilities, namely leading to greater knowledge, awareness and control of one's learning. larkin (2010) says that "metacognition" comes from "meta" and "cognition." according to him, "meta" refers to a change in position, something which is moving outward or towards a higher layer. "cognition" refers to our ability or ability to know or think. thus "metacognition" describes a higher thought process, something which is reflective and continues to move beyond the normal level of thinking in reflecting on the thinking itself. cazden defined metalinguistic consciousness like the metamemory definition flavell uses. both use the word meta which refers to reflective awareness of cognitive processes, while butterfield, wambold and belmont place an important emphasis on the control of a cognitive process called the executive process. this process has actually become part of the definition of metacognition given. flavell and bown. cavanaugh and perlmutter argue that the content of memory knowledge is called metamemory. baker and anderson in lawson more generally state that metacognition is knowledge and control of cognitive processes it has (lawson, 1984). therefore, people who have metacognition strategies are those who have knowledge and control of thinking and learning activities. according to hacker (2017), a person's ability to control various cognitive activities is carried out through action and interaction between four phenomena: (1) metacognition knowledge; (2) experience of metacognition; refers to what a person believes about his own state of mind, for example the belief which he is intelligent, knowledgeable, understands faster by hearing than by reading, has begun to forget often, is slow to think, and so on. (3) objectives (tasks); with regard to a person's knowledge of the nature of a particular task, for example the awareness that this job is more difficult than previous jobs, such work demands a lot of time, and this concept is not well mastered, and so on, and (4) action (strategy), relating to someone's knowledge of ways to carry out an activity, for example, this way is more appropriate than others for purposes and contexts like this, the best way to memorize a lot of material is to focus on the main idea, associate with things already known, and repeated it in his own language many times. furthermore, he said metacognition consists of metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive experience and regulation. thus, it can be stated that metacognition is (1) the process of monitoring and directing one's own thoughts so that something is achieved more optimally, (2) a person's knowledge of his own state or thought process, and (3) a person's ability to monitor and direct his own thoughts to achieve something expected. models and theory of metacognition on the other hand, researchers such as pintrich, wolters and bexters in cubucku (2008) argue that there are three main components of metacognition, namely metacognition knowledge, metacognition monitoring and regulation and self-control. first, metacognitive knowledge consists of cognitive learning strategies which learners use to regulate the knowledge acquisition process. this includes elaboration strategies such as building relationships with pre-existing knowledge, or memory strategies such as note-taking. both metacognition monitoring consist of metacognition control strategies. what is important here are activities such as planning and monitoring learning activities, evaluating the impact of learning and adjusting to various task demands, and (unexpected) difficulties. metacognitive strategies involve thinking about the learning process, planning learning, monitoring and learning assignments and how to evaluate what has been learned (panahandeha & esfandiari, 2014). besides the two models above, the third group of strategies is aimed at management, resources and self-management. these strategies are erwin oktoma, zainal rafli, & aceng rahmat metacognitive learning strategies in argumentative writing skills 186 concerned with controlling the general conditions associated with learning, such as time management and learning environment management. the model proposed by pintrich in cubucku (2008, p.2) states that "students develop perceptions of task demands, seen in metacognition monitoring, selecting and executing metacognition strategies which are appropriate for task demands, and evaluating performance tasks which illustrate the effectiveness of cognitive strategies." another cognitive model proposed by winne and hadwin has four basic stages, task definition, goal setting and planning, creation, and adjustment. this model states that students generate a perception of what is the task and the availability of resources, a plan shows the task, plays learning strategies, and makes changes to their cognitive structure based on performance perceptions. pintrich synthesized various expert opinions into a general framework which includes (a) initial thinking, planning and activation, (b) monitoring, (c) control, and (d) reaction and reflection. schneider (2008) elaborated on the theoretical model proposed by flavell, which they called the good information processing model. according to this model, sophisticated metacognition is closely related to the use of learner strategies, motivational orientation, general knowledge of the world, and the use of efficient automated learning procedures. all of these components are assumed to interact. for example, knowledge of specific strategies influences the application of adequate metacognitive strategies, which in turn influences knowledge. as these strategies are implemented, they are monitored and evaluated, leading to expansion and improvement of specific strategy knowledge. more recently conceptualization has added to its component self-regulating skills. originally, the concept of metacognition was developed in the context of development research, but is now widely used in different fields of psychology, including motivational research and clinical psychology and education. recent developments have also included cognitive neuroscience models of metacognition, the popularity of which is because metacognition is essential for everyday conceptual offerings and for those who value scientific thinking, as well as for social interactions. a recent research paradigm which is quite influential which aims to understand metacognitive processes within its developmental dimension, tries to link the 'minda theory' (tm) of children with their continuous metacognition development (schneider, 2008). metacognitive experiences involve metacognition strategies or metacognition regulation. metacognique strategy is a sequential process used to control cognitive activity and ensure that cognitive goals have been achieved (schneider, 2008). this process consists of planning and monitoring cognitive activities and evaluating the results of these activities. planning activities such as setting goals and analyzing assignments help activate relevant knowledge to make it easier to organize and understand lesson material. monitoring activation includes a person's attention when he is reading, and making questions or self-examination. this activity helps students understand the material and integrate it with initial knowledge. regulatory activities include adjustment and improvement of students' cognitive activities. this activity helps increase performance by monitoring and correcting his behavior when he completes assignments. for example, after reading a paragraph in a text, students ask themselves about the concepts discussed in that paragraph. the cognitive goal is to make sense of the text. asking oneself is a metacognitive strategy. if he finds that he cannot answer his own questions, or that he cannot understand the material under discussion, he then determines what needs to do to ensure that he achieves that cognitive goal. he may decide to repeat or reread the paragraph in order to be able to answer his own question. in the information-processing model, this experience or metacognition management is called executive process or executive control. executive control involves a process of metacognition. this process activates and directs the flow of information during learning. this strategy directs students' choices towards the cognitive strategies they use to determine what to do during the problem-solving process. what it does depends on the expectations or goals and on the strategies used to achieve the goals. for example, a student studying for a test will use a different strategy if he or she is preparing to teach a skill. according to klowe in hacker (2017), the process of monitoring selection and application as well as the influence of the process and regulation of problem-solving activities constitutes metacognitive procedural knowledge. the executive process involves both monitoring and regulating thought processes, because it is related to flavell's metacognition strategy and metacognition skills. the executive monitoring english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 187 process is a process which is directed at obtaining information about a person's thought processes. this process involves helping someone's decision (1) identifying the task, (2) monitoring the progress of the work, (3) evaluating this progress, and (4) predicting the obtained outcome. the executive management process is a process which is directed at the process of organizing one's thinking. this process helps (1) allocate available resources to do tasks, (2) determine the steps for completing the task, and (3) determine the intensity, or (4) the speed in completing the task. livingstone (2002) analogizes this difference with differences in theory and practice. knowledge is relatively consistent within a person while unstable settings, independent of age, can change depending on the situation. you exhibit self-regulatory behavior just in certain situations, and the child exhibits self-regulatory behavior which adults do not. anxiety, fears and interests and self-concepts such as self-esteem can influence regulations. the regulatory process tends to be more unconscious. the ability to bring automated skills to consciousness is a characteristic of high metacognition and intelligence. by developing self-awareness, means developing intelligence. halter (2017) classifies metacognition strategy indicators into three groups. first, awareness includes the awareness of identifying what is already known, determining learning objectives, considering learning aids, considering the form of tasks, determining how to evaluate how to evaluate learning achievement, considering the level of motivation, and determining the level of anxiety. second, planning, includes activities to estimate the time needed to complete a task, planning study time into a schedule, making checklists about the activities which need to be done, organizing the material and taking the steps needed to learn using cognitive strategies. third, monitoring and reflection, includes activities to supervise the learning process, monitor learning with own questions, provide feedback and maintain concentration and motivation. in more detail, the indicators for metacognition strategies are classified as follows. (1) selfplanning, has indicators of learning objectives, relevant initial knowledge, and cognitive strategies to be used. (2) self-monitoring, has indicators on monitoring the achievement of learning objectives, monitoring time used, monitoring hypotheses of initial knowledge material with new subject matter, and monitoring cognitive strategies used. (3) self-evaluation, has indicators of evaluation of the achievement of learning objectives, evaluation of the time used, evaluation of the relevance of initial knowledge with new subject matter, and evaluation of cognitive strategies which have been used. oxpord (1990) classifies learning strategies into two major groups, namely direct strategies and indirect strategies. direct strategies can also be divided into three groups of strategies, namely memory strategies, cognitive strategies, and compensation strategies. furthermore, indirect strategies are divided into three groups of strategies, namely metacognitive strategies, affective strategies, and social strategies. metacognition strategy is one group of strategies which are classified into indirect strategies. it is said that the strategy is indirect because these strategies support and regulate the learning process, which indirectly involves the language being learned. metacognition strategies allow learners to control their own cognition, namely coordinating learning processes using functions such as centering, arranging, planning and evaluating (oxpord, (1990). metacognition also includes three sets of strategies, (a) centering your learning, (b) arranging and planning your learning and (c) evaluating your learning. it also consists of several more concrete strategies or the strategies obtained are disclosed in detail. the following table describes the strategies contained in each strategy set (oxpord, 1990). another metacognition strategy model is a model developed by anna et al. (1999). they develop a metacognition model for strategic learning. this model is based on extensive studies of learning strategies whose data relates to the effective use of strategies in a second or foreign language. learning strategies are selected for inclusion in the model based on their usefulness and applicability in a wide variety of learning tasks thus learners can use these strategies in the four language skills, such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing. the model developed by anna et al consists of four metacognition processes, namely planning, monitoring, problem solving and evaluation. the four metacognition strategies are not necessarily sequential but can be used as needed, depending on the needs of the task and the interactions between tasks. the image below illustrates the relationship between the four metacognition processes proposed by anna et al (1999). producing a good argumentative writing is not easy since a writer requires a complex process and needs continuous practice so that the writer erwin oktoma, zainal rafli, & aceng rahmat metacognitive learning strategies in argumentative writing skills 188 will be trained in expanding the idea systematically and logically. from the results of observations, the main problem in this study was that the students of the english language education study program, fkip, universitas kuningan were less able to develop argumentative writing seen from the results of the argumentative writing skills test at the time of taking the initial research data. this problem arises since; first, it is difficult for lecturers to determine the right learning strategy in the learning process of argumentative writing skills, as a result, the learning process is not well organized. second, the learning process does not lead to the achievement of the final goal, which is, students are less able to produce written products (argumentative). third, the learning process in argumentative writing skills seems to prioritize cognitive aspects only. fourth, student responses in learning argumentative writing skills are very low since the first place they already think that learning to write is very difficult so that students are unmotivated and less active when the learning process takes place. based on this description, it can be concluded that the development of argumentative writing can be carried out and improved through learning strategies including metacognition strategies because students must plan, then monitor and control their thoughts and can express and group ideas to be written logically and hierarchically. the problems studied in this study relate to argumentative writing skills in english (variable y) and learning strategies using metacognition learning strategies as experimental variables, (variable x1). method this study aims to determine empirically the effect of metacognition strategies on students' argumentative writing skills. this research was conducted at the faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kuningan, english education study program semester iii, the research lasted for 3 months, namely from february to april 2018-2019 academic year. the method used in this research is experimental research. in this research design, the sample is divided into two groups, namely the experimental group and the control group. the first group is an experimental group consisting of students who are treated with metacognition learning strategies. the second group is a control group consisting of students who are treated with argumentative writing skills using concept map learning strategies. in this design, the total sample size is 52 people, consisting of 26 people as the experimental group (learning with metacognition strategies) and 26 people as the control group (learning with the concept map strategy). there are two kinds of instruments used for data collection in this study, namely: (1) test of argumentative writing skills. in order to measure the research variables quantitatively, the research variables of argumentative writing skills are defined as follows. a) conceptual definition, argumentative writing skills. in this study is the ability to carry out verbal communication as a process of developing and communicating ideas, experiences, and ideas effectively which involves transferring them into written language so that readers voluntarily accept a new belief which is not believed beforehand that writing must be supported by various definitions. examples of category classifications and applying the law of causality by following the rules of good argumentative writing including problem explanations, thesis statements, rebuttals to opposing arguments, composing their own arguments, and skills to compose words or sentences which become a text. the expected result is that the arguments are well structured, comprehensible with an excellent diction, structure sentences with good grammatical and structure using spelling, punctuation, and capital letters correctly. b) operational definition, operationally argumentative writing skills are the scores of the results of students' argumentative writing skills tests by following the rules of argumentative writing with criteria for content, organization, vocabulary, language use and mechanics. results and discussion the description of the research data is intended to see in general the depiction of the argumentative writing skills of students who are the subjects of the study. the students' argumentative writing skills are divided into three groups based on learning strategies (metacognition strategy and concept map strategy): 1) argumentative writing skills of students who learn with metacognitive learning strategies (a1). 2) argumentative writing skills of students who learn the concept map learning strategy (a2). students' argumentative writing skills are given metacognitive learning strategies (a1). the data on students' argumentative writing skills for the group english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 189 learning with metacognitive strategies, obtained a maximum score of 91, a minimum score of 68, an average score of 79.15 standard deviation of 8.37. from the maximum and minimum scores, the score ranges from 23 class intervals and the number of classes 6. with these data, the frequency distribution table of students' argumentative writing skills for students learning with metacognitive learning strategies is as in the table below. table 1. frequency distribution of scores for argumentative writing skills for students who learn with metacognitive strategies (a1) no. score absolute frequency cumulative frequency relative frequency (%) 1 68 – 71 7 7 26.9 2 72 – 75 5 12 19.2 3 76 – 79 1 13 3.8 4 80 – 83 1 14 3.8 5 84 – 87 7 21 26.9 6 88 – 91 5 26 19.2 total 26 100 figure 1. the histogram of argumentative writing skills scores for students who learn metacognitive strategies (a1) argumentative writing skills for students who learn with concept map strategies (a2) data on the argumentative writing skills of students learning with concept map strategies, obtained a maximum score of 88, a minimum score of 68, an average count of 77.46 standard deviation of 6.56 and a variance of 42.98. from the maximum and minimum scores, the score range is 20, the class 4 interval and the number of classes 6. based on the data above, a frequency distribution table for students' argumentative writing skills is made for those who provide concept map strategies, as in the table below. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 67,5 71,5 75,5 79,5 83,5 87,5 91,5 erwin oktoma, zainal rafli, & aceng rahmat metacognitive learning strategies in argumentative writing skills 190 table 2. frequency distribution of argumentative writing skills scores of students who learn with the concept map strategy (a2) no. score absolute frequency cumulative frequency relative frequency (%) 1 68 – 71 7 7 26.9 2 72 – 75 5 12 19.2 3 76 – 79 1 13 3.8 4 80 – 83 1 14 3.8 5 84 – 87 7 21 26.9 6 88 – 91 5 26 19.2 total 26 100 figure 2. the histogram for the score of argumentative writing skills for students who learn with the concept map strategy (a2) table 3. summary of scores for argumentative writing skills in english of all data groups in this study. data group statistics n sample lowest score highest score mean standard deviation metacognitive strategy (a1) 26 68 91 79.15 8.37 concept map strategy (a2) 26 68 88 77.46 6.56 a two-way analysis of variance (anova) was used in this study. analysis is allowed if the student's argumentative writing skills data comes from a population whish is normally distributed and homogeneous. therefore, before testing the hypothesis, it is necessary to test the normality and homogeneity requirements. table 4. results of the summary of normality test for argumentative writing skills sample group n lo l1 (α = 0.05) summary 1. a1 2. a2 26 26 0.152 0.173 0.174 0.174 normal normal in this study the variant homogeneity test was carried out on: (1) two groups, students 'argumentative writing skills in the group learning with metacognitive strategies (a1) and students' argumentative writing skills in groups learning with concept map strategies (a2), 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 67,5 71,5 75,5 79,5 83,5 87,5 91,5 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 191 test of variants of two treatment groups (a1 and a2) the homogeneity test of the variance of the two treatment groups in this study was carried out by calculating the fratio between the largest variance and the smallest variance of the two groups being tested. the calculation is by dividing the largest variance with the smallest variance of the tested group (sudjana, p.1989), then compared with the ftable value at the significant level α = 0.01 and the degrees of freedom respectively = 25 based on the calculation results obtained fcalculation = 1.75, while f0.001 (25 25) = 2.26. when compared, then fcalculation is smaller than ftable or 1.75 <2.62. this means that h0 is accepted. thus, two groups, namely the argumentative writing skills of students learning with metacognitive strategies (a1), and the other group, namely the argumentative writing skills of students learning with the concept map strategy (a2), were homogeneous. this means that between groups of students learning with metacognitive strategies and groups of students learning with concept map strategies are treated the same. based on the results of the two-way analysis of variance (anova), it can be explained: a). the results of the analysis of the two-way variance between columns show: fcalculation (a) = 5.22 is greater than ftable = 4.04 at the significance level α = 0.05. it shows that ho is rejected and accepts h1. this proves that there is a significant difference in argumentative writing skills between students who learn with metacognitive learning strategies and students who learn with concept map learning strategies. statistical hypothesis: ho: µa1 ≤ µa2, h1: µa1> µa2. the results of the two-way analysis of variance between the columns show that the value of fcalculation = 5.22 is greater than ftable = 4.04 at the significance level α = 0.05. this means that ho is rejected and accepts h1. after testing the significant difference, the next step is to see which is better student's argumentative writing skills between the two treatments. based on the results of the calculation, it turns out that the average score of argumentative writing skills of students who learn with metacognitive learning strategies (a1) is 79.15 better than the argumentative writing skills of students who learn with concept map learning strategies (a2) the average score is 77.46. thus, the argumentative writing skills of students with metacognitive strategies are better than those with concept map strategies. the discussion of the results of the study was carried out based on the data descriptions of students' argumentative writing skills and the results of hypothesis testing as previously described. in this study, there were differences found in students' argumentative writing skills between students who studied with metacognitive learning strategies and groups of students who studied with concept map learning strategies. this is evidenced by the two-way anova test obtained fcalculation = 5.221> ftable = 4.04 which was tested significantly at α = 0.05 this is because metacognitive learning strategies can help students in writing in a wellstructured and focused manner. during the writing process, students generally find it difficult to organize their ideas, which resulted in irregular essays. metacognitive strategies are especially helpful in overcoming these difficulties, namely in finding ideas and developing these ideas into argumentative writing, by looking at the overall picture of the argument and assessing objectively whether the arguments and structure of the essay make sense. metacognition strategies not only help plan what to write, but are also useful when writing it in a whole. to check whether the writing is still in the correct writing flow, the essay can be reconfirmed with metacognitive. in contrast to the concept map strategy, this strategy explores and utilizes a variety of one's past experiences as the main idea and a very diverse source of written information to be transcribed into written form. of the many life experiences, topics can be selected based on information from events which have been experienced by themselves or others. conclusion this study examines the effect of metacognitive learning strategies on students' argumentative writing skills in semester iii students of the english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kuningan. metacognitive learning strategies and concept map learning strategies were used as the learning strategies. based on the results of hypothesis testing described in the previous chapter, the following conclusions can be drawn. argumentative writing skills, students who are given metacognition learning strategies are better than students who learn with concept map learning strategies. based on the conclusions, students' argumentative writing skills in english can improve if they learn using metacognitive erwin oktoma, zainal rafli, & aceng rahmat metacognitive learning strategies in argumentative writing skills 192 learning strategies. these findings indicate that metacognitive learning strategies are effective in teaching students' argumentative writing in english. regarding the results of this study, the application of different learning strategies is needed in students' argumentative writing learning. based on the findings of the research results and the discussion of the conclusions above, it turns out that metacognitive learning strategies have a significant effect on students' argumentative writing skills in english. thus, this research has implications, especially in planning and developing learning strategies that will be used in improving students' argumentative writing skills in english. the finding that the argumentative writing skills of students who were given metacognitive learning strategies were better than students who were given concept map learning strategies had implications, especially with regard to the application of appropriate learning strategies. in this case, the role of the lecturer is very important so that to improve students' argumentative writing skills, metacognitive strategies are expected to be more effectively applied in class. references alwasilah, a. c. (2008). filsafat bahasa dan pendidikan, bandung: remaja rosdakarya, chamont, a. u., barnhardt, s., el-dinary, p. m., robbins, |j. (1999). the learning strategies hand book. london: longman douglas j. hacker. metacognition: definitions and empirical foundations. feryal cubucku. (2008). enhancing vocabulary development and reading comprehension through metacognitive strategies. educational research, 18(1) flavel. h, john dan patricia h. miller. (1993). cognitive development. new yersey: prentice hall, flavell, j. h & miller, p. h. (1993). cognitive development. new jersey: prentice hall, grifith, p. l. & ruan, j. (2008). what is metakognitions and what should be its role in literacy intruction?’ in susan e. metacognition is literacy learning. mahwah: taylor & francis halter, coe.sdsu.edu,tanpa tahun, hh.2-3.diunduh 7 fabruari 2017. http://www.psyc.memphis.edu/trg/meta.htm n(1).h,4. kirby, j. r. (1984). strategies and processes in john r. kirby (ed). cognitive strategies and educational performance. london: academic pressinc. larkin, s. (2010). metacognition. london: routledge lawson, michael j. (1984). being executive about metacognition. in john r. kirbi (ed). cognitive strategies and educational performance. london: academic press inc. 1984. livingstone, j. a. (2003). metacognition: an overview. macdonald, a., & macdonald, g. (1996). mastering writing essentials. new jersey: practice hall regent. mccrimmon, james m. (1984). writing with a purpose, usa: houghton miffin co oxpord, r. l. (1990) language learning strategies: what every teacher should know. boston: heinle & heinle publisher panahandeh, esmaeil., & shahram, e. (2014). the effect of planning and monitoring as metacognitive strategies on iranian efl learners’ argumentative writing accuracy. procedia-sosial and behavioral sciences, 98, 1409-1416. panahandeha,e., esfandiari. s (2014). the effect of planning and monitoring as metacognitive strategies on iranian efl learners' argumentative writing accuracy. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 98. pitenoee. r.m., modaberi. a., & ardestani.m.e. (2017). the effect of cognitive and metacognitive writing strategies on content of the iranian intermediate efl learners’ writing. journal of language teaching and research, 8(3). retrieved from: http://146.87.24.:9:300/,metacognition.htm. 2002. sanjaya, w. (2006). strategi pembelajaran berorientasi standar proses pendidikan. jakarta: kencana. santrock, j. w. (2004). educational psychology. 2nd edition. new york: mc grawhill company, inc. schneider, w. (2008). the development of metacognitif knowledge in children and adolescent: major trends and implications for education. journal compilation: international mind, brain and educationsociety and wiley periodicals, 2(2). wage, w., wage, dantes, n., dantes, g. r. (2015). implementasi pembelajaran peta konsep terhadapmotivasi berprestasi dan hasil belajar siswa dalampembelajaran bahasa indonesia kelas gugus vi kecamatan abang. e-journal program pascasarjana universitas pendidikan ganesha, 5. http://146.87.24.:9:300/,metacognition.htm.2002 http://146.87.24.:9:300/,metacognition.htm.2002 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 285 using drama in efl classroom for exploring students’ knowledge and learning deri sis nanda english education department, university of bandar lampung e-mail: derisisnanda@ubl.ac.id susanto susanto english education department, university of bandar lampung e-mail: susanto@ubl.ac.id apa citation: nanda, d. s. & susanto, s. (2021). using drama in efl classroom for exploring students’ knowledge and learning. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp.285292. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4353 received: 21-02-2021 accepted: 19-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 abstract: this paper reported a research project on using drama in english as foreign language (efl) classroom for exploring students’ knowledge and learning. the exploration aimed at understanding the students’ interests, abilities and motivations. then, we also observed the teacher’s perceptions in the classrooms during the implementation of the drama for the students. in the study, we find that students show their good engagement and comprehension abilities. however, the perceptions of the teachers varied on the several aspects of the students’ preparation and performance. further, their perceptions reflect the pedagogical context offering possibilities for cultural production in language learning. the research results underline how the drama can be used to construct the abilities for early language learners especially for social engagement and language comprehension. keywords: efl classroom; drama; learning; social engagement; language comprehension introduction in indonesia, english is considered as a foreign language and taught in every level of education from primary school to university level. unfortunately, the indonesian education system does not have the distinction between second and foreign language studies. however, the system has the distinction among national, ethnic, and foreign language. as a foreign language in the country, english is only learnt during formal and non-formal education and not used on a daily basis. in english foreign language classroom, various pedagogical techniques and innovations have been applied to drive the students’ four language skills such as reading, listening, writing, and speaking. to develop those skills, the teachers can use dramabased pedagogy which employs creative and fun activities in the classroom. with the pedagogy, students may acquire rich experiences in learning english. there are some studies in relation to teaching drama in efl classroom. uysal and yavuz (2018) discussed language learning through drama by discussing the importance of integrating drama into the second or foreign language learning process and the role of teachers and students in the process. they found that teachers who utilized drama-based pedagogy became aware about students’ mistakes. then, the teachers were able to overcome the mistakes in learning the language. further, by introducing the pedagogical and linguistic aspects of using drama techniques in the language classroom, the teachers might focus on the dramaoriented verbal and nonverbal exercises. kondal (2016) discussed drama as a teaching tool for the integration of language skills. he described how dramatic techniques could be integrated in teaching language skills. for him, the techniques could involve and stimulate the feelings and visualization of the learners, providing them various stimuli and elevating their learning knowledge. in learning a foreign language, each individual may have different interests, abilities, and motivations (liu & chen, 2015; sansone, smith, thoman & macnamara, 2012; tsai & chang, 2013). understanding the knowledge and learning of these differences can be explored to generate and articulate ideas as in the context of foreign language learning. for the exploration of students’ differences in learning foreign language, an interaction framework may transform into creative dialogue such as that in utilizing drama for an mailto:derisisnanda@ubl.ac.id mailto:susanto@ubl.ac.id https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4353 deri sis nanda & susanto susanto using drama in efl classroom for exploring students’ knowledge and learning 286 explorative way. in the exploration, sharing ideas and opinions among students and teachers can introduce performance outcomes, skills, and knowledge. in many cases, especially in the province of lampung-indonesia, the students’ language skills do not develop as expected in the designed curriculum. since then, it has been a debated problem of the education system in indonesia especially with the efl learning achievement. one of its central ideas deals with the students’ differences in interests, abilities, and motivations in learning foreign language. as an alternative to respond the problem, we propose an insight into english drama pedagogy as a teaching tool to explore and understand the students’ interests, abilities, and motivations. in exploring and understanding students’ interests, abilities, and motivations, we conducted a research project on utilizing drama as an exploration of knowledge and learning for primary schools in teaching english as a foreign language in indonesia. then, we observed the teacher’s perceptions in the classrooms during the implementation of the drama for the students. featuring trends in english teaching for primary schools in lampung-indonesia in the province of lampung, indonesia, primary schools are allowed to prepare their students for the growing influence of english as foreign language competence. models for english teaching in primary schools have been used, but the effectiveness of the models is being debated comparing with their counterparts, with two standing out in particular. the first is national language education (i.e. indonesian language), which is a core subject strengthening the national identity. the second is ethnic language education (i.e. lampung language) which has the emphasis on preserving the cultural based knowledge (see table 1). therefore, models for language teaching (i.e. english, indonesian and lampung languages) are potential to compete each other. the competition affects the public policy for reducing the foreign language education. implementing drama pedagogy offers the compensation of the reduction by teaching english through extracurricular activities (nanda, 2016; nanda & susanto, 2020). besides, the resources in national and ethnic languages can be used for drama activities, e.g. ethnic stories. table 1. philosophical outcomes in language education for primary schools curriculum outcomes national language education strengthening the national identity ethnic language education preserving the cultural based knowledge foreign language education preparing basic skills for globalized world with foreign language competence drama pedagogy drama pedagogy can be defined as a collection of drama-based teaching and learning strategies to engage students with the content they are learning (lee, patall, cawthorn & steingut, 2015; uysal & yavuz, 2018). researchers have explored the advantages of the pedagogy for primary students (strakšienė, 2015) and elementary students (cremin, gouch, blakemore, goff, & macdonald, 2006; demircioglu, 2010; dupont, 1992). it has also been explored for secondary learners (keehn, harmon, & shoho, 2008; certo & brinda, 2011; rothwell, 2011) and adult learners (dawson, cawthon, & baker, 2011). in the exploration, it is highlighted that using drama pedagogy as teaching tool can improve the students in learning english. not only does it help to learn language but it can improve their literacy skill such as understanding and learning the lives, culture, and wisdom. further, norris (2000) confirmed that using drama in educational context is effective to help students to understand live experiences that they do not have. drama pedagogy as a teaching tool is an integrated form which is useful for language learning. however, for language teachers, involving students in drama activities is a challenging task. when drama pedagogy activities, e.g. role-play, are conducted in classroom, the students are invited to engage in the content discussion, share their thoughts and opinions about characters and motivations. besides, they are encouraged to rethink and explore their perceptions about a situation. it can draw their attention and drive discussion among them. then, they are eager to play. as the result, the activities can speed up english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 287 the learning process and enrich the classroom environment (robinson, 2015). hence, considering its advantages, we utilized english drama pedagogy as a teaching tool in language learning classrooms for primary schools in lampung, indonesia. then, we tried to explore the teacher’s perceptions of using the pedagogy. method the research was designed in qualitative method. it focused on the description of implementing drama pedagogy in english learning classrooms of 10 (ten) primary schools in lampung, indonesia. the drama was derived from indonesian ethnic stories which are converted into english. the research was also designed to study the perception of the teachers when they used english drama pedagogy for their students in the classrooms (fig.1). in the study, perceptions are defined as the sensory experiences which involve both the recognition of environmental actions as well as the response to those actions (yates, 2007). the participants are 30 english teachers from the primary schools, both public and private, in lampung. the schools are located in the town and rural areas. the teachers are experienced and certified for their teaching service. data were collected from audio recorded interviews. the interviews were conducted in relaxed and open settings after they implemented drama activities. the responses gained from the interviews were transcribed and coded based on the themes. figure 1. a design for acquiring the teachers’ perception on the implementation of english drama pedagogy findings and discussion english drama activities the drama played by the students was taken from the indonesian ethnic stories such as malin kundang, a folktale from west sumatra, indonesia. the folktale talks about the retribution on an ungrateful son. it is chosen because the story has local wisdom to learn in the classroom. it is observed that before the students performed the drama, they were directed by the teachers in the preparation of english drama performance (fig. 2). further, it is underlined that the teachers designed and organized the drama activities in the classrooms with some difficulties because they did not have the educational background in theater study. however, in practice, the content of the drama activities was designed based on the teachers’ curricula unit. picture 1. the students are directed by the teacher in the preparation of english drama performance deri sis nanda & susanto susanto using drama in efl classroom for exploring students’ knowledge and learning 288 the teachers designed and organized each activity into several sections such as description, goals, rationale, guidelines, debrief, and reflection. then, the activities were combined with reading and writing assignments in the classroom. some activities were with the involvement of the teacher in a role play. the others involved the teacher as a facilitator. being involved in the role play and acting as a facilitator, it is found that the teachers welcomed the improvisation by the students and themselves. with the teacher involvement, the drama pedagogy activities were designed with the understanding that the teacher and the students had the shared experience using drama pedagogy in the classroom. it is as suggested in golinkoff, hirshpasek and singer (2006), and zigler and bishopjosef (2006) that drama pedagogy activities bring the involvement of not only the students but also the teachers. when the teacher gets involved in the drama activity, we observed that the teacher helps the students discover the ability to explore and understand the situations. it can be useful for the students to develop creativity and communicative competence. the students’ creativity in the drama activities helped the students developed their language use spontaneously. the teacher involvement also helps to prepare the students to understand self-knowledge to face real-life situations since the teacher facilitates the activities with the use of academic content and social experiences. as stated in baldwin and fleming (2003), creative thinking and self-knowledge can be acquired through the use of drama in education. moreover, we find that the activities bring the students’ engagement in learning situation. they engaged with the content they were learning (picture 2). picture 2. the students are reciting the text with the supervision of the teacher teacher’s perception the teachers gave various responses after they were interviewed. basically, what their responses are positive regarding english drama pedagogy as an effective tool for either teaching or learning. figure 4 shows the scoring values indicate the teachers’ perception on the implementation of english drama pedagogy. in one response, they agreed that the pedagogy is a good alternative way to develop pronunciation skill in communicative competence in the target language: i.e. english. but, they opined it is hard for the students as young learners to pronounce the english words as well as the intonation found in the drama that they never listen because they are indonesian natives (susanto, 2016). in another response, the teachers informed that they, in the beginning, did not know what to do with the drama pedagogy especially in english due to no experience in english drama activities. then, the teachers need much time to learn by themselves and explain the activities to the students. and they continued to struggle with explaining and setting up each activity for students. despite the struggles, teachers said that by doing drama pedagogy activities they see the students’ progress in pronouncing english words as well as sentences. the teachers also responded that they found the improvement in the students’ understanding on the english text. it was shown when the drama activities began, the students understood the information. as an example, they knew how a main character in the drama feels, e.g. the mother of malin kundang, and they could criticize why she behaves in a particular way when she is not recognized as the mother by her own son. it encouraged the students to learn the moral value in the cultural production depicted in the character. moreover, the teachers saw that the students got confident to speak in english and they attempted to make connection with the characters such as malin kundang, his mother, and his wife. they are eager to give some comments about the characters after the teachers gave the explanation. they pointed out that the students were completely engaged with those activities and the class became more dynamic through active cooperation of the classmates. for the teachers, the involvement of the students in the discussion on the characters shows their growing interest facilitated with their confidence to use and speak english. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 289 figure 2. the scoring evaluation of the teachers’ perception on the implementation of english drama pedagogy among those advantages, the teachers also responded about the difficulty for implementing english drama pedagogy as a teaching tool in language learning classrooms for primary schools in indonesia. it is about the policy that english is not a core subject in the school. as the consequence, the subject gets less class meetings. for teachers, it is difficult to set the time to implement the pedagogy especially for the students involved in the activities. limitations of the study and future research needs and possibilities this work is an exploratory study on the implementation of english drama pedagogy as a teaching tool for primary schools under the indonesian context in lampung province and the teachers’ perception of using the pedagogy in the classrooms. the number of schools involved may not fully represent the primary school population. in this respect, for the future research projects, we need more schools to observe and we will expand the exploration by looking through the dimension of multilingual context. we believe that by studying the dimension, we will have good opportunity to accommodate educational issues of multilingualism in indonesia, i.e. minority as compared to majority language students (festman, 2020) and ethnic in contrast with national and foreign language attitudes (bartram, 2010; dailey-o'cain, & liebscher, 2011). therefore, our future projects can contribute insights into multilingual approach dealing with utilizing drama pedagogy in efl classroom. conclusion studying the implementation of english drama pedagogy as a teaching tool for primary schools, we explored the drama activities in the language classrooms and the teacher’s perceptions. in our observation, the pedagogy contributed for building the students’ abilities for social engagement and language comprehension. those abilities were enhanced in drama activities with the involvement of the teacher in role play and as a facilitator. although some difficulties were found in designing and organizing the activities due to lack of theatre education, but in practice they could work based on the curricula unit. meanwhile in the perceptions of the teachers, we could examine how various their responses which are basically positive, i.e. the pedagogy can be effective for teaching and learning. the pedagogy is regarded as a good alternative for teaching pronunciation. although the students face that english words are not easy to learn because of its difference from indonesian, the teachers saw the students’ progress in pronouncing english words as well as sentences. besides, the teachers responded that they found the students’ improvement in understanding english text, e.g. by explaining and criticizing the characters. for the teachers, these made the class more dynamic with the students’ involvement in the discussion and their confidence to speak english. unfortunately, with the current deri sis nanda & susanto susanto using drama in efl classroom for exploring students’ knowledge and learning 290 policy treating english as not a core subject in the school, time constraints are the problems for implementing the pedagogy. references baldwin, p. & fleming, k. (2003). teaching literacy through drama: creative approaches. london: routledge falmer. bartram, b. (2010). attitudes to modern foreign language learning: insights from comparative education. new york: continuum. certo, j. & brinda, w. (2011). bringing literature to life for urban adolescents: artistic, dramatic instruction and live theater. journal of aesthetic education, 45(3), 22-37. doi: 10.5406/jaesteduc.45.3.0022. cremin, t., gouch, k., blakemore, l., goff, e., & macdonald, r. (2006). connecting drama and writing: seizing the moment to write. research in drama education: the journal of applied theater and performance, 11(3), 273-291. doi: 10.1080/13569780600900636. dailey-o'cain, j. & liebscher, g. (2011). language attitudes, migrant identities and space. international journal of the sociology of language, (212), 91-133. doi:10.1515/ijsl.2011.048. dawson, k., cawthon, s. w., & baker, s. (2011). drama for schools: teacher change in an applied theatre professional development model. research in drama education: the journal of applied theatre and performance, 16(3), 313-335. doi: 10.1080/13569783.2011.589993. demircioglu, s. (2010). teaching english vocabulary to young learners via drama. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 2(2), 439-443. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.039. dupont, s. (1992). the effectiveness of creative drama as an instructional strategy to enhance the reading comprehension skills of fifth-grade remedial readers. reading research and instruction, 31(3), 41-52. doi: 10.1080/19388079209558087. festman, j. (2020). learning and processing multiple languages: the more the easier? language learning: a journal of research in language studies, 71(s1), 121-162. doi: 10.1111/lang.12437. golinkoff, r. m., hirsh-pasek, k., & singer, d. c. (2006). why play = learning: a challenge for parents and educators. in d. g. singer, r. m. golinkoff & k. hirsh-pasek (eds.), play = learning: how play motivates and enhances children’s cognitive and social emotional growth. oxford: oxford university press. keehn, s., harmon, j., & shoho, a. (2008). a study of readers’ theater in eighth grade: issues of fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. reading & writing quarterly, 24(4), 335–362. doi: 10.1080/10573560802004290. kondal, b. (2016). drama as a teaching tool for the integration of language skills. veda’s journal of english language and literature-joell, 3(2), 92-98. lee, b., patall, e., cawthon, s., & steingut, r. (2015). the effect of drama-based pedagogy on prek-16 outcomes: a meta-analysis of research from 1985 to 2012. review of educational research, 85(1), 3-49. doi: 10.3102/0034654314540477. liu, h. j., & chen, c. w. (2015). a comparative study of foreign language anxiety and motivation of academic-and vocational-track high school students. english language teaching, 8(3), 193204. doi: 10.5539/elt.v8n3p193. nanda, d. s. (2016). fostering the use of drama for english language learners in the efl classroom. international conference on education and language (icel), 1(1), 7-10. nanda, d. s., & susanto, s. (2020). using literary work as authentic material for the efl classroom in indonesia. international journal of innovation, creativity and change, 12(12), 1057–1064. norris, j. (2000). drama as research: realizing the potential of drama in education as a research methodology. youth theatre journal, 14(1), 4051. doi: 10.1080/08929092.2000.10012516. robinson, k. (2015). creative schools: the grassroots revolution that’s transforming education. new york: penguin publishing. rothwell, j. (2011). bodies and language: process drama and intercultural language learning in a beginner language classroom. research in drama education, 16(4), 575-594. doi: 1080/13569783.2011.617106. sansone, c., smith, j. l., thoman, d. b., & macnamara, a. (2012). regulating interest when learning online: potential motivation and performance trade-offs. the internet and higher education, 15(3), 141–149. doi: 10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.10.004. strakšienė, g. (2015). explication of activities in the textbooks on developing primary school age childrens communicative competence. pedagogika, 119(3), 82–96. doi: 10.15823/p.2015.025. susanto, s. (2016). a case study of prosodic phrasal grouping and intonational prominence in language acquisition. english review: journal of english education, 4(2), 289-295. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v4i2.342. tsai, c. c., & chang, i. c. (2013). the study on motivation and anxiety of english learning of students at a taiwan technical university. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 291 international journal of english language teaching, 1(1), 24–41. uysal, n. d. & yavuz, f. (2018). language learning through drama. international journal of learning and teaching, 10(4), 376–380. yates, s. m. (2007). teachers’ perceptions of their professional learning activities. international education journal, 8(2), 213-221. retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej834237.pdf zigler, e. f. & bishop-josef, s. j. (2006). the cognitive child versus the whole child: lessons from 40 years of head start. in d. g. singer, r. m. golinkoff & k. hirsh-pasek (eds.), play = learning: how play motivates and enhances children’s cognitive and social emotional growth. oxford: oxford university press. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej834237.pdf deri sis nanda & susanto susanto using drama in efl classroom for exploring students’ knowledge and learning 292 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 465 teaching reading by collaborative strategic reading: an action research yon a. e. english education study program, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: yona.e._7317157788@mhs.unj.ac.id zainal rafli department of language education, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: zainal.rafli@unj.ac.id nuruddin department of language education, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: nuruddin.unj@unj.ac.id apa citation: yon, a. e., rafli, z., & nuruddin. (2022). teaching reading by collaborative strategic reading: an action research. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 465-474. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6247 received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 08-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction english as second language learners study various language skills. reading is among the skills students are required to master for in learning english as foreign language. reading skill as a process not only involves with textual understanding but also includes an activity to grasp the writer purpose. for english language learners, reading skills is required both for academic activities and working performance. besides, the skill encourages students to acquire knowledge and science through reading materials as well as their interpersonal and cognitive competences (ramli, boeriswati, & emzir, 2019a, 2019b). they may benefit from academic field and in the working places. the more they read the more they get information and develop knowledge and science (francisco & madzaro, 2019; mirza, ansari, khatoon, pathan, raheem, & mushaq, 2021). it, therefore, needs more attention to the teaching of reading in order to shape and improve the students’ reading performance. reading skill can be developed by applying proper strategies. with proper strategies, the students are encouraged to understand information from text and connect it to their former knowledge. this knowledge is a process transforming science by synthesizing, inferencing, and comprehending a message in the text (gani, yusuf, & susiani, 2016). the final scores of the second semester students’ performance in reading comprehension enrolling reading 2 course at academic year 2014/2015 are abstract: english language learners experienced difficulties in understanding readings in english. this research aims to improve students’ reading comprehension by implementing collaborative strategic reading (csr) at second semester students of english department, stkip panca sakti bekasi. this research used a classroom action research (car) was conducted in two cycles. there are qualitative and quantitative data collected in this research. the former data were gained by analyzing field note, observation sheet and interview while the latter ones were obtained from pre-test, post-test and portfolio of pre-cycle, cycle i and cycle ii. the result shows that the mean score of students’ reading performance increases in four dimensions not only on literal, interpretative, applicative but also on critical understanding. the finding indicates that the students’ mean score at pre-cycle (68) increases to 77 and to 87 in the first and second cycles respectively. for interpretative understanding, the average score at pre-cycle was 61, increasing to 69 in the first cycle and to 80 in the second cycle. for applicative understanding, the average score at pre-cycle was 62, increasing to 64 in the first cycle and to 84 in the second cycle. finally, the critical understanding also increases, from 59 at pre-cycle to 65 in the first cycle and to 85 in the second cycle. therefore, the implementation of car effectively improves the students’ reading performance. keywords: english readings; reading comprehension; collaborative strategic reading; action research. yon a. e., zainal rafli, & nuruddin teaching reading by collaborative strategic reading: an action research 466 below the mean score, 60, from 20 students. in details, four students get 50, two students gain 55, two students gain 65, two students gain 70, and only one student scores 80. this condition encourages the researchers to study investigate the problems in order to improve the students’ performance in reading comprehension. this shortage is also supported by the data on indonesia’s reading performance reported by oecd in 2018. indonesia learners scored below the oecd mean score (oecd, 2018; schleicher, 2019). on the other hand, the researchers also utilized observation sheet to identify the students’ understanding on the reading comprehension. the observation results on the existing teaching reading strategy applied by two lecturers of reading 2 course in academic year 2015/2016 reveal that the strategies they used do not encourage the students to overcome their problems in comprehending english passage. therefore, an improvement needs to undertook for activities: discussion through metacognition, reading teaching strategy models, cognitive strategies to help and restore understanding (daguay-james & bulusan, 2020; francisco & madzaro, 2019; kim & kim, 2020; ramli et al., 2019a) in encouraging the students’ motivation in reading. they also delivered the materials by predicting, questioning, visualization, connection and summarizing methods. in addition, the they only used evidence and interpretation chart, concept map/graphic organizer, qar (question answer relationship), think aloud, reading article in the learning process. in addition, the pre-test data suggest that the students’ performance still low and only literal aspect they perform well and not for interpretative, applicative and critical aspects-indicators subsets. therefore, these problems should be overcome by implementing a proper strategy in teaching reading. having the fact of the low reading performance of the students and after discussing with the collaborators (lecturers), the researchers come to conclusion that the teaching reading should involve with the collaborative activities in developing learners’ reading performance (anwar, 2020; gani et al., 2016). collaborative strategic reading (csr) is one of the strategies in teaching reading implemented collaboratively. this strategy integrates cooperative learning and reading comprehension strategies (abbasnezhad & zoghi, 2016). the students are engaged collaboratively to practice a number of strategies in reading comprehension required them to actively during learning process involving four activities; preview, click and clunk, get to the gist, and wrap up (anwar, 2020; klingner, vaughn, boardman, & swanson, 2012; rahman, 2015). besides, the collaborative strategy provides such benefits as improving the students involvement in the leaning process, lecturers as a facilitator, students can share knowledge and experience in the class, promoting leaning quality (boardman, buckley, maul, & vaughn, 2014) as it involves with interaction among students’ group, high responsibility among students to complete assignments independently or collaboratively, and students are encouraged to develop their understanding constructively by collaboration in group. collaborative strategy in comprehending english reading text requires every group member to work in group. they have to be proactive and fill each member’s shortcomings. as a result, csr not only improve the students’ knowledge but also develop emotional intelligence in responding to the dynamics of the group member idea. csr strategy designed for esl learners is instructional tool integrating the principles of cooperative and strategies containing instruction to understanding the content of passage, language mastery, and reading comprehension. it encourages the cognitive skill to continue to develop as a result of social interaction csr implementation (nosratinia & hooshmand fateh, 2017; rosari & mujiyanto, 2016). predicting, click and clunk, identifying main idea, and wrapping up activities are experienced by the students while the tutor plays essential role in guiding their learners to: play role, giving example, thinking and discussing (grabe & stoller, 2013; karabuga & kaya, 2013; nosratinia & hooshmand fateh, 2017) there are seven steps in applying csr to comprehend english readings: activate the students’ pre-knowledge before previewing, utilize sensorics’ images, ask the students, student predict inference, define the main topic, fix-up option, and synthesize the concepts (gani et al., 2016; nosratinia & hooshmand fateh, 2017). a number of studies involve with csr has been conducted. a research by suryaningsih (2018) discovers that teaching by csr improves the students’ comprehension and the quality of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 467 learning. the students can identify the main idea of the passage explicitly and implicitly, infer the meaning of specific words, and find reference. furthermore, maming (2019) found that team-based learning promotes the students’ involvement actively in efl class when integrated with crs and it improves the students’ performance in reading comprehension. crs can also improve reading comprehension in pet test (nosratinia, mania hooshmand fateh, negin, 2017; gani, et al., 2016). by comparing individual (isr) and collaborative (csr), kassem found both to be equally effective in improving reading comprehension (2013). amjadi also reported that crs strategy gained a positive view toward the intervention from students (2021) having the facts that the students experienced difficulties in reading performance, this study aims to investigate the effectiveness of collaborative strategic reading and to improve the students reading comprehension using collaborative strategic reading at english study program, stkip panca sakti bekasi. method the research was carried out at sekolah tinggi ilmu keguruaan dan ilmu pendidikan (stkip) panca sakti, bekasi, jawa barat. it was conducted at academic year 2018/2019 from march to june 2019. it involves 30 second-semester students of english education program, stkip panca sakti bekasi as the subjects of study. this study is an action research conducted to improve the students’ reading performance by implementing collaborative strategic reading. it was carried out in two cycles after the researchers completing the pre-cycle. it used kemmis & mctaggart model by implementing four steps in every cycle: plan, action, observation, and reflection. one a cycle completed, the students were administered reading comprehension test at the end of the cycle. the results then were comparing to the previous data. upon completing the cycles, the qualitative and quantitative data were then analyzed to answer the research questions. observation, students’ logbook, interview, and test were used in collecting data. observation, students’ logbook, and interview were gathered during the learning process in the form of qualitative data while reading comprehension test was administered at the end of each cycle to acquire quantitative data. the former data were used to answer the research question on how the collaborative strategic reading was effective in improving the students’ reading performance and the latter data were used to answer the question if the collaborative strategic reading can improve the students' reading performance or not. observation is used to portray the teaching of reading process using csr completed by lecturers and collaborators in 12 items score ranges from 1 to 5. logbook contains the students’ experience and feeling about the application of csr strategy in relation to the course materials, learning development, interaction with peer, interaction with lecturer, and the completion of materials during the learning process. the students immediately write the logbook at the end of the class. interview is used to reveal what the students experience and think about the collaborative strategic reading. it is carried out in the end of each cycle. test is administered to measure the students’ reading comprehension score consisting of pre-test and post-test in every cycle. the test is to measure the four dimensions of reading comprehension: literal, interpretative, applicative, and critical. every item score 0 for wrong answer and 1 for the right one. the data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. the qualitative analysis is used to describe the data collected in observation, students’ logbook and interview. the data explain effectiveness of collaborative strategic reading during the learning process. the quantitative analysis is used to investigate the improvement of the students’ reading performance by comparing the scores in every cycle. results and discussion pre-cycle activities first of all, the researchers conduct pre-study to get the real data on students’ reading performance. for the qualitative data, the interview with students and lecturers of the course discovered the following issues: lecturers used lecturing method (teachercentered), ignorance of lecturers to the students’ obstacles in reading english text, rarely student received feedback, and students need immediate correction to their assignments before the going to next topic. the researchers, then, investigate the students’ reading performance based on the scores of reading i and reading ii courses. the gathered data show yon a. e., zainal rafli, & nuruddin teaching reading by collaborative strategic reading: an action research 468 that only 62% students passed the course and the rest 38% failed enrolling reading i (odd semester 2017/2018). on the even semester 2017/2018, the students who passed the reading ii course increase to 70% and there are still 30% students failed. these quantitative data reveals that the students’ performance needs to be improve. in addition, the researchers administered a reading performance pre-test to 30 students involved in this study and found that the mean score is 62.4. there are 23 students scored 56-65 or 76.7% and only 7 students score 66-80 or 23.3% cycle one at the planning phase, the researchers design the instructional scenario, learning lesson plan, preparation of learning resources and media, setting the time, observation sheet, interview guidance and reading test instrument. the action phase consists of the implementation of collaborative strategic reading once a week for four weeks. the students were taught reading using csr four times on march 6th, 20th, and 26th and on april 10th 2019. the first meeting is intended to promote the students’ motivation. in the second meeting, the students practiced to synthesizing from the reading materials the studied. in the following meeting, the students are encouraged develop their literal, interpretative, applicative, and critical understanding of the passage. and in the last meeting of cycle one, the students are divided into a group consisting of five members. their prior knowledges are activated. during the cycle i, all students were engaged in activities of csr. it encourages the students to activate the students’ prior knowledge before previewing, utilize sensorics’ images, make inference, identify the main topic, fix-up option, and synthesize the concepts found in the passages. observation table 1. observation results of lecturers and students cycle i cycle ii observation lecturer students observation lecturer students meeting i 46.7 30 meeting i 93.3 85.83 meeting ii 62 57.45 meeting ii 100 91.25 meeting iii 86 71.67 meeting iii 100 96.25 table 1 provides the results of lecturer’s and students’ observation during the cycle i for three meetings. the data reveal that the process of csr implementation in teaching reading gradually improves in each meeting. the meeting i shows that crs was not effective. the observation scores are only 46.7 and 30 for lecturer and students respectively. this condition become the initial introduction to csr. the scores increase for lecturer’s observation to 63.3 and for students to 57.45 in the meeting ii. in the meeting iii, the scores for lecturer and students increase significantly by 86 and 71.67 respectively. reflection overall, the application of csr during cycle i effectively improve the students’ reading comprehension as well as the positive attitude toward its application. on the lecturer’s perspective, csr strategy has already maximally implemented. on the students’ attitude, the implementation of csr still needs to be maximized. therefore, the researchers consider to proceed to the cycle ii. cycle two planning based on the data of cycle i, the researchers continue to extend the treatment of csr to cycle ii. we make evaluation and improvement of the design of instructional scenario, learning lesson plan, preparation of learning resources and media, setting the time, observation sheet, interview guidance and reading test instrument. action the treatment (action) also consists of three meeting in implementing the csr strategy. the students were taught reading using csr four times on april 17th & 26th and 1 may 2019. the learning process is intended to develop and improve the students’ reading comprehension in literal, interpretative, applicative and critical performances. similar to cycle i, the students in cycle ii are also engaged in the activities to activate the students’ prior knowledge before previewing, utilize sensorics’ images, make inference, identify the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 469 main topic, fix-up option, and synthesize the concepts found in the passages. observation in the cycle ii, the responses of lecturer’s and students’ observation result significantly increase in each meeting (in table 1). the lecturer’s responses have gained perfect score. this data confirm that the csr strategy has already implemented as intended. on the other hand, the students’ responses to csr strategy also show great acceptance. the scores also reach the perfect points in each meeting. reflection in summary, the implementation of csr has been implemented effectively by the lecturer and received positive acceptance from the students. therefore, this condition has important effects on the students’ reading performance in all four dimensions of knowledge measured. discussion the process of teaching reading during the implementation of csr. reading activities help students to acquire wide understanding in a various field of science they focused on. the readers have paradigms, experiences in understanding the readings. in other words, reading skill involves with experience and paradigm to find the meaning of the passage. to understand the reading, students should apply strategies. collaborative strategy is reliable to develop students’ reading comprehension as it provides the students with alternative for learning resources and other resources. besides, csr strategy can be accounted for guiding to the next phase of independency while reducing the lecturer roles in the learning process (gani et al., 2016; tamah, 2015). this section discusses the process of leaning by using csr to improve the students’ performance in reading comprehension at academic year 2018/2019 second semester, at stkip panca sakti bekasi. the initial step in csr is an instructional feature integrating cooperation and strategy involving with instruction to comprehending passage content, language competence, and reading comprehension (klingner & vaughn in grabe & stoller, 2013). this csr is applied in action research design to improve the reading performance adopting kemmis & mctaggart model (kemmis, mctaggart, & nixon, 2014) by following steps: plan, action, observation, and reflection. this csr is applied to improve the students’ reading performance in four areas: literal, interpretation, application, can critics. all students experienced four methods: preview, click and clunk, get to the gist, and wrap up (rahman, 2016). during the action conducted in two cycles, the students show active involvement. they give feedback among them for correction, they completed the tasks in time, they also actively responded to task in the class, interact with each one and the lecturer in the class, they are responsible to complete the tasks, they used time to critical thinking, observing, analyzing, solving the problems and giving response confidently, and they make sure the learning process runs successfully during the class. these activities confirm that the students show positive attitude during the application of csr and understanding the readings either in the observing process or in the journal notes during the research. the descriptive results are discussion in the following section the students’ reading performances table 2 displays the students’ performance in reading comprehension in cycle i. overall, the students’ scores ranging from 66 to 80 were at the good level (21 students) and only 8 students still performed in medium ranging from 56 to 65 as follow. the mean score is 62.4 which fall into medium level. table 2. score distribution of reading comprehension in cycle i no. score range category frequency percentage 1. > 80 very good 0 0.00% 2. 66-80 good 21 72.4% 3. 56-65 medium 8 27.6% 4. 45-55 low 0 0.00% 5. < 45 very low 0 0.00% total 29 100.00% mean 62.4 to figure out the students’ performance in the four dimensions in cycle i, it is provided in the figure 1. the data show that mostly 90.00% (27 students) performance good in literal understanding and the rest (3 students) scored above 80. for the interpretative performance, 19 students scored yon a. e., zainal rafli, & nuruddin teaching reading by collaborative strategic reading: an action research 470 range 66 -80 and there are 11 students performed good. and no student score above 80. the students performed in good and medium levels for applicative dimension. seven students scored range 66-80 and 23 students scored ranging 55-65. and the last indicator, the students’ critical skill also in the good and medium levels. 10 students got good level and 20 gained medium score. this cycle one data show that most students’ performance is dominant for literal understanding which is the basic level in reading comprehension. as a result, the next cycle needs to be undertook. table 3. score distribution of reading comprehension in cycle ii no score range category frequency percentage 1. > 80 very good 23 76.7% 2. 66-80 good 7 23.3% 3. 56-65 medium 0 0.00% 4. 45-55 low 0 0.00% 5. < 45 very low 0 0.00% total 30 100.00% mean 83.8 diagram 1. distribution of students’ reading scores in cycle diagram 2. distribution of students' reading scores in cycle ii the students show the great improvement of reading comprehension in the second cycle. table 4 shows that there are 23 students perform very good in reading comprehension means that mostly students scored above 80. and there are 7 students left who gain scores range 66 to 80. this english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 471 performance suggests, overall, that the implementation of csr strategy in teaching reading effectively improve the students reading performance. in details, the students’ performance in four dimensions of reading comprehension is provided in diagram 2. their literal understandings are mostly (20 students/66.67%) in very good level or scored above 80. and the rest (10 students/33.34%) gain a good level. the next aspect, interpretative ability also shows great improvement. mostly a half scored above 80 (46.67%) and the rest scored range 66-80 (53.37%). similar to interpretative, almost half respondents scored above 80 for applicative ability (46.67%) and the rest are in good category. the next is critical performance. the are 33.34% or 10 students achieved higher than 80 and 17 students gained good score ranging 66-80. overall, the students are able to comprehend the english reading passage in cycle ii. they can identify the literal meaning and make inference of the passage. almost all students perform very good and scored above 80. as a result, the conclusion can be drawn that the implementation of collaborative strategic reading (csr) has affected the students’ reading performance significantly. the following section discusses the improvement of students’ reading comprehension performance in every cycle. diagram 3. reading performance pre-cycle and cycle one mean score in four indicators students’ performance development after being taught using collaborative strategic reading the diagram 3 portrays the growth of students’ mean score in all four dimensions of reading comprehension comparing the pre-cycle to cycle i. table 4 provides the details of improvement. the lowest is critical dimension (3) while there are two dimensions increased to 13% improvement (literal and interpretative dimensions). them applicative dimension is the medium (9%). the literal area mean score is 68 to 77, interpretative is 61 to 69, applicative is 62 to 64, and critical aspect is from 59 to 65. table 4. mean scores comparison among pre-cycle, cycle i, and cycle ii in four dimensions indicators action improvement precycle cycle i cycle ii precycle to cycle i precycle to cycle i literal 68 77 87 13% 12% interpretative 61 69 80 13% 14% applicative 62 64 84 3% 24% critical 59 65 85 9% 24% the mean scores between cycle i and cycle ii are available in diagram 4. the data show that all four dimensions of reading comprehension measured are increased. applicative and critical dimensions improve 20 scores which are the highest and the mean scores of literal and interpretative dimensions increase 10 and 11 respectively. this improvement suggests that the teaching reading using csr is appropriate to improve the reading comprehension of the learners. yon a. e., zainal rafli, & nuruddin teaching reading by collaborative strategic reading: an action research 472 diagram 4. reading performance mean scores between cycle i and cycle ii these improvements can be understood comprehensively by presenting the data in table 4. applicative and critical dimension increase to 24% while literal and interpretative increase to 12 and 14 percent respectively. in diagram 4, the data present the development of reading performance in overall cycles. it shows that all four dimensions of students’ reading comprehension increase from cycle to cycle. the more detail data of improvement are presented in table 4. firstly, the literal dimension improves from 68 to 77 and to 87 or about 27 percent improvement. secondly, the interpretative mean score improves gradually from 61 to 69 and to 80 or about 31 percent. thirdly, the applicative mean score also increases from 62 to 63 and to 84 or about 36 percent improvement. and finally, the mean score of critical dimension increases from 59 to 65 and to 85 or about 45 percent improvement. these results confirm that overall the students; reading comprehension effectively increase in all four dimensions measured. therefore, the hypothesis proposed in this that the reading comprehension will improve when the students are taught with collaborative strategic reading is confirmed. conclusion the implementation of collaborative strategic reading engages the students to actively participate during the learning process. they responded to tasks, actively involved in discussion activity, were enthusiastic during the class, and submitted the assignment in time. as a result, the students’ reading performance enhances in cycle one and cycle two. the positive attitude from students toward the strategy they were taught at the end of second cycle. this was portrayed from their journal notes and interviewing data on the implementation of the csr strategy. they had fun and learnt enthusiastically during learning process. in addition, they were enthusiastic as they can learn systematically and clearly. the descriptive data on the students’ reading performance reflect that the four sub-competences measured in this study has been increased gradually from pre-cycle, cycle one, and cycle two. their precycle mean score (68) increases to 77 in cycle one and to 87 in cycle two or about 12 percent increase. secondly, the interpretative performance also increases from cycle to cycle. the mean score of pre-cycle (61) increases to 69 in cycle one and to 80 in cycle two or 14 percent increased. for the third indicator, their mean score of applicative performance also improved 24 percent form 62 (pre-cycle) to 64 (first cycle) and to 84 (second cycle). the last aspect, critical understanding, also increases to 24 percent. their mean score in precycle (59) enhances to 65 in cycle one and to 85 in cycle two. the implementation of collaborative strategic reading effectively has improved the students’ four dimensions of reading performance: literal, interpretative, applicative, and critical understandings. therefore, the collaborative strategic reading is an alternative strategy to consider in teaching reading. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 473 as the results suggest, it can be considered some educational implications. the csr effectively has encouraged the students to shape their performance to understanding english reading text. therefore, the collaboration becomes the key aspect during the teaching-learning process for reading class to enhance the quality of learning process and reading achievement. aknowledgment the researcher would like express the deepest thanks to the persons for their help in the research. firstly, the researcher would like to thank the scholarship support from bppdn program drpm ristekdikti 2015. secondly, the researchers would like to say generous thanks to the school of teachers training and education (stkip) panca sakti bekasi who have facilitated good services for the researchers during the research. references abbasnezhad, s., & zoghi, m. (2016). the effect of modified collaborative strategic reading on efl learner’ reading anxiety. the journal of applied linguistics, 9(18), 25-48. amjadi, a., & talebi, s. h. (2021). extending the efficacy of collaborative strategic reading (csr) in teaching reading strategies: a sociocultural emotional perspective. language teaching research, 1–35. doi: 10.1177/13621688211011501. anwar, a. k. (2020). the effect of collaborative strategic reading toward students reading skill. anglophile journal, 1(1), 21. doi: 10.51278/anglophile.v1i1.62. boardman, a., buckley, p., maul, a., & vaughn, s. (2014). the relationship between implementation of collaborative strategic reading and student outcomes for adolescents with disabilities. texas. daguay-james, h., & bulusan, f. (2020). metacognitive strategies on reading english texts of esl freshmen: a sequential explanatory mixed design. tesol international journal, 15(1), 20–30. francisco, l. d., & madzaro, c. a. (2019). reading habits, reading comprehension and academic performance of grade v. the asian esp journal, 15(2), 183–165. gani, s. a., yusuf, y. q., & susiani, r. (2016). progressive outcomes of collaborative strategic reading to efl learners. kasetsart journal of social sciences, 37(3), 144–149. doi: 10.1016/j.kjss.2016.08.004. grabe, w., & stoller, f. l. (2013). teaching and researching reading. in c. n. candlin & d. r. hall (eds.), teaching and researching reading, (2nd ed.). new york: taylor & francis. karabuga, f., & kaya, e. s. (2013). collaborative strategic reading practice with adult efl learners: a collaborative and reflective approach to reading. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 106, 621–630. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.12.071. kassem, h. m. (2013). the effect of collaborative versus individual strategic reading on college efl learners’ reading comprehension and selfefficac. asian efl journal professional teaching articles, 60(may), 4–38. retrieved from http://www.asian-efl-journal.com kemmis, s., mctaggart, r., & nixon, r. (2014). the action research planner doing critical participatory action research. in action research. singapore: springer. kim, h., & kim, h. (2020). the mediating effects of self-efficacy on learners’ reading strategy use and reading proficiency. the asian efl journal, 24(3), 73–98. klingner, j. k., vaughn, s., boardman, a., & swanson, e. (2012). now we get it! boosting comprehension with collaborative strategic reading. san francisco, ca: jossey bass. mirza, q., ansari, s., khatoon, s., pathan, h., raheem, m. a., & mushaq, f. (2021). gender impact on engineering students’ reading habits and performance: a study of pakistani university students. the asian esp journal, 17(3.2), 128– 144. nosratinia, m., & hooshmand fateh, n. (2017). the comparative effect of collaborative strategic reading and content-based instruction on efl learners’ reading comprehension. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 6(6), 165. doi: 10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.6n.6p.165. oecd. (2018). programme for international student assessment (pisa) results from pisa 2018. in oecd. retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/pisa20 18_cn_idn.pdf rahman, i. f. (2016). the implementation of collaborative strategy reading (csr) and its effects on students’ reading comprehension. eternal (english, teaching, learning and research journal), 1(1), 39–56. doi: 10.24252/eternal.v21.2016.a7. ramli., boeriswati, e., & emzir. (2019a). cognitive style and teaching method: the effect on students’ writing performance. first international conference on advances in education, yon a. e., zainal rafli, & nuruddin teaching reading by collaborative strategic reading: an action research 474 humanities, and language (icel), 444–450. eudl. doi: 10.4108/eai.23-3-2019.2284902. ramli., boeriswati, e., & emzir. (2019b). the effect of metaphorming teaching method on fieldindependent/dependent learnerts in writing essay. the asian efl journal, 23(6.3), 4–14. rosari, l., & mujiyanto, y. (2016). the effectiveness of know-want-learned and collaborative strategic reading strategies to teach reading comprehension to students with positive and negative attitudes. english education journal, 6(2), 33–41. retrieved from http://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/eej schleicher, a. (2019). pisa 2018: insights and interpretations. in oecd (vol. 24). suryaningsih, r. (2018). improving students’ reading comprehension at zakah and waqf management class using collaborative strategic reading. edukasi: jurnal pendidikan islam, 6(2), 44– 53. doi: 10.5281/edukasi.v6i2.343. tamah, s. (2015). the effect of collaborative strategic reading on grade six students’ reading achievement. ijee (indonesian journal of english education), 2(1), 17–27. doi: 10.15408/ijee.v2i1.1501. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 159 the quest of developing a better english training material for migrant worker candidates in indonesia desi nahartini department of english education, faculty of tarbiya and teachers’ training, state islamic university syarif hidayatullah jakarta, indonesia email: desi@uinjkt.ac.id ratna sari dewi department of english education, faculty of tarbiya and teachers’ training, state islamic university syarif hidayatullah jakarta, indonesia email: ratna@uinjkt.ac.id siti fitriah department of english education, faculty of tarbiya and teachers’ training, state islamic university syarif hidayatullah jakarta, indonesia email: sitifitriahmusadad@gmail.com maya defianty department of english education, faculty of tarbiya and teachers’ training, state islamic university syarif hidayatullah jakarta, indonesia email: maya.defianty@uinjkt.ac.id zaharil anasy department of english education, faculty of tarbiya and teachers’ training, state islamic university syarif hidayatullah jakarta, indonesia email: zaharil.anasy@uinjkt.ac.id apa citation: nahartini, d., dewi, r. s., fitriah, s., defianty, m., & anasy, z. (2021). the quest of developing a better english training material for migrant worker candidates in indonesia. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 159-174. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5366. received: 02-08-2021 accepted: 28-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction indonesia has a vast number of populations with the fourth rank in the world after china, india, and the united states. hence, it is a little surprise that the needs of employment rate relatively high in indonesia. unfortunately, jobs can be considered as scarce as the numbers of employee outweigh employment opportunities. as a consequence, many abstract: the scarcity of job opportunities in indonesia has encouraged some of its citizen to work abroad; these workers are commonly known as pmi (pekerja migran indonesia –indonesian migrant workers). one of the salient challenges encountered by pmi occupied in the semi-skilled and unskilled employment, which shared the highest percentage of pmi, is limited english proficiency. this has caused a range of formidable impacts ranging from misunderstandings between the employer and pmi to making pmi less preferable compare to workers from other countries. this research aims to (1) evaluate materials used in the english training programs by blkln (balai latihan kerja luar negeri -overseas training centre for indonesian migrant workers); (2) identify pmi’s perceptions concerning their english language needs. forty-five pmi in malaysia and thirty-six pmi in singapore were involved in this case study research. findings from the study revealed that there are gaps between how english is taught at blkln and pmi’s language learning needs to the extent of materials and method. hence, findings from this research put an urgent call to improvement in the english language training at blkln in order to meet the pmi’s learning needs. keywords: indonesian migrant workers (pmi); english training materials; blkln (training centre for indonesian migrant workers) desi nahartini, ratna sari dewi, siti fitriah, maya defianty, zaharil anasy the quest of developing a better english training material for migrant worker candidates in indonesia 160 indonesian migrate to find jobs abroad commonly known as pmi (pekerja migran indonesia – indonesian migrant workers). data from the research and development centre of badan nasional penempatan dan perlindungan tenaga kerja indonesia (national agency for placement and protection of indonesian migrant workers, hereafter bnp2tki) in 2020, showed that although the number of pmi is decreasing from 283.640 in 2018 to 276.553 in 2019, this number is still regarded as high which implies that working abroad an alternative for job seeker in indonesia. raharto (2017) argued that of the reasons why pmi migrates is that they want to look for a better and fixed income to ends meet. malaysia, taiwan, hong kong, and singapore have become target counties for most pmi. malaysia is relatively preferable for pmi because the language used in the country is moderately similar to bahasa indonesia; thus, pmi need not to struggle to communicate in english (salleh, nordin & rashid, 2012). being proficient in english is actually pivotal for migrant workers as english is commonly used as means of communication in most target countries. this also means that lack of english competence can hamper migrant workers for job opportunities. as an illustration, in taiwan migrant worker from filipino is more preferable as they have good english competence which is not surprising because english is a second language in philippines (loveband, 2003; tan, 2003). to the extent of language competence, bnp2tki as the governing board dealing with pmi has specified that it is compulsory for migrant to be able to communicate in english; therefore, all pmi candidates must have undergone english language training program prior to their departure to the destination country. however, enabling pmi with good english competence can be challenging due to the following reasons. first, unlike in malaysia and philippines, english is a foreign language in indonesia which means the context of learning english is not available in the society (rahmi, 2015). second is the wide array of pmi’s educational background, from high school to elementary graduates, which can make learning and designing a language program complicated (bnp2tki 2019 report, 2020). third, in indonesia, the importance of improving pmi’s english skills is supported by evidence that language teaching projects in development context are often underpinned by a perceived relationship between english language ability and economic development (azam et al, 2010; aslam et al, 2010; eia, 2010; chiswick and miller in coleman, 2010; pinon and haydon, 2010; shamim, 2011; erling, 2015). last, as novalita (2008) reported materials provided by blkln (balai latihan kerja luar negeri -overseas training centre for indonesian migrant workers) have not yet in line with pmi’s needs as they are more indonesia-oriented instead of target country oriented. departing from this point it is important to establish english training program that can support pmi in the target country. however, despite the importance of such program, there remains a paucity of evidence on how english language program for pmi should be carried out. only few studies have investigated this landscape. for example, astuti (2008) focused her study on rationales for english language training for migrant workers. astuti (2008) delineated specific points on how learning and language learning can be implemented in the context of migrant workers; however, the study is merely conceptual-based that information on how it is implemented in real life setting cannot be attained. another study in the same areas was conducted by hermayanti (2018) who focused her study on functional english design for domestic migrant workers. although hemayanti’s (2018) study has shed light on materials and implementation, as she mentioned in her study it has not designed to support pmi in official and scientific situations. hakim, abidin, and adnan (2019) also focused their study on designing english language training for migrant workers using assure model. however, this study is limited to pmi in penang, malaysia; hence it may not be suitable to be adopted by various english training for pmi who are planning to work in various different countries. in light of the great contribution made by tki to indonesia commonly known as pahlawan devisa (foreign exchange heroes) needs to be appreciated and supported by providing effective english language training as their preparation before the departure to the destination country. considering the global competition situation, indonesians working both in formal and informal sectors overseas such as in singapore, malaysia and hong kong, establishing english language training is pivotal as it can support pmi to survive and also english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 161 communicate in various different context in the target country. this study will take an initial step in establishing english language programs for migrant workers by evaluating current english language training materials at blkln and also conducting needs analysis which data taken from pmi in malaysia and singapore. nowadays, the tasks of need analysis are much more complex: it aims at collecting information about the learners and at defining the target situation and environment of studying esp. according to duddley-evans and st. john (2009), there are eight components in today's concept of need analysis which have been grouped into five broad areas including: target situation analysis and objective needs analysis (e.g., tasks and activities learners will use english for) which includes necessities, lacks and wants of the learners. necessities refer to what the learners have to know for functioning effectively in the target situation. accordingly, finding out what the learners know already is crucial to decide any necessities that the learners lack. in addition, learners’ view as to what their needs are should also be taken into consideration despite the possibility that their views may conflict with other interested parties such as teachers or institutions. linguistic analysis such as register analysis, discourse analysis, genre analysis (i.e., knowledge of how language and skills are used in the target situations). register analysis is any analysis in the word and sentence level to make it relevant to learners’ needs. further, discourse analysis refers to a textual analysis above the level of sentence in which identifying how sentences are combined into a discourse used as an act of communication and functions of materials. it may overlap with genre analysis in which discourse analysis studies cohesive links between sentences, paragraphs, and or the structure of the whole text while genre analysis focuses on distinctions of structures in one type of text compared to another. subjective needs analysis (i.e., learners’ wants, means, subjective needs-factors that affect the way they learn e.g., previous learning experiences, reasons for attending the course, expectations). the voices of the learners are involved which includes relevant aspects before and during the course is implemented. learners’ background and opinions are important in the analysis. present situation analysis to identify learners' current skills and language use. it represents the current condition of some aspects in the teaching and learning situation such as learners’ characteristics, staffing, materials, syllabus and academic records which contain the data of their language learning. it also covers the information of their current proficiencies and ambitions in learning the language. means analysis (i.e., information about the environment where the course will run) covers the logistics and pedagogy which may impact on the implementation of the course. some considerations included in the means analysis are classroom culture, staff, pilot target situation analysis, status of service operations, and study of change agents. widodo (2016) stated that "as part of esp instructional design, needs analysis serves as the basis for informed curriculum practices, such as syllabus design, materials development, and instructional design. thus, the values of needs analysis should go beyond the prediction of what should be taught and learned." a long time before, stern (1992) as cited in zakaria, et.al (2018) distinguished four types of esp teaching objectives: proficiency, knowledge, affective, and transfer. further, hutchinson & waters (1992) observe that if we know why learners need english, the content of the language can be adjusted accordingly, and the teaching process will focus on these needs. these ideas have been in line with the findings of several recent research (masoupanah and tahririan, 2013; alsamadani, 2017; sulistio, 2016; sincer, 2017) which expressed that 'needs should be stated in terms of goals and objectives which, in turn, can serve as the bases for developing tests, materials, teaching activities and evaluation strategies.' (brown & lee, 2020). in the context of pmi english language training, need analysis should be done to identify specific english language materials and content in order to suit the pmi english language needs especially when they have already stayed and worked abroad. each content material should lead to specific goals and objectives that must be reached through right and well-constructed classroom activities and evaluation strategies. before pmi can work in foreign countries, it is a must for them to have passed the training held at blkln (balai latihan kerja luar negeri) which is provided both by the government or by private desi nahartini, ratna sari dewi, siti fitriah, maya defianty, zaharil anasy the quest of developing a better english training material for migrant worker candidates in indonesia 162 institutions. based on ministry of manpower regulation no. 17/men/vi/2007 article iii, blkln can be held by the indonesian government or private sector job training institutes. the private job training institution should have a legal license issued by the head of the agency responsible for manpower affairs in the district or city. english language training is one of the training provided by the blkln to improve the quality of pmi to be able to work professionally in the destination countries as well as improving their qualification. the english training curriculum discussed in this study is designated to the whole body of english knowledge that pmi, as the learners, acquires in blkln, as the training institution. there has been a very little empirical investigation into the english language training activities held at blkln in indonesia. on the other hand, teaching english for vocational purposes especially for pmi in indonesia was found to be far from satisfactory in terms of customizing esp courses by using the real needs of learners or the language situation at the workplace as the input to feed esp courses. one implication of this is that when the specific language needs are not defined based on language use, tki may end up being troubled with the language proficiency level that they achieve once they join the workplace. bad quality of specific language proficiency and the low level of communicative ability of tki has been reported to create many problems in foreign countries. an english learning program specifically for indonesian domestic workers held by astuti (2008) mentioned some components and process to be considered such as learning interaction and teaching activities with communicatively purposeful activities such as conversation, dialogue, role play and simulation; teacher functions as the facilitator as well as the organizer of the learning recourses and activities; instructional material function that is authentic such as signs, advertisement, documents, realia, and other visual sources around, and; syllabus design that is built around the notion of communicativeness with functional or task based. nevertheless, lubis (2011) pointed out that it was suggested that this need analysis requires the involvement of exindonesian domestic workers or those who have experienced the target situation. accordingly, hermayawati (2018) found out that the pmi candidates are still asked to memorize a list of words and their meanings. thus, in her study of functional english design for domestic migrant workers, the material was designed by developing the use of “imparting and seeking factual information” language category of the training program and broken down into eight units namely greeting, answering a call, accepting a guest, organizing the house, caring for children, giving direction, going to the market, and writing a memo with an addition of phonetic spelling and transcriptions. unfortunately, this design turned out to have limited learning outcomes in the mastery of speaking skills and limited use of language just for survival needs. according to novita (2019), english teaching for indonesian migrant workers should be in accordance to skkni (standar kompetensi kerja nasional indonesia) or indonesian national work competency standards. this standard is defined as a formulation of work capabilities which includes the aspect of knowledge, skills, and attitudes in relevance to the implementation of required tasks and vocation according to the provisions of legislation. during the observation in her study, it was found out that the teacher asked learners to repeat the material previously given. learners were expected to know and understand all vocabulary given by the teacher. the review was done by the teacher saying the vocabulary in bahasa indonesia and followed by the learners saying the word in the english version. only simple sentence is used during the class considering the limited communication with the employers in the target situation (lubis, 2011). it can be seen that the strategy used by the teacher is input to output strategies which focus on providing learners with input from the teacher as the basis for production (output). accordingly, considering the big influence of teachers to the learner’s learning, good quality teachers are required, not only those having experienced working in the destination country or ex-indonesian migrant worker, but also those having a certification. another study was also conducted by hakim and abidin (2019) in developing an english instructional module for indonesian migrant workers focusing on speaking and writing activities. some topics covered are daily conversation, business communication, basic writing, speech delivery, news reading, and tourism conversation. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 163 providing english training program to the pmi candidates can improve their basic english as well as their self-awareness towards the importance of the target language, and further planning of the program is necessary and highly suggested in a more practical management (metboki and ledo, 2017). the planning can begin by conducting an evaluation of the current materials used by the english training program. in order to evaluate a course book, four criteria need to be taken into considerations (cunningsworth in mukundan et.al, 2011). first, it should correspond to learners’ needs by matching the aims and objectives of the learning program. second, it should reflect the uses (present or future) that learners will make of the language to help equip students to use language effectively for their own purposes. third, it should take account of students’ needs as learners and should facilitate their learning processes, without dogmatically imposing a rigid “method”. last, it should have a clear role as a support for learning. like teachers, it mediates between the target language and the learner. method in relevance to the nature of the research questions and theories underpinning the study, a case study is selected as the research design. this method is particularly useful in studying detailed information of a program that can be considered as a case (yin, 2018; merriam & tisdel, 2015; cohen, manion & morrison, 2018). among the three types of case studies outlined by yin (2018), this study employed a multiple (or collective) case study model. the overall study involved two cases: tki in singapore and malaysia. three sources of data were collected for this study: document reviews, questionnaires, and focus group discussions (hereafter, fgd). the documents consist of the english training program guideline and module used in the blknln. to find out the strengths and weaknesses further on the module as well as to evaluate its effectiveness, a checklist for evaluation and selection of course books (richards, 2017) was used. the checklist includes some elements such as aims and approaches, design and organizations, language content, skills, topics, methodology, teachers’ books, and practical consideration. the questionnaire was divided into two parts. the first part aimed to identify participants' perceptions of their language needs and capabilities; the questions in this part were developed based on li and richard's (1995) questionnaire who was working on needs analysis on cantonese. the questionnaire explored the pmi’s needs as learners for english, attitudes towards english, and their perceptions of english training they have taken. the questionnaire asked the participants to identify (a) situations in which they need english, (b) their present level of ability in english, (c) their experience in learning english, (d) their preferences for classroom activities in an english class, and (e) their attituded towards english as a language. another instrument employed in this research was fgd. the fgd was conducted in tki communities in singapore and malaysia. the fgd aims to obtain further information from the questionnaires data and to clarify several points from the questionnaire that need deeper understanding. this study employed purposive sampling (creswell, 2015) and participants were selected based on their relevant profiles to the purpose of the study (flick, 2014). stake (2006) as cited in ebneyamini & moghadam (2018) contented that there are three criteria for selecting cases: relevancy, diversity, and opportunities to get an insight about the subject being investigated. in line with this idea, the participants involved in the study are indonesian migrants who have worked for several years in malaysia and singapore. as mentioned previously, data for this study were derived from questionnaires, fgd, and documentation. before collecting the data, the researchers had a meeting with the blkln representative to ask for permission. having gained permission to enter the research site, data collection began with access to relevant documents of english language training material for tki candidates such as the learning syllabus and module. the questionnaires were distributed to indonesian migrant workers in malaysia and singapore and the data was codified before conducting the fgd session as an aim to identify several points which were interesting, or still unclear which needed further clarification. the fgd was held in bahasa indonesia, and each fgd which lasted for 60 to 90 minutes was audio recorded. documents as another source of data for this study were acquired during the process of collecting data from questionnaires and fgd. desi nahartini, ratna sari dewi, siti fitriah, maya defianty, zaharil anasy the quest of developing a better english training material for migrant worker candidates in indonesia 164 the process of making meaning from the collected data or data analysis (gay, mills, & airasian, 2014) was adapted from creswell (2015). the collected data from the questionnaires were coded based on the questions. an initial reading was conducted having transcribed the audio recording from the fgd. codes were labeled based on research questions. an excel spreadsheet was selected as a platform to analyze the data as it provides more flexibility in managing the data. since the data collected in this research were in bahasa indonesia, they were first translated before they were displayed. results and discussion results english language training material at blkln work competency-based training program (program pelatihan berbasis kompetensi kerja) in blkln covers some units of competencies for the pmi candidates. one of the units of competence is to communicate in the language of the destination country (melakukan komunikasi dengan menggunakan bahasa negara penempatan). this unit of competence includes the knowledge, skills, and work attitudes required to have a verbal communication and to use any communication tools in a relevant manner to the language of the destination country. table 1. communication unit elements of competence criteria indicators to use a verbal communication vocabulary is pronounced accurately. able to explain how to pronounce the vocabulary correctly and accurately able to pronounce the vocabulary correctly and accurately must be accurately and clearly sentences are structured clearly and accurately. able to explain how to structure a sentence clearly and correctly able to structure the sentence clearly and correctly must be thorough, precise, and careful communication is done in a polite manner. able to explain how to have a communication in a polite manner able to have a communication in a polite manner must be thorough, precise, and accurate to use communication tools communication device is identified. able to explain how to identify a communication device able to identify a communication device must be thorough, effective, precise, and accurate communication device is used according to the procedure. able to explain how to use the device according to the procedure able to use the device according to the procedure must be thorough, effective, precise, and accurate telephone communication is done in a polite manner. able to explain how to have a communication on the telephone in a polite manner able to have a communication on the telephone in a polite manner must be correct and accurate communication device is taken care of. able to explain how to take care of communication devices well to keep functioning able to take care of communication devices to keep functioning must be through, precise, and accurate it is followed by the variable context in which in this case the unit is for workers in the scope of domestic such as housekeeping, babysitting, childcaring, caretaking, family cooking, gardening, and family driving. the communication is not limited to receiving guests, at the market, at the hospital, at the airport, at the bank. overall, it is meant to cover the use of vocabulary and simple sentences in the working environment. this syllabus is then translated into a module as the source of learning material. the module content is listed below: table 2. module content lesson theme lesson 1 alphabets lesson 2 numbers lesson 3 pronouns, examples of using 'can' (ability), question words lesson 4 general expressions (greeting, apologizing) lesson 5 general expressions (question words) lesson 6 general expressions lesson 7 general expressions lesson 8 general expressions lesson 9 personal data, experience and others lesson 10 some questions and answers lesson 11 some questions and answers lesson 12 prepositions of place and time lesson 13 imperatives (give me, don’t, commands), want to lesson 14 let me, let's lesson 15 days, months lesson 16 want lesson 17 telling time lesson 18 a list of verbs lesson 19 personal data, experience and others lesson 20 some lists of vocabulary (articles of clothing, objects in bedroom, objects in living room, objects in the house, kitchen utensils, family members, miscellaneous, vegetables/plants/flowers, objects in the bathroom, food/drinks/fruits) english language needs of tki candidates the first part of the questionnaire is to identify the situations in which english would be useful for the pmi. from 14 situations given in the questionnaire, all situations are considered as useful. the five situations considered as most useful are (ranked in order): (1) getting information about services and goods i want to buy. (2) buying things in stores and supermarkets. (3) asking for directions. (4) ordering food in a restaurant/canteen/cafeteria. (5) talking to colleagues at work. (6) making travel arrangement the situations mostly rated by the participants are interactional needs in which they have to interact socially with other speakers. in addition to the situations in the list, some additional situations are listed such as emergency, culture shock, mental health, rights and duties as pmi, employment contract, and communities or organizations. then, participants are asked to indicate their current level of ability in english: (1) basic (lower): 45%. (2) basic (upper): 15%. (3) intermediate (lower): 0%. (4) intermediate (upper): 10%. (5) advanced: 30%. most of participants indicate themselves to have the basic level of english and some others have an advanced level. the lower basic level of proficiency means that they know a few words and fixed expressions; cannot manage conversational exchanges; respond to question and answer exchanges on a few topics; have very limited vocabulary, grammar, and knowledge of idioms, and have pronunciation heavily influenced by mother tongue. the second biggest percentage is the advanced level that is defined as being able to converse fluently and naturally on most topics; having a little difficulty with vocabulary, idioms, grammar, and pronunciation. reflecting on their proficiency level, the participants were then asked about the three biggest contributors to their success. next, the questionnaire also addressed those who previously had studied english but who gave up studying the language. the most frequent reasons cited for giving up their language study were (ranked in frequency order): (1) i did not have time to continue. (2) i was not given any opportunity to use english outside the classroom. (3) the lessons were not useful because i found the vocabulary too difficult to master. (4) the lessons were not useful because i found the language too difficult to master. (5) the lessons were not useful because i found the pronunciation too difficult to master. (6) the lessons were not useful because i found the grammar too difficult to master. desi nahartini, ratna sari dewi, siti fitriah, maya defianty, zaharil anasy the quest of developing a better english training material for migrant worker candidates in indonesia 166 next, the learning style preferences of the participants are addressed. there are some ways indicated by the respondents that they found useful (in a rank order): (1) watching or listening to people speaking english around me. (2) trying to use english whenever i have the opportunity. (3) memorizing bilingual vocabulary lists. (4) watching tv in english at home. (5) talking to friends in english. (6) making myself understood even if i make a lot of mistakes. the other need to be considered in an analysis is the preferences in teaching and learning activities. the following is a list of what participants felt important for the teacher to do in class (in rank order): (1) explaining new grammar points before practicing them. (2) correcting my mistakes of pronunciation. (3) correcting my mistakes of grammar. (4) using both bahasa indonesia and english. (5) correcting any mistakes in front of others immediately. (6) practicing before explaining new grammar points. (7) using english only. next, attitude towards the language is considered to be an important attribution. the result of the questionnaire shows the following attitude of the participants: (1) english is a fascinating language. (2) english is very useful language in malaysia/singapore. (3) english is a language where pronunciation is very important. (4) english is a language with a rich vocabulary. (5) english is a polite language. the statements above show positive attitudes among participants towards english. discussion english language training material at blkln after analysing some supporting documents used by blkln in jakarta to prepare pmi candidates before their departure, it was found out that the english training is conducted at least once a week, in addition to other courses such as cantonese for those going to taiwan, to support their future work, especially in the scope of domestic work such as housekeeping, babysitting, childcaring, cooking, and gardening. despite the high necessity of english for migrant workers, the role of blkln is currently not supporting. according to the document analysis, the blkln has a set of english syllabi with two main competencies, to communicate verbally and to use as the means of communication. both competencies are followed by some broad indicators which emphasize the knowledge of pmi about english instead of the use of the language itself. accordingly, the materials provided in the module and then given to learners are broken down into several lessons which consist of a list of vocabularies, phrases, and expressions for drill and practice and expect learners mainly to pronounce and arrange sentences properly and politely. this method does not work effectively since pmi as learners need a more meaningful lesson that can be put into practice later at the workplace and in the destination country. in other words, its aims and approaches do not correspond with the aims of the program and with the needs of the learners. the learning materials of the training are covered in one module for both teachers and learners with a supporting book resource namely my home (english for early childhood) published by kanisius. in terms of the design and organization of the module, it has no specific organization (structure, functions, topics, skills) or sequence (complexity, learnability, usefulness) used in the content. each lesson starts with a title, a subtitle, and learning content. after the cover, no table of content is provided for both teachers and learners to find a way around the module. due to the unavailability of specific english proficiency tests from the government or institutions for the pmi candidates, it cannot be identified whether the module meets the requirements. regarding the language content, the module has some parts of reference section for grammar such as the use of can, want, let me, let’s, but it covers only the meaning of the word along with a list of sentences as examples and their translations in the indonesian language. no further explanation is available to give learners an understanding of its functions and contexts to use. additionally, phonetic transcriptions are provided for each word, phrase, and expression included in the module. strikingly, the phonetic transcription is not written in the standardized international phonetic alphabets, but in indonesian alphabets representing the way how teachers would pronounce. in some parts of the module, it provides a list of questions along with a specific answer for each question to be practiced and memorized by learners to interact with their future employers and/or other workers. to prepare pmi candidates’ skills, the topics of the module used by blkln are mainly in the scope of domestic work with some additional and random english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 167 topics included such as in the market with a very limited amount. in fact, the syllabus clearly mentions that the program prepares pmi candidates to have good communication in a hospital, an airport, and a bank. from the module, it can be seen that all learners are categorized into only one language level of proficiency with the same content for all. further, considering some different destinations countries of pmi candidates as learners such as malaysia, singapore, taiwan, and even some middle east countries, no social and or cultural context of diversity is presented in the module. additionally, working in a foreign country allows pmi to meet people with various backgrounds, but no group represented concerning ethnic origins, occupations, disabilities, etc. overall, the approach to language learning taken by the module is grammar-translation which is not appropriate to the learning and/or teaching situation for pmi candidates as learners. as previously mentioned, the level of active involvement can be expected from learners is by memorizing the listed words, phrases, expressions, and sentences, responding to the listed questions with particularly listed answers and doing written translation, which overall does not match students’ learning styles and expectations. in other words, the skill taught to learners is a communicative ability that is based on the script which is randomly listed without any supporting and clear contexts or situations. the module is the main and only available material with no teacher’s book available. thus, in line with the description in previous paragraphs, the teacher just uses the module as the guidance in learning with no information of teaching techniques, language items such as grammar rules, and culture-specific information to teach. interestingly, in practice, the teacher or trainer has no english teaching background. the trainer is an ex-tki who graduated from open university in taiwan teaching english with the help of a module. it results in limited lessons delivered by the trainer without any further practice in conversation or further explanation in grammar. in terms of practical consideration, no cost is required in which students write the materials down on their book or make a copy of the book. since it is a copy, the material is not too strong or long-lasting, with not attractive in appearance. overall, no supporting device or equipment is needed such as a language laboratory, listening center, or video player, no equipment needed. the worse thing is that not all migrant workers were provided with the training before their departure. it varies among them, some had it, while others did not. some of them had it but only in a short time. according to them, the training is given based on the recruitment type, either by the agency or the employer directly. particularly for undocumented workers, which in fact is in a big number in both malaysia and singapore, never attended any english language training. despite the variability in the recruitment process, the training is a part of the regulation to be provided. for those who had some lesson earlier before going, they were provided with several words, phrases, and expressions to be memorized in line with the finding in the document analysis. in fact, at the workplace, they didn't find it to be useful since they were not sure in which situation context to use which phrases or expressions and were lack of confidence to speak up. in addition to the skills required at the job, the ability to communicate in english is crucial for pmi. according to the findings, there have been many cases of violence towards pmi due to miscommunication between them and their employers. having the ability and confidence to speak up in english minimizes this possibility to happen and creates a better working environment. english helps pmi to create a mutual understanding with the employer, especially in case any of their rights are violated. other than that, the ability to understand english needs to be prepared since most of the documents and information provided in the destination country will be in english, especially in singapore where another language spoken by its majority after english is mandarin. english is highly important not only in singapore wherein english is the main language of the country, but also in malaysia despite its less use by the majority of the people. the malay language is quite similar to bahasa indonesia that is spoken by pmi in the home country. the exposure to speak english in malaysia may not be as big as that in singapore, but the ability of english will give a better understanding in some cases in which malaysians cannot be understood well due to some different meanings in the language. for example, pmi needs to fill out the form to register passport, visa renewal, bank account, or checklist report at desi nahartini, ratna sari dewi, siti fitriah, maya defianty, zaharil anasy the quest of developing a better english training material for migrant worker candidates in indonesia 168 work. most of them are written in english, even though sometimes dual languages are provided (malay and english), and certainly they cannot depend only on their limited malay because it is somehow different in some cases. in both countries, malaysia and singapore, all pmi found that having english ability at the workplace is to be more respected and valued, especially in terms of salary. foreign workers from other countries commonly generalize pmi to not be able to speak in english, mock, and look down at them. by showing their english, pmi has more confidence in themselves to be surrounded by others. the respect comes from the employer itself, too. compared to other workers from the philippines with the same job position, the findings from the discussion revealed that pilipino earns a higher salary for they speak english. thus, english gives more bargaining power to the pmi so that they can negotiate with the employer on any concerns that they have related to issues at work. english language needs of tki candidates after evaluating the module used in the blkln preparing pmi candidates, another data was collected by distributing a questionnaire to pmi in malaysia and singapore. according to the results, after having work experience in the foreign country, they are aware of the importance of english for them as workers, especially in some situations such as to get information about the service and goods to buy, to buy items from shop/supermarket/market, to ask for directions, to order food from restaurant/canteen/café, and to talk with friends or other workers at the workplace. it can be seen that even though they should have been prepared to have communication not only at the workplace, especially in the domestic area, but also in some public places. most workers consider themselves to have a basic proficiency level in english in which they know some words or expressions but are not able to exchange information in a conversation, are able to respond by exchanging questions and answers only in certain topics, have a very limited vocabulary, grammar, and structure, and certain expressions, get strongly influenced by mother tongue in which bahasa indonesia. here, it shows the importance of giving pmi candidates more opportunities and exposure to practicing english as a language of communication to be more confident starting from the preparation phase. in addition to the english language training provided by blkln to some pmi, some workers tried to get connected with a group/organization/association/community of pmi and have been actively participating in an english language class provided for them. according to the workers’ previous experience in learning english there, most of them have limited time to continue their learning. only half of them have a chance to use the language out of the classroom which may be due to their limited access to the outside environment since most of them work as domestic workers living in their employer’s place. it shows the importance of english to support them working and living in a foreign country. pmi realizes that learning english is useful, and it is not difficult to master in terms of pronunciation and structure, and grammar, but they consider english vocabulary challenging to master. related to their english learning experience in some communities, they consider the materials to be interesting and challenging, not difficult and meet their needs. the teacher taught them english well and they like it. so far, they feel that they have made improvements in their english. since they have been working in the destination country for a long time, those who had a chance to receive english training in the preparation phase have no clear memory of how their learning experience was. thus, their experience represented in the results mostly refers to their latest learning experience in the community. as pmi, there are some activities that the workers find useful during the class according to their experience such as watching or listening to people speaking english around them, speaking english at any time they have a chance, watching tv/videos in english during free time, speaking in english with friends, supporting and motivating themselves to understand even though they make many mistakes, memorizing a list of vocabulary in both languages, english and indonesian. it can be seen that they need a more communicative and interactive learning environment for them to improve their skills in english so that their confidence can be improved beyond memorization. in terms of the teacher, the workers would prefer the teacher explain the new structure before the practice, correct any mistakes made especially in pronunciation and structure, use bahasa indonesia and english. these points can be some takeaways english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 169 for developing an english curriculum and materials for pmi candidates in the future. to have a better and deeper understanding of pmi in the foreign country, a focused group discussion was held. despite a lack of english language training in the preparation phase, some workers can significantly improve their english ability after working for many years in the destination country, more than ten years. some of them could have successfully adapted themselves to the new environment very well and learn the language both malay, for those working in malaysia, and english independently or in autodidact from their employers and workplace. nevertheless, those who struggle in adapting themselves they would tend to stay for a shorter time in the foreign country relying on the kindness and patience of their employers who are willing to teach them and have them stay. otherwise, it is always possible that the employers would end the contract or treat them in a bad manner such as giving their salary less than the minimum standard. the workers realize the impact of inadequate and insufficient english language training before their departure such as they may struggle in having communication with their employers which results in some misunderstanding or miscommunication, in some occasions, they are unable to reject or stand for themselves when being asked to do some harmful tasks, they will be reluctant to ask the people around or the security officers when they get lost once going outside for grocery shopping, they may find a difficulty in understanding the employment contract which may deceive them, they will be unable to negotiate once their salary is below standard. in accordance to the findings and discussion above, several needs of english to be provided to pmi candidates are as follow: an emergency living in a foreign country must be anticipated with any unexpected situations such as getting lost in a new place, having a health problem, experiencing any problems with the employer, etc. bringing up some emergencies situations theme in learning english provides the pmi candidates to be more prepared with the situation in the new workplace and environment later on. culture shock the destination country must have its own culture which might be similar or even totally different from that of the home country. it is since most of the pmi candidates come from villages and regions to work in the employers’ place where mostly are located in the big city in which there must be a lot of differences in terms of how the work is done. learning english on this topic provides some help for pmi in case any differences occur at the workplace to have better communication and understanding with the employer. this culture shock includes the accent of how the people of the destination country speak english which may cause unfamiliarity with the language itself. mental health working in a new environment comes with a lot of new people and situations to adapt to. any pressures come from the surrounding may cause any problems to the mental state of the pmi. knowing it earlier before going to the workplace provides pmi with any possible pictures to happen in the future and any alternatives to tackle the problems are available to avoid too much stress and depression during work. rights and duties of pmi another urgent matter to be discussed in preparing english is the rights of migrant workers in applicable law of the respective country so that while doing their duty, they are aware of what they can and cannot do. in addition, they can speak up at any time their rights are violated by the employer. employment contract /official letter in some situations, pmi needs to deal with some official documents, especially employment contracts. this contract is where the pmi depends on during the work with any terms and conditions applied. having some fundamental information and knowledge about the contract, which is commonly given in english, despite some in dual languages, pmi was well informed with the given agreement to be signed. some other important documents are such as application to health insurance, bank account, visa renewal, etc. communities or organizations there have been several organizations and communities for pmi to gather on the weekends provided by indonesian government and private institutions. by joining the communities or organizations available abroad, pmi will have more opportunity to share their current condition and get immediate help if they need it. having more friends abroad will also help them to deal with culture schock or mental health problem. pmi should be desi nahartini, ratna sari dewi, siti fitriah, maya defianty, zaharil anasy the quest of developing a better english training material for migrant worker candidates in indonesia 170 aware that they have the rights to join this communities in their working countries. more than that, some learning opportunities are also offered such as english, computer, sewing class, and many more hard skills. the importance of need analysis in designing the english language training at blkln the study set out with the aim of assessing to what extent the available english language training for indonesian migrant workers align with pmi’s needs. the most obvious findings to emerge from the analysis is that there is a discrepancy between the english language training and what pmi’s considered to be central as they live in the target country. the gaps can be categorized into two major respects. first concerns with the learning materials in which the english language program only focused on language for survival and language use in domestic context. in comparison, pmi perceived that they needed to communicate beyond domestic context such as in a bank, hospital, restaurant and so on. second, findings from the research revealed that the english language trainings emphasizes language learning on grammar translation method, commonly known as gtm, (brown & lee, 2020). these findings are consistent with those of novita’s (2019) findings which showed that english language learning blk eka management focused their teaching on translating between english and bahasa indonesia specifically on simple sentences and vocabularies. however, findings from interviews with pmi revealed that they preferred to learn english in real life, and thus implementing communicative language teaching (clt) is more suitable for the english language training. these findings raise an issue regarding the nature and extent of how blkln design english language program in order to support pmi in target countries. a possible explanation for this might be that there have not been any serious concerns manifested in the english language training. moreover, standard qualification for teachers taught at the training has not yet established; as a result, teachers could not empower themselves as they are dealing with textbooks which do not support their learners. in fact, developing learning materials is part of teachers’ role (harmer, 2015). furthermore, material development is not always complicated, as tomlinson and masuhara (2018) pointed out the activity of adding, reducing, and/or extending learning materials from the prescribed textbook can also be considered as materials development. overall, findings from this study, while preliminary, has important implications form developing quality textbook that provide guideline for teachers who taught at the program as well as allow flexibility for teachers to innovate their teachings. the process in carrying out the materials development should be comprehensive that it aligns pmi’s needs. for example, it may adapt richards’ (2017) needs analysis procedures that needs analysis does not merely involve stakeholders, students, and teachers, but also situation analysis. conclusion the findings showed that the english language training materials provided by blkln were quite far from effective to prepare the migrant workers. it is due to the teaching approach, material provided and method applied that were not in line with pmi candidates’ language needs. the worst case is the fact that not all pmi candidates are provided with english training before their departure to the destination country. the existing english language training materials for pmi candidates at blkln require betterment for preparing them at the workplace. the betterment can be made by designing the materials on more relevant topics to their work such as emergency, culture shock, mental health, migrant workers' rights and duties, employment contract, and communities. those topics provide tki candidates with more knowledge and information to deal with any problems that they may find at the workplace in particular, and in the destination country in general. this need is offered by taking into account pmi’s wellness and safety in the foreign country wherein no relatives or friends are available at any time, especially in the early time of arrival. in addition, to let the pmi candidates practice, it is to encourage them to be more confident in speaking up and using the language. this goal can be achieved by designing the materials and learning activities which encourage pmi candidates to use the language during the training between them as students and the trainer, and among all students, both in pairs or groups. by having lots of interactions during the training, students’ reluctance to speak up will be getting less and less, while their confidence keeps improving at the same time. in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 171 addition, the more practice pmi candidates have during the training, the more feedback is given by the trainer for their improvement in using the language. following the conclusions of this research, some suggestions are made for respective parties. first for training center of foreign labors (blkln) to break down the topics presented previously into english materials in communicative approach for pmi candidates. the design of materials can be done by having some consultation with english teaching experts and the teaching should be delivered by trainers who have competencies in english language teaching so that the learning objectives can be met by the end of the training. as an alternative, the available trainers can be given training of some basic principles in english language teaching so that the training will be more effective for pmi candidates. the second suggestion is for protection agency and the indonesian manpower placement (bnp2tki) to take account of the need for the english language with the presented topics to be applied to all blkln. finding out the fact that not all blkln delivers standardized training, bnp2tki should put these needs in the guideline to be followed by all blkln and monitor the program regularly to make sure that its application is following the criteria provided. a regular monitor of the program will maintain the quality of how pmi candidates have been prepared during the program. last for indonesia, the regulation of english training before the departure needs more enforcement and regulation. more enforcement will lead to a better quality of blkln in delivering the language training which then eventually impacts on the better indonesian workforces to be sent to other countries. a bilateral agreement between indonesia and the destination country would be beneficial for pmi to have an access to join in a union wherein they are able to join in some educational programs of the union to improve their quality and capacity especially in english and generally in many other skills. this protection covers not only those who are documented but also those who are undocumented. the last but not least recommendations to the government especially to blkln is to manage an english proficiency test for migrant worker candidates before their departure to the target country and to handle and prepare a short english course for migrant workers candidates who has low language skill and ability based on the level of english proficiency scores. acknowledgment this work was supported by puslitpen uin syarif hidayatullah jakarta, lp2m uin syarif hidayatullah jakarta, indonesia foreign network singapore, and edukasi untuk bangsa malaysia references aslam, m., kingdon, g., de, a., and kumar, r. (2010). economic returns to schooling and skills: an analysis of india and pakistan. recoup working paper, (38). astuti, i. w. (2008). english learning program for indonesians working in domestic sector abroad: some language-related aspects to be considered. journal of english and education, 2(2), 82-90. azam, m., chin, a., and prakash, n. (2010). the returns to english-language skills in india. bonn: institute for the study of labor. discussion paper no. 4802. badan pembangunan nasional, badan pusat statistik, and united population fund. (2013). indonesian population projection 2010-2035. bnp2tki report, data penempatan dan perlindungan pekerja migran indonesia tahun 2019. brown, h.d & lee, h. (2020). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. white plains, ny: pearson education. cohen, l., manion, l., & morrison. (2018). research methods in education. abingdon: routledge. creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2015). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. fifth edition. los angeles: sage. duddley-evans, t., & m.j. st john (2009). development in english for specific purposes: a multidisciplinary approach. cambridge: cup. ebneyamini, s. & moghadam, m. r. s. (2018) toward developing a framework for conducting case study research. international journal of qualitative method, 17(i-ii). ef english proficiency index 2017. (2017). english first. retrieved from: https://www.ef.com/__/~/media/centralefcom/epi/ downloads/full-reports/v7/ef-epi-2017-english.pdf erling, e.j., seargeant, p., solly, m., chowdhury, q.h., & rahman, s. (2015). english for economic development: a case study of migrant workers from bangladesh. elt research papers, 15(3). hakim, m. a. r., and abidin, j. z. (2019). using the assure model in developing an english instructional module for indonesian migrant desi nahartini, ratna sari dewi, siti fitriah, maya defianty, zaharil anasy the quest of developing a better english training material for migrant worker candidates in indonesia 172 workers in penang, malaysia. charting a sustainable future of asean in business and social sciences, 383-390. doi: 10.1007/978-98115-3859-9_32 harmer, j. (2015). the practice of english language teaching. harlow: pearson/longman. hermayawati. (2018). functional english design for domestic migrant workers. adjes (ahmad dahlan journal of english studies), 5(1), 35-43. international labour organization. (2016). global action programme on migrant domestic workers and their families: skills development and recognition for domestic workers across borders. geneva: international labour organization. international organization for migration. (2010). labour migration from indonesia: an overview of indonesian migration to selected destinations in asia and the middle east. lan, p. (2003). “they have more money but i speak better english!” transnational encounters between filipina domestics and taiwanese employers. identities, 10(20), 133-161. lee, w. w., & owens, d.l. (2004). multimedia-based instructional design. san fransisco: preeiffier. loveband, a. (2009). nationality matters indonesian foreign domestic workers in contemporary taiwan (doctoral dissertation). university of wellington. lubis, s. (2011). a need analysis study of english materials for indonesian domestic workers. in: international seminar on creative and innovative language learning in the ict era contributing to the development of indonesia, may 2011, medan. metboki, y., and ledo, j. p. (2017). communitydevelopment programs and the implications for women migrant workers’ pre-departure preparation in eastern indonesia. jurnal pendidikan dan pemberdayaan masyarakat, 4(1), 1-3. merriam, s. b., & tisdel, e. j. (2015). qualitative research: a guide to design and implementation. fourth edition. san fransisco: jossey-bass. moodle. (2019). retrieved october 21, 2019, from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/moodle mukundan, j., nimehchisalem, v., hajimohammadi, r., (2011). developing an english language textbook evaluation checklist: a focus group discussion. international journal of humanities and social science, 1(12). munby, j. (1978). communicative syllabus design: a sociolinguistic model for defining the content of purpose-specific language programs. new york: cambridge university press. novalitha, t. (2008). kompleksitas mekanisme penempatan bmp ke luar negeri: beberapa permasalahan dan alternative solusinya. jakarta, indonesia: the world bank. novita, c. b. (2019). teachers’ strategies in english for specific purposes for indonesian migrant workers. ponorogo, indonesia: faculty of tarbiyah and teacher training, state institute of islamic studies ponorogo. pinon, r. and haydon, j. (2010). the benefits of the english language for individuals and societies: quantitative indicators from cameroon, nigeria, rwanda, bangladesh, and pakistan (euromonitor international for british council). retrieved from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/ files/euromonitor%20report%20a4.pdf. raharto, a., (2017). pengambilan keputusan tenaga kerja indonesia (tki) perempuan untuk bekerja di luar negeri: kasus kabupaten cilacap, jurnal kependudukan indonesia, 12(1), pp. 39 54 rahmi. (2015). the development of language policy in indonesia. englisia, 3(1), 9-22. richards, j.c. (2017). curriculum development in language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. salleh, n. a. b., nordin, n.b.m., and rashid, a.k.b.a.(2012). the language problem issue among foreign workers in the malaysian construction industry. international journal of business and social science, 3(11), pp. 97-99. shamim, f. (2011). 'english as the language for development in pakistan: issues, challenges, and possible solutions. in coleman, h. (ed): 294-316. simion, m. o. (2015). need analysis in english for specific purposes. annals of the "constantin brancusi" university of targu jiu economy series, 1(ii), pp. 54-55. the 4th technical meeting of focal specialists on international labour migration statistics in asean. (2018). data collection, analysis, sharing and application to labour migration policy in indonesia. bangkok: author. the world bank. (2017). indonesia’s global workers: juggling opportunities and risks. washington: world bank group. tomlinson, b. & masuhara, h. (2018). the complete guide to the theory and practice of materials development for language learning. hoboken, nj, usa : wiley blackwell. widodo, h. p. & renandya, w. a. (2016). english language teaching today, english language education 5. switzerland: springer international publishing. yin, r. k. (2018). case study research and application: design and methods (6th ed.). thousand oaks, ca: sage. zakaria, y. n., zakaria, s. n. & azmi, n. e. (2018). language learning strategies used by secondary http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/moodle http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/euromonitor%20report%20a4.pdf http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/euromonitor%20report%20a4.pdf english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 173 school students in enhancing speaking skills. creative education journal, 9(14). desi nahartini, ratna sari dewi, siti fitriah, maya defianty, zaharil anasy the quest of developing a better english training material for migrant worker candidates in indonesia 174 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 761 through the metaphorical lens: understanding othering of language lecturers in indonesian higher education yusri yusuf department of indonesian education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas syiah kuala, banda aceh, indonesia e-mail: yusri_yusuf@unsyiah.ac.id jarjani usman department of english language, faculty of education and teacher training, universitas islam negeri ar-raniry, banda aceh, indonesia e-mail: jarjani@ar-raniry.ac.id yunisrina qismullah yusuf department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas syiah kuala, banda aceh, indonesia e-mail: yunisrina.q.yusuf@unsyiah.ac.id apa citation: yusuf, y., usman, j., yusuf, y. q. (2022). through the metaphorical lens: understanding othering of language lecturers in indonesia higher education. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 761-770. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6432 received: 13-02-2022 accepted: 23-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction in this globalized era, the mobility of variously diverse people has increased in many countries. today, culturally and religiously diverse people work for various organizations, including educational institutions. therefore, supporting people to live and work peacefully and democratically is necessary by promoting respect, tolerance, freedom, unity, compassion, and fairness. educational institutions are primarily responsible for promoting these values to the students to produce open-minded alumni as future workers. however, the literature indicates that some academicians and students studying at universities or other educational institutions experience being othered, such as through their physical or other types of differences (e.g., place of birth, ethnicity, et cetera) (dervin, 2015). many scholars call this phenomenon ‘othering’ (e.g., dervin, 2015; golkowska, 2014; liu, 2021; vichiensing, 2017). othering in the workplace, especially in educational institutions, should not be neglected because it results in negative consequences for both individuals and institutions. being othered threatens abstract: this research attempted to delve into the indonesian and english lecturers’ views on othering experiences through the metaphorical lens. the data collection employed interviews with ten lecturers teaching at two public universities in aceh, indonesia. the interviews were recorded and transcribed, and further analyzed using johnson and lakoff’s conceptual metaphor theory (cmt) where a metaphor is referred to understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another thing. the results revealed that the lecturers expressed their feelings of being othered through 14 acehnese metaphorical expressions. they are ‘awak dalam’, ‘awak droe’ ‘asoe lhôk’, ‘cina saboh geudông’, and ‘ureung lhap darah’,‘kön ureung gulam budée’, ‘kön awak dalam’, ‘kön awak droe jih’, ‘kön syara ma jih’, ‘gob mat aweuk’, ‘ureung di luwa pageu’, ‘jamok di luwa keuleumbu’, ‘awak gop’, and ‘awak blah déh laôt’. those in power (i.e., the ‘us’) discriminated against some lecturers (i.e., the ‘them’) by not providing them equal opportunities in the institution, regardless of their quality and credentials. othering that existed in the universities negatively affected their work enthusiasm, education quality, social justice, and equality. consequently, othering must be eradicated so that the human resources recruitment and education in universities uphold the principles of transparency, equality, and accountability. keywords: othering; metaphorical expressions; acehnese; language; lecturers. mailto:yusri_yusuf@unsyiah.ac.id mailto:jarjani@ar-raniry.ac.id mailto:yunisrina.q.yusuf@unsyiah.ac.id yusri yusuf, jarjani usman, & yunisrina qismullah yusuf through the metaphorical lens: understanding othering of language lecturers in indonesia higher education 762 the life experience of those who are constructed as others (liu, 2021). othering negatively affects people because of the discriminative treatment they receive in their social life (liu, 2021; vichiensing, 2017). othering “can serve to reinforce and reproduce positions of domination and subordination. those who are ‘othered’ often experience marginalization, decreased opportunities, and exclusion” (murtagh, 2019). the othering can also fuel various hate crimes, as indicated in the anti-asian crimes involving physical violence and harassment in the united states of america (gover, harper & langton, 2020). therefore, universities or other educational institutions as venues where people learn and live democratically, elegantly, and actively, should attempt to eliminate othering practices as they can negatively affect the quality of education. many previous related studies on othering in higher education institutions have also existed. among them are studies on othering in the classrooms (e.g., ahmadi, 2015; linares, 2016), discrimination against students (e.g., annalakshmi & venkatesan, 2018; gokce, 2013; liu, 2021), academic staff at universities (e.g., bakley, 2016; clingan, 2021; halici & kasimoglu, 2006), and othering in terms of discrimination of academic staff members due to different genders (husu, 2005). othering is also practiced in the books used as lesson materials, like novels (mushtaq, 2010). all these studies revealed that othering, such as exclusion and discrimination, have negative consequences for those working or studying at educational institutions. halici and kasimoglu (2006), for instance, conducted research in higher education institutions in turkey and azerbaijan in five discrimination areas: job advertisements and the evaluation of job applications, performance evaluation, providing staff with opportunities in the institution, reward, and punishment, and determining workload. however, instructors at azerbaijan university experienced higher discrimination than turkish instructors. clingan (2021) reviewed previous studies on the discrimination of male adjunct lecturers in higher education in the united states and found that adjuncts are paid less than permanent professors in the institutions. thus, schools find them economically feasible. another study by bakley (2016) on adjuncts in higher education institutions revealed that the adjuncts deal with various challenges compared to the permanent employees on various campuses. the male adjuncts received discrimination challenges as compared to the female employees in the same higher education institutions. among the instances are institutions that prefer hiring employees from within, discriminating against the new adjuncts. despite negatively affecting the quality of education and democratic living in higher education, research on othering practices in indonesian universities, especially in aceh province, is scant. one study that explored othering in indonesia is by widyastuti (2016) regarding the ethnic othering of chinese in indonesia. the results revealed that equality, acceptance, tolerance, and trust are the four interwoven focus themes that best summarize participants' impressions of social reality. ethnic accommodation is best understood in terms of its political, social, and psychological aspects. discourse analysis by using a multiperspectival approach offers an all-encompassing resource for addressing social problems of ethnic othering. consequently, this present study explored othering expressed by acehnese lecturers teaching indonesian and english in indonesia through the metaphorical lens and how othering affects their educational performance. it is argued that using metaphors is crucial in understanding the experiences and how they are conceptualized in languages other than english. conducting research through the metaphorical lens is relevant because the storied metaphor is a tool educators have personally and collectively used to convey their lived experiences (craig, 2018). metaphors not only create realities but also guide future action (lakoff & johnson, 2003). thus, universities in indonesia should be where othering is not tolerated as indonesia is a multi-diverse country in which every citizen believes in a religion, and islam is the majority. every religion forbids the practice of othering, such as discrimination, exclusion, and stigmatization. university communities must urge their people (staff, academicians, scientists, and students) to promote the value of ‘ourness’ rather than ‘otherness’. in the classroom context, ahmadi (2015) stated that students have the right to study in a secure and supportive environment free from discrimination or stereotyping. in this way, they have the same rights in the learning process. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 763 however, research on how educators perceive othering and how to eliminate or reduce it in the university context is scarce. therefore, as dervin (2015) suggested, othering must be discussed openly, banished, or fought against in educational discourses. exploring many kinds of othering in higher education is necessary to maintain a good relationship among staff members. researching othering at universities is crucial as it can help maintain a good relationship and collaboration among academicians. as canales (2000) pointed out, “our understanding of the other is important for how we understand [the] difference and how we engage with those perceived as different from self-as the other” (p. 16). good relationships and collaboration between the academicians and administrators matter for improving the quality of education in higher education. therefore, this study intends to answer the following research questions: what are the metaphorical expressions in acehnese used to express othering in higher education? gaining more extensive knowledge of how these language lecturers experienced being othered and what types of othering they experienced is crucial for creating awareness of this problem in ways that may help mitigate and prevent it from happening in the future. it is hoped that insights from this study can help lecturers or instructors become more aware of othering and consider potential solutions to reduce its prevalence in higher education, enhance efforts toward inclusive excellence, and create more inclusive classroom climates. the notion of ‘othering’ has been defined in many disciplines. in psychology, for instance, othering is an essential part of the differentiation of the ‘self from others’ (krumer-nevo & sidi, 2012). othering is also equated with stereotyping (ahmadi, 2015; phillipson, 1992). even according to golkowska (2014), othering is not only associated with stereotyping but also with ethnocentricity, involving “the domination of the in-group that declares itself superior to the out-group and denies the other subjectivity and uniqueness” (vichiensing, 2017, p. 28). other scholars, like tyson (2015), define othering as the practice “of judging all who are different as less than fully human…and it divides the world between ‘us’ (the ‘civilized’) and ‘them’ (the ‘others’, the ‘savages’)” (p. 401), and winslow and winslow (2014) defined it as “a discursive process of separating ‘we’ from ‘other’ as a means of constructing hierarchies of power” (p. 1). these definitions resemble vichiensing’s (2017) definition of othering, “a mental distance is created between ‘us’ and ‘them’ (p. 127). the othering concept is originally rooted in the postcolonial theory (said, 1993). it is defined by difference-‘us’ and ‘them’, ‘self’ and ‘other’, to highlight a contrast between europeans and oriental people during colonial periods” (said, 1985, as cited in liu, 2021). it addresses “the power relations between different cultural groups, and in particular the process by which a dominant group attributes a subordinate status and identity to another” and “in the process of othering, an idealized self is created against others whose characteristics are framed as different, problematic, and inferior” (song, 2020, p. 2). however, according to vichiensing (2017), the postcolonial theory is now used in many disciplines and addresses many kinds of othering as manifested through exclusion, marginalization, and discrimination. othering has been consciously and unconsciously exercised in many institutions. for example, othering is exercised for the usage of the english language; those with native-like english ability are privileged and those that do not have it are less privileged. according to ahmadi (2015), “the ideology of equating english with civility has roots in imperial britain” (p. 442). today, english is regarded as the global language, and the english language is believed to bring dignity and honor to people that have not yet entered the fold of mainstream english (lippi-green, 1995). since othering is related to one’s experiences and perception, which are abstract by nature, one can see it from a metaphorical lens. literature indicates that metaphor has been used to see abstract things from more concrete things (kövecses, 2002; lakoff & johnson, 2003). metaphors can be an essential means of understanding people’s experiences (miles, huberman, & saldana, 2014). craig (2018) stated that people have utilized “metaphors to story and make sense of their lived experiences for themselves and to carry across their meaning interactively to others” (p. 301). in this regard, lakoff and johnson (2003) clarified metaphor as not just in language but in thought and action, where humans’ common conceptual system, which yusri yusuf, jarjani usman, & yunisrina qismullah yusuf through the metaphorical lens: understanding othering of language lecturers in indonesia higher education 764 guides how we think and behave, is inherently metaphorical. some scholars divide metaphors into stock, novel, emergent, and ascribed metaphors (craig, 2018). stock metaphors risk over-use and can be “absolutized to the point where they are meaningless. they can become so common that they unreflectively shape practice in nonenlightening ways. emergent metaphors (breault, 2006) are intuitively held and expressed by educators. they naturally appear in a teacher’s language and their unfolding practice. ascribed metaphors are novel or stock metaphors that researchers intentionally adopt to describe a phenomenon they have identified or what they view as teachers’ perceived teaching experiences. conceptual metaphor theory (cmt) is among the popular theories of metaphor today. proposed by johnson and lakoff in 1980, the theory was then followed and refined by several proponents, such as kövecses (2002), and applied by previous researchers (e.g., usman & mawardi, 2022; usman & yusuf, 2020). in their theory, a metaphor referred to “understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another thing” (p. 5). in the same vein, kövecses (2017, p. 1) defined a conceptual metaphor as “understanding one domain of experience (that is typically abstract) in terms of another (that is typically concrete)”. in explaining the cmt, kövecses (2002) illustrated it with several examples. for instance, in explaining the metaphor of ‘love is a journey’, kövecses used many linguistic expressions as in the following: look how far we’ve come. we’re at a crossroads. we’ll just have to go our separate ways. we can’t turn back now. i don’t think this relationship is going anywhere. where are we? we’re stuck. it’s been a long, bumpy road. this relationship is a dead-end street. we’re just spinning our wheels. our marriage is on the rocks. we’ve gotten off the track. this relationship is foundering. (kövecses, 2002, p. 5) the linguistic expressions above use phrases in italics from the domain of a journey. this can be understood from the expression ‘how far we’ve come and at a crossroads,’ which clearly indicates a journey. other linguistic expressions also indicate a journey, as in ‘turn back’, ‘a long, bumpy road’, ‘going anywhere’, ‘a dead-end street’, ‘spinning our wheels’, ‘on the rocks’, ‘off the track’, and ‘foundering’, which are manifestations of the conceptual metaphor ‘love is a journey’ (usman & mawardi, 2022). method this research used a qualitative method to explore the acehnese lecturers (i.e., five indonesian language lecturers and five english language lecturers), on metaphorical expressions of othering in the acehnese language regarding their feelings of being othered in their universities. these ten acehnese university lecturers taught at two public universities located in banda aceh, indonesia. this study focuses on the metaphors from the stories of experiences of the lecturers. a narrative is a portal through which a person accesses the world and by means of which their experience of the world is interpreted and given meaning (connelly & clandinin, 2005). in collecting data, this study used narrative inquiry (i.e., interviews). the data were recorded and transcribed. the interview comprised questions of “tell me whether you have experienced being othered in your workplace?”. those who said ‘no’ were excluded from being the research participants. meanwhile, those who said ‘yes’ proceeded with the next question, “what types of othering did you experience, such as marginalization, exclusion, or other types?”. they then told their stories about their experiences while working for the universities. the stories for research are crucial because, according to craig (2018), “one major way that raw experience can be captured and communicated is through story…[and] the story has the power to reveal reality and elaborate problems in ways that the paradigmatic is not able” (p. 301). once the participants had finished telling their stories, they were further questioned, “in the following acehnese metaphorical expressions, which one best describes your experiences of being othered at your workplace?”. that enabled the researchers to analyze the transcripts deductively when the participants expressed their responses to the questions regarding their feelings of being othered in their daily work at their universities and to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 765 identify the kinds of othering they experienced and why these types of othering happen. johnson and lakoff's conceptual metaphor theory (cmt) were used to analyze metaphorical expressions. as stated by lakoff and johnson (2003), metaphorical expressions are realizations of conceptual metaphors. in analyzing the metaphors, the metaphorical expressions used by the academicians (i.e., participants) in telling their narratives were then classified based on the themes (i.e., metaphorical expressions) that emerged from the data (miles, huberman & saldana, 2014). the participants in this study are coded as p1 to p10 in this paper. results and discussion after collecting and analyzing the data, the idioms by the participants who felt being othered in various ways, such as discrimination, exclusion, and marginalization, were identified. these types of othering were expressed in 14 acehnese metaphorical expressions, they are: ‘awak dalam’, ‘awak droe’ ‘asoe lhôk’, ‘cina saboh geudông’, and ‘ureung lhap darah’, ‘kön ureung gulam budée’, ‘kön awak dalam’, ‘kön awak droe jih’, ‘kön syara ma jih’, ‘gob mat aweuk’, ‘ureung di luwa pageu’, ‘jamok di luwa keuleumbu’, ‘awak gop’, and ‘awak blah déh laôt’. subsequently, the next sub-sections discuss these acehnese metaphorical expressions that represent othering at higher education as ‘us’ and ‘them’. awak dalam (the insiders) the metaphor ‘awak dalam’ (people in (a group or circle) or the insiders), as exemplified by p3, is meant for those who are in power or those working within the central ring of the administration of the universities. she said, (1) “ka biasa, so yang meunang, akan dipileh awak dalam mantong keu jabatan”. (this is common, whoever wins, he/she will only choose the insiders for positions). p3 continued ‘awak dalam’ were privileged within the university administration, even though there were many others (i.e., academicians or staff) with better quality of education, competencies, and backgrounds. ‘awak droe’ (our own people) the metaphor ‘awak droe’ literally means ‘our people’. p8 and p10 said that in their universities where othering practice existed, ‘awak droe’ were regarded as the people who received privilege and important positions within the administration. p8 said, sarcastically, (2) “hana poenteng careung bangai, yang poenteung awak droe”. (it doesn’t matter if you are smart or dumb, what matters is that you are their people, i.e., them). ‘asoe lhôk’ (the deep bones) in ‘asoe lhôk’ (the deep bone) metaphor, asoe (meat) is used to conceptualize a person or people, and lhôk (deep) is viewed as the locals (natives) where the university is situated. p6 voiced, (3) “lôn panèe ijak poerôh, kön asoe lhôk”. (i am not eligible to have positions within their administration because i am not a native). p6 narrated that the lecturers addressed as the ‘asoe lhôk’ were considered eligible to have privileges within the university administration. they had a greater authority to regulate the university. ‘cina saboh geudông’ (chinese in one building) this is a metaphor used to express the oligarchy in the university. p4 described that this metaphor came about due to the situation in indonesia, where many indigenous people believed that the chinese in indonesia today have the money power structure consisting of elite individuals, families, or corporations that allowed them to control the country. he further explained, (4) “lon kön cina saboh geudong ngon awak nyan”. (i am not chinese in the same building as them). this situation is then equated by the acehnese with the situation at the university, where only those who supported the elected leader financially would receive important positions during his or her administration. ‘ureung lhap darah’ (the person(s) who wipes the blood) the metaphor ‘ureung lhap darah’ (the person(s) who wipes the blood) is commonly used by the acehnese to envision a situation where a person takes benefits from other people’s work. p5 interpreted how blood usually comes out when yusri yusuf, jarjani usman, & yunisrina qismullah yusuf through the metaphorical lens: understanding othering of language lecturers in indonesia higher education 766 people get wounded, so in a battle, when it has ended, there will come a person to wipe the blood of the wounded or clean the mess. he said, (5) “lôn hana mita-mita jabatan. lôn kön ureung lhap darah”. (i am not begging for positions within the university because i don’t wipe blood). in higher education, p5 claimed that this was addressed to lecturers who came to join the group after others who ‘battled’ in the pre-election won for the period. p5 continued that such lecturers merely “harvests” what others have planted. ‘kön ureung gulam beudée’ (not the person(s) holding the guns) the metaphor ‘ureung gulam beudée’ can be literally translated into the person/people holding the guns, which maps up those who have worked much to support their candidate to get the leader’s success as an army. p1 informed: (6) “lon kon ureung gulam beudée, panèe na ijak poerôh dalam jabatan basah”. (i am not a person who held weapons, that’s why i am not assigned any position (in the university administration). in this study, p1 explained the lecturers’ struggle in competing for positions during a leader’s administration, which is every four years, at his university, and this situation is conceptualized as a battle or war using weapons. the leader here is the rector, chancellor, director, or president of a university. the elected leader usually selects the lecturers for positions within his administration. the person(s) who were not involved in supporting him during his campaign was regarded as ‘not fighters in his battle’. these lecturers were excluded from being recruited to have leading positions, such as deans, vice deans, and heads of units, even though he or they were eligible for the positions. ‘kön awak dalam’ (not the insiders) ‘kön awak dalam’ (not the insiders) is also a metaphor that means the person(s) who are regarded as not members of a certain group or circle. in this study, p2 referred it to as the ‘ring of the administration of the university’, even though they were actually part of it as lecturers as well. these were administration or teaching staff members who did not belong to the group members of those who supported the elected leader during the election. he said, (7) “lôn hana jiepoerôh dalam tes ujian mahasiswa baroe karena dianggap kön awak dalam”. (i was not involved in the new student enrolment because of not part of the insiders). ‘kön awak droe jih’ (not of their group members) the feelings of not belonging to their group members (‘kön awak droe jih’) were expressed by several participants. p4 narrated, (8) “le that awak droe jih yang ka jijôk buet. geutanyoe kön awak droe jih, sehingga jangankan untuk poejabat, keu tugah-tugah yang basah pun han jipoeroh”. (many of their people were given jobs. we are not part of them so not just positions, other jobs (in campus) are also not given to us). they felt their exclusion from being offered good positions within the university administration because they did not belong to the group members. some of them accepted their fate because it is customary in the political world of campus today. ‘kön syara ma jih’ (not his/her mother’s relatives) the metaphor ‘kön syara ma jih’ refers to a situation where someone is not given any positions in an administration because the leader is not a relative of that person. p9 informed, (9) “geutanyoe kön syara ma jih, panèe na i jak pakèk sebagai poejabat”. (i am not their mothers’ relatives, so i am not eligible within their administration). p9 refers to this situation similar to nepotism, the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs. at his university, p9 informed that nepotism was still practiced among those who have high positions at the university. gop mat aweuk (the one(s) holding the big spoon) in this metaphor, aweuk (a big spoon used for cooking soup or gravy in a big pot) is used to represent the university’s top management, and gob means other person(s). p2 revealed, (10) “lon pasrah mantong ngön keuadaan kampus geutanyoe, karena teungoh gob mat aweuk”. (i am submissive to the current situation of our campus because the spoon is in the hands of other people). other participants, such as p3 and p4, who felt being othered said they also received unfair treatment in their workplace, such as discrimination english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 767 in the recruitment of the human resources to hold important positions at the university. ‘ureung di luwa pageu’ (the person(s) outside the fence) the metaphor ‘ureung di luwa pageu’ (the person(s) outside the fence) in this research is an acehnese metaphor that conceptualized the university administration as something protected with the fence built around the leader or by in-group staff members. as mentioned earlier, those who did not struggle in ‘his battle’ were the out-group people. in other words, only those who have worked for or had a strong relationship with the elected leader was regarded as ‘us’ and, therefore, had privileged and got positions within his administration. p2 said, (11) “panèna jipoerôh tanyoe untuk mat jabatan di kampus, lôn dianggap ureung di luwa pageu”. (i am not recruited to hold important positions on campus because i am regarded as those outside the fence). p2 further explained that in contrast, those who were not ‘us’ were likely to be excluded and usually received no positions, or at times, unfair treatment within the university administration. ‘jamok di luwa keuleumbu’ (mosquitoes outside the mosquito net) p10 explained that the metaphor ‘jamok di luwa keuleumbu’ is almost similar to ‘ureung di luwa pageu’ (the person(s) outside the fence) or as ‘them’. therefore, those who were not ‘us’ were likely to be excluded and usually received no positions. but in this metaphor, there is ‘jamok’ (mosquitoes), which by nature like to bite and suck the blood of humans. in this case, p10 explained that the ‘jamok’ were the ‘them’ or people who were opposed to the ‘us’ during the campaign and election (i.e., the opposition). (12) “narit tanyoe bak grup whatsapp dosen hana jideungö, tanyoe jianggap jamok di luwa keuleumbu” (our voices via the lecturers’ whatsapp group are not heard. we are regarded as the mosquitoes outside the mosquito net). ‘awak gop’ (other people) the metaphor ‘awak gop’ (other people) is equated with others or ‘them’, and not ‘us’. p7 portrayed these lecturers as not the people in the inner circle (i.e., power), even though they all worked in the same place. he said, (13) tanyoe mandum sama-sama dosen disinoe, tapi yang awak gop han di bi jabatan”. (we are all lecturers here, but other people are not given positions). that was why, p7 said, those regarded as ‘awak gop’ often received discrimination or were not given equal opportunities in the university administration. ‘awak blah déh laôt’ (the person(s) from other island(s)) the metaphor ‘awak blah déh laôt’ is similar to ‘awak gop’ (other people), and ‘kön awak dalam’ (not the insiders), referring to others or ‘them’ and not ‘us’. the ‘us’, in this case, are specifically the ‘asoe lhôk’, or the natives of the area where the higher institution is situated. p9 added, (14) “lôn pernah ‘clash’ jameun, makajih jianggap awak blah déh laôt”. (i used to have personal problems with him. that is why i am regarded as a person coming from across the sea/different island). hence, p9 described that lecturers from ‘blah déh laôt’ were also discriminated against for positions at the university if the elected leader was not from the same origin as the ‘awak blah déh laôt’. discussion this research explored ten acehnese lecturers’ experiences of othering in their workplaces in two public universities in aceh, indonesia. these lecturers taught indonesian and english at their universities, respectively. the findings show that many of the acehnese lecturers in higher education experienced various kinds of othering, such as discrimination and exclusion (bakley, 2016; clingan, 2021; halici & kasimoglu, 2006; husu, 2005), which negatively impact the quality of their professional jobs (canales, 2000). most of the othering happening in higher education found in this study were triggered by different political interests during the pre-election of their leader, different birthplaces, and different groups supporting the leader candidates during the election. those who supported the elected leader were privileged and received important positions within the administration. however, those who were the opposition were marginalized or regarded as others. yusri yusuf, jarjani usman, & yunisrina qismullah yusuf through the metaphorical lens: understanding othering of language lecturers in indonesia higher education 768 there are many conceptual metaphorical expressions in the acehnese language used by the participants to express the concepts of their feelings of being othered in higher education. these expressions embed concepts such as armed people, fences, deep bones, blood, spoon, and mosquitos. expressions related to armed people or the army are due to the long battle with the dutch from 1873 to 1904 (fata, yusuf & sari, 2018) and continued with the conflict between the government of indonesia and the free aceh movement from 1973 to 2005 (ronnie, 2016). therefore, to be in war is linked to any struggle the acehnese face in their lives, including the process of pre-elections such as the case in this study (i.e., ‘kön ureung gulam beudée’). in terms of fences, acehnese houses are typically fenced, either from wood, metal, or bushes, to indicate the border of the property of the house owner (yusuf, 2002). hence, those who do not live in the house, are considered not part of those who do (i.e., ‘ureung di luwa pageu’). meanwhile, deep bones show strong kinship or relationship among the acehnese to those who are blood-related. the acehnese also holds on to the phrase ‘blood is thicker than water’, which means that relationships and loyalties within a family are the strongest and most important ones. family relationships are very strong to the acehnese and instilled in children from birth through traditional lullabies (yusuf, yusuf, wildan, yanti, & anwar, 2022). nevertheless, this situation is seen negatively when it is related to othering (i.e., ‘asoe lhôk’, ‘awak droe’, ‘kon syara ma jih’, ‘ureung di luwa pageu’, ‘kön awak dalam’, ‘kön awak droe jih’). it is interesting how the word aweuk in ‘gop mat aweuk’ is associated with ‘power’. the big spoon, or aweuk, is used to cook soup or gravy in a big pot, known by the acehnese as beulangong. in this study, the people who holds the aweuk in their hands are those with power. this reference can be seen in the culture of the acehnese and how wives are regarded as in the homes. in the acehnese language, wife is ‘poereumoh’. rumoh literally means ‘home, house’, and the prefix poeindicates ownership. therefore, to the acehnese, the wives are house owners (nurdin, 2018). they are the ones in charge of the kitchen, and so, the ones holding the aweuk. in this study, the aweuk is in the hands of the leaders of the universities. as for insects, mosquitoes are commonly found in tropical areas such as indonesia. mosquitoes are constantly bothersome and aggravating, whether it be the unsettling buzzing or the bites. aside from spreading diseases like dengue and malaria (khariri, 2018), mosquitoes are infamous for other reasons, such as swelling and itchiness after their bites. in this study, the mosquitoes are referred to as oppositions to the elected leader of the universities. based on the discussion above, culturally, the basic level of conceptual metaphors are anchored in human experience (lakoff & johnson, 2003), and emerge in society based on cultural motivations (deignan, 2003). by examining the metaphors, one can understand how culture frames the conclusions and actions of society (seiler, 2012), a group of speakers of a language. accordingly, to some extent, the findings of this research corroborate some of the previous research findings. vichiensing (2017) prompted the negative consequences of the othering process that affect undesirable treatments in society. accordingly, in higher education, halici and kasimoglu (2006) mentioned the importance of providing staff members with opportunities in the institution and determining workload. therefore, in this study, by studying the lecturers’ metaphorical lens of othering experiences in the workplace, discrimination can be eradicated in educational discourses (dervin, 2015). this is important so that lecturers can work to their full potential, and they can work in a safe, encouraging environment free from prejudice and stereotyping (ahmadi, 2015). conclusion the findings and discussions conclude that the university lecturers in aceh, indonesia, experienced being othered in their workplace. they are triggered by three factors: different birthplaces (origins), different groups supporting the candidate leaders during pre-election, and personal conflicts in the past. they expressed their feelings of being others in their higher education through the metaphorical lens of the acehnese language, with embedded concepts involving armed people, fences, deep bones, blood, spoon, and mosquitos. the 14 metaphors generated from their expressions can provide better insights and understanding of their feelings of othering, like being discriminated against, marginalized, decreased opportunities, and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 769 excluded from receiving important positions within the university administration affairs. however, the analysis of othering through a metaphorical lens for this study was only done based on the experiences of ten lecturers teaching at two public universities in indonesia, from the language departments (i.e., indonesian and english). meanwhile, the feelings of being othered from administrative staff members were excluded. therefore, it is recommended that further studies involve both administrative staff members and teaching staff members. the different metaphors expressed by male and female higher education staff members or academicians, and those from different departments, disciplines, or fields of expertise, can also be highlighted in future related research. references ahmadi, q. s. (2015). othering in the efl classroom: an action research study. international journal of humanities and cultural studies, 1(4), 439-468. annalakshmi, n., & venkatesan, m. (2018). perceived discrimination among students in higher education. indian journal of health and wellbeing, 9(5), 761-769. bakley, a. l. (2016). waiting to become: a descriptive phenomenology of adjunct faculty experiences at multi-campus community colleges (doctoral dissertation). iowa state university, ames. breault, r. (2006). finding the blue note: a metaphor for the practice of teaching. journal of educational thought, 40, 159-176. canales, m. k. (2000). othering: toward an understanding of difference. advances in nursing science, 22(4), 16-31. clingan, p. (2021). the effects workplace discrimination has on veteran male adjuncts: a literature review of current issues within higher education. sustainable solutions and society, 1(2), 1-4. connelly, f. m., & clandinin, d. j. (2005). narrative inquiry. in j. green, g. camilli, & p. elmore (eds.), handbook of complementary methods in educational research (pp. 477-489). washington dc: american educational research association. craig, c. j. (2018). metaphors of knowing, doing and being: capturing experience in teaching and teacher education. teaching and teacher education, 69, 300-311. deignan, a. (2003). metaphorical expressions and culture: an indirect link. metaphor and symbol, 18(4), 255-271. dervin, f. (2015). discourses of othering. in k. tracy, c. ilie & t. sandel (eds.), the international encyclopedia of language and social interaction. (pp. 447-456). london: palgrave pivot. fata, i. a., yusuf, y. q., & sari, l. n. (2018). figuring the figures of speech in acehnese traditional song lyrics. humanities diliman: a philippine journal of humanities, 15(1), 30-56. gokce, a. t. (2013). university students’ perception of discrimination on campus in turkey. journal of higher education policy and management, 35(1), 72-84. golkowska, k. u. (2014). empathy and othering in joseph conrad’s amy foster. arab world english journal, 2, 60-68. gover, a. r., harper, s. b., & langton, l. (2020). antiasian hate crime during the covid-19 pandemic: exploring the reproduction of inequality. american journal of criminal justice, 45(4), 647-667. halici, a., & kasimoglu, m. (2006). a comparison of level of discrimination directed at academic staff in a turkish and an azerbaijani university. international journal of educational management, 20(1), 7-18. husu, l. (2005). women’s work-related and familyrelated discrimination and support in academia. in m. texler segal, & v. demos (eds.), gender realities: local and global (advances in gender research, vol. 9) (pp. 161-199). bingley: emerald group publishing limited. khariri, k. (2018). short communication: diversity of mosquitoes in central java, indonesia that act as new vector in various tropical diseases. bonorowo wetlands, 8(2), 71-74. kövecses, z. (2002). metaphor: a practical introduction (1st ed.). oxford: oxford university press. kövecses, z. (2017). conceptual metaphor theory. in e. semino, & z. demjén (eds). the routledge handbook of metaphor and language (pp. 13-27). london: routledge. krumer-nevo, m., & sidi, m. (2012). writing against othering. qualitative inquiry, 18(4), 299-309. lakoff, g., & johnson, m. (2003). metaphors we live by. chicago: university of chicago press. linares, s.m. (2016). othering: towards a critical cultural awareness in the language classroom. how journal, 23(1), 129-146. lippi-green, r. (1997). english with an accent: language, ideology, and discrimination in the united states. london: routledge. liu, d. (2021). othering and being othered: experiences and reflections of chinese female ph.d. graduates in cross-cultural job search. chinese education & society, 54(3-4), 120-129. miles, m. b., huberman, a. m., & saldana, j. (2014). qualitative data analysis a methods sourcebook. los angeles: sage. yusri yusuf, jarjani usman, & yunisrina qismullah yusuf through the metaphorical lens: understanding othering of language lecturers in indonesia higher education 770 murtagh, l. (2019). others and othering: the lived experiences of trainee teachers with parental responsibilities. journal of further and higher education, 43(6), 788-800. mushtaq, h. (2010). othering, stereotyping and hybridity in fiction: a postcolonial analysis of conrad’s heart of darkness (1899) and coetzee’s waiting for the barbarians (1980). journal of language and literature, 3, 25-30. nurdin, m. (2018). mut’ah and iddah: post-divorce payment practices in aceh. in j. bowen, & a. salim (eds.), women and property rights in indonesian islamic legal contexts (pp. 107-126). paderborn: brill. phillipson, r. (1992). linguistic imperialism. oxford: oxford university press. ronnie, d. (2016). ripe for rivalry or ready for peace: understanding the reasons for the success and failure of the peace process in aceh (doctoral dissertation). university of helsinki, helsinki. said, e. w. (1993). culture and imperialism. london: chatto & windus. seiler, g. (2013). new metaphors about culture: implications for research in science teacher preparation. journal of research in science teaching, 50(1), 104-121. song, j. (2020). contesting and negotiating othering from within: a saudi arabian female student’s gendered experiences in the us. journal of language, identity & education, 19(3), 149-162. tyson, l. (2015). critical theory today: a user-friendly guide (3rd ed.). london: routledge, taylor & francis group. usman, j., & mawardi, m. (2022). eliciting metaphors from narratives of collaboration experiences with teachers in writing a textbook. studies in english language and education, 9(2), 870-885. usman, j., & yusuf, y. q. (2020). the dehumanizing metaphors in the culture of acehnese in indonesia. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 10(2), 397-405. vichiensing, m. (2017). the othering in kazuo ishiguro’s never let me go. advances in language and literary studies, 8(4),126-135. widyastuti, s. (2016). discourses of ethnic accommodation: issues of othering in indonesia (doctoral dissertation). macquarie university sydney, macquarie park. winslow, l.a., & winslow, k.s. (2014). ezra’s holy seed: marriage and othering in the hebrew bible/old testament. journal of communication & religion, 37(3), 44-62. yusuf, y. q. (2002). ethnography of acehnese society: cultural prohibitions with reference to education (bachelor’s thesis). universitas syiah kuala, banda aceh. yusuf, y., yusuf, y. q., wildan, w., yanti, n., & anwar, h. (2022). analyzing metaphorical greetings in traditional lullabies of the acehnese ratéb dôda idi. international journal of language studies, 16(3), 83-108. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 219 representation of students’ critical thinking in writing: a critical literacy perspective nasori efendi english education department, fkip, universitas wiralodra, indramayu, indonesia email: nasoriefendi@unwir.ac.id aceng rahmat applied linguistics, pascasarjana, universitas negeri jakarta, jakarta timur, indonesia2 email: aceng.rahmat@unj.ac.id ninuk lustyantie applied linguistics, pascasarjana, universitas negeri jakarta, jakarta timur, indonesia3 email: ninuk.lustyantie@unj.ac.id apa citation: efendi, n., rahmat, a., & lustyantie, n. (2023). representation of students’ critical thinking in writing: a critical literacy perspective. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 219-228. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.5896 received: 29-10-2022 accepted: 26-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction the major educational objective and explicit learning outcome in higher education has grown to be well-known, warmly embraced, and universally acknowledged as critical thinking (ct) as an intellectual identity. knowledge should be the foundation for critical thinking skills (rahmat, 2020). in order to become a smart learner, students need to work hard in class, read, and search for information. critical thinking aids in all of these activities. they become more successful and reach their goals as a result (zhang, 2022). as a developed and necessary skill for university graduates and society as a whole, ct is a distinguishing quality of a graduate. the success of 21st century professional employment in the disruptive shifts of the industry 4.0 revolution has been attributed to it (beniche et al., 2021; driscoll, 2018). it has become a vital component of teaching-learning, appropriately represents the results of study experience, and contributes to the success of the generation z workforce. hence, the 4cs—creativity, ct, collaboration, and communication—are essential 21st-century abilities for students to possess (ahmed, 2022; hayse, 2018; nuridayanti et al., 2021; zubaidah, 2018). this is in keeping with sunendar et al.'s (2021) claim that one of the four 21st century abilities that the students must master is ct. ct also incorporates scientific thinking techniques like issue identification and description, information gathering, scenario analysis, solution creation, and evaluation of suggested solutions (warsah et al., 2021). ct in the educational system, plays an important role (aránguiz et al., 2020; gilmanshina et al., 2021; rahman, 2020). students are urged to develop their thinking skills to gain comprehension and effective thinking techniques (saputri et al., 2019; supena et al., 2021; teng et al., 2019). it encourages the development of new information while enabling learners to assess their existing knowledge (sahoo & mohammed, 2018). writing abilities among students are also impacted by critical thinking abilities (ebadi & rahimi, 2018; ismail et al., 2018). even writing exercises can incorporate abstract: the goal of this study is to investigate university students’ representation on their critical thinking in academic writing from a critical literacy perspective, in which text is bias and it possesses ideological perspective of writer in expressing social critics, inequality, and power relations. researchers analyzed 91 argumentative texts writing from indonesian undergraduate english education students, which were qualitatively assessed using facione’s hctsr and laguardia’ s clr rubrics, as well as nvivo 12 plus software and an integrated theme meaning approach to qualitative content analysis. researchers discovered that students’ critical thinking skills varied in demonstrating their logical arguments, systematic thinking in reasoning, analysis and evaluation, decision-making, and problem-solving strategies in their academic writing in higher education. keywords: academic writing; critical literacy; critical thinking skills; higher education. nasori efendi, aceng rahmat, & ninuk lustyantie representation of students’ critical thinking in writing: a critical literacy perspective 220 critical thinking (rahmat, 2020). there have also been initiatives to support students' writingrelated critical thinking abilities (maamuujav et al., 2020; khazrouni, 2019; aliyu, 2020; rohayati et al., 2019). this is due to the fact that writing includes analysis of different word choices and the process of producing new ideas (ghofur et al., 2019). writing also requires critical and creative thinking. in theory, developing critical thinking abilities can help writers improve as authors (rahmat, 2020). critical thinking is essential for writing well reflecting a thinking process and person’s abilities (khaidruddin et al., 2021; kuhn, 2019; rahmat, 2020). in fact, students must exercise critical thinking in order to write well because the products of writing reveal a person's critical thinking (suteja, 2022). additionally, it aids in the development of one's own powerful arguments (intja & nahole, 2021). since it develops skills like observing, analyzing, reasoning, and making decisions (nurjanah & trimulyono, 2022) ct skills enables students to find, analyze, and take action (wahono et al., 2022) even students in higher education (rohayati & kosasih, 2023) are required to employ critical thinking abilities when writing academically (aygün & yavuz, 2020). in academic writing, critical thinking is the process by which students assess or analyze the various ways in which they can present their ideas. it is obvious that developing thinking and reasoning skills is necessary for writing effectively (pramonojati et al., 2019). critical thinking aids in producing well-informed opinions since it is based on knowledge, reasonable analysis, and reflection (ma & li, 2022). to ensure highquality writing, criticality aids in evaluating the arguments and supporting data, constructing a debate, being skeptical, asking questions, spotting trends, searching for bias, spotting organizational problems, and reaching an unbiased conclusion based on the available data (saha, 2022). additionally, it was discovered that the writing of high critical thinkers was superior to that of low critical thinkers in both writing modes (motallebzadeh et al., 2018). this study built on previous research by islamiyah & al fajri (2020), who discovered that master indonesian students still lacked synthesis and evaluation skills. analysis and evaluation are two of six core critical thinking skills identified by facione (2020), where analysis identifies the intended and actual relationships between statements, questions, concepts, and descriptions, and evaluation rates the veracity of assertions and representations. al-mahrooqi (2020) observed in another study that the critical thinking abilities of omani tertiary level students are still insufficient. therefore, students need clear direction, plenty of possibilities, and multidisciplinary discussion to foster critical thinking in higher institutions (forbes, 2018). in other words, the capacity for critical thought is not innate. the ability to critically think well should be cultivated in students (bazhouni, 2018). this study differs from previous research in that it examined and explored how indonesian undergraduate students learn to think critically in writing by using logical arguments, systematic reasoning, analysis and evaluation, decisionmaking, and problem-solving strategies. this shows that critical thinking and writing is a trend capable of realizing a learning that is theoretically and practically interpreted not only as learning from texts, but also from other sources. in particular, thinking with mental models/mindset patterns with accompanying elements, such as: conceptual and procedural thinking mental models, with elements of critical thinking with logical arguments, in expressing ideas and critical thinking in the form of a thesis statement; think with systematic reason; is a representation of the entirety of the experience of learning to write and learning to think critically for students. this study is very significant to be looked into because it will have pedagogical implications for future critical thinking education in indonesia at the tertiary level by making more serious efforts to improve students' writing and critical thinking abilities for undergraduate base education. the new outcomes of this project include the predesign of an android application for critical thinking in writing as well as a text-based critical thinking learning model for undergraduate students to acquire critical thinking in writing. method in this study, the researchers used qualitative content analysis (qca) research method. qualitative research uses scientific methods to understand human experience and behavior. as a method for analyzing data, interpreting its meaning, and articulating the meaning, qca is a systematic and objective approach of describing and quantifying phenomena and qualitative material. to develop the theme, it examines evident, descriptive, and interpretive content (apa, 2020; lindgren et al., 2020). the research questions proposed in this study are: how do undergraduate students express their english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 221 critical thinking in their academic writing? how is the description of students’ critical thinking characteristics represented in their written texts? and how is the achievement level of students’ critical thinking? this study investigates the participants’ ct skills in their writing. the participants are indonesian undergraduate students from the lower semester to the upper semester who took a writing class in english department at a private university in west java. they provide data for this study in the form of papers from ninety-one argumentative writing texts as shown in table 1. the participants’ contributions of 91 texts. table 1. the participants’ contributions of 91 texts second semester third semester fourth semester thirty students’ texts tb (30) blog-texts .html (four male; twenty-six female) thirty-six students’ texts ar+ta (9+27=36) .doc texts (seven-male; twenty-nine-female) twenty-five students’ texts pp (25) .pdf (two-male; twenty-three-female) there are 13 male and 78 female students among the 91 (ninety-one) participants in this study, who are split throughout three-semester classes. the participants are english department undergraduate students in their second, third, and fourth semesters who provide writing documents. the research tools employed in this study were a combination rubric assessment based on facione’s hctsr and laguardia’s clr rubrics, with nvivo12 plus assisting the integrated theme meaning approach of qualitative content analysis. texts were analysed by researchers using a simple, communicative, and coherent analysis technique that ensures that reliability and validity are equal. researchers first read the texts to acquire a general sense of the plot, then review them page by page, looking for representations, beliefs, and the assumptions. in this study, researchers employed nvivo research tools in assessing written texts analysis. figure 1. theme procedure of analysis shows the qca method, which applied schreier’s employing categorization, coding as process analysing qualitative data in meaningful way (elliot, 2018), and theme for unit code analysis descriptions for data interpretations to obtain the results. figure 1. theme procedure of analysis results and discussion logical arguments and opinions logical arguments must begin with premises that lead to a logical conclusion. an argument is a collection of statements composed of three parts: a conclusion, premises, and an inference from the premises to the conclusion. it is distinct from opinion, which is formed based on faith, intuition, or emotion. the data bit snippets below show the student’s critical thinking in writing, which demonstrates the development of logical argument in discussing teacher welfare issue in indonesia as shown in table 2. generic arguments. table 2. generic arguments data bit excerpt developing order thinking level 2 teacher welfare issues are a major concern, with low payment and challenges to improve students' progress in learning making many people reluctant to become teachers. indonesia's government lacks appreciation for teachers. (tsl). generic thesis statement supported by data, evidence, and systematic thinking. analyze information, assumptions, and arguments from multiple perspectives. fair appreciation of social critic, freedom, and reform. as stated in tsl, students struggle to convey logical arguments in writing due to a lack of facts and reasonable proof. the author, on the other hand, does not provide any clear facts or supporting evidence to back up her logical arguments in written language. showing evidence in supporting arguments becomes difficult for students to demonstrate critical thinking in writing. however, from the perspective of critical literacy, the tsl’s arguments apply to explanations for the inequality in teacher welfare guarantee in indonesia. nasori efendi, aceng rahmat, & ninuk lustyantie representation of students’ critical thinking in writing: a critical literacy perspective 222 in order to reflect their critical thinking in written text, students must understand the “inductive and deductive reasoning” implied in critical thinking (wechsler, 2018), as deductive, the process of arriving at a specific conclusion follows or contradicts an argument (tarchi, 2020), that are based on premises and evidence to the conclusion (deductive process). the manner, in which they concluded that what they regarded as representation on her knowledge experience, intuition, belief, and feeling regarding civil servant teacher and part time teacher as her opinion rather than her argument, even though from a critical literacy perspective, social and ct are intertwined through the use of thinking skills (valencia, 2018) as shown in table 3. regular thinking. nonetheless, students struggle to write logical arguments in their argumentative texts, where argumentative writing described as a critical thinking activity (ngajie, 2018), in other words, critical thinking as skills of argument (kuhn, 2019). table 3. regular thinking data bit excerpt low order thinking level 1 “nowadays, the teachers’ welfare is one of the educational problems, which is being solved by indonesian government” [premise-1]. (snw). [no assumption] poor thesis statement based on self-interest and preconception. misunderstanding of grammar, language style, and vocabulary leads to incoherent writing. lack of understanding of social critics, reform, and originality. systematic thinking in reasoning research suggests that students need to improve their ct skills in order to use sophisticated reasoning skills at the he level. critical thinking skills are essential for successful participation in modern society, and help students develop an understanding of the world around them (hatim & munday, 2019). table 4. systematic thinking in reasoning data bit excerpt high order thinking level 3 honorary teachers in indonesia are still in high positions due to their low welfare and higher risk than civil servants due to their guaranteed welfare and different salaries. (kki) strong thesis statement, logical reasoning, reliable sources, effective decision making. as shown in table 4, data bit excerpts kki. in systematic thinking in reasoning, the author attempts to provide reasons for why honorary teachers continue to hold high positions. power relations are important in critical literacy, just as they are in kki’s reasoning. in this case, the social problem of civil servants having more power relationships with the government than honorary teachers. analysis and evaluation evaluating a text involves determining its success, such as how well a conclusion is supported by an argument, or how strong the evidence for a claim is. students can respond to the text by presenting a reasoned case for or against the claims. table 5. analysis and evaluation data bit excerpt developing order thinking level 2 “the national film industry in indonesia is struggling to promote its local film industry, with filmmakers using market tastes as a scapegoat” (eky). [analysis and evaluation: judgment] demonstrate systematic thinking, proper grammar and language style, fair appreciation of social critics, and self-awareness of other perspectives. table 5 shows an excerpt of the data bit eky. evaluation and analysis. the term judgment refers to the author’s judgement in analyzing indonesian national films. in data bit eky, the author attempts to identify the fundamental problems of the national film. undergraduate students still lack evidence to back up and respond to their claims and arguments when it comes to analyzing and evaluating arguments. as a result, students in higher education institutions should be encouraged to learn how to analyze and evaluate arguments. in a critical literacy perspective, this demonstrates the author’s ideological identity as someone who expects the highest quality for a national film. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 223 effective problem-solving strategies evaluation of alternatives is essential for effective problem solving, regardless of size, assumptions, or lack of information. as shown in table 6. problem solving strategies, data bit amd indicates that the student, in this study, demonstrates problemsolving strategy for writing. from a critical literacy perspective, amd’s problem-solving strategy is linked to power relations in which corruption problems are always connected to the power of the government. to develop an effective assessment of student problem solving skills, however, knowledge of the process involved in solving such problems is required (shanta, 2022). table 6. problem solving strategies data bit excerpt developing order thinking level 2 “in the era of democracy, the corruption eradication commission, the police, indonesian corruption watch (icw), and the attorney must work together to eradicate corruption and prevent it.” (amd). demonstrate systematic thinking, proper grammar and language style, fair appreciation of social criticism, and self-awareness of other points of view. negative sentiments nvivo software is the most frequently mentioned software for qualitative data analysis and widely used by researchers all over the world (qsr international, 2022). the use of nvivo in this study is to assist the researchers in discovering and analyzing sentences that contained negative sentiments. nvivo 12 plus software processes 30% of all text document data to determine students’ negative sentiments in the texts. in students’ written texts, those negative sentences express emotional feelings as clark (2021) mentioned the non-rational biases that teachers should devoted attention. sentiment nodes in nvivo indicate that students’ thinking patterns are being disrupted by emotions or feelings, negative thinking, positive thinking, or neutral thinking. nvivo is used in this study to find the negative sentiments node. figure 2. negative sentiments as shown in figure 2. negative sentiments, the results indicate positive sentiment by the dominance of green color, mixed sentiment by the domination of orange color, neutral sentiment by the domination of grey color, and negative sentiment by the dominance of the red color. figure 3. shows that students have fewer negative sentiments than other components (positive, neutral, or mixed) when it comes to expressing their critical thinking in writing. furthermore, when they express their thoughts in the form of sentences of written texts about the topic they discuss, they feel positive thinking in viewing phenomena in the world. based on the nvivo analysis results, this means that the students exhibit positive critical thinking toward the topic under discussion. undergraduate students in this study encountered difficulties communicating their critical thinking in writing, but it does not mean that they failed. most students continue to be weak (though some are strong) in exploring their logical arguments in criticizing, analyzing, and evaluating written information and arguments. these difficulties are not limited to psychological issues and emotions. critical thinkers recognize their emotions and understand how they can influence decisions and take control of when and where they should become part of the process; a critical attitude requires the ability to seek reasons, and willingness to judge impartially, even when impartial judgement is not in one's self-interest. furthermore, many students are still unfamiliar with research knowledge and skills, particularly the ability to analyze and evaluate arguments systematically using analytical and evaluative thinking patterns. in fact, students in the english department also complain about the limitations of their english language skills, particularly in academic writing, where they still struggle to demonstrate critical ideas into written text in english with grammar proficiency. thus, students' critical thinking in writing includes the ability to express critical thinking ideas effectively through nasori efendi, aceng rahmat, & ninuk lustyantie representation of students’ critical thinking in writing: a critical literacy perspective 224 good written language, appropriate question issues related to a problem’s topic, analyze and solve a problem or contemporary topic that requires logical argument, systematic thinking in reasoning, well-founded analysis and evaluation, and effective problem-solving strategies represented in written text. figure 3 depicts descriptive characteristics of ct in writing as proposed in this study. figure 3. descriptive characteristics of critical thinking in writing figure 3 depicts complex components that build critical thinking. critical thinking in writing is supported by logical thinking, systematic thinking, analysis and evaluation, decision making, and problem-solving strategy. figure 4. achievement levels of students’ critical thinking in addition, students’ achievement levels of critical thinking are shown in figure 4 that the analysis using the hctsr rubric produces critical thinking levels: acceptable level acceptable (level 3); unacceptable level unacceptable (level 2); and a very weak level of significantly weak (level 1). meanwhile, strong's level of critical thinking (level 4) was found to be less significant in this study. this shows that there are only a small number of students who are at a higher level of thinking. meanwhile, text analysis using the clr laguardia’s rubric resulted in critical literacy levels: developing intermediate level (level 3); novice entry level (level 2); and early beginning level (level 1). this shows that only a small proportion of students have a high level of critical literacy. meanwhile, in the combined analysis of critical thinking, it indicates that the level of critical thinking is divided into three levels, namely: level 3, high-level critical thinking; level 2, developing critical thinking level; and level 1, low-level critical thinking with a composition of fewer students at low and high levels. the rest are almost mostly at the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 225 developing level. this shows that most students are at a developing level as a representation of the level of achievement of critical thinking in writing. several detailed analysis discussions on critical thinking in writing are centered on undergraduate critical thinking for tertiary degree research writing. in addition, this new concept is completing theory of critical thinking in writing from critical literacy perspective, as representation of critical thinking in writing, as the combination of thinking theory, critical thinking theory, and writing theory. this study examined students’ critical thinking in writing at the undergraduate level of higher education, finding that the text is biased from critical literacy perspective and has close relations to the writer’s ideological perspective in expressing inequality, social critics, and power relations. conclusion we define critical thinking as logical and systematic reasoning about truth and fact from a discernible mind, supported by strong arguments, data, and evidence. as findings demonstrated students’ challenges of various development, critical thinking is necessary to improve students' logical argument, systematic reasoning, analysis and evaluation, decision making, and problemsolving strategies in written texts, particularly in indonesian higher education. this study illustrated students’ critical thinking representations in academic writing. this study’s pedagogical implications suggest that higher education should provide undergraduate students with conceptual knowledge and understanding of critical thinking. furthermore, higher education institutions should facilitate students critical thinking learning experiences and awareness through a variety of methods of teaching learning critical thinking, such as teaching learning writing process from early grades to the upper-level semester students for better abilities in logical argument and systematic thinking in reasoning, how to write thesis statements, premises, claims, reasoning, and drawing conclusion (deduction process) in their written texts. acknowledgement i wish to express my sincere gratitude to rector of universitas wiralodra for providing internal university research grand for lecturers. references ahmed, m. a. (2022). empowering the 21st century materials for basic creative writing instructions. journal of language and linguistic studies, 18(special issue 2), 1306-1334. al-mahrooqi, r. (2020). assessing students' critical thinking skills in the humanities and sciences colleges of a middle eastern university. international journal of instruction, 13(1), 783796, issn 1694-609x, https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13150a aliyu, m. m. (2020). exploring the nature of undergraduates’ peer collaboration in a pbl writing process. international journal of language education, 4(1), 11–23. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v4i2.8406 apa. (2020). publication manual of the american psychological association (seventh ed). the american psychological association (apa). https://doi.org/10.1037/000016s-000 aránguiz, p., palau-salvador, g., belda, a., & peris, j. (2020). critical thinking using project-based learning: the case of the agroecological market at the “universitat politècnica de valència.” sustainability, 12(9), 3553. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093553 aygün, s., & yavuz, f. (2020). the effects of critical thinking instruction through asynchronous learning tools on writing. edulite journal of english education, literature, and culture, 5(2), 176-191. http://dx.doi.org/10.30659/e.5.2.176-191 bazhouni, m. (2018). integrating critical thinking skills in higher education. education and linguistics research, 4(1). p.65. https://10.5296/elr.v4i1.12964 beniche, m., larouz, m., anasse, k. (2021). examining the relationship between critical thinking skills and argumentative writing skills in moroccan preparatory classes of higher engineering schools (cpge). international journal of linguistics, literature and translation, 4(9), 194-201. clark, i.l. (2021). critical thinking, identity, and performance insights from neuropsychological research. pedagogy, 21(2), 225-240. https://doi.org/10.1215/15314200-8811415 driscoll, m. (2019). education in the 21st century. 21st century education, 21st century learners 21st century schools. https://thinkstrategicforschools.com/education21st-century/ ebadi, s., & rahimi, m. (2018). an exploration into the impact of webquest-based classroom on efl learners’ critical thinking and academic writing skills: a mixed-methods study. computer assisted language learning, 31(5– 6), 617–651. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.144975 7 nasori efendi, aceng rahmat, & ninuk lustyantie representation of students’ critical thinking in writing: a critical literacy perspective 226 facione (2020). advancing thinking wordwwide. critical thinking: what it is and why it counts. insight assessment. 2-31. https://www.insightassessment.com/wpcontent/uploads/ia/pdf/whatwhy.pdf. ghofur, a., kisyani., & yulianto, b. (2019). teaching writing and twenty first century skills using guided autonomous learning designs. budapest international research and critics institutejournal (birci-journal), 2(4), 495-505. gilmanshina, s., smirnov, s., ibatova, a., & berechikidze, i. (2021). retracted: the assessment of critical thinking skills of gifted children before and after taking a critical thinking development course. thinking skills and creativity, 39, 100780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100780 hatim, b., & munday, j. (2019). translation: an advanced resource book for students. in translation: an advanced resource book for students. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429266348 hayse, m. (2018). tabletop games and 21st century skill practice in the undergraduate classroom. teaching theology & religion, 21(4), 288–302. https://doi.org/10.1111/teth.12456 islamiyah, m., & al fajri, m. s. (2020). investigating indonesian master’s students’ perception of critical thinking. qualitative report, 25(12), 4402-4422. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol25/iss12/12/ ismail, n. s., harun, j., zakaria, m. a. z. m., & salleh, s. m. (2018). the effect of mobile problem-based learning application dicscience pbl on students’ critical thinking. thinking skills and creativity, 28, 177–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2018.04.002 khaidruddin, z., ismayatim, w. f. a., ismail, o., rahmat, n. h., & zamri, n. a. (2021). exploring critical thinking in writing. international conference on sustainable innovation track humanities education and social sciences (icsihess 2021) (pp. 67-72). atlantis press. khazrouni, m. (2019). assesment for improving esl learners’ writing skills among undergraduate students: a case study of skyline university college. international journal of english language teaching, 7(1), 30–44. kuhn, d. (2019). critical thinking as discourse. human development 62(3), 146–164. lindgren, b. m., lundman, b., & graneheim, u. h. (2020). abstraction and interpretation during the qualitative content analysis process. international journal of nursing studies, 108, 103632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.1036 32 ma, f., & li, y. (2022). critical thinking ability and performance in argumentative essays of the education major students. theory and practice in language studies, 12(1), 143-149. maamuujav, u., krishnan, j., & collins, p. (2020). the utility of infographics in l2 writing classes: a practical strategy to scaffold writing development. tesol journal, 11(2), https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.484 motallebzadeh, k, ahmadi, f., & hosseinnia, m. (2018). relationship between 21st century skills, speaking and writing skills: a structural equation modelling approach. international journal of instruction, 11(3), 265276. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11319a ngajie, b.n. (2018). analyzing critical thinking elements in the argument structure of nonenglish-major chinese undergraduate students' writing. proceedings 2018 7th international conference of educational innovation through technology, eitt 2018, 77-86, https://doi.org/10.1109/eitt.2018.00024 nuridayanti, s., aqila, s., nurhajati, d. (2021). developing the 21st century skills in essay writing course during the covid-19 pandemic. tefla journal, 3(2), 76-82. nurjanah, n., & trimulyono, g. (2022). pengembangan e-lkpd berbasis problem based learning untuk melatihkan keterampilan berpikir kritis pada materi hereditas manusia. berkala ilmiah pendidikan biologi (bioedu), 11(3), 765-774. pramonojati, s., carella, d. n., fitriyah, w. d., sari, i. y. k. (2019). students’ critical thinking in writing background of research. in international conference on english language teaching (iconelt 2019) (pp. 304-308). atlantis press. qsr international. (2022, april 25). qsr international—world-class technology & software solutions for universities and researchers. empower discovery. advancing knowledge. https://www.qsrinternational.com/ rahman, r. f. (2020). using blog as media to enhance students’ critical thinking in efl writing. proceeding bogor english student and teacher (best) conference, 2(2020), 123-128. rahmat, n. h. (2020). thinking about thinking in writing. european journal of literature, language and linguistics studies, 3(4), 20-37. rohayati, d., & kosasih, f. r. (2023). e–writing activity using instant messaging to ignite efl students’ critical thinking in writing english argumentation on a conservation issue. interdisciplinary international journal of conservation and culture, 1(1), 15-26. rohayati, d., & lilies, f. y. (2019). e-writing untuk meningkatkan kemampuan berfikir kritis dalam menulis teks eksposisi mahasiswa bahasa inggris universitas galuh. faktor jurnal ilmiah kependidikan, 6(2), 119–128. saha, m. (2022). from creative to critical writing: effects of structured instructions on learners’ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 227 perceived skills development. journal of teaching and teacher education, 10(1), 1-7. sahoo, s., & mohammed, c. a. (2018). fostering critical thinking and collaborative learning skills among medical students through a research protocol writing activity in the curriculum. korean journal of medical education, 30(2), 109-118. saputri, a. c., sajidan, s., rinanto, y., afandi, a., & prasetyanti, n. m. (2019). improving students’ critical thinking skills in cell-metabolism learning using stimulating higher order thinking skills model. international journal of instruction, 12(1), 327–342. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12122a sunendar, d., hardini, t. i., & karimah, i. s. (2021). self-literacy synectic writing model and challenge on 21st century skills. in proceedings of the fifth international conference on language, literature, culture, and education (icollite 2021) (pp.163-169). atlantis press. supena, i., darmuki, a., & hariyadi, a. (2021). the influence of 4c (constructive, critical, creativity, collaborative) learning model on students’ learning outcomes. international journal of instruction, 14(3), 873–892. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14351a suteja, s., & setiawan, d. (2022). students’ critical thinking and writing skills in project-based learning. international journal of educational qualitative quantitative research, 1(1), 16–22. tarchi, c. (2020). effects of critical thinking on multiple-document comprehension. european journal of psychology of education, 35(2), 289313, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-019-004268 teng, w., ma, c., pahlevansharif, s., & turner, j. j. (2019). graduate readiness for the employment market of the 4th industrial revolution. education + training, 61(5), 590–604. https://doi.org/10.1108/et-07-2018-0154 valencia, g.a.g. (2018). representations on critical thinking development in teachers in training. revista brasileira de educacao, 23. https://doi.org/10.1590/s1413-24782018230086 wahono, r. h. j., supeno, s., & sutomo, m. (2022). pengembangan e-lkpd dengan pendekatan saintifik untuk meningkatkan keterampilan berpikir kritis siswa sekolah dasar dalam pembelajaran ipa. jurnal basicedu, 6(5), 83318340. warsah, i., morganna, r., uyun, m., hamengkubuwono, h. (2021). the impact of collaborative learning on learners’ critical thinking skills. international journal of instruction, 14(2), 443-460. wechsler, s.m. (2018). creative and critical thinking: independent or overlapping components?. thinking skills and creativity, 27, 114-122, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2017.12.003 zhang, y. m. (2022). the research on critical thinking teaching strategies in college english classroom. creative education, 13, 1469-1485. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2022.134090 zubaidah, s. (2018). mengenal 4c: learning and innovation skills untuk menghadapi era revolusi industri 4.0. 2nd science education national conference, 13, 1-18. nasori efendi, aceng rahmat, & ninuk lustyantie representation of students’ critical thinking in writing: a critical literacy perspective 228 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 499 the implementation of low-cost educational videos to improve students’ performance in toeic preparation test atiqah nurul asri information technology department, politeknik negeri malang, malang, indonesia e-mail: atiqah.nurul@polinema.ac.id faiz ushbah mubarok information technology department, politeknik negeri malang, malang, indonesia e-mail: faizum@polinema.ac.id aly imron electrical engineering department, politeknik negeri malang, malang, indonesia e-mail: aly.imron@polinema.ac.id apa citation: asri, a. n., mubarok, f. u., & imron, a. (2022). the implementation of low-cost educational videos to improve students’ performance in toeic preparation test. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 499-508. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6250 received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction since covid-19 strikes in the first quarter of 2020, the education system has been forcibly shifted to online. over 180 countries got the impact of the pandemic, it affects around 88% of total students all over the globe (unesco, 2022) students and teachers are also challenged in the use of technology since all teaching and learning activities should be conducted online. most of them are not prepared to sign up for it. the application of technology in education has rapidly grown. due to the pandemic, face-to-face interaction is reduced, and faculties must find a suitable solution. bozkurt and sharma (2020) stated this condition as an emergency remote teaching, a circumstance when teachers have no other options but to do education using a sudden emergency condition. this circumstance is also considered as an interim solution during the crisis (golden, 2020). in an emergency, teachers are forced to adapt and adjust the method and techniques in teaching the students. lynch (2020) proposed seven main points to take into action during teaching and learning in an education crisis, namely 1) knowing the students, 2) setting expectations for teachers and students, 3) audio conferencing, 4) educational television, 5) joining lessons on digital skills and literacy, 6) web-conferencing, and 7) asynchronous video learning. specifically, on web-conferencing and asynchronous video learning, there are some of the eligible methods that can be applied for online learning in a crisis. emergency online learning has speedily developed since the pandemic all over the world. abstract: this paper was aimed to improve information technology students’ performance in the toeic international test by using low-cost videos. the test was held by the state polytechnic of malang together with the international test center (itc) to compete in this 4.0 industrial era. due to the pandemic condition, the research was conducted online using the learning management system (lms) and the zoom application. the subjects in the study were a class consisting of 28 final year students of the informatics management study program. in this research, we applied class action research (car) in 2 cycles, the first cycle was six meetings and the second cycle was two meetings. this study was said to be successful if at least 70% of the students got a score above 450 points. next, toeic pre-test and post-test scores were analyzed using the t-test. in addition, this study also analyzed students' perceptions of the learning model. from the results of the t-test analysis from the pre-test, post-test 1, and post-test 2, it can be concluded that this learning model could increase toeic scores. based on the results of the questionnaire and observations, it showed that students responded mostly positive feedback and improved students’ performance in toeic scores. keywords: video; low-cost educational video; toeic preparation. atiqah nurul asri, faiz ushbah mubarok, & aly imron the implementation of low-cost educational videos to improve students’ performance in toeic preparation test 500 masters, taylor-guy, fraillon, and chase (2020) reported that the impact of pandemic creates a vulnerable feeling to the children in australia. another case can be found in favale, soro, trevisan, drago, and mellia (2020) who showed that students face too high internet traffic and suffer online learning gaps due to several network problems. meanwhile in indonesia, the ministry of education and culture launched ‘rumah belajar’. it is a program that can help students do independent study and is accessible through mobile and computer devices (abidah, hidaayatullaah, simamora, fehabutar, & mutakinati, 2020). from several studies above, the usage of remote teaching and the application of ict must be interdependent and support each other. ict is one of the major points to consider in online emergency learning. jatileni and jatileni (2018) discussed that ict influences teachers to enhance their teaching and learning process. students are also able to be more engaged and motivated in accomplishing tasks. the implementation of video usage in learning has been applied in various ways in education. riyanto and yunani (2020) found that tutorial video is quite effective as a teaching media to improve students’ speaking skills, especially giving a speech. furthermore, as the solutions to the pandemic, one of which is conducted by prayudha (2021) that revealed that video has been proven to effectively help teachers facilitate their students in learning and provide a better understanding of the materials during online learning. meanwhile, suhayati and haryati (2021) investigate the students' perspectives on the use of screen recording video to facilitate them to learn during the pandemic. the results show that the students have quite positive responses on the use of video recording in online learning. in other words, online videos offer flexibility for students to learn at their pace and at a time that is convenient to them (tukiman khalid, onn, foong, & amran, 2020). it is supported by the results of the study by foong, ismail & tukiman (2021) which showed that the students make the use of recorded teaching videos provided by the lecturer as digital files which enable them to pause, playback, forward, and repeat. from the study, most of the students are found to prefer short videos, less than 15 minutes, and their lecturer’s voice to computer narration in teaching videos. furthermore, metruk (2018) revealed that video using subtitles could improve students’ performance. from the results, it can be concluded that the listening test scores are not significantly different among the three groups. in other words, it shows the use of l1 and l2 subtitles does not affect the students’ listening comprehension skills. on the other hand, watching videos with english subtitles is likely more favorable to improve students’ reading comprehension skills than those with slovak subtitles. in relation to this study, the researchers also find few previous studies related to teaching toeic. first, nguyen & gu (2020) investigated the impact of toeic listening and reading as a university exit test in vietnam. the results of the study show that the older and more experienced the teachers, the less they teach the test, and the more communicative their teaching approach is. furthermore, the more they perceive that the test assess the tested skills, the more they teach to the test and the more traditional they are. toeic, indeed, is quite happening and widely used as standardized english proficiency test in vietnam. despite the previous study described, nguyen, phan, huynh (2020) conducted a study on difficulties in studying toeic listening comprehension of non–english majored freshmen. the results show that students often got confused with similar sound words, speed, and duration of the listening test also makes them tired and unable to concentrate. furthermore, there are studies on toeic conducted at vocational high schools in indonesia. first, it was conducted by zahruni, fahmi, & pratolo (2020) which aimed at the readiness and the problems faced by indonesians vocational students in doing toiec to help them find better methods in teaching it. furthermore, the results show that students were not ready for the test and the listening part of the test was found more difficult than the reading part. another study was conducted by setiawan, sunardi, gunarhadi, & asrowi (2020). this study was aimed at investigating the vocational high school graduates’ perspectives on the use of technology in language learning such as ipad, pda, computer tablet, and smartphone to do the test. the results of the study show that the graduates have positive responses to the use of implemented mobile learning to help them prepare for the test. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 501 based on the previous studies, it inspired the researchers to conduct the study about the video usage for teaching toeic preparation for it department students at state polytechnic of malang. this study is done as fast responses to overcome the problems when the running semester, where offline class conducted, had to be shifted to online class because of the sudden outbreak in the middle of 2020. in addition, the state polytechnic of malang facilitated the final year students to enroll in an international standardized toeic test at the end of their study. to create videos for facilitating the students in learning toeic preparation to solve the problems faced during the outbreak without any decent preparation. thus, the researchers follow the method proposed by moussiades, kazanidis, iliopoulou (2019) on a low-cost educational video. the low cost-educational video as described by simo, fernandez, algaba, salan, enache, albaredasambola, bravo, suñe, garcia-almiñana, amante, & rajadel (2010) is a short demonstration stream video which has a very specific goal, has been created in a very short period with few resources. based on the reasons above, the researchers would like to investigate the application of low-cost video in teaching toeic preparation through emergency online learning. in light of the background, the current research aimed to answer two research questions: (1) how is the implementation on the use of low-cost educational videos in toeic preparation learning in improving the toeic score of final year students of the information technology department? (2) how do students perceive the use of low-cost educational video in preparation for the toeic test? method the procedure of this research is class action research (car) which includes four stages, namely the preparation stage, implementation stage, observation stage, and reflection stage. the following figure shows the car cycle process. figure 1. car cycle process preparation stage in this stage, the author works with a collaborator to select one of the classes from the informatics management study program. the class consists of 28 students. then, the toeic preparation materials were made into a video based on the listening and reading parts. in addition, video-making equipment is also prepared, including lights, a green screen, free software, and a low-budget web camera. the author also prepares criteria for success or criteria of success. research is said to be successful if 70% of students experience an increase in toeic scores and at least the average toeic score is at least more than or equal to 450 implementation stage at the implementation stage, this is carried out before the lecture enters the toeic preparation topic and begins with the process of making and or editing the existing videos themselves following the stages carried out by moussiades et al. (2019). the stages are: (1) determination of general learning objectives. before making a video, the general learning outcomes must first be determined. in this case, the general learning objective for making this video is that students can understand tips and tricks on doing the toeic test. (2) determination of specific learning objectives. (3) at this stage, the expected specific learning outcomes are determined. the specific learning outcomes for each listening and reading section can be seen in table 1 below: table 1. specific learning outcomes parts topic specific learning outcomes (meeting 1) ● intro to toeic and general strategies at the end of learning students are able to: ● know and understand the toeic test and general strategies in doing it. atiqah nurul asri, faiz ushbah mubarok, & aly imron the implementation of low-cost educational videos to improve students’ performance in toeic preparation test 502 listening ● photographs ● questionsresponses (meeting-2) ● know and understand the tips in doing the first part of listening, namely photographs. ● identify the answer that best fits the description of the photo displayed through the audio that is listened to. ● know and understand the tips in doing the first part of listening, namely questions-responses ● identify the correct answer choices for the questions listened to. ● conversations ● talks (meeting 3) at the end of learning students are able to: ● understand the tips in working on the third and fourth parts of listening, namely conversations and talks. ● identify information, both implicit and explicit, as well as answers from conversations and presentations. reading ● incomplete sentence ● text completion (meeting-4&5) at the end of the learning, students are able to: ● understand the tips in doing the first and second parts of reading, namely incomplete sentence and text completion. ● identify and choose the right grammatical form to complete sentences in the incomplete sentence and text completion sections. ● reading comprehension at the end of learning, students are able to: ● understand the tips in working on the third part of reading, namely reading comprehension. ● identify information, both implicit and explicit as well as answers to reading questions. video construction in this part, the production and editing videos were made using camtasia, adobe premiere pro, and web animaker. the researchers were assisted by two students of the informatics engineering d4 study program who have the ability in video editing. their jobs were to make the video more comprehensible and applicable. in the preliminary study, the duration of the videos was too long and not communicative. thus, the video was then edited, and added into several sub videos (a total of 28 videos) which can be accessed at this link https://bit.ly/videopembelajarantoeic2021 along with supporting materials. the content includes power point slides and practice questions before the “face-to-face” meeting on zoom takes place. as an illustration, the following table 2 shows the number of videos that have been created and edited for this research. table 2. detailed description of the created videos topics total vide os details listening intro to toeic and general strategies 2 photographs 2 1 tip and 1 mini test questionsresponses 3 1 tip, 1 exercise, 1 mini test conversations 5 4 tips 1 mini test talks 4 3 tips, 1 mini test reading incomplete sentence 5 7 tips, 2 mini tests text completion 5 10 tips, 3 mini tests reading comprehension 2 6 tips, 2 mini tests total: 28 video evaluation at this stage, an evaluation is carried out whether the video was successfully understood by students by asking questions about the material or discussing the exercise during class (via zoom), or by looking at the results of the exercise. the shortcomings of this video will be noted to be used as material for the next video editing process. reformation the video editing process will be carried out according to the notes during the discussion of the material and the results of the exercise. the results of the re-edited is used as toeic preparation learning media in the following semesters. results the subjects of this study were 28 final year students of the informatics management of d3 study program, information technology department, state polytechnic of malang. this research consists of two cycles. the first cycle consisted of six meetings and the second cycle consisted of two meetings. the data of this study were obtained from toeic scores on pre-test and post-test, questionnaire results, and observations of collaborators and authors. from the research instruments above, the data used in this study were a.) student’ toeic pretest scores, b.) students’ toeic post test scores, c.) questionnaire results, d.) observation results by the researchers. the implementation of using low-cost educational in toeic preparation learning to improve it students’ scores the results of pre-test and posttest in the first cycle english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 503 the study began with giving a pre-and it was given through the author's lms to be done by students according to the lecture schedule. this test consists of 50 listening questions and 50 reading questions. for the listening section, the author plays the audio file directly during a “face-to-face” meeting via zoom and for the reading section, students work independently and are given a time limit (75 minutes). the results of the pre-test can be seen in table 3 below: table 3. pre-test results (cycle 1) no . name liste ning read ing listening score reading score tot al 1 amap 30 31 125 130 255 2 ak 20 29 75 120 195 3 abd 29 25 120 100 220 4 bdr 30 25 125 100 225 5 dcs 27 25 110 100 210 6 drd 18 29 65 120 185 7 dea 27 28 110 115 225 8 faff 23 18 90 65 155 9 fas 25 17 100 60 160 10 fal 21 24 80 95 175 11 gca 27 27 110 110 220 12 ifa 30 32 125 135 260 13 iw 19 19 70 70 140 14 idp 33 28 140 115 255 15 la 34 31 145 130 275 16 lme 22 25 85 100 185 17 mia 14 21 45 80 125 18 mapp 20 24 75 95 170 19 mgz 30 29 125 120 245 20 mmu 23 27 90 110 200 21 ny 36 35 165 160 325 22 nam 28 41 115 190 305 23 omb 38 25 175 100 275 24 ro 28 26 115 105 220 25 ra 17 26 60 105 165 26 sa 30 29 125 120 245 27 uy 24 22 95 85 180 28 ysi 18 26 65 105 170 after the pre-test, students are given links to the toeic preparation learning per week (there are a total of 28), because this course is given every week, along with modules and additional materials provided in lms. then, during face-to-face meetings via zoom, the teacher provided comprehension check questions or to find out whether students have understood the material. in addition, students also did exercises and mini tests at home so that during meetings via zoom, the teacher only needed to discuss the exercises and mini tests. the last meeting in the first cycle ended after post-test 1. for post-test 1, it was a different scenario compared to pre-test 1, there were 100 questions for the listening section and 100 questions for the reading section. the audio file for listening section is played during meetings via zoom and reading were done by students independently. the results of post-test 1 can be seen in table 4 below. table 4. post-test results 1 no name score listening score reading total 1 amap 5 5 10 2 ak 315 340 655 3 abd 290 495 785 4 bdr 345 215 560 5 dcs 295 495 790 6 drd 190 140 330 7 dea 360 320 680 8 faff 380 215 595 9 fas 280 280 560 10 fal 190 325 515 11 gca 200 255 455 12 ifa 310 330 640 13 iw 180 170 350 14 idp 395 340 735 15 la 400 450 850 16 lme 245 200 445 17 mia 210 210 420 18 mapp 380 260 640 19 mgz 395 390 785 20 mmu 175 245 420 21 ny 430 350 780 22 nam 410 425 835 23 omb 405 365 770 24 ro 345 295 640 25 ra 165 405 570 26 sa 320 490 810 27 uy 190 280 470 28 ysi 245 425 670 after the post-test score 1 was obtained, the writer then compared it with the pre-test score. first, the authors enter their respective scores into the student data of the class. the recap of pre-test and post-test 1 scores can be seen in table 5 below: table 5. comparison of pre-test and post-test (cycle 1) no. name pre-test post test 1 amap 255 10 2 ak 195 655 3 abd 220 785 4 bdr 225 560 5 dcs 210 790 6 drd 185 330 7 dea 225 680 8 faff 155 595 9 fas 160 560 10 fal 175 515 11 gca 220 455 12 ifa 260 640 13 iw 140 350 14 idp 255 735 15 la 275 850 16 lme 185 445 atiqah nurul asri, faiz ushbah mubarok, & aly imron the implementation of low-cost educational videos to improve students’ performance in toeic preparation test 504 17 mia 125 420 18 mapp 170 640 19 mgz 245 785 20 mmu 200 420 21 ny 325 780 22 nam 305 835 23 omb 275 770 24 ro 220 640 25 ra 165 570 26 sa 245 810 27 uy 180 470 28 ysi 170 670 after that, the average toeic score in pre-test and post-test 1 was calculated. table 6 provides the presented data. table 6. pre-test and post-test average scores of the first cycle tests n (total students) average standard deviation pre-test 28 226,7857 17,89190 post-test 1 27 620,5556 29,88860 since the total questions in the pretest and posttest were different, it must be calculated using ttest. the results of the analysis can be seen in table 7. table 7. calculation results of t-test 1 using spss t-test group statistics category n mean standard deviation standard error mean score 1 score 2 28 27 226.7857 620.5556 94.67502 155.30574 17.89190 29.88860 independent samples test levene’s test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper score equal variances assumed 12.349 .001 -11.400 53 .000 -393.769 34.54015 -463.048 -324.491 equal variances not assumed -11.304 42.693 .000 -393.769 34.83459 -464.035 -323.504 before knowing whether there is a difference in the average student learning outcomes in pre-test and post-test 1, the following hypothesis is formulated: h0 = there is no significant difference between the average student learning outcomes in the pretest and post-test 1 h1 = there is a significant difference between the average student learning outcomes in the pretest and post-test 1 based on the calculations using spss, the levene test value (sign.) is 0.001 < 0.05, which means that the pre-test and post-test 1 data are inhomogeneous data, or the data variants are different, therefore the decision-making results of the t-test look at the output table equal variances not assumed. the value of sig, (2-tailed) in the table is 0.000 < 0.05, which means rejecting and accepting. so, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference between the average student learning outcomes in the pre-test and post-test 1. students’ perceptions in learning using low-cost for toeic preparation questionnaire results after the first cycle was completed, the next step is to distribute the questionnaire using the google forms. it consists of 13 items: 8 closed statements in students’ perceptions during the implementation of low-cost video in toeic preparation learning and 5 open-ended questions. this questionnaire is intended to answer the second research question, namely "how are students' perceptions of the use of low-cost educational video in preparation for the toeic test?". from the results of the questionnaire, it can be concluded that the perception of the students’ majority responded positively to the use of low-cost video in learning english. however, it is necessary to improve the quality of video graphics and add more material or exercises to make students more prepared. especially in grammar and listening problems, since it requires additional time and understanding of the text. next, an additional point that needs to be considered in future research is the use of short and more interactive video sets. reflection results of the first cycle based on the results of the analysis of pre-test and post-test 1 data, questionnaire, and observations, it english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 505 can be concluded that the research in cycle 1 is successful. it obtains significant results based on the comparative analysis between the average scores of pre-test and post-test 1. in other words, the use of as toeic preparation learning media by a teacher of the job preparation english course succeeded in increasing students' toeic scores from an average of 227 to 670 as shown in table 7 above. it also confirms that there is a significant difference between pre-test and post-test 1. from the results of the questionnaire, it can be concluded that students gave a good response to the use of video in toeic learning, but when asked whether they were ready to face the international toeic exam more than 50% answered not ready. this causes the writer to decide to do the second cycle. according to pardede (2019), an action research study rarely achieves the maximum results achieved in a simple cycle (cycle 1), so cycle 2 is needed. in other words, research using this design requires a minimum of 2 cycles. besides that, it is conducted to minimize the different total questions in the first cycle based on the pretest and post-test. implementation of the second cycle the second cycle consisted of two toeic debriefing meetings held by upt bahasa of state polytechnic of malang to prepare final year students for the international toeic test. this meeting was held one week after the end of the 2020/2021 even semester final exam. so, it can be said that the research was resumed when the toeic debriefing activity was carried out. in these two meetings, for 90 minutes each, the author asked specifically to be scheduled to provide briefing in the class and discuss the material contained in the . the post-test 2 of the second cycle was carried out at the end of the teaching. after that, students were given a post-test link 2, which is basically the same questions as pre-test and post-test 1 and posttest 2. in addition, students also need to be motivated to be confident in facing the international toeic test. the results of pre-test and post test in the first cycle after getting the debriefing, students were asked to do post-test 2 which was the same as the first cycle. similar to post-test 1, post-test 2 consists of 100 listening questions and 100 reading questions. the results of post-test 2 can be seen in table 8 below. after the second post-test score was obtained, the writer then compared it with the first post-test score. next, the authors enter their respective scores into the student data. the recap of post-test 1 and post-test 2 scores can be seen in the following table. table 8. comparison of post-test results 1 and posttest results 2 no name score pre-test score post test 1 score post test 2 1 amap 640 0 985 2 ak 195 655 800 3 abd 220 785 0 4 bdr 225 560 880 5 dcs 210 790 990 6 drd 185 330 985 7 dea 225 680 710 8 faff 155 595 770 9 fas 160 560 665 10 fal 175 515 900 11 gca 220 455 670 12 ifa 260 640 955 13 iw 140 350 940 14 idp 255 735 820 15 la 275 850 990 16 lme 185 445 905 17 mia 125 420 465 18 mapp 170 640 690 19 mgz 245 785 920 20 mmu 200 420 805 21 ny 325 780 825 22 nam 305 835 915 23 omb 275 770 850 24 ro 220 640 0 25 ra 165 570 900 26 sa 245 810 990 27 uy 180 470 985 28 ysi 170 670 865 furthermore, the average of each score is compared and calculated using the spss program. descriptive data analysis of the scores of post-test 1 and post-test 2 for class 3b can be seen in table 9 below: table 9. t-test using spss tests n (total students) average standard deviation post test 1 27 620,5556 155,30574 post test 2 26 852,8846 130,10129 based on the table, it can be concluded that the average post-test score 1 is 620.5556, while the average post-test score of 2 is 852.8846. so, it shows a significant improvement from post-test 1 to post-test 2. table 10. calculation results of t-test 2 (t test) with spss atiqah nurul asri, faiz ushbah mubarok, & aly imron the implementation of low-cost educational videos to improve students’ performance in toeic preparation test 506 group statistics category n mean standard deviation standard error mean score 1 score 2 27 26 620.5556 620.8845 155.30574 130.10129 29.88860 25.52496 independent samples test levene’s test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean differenc e std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper score equal variances assumed 1.75 .191 -5.89 51 .000 -232.32 34.430 -311.489 -153.168 equal variances not assumed -5.91 50.05 .000 -232.32 39.298 -311.259 -153.398 if there is a significant difference between the average student's learning outcomes in post-test 1 and post-test 2, the following hypothesis is formulated: h0 = there is no significant difference between the average student learning outcomes in post-test 1 and post-test 2 h1 = there is a significant difference between the average student learning outcomes in post-test 1 and post-test 2 based on the calculations obtained using spss, the levene test value (sign.) is 0.191 > 0.05, which means that the post-test 1 and post-test 2 data are homogeneous data, or the data variants are the same. the results of the t-test results look at the output of the equal variances assumed table. the value of sig, (2-tailed) in the table is 0.000 < 0.05, which means rejecting and accepting. so, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference between the average student learning outcomes in post-test 1 and post-test 2. results of second cycle reflection based on the results of post-test 1 and post-test 2 data analysis, it can be concluded that there is a difference in the average toeic score in post-test 1 and post-test 2 which has increased from 620 to 825 as shown in table 10. this score is even higher than the average pre-test score. after the t-test was carried out, it further strengthened that the application of learning in toeic learning could increase the scores. there is no improvement in the learning method that has been carried out in the first cycle, the difference is in the duration of the meeting via zoom. the first cycle is 60 minutes, but the second cycle is 90 minutes. discussion improving students’ score in toeic preparation by according to the results, the low-cost videos are proven to be effective in improving students’ score in toeic preparation. the researchers provide 9 in total as an additional study for the students to learn independently. afterwards, the posttest scores 1 & 2 are significantly higher and proven to be effective. it is in line with research by simo et al. (2010) and riyanto and yunani (2020) that can be improving students’ performance. however, in riyanto’s study, it is intended to speaking skill while in this paper focuses in improving students’ score. it shows that the video usages are not only applicable in certain specific skills, but also improving the listening and reading toeic tests. this finding is also supported by the students’ responses in the questionnaire that 66.7% of students agreed with the video quality in audio. meanwhile, the score of students’ perceptions on the video picture only covers 50% effectiveness. on the other hand, the response in teacher’s video explanation reached 72.2% and it helps the students to learn the materials. it is in line with suhayati and haryati (2021), paper on the positive feedback regarding the video results. based on the responses, 63.8% and 63.9% students agree that they have made progress in the listening and reading after watching the video. in contrast with research by metruk (2018), the videos in this paper do not provide any subtitles. they still a understand the tips and trick based on the practice test in the videos. as seen from the questionnaires, students show different perception on the video usage in learning. their suggestions were based on short, clear resolution, and interaction to make them engaged in the independent learning. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 507 students’ problems in learning several answers from the respondents show that they have problems in grammar and listening parts. in listening, the students responded that the conversation is too fast, the instability of the internet connection, and lack of practice on listening questions. it is similar to nguyen, phan, huynh’s study (2020) that the students are hard to catch the meaning and ideas of the test. meanwhile, for the reading part, they tend to have problems in the grammar acquisition. the students seem do not enough time to prepare themselves in learning grammar due to the minimum time of toeic preparation. they only had 6 meetings in learning all the materials. video length and quality the videos used as toeic learning media were separated based on reading and listening subsections. by shortening the duration, can increase student concentration. foong, ismail & tukiman’s paper (2021) inspired the researchers to limit the video and enable them to be flexible and learn at their pace. in addition, animations and cartoons were presented to make the videos more interesting to watch. this is in accordance with brame (2016) who states that there are three things that need to be considered in making learning, namely student's cognitive load, engagement, and active learning. conclusion this objective of this paper was the video usage on the improvement on students’ score in toeic preparation. it can be concluded that having two cycles of car method could improve the students’ performance. the first cycle consisted of six meetings related to toeic learning by asking students to watch a video before the face-to-face interaction via zoom. the result of the first cycle is that there is a significant difference between the average student learning outcomes in the pre-test and post-test 1. in the second cycle, the researchers taught the students again for two meetings at the official toeic debriefing from the campus. the results of the posttest 2 were then compared with post-test 1 using the spss application, and it was concluded that there was a significant difference between the average student learning outcomes in post-test 1 and posttest 2. in conclusion, toeic learning using lowcost video is effective in online learning. for future researchers who would like to do research video usage in toeic learning, the videos should be made in short and divided into several parts. superb video quality is also needed to make the students grasp the materials better. the videos should be straight forward, added animations, and providing the examples as well as include them in a playlist. thus, students can comfortably and enthusiastically watch . furthermore, the listening materials should be drilled more often, so students can follow the speaker's accent and voice. references abidah, a., hidaayatullaah, h. n., simamora, r. m., fehabutar, d., & mutakinati, l. (2020). the impact of covid-19 to indonesian education and its relation to the philosophy of “merdeka belajar.” studies in philosophy of science and education, 1(1), 38–49. https://doi.org/10.46627/sipose.v1i1.9 bozkurt, a., & sharma, r. c. (n.d.). emergency remote teaching in a time of global crisis due to coronavirus pandemic. asian journal of distance education, 15(1), 2020. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3778083 brame, c. j. (2016). effective educational: principles and guidelines for maximizing student learning from video content. cbe—life sciences education, 15(4), es6. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.16-03-0125 favale, t., soro, f., trevisan, m., drago, i., & mellia, m. (2020). campus traffic and e-learning during covid-19 pandemic. computer networks, 176, 107290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comnet.2020.107290 foong, n. s., ismail, a., & tukiman, n. (2021). students’ perception on using teaching video in online learning during covid-19 pandemic. journal of creative practices in language learning and teaching (cplt), 9(1). golden, c. (2020, march 23). remote teaching: the glass half-full. jatileni, m., & jatileni, c. n. (2018). teachers’ perception on the use of ict in teaching and learning: a case of namibian primary education. open access library journal, 8(3). lynch, m. (n.d.). e-learning during a global pandemic. asian journal of distance education, 15(1), 2020. http://www.asianjde.org masters, g. n., taylor-guy, p., fraillon, j., & chase, a. (2020). ministerial briefing paper on evidence of the likely impact on educational outcomes of atiqah nurul asri, faiz ushbah mubarok, & aly imron the implementation of low-cost educational videos to improve students’ performance in toeic preparation test 508 vulnerable children learning at home during covid-19. acer. metruk, r. (2018). the effects of watching authentic english with and without subtitles on listening and reading skills of efl learners. eurasia journal of mathematics, science and technology education, 14(6). https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/90088 moussiades, l., kazanidis, i., & iliopoulou, a. (2019). a framework for the development of educational video: an empirical approach. innovations in education and teaching international, 56(2), 217–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2017.139980 9 nguyen, h., & gu, y. (2020). impact of toeic listening and reading as a university exit test in vietnam. language assessment quarterly, 17(2), 147–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2020.172267 2 nguyen, h. t. n., phan, t. m. u., huynh, t. m. d., & tran, t. k. h. (2020). difficulties in studying toeic listening comprehension of non–english majored freshmen at tay do university, vietnam. european journal of english language teaching, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v6i1.3297 pardede, p. (2019). action research in efl learning and teaching. uki press. prayudha, s. j. (2021). video based learning as a media for teaching english during pandemic covid-19. journal of language intelligence and culture, 3(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.35719/jlic.v3i1.53 riyanto, a., & yunani, e. (2020). the effectiveness of video as a tutorial learning media in muhadhoroh subject. akademika, 9(02), 73–80. https://doi.org/10.34005/akademika.v9i02.1088 setiawan, b., sunardi, gunarhadi, & asrowi. (2020). technology and language learning: vocational high school graduate students’ perspectives on toeic test. humanities & social sciences reviews, 8(3), 695–701. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2020.8374 simo, p., fernandez, v., algaba, i., salan, n., enache, m., albareda-sambola, m., bravo, e. r., suñe, a., garcia-almiñana, d., amante, b., & rajadell, m. (2010). video stream and teaching channels: quantitative analysis of the use of low-cost educational on the web. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 2(2), 2937– 2941. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.444 suhayati, l., & haryati, h. (2021). screen recording video in virtual learning during covid-19 pandemic: students’ perspective. veles voices of english language education society, 5(2), 107–119. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v5i2.3849 tukiman, n., khalid, a. k., onn, m., foong, n. s., & amran, m. a. m. (2020). online learning challenges and students’ preference on mode of learning during covid-19 pandemic. international journal of advanced research in education and society, 2(3), 72-79. http://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ijares72 unesco. (2022). covid-19 impact on education. zahruni, n. a., fahmi, f., & pratolo, b. w. (2020). the challenges of taking toeic test and how to overcome: perception of indonesian vocational students. ethical lingua: journal of language teaching and literature, 7(1), 82–91. https://doi.org/10.30605/25409190.167 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 61 teachers’ emotion in teaching practicum yayu heryatun english education department, state islamic university smh banten email: yayu.heryatun@uinbanten.ac.id tri ilma septiana english education department, state islamic university smh banten email: tri.ilma@uinbanten.ac.id apa citation: heryatun, y. & septiana, t. i. (2020). pre-service teachers’ emotion in teaching practicum. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 61-68. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3779 received: 29-06-2020 accepted: 28-09-2020 published:11-12-2020 introduction teaching practicum program which is provided to pre-service teachers aims to develop teacher competencies and link the pedagogical theories that they have learned with actual teaching practice in school. during this program, preservice teachers may struggle to apply their cognition, personal, social, professional, even their own emotion. emotion has a vital role to play in our understanding and perception of place based on meanings and interactions (pile, 2010; urry, 2005; wood & smiith, 2004). in other words, teaching practicum could be regarded as an emotional exercise which is associated with the expression of emotions in interpersonal relationships. it means pre-service teachers during teaching practicum have emotional experience both positively or negatively, as a result throughout interaction with mentor teachers, students, even with their own friends. thus, pre-service teachers learn what it means being a teacher in a real practice (meyer, 2009). moreover, there is a mutualism symbiotic relationship between emotion and place. emotion reflects our real personality in interacting with other people in the working environment (berrens, 2016, p.76) while people exert a powerful influence on and within place. in school context, emotional understanding and misunderstanding thereby result from what hargreaves (2002, p.508) called as “emotional geographies”. emotional geographies comprise with “the spatial and experiential patterns of closeness and/or distance in human interactions and relationships that help create, configure, and color the feelings and emotions we experience about ourselves, our world, and each other” (hargreaves, 2001). in the concept of emotional geographies, it assists to recognize the support for and threats to the basic emotional bonds and understandings of schooling that arise from forms of distance and closeness in people interactions or relationship (hargreaves, 2001). furthermore, he vividly classified emotional geographies into six distinctive categories, namely, personal, professional, cultural, moral, political, and physical geographies, which will serve as the conceptual framework as well as analytical abstract: this present study involved two novice pre-service teachers who had teaching practicum. it focused on their emotion during two-months teaching practicum. their emotion dealt with personal geography as well as professional geography. the results revealed that pre-service teacher had emotional experience positively and negatively. the emotional experience that pre-service teachers had in personal geographies starting from nervous, anxious, scared, guilty, shame, self-doubt, and being oppressed to being calm, being enthusiasm to teach, having self-confidence, and having good rapport with school citizens. meanwhile, in term of professional geographies, pre-service teachers’ emotions were various, ranging from how to adopt theory to practice, confused how to interpret mentor teachers’ feedback to being disciple, learning how to both design lesson plan and manage classroom, learning to dress well and keeping good relation to students, mentor teacher, supervisors, and school staffs. in addition, this study found the culture influence on pre-service teachers personally and professionally. the indonesia culture to respect senior emerge during teaching practicum such different social status between student and teacher, tendency to underestimate the value of quality and achievement. keywords: pre-service teacher’s emotion; personal geography; professional geography; teaching practicum yayu heryatun & tri ilma septiana pre-service teachers’ emotion in teaching practicum 62 device (see also hargreaves 2000, 2001a, 2001b, 2005) where the first two categories will be employed in this study. a number of studies has been done deals with pre-service teachers’ emotion in variety educational context (vaflander, 2008; barcelos, 2015; marais, 2016; yuan & icy lee, 2016). day and leitch (2014) expressed that emotions play a significant part in teaching learning that can serve as a filter for how pre-service teachers perceive and enact teaching. yongcan liu (2016) alerted that pre-service teachers experienced in her emotions, not only positively but also negatively in terms of different aspect of schooling. in addition, these pre-service teachers should be able to manage her emotion in order to adopt with her new school environment. among above previous studies, study on preservice teachers’ emotion in efl classroom, however, specifically in indonesia academic setting often neglected and less attention among indonesian scholars. these issues are not quite explored and less is known how pre-service teachers adopt their emotions during teaching practicum. indeed, emotion has significant role in teaching practice, specifically for pre-service teachers. therefore, this present study addresses the gap and discusses how pre-service teacher engage their emotion during teaching practicum in efl classroom. pre-service teachers’ personal and professional emotion is two important categories which are unified in one time during teaching practicum. methods this study applied the qualitative case study because case study involved the study of a particular issue that explored through one or more cases within a bounded system (i.e. setting, a context) over time, through detailed, in-depth data collection involving multiple sources of information rich in context (e.g., observations, interviews, documents, and reports). creswell (2016, p.79) clarified that case study research as “the in-depth study of instances of a phenomenon in its natural context and from the perspective of the participants involved in the phenomenon. two pre-service teachers from one of the state islamic universities in indonesia took part in this study, they are goni (pseudonym, female) and jack (pseudonym, male) who had carried out teaching practicum for two months in a senior high school in banten province. goni and jack were just ordinary university students and they previously had no teaching experiences. thus, this teaching practicum program became their first teaching experience in the real setting, efl classroom. the data from teacher reflective journals (glossed by rj) and open interviews (glossed by i) were employed to explore and describe preservice teacher’s emotion positively and negatively in teaching practicum by referring to the two hargreaves’ emotional geographies framework; personal geographies and professional geographies. the data from reflective journals were collected in a portfolio and it told about the entire of their feelings after accomplishing teaching practicum in every session. as soon as writers received the reflective journals, we began to identify, classify, and code with hargreaves’ emotional geographies framework. in addition, based on the reflective journals data, we developed interviews scripts. the interviews with these two pre-service teachers were conducted separately by utilizing their mother tongue (indonesia language) in order to make them feel more comfortable and able to express their feelings freely. the data from interviews were firstly transcribed verbatim and labeled with one of hargreaves’ emotional geographies categories and finally paired up with those derives from the reflective journals to be triangulated and/or to be cross checked its validity and credibility. these processes were committed repeatedly until we found pre-service student’s emotions positively and negatively in teaching practicum that fitted two categories of hargreaves’ emotional geographies. results and discussion results during conducting teaching practicum, preservice teachers did not only acquire additional pedagogic knowledge but also emotional experiences. the following data demonstrate how pre-service teachers’ emotion came up related to the relationship with mentor teachers, supervisor, students, fellows, and other school citizens at the school. professional geography teaching is art works, it needs persistency, sincerity, and seriousness. at the beginning, two pre-service teachers admitted that they were inexperienced and so nervous to encounter teaching practicum. in reflective journal, goni shared her feelings about the first teaching experience: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 63 “to be honest, i have no thought about teaching because this is actually my new experience. i feel very nervous because i am scared my students do not understand what i’ve thought and they have more knowledge than me. however, my mentor teacher always reminds me to be calm and enjoy my teaching time. after teaching i got many corrections from her and it helps me to improve my teaching performances and administrative skills.” (rj_g1) the same case also happened to jack, although he also felt anxious on his first teaching experience, but in the interview, he told that he got praise from his mentor teacher. “similar to my fellows, i also feel anxious, but luckily, i can handle my mixed feelings by directly opening communication with students and stimulate them to be more active and engage in learning process. in the end of teaching practicum session, my mentor teacher was surprised with my performance and she also gave me many inputs regarding to designing lesson planning.” (i_j1) in teaching practicum, a supervisor also has prominent role. although s/he did not always monitor pre-service teachers’ performances at the classroom but her/his contribution could be seen when preparing mental readiness and equipping teacher professionalism competencies of preservice teachers. in the interview, goni and jack concurrently exposed their feelings on supervisor’s role during teaching practicum. goni said that: “before teaching practicum, he taught me many things such as teacher code of ethics, the implementation of scientific approach which refers to 2013 curriculum (current curriculum in indonesia), process of designing a lesson planning, and how to arrange preliminary research for my proposal paper. besides, in every teaching practicum session, he also reminds me to write teacher reflective journal that contains on my various feelings and experiences.” (i_g1) meanwhile, jack did not deny the substantial contributions of supervisor in preconditioning his mental readiness before teaching practicum. “on pre-departure, i had opportunity to talk privately with him. i said i did not have any experience in teaching, i was afraid i could not handle the classroom and deliver material that easily understood by students. he invited me to discuss on how to build a good rapport with students and school citizens. he boosted morale and burned my spirit. in the end of meeting, he smiled at me and whispered in my ears: “chase your moment and enjoy your time” while hugging me.” (i_j2) moreover, some experts (rosenholtz, 1989; mclaughlin & talbert, 1993; fullan & hargreaves, 1996; wiley, 2001) believed that teaching with fellows is considered to be better than teaching alone. hargreaves (2001, p.503) assumed that cooperation and collaboration among teachers give them access to the new ideas, creativity energy, and moral support that help them to be more effective with their students. in addition, in his study, hargreaves (2001) found that when teachers work together, they value appreciation and acknowledgment as well as personal support and acceptance, but tend to avoid disagreement and conflict, whether they regard themselves as close friends or as more distant colleagues. moreover, he also reiterated the importance of close personal bonds in teaching should not be neglected. they could and did sustain teachers in the face of professional stress, crisis, and difficulty. in the context of team teaching, they can also stimulate and energize professional engagement. nor should close bonds and friendships necessarily inhibit the creativity and disturbance of professional conflict and disagreement (hargreaves, 2001). in line with hargreaves’s perspectives, goni extended personal experiences with her fellows on how friendship support her teacher professionalism. “i learned a lot from my fellows. although we came from different majors but we often organizing teaching sharing before entering class at the dormitory. indeed, this was a good chance for me who basically very common in the education world to broaden my horizons and enhance teacher professionalism competencies. we discuss many things such as how to behave and dress well, how to implement certain teaching method, how to develop instructional media, how to build good rapport, how to design lesson planning, and so forth. in conclusion, i fond of this relationship because we did many positive things relates to teacher professionalism improvement.” (rj_g2) other issues that became concern on this study was how pre-service teachers interact with school citizens. according to zembylas (2007, p.355), teaching in a new workplace implies that they need to epistemological beliefs in order to understand the new moral legitimacy of practice. during this process, various emotions such as guilt, shame, and self-doubt could emerge, which require constant work and management. jack in his reflective journal told his adaptation process yayu heryatun & tri ilma septiana pre-service teachers’ emotion in teaching practicum 64 and sacrifice efforts in order to be accepted by board of teachers and staffs at school: “at the beginning of our arrival, i, along with my fellows experienced difficult periods, we were treated like stepchildren because we were placed in a library not teacher’s room. i felt isolated, awkward when saw other teachers as well as reluctant to see my mentor teacher. and it became worse when one of senior teachers told me that there was unwritten custom at school for pre-service teachers to serve meals and beverages in the teacher’s room. i realized that this was a kind of hazing. in addition, we also have to come earlier and go home later than others. i and my fellows tried to think clearly and react calmly to face these problems. after discussing with my fellows and obtaining advices from supervisor, we strive to get closer to school citizens and endeavor to be more engaged in all school programs. after a few days, we began to be welcomed warmly and enjoyed school circumstances.” (rj_j1) the quotation above indicates school circumstances influence pre-service teachers’ emotions and construct perspectives on their future fieldwork. school as a work place has potential to evoke a range of emotional responses (simm & marvell, 2015); understanding that places can generate emotional reactions is important in developing a sense of place and (in turn) an emotional attachment to place (smith, davidson, cameron & bondi, 2009). personal geography before the implementation of teaching practicum, both goni and jack had taken some pedagogic subjects that equip their teacher professionalism competencies. this implies that theoretically they have already sufficient knowledge for doing teaching practice in real place. however, personally, they are inexperience teachers. they also needed time to build self-confidence and good rapport with school citizens, capability to handle classroom, composure to manage various emotions as well as ability to design lesson planning. the following lines express the mixed feelings of pre-service teachers’ emotions that arises deal with how their relationship with people who involved in teaching practicum. inevitably, a mentor teacher becomes the most influential person. she has a strategic role in constructing teacher profile of pre-service teachers as well as describing their future workplace. generally, both two pre-service teachers have good relationship with their respective mentor teachers. in the interview, goni said that: “i had good relationship with my mentor teacher. even though she looked like serious person but our relationship went naturally not because there was an objective in order to get good grades. in every session of teaching practicum, i always obtained many corrections. i was happy with all corrections from her and without thinking twice i followed her instructions. i believed in her advices can improve my teaching performance. weeks later, she gave me more freedom to explore my potencies and it really increased my selfconfidence and competencies. now i am ready to be an english teacher.” (i_g2) in the same way, jack also had similar experiences. in the reflective journal, he wrote his opinion on his mentor teacher. “overall, even though i rarely talked to my mentor teacher but i was grateful for her feedback and sincerity in guiding me. i felt appreciated and helped by her when undergoing teaching practicum. she looked like a rigid person, talk a little but work a lot. she was one of senior teachers at school and everybody respected her so much. she was a model of professional teacher who had broad knowledge and extensive experiences.” (rj_j2) out of six pre-service teachers, goni and jack are considered as two prominent pre-service teachers who have attractive personalities. they are easy going, cheerful, helpful, and humble. they are able to interact well, not only with teachers or staffs but also students. after undergoing teaching practicum for two weeks, some students became more familiar with goni and they were keen to spend some time with her after class. some students wanted to consult their problems in learning but they were reluctant to discuss it in the casual way. in reflective journal, goni shared her rapport with students: “i have quite good relationship with almost all students. in the morning, i usually greet my students or have a small talk before entering class. after class, some students often come to my room, we discuss many things especially those related to the improvement of english skills. i give them some advices and we practice english little by little. in the weekend, sometimes i received invitation from my students to have a small potluck party. we enjoyed our holiday while practicing speaking english. hopefully, from this forum, they are excited to learn english.” (rj_g3) on the other hand, in the first two meetings jack have experienced difficulties in handling english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 65 students. some pupils were disobedient and difficult to be controlled. jack reveals that: “in the early weeks, i had difficulties to manage classroom. some students lack motivation and interest in learning religious subject. they were rebellious and noisy; that made me frustrated. however, i tried to find out the main factors why they dislike learning religious subject. after interviewing some students randomly, many students told me they didn’t like religious subject because the teacher always asked them to memorize qur’anic verses and taught them in old fashioned way.” (i_j3) to overcome to those problems, jack attempted to apply attractive teaching method and used different approach that suits to the students’ characteristics to attract and build students’ motivation in learning, jack often gave students project-based learning so they can work cooperatively. besides, jack also often invites students to study in library or open environment. discussions this study presents how pre-service teachers engage their emotional experiences either positively or negatively in teaching practicum. data from interviews and reflective journals were analyzed comprehensively based on hargreaves’ (2001) emotional geography framework which focuses on two categories namely professional and personal geography. the previous stories of goni and jack, it illustrated that they have experienced various emotional conflicts that indirectly have a valuable contribution to building their profiles as a teacher and practicing their ability to adapt with fieldwork. in school setting, the emotional geographies consist of the spatial and experiential patterns of closeness and/or distance in human interactions and relationship that help create, configure, and color the feelings and emotions we experience about ourselves, our world, and each other (hargreaves, 2001). in terms of relationship with mentor teachers, two pre-service teachers told that they academically had good relationship with their respective mentor teachers and acknowledged if mentor teachers had big contributions to their teacher professional development. it reflected on some feedbacks or inputs that they had gained before and after teaching practices. moreover, these two pre-service teachers become more motivated to apply any new innovation at efl classroom as they have positive emotion, especially when they consult with their mentor teachers. however, this could also threaten their creativities because they are too dependent upon mentor teachers’ instructions. in result, they definitely will be reluctant to have different ideas with mentor teachers. this could hamper the way they improve their teaching. because in indonesia, culture which still adheres to patronclient relationship, it is very taboo to refute the opinions of experienced and older people. meanwhile, regarding the relationship between pre-service teachers and students. goni and jack had extremely good relationship where they often had incidental potluck party with students after class or did pleasure activities on weekend together. this case was very different from what happened to wen (see liu, 2016:9) who taught at language center of an english university. when some chinese immigrant students became more familiar and considered her as big sister. she was forced to decline students’ genuine invitation because she had kept a professional distance from them. what happened to wen was very different from the culture and custom that prevails in indonesia where a teacher commonly has a tight personal relationship with students. teachers protect students like their children and students respect teachers like their own parents. this type relationship is very important as it could help pre-service teachers to always keep their positive emotions and reduce negative ones. besides, this study also captures the relationship between pre-service teachers and school citizens i.e. board of teachers except mentor teacher and staff. in principle, teaching practicum program is a valuable momentum for pre-service teachers to develop their teacher competencies, gain wide experiences as well as to manage their emotions. as adult learners, of course they have got in touch with various people with different characteristics and social status. on one hand, they had close relationship with one of female teacher, ratu (pseudonym). she often came to library just to chat or make sure the condition of pre-service teachers was fine. goni revealed that she personally felt comfortable with ratu’s presence and still keeping in touch with her. in other words, pre-service teachers’ positive emotion also achieved when there is the supportive work environment like support and encouragement from other teachers of school. the motivation from them become energy for pre-service teachers to work hard, give the best for school and feel valued. in contrast, most of pre-service teachers also experienced culture yayu heryatun & tri ilma septiana pre-service teachers’ emotion in teaching practicum 66 shock at work place. it is reasonable that preservice teachers may experience some reality shock due to the change of learning environment from university to practicum school (veenman, 1984, p.14). in this case, the culture shock at workplace was caused by seniority factor and social status. in reality, pre-service teachers like or dislike must to follow all prevailing custom at school. the bullying acts are seen obviously when one of senior teacher asked them to serve snacks and beverages in the teacher’s room and handle the classroom when he was absent. it is one of examples that makes pre-service teachers’ negative emotion come up. it means pre-service teachers’ expectation on teaching are not full filled at the place where they are teaching. indeed, some of pre-service teachers thought that by following all instructions they will get good grade. this indicates that there is still a misconception in pre-service teacher’s mind if the main objective of teaching practicum is only for obtaining satisfied score. in other words, they seek for academic degrees not the expertise they entail. in turn, teaching practicum is essentially to facilitate a pre-service teacher to attain teacher competencies as well as gain real teaching experiences (anonymous, 2019). conclusion in brief, the findings above infer that pre-service teachers’ emotions fundamentally interrelated with some factors such as identity (van veen and ilasky, 2005), place (smith 1993, bartos, 2013, berrens, 2016), age (hargreaves, 2000; 2005) teaching and learning strategies (marvell and simm, 2018), as well as colleague (hargreaves, 2001). empirically, this study more or less has similarity points with the previous studies. nevertheless, in this study there are distinguishing factors namely indonesian cultural and habits that influence pre-service teachers’ emotions that arise positively and negatively in teaching practicum implementation. in sum, preservice teachers’ positive emotions arise when their expectation on how they perceived teaching activities are achieved at school. on the other hand, negative emotions are experienced when school does not full fill their expectation. references bartos, a. e. (2013). children sensing place. emotion, space and society, 9, 89–98. berrens, k. (2016). an emotional cartography of resonance. emotion, space and society, 20, 75–81. creswell, j. w. (2016). research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. (5th ed.). thousand oaks, ca: sage. day, c., & leitch, r. (2001). teacher and teacher educators’ lives: the role of emotion. teaching and teacher education. denzin, n. (1984). on understanding emotion. san fransisco: jossey-bass. fullan, m., & hargreaves, a. (1996). what’s worth fighting in your school? toronto: elementary teacher federation of ontario and new york, teachers’ college press. hargreaves, a. (2000). mixed emotions: teachers’ perceptions of their interactions with students. teaching and teacher education. 16(8), 811826. hargreaves, a. (2001a). the emotional geographies of teachers’ relations with colleagues. international journal of educational research. 35, 503-527. hargreaves, a. (2001b). emotional geographies of teaching. teachers college record. 103(6), 1056-1080. hargreaves, a. (2005). educational change takes ages: life, career and generalization factors in teachers’ emotional responses to educational changes. teaching and teacher education. 21, 967-983. grudnoff, l. (2011). rethinking the practicum: limitations and possibilities. asia-pacific journal of teacher education, 39, 223-234. liu, yongcan. (2016). the emotional geographies of language teaching. teacher development. doi: 10.1080/13664530.2016.1161660 marvell, a., & simm, d. (2016). unravelling the geographical palimpsest through fieldwork: discovering a sense of place. geography, 29(1), 83-94. marvell, a., & simm, d. (2018). emotional geographies experienced during international fieldwork: an evaluation of teaching and learning strategies for reflective assessment. journal of geography in higher education. 111 meyer, d. (2009). entering the emotional practices of teaching. in. p.a. schutz & m. zembylas (eds.), advances in teacher emotion research. dordrecht: springer. nussbaum, m.c. (2001). upheavals of thought: the intelligence of emotions. cambridge: cambridge university press. o’connor, k. (2008). you choose to care’: teachers, emotions and professional identity. teaching and teacher education, 24, 117–126. pedoman praktik pengalaman lapangan kependidikan. (2019). serang: fakultas tarbiyah dan keguruan uin sultan maulana hasanuddin banten. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 67 pile, s. (2010). emotions and affect in recent human geography. transactions of the institute of british geographers, 35(1), 5-20. rosenholtz, s. (1989). teachers’ workplace. new york: longman press. salzberger-wittenberg, i., henry, g., & osborne, e. (1983). the emotional experience of learning and teaching. london: routledge & kegan paul. simm, d., & marvell, a. (2015). gaining a “sense of place”: students’ affective experiences of place leading to transformative learning on international fieldwork. journal of geography in higher education, 39(4), 595–616. smith, p. (1993). a place is a piece of the environment that has been claimed by feelings. journal of geography in higher education, 17(2), 209–211. smith, m., davidson, j., cameron, l., & bondi, l. (2009). emotion, place and culture. farnham: ashgate. timoštšuk, i., &ugaste. (2010). student teachers’ professional identity. teaching and teacher education, 26, 1563-1570. urry, j. (2005). the place of emotions within the place. in j. davidson, l. bondi, & m. smith (eds.), emotional geographies (pp. 77-83). aldershot: ashgate. van veen, k., and s. lasky. 2005. emotions as a lens to explore teacher identity and change: different theoretical approaches. teaching and teacher education, 21, 895–898. veenman, s. (1984). perceived problems of beginning teachers. review of educational research. 54, 143-178. wiley, s. (2001). contextual effect on student achievement: school leadership and professional community. journal of education change, 2(1), 1-33. wood, n., & smith, s.j. (2004). instrumental routes to emotional geographies. social & cultural geography. 5(4), 533-548. yuan, rui and icy lee. (2016). i need to be strong and competent: a narrative inquiry of a studentteacher’s emotions and identities in teaching practicum. teachers and teaching: theory and practice. zembylas, m. (2003). emotions and teacher identity: a post structural perspective. teachers and teaching, 9, 213–238. zembylas, m. (2004). the emotional characteristics of teaching: an ethnographic study of one teacher. teaching and teacher education, 20, 185–201. zembylas, m. (2005). teaching with emotions: a postmodern enactment. greenwich: information age. zembylas, m. (2007). emotional ecology: the interaction of emotional knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge in teaching. teaching and teacher education, 23, 355-367. yayu heryatun & tri ilma septiana pre-service teachers’ emotion in teaching practicum 68 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 439 utilizing clustering technique to enhance students’ english writing performance erina ayu lestari english language education department, universitas teknologi yogyakarta, indonesia email: erinaayulestari14@gmail.com budiarti english language education department, universitas teknologi yogyakarta, indonesia email: budiarti@staff.uty.ac.id juhansar (corresponding author) informatics department, universitas teknologi yogyakarta, indonesia email: juhansar@uty.ac.id apa citation: lestari, e. a., budiarti., & juhansar. (2022). utilizing clustering technique to enhance students’ english writing performance. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 439-452. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6245 received: 01-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction writing is one of the four language skills which difficult to learn for second and foreign language learners (manegre, 2021). the difficulties are not only in generating and organizing ideas but also in translating ideas into readable texts. writing is the most challenging skill to learn for students who regard english as a second language or the foreign language. it has brainstorming, planning, drafting, revision, editing, to proofreading process (fadhly, emzir, & lustyantie, 2018). writing is a form to produce language, the same as when you speak, but the writing needs more time to think about the subject and revise your work to achieve good sentences and paragraphs (hassanzadeh & fotoohnejad, 2021). writing takes more time to produce the language before it becomes good writing by determining the subject and revising it. writing is a process of expressing thoughts and ideas in a paragraph in which every sentence relates one to another (nemati, alavi, & mohebbi, 2019). writing in this research means putting words into sentences that relate to one another to build paragraphs in a descriptive text. descriptive text is one of the functional texts that students should master. descriptive text is a part of factual genres that functions to describe a particular person, place, or thing (potradinata, 2018). it means a factual genre of text that says what a person, a thing, or place is like to be described. besides, descriptive text is a text that helps the readers to imagine what they have read or abstract: this present study aims at exploring the utilization of the clustering technique to enrich students’ performance in writing a descriptive text in english, discovering students’ participation in learning-teaching descriptive text writing using the clustering technique, and finding out the improvement of students’ english writing performance using the clustering technique. this research implies a mixed-method action research design where researchers act as teachers. the respondents consisted of 30 vocational high school students. this research uses qualitative and quantitative data. the qualitative data were obtained by observing the learning-teaching process of writing descriptive text using the clustering technique and interviewing students. quantitative data were acquired through the pre-test, post-test i, and post-test ii. the results show that implementing the clustering technique in the learning-teaching process enriches students’ performance and attracts students’ participation, attention, activeness, motivation, and seriousness in learning english writing. pre-test and post-tests prove that the clustering technique enhances students’ english writing performance. the technique helps students to express ideas in english text writing. students gain 67.49 in the pre-test, up to 75 in the post-test i, and up to 79.87 in the post-test ii. the mean improvement percentage shows about 16.6% enhancement from the pre-test, 36.6% from the post-test i, and 86.6% from the post-test ii. keywords: clustering technique; learning-teaching; english writing; students’ performance. erina ayu lestari, budiarti, & juhansar utilizing clustering technique to enhance students’ english writing performance 440 helps the reader to visualize something of what they have read about something that has been described (sari, pulungan, & husein, 2020). the text gives the reader information about the physical appearance and the nature of the object described. it means the descriptive text is the text that gives the readers visualize to imagine what they read about the information of the physical appearance and the nature of the object described (hasanah & aziz, 2021). the definitions mentioned earlier show that descriptive text is a part of factual genres that helps the readers visualize something about the physical appearance and the nature of the object described. the social function describes a particular person, place, or thing. teachers have to use the appropriate technique to engage students’ involvement in the english writing learning-teaching process. the appropriate technique is used to accomplish the objectives with a consistent method and a harmony with an approach that the teacher uses, which takes place in a classroom. the technique is manifested by specific activity consistently, which is in harmony with an approach in the classroom (khoiriyah, waris, & juhansar, 2019). the technique is one specific activity that is very important in the learning-teaching process in the classroom in which the method is implemented or manifested consistently and in harmony with the approach to achieve the goal (anggraini, 2020). teaching descriptive text english writing needs effective techniques such as clustering to overcome students’ problems. the clustering technique is like diagramming or mapping ideas to visually generate material for a paragraph by making the lines, boxes, arrows, and circles to show the relationships among the ideas. the clustering technique is one strategy for expressing the relationship among facts and ideas that require preliminary preparation time to divide the topic broadly (herniyastuti & rahmi, 2020). in other words, the clustering technique is a preliminary preparation in writing and strategy to cluster the topic broadly through expressing the relationship of ideas and the facts that relate to one another using lines, boxes, arrows, and circles to generate the sentences into a good paragraph. so far, several studies related to clustering techniques and english writing have been conducted by scholars. first, some studies concerned the use of classroom action research (arifuddin, 2019; herniyastuti & rahmi, 2020) in exploring the clustering technique improves the students’ writing ability in descriptive text. these studies show that students understand more to make descriptive sentences and make the descriptive sentences into a descriptive text. the activity makes the student interested in describing the pictures or objects, and students are more active and more enthusiastic in the writing learning process. these studies conclude that the clustering technique can positively improve the students’ writing ability (megawati, 2019; sari & wahyuni, 2018; suryani & apriliani, 2021; widiyanti, fiki, susilawati, endang, rosnija, 2018). second, some other studies focus on the effect of the clustering technique to increase students’ ability in english writing. these studies were quasi-experiment (dewi & ayunisa, 2020; hanafiawi, muharam, & parmawati, 2020; sumartini, puspita, & zahrida, 2018). sumartini et al. (2018) showed that the clustering technique affects students’ writing ability. it shows that the tcount was 2.07 and the t-table was 2.01. the tcount of the organization was 2.56, the t-count of content was 3.62, and the t-count of coherent was 3.47. since the t-count was higher than the t-table, h1 was accepted. those aforementioned studies have similarities with this research in terms of research variables, dependent and independent variables, and significant differences with this current research, including research setting, respondents, data collecting and analysis techniques, and research design. the design of this research is different from other studies; classroom action research, quantitative research, and experimental research, whereas this present study uses the mixed methods action research design proposed by (ivankova & wingo, 2018) to see the implementation of the clustering technique to increase students’ performance in writing descriptive text; to discover students’ participation in learning-teaching descriptive text using clustering technique; to find out the improvement of students’ performance in writing descriptive text using the clustering technique. this current research is expected to enrich learners’ english writing performance by utilizing the clustering technique and offer novelty related to the implementation of the clustering technique in the learning-teaching process by discovering students’ participation and their performance scores improvement. the utilization of the clustering english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 441 technique in the learning-teaching process is required through an action research approach to explore holistically how students or learners are experiencing the technique implementation. therefore, this present study is also expected to bring constructive contribution both theoretically and practically to students, teachers, and further researchers. theoretically, this research provides information on utilizing the clustering technique in the english writing learning-teaching process, so teachers-students and further researchers have preliminary preparation and understanding before implementing and researching the technique. practically, this research could help students improve their english writing performance through clustering technique utilization. students-teachers could cluster words into boxes, arrows, and circles using lines to connect, build, organize, and generate ideas into good english sentences, paragraphs, or text. method this research relies on mixed methods action research (mmar) design proposed by ivankova & wingo (2018). it was used to give information on the changing of the classroom practices and the learning-teaching quality by diagnosing and solving the problems in the learning-teaching activity through need analysis in the pre-implementation techniques, planning and (re)planning, acting, observing, reflection, and creativity and innovation. the technique implementation was conducted in two cycles where every cycle has three meetings. this research design was used to seek the implementation of the clustering technique in the learning-teaching process and the results of the learning-teaching process itself, including students’ participation in the english writing learningteaching process using the clustering technique. the participants of this present study were 30 students of grade x fashion department students of vocational high school muhammadiyah berbah located in sleman regency, daerah istimewa yogyakarta (diy), indonesia. this school was appointed as the research setting since students have problems writing descriptive text in english. students find it difficult to express and explore ideas and experiences in written form using english. therefore, it is necessary to conduct research at this school using mixed methods action research (mmar) to solve the problems and to help students explore and express ideas and experiences through english writing using the clustering technique. this research has two kinds of data, qualitative and quantitative data. qualitative data are collected in words, pictures, and documentation (aspers & corte, 2019). quantitative data refer to numerical information that includes standardized test scores to measure educational outcomes (arias, arias, & rodríguez-medina, 2021). to collect qualitative data, the researchers use observation and interviews. meanwhile, english writing tests, pretest, and post-test, are used to collect quantitative data. qualitative data intend to discover the implementation of the clustering technique and students’ participation in the learning-teaching process using the clustering technique. quantitative data aim to determine students’ performance and improvement in writing descriptive text using the clustering technique. in analyzing the qualitative data, the researchers describe the observation and interview data findings by reviewing and exploring the data collected using the observation checklist and interview transcripts during the learning-teaching process using the clustering technique. in reviewing observation and interview data, the researchers describe the result of data into a descriptive explanation. furthermore, the researchers calculate quantitative data to see students’ performance and improvement in writing descriptive text in english using the clustering technique. the researchers analyze the results of quantitative data (pre-test, post-test i, and post-test ii) using holistic scoring rubrics. results and discussion pre-implementation before implementing the clustering technique using the mixed methods action research design in the learning-teaching process of english writing, the researchers conducted some stages. in the first stage, the researchers observed the learningteaching process to know students’ difficulties in english writing descriptive text learning-teaching. besides, the researchers also conduct a pre-test to measure students’ pre-understanding and english writing performance. it is conducted to seek how deep their understanding of the descriptive text is as a consideration in applying the clustering technique in the classroom action research. another aspect that becomes the consideration in applying the erina ayu lestari, budiarti, & juhansar utilizing clustering technique to enhance students’ english writing performance 442 technique is to know the result of students’ tests, i.e., writing components (content, organization, vocabulary, punctuation, grammatical), generic structures, and language features of descriptive text. the second stage is the researchers’ interview students and teacher(s) before preparing the lesson plan, the material, and the clustering technique in the learning-teaching process. the implementation of clustering technique: cycle i planning the researchers plan and prepare everything before conducting learning-teaching activities in this stage. in this stage, the researchers use the appropriate clustering technique, appropriate material, and media to be taught and used in the learning-teaching process based on the english syllabus of tenth-grade students of vocational high school muhammadiyah berbah. the researchers use descriptive text as the appropriate material, clustering technique as the appropriate technique, and powerpoint and pictures as the media to teach. besides, the researchers also make the lesson plan and consult it with the english teacher before applying it in the classroom. after getting the lesson plan ready, the researchers prepare the material of descriptive text and the clustering technique, including the research instruments for collecting the data. acting before conducting the first cycle, the researchers ask students to write the descriptive text to measure students’ pre-understanding and english writing performance levels. the researchers give the pretest before conducting the learning-teaching process. after giving a pre-test, the researchers conduct learning-teaching the next day in the classroom. one of the researchers acts as a teacher and explains the material of the descriptive text, starting with the definition of descriptive text to the generic structures using the clustering technique before asking them to write. the learning-teaching process is divided into three activities, i.e., preactivity, main activity, and post-activity. the researchers begin the learning-teaching process in the pre-activity by greeting the students. after greeting the students, the researchers ask them to pray together by asking the class chairman to lead the praying. furthermore, the researchers continued by starting to check the students’ attendance by calling the students’ names one by one. after that, the researchers also convey to the students the material learned. in the main activity, the researchers stimulate students by giving an example of descriptive text. then, ask questions to the students related to the example of the descriptive text before explaining the material. furthermore, the researchers measure students’ pre-understanding of descriptive text orally. the researchers engaged the students in the learning-teaching process by giving the stimulation; then, the researchers used powerpoint as the media to explain the descriptive text. after explaining the material, the researchers ask them about their understanding of the presented material. furthermore, the researchers explore another example of descriptive text for each student to analyze the difference between the new example of descriptive text and the previous one. after that, the researchers ask students individually about the differences between both examples of descriptive text. after the students understand and differentiate both the example of descriptive text, the researchers explain the material using the clustering technique. moreover, to relate the material and the clustering technique explained before, the researchers ask students to make the clustering before they write the descriptive text according to the question of the task individually. the researchers ask the students to write and practice english writing through the clustering technique on the piece of paper and then submit it to the researchers as teachers. to end the learning-teaching process in postactivity, the researchers evaluate students’ work and understanding by asking about their difficulties through the clustering technique. after that, the researchers return the students’ works and ask them to bring them to the next meeting. besides, the researchers summarize the material and then explain the next material to learn and discuss. moreover, the researchers ask students to prepare and learn for the post-test i in the next meeting. lastly, the researchers end the meeting by reciting thank you for students’ attention and cooperation. this first activity similarly is also conducted in the next meeting. observing in the first cycle, the learning-teaching process of descriptive text using clustering runs well. the implementation of the clustering technique engages english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 443 students’ interest in the learning-teaching process. although not all students are active in since they are still confused and ashamed to ask the researchers who act as teachers, some students are active in the learning-teaching process and curious about how to make clustering before writing descriptive text. students’ interest in clustering technique could be seen in the following quotation: student a : “sir, should i cluster the word based on its part of speech in english, e.g., verbs, nouns, adjectives, and so forth?” researcher(s) : “no, word(s) clustering may not be based on the part of speech. it is free, as long as the meaning connects one another.” furthermore, a student also asks about the identification and description of the descriptive text. some students have difficulties writing based on the generic structures of descriptive text. they are still confused to distinguish between writing identification and description of the descriptive text. a student asks researchers about some vocabularies related to the place they described when writing a descriptive text about the place. some students are still confused when describing a place because of many unfamiliar english words. one of the difficulties is described in the following quotation: student b : “mom, i don’t know what to write in the identification and description. sometimes, i cannot differentiate them.” researcher(s) : “in the identification, you should write the identified thing you are interested in. in the description section, you should explain it in more detail based on what you identified before. student c : mom, how to write in english “seni ukir” and “arca”?” researcher(s) : “the english for “seni ukir” or “seni pahat” is “sculpture,” and the english for “arca” is “statue.” please bring your dictionary to the next meeting.” reflecting the results of the cycle i show that students have a high interest in learning english writing descriptive text using the clustering technique. however, some students cannot be active in the learning-teaching process, even though others are active by asking questions during the learning-teaching process. it is in line with the study conducted by utami, pabbajah, & juhansar (2018), stated that some students are active and others are not in english writing using jumbled sentences. it proves that the implementation of the clustering technique in the learning-teaching process is not satisfactory since some students find it difficult to translate unfamiliar vocabularies when describing a place. furthermore, some students also struggle to differentiate between the identification and description in writing a descriptive text. it indicates that the researchers need to revise the planning creatively and innovatively to achieve better results in learningteaching descriptive text using the clustering technique and overcome students’ difficulties. creativity and innovation in the learning teaching process as a consequence of the cycle i result, the researchers revised the learning-teaching planning. the planning aspects should be revised in the learning-teaching process, such as students’ participation and understanding of descriptive text and clustering techniques. the researchers changed and modified the clustering technique from individual to group settings so that students could discuss together within the group to solve their problems and be more active in learning-teaching activities. besides, in the previous cycle, students found difficulties when the researchers ask them to describe a place. they do not know how to write in english. it challenges the researchers to change the “thing” identification from a “place” to a “person.” the implementation of clustering technique: cycle ii re-planning in line with the result of cycle i, the researchers revise the planning of the learning-teaching process creatively and innovatively. in this stage, the researchers also revise the lesson plan in cycle ii. in revising the lesson plan, the researchers changed the clustering technique’s implementation from individual to the group so that students could discuss, share ideas, and solve problems within the group. they could share their understanding of the material delivered in the learning-teaching process. besides, the researchers also explained more deeply the material in the learning-teaching process. furthermore, the researchers also change the “thing” to write, from a “place” to a “person.” erina ayu lestari, budiarti, & juhansar utilizing clustering technique to enhance students’ english writing performance 444 acting in this meeting, the researchers ask students about understanding the previous meetings’ material. after that, the researchers asked them to make a group so that students could discuss everything related to material delivered in the learningteaching process. the researchers not only ask students about their understanding of the material but also ask them about their difficulties in the posttest i. students’ responses show that they are still confused in identifying and describing the “thing” that they are writing about, as in the following quotations: student d : “sir, i am still confused in writing a “place” description in the identification part. i am still confused because i wrote a little information in this part and directly explained the detail.” researcher(s) : “you can try clustering the words maximally. the general information that you will write later becomes a part of the identification section. in clustering the words, you need to relate one word to another to get more ideas. in the identification part, you only explain the general information, not in detail, because the detailed information is explained in the description part.” the data above show how students are still confused in writing the identification part of descriptive text on “place.” therefore, the researchers explain the material more and give more exercises to students about “person” as a part of research creativity and innovation. in this session, the researchers divide the learning-teaching process into three sessions as in the previous cycle: preactivity, main activity, and post-activity. observing the observation in this cycle is related to creativity and innovation as the development activity from cycle i. in this cycle, the implementation of the clustering technique makes students more active than in the previous cycle. the following quotations prove it: student e : “mom, how to write the identification part in describing someone?” researcher(s) : “you can identify the general things in the identification part, for example, describing a singer artist. you can identify the general things like their name.” student f : “sir, is it free to cluster the words in every cycle?” researcher(s) : “yes, it is free as long as each word in the circle is related.” student g : “mom, may i write a descriptive text about a person, but i write about “where she or he was born” or “where she or he lives” before writing it in detail?” researcher(s) : “absolutely, you can. it should be so, from general to specific.” data above show that the students understand descriptive text in describing “person” and through clustering technique. guiding students in clustering the words to write descriptive text make them enjoy the learning-teaching process and be more active. as a result of the observation after implementing the creativity and innovation, most students are no longer confused to start writing descriptive using the clustering technique, including how to cluster the words, how to organize the sentences related to the generic structure of descriptive text than in cycle i. changing the implementation from individual to group proves that students enjoy the learning-teaching process and be more active than in cycle i since they can share and discuss ideas within group. reflecting the observation results show that students’ participation, understanding, and writing development of descriptive text using the clustering technique are better than previously. the students understand more about descriptive text and its generic structure and language features. furthermore, students enjoy the learning-teaching process through intensive guidance from the researchers. similarly, hanafiawi et al. (2020), sari, sutapa, & sada (2021); suryani & apriliani (2021); ullah & dharma (2019) also stated similar ideas as this present study results. it means that implementing the clustering technique in the learning-teaching process help students in organizing ideas into the sentences in a generic structure of a descriptive text, express the ideas in the sentences, and bringing up the ideas into a good and correct paragraph. the change of the instruction english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 445 command from “place” to “person” supports students to be easier in clustering words and writing descriptive text in english. the change implementation technique from individual to group makes students enjoy the learning-teaching process since they can share ideas and discuss within the group and be more active. besides, discussions within the group help students solve problems or difficulties in clustering words and writing descriptive text in english. students’ participation in the learning-teaching process using clustering technique using the clustering technique, the researchers use an observation checklist to discover students’ participation in the descriptive text english writing learning-teaching process. the results of the observation checklist can be seen in the following table 4: table 4. students’ participation in the learning-teaching process no point of observation cycle i cycle ii meeting 1 meeting 2 meeting 3 meeting 4 h m l h m l h m l h m l 1 the students’ participation in asking a question. √ √ √ √ 2 the students’ participation in suggesting ideas. √ √ √ √ 3 the students’ participation in responding to the question. √ √ √ √ 4 the students’ participation in accomplishing the task. √ √ √ √ 5 the students’ participation in being enthusiastic in implementing the clustering technique. √ √ √ √ 6 giving attention to the researchers’ explanation and instructions. √ √ √ √ 7 actively having discussions with the researchers. √ √ √ √ 8 making comments or asking questions about the explanation or instruction. √ √ √ √ 9 the students are easy to understand descriptive text and clustering. √ √ √ √ 10 the students use a dictionary to check unfamiliar english words. √ √ √ √ 11 the students enjoy making sentences. √ √ √ √ 12 students’ participation in the group: actively involved in a discussion. √ √ √ √ a. students’ participation in the group: b. helping their friends when they find difficulties or problems. √ √ √ √ c. students’ participation in the group: d. helping their friends to understand the instruction and material. √ √ √ √ note: h means high participation; m refers to medium participation; l means low participation accordingly, table 4 shows students’ participation in learning descriptive text using the clustering technique in cycles i and ii. the first point is about the students’ participation in asking questions during the learning-teaching process. students who ask questions are in low and medium levels in the first and second meetings. it is in line with the research conducted by jenkins (2021) who showed students participation in asking questions in the learning-teaching process. however, after the researchers changed the implementation setting from individual learning to group learning, students’ participation in asking questions increased significantly during the third and fourth meetings. it erina ayu lestari, budiarti, & juhansar utilizing clustering technique to enhance students’ english writing performance 446 shows that students become more active in the learning-teaching process in a group setting, and most if not all students are active in asking questions. in the second point, students still have low and medium participation in the first and second meetings. still, it changes to a high level in the third and fourth meetings. it proves a change in students’ participation in the third and fourth meetings. the third observation point shows a change in students’ participation in responding to the question. the first meeting is at the medium level. it is caused by students’ understanding of the material delivered in the learning-teaching process. in the second, third, and fourth meetings, after the researchers explained more about the material and asked students to make a group, most students responded to the question as seen in meeting two, three, and four. it indicates that students are more active and understand the materials explained by the researchers (teachers). the next point is about students’ participation in accomplishing the task at a high level from the first to the fourth meeting. all students are enthusiastic and serious about participating in the learning-teaching descriptive text using the clustering technique. besides, this point relates to point tenth on students use dictionaries to check unfamiliar english vocabulary. students’ enthusiasm and seriousness in implementing the clustering technique in writing descriptive text. point five shows that students tend to have a medium level in the first meeting since only half students understand the materials. besides, some students are still confused and not enthusiastic about giving questions about the clustering technique to the researchers. it is similar to the research conducted by iatrellis et al., (2021); makruf, lubna, khasanah, sulaeman, & harahap, (2020). furthermore, it is related to point nine about students understanding descriptive text easily because most students’ responses show that they understand the descriptive text and clustering easily. students’ participation was high in the second, third, and fourth meetings because most of them understood the material by asking the researchers (teachers) questions about the clustering implementation. point six is about giving attention to the teachers’ explanation and instruction. in the first meeting at this point, students’ participation was at a medium level, but it was at a high level in the second, third, and fourth meetings. it shows a change in students’ attention to the researchers’ explanation and instruction by paying attention and seeing the researchers in front of the class when the researchers give explanation and instruction. furthermore, it shows from the next point about making comments or asking questions on the explanation or instruction. it is related to one another. it shows that giving attention to the researchers’ explanation and instruction is proven by the next point of students’ participation in making comments or asking questions about the explanation and instruction. it means students give attention to the researchers’ explanation and instruction. point eight shows a change from the medium to the high level. it shows that most students are more active. besides, those two points are related to point seven, which students actively discuss with the researchers. those points above show that most students discuss with the researchers. the last point is about students’ participation in the group discussion. the students are actively involved in a group discussion with their friends; it is shown in the next point when their friends are having difficulties. others help them make their friends understand the materials or the instruction by explaining and discussing the materials and the instruction of the researchers (maranzano, bento, & manera, 2022. in short, the observation checklist points show that students are serious and more active in learning to write descriptive text in english using the clustering technique. the result of pre-test in conducting a pre-test, the researchers ask students to write a descriptive text about a place, i.e., the prambanan temple. the researchers conduct the research in 30 minutes in the classroom with 30 students. to understand the pre-test results clearly, the researchers provide the table to measure their pre-understanding related to descriptive text before implementing the clustering technique in the learning-teaching process. the following table 5 shows some aspects of descriptive text english writing, such as writing components (wc), generic structure (gs), and language features (lf). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 447 table 5. the students’ scores of pre-test no students’ id score on each aspect total score pre-test score wc gs lf 1 student 1 67.2 100 66.5 233.7 77.9* 2 student 2 68.7 100 65 233.7 77.9* 3 student 3 74.5 50 75.3 199.8 66.6 4 student 4 78.8 50 65 193.8 64.6 5 student 5 100 50 89 239 79.6* 6 student 6 75.8 50 85 210.8 70.2 7 student 7 65 50 75 190 63.3 8 student 8 80 50 85 215 71.6 9 student 9 75.7 50 65 190.7 63.5 10 student 10 85.6 50 85 220.6 73.5 11 student 11 53 50 44 174 58 12 student 12 67.8 50 65 182.8 60.9 13 student 13 83.3 50 70 203.3 67.7 14 student 14 67.3 50 60 177.3 59.1 15 student 15 63 50 73 186 62 16 student 16 80 50 85 215 71.6 17 student 17 88 100 75 263 87.6* 18 student 18 75.7 50 67 192.7 64.2 19 student 19 75 50 65 190 63.3 20 student 20 67.8 50 65 183 61 21 student 21 65 50 66 181 60.3 22 student 22 75 50 85 210 70 23 student 23 65 50 67 182 60.6 24 student 24 75 50 70 195 65 25 student 25 75 50 65 190 63.3 26 student 26 67.3 50 60 177.3 59.1 27 student 27 78 50 70 198 66 28 student 28 75 50 70 195 65 29 student 29 73 50 75 198 66 30 student 30 78 100 78 256 85.3* amount 2.218.5 1.700 2.130.8 2.024.7 mean 73.95 56.66 71.02 67.49 note: symbol * refers to a student who passed the kkm the calculation data of the pre-test shows that the mean score of the pre-test is 67.49. only five students, or 16.6%, pass the score above the minimum mastery criterion (kkmkriteria ketuntasan minimal). meanwhile, the other 25 students were below the criterion. besides, the result of the pre-test about three aspects: writing components (wc) is 73.95, generic structure (gs) is 56.66, and language features (lf) is 71.02. furthermore, it shows that most students still have very low scores on each aspect of descriptive text writing in english. after analyzing the result of the preliminary study, the researchers conclude that most students have low skills in writing descriptive text and low understanding of writing skills performance. therefore, it needs to find out a solution to overcome this problem. thus, the researchers use the clustering technique to overcome the cycle i and cycle ii problem. the result of post-test i after calculating the pre-test result, the researchers found that students still have low performance in writing descriptive text and less understanding of descriptive text writing. therefore, the researchers conduct the post-test i to seek and increase the results of students’ performance in writing descriptive text, including students’ understanding of writing descriptive text in english. besides, the post-test i show an improvement in students’ performance in writing descriptive text using the clustering technique from pre-test to post-test i. post-test i is conducted after implementing the clustering technique in cycle i. the students are erina ayu lestari, budiarti, & juhansar utilizing clustering technique to enhance students’ english writing performance 448 asked to write a descriptive text about the borobudur temple. the following table 6 shows students’ scores on post-test i to discover students’ performance improvement from the pre-test to posttest i: table 6. the students’ score of post-test i no students’ id score on each aspect total score post-test i score wc gs lf 1 student 1 80 100 76 256 85.3* 2 student 2 63 100 70 233 77.6* 3 student 3 76 50 84.3 210.3 70.1 4 student 4 88.3 50 80 218.3 72.7 5 student 5 78.2 100 70 248.2 82.7* 6 student 6 83 50 87 220 73.3 7 student 7 85 50 85 215 71.6 8 student 8 85 50 85 215 71.6 9 student 9 85 50 88 223 74.3 10 student 10 75.3 100 65 240.3 80.1* 11 student 11 85 50 85 215 71.6 12 student 12 99.7 100 75 274.7 91.5* 13 student 13 85 50 86.3 221.3 73.7 14 student 14 74.2 50 75 199.2 66.4 15 student 15 75.8 50 85 210.8 70.2 16 student 16 70.3 50 76.5 196.8 65.6 17 student 17 88.7 100 76 264.7 88.2* 18 student 18 83 50 78 211 70.3 19 student 19 85.3 50 84.5 219.8 73.2 20 student 20 75 50 85 210 70 21 student 21 85.6 50 83.5 219.1 73 22 student 22 73.5 100 68.7 242.2 80.7* 23 student 23 65.3 100 60 225.3 75.1* 24 student 24 87.3 50 86.7 224 74.6 25 student 25 82.3 50 78.3 210.6 70.2 26 student 26 66.3 100 60 226.3 75.4* 27 student 27 80.5 50 85.6 216.1 72 28 student 28 78 50 83.5 211.5 70.5 29 student 29 88.6 50 86.5 225.1 75* 30 student 30 83.6 100 73 256.6 85.5* amount 2.411.8 2.000 2.362.4 2.252 mean 80.39 66.66 78.74 75 note: symbol *refers to a student who passed the kkm data above show that the mean score of post-test i is 75. eleven students, or 36.6%, get scores above the minimum mastery criterion (kkm). meanwhile, the other 19 students have scores below the criterion. after analyzing the result of 3 aspects: writing components (wc) score is 80.39, generic structure (gs) is 66.66, and the language features (lf) is 78.74, it implies that generic structure has not fulfilled the minimum mastery criterion (kkm). it has the lowest mean score, 66.66, below the criterion. although the mean score of the posttest i pass the kkm, the aspect of generic structure in the post-test i need creativity and innovation in the next cycle to make the performance improvement in every aspect. the result of post-test ii the result of the post-test i implies that one aspect has not fulfilled minimum mastery criterion (kkm). therefore, it needs creativity and innovation in the next cycle. the researchers give post-test ii as the last test to increase the better result of students’ english writing performance. students were asked to write a descriptive text about the artist “iqbal cjr” or another well-known person like “dilan” in the post-test ii. below is the table of students’ post-test ii results to see the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 449 performance improvement from post-test i to posttest ii after implementing creativity and innovation in learning-teaching. table 7. students’ performance score in post-test ii no students’ id score on each aspect total score post-test ii score wc gs lf 1 student 1 84 100 80 264 88* 2 student 2 78.3 100 73.2 251.5 83.8* 3 student 3 85 50 100 235 78.3* 4 student 4 76 100 80 256 85.3* 5 student 5 88 100 78 266 88.6* 6 student 6 74.2 100 68.3 242.5 80.6* 7 student 7 85.3 50 86.3 221.6 73.8 8 student 8 78.3 100 64.2 242.5 80.8* 9 student 9 85 50 100 235 78.3* 10 student 10 75 100 67 242 80.6* 11 student 11 86.6 50 85.7 222.3 74.1 12 student 12 99.5 100 95 294.5 98.1* 13 student 13 92.5 50 100 242.5 80.8* 14 student 14 100 50 85 235 78.3* 15 student 15 62.5 100 63.5 226 75.3* 16 student 16 85 50 100 235 78.3* 17 student 17 95.2 100 75 270.2 90* 18 student 18 60.5 100 65 225.5 75.1* 19 student 19 100 50 85 235 78.3* 20 student 20 65.5 100 62 227.5 75.8* 21 student 21 64.8 100 62 226.8 75.6* 22 student 22 100 50 90.5 240.5 80.1* 23 student 23 88.7 50 86.5 225.2 75* 24 student 24 88 50 85.5 223.5 74.5 25 student 25 85.6 50 85 220.6 73.5 26 student 26 100 50 85 235 78.3* 27 student 27 78.5 100 62.5 241 80.3* 28 student 28 62 100 65.8 227.8 75.9* 29 student 29 88.7 50 86.8 225.5 75.1* 30 student 30 83.7 100 73.4 257.1 85.7* amount 2.412.6 2.300 2.396.2 2.396.2 mean 80.42 76.66 79.87 79.87 note: symbol * refers to students who passed the kkm table 7 shows that the mean score of post-test ii is 79.87. there are twenty-six students, or 86.6% of students get scores above the minimum mastery criterion. meanwhile, the other four students’ scores are below the criterion. from the post-test i up to post-test ii, there are better results than before, from 36.6% to 86.6%. in the post-test ii, the result of every aspect: the writing components (wc) is 80.42, the generic structure (gs) is 76.66, and the language features (lf) is 79.87. the analysis clustering technique implementation in the learning-teaching process the tests result, as mentioned previously, shows the improvement in students’ performance in writing descriptive text. implementing the clustering technique helps students enhance their english writing performance. students’ performance improvement mean percentage from the minimum mastery criterion (kkm) (75). there are five students above the kkm or 16.6% in the pre-test, in the post-test i, there are 11 students above the kkm or 36.6%, and in the post-test ii, there are26 students above the kkm (the minimum mastery criterion) or 86.6%. it indicates that students’ performance improved from the pre-test to the posttest i and ii. although there is performance erina ayu lestari, budiarti, & juhansar utilizing clustering technique to enhance students’ english writing performance 450 improvement in the pre-test up to post-test i from 67.49 up to 75, the performance improvement score has fulfilled the minimum mastery criterion. however, one aspect of writing descriptive text still has not been fulfilled. the mean aspect of generic structure is 66.66, which has not fulfilled the minimum mastery criterion. the minimum mastery criterion is 75. the researchers conduct the creativity and innovation in cycle ii to increase the students’ mean performance. based on the creativity and innovation result in cycle ii, there is a performance improvement in students’ mean on generic structure from 66.66 in the post-test i up to 76.66 in the post-test ii. it means that creativity and innovation have succeeded in cycle ii. besides, the clustering technique enhances students’ performance in writing descriptive text. the improvement percentage of students’ performance mean score calculation, from post-test i to post-test ii. the calculation of post-test i is 11%. in post-test ii, there is an improvement percentage up to 18.3%. the clustering technique helps the students improve their english writing performance. indeed, the implementation of the clustering technique helps students enhance their skills in writing descriptive text. to make it clear, the following table 8 becomes the comparison mean aspect of students’ english writing performance improvement: table 8. the improvement of students’ mean score performance in writing descriptive text of english no aspects mean pretest posttest i posttest ii 1 writing components 73.95 80.39 80.42 2 generic structures 56.66 66.66 76.66 3 language features 71.02 78.74 79.87 overall mean 67.21 75.26 78.98 % improvement 12% 18% table 8 shows the improvement of students’ mean score performance in writing the descriptive text in english. the table shows a 12% performance improvement from pre-test to post-test i and 18% from post-test i to post-test ii. in the column pretest, three aspects belong to the category that not fulfilled the kkm because all of the aspects, writing components (wc), generic structures (gs), and language features (lf), whereas the mean is less than 75. after implementing the clustering technique in the learning-teaching process, the researchers conduct a post-test i to measure the improvement of students’ performance in english writing, whether it is improving or not. after implementing the clustering technique, the researchers compare the pre-test and post-test results. based on the results, there is an improvement in students’ descriptive text writing. in table 9, one aspect still has not been fulfilled yet, the minimum mastery criterion in the post-test i. although the mean score of the post-test i have fulfilled the kkm, one of the mean aspects of writing descriptive text has still not fulfilled the kkm. the writing components in post-test i have mean aspect about 66.66. it means the post-test i still need the creativity and innovation in the learning-teaching process. furthermore, the researchers modify the process of learning-teaching creatively and innovatively in cycle ii to enhance students’ mean score performance. in cycle ii, the researchers conduct post-test ii to discover the usefulness of the clustering technique towards students’ performance in writing english text. the results of post-test ii show that no students get less than a 75 performance score. in other words, the use of the clustering technique is effective in helping students enhance their english writing performance. conclusion this research indicates that implementing the clustering technique in the learning-teaching process enhances students’ english writing performance, especially in writing descriptive text. the clustering technique makes students’ participation more active, serious, and motivated in the learning-teaching descriptive text, as seen in the results of the observation checklist. the clustering technique not only helps and attracts students’ attention and participation in the learning-teaching descriptive text but also shows the improvement of students’ performance in writing a descriptive text in english. furthermore, students’ performance means score percentage is 36.6% in the post-test i from the pre-test 16.6%. it proves that the students’ mean scores on the tests increased from 67.49 in the pre-test to 75 in the post-test i. although those results increase from pre-test to post-test i, they do not pass the minimum mastery criterion (kkm). one aspect of writing descriptive text has not english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 451 fulfilled the kkm. its score is 66.66. therefore, the researchers modify the learning-teaching process by having creativity and innovation in cycle ii to fulfill the minimum mastery criterion (kkm). the performance improvement in the post-test ii is 86.6% as the students’ mean percentage from the mean 79.87 and the aspects of generic structure increase up to 76.66. in line with the students’ performance mean score, the improvement in every test shows students’ performance mean score is 11% in post-test i up to 18.3% in the post-test ii. references anggraini, f. (2020). brainstorming technique in teaching writing descriptive text. channing: journal of english language education and literature. https://doi.org/10.30599/channing.v5i2.840 arias, v., arias, b., & rodríguez-medina, j. (2021). quantitative research in education. in handbook of research on teacher education in history and geography. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781849209670 arifuddin, h. (2019). improvement of poetry writing skills by using clustering technique of class viii students of smp negeri 3 alla, enrekang district. celebes education review, 1(1.4). https://doi.org/10.37541/cer.v1i1.4 aspers, p., & corte, u. (2019). what is qualitative in qualitative research. qualitative sociology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11133-019-9413-7 dewi, r. s., & ayunisa, v. (2020). the effect of using clustering technique on students’ achievement in writing descriptive text. english teaching and linguistics journal (etlij), 1(2). https://doi.org/10.30596/etlij.v1i2.4897 fadhly, f. z., emzir, e., & lustyantie, n. (2018). exploring cognitive process of research topic selection in academic writing. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 157–166. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1535 hanafiawi, d., muharam, h., & parmawati, a. (2020). the use of clustering technique to improve students’ skill in writing descriptive text. project (professional journal of english education). https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v3i1.p5-10 hasanah, r., & aziz, n. (2021). effect of online gamification learning on students’ writing descriptive text. journal of english education and technology. hassanzadeh, m., & fotoohnejad, s. (2021). implementing an automated feedback program for a foreign language writing course: a learnercentric study. journal of computer assisted learning. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12587 herniyastuti, h., & rahmi, n. (2020). application of scientific approach using clustering and fast writing techniques to improve folklore into short stories. journal of indonesian language education and literary. https://doi.org/10.31327/jilel.v4i2.1130 iatrellis, o., savvas, i., fitsilis, p., & gerogiannis, v. c. (2021). a two-phase machine learning approach for predicting student outcomes. education and information technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10260-x ivankova, n., & wingo, n. (2018). applying mixed methods in action research: methodological potentials and advantages. american behavioral scientist. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764218772673 jenkins, a. (2021). patterns of participation and nonparticipation in learning in mid-life and their determinants. international journal of lifelong education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2021.1937357 khoiriyah, h., waris, a. m., & juhansar, j. (2019). the students’ achievement in pronouncing english song using smule application. indonesian efl journal. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v5i1.1610 makruf, i., lubna., khasanah., sulaeman, r., & harahap, d. a. (2020). educational data mining on higher education level education costs using clustering techniques in indonesia. journal of advanced research in dynamical and control systems. https://doi.org/10.5373/jardcs/v12i6/s20201 169 manegre, m. (2021). the influence of outside foreign language and culture exposure in efl classroom collaborative writing tasks. the eurocall review. https://doi.org/10.4995/eurocall.2021.13194 maranzano, p., bento, j. p. c., & manera, m. (2022). the role of education and income inequality on environmental quality: a panel data analysis of the ekc hypothesis on oecd countries. sustainability (switzerland). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031622 megawati, m. (2019). the improving students’ writing skill through clustering technique. jurnal inovasi pendidikan mh thamrin. https://doi.org/10.37012/jipmht.v3i2.100 nemati, m., alavi, s. m., & mohebbi, h. (2019). assessing the effect of focused direct and focused indirect written corrective feedback on explicit and implicit knowledge of language learners. language testing in asia. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-019-0084-9 potradinata, s. l. a. (2018). an analysis of student’s erina ayu lestari, budiarti, & juhansar utilizing clustering technique to enhance students’ english writing performance 452 descriptive text writing in systemic functional linguistic (sfl) perspectives. international journal of languages, literature and linguistics. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijlll.2018.4.2.161 sari, f., & wahyuni, s. (2018). the use of clustering technique to improve the students’ skill in writing descriptive paragraph. english community journal. https://doi.org/10.32502/ecj.v2i1.1006 sari, h. m., sutapa, y. g., & sada, c. (2021). clustering technique to improve ability of generating ideas in recount text writing. jeltim (journal of english language teaching innovations and materials). https://doi.org/10.26418/jeltim.v3i1.38880 sari, i., pulungan, a. h., & husein, r. (2020). students’ cognition and attitude in writing descriptive text. britain international of linguistics arts and education (biolae) journal, 3(1), 125–135. https://doi.org/10.33258/biolae.v2i1.210 sumartini, s., puspita, h., & zahrida, z. (2018). the effect of clustering technique on students’ writing ability. journal of english education and teaching, 2(2), 83-92. https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.2.2.83-92 suryani, d. d., & apriliani, a. m. (2021). improving students’ writing ability in descriptive text through clustering technique at tenth grade of ma ma’arif roudhotut tholibin metro. journal of english development. https://doi.org/10.25217/jed.v1i01.1400 ullah, w. o. r. y., & dharma, y. p. (2019). enhancing students’ writing skill by using clustering technique. veles voices of english language education society. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v3i2.1553 utami, f. s., pabbajah, m., & juhansar, j. (2018). the implementation of jumbled-sentences toward students’ skill in writing report text. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 115. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1501 widiyanti, f., susilawati, e., & rosnija, e. (2018). the use of clustering technique to teach writing descriptive text. jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran khatulistiwa. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 245 writing attitude and emotional intelligence as determinants in boosting efl learners’ writing performance elsya agesty language education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia e-mail: elsya.agesty@gmail.com rita inderawati (corresponding author) language education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia e-mail: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id eryansyah language education, universitas sriwijaya , palembang, indonesia e-mail: eryansyah@gmail.com apa citation: agesty, e., inderawati, r., & eryansyah, (2021). writing attitude and emotional intelligence as determinants in boosting efl learners’ writing performance. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 245-254. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5370 received: 20-01-2021 accepted: 11-04-2021 published: 31-12-2021 abstract: this study aimed to find out whether or not there was a significant correlation between students’ writing attitude, emotional intelligence and their writing performance, and the predictor variables and the criterion variable. it involved 121 students of the english education study programs of tridinanti, pgri, and muhammadiyah universities in palembang. the data were collected through the use of writing attitude questionnaire, emotional intelligence questionnaire and a writing test. the data were analyzed by using the pearson product moment correlation coeficient and partial correlation analysis. the results showed that there were significant correlations in a row of the writing attitude and writing performance with r-obtained was 0.342. there results showed there were significant correlations of emotional intelligence and writing performance because the value of.028 with the correlation coefficient of .140. and the results of the partial correlation showed that writing attitude, emotional intelligence, and writing performance had a significant correlation with r value of .280 and p-value of <.001. keywords: writing attitude; emotional intelligence; writing performance introduction writing has a vital role in language production that used for global mediation of knowledge (fareed, ashraf, & bilal, 2016). in indonesia context where english is taught as a foreign language, writing becomes the most difficult skill to master (setyowati & sukmawan, 2016). indonesian efl learners generally have difficulties in writing the analytical exposition text (zuana, 2020, engladesta, 2020). in addition, fajri, inderawati, and mirizon (2015) share the similar findings that students still face some difficulties when they had to produce a text. the problems are caused by lack of grammar, vocabulary and grammatical pattern of a certain text. because of its complexity, many efl students have a negative attitude toward writing because they view it as “difficult and stressful” (setyowati & sukmawan, 2016). in short, the finding of these studies claimed that the indonesian efl students’ analytical exposition ability showed unsatisfied writing performance. as reported by several studies, writing attitude is proved to be an essential factor which significantly correlates with the students’ writing performance. attitude can affect a person’s behavior especially in learning writing. for example, students with a good attitude tend to write more often and expend greater effort when composing than those with less favorable attitude, leading to individual differences in writing achievement. it suppoted by inderawati and fifinova (2018), positive attitudes will occur when the students spend more effort to learn the language. plotnik’s report (as citied in bulut, 2017) state that attitude involves an assessment of an object, person or event on a continuum extending from negative to positive and makes us prone to behaving in a certain way in the face of that object, person or event. göçer’s report (as citied in bulut, 2017) points out that the interests, desires and attitudes of each individual are not the same for the writing skills which are very important in the communication and social life of mailto:elsya.agesty@gmail.com elsya agesty, rita inderawati, & eryansyah writing attitude and emotional intelligence as determinants in boosting efl learners’ writing performance 246 individuals and stresses that one of the factors that affect the written expression achievement of individuals and cause them to move away from writing is their attitude towards writing. akaydın & kurnaz’s report (as citied in bulut, 2017) emphasized variables such as education, family environment, and personal characteristics are influential in the emergence of different attitudes towards writing. another factor which influences the students’ writing performance is emotional-intelligence (ei). it refers the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feeling and emotion, and as one of the indicators of students' success in learning. emotional intelligence is considered as an important matter because it gives strong impact on one's action. therefore, many institutions suggest emotional intelligence to be included in teaching especially in writing. as emotional intelligence believed to be a good predictor of learning success, it is also expected to be able to influence students’ success in writing. several studies conducted in the past have shown a good relationship between ei and writing performance. the first result was reported by ni’mah, kadarisman, sutyati (2016) they found there was a relatively strong positive relationship between ei and writing performance the finding showed (r=.240 and sig=.049<.05), its means there was a significant correlation between ei and writing performance. therefore, they concluded that knowing ei of the students’ could enhance the students writing performance. in line with that, wulandari, inderawati, and hayati (2020) found that the connection between writing attitudes and writing performance straight. the result showed that the significant value (p-value) was 0.000. it showed that there was positive correlation between students’ writing attitude and writing achievement, which means that more positive students’ writing attitude, will be better their writing achievement and also vice versa. based on the informal interview with the undergraduate efl students of tridinanti, pgri and muhammadiyah universities who having taken all the writing courses, some of them were satisfied with their current writing performance especially in analytical exposition. they were confuse to write them opinion or arguments and constructing an idea. it supported by janiarti (2015), an analytical exposition text is difficult because in this text the students are intended to write their arguments in order to persuade the reader. the students who can not stringing words will hate writing lesson and impact their score in writing. futhermore, some students boring with writing materials, it supported by inderawati (2020) teaching materials used by the lecturer were only material compiled from the internet. it means that, the material was not vary. in this globalization era, teacher can use social networking to make variations in learning writing because the use of social networking is really important at this time (inderawati, 2018). social media has become a new tool for teaching and learning activities in the 21st century (inderawati, petrus, & jaya, 2019). in relation to the students’ writing performance, some of the lecturers used student-centered approach while the others used teacher-centered approach and did not use any activities related to students’ emotional intelligences and attitude. as a result, most of the students never identified their intelligence profile since they did not know what emotional intelligences were. another research from adegboyega (2019) found there was a significant positive correlation between emotional intelligence and attitude of nigerian undergraduate student. students with high emotional intelligence tend to have positive attitude. this means that, the increase in emotional intelligence level will positively disposed students’ attitude toward writing. furthermore, adegboyega (2016) found that relationship between emotional intelligence and attitude to brokerage firms’ performance in tehran stock exchange was significant. those with low emotional intelligence are usually rigid, inflexible, need rules and structure to feel secure. thus, people with strong emotional intelligence do have a positive and balanced attitudinal view of situations while those with a weak emotional intelligence tend to have a negative and biased attitudinal view of situations. this situation is supported by wulandari, inderawati, and hayati (2020) who examined the paragraph writing of undergraduate efl students of sriwijaya university. they revealed that there was positive correlation between students’ writing attitude and writing achievement. hidayati (2018) who investigated her study in muhammadiyah university palembang also found the major of the students were categorized into moderate level of having attitude toward writing. it means that there was significant influence between attitude toward writing. in terms of emotional intelligences and writing performance, kusdina (2017) found that there was a significant correlation between the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 247 types of emotional intelligences to their writing performance. in this study, the writer will use sixth semester students as sample because they have taken all of the writing subjects assigned therefore it is safe to assume that they have already mastered the writing skill needed for university level. the writer is interested to conduct this study in private universities in palembang namely tridinanti, pgri, and muhammadiyah since there are very little study on writing and emotional intelligence conducted in those universities. moreover, from the mini research prior to this research conducted by the writer there, the writer found out that some of the english study program students in tridinanti, pgri, and muhammadiyah university found writing activity as a challenging subject. they are also not familiar with writing attitude and emotional intelligence. accordingly, they never identify their intelligence profile and writing attitude. taking into consideration of these findings, the writer would like to conduct a study entitled the correlation among writing attitude, emotional intelligence, and writing performance of english education study program students of private universities in palembang. method this study was a correlational study. in this study, the data were obtained from the questionnaires and a writing performance test using analytical exposition text. the students’ writing attitude, emotional intelligence and their writing performance were correlated to find out whether there was a significant correlation among each of them. then the correlation was administered by having person product moment analysis. since there was correlation, the influence and percentage among variables were analyzed by having regression analysis through statistical package for social and science (spss). the students were asked to read the instruction and complete the writing attitude and the emotional intelligence questionnaires. after completing the questionnaires, they did the writing test in the form of analytical exposition in essay writing. while doing the test, the students were not allowed to ask each other, and concerning the content, they were not allowed to use their dictionary. after doing the test, the writer scored the test manually. the population of this study was all english education study program students of tridinanti, pgri, and muhammadiyah universities in palembang in the academic year 2019-2020. they already took all the writing courses in their study programs. the number of the sample was 121 students consisting of 38 tridinanti students, 40 pgri students, and 43 muhammadiyah students. to obtain the information about the students’ writing attitude, the writing attitude questionnaire adapted from podsen (1997) was distributed before the reading comprehension test was conducted. there were 20 items in the questionnaire measuring two types of writing attitude: positive and negative attitude. the students were asked to read each statement and rate themselves by using the likert scale intervals. the possible score range from 20 to 100 with higher score indicating a more positive, more confident attitude toward writing and one’s self a writer. the data about the students’ emotional intelligence were collected by adopting emotional intelligence questionnaire adopted from mohapel (2015). the scoring system used a writing rubric of jacobs, wormuth, hartfiel, and hugney (1981). results and discussion writing attitude questionnaire it was revealed that from the questionnaire, the students’ writing attitude was categorized into moderate level. as shown in table 9, 10 out of 121 students categorized into high level (8.26%) and 111 students categorized in moderate level (91.73%). while, 0 students categorized in low level. table 1. the distribution of the students’ writing attitude questionnaire (n = 121) no interval level frequency percentage 1 69 – 100 high 10 8.26% 2 40 – 68 moderate 111 91.73% 3 20 – 39 low 0 0% total 121 100% there were two types of statement in writing attitude questionnaire used in this research. they were positive and negative attitudes. the questionnaire ranged from strongly agree, agree, undecided, disagree, and strongly disagree. table 10 presents the result of the analysis for the first type of writing attitude, that is, positive statement. the result showed most students had positive attitude toward writing. this was supported by the students’ response to the item number 2 (i have no fear of my writing being evaluated) in which 34.71% of them agreed with this statement. in addition, the result of the students’ response to the item no 8 also showed that 32.23% (agree) and 3.31% (strongly agree) admitted that they were interested in writing. elsya agesty, rita inderawati, & eryansyah writing attitude and emotional intelligence as determinants in boosting efl learners’ writing performance 248 table 3 presents the result of the analysis for the second type of writing attitude, that is, negative statement. the results indicate that students avoid writing whenever possible as shown by the responses to the item number 1. the result showed that 26.45% of the students thought that they agreed not to write if it is not necessary and 23.97% of them agreed to write whenever possible. table 2. the data distribution of positive statements in writing attitude questionnaire (n=121) item no statement strong agree agree don’t know disagree strong disagree total f % f % f % f % f % f % 2 i have no fear of my writing being evaluated 1 0.82 42 34.71 45 37.19 31 25.62 2 1.65 121 100 3 i look forward to writing down my ideas 1 0.82 29 23.97 47 38.84 38 31.40 6 4.96 121 100 7 i would enjoy submitting my writing to magazines for evaluation and publication 2 1.65 30 24.79 54 44.63 26 21.49 9 7.44 121 100 8 i like to write my ideas down 4 3.31 39 32.23 57 47.11 18 14.88 3 2.48 121 100 9 i feel confident in my ability to express my ideas in writing 1 0.82 33 27.27 58 47.93 26 21.49 3 2.48 121 100 10 i like to have my friends read what i have written 6 4.96 27 22.31 54 44.63 29 23.97 5 4.13 121 100 12 people seem to enjoy what i write 3 2.48 25 20.60 59 48.76 33 27.27 1 0.82 121 100 13 i enjoy writing 3 2.48 32 26.45 51 42.15 29 23.97 6 4.96 121 100 16 i like seeing my thoughts on paper 8 6.61 29 23.97 55 45.45 27 22.31 2 1.65 121 100 17 discussing my writing with others is an enjoyable experience 4 3.31 42 34.71 54 44.63 21 17.35 0 0 121 100 18 it is easy for me to write good letters 5 4.13 29 23.97 62 51.24 23 19.01 2 1.65 121 100 20 writing is a lot of fun 1 0.2 39 32.23 56 46.28 21 17.35 4 3.31 121 100 table 3. the data distribution of negative statements on writing attitude questionnaire (n=121) item no statement strong agree agree don’t know disagree strong disagree total f % f % f % f % f % f % 1 i avoid writing whenever possible 4 3.31 32 26.45 56 46.28 29 23.97 0 0 121 100 4 i am afraid of writing when i know it might be evaluated 3 2.48 28 23.14 57 47.11 32 26.45 1 0.82 121 100 5 my mind seems to go blank when i start writing 3 2.48 30 24.79 60 49.59 26 21.49 2 1.65 121 100 6 expressing my ideas through writing is a waste of time 4 3.31 24 19.83 56 46.28 34 28.10 3 2.48 121 100 11 i am nervous about my writing 4 3.31 31 25.62 51 42.15 33 27.27 1 0.82 121 100 14 i never seem to be 3 2.48 30 24.79 46 38.02 40 33.06 2 1.65 121 100 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 249 able to write down my ideas clearly 15 i’m not a good writer 1 0.82 29 23.97 60 49.59 29 23.97 2 1.65 121 100 19 i don’t think i write as well as most people 1 0.82 28 23.14 49 40.50 38 31.40 1 0.82 121 100 in addition, the result of the students’ response to the item no 5 showed that 24.79% of them went blank when they started writing. it means they did not have any ideas to write down. this was supported by the students’ responses to the item number 14 (i never seem to be able to write down my ideas clearly). students’ emotional intelligence questionnaire the results showed that the lowest score of the emotional intelligences questionnaire was 122 and the highest was 199 (see appendix xx). for each aspect, 8 students were in high category in selfawareness, 3 students were in high category in emotional management, 7 students were in high category in social emotional awareness, 7 students were in high category in relationship management. the distribution is presented in the table 2. table 2 shows that most students were in a low category in each domain; 49.59% in self awareness domain, 73.55% in emotional management domain, 50.41 % in social emotional awareness domain, and 39.67% in relationship management domain. meanwhile, the relationship management was in the medium category (54.54%). furthermore, there were few students (having an emotional awareness category in each domain of emotional intelligence. the results of the students’ writing performance the distribution of students’ writing performance is described through five categories: excellent, good, average, fair, and poor. the results of the students’ writing performance were obtained by having the mean score of writing performance from each student given by 3 raters. the results showed that the lowest score was 46 and the highest was 77.00 (see appendix xx). the distribution is presented in the table 5. table 5 shows that most students had an average score (89.26%). meanwhile few students had good score (4.96%) and fair score (5.78%). statistical analyses the research questions from number 1 to number 4 were answered by using two kinds of statistical analysis, pearson product moment correlation analysis and partial correlation analysis. the pearson product moment correlation analysis was used to find out whether or not there was any significant correlation between the students’ writing attitude and their writing performance, between emotional intelligence and writing performance, and between writing attitude and emotional intelligence. meanwhile, the pca was used to find out whether or not there was any significant correlation between the predictor variables and the criterion variable . . table 4. the distribution of the students’ emotional intelligence (n = 121) no interval category self awareness emotional management social emotional awareness relationship management f % f % f % f % 1 35 40 high 8 6.61 3 2.48 7 5.78 7 5.78 2 25 34 medium 53 43.80 29 23.97 53 43.80 66 54.54 3 0 24 low 60 49.59 89 73.55 61 50.41 48 39.67 total 121 100 121 100 121 100 121 100 table 5. the distribution of students’ writing performance (n=121) no interval category frequency percentage 1 90.00 – 100.00 excellent 0 0% 2 70.00 – 89.99 good 6 4.96% 3 51.00 – 69.99 average 108 89.26% 4 36.00 – 50.99 fair 7 5.78% 5 10.00 – 35.99 poor 0 0% total 121 100.00% students’ writing attitude and their writing performance based on the pearson product moment correlation coefficient, the result indicated that the correlation coefficient or the r-obtained was elsya agesty, rita inderawati, & eryansyah writing attitude and emotional intelligence as determinants in boosting efl learners’ writing performance 250 0.342 with the probability value less than 0.000 lower than the alpha level of 0.01 showing that there was a significant correlation between the writing attitude and writing performance. the results of the correlation summarized in the table 6. table 6. correlation between the students’ writing attitude and writing performance writing performance writing attitude pearson correlation sig. (2-tailed) n pearson correlation 0.342** 0.000 121 1 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). students’ emotional intelligence and their writing performance it was found that there was a significant correlation between the students’ emotional intelligence and their writing performance because the significance value of .028 was lower than that of (.05) with the correlation coefficient of .140. in addition, the correlation analyses were also conducted to find out the significant correlations among each domain of emotional intelligence and writing performance. it was found that all aspects of the emotional intelligence had a significant correlation with the writing performance on the grounds that the significance values of them were lower than (.05) table 8 presents the correlation results. predictor variables and the criterion variable the results of the partial correlation showed that writing attitude, emotional intelligence, and writing performance had a significant correlation with r value of .280 and p-value of <.001. table 7 presents the result. table 7. correlation between the students’ emotional intelligence and writing performance writing_ performance emotional intelligence pearson correlation sig. (2-tailed) n pearson correlation 0.140* 0.028 121 1 *. correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). table 8. correlation among each domain of emotional intelligence and writing performance (n=121) correlation writing performance selfawareness emotional management social emotional awareness relationship management writing performance pearson correlation 1 .191* .107* .184* .258* sig. (2-tailed) .036 .024 .026 .015 n 121 121 121 121 121 self awareness pearson correlation .191* 1 .157* .180* .294* sig. (2-tailed) .036 .034 .030 .007 n 121 121 121 121 121 emotional management pearson correlation .107* .157* 1 .362** .208* sig. (2-tailed) .024 .034 .000 .022 n 121 121 121 121 121 sosial emotional awareness pearson correlation .184* .180* .362** 1 .225* sig. (2-tailed) .026 .030 .000 .013 n 121 121 121 121 121 relantionship management pearson correlation .258* .294 .208* .225* 1 sig. (2-tailed) .015 .007 .022 .013 n 121 121 121 121 121 *. correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). table 9. correlation between predictor variables (writing attitude and emotional intelligence) and criterion variables (writing performance) correlation ei wp wa ei correlation sig. (2-tailed) n 1 121 .140 .028 121 .204 .0017 121 wp correlation sig. (2-tailed) n 140 .028 121 1 121 .342 .000 121 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 251 wa correlation sig. (2-tailed) n 204 .0017 121 .342 .000 121 1 121 wa ei correlation sig. (2-tailed) n 1 121 .280 .000 121 wp correlation sig. (2-tailed) n .280 .000 121 1 121 in addition, to know the percentage of writing attitude, emotional intelligence on writing performance, r-square was obtained. the results of regression analysis showed that r-square (r2) was .412. it means that students’ writing attitude and emotional intelligence gave significant effect in the level 41.2% toward writing performance, and 58.8% was unexplained factors value. table 19 is shown as the result of model summary follow: table 10. model summary mode l r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate 1 .412a .169 .133 5.39532 a. predictors: (constant), writingattitude, selfawareness, relationshipmanagement, socialemotionalawareness, emotionalmanagement as a result of the writing attitude questionnaire analysis, the majority of the students 111 students or 91.73% students were categorized into moderate level of having attitude toward writing. the data suggest that the students having a positive attitude toward writing viewed writing as an enjoyable experience. according to hidayati (2018) the positive attitudes create an opportunity for students to increase their writing success, to make more efforts to write and to write more often. as for the students’ emotional intelligence, based on the findings, most of students were in a low category of each domain of emotional intelligence. it means students’ ability to perceive emotion and emotional knowledge toward the writing needs to be increased. fatum (2008) indicates that emotional intelligence influences the students’ action and he argues that if a high school level focuses only on academic instruction and school management in its effort to help students attain academic success, it will fail to achieve its goals. regarding the results of students’ writing performance, more than a half of the sample students (89.26%) were still classified into the average category score in the range of 51.00 – 69.99. unfortunately, no one of the sample was categorized into excellent writing performance. only six students (4.96%) were categorized into a good category score. it is assumed that writing performance of the students is still low. this low achievement might happen because writing is such a complex activity. based on the analysis of the correlation between the students’ writing attitude and their writing performance above, it was found that robtained was .342. this means that there was a significant correlation between the students’ writing attitude and writing performance. hannane (2015) shared the result of her research showing that most students have a negative attitude toward writing. as a result, the students had low performance in writing since they perceived writing as a difficult skill to be mastered. the other objective of this study was to find out whether there was any significant correlation between students’ emotional intelligence and their writing performance. based on the findings, there was a significant correlation between the emotional intelligence and writing performance. in summary, the emotional intelligence domains such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management were still the important factors in improving the students’ writing performance. it is important to educate students to be socially and emotionally intelligence in order for them to receive the maximum benefit of the study, especially in writing lesson. the other objective was the correlation between writing attitude and emotional intelligence. the finding showed that there was a significant correlation between writing attitude and emotional intelligence. in addition, to know the percentage of writing attitude, emotional intelligence on writing performance, r-square was obtained. the results of regression analysis showed that r-square (r2) was .412. it means that students’ writing attitude and emotional intelligence gave significant effect in the level 41.2% toward writing performance, and 58.8% was unexplained factors value. it can be concluded that students with positive attitude toward writing would develop their emotional intelligence and led them to achieve maximum performance in writing. conclusion there is a positive correlation between students’ writing attitude and their writing performance. in addition, there are significant correlations between emotional intelligence and writing performance, and between writing attitude and emotional intelligence. among the students’ elsya agesty, rita inderawati, & eryansyah writing attitude and emotional intelligence as determinants in boosting efl learners’ writing performance 252 writing attitude, emotional intelligence, and writing performance, they are also significantly correlated. the result of writing attitude shows that the more positive attitude that someone has, the more confident attitude s/he has toward writing. on the contrary, the more negative attitude one has, the less confident s/he becomes. it might be caused by many factors. one of them is students’ fear and anxiety toward writing in that the students feel difficult in putting their ideas clearly, have negative comments from peers and negative feedbacks from their teachers. in university students sometimes writing is considered as the most difficult skill to learn. many students still face some problems in writing a passage since the writing is the final product of several separate acts that are hugely challenging to learn simultaneously. the students should not be afraid in doing writing or learning english especially in writing (inderawati, ariani, hambali, 2018). the results of this research imply that to increase the students’ writing performance, the teachers of english should be aware of the students’ emotional intelligence on writing and motivate the students to write down their ideas whenever possible to improve their performance. by being aware of the intelligence act, the students themselves would also know how to improve themselves most efficiently through using different types of intelligences. they can also create their ways to find strategies in learning english skills, especially the writing attitude, their emotional intelligence in order to improve their writing performance. references abdolreapoer, p. (2012). the relationship between emotional intelligence and efl learners’ writing performance. social and behavior sciences, 3(70), 331-339. anderman, e., & wolters, c. (2006). goals, values, and effect: influences on student motivation. in p. alexander & p. winne (eds.), handbook of educational psychology (pp. 369–389) (2nd ed.). mahwah, nj: lawrence erlbaum. asmari, a., r. (2013). investigation of writing strategies, writing apprehension, and writing achievement among saudi efl-major students. international education studies, 6(11), 130-143. bulut, p. (2017). the effect of primary school students’ writing attitudes and writing selfefficacy beliefs on their summary writing achievement. international electronic journal of elementary education,10(2), 281–285. https://doi.org/10.26822/iejee.2017236123 cahyono, b.y. (2009). technique in teaching efl writing practical guides for english teachers of smp/mts in indonesia. malang state university of malang. deriyanti, f. (2012). an analysis of academic paragraph writing in facebook of the 6th semester english education study program of uin raden fatah (undergraduate’s thesis). uin raden fatah, palembang, indonesia. engladesta, v. (2020). an analysis of the 3rd year students’ ability to write an analytical exposition text at the english department of bung hatta university. (unpubished thesis), universitas bung hatta. fajri, h. m., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2015). the implementation of peer editing technique to improve writing achievement. journal of english literacy education, 2(2), 48-57. fareed, m., ashraf, a., & bilal, m. (2016). esl learners’ writing skills: problems, factors, and suggestions. journal of education and social science, 4(2), 81-92. ghasemi, h., behjat, f., kargar, a., a. (2013). the relationship between ei and writing improvement of iranian efl students at ma level. international journal of linguistics, 5(5), 197207. göçer a. (2017). yazma tutum ölçeğinin (ytö) türkçeye uyarlanması: geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. kastamonu üniversitesi kastamonu eğitim dergisi, 22(2), 515-524. graham, s., & perin, d. (2007). writing next effective strategies to improve writing of adolescents in middle and high school carnagie, corporation of ny: alliance for excellent education. retrieved from http://www.all4ed.org/files/writingnext.pdf. hanane, d. (2015). students’ attitudes towards academic writing: challenges facing efl learners. (published master’s thesis). mohamed kheider university of biskra, algeria. retrieved from http://dspace.univbiskra.d:8080/jspui/bistream/12 35789/599/1/dernoun%20hanane.pdf. hidayati, l. (2018). the correlations among writing attitude, metacognitive writing strategies, and writing performance of english education study program students of muhammadiyah universities palembang. (unpublished thesis). sriwijaya university, indralaya, indonesia. inderawati, r. (2018). creating and innovating english language teaching by developing cultural model for literacy. in first indonesian communication forum of teacher training and education faculty leaders international conference on education 2017 (ice 2017). atlantis press. inderawati, r. (2020). developing modern siti zubaidah drama script learning material writing for efl students. e-prosiding hiski, 1(1), 487494. http://www.all4ed.org/files/writingnext.pdf http://dspace.univbiskra.d:8080/jspui/bistream/1235789/599/1/dernoun%20hanane.pdf http://dspace.univbiskra.d:8080/jspui/bistream/1235789/599/1/dernoun%20hanane.pdf english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 253 inderawati, r., ariani, d.m., hambali, m. (2018). enchancing descriptive writing achievement of tenth graders by using internet meme picture. indonesian journal of english education, 5(2), 176-190. inderawati, r., & fiftinova, f. (2018). students’attitude toward reading literary texts at the english education study program of sriwijaya university. doctoral dissertation. sriwijaya university. inderawati, r., petrus, i., & jaya, h. p. (2019). exploring and identifying technology-based dynamic learning through social media in academic writing. english community journal, 3(1), 317-324. janiarti. (2015). senior high school students’ ability in writing analytical exposition text at eleventh grade student of sman 1 sungai lasi kab. solok. sumatera barat. kirmizi, s.f. (2009). the relationship between writing achievement and the use of reading comprehension strategies in the 4th and 5th grades of primary schools. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 1(5), 230-234. kusdina, d. (2017). the correlation between writing achievement and emotional intelligent at sman 13 palembang. islamic universities raden fatah, palembang. marefat, f. (2007). emotional intelligences: voices from an efl writing class. pazhuhesh-ezabanha-ye khareji, 32(1), 145-162. megawati. (2012). the correlation between the frequency of writing strategies used and students’ writing achievement of the sixth semester students of english education study program at sriwijaya university (undergraduate’s thesis). sriwijaya university, indralaya, indonesia. mckenna, s., kear, d., & ellsworth, r. (1995). children’s attitude toward reading: a national survey. reading research quarterly, 30(4), 934956. naseri, e., & ansari, d.n. (2013). the relationship between multiple intelligences and iranian high school students’ l2 writing achievement. internasional journal of psychology and behavioral research, 2(5), 282-290. naseri, a., j., karimi, l., & filinezhad. (2011). on the relationship between emotional intelligence and vocabulary learning of iranian efl learners at the intermediate level. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 2(2),900-903. ni’mah, u., kadarisman., e. sutyati., s.(2016). the roles of writing attitudes and writing apprehension in efl learners’ writing performance. retrieved from: https://dx.doi.org/10.18592/let.v6i2.1459 nurfuadah, r. n. (2013, september 10). ini penyebab kampus ri lemah di dunia. okezone. retrieved from http://kampus.okezone.com/read/2013/09/10/373/ 863655/ini-penyebab-kampus-ri-lemah-di-dunia. mohapel, p. (2015). emotional intelligence selfassessment questionnaire. san diego city college mesa program. pishghadam, r. (2009). a quantitative analysis of the relationship between emotional intelligence and foreign language learning, electronic journal of foreign language teaching, 6(1), 31-41. plotnik, r. (2009). psikolojiye giriş. i̇stanbul: kaknüs yayınları podsen, i. j. (1997). written expression: the principal’s survival guide. larchmont,ny: eye on education. sadeghi, k., farzizadeh, b. (2013). the relationship between emotional intelligence and writing ability of iranian efl learners, belt journal, 4(1), 20-29. salovey, p., & mayer, j.d. (1989). emotional intelligence. imagination, cognition, and personality, 9(3), 185-211. shao, k., yu, w., & ji, z. (2012). the relationship between efl students’ emotional intelligence and writing achievement. innovation language teaching and learning, 2(1), 1-18. setyowati, l. & sukmawan, s. (2016). efl_ indonesian students’ attitude toward writing in english. awej journal, 7 (4), 365378. weigle, s.c. (2002). assessing writing. cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. wulandari, d.f., indrawati, r., & hayati, r. (2020). the correlation between writing attitude and writing achievement of the fourth semester english education study program students at sriwijaya university. undergraduate thesis, sriwijaya university. zuana, m., m., mitra. (2020). an analysis of students’ writing assignment of analytical exposition text, jetal journal, 2(1), 14-23. http://kampus.okezone.com/read/2013/09/10/373/863655/ini-penyebab-kampus-ri-lemah-di-dunia http://kampus.okezone.com/read/2013/09/10/373/863655/ini-penyebab-kampus-ri-lemah-di-dunia elsya agesty, rita inderawati, & eryansyah writing attitude and emotional intelligence as determinants in boosting efl learners’ writing performance 254 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 51 the practice and challenges of implementing critical thinking skills in efl teachers’ questioning behavior ahmad zainudin department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: ahmadzain04@gmail.com machdalena vianty (corresponding author) department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: vianty.unsri@gmail.com rita inderawati english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: ritarudisaid@yahoo.com apa citation: zainudin, a., vianty, m., & inderawati, r. (2019). the practice and challenges of implementing critical thinking skills in efl teachers’ questioning behavior. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 51-58. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2112. received: 14-09-2019 accepted: 11-11-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: the development of critical thinking is closely related to the questions asked by teachers as the teachers’ higher-order questions are cognitively demanding to promote students’ critical thinking. the purposes of this study are to investigate how critical thinking was implemented in efl teachers’ questions in the classroom and the challenges faced by efl teachers in integrating critical thinking questions. in addition, this study also investigated students’ reasons for non-response to particular questions asked by teachers. applying mixed-method research design, the data were collected from classroom observation, interview, questionnaire and documentations. the research participants were two english teachers and 229 number of students of year 8. the results showed that the most dominant questions asked by the two english teachers were in lower-order questions (78,8%), while the higher-order questions were only (21,2%) questions. second, the challenges faced by teachers were students’ intelligence has yet to reach the level of higher-order thinking, unconducive-classroom environment, teachers’ creativity itself, parental involvement and students’ lack of vocabulary. third, dealing with the reason for students’ non-response in particular questions asked by teachers, there were some reasons, such as students are afraid of making mistakes, they could not put ideas into words, and lack of vocabularies. in conclusion, the teachers faced various challenges in implementing critical thinking questions in the classroom. keywords: critical thinking; critical thinking questions; lower-order questions; higher-order questions; the challenges; students’ non-response. introduction critical thinking is a significant topic in one of the primary goals of education in the 21st century. national education association of the united states (2012) reveals that teachers should prepare students for the new global society by incorporating the ‘four cs’, including critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. yet, this study was focused on critical thinking. national education association of the united (2012, p. 8) states, “teaching critical thinking and problem solving effectively in the classroom is vital for students. learning critical thinking leads students to develop other skills, such as a higher level of concentration, deeper analytical abilities, and improved thought processing.” the development of students’ critical thinking is related to the questions asked by teachers because the teachers’ questions are important features in the classroom. richards and schmidt (2010) state that questioning behavior is one of the most frequently used teaching techniques to encourage classroom interaction. moreover, bloom (1956) asserts that asking questions that are cognitively demanding is an effective means to enhance students’ critical thinking. in line with bloom’s theory, peraturan ahmad zainudin, machdalena vianty, & rita inderawati the practice and challenges of implementing critical thinking skills in efl teachers’ questioning behavior 52 menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan indonesia no. 22 of 2016 about standard process states that 2013 curriculum also adopts a learning approach based on the taxonomic theory that includes three competency domains, namely affective, cognitive, and psychomotor (indonesia ministry of education, 2016). critical thinking is instilled in the 2013 curriculum that can be seen from the adoption of bloom’s theory from the least to most difficult cognitive domains as teachers need to promote critical thinking by asking questions in order to encourage students to produce creative and contextual work, both individually and in groups (indonesia ministry of education, 2016). the 2013 curriculum has also done efforts to answer the challenges of global citizenship education in which it is also associated with 21st century characteristics, namely critical thinking, since 2013 curriculum is implemented by using the scientific approach. in addition, scientific approach covers the following steps: (1) observing – identifying problem, (2) questioning – formulating the problems to develop critical thinking, (3) collecting – collecting materials or data in various learning ways, (4) associating – to analyze and make conclusions, and (5) communicating – developing students’ knowledge and skill in delivering ideas clearly (indonesia ministry of education, 2013). in line with the objectives of the indonesia national education, the government has also included critical thinking as a necessary skill in every level grade of education, especially for junior high school level (indonesia ministry of education, 2010). teachers are supposed to develop students to think critically, share an idea, and make better judgments. the accreditation instrument of public high school (ban s/m, 2017) clearly states in item no 41 the specific standards for teachers as follows: teachers should have pedagogical competence to which is in relation to promote critical thinking skills that include the rule of learning principles, the design and the implementation of learning, and communication skills with students. in addition, learning activities such as involving group discussion, reading articles or watching videos, then answering questions are designed to encourage the development of critical thinking and social skills by exploring values, supporting content knowledge and developing practical skills (unesco, 2015). in terms of teachers’ competency, indonesia government has already done uji kompetensi guru (ukg) in 2015. unfortunately, based on the ukg results, most teachers were still below standard required. mean score for pedagogical competence was 48.94, meanwhile, the passing grade should be 55 (indonesia ministry of education, 2015). by looking at the data, pedagogical competence needed to be updated by teachers towards content knowledge and skills. teachers might also join the seminar, in house training, mgmp (musyawarah guru mata pelajaran), or ppg (pendidikan profesi guru) in which these forums help teachers to discuss the latest issue of education system and as a place to share idea how to teach students in the 21st century, especially to promote critical thinking. based on the observation of one of the researchers (functioning as the teacher) in joining mgmp group 7 of junior high school of palembang, most of the teachers involved in mgmp group 7 got difficulties in promoting critical thinking through questioning. it could be seen from the lesson plan they made that they were a lack of knowledge to fulfill the indicator of higher-order thinking skills. they only fulfilled c2: comprehension. furthermore, based on the discussion during the training, most of the teachers claimed they had not applied higherorder questioning yet. it was assumed that teachers were still a lack of understanding to promote critical thinking in the classroom. similarly, there was a discrepancy between what should be done and what had been practiced teachers' questioning behaviors to promote critical thinking in the language classroom. some studies related to teachers' questions were conducted in indonesia context. for example, yuliawati, mahmud, and muliati (2016) found out in makasar that teachers mostly asked 85.18% knowledge questions and never asked synthesis and evaluation questions as higherorder thinking levels in the classroom. katemba and marie (2016) also did research in bandung with six different english teachers, reported that the most type of the questions that had been used is under lower-order questions with 67.3% and 46.53% belongs to knowledge level which teachers only asked about the definition of the topics, the meaning, and the translation. in terms of document analysis of lesson plan, purnawarman, ratnaningsih, and gunawan (2017) found out in bandung regency that teachers were lack of understanding to decide learning indicator, in the same way, they only fulfilled the indicators by using c2: comprehension. it was focused on lower-order english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 53 thinking might not give a contribution to the development of students' cognitive skill in analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. as a result, in classroom observation teachers kept asking related questions trying to have active learning and develop students' thinking skills but it was not achieved well. matra (2014) reported in pekalongan that students were faced with problems in understanding difficult words of questions, therefore, teachers needed to repeat their questions to clarify the meaning or translated it into bahasa indonesia. it is in line with international education company english first (ef, 2017) reports that indonesia students’ english proficiency were still low level. they found out that indonesia was in the 39th rank out of 80 countries participated in the survey. unfortunately, indonesia had fallen seven spots from the previous year, when it was ranked 32nd out of 72 countries. in relation to the explanation above, the aim of this study was to investigate how critical thinking was implemented in efl teachers' questions in the classroom and the challenges faced by efl teachers in integrating critical thinking questions. in addition, this study also investigated students' reasons for non-response to particular questions asked by teachers. method applying mixed-method research design, the research site was at smpn 20 palembang. the research participants were two english teachers who are the members of mgmp (musyawarah guru mata pelajaran) group 7. however, the two english teachers were selected based on the following criteria: first, the teachers who hold a master degree majoring in english education study program; second, the teachers who have been certified and graduated from s1 degree majoring in english education study program, and third, the teachers who have been teaching more than 10 years. this study also involved 229 number of eighth-grade students consisting of eight classes in academic year 2018/2019 where the english teachers as the participants in this study taught. the data were collected from classroom observation, interview, questionnaire and documentations. to investigate how critical thinking was implemented in efl teachers’ questions in the classroom, observation sheet given by wilen (1991) that consists of six levels of questions in the original bloom taxonomy which categorized based on four levels of questions classification; (1) level 1 of low order convergent in knowledge level, (2) level 2 of high order convergent in comprehension and application levels, (3) level 3 of low order divergent in analysis level, (4) level 4 of high order divergent in synthesis and evaluation levels. the convergent questions are to assess lower-order thinking process. while, divergent questions are to promote higher-order thinking process. the observation was recorded and the data was analyzed into percentages and interpreted descriptively. interview schedule face to face was constructed to the two english teachers. this study provided one prompt question to know the challenges faced by the english teachers in integrating critical thinking questions in the classroom. in addition, the questionnaire was distributed to the students to get information about the reasons why students did not respond to teachers' questions. the questionnaire was adopted from natthanan (2009) which were classified into three different categories, as follows: (1) the students understood teachers’ questions but they could not answer them, (2) the students understood teachers’ questions, knew the answers but they did not answer them, (3) the students did not understand teachers’ questions and they could not answer. the students were only required to select one category that matched their reason for their nonresponse, then the students were only required to answer one cause and write their comments to enhance discussion of the result of their reason for non-response within the category they selected. the data was analyzed into percentages and interpreted descriptively. to support the data, document checklist was used to be the available information in relation to critical thinking questions applied by the two english teachers. results and discussion the research findings showed that four levels of questions classification (wilen, 1991) appeared in questions asked by the two english teachers namely; level 1 of low order convergent (knowledge level), level 2 of high order convergent (comprehension and application levels), level 3 of low order divergent (analysis level), and level 4 of high order divergent (synthesis and evaluation levels). however, the percentages at each level of questions asked by the two english teachers are different. from the total of 405 questions, the ahmad zainudin, machdalena vianty, & rita inderawati the practice and challenges of implementing critical thinking skills in efl teachers’ questioning behavior 54 highest percentage is in lower-order questions (78,8%), while the higher-order questions were only (21,2%) questions. it can be concluded that the most dominant questions asked by the two english teachers were in lower-order questions. table 1 presents the findings in detail. table 1. the classification of teachers’ questions based on the observation no levels of lower-order questions total percentage 1 level 1 – low order convergent 199 49,13% 2 level 2 – high order convergent 120 29,62% total 319 78,8% no levels of higher-order questions total percentage 3 level 3 – low order divergent 56 13,82% 4 level 4 – high order divergent 30 7,40% total 86 21,2% total of all questions 405 100% in relation to the questions asked by the teachers in four levels of questions classification, the following data provides information about it: most dominant questions were in level 1 (49,13%) which refers to knowledge level questions. at this level, the students are expected to store and remember certain information in the learning process as presented in data 1. data 1: give an example of things that can be compared? he is tall, isn’t he? and the next? what did you do at 6 this morning? what is the meaning of the event? in addition, there were (29,62%) level 2 in comprehension and application levels questions. these levels require students to perform better understanding then apply the knowledge to the appropriate situation as presented in data 2. data 2: what is ‘tinggi' in english? indicate to pronounce words tall, taller, and tallest find the past tense in this text and underline the words! we have three dictionaries, make a sentence which one is ‘lebih tebal’ or ‘paling tebal’ i give you one verb ‘wake up’ find out the v2 and make sentence by using that verb for past tense lesson furthermore, there were (13,82%) level 3 in synthesis level questions that require students to analyze a problem, give reasoning and support the argument as presented in data 3. data 3: how do you explain the relationship between suffix –er and -est? what is the relationship between suffix –more and –most? classify the text based on daily activities in the form of past tense? the last, there were (7,40%) level 4 in evaluation and synthesis levels questions. this level demands students to come up with better solutions for certain problems then produce innovative ideas to act as presented in data 4. data 4: what would happen if the adjective had only three syllables, not two syllables? then, create the sentence to compare something in our school context give me the right form or what can we combine in making past tense with verb and be? please, create your activity yesterday in front of the class by using past tense? what do you think of the lesson today? give some summary or conclusion the finding of this research is similar to research conducted in indonesia by katemba and marie (2016) who did a research in bandung with six different junior high schools english teachers. they reported that the most type of the questions asked by english teachers grouped into lower-order questions (67.3%). moreover, khan and inamullah (2011) who conducted study in pakistan secondary school by involving twenty teachers also found that the ratio of higher-order questions asked by the teachers was very low (20%). the two english teachers still focused on lower-order questions because based on results of the interview, the teachers state that the level of students’ intelligence has yet to reach the level of higher-order thinking. teacher 1: “first student intelligence itself as initial input besides that there is another thing that is whether or not english is one of their favorite lessons.” teacher 2: “inviting students to think critically is difficult because there are only a few children who are smart and they like asking questions. most students are asked whether or not they understand, they answer yes. are there any questions? no. most of them.” english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 55 this finding coincides with the result of the study conducted by sholikhati, mardiyana, and saputro (2017), they found that high personal intelligence students can achieve analyzing thinking level, students with moderate personal intelligence being able to reach the level of applying thinking, and students with low personal intelligence able to reach understanding level. it can be assumed that most of students’ participants in this study were in moderate intelligence. however, the teachers still asked a higher-order question even if a little. this means that the teachers have already known and implemented higher-order questions although the percentage was very low. in terms of teachers’ implementation, the two english teachers started with the basic level of questions, for example, the definition of the lessons, the meaning of the words, translation and ended questions which can be simply answered by saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ (see data 1 and data 2). most of the students were enthusiastic to answer questions even they were asked to open a dictionary because they did not need more explanation. as stated by bloom (1956) that lower cognitive questions represent the lowest level of understanding which required students to recall previous knowledge directly instead of any process of manipulating knowledge. however, it does not mean that the role of teachers' asking questions in lower-order thinking could not promote students' critical thinking, because it could drive students to think critically. teachers gave repetitive questions, feedback and promoted follow-up questions after they asked basic questions to lead students' critical thinking (see data 3 and data 4). it was also stated in an interview that the two english teachers firstly asked lower-order questions to check students' basic knowledge then lowerorder questions could lead to higher-order questions. as stated by wilen (2001) that lowerorder questions can prepare learners for higherorder questions. it is similar to a study conducted by sano (2014) who found that lower-order questions tended to be focused on basic questions while higher-order questions seemed to focus on follow-up questions. from the students’ point of view, based on observation students is silence when asked in higher-order questions because teachers invited students to have discussion to relate the material in deep and meaningful way. it is supported by the result of questionnaire that the cause of students’ silence because they were afraid of making mistakes (32,31%). the result of questionnaire is presented in table 2. table 2. the causes of students’ responses to the questionnaire n no why did not students respond to teachers’ questions? causes student’s response to questionnaire n percentage (%) 1 students understood teachers’ questions, knew the answers, but they did not answer students were afraid of making mistakes 74 32,31% students were shy 22 9,60% students were having difficulty concentrating in class or occupied with a personal problem 10 4,37% students waited for answers from the teachers 9 3,93% students did not like speaking english. 7 3,05% students did not like to talk in class 6 2,62% 2 students understood teacher’s questions, but they could not answer students could not put ideas into words. 31 13,53% students did not know the vocabulary. 17 7,42% students did not know the grammar. 13 5,7% students did not have the knowledge required by the questions. 9 3,93% the teachers did not give sufficient time to formulate the answer. 3 1,31% 3 students did not understand teachers’ questions, and they could not answer the content was too difficult and complex 20 8,73% the teacher used vocabulary that was too difficult 8 3,5% total 229 100% in relation to the students’ comments after indicating cause they chose, the result found that most of the students were not convinced of their answer. the students showed their friends instead of directly answer questions. it is also possible if the classroom-environment could lead them to be not confident with their english and fear to be joked by the other friends. based on the statements above, it could be pointed out that the lack of confidence could ahmad zainudin, machdalena vianty, & rita inderawati the practice and challenges of implementing critical thinking skills in efl teachers’ questioning behavior 56 affect students’ exposure to speak in the class that can lead thinking critically. the students must have an opportunity to talk without feeling afraid to do some mistakes. especially, they are in language class which encourages them to deliver what were on their mind. this can be done by building a good classroom-environment. it was supported by the interview, both teachers said that the unconducive-classroom environment was also a factor that influenced teachers to promote students’ critical thinking. therefore, a good classroom environment must be available to make the students feel positive emotions. the following are the statements from the teachers: teacher 1: “in promoting critical thinking also depends on the classroom environment. for example, the class that begins the lesson in afternoon 10.40-12.00, they have not been focus to study. therefore, the teacher plays a role to improve their mood, through work up activities to make them feel welcome in the class.” teacher 2: “actually, all the classes i teach are active, but there are two classes 8.8 and 8.7, they are rather noisy so i sometimes have to control the class.” according to slameto (2003), to achieve a good command in english for students is caused by two factors that can be divided into internal and external. internal usually comes from the students themselves like lack of self-confidence. while external comes from the classroom environment. the unconducive-classroom environment like being laughed by their friends who gave incorrect answers that this such atmosphere would make them afraid to answer the teachers’ questions. the researchers assumed that this can be associated with the culture of the city where this study conducted. this finding is in line with the result of study conducted by rahmi and diem (2014) who did research in palembang with 55 state junior high schools. they reported that classroom environment is correlated positively to students’ english achievement. therefore, a good classroom environment must be available in every school, especially for junior high schools whose students are in the age of growing not only physically but also psychologically, they are sometimes being confused about what they have to and not to do. this also can be supported by the way of the teacher to make the atmosphere more positive to argue something. teachers are supposed to make the english lesson more interesting, for example, use some media pictures or videos and raise questions that demand students to come up with problems and solutions. therefore, teacher’s creativity plays a role as stated in interview. teacher 1: “the most important thing is teacher’s creativity. how the teacher creates a good atmosphere. using facilities to support the use of digital, such as gadgets or the internet. it can also be through music or videos that students observe and how the teacher raises questions that lead students to think critically.” teacher 2: “some students are also quiet, understand or not, they are just being quiet. typical students like that we have to ask questions. if they are confused, we ask again. if they don't understand, we just explained. so it is important by giving them critical questions to make them open, from those who do not know to be aware and those who are not active become active.” it was also stated in an interview where the other challenges to promote critical thinking was parental involvement. as stated by both teachers, parents must establish good communication with children, be directly involved with their education by having efforts to communicate, behave openly and being democratic. the following are the statements from the teachers: teacher 1: “parental involvement has a very important role in influencing students from an early age so they can think critically in problem solving at home. if the father/mother behaves openly to communicate, hears complaints and the willingness of their child or the term is to be democratic. the child will get used to think critically otherwise, if dictatorial parents impose children’s will, they will not be able to grow critical thinking.” teacher 2: “parents must guide their children to be openminded towards anything so as to lead their children to ask questions about everything” if there was a problem at home, it caused that the students would have not been focus in the class and make their mood unpleasant. this situation where the role of parental involvement is very important. parents must establish good communication with children, and be directly involved with children's education. marzano (2003) claims that one of five key factors that influence school achievement is parental involvement. seeing parents involved in the education of their children is a good thing because it improves academic performance. students become more focused on their school work (kwatubana & makhalemele, 2015). the use of english and bahasa indonesia was english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 57 also applied in the process of teaching and learning. the teachers tended to use english in lower-order questions. while, if the teachers promoted higher-order questions they tended to switch from english into bahasa indonesia. based on the interview, the two english teachers also realized that lack of vocabulary of students as one of the challenges that they faced to promote students' critical thinking. the following are the statements from the teachers: teacher 1: "indeed the higher the level of the question the more students take time to answer the question. for example, students give a wrong example even though the aim of the teacher is to make students think. then they realize it is wrong mam, it should be like that. so, the process of learning cannot be just spoonfeeding.” teacher 2: “the students who are being frightened mostly scared to ask and answer critical questions. i do not have a problem if their answers are in indonesia or english, the important thing is for us as a teacher to translate it later. therefore, if the students’ english background is good, it is easy to ask and respond to teachers’ questions. it is hard if the students do not understand and not interested in english.” it was also supported by the result of questionnaire that the cause of students’ nonresponse was the students could not put ideas into words to answer the questions (13,53%) and thought the content of questions was too difficult and complex (8,73%). (see table 2) it could be inferred that students were confused to convey words correctly, especially if they were asked for higher-level questions because they needed to think deeply and they were a lack in a number of vocabularies in english to express their idea. moreover, based on the observation, the lessons taught were comparison degree and past tense which means asking students to know the correct vocabulary and grammar. it is in relation with study conducted by arjulayana and srikandi (2019) who state that the lack of mastery vocabulary is the obstacle by students to communicate by using english. the teachers knew that the problem is students were afraid to say because they were in lack number of vocabularies related to what level they should behave. efl school students would need an active vocabulary at least 3000 highfrequency words of english or an average rate of seven words per day (renandya, 2013). as a matter of fact, how could students elaborate answers that are cognitively demanding to enhance students’ critical thinking if students commonly got difficulties in vocabulary and considered vocabulary as difficult aspects. as we know that indonesia uses efl (english as foreign language), therefore, efl learners only practice english in the classroom not formed as natural behavior since primary school. the last due to observation was conducted in two lessons; comparison degree and past tense in 16 meetings, the researchers found out there was no relationship between the lessons teachers taught and the number of higher-order questions asked. therefore, no matter the material was, the two teachers remained higher-order questions to inject students’ critical thinking although only a few questions. to sum up, the fact that there were lowerorder questions and higher-order questions asked by the two english teachers although the percentage of higher-order questions was very low. this was understandable because the two english teachers in this study have been accomplished curriculum 13 training and hots (higher order thinking skills) training so they had been familiar with it. therefore, the teachers have already known which is lower-order questions and higher-order questions although during implementation at the observation the teachers asked dominantly lower-order questions because the teachers state that the level of students’ intelligence has yet to reach the level of higher-order thinking. however, from the students’ perspective, the causes why they did not answer the higher-order questions were they afraid of making mistakes and lack number of vocabularies in english. conclusion this study examined how critical thinking was implemented in the questions asked by english teachers, the challenges faced by the teachers in integrating critical thinking questions in the classroom, and the students’ reasons for nonresponse to questions asked by teachers. concerning the levels of questions adapted to bloom's taxonomy based on wilen (1991), the result indicated that two english teachers have promoted critical thinking although most of the questions asked by them were in lower-order questions. it does not mean much dominant lower-order questions could not facilitate students’ critical thinking, but it could lead students to think critically. dealing with the challenges faced by the two ahmad zainudin, machdalena vianty, & rita inderawati the practice and challenges of implementing critical thinking skills in efl teachers’ questioning behavior 58 english teachers in integrating critical thinking questions were students’ intelligence has yet to reach the level of higher-order thinking skills, unconducive-classroom environment, teachers’ creativity itself, parental involvement and students’ lack of vocabulary. in the reason for students' non-response in particular questions asked by teachers, there were some reasons behind it. such as students are afraid of making mistakes, they could not put ideas into words, and lack of vocabularies. references arjulayana, & srikandi, c. n. (2019). early semester student needs in english mastery to support teaching and learning process in english department. the asian efl journal, 24(4.1), 7897. ban s/m. (2017). perangkat akreditasi smp/mts. jakarta: indonesia ministry of education. bloom, b. (1956). taxonomy of educational objectives: the classification of educational goals. new york, united states: longman, green and co ltd. ef. (2017). indeks kecakapan bahasa inggris ef. retrieved from https://www.ef.co.id/epi/regions/asia/indonesia/. indonesia ministry of education. (2010). peraturan pemerintah republik indonesia nomor 17 tahun 2010 tentang pengelolaan dan penyelenggaran pendidikan. jakarta: indonesia ministry of education. indonesia ministry of education. (2013). peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia nomor 81 a tahun 2013 tentang implementasi kurikulum. jakarta, indonesia: indonesia ministry of education. indonesia ministry of education. (2015). 7 provinsi raih nilai terbaik uji kompetensi guru 2015. retrieved from https://www.kemdikbud.go.id/main/blog/2016/0 1/7-provinsi-raih-nilai-terbaik-uji-kompetensiguru-2015. indonesia ministry of education. (2016). peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan nomor 22 tahun 2016 tentang standar proses pendidikan dasar dan menengah. jakarta: indonesia ministry of education. katemba, c. v., & marie, a. r. (2016). analysis of teacher’s questioning and students’ critical thinking in english classroom. journal of international scholars’ conference, 1(2), 23-33. khan, w. b., & inamullah, h. m. (2011). a study of lower-order and higher-order questions at secondary level. asian social science, 7(9), 149157. kwatubana, s., & makhalemele, t. (2015). parental involvement in the process of implementation of the national school nutrition programme in public schools. international journal of educational sciences, 9(3), 315-323. matra, s. d. (2014). teacher questioning in classroom interaction. a journal of culture: english language teaching & literature, 14(1), 83-111. marzano, r. (2003). what works in schools: translating research into action. alexandria, va: association for supervision and curriculum development. national education association. (2012). preparing 21st century students for a global society: an educator’s guide to the “four cs”. washington, dc: national education association natthanan, d. (2009). teachers’ questioning techniques and students’ critical thinking skills: english language classroom. doctoral thesis, oklahoma state university, the united states. purnawarman, p., ratnaningsih, s., & gunawan, m. h. (2017). scientific approach of 2013 curriculum: teachers’ implementation in english language teaching. journal of english education, 6(1), 33-40. rahmi, r. a., & diem, c. d. (2014). junior high school students’ perception of classroom environment and their english achievement. international journal of applied linguistics & english literature, 3(3), 41-47. renandya, w. a. (2013). essential factors affecting efl learning outcomes. english teaching, 68(4), 23-41. richards, j. c., & schmidt, r. (2010). longman dictionary of language teaching & applied linguistics. london: pearson education limited. sano, m. (2014). critical thinking skills and teachers’ questioning behavior in a japanese university efl context. master thesis, the university of soka, japan. sholikhati, r., mardiyana., & saputro, d. r. s. (2017). students’ thinking level based on intrapersonal intelligence. journal of physics, 943, 1-7. doi :10.1088/1742-6596/943/1/012007. slameto. (2003). belajar dan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhinya. jakarta: rineka cipta. unesco. (2015). global citizenship education: topics and learning objectives. paris: united nations educational, scientific, and cultural organization. wilen, w. w. (1991). questioning skills, for teachers: what research says to the teachers. washington, dc: national education association. wilen, w. w. (2001). exploring myths about teacher questioning in the social studies classroom. the social studies, 92(1), 26-32. doi: 10.1080/00377990109603972. yuliawati, y., mahmud, m. & muliati, a. (2016). teacher’s questioning and students’ critical thinking in efl classroom interaction. elt worlwide, 3(2), 232-246. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 203 analyzing 'hate speech phenomenon' research in indonesia: a systematic review yelly andriani barlian school of creative industries, telkom university, bandung, indonesia email: yellybarlian@telkomuniversity.ac.id pikir wisnu wijayanto school of applied science, telkom university, bandung, indonesia email: pikirwisnu@telkomuniversity.ac.id apa citation: barlian, y.a., & wijayanto, p.w. (2021). analyzing 'hate speech phenomenon' research in indonesia: a systematic review. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 203-212. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5371 received: 28-08-2021 accepted: 21-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction the current technology has brought human beings to a more developed civilization. almost all the working procedures and tasks run more accessible and faster, not to mention its limitless border. distance is no longer a severe problem in communication since social media takes its place to alter one's existence. the positive impacts occur in varied life aspects. in the economy aspect, technology assists the traders to market their products online. they do not have to own stores or places; however, they can spread their products widely. in the education aspect, technology contributes much in bridging difficulties, particularly in the chaotic condition lately (covid 19 pandemic), the students gain knowledge with long-distance learning, and the sources are millions apart from learning materials uploaded by the teachers. furthermore, there are still more benefits in other life aspects by technology. technology significantly plays a vital role in communication needs. it creates new and modern media and their characteristics. starting from the oldest social media such as bulletin board system (bbs) that announced meetings and shared information in 1978, then friendster in 2002 as a growing social network that connected people worldwide virtually. the latest social media is instagram, created in 2010 by kevin systrom dan mike krieger (sartika, 2019), and it has defeated facebook's popularity. these platforms can represent real-life in cyberplace. dialogic (two-way) communication is efficiently conducted with social media. as a result, they are the potential to expand human social interaction. however, undoubtedly, they also cause negative impacts on communication issues. one of them is the hate speech phenomenon. according to myers in rahma and andreas (2020), this communication issue is aggression, defined as physical or verbal actions that hurt others. hate speech is one of the insulting verbal actions. in indonesia, hate speech is delivered in varied forms, such as words, phrases, clauses, and sentences (syafyahya, 2018). the forms of hate speech could be blasphemy, defamation, unpleasant conduct, provoking or inciting, and spreading false news (handayani, 2019). research conducted by the centre for innovation policy and governance (cipg) in 2017 revealed that the hate speech phenomenon in indonesia has emerged since 2012 with political issues in jokowi ahok, jakarta local election (pilkada jakarta). it abstract: this study aims to analyze some hate speech phenomenon reviews in indonesia. it compares how these two reviews are carried out to indicate how each source contributes and integrates the topic. the research uses a qualitative method with a systematic review. they were analyzed using a literature review matrix with the abstract data, such as author, years published, topic, and effects and findings. the prisma checklist (reporting guide for systematic review) is also applied to validate the observed systemic review. the research findings demonstrate that the clarity and transparency of the observed literature reviews need to be improved. keywords: hate speech; prisma checklist; systematic literature review. yelly andriani barlian & pikir wisnu wijayanto analyzing 'hate speech phenomenon' research in indonesia: a systematic review 204 was started with the shifting role of buzzer from promoting products to campaigning specific political figures. it shows that buzzer reputation has shifted to negative (camil et al., 2017). for instance, we often observe social media platforms such as instagram, facebook, youtube, twitter, and whatsapp, the latest name-callings 'kadrun,' short for kadal gurun (dabb lizard), referring to jokowo critics and jakarta governor anies baswedan supporters. meanwhile, derogatory terms cebong (tadpoles) is associated with jokowi devotees (heriyanto, 2019). social media has been dominated by a rude sarcasm language style that contains swearing, satire, ridicule, and insulting (jamilah, 2020). furthermore, cipg found that buzzers, mostly influencers, have a significant role in persuading and managing their followers to support their opinions driven by voluntary or commercial motives. at this level, most of them will not concern communication ethics. indonesians have frequently degraded noble values because of this modern technology and postmodern paradigm that only prioritizes human rationality and objective clarity. this view belongs to deconstructionists (poststructuralists). they are famous for "a text meaning depends on the point of view of each interpreter. then the meaning is also different and varied". for example, if the phrase "setan kau" (you are evil) is spoken to other people, and they both understand the expression as a regular thing, it should not be interpreted as an insult. in contrast, the act is subjective to the victim when the person who hears that expression feels humiliated (nasution, 2019). this different interpretation often causes conflict. meanwhile, the other research stated that those who commit hate speech develop insufficient linguistic intelligence and communication ethics (syafyahya, 2018; nasution, 2019). the negative, unpleasant impact is still increasing today, and unfortunately, it tends to create and endanger national conflict. these two parties keep opposing each other using hate speech almost in all social issues in politics. public figures, such as celebrities, often face situations once what they write on social media contradicts local society values. it was found in young lex's case when he revealed his present wife was pregnant before marriage (latifah, 2019). however, sometimes hate speech is given without specific reason, for instance, taboo words given to aurel hermansyah, the daughter of indonesian singer anang hermansyah (suryani, 2021). it is also known that cyberbullying has been contributed to mental health and suicidal number (popoola et al., 2020). many researchers have investigated hate speech from varied perspectives to counter this possible national conflict, such as language features, hate speech reasons, or its solution. some researchers mainly investigate hate speech from its grammatical units and their meaning using forensic linguistics. subyantoro in suryani (2021) stated that forensic linguistics is a multidisciplinary study, namely linguistics and forensic science. particularly, danielewicz-betz in hazhar (2021) explained that forensic linguistics assesses and observes the language in the aspects of “crime, judicial procedures or disputes in law.” nowadays, forensic linguistics is used in court to observe hate speech as provoking, inciting, insulting, blasphemy, defamation, and spreading the hoax. each charge will bring the offender to jail, for example, in ahmad dani's case, as he provokes people to oppose the regime in power (permatasari & sunyantoro, 2020). these aspects are urgently required to be investigated; thus, we can formulate some proper solutions to counter this hate-speech phenomenon. before that, specific hypotheses, new theories should be investigated from previous related research. the research investigating what and how it happens (grounded theory) is a systematic literature review. in this case, the research type investigates secondary data of the hate speech phenomenon. in other words, it observes research conducted by others. the previous research has explained how to conduct this systematic literature review in the field of tropical medicine and health (tawfik et al., 2019). before that, the same research field was also conducted to evaluate the quality of the systematic review (vu-ngoc et al., 2018). one of the tools used to evaluate systematic review quality is the prisma statement, and a guideline has been conducted by page m.j (2021). however, we hardly find the study that compares the literature review analysis by using reporting guide for systematic review (prisma checklist). the research findings will show how these research types are conducted. this is needed as the research phases should be done appropriately to validate the clarity and transparency of the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 205 systemic literature review. an error in one of the phases, such as in searching strategies, will negatively affect information retrieval (salvadoroliván, j., 2019). these failure terms were synthesized and clarified in research studies published between 1970 and mid2018 (simpson, 2020). however, some methodological solutions were carried out to diminish the difficulties (haddaway et al., 2020). in this study, two qualitative systematic literature reviews were taken randomly to compare how these two reviews were carried out and indicate how each source contributes and integrates to the topic. furthermore, from the research findings, it is expected that some pedagogical research will be conducted to minimize and solve this hate speech phenomenon later on. method this research uses a qualitative method with systemic literature review or systematic qualitative review. along with davis in snyder (2019), this method is most widely used, particularly in medical science, as it is considered transparent, systematic, and reproducible. the systematic qualitative review is also called 'meta-synthesis that integrates the data to gain new detailed concepts and theories (lachal et al., 2017). this systematic review can analyze and identify empirical evidence to respond to the research questions or hypotheses. to validate the research questions, initially, it can be done by testing the research titles. picos (population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, and study design) is mainly used in a systematic literature review. however, they are hard to accommodate the qualitative systematic literature review. therefore, another tool developed by cooke et al., 2012 known as spider stands for sample, phenomenon of interest, design, evaluation, and research type. they are usually used as research instruments (flemming & noyes, 2021). 'sample' size in qualitative research is smaller, but they are more detailed if it is compared to quantitative research. 'phenomenon of interest' triggers the researchers to discover why the phenomenon happens and why it happens. 'design' research of these research papers is reflected in the abstracts. in a qualitative systematic literature review, the qualitative method should be revealed to guarantee the quality of the analysis. 'evaluation' is the outcomes measure. it could be different from quantitative research that usually consists of statistics. the measurement could be unobservable and subjective. the last one is 'research type,' which is qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method. this research is qualitative. the construction of the spider tool is explained in table 1 below. table 1. the construction of the spider tool spider justification s more minor participants tend to be used in qualitative research than quantitative research, so this term was deemed more appropriate. pi qualitative research aims at understanding the how and why certain performances, judgments, and personal experiences. therefore, its intervention/exposure is not always marked in qualitative research questions. d qualitative research uses a theoretical framework to determine which research method to use. inference statistics are not used in qualitative research, so the details of the research plan will help you make decisions about the robustness of your research and analysis. in addition, this may increase awareness of qualitative research in databases where titles and summaries are not structured. e qualitative research measures the same results as quantitative research methods, that is, results. these vary depending on the survey question and may contain more unobservable and subjective composition than quantitative surveys (e.g., attitudes and views and so forth), so evaluation was deemed more suitable. r three types of surveys can be searched: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method source: flemming & noyes (taken from cooke et al., 2012) this research is conducted to analyze some hate speech phenomenon reviews in indonesia. it compares how these two reviews are carried out to indicate how each source contributes and integrates the topic. once, the research uses secondary data, taking other literature as the research materials, it is yelly andriani barlian & pikir wisnu wijayanto analyzing 'hate speech phenomenon' research in indonesia: a systematic review 206 a systematic qualitative review. the approach is shown in table 1 below. table 2. approach to systematic literature reviews approach systematic typical purpose synthesize and compare evidence research questions specific search strategy systematic sample characteristics quantitative articles analysis and evaluation quatitative example of contribution evidence of effect inform policy and practice source: snyder, h. (2019) additionally, snyder concludes there are four steps in conducting this systematic qualitative method, such as 1) designing, 2) conducting, 3) analysing, and 4) writing up the reviews. in designing the review, the first question is the significance of the evaluation and which method is most appropriate for the research topic and its contribution. a qualitative systemic review is chosen as this research analyzes the hate speech phenomenon review in indonesia. after deciding on the research questions, the research strategy can be started by searching related studies. these studies were taken from secondary data, namely journal articles, thesis, proceedings, and online magazines. there are 2 indonesianlanguage articles taken from a varied database and available in google scholar, researchgate, and doaj.org. in gaining reliable synthesis on this research topic, a literature review matrix was made with the data abstracted, such as the author, years published, topic, and the effects and findings (snyder, 2019). the second phase is conducting the review. both researchers chose the secondary data to guarantee quality and reliability. snyder proposes some strategies, such as reading all the selected research papers and reading some parts (the methodology and findings). the last option is reading the abstract, selecting, and then rereading the full text before deciding. in this study, the researchers chose the second method, reading the methodology and findings as time-consuming. after conducting the review and choosing the research materials, the researchers analyzed them using the most appropriate approach for the research purposes. as this research analyzes the hate speech phenomenon review in indonesia, the approach used is a systematic qualitative review. the last phase of conducting this systematic review is writing up the review. the appropriate reporting guide for a systematic review is prisma (preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis) which is a revision of the quorom (quality of reporting of meta-analysis) statement. prisma was developed by 29 review authors, methodologies, clinicians, medical editors, and a customer (selçuk, 2019). it consists of 27 checklists for giving a transparent report of this systematic review. table 3. 27-item reporting guides of prisma section/topic item checklist items title title 1 identify the report as a systematic review, meta-analysis, or both. abstract structured summary 2 if necessary, provide a structured summary that includes: goals; data sources; qualification criteria, participants and interventions; study evaluation, and synthesis methods. results; limitations; conclusions and implications of important findings; systematic review registration numbers. introduction rationale 3 please explain the reason for the review about what is already known. objectives 4 ask clear questions about participants, interventions, comparisons, results, and study design (picos). methods english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 207 protocol and registration 5 if possible, provide registration information, including the registration number, confirmation logs, availability, access locations (such as web addresses). eligibility criteria 6 specify and justify the characteristics of the study used as admission criteria (e.g., picos, duration of follow-up) and reporting factors (e.g., years considered, language, publication status). information sources 7 describe all sources at the search date and the last search (e.g., a database containing the acquired data, contact the study author to identify additional studies). search 8 presents a complete electronic search strategy for at least one database, including the limits used, to be repeated. study selection 9 demonstrates the process of study selection (i.e., screening, eligibility, inclusion in systematic reviews, and inclusion in the meta-analysis, if applicable). data collection process 10 describes one way to extract data from a report (for example, individual and duplicate pilot forms) and the process for retrieving and validating data from investigators. data items 11 list and define all the variables for which the data was sought (picos, funding sources, etc.), as well as assumptions and simplifications. risk of bias in individual studies 12 describes how to assess the risk of bias in an individual study (including whether this was done at the study level or the results level) and how this information is used in each data synthesis. summary measures 13 enter the most important summary indicators (risk ratio, mean difference, etc.). synthesis of results 14 describes how to process data and combine research results, including a measure of consistency for each meta-analysis (e.g., i2). risk of bias across studies 15 describe all risk assessments of bias that may affect cumulative evidence (e.g., publication bias, selective reporting within the study). additional analyses 16 explain any additional analysis methods (sensitivity or subgroup analysis, metaregression, etc.) and provide predefined methods. results study selection 17 include the number of studies included in surveys, ratings, and reviews, ideally with a flow chart, along with reasons to exclude them at each stage. study characteristics 18 for each study, provide the characteristics from which the data were extracted (study size, picos, follow-up period, etc.) and provide citations. risk of bias within studies 19 includes data on the risk of bias in each study and, where possible, provides an assessment at the outcome level (see point 12). results of individual studies 20 available in each study at all endpoints (benefit or harm) considered: (a) simple summary data for each intervention group (b) effect estimates and confidence intervals, ideally forest diagrams. synthesis of results 21 presents the results of each meta-analysis performed, including confidence intervals and consistency measures. risk of bias across studies 22 presents the results of assessing the risk of bias throughout the study (see point 15). additional analysis 23 when complete, state the results of further analysis (e.g., sensitivity or subgroup analysis, meta-regression [see point 16). discussion summary of evidence 24 for each primary endpoint, summarize the key findings, including the strength of the evidence. take into account relevance to essential groups (health providers, users, policymakers, etc.). limitations 25 discuss limitations at the study and outcome level (risk of bias, etc.) and review level (incomplete search of identified study outcomes, error reporting, etc.). conclusions 26 provides a general interpretation of the results concerning other evidence and its impact on future studies. funding funding 27 describe funding sources for systematic reviews and other support (providing data). the role of the funder in systematic reviews. source: nawijn., et al. (2019) yelly andriani barlian & pikir wisnu wijayanto analyzing 'hate speech phenomenon' research in indonesia: a systematic review 208 only items 1 and 2 will be revealed in the two chosen research papers in the research implementation. they are the title and the structured summary (context, objectives, data sources, study selection, and data synthesis. findings and discussion two articles were reviewed for the second time to eliminate unfit for the selection criteria. a literature review matrix was made to synthesize this research topic with the data abstracted (muniarti et al. 2018), such as the author, years published, topic, and the effects and findings (snyder, 2019). table 4. literature review matrix no author year published topic method effect and findings conclusion suggested solution 1. irawan 2018 hate speech in indonesia: bahaya & solusi literature review, but it is not mentioned explicitly, research method: critical race theory & islamic perspective. 1) hate speech in indonesia: verbal & non-verbal 2) hate speech causes social division, rudeness, and national decline 3) hate speech does not reflect the respected indonesian characteristics or nationalist values 4) hate speech causes violence and intolerance between religions, ethnic groups, races, and groups. government, religious leaders, and society should solve the hate speech phenomenon. 2. hanna rahmi, andreas corsini 2020 overview of the phenomenon of "hate speech" with political content in indonesia in the perspective of "psychological hatred" systematic literature review, and using secondary data, psychological studies. the emergence of hate speech: 1)political events, such as in indonesia president election (2014-2019) between jokowi and prabowo 2)jakarta (local) public election in 2017 between anies baswedan and ahok 3) the social gap 1) moral and religious education at school and home 2) parents and teachers roles 3) tolerance education 4) multiculturalism they were taken and analyzed using a literature review matrix and prisma statements to answer the research questions. these articles are written in the indonesian language with the same topic, the hate speech phenomenon in indonesia. for instance, from most research papers, these articles, we realize that this cyber harassment can be found almost in all media, printed and online. the prisma statements were made to give a clear and transparent report systemic literature review. in this case, the research will take snyder's strategy in reading some parts of the research paper (the methodology and findings). the prisma checklist item 1: title & abstract english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 209 title research 1: 'hate speech in indonesia: bahaya & solusi' title research 2: overview of the phenomenon of "hate speech" with political content in indonesia in the perspective of "psychological hatred" item 1 identifies the report as a systematic review, meta-synthesis, or both. the title is observed with the spider tool. explanation: the title of the first research should be more informative to help the readers and the search engine. spider (sample, phenomenon of interest, design, evaluation, and research type) approach can be used to make titles. research' sample' is defined as a smaller group from a certain population. it could be a group of people, objects, or items (bhardwaj, 2019). the titles of the two research papers refer to a sample of hate speech items in indonesian, which are available in varied media. they are a smaller group from the population. 'the phenomenon of interest' is reflected in the first titles (bahaya & solusi or hazard & solution in english), and in the second title refers to a political issue. the 'design' research of these two research papers is not described in their research titles. they are mentioned insufficiently in abstracts. the 'evaluation' only appears in the title of the second research that uses the psychological hatred perspective to discuss its research data. as the systematic literature review, both titles should reflect it by adding the phrase 'systematic review,' 'meta-analysis,' or 'meta-synthesis as the 'research type.' item 2: structured summary provides a structured summary and includes background information as needed. goals; data sources; qualification criteria, participants and interventions; study evaluation and synthesis methods. results; limitations; conclusions and implications of essential findings; funding for systematic reviews. systematic review registration number. this step significantly improves the writing quality as it guides the writer to jot the information down in detail and is well organized. it is also known as the ‘initial impression’ (tullu, 2019). report-research 1: 'hate speech in indonesia: bahaya & solusi' context: hate speech in social media (mainly) is categorized in many forms, and it can endanger indonesia's 'unity of diversity' value. objective: the research aims to capture the hate speech phenomenon in indonesia and its solution. data sources: this research uses the critical race theory perspective from delgado & jean stefancic (harris, 2001), islamic perspective on hate speech, the universal declaration of human rights, kuhp (book of criminal law), and some additional online services. study selection: this research focuses on the critical race theory perspective from delgado & jean stefancic (harris, 2001), islamic perspective on hate speech data synthesis: hate speech can be categorized into verbal and non-verbal disturbing actions. this research observed the hate speech phenomenon in indonesia, particularly digital social media. due to its adverse effects, the indonesian government has committed to oppose it by instructing all the social media to confirm the 'regime of censorship' and delete all the hate speech contents, besides the cyber policy implementation. this first research suggests the critical race theory (crt) and islamic perspectives to offer the solution. it explains that crt can learn and transform the relationship among races, racism, and power. moreover, political subjectivity will degrade the objectivity of social and human welfare implementation. based on the crt perspective, hate speech can cause physical and psychological disorders. thus, the crt perspective needs to provide social media users with techniques, guidance, and counseling. another perspective suggested by the researcher is applying the islamic perspective. principally, there is no prohibition of free speech as long as the verbal or non-verbal actions are not contrary to islamic values and against others' freedom and dignity. furthermore, the researcher also demonstrates the 'shura' concept in islam. it is noted that 'shura' is such a discussion forum where people can have different opinions to find the best solutions (nusa, 2018). conclusion: according to the crt perspective, the hate speech phenomenon should be prevented due to its adverse impacts on individuals and nations. the researcher proposes the concept of 'shura' to improve people's communication issues. yelly andriani barlian & pikir wisnu wijayanto analyzing 'hate speech phenomenon' research in indonesia: a systematic review 210 the researchers also urge active participation from the government, religious leaders, and society. report-research 2: overview of the phenomenon of "hate speech" with political content in indonesia in the perspective of "psychological hatred" context: the phenomenon of political hate speech in indonesia ojective: this second research observed the emergence of hate speech to discover the reasons, especially in pedagogy. data sources: this research uses systemic literature review, electronic information and transaction (indonesian: ite law), "duplex theory of hatred," semiotics, social and contains control theory, bio sociological theory, cognitive perspective. study selection: systemic literature review, duplex theory of hatred, perspective cognitive. data synthesis: the negative impacts of social media are fraud, hoax, cyberbullying, and hate speech intensely in a political context. hate speech is known as aggression, precisely non-physical or verbal aggression. this phenomenon is increasing because hate speech characteristics are 1) permanent, 2) itinerancy, 3) anonymity, and 4) transnationality (anis, 2017). besides encouraging all social media to delete hate speech contents, the indonesian government authorizes the ite law and cybercrime determination to overcome this issue. the researcher exposes "duplex theory of hatred" to relate hate speech to a psychological perspective: (1) hate is psychologically related to love. (2) hate is not the opposite of love, nor is it the absence of love. the relationship between these is quite complex. (3) hate, like love, is a story related to emotional character. (4) hatred, like love, can be explained using a triangulation structure based on individual stories, and the components of that structure exist negation of intimacy, passion, and commitment. (5) hate is the main component that gives rise to violence large (e.g., terrorism and genocide) (sternberg, 2003). conclusion: due to the negative impacts of the hate speech phenomenon, some solutions should be provided. it should be supported by all aspects, especially in the education aspect. teachers, principals, and parents are obliged to educate young generations to be tolerant regardless of different issues. from the results, the two research should be more informative both in title and abstract. the report noted that research title (1) only exposes the sample and the phenomenon of interest. in contrast, the title of research (2) only exposes the sample, phenomenon of interest, and evaluation. a good title in a systematic literature review should reflect the research sample, the phenomenon of interest, design, evaluation, and the research type. some elements should be available in a research abstract. they are the 1) objective, aim, the research purpose, 2) research method, 3) result of significant findings, and 4) principle conclusion (regoniel, 2021). the second research explores the topic phenomena more and a concise research objective in the last sentence of the abstract. it should have revealed the research method as well. meanwhile, the first abstract is complete. besides explaining its research method, it also contains the research conclusion. the structured research summary of these two research sufficiently covers all the research questions. conclusion from this research, we can conclude that writing a systematic literature review is challenging. to conduct an excellent systematic literature review, we can use the prisma checklist statements to guide us in composing the research and the spider tool as an instrument to decide the systematic literature review titles. furthermore, a more complete and detailed observation of related topics will be conducted, particularly in pedagogical aspects, such as academic writing issues. references anis, m., anggreni, l. and yuliarti, m. (2017). hate speech in arabic newspaper cyber law case study in al-jazeera.net daily newspaper. in proceedings of the 2nd international conference on sociology education (icse 2017), 1, pages 615-620. isbn: 978-989-758-316-2 bhardwaj p. (2019). types of sampling in research. j pract cardiovasc sci, 5, pp. 157-163. camil, rinaldi., natasha h. a., klara esti (2017). di balik fenomena buzzer: memahami lanskap industri dan pengaruh bazzer di indonesia. center for innovation policy governance (cipg). flemming, kate., noyes, jane (2021) what is qualitative evidence synthesis?: methodologies and methods for qualitative evidence synthesis. international journal of qualitative methods. issn 16094069 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 211 (in press) haddaway, n. r., bethel, a., dicks, l. v., koricheva, j., macura, b., petrokofsky, g., pullin, a. s., savilaakso, s., & stewart, g. b. (2020). eight problems with literature reviews and how to fix them. nature ecology & evolution, 4(12), 1582– 1589. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-01295x hazhar, ahmed. (2021). the role of forensic linguistics in crime investigation: uses in legal proceedings. 10.5281/zenodo.4609333. heriyanto, devina. (2019). "the rise of 'kadrun' and 'togog': why political polarization in indonesia is far from over." retrieved https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/11/19/ the-rise-of-kadrun-and-togog-why-politicalpolarization-in-indonesia-is-far-from-over.html. irawan, i. (2018). hate speech di indonesia: bahaya dan solusi. mawa’izh: jurnal dakwah dan pengembangan sosial kemanusiaan, 9(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.32923/maw.v9i1.712 jamilah, f., & wahyuni, p. (2020). ujaran kebencian dalam kolom komentar youtube pada tahun politik pemilihan presiden 2019. silampari bisa: jurnal penelitian pendidikan bahasa indonesia, daerah, dan asing, 3(2), 325-341. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.31540/silamparib isa.v3i2.1109 pmcid: pmc5716974 lachal., jonathan., revah-levy, a., orri, m. (2017) marie rose moro front psychiatry, 8, 269. published online 2017 dec 1. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00269 latifah. (2019). analisis ujaran kebencian terhadap postingan klarifikasi di akun youtube young lex. seminar internasional riksa bahasa xiii, eissn: 2655-1780 p-issn: 2654-8534. http://proceedings.upi.edu/index.php/riksabahasa murniarti, e., nainggolan, b., panjaitan, h., pandiangan, l.elly, widyani, i. d., dakhi s. (2018). writing matrix and assessing literature review: a methodological element of a scientific project. journal of asian development, 4(2). issn 23779594 nasution, erika h. (2019). analisis ujaran kebencian bahasa di media sosial. skripsi. fakultas keguruan dan ilmu pendidikan universitas muhammadiyah sumatera utara, medan. nawijn, f., wietske h. w. ham, roderick m. houwert, rolf h. h. groenwold., falco hietbrink, diederik p. j. smeeing. (2019). quality of reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in emergency medicine based on the prisma statement. bmc emergency medicine, 19(19). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-019-0233-6 nusa, ranny a. (2018). prinsip syura sebagai demokrasi islam: study terhadap pemikiran syekh muhammad abduh. fakultas ilmu agama islam, universitas islam indonesia yogyakarta. page, m.j., mckenzie, j.e., bossuyt, p.m. et al. (2021). the prisma 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. syst rev 10, 89. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-02101626-4 permatasari, d. indah, subyantoro. (2020). ujaran kebencian facebook tahun 2017-2019. jurnal sastra indonesia, 9(1), 62-70. https://doi.org/10.15294/jsi.v9i1.33020 popoola, olalekan, o. olagundoye, m. alugo. (2020). social media and suicide, anxiety disorders the new achievements, vladimir v. kalinin, cicek hocaoglu and shafizan mohamed, intechopen, doi: 10.5772/intechopen.92160. available from: https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/71917 rahmi, hanna., andreas corsini (2020). tinjauan fenomena “hate speech” dengan muatan politik di indonesia dalam perspektif “psychological hatred”. jurnal keamanan nasional, 6(2), 285303. https://doi.org/10.31599/jkn.v6i2.461 regoniel, p. (2021). how to write a good abstract: four essential elements with example [blog post]. in research-based articles. retrieved from https://simplyeducate.me/2021/11/09/a-goodabstract/ salvador-oliván, j., marco-cuenca, g., & arqueroavilés, r. (2019). errors in search strategies used in systematic reviews and their effects on information retrieval. journal of the medical library association, 107(2), 210–221. doi:https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2019.567 sartika, resa eka ayu. (2019). this article was published in kompas with the title “penemuan yang mengubah dunia: media sosial, kenapa bikin panik saat diblokir?” retrived https://sains.kompas.com/read/2019/05/23/220400 623/penemuan-yang-mengubah-dunia--mediasosial-kenapa-bikin-panik-saat-diblokir-?page=all (28 juli 2021) selçuk a. a. (2019). a guide for systematic reviews: prisma. turkish archives of otorhinolaryngology, 57(1), 57–58. https://doi.org/10.5152/tao.2019.4058 simpson a., maltese a.v., anderson a., sung e. (2020) failures, errors, and mistakes: a systematic review of the literature. in: vanderheiden e., mayer ch. (eds) mistakes, errors, and failures across cultures. springer, cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35574-6_18 snyder.h. (2019). literature review as a research methodology: an overview and guidelines. journal of business research, 104(c), 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039 suryani, yunita., rika i., siti umi h. (2021). linguistik https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/11/19/the-rise-of-kadrun-and-togog-why-political-polarization-in-indonesia-is-far-from-over.html https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/11/19/the-rise-of-kadrun-and-togog-why-political-polarization-in-indonesia-is-far-from-over.html https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/11/19/the-rise-of-kadrun-and-togog-why-political-polarization-in-indonesia-is-far-from-over.html https://doi.org/10.32923/maw.v9i1.712 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.31540/silamparibisa.v3i2.1109 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.31540/silamparibisa.v3i2.1109 http://proceedings.upi.edu/index.php/riksabahasa https://doi.org/10.15294/jsi.v9i1.33020 https://doi.org/10.31599/jkn.v6i2.461 yelly andriani barlian & pikir wisnu wijayanto analyzing 'hate speech phenomenon' research in indonesia: a systematic review 212 forensik ujaran kebencian terhadap artis aurel hermansyah di media sosial instagra. belajar bahasa jurnal ilmiah program studi pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 6(1), 107-118. https://doi.org/10.32528/bb.v6i1.4167 syafyahya, leni. (2018). ujaran kebencian dalam bahasa indonesia kajian bentuk dan makna. makalah kongres kbi 2018. fakultas ilmu budaya universitas andalas. tawfik, g.m., dila, k.a.s., mohamed, m.y.f., tam, d., kien, n., ahmed, a., huy, n. (2019) a step by step guide for conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis with simulation data. trop med health 47, 46 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-019-0165-6 tullu m. s. (2019). writing the title and abstract for a research paper: being concise, precise, and meticulous is the key. saudi journal of anesthesia, 13(suppl1), s12–s17. https://doi.org/10.4103/sja.sja_685_18 vu-ngoc h, elawady ss, mehyar gm, abdelhamid ah, mattar om, halhouli o, vuong n., ali, c. d., hasan u. h., kien n., hirayama, k., huy, n. t. (2018). quality of flow diagram in systematic review and/or meta-analysis. plos one 13(6): e0195955. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0195955 https://doi.org/10.32528/bb.v6i1.4167 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 629 integrating online reading activity in a critical reading course: a course evaluation sri kusuma ningsih english education department, faculty of teacher training and pedagogy, university of muhammadiyah prof. dr. hamka, east jakarta, indonesia) email: sri_kusuma@uhamka.ac.id apa citation: ningsih, s. k. (2022). integrating online reading activity in a critical reading course: a course evaluation. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 629-636. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6285. received: 01-02-2022 accepted: 29-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction in the present day, readers can get information easily from digital sources. by accessing digital sources, people have some light benefits. they can enrich their knowledge and skills. most people use digital sources for their needs everywhere and every day. manalu (2019) explores the expectations of students in reading digital texts. it has been noticed from the study that the participants felt good reading digital texts. they enjoy reading digital texts because they are inspiring, informative, and in line with the way they are reading. a study by gilbert (2017) shows that language learners engage in characteristically different reading activities and techniques while reading web text and that digital literacy skills are required in conjunction with the development of traditional target language literacy skills. online reading for students offers advantages in improving their understanding, and the availability of e-books promotes better reading habits and enhances motivation. huang (2013) examines the expectations of students about an e-book reading program. the findings indicate that students received positive feedback on the program's strategy resources and learning effects. they pointed out the ability of e-books to promote better reading habits and motivation. they also viewed ebooks as more affordable, portable, and environmentally friendly than print-based texts. additionally, ciampa (2012) explores and investigates the effect on reading motivation and listening comprehension of online e-books among six grade 1 students aged seven from ontario, canada. the study also indicates that, after using the online e-book reading program, all participants improved their understanding scores from pretest to post-test, enjoyed the online reading experience, and regularly read the online e-books at home during their free time. then, yeh, hung, and chiang (2017) analyze how students use annotations online during their reading processes and how such usage can contribute to their progress. the finding shows that the students strengthened their reading comprehension after the intervention. previous researcher shows that students of all ages and levels of experience generally prefer online textbooks to paper (lin, 2019). for example, aldaihani et al. (2015) analyze english programs taught at the college of technology studies (cts), the public authority for applied education and training (paaet) in kuwait. the study found that the participants consider the english program effective in improving their english proficiency. however, they also pointed to some inadequacies that appear to be related to the programs. abstract: advancement of information and communication technology (ict) has promoted changes on students’ reading behavior; from conventional reading and online reading. in the current study, online reading activity was integrated in a critical reading course in an english department of a private university. in the course, fifty-eight efl students were exposed with paper-based reading and online reading. after eight week, an evaluation was performed to the course. all participating students were surveyed and twelve of whom were interviewed. the quantitative data from the survey were analysed using rasch model while thematic analysis was performed to the qualitative data. findings showed students’ preference to online reading activity than paper-based reading, particularly for those who were already familiar with electronic reading devices. online reading was perceived to provide students with flexibility while reading and helped them navigate the reading sections at their ease. small screen size and lights from the screen appeared to issue students’ eye irritation. recommendation thus was offered particularly regarding further curriculum development that integrate online reading activity in a reading course. keywords: online reading activity; reading course evaluation. sri kusuma ningsih integrating online reading activity in a critical reading course: a course evaluation 630 examination of previous studies as discussed above has presented two critical issues, convenient sample size and students' perceptions of using digital text for more specific language learning. a study by ciampa (2012) states that it would be better if the sample used was larger and varied and checked the use of online e-books for early readers. also, manalu (2019) states that to make generalizations clearer, the research must include a greater number of participants from different educational institutions. examination of previous studies, as discussed previously, has presented two critical issues, convenient sample size and students' perceptions of using digital text for more specific language learning. a study by ciampa (2012) states that it would be better if the sample used is larger and also varied and check the use of online e-books for early readers. students need to improve their skills alongside the advancement of technology in all fields, including learning. in this era, reading and learning activity is very easy to do with the many technologies that promote and are readily available to enhance students' reading skills. moreover, hazaea and alzubi (2016) said that the practices of efl reading can be changed by using mobiles. mobile phones give students opportunities to practice reading independently and seek feedback. manalu (2019) indicates that advances in technology that continue to evolve trigger accelerating changes in almost every life. moreover, technology has changed the way we do things and is no exception in reading. technology makes knowledge readily available, and we can access information such as online news, wikipedia, articles, etc., with the internet. the digital text provides a modern reading experience and enables readers to communicate by displaying document types, fonts, and colours. the transformation of world technology in this era has led to increased use of online information in academic activities. this makes online reading become learning material and teaching material for most institutions (wu and chen, 2011). as taki and soleimani (2012) investigated online reading, digital text is one of the media used in online reading. digital text can also be interpreted as a paper-based test that is made into a digital text version that can be accessed through a technology device (huang, liaw, & lai, 2016). lin (2019) described digital text as the text specially designed to be used through a technological device with various features, enabling it to use mobile phones, help overcome students’ stress over financial issues and encourage them to get to know more about copyright issues. research conducted by experts on students' perceptions of online reading within the academic environment still causes debate because besides having a positive impact, online reading also gets a negative perception. pasaribu (2020) investigated 25 students’ responses to online reading classes. the data were collected from online records, reflections, and questionnaires. the results yield that online reading and tasks have promoted their autonomous learning and get in touch in meaningful learning encounters that they were able to plan, carry out, and evaluate their learning. despite the advantages and importance of online reading mentioned earlier, students expressed the opposite in the study of mizrachi and chou. the study of mizrachi (2014) investigated that students prefer printed text for longer and more extensive readings, whereas for fewer readings, they feel comfortable using both printed and digital text. this is because staring at the screen for too long when reading online will cause the eyes easier to fatigue and also causes a decrease in learning outcomes. despite the advantages and importance of online reading mentioned earlier, however, in the study of mizrachi and chou, students expressed the opposite. in the study of mizrachi (2014), investigated that students prefer printed text for longer and more extensive readings, whereas for fewer readings, they feel comfortable using both printed and digital text. this is because staring at the screen for too long when reading online will cause the eyes easier to fatigue and also causes a decrease in learning outcomes. the evaluation was needed to give the idea that the study was significant. the definition of evaluation has been explained in(murphy et al., (2018) study. there have been previous studies on a digital text that influence online reading can increase motivation and vocabulary of foreign languages (chen et al., 2013). the evaluation of language programs is a way of identifying practical values to be able to explain the unity of interventions of the developer intervention and inhibitory factors, the type of language, and the consequences that will occur. besides that, he said evaluation is different from measurement (collection of information about personal knowledge, expertise, and ability) and assessment (quantifiable measures of theoretical constructs), specifically in its context, intention, and fundamentally multi-methodological epistemology (norris, 2016). the latest advancement of the issue is the context of the research and evaluation of the online english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 631 reading understanding literacy system. the current study could be the potential for social-collaborative learning, where learners can display feedback from other users and access various perspectives and interpretations of the texts. in addition, students can improve their comprehension of the text and critical thinking skills by involving them in making annotations. there is plenty of research on online reading (e.g., aldaihani et al., 2015; huang, 2013). however, assessing the effectiveness of online reading activity in the course and the contributing factors to the students’ reading activity is rarely conducted in indonesia. the current study was aimed to evaluate a critical reading course in a private university in jakarta where an online reading activity was integrated into the course activity. the course evaluation included the effectiveness of online reading activity in the course, students’ behaviour toward online reading activity, and the contributing factors of such behaviour. thus, the study aims to address the following research questions: (1) how do students perceive the online reading activity integrated into the critical reading course? (2) what are the contributing factors influencing students’ online reading activity? this study focused on evaluating the effectiveness of an online reading activity implemented under the critical reading course activity at the english education department. the findings of the current study will contribute theoretically and practically. theoretical signification would support the theories on curriculum development, especially about evaluating online reading activity in a reading course. practically, the result of the study will have a beneficial insight for teachers to reconsider the strategy of teaching academic reading. method critical reading is a required course for all 2ndyear students. in this course, students will learn reading strategies to understand and retain information, the organization of reading passages, and strategies for learning and retaining vocabulary. building on these strategies, students will develop skills to analyse texts critically. in addition, students will practice and develop skills for paraphrasing and summarizing. a critical reading course has 14 meetings, and each meeting covers 4 credit hours or 200 minutes per week. during the first seven meetings, students learn conventionally, using printed texts during the course. for the rest of the seven meetings, they read using digital texts. they are allowed to use various online reading devices, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, computers, and others. in the first seven meetings of reading course, students needed to prepare for class by reading the book entitled “mindscapes: critical reading skills and strategies. in the class, they discussed a specific topic. for the rest of the seven meetings, students did online exercises. doing the online reading, the lecturer provided an account for each student to access the website. on the website, there were several course options. before starting online reading, the lecturer first gave directions. if students had not reached the minimum score, the lecturer would provide extra time so that students could try other exercises until they got a minimum score. the main aim of this study is to evaluate a critical reading course where an online reading activity was integrated into the course activity. particularly, it addressed two research questions: 1) how do students perceive the online reading activity integrated into the critical reading course? and 2) what factors influence students’ online reading activity? a mixed-methods design was employed to answer the research questions. the quantitative method with survey design and qualitative research with an interview were employed to explore students' perspectives about online reading activity and the contributing factors of such behaviour. the site under study was a private university in jakarta. the participants for this study consisted of english education department students (4 were male, 52 were female) enrolled in the critical reading course. two cr classes consist of 26 each class. to obtain the quantitative data regarding students’ perception of the effectiveness of online reading, a 20-items questionnaire was adapted from tseng (2010) in taiwan. some modifications were made to address the research question and for more clarity and precision. the questionnaire consists of three parts: demography information, opinions for the printed text version and the digital text (10 items), perception toward digital text (10 items). the questionnaire was developed online using google form. to gain an automated data collection and provides the easiness for further data analysis. the link will be distributed online through email and whatsapp. participants responded to the statement by choosing one out of the five options from strongly agree to disagree strongly. to examine the questionnaire’s reliability, it was tested using cronbach’s alpha test. perveen (2018) observed that the instrument had provided an appropriate reliability since the cronbach alpha value was greater than 0.60 (α = 0.83). sri kusuma ningsih integrating online reading activity in a critical reading course: a course evaluation 632 using a 20-item test, the questionnaire was separated into two dimensions (i.e., opinions for the printed text and digital text versions and perceptions towards digital text). the dimensions address students’ perception of the application of the online reading program, along with the individual items as follows: opinions for the printed text version (10 questions) and perceptions towards digital text (10 questions). both dimensions are coded as a (opinions for the printed and digital text versions) and b (perceptions towards digital text) to ease further data analysis. prior to actual data collection, there are 58 efl students and 20 items which are then measured using a rasch model. rasch model measurement through winsteps software 4.3.3 is used to determine the validity and reliability of the instrument as a whole. through its calibration, rasch model can transform the ordinal data (likertrating scale) into an interval data called “logit” (logarithm-odd units), which assesses the overall of the instrument for both item and person (bond & fox, 2015). table 1. display the reliability score based on the overall fit statistics of rasch model measurement. the quality of instrument statistics reported by a logit value for both person and item. table 1. instrument statistics mean reliability separation cronbach alpha person 0.26 0.33 0.70 0.43 item 0.00 0.95 4.23 as shown in table 1, statistically, the instruments show unreliable scores alongside with the cronbach  which is lower than 0.60 (cronbach’s  = .43). the score obtained indicating that the instrument possesses a poor reliability value (sumintono & widhiarso, 2014). the reliability values for the person and items show a great result for the item (0.95) but poor for the person (0.33). however, the reliability score for person and item indicates a great value as it possesses logit values of 0.70 and 4.23, respectively. the result suggests that the interaction between person and item is classified into a poor attribute (linacre, 2012; boone, staver, and yale, 2014). it is critical to note that poor attribution of instrument reliability was due to limited samples participating in the study and thus should be considered as limitation of the study. interview with students was conducted to collect the qualitative data for the study. a total of 12 students participated in the interview. the interview was a semi-structured where students were asked to respond four questions, such as the advantages reading online, the factors contributing to reading articles online. the interview was employed in the native bahasa indonesia to allow them express their thought freely without any language constraints. the data obtained through semi-structured interview was used to support quantitative data. the quantitative data collected from the questionnaire then will be analyzed into two different stages. first, the data are screened in microsoft excel to improve the quality of the data collected. second, the raw data are then tabulated and converted into logit (logarithm odd unit) through a rasch analysis using winsteps software 4.3.4 to maintain an equal interval within a linear scale (linacre, 2012). the purpose of using rasch analysis is to ascertain the external consistency on inventories, and evaluate the distribution and the quality of responses. in addition to the quantitative data analysis, qualitative data analysis was performed using a thematic analysis. results and discussion students’ perspective about online reading course item stratification the classification of items measured is 4.23 (rounded to 4), as informed in table 1. the four strata of the questionnaires’ items listed two broad groups: more difficult items to be considered and easier items to be considered (see table 2). the classification of each strata ranges from the most difficult item upon (item a4, lvi =1.16) to the easiest item to be agreed (item a10, lvi = -1.07). precisely, the item stratification process uses percentile values of 25, 50, 75, and 100. specifically, each item stratification is then classified by providing the logit value (lvi). the item logit scores were distributed very well and indicated that the items are capable of discriminating the individual response. table 2. item stratification category criteria item/lvi more difficult to be considered difficulty strata i lvi > 0.49 a4 (lvi = 1.16) b5 (lvi = 0.82) a7 (lvi = 0.70) a1 (lvi = 0.61) a8 (lvi = 0.55) difficulty strata ii 0.49 > lvi > 0.26 a3 (lvi = 0.49) a5 (lvi = 0.49) a2 (lvi = 0.34) a6 (lvi = 0.28) b2 (lvi = 0.28) easier to be english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 633 category criteria item/lvi considered difficulty strata v 0.26 > lvi > -0.74 b3 (lvi = 0.25) b9 (lvi = 0.02) b4 (lvi = -0.39) b1 (lvi = -0.66) b8 (lvi = -0.68) b10 (lvi = -0.68) difficulty strata vi lvi > -0.74 b6 (lvi = -0.75) b7 (lvi -0.80) a9 (lvi = -1.01) a10 (lvi =-1.07) as shown in table 2, four items considered easiest to be agreed b6 (lvi = -0.75), b7 (lvi = 0.80), a9 (lvi = -1.01), and a10 (lvi = -1.07). this implies that those four items are positively viewed refers to the effectiveness of an online reading course. in other words, few participants perceived that the online reading course was effective in promoting reading activity. they felt that ‘when doing the online test, the scroll bar helps me read the articles’ (item a9), ‘when doing the online test, the mouse helps me read the articles’ (item a10), ‘i think hyperlinks are helpful when i read on computer screens’ (item b6), and ‘i think the scroll bar is helpful when i read on computer screens’ (item b7) consider as the benefits of an online reading program. however, they also have a negative tendency toward five items considered difficult to agree on. those items are a8 (lvi = 0.55), a1 (lvi = 0.61), a7 (lvi = 0.70), b5 (lvi = 0.82), and a4 (lvi = 1.16). this is an important notion that online reading course raised issues regarding ‘in the online test, the question asking when which, and who are more difficult than other questions’ (item a7), ‘in the online test, the vocabulary question is the most difficult question’ (item a8), ‘paper-based test is more difficult to read than online test’ (item a1), ‘in the printed text test, the questions asking when, which, and who are more difficult than other questions’ (item a4), and ‘to me, there is no difference between reading on computer screens and reading on paper’ (item b5). students’ perceived benefits of attending online reading course findings of the current study showed that the online reading course through a computer-mediated offered several benefits for the students, including the completeness of its features, i.e., the use of scroll bars (a9, lvi = -1.01), mouse (a10, lvi = 1.07) and hyperlinks (b6, lvi = -0.75). such features allowed the students to navigate the texts easily, particularly when the article had a sufficient number of pages. it is also interesting but not surprising that the online reading tool's supportive features helped the students explore their reading. it should be noticed that students felt more convenience reading on a computer screen during the reading course than on their smartphone reading application. students’ perception of the instruction and online course despite the benefits offered by the online reading course, which are able to facilitate learning activities, perceptions towards the utilizing online reading course were still under expectation. it can be seen in table 3, which shows the overall perception. table 3. overall perception perception n % gender ages male female 20 – 22 23 25 positive 18 31 1 17 17 1 negative 40 69 5 35 28 12 table 3 shows that students had negative perceptions of the effectiveness of using online reading courses in learning. of the total 58 students who voluntarily participated in this study, there were 40 students possessed negative perceptions (69%, lvi < 0.47), and 18 students took possession of positive perceptions (31%, lvi > 0.41) on the effectiveness of the online reading course. in terms of gender, the majority of students who have positive perceptions are females aged 20-22 years (94%), with a total of 17 (94%). similarly, 35 female students (86%) figured out to hold negative perceptions with an age range of 20-22 years (70%). based on these results, it can be concluded that the online reading course is still doubtful regarding its effectiveness, along with students' perceptions that tended to be negative while the course offered numerous benefits. furthermore, findings revealed that students preferred conventional reading using paper to online, particularly when attending the reading test. students found paper-based reading easier to work on the test compared to online reading tests (a1, lvi = 0.61). the questions contained in text-based questions such as when, which, and who are also considered far easier to finish (a4, lvi = 1.16). however, conveniences are also presented by online-based reading learning, questions such as when which, and who is easier to answer compared to other forms of questions (a7, lvi = 0.70). also, vocabulary-themed questions are easier than other themed questions (a8, lvi = 0.55). responding to these matters, students believe there is no difference between reading courses based on printed text and online digital text on the computer (b5, lvi = 0.82). sri kusuma ningsih integrating online reading activity in a critical reading course: a course evaluation 634 factors contributing to students’ reading activity students’ computer literacy in the semi-structured interview question, students’ technological competence in operating online reading tool feaures such as scroll bar, cursor, and hyperlink made them easier to search for information in digital texts, especially when there is a very long article. some interviewees stated the following: “yes, when reading the digital text i use the scroll bar, cursors and hyperlinks. it’s very helpful when doing reading in digital text because it makes me easier doing an online reading.” (interviewee b) “yes, i use scroll bar, cursor and hyperlink when reading online as it really helps me to make it easier to read online.” (interviewee e) students’ interest and motivation all participants’ motivation and interest are positive. it may indicate that they enjoyed reading online because they found many advantages. the following interviewees clarify this: “firstly, the advantage of reading online, in my opinion, is easier to do anywhere and anytime. secondly, reading online helps us more easily understand the contents of the text because if we have difficulty, we can immediately look for the things we are disposed to know. then, it's easier to find a topic or articles that we consider reading” (interviewee c) “so, when i carry a lot of stuff and have a lack of time to read a book, i am still able to read a material given by a lecturer. i can read digital text through a smartphone. also, there is no need to bother visiting the library to read the material you want or recommended by lecturers because i can easily find and download it on google or other search engines to read online.” (interviewee d) “because there’s no time to print it out. it is also waste of paper.” (interviewee i) “reading an online article is easy and can be done anywhere. then, online articles are sometimes more interesting to read. if there were any difficult words to understand, we can directly look for the meaning online.” (interviewee k) challenges in reading online although students were observed to be benefitted from attending online reading programs, many reported that they encountered one critical challenge during the online reading activity. many students reported having health issues, particularly eye irritation caused by the screen light or make a notes on computer screens. “spending too much time reading online may cause headache and eyestrain” (interviewee b) “when doing an online reading, the technology devices we used automatically must be fully charged. sometimes when i read online, i don't realize that my device is off due to a low battery. then, the eyes become more easily exhausted and dizzy because staring at the screen for a long time period. and generally, constraints are found on our devices such as viruses, blanks, or suddenly freeze.” (interviewee d) “i find the difficulty at the time when reading on a computer screen or cellphone, because easy to feel sore eyes and runny when staring too long at the computer screen or cellphone” (interviewee h) “for some occasions, sometimes reading online will be difficult when you want to create notation on the article” (interviewee i) conclusion based on the findings and discussion, it can be concluded that there was no difference between the critical reading course based on paper-based reading and online reading. they found that online reading could assist them in reaching the flexibility of reading and searching articles, particularly for those already familiar with electronic reading devices. they found it helpful to be able to read better on a computer screen. however, participants tend to negatively perceive the effectiveness of online reading tests. they found it easier to do paper-based reading tests than online-based reading tests. moreover, the small screen size and lights on the screen appeared to issue students’ eye irritation. the research from this study has contributed to knowledge in the field of curriculum development that integrates online reading activity in a reading course. since the participants in this study were from a single educational institution, the findings could not be generalized to other populations outside the institution. future studies should involve a large number of participants from various educational institutions to generalize. acknowledgement i acknowledge the funding from the research and development body, university of muhammadiyah dr. hamka, jakarta, indonesia no. 345/f.03.07/2022 references aldaihani, h. a., shuqair, k. m., alotaibi, a. m., & alrabah, s. (2015). students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the english program taught at the college of technological studies in kuwait. english language teaching, 8(4), 80–89. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v8n4p80 bond, t. g., & fox, c. m. (2015). applying the rasch model: fundamental measurement in the human sciences (3rd ed.). new york: routledge. boone, w. j., staver, j. r., & yale, m. s. (2014). rasch english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 635 analysis in the human sciences. new york: springer. bond, t. g., & fox, c. m. (2015). applying the rasch model: fundamental measurement in the human sciences (3rd ed.). routledge. boone, w. j., staver, j. r., & yale, m. s. (2014). rasch analysis in the human sciences. springer. chen, c. n., chen, s. c., chen, s. h. e., & wey, s. c. (2013). the effects of extensive reading via ebooks on tertiary level efl students’ reading attitude, reading comprehension and vocabulary. turkish online journal of educational technology. ciampa, k. (2012). icanread: the effects of an online reading program on grade 1 students’ engagement and comprehension strategy use. journal of research on technology in education, 45(1), 27–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2012.107825 96 gilbert, j. (2017). a study of esl students’ perceptions of their digital reading. reading matrix: an international online journal, 17(2), 179–195. hazaea, a. n., & alzubi, a. a. (2016). the effectiveness of using mobile on efl learners' reading practices in najran university. english language teaching, 9, 8-21. huang, h. c. (2013). e-reading and e-discussion: efl learners’ perceptions of an e-book reading program. computer assisted language learning, 26(3), 258–281. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2012.656313 huang, h. m., liaw, s. s., & lai, c. m. (2016). exploring learner acceptance of the use of virtual reality in medical education: a case study of desktopand projection-based display system. interactive learning environments, 21(1), 3-19. linacre, j. m. (2012). a user’s guide to winsteps: rasch model computer programs. manalu, b. h. (2019). students perception of digital texts reading: a case study at the english education department of universitas kristen indonesia. jet (journal of english teaching), 5(3), 191. https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v5i3.1312 mizrachi, d. (2014). online or print: which do students prefer? in european conference on information literacy (pp.733-742). springer, cham. murphy, t. m., chang, c. y., & dispenza, f. (2018). qualitative clinical mental health program evaluation: models and implications for counseling practitioners and educators. journal of mental health counseling. https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.40.1.01 norris, j. m. (2016). language program evaluation. modern language journal. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12307 pasaribu, t. a. (2020). challenging efl students to read: digital reader response tasks to foster learner autonomy. teaching english with technology, 20(2), 21–41. perveen, a. (2018). role of moocs in pakistani english teachers’ professional development. studies in self-access learning journal, 9, 33– 54. https://doi.org/10.37237/090104 sumintono, b., & widhiarso, w. (2014). aplikasi model rasch untuk penelitian ilmu-ilmu sosial (b. trim (2nd ed.). trim komunikata. taki, s., & soleimani, g. h. (2012). online reading strategy use and gender differences: the case of iranian efl learners. mediterranean journal of social sciences, 3(2), 173-184. tseng, m. (2010). factors that influence online reading: an investigation into efl students' perceptions. the reading marix, 10(1), 96-105. wu, m., & chen, s. (2011). graduate students' usage of and attitudes towards e-books: experiences from taiwan. program 45, 294-307. yeh, h., hung, h., and chiang, y. (2017). the use of online annotations in reading instruction and its impact on students' reading progress and processes. recall, 29(1), 22-38. sri kusuma ningsih integrating online reading activity in a critical reading course: a course evaluation 636 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 81 improving students’ ability to analyze discourse through the moodle-based blended learning method noermanzah (corresponding author) postgraduate program of indonesian language education, university of bengkulu, indonesia email: noermanzah@unib.ac.id suryadi department of indonesian language and literature education, university of bengkulu, indonesia email: bklsuryadi@gmail.com apa citation: noermanzah & suryadi (2020). improving students’ ability to analyze discourse through the moodlebased blended learning method. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 81-94. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3781 received: 27-06-2020 accepted: 29-09-2020 published:11-12-2020 introduction discourse analysis studies have now developed into conversations between doctors and patients as part of communication interactions that can help cure patients' illnesses (hengst, 2020). good communication between doctors and patients still occurs with many restrictions so as to form a monotonous discourse which causes the patient's healing process to take longer. likewise, in romania, according to ilișanu & andrei (2019), discourse analysis helps to explain the vaccination policy which obliges its citizens to be only part of the characteristics of a totalitarian country that violates the population's right to have free choice. this is because vaccination in the community is the last option among other possible options to choose from. discourse analysis has also developed into how the policy process in the united states is influenced by successful student forums which causes the government to always try to collaborate with education professors, supervisors, and teachers to help provide assistance in building the country (wang, 2020). discourse analysis studies also occur in china and are more related to studies of public discourse related to health topics (luo, 2018). for example; the discovery of conversational discourse in online discussion forums shows that violence from intimate partners is a major public health problem. most of those in china who experience the problem of violence shut themselves off and only dare to tell about it in online health forums. not only that, in the field of language teaching, chinese as a foreign language that is studied by abstract: the covid-19 pandemic period requires online learning in discourse analysis courses that are not bound by place and time by providing interactive activities and supported by complete teaching materials. the learning method is the moodle-based blended learning method. this study aims to describe the results of increasing the ability to analyze discourse through the moodle-based blended learning method in the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu. the research method used is a classroom action research method with the model of kemmis, mctaggart, & nixon. data collection techniques used are tests, observation, interviews, and documentation. the data analysis technique used qualitative data analysis and quantitative data analysis and the determination of the indicators for the success of the action. test the validity of the data used triangulation of data sources and member check. the results showed an increase in activeness, motivation, independence, and student learning outcomes, especially in analyzing discourse after the application of the moodle-based blended learning method. increasing active, motivated students and the emergence of independence through synchronous activities used zoom cloud meeting and asynchronous activities through moodle on the website https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ and assisted by whatsapp. the increase was seen in learning outcomes in analyzing discourse, especially the ability to analyze the description, interpretation, and explanation of cycle 1 with an average value of 77.3 with the criteria b + increased in cycle 2 of 80.75 with criteria a-. keywords: improvement; ability to analyze discourse; blended learning; moodle mailto:noermanzah@unib.ac.id mailto:bklsuryadi@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3781 noermanzah & suryadi improving students’ ability to analyze discourse through the moodle-based blended learning method 82 many countries in the world, including indonesia, is currently developing how discourse analysis, especially conversational discourse analysis, is able to provide solutions in overcoming problems of learning foreign languages (renner, 2019). in addition, chien (2019) explained that in language teaching, especially regarding translation, students should be provided with provisions to understand how to analyze discourse related to rules in grammar associated with student’s experiences through the words they read and hear, such as analyzing cohesion and coherence so that students will be able to understand the language they are learning and be able to teach it to others more easily. for this reason, the it is important to improve students' discourse analysis skills in lectures so as to provide the ability to understand and solve various life problems critically and wisely, in the fields of education, health, social, law, religion, and economy. norrick (2001) explained that discourse analysis is a process of understanding the language meaning of each phenomenon which is obtained not only from the text, but the actual context of the events that occur. in this case the correct meaning of discourse can be found when examining elements of text and context, but it is different from ricoeur's contemporary hermeneutic view that the text is basically autonomous to "decontextualize" or the process of freeing itself from context and "re-contextualizing" the process of returning to context (atabik, 2019). discourse analysis also seeks to examine or analyze the language used naturally, both in written and spoken form towards users as an element of society and the presence of text that is built because of social action (flowerdew, 2017; schiffrin, 2007; jorgensen & phillips, 2002). the study of oral or written discourse is also part of scientific activity if it follows scientific procedures as evidenced by text data and context data of the actors in discourse activities. discourse analysis, especially critical discourse analysis, is used to reveal the relationship between science and power (darma, 2009; jorgensen & phillips, 2007). the important characteristics of critical discourse themselves are presented by teun a. van djik, fairclough, and wodak (in eriyanto, 2001) which are action, context, history, power, and ideology. this means that in an image discourse building there are also aspects that lie behind it. a battle of interests and expressions of disappointment can be something that builds this image. the study of discourse can be carried out structurally by linking between text and context, as well as seeing a discourse functionally by analyzing actions taken by a person for a specific purpose in order to give meaning to the involved participants (schiffrin, 2007). for this reason, improving students' digital literacy skills in the era of 5.0 certainly requires the ability to analyze discourse so that they are able to avoid hoax or false information (adila, weda, & tamitiadini, 2019). the better the ability to analyze discourse, the better students will understand correct information as new knowledge. in addition, the ability to analyze discourse will also affect students' ability to innovate, be creative, think critically, work together, and collaborate (karto, suhartono, susetyo, noermanzah, & maisarah, 2019). the ability to analyze discourse, especially critical discourse analysis by norman fairclough's model, second semester student of the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu is still in the sufficient category, namely the average score is 66.5. this can be seen from the low ability to analyze critical discourse starting from the ability to analyze texts, analyze discourse practices, and analyze socioculture (fairclough, 1995) so that the meaning of discourse is not maximized. the results of the interviews showed that students still experienced difficulties, especially interpreting texts associated with discourse practices and socio-cultural contexts. in addition, their lack of insight related to studies conducted on critical discourse. the lack of understanding of students in carrying out critical discourse analysis is influenced by a lack of references, a lack of examples of critical discourse analysis results, a lack of analytical activities, and a lack of teaching staff in controlling the development of critical discourse analysis skills. for this reason, a learning method is needed that helps lecturers to control the development of the ability to analyze discourse and also helps students by providing material and examples of complete discourse analysis studies. in addition, during the covid-19 pandemic, online learning was needed that is not bound by english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 83 place and time. the learning method is the blended learning method based on moodle (modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment). the moodle-based blended learning method, according to piergiovanni (2018), is a combination of online-based learning with face-to-face learning in (conventional) classrooms. then, kaur (2013) also argued that moodle-based blended learning is an effective combination with various delivery models, teaching models, and learning techniques that can be done in an interactive learning environment in online learning (e-learning) and face-to-face learning. moodle in this case is a software package produced for learning activities using internet technology and a website to manage courses using the principles of social constructionist pedagogy (samsudin & januhari, 2019). in this case, the moodle system is used via the https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ page. the moodlebased blended learning system provides facilities for students to become course members who can download all types of teaching materials flexibly and easily start in the form of microsoft. word, microsoft exel, pdf, power point, and video tutorials (rasmitadila, yahya, humaira, & tambunan, 2020; hew & cheung, 2014). in addition, the moodle system is equipped with a system of questions that vary in the form of quizzes, multiple choice tests, essay tests, chats, forums, and glossaries that can be answered anywhere without being face-to-face. it is expected that with complete material and controlled exercises, it can improve students' ability to analyze critical discourse. the application of moodle-based blended learning, especially in the indonesian language discourse analysis subject, actually aims to increase students’ participation. this is in accordance with the opinion of huda (2018) that moodle-based blended learning makes students have the opportunity to practice analyzing more discourse because students can analyze discourse without being limited by classrooms (multi-space and time learning), and the effectiveness of class management because all activity can be documented. moreover, the indonesian discourse analysis course results in a written document containing systematic reports on the results of a discourse analysis study presented to certain scientific communities (students, lecturers, researchers, scientists, and others) so it is appropriate to use the blended learning model (suryoputro, riadi, & sya’ban, 2012). then, by using the moodle-based blended learning method, interactive learning can occur like in a classroom, for example, the results of student discourse analysis as a learning process can be seen by other students and these students can receive input other than from the lecturer. lecturers can responsively monitor the flow of information that occurs between students so that lecturers can straighten out if there are errors in arguments among students (griffin, 2002). then, based on abdullah's research results (2018), blended learning is learning that is very effective and efficient to improve student’s ability to be fun, student’s interest in learning is greater with a diverse learning environment and offers better learning, either separately or in groups and same or different time. for this reason, it is hoped that the application of the moodle-based blended learning method can improve the ability to analyze discourse of students of the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu. the formulation of the problems to be answered in this study, namely; 1) how is the learning process using the moodle-based blended learning method in improving the ability to analyze discourse of students of the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu? and 2) how to improve learning outcomes from the ability to analyze discourse through the moodle-based blended learning method for students of the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu? then, the objectives of this study are: 1) to describe the learning process using the moodle-based blended learning method in improving the ability to analyze discourse of students of the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu; and 2) describe the increase in learning outcomes from the ability to analyze discourse through the moodle-based blended learning method for students of the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu. noermanzah & suryadi improving students’ ability to analyze discourse through the moodle-based blended learning method 84 the results of this study are expected to be useful in the development of knowledge in the field of teaching discourse analysis and teaching methods, especially the moodle-based blended learning method. in addition, the results of this study can be used as relevant research for future research on classroom action research by applying the moodle-based blended learning method to improve students' ability to analyze discourse. then, the benefits for lecturers in the indonesian language discourse analysis course as researchers are; it is greatly helped to understand teaching procedures using the moodle facilities that have been provided by the university of bengkulu through the https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ page; for lecturers of other subjects in the master program of indonesia language education, it can be used as a reference in implementing moodlebased blended learning method which has actually been provided by university of bengkulu. method the research method used to answer the research problem is the participatory classroom action research method. participatory classroom action research is a researcher who directly becomes a teacher who takes action to change (kemmis, mctaggart, & nixon, 2014). classroom action research methods use the model of kemmis, mctaggart, & nixon. the process of action research using the kemmis, mctaggart, & nixon model in general consists of action steps, namely planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. classroom action research procedures in applying the moodle-based blended learning method in improving students' critical discourse analysis skills use the spiral model procedure of kemmis, mctaggart, & nixon (2014). the spiral model is planned to be carried out in two cycles which are actually part of one activity in the spiritual model. the population in this study were 7 semester students of the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu, amounting to 7 people consisting of 4 women and 3 men. the research sample or the object of the study were members of the population, namely students of class a semester 2 of the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu totaling 7 people consisting of 4 women and 3 men. the sample was determined by purposive sampling (sampling technique with specific considerations or goals). the purpose of determining the sample is that students take the indonesian language discourse analysis subject. incidentally, the students taking the course only had one class, namely class a semester, which totaled 7 students. data collection techniques used to answer the formulation of research problems, namely test techniques, observation, interviews, and documentation. the test technique used is the essay technique in the form of performance in analyzing a discourse using the norman fairclough model of critical discourse analysis. the observation technique is carried out by open observation which consists of observations of lecturer’s activities and students’ activities while carrying out learning activity. the interview technique was also carried out by using an open interview technique to lecturers and students in the form of a response to the implementation of discourse analysis learning using the moodle-based blended learning method. then, the documentation technique is by documenting the semester learning plan, lecture program unit text, and audio visual of the learning implementation process. the main instruments in this study are researchers and observers. however, researchers and observers in this case are assisted by research instruments, namely 1) essay tests or essay tests which are arranged in the form of performance tests to analyze discourse using norman fairclough's critical discourse analysis method. essay test can be seen in the attachment section of the lesson plan. assessment indicators for the results of discourse analyzing activity performance are as follows. table 1. product assessment indicators analyzing discourse using norman fairclough's critical discourse analysis method no. discourse analysis activity indicators weight value 1. activity description analysis 35 2. interpretation activities 30 3. explanation activities 35 score 100 the next instrument, namely 2) the observation sheet used, namely the lecturer’s activity observation sheet and the students’ activity english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 85 observation sheet in face-to-face learning activities and online or online activities in the moodle system, namely https://elearning.unib.ac.id. the observation sheet is open in nature with observed aspects related to preliminary activities, core activities, and closing activities. 3) the interview sheet is an open interview that deals with the responses of lecturers and students to the implementation of learning to analyze discourse using the moodle-based blended learning method. the interview sheets that are asked about are related to preliminary activities, core activities, and closing activities. then, 4) gadgets; the function of the device is to help researchers to document visual and audio-visuals in the process of implementing moodle-based blended learning to analyze discourse using the moodle-based blended learning method. the data validity test used triangulation of data sources obtained from test data, observation, interviews, and documentation. data validity testing was also carried out by member-checking each analysis activity, both qualitative data analysis and quantitative data. then, the data analysis technique in this study is divided into two steps, namely quantitative data analysis and qualitative data. quantitative data is in the form of test data, while qualitative data is data obtained from observations and interviews. quantitative data analysis the results of the performance essay test assessed by two reviewers, namely by lecturers and peers. meanwhile, calculating the average value (mean) is by using spss 20. the classical completeness criteria are obtained if there are 80% in the class with a kkm score of 80 or criterion a-. qualitative data analysis qualitative data analysis, namely analyzing data from observations of lecturer’s activities and students’ activities as well as results of interviews with lecturers and students. the results of observations of lecturer’s activities related to the implementation of discourse analysis learning are not in accordance with the procedures for the moodle-based blended learning method in the lecture program unit. if it is appropriate, it can be said that the lecturer's activity is good, and vice versa; if it is not then the lecturer’s activity is not good. same with the case of students’ activities related to students’ activities in preliminary activities, core activities, and closing activities. if the three activities are mostly active students, then the students’ activities are good, on the other hand, if they are not active, then the students’ activities are not good. the results of the interview were also related to the problems faced by lecturers and students. in this case, the results of the interview are more to help reflect or improve the results of the action. the results of the interview are also the basis for determining whether the moodle-based blended learning method actually provides good motivation and impact for lecturers, especially students in understanding discourse analysis activities. interpretation and conclusions interpretation activities are interpreting and linking quantitative data and qualitative data whether it has reached the indicators of success or not. then, if it has reached the indicators of success, it can be concluded that the research hypothesis is accepted, namely the moodle-based blended learning method can improve the ability to analyze the discourse of semester 2 students of the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu. indicators of the success of classroom action research with the application of the moodle-based blended learning method in improving the ability to analyze discourse of semester 2 students of the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu are as follows: 1. the results of observations of lecturer’s activities are in accordance with the procedure for implementing the moodle-based blended learning method in lecture program unit. 2. the results of observations of students’ activities show that they are active in every learning activity. 3. the results of the interview show that students are happy and motivated by learning discourse analysis using the moodle-based blended learning method. 4. the completeness criteria of learning in the maximum is 80% with a minimum completeness criteria score of 80 or criterion a. noermanzah & suryadi improving students’ ability to analyze discourse through the moodle-based blended learning method 86 results and discussion the learning process using moodle based blended learning method in analyzing discourse material from the results of observations of the learning process carried out by the lecturer, the learning steps used the moodle-based blended learning method on analyzing discourse material and the results of reflection in cycle 1, as follows. step-by-step learning cycle 1 virtual face with zoom cloud introduction (20 minutes): lecturer check student attendance, the lecturer checks the students’ health condition, lecturer provide perception and motivation to students, the lecturer explains the learning objectives, and the lecturer asks students to log in to the https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ system. core activity (70 minutes): exploration: the lecturer asks students to observe several teaching materials and examples of discourse analysis results, lecturers question and answer students from observations of reading teaching materials and examples of discourse analysis result, and lecturers provide reinforcement regarding the critical discourse analysis procedures of norman fairclough's model. elaboration: the lecturer asks students individually to analyze one learning video to write an experiment report text, the lecturer guides the discourse analysis assignment individually, the lecturer asks each individual to present the results of critical discourse analysis, and lecturers provide reinforcement of the results of critical discourse analysis. confirmation: the lecturer questions and answers students' understanding of the results of the analysis that has been done, and lecturers provide reinforcement of the results of critical discourse analysis that are correct in accordance with the theory and data findings. closing activity (10 minutes): the lecturer asks students to do an exercise in analyzing discourse in the moodle system https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ according to a predetermined schedule, which are: the lecturer explains the procedures for online assignments on the https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ system in the form of chat and glossary, the lecturer reflects with questions and answers about the learning objectives that have been and have not been achieved., and the lecturer closes the learning with students. results of cycle reflection 1 the results of reflection in cycle 1 from the results of observations of the learning process carried out by lecturers and students are as follows: 1. the results of observations of lecturer’s activities are in accordance with the procedure for implementing the moodle-based blended learning method in sap. it is just that lecturers still had problems communicating with participants because the participants’ network was unstable during the discussion. 2. the results of observations of student activities showed that they were active in every learning activity. it is just that there are students who did not simultaneously open learning materials in the https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ system because they were blocked by the network. there are also some students who were not clear about participating in discussion activities regarding discourse analysis activities ranging from descriptive analysis, interpretation, and explanation. then, there are students who still had difficulty doing discourse analysis, especially in the analysis of descriptions, interpretations, and explanations. this can be seen from the presentation activities. this is because the analysis time was quite short. 3. the results of the interview showed that the students were happy and motivated by learning discourse analysis using the moodle-based blended learning method. it is just that there are students who still found it was difficult to interpret the meaning of the text which is related to the context. 4. the average value of cycle 1 is 77.3 (b +) and only 28.57% have achieved a value of 80. this showed that they have not reached 80 or a because the specific success indicators of the classical learning completeness criteria must be 80% with a kkm score of 80 or criterion a-. step-by-step learning cycle 2 virtual face with zoom cloud introduction (10 minutes): lecturers check student attendance, the lecturer checks the students’ health condition, lecturers provide perceptions and motivation to students by providing inspirational learning videos, the lecturer english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 87 explains the learning objectives, and the lecturer asks students to log in to the https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ system. core activity (80 minutes): exploration: the lecturer asks students to observe several teaching materials and examples of discourse analysis results,lecturers question and answer students from observations of reading teaching materials and examples of discourse analysis results, and lecturers provide reinforcement regarding the critical discourse analysis procedures of norman fairclough's model. elaboration: the lecturer asks students individually to analyze one learning video on writing experiment report text, the lecturer guides the discourse analysis assignment individually, the lecturer asks each individual to present the results of critical discourse analysis, and lecturers provide reinforcement of the results of critical discourse analysis. confirmation: the lecturer questions and answers students’ understanding of the results of the analysis that has been carried out, and lecturers provide reinforcement of the results of critical discourse analysis that are correct in accordance with the theory and data findings. closing activity (10 minutes): the lecturer asks students to do an exercise in analyzing discourse in the moodle system https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ according to a predetermined schedule, and the lecturer explains the procedures for online assignments on the https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ system in the form of chat and glossary, which are: the lecturer reflects with questions and answers about the learning objectives that have been and have not been achieved, lecturers deliver material that will come, and the lecturer closes the lesson with students. results of cycle reflection 2 the results of reflection in cycle 2 from the results of observations of the learning process carried out by lecturers and students are as follows: 1. the results of observations of lecturer activities are in accordance with the procedure for implementing the moodle-based blended learning method in sap. students were communicative in every learning activity starting from preliminary activities, core activities, and closing activities. this can be done because lecturers provided learning experiences to students to always carry out activities ranging from observation activities and analyzing discourse and discussion activities. 2. the results of observations of student activities showed that they were active in every learning activity, starting from preliminary activities, core activities, and closing activities. students simultaneously opened learning materials in the https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ system and the student network was stable. some students had been actively carrying out discourse analysis starting from analysis of descriptions, interpretations, and explanations, as well as presenting in discussion activities. then, a good understanding from students about analyzing discourse, especially in the analysis of descriptions, interpretations, and explanations, can be seen from the presentation activities that went well. 3. the results of the interview showed that the students were happy and motivated by learning discourse analysis using the moodle-based blended learning method. students already felt that they got better understanding the process of interpreting the meaning of the text associated with the context of a discourse so that it gets the real meaning. 4. the average value of cycle 2 is 80.75 (a-) reaching 85.71%. it has reached the specific success indicator for the classical completeness criteria as it must be 80% with a minimum completeness criterion value of 80 or criterion a-. although there is still one student who got a score of 74.5 who has not reached the minimum completeness criteria score of 80. improved learning outcomes of the ability to analyze discourse through the moodle-based blended learning method the results of the ability to analyze discourse after the implementation of learning using the moodlebased blended learning method are as follows: cycle results 1 the results of the ability to analyze the discourse of students of the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu after the implementation of learning using the moodlenoermanzah & suryadi improving students’ ability to analyze discourse through the moodle-based blended learning method 88 based blended learning method in cycle 1 can be shown in the following table: table 2. results of the ability to analyze students’ discourse master program of indonesia language education after the implementation of learning using the moodle-based blended learning method in cycle 1 no. subject name h t m na letter value 1 is 75 80 80 79,0 b+ 2 dw 75 76 75 75,3 b+ 3 fp 75 76 75 75,3 b+ 4 fek 80 82 80 80,6 a 5 fa 70 74 72 72,2 b 6 ra 80 78 78 78,4 b+ 7 rw 82 80 80 80,4 a amount 541,2 a average 77,3 b+ cycle 2 results the results of the ability to analyze the discourse of students of the indonesian language education master program at the university of bengkulu after the implementation of learning using the moodle-based blended learning method in cycle 2 can be shown in the following table: table 3. results of the ability to analyze student discourse master program of indonesia language education after the implementation of learning using the moodle-based blended learning method in cycle 2 n o. subject name h t m na letter value 1 is 78 82 82 81,2 a 2 dw 78 82 80 80,2 a 3 fp 78 80 82 80,6 a 4 fek 80 82 84 82,6 a 5 fa 70 75 76 74,5 b 6 ra 80 82 85 83,1 a 7 rw 82 80 82 81,4 a amount 563,6 a average 80,5 a the application of the moodle-based blended learning method is able to improve the students' ability to analyze discourse in the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu. although in cycle i the action success indicator has not yet been reached, but in cycle 2 the success indicator has been achieved. the achievement of the success indicators of the action can be shown in the active learning process and motivates students and the learning outcomes that reached an average value in cycle 1 of 77.3 (b +) increased to 80.5 (a-) in cycle 2. this is appropriate with the aim of action research carried out by the teacher that is determined by the success of action research which is determined from the success in terms of the process and learning outcomes (kemmis et al., 2014). the success of the learning process to analyze discourse after using the application of the moodle-based blended learning method can be shown from the results of the observation and interview data analysis; starting from the results of observations of lecturer’s activities in accordance with the procedure for implementing the moodlebased blended learning method in sap. lecturers have provided experiences for students to carry out 6-c activities; namely creativity, collaboration, communication, compassion, critical thinking, computational logic in each learning activities starting from preliminary activities, core activities, and closing activities (karto et al., 2019; siekmann, 2014). this 6-c activity can be carried out because lecturers provide learning experiences to students to always carry out activities ranging from observing, questioning, experimenting, associating, communicating, and creating in learning to analyze discourse. these learning steps are part of learning that uses a scientific approach (hosnan, 2014; syahputra, 2020). the scientific approach that is carried out is also in accordance with the level of honing metal skills around hots (higher order thinking skill) -based knowledge, namely remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating (anderson & krathwohl, 2001). then, from the results of students’ activity observations, it showed that students are active, motivated, and the emergence of independence through synchronous activities using zoom cloud meeting and asynchronous activities through moodle on the website https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ and assisted by whatsapp in every activity learning, starting from preliminary activities, core activities, and closing activities. students have simultaneously opened learning materials in the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 89 https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ system and the students’ network is stable. then, students have been actively carrying out discourse analysis starting from analysis of descriptions, interpretations, and explanations as well as presenting in discussion activities. then, a good understanding from students about analyzing discourse, especially in the analysis of descriptions, interpretations, and explanations, can be seen from the presentation activities that went well. this is in accordance with the objectives of the analysis of the discourse model of critical discourse analysis by norman fairclough (fairclough, 1995; eriyanto, 2001). the results of interviews with students also showed that students were happy and motivated by learning discourse analysis using the moodlebased blended learning method. students already felt that they got better understanding the process of interpreting the meaning of the text associated with the context of a discourse so that it gets the real meaning. this is in accordance with the opinion of norrick, (2001) and halliday & hasan (1976) that in interpreting discourse one must be able to interpret not only the text which is shown by the presence of cohesion and coherence, but also the presence of the meaning of the context in which each event occurs in context. the increase in the ability to analyze the discourse of students of the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu after the implementation of the moodlebased blended learning method was shown by the increase in student learning outcomes from cycle 1 of 77.3 with the criteria of b + and those who had just reached a score of 80 of 28.57%, then increased in cycle 2 amounted to 80.75 with criteria areaching 85.71%. the improvement of learning outcomes to analyze the discourse of students of the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu after the implementation of the moodle-based blended learning method from cycle 1 to cycle 2, is as follows: tabel 4. improved learning outcomes of the ability to analyze students’ discourse from cycle 1 to cycle 2 after the implementation of the moodle-based blended learning method no. criteria cycle cycle 1 cycle 2 1. average value 77,3 80,75 2. value in letter b+ a 3. total students completed 2 6 3. classical completeness 28,57% 85,71% from the table 4 above, it shows that students have the ability to analyze good discourse assisted by the application of the moodle-based blended learning method by the teacher. the blended learning method was applied synchronously or face to face through the zoom cloud meeting, while in asynchronous form was through the moodle system at https://elearning.unib.ac.id/. in addition, in asynchronous form it was also assisted via the whatsapp application. the whatapp media helped teachers, especially in reminding students about the class schedule to be conducted through zoom cloud meeting and through moodle at https://elearning.unib.ac.id/. increased ability to analyze student discourse can be seen more clearly in the form of a diagram as follows. figure 1. diagram of the improvement of learning outcomes for the ability to analyze student discourse from cycle 1 to cycle 2 after the application of the moodle-based blended learning method the success of the moodle-based blended learning method in improving the ability to analyze students' discourse in the master program noermanzah & suryadi improving students’ ability to analyze discourse through the moodle-based blended learning method 90 of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu is also due to the lecturers’ implementing the learning steps that have been developed in accordance with the learning plan that has been prepared. the learning steps of the moodle-based blended learning method in learning to analyze discourse are as follows: 1) preliminary activity (10 minutes), by means of the lecturer checking student attendance, the lecturer checking the students’ health condition, the lecturer giving apperception and motivation to students by providing inspirational videos learning, the lecturer explaining the learning objectives, and the lecturer asking students to log in to the https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ system; 2) core activities (80 minutes), by doing: (a) exploration with steps: the lecturer asks students to observe some teaching materials and examples of discourse analysis results, the lecturer questions and answers students from the observation results of reading teaching materials and examples of results discourse analysis, the lecturer provides reinforcement regarding the critical discourse analysis procedure of norman fairclough's model, (b) elaboration, with the following steps: the lecturer asks students to individually analyze one learning video on writing experiment report text, the lecturer guides the assignment of individual discourse analysis, the lecturer asks each individual to present the results of critical discourse analysis, the lecturer provides reinforcement of the results of critical discourse analysis, (c) confirmation, with the following steps: the lecturer questions and answers students’ understanding of the results of the analysis that has been carried out, the lecturer provides reinforcement of the results of the correct critical discourse analysis according to theory and data findings; then 3) closing activity (10 minutes), with the following steps: the lecturer asks students to do an exercise in analyzing discourse in the moodle system https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ according to a predetermined schedule, the lecturer explains the procedures for online assignments on https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ system in the form of chat and glossary, lecturers reflect with questions and answers about learning objectives that have been and have not been achieved, lecturers deliver upcoming materials, and lecturers close learning with students. the steps for learning the moodle-based blended learning method in learning to analyze discourse can be an alternative for teachers in providing material during the covid-19 pandemic. this is because the moodle-based blended learning method can be done synchronously through zoom cloud meeting and asynchronously through the website system at https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ which can be done without being limited by time and place. learning through the moodle-based blended learning method also provides opportunities for students to be more active in independently exploring related materials that have been completely prepared on the website with asynchronous activities through chat and discussion groups. this is in accordance with the opinion of abdullah (2018) that blended learning is very effective and efficient to motivate students to learn with a variety of activities that can be done without being tied to a place and of course a more flexible learning time according to the agreement of lecturers and students. then, this is also in accordance with the opinion of rasmitadila et al., (2020), bariyah & imania (2018), and irawan & surjono (2018) from the results of their research which showed that the blended learning method provides benefits to students, especially it can add to the learning experience, increase knowledge of various complete materials provided in the system, accept variations in learning models, increase students' listening and reading abilities, and provide a more flexible and independent learning experience. in addition, students with the moodle-based blended learnig method are better in being able to analyze learning discourse in the classroom which of functions not only to add insight into how to critically analyze discourse, but to provide understanding as a language teacher about good conversational discourse in the classroom (renner, 2019; chien, 2019). what needs to be paid attention to the application of the moodle-based blended learning method is that lecturers must really prepare all the various materials in advance into the moodle system on the website, both in the form of video tutorials, presentations, e-books, question banks, and other forms of material, before learning begins (rasmitadila, 2020; hew & cheung, 2014). in addition, because the moodle system on the website https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ has not been english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 91 integrated with mobile devices, lecturers must discipline students through whatsapp class groups to attend lectures either through zoom cloud meeting or in moodle on the website https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ according to the agreed schedule. conclusion the application of the moodle-based blended learning method is able to improve the ability to analyze discourse students of the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu. this is indicated by the achievement of the research objectives. the learning process of analyzing discourse using the moodle-based blended learning method makes students active, motivated, and the emergence of independence through synchronous activities using zoom cloud meeting and asynchronous activities through moodle on the website https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ and assisted by whatsapp. the learning steps of the moodle-based blended learning method in learning to analyze discourse are as follows: 1) preliminary activity (10 minutes), by means of the lecturer checking student attendance, the lecturer checking the students’ health condition, the lecturer giving apperception and motivation to students by providing inspirational videos learning, the lecturer explaining the learning objectives, and the lecturer asking students to log in to the https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ system; 2) core activities (80 minutes), by doing: (a) exploration with steps: the lecturer asks students to observe some teaching materials and examples of discourse analysis results, the lecturer questions and answers students from the observation results of reading teaching materials and examples of results discourse analysis., the lecturer provides reinforcement regarding the critical discourse analysis procedure of norman fairclough's model, (b) elaboration, with the following steps: the lecturer asks students to individually analyze one learning video on writing experiment report text, the lecturer guides the assignment of individual discourse analysis, the lecturer asks each individual to present the results of critical discourse analysis, and the lecturer provides reinforcement of the results of critical discourse analysis, (c) confirmation, with the following steps: the lecturer questions and answers students’ understanding of the results of the analysis that has been carried out, the lecturer provides reinforcement of the results of the correct critical discourse analysis according to theory and data findings; then 3) closing activity (10 minutes), with the following steps: the lecturer asks students to do an exercise in analyzing discourse in the moodle system https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ according to a predetermined schedule, the lecturer explains the procedures for online assignments on https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ system in the form of chat and glossary, lecturers reflect with questions and answers about learning objectives that have been and have not been achieved, lecturers deliver upcoming materials, and lecturers close learning with students. there was an increase in learning outcomes from the ability to analyze discourse through the moodle-based blended learning method for students of the master program of indonesia language education, university of bengkulu, namely in cycle 1 the student average score was 77.3 with the b + criteria and those who had just reached a score of 80 were 28.57 %, increased in cycle 2 the average value was 80.75 with the criterion areaching a level of completeness of 85.71%. the ability to analyze discourse that has been mastered by students is the ability to analyze descriptions, interpretations, and explanations. it is just that there was a small proportion of students who have not been able to explain, namely interpreting the results of interpretations associated with the socio-cultural context of events in the text. references abdullah, w. (2018). model blended learning dalam meningkatkan efektifitas pembelajaran. fikrotuna, 7(1), 855–866. doi:10.32806/jf.v7i1.3169 adila, i., weda, w. & tamitiadini, d., (2019). pengembangan model literasi dan informasi berbasis pancasila dalam menangkal hoaks. wacana, jurnal ilmiah ilmu komunikasi, 18(1). available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.32509/wacana.v18i1.721 anderson, l. w. & krathwohl, d. r. (2001). a taxonomy for learning, teaching and assessing: a revision of bloom’s taxonomy. new york: longman publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.32509/wacana.v18i1.721 noermanzah & suryadi improving students’ ability to analyze discourse through the moodle-based blended learning method 92 atabik, a. (2019). new paradigm of contemporary hermeneutics: analysis of religious text discourse understanding of paul ricoeur’s perspective. addin, 13(2), 295. doi:10.21043/addin.v13i2.5906 bariyah, s.h. & imania, k.a.n. (2018). implementasi blended learning berbasis moodle pada jurusan pendidikan teknologi informasi. jurnal petik, 4(2), pp.106–113. available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.31980/jpetik.v4i2.10 chien, c. (2019). teaching translation with the notion of discourse analysis under different communication patterns. english language teaching, 12(6), 128. doi:10.5539/elt.v12n6p128 darma, y.a. (2009). analisis wacana kritis. bandung: cv yrama widya. eriyanto. (2001). analisis wacana pengantar analisis teks media. yogyakarta: pt. lkis. fairclough, n. (1995). critical discourse analysis: the critical study of language. london and new york: longman. flowerdew, j. (2017). understanding the hong kong umbrella movement: a critical discourse historiographical approach. discourse & society, 28(5), 453–472. doi:10.1177/0957926517710991 griffin, c. l. (2002). creative writing as resistance and discovery in an analysis. journal of applied psychoanalytic studies, 4(4), pp.413–443. hengst, j. a. (2020). situating clinical practice and clinical discourse. understanding everyday communicative interactions, 137–157. doi:10.4324/9781003034537-10 hew, k.f. & cheung, w.s. (2014). solving design problems: a blended learning approach based on design thinking features: using blended learning, pp.41–58. available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-089-6_3 hosnan, m. (2014). pendekatan saintifik dan kontekstual dalam pembelajaran abad 21. bogor: ghalia indonesia. huda, m., (2018). blended learning: improvisasi dalam pembelajaran menulis pengalaman (blended learning: improvisation in experience writing learning). lensa: kajian kebahasaan, kesusastraan, dan budaya, 8(2), p.117. available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.26714/lensa.8.2.2018.117130 ilișanu, g., & andrei, v. (2019). discourse analysis of health risk perceptions: understanding public debates on childhood vaccination. sociologie romaneasca, 17(1), 92–113. doi:10.33788/sr.17.5 irawan, r. & surjono, h.d. (2018). pengembangan elearning berbasis moodle dalam peningkatkan pemahaman lagu pada pembelajaran bahasa inggris. jurnal inovasi teknologi pendidikan, 5(1), pp.1–11. available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.21831/jitp.v5i1.10599 jorgensen, m. & phillips, l. (2002). discourse analysis as theory and method. london: sage publications ltd. jorgensen, m. & phillips, l. (2007). analisis wacana: teori & metode. translator by imam suyitno, lilik suyitno, dan suwarna. yogyakarta: pustaka pelajar. karto, suhartono, susetyo, noermanzah, maisarah, i. (2019). the differences ability in writing descriptive texts by using chain writing and conventional methods. international journal of scientific & technology research, 8(10), 2718. kaur, m. (2013). blended learning its challenges and future. procedia – social and behavioral sciences 93, pp. 612–617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.09.248 kemmis, s., mctaggart, r. & nixon, r. (2014). the action research planner. new york: springer. available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-9814560-67-2 luo, s. (2018). understanding an intimate partner violence victim’s online posts using discourse analysis. journal of comprehensive nursing research and care, 3(1). doi:10.33790/jcnrc1100126 norrick, n.r. (2001). discourse and semantics. in the handbook of discourse analysis. edited by schiffrin, d., tannen, d., and heidi e. hamilton. usa: blackwell publishers inc. piergiovanni, p.r. (2018). blended learning: blended learning in engineering education, 15–34. doi:10.1201/9781315165486-2 rasmitadila, r. yahya, w., humaira, m. a., & tambunan, a. r. s. (2020). using blended learning approach (bla) in inclusive education course: a study investigating teacher students’ perception. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (ijet), 15(2), p.72. available at:http://dx.doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i02.9285 renner, j. (2019). discourse analysis for chinese language teaching. the routledge handbook of chinese discourse analysis, 628–642. doi:10.4324/9781315213705-43 samsudin, m. & januhari, n.n.u. (2019). pengembangan pembelajaran e-learning dengan moodle (modulator object-oriented dynamic learning environment). jurnal sistem dan informatika (jsi), 14(1), p.4. available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.30864/jsi.v14i1.210 schiffrin, d. (2007). ancangan kajian wacana. translator by unang dkk., editor, abd. syukur ibrahim. yogyakarta: pustaka pelajar. http://dx.doi.org/10.31980/jpetik.v4i2.10 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-089-6_3 http://dx.doi.org/10.26714/lensa.8.2.2018.117-130 http://dx.doi.org/10.26714/lensa.8.2.2018.117-130 http://dx.doi.org/10.21831/jitp.v5i1.10599 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.09.248 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4560-67-2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4560-67-2 http://dx.doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i02.9285 http://dx.doi.org/10.30864/jsi.v14i1.210 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 93 siekmann, j., (2014). computational logic. handbook of the history of logic, pp.15–16. available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-444-516244.50001-0 suryoputro, g., riadi, s., & sya’ban, a. (2012). menulis artikel untuk jurnal ilmiah. jakarta selatan: uhamka press. syahputra, b.p., (2020). implementasi pendekatan saintifik untuk meningkatkan prestasi siswa dalam menulis cerita pendek. asas: jurnal sastra, 9(1), 2-3, available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.24114/ajs.v9i1.18328 wang, y. (2020). understanding congressional coalitions: a discourse network analysis of congressional hearings for the every student succeeds act. education policy analysis archives, 28(1), 119. doi:10.14507/epaa.28.4451 https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-444-51624-4.50001-0 https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-444-51624-4.50001-0 http://dx.doi.org/10.24114/ajs.v9i1.18328 noermanzah & suryadi improving students’ ability to analyze discourse through the moodle-based blended learning method 94 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 367 character building implanted in english lessons as prescribed in 2013 curriculum ira audina pratiwi english education department, faculty of teaching training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: ira96audina@gmail.com soni mirizon (corresponding author) english education study program, faculty of teaching training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: smirizon@unsri.ac.id rita inderawati english education study program, faculty of teaching training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa citation: pratiwi, i. a., mirizon, s., & inderawati, r. (2021). character building implemented in english lessons as prescribed in 2013 curriculum. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp.367-376. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4371 received: 28-02-2021 accepted: 23-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction the current character education wave has caused some dilemmas over what should be taught and how it should be taught. since public schools educate all students, in making-decision valuebased is a general psychological term used to explain decision-making in situations in which students face a choice between options associated with different rewards (osman & wiegmann, 2017). elkind and sweet (2004) argue that character education is seen as a deliberate effort to make people understand upon core ethical values. it is clear that to be able to judge, care about, and then do what students believe. madani (2019) states that students are considered as the core, while to ensure its quality consequently character should be implemented in order to enhance students’ character. therefore, getting good score is not the major objective of education, but promoting the character education is a significant matter. in line with that, the ministry of education of indonesia claimed that all subjects in the 2013 curriculum were fully integrated with character building. character building in education is a program that has been socialized by the indonesian government since 2010. in line with the abstract: this study aimed at finding out the english teachers’ understanding of character building prescribed in 2013 curriculum, the integration of character building in english teaching and learning, the reasons teachers apply certain character(s), and the challenges of the integration of character building in english teaching and learning. this is a qualitative study in a case study design. the participants were two english teachers of secondary school in palembang. the data were collected through questionnaire, interview, observation, and documentation. the data of this study were analyzed qualitatively. the data obtained from the observations and interviews were analyzed through thematic analysis by identifying, classifying, arranging, and clarifying them. data from documentation were read thoroughly and matched with criteria set. data from questionnaire were classified based on the frequency of characters taught during classroom teaching. the results revealed that in understanding the character, the teachers were in the level of good and fair. it was found that there were 15 out of 18 characters taught, mostly in implicit manner; only 6 characters were explicitly mentioned in each lesson plan. the reason of applying the characters was due to the characters recommended matched with teaching materials taught. teachers encountered challenges in determining the recommended character to teach and in managing students’ different characteristics keywords: english learning; character building; challenges. mailto:ira96audina@gmail.com mailto:smirizon@unsri.ac.id mailto:ritarudysaid@yahoo.com ira audina pratiwi, soni mirizon, & rita inderawati integration of character building in teaching english as prescribed in 2013 curriculum 368 government’s regulation, there are 18 character values to develop (ministry of national education, 2010). they are religious, honest, tolerant, disciplined, hard-working, creative, independent, democratic, curious, nationalist, patriotic, achievement appreciative, communicative, peace loving, reading loving, environmental caring, social caring, and responsible. each of character has some descriptions as the teacher’s guideline in choosing the character to integrate. ernalida, oktarina, and turama (2021) said that students have their own poinjt of view about how they feel. information about what the student wants will be very important in determining whether the students' views and analytical views. character education leads to the establishment of school culture that underlines the attitudes, traditions, habits, and symbols practiced by all stakeholders of the school and its surrounding communities. therefore, character education is expected to support the construction of indonesia’s new generation. character values are not taught directly, but they are integrated into the teaching and learning process, self-development activity, and school culture (ministry of national education, 2010). teachers and all school citizens should integrate those values into the existing curriculum, syllabus, and lesson plan including teachers of english. the integration of character education is essential for the development of indonesia, mainly in the field of education in indonesia which is not only creating smart people but also possessing good character. previous researched done by permana, inderawati, and vianty (2018) conducted a research of the characters’ value that found in junior high school textbooks. the characters were confidence, courtesy, wisdom, and humility. before integrating character values in the teaching and learning process, english teacher should design lesson plans with character building included. a study conducted by faiziyah and fachrurrazy (2013) at junior high school 3 malang showed that only one teacher taught the character values by using direct statements. while, according to ministry of national education (2010) the goal of the character building is to make the students realize that there are in the process of integration of character. it means that teachers are asked to integrate the characters by using explicit method. sugirin (2011) mentions that the implementation of character education should be integrated into relevant content subject instruction. thus, he introduces two different modes in implementing character education in efl learning—explicit and implicit modes. another study done by rosalina (2011) showed that the teachers in gugus 4, bandung barat have already designed lesson plans with character values included. however, in the implementation of character building in the classroom, the teachers did not develop activities that accommodate the implementation of character building. it has been introduced above that there are a lot of theories and explanation above the values of characters building from some experts. moreover, the characters in this study are limited to the characters as prescribed in 2013 curriculum based on the education system in indonesia. in other words, the study used the characters as prescribed in 2013 curriculum as the theoretical framework of the study and the data analysis also referred to 2013 curriculum. the characters as prescribed in 2013 curriculum could be seen in table 1. table 1. values of character education no. character values explanation school indicators 1. religious attitudes and behavior that obey in doing the teachings of their religion, tolerant toward the integration of the practice of other religions, and live in harmony with other faiths. a. admire the greatness of god through the human ability to synchronize between physical and psychological aspects. b. admire god's greatness because of her ability to live as a member of society. c. admire the power of god that has created various universes. d. admire the greatness of god because of the religion that became the source of the order of life of the people. e. admire the greatness of god through various english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 369 subjects in various subjects. 2. honest behavior based on an attempt to make himself as a person who always trustworthy in word, action, and jobs. a. not cheating or being a plagiarist in doing every task. b. speaks unquestionably on a subject. c. express happy or unhappy about the lesson. d. express attitude towards a class discussion material. e. purchase items purchased at the school shop honestly. f. return items borrowed or found in public places. 3. tolerant attitudes and actions that respects differences of religion, race, ethnicity, opinions, attitudes, and actions of others who are different from themselves. a. does not bother friends of differing opinions. b. respect a friend with different customs. c. make friends with friends from other classes. 4. disciplined actions show orderly behavior and obey with various rules and regulations. a. clean school environment orderly. b. orderly in spoken and written language. c. obedient in running the provisions of student organizations. d. obey the rules of speech specified in a class discussion. e. orderly in applying the rules 5. hard-working behaviors indicate a really effort to overcome various barriers in learning and assignments, as well as completing the task as well as possible. a. finish the assignment on time. b. do not give up on learning difficulties. c. always focus on learning. 6. creative think and do something to generate new ways or the result of something that has been owned. a. suggest opinions related to the discussion. b. asking critically about learning materials. 7. independent attitudes and behavior that is not easy to depend on others to complete tasks. a. do a task by himself. b. solve learning problem by himself 8. democratic ways of thinking, being attitude, and acting which assesses the same rights and obligations of himself and others. a. choose group leader by discussion. b. vote in selection. c. tell opinion about classmates. d. participate in helping classroom duties 9. curious attitudes and actions which seek to know deeper and spread of something learned, seen, and heard. a. ask teacher about the material. b. ask someone about natural phenomena. c. ask about something heard from any sources 10. nationalist ways of thinking, act, and having knowledge that puts the importance of the nation and country above self-importance and group. a. love indonesia geography and its fertility. b. appreciate various culture of indonesia. c. appreciate the existence of tribes and languages. d. appreciate various agricultural products, flora and fauna of indonesia. e. appreciate industrial and technological products of indonesia. 11. patriotic ways of thinking, being attitude, and acting that show loyalty, caring, and high appreciation toward language, physical environment, social, cultural, economic, and political nation. a. participate in the ceremony. b. telling and acting toward the threats from other countries. c. telling and acting about the relationship between homeland and colonial countries. ira audina pratiwi, soni mirizon, & rita inderawati integration of character building in teaching english as prescribed in 2013 curriculum 370 12. achievement appreciative attitudes and actions that encourage him to produce something useful for society, and recognize and respect other people's success a. finish the assignment as well as possible. b. working hard for success in sports and arts. c. respect others‟ work. d. appreciate parents‟ achievement. e. appreciate someone’s work. f. appreciate tradition and society product. 13. communicati ve actions show a sense of fun to talk, hang out, and work together with others. a. work in groups. b. associate with others. c. cooperate with classmates. d. interact with teachers and staffs. 14. peace loving attitudes, words, and actions that cause others to feel happy and safe on the presence of himself. a. protect friends from any threats. b. establish friendship. c. participate in school security. 15. reading loving habits provide time to read a variety of literature that gives virtue for him a. reading books or any written documents related to science, literature, arts, culture, technology, and humanities. b. read magazine or newspaper. 16. environmenta l caring attitudes and actions which seek to prevent damage to the surrounding natural environment, and develop efforts to repair the environmental damage that has occurred. a. participate in any activities related to cleanliness, aesthetic, and environmental maintenance. 17. social caring attitudes and actions have always wanted to help other people and communities in need a. participate in any social activities. b. give someone in needs. 18. responsible attitudes and behavior of people to do his duties, he should do, to himself, community, environment (natural, social, and cultural), the country and god almighty one. a. do a task consciously. b. make report in every activity in form of written and oral communication. c. show the pleasure to solve problems. d. avoid cheating. (source: ministry of national education, 2010, pp. 9-10) character education has been a quite hot issue in 2013 curriculum implementation. therefore, in 2013 curriculum, the government would emphasize the character building in society by having character education at school, since it is believed that good characters are reflected by good achievements at school and character becomes the vital core of education (suherdi, 2013). a study on the factor influencing character education insertion process is conducted by pane and patriana (2016) who investigated the environment as one factor in the character education process. it is started by the integration of character building but the impact of this program on the young students or young generation has not determined yet. fahmy, bachtiar, rahim, and malik (2015) found out that the young generation is chosen to be an agent of change. from those results, it can be concluded that the lower the level of education the more portion of character building must be given. it means that junior high school students have a big portion than senior high school and college students. meanwhile, in elementary school, english is not the compulsory subject anymore it can be concluded that junior high school students are the best level to start the integration of character building. according to ministry of education and culture (2017), the portion of characters should be given for junior secondary schools is 60 percent. that is why it is important to know which characters that teachers integrate at junior high school. this study was aimed at finding out teacher’s understanding of character building prescribed in 2013 curriculum, the integration of character building in english teaching and learning at one secondary high school in palembang, the reason of applying certain character(s) in english teaching and learning, and the challenges of the integration of character building in english teaching and learning at the school. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 371 method this is a qualitative research in a case study design. case study is one of the frequently used methodologies, defined as a research methodology that helps in exploration of a phenomenon within some particular context through various data sources (yazan, 2015). it is based on an in-depth investigation of a single individual, group or event to explore the causes of underlying principles. this study employed case study design to seek the character building in english teaching and learning and its challenges. this study was conducted in one junior high school in palembang. this school was chosen because it implemented character building program since it was firstly launched by the government. two english teachers took part as the participants of the study. they were certified teachers who had more than ten years teaching experience. in addition they had taken part in seminars dealing with character building. the data were collected through questionnaire, interview, observation, and documentation. the questionnaire, proposed by nova (2017), consisted of 2 close-ended questions. the question items covered the frequency of inserting character education and types of character values inserted. the interview questions, proposed by nova (2017), consisted of 4 open-ended questions. the questions covered the reason for not inserting character building, the techniques in integrating character building, and the challenges faced in inserting character building. in documentation, teachers’ lesson plans, four lesson plans of each teacher, were reviewed. classroom observations were conducted to know the natural condition of the integration of character building in english subject including the problems and which characters that were usually integrated into teaching and learning process. the observations were done during four meeting of each teacher. to make this study valid due to multiple sources, the researchers applied methodological triangulation. the writers checked the results of the observation compared them with the results of documentation, teachers’ responds of the questionnaire, and what they told in the interviews. the data of this study were analyzed qualitatively and reported descriptively. the data obtained from interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis suggested by miles and huberman (1994) by identifying, classifying, arranging, and clarifying the data into themes. data from documentation (lesson plans) were read thoroughly and matched with criteria set. the data from questionnaire were analyzed through the frequency of inserting character education during classroom teaching and learning. the criteria score categorized as poor, fair, and good was ranged from 3 to 12. the data of observation were obtained using the field note form. after analyzing the data, data interpretation was made and discussed by relating them to theories and previous related studies. at last, the results of the analysis were reported descriptively. findings and discussions data from questionnaire based on the findings from the questionnaire both teachers always integrated the character building in their teaching and learning process. teacher a chose to integrate nine out of eighteen characters. meanwhile, teacher b chose to integrate six characters. it could be seen in table 2. table 2. character value inserted character value inserted efl teacher’s responses teacher a teacher b yes no yes no religious √ honest tolerant √ disciplined √ hard-working √ creative √ independent √ democratic curious √ patriotic √ nationalist √ achievement appreciative communicative peace loving reading loving √ environmental caring √ social caring √ responsible √ √ teacher a chose to integrate nine out of eighteen characters, such as disciplined, hardworking, creative, curious, patriotic, reading loving, environmental caring, social caring, and responsible. meanwhile, teacher b chose to integrate six out of eighteen characters, such as ira audina pratiwi, soni mirizon, & rita inderawati integration of character building in teaching english as prescribed in 2013 curriculum 372 religious, tolerant, hard-working, independent, nationalist, and responsible. in line with the characters found teachers used in this study, ariesinta (2016) also found that some values of character education such as social caring, honest, peace loving, disciplined, curious, and creative applied by the teachers in her study. based on the results of documentation data, all teachers designed their lesson plans involving character values such as disciplined, hard-working, environmental caring, creative, responsible, tolerant, and brave. one value, namely brave is not one of the characters that was mentioned by ministry of national education. this value was mentioned by teacher b. if we take a look at the eighteen characters mentioned by ministry of national education, brave actually is similar with the character named communicative, for instance: work in groups, associate with others, cooperates with classmates, interact with teachers and staffs. this was similar with the values mentioned by adisusilo (2012). he reported that character education was value education that covers nine principles of value such as; responsible, respect, fairness, courage, honest, citizenship, self-discipline, caring, and perseverance. some of the values were included in values mentioned by ministry of national education (2010) while some others were not. so, it could be assumed that those teachers included the character values that were mentioned by other experts. it indicated that teachers were still lack of knowledge related with the component of each character. according to lickona (1991), teachers must have good behaviour so that the students can also have good behaviour by modelling on their teachers. to be a role model for students, teachers themselves should know the component of good character. data from interview results from interview revealed that the teachers were not fully understood with the character values as prescribed in the curriculum, as indicated by the following responses. “in my opinion it is impossible to force all the characters to integrate at every meeting and then to consider also the material that will be given either it is appropriate when using this character or not, besides that need some preparations on how to properly integrate the characters so i think there are some characters that i don't need to integrate first and put on lesson plan.” (teacher a) “there are no characters that cannot be included in the teaching and learning process, because all characters are expected to be applied at school during the teaching and learning process.” (teacher b) in line with that, sugirin (2011) states that in explicit mode, efl teacher should have a plan of what character values are expected to be inserted in teaching and learning activity. it means that before integrating the characters, teacher should prepare well the activity that could support the integration of characters. if the characters that have been planned in the lesson plan are different with the one integrated in the field, it is worried that the integration of the character will not be successful or the students did not get the values of the character, as reflected in the following quotes. “i think so, for example, sometimes i am still confused to determine which characters i need to integrate either in lesson plan or the learning process. other obstacles sometimes i also find it difficult to find the right way so the character that i will integrate is conveyed well to students. in fact, sometimes i forget whether the characters that i planned match to what happened in the field.” (teacher a) “barriers to the character of students who have been embedded from the family are sometimes difficult to change in everyday life.” (teacher b) the quotes above reveal that teachers encountered challenges in determining the recommended character to teach and in managing students’ different characteristics. these challenges were similar with what mentioned by collins and henjum (1999) that there were some challenges faced by teachers in the process of integrating character education; one of them was the difficulty of matching the character education values toward the materials available which meant that not all materials contained character values. therefore, teachers, in this case, must be creative to connect character values in the materials available. poerwati and amri (2013) argue that nation character building can be taught by making students accustomed to moral values and make practice the national character. it means that teachers should know how to change the embedded character of students and integrate the characters recommended by ministry of national education (2010). both teacher a and teacher b mentioned two challenges english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 373 including the examples and the solution that they offered in integrating characters so teacher a is categorized in the level of good with the total score of ten and teacher b was in the level of fair with the total score of eight, as can be seen in table 3. table 3. table of teachers’ character building understanding inter view ques tions poor (1) fair (2) good (3) total a b a b a b teacher a teacher b no 1 √ √ 2 2 no 2 √ √ 2 1 no 3 √ √ 3 2 no 4 √ √ 3 3 total 10 8 good fair data from documentation the writers took four samples of lesson plans from each teacher; therefore, the writers got eight lesson plans in total. from the analysis of the lesson plans given by teacher a, it was found that some characters were planned to be integrated by the teacher. teacher a mentioned the character values in a special point in the lesson plans in instructional objectives section. however, the writers could not find the elaboration of character values in the learning activities section. teacher a designed the learning activities in the form of table containing four columns. the first column was number, students’ activities, and teacher’s activities. teacher a did not provide special column for character values. from the analysis of the lesson plans given by teacher b, it indicated that teacher b mentioned the character values in a special section in the lesson plan after instructional objectives section. the writers could also find the elaboration of character values in the learning activities section. teacher b also designed the learning activities in the form of table. different from teacher a, teacher b provided a special column for character values. the table contained 3 columns, for steps, activities, and character values. from the eighth lesson plans provided by both teachers, the writers found seven character values. the most frequent value was responsible and the less frequent ones were environmental caring, tolerant, creative, hard-working, and disciplined. table 4 summarized the values contained within the lesson plans. table 4. the character values appearing in the lesson plans no. character values planned in the lesson plan frequency teacher a teacher b 1. disciplined 2x 2. hard-working 2x 3. creative 2x 4. environmental caring 2x 5. responsible 2x 4x 6. tolerant 2x 7. brave 2x according to ministry of national education (2010), before integrating character values in teaching and learning process, teachers have to design lesson plans accommodating character building. in order to implement character building in the teaching and learning process, a teacher should adapt the lesson plan. the adaptation can be done by adding or modifying learning steps, indicator, and assessment so that character values can be implemented in teaching and learning process. the teacher could modify the assessment by integrating the character and so on. however, from the eight lesson plan provided by the two english teachers, modification could not be found in the learning steps, indicator, and assessment technique in the lesson plans. this finding was in line with the finding by rosalina (2011) where teachers in gugus 4, kecamatan batujajar, kabupaten bandung barat have already designed lesson plans with character values included. however, in the implementation of character building in the classroom, the teachers did not develop activities that accommodated the implementation of character building. a lesson plan is an extremely useful tool that serves as a combination guide, resource, and historical document reflecting our teaching philosophy, and more importantly our goals for the students (jensen, 2001). if the teacher did not modify the learning steps, indicator and assessment technique, the goal of building the students’ character would be difficult to achieve. in the classroom, teacher a and b explicitly implemented the character building even though not all the characters were integrated explicitly. based on the data, it was revealed that teacher a got confused in determining which characters she need to integrate either in lesson plan or the learning process. ira audina pratiwi, soni mirizon, & rita inderawati integration of character building in teaching english as prescribed in 2013 curriculum 374 data from observation all observations were conducted in four meetings for each teacher. each meeting was eighty minutes. each observation was conducted in same classes handled by the teachers to make the findings more specific and accurate. the writers observed teacher a’s class four times. the topic was stating capabilities and willingness. the writers also had four observations on teacher b’s class. the topic for the lesson that day was present continuous tense. from the eighth observations, the writers found some character values taught by teacher a and teacher b. table 5 presented the character values taught by the two teachers in eight meeting. table 5. character values taught by two teachers no. character values taught by three teachers frequency teacher a teacher b 1. religious 2x 4x 2. honest 2x 1x 3. tolerant 3x 2x 4. disciplined 3x 2x 5. hard-working 1x 1x 6. creative 4x 1x 7. independent 3x 8. democratic 1x 1x 9. curious 2x 1x 10 nationalist 2x 11. achievement appreciative 1x 1x 12. communicative 3x 3x 13. reading loving 1x 1x 14. environmental caring 3x 15. responsible 1x 2x in analyzing the data from the observations, the writers classified the data based on the teacher’s techniques in integrating character values. some of the values were taught by using direct statements or explicitly. some other values were implicitly inherent in activities, not directly stated but inherent in asking students to do something and inferred by the students then confirmed by the teacher. this was similar with what was mentioned by sugirin (2011) that the implementation of character building should be integrated into relevant content subject instruction. as stated by ministry of national education (2010) in panduan pendidikan karakter, it is important for the teacher to make the students realize that they are in the process of building good character. one way to make the students realize that they are in the process of character building is by teaching the character values using direct statements or explicitly. from the observation result, both of the teachers explicitly built the students’ character by using direct statement. the values that were explicitly implemented by teacher a were only four values: disciplined, creative, environmental caring, and honest, while, only three values mentioned in teacher a lesson plan. teacher b also only explicitly integrated four values: hard-working, honest, disciplined, and independent but none of those values was mentioned in teacher b lesson plan. similar study done by abdi (2018) in east kalimantan also found the character values developed by the teachers such as religious, creative, independent and responsible. from the explanation above, it is obvious that the character values in their lesson plans were not the same as those planned to be implemented by the two teachers. there were some factors that could make some differences in character planned and implemented. from those two teachers’ responses in the interview, it was found that the teachers’ lack of knowledge in implementing the character values. from those two teachers, only teacher b had joined workshop about character building. another teacher had never joined any workshop and seminar dealing with the implementation of character building in english subject. this is in line with study by kurniadi and hapsari (2017) which objective was to investigate how character education was implemented in efl learning development in classroom practice at sman 1 pakem involving five classrooms. they found that teachers had implemented character education in learning classroom process consisting of eighteen values in learning. moreover, the implementation of character education gave teachers several advantages and challenges in teaching process. the principle of character values integration in all subjects was apparently implemented in the school. every subject should integrate the character building in teaching and learning process. english is one of the subjects that must integrate the character building in the teaching and learning process. data from the interview showed that teacher acknowledged that there were eighteen characters while they could only mention some of them. both of the teachers kept repeating the same characters for several meetings. concerning the principle of character building, that is, developing the students’ awareness of the character values, the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 375 findings from observation and interview showed that teacher a and b used direct statement to teach the character values but not all characters integrated explicitly, so the principle was not fully implemented by the two teachers. building human being’s character is not a simple task, since long process is needed. therefore, this study did not discuss the assessment used by the teacher to measure the character building of the students. besides, various approaches are needed to internalize the character values. making the students realize that they are in the process of character building is also important so that it is possible for the students to assess themselves in the process of building their character. therefore, teacher plays an important role to support the success of the implementation of character building in indonesia. this is in line with study by wahidah (2017), which objective was to investigate the way english teachers implemented character education in english subject at sma muhammadiyah 1 malang. it was revealed that teachers implemented eighteen characters education in teaching and learning process. teachers implemented it by integrating the variety of character education into each learning activity by using a scientific approach and discussion method. this could be a consideration for teachers in choosing the characters to teach. conclusion in relation to the objectives of the study, four conclusions can be drawn. first, teachers of english did not fully understand with the description of each character; they were merely in the level of good and fair understanding. second, it was found that there were 15 out of 18 characters taught, mostly in implicit manner. teachers tended not to explicitly build students’ character by using direct statement. this is not in line with the goal of character building to make students realize that they are in the process of integrating the characters. only six character values explicitly mentioned in each lesson plan. third, the reason of applying the characters was due to the characters recommended matched with teaching materials taught. fourth, teachers encountered challenges in determining the recommended character to teach and in managing students’ different characteristics. references abdi, m. i. (2018). the implementation of character education in kalimantan, indonesia: multi site studies. dinamika ilmu: journal pendidikan, 18(2), 305-321. adisusilo, s. (2012). pembelajaran nilai-karakter: konstruktivisme dan vct sebagai pendekatan pembelajaran afektif. jakarta: pt raja grafindo persada. ariesinta, d. (2016). an analysis of character education in the 2013 curriculum english textbook of the seventh grade students. universitas sanata dharma. collins, d., & henjum, r. (1999). the 3 c‘s in character education. guidance & counseling,14(3), 24-30. elkind, d., & sweet, f. (2004). you are a character educator. today's school: shared leadership in education,5(2), 16-2. ernalida, oktarina, s., & turama, r. (2021). analysis of teacher needs related to e-learning schoology content in creative writing in middle schools throughout palembang. english review: journal of english education,9(2), 51-58. fahmy, r., bachtiar, n., rahim, r., & malik, m. (2015). measuring students’ perceptions to personal character building in education: an indonesia case in implementing new curriculum in high school. social and behavior science, 211, 851858. faiziyah, n., & fachrurrazy. (2013). the implementation of character building in english subject at junior high school 3 malang. state university of malang. jensen, l. (2001). planning lessons. in m. murcia, teaching english as a second or foreign language (3rd edition, pp. 403-413). boston: heinle & heinle. kurniadi, c., & hapsari, a. (2017). the implementation of character education in english classroom learning process: a case study. qualitative research in elt, 6. lickona, t. (1991). educating for character: how our schools can teach respect and responsibility. new york: bantam books. madani, r. a. (2019). analysis of educational quality, a goal of education for all policy. higher education studies, 9(1), 100-109. miles, m. b., & huberman, a. m. (1994). qualitative data analysis (2nd ed.). london: sage. ministry of education and culture. (2017). penguatan pendidikan karakter jadi pintu masuk pembenahan pendidikan nasional. retrieved from https://www. kemdikbud.go. id/main/blog/ 2017/07/penguatan-pendidikan-karakter-jadipintu-masuk-pembenahan -pendidikan-nasional https://www.kemdikbud.go.id/main/blog/ ira audina pratiwi, soni mirizon, & rita inderawati integration of character building in teaching english as prescribed in 2013 curriculum 376 ministry of national education. (2010). desain induk pendidikan karakter. jakarta, indonesia: ministry of education. nova, m. (2017). pendidikan karakter di kelas efl indonesia: implementasi dan hambatan. jurnal pendidikan karakter, (2), 142-157. osman, m., & wiegmann, a. (2017). explaining moral behavior: a minimal moral model. experimental psychology, 64(2), 1-15. pane, m. m., & patriana, r. (2016). the significance of environmental contents in character education for quality of life. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 222, 244-252. permana, d. r., inderawati, r., & vianty, m. (2018). potraying character education in junior high school textbooks of the 2013 curriculum. journal of english language studies, 3(2), 245-258. poerwati, e., & amri, s. (2013). panduan memahami kurikulum 2013. jakarta: prestasi pustakaraya. rosalina, r. (2011). penerapan pendidikan karakter pada pelajaran ips di sekolah dasar gugus 4, kecamatan batujajar, kabupaten bandung barat. universitas pendidikan indonesia. sugirin. (2011). character education for the efl student-teachers. cakrawala pendidikan, special issue: dies natalis uny, 30, 1-14. suherdi, d. (2013). buku pedonam penyelenggaraan pendidkan profesi guru bahasa inggris: bahan ajar pemantapan kompetensi akademik (1st ed.). bandung: celtics press. wahidah, i. (2017). the implementation of character education in english subject at sma muhammadiyah 1 malang. (undergraduated thesis. university of muhammadiyah malang). yazan, b. (2015). three approaches to case study methods in education: yin, merriam, and stake. qualitative report, 20(2), 134-152. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1085 exploring pre-service teachers’ experiences towards synchronous online learning amidst the covid-19 pandemic fitria rahmawati english language education department, faculty of language education, universitas muhammadiyah yogyakarta, indonesia e-mail: fitriarahmawati@umy.ac.id apa citation: rahmawati, r. (2022). exploring pre-service teachers’ experiences towards synchronous online learning amidst the covid-19 pandemic. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 1085-1094. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6256 received: 23-06-2022 accepted: 27-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction information, communication, and technology (ict) facilitate the learning process, especially in higher education. mobile computing, social networking, and open-source software have opened up new opportunities for building a learning environment in which self-learning is characterized by personalized learning and flexible scheduling (rahmawati, 2019). ict offers a range of advantages and opportunities, including convenience, adaptability, and the capacity to engage in collaboration and interaction with instructors and fellow students situated in diverse geographical locations. due to the covid-19 pandemic, students could not attend school. the only option was to switch from traditional education to online learning. according to langford and damşa (2020), academics, administrators, and ict support staffs were working nationwide to implement full online learning quickly. özüdoğru (2021) admitted the necessity for educational institutions and teachers to enable effective teaching and learning experiences in synchronous online settings. furthermore, farkhani, badiei, and rostami (2022) highlighted the necessity of providing teachers with training and support in creating successful classroom management practices for online teaching. a synchronous online learning is a suitable alternative to university classes. synchronous learning is similar to a traditional face-to-face class, yet, in a virtual form. according to bower et. al. (2017), images, audio, and video captured in the real world are projected like a mirror, and the virtual participant’s avatar is projected into the virtual world’s monitor screen. debbag and fiddan (2022) defined synchronous learning as an online learning environment by using new tools and approaches such as video conferencing platforms and digital resources. consequently, synchronous learning sessions facilitate students abstract: as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, learning systems all around the world have shifted from traditional classrooms to online learning. synchronous learning was developed to promote online learning interactions via audio, video, text chat, interactive whiteboards, and various app-sharing. this study examined the experiences of pre-service teachers enrolled in an english language education department (eled) as they engaged in synchronous online learning amidst the covid-19 pandemic. the participants involved in this study were six eled pre-service teachers. the research was carried out at an indonesian islamic private university. the research was carried out at an indonesian islamic private university, involving six eled pre-service teachers. a descriptive qualitative was adopted with an in-depth interview as the data gathering technique to generate information from the participants. the findings from the interview revealed that there were various synchronous online learning activities experienced by the preservice teachers, such as listening to lectures, doing a group discussion, doing an online presentation, and completing evaluations. in addition, various tools available made learning easier for them, such as screen sharing, recording, camera, and microphone features. regarding the perceptions of the eled pre-service teachers, this study identified positive and adverse effects resulted from a synchronous online learning. the perceived positive effects were flexibility in learning, various ways of learning, live interaction, and autonomous learning. meanwhile, its adverse effects were missed opportunity to participate in learning, lack of interaction, undelivered messages, and feeling isolated. keywords: covid-19 pandemic; efl learning; online learning; pre-service english teachers; synchronous learning. fitria rahmawati exploring pre-service teachers’ experiences towards synchronous online learning amidst the covid-19 pandemic 1086 the opportunity to articulate their thoughts, actively participate, and contribute their ideas in a manner akin to that of a conventional physical classroom environment. several studies have been conducted to investigate the adoption of synchronous online learning. wang et. al. (2018); shukri et. al. (2020); bower et. al. (2015) found that students could get benefit from the flexibility of blended synchronous learning environments, such as increased information accessibility, the convenience of attending lessons from remote locations via two-way video conferencing, and time savings. through synchronous online learning, students can learn without needing to meet in person or have physical contact with friends or lecturers. in addition, martin et. al. (2012), rahayu (2020), and zydney et. al. (2019) found that many elements, such as text chat and webcam facilitating interaction between the students and the instructor made online synchronous learning simple. despite its significances, eventually, teachers encountered a variety of obstacles in administering their synchronous learning sessions. maintaining student involvement and discipline, developing effective communication, and assuring technical reliability were among the obstacles (debbag & fiddan, 2022). teachers had to adjust their classroom management tactics to the online environment by using new tools and approaches such as video conferencing platforms and digital resources. in addition, a study conducted by rinekso and muslim (2020), bower et. al. (2015), romero-hall and vicentini (2017) discovered that poor internet access, auditory noise, and task confusion may have prevented the implementation of synchronous online learning. from pre-service teachers’ view, according to a study conducted by tarihoran, syafuri, and masykur (2021), pre-service teachers reported positive experiences and viewed online learning as flexible and convenient, others expressed concerns and difficulties. participants cited technological issues, lack of face-to-face interaction, difficulties in gaining access to resources, and limited participation as some of the most significant obstacles. meanwhile, merisi, emekako, legg-jack, mpundu, and lubombo (2022) argued that it promotes flexibility and convenience while addressing the challenges of restricted face-to-face connection and real-time feedback. those previous studies investigated synchronous online learning, such as the significances, the supporting features, and the drawbacks of synchronous online learning. this study aims to explore pre-service teachers’ experiences with synchronous online learning, particularly regarding meaningful activity, positive impact, and negative impact that synchronous online learning has on language acquisition during the covid-19 pandemic. then, following research questions were formulated as follows to make this research focused: (1) what educational activities were undertaken by pre-service teachers specializing in the english language education during synchronous online learning sessions? (2) what are the perceived positive effects of synchronous online learning among eled pre-service teachers? (3) what are the perceived adverse effects of synchronous online learning among eled pre-service teachers? method in this section, the researcher discusses the research methodology used in this study, including the research design, research participant, research instrument, data collection method, and data analysis. a descriptive qualitative was applied to understand in-depth about pre-service teachers’ experiences in participating in a synchronous online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. according to creswell (2012), descriptive qualitative is intended to investigate and comprehend the meaning attributed to individuals or groups in the context of social or human problems. as a result, it was appropriate for this study since it allows the researcher to collect data based on participants’ experiences, allowing to obtain a more in-depth information. six pre-service teachers from the english language education department of an islamic private university in indonesia voluntarily took part in this study. the researcher selected the preservice teachers from three different batches, including batch of 2017, 2018, and 2019. by involving students from diverse batches, the researcher expected to gain more detail and indepth information. the data for this study were gathered through interviews. an interview is a conversation in which questions and answers are used to collect information from willing participants who unconsciously recognize that they already have the required information creswell (2012). as a result, an interview was acceptable for this study since the participants were allowed to share their english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1087 experiences, and the researcher could collect data based on their perceptions. the researcher conducted an open-ended and in-depth interview as how the research was planned. the researcher also asked follow-up questions to clarify the information provided with a limited number of questions to elicit the participants’ ideas and opinions (cohen et al., 2011). open-ended questions can help the researcher collect data by allowing participants to give their opinions or viewpoints in response to the research inquiries. the researcher collected indepth information regarding the experience of pre-service teachers engaged in a synchronous online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. the interview was performed utilizing synchronous applications, such as ms. teams and zoom, and also over the phone. after obtaining the data, the final stage was to analyze it. transcribing, member checking, and coding were the processes to analyze the data in this study. the explanation of each process is explained as follows. transcribing. transcribing is the initial step in the data analysis process. according to creswell (2012), the transcription process converts audio recordings or field notes into text data. all of the information from the previous interview was transcribed by the researcher. member checking. through member checking, the interview transcripts were clarified to determine the legitimacy of the interview. member checking was a procedure that allowed respondents to rectify factual inaccuracies, add extra information, or record interview data information (cohen et al., 2011). the researcher gave the participants the transcript and requested them to review it. coding. “coding” is defined as “the process of arranging data by bracketing pieces (or text or image segments) and adding a word in the margins that represent a category” (creswell, 2012, p. 219). the first step in coding was open coding. information was developed using open coding based on categories (creswell, 2012). the researcher generated conclusions from the responses of the participants to each question. the next was detailed analysis which was performed on a short textual segment but in a larger extract of the entire text. according to creswell (2012), axial coding picks one category and places it in a theoretical model. the researcher classified each statement item with the same meaning for all participants. the researcher then discovered and classified the key text data types that only answer study questions. the researcher used selective coding to tell stories about the connections between those categories (creswell, 2012). it was a procedure in which just the “key” categories and those that needed additional clarification were chosen, with the rest of the categories being filled in with descriptive information and addressing the research questions. results and discussion this study looked into the experiences of eled pre-service teachers who participated in synchronous online learning sessions. the research findings were revealed from interviewing six participants. relevant findings from previous studies and experts’ statements were also presented to discuss the findings. the first part discusses the pre-service teachers’ experiences in joining a synchronous learning mode during the covid-19 pandemic. the second part discusses their assessment on the perceived positive and negative effects of synchronous online learning. pre-service teachers’ experiences towards synchronous online learning based on the data collected, the researcher discovered information related to pre-service teachers’ experiences participating in a synchronous online learning. the findings on the experiences cover the educational activities the pre-service teachers engaged in and the features of the synchronous learning they found meaningful. educational activity engaged in synchronous learning sessions listening to the lecture. the finding revealed that the teachers designed an interactive presentation to be transmitted through video conferencing during the session. during the interview, jett and reyna stated that during the synchronous online learning session, the teachers presented and explained the learning materials being discussed. as in the face-to-face meeting, slide is used to explain the materials, during the synchronous session, interactive presentation slide was also prepared and used by the teachers. in addition to slide, short video was also used to deliver the materials. the pre-service teachers engaged in listening to lectures about the learning materials during the synchronous sessions. the teachers would lead the session by offering some notes while describing the topic and highlighting the major points by underlining the issue (pujasari, 2021). fitria rahmawati exploring pre-service teachers’ experiences towards synchronous online learning amidst the covid-19 pandemic 1088 as a result, even though the students and the teacher were separated, the implementation of synchronous learning mode facilitates the teachers to assist their students’ learning by explaining the topic and providing direction, like in a traditional classroom. having a group discussion. after the lecturer explained the topic, a group discussion was held based on the data collected. jett noted that the instructors used technologies like ms team, zoom, google meet, and others. activities like discussions were conducted via the zoom/ms. team during lectures. sky added that it might be between friends or students with the lecturer. raze also added that she discussed the content presented by the lecturer with friends. they discussed in the breakout room to discuss the tasks assigned, or the lecturer would ask them to discuss the material learned. furthermore, özüdoğru (2021) argued that the importance of a lecturer in online learning includes establishing rapport with learners in synchronous situations and creating a feeling of community, which means guiding and facilitating meaningful discussions and critical thinking. doing a presentation. after the pre-service teachers finished their group discussion, they did a group presentation. after hearing the lecturer’s perspective, the pre-service teachers were requested to share their thoughts on the subject. reyna stated, “sometimes i get assignments to do a presentation”. then the first participant, jett, also agreed to this idea. he mentioned, “through synchronous online learning tool, we can use sharing screens with each other with audiences, when there is a presentation task, we can immediately show our presentation”. raze explained, “we make media presentations in the form of videos, and it explains the material that would be taught or studied at the next meeting.” accordingly, the pre-service teachers were supposed to present their ideas in this activity. the activity undertaken by the participants in this study were similar with the study conducted by rapanta, et al., (2020). their study identified the activity in which the teacher asked each group to discuss significant questions, after which the replies from each student were gathered and organized, and lastly, each group must present the results of their discussion. doing an evaluation. quizzes or questions and answers at the end of the course might be used to assess the students. sky and reyna mentioned an evaluation at the end of the lesson. during the interview, sky explained, “there is a quiz every week”. furthermore, conducting quizzes might provide learning variety, ensuring it was not monotonous. sky said, “the rest of the activities are like quizzes using kahoot! or mentimeter or something like that. it’s more like an assignment, so students don’t get bored.” omen added, “the lecturer also gives questions and quizzes so that we don’t fall asleep”. doing a task through quizzes and questions and answers will give variety to learning and keep it from becoming monotonous. it also offers an assessment as an indicator of learning performance. ict can improve the assessment process by providing immediate feedback, generating self, peer, and group assessments, and using learning analytics to notify teachers and students about the learning process (rapanta et al., 2020). moreover, dada, alkali, and oyewola (2019) argued that synchronous online learning, which includes real-time interaction and immediate feedback, may contribute to improved learning outcomes. synchronous learning features that ease preservice teachers the findings revealed that various features that supported learning and made the process easier, such as sharing screen, recording, camera, and audio, were discovered to facilitate pre-service teachers learning and make the process easier. each characteristic will be discussed in detail in the following paragraph. share screen. omen, raze and reyna said that the most helpful tool, in their opinion, was the share screen, which is similar to a whiteboard and clarifies the material in better detail. based on the prior statement, the share screen performed the same function as a whiteboard for displaying all learning materials. according to park and bonk (2007), the shared screen feature allows users to upload various electronic materials to share a visual display during the presentation, while the breeze voice conference feature lets participants converse audibly. recording. the recording feature allows any activity in synchronous learning. raze said, “we can record any material in the course that day”. in addition, jett added, “the most useful feature is the video recorder, so all activities carried out in learning can be recorded so if we forget or miss a class, we can replay the material from its stored recording.” therefore, recording can help preservice teachers understand the subject by allowing them to replay it. carrington et al. (2010) found that students can use the recording english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1089 to make up for missed classes or to study and strengthen their knowledge of the content. camera and microphone. synchronous online learning includes built-in video and audio for realtime communication. yoru explained, “with these features, i can interact in two directions, either by video call or voice.” camera and audio facilitate communication for asking and answering questions. according to mougiakou et al. (2020), the student could use the microphone or camera to ask the instructor questions or answer exercises. some participants also mentioned features that eased their synchronous learning process. raze mentioned, “the features that are commonly used in the application are share screen, chat, breakout rooms, and cloud memory to save material”. jett and omen also said they could use screen sharing and recorder, powerpoint, and microphone features. in addition, yoru said, “the features used during the learning process are video, green screen or backdrop and recording video, webcam, and others.” even though they were far apart, the qualities of online synchronous learning made it easier for them to communicate and learn. according to martin et al. (2012), students loved the direct response from instructors, the public and private chat options for interaction, the screen sharing tool, videos, and the ability to examine archived material. the positive effects of synchronous learning the second research question is regarding the positive effects of synchronous learning. preservice teachers benefit from the change from traditional face-to-face to online synchronous teaching methods because they have more flexibility in their learning, a greater variety of learning methodologies, live interaction, and more autonomy. each impact is explained in detail below. flexibility in learning synchronous online learning can be implemented in a variety of ways and can promote the emergence of independent learning. during the interview, jett and omen preferred online synchronous learning because they could use a laptop and the internet anywhere, so they did not have to go to campus. reyna also agreed with online synchronous learning’s convenience. sky also added, “for the positive effects so that we can complete all of our activities, so what is like college activities and my activities are also running well”. raze also mentioned, “with this synchronous learning, it can help me study with my lecturers and friends even though i don’t meet in person”. thus, online synchronous learning affected the lecturers’ flexibility for pre-service teachers, allowing them to continue their learning activities during the covid-19 pandemic. atmojo (2021) stated that the flexibility and convenience of online professional development allows them to participate in learning activities at their own pace and on their own timetable. merisi et al. (2022) stated the importance of flexibility, adaptation, and support to provide excellent learning experiences and promote the positive features of flexibility and convenience. meanwhile, mustopa and hidayat (2020) mentioned that students might communicate readily with synchronous learning applications regardless of distance, location, or time constraints. variety of ways of learning in various ways, synchronous learning provides wider access to more inclusive learning. jett and reyna mentioned previously that synchronous online learning applications eased their online learning. when pre-service teachers miss the material, students can review it again from the recording, even make presentations and discuss it with friends. synchronous learning is also linked to the internet, allowing pre-service teachers to access additional resources during the learning process. sky said, “if the teacher is explaining, we don’t know. we can search first through the internet.” in addition, omen and reyna said, “then the material delivered is also usually sent, so it is easier for us to get the source.” this statement implies that synchronous online learning provides more opportunities than face-toface learning. with more learning methods, such as live interaction, online learning resources, and sharing content, pre-service teachers can learn most conveniently. according to irvine and richards (2013), broad access learning empowers students to customize how they interact with their instructor and peers in a course. live interaction the lecturer could provide a direct explanation of the material to pre-service teachers. sky said, “then there are those who think the course is interesting because it looks like the explanation is only ten and fifteen minutes long”. it also included a camera so that everyone could see each other. reyna also mentioned, “usually when studying online; the students are told to go on cam fitria rahmawati exploring pre-service teachers’ experiences towards synchronous online learning amidst the covid-19 pandemic 1090 by the lecturer”. reyna and raze also said synchronous learning helped pre-service teachers learn so that during a pandemic, they could ask direct questions to lecturers, making it easier for them to ask questions about the material. pre-service teachers could interact directly with teachers and their friends using cameras and audio connected to the internet. it enables them to stay connected and engage in activities similar to traditional face-to-face learning. according to tarihoran, syafuri, and masykur (2021) online learning boosts technological readiness, designing effective online courses, and encouraging interaction and engagement. a study conducted by d'angelo et al.(2021) in the context of online teaching, the essential competencies of pedagogical skills are designing and facilitating online learning activities that foster engagement and interaction. furthermore, bondi et al. (2016) stated that synchronous learning allows for multifaceted collaboration, and it is simple to integrate into a learning management system. more autonomous learning pre-service teachers can benefit from synchronous learning since it allows for more personalized learning and a flexible involvement structure, making them feel more autonomous. yoru said, “online synchronous learning is more independent and more individual learning. the advantage is more self-study. this means that i am more able to explore knowledge independently.” thus, online synchronous learning allowed preservice teachers to be more autonomous and explore learning knowledge. when it comes to synchronous learning, autonomous learning is crucial. pre-service teachers are needed to plan, organize, and analyze their learning while maintaining their learning motivation. according to learner autonomy is a less visible feature of all teaching and learning, but it is an important component of transactional distance theory and student engagement in distant education (mcbrien et al., 2021). meanwhile, phelps and dimitrios (2020) revealed the increasing significance of synchronous learning in remote education, particularly as communication technologies that permit live interactions between facilitators and learners become more widely available. the adverse effects of synchronous learning though its significant contributions to foreign language learning, especially during the pandemic, the findings also revealed that synchronous learning had its adverse effects. all of the participants felt that during its early implementation, synchronous learning was difficult for them. every challenge perceived by pre-service teachers would eventually affect their learning. each effect is described in detail below. missing the learning activity when participating in an online synchronous learning, pre-service teachers’ major issue is on network connection. omen and raze admitted that the signal was sometimes lost while using wi-fi, not to mention when the power went out. they would not hear the explanation and could not keep up with the teachings. reyna stated, “the impact on me was that sometimes i’m confused about how to take online classes. as usually the wi-fi doesn’t work, then i would run out of the internet quota. so, not rarely, i must join the online lectures at a friend’s place.” furthermore, inadequate connections frequently result in application failures, which impact pre-service teachers’ learning. jett stated, “the bad thing about virtual classes was too hard to understand the material, it makes me sleepy too then sometimes the signal was lost, and the internet quota was also wasteful, so sometimes i go in and out of the learning room, so i sometimes miss material”. raze also added, “sometimes when we take a synchronous class, we are standby at home and listening to the lecturer’s explanation, but suddenly we are thrown out, whether it is before the signal or whatever, it became one of the problems so sometimes because of that we couldn’t keep up with the lessons that day.” therefore, pre-service teachers sometimes did not participate in learning because they must leave or could not enter due to internet interference. mustopa and hidayat (2020) revealed that students struggled to follow the lesson since not all locations had a good cellular connection. furthermore, according to atmojo (2021) students encounter challenges in online learning are gaining access to reliable internet connections and resources. as a result, they were less than optimum when online learning, acquiring lecture information and collecting college tasks. lack of interaction the findings revealed that synchronous learning’s lack of communication was a severe issue. sky said, “from the communication aspect, the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1091 obstacle i experienced was more when the lecturer explained that there was less communication between the lecturer and the student, for example, there was interaction in the learning, it was like explaining, the lecturer asked whether the students had understood the material or not, but no one answered.” reyna and yoru agreed that synchronous online was less interesting, but that was alright because of the situation; usually, not all students engaged, so teaching and learning activities were passive. pre-service teachers’ learning experience could be affected by a lack of interaction. less attractive learning materials may be one of the reasons, but technological restrictions may also be a factor. there was limited student interaction, and some expressed dissatisfaction with technology issues that affected their study (mcbrien et al., 2021). according to çamlÿbel and eveyik (2022) concerns have been raised about the absence of face-to-face engagement and the restrictions imposed by online platforms. undelivered message a considerable detrimental influence on learning in online synchronous learning, where audio was one of the supporting elements for two-way communication, also became an issue. raze said, “sometimes the lecturers can’t listen to the questions we ask so that what we want to ask was not answered.” since the message was not transmitted adequately, the phrase implied that low audio quality hurt communication. noise happens because of sound leakage from devices that do not support it or from not using headphones or a microphone. furthermore, huang and hsiao claimed that low audio quality could cause delays and interrupt a conversation and the transmission of learning content (as cited in chen et al., 2020). feeling isolated pre-service instructors were negatively affected by feelings of isolation. in addition, a lack of enthusiasm and laziness in participating in learning activities may result in poor teaching and learning outcomes. sky said, “online synchronous learning was less effective, not all students seem to pay attention to their lecturers, sometimes there are also lecturers on camera themselves, i mean, the students are even off camera, some even lie down or do other activities.” omen declared, “it was more boring because you just listen to people talking without meeting them and sometimes the material presented was not very clear.” sky stated, “online classes seem to be less effective for classroom learning; if we go online, we only see the laptop screen, and we have to be forced like we have to know and understand.” raze added, “others even like to fall asleep.” due to the long distance, the feelings of isolation also reduced pre-service teachers’ participation in online synchronous learning. yoru said that pre-service teachers could not apply and use their information directly, either in a practical way or through classroom teaching and learning activities. based on the findings, pre-service teachers who felt isolated were less likely to pay attention in class. according to romero-hall and vicentini (2017), pre-service teachers feel unable to network and form relationships because of the distance. conclusion the findings of this study revealed synchronous learning processes during the covid-19 outbreak. during synchronous online learning, the pre-service instructors used videoconferencing to listen to their powerpoint presentations. video and other assets used in videoconferencing were included in the materials. after listening to the material, the pre-service teacher participated in a group discussion session using ms teams, zoom, or google meet. pre-service teachers typically presented the results of group discussions either in a group or individually after conducting them. the pre-service teacher then completed an evaluation of the lecture before the class ended. during the covid-19 epidemic, the research found that pre-service english teachers positively influenced synchronous learning. participants believed synchronous learning could be done anywhere with an adequate internet connection. the participants stated that they still had live interactions with the professor and their peers during synchronous learning. synchronous learning involves both autonomous learnings. on the other hand, the researcher discovered a detrimental influence on pre-service english teachers. the participants mentioned several unfavorable impacts. a difficulty arose for several people who did not have stable internet connections. due to their unreliable internet connection, the participants did not participate in synchronous learning. the findings also indicated synchronous learning’s lack of communication. several students were unresponsive to what was going on in the classroom. hardware support affected synchronous learning as well. not every fitria rahmawati exploring pre-service teachers’ experiences towards synchronous online learning amidst the covid-19 pandemic 1092 participant had proper devices. audio noise, for example, could disrupt the teaching and learning process by preventing the message from being heard clearly. references atmojo, a. e. p. (2021). efl teachers’ online teacher professional development experiences amidst the covid-19 pandemic: practices and perceptions. englisia: journal of language, education, and humanities, 9(1), 1-18. bondi, s., daher, t., holland, a., smith, a. r., & dam, s. (2016). learning through personal connections: cogenerative dialogues in synchronous virtual spaces. teaching in higher education, 21(3), 301–312. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2016.114128 8 bower, m., dalgarno, b., kennedy, g. e., lee, m. j. w., & kenney, j. (2015). design and implementation factors in blended synchronous learning environments: outcomes from a crosscase analysis. computers and education, 86, 1– 17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.03.006 bower, m., lee, m. j. w., & dalgarno, b. (2017). collaborative learning across physical and virtual worlds: factors supporting and constraining learners in a blended reality environment. british journal of educational technology, 48(2), 407–430. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12435 çamlÿbel-acar, z., & eveyik-aydın, e. (2022). perspectives of efl teacher trainers and preservice teachers on continued mandatory distance education during the pandemic. teaching and teacher education, 112, 103635. carrington, d., kim, s. k., & strooper, p. (2010). an experience report on using collaboration technologies for distance and on-campus learning. conferences in research and practice in information technology series, 103(ace), 45–51. chen, j. c. c., dobinson, t., & kent, s. (2020). students’ perspectives on the impact of blackboard collaborate on open university australia (oua) online learning. journal of educators online, 17(1). chen, n. s., ko, h. c., kinshuk, & lin, t. (2005). a model for synchronous learning using the internet. innovations in education and teaching international, 42(2), 181–194. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703290500062599 cohen, l., manion, l., & morrison, k. r. (2011). research method in education. routledge. creswell, j. (2012). design: choosing among five approaches. in design: choosing among five approaches (vol. 3, issue june). dada, e. g., alkali, a. h., & oyewola, d. o. (2019). an investigation into the effectiveness of asynchronous and synchronous e-learning mode on students’ academic performance in national open university (noun), maiduguri centre. international journal of modern education and computer science, 13(5), 54. https://doi.org/10.5815/ijmecs.2019.05.06 d'angelo, i., paviotti, g., giaconi, c., & rodrigues, m. b. (2021). professional competences of preservice teachers: from the f2f to the online learning programme. [le competenze professionali del docente in formazione: dal corso in presenza al corso online] form@re, 21(1), 106-121. https://doi.org/10.13128/form-10429 debbag, m., & fidan, m. (2022). examining preservice teachers’ perceptions about virtual classrooms in online learning. international review of research in open and distributed learning, 23(3), 171-190. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v23i3.5925 farkhani, z. a., badiei, g., & rostami, f. (2022). investigating the teacher’s perceptions of classroom management and teaching selfefficacy during covid-19 pandemic in the online efl courses. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 7(1) https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-022-00152-7 irvine, v., & richards, l. (2013). realigning higher education for the 21st-century learner through multi-access learning. merlot journal of online learning and teaching, 9(2), 172–186. langford, m., & damşa, c. (2020). online teaching in the time of covid-19: academic teachers’ experiences in norway. center of experiential legal learning (cell), university of oslo, 2(april), 1–35. https://www.jus.uio.no/cell/ressurser/evaluering /rapporter/report-university-teachers-160420with-annex.pdf martin, f., parker, m. a., & deale, d. f. (2012). examining interactivity in synchronous virtual classrooms. the international review of research in open and distance learning. the international review of research in open and distance learning, 13(3), 227– 260. mcbrien, j. l., cheng, r., & jones, p. (2021). view of virtual spaces: employing a synchronous online classroom to facilitate student engagement in online learning. the international review of research in open and distributed learning. http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/vi ew/605/1264 merisi, p. o., emekako, r., legg-jack, d., mpundu, m., & lubombo, m. (2022). asynchronous preservice teaching practicum and work-integrated learning amid covid-19 pandemic. international journal of social sciences & educational studies, 9(1), 190-206. https://doi.org/10.23918/ijsses.v9i1p190 https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2016.1141288 https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2016.1141288 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.03.006 https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12435 https://doi.org/10.1080/14703290500062599 https://doi.org/10.13128/form-10429 https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v23i3.5925 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-022-00152-7 https://www.jus.uio.no/cell/ressurser/evaluering/rapporter/report-university-teachers-160420-with-annex.pdf https://www.jus.uio.no/cell/ressurser/evaluering/rapporter/report-university-teachers-160420-with-annex.pdf https://www.jus.uio.no/cell/ressurser/evaluering/rapporter/report-university-teachers-160420-with-annex.pdf http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/605/1264 http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/605/1264 https://doi.org/10.23918/ijsses.v9i1p190 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1093 mougiakou, e., papadimitriou, s., & virvou, m. (2020). synchronous and asynchronous learning methods under the light of general data protection regulation. 11th international conference on information, intelligence, systems and applications, iisa 2020, may. https://doi.org/10.1109/iisa50023.2020.928434 1 mustopa, a. j., & hidayat, d. (2020). pengalaman mahasiswa saat kelas online menggunakan aplikasi zoom cloud meeting selama covid-19. digital media & relationship, 2(2), 75–84. özüdoğru, m. (2021). pre-service teachers’ perceptions related to the distance teacher education learning environment and community of inquiry. journal of pedagogical research, 5(4). https://www.proquest.com/scholarlyjournals/pre-service-teachers-perceptionsrelated-distance/docview/2712880336/se-2 park, y., & bonk, c. (2007). is online life a breeze? a case study for promoting synchronous learning in a blended graduate course. journal of online learning and teaching, 3(3), 307–323. http://jolt.merlot.org/vol3no3/park.htm phelps, a., & dimitrios, v. (2020). successful transition to synchronous learning environments in distance education: a research on entry-level synchronous facilitator competencies. education and information technologies, 25(3), 1511-1527. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-09989-x pujasari, r. s. (2021). video conferencing on canvas for distance learning during covid-19 in indonesian context. proceedings of the unnesteflin national seminar, 4(1), 9–16. https://utns.proceedings.id/index.php/utns rahayu, d. (2020). synchronous zoom web conference system: an exploratory study on students’ elearning experience. 5(1), 80–93. https://doi.org/10.22236/jer rahmawati, f. (2019). blended learning in an english listening and speaking course: freshmen’s voice and choice. 353(icosihess), 56–62. https://doi.org/10.2991/icosihess-19.2019.9 rapanta, c., botturi, l., goodyear, p., guàrdia, l., & koole, m. (2020). online university teaching during and after the covid-19 crisis: refocusing teacher presence and learning activity. postdigital science and education, 2(3), 923– 945. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00155y rinekso, a. b., & muslim, a. b. (2020). synchronous online discussion: teaching english in higher education amidst the covid-19 pandemic. jees (journal of english educators society), 5(2), 155–162. https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v5i2.646 romero-hall, e., & vicentini, c. (2017). examining distance learners in hybrid synchronous instruction: successes and challenges. online learning journal, 21(4), 141–157. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v21i4.1258 shukri, a., nordin, l., salleh, f. i. m., raidzwan, s. n. m., & ahmad, r. (2020). unikl students’ perception on synchronous learning using ict as learning tools to learn english. journal of critical reviews, 7(8), 793–796. https://doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.08.170 tarihoran, n., syafuri, b., & masykur. (2021). preservice teachers' perception of online learning in islamic university during a coronavirus (covic19) pandemic. turkish journal of computer and mathematics education, 12(3), 4181-4189. wang, q., huang, c., & quek, c. l. (2018). students’ perspectives on the design and implementation of a blended synchronous learning environment. australasian journal of educational technology, 34(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.3404 zydney, j. m., mckimmy, p., lindberg, r., & schmidt, m. (2019). here or there instruction: lessons learned in implementing innovative approaches to blended synchronous learning. lessons learned in implementing innovative approaches to blended synchronous learning. techtrends, 63(2), 123-132. https://doi.org/10.1109/iisa50023.2020.9284341 https://doi.org/10.1109/iisa50023.2020.9284341 https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/pre-service-teachers-perceptions-related-distance/docview/2712880336/se-2 https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/pre-service-teachers-perceptions-related-distance/docview/2712880336/se-2 https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/pre-service-teachers-perceptions-related-distance/docview/2712880336/se-2 http://jolt.merlot.org/vol3no3/park.htm https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-09989-x https://utns.proceedings.id/index.php/utns https://doi.org/10.22236/jer https://doi.org/10.2991/icosihess-19.2019.9 https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00155-y https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00155-y https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v5i2.646 https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v21i4.1258 https://doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.08.170 https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.3404 fitria rahmawati exploring pre-service teachers’ experiences towards synchronous online learning amidst the covid-19 pandemic 1094 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 183 mobile assisted language learning: efl learners’ perceptions toward the use of mobile applications in learning english endang darsih english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kuningan, indonesia email: endang.darsih@uniku.ac.id nida amalia asikin english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kuningan, indonesia email: nida.amalia.asikin@uniku.ac.id apa citation: darsih, e., & asikin, n. a. (2020). mobile assisted language learning: efl learners’ perceptions toward the use of mobile applications in learning english. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 183-194. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2999. received: 01-04-2020 accepted: 18-05-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: although extensive research has been carried out on the positive effect of mobile assisted language learning (mall) for students’ learning, there have been few studies concerning on university students’ perceptions toward the use of mall in learning english. the study was undertaken to examine university students’ perceptions toward mall specifically the use of mobile application in learning english. the participants of this study were ninety six students (68 females and 28 males). data collection instruments used in this study were questionnaire and semi-structured interview. it reported that all participants apply mall by downloading and using english mobile applications to help their learning. six mobile applications which are often used by all participants were kamusku, google translate, elsa speak, youtube, zoom and google meet. the results of the questionnaires also showed that their perceptions toward the use of mall was that mall, in this case the english mobile application was considered to be useful and helped their learning, besides it was overall easy to use. keywords: mobile assisted language learning (mall); efl learners; learning english. introduction the low quality of graduates of english language education is something that needs special and serious attention from academics not only lecturers but also other stakeholders and the students. in this digital age, lecturers are not only limited to the transmitter of information but also has a very important and relevant role in preparing, compiling and organizing learning activities in class. some of its roles are as a designer, programmer, diagnostician, researcher, organizer, manager, innovator, educator and advisor (lanier, 2012). besides, lecturers are also a key success factor of college students. however, success of learning will also be achieved if students are able collaborate well so that the results obtained will be more leverage. a research shows that the majority of students of english education study programs still not yet autonomous or independent even though there is no denying that learner autonomy is one of the determining factors in the success of students’ learning (darsih, 2018). besides, the success of learning is also affected by their motivation. another study revealed that motivation of students in learning college english is low. students’ low motivation is reflected in their assessment of english as a boring and difficult subject. this might be one of the results of a teaching and learning process which tends to be repetitive and lack creativity. this also suggests a more teacher-centered teaching where students less active roles in class. therefore, there have been discussions on shifting from a teachercentered to a student-centered learning process. as stressed by lengkanawati (2016), there must be a change in the learning process from transferring knowledge from teacher to students to a learning process where students actively participate to gain some learnings. several studies have pointed to the benefits of educational technology particularly mobile assisted language learning (mall). it provides opportunities to implement a communicative approach more successfully (walsh, r., 2019). the use of mobile phone to access internet is found to be effective for students-centred teaching and collaborative learning (nah, white, & mailto:endang.darsih@uniku.ac.id mailto:nida.amalia.asikin@uniku.ac.id endang darsih & nida amalia asikin mobile assisted language learning: efl learners’ perceptions toward the use of mobile applications in learning english 184 sussex, 2008; osifo, 2019). therefore, in this day and age, mobile phones or smartphones have become an idol, trending and something very important until most students cannot escape from their smartphones. smartphones are no longer used as a communication tool but also are a social, work, and educational need. in developing countries, many people have adopted the use of cellular phones in the process learning. many studies have also been carried out by a number of researchers for identifying the use of technology among students, including usage of smartphone. for example, reinders (2010) explains 20 telephone usage ideas mobile in the language class. these twenty ideas allow teachers to offer increased language learning by taking advantage of that the students are very familiar and take it anywhere at any time. the other studies have reported that smartphone integration in language learning gives positive results and students are more interested in using smartphones to learn english especially in improving vocabulary (kukulska-hulme & shield, 2008; lu, 2008; saran et al., 2008; marzban & nafarzadehnafari 2018). teaching vocabulary by using smartphones or cellphones has remained popular (duman, orhon, & gedik, 2015; chen, liu, & huang, 2019). besides, the use of mobile phone to access internet is effective for learning listening skill and collaborative learning (nah, white, & sussex, 2008; hsu, 2015; huang, sun, 2010) and oral productive skills (kim, 2015). mall or mobile-assisted language learning is one of educational technology through smartphone applications designed for help student learning especially in the 21st century (loewen, crowther, isbell, kim, maloney, miller, & rawal, 2019; rocca, 2018). correspondingly, davie and hilber (2015) defines mall as the use of mobile devices for support language learning, using devices such as digital personal assistant (pda), ordinary cellphone, smartphones, tablet computer, android or mp3 player all of them are used for educational tools. a study conducted by kondo, m., ishikawa, y., smith, c., sakamoto, k., shimomura, h., & wada, n. (2012) reported that mall helps students improve their scores on the toeic listening and reading tests. mall also helps students improve their writing skill (gharehblagh and nasri 2019; al-hamad, raghda, al-jamal, dina, bataineh, 2019). this indicates that mall applications can be used as an effective mobile language learning tool. (gonulal, 2019). a recent study on a review of mall revealed that many studies are more descriptive than innovative and advocate the implementation of larger and long-term research studies on how mobile devices, and the ipad in particular, are impacting language teaching and learning. (morgana, 2019). other papers have highlighted the focus on the impact of mall on fostering the efl instruction (imtiaz, norrihan, aslam, waqar, 2016), the role of smartphones in helping students enhance their social and cultural capital (retorta, and cristovão, 2017), utilization of instagram vlog contributed to efl learners’ speaking skill on enhancing fluency, acquiring vocabulary items, and boosting confidence and motivation (wulandari, 2019), and the effect of mall in improving students’ motivation (teeter, 2017). when talking about mobile devices and their closer relationship with the teaching-learning innovation, the significance of mobile applications (apps) as useful tools in the achievement and acquisition for specific learning cannot be overlooked. therefore, the present study aims to identify types of english mobile apps that are used by the students in higher education, their perceptions toward the usefulness and the ease of use of mobile apps in learning english. the result of this study is expected to enrich the literature related to mall in learning college english. method the method deployed in this study was a mixed method which is an approach that involves qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques, integrating both data and using a certain design in its application (creswell, 2014). the design used is concurrent embedded which aims to answer questions which requires different types of data (malik & hamied, 2014). qualitative data were obtained from interviews with students. data collected were analyzed and interpreted, then described to find out the type of smartphones applications that students use to help them in learning english. furthermore, quantitative data comes from the questionnaires used for collecting specific data about students' perceptions of mall integration focusing on the usefulness and ease of mobile-assisted language learning. the questionnaire used in this study was adopted from a questionnaire compiled by davis (2003). the statements in this questionnaire were modified and then divided into three categories, i.e. the first category is open questions about the identity of the participants, the second english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 185 category is statements regarding the usefulness of mall in learning english, and the third is statements regarding the ease of use of mall in learning english. the measurements used in this study are by using a likert scale with five options (i.e. strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and strongly agree. a total of 102 students from grade ii and iii of english education study program were involved in this research specifically to fill out questionnaires, while for the interview instrument not all students were involved. the data collected from questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics, while data taken from interview were analyzed qualitatively. after that, the data were reduced to general themes in order to focus on what is sought in this study. by doing data reduction, the data which share common information were categorized into broader themes. finally, the data were organized to go through data interpretation where the results were interpreted to become findings. results and discussion this study aims to find out what english language applications are used by students of the english education study program and their perceptions toward mobile assisted language learning (mall). data were collected through a questionnaire adopted from davis (2003) and modified according to the research context. questionnaire and interview questions are made using google form and can be accessed at https://forms.gle/jcfphcngwpxka269a. the questionnaire distributed to the total sample of 102 students, but returning questionnaires were 54 units from grade ii, as many as 42 units from grade iii, so that the total data from the questionnaire analyzed in this study were 96 questionnaire data. figure 1 represents the data of study participants who filled out the research questionnaire in terms of gender. figure 1. participants of the study the figure shows that the majority of participants in this study were female. of the total 96 participants who filled out the questionnaire, 71% of the participants were female students, and the remaining 29% of participants were male students. english mobile applications in student learning the first question in this study is related to what applications are used by students of english education study programs in helping their learning. based on the results of the questionnaires distributed to students of the english education study program about what applications they download and used on their smartphone/android to help learning english can be seen in figure 2. endang darsih & nida amalia asikin mobile assisted language learning: efl learners’ perceptions toward the use of mobile applications in learning english 186 figure 2. english mobile application used by english education students based on the results of the questionnaires presented in figure 2 it shows that the number of english mobile applications used by students is quite a lot; there are fifteen types of applications used by students of english education study programs to help their learning including kamusku, google translate, bbc, grammar test, english idiomatic, u dictionary, you tube, elsa speak, duolinggo, quizlet, speech notes, kahoot, zoom, google meet and kine master. of the fifteen applications, kamusku, google translate, you tube, elsa speak, zoom and google meet are applications that are often used by all participants. kamusku is an offline dictionary application of english to indonesian and vice versa. this application is the most widely used dictionary application by students because this application is simple, lightweight, and very easy to use and the most basic reason is that it is light to run even though ram is small. to translate words, students only need to enter the word they want to find meaning in the search field provided. it does not take long and does not need a loading process, the words sought will immediately appear with a variety of other related words. when the word that is searched appears, the meaning in question will also be directly listed. to find out more about the meaning, just tap on the word. in addition to the ease in finding the meaning of words in english to indonesian or vice versa, kamusku also has other features such as "speak" (speaker logo) located to the right of the search field. this feature is very useful especially for students who are still having difficulty with their pronunciation. once the "speak" button is tapped, the pronunciation will sound immediately. with this feature, of course, students will be helped especially in learning pronunciation. kamusku is considered very effective for translating words in english to indonesian or vice versa, but when you want to translate long sentences, an online translation service is available, which certainly requires an internet connection. nevertheless, students prefer to use the google translate application to translate longer sentences. google translate is a translator application developed by google inc. this application has a variety of good features and is quite complete because it not only translates text, images, sounds but also handwriting. similar to the kamusku application, the google translate application can also be used offline (without an internet connection). this is what might be the reason why these two applications are the most frequently used by students in helping their learning. elsa speak is an application designed to facilitate students learning to speak english. this application utilizes artificial intelligence (ai) and speech recognition to help improve and perfect english pronunciation, where pronunciation is the biggest challenge in learning english, thus becoming a barrier to speaking fluently and confidently. with this technology, elsa can detect user pronunciation errors with an accuracy of more than 95%. users can also receive advanced feedback to correct pronunciation errors. this is one of the things that distinguish elsa from other english learning applications. elsa speak provides more than 1,200 lessons and more than 60 topics for users to practice pronunciation, starting from the practice of pronunciation of words, phrases, and english sentences. another feature offered by elsa is an interactive dictionary, which will help users how to pronounce the words or phrases they are looking for. you tube is a free video sharing website on the internet. the website lets people upload, view, and share videos. videos can be rated with likes or dislikes, and viewers can subscribe to channels english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 187 they like. videos can be commented on if viewers log into their own accounts. the number of times a video has been watched (known as "views") is shown. many different types of videos can be put onto the website, such as educational content, animations, and events. with regard to the covid 19 pandemic that is still ongoing today, the online meeting application is an option for students who are forced to study and complete their work at home or work/study form home due to the covid-19 outbreak. one of these applications is zoom. zoom is a communication application using video. the application can be used on a variety of mobile devices, desktops, to telephones and space systems. in general, users use this application to conduct meetings to video and audio conferences. besides zooming, students also download applications that have the same features, google meet. this is an online video conversation conferencing application. in addition to the above applications that are most widely used by the participants, below are other applications downloaded by them: first is bbc, an application designed to learn english easily and effectively with exercises provided. through this application, of course students can learn english especially for their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. second is speech notes, an application that can be downloaded on android that functions to convert spoken data into writing. so by using this application students can easily convert recorded or oral data into document form without having to type the spoken text because this application automatically types the oral data into written text. third is quizlet, a complete free learning aid to support the teaching and learning process, including for teachers / lecturers. in this application there are flashcard features that can guide users in mastering a particular topic. even now quizlet has grown into an international study site. fourth is kahoot, a free learning platform based game application, as an educational technology. this application can bring a lively quiz atmosphere into the classroom. by playing kahoot, learning becomes very enjoyable and makes the students not bored following the learning which is very difficult to understand. fifth is kine master, a mobile application specifically designed to help android and ios users to modify videos from ordinary videos to more interesting videos. students use this application to modify their presentation videos because learning is still online during the covid pandemic 19. students’ perceptions toward mobile assisted language learning (mall) the second question in this study is related to students' perceptions of english education study programs toward mobile assisted language learning (mall). questionnaires from davis (2003) were adopted and modified to collect data. the statements in this questionnaire were modified and then divided into three categories; the first category is an open question about the identity of the respondents and the results can be seen in figure 1 regarding the profile of the respondent, the second category is statements regarding the usefulness of mall in learning english, the results of which can be seen in table 1 and figure 3, and the third category is about the ease of mall, the results of which can be seen in table 2. the measurement used in this study is to use a likert scale with five options, namely strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and strongly agree. the following are the results of the distribution of questionnaires regarding the usefulness of mall in learning english. table 1. students’ perception toward the usefulness of mall no statements sa a n d sd 1 using english applications on my smartphone improves the quality of the work/task i do 40% 58% 2% 0% 0% 2 using english applications on my smartphone gives me greater control over my work 0% 60% 40% 0% 0% 3 english mobile applications enables me to accomplish tasks more quickly 72% 28% 0% 0% 0% 4 english mobile application supports my ability in speaking, reading, listening and writing. 20% 52% 13% 15% 0% 5 using english mobile applications increases my productivity 10% 44% 32% 14% 0% 6 using english mobile applications increases my english vocabulary, grammar mastery and my 3% 64% 15% 18% 0% endang darsih & nida amalia asikin mobile assisted language learning: efl learners’ perceptions toward the use of mobile applications in learning english 188 pronunciation 7 using english mobile applications allows me to accomplish more work than would otherwise be possible 0% 30% 42% 20% 8% 8 using english mobile applications makes it easier to learn the material 20% 51% 15% 14% 0% 9 using english mobile applications enhances my effectiveness on my work 10% 28% 22% 26% 14% 10 using english mobile applications improves my motivation to learn english 14% 34% 21% 20% 11% 11 overall, i find english mobile applications useful in my learning 20% 80% 0% 0% 0% figure 3. students’ perceptions on the usefulness of mall table 1 shows that for item 1 which is related to the statement ‘using english applications on my smartphone improves the quality of the work / task i do’ it is known that, the majority of students as much as 58% agree that englishlanguage applications improve the quality of their assignments. based on the results of interviews with several students, it can be said that students feel that they are displaying assignments better both in the form of oral and written texts with the help of its english-language application. for example, in speaking english, students are helped to give a better performance in terms of pronunciation and increased vocabulary in supporting speaking skills. in addition, in writing appearance, students' written texts are more tidy in terms of grammar and choice of words. for item 2 which relates to the statement ‘using english applications on my smartphone gives me greater control over my work’ 60% of students agree that the use of english applications in their smartphones gives them greater control in their tasks and work. this means they are the ones who have constraints on the quality of the tasks and jobs that they want to display. good or bad learning and their tasks depend on them in utilizing english-language applications. for item 3 which is related to the statement ‘english mobile applications enables me to accomplish tasks more quickly’ it is known that as many as 72% of students rate that the englishlanguage smartphone applications that they download and use are able to help them complete their tasks and work faster. this is because that with the rapid development of technology, so that these applications have succeeded in becoming portable facilities and media that help students in completing their assignments. they can open the applications needed wherever and whenever there is difficulty in doing their jobs. for item no. 4 which relates to the statement ‘english mobile application supports my abilities in speaking, reading, listening and writing’ it is known that 52% of students agree that the english smartphone application supports their skills in speaking, reading, listening and writing. however, as many as 15% of students rated that the english-speaking smartphone application did not support their skills in speaking, reading, listening and writing. for most students some english-language applications such as elsa speak and kamusku are able to support four student language skills. but it is undeniable that with the limitations possessed by applications used by english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 189 students, it makes students not helped in displaying better language skills. for item no. 5 that is related to the statement ‘using english mobile applications increases my productivity’ it is known that 44% of students agree that the use of an english-speaking smartphone application can increase productivity. on the other hand, as many as 32% of students gave a doubtful assessment of this statement. this is because for some students, student productivity is not only determined by the smartphone application in english, but can be by other factors such as their craft and tenacity in doing assignments and utilizing the application. for item no. 6 regarding the statement 'using english mobile applications increases my english vocabulary, grammar mastery and my pronunciation' it is known that most students as much as 64% agree that the use of an englishspeaking smartphone application can improve their vocabulary, grammar mastery and pronunciation. based on interviews with several students, it is known that the smartphone application that they download and often use can help them improve english vocabulary, grammar comprehension and pronunciation. this is because some applications provide features that support learning vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation in english such as kamusku, elsa speak, and google translate. for item no 7 which is related to the statement ‘using english mobile applications allows me to accomplish more work than would otherwise be possible’ it is known that 42% of students give a doubtful perception of this statement. they are not entirely sure that the use of english-language applications in smartphones can make it get more work done. for students, the main factor that determines the amount of work that can be completed depends not on the application, but on the level of difficulty of the task and the level of student crafts. for item no 8 which is related to the statement ‘using english mobile applications makes it easier to learn the material as many as 51% of students agree that the use of an englishspeaking smartphone application makes it easy to learn the subject matter. this shows that another benefit that is felt by most students of english education courses is the ease they get in learning the subject matter. based on the results of the interview, the subject matter that is felt difficult to understand in the classroom from lecturers and books becomes easier to learn by opening the application. however, as many as 15% of students do not think the same. this is because due to the different learning styles of students, there are those that are better understood by lecturers, but some are clearer than applications. for item no 9, which is related to the statement ‘using english mobile applications enhances my effectiveness on my work’ it is known that only 28% of students agree with this statement. 26% of students responded disagree to this statement. this indicates that students are not sure of the effectiveness of using the english smartphone application. there are still other factors not examined that can improve the effectiveness of work and student learning by using english-language applications. for item no. 10 which is related to the statement ‘using english mobile applications improves my motivation to learn english; it is known that 34% of students agree, 21% are hesitant and 20% disagree with the statement. based on the results of the interview concluded that the application can increase motivation to learn english because they are practical, can be taken anywhere and at any time can be opened. with this practicality, and student addiction to mobile phones make students eager to learn english. however, for those who disagree, they do not consider that the ups and downs of their motivation are determined by the application used, but from other factors such as lecturers, parents, peers, environmental factors and material factors being studied. for the last item related to the statement 'overall, i find english mobile applications useful in my learning' it is known that as many as 80% agree and 20% strongly agree that the englishspeaking smartphone application is beneficial for student learning. for example some applications for the purpose of translating are deemed to provide significant benefits for students. first, the application is very easy to use both in online and offline conditions. second, the practicality of the application allows students to open it whenever and wherever they need it. third, the application does not consume too much big data. fourth, the application helps students recognize new words and meanings, examples of their use and how to pronounce them. this of course helps students to support their pronunciation and improve their grammar mastery. fifth, the application stimulates four main abilities of english namely speaking, listening, writing and reading abilities. for example in some applications such as bbc, elsa speak and you tube, students can hone four main skills in mastering foreign languages each endang darsih & nida amalia asikin mobile assisted language learning: efl learners’ perceptions toward the use of mobile applications in learning english 190 time they combine and integrate these skills; listening (listening, selection, pronunciation and intonation of words displayed in the application), writing (when students write what they are listening to, even though they do not know how to spell a term correctly, their brain will be stimulated to search for a matching spelling equivalent), reading (when reading back the words that students have written are considered able to make them better remember and understand the matter), speaking (when students use it and practice it in real conversation or when reciting it). the four language skills when applied are significantly related to stimulation of three linguistics skills, namely vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. finally, the application is useful in helping students writing. with a rich vocabulary of applications used to support students to make writing using terms that are not monotonous. meanwhile, the following is the result of questionnaire distribution regarding the ease of use of mall in learning english. table 2. students’ perceptions toward the ease of use of mall no statements sa a n d sd 1 i find english mobile applications system cumbersome to use 0% 16% 35% 39% 10% 2 learning to operate english mobile applications is easy for me 10% 50% 22% 18% 0% 3 interacting with english mobile applications is often frustrating 0% 20% 50% 30% 0% 4 i find it easy to get english mobile applications to do what i want it to do 4% 46% 40% 8% 2% 5 english mobile applications is rigid and inflexible to interact with 0% 21% 49% 30% 0% 6 it is easy for me to remember how to perform tasks using english mobile applications 3% 76% 21% 0% 0% 7 interacting with english mobile applications requires a lot of mental effort 10% 24% 47% 19% 0% 8 my interaction with english mobile applications is clear and understandable 0% 24% 51% 25% 0% 9 i find it takes a lot effort and time to become skillful as using english mobile applications 7% 52% 18% 23% 0% 10 overall, i find english mobile applications system easy to use. 24% 62% 14% 0% 0% figure 4. students’ perceptions toward the ease of use of mall regarding students’ perceptions on the ease of use of mall, there are 10 items of statements used in this questionnaire. for item no. 1 related to the statement 'i find english mobile applications system cumbersome to use', students gave varied responses. 10% strongly disagree, 39% of students disagree, 35% are neutral, and 16% agree to the statement that the englishlanguage smartphone application is considered to have a difficult system so it is difficult to use. this is because applications that are downloaded by students are diverse and have different systems, some are difficult and some are easy to use. some dictionary applications that are online english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 191 and offline are considered to have a simple system so students can directly use it easily. however, some other applications are considered difficult to operate because students have to go through several steps that are quite complex and not easy. most important is the desire of students to learn the application, because basically there is nothing difficult if they want to learn. for item no 2 which is related to the statement 'learning to operate english mobile applications is easy for me' 50% of students agree with this statement. as previously stated that there is nothing difficult if we want to learn, but back to students whether they have the desire to learn or not. for item number 3 related to the statement 'interacting with english mobile applications is often frustrating' it is known that as many as 50% of students give a neutral response to this statement. this neutral response shows that some students feel frustrated when interacting with english-speaking smartphone applications and some students feel fine when interacting and using those applications. when a job cannot be completed easily and quickly by the application, or when students encounter obstacles such as internet access and speed in operating these applications, some students experience frustration. for item no 4 which is related to the statement "i find it easy to get english mobile applications to do what i want it to do" it is known that as many as 46% of students agree that they feel easy when they use english applications in completing an assignment. for example when students want to search for a particular vocabulary, the application is able to provide what they are looking for. in addition, when they want to learn a material, they find it easy because they only have to open the application and find it. for item no 5, which is related to the statement of english mobile applications is rigid and inflexible to interact with, it is known that 49% provide a neutral response to this statement. this shows that some students still give positive and negative responses to the english-speaking smartphone application in terms of how to use it. most students considered that the english application was rigid, but most of the others considered that the application was flexible. in essence, back again to the users of the application, whether they can respond and interact with the application rigidly or flexibly. for item no 6 which is related to the statement 'it is easy for me to remember how to perform tasks using english mobile applications', it is known that 76% agree with this statement. most students agreed that they find it easy to remember how to do an assignment using an english-language application. for example related to the task of pronunciation, grammar and translation, students find it easy to do these tasks by using the application. for item no 7 which is related to the statement 'interacting with english mobile applications requires a lot of mental effort' it is known that 47% of students gave a neutral response to this statement. this shows that some students feel that interacting and using these applications requires mental effort such as patience because the applications downloaded by students have different levels of difficulty, which of course requires different mental efforts. however, there are also some students who feel fine and do not require much mental effort in using the application. for item no 8 which is related to the statement 'my interaction with english mobile applications is clear and understandable' it is known that 51% gave a neutral response, and 24% agreed to this statement. for item no. 9 which is related to the statement 'i find it takes a lot of effort and time to become skillful as using english mobile applications', it is known that 52% agree with this statement. this shows that they agree that it takes considerable time and effort to become skilled in using an english-speaking smartphone application. the more often the application in english, the more skilled it is in operating the application. for item no. 10 which is related to the statement ‘overall, i find the english mobile applications system easy to use’ it is known that 62% of students agree with this statement. this shows that most students find that the english applications they download tend to be easy to use or operate. conclusion mobile-assisted language learning, also known as mall is undergoing rapid evolution. mobile phones particularly english mobile applications can support many types of learning. they can be easily used outside the classroom because they can be in them, students can learn or practice pieces of information that can be managed anywhere on their own time, thereby taking advantage of their convenience. based on the results of data analysis, it is found that almost all endang darsih & nida amalia asikin mobile assisted language learning: efl learners’ perceptions toward the use of mobile applications in learning english 192 participants apply mall by downloading and using english mobile applications to help their learning. six mobile applications which are often used by all participants to help their learning are kamusku, google translate, elsa speak, youtube, zoom and google meet. the results of the questionnaires also showed that their perceptions toward the use of mall was that mall, in this case the english mobile applications are considered to be useful and helped their learning, besides it was overall easy to use. acknowledgement we have to thank kemendikbud of republic of indonesia which has fully funded this research through the penelitian dosen pemula (pdp) scheme. we are also very thankful to universitas kuningan which has provided us an ample opportunity to exert a passion for research, writing and publication. to the dean of the teachers training and education faculty of universitas kuningan and the english language education department, we thank you for all material and immaterial supports so that this research runs smoothly. references al-hamad, raghda f., al-jamal, dina a. h., & bataineh, r. f. (2019). the effect of mall instruction on teens’ writing performance. digital education review, 35(1), 289-298. chen, c.m., liu, h., & huang, h.b. (2019). effects of a mobile game-based english vocabulary learning app on learners’ perceptions and learning performance: a case study of taiwanese efl learners. recall, 31(2), 170–188. doi: 10.1017/s0958344018000228. cresswell, j. w. (2014). research design: pendekatan kualitatif, kuantitatif, dan mixed. yogyakarta: pustaka pelajar. darsih, e. (2018). fostering language learner autonomy: indonesian efl lecturers voices. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 51-60. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1495. davie, n., & hilber, t. (2015). mobile-assisted language learning: student attitudes to using smartphones to learn english vocabulary. 11th international conference mobile learning 2015, 70-78, isbn: 978-989-8533-36-4. davis, f. d. (2003). user acceptance of information technology: system characteristics, user perceptions and behavioral impacts. international journal of manmachine studies, 38(2), 475-487. duman, g., orhon, g., & gedik, n. (2015). research trends in mobile assisted language learning from 2000 to 2012. recall, 27(2), 197–216. doi: 10.1017/s0958344014000287. gharehblagh, n., & nasri n, (2019). developing efl elementary learners’ writing skills through mobile-assisted language learning (mall). teaching english with technology, 20(1), 104121. gonulal, t (2019). the use of instagram as a mobileassisted language learning tool. contemporary educational technology, 10(3), 309-323. doi: 10.30935/cet.590108. hsu, c.k. (2015). learning motivation and adaptive video caption filtering for efl learners using handheld devices. recall, 27(1), 84–103. doi: 10.1017/s0958344014000214. huang, c., & sun, p. (2010). using mobile technologies to support mobile multimedia english listening exercises in daily life. the international conference on computer and network technologies in education (cnte 2010). imtiaz, h. t., norrihan s, aslam, m. s., & waqar, a. (2016). impact of mobile assisted language learning (mall) on efl: a meta-analysis. advances in language and literary studies, 7(2), 76-83. doi: 10.7575/aiac.alls.v.7n.2p.76. kim, h. (2015). a blended learning scenario to enhance learners’ oral production skills. the eurocall review, 23(1), 17-23. doi: 10.4995/eurocall.2015.4655. kondo, m., ishikawa, y., smith, c., sakamoto, k., shimomura, h., & wada, n. (2012). mobile assisted language learning in university efl courses in japan: developing attitudes and skills for self-regulated learning. recall, 24(2), 169– 187. doi: 10.1017/s0958344012000055. kukulska-hulme, a., & shield, l. (2008). an overview of mobile-assisted language learning: from content delivery to supported collaboration and interaction. recall, 20(3), 271–289. lanier, j. (2012). redefining the role of the teacher: it’s a multifaceted profession. retrieved on june 27, 2020 from http: www.edutopia.org/redefiningrole-teacher. lengkanawati, n. s. (2016). teachers’ beliefs about learner autonomy and its implementation in indonesian efl settings. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 6(2), 222-231. loewen, s., crowther, d., isbell, d. r., kim, k. m., maloney, j., miller, z. f., & rawal, h. (2019). mobile-assisted language learning: a duolingo case study. recall, 31(3), 293–311. doi: 10.1017/s0958344019000065. lu, m. (2008). effectiveness of vocabulary learning via mobile phone. journal of computer assisted learning, 24(1), 515-525. malik, r. s., & hamied, f. a. (2014). research methods. bandung: upi press. marzban, a., & nafarzadehnafari, f. (2018). the effect of interventionist classroom vs. mall dynamic assessment on efl learners’ vocabulary learning. applied linguistics research journal, 2(3), 58–66. http://doi.org/10.1017/s0958344018000228 http://doi.org/10.1017/s0958344018000228 https://doi.org/10.30935/cet.590108 https://doi.org/10.30935/cet.590108 http://doi.org/10.1017/s0958344014000214 http://doi.org/10.1017/s0958344014000214 http://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.7n.2p.76 http://doi.org/10.1017/s0958344012000055 http://doi.org/10.1017/s0958344019000065 http://doi.org/10.1017/s0958344019000065 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 193 morgana, v. (2019). a review of mall: from categories to implementation, the case of apple’s ipad. the eurocall review, 27(2), 1-12. doi: 10.4995/eurocall.2019.11024. nah, k. c., white, p., & sussex, r. (2008). the potential of using a mobile phone to access the internet for learning efl listening skills within a korean context. recall, 20(3), 331–347. doi: 10.1017/s0958344008000633. osifo, a (2019). improving collaboration in blended learning environments through differentiated activities and mobile-assisted language learning tools. 15th international conference mobile learning 2019, 3-10. reinders, h. (2010). twenty ideas for using mobile phones in the language classroom. retrieved on may 27, 2020 from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej914893.pdf. retorta, m., & cristovão, v. (2017). visually-impaired brazilian students learning english with smartphones: overcoming limitations. languages, 2(3), 12. doi: 10.3390/languages2030012. rocca, s. (2018). introducing the special issue: mobilizing language learning in the 21st century. languages, 3(1), 1-3. doi: 10.3390/languages3010002. saran, m., cagiltay, k., & seferoglu, g. (2008). use of mobile phones in language learning: developing effective instructional material. wireless and mobile technologies in education. ieee conference proceedings, 39-43 teeter, j. (2017). improving motivation to learn english in japan with a self-study shadowing application. languages, 2(4), 1-9. doi: 10.3390/languages2040019. walsh, r. (2019). smartphones and clt: threat or opportunity? teaching english with technology, 19(2), 59-69. wulandari, m. (2019). improving efl learners’ speaking proficiency through instagram vlog. llt journal: a journal on language and language teaching, 22(1), 111-125. doi: 10.24071/llt.2019.220111. http://doi.org/10.1017/s0958344008000633 http://doi.org/10.1017/s0958344008000633 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej914893.pdf http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/languages2030012 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/languages2040019 endang darsih & nida amalia asikin mobile assisted language learning: efl learners’ perceptions toward the use of mobile applications in learning english 194 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 113 storytelling in teaching literacy: benefits and challenges intan satriani english education department, faculty of language education, ikip siliwangi, indonesia e-mail: intan.satriani@yahoo.co.id apa citation: satriani, i. (2019). storytelling in teaching literacy: benefits and challenges. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 113-120. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.1924. received: 13-09-2019 accepted: 25-10-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: literacy has become a crucial position in education, especially in indonesia. it is used as one of ways to develop education through developing the culture of reading, writing, and counting. the study aims to find out benefits and challenges of implementing storytelling in teaching literacy. the study employed a qualitative descriptive research design. the data were obtained from students’ interview and observation. the findings found some benefits in implementing teaching program which include using two languages as the medium of interaction, providing suitable learning materials and various media, using of dramatization to show a character’s expression, asking moral value of the story as an evaluation instrument, developing students’ literacy ability, arousing students’ imagination, enriching students’ vocabulary, and developing students’ reading awareness and interest. meanwhile, some challenges found in implementing teaching program are students’ proficiency and length of texts. based on those findings, it is suggested to provide more times to truly explore students’ literacy ability and their preference in story. keywords: storytelling; teaching literacy; benefits; challenges; efl classroom. introduction storytelling is an activity to pass the information from person to person and from one generation to the next generation (mcdrury & alterio, 2003). storytelling is simple and practical because stories, which are used as the media, are easily obtained (wajnryb, 2003). hence, the use of storytelling as a teaching tool has been conducted in the areas of teacher education, higher education, early childhood education, and nursing education. storytelling shows some benefits, especially storytelling as a pedagogical tool. it can motivate students (wright, 2008), help children in memorizing words learned (arietawati, 2011), improve their vocabulary mastery (widiastika, 2011), encourage children to learn english (slattery & willis, 2001), increase their moral value (rusdi, 2006), provide inexpensive media in teaching rich language experience (wright, 2008), and enhance students’ interest in reading (slattery & willis, 2001). moreover, storytelling is categorized as one of teaching techniques that enable asian efl students in elementary and secondary school to enjoy reading and writing (paul, 2003) and to build students’ interest in literacy and learning english. it means that storytelling can be an alternative way to enhance student’s literacy in an efl classroom. not only in efl setting, storytelling is also substantial in esl setting. storytelling is able to stimulate esl students to be more enthusiastic during learning process in england (mcclelland, n.d in hana, 2011). furthermore, storytelling is important to improve students’ listening and writing skills (mcgrath, 2000). it means that storytelling is a part of literacy practice that may influence students’ language proficiency. literacy practice has some important characteristics, such as to develop language and brain, to practice logical and critical thinking (metcalfe et al., 2013), and to apply value or moral (taylor, 2000). relating to efl context, english should be a medium to develop students’ literacy in indonesia. thus, it is essential for efl educators to reconceptualize the teaching of english in order to bring the betterment and improvement of students’ literacy in indonesia. one alternative way to increase literacy in indonesia is through the use of storytelling in the classroom. basically, there are several benefits that can be gained by secondary students and teachers through storytelling in teaching literacy, including reading and writing. the benefits and challenges are described as follow. incorporating to the benefits of storytelling, firstly, through storytelling teacher can enhance students’ interest in reading (slattery & willis, 2001) and make students enjoy learning language (rusdi, 2006; mackinney, 1996 in al-mansour & al-shorman, 2011). moreover, it also motivates intan satriani storytelling in teaching literacy: benefits and challenges 114 students to read and improve their reading comprehension (scott & ytreberg, 1990). besides, storytelling can also be used to prepare students to write their own stories (scott & ytreberg, 1990). the example of students’ writing development through storytelling can be seen from students’ writing journal. in that activity, teacher does not only obtain the data of students’ writing, but also their development of analytical and reasoning skills. in this case, storytelling can develop students’ writing ability as it provides opportunities to discover some important dialogue and to understand stories and story elements (campbell & husek, 2009). in line with literacy, storytelling promotes expressive and receptive language development, namely written composition and reading comprehension (peck, 1989). second language learners who share personal experiences through storytelling are able to demonstrate linguistic growth. the text of the story also provides the potential for comprehensible input. this input can be achieved in multi ways, for instance individual reading, a number of group sharing, groups of students working on a core text and taking it in different directions according to their own imaginations (wajnryb, 2003). in increasing students’ novels word comprehension, vocabulary eliciting questions and noneliciting questions also can be used in storytelling activity (walsh & blewitt, 2006). students’ interest in reading story can be enhanced when students have heard a story once. teacher can tell the students that each time they read a book, they will become more familiar with the language of the story and will be able to participate more in different ways (slattery & willis, 2001). the way teachers observe reading behavior is linked to different reader purposes which are linked to situational context and also to social expectations, for example what kind of reading behavior is expected in classrooms, families, or particular religious’ settings (wallace, 1992). secondly, storytelling using local legends can help teacher to set values and to introduce cultural identities to the students (pahl & rowsell, 2005). there are different kinds of literacy practices within communities, through cultural, social and educational experiences, such as read story books as children, read to our children as parents, communicate with distant friends or relatives through reading (hood, solomon, & burns, 2005). third, learning literacy through storytelling can help students to get sense or meaning of text (metcalfe, et al., 2013). understanding meaning of text has a relation with the comprehension of vocabulary and grammar. in using storytelling to teach reading and writing, it can help learners to use vocabulary and grammar correctly. learning to tell and write effective stories is an effective language learning application for students to increase their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar (nicholas, rossiter, & abbott, 2011). fourth, storytelling allows students to increase their imagination (wright, 2008). in case of picture books, the narrative nature of picture books invites readers or viewers to see how artistic elements act as a form of visual communication. through illustration, illustrator shows the relationship a character has with other characters or further extends a character’s intentions in the plot through movement, performance and gesture (pahl & rowsell, 2005). needlman (2004 in al-mansour & al-shorman, 2011) adds that reading aloud through storytelling can build students’ imagination. thus, although there are various research on storytelling in teaching literacy, there is still lack of studies investigating the benefits and challenges of implementing storytelling in teaching literacy. addressing this gap, this study focuses on obtaining perception from students’ point of view about teaching literacy through storytelling. method this present study employed a qualitative descriptive method. this method is used to examine questions that can best be answered by verbally describing how participants in a study perceive and interpret various aspect of their environment (crowl, 1996). qualitative research provides opportunities for researchers to study social phenomena in relation to people’s everyday lives. through a process of data interpretation, qualitative research provides information about what, why and how a phenomenon in a society happens. this is in line with what denzin and lincoln (2005) say that qualitative research also involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to the world. in addition, yin (1994) also elaborates that employing qualitative method provides researchers with opportunities to represent the views and perspectives of the people/participants in a study. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 115 the study was undertaken at a private junior high school in cipatat, rural part of west bandung, west java province, indonesia. the school is a suburban school with a student enrolment drawn predominantly from disadvantaged families which had lower motivation in continuing their study to senior high school. most of them are prefer to work after they graduated from their junior high school. the participants of this study consisted of six eighth grader of junior high school. they were selected as the representative of a group which is appropriate with one of case study features (cohen, manion, & morrison, 2007). the six students were divided into three categories, namely two students from high level achievement, two from middle level achievement, and two from lower level achievement based on their performance in previous reading lesson and diagnostic writing. all participants were all sundanese who have bahasa sunda as their mother tongue. bahasa indonesia is their second language. english and arabic are thus their foreign language. upon the chosen steps of an observation classroom, this study conducted a preliminary observation to the classroom and made a consultation with the prior english teacher (it was taken one term). students attended individual interview which run about 15 minutes and was audio taped. this interview attempted to find out students’ perceptions about the implementation of storytelling (the strengths, weaknesses, and what students think they have obtained in their classroom). prior to the interview, the researcher informed the participants that the interview was audiotaped and their names was not mentioned to keep their identity confidential. results and discussion this section delineates the depiction of research findings of the study and the discussion dealing with the data investigated and collected from the observation and interview. the presentation of this section is divided into two sections. the first section discusses the benefits of the implementation of storytelling technique in developing students’ literacy skill and the second section elaborates the challenges of implementing the technique in teaching literacy to the students. the discussion of this teaching program is incorporated with the instruments used and theory to support the study. benefits of implementing storytelling in teaching literacy this study found eight benefits of implementing storytelling in teaching literacy. the benefits cover using two languages as the medium of interaction, the provision of suitable learning materials and various media, using dramatization to show a character’s expression, asking moral value of the story as an evaluation instrument, developing students’ literacy skills, arousing students’ imagination, helping students to share their experiences, improving students’ vocabulary mastery, and increasing students’ reading awareness and interest. the aforementioned benefits are described below. using two languages as the medium of interaction before implementing storytelling activities, the researcher informed the students about the teaching program. this activity was intended to realize that what is to be learnt should be made clear to the students (feez, 2002). the medium of interaction at all stages throughout the teaching program was english and bahasa indonesia. the two languages were used during the implementation of the program because of some reasons. first, bahasa indonesia was used especially when the students or the teacher found difficulty in expressing their ideas, explaining the meaning, or discussing the main ideas in reading and writing in english (see willis, 1981 cited in emilia, 2010). second, bilingualism was expected to affect positively both students’ intellectual and linguistic progress and allow for their greater sensitivity to linguistic meanings and more flexibility in their thinking (cummins, 1996 cited in emilia, 2005). meanwhile, the use of bahasa indonesia was expected to avoid the silence of the class so the students could participate actively in the teaching program (emilia, 2005). the provision of suitable learning materials and various media the selection of suitable materials was considered important in the teaching program especially the implementation of storytelling. with regard to the learning materials, this study focused on two main materials, namely narrative text and the stories itself. firstly, related to narrative text. due to narrative text is the focus of storytelling, teacher should make students aware about the content of the text. students were firstly introduced to the description of narrative text which include the definition of narrative text, the social function of narrative text, the schematic structure of narrative text, the language features intan satriani storytelling in teaching literacy: benefits and challenges 116 of narrative text, and the example of narrative text. in addition, another component in learning material is stories for students. those stories were selected based on the characteristics of the best or interesting stories for children. derewianka (1990) states that to introduce the author who would be sure to grab students’ interest can be one of ways to make students love of books and enthusiasm for good children’s literature. the selection of the stories based on several points; 1) students’ familiarity with the story; 2) the colored picture series of the stories; and 3) teacher’s performance skills in telling the stories. rahmawati (2014) suggested that it will be better if the story is the local one with good values. using dramatization to show a character’s expression the observation data showed that the students enjoyed the story started from the beginning until the end of the story. it was because the teacher used interesting media and explained the story expressively. by showing and telling the story expressively, they seemed more motivated to know the content of the story. in this activity, the teacher also used some dramatization to show a character’s expression or emotion. according to scott and ytreberg (1990), character’s expression or gesture can attract students’ interest in comprehending the story. during telling the story, the teacher located the storybook in the location that was visible by the children and moved around so that everyone could see. it can be seen through students’ expression below that they could respond to the story. t : “look at the picture! can the horse catch the gingerbread man?” s#3 : “no, ibu. gingerbread man run from horse.” then, in the process of storytelling, the teacher invited the class to visualize the vocabulary and to understand the basic vocabulary by using tpr (total physical response). the students responded the vocabularies in a physical way by carrying out the instructions, for example “he did some gardening and fishing in his daily life.” in addition, in facilitating good visualization of the story, the teacher displayed a huge picture in front of the classroom. after that, she put up the pictures of the characters on the board. asking moral value of the story as an evaluation instrument at the end of the second unit, the students were asked to think of the moral value of the story. one student said that the moral value of the story was “we have to be honor to our mother.” the other said that “we must love our family like sarah, percy and bill.” fable is s proper example of fictitious story that teach moral lesson (sherman, 2008). the instrument of the evaluation used was cloze procedure. this test was chosen as test instrument in this research because it can support students’ understanding of grammar, spelling, and sentence construction (hancock & leaver, 2006). in line with the data, the result presented that through ten questions given to the students, students showed their development. in the first section, their vocabulary was developed. all students were able to put some proper words into the provided boxes. furthermore, in the second section, they knew what they should do, because it was the second time for them to meet that type of questions. since they are interested in the story, they easily found the correct partner of the blank sentences. developing students’ literacy skill based on the data of students’ interview, it was found that students developed their literacy capacity and skill. the development of students’ literacy skill can be seen in the following excerpt: i understand the story, because when teacher tells the story, she gives me a text of the story so that we can understand the plot of that story. (s5) (interview, translated version) the above excerpt also showed that through storytelling, students can explore their writing ability. mcdrury and alterio (2003) support the data that through storytelling in the field of education and teaching learning, learners can be encouraged to tell stories by their own words using their complex ideas, concepts or information which they had obtained before. besides, the selection of the story is important in implementing storytelling in the classroom. as stated by wright (2008), through the closest story from students, it can be the best activities for them in obtaining the gist of the story. the statement relates with students’ perception below. i like the ginger bread man’s story. (s5) (interview, translated version) the story is easy to be understood. i understand with the story, because there are some interesting pictures in the book. (s3) (interview, translated version) students #1 and student #4 understand the story because they have good first impression toward the story. furthermore, they also have english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 117 prior knowledge of the story given. related to the literacy, in implementation, students do not only feel interesting and enjoyable with the story, but also their thinking skills can be developed (slattery & willis, 2001, p. 96). i like the part when we read using big book, because the picture is clear and big. (s5) (interview, translated version) in addition to the story itself, in developing students’ literacy skill, the media of telling story also should be noticed. the use of visual tools are also important as one of supporting media that supports storytelling activities (sprenger, 2010, p.101). arousing students’ imagination students in junior high school (from 13-14 years old) tend to enjoy some variation of story, such as complex story, adventure story, and romantic story (phillips, burwood & dunford, 1999; pinter, 2006; wright, 2008; hana, 2011). students need pictures, expressions, and visual tools in exploring story. visual tools are able to facilitate learners in understanding the meaning of the story. those can also dig students’ imagination, as supported by students’ perception below. because telling the story using gesture and expression, the story is easy to be comprehended. this is the first time for me to know the story. first, i do not understand the meaning of the story in english. however, because teacher tells the story using body movements and pictures, i can imagine the story. (s1) (interview, translated version) i like babies owl story, mam. the story is funny. the picture is big. then, i can see big font size. the most important, i like animal story. (s2) (interview, translated version) based on the result of students interview, tooze (1959) supports that stories can inspire students in developing their imagination. the selection of fable also influences students in arousing their imagination. it means that students from elementary up to secondary level put their huge attention to the animals characters (pinter, 2006) or fictitious story. improving students’ vocabulary mastery in teaching vocabulary to secondary students, teachers do not only use one technique or method, but they can also apply storytelling as the main technique in increasing students’ vocabulary mastery. stories can be utilized as good sources of learning vocabulary and structure (pinter, 2006, p.122). the previous theory is supported by result of student’s interview below. before i learn using storytelling, i did not know what the meaning of that story is. through this activity, i feel my vocabulary increased. (s1) (interview, translated version) the activity of telling stories can add my vocabulary, because teacher tells different kind of stories. (s1) (interview, translated version) related to student one’s perception, she felt that her vocabulary was increased through learning using storytelling. in the activities of storytelling, teacher does not only focus on the story itself, but also he or she can focus on the specific lesson, for example building students’ vocabularies (zaro & salaberri, 1995, p. 9). increasing students’ reading awareness and interest reading is a part of daily life for people who live in literate communities that much of the time they hardly consider either the purposes or process involved (wallace, 1992, p. 5). because of reading is the primary to any definition of literacy before writing, it is important for teacher to assist students to be interested in reading comprehension. learning using storytelling make me want to learn more and to try reading and writing in english. i am more interesting in learning english. (s1) (interview, translated version) incorporating with the student’s interview result, learning reading and writing through storytelling made student’s engagement in learning increased. it is supported by scott and ytreberg (1990, p.69; hana, 2011, pp.15-16) who state in teaching storytelling, teacher can integrate both reading and writing. that is because reading and writing is the example of learning consolidation. telling stories using expression and using interesting book to be read make me enjoy and understand the story. (s3) (interview, translated version) challenges of implementing storytelling in teaching literacy in implementing storytelling in teaching literacy, there were two challenges that can disturb the effectiveness of teaching program. the challenges had something to do with students’ proficiency and length of texts as described in the following subsections. students’ english proficiency intan satriani storytelling in teaching literacy: benefits and challenges 118 the first challenge mainly deals with the students’ english proficiency. all students admitted that the lack of language proficiency, such as vocabularies, grammar, and pronunciation, was their obstacle in implementing this teaching program. consequently, it made students hard in comprehending the text comprehensively and in expressing their opinions, as stated by student below. i found some difficulties, when teacher asks me to write a sentence that read by her, for example i still confuse with the meaning of those words. (s2) (interview, translated version) to facilitate students in understanding difficult words, the teacher should let them to write their stories in indonesian first (wright, 2008) before they translated the story into english. after that, teacher also facilitated students to use english-indonesian or indonesianenglish dictionary to make them easier in writing a story and in comprehending a text. it is supported by interview result of student below. from storytelling, i do not like writing, because i do not know yet the words. luckily, teacher asks me and my friends to read the story first, after that we understand the story using dictionary so that, i easier in writing a story. (s1) (interview, translated version) the students’ reading and writing results in the beginning also indicated that the students with better language proficiency were able to have higher score. it was because the students with better language proficiency can comprehend the text better and write their own text properly. thus, this challenge should be considered by teacher in selecting teaching materials to facilitate all students’ english proficiency levels. the length of the texts in addition to students’ english proficiency, the length of story is also one of the important things to be considered in implementing storytelling to develop students’ literacy skills. as supported by wright (2008, p. 10), the story should has the right length which is easy to make students comprehend the text. incorporating to the above statement, students perceived that long stories made them getting bored. statement of student can be seen below. i a little bit do not like the story, because some stories are too long, so i am getting bored. for instance, the story of little red riding hood. (s1) (interview, translated version) the length of the text also impacted on students’ language learning and their reading comprehension. by taking the theory and student’s perspective into account, it was suggested for the teacher to select appropriate texts or materials before conducting teaching and learning process in the classroom. accordingly, it was expected that the students’ literacy skill can be developed optimally. in relation to the aforementioned findings, it can be concluded that storytelling is possible to be implemented in the teaching literacy. after conducted preparatory stage, ten meetings were applied. the meetings consisted of three phases. they were activities before reading the story, activities during reading the story, and activities after reading the story. the ten meeting were divided into seven units. the first until fifth unit explained the data and discussion of storytelling in reading. on the other hand, the sixth and seventh unit focused on writing skill. in the implementation of unit one until unit seven, it can be obtained that there were several appropriate steps to be implemented by teachers in conducting storytelling. the steps included activities before reading the story, activities during reading the story, and activities after reading the story. first was related to activities before reading the story. before telling the stories to the students, brainstorming was the selected activity. the objective of selecting the activity was to find out more about students’ existing knowledge and attitude. the activities were begun with showing the picture of the book cover to the students. it was aimed at increasing students’ predictive skills. the activity was also conducted based on results of storytelling questionnaire filled by students that students prefer to learn using picture as part of a story. in the beginning, based on the observation sheet in the classroom, students paid their attention and actively participated in answering teacher’s questions related to the main story. in this activity, the students were asked to read the title of the story. after introducing title of the story to the students, they were introduced to some unfamiliar vocabularies that often appeared in the story. the activity was applied as a good source of learning new vocabulary and structure. in the implementation, it can be seen that students enjoyed the story because they had known the meaning of difficult words. the second stage of implementing storytelling was the activity of telling the story. this stage was conducted to encourage students to be active english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 119 and reflective readers. the students were not only expected to be passive readers, but also actively interact with the text. moreover, in the middle activity, students were expected to comprehend the meaning of the story. the appropriate activity were the use of dramatization to show character’s expression or emotion that can attract students’ interest in comprehending the story. besides, the use of several guided questions was appropriate to be implemented. in the process of asking questions, the students also looked at the setting and characters portrayed through language in the book. thus, it is important for students, especially low proficiency students, to know whether they were still focus on the story or not. furthermore, there were activities after reading the story. the activities were divided into three activities. they were giving some exercises related to reading comprehension, performing the story, and creating their own story. first, some exercises were given to the students to know their comprehension of the story. the effective instrument of the evaluation in reading was cloze procedure. second, students’ performance in storytelling was aimed at checking their comprehension and building their self-confidence in doing presentation in a public area. the last, students reflected their knowledge of the story to a piece of writing. finally, from five stories implemented in this study, the story of “the owl babies” was categorized as the chosen story based on students’ interest. it was chosen because students attracted with very short folktales about animals as the main characters. related to the observation sheet, it was found that the story is appropriate to students’ ages and understanding. besides, based on the result of questionnaire, most of students were preferred to be taught by using picture. on the point of that, the story was selected based on the quality of the book. this is a big book which has proper quality seen from font size and sharpness of pictures inside the book. moreover, big book helped students to see the pictures clearly. in addition, story book was applied as visual tool to support storytelling activities in teaching and learning process. conclusion based on data of classroom interview, the data indicated that although there are some restrictions, the incorporation of storytelling to the teaching program had assisted students to increase their reading comprehension ability and to develop their writing skill. on the basis of the data obtained, this research revealed that the teaching program spawned some benefits. firstly, in the process of implementing storytelling, it was found that students’ literacy skill was developed. secondly, the selection of story and quality of book also gave an impact on arousing their imagination. moreover, students’ vocabulary, reading awareness, and interest also increased. nevertheless, the attainment of those benefits might be constrained by some challenges found in this teaching program. the challenges had something to do with students’ proficiency and length of texts. accordingly, it can be concluded that the result of the research confirmed possibility of the teaching program which incorporates storytelling in supporting junior high school students to have good awareness in literacy, both reading and writing. it indicated that storytelling can be applied in efl junior high school in indonesia, especially in suburban area, because there are limited facilities that can support students learning. furthermore, the use of media and teacher as an actor can help students to develop their literacy skill which is highly required in facing globalization era. based on the findings, it is suggested to implement storytelling that has been proved to have various positive impacts on students’ learning. nonetheless, this teaching program will be more effective when applied in the regular teaching using classroom action research. it is suggested to obtain deep data of the research and to modify new teaching practice. by considering the suggestion, it is expected that the teaching process can optimize students’ reading and writing ability. at last, this program should be tried out in a variety of level of education, especially young learners to check whether it can develop students’ literacy skills or not. references al-mansour, n. s., & al-shorman, r. a. (2011). the effect of teacher’s storytelling aloud on the reading comprehension of saudi elementary stage students. journal of king saudi university-languages and translation, 23, 69-76. cohen, l., manion, l., & morrison, k. (2007). research methods in education (6th ed). new york: routledge. crowl, t. k. (1996). fundamentals of education research. us: brown and benchmark publisher. denzin, n. k., & lincoln, y.(2005). introduction: the discipline and practice of qualitative research. intan satriani storytelling in teaching literacy: benefits and challenges 120 in n. k. denzin & y. lincoln (eds.), the sage handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed.). thousand oaks, california: sage publication. derewianka, b. (1990). exploring how texts work. sydney: primary english teaching association. emilia, e. (2005). a critical genre-based approach to teaching academic writing in a tertiary efl context in indonesia. (dissertation). melbourne: faculty of education, the university of melbourne. emilia, e. (2010). teaching writing: developing critical learners. bandung: rizqi press. feez, s. (2002). heritage and innovation in second language education. in a. m. johns (eds.), genre in the classroom (pp. 47-68). new jersey: lawrence erlbaum. hana, j. (2011). terapi kecerdasan anak dengan dongeng. yogyakarta: berlian media. hancock, j. & leaver, c. (2006). teaching strategies for literacy. norwood: australian literacy educators’ association ltd. hood, s., solomon, n., & burns, a. (1996). focus on reading (new edition). sydney: macquarie university press. mcdrury, j., & alterio, m. (2003). learning through storytelling in higher education: using reflection and experience to improve learning. london: kogan page limited. mcgrath, s. k. (2000). the art of storytelling: a collegiate connection to professional development schools. journal of education, 121(1), 184. metcalfe, j., simpson, d., todd, i., & toyn, m. (2013). thinking through new literacies for primary and early years. victoria: sage publication. nicholas, b. j., rossiter, m. j., & abbott, m. l. (2011). the power of story in the esl classroom. canadian modern language review, 67(2), 247-268. paul, d. (2003). teaching english to children in asia. quarry bay: longman asia elt. peck, j. (1989). using storytelling to promote language and literacy development. the reading teacher, 43(2), 138-141. pinter, a. (2006). teaching young language learners. oxford: oxford university press. rahmawati, i. n. (2014). teaching speaking through storytelling. (thesis). school of postgraduate studies, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung. rusdi. (2006). the advantages of storytelling in teaching english. jurnal bahasa dan seni, 7(1), 65-69. scott, w. a., & ytreberg, l. h. (1990). teaching english to children. ny: longman inc. sherman, j. (2008). storytelling: an encyclopedia of mythology and folklore. new york: m. e. sharpe, inc. slattery, m., & willis, j. (2001). english for primary teachers: a handbook of activities and classroom language. oxford: oxford university press. taylor, e. k. (2000). using folktales. cambridge: cambridge university press. tooze, r. (1959). storytelling. nj: prentice hall. wajnryb, r. (2003). stories: narratives activities in the language classroom. cambridge: cambridge university press. wallace, c. (1992). reading. oxford: oxford university press. walsh, b. a., & blewitt, p. (2006). the effect of questioning style during storybook reading on novel vocabulary acquisition of preschoolers. early childhood education journal, 33(4), 273-278. widiastika, w. (2011). the use of big storybook in improving students’ vocabulary mastery. (thesis). universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung. wright, a. (2008). storytelling with children. oxford: oxford university press. yin, r. k. (1994). case study research design and methods (2nd ed.). thousand oaks, california: sage publications. zaro, j. j., & salaberri, s. (1995). storytelling. oxford: macmillan publishers. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 175 developing students’ reading skill through making multimodal inferences vina nurviyani department of english education, faculty of language and literature, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: vinanurviyani19@gmail.com didi suherdi department of english education, faculty of language and literature, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: suherdi_d@upi.edu iwa lukmana department of english education department, faculty of language and literature, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: iwa.di.bandung@gmail.com apa citation: nurviyani, v., suherdi, d., & lukmana, i. (2020). developing students’ reading skill through making multimodal inferences. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 175182. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2998. received: 10-03-2020 accepted: 18-04-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: this present study investigated the development of students’ reading skills through making multimodal inferences. moreover, the students’ difficulties in making multimodal inferences were explored. this study applied a classroom action research by involving twenty students studying at english education program in west java. three instruments covering reading tests of making multimodal inference, classroom observations, and questionnaire were conducted as data collections of this study. the results of this study indicate that the students’ reading skills improved significantly after making multimodal inferences. in the first cycle, sixty three percent of all students achieved the score more than seventy. meanwhile, in the second cycle, eighty five percent of all students reached the score more than eighty-seven. it is reflected on the data gained from reading tests, classroom observations, and questionnaire. the findings show that almost all students achieved meaningful progress of reading skills through making multimodal inferences that they were able to make inferences visually and verbally by using the clues of the texts and integrating it with their background knowledge, creating mental images in their minds, distinguishing between literal and implied meanings, implementing some reading strategies before, during, and after reading the text, and manifesting their inferences visually and verbally on canva application. thus, they were able to master micro and macro skills of reading comprehension and comprehend the multimodal texts completely. however, in making multimodal inference, some students got troubles in integrating visual and verbal aspects because of incomplete background knowledge in their minds. therefore, the manifestation of their multimodal inferences was presented partially. keywords: reading skills; multimodal inferences; canva. introduction reading is one of important skill in foreign language learning (yu, 2015). it is generally defined as the process of recognition and comprehension of written materials (heriyawati, saukah, & widiati, 2018). in similar vein, kasımi (2012), pearson and cervetti (2013), and alyousef (2005) argue that reading is a complex process integrating some cognitive processes, skills, text knowledge, strategic knowledge, and contexts to construct meaning from a reading material and interpret the information. in the similar vein, it is stated that the primary purpose of reading is to interpret or comprehend a text (namaziandost, fadhly, & solihat, 2019) and comprehension is the core of reading (kitson, 2011). in digital era, comprehension of english texts is inevitably. however, it is challenging activities for several efl students. the comprehension of reading is influenced by text, task, reader, and contextual variables (afflerbach, pearson, & paris, 2008; kitson, 2011). incomplete vocabulary knowledge (nurjanah, 2018; qarqez & rashid, 2017), and inability to recognize text types (al-jarrah & ismail, 2018), low reading interest, less culture background knowledge (yu, 2015), have become parts of reading difficulties vina nurviyani, didi suherdi, & iwa lukmana developing students’ reading skill through making multimodal inferences 176 in efl contexts. the reading difficulties are getting complex as reading materials are presented as an integration of various modes. it is a combination of written text with images, colour, space, sound, movements and gestures. the images cover photos, pictures, emoticons, and graphics; and cyber links connecting texts in a single display (suherdi, 2015). it is called as multimodal texts (walsh, 2015). reading materials can be monomodal or multimodal texts. the reading material conducted by students as readers can be personal or academic reading. the personal reading covers newspapers, magazines, letters, emails, greeting cards, invitations, messages, notes, lists, blogs, schedule (e.g. train, bus, plane, etc), recipes, menus, maps, calendars, advertisement (commercials, want, adv), novels, short stories, jokes, dramas, poetry, financial documents (e.g. checks, tax forms, loan application), forms, questionnaires, medical reports, immigration documents, comic strips, and cartoons (brown & abewickrama, 2010). meanwhile, academic reading covers general interest articles such as magazine, newspaper; technical reports such as lab reports, professional journal articles; reference material such as dictionary, online encyclopaedias’ textbook; thesis; essay; papers; test directions; editorial and opinion writing. either personal or academic reading material is presented in various types, forms, graphic features, topics, styles, intended readerships, lengths, readabilities or difficulties, range of vocabulary and grammatical structures (hughes, 2003). the reading difficulties effect low reading comprehension skills. in the meantime, multimodal texts become more popular in education particularly in reading materials (cahyaningati & lestari, 2018) and advanced reading skills are essential for success of students (marschall & davis, 2012). in this case, a reading skill is a cognitive ability which a person is able to use when interacting with the written texts (bojovic, 2010). in digital era, students as reader should master the micro kills and macro skills of reading comprehension to comprehend multimodal texts totally. the reading skills cover micro skills and macros kills of reading comprehension (brown & abewickrama, 2010). the micro skills of reading comprehension consist of: 1) discriminate among the distinctive grapheme (letter or letter combination the produce a phoneme) and orthographic patterns of english; 2) retain chunks of language of different lengths in short term memory; 3) process writing at an efficient rate of speed to suit the purpose; 4) recognize a core of words and interpret word order patterns and their significance; 5) recognize grammatical word classes (nouns, verbs, etc), system (e.g. tense, agreement, pluralization), patterns, rules, and elliptical forms; 6) recognize that a particular meaning may be expressed in different grammatical forms; and 7) recognize cohesive devices in written discourse and their role in signalling the relationship between and among clauses (brown & abewickrama, 2010; gail, 2017). meanwhile, the macro skills of reading comprehension cover: 1) recognize the rhetorical conventions of written discourse and their significance for interpretation; 2) recognize the communicative functions of written texts, according to form and purpose; 3) infer context that is not explicit by activating schemata (using background knowledge); 4) from described events, ideas, etc, infer links and connections between events, deduce causes and effects, and detect such relations as main idea, supporting idea, new information, given information, generalization. and exemplification; 5) distinguish between literal and implied meanings; 6) detect culturally specific inferences and interpret them in a context of the appropriate cultural schemata; and 7) develop and use a battery of reading strategies, such as scanning and skimming, detecting discourse markers, guessing the meaning of words from context, and activating schemata for the interpretation of texts (brown & abewickrama, 2010). their reading comprehension skills can be developed by implementing some reading strategies (kucukoglu, 2013). one of the reading strategies is making inference (harvey & goudvis, 2017; block & israel, 2005). making inference means readers guess the writer’s massage of the text by referring some clues presented in the texts with their own experiences (harvey & goudvis, 2007; serafini, 2004). kispal (2008) proposes some types of inferences, such as 1) coherence inferences; 2) elaborative inferences, it is also known as gapfilling inferences; 3) local inferences; 4) global inferences; 5) on-line inferences; and 6) off-line inferences. each types of inference is elaborated below. concerning coherence inference, is known as text-connecting or inter sentence inferences. it is a type of inferences that readers maintain textual english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 177 integrity. for example, in the sentence peter begged his mother to let him go to the party. in process of conducting the type of inference, the reader has to realize that the pronouns ‘his’ and ‘him’ refer to peter to fully understand the meaning. regarding elaborative inferences, it is also known as gap-filling inferences. in conducting this kind of inference, readers enrich the mental representation of the text, e.g: katy dropped the vase. she ran for the dustpan and brush to sweep up the pieces. moreover, the reader would have to draw upon life experience and general knowledge to realize that the vase broke to supply the connection between these sentences. discussing local inferences, in this session readers create a coherent representation at the local level of sentences and paragraphs. regarding global inferences, in implementing this inference, readers make a coherent representation covering the whole text. in this case, the reader needs to infer overarching ideas about the theme, main point or moral of a text by drawing on local pieces of information. concerning on-line inferences, readers draw inferences automatically during reading. in offline inferences, readers drawn inferences strategically after reading. regarding reading skills, works on the issues have been developed for many years. some authors have explored the impacts of some aspects to develop students’ reading skills. sporer, brunstein, & kieschke (2009) explored the effects of strategy instruction and reciprocal teaching to improve students’ reading skills. moreover, kucukoglu (2013) examined the improvement of student comprehension skills through instruction of reading strategies. besides, yang (2014) explored the effective methods to improving reading skills in english study. similarly, nhapulo, simon, & herreweghe (2017) investigated southern african linguistics and applied language studies enhancing academic reading skills through extensive reading. besides, ismail, syahruzah, & basuki (2017) examined the improvement of the students’ reading skill through translation method. furthermore, it is becoming increasingly influential as one of aspects should be mastered by students as readers to comprehend multimodal texts completely. cote & milliner (2014) investigated l2 micro-skills to english reading comprehension for adult community college ell students. in the similar vein, boshrabadi & biria (2014) explored the efficacy of multimodal vs. print-based texts for teaching reading comprehension skills to iranian high school third graders. moreover, cahyaningati & lestari (2018) explored the use of multimodal text in enhancing reading skills. with respect to making inference, some studies exploring the inferences have been carried out, such as the research of implementation of multimodal inferences in vehicle-driver interaction (sezgin, davies, & robinson, 2009); effects of making reading inference on selfesteem (wilson, kim, raudenbush, & kim, 2017), implementation of inference strategy (jumiaty, 2014; attaprechakul, 2013; rieskamp, 2008); and effectiveness of teaching making inferences in reading (kispal, 2008). referring to the studies, the study investigating the development of students’ reading skills through reading strategies, especially multimodal inference strategy is still rare. in this case, making multimodal inference means the readers predict writer’s intention of text by referring to some text clues, before, during and after reading process by integrating some modes such as visual, verbal, spatial, and gesture, presented digitally or non-digitally. in line with the background above, this research attempts to address the following questions: 1) how is the effectiveness of making multimodal inferences in developing students’ reading skills? and 2) what are students’ difficulties of making multimodal inferences in developing students’ reading skills? method this study implemented classroom action research consisting two cycles and conducted in a class of reading. the classroom action research was implemented to improve students’ reading skills in making multimodal inferences and to explore students’ difficulties in making multimodal inferences. each cycle covered four stages namely a) plan, b) act, c) observe, and d) reflect as proposed by costello (2007). each stage is explained in detail below. the first stage, plan, is finding a problem of reading by carrying out a preliminary investigation of students’ reading skills, then forming a hypothesis and taking a number of strategies for conducting the next stage, actions. the second stage, act, is conducting teachinglearning processes to improve students’ achievement of reading skills. in this stage, the students got some guidance to foster their reading skills by making multimodal inference. the third vina nurviyani, didi suherdi, & iwa lukmana developing students’ reading skill through making multimodal inferences 178 stage is observing the teaching –learning processes of implementing multimodal inferences to improve students’ reading skills, whether the instruments run well or need some revisions. the last stage is reviewing, evaluating and comparing the results concerning the improvement of students’ reading skills by making multimodal inferences, and planning the next cycle. when the findings of the first cycle show insignificant results, the next cycle had to carry out (see costello, 2003; nunan, 2002). in conducting classroom action research, some data collections techniques covering reading tests of making multimodal inferences, classroom observations, and questionnaire were applied. all instruments were implemented to investigate the development of students’ reading comprehension skills through making multimodal inferences and to find out their difficulties in composing the multimodal inferences. in collecting each data, the participants were twenty students studying at english department program of a private university in west java, indonesia. thus, in this study each student played three roles. concerning reading tests, brown & abewickrama (2010) explain that one of interactive reading assessments is information transfer conducted by reading charts, maps, graphs, diagrams. the graphic features include: tables, charts, diagrams, cartoons, illustrations (hughes, 2003). in this case, information transfer is an act of comprehending graphs from reading verbal and or non-verbal information. furthermore, brown & abewickrama (2010) recommend some tasks for assessing the interpretation of graphic information, namely: a) reading a graphic by answering simple, direct information questions; b) reading a graphic by describing or elaborating information; c) reading a graphic by inferring or predicting information; d) reading a passage by choosing the correct graphic for it; e) reading a passage with an accompanying graphic by interpreting both; f) reading a passage by creating or using a graphic to illustrate. in line to the description, nation (2009) categories the task types of post-reading comprehension into four levels, namely: a) literal comprehension, in this level students have to answer some questions after reading section to measure their understanding concerning what the text explicitly says; b) drawing inference, this type of task is conducted to examine students’ reading comprehension skills in implementing reading between the line, using text information that is not explicitly stated but which can be justified by reference to the text; c) using the text for other purpose, this level of task is implemented to explore students’ reading comprehension skills in applying information in the text to some problems, reflecting on personal experiences, comparing with ideas from other sources, and extending information beyond the text; d) responding critically, in conducting this type of task, students’ reading comprehension skills are examined by evaluating adequacy of content, quality of evidence, author bias, quality of expression, agreement or disagreement with ideas in the text, and satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the text. referring to the theory, the reading tests of this study were reading a graphic text by inferring or predicting information of texts (see brown & abewickrama, 2010). the tests were conducted as post-reading comprehension tasks (see nation, 2009). in this case, the students read between the line of report texts presented as a multimodal text. then they used the text information that was not explicitly stated but which could be justified by reference to the text. finally, the manifestation of their multimodal inferences was presented visually and verbally in canva application. concerning a report text, it is one of text types containing a fact of a subject, a description and information on its parts, behavior, and qualities (anderson & anderson, 2003b, 2003b; feez and joyce, 1998; cited in nurviyani, 2012). meanwhile, canva is a tool making possible designs of anything and publish anywhere. it is operated in smartphone and desktop. over 400 million designs from more than 10 million users across 179 countries have been created with canva. moreover, canva is available in 100 languages and can be accessed in desktop browsers and mobile apps. it makes canva accessible to everyone with internet connection. in addition, by implementing canva, a creative beautiful designs and documents are created for any occasions and purposes (canva, 2019). in this study, canva is one of digital applications applied as a digital instructional media in making multimodal inferences. in this research, the reading tests were conducted twice and presented on canva application by using similar material, concerning report text but in different theme for the first and the second cycle. the reading tests were posed to students at the end of the third stage of each english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 179 cycle. the tests of making multimodal inferences were held for ninety minutes for each test. concerning observations, it was conducted for five meetings, namely three meetings for the first cycle and two meetings for the second one. in these sessions, the researcher positioned herself as the lecturer who immediately saw and heard what was happening as recommended by nunan (2002). it means that in this study the researcher observed what was going on during the teaching-learning process of making multimodal inferences by applying the canva application to develop students’ reading comprehension skills. moreover, the researcher also interacted with participants during the teaching-learning process of making multimodal inferences. regarding questionnaire, this study employed open-ended questionnaires. the students got the questionnaire at the end of the second cycle. in this session, the students as the research participants had to fill the blank space to answer ten questions in detail because there are no options in each question. the questions of the questionnaire explored the students’ reading comprehension skills through making multimodal inferences and the students’ difficulties in making multimodal inference (see dornyei, 2007). in this case, the data gained from the questionnaire were applied to explore the verbal and non verbal information presented in graphic features, concerning reading skills developed through making multimodal inference, and students’ difficulties in composing the inferences. the questionnaires were presented in indonesian to make the students free in expressing their ideas and comprehend the questions more easily. furthermore, the data gained from the questionnaire, reading tests, and classroom observations, were analysed qualitatively, categorized, and then interpreted into two categories based on the research questions. results and discussion this study applying classroom action research investigated the development of students’ reading skill through making multimodal inferences. moreover, the students’ difficulties in making multimodal inferences were examined. the data collection techniques implemented for both research purposes were reading tests, questionnaire, and classroom observations conducted in two cycles. in the first cycle, the classroom action research was begun by conducting the first stage of classroom action research, it is plan. the plans covered the stating the problem and conducting preliminary investigation of students’ reading skills. the problem was many college students have trouble in comprehending multimodal texts particularly in making inferences, either personal reading or academic reading. moreover, the lesson plans were designed for the first cycle, then all documents and some devices needed for teaching making multimodal inferences such as smart phones and canva application were prepared. next, the students were recognized to canva application as the digital tool for making multimodal inference. then they installed the canva application in their smartphones or laptop and learnt how to operate the application for presenting something. afterword, they practiced making something on canva application in pairs. next stage, action and observation. in these stages, the students learnt making multimodal inferences through three steps namely prereading, while reading and post-reading (see marschall & davis, 2012). in the step of prereading or before reading, the students identified the purpose and type of reading. this study focused on report texts presented in an online newspaper. in while reading session, the students explored the social function, the grammatical structure, and linguistics features of report texts. besides, the students explored topic sentences and supporting sentences related to the topics of the texts. next, the students as the readers learnt making inferences as one of reading strategies and the types of making inferences as recommended by kispal (2008) as well, such as 1) coherence inferences; 2) elaborative inferences, it is also known as gap-filling inferences; 3) local inferences; 4) global inferences; 5) on-line inferences; and 6) off-line inferences. before learning making inferences at the session, the students had learnt other reading strategies such as making connection, visualizing, summarising, and synthesizing in the previous meetings (see harvey & goudvis, 2007). then, the students got some models of making multimodal inferences. next, the students made continuous prediction about the content of the report texts and what would happen next in the texts. in post-reading session, the students practiced making multimodal inferences verbally and visually by creating some pictures on their minds. it was as the results of integration between the students’ background knowledges with some vina nurviyani, didi suherdi, & iwa lukmana developing students’ reading skill through making multimodal inferences 180 visual and verbal information as clues presented on the report texts they had read. their manifestations of the multimodal inferences were presented on canva application. next, the students and the lecturer shared and discussed it together. the last, the students got reading test of making multimodal inferences individually. the test was conducted to evaluate and measure the students’ reading comprehension skills through making multimodal inferences and students’ difficulties in making multimodal inferences in the first cycle. in the test, the students had to make inferences verbally and visually based on the clues of a report text derived from an online newspaper. then their manifestations of multimodal inferences were presented on canva application as the previous session. the last stage was reflection. it was carried out to review, evaluate and compare the results and the plan of the first cycle. this stage was conducted after all data gained from reading test and classroom observations were collected completely. it was conducted to evaluate the students’ reading comprehension skills through making multimodal inferences and the students’ difficulties in making the multimodal inferences. referring to the data obtained from the reading test and the classroom observations of the first cycle, it was found that the learning outcome of making multimodal inferences for developing students’ reading comprehension skills had not been achieved significantly. the results of the reading test show that only sixty three percent of all students achieved score of more than seventy. it means that some students were able to make verbal and visual inferences on canva application and comprehend the report texts completely. meanwhile the other ones got confused in making multimodal inferences, such as some students got troubles in making visual and verbal inferences in their minds and on canva application, and had difficulties to integrate the information of the texts with their background knowledge in making inferences. it can be seen from incomplete verbal inferences and irrelevant images inserted to verbal inferences on canva application. therefore, they comprehended the report text partially. due to the students’ reading skill through making multimodal inferences had not shown meaningful progress, the second cycle of the classroom action research was conducted. the second cycle of the classroom action research was implemented similarly as the first one. it consisted of four stages, namely plan, act, observe and reflect (see costello, 2003; nunan, 2002). in the second cycle, the classroom action research was begun by implementing a plan as the first stage of classroom action research. in the stage, the problems based on the achievement of students’ reading comprehension skills through making multimodal inferences in the first cycle were stated. referring to the reflection stage of the first cycle, the results show insignificant. thus, there should be some improvements and revisions to be applied in the second cycle. the next stages were action and observation. in this stage, the teaching methodology was designed differently and remedial teachinglearning process of making multimodal inferences was conducted to improve students’ reading comprehension skills. the material of this cycle was similar to the previous one. it was report text derived from an online newspaper. besides, the students got more practices integrating verbal and visual aspects of the texts and creating mental images in their minds in making multimodal inferences. moreover, they got remedial reading test of making multimodal inferences presented on canva application. having getting the reading test, the students got questionnaire investigating their improvement of reading comprehension skills through making multimodal inferences and their difficulties in making the inferences. referring to the results of reflection as the last stage of the second cycle of the classroom action research, the findings gained from the reading test show that the students’ reading comprehension skills improved meaningfully. it can be seen from the students’ scores of reading test that eighty five percent of all students achieved the score more than eighty-seven. it showed the significant difference, compared with the first cycle. moreover, the results gained from classroom observations and questionnaire showed that the students were able to apply micro skills and macro skills of reading comprehension before, during and after reading report text, such as inferring context that is not explicit visually and verbally by activating their background knowledge, distinguishing between literal and implied meanings, and implementing some reading strategies before, during, and after reading the text. thus, they were able to comprehend the report texts completely and make visual and verbal inferences in their minds english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 181 and their manifestations were presented on canva application totally. it means that almost all students achieved meaningful progress of reading skills through making multimodal inferences. therefore, the difficulties encountered by students in making inferences through canva application had been overcome totally. conclusion by drawing on the data analysis, the findings show that making multimodal inferences is an effective stretegy to improve students’ reading comprehension skills. their reading skills develop significantly, either micro skills or macro skills of reading comprehension. the development of students’ micro reading comprehension skills are indicated as students as readers recognize grammatical word classes, word system, patterns, rules, and elliptical forms; recognize particular meaning expressed in different grammatical forms. it is relevant to the statement proposed by brown and abewickrama (2010) and gail (2017). regarding students’ macro reading comprehension skills, the findings show that they recognize the purpose of the text; infer explicit context by connecting with their background knowledge; describe events, and ideas; infer links and connecte between events; deduce causes and effects, and detect such relations as main idea, supporting idea, new information, given information, generalization and exemplification; distinguish between literal and implied meanings; detect culturally specific inferences and interpret them in a certain social cultural context. moreover, they use some reading strategies, such as scanning and skimming, detecting discourse markers, guessing the meaning of words from context, and activating schemata for the interpretation of texts. it it is relevant to the statement proposed by brown and abewickrama (2010). referring to the statement, it can be assumed that making multimodal inferences is an assimilation and integration processes of some reading strategies such as the integration between readers’ background knowledge with the information of the texts, visualization, summarizing, scanning, skimming, and making inference. in this case, visualization strengthens inferential thinking. it is relevant to the statement of harvey & goudvis (2017). by creating multimodal inferring, students are able to draw conclusions, make predictions, identify underlying themes, use information to create meaning from text, and use pictures to construct meaning. it is appropriate with the statement recommended by harvey & goudvis (2017). references afflerbach, p., pearson, d., & paris, s. g. (2008). clarifying differences between reading skills and reading strategies. the reading teacher, 61(5), 364–373. al-jarrah, h., & ismail, n. s. b. (2018). reading comprehension difficulties among efl learners in higher learning institutions. international journal of english linguistics, 8(7), 32. doi: 10.5539/ijel.v8n7p32. alyousef, h. s. (2005). teaching reading comprehension to esl /efl learners. the reading matrix, 5(2), 379–380. anderson, m., & anderson, k. (2003a). text types in english 1. south yarra, australia: macmillan education australia. anderson, m., & anderson, k. (2003b). text types in english 2. south yarra, australia: macmillan education australia. attaprechakul, d. (2013). inference strategies to improve reading comprehension of challenging texts. english language teaching, 6(3), 82–91. doi: 10.5539/elt.v6n3p82. block, c., & israel, s. (2005). reading first and beyond: the complete guide for teachers and literacy coaches. thousand oaks: corwin press. bojovic, m. (2010). reading skills and reading comprehension in english for specific purposes. the international language conference on the importance of learning professional foreign language for communication between cultures. brown, h. d., & abewickrama, p. (2010). language assessment: principles and classroom practice (2nd ed.). new york: pearson education, inc. cahyaningati, d. t., & lestari, l. a. (2018). the use of multimodal text in enhancing engineering students’ reading skill. international journal of language education, 2(2), 65. doi: 10.26858/ijole.v2i2.6360. costello, p. j. m. (2007). continum research methods: action research. london: continum international publishing group. cote, t., & milliner, b. (2014). extensive reading on mobile devices: is it a worthwhile strategy? proceedings of the 12th asia tefl and 23rd melta international conference 28 – 30 august 2014, (october 2015). doi: 10.13140/2.1.3812.2885. dornyei, z. (2007). research methods in applied linguistics, quantitative, qualitative and mix methodology. oxford: oxford university press. harvey, s., & goudvis, a. (2007). strategies that work: teaching comprehension for understanding and engagement. portland, me: stenhouse publishers. vina nurviyani, didi suherdi, & iwa lukmana developing students’ reading skill through making multimodal inferences 182 harvey, s., & goudvis, a. (2017). strategies that work: engagement, comprehension for understanding, engagement, and building knowledge (3rd ed.). portland, maine: stenhouse publishers. heriyawati, d. f., saukah, a., & widiati, u. (2018). working memory capacity, content familiarity, and university efl students’ reading comprehension. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 8(1), 21–27. doi: 10.17509/ijal.v8i1.11458. hughes, a. (2003). testing for language teachers. cambridge: cambridge university press. ismail, h., syahruzah, j. k., & basuki. (2017). improving the students’ reading skill through translation method. journal of english education, 2(2), 124–131. jumiaty, a. a. (2014). inference strategy to improve the students’ literal comprehension. exposure journal, 3(2). kasimi, y. (2012). cognitive and metacognitive strategies employed by iranian and turkish efl readers. elt research journal, 1(3), 159–174. kispal, a. (2008). effective teaching of inference skill for reading. london. kitson, l. (2011). reconceptualising understandings of texts, readers and contexts: one english teacher’s response to using multimodal texts and interactive whiteboards. english in australia, 46(3), 76–86. kucukoglu, h. (2013). improving reading skills through effective reading strategies. akdeniz language studies conference, 70, 709–714. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.01.113. marschall, s., & davis, c. (2012). a conceptual framework for teaching critical reading to adult college students, 23(2), 63–68. doi: 10.1177/1045159512444265. mcintyre, e., hulan, n., & layne, v. (2011). reading instruction for diverse classrooms. new york: the guilford press. namaziandost, e., fadhly, f. z., & solihat, d. (2019). males and females discrepancies in reading fluency: focusing on advanced efl learners. english literature and language review, 8(1), 11–18. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.1818. nation, i. s. p. (2009). teaching esl/efl reading and writing. new york: routledge. nhapulo, m. a., simon, e., & herreweghe, m. van. (2017). southern african linguistics and applied language studies enhancing academic reading skills through extensive reading. southern africann linguistics and applied language studies, 3614(april). doi: 10.2989/16073614.2016.1267578. nunan, d. (2002). research methods in language learning. shanghai: shanghai foreign language. nurjanah, r. l. (2018). the analysis on students’ difficulties in doing reading comprehension final test. metathesis: journal of english language, literature, and teaching, 2(2), 253. doi: 10.31002/metathesis.v2i2.958. pearson, p. d., & cervetti, g. (2013). the psychology and pedagogy of reading processes. in handbook of pscyhology, volume 7: educational psychology. new york, united state: john wiley and sons. qarqez, m., & rashid, r. a. (2017). reading comprehension difficulties among efl learners: the case of first and second year students at yarmouk university in jordan. arab world english journal (awej), 8(3), 421–431. doi: 10.1017/cbo9781107415324.004. rieskamp, j. (2008). the importance of learning when making inferences. judgment and decision making, 3(3), 261–277. sezgin, t. m., davies, i., & robinson, p. (2009). multimodal inference for driver-vehicle interaction multimodal inference for drivervehicle interaction. icmi-mlmi’09, 24(january). doi: 10.1145/1647314.1647348. sporer, n., brunstein, j. c., & kieschke, u. (2009). improving students’ reading comprehension skills: effects of strategy instruction and reciprocal teaching. learning and instruction, 19, 272–286. doi: 10.1016/j.learnin struc.2008.05.003. suherdi, d. (2015). multimodal pedagogy in teflin contexts. the 62nd teflin international conference 2015. sanur, bali: teflin. wallace, c. (2003). critical reading in language education. new york: palgrave macmillan. walsh, m. (2015). reading visual and multimodal texts: how is “reading”different? proceedings of the alea/une 2004 conference," multiliteracies and english k-12 in the age of information and communication technologies 2004, (may), 25–27. wilson, a., kim, w., raudenbush, b., & kim, m. (2017). the effects of making reading inferences on mastery goals, self-esteem and the effects of making reading inferences on mastery goals, self-esteem and toeic reading comprehension. north american journal of psychology, 19(1), 41–50. woolley, g. (2010). developing reading comprehension: combining visual and verbal cognitive processes. australian journal of language & literacy, 33(2), 108–125. yang, z. (2014). effective methods to improving reading skills in english study. international conference on education, language, art and intercultural communication (icelaic), 284– 286. atlantis press. yu, j. (2015). analysis of critical reading strategies and its effect on college english reading. academy publication, 5(1), 134–138. doi: 10.17507/tpls.0501.18. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 593 pisa reading literacy: encountering female and male’ reading literacy ability yuli tiarina department of english language and literature faculty of language and arts universitas negeri padang email: yuli.tiarina@fbs.unp.ac.id sri wahyuni smpn 6 bukittinggi email: sriwahyuni.bkt@gmail.com dewi fitri smpn 6 bukittinggi email: fit011968@gmail.com niken sakinah department of english language and literature faculty of language and arts universitas negeri padang email: sakinahniken17@gmail.com ahmad fajar afif department of english language and literature faculty of language and arts universitas negeri padang email: fajar200163@gmail.com apa citation: tiarina, y., wahyuni, s., fitri, d., sakinah, n., & afif, a. f. (2022). pisa reading literacy: encountering female and male’ reading literacy ability. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 593-602. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6263. received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction not for the sake of ranking, the program for international student assessment (pisa) is a diagnostic evaluation tool used to provide useful information for improving the education system. from the results of pisa 2018, indonesia, which has participated in pisa since 2000, has reflected on the education system in indonesia. reporting from the ministry of education and culture's research and development website (2021), there are several positive and negative findings from the pisa results. first, indonesia is one of the countries with the fastest progress in expanding access to education. when indonesia first participated in pisa in 2000, only 39% of the population aged 15 years were in school. this percentage increased to 85% in 2018. second, the reading competence of students in indonesia still needs to be improved. 7 abstract: much research sounds that male students’ reading competency is lower than females’. this article, then, uncovers the cognitive processes of male and female students seen from the sample questions in the 2018 pisa. this descriptive research involved fifteen male and sixteen female students. they were tested to answer pisa sample test consisting 21 items. it was found that the students score in reading literacy is poor. the highest score was 76; the lowest score was 10; the average score was 31. the result proved that female students are better in reading literacy than males are. among eight cognitive process, female students are good at accessing and retrieving information, integrating and generating inferences across multiple sources, assessing quality and credibility, reflecting on content and form, and detecting and handling conflict. while, male students are better in integrating and generating inferences. the implication of the research is the teachers should provide hots instructional methods. keywords: reading literacy; pisa sample test; pisa framework. yuli tiarina, sri wahyuni, dewi fitri, niken sakinah, & ahmad fajar afif pisa reading literacy: encountering female and male’ reading literacy ability 594 out of 10 students aged 15 years reading literacy level is still below the minimum competency. they are only able to identify routine information from short readings and simple procedures. third, there is a disparity in the quality of education in indonesia. when the 2018 pisa oversample was carried out in dki and yogyakarta provinces, the average score of the two provinces was 35 points higher than the national results and in line with other asean countries. this identifies the occurrence of quality gaps. fourth, students who claimed to be frequently involved by the teacher in reading lessons scored 30 points higher than students who were never or rarely involved. strategies that can be used to involve students include: inviting students to think, making a list of characters, retelling the contents of the reading, linking the content of reading with events around, comparing the content of reading with other readings on the same topic, determining the content of reading that is liked or not liked, as well as giving pedagogical questions to encourage students to understand the reading. globally, pisa results show that the strategy of reading aloud a passage to other students is not effective in improving reading comprehension for 15-year-old students. concentrating on the content of the reading, marking or summarizing in their own words proved to be more effective in understanding the content of the reading. when the teacher gives the task of summarizing (not copying), it is necessary to ensure that students really summarize in their own words, not just copy the contents of the reading. summarizing activities that are effective in growing reading skills are those that are able to capture important things and rewrite them with their own creativity (ministry of education and culture research and development, 2021). factors that allow lower reading literacy can be caused by low social and economic status, lack of time for students to get education in childhood and low metacognitive abilities of students (kogar, 2021; koyuncu & firat, 2020). other factors that allow low literacy in a country are such as differences in the education system, lack of attention from parents, different cultures, and demographic differences of a country (jerrim & wyness, 2016). ömür (2020) reassured that pupils can efficiently encounter problems at school if they are close and on good terms with their parents. ertem (2021) also explained that reading literacy can be low due to lack of learning materials and understanding of different subjects also concerns the capability of the pisa test (pulkkinen & rautopuro, 2022). one current factor that needs to be taken into account is gender differences: it affects reading literacy (kogar, 2021). based on the results of research conducted by erasmus university, boys are smarter than girls. however, erasmus university research is refuted with current studies. pirls in 2016 found that girls' reading literacy skills got better grades than boys. bijou & mariem (2018) also revealed that boys are no better than girls when it comes to reading. investigated by yalcin & bayraktar (2021), girls are better on pisa rather than boys. syamsuri & bancong (2022) stated that due to good motivation and focus, female students have better reading skills than male students. meanwhile, khorramdel, pokropek, joo, kirsch, & halderman (2022) detected that there is no difference between male and female students in reading pisa literacy. however, the reading ability of male students can be improved by enjoying the reading itself (di castro & ferri (2022) and understanding of different subjects also concerns the capability of the pisa test (pulkkinen & rautopuro, 2022). seen from three contradicting previous findings, it is necessary to conduct the research whether there are differences between male and female students. rarely do science experiments directly and rarely do the same queries are factors that cause students' inferior reading capability (ramli, susanti, yohana, & rozak, 2021) to improve pisa results, in 2021 the indonesian government has launched the implementation of a minimum ability assessment (akm), which is an assessment that includes reading literacy, an assessment that uses language reasoning skills, and numeracy, an assessment that uses mathematical reasoning abilities. akm prepares students to have future 21st century skills. the ability to be literate is not just reading what is written in the text, but rather knowing and understanding the concept of a reading. likewise, with numeracy or numeracy skills, which are not only required to be able to count, but also to be able to apply the concept of counting to other contexts and different situations. the current government-driven akm refers to the program for international student assessment english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 595 (pisa). observing the two factors that influence students' reading literacy outcomes, namely gender, and school level, the researcher is interested in further exploring the gender factor of students from moderately accredited schools (b) and students' ability to answer pisa-based akm questions. the researcher focuses more on these two factors because based on the researcher's observations during 8 meetings at a smp 6 bukittinggi, that there are male and female students who are equally serious, and there are also male and female students who do not pay attention to the teacher and respond to the teacher. the researcher was provoked to explore whether all cognitive processes in reading literacy were dominated by female students and the extent to which the cognitive processes of male and female students were. therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the cognitive processes of male and female students seen from the sample questions in the 2018 pisa. the minimum ability assessment (akm) in 2021 is an assessment that includes reading literacy, namely an assessment that uses language reasoning and numeracy skills, namely an assessment that uses mathematical reasoning abilities. the minimum ability assessment (akm) is prepared by the government with the aim of preparing students to have future 21st century skills. the ability in literacy is not just reading but how we can know and understand the concept of a reading. likewise, with numeracy or numeracy skills, we are not only asked to be able to count, but also to be able to apply the concept of counting to another context with different situations. minimum ability assessment (akm) refers to the program for international student assessment (pisa). pisa is an activity that is carried out once every 3 years with the aim of improving the education system. students taking the test are 15 years old and randomly selected from school and take tests that cover reading, math and science. pisa has gone through 7 cycles, namely in 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018. every year the number of participating countries that join continues to grow until 2018 there are 78 countries that have joined including indonesia which has joined since 2000. however, after 7 cycles that have been passed, the highest pisa score of indonesian students is only 391, namely in 2006 with a minimum international average score of 489 in 2018. according to the oecd 2009 in harjuluukkainen, vettenranta, ouakrim-soivio, & bernelius (2016), reading literacy is understanding, using, reflecting and involving written texts, to achieve student goals, develop students' knowledge and potential, and participate in society. reading literacy is defined as the ability of students to understand, use, evaluate, reflect on and engage with texts to achieve their goals. reading literacy is the ability to understand and use the forms of written language needed by society. students can construct meaning from text in various forms. in addition, the oecd (2006) stated that reading literacy is the understanding, use, and reflection of written texts for the purpose of acquiring knowledge, developing potential, and participating in public. reading literacy covers a wider range of cognitive abilities than basic coding through knowledge of word for word, grammar, linguistics, and text structure. reading literacy is a metacognitive ability that contains awareness and the ability to use various appropriate strategies when processing text. furthermore, alderson (2003) stated that reading literacy includes processes and products. reading as a mechanistic process is classified as low-level reading. reading is not just reading information literally, but reading interactively to gain criticalcreative understanding. then, according to oecd (2017), reading literacy is defined as the ability of individuals to understand, use, reflect on and engage with written texts to achieve their goals, develop their knowledge and potential, and participate in society. reading literacy can shape student behavior that can be used for various purposes. students can read various text situations. reading literacy can predict students' academic achievement. according to malawi, tryanasari, & kartikasari (2017), reading literacy for character building through a reading literacy culture can create a literacy culture in the school environment as an effort to realize lifelong education. then, according to the oecd (2009), reading literacy is to achieve student goals, develop students' knowledge and potential, and participate in society. in addition, harsiati & priyatni (2018) stated that the purpose of reading literacy is first, to improve life skills in accessing and utilizing yuli tiarina, sri wahyuni, dewi fitri, niken sakinah, & ahmad fajar afif pisa reading literacy: encountering female and male’ reading literacy ability 596 information in the form of discourse to live life in the context of education, work, safety and personal safety. second, improving live access skills and utilizing information in the form of plans, maps, tables, forms and graphs to live life in the context of education, work, safety and personal safety. so, it can be concluded that reading literacy can improve students' understanding in drawing conclusions from the information received for the better, help students think critically, help increase students' knowledge by reading, help grow and develop good character values. then, reading literacy aims to measure students in terms of understanding, using, and reflecting reading results in written form. reading literacy refers to understanding, evaluating, using, and engaging in reading to achieve students' goals, knowledge, and potential. in this context, it can be said that reading is a difficult and complex process that requires a lot of cognitive skills. according to koyuncu and fırat (2020), achievement in reading comprehension is influenced by various factors such as reading fluency, text structure information, knowledge of cognitive and metacognitive strategies, vocabulary, motivation and prior knowledge. achievement factors such as difficult and multidimensional processes also involve socioeconomic and family conditions, type of school, reading habits, learning strategies, and participation in preschool education. pirls in 2016 ensures that students have good reading literacy skills such as the number of reading sources at home, parents who have a hobby of reading, adequate digital tools, parents who are aware and teach reading to their children early, enter good, safe, comfortable schools, and make reading important, attend school in a fresh state, have good motivation and have technological skills. reading literacy is also influenced by the ability of students who master more than one language with students who only master one language (isci, 2021). isci further stated that a person's ability in reading literacy is also influenced by their proficiency in their mother tongue. not only that, students' reading literacy skills are influenced by support from parents, technological abilities, discipline, and hobbies. reading is an activity that prioritizes individual activities rather than group activities (ertem, 2021). the pisa reading literacy assessment deals with cognitive processes i.e. mental strategies, approaches or goals that readers use to negotiate their way into, around and between texts. according to the oecd (2016), there are five processes in reading literacy and can be defined as retrieving information, forming broad understandings, developing interpretations, contemplating and evaluating text content and contemplating and evaluating text forms. text and literal comprehension. furthermore, the oecd (2017) stated that there are several processes in the assessment of reading literacy, namely taking information, forming a broad understanding, developing interpretations, reflecting on and evaluating the content of the text and reflecting and evaluating the form of the text and understanding. literal information. for reading literacy reporting, these six processes are organized into three broad process categories. first, access and grab. accessing and retrieving involves going to the provided information space and navigating in that space to find and retrieve one or more different pieces of information. accessing and retrieving tasks can range from finding individual pieces of information, such as details an employer requires from a job advertisement, to finding a phone number with multiple prefixes, to finding certain facts to support or refute a claim someone has made. while retrieval describes the process of selecting the required information, accessing describes the process of getting to the place, the information space, where the required information is located. both processes are involved in most access and retrieval tasks in pisa. second, integrate and interpret. integrating and interpreting involves processing what is read to build an internal representation of the meaning of the text. integrating focuses on demonstrating an understanding of the coherence of the text and involves the process of understanding the internals of the text. integrating involves connecting various pieces of information to make meaning, whether that is identifying similarities and differences, making degree comparisons, or understanding cause and effect relationships. third, reflection and evaluation. reflecting and evaluating involves taking knowledge, ideas or attitudes outside the text to relate the information given in the text to one's own conceptual frame of reference and experience. reflecting items can be considered as items that require readers to consult english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 597 their own experience or knowledge to compare, contrast or hypothesize. an evaluation item is an item that asks the reader to make a judgment based on an out-of-text standard. reflecting and evaluating the content of the text requires the reader to relate the information in the text with knowledge from outside sources. then, according to the oecd (2018), the reading literacy framework defines several cognitive processes which include seeking information, understanding, and evaluating and reflecting. first, search for information, which consists of accessing and retrieving information in the text, searching for and selecting relevant texts. second, understand, it consists of literal information, integrating and generating conclusions and integrating and generating conclusions across multiple sources. third, evaluation and reflection, namely assessing quality and credibility, reflecting on content and form and detecting and dealing with conflicts. besides rachel (2011), another aspect is the cognitive skills used by the reader in processing the text. there are five aspects that guide the development of reading literacy assessment tasks, namely retrieving information, forming broad understanding, developing interpretations, planning and evaluating text content, and reflecting and evaluating text form. in reading activities the process of cognition is experienced by students. the cognitive process itself is divided into three first, namely receiving information such as reading and retrieving the information contained in the text, and looking for the same text as the text being discussed. second, understanding information such as explaining the literal meaning of the text, and drawing conclusions from one source or from various other sources. third, evaluate and reflect on things such as assessing quality and credibility, reflecting on content and form, and calculating and solving a problem. cognitive theory by piaget in thahir (2018) stated that cognitive theory is how a child gives views and gets used to things that are in their environment. piaget also explained that the combination of brain development and experiences that have been passed by a child in adapting to his environment produces this cognitive. piaget divided the stages of cognitive development into four parts, starting from an individual's birth to adulthood. the first stage is the sensori-motor stage which starts from the individual born until he is two years old. this stage is the stage where the individual realizes that something exists. the second stage is the preoperational stage which starts from the individual aged about two years to the age of seven. this stage is the stage where an individual is able to describe the things that exist in his environment using the abilities or symbols he already knows. the third stage is the operational stage which starts from the age of seven years until the age of eleven. this stage is the stage where the individual is able to use his logic to think. the last stage is from the age of eleven until the person grows up. this stage gives them the ability to be able to solve problems and think better in making decisions. according to piaget, the change in thinking from formal to operational is a very significant change that occurs during adolescence. according to sujiono (2015), the ability of an individual to know, study, and solve a problem is cognition and intelligence is closely related to one's intelligence. the factors that affect the cognitive of an individual is the first influenced by heredity. hereditary factors greatly affect individual cognitive abilities that are equal to 75-80%. the second is environmental factors. third, the maturity factor which is closely related to the age of an individual. fourth, namely the factors that shape the child outside of himself such as formation through school and natural formation. the fifth is the interest and talent factor. interest can be interpreted as an impulse that exists in a person's soul and talent is an innate that has existed since a person was born. the last factor is freedom. freedom means how a person can be free in thinking and acting. often there is a visible difference between intelligence between female and male students. widadah (2015) found that girls only felt calm in planning, but for the next process they experienced cognitive problems, and boys experienced cognitive problems at every stage of problem solving he went through. primi, donati, chiesi, & morsanyi (2018), after examining other factors, they found that gender is not a determinant of an individual's intelligence. on the one hand, it can be found that girls are more intelligent than boys. rosa (2017) found that cognitive intelligence such as estimating, analyzing and interpreting was more controlled by girls. yuli tiarina, sri wahyuni, dewi fitri, niken sakinah, & ahmad fajar afif pisa reading literacy: encountering female and male’ reading literacy ability 598 method the research method used is a descriptive research method with a quantitative approach because it uses numbers, starting from data collection, interpretation of the data, and the appearance of the results. in this study, the writer wanted to know whether it was true that the ability of female students was higher than that of male students and to what extent the cognitive abilities of female students were compared to male students. this approach is also associated with research variables that focus on current problems and phenomena that are happening at the present time in the form of research results in the form of numbers that have meaning. the population used in this study were 150 8th grade students of smp 6 bukittinggi accredited b. the samples used were 30; consisting of 15 male students and 15 female students, using cluster random sampling technique. the instrument used in this study uses a standardized test, namely the 2018 pisa sample which was adopted from the oecd pisa website. sample question consists of 3 scenarios. each scenario consists of 7 questions in the form of simple multiple choice, yes and no, and open response. results and discussion from the questions given, male students got the highest score of 76 and female students also got 76. the lowest score of male students was 10; the lowest score for female students is also 10. however, the average of female students is higher than that of male students. as shown in the following diagram: diagram 1. average score pisa 2018 from the data shown in the table above, it can be explained that the comparison of male students' scores with female students' scores is as follows: average value the average score of male students was 25.47 and the number of male students who scored the same and above the average was 4 out of 15 students or 26.27%. meanwhile, the average score of female students was 37.19 and the number of female students who scored the same and above the average was 10 out of 16 people or 62.50%. from these data it can be concluded that the average value of female students is higher than the average value of male students. even the average value of female students is also above the class average, which is 31.52. when compared with individual scores, the number of female students who scored above the class average was 10 people (32.26%) while the number of male students who scored above the class average was only 2 people (6.45%). this finding is in line with pirls in 2016, bijou & mariem (2018), yalcin & bayraktar (2021), girls are better on pisa rather than boys. syamsuri & bancong (2022) who stated female students have better ready literacy in pisa than male students do. highest value and lowest score the highest score obtained by male students was 76 as well as the highest score obtained by female students was 76. and it can be concluded that the highest grade in the class was also 76. the number of students who were able to obtain these scores were 1 out of 15 each. male students (6.67%) and 1 in 16 female students (6.26%). the lowest score obtained by both male and female students is also the same, namely 10, so it can also be seen that the lowest score in the class is also 10. the number of male students who got the lowest score was 1 out of 15 people (6.67%) and the number of female students who got the lowest score were 2 out of 16 people (12.5%). it can be seen clearly that the ability of male students and female students in obtaining the highest and lowest grades is the same. by looking at that case, what has been revealed by khorramdel, et al. (2022) is true. there is no difference between male and female students in general. the highest scores gotten by male and female students are not only good at reading literacy, but they are smart in all subjects. therefore, this finding supports the result finding of pulkkinen & rautopuro (2022) that understanding english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 599 of different subjects also concerns the capability of the pisa test. frequency value the table also presents information on the grades most often obtained by male and female students. a total of 4 out of 16 female students (25%) got a score of 38. a score of 24 was obtained by 3 out of 16 female students (18.75%), 2 out of 16 female students (12.5%) got a score of 10. as for the score of 42, 43, 52, 76, 62, 19, 57 respectively obtained 1 of 16 female students (6.25%) meanwhile, 5 out of 15 male students (33.33%) got a score of 24, 4 out of 15 male students (26.67%) got a score of 14, and 2 of 15 male students (13.33%) got a score of 29 and a score of 19, 43, 10,76 respectively obtained 1 of 15 male students (6.67%) description of student answers based on the results of student answers, the researcher will describe the results of students' answers in answering the pisa 2018 sample test questions. the following is a description of the results of student answers based on question indicators. access and retrieve information tested on item number 1 and item number 4. in this question, male students and female students have the same ability in answering questions, as evidenced by the fact that there are 2 female students and 2 male students who are able to answer the question correctly. it highlights that both male and female students have the same level in accessing and retrieving information. they have the same ability in accessing and retrieving involves going to the provided information space and navigating in that space to find and retrieve one or more different pieces of information. represent literal information it was tested on items number 2, 8, 11, 15, and 18. in some questions it was seen that female students had the ability to answer questions more than male students. question number 2 was answered correctly by 3 female students and 1 male student; question number 8 was answered correctly by 7 female students and 2 male students; question number 11 was answered correctly by 10 female students and 5 male students. for boys, question number 18 was answered correctly by 3 female students and 1 male student, while for question number 15 the number of students who answered correctly was the same, namely 6 female students and 6 male students. in this cognitive process, female students are superior to male students. it indicates that female students are able to understand the literal meaning of sentences or short sentences, usually a direct or close paraphrase of the information in question with information in a section. integrate and generate inferences tested on items number 9 and 12. in question number 9 it can be seen that the ability of male students exceeds the ability of female students, as evidenced by 5 male students being able to answer the question correctly and there are only 2 female students whose answers are also correct. this proves that male students have more abilities in integrating and generating conclusions when compared to the 2 indicators at the beginning which were mastered by female students. as for question number 12, both male students and female students who were able to answer correctly amounted to 8 people. integrate and generate inferences across multiple sources it was tested on items number 6, 14, and 19. on the three items it was seen that the ability of female students in answering questions still exceeded male students. question number 6 was answered correctly by 9 female students and 5 male students, question number 14 was answered correctly by 11 female students and 4 male students, while question 19 was answered correctly by 4 female students and 4 male students. these questions include questions that can be answered by many students, although the ratio of correct answers is still dominated by female students. assess quality and credibility tested on item number 13, and in this question both female students and male students have the same ability. the number of female students and male students who answered the questions correctly was the same, namely 1 person. this is an interesting finding. among 15 male and female students, only 1 from each could answer the question. the question is about measuring students’ ability in yuli tiarina, sri wahyuni, dewi fitri, niken sakinah, & ahmad fajar afif pisa reading literacy: encountering female and male’ reading literacy ability 600 assessing whether the information in the text is valid, reliable, correct, and unbiased. it shows that most of the students are not able to reflect critically on the content and the form of the text. it indicates some students are able to generate main ideas or make a summary. reflect on content and form tested on items number 3, 10, 16 and 17. in 3 questions, it can be seen that the ability of female students exceeds the ability of male students. question number 3 was answered correctly by 3 female students and 4 male students. question number 16 was answered correctly by 8 female students and 2 male students. while in question number 10, the ability of female students and male students proved to be the same as the number of students who answered correctly 10 female students and 10 male students. although for other items in this indicator male students do not excel, male students on question number 17 showed abilities above female students with the number of male students who answered correctly as many as 11 people while female students only 9 people. detect and handle conflict it was tested on items number 5, 7, 20 and 21. in the four items, the ability of female students was seen above that of male students. question number 5 was answered correctly by 5 female students and 1 male student, question number 7 was answered correctly by 3 female students and 1 male student, question number 20 was answered correctly by 10 female students and 6 male students. while question number 21 was answered correctly by 3 female students and 1 male student. it denotes that female students are better in detecting and handling conflict. in conclusion, it can be noticed that female students dominate in answering pisa questions accurately and they have more appropriate reading skills than male students as an entirety, as seen from all the indicators of questions in pisa. in total, there are 7 indicators in the pisa question. for the first indicator, namely access and retrieve information, the capability of female and male students is the same. for the represent literal information, integrate and generate inferences across multiple sources, assess quality and credibility, reflect on content and form, and detect and handle conflict, dominated by female students. only on the integration and generating inferences, male students can answer accurately more than female students. acknowledgement this article is part of a research on the application of literacy hots in language learning in junior high schools funded by the ministry of education and culture under sk 42244/un40.ri/2021 and 357/un35/ks/2021 revitalization of lptks regarding hots literacy. thanks also to the chancellor of unp, the hots literacy tutor team, the principal of smpn 6 bukittinggi, indonesian and english teachers at smpn 6 bukittinggi, as well as to the students who helped collect research data. references alderson, j. c. (2003). assessing reading. cambridge: cambridge university press. thahir, a. (2018). psikologi perkembangan. lampung: aura publishing. bijou, m., & mariem, l. (2018). gender and students’ achievements: evidence from pisa 2015. world journal of education, 8(4), 24-35. doi:10.5430/wje.v8n4p24 di castro, g., & ferri, v. (2022). why do boys perform worse than girls in reading literacy? evidences from pisa survey 2018. https://oa.inapp.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12 916/3427/inapp_dicastro_ferri_why_do_boy s_perform_worse_than_girls_in_reading_literac y_evidences_from_pisa_survey.pdf?sequence= 1 doi: https://doi.org/10.33200/ijcer.919958 ertem, h. y. (2021). examination of turkey’s pisa 2018 reading literacy scores within student-level and school-level variables. participatory educational research, 8(1),248-264. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.17275/per.21.14.8.1 harju-luukkainen, h., vettenranta, j., ouakrim-soivio, n., & bernelius, v. (2016). differences between students’ pisa reading literacy scores and grading for mother tongue and literature at school: a geostatistical analysis of the finnish pisa 2009 data. education inquiry, 7(4), 463479 doi:10.3402/edui.v7.29413 harsiati, t and priyatni, e.t. (2018). the characteristics of literacy test items in pisa. litera, 17(1), 111 harsiati, t. (2018). karakteristik soal literasi membaca pada program pisa. jurnal penelitian bahasa, sastra dan pengajarannya, 17(1), 90-106. isci, c. (2021). reading literacy of bilingual and https://oa.inapp.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12916/3427/inapp_dicastro_ferri_why_do_boys_perform_worse_than_girls_in_reading_literacy_evidences_from_pisa_survey.pdf?sequence=1 https://oa.inapp.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12916/3427/inapp_dicastro_ferri_why_do_boys_perform_worse_than_girls_in_reading_literacy_evidences_from_pisa_survey.pdf?sequence=1 https://oa.inapp.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12916/3427/inapp_dicastro_ferri_why_do_boys_perform_worse_than_girls_in_reading_literacy_evidences_from_pisa_survey.pdf?sequence=1 https://oa.inapp.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12916/3427/inapp_dicastro_ferri_why_do_boys_perform_worse_than_girls_in_reading_literacy_evidences_from_pisa_survey.pdf?sequence=1 https://oa.inapp.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12916/3427/inapp_dicastro_ferri_why_do_boys_perform_worse_than_girls_in_reading_literacy_evidences_from_pisa_survey.pdf?sequence=1 https://doi.org/10.33200/ijcer.919958 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 601 monolingual students in turkey: a comparative study based on pisa 2018 data. netjournals, 9(1), 22-28. doi:doi: 10.30918/aerj.9s1.21.010 jerrim, j., & wyness, g. (2016). benchmarking london in the pisa rankings. london review of education, 14(2), 38-65. doi:doi: 10.18546/lre.14.2.04 khorramdel, l., pokropek, a., joo, s. h., kirsch, i., & halderman, l. (2020). examining gender dif and gender differences in the pisa 2018 reading literacy scale: a partial invariance approach. psychological test and assessment modeling, 62(2), 179-231. kogar, n. o. (2021). an investigation of the mediating role of various variables in the effect of both gender and economic, social and cultural status on reading literacy. international journal of progressive education, 17(1), 376-391. koyuncu, i., & firat, t. (2020). investigating reading literacy in pisa 2018 assessment. international electronic journal of elementary education, 13(2), 263-275. doi:10.26822/iejee.2021.189 malawi, i, tryanasari, d, and kartikasari, a. (2017). pembelajaran literasi berbasis sastra lokal. magetan. cv. ae. medika grafika. oecd. (2016). pisa 2015 assessment and analytical framework: science, reading, mathematic and financial literacy. pisa, oecd publishing, paris, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264255425-en oecd. (2009). pisa 2009 assessment framework – key competencies in reading, mathematics and science. retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/444558 20.pdf oecd. (2006). framework program international students assessment. paris: oecd. oecd. (2017). pisa for development assessment and analytical framework: reading, mathematics and science. preliminary version, oecd publishing, paris. oecd. (2019). “what is pisa?”, in pisa 2018 assessment and analytical framework. oecd publishing, paris, doi: https://doi.org/10.1787/2c7c311d-e oecd/unesco-uis. (2003). program for international student assessment and nonoecd assessment and non-oecd countries. retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/berlin/42174841.pdf ömür, ç. (2020). relationships between students' socioeconomic status, parental support, students' hindering, teachers' hindering and students' literacy scores: pisa 2018. world journal of education, 10(4), 45-59. doi: https://doi.org/10.5430/wje.v10n4p45 pisa. (2018). released ft and ms reading literacy items. retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/pisa/test/pisa2018_relea sed_rea_items_12112019.pdf primi, c., donati, m. a., chiesi, f., & morsanyi, k. (2018). are these gender differences in cognitive reflection? invariance and diffeences related to mathematics. thinking & reasoning, 24(2), 258-279. pulkkinen, j., & rautopuro, j. (2022). the correspondence between pisa performance and school achievement in finland. international journal of educational research, 114(2022). 1-9 ramli, m., susanti, b. h., yohana, m. p., & rozak, a. (2021, march). assessing islamic junior high school students’ scientific literacy using pisa released items. journal of physics: conference series, 1836(1). iop publishing. doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1836/1/012068 rosa, f. o. (2017). eksplorasi kemampuan kognitif siswa terhadap kemampuan memprediksi, mengobservasi dan menjelaskan ditinjau dari gender. jurnal pendidikan fisika, 5(2), 111118. sujiono, y. n. (2015). metode pengembangan kognitif. jakarta: universitas terbuka. syamsuri, a. s., & bancong, h. (2022). do gender and regional differences affect students reading literacy? a case study in indonesia. eurasian journal of applied linguistics, 8(1), 98-110. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.32601/ejal.911522 widadah, s. (2015). profil konflik kognitif dalam memecahkan masalah dengan intervensi ditinjau dari perbedaan gender. jurnal edukasi kajian ilmu pendidikan, 1(2), 157-180. yalcin, s. & bayraktar, a. (2021). comparison of pisa and piaac participants’ reading habits and strategies in terms of reading achievement. international journal of contemporary educational research, 8(4), 158-169. https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/44455820.pdf https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/44455820.pdf https://doi.org/10.1787/2c7c311d-e https://doi.org/10.5430/wje.v10n4p45 https://dx.doi.org/10.32601/ejal.911522 yuli tiarina, sri wahyuni, dewi fitri, niken sakinah, & ahmad fajar afif pisa reading literacy: encountering female and male’ reading literacy ability 602 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 371 the praxis of integrating virtual reality into vocabulary teaching to young learners nia kurniawati english study program, faculty of education and teacher training universitas suryakancana, cianjur indonesia email: nia@unsur.ac.id anisa sofarini english study program, faculty of education and teacher training universitas suryakancana, cianjur indonesia email: anisa.sofarini@unsur.ac.id elis homsini maolida english study program, faculty of education and teacher training universitas suryakancana, cianjur indonesia email: elishomsini@unsur.ac.id rahmat taufiq dwi jatmika international administration and business study program, faculty of applied science universitas suryakancana, cianjur, indonesia email: r.jatmika@unsur.ac.id apa citation: kurniawati, n., sofarini, a., maolida, e. h., & jatmika, r. t. d. (2022). the praxis of integrating virtual reality into vocabulary teaching to young learners. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 371-380. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6238 received: 07-02-2022 accepted: 22-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction for the past few decades, teaching english to young learners has been a common practice all around the world (rixon, 2013) as evidenced by the growing number of policies that integrate english language learning in elementary schools. this policy is frequently driven by economic (chang, 2012) and political goals (kirkpatrick & liddicoat, 2017), with the belief that the more citizens who speak english for international engagement, the better for the economies and politics of the country. this study understands young learners as individuals under the age of 18 (ellis, 2014), approximately aged 5 to 10 years old (ersöz, 2007). in this case, many believe that they, to a certain extent, can learn foreign languages more effectively than adults (cook, 2008). this is why the policy on learning english earlier in elementary school level is highlighted. abstract: in this digital age, using technology to teach english has become commonplace. this study focuses on the integration of virtual reality (vr) into vocabulary teaching to young learners. the aims of the study are finding out the teacher's classroom practices, the challenges, and the young learners’ views of vr integration in learning vocabulary. in this study, a case study was applied in conjunction with observation, an open-ended questionnaire, and an interview to uncover the concerns. the respondents were an english teacher and 40 students of fifth grade at sdn 1 cipanas, cianjur. despite the fact that the teacher was able to incorporate vr into her english classroom, there are also some challenges discovered during the practice. school readiness in terms of device availability, teacher’s tpack level, workloads, teaching media, and classroom managerial skills became the primary issues in the language instruction using vr. furthermore, the proficiency, characteristics, and quantity of students in the classroom must also all be taken into account. to young learners, on the other hand, learning vocabulary using vr is engaging and entertaining, even if prolonged exposure to the vr lens causes headaches. it is recommended that policymakers pay greater attention to providing more supportive policies and improved facilities for teyl practice in indonesia. keywords: teyl; vocabulary; virtual reality; tpack; case study. nia kurniawati, anisa sofarini, & elis homsini maolida the praxis of integrating virtual reality into vocabulary teaching to young learners 372 in the context of indonesian eyl practice, the idea of bringing english, as one of the foreign languages, to elementary schools’ dates back to the 1980s. a survey revealed parents' strong belief in the importance of their children learning english, as well as the disappointing results of secondary students' english proficiency. the presidential decree number 28 of 1990 included english in the elementary school curriculum (kirkpatrick & liddicoat, 2017), and it was later upgraded to a local content topic by the ministry of education and culture's decree number 060 of 1993 (iskandar, 2018). the policy suggested that schools might opt to teach english to grades 4, 5, and 6, or teach other topics like arts, dance, music, or sports that were more suited to their socioeconomic and geographical condition and needs (zein, 2012). nevertheless, it is to note that young learners require extra pedagogical support to assist their english language acquisition in a formal setting. this is since formal language learning is influenced by social, individual, and environmental elements (copland and garton, 2014). in this case, kimsesiz, dolgunsöz, and konca (2017) elaborated that social factors such as sociocultural class and the status of english in society play a role in this scenario. in addition, learners' attitude toward the target language, as well as their motivation to learn, are individual aspects. meanwhile, the learner's parental background and attitudes toward language learning are environmental influences. regarding foreign language skills for young learners, it has been acknowledged that efl vocabulary learning is very important to learn at young ages. tomasello (2014) looked at this as a smaller linguistic lesson where objects are shown to young learners, then they must connect the term to what they hear and observe, also young learners relate the words to concrete entities. the young learners also map words onto concrete elements as another way of learning a word. in this case, young learners’ experience of l1 or first language (cameron, 2001) and the second language (l2)’s features and linguistic input, both are crucial (cook, 2008). while word frequency is a useful criterion for selecting vocabulary, the ease with which a word's meaning may be shown and its appropriateness are equally essential considerations. the development of a child's first language vocabulary is inextricably linked to their conceptual growth. children may link new words to equivalent terms in their l1 for l1 and l2 relationships. teaching vocabulary to young learners may not be the same as teaching vocabulary to adult learners. diptoadi, mindari, and tedjasuksmana (2018) explained that young learners have unique and interesting characteristics, thus teachers are required to have high creativity, make innovations and bring fresh ideas in teaching english at this level. they also highlight the importance of young learners’ motivation in learning that they tend to acquire new things while playing. that is why they need to be facilitated with an interactive learning technique and application. during this process of learning vocabulary, their verbal efforts should be encouraged and supported with language activities that are engaging, interesting and motivating such as by using interactive technology. the use of technology plays a major role in creating a more effective and innovative educational practice in the 21st century, known as the industry revolution 4.0 period (sadiyoko, 2017). this era has given full attention to learning management, which aids students in improving their english skills through the use of new technology (puncreobutr, 2016). as a result, students in indonesia require a new breakthrough learning medium that can assist them in integrating their skills and based on their alpha generation nature. in this case, the alpha generation tends to be visual learners who are primarily envisioning their material in order to aid them in retaining the information. moreover, visualizing the information will assist them in focusing and attracting their interest in learning (augusto, 2018). this rapid advancement in technological integration has provided a better pattern for identifying new instructional approaches (gilakjani, 2017), particularly in almost every language class (ahmadi, 2018). in a number of teaching and learning milieus, technology is now widely regarded as a crucial instructional and supportive tool (qizi, 2021). this is especially true when it comes to teaching english. in addition to teaching approaches, susikaran (2013) argued that fundamental changes in classrooms have occurred because the chalk-and-talk method is insufficient for efficiently teaching english. learners learn how to learn effectively in a well-planned classroom setting. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 373 moreover, technology provides a plethora of options for making teaching more engaging and beneficial in terms of advancement (patel, 2013). teachers in traditional classrooms stand in front of students and use a blackboard or whiteboard to deliver lectures, explanations, and instructions. with the advancement of technology, these methods must be modified. the use of multimedia texts in the classroom helps students learn new vocabulary and language structures (ahmadi, 2018), for instance. multimedia can be used to improve learners' linguistic knowledge by using print books, videos, and the internet. in response to this, arifah (2014) claimed that learners can acquire information and use a variety of tools for analyzing and interpreting language and settings when they use print, video, or the internet. in this sense, solanki and shyamlee (2012) also argued that learners' visual and aural senses are both satisfied by technology. the benefits of using technology in english language teaching and learning have been studied. however, the plus points of technology do not happen by accident; it is dependent on how teachers use it in their language classes (bransford, brown, & cocking, 2000). teachers should develop ways to employ technology as a beneficial learning instrument for their students, even if they have not studied technology and are not computer experts. as a result, a tech-savvy language instructor must constantly update and expand pedagogical and technological knowledge and skills to fulfill the current language instruction demand, particularly in teaching to young learners. given the rapid shift of new technologies, teacher education should focus on the three variables of content, pedagogy, and technology for teacher professional development. although teachers are aware of and understand pedagogy, material, and technology, there is still a lack of understanding on how to combine them in collaborative curriculum design (boschman, mckenney, & voogt, 2014; harrington, driskell, johnston, browning, & niess 2019). in order to support effective technology-enhanced education, the tpack framework presents a new technique and paradigm for global teacher knowledge (koehler & mishra, 2009). although tpack is not a novel paradigm for instructors to integrate technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge, putting it into practice is a challenge for teachers as professionals. teachers' three cores of knowledge, on the other hand, continue to be a concern. pre-service teachers should be aware of and comprehend this teaching and learning paradigm for future classrooms in different areas. mahdum (2015) conducted a tpack research study in pekanbaru, indonesia, utilizing a self-assessment questionnaire to explore the use of tpack among senior high school efl teachers. cahyono and kurnianti (2016) conducted another study that found that taking a tpackoriented teaching practice course can help indonesian efl teachers improve the quality of their efl instructional designs and practices. the idea of incorporating vr into language instruction is now gaining traction. many of the activities in vr are a perfect fit for language instruction, as they create the conditions necessary for real communication to take place. for instance, educators have used job simulator to focus on procedural instructions (bonner & murphy, 2018). while many of these vr applications seem perfectly suited for the creation of new and exciting lessons by teachers, there are still large hurdles that need to be overcome before more educational institutions can embrace vr in classrooms. the costs of implementation in classes, prolonged comfort, stability and continued availability of vr applications continue to be significant factors that work against the adoption of vr in education. a number of academics have expressed interests in using vr in language education. the first study discovered that vr enhanced the students' learning because it provided authentic learning in the classroom and can be used alongside traditional and online learning methodologies. the second discovered that using vr for learning activities is enjoyable for both students and teachers. furthermore, developers should be able to take a risk and do something essential by submitting prospective learning advantages (frazier, lege, & bonner, 2021). vr is a valuable tool for learning, however, there is a lack of education focused content for language learning needs. this article introduces the vr application analysis framework to assist educators in scaffolding existing commercial offthe-shelf (cots) applications for use in classroom activities through four key lenses: immersive capacity, cognitive load, purpose, and communicative capability. the framework is then nia kurniawati, anisa sofarini, & elis homsini maolida the praxis of integrating virtual reality into vocabulary teaching to young learners 374 used to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of an example cots vr application, tilt brush. this analysis, completed using the framework, is followed by three lesson plans for tilt brush that demonstrate how vr could be used in the language classroom (santosa, putra, banjar, & permana 2020). teaching english for young learners in indonesia still invites controversies among the educators and psycholinguists that concern learners' development in thinking and communication. because teaching english for young learners in indonesia seems to force them to know the rules and forms of the sentence. in addition, some of the teachers who teach english for young learners have not the appropriate educational background that can teach the younger as well as the objective wish. actually, there is not any regulation or decisions that obligate the school to teach english to young learners. it only depends on the school itself. in this paper, the writer would like to describe the teaching of english to young learners in indonesia on the side of its implementation and also the pros and cons based on the second language acquisition experts (nufus, 2019). another study discovered that english teachers in indonesian elementary schools (es) are divided into two groups: specialists and generalists. in indonesia, there are 103,667 specialist pets serving 147,536 elementary schools. the generalists, who are primarily homeroom teachers, substitute the position of english teachers due to insufficient number of those specialists. generalist teachers teach a variety of courses in addition to english, and they only teach english to learners in their class. they may regard other subjects to be more essential than english because it is not their primary focus. these teachers typically struggle with devising english learning tasks and activities, learning materials, and appropriate evaluation since they have a limited command of the english language. specialist teachers, on the other hand, typically have a broader range of english skills and teach english to students of all ages (zein, 2012). from the previous study it could be seen that not many studies conducted on the use of virtual reality in vocabulary teaching to young learners. therefore, this study focuses on three important issues, including the practice, the challenges, and how the students perceive the use of virtual reality in vocabulary teaching to young learners. method this case study follows a qualitative approach. qualitative approach is chosen since it gives the author wide room to interpret the data from the teaching of english to young learners in the site. this qualitative research is focusing on describing the process of something considered suitable for discovering the answers to the research questions of this research, which is to elaborate the process of teaching-learning (creswell, 2020). this is also a single instrumental case study where the researchers focus on an issue or concern, and then selects one bounded case to illustrate this issue (yin, 2012). this research was conducted in sdn 1 cipanas involving 40 students of fifth grade and one english teacher. the data were collected from observation, interview, and questionnaire. observation is the process of gathering firsthand information by observing people and places at the research site (creswell, 2009). the classroom observation was functioned to determine the aspects to be observed in the form of a checklist. the observation checklist follows the tpack framework to find out the teacher's praxis on the use of technology in her english classroom. the observation was also used in revealing the challenges the teacher and students face in the english classroom with the existence of vr in the learning process. the interview was utilized to expose the challenge as well as the advantages of using vr in the process of learning english to young learners at the site. the respondents in the interview were the teacher and five selected young learners. before using vr in her classroom, the teacher was interviewed. the students' interview was conducted following the second time they used vr in their english session. the interview was semi-guided mode with 5 questions. to get more in-depth data, the researcher also used an open-ended questionnaire sent to the teacher as well as the school’s headmaster to dig more information about the profile of the teacher at the site, english teaching on a daily basis at sdn 1 cipanas and the school's readiness for vr integration in learning process. this school was chosen since it is the one school in cipanas that lists english as a local content and assigned english teachers to handle the class. qualitative data analysis consists of three concurrent flows of activity: data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification (miles, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 375 huberman, & saldana, 2014). therefore, after collecting the data through observation, open-ended questionnaire, and interview, then the data was reduced, displayed and concluded based on the tpack framework. results and discussion as previously stated, there are three issues that will be addressed in this study. the first is about the practice of incorporating vr into english vocabulary teaching to young learners. the second is the challenges, and the last is the students’ perceptions towards vr-supported vocabulary learning. the integration of vr into vocabulary teaching to young learners in answering the first issue, the researchers used observation as the main instrument. the observation followed the tpack framework to find out the practice of vocabulary learning to young learners using vr. the stages preparation from the observation it was found that the teacher has designed the lesson quite well. the topic she chose is things at home. she used the vr video entitled vr 360 nobita house tour 8k video quality. the time allotment was 35 minutes. she used drilling, tpr, and game as teaching techniques. she divided the teaching into three parts, pre-activity, main activity, and post-activity. practice observation #1: during the pre-activity, the teacher checked the students' understanding of the previous lesson and how it related to the lesson for that day. in checking students’ understanding, she used a song of things at home that the students had learned some times before. then, she taught the students to use the vr box. students were allowed to bring smartphones to school that day, which was a departure from the usual policy of not bringing smartphones to school. the students then were divided into four groups, and asked to name their group. then, the teacher asked the students to answer some questions about the topic. at the first observation, the topic was about things at home. the teacher asked the students to google the 360° video of nobita’s house. they explored nobita’s house via vr box in turn within the group. after they had finished observing the video, the teacher asked the students about the things they saw in nobita’s video. the teacher then made sure that the students comprehend the vocabularies that related to topic things at home such as door, wardrobe, window, pillow, etc. to give the students various activities, the teacher asked the students to name the objects. one of the members of the group became the writer and the rest helped him/her to write by mentioning the target vocabulary. at the end, the teacher would give them a sign to stop, then the teacher checked if their writing was correct, and the group with the most correct answer won. to assess the students’ vocabulary comprehension to the lesson, the students were given multiple choice vocabulary tests. the test result shows that the average score is 83,5 out of 100. it means that the students learn the vocabularies by using virtual reality quite well. observation#2: the teacher had a different topic. the topic was sea creatures. the steps of learning for the topic were similar. in pre-activity the students were asked about the previous lesson, and whether they have learned the vocabularies about sea creatures. then the teacher asked the students to repeat some words after her. after the students did the drilling, they were asked to browse the 360° video about sea creatures in turn. then they were asked to match the vocabulary with the pictures. to assess the students’ comprehension, the teacher gave the students vocabulary test, and the students’ average score is 89,3 out of 100. the techniques in teaching vocabulary using vr, the teacher tried to combine the vr with various techniques. the first technique is tpr. james asher's total physical response (tpr) is thought to be an appropriate and successful strategy for teaching and consolidating english vocabulary to young learners (ha & hue, 2020). this method is appropriate for beginners or young learners since it is based on the process of learning a new language through physical movement in response to a command (richards & rodgers, 1999). then, the teacher drilled students into the vocabulary about things at home and sea creatures. drilling is a technique for improving pronunciation nia kurniawati, anisa sofarini, & elis homsini maolida the praxis of integrating virtual reality into vocabulary teaching to young learners 376 that involves copying and repeating words, phrases, and even entire sentences (thornbury, 2006). from the observation, the teacher introduced a new word by constantly speaking it during the drilling phase. the kids finally remember the word after pronouncing it out loud multiple times. as a result, this exercise could be an appropriate approach to teach kids about foreign languages (ernawati, tsurayya, & ghani, 2019). a song was added in the teaching process by the teacher. song is a great approach to get students interested in developing their english skills. many prior studies have found that using music or song to give a lesson to children helps them develop strong practice habits, especially for those still in primary school (hadi, 2019). most efl learners find vocabulary learning to be time-consuming and demanding in terms of memorization and retention over a long period of time (namaziandost, alekasir, dehkordi, & tilwani, 2021; waluyo & bucol, 2021), and gamification may be an effective solution to address these issues and turn a tedious learning experience into a fun and enjoyable one (kingsley & grabnerhagen, 2018). this supports what the teacher in study has done during her teaching practices using vr. in using the vr specifically, the teacher asked the students to use their digital literacy by browsing the video that fit with the vr box, and of course using the vr box to observe the video of the lesson. the requirements integrating virtual reality into vocabulary teaching certainly needs lots of effort. in integrating virtual reality into teaching of course it requires the devices themselves, in this case the virtual reality box and compatible smartphone, internet connection, and the teacher’ tpack. it is similar to other uses of technology for education. the teacher’s pedagogical is crucial in selecting the suitable technique for teaching the content using any technology in education. the teacher is only required to handle technical things like how to use virtual reality, but also to select appropriate learning sources for teaching vocabulary in terms of students’ proficiency level and background, and also how to practice it in the classroom. the facts and the challenges there are some facts as well as challenges faced by both the teacher and students. they are categorized into three groups; the school, the teacher, and the students’ readiness. the school readiness the first is the challenge in integrating vr into vocabulary teaching. that is the school readiness in supplying vr headsets. the number of vr devices is not proportional to the number of students. one of the considerations that the school takes into account is the cost of the vr headsets. in regards to cost, such as google cardboard, which still requires a smartphone, vr remains a luxury product outside the budgets of most educators. while prices have dropped significantly over the past 5 years, the prospect of buying entire class sets of even the cheapest all-in-one headsets remains prohibitive. in 2018, the cheapest headset, the oculus go, which does not require a pc or smartphone, costs ¥23,800 (oculus.com/go/). while a capable device, surpassing cheaper smartphone powered headsets such as google cardboard, the oculus go has its drawbacks. without positional tracking these cheaper devices may result in discomfort or motion sickness. they also lend themselves more towards passive experiences such as watching 360° videos rather than active participation experiences that benefit from object and scene interactions. the facts and challenges about the teacher the teacher was interviewed before the class. some challenges were then discovered. the teacher admitted that teaching english at elementary level is very challenging. she should design her own syllabus and materials, and she used a worksheet from a certain publisher selected by the school as the guidance. moreover, time allotment and teaching media also become her main concerns. the time allotment is 35 minutes for one credit hour. english is allotted 2 credit hours in normal time per week, but since the pandemic time, the time allotment is only 35 minutes per week. the classroom is sufficient for children's study environment, but it lacks english exposure. there are many posters and realia for other subjects, but not for english. the other challenge the teacher is facing is the large class and students’ proficiency level. it almost happens in many schools in indonesia that the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 377 english proficiency level varies. some students are fast learners while the others are slower ones. it is challenging for the english teacher to design material that would fit to all students. besides, the typical indonesian state school is big class. a class could have more than 40 students within. it requires the teacher to use her classroom managerial skill during the teaching. there are some astonishing facts about the teacher’s pedagogy and technology knowledge. the school has integrated computer use with english teaching. the students can learn english at a computer laboratory, and the teacher is used to gamifying the lesson assisted by technology. therefore, the teachers are not too surprised to use vr in their teaching. she only needed a short amount of time to adjust her teaching material with the use of vr. these findings actually have been estimated, since many studies have mentioned the fact that many elementary schools still list english lesson even though the curriculum does not put it as a priority to be taught at elementary level. the english teachers at the site mention that actually they expect the government to revise the policy and give place to english as it was in the previous curriculum. acknowledging the practice of teaching vocabulary in the classroom, the english teacher has demonstrated her tpack at the most basic level. it is seen from the way she executed the teaching and learning activities that were not wellarranged. however, she had no problem using technology, in this case vr, into her teaching. she could adapt the material with the vr. in observation 1, the lesson was about the things at home. she combined the 360° video with the printed material, and could guide the young learners to experience the virtual environment via vr box and smartphone to visualize the vocabularies they are learning. the students this study enlisted the participation of 40 fifthgraders, aged around 11. they are generally from the alpha generation, who grew up with technology at home. as a result, they have no trouble dealing with vr. they can simply control the devices and look for vr-based videos. nonetheless, as young learners, they have a short attention span and get easily bored when the teacher ignores their curiosity. in regards to young learners’ short attention period (scott & ytreberg, 1990), they can collaboratively and individually be involved in physical activities and experiments (diffily & sassman, 2002). vr integration is undoubtedly useful, but it necessitates the usage of cellphones, which the school cannot offer. students should be asked to bring their own smartphone from home as a solution. however, it is common knowledge that schools prevent kids from carrying smartphones to school, so it is a little ironic that students must rely on smartphones but are not permitted to bring them with them. as it has been highlighted previously that the young learners have a very short attention span, easily get bored, and easily get distracted. therefore, the english teacher should be very creative in designing different activities during the lesson. vr is very attractive but when the teacher has no creativity in using it in the learning process, it will be useless. the students’ views there are some points that the students show on their views towards the vr integration. the students perceived that learning vocabulary with vr is engaging and entertaining. they assumed that, by using vr, they could see the real objects taught by the teacher. simply speaking, it helps them visualize the vocabulary and as a result, it could ease them to memorize the vocabulary. notably, learning english using vr is something new to them. this meets young learners’ nature of fulfilling curiosity. the limited number of vr, in fact, did not distract the students' involvement in experiencing vr to learn english vocabulary. they were excited in taking turns to use vr, task sharing, and support one another in games created by the teacher. despite some merits perceived, there are complaints from some students. they felt headaches when they were exposed to the device lens for a longer time. conclusion there are some conclusions that can be taken from this current research. first, virtual reality could support the teaching of vocabulary to young learners. it helps students visualize the vocabulary, nia kurniawati, anisa sofarini, & elis homsini maolida the praxis of integrating virtual reality into vocabulary teaching to young learners 378 and gives them the sensation of being with the real objects. however, it needs lots of effort in terms of facilities. as the teacher’s tpack is at basic level, they need to improve their capacity (tpack) to keep up with technological advancement. acknowledgment we would extend our sincerest gratitude to kementerian pendidikan, kebudayaan, riset, dan teknologi for funding this research program on mbkm policy and research-based community service for private universities. we also would like to extend our appreciation to: (1) direktorat jenderal riset dan teknologi pendidikan tinggi. (2) dinas pendidikan kabupaten cianjur. (3) 15 elementary schools in cipanas kabupaten cianjur. (4) rector of universitas suryakancana. (5) vice rectors of universitas suryakancana. (6) sdn 1 cipanas. (7) academic community of universitas suryakancana. (8) research and community service team. (9) and all parties that could not be mentioned one by one for supporting this study. references ahmadi, m. r. (2018). the use of technology in english language learning: a literature review. international journal of research in english education, 3(2), 115-125. arifah, a. (2014). study on the use of technology in elt classroom: teachers’ perspective. m.a (thesis). department of english and humanities, brac university, dhaka, bangladesh. augusto, t. (2018). study on the alpha generation and the reflections of its behavior in the organizational environment. quest journals journal of research in humanities and social science, 6(1), 9–19. bonner, e., & murphy, p. (2018). the experimental classroom: promoting a genre-based pedagogy through cirtual reality. presented at jaltcall 2018. nagoya, aichi, japan. boschman, f., mckenney, s., & voogt, j. (2014). understanding decision making in teachers’ curriculum design approaches. educational technology research and development, 62(4), 393-416. bransford, j., brown, a., & cocking, r. (2000). how people learn: brain, mind, experience, and school. washington, dc: national academic press. cahyono, b. y., kurnianti, o. d., & mutiaraningrum, i. (2016). indonesian efl teachers’ application of tpack in in-service education teaching practices. international journal of english language teaching, 4(5), 16-30. cameron, l. (2001). teaching languages to young learners. ernst klett sprachen. cook, v. (2008). second language learning and language teaching. routledge. copland, f., & garton, s. (2014). key themes and future directions in teaching english to young learners: introduction to the special issue. elt journal, 68(3), 223-230 chang, s.-y. (2012). young learner english language policy and implementation: international perspectives edited by janet enever, jayne moon and uma raman. world englishes, 31(3), 406–408. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467971x.2012.01766.x creswell, j. (2020). second edition qualitative inquiry& research design choosing among five approaches. in design: choosing among five approaches (vol. 3, issue june). creswell, j. w. (2009). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). sage publication, inc. diffily, d., & sassman, c. (2002). project-based learning with young children. heinemann. diptoadi, v. l., mindari, r., & tedjasuksmana, h. (2018). teachers’ implementation of teaching techniques for young learners. celt: a journal of culture, english language teaching & literature, 18(1), 19-46. ellis, g. (2014). ‘young learners’: clarifying our terms. elt journal, 68(1), 75-78. ernawati, e., tsurayya, h., & ghani, a. r. a. (2019). multiple intelligence assessment in teaching english for young learners. reid (research and evaluation in education), 5(1), 21-29. ersöz, a. (2007). teaching english to young learners. ankara, turkey: edm publishing frazier, e., lege, r., & bonner, e. (2021). making virtual reality accessible for language learning: applying the vr application analysis framework. teaching english with technology, 21(1), 131–143. gilakjani, a. p. (2017). a review of the literature on the integration of technology into the learning and teaching of english language skills. international journal of english linguistics, 7(5), 95-106. ha, n. d. n., & hue, n. t. t. (2020). teaching english vocabulary to young learners through total physical response method. social sciences, 10(2), 26-40. hadi, m. s. (2019). the use of song in teaching english for junior high school student. english language in focus (elif), 1(2), 107-112. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-971x.2012.01766.x https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-971x.2012.01766.x english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 379 harrington, r. a., driskell, s. o., johnston, c. j., browning, c. a., & niess, m. l. (2019). technological pedagogical content knowledge. in tpack (pp. 324–346). https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-79182.ch016 iskandar, i. (2018). english as local content subject in indonesian primary schools: teachers’ view and its impacts on teaching delivery. ssrn electronic journal, december. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3019248 kimsesiz, f., dolgunsöz, e., konca, m.y. (2017). the effect of project based learning in teaching efl vocabulary to young learners of english: the case of pre-school children. international journal of languages’ education and teaching, 5(4), 426-439. kingsley, t. l., & grabner-hagen, m. m. (2018). vocabulary by gamification. the reading teacher, 71(5), 545-555. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1645 kirkpatrick, a., & liddicoat, a. j. (2017). language education policy and practice in east and southeast asia. language teaching, 50(2), 155–188. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444817000027 koehler, m., & mishra, p. (2009). what is technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack)?. contemporary issues in technology and teacher education, 9(1), 60-70. mahdum, m. (2015). technological pedagogical and content knowledge (tpack) of english teachers in pekanbaru, riau, indonesia. mediterranean journal of social sciences, 6(5), 168-168. miles, m. b., huberman, a. m., & saldaña, j. (2014). qualitative data analysis: a methods sourcebook and the coding manual for qualitative researchers. thousand oaks, ca: sage. namaziandost, e., alekasir, s., dehkordi, e. s., & tilwani, s. a. (2021). an account of efl learners' vocabulary learning in a mobileassisted language environment: the case of rosetta stone application. computer-assisted language learning electronic journal (callej), 22(1), 80-110. https://www.callej.org/journal/221/ namaziandost-alekasir-dehkorditilwani2021.pdf nufus, t. z. (2019). teaching english to young learners in indonesia (pros and cons). english language in focus (elif), 1(1), 65. https://doi.org/10.24853/elif.1.1.65-70 patel, c. (2013). use of multimedia technology in teaching and learning communication skill: an analysis. international journal of advancements in research & technology, 2(7), 116-123. puncreobutr, v. (2016). education 4.0: new challenge of learning. journal of humanities and socila sciences. qizi, k. d. s. (2021, february). the use of technology in english language learning. in euro-asia conferences (pp. 124-127). richards, j. & rodgers, t. (1999). approaches and methods in language teaching. cambridge university press. rixon, s. (2013). british council survey of policy and practice in primary english language teaching worldwide. london: british council. sadiyoko, a. (2017). industri 4.0: ancaman, tantangan atau kesempatan? sebuah intropeksi menyambut kemajuan teknologi saat ini. scientific orationson dies natalis fakultas teknologi industri . santosa, m. h., putra, m. a. m., banjar, i. d. a. o. v. j., & permana, i. k. a. p. a. (2020). developing virtual reality-based english learning media for teaching young learners in efl context. can technology enhance language learning? revisiting the real practices, 9–18. scott, w. a., & ytreberg, l. h. (1990). teaching english to children. london: longman solanki, d., & shyamlee1, m. p. (2012). use of technology in english language teaching and learning: an analysis. international conference on language, medias and culture ipedr vol. 33. iacsit press, singapore. 150-156. susikaran. (2013). the use of multimedia in english langage teaching. journal of technology for elt, 3(4). thornbury, s. (2006). az of elt. macmillan educ. tomasello, m. (2014). the new psychology of language: cognitive and functional approaches to language structure. (vol. 1). psychology press waluyo, b. & bucol, j. l. (2021). the impact of gamified vocabulary learning using quizlet on low-proficiency students. computer-assisted language learning electronic journal (callej), 22(1), 158-179. https://www.callej.org/journal/ 22-1/waluyobucol2021.pdf yin, r. k. (2012). a (very) brief refresher on the case study method. the applications of case study research. zein, s. (2012). the contexts of english language teaching at primary level in indonesia. journal of teaching and education, 1(3), 85–90. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-7918-2.ch016 https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-7918-2.ch016 https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3019248 https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444817000027 https://doi.org/10.24853/elif.1.1.65-70 nia kurniawati, anisa sofarini, & elis homsini maolida the praxis of integrating virtual reality into vocabulary teaching to young learners 380 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 509 the realization of task-based language teaching to foster students’ speaking fluency in vocational school context eline rozaliya winarto english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah cirebon, indonesia email: eline.rozalia@umc.ac.id fitri aprianti english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah cirebon, indonesia email: aprianti_fitri22@gmail.com apa citation: winarto, e. r., & aprianti, f. (2022). the realization of task-based language teaching to foster students’ speaking fluency in vocational school context. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 509-520. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6251 received: 06-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction task-based language teaching (henceforth tblt) is one of the alternative strategies employed by the teacher to attain students’ confidence and motivation in english as foreign language (hereinafter efl) speaking classroom. tblt has altered with regard to the restrictions of the oldstyle ppp (presentation, practice, and performance) approach (ellis, 2003). this sort of approach offers students a tangible chance to communicate language use through tasks (douglas & kim, 2015; lin & wu, 2012; thanh & huan, 2012). hence, it can be elucidated that language learning is an evolving process that can foster students’ communication and interaction instead of acquiring language by practicing language items, and that students are able to utilize language when exposed to activities in a meaningful and natural way. moreover, this bandwagon has evolved into a practical framework for the communicative classroom wherein the students employ task-based activities through the cycles of pre-task preparation, task performance, and post-task feedback (skehan, 1996, 2014; elis, 2003; willis & willis, 2007; willis, 1996). according to ellis (2003), tblt has been acknowledged in recent years from different standpoints emphasizing on meaning, real-world language use, and communicative-based activities to incorporate four language skills specifically speaking skill. hence, it is fundamental in teaching and learning process to offer different activities to foster students’ interaction in efl speaking abstract: the present study aims at scrutinizing the realization of task-based language teaching in fostering students’ speaking fluency in vocational school context. four diverse tasks are administered to the students particularly: sequencing task, picture narration task, question and answer task, and problem-solving task. twenty-eight eleventh grade students in one vocational school in cirebon were selected as the participants. from twenty-eight students, six participants were chosen as the representatives whose speaking performance were scrutinized by considering at several linguistic aspects namely segmental errors, speech rate, and grammatical accuracy. the findings indicated that task-based language teaching fosters students’ speaking fluency. there was an improvement in terms of students’ speech production specifically rhythm, segmental, and speech rate aspect. the students also showed positive responses throughout the realization of task-based language teaching in respect of the various aspect of english pronunciation awareness. furthermore, the result of observation in each meeting and students’ interview revealed that students’ participation in interacting in english was enhanced. this study suggests that the students need to be exposed and learn the different aspects of pronunciation to further enhance their speaking performance. keywords: task-based language teaching; speaking fluency; benefit and problem in the realization of taskbased language teaching method. mailto:eline.rozalia@umc.ac.id%201 mailto:aprianti_fitri22@gmail.com eline rozaliya winarto & fitri aprianti the realization of task-based language teaching to foster students’ speaking fluency in vocational school context 510 classroom. in english as a foreign language (efl) context, speaking skill is deemed as the most fundamental skill to be mastered by the students concerning its prominence for academic, social, and professional purposes (aleksandrzak, 2011; hasan, 2014; tuyen & an, 2019). furthermore, since speaking skill requires courage as a psychological factor as well as a proper preparation to produce english as a target language (malihah, 2010; bashir, azeem, & dogar, 2016; oradee, 2013), it is also regarded as a complex and difficult skill to master despite its importance. furthermore, most students tend to be reluctant to speak and require more time to deliver their speech (aleksandrzak, 2011; bashir et al, 2016; samaranayake, 2016). this situation might lead to the poor improvement of their englishspeaking skills and affect the accuracy and fluency in their speech production. therefore, due to its complexity students’ proficiency may not become practical as expected. a variety of language teaching methods have been implemented to provide the betterment on improving students’ speaking skill. currently, communicative language teaching (clt) is considered the most dominant method employed in many schools all around the globe. communicative language teaching (clt) possesses several varieties in which tblt is one of them. previous studies have been stressing the strategies the efl students may employ to overcome their speaking problem (aleksandrzak, 2011; malihah, 2010; bashir et al, 2016; oradee, 2013). in indonesian context, there have been several studies concerning the implementation of tblt in speaking skill context. adiantika and purnomo (2018), in their study, investigated the implementation of tblt in efl teaching speaking skill comprising the advantages and shortcomings faced by the students and teachers in implementing tblt particularly in teaching speaking skill. this study employed a qualitative approach by using a case study design. the findings indicated that tblt resulted in several advantages (i.e., fostering students’ engagement in speaking classroom interaction and enhancing students’ speaking skill) and shortcomings (i.e., teacher’s ability, time constraints, and different students’ proficiency level). another study regarding the implementation of tblt in efl teaching speaking skill was conducted by munirah and muhsin (2015). this study stressed students’ speaking improvement in respect of their speaking fluency after the students were taught with tblt. the study utilized classroom action research wherein the students’ speaking improvement was measured and investigated throughout the cycles. the indicator for students’ fluency was based on their self-confidence in each cycle. furthermore, according to crowther, trofimovich, isaacs, & saito (2015), tblt can potentially improve efl students’ speech comprehensibility. this study put an emphasis on examining the effect of speaking tasks to measure efl students’ speech based on several linguistics domains particularly pronunciation, fluency, lexis, grammar, and discourse. with respect to the fluency aspect, the study emphasized the segmental, word stress, rhythm, and speech rate categories as one of the measurements. therefore, tblt is deemed as the best alternative to facilitate students obtaining their speaking proficiency specifically fluency. in addition, tblt can improve students’ confidence enhance students’ fluency in four english language skills (chou, 2017; halici page & mede, 2018; kafipour, mahmoudi, & khojasteh, 2018a; tavakoli, lotfi, biria, & wang, 2019) particularly speaking skill (ellis, 2003; nunan, 2004. one of the pertinent tasks that can be utilized as a tool to foster students’ speaking fluency is picture description task (albino, 2017; samaranayake, 2016). according to the previous studies as aforementioned, this study is intended to foster students’ speaking proficiency through the realization of tblt. this study will employ a number of tasks which put an emphasis on pedagogical purposes as proposed by skehan (1996; 2014), willis and willis (2007) and willis (1996). moreover, this study will also scrutinize students’ responses and speaking fluency improvement during the teaching and learning process. the previous empirical studies as aforesaid have examined the realization of tbi in fostering students’ speaking fluency by scrutinizing several linguistic domains namely fluency (particularly segmental, word stress, rhythm, and speech rate) and grammatical accuracy through each task. however, the realization of tblt in teaching speaking skill in vocational school context is still rarely conducted. most of them are conducted at junior high school, senior high school, and university level. therefore, this study attempts to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 511 examine students’ speaking improvement and their responses towards tblt method in one vocational school in cirebon. method the present study employed qualitative research paradigm since this study was aimed to obtain a comprehensive data in a classroom as a natural setting in qualitative research paradigm through multiple data instruments namely open-ended interview, observations, and document analysis. it is relevant with the characteristics of qualitative research in which it emphases on gathering an indepth information through a number of research instruments (creswell, 2018). hence, the selection of qualitative study is relevant with the intention of portraying a more thorough description concerning the problem being investigated. case study was selected as the design in this study since this study was intended to obtain a variety of data in a certain period of time or in other words this design is restricted by time and activity (creswell, 2018). therefore, this design is considered pertinent for this study as it emphasizes on how students can improve their speaking fluency through the realization of tblt in a certain time period inside the classroom as a natural setting of the research. this study was carried out in one classroom of eleventh grade students in one vocational school in cirebon. the selection was based on the accessibility in terms of permission and location. this study involved 28 students in one class where they had attended four sessions in the second semester. since this study employed case study design, there were seven students who were chosen to see their improvement in speaking fluency. the students’ presentation of each task was subsequently recorded in each session. due to data collection technique, several techniques were sequentially initiated to obtain an in-depth and comprehensive data namely observation, students’ document, and open-ended interview. in conducting the observation, observation sheet and field notes were utilized during the teaching and learning process. furthermore, the students’ document for instance students’ audio-recording transcription of the four tasks were scrutinized and analyzed. interview session was initiated through a set of open-ended in which the students’ answers were transcribed and analyzed to enrich the findings. there were four sessions initiated in this study in order to perceive and observe the students. the researcher played a role as both a teacher and also a participant observer where it is in line with creswell (2018) that participant observer is tangled during the process of perceiving and observing the situation and the participant. hence, it is crucial for the researcher as a participant observer to actively play a part in the activities the researcher attempts to investigate. throughout the observation, the researcher highlighted on the realization of tblt stages. the students’ interaction, activities, and participation were underlined and thoroughly recorded. in addition, the researcher also carried out transcripts on the whole learning process and noted crucial aspects for reflection purpose in each meeting. a number of tools or instruments were utilized to obtain the detailed data such as video, camera, and teacher’s field notes. subsequently, the data obtained from video and field notes were analyzed to crosscheck the whole learning process as an information concerning the improvement of students’ speaking fluency through tblt. the document employed in this study was students’ fluency transcription. firstly, the students’ speech in each task was recorded and their speech was subsequently transcribed by classifying it inti varied linguistic aspects particularly the number of segmental and word stress errors, rhythm, speech rate, and grammatical accuracy. in order to obtain more comprehensive and holistic data based on participants’ perspectives, the questions were employed through open-ended questions. it is relevant with creswell (2018) that open-ended questions allow the participants to share their idea without any restrictions. semi-structured interview was also carried out by considering the research questions formulated in this study. there were six students chosen as the representatives of the class. the data obtained from the interview were subsequently transcribed and analyzed to crosscheck the participants’ fluency improvement and their perspectives concerning the speaking tasks. the analysis technique carried out in this study was based on the study conducted by crowther et al (2015). the present study emphasized on qualitative description analysis despite diverse method employed in the previous studies in analyzing the data. there are several steps initiated in this study eline rozaliya winarto & fitri aprianti the realization of task-based language teaching to foster students’ speaking fluency in vocational school context 512 to analyze the data. the first step was collecting the recording of four meetings teaching-learning process as well as teacher’s field notes. the recording obtained from each session was transcribed to recognize students’ engagement amidst the realization of tblt. the aspects investigated to observe the data was scrutinized by focusing on the stages of tblt particularly pretask, task cycle, and language focus based on the framework proposed by skehan (1996; 2014), elis (2003) willis & willis (2007) and willis (1996). the second stage was initiated by analyzing the transcribed data of students’ recording in each session. the transcribed data were subsequently analyzed by emphasizing on the segmental and word stress errors, rhythm, speech rate, and grammatical accuracy to explore students’ performance in each session. students’ interview was sequentially analyzed to decipher their perspectives concerning the realization of tblt. results and discussion in the present study, the findings showed that the realization of tblt was successful to foster students’ speaking fluency and generate an expressive learning process in the classroom. these positive teaching-learning occurrences were indicated by the data gathered from multiple data collection techniques namely observation, document analysis, and interview. according to the result of observation and interview, tblt was deemed indispensable to facilitate students in practicing their speaking skill. it is relevant with (adiantika & purnomo, 2018) that the realization of meaningful and focused task can potentially increase students’ active engagement. in addition, the variability of tasks employed in teachinglearning process are considered effective to encourage students’ interaction using their target language (liu, mishan, & chambers, 2021; xu & fan, 2021). in the present study, the students were deemed active to perform their speaking skill through the realization of tblt despite their lack of improvement in terms of students’ speech production in each session. hence, in order to deliver a clear understanding of the research findings, the discussion as follows puts an emphasis on the students’ speaking fluency performance by focusing on the segmental errors, word stress errors, rhythm, speech rate, and grammatical accuracy faced by the students. these students’ speaking fluency aspects as aforesaid were subsequently crosschecked by the students’ perspectives towards the realization of tblt in their speaking fluency. the improvement of students’ speaking fluency the findings exposed that the students’ fluency improvement was considered not actually substantial. the students’ performance observed from four sessions indicated slight improvement in certain aspects specifically in word pronunciation, word stress, and grammatical accuracy. despite the lacks as stated earlier, some students also committed a progress in several aspects namely speech rate and rhythm. it is relevant with the study conducted by samaranayake (2016) that students’ improvement mostly emerged in respect of speech rate after realizing tblt in english speaking class. however, the improvement related to the aforementioned aspects should be necessarily exposed in a frequent way to uphold sustainability (aleksandrzak, 2011; crowther et al., 2015; bashir, 2016). put together from the observation and students’ speech analysis in four teaching-learning sessions, it was found that the segmental errors in students’ speech were considered the most frequently issue in this study. generally, the shortcomings faced by the students were still concerned with the pronunciation of the specific vocabularies the students could not find in bahasa indonesia. the illustration of the segmental errors can be identified through the table 1 as follows: table 1. example of segmental errors student’s speech the current coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic is having a profound impact, not only on people’s health, but also on how they learn, work and live. among the most important challenges created by covid-19 is how to adapt a system of education built around physical schools. phonetic transcription ðiː ˈkʌrənt kəˈrəʊnəˌvairəs pænˈdemɪk ɪz hæv eɪ prəˈfaʊnd ˈɪmpækt, nɒt ˈəʊnli ɒn ˈpiːp(ə)l helθ, bʌt ˈɔːlsəʊ ɒn haʊ ðeɪ lɜː(r)n, wɜː(r)k ænd lɪv. əˈmʌŋ ðiː məʊst ɪmˈpɔː(r)t(ə)nt ˈtʃæləndʒ kriˈeɪt english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 513 baɪ kəʊvɪd naɪnˈtin ɪz haʊ tuː əˈdæpt eɪ sɪstəm əv ˌedjʊˈkeɪʃ(ə)n bɪlt əˈraʊnd ˈfɪzɪk(ə)l skuːl segmental errors ðiː ˈkʌrənt koronaˌvirus pandemɪk ɪs hæv eɪ proˈfoʊnd ˈɪmpækt, nɒt ˈonli ɒn ˈpiːp(ə)l helt, bʌt ˈaːlso ɒn haʊ ðeɪ lɜː(r)n, wɜː(r)k ænd lɪv. əˈmʌŋ ðiː məʊst ɪmˈpɔː(r)t(ə)nt ˈtʃæləndʒ kriˈeɪt baɪ kəʊvɪd naɪnˈtin ɪs haʊ tuː aˈdapt eɪ sɪstəm əv ˌedukes(ə)n bɪlt əˈraʊnd ˈfɪzɪk(ə)l skuːl based on the aforementioned table, the highlighted words in segmental errors column are the mispronounced words uttered by the students. they found it difficult to pronounce certain words in the table 1. for example, the word virus was mispronounced as /virus/ instead of /vairəs/. from the example as stated earlier, it can be inferred that the students were not aware with the english sound [ə] which in result caused them to produce the sound [u]. the subsequent error is exemplified by the use of word pandemic. the students inclined to mispronounce this word as /pandemik/ rather than /pænˈdemɪk/. in other words, it can be stated that the students were unacquainted with the english sounds such as [æ] and [ɪ]. yet they were not alert with the stress placed in the word pandemic (illustrated as [pæn]ˈ[demɪk]) pronounced as /pænˈdemɪk/. further mispronounced words are demonstrated by the word education and health. there was a propensity that the students mispronounced those words as /ˌedukes(ə)n/ and /həlt/ instead of /ˌedjʊˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/ and /helθ/. from the example as stated earlier, the students were not conversant with the english sounds [jʊ] and [θ] which resulted them to pronounce and speak as the way it is written without considering how they are pronounced in english sounds. in other words, the students seemed to neglect the difference between oral form and written form of the word in english since they were still strongly attached with bahasa indonesia as their source language (sl). it is relevant with derakhshan (2015) and jabu and salija (2012) that the students incline to put words in sentences or spoken in structure relevant with their sl when their language background of the target language (tl) is insufficient. moreover, adiantika and purnomo (2018) delineates that since oral and written form of english words are different from one another, indonesian efl students have a tendency to struggle in producing sounds which are unavailable in bahasa indonesia. the reason behind this occurrence is due to students’ lack of exposure concerning the ways the words produced and pronounced in english sound. this occurrence can negatively influence the clarity of the students’ speech. therefore, it is fundamental to tackle this negative occurrence by cultivating the students to practice more on foreign language particularly english to avoid misunderstanding hence the clarity and the comprehensibility are assured (crowther et al., 2015; maijala, 2020; samaranayake, 2016). furthermore, since students’ awareness in terms of pronouncing appropriate correct words in english sound was considered to be problematic, this issue should be necessarily overcome by improving the practice allotment during teachinglearning process. the findings indicated that only few students who correctly pronounced the english words before the presentation in the planning stage of tblt as most of them did not prepare for the presentation earlier. consequently, during students’ presentation in the classroom, they found it difficult when they encountered unfamiliar english words. therefore, in order to overcome this issue, it is very prominent to robustly exposed them to the certain english words in the learning process. it is pertinent with aleksandrzak (2011), nunan (2006), and xu and fan (2021) that initiating a well-planned activity plays a crucial role to accomplish the learning outcomes. nevertheless, due to time constraint in this study, it can be elucidated that students’ improvement regarding word pronunciation of uncommon english words was not really significant despite the use of tblt that could improve students’ speaking performance in general. the quantity of words uttered by the students, however, cannot be merely utilized as an assessment to measure students’ fluency improvement since the result of students’ spoken report are different in each session based on the tasks implemented in this study. therefore, the emergence of dysfluency indicators particularly hesitation, repetition, filled and unfilled pauses is more prioritized to assess their fluency improvement (malihah, 2010). according to the result of students’ document analysis, there was an improvement in respect of repetition and pauses production. they inclined to produce an eline rozaliya winarto & fitri aprianti the realization of task-based language teaching to foster students’ speaking fluency in vocational school context 514 unnecessary repetition and improperly positioned the pauses in their speech. it is relevant with (namaziandost, homayouni, & rahmani, 2020) that this occurrence commonly takes place since there is a difference of the pauses placement between non-native speaker and native speaker. furthermore, it can be elucidated that fluency refers to a skill to smoothly speak in respect of speech flow with fewer pauses (hasan, 2014; tuyen & an, 2019). table 2. speech frequency in sequential task s #1 67 words per minute s #2 80 words per minute s #3 110 words per minute s #4 101 words per minute s #5 100 words per minute s #6 105 words per minute due to grammatical accuracy, it is revealed that the students made a slight improvement. the aspect of grammatical accuracy cannot be simply employed to measure speaking fluency. nonetheless, speaking fluency and grammatical accuracy should be equivalently produced by the speakers to create comprehensible speech to be clearly grasped by the listeners (lin & wu, 2012; liu et al., 2021; namaziandost et al., 2020; samaranayake, 2016). therefore, it can be elucidated that the aspect of grammatical accuracy should be taken into account to improve students’ more comprehensible speech. furthermore, students’ problems concerning the production of target language could potentially affect their speech fluency and comprehensibility. most students who were struggling in producing and pronouncing particular words could not recognize the essential meaning of their own speech. consequently, when the students crossed path with any unfamiliar words, they inclined to produce and pronounce the words which are unavailable in english or indonesian. additionally, the lexical and grammatical errors made by the students could also influence the students’ speech performance, hence, these problems affect the way the listeners acquire the meaning of the students’ speech. since it is fundamental for the students to deliver the meaning of the their speech to realize comprehensibility, hence, they have to be emphasized more on pronunciation practices, word stress, and grammatical accuracy in teachinglearning process by offering them a comprehensive instruction and enhancing their confidence in speaking english (liu et al., 2021; namaziandost et al., 2020; shabani & ghasemian, 2017). students’ responses towards tblt with regard to students’ responses towards tblt, it was revealed that the students indicated positive responses due to meaningful and interesting teaching-learning process. the positive responses in this study were demonstrated as: (1) escalating and enhancing students’ speaking skill; (2) promoting students’ active engagement in teaching-learning process; (3) intensifying students’ collaborative skill and shaping their critical thinking ability. conversely, the negative responses were due to several shortcomings during the teaching-learning process such as: (1) time constraints; diverse students’ proficiency level; (3) the occurrence of practical problem. these findings are relevant with adiantika and purnomo (2018) that the implementation of task-based language teaching could positively contribute students’ engagement/active participation in teachinglearning process and also intensify their speaking skill. nonetheless, despite the positive responses towards the realization of tblt revealed by the students, the students’ speaking performance is still compulsory to be enhanced. escalating and enhancing students’ speaking skill according to the result of the students’ interview, it was revealed that the realization of tblt contributed to escalate and enhance students’ speaking skill. the entire seven students entirely thought that tblt was beneficial to advance their speaking skill. in addition, they entirely asserted that their speaking performance was enhanced through the realization of tblt. this finding occurrence was indicated by the interview excerpts as follows: excerpt#1 “penerapan tblt dalam pembelajaran bahasa inggris membuat pembelajaran menjadi menarik dan tidak monoton. sehingga saya sangat menikmati proses pembelajaran dari awal sampai akhir. saya merasa kemampuan speaking saya sedikit demi sedikit meningkat karena terus didorong untuk praktek berdasarkan tugas-tugas yang menarik dalam tblt.” (s3) (the implementation of tblt creates a meaningful teaching-learning process in english lesson, hence, i can entirely enjoy the classroom thoroughly. i also believe that my speaking english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 515 performance gradually increases due to the fascinating tasks based on tblt). excerpt#2 “guru selalu memberikan sesuatu yang baru melalui tblt baik itu berupa kosa-kata baru dan tugas-tugas yang variatif sehingga atmosfir belajar menjadi sangat komunikatif dan interaktif. kepercayaan diri dan kemampuan speaking dalam bahasa inggris saya pun perlahan meningkat dibandingkan sebelum-sebelumnya.” (s1) (teacher continuously offers something new concerning vocabulary and interesting tasks to create a communicative and interactive classroom atmosphere. both my confidence as well as my speaking ability progressively improve compared to previous circumstances). according to the excerpt #2, it can be elucidated that the realization of tblt in particular vocabulary and different meaningful tasks could enhance students’ speaking ability. moreover, it also positively contributed to students’ englishspeaking confidence in which they tend to be convinced to enthusiastically speak english. in the meantime, excerpt #1 indicated that the realization of tblt could create their speaking performance due to interactive tasks provided in teachinglearning process. in other words, the lesson was deemed meaningful instead of monotonous. those findings are pertinent with the statements that tblt can foster students’ target language development, give students to increase their motivation to speak, and enhance students’ ability to speak fluently and accurately (adiantika & purnomo, 2018; liu et al., 2021; namaziandost et al., 2020; shabani & ghasemian, 2017). promoting students’ active engagement in teachinglearning process in line with the result of students’ interview, it was found that the realization of tblt in efl classroom was useful to offer students an opportunity to interactively and communicatively engage them in every single activity. the tasks, based on tblt stages, provided in each session encouraged students to practice more in speaking. on this occasion, they were allowed to easily share their thoughts during the class discussion. this finding emergence can be scrutinized in the interview excerpts as follows: excerpt #3 “dalam pembelajaran bahasa inggris melalui tblt, saya selalu ingin aktif berinteraksi baik dalam menjawab pertanyaan maupun mengemukakan pendapat secara bebas. tidak hanya itu, dalam sesi dialog praktek speaking pun saya sangat termotivasi untuk terus aktif terlibat dalam setiap aktifitasnya.” (s5) (throughout the realization of tblt, i am always willing to actively interact either in answering question or sharing perspectives freely. besides that, i am always excited to actively take part in every single dialogue session using tblt). excerpt #4 “metode tblt memungkinkan saya cenderung lebih aktif baik dalam bekerja secara individu, berpasangan, atau berkelompok. pembelajaran melalui tugas-tugasnya yang menarik juga sangat menyenangkan.” (s7) (through tblt, i tend to be more active either to work individually, in pair, or group. the teachinglearning process through meaningful tasks is simply exciting). from the excerpt #3, student 5 asserted that she could really articulate her perspectives easily in a group discussion session and she tended to be more actively engaged in every single task through the implementation of tblt. on the other hand, student 7 in excerpt #4 stated that she could actively participate in any kind of sessions (individual, in pair, group). in other words, it can be inferred that tblt can facilitate some spaces for students to interact by using the target language (oradee, 2013; xu & fan, 2021). those occurrences are harmonized with the statements that tblt can offer an opportunity for the students to be more active and practice their linguistic knowledge through the learning process (chou, 2017; halici page & mede, 2018; kafipour, mahmoudi, & khojasteh, 2018b; tavakoli et al., 2019). intensifying students’ collaborative skill and shaping their critical ability the implementation of varied tasks in each session enabled students to shape their critical thinking ability to accomplish the task. the findings indicated that the students were eager to figure out the solution towards the problems being discoursed in each session. therefore, it can be stated that the different tasks in each session were beneficial to the way the students respond and accomplish the task. eline rozaliya winarto & fitri aprianti the realization of task-based language teaching to foster students’ speaking fluency in vocational school context 516 as in third meeting, the students were supposed to share their experience concerning ‘the use of gadget at school for educational purpose’. on this occasion, the students appeared to be interested in discussing the tasks since it related with the fact they usually encountered on a regular basis. besides problem-solving task, the other tasks were considered useful to shape students’ critical thinking ability. this occurrence can be observed from the excerpt #5 as follows: excerpt #5 “tugasnya teh bagus karena bisa membuat kita berfikir terhadap suatu masalah secara kritis sesuai dengan apa yang kita yakini. apalagi masalah ini teh menjadi perbincangan diantara kita siswa-siswa. intinya mah tugasnya bagus dan menarik jadi tidak melulu ke buku dan sebagainya.” (s4) (the task is good as it enables us to think critically based on what we believe towards the problem or issue being exposed. additionally, this problem remains debatable among the students like us. importantly, the task is good and interesting since it does not merely depend on textbook and so on). according to the excerpt #5, students 4 emphasize that he is able to critically respond the problem being delivered (the use of gadget at school for educational purpose) through problemsolving task. thus, through the realization of tblt, student 4 can really enhance his knowledge regarding the topic and decipher the solution towards the problem being discussed the use of gadget at school for educational purpose). this emergence is relevant with the studies conducted by bao and du (2015) and tuyen and an (2019) that the utilization of tblt can potentially promote students’ critical thinking ability towards the issue being scrutinized. in line with the result of students’ interview, it is indicated that the students are more interactive in accomplishing the tasks as they can collaboratively work with their team. they tend to be more dynamic in finishing the tasks since they are able to initially discuss with their friends. in other words, it can be elucidated that the students can frequently practice their speaking skill with their group. during the task learning, the students also obtain feedback from other students not merely from the teacher. consequently, the students can attain many advantages from the group discussion particularly in accomplishing the tasks. it can be seen from the excerpt #6 as follows: excerpt #6 “melalu diskusi grup, pembelajaran bahasa inggris menjadi lebih menarik dan lebih mudah. untuk pengerjaan tugasnya pun tidak melulu secara individu namun bisa dilakukan secara berkelompok sehingga lebih cepat dan efektif tentunya.” (s6) (using group discussion, english learning becomes more meaningful and easier. for tasks accomplishment, it can also be done in group despite individually hence it could be faster and more effective). from the aforesaid students’ interview result, student 6 in excerpt #6 underline that the effectiveness is assured since they can work together with their partners in group. this finding is pertinent with the statement that tblt, consisting of diverse tasks, can empower students to work collaboratively with their partners and intensify their engagement in learning the target language (douglas & kim, 2015; hasan, 2014; maijala, 2020; oradee, 2013). time constraint from the result of students’ interview, it is found that the students also highlight negative response due to several shortcomings towards the realization of tblt. the shortcoming asserted by the students is initially due to time constraint. the studentrespondents entirely admit that they have inadequate time to accomplish tasks or instruction in tblt. this issue can be seen from the excerpt #7, excerpt #8, and excerpt #9 below: excerpt #7 “pembelajaran bahasa inggris melalui tblt yang berhubungan dengan kosa-kata, pronunciation, dan grammar sebetulnya sangat menarik. hanya saja, waktu yang tidak banyak membuat siswa tidak semuanya mengerti.” (s7) (the realization of tblt in efl classroom regarding vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar is actually interesting. however, not all students can comprehend it as the implementation requires a plenty of time). excerpt #8 “instruksi-instruksi yang diberikan memang bervariasi dan sangat menarik tetapi membutuhkan waktu yang relative lama untuk memahami dan menyelesaikannya.” (s2) (the instructions given to the students are varied english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 517 and meaningful, nonetheless, it needs a lot of time to understand and accomplish the tasks). excerpt #9 “tblt membutuhkan waktu yang relatif lama untuk bisa dimengerti oleh siswa karena banyak sekali hal-hal yang harus siswa fahami dan kerjakan.” (s5) (tblt necessitates a relatively long time for the students to understand and finish the tasks or instructions). from the excerpt above, it can be elucidated that the students require more time to really grasp certain materials specifically vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. this occurrence is due to a condition that students tend to emphasize more on grammatical rules, spelling/pronunciation, and vocabulary mastery. therefore, in consonant with the time constraint, the present study puts an emphasis on students’ awareness to communicate. it is relevant with adiantika and purnomo (2018) and aleksandrzak (2011) that time availability plays a fundamental role in implementing tblt to empower students’ communicative competence. diverse students’ proficiency level another shortcoming revealed in this study is due to diverse students’ proficiency level. four students out of 7 students-participants acknowledge that they possess inadequate english language proficiency. in other words, they tend to struggle in speaking english due to lack of pronunciation, vocabulary mastery, and also grammar. this drawback is identified in the excerpt #10, excerpt #11, and excerpt #12 as follows: excerpt #10 “jujur, saya kurang bisa memahami pembelajaran secara keseluruhan karena guru selalu menggunakan bahasa inggris ketika mengajar. sehingga terkadang saya tidak bisa memahami bahkan menjawab pertanyaan yang diberikan oleh guru.” (s4) (honestly, i can really understand the learning thoroughly since teacher always speaks english during the teaching-learning process. somehow, i cannot understand even answer the question given by the teacher). excerpt #11 “meskipun pembelajarannya menarik namun saya terkadang kurang mengerti apa yang disampaikan oleh guru karena beliau selalu menggunakan bahasa inggris ketika mengajar. mungkin ini karena kosa-kata yang miliki masih sangat sedikit.” (s6) (despite meaningful teaching-learning, i sometime cannot comprehend what the teacher says due to the frequent use of english in teaching-learning process. probably, it is because my low vocabulary mastery). excerpt #12 “materi-materi maupun instruksi-instruksinya semuanya dalam bahasa inggris. mungkin jika ada versi terjemahan bahasa indonesianya, siswa yang kurang mengerti seperti saya bisa terbantu.” (s5) (both the materials and instructions are in english. i believe if the indonesian version are available, it could be really helpful for the student like me). according to the excerpts as aforementioned, the students mostly use indonesian as their first language (l1). it is pertinent with derakhshan (2015) and jabu and salija (2012) that the students tend to use indonesian as their l1 rather than english as their target language (tl). in addition, it can be inferred that not all students can fluently respond even answer teacher’s question by using english since they possess diverse english proficiency level particularly lack of pronunciation, vocabulary mastery, and grammar. therefore, it is essential for the teacher to accommodate students with appropriate materials in consort with the suitable lesson plans to completely cover students’ proficiency level starting from low proficiency, middle proficiency, and eventually high proficiency. the occurrence of practical problem the last shortcoming identified in this study is owing to the occurrence of practical problem. from the students’ interview, it is revealed that the students show their negative response regarding the realization of tblt through the incorporation of multimedia carried out in the fourth meeting specifically. in addition, the integration of multimedia seems to be a little problematic due to the poor internet connection and students’ insufficient multimedia possession. this shortcoming can be seen from the excerpts below: excerpt #13 “beberapa sumber pembelajaran yang diberikan guru bersifat daring ketika diakses sedangkan internet di sekolah kita tidak terlalu bagus. hal eline rozaliya winarto & fitri aprianti the realization of task-based language teaching to foster students’ speaking fluency in vocational school context 518 ini terkadang menjadi masalah dan tidak semua siswa bisa mengaksesnya dengan mudah.” (s2) (several learning sources offered by the teachers are accessible when connected to the internet but our internet connection here is not really good. somehow it leads to difficulty for students to easily access them). excerpt #14 “jaringan internetnya teh kurang bagus ditambah lagi tidak semua dari kita memiliki hp atau perangkat yang memang support untuk mengakses materi yang diberikan.” (s5) (the internet connection is not really good, yet, not all students have sophisticated gadgets to facilitate us accessing the materials given). based on the abovementioned excerpts, it can be stated that poor internet connection and students’ insufficient multimedia possession become the concrete shortcomings in terms of practical problem faced by the students. in other words, the realization of tblt combined with the incorporation of multimedia does not decently work since there is still an issue regarding practical problem. those findings are relevant with the statement that lack of technological infrastructure in language learning particularly in efl classroom may cause some difficulties for the students to really grasp and comprehend the target language (altun, 2015; floris, 2014; özdemir, 2017). therefore, the enhancement of technological infrastructure in efl classroom is crucial to really assist the students to effectively acquire english as a target language in efl/esl classroom (cuhadar, 2018; park & son, 2020). conclusion tblt is deemed to be able to foster students’ active engagement in teaching-learning process. tblt is also beneficial to facilitate students an opportunity to exercise their speaking and enhance their linguistic aspects. furthermore, the realization of tblt is considered beneficial to escalate and enhance students’ confidence in speaking english throughout the variability of the tasks implemented in each session. regardless the slight improvement indicated in students’ speech performance, the students express positive responses due to the advantages of tblt realization. through the realization of tblt, the students are able to escalate and enhance their speaking skill, promote their active engagement in teaching-learning process, and intensifying students’ collaborative skill and shaping their critical thinking ability. according to the findings in the present study, there are implications for the teachers and students. for teachers, this study is expected to contribute current knowledge concerning the realization of tasks variability in teaching-learning process. this study is also expected to reassure the teachers to conduct relevant meaningful tasks in order to enhance students’ speaking ability. furthermore, the realization of tblt in teaching-learning process can encourage students’ interest and active engagement in efl speaking context. the teachers can also offer more opportunity for the students to emphasize more on pronunciation, word stress, and language structure for the sake of their students’ speaking skill performance. meanwhile, for students, they are expected to keep practicing their english with other students throughout interaction and discussion in order to accomplish the speaking skill’s expected outcomes. since all data was simply obtained from seven students in one vocational school in indonesia, the findings of this study are limited by the small sample size. hence, it is suggested for the impending study to broaden the study with more participants in different contexts to scrutinize what factors enhancing and improving the students’ speaking fluency. acknowledgement we acknowledge the financial support received from the education and culture ministry of indonesia. in addition, this research also has been supported by institute of research and community service (lppm) universitas muhammadiyah cirebon. references adiantika, h. n., & purnomo, h. (2018). the implementation of task-based instruction in. indonesian efl journal, 4(july), 12–22. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v4i2.1371. albino, g. (2017). improving speaking fluency in a taskbased language teaching approach: the case of efl learners at puniv-cazenga. sage open, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017691077 aleksandrzak, m. (2011). problems and challenges in teaching and learning speaking at advanced level. glottodidactica. an international journal of applied linguistics, 37, 37–48. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 519 https://doi.org/10.14746/gl.2011.37.3 altun, m. (2015). the integration of technology into foreign language teaching. international journal on new trends in education and their, 6(1), 8. www.ijonte.org bao, r., & du, x. (2015). implementation of task-based language teaching in chinese as a foreign language: benefits and challenges. language, culture and curriculum, 28(3), 291–310. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2015.1058392 chou, m. h. (2017). a task-based language teaching approach to developing metacognitive strategies for listening comprehension. international journal of listening, 31(1), 51–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2015.1098542 creswell, j. w. (2018). qualitative inquiry & research design: choosing among. journal of materials processing technology, 1(1). crowther, d., trofimovich, p., isaacs, t., & saito, k. (2015). does a speaking task affect second language comprehensibility? modern language journal, 99(1), 80–95. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12185 cuhadar, c. (2018). investigation of pre-service teachers’ levels of readiness to technology integration in education. contemporary educational technology, 9(1), 61–75. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/6211. derakhshan, e. k. (2015). the interference of fl and sl. theory and practice in language studies, 5(10), 2112–2117. douglas, s. r., & kim, m. (2015). task-based language teaching and english for academic purposes: an investigation into instructor perceptions and practice in the canadian context. tesl canada journal, 31(8), 1. https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v31i0.1184 floris, f. d. (2014). using information and communication technology (ict) to enhance language teaching & learning: an interview with dr. a. gumawang jati. teflin journal a publication on the teaching and learning of english, 25(2), 139. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v25i2/139164 halici page, m., & mede, e. (2018). comparing taskbased instruction and traditional instruction on task engagement and vocabulary development in secondary language education. journal of educational research, 111(3), 371–381. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2017.1391163 hasan, a. a. a. (2014). the effect of using task-based learning in teaching english on the oral performance of the secondary school students. international interdisciplinary journal of education, 3(2), 250–264. https://doi.org/10.12816/0003003 jabu, b., & salija, k. (2012). interference of the students’ indonesian language in delivering (thesis). universitas negeri makassar, makassar. kafipour, r., mahmoudi, e., & khojasteh, l. (2018a). the effect of task-based language teaching on analytic writing in efl classrooms. cogent education, 5(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2018.149662 7 kafipour, r., mahmoudi, e., & khojasteh, l. (2018b). the effect of task-based language teaching on analytic writing in efl classrooms. cogent education, 5(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2018.149662 7 lin, t.-b., & wu, c.-w. (2012). teachers’ perceptions of task-based language teaching in english classrooms in taiwanese junior high schools. tesol journal, 3(4), 586–609. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.35 liu, y., mishan, f., & chambers, a. (2021). investigating efl teachers’ perceptions of taskbased language teaching in higher education in china. language learning journal, 49(2), 131– 146. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2018.1465110 maijala, m. (2020). culture teaching methods in foreign language education: pre-service teachers’ reported beliefs and practices. innovation in language learning and teaching, 14(2), 133– 149. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2018.1509981 malihah, n. (2010). the effectiveness of speaking instruction through task-based language teaching. register journal, 3(1), 85–101. https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v3i1.85-101 bashir, m., azeem, m., & dogar, a. h. (2016). factor effecting students’ english speaking skills. british journal of arts and social sciences, 2(january 2011), 35–50. munirah., & arief, m.m. (2015). using task-based approach in improving the students’ speaking accuracy and fluency. journal of education and human development, 4(3), 181–190. https://doi.org/10.15640/jehd.v4n3a19 namaziandost, e., homayouni, m., & rahmani, p. (2020). the impact of cooperative learning approach on the development of efl learners’ speaking fluency. cogent arts and humanities, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2020.1780811 oradee, t. (2013). developing speaking skills using three communicative activities (discussion, problem-solving, and role-playing). eline rozaliya winarto & fitri aprianti the realization of task-based language teaching to foster students’ speaking fluency in vocational school context 520 international journal of social science and humanity, 2(6), 533–535. https://doi.org/10.7763/ijssh.2012.v2.164 özdemir, e. (2017). promoting efl learners’ intercultural communication effectiveness: a focus on facebook. computer assisted language learning, 30(6), 510–528. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2017.1325907 park, m., & son, j. b. (2020). pre-service efl teachers’ readiness in computer-assisted language learning and teaching. asia pacific journal of education, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2020.1815649 samaranayake, s. w. (2016). oral competency of esl/efl learners in sri lankan rural school context. sage open, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016654202 shabani, k., & ghasemian, a. (2017). teacher’s personality type and techniques of teaching pronunciation. cogent education, 4(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2017.131356 0 tavakoli, h., lotfi, a. r., biria, r., & wang, s. (2019). effects of call-mediated tblt on motivation for l2 reading. cogent education, 6(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2019.158091 6 thanh, l. n., & huan, n. b. (2012). task-based language learning and student motivation in vocabulary acquisition. language education in asia, 3(1), 106–120. https://doi.org/10.5746/leia/12/v3/i1/a10/thanh_ huan tuyen, l. van, & an, h. h. (2019). task-based language teaching: task-based speaking activities used in efl classrooms at tertiary level. international journal on studies in english language and literature, 7(5), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.20431/2347-3134.0705001 xu, j., & fan, y. (2021). finding success with the implementation of task-based language teaching: the role of teacher agency. language, culture and curriculum, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2021.1906268 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 235 developing web-based online test system to boost ielts academic reading score hesti rokhaniyah international relations department, university of darussalam gontor email: hesti.r@unida.gontor.ac.id oddy virgantara putra informatics engineering, university of darussalam gontor email: oddy@unida.gontor.ac.id apa citation: rokhaniyah, h. & putra, o. v. (2021). developing web-based online test system to boost ielts academic reading score. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp. 235244. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4348 received: 19-02-2021 accepted: 18-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 abstract: web technology provides rich resources for both educators and learners in english teaching and learning process. in this context, the study aims at developing web-based online test for ielts academic reading test on the users need for learners and educator of universitas darussalam gontor. addressing the issue of online test developing, this study utilized alessi and trollip instructional system design model. the formative evaluation and the increase in the average score at the pre-test and post-test of the learning motivation included alpha testing validated by two material and media experts and beta testing on learners’ attitude toward the online test, while summative evaluation covered learning outcomes. upon analysis, the finding demonstrated that: (1) the resulting website: https://gets.unida.gontor.ac.id/pertanyaan/quiz was able to provide online evaluation for assessing reading performance among learners; (2) the increase in the average score on the pre-test and post-test of the learning outcomes of all learners was 0.43 (moderate category) and learner motivation scale was 0.38 (medium-g courses). hence, web-based online test could optimize learners’ excitement to assess their ielts proficiency. keywords: web-based online test; ielts; academic reading introduction the international english language testing system (ielts) exam rises in popularity and becomes the preferred high-stakes english language test. a reliable and valid assessment of language ability of the learners getting entry into the international academic needed for predefined english proficiency had been a required precondition to study oversea (hashemi & daneshfar, 2018). ielts provides and assesses information dealing with english level for the relevant applicants, based on the band score of ielts testing organization. ielts is composed of four equally weighted sub-components: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. it is available in two test versions namely ielts academic and ielts general training exam. liao (2019) revealed that the academic exam was intended to those employing for professional purpose, yet the general training exam was aimed at assessing the language proficiency of those migrating to english-speaking country. both the academic and general training exam gave accurate and valid assessment of four language skills (mallilin & gilbang, 2017; ali, washahi, & alhassan, 2020). reading section in ielts included 40 questions all over as well as three different texts designed to assess a wide range of reading skills; these consist of reading for main ideas, reading for gist, reading for details, scanning, skimming, comprehending the logical argument, and recognizing writers’ attitude and opinions (masna, 2016; liao, 2019; mirzaei, heidari vincheh, & hashemian, 2020). macdonald (2019) argued that every passage assigned with 20 minutes and two of the passages had 3 following questions and one of the three had 14 questions. in ielts reading test, syntax and vocabulary became utmost crucial and it leaded to be successful performance in the exam (farid, 2018; simanjuntak, 2018; liao, 2019). mirzaei, heidari vincheh, & hashemian (2020) found that syntax and vocabulary were two reading attributes for the participants. those aspects were necessary for test-takers’ reading so that they comprehended the passage as they had a lot of difficult lexical resources. web-based learning or online learning process was basically utilized the internet or intranet network (liao, 2019; macdonald, 2019). one form of media supporting the e-learning process is web-based learning multimedia which contains mailto:hesti.r@unida.gontor.ac.id mailto:oddy@unida.gontor.ac.id https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4348 https://gets.unida.gontor.ac.id/pertanyaan/quiz hesti rokhaniyah & oddy virgantara putra developing web-based online test system to boost ielts academic reading score 236 various applications and learning materials connected online to the internet. it is equipped with various other facilities which facilitate interaction between users and the instructor. according to sun & chen ( 2016) and aşıksoy (2018), the world wide web, or web referred to basically internet server system which supports formatted document. the document was formatted in markup language mention hypertext markup language (html) supporting link to other documents, video files, graphic, or audio. chatwattana & nilsook (2017) revealed that webbased learning had a positive effect on learning outcomes and increased cognitive competence and concepts understanding. similarly, gunuç & babacan (2017) argued that the development of web-based teaching materials had been proven to be effective in increasing learners’ response and learning outcomes. learners found learning by web tools more effective and interesting than traditional method. another finding, petrişor, măruşteri, ghiga, & schiopu (2019) indicated that web tool enabled learners to let their dynamic, flexible, and creative learning climate from audial and visual materials. gunuç & babacan (2017) concluded the easy to apply, inexpensive, and accessible web impact on language learning was indispensable. pre-service educators should use the technology to establish positive attitude on pedagogical factors leading to notable contributions to learning progress (maity & pednekar, 2018; roy, 2019) recently, gunuç & babacan (2017) examined the integration of technology in efl’s teaching and learning. the aim of the study was addressing the significance of online test in teaching learning process of writing skill and introducing the integration of technology for language learning. the finding revealed that technology integration in english learning was great significance in the english skill development such as reading, listening, writing, and speaking. the hardware as well as software technological tool utilized in learning made many contributions both learners and teachers in the repeated used material, availability of materials everywhere and at all time, all time costless or low cost of material, efficient learning in short time, and evaluation for learners’ english proficiency. as a result of the research, the integration process of technology needed to be employed consciously and in a planned way to make crucial contribution to the technology and important task for teachers. bojovic (2019) and chen, hsu, & chang (2019) researched whether or not web technology assisted college learners in english writing. the study minded a blended approach combining peer assessment for writing course for first year learners in college. through the web and blended instructional approach, learners became attentive and willing to convey their own idea and more willing to get interaction with others. web enabled learners to self-examine, observe, review, and obtain detailed insight of each work. learners were able to optimize their grammar, organization, content, structure, lexical resources, and mechanics. the use of web could be a feasible approach and learners could continuously gain relevant skill and knowledge through the peer assessment (panyajamorn & suanmali, 2018). as the proliferation and development of web let learners more connected and provided access to more information and resources, observing more attractive strategy for english skill became increasingly significant for esl learners. web technology covered rich environment and resources for learners and educators in teaching and learning process (tekdal, sayginger, & baz, 2018). aşıksoy (2018) carried out research concerning elt learners’ awareness and attitude toward the use of web-online test for english learning. learners had positive attitude toward the tools and they were more aware of the existence of web tool used in english learning process. web motivated learners to be self-regulated learning and supported them in independent individuals assessing learning goals. the current researches were attempts to establish the theoretical framework for this study. there was similarity between researches stated above and this study. the previous researches concerned the use of web in efl’s teaching and learning. in this study, the development of web is to evaluate ielts academic reading test. instead of similarity, there was also difference. the past researches were carried out in writing skill; this study is conducted to develop web for ielts academic reading test. the technology that entered every area day by day has already affected the field of education; traditional method had become unable to meet the expectation. especially when digital native learners preferred to study in technological environment, it was crucial to utilize technology in education environment (gunuç & babacan, 2017; sudarsana, nakayanti, sapta, haimah, satria, saddhono, mursalin, 2019; nagasubramani, 2018). in the midst of the development of science and technology, the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 237 demand for mastery foreign languages cannot be avoided and even becomes an obligation. to measure the test takers’ english proficiency, various tests are created to certify their ability and one of them is ielts. the limited online ielts test prevents users to their language skills. based on this needs analysis, the researcher sees the need for a web-based ielts online test which facilitates users to assess their language skills. web-based ielts online test is only available on limited access; academics’ ielts ability cannot be measured optimally. supported by the availability of internet network owned by each user, researcher is motivated to develop a webbased ielts online test system which can be accessed anytime, anywhere. web-based online ielts test is crucial to be investigated in order to provide more precise and effective english exams. hence, learners can evaluate their english proficiency as well. in this development research, an online reading ielts test has been produced; a webbased test can be accessed through the portal address/url: https://gets.unida.gontor.ac.id/pert anyaan/quiz. this web-based online test is developed through the php programming using notepad ++ software, together with views compiled from html code, css templates, and adobe flash cs3. the present study, therefore, aims at addressing two specific concerns: facilitating web-based online test system for ielts academic reading test and identifying student learning outcome after ielts online test is employed. the project goal is designed to assist students optimize academic competence and to provide an application accommodating the needs of the ielts reading proficiency test with an open access system. method this existing research aims at developing an online test designed for ielts academic reading test and developed with php programming. the model used in the development of this product was a research and development model adopted from alessi & trollip model. the three-attribute of allesi and trollip instructional system design (isd) which were always presents: standard, evaluation, and project managements. those were the principle minded in the design and development process, and they established better foundation. clearing the standard, the design development was monitored to operate the benchmark. in addition, ongoing evaluation was applied at each phase whereby the approach of continual iterative was implemented until the functionalities could be achieved (por, mustafa, osman, phoon, & fong, 2020). the development meant flexible and the step depended on the previous step result. another emphasis in alessi & trollip isd model was project management in order to check the online test completed within the time, frame, and the allotted budget. slippage could be covered while maintain the standards (por & fong, 2011). allessi and trollip modei was illustrated in figure 1 below. figure 1. the allessi and trolip instructional system design model (2001) three-phase of alessi and trollip (isd); planning, design, and development were also utilized in the development of web-based online test system for ielts academic reading test. planning was carried out to ensure the system aspect run smoothly. planning phase covered defining the scope of this study, identifying learners’ characteristics, determining the boundaries of web-based online test, deciding the produce-style manual and also conducting initial brainstorming (alshammari, 2016). besides, design phase was the most creative as it referred to the content assembling and it needed to decide how the test online system was treated form interactive and instructional perspective which assisted learners archived the learning outcome (lestari, 2019). the design phase included conducting task and concept analysis and making flowcharts and storyboards for online test. the last phase was taking the design and turning it into web-based online system for ielts reading test. the development was the collaborative process as it required preparation and reading text production together with the support material https://gets.unida.gontor.ac.id/pert hesti rokhaniyah & oddy virgantara putra developing web-based online test system to boost ielts academic reading score 238 development. it demanded skill variety and overall process such as writing program and creating the graphics. developing web-based online test system for ielts academic reading test, product testing was divided into two types: test to determine the feasibility of web-based online test system and to examine the effectiveness of online test system. to test the feasibility of a product, both an alpha test (validation of material and media experts) and a beta test (learners’ test) were carried out. the data obtained were then analyzed to enhance the product being developed. through this trial process, the quality of the media developed could be more suitable for learners. the product effectiveness testing was undertaken through summative evaluation in order to determine whether there was gain score or an enhancement of learners’ motivation and achievement after the implementation of developed product. subject of research the test subjects in this summative evaluation test were 30 learners from semester 1 majoring in international relations of darussalam gontor. whereas for the formative test at both alpha and beta test, the subjects tested were 10 international relations learners. selection of trial subjects was based on their academic abilities. instruments producing a quality development product required a quality instrument exploring the research process. the instruments covered: (1) the main instrument, consisting of a questionnaire instrument to assess the quality of multimedia web-based learning developed both in terms of material and media validated by material and media experts and the band score of ielts reading test to find out to what extent the cognitive learning outcomes enhanced. through the test instrument, both learners’ pre-test and post-test could be evaluated; (2) supporting instruments, observation sheets were utilized to explore learners’ characteristics in order to achieve the accuracy of the design and product. through product developers’ interview, additional information including suggestions, criticism, and input outside of questionnaire were invaluable during beta testing. data gathering there were some data in the existing research: the validation results of media experts, material experts, questionnaires on the developed web, and learners’ questionnaire on multimedia products converted into a scale of 5 numbers, their motivation together with pre-test and post-test scores of learners’ learning outcomes. data analysis procedure the criteria of assessing the quality of material on web-based test online: ielts reading test included instructional quality (instructional flexibility, quality of testing, and assessment) and quality of content and goals (accuracy, completeness, interest, and appropriateness to user’s situation). the criteria of assessing the quality of web-online test adapted from alessi & trollip were display aspect quality (text or letters, colors, images/graphics, animation, screen design, and navigation) and technical quality (interactivity, communication features, privacy and data storage, compatibility of media, accessibility and stability, program boundaries, and non-web contact information). on the other hand, evaluating learners’ impressions of web multimedia dealt with media attractiveness such as text or letters, colors, images, screen design, material & tests, communication features, user interface, and language. in formative evaluation, questionnaires and direct interviews with media and material experts were then summarized in a table that was not converted into quantitative data as the experts only provided suggestions and input regarding the developed web-based online test. in contrast, in summative evaluation, the learning motivation questionnaire were analyzed into a numerical scale using a likert scale, while the pre-test and post-test data were compared to see if there was an enhancement in learning outcomes. learning outcomes improvement prior and after webonline: ielts reading test implementation was calculated by n-gain based on the normalized average score gain (g). the gain score was the score obtained from the pre-test and post-test; the maximum gain score was the highest gain score. according to hake (2011), the normalized average gain (n-gain) was conveyed: 𝑔 = 𝑆 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡−𝑆 𝑝𝑟𝑒 𝑆 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑠−𝑆 𝑝𝑟𝑒 where the final (post) and initial (pre) class averages: high-g courses as those with (n-gain) ≥ 0,7 medium-g courses as those with 0,7 < (n-gain) ≥ 0,3 low-g courses as those with (n-gain) < 0,3 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 239 findings and discussion planning define the scope as a high-stakes standardized test, ielts was employed to reach comparable forms of test worksheet; thus, the participants form on different dates gained comparable test scores. three ielts academic reading tests were utilized in the present study: basic, independent, and proficiency level. each level of reading test was composed of three reading passages along with 40 test items and each reading text format contained three tasks which altogether consisted of 14 or 13 items. these three materials were the main material that can be the basis for conceptual understanding in understanding the ielts test as a whole. identify learner characteristics at the developmental age of the formal operational stage (11-20 years), learners’ thinking patterns had developed to be more logical. learners were able to interpret a concept, develop a hypothesis, and draw conclusions on the explanation given. in general, their uniqueness was that they like current and sophisticated things. they were accustomed to learning independently using the internet to find out current matters. notebooks and cellphones were utilized as a means of recording the material. based on the observations of these characteristics, the present study developed a web-based online test for ielts academic reading test that suited their characteristics at the formal operational stage along with facilitated learning english proficiency. establish constrains from a developer perspective: hardware specifications required to develop web-based ielts online test were: pc / laptop / notebook computers (pentium processor, 1 gb ram, minimum resolution of 1366 x 768, minimum vga 32 bit, speaker, operation system: windows xp, vista, windows 7, mac os); internet network with a minimum bandwidth of 256. likewise, software used in multimedia development included web browsers such as mozilla firefox, opera browser and google chrome, adobe flash cs 3, adobe photoshop cs3, notepad ++, corel draw x4, adobe illustrator. in terms of users: the specifications to access web-based ielts were: pc / laptop / notebook computers (pentium processor, 1 gb ram, minimum resolution of 1366 x 768, vga at least 32 bit, speaker, and operation system: windows xp, vista, windows 7, mac os); internet network with a minimum bandwidth of 256 kbps; equipped with a web browser such as mozilla firefox, opera browser, google chrome; and adobe flash. produce a style manual (1) the layout of this website consisted of 6 main menus, including the homepage, course-page, test-page, info-page, forum-page, and log-in page. especially in the test-page section, the web layout design was made separately for each level of questions, with the aim at generating a learning atmosphere. (2) the typeface employed in the text was the courier new and pristine theme fonts, with a font size of 12pt in the material text and 16pt on the homepage text and the material title. (3) the theme chosen in the website template design was modern futuristic with a minimalist template design without the use of striking icons or characters. (4) the basic colors used in the web-site template were light blue and white. (5) this web-based online test was accessible; users just entered the user name. (6) the navigation buttons in this web-based online test were created as attractive as possible by promoting a modern, futuristic theme. design conduct task and concept analysis the web-based ielts online test aimed at optimizing reading skills. the web-based online test was an interactive test media accessed by users wherever they were for independent study. the web had been combined with macromedia flash, an application to create attractive animations and websites. this test also encouraged students as users to learn independently and change teacher-centered learning to student-centered learning; thus, it improved their performance and achieved mastery. the text in reading had been attributed to the size of words in a text, length of sentences, and linguistic features including cohesion and narrativity. the task type available on the existing web-based ielts online test were matching heading, multiple choice, matching information, true/false/not given, summary completion, sentence completion, short-answer questions, and yes/no/not given. create flowcharts and storyboards web-based online test flowcharts described the basic flow or process sequence of web multimedia work systems when accessed by the user. the hesti rokhaniyah & oddy virgantara putra developing web-based online test system to boost ielts academic reading score 240 flowchart creation was followed by the creation of a web multimedia product storyboard. storyboard included the initial design or visual design of the product. in this phase, the main menu design, website logo, material display and test page, as well as other features were determined. the flowchart below illustrates the procedure for using the web-based online test. figure 2. the procedure for accessing web-based online test development the web-based online test for academic ielts reading test was set up through the php coding system or php programming and equipped with a website programmer, adobe flash cs 3 application, adobe photoshop cs3, notepad ++, corel draw x4, and adobe illustrator. the initial stages of development began with preparing the academic reading material for the test and determining the display design together with menu content. furthermore, web-programmers initiated the coding system process referring to the predefined flowcharts and storyboards. at this stage, role based access control (rbac) was also established. in this multimedia web, user roles were divided into 3: administrator (web manager), lecturer, and user (learners or general users). after the coding and merging process of each media component was established, the server and website domain were settled: https://gets.unida.gontor.ac.id/pertanyaan/quiz as the address for the website being developed. the following was a profile of the web-page of webbased online test: figure 3. register form figure 4. types of questions figure 5. ielts score after the multimedia learning of web-based online test: ielts academic reading test had been developed, evaluating the feasibility of the product prior being used in the learning process was implemented. product feasibility evaluation known as formative evaluation consisted of 2 stages of testing: alpha testing (product validation) and beta testing (user impression). in the alpha testing, validation was mainly conducted by the testers who were internal media experts and ielts expert. material expert validation validated the suitability of the material content. similarly, media validation aimed at evaluating aspects of display and media programs. further examination of the validation result showed that the test coverage developed in the web-based online test had met the validity term of the ielts reading test. the assessment from media experts revealed that the indicators related to each component had been achieved. meanwhile, media validation result indicated clearly that media components identified as not meeting the criterion standard in terms of appearance and media accessibility aspects. in general, the web-based online test could still be utilized in the learning process; some improvements were needed to obtain feasible web multimedia product. having been fixed, a webbased online test system was desirable to be tested english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 241 table 1. result of media expert assessment no aspect score 1 management 4.42 2 screen display 4.35 3 benefit 5.41 pertinent to the feasibility test carried out by media expert, the management aspect of online test achieved 4.42 (very good category) and the screen display was 4.35 (very good category). dealing with the benefit of web-based online test, media experts defined 5.41. having tried out each of the reading practice, the material experts evaluated the products. they conveyed their point of view into two categories i.e. the practicality and the effectiveness of materials. the practicality as indicated by the ease of accessing the ielts practice reading test on web and employing it in the ielst reading class and the effectiveness was characterized by usefulness of materials for ielts reading class. based on the data gathered from material experts, they considered that kind of genres found in reading text exceeded 4.21 (very good category). on the other hand, the conformity between reading text and curriculum was 3.79 (good category), and the arrangement of reading test based on level of difficulty reached 4.18 (very good category). the research instrument in the beta test was a questionnaire of media attractiveness. learners were then asked to learn and observe all the contents of the web-based online test for ielts reading test. as the learning activity was deemed sufficient, learners faced test to measure their performance in reading. an impression questionnaire on the web multimedia was also distributed to learners; likert scale was used to analyze the resulting data (see table 1) table 2. result of an impression questionnaire on web multimedia no aspect score 1 clarity of the text 4.46 2 color combination 3.86 3 menu presentation 4.33 4 web instruction 4.33 referring to the learners’ impression, clarity of text obtained an average score of 4.46 (very good category), color combinations on the web got a score of 3.86 (good category), menu presentation got a score of 4.33 (very good category), and the instructions for using the web derived a score of 4.33 (very good category). these results indicated that there was an increase for the gain score of 0.40 (medium-g courses); hence, web-based online test was sufficient to optimize learning outcomes. in addition to the data obtained from the pretest and post-test, data related to motivation for learning was also carried out for summative evaluation. the attitude questionnaire was in the form of qualitative data and it was converted into quantitative data using a likert number scale conversion. the pre-test performance of learners’ motivation was up to 2.03. meanwhile, the mean score of the post-test stage was 3.53. the results of the two means were then compared so that the gain score was derived. the gain score aimed at determining the significance difference in the motivation level prior and after the web-based online test utilization. from the average score, the gain for learner motivation scale was 0.38 (medium-g courses). therefore, learning motivation enhanced after learners employed the web-based online test for ielts academic reading test. in the summative evaluation, a classroom trial was conducted using a web-based online test involving 30 students. prior to utilizing the webbased online test for post-test, the offline pre-test was held to determine the learner’s cognitive ability in academic ielts reading test. in case 80% of learner passed the minimum standard of band score (6.5), the materials of reading were proper for learners in the term of level of difficulty. based on learners’ pretest scores, only 65 % of learners passed the band score. however, the post-test defined that most learners passed it. only 3 learners were considered incomplete at the post-test. based on the increase in learning outcome, then the gain score obtained was interpreted on the effectiveness of the web-based online test for ielts reading text. concerning the results of the mean score of pre-test and post-test, a gain score represented 0.43 and it fell into medium-g courses. thus, this web-based online test could enhance learners’ reading test performance. discussion many of us used web or internet as reliable source of information. in education, the web was increasingly employed as learning tool to support the program and as a mean to deliver online learning teaching. web-based online test brought with more opportunities to get innovative around assessment. online test when minded efficiently, could be valuable assessment of twenty first hesti rokhaniyah & oddy virgantara putra developing web-based online test system to boost ielts academic reading score 242 century learning; it was designed to align with the powerful assessment concept through selecting the question format, approach of philosophy embedded in the question, and cognitive level of question this research has revealed that web-online test: ielts academic reading enables to give performance among learners. as a product of development, the benefits of utilizing web-based online test were plenty. web technology offered unique opportunities for learners to become more engaged with learning beyond the boundaries of learning management. the existing web-based online test, the access anytime, anywhere construct served an attractive and attractive appearance. the benefits went in line with several research conducted in other places where learners enhanced the learning experience; they accessed to the test which was not available in the class (ashraf, 2016; chaplot, 2016; boitshwarelo, reedy, & billany, 2017; permatasari, ellianawati, & hardyanto, 2019). the website template had been different from other websites as it was developed with a dynamic programming language. the attractive display was showcased in form of the test menu presentation, i.e. exercise menu feature. similarly, the online test was presented with a drag and drop model which was very attractive and interactive to attract learners' attention and these characteristics could not be provided. this study revealed that the existence of an online web-based online: ielts academic reading test was able to provide a more precise and effective english test so that users, especially learners, could evaluate their english proficiency. online test can measure learners’ academic performance is also reflected in other studies (boitshwarelo et al., 2017; hashemi & daneshfar, 2018; verma, 2018). the drawback of this research was this webbased online test was not equipped with personal chat facilities to communicate with other users. this product could only be accessed online by users with an adequate internet network. the available bandwidth/internet network availability also affected the smoothness of access to the website so that it could hinder the online test process. other studies also indicated that online test system relied on internet connection together with software and if any of them failed, learners were not able to give the exam (chaplot, 2016; nagasubramani, 2018) and the progress of test data might be deleted in case the system off suddenly (asiksoy, 2018; tekdal et al., 2018). in addition, the scope of material in web-based online test was only limited to reading skills and did not yet cover all skills in ielts. this became an input for developers to design an online ielts test with listening, writing, or speaking skills. conclusion online test becomes more familiar in the digital century to measure the participants’ knowledge on given topic. with online test system, learners do the test online, in their own time, with their own device regardless of where they stay. they only require an internet connection and a browser. based on the results of the validation of the ielts and media experts, web-based online test is quality declared feasible to use. regarding the assessment of learners' impressions of web-based online test, the gain score obtained is 0.43 with medium-g courses. similarly, the summative evaluation results of using web-based online test also enhance the learners’ engagement and learning outcomes. 80% of learners passed the minimum standard of band score (6.5) in the posttest; reading materials were proper for learners in the term of level of difficulty. acknowledging the findings above, the web-based online test developed is appropriate for assessing ielts reading skill. the finding of this research can assist lecturers in developing the web-based online test. conducting this study, there are a number of limitations resolved in further research. this research could be replicated by various testing methods, other language skills, and different language proficiency levels. here are further recommendations: a) other studies may examine further research to develop web-based online test for academic and general ielts listening by exploring the same methodology; b) the lecturers are suggested to employ this product of this research as academic ielts reading practice tests developed using research and development design; and c) prior to applying the product, lecturers are recommended to encourage their learners to be relaxed experiencing ielts reading practice test; they will not be panic missing something in their practice. references alessi, s. m., & trollip, s. r. (2001). multimedia for learning: methods and development (3rd ed.). boston: allyn & bacon. ali, h. i. h., washahi, q. al, & alhassan, a. (2020). unpacking the challenges and accommodation strategies of omani english-major students on ielts academic reading tests. journal of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 243 language and linguistic studies, 16(3), 1621– 1636. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.803922 ashraf, a. (2016). analyzing characteristics of reading test tasks designed for undergraduate language assessment. journal of independent studies and research-management, social sciences and economics, 14(1), 89–104. https://doi.org/10.31384/jisrmsse/2016.14.1.7 aşıksoy, g. (2018). elt students’ attitudes and awareness towards the use of web 2.0 technologies for language learning. journal of language and linguistic studies, 14(2), 240– 251. retrieved from www.jlls.org boitshwarelo, b., reedy, a. k., & billany, t. (2017). envisioning the use of online tests in assessing twenty-first century learning: a literature review. research and practice in technology enhanced learning, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-017-0055-7 bojovic, m. (2019). reading skills and reading comprehension in english for specific purposes. the international language conference on the importance of learning professional foreign languages for communication between cultures 2010, (september 2019), 1–5. chaplot, v. (2016). review of online examination system. international research journal of engineering technology, 3(7), 886–888. chatwattana, p., & nilsook, p. (2017). a web-based learning system using project-based learning and imagineering. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 12(5), 4– 22. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v12i05.63 chen, hsu, & chang. (2019). using radical derived character e-learning platform to increase learners knowledge of chinese character. language learning and technology, 17 (1), 89106. farid, a. (2018). designing ielts writing material for learners with low level of english proficiency based on need analysisi. journal of research in foreign language teaching, 7(1), 23-34. gunuç, s., & babacan, n. (2017). technology integration in english language teaching and learning. the journal of teaching english for specific and academic purposes, 5(2), 349– 358. https://doi.org/10.22190/jtesap1702349g hake, r. (2011). the impact of concept inventories on physics education and its relevance for engineering education. proceedings of the national on stem concept inventories. hashemi, a., & daneshfar, s. (2018). a review of the ielts test: focus on validity, reliability, and washback. ijeltal (indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics), 3(1), 39. https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v3i1.123 lestari, s. a. (2019). the development of web learning based on project in the learning media course at iain kendari. jurnal pendidikan islam, 5(1), 39-52. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v5i1.2909 liao, l. (2019). a comparability study of text difficulty and task characteristics of parallel academic ielts reading tests. english language teaching journal, 13(1), 31-43. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v13n1p31 macdonald, j. j. (2019). sitting at 6.5: problematizing ielts and admissions to canadian universities. tesl canada journal, 36(1), 160– 171.https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v36i1.1308 maity, p. & pednekar. (2018). online examination system. international international research journal of engeenering and technology, 5(3), 1956-1959. https://doi.org/10.26438/ijcse/v6i7.745749 mallilin, l. l. d., & gilbang, c. s. (2017). effectiveness of ielts module in the general english language under the international foundation programme. international journal of physical and social science, 7(7), 19–35. masna, y. (2016). the ielts reading test: a review on its development and language test performance. journal of teaching and learning, 3(2), 65–76. mirzaei, a., heidari vincheh, m., & hashemian, m. (2020). retrofitting the ielts reading section with a general cognitive diagnostic model in an iranian eap context. studies in educational evaluation, 64(2) nagasubramani. (2018). impact of modern technology in education. recent trend of teaching methods in education conference, 3, 33–35. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203168899_chapter _10 panyajamorn, titie, & suanmali. (2018). effectiveness of e-learning design and affecting variables in tahi public school. malaysian. journal of learning and insruction, 15(1), 41-50. https://doi.org/10.1080/08832323.2013.869530 permatasari, g. a., ellianawati, e., & hardyanto, w. (2019). online web-based learning and assessment tool in vocational high school for physics. jurnal penelitian & pengembangan pendidikan fisika, 5(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.21009/1.05101 petrişor, m., măruşteri, m., ghiga, d., & schiopu, a. (2019). online assessment system. applied medical informatics, 28(1), 23–28. retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.bibl.proxy.hj.se/log in.aspx?direct=true&authtype=cookie,ip,uid& db=afh&an=59759726&site=ehost-live por, f. & fong, f. s. (2011). toowards transformation: the power of phonetic symbols embedded in a multimedia learning management system. english language teaching, 4(1). por, f. p., mustafa, z., osman, s., phoon, h. s., & fong, s. f. (2020). design and development of multimedia pronunciation learning management hesti rokhaniyah & oddy virgantara putra developing web-based online test system to boost ielts academic reading score 244 system for non-native english speakers. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 64, 584–593. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.11.068 roy, a. (2019). technology in teaching and learning. international journal of innovation education and research, 7(4), 414–422. https://doi.org/10.31686/ijier.vol7.iss4.1433 simanjuntak, a. e. w. (2018). the effect of test preparation toefl reading tests. globish: an english-indonesian journal for english, education, and culture, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.31000/globish.v7i1.844 sudarsana, i. k., nakayanti, a. r., sapta, a., haimah, satria, e., saddhono, k., mursalin, m. (2019). technology application in education and learning process. journal of physics: conference series, 1363(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1363/1/012061 sun, a., & chen, x. (2016). online education and its effective practice: a research review. journal of information technology education: research, 15(2016), 157–190. https://doi.org/10.28945/3502 tekdal, m., sayginger, ş., & baz, f. ç. (2018). developments of web technologies and their reflections to education: a comparative study. journal of educational and instructional studies in the world, 8(1), 17–27. retrieved from http://www.wjeis.org/fileupload/ds217232/file /03.mehmet_tekdal.pdf verma, g. (2018). smart assessment system by means of online exam system. international journal for scintific research and development. 6(2).34563459. https://doi.org/10.12738/estp.2013.3.1580 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 337 the effect group investigation method on language learning outcomes ahmad amarullah department of elementary teacher education universitas muhammadiyah tangerang, indonesia e-mail: ahmadamarullah.umt@gmail.com enawar department of indonesian language & literature universitas muhammadiyah tangerang, indonesia e-mail: enawar.abah@gmail.com apa citation: amarullah, a. & enawar (2021). the effect group investigation method on language learning outcomes. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 337-348. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5722 received: 12-07-2021 accepted: 07-01-2021 published: 30-12-2021 abstract: the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of using group investigation method on second language learning outcomes (l2) in third grade students of sd muhammadiyah 4 tangerang city. the method used in this study was a quasi-experimental method by conducting pretest and posttest in two groups. this type of experimental research method uses a nonequivalent control group design, where the experimental class is treated and the control class is not treated. this nonequivalent control group design is almost the same as the pretest and posttest control group designs, only in this design the experimental and control groups are not chosen randomly. data collection techniques using tests. the data analysis technique was started from normality test, homogeneity test, and continued with hypothesis testing. research data, calculations to test the hypothesis can be that t count is 13.31 and t table with dk = 58. therefore, the price of t count 13.31 > 1.67 = t table means the null hypothesis (h0) is rejected and the hypothesis alternative (h1) is accepted. based on the research above, it can be concluded that: there is a significant effect on the second language learning outcomes (l2) of students who use cooperative learning group investigation type compared to conventional methods. second language learning outcomes (l2) of students who use cooperative learning group investigation type are higher compared to the conventional method, it can be said that the cooperative learning type group investigation method has an effect on students' second language (l2) learning outcomes. keywords: cooperative learning; group investigation; learning outcomes. introduction education has a very big influence in the development of the times because without it, it would be difficult for humans to develop and even to live underdeveloped (muliyantini & parmiti, 2017), therefore children's education cannot be separated from their families because the family is the first place to learn to declare themselves as social beings in interacting with their groups. while teachers at schools are second parents after parents at home, in general students are human beings who still need to be educated or cared for by more mature people in this case are parents and teachers. one of the important components in the education system is the curriculum which is a reference for educational units, both managers and administrators, especially references for teachers. because the curriculum contains planning for the development of student competencies that need to be achieved as a whole, namely from kindergarten to grade 12 so that competencies that enable students to progress gradually, and consistently in education along with the development and psychological maturity. however, the quality of education in indonesia is still far behind compared to other countries in the world (ariadi, renda, & rati, 2014). conventional learning that is commonly done is teaching in the form of lectures or informative teaching methods, the teacher is more active in speaking or lecturing to inform the material and concepts of knowledge to students, while students only passively listen. teacher centered tend to ignore the rights and needs of students, as well as the development and growth of children (dewi, manuaba, & suniasih, 2018). whereas the characteristics of different students mailto:ahmadamarullah.umt@gmail.com ahmad amarullah & enawar the effect group investigation method on language learning outcomes 338 will greatly affect the achievement of learning objectives, where not all students are happy to listen to the teacher's explanation. the use of conventional methods often makes students bored, resulting in students not being enthusiastic about learning and students' interest in learning is low. this is in line with muliyantini & parmiti (2017) stating that teachers who are less able to present the material as well and as interesting as possible can cause students to become bored and bored during the learning activities. this, undeniably, has an impact on the suboptimal learning process that is fun, and educate students (haryono, 2020). this is still happening in the teaching and learning process that takes place at sd muhammadiyah 4 tangerang city and will certainly have an impact on the learning experience and student achievement. even though the active involvement of students in learning a second language (l2) is very necessary so that what is learned will be more embedded in students' minds when students are able to solve a problem in their own way. therefore, it takes a cooperative learning method (cooverative learning) which is very useful to encourage students to be more active in learning and improve student learning outcomes because this cooperative learning model provides an active and creative learning pattern. according to alhebaishi (2019), cl emphasizes the importance of student autonomy and a supportive learning environment in the learning process, which are basic principles of the humanistic approach. when students work together, they support each other, listen to each other, manage diversity, and cooperate among themselves to solve problems. this approach reduces fear and stress and, correspondingly, increases motivation. furthermore, vygotsky (1978, cited in almula, 2017) stated that learners can exchange ideas and knowledge to achieve shared goals in a cl environment. this cl model is suitable for language classroom as it enhances english language acquisition by decreasing students’ learning anxiety, encouraging their active participation, increasing the amount of student talk, and providing a non-threatening classroom environment (wahyukti, 2017). the efficiency of cl model has been proven by gonzales and torres (2016) and er and aksu ataç (2014) who revealed that the majority of students preferred cl to individual learning because cl helped them to better understand study contents and participate in classroom activities. the meaning of the sentence learning pattern is the appearance of activities carried out by teachers, students and teaching materials that are able to make students learn, also systematically arranged about a series of learning events. this model also can benefit students in the following areas: “improved achievement, increased motivation, improved collaboration skills, improved student attitudes towards learning, and greater opportunities for teachers to assess student learning” (jacobs, power & loh, 2016, p. 11). moreover, another researcher alhabeedi (2015) found that cl promoted students’ participation, motivation, sense of responsibility and desire for challenges. one of these learning models that can be used is the group investigation type. according to suyanto (2012) group investigation type is a cooperative model that guides students to solve problems critically and scientifically and facilitates students to learn in small heterogeneous groups, to discuss and solve a problem assigned by the teacher to students, so that students able to think systematically, critically, actively participate in learning and have a creative culture through problem solving activities in the learning process through group investigations, students will learn actively. students are involved since planning, both in determining the topic and the way to learn it through investigation (chusni, mahardika, sayekti, & setya, 2017). in short, this model is designed to guide students to define problems, explore various horizons about the problem, gather relevant data, develop and test hypotheses (baharu, 2020). the group investigation learning model emphasizes heterogeneity, activities and collaboration between students (huda, 2014). furthermore, it has advantages including increasing independence, increasing student creativity, increasing interpersonal skills when working between students, increasing student reasoning (christina & kristin, 2016). this model is believed to improve process and outcome of learning (astra, wahyuni, & nasbey, 2015) and can be integrated in language learning (baki, yildiz, aydin, & kogce, 2010). paying critical attention to teaching using the cooperative model for elementary schools is urgent, so it is wise to make efforts in dealing with their teaching in order to obtain ways of teaching using english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 339 this investigative-type cooperative model. for this reason, appropriate formulas are needed for optimal student development. as a term for psychology and education, "learning" in english is known as learning. learning is a word that is already familiar to all levels of society, especially for students. the word "learning" is a familiar word, in fact it is an inseparable part of all their activities in studying both in formal, informal, and non-formal educational institutions. below are some of the definitions as follows: james (2007) argues that "learning may be defined as the process by which behavior originates or id altered through training of experience". (baharuddin, 2017:159). so what james means, learning is a change in behavior through experience so that it refers to a change in a person. this is also in line with what was stated by slameto (2010, p. 2) learning is "a business process carried out by a person to obtain a new change in behavior as a whole, as a result of his own experience in interaction with his environment. the changes in question are changes that are obtained by a person after going through a learning process including changes in overall behavior changes. if a person learns something, as a result he will experience a change in overall behavior in attitudes, skills, knowledge and so on. active interaction between students and students and students and teachers should be a daily activity in learning a second language (l2). in addition, for interaction between students and students, teachers should have the ability to teach with a group work approach. because with this group work interaction between students and students will occur. the teacher can see firsthand how students argue against the second language learning (l2) they are studying. rusman (2010) argues that cooperative learning encourages students to interact actively and positively in groups, thus, education should be able to condition, and provide encouragement to be able to optimize and generate student potential, foster activity and creativity, so that it will ensure the dynamics in the learning process. according to the above definition, the cooperative learning model is very effective to use when learning a second language (l2) because it involves all students collaborating to achieve a common goal. as learning that emphasizes cooperation, helping each other, and encouraging discussion activities in each completing the tasks given. this is also stated by isjoni (2010) that students who learn to use cooperative learning will have high motivation because they are encouraged and supported by their peers. cooperative learning also improves critical thinking skills, forms friendly relationships, gains various information, increases student motivation, improves attitudes towards school and learns to reduce unfavorable behavior, and helps students appreciate other people's ideas. the way students learn and work in collaborative small groups whose members consist of 4-6 people with a heterogeneous group structure. in general, the formation of heterogeneous groups in the cooperative learning method has many benefits including providing broad opportunities for students to teach each other and support each other, improve relations and interactions between races, so it is very positive to familiarize students in real life, facilitate classroom management because with there is one person with high academic ability, the teacher gets one assistant for every three people. there are several experts who express different opinions in determining the steps in cooperative learning with the type of group investigation. according to slavin (1995) the steps in cooperative learning of the type of group investigation were developed into six stages as follows: table 1. group investigation type learning steps stage activity 1 the teacher organizes students in groups and identifies topics by selecting topics that can be discussed 2 planning learning assignments, the tasks given are designed so that they can encourage students to find something 3 carry out investigations, investigations are carried out by discussing in groups. 4 preparing the final report after finding the things students have to solve. 5 making the final report 6 evaluation every human being must have a different mindset in determining the learning steps used, but all these steps have the same goal, namely so that all are able to understand the lessons taught by the teacher so that they can increase student interest in learning. ahmad amarullah & enawar the effect group investigation method on language learning outcomes 340 meanwhile, according to rusman (2011, p. 221) the steps of cooperative learning of the group investigation type are divided into six steps as follows: table 2. group investigation type learning steps stage activity identify the topic students examine sources of information, interest in the same and heterogeneous topics, the teacher helps and facilitates in obtaining information planning assignment s planned jointly by students in their respective groups, which include: what is investigated, how to do it, for what purpose this topic is investigated. carry out investigati ons students seek information, analyze data and make conclusions, discuss. prepare the final report group members plan what to report and how to make the presentation. presenting the final report presentations are made to the whole class in various forms. evaluation students share about the feedback according to the topic being worked on, the work that has been done. meanwhile, according to isjoni (2011, p. 59) the learning steps for group investigation are as follows: table 3. group investigation type learning steps stage activity 1 students choose a subtopic 2 planning goals 3 learning implementation 4 students analyze 5 students make conclusions method the method used is quasi experimental design because the class has been formed from before. the quasi-experimental design used is the nonequivalent control group design which is almost the same as the pretest posttest control group design. (sugiyono, 2012: 116). the population is all of students of sd muhammadiyah 4 tangerang city consisting of 771 students with 389 males and 382 females. sample selection was done by cluster random sampling by selecting 2 of the 3 existing classes, class iii a and class iii b. after the sampling, obtained class iii a with 35 students and iii b with 35 students who will be sampled in the study. table 4. treatment design treatment experiment group control group similar materal subject time of buying and selling activities in the home and school environment. time of buying and selling activities in the home and school environment time 3 meetings 3 meetings design post test post test teacher researcher researcher different learning method cooperative method (group investigation type) conventional method (lecture, question and answer, assignment) if there is an increase in learning outcomes (variable y) in the experimental class, it is really due to the use of the experimental method (variable x) not because of other factors. in this study, data collection techniques were used, namely the test made in the form of multiple choice (pg), because by using a multiple choice test the test results can be obtained quickly and have high accuracy of examination results. results and discussion pre-test scores the research data was obtained from a homogeneous class, namely 30 students in class iiia and 30 students in class iiib, so that the total respondents were 60 students. both classes received second language learning (l2) material on buying and selling activities in the home and school environment using different methods, namely class iiia using cooperative learning type group investigation and class iiib using conventional methods. the basic data of the research results are described to obtain an overview of student learning outcomes in second language learning (l2) using cooperative learning type group investigation methods and using conventional learning methods. this section describes the calculation results descriptively on the research data of the pretest score of the second language learning outcomes (l2) for the control and experimental classes. the following is the calculation of each class: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 341 table 5. data differences in pre-test control and experiment values no data size control experiment 1 largest data (dmax) 60 70 2 smallest data (dmin) 25 30 3 mean ( ) 40,5 44,43 4 mode (mo) 41,7 43,5 5 median (me) 42,3 42.6 6 standard deviation (sd) 8,91 10,31 7 quartile (q) 59,5 71,5 from the following table, it can be seen that the largest data value between the two different classes is 70 and the lowest value is 30 for the experimental class and the largest value is 60 and the lowest value is 25 for the control class. histogram graphs and polygon graphs are obtained from the absolute frequency distribution of each class. the following is the distribution table for the control and experimental classes: table 6. absolute frequency interval kk f f.kum (%) interval ke f f.kum (%) 25-30 5 16,67% 30-36 8 26,67% 31-36 5 16,67% 37-49 8 26.67% 37-42 9 30% 44-50 7 23,33% 43-48 4 13,33% 51-57 3 10% 49-54 5 16,67% 58-64 2 6,67% 55-60 2 6,67% 65-71 2 6,67% from the table above it can be formed histogram graphs and polygon graphs for the two classes as follows: 0 5 5 9 4 5 2 0 2 4 6 8 10 25 30 31 36 37 42 43 48 49 54 55 60 fr e q u e n cy class data 25 30 31 36 37 42 43 48 49 54 55 60 figure 1. control class histogram and polygon graph figure 2. experimental class histogram and polygon graphs the ogive graph is obtained from the cumulative frequency less than and more than, the following is the cumulative frequency table for the control class. table 7. control class absolute frequency interval f kum (<) f.kum (%) interval f.kum (>) f.kum (%) -25 0 0,00% 25 30 100% -31 5 16,67% 31 25 83,33% -37 10 33.33% 37 20 66,67% -43 19 63,33% 43 11 36.67% -49 23 76,67% 49 7 23,33% -55 28 93,33% 55 2 6,67% -60 30 100% 60 0 0 from the frequency table above, it can be formed into an ogive graph as follows: figure 3. control class ogive graphics the ogive graph is obtained from the cumulative frequency less than and more than, the following is the cumulative frequency table for the experimental class. table 8. experiment class absolute frequency inter val f kum (<) f.kum (%) interv al f.ku m (>) f.kum (%) ahmad amarullah & enawar the effect group investigation method on language learning outcomes 342 30 0 0 30 30 100% 37 8 26,67 % 37 22 73,33% 44 16 53.33 % 44 14 46,67% 51 23 76,67 % 51 7 23.33% 58 26 86,67 % 58 4 13,33% 65 28 93,33 % 65 2 6,67% 71 30 100% 71 0 0 from the table above, it can be formed into an ogive graph as follows: figure 4. experiment class ogive graph post test scores this section will describe the results of calculations descriptively on the research data of post-test scores on learning outcomes of a second language (l2) for the control class and the experimental class formulated using multiple choice, totaling 20 questions with four answer choices provided. the following is the calculation of each class. table 9. data differences in control and experimental post test scores no data size control experiment 1 largest data (dmax) 60 85 2 smallest data (dmin) 25 75 3 mean ( ) 43,7 73,5 4 mode (mo) 42,5 81,8 5 median (me) 42,5 72,8 6 standard deviation(sd) 8,36 79,7 7 quartile (q) 37,62 66,6 from the following table, it can be seen that the lowest scores for the two classes are different, namely the control class gets a score of 25 and the experimental class 75 and the highest score is much different from 60 for the control class and 85 for the experimental class. so the average of the two classes was much different. histogram graphs and polygon graphs are obtained from the absolute frequency distribution of each class. the following table shows the distribution of the control and experimental classes. table 10. absolute frequency kk and ke interval kk f f.kum (%) interval ke f f.kum (%) 25-30 2 6,67% 60 64 5 16,67% 31-36 4 13,33% 65 – 69 6 20% 37-42 8 26,67% 70 – 74 6 20% 43-48 6 20% 75 – 79 3 10% 49-54 7 26,67% 80 – 84 8 26,67% 55-60 3 6,67% 85 – 89 2 6,67% from the table above it can be formed histogram graphs and polygon graphs for the two classes as follows: figure 5. control class histogram and polygon graph figure 6. experimental class histogram and polygon graphs english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 343 the ogive graph is obtained from the cumulative frequency less than and more than, the following is the cumulative frequency table for the control class. table 11. control class absolute frequency interval f.ku m (<) f.ku m (%) inte rval f.kum (>) f.ku m (%) -25 0 0% 25 30 100% -31 2 6,67 % 31 28 93,33 % -37 6 26,67 % 37 24 80% -43 14 46,67 % 43 16 53,33 % -49 20 66,67 % 49 10 33,33 % -55 27 90% 55 3 10% -60 30 100% 60 0 0 from the frequency table above, it can be formed into an ogive graph as follows: 0 10 20 30 40 25 31 37 43 49 55 60 less than more than figure 7. control class ogive graphics the ogive graph is obtained from the cumulative frequency less than and more than, the following is the cumulative frequency table for the experimental class. table 12. experiment class absolute frequency interval f kum (<) f.kum (%) interval f.kum (>) f.kum (%) -60 0 0 60 30 100% -65 5 16,67% 65 25 83,33% -70 5 36.67% 70 19 63,33% -75 17 56,67% 75 13 43.33% -80 20 66,67% 80 10 33,33% -85 28 93,33% 85 12 40% -89 30 100% 89 0 0 from the table above, it can be formed into an ogive graph as follows: figure 8. experiment class ogive graph requirements of data analysis test the requirements analysis test was carried out because the analysis used was a statistical analysis that required the data to be taken normally and homogeneously, and the test used the normality test and homogeneity test. normality test (pre test value) the normality test was carried out to prove the data obtained were data that were normally distributed. calculations can be seen in appendix 2 on pages 78 and 82 and the results can be seen in the following table: table 13. normality test results pre test kk and ke class h2 score t2 score result conclusion control 3,82 11,1 h0 accepted normal distribution experiment 8,28 11,1 h0 accepted normal distribution based on the table above, the data from the control class and t2 pre-test answers accept h0 and reject h1. homogeneity test (bartlett test) the homogeneity test was carried out to prove the data obtained had the same variance for each group. calculations can be seen in appendix 2 on page 84 and the results can be seen in the table below: table 14. homogeneity test results pre test control class and experiment class class h2 score t2 score result conclusion ahmad amarullah & enawar the effect group investigation method on language learning outcomes 344 control 12,54 33,9 ho accepted homogen experiment based on the table above, the data from the control class and t2 pre-test answers accept h0 and reject h1. normality test (post test value) the normality test was carried out to prove the data obtained were data that were normally distributed. calculations can be seen in appendix 2 on pages 90 and 94 and the results can be seen in the following table: table 15. post-test normality test results kk and ke class h2 score t2 score result conclusion control 5,27 11,1 h0 accepted normal distribution experiment 7,56 11,1 h0 accepted normal distribution based on the table above, the data from the post test answers for the control class and t2 accept h0 and reject h1. homogeneity test (bartlett test) the homogeneity test was carried out to prove the data obtained had the same variance for each group. calculations can be seen in appendix 2 on page 96 and the results can be seen in the table below: table 16. result of homogeneity test of post-test control class and experiment class class h2 score t2 score result conclusion control 5,54 33,9 ho accepted homogen experiment based on the table above, the data from the post test answers for the control class and t2 accept h0 and reject h1. t test pretest value hypothesis testing is intended to determine whether the proposed hypothesis is accepted or not. in testing the hypothesis using the confidence level with a ttable value of 5% and dk = 58. the calculation procedure is attached in appendix 2 on page 86 and the results of these calculations obtained a tcount value of 1.48 with a t-table of 1.67. it means that the pre test value th < tt means that there is no difference between the pre test scores for the control class and the experimental class. t test post test score in testing the hypothesis using a confidence level with a ttable value of 5% and dk = 58. the calculation procedure is attached in appendix 2 on page 98 and the results of these calculations get a tcount value of 13.31 with a t-table of 1.67. means that the post test value th > tt means that there is a difference between the post test scores of the control class and the experimental class. basically, the purpose of this research is to find out empirically about the effect of the cooperative learning type group investigation method on the second language learning outcomes (l2) of third grade elementary school students. based on the results of the research above, the following discussion will be carried out. experiment class in the experimental class using the cooperative learning method of group investigation, the number of respondents was 30 students. the second language learning outcome score (l2) in the experimental class was obtained by calculating the scores obtained by students who took the second language learning outcomes test (l2) which consisted of 20 multiple choice questions. based on the results of the assessment, the average value is 73.5, the mode value is 81.8, the median value is 72.8, the standard deviation is 79.7 and the quartile value is 66.6, the lowest score is 75 and the highest score is 85. the results of the assessment of the experimental class were higher than the results of the assessment of the control class. this is because the experimental class uses the cooperative learning method of group investigation type. cooperative learning as a learning method that changes students' attitudes from passive to active, cooperative learning method group investigation type in learning activities with topics that have been provided by the teacher to be investigated by students. in this case, the teacher provides reading material related to the topics investigated by students so that students are more motivated. in addition, students also do not only do group work but each student is also given individual assignments that can affect the score that will be english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 345 obtained by the group, this is a form of individual responsibility against the group. researchers in this study used the cooperative learning types of group investigation steps in learning a second language (l2) in third grade elementary school. control class in the control class using the conventional method, the number of respondents was 30 students. the second language learning outcome score (l2) in the experimental class was obtained by calculating the scores obtained by students who took the second language learning outcomes test (l2) which consisted of 20 multiple choice questions. based on the results of the assessment, it can be obtained that the average value is 43.7, the mode value is 42.5, the median value is 42.5, the standard deviation value is 83.6 and the quartile value is 37.62, the lowest score is 25 and the highest score is 60. the results of the assessment in the control class are lower than the results of the assessment from the experimental class. this is because the control class uses conventional methods, where the learning process is more teacher-centered. in practice, this learning focuses on the lecture method, the lecture method referred to here is that the way of learning is dominated by the teacher, while the position of students is only passive recipients of lessons. after the assessment of the second language learning outcomes (l2) in the experimental and control classes was carried out and declared to have passed the requirements test, a t-test was carried out to determine whether the hypothesis was accepted or rejected. based on the results of the research using the t-test, it is known that tcount is 13.31 and dk = 58 with ttable 1.67 so that tcount > ttable, then h0 is rejected and h1 is accepted, which means that there is an effect of the cooperative learning type group investigation method on second language learning outcomes. (l2) grade iii elementary school. thus, the results of testing the hypothesis prove that the effect of the cooperative learning type group investigation method is not engineering, but because of the treatment in each class. therefore, it can be argued that the application of cooperative learning has more influence on student learning outcomes and can improve students' second language (l2) learning outcomes. conclusion learning a second language (l2) by using the cooperative learning method of group investigation type is an alternative that can be used in learning a second language (l2). in the cooperative learning method of group investigation, there are learning steps consisting of five stages, including the following: in the first stage, students choose topics to be investigated in a general area, examine sources of information, then they join study groups with the same and heterogeneous selection of topics, while the teacher helps and facilitates in obtaining information. in the second stage, students plan how to collect data and other learning activities such as, what to investigate, how to do it, how to divide the work, and so on. the third stage of group investigation is the implementation of the investigation. students search for information, analyze data, share ideas, discuss, and draw conclusions. each group member contributes to the group effort. in the fourth stage, students determine the messages they study, plan what to report and how to present them. in the fifth stage, students share the information that has been obtained, the presentation involves other groups actively. the last stage is evaluation, students share experiences on the topics they are working on, then teachers and students collaborate in evaluating learning. based on this description, the implication of this research is to be able to provide good learning outcomes, it is necessary to have a fun, creative learning that involves students actively, both individually and in groups. one of them is the cooperative learning method of group investigation type. references alhabeedi, e. (2015). increasing students’ participation by using cooperative learning in library and research course. (unpublished thesis). new york: university of new york alhebaishi, s. m. (2019). investigation of cooperative learning techniques and attitudes in language learning classrooms. international journal of applied linguistics & english literature, 8(2), 219-230. alisuf, b. (2010). psikologi pendidikan. jakarta: pedoman ilmu jaya. almula, m. (2017). an investigation of cooperative learning in a saudi high school: a case study on ahmad amarullah & enawar the effect group investigation method on language learning outcomes 346 teachers’ and students’ perceptions and classroom practices. (doctoral dissertation). leicester: university of leicester. ariadi, i. p., renda, n. t., & rati, n. w. (2014). pengaruh model pembelajaran group investigation (gi) terhadap hasil belajar ipa kelas iv. mimbar pgsd undiksha, 2(1). arikunto, s. (2012). dasar-dasar evaluasi pendidikan. jakarta: bumi aksara arikunto, s. (2010). prosedur penelitian suatu pendekatan praktik. jakarta: pt rineka cipta astra, i. m., wahyuni, c., & nasbey, h. (2015). improvement of learning process and learning outcomes in physics learning by using collaborative learning model of group investigation at high school (grade x, sman 14 jakarta). journal of education and practice, 6. 75-79. baharu, h. (2020). improving the skills of story through the application of the group investigation learning. exposure journal, 9(2), 195-208. baharuddin, (2010). pendidikan dan psikologi perkembangan. yogyakarta: ar-ruz media. baki, a., yildiz, c., aydin, m., & kogce, d. (2010). the application of group investigation technique: the views of the teacher and students. turkish journal of computer and mathematics education,1(2), 166-186. christina, l. v, & kristin, f. (2016). efektivitas model pembelajaran tipe group investigation (gi) dan cooperative integrated reading and composition (circ) dalam meningkatkan kreativitas berpikir kritis dan hasil belajar ips siswa kelas 4. scholaria: jurnal pendidikan dan kebudayaan, 6(3), 217-230. chusni, m. m., mahardika, a., sayekti, i. c., & setya, w. (2017). the profile of student activities in learning basic natural science concepts through the contextual teaching and learning (ctl) approach with group investigation (gi) model. jurnal penelitian dan pembelajaran ipa, 3(1), 110. dewi, p. p. y., manuaba, i. s., & suniasih, n. w. (2018). pengaruh model pembelajaran group investigation berbasis proyek terhadap hasil belajar ipa siswa kelas iv. international journal of elementary education, 1(4), 264-271. er, s., & aksu ataç, b. (2014). cooperative learning in elt classes: the attitudes of students towards cooperative learning in elt classes. international online journal of education and teaching, 2 (1), 109-122. gonzales, w. & torres, p. (2016). filipino esl learners attitudes toward cooperative learning and their relationship to reading comprehension. tesol international journal, 11(2), 70-90. goziyah, g., sulaeman, a., & suherman, a. (2021). pelatihan inovasi pembelajaran di era kenormalan baru pada guru-guru smk islam baidhaul ahkam sepatan. jurnal abdimas prakasa dakara, 1(1), 12-17. hamzah, b. (2011). model pembelajaran menciptakan proses belajar mengajar yang kreatif dan efektif. jakarta: bumi aksara. haryono, h. e. (2020). the influence of cooperative learning model type group investigation toward results of learning science materials of students. jurnal ilmiah pendidikan fisika, 4(1), 1-6. hudhana, w. d. (2019). peningkatan keterampilan menulis cerita pendek berbasis karakter menggunakan media pembelajaran videoscribe. in seminar nasional pendidikan bahasa dan sastra (pp. 265-270). isjoni, (2011). cooperative learning mengembangkan kemampuan belajar berkelompok. bandung: alfabeta jacobs, g., power, m., & loh. (2016). the teacher’s sourcebook for cooperative learning: practical techniques, basic principles and frequently asked questions. new york: skyhorse publishing. kette, e. s. s., pratiwi, y., & sunoto, s. (2016). pengembangan bahan pelatihan menulis cerita pendek bermuatan nilai karakter untuk guru smp negeri mata pelajaran bahasa indonesia se-kota kupang. jurnal pendidikan: teori, penelitian, dan pengembangan, 1(4), 698-704. masnur, m. (2009). ktsp pembelajaran berbasis kompetensi dan kontekstual, ed. 1, cet.6, jakarta: bumi aksara muhammad, n. (2008). ilmu pengetahuan sosial 3, jakarta: pusat perbukuan, departemen pendidikan nasional muliyantini, p., & parmiti, d. p. (2017). penerapan model pembelajaran group investigation (gi) untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar ipa kelas v. jurnal ilmiah sekolah dasar, 1(2). riduwan, (2011). dasar-dasar statistika. bandung: alfabeta rusman, (2011). model-model pembelajaran mengembangkan profesionalisme guru. jakarta: rajawali pers. sapriya, (2011). pendidikan ips. bandung: pt remaja rosdakarya sardjiyo, ( 2009). pendidikan ips di sd. ed. 2, cet.7, jakarta: universitas terbuka slameto, (2010). belajar dan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhinya. jakarta: rineka cipta. sugiyono, (2011). statistik untuk penelitian. bandung: alfabeta sugiyono. (2012). metode penelitian pendidikan. bandung: alfabeta english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 347 sulaeman, a. & dwihudhana, w. (2019). hubungan motivasi belajar dengan hasil pembelajaran bahasa indonesia bagi penutur asing (bipa) pada mahasiswa semester 7 program studi pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia fkip universitas muhammadiyah tangerang. silampari bisa: jurnal penelitian pendidikan bahasa indonesia, daerah, dan asing, 2(1), 59-70. sulaeman, a. & goziyah. (2019). metodologi penelitian bahasa dan sastra. jakarta: edu pustaka. sulaeman, a. (2019). motivasi pemelajaran bahasa indonesia bagi penutur asing (bipa) mahasiswa peminatan bipa prodi pbsi fkip universitas muhammadiyah tangerang. simposium nasional mulitidisiplin (sinamu), 1. sulaeman, a., enawar, e., sori, s., & suherman, a. (2021). skimming reading techniques on the ability to identify intrinsic drama text elements. journal of english language and literature, 6(1), 25-38. sulaeman, a., hun, k. y., & ferdianda, a. ecocritics in song lyrics collection by barasuara and its implication towards the indonesian language learning material in senior high school. jurnal gramatika: jurnal penelitian pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 7(1), 103-116. sundari, h., miranti, i., & sulaeman, a. (2020). an eclectic approach in syllabus design: a preliminary study of one-to-one teaching indonesian for speakers of other languages. jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra, 20(2), 197-210. suyanto, & asep, d (2012). bagaimana menjadi calon guru dan guru profesional. yogyakarta: multi pressindo. wahyukti, t. (2017). enhancing students’ cooperative learning in an efl classroom through lesson study. advances in social science, education and humanities research, (109), 288-292. presented at 4th asia pacific education conference (aecon 2017). ahmad amarullah & enawar the effect group investigation method on language learning outcomes 348 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 699 learners’ digital li teracy in the online learning during covi d-19 iful rahmawati mega english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education universitas muhammadiyah bangka belitung, indonesia email: iful.rahmawatimega@unmuhbabel.ac.id yuanita primary school teacher education study program, faculty of teacher training and education universitas muhammadiyah bangka belitung, indonesia email: yuanita@unmuhbabel.ac.id ayen arsisari mathematics education study program, faculty of teacher training and education universitas muhammadiyah bangka belitung, indonesia email: ayen.arsisari@unmuhbabel.ac.id widati amalin ulfah physical education, health, and recreation study program, faculty of teacher training and education universitas muhammadiyah bangka belitung, indonesia email: widati.amalinulfah@unmuhbabel.ac.id apa citationmega, i. r., yuanita., arsisari, a., & ulfah, w. a. (2022). learners’ digital literacy in the online learning during covid-19. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 699-706. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6314. received: 03-04-2022 accepted: 17-05-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction coronavirus commonly known as covid-19 is a fatal and infectious disease that has had a significant impact on the worldwide area. marioni (2020) stated that education is one of the aspects that rattled by this outbreak. also supported by li (2016) teaching media in the teaching and learning process are switching to the digital version. the implementation of learning activities was forced to take place online. in line with karagul, seker, & aykut (2021) the sudden transition from classrooms to online education has required specific skills such as learners' digital abilities at all levels of education. the covid-19 pandemic has caused changes in the academic sphere, particularly in the learning process at all levels (aydin & erol, 2021). as a abstract: this research investigates the understanding of digital literacy in the online learning process during covid-19 for students in the higher education students in indonesia. the objectives of this study are to describe the aspects of digital literacy in the concepts of bawden, they are basic skill of digital literacy, attitudes and perspectives, background knowledge of the information, technology and iinformation skills, and attitudes and perspectives. this study employ qualitative with the subjects are 117 students; these students were determined using purposive sampling technique with the criteria who were joining the learning classroom actively. the collecting data technique was using 20 questions in the questionnaire and it was analyzed using descriptive quantitative techniques. the results in this study reveal that all of the respondents indicate have good criteria in digital literacy. they have good characteristics in basic skill of digital literacy; have good criteria in background knowledge of the information; have good skill in technology and information; as well as good attitude and perspective of digital literacy. the conclusion is the higher education students have a good digital literacy in the aspect of basic skill of digital literacy, they have a good digital literacy in the aspect of background knowledge of information, and they have a good digital literacy in the term of technology and information skills as well as strong attitude and perspective on digital information. keywords: digital literacy; online learning; covid-19. iful rahmawati mega, yuanita, ayen arsisari, & widati amalin ulfah learners’ digital literacy in the online learning during covid-19 700 result, all formal educational institutions now offer online learning, as it is unlikely to reach face-toface during the process (offline) as stated by dhawan (2020) this crisis will make the institutions, which were earlier reluctant to change, accept modern technology. the teacher's ability to operate new software automatically demonstrated the development of self-learning skills (butarbutar et al., 2021). supported by pramono et al. (2021) due to the tremendous rise in cases around the world, practically all developing countries were allowed to make the hard choice to conduct distant learning education, with all the disadvantages that entail. as previous research by yustika & iswati (2020) stated that online students are anxious because they do not understand or are accustomed to online classes, especially those with limited computer skills. according to layton (2000) computers and other technologies have permanently altered children's learning environments, temperaments, and ideas about work and play. in addition, blundell et al (2016) said that technology is also positioned as a vehicle for educational reform via teacher practice transformation. students can use digital technology for learning activities such as reading and sending emails, accessing learning management systems, reading journals or e-books, and taking online quizzes because of a sudden decision by the indonesian government to close all types of activities in schools, including learning activities and move them to learn at home through distance learning. educational institutions are scrambling to come up with solutions to this difficult scenario, in line with research by chung et al. (2020) due to a lack of student control, self-directed learning, and online communication efficacy, some of them were not ready for online learning. these circumstances make us realize that scenario planning is an urgent need for academic institutions (rieley, 2020). now, online learning, remote learning, and the things that come up with the new technological teaching and learning process bring students and teachers to understand the knowledge of digital learning. according to suswandari et al. (2022) said that the goal in implementing digital literacy is not only for the digital information that students receive, but also for students to learn, explore, create and become more active online and to have educational interactions between students and teachers. we need a high level of preparedness so that we can quickly adapt to the changes in the environment and can adjust ourselves to different delivery modes, for instance, remote learning or online learning in situations of pandemics such as covid-19. to enable effective and efficient teaching and learning practices, several teaching tactics (lectures, case studies, debates, and discussions, experiential learning, brainstorming sessions, games, drills, and so on) can be employed online. as suggested by rahiem (2021) there are two alternatives for making online learning accessible in this archipelago nation: either expand the internet network or provide alternate learning that does not require online access for individuals who live in remote places. digital learning is supported by the understanding of digital literacy. in mardiani et al. (2021) digital technology is becoming an integral part of the educational world, and digital literacy has become a necessary skill to explore and process information and messages as much as possible. the use of digital technology to enhance teaching and learning in schools has been growing for years, but in march 2020, when the covid-19 pandemic forced the closure of practically all educational institutions globally, it became the only choice (scully, d., lehane, p., & scully, 2021). this paper will show more about the students’ understanding of digital literacy through their experience in online learning facing the pandemic covid-19 outbreak. as defined by doni, c. p., husain, d., saleh, s. r., pakaya, n. a., tjalau, c. a., & arsyad (2021) one of the challenges for implementing online education during this pandemic is digital literacy. teachers must make explicit links to e-safety when attempting to promote students' digital literacy (hague, c., & payton, 2011). digital literacy is the capacity to find, assess, use, produce, and use information sensibly using digital media, communication tools, or networks. as the study finding by khan et al. (2022) state that digital literacy improves both academic performance and employability. in line with previous study by udeogalanya (2022) that all institutions must be proactive rather that reactive to systemic shocks by preparing students for academic success and technological readiness for today’s job markets. because of the widespread influence of digital sources, the general public or citizens must be good users. according to mega (2020), digital literacy is the ability to understand and use information from a variety of online sources. the thought of digital english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 701 literacy was introduced by gilster (1997) defines digital literacy as the ability to understand and use information in multiple formats presented via computers. furthermore, digital literacy skill refers to the ability in getting, using, evaluating, communicating, creating and developing digital information through digital actions as the solution for some tasks. in addition, jan (2018) said that students' attitudes toward adopting information and communication technology (ict) and other ictrelated demographics were found to be linked to digital literacy. supported by hassan & mirza (2021) the ict skills are critical to teachers' use of alternative teaching and learning methods, i.e., elearning, mobile learning in the present outbreak of pandemic disease caused by coronavirus-covid19. furthermore, because students cannot learn computer literacy without a computer literate faculty, the digital literacy of students is directly linked to the computer capabilities of instructors and academicians (nawaz & kundi, 2010). adapted from bawden (2008) and martin (2008), the components of digital literacy skills cover basic ict skills (underpinning/technical skill), information literacy skill (background knowledge), digital competencies (central competence), and attitude and perspective toward digital usages and digital transformation. digital literacy is used to direct student-centered learning, and it has become one of the abilities that students must master when the school based curriculumwas established until the 2013 curriculum. according to abbas et al. (2019) said that digital literacy had a significant impact on students' effective communication, analytical thinking, and optimism, but had no impact on their cgpa. educators must address several issues, including digital literacy skills, technology usage habits, and digital content accessibility (al-qallaf, c. l., & al-mutairi, 2016). in addition, m. li & yu (2022) state that teachers must be digitally literate in order to meet the new requirements of the currently advanced teaching approach in the future. the developments in basic literacy in the twentyfirst century, there are six types of basic literacy that everyone must master: (a) language and literature literacy, (b) numerical literacy, (c) scientific literacy, (d) digital literacy, (e) financial literacy, and (f) cultural and citizenship literacy. during this pandemic, online learning requires a person's ability to master digital technology equipment, with the hope that the individual already possesses digital literacy abilities. students need digital literacy abilities to take advantage of digital technology, rahmi & cerya (2020) which is defined it as the ability to use digital devices such as cellphones, pcs, or laptops and operate supporting programs to assist students majoring in education in designing quality learning. based on the wider description above, this study aims to know how far the students’ understanding about the digital literacy facing in their remote learning experience during pandemic covid-19. based on the wider description above, the novelties of this study were (1) the research on student’ digital literacy is something new for the intern university system, since online learning also conducted in the pandemic covid-19, and (2) the findings of this study will be further used as the basic of the next research on the use of online learning media on the university’s internal learning management system (lms). this study aims to know how far the students’ understanding about the digital literacy facing in their remote learning experience during pandemic covid-19. it focuses on the aspect of students’ digital literacy, how far the learners understand the aspect of digital literacy and the knowledge of students’ literate the digital tools. so, this study pointed to 1) basic skill of digital literacy; 2) background knowledge of the information; 3) technology and information skills; and 4) attitudes and perspectives. method this study was intended to know the students’ understanding of digital literacy during online learning in the pandemic covid-19. it is classified into descriptive quantitative that is investigated to point the digital literacy aspects from bawden theory, they are: 1) basic skill of digital literacy; 2) background knowledge of the information; 3) technology and information skills; and 4) attitudes and perspectives. there were 117 students of higher education students; these students were determined using purposive sampling technique with the criteria that were joining learning classroom actively. the collecting data technique was framed in 20 questions in the questionnaire; the questionnaire was analyzed using descriptive quantitative techniques. the researchers conceived the questionnaire based on the related literature and previous studies. to collect the data, digital literacy iful rahmawati mega, yuanita, ayen arsisari, & widati amalin ulfah learners’ digital literacy in the online learning during covid-19 702 questionnaire adapted from theories of digital literacy concept proposed by bawden (2008). the questionnaire was distributed to the sample at the beginning. it consists of some statements in terms of likert-scale consisting of 4 choices of answers. moreover, the questionnaire had been validated to the experts, material experts and language experts (linguists); according to the material expert validation results, the instrument measurement shows 87.5 percent, it was in the good category and may be used. according to the linguists, the instrument measurement shows 88.2 percent, it was in the very good category and could be used. as a consequence of the two experts' validation results, this instrument is suitable for usage. the questionnaire also had been tried out to other students before it was given to the sample of this study. it delivered to 25 students, from 20 items, all of them were valid and reliable with the validity score was 0.762, and reliability score was 0.814. so it can be said that the instrument were valid and reliable. the valid instrument then distributed to the sample. the participants had to respond to the questions and pick the answer which offered some choices. after delivering the questionnaire to the participants, the instrument then analyzed used descriptive quantitative analysis. results and discussion the score and results of the study based on bawden’s (2008) theory is classified into four aspects; they are (1) basic skill of digital literacy; 2) background knowledge of the information; 3) technology and information skills; and 4) attitudes and perspectives. the explanation below shows the results of the questionnaire distribution to determine students' understanding of digital literacy in the term of basic skill of digital literacy. diagram 1. data of students’ internet accessing from the results of diagram 1, there are 47% of students who access the internet more than five hours a day, 37.6% in the often category, 14.5% in the rare category, and 1.8% in the never category. it means that almost all of the college students spend 21% time a day accessing the internet. diagram 2. data of students’ joining in online learning based on diagram 2 above, reveals that 61.5% of college students are very often joining in online learning, 35% of students are often joining online learning, and 3.5% of students are rare joining online learning. diagram 3. data of applying online learning media diagram 3 above describes that 52.1% of students are very often applying online learning media, 40.2% are often using online learning media, and 7.7% of students are rarely applying online learning media. table 1. sharing file in online learning media rate criteria 23.1% extremely often 56.4% often 19.7% rare 0.8% never from the table 1 above, it reveals that students’ activities in sharing file from online learning media are in good criteria. it describes in table 1 that 56.4% of students are extremely often sharing files during online class through online learning media. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 703 there are 23.1% of students are often sharing file during online class, and 19.7% are rarely doing this activity. it can be illustrated that more than 80% of students have a good attitude toward sharing information with others during online learning. information that is shared is a proper file related to academic purposes in the teaching and learning online process. the description below describes the results of the questionnaire distribution to determine students' understanding of digital literacy in the term of background knowledge of information. diagram 4. data of students’ internet searching diagram 4 shows that 59.8% of students understand how to search information in the search engine, and 35.9% of students are very understood and only 4.3% of students do not understand how to find information in search engines. this reveals that more than 95% of students are finding information using the search engine on the internet so that the internet plays a significant role in finding information in education and other disciplines. diagram 5. data of students’ digital references based on diagram 5 above that 100% of college students using online references. this illustrates that students’ most favorite references are published in online media, it is confirmed that this activity is easy, efficient, and practical. the results below describe the results of the questionnaire distribution to determine students' understanding of digital literacy in the term of technology and information skills. this section also discusses the outcomes of using digital learning tools from reputable sources and reading all digital data. table 2. data of reading digital information in trusted sources trusted digital sources reading digital information percentage category rate category 25.6% very often 6% very often 67.5% often 56.4% often 16.9% rare 36.8% rare 0% never 0.8% never according to the table above the category of very often and often have the total number 72%, this provides useful information about links or official websites viewed, and digital material is more frequently read because it is easier to obtain from an android device. diagram 6. data of screening digital information based on the diagram above, it shows that 14.5% of students are very common doing screening on digital information, 60.7% of students are common doing screening, and 24.8% of students are rarely doing this activity. it means that most pupils in the digital era filter the information they received. iful rahmawati mega, yuanita, ayen arsisari, & widati amalin ulfah learners’ digital literacy in the online learning during covid-19 704 diagram 7. data of confirming digital information according to this diagram, it was discovered that practically all students do double-check the information they received, as seen by the 0% percentage result for the never category. table 3. trust the online information rate category 2.6% very common 26.5% often 66.7% rare 4.3% never based on the table above, shows that 66.7% of college students are rare trust online information directly, 26.5% of students are often trusting in online information, 2.6% of students very often believe in online information, and 4.3% of college students are never trusting on online information. this demonstrates that college students pick or screen the information they received. the explanation below describes the results of the questionnaire distribution to determine students' understanding of digital literacy in the term of attitudes and perspectives users. table 4. data of open the link and do citation declaration rate category open another link to find out the trusted information 14.5% very common 67.5% often 14.5% rare 3.4% never do a proper citation method 5.1% very often 60.7% common 31.6% rare 2.6% never attach the other writing sources (citation) 12% very common 47.5% often 28.2% rare 12.8% never based on the table above, it reveals that 67.5% of college students are often opening another link to look for reputable sources, 60.7% of college students are common doing a proper citation method, and 47.5% of students are often attaching the other writing sources in their papers or works. it can be concluded that more than 58% students have a good attitude and perspective on digital information. according to the results above, the aspects of students who have good digital literacy are seen based on bawden's points; they are 1) basic skill of digital literacy; 2) background knowledge of the information; 3) technology and information skills, and 4) attitudes and perspectives. most of the students are using online learning media in the learning process during the pandemic. it is found that most of the college students here have mastered several online learning media including zoom meetings, google meet, and others. it illustrates that college students are digitally literate and capable of adapting to changes in the lecture system, such as the transition from face-to-face to online learning. it can be described that most of the students are joining online learning during this pandemic covid19. first, the students have good digital literacy in the aspect of basic skill of digital literacy. the support reasons are almost all of the students spend their 21% time a day accessing the internet, the second is most of the students are joining online learning during this pandemic covid-19, the next is that students are digitally literate and capable of adapting to changes in the lecture system, such as the transition from face to face to online learning, and more than 80% of students have a good attitude in sharing information to others during online learning. second, the students have good digital literacy in the aspect of background knowledge of information. the support discussions are more than 95% of students are finding information using the search engine on the internet, so that the internet plays a significant role in finding information in education and other disciplines, 100% of college students using online references so that students’ most favorite references are published in online media. the third is the students have a good digital literacy in the term of technology and information skills. the next discussions are internet provides useful information about links or official websites viewed, and digital material is more frequently read by students because it is easier to obtain from an android device, and most pupils in the digital era filter the information they received, all students do double-check the information they received, and also college students pick or screen the information they received. and the last is the students have a good digital literacy in the term of attitudes and perspectives users. the findings discussions are more than 58% of students have a good attitude and perspective on digital information. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 705 conclusion the students have a good digital literacy in the aspect of basic skill of digital literacy, they have a good digital literacy in the aspect of background knowledge of information, and they have a good digital literacy in the term of technology and information skills as well as strong attitude and perspective on digital information. references abbas, q., hussain, s., & rasool, s. (2019). digital literacy effect on the academic performance of students at higher education level in pakistan. global social sciences review, 4(1), 108–116. https://doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2019(iv-i).14 al-qallaf, c. l., & al-mutairi, a. s. r. (2016). digital literacy and digital content supports learning: the impact of blogs on teaching english as a foreign language. the electronic library, 34(3), 522–547. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/el-052015-0076 aydin, e., & erol, s. (2021). the views of turkish language teachers on distance education and digital literacy during covid-19 pandemic. international journal of education and literacy studies, 9(1), 60. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.9n.1p.60 bawden, d. (2008). origins and concepts of digital literacy. peter lang publishing. blundell, c., lee, k. t., & nykvist, s. (2016). digital learning in schools: conceptualizing the challenges and influences on teacher practice. journal of information technology education: research, 15(2016), 535–560. https://doi.org/10.28945/3578 butarbutar, r., sauhenda, a. f., marnina, h. r. e., & wahyuniar, s. m. r. l. (2021). challenges and opportunities of accelerated digital literacy during the covid-19 pandemic. hong kong journal of social sciences, 57(c), 160–168. http://www.hkjoss.com/index.php/journal/article/v iew/424 chung, e., subramaniam, g., & dass, l. c. (2020). online learning readiness among university students in malaysia amidst covid-19. asian journal of university education, 16(2), 45–58. https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v16i2.10294 dhawan, s. (2020). online learning: a panacea in the time of covid-19 crisis. journal of educational technology systems, 49(1), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239520934018 doni, c. p., husain, d., saleh, s. r., pakaya, n. a., tjalau, c. a., & arsyad, b. (2021). challenges of digital literacy education in pandemic period. journal of education review provi, 1(1), 18–22. gilster, p. (1997). digital literacy. wiley and computer publishing. hague, c., & payton, s. (2011). digital literacy across the curriculum. curriculum leadership, 9(10). hassan, m. m., & mirza, t. (2021). the digital literacy in teachers of the schools of rajouri (j&k)-india: teachers perspective. international journal of education and management engineering, 11(1), 28–40. https://doi.org/10.5815/ijeme.2021.01.04 jan, s. (2018). investigating the relationship between students' digital literacy and their attitude towards using ict. ijet, 5(2), 26-34. karagul, b. i., seker, m., & aykut, c. (2021). investigating students’ digital literacy levels during online education due to covid-19 pandemic. sustainability (switzerland), 13(21), 1– 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132111878 khan, n., sarwar, a., chen, t. b., & khan, s. (2022). connecting digital literacy in higher education to the 21st century workforce. knowledge management & e-learning: an international journal (km&el), 14(1), 46–61. layton, t. g. (2000). why tomorrow’s schools must learn to let go of the past. american school board journal, 187(9), 22–24. li, m., & yu, z. (2022). teachers’ satisfaction, role, and digital literacy during the covid-19 andemic. sustainability (switzerland), 14(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031121 li, y. w. (2016). transforming conventional teaching classroom to learner-centred teaching classroom using multimedia-mediated learning module. international journal of information and education technology, 6(2), 105–112. https://doi.org/10.7763/ijiet.2016.v6.667 mardiani, f., anis, m. z. a., & hermawan, m. d. (2021). digital literacy in the transformation of historical learning in the time of covid-19. jurnal socius, 10(2), 1. https://doi.org/10.20527/jurnalsocius.v10i2.11198 marioni g., l. h. van’t & j. t. (2020). the impact of covid-19 on higher education around the world. https://www.iauaiu.net/img/pdf/iau_covid19_and_he_survey_rep ort_final_may_2020.pdf martin, a. (2008). digital literacy and the “digital society.” digital literacies: concepts, policies and practices, 20(2008), 151–176. mega, i. r. (2020). students’ perception of digital literacy competence as learning sources. majesty journal, 2(1), 47–53. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.33487/majesty.v2 i1.351 nawaz, a., & kundi, g. m. (2010). digital literacy: an analysis of the contemporary paradigms. international journal of science and technology iful rahmawati mega, yuanita, ayen arsisari, & widati amalin ulfah learners’ digital literacy in the online learning during covid-19 706 education research, 1(2), 19–29. http://www.academicjournals.org/journal/ijster/ article-abstract/68579321822 pramono, s. e., wijaya, a., melati, i. s., sahudin, z., & abdullah, h. (2021). covid-driven innovation in higher education: analysing the collaboration of leadership and digital technology during the pandemic in uitm malaysia and unnes indonesia. asian journal of university education, 17(2), 1. https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v17i2.13393 rahiem, m. d. h. (2021). indonesian university students’ likes and dislikes about emergency remote learning during the covid-19 pandemic. asian journal of university education, 17(1), 1– 18. https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v17i1.11525 rahmi, e., & cerya, e. (2020). analysis of lecturer digital literacy skills in entrepreneurship course. 124, 516–520. https://doi.org/10.2991/aebmr.k.201126.042 rieley, j. b. (2020). corona virus and its impact on higher education. research gate. https://www.researchgate.net/post/corona_virus_ and_its_impact_on_higher_education scully, d., lehane, p., & scully, c. (2021). ‘it is no longer scary’: digital learning before and during the covid-19 pandemic in irish secondary schools. technology, pedagogy and education, 30(1), 159–181. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939x. 2020.1854844 suswandari, m., budiwan, j., & sholihah, a. m. (2022). the relationship of digital literacy with the help of anyflip.com to the learning motivation of elementary school students. qalamuna jurnal pendidikan, sosial, dan agama, 14(1), 153–170. https://doi.org/10.37680/qalamuna.v14i1.1443 udeogalanya, v. (2022). aligning digital literacy and student academic success: lessons learned from covid-19 pandemic. international journal of higher education management, 8(02), 54–66. https://doi.org/10.24052/ijhem/v08n02/art-4 yustika, g. p., & iswati, s. (2020). digital literacy in formal online education: a short review. dinamika pendidikan, 15(1), 66–76. https://doi.org/10.15294/dp.v15i1.23779 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 49 developing learner autonomy in writing through the use of e-portfolio fitri aprianti department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, university of muhammadiyah cirebon, cirebon, indonesia email: fitri.aprianti@umc.ac.id eline rozaliya winarto department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, university of muhammadiyah cirebon, cirebon, indonesia email: eline.rozaliya@umc.ac.id apa citation: aprianti, f. & winarto, e. r. (2021). developing learner autonomy in writing through the use of eportfolio. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 49-60. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5354 received: 13-08-2021 accepted: 12-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 abstract: learner autonomy is mandated to be developed by the newest curriculum of 2013. this research explored the use of e-portfolio to develop learner autonomy especially in the area of leaner involvement, reflection, and target language use. the mixed method design involving the quantitative and qualitative data was used in this research. the data itself was collected in the naturalistic settings of two vocational high school classes. the two classes were taken from the population which consisted of 440 participants. inventory tests were specifically designed to measure changes in the participants both before and after a writing program applying eportfolio documents was given. meanwhile, document analysis was used to indicate the development of learner autonomy in writing. the results of the initial inventory test show that the profile of initial autonomy development of the population was moderate which indicates that the participants had not yet reached the optimum capacity to carry active involvement, reflection, and target language use in writing it means that a type of preventive intervention such as that of e-portfolio was needed. whereas, the results of the intervention or experimental study and document analysis suggest that there was an improvement regarding the degree of learner autonomy development. in this case, the results indicated that the requirements of the e-portfolio for the participant to constantly use the target language may have possibly supported the initial autonomy development in writing, while the participants’ independence in deciding aspects of writing in the e-portfolio may play a role in supporting the constructs of learner autonomy especially in terms of learner involvement, and lastly, the segment of learner reflection provided in the e-portfolio may have a critical role to play in the subsequent learner autonomy development of the participants. keywords: learner autonomy; writing; e-portfolio. introduction in indonesian context, learner autonomy is encompassed as an integral part of attitudinal or social competency and acknowledged in the educational policy number 65 and 66 year 2013 (curriculum of 2013, national ministerial regulations of education and culture, 2013; marhaeni, 2015). besides the requirement of nurturing and measuring learner autonomy as stated in the 2013 curriculum, nowadays, it is also found that the all-sudden shift of language curriculum due to the spread of corona virus from what was initially face-to-face to online learning, the absence of the teachers’ direct presence, and the more restricted form of socialization among class members, have further escalated the demand for inserting the construct of learner autonomy in the teaching and learning process. the teaching and learning process of english writing is no exception. numbers of research also support the importance of fostering learner autonomy in foreign language learning especially during the crisis of pandemic covid-19 (zhang, zhang, & zhang, 2021). they acknowledge that the lack of support on developing learner autonomy at this time of crisis where students are obliged to study more independent through online media is the source that can create a tendency for the students to be unmotivated and passive in learning the writing material online. in such a case, the lack of learner autonomy can be fitri aprianti & eline rozaliya winarto developing learner autonomy in writing through the use of e-portfolio 50 determined as an initial step toward the failure of gaining success in learning english writing especially through online media (müller & goldenberg, 2020). therefore, it can be concluded that finding a learning model that can develop learner autonomy that can be used adaptively both online or offline is critical. referring to its definition, learner autonomy is reckoned as the students’ capacity to take responsibilities and make decisions concerning aspects of their learning both in online and offline situations. in either situation, the capacity itself always encapsulates two major constructs, namely ability and awareness as originally declared by little (1991). ability refers to as the learners’ active involvement for planning, monitoring and evaluating the process of online or offline learning activities. meanwhile awareness reflects the psychological construct of the learner to make critical reflection over their learning both offline and online. many experts specify that the learners who are autonomous in their learning are those who are able to employ their ability for making independent decision, action, critical reflection (lengkanawati, 2017; (hedry, 2020). to sum up, from the definition of learner autonomy above, it can be deduced that there are three principles that should be applied in the process of developing the growth of learner namely; constant target language use, active learner involvement, and reflection. it is stated that finding and possibly testing a model of online learning that can measure and nurture learner autonomy is as urgent as determining the construct of learner autonomy itself (thanh loan & tan tin, 2016). one of the promising examples that is adaptable for both offline and online learning would be the use of eportfolio (al-qutaiti, ahmed, & mohin, 2020). eportfolio is a model of learning that can nurture and measure many competencies including autonomy of the learners. through the use of e-portfolio, learners are directed to use their experience as a source of learning, thus they can be directed to gradually take control over their learning, in other words, becoming autonomous learners (obaid, 2020). e-portfolio is defined as a purposeful collection of the students’ works that exhibits the efforts, growth, and achievements of the students in language skills such as writing (choi & lee, 2020). the addition of the word “e” in the e-portfolio refers to as electronic. in e-portfolio, the collection of the students’ work is provided in a form of electronic file. the file can be further saved in online media such as e-learning or can also be printed as needed. the way of saving students’ writing electronically provides many benefits, one of which is the ease for sharing the material among the teacher and the class members. this way, the flow of information or knowledge is expected to be much smoother. e-portfolio enables to show the development of learner autonomy (obaid, 2020). it is asserted that in order for the e-portfolio to be able to exhibit the intended goals then the e-portfolio itself should at the very least includes three major components namely; inventory writing tasks, selfassessment/ self-reflection and showcase (thanh loan & tan tin, 2016). all of these three elements are interrelated and are meant to support the growth of the constructions of learner autonomy (constant tl use, learners’ active involvement, and reflection). writing inventory task is the first component of the e-portofolio. in the inventory task, the students can save a set of self-selected writing samples. ideally, it is stated that the self-selected sample in inventory task should illustrate the students’ accomplishment of the standard and educational goal so that the growth of learner autonomy can be in line with the expectation of the curriculum. the inventory task leads the students to get involved more in the writing process and it reflects one of the principles of developing learner autonomy, namely active involvement or decision making process (cakici, 2017). self-reflection is the other component of e-portfolio. self-reflection refers to written justifications that the students made regarding the selections of the writing samples in the inventory tasks. at this stage, students will judge their own work as well as reflecting on their strategy of completing the assignments/works given to them. the self-reflection is given periodically throughout a semester of completing the e-portfolio. self-reflection mirrors the second principle of the promotion of learner autonomy, namely reflectivity (yang, 2021). showcase is the last component of the e-portfolio. showcase is an activity that students conduct in order to inform publicly to their peers and teachers regarding their work in the inventory writing tasks. e-portfolio enables its user to be much freer with their selection of showcasing their work. this means that it can be saved in a form of audio, video, or any other form of multimedia. this english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 51 component is meant to reflect the last principle of learner autonomy, namely target language use (zhang et al., 2021). again, the above components of the e-portfolio are selected and arranged in order to create an environment where students can gradually involve and reflect upon their own writing development. based on the rationale above, it can be assumed that applying the use of e-portfolio especially at the crisis of pandemic covid-19 is critical (müller & goldenberg, 2020). e-portfolio is predicted to be able to nurture and measure the construct of learner autonomy although there is restriction in teaching and learning process. thus, this research investigated the use of e-portfolio by applying it as a classroom intervention so that the effectiveness of e-portfolio in developing learner autonomy in writing can be revealed. it is stated that when a program is projected over a course of time then it may be able to provide direction for the students to exercise their innate ability to become autonomous learner by continuously getting involved, reflect, and use target language more in their learning. additionally, it is also revealed that implementing e-portfolio is also in line with the assumption of reciprocal determinism in which there is a connection in among individual, behavior and environment (behforouz & frumuselu, 2020). this means that when individuals are provided with suitable learning environment that can support their initial ability to becoming autonomous then they will shift their behaviour accordingly (wiraningsih & santosa, 2020). therefore, referring to the aforementioned aims then the research questions are as follow: (1) how is the profile of learner autonomy of the population? (2) to what extend does the e-portfolio develop the construct of learner autonomy in writing? method referring to the nature of the research questions, then, a mix method design which combines both quantitative and qualitative data were used (creswell & creswell, 2018). in this research the data were gathered by quantitatively employing non-equivalent pre-test -post-tests control group design and by qualitatively using document analysis. the first research design indicates that in order to gain the data needed there were two kinds of test required. the tests were aimed in order to find out whether the intervention, in this case the eportfolio, could cause a significant difference in regards to the autonomy development of the participants. meanwhile the document analysis was conducted as a form of collecting qualitative data. the document analysis was administered once the e-portfolio programs were completed as it was intended to depict the development of the learner autonomy in specific area of writing skills (cohen, manion, & morrison, 2018). the population of the research was consisted of 440 tenth graders of vocational high school. the pre-test on learner autonomy was administered to all of the population of the research so that two intact groups that relatively had the same level of autonomy could be taken as the samples of the research. the participants were selected on the basis of purposive sampling using intact group technique (leavy, 2018). the first class (class a) was consisted of 39 students. this class got a pre and post-test and was exposed to the use of the e-portfolio program. the other class (class b) was consisted of 30 students. this class took a pre and a post-test followed the regular learning program. the two classes were selected as the sample of the research since they have a particularly equal degree of initial autonomy development. the initial equality of the samples is paramount as it controls the validity of the research. several sources also confirm that the more similar the groups in their recruitment and the more this similarity is confirmed by the score of pre-test , then, the more valid the interpretation of the research becomes (leavy, 2018). the initial autonomy development of the two classes is as follow. table 1. the initial autonomy development of the samples class number of students mean scores class a 39 34, 00 class b 30 34,07 research instrument in order to gather the data about the use of the eportfolio in developing learner autonomy, then inventory tests were administered to the e-portfolio class and the e-portfolio free class. the inventory tests were in a form of questionnaire that consisted fitri aprianti & eline rozaliya winarto developing learner autonomy in writing through the use of e-portfolio 52 of attitudinal measures (nguyen & habók, 2021). three pedagogical principles for learner autonomy development namely learner involvement, increase english use, and learner reflection were used as a basis for developing the questionnaires. the construct of the inventory test was adapted from loan and tin (2016). in addition, the principles of the learner autonomy were also adjusted as it is aimed to reflect the development of the students’ writing skills. in the questionnaire, there were 27 items which belonged to the aspect of active involvement. the aspect of active involvement captures three interrelated sub-aspects namely planning, monitoring, and evaluating. the other 8 items were constructed to reveal the degree of the target language use. lastly 10 items were aimed to capture the effort of the students’ reflection in writing as shown on the table 2. table 2. specification of the research instrument on learner autonomy aspects sub-aspects number of item learner involvement planning 27 monitoring evaluating reflection metacognition 8 metalinguistic target language use spoken 10 written language of thought document analysis was also conducted in order to support the findings on the impact of e-portfolio on the development of learner autonomy. there were 39 e-portfolio files collected from the research participants. the collected documents were kept and analyzed accordingly. in this case, in order to ease the researcher in interpreting documents, then the documents were clustered and labelled. the results of the document analyses were sorted into two main categories of information. the first category of information is focused on revealing the indicators that could signify the impact of eportfolio in developing learner autonomy in general. meanwhile, the second category of information is focused on revealing the evidence of the development of learner autonomy in each aspect. the teaching instrument e-portfolio was used as a means of developing the construct of learner autonomy. the sections in the e-portfolio were specifically developed to match the pedagogical purpose of english writing skills in vocational high school level. the overall construct of e-portfolio is expected to be able to improve learners’ ability to carry actively involvement in, reflection on, and target language use in writing. accordingly, the e-portfolio was consisted of three components, namely; inventory task, selfassessment and showcase. the implementation of the teaching program took about 16 weeks to be fully completed. the e-portfolio files were kept in the e-learning that was owned by the school in which the study took place. yet, individual soft file was also kept by each of the research participant. table 3. teaching procedure of the e-portfolio week program 1 preliminary test & introduction to and training about the e-portfolio and its platform 2-4 inventory writing task (writing project 1) 5 reflection & inventory writing task 6-7 inventory writing task (writing project 2) 8 reflection & inventory writing task 9-10 inventory writing task (writing project 3) 11 reflection & inventory writing task 12-13 showcase 14 reflection 15 post-test 16 evaluation of the e-portfolio program & closing english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 53 rusults and discussion learner autonomy profile the profile of learner autonomy was used as a blue print in formulating e-portfolio and testing the extent to which e-portfolio can be used to develop the degree of learner autonomy. the profile of learner autonomy (in general and in the three aspects) was gathered by means of learner autonomy inventory test which was administered to the population of the study. the profile of learner autonomy in general the first segment is aimed to depict the profile of learner autonomy in general. based on the learner autonomy inventory test which was administered to the population that consisted of 440 students, it was revealed that the mean score was 36,15. mean score around 36,15 can be classified to be in the moderate category of learner autonomy. to be more precise, the frequency distribution of the students’ score based on the category of learner autonomy is on the table 4. table 4. frequency distribution of the students’ scores in the pre-test categories score interval frequency percentage mean score high >67 1 0,23 36,15 moderate 34-66 284 64,55 low <33 155 35,23 total 440 100 from the mean score it is found out that the population had moderate category of autonomy in writing. this category signifies that the students generally had not yet reached the optimum capacity to use target language constantly either in a form spoken, written, or in a form of language of thought both in face-to-face or online learning practices. in addition, the moderate category of autonomy also indicated that the students relatively had difficulties in carry active involvement as they had just begun adjusting themselves with new learning environment due to the all-sudden shift form what was originally face-to-face to full online teaching and learning process. in such a case, the students were still uncertain of how to get involved in the process of planning, monitoring, and evaluating their writing task especially the ones that were conducted online. lastly, the students were not used to reflect on the process and product of their writing. this finding further indicated the need for developing a media that could assist the students to be more autonomous especially in doing the online teaching and learning process as required by the government due to the rapid spread of corona virus in indonesia. in this case, there were two dominant factors that might have caused the moderate profile of learner autonomy of the population. the factors are the students’ age and the teaching and learning context that the students newly faced. the first factor is the students’ age. the participants of the research were the tenth graders of vocational high school. it indicated that the students’ age were in between 15 to 16 years old and they are categorized as adolescents. as adolescents, the students were on the transition phase from junior to senior high school therefore they might find it difficult to recognize their role and responsibilities in learning. these difficulties might have risen especially at the crisis of pandemic covid-19 where the students were required to learn more independently through online media. online media, in one hand, could offer its user with abundance of benefits starting from the ease of sharing learning material up to learning without space limitation, yet in other hand, it is found that without exact media or route that could capture the progress and process of the students’ learning, then the students might find learning difficult to follow. as the consequences, their motivation or willingness to take the roles and responsibilities in learning could be different and relatively unstable. the second factor is the teaching and learning context. in this case, the teaching and learning context that the students encounter can also contribute to the moderate profile of learner autonomy. at this stage, it is possible that the online teaching and learning context that the students recently encountered did not provide enough contextual learning choices and opportunities to develop learner autonomy especially in writing. for instance, the students worked on many forms of writing tasks but then at the end they tasks were scattered. thus, they might not realize on their progress in writing. on the contrary, there might have been too wide variety of the learning choices fitri aprianti & eline rozaliya winarto developing learner autonomy in writing through the use of e-portfolio 54 and opportunities for the students yet they might have difficulties in accessing it due to the limitation of the internet connection. this finding, again showed the need for an adaptive learning platform such as that of e-portfolio where it can be saved and access both offline and online. the profile of the three aspects of learner autonomy in order to give more empirical evidence regarding the profile of learner autonomy, the data gained from the test was further analysed based on the three aspects of learner autonomy namely; target language use, learner involvement, and reflection. the mean scores were used as a basis of revealing the profile of learner autonomy in every aspect. the general finding of the mean scores of the three aspects of learner autonomy is shown in chart 1. chart 1. mean scores of the three aspects of learner autonomy. as shown in the chart 1, the mean score of the target language use, learner involvement, and learner reflection were 35,53, 35,28, 38,64, respectively. all of them were on the moderate category. the result indicated that the degree of autonomy of the population could not fulfil the expectation stipulated in the newest curriculum of 2013 (educational policy number 65 and 66 year 2013, national ministerial regulations of education and culture, 2013) and the recent requirement about online teaching and learning process due to the crisis of pandemic covid-19 as stated in the educational policy number 4 year 2020 (the ministry of culture and education, 2020). the result showed that the students generally had not yet reached the optimum capacity to carry active involvement, reflection and using the target language properly in writing both the ones that were conducted offline and online. thus, this finding showed the urge of developing and implementing learning platform that could support the development of learner autonomy both in offline or online types of learning situations. again, eportfolio was signified as the finest choice as it was adaptable to be applied in online or offline form of teaching and learning processes. in this case, as the degree of autonomy of the population was relatively low then the e-portfolio program was implemented as a form of preventive intervention. the impact of the e-portfolio on learner autonomy this section addresses the second research questions guiding the study: to what extend do writing e-portfolio develop the construct of learner autonomy? accordingly, the finding and discussion in this section involves: 1) the impact of the eportfolio on developing learner autonomy in general and 2) the impact of the e-portfolio on developing the three aspects of learner autonomy (target language use, learner involvement, and learner reflection). the impact of the e-portfolio on learner autonomy in general the impact of the e-portfolio on developing learner autonomy can be inferred by analysing the difference of the mean scores of the class with the e-portfolio program and the class without the eportfolio both in the pre-test and post-test. from the quantitative data analysis (chart 2), it was found that the mean scores of both classes improved on the post-test as shown in chart 2. chart 2. mean scores of experimental and control groups in pre-test and post-test chart 2 depicts the mean scores of the class with the e-portfolio program and the class which did not. the mean scores of both classes signify that in the pre-test both groups were in the low category of autonomy. different to that in the pre-test, both groups made improvements in the post-test. the improvements are signified by the increase of mean english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 55 scores and by the change in the category of learner autonomy. the mean scores of the control group increased from 33,00 to 36,56 meanwhile the mean scores of experimental group increased from 32,86 to 56,38. in addition, the category of autonomy of the experimental group had also shifted from the low to the moderate category of autonomy. the moderate category of autonomy indicates that the students had gradually begun to take control of their own learning. as the students made improvements, then an analysis of significance of difference between the mean scores of both groups using the nonparametric independent sample t test was conducted. table 5. independent samples t test of pre-test and post-test aspect test assumption sig (2-tailed) a category learner autonomy pre-test .998 0.05 not significant post-test .000 0.05 significant table 5 shows that in the pre-test, the significance of probability (.998) was higher than alpha (.05). the result indicates that there was no significance difference between the class with eportfolio and the class without the e-portfolio in the pre-test score. conversely, in the post-test the significance of probability (.000) was lower than the alpha (0.05) which means that the null hypothesis was rejected in the level of probability of .01 (1 per cent). thus, the finding shows that the class with the e-portfolio outperformed the eportfolio free class in terms of degree of autonomy in writing. this further indicates that the e-portfolio was empirically proven to be effective in developing learner autonomy in writing. based on the document analysis it is proven that the effectiveness of e-portfolio in developing learner autonomy in writing might due to the fact that e-portfolio had given more opportunities for the students to use more target language, to get involve and to reflect on the learning process. the opportunities themselves were adaptive in a way that they can be applied both online or offline. the example of the target language use, the learner involvement, and reflection as the result of the implementation of the e-portfolio can be seen on figure 1. figure 1. the use of e-portfolio on developing learner autonomy in general figure 1 shows that in the e-portfolio program every student was guided and challenged to get involved in completing the writing projects. three writing projects were provided and in each teaching project the students followed a cycle of preparation, modelling, joint construction, and independent construction. this cycle followed the principle of writing development. in every stage e-portfolio assisted the students to document the writing progress that they have made. at the stage of preparation and modelling, for instance, the students decided the writing topics, used writing samples or models that they gathered from various sources and using various forms such as that of figure or multimedia ones. at this stage they also had more flexibility in accessing the writing materials such as that of power point presentation program or e-book. in addition, figure 1 also shows that he eportfolio also lead the students to reflect on the process and product of writing by filling the section on the reflection log which was conducted on regular basis at the end of every writing project and at end of the semester. on the reflection log the students mostly reflected their reaction of the process and product of the writing projects that they had conducted. in the reflection log the students also put forward their experiences on the revision or comment that was given by their peer or their teaching during the process of independent construction of the writing project. lastly, by the use of the e-portfolio the students were also offered opportunities to continuously use target language as a medium of communication both in the writing product and in communicating with their classmates or teacher. the use of language itself was well documented as it can be saved online. one of the evidences was in a form of the students writing drafts. the drafts were consisted of comments which were given both by their peers or by the teacher. the result of the document analysis shows that the well documented fitri aprianti & eline rozaliya winarto developing learner autonomy in writing through the use of e-portfolio 56 and constantly used of the target language may have possibly supported the initial autonomy development in writing. similar finding is also shown by büyükdumana & şirina (2010). in this case they found that the learning portfolio enhanced the autonomy of the students. the impact of the e-portfolio on the three aspects of learner autonomy the impact of the e-portfolio on the three aspects of learner autonomy was also analyzed. in this case, the mean score gained from pre-test and post-test was further analyzed based on the three aspect of learner autonomy namely; the target language use, learner involvement, and reflection. the data is shown in the chart below. chart 3. mean scores in the pre-test chart 3 depicts that in the pre-test the mean scores of all aspects of learner autonomy both in the e-portfolio class and the e-portfolio free class were on the low and the moderate category of autonomy. it signifies that the two classes had relatively similar conditions. they were all in the low category. conversely, the result of the post-test is in chart 4. chart 4. mean scores in the post-test chart 4 shows that the mean scores of the eportfolio class and the e-portfolio free class in the post-test varied. mostly they showed improvement. however, although most of the aspects showed some improvement yet it can be seen that the eportfolio class made better improvement than that of e-portfolio free class. this indication is proven from the fact that in the e-portfolio class there was no aspect found to be in low category. the detail of the findings and discussion in each aspect will be depicted in the following section. the impact of the e-portfolio on the target language use the impact of the e-portfolio could be explored by revealing the independent sample t test between pre-test scores of the two sample classes. the result of the independent t test can be seen on table 6. table 6. independent samples t test of pre-test and post-test on the aspect of tl use aspect test assumption sig (2-tailed) a category tl use pre-test 0.207 0.05 not significant post-test 0.000 0.05 significant the result in table 6 indicates that the significance (2 tailed) of probability was higher than alpha (.05). this proves that there was no significant difference between students means scores in the pre-test in 1% significance. conversely, a particularly different result was gain on the post-test. the data showed that the significance value of the post-test was .000. this means that the significance of probability was lower than alpha (0.05) which indicated that the null hypothesis was rejected in other word there was such significant difference between mean scores of experimental and control groups in the post-test in 1% significance. this finding strengthens the notion that e-portfolio enables to increase the use of english as tl during writing practice. the findings signify that the e-portfolio had an effect on maximizing the students’ use of english as target language. in this case, students who used the e-portfolio in completing their writing projects could better increase their use of target language than those who completing their writing projects in the e-portfolio free condition. in sum, the development of target language use might have occurred due to the requirement given to the students to constantly use english in form of spoken, written or language of thought in order to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 57 complete writing projects, reflections, and showcases (fadaee, marzban, & karimi, 2021). in the use of the e-portfolio the students were exposed to the cycle of preparing and constructing the different type of texts. at the stage of constructing the text type that the students were working on, they constantly conducted the editing and revising process. this process was conducted with their peers. the students received written comments on the drafts of their writing projects. based on this comment they could make some revision in order to make the text achieved its purpose more effectively. it might have supported the initial autonomy development in writing. the students’ language use ability was constantly exercised in a much more communicative way. the form of communication itself was well documented and easily shared among the class members. in addition, the requirement for the students to conduct the showcase showing their most ‘proud’ of writing project might also has its own contribution on developing the students spoken language use. although the spoken interaction was not recorded on the e-portfolio yet the students can keep the documentation in a form of phonograph or figure at the time the showcase presentation was held. this form of documentation can be very beneficial in maintaining the students’ autonomy development. lastly, the students were also required to regularly write their experiences on producing the writing projects. this had possibly supported the development of the students’ ability of using language of thought. they openly expressed their learning strategy in completing the writing projects as well as evaluated it. the impact of the e-portfolio on the learner involvement the initial result of learner active involvement shows that the students both in the e-portfolio class and in the e-portfolio free class made improvement (chart 3 and chart 4). the result of nonparametric independent sample t test is in the following table supported that the class with e-portfolio program outperformed the class without e-portfolio program. table 7. independent samples t test on the aspect of learner involvement aspect test assumption sig (2-tailed) a category learner involvement pre-test 0.774 0.05 not significant post-test 0.000 0.05 significant the result of the post-test showed that there was such significant difference in terms of the degree of active involvement between the class with eportfolio and the class without e-portfolio. the significant difference was indicated by the fact that the significance of probability (.000) was lower than the alpha (.05) which means that the null hypothesis was rejected. in this case, the class with e-portfolio outperformed the other class in terms of active involvement in writing. it means that the eportfolio has proven to be able to give significant effect on the different ways by which students can increase their involvement in writing. the positive impact of the e-portfolio in developing learner active involvement can be caused by several interrelated factors as shown from the data gained from the document analysis. firstly, the components of the e-portfolio had provided the students with adaptive and contextual learning choices so that they can get involved more in their learning. in this case, there were three indicators that signify the increase of the students’ involvement in writing. these indicators are shown in the examples of the documents that the students uploaded into their e-portfolio as follow. figure 2. examples of learner involvement the first indicator is in a form of the students’ effort on collecting self-selected writing samples and inferring writing materials from them (figure 2a). in completing the writing tasks, it was found that once the students previewed the writing purposes then each of them decided to bring their own self-selected sample of writing texts (advertisement text). this stage was considered as the initial stage toward completing their writing projects. in several references this stage was also known as the stage of preparation in writing a text. the students’ willingness and initiative to bring the fitri aprianti & eline rozaliya winarto developing learner autonomy in writing through the use of e-portfolio 58 sample texts indicates the students’ motivation to get involved more in their learning. at this stage the students’ motivation was much more pronounced as some of them were willing to bring sample texts that they have previously made. in class a, one of the students showed a sample text that she had previously made. she tried to test whether or not the text that she made fit in the schematic structure of the intended writing project (figure 1). this activity showed the students motivation to get involved more in completing their writing projects. the other indicator is in a form of the students’ attempt on making the format to present their writing tasks and the students’ ability in determining the writing project deadlines. deciding the format of presenting the writing project as well as deciding its deadline might also have challenged and boosted the students to get involved more in the learning process. as the results the students tried to get involved by identifying the goals, the tasks’ requirements, and the plans to accomplish the tasks. the impact of the e-portfolio on the learner reflection the impact of the e-portfolio on learner reflection was also revealed. here, it is depicted that the mean scores of both groups in the pre-test were 36,62 and 35,00 respectively. in other words, both groups were on the initial moderate category of learner reflection. yet on the post-test the mean score of the class with e-portfolio program had risen. this means that the category of learner reflection of the e-portfolio class had shifted from low to moderate meanwhile the e-portfolio free class stayed on the low category of learner reflection. the result of the independent sample t-test on table 8 supports this finding. table 8. independent samples t test of pre-test and post-test on the aspect of learner reflection aspect test assumption sig (2-tailed) a category learner reflection pre-test 0.309 0.05 not significant post-test 0.000 0.05 significant in this case, the independent sample t-test shows that in the post-test the probability significance (.000) was less than alpha (.05). this means that the null hypothesis was rejected in the level of probability of .05. by this it means that there was such significant difference between the mean score in the post-test of the e-portfolio class and the eportfolio free class. again, in learner reflection the class with the e-portfolio program showed better progress than that of the class without the eportfolio program. in this regard, the quantitative findings indicate that the students who used the e-portfolio in completing their writing task were found to better reflect on the process and product of their learning than those who practiced in the e-portfolio free condition. in this case, the requirements given for the students to reflect on the product and the process of completing their writing task might have possibly led the students to better understand and differentiate the process and product of writing itself. accordingly, the students’ ability of reflecting on their learning had improved. in such a case, there are several indicators that can signify the improvement of learner reflection as the result of the use of e-portfolio. figure 3. the example of reflection log in the eportfolio. the first indicator of the improvement of learner reflection is the students’ willingness to identify the strategy of learning that they typically used as well as evaluating its strengths and weaknesses. the second indicator is the students’ awareness of the importance of having purpose of learning. the third indicator is the increased their awareness of their strengths and weaknesses. the third indicator is especially shown as the students could identify one writing project that they like the most as well as declaring justification for it. the last indicator is the students’ willingness to continuing the cycle of doing the writing project, showcase, and reflection also indicated that portfolio can be used to support the reflectivity skills of the students. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 59 conclusion all in all, it can be concluded that the data showed that there is significant difference between the pretest and post-test scores of the e-portfolio class and the e-portfolio free class both in terms of autonomy in general and in every aspect in particular. in other words, the implementation of e-portfolio had been empirically proven to be able to improve learner autonomy in writing. accordingly, the result of the research supports the earlier evidence that the use of the e-portfolio can be implemented to develop learner autonomy. the findings also may reinforce and enrich the existing theories stating that eportfolio have a positive role in developing learner autonomy in writing. additionally, there are also some recommendations for english as foreign language teachers and further research. in this case it is recommended for efl teachers to play their role in making students aware of and fostering autonomy in language learning. additionally, teacher should be made aware of the barrier on the classroom management that can hinder the development learner autonomy. this may be achieved by providing them with support in a form of e-portfolio both as teaching and learning models. meanwhile for the further research it is recommended to investigate the use of e-portfolio in a more electronically friendly environment and possibly tailor it into e-portfolio, to explore the use of portfolio to develop learner autonomy not only in writing skill but also in other sills as well and lastly to use more classes or groups as the comparison for the experimental group so that the significance difference or the effectiveness of the e-portfolio can be truly depicted. figures and tables should be placed either at the top or bottom of the page and close to the text referring to them if possible. acknowledgement we would like to offer sincere appreciation and gratitude for the junior lecturer research grants which kindly held by the directorate general of higher education, ministry of national education, culture, research, and technology. in addition, we would like to acknowledge that the completion of this paper could not have been established without the valuable supervision, encouragement, and support of the pdp program’s committee and also the internal committee and supervisor for research of university of muhammadiyah cirebon. references al-qutaiti, y. o., ahmed, i., & mohin, m. (2020). effects of using e-portfolios on efl teachers’ reflections. international jounal of psychosocial rehabilitation, 24(5), pp.1968-1987. little, d. (1991). learner autonomy. dublin: authentik. marhaeni. (2015). aplikasi ruang baca. incomtech, 4(1), pp. 1-8. ministry of education and culture. (2013). government regulation no. 65 year 2013 regarding process standard. jakarta: national ministerial of education and culture. ministry of education and culture. (2013). government regulation no. 66 year 2013 regarding assessment standard. jakarta: national ministerial of education and culture. behforouz, b., & frumuselu, a. d. (2020). the impact of text messaging as an instructional tool to enhance learner autonomy and perception. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 19(11), 184–202. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.11.11 cakici, d. (2017). an investigation of learner autonomy in turkish efl context. international journal of higher education, 6(2), 89-99 https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v6n2p89 choi, h., & lee, c. h. (2020). learner autonomy in efl reading with digital technology at secondary school level. journal of asia tefl, 17(4), 1323–1345. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2020.17.4.11.1323 cohen, l., manion, l., & morrison, k. (2018). research methods in education. uk: routledge. creswell, w. john & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. sage publications. fadaee, e., marzban, a., & karimi, s. n. (2021). the relationship between autonomy, second language teaching styles, and personality traits: a case study of iranian efl teachers. cogent education, 8(1). pp. 1-27 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2021.1881203 leavy, p. (2018). research design: quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, art-based, and community-based participatory research approaches. new york: the guilford press. lengkanawati, n. s. (2017). learner autonomy in the indonesian efl settings. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 6(2), 222–231. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v6i2.4847 müller, l.-m., & goldenberg, g. (2020). education in times of crisis: the potential implications of school closures for teachers and students. chartered college of teaching. fitri aprianti & eline rozaliya winarto developing learner autonomy in writing through the use of e-portfolio 60 https://my.chartered.college/wpcontent/uploads/2020/05/cctreport070520_fina l.pdf nguyen, s. van, & habók, a. (2021). designing and validating the learner autonomy perception questionnaire. heliyon, 7(4), 1-11. .https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06831 obaid, y. (2020). effects of using e-portfolios on efl teachers' reflections. international journal of psychosocial rehabilitation, 24(5), 1968–1987. https://doi.org/10.37200/ijpr/v24i5/pr201874 hedry, h. (2020). the good, the bad and the unthinkable of learner autonomy in efl. letras, 1(67), 115– 144. https://doi.org/10.15359/rl.1-67.6 thanh loan, p., & tan tin, d. (2016). the effect of speaking e-portfolios on learner autonomy for nonenglish major students at petrovietnam university. hirao school of management review, 3(6), pp. 106-169. wiraningsih, p., & santosa, m. h. (2020). efl teachers’ challenges in promoting learner autonomy in the 21st-century learning. journal on english as a foreign language, 10(2), 290–314. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v10i2.1881 yang, f. y. (2021). efl learners’ autonomous listening practice outside of the class. sisal journal, 12(4), 328–346. https://doi.org/10.37237/110403 zhang, w., zhang, d., & zhang, l. j. (2021). metacognitive instruction for sustainable learning: learners’ perceptions of task difficulty and use of metacognitive strategies in completing integrated speaking tasks. sustainability (switzerland), 13(11), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116275 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 203 the language features of male and female beauty influencers in youtube videos clara herlina karjo department of english literature, bina nusantara university, indonesia e-mail: claraherlina@yahoo.com stephani wijaya department of english literature, bina nusantara university, indonesia e-mail: tephtastic@gmail.com apa citation: karjo, c. h., & wijaya, s. (2020). the language features of male and female beauty influencers in youtube videos. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 203-210. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2593. received: 16-03-2020 accepted: 08-05-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: nowadays, the beauty community has a rapid growth of beauty influencers from both genders. the language style that is used on each gender has its own features and characteristics that can be explored from video sharing platform, youtube. the aim of this study is to find the language features and distinctive characteristics of the male and female beauty influencers and the differences of comments from their audience. the writer applies qualitative research method by using text analysis of the video script. the data shows that male and female beauty influencers have shown differences in their features and characteristic of language. men beauty influencers tend to be more straightforward and directive. they also use a more plain and simple words. on the other hand, the women beauty influencers are more polite and intimate in using language. this study is hoped to be the foundation for further research in the same topic of language feature in gendered community within limited topic especially in this modern era. keywords: gender; language features; characteristics; beauty influencers; youtube. introduction the internet contains different kinds of contents that can be accessed such as personal blogs, education blogs, social media and many kinds of entertainment content. the entertainment aspect of internet can be found from the social media such as instagram as a photo sharing platform or youtube as a video sharing platform. youtube in particular, has grown for the past decade containing a wide variety of contents. among the most popular contents that can be found in youtube are contents created by makeup and beauty community. the beauty community content creators are popularly known as beauty influencers. they are usually endorsing and reviewing makeup brands or products for tutorial purposes. as make up products are usually targeted to women customers and the beauty community is exclusively linked to women, it is generally assumed that all beauty influencers are all women. in fact, in today’s era, gender is no longer used as a limitation for one’s occupation. thus, there are males who also choose the profession as beauty influencers although the target viewers are still women. notwithstanding that any gender can choose gender stereotyped profession such as a beauty influencer, the language used by male and female still differ in some ways. this is because a person’s language style is constructed due to the social structure in each person’s environment such as how they have been raised in their family or what kind of neighborhood and school that the person attended (eckert & mcconnel-ginet, 2013). moreover, male and female speaks differently in different social situation as it reflects the speaker’s current roles, the topic, the context and the medium of communication and also the addressee (gleason & ely, 2002). gender differences in communication are explained by the different roles that men and women hold in society (lakoff, 2004). lakoff (2004) maintained that women speech pattern differ from men because of their subordinate social status (jan, 2017). in her seminal work, lakoff (2004) suggested that women typically display a range of features such as specific terms of color, avoidance of harsh words, hedges, empty adjectives, tag questions, and intensifiers. previous studies mostly give greater attention to women’s language features. on the contrary, men’s language was rarely discussed in literature, except for the work of coates (2016). thus, the discussion of men’s language characteristics was done by comparing them against women’s language features. for example, if one feature of clara herlina karjo & stephani wijaya the language features of male and female beauty influencers in youtube videos 204 women’s language is the avoidance of swear words, then in men’s language the researcher is looking for the opposite, i.e. the use of swear words. the discussion of each language feature is detailed below. the first feature relates to the use color terms. women are known to be able to identify color terms as a different series and variation of shades with more detail and variation of the same shades whereas men’s knowledge of color is limited to the primary colors as colors sometimes look very similar to each other. for example, women can differentiate between the lavender color and mauve; while man can just say purple. the precise and detailed manner of color identification by women is due to women’s ability to differentiate accurate chrome and hue (perezcarpinell, baldovi, de fez, and castro, 1998). the women’s ability to differentiate color precisely is due to the possibility of different standard of socialization between women and men that encourage women to have broader knowledge and awareness towards colors term and variation (bimler, kirkland, & jameson, 2004). the second feature of women’s language is the avoidance of harsh language. women are generally expected to act like ladies, hence they are avoiding harsh language and instead implementing a polite and soft speech style in their language (lakoff, 2004). when women have to use harsh language in their speech, they often replace it with euphemized form of harsh language such as what the heck to replace what the fuck. on the contrary, men were found to swear and use harsh language more often than women in their speech (poynton, 1995). the next prominent feature in women’s language is the use of hedges. hedges are used to soften the way people state their opinion, as they make statements to be less direct and less strong. holmes (2013, p. 26) said that hedges may be one of the crucial aspect whether an expression is considered as polite or not from the perception of it. hedges are commonly used in women’s language to be used as a politeness device and the use of hedges can determine whether a statement can be labeled as polite or impolite from the way the speakers deliver their speech to their addressee. mulac, bradac and gibbons (2001) stated that women use more hedges in their speech as compared to men. crawford (2012) noted that women frequently use hedges because they choose to criticize others in more acceptable ways. they don’t want to be seen as opposing others directly. the next feature mentioned by lakoff is the use of empty adjectives or women-only adjectives in women’s speech. lakoff (2004) suggested that women use adjectives as an act of appreciation and admiration towards something. lakoff (2004) gave a collection of adjectives that are considered as women-only adjectives such as adorable, charming, sweet, lovely, and divine whereas neutral adjectives consist of words such as great, terrific, cool and neat. on the contrary, men mostly use judgmental adjectives in their speech as opposed to women who use adjectives as appreciation. judgmental adjectives often used in particular to criticize others, as exemplified by mulac, et al. (2001) in this sentence “his performance is poor”. the adjective poor is indicated as judgmental adjective as it criticizes the person’s performance. the use of intensifier is also featured in women’s language. intensifier is a component that usually consists of adverb or adverbial phrase that acts as a modifier to give emphasis to the word behind it. the purpose of using intensifier is to strengthen the meaning of words. there are commonly used intensifiers such as so, really, very, absolutely, too, totally, extremely, etc. lakoff (2004) found that the intensifier so is more prevalent in women’s language rather than men’s, even though there is no restriction for men to use it. even though women use intensifier more frequently than men, men is found to use intensifier that is considered as negative intensifier instead of basic intensifier such as very and really to intensify the words that follow behind. sardabi and afghari (2015) explained that a particular intensification can be employed to the use of negative words to increase the effect of the positive context behind. in the example given by sardabi and afghari (2015), “she is dreadfully beautiful”, the word dreadfully is considered as negative intensifier that intensifies the positive word behind it. besides the above features detailed by lakoff, tannen (2013) added several other features, namely rapport and report talk, being indirect, quoting others and extensive apposition. these features also differentiate male and female speech. rapport talk is defined by tannen (2013) as the way when women establish emotional connection and relationships through their speech. women use rapport talk to connect with their addressee. they prefer to talk in a more private manner as it will be felt as if the speaker is talking english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 205 privately even if in a public situation. talking in a private manner means the topic of the talk is heavily leaning to the feelings and past experiences and memories. this is done to create a relatable connection with the addressee. on the contrary, male speech is characterized by report talk. instead of talking about private matters, men are found to talk about their knowledge and skill (tannen, 2013). men are also found to be more talkative during public speaking situation. the next feature of women’s speech is being indirect while stating their opinion especially when expressing dislike or unfavorable statement. women often express something in a thoughtful and non-threatening manner towards other person especially while directing their opinions of dislike and disapproval. crawford (2012) suggested that one of the main objectives of women is to criticize others in an acceptable and respectable ways, thus being indirect and ambiguous while doing so is applied and implemented in women’s language in general. on the contrary, men love to state their opinion openly and in direct manner. as their objectives for speech is to assert their position and dominance, they tend to be more straightforward and more honest about what they think. men are not afraid to state their opinion and criticize others; hence the directness will be shown in their speech. quoting someone else also appears in women’s language. lakoff (2004) claimed that women’s personal identity is linguistically submerged by quoting what someone else has said. quotation is a tool that uses the voices of others to convey their own opinion to avoid being direct in their speech. finnegan (2011) explained that a quotation can be used as a tool to convey originality, to support or even oppose particular authority as well as approve and disapprove by using the voices of others. crawford (2012) suggested that women often use quotation due to the fact that women are inferior in general where their position is submerged with the dominance of men. hence, quoting other persons will give more credit and authority to their speech to make it more valid and authentic. finally, women are also known to use extensive apposition in their speech. women generally adopt intensive and extensive form of word to their speech instead of plain and straightforward sentence. women tend to use a lot of words especially when describing attributes towards someone (lakoff, 2004). mulac, et al. (2001) also suggested that women’s language tend to have longer sentences and intensive words. different features of male and female speeches do not only occur in physical interaction but also in digital interaction, such as through social media. several previous studies have confirmed that male and female showed distinctive language features in social media interaction. for example, in one study, fatin (2015) found that men and women have different word choice in social media twitter in which men’s language was found to be harsher than women’s. women were observed to use weaker and more polite form of language. another study by broadbridge (2003) that examined the conversational style of men and women also discovered that women use more hedges while men use more vulgar term in their speech. moreover, wahyuningsih (2018) found that women prefer to use women-only adjectives such as wonderful, extraordinary, etc. in their speech through the social media interaction. the interaction that occurs in broadcasted platform such as youtube use specific form and structure of language, which are termed as media discourse (leitner, 2017). the interaction of media discourse involves the speakers or message senders and the addressees. however, the interaction in social media is referring more to the non-present addressee, reader, listener or viewer where they often cannot make immediate response towards the sender of the message (o’keefee, 2013). because of this non-present addressee, the interaction between the beauty influencers and their followers in youtube platform is mostly dominated by the influencers themselves. the engagement and participation of the audiences is limited to giving comments and likes to the videos presented by the content creators. though the beauty influencers do not interact directly with their audiences, they still have to consider carefully the language they use in their videos. thomson, murachver and green (2001) stated that language is not something that is fixed to individual but rather constructed to each conversation. that means, who the speaker is talking to also affect the type of language used by the speaker, no matter the gender of the speaker is. as the audiences of the beauty influencers’ videos are mostly female, it is interesting to find out whether male content creators speak with their own language style or they accommodate their speech to that of their audiences. speech accomodation is defined by giles & ogay (2007) as the constant movement toward clara herlina karjo & stephani wijaya the language features of male and female beauty influencers in youtube videos 206 and away from others by changing one’s communicative behavior. similarly, holmes (2013b) defines speech accomodation as a process in which one person’s speech converge towards the speech of the person they are talking to. thus, using this equation, the beauty influencers’ language in their videos will be converging towards their viewer’s language. yet, in their study, thomson et al. (2001) found that both women and men converge to the language style more female or male like of their netpals. that means, women will converge to male style if their addresse is male; and vice versa. the previous studies discussed above mostly deal language style of male and female speakers either in physical and digital interaction. however, almost none of the studies mention how the audiences or addresses affect the language styles of the speakers. therefore, the present study, which probes the language style used by male and female beauty influencers on youtube will be quite intriquing because they will be talking to female audiences. there are three research questions that will be explored in this study. 1. what distinctive language features do male and female beauty influencers show in their videos? 2. to what extent do male and female beauty influencers accommodate their speeches for their viewers? 3. what do the viewers comment about the beauty influencers? method source of data the data for the present study were taken from four youtube videos of four well-known beauty influencers, two female and two male. the first one is nikkie, a dutch beauty influencer who frequently uploaded beauty videos since 2008. nikkie has over 12 million subscribers on her channel. the second is tati westbrook, an american beauty influencer who has become a beauty content creator since 2010 and has almost 10 million subscribers. the third one is jeffree star who has been in the industry since 2003 but he began uploading videos since 2013 and has 14 million subscribers. lastly, manny gutierrez, a former beauty consultant who has opened his beauty channel since 2014 and has 5 million subscribers. data collection procedure and analysis we selected one video from each beauty influencer, thus there are four videos used as the source of data. for the ease of analysis, all the videos cover similar topic, i.e. review of makeup foundation. the titles of the videos are: 1) pores are shaking!! fenty beauty concealer & setting poweder review by nikkie. 2) fenty beauty concealer &setting powder … honest non-sponsored thought by tati 3) the truth.. fenty beauty concealer & setting poweder by jeffree star 4) brutally honest fenty concealer and powder review! by manny gutierrez the videos were downloaded and transcribed. besides the videos, 10 prominent viewers’ comments of each video were also taken as the data. the analysis of the videos and the transcripts was done by identifying the speech features as detailed by lakoff (2004) and tannen (2013) in the speech of male and female beauty influencers. meanwhile, the comments were also categorized as positive or negative feedback for the beauty influencers. results and discussion the language that was used by four youtube beauty influencers has its own distinctive characteristics and features that were shown in their videos. thus each gender has differences in the characteristics of language that is shown in their speech although they were discussing the same topic. table 1. men and women language features language features men women color terms associative word associative word harsh language used openly none hedges avoid quick verdict expression of uncertainty empty adjectives judgmental adjectives women-only adjectives intensifiers negative intensifiers positive intensifiers slang popularly used slang limited-topic slang rapport vs report report talk rapport talk opinion direct indirect quoting someone relevant to topic irrelevant to topic vocabulary plain and direct extensive apposition english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 207 male and female language features there are a total of ten language features with its own distinctive characteristics for each language feature. the language features consists of color terms, harsh language, hedges, empty adjectives, intensifiers, slang, rapport and report talk, opinion, quoting someone and vocabulary usage where each gender has their own and distinctive characteristics that are shown while the youtube beauty influencers are presenting their video in the same topic of discussion. the first feature, color terms, was shared by both genders. women, however, were using associative words in describing colors. the associative words are words that are similar to the color of real objects in life such as the use of banana to describe the color yellow and lavender to describe the color light purple. in this topic of research that is related to beauty influencer, color is extremely important and crucial especially in describing the shades of product that is currently in review or tutorials. association is one of the methods to facilitate understanding of color terms by comparing them to real objects that are generally known by the society. on the other hand, the men in the data use a more direct approach towards color terms. instead of using associative words towards the color terms, the men chose to explain the color instead. thus, instead of using the word ivory, men preferred to use yellowish white. moreover, if the men described the color with mauve instead of pinkish purple, they will be seen as either “imitating a woman sarcastically, or a homosexual, or an interior decorator” (lakoff, 1975). women are thought to have the ability to differentiate accurate chrome and hue than men (perez-calpiness, baldovi, defez & castro (1998). consequently, different shades of the same color are more visible to women than to men. the next language feature is harsh language. harsh language is common in spoken communication and usually spoken by men. harsh language contains words such as fuck which is popularly used as exclamation and bitch that is popularly used to address oneself or someone else. women tend to avoid harsh language altogether and avoid using it in their speech. the female speakers, nikkie and tati, used euphemism such as dang it to replace dammit or chose the word freaking instead of fucking. meanwhile, the male presenters jeffree and manny used harsh language openly in their speech. women tend to avoid harsh languages in their speech as they were expected to act as ladies since they were a child (lakoff, 2004). the third feature is hedges. hedges appear as verbs such as i wonder, i reckon, and i think as well as modal expression such as maybe, could be or the most frequently used hedge forms which is adverb such as kind of and sort of. using hedges in communication is to lessen the impact of the statement and usually displayed as a form of politeness. although all presenters were using hedges in their videos, their purposes varied. nikkie and tati used hedges to express their uncertainty in their statements to make them appear less direct and more polite. on the other hand, jeffree and manny used hedges as a tool to avoid quick verdict to things that they are reviewing, avoiding immediate blame towards one product or brand. crawford (2012) suggested that women criticized others in an acceptable way. hence, hedge that acts as a tool to soften and lessen impact of statement is used to express their dissatisfaction and preference towards things without straightforwardly display their lack of satisfaction. on the contrary, jeffree and manny use hedges to show their uncertainty of the product and not to express their personal preference. the next feature, empty adjectives, was extensively used in beauty influencers’ speech. for this particular feature, jeffree and manny used more adjectives than nikkie and tati. however, the type of adjectives used by each gender differed. female presenters were found to use women-only adjectives such as adorable, lovely, etc. and largely used by women as women often used to express their admiration towards something (lakoff, 1975). besides those empty adjectives, women also use the words such as vanilla and juicy as adjectives. meanwhile, male presenters mostly used judgmental adjectives such as weird and bizarre to describe the product. judgmental adjectives often contained a critical point of view within the expressed opinion (mulac, bradac & gibbons, 2001) as jeffree was describing the unusual texture of the product that he is currently reviewing. the following feature, intensifier acts as modifier to give additional emphasis and to intensify the subsequent words. women in particular are found to frequently use intensifier in their speech. they used intensifier to show emotional emphasis and to give more impact on the effect of the message they wanted to deliver. female presenters were found to use intensifier clara herlina karjo & stephani wijaya the language features of male and female beauty influencers in youtube videos 208 mostly to express their positive emotions such as happiness and love towards the product that they were reviewing. on the contrary, the males used intensifiers to express their opinion and judgment towards the product. manny particularly used negative intensifier such as hella (hell of) to intensify the word that followed it. on the contrary, the females only used basic intensifiers such as really, so, too and very. intensifiers, therefore, were used to drive the audience’s emotions (stock, 2010). the sixth feature found is slang. slangs can be categorized into commonly used slangs in internet-users community and limited topic slangs which exclusively belonged and used by particular group of people. common and popular slangs consist of words commonly used nowadays for example the word tea for gossip. on the contrary, limited topic slang like cakey (to describe skin texture while wearing makeup) only belongs to the makeup and beauty community. thus, from the data, male presenters were found to use popular slang in their speech instead of slang that is related to beauty. the word tea and flops were found in the men’s data whereas the words such as crinkly, holy grail, crunchy and cakey, which strictly related to beauty community, were found in women’s speech. male presenters in this study were using more slangs than females. this is in accord with poynton’s (1995) indication that men generally have higher number of slangs in their speech. on the contrary, slang usage featured less in women’s speech as slang is considered as informal form of communication that sometimes can be considered unfitting and raffish due to the politeness that is often applied in women’s speech. the subsequent feature is the usage of rapport talk and report talk. rapport talk is defined as a way to communicate by establishing emotional connection to build closer relationship, thus the addressee will feel as if the speaker is talking in a more private manner even though it is a public situation by sharing their personal and private past occurrences and experiences as a way to share one’s feeling (tannen, 2013). conversely, report talk, is a way of communication where one often share their knowledge and skills instead of personal past occurrences that seems to be intimate and private. the knowledge and skill sharing is used by the speaker to hold their position in the stage by sharing info information and output as it will assert one’s position in public situation. from the data, women were seen to use more rapport talk while men were using report talk. during the opening of the videos, women presenters began by sharing their personal information for around 30 seconds before mentioning the brands and products’ name. this kind of talk was done so that the viewers can feel the intimacy and sympathy towards the speakers. in contrast, the male presenters talked less of their personal feelings and intimacy towards their viewers but merely sharing information and facts about the products. the next feature is directness. since the videos were about reviewing make up products, presenters should at least share their opinion or judgment on the products. here, women generally favor uncertainty, hence strong opinion and being direct is scarce to be found. when expressing their dissatisfaction and disappointment, they stated their opinion indirectly by saying something vaguely. so, when these female presenters did not like the product, they would use body language like shaking her head along with uh and eh, instead of saying i didn’t like it. quite the opposite, males shared their opinions directly without worrying about what other people think of them. jeffree, for example, stated directly 100% not jeffree star approved when he did not like the product. the following language feature is quoting someone else. quotation is used when someone wants to extract word by word or phrase that someone else has said before. quoting other people might relate with how women’s personal identity is linguistically submerged where women’s role in the society traditionally favor euphemism and dependent towards others instead of stand by her own opinion. therefore, quoting other people can act as a way to give more validation towards the statement that is delivered (crawford, 2012). both men and women presenters used quotation but they had different purposes. female presenters quoted other people and themselves. the topic of the quotation was sometimes irrelevant to the topic of the video they were making. they were quoting something related to their personal life instead of beauty topic. in contrast, male presenters shared quotation of other people but the topic was still related to make up and beauty. the last feature found in the male and female speech is apposition or the use of two or more similar words or phrases to describe one particular thing. in the data, women were found to english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 209 use more extensive apposition when they were reviewing the products. for example, nikkie used the words smooth, highlighted, perfected, and lifted to describe how the product works. meanwhile, the males only used the word such as beautiful or pretty to describe similar product. women’s use of extensive apposition can be due to the fact that women often interpret accurately and sensitively towards their speech to other person especially their fellow women (crawford, 2012; mulac, et al., 2001). viewers’ feedbacks audience’s feedback towards youtube beauty influencers can be found in each of their videos where their followers or audiences interact and give their comments as well as reactions or suggestions towards the beauty influencers. viewers’ comments can be categorized as media discourse. media discourse is an interaction that is happening in a digital media where the interaction is oriented to a non-present addressee where an immediate response rarely happens as it takes place digitally in the media. comments can be given in the form of expressions or emoticons regarding the products being reviewed or the speakers themselves. the comments for nikkie consist of 8 positive ones and 2 negative ones. the positive commentators wrote about nikkie’s personality rather than the product she was reviewing. meanwhile, the other two comments contain critical feedback and suggestions for her future videos as her audiences cannot see clearly regarding the texture or a closer look of the makeup on her face. half of nikkie’s comment section also uses emoticons as a form of expression where all of the emoticons either show love sign or smiling and laughing face expression. next, tati’s comment section also contains 8 positive feedbacks. similar to nikkie’s, tati’s comment section is also generally directed to her personal life instead of to the product and brands that she is reviewing. four of the comments contain emoticon as a form of expression. in jeffree’s comment section, all the 10 comments are positive. most of the feedbacks found in the comment section do not feature emoticon in their comment. however, all of the comments generally said about how humble jeffree is, knowing that he is rich but still being honest about the product when it has an expensive price tag. the last one is manny’s comment section. unlike the other youtube beauty influencers, manny’s comment section is filled with negative comments instead of positive comments especially because of his scandal of fair use of copyright content that he strike to smaller youtube channel earlier last year. nine out of ten comments are negative comments with emoticons of snake as one of the most used emoticons in the comment section that acts as a symbol of evil. from the comment section, it can be seen that comments towards the beauty influencers are mostly positive. moreover, the comments mostly applied informal language rather than formal form of communication. the connection between each youtube beauty influencer and their audience is reflected through the comments that are given by their viewers. nikkie, tati and jeffree in particular have a good relationship with their viewers whereas manny’s relationship with his viewers is considerably bad, following his scandal of copyright issue. the comment section in youtube acts as a place to leave criticisms and suggestions as well as compliments to their favorite youtube beauty influencers. through this digital media, a non-verbal communication is recorded as the main mechanism of communication and participation between the beauty influencers as the sender and their audiences as the receiver. conclusion there are two major findings that this study achieved. first, both male and female you tube share similar language features. those language features were color terms, harsh language, hedges, empty adjectives, intensifier, slang, rapport and report talk, direct and indirect opinion quoting other people and the use of extensive vocabulary. however, even though some features are shared by both genders, male and female beauty influencers still showed specific characteristics in their speech. for example, the color terms expressed by females were using associative words while males used basic color terms. also in the use of slang, female speakers limited the use of slangs to those related to makeup and beauty, while the male speakers used more general slang words. these results indicated that male and female beauty influencers still maintain their respective gender language style although their audiences are from the opposite gender. in other words, male influencers did not accommodate their speech towards their female audiences. regarding the comments, most viewers gave clara herlina karjo & stephani wijaya the language features of male and female beauty influencers in youtube videos 210 positive comments towards the beauty influencers. however the comments towards the female speakers mostly relate to the speakers’ personal matters; however to the males they commented on the products being reviewed. for future research, researchers are suggested to find data from the opposite situation. for example, researchers can analyze the speech of women who are working in male dominant environment, such as women who are working in offshore oil exploration. moreover, the data can be taken from movie or real life interaction. references bimler, d. l., kirkland, j., & jameson, k. a. (2004). quantifying variations in personal color spaces: are these sex differences in color vision. color research & application, 29(2), 128-134. doi: 10.1002/col.10232. bouvier, g. (2015). what is a discourse approach to twitter, facebook, youtube and other social media: connecting with other academic fields? journal of multicultural discourses, 10(2), 149162. doi: 10.1080/17447143.2015.1042381. broadbridge, j. (2003). an investigation into differences between women's and men's speech. unpublished thesis. birmingham: the university of birmingham. coates, j. (2016). women, men and language. new york: routledge linguistic classic. crawford, m. (2012). talking difference: on gender and language. thousand oaks, ca: sage publications inc. eckert, p., & mcconnel-ginet, s. (2013). language and gender. cambridge: cambridge university press. fatin, m. (2015). the differences between men and women language styles in writing twitter updates. jurnal ilmiah mahasiswa fib. gersamia, m., & toradze, m. (2017). communication function of social networks in media education: the case of georgia. the international journal on media management, 3(1), 195-206. giles, h., & ogay, t. (2007). communication accomodation theory. in b.b. whaley & w. samter (eds.), explaining communication: contemporary theories and exemplars (pp. 293310). mahwah, nj: lawrence erlbaum. gleason, j., & ely, r. (2002). gender differences in language development. biology, society, and behaviour: the development of sex differences in cognition, 21, 127-154. holmes, j. (2013). women, men and politeness. new york: routledge holmes, j. (2013b). an introduction to sociolinguistics. london: longman. lakoff, r. (2004). language and woman's place. language in society, 2(1), 45-80. leitner, g. (2017). the sociolinguistics of communication media. in f. coulmas (ed.), the handbook of sociolinguistics (pp. 129-140). blackwell publishing. mulac, a., bradac, j. j., & gibbons, p. (2001). empirical support for the gender-as-culture hypothesis: an intercultural analysis of male/female language differences. human communication research, 27(1), 121-152. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2958.2001.tb00778.x. o'keffee, a. (2013). media and discourse analysis. in j. paul gee, & m. handford (eds.), the routledge handbook of discourse analysis (pp. 441-454). oxford: routledge. perez-carpinell, j., baldovi, r., de fez, m. d., & castro, j. (1998). color memory matching: time effect and other factors. color research & application, 23(4), 234-247. poynton, c. (1995). language and gender: making the difference. oxford: oxford university press. sardabi, n., & afghari, a. (2015). gender differences in the use of intensifiers. journal of applied linguistics and language research, 2(7), 203213. tannen, d. (2013). you just dont understand. new york: harper collins. thomson, r., murachver, t., & green, j. (2001). where is gender in gendered language? psychological sciencce, 12(2), 171-175. doi: 10.1111%2f1467-9280.00329. wahyuningsih, s. (2018). men and women differences in using language: a case study of students at stain kudus. journal of english education, literature and culture, 3(1), 79-90. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 299 needs analysis-based english syllabus for computer science students of bina darma university ira septiana english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: iraseptiana733@gmail.com ismail petrus english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: ismailpetrus@yahoo.com rita inderawati (corresponding author) department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa citation: septiana, i., petrus, i., & inderawati, r. (2020). needs analysis-based english syllabus for computer science students of bina darma university. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 299-310. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.3027. received: 21-01-2020 accepted: 27-03-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: this study aims to design an appropriate english syllabus for computer science students of bina darma university. this study analyzes the needs of students using target situation analysis (tsa), deficiency analysis (da), and strategy analysis (sa). descriptive analysis approach method is used in this study. there were 61 students in the second semester of bina darma palembang majoring in computers, 1 lecturer and director of the institute involved in this study. data were collected obtained from questionnaires, interview, observation, and documents review. the results show that the target needs are speaking and writing skill. the two language basic skills get a large portion in the preparation of the english syllabus. in addition, students need a learning process to focus more on practice than theory. the learning process also needs to be integrated with technology to make classroom activities more interesting. finally, this study proposes a syllabus that is recommended to use in the institution. keywords: need analysis; course framework; teaching materials; computer science; english syllabus. introduction designing appropriate syllabus of english for specific purposes (esp) which is based on need analysis is extremely demanded. english syllabus for special purposes that is well designed and able to meet the needs of its students is of concern to many academies in many countries. because the learning process of english will not run smoothly and successfully if it is not supported by a convincing syllabus. studies about this issue have been conducted by javid and zahid (2013), zahra and ali (2015), badruddin (2015), yusnita (2016), fareen (2017), belinda (2017), murphy (2018), sartika, puspita and imranuddin (2018), wu and lou (2018) and muhammad and raof (2019). javid and zahid (2013) confirmed that esp is still as a major concern of english teacher around the world. esp courses are likely to be designed for adult learners but may be organized for learners at the secondary school level. however, zahra and ali (2015) and murphy (2018) warned that a well-written syllabus could provide a doorway into the pedagogical beliefs of the teacher, it is a well-written description: a plan about what to be included in the course for the learning objectives. a study was conducted by badruddin (2015) confirmed that students' language needs include language skills and learning preferences. this research reveals that of the three language skills, reading is often used and learning through listening and speaking were mostly preferred by students. in line with this, yusnita (2016) explored needs analysis through discussing the principles of material design and reading strategies, discussing work agreements, syllabi, reading material, and using sample lessons. needs analysis is obtained after exploring information about what knowledge and skills are needed as a basis for developing the course framework and teaching materials. likewise, about class mailto:ismailpetrus@yahoo.com mailto:rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id ira septiana, ismail petrus, & rita inderawati needs analysis-based english syllabus for computer science students of bina darma university 300 activities and climate what is needed by students. yusnita (2016, p. 28) asserted that: “this course framework contained general points of reading themes and topics, information of classroom activities that followed up reading, the length of study session, the number of the course meetings, and the number of participants. the course framework became the basis to write the syllabus. finally, the syllabus became the basis for designing reading materials”. incorporation syllabus and cultural aspect is very important to be noted. about this, fareen (2017) firmed that english teachers should incorporate cultural elements in their syllabus on metadata materials to prepare learning materials that are suitable for students 'needs and to develop students' awareness of these linguistic features. this is what belinda (2017) warned that syllabus is concerned with the specification and planning of what is to be learned. however, syllabus is a series of planning materials to be studied by students. but a good, precise and effective syllabus can only be designed based on students' needs. a research on communicative english syllabus conducted by sartika, puspita and imranuddin (2018) revealed that speaking skills are the most needed aspects of hospitality students in bengkulu when compared to other language skills (reading, listening and writing). this needs mapping is the basis for preparing a syllabus according to their needs. therefore, communicative english syllabus based on the results of this study must provide a large language exposure for students. the syllabus has to be designed based on communicative an approach that emphasizes communication and real life situations. syllabus based the communicative approach will help students use language as a tool communication on every aspect working conditions at the hotel in order to improve their language skills when they interact with hotel customers. undoubtedly, needs analysis is the basis for english teachers to design a course framework and syllabus that is relevant to the needs of their students. a good syllabus that really makes the needs of students as the main reference for the preparation of teaching materials (wu and lou, 2018). muhammad and raof (2019) analyzed the english language needs of engineering students studying at saudi universities and to identify what academic assignments they often need. participants' perceptions of task targets were compared and examined to see if there were significant differences between groups based on department specialization or year of study. in all, 27 assignments were identified as being most often performed by undergraduate students in all engineering departments at the university. this finding also revealed significant differences in undergraduate responses at the four study levels. this finding suggests incorporating these tasks into the current esp syllabus that is tailored to the immediate needs of engineering graduates. from various studies on the design of the english syllabus for special needs emerged that the analysis of student needs became the main reference and basis for course framework. analysis of student needs is certainly diverse in various educational institutions and regions so that requires a different syllabus design approach according to their individual needs. identifying various types of student needs and analyzing them are simultaneous activities that must be carried out by english teachers so that they find the right patterns in designing syllabi. from previous research also emerged that there has been no research that specifically examines the needs analysis of students of the faculty of computer, bina darma university, palembang method research site and participants this study is conducted at bina darma university concentrating on second semester with a accreditation. this study analyzes the needs of students using target situation analysis (tsa), deficiency analysis (da), and strategy analysis (sa). this university was considered as the field of study due to its easy accessibility. another reason was the urgency of having the specific english syllabus which is compatible with esp approach. here, the researcher focused on third semester students. the consideration to choose third semester students is suggested by the head master from this institution due to their unavailability of english syllabus and his consideration to make third semester students as the starting point for having needs-analysis syllabus design. therefore, the focus of this study was the computer majoring. according to the first study was conducted by wu & lou (2018) of yangtze university. the purposes of the study were to depict the existence conditions of the present english course; to find out the students need and the faculty expectations on the english course through need analysis, and to propose a better english course design based on the need analysis. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 301 the research participants for this study secondyear students of computer science department of university of bina darma palembang and one teacher of english who teach computer expertise program and three classes that consist of 61 second semester students of computer program. triangulation triangulation is an attempt or map out, or more fully, the richness and complexity plain of human behavior by studying it from more than one stand point (huang, 2018). furthermore, for an overall improvement in the quality of the result needs analysis, the best approach is triangulation of sources and methods (hotham, vogt, & tulkki, 2013). there are four basic types of triangulation proposed by ngulube and ngulube (2015) i.e.: data triangulation, investigator triangulation, theory triangulation and methodological triangulation. data collection to collect the data, the researcher used four instruments. the instruments included questionnaire, interview, observation and document review. needs analysis questionnaire are distributed to the students in the classroom to find out the target needs and learning needs. the questionnaire format is adapted from wu and lou (2018) and the questions were adopted from dewi and amri (2019). which had been developed referred to the theory of needs assessment proposed by wu and lou (2018). thus, the questionnaire was made up appropriate with the learners involved. there were altogether 34 questions in the questionnaire: 6 items for students’ profile, 4 items for the target situation analysis, 20 items for the present situation analysis, 1 item for deficiency analysis, and 3 items for strategy analysis, the questions were in indonesia language in order to each the students to answer the questions. interview is one of research methods that is used to collect the data needed based on the purpose of a study (astuti and lammers, 2017). in line with that, defines interview as a dialogue between interviewers who wants to gather information from interviewer. kumar (2018) classifies the interview data process into: unstructured open-ended interview, semi structured interview and focus group interviews, the three interview models chosen because it is possible for researchers to receive broad answers and unexpected answers that could be developed there two forms of interview guides in this study, one is administered to the teacher of english who teach second semester students of computer program expertise area and the other is administered to the director from this institution through unstructured open-ended interview. the interview questions are translated into indonesian language in order to ease the interviewer in answering the questions. the interview results were recorded by using voice recorder and then transcribed descriptively. through observation, researchers will investigate classroom settings and teaching and learning activities in english in the third semester computer program expertise class at bina darma university palembang. (turner, 2015; cardinal, 2015; burton, 2015). states that observations observe the behavior of people in certain situations to obtain information about a phenomenon. observations will be focused on classroom settings and teaching and learning processes to help answer research questions number 2. observations are conducted one day in three classes for 60 students inthe second semester. during observations, researchers take field notes about class facilities and infrastructure as well as the process teaching and learning to obtain additional information and/or verify data obtained from questionnaires and interviews. documents review belongs to gathering information activity through some documents such as books, daily reports, and etc. the documents review was taken to support the primary data. in this study, the researcher reviewed the syllabus and lesson plan used by the teacher of english. the focus was on the contents and organization, and the approach. data analysis this research will be used descriptive qualitative data to answer research questions 1 and 2, the researcher administered the needs analysis questionnaire to the students in order to find out their target needs and learning needs. needs analysis theory had been reviewed and compared to the data collected from questionnaire, interview, observation, and documents review. then, the results of needs analysis were used to design and propose the english syllabus which was the research questions 3. in data collection process, the researcher will used questionnaire result as the primary data. in order to answer the first and second research questions on the students’ target and learning needs, the questionnaire data had been obtained from four subcategories of needs analysis i.e. target situation analysis (tsa). present ira septiana, ismail petrus, & rita inderawati needs analysis-based english syllabus for computer science students of bina darma university 302 situation analysis (psa), deficiency analysis (da), and strategy analysis (sa) (appendix a). target needs were discovered from psa, tsa, and da, meanwhile learning needs were discovered from sa. then, the students’ questionnaires were analyzed quantitatively by using frequencies in data tabulation and percentages for each item of questionnaire. the highest percentage of the answers of each question is considered representing students’ needs. the tables are used to display the results. then, the data results were presented descriptively. the interview is based on interview guide. the participants for this interview are the teacher of english and the director of institution of university of bina darma palembang the director of institution of university of bina darma palembang. the interview session for the teachers of english is expected to find out the students prelearning situation, present situation, and future situation and the learning process which is implied. thus, the interview session for the rector and director of curriculum was aimed to dig the stakeholders’ hope and expectation in producing skillful and knowledgeable graduates from university of bina darma palembang. the interview will be recorded by using voice recorder and then it will be transcribed descriptively in order to strengthen the questionnaire results. in order to obtain any supporting information for questionnaire and interview results, observation technique is conducted. the directobservation is done in this technique. the researcher will take some pictures and wrote notes (field-note taking) during the study. the notes had been written soon after leaving the classroom. the notes were divided into two sessions, descriptive information and reflective information. the descriptive information included all the factual data that is being recorded, i.e. time and date, the physical setting, social environment and the descriptions of the subject and object being studied and their roles. the reflective information includes the observer’s reflections about the observation, i.e. ideas, questions, concerns, and other related thought (beaudoin, 2017). the first point observed was about classroom setting and the second point observed was about teaching and learning process. in observing the classroom setting, the researched focus on its physical condition. moreover, the researcher observed the teaching and learning process in order to see the alignment among the process and the syllabus and lesson plan. after obtaining the results, then it was transcribed descriptively. the documents that had been reviewed and described by the researcher were syllabus used by the teacher. the researcher will be tried to analyzed the components contained in the syllabus to the universities guidance and also reviewed the lesson plan created by the teacher based on syllabus. those documents are obtained from university of bina darma palembang and will support the data obtained from the other instruments. results and discussion based on the result of needs analysis questionnaire that was given to the students. the questionnaire was divided into five sections (rahman. m, 2015). the first section consisted of students' profiles, second section was target situation analysis (tsa), third section was present situation analysis (psa), fourth section was deficiency analysis (da), and the last section was strategy analysis (sa). those analyses analyze students' target needs and learning needs at computer majoring students university, especially information system study program (s1) and informatics engineering (s1) second semester students. the descriptions of the needs analysis are presented below. students' profiles the data collected from this section were students' name, age, school, grade, and expertise program. there were 48 students from information system study program (s1) semester 2, and informatics engineering students (s1) semester 2 were 12 students. based on the profile filled by students in the questionnaire following the division of students based on the genre. target situation analysis (tsa) this part presents students' general intentions in learning english, students expectation of their english proficiency level and mastery in the target situation, and students' english necessity for their future work. there are four questions that represent those aspects which are shown in summary, the results of questionnaire related to the theory wu and lou (2018). formulated that the framework of analysis of tsa's most famous needs. tsa refers to the tasks and activities undertaken by the learners / will use english for the target situation revealed that the student’ necessities toward learning english were to communicate fluently to foreigners, english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 303 clients/guests, and colleagues for present time to future form to others. therefore, to assist the necessities of the students, being familiar with computer term and able to use grammar correctly would also useful to support their career in the computer skills area, as the consequence, these facts should be considered by the teacher of english and the stakeholders to accommodate it properly. presents situation analysis (psa) there are twelve data information that can be obtained from present situation analysis (psa). the information was about student’s current proficiency level of english, desired speaking input, length of text for speaking, speaking topic, desired reading input, length of text for reading, reading topic desired writing input, length of text for writing, and writing topic. besides, the data obtained were also about student’s preference learning activities, speaking, reading, writing, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. in summary concluded that analyzes the present situation analysis (psa) related to the theory (xing, 2018) described that the psa (analysis of the present situation) attempt to determine what students are doing at the beginning of their language courses, see their strengths and weaknesses. from the results of questionnaires, it can be concluded that the input of learning for listening, speaking, reading and writing skills is dominated by computer problems for learning topics. therefore, students prefer a variety of activities for each skill. deficiency analysis (da) this part presents students’ language skills and aspect difficulties that had been analyzed through deficiency analysis (da). there were eight choices provided in the questionnaire about students’ language skills and aspects difficulties. the choices were; listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. table 1. students' language skills and aspects difficulties no question item respondent percentage 1 students' difficultties of language skills and aspect listening 36 59,1% speaking 15 24,6% grammar 8 13,1% pronunciation 6 9,83% reading 4 6,6% vocabulary 3 4,9% writing 2 3,3% etc 3 4,9% based on the results above, related the theory from wu and lou (2018). in the model, needs analysis consists of two parts: target situation needs and learning needs. target needs include "necessities", "lacks" and "wants". "necessities" are determined by the demand of the target situation. they are the necessary needs that enable the learner to use effectively in the target situation. "lacks" are the gap between "necessities" and what the learner already knows, that is the existing proficiency of the learners. "wants" are learners' subjective needs, which has no direct relationship between the objective needs perceived by the teachers and course designers. learning needs, on the other hand, are how learners learn the language. it can be summarized from the theory and result questionnaire that the students considered themselves having difficulties in almost all of the language, but all of the that english lesson is still regarded as difficult for the students. therefore, the teacher of english should make an innovative learning to engage the students in the classroom. strategy analysis (sa) this part presents students’ preferred ways of learning and students’ point of view towards teacher’s role in teaching and learning process. the information gathered from three question in the questionnaire drew the strategy analysis (sa) required by the students. the first data obtained from the sa was about classroom arrangement to complete the task, individual work, park work, or group work. in short, the data collected from these questions shows students 'classroom management preferences, student learning style preferences, and students' expectations about the teacher's role. somehow, the results of the analysis help the course designer, lecturer, or teacher to make the course / class more interesting, enjoyable, and effective for teaching and learning processes related to theory according to chandra (2015), class management has two different objectives: ira septiana, ismail petrus, & rita inderawati needs analysis-based english syllabus for computer science students of bina darma university 304 "this not only strives to build and maintain an orderly environment so that students can engage in meaningful academic learning, but also aims to enhance students' social and moral growth ". it can be concluded that in the classroom the teacher should always get his focus from the students so that learning will run successfully overall, the result of needs analysis questionnaire above was made to design syllabus together with the results of interview, observation, and document review. in this study, two interviewers were involved in order to support the data obtained from the questionnaire. the interviewers were the teacher of english of second semester of computer majoring and the director of institution of university. therefore, to keep the interviewees anonymous, initials would be used in presenting the information source. in this study, the researcher had reviewed two documents; syllabus and lesson plan. these documents were taken from bina darma university. those documents which were obtained showed that the content provided were not in details and suitable for computer expertise program. the syllabus observed had no specific content related to computer area. it was also portrayed on the lesson plan made by the teacher which contained general english not specific english. the core competences and basic competences in the syllabus were taken specifically of each unit considering the majors in which students enroll for. it described only the learning materials in which the teacher could convey the materials. the materials, therefore, could be adopted for any students’ majors. as the consequence, the lesson plan which is derived from the syllabus had no significant different related to the materials and the learning process. after the data had been analyzed and triangulated, the target needs were derived from necessities, lacks, and wants obtained from the four data sources. the necessities for the students included language aspects and language skills which need to be mastered by the students i.e. speaking and listening. the details of speaking skill were conversation with the computer field. then the details of listening skill were understood what the colleagues said and the partners said about computer field. for the language aspect the data showed that there were two language aspects which were needed by the students i.e. pronunciation and grammar. based on the results of students’ questionnaire and the interview session, it could be concluded that the specialized pronoun ions about computers content was needed. therefore, mastering grammar which could help the language skills and aspect implementation was also needed. the lacks of the students which were obtained from the data information concerned on difficulties and weaknesses. as the results of the data analysis, it was obviously seen that the students were lack of speaking and writing skills. the results of students’ questionnaire also revealed that their lack of language aspect was also on vocabulary and grammar. this fact was also supported by the interview results with the teacher of english that the students were lack of vocabulary. indeed, the lack of speaking and writing skills of students was affected by their lack of english term and grammar mastery. therefore, the students needed to be treated by having more practices in the learning process. besides the necessities, the other thing which is needed to be accommodated is the learners’ wants. from the questionnaire results, it was revealed that the students’ personal reason to learn english was too able to communicate with foreigners. however, these students want would be accommodated since it was correlated to their necessities. then, although the students had chosen their priorities of language skills, the students still would like to have four language skills taught based on their wants. unfortunately, due to time limitation, the researcher composed the syllabus by having speaking and writing as the dominant skills to be taught and could not accomplished students’ want to also have listened and reading. in addition to target needs, the data also provide information for the learning needs. the needs contained information such as mode, learning activities, practice, media, students’ role, and teacher’s role. the learning needs are somehow related to ‘route’ which is needs to go from ‘lacks’ or starting point to ‘necessities’ or destination. the modes used were oral and written. the learning activities applied were dialogue, role play, arrange jumbled sentences form sentences, correcting incorrect sentence structure and punctuation, highlighting discussing content, and composing text. for the language aspect, vocabulary task and grammar task were given to the students. the practices in the syllabus were based on practice-based learning, ict-based learning, and pair/group discussion. the media used were the facilities such as laptop/computer, lcd, and audio visual aid which were provided in the language laboratory which can be used in english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 305 the classroom’ role. the students would like to have pair/group discussion to do task or solve problems in learning process. the teacher’ role in the learning process which was preferred by students was as guide and facilitator. table 2. target needs and learning needs target needs necessities language skills  speaking (asking, describing, giving question in orally)  writing (how to write email, note, proposal …etc.) language aspect  specialized vocabulary (computer)  grammar lacks language skills  speaking  writing language aspect  vocabulary  grammar wants language skills  speaking (dialogue practicing related to computer topic)  writing (example text of computer topic)  listening (dialogue with picture of computer topic) mode  oral  written learning activities  dialogue  arranging jumbled sentences  correcting incorrect sentence structure and punctuation  highlighting discussion content  composing text practice  practice-based learning  ict-based learning  pair/group discussion media  laptop  lcd  audio visual students’ role  pair/group discussion to do task or solve problems teachers’ role  as tutor  as facilitator proposed syllabus design this proposed syllabus design followed the results of target needs and learning needs obtained from the field. therefore, the researcher also compromised the teacher of english and the director of institution. the details are started from rationale, aims and objectives, teaching method, teaching materials, assessment, and teaching media. rationale the syllabus was for computer major students bina darma university palembang. the class was english for occupational purposes (eop) which focused on speaking and writing and furnished with vocabulary and grammar. this concept was suitable with absolute characteristics and variable characteristics mentioned by wu. j & lou. y (2018). the students categorized as basic english learner who needed basic grammar and specialized vocabulary so it could help them improving speaking and writing skills (oral and written). therefore, every meeting always focuses on grammar, vocabulary, writing, and speaking. based on the analysis, the students wanted to have all four language skills taught, yet the researcher could not accomplish the students’ wants due to time limitation. hopefully, the students were able to reach the aims of the teaching and learning process by following the syllabus which had been designed through needs analysis. aims and objectives this part explains the aims and objectives of the english teaching and learning of computer major. in general, the aims of the students at the end of learning process are to: 1. improve students’ ability to be fluent in oral written communication ira septiana, ismail petrus, & rita inderawati needs analysis-based english syllabus for computer science students of bina darma university 306 2. enrich students’ ability to master vocabulary related to computer content 3. comprehend basic grammar and its language function for real conversation at class and future job later. the objectives of the course were formulated as shown below. speaking: the students are able to form sentences for  greeting and self-introduction  describing job  describing computer hardware  asking and giving information about solving customer service problems writing: 1. the students are able to  reply to the email about introduce yourself and three people in your group  write a job description  write an email about comparing product  write sentence about comparing software  write a report 2. the students are able to arrange or compose sentences into good paragraph vocabulary: 1. the students are able to increase and understand vocabulary related to their expertise program: jobs, computer, websites, database, networking, reporting 2. the students are able to apply the vocabulary use into real situation 3. the students are able to form sentences by using the vocabulary taught grammar: 1. the students are able to understand basic grammar structures  tenses  schedules  superlatives  question words (5w+1h)  linking ideas teaching method based on the results of the analysis in the field, the students were interested in having a lot of practices in the classroom. since the class was based on practice-based learning, the methods used were dialogue practicing and role playing to increase speaking skill and the methods used for increasing writing skill were fun learning methods include arranging jumbled sentences, correcting incorrect sentence structure and punctuation, highlighting discussion content, and composing text to make the learning process interesting. ictbased learning was applied for teaching and learning process which allowed the teacher to deliver the lesson through media such as laptop, lcd, and audio-visual aid. therefore, pair/group discussion were implemented in teaching and learning process based on students’ choice from questionnaire results. teaching materials table 3. teaching materials incorporates meeting, theme and learning focus meeting theme learning focus speaking grammar writing and vocabulary 1 meeting people introducing yourself and others “how do you greet people in your country? what do you say when you greet people in english? “ present tense of be “ i'm natasha, nice to meet you. “ introductions personal questions 2 jobs in it describing your job “list the it jobs you know” present simple “what do you do? i ‘am a programmer.” jobs 3 schedules describing your daily routine and times “what time does it start/begin/finish/end” schedules what time does it start? routines times 4 spelling using the alphabet list the it acronyms you know. what does www stand for? how do you spell that? it acronyms the alphabet 5 exercise and review 6 computer hardware describing computer hardware comparatives that monitor is computer hardware english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 307 “make a list of all the computer hardware you use in your work or study. “ bigger than mine. 7 computer software describing computer software “make a list of all the computer software you use in your work or study. “ superlatives that software is the easiest to use. present tense of have(got) we've got the best software computer soft ware 8 working with computers describing tasks “listen and complete this dialogue “ present continuous are you installing it now? computer tasks 9 computer usage understanding computer usage “make a list of computer usage where you work or study “ must, mustn't, can, can't, don't have to 1must update my files computer usage 10 uts 11 website purpose talking about websites “which websites do you use in your working study? make a list and share it with a partner. do you use the same sites? “ question words (1) which websites do you visit? purpose of websites 12 website analytics getting information about websites “what information can you get about website traffic using a website analysis application? work in pairs. make a list. “ question words (2) how many people visit our website? website analysis tools 13 website development developing a website “describe something you do every day at home or at work. “ large number describing steps in a process after that... functions of a website features of a website 14 the best websites talking about your favorite websites “what are your favorite websites? why?” describing things there are a lot of photos on this website adjectives 15 review 16 uas assessment the formative and summative assessments were used to assess students’ learning results. the formative assessment was done every meeting to know whether or not the students accomplished the learning objectives, or in other word to know students’ progress after the meeting. the test was dialogue practicing, role playing, fill in the blank text, multiple choice, and composing text. in the end of the semester, the summative assessment would be given in order to see the students’ whole achievement after the class is started. teaching media the main teaching media preference is written/printed materials. therefore, based on the observation results, the language laboratory can be used for learning process. so, the teaching ira septiana, ismail petrus, & rita inderawati needs analysis-based english syllabus for computer science students of bina darma university 308 media that can be used are written/printed materials, laptop, lcd, and audio visual aid. conclusion designing an english syllabus requires careful analysis of student needs. careful identification of students' needs is the first step for english teachers to design what knowledge and skills are needed. this includes what activities are expected and needed to improve students' academic abilities. the course framework and organicallybuilt syllabus will certainly be very useful in the learning process in class. references alsamadani, h. a. (2017). needs analysis in esp context: saudi engineering students as a case study. advances in language and literary studies, 8(1), 58-68. astuti, p., & lammers, j. (2017). individual accountability in cooperative learning: more opportunities to produce spoken english. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 7(1), 215-228. doi:https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v7i1.6878 badruddin, d. (2015). developing a task-based syllabus based on needs analysis for midwifery at uin salauddin makassar. english, teaching, learning and research journal,1(1), 112-130. beaudoin, a. (2017). book review: field notes on science and nature by michael r. canfield. canadian field naturalist. belinda, h. (2017). dealing with the english communication difficulties faced by computer science students during their internship. journal of research in humanities and social science. 2(6), 47-50. chandra, r. (2015). classroom management for effective teaching. international journal of education and psychological research (ijepr). 4(4). 13-15 chen, i. j., chang, y. h., & chang, w. h. (2016). i learn what i need: needs analysis of english learning in taiwan. universal journal of educational research, 4(1), 1-5. doi:10.13189/ujer.2016.040101. dewi, r, & amri, z. (2019). an analysis of culinary art vocational students’ needs in learning english at the public vocational high school 9 padang. journal of english language teaching, 8(4). 504514 dong, x. (2016). research on the teaching methods of college english. creative education, 7, 12331236. doi: 10.4236/ce.2016.79129. dudley, e., st. john in javid, & choudhary, z. (2013). english for specific purposes: its definition, characteristics, scope, and purpose. european journal of scientific research, vol. 112(1), p. 138-151. evertson, c. m., & weinstein, c. s. (2006). classroom management as a field of inquiry. in c. m. evertson & c. s. weinstein (eds.), handbook of classroom management: research, practice, and contemporary issues (p. 3-16). mahwah, nj: lawrence erlbaum associates. fareen, j. a. m. (2017). english for placement purposes: developing a needs based course for meeting the employment demands of it industries. eurasian journal of applied linguistics, 3(1), 49-66. huang, x. (2018). the effectiveness of needs analysis informing esp syllabus design. journal of education, society and behavioural science, 28(3), 1-7,.doi: 10.9734/jesbs/2018/46327. kaharuddin, a. & yassi, a. (2015). syllabus design for english language teaching. yogyakarta: indonesia trust media publishing. kumar, h. (2018 ). qualitative research methodology in social sciences and related subjects in bangladesh. journal of economic development, environment and people, 7(1), 23-48. mohammed, a. s. e., & nur, h. s. m. (2018). needs analysis in english for academic purposes: the case of teaching assistants at the university of khartoum. how, 25(1), 49-68. mohammed, s. a. h. (2016). investigating the application of needs analysis on eap business administration materials. english language teaching 9(1), 74-79. muhammad, i & raof, a. b. a. (2019). assessing the esp needs of saudi engineering undergraduates: a diagnostic view. arab world english journal, 10(4), 204-222. murphy, r. s. (2018). the concept of syllabus design and curriculum development: a look at five major syllabus designs. in a. faravani, m. zeraatpishe, m. azarnoosh, & h. r. kargozari (eds.), issues in syllabus design (vol. 6, p. 1). rotterdam. nafissi, z., rezaeipanah, f., & monsefi, r. (2017). pre and post test evaluations of students in the needsanalysis based eap course at undergraduate level. advances in language and literary studies, 8(1) 207-214. ngulube, p., & ngulube, b. (2015). mixed methods research in the south african journal of economic and management sciences: an investigation of trends in the literature. south african journal of economic and management sciences, 18(1), p.1-13. rahman, m. (2015). english for specific purposes (esp): a holistic review. universal journal of educational research, 3(1), p.24-31. sari, f. (2019). the issues of esp instruction for university level in indonesia. global expert jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 7(1), 1-6. sartika, aa. puspita, h., imranuddin. (2018). model of communicative english syllabus for students of hotel department at smkn 7 bengkulu. journal of english education and teaching, 2(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v7i1.6878 http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ce.2016.79129 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 309 turner, scott & cardinal, laura & burton, richard. (2015). research design for mixed methods: a triangulation-based framework and roadmap. organizational research methods, 20. 10.1177/1094428115610808. whitehead, d., & whitehead, l. (2016). sampling data and data collection in qualitative research. wu, j. and lou, y. (2018) needs analysis of chinese chemical engineering and technology undergraduate students in yangtze university in english for specific purposes. creative education, 9, 2592-2603. doi: 10.4236/ce.2018.915195. xing, h. (2018) language teaching research based on applied linguistics theory. open journal of social sciences, 6, p. 340-348. doi: 10.4236/jss.2018.612029. ye, x. (2018). the need analysis of english for students in international trade major and the proposed strategies—a case study in two application-oriented universities of fujian province. journal of southwest jiaotong university (social sciences), 19, p.9-17. yu, z. g., & fu, l. p. (2015). demand analyzing and course setting of english for academic purpose of postgraduates from science and engineering disciplines. college english teaching and research, 78(1) 70-75. yusnita, d. (2016). designing reading materials for the faculty of social and political sciences at uin syarif hidayatullah jakarta. indonesian journal of english education, 2(1), 28-45. zahra, b., & ali, t. (2015). syllabus design and needs analysis of students in educational system. department of foreign languages and linguistic. australia: australian international academic centre, 6, p.163-165. zhen, c. h., cao, f. l., guo, s. f., zhang, h. y., & yang, s. s. (2015). egap need of graduate students in medical universities. journal of bengbu medical college, 40, p.814-816. zohoorian, z. (2015). a needs analysis approach: an investigation of needs in an eap context. theory and practice in language studies, vol. 5(1), p. 58-65. retrieved may 12, 2018. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2018.915195 https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2018.612029 ira septiana, ismail petrus, & rita inderawati needs analysis-based english syllabus for computer science students of bina darma university 310 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 645 developing hots-based descriptive reading materials in indonesian context for tenth graders irnansyah universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: irnansyah250@gmail.com soni mirizon (corresponding author) universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: smirizon@unsri.ac.id ismail petrus universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: ismailpetrus@yahoo.com apa citation: irnansyah., mirizon, s., & petrus, i. (2022). developing hots-based descriptive reading materials in indonesian context for tenth graders. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 645-654. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6301. received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction the rapid growth of science and technology and the accessibility of the global market in the 21st century require people to master some specific skills, such as critical thinking, to communicate and compete in international competition. duncan (2009) believes the skills that progressively request creativity, persistence, and problem-solving combined with performance as a part of a team are called 21stcentury skills. this is in line with the indonesian curriculum 2013, which requires students to be active, innovative, creative, and effective in learning. besides, national education association (2012) states that in addition to strong content mastery, every student must own 21st century skill such as critical thinking. critical thinking skill means the skill that requires one’s ability to judge or respond to a matter. rivas, saiz, and ossa (2022) believe that critical thinking is effective to solve a problem or reach goal. wahyuni, miarsyah, & adisyahputra (2018) in their study revealed that critical thinking skill gave positive correlation with senior high school students’ literacy skills. critical thinking skill is strongly related to the three top levels of cognitive dimension of the revised bloom's taxonomy (watson, 2019). the three top levels analyzing, evaluating and creating are commonly called higher order thinking skills (hots). higher order thinking skill (hots) plays an important role in effectively applying, connecting, or manipulating prior knowledge. it is one of the important components for an individual to solve new problems in the 21st century (brookhart, 2010). hots is also an instrument of learning assessment that help students to increase their higher thinking ability (kusuma, rosidin, abdurrahman, & suyatna, 2017). the application of hots can be handled through one of the language skills such as reading. abstract: the objective of this study was to find out the validity, practicality, and potential effect of the developed hots-based descriptive texts in indonesian context for senior high school students. in conducting this study akker (1999) development concept consisting of analysis, design, evaluation, and revision was applied. the formative evaluation consisted of self-evaluation, expert review, one-to-one evaluation, small group evaluation, and field test adopted from tessmer (1993) was used to see the validity, practicality, and the potential effect of the developed product. the result of the expert review showed that the average score of all aspects of the developed product was 3.71> 2.51, which means it was categorized as very high. based on the practicality evaluation results in the one-to-one and small group evaluations, the product was highly practical since the average score in both phases was 2.9 and 3.07, respectively. the potential effect of the product was good enough (81%), although 4 out of 21 students in the field test could not reach the minimum mastery ≥70. keywords: hots; material development; reading materials; descriptive text mailto:irnansyah250@gmail.com irnansyah, soni mirizon, & ismail petrus developing hots-based descriptive reading materials in indonesian context for tenth graders 646 the students’ reading skill competence generally determines their reading literacy. in fact, the students’ reading literacy in indonesia is still low. based on the result of programme for international student assessment (pisa) in 2018, the score of indonesian students on reading literacy was 371, below the average 487 (kemdikbud, 2019). to promote students’ reading literacy and improve their cognitive thinking skills, reading materials could be developed based on hots questions. utari and gustiningsih (2021) found in their study that hots questions could support students’ creative thinking. while putra and abdullah (2019) believe that the provision of hots-based items help student to have good thinking skills. some studies discussed english textbooks for secondary schools concerning higher order thinking skills such as (wu, 2018; san, 2019; hambali, mirizon, & heryana, 2020; febriyani, yunita, & damayanti, 2020). in general, their findings revealed that most of the english textbooks provided less hots-based questions. some previous development studies such as (margana & widyantoro, 2017; indriyana & kuswandono, 2019; mursyid & kurniawati, 2019) also dealt with hots, but their reading text materials did not reflect indonesian context. two similar studies dealing with the developing descriptive reading materials were conducted by azizah, inderawati, and vianty (2021); razak, hermandra, and elmustian (2021). the first study selected local culture for the reading materials and the result revealed that the developed product was valid and practical and gave potential effect. meanwhile, the second one developed descriptive reading texts based on constructivism approach. this later study concluded that the developed product gave good contribution to the development of education. the study present study concentrated on choice of reading materials about indonesian descriptive texts accompanied with constructed–multiplechoice item questions based on hots. by having this kind of materials the students could motivate their reading interest and improve their critical thinking skill. tomlinson (2012) defines reading materials as anything used in language learning, including textbooks, videos, graded readers, flashcards, games, websites, and mobile phone interactions. the development of reading materials was urgently required to fulfill the students’ needs in a given school. therefore, the focus of this study was on the development of reading material particularly reading texts in descriptive genre. checaria, petrus and inderawati (2021) state descriptive texts aim to give information by describing a particular person, place, thing or animal. in this kind of text, the students are required to list the characteristics of something and usually deal with the physical appearance of the described thing. in developing hots in a language classroom, teachers not only need to have subject matter of the knowledge but also to know what hots contains and how it can be included into the curriculum (daud, 2017; tyas, 2019; hambali, et al., 2020). in the curriculum of 2013, higher-order thinking skills has become the demand to be developed or implemented in the teaching process. since the implementation of hots in the teaching process can be done by teaching reading skills, the reading materials should be well designed to reach the demand of the 2013 curriculum. hots-based descriptive reading materials could be characterized by the level of low or academic word frequency in the text. nation (2001) defines high-frequency words are words that cover a very large proportion of the running words in spoken and written texts and occur in all kinds of uses of the language and if the words occur very infrequently and cover only a small proportion of any text, they are called low-frequency words. therefore, it is believed that the descriptive text in the indonesian context containing hots also depends very much on word choice. another characteristic of hots-based descriptive reading text can be determined by the availability of high dimensions of the thinking process in reading tasks. the reading task usually accompanies the reading text given to the students for reading comprehension. the development of descriptive text in the indonesian context based on hots must include the task whose questions reflect the level of cognitive thinking. ramadhianti (2017) in her study found that reading comprehension gave positive effect toward students’ cognitive competence. the hots questions are usually identified by the verb choice used as the stem in the question items. the above brief explanation discussed the importance of hots to be applied in descriptive english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 647 reading texts. therefore, this development study aimed to find whether the product was valid, practical, and effective which could be used for tenth graders to improve their reading skills with high cognitive thinking levels. method this study employed development research. the development research label has been used to refer to various kinds of research approaches related to design and development work (akker, 1999; gall., borg., & gall, 2003. they assert that development research has two main objectives: (1) to develop a product and (2) to test the effectiveness of the product. there were 33 tenth-grade students of sma negeri 11 palembang participating in this study. ten reading texts in indonesian context were designed to develop hots-based questions of descriptive texts. the quality of the product was determined by three common criteria: validity, practicality, and effectivity (akker, 1999). this study used formative evaluation as suggested by tessmer (1993), which included three stages: one-to-one evaluation, small group evaluation, and field test. a preliminary phase was used to determine the place and subject of the study, examine some of the related literature, analyze students, explore reading texts, and analyze the curriculum. the next procedure was the prototyping stage which included self-evaluation, expert reviews, one-to-one, small group, and field tests, as shown in the following figure. figure 1. formative evaluation design in the self-evaluation stage, the reading materials used for reading assessment, whether there were errors or not were evaluated, such as in vocabulary, spelling, and grammar. these results were referred to as the first prototype to be validated by experts for analysis of content, construct, and language. the results of the expert review were used for product revisions. simultaneously with the expert review, reading comprehension test consisting of 50 higher levels of cognitive items was conducted to test students of one-to-one group evaluation. the test included reading comprehension aspects, such as a main idea, specific information/detail, references, sequences, inference, cause-effect, and vocabulary. in this one-to-one evaluation stage, three students from three different reading levels (one from frustration, one from instructional, and one from independent) were asked to answer the test and complete the questionnaire about the product. the results from one-to-one were used to revise the product. after validation by an expert review and one-to-one, the first prototype was said to be valid if the score from the questionnaire is at least ≥ 2.51. from expert reviews and one-to-one results, the second prototype was produced. the small group stage was carried out after an expert review and one-to-one group evaluation with the results of the second prototype to determine the practicality of the prototype. there were 9 students with three different reading levels involved at this stage doing the same activity as the previous one of one-to-one group evaluation. the results of the small group trial were revised based on the results of the trials and students’ comments on the second prototype. the result was then called the third prototype. the field test stage was the third prototype field as the final stage in developing reading texts for hots-based questions. this stage involved as many as 21 students who aimed to see the potential effects of the developed reading texts by analyzing the answers to the questions presented at the end of the reading texts and from the contextual questions on the reading assessment materials. this development study involved four different phases: need analysis, design, evaluation, and revision. the need analysis was conducted to get some information needed to develop the product, and reading materials. the analysis covered instructional analysis; students’ need analysis, and students’ reading level analysis. the instructional analysis was based on the curriculum used in the school, especially english for the natural science study program, the syllabus, and the english coursebook used. students’ need analysis was done to see what materials to be developed by getting information from the students and the english teachers through questionnaires and interviews. irnansyah, soni mirizon, & ismail petrus developing hots-based descriptive reading materials in indonesian context for tenth graders 648 meanwhile, students’ reading level analysis was measured to match the students’ functional reading level with the readability of the developed reading materials. this study used a standardized reading comprehension test of jennings informal reading assessment to measure the students’ reading levels (jennings, caldwell, & lerner, 2006). data collection of this study included documentation, interview, questionnaire, and test. documentation data were analyzed descriptively to see whether the developed text was based on the 2013 curriculum and hots or not. data from interviews as the results of experts’ judgment and students’ perceptions were analyzed based on the 2013 curriculum and hots. the interview was given to the students after they had answered the developed hots-based descriptive reading materials. five categories of the likert scale in the questionnaire were scored from 5 for the most positive expression to 1 for the least positive one (sugiyono, 2012). the data of the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis (percentage to see the validity, practicality, and effectiveness of the product. the developed instructional reading materials' practicality was evaluated using a questionnaire about the students’ perspective toward the developed instructional reading materials in one-toone and small group evaluations. the product was considered practical if the average score was ≥ 2.51 (kubiszyn & borich, 1993). the effectiveness of the potential effect of the developed instructional reading materials can be obtained from either item difficulty index or minimum mastery criterion (kkm) of 70. this study chose kkm to measure the potential effect of the study which includes the following category (sma negeri 11 palembang). results and discussion analysis phase the need analysis was conducted in order to get some information needed to develop the product and reading materials. the analysis involved instructional analysis, students’ need analysis, and students’ reading level analysis. instructional analysis in this phase, the reading texts to be developed were analyzed in terms of their readability level, standard competence, basic competence, learning indicators, and learning objectives, and the descriptive texts available in curriculum 2013. students’ reading level analysis levels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of reading texts from the independent reading inventory assessment (jennings, caldwell, & lerner, 2006) were given to the students for their reading levels. the results of their reading level were distributed in the following table. table 1. distribution of the students’ reading level text level students’ reading level frustational instructional independen t (cn=≤6) (cn=7-8) (cn=9-10) ns* % ns* % ns* % level 1 1 3.03 8 24.24 24 72.73 level 2 3 9.09 25 75.76 5 15.15 level 3 2 6.06 12 36.36 19 57.57 level 4 12 36.36 18 54.54 1 3.03 level 5 25 75.76 8 24.24 level 6 20 60.60 13 39.40 total 63 31.81 84 42.2 49 24.91 ns=number of students cn= correct answer from table 1 above, it can be seen that the students' reading level was either 3 or 4 since the highest total number of students (84) could complete the items of all levels correctly until the instructional reading level whose average percentage was 42,2. no student with independent level was in levels 5 and 6, so there was no reason to judge the students’ reading level in 5 and 6. students’ need analysis fifty items of questionnaires were distributed to the students to get information about their needs related to reading skills. the fifty items included nine aspects such as (1) students’ reading competence, (2) students’ reading motivation and interest, (3) teaching and learning process, (4) students’ knowledge of indonesian descriptive texts and hots, (5) students’ strategies in solving difficulties in reading english texts, (6) students’ opinion about difficulties of reading materials and textbooks from the government, (7) students’ opinion about indonesian descriptive texts, (8) illustrations, images or pictures in english reading texts, and (9) students’ opinions about types of questions. each item was completed with four choices of letters a, b, c, and d which represented the most positive perception to the less positive one. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 649 based on the analysis of students’ needs, it was revealed that their english competence was relatively good enough although their language aspects such as grammar and vocabulary were still low (43% of the students felt their grammar mastery was good and 62.5 % of them felt vocabulary mastery enough). 78% of the students thought their ability to read english texts good. the students’ perception of the importance of reading was positive. 75% of the students thought that having the ability of reading english was very important and 25% of them said important. regarding students’ reading motivation and interest, although the students were not frequent to read texts at home, almost all of them (93.8%) said that they were interested or very interested in reading english texts. besides, they were also motivated when reading through printed media as 79.2% of them agreed or even strongly agreed to say that printed media were more interested than electronic ones. in relation to teaching and learning process, with frequent lecture method used by the teacher, the students relatively felt interested. in fact, 59.4 percent of the students said that the english teacher sometimes provided english texts related to indonesian context. for the aspect 4 related to hots, almost 70% of the students were familiar with hots-based questions and even 18% were very familiar. meanwhile 93.8% of them were also very familiar with descriptive texts. when we refer to descriptive texts in indonesian context, 65.6 % of them agreed and 25% said strongly agree to be used improve their knowledge of reading skills by providing hots-based questions. the students’ perception of the government's english textbook was relatively fair. they thought that the index difficulty of the textbook was easy enough (53.1% of them said easy) while the percentage of those who said difficult was only 43.8. in addition, the textbook provided fair number of factual information related to descriptive texts (≤ 5) and the topics related to indonesian context were also poor. 25% of the students said nothing contained such topics and even 40.6 % of them said nothing. concerning aspect of “students’ strategies in solving difficulties in reading english texts”, the students had difficulty reading english texts. 59.4 percent referred to their teacher, and only 15.6 percent did not consult their teacher. the frequency of asking their friends was relatively low (37.5% often and 37.5 % sometimes). they also made their effort often (34.4%) or very often (53.1%) although they sometimes felt frustrated or did nothing (50%). the result of the questionnaire for aspect 8 revealed that the students liked if the reading texts were completed with illustrations, images, or pictures. all the six items for this aspect earned high percentage of positive perception (average >90%). by having these kinds of texts, they could be motivated to read to improve their understanding of english texts. finally, the result of students’ opinions about types of questions showed that they seemed to be more preferable with multiple-choice items than other questions. true-false type question got the least preferable of all types of questions. besides, they liked short answer-type questions better than essay ones. the interview results also supported the results of the questionnaires above as in the following: (1) since the students have been familiar with descriptive texts, they felt motivated to read the texts, especially if they were in indonesian context. (2) although they were familiar with hots-based questions, they felt they were not accustomed to doing hots-based questions. (3) the conclusion of hots-based questions in descriptive texts was very important to increase their high thinking skills. design phase in the design phase, ten descriptive reading texts in indonesian context were selected for developing reading texts completed with hots-based questions. the texts were first retyped and checked their readability through an online automatic readability checker. the readability of reading texts was measured by using flesch kincaid to see whether they were appropriate enough for the tenthgrade students of sma negeri 11 palembang. the average readability score is 57.03 which is appropriate enough for grade 10. the developed product passed two major stages i.e., preliminary and prototyping. the preliminary stage was done by studying the subject matter, curriculum, literature review, place, etc. the prototyping stage, the formative evaluation model by tessmer (1993), was used to improve the quality of intervention, which included validity, practicality, and potential effect in the evaluation irnansyah, soni mirizon, & ismail petrus developing hots-based descriptive reading materials in indonesian context for tenth graders 650 phase. the formative evaluation included selfevaluation, expert reviews, one-to-one, small group, and field test. in the self-evaluation phase, the activities covered checking the readability of descriptive texts to be appropriate to the students reading level, language use, grammar, vocabulary choice, content, and any revision related to the texts and the question items. by doing these, it was supposed to have any information related to the product's difficulty to be developed for validity, practicality, and potential effect. expert review the expert review evaluated the design product for content, instructional design, and language. with few revisions such as language use, vocabulary choice, and distractors of hots question items, the product was finally good enough to be given to the students. the highest score for each item weighed 5 and the lowest one weighed 1. the results of expert review are summarized in the following table 2. table 2. expert review no aspect average score remarks 1 language 3,53 highly valid 2 content 3.76 very highly valid 3 instructional design 4 very highly valid total average score 3.71 very highly valid from table 2 above, it is apparent that the average scores were 3.53 for language, 3.76 for content, and 4.00 for instructional design. the total average score of the three aspects from the expert was 3.71 which was higher than 2.51. the score 3.71 was categorized as very highly valid. one-to-one evaluation the descriptive reading texts developed with hots-based questions and validated in terms of content, instructional design, and language were given to the group of one-to-one evaluation consisting of three students with reading level categories of frustational, instructional, and independent. the average reading test score was 54.7 as shown in table 3 below, which is still far from the criterion of mastery ≥70.0. the questionnaire consisting of 30 items with three different aspects (students’ needs, attractiveness and material display, and evaluation) given to the students was aimed to evaluate the practicality of the product to be developed. the questionnaire required the answer on a likert scale from 1 to 4, which generally gave the same value from the most positive meaning to the less one. however, since each item has different statement to ask, the expression of the choices 1, 2, 3, and 4 may vary from one and another. for example, the likert scale 1 in items 1, 2, or 3 may means very good, very interesting, or very agree. the average score of the questionnaire was calculated and then interpreted. the result of the questionnaire revealed that the average score was 2, 84, which was higher than 2,51 as shown in table 3 below. table 3. the practicality of product in one-to-one evaluation phase aspect average score remarks relevance with the students’ needs 2,7 high practicality attractiveness and material display 3,2 high practicality evaluation 2,67 high practicality total average score 2,84 high practicality small-group evaluation the reading tests and questionnaire results were then used to revise the product-developed reading texts. the revised product was called prototype two which was then given to the students in a small-group evaluation group with nine participants from three different reading level categories. the results showed that the average reading score was 69.11, earning 14 points from the one-to-one evaluation group. the item difficulty (id) of the revised items was considered good enough since the lowest one was 0.4 (two items). the average reading score was 69.11 rounded 70 which achieved the minimum requirement of mastery, so there was not much work for revision except checking the spelling errors, format, etc. the result of the questionnaire revealed that the average score was 3, 05, which was higher than 2, 51. the reading scores of the small-group evaluation group can be shown in table 4. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 651 notice that the lowest score was 50.0, gained by two students, and the highest one was 84, earned by one student. similar to one-to-one evaluation, small group evaluation also participated in completing the questionnaire and it can be shown in table 4 below. table 4. the practicality of product in small group evaluation phase aspect average score remarks relevance with the students’ needs 2,8 high practicality attractiveness and material display 3,3 high practicality evaluation 3,11 high practicality total average score 3,05 high practicality field test evaluation twenty-one students in the field test evaluation group took the descriptive reading test based on hots questions in indonesian context. the results revealed that their scores were distributed from the lowest score, 58 earned by one student, to the highest, 86 obtained by two students. compared with the average score of the small-group evaluation group, the average score of this group gained two points which its score was 73.04 higher than the minimum requirement of mastery. the following table 5 contains the distribution of reading scores of the students of three evaluation groups. table 5. distribution of reading scores of one-to-one, small groups, and field test one-to-one small group field test valid score frequency score frequency score frequency percent 52.00 1 50.00 2 58.00 1 4.8 54.00 1 58.00 1 60.00 2 9.5 58.00 1 72.00 2 62.00 1 4.8 total 3 76.00 1 70.00 6 28.6 mean 54.7 80.00 2 72.00 1 4.8 84.00 1 74.00 2 9.5 total 9 78.00 2 9.5 mean 69.11 80.00 1 4.8 82.00 3 14.3 86.00 2 9.5 total 21 100.0 mean 73.04 from table 5 above, it can be seen that a score of 70 was in the field test group the biggest frequency and the highest percentage (28.6). score 70 is the mode which occurred most often. there were four students whose scores were below and 19 students whose scores were above or equal to 70. 86.1% of the students could achieve the minimum grade of mastery (kkm). the mean reading scores of the whole group are presented in the following figure. figure 2. percentage average of reading score in evaluation stages figure 2 above shows that students in both small group evaluation (if the score is rounded) and field test evaluation generally could reach the minimum criterion of mastery of 70. discussion this study was designed to develop a product of hots-based descriptive reading texts in indonesian context for the tenth-grade students of sma negeri 11 palembang. the development study is generally aimed to overcome any complex problem concerning education activities, so the study here was conducted to help the students to improve their cognitive thinking skills through hots-based questions. the hots-based questions were made through descriptive reading texts in indonesian irnansyah, soni mirizon, & ismail petrus developing hots-based descriptive reading materials in indonesian context for tenth graders 652 context about things, people, or places in indonesia. by adopting descriptive texts in the indonesian context, the students could be motivated to read and get easy to understand the texts better because they might have had prior knowledge or special interest. tomlinson (2012) argues that a teacher could consider adapting such teaching materials as modifying the materials in a foreign language such as english to local or native language bahasa indonesia (l2 to l1). this product adopted the procedure offered by akker (1999), which included instructional analysis, students’ needs, and students’ reading levels. the instruction analysis revealed that the descriptive texts were also taught to the tenth-grade students. besides, the study also searched whether the english textbook or english reading materials used by the school contained some descriptive reading texts and hots-based questions. the government has instructed to include high cognitive levels in the teaching and learning process to increase learners’ thinking skills. the students’ need analysis questionnaire was distributed to the students to see their reading motivation and knowledge about hots. the questionnaire result revealed that they were very familiar with descriptive texts and even learned them during their studies in class. they felt motivated by descriptive texts accompanied by pictures and described things about indonesia. they were also familiar with hots-based questions, although rarely did they have them. the language aspects to be improved were grammar and vocabulary as these aspects seemed to be low. the developed product was valid since the average scores of 2.84 and 3.05 from both one-toone and small-group evaluations for the validity were higher than 2.51, as suggested by kubyszyn and borich (2003). this means that the developed product covered language, content (in this case, hots), and instructional design related to the curriculum. concerning its practicality, the results from both one-to-one and small group evaluation groups showed that the practicality of the developed product was high enough. the average results of the questionnaire in both groups, one-to-one, and a small group, were higher than 2.51 as the category of high practicality. based on the previous results of validity and practicality from both the experts and the students, the developed product was categorized as valid although there was a slightly significant difference between the average score of the experts (3.71/very high) and that of the students (2,95) from both groups of the one-to-one group and small group. meanwhile, the result of the evaluation given to the field test group provided potential effects of the developed product for the following reasons. (1) although the students' average score of validity and practicality was lower than that of the experts 2.95 < 3.71, the developed product was still high. (2) the appropriateness of the product was good enough for the tenth-grade students as the readability of the reading texts had been calculated and suited based on the students' reading level. therefore, the readability of reading texts could potentially affect the developed product. (3) 86.1% of the students achieved the minimum requirement of mastery. this means 13.9% of the students were still weak in completing hots-based questions. this could happen due to the fact that based on the result of the interview, few of them often got difficulty in answering hots-based questions during their learning english. (4) formative evaluation design, which included revision, helped improve the validity and practicality of the developed product. this could be determined by the average score in the small group evaluation which increased from 2.84 in one-to-one evaluation to 3.04. the average score of the reading test in the field test evaluation also gained more than 3 points, from 69.11 in the small group evaluation to 73.04. (5) before revision (prototype one/one-to-one evaluation), the average index difficulty (id) of the question items was 0.54, but after the revision (in the field test evaluation) the average id was 0.61. the developed product contained 28% easy questions, 64% medium questions, and 8% difficult ones. again, the evaluation stage helped to improve the quality of the product. (6) the developed product used descriptive texts with multiple-choice items. this type of question positively affected the students as they like this type of question better than the other types. however, although this type of question is preferable, the test maker should consider the weakness of multiple-choice items because test-takers often guess without thinking when they are in trouble. the probability of correct guessing is always open. in short, the validity, practicality as well as the potential effect of this development study were supported by the previous similar studies (azizah, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 653 inderawati, & vianty, 2021; razak, hermandra, & elmustian, 2021). conclusion based on the above findings and discussion, it could be concluded that the developed product of hotsbased questions of descriptive reading materials in indonesian context was valid, practical, and effective to be used in learning english for the tenth-grade students. the reading materials were adapted ones but were made readable and appropriate for the tenth-grade level. some revisions related to long sentences or complex phrases and low frequency or difficult words in the reading text materials were made simpler from the original ones. in addition to improving students’ thinking skills, the product provided descriptive reading materials with various subjects accompanied and designed with pictures, so the students enjoyed reading them and could comprehend the questions easily. although the questions were made for high cognitive levels, most of the students could achieve the target mastery of learning outcomes. finally, it is suggested that the teacher should use hots-based learning as often as possible as demanded by the 2013 curriculum. besides, they actively introduce hots to students, which can be done through descriptive reading materials as the instructional material. references akker, j. d. (1999). design approaches and tools in education and training: principles and methods of development research. kluwer. azizah, n., inderawati, r., & vianty, m. (2021). developing descriptive reading materials in efl classes by utilizing the local culture. studies in english language and education, 8(2), 596-621. brookhart, s. m. (2010). how to assess higher-order thinking skills in your classroom. ascd. checaria, k.a., petrus, i., & inderawati, r. (2021). descriptive reading materials for tenth graders: palembang tourist destinations. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 255264. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5386 daud, n. m. (2017). integrating hots into language classes in the 21 st. the first education and language. international conference proceedings center for international language development of unissula (pp. 29–36). duncan, a. (2009). statement from us secretary of education arne duncan on results of naep arts 2008 assessment. retrieved from www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/06/061520 09.html febriyani, r. a., yunita, w., & damayanti, i. (2020). an analysis on higher-order thinking skill (hots) in compulsory english textbook for the twelfth grade of indonesian senior high schools. journal of english education and teaching (jeet), 4(2), 170-183. https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.4.2.170183 gall, m. d., borg, w. r., & gall, j. p. (2003). educational research: an introduction (7th ed). pearson. hambali, m., mirizon, s., & heryana, n. (2021). difficulty index and cognitive skills of english textbook for senior high school. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics. 6(1). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v6i1.331 indriyana, b. s., & kuswandono, p. (2019). developing students’ higher order thinking skills (hots) in reading: english teachers’ strategies in selected junior high schools. journal of english teaching, 5(3), 2622-4224. http://dx.doi.org/10.33541/jet.v5i3.1313 jennings, j.h., caldwell, j., & lerner, j. (2006). jennings informal reading assessment. reading problems: assessment and teaching strategies. pearson. kemdikbud. (2019). indonesia pisa results 2018. retrieved from https://www.kemdikbud.go.id/main/blog/2019/12 /hasil-pisa-indonesia-2018-akses-makin-meluassaatnya-tingkatkankualitas#:~:text=hasil%20studi%20pisa%2020 18%20yang,rata%20skor%20oecd%20yakni% 20487. kurbiszyn, t., & borich, g. (1993). educational testing and measurement classroom application and practice (4th ed.). harper collins college publisher. kusuma, m. d., rosidin, u., abdurrahman., & suyatna, a. (2017). the development of higher order thinking skill (hots) instrument assessment in physics study. journal of research & method in education, 7(1) pp. 26-32. retrieved from www.iosrjournals.org june 29, 2022 margana & widyantoro, a. (2017). developing english textbooks oriented to higher order thinking skills for students of vocational high schools in yogyakarta. journal of language teaching and research, 8(1), pp. 26-38. http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0801.04 mursyid, m., & kurniawati, n. (2019). higher order thinking skills among english teachers across generation in efl classroom. journal of english education, 7(2). http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/06/06152009.html http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/06/06152009.html https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.4.2.170-183 https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.4.2.170-183 http://dx.doi.org/10.33541/jet.v5i3.1313 https://www.kemdikbud.go.id/main/blog/2019/12/hasil-pisa-indonesia-2018-akses-makin-meluas-saatnya-tingkatkan-kualitas#:~:text=hasil%20studi%20pisa%202018%20yang,rata%20skor%20oecd%20yakni%20487 https://www.kemdikbud.go.id/main/blog/2019/12/hasil-pisa-indonesia-2018-akses-makin-meluas-saatnya-tingkatkan-kualitas#:~:text=hasil%20studi%20pisa%202018%20yang,rata%20skor%20oecd%20yakni%20487 https://www.kemdikbud.go.id/main/blog/2019/12/hasil-pisa-indonesia-2018-akses-makin-meluas-saatnya-tingkatkan-kualitas#:~:text=hasil%20studi%20pisa%202018%20yang,rata%20skor%20oecd%20yakni%20487 https://www.kemdikbud.go.id/main/blog/2019/12/hasil-pisa-indonesia-2018-akses-makin-meluas-saatnya-tingkatkan-kualitas#:~:text=hasil%20studi%20pisa%202018%20yang,rata%20skor%20oecd%20yakni%20487 https://www.kemdikbud.go.id/main/blog/2019/12/hasil-pisa-indonesia-2018-akses-makin-meluas-saatnya-tingkatkan-kualitas#:~:text=hasil%20studi%20pisa%202018%20yang,rata%20skor%20oecd%20yakni%20487 https://www.kemdikbud.go.id/main/blog/2019/12/hasil-pisa-indonesia-2018-akses-makin-meluas-saatnya-tingkatkan-kualitas#:~:text=hasil%20studi%20pisa%202018%20yang,rata%20skor%20oecd%20yakni%20487 http://www.iosrjournals.org/ http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0801.04 irnansyah, soni mirizon, & ismail petrus developing hots-based descriptive reading materials in indonesian context for tenth graders 654 nation, i. s. p. (2012). learning vocabulary in another language. cambridge university press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139524759 national education association. (2012). preparing 21st century students for a global society: an educator’s guide to the “four cs.” http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/a-guide-tofour-cs.pdf. putra, t. k., & abdullah, d. f. (2019). higher-order thinking skills (hots) questions in english national examination in indonesia. journal bahasa lingua scientia, 11(1), 145-160. https://doi.org/10.21274/ls.2019.11.1.145-160 ramadhianti, a. (2017). the effects of cognitive competence and self-esteem towards students’ reading comprehenshion. journal of english language teaching, 1(2). p-issn: 2541-0326. razak, a., hermandra., & elmustian. (2021). developing descriptive text reading materials based on constructivism approach. jurnal pajar (pendidikan pengajaran), 5(3), 585-598. http://dx.doi.org/1033578/pjr.v5i3.8272 rivas, s. f., saiz, c., & ossa, c. (2022). metacognitive strategies and development of critical thinking in higher education. front. physchol.https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.913 219 san, k. m. (2019). the cognitive thinking levels demanded in the tasks in the coursebook global level 1 (a2). international journal of innovative science and research technology, 4(2), 513519. sugiyono. (2012). metode penelitian pendidikan: pendekatan kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r & d. alfabeta. tessmer, m. (1993). planning and conducting formative evaluation. philadehelphia, pa: kogan page. tomlinson, b. (2012). materials development for language learning and teaching. language teaching, 42(2), 143-179. cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. tyas, m. a., nurkamto, j., marmanto, s., & laksani, h. (2019). developing higher order thinking skills (hots) – based questions: indonesian efl teachers’ challenges, 2(1), 52-63. doi: 10.17501/26307413.2019.2106 utari, r. s., & gustiningsih, t. (2021). developing of higher order thinking skills in relation and function to support student’s creative thinking. mathematics education journal, 15(1). wahyuni, s., miarsyah, m., & adisyahputra. (2018). achievement motivation, critical thinking skills, and reading comprehension correlation with scientific literacy among senior high school students. jurnal pendidikan sains, 6(2), 30-37. http://journal.um.ac.id/index.php/jps/ issn: 2338-9117/eissn: 2442-3904. watson, s. (2019). what is the hots concept in american education reform? thought co. retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/higher-orderthinkingskills-hots-education-3111297 wu, y., & pei, z. (2018). an investigation of critical thinking manifested in the questions of efl textbooks for tertiary-level english majors of china. american journal of education and learning, 3(2), 72-84 file:///c:/users/3rd%20semester/thesis%20proposal/comment%20from%20pak%20ismail%20petrus/.%20https:/doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139524759 file:///c:/users/3rd%20semester/thesis%20proposal/comment%20from%20pak%20ismail%20petrus/.%20https:/doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139524759 http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/a-guide-to-four-cs.pdf http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/a-guide-to-four-cs.pdf https://doi.org/10.21274/ls.2019.11.1.145-160 http://dx.doi.org/1033578/pjr.v5i3.8272 https://www.thoughtco.com/higher-order-thinkingskills-hots-education-3111297 https://www.thoughtco.com/higher-order-thinkingskills-hots-education-3111297 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 323 the effect of cooperative integrated reading and composition learning method towards fable writing skills desri arwen department of arabic education universitas muhammadiyah tangerang, indonesia e-mail: desriarwen72@gmail.com saiful haq department of management education universitas muhammadiyah tangerang, indonesia e-mai: saifulhaq@yahoo.com apa citation: arweb, d. & haq, s. (2021). the effect of cooperative integrated reading and composition learning method towards fable writing skills. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 323-336. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5721 received: 12-07-2021 accepted: 07-01-2021 published: 30-12-2021 introduction learners can improve their thinking skills and thoughts through writing and it is crucially needed so that they can express their feeling, knowledge, and ideas in a piece of writing (asiah, ardian, and amri, 2020; jayanti, 2019). moreover, writing can be a complex activity because the students convey the ideas into written form and notice several aspects of writing, such as good grammar, spelling, clear point, etc (purnamasari, hidayat, & kurniawati, 2021). "writing is used to reports or informs, influences, and such aims and objectives can only be achieved properly by people who can organize their thoughts and express them clearly (rusyana 2012; morsey 2008; tarigan, 2008; hamalik, 2013) a number of language experts believe that language learners can use cooperative-integrated reading and composition (circ) as an integrated method which includes reading and writing activities (prajogo, 2020; nolia, 2021). circ was first developed by slavin, farnish, stevans and madden. the main reason for developing this method is because they are concerned about the traditional teaching of reading, writing and language arts by teachers. pangesty, nursirwan, marliah, yasa, & hartono (2021) defined circ as one of the cooperative learning models that actively engages students in their learning activities and combines writing, reading, discussion and presentation activities. this method emphasizes on the group work either in pairs or small groups to practice reading abstract: the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of using the cooperative integrated reading and composition method on learning outcomes to write fables in class viii students at mts daarul muqimin buaran jati, tangerang regency. students think learning to write fables is boring, students don't think creatively in learning to write fables, students find it difficult to find creative writing ideas, use less effective learning media, and inappropriate writing learning methods. the method used in this study is a quasi-experimental method by conducting a pretest and posttest in two groups. this type of experimental research method uses a nonequivalent control group design, where the experimental class is treated and the control class is not treated. this nonequivalent control group design is almost the same as the pretest and posttest control group designs, only in this design the experimental and control groups are not chosen randomly. data collection techniques using tests. the data analysis technique was started from normality test, homogeneity test, and continued with hypothesis testing. from the research results obtained tcount 2.061> ttable 1.9987. so it can be concluded that there are differences in learning outcomes between the control class and the experimental class. thus, the results of the study using the circ (cooperative integrated reading and composition) method showed an increase in the ability to write fables for the students. keywords: circ; learning to write fables; composition; writing; reading. mailto:desriarwen72@gmail.com mailto:saifulhaq@yahoo.com desri arwen & saiful haq the effect of cooperative integrated reading and composition learning method towards fable writing skills 324 and comprehending texts. cooperative learning is known as group learning. but cooperative learning is more than just group learning or group work because in cooperative learning there is a cooperative structure or task that allows open interaction and effective interdependent relationships among group members. the stages of circ are orientation, organization, concept recognition, publication, strengthening and reflection (shoimin, 2014). meanwhile, according another researcher, kessler in ristanto et al. (2018) the learning steps are as follows: (1) students are grouped into several heterogeneous groups, (2) each group reads an article or a reading, (3) students rewrite the result of discussion on a worksheet, (4) each group displays or presents their results, (5) the best group is rewarded. it is an integrated composition of reading and writing cooperatively in groups so that students learn and work in pairs (ngalimun, 2013). there are basic elements of cooperative learning that distinguish it from the division of groups that are carried out at random. it is believed to be helpful in learning, especially in learning to read and write, because this model helps students be more interactive in learning and is able to help students who are weak in improving skills and easy to apply at the primary and secondary education levels, and are able to train students to study in groups (telaumbanua, 2020). the implementation of cooperative learning model procedures will actually enable educators to manage the class more effectively. hutagalung and tanjung (2021) mentioned that circ has fun activities where students are given chances to process the information enabling students to choose different pairs of groups. on the other side, as abdalrahman (2021) stated, reading and writing are inseparable acts. it is the instructor’s duty to explain this to language learners that writing effectively depends on effective reading. circ type cooperative learning in terms of language can be interpreted as a cooperative learning model that integrates a reading as a whole and then composes it into important parts. the circ program consists of three main elements, basic activities, hands-on teaching in reading comprehension, and integral language/writing arts. the main goal of circ is to use cooperative teams to help students learn broadly applicable reading comprehension skills. several elements of the circ are indeed geared towards this goal. during the follow-up period, students worked in pairs to identify five important features of each narrative story: characters, background events, problems, efforts made, final solutions. the main objective of the circ program developers towards writing and language arts lessons is to design, implement, and evaluate a writing process approach to language arts and language lessons that will make the most of the presence of classmates. specifically, in writing and language arts, a major objective of the developers of the circ writing and language arts program was to design, implement, and evaluate a writing-process approach to writing and language arts that would make extensive use of peers (zainuddin, 2015). responses from peer groups are a typical element of writing process models, but peer involvement is rarely the central activity. however, in the circ program, students plan, revise, and edit their essays in close collaboration with their teammates. the teaching of language mechanics is truly integrated as well as being part of the writing lesson, and the writing lesson itself is integrated with the teaching of reading comprehension lessons, both with the integration of writing process activities in the reading program and with the use of newly learned reading comprehension skills in teaching writing lessons. circ consists of three important elements, related basic activities, direct teaching of lessons in reading comprehension, language arts, and integrated writing. in all these activities, students work in heterogeneous teams. all activities follow a regular cycle involving presentations from the teacher, team exercises, independent exercises, peer pre-assessment, additional exercises, and tests. with cooperative learning, it is expected that students can improve creative thinking, and foster a high social sense in language skill, especially in writing (jayadi, 2021). according to saifulloh (in budiyanto 2016) said that there are several advantages of the cooperative integrated reading and composition (circ) learning model: (1) students' learning experiences and activities will always be relevant to the child's level of development. (2) activities that are selected according to and depart from the interests of students and children's needs. (3) all learning activities are more meaningful for students so that the learning outcomes of students will last longer. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 325 (4) integrated learning can develop children's thinking skills. (5) integrated learning presents activities that are pragmatic (useful) in accordance with problems that are often encountered in the child's environment. (6) integrated learning can foster student learning motivation towards learning that is dynamic, optimal and effective. (7) foster children's social interactions such as cooperation, tolerance, communication, and respect for other people's ideas. (8) generating learning motivation, broadening the insight and aspirations of teachers in teaching. method the research is included in experimental research, where the researcher gives a treatment or experimental conditions and then observes the effect caused by the treatment. the research method used is a quasi-experimental research method. this method is used to find the effect of certain treatments on others under controlled conditions. this study uses the nonequivalent control group design research design, meaning that in this design there are two groups, namely the experimental group and the control group. the experimental group was given treatment in the form of learning using the cooperative integrated reading competition (circ) learning method, while the control group used conventional learning methods. then the two groups were given a pretest to determine whether there was a difference between the experimental group and the control group in the initial state. population or universe is an area or place where objects/subjects are studied, whether people, objects, events, values or other things that have certain quantities and characteristics to obtain information (riyadi, 2014). the population in this study were all eighth grade students of mts daarul muqimin from jati, tangerang regency (334 students) registered in the odd semester of the 2020/2021 academic year which is divided into nine classes. in other words, researchers only take a part that can represent the population. therefore, as explained above, of the nine classes the researcher only took two classes that would be used as research samples. sampling was not done randomly because the researcher used a quasi-experimental method with a nonequivalent control group design which was a weak experimental group, therefore the samples were chosen freely for both the experimental group and the control group. of the several classes there are only two classes that will be sampled, namely the experimental class which is given treatment and the control class which only uses conventional learning methods. the data obtained from the research instrument used to measure the ability to write fables. the ability to write fables is seen from understanding and creative ideas, the ability to solve the questions given in the form of tests. to determine the effect of students' fable writing ability on the use of the circ learning method, data is needed. the tools used to collect data are in the form of pretest and posttest devices. the pretest was carried out before the learning activity to find out the initial description of the two classes, while the posttest was carried out after the learning activity was carried out to determine whether or not there was an increase in students' fable writing ability after participating in the learning process. the things that need to be considered in collecting the data are the variables studied, namely the independent variable consisting of the circ learning model and the dependent variable consisting of the ability to write fables. the implementation of the fable writing ability test is assessed with a fable writing ability assessment format consisting of several main criteria, namely, theme, orientation, complication, resolution, code or mandate. the learning stages carried out for data collection refer to the following steps: (1) the first step is preparation, which aims to design learning to write fables. (2) conditioning students in accepting previously planned learning. (3) before the researcher gave the material about writing the fable text, the students were given a pretest. (4) after students are given a test at the beginning of learning, then students are given treatment using (circ) learning method. (5) doing the final test (posttest). results and discussion the data described are data obtained from the results of filling out tests using developed instruments. the presentation of the data is intended to provide an overview of the size of the data concentration and the size of the data spread. the data is presented in the form of a frequency distribution table and in the form of a graph to make desri arwen & saiful haq the effect of cooperative integrated reading and composition learning method towards fable writing skills 326 it more communicative and easy for readers to understand. description of pretest data for control class and experiment class control class pretest data based on the results of the pretest of the control class at mts daarul muqimin, jati buaran, tangerang regency, the data obtained from the respondents are as follows: the lowest pretest score obtained in the control class was 30 and the highest score was 70. students who scored 30-35 were 3 students. the value of 36-41 is 5 students. the score is 42-47 as many as 6 students. the score is 48-53 as many as 8 students. the score is 54-59 as many as 6 students. the value of 60-65 as many as 4 students. the value of 66-71 is 3 students. for more details, see the frequency distribution table below. table 1. control class pretest frequency distribution class interval class class edge absolute frequency frelative (fr)% 1 30–35 29,5–35,5 3 8,57% 2 36–41 35,5–41,5 5 14,29% 3 42–47 41,5–47,5 6 17,14% 4 48–53 47,5–53,5 8 22,86% 5 54–59 53,5–59,5 6 17,14% 6 60–65 59,5–65,5 4 11,43% 7 66–71 65,5–71,5 3 8,57% total 35 100% from the frequency distribution table, the data is then presented in the form of histogram graphs and polygon graphs. the form of data presentation that describes the ebb and flow of statistical data. the presentation of this data is so easy for readers to understand with the data obtained in the control class as follows: the data range is 29.5-35.5 as many as 3 students. the data range is 35.5–41.5 as many as 5 students. the data range is 41.5–47.5 as many as 6 students. the range of data is 47.5–53.5 as many as 8 students. the data range is 53.5–59.5 as many as 6 students. the data range is 59.5–65.5 as many as 4 students. the range of data is 65.5– 71.5 as many as 3 students. for more details, see the table below. figure 1. control class pretest histogram figure 2. control class pretest polygon furthermore, the data is presented in the form of an ogive graph. this data is made to find out the data is less or more than a certain value. based on the results of the pretest obtained in the control class, the following data were obtained: data less than 29.5 with 3 frequencies, less than 35.5 with 5 frequencies, less than 41.5 with 6 frequencies, less than 47.5 with 8 frequencies, less than 53.5 with 6 frequencies, less than 59.5 with 4 frequencies, less than 65.5 with 3 frequencies, and data less than 70.5 with 35 frequencies. for data more than a certain value as follows: data more than 29.5 as many as 35 frequencies, more than 35.5 as many as 27 frequencies, more than 41.5 as many as 21 frequencies, more than 47.5 as many as 13 frequencies, more than 53, 5 as many as 7 frequencies, more than 59.5 as many as 3 frequencies, more and data more than 65.5 as many as 0 frequencies. for more details, see the graph below: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 327 figure 3. ogive pretest control class experimental class pretest data based on the results of the experimental class pretest at mts daarul muqimin, jati, tangerang regency. the data obtained from the respondents are as follows: the lowest pretest score obtained in the experimental class is 40 and the highest score is 80. students who get a score of 40-45 are 4 students. value 46-51 as many as 5 students. values 52-57 as many as 6 students. the score is 58-63 as many as 10 students. the score is 64-69 as many as 5 students. the value of 70-75 is 3 students. the value of 76-81 is 2 students. for more details, see the frequency distribution table below table 2. experimental class pretest frequency distribution class interval class class edge absolute frequency frelative (fr)% 1 40–45 39,5–45,5 4 11,43% 2 46–51 45,5–51,5 5 14,29% 3 52–57 51,5–57,5 6 17,14% 4 58–63 57,5–63,5 10 28,57% 5 64–69 63,5–69,5 5 14,29% 6 70–75 69,5–75,5 3 8,57% 7 76–81 75,5–81,5 2 5,71% total 35 100% from the frequency distribution table, the data is then presented in the form of histogram graphs and polygon graphs. the form of data presentation that describes the ebb and flow of statistical data. the presentation of this data is so easy for readers to understand with the data obtained in the experimental class as follows: the data range is 39.5-45.5 as many as 4 students. the range of data is 45.5–51.5 as many as 5 students. the data range is 51.5–57.5 as many as 6 students. the data range is 57.5–63.5 as many as 10 students. the data range is 63.5–69.5 as many as 5 students. the data range is 69.5–75.5 as many as 3 students. the data range is 75.5–81.5 as many as 2 students. for more details, see the table below: 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 absolute frequency absolute frequency figure 4. experimental class pretest histogram figure 5. experiment class pretest polygon furthermore, the data is presented in the form of an ogive graph. this data is made to find out the data is less or more than a certain value. based on the results of the pretest obtained in the experimental class, the following data were obtained: data less than 39.5 with 4 frequencies, less than 45.5 with 9 frequencies, less than 51.5 with 15 frequencies, less than 57.5 with 25 frequencies, less than 63.5 with 30 frequencies, less than 69.5 with 33 frequencies, and data less than 75.5 with 35 frequencies. for data more than a certain value as follows: data more than 39.5 as many as 35 frequencies, more than 45.5 as many as 26 frequencies, more than 51.5 as many as 20 desri arwen & saiful haq the effect of cooperative integrated reading and composition learning method towards fable writing skills 328 frequencies, more than 57.5 as many as 10 frequencies, more than 63, 5 as many as 5 frequencies, more than 69.5 as many as 2 frequencies, and data more than 75.5 as many as 0 frequencies. for more details, see the graph below 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 less than more than figure 6. ogive pretest experimental class description of posttest data for control class and experiment class control class posttest data based on the results of the control class posttest at mts daarul muqimin, jati, tangerang regency. the data obtained from the respondents are as follows: the lowest posttest score obtained in the control class was 35 and the highest score was 80. students who scored 35-41 were 6 students. value 42-48 as many as 5 students. the score is 49-55 as many as 11 students. value 56-62 as many as 5 students. the value of 63-69 as many as 4 students. value 70-76 as many as 2 students. the value of 77-83 as many as 2 students. for more details, see the frequency distribution table below. table 3. control class posttest frequency distribution class interval class class edge absolute frequency frelative (fr)% 1 35–41 34,5–41,5 6 17,14% 2 42–48 41,5–48,5 5 14,29% 3 49–55 48,5–55,5 11 31,43% 4 56–62 55,5–62,5 5 14,29% 5 63–69 62,5–69,5 4 11,43% 6 70–76 69,5–76,5 2 5,71% 7 77–83 76,5–83,5 2 5,71 % 35 100% from the frequency distribution table, the data is then presented in the form of histogram graphs and polygon graphs. the form of data presentation that describes the ebb and flow of statistical data. the presentation of this data is so easy for readers to understand with the data obtained in the control class as follows: the data range is 34.5-41.5 as many as 6 students. the data range is 41.5–48.5 as many as 5 students. the range of data is 48.5–55.5 as many as 11 students. the data range is 55.5–62.5 as many as 5 students. the range of data is 62.5– 69.5 as many as 4 students. the data range is 69.5– 76.5 as many as 2 students. the data range is 76.5– 82.5 as many as 2 students. for more details, see the table below. figure 7. control class posttest histogram figure 8. control class postest polygon furthermore, the data is presented in the form of an ogive graph. this data is made to find out the data is less or more than a certain value. based on the posttest results obtained in the control class, the following data were obtained: data less than 34.5 with 6 frequencies, less than 41.5 with 11 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 329 frequencies, less than 48.5 with 22 frequencies, less than 55.5 with 26 frequencies, less than 62.5 with 31 frequencies, less than 69.5 with 33 frequencies, and data less than 76.5 with 35 frequencies. for data more than a certain value as follows: data more than 34.5 as many as 35 frequencies, more than 41.5 as many as 24 frequencies, more than 48.5 as many as 13 frequencies, more than 55.5 as many as 8 frequencies, more than 62, 5 as many as 4 frequencies, more than 69.5 as many as 2 frequencies, and data more than 76.5 as many as 2 frequencies. for more details, see the graph below: figure 9. ogive postes control class experiment class posttest data based on the results of the experimental class posttest at mts daarul muqimin, jati, tangerang regency. the data obtained from the respondents were as follows: the lowest posttest score obtained in the experimental class was 60 and the highest score was 90. students who scored 60-64 were 2 students. the value of 65-69 as many as 3 students. the value of 70-74 is 4 students. the score is 75-79 as many as 6 students. the value of 80-84 as many as 4 students. the score is 85-89 as many as 10 students. the score is 90-94 as many as 6 students. for more details, see the frequency distribution table below. table 4. experimental class posttest frequency distribution class interval class class edge absolute frequency frelative (fr)% interval 1 60–64 59,5–64,5 2 5,71% 2 65–69 64,5–69,5 3 8,57% 3 70–74 69,5–74,5 4 11,43% 4 75–79 74,5–79,5 6 17,14% 5 80–84 79,5–84,5 4 11,43% 6 85–89 84,5–89,5 10 28,57% 7 90–94 89,5–94,5 6 17,14% 35 100% from the frequency distribution table, the data is then presented in the form of histogram graphs and polygon graphs. the form of data presentation that describes the ebb and flow of statistical data. the presentation of this data is so easy for readers to understand with the data obtained in the experimental class as follows: the data range is 59.5–64.5 as many as 2 students. the data range is 64.5–69.5 as many as 3 students. the range of data is 69.5–74.5 as many as 4 students. the data range is 74.5–79.5 as many as 6 students. the data range is 79.5–84.5 as many as 4 students. the data range is 84.5–89.5 as many as 10 students. the data range is 89.5–94.5 as many as 6 students. for more details, see the table below. figure 10. experimental class posttest histogram desri arwen & saiful haq the effect of cooperative integrated reading and composition learning method towards fable writing skills 330 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 absolute frequency absolute frequency figure 11. experiment class postes polygon furthermore, the data is presented in the form of an ogive graph. this data is made to find out the data is less or more than a certain value. based on the posttest results obtained in the experimental class, the following data were obtained: data less than 59.5 with 2 frequencies, less than 64.5 with 5 frequencies, less than 69.5 with 9 frequencies, less than 74.5 with 15 frequencies, less than 79.5 as many as 19 frequencies, less than 84.5 as many as 29 and data less than 89.5 as many as 35 frequencies. for data more than a certain value as follows: data more than 59.5 as many as 35 frequencies, more than 64.5 as many as 30 frequencies, more than 69.5 as many as 26 frequencies, more than 74.5 as many as 20 frequencies, more than 79, 5 as many as 16 frequencies, more than 84.5 as many as 6 frequencies, and data more than 89.5 as many as 0 frequencies. for more details, see the graph below: 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 less than more than figure 12. ogive posttest experiment class measures of concentration and distribution of pretest control and experimental classes the measure of data concentration is a description that provides an explanation that the data tends to converge or gather. concentration measures that are often used are the average to determine the student's average score. median to find out the middle value of a data. standard deviation and variance to determine the size of the spread of statistics that measure how the data is spread out. based on the results of the control class pretest research conducted at mts daarul muqimin buaran jati tangerang regency in the control class obtained the following data: mean value (mean 80.71), (median 49.4), (mode 50.5), (standard deviation (sd ) 9.38) and (variant (sd²) 88.04). while the data obtained in the experimental class are the values: mean (average 58.61), (median 58.7), (mode 599.9), (standard deviation (sd) 10.26), and (variance (sd²) 105.24 ). for more details, see the table below: table 5. measures of concentration and spread of pretest control and experimental classes class mean median mode sd sd² control 59,35 49,4 50,5 9,38 88,04 experiment 58,61 58,7 59,9 10,26 105,24 the measure of concentration and distribution of posttest data in the control class and the experimental class based on the results of the posttest control class research conducted at mts daarul muqimin buaran jati, tangerang regency in the control class, the following data were obtained: mean value (mean 59.0), (median 51.5), (mode 51.5), (standard deviation (sd ) 9.8) and (variant (sd²) 96.6). while the data obtained in the experimental class are the values: mean (mean 80.71), (median 83.0), (mode 88.1), (standard deviation (sd) 9.38), and (variance (sd²) 88.04 ). for more details, see the table below: table 6. measures of centralization and distribution of control and experimental class posttest data class mean median mode sd sd² control 54,00 51.5 51.5 12,20 148,75 experiment 80,71 83.0 88.1 9,38 88,04 testing data analysis requirements normality test of pretest data for control class and experiment class normality test of control class pretest data english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 331 one of the conditions that must be taken to perform the t-test is the normality test of the data. in this data normality test, the researcher used the chi square normality test. with the provision that if x² count < x² table, it can be concluded that the data is normally distributed. from the calculation of the chi square normality test for the control class pretest data, it is obtained that x² count is 1.379 if the value is consulted with the x² table (0.05: k – 1) then the x² table is 12,592. because x² count < x² table = 1.379 < 12,592. it can be concluded that the control class pretest data is normally distributed. (data in appendix 12). normality test of experimental class pretest data from the calculation of the chi square normality test of the experimental class pretest data, it is obtained that x² count is 2.413 if this value is consulted with the x² table (0.05: k – 1) then the x² table is 12,592. because x² count < x² table = 2,413 < 12,592. it can be concluded that the experimental class pretest data is normally distributed. (data in appendix 13). for more details, see the table below: table 7. normality test of control and experimental class pretest data class x² count x² table classification control 1,379 12,592 normal distribution experiment 2,413 12,592 normal distribution normality test of posttest data for control class and experiment class normality test of control class posttest data one of the conditions that must be taken to perform the t-test is the normality test of the data. in this data normality test, the researcher used the chi square normality test. with the provision that if x² count < x² table, it can be concluded that the data is normally distributed. from the calculation of the chi squared normality test for the control class posttest data, it is obtained that x² count is 3.320 if this value is consulted with the x² table (0.05: k – 1) then the x² table is 12,592. because x² count < x² table = 3.320 < 12,592. it can be concluded that the control class posttest data is normally distributed. normality test of experimental class posttest data from the calculation of the chi squared normality test of the experimental class posttest data, it is obtained that x² count is 6.944 if this value is consulted with the x² table (0.05: k 1), then the x² table is 12,592. because x² count < x² table = 6,944 < 12,592. it can be concluded that the posttest data of the experimental class is normally distributed. (data in appendix 15). for more details can be seen in the table below. table 8. normality test of posttest data for control class and experiment class class x² count x² table classification control 3,320 12,592 normal distribution experiment 6,944 12,592 normal distribution homogeneity test after the two samples in this study were declared from a normally distributed population, then the homogeneity of variance test of the two populations was then carried out using fisher's exact test. the homogeneity of variance test is used to determine whether the two samples come from the same population (homogeneous) or different (heterogeneous). the test criteria used are that the two groups are said to be homogeneous if fcount < ftable is measured at a certain level of significance and confidence. pretest data homogeneity test based on the comparison of statistical data between the experimental group and the control group in the initial test or pretest, the largest variance was the control group, which was 114.62, while the smallest variance was the experimental group, which was 105.24. then from the calculation results obtained fcount = 1.09. with 34 degrees of freedom in the numerator and 34 in the denominator, we get ftable = 1.77 with = 0.05. if fcount is compared to ftable, then fcount < ftable is obtained, namely 1.09 < 1.77, meaning that the pretest data for both classes is homogeneous. the results of the homogeneity test can be seen as follows: table 9. pretest data homogeneity test results class s2 fcount ftable conclusion control 114.62 1,09 1,77 both data are homogeneous experiment 105.24 posttest homogeneity test based on the comparison of statistical data between the experimental group and the control group in the final test or post-test, the largest variance was the control group, which was 148.75, while the smallest desri arwen & saiful haq the effect of cooperative integrated reading and composition learning method towards fable writing skills 332 variance was the experimental group, which was 88.04. then from the calculation results obtained fcount = 1.69. with 34 degrees of freedom in the numerator and 34 in the denominator, we get ftable = 1.77 with = 0.05. if fcount is compared to ftable, then fcount < ftable is obtained, namely 1.69 < 1.77, meaning that the posttest data of the two classes is homogeneous. the results of the homogeneity test can be seen as follows: table 10. results of homogeneity test of posttest data class s2 fcount ftable conclusion control 148,75 1,69 1,77 both data are homogeneous experiment 88,04 pretest control class and experiment class based on the research findings above. as stated in the pretest frequency distribution table for the control class, the highest frequency lies at intervals of 48–53 at 22.86%, with an average value obtained in the control class as much as 50.16, the frequency is above the average of 14.29%. while below the average value of 11.43%. in the pretest frequency distribution table for the experimental class, the highest frequency lies in the interval 58–63 by 28.57%, with the average value obtained in the experimental class as much as 58.61, the frequency is above the average of 14.29%. while below the average value of 11.43%. table 11. the pretest frequency distribution class location of the highest frequency most frequrncy mean value above mean value below mean control 48–53 22,86% 50,16 14,29% 11,43% experiment 58–63 28,57% 58,61 14,29% 11,43% based on the table above, the differences between the two classes can be seen. the highest presentation was in the experimental class of 28.57%, and the control value was 22.86%. the value above the average for the control class is 50.16% while in the experimental class it is higher at 58.61%. the value below the average for the control class is 14.29%, and the value below the average for the experimental class is 14.29%. so it can be seen that the values in the control class are slightly lower. the difference is in the value above the average. while the histogram graph in the description above, it can be seen that the histogram graph of the highest control class pretest graph is located at a value of 47.5 as many as 9 respondents. the highest score was 71.5 with 2 respondents, while the lowest score was 29.5 with 3 respondents. in the histogram graph of the experimental class the highest graph is located at 68.5 with a total of 14 respondents. the highest score was 84.5 with 2 respondents, while the lowest score was 49.5 with 4 respondents. posttest control class and experiment class for the posttest frequency distribution, the highest frequency is in the 50-55 interval of 36.36%, with an average value obtained in the control class as much as 52.32, the frequency is above the average of 15.15%. while below the average value of 12.12%. in the posttest frequency distribution table for the experimental class, the highest frequency lies in the 80-83 interval of 27.27%, with the average value obtained in the experimental class as much as 76.65, the frequency is above the average of 18.18%. while below the average value of 18.18%. table 12. posttest frequency distribution class location of the highest frequency most frequrncy mean value above mean value below mean control 50–55 36,36% 52,32 15,15% 12,12% experiment 80–83 27,27% 76,65 18,18% 18,18% based on the table above, the differences between the two classes can be seen. the highest presentation was in the experimental class of 27.27%, and the control value was 36.36%. the value above the average for the control class is 52.32% while in the experimental class it is higher at 76.65%. the value below the average for the control class is 15.15%, and the value below the average for the experimental class is 18.18%. so it can be seen that the values in the control class are slightly lower. the difference is in the values above the average and below the average. while the histogram graph in the description above, it can be seen that the histogram graph of the posttest control class, the highest graph is located at a value of 49.5 as many as 12 respondents. the highest score is 79.5 with 1 respondent, while the lowest score is 37.5 with 7 respondents. in the posttest histogram graph of the experimental class the highest graph is located at a value of 79.5 with 9 respondents. the highest score is 87.5 with 6 respondents, while the lowest score is 59.5 with 2 respondents. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 333 based on the results of the pretest of the control class and the experimental class, the mean value (average) is a measure that gives an idea of the concentration of a data to determine the average value of a statistical data. the mean (average) value for the control class is (50.14), while in the experimental class the mean (average) value is (64.88). meanwhile, during the post-test of the control class and the experimental class, the mean value in the control class was (52.32), and in the experimental class the mean value (76.65). for more details, see the table below: figure 13. the mean value of the pretest and posttest for the control class and the experimental class 50,14 52,32 64,88 76,65 0 50 100 150 pretest postest experiment control based on the graph above, the pretest data for the control class and the experimental class showed a significant difference. it can be seen from the graph height which is slightly far from the average. this is influenced because at the time of the pretest the researcher did not use treatment so that the students did not understand how to write descriptive text. from the post-test data the control and experimental classes showed a significant difference. it can be seen from the graph height of the two classes. the experimental class graph is higher than the experimental class graph giving treatment using the cooperative integrated reading composition method, while the research control class does not provide treatment so that there are differences in learning outcomes in the control class and in the experimental class. furthermore, to find out whether there is an effect on the pretest data of the control class and the experimental class. the researcher conducted a ttest to find out whether there were differences in the two classes. after doing the calculations, it was obtained that tcount 1.1615 < ttable 1.9987, so it can be concluded that there is no difference in learning outcomes between the control class and the experimental class. this is because at the time of the pretest the researcher did not use the media (treatment). so that students are less able to write descriptive text. likewise, the results of posttest research conducted a t-test to find out whether there were differences in the two classes. after calculating the results obtained tcount 2.061> ttable 1.9987. so it can be concluded that there are differences in learning outcomes between the control class and the experimental class. conclusion the ability to write fables for the control class students who were not given any treatment was lower than the fable writing abilities of the experimental class students. by using the cooperative integrated reading composition method, students are more creative and more interested in writing fables. so it can be said that there is an effect of the cooperative integrated reading composition method on the ability to write fables of class viii students. mts daarul muqimin buaran jati, tangerang regency after performing the t-test with the results of the pretest class tcount (1.615) < ttable (1.9987), tcount is smaller than ttable, this indicates that there is no significant difference between the experimental class and the control class on the ability to write fables in the pretest. after the pretest was carried out, then a posttest was carried out, showing the results of tcount (2.061) > ttable (1.9987), tcount is greater than ttable, this indicates that there is a significant difference between the experimental class and the control class on the skills of writing fables in the posttest. references abdalrahman, k. k. (2021). teaching and learning writing skills through literature. canadian journal of language and literature studies, 1(2), 1-10. akhadiah, sabarti, g. a., maidar, h. r. (2012). pembinaan kemampuan menulis bahasa indonesia. jakarta: erlangga. aljannah, i. (2021). pembelajaran kooperatif circ. diakses dari https://izzaaljannah55.wordpress. com /2013/05/19/model-pembelajarancooperative-integrated-reading-and-composition https://izzaaljannah55.wordpress/ desri arwen & saiful haq the effect of cooperative integrated reading and composition learning method towards fable writing skills 334 aqib, z. (2010). profesionalisme guru dalam pembelajaran. surabaya: insan cendikia. arikunto, s. (2010). prosedur penelitian suatu pendekatan praktik. jakarta: pt rineka cipta arikunto, s. (2012). dasar-dasar evaluasi pendidikan. jakarta: bumi aksara ariyana, a., enawar, e., ramdhani, i. s., & sulaeman, a. (2020). the application of discovery learning models in learning to write descriptive texts. journal of english education and teaching, 4(3), 401-412. asiah, n., ardian, e., & amri, s. (2020). a study on the student’s factor difficulty in writing narrative text ar vii grade of mts sabilal muthadin tembilahan. j-shelves of indragiri (jsi), 1(2), 84–97. aunurrahman (2012). belajar dan pembelajaran. bandung: alfabeta. budiyanto, a. k., (2016). syntax 45 learning models in student centered learning (scl). malang: universitas muhammadiyah malang. fithriyani, i. (2019). peningkatan perhatian, aktivitas, dan keterampilan menulis cerpen melalui model pembelajaran berbasis masalah dan media audio visual. lingua rima: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 8(2), 11-23. goziyah, g., sulaeman, a., & suherman, a. (2021). pelatihan inovasi pembelajaran di era kenormalan baru pada guru-guru smk islam baidhaul ahkam sepatan. jurnal abdimas prakasa dakara, 1(1), 12-17. hudhana, w. d. (2019). peningkatan keterampilan menulis cerita pendek berbasis karakter menggunakan media pembelajaran videoscribe. seminar nasional pendidikan bahasa dan sastra, 265-270. hudhana, w. d., & sulaeman, a. (2019). the development of video scribe in improving short story writing skill at tenth grade students of sman 1 tangerang regency. in the proceeding of annual international seminar on english language teaching-aiselt, 3(3). hutagalung, i. w. & tanjung, h. r. (2021). pengaruh penerapan model pembelajaran circ (cooperative integrated reading and composition) terhadap keterampilan menulis puisi modern siswa kelas x sma negeri 1 sibabangun. jurnal bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 1(2), 1-10. jayadi, u. (2021). penerapan metode pembelajaran cooperative integrated reading and composition (circ) untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar dalam menemukan kalimat utama pada siswa kelas iv sdn 22 mataram tahun pelajaran 2020/2021. berajah journal, 1(1), 21-42. jayanti, a. d. (2019). students’ writing ability on english descriptive text at grade viii. academic journal of english language and education, 3(1), 71–94. jihad, a. & haris, a. (2013). evaluasi pembelajaran. yogyakarta: multi pressindo. kette, e. s. s., pratiwi, y., & sunoto, s. (2016). pengembangan bahan pelatihan menulis cerita pendek bermuatan nilai karakter untuk guru smp negeri mata pelajaran bahasa indonesia se-kota kupang. jurnal pendidikan: teori, penelitian, dan pengembangan, 1(4), 698-704. khulasoh, k. (2019). meningkatkan keterampilan menulis puisi menggunakan media audio visual pokok bahasan melengkapi puisi anak berdasarkan gambar model pembelajaran tematik. dinamika jurnal ilmiah pendidikan dasar, 9(1), 13-22. ngalimun. (2013). strategi dan model pembelajaran. yogjakarta: presssindo. nolia. (2021). model cooperative integrated reading and composition (circ) untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar bahasa indonesia materi surat resmi kelas vi sd. sirok bastra, 9(1), 23-24. pangesty, d. a. r., nursirwan, h., marliah, a., yasa, l. n., hartono, r. (2021). the influence of cooperative integrated reading and composition (circ) model on students' written mathematical communication skills in primary school. technium social science journal, 22, 249-254. prajogo, s. (2021). the use of cooperative integrated reading and composition (circ) method to improve students’ reading comprehension. konstruktivisme: jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran, 13(1), 78-85. purnamasari, d., hidayat, d. n., & kurniawati, l. (2021). an analysis of students’ writing skill on english descriptive text. english education: jurnal tadris bahasa inggris, 14(1), 101-114. riadi, e. (2014). metode statistika parametrik & non parametrik untuk penelitian ilmu-ilmu sosial dan pendidikan. tangerang: pustaka mandiri. ristanto, et.al. (2018). the potential of cooperative integrated reading and composition in biology learning at higher education. international journal of educational research review, 3(2):5056 sharan, s. (2014). the handbook of cooperative learning. yogyakarta: istana media. shoimin, a. (2014). 68 innovative learning models in curriculum 2013. yogyakarta: ar-ruzz media. sugiono (2012). metode penelitian pendidikan kuantitatif, kualitatif dan r&d. bandung: alfabeta. sugiono (2012). statistika untuk penelitian. bandung: alfabeta. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 335 sulaeman, a. & goziyah.(2019). metodologi penelitian bahasa dan sastra. jakarta: edu pustaka. sulaeman, a. (2019). motivasi pembelajaran bahasa indonesia bagi penutur asing (bipa) mahasiswa peminatan bipa prodi pbsi fkip universitas muhammadiyah tangerang. simposium nasional mulitidisiplin (sinamu), 1. sulaeman, a., & dwihudhana, w. (2019). hubungan motivasi belajar dengan hasil pembelajaran bahasa indonesia bagi penutur asing (bipa) pada mahasiswa semester 7 program studi pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia fkip universitas muhammadiyah tangerang. silampari bisa: jurnal penelitian pendidikan bahasa indonesia, daerah, dan asing, 2(1), 59-70. sulaeman, a., enawar, e., sori, s., & suherman, a. (2021). skimming reading techniques on the ability to identify intrinsic drama text elements. journal of english language and literature (jell), 6(1), 25-38. supardi (2013). aplikasi statistika dalam penelitian konsep statistika yang lebih komprehensif. jakarta: change publication. susanto, a. (2012). teori belajar dan pembelajaran di sekolah dasar. jakarta: fajar interpratama mandiri. tarigan, h. g. (2008). menulis sebagai suatu keterampilan berbahasa. bandung: angkasa bandung. teulaumbanua, m. (2020). the application of the cooperative integrated reading and composition (circ) learning model in improving the ability to find elements of the nonfiction book for class vii students of smp negeri 1 ma'u nias regency 2020/2021 learning year. eji education journal of indonesia, 1(1). zainuddin. (2015). the effect of cooperative integrated reading and composition technique on students’ reading descriptive text achievement. english language teaching, 8(5), 11-21. desri arwen & saiful haq the effect of cooperative integrated reading and composition learning method towards fable writing skills 336 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 297 the effect of using quizizz to efl students’ engagement and learning outcome ahmad munawir english education department, teacher training and education faculty, university of sulawesi barat, majene/west sulawesi, indonesia email : ahmadmunawir@unsulbar.ac.id nurul pratiwi hasbi man 1majene, majene/west sulawesi, indonesia email: nurulpratiwi880@gmail.com apa citation: munawir, a., & hasbi, n. p. (2021). the effect of using quizizz to efl students’ engagement and learning outcome. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 297-308 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5412 received: 04-10-2021 accepted: 27-11-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction creating a learning environment through a gamification approach is not a very new concept. there are several studies are using this approach towards the classroom. one of them is a study by bicen & kocakoyun (2018). it was found that through the gamification approach, the students' interest was increased and their ambition for success was formed (bicen & kocakoyun, 2018). in gamification studies, internal motivation goals and competence have important effects on work engagement. (muntean, 2011). it has been examined that it provided a positive impact on the motivational affordance and psychological/behavioral affordance (hamari, koivisto, sarsa, 2014). it is a necessity to solve the problem of students faced in their learning experience –emotional and behavioral problems and learning difficulties (evolution, n.d.). the problems are such as limited class hours in practicing language skills, limited authentic material resource and too many students in a class. for this reason, the e-learning model is an innovation to facilitate students in improving their learning abilities (evolution, n.d.). quizizz is a free online-based of a formative assessment tool that allows the teacher to conduct both assessments in class and as homework. it tends to be effectively used, helped to stimulate metacognitive of the student, liveliness in class and student attendance in advanced education which abstract: the objectives of the research are to find out the extent of students' engagement in efl learning before using quizizz application, to find out students' score results from the test using quizizz application, to find out the extent of students' behavior during the efl learning and to find out the effect after using quizizz to students' engagement and learning outcomes in efl learning. this research applies a one-shot case study on explanatory quantitative research design to describe a phenomenon on the effectiveness of student engagement and learning outcomes after using quizizz application in the efl classroom of the 5th semester at the english education department in universitas sulawesi barat. there are four classes and the researcher took one class purposively. the data are collected by employing preliminary and final surveys, treatments, direct observation, and tests. structural equation modeling analyses show that using quizizz application gave constructively contribution to some of the dependent variables. the effect of using quizizz has the highest contribution or influence on the students' psychomotor outcomes. next is to the effect of using quizizz to the students' cognitive and affective outcomes. moreover, student engagement is little or not significantly affected by the use of quizizz. the conclusion highlights the importance, although currently ignored, ways that students contribute depends on the flow of the instruction they received. moreover, the learning environment encourages students to think. as a concern to the teacher that students need motivational elements than a scoring system to increase their motivation. keywords: quizizz, gamification approach; students’ score; students’ behavior; students’ engagement; learning outcomes; efl learning ahmad munawir & nurul pratiwi hasbi the effect of using quizizz to efl students’ engagement and learning outcome 298 demanding the limited participation of lecturers and students (bicen and kocakoyun, 2018). although, some previous studies describing the benefits of using quizizz and the students' perception of quizizz application in the classroom, this study examines quizizz application from a review of students' abilities: knowledge (cognitive), attitude (affective) and psychomotor in english as foreign language classroom. this study applies quizizz application as a gamification approach towards the class to engage students by analyzing those students' abilities in being able to learn efl. it is to find how the students' engagement and their learning outcomes are affected in terms of those students' abilities using quizizz in learning efl. student engagement studies on the engagement of the student in the teaching-learning process showed that there is no consensus about the definition of it (fredricks, blumenfeld, paris, 2004). the concept was found its strong connection to a psychological and behavioral component (beer, clark, jones, n.d.). regarding engagement means to discuss students' behavior in the school (sullivan et al., 2009). to the students who are in their adolescent development in the age of 15-19, the school experience is considered as not an opportunity to succeed, but rather as an obstacle to maturity (papalia, olds, feldman, 2009). this obstacle occurs due to many problems students often faced such as emotional and behavioral problems and learning difficulties (battin-pearson, et al., 2000). the tension becomes more intense because of demands as rigid rules related to education in school (appleton, christenson, furlong, m.j, 2008). students often experienced boredom in school and few students took advantage of their study time, both inside and outside the classroom. above emotional, behavior problems and learning difficulties are at risk of inhibiting the learning process. it can reduce academic achievement. students need to increase involvement in learning including aspects: emotion; behavior and cognition to achieve academic achievement. student engagement is the time and effort created for learning activities based on the goal or outcome of the school to encourage students to participate in these activities (kuh, 2009). according to literature national association of independent school (nais) report on the 2016 high school survey of student engagement, there are three dimensions of engagement: cognitive, behavioral, and emotional engagement. student cognitive engagementdescribes how students regulate themselves, create steady and deep technique for learning in their learning activities – the students' works do and the students' ways to go about what their work. behavioral engagement includes students' interaction with their social, extracurricular and non-academic activities in the school. this involvement results in the positive attitude of the students during these activities. emotional engagement is about the emotional reaction and affective relationship of the students during the lesson or other activities that composed as the school environment. reactions such as excitement, well-being, anxiety, frustration, and disgust are the example. it deals with a feeling to the people, working ways and where they are in the school 'placed' (joseph corbett & amanda torres (2016) on nais report on the high school survey of student engagement," n.d.). learning outcomes learning outcomes is an expression of educational goals, which is the statement of what is expected, known, understood and can be done by students after completing a learning period (kkni team, 2015). learning outcomes is more focused on what is expected to be carried out by student during or at the end of a learning process. learning outcomes must be accompanied by proper assessment criteria that can use to assess the expected learning outcomes that have been achieved. learning outcomes together with assessment criteria specifies the credit requirements (butcher, davies, highton, 2006). bloom's taxonomy is one of the bases for categorizing educational goals, test preparation, and curriculum that has been used for almost half a century (gunawan & palupi, 2016). this taxonomy was first compiled by benjamin s. bloom in 1956 in his book taxonomy of educational objectives and the learning domain is categorized into several domains and each of them is divided into levels/complexities of ability: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor outcomes. cognitive outcomes contain behaviors that emphasize intellectual aspects, such as knowledge, understanding and thinking skills (solving complex problems). knowledge called complete and board english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 299 adapted to the context or needs. in this domain, the term low order thinking skills (lots) and high order thinking skills (hots) is referred to which refers to the level of cognitive thinking ability according to the taxonomy developed by bloom. affective outcomes emphasized the aspect of belief, ideas and attitude, such as interest, attitude, appreciation, and ways of adjustment. la pierre incited crano & prislin, (2006), the meaning of word attitude can generally be described as mental tendencies or to be actualized in affective tendencies, both in a more positive or negative direction. it formulated in the form of attitude, affective tendencies are commonly expressed of likes – dislikes, agree – disagree, love-hate, likedislike, and so on. psychomotor outcomes is the acquisition of physical skills that includes behavior that emphasizes aspects of motor skills such as handwriting, typing, swimming and/or operating machines. according to bloom, psychomotor domains include physical skills, both physical (muscle) and complex coordination between the brain and muscles (oermann, 1990). quizizz quizizz is an educational software example using game-based pedagogy that provides online questionnaires, discussions or exams. it can be designed in different formats (true or false, multiple choices, etc.). the teacher can set the quizzes as public or private. for public mode, the teacher can share his/her quizzes with other educators around the world. a free account is created on https://quizizz.com/. to join the game, students do not need to sign up. students can participate in the game by accessing https://joinmyquiz.com, enter the game code and type their nickname. the password given is randomly created which is shown on-screen that connects to the projector. a new password will be created automatically for each game. the teacher can also share the link via google classroom or remind. method this research uses a one-shot case study on the explanatory form of quantitative research. quantitative research is a systematic scientific on parts and phenomena and their relationships. it develops and uses mathematical models, theories, and or hypotheses relating to natural phenomena as their goals. therefore, inferential statistics is the main tool to analyze data (žukauskas, vveinhardt, andriukaitienė, 2018). the explanatory research method uses one group as the sample. the measurements of student engagement and learning outcomes are taken at first as primary data and references for the final survey and then we do certain treatments for a while. once doing the treatment on the same group, the measurements are made as a final survey a second time. the research requires five instruments to collect the data and information needed. they are student engagement questionnaire (seq), quizizz-basedtest, report documentation, observation form, and learning outcomes questionnaire (loq). participants this survey was administrated to the student of the educational english department in the fifth semester at universitas sulawesi barat. there were four classes where each class consists of approximately 25 students. in explanatory research, the sample is intended to explain the generalization of the sample to its population (creswell, 2014). all the participants in this research are from class d. in this semester, students had studied ict courses so it was easier to promote the quizizz application as a learning media later. the selected students joined a class where the learning use quizizz app as a mediating tool. all of the participants were male and female with a proficiency level of efl is intermediate. they had the same level of proficiency (intermediate). measures the questionnaire of student engagement (seq) in achieving expected learning outcomes is adapted from reeve and tseng, (2011) who used wolters' (2004) learning strategies derived from pintrich and degroot's (1990) widely-used motivated strategies for learning questionnaire. pintrich and degroot's (1990) study written by wolters (2004) about the use of learning strategies found a positive relation between seventh-grade students' endorsement of intrinsic goals and their use of cognitive and metacognitive-learning strategies. this research adapted measure features two subscales, one with items to assess the use of sophisticated (elaboration-based) learning strategies (items 1–4 in table 3.1 indicator of the research) ahmad munawir & nurul pratiwi hasbi the effect of using quizizz to efl students’ engagement and learning outcome 300 and a second with items to assess the use of metacognitive self-regulation strategies such as planning before study, monitoring on tasks study, and revising one's work after studying. learning outcomes' questionnaire (loq) is used to the survey of students learning outcomes which are conducted in the last meeting of the study. its items indicators are adapted from bloom's taxonomy and bloom's digital revised taxonomy. the contribution of the researcher is to change the context of the items to ensure students respond to their level of learning outcomes. table 1. questionnaire items to assess the aspects of student engagement learning outcomes items to assess students’ cognitive engagement 1. when i am doing schoolwork, i try to relate what i am learning to what i have already known. 2. when i study in class, i try to connect what i am learning with my own experience. 3. when i study in class, i try to fit all the ideas so it makes sense 4. i make up my own example so it is easy to understand the important material. 1. before i begin to study, i think about what i want to get done. 2. when i am working on my schoolwork, i stop once, in a while and go over what i have been doing. 3. when i study, i focus on how much i can understand, not only if i am getting the right answer. 4. if i am learning on difficult to understand, i change the way i learn the material. items to assess students’ emotional engagement 1. i enjoy learning through quizizz app in the class. 2. when i am learning through quizizz app, i feel interested. 3. when i study by using quizizz, i feel curious about what we are learning. 4. quizizz makes learning fun! items to assess students’ behavioural engagement 1. i listen to the material carefully. 2. the first time the teacher talks about a new topic, i pay a lot of attention. 3. i am difficult to be accustomed when we begin to learn something new in class. 4. i ask question to teacher when i meet difficulty in learning. 5. during in learning class, i express my preferences and opinions about the material to my teacher. 6. i pay attention to my teacher explanation in front of class. 7. i try to understand the material as i can while learning in class. items to assess students’ cognitive outcomes 1. i have been able to make each example of all types of sentence structures without need to look at a notebook 2. i am able to describe the differences of the four types of sentence structures directly when asked by the teacher 3. i am adept at operating the quizizz app well 4. i can get used to submit assignments through the google classroom app and will recommend it to other teachers using this app. 5. i can post question (quizzes) that i made myself to be played by my classmates items to assess students’ affective outcomes 1. i pay attention to the subject as well about sentence structures because it is very important in english courses 2. i enjoy learning sentence structures through the quizizz app 3. i organize my notebook to be completed and contains teacher’s explanation and my understanding of this material 4. when working in group, i express my ideas and get opinions from group members 5. i enjoy assignments both individually and in groups through quizizz app given by teacher. therefore, i get good scores 6. i am interested in learning english even harder. this is because applying quizizz app on the learning items to assess students’ psychomotor outcomes 1. using quizizz is effective in enhancing my engagement in the class. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 301 2. doing in-class exercises using quizizz is more helpful in my learning than doing in-class exercise on paper. quizizz-based test is a test on english as a foreign language by using the quizizz app. quizizz reports documentation is real-time data of students' scores of the test accomplishment. the teacher can view the progress of the game use these data reports. observation form which the data is obtained by observing directly and indirectly by using video support. data collection we do a preliminary survey to measure the extent of students' engagement before the study. the preliminary survey aims to gain a deep understanding of the conditions related to the students' engagement. thus becoming an indicator refers to the measurement of students' engagement after the study, whether to be the same or different (increased). quizizz is applied for one class where the sample (25 students) as the representation of all populations of the fifth semester. quizizz is used frequently throughout the study. the purpose of researching using quizizz is to investigate how student engagement influences their learning outcomes which emphasize the frequency of using quizizz as a media tool of learning efl. we collect data using a secondary data source. the data collection techniques are carried out by observing and giving questionnaires. we do a test that would later be the data to be used as a reference to measure the extent of student engagement in the classroom. it is intended as the reference to the final survey indicator where there is a significant effect or not. we give tests that we had named the quizizzbased test (q-bt) to all participants of quizizz learning class in sections 1, 2 and 3. we teach sentence structure first before giving the test. once teaching the material, we execute a test on quizizz application named quizizz-based test (q-bt) in the 20 minutes-left of each section which first we explain the tutorial of quizizz application. the tests are given frequently in sections 1, 2 and 3. therefore, we evaluate their engagement during the treatment in-class by filling out an observation form. evaluations are done at the end of sections. we survey at section 3 to examine their engagement and learning outcomes during the study. data analysis students' engagement questionnaire consists of 27 items which factors loaded to be measured consist of 9 indicators. they are (1) learning strategies and meta-cognitive self-regulation strategies loaded on cognitive engagement; (2) fun, interest, curiosity, and enjoyment loaded on emotional engagement; (3) expression of students' on-task attention, lesson involvement, and effort loaded on behavioral engagement. we analyze data of the result of student engagement preliminary survey by using a 5-point likert scale ranging from 1 to 5. we use a google form application to collect the preliminary survey data. it is displayed by diagram and statistical analysis. after analyzing the data, we do the validity and reliability test to the overall items of the questionnaire. we use bivariate pearson correlation and cronbach's alpha technique to analyze the data survey on ibm spss statistics 25. direct observation is used to see the student behavioral and emotional involvement among individuals and particular situations (dealing with the class situation and/or other students). the data is displayed and arranged in the form of tabulated data. the item of each indicator in the observation form is recorded using the tally method. this relates to the frequency of the same indicator that we observe when in-class activities. students' engagement questionnaire on this final survey is consisted of 26 items which factor loaded to be measured also consist of 9 indicators, same with the students' engagement questionnaire on the preliminary survey. the students' learning outcomes consist of 22 items which factors loaded consist of 11 indicators to be measured. they are (1) doing, connecting, applying, conceptualizing, and evaluating loaded onto cognitive outcomes; (2) receiving, responding, assessing, processing, and appreciating loaded on affective outcomes and (3) psychomotor outcomes. both questionnaires also consist of positive and negative statements that use a 5-point likert scale ranging from 1 to 5. students fill out the questionnaires on the google form application. we also do validity and reliability test which measuring with the same techniques on the questionnaire on the preliminary survey. after the preliminary and final survey data are collected, we do a paired sample t-test. before doing the test, it is necessary to ensure that the data ahmad munawir & nurul pratiwi hasbi the effect of using quizizz to efl students’ engagement and learning outcome 302 distribute normally by the test of normality. then, data also are tested on a paired sample correlation test to know whether there significant correlation or not of both data. once the data collected, the analysis technique of structural equation modeling (sem) is used to examine the effect of using quizizz application to variables (student engagement and learning outcomes and efl learning). research model through sem enables the researcher to answer the research question that is both regressive and dimensional (hooper et al., n.d., 2008). sem is a combination of two separate statistical models namely factor (regression) analysis and path analysis into one comprehensive statistical method (bungin, 2005). results and discussion after administering the preliminary survey, we did the treatment at three sections where each section was held per week from 4th to 18th november 2019. at the end of the third section where the treatment was finished, we administered a final survey to know the effect after using quizizz application as media learning in their learning activities. the questionnaires contain statements related to student engagement and learning outcomes before and after using the quizizz application. student engagement on efl learning before using quizizz application the finding shows that most of the students know how to develop learning strategies. firstly, students need to clear that to make the learning process run effectively, they must know what will be achieved or the aims from the first place. it is to avoid the ignorance to own learning. secondly, their emotional engagement towards the learning shows good, although, some of them still have a neutral attitude whether they enjoy learning in class or not. to the factor loaded from students' behavior towards learning, students listen the material carefully, especially about the new topic. but, they need to take more time to be accustomed with. further, some students prefer to ask if they find difficulty in learning. related to their efforts in learning, many of them are confused to express preferences and opinions about the lesson to the lecturer. sometimes, some prefer to talk with friends rather than listen to the lecturer's explanation. moreover, almost half of them agree or doubt that they still have difficulty understanding the lesson. quizizz-based-test result the reliability test of overall students' score results through quizizz application showed an indication of whether the tests are reliable or not and is acceptable for both upper and lower group level (hair, 2017). the test results showed some fairly unreliable tests, for instance in the first, second and last meeting on individual tasks (classic mode). the highest reliable tests are shown in homework mode. we consider this phenomenon occurs for some reason which is the same as the factors affecting the level of reliability written by hair (2017). in the first meeting, study time is limited by other lecture hours caused a very brief explanation of the subject and doing the exercise on quizizz in a hurry. some students have not finished working quizzes while others guessed which the right answer. there are some students did not answer or complete their quizzes on homework mode. they said that they lost internet connection while working so they could not continue their work. this we state the weakness of this application requiring a strong internet connection before losing any work. but also, they have a lot of time to do homework rather than doing the test live-on class. students' behavior during the efl class the finding identified that students tend to discuss/ask their friends than to the teacher. however, all the students agreed to listen to the teacher's explanation or take a friend's note before missing the lesson. we also took control of the class by influencing students through orders. this is as our effort constructively to influence and to keep the students' attention in the class. command sentences are "listen to what explain, once the quizizz is running, you will have no time to look the book, you will race against the time!", and "pay attention to what explain, you won't get this such lesson in any lecture". on the medium category finds some students did something irrelevant during the teaching and learning activities. this is still tolerated. some sets of class where require students to look and work on different team randomly several times caused this reaction. it was also found that in-class students prefer to ask a friend when meet problems operating english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 303 quizizz application. meanwhile, in the low category was connected to the good criteria where students seem to discuss/ask a friend than to the teacher. also, students do not read the related lesson from any resources except to the teacher explanations. student engagement and learning outcomes in efl learning after using quizizz application once done statistical analysis with the structural equation modelling, the results are as shown in the following figure. besides looking at the overall impact of using quizizz on students' engagement and learning outcomes, we also analyze several possible effects of students' engagement and learning outcomes. the influence of these two dependent variables might be even greater than the quizizz on both. table 2. the empirical model of the role of quizizz on student engagement and learning outcomes (n=24) based on the calculation of the structural equation modelling for the modified model, the result of the goodness-of-fit index is summarized in the following table. it concludes that the results of the model analysis show the criteria for goodnessof-fit models that are unfit. those are indicated by the srmr value (standardized root mean squared residual for the between-person model) which is greater than 0,08 and nfi value (normed fit index) which is smaller than 0,90. unfit srmr and nfi indicate the model cannot be accepted (browne & cudeck, 1993). the chi-square value (397,319) is much greater than the critical value 36,42 which according to joreskog & sorbom (1993) to assess the fit model, it is expected that the chi-square value is not significant (p-value > 0,05). this is because the result indicates that there is no difference between the model and the data. table 3. fit summary saturated model estimated model critical value evaluation model srmr 0.154 0.187 ≥ 0,08 unfit chi-square 367.732 397.319 ≥ 36,42 fit nfi 0.238 0.176 ≤ 0,90 unfit table 4. path coefficients ahmad munawir & nurul pratiwi hasbi the effect of using quizizz to efl students’ engagement and learning outcome 304 the roles of students' engagement and their learning outcomes turn out to be more indirect where through variable using quizizz in-class and out-class. the tables show that those findings cannot be read as a single result that is sufficient to represent the true effect of using quizizz because they stand equally as strong as evidence. student cognitive engagement and cognitive outcomes after using quizizz application the influence of quizizz test scores has little impact or not related to the students' cognitive engagement. student activities involve to learning strategies i.e. relating learning to what have already known and/or making own example to ease to understand the material while learning and activities involve to meta-cognition i.e. thinking about what to get done before begin to study, focusing on certain things that she/he can understand apparently cannot be measured only by direct questioning. this is because actually, cognitive involvement activity occurs when the learning process is ongoing. there are still quite a lot of respondents who chose to be undecided about the statement of cognitive engagement factors. we conclude students could not figure out the expression towards cognitive engagement factors. it is like the statement "i make up my own example so it is easy to understand the important material" dominates undecided responses. this needs further study when reeve & tseng (2011) use this kind factor loaded on engagement, whether this can be used to other research or only addressed to their research purposes. based on the findings, the only reliable result used as an indicator for students' cognitive engagement activities during class is the students' scores result on quizizz itself which improves in each section/meeting. increased reliability is one proof that the level of difficulty of the test on quizizz that we made fit to students who are in the upper group and lower group. to the cognitive outcomes results still seem better than the influence on student engagement above. it is as seen on the path coefficient chart, students' cognitive outcomes related to quizizz around 28% and r square chat, quizizz gives an effective contribution 23% to cognitive outcomes. learning outcomes factors involve intellectual aspects such as knowledge, understanding and thinking skill. in fact, more respondents choose a neutral attitude towards the statements of learning outcomes factors that make the contribution or effect of quizizz on learning outcomes look very small. the results are students operate quizizz application well and at the same time, they get used to submitting the assignment on quizizz. they also will recommend using this app for lectures. moreover, some students can post quizzes they made to be played to friends. students' emotional engagement and affective outcomes after using quizizz application to the effect of using quizizz to the student emotional engagement and affective outcomes seems to be improved compared to the first. it is shown by the path coefficient test where the effect of using quizizz to the students' emotional engagement and affective outcomes is 0,35. likewise, the emotional engagement survey findings look satisfying. students enjoyed and felt interested in learning through quizizz in the class. they felt curious about the learning and it made learning fun. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 305 however, a review of the overall score results on quizizz seems not so. the score results show that many students got low scores and some of them did not accomplish answering all the quizzes. the fact happened in class that we observed shows the reason. several students admitted somewhat 'depressed' working on quizizz. this is due to the time demand. this is true, that the score on quizizz is not only determined by the correct number of answers but also the speed in answering each question. so, even though some students have the same number of correct answers, it does not mean they have the same scores due to different duration answering each question. this why there are still among students guessed the answer, it is because of suggestion being the earlier finished. it is found that the model inequality between quizizz and students' engagement on the structural equation modeling test is a different data figure. this phenomenon also found on the effect on students' affective outcomes. the data collected reveal that quizizz was successful in capturing students' affective outcomes. the survey of this factor showed high mean scores instead of the quizizz score results which mean scores tend to be low despite increasing in each section. this is what makes the path coefficient test model is not so effective or influential due to the different data figure we stated. however, the result of students' affective outcomes found that almost all students paid attention to what we taught. they enjoyed learning sentence structure and assignments both individual and group through quizizz application. they also became not hesitate to get involved in group working and received feedback from group members. they were interested in learning english even harder. students' behavioral engagement and psychomotor outcomes after using quizizz application the first thing to know is that the study established that english as a foreign language is not only perceived as an important subject for the broader majority of participating students. but, it is how to bring english to be enjoyable learning in the efl classroom. furthermore, the findings revealed that using quizizz changes students' behavioral engagement in-class regarding students' on-task attention, lesson involvements and students' efforts on learning english. the survey on students' behavioral engagement found that students listen to the material more carefully, tried to understand the material while learning and more interestingly, they got paying more attention to what the teacher talked about a new topic. once you start playing on quizizz, you have a little or even no chance to see your textbook due to time running. especially, for the effect of using quizizz to the students' psychomotor outcomes viewed by the rsquare chart found that quizizz has an impact or greatest significant contribution among others. this indicates that the most significant factor being influenced by the use of quizizz is on the students' psychomotor outcomes. the varied respondents' answers tend to be the cause. however, all students agree that the use of quizizz is effective in enhancing students' engagement in the class. also, it found an interesting fact that because of the requirement, students should accomplish all quizzes. it makes students inevitably have to listen to the lesson in the first place. a fact also majority students agreed that doing in-class exercise through quizizz is helpful than doing exercise on paper besides there are still at least four students who did not agree on it so. conclusion students vary in the way they react to the learning activities that teacher provides, as some students work harder with greater joy and prioritizing strategies in learning. these behaviors, emotional and cognitive are important in predicting students learning and their achievement in the future. but students are more varied in how much or little they are 'depressedly' learning because of the demands by the teacher as requirement in-class or school rules in general. with this students' engagement test as a way for how they can be enriched, personalized, or enhanced in their learning especially in english as a foreign language. the use of quizizz found that students are more interested in the lesson, and being encouraged to be more ambitious for success. similarly, the use of learning platform devices proved to have a positive impact on student motivation. students responded that collaboration is very important during learning which supported quizizz's application and make them help each other in learning. the students who play and learn on this application stated that the reward and leaderboard system increases their ahmad munawir & nurul pratiwi hasbi the effect of using quizizz to efl students’ engagement and learning outcome 306 motivation. the students can see the status of their progress on projection displayed and on the smartphone. they can evaluate which sub material that they are deficient. additionally, a combination of a gamification approach to the learning method help students better understands the lesson. badges make students feel important and students are easier to remember information when presented in a gamified manner. competition helps them to improve their response to time management and allows them learning topics that difficult to understand. acknowledment alhamdulillahi rabbil alamin, the writers say greatest thanks to the almighty god allah swt, bestowed his blessing, mercy, and guidance which him alone we worship and ask for help. peace be upon to the last messenger of allah, the prophet muhammad saw who guided us from the darkness to the lightness. this article has been finished under the assistance, direction, and guidance of some people. therefore, the writers would like to express greatest gratitude and appreciation to all my colleagues at english eduation department of university of sulawesi barat. the writers hope this article can give positive contribution esepecially in englsih language teaching. references anderson, l.w., krathwohl, d.r. (eds.) (2001). a taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: a revision of bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives, complete ed. ed. longman, new york. andrew, c., (2008). bloom’s digital taxonomy, revised. ed. kristin school. appleton, j.j., christenson, s.l., furlong, m.j. (2008). student engagement with school: critical conceptual and methodological issues of the construct. psychology in the schools, 45, 369– 386. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20303 aşıksoy, g., sorakin, y. (2018). the effects of clickeraided flipped classroom model on learning achievement, physics anxiety and students’ perceptions. battin-pearson, s., newcomb, m.d., abbott, r.d., hill, k.g., catalano, r.f., hawkins, j.d. (2000). predictors of early high school dropout: a test of five theories. journal of educational psychology 92, 568–582. https://doi.org/10.1037/00220663.92.3.568 beer, c., clark, k., jones, d., n.d. indicators of engagement 11. bicen, h., kocakoyun, s. (2018). perceptions of students for gamification approach: kahoot as a case study. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (ijet) 13, 72-. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v13i02.7467 biggs, j. (2003). aligning teaching for constructing learning. the higher education academy. bloom’s digital taxonomy. (2015). url https://www.commonsense.org/education/video/bl ooms-digital-taxonomy bloom’s verb digital taxonomy. (2019). binus university. broughton, g. (1980). teaching english as a foreign language. routledge education books. routledge and kegan paul, london [etc.]. bungin, b. (2005). metodologi penelitian kuantitatif. kencana. butcher, c., davies, c., highton, m. (2006). designing learning: from module outline to effective teaching, key guides for effective teaching in higher education series. routledge, new york, ny. carsono, n. (2014). penyusunan learning outcomes mata kuliah. crano, w.d., prislin, r. (2006). attitudes and persuasion. annual review of psychology 57, 345–374. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.57.102904. 190034 creswell, j.w. (2014). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, 4th ed. ed. sage publications, thousand oaks. da rocha seixas, l., gomes, a.s., de melo filho, i.j., (2016). effectiveness of gamification in the engagement of students. computers in human behavior 58, 48–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.11.021 evolution, s.l., n.d. pembelajaran bahasa inggris abad 21. semesta learning evolution. url https://sle.co.id/news/pembelajaran-bahasainggris-abad-21/ (accessed 9.18.19). explanatory research, (2008). the sage encyclopedia of qualitative research methods. sage publications, inc., 2455 teller road, thousand oaks california 91320 united states. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412963909.n164 figueroa, j.f. (2015). using gamification to enhance second language learning, digital education review. universidad del este, puerto rico. frankfort-nachmias, c., nachmias, d. (1996). research methods in the social sciences, 5th ed. ed. st. martin’s press, new york. fredricks, j.a., blumenfeld, p.c., paris, a.h. (2004). school engagement: potential of the concept, state english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 307 of the evidence. review of educational research 74, 59–109. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059 gadiyar, a.r. (2014). gamification 3.0: the power of personalization. gonyea, r.m., kuh, g.d. (2009). nsse, organizational intelligence, and the institutional researcher. new directions for institutional research, 107–113. https://doi.org/10.1002/ir.290 hair, j.f. (ed.), 2017. a primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (pls-sem), second edition. ed. sage, los angeles. hamari, j., koivisto, j., sarsa, h. (2014). does gamification work? -a literature review of empirical studies on gamification, in: 2014 47th hawaii international conference on system sciences. presented at the 2014 47th hawaii international conference on system sciences (hicss), ieee, waikoloa, hi, pp. 3025–3034. https://doi.org/10.1109/hicss.2014.377 kapp, k.m. (2012). the gamification of learning and instruction: game-based methods and strategies for training and education. pfeiffer, san francisco, ca. kkni team. (2015). paradigma capaian pembelajaran. koenigs, s.s., fiedler, m.l., decharms, r., 1977. teacher beliefs, classroom interaction and personal causation1. journal of applied social psychology 7, 95–114. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.15591816.1977.tb01332.x kuh, g.d. (2009). what student affairs professionals need to know about student engagement. journal of college student development 50, 683–706. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.0.0099 leaning, m. (2015). a study of the use of games and gamification to enhance student engagement, experience and achievement on a theory-based course of an undergraduate media degree. journal of media practice 16, 155–170. https://doi.org/10.1080/14682753.2015.1041807 mac namara, d., murphy, l. (2017). online versus offline perspectives on gamified learning. maloshonok, n. (2014). vygotsky’s theory: lessons for student engagement research. 13. michelini, m., groupe international de recherche sur l’enseignement de la physique (eds.), (2004). quality development in teacher education and training: second international girep seminar 2003 ; selected contributions ; [1 6 september 2003, udine, italy]. forum, ed. univ. udinese, udine. muntean, c.i. (2011). raising engagement in e-learning through gamification. university of bucharest and “babeş-bolyai” university 324 of cluj-napoca, the 6th international conference on virtual learning icvl 2011 323–329. nais. (2016) nais report on the high school survey of student engagement [www document], n.d. url https://www.nais.org/articles/pages/research/2016 -nais-report-on-the-high-school-survey-ofstudent-engagement/ (accessed 9.10.19). oermann, m.h. (1990). psychomotor skill development. j contin educ nurs 21, 202–204. pace, c.r. (1984). measuring the quality of college student experiences. an account of the development and use of the college student experiences questionnaire. higher education research institute, graduate school of education, university of california, los angeles, ca 90024 ($7. papalia, d.e., olds, s.w., feldman, r.d. (2009). human development. mcgraw-hill. perry, v., albeg, l., tung, c. (2012. meta-analysis of single-case design research on self-regulatory interventions for academic performance. j behav educ 21, 217–229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-012-9156-y porcaro, p.a., jackson, d.e., mclaughlin, p.m., o’malley, c.j. (2016). curriculum design of a flipped classroom to enhance haematology learning. journal of science education and technology, 25, 345–357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-015-9599-8 poth, r.d. (2018). 12 digital tools to try in 2018. getting smart. url https://www.gettingsmart.com/2018/01/12-toolsto-try-in-2018/ (accessed 3.26.19). quizizz. (n.d) quizzez raises $3 million and surpasses 10 million users [www document], n.d. url https://venturebeat.com/2018/08/09/quizizzraises-3-million-and-surpasses-10-million-users/ (accessed 3.27.19). ramsden, p. (1992). learning to teach in higher education. routledge, london ; new york. reeve, j., tseng, c.-m. (2011). agency as a fourth aspect of students’ engagement during learning activities. contemporary educational psychology 36, 257–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2011.05.002 rienecker, l., jørgensen, p.s., skov, s. (2015). the good paper: a handbook for writing papers in higher education. robbins, s.p., judge, t. (2007). organizational behavior, 12th ed. ed. pearson/prentice hall, upper saddle river, n.j. ssentence structure dictionary definition [www document], n.d. . vocabulary.com. url https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/sentence %20structure (accessed 9.30.19). ahmad munawir & nurul pratiwi hasbi the effect of using quizizz to efl students’ engagement and learning outcome 308 williamson, s. d., halverson, r., squire, k. r. (2005). video games and the future of learning. wcer working paper 87, 104–111. sullivan, p., mornane, a., prain, v., campbell, c., deed, c., drane, s., faulkner, m., mcdonough, a., smith, c. (2009). junior secondary students’ perceptions of influences on their engagement with schooling. australian journal of education 53, 176–191. https://doi.org/10.1177/000494410905300206 tobi, h., kampen, j.k. (2018). research design: the methodology for interdisciplinary research framework. qual quant, 52, 1209–1225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-017-0513-8 tyas, n. (2018). pemanfaatan aplikasi digital learning untuk pembelajaran pengayaan di sekolah menengah kota surabaya. departemen sistem informasi, fakultas teknologi informasi dan komunikasi, institut teknologi sepuluh nopember. van rosmalen, p., westera, w. (2014). introducing serious games with wikis: empowering the teacher with simple technologies. interactive learning environments 22, 564–577. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2012.707128 werbach, k., hunter, d. (2012). for the win: how game thinking can revolutionize your business. wharton digital press, philadelphia. what is quizizz? [www document], n.d. . help center. url http://quizizz.zendesk.com/hc/enus/articles/203610052-what-is-quizizz(accessed 9.19.19). williams, m., burden, r.l. (1997). psychology for language teachers: a social constructivist approach, cambridge language teaching library. cambridge university press, cambridge ; new york. zhao, f. (2019). using quizizz to integrate fun multiplayer activity in the accounting classroom. international journal of higher education 8, 37. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v8n1p37 žukauskas, p., vveinhardt, j., andriukaitienė, r. (2018). exploratory research, in: žukauskas, p., vveinhardt, j., andriukaitien?, r. (eds.), management culture and corporate social responsibility. intech. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.70631 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 27 native english speakers versus non-native english speakers: the impact of language teachers on efl learner's english proficiency tariq elyas european languages department, faculty of arts & humanities, king abdul-aziz university, saudi arabia e-mail: telyas@kau.edu.sa noor motlaq alghofaili english language institute, king abdul-aziz university, saudi arabia e-mail: noor.alghofaili@gmail.com apa citation: elyas, t., & alghofaili, n. m. (2019). native english speakers versus non-native english speakers: the impact of language teachers on efl learner’s english proficiency. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 27-38. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1773. received: 23-01-2019 accepted: 25-03-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: in the field of tesol, the perception that native english speaking teachers (nests) are better than non-native english speaking teachers (nnests) has influenced language schools, recruitment policies and institutional leadership practices. the tendency to recruit more nests and achieve improved learning outcomes can be seen in english as a foreign language (efl) and english as a second language (esl) contexts. this paper aims to investigate whether nests or nnests have any impact on the efl learners’ language proficiency in saudi efl context. this quantitative study adopts pretest-posttest experimental and ex post facto designs to determine students’ achievement in two language skills, namely speaking and listening. the two groups of participants are efl students in a foundation year program at a saudi arabian university. one group was taught by a nest and the other by a nnest. the quantitative data were analyzed by using spss. the findings indicated that teachers’ nativeness and backgrounds have no significant effects on the saudi efl learners’ speaking and listening skills. here, saudi efl learners can equally perform in classes taught by nests or nnests. in the light of the findings, the study suggests that recruitment policy should not be influenced by the employers’ belief that nests possess better teaching skills than nnests. keywords: efl learners; experimental research; ex post facto design; language proficiency; nests; nnests. introduction there has been a debate over the past few decades to determine whether native english speakers or non-native english speakers are better language teachers. teaching of english in different contexts have been linked to the teacher native or native speaking abilities, and it is believed that teachers who speak english as their first language can be more effective classroom practitioners than those whose first language is not english. however, research on the phenomenon of native english-speaking teacher (nest) and non-native english speaking teacher (nnest) indicates the fact that the latter can be more effective owing to their experience of being a language learner. as the debate continues in the field of tesol, this paper considers the matter from the efl learners’ perspective in the saudi context. the last two decades have seen exponential growth in the number of research studies that aimed to determine the characteristics of an ideal language teacher (al-nawrasy, 2013; alghofaili & elyas, 2017). it is commonly believed that nests are ideal language teachers (moussu, 2010). phillipson (1992) even labels the notion of idealizing nests as the ‘native speaker fallacy’ (cited in braine, 2013). this belief has shaped the idea of hiring nests in schools, language centers, and even universities regardless of their teaching qualifications and experience (alseweed, 2012). moreover, the employers prefer nests over nnests believing the formers have knowledge of how language works (larsen-freeman & anderson, 2011). this preference for nests is evident in most job advertisements around the world, especially in non-english speaking context, such as arabian gulf, korea and china (selvi, 2010). according to li-yi (2011), in taiwan, parents consider nnests incompetent due to their lack of overseas experience, regardless of their qualifications. the impact of the employers’ tariq elyas & noor motlaq alghofaili native english speakers versus non-native english speakers: the impact of language teachers on efl learner’s english proficiency 28 choice of nests can be seen in fewer job opportunities for nnests, whereas there is a big demand for nests around the world. for example, in thailand in 2010, there were 500 native-speaker teaching job vacancies (grubbs, jantarach, & kettem 2010). similarly, anya, avineri, carris, and valencia (2010) argue that hiring decisions might be influenced by the perception that some people speak the language “correctly” while others do not. these evidences raise a question of whether native speakers are employed for the sake of their nativeness, irrespective of their teaching experience or training. in this case, chun (2014) suggests that native speakers should not be employed for simply being native and should not be preferred over nnests. as there is no solid empirical evidence to show whether nests or nnests can contribute to the learning outcomes of efl learners, more investigation is required. saudi government invests a large amount of budget in efl education, as english language has a significant role in the development of business, science and technology. according to mahboob and elyas (2014), english fluency has economic value in saudi arabia due to the large number of foreign companies that contribute to the economy of the kingdom. as a result, the number of english language learners has rapidly increased the demands for qualified efl teachers. due to its importance in various fields and mandatory consideration at school and university levels, both nests and nnests are recruited by public and private sector universities for the preparatory year programme (pyp). although most of the saudi efl institutes prefer to employ nests, nnests from different arab and asian countries also teach at pyp. the large number of language teachers in saudi higher education institutions gives rise to a question whether instructional practices of nests or nnests have any impact on the language profanely of saudi efl learners. since learning english has become a requirement in higher education, saudi students’ attitudes about nests have evolved to the point where many consider learning from a nest an ideal way to attain english language proficiency (alseweed & daif-allah, 2012). despite its significance, there is dearth of empirical evidence on the issue of nests and nests in the saudi efl context. therefore, this study aims to bridge that research gap. listening skill listening is one the most important skills that language learners acquire in a classroom environment which also contributes to their speaking abilities. for language teachers to help their students become effective listeners, it is essential to apply listening strategies and provide listening practice in authentic situations. research shows that language learners generally prefer nests to teach listening, considering them an ideal model of the authentic language in a classroom setting (al-omrani, 2008; lasagabaster & sierra, 2005; mahboob, 2004; nam, 2010). in mahboob’s (2004) view, the possible reason behind this preference could be that nests acquire a “natural” pronunciation that might help students improve their listening and contribute to their speaking ability. in a similar way, lasagabaster and sierra (2005) believe that the nests’ ability to speak better english than nnests may offer learners opportunities to acquire authentic language and improve their listening skills. speaking and pronunciation skills many language learners regard speaking ability as an indicator of knowing a language. these learners consider fluency more important than the ability to read, write, or comprehend oral language. as they regard speaking the most important skill that needs to be acquired, their preference is always to have a fluent teacher of english. given these presuppositions, it would not be surprising if learners show interest in nests owing to their accents and backgrounds. in fact, this could be one major reason for idealizing the native-speaking teacher. research in this direction shows that language learners prefer nests over nnests in teaching speaking skills (e.g. al-omrani, 2008; kelch & santana-williamson, 2002; lasagabaster & sierra, 2005; mahboob, 2004). according to alomrani (2008), nests are rated higher in teaching speaking skills due to their accurate pronunciation and fluency. similarly, benke and medgyes (2005) reveal that nests are good sources of inspiration for language learners to use english well; they are considered as perfect models for imitation. nevertheless, such claims of idealizing nests in teaching speaking are largely based on students’ perceptions, the reliability of which can be difficult to assess. since students prefer nests as speaking teachers, the impact of nests on learners’ speaking skills is an important consideration for researchers. al-nawrasy (2013) used an ex post english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 29 facto design to investigate the impacts of a teacher’s nativeness on students’ achievement in speaking skills. the results show that there is no significant difference in speaking skill achievements between students taught by the two types of teachers; nest and nnest. although the nests’ learners display better performances with respect to pronunciation, the nnests’ students were better in terms of accuracy. research in this direction indicates that both nests and nnests can have impact on the english language learners’ pronunciation. levis, sonsaat, link and barriuso (2016) investigated the effects of teachers’ l1 on learners’ pronunciation. even though many learners stated their preference for native teachers, their actual results offer encouragement to nonnative teachers in teaching pronunciation. this suggests that instruction on pronunciation skills is dependent on knowledge and teaching techniques than on the native pronunciation of teachers. these two experimental studies have led to new findings that run counter to the results typically found when comparing nests and nnests in teaching speaking and pronunciation skills and using students’ perceptions as the basis of study. a plethora of research shows that nests are perceived as being superior in teaching english language and helping learners to improve their pronunciation skills (e.g. alseweed, 2012; chun, 2014; grubbs, janatra, & kettem 2010; ma, 2012a; walkinshaw & dungo, 2012; walkinshaw & oanh, 2014). on the other hand, some studies argue that nests are difficult to understand since they speak too fast and use words that are often difficult for the level of their students (e.g. ma, 2012; sung, 2010). although learners show preference for nests, interestingly, the teachers’ background and nativeness have no significant impact on students’ achievements in speaking and pronunciation skills (e.g. al-nawrasy, 2013; levis, et al. 2016). method when investigating the impact of nests and nnests on students, using different methods can offer useful insights to provide a comprehensive picture of the research problem. two instruments were used in this study: pretestposttest and ex post facto. the quantitative methods—pretest/posttest and ex post facto designs—were used to investigate the influence of the teachers’ nativeness, background, and accent on their students’ achievement. students were given a pretest to ensure comparability of the participant groups prior to their exposure to nests or nnests and a posttest to measure the effects of that exposure. to ensure comparability, the same test was given in both pretest and posttest, since the time elapsed between the two tests was long enough (7 weeks) that the students were unlikely to remember their answers in pretest. the reading part was an achievement test taken from the teacher’s version of the english unlimited special edition b1, which is assigned to intermediate level students. the reading part included two reading passages: the first was a message posted on a website that offers job and career advice to young people and the other was an email posted on a website about hotels. each passage included five truth-value judgment sentences, which have been extensively used with second-language learners to eliminate fatigue and avoid compromising the reliability of the study (mackey & gass, 2005). as for listening part, it was also an achievement test taken from the teacher’s version of english unlimited special edition b1. due to the time limitation and to avoid students’ boredom and fatigue, the listening part was a radio interview with two people. similar to the reading questions, it included five true judgment sentences. further, in ex post facto design, also called causal-comparative design, the independent variable or variables have already happened and the investigator starts with the observation of a dependent variable or variables (kerlinger, 1970) cited in (cohen, manion & morrison, 2007). here, the researcher investigates possible relationships to and effects on the dependent variables by studying the independent variable, which in this case is teacher nativeness (cohen, manion & morrison, 2007). in other words, the researcher is examining retrospectively the effects of a naturally occurring event on a subsequent outcome with a view to establishing a causal link between them. this design focused first on the effect and attempted to determine what caused the observed effect. due to the difficulty of using pretest/posttest design to measure the impact of nest and nnest on students’ writing and speaking skills, ex post facto design was used. as stated by cohen, manion and morrison (2007), it can be useful to employ an ex post facto design in tariq elyas & noor motlaq alghofaili native english speakers versus non-native english speakers: the impact of language teachers on efl learner’s english proficiency 30 situations where conducting experimental research is not possible. this design was chosen for various reasons. first, the pretest/posttest approach is time-consuming when evaluating such skills. second, since the eli offers an intensive english language course in six weeks, it would be difficult to test the students individually, particularly in speaking skills. moreover, the eli students are obliged to take highly valid and reliable final speaking and writing tests at the end of the module to pass the course. finally, students might be unwilling, anxious or too tired to participate in taking tests in these two skills. these factors might affect the results of the test. this study was conducted at the english language institute (eli) of a saudi arabian university. at the eli, more than 8000 students are enrolled in a preparatory year program (pyp) every year, during which they have to complete four levels of english courses as follows: table 1. english language courses at the eli eli course code course level cefr level credits 101 beginner a1 0 102 elementary a2 2 103 pre-intermediate b1 2 104 intermediate b1+ 2 eli helps students in their pyp to achieve an intermediate level of english proficiency, equivalent to the common european framework reference of b1 threshold level (cefr b1). all participating students were homogeneous in terms of age (they were either 18 or 19 years old), native language (arabic), nationality (saudi), and cultural background. two participant groups were included in this study. the first group included the participants who participated in the quantitative approaches. in this group, stratified sampling was used, in which, as creswell and clark (2017) indicate, researchers divide (stratify) the population on some specific characteristic (e.g., gender) and then, using simple random sampling, sample from each subgroup (stratum) of the population (e.g., females and males). this guarantees that the sample will include specific characteristics that the researcher wants to include in the sample.” in this study, two classes were chosen to take pretest and posttest of reading and listening skills: the first one was taught by a british nest and the other one a saudi nnest. these two classes were also used for the ex post facto portion of the study. both classes were at intermediate level, which falls under the b1 threshold level according to the cefr scale. the second group had 18 student participants, eight in intermediate and 10 in upper intermediate. all students were taught by both types of teachers, nativeand non-nativespeaking. the participants’ names were given pseudonyms to protect their privacy. background information of participated students is presented in table 2. table 2. students' background information participants’ pseudonym level number of nests taken courses with nationalities of nests taken courses with number of nnests taken courses with nationalities of nnests taken courses with wajd 103 3 american, british, canadian 2 saudi, malaysian maryam 103 2 american 4 saudi, indian, pakistani ahlam 103 2 american, british 2 saudi, egyptian basmah 103 1 american 4 saudi, pakistani, jordanian mona 103 2 american 4 saudi, india maha 103 1 american 2 saudi laila 103 1 british 2 saudi, indian iman 103 2 british, canadian 2 saudi, malaysian samirah 104 1 american 4 saudi, indian sanaa 104 1 american 3 saudi boshra 104 1 american 4 saudi, pakistani, english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 31 jordanian bodour 104 1 american 4 saudi syrian shayma 104 1 american 4 saudi, malaysian, egyptian hana 104 1 american 3 pakistani, saudi kholoud 104 1 american 4 saudi, syrian, turkish, jordanian wafaa 104 1 american 5 saudi, jordanian amal 104 2 american 5 saudi, jordanian, syrian asmaa 104 1 american 3 jordanian, egyptian, syrian the eli uses a modular system of four quarters per academic year. the quantitative data for this study were collected during the third module of 2015–2016 academic year. approval to conduct the study was obtained from the head of the research unit at the eli. consent forms were signed by all students participated in the study. the participants knew their participation was voluntary and they could withdraw from the study at any time. confidentially and anonymity were assured to all participants. as noted above, the pretest and posttest were conducted during the third module of intermediate level students. the test was piloted on the first day of the module with three eli students at that level to determine the time needed for answering the questions. during the first week of the third module, the pretest was given to 18 students who attended a nest class and 20 students who were present in an nnest class. the test had to be completed within 40 minutes. six weeks later, with a high absenteeism range, the posttest was given to 14 students who took the pretest and attended both the classes. the pretest and the posttest in both classes were printed, distributed, invigilated, and collected by the teacher to ensure the safety of the data. as for the ex post facto design, the students’ grades of the same nest and nnest classes in speaking and writing skills from module two were collected. the eli grading sheets were provided by the academic coordinator, which were compared with their current third-module grades of speaking and writing skills. the number of students whose grades were accessible was 18 students in nnest class and 17 in nest class. the statistical package for social studies version 20.0 (spss, ibm) was used to calculate and find any significant statistical difference between the mean scores of the students who were taught by nests and those who were taught by nnests. the questionnaire data were translated by the researchers and coded to identify common themes. to achieve the highest degree of accuracy in comparing the two groups’ grades, several statistical analyses were applied, including descriptive statistics and tests of normality. paired sample t-test analysis was also applied to determine whether there was statistical evidence that the mean difference between paired observations pretest and posttest for each group was significantly different from zero (i.e., that both means were not equal). additionally, pearson’s correlation was used to measure the strength and direction of the association that existed between two variables measured (pretest, posttest) for each group in the study. for further investigation, an independent samples t-test was applied to check if there was a significant difference between the pretests of both groups and if there was a significant difference between the posttests of both groups. results and discussion this section which reports on the data obtained from the two quantitative methods used is divided into two subsections; listening skill and speaking skill. listening skill table 3 shows descriptive statistics for students’ achievements in listening skills of both nest and nnest groups. in addition, figure 1 shows the histograms (pre-test and post-test) of the grade distributions of each listening group. tariq elyas & noor motlaq alghofaili native english speakers versus non-native english speakers: the impact of language teachers on efl learner’s english proficiency 32 table 3. descriptive statistic for students’ achievement in the listening skill listening group pre-test post-test nest n valid 14 14 missing 0 0 mean 6.1429 4.7143 std. error of mean .64499 .77338 std. deviation 2.41333 2.89372 variance 5.824 8.374 range 6.00 8.00 minimum 2.00 .00 maximum 8.00 8.00 nnest n valid 14 14 missing 0 0 mean 3.0000 5.7143 std. error of mean .58366 .65824 std. deviation 2.18386 2.46291 variance 4.769 6.066 range 8.00 8.00 minimum .00 2.00 maximum 8.00 10.00 figure 1. grade distributions of nest and nnest groups in the listening pre/post tests the above curves display the normal distribution, and the shapiro-wilk test showed that the data is normally distributed for most listening groups (p>0.05). the pre-test of the nest group is not normally distributed (p>0.05) (table 4) but that would be accepted as the data displayed above in the histograms is accepted. table 4. test of normality for the listening skill test listening group kolmogorov-smirnova shapiro-wilk statistic df sig. statistic df sig. nest pre-test .351 14 .000 .741 14 .001 post-test .229 14 .045 .853 14 .025 nnest pre-test .248 14 .020 .892 14 .087 post-test .257 14 .013 .882 14 .061 a. lilliefors significance correction english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 33 this part of the study is based on the following null hypotheses:  nh3: nest has no impact on student achievement in listening skill.  nh4: nnest has no impact on student achievement in listening skill. to test the above hypotheses, a dependent ttest paired sample was applied to determine whether there is any statistical evidence that the mean difference between paired observations pre-test and post-test for each group is significantly different from zero. table 5, table 6 and figure 2 show that for the nest group, the difference between the pretest and the post-test (1.43) is not significantly different from zero. that is, both grades are approximately equal in pre-test (6.14±2.41) and post-test (4.71±2.89). therefore, the difference between the mean of the two grades is not large enough to reach the significant level (t(13)=1.408, p=0.183). however, the post-test mean is slightly lower. the third null hypothesis is accepted. as for the nnest group, the difference between the pre-test and post-test (2.714) is significantly different from zero. that is, both grades are not equal pre-test (3.00±2.18) and post-test (5.71±2.46). therefore, the difference between the mean of the two grades is significant (t(13)=-2.723, p=0.017), and the post-test mean is significantly higher. therefore, the fourth null hypothesis is rejected. table 5. paired sample statistics for students’ achievement the listening skill listening group mean n std. deviation std. error mean nest pair 1 pre-test 6.1429 14 2.41333 .64499 post-test 4.7143 14 2.89372 .77338 nnest pair 1 pre-test 3.0000 14 2.18386 .58366 post-test 5.7143 14 2.46291 .65824 table 6. paired sample test for students’ achievement the listening skill listening group paired differences t df sig. (2tailed) mean std. deviation std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper nest pair 1 pre-test post-test 1.42857 3.79705 1.01480 -.76378 3.62092 1.408 13 .183 nnest pair 1 pre-test post-test -2.71429 3.72989 .99686 -4.86786 -.56071 -2.723 13 .017 figure 2. paired sample test for students’ achievement in the listening pre/post tests pearson’s correlation (table 7) was used to measure the strength and direction of the association between the two variables measured (pre-test, post-test). the following table shows that r=-0.016 and p=0.957 for the nest group, and r=-0.286 and p=0.322 for the nnest group, indicating that the correlations are weak and insignificant. tariq elyas & noor motlaq alghofaili native english speakers versus non-native english speakers: the impact of language teachers on efl learner’s english proficiency 34 table 7. paired samples correlations for students’ achievements in the listening skill listening group n correlation sig. nest pair 1 pre-test & post-test 14 -.016 .957 nnest pair 1 pre-test & post-test 14 -.286 .322 for further investigation, the independent samples t-test was applied (table 8) to check whether there is a significant difference between the pre-tests and the post-tests of two groups. the test reveals that there is a significant difference between the pre-test means of both groups ((6.14 and 3.00 for the nest and nnest group, respectively), p=0.001). moreover, there is no significant difference between the post-test means of both groups ((4.71 and 5.71 for the nest and nnest group, respectively), p=0.334). table 8. independent samples test for the listening skill levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pretest equal variances assumed .905 .350 3.613 26 .001 3.14286 .86987 1.35482 4.93090 equal variances not assumed 3.613 25.745 .001 3.14286 .86987 1.35395 4.93176 posttest equal variances assumed 1.218 .280 -.985 26 .334 -1.00000 1.01558 -3.08755 1.08755 equal variances not assumed -.985 25.352 .334 -1.00000 1.01558 -3.09015 1.09015 according to the analysis above, student achievement in the nest group did not show any improvement in the listening part so that the third null hypotheses is accepted. on the other hand, studentd’ achievement in the nnest group showed significant development in listening skill. therefore, the fourth null hypothesis is rejected and nnest appears to have a positive effect on students’ achievement in listening skill. speaking skill table 9 shows descriptive statistics for the nest group and the nnest group in speaking skill. in addition, figure 3 shows the histograms for module 2 and module 3 grade distributions of each group. table 9. descriptive statistic for students’ achievement in the speaking skill speaking group module 2 module 3 nest n valid 15 15 missing 0 0 mean 9.1067 8.6133 std. error of mean .30402 .36172 std. deviation 1.17745 1.40095 variance 1.386 1.963 range 3.10 4.00 minimum 6.90 6.00 maximum 10.00 10.00 nnest n valid 16 16 missing 0 0 mean 8.8250 9.1563 std. error of mean .31563 .33726 std. deviation 1.26254 1.34906 variance 1.594 1.820 range 3.50 4.50 minimum 6.50 5.50 maximum 10.00 10.00 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 35 figure 3. grade distributions of nest and nnest groups in the speaking pre/post tests the above curves (second and third) display the normal distribution, but the shapiro-wilk test shows that data are not normally distributed for each group (p<0.05) (table 10). table 10. test of normality for the speaking skill speaking group kolmogorov-smirnova shapiro-wilk statistic df sig. statistic df sig. nest module 2 .297 15 .001 .751 15 .001 module 3 .196 15 .127 .871 15 .035 nnest module 2 .305 16 .000 .780 16 .001 module 3 .297 16 .001 .703 16 .000 a. lilliefors significance correction the study null hypotheses are:  h5: nest has no impact on student achievement in speaking skill.  h6: nnest has no impact on student achievement in speaking skill. to test these hypotheses, a dependent t-test paired sample was applied to determine whether there is statistical evidence that the mean difference between paired observations for module 2 and module 3 grades for each group is significantly different from zero. table 11, table 12 and figure 4 show that for the nest group, the difference between module 2 and module 3 grades (0.493) is not significantly different from zero. that is, both grades are approximately equal (module 2: 9.11±1.18, module 3: 8.61±1.4). therefore, the difference between the mean of the two grades is not large enough to reach the significant level (t(14)=2.145, p=0.05). however, the module 3 mean is slightly lower. the fifth null hypothesis is accepted. as, for the nnest group, the difference between module 2 and module 3 grades (-0.331) is not significantly different from zero. that is, both grades are approximately equal (module 2: (8.83±1.26), module 3: (9.16±1.35)). therefore, the difference between the mean of the two grades is not large enough to reach the significant level (t(15)=-0.975, p=0.345). however, the module 3 mean was slightly lower so that the sixth null hypothesis is accepted. tariq elyas & noor motlaq alghofaili native english speakers versus non-native english speakers: the impact of language teachers on efl learner’s english proficiency 36 table 11. paired sample statistics for students’ achievement speaking skill speaking group mean n std. deviation std. error mean nest pair 1 module 2 9.1067 15 1.17745 .30402 module 3 8.6133 15 1.40095 .36172 nnest pair 1 module 2 8.8250 16 1.26254 .31563 module 3 9.1563 16 1.34906 .33726 table 12. paired sample test for students’ achievement the speaking skill speaking group paired differences t df sig. (2tailed) mean std. deviation std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper nest pair 1 module 2 module 3 .49333 .89080 .23000 .00002 .98664 2.145 14 .050 nnest pair 1 module 2 module 3 -.33125 1.35878 .33970 -1.05529 .39279 -.975 15 .345 figure 4. paired sample test for students’ achievement in the speaking pre/post tests pearson’s correlation (table 13) was used to measure the strength and direction of the association between the two variables measured (module 2 and module 3 grades). the following tables show that r=0.775 and p=0.001 for the nest group and that r=0.46 and p=0.073 for the nnest group, indicating that the nest group displays a strong positive correlation, whereas the nnest group displays an insignificant correlation. table 13. paired samples correlations for students’ achievements in the speaking skill speaking group n correlation sig. nest pair 1 module 2 & module 3 15 .775 .001 nnest pair 1 module 2 & module 3 16 .460 .073 for further investigation, the independent samples t-test was applied (table 14) to check whether there was a significant difference between the module 2 grades of both groups and to test whether there was a significant difference between the module 3 grades of both groups. the test revealed that there was no significant difference between the module 2 grade means of both groups ((9.1 and 8.61 for the nest and nnest group, respectively), p=0.525). in addition, there was no significant difference between the module 3 grade means of both groups (8.83 and 9.16 for the nest and nnest group, respectively), p=0.281). english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 37 table 14. independent samples test for the speaking skill levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper module 2 equal variances assumed .007 .933 .641 29 .526 .28167 .43926 -.61671 1.18004 equal variances not assumed .643 29.000 .525 .28167 .43824 -.61463 1.17796 module 3 equal variances assumed .424 .520 -1.099 29 .281 -.54292 .49394 -1.55314 .46730 equal variances not assumed -1.098 28.687 .281 -.54292 .49456 -1.55489 .46906 in conclusion, for both groups, module 2 and module 3 grades means were not significantly different. neither group had a significant increase or decrease in grades. thus, neither the nest nor the nnest had any effect on student achievement in the speaking skill. therefore, the fifth and sixth null hypotheses are accepted. conclusion this study concludes that teachers’ nativeness and backgrounds have no significant impact on the saudi efl learners’ achievement in the four skills. overall performances in the pretest and posttest results show that nests and nnests can be equally effective as language teachers. these findings should be a convincing factor in shaping the hiring policy in the arabian gulf and the native speaker fallacy (phillipson, 1992) should not have any impact on efl/esl students, administrators, recruiters, and nonnative teachers’ self-recognitions. this study shows no significant influence of nest or nnest on the efl learners’ achievement in reading, listening, speaking and writing skills. the findings indicate that many students prefer nest in teaching the reading skills, which is contrary to al-omrani (2008) and mahboob (2004) who state that nnests are considered more effective in teaching reading skills. the data do not shed light on the learners’ preference for nest as a reading teacher; however, nnests are favored for using reading strategies and techniques. this is in line with the results of al-omrani (2008), who reveal that nnests can teach students reading strategies that are required to overcome their reading challenges. similar to lasagabaster and sierra (2005), few participants believe that teachers’ nativeness has no influence on their achievements in the reading skill. this point was also proven in the quantitative data indicating that being taught by either a nest or nnest has no effect on students’ achievements in the reading skill. besides, the findings also show that there is no difference between nests and nnests in teaching listening. this is in contrast with the literature, which indicates that nests are better at teaching listening as they are the ideal models for authentic life (e.g. al-omrani, 2008; kelch & santana-williamson, 2002; lasagabaster & sierra, 2005; mahboob, 2004; nam, 2010). however, results indicate that nests have no influence on students’ achievements in listening skill, whereas nnests have a remarkable positive influence on students’ achievements in listening skills. further, the quantitative data of this study show that there is no significant difference among students’ achievements in speaking skills whether taught by nests or nnests. the teachers’ backgrounds and nativeness have no significant influences on students’ achievements, based on the results of this experimental study. this finding agrees with al-nawrasy (2013) and levis et al., 2016), whose experimental studies yielded the same findings. finally, it can be inferred from the findings that teachers’ nativeness has no significant effect on students’ achievements in speaking and listening skills. as part of the quantitative data of this study, the efl students’ results on the writing skills show a negative influence of a nnest on their achievements, whereas no influence has been noted in the learners’ progress who were taught by a nest. this finding contradicts literature that nnests are favored by students in teaching writing skills as they learn better from their tariq elyas & noor motlaq alghofaili native english speakers versus non-native english speakers: the impact of language teachers on efl learner’s english proficiency 38 teaching strategies (al-omrani, 2008; alseweed & daif-allah, 2012; mahboob, 2004). references alghofaili, n. m., & elyas, t. (2017). decoding the myths of the native and non-native english speakers teachers (nests & nnests) on saudi efl tertiary students. english language teaching journal, 10(6), 1-19. al-nawrasy, o. (2013). the effect of native and nonnative english language teachers on secondary students’ achievement in speaking skills. jordan journal of educational sciences, 9(2), 243-254. al-omrani, a. h. (2008). perceptions and attitudes of saudi esl and efl students toward native and nonnative english-speaking teachers (doctoral dissertation). indiana university of pennsylvania, usa. retrieved from proquest dissertations and theses database. (umi no. 3303340) alseweed, m. a. (2012). university students’ perceptions of the influence of native and nonnative teachers. english language teaching, 5(12), 42-53. doi:10.5539/elt.v5n12p42. alseweed, m. a., & daif-allah, a. s. (2012). university students’ perceptions of the teaching effectiveness of native and nonnative teachers of english in the saudi context. language in india, 12(7), 35-60. anya, u., avineri, n., carris, l. m., & valencia, v. (2010). languages, identities, and accents: perspectives from the 2010 linguistic diversity conference. issues in applied linguistics, 18(2), 157-169. braine, g. (2013). non-native educators in english language teaching. london: rutledge. chun, s. y. (2014). efl learners’ beliefs about native and non-native englishspeaking teachers: perceived strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 35(6), 563–579. doi: 10.1080/01434632.2014.889141. creswell, j. w., & clark, v. l. p. (2017). designing and conducting mixed methods research. thousand oaks: sage publications. cohen, l., manion, l., & morrison, k. (2007). research methods in education (6th ed.). london: rutledge. grubbs, s. j., jantarach, v., & kettem, s. (2010). studying english with thai and native‐speaking teachers. teachers and teaching: theory and practice, 16(5), 559-576. doi: 10.1080/13540602.2010.507966. kelch, k., & santana-williamson, i. e. (2002). esl students’ attitudes toward nativeand nonnativespeaking instructors’ accents. the catesol journal, 14(1), 57-72. larsen-freeman, d., & anderson, m. (2011). techniques and principles in language teaching. oxford: oxford university press. lasagabaster, d. & sierra, j. m. (2005). what do students think about the pros and cons of having a native speaker teacher? in e. llurda (ed.), nonnative language teachers: perceptions, challenges and contributions to the profession (pp. 217-241). new york: springer. levis, j. m., sonsaat, s., link, s., & barriuso, t. a. (2016). native and nonnative teachers of l2 pronunciation: effects on learner performance. tesol quarterly. doi: 10.1002/tesq.272. li-yi, w. (2011). taiwanese pre-service english teachers' attitude towards native-and-non-nativeenglish-speaking-teacher team teaching. english teaching & learning, 35(2), 1-46. mackey, a., & gass, s. m. (2005). second language research: methodology and design. mahwah, nj: lawrence erlbaum. mahboob, a. (2004). native or nonnative: what do students enrolled in an intensive english program think? in l. d. kamhi-stein (ed.), learning and teaching from experience (pp. 121-148). ann arbor, mi: university of michigan press. mahboob, a., & elyas, t. (2014). english in the kingdom of saudi arabia. world englishes, 33(1),128-142. doi:10.1111/weng.12073. moussu, l. (2010). native and non-native englishspeaking as a second language teachers: student attitudes, teacher selfperceptions, and intensive english program administrator beliefs and practices (unpublished doctoral dissertation). purdue university, west lafayette. nam, h. h. (2010). the pedagogy and its effectiveness among native and non-native english speaking teachers in the korean efl context (unpublished doctoral dissertation). state university of new york at buffalo, buffalo, ny. phillipson, r. (1992). linguistic imperialism. oxford: oxford university press. selvi, a. f. (2010). all teachers are equal, but some teachers are more equal than others: trend analysis of job advertisements in english language teaching. watesol nnest caucus annual review, 1, 156-181. sung, c. c. m. (2010). native or non-native? exploring hong kong students’ perspectives. the lancaster university postgraduate conference in linguistics & language teaching, 4, 243. walkinshaw, i., & oanh, d.h. (2012). native or nonnative english speaking teachers in vietnam: weighing the benefits. tesl-ej, 16(3). walkinshaw, i., & oanh, d. h. (2014). native and non-native english language teachers: student perceptions in vietnam and japan. sageopen,4(2). doi: 10.1177/2158244014534451. https://doi.org/10.1111/weng.12073 http://sdl.summon.serialssolutions.com/search?s.dym=false&s.q=author%3a%22walkinshaw%2c+i%22 http://sdl.summon.serialssolutions.com/search?s.dym=false&s.q=author%3a%22oanh%2c+d.+h%22 assessing teachers’ perception on the efficiency (success) of inductive approach in an esl/efl classroom: grammar in context taj mohammad department of english, najran university, ksa e-mail: tajmohd09@gmail.com soada idris khan department of english, najran university, ksa e-mail: khan.soada@gmail.com apa citation: mohammad, t., & khan, s. i. (2017). assessing teachers‟ perception on the efficiency (success) of inductive approach in an esl/efl classroom: grammar in context. english review: journal of english education, 5(2), 197-206 received: 13-03-2017 accepted: 26-04-2017 published: 01-06-2017 abstract: the present research attempts to assess teachers' perception on the success of using inductive approach in the classroom at preparatory year program, najran university. it also inquires the difficulties that are usually faced by students (in teachers' opinion) in a grammar class. in order to collect data, 20 teachers were requested to fill in a questionnaire consisting of ten statements (based on key elements of inductive teaching). the questionnaires were analyzed by using 5-point likert-scales of agreement. besides, the researcher also personally interviewed the teachers by using a set of certain questions covering the same theme. the study is divided into two parts; the first part contains detailed analysis and discussion on the statements of the questionnaire and the second part comprises a detailed analysis and discussion on the responses of interview. as results, it is revealed that a majority of teachers supported the use of inductive approach in the classroom because of its learner-centred nature. inductive methods help students acquire the critical thinking and self-directed learning skills (prince & felder, 2007). however, some teachers (with a negligible percentage) were not so enthusiastic about using inductive approach. keywords: teachers' perceptions, descriptive and prescriptive grammar, inductive approach introduction inductive approach, an offshoot of direct method of teaching, began to get popularity in academic circles because of its learner-centered nature. students take charge of their learning and teacher is mere a facilitator in the classroom. this approach motivates students for collaborative learning as students work in pair and groups to learn the language. inductive approach presents an innovative style of teaching where the new grammatical structures or rules are presented before the students use them in a real language context (goner, phillips, & walters, 1995). the focus of inductive approach is teaching language in live context so that students may learn not only rules but also their usage in daily life. for example, if the structure to be taught is the comparative form, the teacher would begin the lesson by calling a student (supposedly named robert) from the class and saying, "this is robert. he is tall." then, the teacher would call another taller student (supposedly john) next to the first saying, "this is john. he is taller than robert." the teacher would then provide many examples using students and items from the classroom, renowned personalities, or anything from the daily life of the students, to create an objective correlative in order to explain the use of the grammatical structure. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v5i2.535 197 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee when students themselves are part of learning activities, they take more interest in the business of learning. this way the teacher can present a particular problem/challenge and they work on it in pair and groups. teachers can also write different examples on the board and ask students to analyse them and acquire rules from the particular structures. this discovery and inquiry-based learning is very advantageous in an efl/esl classroom (goner, phillips, & walters, 1995). prescriptive and deductive approaches to english grammar teaching (e.g. pattern drills, rule memorization, etc.) have proved ineffective and boring, because the grammar of a language is acquired not through imitation but through abstracting a set of grammatical rules from language data (chomsky, 1977, 1986, 1995, 2002). this has been evidenced by many studies on child language acquisition (see akmajian & heny, 1980; pinker, 1995, 1999; lightbown & spada, 2006). as chomsky (1972) points out, “a person who knows a language has mastered a system of rules that assigns sound and meaning in a definite way for an infinite class of sentences .... of course, the person who knows the language has no consciousness of having mastered these rules or of putting them to use ...” (p. 103104). thus, even a native speaker of english needs formal grammar training though he or she has already acquired a subconscious knowledge of english grammar (rodgers, 2001; richards & renandya, 2002). now, the question is how to teach grammar (an important part of language) effectively so that students can use it accurately in day-to-day discourse. deductive approach encourages learners mugging up grammatical items. it hardly trains students on using it (grammar) accurately in a given context. in order to achieve these objectives, inductive approach of teaching seems to be more suitable. it discourages the practice of memorizing linguistic items rather it encourages students to use language successfully for communication, one of the most important functions of a language. inductive methods are all student-centred. it makes learners more responsible for their own learning than the traditional lecture-based deductive approach. they can be characterized as constructivist methods. they rely on the widely accepted principle that students construct their own versions of reality rather than simply absorbing versions presented by their teachers (prince & felder, 2007). these methods, most of the times, involve students discussing questions and solving problems in class (active learning), with much of the work in and out of class are being done by students in groups (collaborative or cooperative learning) (prince & felder, 2007) inductive methods motivate students to adopt a deep (meaning-oriented) approach to learning, as opposed to a surface (memorization-intensive) approach (prince & felder, 2007). inductive teaching methods include many forms like discovery learning, inquiry-based learning, problembased learning, project based learning, casebased teaching, and just-in-time teaching (prince & felder, 2007). if all these aspects of inductive approach are kept in mind, there would be better chances of learning and students will be benefitted at large. keeping in mind the advantages of inductive approach, the present research attempts to assess teachers' perception on the success of using inductive approach in the classroom. it inquires the difficulties that are usually faced by students (in teachers' opinion) in a grammar class. finally, it suggests some remedies to improve teaching of grammar at pyp, najran university based on the findings of the study. method twenty efl teachers (teaching grammar), from pyp, were selected as the participants of the study. their experience of teaching english varies between 2-20 years. a 198 taj mohammad & soada idris khan assessing teachers’ perception on the efficiency of inductive approach in an esl/efl classroom: grammar in context survey questionnaire (containing 10 statements) was developed to gather data from the participants. the aim of the questionnaire was to assess how teachers perceived and rated the current use of inductive approach of teaching at pyp, najran university. the contents of the questionnaire were based on the key components of inductive approach (as practiced at pyp), using 5-point likert-scales of agreement. in addition, an interview session was also conducted to the teachers to have their expert opinion and suggestions. the interview included four key statements on the current (inductive) approach of teaching. results and discussion questionnaire analysis table 1. descriptive statistics of the survey’s statements std. no. statements 5 strongly agree 4 agree 3 can`t say 2 disagree 1 strongly disagree mean 1. students can acquire grammar if they are exposed to the target language, without prior explanation of the rules. 4 20% 7 35% 2 10% 5 25% 2 10% 3.3 2. students can improve the use of grammatical structures through constant practice. 5 25% 9 45% 2 10% 4 20% 0 0% 3.75 3. students prefer teachers' presentation followed by analysis to explain the rules of grammatical structures. 6 30% 12 60% 2 10% 0 0% 0 0% 4.2 4. grammar acquisition among esl/efl students does not involve conscious knowledge of the grammatical structures and the rules for their functioning. 1 5% 6 30% 4 20% 8 40% 1 5% 2.9 5. esl/efl students do not need conscious knowledge of grammar in order to improve the knowledge of language. 2 10% 5 25% 5 25% 7 35% 1 5% 3 6. the practice of grammatical structures must always be performed within context and never through isolated examples. 6 30% 12 60% 0 0% 2 10% 0 0% 4.1 7. students do not need to be acquainted with the form and function of a certain grammatical structure before they use it in context. 1 5% 7 35% 3 15% 7 35% 2 10% 2.9 8. teachers should correct only those mistakes which obstruct communication. 7 35% 6 30% 1 5% 5 25% 1 5% 3.65 199 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 9. the best way for mastering grammar is to participate in activities which refer to everyday situations. 8 40% 10 50% 2 10% 0 0% 0 0% 4.3 10. when grammar is taught separately from other language components, students are not able to apply such knowledge in everyday communication. 2 10% 12 60% 2 10% 4 20% 0 0% 3.6 reed (1989) thinks that likert-type rating scale should be used to generally gather data. jung, osterwalder, and wipf (2000, p. 2) support that “the likert scale was the only assessment instrument i found that was practical for the classroom.” to interpret the level of means, the researcher applied siti rahaya and salbiah‟s (1996) model of explaining means. it is summarized in table 2. table 2. score category breakdown adopted from siti rahaya and salbiah (1996) means corresponding level 1.0 1.80 very low 1.81 2.60 low 2.61 3.40 moderate 3.41 4.20 high 4.21 5.0 very high the first statement in the questionnaire stating that “students can acquire grammar if they are exposed to the target language, without prior explanation of the rules” reveals that 20% of the participants strongly agree to the statement meaning that students can acquire grammar if they are exposed to the target language without prior explanations of the rules. 35% of the participants agreed to this statement. if these two scales are merged, 55% of the teachers are in favor of the statement. then, 10% of the participants did not express their opinion, 25% of the participants disagreed, while 10% of the participants strongly disagreed to the statement. the mean of the statement is 3.3 that lies on the category of „moderate‟ based on the scale by siti rahaya and salbiah (1996). the second statement in the questionnaire stating that “students can improve the use of grammatical structures through constant practice” shows that there are 25% of the participants who strongly agreed to the statement. 45% of the participants admitted that the students can improve the use of grammatical structures through constant practice. if these two scales are merged, there is a significant percent (70%) who accepted the statement. whereas, 10% of the participants had no idea, 20% of the participants disagreed to the statement, and there was none who strongly disagreed to the statement. the mean is categorized as high. the third statement in the questionnaire stating that “students prefer teachers' presentation followed by analysis to explain the rules of grammatical structures” proves that 30% of the participants strongly agreed that students prefer teachers' presentation of examples followed by analysis to the rules of grammatical structures. 60% of the 200 taj mohammad & soada idris khan assessing teachers’ perception on the efficiency of inductive approach in an esl/efl classroom: grammar in context participants agreed to the statement though 10% of the participants had no opinion. there was none on the disagreement side. the mean is categorized as high. the fourth statement in the questionnaire stating that “grammar acquisition among students does not involve conscious knowledge of the grammatical structures and the rules for their functioning” exhibits that there are 5% of the participants who strongly agreed that grammar acquisition among students does not involve conscious knowledge of the grammatical structures and the rules for their functioning. besides, 30% of the participants also admitted to it. in contrast, 40% of the participants disagreed to the statement, another 20% had no response, and the other 5% of the participants strongly disagreed. the mean is ranked as moderate. the fifth statement in the questionnaire stating that “esl/efl students do not need conscious knowledge of grammar in order to improve the knowledge of language” divulges that there are 10% of the participants who strongly agreed to the statement. 25% of the participants agreed to the statement though the same number (25%) of the participants did not express their opinion. moreover, 35% of the participants disagreed while 5% of the participants strongly disagreed to the statement. the mean is categorized as moderate. the sixth statement in the questionnaire stating that “the practice of grammatical structures must always be performed within context and never through isolated examples” discloses that there are 30% of the participants who concurred that practice of grammatical structures must always be performed within context, never through isolated examples. besides, 60% of the participants agreed to the statement. whereas, 10% of the participants disagreed with the statement. the mean is categorized as high. the seventh statement in the questionnaire stating that “students do not need to be acquainted with the form and function of a certain grammatical structure before they use it in context” shows that 5% of the participants strongly agreed to the statement. then, 35% of the participants agreed to the statement and 15% of the participants had no opinion. in contrast, 35% of the participants disagreed to the statement and 10% of the participants strongly disagreement to the statement. the mean is categorized as moderate. the eighth statement in the questionnaire stating that “teachers should correct only those mistakes which obstruct communication” unveils that 35% of the participants were in absolute agreement to the statement that teachers should correct only those mistakes which obstruct communication. 30% of the participants agreed, while 5% of the participants did not state an opinion. moreover, 25% of the participants did not agree with the statement and 5% were in absolute disagreement. the mean falls in the category of high. the ninth statement in the questionnaire stating that “the best way for mastering grammar is to participate in activities which refer to everyday situations” reveals that 40% of the participants thought that the best way for mastering grammar is to participate in activities which refer to everyday situations. 50% of the participants agreed with the statement. if these two scales (strongly agree and agree) are merged, there is a significant number (90%) of participants who favor the statement. whereas, 10% of the participants do not give an opinion and there was none of disagreement. the mean is placed as high. the tenth statement in the questionnaire stating that “when grammar is taught separately from other language components, students are not able to apply such knowledge in everyday communication” reveals that 10% of the participants strongly agreed with the statement. in line with this, 60% of the participants agreed to it. if these two scales (strongly agree and agree) are merged, there is a significant number (70%) of participants who 201 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee favor the statement. in contrast, 10% of the participants did not express their opinion and 20% of the participants did not agree to the statement. the mean is ranked as very high. the above analysis of the teachers' opinion (through questionnaire statements) affirms that teachers believe in the fact that the use of inductive approach in teaching grammar is more suitable in an efl/esl classroom. as it can be seen in the table above that the mean of five statements out of ten is high while one statement is in the category of very high. the rest of four statements fall in the category of moderate. besides, it is also observed (during the study) that some teachers were not in favour of using inductive approach in the classroom. they (a minority) believed more in deductive approach. they argued that students are too weak to follow inductive approach in the classroom. they also favoured the use of mother tongue in the classroom. if they do not use mother tongue in the classroom, there would be no learning at all. they strongly advocated the use of gt method in the classroom. however, one cannot deny the fact that the teachers who used dt method and inductive approach have also used the learners‟ mother tongue although they prefer to provide all the instructions in the target language. they reported that they felt difficulties in the beginning classes but gradually there was improvement in the performance of the students as the learners had begun to understand english. that is the essence of teaching the target language. what learners need is an exposure to the target language. if they are not provided with a good exposure, it would be difficult for them to learn english in a better way. finally, the result of the questionnaire shows that most of the teachers are in favour of inductive approach of teaching in the classroom. they opine that teaching grammar (using inductive approach) with innovative ways can yield to fruitful results. despite unfavourable opinion of some of the faculty members, this approach is widely used by a majority of teachers at pyp, najran university. interview analysis beside the questionnaire, interview was also used as a technique to collect the data needed. in interview session, the participants responded to the following questions: 1. inductive approach must be used to teach grammar at pyp. 2. mention some common difficulties that the students face (in teachers' opinion) while using inductive approach in a grammar class! 3. mention some challenges that the teachers face during teaching grammar inductively. 4. give some suggestions for improving the teaching grammar inductively. table 3. results of interview question 1 (#q1) #q1 number of teachers inductive approach must be used to teach grammar at pyp 15 yes 5 no as shown in table 3, in response to the first question, 15 teachers out of 20 agreed that inductive approach must be used to teach grammar at pyp, najran university. but, there are still 5 teachers who do not believe in the efficiency of inductive approach to teach grammar. they are the ones who share the target language of the learners and feel more comfortable in teaching l2 with the help of l1. 202 taj mohammad & soada idris khan assessing teachers’ perception on the efficiency of inductive approach in an esl/efl classroom: grammar in context table 4. results of interview question 2 (#q2) #q2 number of participants mention some common difficulties that the students face (in teachers' opinion) while using inductive approach in a grammar classroom 8 too difficult to overcome effect of mother tongue. negative transfer. learning grammar structures which are not present in their mother tongues such as committing mistakes in perfect and perfect continuous tenses. 6 poor analytical skills. no background knowledge on usage of grammar rules. 6 no room for group learning because of abundance of syllabus. as shown in table 4, in response to the second question, there were varied responses but some of the responses were common. the teachers mentioned some common difficulties that the students face (in their opinion) while using inductive approach in a grammar class. teachers opine that it was too difficult for the students to overcome interference of their mother tongue. students had been usually taught through gt method by following deductive approach in the classroom. though they knew the advantages of inductive approach, it was difficult for them to adapt the completely changed pattern of teaching. as the grammar of english and arabic do not share the same structural pattern (svo), teaching with the help of mother tongue often results into negative transfer. it creates more problems in acquiring the target language. moreover, learning grammatical structures, which are not present in their mother tongue, create more confusion for students. for example, students usually commit mistakes in perfect and perfect continuous tenses, as these tense are not part of arabic language. most of students have poor analytical skills, while the success of inductive approach depends on the analytical and argumentative skills of the students. students hardly have any background knowledge on usage of grammar rules. this also makes use of inductive approach difficult in the classroom. some teachers also stated that there is too much syllabus to be covered in one semester. therefore, this is also one of the reasons that teachers cannot use all methods of inductive approach like discovery learning, inquiry-based learning, problem-based learning, project based learning, case-based teaching, and just-intime teaching. teachers hardly have choices. it requires time to experiment all these techniques. teaching, at pyp, is completely syllabus-oriented. table 5. results of interview question 3 (#q3) #q3 number of participants mention some challenges that the teachers face during teaching grammar inductively. 5 low comprehension level. making students apply grammatical knowledge in linguistic communication. 6 lack of commitment on part of students. lack of enthusiasm/motivation. 5 heterogeneous group of students. students understand grammar through structures related to their mother-tongue. 203 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 4 teachers are unable to use the target language completely because of the poor background of students (in language). teachers face problems in using direct method of teaching because students are too weak to understand the basic structure of the language. as shown in table 5, in response to question number 3, the teachers mentioned some challenges that they faced during the teaching of grammar inductively. most of the common challenges that the teachers usually faced are low comprehension level of students, their inability to apply grammatical knowledge for communication purposes, lack of commitment on part of students, lack of enthusiasm/motivation, heterogeneous group of students, and students' comprehension of grammar through structures related to their mother tongue. the results exhibit that students' level is too low. there is no entrance system at pyp level. that is the reason why there is a variety of learners in the classroom with major differences in their learning performances and temperaments. there must be an entrance system and students should be categorized accordingly. remedial classes for weak students should be arranged. table 6. results of interview question 4 (#q4) #q4 number of participants suggestions for improving teaching of grammar inductively. 4 using multimedia/ technology in the classroom. 4 maximum pragmatic exposure to the target language. daily practice of grammar exercises in proper context. 3 developing "intuitive grammar" among students. lessons should be based on real life situations. students should be categorized among different levels like beginner, intermediate, advanced etc. 5 teachers should involve students in classroom activities based on everyday situations. 4 students should be acquainted with the basics of grammar and then emphasis should be given to communication skills. situational language teaching. more practice of grammar rules with worksheets, handouts (other than the prescribed book), etc. as shown in table 6, in response to the fourth question, the teachers provided some noteworthy suggestions for improving teaching of grammar inductively. they opined that teachers should involve students in classroom activities based on everyday situations. this is true that maximum pragmatic exposure to the target language can make them feel comfortable with the target language. daily practice of grammar exercises in proper context will help students use grammar contextually. using multimedia/ technology in the classroom is also a good idea. developing “intuitive grammar” among students can help but it requires a lot of practice. besides, students should be categorized into different levels based on their own language proficiency like beginner, intermediate, advanced, etc. a placement test must be conducted to place students in different categories. then, students should be acquainted with the basics of grammar and 204 taj mohammad & soada idris khan assessing teachers’ perception on the efficiency of inductive approach in an esl/efl classroom: grammar in context then emphasis should be put on communication skills. this is a pedagogical issue and teachers should keep this in mind. situational language teaching can help students use grammar in proper context. moreover, more practice of grammar rules with worksheets or hand-outs (other than the prescribed book) may be supportive because most of the times the students feel bored with the same textbook causing loss of creativity. conclusion to conclude, it is determined, that most teachers believe on the efficiency (success) of inductive approach in an esl/efl setting. the questionnaire and interview methods as used in the study support the idea. there is no doubt that inductive approach is more suitable in context of pyp, najran university than deductive approach. in addition, the researchers have also taken into consideration the views of a minority of teachers. this is also true that learners are too weak and it becomes difficult to teach them without taking help of mother tongue. however, this is not going to affect their use of inductive approach of teaching. they can still follow inductive approach as it is a technique to carry out the teaching successfully and expanding the students‟ critical thinking skill. to close, there are also several suggestions provided by the majority of teachers to tackle this problem. if these suggestions are taken into account, it will be easier to follow inductive approach in the classroom especially in a grammar class. references akmajian, a. d., & heny, f. (1980). an introduction to the principles of transformational syntax. retrieved from: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/introductionprinciples-transformational-syntax. chomsky, n. (1972). language and mind. new york: harcourt brace jovanovich. chomsky, n. (1977). essays on form and interpretation. new york: north holland. chomsky, n. (1986). knowledge of language: its nature, origin, and use. new york: praeger. chomsky, n. (1995). language and thought. london: moyer bell. chomsky, n. (2002). on nature and language. cambridge: cambridge university press. goner, phillips, & walters. (1995). teaching practice handbook: structures, grammar and function. heinemann, 129-138. jung, t., osterwalder, h., & wipf, d. (2000). teaching and assessing middle-year students‟ speaking and listening skills. teaching and learning research exchange. retrieved from: http://www.mcdowellfoundation.ca/main_mcd owell/projects/research_rep/52_teaching_asses sing.pdf. lightbown, p., & spada, n. (2006). how languages are learned. oxford: oxford university press. pinker, s. (1995). the language instinct: how the mind creates language. new york: harpercollins. pinker, s. (1999). words and rules: the ingredients of language. new york: basic books. prince, m., & felder, r. (2007). the many faces of inductive teaching and learning. journal of college science teaching, 36(5), 14–20. reed, v. (1989). adolescent language disorders: general strategies for teaching language comprehension/listening. eau claire, wi: thinking publications. richards, j., & renandya, w. (2002). methodology in language teaching: an anthology of current practice. cambridge: cambridge university press. rodgers, t. (2001). approaches and methods in language teaching. cambridge: cambridge university press. siti rahaya, a., & salbiah, m. (1996). pemikiran guru cemerlang: kesan teradap prestasi pengajaran. fakulti pendidikan, universiti kebangsaan malaysia, bangi. 205 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 5, issue 2, june 2017 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee golf ball two golfers were approaching the first tee. the first guy goes into his golf bag to get a ball and says to his friend "hey, why don't you try this ball." he draws a green golf ball out of his bag. "use this one you can't lose it!" his friend replies, "what do you mean you can't lose it?!!" the first man replies, "i'm serious, you can't lose it. if you hit it into the woods, it makes a beeping sound, if you hit it into the water it produces bubbles, and if you hit it on the fairway, smoke comes up in order for you to find it." obviously, his friend doesn't believe him, but he shows him all the possibilities until he is convinced. the friend says, "wow! that's incredible! where did you get that ball?" the man replies, "i found it." (source: http://www.study-express.ru/humour/funny-stories.shtml, picture: www.google.co.id) 206 taj mohammad & soada idris khan assessing teachers’ perception on the efficiency of inductive approach in an esl/efl classroom: grammar in context english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 37 investigation of decoding fillers used in an english learning talk show “english with alice” ridwin purba english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of simalungun, pematangsiantar, indonesia email: nridwin@yahoo.com herman (corresponding author) english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of hkbp nommensen, medan, indonesia email: herman@uhn.ac.id veronika r. m. manullang english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of hkbp nommensen, medan, indonesia email: veron9515@gmail.com magdalena ngongo english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of kristen artha wacana, kupang, indonesia email: magdalenangongo12@gmail.com apa citation: purba, r., herman., manullang, v. r. m., ngongo, m. (2021). investigation of decoding fillers used in an english learning talk show “english with alice”. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 37-48. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5352 received: 16-08-2021 accepted: 23-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction language is the expression of ideas by means of speech-sounds combined into words. language is the ability possessed by humans to communicate with other humans using signs, for example words and movements. language is used to know how to produce and understand and acquire sentences with particular meanings in communicational interaction (sitanggang, hutahaean, and herman 2019). according to devianty (2018), language is a communication tool used to convey intentions, ideas, messages, and feelings to others. language becomes one of the important connecting tools between human beings, because humans are creatures that interact and socialize with other human. with language, human can be easily connected with other people. therefore, language can be said to be mandatory and important in terms of communication. communicating with others can use several abstract: this research was conducted to analyze decoding fillers in english learning talk show. the researchers made two groups of non-native english speakers to investigate fillers, group one with little or no abroad experienced speakers and group two with long term abroad experienced speakers. the researchers used descriptive qualitative as a method that describes an objective situation or certain event based on facts that appear or should be followed by an attempt to draw general conclusion. the procedure is ethnographic research which is ethnographic by qualitative enable researchers to understand the data by the functions of language (words, phrase and sentence) by grouping words that have same functions into categories. the researchers would analyze and conclude the data to be studied. in this research the data to be reviewed is english with alice which contain fillers. the researchers found one hundred sixty-eight fillers with the exclusion of filler used by the host and both of speakers. after analyzing the data, the researchers found that 2 groups (14 guests) in the talk show english with alice used different functions of decoding fillers. the functions in group one are mostly (a) to begin and close a discourse and (c) to hold the floor. moreover, the functions in group two are mostly (c) to hold the floor and (g) to express the response. keywords: conversation; decoding fillers; english learning; literature; talkshow. ridwin purba, herman, veronika r. m. manullang, & magdalena ngongo investigation of decoding fillers used in an english learning talk show “english with alice” 38 types in language, those are oral language, written language, sign language, and inner language. oral language is a communication between humans to express their intentions through words spoken from oral or mouth. written language is a form of communication of vocabulary arranged into sentences that have meaning and then poured in written form. sign language is a form of communication that uses limbs such a hands and lips movement. the inner language is a direct mental interaction of sound using the contents of heart. (emmorey, 2011). interaction with others can use english as a tool. english is one of some international language which is used by most people around the world. english is important because english is a means for globalized community to interact socially, educationally and economically (kilickaya, 2009). english knowledge is needed if someone wants to coming up in life (mishanthi, 2018). the importance of english can be seen from some sides of life, for example job requirement, one of the requirements is language competence, both of spoken and written form (herman, purba, thao, & purba, 2020; sinaga, herman, and pasaribu, 2020). it must be learned by people who consider communicating in english as a foreign language or a second language wanting to compete and survive. communication can be defined as the process of transmitting information and common understanding from one person to another (keyton, 2011; van thao, herman, ha, thuy, and tho, 2020). the speaker and listener have different levels of ability or understanding. moreover, english speakers or listeners are foreign or second language. the level of language proficiency, interruption, emotions and attitudes can change or prevent messages to be conveyed. although there is always a problem in communication, the recipient needs to decode the message. feedback is needed to find out whether the message was received and understood correctly by the recipient. (luneburg, 2010). when the sender and receiver interact verbally face to face, they will tend to communicate spontaneously. usually the interaction is not planned. most spontaneous utterances are produced with a very different preparation from the planned communication. speakers prepare themselves in advance when they participate in planned speaking situations: speeches, presentation, and ceremonies (kurniawati and astita, 2011). the preparation before speaking helps speech to flow fluently. in contrast, it is predicted that a spontaneous speech will tend to have some disfluencies (uwasri, 2018). disfluencies are prevailingly found in spontaneous interactions. shiberg in uwasri (2018) has identified that in normal speech naturally produced, disfluencies can affect the words and disfluencies occur one third of utterances of speakers (p. 2). the disfluencies in spontaneous utterances consist of various functions: example [1] filled pause : uh, um repetition : the the repair : any health cov – any health insurance false start : it’s fir – i could get it where i work fillers are the sounds of words without meaning that indicate hesitation (oroh, 2016). they contain both lexical (e.g. i mean, you know, actually, you see) and nonlexical words (e.g. uh, um, uh-huh). there are various fillers given by different researchers such as silent pause, filled pause, repetition, false start, and lexical fillers (macgreger, 2008). these terms depend on the view of each scholar towards the functions of fillers. as mentioned, fillers are normally found in verbal communication. oral communication skills seem difficult to develop for non-native english. because of non-english speaking context and least opportunity to interact with native english speakers, oral skills difficulty is a perquisite issue for learners (khan, 2011). as fillers to cognitive processing load, when people engage in spontaneous interaction, fillers can be seen as stigmata of speech production. moreover, the flow of speech requires willingness to communicate that ground on self efficacy of speakers. in other words, the speaker's own evaluation of their communicative abilities has an impact on the verbal performance of language (doordinejad and afshar, 2014). so, the speech flow in interactions partly depends on speakers’ confidence to communicate. speaking english for non-native speaker is not as simple as people think. they acknowledged that it was really difficult to understand the words because poor of vocabularies in english and lack of experience to use english in their life. many nonnative english speakers do not speak english well which results in disfluencies and fillers when english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 39 speaking. the previous study of disfluencies and filler have been conducted by oroh (2016) entitled “the eloquence of cast in the harry potter series six and seven”. this study aims to show the disfluencies produced by characters in the harry potter series six and seven. in the conclusion, she found five types of speech disfluencies. the types are: silent pause, filled pause, filled pause, repetition, repair, and lexical fillers. schanadt in oroh (2016) stated that disfluencies is a natural part of language, and therefore an understanding of the role of speech fluency is broadly an understanding of speech fluency itself as an influence in the communication process. example [2]: harry: she want um the blue…uh…the red ball. from the example, oroh (2016) found that fillers used by harry showed his disfluency in speaking make the people difficult to understand. this happens because harry doesn't know what he wanted to say to the person who spoke to him, and makes harry a little confused and thinking. uwasri (2018) argued that fillers are considered as one of the deficiencies in speaking. the use of fillers in speaking can damage or change the actual meaning of the mind. uwasri also said that fillers were considered as impolite in speaking. therefore, the researchers choose to analyze fillers in this research. the researchers want to show that fillers can be seen not as a form of deficiency but rather as an aid in conversation. researchers believed fillers can help students to gather ideas or words that will be spoken next when speaking next. the use of fillers can also help students to convey their true intentions and objectives (fabelia, 2020). nowadays, students are raised in age where technology in advancing rapidly and they are constantly exposed to digital media, making them very different from earlier generations of learners. up to date it is needed to make them interested in learning. implement audiovisual media such as audio, television, film and video that are more effective than traditional repetitive practices and exercises (pun, 2013). moreover, students can gain authentic language use that includes a number of varieties, dialects, and accents of english (kenne, 2014). one of the audiovisual media is a talk show program. it represents spontaneous conversation that the use of fillers can be predicted to occur. the use of language in a talk show has been remarked that it intertwines both casual conversation and institutional talk. institutional talks are adapted patterns of talk and action from casual conversation by pressing conversational dialogue to more restricted practices (uwasri, 2018). therefore, the language use in a talk show can be concerned as spontaneous speech. english with alice is a talk show welcomes guests who are non-native english speaker. guests invited to this program have different levels of english language skills, accents, dialects, and even varying english. guests of this program have different english learning experiences. this program consists of everyday expressions and simple words that are often used. the researchers choose english with alice because this program very interesting to be examined and researched in more detail. researchers also chose to use this program for research because english with alice is a program where conversations in this program use a lot of fillers. this research investigated the filler function used in the english learning talk show program, english with alice. this study investigates the use of in-depth fillers found in spontaneous responses through the interaction of speakers of english as a foreign language and a second language. this research serves to help english teachers to create communicative responses through the use of fillers as a communication strategy for learning. based on the reasons above, the researchers would like to conduct a research entitled: an analysis of decoding fillers used in english learning talk show “english with alice”. method because the research aimed to examine fillers’ functions used by non-native speakers of english when they were engaging in conversational response, the qualitative content-based analysis was appropriate for this current study. qualitative research method was a research procedure that produced descriptive data in the form of written or oral words from people and observable behavior (moleong, 2011; munte, herman, arifin, nugroho, and fitriani, 2021). in collecting, expressing various problems and objectives to be achieved, this research was conducted with a descriptive analysis study approach. according to sugiyono (2017), that ridwin purba, herman, veronika r. m. manullang, & magdalena ngongo investigation of decoding fillers used in an english learning talk show “english with alice” 40 descriptive qualitative research is a research method based on a postpositive philosophy that is usually used to examine natural objective conditions in which researchers play a key instrument. meanwhile ufie (2013) discussed a descriptive method as a method that describes an objective situation or certain event based on facts that appear or should be followed by an attempt to draw general conclusions based on these facts (herman, murni, sibarani, 2019) according to rahardjo (2011) there are 8 types of qualitative research that are relatively often conducted or used in qualitative research; qualitative case study, phenomenological research, ethnographic research, grounded theory research, natural observation, focused interviews, document studies and historical research. the researchers used ethnographic research to analyze this research. ethnography is a qualitative methodology that lends itself to the study of the beliefs, social interactions, and behaviours of small societies, involving participation and observation over a period of time, and the interpretation of the data collected (van thao et al, 2021). ethnography is a very in-depth study of behavior that occurs naturally in a particular culture or social group. ethnographic research is research that has the aim to examine the forms and functions of language available in culture which are then used to communicate by individuals within it. and see how the form and function of these languages become part of the life of a society. (rahardjo, 2011). in order to gain precise understandings following the research questions set in the chapter 1, fillers’ functions were examined through interactants’ conversation in talk show settings. fillers were predicted to occur by speakers of english who possessed different levels of english verbal performance and english language learning background experiences. in addition, both groups shared some characteristics: guests need to hold a non-native english speaker citizenship or have one of parents who was born non-native because this study investigated the verbal interactions of foreign nonnative speakers of english, and guests possessed willingness to communicate and a motivation. these represented a role model of how an inquisitive non-native learner of english. however, the english learning background experiences of guests were necessary to classify the guests into different groups: 1. little or no abroad experienced speakers, and 2. long term abroad experienced speakers. group 1: little or no abroad experienced speakers this group was regarded guests who encountered less english speaking surroundings. the guests who had an experience in any study programs in universities which contained any languages of instruction were classified into this group. it included any programs conducted in an international school because english speaking atmosphere that speakers experienced was still limited. also, speakers who have abroad experiences in short-term visit as less than a year in any english speaking countries or english as a foreign language/ second language countries were considered to this group because staying abroad for a few months had no effect on oral performance gains (llanes, 2011). group 2: long term abroad experienced speakers guests have abroad experiences in english speaking countries or english as a second language countries for long-term visit, study or even stay abroad at least more than a year led success to speakers’ oral production. they held an educational certificate from any english speaking countries or english as a second language countries: a diploma, a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, or a doctoral degree. from both groups above, it shows that guests exposed to different levels of english environment were grouped differently because speakers will appear with ease and confidence when they have study or living abroad experiences. this lead to less disfluencies in speech. moreover, study abroad or living abroad helps speakers acquire speech fluency and oral proficiency (kenne, 2014) due to speakers’ confidence to speak or communicate that come from speakers’ self-efficacy or their own judgments towards themselves. the researchers searched the fillers used in those speech and categorized them into each function by using uwasri’s functions of fillers to analyze. the source of data in this study is subject from which the data can be obtained (arikunto, 2013; van thao et al, 2020). this research focuses on analyzing decoding fillers in english talk show, english with alice. this english learning talk show, english with alice, can be classified as one of day time talk shows due to the air time of the program that will be broadcast at 20:00 p.m.-20.15 p.m on instagram @alissayatsoi every fridays. researchers got the video from https:// english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 41 instagram.com//happyalicetsoi?igshid=igywz8. according to the definition of day time talk shows mentioned above, celebrities, politicians, or ordinary people who engage in controversial issues are welcomed as guests of the show. the guests of this english learning talk show are mainly thai celebrities whose english oral performance is different since they experience english learning language atmosphere dissimilarly. among various english learning talk show programs in thailand, english with alice was considered as the suitable data for analysis due to the popularity of the program. english with alice has a channel on ig website that is currently followed by over 400k of instagram accounts (this information was collected on june 17, 2020). the availability of the program, instagram website helps audience easily accessible. the show welcomes guests who possess a wide range of english speaking performance as they were born, raised, and educated in different english environment. some grew up in thailand and have had little or no abroad experience in any english speaking countries while some have a long-term visit and study in english speaking countries. unlike other english learning programs that solely focus on teaching english grammar and vocabularies, the guests in english with alice were asked a few questions by the show host relating to english speaking experiences: the place of birth, education, work. the information was vital to the researchers to classify each thai speaker into the groups mentioned in research design. also, fillers were predicted to be found in the conversation of these guests whose english verbal performance was different. therefore, this english learning talk show, english with alice, contained with resourceful data to analyze. table 1. thai guests name list for english with alice 2020’ episode episode guests’ name episode guests’ name episode 1 love pattranite episode 21 kaykai salaider episode 2 puimekster episode 22 tul pakorn episode 3 nanon korapat episode 23 apple lapisara episode 4 ciizephr apichaya saejung episode 24 perthpp tanapon episode 5 toptap jirakit episode 25 jennie panhan episode 6 singto prachaya episode 26 mark siwat episode 7 ain satida episode 27 zommarie eugunie episode 8 mond tanichai episode 28 aye sarun episode 9 namtan tipnaree episode 29 cutekiw anongnart y episode 10 nara thepnupa episode 30 nae anothai episode 11 praewah nichapatc episode 31 kangkorn episode 12 pluempong episode 32 preenp rasisrarat episode 13 fiat pattadon episode 33 goyyog arachaporns episode 14 janeeyah episode 34 pop panu chiraguna episode 15 gusbanana episode 35 earth natravee episode 16 nammon krittanai episode 36 mbabby episode 17 tytan episode 37 captain episode 18 toptap napatchokenjidachai episode 38 nutthapong episode 19 bifern episode 39 kovasin episode 20 gadd_de episode 40 cheeren hvk table 2. the overall english with alice episodes as the sample group 1 (little or no abroad) group 2 (abroad experience) episode guest’s name episode guest’s name episode 3 nanon korapat episode 12 pluempong episode 5 toptap jirakit episode 17 tytan episode 6 singto prachaya episode 18 toptap naphat episode 9 namtan tipnaree episode 22 tul pakorn episode 24 perthppe tanapon episode 27 zommarie eugunie episode 25 jennie panhan episode 28 aye sarun episode 37 captain episode 36 mbabby ridwin purba, herman, veronika r. m. manullang, & magdalena ngongo investigation of decoding fillers used in an english learning talk show “english with alice” 42 the researchers chose 14 episodes english with alice, 7 episodes in group 1 little or no abroad experience and 7 episodes in group 2 abroad experience because the researchers had made preliminary observations in these episodes. there are many fillers that support the data needed in this research compare the other episodes. the data of this research is collected from conversation in talk show english with alice. the process data collection itself is: (1) starting from watching each episode from english with alice. the researchers watched english with alice twice an episode because the target verbal discourse of the study was pragmatically considered. (2) selecting the conversation through the website. their conversation was mixed with both english and thai because some guests had difficulties to convey proper structure or vocabularies. (3) trying to find the words, phrases, sentences which contain fillers. (4) collecting fillers were categorized into each function. in this research, the data is analyzed by following several steps. (1) watching and listening the videos of the talk show. (2) identifying the sounds, words or phrases on the conversation that contain the fillers. (3) giving the code on the data to make easier in analyzing. (4) analyzing the fillers meaning based on own interpretation of the data. (5) classifying the data related to uwasri (2020), and explaining the fillers and fillers meaning of the sounds, words or phrases on the videos descriptively. results and discussion results after analyzing the use of decoding fillers in english learning talk show “english with alice”, the researchers found that: there are eight fillers’ function are used by 14 guests in english with alice program, they are (1) to begin and close discourse; (2) to change a turn; (3) to hold the floor; (4) to change the topic; (5) to constrain the relevance of one clause to the previous clause; (6) to repair discourse; (7) to express a response and (8) to influence the interactional and intimacy of the speaker and listener. the most dominant are used by 14 guests based on the experience of non-native english speakers. based on the analysis, the researchers found the percentages of fillers’ function that used by 14 guests in english with alice. it can be seen in the following table: table 3. summary of the number of fillers and percentages found in both groups of non-native english speakers including the host of the program fillers’s function group 1 (had little or no abroad group) group 2 (abroad group) frequency percentages frequency percentages (a) to begin and close discourse 7 10,14% 17 17,17% (b) to change a turn 4 5,79% 4 4,04% (c) to hold the floor 19 27,53% 31 31,31% (d) to change the topic 4 5,79% 6 6,06% (e) to constrain the relevance of connected discourse 5 7,24% 4 4,04% (f) to repair discourse 6 8,69% 8 8,08% (g) to express a response 16 23,18% 18 18,18% (h) to influence the interactional and intimacy of the speaker and listener. 8 11,59% 11 11,11% total 69 99,99% 99 99,99% in group 1 consisting of little or no abroad experienced speakers, the most used functions were (g) to express the response applied to the speech 16 times (23,18%) and (c) to hold the floor applied to the speech 19 times (27,53%). for group 2, they were people who experienced long-term abroad. in this group, the functions, (g) to express the response was found 18 times (1818%) and (c) to hold the floor was found 31 times (31,31%). however, when fillers produced by the host of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 43 the show were excluded and the researchers compared guests’ fillers found from both groups, the findings revealed the speakers from group 1 and group 2, which were categorized into different groups due to english language learning background experience, resulted similarly as the function (c) hold the floor was applied mostly. table 4.8 below demonstrated the summary of the number of fillers and percentages in both groups of speakers. table 4. summary of the number of fillers and percentages found in both groups of guests fillers’s function group 1 (had little or no abroad group) group 2 (abroad group) frequency percentages frequency percentages (a) to begin and close discourse 3 8,10% 14 18,91% (b) to change a turn 4 10,81% 3 4,05% (c) to hold the floor 17 45,94% 27 36,48% (d) to change the topic 0 0% 3 4,05% (e) to constrain the relevance of connected discourse 4 10,81% 3 4,05% (f) to repair discourse 5 13,51% 6 8,10% (g) to express a response 4 10,81% 10 13,51% (h) to influence the interactional and intimacy of the speaker and listener. 8 10.81% 8 10.81% total 37 99,99% 74 99,99% from table 4 above, it showed that the speakers from group 1, who had little or no abroad experienced, employed (c) to hold the floor 17 times (45, 94%), (f) to repair discourse 5 times (13,51%) and from group 2, who had abroad experience, employed (c) to hold the floor 27 times (36,48%), (a) to begin and close a discourse 14 times (18,91%). table 5. specific forms of fillers in each function found in group 1 and 2 included fillers used by the host functions group 1 (had little or no abroad experienced) group 2 (abroad experienced) forms of fillers number forms of fillers number (a) to begin and close discourse so, okay, uhm, yeah 7 so, okay, uhm, ah, so now, ah so, right, ah. 17 (b) to change a turn ah, uhm, well 4 ah, okay, all right. 4 (c) to hold the floor uhm-uhm, like, kind of, well 19 like, uhm, uh, um yeah, and um, oh, yeah 31 (d) to change the topic well, okay 4 but, okay, so, now, uhm, well 6 (e) to constrain the relevance of connected discourse so, okay 5 so, yeah 4 (f) to repair discourse like, uhm, ah 6 yeah, i mean, oh, ah 8 (g) to express a response yeah, uh huh, uhuhm, oh my god, wihh 16 okay, right, oh no, uh-huh, uh-uhm, ooh, yeah-yeah 18 (h) to influence the interactional and intimacy of the speaker and listener right?, yeah?, really? 8 okay?, all right?, yeah, and yeah, you know 11 totally, fillers were found 168 times in speech from both groups of speakers. the number of fillers in group 1 was 68 and group 2 was 99 respectively included fillers used by the host, and these fillers were analyzed as well as classified into different functions. ridwin purba, herman, veronika r. m. manullang, & magdalena ngongo investigation of decoding fillers used in an english learning talk show “english with alice” 44 table 6. specific forms of fillers in each function found in group 1 and 2 excluded fillers used by the host functions group 1 (had little or no abroad experienced) group 2 (abroad experienced) forms of fillers number forms of fillers number (a) to begin and close discourse uhm, yeah 3 so, okay, uhm, ah, so now, ah so, ah 14 (b) to change a turn ah, uhm 4 ah, okay 3 (c) to hold the floor uhm-uhm, like, well 17 like, uhm, uh, um yeah, and um, oh, yeah 27 (d) to change the topic 0 but, okay, so, now, uhm, well 3 (e) to constrain the relevance of connected discourse so, okay 4 so, yeah 3 (f) to repair discourse like, uhm 5 yeah, i mean, oh, ah 6 (g) to express a response yeah, uh huh, uhuhm, oh, wihh 4 okay, right, oh no, uh-huh, uh-uhm, ooh, yeah-yeah 10 (h) to influence the interactional and intimacy of the speaker and listener right?, yeah? 4 okay?, all right?, yeah, and yeah, you know 8 the graph below compares different functions that two groups of speakers applied to their speech included fillers’ function used by the host. figure 1. fillers’ functions found in both groups of non-native english speakers however, when the researchers excluded fillers’ functions applied by the host, fillers were found 37 times in group 1 and 74 times in group 2 speakers who were the guests of the program. the most used functions in group 1 speakers were (c) to hold the floor and (f) to repair the course. the most used functions in group 2 speakers were (c) to hold the floor and (a) to begin and close a discourse. figure 4.2 compares fillers’ functions found among the guests in both group 1 and 2 separately. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 45 figure 2. fillers’ functions found in both groups of guests discussion fillers not only found in daily activity, people can also found fillers in the talk show program. fillers is a strategy that is used to control, master and cover up deficiency in speak english. long term abroad experienced group of guest mostly used fillers as a habit and style in speak english. meanwhile, had little or no abroad experience used fillers as a strategy to cover up the deficiency and to fill the blank while think and produce idea or new words to spoken next. the researchers discussed there are eight fillers’ functions are used by 14 guests in english with alice program namely (a) to begin and close a discourse; (b) to change the turn; (c) to hold the floor; (d) to change the topic; (e) to constrain the relevance of one clause to the previous clause; (f) to repair discourse; (g) to express the response and (h) to influence the interactional and intimacy of the speaker and listener. the related research was done by fatihurrahman (2016) “the use of fillers in thesis proposal presentation by indonesian efl learners”. based on the research findings above, the researchers found there were similarities with the findings from the previous research. the object both research was non-native english speaker. both of the research used same method that was qualitative research. the difference on this research was the previous researchers analyzed types of fillers, meanwhile this research analyzed functions of fillers. this research was used theory of uwasri and the previous research used theory of clarck and tree. in short, fillers can help non-native english speaker to cover up their deficiency speak in english conclusion the research was conducted to classify the decoding fillers into its functions. the conversation between non-naïve english speaker interactions is the main interest for this research. because of nonenglish speaking context and least opportunity to verbally exchange in english, alice welcoming non-native english speakers who differently posseses levels of english due to distinctive english language learning experience in her program is considered resourceful. based on the findings and discussion in chapter four, it can be concluded that there are different functions of decoding fillers used in english learning talk show “english with alice”. the fillers’ functions were differentiated to be (a) to begin and close discourse; (b) to change the topic; (c) to hold the floor; (d) to change the topic; (e) to constrain the relevance of connected discourse; (f) to repair discourse; (g) to express the response and (h) to influence the interactional an intimacy of the speaker and listener. the utterances which were analyzed in this research did not cover all functions of decoding fillers. after analyzed the data, the researchers found that 2 groups (14 guests) in the talk show english with alice used different functions of decoding fillers. the functions in group 1 mostly were (a) to begin and close a discourse and (c) to hold the floor. moreover, the functions in group 2 mostly were (c) to hold the floor and (g) to express the response. the researchers found out that fillers influenced the way of alice guests. the guest with had little or no abroad experience using fillers to cover up their deficiency in speak english. they also use fillers to ridwin purba, herman, veronika r. m. manullang, & magdalena ngongo investigation of decoding fillers used in an english learning talk show “english with alice” 46 fill the blank when think the idea or new words to spoken next. in the guests with had long term abroad experience, the researchers found that they are use filler as a style and a habit in speak english. references arikunto, s. (2013). prosedur penelitian suatu pendekatan praktik. jakarta: rineka cipta. devianty, r. (2018). the role of mother language on indonesian enlightenment. vision: journal of language, literature & education, 14(14), 1-23. doordinejad, f, g. and afshar, h. (2014). on the relationship between self-efficacy and english achievement among iranian third grade high school students. international journal of language learning and applied linguistics world, 6(4), 461-470. emmorey, k. (2011). sign language and pantomime production differentially engage frontal and parietal cortices. nih public access, 26(7), 703721. fabelia. (2020). functions of fillers. in situs belajar bahasa inggris, 21 july. surabaya. fatihurrahman. (2016). the use of fillers in thesis proposal presentation by indonesian efl learners. a thesis, english language and letters department faculty of humanities. malang: maulana malik ibrahim states islamic university. herman., murni, s. m., sibarani, b., and saragih, a. (2019). structures of representational metafunctions of the “cheng beng” ceremony in pematangsiantar: a multimodal analysis. international journal of innovation, creativity and change., volume 8, issue 4, 2019. herman., purba, r., thao, n. v., & purba, a. (2020). using genre-based approach to overcome students’ difficulties in writing. journal of education and e-learning research, 7(4), 464470. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2020.74.464. 470. kenne, e. (2014). study abroad: an essential part of language acquisition. master’s thesis, the designation university honors, university of northern iowa. keyton, k. 2011. communication and organizational culture. a key to understanding work experience. thousand oaks: sage. khan, s. (2011). strategies and spoken production on three oral communication tasksa study of high and low proficiency efl learners. doctoral dissertation, departament de filologia anglesa i germanística, universitat autònoma de barcelona. kilickaya, f. (2009). world englishes, english as an international language and applied linguistics. english language teaching, 2 (3), 35-38. kurniawati, h., & astita, g. (2011). sentence complexity of planned and unplanned speaking performance outside the classroom. english edu, 9(2), 167-190. llanes, a. (2011). the many faces of study abroad: an update on the research on l2 gains emerged during a study abroad experience. international journal of multilingualism, 3, 189–215. macgregor, l. (2008). disfluencies affect language comprehension. doctoral dissertation. edinburgh. department of philosophy, psychology, and language sciences. university of edinburgh. mishanty, r. (2018). the importance of learning english in today word. international journal of trend in scientific research and development (ijtsrd), 3(1), 871-874. moleong, l. j. (2011). metodologi penelitian kualitatif edisi revisi. bandung: pt. remaja rosdakarya. munte, b., herman., arifin, a., nugroho, b. s., and fitriani, e. (2021). online student attendance system using android. journal of physics: conference series. 1933 012048, doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1933/1/012048 oroh, p. r. d. (2016). ketidakfasihan berbicara para pemeran dalam serial harry potter enam dan tujuh. manado: universitas sam ratulangi. pun, m. (2013). crossing the border: international journal of interdisciplinary studies. (online), 1(1). (https://www.academia.edu/23308077/the_use _of_multimedia_, published 2013 december 15. rahardjo, m. (2011). metode pengumpulan data penelitian kualitatif. (online), (http://scholar.google.co.id/citatious?user=eda_7eaa, published july 2011. sugiyono. (2017). metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r&d. bandung: alfabeta. cu. sinaga, h., herman., and pasaribu, e. (2020). the effect of anagram game on students’ vocabulary achievement grade eight of smp negeri 8 pematangsiantar. journal of english educational study, 3(1), 51-60. sitanggang, v., hutahaean, d. t., and herman. (2019). analysis of contents of proclamation of indonesian indepenence in semantic role. multidisciplinary european academic journal, 1(1), 1-6. ufie, a. (2013). kerifan lokal budaya ai ni masyarakat kei. bandung: universitas pendidikan indonesia. uwasri, s. (2018). fillers used in a thai english learning talk show. masters’ thesis, faculty of humanities and social sciences, burapha https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2020.74.464.470 https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2020.74.464.470 https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1933/1/012048 https://www.academia.edu/23308077/the_use_of_multimedia_ https://www.academia.edu/23308077/the_use_of_multimedia_ http://scholar.google.co.id/citatious?user=e-da_7eaa http://scholar.google.co.id/citatious?user=e-da_7eaa english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 47 university. van thao, n., herman., and tho, n. t. q. (2020). a comparative study of words indicating ‘artificial containers of water’ in vietnamese and english. international journal of innovation, creativity and change. 12(10), pp. 328-337. van thao, n., herman., ha, t. t., thuy, n. t. t., and tho, n. t. q. (2020). analysis of argumentation in nam cao’s story ‘chi pheo’ based on a pragmatics perspective. international journal of innovation, creativity and change, 12(12). van thao, n., herman., napitupulu, e. r., hien, n. t., and pardede, h. (2021). code-switching in learning via zoom application: a study in an efl context. asian esp journal, 17(3.1), pp. 91111. issn: 2206-0979. ridwin purba, herman, veronika r. m. manullang, & magdalena ngongo investigation of decoding fillers used in an english learning talk show “english with alice” 48 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 277 analysis of teacher needs related to e-learning schoology content in creative writing in middle schools throughout palembang city ernalida faculty of education and teaching, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: ernalida@fkip.unsri.ac.id santi oktarina faculty of education and teaching, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: santioktarina@fkip.unsri.ac.id rizki turama faculty of education and teaching, sriwijaya university, indonesia e-mail: a.rizqiturama@gmail.com apa citation: ernalida., oktarina, s., & turama, r. (2021). analysis of teacher needs related to e-learning schoology content in creative writing in middle schools throughout palembang city. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp. 277-284. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4352 received: 24-02-2021 accepted: 27-04-2021 published:15-06-2021 introduction the development of technology and information in the era of the industrial revolution 4.0 has influenced all aspects of life including the world of education. students born in this era are referred to as generation z where they are a generation that is closer to technology than previous generations. generations included in this category are those born from 1995 to 2010 and are globally connected generations so that technology is the life and breath of generation z children (cilliers, 2017). in this connection, students in this era want a learning process that utilizes technology that is currently developing. in addition, the use of learning technology is a necessity for students at this time considering that they basically have a need to explore and understand the elements of technology, social media and social networks (plessis, 2011). therefore, current learning should have been carried out using learning technology adapted to generation z. iftode (2019) believes that z generation is familiar with using new technologies in a natural manner. in addition, rothman (2016) stated that gen-zers have been affected more deeply due to the abstract: learning indonesian in the text-based 2013 curriculum directs students to be able to produce textbased writings. however, the ability of students to write creatively in middle school found in the field is still in the weak category. obstacles related to this are increasing considering that indonesia is currently experiencing the covid 19 pandemic which requires learning to be carried out from home so that supporting learning media is needed in accordance with existing conditions. based on the above, a solution is needed to overcome this, one of which is the use of e-learning schoology, which is learning that is in accordance with the character of generation z. this research aimed to determine the needs of teachers regarding e-learning schoology content in learning creative writing in secondary schools in palembang city. this research is a type of research and development. the research object was indonesian language teachers in sma in palembang city. the data collection method used is a survey method with a questionnaire. data are analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. the results of the study show that when viewed in terms of necessities, the content of e-learning schoology in learning creative writing in secondary schools in palembang must be adjusted to the principles of learning to write, the principles of electronic / online learning, the circular of the minister of education and culture no.4 of 2020 concerning implementation of education policies in an emergency period of the spread of corona virus disease (covid 19) and distance learning guides for teachers during schools closed due to the covid-19 pandemic. the next finding is that when viewed from the components that are needed, teachers really need e-learning schoology in learning creative writing at high schools in palembang. the last finding is that there are still deficiencies in the implementation of learning creative writing and the media used in secondary schools in palembang is not adequate yet. keywords: needs analysis; e-learning schoology; creative writing mailto:ernalida@fkip.unsri.ac.id mailto:santioktarina@fkip.unsri.ac.id mailto:a.rizqiturama@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4352 ernalida, santi oktarina, & rizki turama analysis of teacher needs related to e-learning schoology content in creative writing in middle schools throughout palembang city 278 easiness of their access to information by being born into a world that is globally connected via internet. people born in gen-z grow up with recent technology such as internet, smartphones and applications, and find it difficult to live without these facilities (kingston, 2014). this is a challenge for teachers to provide learning that is tailored to the characteristics of students. as popenici & kerr (2017) stated that knowing students learning strategies/styles could be a method of improving their learning process and more important the learning results. however, in gen-z learning styles, demir & sönmez (2021) stated that teachers and materials are expected to be technology oriented to meet gen-zers personal and academic needs. cook (2015) also confirmed that gen-z post-secondary students desire technology and visual media to be integrated in educational settings. in indonesia, writing skill are considered important for written communication and academic writing purposes, such as; letters, essays, papers, articles, journals, project reports, theses, etc. (toba, noor, & sanu, 2019). it is even needed in high school, including creative writing skills. many types of creative writing must be mastered by students, including writing biographies, short stories, poetry, and so on. it also helps the students to develop their ability in expressing what they feel and think (ismayanti & kholiq, 2020). widiastuti & endahati (2020) also added that writing is functional communication, making students possible to create imagined worlds of their design. moreover, the benefits of students having the ability to write are: sharper imagination, mastery of language increases, and increase confidence (oppenheimer, zaromb, pomerantz, william, & park, 2017; yanti, nafri, suhartono, hiasa, & fina, 2018). as writing is important to be learnt, in the 2013 curriculum, text-based indonesian language learning directs students to be able to produce text-based writings. however, when viewed in the field, it is found that the students' ability to write creatively in secondary schools is still in the weak category. many students discovered it difficult to write because they do not understand how to properly convey their concept (kurniati, wijaya, & rohmatillah, 2020) and found it difficult to find the idea when they write (yoandita, 2019). furthermore, as durga & rao (2018) stated that, nowadays, students are lacking writing skills as they spend most of their time in using their equipped smart phones, and they depend on electronic devices or gadgets which provide instant or readymade answers/results available in the internet. several studies also stated that high school students have not been able to write creatively optimally where they are also less motivated in the learning process (hudhana and sulaeman, 2019; amalia and doyin, 2015; dwinita, yaqob, and hidayat, 2019). this finding is reinforced by the results of the 2019 national examination data which states that students' writing skills are still far from expectations, only 63.55% of them have mastered writing skills (https://hasilun.puspendik.kemdikbud.go.id/#201 9). the spread of covid-19 also has a major impact on the world of education today. who (firman & rahayu, 2020) recommends that activities that have the potential to cause crowds to be temporarily stopped. referring to the advice from who, the indonesian government has adopted a policy of temporarily closing schools throughout indonesia, which is also explained in circular number 4 of 2020 concerning the implementation of educational policies in the emergency period of the spread of coronavirus disease (covid-19). one of the contents of the circular is learning which is carried out online. therefore, this caused the use of e-learning which has been seen as a complementary medium in the education process in indonesia to be aroused (hermawan, 2021). e-learning can be found from various existing learning media, starting from language apps, video conferencing tools, virtual tutoring, online learning software, moodle, and many more (li & lalani, 2020). it is hoped that through online interaction, the social distancing principle promoted by the indonesian government can break the chain of the spread of the covid-19 virus originating from droplets or saliva splashes (putra, 2020). seeing the phenomena that occur, e-learning has now become a rational choice in addressing the educational process in the covid-19 pandemic (gupta & khairina, 2020). examining the description above, e-learning schoology-based learning can be used as an option for learning media in the covid 19 pandemic era, especially learning creative writing in high schools in palembang. e-learning schoology has many advantages that make many teachers use it. its superiority is that it is cheap and easy to obtain, efficient, and fast in terms of updating, fun, can be used remotely, has full features, saves paper, can conduct discussions, https://hasilun.puspendik.kemdikbud.go.id/#2019 https://hasilun.puspendik.kemdikbud.go.id/#2019 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 279 send files, videos, images, etc., can be submitted from anywhere, easy to control tasks with work results that can also be easily printed (haryanto, 2018). this article is part of the research and development research (research and development), namely the information gathering stage. the purpose of this article is to describe the needs of teachers for the content of elearning schoology for creative writing in high schools in palembang. method the approach used in this research is qualitative and quantitative approaches (mixed methods) while in practice the research and development method is used (research and development). data are collected using a survey method. the data from the results of the analysis in this study are quantitative data from questionnaires. sources of data in this study are indonesian language teachers in high schools throughout palembang with a total sample of 32 people. data are collected using a questionnaire. data analysis is performed using quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques. findings and discussion needs analysis is the most important part of development research. the collection of information in the needs analysis is very influential on the product to be produced. morrison, ross, and kemp (2007) explained that needs analysis can be defined as a condition that shows a gap between what students receive and what they are expected to receive. l.s.p nation and macalister (2009) divided needs into three components consisting of necessities, lacks, and wants. these three components constitute a set of tools needed so that an analysis of student needs can be carried out in learning a target language. first, there are necessities or things related to what students must master. the focus of the necessities is on skills and usage situations. the second is lacks which refers to the student's current position (knowledge). the third component is wants which describes that students have their own opinion about whatever they feel is useful for them. information about what the student wants (wants) will be very useful in determining whether there are similarities between the students' views and the analytical view. data collection was carried out through questionnaires and closed discussions to obtain data on the needs in this study. the covid-19 pandemic situation hampered data collection so that questionnaires were distributed to students and teachers in palembang via google form. this is because the research team cannot meet directly with students or teachers so that the google form that is distributed to students is done through the teacher. of the 1500 students surveyed, it turned out that only 737 students filled out the google form. on the other hand, the results obtained for the collection of teacher needs analysis data through google form are in accordance with the specified sample size. the following describes in detail the results of the research on teacher and student needs analysis of the content of e-learning schoology for creative writing learning for students and teachers in high schools in palembang. to obtain information on teacher needs, data collection was carried out through a questionnaire using google form. the results of the needs analysis are as follows. necessities necessities are related to what students have to master. the imperative in this study is interpreted as the content of e-learning schoology which should be used in learning creative writing for students and teachers in secondary schools in palembang. e-learning content that students and teachers must use is content that is in accordance with the principles of learning to write, the principles of e-learning, and the principles of learning in the covid-19 era. writing approach (process and outcome approach), paying attention to the background of the reader, integrating all language skills, being authentic, related to the writing process, how to respond to and correct student writing, and writing conventions (brown, 2011). the principles of electronic learning (elearning) include interactivity, independence, accessibility and enrichment (munir in shofiyah, 2016). in addition, the content of e-learning schoology for learning creative writing in the current pandemic is required to be in accordance with (directorate general of teachers and education personnel, ministry of education and culture, 2020). wants the third component is wants. students have their own opinion about anything they feel is useful to them. information about what the student wants will be very useful in determining whether the students' views and analytical views ernalida, santi oktarina, & rizki turama analysis of teacher needs related to e-learning schoology content in creative writing in middle schools throughout palembang city 280 have in common or not. the research results obtained are shown as the following. the use of e-learning schoology the use of e-learning schoology is the first component that teachers want to get their needs from. the research results are as follows. table 1. use of e-learning schoology no statement teacher’s assessment 1. the usage of e-learning schoology in creative writing learning (writing biography text and writing poem) 4. 25 sb based on the table above, it is known that the use of e-learning schoology in creative writing learning (writing biographical texts and writing poetry) is very much needed (sb) by teachers with an average score of 4.25. indicators and competence indicators and competencies are the second component of this needs analysis where the results obtained are as follows. table 2. indicators and competence no statement teacher’s assessment 2 the content of e-learning schoology in creating writing (writing biography text and writing poem) containing indocator and competence 4,1 3 b 3. indicator and competence are presented in the form of animation video 4,1 6 b 4. indicator and competence are presented in the forl of word file or pdf 3,9 4 b the table above explains that from the second statement, it is stated that teachers assess what they need is (b) e-learning schoology content in creative writing learning (writing biographical texts and writing poetry) contains indicators and competencies. second, in the third statement, the results of the study show that the teacher needs (b) an animated video which contains indicators and competencies. fourth, in the fourth statement it is known that the teacher needs (b) so that the indicators and competencies are made in the form of files with an average value of 3.94. presentation of material in e-learning schoology the next component used to collect information on e-learning schoology content needs is the presentation of material in e-learning schoology. the following results explain the research in details. table 3. presentation of material in e-learning schoology no statement teacher’s assessment 5. materials are presented in the form of (word/pdf) files 4,1 6 b 6. materials are presented in the form of tutorial video by using kine master/video scribe uploaded in youtube 4,3 8 sb 7. materials are presented in the form of electronic book 4,2 8 sb 8. materials are presented in the form of teacher’s blog 3,8 8 b 9. materials are presented in the form of game 3,9 9 b 10. materials are presented in the form of link 4,3 8 sb 11. materials are presented in the form of video completed with animation 4,3 1 sb 12. materials are presented in the form of interactive power point 4,4 4 sb 13. materials are presented in the form of audio 3,7 8 b based on the table above, in general the subcomponents offered by the researcher are considered to be needed by teachers and students in learning content using this e-learning. first, the results of the study show that the teacher needs the material presented in the form of a file that must be in the content to be developed with an average score of 4.16. second, the teacher assessed that the material presented in the form of video tutorials is needed (sb) with an average value of average 4.38. third, the teacher assessed that the material presented in the form of an electronic book was needed (sb) with an average score of 4.28. fourth, based on the google form filled in by the teacher, it is known that teachers needs a teacher's blog that contains creative writing material with an average score of 3.88. fifth, for the ninth statement it is known that the teacher assessed that in learning creative writing, games are needed with an average score of 3.99. sixth, for the 10th statement it is known that the teacher needs (b) creative writing learning materials in the form of links. the mean score for this need is 4.38 that of teachers. seventh, the results showed that teachers really need material equipped with animated videos with an average value of 4.31. eighth, from the research results it is known that teachers really need material made using interactive power points with an average english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 281 score of 4.44. ninth, teachers need creative writing learning materials equipped with audio. learning activities the next component used to collect information on the content needs of e-learning schoology is learning activities. the following results are explained for more details. table 4. learning activity no . learning activities teacher’s assessment 14. creative writing learning is conducted through online presentation and discussion using zoom meeting or google meet 4,0 9 b 15. creative writing learning is conducted through discussion by using discussion forum feature existed in e-learning schoology 3,9 7 b 16. creative writing learning is conducted by grouping the students into some groups to discuss (collaborative learning) 3,9 7 b 17. students are assigned to do writing individually 4,4 1 sb 18. creative writing learning is conducted in accordance with the writing stages namely prewriting, writing, and postwriting 4,3 1 sb 19. the teacher does assessment on the students’ writing in accordance with the assessment indicator 4,4 1 sb 20. the students do assessment on peer-friends’ writing in accordance with the assessment indicator 4,1 6 b 21. the students do writing revision 4,0 9 b 22. the creative writing learning uses online portfolio 4,0 6 b based on the table above, several conclusions can be drawn in the following points. first, learning creative writing carried out through online presentations and discussions using zoom meetings or google meet was found to be what teachers needed with an average score of 4.06. second, the teacher assessed that learning creative writing is carried out by discussion using the discussion forum feature in e-learning schoology with an average score of 3.97. third, learning creative writing was carried out by dividing students into several groups for discussion (collaborative learning) needed by teachers with an average score of 3.67 (teachers). fourth, the teacher assessed that students are assigned to write individually as needed with an average score of 4.41. fifth, teachers really needed creative writing learning so that it is carried out in accordance with the stages in writing, namely pre-writing, writing, and postwriting with a high average of 4.31. sixth, teachers really needed assessment activities carried out by teachers in accordance with the indicators with an average score of 4.41. seventh, the teacher believed that peer assessments are needed in creative writing learning activities with an average value of 4.16. eighth, the teacher assessed that the revision made by students is needed with an average score of 4.09. ninth, the teacher assessed that learning creative writing using an online portfolio is also needed with an average score of 4.06. evaluation / exercise the next component used to collect information on e-learning schoology content needs is evaluation / exercise. the following describes the results of the research obtained more clearly. table 5. evaluation / exercise no statement teacher’s assessment 23 evaluation/training is done individually 4,44 sb 24 evaluation/training is done in group 4,13 b 25 evaluation/training is given in the form of writing essay/task directly 4,05 b 26 evaluation/training is given in the form of multiple choices 4,31 sb 27 evaluation/training is given by using kahoot, hot potatoes, and other applications 4,03 b based on the table above, some information is known as follows. first, the average value related to teachers in dire need of evaluation / training carried out individually is 4.44. second, teachers need evaluations / exercises that are carried out in groups with an average score of 4.13. third, the teacher needs evaluation / exercises that are given in the form of essays / direct writing assignments marked with an average score of 4.05. fourth, teachers really need evaluation / training given in the form of multiple choices as evidenced by an average value of 4.31. fifth, teachers need evaluation / training given using the kahoot application, hot potatoes, and others with an average value of 4.03. ernalida, santi oktarina, & rizki turama analysis of teacher needs related to e-learning schoology content in creative writing in middle schools throughout palembang city 282 completeness of learning the next component used to collect information on e-learning schoology content needs is the completeness of learning. the following describes the results of the research in more detail. table 6. completeness of learning no statement teacher’s assessment 28 creative writing learning is completed with learning guidance in the form of file 4,34 sb 29 creative learning is completed with learning guidance in the form tutorial video 4,25 sb 30. creative writing learning is completed with online attendance list 4,25 sb the information obtained based on the table above is first, teachers really need creative writing learning equipped with learning guides in the form of files as evidenced by an average value of 4.34. second, teachers really need creative writing learning which is equipped with learning guides in the form of video tutorials which are shown with an average value of 4.25 third, teachers truly need creative writing learning which is equipped with an online attendance list. lack components of a needs analysis other than necessities and wants are lack. lacks are interpreted as what is still needed or what is lacking in learning creative writing at high schools in palembang. the results showed that the lacks found were as follows. first, when viewed from the shortcomings of learning creative writing, it is known that most students are not motivated in their learning, it is difficult to make them understand the material being taught; material is too theory-oriented; learning is considered too time-consuming; students are not able to express and develop their writing ideas; students are less able to choose words in creative writing, find it difficult to foster interest in reading, and difficulty overcoming students' laziness. second, in terms of the media used, several lacks were found, namely the monotonous media used; not varied; and the media do not provide direct examples. discussion based on the results of the research obtained, it was found that learning creative writing using eleaning schoology is really needed by teachers, which is evidenced by an average value of 4.25. the teacher's desire is based on the current pandemic situation which makes them have to carry out online learning. e-leaning schoology can be a teacher's choice to carry out learning better, especially for learning creative writing. this is in line with what haryanto (2018) stated that schoology is one of the alternative media used by teachers to improve and accelerate the teaching and learning process. the successful use of this media has been proven by ernida (2016), hasanah (2011), and mashudianti, sutomo, and suparno (2018) in their research. however, the learning that is carried out must be in accordance with the guidelines for the implementation of learning in the 2020/2021 academic year and the 2020/2021 academic year in the corona virus disease (covid-19) pandemic period based on the joint decree of 4 ministers number 01 / kb / 2020 dated 15 june 2020. e-learning schoology can indeed be the choice of teachers in implementing learning in the pandemic era. this is because this method has many advantages, which are cheap and easy to obtain; efficient and fast in updating; more attractive to students in learning; can be used at long distance or long distance; has complete features; can save paper; easy to use as a medium for holding discussions; can send files, videos, images, and others; can submit from anywhere; easy to control tasks (haryanto, 2018). the convenience offered makes it natural for teachers to answer that they really need e-learning in learning creative writing. referring to the description related to the research results, it can be concluded that teachers need e-leaning schoology content for learning creative writing in order to carry out creative writing learning better and efficiently. in implementing e-learning content, it must refer to the principles of learning to write, principles of electronic / online learning, and online learning guides. the results also showed that the teacher wants the learning material to be made with a more diverse version. this aims to increase students' motivation to learn and make them able to engage directly with the media because various versions of media can attract their attention. this is in line with the opinion of meisendi, yemin, & fiestawa (2016) which stated that the use of different media variations is carried out to achieve several goals, including (1) maintaining and increasing student attention to the relevance english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 283 of the teaching and learning process, (2) increasing student motivation, (3) forming positive attitudes towards both teachers and schools, (4) facilitating the possibility of individual learning choices, and (5) encouraging students to actively learn. in the aspect of learning activities, the teacher wants creative writing learning that focuses more on or applies the principles of learning to write. this makes students' creativity and imagination play an important role in their learning. creative writing requires the writer to think creatively and out of the box. however, the desired differences here are not necessarily different in the general context, but also think about and predict the function and purpose in the creativity, for example certain impressions or messages to be conveyed to readers. opinion of zulaeha (2017) supports this opinion where he reveals that imagination and creativity are needed in creative writing so that what is written has a clear meaning and gives the reader a distinct impression. conclusion conclusion points that can be drawn based on the results of research and discussion are as follows. first, the content of e-learning schoology in learning creative writing in high schools in palembang which is developed when viewed in terms of necessities must comply with the principles of learning to write, the principles of electronic / online learning, the circular of the minister of education and culture no.4 of 2020 regarding the implementation of education policies in an emergency for the spread of corona virus disease (covid 19) and distance learning guides for teachers while schools are closed due to the covid-19 pandemic with the spirit of independent learning. second, when viewed from the component of needs, it is found that teachers really need e-learning schoology in learning creative writing in high schools in palembang with content that meets several requirements such as indicators and competencies that are presented either in the form of animated videos or files; there is material presented in various forms which aim to foster motivation and improve the creative writing skills of students; contains learning activities that are in accordance with the principles of learning to write, online learning principles, and distance learning guides in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic; learning evaluation is carried out individually in the form of essays or multiple choice and with the help of applications; there is a learning guide presented in the form of a file or video tutorial; there is a list of attendees online. third, the research found that there were several deficiencies in learning creative writing and the media used. there are three components consisting of necessities, wants, and lacks which can then be used to design e-learning schoology content in learning creative writing in secondary schools in palembang. references amalia, a. & doyin, m. (2015). developing handbook of arranging short story text by using intrinsic element elaboration technique for students of grade vii at junior high school. journal of indonesian language and literature. 4(1), pp. 1-6. brown, h. d. (2008). learning principles and language teaching fifth edition. jakarta. united states embassy in jakarta. cilliers, e. j. (2017). the challenge of teaching generation. social science, 3(1), pp. 188—198. cook, v. (2015). engaging generation z students. center for online learning research and service, university of illinois springfield. retrieved from https://sites.google.com/a/uis.edu/colrs_cook/ home/engaging-generationz-students demir, b., & sönmez, g. (2021). generation z students’ expectations from english language instruction. journal of language and linguistic studies, 17(1), 683-701. durga, v. s. s., rao, c. s. (2018). developing students’ writing skills in english a process approach. journal for research scholars and professionals of english language teaching, 6(2), pp.1-5. dwinita, r., yakob, m., and hidayat, m. t. (2019). the ability of grade x students of state senior high school 4 langsa in writing biography text. language ocean journal. 2(2), pp.13— 20. ernida, d. (2016). pengembangan e-learning dengan schoology sebagai suplemen pembelajaran fisika materi kinematika gerak. pendidikan fisika. fakultas keguruan dan ilmu pendidikan. univeristas lampung. guidelines for the implementation of learning in the 2020/2021 academic year and the 2020/2021 academic year in the corona virus disease (covid-19) pandemic period based on the joint decree of 4 ministers number 01 / kb / 2020 dated 15 june 2020 gupta, d., & khairina, n. n. (2020). covid-19 dan ketidaksetaraan dalam proses belajar di indonesia: empat cara untuk menjembatani kesenjangan. retrieved from world bank: https://blogs.worldbank.org/id/eastasiapacific/ https://sites.google.com/a/uis.edu/colrs_cook/home/engaging-generationz-students https://sites.google.com/a/uis.edu/colrs_cook/home/engaging-generationz-students https://blogs.worldbank.org/id/eastasiapacific/covid-19-dan-ketidaksetaraan-dalam-proses-belajar-di-indonesia-empat-cara-untuk-menjembatani-kesenjangan ernalida, santi oktarina, & rizki turama analysis of teacher needs related to e-learning schoology content in creative writing in middle schools throughout palembang city 284 covid-19-dan-ketidaksetaraan-dalam-prosesbelajar-di-indonesia-empat-cara-untukmenjembatani-kesenjangan haryanto, s. (2018). kelebihan dan kekurangan elearning berbasis schoology (studi ptk dalam pembelajaran mata kuliah academic listening). prosiding seminar nasional geotik, 106–110. hasanah, n. (2011). e-learning dengan schoology sebagai suplemen pembelajaran fisika materi elastisitas dan hukum hooke. jurnal vokasi, 4(1). bandar lampung: universitas lampung. hermawan, d. (2021). the rise of e-learning in covid19 pandemic in private university: challenges and opportunities. ijorer : international journal of recent educational research, 2(1), pp.86-95. hudhana, w. d. & sulaeman, a. (2019). pengembangan media video scribe dalam meningkatkan keterampilan menulis cerpen berbasis pendidikan karakter pada siswa sma. pena: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra, 9(1): 31-46. iftode, d. (2019). generation z and learning styles. sea practical application of science, 7(21), pp.255-262. ismayanti, e. & kholiq, a. (2020). an analysis of students’ difficulties in writing a descriptive text. e-link journal, 7(1), pp.10-20 kingston, a. (2014). get ready for generation z. https://www.macleans.ca/society/life/getready-for-generation-z/ kurniati, w., wijaya, m. s., & rohmatillah. (2020). fostering students’ descriptive text writing ability: please strategy vs. idea details strategy. pedagogy journal of english language teaching, 8(1), pp.34-42. l.s.p nation and john macalister. (2009). language curriculum design. new york and london: routledge. li, c., & lalani, f. (2020). the covid-19 pandemic has changed education forever. this is how. retrieved from world economic forum: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/cor onavirus-education-global-covid19-onlinedigital-learning/ mashudianti, u. k., sutomo, n., and suparno, s. (2018). the effectiveness of schoology to teach writing viewed from student's creativity. international online journal of education and teaching. 5(4), pp. 943-955. meisendi, yemin, d., & fiestawa, r. (2016). pengaruh penggunaan variasi media pembelajaran ips terhadap ketercapaian inti dalam kurikulum 2013 di kota bandung. learning social science education, 1(6), 210–219. morrison, garry r., steven m. ross, and jerrold e. kemp. (2007). designing effective instruction. united state of america: jonh wiley & sons,inc. oppenheimer, d., zaromb, f., pomerantz, j. r., wiliams, j. c., & park, y. s. (2017). improvement of writing skills during college: a multi year cross sectional and longitudinal study of undergraduate writing performance. assessing writing, 32, 12-27. plessis, n. d. (2011). social media in higher education: the case of facebook. vaal university of technology, north-west university: vaal campus. popenici, s., & kerr, s. (2017). exploring the impact of artificial intellingence on teaching and learning in higher education. research and practice in technology enhanced learning, 13. putra, y. m. (2020). pahami social distancing, kenali cara kerja 'musuh'. retrieved from republika: https://republika.co.id/berita/q7g990284/paha mi-social-distancing-kenali-cara-kerja-musuh rothman, d. (2016). a tsunami of learners called generation z. retrieved from http://www.mdle.net/journal/a_tsunami_of_ learners_called_generation_z.pdf shofiyah, s. (2016). pengaruh penggunaan android dan e-learning terhadap hasil belajar mata pelajaran siswwa kelas viii smpn 3 kepanjen malang. universitas islam negeri maulana malik ibrahim malang, malang. toba, r., noor, w. n., & sanu, l. o. (2019). the current issues of indonesian efl students’ writing skills: ability, problem, and reason in writing comparison and contrast essay. dinamika ilmu, 19(1), pp. 57-73. widiastuti, r. & endahati, n. (2020). the efforts to improve writing skill of secondary school students by using snake and ladder game. eltics (english language teaching and english linguistics) journal, 5(1). yanti, nafri., suhartono., & hiasa, fina. (2018). keterampilan menulis akademik mahasiswa s-1 program studi pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia fkip universitas bengkulu [academic writing skills of s-1 students of the indonesian language and literature education in fkip bengkulu university]. silampari bisa: jurnal penelitian pendidikan bahasa indonesia, daerah, dan asing, 1(1), 1-16. yoandita, p. e. (2019). an analysis of students’ ability and difficulties in writing descriptive text, jurnal joepallt, 7(1). https://blogs.worldbank.org/id/eastasiapacific/covid-19-dan-ketidaksetaraan-dalam-proses-belajar-di-indonesia-empat-cara-untuk-menjembatani-kesenjangan https://blogs.worldbank.org/id/eastasiapacific/covid-19-dan-ketidaksetaraan-dalam-proses-belajar-di-indonesia-empat-cara-untuk-menjembatani-kesenjangan https://blogs.worldbank.org/id/eastasiapacific/covid-19-dan-ketidaksetaraan-dalam-proses-belajar-di-indonesia-empat-cara-untuk-menjembatani-kesenjangan https://www.macleans.ca/society/life/get-ready-for-generation-z/ https://www.macleans.ca/society/life/get-ready-for-generation-z/ https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-learning/ https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-learning/ https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-learning/ https://doaj.org/toc/2148-225x https://doaj.org/toc/2148-225x https://republika.co.id/berita/q7g990284/pahami-social-distancing-kenali-cara-kerja-musuh https://republika.co.id/berita/q7g990284/pahami-social-distancing-kenali-cara-kerja-musuh http://www.mdle.net/journal/a_tsunami_of_learners_called_generation_z.pdf http://www.mdle.net/journal/a_tsunami_of_learners_called_generation_z.pdf english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 67 development of android-based protadroid application in pronunciation practice learning for undergraduate students ayu bandu retnomurti english education program, faculty of language and arts, universitas indraprasta pgri, indonesia e-mail: ayubandu@gmail.com nurmala hendrawaty english education program, faculty of language and arts, universitas indraprasta pgri, indonesia e-mail: malahendrawaty@yahoo.com leni tiwiyanti english education program, faculty of language and arts, universitas indraprasta pgri, indonesia e-mail: lenitiwiyanti@gmail.com apa citation: retnomurti, a. b., hendrawaty, n., & tiwiyanti, l. (2019). development of android-based protadroid application in pronunciation practice learning for undergraduate students. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 67-76. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1721. received: 22-01-2019 accepted: 26-03-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: the research aims at describing the development of protadroid, an android table program, to assist learners’ pronunciation practice by using non-native english speakers and investigating the affective aspects of using the protadroid. the method used was research and development (r&d) which has been chosen to produce a product and test the affective aspects of the product. in order to find out the affective aspect, a questionnaire was applied as an instrument in the data collection. thirty participants were randomly selected from two pronunciation practice classes at universitas indraprasta pgri jakarta. based on the development phases, protadroid is valid and practical. further, the four affective aspects indicate that satisfaction is 88.2% (very satisfied), interest is 93% (very interested), attention is 76% (positive), and involvement is 85% (positive). hence, it can be concluded that students generally understand and are capable of operating protadroid application with high interest. keywords: affective aspects; android; pronunciation practice learning; protadroid application; research and development. introduction pronunciation is not merely about the correct production of individual sounds or words, but researchers and/or lecturers need to see it as an important part of communication that is integrated into classroom activities (gilakjani, 2012). thus, it is suggested that lecturers insist their learners monitor their pronunciation practice in and outside the classroom. the suggestion from the research above is applicable in every elt learning. it is necessary that the suggestion need to be applied in pronunciation practice class at universitas indraprasta pgri. in elt learning activities, teachers should bear in mind that the main subject is the students. consequently, teachers should avoid providing too much input to the students because it will affect students’ output. however, liu (2013) claims teachers should be aware that they are also the organizer and implementer in classroom teaching in addition to being a participant. teachers can provide suggestion and motivation to students, give them knowledge and ways of learning, but they should remember that the main subject of the learning activities are students. teachers teaching pronunciation class are also expected to have the capability to design the effective teaching and learning activities, decide the required materials, assist the students in performing exercises, and be a model on how to pronounce english correctly. in shorts, teachers are required to be competent, professional, upto-date, and well-informed, and they are able to operate any technology-based media due to increasing students’ ability to get information (norahmi, 2018). recently, several studies were conducted to examine pronunciation learning strategies. baker and haslam (2012), for example, conducted a questionnaire study with first-grade english majors. in their research, baker and haslam mailto:ayubandu@gmail.com mailto:malahendrawaty@yahoo.com mailto:lenitiwiyanti@gmail.com ayu bandu retnomurti, nurmala hendrawaty, & leni tiwiyanti development of android-based protadroid application in pronunciation practice learning for undergraduate students 68 (2012) suggest that the students’ answers show the use of cognitive strategies with applied various strategies. some of the highest use is speaking in the target language, writing transcription, reading words aloud, listening and repeating, taking phonetic drills, and acting out dialogues. the strategies are effective to be applied in pronunciation classes; yet, there is still a need in the availability of a more up-todate and more effective learning media. android as a mobile operating system is becoming more and more popular as it eases human activities. one of them is the ease in communication, study, and business matters (hanafi & samsudin, 2012). the researchers see how android can be useful in assisting learning by creating an android-based application as a pronunciation practice mobile learning media. the media refers to what brings information between a source (sender) message to the recipients of the message (defni & rahmayuni, 2014). therefore, the media should be able to provide ease of use, interesting features, and benefits. this corresponds to what is conveyed by mehdipour and zerehkafi (2013) that a good learning media ideally have four main factors, namely the relevance, simplicity, interesting features, and benefit. the use of a mobile phone in a learning activity which is known as mobile learning (mlearning) will make the learning process more flexible so that students do not have to attend a special place to learn. it means that the learners can learn anywhere and anytime. mahamad, ibrahim, and taib (2010) suggest that the existing evolution happen in a learning paradigm between traditional classroom-based and electronic learning had introduced a new mobilebased learning paradigm known as mobile learning. m-learning enhances broader learning experiences for students. as mentioned by kumar, wotto, and bélanger (2018), m-learning is a powerful method for engaging learners on their own terms. the use of mobile devices in mobile learning enables students to engage themselves in learning activities based on their own terms. according to hanafi and samsudin (2012), the use of an android smartphone in the process of language learning is expected to increase the students’ eagerness in studying languages. technology provides assistance for educators to stimulate the students in learning materials, giving explanation or pronouncing simulation on a particular word in english. in the same vein, yusri, goodwin, and mooney (2015) declare that mobile learning is a type of learning in which students are able to access class materials as desired by utilizing any kinds of wireless communication devices, such as a wireless laptop, personal digital assistant, personal computer, tablets or mobile phones. all learning activities nowadays are possible to be conducted via mobile learning, especially android (ayed, 2015). based on the explanation above, development and innovation in android-based learning media are expected to adjust language learners’ needs and conditions so that the learning process is more qualified based on the demand of the curriculum applied. learning process in pronunciation practice which formerly used a paper-based test in testing the pronunciation accuracy is expected to be more varied by developing learning materials which use android application. however, the educators’ role is important in the learning process. learning materials are presented in an interesting form in order to increase the learners’ motivation (affective side) and the androidbased learning can eventually be implemented as a supporting media for learners to understand teaching materials (cognitive side) of the pronunciation practice (harding, 2017). therefore, the increasing number of students with android-based mobile devices motivates the writer to develop android-based teaching materials. considering this condition, the proposed solution is on the use of a variety of learning media during pronunciation practice learning process to create a comfortable learning environment that makes learners more active and become involved in receiving new knowledge. here, students will eventually use the vocabularies they got to communicate with other people. the research conducted is a development from the previous web-based protatik in www.protatik.com which is still active until now. the researchers decided to develop a pronunciation practice learning application designed on android platform. the development is taken due to the easiness and effectiveness of the android-based application. the protadroid application is now already available in playstore as it has been registered for its intellectual property rights. thus, there are two research objectives in this research. the first research objective is to find out whether or not protadroid is valid to be http://www.protatik.com/ english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 69 applied in pronunciation practice class. then, the other objective is to know the affective aspect that the students have in using the application. method this research applied research and development approach which was used to produce a product and test the affectivity of the product that has been developed. the research design of the media developed was adapted from step written by bhawna and gobind (2015) that includes finding potential and problems, needs analysis, product design, design validation, and product testing. the research was only limited to the product trial stage. figure 1. research design in order to reach the objective of the research, thirty participants from two classes, r2a and r2b at universitas indraprasta pgri jakarta were involved. the two classes, which consist of thirty students in total, belong to one of the researcher members. the decision was made in consideration of the practicability and effectiveness for the researchers to monitor the class progress. the students are in their third semester and pronunciation practice is one of the classes offered in the semester. the research instruments used in the research were questionnaires, smartphones, and modems. smartphones and modems are needed as the application is an android-based one and it requires an internet connection. relevant and accurate data is necessary to conduct this research. data collection techniques were conducted in several ways, namely literature study, student questionnaire sheet, and observation. the researchers decided to use a questionnaire to find out the affective aspects of applying protadroid in the pronunciation practice class. the questionnaire is considered to be practical compared to interviews. the questionnaires are adapted from qasim (2011), and the measurement scale used in questionnaires is the likert scale from 1 to 4 with the indicator aspects as follows: table 1. indicator of instrument indicator number of question satisfaction 1-5 interest 6-10 attention 11-15 involvement 16-20 before collecting the data, a reliability and validity test were conducted to see whether the items of the questionnaire are reliable and valid or not. the reliability test is done by using the cronbach’s alpha because the questionnaire employs a likert scale. from the test, it is known that the instrument has a high reliability as r=0,78, 0,60<r<0,80 (keyvanfar, et al., 2014). the result of the validity test from 20 items is all valid with r >0,361. data analysis technique is used to analyze students’ questionnaires to represent the affective aspects of using the protadroid application during the pronunciation practice learning. the quantitative data from the questionnaires will then be converted into qualitative data by using the scale of four. the scoring in single digits is started from 1 up to 4 will then be converted into qualitative data with the following description: very positive, positive, quite positive and not positive. afterward, in determining the categories of the responses, the researchers adjust the percentage result with the positive criteria (qasim, 2011) in the following table. table 2. guidelines for response percentage criteria 85% ≤ response very positive 70% ≤ response < 85% response positive 50% ≤ response < 70% response quite positive 50% ≤ response not positive results and discussion the development of protadroid protadroid is created by using some software such as android studio 2 for the newest version of ide (integrated development environment) which can be used to develop an android application, and microsoft word is used as an application to change or repair the material contents in protadroid. in addition, edit file menu is used in the making of icon or symbol for the application without any other applications. ayu bandu retnomurti, nurmala hendrawaty, & leni tiwiyanti development of android-based protadroid application in pronunciation practice learning for undergraduate students 70 the name of the learning media application is based on the abbreviation of the application content, “protadroid” or program tabel android. figure 2. entity relationship diagram figure 2 is the entity relationship diagram (erd). erd functions as a valid and practical to use storage for protadroid data and design store. there are two contributing factors to application adoption, namely validity and practicality. it is valid as the application is userfriendly and able to operate on android basis. users only need to open and log in to the application. once they have logged in, they do not need to search the sound on google. it is practical as it is very simple and easy to operate. the material presented is equipped with the icon and each practice will produce sound by non-native speakers who have been selected based on the appropriateness in pronouncing the materials in the protadroid application. in this application, the sound recording of spoken voice from the non-native speakers is inserted to fill the key icon provided in the application. the sound recording is a record of spoken voice which is taken from two pronunciation models who are also lecturers of english education program. the two models have passed the preliminary selection. next, the recording on the spoken voice file is managed by using windows media player from microsoft. after the recording was set, the voice file was transferred and saved in wav format and mp3. next, the team edited the recorded voice to adjust the volume and/or some other important elements of voice and any noises are eliminated from the recording. the voice file which has been edited was then linked to a php file and completed with commands. after every single sound file has been connected to each page, the following process is implementing some tests and continued by checking all the available pages. the aforementioned processes are taken in order to check the coherence between the command and the intended results. the trials are necessary because the test showed that there were several commands that did not work or meet the desired final result. when the file had already been through some examinations, the team conducted some measures to repair the application. the researchers and some pronunciation practice lecturers made an agreement to use nonnative speakers' voice from two lectures. the lecturers chosen are basically colleagues who have passed some selection tests. the decision to use non-native speakers in the exercises is taken in order to meet the teaching target in the pronunciation practice class. one of the main reasons in taking the decision is that native speakers who are commonly monolingual are not adaptable enough in imitating accurate features of different languages (harding, 2017). harding (2017) sees that non-native speakers generally speak more carefully and regularly compared to native speakers. such characteristic is a tendency of someone who uses a second or third language. on the other hand, native speakers are considered to speak fast, so students frequently have difficulties to repeat or imitate. native speakers are also known in using slang, jokes or other specific reference based on their own culture. typically, non-native-speakers use a limited and easier vocabulary and phrases because they rarely use any figurative languages or slangs. as a result, they understand each other by some facial gestures (harding, 2017). the application can easily be downloaded by sharing via bluetooth among smartphones. the researchers use google play facility based on the research policy. the size of the application is approximately 5.11 mb. although the application is created in the android platform, this protadroid application is meant for the smartphone with android system version 8 in maximum. the application is now already available in play store as it has been registered for its intellectual property rights. since the application is programmed in an android-based system, the users can access it anywhere and anytime for learning and teaching interaction, english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 71 and it also has been developed based on semester learning plan in english education program, universitas indraprasta pgri. referring to the advantages of the protadroid application previously mentioned, the application is intended to give a new breakthrough in pronunciation practice learning media in english education program, universitas indraprasta pgri, jakarta. therefore, the lecturers are no longer troubled with the need to provide a tape-recorder, a sound system or move to the language laboratory to use the computers. moreover, students’ references are not limited only on paper-based sources in order to attain received pronunciation. just by installing the application to their mobile phones, they can instantly use the protadroid application. the displays of protadroid application are shown in figure 3-8. figure 3. protadroid application logo figure 3 shows the logo of protadroid. the researchers use the letter ‘p' to represent ‘pronunciation’ as the application is focused on providing pronunciation practice. after a user has installed the application, the user is required to fill in username and password. the user can only access the application after they are given permission by the researchers. figure 4 shows the login page of protadroid application. then, figure 5 is the display once a user enters the correct username and password. the page gives some motivating remark for pronunciation practice learners and also the names of the developers. figure 4. the login page of protadroid figure 5. the initial look-up page of protadroid figure 6. the first materials: vowels, diphthongs, consonant sounds, and examples ayu bandu retnomurti, nurmala hendrawaty, & leni tiwiyanti development of android-based protadroid application in pronunciation practice learning for undergraduate students 72 as shown in figure 6, users are presented with the pronunciation practice materials. the first materials of protadroid are vowels consisted of diphthongs and consonant sounds with some relevant examples. users can try each sound by selecting the desired sound to hear the non-native speaker’s voice. users will find the correct pronunciation of each sound with added examples on how the sound is used in words. figure 7. the second materials: pronunciation practice in exercises and examples in figure 7, the protadroid provides exercises on how each sound is used. the materials are taken from the first year protatik supplement which was published and was isbn registered. users will hear how the sounds are pronounced in words, phrases, clauses, or sentences. figure 8. the third material: exercises of pronunciation by using song lyrics in figure 8, protadroid gives a collection of exercises taken from songs. from the song lyrics, students are expected to be able to listen and answer the exercises to practice their skills in listening and pronouncing the song lyrics. while listening to the songs, the students should refer to the protadroid supplement which is still in the publication process and has not been isbn registered. the final product of protadroid has passed the validation process phase, revision and field test by experts from both a doctor in information technology (as technology expert) and a doctor in english language (as material expert). the result of the validation process phase is shown in table 3 and table 4. table 3. protadroid evaluation by technology expert no protadroid application evaluation protadroid evaluation evaluation result inadeq uate adeq uate go od exce llent 1. aspect of protadroid content √ 2. aspect of the nonnative speakers' voice √ 3. aspect of protadroid design √ 4. aspect of protadroid lay out √ 5. aspect of protadroid display template √ 6. aspect of protadroid image design √ 7. aspect of protadroid colours √ 8. the aspect of the brand name of protadroid product √ in table 3, the validation consisted of eight aspects. the portadroid application was considered good on content, the non-native speaker voice, design, layout, display template and design. the application was adequate in terms of colors and excellent in the choice of brand name. the technology expert saw that the content was considered to be complete and understandable for users. the non-native speakers’ voice was also considered clear and understandable. the design, layout and display template also met the ideal setting that they english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 73 managed to cover all phonetic transcriptions along with the exercises provided. the expert highly appreciated the choice for the brand name for its uniqueness and would easily remind the users about the objective and the content of the application. the brand name was taken from the concept of android as its application base and pronunciation as its main content. it was easy to pronounce, spell and remember. there were a few revisions given by the technology expert, such as: 1) some of the non-native speakers’ voice recording should be made louder and 2) the color should be made brighter. the expert suggested using a color variation. table 4. protadroid evaluation by material expert no protadroid application evaluation protadroid evaluation evaluation result inadeq uate adeq uate go od exce llent 1. in terms of protadroid content √ 2. in terms of quality of the non-native speakers √ 3. in terms of protadroid exercise material √ 4. in terms of protadroid material choice √ table 4 shows the result of another examination conducted by an english language expert. she evaluated the material content, the quality of the non-native speakers, the exercise material and the material choice in the protadroid application. the results of the evaluation stated that the material content and the quality of the non-native speakers were good, the exercise materials were adequate and the material choices were excellent. the material content was suitable with the supplement book that had already been designed and the quality of the non-native speakers was good as the speakers could give the correct pronunciation of the phonetic symbols. the use of the non-native speakers was an improvement that the material expert saw to be the selling point of the protadroid application. furthermore, the material choice was excellent as the protadroid application covered all the phonetic symbols into its content. in addition, the material expert also gave some recommendations for the research team. as a material expert, there was a need for the research team to give more examples and exercises. so far, there were only three examples of the use of each phonetic symbols. some more examples would make a deeper understanding of the learners. based on both evaluation provided by the technology and the material experts, the android-based protadroid development was then confirmed to be valid. it brings advantages to enhance the quality of the students’ achievement in pronunciation practice learning. the instructional media generated has a number of advantages, including and foremost is on its function as a mobile learning media which runs on the android smartphone that makes the learning media easier to access anywhere and anytime. this application is also practical. based on the conducted research, protadroid is valid since it has been examined based on expert judgments. there are some advantages that the users find in using the application. firstly, this application is practical because it is handy and convenient. the application is accessible to users anytime and anywhere. secondly, the application is enjoyable as it provides some songs that they are familiar with. last but not least, it is easily comprehensible as the voice is from two competent non-native speakers. after some revision made by the research team and in order to enable the students to use the application, the protadroid application was published in play store. in doing so, the research team could distribute the application to the participants to conduct the next reseach focusing on the affective aspect on applying protradoid aplication in pronunciation practice classes. users can download by searching the application name, protadroid, in the play store as shown in figure 9. figure 9. protadroid in google play store ayu bandu retnomurti, nurmala hendrawaty, & leni tiwiyanti development of android-based protadroid application in pronunciation practice learning for undergraduate students 74 affective aspect of protadroid affective aspect refers to the emotional or feeling segment of an attitude that is brought to the surface about something. it deals with impulse, desire, and striving. meanwhile, the cognitive aspect is related to the mental process to acquire knowledge by using the existing beliefs, thoughts, and attributes that are associated with an object (thibault, et al., 2014). as stated by qasim (2011), there are four affective aspects; satisfaction, interest, attention, and involvement. the four affective aspects then become indicators in the research questionnaire in which each indicator has five questions. in order to identify the affective aspects of the pronunciation practice, the research team decided to use a questionnaire. it described the students’ satisfaction, interest, attention, and involvement. the questions were well chosen to meet the research objectives. next, the result obtained from the questionnaire was analyzed by using the following formula (yin, 2017). details: p = percentage f = frequency aimed or obtained scores n = number of cases or maximum score the results of the percentage of each indicator were depicted in table 5. table 5. the percentage of students’ affective aspects no aspects percentage 1. satisfaction 88.2% 2. interest 93% 3. attention 76% 4. involvement 85% number of cases or maximum score (n)= 1250 obtained score of satisfaction = 1103 p = 1103/1250 x 100%=88,2% obtained score of interest = 1163 p = 1163/1250 x 100%=93% obtained score of attention = 950 p = 950/1250 x 100%=76% obtained score of involvement = 1063 p = 1063/1250 x 100%=85% afterward, in determining the categories of students’ responses, the researchers adjusted the percentage result with the positive criteria stated by qasim (2011) as presented in table 6. meanwhile, table 7 shows the final result of students’ affective aspects in using protadroid application. table 6. guidelines for the positive criteria percentage positive 85% ≤ response = very positive 70% ≤ response < 85% = positive 50% ≤ response < 70% = quite positive 50% ≤ response = not positive table 7. percentage and positive criteria of students’ affective aspects no aspects percentage categories 1 satisfaction 88.2% very satisfied 2 interest 93% very interested 3 attention 76% positive 4 involvement 85% positive table 7 shows that out of thirty participants, the percentage of satisfaction was 88.2% with very satisfied category, interest was 93% with very interested category, attention was 76% with positive category, and involvement was 85% with positive category. the highest aspect was interest followed by satisfaction, involvement, and the lowest one was attention. the result has shown that the students’ interest in learning pronunciation practice by using protadroid is very high. it means that the students are actively and independently involved in the teaching process. moreover, satisfaction and interest in using the application can increase the students’ desire in studying. in terms of all of the four affective aspects examined, the materials included in protadroid application are interesting for students. the materials chosen increased the students motivation (affective aspect). consequently, the android-based learning media is considered applicable to be used as a learning media to comprehend learning materials (cognitive aspect) in pronunciation practice classes. conclusion on the basis of results and discussion, protadroid is valid and practical. all appropriateness aspects observed which include language, media, and material aspects have been fulfilled. the application helps lecturer and students in engaging themselves in learning and practicing pronunciation practice materials on their own terms. besides, the application is very pleasurable as it gives relaxing and interesting english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 75 learning activities. by including english songs in the application, students can actively practice the use of the correct english pronunciation in singing songs. based on the questionnaire given to the students, there is a positive attitude towards the protadroid application. out of the four affective aspects employed by thirty participants, the highest aspect is on interest followed by satisfaction, involvement, and the lowest one is attention aspect. it is evidence that the students’ interest in learning pronunciation practice by using protadroid is very high. acknowledgement the researchers would like to convey their first gratitude to the directorate of research and development, ministry of research, technology and higher education, and also kopertis regional iii jakarta as the financial support of the publication. the next gratitude goes to the programmer team, cv afiata solusindo sejahtera. finally, the researcher team would like to express their gratitude to all parties involved in the research. references ayed, a. b. (2015). a literature review on android permission system. international journal of advanced research in computer engineering & technology (ijarcet), 4(4). baker, s. w., & haslam, n. (2012). the effect of language learning aptitude, strategy use and learning context on l2 pronunciation learning. applied linguistics, 34(4), 435–456. bhawna, & gobind. (2015). research methodology and approaches. iosr journal of research & method in education ver, 5(3), 2320–7388. doi: 10.9790/7388-05344851. defni, d., & rahmayuni, i. (2014). enkripsi sms (short message service) pada telepon selular berbasis android dengan metode rc6. jurnal momentum, 16(1). gilakjani, a. p. (2012). the significance of pronunciation in english language teaching. english language teaching. doi: 10.5539/elt.v5n4p96. hanafi, h. f., & samsudin, k. (2012). mobile learning environment system (mles): the case of android-based learning application on undergraduates’ learning. arxiv preprint arxiv:1204.1839. harding, l. (2017). validity in pronunciation assessment. in assessment in second language pronunciation (pp. 42–60). london: routledge. keyvanfar, a., shafaghat, a., majid, m. a., lamit, h., & ali, k. n. (2014). correlation study on user satisfaction from adaptive behavior and energy consumption in office buildings. jurnal teknologi, 70(7), 89–97. kumar, b. s., wotto, m., & bélanger, p. (2018). elearning, m-learning and d-learning: conceptual definition and comparative analysis. e-learning and digital media, 15, 191–216. doi: 10.1177/2042753018785180. liu, w. (2013). role of teachers in oral english teaching. proceedings of the international conference on information engineering and applications (iea) 2012 (pp. 13–18). new york: springer. mahamad, s., ibrahim, m. n., & taib, s. m. (2010). m-learning: a new paradigm of learning mathematics in malaysia. arxiv preprint arxiv:1009.1170. mehdipour, y., & zerehkafi, h. (2013). mobile learning for education: benefits and challenges. international journal of computational engineering research, 3(6), 93–101. norahmi, m. (2018). 21st-century teachers: the students’ perspectives. journal on english as a foreign language. doi: 10.23971/jefl.v7i1.538. qasim, s. (2011). how to do your research project. international journal of research & method in education. doi: 10.1080/1743727x.2011.573272. thibault, k., fan, m., snollaerts, t., smith, g. m., rancillac, a., sordoillet, v., … lin, w. k. (2014). bdnf-dependent plasticity induced by peripheral inflammation in the primary sensory and the cingulate cortex triggers cold allodynia and reveals a major role for endogenous bdnf as a tuner of the affective aspect of pain. journal of neuroscience. doi: 10.1523/jneurosci.086014.2014. yin, r. k. (2017). case study research and applications: design and methods. london: sage publications. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2010.09.005. yusri, i. k., goodwin, r., & mooney, c. (2015). teachers and mobile learning perception: towards a conceptual model of mobile learning for training. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 176, 425–430. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.492. ayu bandu retnomurti, nurmala hendrawaty, & leni tiwiyanti development of android-based protadroid application in pronunciation practice learning for undergraduate students 76 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 145 developing questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text for junior high school students in palembang octa risfa ria ringkisa english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: octarisfa95@gmail.com machdalena vianty (corresponding author) english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: vianty.unsri@gmail.com bambang a. loeneto english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: loenetobambang@gmail.com apa citation: ringkisa, o. r. r., vianty, m., & loento, b. a. (2020). developing questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text for junior high school students in palembang. english review: journal of english education,9(1), 145-156. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3787 received: 29-06-2020 accepted: 27-09-2020 published:11-12-2020 introduction education plays an important role in the 4.0 industrial revolution. it helps students faced the challenges for the industry 4.0 workforce that requires such skills as critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving. these skills are crucial for students’ success in this globalized world. the 21st century learning skill has an important role in preparing students to face the 4.0 industrial revolution era since 21st century learning emphasizes on students’ ability of critical thinking, connecting their knowledge to real world, using abstract: the aim of this study was to develop questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text based on bloom’s taxonomy framework. the research method applied was the developmental research developed by akker (1999). the procedure of the study consisted of three stages, analysis, design, and evaluation. formative evaluation by tessmer was conducted to see the validity, practicality, and whether or not the developed product had potential effect to the students. the subject of this study was eighth grade students at smp n 17 palembang. the sample of the study was selected purposively based on the category of their english proficiency i.e: low, medium, and high english proficiency. document related to higher order thinking questions, students’ need, and students’ reading level were analyzed. the results of the analysis became the basis for designing the developed questions. the prototype i, the developed question as the beginning design was validated by 2 experts (expert review) and stated that the prototype 1 consists of 60 questions are valid with average score 4.3, and appropriate to be used. in one-to-one stage, prototype ii was tested on 3 students, there were 10 questions that needed to be revised because the students had difficulty understanding what was being asked by the questions. the result of revised questions was called prototype ii. in a small group stage, prototype ii was tested on 6 students, there were 11 questions need to revised, the revised question then produced prototype iii. field test stage aimed to evaluate potential effect of the developed questions. the judgment of potential effect was seen from the mean score of the students in the field test. the results showed that students’ average score was 73. it means that the developed questions of high order thinking skill was categorized as very had high potential effect to the students. keywords: developmental research; developing questions; higher order thinking skill; higher-order questions; adventure story; narrative text https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3787 octa risfa ria ringkisa, machdalena vianty, & bambang a. loeneto developing questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text for junior high school students in palembang 146 technology of information and collaborating. partnership for 21st century skills (2009) proposed the main subject of 21st century learning, they are: information media and technology skills, learning and innovation skill, life and career skills. in addition, in the 21st century, people are required to have the following qualities: (1) willingness to ask question (2) strategic thinking skill (3) logical reasoning (4) ability to make inferences (5) ability to problem-solve (6) innovation and creativity (7) emotional intelligence and effective communication skills (conklin, 2011). therefore, it is important for students to have those qualities in order to succeed in both work and life in this 21st century. schools are expected to be the party that can provide students with the required skills of 21st century learning. curriculum is one element that provides a significant contribution to realize the development process of the potential quality of students. the education system requires a curriculum that has a large impact on the quality and competitiveness of the future workforce. in relation to this, on july 15th 2013, indonesian government enacted the 2013 curriculum although the ktsp curriculum is still applied. it is one of the indonesian government's efforts to reform the quality of the education system. the 2013 curriculum is expected to help developing indonesian students' ability to think critically, rationally and to solve problem. the demand for the 2013 curriculum is to make students more critical and creative. it is in line with the framework of partnership for 21st century skills that identifies the competencies needed in the 21st century namely "the four cs". (communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity). those are the essential competencies of a 21st century students, and students nowadays should master those competencies, they have to think critically and creatively. according to conklin (2011), think critically and creatively are the characteristic of higher order thinking skill (hots). hots is a concept of education reform based on learning taxonomies (bloom’s taxonomy). bloom’s taxonomy is a concept in education that deals with classifying educational objectives in order to promote higher order thinking skills or hots and progress from lower order thinking skills or lots (llewellyn, 2013). bloom taxonomy system is divided into six levels or categories, which are divided into two main areas: lots and hots. hots makes up knowledge and comprehension, while lots makes up application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. however, hots is very challenging for indonesian students. the result of pisa (programme for international student assessment) which measure students’ performance in mathematics, reading, and science literacies show that indonesian student performance in reading literacies from 2000 to 2018 the result is far from satisfactory which is statistically significantly below the oecd average. indonesian students' reading literacy skills was ranked 71 out of 78 pisa-participating countries, and ironically the results of pisa 2018 show that the average reading score of indonesian students' reading literacy skill decreased from 397 to 371 (pisa, 2018). the pisa results of indonesian students’ suggest that there is a serious problem in the quality of education services in indonesia, particularly in reading literacy. there are several factors that contributed to the low score of indonesia students’ reading literacy. according to oecd (2003), indonesian students only able to recall facts, and have a low ability when find a contextual problem that require problem-solving abilities. indonesian students are two levels behind the oecd country average in terms of reading literacies, and most of indonesian students can do the simplest reading problem solving, but fail to solve more complex problems, particularly those that require a higher level of reasoning as well using and integrating more concepts in dealing with a phenomenon (oecd, 2012). according to carver and orth (2017), questioning is a powerful tool for helping students to better understand concepts while setting high expectations and promoting critical and creative thinking. in addition, jo and bednarz (2011), believe that learners should be asked high order thinking skill questions to develop his or her thinking skills. the whole point of asking high order questions is to stimulate students’ thinking, encourage them to reason through their answers and to engage them in enquiry (butt, 2010). hence, question is one of the best ways in training higher order thinking skill. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 147 the study conducted by purwani, rochsantiningsih and kristina (2017) who analyze the content of bright 1: a 2013 curriculum-based textbook for vii grade students found that most of the questions in the textbook for junior high school focus on lots questions than hots questions. it can be implied that students are poorly exposed in working on hots questions due to lack of the provision of hots questions in the textbook. this is in line with ilma (2018) who investigated higher order thinking skill questions in reading exercises of bright course book for the seventh grade of junior high school found that reading exercises in bright course book for junior high school are focused on lots questions than hots questions. there are 70 reading questions from 33 reading exercises. from those reading exercises, there are 11 reading questions that included in hots meanwhile 59 reading questions included in lots. in addition, mahzum (2018) who analyzed higher order thinking-based objective test at state junior high school 5 banda aceh. he found that only 14 out of 25 question items which fulfilled the criteria of the development of hots and 11 question items did not meet the criteria of hots development. in can be concluded that the number of hots question were not enough to improve their hot skill, whereas hots is important to be mastered by the students in facing the challenge of 21st century skill. in relation to the explanation above, the aim of this study was to develop questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text for junior high school students in palembang. the objectives of this study were to find out whether or not the developed develop questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text for junior high school and practical, and whether or not the developed develop questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text for junior high school had potential effect. method the research method that applied in this research was the developmental research method that was developed by akker (1999) since the aim was to develop questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text for junior high school students in palembang. the population of this study was the eighth-grade students in smp n 17 palembang. the sample of the study was selected purposively based on the category of their english proficiency i.e: low, medium, and high english proficiency. in one to one evaluation, there were three students chosen, each student has low, medium, and high english proficiency. in small group evaluation, there were six students chosen, two students for each category, i.e: low, medium, and high english proficiency. in the field test, there were thirty students chosen and students in the one-to-one and small group evaluation were excluded. this research development was carried out in three stages: analysis, design and evaluation stages (akker, 1999). the first stage was analysis, which was the process of identifying the needs and goals of a system and determining the process among them. there were three analyses were conducted. the first was document analysis. in this stage, the writer analyzed 2013 curriculum and syllabus. the developed questions were analyzed in terms of basic competence, learning indicators, and learning objectives which related to the developed questions. after that, students’ need analysis, this analysis was conducted to find out the information about students need analysis, the writer gave the questionnaire adapted from tessmer (1993) to the students dealing with students’ opinion towards reading, students’ knowledge about higher order thinking skill, students’ opinion about the importance of higher order thinking skill, and students’ opinion about higher order thinking skill question. the information from questionnaire was useful for the writer in designing the product. the last, students reading level analysis was applied to identify the appropriateness between students’ reading ability with the readability of the text that used in developing the questions. in this study, jennings informal reading assessment developed by dr. joyce used to measure students’ reading level. the next stage was design. design was the process by which objectives, strategies, techniques, and media for achieving the instructional goals are determined and specified. in this stage, the writer designed the questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text, there were 5 adventure stories octa risfa ria ringkisa, machdalena vianty, & bambang a. loeneto developing questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text for junior high school students in palembang 148 narrative texts with different title used. the adventure story narrative text used in developing the questions were the adventure of tom sawyer, peter pan, call of the wild, journery to the center of the earth, and king solomon’s mines. in determining the readability levels of text used in developing the product, which were matched students’ reading proficiency, those adventure story narrative text was analyzed by using flesh kincaid. in designing the questions, the writer used the framework of bloom taxonomy. after that, the writer produced the product which is called prototype i. the product was constructed in paperbased design. the product covered the skill of higher order thinking (analyze, evaluate, and create). the last was the evaluation, at this evaluation stage, the formative evaluation developed by tessmer (1993) was used. formative evaluation consists of self-evaluation, expert review, one to one, small group, and field test. the first step was self-evaluation. in the self-evaluation stage, the writer checked the product in terms of language, content, and instructional design before the product was validated by the experts in the expert review stage. next, in expert review stage, the experts assessed, evaluated, and validated questions that have been designed by the writer so that the strengths and weaknesses of the questions itself can be identified. the experts were asked for giving suggestions and comments on the validity sheet as the material to revise prototype 1 and stated that prototype 1 was valid or not valid. revision from experts was used as the material to test one to one. this stage aimed to test the validity of the questions being developed. the third stage was one-to-one. at this stage, the writer tested prototype 1 to three students from the eighth-grade students as a tester. the comments of the students were used to revise the question items. one-to-one evaluation was applied to know the students’ ability in understanding the language used in hots questions and to know the clearness of the developed questions, the weaknesses of the items then were revised. next step was small group, the result of the revised decision on the prototype i has resulted in prototype ii. then, prototype ii has been tested to 6 students from the eighth-grade students. at this stage, 6 students were asked for answering the questions. students were asked for comments and suggestions about the questions they have worked on. the suggestions and comments from the students then become the background to revise prototype ii. the last stage of the evaluation was the field test. this stage was aimed at finding out whether or not develop questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text had potential effect to the students. in collecting the data, there were three instruments used in developing higher order thinking skill questions. those were questionnaire, expert validation, and interview. in analyzing the data, the writer analyzed the validity, practicality, and whether or not developed questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text had potential effect. the validity of the product was validated based on experts' evaluation. after applying the developed questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text, the students who included in one-to-one and small group evaluation gave their comments on the questionnaire related to the develop product. after that, to determine the practicality of the product, the data from the questionnaire were administered. in one-to-one and small group evaluation: google classroom, google form and whatsapp video call were used. in this stage, the students were given hots questions (prototype 1) that were developed, the writer has previously uploaded the developed questions to google classroom. then students were invited to take part in google classroom and then students used, reviewed, evaluated and answer the developed questions. after the students use, review and evaluate and answer the developed questions, each student was given a questionnaire that has been translated into bahasa indonesia. it was intended to determine the practicality of the developed questions, the questionnaire was given to students in the form of a google form. each student was also interviewed by using a list of guiding questions to obtain information about their comments on the developed questions. the interview was done by using whatsapp video call. the revised questions from students' comments and suggestions in one-to-one evaluation then became prototype ii, and the revised questions from students' comments and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 149 suggestion in small group evaluation then became prototype iii. the last was field test. in the field test, the hots questions developed (prototype iii) which had been declared valid and practical were used, then prototype 3 was tested to the 8th grade students of smp n 17 palembang, the field test involved the eighth-grade students consisting 30 students having high, medium and low english proficiency. the students participating in one-toone and small group evaluation were not involved anymore in this field. the writer used google form as a media used for the students in answering the questions. field test was intended to know the potential effect of the developed higher order thinking skill questions using adventure story narrative text. the results of the student answer sheets in the field test stage were used to determine what potential effects arose from the questions developed by the writer. to find out whether or not developed higher order thinking skill questions using adventure story narrative text had potential effect, the resulting score of students were calculated to find out the percentage of the students who passed the score criteria which is 75. the test can be considered has potential effect if 70% or more students reach minimum criteria which is 75 in answering the developed product. the percentage were calculated as follows: mastery percentage (%) = results and discussion analysis stage in this stage, there were three main activities conducted to get information about the eighth graders students which was document analysis, students’ need analysis and students’ reading level analysis. in the document analysis, the writer analyzed the questions related to higher order thinking skill (hots) available in the students’ textbook. from the textbook, the writer found that the number of hots questions available in the students’ textbook were still insufficient. beside analyzing hots questions in the textbook, the writer also analyzed several documents, the documents included are 2013 curriculum and syllabus. the developed questions were analyzed in terms of basic competence, learning indicators, and learning objectives which related to the developed questions by checking the syllabus of the eighth graders students. from the 2013 curriculum analysis, it is then associated with indicators of hots questions as stated in the revised bloom taxonomy, while the results of the 2013 curriculum analysis obtained basic competence in accordance with the hots category. the indicators and learning objectives of developed questions were derived from basic competence. the core competence, basic competence, indicators, and learning objectives were described as follows: core competence core competence 3. to understand and to apply the knowledge (fact, concept, and procedures) on the basis of student’s curiosity about the knowledge, technology, art, and culture related to observable phenomena and events. core competence 4. to process, present, and associate in concrete domain (applying, explaining, composing, modifying, and creating) and abstract domain (writing, reading, counting, drawing and composing) suitable with school’s materials and other sources which have the same views or theories. basic competence to understand social function, text structure, and language feature of narrative text in the form of fable, in accordance with its contextual use. to understand social function, text structure, and language feature of narrative text in the form of folklore , in accordance with its contextual use. indicators 1. making the right conclusion based on the text 2. giving a judgement about a certain situation in the text 3. assessing the event that was experienced by the characters in the text learning objectives based on the learning indicators, the writer formulated the learning objectives as follows: by using developed of hots question adventure story narrative text, the students are able to (1) give a octa risfa ria ringkisa, machdalena vianty, & bambang a. loeneto developing questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text for junior high school students in palembang 150 judgement about the situation and conditions in the reading text (2) make the right conclusion (3) assess the event that occurred with the characters in the reading text. in this study, the hots questions asked some aspects of reading such as: main idea, details, cause and effect, inference, vocabulary and sequence questions. next, students’ need analysis was conducted to obtain information about the students’ needs in terms of higher order thinking skill questions. aspects which were included into consideration to obtain information about students’ need were (1) students opinion towards reading, (2) students knowledge about higher order thinking skill, (3) students opinion about the importance of higher order thinking skill, and (4) students opinion about higher order thinking skill question. to get the information about students’ opinion about reading, students’ knowledge about higher order thinking skill, students opinion about the importance of higher order thinking skill, and students opinion about higher order thinking skill question, a questionnaire consisting of 14 questions was administered to 51 eighth grade students consisting of 6-7 representative students from each class (from class viii-1 to class viii-8). the results are as follows: table 1. the summary of students need analysis aspects of questionnaire percentage student’ ability in learning english was good 72% the difficulty level of english reading text in the english textbooks used in schools is easy for the students 79% students often answer questions on the reading text 45% the questions given by the english teacher are usually essay questions 63% the students difficulties when answering the questions are concluding the cause or effect 25% the students who know about hots 29% english teachers sometimes give reading questions in the form of high order thinking questions (hots) 51% inserting higher order thinking skill questions into the question 69% in the english reading text was important including questions that hone the ability to analyze, evaluate and create into the questions in the english reading text was important 59% having the ability to analyze, evaluate and create was important solving higher order thinking questions often can help students improve their higher order thinking skill. 72% higher order thinking questions was important in improving their higher order thinking skill 69% based on the results of students needs analysis above students realized that higher order thinking skill was important, but their english teachers sometimes give reading questions in the form of high order thinking questions (hots). furthermore, the students were agree that solving higher order thinking questions often can help them improve their higher order thinking skill and higher order thinking questions was important in improving their higher order thinking skill, it can be concluded that developing hots questions were needed to be developed. students’ reading level analysis was conducted to determine the subject of the study and in matching the students reading ability with the readability text used in developing higher order thinking questions. with hopes of the readability levels of the text used in developing questions were appropriate to students' reading level. in this analysis, the writer used jennings informal reading assessment developed by dr. joyce. the level of reading text in the test included level 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. the reason of giving these reading levels was the eighth-grade students' reading achievement was at low level and based on the previous study done by . . . (..) that reading level of the eighth-grade students was in level 2. the results of students’ reading analysis were described as follows: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 151 table 2. the distribution of students’ reading level text level reading stage frustrational (correct number ≤ 4) instructional (correct number ≤ 5-6) independent (correct number ≤ 7-8) nos* %* nos* %* nos* %* level 1 33 64.7 % 16 31. 3 % 2 3. 9 % level 2 17 33.3 % 22 43.1 % 12 23. 5 % level 3 24 47. 05 % 12 23. 5 % 15 29. 4 % text level reading stage frustrational (correct number ≤ 4) instructional (correct number ≤ 5-6) independent (correct number ≤ 7-8) nos* %* nos* %* nos* %* level 4 44 86. 2 % 6 11. 7 % 1 1.9 % level 5 49 96. 07 % 1 1.9 % 0 0 *nos : number of student *% : percentage of student from the distribution of the reading level above, it can be seen that students’ reading level were at the frustational (64.7%), (47.05%), (86.2%), (96.07%) for text level 1, 3, 4 and 5. while for text level in 2, students were at the instructional stage (43.1%). therefore, it can be concluded that students reading level was at level 2 since the highest percentage of the instructional stage was in level 2. design stage in this stage, the writer designed developed questions of higher order thinking skill questions. first of all, the writer was collecting adventure story narrative text from the internet. these adventure stories were then adapted. to know the readability of the text used in developing the questions, these adventure stories were then calculated automatically by using online tool named flesch kincaid (i.e.: https://www.webfx.com/tools/read-able/). there were 5 texts adventure stories. the illustrated of the results were described as follow: table 3. the readability level of the text used in developing higher order thinking skill questions reading text for developing hots questions no tittle readability level remarks 1. the adventure of tom sawyer 1 adapated 2. peter pan 2 3. call of the wild 3 4. journey to the center of the earth 4 5. king solomo’s mines 5 evaluation in this stage, the evaluation and revision were conducted together because those two stages were related to each other. before being processed the next evaluation, the developed higher order thinking skill questions might be revised. in evaluation stage, there were five stages of formative evaluation proposed by tessmer (1993). it consisted of experts' review, and one-to-one evaluation in prototype 1, small group evaluation in prototype 2, and the field test was conducted in prototype 3. the evaluation was needed to improve the quality of the developed products. thus, to know octa risfa ria ringkisa, machdalena vianty, & bambang a. loeneto developing questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text for junior high school students in palembang 152 the validity of the product, firstly it was evaluated by two experts in experts’ review stage. after that, the practicality of the product was determined based on the students’ comments in one-to-one and small group evaluation stage. afterward, to see whether or not the developed higher order thinking questions had potential effect there was calculating the percentage of the students who passed the minimum score criteria (kkm). self-evaluation in the self-evaluation stage, the writer checked the developed questions before the developed questions were validated by the experts in the expert review stage. it was considered that there were ungrammatical sentences and inappropriate of word used were found in the developed questions that should be revised by the writer. selfevaluation conducted to find out the weaknesses of the developed questions so that the writer could revise the developed questions to be valid, practical, and has potential effect. expert review the next stage of evaluating the developed product was experts' review. there were two experts in this stage. first was the expert of instructional design, and the expert of language and content. the experts had evaluated the products and given their comments and suggestions on the questionnaire. all of the experts said that the products were valid with revision. it means that the writer should revise the products which related to the content, instructional design, and language. the summary of the results of questionnaires is shown in the table below. table 4. summary of expert review aspects average score remarks language and content 4.7 very highly valid instructional design 4 highly valid total average score 4.3 very highly valid moreover, based on the expert's response on the questionnaire, the data indicate that the average score (4.3) of two aspects of instructional design, language and content which were categorized as very highly valid. one-to-one evaluation one-to-one evaluation was conducted to find out the practicality level of developed higher order thinking skill (hots) questions using adventure story narrative text. in this stage, there were three students representing frustration, instructional, and independent students’ english proficiency. students were asked to read and review the developed hots questions. the media used by the students in reading, reviewing the developed product were google classroom. a questionnaire was administered to students aiming to evaluate the practicality of product after they have read and review the developed questions. the questionnaire was given in the form of google form. the average score of questionnaires were calculated the practicality was interpreted based on the average score calculated from the questionnaire. the summary of the results of questionnaires is shown in the table below: table 5. summary of practicality in one-to-one stage aspects average score remarks the clarity of questions developed 3.11 high practicality the clarity of the instructions 3.33 very high practicality the effectiveness and efficiency of the questions developed 3.39 very high practicality the display quality of the developed questions 3.5 very high practicality total average score 3.33 very high practicality the next activity was a discussion session. students were asked their opinion of the developed questions. the discussion was conducted by using whatsapp video call. all of them marked some english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 153 difficult words in questions. all of the students had more than 3 difficult words in the questions. in addition, the students who categorized as independent student have already understood the purpose of the question and what being asked. meanwhile, frustration and instructional students have difficulty understanding the meaning of the questions because they did not know the meaning of the word and they said that the words were new for them. however, the students mentioned that the developed questions were quite difficult but they can handle it. in this stage there were 10 questions that need to be revised, the writer only changed the vocabulary which the students did not familiar with the word used in developing questions. referring to the average score of the total scores above, it means that the product had very high practicality level. however, the writer still needs to revise some of the questions based on students’ comments and suggestions so that the writer could continue the next evaluation stage. small group evaluation the practicality of developed product was also assessed in small group evaluation stage. the developed questions in this stage called prototype 2 which was the revision of the product in one-toone stage. in this stage involved 6 students in which every two students categorized to frustration, instructional, and independent student. the students were not the same as those who were in one-to-one evaluation. small group evaluation was conducted in one meeting. allocation time was 120 minutes. students asked to read, review and answer the prototype 2, after that, they filled the questionnaires. the questionnaires were given to the students as the basis of practicality evaluation. in the small group evaluation, the media used were the same as in the one-to-one evaluation, google classroom was also used in this stage, students read and reviewed the developed questions by using google classroom, while google forms was used by the students in answering questions and filled the questionnaire. in this stage, the writer also interviewed students to find out students’ feedback, comments, suggestions and to find out student difficulties. after the writer asked the students in the small group to work on the developed questions, the writer ask students’ comment by using whatapp video call. students' comments were obtained regarding the questions they were working on and there were several questions that students were still a little confused about, some students mentioned that there were still some complicated questions and they did not understand what is being asked by the question. from the of students' comments in the small group, it was concluded that there were still a few students who have difficulty understanding the purpose of the questions and what being asked is, because they did not know the meaning of the word and they said that the words were new for them. in this stage, there were 11 questions that need to be revised, the writer only changed the vocabulary which the students did not familiar with the word used in developing questions. after that the writer revised the questions, the writer asked the students again to read, review and evaluated the developed questions and all of the students mention that students have already understood the purpose of the questions and what being asked was. so that the writer did not need to revised the question anymore, the revised question in this stage then become prototype iii. the calculation of practicality in small group evaluation is shown in the table below: table 6. summary of practicality in small group evaluation aspects average score remarks the clarity of questions developed 3. 21 high practicality the clarity of the instructions 3.33 very high practicality the effectiveness and efficiency of the questions developed 3.45 very high practicality the display quality of the developed questions 3.24 high practicality total average score 3.30 very high practicality the results of questionnaires showed that practicality of the developed questions was very high. the first aspect of practicality, the clarity of questions developed, had been evaluated as high. it octa risfa ria ringkisa, machdalena vianty, & bambang a. loeneto developing questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text for junior high school students in palembang 154 can be said that the developed questions was clear, the sentences contained in the developed higher order thinking skills questions (hots) were clear and the vocabulary used was easy to understand. the second one was the clarity of the instructions was assumed very highly practical. it was affirmed that the instructions were easy to be understood and the students can carry out any instructions contained in the developed of higher order thinking skills. the third, the effectiveness and efficiency of the questions developed was assumed very high practicality. it was affirmed that the grammar used in the developed of higher order thinking skills (hots) was clear, the developed high-order thinking skills (hots) questions was easy to apply and use in the learning process and students can use it flexibly anywhere. furthermore, the developed higher order thinking skills (hots) questions can improve students' higher order thinking skill and help them practice higher order thinking skill. the last one was the display quality of the developed questions. this aspect was evaluated high practical. the display type and font size in the developed of high-order thinking skills (hots) has a good quality and the images used in the developed of high-order thinking skills (hots) were interesting for the students. furthermore, all aspects of practicality have been examined, and the results showed that the developed product was very highly practical. in discussion session, students mentioned that the developed hots questions were quite difficult for them however, they still can work on the questions. in conclusion, the developed questions were ready to be evaluated whether or not the developed product has the potential effect on the students in field test without revision anymore. field test the last stage of the evaluation was field test. the hots questions developed (prototype 3) which had been declared valid and practical were used, then prototype 3 was tested to the 8th grade students of smp n 17 palembang, the field test involved the eighth grade students consisting 30 students consisting of 3/4 representative students from each class (from class viii-1 to class viii-8) having high, medium and low english proficiency. the students participating in one-to-one and small group evaluation were not involved anymore in this field. the field test in this study hold in 12nd august 2020, with time allocation 120 minutes and in this stage, the writer used google form as a media used for the students in answering the questions. field test was intended to know the potential effect of the developed higher order thinking skill questions using adventure story narrative text. the results showed that all of the students passed the minimum score which was 70. with the average score of the english version was 78 and the average score of bahasa indonesia version was 83. it means that based on both average scores, pisa-based reading materials in indonesian context in the form of continuous text was categorized as very had high potential effect on the students. results and discussion the developed product was high order thinking skill questions using adventure story narrative text for junior high school students in palembang. the research method that applied in this research was the developmental research method that was developed by akker (1999). this research development was carried out in three stages: analysis, design and evaluation stages (akker, 1999). in this study, formative evaluation proposed by tessmer (1993) was applied. formative evaluation was used to improve the quality of the intervention. there are three main criteria for quality of the intervention, i.e.: validity, practicality, and potential effect. before the questions were developed, the writer did some analysis. this analysis was aimed to identify the student needs in developing the questions. in analysis procedure, there were four analyses conducted, they were document analysis, students’ need analysis, students’ reading level and readability level. the first analysis was document analysis, in document analysis the writer analyzed the questions related to higher order thinking skill (hots) available in the students’ textbook. from the textbook, the writer found that the number of hots questions available in the students’ textbook were still insufficient where as, carver and orth (2017) state that questioning is a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 155 powerful tool for helping students to better understand concepts while setting high expectations and promoting critical and creative thinking. it means that the number of the questions available in the textbook were not enough to improve students’ hots, beside analyzing hots questions in the textbook, the writer also analyzed several documents, the documents included are 2013 curriculum and syllabus. the developed questions were analyzed in terms of basic competence, learning indicators, and learning objectives which related to the developed questions by checking the syllabus of eighth grade students. next, there were some aspects adapted from tessmer (1993) which were taken into consideration to obtain information about students’ need. they were (1) students opinion towards reading, (2) students knowledge about higher order thinking skill, (3) students opinion about the importance of higher order thinking skill, and (4) students opinion about higher order thinking skill question. in obtaining the information, a questionnaire consisting of 14 questions was administered to 51 eighth grade students consisting of 6-7 representative students from each class. from the results of the needs analysis the developed higher order thinking questions was needed to be developed since the students were agree that solving higher order thinking questions often can help them improve their higher order thinking skill. as for the student reading level analysis, jennings informal reading assessment developed by dr. joyce, was given to the students which included reading texts at level 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. from the distribution of the reading level on table 2. it can be concluded that students reading level was at level 2 since the highest percentage of the instructional stage was in level 2. next, readability level. the adventure stories narrative text that used in developing the questions were calculated automatically by using online tool named flesch kincaid (i.e.: https://www.webfx.com/tools/read-able/) to determine the readability levels. there were five adventure story narrative text from different title that being used in developing higher order thinking questions, since the reading level of the students was level 2. so, in developing higher order thinking skill questions the writer used the reading text for level 1,2,3,4, and 5. the next procedure was designing the developed product. at the question design stage, the writer designed the questions according to the higher order thinking skill (hots) indicator. the writer developed hots questions based on (hots) module guidelines of the ministry of education and culture in 2017. in developing the question, the writer analyzed the basic competencies that hots questions can be developed. then the writer chose an interesting stimulus, the writer used adventure story narrative text as an interesting stimulus. then, the writer arranged the hots questions card based on hots question indicators level that correspond to c4 (analyzing), c5 (evaluating), c6 (creating). the last, the writer wrote the questions in accordance with hots question grids. the questions developed were 60 questions. last stage, formative evaluation by tessmer (1993) consisting of self-evaluation, one-to-one evaluation, small group evaluation, and field test was applied. after the writer has finished developing the questions, the next stage was self-evaluation, in selfevaluation, the writer evaluated the developed higher order thinking skill questions using adventure story narrative text. from this selfevaluation, some misspellings and ungrammatical sentences. when the writer finished evaluating the developed questions herself, the writer gave the questions developed to the expert to be evaluated its validity in terms of its instructional design, language and content. and the result of validity of the developed questions in experts review stage were very high practical. besides, developed questions was also very high practical after being evaluated in one-to-one and small group evaluation. in addition, there were 10 questions and 11 questions were revised by the writer, there were still a few students who have difficulty understanding the purpose of the questions and what being asked was because they did not know the meaning of the word and they said that the words were new for them. after the writer revised the questions the writer continued to the next stage. the last evaluation was field test. a field test was conducted in order to find out whether or not the developed questions of hots questions had https://www.webfx.com/tools/read-able/ octa risfa ria ringkisa, machdalena vianty, & bambang a. loeneto developing questions of high order thinking skill using adventure story narrative text for junior high school students in palembang 156 the potential effect to the students. in the field test, the students were answering the questions with the length of time was one week and the students do it after the students finished their online class. the results showed that all of the students passed the minimum score which is 77 it means that based on the average scores, the developed hots questions by using adventure story narrative text was categorized as had high potential effect on the students. it was caused by the student passed the minimum mastery criterion (kkm) which is 75. conclusions results of study that have been discussed previously can be concluded as: the developed of higher order thinking skill questions was validated for its instructional design, language and content in which the validity for each was 4 and 4.7. the average score of validity was 4.3 implying the product was highly valid and the developed questions of higher order thinking skill questions was evaluated in one-to-one and small group evaluation for its practicality. in one-to-one evaluation, the practicality was 3.30 indicating very highly practical. the practicality in small group was 3,33 it also indicating very highly practical. the judgment of potential effect was seen from the mean score of the students in the field test. the resulting score of students were calculated to find out the percentage of the students who passed the score criteria which is 70. the results showed that the average score was 73. it means that the developed questions of higher order thinking skill questions as very had high potential effect to the students. references anderson, l. w., krathwohl, d. r., airasian, p. w., cruikshank, k. a., mayer, r. e., pintrich, p. r., et al. (2001). a taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assissing: a revision of bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. new york: longman. akker, j. (1999). principle and methods of development research. in j akker, r. branch, k. gustalfon, t. nieven n, & plomp (eds), design methodology and development research. (pp. 1-14). london: kluwer. bloom, b. (1956). taxonomy of educational objectives: the classification of educational goals. new york, united states: longman, green and co ltd. butt, g. (2010). making assessment matter. london: continuum international publishing group. carver, l., & orth, j. (2017). coaching: making a difference for k-12 students and teachers. london: the rowman & littlefield publishing group, inc. conklin, w. (2011). higher-order thinking skills to develop 21st century learners. huntingon beach, usa : shell international publishing, inc. conklin, j. (2005, spring). book reviews: a taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: a revision of bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. educational horizons. the quest for strengths: the dawn of a talent-based approach to k-12 education, 83, 154-159. ilma, f. (2018). an analysis of reading exercises in bright course book for the seventh grade of junior high school of 2013 curriculum, (unpublished degree, english language education department, walisongo state islamic university, semarang) krathwohl, d. r. (2002). a revision of bloom’s taxonomy: an overview. theory into practice, 41(4), 212-218. llewellyn, d. (2013). teaching high school science through inquiry and argumentation. (2nded.). thousand oaks, ca: sage publications. ministry of national education. (2013). permendikbud no.65/2013 tentang standar proses pendidikan dasar dan menengah. retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/alvinnoor/permendikb ud-nomor-65-tahun-2013-tentang-standarproses-23256577 oecd (2015). programme for international student assessment (pisa). diakses dari http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2015indonesia.pdf partnership for 21st century learning (2015). p21 framework definition. [online]. retrieved from: https://www.imls.gov/assets/1/assetmanager/bis hop%20pre-con%202.pdf purwani, a., rochsantiningsih., d. kristina, d. (2017). a content analysis of bright 1: a 2013 curriculum-based textbook for vii grade students. journal of social science, educationa and humanities, 158, 88-100 retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321841 238_a_content_analysis_of_bright_1_a_2013 _curriculumbased_textbook_for_vii_grade_st udents tessmer, m. (1993). planning and conducting formative evaluation. philadelphia, pa: kogan page https://www.slideshare.net/alvinnoor/permendikbud-nomor-65-tahun-2013https://www.slideshare.net/alvinnoor/permendikbud-nomor-65-tahun-2013https://www.slideshare.net/alvinnoor/permendikbud-nomor-65-tahun-2013-tentang-standar-proses-23256577 https://www.slideshare.net/alvinnoor/permendikbud-nomor-65-tahun-2013-tentang-standar-proses-23256577 https://www.imls.gov/assets/1/assetmanager/bishop%20pre-con%202.pdf https://www.imls.gov/assets/1/assetmanager/bishop%20pre-con%202.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321841238_a_content_analysis_of_bri https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321841238_a_content_analysis_of_bri https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321841238_a_content_analysis_of_bright_1_a_2013_curriculum-based_textbook_for_vii_grade_students https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321841238_a_content_analysis_of_bright_1_a_2013_curriculum-based_textbook_for_vii_grade_students https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321841238_a_content_analysis_of_bright_1_a_2013_curriculum-based_textbook_for_vii_grade_students english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 95 the influence of means ends analysis (mea) model on grammar achievement tri rositasari english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, university of muhammadiyah palembang, palembang, indonesia e-mail: tri_rasyid11@yahoo.com finza larasati english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, university of muhammadiyah palembang, palembang, indonesia e-mail: finzalarasati@yahoo.co.id dwi rara saraswaty english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, university of muhammadiyah palembang, palembang, indonesia e-mail: rara_filan89@ymail.com apa citation: rositasari, t., larasati, f., & saraswaty, d. r. (2020). the influence of means ends analysis (mea) model on grammar achievement. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 95-102. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3782 received: 27-06-2020 accepted: 29-09-2020 published:11-12-2020 introduction english is a language that is closely related to many aspects of life today. almost all aspects such as technology, education, business, and others use english as a medium for communication. therefore, it is very important for us to learn english language. however, there are various aspects that the learners need to comprehend in order to master english language. thus, grammar is included as one of the important aspects of learning english as it is seen as the language framework to support the context and message in any form of language to be conveyed smoothly. this is in line with ganjoee & narafshan (2016) who explained that grammar is like a vehicle that enables the students to communicate effectively. according to bastone (1994, p.3), “language without grammar would certainly leave us seriously handicapped”. inferring from bastone, we know that grammar is an integrated part of language used by the learners in daily communication. to be an effective language user, learners should study grammar because grammar abstract: the objective of this study was to find out the influence of mea learning model on students’ grammar learning achievements. the participants were the third semester students of english study program, um palembang in academic year 2019/2020 which amounted to 40 students. this study was a quantitative research. this study used pre-experimental method. the research design used two groups pretest post-test design. the researcher conducted several steps to analyze the data; first, data from preand post-test results were analyzed to find averages obtained from the control and experimental group. second, the data obtained by the control and experimental group were compared statistically to determine differences in grammar test scores between the two groups using paired sample tests. third, the data obtained from the second step were compared statistically to find the significant differences in the grammar values between the two groups by using paired sample t-tests. based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the experimental group before the treatment was carried out in the learning process based on the pretest value was still not good, but when the treatment has been carried out, the student post-test results showed a very good improvement. for the control group, there were no favorable changes (significant) between the preand post-test result scores, because both of them showed the same results, which were not good. keywords: means ends analysis (mea) model; advanced grammar; english education study program students. mailto:tri_rasyid11@yahoo.com mailto:finzalarasati@yahoo.co.id mailto:rara_filan89@ymail.com https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3782 tri rositasari, finza larasati & dwi rara saraswaty the influence of means ends analysis (mea) model on grammar achievement (english education study program student of um palembang) 96 skills help learners to organize words and messages and make them meaningful. this is in accordance with the opinion of mafisa and walt (2003), stating that mastering grammar will affect someone in achieving their language competence. thus, knowing more about grammar enables the learners to arrange better sentences in speaking and writing performances. a good knowledge of grammar helps learners to make sentences clear enough to be understood. the statement is supported by huegle (2008) which stated that the purpose of learning grammar is to organize words and messages so their meaning is clear and can be understood. as nunan (1998) stated that the function of grammar is not only to form words into sentences, grammar also gives an overview of language structure so it will be easier to form sentences. moreover, improper use of grammar will not convey meaningful messages. tabbert (1984) stressed the importance of grammar simply as it frequently points out students’ confusion in word choice; lie and lay, who and whom, saying infer instead of imply, mismatch of subjects and verbs, mixing up pronoun reference, using double negatives, etc. these mistakes are evidences of their need to study grammar. language acquisition without grammar is confusing as it will be a failure to use the language correctly without grammar skills. people now agree that grammar is too important to be ignored, and without a good knowledge of grammar, learners’ language development will be severely constrained (richards & renandya, 2002). although most of the english learners are aware of grammar essential role in conveying the form of language, they also believe that grammar can be the most complicated aspect to be learned due to the difficulties of understanding the use of tenses and the word arrangement. in addition, learners often feel uncomfortable in learning such kind of materials due to the boredom caused by the monotone and traditional teaching model in classroom. as the result, learners tend to be passive recipients in the learning process which leads to the lack of understanding about the grammar material that is being taught by the teacher. students tend to take examples that are already exist often that they cannot apply their knowledge on consistent and appropriate contexts. moreover, learners often feel that by learning grammar in traditional model, the grammar they learned are not able to be used in real life communication (hashemi & daneshfar, 2018). this greatly affects the outcome and the process of writing the thesis later. on the other side, the problems faced by the learners also become the teachers’ concern. due to the fact that a good teachers in grammar learning process should assist the learners to reach the three goals of learning that are stated by thao (2019): students should be able to communicate both in spoken and written english language; students should acquire basic knowledge as well as the advanced one in grammar field; and students should attain their goals for studying. it is an obstacle for the teachers to discover the teaching model that fit those three goals in order to teach grammar without making the students bored. based on the observation and interview conducted to the third semester students of 20172018, this problem arises due to the lack of creative teaching/learning model. the teachers tend to use deductive strategy in which they start the lessons by giving the rules of grammar accompanied with examples of rule application in sentences. thus, the teachers tend to lecture a lot during the learning process that leads to the problem of students’ perspective toward grammar. according to flight (2003), a lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teaches people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. this kind of routine instruction may cause students’ boredom which gradually dishearten them. however, nurusus, samad, rahman, noordin, & rashid (2015) believed that the teachers’ effectiveness in delivering the grammar lessons may be affected by their beliefs on how to teach grammar. this leads to a conclusion that students need an interesting method. this model meets the researcher’s perspective as the researcher believes that the interesting method is a method which will emphasizes on the context of how grammar is used and support the students to be more active in learning process. as a result of analyzing the grammar teaching phenomenon, the researcher wants to solve the problem in handling the grammar lessons by applying the means-end-analysis (mea) model. according to simon (1981), means-ends analysis (mea) is a problem solving technique used commonly in artificial intelligence (ai) for https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/artificial_intelligence english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 97 limiting search in ai programs. kaciak & cullen (2006) added that it is also a technique used at least since the 1950s as a creativity tool, most frequently mentioned in engineering books on design methods. mea is also related to means-ends chain approach used commonly in consumer behaviour analysis. efuansyah and wahyuni (2019) believed that means ends analysis is a learning model that can give the students opportunities to be active and give a contribution in mathematics. this is in line with prihatiningtyas and nurhayati (2017) that stated means-ends analysis (mea) can facilitate students’ problem-solving ability. however, this has been proved in previous studies; in ratnasari (2018) research result, as the students’ activeness in the classroom increased from 24% on circle 1 into 60% on circle 2; in lestari, mahayukti, & mertasari (2020) research finding as mea model successfully increased the students’ activeness in learning and problem-solving ability; in mulasari, wulandari, & putra (2020) research as means ends analysis has a positive effect on students’ learning outcome. aside from that, the model also can optimize the problem-solving activity through heuristic approach by questions sequence which can be clues to help students in problem-solving. moreover, supendi, jamiah, & ahmad (2017) showed that the students’ problem-solving with means ends analysis model is better than in direct instruction model. similarly, palupi, suyitno, prabowo (2016) also showed that mea model is more effective than expository model. besides, means-ends analysis also has a privilege of students becoming familiar with problem-solving questions which makes them easier in solving the problems (shoimin, 2016). as stated by huda (2014), means ends analysis separates the problem and goal that needs to be achieved. as a whole, means-ends analysis (mea) is a strategy to analyze a problem through various ways in order to achieve the needed goal (qusyairi & watoni, 2017). juniyarti (2014) also added that means end analysis is seen as learning strategies to enhance analytical skill. moreover, a good analytical skill is intertwined with problem-solving skill needed by people nowadays. this statement is in line with what suherman (2010) argued that means end analysis is a mix of learning method and problem-solving method. pratama, sariyatun, & joebagio (2017) also believed that mean ends analysis is needed to be the solution for innovative learning model in the current teaching process that is expected to help the teachers by combining with the value approach. căprioară & daniela as cited in aras (2020) believed that learning process in classroom depends on the learning model differences which effect the students’ problemsolving ability. thus, by using means ends analysis model, it is expected to improve the ability of high-order thinking that leads to the ability of identifying problems, analyzing problems, finding conclusions from a problem and, being able to design a way to solve the problem. moreover, means ends analysis is proved to be effective in improving the ability of high-order thinking of students in ips learning in riana, jupri, and abdulkarim (2017) research. similarly, the result in solikah and himmah (2019) research also showed that means ends analysis learning model with a heuristic learning strategy is effective in enhancing the mathematical problemsolving ability of students of class vii smp n 2 bringin. furthermore, heryani & aptiani (2016) also showed that students’ learning motivation of learning with means ends analysis (mea) model are in high level. from the description above, the researcher is interested in conducting the research by using mea learning model in advance grammar courses with the aim that the material given will be truly understood by students. the research problem in this study is “was it effective to use mea learning model to improve learning achievements of the third semester students of english education study program, universitas muhammadiyah palembang?” based on the research problem above, the objective of this study is to find whether there is an increase in grammar learning achievements of the third semester students, english education study program, universitas muhammadiyah palembang by using mea learning model. hypothesis h0: there is no significant influence of mea learning model on the grammar learning achievements of the third semester students of english education study program, universitas muhammadiyah palembang ha: there is a significant influence of mea learning model on the grammar learning achievements of the third semester students tri rositasari, finza larasati & dwi rara saraswaty the influence of means ends analysis (mea) model on grammar achievement (english education study program student of um palembang) 98 of english education study program, universitas muhammadiyah palembang the scope and research limitation are written below: a. the subjects of this study are the third semester students of the english education study program, fkip um palembang in academic year of 2019/2020, amounting to 40 students. b. this research is conducted in an advanced grammar course with toefl material. c. the learning model used in this study is the means-ends analysis (mea) learning model. the operational definitions in this study are as follows: 1. learning models can be interpreted as a systematic procedure in organizing learning experiences to achieve learning goals. 2. learning achievements are the results that have been achieved or obtained by students from the experiences and exercises which include knowledge (cognitive), attitude (affective), and psychomotor during the learning process takes place. 3. means ends analysis (mea) is a learning model that requires planning to achieve overall goals and problem-solving by using syntax or steps in the concept. method this research is a quantitative research which used a pre-experimental method design and this design is "two groups pretest posttest design". there are two variables in this study, namely the independent and the dependent variable. the independent variable is the mea learning model and the dependent variable is students’ learning achievements. in this study, researchers used pre-test and posttest for the control group with no special treatment, while for the experimental group, the researchers used pre-test and post-test with special treatment which used the mea learning model. for more details, see table 1 below: table 1. treatment for experimental group using mea learning model subject pretest treatment posttest sk o1 o2 se o1 x o2 remarks: s : research subject (s control / s experiment) x : treatment o1 : giving pretest o2 : giving post-test technique for collecting the data test the test used by researchers is to include students’ learning achievements, while the form of the test is multiple choices questions which amounts to 50 questions which are used to find out how far the students' understanding of the material that has been learned. non-test observation the direct observation of an activity carried out in order to find out the condition or a condition that would be observed. documentation the documentation used to obtain data directly from the research site, the teaching material used and the class learning process before the study, photographs during the research, and videos where all of this data is relevant to the research. technique for analyzing the data to analyze the data of this study, researchers conducted several stages. first, data from the pretest and post-test results were analyzed to find averages obtained from the control and experimental group. second, the data obtained by the control and experimental group were compared statistically to determine differences in the results of grammar test scores between the two groups using paired sample tests. third, the data obtained from the second step, were compared statistically to find out the significant differences in the results of grammar values between the two groups using paired sample t-tests; to find significant differences from each criterion measured from the value of the test results obtained by each group and to find which criteria that affects the achievement of understanding of grammar by using paired sample t-tests. the last step taken by the researcher was to find a significant difference from the results obtained by each group using paired sample t-test in order to prove how significant the difference is and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 99 whether the difference is caused by the given treatment. all calculations were analyzed by using spss 21.0 for windows. in this study, researchers used t-test statistical procedures. this t-test formula was used to prove the hypothesis in this study, to find out whether there is a significant increase between the pre-test and post-test students’ scores. results and discussion description of the score pretest and posttest of the experimental group this is described as a statistical result regarding to the score of students’ learning result before treatment (pre-test) in the experimental group. the class was treated in the form of the application of means-ends analysis (mea) learning model and the value of students’ learning result after the treatment (post-test) can be seen in the following table below: table 2. description of the score pretest and posttest student learning achievements of the experimental group no. total scores gain pretest posttest 1 8 15 7 2 8 18 10 3 10 20 10 4 10 19 9 5 10 24 14 6 13 28 15 7 13 32 19 8 16 35 19 9 18 38 20 10 18 39 12 11 18 35 17 12 20 35 15 13 20 30 10 14 20 38 18 15 24 41 17 16 24 43 19 17 26 40 14 18 28 45 17 19 31 40 9 20 34 45 11 total 369 651 282 mean 18.45 32.55 14.10 based on the table above, it can be concluded that out of the 20 students in the experimental group, the average pretest score is 18.45, the lowest value is 8 and the highest value was 34. after applying mea learning model, it can be seen that the results of the post-test is increased with the average value is 32.55, while the lowest value is 15 and the highest value is 45. it showed the advance grammar learning using the mea learning model can affect learning achievements. the distribution of the pretest and post-test scores in the experimental group can be seen in table 3 below: table 3. score distribution in the experimental group internal value categ ory pretest post-test frequ ency percen tage (%) frequ ency perce ntage (%) 26-50 good 4 20 15 75 16-25 fair 9 45 4 20 5-15 poor 7 35 1 5 based the results of the pretest on the table above, there are 20% or 4 students in the good category, 45% or 9 students in the fair category and 35% or 7 students in the poor category. and the score results of post-test after the treatment of using tri rositasari, finza larasati & dwi rara saraswaty the influence of means ends analysis (mea) model on grammar achievement (english education study program student of um palembang) 100 mea learning model, there are 75% or 15 students in good category, 20% or 4 students in the fair category and 5% or 1 student included in the poor category. description of the score pretest and post-test of the control group statistical result with regards to the value of the original test (pretest) of students in the control class where the class is not given the treatment of meansends analysis (mea) learning model implementation and the value of students’ learning results after the treatment (post-test) can be seen in the following table: table 2. description of the pretest and post-test students’ learning achievement scores of the experimental group no total scores gain pretest posttest 1 8 10 2 2 8 10 2 3 10 8 -2 4 10 14 4 5 10 10 0 6 13 15 2 7 13 16 3 8 16 16 0 9 18 19 1 10 18 20 2 11 18 20 2 12 20 24 4 13 20 21 1 14 20 20 0 15 24 23 -1 16 24 20 -4 17 26 24 -2 18 28 24 -4 19 31 32 1 20 34 34 0 total 369 380 11 mean 18.45 19.00 0.55 based on the table above, it can be concluded that of the 20 students in the control group, the average pretest score is 18.45, the lowest value is 8, and the highest value is 34. after the learning process was done without the mea learning model treatment, it can be seen that the results of the posttest have increased slightly with an average value of 19.00, the lowest value is 8, and the highest value is 34. it showed that advance grammar learning without special treatment (without using the aec learning model) has a very little difference or in other words the pre-test and post-test values are almost the same. the distribution of the pretest and posttest scores in the control group can be seen in table 5 below: table 3. value distribution in the control group inter val valu e categ ory pretest posttest freque ncy percen tage (%) freque ncy percen tage (%) 26-50 good 4 20 2 10 16-25 fair 9 45 12 60 5-15 poor 7 35 6 30 the table above showed the results of the pretest, there are 20% or 4 students ae in the good category, 45% or 9 students are in the fair category and 35% or 7 students are in the poor category. while, in the results of post-test without treatment, there are 10% or 2 students in good category, 60% or 12 students in the fair category and 30% or 6 students are in the poor category. to find out whether learning by using the mea learning model can contribute to students’ grammar advance learning achievements can be seen in table 6 below this: table 6. descriptive statistics of variables based on pretest and post-test results means-ends analysis (mea) experimental group control group pretest posttest pretest posttest mean 18.45 32.55 18.45 19.00 sd. 7.660 9.310 7.660 6.943 df 19 19 t-table 2.093 2.093 t-obtained 15.467 1.078 significance 0.000 0.295 the table above showed a very significant difference in student grammar. it can be seen that the acquisition for the experimental group is 15,467 with a significance level of 0,000. because tobtained is higher than t-table (t-obtained 15.467 > t-table 2.093) with a significance level of p <0.05, therefore, it showed that h0 is rejected. it means that there is significant influence in student grammar english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 101 before the treatment and after the treatment of using the mea learning model. meanwhile, t-obtained from the control group is less than t-table = 2.093 (tobtained 1.078 > t-table 2.093) with a significance level of 0.295 is p > 0.05. it showed that using the mea learning model in advance grammar courses can improve student learning achievements so it can be said that the mea learning model really works well for the experimental group. conclusion from descriptive statistics, it can be seen that the experimental class with the use of means-ends analysis (mea) learning model has a higher score than the control class. the result of inferential statistics in the hypothesis test is that h0 is rejected. the null hypothesis (h0) which is rejected was concluded that there is an influence of the implementation of the means-ends analysis (mea) learning model on the enhancement of statistical learning as a result of third-semester students of english study program, fkip ump. also, it is expected that the implementation of the means-ends analysis (mea) learning model can enhance student statistical learning results in data interpretation material. the suggestions that can be presented are as follows; 1) the means-end analysis (mea) learning model can be used to improve advance grammar learning achievements, 2) it is expected for further research can use this learning model for other subjects, 3) for further research, it is expected that the researchers understand the concept of meansend analysis (mea) learning model so the research can be carried out optimally and get more satisfying results. references abdurahman, m. (2003). pendidikan bagi anak berkesulitan belajar. jakarta: rineka cipta. aras, a. (2020). model pembelajaran means-ends analysis dalam menumbuhkembangkan kemampuan problem solving dan productive disposition. jurnal pendidikan matematika dan ilmu pengetahuan alam, 8(2), 183–198. aris, s. (2014). 68 model pembelajaran inovatif dalam kurikulum 2013. yogyakarta: ar-ruzz media. bastone, r. (1994). grammar. oxford: oxford university press. dimyati & mudjiono. (2015). belajar & pembelajaran. jakarta: pt. rineka cipta. efuansyah & wahyuni, r. (2019). optimalisasi kemampuan pemecahan masalah matematika melalui model means-ends analysis di kelas viii. journal of mathematics science and education, 1(2), 17 – 27. fitriwati, d. g. (2018). the effect of motivation on the learning achievement. ijielt, 4(1), 198-207. flight, d. (2003). 8 advantages of cooperative learning. retrieved on sept 13, 2019 from http//www.thai-eduinus.org/8-advantages-of-cooperativelearning.htm. ganjoee, m. a. & narafshan, m. h. (2016). a study on the effect of age on the representation and processing of second language grammar achievement. studies in english language teaching, 4(2), 223-240. hamruni. (2011). strategi pembelajaran. yogyakarta: insan madani. hashemi, a. & daneshfar, s. (2018). the impact of different teaching strategies on teaching grammar to college students. theory and practice in language studies, 8(3), 340-348. heryani, y., & eptiani, m. m. (2016). peningkatan kemampuan koneksi matematik peserta didik dengan menggunakan model pembelajaran means ends analysis (mea). jurnal penelitian pendidikan dan pengajaran matematika, 2(2), 171–178. huegle, v.a. 2008. strategies for grammar. quebec literacy working group. huda, m. (2014). model-model pengajaran & pembelajaran. yogyakarta: pustaka belajar. juanda., johar, r., & ikhsan, m. (2014). peningkatan kemampuan pemecahan masalah dan komunikasi matematis siswa smp melalui model pembelajaran means-ends analysis. jurnal matematika kreatif inovatif. 5(2), 108. juniyarti, n. (2014). penerapan model pembelajaran means ends analysis (mea) dalam setting untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa. berkala ilmiah pendidikan fisika, 2(3), 204-212. kaciak, e. & cullen, c. w. (2006). analysis of meansends chain data in marketing research. journal of targeting, measurement and analysis for marketing, 15, 12-20. lestari, k. a. n. s., mahayukti, g. a., & mertasari, n. m. s. (2020). peningkatan kemampuan pemecahan masalah dan keaktifan belajar siswa sma melalui means-ends analysis. jurnal nasional pendidikan matematika, 4(2), 263–278. mafisa, p. j. & walt j. l. (2003). grammatical competence of esl teachers. new york: cambridge university press. mulasari, m. r., wulandari, i. g. a. a., & putra, m. (2020). model pembelajaran means ends analysis terhadap hasil belajar matematika siswa sd. jurnal pedagogi dan pembelajaran, 3(3), 358–366. nasution. (2008). teknologi pendidikan. jakarta: bumi aksara. tri rositasari, finza larasati & dwi rara saraswaty the influence of means ends analysis (mea) model on grammar achievement (english education study program student of um palembang) 102 ngalimun. (2012). strategi dan model pembelajaran. yogyakarta: bpfe yogyakarta. nunan, david. (1998). teaching grammar in context. elt journal 52(2), 101-109. nunan, david. (2005). practical english language teaching: grammar. new york: mcgraw-hill companies, inc.12221 avenue of the americas. nurusus, e., samad, a. a., rahman, s. z., noordin, n., & rashid, j. (2015). exploring teachers’ beliefs in teaching grammar. the english teacher, xliv(1), 23-32. palupi, h. r., suyitno, h., & prabowo, a. (2016). keefektifan model pembelajaran means-ends analysis pada kemampuan pemecahan masalah siswa materi segiempat. unnes journal of mathematics education, 5(2). pratama, y., sariyatun, & joebagio, h. (2017). the development of means-ends analysis and value clarification technique integration model to explore local wisdom in historical learning. journal of education and learning, 11(2), 179-187. prihatiningtyas, n. c., & nurhayati. (2017). penerapan model pembelajaran means-ends analysis untuk meningkatkan kemampuan pemecahan masalah matematis siswa. jurnal pendidikan matematika indonesia, 2(1), 13–18. qusyairi, l. a. h., & watoni, m. s. (2017). penggunaan model pembelajaran means ends analysis (mea) dengan pendekatan pembelajaran kontekstual. jurnal pendidikan dasar, 1(1), 135–143. ratnasari, k. (2018). penerapan pembelajaran means end analysis untuk meningkatkan motivasi belajar pada mata pelajaran matematika siswa kelas vi madrasah ibtidaiyah 2 jombang. jurnal studi keislaman dan ilmu pendidikan, 6(2), 121–141. riana, a. a., abdulkarim, a., & jupri. (2017). application of means ends analysis (mea) learning model in attempt to improve student’s high order thinking. jurnal mea (means ends analysis). richards, j. & w. renandya. (2002). methodology in language teaching. usa: cambridge university press. simon, h. a. (1981). the sciences of the artificial. cambridge, massachusetts: mit press. slameto. (2008). perencanaan dan desain sistem pembelajaran. jakarta: bumi aksara. solikah, a., & himmah, w. i. (2019). keefektifan model pembelajaran means ends analysis dengan strategi heuristik terhadap kemampuan pemecahan masalah matematika. journal hipotenusa, 1(1), 1–8. sugiyanto. (2008). model-model pembelajaran kooperatif. surakarta: depdikbud. suherman, e. (2010). hands-out perkuliahan belajar dan pembelajaran. matematika. bandung: fakultas pendidikan matematika dan ilmu pengetahuan alam universitas pendidikan indonesia. supendi, a., jamiah, y., & ahmad, d. (2017). model means ends analysis dan direct intruction terhadap kemampuan pemecahan masalah matematis siswa. jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran khatulistiwa, 6(2), 1–10. tabbert, russell. (1984). parsing the question ―why teach grammar. the english journal. 73(8), pp. 3842. thao, t. q. (2019). teaching english grammar communicatively: a critical look at the roles of english grammar in the efl context. autonomy and motivation for language learning in the interconnected world, 182-190. trianto, (2013). model pembelajaran terpadu. jakarta: bumi aksara. ur, p. (2009). grammar practice activities: a practical guide for teachers. cambridge: cup. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 149 efl students’ perception of virtual learning in listening class: a classroom implementation imroatul ma’fiyah department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, university of slamet riyadi surakarta, indonesia e-mail: imroatulhardiyanto@gmail.com ulupi sitoresmi department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, university of slamet riyadi surakarta, indonesia e-mail: ulupi102@gmail.com irpan yulianto department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, university slamet riyadi surakarta, indonesia e-mail: irpanyulianto908@gmail.com apa citation: ma’fiyah, i., sitoresmi, u. & yulianto, i. (2021). efl students’ perception of virtual learning in listening class: a classroom implementation. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 149-158. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5365 received: 15-08-2021 accepted: 05-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction since the government policy about guidelines for learning from home to all levels of education launched as an effort to minimize the spread of the covid-19 virus, learning in campus has shifted to home learning. face to face learning moves to online learning. it requires a range of technologies such as worldwide web, email, new group and text, chat, audio and video conferencing through computer network to impart education (jia & hew, 2021) it also implied to students, parents and the lecturers’ readiness to improve digital literacy (maqableh & alia, 2021; girvan & savage, 2019). the integration of technology in the world of education has essentially been done as part of learning innovation in the era of globalization. yet, it’s no longer as a challenge to innovate, but it becomes a necessity. even though online learning system has been implemented for almost two years, problems dealt with lacks of teacher/lectures readiness of integrating technology in their class still exist (pallof & pratt, 2017; weiss, piancentine, candela, & bobay, 2021). the other problems also came from both students and their parents. the students are burdened with bdr assignments since they perceive that online learning means assignment from teachers; and from parents’ points abstract: this study aims to determine efl students’ perception of virtual learning in listening class. it specifically describes on how higher education students perceive about the implementation and challenges towards virtual learning in listening class. this research employs a qualitative case study design. it involves several facets as the participants in order to obtain valid and reliable data to answer the research problems. the participants were 90 students and 2 lecturers taken from two different universities. from those amount of students, it was 50 students selected to meet the criterion of virtual learning implementation and the students’ responses profiling their perception of listening class. the findings about students’ perception of listening class are analyzed through the internal and external factors. internal factors include students' physical condition, opportunities and motivation as well as students' perceptions of the level of difficulty in listening. external factors consist of learning materials, lecturers and teaching methods and the use of learning media. in the level of implementation and challenges, students thought that virtual learning is appropriate media of teaching listening during pandemic if lecturers are able to carry out their roles and students are always response the challenge adaptively in both terms of content and technology. keywords: english for foreign language (efl); students’ perceptions; virtual learning; listening class. imroatul ma’fiyah, ulupi sitoresmi, & irpan yulianto efl students’ perception of virtual learning in listening class: a classroom implementation 150 of view, they feel tired of accompanying their children besides of thinking how to survive of their respective lives and jobs during the pandemic. those factual conditions are best to be our reflection towards the implementation of online teaching process. english subject becomes an important, yet difficult subject that the students especially in higher level needs to be mastered. students are expected to be capable in four english skills, they are listening, reading, speaking, and writing. teachers have long used the concept of four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing. the four language skills can be called macro skills. on the other hand, there are micro skills such as grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and spelling. those four basics skills related to each other. however, this study will focus more on listening skills. listening is one of the important and fundamental skills in learning english. it is a receptive skill which means that learners receive new words from what they hear. the ability to listen will affect the ability to produce sentences (chang and millet, 2016). students at higher education levels who are good at listening; they will have good competence in productive skills, which are speaking and writing skills (burns & siegel, 2018). djabborova (2020) adds that there is a significant difference between listening and just hearing. hearing refers to the sound of words that your ears receive and it is a physical process that can occur as long as a person does not have a hearing problem. on the other hand, listening requires more than that, it requires more focus and effort, both mentally and physically. it means, listening skill is a skill that not only involves physical hearing but also understanding the words that are heard so that later a sentence can be produced, both spoken and written (schmidt, 2016). teaching listening requires certain ways to help students especially in higher education levels to fully understand what they are listening to. misbah, gulikers, maulana, & mulder (2019) explains that an effective teacher presents how they can adapt students' listening behavior to face various situations. the teachers help students to develop a set of the right strategy or method for every listening situation. krivosheyeva, zuparova and shodiyeva (2020) confirmed that it doesn't matter what method a teacher uses to teach listening skills. teachers can think of ways of teaching that will help teachers and students direct the learning process. effective modern methods for teaching listening skills include starting from interactive exercises to multimedia resources (maqableh & alia, 2021). listening skills can be learned well or improved through simple and engaging activities that focus on the learning process. teaching media commonly used to practice listening skills are generally in the form of transcript videotape, audiotape and various other supporting materials for activities that allow direct lecturer-student interaction in the classroom or language laboratory (caroline, 2007). in face-toface learning, lecturers have broad opportunities to ensure students’ active participation starting from the pre, whilst to post listening stages through active participation and involvement; by giving deep questions and answer (nusha & orouji, 2020). haynes (2010) indicates that the questions arise will promote students’ participation and create specifics value-bound. from the results of previous studies, it is said that 43% of students think that listening comprehension is the most difficult among the three other language skills (reading, writing and speaking) and some of them feel bored and less motivated in learning (bourdeaud’hui, et.al: 2018; burns & siegel, 2018). these difficulties are also experienced by students in the listening class, including failure in recognizing which is caused by limited mastery of vocabularies as well as the speed of speech of native speakers who are too fast. other research conducted by wong, leung, tsui, dealey, & cheung (2021) showed that other factors also influence the students’ listening skill. this is caused by several factors, such as learning media factors and less conducive learning environment. as a result, students are less able to understand the material presented by the lecturer. this fact is one of the considerations for lecturers to be able to carry their roles in designing, implementing and reflecting on methods, media as well as teaching materials. most of the researchs that have been done previously described the process of face to face teaching listening skills. however, since the pandemic occurred, the teaching and learning process has also undergone significant changes english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 151 (gillespie, boulton, hramiak, & williamson, 2007). due to limited circumstances to be able to hold face-to-face learning, online learning is an option that can be done. virtual classrooms become an alternative for lecturers to hold online listening class. it is learning activity based on e-learning; a place where virtual learning occurs. some of the platforms used by lecturers, i.e. zoom, google meet, ms teams. some lecturers also used whatsapp call to facilitate virtual classrooms. the targeted outcomes of teaching listening through virtual class would be: in the end of lesson, students will be able to listen effectively in limited time and circumstance. its successful will depend on three pedagogical factors (parisi, 2015). the first pedagogical factors require studentscentered learning and teachers’ role as a facilitator and the integration of knowledge. secondly, is dealing with flexible learning design based on students’ needs, contextual and integrating suitable technology. the last factor is facilitation which includes clear expectations, appropriate questions, understanding and choice of cultural issues, giving timely feedback, constructive and detail, as well as high attitude and commitment (carillo & flores, 2020). meanwhile, that ideal condition sometimes cannot be obtained by the students since direct interaction can be done during covid-19 pandemic. therefore, some challenges appear in listening class through virtual learning. lecturers have to manage classroom atmosphere where each phases of listening process in which students’ experience difficulties during the class are managed and guided well. method this research employs a qualitative case study design. of all common types of qualitative research in education, the design to conduct is case study. case study can be defined in terms of the process of actually caring out the investigation, the unit of analysis (the bounded system, the case), or the end product (cresswell, 2016). other definition of a case study is an empirical inquiry that investigates phenomena in real life, where the boundaries between the phenomenon and context are not clearly defined and where multiple sources of evidence can be utilized (yin, 2013). case studies in particular can be used in research in education. sources as evidence referred to here can be in the form of documents, audio, visual or audiovisual materials interviews, observations and equipments. the focus of this study was classroom behavior as part of the phenomena or culture of a group of students in particular community in the context of teaching english in higher education. thus, this type of case study research applied to this research is ethnographic evaluative case study (glaser & strauss, 2006). it is intended to investigate the students’ perception of virtual learning in listening class. specifically, it will describe the implementation and challenges faced by efl students. in order to uncover the problem formulations, the data are collected through observations, interviews, and documents. some evaluation is given to develop a better understanding of virtual learning implementation. the research is precisely conducted in english education program from two different universities. it involves several facets as the participants in order to obtain valid and reliable data to answer the research problems. the participants were 90 students and 2 lecturers taken from both universities. from those amounts of students, it was 50 students selected to meet the criterion of virtual learning implementation and the students’ responses and perception. the primary qualitative data are taken from the observation and interview. observations are conducted during the process of teaching and learning during pandemic. interviews between the researcher, lecturers, and students from english education program. the interview carried out in a structured way involving the use of a set of predetermined questions and of highly standardized techniques of recording. open questionnaire, as one of the documents to be analyzed considered as the heart of a survey operation. it was carefully constructed. it consists of 30 items which written and open ended. after data collected and analyzed, the triangulation-using multiple investigators, member-checks, and longer observation were done in order to increase the validity of the findings. in relation to the ethical issue, the researcher has conducted the research in certain ways to appreciate the subject involving in the data collections; particularly interviews and observations. the researcher has adopted the following procedures to ensure the ethical standard of the research: (1) approval from research site has been obtained before further studies, (2) approval imroatul ma’fiyah, ulupi sitoresmi, & irpan yulianto efl students’ perception of virtual learning in listening class: a classroom implementation 152 from lectures and institutions, whose class is to be observed, have been available, (3) all students in the observed class are guaranteed privacy, anonymity, and confidentiality, and (4) the researcher, as advised by the academic section and teachers, has observed the class under complete participant observation to maintain students' convenience and naturalness of the flow of teaching and learning process in the classroom. results and discusssion students’ perceptions of listening skills regarding students’ perception of listening skills, the researchers focused on external and internal factors that influenced students’ responses to virtual learning of listening class. internal factors that include students' physical condition, opportunities and motivation as well as students' perceptions of the level of difficulty in listening. external factors include learning materials, lecturers and teaching methods, as well as the use of learning media. students’ physical conditions one of the determinant factors of students’ success in listening is closely related to physical condition. when a student is healthy, not tired, listening will certainly be more effective. related to this, from the total number of respondents, 19 students (38%) answered “always” and often (27 students or 54%) to the statement that they continued to take listening classes even though they were sick. in declined health condition, most of them (66%) admitted that they were not able to concentrate fully, so they could still they were not optimal in doing listening exercises. only a small proportion of respondents answered that they could still concentrate when they were not fit. it can be concluded that they can’t concentrate fully and have difficulty to listen properly at the moment their physical condition is declining. however, students are still trying to concentrate as in virtual learning, considering their awareness of time limitation and their interest joining listening class. as said by one of students, “i think we have to do it with high concentration because to do the exercise from this skill we have to adjust with time, and actually this course is really fun.” motivation and interest as students of the english education program, students realize that even though they thought listening is difficult (76% of respondents), they must be able to conquer material given by the lecturer. one of their reasons is that listening become most important skills in addition to the other skills. as student’s explanation, “i think it is the most important skill among the others because when we talk to native speakers, we have to know what they are talking about first, if we understand the meaning then we can answer it in many ways.” another student revealed that listening skills are important considering that we will not able to understand what the speaker is saying (in english), as obtained from the interview, “listening skills is very important. because, if we can't understand what the speaker say, we don't understand what the speaker meaning”. this awareness increases their interest and raises their motivation to explore material being listened in virtual learning (parisi, 2015). this is evident from the following questionnaire data (figure 1); most of students choose answer sometimes for statement 3 about the level of difficulty of listening. figure 1. students responds of difficulties in listening english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 153 listening materials dealing with listening material taught, students feel happy when lecturers provide learning materials with interesting topics accompanied by strategies to hold on problems related to the spoken text easily. as conveyed by student, “yes, because we are given the opportunity to listen to the audio first about an interesting topic to learn and the lecturer also gives some tricks that can help us solve the problem”. in addition, it also said that students were happy with the way lecture gave listening task, especially during virtual class. as another student explained in the interview, “i am quite happy with the way the lecturer teaches by giving assignments and holding virtual meetings” lectures, methods and teaching media from the result of interview, it can be concluded that most students feel motivated in virtual listening class because the lecture plays the role very well, as a facilitator, lecturer provide materials clearly and easily to be understood, as said by student, “yes, i am. the lecturer's explanation is easier to understand”. this also supported by the explanations of other students who prove that the role of facilitator is well carried out by lecturers, it’s seen from the presentation of material and the ability to share tricks on doing listening tasks, “yes, i am. because the way she teaches is very clear and she also explain and share tips to how to answer the question easily.” furthermore, lecturers are also able to carry out role as a motivator, this was explained by some students in the interview, “yes i'm happy, because i like listening to lectures.” “yes, the method. they give an interesting way to do and explain to the students.” “mrs. always says that listening is a skill that we can all benefit from improving. by becoming a better listener, you can improve your productivity, as well as your ability to influence, persuade and negotiate. what's more, you'll avoid conflict and misunderstandings. all of these are necessary for workplace success!” . those explanations show that lecturers are able to facilitate students in virtual learning. carrying out the role as collaborator, the lecturers always allow students to be active in class, sharing and collaborating so that they do not feel afraid to ask many questions. “absolutely happy, cause the lecture can be "friend" during lecturing time and also in real life.” “yes of course, i am happy cause students are given more chance to deliver their ideas or preferences so lectures are able to see student's ability.” most of the students agreed that besides using google meet, zoom, or whatsapp call, lectures often used ms teams as teaching listening platforms for virtual meeting. through teams, students explain that teaching strategy applied by lecturers, “in teams, lecturer will give us an audio for the next week. and in that time, we play the audio from the last week and try to do the task. lecturer often give us trick and suggestion how to identify and understand the purpose of listening to the audio.” classroom implementations and challenges results of in-depth interviews and observations, the media used by the lecturers in teaching listening is virtual class (vc). this was confirmed by the students, as seen in questionnaire response which stated that virtual learning was applied to certain platforms; microsoft teams (64%), google meet (24%), and zoom 0,12%. therefore, this study discusses virtual learning through ms teams. in virtual learning through ms teams, there is interaction between students-students, students-the media, students-teachers, and also students with the contents. due to the smooth interactions, course content is designed interactively, contextual and involving students to be active, in this case lecturer plays important roles to motivates the students in using the media verbal and non-verbally. the students are challenging to adapt with integration of technology and content. a student explains, “i don’t really feel comfortable with virtual class. the audio often not clear and make the class hard to understand. but the condition force us to do so. that’s why students have to prepare the internet connection, material learned so that we can actively join the class.” in contrast with face-to face learning, in virtual classes the lecturer has to control the interactions imroatul ma’fiyah, ulupi sitoresmi, & irpan yulianto efl students’ perception of virtual learning in listening class: a classroom implementation 154 and ensure that students understand material discussed. involving students to participate as often as possible will prevent students from becoming bored and losing control of the material. the following are material illustrations, objectives and the application of teaching procedures that been applied by lecturers. materials identifying a set of familiar topics such as feeling, food, hobbies, sport, leisure times. recorded voice of some proficient native speakers or conversational dialogue about each topic. depending on the difficulty and complexity level of the task, the students are asked to do in the whilst-listening, they are usually asked to listen passages twice, or occasionally three times. the specific objectives will be: (1) students’ focus will be on meaning, they are trying to understand the speakers’ ideas about related topics (main idea and details of information). (2) the students should listen the tape as often as possible, and the more they listen, the greater their understanding will be. (3) realizing that initially perhaps students will find difficult to listen different speakers with different speaking rate, accents and style, but after listening several times, they will become used to these. all learning activities are intended to provide opportunities for students to understand the content of listening effectively. as sims (2021) mentioned it becomes transformative sign of traditional learning models to a virtual world. accommodating students’ space and opportunities and make sure the interactions run smoothly. classroom activities in listening class through virtual classes are described in table 1. table 1. teaching and learning activities teaching phase lecturer's activities students' activities opening opening the class listening and giving necessary response turning on the camera and participate actively reviewing previous lesson checking the students' attendance main activity pre-listening understand the problem guiding students to understand the topic watching, listening, taking notes or giving other necessary responses facilitating students to guess related vocabularies meaning listening to the teacher's guidance/instruction attentively know/ need to know (define the issue) questioning to promote exploration of the issue through topic will be discussed (what the students' know and don't know about the issue) listening to the teacher's guidance/instruction attentively, giving necessary response, taking notes define the problem statement whilst-listening explaining the objectives learning listening and giving necessary response (taking notes, etc.) research the knowledge giving material in form of recorded voice of some proficient native speakers or conversational dialogue about each topic listening, taking notes, or giving other necessary response facilitating finding main idea and detail information on the material given listening, answering the teacher's questions, asking and answering the meaning of vocabulary, doing highlighting facilitating extensive listening comprehension exercises reading, paying attention, and accomplishing exercises questioning to promote information and exploration while explaining listening strategies exploring material, answering teacher's question actively, taking a note, highlighting reviewing and repeating play when it is necessary, making summary and listening to the review and giving necessary response english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 155 post-listening checking the students understanding investigate the solution facilitating small group task and small group discussion working in group, giving contribution to the discussion, and presenting the result/ solution evaluation and reflection giving conclusion about the solution of the problem, certain text purpose, structure and language features listening attentively to teacher's explanation, giving appropriate response, taking a note the result of questionnaire shows that there are several challenges faced by the students in listening class through virtual learning. the first related with content. this is due to limited understanding of vocabulary, as well as the unstable of the voice quality as explained by students. “in my opinion using virtual conference in listening class is very difficult, because we are encountered with unstable connection, such as bad signal and not clear. it is completed when we don’t know the meaning of some terms or vocabularies stated.” limited ability to understand words, phrases, terms and expressions in english that are found in dialogues and long conversations that must be listened virtually become one of some challenges. 23 students (46%) feel that sometimes they find difficulties to understand the meaning of words that are not pronounce clearly; 18 students feel often and the rest always find it difficult. figure 2. students response of difficulties related with content about the limitation of understanding of contents related to vocabulary, the lecturers said that she always giving guidance by introducing topics, list of vocabulary-related to topic and then facilitate them with providing opportunities in order to actively guess meaning of words meaning, grouping, looking for word meaning and so on. further, it explained by students that the other things make virtual learning challenging is that to be always concentrated fully since there is unstable signals and limited internet connection. it makes learning listening a bit difficult than as in offline class. as stated by students, “i don't think it's very effective because you know we had a lot of problems going through this learning, such as bad signal and there are a lot of students who are shy or afraid to give their opinion” “i think it is best as offline meeting substitution in pandemic situation but sometimes it is not effective because bad signal or internet connection. in addition to limitation of internet connection, lecturers took an alternative through asking students to listen passages and materials twice or occasionally three times. it depends on the difficulty and complexity level of the task. a. conclusion the findings about students’ perception of listening class were analyzed through both internal and external factors; internal factors include students' physical condition, opportunities and motivation as well as students' perceptions of the level of difficulty in listening. in addition to the external factors, the students’ perception described in terms of learning materials, lecturers and teaching methods and the use of learning media. in the level of implementation and challenges, students thought that virtual learning is appropriate media of teaching listening during pandemic if lecturers are able to carry out their roles and students are always response the challenge adaptively in both terms of content and technology. imroatul ma’fiyah, ulupi sitoresmi, & irpan yulianto efl students’ perception of virtual learning in listening class: a classroom implementation 156 virtual learning uses a combination of tools to recreate structure and learning experience of a physical classroom. it becomes special application as a substitution of face to face meeting, since it involves learning by interacting with other students and lecturer in classroom context. however, students feel that it does not run effectively due to their limited internet connection and unstable network. therefore, it is important for lecturers facilitate students’ experience in listening class through virtual class. as assumed by the lecturers, it is implemented through the following steps. regarding to the limitation of understanding about contents related to vocabulary, lecturers’ guiding students in pre-listening stage by introducing topics, list of vocabulary-related to topic and then facilitates them with providing opportunities for students to actively guess meaning of words meaning, grouping, looking for word meaning and so on. in addition to limitation of internet connection, lecturers took an alternative through asking students to listen passages and materials twice or occasionally three times. it depends on the difficulty and complexity level of the task. references burns, a., & siegel, j (ed.). (2018). international perspectives on teaching the four skills in elt. switzerland: palgrave macmillan. bourdeaud’hui, aesaert, k., keer, v., & braak, (2018). identifying student and classroom characteristic related to primary school students’ listening skills: a systematic review. educational research review. 0.1016/j.edurev.2018.09.005 caroline, h. (2007). improving speaking and listening skills: a practical guide for skills for life teachers. nottingham: department for education and skills. chang, a. c., & millett, s. (2016). developing l2 listening fluency through extended listeningfocused activities in an extensive listening programme. relc journal, 47(3), 349-362. cresswell, w. j., & poth, n., c. (2016). qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches (fourth ed). thousand oaks: sage publication ltd. djabborova, f. (2020) developing listening skills of english learners in esl and efl classroom. european journal of research and reflection in educational sciences, 8(10), 2020 part ii issn 2056-5852. uzbekistan: chirchik state pedagogical institute of tashkent region. gillespei, h., boulton, h., hramiak, a., & williamson, r. (2007). learning and teaching with virtual learning environments. great britain: learning matters ltd. girvan, c. & savage, t. (2019). virtual worlds: a new environment for constructionist learning. computers in human behaviour, 99(4), 396-414. glaser, g., & strauss, l. (2006). the discovery of grounded theory: strategies for qualitative research. jersey city: library of congress. haynes, a. (2010). the complete guide to lesson planning and preparation. maiden lane: the continuum international publishing group. jia, c. and hew, f.k. (2021). toward a set of design principles for decoding training: a systematic review of studies of english as a foreign/second language listening education. educational research review, 33. krivosheyeva. g, zuparova, s. &shodiyeva, n. (2020). interactive way to further improve teaching listening skills ubekiztan: chirchik state pedagogical institute. maqableh, m. & alia, m. (2021). evaluation online learning of undergraduate students under lockdown amidst covid 19 pandemic: the online learning experience and students’ satisfaction. children and youth services review, 128. misbah, z., gulikers, j., maulana, r., & mulder, m. (2015). teacher interpersonal behaviour and students’ motivation in competence-based vocational education: evidence from indonesia. teaching and teacher education, 50. pp. 79-89. pallof, m., r. & pratt, k. (2017). building online communities: effective strategies for the virtual classroom (2nd ed.). san fransisco: john wiley & sons, inc. parisi, t. (2015). learning virtual reality: developing immersive experiences and applications for desktop, web and mobile. sebastopol: o’reilly media. schmidt, g. b. (2018). listening is essential: an experiential exercise on listening behaviors. management teaching review, 3(4), 287-294. sims, l. (2021). effective digital learning: transforming traditional learning models to a virtual world. conyers: apress. weiss, e., piancentine, l., candela, l., & bobay, k. (2021). effectiveness of using simulation combined with online learning approach to develop discharge teaching skills. education in practice, 52. 1-8. wong, l., leung, v., tsui, y., dealey., & cheung. (2021). chinese esl learners’ perceptual errors of english connected speech: insights into english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 157 listening comprehension. system, 98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102480 yin, r. k. (2013). case study research: design and methods (5th ed.). thousand oaks, ca: sage. imroatul ma’fiyah, ulupi sitoresmi, & irpan yulianto efl students’ perception of virtual learning in listening class: a classroom implementation 158 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 265 the relationship among learning styles, economic status, parents’ education background, and english proficiency in university students nia dayanti english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia e-mail: niadayanti11@gmail.com sofendi english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia e-mail: sofendi@yahoo.com eryansyah english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia e-mail: eryansyah@gmail.com apa citation: dayanti, n., sofendi., & eryansyah (2021). the relationship among learning styles, economic status, parents’ education background, and english proficiency in university students. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 265-276. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5387 received: 04-08-2021 accepted: 27-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction as the international business language, english is becoming more important in both native and nonnative english-speaking countries (clement & murugavel, 2018). with the increase of sophisticated technology and the development of industrial revolution 4.0, english in various and diverse sectors such as business, science, technology, politics, cultural exchange, and social media emerges as an inevitable means of communication. in a similar take, adequate english proficiency has become the foremost prerequisite for demonstrating the genuine quality of individuals. therefore, english mastery is a significant feature in building competitive and world-class human resources. nevertheless, based on the 2018 english proficiency index (epi) ranking issued by education first (2018), indonesia ranked 51 out of 88 countries. the nation was below other south abstract: the objectives of this study were to find out (1) whether or not there were significant correlations between (1) learning styles (visual, audio, kinesthetic) and english proficiency, (2) economic status and english proficiency, (3) parents’ educational background and english proficiency, and (4) predictor variables (learning styles, economic status, and parents’ educational background) and the criterion variable (english proficiency). in this correlational study, the data collection was obtained through a likert scale questionnaire and the documentation of toefl prediction results. 489 english education study program students of persatuan guru republik indonesia (pgri) university became the population of this study. the research sample was 114 students taken purposively using the purposive sampling technique. the study revealed that 46 students had visual learning styles, 38 others acquired a better understanding through audio-based learning activities, and 30 respondents preferred kinesthetic methods. based on the result of the study, there was no correlation between english proficiency and visual learning style, audio learning style, and economic status. on the other hand, the study indicated a significant correlation between english proficiency with kinesthetic learning style and parents' educational background. furthermore, there was also a significant correlation between the predictor variables (learning styles, economic status, and parents’ educational background) and the criterion variable (english proficiency). keywords: economic status; english proficiency; learning styles; parents’ educational background. nia dayanti, sofendi, eryansyah the relationship among learning styles, economic status, parents’ education background, and english proficiency in university students 266 east asia countries such as the philippines, malaysia, and vietnam. it was superior only to thailand and cambodia. furthermore, indonesia's english proficiency index had also been declining. from the moderate level during 2013 to 2016, it dropped to the low level in the next two years. the poor display should be taken into account by the nation as it reflected one aspect of the quality of its human resources. in the context of the indonesian education system, english is a foreign language. students learn it from elementary school only as a mere subject. they learn what the language is like and how to use it, but they don't have many opportunities to employ it in communication on a daily basis. therefore, improving english language skills in indonesia requires a great deal of support from an education system that can assist not only teachers in transferring the knowledge but also students in acquiring and using the language. to support english language acquisition, the teaching and learning process must accommodate the students' learning styles. according to (jena, 2017; and kanadli; 2016). the study of learning styles looks at the characteristic ways individuals perceive and process information learning style is a prominent aspect of learning new information and acquiring new skills. understanding learning styles will benefit students determine the proper learning methods and help them enhance their academic progress. learning styles can be referred to as a series of factors, habits and behaviors that can facilitate learning for an individual in certain situations. it can be said that learning styles are the ability of students to receive and process information in learning situations (vaishnav, 2013). furthermore, according to (gilakjani, 2012) who noted that visual learners learn by seeing and visualizing and they prefer for information to be displayed in writing, such as lists of ideas. the auditory learners tend to be natural listeners and they prefer to have things explained to them verbally rather than to read written information, and they learn by listening and verbalizing. one of the six learning styles will stand out more than the others in each student. to put it into perspective, students with visual learning styles usually tend to be happier by reading and observing. on the other hand, auditory learners are likely to understand better through activities involving listening and speaking. hence, recognizing students' learning styles is expected to support their advancement during the learning process. many researchers conducted studies on the correlation between learning style and english proficiency with various outcomes. marzulina, pitaloka, and yolanda (2019) investigated and discovered a correlation between learning styles and english proficiency of undergraduate efl students at one state islamic university in sumatra. on the contrary, rohliah (2015) conducted a study on the correlation among foreign language anxiety, learning styles, language learning attitudes, and english proficiency and found no significant correlation between learning styles and english proficiency. moreover, home is also an inseparable aspect of learning. students do homework, prepare for examinations, or review the lesson that they just had at home. when the learning process moves at home, the role of parents becomes very central. their roles become essential supports for their children's learning achievement. parents of higher educational levels produce better success in providing their children with the assistance they need to succeed in an academic setting (pishghadam & zabini, 2011). selvam (2013) states that parents with higher educational backgrounds possess the ability to guide and supervise students and discuss schoolwork and lessons with them. udoh & sanni (2012) describe that parents with higher educational backgrounds often get better jobs and earn more money. thus, their children are likely to have a great deal of support from their parents' education and financial capability. in other words, proper learning facilities, the best supporting learning materials, and a better learning atmosphere await them at home. parents' support becomes an indispensable factor in students' academic success. another determinant influencing students' english proficiency is their economic status. it is the combination of the economic and social position of an individual or family in connection to others on the premise of income, educational level, and occupational status. education is a mechanism of getting knowledge and skills especially at a school, college, or university (gul, r., kanwal, s., & khan, s. s., 2020). suleman et al. (2012) found that children from higher economic status performed superior academic performance while those from lower economic status achieved unsatisfactory academic english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 267 performance. saifi & mehmood (2011) investigated the effect of economic status on students' performance. the study revealed that parents' educational backgrounds, parents' occupations, and facilities at home affected the students' accomplishments. next, zang, jiang, ming, ren, and huang (2021) concluded in their study that although the parents’ background and schools’ quality are keys to student achievement, the indicator of schools’ quality is not about simply having access to learning resources but about how teachers and students utilize them to improve education outcomes. similarly, (gul, r., khan, s. s., & akhtar, s., 2020). they suggested socioeconomic status as creating problems for the students. likewise, marzulina et al. (2018), in their study, reported a significant positive correlation between parent's educational backgrounds and english achievement in which parent's concern for their children's education in school became the determinant to the success of student learning achievement. aulia, vianty, and ihsan (2014) found a significant correlation between parents' economic status and reading achievement of students at madrasah aliyah qodratullah, langkan, banyuasin. marzulina, pitaloka, herizal, holandyah, erlina, and lestari (2018) also found a correlation between parents’ educational backgrounds and students’ english achievement in their study. according to slameto (2013) the factors learning achievement is divided into two namely internal factors such as physical factors, psychological factors, and fatigue factors. while factors outside the student self or external factors such as family factors, school factors, and community factors. in addition, the indicators of learning achievement. in line with this setiawan (2015) that parents educational background plays an important role especially in improving learning achievement in schools. from the explanation above, the writer concludes that learning styles, parents' educational background and economic status play a significant role in the students' english proficiency. the author then conducted informal interviews with several respondents from the research sample and found the fact that they had difficulty achieving the desired toefl score because they did not know the appropriate learning styles for them. then, the writer also found that students in pgri university from low economic status and lower parents' educational backgrounds tend to excel academically, while those from higher economic status and better parents' educational backgrounds tend to be less successful. based on the gap explained, the author would like to investigate the correlation among learning styles, parents' educational background, economic status, and english proficiency of pgri university students. this study also investigated the correlation between predictor variables (learning styles, economic status, and parents’ educational background) and the criterion variable (english proficiency). method research design this research was a quantitative correlational study conducted. this study aimed at finding out whether or not students learning styles, economic status, parents' educational background correlated to their english proficiency. the research framework was depicted in error! reference source not found.error! reference source not found. below. + figure 1. research framework english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee description: x1 : learning styles x2 : economic status x3 : parents’ educational background y : english proficiency r1 : correlation between learning styles (visual) and english proficiency of students at pgri university in palembang. r1 : correlation between learning styles (audio) and english proficiency of students at pgri university in palembang. r1 : correlation between learning styles (kinesthetic) and english proficiency of students at pgri university in palembang r2 : correlation between economic status and english proficiency of students at pgri university in palembang r3 : correlation between parents’ educational background and english proficiency of students at pgri university in palembang r4 : correlation between predictor variables (learning styles (visual, audio, kinesthetic), economic status and parents’ educational background) and a criterion variable (english proficiency) of students at pgri university in palembang. participants the population of study according to sugiyono (2016) describes the population as a generalization of the area that consists of objects or subjects with particular qualities and characteristics in a study. similarly, according to arikunto (2013), population is defined as all members of any well defined class of people, events, or objects. population is also the group of the people that you want to find out about by doing your research. in addition, fraenkel, wallen, and hyun (2012) explain a population as the group of interest to the researcher, the group with specific characteristics to whom the researcher would like to generalize the result of the study. table 1 below illustrates the population distribution of this study. table 1. the distribution of population semester total 1st 84 3rd 91 5th 77 7th 30 9th 26 total 289 source: pgri university palembang the sample of study according to sugiyono, sample is a part of the population itself. for example, the population of one inhabitant in one area, then the sample is half of the population in the habitant (sugiyono 2015). in this study, the writer employed purposive sampling techniques in choosing the sample of respondents. purposive sampling technique that is a sampling technique based on certain considerations. the independent variables in this study are mixes exercise and depth jump exercise, the attribute variable in this study is leg length, while the dependent variable is the result of a vertical jump. the instrument used in this study was the measurement of leg length using a meter tool. therefore, only the members of population meeting the criteria were chosen as the respondents of this study. the sample of this study was the fifth, seventh, and ninth semester students of the english education study program of pgri palembang in the 2020/2021 academic year. the sample distribution of this study is presented in the table 2 below. table 2. distribution of sample learning styles learning styles fi percentage visual 46 40,3% audio 38 33,3% kinesthetic 30 26,3% total 114 100% source: pgri university palembang figure 2. distribution of sample learning styles data collection data is the type of information that researchers obtain from the subject of their research (fraenkel, wallen, & hyun, 2012). in the data collection, the writer applied two instruments. ready-made english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 269 questionnaires were employed to collect the respondents' views on learning styles, parents' educational backgrounds, and economic status. furthermore, the documentation of students' toefl score results from the pgri university was used as the data for english proficiency. from 127 participants, there were 114 students responded to the questionnaires. questionnaire three sets of questionnaires were utilized for learning styles, economic status, and parents' educational background. an instrument developed by cohen, oxford, and chi (2006 as cited in male, 2019) was used to measure the learning styles. the questionnaire contained 30 items. statements number 5, 10, 26, 27, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, and 22 are for visual learning style. statements number 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12, 17, 23, 24, and 28 are for auditory learning style. then, statements number 1, 2, 6, 7, 18, 19, 20, 25, and 28 are for kinesthetics learning style. the score ranges are represented by using numbers (likert-scale) from five until one. the answers have five responses, which are (1) never, (2) rarely, (3) sometimes, and (4) often, (5) always. a response indicating a low level of learning styles for audio, visual, and kinesthetic receives one point, while the one indicating a high level of learning styles for audio, visual, and kinesthetic receives five points. therefore, the lowest total score for each learning style is 10, and 50 is for the highest one. the second instrument was for the economic status variable. the questionnaire was adapted from maesaroh and indrawati (2006, 2009, as cited in aulia 2014). it consisted of fifteen items with four options of responses covering the three aspects of economic status. a response indicating a low level of economic status receives one point, and those showing a high level of economic status receive four points. the possible lowest total score for economic status was 15, and 60 is for the highest total score. furthermore, the writer adapted the questionnaire for parents’ educational backgrounds from unesco (2012). the questionnaire contained six statements about parents' latest and highest educational level. each of them provided six responses options for respondents to choose from. the responses value from one to six depending on the level of education parents had, one for the lowest score and six for the highest score of educational background. data analysis the data was analyzed using the descriptive statistic analysis and spearman correlation coefficient. the descriptions of the degree of correlation are as follow: table 3. the degree of correlation degr s degree of correlation 0,00 – 0,199 very weak correlation 0,20 – 0,399 weak correlation 0,40 – 0,599 fair correlation 0,60 – 0,799 strong correlation 0,80 1,000 very strong correlation source: sugiyono (2016) results and discussion the result of learning styles (visual) questionnaire learning style (visual) questionnaire was a readymade questionnaire by cohen, oxford, and chi (2006 as cited in male, 2019). it was administered to find out how many students tend toward visual learning styles (visual). learning styles (visual) questionnaire consisted of 10 items. table 4 below shows the descriptive statistics of the learning styles (visual) questionnaire table 4. the descriptive statistics of learning styles (visual) questnnaire descriptive statistics n minimum maximum mean std. deviation visual 114 22.00 50.00 35.6140 6.68178 valid n (listwise) 114 source: output from spss version 25 based on the data obtained from the questionnaire, the minimum score for visual learning styles was of 22.00, and the maximum was 50.00. the mean score was 35.6140, and the standard deviation was 6.68178. the results of learning styles (audio) questionnaire nia dayanti, sofendi, eryansyah the relationship among learning styles, economic status, parents’ education background, and english proficiency in university students 270 learning styles (audio) questionnaire was a readymade questionnaire by cohen, oxford, and chi (20016,as cited in male, 2019). it was administered to find out how many students tend toward visual learning styles (audio). learning styles (audio) questionnaire consisted of 10 items. table 5 below shows the descriptive statistics of the learning styles (audio) questionnaire. table 5. the descriptive statistics of learning styles (audio) descriptive statistics n minimum maximum mean std. deviation audio 114 19.00 50.00 35.8246 6.68178 valid n (listwise) 114 source: output from spss version 25 based on the data obtained from the questionnaire, the minimum score for audio learning styles was of 19.00, and the maximum was 50.00. the mean score was 35.8246, and the standard deviation was 6.68178. the results of learning styles (kinesthetic) questionnaire learning styles (kinesthetic) questionnaire was a ready-made questionnaire by cohen, oxford, and chi (2006 as cited in male, 2019). it was administered to find out how many students tend to ward visual learning styles (kinesthetic). learning styles (kinesthetic) questionnaire consisted of 10 items. table 6 below shows the descriptive statistics of the learning styles (kinesthetic) questionnaire. table 6 the descriptive statistics of learning styles (kinesthetic) questionnaire descriptive statistics n minimum maximum mean std. deviation kinesthetic 114 17.00 50.00 33.8070 6.77956 valid n (listwise) 114 source: output from spss version 25 based on the data obtained from the learning styles (kinesthetic) questionnaire, students learning styles (kinesthetic) judgment ranged from a minimum of 17.00 to a maximum of 50.00 with a mean of 33.8070 and a standard deviation of 6.77956. the results of economic status questionnaire economic status questionnaire was a ready-made questionnaire by maesaroh and indrawati (2006, 2009, as cited in aulia 2014). it was administered to find out how many students tend toward visual economic status. economic status questionnaire consisted of 10 items. table 7 below shows the descriptive statistics of the economic status questionnaire. table 7. the descriptive statistics of economic status questionnaire descriptive statistics n minimum maximum mean std. deviation parents education 114 21.00 54.00 35.5526 5.99276 valid n (listwise) 114 source: output from spss version 25 based on the data obtained from the economic status questionnaire, the minimum of student economic status score was 21.00, and the maximum score was 54.00. the mean was 35.5526, and the standard deviation was 5.99276. the results of parents educational background questionnaire parents' educational background questionnaire was a ready-made questionnaire by (unesco, 2012). it was administered to find out how many students tend toward visual economic status. parents' educational background questionnaire consisted of 10 items. table 8 below shows the descriptive statistics of the parents educational background questionnaire. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 271 table 8. the descriptive statistics of parents’ educational background questionnaire n minimum maximum mean std. deviation parents education 114 2.00 12.00 6.5965 2.37509 valid n ( listwise) 114 source: output from spss version 25 based on the data obtained from the parents educational background questionnaire, the minimum score of parents’ educational background was 2.00, and the maximum score was 12.00. the mean score was 6.5965, and the standard deviation was 2.37509. . the results of english proficiency questionnaire english proficiency was administered to find out the english proficiency level of students of pgri university. table 10 below shows the descriptive statistics of the parents’ educational background questionnaire. table 9. the descriptive statistics of english proficiency questionnaire n minimum maximum mean std. deviation english proficiency 114 350.00 550.00 479.1491 34.88850 valid n (listwise) 114 source: output from spss version 25 based on the data obtained from the result of english proficiency judgment ranged from a minimum of 350 to a maximum of 550 with a mean of 479.1491 and a standard deviation of 34.88850. correlation analysis table 10. correlation learning style (visual) test with english proficiency correlations visual english proficiency spearman's rho visual correlation coefficient 1.000 -.172 sig. (2-tailed) . .067 n 114 114 english proficiency correlation coefficient -.172 1.000 sig. (2-tailed) .067 . n 114 114 source: output from spss version 25 based on table 10, the correlation coefficient value for visual learning style was -0.172. the significant value was 0.067. the correlation coefficient value of -0,172 (lower than 0) indicated a negative direction, meaning no unidirectional correlation occurred between visual learning style and english proficiency. in other words, the visual learning style did not help students to have sufficient english proficiency. furthermore, the correlation coefficient value in the interval of 0.00 0.199 marked a very weak correlation between visual learning style and english proficiency. finally, the sig value was 0.067 indicating there is no significant correlation between visual and english proficiency. table 11. correlation learning style (audio) test with english proficiency correlations audio english proficiency spearman's rho audio correlation coefficient 1.000 .183 sig. (2-tailed) . .052 n 114 114 english profici ency correlation coefficient .183 1.000 sig. (2-tailed) .052 . n 114 114 source: output from spss version 25 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee based on table 11, the correlation coefficient value for audio learning style was 0.183. the significant value was 0.052. the correlation coefficient value was higher than 0. it indicated a positive direction, meaning a unidirectional correlation occurred between audio learning style and english proficiency. in other words, the higher the audio learning style score was, the better english proficiency students had. however, the correlation coefficient value in the interval of 0.00 0.199 marked a very weak correlation between audio learning style and english proficiency. then, the significant value showed that there is no significant correlation between audio and english proficiency. table 12. correlation learning style (kinesthetic) test with english proficiency kinestheti c english proficienc y spearman's rho kinest hetic correlation coefficient 1.000 .339** sig. (2-tailed) . .000 n 114 114 english profici ency correlation coefficient .339** 1.000 sig. (2-tailed) .000 . n 114 114 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). source: output from spss version 25 based on table 12, the correlation coefficient value for kinesthetic learning style was 0.339. the significant value was 0.000. since the correlation coefficient value indicated a positive direction, a unidirectional correlation occurred between kinesthetic learning style and english proficiency. in other words, the higher the kinesthetic learning style score was, the better english proficiency students had. however, the correlation coefficient value in the interval of 0.200 0.399 marked a very weak correlation between kinesthetic learning style and english proficiency. however, the significant value showed a significant correlation between kinesthetic and english proficiency. table 13. correlation economic status test with english proficiency correlations es ep spearman's rho es correlation coefficient 1.000 .143 sig. (2-tailed) . .128 n 114 114 ep correlation coefficient .143 1.000 sig. (2-tailed) .128 . n 114 114 source: output from spss version 25 based on table 13, the correlation coefficient value for the economic status variable was 0.143. the significant value was 0.128. since the correlation coefficient value indicated a positive direction, a unidirectional correlation occurred between economic status and english proficiency. in other words, the higher the economic status score was, the better english proficiency students had. however, the correlation coefficient value in the interval of 0.00 0.199 marked a very weak correlation between economic status and english proficiency. then, the significant value showed no significant correlation between economic status and english proficiency. table 14. correlation parents’ educational background test with english proficiency pe ep english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 273 spearman's rho pe correlation coefficient 1.000 .389** sig. (2-tailed) . .000 n 114 114 ep correlation coefficient .389** 1.000 sig. (2-tailed) .000 . n 114 114 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). source: output from spss version 25 based on table 14, the correlation coefficient value for the parents' educational background variable was 0.389. the significant value was 0.000. since the correlation coefficient value indicated a positive direction, a unidirectional correlation occurred between parents' educational backgrounds and english proficiency. in other words, the higher the parents' educational background score was, the better english proficiency students had. however, the correlation coefficient value in the interval of 0.200 0.399 marked a very weak correlation between parents' educational background and english proficiency. then, the significant value showed a significant correlation between parents' educational backgrounds and english proficiency. table 15. the correlations among predictor variables the correlations among predictor variables model r f sig. 1 .439a 8.752 .000 a. predictors: (constant), learning styles, economic status and parents educational b. criterion variable: english proficiency source: output from spss version 25 based on the error! reference source not found., the correlation coefficient between the predictor variables total and the criterion variable total was .439 with a significance value of .000. thus, it can be concluded that there was a significant correlation between predictor variables (learning styles, economics status, and parents’ educational background) and the criterion variable (english proficiency). discussion in this section, the author will provide discussion of the statistical analysis that was conducted in the finding section. interpretation will be presented following the research problem in this study. the correlation between learning styles and english proficiency the findings of this study stated that there was no significant correlation between visual learning style and english proficiency. the findings were in line with setyoningsih (2019). the research that visual learning style had no significant correlation with english proficiency and had a positive coefficient value. in other words, students with visual learning style tend to have low english proficiency. in addition, this study discovered no significant and positive correlation between audio learning style and english proficiency. similar research conducted by marzulina, pitaloka, & yolanda (2019) also obtained identical findings. the study revealed learners with audio learning style tended to have poor english proficiency. finally, this study identified a correlation between kinesthetic learning style and english proficiency. students with kinesthetic learning style, if well-accommodated and facilitated, would have excellent english proficiency. this finding had similarity to the findings from jaya (2019). the correlation between economic status and english proficiency the study revealed significant negative correlation between economic status variable and english proficiency. this indicates that higher economic status does not guarantee students will obtain the desired english proficiency. it is in line with the findings from hernandez (2014) also found significant negative correlation between economic status and learners achievement in mathematics. the correlation between parents’ educational background and english proficiency the findings revealed that parents’ educational background showed significantly positive correlation with the english proficiency. higher nia dayanti, sofendi, eryansyah the relationship among learning styles, economic status, parents’ education background, and english proficiency in university students 274 level of educational background provided parents a better understanding of what the children needs to excel in the classroom. therefore, the higher educational background a parent has, the better chance students will have to perform well. several studies also discover a similar result. marzulina et al. (2018) concluded a significant positive correlation between parents’ educational backgrounds and english achievement. in addition, susetyo and rahmawati (2021) stated in their study that parents educational background was the key to student success in achieving english proficiency. the correlation between predictor variables (learning styles, economics status, parents’ educational backgtround) and criterion variables (english proficiency) the result shows a significantly positive correlation between predictor variables (learning styles, economic status, parents’ educational) and criterion variables (english proficiency). this means learning styles, parents’ educational background and economic status could become the determinant of english proficiency variable. conclusion to begin with, the findings indicate that visual and audio learning styles did not have a significant correlation with the student's english proficiency. only kinesthetic learning style is significantly related to the student's english proficiency. in other words, the visual and audio learning styles may not give any stimuli to help students understand english and achieve the desired proficiency. on the other hand, learners with kinesthetic learning styles are likely to have a better understanding of english and achieve proficiency if the teachers and the students themselves could accommodate their learning style into the teaching and learning plannings. based on both writer (alumnae)’s personal experience and informal interview results, many lecturers do not consider and accommodate students' learning styles in preparing lesson plans and during its application in the classroom. therefore, this study recommends lecturers to consider students' learning styles in preparing lesson plans, determining learning methods, and selecting teaching materials. knowing students' learning styles will be very beneficial for students because a well-accommodated learning style will help improve their understanding of the lesson. then, it will be very useful if lecturers can map students based on their learning styles in class so that they become more interested and motivated in learning. next, the study also found no significant correlation between students’ economic status and their english proficiency. students who came from the middle to up class of economic status and could afford good facilities and english courses did not show a significant difference in academic performance. they could not make the most of the facilities they had and were not highly motivated to achieve the desired achievement. in other words, students' economic status did not guarantee better grades and proficiency levels. last but not least, the parents' educational background turned out to have a significant relationship with the students’ english proficiency. therefore, it is safe to say that students who have highly educated parents are likely to achieve a good level of english proficiency. to sum up, learning styles and economic status did not correlate with the student's proficiency level. only parents’ educational backgrounds had a significant correlation based on correlation coefficient level and could help to advance their children english proficiency. however, students and teacher/lecturers should still need to know about learning styles to ease learners reach expected english proficiency. this study suggests that lecturers and teachers can understand students' learning styles. in addition, lecturers or instructors must improve their teaching abilities to better accommodate students' learning styles. then, the results of this study can be used as a reflection for students to know themselves better and determine what learning style is most suitable for them to accomplish the best and desired learning outcomes. finally, future researchers can use the results of this study as materials for consideration and reference in conducted related studies. references arikunto, s. (2013). prosedur penelitian, suatu pendekatan praktek, jakarta: bumi aksara aulia, r., vianty, m., & ihsan, d. (2014). students’ reading motivation, reading achievement, and parents’ economic status. the journal of english literacy education: the teaching and learning of english as a foreign language, l(2). clement, a., & murugavel, t. (2018). english for the workplace: the importance of english language skills for effective performance. the english classroom, 20(1), 1-15. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 275 fraenkel, j. r., wallen, n. e., & hyun, h. h. (2012). how to design and evaluate research in education.(eight edition). new york: mcgraw hall. gilakjani, a. p. (2012). visual, auditory, kinaesthetic learning styles and their impacts on english language teaching. journal of studies in education, 2(1), 104-113. gul, r., kanwal, s., & khan, s. s. (2020). preferences of the teachers in employing revised blooms taxonomy in their instructions. sjesr, 3(2), 258266. gul, r., khan, s. s., mazhar, s., & tahir, t. (2020). influence of logical and spatial intelligence on teaching pedagogies of secondary school teachers. humanities & social sciences reviews, 8(6), 01-09. hernandez, m. (2014). the relationship between mathematics achievement and socio-economic status. ejep: ejournal of education policy. jaya, h. p. (2019). learning styles used and english proficiency of the students of english education study program faculty of teacher training and education sriwijaya university. holistics, 11(1). jena, r. k. (2018). predicting students’ learning style using learning analytics: a case study of business management students from india. behaviour & information technology, 37(10-11), 978-992. male, h. (2019). senior high school students’learning styles: a foreign language context. marzulina, l., pitaloka, n. l., & yolanda, a. d. (2019). learning styles and english proficiency of undergraduate efl students at one state islamic university in sumatera, indonesia. jurnal pendidikan dan pengajaran, 6(1), 214-228. marzulina, l., pitaloka, n. l., herizal, h., holandyah, m., erlina, d., & lestari, t. (2018). looking at the link between parents’ educational backgrounds and students’ english achievement. indonesian research journal in education (irje), 51-60. pishghadam, r., & zabini, r. (2011). parental education and social and cultural capital in academic achievement. international journal of english linguistics, 1(2), 50.. rohliah, l. (2015). the correlation among foreign language anxity, learning styles, language learning attitudes, and english poficiency of the economic faculty students of muhammadiyah university palembang (doctoral dissertation, master‟ s thesis). sriwijaya university, palembang, indonesia). selvam, p. (2013). a study on relationship between parental education and student achievement. education research journal, 3(3), 75-82. setiawan, arif yudhi. (2015). pengaruh tingkat pendidikan orang tua dan disiplin belajar siswa terhadap prestasi belajar akuntansi siswa kelas xi ips sma negeri 1 pakem tahun ajaran 2013/2014. retrieved from https://eprints.uny.ac.id.14875/1/ setyoningsih, d. l. (2019). the correlation of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning style on students’ english learning achievement. language-edu: journal of english teaching and learning, 8(2), 1-6. slameto. (2013). belajar dan faktor – faktor yang mempengaruhinya. jakarta: rineka cipta. sugiyono. (2016). metode penelitian bisnis (pendekatan kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r&d). bandung: alfabeta. sugiyono. (2015). statistika untuk penelitian. bandung: alfabeta bandung. setyoningsih, d. l. (2019). the correlation of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning style on students’ english learning achievement. language-edu: journal of english teaching and learning, 8(2), 1-6. susetyo, b. (2021, april). impacts of gender, parents’ educational background, access to ict, use of ict and school quality on students’ achievement. in international conference on educational assessment and policy (iceap 2020) (pp. 41-45). atlantis press. udoh, n. a., & sanni, k. b. (2012). parental background variables and the career choice of secondary school students in uyo local government area, nigeria. mediterr j soc sci, 3(1), 497-504. unesco. (2012). international standard classification of education (isced). montreal: unesco institute for statistics. vaishnav, r. s., & chirayu, k. c. (2013). learning style and academic achievement of secondary school students. voice of research, 1(4), 1-4. https://eprints.uny.ac.id.14875/1/ nia dayanti, sofendi, eryansyah the relationship among learning styles, economic status, parents’ education background, and english proficiency in university students 276 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 227 teachers’ perception to clil and web-based material implementation in a primary school alimin adi waloyo english education, faculty of teacher training and education, university of muhammadiyah malang, malang, indonesia email: aliminwaloyo@umm.ac.id khoiriyah english education, faculty of teacher training and education, university of muhammadiyah malang, malang, indonesia email: khoiriyah230693@gmail.com, rafika rabba farah english education, faculty of teacher training and education, university of muhammadiyah malang, malang, indonesia email: rafikafarah@gmail.com apa citation: waloyo, a. a., khoiriyah., & farah, r. r. (2021). teachers’ perception to clil and web-based material implementation in a primary school. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp. 227-234. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4347 received: 26-02-2021 accepted: 19-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction english as a key component for knowledge advancement and global communication. in indonesia, english gains a less amount of attention particularly in formal instruction although english is delivered formally since junior high school stage. this condition clearly impacts the students’ english mastery. also, formal education for most students is most likely the sole option to learn english. so, it will create less opportunity for learners to develop their english. hence, content and language integrated learning (clil) could be an approach to let learners get higher portion of english learning pedagogically. clil refers to the use of foreign language (english in indonesian context) as a medium of classroom course delivery (ludovico & zambelli, 2017). in other words, english is not taught separately, but it is integrated into the content subjects. and the language becomes the primary communicative tool in classroom. some teachers might be worried clil implementation will reduce the students’ understanding towards the learned contents. students might be overwhelmed because they are trying comprehend the learned topic and efl simultaneously. it will be exhausting for them. also, when the learned material is delivered through english, the content teachers might explain materials incompletely and unclearly due to their lack of english communication competence. this could hinder the main goal of abstract: primary school teachers have a crucial role to support clil and web-oriented media implementation in class. clil approach pedagogically offers double advantages; english competence and content development. this pedagogical approach leads to sufficient english input at the early stage of learning which makes primary learners able to shift the paradigm that english is a challenging language to learn. more importantly, primary school learners can take the advantages of the information and communication technology (ict) part of their daily use for the sake of clil, so learning can be fun and enjoyable. nevertheless, much of the previous research in indonesian context gives limited attention to how primary school teachers perceived clil interwoven into ict based media.) that situation led into this research. also, this research is expected to encourage the clil application in formal education, particularly in primary levels due to time efficacy and effectiveness. the involved participants were 12 primary school teachers in a primary school in malang. a 14-item likert-scale questionnaire and fgd were applied to collect the data. it was found that the teachers perceive the clil and web-based media positively, but they would reconsider to implement it in their class due to english competency reasons and material design issue, facilities, and school support. therefore, hybrid clil implementation and teachers’ collaboration are suggested. keywords: clil; web-based platform; english competence; content instruction mailto:aliminwaloyo@umm.ac.id mailto:khoiriyah230693@gmail.com mailto:rafikafarah@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4347 alimin adi waloyo, khoiriyah, & rafika rabba farah teachers’ perception to clil and web-based material implementation in a primary school 228 learning to master the content. however, yilmaz and şeker (2013) convincingly believed clil students can understand the discussed topic equally as their peers who learn it in their l1. however, it could be different when being implemented in indonesia as most learners have low english skills due to less english exposure formally or informally, such as unsupportive local environment for english learning. therefore, there should be a real strategy to deal with that issue. one of the approaches is the clil teaching approach should be assigned to a group of bilingual teachers who collaborate with english teachers and language assistant (campillo, sánchez, & miralles, 2019). collaboration as a part of clil teaching seems applicable as suggested by (campillo et al., 2019 and usman, ferdiansya, & widodo. 2020). however, bilingual teachers are rarely found in indonesia. so, changing those teachers with content teachers who have sufficient english competence could be more practical. if clil is going to be widely implemented, there is no doubt that english access will be wider for indonesian learners. in addition to english development, students take advantages by developing skills, knowledge, and competence needed to finish a number of different tasks by taking into account english and content quality improvement (heras & lasagabaster, 2015). referring to those benefits, it could be interesting to introduce clil as early as possible. therefore, infusing english into primary school thematic topics is a good way to foster both english and other knowledge and competences simultaneously. the approach is not supposed to be too formal, so it can reduce the students’ learning motivation. alcaraz-mármol (2018) suggested the teaching approach could be done through fun classroom tasks, engaging games and other exciting activities aiming to improve primary school learner listening and speaking skills followed by reading and writing when teaching creative activities are developed. it will be interesting to know some researches on clil implementation in primary education. so, it is identifiable how effective clil is when being applied in the elementary level. clil is considerably effective for both subjects and a foreign language improvement, and believed to improve cognitive aspect, communication abilities, and cultural awareness (sakurai, 2015). diezmas (2016) found that clil is effective to improve primary students’ english skills, particularly listening and speaking. the clil positively effects young learners’ communicative skills. also their attitude towards fl and content subjects become more positive (korosidou & griva, 2014). current trend on the information and communication technology (ict) use is massively entering nearly all fields, including education. the ict provides abundant references for the teachers and students both in class and outside the class, so learners have more opportunity to optimize all their potential for obtaining required information (sansanwal, 2020). a web-based teaching, part of the ict implementation, is quite popular in an academic context even in primary school levels. this is going to be a comfortable approach for clil in primary schools because integrating clil into digital technology can ease the learning itself. the evolution of web-based approach on clil proved to be an accessible, customizable, and accessible to apply clil strategies to primary school education (ludovico & zambelli, 2017). so, clil implementation will be more effective and doable anytime. clil implementation is inseparable from the teachers’ role to guide the students on the practice. hence, teachers are supposed to have positive perception on the clil implementation. the perception drives the teachers’ teaching performance, such as how they teach and deal with their classroom effectively (tachaiyaphum & sukying, 2017). they found in particular thailand universities, clil helps students improve their language competence and subject knowledge simultaneously although it was agreed that clil implementation was challenging when having to teach content, language, and culture at the same time. at a spanish university, teachers and students perceive clil positively to improve teachers’ productive skills and students’ vocabulary knowledge, listening and speaking skills. in the tertiary level education in taiwan, teachers believed clil benefited learners, like attracting more international students to study in universities in taiwan (yang, 2016). tsuchiya & murillo (2019) found motivation to learn english and the positive attitudes are benefits of the clil in primary school and clil offers the chances to develop english language skills and content subjects simultaneously. some more investigations related to clil were conducted in indonesian context. mahmud (2020) found clil was effective to teach science, particularly biology subject, using genre-based approach in secondary level. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 229 setyaningrum and purwati (2020) stated through clil, teachers’ competence and knowledge were improved and they perceived clil in young learners level as a positive way for pedagogic and linguistic development. fitriani's (2016) investigation revealed a university student had a mixed feeling regarding the english use in content delivery. they were so motivated because of vocabulary development, but it was sometimes annoying given looking up a dictionary many times to learn new words. it was admittedly clear that the need to english mastery is crucial as a part of global society. clil is suggested by many experts and researchers as a great alternative for english development. research on it was conducted in various countries including indonesia. however, the researcher found the scarcity of study examining clil implementation focusing on the primary school teachers’ perception. in particular, there were no studies, known to the researchers, examining clil and web-based media in primary school levels in indonesia. hence, this research would investigate how the primary school teachers perceived clil and ict-based media implementation. most importantly, this research would promote the clil implementation in formal education, particularly primary level due to dual benefits (english and the learned subjects) creating time efficacy and student’s motivation. method to gather the data, the researchers applied a survey. survey was used as it is a unique process to gather information derived from large population (jones, baxter, & khanduja, 2013). the survey instrument was questionnaire, formulated using likert-scale using indonesian language as the questionnaire questions which was translated into english in this article as part of the article writing requirement. the indonesian language was used to avoid the misleading question resulting invalid data. the questionnaire was distributed virtually through google form with 14 close-ended questions. online questionnaire allows the respondents’ data to be recorded automatically in the computer database. afterwards, there was a recorded fgd that focuses on teachers’ perception about clil integrated in the web-based media. the discussion would lead into more in-depth data. there were 12 participants participated in the study that involved homeroom and content teachers. their professional teaching experiences were one up to fifteen years. they also joined the professional development program conducted by the researchers, so they had sufficient knowledge and competence on clil integrated into webbased platform. here is the detail of participants’ data: table 1. detail of participants’ data no. gender teaching experience grade lessons further information 1 female 6-10 years 2 thematic lessons homeroom teacher 2 female 11-15 years 6 thematic lessons + science homeroom teacher 3 female 1-5 years 2b thematic lessons homeroom teacher 4 female 11-years 5 math, civic, social science, bahasa jawa content teacher 5 female 1-5 years 1b thematic lessons homeroom teacher 6 female 11-15 years 4 thematic lessons homeroom teacher 7 female 11-15 years 1 thematic lessons homeroom teacher 8 male 1-5 years 1-6 pe content teacher 9 female 1-5 years 3 thematic lessons homeroom teacher 10 female 16 years 1-6 religion content teacher 11 female 2 months 3-6 english (as extracurriculer) content teacher 12 female 1-5 years 1-6 arabic and kemuhammadiyahan content teacher the research setting was at sd ‘aisyiyah malang. the school is one of muhammadiyahaffiliated schools under universitas muhammadiyah malang supervisory school. they were so welcomed to join the professional teacher development in clil and web-platform as the initial process of the data gathering. the collected data were analyzed differently. the data from questionnaire were treated quantitatively through simple computation. then, they were elaborated to identify the teachers’ perception regarding clil implementation in alimin adi waloyo, khoiriyah, & rafika rabba farah teachers’ perception to clil and web-based material implementation in a primary school 230 primary schools using ict platform. on the other hand, the fgd outcomes were coded manually by referring to the literature review to gain the participant insights and thoughts on the clil applied virtually in a primary level. the fgd data were more natural due to the discussion concept letting the participants to share what they perceive regarding the topic. dervin & dyer (2016) highlighted the data of fgd were applied to identify authentic perception of the participants findings and discussion after analyzing the questionnaire 14 (items using a five-likert scale) and fgd data distributed to 12 teachers who have completed the professional development program on clil with digital platform for primary level. the researchers found how the participants perceived clil and web platform integration classified into three subthemes; 1) their readiness and motivation to implement clil approach using web-based materials, 2) the impact of clil through webbased materials for learners’ english development, and 3) the supporting facilities to implement clil approach using web-based materials. the teachers’ readiness and motivation based on the data analysis, teachers were categorized as table 1 below in relation to their readiness and motivation when the clil and online platform were implemented in their class. figure 1. the teachers’ perception towards their readiness and motivation to implement clil approach using web-based materials concerning the teachers' perception on their readiness and motivation to implement clil approach using web-based materials, it can be seen from the result of questions 1, 2, and 3 (mean= < 3.00) indicating that most teachers looked themselves not so ready to implement clil approach. some teachers expressed their difficulties in starting to implement clil approach for their classes. hence, they were not full confidence in their language competence. “actually, we do understand about the materials that we are going to teach [integrating the content and language learning]. yet, i do not feel confident with my english…" (fgd#teacher4) "...we have tried to give an english lesson in our classes. yet, we are still confused on what we need to prioritize... our language as the instruction or the students' vocabulary…. we also have difficulties in preparing the materials…" (fgd#teacher7) “...i want it [implementing clil], somehow it’s difficult to make my teaching materials in english…” (fgd#teacher2) in another aspect, even though the teachers expressed their less readiness, most teachers are triggered and motivated to implement clil approach facilitated by web-based materials in their classes as shown on their responses for questions number 5, 6, and 7 (mean= >3.00). two teachers restated their understanding in the following excerpts. “i see… it means that [at least] we change our instruments in english to start it…” (fgd#teacher10) “...is that okay when we start it from the simple one? such as mentioning number in english. because i am not good enough in speaking english.” (fgd#teacher8) further, the participants considered they were in need for collaboration with other teachers, either homeroom teachers or content teachers to prepare their teaching materials. they need help from other teachers to change their teaching instruction into the target language (english). teacher 2, who is teaching science for the upper class, expressed her attention to collaborating with other teachers. “ehm…. we can consult our teaching materials to the english teacher, perhaps, and asked the home-room teacher about the topic the students have discussed in their thematic books.” (fgd#teacher2) some teachers were well-prepared to apply clil approach. however, some expressed their less confidence if clil approach through webbased platform materials would be regulated in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 231 their classes. hence, they were not fully confidence in their english skills and competence. basically, all of the teachers have a clear understanding of the basic concept of clil approach that is in line with the context of their school although this approach is relatively new for them. therefore, they were reluctant to implement it. similarly, pinner (2013) found integrating the content into language and eliminating language barriers could be a big challenge not only for teachers but also students. therefore, the teachers need to have a particular approach, so they are motivated to prepare the clil materials. bentley (2010) proposed three possible types of clil. they were language-led, subject-led (modular), and subject-led (partial immersion). all of them were based on the time allotment of clil practice in the learning process and the content addressed. to deal with the problems above, language-led approach could be applicable. this type of clil, also known as language-driven clil or content-rich language learning (crll) (escobar urmeneta, 2019), allows teachers to teach particular content topic using english in 45 minutes once a week. the short time allotment let teachers have more time to prepare better materials and was considered sufficient as the primary paces of clil implementation. also, it corresponds the current regulation of curriculum 2013 where english is extracurricular. take an example, a science teacher is planning to design a unit of clil materials for the fifth grade. the selected topic is based on the thematic book of the fifth grade in the regular thematic class. it makes it possible to integrate language and content in a short-allocated time which was then mixed with the daily material delivery. this was a hybrid clil implementation. this type model is also highly suggested by khoiriyah (2018) in her research on the implementation of adopted clil in some indonesian primary schools. by implementing clil approach using web-based materials, students will gain greater foreign language exposure due to the limited school time. clil approach is different from foreign language teaching, as in clil a foreign language is the vehicle for a form of subject-based teaching. it means that primary teachers should master both the language and the content. the most common problem encountered to implement this teaching innovation is limited to english proficiency. they were encouraged to join the workshop on pd (professional development) program highlighting clil implementation online. however, they had a fairly positive perception to implement clil with web-based materials in their school. they mostly did not feel confident with their english competence, particularly their speaking skills. some teachers stated that they were not familiar with some content vocabularies as it is also reported by bui and truong (2015), stating that teachers got some confusion in acknowledging some specific content vocabulary terms. further, primary school teachers should be equipped with language and pedagogical skills. more attempts and professional development programs are needed to upgrade the primary teachers' competence since most of them do not have an english education background. it also was reported by setyaningrum & purwati (2020) that to make clil approach visible for primary schools, all of the related stakeholders should go hand in hand to facilitate the teachers to improve their competences concerning linguistic knowledge and pedagogical issues. additionally, there is a need of sufficient understanding from all the stakeholders ranging from teachers, parents and the school principals to accommodate the planning program and give more access to the teachers to explore their clil classes. hence, the school leadership team is projected to make a policy to support the program and create supporting clil environment. it takes some time and practices to become a clil teacher. particularly, the clil teachers applied web-based materials. thus, such this goal cannot be accomplished immediately. their answers indicated their positive perceptions on the clil and web platform integration. this positive perception could lead into fun clil class. yamano (2013) highlighted students experienced excitement and enjoyment when designing their favorite animals (one of clil exercises) and developing their english skills. usman et al. (2020) in their research strongly suggested that collaboration in preparing the clil materials is crucial to create an effective learning process. in order to enable students to participate more actively in content and language learning, primary teachers can collaborate to choose contextually-relevant topics based on thematic books. the selected thematic topics can be the starting point for building awareness of the content and create more engaging language learning (rohmah, 2019). to achieve these learning objectives, language teachers and alimin adi waloyo, khoiriyah, & rafika rabba farah teachers’ perception to clil and web-based material implementation in a primary school 232 content teachers can cooperate to discuss the selected topic and their teaching materials as well. it makes it possible for content teachers to learn about the classroom language or english instruction for the classroom activities from the language teachers. meanwhile, the language teachers also enable to consult their specific content vocabulary items to the content teachers. the impact of clil through web-based materials based on the data analysis, it was found the teachers had various perception when being asked about the effect of clil and web-based classroom topics for their students’ english advancement. figure 2. the teachers' perception of the impact of clil through web-based materials for learners’ english development further, based on the result of the survey regarding the teachers’ perception toward the use of web-based materials for their clil classes, the teachers had a tremendously positive impression (mean = > 3.00). the teachers stated that to effectively integrating lesson, what they considered was using some supporting applications such as google classroom, google form, and other social media to communicate with their students. “we usually use g-form for the quiz… and sometimes using google classroom for sharing the materials. it will be easy for the upper classes. i think clil materials will be beneficial for the students, if we try to implement it… (fgd#teacher9) “yeah, students will be motivated to learn by giving some pictures or videos.” (fgd#teacher11) “i have already tried to provide web-based materials, such as i send a video to my students about the numbers… and i asked my students to learn at home. they were very interested in singing the song." (fgd#teacher10) nonetheless, some teachers were concerned that what they considered to have an effective clil lesson using web-based materials was the availability of internet access and supporting devices for their students. as it is stated by the teacher as follows: “...for having web-based materials, it seems a bit problematic because some students do not have access to the internet or even supporting devices.” (fgd#teacher1) this research found the teachers mostly agreed on the benefits of clil lesson using webbased materials. this finding showcased teachers’ comprehension about the concept of clil and how it can affect the students english. it is no surprising because of the common knowledge about the important of english for student’s future education opportunities in job and career. also, they have realization that ict can be separated when learning english. this finding is in line with some empirical research reporting the benefits of clil approach in real classroom practice. yamano (2013) in her study for japanese efl context, revealed that the implementation of clil has the potential for improving primary students’ proficiency in the target language, particularly in promoting a positive attitude among students towards the target language and mastering vocabulary. it is going to be a great step to let them learn and develop their english more. that positive feeling should be maintained so students can enjoy english learning which is in fact learnt automatically while developing their content knowledge. furthermore, campillo-ferrer, mirallesmartínez, & sánchez-ibáñez (2020) also reported that clil is strongly believed resulting cognitive development of primary school students in spanish efl context. it was interesting finding that clil does not only enhance primary students’ english skills and communication but also think, explore, and solve their real-world issues. this may not be realized by participants of this research and most of primary school teachers. hence, they do not really get encouraged its implementation. so, more research on this area need to get more attention. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 233 and, there should be more workshop and seminar children cognitive development could be fostered through clil and web integration. the use of online learning apps and interactive websites facilitates the students for immediate translation from the target language to l1 and also provide the correct pronunciation (bailey, 2015). besides, mahmud (2020) deemed that by integrating multimodal learning resources, clil approach helps the establishment of students’ prior knowledge towards the content learned and support the students’ language learning activities. these are in line with this research highlighted the use of google classroom, google form, and other social media affecting the lesson gaining more effectively and create more effective communication. the supporting facilities to implement clil approach using web-based materials the findings on the participants’ perception regarding facilities supporting the implementation of clil and ict-based topics are elaborated below. figure 3. the teachers’ perception towards the supporting facilities to implement clil approach using web-based materials for the teachers, the availability of supporting ict tools will make clil easily to be implemented for their classes (ludovico & zambelli, 2017). participants in this investigation stated the same that what they saw as an effective clil lesson with web-based topics was supposed to be supported by reliable internet connection and related devices. so, primary schools’ planning to implement this approach need to prepare solid digital infrastructure. here, the policy makers are supposed to know and be encouraged to build all the facilities to ease the clil and web-based topics. otherwise, all the concepts, teaching media, teaching preparation and modified lesson plans for its implementation will not work. in fact, supporting facilities are not sufficiently available to implement this teaching approach. here, supporting facilities clearly have a key role to run this new and challenging teaching approach. in other words, policy makers have to be highly motivated to support and supply the required ict facilities. conclusion this study concludes the teachers were basically encouraged to adopt clil approach using webbased materials for their classes and had a reasonably positive perception to implement clil for their classes. however, they mostly were not confident to apply it in their class due to their lack of english competences (vocabulary, speaking, etc.). therefore, language-led approach was a good option where they could mix english and indonesia to lessen their anxiety. also, the teachers basically agreed that implementing clil using web-based teaching materials has comprehensive impact for students due to its dual-focus, content, and language learning despite of the teachers’ lack of english proficiency, lack of appropriate teaching materials, and lack of ict facilities. the successful implementation of clil as a bottomup policy inevitably involves a joint effort by all related parties (teachers, principals, and parents). the expected implementation of adopted clil approach and web-based materials could be promoted as long as the teachers are adequately trained and supported by the school. recognizing that this study covered a small research area and that the findings cannot be generalized in the context of all indonesian primary schools. therefore, there is a strong need for more research to explore a broader context. references alcaraz-mármol, g. (2018). trained and non-trained language teachers on clil methodology: teachers’ facts and opinions about the clil approach in the primary education context in spain. latin american journal of content & language integrated learning, 11(1), 39–64. https://doi.org/10.5294/laclil.2018.11.1.3 bailey, n. (2015). attaining content and language integrated learning (clil) in the primary school classroom. american journal of educational research, 3(4), 418–426. https://doi.org/10.12691/education-3-4-6 bentley, k. (2010). the tkt course: clil module. cambridge university press. bui, l. d. t., & truong, t. t. n. (2015). clil in primary english lessons: teachers’ perspectives. language education in asia, 6(2), 90–106. alimin adi waloyo, khoiriyah, & rafika rabba farah teachers’ perception to clil and web-based material implementation in a primary school 234 https://doi.org/10.5746/leia/15/v6/i2/a2/bui_truo ng campillo-ferrer, j.-m., miralles-martínez, p., & sánchez-ibáñez, r. (2020). clil teachers’ views on cognitive development in primary education. palgrave communications, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-0480-x campillo, j. m., sánchez, r., & miralles, p. (2019). primary teachers’ perceptions of clil implementation in spain. english language teaching, 12(4), 149. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n4p149 dervin, f., & dyer, c. (2016). constructing methodology for qualitative research. springer. diezmas, e. n. m. de. (2016). the impact of clil on the acquisition of l2 competences and skills in primary education. international journal of english studies, 16(2), 81–101. escobar urmeneta, c. (2019). an introduction to content and language integrated learning (clil) for teachers and teacher educators. clil. journal of innovation and research in plurilingual and pluricultural education, 2(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/clil.21 fitriani, i. (2016). grass roots’ voices on the clil implementation in tertiary education. dinamika ilmu, 16(2), 211. https://doi.org/10.21093/di.v16i2.320 heras, a., & lasagabaster, d. (2015). the impact of clil on affective factors and vocabulary learning. language teaching research, 19(1), 70–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168814541736 jones, t. l., baxter, m., & khanduja, v. (2013). a quick guide to survey research. annals of the royal college of surgeons of england, 95(1), 5– 7. https://doi.org/10.1308/003588413x135116099 56372 khoiriyah. (2018). clil in indonesia: the 4c’s framework of adopted clil approach in elementary school khoiriyah. proceedings quality improvement innovation in elt (coetin), 1, 154–160. korosidou, e., & griva, e. (2014). clil approach in primary education: learning about byzantine art and culture through a foreign language. studies in english language teaching, 2(2), 240. https://doi.org/10.22158/selt.v2n2p240 ludovico, l. a., & zambelli, c. (2017). web-based frameworks for clil in primary school: design, implementation, pilot experimentation and results. communications in computer and information science, 739, 139–158. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63184-4_8 mahmud, y. (2020). conceptualizing bilingual education programs through clil and genrebased approach: an indonesian context. veles voices of english language education society, 4(1), 62–74. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v4i1.2005 pinner, r. (2013). authenticity of purpose: clil as a way to bring meaning and motivation into efl contexts. asian efl journal, 15(4), 138–159. rohmah, i. i. t. (2019). the feasibility and effectiveness of integrating content knowledge and english competences for assessing english proficiency in clil. eternal (english teaching journal), 10(1). https://doi.org/10.26877/eternal.v10i1.3909 sakurai, s. (2015). bilingual education in primary school: aspects of immersion, clil, and bilingual modules. language and education, 29(1), 83–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2014.895104 sansanwal, d. n. (2020). use of ict in teachinglearning & evaluation. in journal of xidian university (vol. 14, issue 5). https://doi.org/10.37896/jxu14.5/642 setyaningrum, r. w., & purwati, o. (2020). projecting the implementation feasibility of clil approach for teyl at primary schools in indonesia. jees (journal of english educators society), 5(1), 23–30. https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v5i1.352 tachaiyaphum, n., & sukying, a. (2017). efl preservice teachers’ perceptions of clil. asian education studies, 2(4), 44. https://doi.org/10.20849/aes.v2i4.283 tsuchiya, k., & murillo, m. d. p. (2019). content and language integrated learning in spanish and japanese contexts: policy, practice and pedagogy. in content and language integrated learning in spanish and japanese contexts. springer nature. usman, h., ferdiansyah, s., widodo, h. p., & lestariyana, r. p. d. (2020). primary school english teachers’ perceptions of the teacher educator-created english textbook: the case of indonesia. the journal of asiatefl, 17(3), 1057–1067. yamano, y. (2013). using the clil approach in a japanese primary school: a comparative study of clil and efl lessons. the asian efl journal, 15(4), 160–183. yang, w. (2016). an investigation of learning efficacy, management difficulties and improvements in tertiary clil (content and language integrated learning) programmes in taiwan: a survey of stakeholder perspectives. latin american journal of content & language integrated learning, 9(1), 64–109. https://doi.org/10.5294/laclil.2016.9.1.4 yilmaz, f., & şeker, m. (2013). young learners’ perceptions on learning languages through clil and ict. academica science journal, 1(1), 42– 48. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 47 efficacy of methodological practices undertaken by saudi english teachers in public schools during their formative phase majed othman aba hussain college of education, majma’ah university, kingdom of saudi arabia email: m.abahussain@mu.edu.sa muhammad iqbal department of english, college of education, majma’ah university, kingdom of saudi arabia email: m.iqbal@mu.edu.sa imran khan department of english, college of education, majma’ah university, kingdom of saudi arabia email: imkk2020@mu.edu.sa apa citation: hussain, m. o. a., iqbal, m., & khan, i. (2019). efficacy of methodological practices undertaken by saudi english teachers in public schools during their formative phase. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 47-54. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1774. received: 28-01-2019 accepted: 30-03-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: the main focus of this article is to evaluate the practices involving various approaches and methods that the novice saudi english teachers (sets) employ in classrooms, and to see how far these are successful in attaining the desired results. it also takes into cognizance the chasm between the measures taken by saudi ministry of education to modify the curriculum to develop “communicative competence” and the actualization these measures in the classroom pedagogy. the dichotomy eventually brings to bear upon the learning outcomes of the students who fail to achieve the required proficiency in communicative skills. the study necessitated a qualitative approach (grounded theory) in which previous literature was ransacked. data was gathered through structured interviews, surveys and documents analysis. the rudimentary results showed that sets rely more on conventional teaching methods despite the state’s thrust on communicative language teaching (clt) that tends to be more student-centered, cooperative and collaborative. keywords: communicative competence; grounded theory; teaching approaches; teaching methods. inroduction the importance of teaching english in saudi schools has grown tremendously over the last two decades. this impetus largely emanates from the process of globalization in which communication by means of english dominates commerce, trade, social media, research and publications (flowerdew & peacock, 2001). saudi government is also very keen to give incentives to both learners and teachers by allocating a huge amount in the budget exclusively for teaching and learning english (sama, 2015). however, despite all the efforts, saudi schools are not able to yield the desired learning outcomes. one of the major reasons for this problem is ascribed to the infirmities in the method and practices of teaching and learning english. inadequate training of the teachers, flawed inappropriate teaching methods and teacher-center environment in the classroom hamper the process of attaining proficiency in english for communicative purposes (fareh, 2010). taking cognizance of these challenges, saudi ministry of education (moe) has taken multiple drastic measures to bring about reforms in the existing education system, specifically in teaching english as a foreign language (tefl) elaborating its general goals and targets in saudi arabia (alhajailan, 2006). the reforms included the designing of news textbooks based on communicative teaching method (clt), training the teachers abroad, improving the process of english teaching and learning in saudi schools under english development project (eldp) in 2007, and collaborating with british and american publishing companies (alabdualkarem, 2007). besides, seminars and conference were also held to address the problem of inadequacy in tefl (rahman, 2011). nevertheless, the problem persists for lack of employing communicative language teaching (clt) by the english language teachers who continue to rely more on traditional methods. hence, it is worthwhile to explore the prevailing majed othman aba hussain, muhammad iqbal, & imran khan efficacy of methodological practices undertaken by saudi english teachers in public schools during their formative phase 48 situation for finding the facts to tackle the stated problem in a better way. the introductory phase alesghayer (2011) alludes to the fact that teaching and learning of english language had been in practice in some areas prior to becoming a component of scholastic curriculum in 1944. the same is marked by the introduction of efl to saudi educational curriculum. the thrust of the prescribed textbook had been on reading, writing, grammar and translation. the teachers, therefore, resorted to grammar-translation method (gtm) combined with rote learning of english words translated in the first language (alhajailan, 2006). however, in late 1950s, gmt began to receive harsh criticism, and resultantly, the saudi educationists responsible for policy making shifted to develop oral skills through teaching and learning english (alseghayer, 2011a). the reformative phase this phase commenced around 1958. again, alhajailan (2006) makes an overview of the changes that occurred onward. school system was reorganized. in order to improve the oral skill of the students, new textbooks – ‘living english for the arab world’, ‘a traveller’s cheque’, ‘the pearl’, and ‘round the world in eighty days’ – were introduced. these books had been used for two decades mainly using audio-lingual method (alm). all this got inspiration from the efl/esl theories that emerged during the world war ii, largely emphasizing oral practice, pronunciation and mechanically teaching and learning a new language (richards & rogers, 2001). according to hall (2011), at that time, alm was a popular method as it offered an amalgam structuralism and behaviorism. however, the validity of this method embraced questioning during 1970s in saudi arabia as well exactly in line with criticism of this method the world over. linguists like chomsky came up the conviction that imitation and drilling cannot enable children to speak a language outside the classroom as it is imbibed with gross irregularities in practical life (karunakran & babu, 2013). the communicative phase once again, the studies conducted by alhajailan (2006) and alseghayer (2011a), show a shift in saudi ministry of education policy when “a new textbook entitled ‘saudi arabian schools english’ was introduced in collaboration with macmillan press in 1981 onward, adopting communicative language teaching (clt) approach in the curriculum” (howatt 1984). the textbook contents dealt with some theme, function or notion with a variety of interactive activities (pairing and sharing, group tasks and discussions) to enable the learners to communicate in real life situations. in 2004, another text book ‘say it in english’ with more interactive activities was prescribed in the syllabi. the same year, english was introduced as a compulsory subject in the elementary section. the year 2008 witnessed the launching of new program namely “english language development project” (eldp) that aimed to streamline the existing english curriculum in collaboration with macmillan, mcgraw hill, pearson longman and oxford university press (british and american textbook publishers for efl and esl). this was in pursuance of principles devised for clt, i.e. “a language is a system for communication; it should have an integration of communicative activities in all the units and all such activities should emanate from the contents, function and meaning” (howatt, 1984; berns, 1990; brown, 2007; hadley, 2001). riyadh, saudi ministry of education (2015) did say that the new textbooks, if handled professionally by the teachers, can give a boost to the confidence of the students and enable them to use english to communicate competently with people in real life. communicative language teaching approach and communicative competence a peep into already available literature on the subject reveals that communicative language teaching (clt) evolved in the 1970s visualizing language as a system for communication leading the learner to attain communicative competence (hymes, 1971; halliday, 1973; richards & rodgers, 2001). two components – “what to teach” and “how to teach” – are emphasized in clt (harmer, 2001). littlewood (1981) also impressed upon the need of systematic focus on functional as well structural dimensions of language. then, chomsky came up with a distinction between ‘competence’ and ‘performance’ – the former referring to the grammatical system for generating infinite sentences, and the latter referring to the communication of knowledge that underlies (newby, 2011). chomsky’s concept was further rationalized by canale and swain (1980) to encompass four elements i.e. grammatical competence, socio-linguistic competence, discourse competence and strategic competence. the mastery of all these concepts is, therefore, essential for the teachers to implement in the english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 49 classroom and also regulate the role of the learner for that matter. teacher’s and learner’s role in clt breen and candlin (1980) envisages the role of a teacher in clt as a facilitator, a guide, and an organizer. rather than being authoritative, the teacher should work as a “co-communicator, an analyst of needs, an organizer of resources, a facilitator of activities and a learner (larsenfreeman, 2001). the learner in clt is, however, expected to be a negotiator of meaning, a discoverer as well as contributor of knowledge and information (hu, 2002). brown (2007), too, thinks that “the learner in clt classes should actively participate in the classroom proceedings based on leaner-centered, cooperative and collaborative learning processes. method “which methodological practices do saudi english language teachers in their formative year in state schools use in their classrooms?” and “how successful are these?” are the questions that warrant two-pronged investigation; i) exploring and describing the existing situation, and ii) interpreting why this happens (punch, 2009). according to birks and mills (2011), such a research inquiry has to understand “reality” in terms of ontology (what is the nature of reality?), epistemology (what is the relationship between the researcher and the participants?) and methodology (how can the knowledge be gained?). out of multiple methodologies handling naturalistic and interpretive inquiry, grounded theory (glaser & strauss, 1967) has been chosen as rigorous and systematic methodology of data collection and data analysis. the population of this study comprises schools of education, schools of arts, and schools of language and translation. as for sampling, a strong group of 114 saudi english language teachers from the above mentioned three channels was targeted. besides, the supervisors who monitor the sets performance and the lecturer who teach teaching methods in teachers’ training program have been consulted for building a comprehensive picture of the reality. employing the procedure of grounded theory, data was gathered by two means – i) data generation and ii) data collection. for generating data, interviews were conducted with participants in close proximity. this gave a better understanding of what goes on (birk & mills, 2011). for collecting data, “elicited materials such as questionnaire” were used. besides, documentary sources like official documents, reports and textbooks ransacked to dig out the facts relating to the issue that is under scrutiny in the study. in order to ensure the reliability of the questionnaires, a preliminary survey was conducted by sending them to a small segment of the sample comprising only ten teachers with an interval of two months to check if the items in the questionnaire yielded the identical responses showing consistency irrespective of the time passage (punch, 2009). for internal reliability, independent variables were limited to the preparation that saudi english teachers make before joining the public schools just to focus on their formative years. content validity was also ensured by covering all the dimensions and getting them vetted by a set of experts. results and discussion the evaluation of a change necessitates an appraisal of the existing practices carried out by the people responsible for introducing new measures (bowers et al., 2007). it is also debated that the implementation of a new teaching method is dependent upon the teachers’ role played in the classroom (chowdhury, 2012). the data gathered during the research demonstrated that sets were primarily transmitter of knowledge in the formative phase of their career. thirty-six teachers who responded to the questionnaire and 8 who were interviewed, admitted their role as knowledge transmitters. for instance, one of the responders said: “i think i am mostly doing the transmitter role. i spend most the lesson time in lecturing and explaining grammatical rules.” while doing so, not only did they turn out to be the most trusted source of knowledge, but also become the determiners of classroom activities. the statement of one teacher goes as follows: “i have to prepare and execute most of the classroom activities……myself, and i rarely share this job with my students because i believe they are not capable of doing such a job with their limited english.” another fact that came to the fore in the collected data deals with the massive dependence on text books for transmitting knowledge. the transcription of one of the interviewee goes like this: “i abide by what is in the text book, and most of my activities are also around the textbook material and my questions also most test what students have acquired from the text book.” majed othman aba hussain, muhammad iqbal, & imran khan efficacy of methodological practices undertaken by saudi english teachers in public schools during their formative phase 50 heavy reliance on lectures by the teacher was found in the responses of the questionnaires and interviews. forty-two teachers while responding to a question as well as to an inquiry in the interviews related to their role as a lecturer avowedly admitted to have followed lecturing style whatsoever. as an instance, the reply of a teacher is reproduced below: “generally, for the most of the class time, i have to use lecturing or demonstrating as a teaching style. i present the main topic, write the important words on the board, explain grammar rules, translate the new words, read the text and ask some questions for verification.” managing the class by a teacher is highly challenging in schools, in particular (fantilli & mcdougall, 2009). six years of experience of the researcher in saudi school as a supervisor, exhaustive discussion with the colleagues, and the date gathered (91% of samples of the interview) revealed that the authoritative role of the teacher is a ‘must’ to control the students in saudi schools. a slight latitude on the part of the teacher in the class resulted in chaos and a noise. so, even pair and group activities are avoided as the administrators of the school lay stress on strict discipline and quietness. surprisingly, only 5% of the interviewees acknowledge their role as a facilitator. as outlined in table 1 below, the questionnaire results show that 41 saudi english teachers (sets) resorted to teacher centered approach at the outset of their career in efl classroom, whereas only 4 teachers preferred to adopt student-centered approach in their teacher practices. similarly, the percentage of teachers’ interviews turned out to be the same. table 1. dominant teaching practice sample teacher-centered approach student-centered approach total teachers’ questionnaire 41 4 45 teachers’ interview 11 1 12 in addition, “traditional structured based approach” is followed in saudi schools english classes primarily aiming at meaningful language (maria, 2006). the information derived by means of questionnaire and interviews displays a routine that is repeated in the classroom, i.e. the teacher presents the lesson as a lecturer, reads the text, translate the difficult words, writes the new words on the board, pronounces them, teaches grammatical structures, and gives some exercises for practice. finally, a few questions are asked by the teacher to get feedback about what has been taught. the number of students participating in the proceedings is also very limited, devoid of any conversation for that matter. the remarks given by a teacher in the interview are worth mentioning here: “generally teaching techniques have more reliance on using the board for writing and presenting information. my thrust remains on providing the learners with adequate information and asking them to jot down the key points in their notebooks. much of the lesson is devoted to teaching grammar and new or difficult words as it my conviction that the skills improve students’ writing ability.” (transcription) the answers also indicate that only one skill or sub-skill (such as grammar, translation, vocabulary, pronunciation etc.) as illustrated in figure 1 is focused during the lesson. figure 1. skills or sub-skills give more emphasis in teaching practice english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 51 as per the above figure regarding the weightage received by main skills and sub-skills like grammar rules (6 out of 7), explaining textbooks and translation into arabic language (5.5 out of 7 respectively) got the highest priority whereas the main skills of communication, i.e. listening, speaking, reading and writing receive less importance (1.9, 1. 2, 3.9, and 4.9, respectively). likewise, the replies to question 1 in the interview and question 9 in the questionnaire, demonstrate that majority of the participants (around 95%) use deductive method in which grammatical rules are explained by the teachers and notes are passively taken by the learners. translation of new words into arabic language is also resorted to drive the meanings home. the aforementioned findings clearly show that grammar-translation method (gmt) is largely practiced by the saudi english teachers (sets). this fact is accentuated by the data gathered wherein 42 teachers as participants in the questionnaire and 11 out of those who were interviewed declared explicitly or implicitly the massive use of gmt as a teacher practice. similarly, reading and writing skills get greater weightage for the sake of the final exam. listening and speaking, however, receive the least weightage for want of language labs and authentic material, and also because the final exam assessment ignores them. the teacher’s responses to question 10 (questionnaire) and question 1 (interview) reveal the integration of oral skills not communicative objectives but for structural reinforcement of the language. this also involved mainly the audio-lingual method (alm) for repetition and controlled-drilling for accurate pronunciation of individual words rather than expressions, as is termed by richards and rodgers (2001). as such, saudi english teachers (sets) blindly rely on the textbook contents, repetition, memorizing, drilling, and rote-learning just to make the students get through the exams, making the whole process teacher-centered. a critical analysis of the findings simply leads one to conclude that methodological teaching practices undertaken by saudi english teachers (sets) largely revolve round transmitting knowledge. what the sets do in the classrooms is set to achieve this objective. even, roles played by the teachers and students, materials for teaching and assessment methods are directed to transmission of knowledge only. so to say, the concept of “education as a product” rather than “as a process” is in vogue (welker 1992; nunam 1988). in other words, “mimetic teaching” as termed by jackson (1986) cited in (christopher, 2012) is focused more wherein one person (the teacher) endeavors to transmit knowledge to another person (learner) with precision and smoothness by means of drilling, controlled practice, rote-learning and deductive methods. as the flow of knowledge is fully controlled by the teacher and the student has to tap it passively on the other end, broughton (1994, p.22) terms it “teacher-dominated interactions” as a kind of practice. then, transmission of knowledge is coupled with grammar-translation method (gmt) as the meanings of words and the explanation of grammatical structures are rendered in arabic language. now this knowledge is worthless unless it is memorized through drilling and oral repetitions that fall within the purview of audio-lingual method (alm). moreover, since the main concern of sets’ teaching practice is the amount of knowledge that has to be transferred to students, the process is confined to teaching isolated skills what is termed as ‘synthetic approach’ by wilkins (1976). although the language skills are taught by sets separately, they also vary in terms of importance. the skills pertaining to grammar and translation are focused more as compared to listening, speaking, reading, and writing. this goes in line with alseghayer’s (2011b) findings showing that english teachers who teach in saudi schools devote their teaching practices as follows: 32% to grammar, 30% to translation, 17% to reading, 12% to writing, and 9% to speaking. this could be referred to the traditional approach in which first priority is given to grammatical competence for the sake of laying foundation of language proficiency, and then the four basic skills are introduced (ozsevik, 2010). in summary, the aforementioned practices undertaken by saudi english teachers (sets) in saudi schools pertain to the methods that are traditional in their approach assigning a dominant role to the teacher and marginalizing the interaction of learners, concerning more with the ultimate product of teaching rather than focusing on teaching-and-learning process in which cooperative and collaborative learning plays a key role leading to a student-centered environment. figure 2 below gives a clear picture of the current teaching practices that the sets adopt in the classrooms during their formative years. majed othman aba hussain, muhammad iqbal, & imran khan efficacy of methodological practices undertaken by saudi english teachers in public schools during their formative phase 52 figure 2. the current sets’ teaching practice the size of the circles on the left in the above figure shows the amount of emphasis given to various skills. grammar (g) and translation (t) as discrete skills are given more weightage by the teachers as compared to oral skills which receive less importance. the gaps in oval circle on the left also allude to the fact that the skills are taught in isolation without any integration. the presenter of these skills is the teacher who plans and organizes them in teaching process arbitrarily. the students’ role seems to be peripheral in the classroom like empty containers waiting for tapping the flowing knowledge and information about the targeted language. hence, the eventual outcome is the accumulation of knowledge as the final product. one may raise a question hare as to how saudi english teachers (sets) tend to employ traditional teaching practices and methods in the classroom for teaching english. the answer lies in the fact that various factors involving teachers’ belief and experiences shape their cognition concerning the process of teaching (borg, 2003). as efl learners at school, sets had been watching the teaching style of their own teachers – lortie (1975), lavoire and roth (2006) term it as “apprenticeship of observation” following the cannons of traditional and behavioristic methods. even the findings about pre-service programs aiming to change the existing practices of teaching and introducing innovative techniques for making language learning easy in the saudi school classrooms could not produce the desired results (hong & pawan, 2015). the models followed by sets led them to evolve their own theories which do not correspond with modern demands of teaching and learning a foreign language like english in saudi arabia (molina, cañado, & agulló, 2013). conclusion saudi english teachers (sets) in the formative phase of their career largely use traditional methods while practicing teaching in efl classrooms. though marked with diversification, these methods mainly revolve round grammartranslation method (gmt) and audio-lingual method (alm). communicative language teaching (clt) methods as ambitiously driven by the ministry of education, saudi arabia, are seldom practiced by sets despite having undergone several training programs. as a result, communicative purpose of efl learning is not materialized. however, what the saudi english teachers do in efl classrooms, do have some positive indicators. as clt is flexible enough to embrace certain segments of traditional methods, deductive teaching of grammar (gmt) does develop ‘linguistic competence’. simultaneously, developing oral skills by means of controlled practice and repetitive drills (alm) for teaching discrete skills could help the learners to enhance their communicative competence at a later stage. after all, linguistic competence is a concomitant of communicative competence. even the preservice programs do contribute as the building blocks of the teaching process for communicative purpose. it is also concluded that reluctance on the part of the saudi english teachers (sets) to implement clt as teaching practice is not merely because of their perceptions and past experience but other formidable socio-cultural factors also hamper this pursuit. a formal study to explore such factors is also recommended. references alabdualkarem, m. (2007). teaching english as a foreign language in saudi arabia. riyadh: obekan press. alseghayer, k. (2011a). english teaching in saudi arabia: status, issues, and challenges. riyadh, saudi arabia: hala print co. alseghayer, k. (2011b). scatter views about english language learning and teaching. riyadh, saudi arabia: hala print co. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 53 berns, m. (1990) context of competence: social and cultural considerations in communicative language teaching. new york: plenum. birks, m., & mills, j. (2011). grounded theory: a practical guide. london: sage. bowers, b., nolet, k., roberts, t., & esmond, s. (2007). implementing change in long-term care: a practical guide to transformation. new york city, ny: commonwealth fund. breen, m. p., & candlin, c. (1980). the essentials of a communicative curriculum in language teaching. applied linguistics, 1, 89-112. broughton, g., brumfit, c., flavell, r., hill, p., & pincas, a. (1994). teaching english as a foreign language (2nd ed.). london: routledge. brown, h. d. (2007). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. new york: pearson education inc. canale, m., & swain, m. (1980). theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. applied linguistics, 1(1), 147. chowdhury, m. k. (2012). communicative language teaching approach at higher secondary level in bangladesh – teachers’ perceptions and classroom practice. language in india: strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, 12 (2). christopher, d. (2012). the routledge international handbook of teacher and school development. london: routledge. fantilli, r. d., & mcdougall, d. e. (2009). a study of novice teachers: challenges and supports in the first years. teaching and teacher education, 25(6), 814-825. fareh, s. (2010). challenges of teaching english in the arab world: why can’t efl programs deliver as expected? procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 2(2), 3600-3604. flowerdew, j., & peacock, m. (2001) research perspectives on english for academic purposes. cambridge: cambridge university press. glaser, b., & strauss, a. (1967). the discovery of grounded theory: strategies for qualitative research. chicago: aldine. hadley, a. o. (2001). teaching language in context (3rd ed.). boston: heinle & heinle. hong, p., & pawan, f. (2015). the pedagogy and practice of western-trained chinese english language teachers: foreign education, chinese meanings. london: routledge. howatt, a. (1984). a history of english language teaching. oxford: oxford university press. hu, g. (2002) potential cultural resistance to pedagogical imports: the case of communicative language teaching in china. language, culture, and curriculum,15(2), 93-105. hymes, d. (1971) competence and performance in linguistic theory. in r. huxley and e. ingram (eds.), language acquisition: models and methods (pp. 3-28). london: academic press. larsen-freeman, d. (2001). techniques and principles in language teaching. new york: oxford university press. littlewood, w. (1981). communicative language teaching: an introduction. cambridge: cambridge university press. lortie, d. (1975). schoolteacher: a sociological study. chicago: university of chicago press. maria, j. (2006) classroom l2 vocabulary acquisition: investigating the role of pedagogical tasks and form-focused instruction. language teaching research, 10(3), pp.263-295. molina, g. t. cañado, m. l. p, & agulló, g. l. (2013). current approaches and teaching methods. bilingual programmes. university of jaén, faculty of humanities and education, 4, 156. newby, d., (2011). competence and performance in learning and teaching: theories and practices. proceedings of the 19th international symposium on theoretical and applied linguistics. ozsevik, z. (2010). the use of communicative language teaching (clt): turkish efl teachers’ perceived difficulties in implementing clt in turkey. unpublished master thesis, university of illinois, urbana, usa. punch, k. f. (2009). introduction to research methods in education (1st ed.). london: sage. rahman, m. m. (2011). english language teaching (elt) in saudi arabia: a study of learners’ needs analysis with special reference to community college, najran university. language in india, 11(4), 367-461. richards, j. c., & rodgers, t. (2001). approaches and methods in language teaching (2nd ed.). new york: cambridge university press. riyadh, saudi ministry of education. (2015). english language teaching, development initiative. retrieved from http://elt.tatweer.edu.sa/ welker, r. (1992). the teacher as expert: a theoretical an historical examination. new york: suny press. wilkins, d. a. (1976). notional syllabuses. oxford: oxford university press. majed othman aba hussain, muhammad iqbal, & imran khan efficacy of methodological practices undertaken by saudi english teachers in public schools during their formative phase 54 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 389 the effect of media guessing game towards university students’ writing ability on descriptive text local tourism content irma khoirot daulay english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of prima indonesia, medan, indonesia e-mail: irmakhoirotdaulay@unprimdn.ac.id nurmahyuni asrul english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of prima indonesia, medan, indonesia e-mail: nurmahyuniasrul@unprimdn.ac.id apa citation: daulay, i. k. & asrul, n. (2021). the effect of media guessing game towards university students’ writing ability on descriptive text local tourism content. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp. 389-398. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4379 received: 24-02-2021 accepted: 18-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 abstract: this study aims to determine the effect of media guessing games on students’ writing ability on the descriptive text about local tourism. the type of research is quasi-experimental. the population in the research is students of university of prima indonesia. the samples were taken by cluster random sampling which consists of two classes namely the experimental class and the control class and each class consists of 25. the experimental group was taught by guessing game media while the control group was taught by conventional teaching media in writing descriptive text. the instruments used were test sheets for writing and observation sheets. the techniques used in analyzing the data were descriptive statistical analysis and t-test. the finding of the research explained that guessing game media of local tourism content successfully effect students’ ability in writing descriptive text, especially on local tourism content. keywords: guessing game; ability to write text; descriptive text; local tourism introduction one of the language skills which must be mastered by the students who are studying the english language is writing skill. in indonesia, however, writing skill is also considered important, as writing is one of productive english skills that should be masterly skilled by english as foreign language (efl) students in indonesia for written communication and academic writing purposes, such as; letters, essays, papers, articles, journals, project reports, theses, etc. (toba, noor, & sanu, 2019). moreover, the benefits of students having the ability to write are: sharper imagination, mastery of language increases, and increase confidence (oppenheimer, zaromb, pomerantz, william, & park, 2017; yanti, nafri, suhartono, hiasa, & fina, 2018). to be considered, writing is a fairly complex activity because various elements must be applied at once, it is supported by the data found in the writing 1 lesson for the first semester of english language major students in prima indonesia university, only 10 students got 80 points for the lesson, while the other students got the minimum points which below 70. these data showed the ability of students is yet satisfying; it needs the creative media to brainstorm the previous knowledge, to open up the idea, and to improve their ability in writing. on the other hand, by writing, someone can express thoughts or feelings to others. according to ismayanti & kholiq (2020), writing is also considered as the indicator toward the student success in learning english. writing requires a process. as febriyantika & parmawati (2021) stated that writing is not as it were drawing some words on a bit of paper and defining letters together but moreover a combination a process and product, it needs a specialization to combine thought and good product of writing. writing is needed for a form of expression of ideas that is continuous and has a logical sequence by using certain vocabulary and grammar or rules of the language used so that it can describe and present information that is expressed clearly. this in in line with widiastuti & endahati (2020), stating that some important aspects should be considered in writing skill are content, organization, purpose, vocabulary, punctuation, and spelling. moreover, sari, sumarmi, utomo & astina (2021) stated that writing skill shows the quality of student learning. therefore, writing ability can be obtained through https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4379 irma khoirot daulay & nurmahyuni asrul the effect of media guessing game towards university students’ writing ability on descriptive text local tourism content 390 tasks and requires much time. writing is seen as a continuous process (fananie, 2002). it means writing ability is taught at all levels of education. one of the abilities to write is writing descriptive text. according to siahaan (2008), descriptive is a written english text in which the writer describes an object. it is also supported by aryanto (2009), descriptive text is a text which describes a particular person, thing, or place. an effective description will contain sufficient and varied elaboration of details to communicate a sense of the subject being described (yoandita, 2019). therefore, the people who read the descriptive text will know what the person, thing, or place looks like through the writing of the writer. descriptive text is considered as the simple text in learning english. descriptive is saying what somebody or something is like. therefore, it aims to define and expose a specific entity, place, or thing. in other words, a descriptive text is a text that defines someone's attributes, something, or position based on their actual state. one of the forms of text taught in the teaching of english is descriptive text. moreover, a description is a form of writing related to the efforts of the writers to provide details of the object being discussed. in the description, the writer moves his impressions, moves his observations and feelings to the reader, and conveys the nature and all the details of the form that can be found on the object. the descriptive text aims to enable the creation of images in the reader as if the reader saw the object as a whole. descriptive text is writing which mentions the characteristics of an object as a whole, clearly and systematically (zainurrahman, 2011). in writing descriptive text, the researcher must try so that the reader seems to be able to see, experience, feel what is being described. the author must be able to describe in detail using certain vocabulary that is able to provide a "mental picture" of the object felt by the reader. besides, the vocabulary in writing descriptive text must be relevant to the object described, which describes it in real and also abstract terms. in descriptive text learning, three text structures must be understood by students, namely identification, classification, and description. in descriptive writing, the writer tries as much as possible so that the reader seems to be able to see, experience, feel, what is being described (semi, 2007). it is hoped, the descriptive writing about local tourism content give the curiosity for tourist to visit it after reading the powerful description about it. over and above, oshima and hogue (2007) stated that the senses are attracted by descriptive writing, so it says how something looks, feels, smells, tastes, and/or sounds. it is in line with meyers (2005, p.60) that "a scene description allows readers to see, hear, or even feel the subject mat." thus, the purpose of writing is to make creative and interesting writing to be engaged with the reader. in this part, the researchers hoped to be successfully affecting the students’ ability in writing the descriptive text of local tourism content to broaden the knowledge of tourists who are interesting in reading, knowing, understanding, and visiting the local tourism of north sumatera province especially berastagi, lake toba, and maimun palace. based on the previous research, it is concluded that descriptive text is to expose something, describe the object more influentially and emotionally, shape the imagination of the reader, and explain the object following the characteristics and traits. as many students perceive that the teachinglearning process is not interesting, the teacher can find another way to teach effectively and make it to be more fun which make students easier to understand and get the point (kurnia & kareviati, 2021). one of solutions is through games. nuraen & karyati (2018) argued that using games in teaching and learning process is very influential to build students’ spirit and participation, they can do the teamwork with their friends and change the ideas each other. mustiarini (2020) added that game-based learning can make learners become the center of learning process easier, more interesting and effective. but sadly, the analysis of the teaching methodologies analyzed shows that, although their implementation has been successful in favoring the active learning of students, their use (especially that of serious games) is not yet widespread (de la torre, onggo, corlu, nogal, & juan, 2021). meanwhile, a guessing game is a game where someone or a group tries to answer a question that has been given several keywords. the basic rules of the guessing game are very simple, one knows about the vocabulary of something and others try to find it. in guessing games and speculating games, one knows something and the other must find what it means. a guessing game is a game where one has to compete with other people or groups about guessing something that has been given a clue. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 391 accordingly, suardiyasa (2017) explained that guessing games are eminently simple. one person knows something that another one wants to find out, it is very simple, someone knows about vocabulary and others are trying to find it. in other words, a guessing game is a game where someone has to compete with other people or other groups to guess something that has been given the instructions. based on these definitions, it is concluded that a guessing game is a game with someone or participants knowing something and competing individually or in teams to identify or guess it. the game can be applied in teaching english. in learning languages that cover all skills (speaking, listening, writing, and reading) at all levels of learning. from the above explanation, it is very clear to conclude that the game can be applied in teaching all language skills. the basic rules of guessing games are very simple, basically in guessing and playing must speculate, one knows something and the others must find out what it is. according to harmer (2007), the guessing game procedure is as follows: students are divided into small teams; on each team, one member sits back to the whiteboard; the lecturer writes words or phrases on the board; all groups who can see these words or phrases must explain (without saying the words or phrases) to the sitting team members who are facing the whiteboard; and if a student who turns his back to the whiteboard can guess a word or phrase, the team will get points. another, nation and newton (2009) explained that guessing games consist of the following steps. first, students are divided into groups, one group consisting of 4 or 5 students. second, one group is asked to appear in front of the class and one of the group members chooses the category to be played from a box. third, one of the group members sits back to the word/picture shown and tries to guess the word/picture in question, and asks in advance about the category. many experts explain the procedure of guessing the game differently. the researcher decided to use the harmer theory (2007) because the procedure described is very simple and easy to understand and apply. based on the theories above, it is concluded that a guessing game is a game that can train students to write and speak in english. games in learning have the advantage that guessing games can be applied to all abilities, ages, and also to other materials such as guessing the names of people, objects, animals, places, types of professions, and others. moreover, guessing game is one of interesting and motivating thing that builds students spirit to be active to study and raise their focus to study so they can get what the topic talking about and the guessing game lead the students not to feel bore for teaching and learning process (daulay & br. hasugian, 2021). in addition, the media of local tourism was chosen to catch up with the intention of university students, attract and increase their ability in writing descriptive text well. as iswara (2021) stated, writing will help students master other skills and mastering english completely. however, it is not as easy as it seems. many students discovered it difficult to write because they did not understand how to properly convey their concept (kurniati, wijaya, & rohmatillah, 2020). besides, there are some important aspects that should be considered in writing skill; they are content, organization, purpose, vocabulary, punctuation, and spelling (widiastuti, & endahati, 2020). similarly, in previous study conducted by nasser (2019), the iraqi efl students’ writing composition difficulties and revealed that the students’ errors were concerned on using grammar, punctuation, spelling, and handwriting. in addition, husin & nurbayani (2017) also identified the two factors why the efl students faced the trouble in writing; internal and external factors, in which internal factor dealt with their low english writing proficiency, meanwhile external factor referred to their inadequate quality in studying the writing skills. furthermore, based on preliminary data at prima indonesia university, students found several problems in writing descriptive text. the problem stated by students are: (1) lecturers only use conventional methods, such as question and answer the assignments without explaining the generic structure of the descriptive text. it made students did not know how to describe something and students did not know what descriptive text is; (2) lecturers do not use special media that can motivate students to write descriptive text; (4) students lack of vocabularies and the limitation of the local tourism knowledge. these problems trigger the researcher to research by using a media guessing game that contains local tourism content. in addition, tourism is one of the attentions in our country because it has its attraction and contribution to the country. the knowledge of the tourism contents for the individual must be needed to create the love between societies and their country, to build their responsibility in promoting and possessing the local tourism in irma khoirot daulay & nurmahyuni asrul the effect of media guessing game towards university students’ writing ability on descriptive text local tourism content 392 their province. as one of the provinces in indonesia, north sumatera has great potential in tourism, pandia (2007). this potential includes natural beauties such as lake toba, berastagi, tropical, rain forest, and others. this study served three local tourism contents as the media of teaching and learning descriptive text. it potentially increases the students’ knowledge based on the local tourism in north sumatera province. concerning guessing game media used in improving students ability, there are articles published and found by the researcher are, the first; fairuz, fitriani, and burhansyah (2018) in their article entitled “the use of guessing game in teaching speaking” found the effective strategy in teaching speaking to students by using guessing game media, the second; puspitasari and asari (2018), their article entitled “the effect of using interactive guessing game technique on fluency students’ speaking skill” concluded that interactive guessing game technique give significant effect toward fluency students’ speaking skill at mts bustanul ulum tanggung prigel. and the third; safitri, wijaya, and husin (2015), in their article entitled “the effectiveness of guessing game toward students writing skill on descriptive text” is very strong to improve the students’ writing skill on descriptive text. the fourth, crestiani (2019) on the students’ ability in writing descriptive text through outdoor activity at palopo cokroaminoto university”. this research deals with the students’ ability in writing descriptive text through outdoor learning activities in the sixth semester of the english language education study program of palopo cokroaminoto university. writing test is the instrument of this research. based on the findings and discussion in the previous chapter, the researcher concluded the students’ ability in writing descriptive text through outdoor learning activities is good. the fifth, byantara and mayestiendra (2021) on exploring the use of domino cards as teaching media of descriptive text indonesian rural junior high school. this study explained how the teachers used domino cards in teaching descriptive text at smp 6 wonogiri. this study used interview and observation techniques in data collection. the students were unfamiliar with and never used domino cards before. although experiencing some difficulties, the students felt happy and enthusiastic about the domino cards as teaching media in learning descriptive text. the sixth, safitri, wijaya, and husin (2015) on the effectiveness of guessing game towards students’ writing skill on descriptive text. this research aimed to investigate the effectiveness and the effect size of using the guessing game in students’ writing skills on descriptive text. as the result of data analysis, the researchers found out that the effect size of the treatment was 1.47 and it was qualified as a very strong effect. the seventh, herizal and afriani (2015) on improving students’ descriptive writing text through picture word inductive model (pwim) strategy for the seventh grade of smp inaba palembang. the obtained data were analyzed by using regression analysis in spss (statistical package for social science) program. the result showed that there was a significant difference in students’ descriptive writing achievement taught using picture word inductive model (pwim) and teacher method (gtm) since t value 19.484 was higher than ttable (t0.05, 62 = 1.99897), it could be stated that the null hypothesis (ho) was rejected and the alternative hypothesis (ha) was accepted. the eighth, tri, kasmaini, and indah (2018) on the effect of using powerpoint modified pictures in writing descriptive text to the eighth-grade students of smp n 22 bengkulu city in 2016/2017 academic year. this study aimed to investigate the effect of using powerpoint modified pictures as a medium in teaching writing descriptive text. after giving some treatments to the experimental and control group, the post-test was held in both groups. it means that the null hypothesis (h0) was rejected and the alternative hypothesis (ha) was accepted. the use of powerpoint modified pictures could increase students’ writing ability especially in descriptive text. the ninth, rizka, zahrida, and mei (2019) on the effect of guided question technique on students’ writing ability in descriptive text. the objective of this research was to find out whether or not there is a significant effect of using the guided question technique on students’ writing ability in descriptive text. this research is a quasiexperimental design. the result of the research showed the mean score of the experimental group (31.34) was higher than the mean score of the control group (23.35). the tenth, hayati (2020) on the use of digital guessing games to improve students’ speaking ability. this study investigated the effects of digital guessing games strategy on students’ speaking ability of islamic senior high school students as well as to find out their perceptions of using it. the experimental group was taught by english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 393 using the dgg application, whereas the control group by using a conventional guessing game. furthermore, islamic senior high school students in tasikmalaya had a positive attitude toward the utilization of the dgg application. the eleventh, arsyad (2018) on students’ learning style: a case study of senior high schools in bengkulu. it is widely accepted that the use of learning materials that accommodates students’ schemata is much more effective than the ones outside student’s present knowledge background. the objectives of this study were to describe the students’ learning style distribution and their perception of localoriented and learning style-based english learning materials in bengkulu province. it could be concluded that local-oriented and learning stylebased learning materials can be not only more effective but also preferred by the students. the relevant studies above contribute the knowledge and support the experience of using the guessing game in speaking and writing skills. the highlight of the present research is the local tourism content which gives a big contribution toward tourism area especially in north sumatera province, it also broadens the students’ knowledge and love on their local tourism spot. method this type of the research is a quasi-experimental (experimental research). it aims to determine whether there is effect of something caused on the subject, that is students. the research design uses pre-test and post-test. this research was conducted in semester iii or odd semester of the 2018/2019 academic year at university of prima indonesia (unpri). the populations in this research were undergraduate students of the university of prima indonesia (unpri) medan, 2nd semester, 2018/2019 which consisted of 2 classes with a total of 50 students. thus, the two classes were divided into experimental classes and control classes. the experimental class was taught by using guessing game media while the control class was taught with conventional media. the research instruments consisted of writing descriptive text containing local tourism such as lake toba, berastagi, and maimun palaca. thus, the sampling in this research was taken by random cluster sampling consisting of two classes namely the experimental class and the control class. hence, the following hypothesis were formulated: alternative hypothesis: media guessing game affects students’ ability in writing descriptive text. null hypothesis: media guessing game does not affect students’ ability writing descriptive text. the method of the research is quantitative method by using media guessing game. the instruments used were test sheets and observation sheets. technique in analyzing the data of the research used descriptive statistical analysis and ttest. in quantitative research, data analysis techniques were used to answer the problem formulate on, then the data analysis use statistical methods. the classes were divided into two classes, namely experimental class and control class. those two classes consisted of 25 students. the experimental group was taught by guessing game media while the control group was taught by conventional teaching media in writing descriptive text. data analyzed in the form of test results from the control class and the experimental class using the t-test formula for free random samples so that they know the differences between control class and experimental class. before giving the treatments, a pre-test was administrated to the experimental group and control group. the pre-test was used to find out some sample and the mean score of each group. having given the treatments, the post-test was given to each group. the items of the post-test were exactly the same as the one in the pre-test. it was intended to discover the mean score of the experimental group and the control group. the researcher used t-test formula to know the differences between two classes. the formula is: t = in which: mx : mean of the experimental group my : mean of the control group x : the deviation square of the experimental group y : the deviation square of the control group nx : the total number of samples of the experimental group ny : the total number of samples of the control group findings and discussion the research found that the highest score of the pre-test of the experimental group was 80 and the lowest was 65. while the highest score of the post-test of the experimental group was 95 and the lowest was 80. the mean score of the pretest was 76 and the mean score of the post-test was 81. irma khoirot daulay & nurmahyuni asrul the effect of media guessing game towards university students’ writing ability on descriptive text local tourism content 394 before the post-test, the research applied the treatment by applying media guessing game in writing descriptive text. on the other hand, the control group was taught by conventional technique of teaching. meanwhile, the highest score of pre-test of control group was 80 and the lowest was 63. while the highest score of the post-test was 80 and the lowest was 70. the mean score of the pretest was 72 and the mean score for the post-test was 77. table 1. students’ score of pre-test and post-test on experimental group no. initial name of the students pre-test (x1) post-test (x2) deviation (d) x2-x1= (x) dx2 1. bs 58 80 22 484 2. jm 36 78 42 1764 3. js 38 78 40 1600 4. gv 62 84 22 484 5. kf 40 76 36 1296 6. ld 58 88 30 900 7. lm 36 74 38 1444 8. mm 60 80 20 400 9. ms 40 78 38 1444 10. mn 46 78 32 1024 11. nw 58 80 22 484 12. na 64 88 24 576 13. pn 38 76 38 1444 14. pa 48 80 32 1024 15. pw 48 82 34 1156 16. rh 60 80 20 400 17. rs 36 74 38 1444 18. rs 30 74 44 1936 19. rp 38 78 40 1600 20. rs 40 78 38 1444 21. rs 34 78 44 1936 22. sh 44 74 30 900 23. ta 62 86 24 576 24. rk 60 82 22 484 25. vy 38 74 36 1296 total 1172 2052 806 27.540 mean 46,88 82,08 32,24 table 2. students’ score of pre-test and post-test on control group no. initial name of the students pre-test (y1) post-test (y2) deviation (d) y2-y1= (y) dy2 1. ag 68 76 8 64 2. ah 54 74 20 400 3. as 42 64 22 484 4. an 40 62 22 484 5. as 60 74 14 196 6. as 60 78 18 324 7. bm 30 54 24 576 8. bb 58 70 12 144 9. cg 48 78 30 900 10. cp 62 76 14 196 11. dy 60 76 16 256 12. ds 70 80 10 100 13. dn 50 74 24 576 14. ep 52 80 28 784 15. et 36 60 24 576 16. eg 50 66 16 256 17. es 52 76 24 576 18. fs 56 78 22 484 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 395 19. ht 48 74 26 676 20. hh 60 78 18 324 21. hs 40 72 32 1024 22. hm 40 74 24 576 23. ib 34 74 40 1600 24. ih 64 82 18 324 25. jm 36 72 36 1296 total 1270 1822 542 13.196 mean 50,8 72,88 21,68 analyzing the data by using t-test formula t = mx = my = dx2 = = 27.540– = 27.540 – = 27.540 – 25.985 = 1.555 dy2 = = 13.196 – = 13.196 – = 13.196 – 11.750 = 1.446 t = t = t = t = t = t = t = 4,73 based on the data above, it can be explained that there is a positive effect using guessing game media on the ability of students to write descriptive texts. there is an effect of learning guessing game media towards students’ ability to write descriptive text. in the experimental classes taught by using guessing game media, students tended to be enthusiastic in teaching and learning activities. based on observations, it can be said that the lecturers have the ability to carry out their duties properly. lecturers were able to explain the task of writing descriptions, monitoring student behavior, providing guidance in the learning process of writing descriptions, and evaluating learning outcomes well. however, in terms of providing stimulus to students and giving praise to students, it needs to be improved. lecturers can give praise by giving rewards to students who excel so that students can be enthusiastic in learning process. it can be seen from their enthusiasm in working on the descriptive writing task requested by the lecturer. the classroom situation was also more conducive compared to the learning process carried out in class taught by conventional learning. based on the average score table that the results of writing a description of students have met the minimum completeness criteria and learning objectives have been achieved. it means that the learning process of descriptive writing by using guessing game media was improved. in this research, guessing games media were used toward students’ ability in writing the descriptive text of local tourism content. in fact, by doing the research, it is found that this media helped the students to build up the idea, to increase the vocabulary, to broaden the knowledge on local tourism content which not be gotten previously. in the experimental class, it showed the curiosity, fun, and happy face of the students while studying with guessing game media. and it also contributes to the increasing results and point of their descriptive writing. guessing games media are more effective than conventional learning when students facing conventional learning are more passive when the learning process takes place. based on the irma khoirot daulay & nurmahyuni asrul the effect of media guessing game towards university students’ writing ability on descriptive text local tourism content 396 information obtained, students' skills in writing descriptive in conventional learning are not optimal. based on interviews with lecturers, students have less motivation to write. in the process of writing, students still often encounter obstacles. this can be seen from the results of writing; student grades were still low. the lecturer explained that students are still confused between the description and narrative text. in addition, students were also still low in motivation in writing, especially writing descriptive text. students' characteristics were quite passive so that the atmosphere in the class was quite calm and not crowded. a guessing game is a game where someone or a group tries to answer a question that has been given several keywords. in guessing games and speculating games, one knows something and the other must find what it means. a guessing game is a game where one must compete with other people or other groups about guessing something that has been given a clue. according to safitri, wijaya, and husin (2015), guessing games are eminently simple. one person knows something that someone wants to find out, it is very simple. one person knows about vocabulary and the others are trying to find it. a media guessing game is a game where someone has to compete with other people or other groups to guess something that has been given the instructions. by the implementation of guessing games media, where a person or participant knows something and competes individually or in a team to identify or guess it, it is possible to stimulate the imagination of students which in turn increases the ability to write descriptive texts of students. harmer (2007) explained that lecturers usually do not have problems to improve the ability to write descriptive texts if he makes appropriate practices in teaching by applying appropriate techniques. based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that in the application of guessing games, aspects of the ability to write descriptive texts can be improved. conclusion based on the results of the study, the score of students' ability to write descriptive texts in the experimental group taught by using media guessing shows that the mean score of post-test was 82,08. while in the control group taught by using conventional learning shows that an average score of 72,88. it can be seen that the ability to write descriptive text taught by using media guessing games is better than students taught by using conventional learning. this is evidenced by looking at the t-test carried out. it means that there is an effect of media guessing games on students’ ability to write a descriptive text. it is concluded that there is a positive effect of using the guessing game media towards students’ ability in writing descriptive text. this research is focused on applying guessing games in improving students' ability to write a descriptive text. based on the analysis in this research, the most dominant factor that affects students' ability to write descriptive text in using english verbally is the media guessing game. the tourism content also contributed to the local tourism horizon which improved the students’ knowledge of their local tourism province. acknowledgment we would like to thank direktorat riset dan pengabdian masyarakat (pdp) from kementerian ristek for funding this research through the pdp program. references arsyad, s. (2018). students’ learning style: a case study of senior high schools in bengkulu. edulite: journal of english education, literature and culture, 3(1), 25-39. crestiani, m. j. (2019). the students’ ability in writing descriptive text through outdoor activity at palopo cokroaminoto university. ideas: journal on english language teaching and learning, linguistics and literature, 7(1), 48 – 52 daulay, i. k. & br. hasugian, k. (2021). the effect of using guessing game media themed local tourism on students’ achievement in writing narrative text. budapest international research and critics institute-journal (birci-journal), 4(1), 1178-1185. de la torre, r., onggo, b.s., corlu, c.g., nogal, m., & juan, a. a. (2021). the role of simulation and serious games in teaching concepts on circular economy and sustainable energy. energies, 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14041138 fairuz, g., fitriani, s.s., & burhansyah. (2018). the use of guessing game in teaching speaking, 3(2), 118-124. febriyantika, r. & parmawati, a. (2021). improving students’ writing descriptive text through thinkpair-share technique. professional journal of english education, 4(2), 261-266 hayati, a. (2020). the use of digital guessing game to improve students’ speaking ability. journal of english education and teaching, 4(1), 115-126. herizal, h. & afriani, n. (2015). improving students’ descriptive writing text through picture word english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 397 inductive model (pwim) strategy for seventh grade of smp inaba palembang. edukasi: jurnal pendidikan dan pengajaran, 2(1), 25-34. husin, m. s. & nurbayani, e. (2017). the ability of indonesian efl learners in writing academic papers. dinamika ilmu, 17(2), 237–250. ismayanti, e. & kholiq, a. (2020). an analysis of students’ difficulties in writing a descriptive text. e-link journal, 7(1), 10-20. iswara, y. (2021). students’ ability in writing descriptive text: a case study of the first grade student in academic year of 2020/2021). presented at national seminar of pendidikan bahasa inggris (nspbi 2021). kurnia, r. & kareviati, e. (2021). students’ perception in writing descriptive text. professional journal of english education, 4(3), 397-401. kurniati, w., wijaya, m. s., & rohmatillah. (2020). fostering students’ descriptive text writing ability: please strategy vs. idea details strategy. pedagogy journal of english language teaching, 8(1), 34-42. mustiarini, a. t. (2020). investigation of gamification in learning vocabulary. presented at bogor english student and teacher (best) conference. nasser, s. m. (2019). iraqi efl students’ difficulties in writing composition: an experimental study. international journal of english linguistics, 9(1), 178–184. nuraen. & karyati. (2018). the implementation of guessing game in teaching speaking at tenth grade of senior high school. professional journal of english education, 1(5), 578-585. oppenheimer, d., zaromb, f., pomerantz, j. r., wiliams, j. c., & park, y. s. (2017). improvement of writing skills during college: a multiyear cross sectional and longitudinal study of undergraduate writing performance. assessing writing, 32, 12-27. puspitasari, z.z. & asari. s. (2018). the effect of using interactive guessing game technique on fluency students’ speaking skill. didaktika: jurnal pemikiran pendidikan, 23(1), 104-114. safitri, w, wijaya, b., & husin. s. (2015). the effectiveness of guessing games toward students' writing skills on descriptive text. tanjungpura university pontianak. unpubished thesis. sari, y. i., sumarmi., utomo, d. h., & astina, i. k. (2021). the effect of problem based learning on problem solving and scientific writing skills. international journal of instruction, 14(2), 1126. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.1422a semi, m. a. (2007). basic writing skills. bandung: angkasa. siahaan, j. (2013). an analysis of students’ ability and difficulties in writing descriptive texts. journal of english and education, 1(1), 114-121. toba, r., noor, w. n., & sanu, l. o. (2019). the current issues of indonesian efl students’ writing skills: ability, problem, and reason in writing comparison and contrast essay. dinamika ilmu, 19(1), pp. 57-73. widiastuti, r. & endahati, n. (2020). the efforts to improve writing skill of secondary school students by using snake and ladder game. eltics (english language teaching and english linguistics) journal, 5(1). yanti, nafri., suhartono., & hiasa, fina. (2018). keterampilan menulis akademik mahasiswa s-1 program studi pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia fkip universitas bengkulu [academic writing skills of s-1 students of the indonesian language and literature education in fkip bengkulu university]. silampari bisa: jurnal penelitian pendidikan bahasa indonesia, daerah, dan asing, 1(1), 1-16. yoandita, p. e. (2019). an analysis of students’ ability and difficulties in writing descriptive text. jurnal joepallt, 7(1). zainurrahman. (2011). writing: from theory to practice. bandung: alfabeta. irma khoirot daulay & nurmahyuni asrul the effect of media guessing game towards university students’ writing ability on descriptive text local tourism content 398 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 17 promoting foreign language learners’ writing: comparing the impact of oral conferencing and collaborative writing mania nosratinia islamic azad university at central tehran, iran email: mania_nosratinia@yahoo.com niousha nikpanjeh islamic azad university at central tehran, iran email: nioushanikpanjeh@yahoo.com apa citation: nosratinia, m., & nikpanjeh, n. (2019). promoting foreign language learners’ writing: comparing the impact of oral conferencing and collaborative writing. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 17-26. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1772. received: 17-01-2019 accepted: 25-03-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: this study is an attempt to compare the effect of oral conferencing alongside collaborative writing on writing skills of english as a foreign language (efl) learner. for this purpose, a piloted sample of the preliminary english test (pet) was administered to 90 intermediate female efl learners, between 20 and 32 years old (mage = 26). the results of this test enabled the researchers to select 60 homogenous individuals who were then randomly assigned into two experimental groups of 30 named “oral conferencing group” and “collaborative writing group”. to ensure the homogeneity among the participants in terms of their writing ability before the treatment, their scores on the writing section of the pet test were analyzed in isolation and it was considered as the pretest of the study. oral conferencing included the discussions and negotiations among the participants and the teacher before and after writing activities followed by live teacher-student as well as student-student feedbacks. in the collaborative writing group, the participants wrote compositions in groups based on the same topics introduced in the oral conferencing group. at the end, both groups were given another piloted writing section of the pet test as the posttest. the analysis of the test scores using an independent sample t-test and analysis of covariance (ancova) revealed that there is a significant difference between the effect of oral conferencing and collaborative writing on efl learners’ writing skills. finally, it can be concluded that efl learners’ writing skill was more affected by applying oral conferencing rather than collaborative writing. keywords: collaborative writing; efl learners; oral conferencing; writing skill. introduction writing is regarded as an instrument through which people communicate with one another in time and space, transmitting their culture from one generation to another. writing as one of the main and productive language skills, which was once considered as the domain of well-educated people, is becoming an essential tool for everyone in today’s community (cushing weigle, 2002). in this perspective, writing as a significant requirement for efl learners is regarded as one of the most important communicative skills in english language learning (biria & jafari, 2013; goodlet, & pymberton, 1989; hayes & flower, 1986). researchers have found that foreign language learners find it painstaking to write in the target language, producing less fluent sentences and encountering difficulties in the revisions of their written work (fatemi, 2008; hyland, 2003; mccoy, 2003; tan, 2007). however, these difficulties are not only attributed to their linguistic abilities, but they mostly lay in the nature of writing process itself (chih, 2008). rooted in the ideas introduced in the process approach to writing, the provision of second party feedback, usually by the teacher, on learners’ drafts is now given a higher level of attention (williams, 2002). accordingly, the provision of written corrective feedback on second/foreign language writing has been regarded as an integral component of writing programs (mirzaii, 2012). oral conferencing is considered as one type of corrective feedback (mirzaii, 2012). according to bayraktar (2009), oral conferencing is identified and “referred to as response sessions, assisted performance, face-toface interaction, one-to-one teaching, conversation about the student’s paper, and mania nosratinia & niousha nikpanjeh promoting foreign language learners’ writing: comparing the impact of oral conferencing and collaborative writing 18 meaningful contact” (p. 11). oral conferencing is advantageous in a way that teachers can foster learners’ reflection on their own learning process; elicit language performances on particular tasks, skills, or other language points as well as helping them to develop a better selfimage (brown & hudson, 1998). besides, oral conferencing is believed to assist teachers in creating a collaborative atmosphere, encouraging learners to actively engage in practicing writing (ewert, 2009). collaboration in writing has been drawing an increasing attention in language teaching and assessment (dicamilla & anton, 1997; storch, 2005; swain & lapkin, 1998). according to reither (1989), “thinking of writing as a collaborative process presents more precise ways to consider what writers do when they write, not just with their texts, but also with their language, their personae, and their readers” (p. 624). collaborative writing requires learners to utilize a range of social skills that can help foster a sense of accountability, cooperation, and community (murray, 1992; savova & donato, 1991; villamil & de guerrero, 1996). moreover, collaborative writing, like any other collaborative activity, provides learners with the opportunity to give and receive immediate feedback on language, an opportunity which, as claimed by vanderburg (2006), is “missing when learners write individually” (p. 378). learners’ working in groups, particularly in collaborative groups, constructs new ways of understanding and develops greater skills (web, 1989). however, writing is generally considered as an individual activity through which ideas are transferred from the writer’s mind to the reader’s. therefore, quite few research has been conducted to examine the impact of corrective feedback on productive english skills, particularly writing. hence, this study aimed to investigate the comparative effect of oral conferencing, as a type of corrective feedback, and collaborative writing on efl learners’ writing ability. to fulfill this objective, the problem raised in this study was formulated into the following research question: “is there any significant difference between the impact of oral conferencing and collaborative writing on efl learners’ writing ability?”. accordingly, the following null hypothesis was formulated: h0: there is no significant difference between the impact of oral conferencing and collaborative writing on efl learners’ writing ability. method the 60 participants involved in this quasi experimental study were chosen from hermes institute in tehran. they were female efl learners at the intermediate level whose mother tongues was persian and their age was between 20 to 32 years old (mage = 26). they had been exposed to english courses for about 5 years in average. these participants were selected conveniently and homogenized through a piloted pet test among 90 learners. they were randomly assigned into two experimental groups of 30 named “oral conferencing group” and “collaborative writing group”. to ensure the homogeneity among the participants of the two groups in terms of their writing ability before the treatment, their scores on the writing section of the pet test were analyzed in isolation and were used as the pretest scores of the participants. both groups received the same amount of instruction. the course consisted of 10 sessions of 90 minutes spanning over a period of five weeks. before administrating the pet test, a group of 30 students with almost similar characteristics -age, gender and proficiency levelto the target sample were used for the piloting of this test and the writing posttest. here, one of the researchers (functioning as the teacher) tried to teach the relevant grammatical points as well as the essential vocabularies alongside of language skills with special focus on the writing skill. participants were also given the same topics for their compositions and they were taught how to write a composition including introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. compositions were rated according to the jacobs et al.’s (1981) esl composition profile by the one of the researchers (the teacher) and the other rater. in order to accomplish the purpose of the study, the following instruments were utilized: 1. the preliminary english test (pet) is now internationally recognized as a reliable test calibrated for the elementary level of english language proficiency. being created by the university of cambridge esol examinations in england, the exam intends to be unbiased regarding test takers’ linguistic backgrounds and nationalities. in addition to the knowledge of grammar and vocabulary, the pet test deals with all of the four skills of language, namely reading, english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 19 writing, listening, and speaking. the pet test contains 125 items, and it takes 125 minutes to take the whole test. in the present study, however, the speaking section of the pet test was not used due to the limitations imposed by the institute officials. 2. the writing scale of pet – the employed rating scale for rating the pet test’s writing section in the present study was created by cambridge, called the general mark schemes for writing. using the criterion stated in this rating scale, the writing scores ranged from 0 to 5. 3. writing pretest – in order to make sure that the participants in the two groups belonged to the same population in terms of writing ability, the participants’ scores of the writing section of the pet test were analyzed in isolation and used as the writing pretest. this section consisted of three parts followed by 7 questions. the participants were required to fulfill the tasks of the test by using their lexical and syntactic abilities, such as writing letters, stories, and short messages. 4. touchstone 3 – touchstone, by michael mccarthy, jeanne mccarten, and helen sandiford (2005) has been published by the press syndicate of the university of cambridge. this textbook is argued to offer an innovative and novel approach to efl learning and teaching. focusing on the north american english, this textbook has employed the cambridge international corpus which is composed of a huge amount of conversations and written texts. this book contains all language skills and sub-skills, and offers exciting ideas for personalized, learner-centered interaction. in this study, the students dealt with three units of the textbook, units 6, 7, and 8. 5. compositions – the participants were asked to write six compositions during the treatment sessions. they had 40 minutes to write about each predetermined argumentative topics. the topics of the compositions were the same across two experimental groups. the compositions consisted of 150 to 250 words and had to be written in descriptive voice. the compositions should have three parts; introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. in oral conferencing group, each student should write her composition at home. in each session, four or five students read their compositions in classroom. contrary to oral conferencing group, the students in collaborative writing group were asked to write their compositions collaboratively in classroom. 6. oral conferencing checklist – this checklist is designed by moradan and hedayati (2011). it contains a set of questions to be asked to all participants in oral conferencing group regarding pre and post writing activities during the treatment period. it is the result of discussions between the aforementioned researchers and their five coworkers in their study. it starts with some general questions regarding the participants’ opinions about their writing abilities prior to the writing activity, and it ends with some questions about participants’ ideas regarding their weaknesses and strengths in writing activity. 7. jacobs, zinkgraf, wormuth, hartfiel, and hughey’s (1981) esl composition profile – this instrument is an analytic scoring scale and consists of five subcategories of content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics. each subcategory is in detail and the scoring system is clearly defined. the total score is calculated from 100 and the proportions of scoring are predetermined in the scale according to participants’ performance in each part. 8. writing posttest – the posttest administered at the end of the study was the writing section of another version of pet. it was piloted in advance. this test was given to the participants for comparing the participants’ writing ability in terms of the effect of both oral conferencing and collaborative writing. oral conferencing group oral conferencing in this study included the discussions and negotiations among the participants and the teacher before and after writing activities followed by live teacherstudent as well as student-student feedbacks. to do this, the anderson model (2000) and oral conferencing checklist designed by moradan and hedayati (2011) were used. anderson (2000) as cited in (bayraktar, 2009) states that teacher-student writing conferences generally fall into the following four types: 1) rehearsal conferences which help students find idea to write about; mania nosratinia & niousha nikpanjeh promoting foreign language learners’ writing: comparing the impact of oral conferencing and collaborative writing 20 2) drafting conferencing which assists students develop their ideas and determine which genre and style they want to write in; 3) revision conferences which help student improve their initial drafts; and 4) editing conferences whose main focus lies in helping students become better editors. here, students should write their compositions at home. based on the feedback they had already received regarding the conferences in the class, they would revise their writings. after completing the writing tasks, the students were asked to conference regarding their ideas, weaknesses, and strengths during the writing task. the students in oral conferencing group were concentrated on the overall meaning and organization of their writing, and also on the vocabularies, language use, and the mechanics of writing. all the conferences conducted orally. oral conferencing checklist designed by moradan and hedayati (2011) were used for this purpose. the teacher asked questions and gave students enough time to speak about their problems and to provide students with appropriate feedback. collaborative writing group whether to have students choose their own partners or they should be assigned at random into groups is the first major consideration in applying collaborative writing method (mulligan & garofalo, 2011). although instructors may present a better idea for matching students in groups, if the students choose their own partners themselves, it would be more effective for cooperative learning as a basic goal of collaborative writing (cote, 2006). based on this, the students were divided into 5 groups of 6 in order to write the assigned compositions and provide each other with feedback regarding their weaknesses and strengths. contrary to oral conferencing group, the students in collaborative writing group were asked to write their compositions collaboratively in classroom. in other words, all members of a group were responsible for making a final piece of writing. the same procedure which was used for familiarizing students in oral conferencing group with how to write a composition was also used for students in collaborative writing group. the teacher had to provide them with topic then they should go through the process of writing collaboratively which was based on the proposed steps of mulligan and garofalo (2011). based on the requirements of this study and limitations which were imposed on the researchers by the institute officials, some modifications on the mulligan and garofalo’s model (2011) was done as follows: 1) students chose their partners themselves; 2) all the members of a group brainstormed ideas about the target topic and organized the information into coherent groupings; 3) all the members of a group did outlining, planning, and crafting; 4) the whole writing (composition) was read in the classroom by one of the members of the group; 5) the teacher checked the compositions based on jacobs et al.’s (1981) esl composition profile, and pointing out structural and organization errors, and providing the related group with comments and suggestions. at the end of the treatment phase, the participants of both groups sat for the posttest which took about 55 minutes. the results of the test were then evaluated by the two raters based on the pet rating scale. results and discussion this quasi experimental study was set out to compare the effect of oral conferencing and collaborative writing on efl learners’ writing ability. the independent variable has two modalities, oral conferencing and collaborative writing. the dependent variable is writing ability. the two control variables are the language proficiency and gender of the participants. in order to answer the research question proposed in this study, both descriptive and inferential statistics were taken in the piloting phase and administration, respectively. following the piloting of the pet test, the mean scores, the standard deviation of scores, and the reliability indices were calculated. this calculation demonstrated that the mean score was 53.24 and the standard deviation was 8.74. the item analysis revealed that there were two malfunctioning items in the test. after the deletion of the 2 malfunctioning items, the reliability of the test using cronbach alpha was .94. the inter-rater reliability was calculated using the pearson correlation coefficient, showing the existence of a significant correlation. accordingly, the same raters could be used for rating the following administrations of the test. after the procedure of piloting the pet test, it became an instrument to homogenize the english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 21 students for this study. 90 efl learners took part in the test administration. following the administration, the descriptive statistics were calculated. this showed that the mean was 55.24 and the standard deviation was 9.20. the reliability of the pet test in this actual administration was .89. in the next phase, the scores of the participants on the pet writing section were analyzed in isolation in order to inspect the homogeneity of the participants in the two groups before the treatment. the two groups’ mean scores were almost the same (oral conferencing = 10.6000, collaborative writing = 10.0033). thus, one can conclude that there was no noticeable difference between the means of the two groups at the outset of the study. also, according to the results of a t-test, there was not a significant difference between the two experimental groups regarding their writing ability (t (58) = .77, p > 0.05) which confirms their homogeneity (table 1). table 1. t-test results of experimental groups on writing pre-test levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pretest equal variances assumed 2.85 .096 .779 58 .439 .56667 .72727 .88913 2.02246 equal variances notassumed .779 55.296 .439 .56667 .72727 .89065 2.02398 the results of the pearson correlations indicated that there were significant agreements between the two raters who rated the subjects’ writings on the posttest (r (58) = .94, p < .05 representing a large effect size) for the writing part 2 and posttest of writing (r (58) = .96, p < .05 representing a large effect size) for the writing part 3. testing assumptions in this study, the data were analyzed through an independent t-test and analysis of covariance (ancova) which have two common assumptions; normality and homogeneity of variances. the latter will be discussed below when reporting the main results. as reported in table 2, the skewness and kurtosis ratios were within the ranges of +/1.96, confirming the normality of the data. table 2. descriptive statistics of pet of the two experimental groups group n skewness kurtosis statistic statistic std. error ratio statistic std. error ratio conferencing reading 30 .177 .427 0.41 -.560 .833 -0.67 prewr 30 -.234 .427 -0.55 -.140 .833 -0.17 lc 30 .005 .427 0.01 -1.153 .833 -1.38 postwr 30 -.559 .427 -1.31 .380 .833 0.46 proficiency 30 .148 .427 0.35 -.733 .833 -0.88 collaborative reading 30 .479 .427 1.12 -.558 .833 -0.67 prewr 30 .098 .427 0.23 -1.149 .833 -1.38 lc 30 -.188 .427 -0.44 -.317 .833 -0.38 postwr 30 -.080 .427 -0.19 -1.405 .833 -1.69 proficiency 30 .069 .427 0.16 -.470 .833 -0.56 the results of the independent t-test (t (58) = .16 p > .05, r = .021 representing a weak effect size) showed that there was not any significant difference between two groups’ mean score on the pet test (table 3). as a result, it can be concluded that the two groups were homogeneous regarding their general language proficiency prior to the treatment. mania nosratinia & niousha nikpanjeh promoting foreign language learners’ writing: comparing the impact of oral conferencing and collaborative writing 22 table 3. independent samples test levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper equal variances assumed 2.151 .148 .158 58 .875 .267 1.689 -3.11 3.64 equal variances not assumed .158 55.826 .875 .267 1.689 -3.11 3.65 as reported in table 3, it should be pointed out that: a) the assumption of homogeneity of variances was met (levene’s f = 2.15, p > .05). therefore, the first row was reported; and b) the negative lower bound value of 95 % confidence interval, i.e. -3.11 indicated that the difference between the two groups’ means on the pet can be zero. to address the research question, an analysis of covariance (ancova) was run to compare the oral conferencing and collaborative writing groups’ mean scores on the writing posttest while controlling for the potential effects of participants’ initial writing ability (the pretest). the ancova has two main assumptions; homogeneity of regression slopes and linear relationship between the dependent variable and the covariate. the assumption of homogeneity of regression slopes assumes that the relationship between the dependent variable (posttest of writing) and covariate (pretest of writing) shows the same regression slopes across the two groups. the regression line for collaborative writing group and oral conferencing group did not show any interaction, i.e. they did not cross each other (figure 1). based on these results, it can be concluded that the assumption of homogeneity of regression slopes was met. figure 1. homogeneity of regression slopes; posttest of writing by groups controlling for pretest the linear relationship between the dependent variable and covariate can be tested by examining the spread of dots around the diagonals. if the dots spread around the diagonal, it can be concluded that the second assumption is also met. the spread of dots for both groups were close to the diagonals (figure 2). english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 23 groups collaborative writing oral conferencing figure 2. assumption of linear relationship between dependent variable and covariate before discussing the results of the ancova, it should be stated that the assumption of homogeneity of variances was not met (levene’s f = 8.93, p < .05). as noted by bachman (2005), filed (2013) and pallant (2011) in case the sample size is equal, there is no need to worry about the violation of this assumption. as displayed in table 4, the oral conferencing group (m = 11.61, se = .19) had a higher mean than the collaborative writing group (m = 10.58, se = .19) on the posttest of writing after removing the effect of pretest. table 4. descriptive statistics, posttest of writing by groups controlling for pretest group mean std. error 95% confidence interval lower bound upper bound conferencing 11.612a .193 11.225 11.998 collaborative 10.588a .193 10.202 10.975 a. covariates appearing in the model are evaluated at the following values: prewr = 9.35. the results of ancova (f (1, 57) = 13.93, p < .05, partial η 2 = .19 representing a large effect size) confirmed the existence of a significant difference between the mean scores of the two groups on the posttest (table 5 and figure 3). thus, the null-hypothesis stating that “there is no significant difference between the effect of oral conferencing and collaborative writing on efl learners’ writing ability” was rejected. table 5. tests of between-subjects effects; posttest of writing by groups controlling for pretest source type iii sum of squares df mean square f sig. partial eta squared pretest 315.761 1 315.761 284.608 .000 .833 group 15.455 1 15.455 13.930 .000 .196 error 63.239 57 1.109 total 7810.000 60 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed) mania nosratinia & niousha nikpanjeh promoting foreign language learners’ writing: comparing the impact of oral conferencing and collaborative writing 24 figure 3. posttest of writing by groups controlling for pretest regarding the question posed in the present study and based on the statistical analysis of the data, there is a significant difference between the effect of oral conferencing and collaborative writing on efl learners’ writing ability. the results of an independent samples t-test and analysis of covariance (ancova) revealed that the ability of efl learners’ writing was more affected by applying oral conferencing rather than collaborative writing tasks. this finding supports previous research. goldstein and conrad (1990), for example, examined learner input and negotiation of meaning through oral conferences between one teacher and three learners of an advanced level writing class. they came to the conclusion that learners who negotiated the meaning in the conferences could make better revisions in their drafts, which in turn improved their writing. on the contrary, those learners who were not encouraged to negotiate meaning were inclined towards not making revisions or making very perfunctory revisions that did not result in improved drafts. the finding was also in line with the results of bitchener, young, and cameron (2005) and wallis (2010) which revealed that a better achievement in writing can be gained through oral conferencing effective feedbacks between the teacher and the student. furthermore, pathey-chavez and ferries (1997) found that the quality of the writing can be enhanced by oral conferencing sessions which supports the outcome of this study. besides, this outcome is in line with the findings of mirzaii (2012) who conducted a study to inspect the impact of providing written corrective feedback through oral conferencing on the writing performance of iranian intermediate-level efl learners. in spite of the significant improvement of participants in the oral conferencing group, the learners who received collaborative writing, also had a better performance in their writing in the posttest (as shown in table 4), albeit insignificantly. therefore, this result suggests that collaborative writing can also be useful in teaching writing in some contexts. this result is in line with the finding of a study by storch (2011), indicating that collaborative tasks are more accurate compared to the tasks carried out individually. in addition, kuiken and vedder (2002) investigated the role of group interaction in l2 writing in a cross-sectional study. the result showed that collaborative writing had an overall significant effect on students’ l2 writing. conclusion based on the statistical analysis, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference between the effect of oral conferencing and collaborative writing on efl learners’ writing ability. the results of an independent samples ttest and analysis of covariance (ancova) revealed that the ability of efl learners’ writing was more affected by applying oral conferencing rather than collaborative writing tasks. it should be noted that the aforementioned advantages identified for the use of oral conferencing can only be realized when the teacher can effectively carry out the task, i.e. offering encouragement, making specific suggestions, establishing a positive rapport, and having abilities and strategies, such as appropriate interaction, effective monitoring, and supportive evaluation. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 25 considering the provision of feedback through oral conferencing, the students can be capable of recognizing their own errors and erroneous areas, planning their learning, and finally evaluating what they have acquired. also, being engaged in the conferences, students needed to maintain the conversations in order to reflect on the points made by the teacher and the peers; consequently, the speaking ability of the students can be enhanced as well. further studies can be carried out to investigate the longer effects of instruction types on writing enhancement. in other words, future studies can adopt a longitudinal design rather than a cross-sectional one. in future research, there is a need to have a larger subject sample size. the more subjects, the greater reliability and validity will result. besides, the effect of oral conferencing can be investigated on other language skill and sub-skill performance. apart from corrective feedback some other feedbacks, i.e. electronic feedback’s effect can be investigated on writing ability. learners’ individual differences, such as learning styles, creativity, critical thinking, learning strategies, learning aptitude, age, gender, cultural background, background knowledge, and the affective domain are believed to play an important role in learning and using foreign or second language (nosratinia & zaker, 2013, 2014, 2015; zaker, 2015). due to some restrictions, these variables have not been taken into account in the present study. further studies are suggested to investigate these different variables. references bayraktar, ş. (2009). pre-service primary teachers’ ideas about lunar phases. turkish science education, 6(2), 12–23. biria, r., & jafari, s. (2013). the impact of collaborative writing on the writing fluency of iranian efl learners. journal of language teaching and research, 4(1), 164-175. bitchener, j., young, s., & cameron, d. (2005). the effect of different types of corrective feedback on esl students. journal of second language writing, 12(3), 191-205. brown, j., & hudson, t. (1998). the alternatives in language assessment. tesol quarterly, 32, 653675. chih, h. k. (2008). designing an online writing system: learning with support. elc journal, 39(3), 285-299. cote, r. (2006). peer collaboration in the esl writing classroom: a literature synthesis. retrieved on may, 2015 from www.u.arizona.edu/~rcote/slat596o/term%20 paper.pdf cushing weigle, s. (2002). assessing writing. cambridge: cambridge university press. dicamilla, f. j., & anton, m. (1997). repetition in the collaborative discourse of l2 learners: a vygotskian perspective. canadian modern language review, 53(4), 609-633. ewert, d. e. (2009). l2 writing conferences: investigating teacher talk. journal of second language writing, 18(4), 251-269. goldstein, l. m., & conrad, s. m. (1990). student input and negotiation of meaning in esl writing conferences. tesol quarterly, 21, 443-460. hayes, j., & flower, l. (1980). identifying the organization of writing processes. in l. gregg & e. steinberg (eds.), cognitive processes in writing (pp. 45-57). hillsdale n. j.: lawrence erlbaum associates. hyland, k. (2003). second language writing. new york: cambridge university press. mccoy, m. k. (2003). language, math, social studies, and … worms? integrating the early childhood curriculum. dimensions of early childhood, 31(2), 3-8. mirzaii, m. (2012). implicit vs. explicit vocabulary learning: which approach serves long-term recall better? the southeast asian journal of english language studies, 18(2), 1-12. murray, d. e. (1992). collaborative learning as literacy event: implications for esl instruction. in d. nunan (ed.), collaborative language learning and teaching (pp. 100-117). cambridge: cambridge university press. nosratinia, m., & zaker, a. (2013, august). autonomous learning and critical thinking: inspecting the association among efl learners. paper presented at the first national conference on teaching english, literature, and translation, shiraz university, shiraz, iran. retrieved from http://www.civilica.com/paper-telt01telt01_226.html. nosratinia, m., & zaker, a. (2014). metacognitive attributes and liberated progress: the association among second language learners’ critical thinking, creativity, and autonomy. sage open, 4(3), 1-10. doi: 10.1177/2158244014547178. nosratinia, m., & zaker, a. (2015). boosting autonomous foreign language learning: scrutinizing the role of creativity, critical thinking, and vocabulary learning strategies. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 4(4), 86-97. doi: 10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.4n.4p.86. reither, j. a., & vipond, d. (1989). writing as collaboration. college english, 47, 620-628. storch, n. (2005). collaborative writing: product, process, and students’ reflections. journal of second language writing, 14(3), 153–173. mania nosratinia & niousha nikpanjeh promoting foreign language learners’ writing: comparing the impact of oral conferencing and collaborative writing 26 storch, n. (2011). collaborative writing in l2 contexts: processes, outcomes, and future directions. annual review of applied linguistics, 31(1), 275-288. swain, m., & lapkin, s. (1998). interaction and second language learning: two adolescent french immersion students working together. modern language journal, 82(3), 320-337. vanderburg, r. m. (2006). reviewing research on teaching writing based on vygotsky’s theories: what we can learn. reading and writing quarterly, 22, 375-393. williams, j. (2002). undergraduate second language writers in the writing center. journal of basic writing, 21(2), 73-91. zaker, a. (2015). efl learners’ language learning strategies and autonomous learning: which one is a better predictor of l2 skills? journal of applied linguistics-dubai, 1(1), 27-39. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 109 metadiscourse markers written in introduction section of final project of unimus efl learners siti aimah english education department, faculty of foreign language and culture universitas muhammadiyah semarang, indonesia e-mail: siti.aimah@unimus.ac.id dodi mulyadi english education department, faculty of foreign language and culture universitas muhammadiyah semarang, indonesia e-mail: dodi@unimus.ac.id muhimatul ifadah english education department, faculty of foreign language and culture universitas muhammadiyah semarang, indonesia e-mail: muhimatul@unimus.ac.id apa citation: aimah, s., mulyadi, d., & ifadah, m. (2019). metadiscourse markers written in introduction section of final project of unimus learners. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 109-118. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1717. received: 04-01-2019 accepted: 13-04-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: metadiscourse marker is one of determining indicators of the quality of the writers’ writing. metadiscourse markers enable the writers to interact with the readers effectively. what commonly happens to many undergraduate students studying english as a foreign language is that they are not able to develop an engagement between themselves, their texts, and their readers. thus, this study investigates the types of metadiscourse markers used by unimus efl learners in final project introduction sections, and markers that are frequently used by them in their writing. by using qualitative and quantitative research method, seven introduction sections of final project of unimus efl learners focusing on qualitative and qualitative research methods were chosen purposively. as result, the study revealed that in writing introduction sections, the students used various metadiscourse markers, including interactive resources (transitions, frame markers, endophoric markers, evidentials, and code glosses) and interactional resources (hedges, boosters, attitude markers, engagement markers, and self-mensions). among those categories, interactive resources were found to be frequently used by the learners rather than interactional resources. it means that the writers tended to give attention to and guided the readers through the text by establishing their interpretations explicitly rather than involving the readers in the argument through the use of markers in interactional dimension. keywords: final project; interactional metadiscourse; interactive metadiscourse; introduction section; marker; metadiscourse; writing. introduction writing final project is crucial for undergraduate students as the fulfillment in obtaining their bachelor degree. it is undeniable for them to write their english report and paper in which their text should be understandable to the readers. in order to be understandable, their text should be coherent. hence, it demands them to have the awareness on the text in order to make it comprehensible. writing a final project for efl learners is regarded as a challenging activity in which the language used in the text is quite different from those coming from the other departments in which they have to present it in english. it demands them to provide the text that is easily recognized by the readers. therefore, they should understand that there is a communication between the writer (through the text) and the readers in understanding the meaning/content. in fact, efl learners are commonly not aware that in writing, it is required a good interaction between the writer and the readers in order the messages that the writer would like to convey could be understood by the readers. this condition happens even though writing course has been studied intensively from the early semester. yet, their writing is commonly found incomprehensible to the readers. in writing, the learners, in this case, should build a communication through a cohesive and coherent text that enables the readers to have a better siti aimah, dodi mulyadi, & muhimatul ifadah metadiscourse markers written in introduction section of final project of unimus learners 110 understanding of what the writer’s intention. in order to understand the writer’s intention, it is required metadiscourse markers which are basically used to negotiate meaning (hyland, 2010). metadiscourse, which is principally used in both spoken and written texts, allows the writer to show the readers about the different parts of the text which are related and should be interpreted (hyland, 2010). it is emphasized on the use of language which is not only simply used to convey information about the fact, but also to present information to others through the organization of the text. it means that in writing, the writer needs not only to express his/her feeling and/or experience, but also to interact intimately with the readers explicitly and implicitly through a cohesive and coherent text which enables the readers to grasp the writermeaning. it is in line with hyland & tse (2004) who state metadiscourse is recognized as an important means of facilitating communication which support a writer’s position and build a relationship with an audience through their texts. by using metadiscourse, besides making easier in organizing the texts, it could also be intended to help the readers decode the message (dafouzmilne, 2008), and engage the readers through the texts themselves (hyland & tse, 2004). in engaging the readers, the writer should make a communication. metadiscourse is not only about the exchange of information, good or services, but also involves characters and attitudes of those who are communicating (hyland, 2015). it means that language is an outcome of interaction of different people who express through language, and metadiscourse is the way to verbalize and construct the interaction. in communicating through the text in which the writer should involve in both creating and sharing meanings, the writer should write in two levels: on one level he/she should provide information about the subject matter of the text. it means that it is needed for expanding propositional content. on the other level, the writer needs not to add anything to the propositional content but he/she should help the readers to organize, interpret, evaluate, and react to such material through the use of metadiscourse (hyland, 2010). in a very recent study, rustipa (2014) investigated metadiscourse in indonesian efl learners’ persuasive text. it revealed that the occurrences of textual marker types in efl learners’ persuasive texts were similar to those considered as standard proficient writing (extract from bawe corpus), while those of interpersonal marker types were different from the standard proficient writing. kuhi and mojood (2014) conducted a research about metadiscourse in newspaper genre: english and persian editorials. it showed that the predominant metadiscourse category in editorials genre was interactional category and the predominant metadiscourse feature was attitude markers (a subcategory of interactional category). the differences between two editorials were attributed to cultural/linguistic backgrounds of both groups of editorialists. in this study, two levels of metadiscourse markers proposed by hyland (2015) were used: interactive and interactional metadiscourses. the list of the categories, their functions, and the examples are presented in table 1. for investigating the use of metadiscourse markers in efl learners’ final project of unimus, particularly in writing introduction section, the study is limited on the writing of background of the study. in writing background of the study, the writer should clearly describe to the readers what is being researched and why in which it enables to have a communication intimately between the writer and the readers through the text. hence, some research questions are proposed as follow: 1. what kinds of metadiscourse are used by unimus efl learners in writing introduction section? 2. what are metadiscourse markers frequently used by unimus efl learners in writing introduction section? table 1. interactive and interactional metadiscourses adapted from hyland (2015) category function examples interactive metadiscourse transition express semantic relation between main clauses in addition / but / thus / and frame markers refer to discourse acts, sequences, or text stages finally / to conclude / my purpose is endophoric markers refer to information in other parts of the text noted above / see fig / in section 2 evidentials markers refer to source of information from other according to x / (y, 1990) / z states english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 111 texts code glosses help readers grasp meanings of ideational material namely /e.g. / such as / in other words interactional metadiscourse hedges withhold writer’s full commitment to proposition might / perhaps / possible / about boosters emphasize force or writer’s certainty in proposition in fact / definitely / it is clear that attitude markers express writer’s attitude to pro-position unfortunately / i agree / surprisingly engagement markers explicitly refer to or build relationship with reader consider / note that / you can see that self-mentions explicit reference to author(s) i / we / my / our method this research was employed by combining qualitative and quantitative research methods. the quantitative data were tabulated to explicate the use of metadiscourse markers, while qualitative data were analyzed to describe the types of metadiscourse markers found in the texts. the present research focuses on the use of metadiscourse markers in quantitative and qualitative method academic text written by english undergraduate students. there were seven introduction sections of four qualitative methods and three quantitative methods from different topics, including language teaching, translation, and language assessment written by different efl learners. these final projects were selected from english department of universitas muhammadiyah semarang (unimus) who successfully graduated in 2017. the unit of analysis was metadiscourse markers in both interactive markers which covered transition, frame markers, endophoric markers, evidentials, and code glosses, and interactional markers which comprised hedges, boosters, attitude markers, engagement markers, and self-mentions. the data were taken by identifying the use of metadiscourse markers proposed by hyland (2015) from the students’ writing. the markers found from the students’ writing consisting of 5.363 words were classified by categorizing them into transitions, frame markers, endophoric markers, evidentials, and code glosses which were categorized into interactive dimension, and those which were hedges, boosters, attitude markers, engagement markers, and self-mentions were categorized into interactional dimension. those markers were then analyzed in detail to interpret based on some considerations of functional meaning and calculated to derive the frequency and percentage of using them in those words in which its function was to support the description. table 2. titles of final project from which data were selected no authors research method title year of completion 1. haque, s. qualitative a content analysis of english textbook related to contextual teaching and learning 2017 2. kumala, b. p. qualitative an analysis of grammatical errors on students’ writing 2017 3. paramitha, d. qualitative students’ difficulties in translating idiomatic expressions from english into indonesian 2017 4. zulfa, a. qualitative the analysis of “bahasa inggris” textbook seen from its quality 2017 5. ariyani, d. n. f. quantitative the implementation of explicit instruction (ei) and self-directed learning (sdl) to teach students writing 2017 6. saputri, e. a. d. quantitative the effectiveness of peer feedback technique and magic cards to improve students’ speaking skill 2017 7. solikhatun quantitative the influence of using textless comics and make a match on students’ writing of recount text 2017 siti aimah, dodi mulyadi, & muhimatul ifadah metadiscourse markers written in introduction section of final project of unimus learners 112 results and discussion types of metadiscourse markers used by unimus efl learners the finding reveals that metadiscourse markers, either interactive dimension or interactional dimension, perform in the students’ writing introduction sections. in the use of metadiscourse markers, the markers of interactive dimension mainly dominate in the students’ writing rather than interactional dimension. interactive resources help to guide the readers to interpret the text correctly (suhono & haikal, 2018). it means that the writer needs to organize a text in anticipating the readers’ needs and facilitating the readers by guiding them through the text itself (cao & hu, 2014; wei, li, zhou & gong, 2016). the result of metadiscourse markers found in the students’ writing of introduction sections could be seen in table 3. from table 3, it could be seen that there are 637 metadiscourse markers found in 5.363 words produced by 7 students’ writing of final project introduction sections which consist of 524 markers (82.3%) in interactive dimension and 113 markers (17.7%) in interactional dimension. it means that the use of metadiscourse markers in interactive dimensions which are dominated by the use of transitions (374 markers) is higher than interactional dimensions in which the highest marker used is hedges with the occurrence of 39 times. the use of metadiscourse markers by the learners are realized to help the writers in connecting the clauses and/or emphasizing what they have written through the texts. it means that metadiscourse markers are very important for the learners in organizing the sentences into a cohesive and coherent text so that the readers get easier in grasping the meaning. table 3. metadiscourse in introduction section writing category occurrence percentage category occurrence percentage transition 374 71.4% hedges 39 34.5% frame markers 20 3.82% boosters 21 18.6% endophoric markers 27 5.15% attitude markers 15 13.3% evidentials 33 6.30% engagement markers 17 15.0% code glosses 70 13.3 % self-mentions 21 18.6% interactive 524 82.3% interactional 113 17.7% metadiscourse markers frequently used by unimus efl learners in the efl learners’ introduction section writing, particularly in the interactive marker, the most frequent category of metadiscourse is transitions markers which comprise 374 markers (71.4%). the use of transitional markers in writing, according to wei, li, zhou & gong (2016) can be classified into three types, namely addition (e.g., moreover, in addition), comparison (e.g., similarly, in comparison) or contrast (e.g., however, by contrast), and inference (e.g., therefore, consequently). however, hyland (2015) argues that transitions are commonly used to emphasize on the use of any conjunctions which are used to express the semantic relation between main clauses, such as in addition, but, thus, and, etc., and help interpret the intended information through the texts (cao & hu, 2014). at this point, transitions are the most frequently used by the learners considering that the use of conjunctions are usually taught by the english lecturers in teaching writing so that they are so familiar and used to practice with the use of them. it means that the learners have a good knowledge of transitions to be applied in their writing. the use of transitions in selected introduction sections writing could be seen in the following examples. (1) therefore, students are demanded to earn spoken and written products, such as short functional texts, transactional texts, essay, etc. (2) yet, it also requires knowledge and understanding to choose the closest and the most proper equivalence in target language to properly convey the message contained in source language into target language. (3) however, the translator which in this case is students often encounters some difficulties during the translation process. those bold words, in the sentences (1), (2), and (3) indicate the use of transitions in the students’ writing of introduction sections. the use of and and yet is a part of the example of transitions commonly used by the learners for expressing the relation between words, phrases, sentences, and clauses. therefore and however which appear at the beginning of the sentence indicate result and contrast. the use of those transitions seems to be effective and good flow english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 113 of communication between the writer and the readers through the text in order to be sensible and comprehensible. the use of code glosses is in the second position of using the metadiscourse markers with the occurrence of 70 (13.3%). it helps the readers to grasp the appropriate meanings of elements in the texts (hyland, 2015). it also provides the information clearly about definition that is needed by the readers and/or gives the examples that refer to the things to be emphasized. in other words, code glosses are used to clarify what actually the writer’s communicative purposes are. the markers represent a number of basic communication strategies used in the negotiation of meaning in different context. the markers usually used are namely, such as, for example, in other words, etc. the use of those markers is to explain and elaborate on meaning, and help readers in grasping the information (wei, li, zhou, & gong, 2016). the followings are the examples of using the code glosses by the learners. (4) however, figurative language is also used in formal writing such as article or news in magazines and newspaper. (5) teaching english must cover four language skills namely: listening, speaking, reading and writing. from the sentences (4), and (5), it could be seen the use of code glosses such as and namely is intended to rephrase, explain and elaborate what has been said by the writer so that the readers are able to recover what the writer’s intended meaning is (hyland, 2015). code glosses are also required by the readers as guidance in interpreting, elaborating, and clarifying the examples needed (dehghan & chalak, 2015). the use of code glosses makes the readers easier in getting their understanding about what they are reading through the text. it could be seen from the sentence (4) which describes clearly to the readers about the figurative language which is commonly used in formal writing by emphasizing such as article or news in magazines and newspaper. the other example could be seen in sentence (5) in which the writer mentions that teaching english must cover four language skills by emphasizing the use of namely for mentioning the skills covered. the third one is evidentials which present source of information from other texts (cao & hu, 2014; hyland, 2015). according to wei, li, zhou, & gong (2016), there are two types of evidential markers: the integral and non-integral. integral relates to a cited source as part of the reporting sentence, and the non-integral places a cited source within parentheses or via a superscript number leading to a footnote, endnote or bibliography. the use of evidentials is basically to strengthen what they argue referring to the source of information from other texts. in using the source of the information through the markers, the occurrence is 33 (6.30%). it means that the learners have the knowledge for strengthening the information/statement written through the source of textual information by encoding them with the writing of according to x, (y, 2017), z states, etc. (6) according to alufohai (2016: 62), grammar at the sentence level is fundamental for the writing of compositions in english language. (7) as mentioned by wright (2002: 10), translating idiom is considered to be difficult, since idiom cannot be translated as word for word. (8) some evidences of the positive role of the incorporation of comics into school reading practices in the early years is provided by the results of marsh’s study in two sheffield schools in the united kingdom (marsh & millard 2000: 110). the sentences (6), (7), and (8) are categorized into non-integral markers in which it refers to the use of a cited source within parentheses. the evidentials markers are used to express the evidence that the writers have for their statement. those markers are required by the writers to refer to the information in other parts of the text. with the occurrence which achieves 6.30%, it indicates that the learners do not use many of them to strengthen their statement. their weakness of using evidential markers commonly deals with their knowledge of how to interpret what the sources state by relating to their own statements. it is understandable considering that the activity of writing is not much explored by them. that’s why it is frequently found that the evidential markers used by the learners do not refer to the things that they mention. the next rank is endophoric markers. according to hyland (2015), endophoric markers refer to information that could be found in other parts of the text. the use of endophoric markers in introduction sections could be found as much as 27 (5.15%) which are categorized into cataphoric and anaphoric (wei, li, zhou & gong, 2016). cataphoric refers to announcement, advance labelling, preview; and anaphoric deals with reminder, recapitulation, and review. siti aimah, dodi mulyadi, & muhimatul ifadah metadiscourse markers written in introduction section of final project of unimus learners 114 (9) the statement above is reinforced by the description of pre-observation in english education department of university of muhammadiyah semarang in the academic year 2016-2017. (10) based on that condition, the students need a stimulus to improve their english speaking performance. (11) based on the fact above, i would like to find out the difficulties encountered by students in translating idiomatic expression from english into indonesian by first knowing the quality of their translation product. from sentences (9), (10), and (11), mostly the writers want to emphasize on the use of endophoric markers referring to reminder, recapitulation, and review. the writers commonly have collected the information required to strengthen their arguments. therefore, the use of based on that condition and based on the fact above shows that the writers would like to make their readers sure with the intended data and/or information in which it is also to provide/strengthen their supporting arguments (suhono & haikal, 2018). the use of frame markers such as finally, to conclude, my purpose is, first, etc. is in the last position in which they are only used 20 times (3.82%). frame markers are used to organize the texts for the readers (cao & hu, 2014). the use of them enables the readers to understand clearly about the items used to sequence, label text stages, announce discourse goals, and indicate topic shift (hyland, 2015). those are needed by the writers in order to make their writing good in order/shift. frame markers can be further classified into four subtypes according to their functions: sequencers, topicalizers, discourse-labels, and announcers. sequencers (e.g., first, second) are used to structure the text into sequences; topicalizers (e.g., in regard to, concerning) to signal the shift from one topic to another; discourse-labels (e.g., in summary, thus far) to mark the stages of textual development; and announcers (e.g., aim to, seek to) to indicate discursive purposes (cao & hu, 2014; wei, li, zhou, & gong, 2016). (12) the first category is grammatical category which related to the form, aspect, and genus of any unit of language. (13) finally, teachers have responsibility to choose a textbook for students to fit with appropriate teaching and learning model. (14) the purpose of this research is to find out the importance of the correlation between content to contextual teaching and learning. those markers (see (12), (13), and (14)) help the readers to comprehend the writers’ emphasis of their writing through the sequences, goals, and/or topic shift. it is not easy for the learners in using those markers. it could be seen from the frequency of using them in their whole writing in which the most frequently used is when they mention the purpose of conducting their research. it indicates that their understanding of using the markers is still low. meanwhile, in the interactional marker, hedges are the most frequently used by the learners in writing their introduction sections with the frequency of 39 times (34.5%). hedges play an important role in conveying the writer’s message. it involves readers collaboratively in the argument by alerting them to the author’s own perspective toward both information and readers themselves (hyland, 2010; hyland & tse, 2004; wei, li, zhou, & gong, 2016). the use of hedges in academic writing is to present propositional information categorically (hyland, 2015). it means that there is a relationship and interaction between the writer and the readers through the use of certain expressions. it is essentially intended to evaluating and engaging, influencing the degree of intimacy, the expression of attitude, the epistemic judgments, the commitments, and the degree of reader involvement. in detail, wei, li, zhou, & gong (2016) mention that hedges can be realized by such lexico-grammatical forms as epistemic modal verbs (e.g., might, could, may), lexical verbs (e.g., suggest, appear, claim), adjectives and adverbs (e.g., plausible, probably, perhaps), nouns (e.g., likelihood, possibility), and other linguistic expressions for marking qualification (e.g., in general, to some extent). the followings are the examples of using the hedges commonly used to mark the writers’ reluctance. (15) if the teacher does not realize about students’ mistakes and errors, those mistakes and errors may occur repeatedly because they do not have the correction. (16) translator should understand the meaning first before translating the whole meaning. (17) besides that, she also applied self-directed learning (sdl) in which the users have a role as decision makers to determine their own learning and accept their responsibility intact, though they may need help and advice from the teacher. from (15), (16), and (17), it could be seen that there are some types of hedges used by the writers. the use of hedges shows the degree of tentativeness, possibility, and/or politeness used english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 115 by the writers in their texts (rustipa, 2014). the possibility is built by the writer through the text, such as the use of may (see sentence (17) in which the writer is not sure whether or not the users need help and advice from the teacher. the use of should which is frequently used by the learner in their writing, is intended to give suggestion to the readers dealing with certain information. in sentence (17), the writer intends to give advice to the translator in which it is important for him/her to know the meaning before translating the text. meanwhile, about presents the information emphasized by the writers about what they are writing. the next one is the use of boosters that can only be found as much as 21 times (18.6%) by encoding the use of in fact, definitely, it is clear that, etc. in which the point is to emphasize and/or to express the writer’s certainty (hyland, 2015). the use of boosters can be realized by epistemic modal verbs (e.g., must), lexical verbs (e.g., show, demonstrate, prove), adjectives and adverbs (e.g., undisputed, undoubtedly), nouns (e.g., fact, certainty), and other emphatic expressions (e.g., without a doubt). the use of boosters also allows the readers to find out about the writer’s opinion (rustipa, 2014). the use of boosters in writing introduction section in which it is the second position of using the markers in the interactional dimension is to emphasize their certainty. those markers indicate that the writers are assertive enough in expressing the certainty. (18) it means that writing requires capability at organizing and combining information into cohesive and coherent paragraphs and texts in order to be understandable. (19) on the other hand, the fact in class showed that the students had problems with their writing skill and difficulties to generate and organize their ideas in the written-form. (20) from the phenomena above, it showed that the second and fourth semester students of english education department of university of muhammadiyah semarang had problems in grammar. sentence (18) which uses the marker of it means that refers to the affirmation toward what the writer has. she/he would like to emphasize of something that she/he has by making a conclusion of the explanation given. it makes the readers easier in understanding of what she/he has written in the text. the use of marker the fact (sentence (19)) is also used by the writer to present the condition in real (contrary term). by using the marker, it will help the readers to wonder the two different things compared. sentence (20) with the use of it showed that emphasizes on the writer’s proposition. the writer wants the readers know that the evidence to support her/his statement before. meanwhile, self-mentions in which they explicitly refer to the author(s) are more frequently used by the learners in asserting their position with the occurrence of 21 (18.6%). they are used to show the extent to which the author presence in terms of first-person pronouns (e.g., we, i) and possessives (e.g., our, my) (hyland, 2015). the use of self-mention markers could be seen in the following examples. (21) based on the fact above, i would like to find out the difficulties encountered by students in translating idiomatic expression from english into indonesian by first knowing the quality of their translation product. (22) i use textless comics as a media and make a match as a model of learning. (23) the reason above encourages me to do evaluation toward the worthiness of content that is containing in english textbook contextual teaching and learning. self-mentions which are used by the learners are to show their self-affirmation from the readers. it could be seen clearly from the firstpronoun used of i and me in the sentences (21), (22), and (23). the use of the markers shows explicitly their position/their function as the authors in their writing. the next is the engagement markers, such as consider, note that, you can see that, etc. at this point, the writers do not want to involve more the readers as participants in the text through second-person pronouns, imperatives, and questions forms (hyland, 2015). considering their difficulties in using those markers, the occurrence in their writing of introduction section is only 17 times (15%). (24) we cannot deny that most of material commonly used by teachers in learning process is taken from textbook as an instructional media. (25) considering the importance of translation, this subject is included as a course that has to be taken by english department students in the university level. engagement markers which are intended to build relationship with the readers (hyland, 2015) could not be found easily in the learners’ writing. it is clearly seen from the total of 5.363 words produced, only 5 learners who use the markers, while the rest, 2 learners do not use the markers in their writing. in sentence (24), the siti aimah, dodi mulyadi, & muhimatul ifadah metadiscourse markers written in introduction section of final project of unimus learners 116 writer uses we cannot deny that in his sentence means that he would like to involve the readers as the participant in the text through secondperson pronoun we in which both the writer and the audience cannot avoid the use of materials in the process of learning which are taken from textbook. the marker considering is used by the writer to make the readers focus their attention on the importance of translation to the english learners as a course to be taken. the frequency of using attitude markers which is used to express writer’s attitude to proposition: conveying surprise, obligation, agreement, importance, etc. (hyland, 2015) is the lowest among others. the markers can adopt the form of deontic verbs (must, have to, should...), attitudinal adverbs (interestingly, surprisingly...), adjective constructions (it is difficult, impossible, desirable, unfortunate...), cognitive verbs (i think, i believe...), and other expressions conveying stance or evaluation (e.g., what is important, it is necessary) (wei, li, zhou, & gong, 2016). the use of obligation such as must is mainly used by the learners in which it is emphasized to do something. dealing with this point, the occurrence of using the markers in their writing is 15 times (13.3%). (26) the learners must apply the five general components of the writing process, they are content, form, grammar, style and mechanic. (27) it is not surprising that textbook often becomes the only supporting instrument for the teacher to run the lesson in classes. (28) first, textbook are relatively easy to get in the market, provide a guide or road map for the learner which offers expected behaviors that he had to perform to find and are commercially provided. numbers of (26), (27), and (28) indicate the variety of using attitude markers in the text. however, among the presence of those markers, the learners dominantly use obligation, such as must, have to, and had to rather than the others as seen in sentence (26) and (28). meanwhile, for indicating surprise, only a few of them use the marker in their writing. from those findings, it is clearly seen that the total occurrence of metadiscourse markers in introduction sections of unimus efl learners is 637 in which the interactive metadiscourse usage is higher (524) than interactional metadiscourse one (113). this finding is an alignment with the previous findings (anwardeen, luyee, gabriel & kalajahi, 2013; zakaria & malik, 2017) which showed that undergraduate students tended to use interactive metadiscourse (textual metadiscourse) rather than interactional metadiscourse (interpersonal metadiscourse). it means that the learners, in this case, tend to interpret the messages explicitly through the text rather than involving the readers through the arguments given. it is understandable in which culture might influence the use of the metadiscourse in their writing. unimus efl learners are familiar with the use of interactive metadiscourse, such as transition markers and code glosses in which the frequency of occurrence could be clearly seen in table 3. it is different from interactional metadiscourse in which the number of it is only about quarter of the use of interactive metadiscourse. conclusion based on the data analysis, metadiscourse markers used by efl learners of unimus in writing introduction sections happen with the illustration of 1 discourse marker is used in 8.42 words. the most frequently use of metadiscourse markers happens in the interactive dimension in which there are 524 markers (82.3%) which are mainly dominated by the use of transitions with the amount of 374 markers (71.4%) and followed by code glosses with 70 markers, evidentials (33 markers), frame markers (20 markers) and endophoric markers (27 markers). in the interactive dimension, from the total of 5.363 words produced by the learners, it could be said that 1 discourse marker is used in 10.23 words. conversely, in the interactional dimension, only 113 markers (17.7%) could be found in the learners’ writing which comprises hedges with the highest occurrence of 39 markers, and it is followed by self-mentions with 21 markers which are equal with boosters (21 markers), attitude markers achieve 15 markers, and engagement markers have 17 markers. it means that in the interactional dimension, 1 marker is used for 47.5 words. from both interactive and interactional dimensions, the frequent use of metadiscourse markers happens in the interactive metadiscourse. it means that the writers tend to give attention to and guide the readers through the text by establishing their interpretations explicitly rather than involving the readers in the argument through using markers in interactional dimension. considering the importance of metadiscourse markers in academic writing, the lecturer of writing subject should give more english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 117 attention to the teaching and applying the use of metadiscourse markers including interactive and interactional resources in writing class. the interactional markers should also be taught to the students in order to help them in conveying and strengthening their own argumentation. without giving knowledge of metadiscourse markers, the learners will get difficulties in building communication and making negotiation with the readers through the texts created, and determining their judgment in their writing. by recognizing metadiscourse markers, it is expected that the students understand better the distinction between old and new information in sentences so that they would have better understand writing. the students are also expected to be able to guide the readers by providing their interpretations explicitly and involving the readers through the text. the further research is also expected to be conducted by other researchers in other fields to have a distinction between the use of metadicourse markers in qualitative study and quantitative study. references anwardeen, n. h., luyee, e. o., gabriel, j. i., & kalajahi, s. a. r. (2013). an analysis: the usage of metadiscourse in argumentative writing by malaysian tertiary level of students. english language teaching, 6(9), 83-96. doi: 10.5539/elt.v6n9p83. cao, f., & hu, g. (2014). interactive metadiscourse in research articles: a comparative study of pragmatic and disciplinary influences. journal of pragmatics, 66, 15-31. doi: 10.1016/j.pragma.2014.02.007. dafouz-milne, e. (2008). the pragmatic role of textual and interpersonal metadiscourse markers in the construction and attainment of persuasion: a cross-linguistic study of newspaper discourse. journal of pragmatic, 40, 95-113. doi: 0.1016/j.pragma.2007.10.003. dehghan, m., & chalak, a. (2015). code glosses in academic writing: the comparison of iranian and native authors. ijrelt, 3(2), 21-29. hyland, k. (2010). metadiscourse: mapping interactions in academic writing. nordic journal of english studies, 9(2), 125-143. hyland, k. (2015). metadiscourse. the international encyclopedia of language and social interaction. retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/ken_hyla nd/publication/285591598_metadiscourse/links/ 59ddf79d0f7e9bec3bae06ad/metadiscourse.pdf. hyland, k., & tse, p. (2004). metadiscourse in academic writing: a reappraisal. applied linguistics, 25(2), 156-177. doi: 10.1093/applin/25.2.156. kuhi, d., & mojood, m. (2014). metadiscourse in newspaper genre: a cross-linguistic study of english and persian editorials. procedia, social and behavioral sciences, 98, 1046-1055. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.515. rustipa, k. (2014). metadiscourse in indonesian efl learners’ persuasive texts: a case study at english department, unisbank. international journal of english linguistics, 4(1), 44-52. doi: 10.5539/ijel.v4n1p44. suhono, & haikal. (2018). interactive metadiscourse and interactional metadiscourse categories of students’ international program school based on gender. ijee (indonesian journal of english education), 5(1), 81-91. doi: 10.15408/ijee.v5i1.5505. wei, j., li, y., zhou, t., & gong, z. (2016). studies on metadiscourse since the 3rd millenium. journal of education and practice, 7(9), 194204. zakaria, m. k., & malik, f. a. (2017). metadiscourse in academic writing of pre-university arab students at the international islamic university malaysia (iium). matec web of conferences. doi:10.1051/matecconf/201815005086. siti aimah, dodi mulyadi, & muhimatul ifadah metadiscourse markers written in introduction section of final project of unimus learners 118 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 39 methods for teaching speaking skill at thamar schools and their impacts on learners’ oral competency jameel alghaberi education college, department of english, thamar university, yemen e-mail: abujamaljameel@gmail.com apa citation: alghaberi, j. (2019). methods for teaching speaking skill at thamar schools and their impacts on learners’ oral competency. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 39-46. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1732. received: 07-01-2019 accepted: 15-03-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: in the republic of yemen, english is taught as a foreign language (fl) in schools and universities. it is a compulsory subject in the curriculum of yemeni schools and universities and it is the only foreign language that is taught in all yemeni public schools. however, teachers and educators complain about students’ lack of oral competency. hence, this paper attempts to evaluate the current teaching methods, approaches, techniques and activities used for teaching english speaking skill at thamar secondary public schools. besides, it also investigates the utilization of instructional aides as well as technological resources and facilities available at schools in thamar city. three different data collection techniques were used, namely observation, questionnaire, and interview. the results revealed that english teachers in thamar still follow the traditional teaching methods. above all, speaking skill is almost neglected. the lack of proper teaching methods and activities coupled with the absence of instructional aides stand behind students’ deficiency in english speaking. thus, it is recommended that several training sessions for in-service teachers to be held in order to familiarize them with the methods, techniques, and activities used for teaching english speaking skill. keywords: communicative approach; instructional aides; oral competency; speaking fluency; teaching methodology; thamar public schools. introduction the teaching and learning of english as a foreign language has grown enormously. more specifically, the focus has recently been on how to speak and use the language effectively. the concern is not only about ‘knowing english’, but also significantly about ‘speaking english’ and using it for communication. accordingly, the teaching and learning of english as a foreign language gives priority to speaking skills. for this purpose, several methods, approaches, and techniques were innovated. the most popular and recognized approach is the communicative approach (ca) which stresses the development of communicative skills. it is revealed that communicative activities force learners to activate their linguistic repertoire and increase the possibility of integrating the new forms of the target language. however, more failures have always marked the english teaching worldwide when attempts are made to communicate. many learners know about the language, but only some of them understand how to use it in daily conversation. of course, there is a good deal of unanimity of views that the teaching and learning of speaking skills could only succeed by having good learning facilities, such as competent teachers, various english books, teaching aids and teaching media as well. in transferring language to students, appropriate techniques are needed in order to create a new and effective atmosphere for classroom interaction. in other words, by implementing various techniques and activities, teachers will be able to stimulate students in the teaching and learning process. brown and lee (1994, p. 63) state: techniques should cover the spectrum of learners needs, from language-based focus on accuracy to message-based focus on interaction, meaning and fluency. technique use should also encourage the use of authentic language in meaningful context; provide appropriate feedback and correction; capitalize on the natural link between speaking and listening; give the students opportunities to initiate oral communication; and encourage the development of speaking strategies. from the statement, it can be assumed that english teachers are required to be well-prepared before performing the lesson through supported activities in order to arouse the students’ motivation so as to achieve the desired objectives. mailto:abujamaljameel@gmail.com jameel alghaberi methods for teaching speaking skills at thamar schools and their impacts on learners’ oral competency 40 as reported by fareh (2010), efl programs in the arab world still fail to deliver as expected and the efl learners’ proficiency in english remains inadequate and below expectation which are caused by several factors, such as improperly trained teachers, inadequate teaching methodology, use of teacher-centered rather than learner-centered activities, and lack of exposure to english. thus, communicative approach is believed to run more effectively and efficiently. integrated and multi-skill instructions usually follow the principles of communicative approach with various pedagogical emphases, goals, instructional materials, activities, and procedures playing a central role in promoting communicative language use (hinkel, 2006). in addition to the revolution in teaching methods, the waves of technology have also affected the teaching and learning of fl to a great extent. computers have proved their pedagogical worth in foreign language classroom. learning technologies have given the students and teachers unparalleled access to authentic written and spoken english. as state by dede (2002), there is a world of teaching materials available in the internet that can enliven any lesson. hence, educational technology has a positive impact on students’ attitudes and on teacher’s teaching practices towards more cooperative group work and less teacher-centered. technology has really become an inseparable element of learning a foreign language as it enhances students’ achievements. al-mekhlafi (2004) also remarks that teaching english in the arab world has been characterized by the use of traditional and grammar-oriented approach with limited information resources (e.g. the teacher, the textbook and the chalkboard), but recently, several studies have been conducted and their findings have confirmed that the introduction of computers into efl classroom enhances language learning as well as enriches the teaching and learning environment. in the yemeni context, the improvement of language teaching has not done much for the learner who nowadays faces so many challenges. using the old-fashioned method of teaching can cause frustration, insecurity, and low self-esteem in the learners. the latter is thereby bound to be vulnerable and incapable of not only passing tests but is also coward enough not to face any challenge in his/her life. in addition, technology has not yet found its way to the yemeni classroom. this situation is not satisfactory for the development of yemen and needs more improvement to keep pace with the technological development in the world (shan’a, 2009). the yemeni english language teaching (elt) reformation was, as noted by bataineh and thabet (2008), merely confined to the replacement of the syllabi. reportedly, no beneficial orientation has been held on the principles of clt and, thus, teachers and supervisors have kept on using conventional teaching strategies with eccfy (english crescent course for yemen) making no reference to most of the communicative techniques of classroom activities, language teaching aids and teacher questioning proposed by clt and widely touted for enhancing learners’ foreign language proficiency (murshid, 2001). generally, it seems that english teachers in yemen focus on grammar and structures, and that is what makes students almost “deaf and dumb” and show little ability to speak and understand english. students are not learning enough realistic and whole language so that they do not know how to communicate using appropriate social language, gestures or expressions. in brief, students are not able to communicate in the target language. it is felt that the current teaching techniques applied by teachers do not produce satisfactory teaching results which mean that they probably have not achieved the objectives of teaching english in yemen. along with different studies carried out all over yemen, it is the purpose of this research to dwell on and investigate the currently applied methods and techniques as well as technological resources utilized for teaching spoken english at thamar secondary public schools, reporting and providing the concerned bodies and institutions with adequate information and well-framed picture about the situation of teaching english in order that actions of remedial intent are to be taken. despite the fact that yemeni students learn english for six years, starting from grade seven and up to grade twelve, there have been several complaints about the weaknesses in spoken english of secondary public school graduates who join universities as english majors or as english language learners. thamar secondary school graduates are not exempted. the majority of thamar secondary public schools’ graduates find it difficult to hold a conversation in english for even five minutes. this can be attributed to english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 41 the nature of teaching or the lack of appropriate educational and technological resources. according to al-sharafi (2010), elt in yemeni public schools has been suffering from a serious problem. it is the same problem that widdowson (1978, p. 117) had recognized for efl, where he says: the problem is that students, and especially students in developing countries, who have received several years of formal english teaching, frequently remain deficient in the ability to actually use the language, and to understand its use, in normal communication, whether in the spoken or the written modes. al-sharafi (2010) describes this problem as serious since it means that yemen has not yet been able to achieve its goal of teaching english in its public schools despite the fact that it spends a lot of money in this regard. a little bit closer, rashed (2009) drives home the fact that large classes is a major problem for teaching spoken english in yemen. as he points out, “most students sit passively for 45 minutes and only the teacher speaks explaining the lesson, without giving a chance to the students to practice or think” (rashed, 2009, p.94). due to the importance of communicating in the target language, the exercise of speaking skills has received increasing attention among educators during the past two decades. the need for communication has been relentless, leading to the emergence of the communicative language teaching (clt). in reaction to the grammartranslation and audio-lingual methods which did little in promoting communication skills, clt came to existence, emphasizing communicative activities which involve real use of language in real day-to-day life situations. because of its merits, communicative approach has dominated english language teaching; it has firmly established itself on a worldwide basis and there are good historical reasons for this (jarvis, 2005). the adoption of this approach was based on several factors that obliged linguists, psychologists, and educationalists to provide it with applicable techniques, procedures and theories as well. communicative language teaching (clt) makes use of real-life situations that students are likely to encounter in real life. here, students’ motivation to learn comes from their desire to communicate in meaningful ways about meaningful topics. in common consent, students’ ability to engage in meaningful conversational interaction in the target language is considered an important, if not the most important, goal of fl education. in connection with this aim, hass (2000) assures that students need opportunities to be active participants in tasks requiring them to negotiate meaning and practice language in communication with their teachers, their peers and others. today, a number of creative language learning software exist and is quite accessible from any part of the world. the aim is to engage the learner with interactive content to facilitate learning. in addition, multimedia is integrated into the newly emerging software which makes learning process more interactive. recently, computer technology has become more available and more affordable to learners and schools (liu 2005). many instructors have become better aware of the great potential computer software has for english language learning. liu (2005) states that attention has been recently moving away from computer software technology toward methodology and therefore teaching has become more elevated, and research has begun to focus on english language learning through the use of interactive software. it has been argued that computer technology has made language learning and teaching more effective because it can provide various repeatable stimuli which are not available in a single package in the past. zhong and shen (2002) indicated that the use of technology in efl has gained a great deal of momentum in china. they have labeled the process of technology integrated english instruction as “multimedia efl teaching”. in yemen, there have been some initiatives regarding integrating computer technology into schools. in february, 2005, a workshop was held in sana'a by iearn to introduce secondary school teachers to how they can apply the connective power of the internet and other technologies to their classroom curriculum subjects. having the same purpose, intaleq (innovation in technologyassisted learning for education quality) project, sponsored by usad, ministry of education and other organizations, was launched in 2009, targeting mukla, taiz, aden and sana'a. this program aimed at measuring the effects of teaching by using technological means on students’ achievement. thus, it was agreed between edc (henceforth, educational development centre), intel and moe (henceforth, ministry of education) that the moe would endeavor to select items (largely from the egyptian digital content) that would not jameel alghaberi methods for teaching speaking skills at thamar schools and their impacts on learners’ oral competency 42 need extensive adaptation for use in yemen, both for time and budgetary reasons. the yemeni moe has made a solid start on compiling a library of authentically yemeni digital materials, keyed to the yemeni curriculum, which can be used by teachers and students, yet there is still a long way to go. in yemen, the environment and family background are very important factors that determine the success of learning english. as stated by al-sohbani (2015), the opportunity to learn english in yemen through natural interaction with native speakers is rare and english is merely taught as a subject. such situations negatively affect students’ oral competency as the need to communicate in english in daily lives is not fulfilled. it can be stated that socio-economic prestige is a crucial factor behind the strong integrative tendencies and the high motivation levels of the yemeni efl students (attamimi & rahim, 2011). in thamar, we cannot say that secondary schools are fully equipped with modern technologies. according to the manager of instructional aides and educational technology at the office of the ministry of education, thamar branch, there are eight schools in thamar city out of eighty which are equipped with educational and technological facilities, such as computers, data shows, and other variants of visual aids. one of these equipped schools is ogba school which has been visited by the researcher several times. this school has 20 computers connected to the internet plus a science lab. yet, no real advantage is driven from the availability of these technological facilities. the english language teachers at this school grumble that one of the reasons preventing them from using computer lab in teaching english speaking is the problem of large classes. in reality, the problem of large classes is a critical one, but this does not mean that these teachers should give up and remain blind followers of the old traditional methods of teaching. they should think of possible solutions and cooperate with the concerned persons to tackle such problems. method this study involves teachers and students of thamar secondary public schools. from the list of school names obtained from the office of ministry of education in thamar, four schools were selected in a stratified random way (including both boys’ and girls’ schools). the boys’ schools are ogba bin nafa and haile saeed educational complex and the girls’ schools are al-methaq and al-shaima'a. in each of the boys’ selected schools, two teachers from each grade were selected as respondents. meanwhile, from girls’ schools, only one teacher from each grade was selected as respondents, i.e., three teachers from each school of the selected girls’ schools. for collecting data, the researcher used some instruments, ranging from closed ended questionnaire, open-ended questionnaire, observation checklist, and interview. open and closed ended questionnaires were constructed, developed, and then administered to 18 teachers. moreover, a number of 120 students were also given closed-ended as well as open-ended questionnaires. to ensure better understanding of the nature of teaching speaking, the researcher developed and made use of observation checklist, noting down some points about the teachers’ performance while teaching speaking. the observation checklist was constructed on the basis of the pertinent literature, and then reviewed by an expert at education college, thamar university. regarding the educational facilities and aids, the researcher arranged some interviews with the head of the department of educational technology and visual aids, the office of the ministry of educations, thamar branch. these interviews sought to obtain official data about the facilities offered to schools. results and discussion the guiding question is whether the methods, techniques and activities used by english teachers at thamar secondary public schools are effective to enhance students’ oral competency. to answer this question, an observation checklist was prepared. actually, six teachers of tenth grade were observed during the teaching of four periods, i.e., four lessons were observed. the observed teachers were not from a single school but they were selected from three schools. the observation showed that the performance of the observed teachers is very poor. it is to be drawn here that those observed teachers do not give any priority to the teaching of english speaking skills, nor do they give it any consideration or significance. in their classes, the teaching of english speaking skills is largely ignored. clearly, the absence of the simple and common methods, techniques and activities in the teaching of this skill is evidence english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 43 to the deficiency of students in communicating in english. besides, tenth grade teachers do not make any use of instructional aides or technological resources. it was also observed that no one of the sample employed any of the out-put oriented activities, such as role-play, simulation, debate, etc. this condition has a negative influence on students’ oral competency. in other words, this is one of the reasons that lie behind the deficiency of thamar secondary public school students in english speaking skills. grouping techniques are popular in the teaching of speaking skills. however, none of the observed teachers made use of any sorts of grouping. all of the teachers were observed teaching the whole class as one single group. about learning from and with peers, 16.7 % of the teachers were observed encouraging such a way of learning, while the other teachers did not do so. it was also observed that 33.3% of the teachers were able to create a non-threatening environment by being tolerant, ongoing, friendly and above all not meticulous about making mistakes. similarly, 33.3% of the observed teachers prompted cooperative group work, practicing exercises in the class, answering some questions, etc. on the contrary, none of the teachers was observed requiring his students to work cooperatively with each bother. coming to the extent of using english in the classroom, it was observed that only 16.7% of the teachers used english fairly well in the classroom. the other teachers were all observed using arabic most of the time. in this area, the researcher has been aware about teachers’ presence that they may exhibit during the observation process, so he questioned some other teachers who were not observed. in addition, the students were also asked to measure the extent to which their teachers use english in the classroom. as speaking class (or specifically oral production) requires many motivational cues to be used so as to motivate the students and stimulate them to speak, it was found that 33.3% of the observed teachers took advantage of such a technique, whereas the other teachers did nothing of this type. as it was observed, only 16.7% of the teachers of the observation sample were seen sequencing their speaking lesson according to ppp (presentation, practice, production) procedure, whereas the other teachers were observed focusing only on presentation from the beginning to the end of the teaching session. regarding class participation, there were no activities held or performed to see to what extent the teachers allow class participation. thus, as there were no activities, there was nothing to be observed with respect to class participation. the same thing recurred with directed discussions. there were no directed discussions, so there was nothing to be observed. collaborative learning, also called peer learning, is considered one of the established, popular and effective approaches, and active class participation is considered an essential element of this type of learning. peer learning refers to the acquisition of knowledge and skills through active help and support among status equals or matched companions (topping, 2005). with reference to this, students’ interaction was also limited. only 33.3% of the teachers were observed allowing and activating students’ interaction, but the other teachers were seen dominating most of the time. it was also observed that no one of the teachers cared about students’ involvement, nor did the researcher observe any teacher teaching speaking english with the help of instructional aides. in this regard, both the teachers and the students were also asked about the use of instructional aides in the classroom. this situation creates anxiety as the students remain constantly silent. dewaele and al-saraj (2015) studied the correlation between self-perceived oral proficiency in english and the frequency of use of english. they also investigated the socio-biographical variables and five multicultural personality traits that reflect the classroom anxiety. their investigation revealed that participants who felt more proficient in oral english and used the language frequently were significantly less likely to suffer from foreign language classroom anxiety. generally, it is advisable to minimize the use of students’ l1 during speaking classes. what was observed is not in harmony with the principles of clt, which require decreasing the use of l1 during speaking classes. the observer did not see any teacher trying to limit the use of l1 so as to push the students to struggle to communicate in the target language. in short, the results of the observation conducted on tenth grade teachers indicated clearly that the teaching practice adopted by them is not compatible with the techniques, methods, and activities used for teaching spoken english. it can be said that tenth grade teachers’ way of teaching is among the factors that do not jameel alghaberi methods for teaching speaking skills at thamar schools and their impacts on learners’ oral competency 44 contribute to the improvement of students’ speaking skills, but conversely to limiting and discouraging the students to have good speaking skills in english. all in all, the majority of the teachers are not familiar with the methods, techniques and activities which are commonly used for teaching english speaking skills. this is really one of the major causes that lie behind the deficiency of thamar secondary school students in english speaking skills. none of the teachers employed speaking techniques and activities, such as simulation, role-play, discussion, prepared talk, and story-telling. while observing, the researcher found no one of the observed teachers initiating any activity or using any common technique used for teaching speaking, nor were their students satisfied with their way of teaching. this is in accordance with the results of the study done by thabet (2002) and bataineh and thabet (2008). with respect to the instructional aides and technological facilities, it is actually another depressing finding. only six teachers said that they have the cassettes that accompany the textbooks. when coming to using them for teaching purposes, it was found that only two teachers of the sample claimed to use them in teaching speaking skills. however, this is not only the problem with the teachers, but it is also the result of the negligence exhibited by the concerned persons at the office of the ministry of education, thamar. when these concerned bodies were interviewed by the researcher, they disclosed the bitter fact that they had nothing to support english language teaching at schools. this is an indication of the apparent negligence from the part of the teachers, inspectors and the higher bodies as well. information and communication technologies have given the students many opportunities to practice english in and out the classroom and they have time and freedom to understand, reflect and analyze what have been exposed (ibrahim, 2010). thamar public schools seem to be stuck in traditional methods and the teachers have not been able to shift their classrooms into the digital age. although some schools are equipped with some computers, yet no single benefit is driven from the presence of these magical tools. those sets are just for decoration and no one knows when they might be used in teaching english, particularly english speaking skills. the suffering of the other schools is even worse. they are not even supplied with the basic instructional aides, and this has its direct influence on the students’ achievements in general. undoubtedly, the burden is all put on the students. such a situation-with poor performance of the teachers in the classroom and the lack of instructional aides and technological facilities-deeply impacts on the final oral attainment of the students. in general, yemeni students encounter difficulties that hinder mastering the basic skills of english as a foreign language. as the study reveals, the adherence to traditional methods of teaching remains a detrimental factor in student’s poor competency. in addition, the unavailability of the advanced technological facilities and the scarce of well-designed instructional aides impact the students’ attempt to improve their fluency in english. besides, the currently civil war that broke out has paralyzed the educational system in the whole country. since 2011 till today, public schools in yemen have been struggling to remain open regardless of maintaining educational standards. what remain are individual attempts by students themselves. some students who are well off go to language institutes in thamar city, while many others lose interest in the subject as a whole. conclusion from the analysis, it is concluded that the widely recognized methods, approaches, techniques and activities used for teaching english speaking skills have no place at thamar secondary public schools. teachers still adhere to the traditional teaching methods. above all, speaking skill is almost neglected by a large number of teachers, if not by all of them. in all the observed lessons, students were not interacting cooperatively with their teachers, nor were their teachers using any productive activities that may enliven the lesson and arouse the students’ motivation. lack of proper teaching methods and activities is among the factors that stand behind students’ deficiency in spoken english. beside, lack of instructional aides and technological facilities is also one of the main factors leading to the poor performance of secondary school students in speaking english. english teachers at thamar secondary public schools are aware of the significance of instructional aides and technological facilities for improving their students’ ability to use english. however, they are not bold enough to adopt any. this can be ascribed the english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 45 organizational hierarchy in the education system, lack of funding, and motivation. in the light of the findings, certain recommendations are proposed. teachers at least should use and read the teacher’s guide thoroughly and try to apply the instructions and methods mentioned in it. teachers should not only teach grammar and isolated words most of the time because english is a language and not a course of mathematics. they should give space in their teaching for the other learning skills, particularly speaking skills. it is hoped that teachers would move their focus to helping students to understand and speak the language they learn. more importantly, the use of arabic in the classroom should be decreased and more attention should be given to the interactions among learners and with their teachers. urgent in-service training courses are needed for english teachers in order to familiarize them with the recent concepts and latest development in english teaching. schools should be provided with supplementary materials, such as posters, pictures, flashcards, journals, short stories, dictionaries cassettes and recorders, video tapes, well-designed software, data shows, language labs, etc. there is urgent need for teachers to change their teaching methods and strategies to be in harmony with clt, the one which is largely recommended for teaching speaking skills all over the globe. school authorities are expected to implement measures that lead english teachers to provide the opportunity for students to use english for real communication. references al-sohbani, y. (2015). the role of attitudes and motivation in learning english as a foreign language among yemeni rural secondary school students. journal of teaching and teacher education, 3(1). al-mekhlafi, a. (2004). the internet and efl teaching: the reaction of uae secondary school english language teachers. journal of language and learning, 2(2), 88-113. al-sharafi, e. (2010). the extent to which english language teachers in sana'a schools use communicative activities. unpublished ma thesis. sana'a university. attamimi, r. a., & rahim, h. a. (2011). socioeconomic orientations in foreign language learning motivation: the case of yemen. asian efl journal, 13(4), 167-197. bataineh, t., & thabet, s. s. (2008). obstacles of using communicative techniques in yemeni efl classes. logos papers in english studies, 3(1), 14-27. brown, h. d., & lee, h. (1994). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. englewood cliffs, nj: prentice hall regents. dede, c. (2002). six challenges for educational technology. project science space, 1-12. dewaele, j., & al-saraj, t. (2015). foreign language classroom anxiety of arab learners of english: the effect of personality, linguistic and sociobiographical variables. studies in second language learning and teaching, 5(2), 205-228. fareh, s. (2010). challenges of teaching english in the arab world: why can’t efl programs deliver as expected? procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 2(2), 3600-3604. hinkel, e. (2006). current perspectives on teaching the four skills. tesol quarterly, 40(1) 310-323. ibrahim, a. (2010). information technologies in elt. journal of language teaching and research, 1(3) 211214. jarvis, h. (2005). technology and change in english language teaching (elt). the asian efl journal quarterly, 7(3), 213-229. liu, j. (2005). english language teaching around the globe: methods and concepts. tesol journal, 33(1), 85-102. murshid, y. (2001). the crescent series: an evaluation with reference to its appropriateness to the yemeni context. unpublished thesis. sana'a university. shan’a, s. (2009). teaching english as a foreign language to primary students of grade (4-6) in yemeni public schools: a survey study. unpublished ma thesis. sana'a university. thabet, s. s. (2002). obstacles of using communicative techniques in yemeni english foreign language classes. unpublished ma thesis, yarmouk university, jordan. topping, j. (2005). trends in peer learning. educational psychology, 25(6), 631645. widdowson, h. (1978). teaching language as communication. oxford: oxford university press. zhong, y. & shen, h. (2002). where is the technology‐induced pedagogy? snapshots from two multimedia efl classrooms. british journal of educational technology, 33(1), 39-52. jameel alghaberi methods for teaching speaking skills at thamar schools and their impacts on learners’ oral competency 46 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 235 loanwords in barack obama's inaugural speech muziatun department of english education, universitas negeri gorontalo, indonesia email: muziatun@ung.ac.id muzdalifah mahmud department of english education, universitas negeri gorontalo, indonesia email: muzdalifah.mahmud@ung.ac.id fatia hanapi department of english education, universitas negeri gorontalo, indonesia email: fatiahanapi5@gmail.com apa citation: muziatun, mahmud, m. & hanapi, f. (2021). loanwords in barack obama's inaugural speech. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 235-244. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5383 received: 03-07-2021 accepted: 23-09-2021 published: 31-12-2021 abstract: the purpose of this research is to examine the types of loanwords used in obama's inaugural speech. the loanword theory of haugen (loanword, loan blend, and loan shift) and yule's theory of word creation were adopted in this research. it used a qualitative approach to describe the before-after borrow pattern, the types of loanwords, and the process of word formation. the data indicates that sixteen words are part of loan blend; nine words are part of loan shift; and one word is a loanword. while based on word formation, it is revealed that the borrowing word formation process includes twenty-six words and the derivation word formation process involves sixteen words. keywords: loanword, word-formation; morphological process; speech introduction loanwords are words that have been borrowed from another language and introduced into our language (kunert, 2020; luikham & singh, 2017; ma'nawi & hadi, 2021; xiao, 2020; yunusova, 2021). in addition, another concept, linguistic borrowing, describes similar situation, which is the adaptation of a linguistic expression from one language into another (ciobanu & dinu, 2020; koliopoulou, 2020; marello, 2020; muziatun, 2017). loanwords are constructed to fill in the gaps in vocabulary development and enrichment, allowing people to maintain up with the rapid advancement of technology, information, and communication. however, due to the fact that people learn other languages and incorporate them into their own, many people believe that all foreign words are loanwords, which is not the case. this is also true in the english language. not all english terms have their origins in the english language. it has been said by luikham and singh (2017) that in today's world of globalization, borrowing has become a need for effective communication. when people need to name a certain object, idea or concept, or process that does not currently exist in our native languages, they are faced with a lexical difficulty. consequently, that problem might be solved by borrowing a word from another language where they have the potential to be used in actual situations. this borrowing word might be continuously used by the majority of people and perhaps be adapted as the standardization of native language in a country. moreover, a language that has been borrowed from another language might provide names to objects that do not exist in the language it has been borrowed from (muziatun, 2017). as a nutshell, this process of borrowing a word may occur when two or more languages come into regular contact with one another. morphology is the branch of linguistics that studies loanwords and how they are formed. morphology has often been defined as the study of form and the process of word formation (arkadiev, 2020; gardani, 2021; ralli, 2020; rzepiela, 2020; waqar & hussain, 2021; xu, kodner, marcus, & yang, 2020). the loanwords could be found in both spoken and written language. loanwords are utilized in various types of broadcast media such as radio, television, and advertising (chaa, 2021; kitanina & trukhanova, 2020; muziatun, 2017; tran & tanemura, 2020; yaniar & masrokhah, 2021). furthermore, because of the broadcast media and the cultural mailto:muziatun@ung.ac.id mailto:muzdalifah.mahmud@ung.ac.id mailto:fatiahanapi5@gmail.com muziatun, muzdalifah mahmud, & fatia hanapi loanwords in barack obama's inaugural speech 236 interaction that exists between people from diverse language backgrounds, the phenomena of borrowing and re-borrowing words is quite plausible. the present research will provide an insight at oral/spoken language. the speech made by barack obama during his first inauguration will be the subject of the investigation. it will concentrate on obama's speech since his ability to communicate effectively is one of his greatest assets (hill, 2020; o'donnell, 2021; rahayu, susilo, & sunardi, 2018). the majority of the reasons for obama's decisive win may be attributed to his eloquent speech. furthermore, there are many words in the speech that have been borrowed from another language, and it is possible that the majority of people are unaware of the origins of the words used. the term "lexical borrowing" or "borrowing" is commonly used to describe a loanword (alathwary, 2021; anggraeni, 2021; anggraeni, 2016; geller & gajek, 2020; muziatun, 2017). it has been defined as a word that entered a language's lexicon by borrowing (or transfer, or copying) at some time in its history. the term "loanword" has been described by campbell (2004) as a "lexical thing" that is borrowed from a source language but does not become part of the beneficiary language's lexicon. therefore, loanwords can be said as words that have been borrowed and adopted to a certain language and treated as if their own. the present research is focused on the types of loanwords offered by haugen's (1950) theory, which was developed in the 1970s. it is widely acknowledged that haugen's theory is one of the most dependable theories in the field of linguistic borrowing. principally, he classified loanwords into three types: the loanword type, the loan blend type, and the loan shift type. the first type is loanword that demonstrates morphemic importation but does not demonstrate substitution. it is frequently a combination of copying both the word's form and its meaning. the next type of loan is a loan blend. as the name suggests, a loan blend is often created by blending the word of the foreign language with the words of a native language. the last category is loan shift, which refers to a word that undergoes morphemic substitution without being imported. as a result, this implies that only its meaning is borrowed. in addition to haugen's (1950) theory of loanword classification, this research will offer yule's (2016) theory of word creation to simply investigate the process of word formation. according to yule, there are 10 distinct processes through which a word is formed. they are coinage, borrowing, compunding, blending, clipping, back-formation, conversion, acronym, derivation, and multiple process. method the qualitative method was used in the undertaking of this research. using a qualitative method was necessary for this research since it revealed in detail to the readers how language performs in a wide range of personal, social, and environmental contexts. in accordance with silverman (2020), qualitative research is defined as studies in which descriptive data in the form of verbal and other non-numerical data is utilized as the foundation for analysis and problem solving. for the purposes of this research, the nonnumerical data consists of the utterances of barack obama throughout his address, which makes this type of method particularly appropriate for the data presented in this research. as previously indicated, the loanwords used in the speech provided the basis for this present investigation's data. this data has been examined in accordance with certain criteria. firstly, the merriam webster dictionary was utilized to acquire a definition of the word identified. second, this study was limited to the noun form of the word. this decision was supported by earlier works (ali, hassan, karamat, & aleem, 2021; matiki, 2016; meakins, pensalfini, zipf, & hamilton-hollaway, 2020; muziatun, 2017; schreur, 2021), which shown that nouns are more easily borrowed than other lexical elements. as a result, it is not unexpected given the abundance of evidence in the literature that nouns are more often borrowed than the other parts of speech. third, just the pure noun would be taken into account (there are no changes in word classes). fourth, this current research concentrated on old english (french, germanic, and latinic languages), as suggested by the merriam webster dictionary. it was due to the fact that the old english (french, german, and latin) had a higher proportion of indicated loanwords than the other languages. according to zhou (2016), the china national knowledge infrastructure revealed that 29 percent french, 29 percent german, and 6 percent latin are the most often utilized languages in teaching english loanwords. fifth, this current research only looked at the 12th and 13th centuries. it is because, according to the history of english, the period in which english borrowed more words from old english began in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 237 the 12th century and ended in the 13th century (finegan, 2014), the period in which english borrowed more words from old english ended in the 13th century (thu, 2018). loanwords are examined in various stages: checking, selection, exclusion, categorization, and explanation. the word was checked at the stage of checking using the merriam webster dictionary since this study was limited to words that included a noun. then, in the selecting step, the word classified as a noun was chosen. this is because the research's constraint is a noun. then, in a different color and meaning, highlight the noun identified. there are three separate categories for each of the three colors. the red color represents a word that is not a pure noun since it becomes another component of speech (adjective, verb, pronoun, etc). the green color represents a noun, typically attributive, and its function is to explain other nouns in the same way that an adjective does. the blue color denotes the pure noun. the next stage is exclusion; only a pure noun or the color blue was taken. after excluding them, they are classified into old english (french, german, and latin) and the 12th as well as 13th centuries. the meaning of the word, its original pattern before borrowing, the forms of loanwords it contains (loanword, loan blend, and loan shift), and the process by which the word was formed were all then described in straightforward detail. results and discussion the data for this research was gathered from barack obama's first inauguration speech, which took place on january 20, 2009. this president obama's speech has 2408 words (including the repetitions). as a result, his whole speech included just 809 words. after identifying 809 words, they were examined toward the merriam webster dictionary to determine if they were classified as a noun. table 1. types of nouns types of nouns total numbers non-pure nouns 352 words attributive nouns 33 words pure nouns 153 words total nouns 538 words there were 538 words in all that were classified as nouns. only 153 of the 538 nouns were considered pure nouns, which will serve as the basis for the majority of the data in this study. these 153 pure nouns were then classified according to their old english (french, german, and latin) origins, as well as those from the 12th and 13th centuries. the final selection revealed that this category of data had just 26 words. as a result of this large datasets, it can be determined that barack obama did not overuse borrowing words of old english from either the 12th and 13th centuries in his speech. types of loanwords these twenty-six nouns were classified into three main categories in accordance with haugen's proposed loanword classification. to begin, loanword identified only one word (deserts); loan blend revealed sixteen words (gift, grace, office, age, measure, riches, fame, places, habits, route, perils, charter, sake, cause, tribe, virtue); and loan shift revealed nine words (skill, choices, rule, forge, heritage, hatreds, duties, price, enemy). regarding the distribution of the whole data, it can be concluded that barack obama used a greater amount of loanwords that fall into the loan blend category in his speech than other categories of loanwords in general. table 2. types of loanwords types of loanwords result loanword the word that has been directly borrowed from another language. the pattern that existed before and after the loan remained unchanged. deserts loan blend the word was a combination of the source language and the recipient language. the pattern adopted the beginning and end of the language as its starting and ending points. gift grace office age measure riches fame places habits route perils charter sake cause tribe virtue loan shift only the meaning of the word has been borrowed, and the word's physical form has been completely altered. skill choices rule forge heritage hatreds duties price enemy deserts the word "deserts" is included in this data since it muziatun, muzdalifah mahmud, & fatia hanapi loanwords in barack obama's inaugural speech 238 originates from the anglo-french and was taken into english in the 13th century, according to merriam webster dictionary. "deserts" is a plural noun with the suffix –s added to the basic word "desert". according to merriam webster dictionary, the term "deserts" refers to arid area with often-scant flora. this word is represented in the category of loanword. it shown that the pattern previously borrowed is "desert" and that the pattern in english now is same. this word is borrowed throughout the process of word formation. gift. the word "gift" was included in the dataset since it was the 12th century borrowing from old english. according to merriam webster dictionary, the word "gift" refers to anything that is given without compensation by one person to another. this word is included in loan blend category of loanwords since the pattern was "giefan" before it was borrowed and modified to "gift." in modern english, the suffix –ft replaces the suffix –efan in old english. the suffix blended because it adapted to the receiving language's standards. yule's theory classified this term as referring to the borrowing and derivation processes of word formation. this word was included into the derivation since the process of affixation takes place in this word. grace the word "grace" is considered as a borrowing due to its origins in latin in the 12th century. according to the merriam webster dictionary, "grace" is a divine attribute. the latin pattern is "gratia," which becomes "grace" in english. it demonstrated that this word was included into the loan blend. this is because of the suffix –tia from latin evolved into –ce in english. oftentimes, the suffix of the word blends into the receiving language. this word is a result of borrowing and derivation during the process of word formation. then, this word was included in the derivation since the process of affixation performed in this word. office the word "office" is included in the borrowing since it was taken from latin in the 13th century. according to merriam webster dictionary, the word "office" refers to a location where a certain kind of business is conducted or a service is provided. this word is listed in loan blend categories because the pattern before the borrowing is "officium", which becomes "office" in english. in english, the suffix –ium is shortened to –e. additionally, the form combines the word from the other source language with the word from the receiving language. this word is a product of borrowing and derivation during the process of word formation. then, this word was included in the derivation since the process of affixation happened in this word. age in the 13th century, english adopted the word "age" from anglo-french. according to merriam webster dictionary, "age" refers to the stage of life in which a certain quality, power, or ability develops or ceases to exist. this word is listed in loan blend classifications because the pattern before the borrowing is "aage", which becomes "age" in english. in english, the prefix ahas been omitted. this word is categorized into a borrowing and derivation during the process of word formation. “age” was included in the derivation since the process of affixation occurred in this word. measure the word "measure" is included in borrowing since it was taken from latin in the 13th century by the english language. in the merriam webster dictionary, the word "measure" is defined as the dimensions, capacity, or quantity of anything, and it is included in the loan blend forms of loanword. there has been a shift in the pattern of the word "measure" from "mensra" to "measure." the infix –n changed to become –a, and the suffix –a changed to become –e in english, as can be seen from the shifting pattern given above. in most cases, the suffix of the word blends into the recipient's native language. the word "measure" is included in the borrowing and derivation processes that occur throughout the wordformation process since the process of affixation performed in this word. riches the word "riches" is classified as a borrowing word since it originates in anglo-french and was first used in english in the 13th century. according to the merriam webster dictionary, the definition of this word is the things that make one wealthy. "riches" is derived from the word "rich" with the suffix –es added as a plural identifier. the word "riches" is included in the loanword blend category, since the pattern in the past was "richesce," which was then blended into "riches" english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 239 when borrowed in english. the suffix –ce was dropped from anglo-french in english. affixation took place in the word-formation process, making this a borrowing word derivation. fame this word "fame" is included in borrowing since english took this word from latin in the 13th century. in the merriam webster dictionary, "famous" is defined as "public acclaim". while "famma" was the original latin word, "fame" became the english equivalent. it was evident that this word was part of the borrowing blend. for reasons that have to do with the standardizing of the receiving language, latin's suffixes –ma have evolved into english's -e. in the process of word formation, the word "fame" has been included in derivation since the affixation procedure took place. places english borrowed the word "places" from latin in the 13th century. the merriam webster dictionary defines "places" as the physical environment in which an event happens. this word demonstrates a plural noun by including the suffix –s, whereas the underlying word is "place". the english word "places" is derived from the latin word "platea". this word is included in the loan blend because the suffix –tea merged with –ce in english to represent an example of borrowing in which the source and recipient languages are generally merged. since the process of affixation occurred in this word, it is included in a borrowing derivation during the word-formation process. habits this word "habits" is included since english inherited it from latin in the 13th century. according to the merriam webster dictionary, this term refers to a customary method of behaving. the word "habits" is a plural noun involves the addition of the suffix –s, but the root word is "habit". this word is included in the loan blend because the original latin form is "habitus", and when english took it, the suffix –us was eliminated, resulting in the term "habit". it demonstrated that this word was accepted as a result of the receiving language's standardization. due to the affixation process, this word is included in a borrowing derivation during the word-formation process. route according to the merriam-webster dictionary, the term "route" refers to a channel of communication. this term was first used in the 13th century and came from anglo-french. according to haugen, this term is included in the loan blend types of loanword. it demonstrated that the pattern previously borrowed is spelled "rute", but in english it is spelled "route". after the term was borrowed into english, the infix –owas removed from it. this word is included in the borrowing derivation since the process of affixation took place in this particular term. perils "perils", according to the merriam-webster dictionary, are things that are dangerous. this term was first used in the 13th century and was derived from latin. this term is a plural noun due to the inclusion of the suffix –s in the word, despite the fact that the root of the word is "peril." the pattern that was previously borrowed was "perculum," which in english is rendered as "peril." after being borrowed into english, the suffix –culum was eliminated and merged with the suffix -l to get the final form. this word is categorized as borrowing derivation. inclusion of this word in the borrowing derivation is based on the fact that the process of affixation took place in this word. charter according to merriam-webster dictionary, the word "charter" is a gift or reward letter comprising a written declaration of an official character. in the 13th century, the term "charter" was taken from latin. originally called "chartula," the pattern is now known as "charter" in the english language. it is because the suffix – ula in latin has been changed to –er in english to keep up with the language norm. the affixation process took place in this word, therefore it is included in the borrowing derivation. sake “sake” is defined as a benefit or advantage for some entity in the merriam-webster dictionary. old high german was the source of this term, which was first used in the 13th century. the word "sake" is included in the loan blend because the pattern before borrowed was "sahha", but in english it is "sake". when translating from old high german, the suffix –hha became –ke in the english language. this word is included in borrowing derivation in the word-formation process because of the affixation process that happened in this word. muziatun, muzdalifah mahmud, & fatia hanapi loanwords in barack obama's inaugural speech 240 causes according to merriam-webster dictionary, the term "cause" refers to anything that has a direct influence on something else. it was taken from latin in the 13th century. this term is part of a loanword blend, since the latin suffix –a became –e in english via blending with the suffix –e. the latin word "causa" was used before it was changed to "cause" in english. this word is included in the borrowing derivation since the process of affixation took place in this word. tribe according to the merriam-webster dictionary, a "tribe" is a social group made up of a large number of families, clans, or generations who live in close proximity to one another. it was first used in the 13th century and was derived from latin. the pattern that was previously borrowed was "tribus", but in english it is referred to as "tribe". due to the fact that the suffix –us in the latin pattern blended becomes -e after being borrowed into english, it is apparent that this word is included in the loan blend types of loanwords category. inclusion of this word in the borrowing derivation is based on the fact that the process of affixation took place in this word. virtue “virtue”, according to the merriam-webster dictionary, is defined as a quality of moral perfection that is distinct from others. this term was first used in the 13th century and was derived from latin. the pattern that was previously borrowed was "virtut", but in english it is represented as "virtue". it demonstrates how the suffix –t in "virtut" was mixed to get the suffix –e in "virtue". it was determined from the description of the word that this word is included in the loan blend kinds of loanword because the word was blended at the conclusion of it. inclusion of this word in the borrowing derivation is based on the fact that the process of affixation took place in this word. skill according to the merriam-webster dictionary, the definition of the word "skill" is the capacity to employ one's knowledge effectively and quickly in the execution of a task. this word was first used in the 13th century and was derived from old english. this word is included in the loan shift since only the meaning of the word borrowed and the pattern are completely different. it demonstrated that the term "scille" had been previously borrowed and had been completely modified to conform to the english standard, and had become "skill". yule incorporates this term into the borrowing of the word-formation process. choices merriam-webster dictionary defines "choices" as the process of making a decision. the word "choice" is the root of this word and the suffix -s indicates a plural version for this word. in the 13th century, it was taken from old high german. this word is included in the loan shift since it is simply the meaning of the word borrowed that has changed, and the pattern as a whole has changed. it shown that the word "kiosan" was before borrowed in english, but that the word "choice" was afterwards imported in english. it demonstrates that the general pattern changes as a result of the borrowing. yule incorporates this word into the process of word development via borrowing. rule generally speaking, "rule" refers to laws or regulations established by the leader and enforced by the members. according to the merriamwebster dictionary, the term "rule" was first used in english in the 13th century after being adopted from latin. this term is one of the loanword types that are included in the loanshift category. this is due to the fact that the pattern that was previously borrowed was "regula", while in english it became "rule". it demonstrates how the pattern changes totally when translated into english. yule includes this word in the borrowing derivation of the word-formation process since the process of affixation took place in this word. forge according to the merriam-webster dictionary, a “forge” is a workplace where wrought iron is created or where iron is rendered malleable. this term was first used in the 13th century and was derived from latin. the design that was previously borrowed is called "fabrica", whereas the english word for it is "forge". it demonstrated that the pattern is entirely different in english. in conclusion, this term is included in the loan shift types of loanword due to the fact that just the meaning of the word has been borrowed, but the pattern has not been. yule incorporates this term into the borrowing of the word-formation process. heritage english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 241 according to the merriam-webster dictionary, the term "heritage" refers to a piece of property that is passed down to a descendant. this term was first used in the 13th century and was derived from latin. the pattern that was previously borrowed was "hērēditāre", which in english becomes "heritage". the term changes once it has been borrowed from the english language. it shown that this term is included in the loan shift since the pattern is different and only the meaning was borrowed. yule incorporates this term into the borrowing of the word-formation process. hatreds according to the merriam-webster dictionary, "hatreds" is a strong detest or disgust. as a plural noun, "hatreds" includes the noun with the suffix –s in the word; the basic word is "hatred". when this term was first used in the 13th century, it was acquired from old english. according to haugen, this term is a loan shift type of loanword. this word “hatred” in english is derived from the old english word "rǣden", which was the pattern before it was borrowed. borrowing completely rearranged the structure of the design. borrowing is a step in the word-formation process that includes this term. duties the word "duties" refers to a plural noun with the suffix –s added to the end of the word, but the original word is "duty". the definition of duty is the required responsibilities, behavior, service, or functions that emerge from one's position and which must be performed without fail. this term was first used in the 13th century and came from anglo-french. the "duty" is included in the loan shift types of loanwords. it shown that the pattern previously borrowed is "deueté", yet the pattern in the english term is completely different. this word is included in the borrowing sequence of the word-formation process. price the word "price" refers to the sum of money offered or established as compensation for the sale of a certain item. in the 13th century, the word "price" was acquired from latin. the pattern was previously borrowed as "pretium", which became "price" in english. it demonstrates that the term completely changes after borrowing and concludes that this is a loanword that shifts loanword types since only the meaning is borrowed. this term is borrowed throughout the process of word creation. enemy an "enemy" as defined by merriam-webster dictionary is someone who opposes another. merriam-webster dictionary also defines "enemy" as a latin term from the 13th century, which is when it was first used in english. the word "enemy" is included in the loan shift. the word "inimicus" was the pattern before it was borrowed, whereas "enemy" is the translation in english. only the meaning of the term borrowed may be deduced, however the pattern cannot. furthermore, depending on the pattern, it is shown that the pattern entirely changes once it is borrowed. this term is involved in the process of word development as a result of borrowing. following the completion of the aforementioned research, it is reasonable to conclude that the great majority of the borrowing words identified in the data were subjected to form modifications. put another way, the bulk of them preserved the meaning that they had when they were brought into the english. among the borrowing words used by obama in this data set, the majority are derived from latin and old english, with a few words from other languages thrown in for good measure. as a result of their inclusion in the merriam webster dictionary, it is reasonable to assume that they have been previously investigated as a manifestation of the development of the english through time. conclusion the purpose of this research is to identify three different kinds of loanwords that appeared in barack obama's first inaugural address. the theory of haugen states that there are three types of loanwords: loanwords that have no phonetic replacement (loanwords), loanwords that have a partial phonetic substitution (loan blends), and loanwords that have a full phonetic substitution (loan shift). the total number of words in all of the data results is twenty-six. the researcher discovered that loanword is made up of sixteen words in the loan blend types, nine words in the loan shift types, and one word in the loanword itself. then, according to yule's hypothesis (2006), twenty-six words were discovered to be involved in the borrowing wordformation process, and sixteen words were found to be involved in the derivation word-formation process. conclusively, the data demonstrate how rapidly english has developed as a consequence muziatun, muzdalifah mahmud, & fatia hanapi loanwords in barack obama's inaugural speech 242 of the borrowing process, making it one of the fastest-growing languages in the world. however, since the concept of language is always evolving and responding to new discoveries, it is essential that this research be carried out today more than ever before. the reason for this is because it is crucial to assess the extent to which language evolves as a consequence of technological advancement. this research may also provide light on the relationship that exists between various languages spoken all over the world, as well as the extent to which these languages influence the evolution of one another. if this can be explored, it may also be possible to study the fact that languages are practically adjacent to one another. as a consequence, it will be much simpler to track down the language contact in concern. references al-athwary, a. a. (2021). false friends and lexical borrowing: a linguistic analysis of false friends between english and arabic. journal of language and linguistic studies, 17(special issue 1), 368-383. ali, s., hassan, n., karamat, h., & aleem, f. (2021). an emerging trend of the use of wrong plurals by pakistani bilinguals: a socio-lexical exploratory analysis. palarch's journal of archaeology of egypt/egyptology, 18(09), 576585. anggraeni, d. (2021). english borrowing words in indonesian informatics engineering articles: types and meanings. deiksis, 13(2), 134-144. anggraeni, t. (2016). an analysis of english borrowing words in podomoro housing and property advertisements magazine. (unpublished thesis), tangerang: universitas pamulang. arkadiev, p. m. (2020). morphology in typology: historical retrospect, state of the art, and prospects. oxford: oxford research encyclopedia of linguistics. campbell, l. (2004). historical linguistics: an introduction. edinburgh: edinburgh university press. chaa, m. o. b. (2021). the use of english loanwords in social media the case of : tlemcen univesity students. ministry of higher education. ciobanu, a. m., & dinu, l. p. (2020). automatic identification and production of related words for historical linguistics. computational linguistics, 45(4), 667-704. finegan, e. (2014). language: its structure and use. stamford, ct, usa: cengage learning. gardani, f. (2021). on how morphology spreads. word structure, 14(2), 129-147. geller, e. & gajek, m. (2020). loanwords vs relics: a new method in lexical borrowing studies exemplified by yiddish-slavic language contact. diachronica, 38(4), 565-600. haugen, e. (1950). the analysis of linguistic borrowing. language: journal of the linguistic society of america, 26(2), 210-231. doi:10.2307/410058 hill, k. s. a. (2020). inaugural addresses in relation to technology: how the rhetoric of united states' presidents has shifted with technological innovation. kitanina, e., & trukhanova, d. (2020). borrowings as conflict triggers in russian media texts. медиаобразование, 60(1), 113-122. koliopoulou, m. (2020). term formation under the prism of linguistic purism: borrowings in german and greek. international journal of lexicography, 33(2), 203-217. kunert, h. (2020). contemporary loanwords in hiragana: an analysis of typical traits and contexts. japanese studies, 40(1), 21-40. luikham, y., & singh, y. (2017). language borrowing in hunphun-tangkhul. language in india, 17(5). ma'nawi, a., & hadi, s. (2021). agreement in arabic grammar, study of loanwords. altralang journal, 3(01), 12-25. marello, c. (2020). new words and new forms of linguistic purism in the 21st century: the italian debate. international journal of lexicography, 33(2), 168-186. matiki, a. j. (2016). patterns of lexical borrowing in chichewa. lasu, 4. meakins, f., pensalfini, r., zipf, c., & hamiltonhollaway, a. (2020). lend me your verbs: verb borrowing between jingulu and mudburra. australian journal of linguistics, 40(3), 296318. muziatun. (2017). lexical borrowing in indonesian printed media. (doctor of philosophy), university of south australia, adelaide, south australia. o'donnell, m. (2021). populism: an introduction and the bigger picture crises and popular dissent: emerald publishing limited. rahayu, f. e. s., susilo, s., & sunardi, s. (2018). persuasive power as reflected by rhetorical styles in political speeches: a comparative study of barrack obama and john mccain. calls (journal of culture, arts, literature, and linguistics), 4(2), 115-122. ralli, a. (2020). matter versus pattern borrowing in compounding: evidence from the asia minor greek dialectal variety. morphology, 30(4), 423446. rzepiela, m. (2020). interaction among borrowing, inflection and word formation in polish medieval latin. interaction of borrowing and word formation, schreur, j. w. (2021). nominal borrowings in tsovaenglish review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 243 tush (nakh-daghestanian, georgia) and their gender assignment. in d. forker & l. a. grenoble (eds.), language contact in the territory of the former soviet union (vol. 50, pp. 259-288). amsterdam: john benjamins publishing company. silverman, d. (2020). qualitative research. london: sage. thu, m. m. (2018). a study of french loanwords related to cookery used in the english language. mandalay university of foreign languages research journal, 9. tran, p. m., & tanemura, k. (2020). english in vietnam. world englishes, 39(3), 528-541. waqar, s., & hussain, r. (2021). productivity patterns in morphology: a comparison of english and urdu negative prefixes attached to inherited and borrowed roots. ilkogretim online, 20(5), 37983809 xiao, x. (2020). the study of loanwords in english. journal of contemporary educational research, 4(12). 36-43 xu, h., kodner, j., marcus, m., & yang, c. (2020). modeling morphological typology for unsupervised learning of language morphology. paper presented at the proceedings of the 58th annual meeting of the association for computational linguistics. yaniar, e. s., & masrokhah, y. (2021). analysis of the formation of gairaigo in japanese commercial advertisements for the 2016-2020 advertising period (reviewed from morphological studies). paper presented at the 1st annual international conference on natural and social science education (icnsse 2020). yule, g. (2016). the study of language. cambridge, united kingdom: cambridge university press. yunusova, f. v. (2021). the research on some features of turkish loanwords in russian language. journal of global economics and business, 2(7), 99-110. zhou, l.-n. (2016). loan words in modern english and their features. sino-us english teaching, 13(3), 209-212. muziatun, muzdalifah mahmud, & fatia hanapi loanwords in barack obama's inaugural speech 244 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 175 increasing reading comprehension and summary writing achievements by using rap strategy with 100 famous stories application mitra afriadeni department of english education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia e-mail: mitraamin93@gmail.com eryansyah department of english education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia e-mail: eryansyah@gmail.com rita inderawati (corresponding author) department of english education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia e-mail: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa citation: afriadeni, m., eryansyah, inderawati, r. (2021). increasing reading comprehension and summary writing achievements by using rap strategy with 100 famous stories application. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 175-186. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5367 received: 19-08-2021 accepted: 28-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 abstract: this study aimed to investigate the students’ writing achievement between before and after the students were taught by using rap strategy with 100 famous stories application. it involved 68 students as pasrticipants and used quasi experimental research method. the result of this study were analyzed by using paired sample t-test and independent sample t-test with the spps version 22.the result of the study for the experimental group showed that the significance level of p was <0.05. the critical value of t-table was lower than t-obtained (22.333>2.036) for reading and (9.162>2.036) for writing. in other words, there was a significance difference in reading comprehension and writing achievement before and after the treatments in experimental group. furthermore, the result of the independent t-test showed that the critical value of t-table was lower than t-obtained (5.936>1.997) for reading and (7.852>1.997) for summary writing, that is to say there was a significance difference in reading comprehension and writing summary acheievement of the eleventh grade students of sma srijaya negara who were taught by using rap strategy with 100 famous stories application and those who were not. it concludes that rap strategy with 100 famous stories application could improve the students’ reading comprehension and writing achievements. keywords: reading comprehension, writing achievement, rap strategy introduction reading and writing skills are like two blades of a sword since both are very closely related. a person will not be able to write a good work if the process of reading does not go well. people who fond of reading will get new insight and develop their intelligence so that they will be able to deal with the future challenge (putro & lee, 2017). in social life, reading skill is also a central factor for the student’s future (ridwan, 2021; azizah, inderawati &vianty, 2021). learning to read is one of the most important strategies students can accomplish as the foundation for all academic endeavors. the key areas of reading like who read, how we read, what we read as well as where we read have to base on the reading purposes (pyrhonen, 2018; kumbara, et al., 2021). a great number of students without sufficient vocabulary knowledge or effective learning strategies mostly face reading comprehension difficulties ((surayatika, 2018; azizah, et al., 2021). noor & rashid, 2018). unfortunately, most students in indonesia still have a problem in reading. the reading ability of students in indonesia is still low (sudarmawan, 2021). based on the result of ef epi (ef english proficiency index) in 2017, indonesia has ranked 39th out of 80 countries with a score was 52.15. the result is not better than other south east asia countries such as singapore in 5th rank, malaysia is in the 13th, the philippines in 15th, and vietnam in 34th. then, the result of ef epi (2019) shows that indonesian english proficiency was in the rank 61st out of 100 countries with the score of 50.06. in other words, the indonesian students' proficiency was still low. the result study of pisa 2018 that released by oecd which showed indonesian students’ reading comprehension that mailto:mitraamin93@gmail.com mailto:rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id mitra afriadeni, eryansyah, rita inderawati increasing reading comprehension and summary writing achievements by using rap strategy with 100 famous stories application 176 only reached average score 371, with the average score of oecd is 487 (oecd, 2019). this study judges 600.000 of 15 years old children from 79 countries every three years. this study compare math comprehension, reading and science performance of a student. in reading comprehension category, indonesia is located in 74, the sixth from the bottom. beside reading, writing is another skill that can not be neglected in learning english. in an academic context, writing has become the most important skill that students must be mastered (inderawati & hayati, 2011; tseng, 2019). in addition, nasser (2018) puts forward that it is necessary to enhance student's skills in writing since it is an important tool in their educational progress. consequently, it is necessary to master writing skills because it can help people be wellprepared when finding a job or attending english courses. with those benefits, writing is very important for every students. by mastering writing, students can explore their thoughts and ideas in written form. writing also considered as a means of communication. it tends to involve a thinking process from human being. when we write, we do not only keep our purpose of writing in our mind, but we also have to think about how to organize them in composition (fajri, et al., 2015; sulistyowati and rahmawati, 2019). writing is widely recognized as the most difficult but least liked of the four english skills since writing is a complex activity, despite the fact that it plays a critical role in language development (setyowati and latief, 2017). seensangworn (2017) discovered that both english major and non-english major students experienced the same problems when writing in english. these problems are classified into four categories: (1) contents and ideas, (2) organizational pattern, (3) the development of ideas, and (4) language use. however, writing skill is the most crucial in learning english as a foreign language for many students, especially in indonesia (maysuroh, 2017). hussain (2019) states that the biggest challenge for students is writing, because in writing there are demands of structure, style and vocabulary. students' difficulties in writing will have an impact on their writing results. which means, if students have poor writing skills, they will find it difficult to produce good writing. based on the facts about reading and writing, the writer did a preliminary interview with the english teacher in sma srijaya negara palembang. the result of the interview showed that the students had difficulties in comprehending a text such as grasping the meaning of the text, understanding the content, and finding the idea from the text. likewise, the students also had difficulties in writing. it was not easy for them to find the appropriate words to begin their writing because they had a limited vocabulary and could not determine the main idea or the important parts of the passage. it is in line with the result of the study which was conducted by wardhani, inderawati and vianty (2019) who found that there were some problems in writing activity faced by eleventhgrade students of sma negeri 1 tanjung batu. they mentioned the problems were the students’ lack of vocabulary and they did not have enough prior knowledge about writing in english. in order to find out the students’ reading comprehension, the writer were given two tests, they were a preliminary test and iri. the result of a preliminary test showed that only 14 students were getting the passing grade score, which was 67. in other words, (53%) got problems in comprehending the text. the result of iri (independent reading inventory) by stark (1981) shows there were in level 3. the data showed that 7 students (14%) were in level 1, 11 students (22% ) in level 2, 25 students (50%) in level 3, 6 students (12%) in level 4, and 1 student (2%) in level 5. based on the explanation, the teaching media and strategies are needed by the teachers in teaching and learning process (inderawati, 2017). in this case, this study to improve reading comprehension and writing achievement using a strategy and technology. the strategy used was rap strategy which is consists of three steps. rap stood for: r: read a paragraph. a: ask yourself what is the main idea and two details. p: put the main idea into your own words (surayatika, 2018). rap strategy was a tool to improve reading comprehension where emphasize the reader or the student to read carefully, asking, and putting the summary to make the students more easier to gain the information, knowledge, new vocabulary in the whole of the text (surayatika, 2018, zahra & fitrawati, 2017). it means the rap can improve the students’ reading comprehension and help them remember what they read. the strategy requires students to engage in reading materials through questioning and paraphrasing to increase their comprehension of the material (chinijani, 2017, que, 2020, hagaman & reid, 2018; kemp, 2017). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 177 in brief, the rap strategy is a reading strategy that can be used easily by the teacher in reading class. it is a simple strategy that can adapt or be adapted in many different functions and activities. it can be used in different levels of education (leidig et al., 2018; mentari et al., 2018). the results of the study are that rap strategies conducted by sudarmawan (2018) showed that rap strategy can help students to improve memory about the main ideas and details of specific texts, interactive reading strategies that offer many benefits for students. in addition, ilther (2017) did a research on the use of paraphrasing strategy to improve the reading comprehension of primary school students at frustration level reading. the result of his research showed that the paraphrasing strategy training gave positive influence towards students’ reading comprehension. the roles of technology support the teaching and learning process in this digital era to help the students to be autonomous learners (inderawati, 2017; inderawati, et al., 2018; inderawati, et al., 2019b; apriani, et al., 2021). according to anggraeni (2018), the educational system needs to apply the core of industry 4.0 to get a synergy for achieving the goals in the globalization era. education 4.0 allows the learners to grow with knowledge and skill for the entire life, not just to know how to read and write which enables individuals to be able to in a society (hariharasudan & kot, 2018). sopian, inderawati, and petrus (2019) state that in education, technology plays an important role in learning activities. several studies reveal that technology gives positive impact on enhancing teaching and learning and learning environment (bagdasarov et al., 2017; mcknight et al., 2016; ghazizadeh, 2017; inderawati, et al., 2018; inderawati, et al., 2019a; inderawati, et al., 2019b; zahra, et al., 2019; rhahima, et al., 2021). bal (2018) cites that the 21st century students are not limited to the knowledge of life, even in the classroom setting, where there are now various forms of technology. it can make teaching and learning more effective and efficient. the teacher can bring a mobile phone, laptop, or notebook to support the teaching process in the classroom. inderawati, et.al (2019) mentioned that the the benefits of mobile phone not only as a tool of communication and to get information, but also as a media in learning english. through the statement, mobile learning could be used as a tool in teaching english. in this study, the use of the application was 100 famous stories. it was used for helping students to improve their literacy. this application is an interactive storytelling audio application bundled with beautifully rendered famous and popular audio stories. these classic stories are bundled with narrations, background music, and text to read. using this application could make students change their perception of learning english, instead of using thick storybooks. this application also captures stories for many decades. this application provides a video about children’s stories with english subtitle, therefore the students will not get bored to learn english by using this application. based on the description above, i investigated the students’ writing achievement between before and after the students taught by using rap strategy with 100 famous stories application. method the study used a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design. wallen and fraenkel (1991) state that a quasi-experimental design study is conducted when random assignment is not possible. in this study, the group was divided into two groups, the experimental group, and the control group. to find out the students’ reading comprehension and writing achievement, a pretest was given to the groups. after the pretest, the experimental group was taught by using the rap strategy with 100 famous stories applications, while the control group was not taught with that strategy, they were taught by their teacher as usual. the treatment was conducted for 20 meetings. at the end of the treatment, the post-test (the same test as the pre-test) was given to both groups. the population was all the eleventh-grade students of sma srijaya negara in the academic 2019/2020. the number of the population was 235 students. the sampling technique used was purposive sampling. the number of the sample was 68 students. they were selected purposively by considering the following criteria that the students were taught by the same teacher, the total number of the students in each class was similar, and they were in the same social studies major. the data were obtained from the reading comprehension test and summary writing tests. for reading test, there were 50 multiple choice items that include five options (a, b, c, d, e). the questions covered six aspects of reading comprehension. they were main idea, detail, mitra afriadeni, eryansyah, rita inderawati increasing reading comprehension and summary writing achievements by using rap strategy with 100 famous stories application 178 sequence, inference, cause and effect, and vocabulary to check the readability of the texts, the writer used the flesch-kincaid grade level. to know the students reading level, the teacher gave iri test. the result showed the students were in level 3. for summary writing test, the students were assigned to write a summary narrative text. the scoring system is based on the rubric for summary writing text by frey at. al (2003). the rubric consists of 4 categories. they are lengths, paraphrasing, focus and conventions. each aspect gave score 4 in which the students have good summary writing, their score will be 16. to find out the progress in the pretest and posttest and verify the hypotheses, the statistical package for social science (spss) version 22 was used to analyze the data. the paired sample ttest was used to find out whether there was a significant difference in students’ reading comprehension and writing summary achievement from the result of pre-test and post-test. to find out whether or not there was a significant difference in students’ reading comprehension and writing summary achievement between the experimental group and the control group, the independent t-test was used. results and discussion the data obtained from pre-test and post-test were classified into two groups: (1) the result of pretest and post-test of reading comprehension test and writing test of the experimental group, (2) the result of pre-test and post-test of reading test and writing test of the control group (3) the result of normality and homogeneity of the test (4) the result of paired sample t-test and independent sample t-test of reading and writing (5) the result of paired sample t-test and independent sample ttest of reading aspects and writing aspects. reading comprehension test of experimental group based on the result obtained in the experimental group, the lowest score of the pretest was 32, the highest score was 76, and the mean score was 53.09. the lowest score in the posttest was 44, the highest score was 84, and the mean score was 73.09. table 1 shows the score distribution of the post-test of the experimental group. table 1 indicates that in the pretest, none of the student (0%), was in a very good category, two students (6.1 %) were in a good category, fifteen students (45.4 %) were in an average category, nine students (27.3%) were in a poor category, and seven students (21.2 %) were in very poor category. meanwhile, in the post-test, none of the student (0%) was in a very good category, four students (12.1 %) were in good category, nineteen students (57.6 %) were in an average category, ten students (30.3%) were in a poor category and none of the student (0 %) was in a very poor category (0 %). writing summary test of experimental group based on the result obtained in the experimental group, the lowest score of the pretest was 8, the highest score was 15, and the mean score was 10.36. the lowest score in the posttest was 11, the highest score was 16, and the mean score was 13.18. the score distribution of the experimental group is shown in table 2. table 1. the distribution of reading comprehension test of experimental group score interval category pretest posttest frequency percentage frequency percentage 86-100 very good 0 0% 0 0% 71-85 good 2 6.1% 4 12.1% 56-70 average 15 45.4% 19 57.6% 41-45 poor 9 27.3% 10 30.3% <40 very poor 7 21.2% 0 0% total 33 100% 33 100% table 2. the distribution of writing summary test of experimental group score interval category pretest posttest frequency percentage frequency percentage 17-20 very good 0 0% 0 0% 13-16 good 6 18.2% 24 72.7% 9-12 average 24 72.7% 9 18.1% 5-8 poor 3 9.1% 0 0% 0-4 very poor 0 0% 0 0% total 33 100% 33 100% english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 179 table 2 indicates that in the pretest none of the student (0%) was in very good category, six students (18.2 %) were in good category, twenty four students (72.7%) were in average category, three students (9.1%) were in very poor category, and none of the student (0%) was in very poor category. meanwhile, in the post-test none of the student (0%) was in very poor category, twenty four students (72.7 %) were in good category, nine students (18.1 %) were in average category, and none student (0%) was in very poor category and very poor category. reading comprehension test of the control group based on the result obtained in the experimental group, the lowest score of the pretest was 36, the highest score was 72, and the mean score was 55.63. the lowest score in the posttest was 32, the highest score was 80, and the mean score was 59.03. table 3 shows the score distribution of post-test in the experimental group and control group. table 3 indicates that in the pretest, none of the student (0%) was in very good, four students (12.1%) were in good category, sixteen students (48.5 %) were in average category, eight students (24.2%) were in poor category, five students (15.2%) were in very poor category. meanwhile, in the post-test, none of the student (0%) was in very good category, five students (15.2 %) were in good category, nineteen students (57.6%) were in average category, eight students (24.2%) were in poor category, and one student (3.0%) was in very poor category. writing summary test of the control group based on the result obtained in the control group, the lowest score of the pretest was 8, the highest score was 14, and the mean score was 9.75. the lowest score in the posttest was 8, the highest score was 14, and the mean score was 10.24. the score distribution of the experimental group is shown in table 4. table 3. the distribution of reading comprehension test of control group score interval category pretest posttest frequ ency percentage frequency percentage 86-100 very good 0 0% 0 0% 71-85 good 4 12.1% 5 15.2% 56-70 average 16 48.5% 19 57.6% 41-45 poor 8 24.2% 8 24.2% <40 very poor 5 15.2% 1 3.0% total 33 100% 33 100% table 4. the distribution of writing summary test of control group score interval category pretest posttest frequency percentage frequency percentage 17-20 very good 0 0% 0 0% 13-16 good 0 0% 4 12.1% 9-12 average 27 81.8% 23 69.7% 5-8 poor 6 18.2% 6 18.2% 0-4 very poor 0 0% 0 0% total 33 100% 33 100% table 4 shows that in the pretest none of the student (0%) was in very good category and good category, twenty seven students (81.8%) were in average category, six students (18.2%) were in very poor category, and none of the student (0%) was in very poor category. meanwhile, in the post-test none of the student (0%) was in very very good category, four students (12.1%) were in good category, twenty three students (69.7 %) were in average category, six students (18.2%) were in poor category, and none student (0%) was in very poor category. normality test and homogenity test normality test was done to know whether or not the data had a normal distribution. in analyzing the normality of the pre-test and post-test, the writer used one sample kolmogorov-smirnov test. if the p-value is higher than 0.05, the distribution of sample in the population is normal. the results of the normality test can be seen in table 5. the result of normality test using kolmogorov-smirnov shows that of pretest and posttest of the experimental group and control group the p-value was higher than 0.05, it can be concluded that the pretest and posttest of reading and writing were considered normal. mitra afriadeni, eryansyah, rita inderawati increasing reading comprehension and summary writing achievements by using rap strategy with 100 famous stories application 180 the homogenity data determined from levine statistic. if the p-value is higher than 0.05, the data are considered homogenous. table 6 shows the homogeneity of the test. based on the result of the homogeneity of pretest and posttest in reading and writing were above 0.05. it can be concluded that the homogenity distributions were considered normal because the significance level was higher than 0.05. the result of paired sample t-test the result of paired sample t-test of reading paired sample t-test was used to see the progress of the students’ scores of pre-test and post-test in the experiemental group and control group. table 7 shows the results of paired sample t-test between pre-test and post-test in the experimental group and control group. in the experimental group, the mean score of the pretest was 53.09 while the mean score of posttest was 73.93. the standard deviation of pretest was 11.759 and post-test was 11.152. the standard error mean of pre-test was 2.047 and posttest was 1.478. the t-obtained both pretest and poststest in the experimental group was 22.333. the degree of freedom (df) was 32, at the critical value of the t-table of 2.036. the critical value of the t-table was lower than t-obtained (22.333>2.036). it could be stated that there was a significance difference in reading comprehension achievement before and after the treatment in the experimental group. therefore, the null hypothesis (ho) was rejected and the research hypothesis (h1) was accepted. table 5. the results of normality test group kolmogorov-smirnova statistic df sig. reading preexp .133 33 .147 postexp .126 33 .200 precon .131 33 .166 postcon .148 33 .065 writing preexp .139 33 .105 postexp .125 33 .200 precon .139 33 105 postcon .127 33 .193 table 6. the results of homogeneity test variables kolmogorov-smirnova statistic sig. reading comprehension pretest and posttest (exp group) 3.625 .061 pretest and posttest (con group) 2.827 .085 posttest (exp group and con group) 0.484 .489 summary writing pretest and posttest (exp group) 0.211 .648 pretest and posttest (con group) 0.006 .937 posttest (exp group and con group) 0.044 .835 table 7. the result of paired sample t-test of reading group test mean df standard deviation std.error mean t sig exp group pretest 53.09 32 11.759 2.047 22.333 0.000 posttest 73.93 8.492 1.478 con group pretest 55.64 32 11.152 1.941 4.138 0.003 posttest 59.04 11.663 2.030 in the control group, the mean score of pretest was 55.64 while the mean score of posttest was 59.04. the standard deviation of pre-test was 11.152 and posttest was 11.663. the standard error mean of pretest was 1.941 and posttest was 2030. the t-obtained was 4.138. since the value of t-obtained exceeded the critical value of t-table, (4.138>2.036) the p value<0.05, it can be stated english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 181 there was an improvement in reading achievement in the control group. the result of paired sample t-test of writing summary paired sample t-test was used to see the progress of the students’ scores of pre-test and post-test in the experimental group and the control group. table 8 shows the results of paired sample t-test between pre-test and post-test in the experimental group and control group. based on the table, in the experimental group, the mean score of pretest was 10.36 while the mean score of post-test was 13.18. the standard deviation of pre-test was 1.954 and posttest was 1.374. the standard error mean of pretest was .340 and post-test was .239. the degree of freedom (df) was 32, at the critical value of the ttable was 2.036. the t-obtained was 9.162. the critical value of the t-table was lower than tobtained (9.162>2.036). it could be stated that there was a significance difference in writing achievement before and after the treatment in the experimental group. therefore, the null hypothesis (ho) was rejected and the research hypothesis (h1) was accepted. in the control group, the mean score of pretest was 9.75 while the mean score of post-test was 10.24. the standard deviation of pretest was 1.562 and posttest was 1.654. the standard error mean of pre-test was .272 and posttest was .288. the degree of freedom (df) was 32, at the critical value of the t-table was 2.036. the t-obtained was 4.138. since the value of t-obtained was exceeded the critical value of the t-table, (4.532>2.036), it means that there was an improvement in summary writing achievement in the control group. the result of independent sample t-test of reading comprehension and writing summary independent t-test was used to compare the gain of the mean score to make sure whether or not there was a significant difference in reading comprehension achievement and summary writing achievement between the experimental group and the control group. based on the analysis of the independent sample t-test of the post test in the experimental group and the control group for reading comprehension (table 13) showed that the degree of freedom (df) was 64, at the critical value of the t-table was 1.997. the t-obtained was 5.936. the critical value of the t-table was lower than tobtained (5.936>1.997). the result of the independent sample t-test of the post test in the experimental group and the control group for summary writing showed that the t-obtained was 7.852. the critical value of the t-table was lower than t-obtained (7.852>1.997). it could be stated that there was a significance difference in reading comprehension and writing summary achievement of the eleventh grade students of sma srijaya negara who were taught by using rap strategy with 100 famous stories application and those who were not. therefore, the null hypothesis (ho) was rejected and the research hypothesis (h1) was accepted. table 8. the result of paired sample t-test of writing group test mean df standard deviation std.error mean t sig exp group pretest 10.36 32 1.954 .340 9.162 0.000 posttest 13.18 1.374 .239 con group pretest 9.75 32 1.562 .272 4.532 0.000 posttest 10.24 1.654 .288 table 9. the statistical analysis on the experimental group and control group for reading comprehension and summary writing by using independent sample t-test group group mean df mean diff. t sig reading comprehesnion experimental 73.94 64 14,90 5.936 0.000 control 59.03 writing summary experimental 13.18 64 2.939 7.852 0.000 control 10.24 the results of paired sample t-test and independent sample t-test of reading comprehension aspects the analysis of reading comprehension in each aspect was done by using paired sample t-test and independent sample t-test. table 10 shows that the result of paired sample t-test of the experimental group showed that there was a significant difference between pretest and posttest (tvalue=22.333, sig= 0.000) in reading. the result also showed that the aspects of reading skills significantly improved. meanwhile, for the mitra afriadeni, eryansyah, rita inderawati increasing reading comprehension and summary writing achievements by using rap strategy with 100 famous stories application 182 control group, there was also improvement in reading comprehension achievement. it could be seen from the score the mean difference = 3.39, tvalue= 2.138, sig=0.040). however, the students in the control group did not make significant improvement in aspects of reading. for summary writing, the result of paired sample t-test of the experimental group showed that there was a significant difference between pretest and posttest (t-value=10.935, sig= 0.000). the result also showed that the aspects of writing skills significantly improved. meanwhile, for the control group, there was an improvement in writing summary achievement. it could be seen from the score the mean difference =0.48 t-value= 4.532, sig=0.000). however, for aspects of writing, the group did make significant improvement in aspects of convention (t-value= 2.125, sig 0.041). it means, whether the students in control group were not taught by using rap staretgy with 100 famous stories application, there was also significant improvement in reading comprehension and summary writing. table 10. statistical analysis of reading comprehension and writing summary aspects for both groups by using paired sample t-test and independent t-test variable and sub variables experimental mean diff of prepost tobtained and sig. conrol mean diff of prepost tobtained and sig. independent pre post pre post pre post rca (total) 53.09 73.94 20,84 22.333 0.000 55.64 59.03 3.39 2.138 0.040 14.90 5.936 0.000 main idea 9.33 13.82 4.48 6.946 0.000 8.00 8.61 0.60 1.000 0.325 3.03 4.287 0.000 detail 8.73 12.12 3.39 5.600 0.000 11.03 11.27 0.24 0.466 0.645 1.33 2.731 0.003 inference 8.24 11.39 3.15 4.713 0.000 8.48 8.73 0.24 0.442 0.662 2.66 4.320 0.000 sequence 8.12 11.64 3.51 6.824 0.000 9.58 10.55 0.97 1.677 0.103 3.27 4.323 0.000 cause/effect 9.09 12.36 3.27 6.866 0.000 9.45 10.18 0.72 1.030 0.311 2.18 3.090 0.000 vocabulary 9.58 12.61 3.03 5.496 0.000 9.09 9.82 0.72 1.234 0.226 3.35 3.352 0.001 wri (total) 10.00 13.18 3.18 10.935 0.000 9.76 10.24 0.48 4.532 0.000 2.93 7.852 0.000 lengths 2.48 2.94 0.45 3.035 0.005 2.33 2.39 0.61 0.352 0.727 0.54 2.964 0.000 accuracy 2.23 2.61 0.37 3.990 0.000 2.24 2.32 0.76 0.796 0.432 0.28 2.917 0.000 paraphrase 144 2.42 0.98 10.000 0.000 1.56 1.45 0.10 1.191 0.243 0.97 9.006 0.000 focus 1.68 2.53 0.84 9.069 0.000 1.62 1.77 0.15 1.971 0.057 0.75 6.959 0.000 convention 2.17 2.68 0.51 3.676 0.000 2.00 2.30 0.30 2.125 0.041 0.37 2.833 0.005 mobile technology use in education facilitates teaching and learning, especially in foreign language teaching (aziz et al., 2018; inderawati, et al., 2018; apriani, et al., 2021). unlike traditional teaching and learning methods, mobileassisted language learning with the latest technology endorses the informal learning process outside the classroom, allowing students learn autonomously (persson & nouri, 2018). the appeal factor for learning through smartphones, and particularly through apps, would be the ease and flexibility offered by mobile learning. the use of this application which combines with rap strategy can encourage students to improve attention and enthusiasm in learning english. when they applied rap strategy which consists of 3 steps: reading, asking a question, and paraphrase. in rap strategy, the students will read the text carefully, try to ask a question which can assist them in determining the main idea and supporting detail in each paragraph, and paraphrase the text which helps them to remember information which is done to read and understand the content of the text. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 183 based on the statistic analysis, the result of the students’ score of post-test in the experimental group increased. the results of this study showed that there was significant improvement in the students’ reading comprehension and summary writing achievement before the treatment using rap strategy with 100 famous stories application that before the treatment was given, the mean score of pretest in the experimental group in reading was 53.09 and after the tratment the mean score of the posttest was 73.93. the score of pretest in summary writing was 10.36 and posttest was 13.18. it can be concluded that rap strategy with 100 famous stories application was applicable to improve student’s reading comprehension and summary writing. the reading comprehension achievements of the students in the experiemental group were better improvement than the students in the control group. it could be seen from the score of posttest of the students. additionally, the results of paired sample t-test and independent sample t-test showed that there was a significant difference in all aspects of reading comprehension achievements. based on the reading comprehension’s aspects (main idea, detail, sequence, inference, cause and effect, and vocabulary) showed that six aspects of reading comprehension achievement were developed significantly by using the rap strategy with 100 famous stories application. this finding was relevant to the study of wardhani, et al. (2019) that gigi application used in their research through tales could enhance the students’ achievement on literacy. moreover, rhahima, et al. (2021) found that electronic reading book was needed by vocational students to learn their local culture. the result showed that the main idea got score 4.48 as mean difference, detail got a score 3.03 as mean difference, inference got a score 3.15 as mean difference, sequence got score a 3.51 as mean difference, cause and effect got a score 3.27 as mean difference, and vocabulary got a score 3.39 as mean difference. the result showed that the main idea (mean difference) gave the most contribution to reading comprehension achievement. it is line with sudarmawan (2018) states that rap strategy can help students to improve memory about the main ideas and details of specific texts. the summary writing achievements of the students in the experiemental group were better improvement than the students in the control group. it could be seen from the score of posttest of the students. in addition, the result of t-test of paired sample t-test of experimental group also showed that six aspects of summary writing achievement were also developed significantly by using rap strategy with 100 famous stories application. from five aspects of summary wiring (lengths, accuracy, paraphrase, focus, and convention), lengths got score 0.45 as mean difference, accuracy got score 0.37 as mean difference, paraphrase got score 0.98 as mean difference, focus got score 0.84 as mean difference, convention got score 0.51 as mean difference. from the result of five aspects of summary writing, paraphrase got the highest contribution as mean difference. paraphrasing is the most effective way in writing a thesis to avoid plagiarism because in writing. it involves changing a text so that it is quite different from the source but the meaning still pertains the original (kaharudin, 2020). the research by ramadhani (2019) found that the availability of paraphrase could be a means of avoiding plagiarism. the research was done by waningyun, suwandi, & setyawan (2018) also revealed that the paraphrasing technique could: 1) improve short story writing skills by 70% for precycle, 76 percent for the first cycle, and 80 percent for the second cycle; 2) increase the percentage of students passing the minimum score by 52 percent for pre-cycle, 74 percent for the first cycle, and 80 percent for the second cycle; and 3) improve the percentage of students passing the minimum score by 52 percent for pre-cycle, 76 percent for the first cycle, and 80 percent for the second cycle. the result of independent sample t-test of reading comprehension and summary writing achievements showed that there was a significant difference in posttest in the experimental group and the control group. it could be seen from the score of the students in experimental group after the treatment given was better than the score of the students’ score in the control group who did not give any treatment. based on the analysis of the independent sample t-test of the post test in experimental group and control group for reading comprehension showed that the degree of freedom (df) was 64, at the critical value of the t-table was 1.997. the t-obtained was 5.936. the critical value of the t-table was lower than the t-obtained (5.936>1.997). the result of the independent sample t-test of the post test in experimental group and control group for summary writing showed that the t-obtained was 7.852. the critical value of t-table was lower than t-obtained (7.852>1.997). mitra afriadeni, eryansyah, rita inderawati increasing reading comprehension and summary writing achievements by using rap strategy with 100 famous stories application 184 in conclusion, rap strategy with 100 famous stories application very helps the students to become more active and independent reader. it is one of the good strategies that could improve students’ reading comprehension and summary writing achievements. conclusion based on the result of the study and the interpretation presented in the previous chapter, it can be concluded that there was a significant improvement in the students’ reading and summary writing. there were also significant differences in students’ reading comprehension score and summary writing achievement who were taught by using the rap strategy and those who were not. it can be seen from the mean score of posttest in the experimental group who had higher score than the mean score of posttest in the control group. finally, the result of t-test showed that there was also a significant difference in each aspect of reading comprehension and writing summary between the students who were taught by using the rap strategy and those who were not. it can be concluded that the rap strategy could help the students of sma srijaya negara to improve their reading comprehension and summary writing. references anggraeni, c. w. (2018). promoting education 4.0 in english for survival class: what are the challenges?. journal of english language, literature, and teaching, 2(1), 12-24. apriani, e., syafryadin, s., inderawati, r., arianti, a., wati, s., hakim, i. n., & noermanzah, n. (2021). implementing e-learning training toward english virtual lecturers: the process, perspectives, challenges and solutions. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 16(04), 240–255. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i04.14125 aziz, a., hassan, m., dzakiria, h., & mahmood, q. (2018). growing trends of using mobile in english language learning. mediterranean journal of social sciences, 9(4), 235-239. azizah, n., inderawati, r., & vianty, m. (2021). developing descriptive reading materials in efl classes by utilizing the local culture. studies in english language and education, 8(2), 596-621. bagdasarov, z., luo, y. & wu, w. (2017). the influence of tablet-based technology on the development of communication and critical thinking skills: an interdisciplinary study. journal of research on technology in education, 49, 55-72. bal, m. (2018). reading and writing experiences of middle school students in the digital age: wattpad sample. international journal of education & literacy studies, 6(2), 89-100. chinijani, m. e. (2017). the effect of rap paraphrasing strategy on improving irian efl learners’ reading comprehension. international research journal, 3(6), 786-794. fajri, h, m., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2015). the implementation of peer editing technique to improve writing achievement. the journal of english literacy education: the teaching and learning of english as a foreign language, 2(2), 48-57. frey, n., fisher, d., & hernandez, t. (2003). what’s the gist? summary writing for struggling adolescent writers. voices from the middle journal, 1(2), 43-49. ghazizadeh, t. (2017). the effect of blended learning on efl learners’ reading proficiency. journal of language teaching and research, 8(3), 606 614. hagaman, j. l., & reid, r. (2018). the effects of the paraphrasing strategy on the reading comprehension of middle school students at risk for failure in reading. remedial & special education, 29(4), 22-29. hariharasudan & kot, s. (2018). a scoping review on digital english and education 4.0 for industry 4.0. social science, 2(27), 1-13. hussain, s. s. (2019). strategiesfor teaching academic writing to saudi l2 learners. english language teaching, 12(12), 1-11. inderawati, r. (2017). the dynamics of efl teaching in indonesia: be innovative teachers through social media. english language teaching and research 1(1), 29-37. inderawati, r., & hayati, r. (2011). short-term training model of academic writing to high school teachers. us-china foreign language, 9(8), 517523. inderawati, r., agusta, o. & sitinjak, m. (2018). the potential effect of developed reader response strategy-based mobile reading for students’ establishing character and comprehension achievement. indonesian journal of informatics education, 2(2), 117-126. inderawati, r., petrus, i., & jaya, h. p. (2019). exploring and identifying technology-based dynamic learning through social media in academic writing. english community journal, 3(1), 317–324. inderawati, r., sofendi, purnomo, m. e., vianty, m., & suhendi, d. (2019). students’ engagement in utilizing technology for learning support. english franca: academic journal of english language and education, 3(2), 181-195. kuimova. (2018). positive effects of mobile learning on foreign language learning. tem journal, 7(4), 837-841. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i04.14125 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 185 kumbara, l. h., inderawati, r., & eryansyah, e. (2021). developing sekayu local culture-based descriptive texts. eralingua: jurnal pendidikan bahasa asing dan sastra, 5(1), 120-133 leidig, t., grunke, m., urton, m., knaak, t., &hisgen, s. (2018). the effects of the rap strategy used in a peer-tutoring setting to foster reading comprehension in high-risk fourth graders. contemporary journal 16(2), 231-253. lter, i. (2017). improving the reading comprehension of primary -school students at frustration-level reading through the paraphrasing strategy training: a multiple-probe design study education and science, 10 (1), 147161. maysuroh. s. (2017). students’ english writing process and problems: a case study at hamzanwadi university. voices of english language education society, 1(1), 1-10. nasser, s. m. (2018). iraqi efl students’ difficulties in writing composition: an experimental study at university of baghdad. international journal of english linguistics, 9(1), 178-184. nor, n. m., & rashid, r. a. (2018). a review of theoretical perspectives on language learning and acquisition. kasetsart journal of social sciences, 39(1), 161-167. oecd. (2019). pisa 2018 insights and interpretations. oecd publishing, 64. retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa 2018 insights and interpretations final pdf.pdf persson, v., & nouri, j. (2018). a systematic review of second language learning with mobile technologies. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 13(02), 188-210. putro, n. h. p. s., & lee, j. (2017). reading interest in a digital age. reading psychology, 38(8), 778– 807. pyrhonen, h. (2018). reading today: comparative literature and culture. london: ucl press. que, d. s. (2020). using rap (read, ask, put) strategy to improve students’ ability in reading comprehension at class viii2 of smp negeri 2. matai international journal of language education 1(1), 22-36. rhahima, a., inderawati, r., & eryansyah. (2021). students’ needs analysis for the development of electronic descriptive reading materials for hotel accommodation program in vhs. eralingua: jurnal pendidikan bahasa asing dan sastra, 5(2), 470-482 ridwan, i. (2021). teaching reading practice amid covid-19 pandemic era: indonesian pre-service english teachers’ experiences. jurnal pendidikan tambusai, 5(3), 7369-7378. seensangworn, p. (2017). writing problems and writing strategies of english major and nonenglish major students in a thai university. manutsat paritat: journal of humanities, 39(1), 113-136. setyowati, l., sukmawa, s., & latief, m. a. (2017). solving the students’ problems in writing argumentative essay through the provision of planning. a journal of culture, english language teaching & literature, 17(1), 86-102. stark jr., m. j. (1981). a group informal reading inventory: an instrument for other assessment of esl students’ reading performance. doctoral thesis. oregon state university. sudarmawan , a. k. i. (2021). using rap strategy to teach reading comprehension in efl class i. indonesian journal of educational research and review, 4(1), 150-155. sulistyorini, d., & rahmawati, i. (2019). the use of instagram in improving students’ skill of writing procedure texts. language and literature international conference (ellic), 3(1), 179-185. surayatika, d. (2018). the use of rap strategy in improving reading comprehension of efl students. jurnal global ekspert, 7(1), 33-38. tseng, c. c. (2019). senior high school teachers’ beliefs about efl writing instruction. taiwan journal of tesol, 16(1), 1–39. urun, m.f. (2016). integration of technology into language teaching: a comprative review study. journal of language teaching and research, 7(1), 76-87. wallen, n. e., & fraenkel, j. r. (1991). educational research: a guide to the process. new york, ny: mcgraw-hill. waningyun, p. p., suwandi, s., & setyawan, b. (2018). pembelajaran menulis teks cerpen melalui teknik parafrase lagu populer di sekolah menengah atas. scholaria: jurnal pendidikan dan kebudayaan, 8(2), 180–188. wardhani, o, k., inderawati, r.,vianty, m. (2019). using literature-based approach with tales with gigi application to improve literacy achievement of the eleventh graders of sma negeri 1 tanjung batu. proceedings of the 28th international conference on literature: literature as a source of wisdom. zahra, f. & fitrawati. (2017). teaching reading comprehension by using metacognitive strategy: read, ask, paraphrase (rap) at senior high school. journal of english language teaching, 6(1), 25-32. zahra, w., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2019). the use of ict in authentic assessment of the students’ productive skills. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 81-90. mitra afriadeni, eryansyah, rita inderawati increasing reading comprehension and summary writing achievements by using rap strategy with 100 famous stories application 186 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 73 real teaching: anxiety and solution vina agustiana department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, universitas kuningan, indonesia e-mail: vina.agustiana@uniku.ac.id apa citation: agustiana, v. (2019). real teaching: anxiety and solution. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 73-80. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2068. received: 20-09-2019 accepted: 05-11-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: anxiety in dealing with real teaching is experienced by preservice teachers. this anxiety can certainly disrupt the process of implementing real teaching. if anxiety can be detected early, various efforts can be made to reduce the anxiety. thus, this study seeks to explore the anxiety faced by preservice teacher in dealing with real teaching and their efforts to reduce such anxiety. in order to achieve the research objectives, the researcher applied qualitative research through a case study strategy using structured interviews of 238 preservice teachers at one of indonesia’s private universities. based on the results of the study, it can be seen that there are 14 anxiety faced by preservice teachers in carrying out real teaching which is divided into 5 factors causing anxiety, namely schools, teachers, students, lecturers, and the preservice teachers themselves, as well as 9 attempts by preservice teachers in order to deal with this anxiety. broadly speaking, good communication between preservice teachers and stakeholders of real teaching activities that includes schools, teachers, students, and lecturers is an effort that can be done so that the teaching anxiety can be reduced. keywords: teaching anxiety; real teaching; preservice teachers. inroduction every preservice teachers must carry out real teaching activities (ekşi & yakışık, 2016). in real teaching, preservice teachers integrate theory and art in teaching (schoeman & mabunda, 2012). this activity involves the preparation of lesson plans, classroom teaching, and assessment of student learning processes. however, given the many demands that must be met by preservice teachers in conducting real teaching, not a few among the preservice teachers who experienced various anxiety during the activity (boadu, 2014). in addition, the lack of experience in teaching can also be a problem for preservice teachers (agustiana, 2014). given that teaching in real schools can be their first experience, so anxiety in teaching is a natural thing faced by them (agustiana & rahmatunisa, 2018). in the past 30 years, there have been a number of studies focusing on teaching anxiety. merç (2015) summarizes the things that cause teacher anxiety in teaching, such as lack of time, heavy workload, poor student behavior, and inadequate resources. in addition agustiana and nurhayati (2019) added that the highest level factor was a factor related to teaching preparation. teaching anxiety is the anxiety arises before teaching is implemented. if anxiety in the face of real teaching is not addressed, it will affect the appearance of the preservice teachers during the activity. researchers have found that the preservice teachers’ perceptions about the causes of anxiety in teaching vary greatly. knowing the root problems faced by them in the process of becoming a teacher is certainly the first step in preparing a qualified teacher. therefore, the reflection of the implementation of real teaching activities is an appropriate effort to overcome the problem. thus, this study explores in depth the teaching anxiety experienced by the preservice teachers in various disciplines of teachers faculty as well as solution they do as the effort to overcome the anxiety. the result of this study is expected to enrich the literature related to the real teaching and also to reduce the problem that may arise before, during and after the real teaching is held. method based on the research objectives that will explore the things that can be a cause of teaching anxiety expeienced by preservice teachers in carrying out real teaching activities in various disciplines as well as students’ efforts to overcome these anxieties, this study uses qualitative method. qualitative research is a method for exploring and understanding the meaning that comes from social problems (cresswell, 2014). to achieve vina agustiana real teaching: anxiety and solution 74 the research objectives, the researchers used a case study research strategy in which the researcher carefully investigated an activity that was limited by time (cresswell, 2014). this research involved 8th semester students of the teaching and education faculty at one of private universities in indonesia. respondents came from 6 (six) education study programs: indonesian language and literature, biology, economic, english language, elementary school teacher, and mathematics. the number of respondents was 238 students. data was collected through structured interviews with respondents. interviews were conducted before the respondent carried out real teaching activities. interviews were conducted using a voice recorder. furthermore, the collected data was analyzed and interpreted, then it was described to describe the conditions that occur in the research object to find out what things can be the cause of teaching anxiety experienced by preservice teachers in carrying out real teaching activities, and their efforts in overcoming their teaching anxiety. in analyzing interview data, researcher used some steps, namely transcribing the data, reducting the data, presenting the data and drawing conclusions. in transcribing the data, the researcher poured the results of the interview into the written form. this was done so that researcher can be more easily in analyzing further data. next, in reducting the data, the researcher summarized the main points of research. in this case, the researcher identified things that cause the emergence of teaching anxiety in real teaching activities. furthermore, the researcher presented the data in the form of table to present data that has been grouped based on the subject matter. finally, the researcher drew the conclusions in order to carry out continuous verification throughout the research process. the researcher generalized from specific things presented in the research data. this is certainly the result of research findings that are consistent with the original purpose of the study. results and discussion this section presents research data derived from interviews related to the findings regarding anxiety faced by preservice teachers in carrying out real teaching activities in various disciplines education study programs and their efforts to overcome these anxiety. in addition, obstacles and solutions in carrying out real teaching activities were also explained. this will be discussed in several sections according to the purpose of the study. broadly speaking, there are 14 anxiety faced by preservice teachers in implementing real teaching. these 14 things are divided into 5 factors that cause anxiety, which are schools, teachers, students, lecturers, and preservice teachers themselves. meanwhile, there were 9 attempts by preservice teachers to deal with anxiety. these are summarized in table 1. table 1. the anxiety faced by preservice teachers in implementing real teaching and the efforts to overcome it no anxiety factors solution 1. students, tutors and school officials are not friendly. school, teacher, students study the character and situation of the school. 2. assessment and observation by tutors and lecturers. teacher, lecturer discuss with senior level. 3. indifferent tutor. teacher discuss with colleagues or study independently. 4. students who cannot be managed. students study the character of students, 5. students have no enthusiasm in learning. 6. low student evaluation results. discuss with the tutor teacher about teaching material. 7. do not have experience in teaching. p re se rv ic e t ea ch er s 8. teaching is not in accordance with the lesson plan. preparing matters related to teaching and learning process, which include lesson plans, teaching strategies, games and ice breaking, teaching media as well as teaching material and practice questions. 9. do not master teaching material. 10. could not convey the material properly. 11. boring teaching. 12. poor time management. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 75 13. abandoned other work. time management. 14. financial savings anxiety related to school anxiety related to school factors arises when preservice teachers think that the school will treat them unfriendly. the school here includes the principal, teachers, school staff, as well as students who are in the school where the students carry out real teaching. preservice teachers feel that with their status as pre-service teachers, stakeholders will treat them unfriendly. thus, if you find that the school is not friendly, it can lead to the idea that the school will not support the course of real teaching activities. so, they worry they will get other difficulties during the real teaching process. anxiety about this can certainly affect the initial steps in carrying out real teaching activities. in this regard, preservice teachers may conduct pre-observations to the school where they will conduct real teaching to study the situation and condition of the school. in addition, students also ask permission to the school principal and vice-principal, especially the viceprincipal in the field of curriculum, who is responsible for the implementation of real teaching in the school. thus, anxiety about this factor can be overcome before the real teaching activities begin. anxiety related to the teacher there are 3 things related to anxiety related to the teacher. the first is about the teacher’s attitude towards preservice teachers. the preservice teachers feel anxious when they find a teacher who is not friendly. this certainly can affect students’ sense of trust in dealing with real teaching. tutor teacher is a colleague who will always be associated with preservice teachers in implementing real teaching. by finding tutors who are not friendly, then they think that the real teaching process will not run smoothly. with the emergence of anxiety about this, it will lead to fear for preservice teachers in carrying out real teaching, indeed. in an effort to overcome this anxiety, preservice teachers could keep in touch with the tutor through introduction so that when the real teaching begins, both preservice teachers and tutor teachers have interacted with each other. with the interaction, it is hoped that a good relationship will be created between the tutor teacher and the preservice teachers. thus, disappointment will find that the tutor teacher who is not friendly can be overcome. the second is related to the assessment and observation of the tutor teacher on preservice teachers’ performance in carrying out real teaching. in his study, paker (2011) states that 100% preservice teachers feel anxious when they will be observed by tutors. as preservice teachers who are carrying out a teaching practice, indeed, they have to face the moment when they will be assessed by the tutor so that the assessment process and the results can be a source of anxiety faced by students. in addition, criticism from teachers also contributed to the anxiety of preservice teachers (marais, 2013). in addition, the assessment of the tutor teacher influences the final value of the implementation of real teaching (sammephet & wanphet, 2013). no doubt that the assessment of tutor teachers is one of the things that worries preservice teachers in carrying out real teaching activities. to overcome this, preservice teachers can discuss with other students who had experienced real teaching in the previous years at the same school and with the same tutor regarding the assessment standards applied by the tutor teacher. this can include what the tutor teacher expects the student to do or do not do. thus, preservice teachers can have a picture of the assessment process that will be applied by the tutor teacher. meanwhile, the third is the indifferent tutor teacher. preservice teachers feel worried if they meet a tutor teacher who cannot be invited to discuss the implementation of real teaching. as tutors, of course they should be made role models in the implementation of real teaching and a source of experience for preservice teachers. this is considering that real teaching is the first experience for preservice teachers in carrying out real class teaching. if preservice teachers find tutors who are indifferent to the implementation of real teaching, this can certainly hinder the course of real teaching activities. at the time, the preservice teachers need suggestion or feedbcak from the tutor teacher, but it is ignored, then they will feel confused to carry out further activities related to real teaching. this is in line with paker (2011) in which the absence of feedback from teachers on the performance of preservice teachers can cause them anxiety. thus, preservice teachers will do other activities according to what they think is good even without the suggestion or vina agustiana real teaching: anxiety and solution 76 feedback from the tutor teacher. however, of course, it will be another problem if this happens to preservice teachers who are not creative. in which without the suggestion or feedback of the tutor teacher, the student does not know what activities to do. thus, this can be a concern for them in the face of real teaching. regard with this, efforts that can be made by preservice teachers in implementing real teaching are having discussions with peers or doing independent study by using the internet. peer is one of the important aspects in implementing real teaching. generally, in one school, there are several students who come from several study programs so that each preservice teacher can exchange ideas about learning both with colleagues from the same study program or those from different study programs. furthermore, the use of the internet, such as google, can also help students find ideas related to learning. thus, preservice teachers need not worry about the presence of tutor teachers who are ignorant of real teaching activities because preservice teachers can still find another information related to real teaching activities by the presence of peers and other sources. anxiety related to students there are 4 things relating to the anxiety related to students. the first is when preservice teachers find students who are not friendly and do not appreciate the preservice teachers. they are anxious if with their status as a practicing teacher, students will not obey or appreciate them, so they worry they will have problems in carrying out teaching. this is in line with mapfumo, chitsiko, and chireshe (2012) that given their status as a practicing teacher, students are less respectful to the preservice teachers. in the absence of respect or respect for them, they feel that they will not be recognized for their presence in class, so they will have difficulty in teaching. regarding this matter, preservice teachers can do interaction to the students in the beginning of real teaching activities through doing introduction. preservice teachers introduce themselves about who they are and their position in the school. thus, students can understand the position of them as preservice teachers in the school. if the first impression is good, then the student’s view of preservice teachers will be good too. thus, anxiety about students' unfriendliness towards preservice teachers can be overcome. the second thing is when the preservice teachers have to deal with students who can not be arranged. students are the teaching objects that will be faced by preservice teachers while implementing real teaching. thus, they must be prepared with all possibilities in dealing with a variety of student characters. if they have to deal with students who can not be arranged, of course this can be a challenge for them in completing it. however, if preservice teachers feel they are not ready to face these challenges, they will feel anxious that they will not be able to master the class where they teach. especially considering that the students they encounter when doing teaching practice on microteahing are their peers, so preservice teachers do not have experience in dealing with students at the elementary, junior high, or senior high school levels (sammephet & wanphet, 2013). thus, class management with regard to students is one of the anxieties faced by preservice teachers (aydin, 2016). this is supported by goh and matthews (2011) that class management with regard to students is the most worrying by the history preservice teachers. another anxiety related to students is when students are not enthusiastic in learning. low motivation is one of the teaching anxiety faced by preservice teachers (aydin, 2016). in addition to dealing with a variety of student characters, they must also be able to control the class in order to ensure that teaching materials are well conveyed and the learning process runs pleasantly. when faced with a situation like this, preservice teachers will certainly experience a decrease in self-confidence in teaching in which they assume that they cannot make the class more attractive. in overcoming these two things, preservice teachers must be able to learn the character of students. by understanding the character of students, preservice teachers will certainly be easier to carry out the learning process. in addition, the existence of good communication between students and preservice teachers can facilitate the real teaching activities so that classroom management related to students can be overcome by understanding students’ character and communication. next, the fourth thing is the low student evaluation results. this is intended when the results of student work in doing exercises related to the material that has been taught by preservice teachers is low. thus, preservice teachers assume that if students cannot do the exercises correctly, then they have failed in delivering teaching english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 77 material so students do not understand the material that has been taught by them. in this regard, one of the efforts that preservice teachers can do is to discuss with tutors about learning. considering that tutor teacher has experience in teaching in the class. therefore, preservice teachers can discuss effective learning strategies to be implemented in that class. thus, anxiety about low evaluation results can be overcome. anxiety related to the lecturer anxiety related to lecturers is the assessment and observation of lecturers on preservice teachers’ performance in implementing real teaching. this is closely related to lecturer expectations in which preservice teachers must be able to deal with teaching pressure in a way that is good and right (boadu, 2014). not only the pressure from the tutor, but also from the field supervisor. to overcome this, preservice teachers can discuss with others who have experienced real teaching activities regarding the assessment criteria applied by the lecturer. this can include what lecturers expect or not do by preservice teachers. anxiety related to the preservice teachers’ own problem the fifth factor is related to the individual problem of the preservice teachers which includes 8 things. this is certainly a factor that has a great influence on teaching anxiety possessed by preservice teachers in implementing real teaching given that this factor raises more anxiety associated with the implementation of real teaching. this is in line with sammephet and wanphet (2013) and aydin (2016) that the preservice teacher’s own problems can be a source of anxiety in teaching. besides, sudtho and singhasiri (2017) states that belief plays an important role in the process of becoming a teacher the first thing is not having experience in teaching. real teaching activities are teaching practices in the real class. only a small percentage of preservice teachers have real classroom teaching experience. in other words, most of them have no experience in teaching. thus, they do not know anything that must be done in implementing real teaching. of course, without directives from related parties, they will face difficulties in implementing real teaching so that in the absence of teaching experience it makes anxiety for students. this is also in line with agustiana (2014) who states that the lack of teaching experience is one of the concerns faced by preservice teachers. meanwhile aydin (2016) found that the lack of experience in teaching was the highest factor related to teaching anxiety. surely, it is natural that preservice teachers do not have experience in teaching and then worry about everything regarding the implementation of real teaching (paker, 2011). the second thing is when preservice teachers teach is not in accordance with the design of the lesson plan. as preservice teachers, they certainly must prepare lesson plans before learning activities are carried out. the preparation of the lesson plan must of course be mastered by them given that in previous semesters, they had received lectures regarding the preparation of the lesson plan. thus, preparing the lesson plan is considered not to be too difficult for them. however, despite the existence of lesson plans that have been arranged neatly and with careful planning, in fact, the implementation of learning in class can be different. this certainly can cause anxiety for preservice teachers about what they should be doing in class. without teaching experience, coupled with learning to go beyond what has been compiled in the lesson plan, can be a concern for preservice teachers in implementing real teaching. the third thing that can cause anxiety in teaching is when preservice teachers do not master the teaching material that will be delivered in class. teachers as a person who is considered the professional one, should master what they will convey in class. by not mastering teaching material, then of course the readiness of preservice teachers in teaching can be said to be non-existent. especially when they cannot answer questions from students about teaching material. certaintly, besides getting embarrassed in class, their confidence will also decrease. no doubt this kind of thing can cause anxiety in carrying out real teaching. the fourth thing is when preservice teachers cannot deliver teaching materials properly. this is certainly different from the previous case when preservice teachers did not master the teaching material which meant they were not ready to face learning. in this fourth case, preservice teachers have prepared themselves in teaching by mastering teaching material that will be delivered in class. however, they feel anxious if they cannot make students understand what they are teaching. this is certainly related to teaching strategies. if preservice teachers are not able to implement teaching strategies that are appropriate vina agustiana real teaching: anxiety and solution 78 to the character of students, then it is likely that this anxiety will arise. the fifth thing is that when learning which is carried out feels boring. the teacher as the captain in the class must be able to make the atmosphere of teaching and learning enjoyable. if students feel bored with learning in class or when the preservice teachers think that they are not able to make learning more fun, it will certainly reduce the enthusiasm and confidence of them. this is certainly related to the teaching strategies or techniques chosen and the use of teaching media. when preservice teachers feel anxious about not being able to choose the right teaching strategies or teaching materials, the learning process becomes boring. as preservice teachers, they must be able to form effective classroom management, which creates conducive classroom situations and conditions (chamundeswari, 2013). to overcome these five problems, the preservice teachers may do some things, such as preparing matters related to teaching and learning process, which include lesson plans, teaching strategies, games and ice breaking, teaching media as well as teaching material and practice questions. by doing these activities, the anxiety may reduce as well. the sixth thing is not being able to manage time properly, such as the case when preservice teachers arrive late to school. if preservice teachers arrive late, surely they will get shame either towards students, tutors, and the school. not only that, time management in class can also cause anxiety. for example, all teaching materials have been delivered, but the school hours are still long over. thus, the preservice teachers feel confused about what to do in class until class ends. in addition, even the opposite case happens when class time is over but the material has not yet been conveyed all, this can certainly cause anxiety for them as they fail to make effective time in class. the next thing is the neglect of other jobs. this is intended when preservice teachers have other obligations besides conducting real teaching, such as conducting lectures on campus, working, or taking care of the household. considering that there are not a few preservice teachers who are married or who have worked either as teachers or work in other fields, if students cannot manage their time well, surely this will greatly affect the course of real teaching. in addition, with the burden of many obligations, preservice teachers will not be able to carry out real teaching activities effectively. thus, time management can be a concern for preservice teachers in implementing real teaching. to overcome these two problems, the preservice teachers may manage their time effectively. the last concern related to the individual problems of preservice teachers is financial. preservice teachers are worried about the possibility of spending large sums of money in carrying out real teaching. in addition to the costs that must be incurred before the implementation of real teaching that must be paid to campus, they also feel anxious about other expenses during this activity, such as transportation costs, accommodation, preparation of materials and teaching media, as well as the preparation costs for closing the real teaching activities that will be held at school. real teaching lasts for 3 months. during that time, each preservice teacher must come to the school where they practice teaching. in addition, they also have to do lectures on campus, so that the allocation of expenses for transport and accommodation will increase. besides, preparation of teaching materials and teaching media sometimes requires money, especially when preservice teachers use realia as teaching media or when they have to multiply teaching materials to be distributed to students. thus, they have to spend more their own money. besides, at the end of the implementation of the real teaching activities, preservice teachers also had to hold a farewell event with students, teachers, and schools. in this activity, sometimes preservice teachers have to create events for students, such as performing arts, or other competitions which of course require costs in its implementation. besides, it is a common to give a gift to the tutor teacher. not only that, they also have to provide lunch for every school members, namely the principal and his staffs, tutor teacher, other teachers, and also school staffs. this activity is quite expensive. to make it happen, the students have to hold a joint venture so that the costs for the parting activities feel lighter. this happens every year, so that finance appears as one of the anxieties students face in implementing real teaching. to overcome this, savings money is one solution they may do. conclusion anxiety in dealing with real teaching is the main topic of education practitioners. by knowing the root of the problems faced by preservice teachers in carrying out real teaching, the efforts to overcome anxiety can be detected earlier. based english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 79 on the results of interviews with 238 preservice teachers, it can be seen that there are 14 anxiety faced by preservice teachers in implementing real teaching which is divided into 5 factors that cause anxiety, namely schools, teachers, students, lecturers, and students themselves, as well as 9 efforts made by preservice teachers to deal with this anxiety. schools, teachers, students, and lecturers are external factors that cause anxiety in the real teaching. it is undeniable that these stakeholders play an important role in the implementation of real teaching so that preservice teachers naturally feel concerned about the role of stakeholders regarding the course of real teaching activities. thus, the existence of good communication between students and stakeholders can reduce anxiety in implementing real teaching. in addition to external factors, anxiety in carrying out real teaching can arise due to internal factors. preservice teachers also feel anxiety that comes from themselves. in this regard, experience and openness are efforts that can reduce anxiety in dealing with real teaching related to this factor. the preservice teachers can search for experiences related to real teaching either through their own experience, or ask about the experiences of others (lecturers, teachers, senior, and other sources that can be obtained via the internet). in addition, openness about the anxiety faced by preservice teachers can also be a good effort. through the openness conveyed to both stakeholders and other parties, then indirectly, the anxiety faced by these students can be reduced. thus, through this research, it is expected that the anxiety faced by preservice teachers in implementing real teaching can be addressed properly so that real teaching activities can run well. references agustiana, v. (2014). pre-service teachers’ anxiety during teaching practicum. english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 174-182. agustiana, v., & rahmatunisa, w. (2018). teaching anxiety encountered by indonesian preservice teachers. connects, 3. agustiana, v., & nurhayati, n. (2019). teaching anxiety experienced by indonesian student teachers of multidisciplinary education study program. elt in focus, 2(1), 8-18. aydin, s. (2016). a qualitative research on foreign language teaching anxiety. the qualitative report, 21(4), 629-642. boadu, g. (2014). anxieties faced by history studentteachers during teaching practice. journal of education and practice, 5(14), 138-143. chamundeswari, s. (2013). teacher management styles and their influence on performance and leadership development among students at the secondary level. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 2(1), 376-418. cresswell, j. w. (2014). research design: pendekatan kualitatif, kuantitatif, dan mixed. yogyakarta: pustaka pelajar. ekşi, g. y., & yakışık, b. y. (2016). to be anxious or not: student teachers in the practicum. universal journal of educational research, 4(6), 13321339. goh, p. s., & matthews, b. (2011). listening to the concerns of student teachers in malaysia during teaching practice. australian journal of teacher education, 36(3), 92-103. marais, p. (2013). feeling is believing: student teachers’ expressions of their emotions. journal of social science, 35(3), 207-216. mapfumo, j. s., chitsiko, n., & chireshe, r. (2012). teaching practice generated stressors and coping mechanisms among student teachers in zimbabwe. south african journal of education, 32(1), 155-166. merç, a. (2015). foreign language teaching anxiety and self-efficacy beliefs of turkish pre-service efl teachers. the international journal of research in teacher education, 6(3), 40-58. paker, t. (2011). student teacher anxiety related to the teaching practicum. eurasian journal of educational research (ejer), 42, 207-224. sammephet, b., & wanphet, p. (2013). pre-service teachers’ anxiety and anxiety management during the first encounter with students in efl classroom. journal of education and practice, 4(2), 78-87. schoeman, s., & mabunda, p. l. (2012). teaching practice and the personal and socio-professional development of prospective teachers. south african journal of education, 32, 240-254. sudtho, j., & singhasiri, w. (2017). exploring preservice teachers’ professional identity formation through the lens of critical incidents. the asian efl journal, 99, 38-60. vina agustiana real teaching: anxiety and solution 80 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 263 literary criticism in the digital age: addressing the problems and opportunities of digital literature in efl pedagogy ali mustofa english department, faculty of languages and arts, universitas negeri surabaya, lidah wetan campus of surabaya, indonesia email: alimustofa@unesa.ac.id lies amin lestari english department, faculty of languages and arts, universitas negeri surabaya, lidah wetan campus of surabaya, indonesia email: lieslestari@unesa.ac.id apa citation: mustifa, a., & lestari, l. a. (2023). literary criticism in the digital age: addressing the problems and opportunities of digital literature in efl pedagogy. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 263-274. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7137 received: 11-10-2022 accepted: 23-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction a literary genre that is challenging to discern is digital literature. there are several types of digital literature, including electronic literature, cyber literature, internet literature, facebook literature, and even blog literature (andheska & sari, 2021; haryoto et al., 2022). of course, the term refers to the process of writing and publishing literary works so that they may be read and appreciated in a digital environment. for instance, electronic literature or cyberliterature is a literary work created to be viewed, read, interpreted, and experienced online. since they are paperless works, this sort of work often does not require traditional printed materials, such as literary works that are already in the form of books or printer sheets. digitally converted print literature is excluded from the definition of literature that is electronic (indriyanto, 2018; muryati et al., 2021). therefore, when literature that had previously been printed as a book is transformed into an e-book cannot be referred to as digital literature. with the development of technology, a brandnew literary subgenre called "digital literature" emerged. for a very long time, books and publishing have dominated the fields of literature and publication. this is an example of the kind of variations that are sometimes referred to as the "margins of literate culture" (handayani et al., 2020). there are currently more sources of information available than there were when scientific exposition was exclusively found in written books. so, what does "digital literature" imply exactly? digital literature has quite complex requirements due to the way it was written and turned into a digital site. digital literature can also feature moving pictures, graphic imagery, photographs, music, saturation of colors, and other aspects that enhance the literary content. it should go without saying that the objective is to provide readers a special and unquestionably more involved experience. print media will entice the reader to suppose more, but electronic literature will let them experience a variety of cuisines that could be referred to as multimodal. abstract: the literary genre known as "digital literature" includes works of fiction and nonfiction written only for digital media such as computers, tablets, and smartphones. because of its convenient qualities, this genre may be read and enjoyed anywhere, especially when it has already been posted to a digital site. such literary works might not offer universal traits like those of works on paper. this is just unusual in that it is solely made with digital tools. digital literature may provide particular techniques to reading and analyzing it, since the academic world likewise moves toward paperless resources. the current study examines the difficulties, limitations, and potential solutions for seeing digital literary works as online resources, using some novel methods from literary and cultural studies and multimodality that may be used to evaluate digital literary texts. the article presents and examines a few ideas that will significantly improve the actions and reactions of efl students’ active participation in literary criticism and analysis. keywords: analysis; criticism; digital; literature; response. mailto:alimustofa@unesa.ac.id ali mustofa & lies amin lestari literary criticism in the digital age: addressing the problems and opportunities of digital literature in efl pedagogy 264 digital literature is a hard concept to pin down as a conversation topic (haryoto et al.,2022; jamonnak et al.,2022; qidan xing, 2022). to define digital literature, some requirements are as follows: (1). scanning and digitizing printed books. the initiatives in this category include project gutenberg and project runeberg, both of which convert traditional literary texts into digital literature. the digitization of well-known, canonical literary works is a shared goal of the two projects (2). original literary works that have been published online without the use of hypertext links fall under this category. instead, they are uploaded in a format that complies with a set standard. just another method of disseminating text, the digital form. in this area, fresh authors often start the texts, (3). adapted to digital literary patterns are literary pieces that employ new methodologies. this category of literature covers all forms of digital literature, including interactive poetry, online multimedia encyclopedias, hypernovels, and other forms, (4). network literature is a category that includes hypertextual works with unique qualities that can only be accessed online. readers may continue to appreciate literary texts based on the internet since they are updated on a regular basis. with the internet, it is simple to set up and arrange reader replies rapidly, enabling the reader to contribute to both the creation and revision of the work's text (qidan xing, 2022). according to postmodernist theory, electronic literature rejects a powerful establishment while being widely accepted for many years. of course, an entity that is referred to as contemporary at a certain moment extends into the electronic era or the digitization of works. however, postmodernists disagree since there is no longer a distinction between space and distance. because of this, the postmodernists' perspective on the existence of electronic or cyberliterature has become exceedingly nebulous (alifah et al., 2021; astuti et al., 2019). the printed literary works that used to be considered the mainstream works and arranged on shelves in libraries or renowned bookstores no longer dominate canon literature. however, literary works may also offer readers with alternate worlds and experiences in addition to reality (susilawati, 2019). certainly, electronic literature offers a variety of methods to understand and enjoy it in terms of its significance. this is due to the unconventional format in which electronic literature is delivered (hayles, 2019; rokib, 2019). electronic literature has the ability to captivate audiences in diverse ways, using techniques such as abstract, surreal, intertextual, and hypertext elements. as a result, electronic literature has the power to transform readers' and viewers' perceptions of what they previously thought was familiar and accepted in society (andheska & sari, 2021; xing, 2022). however, digital literature is creative writing that is published online through blogs, websites, or other social networks and is written in a standard format (word, powerpoint, pdf, microsoft reader, adobe reader, and similar). the publication distinguishes between two categories of digital literature: (a) works published directly online; and (b) works previously published in print that are then digitalized or re-digitized for subsequent publication online. the term "digital literature" can apply to either literary works that have been printed and published in book form before being made available online in electronic form, as described in the aforementioned definition. as a result, this idea becomes adaptable and loose. in light of this, any literary work that uses internet technology, regardless of its genre, may be referred to as digital literature (xing, 2022; saddal et al., 2022). in the information-technology era, the emergence of digital literature should be seen as an alternative venue for the enjoyment and promotion of literary works. a developing trend in the digitalcreative sector is the reading of books on an ipad, tablet, kindle, or smartphone in addition to expanding as a lifestyle. if it cannot be argued that digital literature is the first option among the "gadget-society," yet many people will still choose it since its format and medium fit in with how they use their devices on a daily basis. electronic literature is the most readily available and time-saving option for general readers in the modern digital age. the transition from a print-based to a paperless society raises a number of other concerns about digitization, including what it means and how to assess it. following the terminology employed by various specialists cited in this study (andheska & sari, 2021; jamonnak et al.,2022; xing, 2022; saddal et al.,2022), the phrases electronic literature, cyber literature, and digital literature are all used to refer to digital literature throughout the paper. the use of digital literature in english as a foreign language (efl) classes has been recommended in several research papers as a way to enhance literary analysis. according to kurniawati et al. (2018), the employment of digital teaching strategies and electronic literature can improve the teaching of the english language, engage students, and foster critical thinking. ardliana (2021) reviewed recent studies on digital english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 265 literature and its educational implications, emphasizing the necessity for more research into the field's potential. additionally, nugroho & mutiaraningrum (2020) and pardede (2019) offered a useful manual for implementing digital literature in efl classrooms to enhance students' reading and writing skills. according to rochmatika & yana (2022), interactive and multimodal elements in digital literature might enhance traditional literary critique. bastian et al. (2021) examines how, in the age of globalization, digital literature might help students develop their language skills and cultural sensitivity. sujana & rachmatin (2019) examine how digital literature could also influence the way students experience literary works for their better understanding and comprehension. together, these sources show how digital literature can improve literary criticism and efl pedagogy in a number of ways, including by fostering critical thinking abilities, boosting motivation and engagement, enhancing cultural awareness, incorporating interactive elements into traditional literary analysis, and enhancing reading and writing skills. this study examines how readers and the literary community are affected by digital literature in order to determine its potential as a teaching tool in efl courses. the research intends to provide light on the distinctive potential of digital literature to captivate and inspire readers while also presenting new chances for underrepresented voices and viewpoints by investigating how it defies conventional concepts of authorship, form, and plot. this investigation is part of the study's effort to show how digital literature might improve literary analysis and foster a greater appreciation of literature in efl classes. method the multimodal classroom teaching was employed in this study, where each tool divides raw resources for manufacturing like a machine. the adoption of a multimodal approach in language classes is widely encouraged by teachers in digital turn. there is speculation that using a range of communication modalities, including as text, image, sound, and video, may increase students' understanding of and engagement with literary and linguistic materials (saddal et al.,2022; xing, 2022). multimodal approaches can help address the needs of diverse learners since different students may benefit more from various kinds of communication. a more dynamic and engaging learning environment for students may be created by employing technology and multimedia technologies. the data from these sources suggests that, overall, a multimodal approach may be an effective way to improve language learning and literary appreciation. (cannals-botines & alonso, 2023; son et al., 2021). together with literary analysis classes, this study also included case study research that had previously been conducted in english language classrooms. in this study, students from the english language and literature department's 2020 cohort who selected literary appreciation as one of their optional topics were included. the data was obtained by carefully examining a variety of sources, including both online and offline ones. students in the department of english language and literature's literary appreciation course are the study's participants. 35 students have registered for the class of 2020. in addition to the researchers themselves, the research used interviews, a checklist, and observation. as the study was conducted during the covid-19 pandemic, many of the classes were taken online. with google classroom and the whatsapp group conversation, they were assigned certain topics for online discussion. they also received a number of handouts and books to read, including plays, films, plays, and prose. the study made use of a number of online-posted publications that had already been reviewed and discussed by several other scholars. the investigation includes watching several literary instruction methods in efl classes. this promoted multimodality by offering a look at the students' many modes of representation and communication in their online classroom. to obtain a deeper knowledge and new perspectives, they were all administered (sujiarto et al., 2022; tamam, 2022; ). students were encouraged to engage in discussion of the materials utilizing both their verbal and writing abilities as well as their visual and auditory skills since they also used video and graphic visuals to better grasp the themes. considering that the exercise also required students to do "little theater," which included gesturing, facial expression, and body language, they also employed gestural communication. by using this technique, they change the genre's form into a different one, for example, turning a prose work into a drama, a poetry piece into a prose work, a play into a prose work, and so on. the students also made use of the spatial idea, which is utilized to define location, the physical ali mustofa & lies amin lestari literary criticism in the digital age: addressing the problems and opportunities of digital literature in efl pedagogy 266 arrangement of the class, and proximity. integrating the postmodern instructional design model with the multimodal teaching model, reader response, and an online classroom employing digital literature calls for developing instruction that is inclusive, learner-centered, reflective, and encourages critical thinking (ismardinto astuti, 2022; huda et al., 2022; sumiati & wijanarko, 2020). it is a technique that takes into consideration both the changing nature of digital technology and the diverse learning demands of students (silvana & cecep, 2018; nurrizqi & rodin, 2020). results and discussion the digital literary map is a result of the creative community of authors who have been hosting their blogs or individual websites on servers in their own countries and abroad for more than 10 years. over the past five years, there has been a dramatic increase in the publication of digital literature due to the widespread use of social networking sites, particularly facebook, as well as notes and groups formed by users who have a tendency to publish literary works quickly and casually without having to go through any sort of selection process. this may be enjoyed by social circles that have the same interests but commonly come from different social backgrounds since it has a virtual world spirit that reflects an egalitarian notion and an intimate ambiance. it is possible to make the case that the development of digital literature in places like indonesia, to mention a few, is somewhat comparable to the development of this genre elsewhere. nonetheless, in principle, readers who are curious to discover more about a writer or literary writer's works that have been or will be published in printed form can check their blogs or personal websites as a beginning point. even so, it could be regarded as the best alternative for publication and/or dissemination. ideally, alliances between printed literature and digital literature exist that mutually support one another. the ease of access to the internet and the subsequent emergence of several telecommunication service providers that provide rapid and economical internet packages have both had a big impact on the creation of digital literature in indonesia. almost everyone in society now has a desire for writing, and digital technology has made it possible for literary works to be distributed instantly, doing away with the necessity for print media. digital literature may be positioned in the context of education, the learning process, and the growth of personal appreciation through social networking sites like facebook and blogs. literary authors are often pleased to repost their works (poetry, short stories, essays, etc.) that have already been printed in print media like newspapers, magazines, or journals, and they are also normally willing to respond to the comments of their fans. a sizable digital space is currently available for the spread of appreciation. more specifically, on the other hand, a number of poets who were in the beginning stages of writing their poetry learned a lot from this social networking space, and some of them eventually managed to reap the rewards of their seriousness and were able to publish their poems in printed book form that displayed promising literary quality. both printed and digital literature must be distinguished from one another in a literary sense or in accordance with literary principles; the content must be the determining factor, not the format. this viewpoint allows for the possibility of either digital literature having higher quality than printed literature or vice versa. furthermore, initiatives to digitize high-quality printed literary works may promote the growth of literary appreciation, particularly among the "gadget society" of today, a culture that is comfortable with internet technology. a new literary subgenre known as "digital literature" formed as technology advanced. the realms of literature and publication have long been dominated by books and publishing. this is one of the deviations which is usually coined as the "margins of literate culture" (krismayati & arfa, 2022). the printed book, which was formerly the exclusive source of scientific presentation, is no longer the only source of knowledge. readers produced and shaped cyberliterature, which has replaced publishers' power in the literary world, as a result of it being impossible to enter the publishing culture. because publishers and editors are "absolute gods" when it comes to the development of books. today's technology has changed that paradigm. many writers and online literary magazines show that a limited group of editors and people in the publishing industry no longer have the monopoly on the supremacy of a literary entity. therefore, in addition to the creation of literary works, the internet and computers have developed into a kind of ecosystem. cyber literature serves as evidence that this ecosystem still rules in the current digital era. cyber literature has become more essential than printed texts since the covid19 outbreak. they can all be read online so there is english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 267 no need to go book shopping at the bookshop. by using the internet, anyone can become a successful writer. this makes sense given that the realm of internet technology is no longer constrained by censorship or the ranking of the best and worst works. this signaled the end of the hegemonic reign of publishers and literary censors, who governed like gods from the late 19th to the late 21st century. the idea that cyberliterature ignores quality has led to a variety of reactions to its existence. information no longer needs to pass through the hands of the publisher because it can now reach readers so rapidly, making its presence significant. additionally, because of the internet, there is a space for direct communication between authors and readers in cyberliterature, where limitations of time and space are disregarded (rodríguezmoreno, 2021; sumiati & wijanarko, 2020). challenges of digital literature in the teaching and learning of esl it is time for digital literature to be more widely acknowledged in electronic media. there is no denying that this is a literary voyage through history. a significant development in the history of literature is the existence of cyberliterature. despite its positives and negatives, cyber/digital literature is the product of more talented writers since they have access to technology. the writers will, however, also consider the advantages and disadvantages of publishing online. a writer may have direct communication with his audience and receive both praise and criticism for the work he writes. there is a growing complexity to this connection. in the realm of traditional literary criticism, as it has been for the past hundred years, the link between the reader and the writer occurs indirectly and typically only comes from one side, namely the reader (canals-botines & alonso, 2023). even if the reader is the author's co-partner in theory, reader response criticism, for instance, examines a writer's literary work without the author present. therefore, the reader is reduced to a mere marketing instrument for the success of a work. in essence, this type of teaching methodology uses inclusive, learner-centered, reflective, and critical thinking-promoting strategies (pardede, 2019). the majority of digital literature is short or may be read once and comprehended (tamam & asbari, 2022). in digital literature, the author and reader share a virtual, first-person connection that never involves physical contact. they exclusively interact online and/or through social media. in order to create their community, readers typically sign up for sites like facebook or twitter. for instance, poetry and other literary works were published on facebook walls in the future. it is true that not every member is a talented writer. however, they are readers or writers who are interested in or studying literature. this is consistent with krismayati & arfa (2022) assertion that students do not necessarily need to be good writers; rather, they only need to engage with the works by utilizing their own knowledge and creativity. on the educational front, facebook and twitter groups are quite beneficial for anyone interested in learning more about literature, particularly for those majoring in literary studies. in essence, temporal modification and interaction are what give digital textuality its novelty. since all literature is interactive, the term "interactivity" is difficult to use in the context of literature. the concepts of the experts were expanded upon, particularly in the aesthetics of reception and the examination of reader reactions, where the method of text interpretation was based on the premise that the reader was an active participant in the process of literary meaning (krismayati & arfa, 2022). these experts had the opinion that the text occasionally leaves the meaning up to the readers' interpretation (indeterminacy). digital literature makes this form of engagement possible, which results in the evaluation of works based on reader’s responses. reader-response criticism, which uses the reader's response to the work in question as a yardstick to judge whether it is excellent or terrible, is crucial in the field of digital literature. the process of appreciation includes interpretation (nurrizqi & rodin, 2020). a reader must be able to actively comprehend, interpret, and manipulate the hypertextual network of routes when reading hypertext. a reader must be able to participate in multimodality "games" in the realm of digital literature. this reader can be referred to as a digital reader. this is so that digital interactions can be conducted and links can be made, both of which call for certain abilities. additionally, readers and users may be permitted to customize the content, for instance, by adding their own connections to the hypertext. therefore, configuration entails reformatting the text within predetermined bounds (sujiarto et al., 2022). thus, along with literature, multimedia, computer games, and film, cybertexts like the ones covered in this essay may be considered an altogether new medium. this is not to say that the ali mustofa & lies amin lestari literary criticism in the digital age: addressing the problems and opportunities of digital literature in efl pedagogy 268 book industry won't be significantly affected by text digitization. a significant route for the circulation of books is the internet. future literature will increasingly be made available online in digital format so that readers may access it from whatever device they choose, be it a computer screen, an electronic reader, or a personal hard copy. many people are studying and working from home due to the covid-19 pandemic. eventually, reading and communicating with other literary readers happened from home over the internet. therefore, digital literature and its management in the cyber world are the best options in teaching and learning during a pandemic, as has been the case for people all over the world. they are contemporary reading materials with a digital foundation that take the role of trips to physical bookshops and libraries. some problematic concepts about the interaction that may be carried out while employing digital literature are presented in the following sub-parts. interaction between author and readers in the world of cyberliterature, the interaction between the author and the reader is fascinating to see. in contrast to the past, when the author's work was evaluated collectively, the writer in cyberliterature engages in dialogue with the reader. this is conceivable since the chosen medium is writing, which is by nature a private one. readers are free to comment on, make suggestions on, and critique the author's work. in addition, the author takes an active part in replying to reader comments. when the engagement process can be seen by other readers directly, this two-way communication becomes difficult. articles that may be connected in the form of shares, likes, and comments serve as a vehicle for communication between the author and the reader (sumiati & wijanarko, 2020). if the author is wellknown enough in the field of writing, he or she may be able to become a hero to his or her audience. this is where digital contact with cyberliterature is found. this enables two-way communication that renders cyber-literary works valueless and turns the author into a book subject to all forms of literary criticism. this idea approves what has been confirmed by stone & logan (2018) and rokib (2019). . an interactive reader-writer connection facilitates the engagement process. writing that is related to shares, likes, and comments represents this engagement. additionally, there are hypertext linkages and hyperlinks in written two-way communication that other writers and readers can access directly. open literary critique with hyperlinks and hypertext can reach a broader audience. the only way to conduct this relationship is through remarks, expressions of gratitude, criticism, and even praise. students, who are referred to as readers generally, are instructed to be able to engage in direct, interactive conversation with the writer in order to investigate facts that can satisfy their interest about the writer's objectives. this approach is consistent with kurniawati et al. (2018) and palacios-hidalgo (2020) predictions that there will be more opportunities to investigate the usage of digital literature in efl classes. interaction among readers the interactions among readers are just as fascinating to analyse as those between writers and readers. direct feedback from various readers will include criticism, remarks, gratitude, and even praise for the author. a conflict-of-interest results from this reader interaction. every reader has a unique literary experience, and that experience undoubtedly affects how that reader views the author's literary work (handayani et al., 2020). a distinct section of the comment’s column is reserved for reader conversation. here, readers reflect on the material they have just read. with the guidelines already in the reader's comment section, readers may immediately communicate and share thoughts with one another. the outcomes of this interaction can be utilized as evidence for evaluating the success or failure of literary works published online by authors in an effort to pique readers' attention. the reader's column serves as another form of yardstick for how well a writer has succeeded in winning the support and ire of their audience. interaction between teacher and students students and teachers can interact directly or indirectly through the usage of digital literary works. in the author's comments section, instructors and students can communicate with one other directly. the teacher can also facilitate this communication (handayani et al., 2020; kurniawati et al., 2018). because students may directly address the author and receive guidance from the teacher, this is a type of contact that happens seldom but can be utilized as an engaging learning tool for students. in addition, teachers can ask the author questions directly so that students can feel what is occurring in the piece of literature they are studying. all of the students' questions english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 269 will be satisfactorily and candidly addressed as part of a triangle-shaped interaction that promotes open reciprocity. some constraints to teaching digital literature since literary works and educational techniques are increasingly being digitized, a number of key issues arise for each component of the virtual classroom. first, there have been a few instances of digital literature being used in an online classroom. the majority of interactions in the cyber world that include digital books rely on an internet connection. of course, both teachers and students throughout the world deal with this issue. it should be remembered that all facets of education should work to enhance the usage of online learning policies. they ought to collaborate on creating the new digital virtual learning paradigm. to raise the standard of education, the institutions, the society, and the stakeholders should collaborate closely (boyinbode et al., 2017; giovanni & komariah, 2020). as a result, the government's involvement is crucial in regulating education policy, particularly that of online learning, to ensure that each component is successfully enhanced and maximized. second, according to some previous remarks (nugroho & mutiaraningrum, 2020; palacioshidalgo et al., 2020), literary teachers will have trouble explaining the topics covered in class discussions and the books they are using. this is due to the fact that the shift from traditional classroom instruction, which allows for easy access for teachers and students to meet in-person and address specific issues, necessitates the usage of a narrow and constrained virtual area. the mobility allowed here is intended to constitute "space," essentially restricting conversation and two-way connection between teachers and students. third, virtual face-to-face is only a gap in between for students and teachers. both direct face-to-face offline and indirect internet venues have the same philosophical foundations. it has been reported that occasionally students' teachers are less able to adjust to the usage of technology than students themselves. if the teachers— especially the literary teachers—are not wellversed in the digital world, this will also pose a certain challenge. given that the lesson will be taught remotely but using the same old methodology, they cannot collaborate creatively with their students. this results in more boredom for the online class because the teachers lack of knowledge about how to guide students using digital technologies. since the learning process is the same as it was at the in-class meeting, the students will not notice any progress or interactive classes. fourth, due to their digital traces, digital literary texts will be simple to find and follow. finding accurate and trustworthy data is difficult since there are so many different types and sizes of digital literary works. within the purview of "search engines," the digital world is susceptible to connections with diverse types of literature of the same depth and kind. they are connected by an endless number of hypertext and hyperlink systems. this makes it difficult for students to find a trustworthy source. as a result, while running virtual classrooms for online literary learning, teachers must always be the motivator and in charge. the fact that many well-known works have been translated into english when students are instructed to study an english text from a third of the world—which, incidentally, is a non-english speaking country—is a more compelling illustration. the teacher must offer a text from an already-existing translation in order to receive the same course materials. in the event that this is not the case, the students will discover alternate translations of the text being read (de menendez et al., 2020). the fact that diverse translators would expose learners to multiple languages also offers significant benefits. the debate of literary criticism as a whole, however, will be hindered. to provide room for learners, it is therefore necessary to equalize perspectives and give appropriate guidance. various literary criticism viewpoints on digital literature a multidisciplinary approach is needed for evaluating digital literature. however, there is still a need for a strong and efficient reading strategy. as a result, attentive reading of digital literature is still advised to develop a comprehensive knowledge and interpretation of the literary work that is being evaluated. a multitude of approaches to the text are utilized in close reading, all of which are centered on the text itself. this strategy has been shown to be successful for all literary works and serves as the cornerstone of literary analysis for all types of critical literary analysis. text intertextuality is quite prevalent in digital literature. thus, "the death of the author" is still a central contention in studies of digital literature. this is due to the fact that all texts in digital literature interact with one another and that no one ali mustofa & lies amin lestari literary criticism in the digital age: addressing the problems and opportunities of digital literature in efl pedagogy 270 text that is autonomous and belongs to one author exists. in light of this, close reading is still a valid method of reading the text. the hypertext theory, namely postmodern instructional design theory [pidt], has previously addressed the reading of digital literary works utilizing the hypertext reading approach. this hypothesis is related to the presence of digital literature that is recorded in the internet network and has a digital footprint on a variety of devices connected to internet networks, such as computers, mobile phones, tablets, and other devices (boyinbode et al., 2017). this is referred to as a hyperlink. readers will find it simple to access the presence of digital literature in this way. this type of literature will include a wide range of characters and specifications, including design, portrayal, changes in genre, look, and connectedness with other works of literature that are comparable. in the realm of the internet, hypertext connects readers to other writings that are written in the same style or are similar to their own. as a result, the text's verification and validation have already undergone a deepening in legal terms. the literary text becomes ambiguous and does not restrict the author's claim that the book is his own creation. every text or quotation in the digital cyberspace will be connected to earlier texts, enabling the reader to comprehend the work's digital imprint. in the synthesis of the digital spider web, literary texts as well as texts found in the digital world by themselves have become intertwined. students may encounter a variety of options while dealing with digital texts that what they have read has undergone some sort of open justification. this reasoning helps them understand that a text cannot be understood in isolation. because it is a collection of sign plays drawn from earlier writings, the text already exists (giovanni & komariah, 2020). additionally, it teaches students to constantly keep an open mind and see that everything they read and comprehend has a history and has evolved into a type of digital trace with inherent worth. any play on literary criticism that uses digital literature will consequently naturally interact with other, longer writings (hayles, 2019; indriyanto, 2018). in the domain of digital literature, this is the conceptual basis behind the spider web (rokib, 2019). it will be simpler for readers to connect with the text and with other readers if fiction is translated into hypertext and hyperlinks. this type of digital display allows readers—students or efl learners in general—to discuss meanings with readers in different countries (nugroho & mutiaraningrum, 2020; pardede, 2019). readers of hypertext literature could also enjoy a range of genre transitions from text to forms of motion expression, such as the transformation of short stories into plays or plays into short stories. poetry may either be made into a song, or a song can be made into a sort of lyrical writing that is performed with ballet dance. a more engaging visualization might be used to convey this alternate approach. one of the best methods for studying digital literature is postmodernism. in every argument, postmodernism delivers a great deal of meaninglessness. it will be given back to the extent to which the text's meaning and linguistic level are in direct touch. since it contrasts signals and markers with locus narrative as the text's intermediates, the postmodernism method gives transparency at every stage of study and critique (krismayani & arfa, 2022). digital literature is illogical and difficult to read literature (andheska & sari, 2021; steckmest, 2021). a continuous reading is best achieved by studying a complex play of signals and markers via several layers of interpretation. to put it in another way, the literary text is more than simply what is visible to the reader (hayles, 2019). the fact that it is a living organism, nevertheless, allows readers to constantly doubt the presence of other writings that are either buried or need to be made clear by hyperlinks that point to the other texts. this type of comprehension will never come to an end since meanings will constantly be split by themselves until the text's digital trail can no longer be traced. students who are interested in studying literary content online should undertake the aforementioned activity. this is done so that the students may study the material in all of the many translations that are available to them. a number of other publications were also be used to present a single literary work. for instance, many genre forms that are all connected to the short story, such as theater, musical poetry, and monologues about the short story, was digitally published for flannery o'connor's 1953 short story "a good man is hard to find". john galsworthy’s “quality” had also been translated into short film for children; children story, and films. william somerset maugham’s “mr. know all” has also been transformed into film online which could be enjoyed by students of efl. other examples might potentially be used to identify the short drama "trifles," which was originally adapted from susan glaspell's short story "a jury of her peers." this exercise can also english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 271 be used to comprehend different genres, and to better understand the mode of narrations (indriyanto, 2018; muryati et al, 2021). it can be presented by a selected group of students who took part in live drama productions that were being recorded at home. the performance was recorded by a few of the pupils, who then uploaded the recordings online. this effort made it much easier for other students to understand the assignment and help them learn. as a result of these works being converted into appealing virtual presentation formats, students were exposed to a range of genres and linguistic exposure approaches. the suggestions made in earlier papers, including those by astuti et al. (2019), muryati et al. (2021), bastian et al. (2021), are in accord with the approach being used now. in multimodality model for literary appreciation classroom, teacher may employ a variety of resources: to teach literary appreciation, a teacher can utilize a range of resources, including audio, video, photos, and interactive media, as opposed to only text-based resources. this can aid pupils in grasping the subtleties of literary works (rodríguez-moreno et al., 2021). teachers can encourage cooperation among their students as part of the multimodality model for language learning. they can do this by assigning groups of students projects that use a variety of media. this hypothesis is consistent with earlier study finding by palacios-hidalgo (2020). for example, students could collaborate to create a multimedia presentation on a work of literature or a video or audio recording of a stage reading. another important aspect is technology integration; by utilizing multimedia technologies like interactive whiteboards, digital storytelling, and video editing software, teachers may integrate technology into their instruction (stone & logan, 2018). students may be better able to comprehend and interact with literary works as a result. this must also be supported by the use of many modes of instruction: teachers can deliver lessons in a variety of ways by utilizing various teaching techniques such group discussions, visual aids, and hands-on activities (handayani et al., 2020). students with various learning styles may benefit from this and be better able to comprehend and enjoy literary works. teachers are also encouraged to cultivate students’ creativity. teachers may encourage creativity by letting students utilize a variety of expressive techniques to understand and evaluate literary works. for instance, students can record a song, draw an artwork, or write a poem that is inspired by a piece of literature (de menendez et al., 2020; muryati et al., 2021). another important step is to promote reflection. here, teachers can promote reflection by having students consider their educational experiences and the various delivery methods that were employed. this can assist students in better understanding how various instructional modalities might improve their learning experience and cultivate their capacity for literary appreciation. this notion is consistent with what has been advanced by various research in the preceding sections (darvin, 2017; rochmatika & yana, 2022). by utilizing a multimodal approach of teaching in both online and offline classrooms for literary appreciation, teachers may help students comprehend and interact with literary works across a variety of media (canals-botines et al., 2023). students' educational experiences could be enhanced, and as a result, they might develop a deeper appreciation for literature (ismardinto & astuti, 2018). this will improve how readers experience literature. the unique aspect of this study is how digital literature is used as the main source in online classrooms to teach literary appreciation. as a result, the study sheds light on how well online instruction engages students with literature and how digital literature may be used to improve the educational process. the study clarifies both the possible advantages and drawbacks of online instruction for literary appreciation classes, and its conclusions may influence future pedagogical strategies in this field. by examining the use of technology and digital literature in the classroom, the study makes a significant addition to the fields of english language instruction and literary criticism. conclusion the issue might be summed up by saying that there are many difficulties that teachers of literature and culture confront nowadays. the field and breadth of literary and cultural studies have changed significantly as a result of pandemics. wideranging opportunities for literary study and interpretation are provided by digital literature. the digitization of literature and the various approaches to it for analysis and interpretation in language, literature, and culture classes enable all parties to prefer the digital world as a learning channel that offers a wide space without limit, despite the fact that the space for teachers and students is only constrained in a virtual framework. ali mustofa & lies amin lestari literary criticism in the digital age: addressing the problems and opportunities of digital literature in efl pedagogy 272 when literary materials are digitized and displayed in virtual form, literary and cultural classes become more alluring. in the field of literary and cultural criticism, this led to new challenges. literature carries out its purpose to speak for humanism in all of its manifestations and is the nectar of human civilisation. as a result, the world of traditional texts is no longer the only thing that literary criticism may address. since literary writings have been digitized and are now a part of the digital world, there is more room to trace their texts. this allows for the creation of greater opportunities for reader and writer interaction and multimodal, multifunctional literary critique. the literary text is intertextually linked to other literary works and does not exist in an isolation. links help readers grasp a text's history, which broadens and makes the meaning more objective, resulting in a more varied reaction from readers in their interpretation of literary works given their inclusion in textual hypertext and hyperlinks, the interaction of signs and signifiers in literary reading has also become simpler to understand. using more dependable and effective sources, students may quickly determine the whereabouts of earlier literary works. multimodality plays a crucial role in the field of digital literature in this regard. therefore, students need to have the self-assurance to constantly be open-minded and to assert their academic authority while practicing literary criticism and when reacting to the task they have to do. one of the results of the discussion in the present article shows that a multimodal teaching approach can be an effective instrument for training students in literary appreciation. teachers may assist students in better understanding and engaging with literary works by utilizing a number of communication methods, including text, picture, sound, and video, as well as addressing the needs of varied learners. also, using technology and multimedia resources may give students more involved and interesting learning experiences. due to the fact that students are encouraged to read and examine literary works in many ways, a multimodal approach can also aid in the development of creativity and critical thinking abilities. students can gain a more nuanced comprehension of literary works and a more indepth appreciation of the complexities of language and literature via cooperation and contemplation. by creating a more inclusive, dynamic, and fun learning environment for the students, the adoption of a multimodal teaching approach can improve the teaching and learning of literary appreciation. in a digital literature classroom, teachers may combine postmodern instructional design with reader response and multimodal strategies to deliver materials that are learner-centered, reflective, and encourages critical thinking. using this approach, students may engage with the information in a variety of ways while also being encouraged to have a feeling of ownership and engagement in the learning process. last but not least, based on the data in the research, digital literature has the potential to challenge traditional notions of authorship, form, and story. the study may also provide information on readers' interactions with and views of digital literature as well as how it has impacted the creation and consumption of literature more broadly. the study might also look at how the emergence of digital literature has given previously underrepresented viewpoints and voices in the literary world new opportunities. this latter finding may be particularly important in the increasingly diverse and connected world of today. references alifah, s., supriyati, y., dudung, a., salman, i., & widodo, a. (2021). analysis of digital literature factors on junior high school students (case study on smp 3 in bekasi district). international journal of education, information technology and others (ijeit), 4(3), 345-352. andheska, h, sari, c.p. (2021). the design of literature learning innovation based on a modern digital model for generation z students,in proceedings of the 1st international conference on maritime education, eudl. ardliana, c. l. (2021). digital literature: a combination of blended learning and guided inquiry in mathematics learning for salaf students. numerical: jurnal matematika dan pendidikan matematika, 5(2), 65-78. astuti, n., fauza, h., & yuhafliza. (2019). digitalbased literature learning as an optimization effort to increase educational values of millennial children. in proceedings of the 28th international conference on literature: “literature as a source of wisdom”. picl. bastian, o. a., rahmat, h. k., basri, a. s. h., rajab, d. d. a., & nurjannah, n. (2021). urgensi literasi digital dalam menangkal radikalisme pada generasi millenial di era revolusi industri 4.0. jurnal dinamika sosial budaya, 23(1), 126-133. boyinbode, o. k., agbonifo, o. c., & ogundare, a. (2017). supporting mobile learning with whatsapp based on media richness. circulation in computer science, 2(3), 37–46. https://doi.org/10.22632/ccs-2017-251-89 canals-botines, m., & alonso, a. r. (2023). digital literature literacy (dll) and literature digital https://eudl.eu/proceedings/icome/2021 https://eudl.eu/proceedings/icome/2021 https://eudl.eu/proceedings/icome/2021 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 273 reading (ldr) in european schools. techno review, 13, 2-9. darvin, r. (2017). language, ideology, and critical digital literacy. in s. thorne & s. may (eds.), language, education and technology. encyclopedia of language and education (3rd ed, pp. 1–14). springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/9783-319-02328-1_35-2 de menendez, m. h., escobar-díaz, c. a., & moralesmenendez, r. (2020). educational experiences with generation z. international journal on interactive design and manufacturing, 14(3), 847–859. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12008-02000674-9 esteve-mon, f. m., llopis, m. á., & adell-segura, j. (2020). digital competence and computational thinking of student teachers. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 15(2), 29–41. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i02.11588 giovanni, f., & komariah, n. (2020). hubungan antara literasi digital dengan prestasi belajar siswa sma negeri 6 kota bogor. libraria: jurnal perpustakaan, 7(1), 147-156. https://doi.org/10.21043/libraria.v7i1.5827 handayani, s., youlia, l., febriani, r. b., & syafryadin. (2020). the use of digital literature in teaching reading narrative text. journal of english teaching, applied linguistics and literatures (jetall), 3(2), 65-74. haryoto, r. p., ramadhanti, i. p., nadialhaq, i., listyanti, n. r., & pandin, m. g. r., dr., m.si., m.phi., m.psi., psi. (2022). “digital literature from the perspective of generation z”. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/x9g hayles, n. k. (2019). literary texts as cognitive assemblages: the case of electronic literature. interface critique journal, 2(2019), 173-195. huda, n., mardiana, n., & sumartono. (2022). analysis of digital literature on students in faculty of teacher training and education as a prospective teacher. open access indonesia journal of social sciences, 5(1), 622-633. indriyanto, k. (2018). locating digital literature in world literature: a case of quarterly literary review singapore. international journal of humanity studies, 2(1), 22-31. ismardinto., & astuti, i. (2022). digital literature in increasing learning motivation in high class sd negeri 01 teluk batang. jurnal scientia, 11(1), 228-231. jamonnak, s., bhati, d., amiruzzaman, m., zhao, y., ye, x., & curtis, a. (2022). “visual community: a platform for archiving and studying communities”. journal of computational social science, 123. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42001-02200170-y krismayani, i., & arfa, m. (2022). the society's use of digital literary reading applications. in web of conferences (vol. 359, pp. 1-5). edp sciences. kurniawati, n., maolida, e. h., & anjaniputra, a. g. (2018). the praxis of digital literacy in the efl classroom: digital-immigrant vs digital-native teacher. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 8(1), 28–37. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v8i1.11459 muryati, a., agustin, w. d., putri, f. r. a. (2021). digital literature culture for the millenial generation in the world of education. jurnal pendidikan teknologi informasi dan vokasional, 3(2), 98-109. nugroho, a., & mutiaraningrum, i. (2020). efl teachers’ beliefs and practices about digital learning of english. edulite: journal of english education, literature and culture, 5(2), 304321. nurrizqi, a.d., & rodin, r. (2020). the level of digital literacy of students majoring in library science in the use of e-resources at uin raden fatah palembang. library, 12(1), 72-89. palacios-hidalgo, f. j., gómez-parra, m. e., & huertasabril, c. a. (2020). digital and media competences: key competences for efl teachers. teaching english with technology, 20(1), 43–59. pardede, p. (2019). print vs digital reading comprehension in efl. journal of english teaching, 5(2), 77-90. rochmatika, i., & yana, e. (2022). determinants of digital literature and learning style on critical thinking ability of students of sman 1 tukdana. perspektif pendidikan dan keguruan, 13(1), 6471. rodríguez-moreno, j., ortiz-colón, a. m., cordónpozo, e., & agreda-montoro, m. (2021). the influence of digital tools and social networks on the digital competence of university students during covid-19 pandemic. international journal of environmental research and public health, 18 (6), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18062835 rokib, m. (2019). the polemics of digital literature in indonesia trends, patterns, and approaches within academic discussion. in 3rd social sciences, humanities, and education conference (soshec 2019) (pp.287-292). atlantis press. saddal, m., rashid, u., khattak, a.s. (2022). isreframework: nonlinear and multimodal exploration of image search result spaces. multimed tools appl, 81, 27275–27308. silvana, h., & cecep, c. (2018). digital literacy education among young people in bandung. pedagogia : journal of educational sciences, 16(2), 146-156. son, j.-b., robb, t., & charismiadji, i. (2021). computer literacy and competency: a survey of indonesian teachers of english as a foreign language. call-ej, 12(1), 26-42. steckmest, k.m. (2021). using film as a multimodal https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/x9g http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42001-022-00170-y http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42001-022-00170-y ali mustofa & lies amin lestari literary criticism in the digital age: addressing the problems and opportunities of digital literature in efl pedagogy 274 text in the language classroom. ma tesol collection. 759-768. stone, s., & logan, a. (2018). exploring students’ use of the social networking site whatsapp to foster connectedness in the online learning experience. irish journal of technology enhanced learning, 3(1), 42–55. https://doi.org/10.22554/ijtel.v3i1.28 sujana, a., & rachmatin, d. (2019). literasi digital abad 21 bagi mahasiswa pgsd: apa, mengapa, dan bagaimana. conference series journal, 1(1), 1–7. sujiarto, h., solahudin, m., mudrikah, a., & kosasih, u. (2022). the influence of social support, digital literacy ability and self-efficacy on students’ academic resilience. specialusis ugdymas, 1(43), 9351–9373. sumiati, e., & wijanarko, w. (2020). the benefits of digital literacy for society and the education sector during the covid-19 pandemic. indonesian islamic university library bulletin, 3(2), 65-80. susilawati, s. (2019). prospects of digital literature and its implications on increasing learning outcomes during the covid-19 pandemic. nidhomul haq: jurnal manajemen pendidikan islam, 6(3), 526536. tamam, m. b., & asbari, m. (2022). digital literature. journal of information systems and management, 1(2), 19-23. xing, q. (2022). multimodal discourse analysis on a cartoon film trailer up. journal of linguistics and communication studies, 1(1), 17–26. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 313 early childhood language politeness strategy model in multiethnic communication dian eka chandra wardhana department of indonesian education, postgraduate program of university of bengkulu, indonesia email: dec.wardhana@unib.ac.id noermanzah department of indonesian education, postgraduate program of university of bengkulu, indonesia e-mail: noermanzah@unib.ac.id apa citation: wardhana, d. e. c. & noermanzah (2021). early childhood language politeness strategy model in multi-ethnic communication. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp. 313322. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4356 received: 15-02-2021 accepted: 25-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction children's language development is a marker of their cognitive development (rahayu, 2019; noermanzah, 2017). the development of language obtained by children is able to provide an image of the child's socio-cultural conditions (supriyanti, 2016). as community members, children learn what they hear from the speech community in which they grew up (molai, 2019; mukalel, 2003). children acquire language to become members of a culture in which they were born, and develop an understanding of the cognitive and social aspects (akhyar, 2019; hoyte, 2017). the value construction model obtained by children currently relies on independent reports of mothers, this results in a lack of data on the acquisition of politeness supplements, although several studies have described the use of politeness strategies used by preschool children. the research findings reveal several different politeness strategies when it is used to communicate with different speech partners (kushartanti, 2009; dardjowidjojo, 2000). the two studies descriptively show that at a very early age, children are aware of social distance, age, and authority with partners, so that children are able to use different politeness strategies when talking to their speech partners. the same thing was found by (wardhana, 2006), that the children of immigrants in the new land used a language system elaborated by linguistic politeness with the native ethnic culture in bengkulu, so that the speaker's directive speech act representation was expressed in direct mode, direct mode with a marker of politeness, and indirect mode. seken (2010) confirmed, when talking with speech partners of other cultural backgrounds, these children were also able to "share" ethnicity with the culture of the partner. speakers of japanese children also do something similar when talking to foreigners (nakamura, 2012), that is, children use language that tends to lower abstract: the purpose of this study is to describe the strategy model of early childhood language politeness in multi-ethnic communication with different social rules in bengkulu. the research method used was a crosssectional study design, with a study of subjects of different ages. the research subjects referred to were children aged 2, 3, 4 and 5 years in bengkulu. data collection was carried out by participating and non-participating observations, accompanied by data recording using an electronic recording device and field note cards. data analysis was performed using flow analysis techniques. the results show that the strategy model for early childhood language politeness in multi-ethnic communication in bengkulu is using elaborate politeness acquisition model and children's language politeness acquisition model that takes into account social distance when speaking by stringing 3 words when greeting, introducing oneself, expressing respect, thanking. love, apologize, ask permission, ask for help, ask for things, command, and promise. the series of words are meant to reflect the character development of early childhood. keywords: politeness strategy models; early childhood; multi-ethnic communication mailto:dec.wardhana@unib.ac.id https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4356 dian eka chandra wardhana & noermanzah early childhood language politeness strategy model in multi-ethnic communication 314 themselves and elevate the person they are talking to. then, nafissi & shafiee (2019) and miller (2016) explained that early childhood language strategies are also influenced by teachers. these studies use data in the play environment and when children are at school. based on this phenomenon, a more comprehensive study on politeness strategies in preschool children is needed (kushartanti, 2009), especially in terms of obtaining politeness in terms of the substance of human thoughts when speaking. this is important, because in fact television media broadcasts and input received by children outside of school are very influential on children's language acquisition. this phenomenon affects the fact that children aged 3, 4 and 5 years are children who are developing their language (golden age), including how children use the language for communication purposes (landreth, 1958). a child who acquires language has a strong and incredibly complex system (zahro, noermanzah, & syafryadin, 2020). if we understand how children accomplish this task, we will know the substance of a human mind that works to acquire language, including the politeness of using language. the assumption is that if the child is able to use polite language, then the child is considered to understand a number of social rules of language. these rules relate to children's activities when greeting, introducing themselves, expressing respect, thanking, apologizing, asking for permission, asking for help, asking for things, ordering, and making promises. based on this phenomenon, the problem arises, how to obtain children's language politeness when communicating in multi-ethnic communication? this problem phenomenon occurs because language activities are an activity that is manifested from the interaction between language and thought (kusmiarti, yuniati, & noermanzah, 2020). this activity can also be observed in the speech of preschoolers, because they have begun to be able to communicate with their speech partners. although sometimes the form of speech is monologue or egocentric speech. egocentric speech is known when children speak according to what they think and feel (dawud, 2010). viewed from the development stage of piaget's thinking, the embodiment of this egocentric speech is in the form of a monologue discourse and if it is conditioned and stimulated by suitable media, it will creatively create children dynamically forming language in the form of dialogue in the form of discourse (dworetzky in dawud, 2010), that is, the acquisition of content constituents is better or earlier than the constituents of the function. this type of acquisition is similar to children's language acquisition when the child is still in the early stages of acquiring simple sentences called telegraphic utterances in the context of informal spoken language (hoff, 2009). thus, the form of speech that is exposed is daily indonesian speech. for example, it is characterized by the use of levy constituents from the local language or the language of the caregiver, so that the dominance of cultural influences is very likely. from the point of view of language acquisition, this phenomenon is the use of language learning strategies for communication. in communicating, speakers mix code or do code switching for the first and second languages (amaliani, triana, & riyanto, 2020). language learning strategies are an effort to accumulate the rules of the language learned and efforts to internalize them, through language transfer. in this study, what happened was the transfer from the second language to the first language (hoff, 2009) in accordance with the objectives of the established communication. according to vigotsky in hoff (2009), every child is born with a set of elements of basic thinking functions, for example, the ability to pay attention, consider, understand, and remember. this basic ability is an innate ability. it is culture that transforms these cognitive abilities into higher abilities through social interaction, in particular, through the teaching and use of language (eadie, stark, & niklas, 2019; nafissi & shafiee, 2019; méndez, hammer, lopez, & blair, 2019). based on this explanation, children will experience accelerated communication skills and be able to compose language forms due to social interaction with speech partners. various abilities resulting from this interaction include coexistential interactions of authority based on conclusions from the caregiver's or mother's explanation, the absorption of information from electronic media (for example in analogical english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 315 reasoning based on conclusions from television information), penchant for listening to fairy tales or listening to adults when reading story books, and the use of language in daily life (for example in quasi-logical reasoning, causality, and generalizations that are based on conclusions from children's daily experiences. this is supported by muraishi in nakamura (2012) that children initially get keigo and polite linguistic expressions, then they begin to present these linguistic rules, learn different levels of speech by interacting with a wider variety of society and mimicking adult language behavior. muraishi in nakamura (2012) claimed that early childhood children actually want to use verbs with a nuance of respect for speech and simple language partners, but these efforts are often generated with grammatical and relational errors. even mackie (1983) in nakamura (2012) reported that early childhood children control politeness strategies such as the use of heizing (cryptic/indirect language) long before they master honorofic subjects and objects. for this reason, this study describes the strategy model of early childhood language politeness in multi-ethnic communication in bengkulu. method the research method used a qualitative method with a cross-sectional design (dardjowidjojo, 2010). this design characteristic is an assessment of data collected from subjects with various age characteristics (3, 4, and 5 years) within 10 months. observations were conducted (8 to 10 hours) every day and observing the model of acquiring politeness in the subject's language in multiethnic communication at a certain stage. by stimulating a conversation, the model of acquiring politeness can be observed, recorded, and noted. research settings the bengkulu setting is interesting to be used as a research background because the phenomenon of speech people in bengkulu is a multi-ethnic speech society with a variety of ethnic cultures. the spoken community in bengkulu consists of 9 ethnic groups and various cultural and linguistic backgrounds, including; (1) bengkulu malay, (2) minang, (3) batak, (4) rejang, (5) serawai, (6) javanese, (7) balinese, (8) chinese, (9) palembang, and (10) various other ethnicities. based on research reports (wardhana, 2006; seken, 2010; dawud 2010), the speech community with various ethnicities affects children's language input exposure and the purpose of children's communication. data and research subjects the data of this research is the speech of children when communicating with speech partners in the context of multi-ethnic communication. the utterance is utterance that reflects the speaker acquisition model in multi-ethnic communication and the responses that accompany it. in addition, field notes about the context of communication obtained from observations of researchers in the field complement the children's speech, so that the research data is intact. the subjects of this study are children aged 2, 3, 4, and 5 years with the javanese-malay dual language ability of bengkulu. the form of verbal interaction in a speaker's communication with various speech partners can be identified based on the use of speech acts with certain characteristics. from the results of recording speeches and observations of speaker's language behavior, it can be identified the model form of speaker politeness acquisition in multi-ethnic communication in bengkulu. the research subjects are eight children aged 2, 3, 4, and 5 years old who are in the healthy category and able to communicate based on the standardization of children's mental and motor development that has been formulated by the government. the determination of the number of subjects is based on the opinion of walfram (in rofi'uddin, 2006) that in psycholinguistic research research subjects can consist of five to ten research subjects. the determination of the subject of this study is based on the principle of adequacy of the data required in this study. the determination of the eight subjects is carried out on the grounds that with the eight subjects it is predicted that sufficient data can be obtained to answer the problems of this study. however, if it turns out that the data acquisition has not met the target as expected, then additional subjects are carried out to meet the sufficiency of the data. the eight subjects used in this study have the following characteristics: (1) come from an educated family environment, with a high school, s-1 and s-2 educational background, javanesedian eka chandra wardhana & noermanzah early childhood language politeness strategy model in multi-ethnic communication 316 malay bengkulu, (2) since living in bengkulu, they have been introduced to bengkulu, javanese and bengkulu malay, in other words the speakers from the beginning have lived in the bengkulu javanese-malay bilingual environment, and (3) reside in the bengkulu javanese-malay bilingual community. data collection technique the data collection technique used is the observation technique. the observation technique is carried out with participation and nonparticipation. observations are focused on the children's speech activities in carrying out verbal interactions with various speech partners. the observation technique is complemented by field notes and recording. data recording is carried out to obtain data in the form of acquiring models of children's speech politeness with various speech partners. this data is needed to answer the research problem, namely to examine the model of acquiring child politeness in multi-ethnic communication. data collection in the field carried out through observation pays close attention to the setting and context. the point is an event or case being observed is observed and recorded in the conditions to whom the child is speaking, psychological conditions, physical conditions, situations of where and when the speech occurs. interviews with parents were also conducted for the purpose of triangulating the recorded data and field observation notes. research instruments in this study, the researcher acts as a key instrument. therefore, the data in this study are in the form of language acquisition behavior of a speaker which can only be understood through the interaction between the researcher and the subject and the factors that play a role in the subject's communication activities. meanwhile, the additional instruments used are observation guidelines and observation aids, namely an electronic recorder (tape recorder) and field recording tools. the observation guidelines in this study are prepared as signs regarding what to observe in conducting field observations. observation guidelines are prepared to collect data in the form of verbal speech uttered by the subject along with the context of the speech that accompanies children's interactions with their speech partners. in field observations, data recording are carried out, namely the speech of speakers with various speech partners. data recording is done using an electronic recording device (tape recorder), either secretly or known by subject. this is done to maintain the naturalness of the data obtained from all subjects. during the observation activity, field data are recorded. recording field data is needed to determine the context of speech which includes (1) psychological, physical, place, time, and narrative conditions during communication, (2) status and roles of children and speech partners, and (3) topics, as well as to who the child speaks when the interaction is taking place. data analysis to achieve the objectives of this study, various supporting data for this study are analyzed based on the flow analysis technique of miles & huberman (2009). this analysis technique is developed with the aim of explaining a phenomenon of acquiring politeness in the language of children aged under five in bengkulu in multi-ethnic communication. this flow technique in depth, utilizes the facts of language acquisition of children who are the target of research. by using this analysis technique, the researcher can have a free opportunity to interpret the recorded conversations obtained from the subject. furthermore, data organizing is carried out in the form of data presentation which is completed with context. the data conclusion is carried out based on the results of the analysis of the acquisition model of children's language politeness in multi-ethnic communication. the results of the data analysis are abstracted into provisional conclusions. to obtain the validity of the conclusions, it is carried out to check the validity of the research findings through data and theory checking by confirming the results of data analysis and related theories that have been described in the theoretical study. the aim is to obtain confirmation of the credibility of the research findings. data validity test test the validity of the data in this study is using triangulation, memberchecks, and discussions with experts. the triangulation used is the triangulation of data sources obtained from observations, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 317 recording, and field notes. memberchecking is done by documenting the data of each oral conversation which is transcribed into writing. then, discussions with experts are carried out by discussing the results of the interpretation of research data with several psycholinguistic experts so that the results of the interpretation of the early childhood language politeness strategy model in multi-ethnic communication are more profound and comprehensive. findings & discussion based on the results of the analysis that has been done, it is found that the acquisition of politeness in children's language when communicating with different language rules. the research findings that are intended are: (1) the model of acquiring politeness in elaborating children's language politeness with the language of the surrounding community which tends to be multi-ethnic in terms of the substance of the human mind when speaking; and (2) a model for acquiring children's language politeness which takes into account social distance when speaking. the research findings are discussed in the following description. model of acquiring politeness elaboration of children's language politeness with the language of the surrounding community which tends to be multi-ethnic when children communicate exposure to children's language when greeting, introducing themselves, expressing respect, thanking, apologizing, asking for permission, asking for help, asking for something, ordering, and promising is a reflection of children's language activities when they communicate with their speech partners. this is a sign that the child has acquired a language, and that the acquisition of the language is equipped with a strong and extraordinarily complex system. if we understand this acquisition, it will describe the substance of the human mind at work (hoff, 2009), especially when receiving input, storing, and exposing these inputs in context. studying language acquisition has a crucial role in the cognitive revolution. for example, when a child represents the ability to speak, and understands the language production carried out by his speech partner. this condition is a representation of language competence which is extraordinarily complex. the various preliminary requirements for competence possessed by children are accepted abilities without positive reinforcement in terms of language principles. this is simply analogous to the explanation of behaviorism theory which describes rats pushing a lever to get food, or why a cat salivates when he sees the person feeding him, so that when he sees that person always whines (meow, meow, meow) to be fed. another example of children's language exposure when communicating with two speech partners. the two speech partners have very different social and verbal behaviors. speech partner a tends to be vocally and physically aggressive, while speech partner b is the opposite, especially when they speak and behave with children. it turns out that early childhood (2 years) has displayed the politeness they have seen and heard (data no. 01 / b-lk / 100812). this means that when children develop behavioral values that can shape their identity. he used the principles of seeing and hearing. for example, when he behaves physically aggressively when asked to speak by speech partner a, then he acts the opposite when dealing with or speaking with speech partner b. the following data 01 / b-lk / 100812 is in the context of "the afternoon when a and b were greeting after a long period of absence. meet because of their respective activities, through early childhood (subject) who is accompanied by his grandmother and he immediately behaves aggressively towards b (both words and behavior). however, he immediately greeted and smiled friendly when a greeted him. model of acquiring children's language politeness which takes into account social distance when speaking six terms that are generally used to refer to speech partners in bengkulu culture that reflect social distancing, namely, "ayuk, abang, adik, bucik, bunga, and dang" the term ayuk (older brother in terms of age) is generally used. to designate all people who are family related to speakers of older age. ayuk, abang, dang, uda, kakak are used to address speech partners in the category closest to the most distant narrator with an older age. the terms ayuk, abang, dang, uda, kakak are used as a strategy to respect and develop the values of politeness to elevate speech partners who are older in age when they are invited to communicate. this dian eka chandra wardhana & noermanzah early childhood language politeness strategy model in multi-ethnic communication 318 communication activity includes activities of various kinds of social relations and various contexts that have to do with social activities. these social activities can be in the form of social activities with neighbors, communicating with the context of work, and social organization. these social activities vary widely, from gathering with close friends to those who are most distant. the terms ayuk, abang, dang, uda, kakak are generally used to refer to foreigners who have a higher age and social position than the speakers. in communication, the identity of the speaker, interlocutor, choice of style, level of speech used, and conversations involving children are characterized by the daily use of bengkulu malay. whereas someone who is involved as a participant is characterized by the use of the subtle bengkulu malay language. the choice of use of daily bengkulu malay and bengkulu malay is refined, depending on the type of participant when it is marked as ethical politeness, and is categorized as a form of politeness in language. if the language selection is wrong, the use of the language level will cause impoliteness. the use of daily bengkulu malay in a communication will be represented in the crude colloquial form of malay. meanwhile, the soft bengkulu malay language is a speech development that contains ancestral values which sometimes appear saccharistic because the child uses speech acts that reflect the speaker's assumptions by connecting the social distance between the speech partner and himself. example: “cini-cini duduk ayunda..cini!” (come on and on, sit down ayunda ... come here) the conversation took place during a visit by a friend in the village of argamakmur. researchers joined s2 and the conversation took place in the living room. these two expressions state that the host said he was welcome and then greeted his guests. the first phrase, in daily bengkulu malay, is addressed to s2. the malay language used implies close social relations with speech partners. in this case, the researcher is a stranger or a participant in the owner of the house. what could be characterized by the host's attitude towards the researcher at that time came with the s2, the researcher as a stranger (as a participant) to the host, who encouraged retaining attitudes towards the researcher at that time. the first speech is a type of positive politeness act that is clearly familiar as a marker of social dynamism with the suspension of the second language by filtering language usage, determining the distance of speakers and speech partners which are negative politeness acts. the following data examples are the values of social distance parameters for the attitudes of speakers and speech partners which are low (“zero”), apart from events that are essentially informal and friendly. it should be noted that the use of subtle levels of language is not always associated with a speaker's choice of strategy that reflects the intensity of politeness. the level of speech in a certain language can be seen to have a relationship with the level of politeness. javanese, for example, has been described as a language where the level of the speaker is used to relate the level of formality and the intensity of respect by the speaker. the higher the level of formality and respect in speech, the higher the politeness shown. this shows that in javanese, the higher the level of speech used by speakers, the politer is expected in communication events. meanwhile, in bengkulu malay, the use of subtle language variations is considered as a sign that speakers are elevating the level of speech partners in certain cases, indicating that "formality" is a communication situation with a high degree of nobility. however, although "raising the speech partner" can be a negative politeness strategy, the use of subtle language variations does not automatically lead to the intensity of the speaker to be polite. in addition, in some cases the selection of subtle variations and everyday speakers chooses to use subtle variations to show different strategies so that it can be said that their use is only a strategy of politeness. that is, social difference with social distance is reciprocal, this case shows that the participants are socially distant, and they will differ from one another. this is indicated by the reciprocal use of the subtle-speech level, as seen below. examples of speech: pn : “ni…. punyamu ya?” (“this…. yours huh?) mt : “dua…(sini) ya!” (two .. (here) yes! the politeness represented by pn is rude because pn is s2 (p1) who meets s1 (a man who works in a stone-making studio, who has never met him before). so the social distance between english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 319 children and s2 reflects the reciprocal use of a level of speech. the use of speech level can clearly be seen by someone in an environment that causes the feelings of the speech partner to hurt, so that the type of politeness becomes rude. this politeness fluctuates with the variables of the situation, social distance, and the influence focused on the fluctuation may be combined with "development of unpleasant feelings" and "priority of speech partners to whom the speech responds". language development in children begins with a question of how children improve the acquisition of language starting from the development of acquisition of sounds, words, word formation, syntax, and discourse or a concept that can then be used functionally. the strategy model for early childhood language politeness in multi-ethnic communication in bengkulu is using elaboration politeness acquisition model and children's language politeness acquisition model that takes into account social distance when speaking by arranging 3 words when greeting, introducing oneself, expressing respect, thanking, apologizing, asking for permission, asking for help, asking for things, ordering, and promising. the series of words are meant to reflect the character development of early childhood. this is an extraordinary achievement and according to nafissi & shafiee (2019) that early childhood language politeness strategies are influenced not only by their parents, but by providing models of language politeness for teachers in schools. the results of observations of language acquisition can be started when the child is 1-year old, because at this age children experience changes in their communication behavior (hoff, 2009). this change can be observed from the production of sounds that have meaning in the rules of adult language, so that it can be said that children acquire vocabulary based on the sound concepts they produce. according to years of observations in the author's child or baby, a child understands words from birth. this is evident when the parents greet him with a happy condition, the child will laugh, and vice versa. he begins to recognize his name at the age of 4 months and understands a few other words at the age of 6, 8, to 10 months. based on the research findings of hoff (2009) and dardjowidjojo (2000), children begin to speak on average at the age of 1 year (pralinguistic stage), and continue acquisition as their brain grow and be developed. thus, it appears that he masters and understand their sounds, voices, words, and even grammar after 1 year of age. the next stage is during the children aged 2 years. at the age of 2 years, children acquire vocabulary with significant concepts. they start producing words, and by the end of 2 years they can produce 300 words and combine words (hoff, 2009). his words do not sound like adults. both the articulation ability and the basic phonological image change at 2 years of age. children are more communicative, both frequency and communication are relevant with increasing communication styles. when he is 3 years old, he begins to master grammar rules. the child starts producing two and three words. production of declaration sentences ended in exposure to incorrect grammar. exposure to words such as plural words, past tenses, nouns, and verbs (hoff, 2009). at the end of 3 years of age, children produce complete sentences, including interrogative sentences and negative sentences according to the rules. the vocabulary continues to develop, the articulation of sounds increases, so that the development of his mastery of phonology is beginning to appear. children's communication skills improve, and they begin to incorporate short stories or past events into their conversations. in the period of 3 to 4 years of age, most of the children's ability to filter sentences develops further. the most noticeable new developments occurred in grammar beginnings complete, many clause sentences. because nothing is completely lost from linguistic competence almost at the age of 4 years old children, usually the acquisition of a complete language at the age of 4 years (dardjowidjojo, 2010). children's language skills continue to develop in each field after 4 years of age, both in the fields of articulation, vocabulary, sentence structure, and communication skills (noermanzah, 2017; gauthier & genesee, 2011). meanwhile, the various markers of politeness used by speakers so that multicultural communication is able to reflect a new cultural orientation process so that communication harmonization is maintained, are language tools, pragmatic tools, modalities, speech lengths, use of verb diathesis, supporting statements, timers, repetition, timepiece, affirmation, softener, dian eka chandra wardhana & noermanzah early childhood language politeness strategy model in multi-ethnic communication 320 question words, greeting words and kinship, distorted / strange situation context, analogy, and overgeneralization. these linguistic aspects are used by paying attention to the social rules of language use that apply in the 2nd language community by controlling the noble values of the moral and ethical teachings of speakers (wardhana, 2006). several research findings have illustrated that the use of politeness strategies used by preschoolers has been able to reveal several different politeness strategies to different speech partners (kushartanti, 2009; dardjowidjojo, 2000). this research descriptively shows that at an early age, children are aware of social distance, age, and authority, so that children are able to use different politeness strategies when talking to their speech partners. the same thing was found by wardhana (2006), that the children of newcomers in the new land used a language system elaborated by linguistic politeness with the native ethnic culture in bengkulu, so that the speaker's directive speech act representation was expressed in direct mode, direct mode with a marker of politeness, and indirect mode. seken (2010) confirmed the various research findings, he found that when talking with speech partners with other cultural backgrounds, these children were also able to "share" ethnicity with the culture of the partner he said. teachers are also aware that the need for basic research on acquiring keigo in japan and politeness in indonesia is being carried out, but many researchers believe that children do not have a productive function of different politeness registers so they only accept explicit instruction in contexts, social issues, for example at school or work. this is supported by nakamura (2012) that children initially acquire linguistic expressions that are keigo and polite, then they begin to present these linguistic rules, learn different levels of speech, by interacting with a wider variety of societies. broad and mimic adult speaking behavior. muraishi (in nakamura, 2012) claims that early childhood children actually want to use verbs with nuances of respect for speech and simple language partners, but these efforts are often generated with grammatical and relational errors. even nakamura (2012) reports that young children control politeness strategies such as the use of heizing (vague / indirect language) long before they master the honorofic subject and object. for this reason, according to wilcox, gray, & reiser (2020), a literacy-based curriculum and according to early childhood language development in early childhood education schools is needed. the applied curriculum teaches students to jointly improve reading material that is interesting every day according to early childhood reading material and the teacher provides examples as concrete models in using polite language. it could also be that every day students are invited to do singing activities according to teacher instructions based on student brain development and giving scrabble games as suggested by elhenawy (2019) and hastuti (2018) in their research results which show success in improving the language mastery skills of early childhood students with singing activities with direct instruction by brain-based teachers and giving scrabble games. conclusion the results of this study indicate that the strategy model of early childhood language politeness in multi-ethnic communication in bengkulu is using elaborate politeness acquisition model and children's language politeness acquisition model that takes into account social distance when speaking by stringing 3 words when greeting, introducing oneself, expressing respect, thanking, apologizing, asking permission, asking for help, asking for something, ordering, and making promises. the series of words are meant to reflect the character development of early childhood. the development of early childhood language is influenced by the mother tongue and second language used in schools by teachers and students. then, at an early age, children become aware of social distance, age, and authority, so that children are able to use different politeness strategies when talking to their speech partners. references akhyar, f. (2019). perkembangan pragmatik dalam pemerolehan bahasa anak. ksatra: jurnal kajian bahasa dan sastra, 1(1), 75–86. doi:10.52217/ksatra.v1i1.15 amaliani, s., triana, l., & riyanto, a. (2020). alih kode dan campur kode pada proses belajar di tk pertiwi longkeyang dan implikasinya. jurnal skripta, 6(2), 64-71 doi:10.31316/skripta.v6i2.900 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 321 dardjowidjojo, s. (2000). echa: kisah pemerolehan bahasa anak indonesia. jakarta: grasindo. dardjowidjojo, s. (2010). psikolingusitik: pengantar pemahaman bahasa manusia. jakarta: yayasan obor indonesia. dawud. (2010). kecenderungan pembelajaran bahasa saat ini. malang: um press. eadie, p., stark, h., & niklas, f. (2019). quality of interactions by early childhood educators following a language-specific professional learning program. early childhood education journal, 47(3), 251–263. doi:10.1007/s10643019-00929-5 el-henawy, w. m. (2019). optimizing elementary education for english language learners. chapter: 7. pennsylvania: igi global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7507-8.ch022 gauthier, k., & genesee, f. (2011). language development in internationally adopted children: a special case of early second language learning. child development, 82(3), 887–901. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01578.x hastuti, d. (2018). improving early childhood language ability through scrabble for kids. proceedings of the international conference of early childhood education (icece 2017). doi:10.2991/icece17.2018.60 hoff, e. (2009). language development. wadsworth: florida atlantic university. hoyte, f. (2017). ewing r, callow j and rushton k, language and literacy development in early childhood. journal of early childhood literacy, 18(1), 154–158. doi:10.1177/1468798417713437 kushartanti, (2009). strategi kesantunan berbahasa anak paud. dalam kolita 9. jakarta: atmajaya press. kusmiarti, r., yuniati, i., & noermanzah. (2020). improving student communication skills in learning indonesian language through collaborative learning. international journal of scientific & technology research, 9(01), 207211. http://www.ijstr.org/paperreferences.php?ref=ijstr-0120-27801 landreth, c. (1958). the development of language and the function of speech in early childhood. the psychology of early childhood, 48(1), 126–170. doi:10.1037/13176-005 méndez, l. i., hammer, c. s., lopez, l. m., & blair, c. (2019). examining language and early numeracy skills in young latino dual language learners. early childhood research quarterly, 46(1), 252–261. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.02.004 miles, m.b. & huberman, a. m. (2009). analisis data kualitatif. jakarta: ui-press. miller, e. b. (2016). child care enrollment decisions among dual language learner families: the role of spanish language instruction in the child care setting. early childhood research quarterly, 36, 223–232. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2016.01.003 molai, t. n. (2019). factors affecting language development of children. international academic journal of social sciences, 6(1), 37–48. doi:10.9756/iajss/v6i1/1910004 mukalel, j. c. (2003). psychology of language learning. new delhi: arora offest press. nafissi, z., & shafiee, z. (2019). teachers’ roles in early childhood english language pedagogy: beliefs of kindergarten english language teachers. journal of early childhood teacher education, 41(3), 306–324. doi:10.1080/10901027.2019.1647479 nakamura, k. (2012). the acquisition of linguistic politeness in japanese. the handbook of east asian psycholinguistics, 110–115. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511758652.018 noermanzah, n. (2017). a 1.4 year old child language acquisition (case study on a bilingual family). parole: journal of linguistics and education, 5(2), 145-154. https://doi.org/10.14710/parole.v5i2.154 rahayu, p. (2019). pengaruh era digital terhadap perkembangan bahasa anak. al-fathin: jurnal bahasa dan sastra arab, 2(1), 47-59. doi:10.32332/al-fathin.v2i2.1423 rofi’uddin, a. (2006). tanya jawab penelitian kuantitatif dan kualitatif. malang: um press. seken, ik. (2010). pendidikan berbasis otak: suatu gagasan back to nature. dalam makalah kuliah perdana 2010 program pascasarjana pendidikan bahasa indonesia fkip unib. tidak diterbitkan. supriyanti, n. (2016). peran bahasa dalam pengembangan peserta didik dan pembangunan bangsa. jurnal bahasa lingua scientia, 8(2), 251-256. doi:10.21274/ls.2016.8.2.251-256 wardhana, d. e. c. (2006). representasi tindak tutur direktif penutur jawa pendatang dalam komunikasi lisan masyarakat multietnik di bengkulu. malang: universitas negeri malang. http://repository.unib.ac.id/10204/ wilcox, m. j., gray, s., & reiser, m. (2020). preschoolers with developmental speech and/or language impairment: efficacy of the teaching early literacy and language (tell) curriculum. early childhood research quarterly, 51, 124–143. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2019.10.005 zahro, u. a., noermanzah, & syafryadin. (2020). penguasaan kosakata bahasa indonesia anak dari segi umur, jenis kelamin, jenis kosakata, sosial ekonomi orang tua, dan pekerjaan orang tua. dian eka chandra wardhana & noermanzah early childhood language politeness strategy model in multi-ethnic communication 322 seminar nasional pendidikan bahasa dan sastra, 1(1), 187-198. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 255 descriptive reading materials for tenth graders: palembang tourist destinations kananda agustina checaria language education, faculty of teacher training and education universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: kanandagstn@gmail.com ismail petrus language education, faculty of teacher training and education universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: ismailpetrus@yahoo.com rita inderawati (corresponding author) language education, faculty of teacher training and education universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa citation: checaria, k.a., petrus, i., & inderawati, r. (2021). descriptive reading materials for tenth graders: palembang tourist destinations. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 255-264. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5386 received: 28-08-2021 accepted: 21-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction reading is one of the most important skills in learning english. by reading, students can get more knowledge and important information, especially for tourism. moreover, the targets that should be achieved is mastering foreign language communication, such as simple daily conversation related to the work field, basic grammar, vocabulary, and basic expressions. in line with the statement above, teaching reading skill involves identifying word meaning, drawing inferences, identifying the main idea, and identifying relevant information of the text. the component skill approach is practical to important reading process and classroom practices and it is useful for teaching reading. in addition, reading is one of the most important skills in learning english. by reading, students can get more knowledge and important information, especially for tourism. moreover, the targets that should be achieved is mastering foreign language communication, such as simple daily conversation related to the work field, basic grammar, vocabulary, and basic expressions. in brief, those tourism subjects are mostly part of vocational high schools of tourism majoring. they should practically master a foreign language. based on ef epi in 2018, indonesia was internationally ranked 51 from 88 countries. it meant that indonesia has low proficiency in english, the score was 51.58. it can be concluded that reading interest in indonesia was very low. the data showed that the quality of abstract: the purpose of this study was to find out the validity, practicality and potential effect of the developed descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations for the tenth-graders of vocational high school. this study was conducted based on akker (analysis, design, evaluation, and revision) development research design. the formative evaluation was consisted of self-evaluation, expert review, one-to-one evaluation, small group evaluation, and field trial. formative evaluation was intended to find out the validity, practicality and potential effect of the product. the average validity score of the developed product was categorized as a very highly valid level. the practicality in one-to-one was at a highly practical level and small group evaluation was at a very high practical level. the reading test material was categorized as effective. it showed that in the reading test students exceeded the passing grade which was 75. in brief, descriptive reading texts of palembang tourist destinations were able to help students know about tourist destinations. the developed product was appropriate for the tenth-graders of vocational high school, especially for tourism majoring. keywords: descriptive reading materials; development research; palembang-tourist destinations. kananda agustina checaria, ismail petrus, & rita inderawati descriptive reading materials for tenth graders: palembang tourist destinations 256 english language teaching in indonesia still categorized as very unsatisfactory. most students faced the difficulties in reading comprehension especially in reading habit cause them lack in reading skill (satriani, 2018). students at higher proficiency level showed more interest in learning english than students at lower level (chin-ling, 2016). there were some methods to improve students' reading comprehension, like students' and teachers' understanding of the curriculum, the method of teaching reading and the variation of reading texts. descriptive texts aim to give information by describing particular person, place, thing or animal. meanwhile, for esp students’ especially tourism majoring needs to learn about descriptive texts in order to get a better information about the tourist destinations. esp (english for specific purposes) is stated to meet various kinds of demand and request for learners. students' needs are an important role in planning teaching because it is appropriate input selection in teaching language. the developing materials were used to support the framework of learners’ understanding of the language use. mahbub (2020) explains vhs (vocational high school) and general school use the same text/course books which are provided by government. furthermore, karman (2017) states materials which are provided for the students are general and not specified for certain study program or school. then, ayutami, harahap and syahrial (2018) found that the material used in the teaching and learning process did not suit with vhs students. there was no difference material in the specification or vocational high school students. it seems general english materials less appropriated to vocational high school students since the english materials should meet their needs and interests. salwianto and pratika (2017) found in their study that 2013 curriculum textbook did not meet the students’ needs. moreover, erfiani, ngadiso and suparno (2019) found that english textbook which is used by the school are lack of reading materials. it makes teacher to use english materials which are not suitable with the students’ needs. the use of irrelevant english books was a problem in the implementation of school based curriculum and it caused by two factors; the lack of relevant english books sold in the market and the inability of english teachers to design such kind of materials. senior high school students learn whole english as their subject and there was no specification in skills that they must master. meanwhile, vocational high school students need different subject matter. vocational high school students only need to learn about demand and needs which could support them in getting a job since most of the vocational school students were applying for a job right after they graduate (septiana, 2020; inderawati, et al., 2021; rhahima, et al., 2021; octaviana, et al., 2021). since esp materials provide exemplars relating to forms and structures of target genre to raise learners’ awareness of how texts are organized and how their communicative intentions are attained, it is important that they be relevant to learners’ target contexts and authentic. in line with the explanation before, it is necessary that the materials should be determine the particular features of the target language or related to their reality that should be taught to the particular learner. tomlinson (2012) states the important of materials development as an attempt optimally to meet all the students’ needs and wants. in connection with the idea above, the targets that should be achieved is mastering foreign language communication, such as simple daily conversation related to the work field, basic grammar, vocabulary, and basic expressions. in brief, those tourism subjects are mostly part of vocational high schools of tourism majoring. they should practically master a foreign language. an appropriate material should be based on the students' need and interest. hanifa (2017) found in her study that to improve material adaptation teacher should include some process like reducing, omitting, modifying, adding and supplementing but the lack of opportunity caused the materials adaptation become inappropriate for the students. waheeb (2019) found that the using authentic materials can helped in increasing students motivation and cultural awareness. by designing an appropriate descriptive reading material can accommodate suitable learning and teaching activities. designing materials should be done first before the teaching and learning process is conducted. this is due to that language teaching and learning is a complex activity that requires a good plan and it becomes a guide for both teachers and students in achieving some goals. the materials play a role in the success of a language course. furthermore, the materials are dealing with the students' needs, want and aspirations. especially in providing the concept of materials for second english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 257 language teaching which engaged what the student's necessity in teaching and learning activities. due to the importance of materials design for the students, the reasons to have materials are: the reading materials which have existed are not appropriate for vocational high school students, and it can support the teachers and students because it makes language learning task easily to teach. related to the explanation above, destinations originally from palembang can be utilized as reading material in efl teaching for students as an attempt of preserving local identity so that palembang destination will be promoted and tourist will visit palembang and it will not vanish from its existence as a part of precious cultures of palembang in the middle of globalization threats. by including these palembang tourist destinations as local content-based descriptive text in reading materials, not only students learn english but also, they learn their own culture. susanti (2017) states in her study that the story of siti zubaidah should be introduced as a cultural heritage as a local culture from south sumatera. concerning the use of palembang tourist destinations as the descriptive reading materials in efl teaching, the writer had not found english textbooks containing palembang tourist destinations texts. palembang tourist destinations texts available on the internet were also far from sufficiency and even the stories mostly in indonesian. those, there was a need for developing reading materials containing palembang tourist destinations texts. the local context was developed in the form of descriptive text as an explanation belongs to the type of text in the 2013 curriculum. there were some previous related studies about the research. the first was a study done by sopian, inderawati, and petrus (2019) who tried to developed e-learning based local-folklores which were used for the eight-graders. in their study, the eight-graders of smp xaverius 6 palembang were involved as the subject of the study and e-learning based local-folklores was developed. e-learning based local-folklores were considered appropriate to be implemented to the students based on the results of the assessment from the expert of content, construct and product design. meanwhile, elviana, inderawati, and mirizon (2020) conducted development study about interactive multimedia for teaching descriptive texts based on palembang local culture. the results of their study showed that the developed materials were valid, practical, and effective to be applied for the tenth-grade students of sma lti igm palembang. kusuma (2016) found in her study that the fifth-grade students of elementary schools in buleleng regency had some potency and problems towards the use of existing reading material. the development of descriptive reading material based on the criteria of good material, and it is also had high validity and practicality and was proven to be effective to improve the reading competency of the students (azizah, 2021; inderawati, et al., 2018; herawati, et al., 2020; kumbara, et al., 2021; octaviana, et al., 2021; tenridinanti, et al., 2021). from the explanation above, the differences were clearly stated. the title showed that the reading material of the previous study was narrative text while the present study was used descriptive text. interactive multimedia and e-learning were the media used in the previous study; meanwhile, the present study was not use media. in previous study, the researchers focused in senior high school and junior high school, while recent study focus on vocational high school, especially tourism majoring. some researchers have been done conducted the study by using descriptive text such as tourist destinations, historical building, and local culture as teaching materials. concerning to the case above, to contribute in the development of esp material is needed to meet the students’ need. this research is aimed at developing descriptive reading materials based on palembang-tourist destinations of which results can be used as a reference for english teacher to develop the materials, hopefully benefits to transfer and preserve local culture to the students through stories. then for students, it will minimize students’ difficulty in reading comprehension especially descriptive text and gain knowledge about palembang tourist destinations by studying localcontent materials. method development research method was used. this study was arranged to developed and validate a specific product. akker (1999) states development research aims to design a product for certain purposes through certain prototype, i.e.: analysis, design, evaluation, and revision. analysis phase has several analyses consist of instructional analysis, students' need analysis, and reading level analysis. kananda agustina checaria, ismail petrus, & rita inderawati descriptive reading materials for tenth graders: palembang tourist destinations 258 while in the design phase, descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations was developed and designed by considering the result of the analysis that was done in the analysis stage. this study used formative evaluation proposed by tessmer (1993) to improve the quality of the product. there are three main criteria for the quality of the product; validity, practicality and effectiveness. validity refers to the extent of the developed product related to the state of art knowledge (content validity) and that all the components included in the product are related and connected among each other (construct validity). practicality refers to the extent that users and experts consider the product that it meets the need is engaging and implementable in regular settings. effectiveness referred to the quality that the content and outcomes with the product are consistent with the intended aims. this study was conducted at smk 3 palembang. the population of the study was the tenth-grade students consisting of two classes in academic year 2019/2020. the subject of the study can be seen on the table below. dick, carey and carey (2005) states that the subjects of this study were selected based on their english proficiency. the students’ english proficiency was determined based on the teacher’s evaluation. table 1. subject of the study no stages of formative number of students description of the students 1 one-to-one evaluation 3 1 student for each category, i.e.: low, medium and high english proficiency. 2 small group 9 3 students for each category, i.e.: low, medium, and high english proficiency 3 field test 23 all students in real class total 35 students source: document from smk negeri 3 palembang, 2019 in one-to-one evaluation stage, there were three students consisted of one student for each category (low, medium, and high reading level). the next step was a small group phase; there were another nine students (three students for each category). and field trial/test phase, the students that involved in one-to-one and small group evaluation were not involved anymore. to conduct the field test, one class consisted of 35 students, only 23 students were involved. they were administered and developed reading comprehension test, then their scores were used to measure the effectiveness of developing a reading test in this study. this research aimed to develop descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations which were valid, practical and had a potential effect. to determine its validity, practicality and potential effect, instruments used in this study were questionnaires, interview, and reading comprehension test. questionnaires were given to experts in expert review and to students in one-to-one and small group evaluation in the form of likert-scale to get information about their opinion and comments after reviewing and/or using the developed descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations. beside given a questionnaire to students, an interview was also conducted in one-to-one and small group evaluation. the interview intended to obtain students' comment, critiques, and suggestions after using the developed descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations. the results of the interview were used as a basis for revision. formative evaluation was used to know the potential effect of the product by using reading comprehension test in the form of a multiple-choice question with five alternatives. the reading comprehension test was constructed by the writer based on descriptive texts developed in this study. the reading comprehension test included several aspects, such as the main idea, inference, vocabulary in context, cause and effect, and detail. the validity of the product was determined in experts’ review. after reviewing the descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations, the experts gave their judgment through a questionnaire in the form of likert-scale and write their comments on it. their comments were used as a basis for revision of the developed descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations. to find out whether the developed descriptive reading materials with palembang tourist destinations was practical, a questionnaire was administered to students in one-to-one and small group evaluation. after studying descriptive texts by using the developed product, students gave their judgment through a questionnaire in the form of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 259 likert-scale with a score ranging from 1 to 5. students were also interviewed to obtain their comments on the developed product which their comments were used as the basis for revision. to determine the validity and practicality level of the product, the average score of the obtained total score from the students' judgment was calculated and interpreted as follows: table 2. validity and practicality categorization average score category 4.21-5.00 very high 3.41-4.20 high 2.61-3.40 moderate 1.81-2.60 low 1.00-1.80 very low table 3. potential effect categorization mastery percentage category 86-100 very effective 71-85 effective 56-70 moderate 41-55 less effective 0-40 poor effective to now the potential effect of the product, the developed reading comprehension test was used. this analysis was done by using the percentage of the number of students who passed the passing grade which was 75. after being analyzed, the result was then interpreted to the table above. results and discussion analysis phase based on the data analysis, three kinds of analysis conducted to get information about the tenthgraders which were instructional analysis, students’ reading level analysis, and students’ needs analysis. the aim of conducting instructional analysis was to identify the indicators and objectives of learning english for the tenth-graders students in odd semester. therefore, 2013 curriculum which is applied in the school was the target of the analysis. the indicators and learning objectives of developed reading materials were derived from the core competence and basic competence. students’ needs analysis was conducted to obtain information about their needs in terms of reading. aspects which were taken into consideration to obtain information about students’ needs were (1) their reading achievement; (2) their perception about the reading materials in their textbook; (3) their barriers in reading comprehension; (4) their perception of the learning process; and (5) their expectation on the developed reading materials. from the results of students’ needs analysis, the conclusion drawn as a guide to developed descriptive reading materials based on palembang tourist destination. descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations were needed to be developed. meanwhile in students’ reading level analysis, the analysis was intended to find out students’ reading level as the readability levels of the developed descriptive texts had to match with students’ reading level. design phase as the further action of this study, palembang tourist destinations descriptive texts were developed and designed the palembang tourist destinations descriptive texts. in relation to this, there was a step conducted in this design phase which was paperbased design. in this phase, the first thing to be conducted was to write the learning objectives which had been identified in the analysis phase. the next step was collecting all of stories from palembang. the palembang tourist destinations were taken from internet. since in 2013 curriculum, tourist destinations used in teaching descriptive texts, all tourist destination, like sacred places, historical places, iconic places, religious places, and so on were developed. the texts were translated into english from bahasa indonesia. after being adapted and translated, the developed descriptive texts were checked by the validators to know whether the texts were appropriate or not and the readability levels were checked by using an online tool of flesh kincaid. the developed materials, there was warming-up activities before the reading materials. after descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations had been set and the reading comprehension text was completed for evaluation phase. all of the items were constructed based on the indicators in the analysis phase. the reading comprehension test was used to measure whether the developed reading materials had potential effect or not and as a formative evaluation whether the students achieved the learning objectives or not. evaluation and revision evaluation and revision were done in this phase because some revisions were needed in one of the kananda agustina checaria, ismail petrus, & rita inderawati descriptive reading materials for tenth graders: palembang tourist destinations 260 evaluation phases; product had to be revised before it was proceeded to the next evaluation phase. from self-evaluation phase, the ungrammatical sentences, misspelling and redundant word were found. in validating this product, three experts validated this product to know whether the developed product was valid or not in content, instructional design and media design. moreover, it was intended to get the experts comments or suggestion towards the developed product to improve the quality of the product. there was suggestion which needed to be paid attention and the validity level of the product was described below: table 5. suggestion from expert review no. experts review judgement suggestion 1 validation sheet of content check your grammar. 2 instructional design 3 validation sheet of media table 6. the recapitulation of validity, practicality and potential effect palembang tourist destinations validity practicality potential effect conte nt const ruct media one-toone small group evaluation mastery percentage of field trial unit 1 (historical places) 4.01 4.25 4.89 4,09 4.21 73.90% unit 2 (sacred places) 4.01 4.2 4.52 78.26% unit 3 (religious places) 3.99 4.14 4.98 0 unit 4 (iconic places) 4.08 4.23 5 82.60% total 16.09 16.82 19.39 4.09 4.21 234.76% average score 4.02 4.21 4.85 4.09 4.21 78,25% average of validity = 4.36 average of practicality = 4.15 average of potential effect = 78.25% the average score of content validity (i.e.: english) was 4.02 showed in table 6 was at a highly valid level. it can be concluded that a set of descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations was valid in content and categorized as highly valid level. then, in construct validity (i.e.: instructional design), the average score was 4.21 which was at a very highly valid level. it can be concluded that the product valid. and for validation sheet of media, the expert reviewing the product was a lecturer of english study program at sriwijaya university. from the validation sheet of media, the average score o media validity was 4.85 which was at a very highly valid level. to determine the product overall validity, the average score of scores above was used. the results showed that the average score was 4.36 which was a very high validity category. therefore, in brief, the developed descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations was valid and in category of very high validity. one-to-one evaluation there were three students involved in one-to-one evaluation to use and review the developed of descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations. the students consisted of one student as the representative of students having high english proficiency, one other students as the representative of students having medium english proficiency, and the last one as the representative of students having low english proficiency. the results from the total 15 items of questionnaire, the average score from the three students’ score was 4.09 which was at a high practicality level. it can be concluded that the developed descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations was practical and at a high practicality level. in addition, in determining the practicality of the product, in one-to-one evaluation, interview was also conducted to obtain students’ comments and suggestions toward the developed reading materials, the comments and suggestions were used as a basis for the revision of the product. small group evaluation small group evaluation was intended to know the practicality of the product like in one-to-one evaluation. small group evaluation, involved more students and was conducted by implementing the real instruction by using the developed descriptive reading materials about palembang touristdestinations. students who were participated in oneto-one evaluation were not involved anymore in small group evaluation. based on the results of the questionnaire, the average score of practicality in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 261 small group evaluation was 4.21 which was at a very high practicality level. it can be concluded that a set of developed descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist-destinations was practical and at a very high practicality level. table 7. results of questionnaire per text text one-toone evaluation small group evaluation field trial text 1 4.09 4.23 4.24 text 2 4.11 4.27 4.27 text 3 4.11 4.19 4.25 text 4 4.02 4.23 4.25 text 5 4.09 4.26 4.23 text 6 4.11 4.18 4.24 text 7 4.09 4.13 4.25 text 8 4.13 4.19 4.25 average 4.09 4.21 4.25 remark h vh vh field trial field trial was intended to examine the potential effect of the developed product. field trial was conducted in a real class of tenth-graders of smk negeri 3 palembang. there were 23 students involved in field trial. to determine the potential effect of the product as mentioned before, the writer tested the students with reading comprehension test in the form of multiple-choice questions. descriptive reading materials with palembang tourist destinations were given to determine the potential effect of developed product to students’ passing grade. from the results of reading test material, the developed product was effective. it showed that 19 students in the reading test fulfilled the passing grade that means the mastery percentage was 78.25% which was at a highly potential effect categorization. from the results above, the best aspect was inference and the worst aspect was vocabulary. figure 1. the mastery percentage of three texts discussion the developed product was a set of palembang tourist destinations in relation to descriptive reading materials for tenth-graders of tourism majoring. there were some phases that examined to be done in the process of developing reading materials and reading test materials. the prototype of the study used akker model which were analysis, design, evaluation and revision. in the analysis phase, there are three kinds of analysis conducted to get the information about the tenth-graders which were instructional analysis, students’ needs analysis and students’ reading level analysis. in the instructional analysis, the indicators and the learning objectives were analyzed. the core competence and basic competence of descriptive demanded students to response descriptive texts actively and established students become an active reader. it was relevant to the descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations which invited students to understanding and appreciating local tourist destination in the form of descriptive text. therefore, students were able to reach the learning objectives in catching and reflecting the values from descriptive texts and for teacher, it was a chance to develop reading materials to introducing local tourist destinations, especially in palembang. in students’ needs analysis, it was to obtain information about students’ needs in term of reading. some aspects were taken into consideration. in this phase, interview was conducted to the tenth-grade teachers and the results was that the students’ reading achievement still unsatisfactory and needed to be improved. then, to get the students’ perception about reading materials in their textbook, students’ difficulties in reading comprehension, students’ perception of the learning process, a questionnaire and interview conducted. from the results of students’ needs analysis, the conclusion drawn as a guide to developed descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations. in reading level analysis phase, this phase described that there were some needs and lacks. the students’ needs were having good proficiency in reading english. as explained before, english becomes one of the subjects that is examined in the national examination and most of the questions were reading texts. it can be seen how student comprehend the texts and represent the meaning of the texts. meanwhile, the lacks were kananda agustina checaria, ismail petrus, & rita inderawati descriptive reading materials for tenth graders: palembang tourist destinations 262 students reading comprehension was not really good, their reading interest was good but they were lack of motivation and eagerness in reading, especially in reading english. suryanto (2017) claims that during the teaching of reading comprehension, students tend to be inactive. paper-based design was conducted, where a set of descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations were developed and designed. the first thing to do was to write the learning objective related to the analysis phase and next step was collecting the tourist destinations from palembang from the internet and simplify the text before adapted and translated into english. there were eight texts about the tourist destinations in palembang and each text has different readability level that match with the students’ reading level. to achieve the instructional goals designing the process of objectives, media, techniques are needed (gentry, 1994). the last phase was the evaluation and revision phase. in evaluation phase, there are three criteria for the product: validity, practicality and potential effect. formative evaluation consisted of five steps. in every step, the product was checked in terms of quality of the content, construct and media. after developed the texts, the product was validated by the three experts, to know whether the developed product was valid or not in the form of content, instructional design and media design (herawati, et al., 2020; inderawati, et al., 2021, kumbara, et al., 2021; azizah, et al., 2021). the practicality of the developed product was done in one-to-one and small group evaluation. the results from each evaluation were calculated and interpreted. field trial was intended to examine the potential effect of the developed product of descriptive reading materials with palembang tourist destinations. to determine the potential effect of the product, the writer tested the students with reading comprehension test in the form of multiple-choice questions. descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations were given to determine the potential effect of the developed product to the students. from the test given, the results showed that the reading comprehension test was effective because most of students accomplished the passing grade. from the results above, the best aspect in reading descriptive materials was inference. puspita (2017) found in her study that to comprehend the text, students should understand the content of the text. in fact, students found some unfamiliar words on the texts and could not get what it means. it showed that descriptive texts of palembang tourist destinations were able to help students known about local tourist destination. perhaps, students understood about descriptive text. conclusions this study aimed at developing a set of valid, practical and effective descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations for tenthgraders. there were some conclusions described as follows: first, the developed product of descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations was valid in term of content validity, construct validity and media validity after reviewed by three experts of english, instructional design and media. the obtain score was (4.36) which was in a very highly valid level. then, the developed product of descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations was practical after giving the reading material to the students in one-to-one group evaluation and small group evaluation. the obtain score was (4.15) which was in a highly practical level. third, the developed product was effective as reading assessment which was showed all the texts were effective as reading assessment. it was conducted by the result of students’ reading comprehension test was (78,25%). the result of practicality was relevant to what rhahima, et al. (2021) and zahra, et al. (2019) found that the developed product based on palembang culture was important for students to learn their own culture. based on the results above, there are some suggestions. first, the english teachers especially for esp teachers are suggested to have information about students’ needs and students’ reading level before having reading activity. during the learning process, it would be better if the teacher provided more vocabularies related to the material and focused more on vocabularies so that students can understand the texts better. and teacher should be familiar with 21st century curriculum and instruction enable innovative learning methods which integrated with the use of higher order thinking skills. for students, students are expected to use other kinds of palembang-local tourist-destination reading materials. for schools, especially vocational high school is suggested to provide such training for english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 263 teachers to develop local tourist destination because students were interested and motivated in learning descriptive reading materials about palembang tourist destinations. finally, other researchers are suggested to develop other materials with other type of texts. references akker, j. (1999). principle and methods of development research. in j. akker, r. branch, k. gustalfon, t. nieveen n, & plomp (eds.), designing methodology and development research (pp. 114). london: kluwer. ayutami, a., harahap, a., & syahrial. (2018). learners’ need analysis of english for specific purposes of culinary department students at smkn 3 kotaa bengkulu. journal of english education and teaching (jeet), 2(1), 13-20. retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esr c=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2 ahukewiw_eae34rqahwg7xmbhzgzav0qf jafegqibxab&url=https%3a%2f%2fejournal. unib.ac.id%2findex.php%2fjeet%2farticle%2f download%2f4723%2f2587&usg=aovvaw305 kxuzepff0pdbs171n81 azizah, n., inderawati, r., & vianty, m. (2021). developing descriptive reading materials in efl classes by utilizing the local culture. studies in english language and education, 8(2), 596-621. chin-ling, l. (2016). principles and practices of esp designa case study of a university of science and technology. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 15(2), 94-105. dick, w., carey, l., & carey, j. o. (2005). the systematic design of instruction (6th ed). boston, massachusetts: allyn & bacon publisher. education first. (2018). ef english proficiency index 2018: the world’s largest ranking of english skills. retrieved from http://www.ef.co.id/epi/ elviana, r., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2020). developing interactive multimedia for teaching descriptive texts based on palembang local culture. indonesian efl journal, 6(1), 19-26. doi: 10.25134/ieflj.v6i1.2634. erfiani, n. n., ngadiso., & suparno. (2019). developing supplementary reading materials for grade 11 students at a multimedia study program. studies in english language and education, 6(1), 13-25. retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esr c=s&source=web&cd=5&ved=2ahukewiwnph8jlpahvw7xmbhfjebeuqfjaeegqibhab&ur l=https%3a%2f%2fpdfs.semanticscholar.org%2 fdf5d%2f4e2b1cdd62c77e2b54ec02cef1ea38322 16c.pdf&usg=aovvaw2qdkljtum4gyoyntkf8b wi hanifa, r. (2017). investigating english teacher’s understanding of materials adaptation in curriculum 2013. tenth international conference on applied linguistics and first international conference in language, literature, culture and education (conaplin and icollite 2017), 319-324. doi:10.5220/0007166703190324 herawati, n., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2020). developing islamic instructional descriptive reading materials for the seventh graders. jurnal pendidikan progresif, 10(2), 312-326. inderawati, r., petrus, i., eryansyah., & meilinda. (2021). needs analysis of vocational high school textbook to local culture materials and the 21st century competencies. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), 245-252. inderawati, r., agusta, o. l., & sitinjak, m. d. (2018). the potential effect of developed reader response strategy-based mobile reading for students’ establishing character and comprehension achievement. indonesian journal of informatics education, 2(2), 117-126. https://doi.org/10.20961/ijie.v2i2.25504 karman. (2017). developing english reading materials for madrasah aliyah students. langkawi, 3(1), 45-62. retrieved from https://ejournal.iainkendari.ac.id/index.php/langka wi/article/view/542/528 kumbara, l. h., inderawati, r., & eryansyah, e. (2021). developing sekayu local culture-based descriptive texts. eralingua jurnal pendidikan bahasa asing dan sastra, 5(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.26858/eralingua.v5i1.14050 kusuma, i. p. i. (2016). developing reading material for elementary students in tourism area by inserting local culture. jeels journal, 3(1), 109-127. retrieved from https://jurnal.iainkediri.ac.id/index.php/jeels/articl e/view/176 mahbub, m. a. (2019). english teaching in vocational high school: a need analysis. jeels journal, 5(2), 229-258. retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3313265 64_english_teaching_in_vocational _high_school_a_need_analysis octaviana, s., eryansyah, & inderawati, r. (2021). travel agent students' english reading materials: students' perspective. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics, 6 (2), 535-562 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v6i2.38 puspita, a. (2017). students’ difficulties in comprehending english reading text at second grade students of sma n 2 metro (unpublished undergraduate’s script). university of lampung, https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewiw_eae34rqahwg7xmbhzgzav0qfjafegqibxab&url=https%3a%2f%2fejournal.unib.ac.id%2findex.php%2fjeet%2farticle%2fdownload%2f4723%2f2587&usg=aovvaw305kxuzepff0pdbs171n81 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewiw_eae34rqahwg7xmbhzgzav0qfjafegqibxab&url=https%3a%2f%2fejournal.unib.ac.id%2findex.php%2fjeet%2farticle%2fdownload%2f4723%2f2587&usg=aovvaw305kxuzepff0pdbs171n81 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewiw_eae34rqahwg7xmbhzgzav0qfjafegqibxab&url=https%3a%2f%2fejournal.unib.ac.id%2findex.php%2fjeet%2farticle%2fdownload%2f4723%2f2587&usg=aovvaw305kxuzepff0pdbs171n81 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewiw_eae34rqahwg7xmbhzgzav0qfjafegqibxab&url=https%3a%2f%2fejournal.unib.ac.id%2findex.php%2fjeet%2farticle%2fdownload%2f4723%2f2587&usg=aovvaw305kxuzepff0pdbs171n81 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewiw_eae34rqahwg7xmbhzgzav0qfjafegqibxab&url=https%3a%2f%2fejournal.unib.ac.id%2findex.php%2fjeet%2farticle%2fdownload%2f4723%2f2587&usg=aovvaw305kxuzepff0pdbs171n81 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewiw_eae34rqahwg7xmbhzgzav0qfjafegqibxab&url=https%3a%2f%2fejournal.unib.ac.id%2findex.php%2fjeet%2farticle%2fdownload%2f4723%2f2587&usg=aovvaw305kxuzepff0pdbs171n81 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewiw_eae34rqahwg7xmbhzgzav0qfjafegqibxab&url=https%3a%2f%2fejournal.unib.ac.id%2findex.php%2fjeet%2farticle%2fdownload%2f4723%2f2587&usg=aovvaw305kxuzepff0pdbs171n81 https://ejournal.iainkendari.ac.id/index.php/langkawi/article/view/542/528 https://ejournal.iainkendari.ac.id/index.php/langkawi/article/view/542/528 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331326564_english_teaching_in_vocational_high_school_a_need_analysis https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331326564_english_teaching_in_vocational_high_school_a_need_analysis https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331326564_english_teaching_in_vocational_high_school_a_need_analysis http://dx.doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v6i2.38 kananda agustina checaria, ismail petrus, & rita inderawati descriptive reading materials for tenth graders: palembang tourist destinations 264 lampung, indonesia. retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esr c=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2 ahukewj9xr3i3yrqahwtt30khtnrbueqfjab egqibrab&url=http%3a%2f%2fdigilib.unila.a c.id%2f25706%2f3%2fscript%2520witho ut%2520result%2520and%2520discussi ons.pdf&usg=aovvaw38glmditpczkcdz9d q4crx rhahima, a., inderawati, r., & eryansyah. (2021). students’ needs analysis for the development of electronic descriptive reading materials for hotel accommodation program in vhs. eralingua: jurnal pendidikan bahasa asing dan sastra 5(2), 470-482 salwianto., & ayuningtyas, p. (2017). developing supplementary reading materials for the computer networks engineering department. international conference on education, 1(1). retrieved from http://eproceedings.umpwr.ac.id/index.php/ice/arti cle/view/339 satriani, e. (2018). reading comprehension difficulties encountered by english students of universitas islam riau. j-shmic, 5(2), 15-26. retrieved from https://journal.uir.ac.id/index.php/jshmic/article/vi ew/1885/1207 septiana, i., petrus, i., & inderawati, r. (2020). needs analysis-based english syllabus for computer science students of bina darma university. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 299-310. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2. 3027 sopian, inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2019). developing e-learning based local-folklores for eight graders. indonesian efl journal, 8(1), 101-112. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.1813. suryanto. (2017). an investigation on english reading comprehension problems in indonesial cultural contexts. the 1st international conference on education, science, art and technology (the 1st icesat), 200-205. retrieved from https://ojs.unm.ac.id/icesat/article/view/3738/2135 susanti, s., inderawati, r. & sitinjak, m.d. (2017). developing instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative texts for the tenthgrade students. 15th asia tefl & 64th teflin international conference 2017, 221. yogyakarta. retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esr c=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2 ahukewjw5rz8zzhqahxszcskheildhaqfja aegqibbab&url=http%3a%2f%2fasiatefl2017 .uny.ac.id%2fsites%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2f files%2fasiatefl%2520program%2520book% 252023%2520agustus%2520new.pdf&usg= aovvaw1zppf5x320qs9lhke5bsl9 tenridinanti, t., b., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2021). climate change-based report texts for senior high school: a mix method study. jurnal pendidikan progresif, 11(3), 610-625. doi: 10.23960/ jpp.v11.i3.202112. tessmer, m. (1993). planning and conducting formative evaluation. philadehelphia, pa: kogan page. tomlinson, b. (2012). materials development for language learning and teaching. language teaching, 42(2), 143-179. cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. waheeb, s. a. (2019). exploring the use of written authentic materials in esl reading classes: benefits and challenges. english language teaching, 12(1), 67-77. retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1199324. zahra, w., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2019). the use of ict in auth entic assessment of the students’ productive skills. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 81-90. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2110. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewj9xr3i3yrqahwtt30khtnrbueqfjabegqibrab&url=http%3a%2f%2fdigilib.unila.ac.id%2f25706%2f3%2fscript%2520without%2520result%2520and%2520discussions.pdf&usg=aovvaw38glmditpczkcdz9dq4crx https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewj9xr3i3yrqahwtt30khtnrbueqfjabegqibrab&url=http%3a%2f%2fdigilib.unila.ac.id%2f25706%2f3%2fscript%2520without%2520result%2520and%2520discussions.pdf&usg=aovvaw38glmditpczkcdz9dq4crx https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewj9xr3i3yrqahwtt30khtnrbueqfjabegqibrab&url=http%3a%2f%2fdigilib.unila.ac.id%2f25706%2f3%2fscript%2520without%2520result%2520and%2520discussions.pdf&usg=aovvaw38glmditpczkcdz9dq4crx https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewj9xr3i3yrqahwtt30khtnrbueqfjabegqibrab&url=http%3a%2f%2fdigilib.unila.ac.id%2f25706%2f3%2fscript%2520without%2520result%2520and%2520discussions.pdf&usg=aovvaw38glmditpczkcdz9dq4crx https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewj9xr3i3yrqahwtt30khtnrbueqfjabegqibrab&url=http%3a%2f%2fdigilib.unila.ac.id%2f25706%2f3%2fscript%2520without%2520result%2520and%2520discussions.pdf&usg=aovvaw38glmditpczkcdz9dq4crx https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewj9xr3i3yrqahwtt30khtnrbueqfjabegqibrab&url=http%3a%2f%2fdigilib.unila.ac.id%2f25706%2f3%2fscript%2520without%2520result%2520and%2520discussions.pdf&usg=aovvaw38glmditpczkcdz9dq4crx https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewj9xr3i3yrqahwtt30khtnrbueqfjabegqibrab&url=http%3a%2f%2fdigilib.unila.ac.id%2f25706%2f3%2fscript%2520without%2520result%2520and%2520discussions.pdf&usg=aovvaw38glmditpczkcdz9dq4crx https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewj9xr3i3yrqahwtt30khtnrbueqfjabegqibrab&url=http%3a%2f%2fdigilib.unila.ac.id%2f25706%2f3%2fscript%2520without%2520result%2520and%2520discussions.pdf&usg=aovvaw38glmditpczkcdz9dq4crx https://journal.uir.ac.id/index.php/jshmic/article/view/1885/1207 https://journal.uir.ac.id/index.php/jshmic/article/view/1885/1207 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewjw5rz8zzhqahxszcskheildhaqfjaaegqibbab&url=http%3a%2f%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2fsites%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2ffiles%2fasiatefl%2520program%2520book%252023%2520agustus%2520new.pdf&usg=aovvaw1zppf5x320qs9lhke5bsl9 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewjw5rz8zzhqahxszcskheildhaqfjaaegqibbab&url=http%3a%2f%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2fsites%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2ffiles%2fasiatefl%2520program%2520book%252023%2520agustus%2520new.pdf&usg=aovvaw1zppf5x320qs9lhke5bsl9 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewjw5rz8zzhqahxszcskheildhaqfjaaegqibbab&url=http%3a%2f%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2fsites%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2ffiles%2fasiatefl%2520program%2520book%252023%2520agustus%2520new.pdf&usg=aovvaw1zppf5x320qs9lhke5bsl9 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewjw5rz8zzhqahxszcskheildhaqfjaaegqibbab&url=http%3a%2f%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2fsites%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2ffiles%2fasiatefl%2520program%2520book%252023%2520agustus%2520new.pdf&usg=aovvaw1zppf5x320qs9lhke5bsl9 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewjw5rz8zzhqahxszcskheildhaqfjaaegqibbab&url=http%3a%2f%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2fsites%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2ffiles%2fasiatefl%2520program%2520book%252023%2520agustus%2520new.pdf&usg=aovvaw1zppf5x320qs9lhke5bsl9 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewjw5rz8zzhqahxszcskheildhaqfjaaegqibbab&url=http%3a%2f%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2fsites%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2ffiles%2fasiatefl%2520program%2520book%252023%2520agustus%2520new.pdf&usg=aovvaw1zppf5x320qs9lhke5bsl9 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewjw5rz8zzhqahxszcskheildhaqfjaaegqibbab&url=http%3a%2f%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2fsites%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2ffiles%2fasiatefl%2520program%2520book%252023%2520agustus%2520new.pdf&usg=aovvaw1zppf5x320qs9lhke5bsl9 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahukewjw5rz8zzhqahxszcskheildhaqfjaaegqibbab&url=http%3a%2f%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2fsites%2fasiatefl2017.uny.ac.id%2ffiles%2fasiatefl%2520program%2520book%252023%2520agustus%2520new.pdf&usg=aovvaw1zppf5x320qs9lhke5bsl9 https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1199324 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 947 the implementation of mind mapping technique by using weblog in improving students’ islamic writing: achievement and insight eka apriani institut agama islam negeri (iain) curup email: eka.apriani@iaincurup.ac.id roni labiran universitas kristen indonesia toraja email: ronilabiran@ukitoraja.ac.id farida esmianti poltekkes kemenkes bengkulu email: faridaesmianti15@gmail.com syafryadin universitas bengkulu email: syafryadin@unib.ac.id dadan supardan institut agama islam negeri (iain) curup email: dadan.supardan@iaincurup.ac.id apa citation: apriani, e., labiran, r., esmianti, f., syafryadin, & suparda, d. (2022). the implementation of mind mapping technique by using weblog in improving students’ islamic writing: achievement and insight. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 947-956. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6688. received: 29-06-2022 accepted: 22-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction the corona virus disease, or covid-19, is currently being slowed down by people all over the world. covid-19 makes people hold their activities, such as hanging out, going to the office, and going to school, in contact with each other. every activity is important, but education is the most important. education is difficult to conduct during a pandemic, so education is an activity that requires people to communicate directly with one another. as a result, the government has moved the education or learning process online. the learning process per se is a process carried out by a person from birth, whether done naturally, such as by a baby who starts learning to walk, or through school and so on. learning, according to brown cited in susanti et al. (2021) is the acquisition of information about an object or a skill through instruction, experience, or learning. on the other hand, the learning process is a process in which people acquire new knowledge, skills, and experiences, and it takes place no matter where we stand. besides that, "online" is a condition in abstract: the goals of this study were to learn about students' perspectives on literature and blogs for teaching islamic values to the millennial generation. this research was mixed-methods research. the subject of this study was the millennial generation at the islamic state inst itute curup, especially students of the english tadris study program. the instruments were questionnaires and interviews. this study included 30 students as participants. the findings of the poll reveal that most students have a favourable view of the use of the mind-mapping approach by utilising weblogs to improve islamic writing. the implementation of the mind-mapping technique by using a weblog to improve islamic writing makes students more active and interested in learning islamic topics. students also understand more about some islamic topics that they read or upload to their web blogs. students are interested in learning more about islam by using this media. they read more topics about islam and give their opinions about those in their islamic literature web blog. it may be stated that a blog can be used as a form of social media and is effective and positive for teaching islamic values to students. keywords: islamic writing; mind mapping; web-blog. eka apriani, roni labiran, farida esmianti, syafryadin, & dadan supardan the implementation of mind mapping technique by using weblog in improving students’ islamic writing: achievement and insight 948 which people use the internet for their activities. by using an online network, everything can be reached easily. each activity will be done everywhere by using the internet. as a result, both concepts (online and learning process) might be integrated as internet-based education. it is also known as "e-learning" (raushan, 2020). so, online learning is a process in which students and teachers communicate with one another over the internet, or they might meet without directly communicating with one another but through technology. technology is important in online learning since it makes online learning challenging. in this situation, ict is the resource for online learning. ict stands for "information and communication technology." understanding and applying computer and mobile phone programmes and other applications is referred to as ict. according to ratheeswari (2018), ict's roles include providing multimedia simulations of good classroom practice, delivering individualised training courses, assisting teachers in overcoming isolation, connecting individual teachers to a greater teaching community on an ongoing basis, and trying to promote teacher-to-teacher collaboration. according to alqahtani and rajkhan (2020), regardless of how sophisticated an educational institution's technology is, the readiness of elearning execution has a considerable impact on increasing the educational process. technology for the millennial generation is capable of not only improving their performance but also developing their character (apriani et al., 2019; apriani & hidayah, 2019). students' character is important for the millennial generation. students' characters are the characters that students build in schools, such as their attitude, behavior, responsibility, and many more characteristics. education should be viewed as a component of the character-building process (apriani et al., 2019). the character plays a crucial role for people, particularly youngsters and pupils. even the most intelligent individual might be persuaded by a scenario and become unqualified if they do not have a strong character (maseleno, 2019). according to him, education has become one of the factors that influence children's personalities. personal conduct, ethics, morality, or personality are frequently related to character. the term "character" is derived from the greek harassing, which means to etch (lian et al., 2020). this terrace is meant to be carved or scratched. lian et al. (2018) define "character" as the ability of a person to respond positively to circumstances and surroundings. characters are associated with individual personality traits or conduct. in the indonesian language dictionary, "character" refers to one's psychological makeup. the character is described as all of the factors that influence human conduct in a given context (el bolock, 2020). then, zuhriyah in apriani et al. (2019) claimed that moral instruction is the same as character education. by emphasizing the effective domain (feeling, attitude) without neglecting the cognitive domain (thinking rationally) and psychomotor domains, the goal of character (morals) education is to help students develop their moral character or behavior by upholding the values of public beliefs as a moral strength of life through honesty, dependability, and cooperation (skills, skilled data processing, expressing opinions and cooperation). character is defined by the ministry of national education language center as "intrinsic," "personality," "character," "behavior," "heart," "soul," "personality," and "temperament" (fitria et al., 2019). alwisol's character (lian et al., 2020) is understood as a reflection of conduct that demonstrates the worth of right and wrong, good and evil (kristiawan et al., 2019). the use of the internet as a learning medium today can cause students to learn dependently. by using the internet, students have many access points to seek material. in this case, the blog becomes one of the places where students can learn. the blog is the abbreviation of "web blog." it is an application that contains a written form, or it is used to call a web page. a weblog is used to be able to be accessed by many people based on the topic (suyana in irma et al., 2019). blogs are blogs that are written by a person and structured in reverse chronological order over time. they are a handy form of digital communication owing to their numerous benefits over other internet tools (akdag and ozkan, 2017). besides, sanjaya et al. (2020) stated that a weblog is a website that enables users to post paragraphs or articles that can be read by anyone with an internet connection. because the web blog is easy and practical to use, the web blog is not only used for communicating but also as a learning medium. the usage of blogs in the learning process is english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 949 efficient, especially in this day and age. according to unesco on ratheeswari (2018), ict is a scientific, technological, and engineering discipline and management method used in managing information, its use, and its interaction with social, economic, and cultural concerns. ernalida (2018) also claims that using a blog as a learning medium might help students understand the learning material. besides, a blog has various advantages (hao & gao, 2017). it is simple and basic to submit items, and they are available for perusal all around the world. it is not difficult to find the subject, creator, or both in a search engine. web blogs also provide a tool for connecting to other people's websites. it makes it simpler to connect with people on the other side of the planet. furthermore, online blog connections with others are accessible to individuals all over the world. blogs, according to kemaloglu-er (2021), may be utilised constructively in efl instruction by allowing students to assert control over their writing and engage with the worldwide community of internet users. blog writing may also be beneficial in settings involving english as a lingua franca (elf) conscious teaching. non-native english varieties are recognised in their own right in elf pedagogy, and non-native users of language with their unique characteristics (i.e. with their use of english, l1s, sociolinguist and sociocultural and it is argued that this nonnative speaker reality should be integrated into english lessons (kemaloglu-er and bayyurt, 2018, 2019a, 2019b; kemaloglu-er and deniz, 2020). so, the students can increase their ability in building content, organization, vocabulary, sentence construction, and written mechanisms. based on the pre-observation of english study program students at the state islamic institute of curup, the researcher found that students are not interested in and motivated to learn english writing. writing is one subject that requires high-order thinking. they must write something based on data and their opinion. they must have good grammar. they must search for material about the topic. they must have good abilities in developing ideas, etc., so the lecturer should find a way to solve the problem. one method is to use a blog to teach writing. according to sanjaya et al. (2020), the user can draft, post, or leave comments using the features of weblogs. these attributes facilitate the sharing of writing expertise among students. it is hoped that blogging will help them improve their writing skills and knowledge of islamic literature. they can write about anything related to islamic literature on their blogs. it was hoped that they would improve their writing skills and knowledge of islamic content. mind mapping is a learning strategy that involves visually mapping knowledge. branching lines, visuals, or phrases connected to the core notion or idea might be used to map out a mind map. according to buzan (2018), a mind map is a whole-brain alternative to linear thinking. mind map in all directions to capture diverse ideas from various perspectives. the most straightforward method of putting information in and taking it out of the brain is with a mind map; it is a creative, effective means of taking notes that will physically map ideas to us; it is also extremely easy. in this case, mind mapping is really helpful for students to assist them in a variety of ways in their islamic literature writing course, including organizing and expressing thoughts, planning, communicating, remembering information more clearly, coming up with more inventive solutions to problems, paying attention, and learning new material more quickly and effectively. students would undoubtedly benefit immensely from employing this strategy in identifying subjects and developing ideas for written works relating to islamic literature. method the subject of this study was the millennial generation at the islamic state institute for curriculum and research, especially students of the english tadris study program. the total subjects of this study were 30 students who had lower scores in writing courses. this research is a mixed-methods design. a writing test was used to find out the data on students' improvement in writing skills by implementing the mind mapping technique by using the blog. the test included two tests, namely a pre-test and a post-test. the pre-test would display the data or the score before implementing the mindmapping strategy. in the pre-test, students are allowed to write down "radicalism." besides, the post-test would show the data after implementing the mind-mapping technique in writing by using a weblog. in the post-test, students write a theme about multiculturalism. then, at the end of the research, the researchers would have the data on whether there had been eka apriani, roni labiran, farida esmianti, syafryadin, & dadan supardan the implementation of mind mapping technique by using weblog in improving students’ islamic writing: achievement and insight 950 an improvement or not. quantitative data was used in writing tests and questionnaires. qualitative data was used in the closed interviews. the interview was used to learn about the students' perspectives on islamic literature and to create a blog to teach islamic values to the millennial generation. table 1. interview questions no interview questions answer 1 what do you feel about using weblog in writing class? 2 how does a weblog improve your knowledge about islamic topics? 3 how does the mind mapping technique affect your writing skill? 4 do you motivate by using mind mapping through a weblog? 5 is it effective or not when teaching writing using mind mapping through a weblog? table 2. statements of questionnaire no statements 1 (strongly disagree) 2 (disagree) 3 (enough) 4 (agree) 5 (strongly agree) 1 the implementation of the mind mapping technique by using a weblog helps students' in accessing material. 2 the implementation of the mind mapping technique by using a weblog improves my english writing ability. 3 the implementation of the mind mapping technique by using a weblog improves my knowledge of islamic writing. 4 the implementation of the mind mapping technique by using a weblog improves my ability in developing ideas in writing. 5 the implementation of the mind mapping technique by using a weblog improves my ability in writing creativity. 6 the implementation of the mind mapping technique by using a weblog is fun in learning writing. 7 the implementation of the mind mapping technique by using a weblog makes me motivated in my writing skills. 8 the implementation of the mind mapping technique by using a weblog makes me finish writing tasks on time. 9 the implementation of the mind mapping technique by using a weblog is a faster way to get a lecturer's feedback. 10 the implementation of the mind mapping technique by using a weblog enhances the interaction between lecturer and students. the questionnaire was used to find out the percentage of students' insight after implementing the mind mapping technique by using a blog for teaching islamic writing. the result of the validity of the questionnaire was 0.6–0.7, and the reliability was 0.821 (the sample or tryout was 25 students). writing test and interview guidelines are validated by experts from sriwijaya university, the state islamic institute of madura, siliwangi university, and bengkulu university. quantitative analysis (paired sample t-test and percentage analysis) was used to analyze the result of the questionnaire, and qualitative analysis was used to analyze the result of the interview. figure 1. the result of the questionnaire's validity table 2. reliability score of questionnaire reliability statistics cronbach's alpha n of items .821 12 results and discussion the result of the pretest and posttest this test measures the student's writing proficiency when using mind mapping via blogs for islamic writing. the data from the pretest and posttest revealed that using mind mapping through the blog improved students' writing performance. the following table shows the results of the paired sample t-test: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 951 table 3. the result of the paired-sample t-test mean n std. deviation df sig (2tailed) pair 1 pretest 60.0000 30 6.82288 30 .000 posttest 81.5000 30 5.59402 the result of the questionnaire the result of the questionnaire showed that students' perception of using mind mapping through a blog improved their ability to write islamically. the result of the questionnaire for this research can be seen in the diagram below: figure 2. the data result of questionnaire based on the table above on questions related to whether english islamic literature weblogs help them access islamic-related materials, 6.7% strongly disagree, 0% disagree, 10.0% find them adequate, 36.6% of respondents agreed, and 46.7% of other respondents confirmed strongly agree, for a mean value of 4.1667 with a standard deviation of 1.08543. next, on the question of whether english-language islamic literature weblogs can improve their english writing ability, 3.3% strongly disagree, 0% disagree, 10.0% are adequate, 26.7% of respondents agreed, and 60.0% of other respondents confirmed strongly agree, with a mean value of 4.4000 and a standard deviation of 0.93218. the third question of whether english-language islamic literature weblogs can increase their knowledge of islamic works of literature scored 6.7% as adequate; 40.0% of respondents agreed, while 53.3% of other respondents confirmed strongly agree, with a mean value of 4.4667 and a standard deviation of 0.62881. with a mean value of 4.6000 and a standard deviation of 0.67466, the question of whether the influence of islamic literature blogs increases their ability to develop ideas in writing reveals that 10% of respondents found it adequate, 20% agreed, and 70% of other respondents confirmed strongly agreeing. when asked whether the english islamic literature web-blog improves their writing creativity, 3.3% strongly disagree, 0% disagree, 3.4% are adequate, 23.3% agree, and 70% confirm strongly agree, with a mean value of 4.5667 and a standard deviation of 0.85836. the question regarding whether the english islamic literature web-blog is fun for learning writing shows that 6.9% disagree, 6.9% are adequate, 24.1% of respondents agreed, and 62.1% of respondents confirm they strongly agree, with a mean value of 4.4138 and a standard deviation of 0.90701. the seventh question, whether the english islamic literature web-blog motivates me to write, reveals that 0% of respondents strongly disagree, 0% disagree, 6.7% are adequate, 30% agree, and 63.3% confirm strongly agree, with a mean value of 4.5667 and a standard deviation of 0.62606. the next question, whether the english islamic literature web-blog forces me to complete writing tasks on time, reveals that 3.3% strongly disagree, 0% disagree, 10% are adequate, 30% agree, and 56.7% confirm strongly agree, with a mean value of 4.3667 and a standard deviation of 0.92786. next, when asked if the english islamic literature web-blog is a faster way to get feedback from a lecturer, 3.3% strongly disagree, 0% disagree, 0% adequate, 30% agreed, and 66.7% confirmed strongly agree, with a mean value of 4.5667 and a standard deviation of 0.81720. the last question regarding whether the english islamic literature web-blog enhances the interaction between lecturers and students shows that 0% strongly disagree, 6.7% disagree, 3.3% are adequate, 23.3% agree, and 66.7% confirm strongly agree, with a mean value of 4.5000 and a standard deviation of 0.86103. figure 3. students’ insight about the implementation of the mind mapping technique by using web-blog based on the table above, it can be concluded that all students (100%) agree that blogging can help them improve their writing skills, particularly in islamic writing. students improve their islamic writing skills by using mind mapping through blogs. students agree that the lecturer can use this technique as one of several in teaching writing. eka apriani, roni labiran, farida esmianti, syafryadin, & dadan supardan the implementation of mind mapping technique by using weblog in improving students’ islamic writing: achievement and insight 952 the result of the interview the interview results revealed that the student's perception of using mind mapping through a blog improved their writing ability as well as their understanding of islamic content. according to the researcher's findings, students are more interested and motivated when they learn english writing by using a weblog. students felt comfortable when they were using weblog in learning to write. they can improve their knowledge about writing interestingly. they can develop the topic by using mind mapping. this data can be seen in the result of the interview: a weblog is one of my favorite media for learning. my lecturer using weblog makes me feel happy and confident in improving our knowledge about islamic values, and the mind mapping approach i used helped me improve my writing achievement. (student 3) my blog allows me to freely express my thoughts on islamic topics. i read more about islamic values, like islamic characters, islamic issues, and islamic perspectives. since i use the mind mapping approach, it has proved quite beneficial for my achievements. (student 6) the weblog is a good medium for teaching and learning islamic values. my lecturer asks me to read more about islamic content and asks me to write in my own words. my lecturer asks me to use the mind-mapping technique as well. because i employ the mind mapping method, it has been quite valuable to me. my knowledge is open and improves when my lecturer uses a weblog. (student 7) i love learning islamic values using the weblog. i not only know about islamic content but also can express my ideas in writing. writing islamic content makes me happy and interested. the mind-mapping approach was also very helpful in helping me enhance my writing skills. (student 12) my lecturer attracted my interest since she incorporates the mind mapping method. because of the mind-mapping process i used, i was interested in improving my writing talents. with the use of a blog in the teaching and learning process, i could write an entire book about my islamic viewpoint. (student 19) based on the interview, the researchers found that this technique helped them not only improve their knowledge of writing but also know everything about islam. they read more about islamic content. they can improve their knowledge of islamic values. they can also express their ideas from an islamic perspective. this data can be seen in the result of the interview: when my lecturer uses the mind-mapping technique and a weblog to teach english, i become more interested. i know everything about islamic values such as the veil, radicalism, etc. (student 1) i appreciated it when my lecturer applied the mind-mapping technique and used a blog in the teaching and learning process. i can write everything about my perspective on islam. (student 4) a weblog is a good medium for teaching and learning islamic values. i can express my ideas concerning islamic values in my blog since the mind mapping technique was really helpful. (student 5) i have a good experience when i use weblogs for learning english. my lecturer is not only teaching about islamic content but also teaches us how to be good humans by using the mindmapping approach. (student 8) i knew everything about islam when i read some resources about islamic issues. my lecturer implemented the mind mapping method and asks me to read more about islamic issues and give my opinion about them. (student 9) i can express my idea by writing islamic content on my weblog. (student 10) my blog allows me to express my thoughts on islamic topics. i learned more about islamic ideals such as islamic personalities, islamic concerns, and islamic perspectives. my teachers are enthusiastic about my passion as he incorporates the mind mapping method. (student 26) i learn more about islamic principles when i take a writing class. my teacher uses weblogs as a teaching and learning tool. he also applied the mind-mapping technique in writing class and is doing very well so far. she asks that i read more about islamic subjects. this assignment has helped me learn more about my religion. (student 30) teaching islamic writing using thought english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 953 mapping via weblogs also motivates students to participate in the teaching and learning process. students were pleased when they utilised mind mapping to educate and learn writing. they enjoy using blogs and mind mapping. mind mapping makes it easy for them to express their ideas about the topic. they are delighted to submit their writing about the topics to the blog. it can be seen in the interview result: i know more about islamic topics when i learn english by using a weblog. i felt motivated when i learned english by using the weblog. i am happy and interested in learning more about islamic topics or values, and the applied mind mapping technique is very helpful for me. (student 2) the weblog is a useful medium for learning more about writing, especially islamic content. i learn more about islamic values by using the weblog. my lecturer makes me feel happy and motivated when i write everything i can about islamic content in my weblog. (student 14) one of my favorite learning media is the blog. my lecturer's use of a weblog makes me glad and confident in our ability to learn more about islamic beliefs. (student 16) weblogs are an excellent medium for teaching and learning islamic beliefs. i may add my thoughts on islamic values to my blog. my instructor also uses the mind mapping method, which grabbed my interest. because of the mind-mapping process i used, i was interested in improving my writing talents. (student 20) based on the result, students have positive perceptions about using social media and an "islamic literature web blog" for teaching and learning islamic values. students are interested in learning more about islam by using this medium. they read more topics about islam and give their opinions about those in their islamic literature web blog. it may be stated that a blog can be used as a form of social media and is effective and positive for teaching islamic values to students. therefore, according to the data above, two points become the focus. the first is the application of the mind-mapping method through the use of blogs to raise students' writing proficiency; the second is how students feel about the application of the method through the use of blogs to raise students' proficiency in islamic writing. first, the results showed an increase in student accomplishment with the deployment of the mindmapping approach via the usage of a blog, which improved students' writing achievement. related to this, sanjaya et al. (2020), blogs are a suitable medium for writing classes as a way to enhance student's writing abilities. additionally, amal alsubaie (2018) argued that blogs help students master writing skills, spark their motivation to write, and interact in social and real-world contexts productively. additionally, richardson, as cited by sanjaya et al (2020), claimed that blogs encouraged students to develop their characters and gain an understanding of the writing process. the english islamic literature weblog has a positive impact on improving english writing ability, developing the idea, improving creativity, and finishing writing tasks on time because they could develop superior material, structure their writing properly, pick a suitable phrase, thoroughly utilize tenses, articles, pronouns, and prepositions, and thoroughly use punctuation, spelling, and capitalization. according to the data, students perceive weblogs as a way to boost their writing confidence by 81.2 percent. it demonstrates that kids have a high level of perception. according to zhang as cited in sanjaya et al. (2020), by giving visual representation, using blogs in writing class helps students improve the quality of their work... constructing meaning is linked to visual literacy, visual thinking, and visual learning concepts. this research backs up the findings of kuimova and zvekov in sanjaya et al (2020), who found that 55 percent of students believe weblogs have a favorable influence on writing ability development. the education system is one of the things that has been impacted by the changing technology era. a blog is a type of writing instrument that allows the author to communicate their ideas (nasution, 2020). concerning enhancing their understanding of islamic literature, the students had good opinions when the lecturer utilised english to teach islamic literature in the writing class. it introduces pupils to fresh experiences and knowledge. according to communication francis and taylor as mentioned in sanjaya et al., web blogs are a novel and unique technical tool that may be utilised to boost student learning by sharing knowledge about students' interests and experiences with online learning (2020). kemaloglu-er (2021) suggests that blogs may be utilised as vehicles for meaningful and purposeful writing activities in efl learning situations. bloch also said in eka apriani, roni labiran, farida esmianti, syafryadin, & dadan supardan the implementation of mind mapping technique by using weblog in improving students’ islamic writing: achievement and insight 954 kemaloglu-er (2021) that blogs may be used as a supplement to l2 writing training in order to improve writing fluency and literacy abilities. these abilities help students take advantage of new simulation tools, information appliances, and social networks; they also make it easier for them to move around various media platforms and social networks and share information with diverse communities. the second is how the students feel about using a blog to implement the mind-mapping method to enhance their writing skills for islamic subjects. they reported that they are very interested in using weblogs to learn english because they think it is more interesting than written literature resources. through weblogbased learning, he can also learn many things about islamic values. according to mabuan (2018), blogs are used to improve interaction and collaboration, build writing confidence, encourage autonomous learning, supplement analytical and critical thinking skills, and increase writing and reading motivation, sense of responsibility, and desire for life-long learning. furthermore, they said that weblog-based learning made them more motivated to study and understand topics about islam in greater depth. they also feel happy about learning islamic values. in line with the results of the interview, travel blog writing, according to romaniukha et al. (2020), should be incorporated into the esl classroom through project work activities because it encourages students to introduce cultural concepts, which provides opportunities for enriched language use and enhanced verbal creativity. using a blog as a digital genre in the english classroom, according to pascual (2019), allows for the use of communicative language teaching, task-based learning, and process-based writing, as well as the development of students' communicative and digital abilities and genre awareness. it assumed that a little debate and a search for shared interests and individuality will suffice; distinctions might indirectly improve student motivation. the student's remark is consistent with the findings of lee kemaloglu-er (2021), blogs encourage students to write by addressing not just the instructor but also a huge audience. another positive perception expressed by the respondents towards weblog-based islamic literature learning is that they think weblogs are a good learning medium because through blogs they can express and share their ideas regarding their perspective on islamic values. according to pascual (2017) and romaniukha et al. (2020), incorporating this genre into efl settings will improve language abilities, promote verbal creativity, and boost learning motivation. weblogs are an effective approach to integrating technology with education both inside and outside the classroom. because blogs are both individualized and communal, they may provide a forum for self-expression and creativity. according to sanjaya et al. (2020), students can produce better content using weblogs than they can when writing traditionally on paper. this is because their writing tasks were better organized, their vocabulary choices were more effective, they applied tenses, articles, pronouns, and prepositions correctly, and they used punctuation, spelling, and capitalization correctly. on the other hand, the respondents also mentioned that learning islamic literature in english using weblogs was also able to help them increase their knowledge about islam. in this case, they say that since using weblogs, their reading interest has increased, so their knowledge of islam is increasing. according to kemaloglu-er (2021), numerous students found blog writing to be a rewarding and enjoyable experience since it allowed them to express themselves and show what they had done to the online community. according to reports, the blog boosts independent, reflective, and collaborative learning, raises cultural awareness, and has a beneficial influence on learners' self-expression and writing growth (kovalchuk and krasnokutska, 2017). finally, they said that the use of weblogs gave them a different experience in terms of studying islam. according to them, weblogs can lead them to be involved in an independent learning process. according to syarofi et al. (2018), students enjoy posting their works on blogs and creatively personalizing the blog pages; similarly, according to kovalchuk and krasnokutska (2017), in such cases, students may regularly make their own judgments about what, when, and how much of their work to upload online and profit from independent learning. blogs give learners with not only personal but also social forums to express their thoughts and feelings, as well as create a digital identity to connect with others in a huge virtual learning community (mabuan, 2018). the findings of the researchers also revealed an improvement in the success of students' writing scores before and after using web blogs and mindmapping techniques. this demonstrates that the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 955 usage of weblogs and the implementation of mind-mapping techniques are successful and have a positive influence on increasing the quality of student writing on islamic literature-related issues. in line with mind maps were recognised as beneficial tools by zhang (2018) to help them understand the writing task better and look for key topics in memory to produce more innovative ideas. there was a substantial variation in scores obtained before and after the use of the weblog. students' successes in using a weblog in writing class proved this (fahreza et al., 2017). conclusion the findings of this study are as follows: (1) students' writing achievement increases when lecturers use the mind-mapping approach via the weblog. (2) students have a favourable opinion of the adoption of mind-mapping approach by utilising a weblog in islamic writing, as demonstrated by a score of 89.95% (a high percentage); and (3) a weblog is an excellent medium for teaching writing, particularly islamic values. students are more interested and motivated when learning islamic values by using weblog. students learn more about islamic values when they use weblog in the teaching and learning process. from the interviews, it can also be concluded that: (1) students were more interested when the lecturer applied the mind mapping technique and used a weblog in teaching english; (2) students felt motivated when learning english by using the weblog; (3) students could express many ideas concerning islamic values in blogs, and (4) students know more about islamic values when they take a writing course using the weblog. references akdag, e., & ozkan, y. (2017) enhancing writing skills of efl learners through blogging. the reading matrix, 17(2), 79-95. alqahtani, a. y., & rajkhan, a. a. (2020). e-learning critical success factors during the covid-19 pandemic: a comprehensive analysis of elearning managerial perspectives. education sciences, 10(9), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10090216 alsubaie, a., & madini, a. a. (2018). the effect of using blogs to enhance the writing skill of english language learners at a saudi university. global journal of educational studies, 4(1), 13-30. apriani, e., & hidayah, j. (2019). the ict used by the english lecturers for non-english study program students at stain curup. vision: journal for language and foreign language learning, 8(1), 26-37. https://doi.org/10.21580/vjv8i13280 apriani, e., supardan, d., sartika, e., suparjo, s., & hakim, i. n. (2019). utilizing ict to develop student’s language ethic at islamic university. potensia: jurnal kependidikan islam, 5(1), 114. https://doi.org/10.24014/potensia.v5i1.6279 buzan, t. (2018). mind map mastery: the complete guide to learning and using the most powerful thinking tool in the universe. watkins media limited. el bolock, a. (2020). what is character computing? in a. el bolock, y. abdelrahman, & s. abdennadher (eds.), character computing (pp. 1-16). springer. fahreza, m., aziz, z. a., & inayah, n. (2017). the use of weblog in improving students' writing skills. research in english and education journal, 2(3), 17-25. fitria, h., kristiawan, m., & rasyid, a. (2019). the educational character of an instruction. opcion, 35(21), 964–979. hao, j., & gao, b. (2017). the evolution of measuring patient satisfaction. journal of primary health care and general practice, 1(1), 2015–2018. irma., arsyad, a., safe’i., & bahraeni. (2019). pengembangan bahan ajar teknologi pembelajaran berbasis web-blog pada mahasiswa fakultas tarbiyah dan keguruan universitas islam negeri alauddin makassar. uin alauddin makassar, 7(1), 271–278. kemaloğlu-er, e. (2021). the use of travel blog writing in a tertiary level english for specific purposes course. psycho-educational research reviews, 10(3), 336-349. https://doi.org/10.52963/perr_biruni_v10.n3.21 kemaloglu-er, e., & bayyurt, y. (2018). elf-aware pre-service teacher education: teaching practices and reflections from turkey. in l. cavalheiro (ed.), preparing english language teachers for today’s globalized world (pp. 4763). humus & university of lisbon centre for english studies. kemaloglu-er, e., & bayyurt, y. (2019b). projectbased and elf-aware pre-service teacher education in turkey: sample cases of discovery, creativity, interaction, and multicultural diversity. in adrian gras-velazquez (ed.), project-based learning in second language acquisition: building communities of practice in higher education (pp. 82-97). routledge. kemaloglu-er, e., & bayyurt, y. (2019a). elfawareness in teaching and teacher education: explicit and implicit ways of integrating elf into the english language classroom. in nicos c. sifakis and natasha tsantila (eds.), english as a lingua franca for efl contexts (pp. 147163). multilingual matters. kemaloglu-er, e., & deniz, e. b. (2020). defining eka apriani, roni labiran, farida esmianti, syafryadin, & dadan supardan the implementation of mind mapping technique by using weblog in improving students’ islamic writing: achievement and insight 956 elf as a sociolinguistic concept and a pedagogical perspective. in yeşim bektaş çetinkaya (ed.), intercultural competence in elt – raising awareness in classrooms (pp. 21-37). peter lang. kovalchuk, o., & krasnokutska, i. (2017) using blogs in teaching english to philology students. advanced education, 7(2017), 146-153. kristiawan, m., nizarani, & syamsidar. (2019). role of school on forming the character of zgeneration through entrepreneurial skills. international journal of scientific and technology research, 8(10), 1941–1945. lian, b., kristiawan, m., & fitriya, r. (2018). giving creativity room to students through the friendly school’s program. international journal of scientific and technology research, 7(7), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/zebpd lian, b., kristiawan, m., ammelia, d., primasari, g., anggung, m., & prasetyo, m. (2020). teachers’ model in building students’ character. journal of critical reviews, 7(14). https://doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.14.165 mabuan, r. (2018). using blogs in teaching tertiary esl writing. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 1-10. maseleno, a. (2019). general theoretical and philosophical aspects of modern education. revista san gregorio, 1(32), 212-217. https://doi.org/10.36097/rsan.v1i32.1079 pascual, d. (2017). students’ attitude, competence and motivation in the use of the travel blog for the efl classroom. encuentro, 26(2017), 3-21. pascual, d. (2019) learning english with travel blogs: a genre-based process-writing teaching proposal. profile. 21(1), 157-172. ratheeswari, k. (2018). information communication technology in education. journal of applied and advanced research, 3(1), s45–s47. https://doi.org/10.21839/jaar.2018.v3is1.169 raushan, a. (2020). enhancing ict skills: a prerequisite for online learning in time of covid19. educational resurgence journal, 2(4), 24–31. romaniukha, m., shelomovska, o., and sorokina, l. (2020) travel blog as an esl teaching tool. international journal of research in elearning, 6(1), 1–15. sanjaya, h. k., apriani, e., & edy, s. (2020). using web blog for efl students in writing class. journal of english education and teaching (jeet), 4(4), 516-535. susanti, r. (2021). the efficiency of ict and social media in online learning of free basic japanese learning through yasashii nihongo [thesis, universitas nasional pionir perubahan]. school of electronics and computer science. syarofi, a., kuswahono, d., & rizky, h. (2018). implementing process writing strategy using weblogs to improve students’ ability in writing descriptive text. lingua cultura, 12(4), 351355. https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v12i4.4142 zhang, y. (2018). a contrastive study on the application of mind maps in argumentative writing instruction for efl learners. english language teaching, 11(12), 93–100. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v11n12p93 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 217 lecturers’ attitude toward and anxiety in writing english academic papers for international publications hartono hartono english education department of languages and communication faculty of university of islam sultan agung, semarang central java indonesia e-mail: hartono@unissula.ac.id ruseno arjanggi psychology department of psychology faculty university of islam sultan agung, semarang central java indonesia e-mail: ruseno@unissula.ac.id apa citation: hartono, h. & arjanggi, r. (2020). lecturers’ attitude toward and anxiety in writing english academic papers for international publications. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 217-226. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3859 received: 20-08-2020 accepted: 15-10-2020 published: 30-12-2020 introduction over the past few years the indonesian government through the ministry of research, technology and higher education, which under the second term of mr. joko widodo’s (jokowi’s) presidency (2019-2024) is named ministry of education and culture, has been encouraging lecturers and researchers to write and publish academic papers in international journals. academic papers, also called scholarly papers, are papers submitted to academic journals in which prior to their publications, they must pass an academic quality assessment and be reviewed by researchers or reviewers working in the same field (www.defsa.org.za/what-academic-paper). two ambitious goals were set regarding this vision: dissemination of lecturers’ research findings and lecturers’ active involvement in scholarly discourses with lecturers and researchers at the international level. in this way, global networks and stronger academic reputations can be established. the number of international publications and citations, according to the government, contributes to the increase of the quality of the national products which in the long run can increase foreign exchanges for the country (kemristekdikti, 2016). year-by-year data show that there has been a significant increase of indonesian’s international publications in the last recent years. in all subject categories, scimago recorded there were 21,315 documents in 2017 and the number increased to 34,496 documents in 2018 or it grew by 68.84%. the increase continued as in 2019 there were 44,576 documents or it increased by 29.22%. in 2017, indonesia stood as the ninth country in asiatic regions, in 2018 it stood the sixth and finally it became the fifth in 2019. however, by referring to the cumulative documents from 1996 to 2019, in 2019 scimago journal & country ranks listed indonesian international publication the 11th among the countries in asiatic regions for all subject areas and categories, and the 4th among the asean countries. indonesia stood after abstract: this study was aimed at investigating attitude and anxiety of indonesian lecturers in writing english papers for international publications, together with the influence of gender and functional grades on them. it involved lecturers of a private university in semarang, central java, indonesia (n=62) who were attending a training on english academic writing especially designed to help them prepare manuscripts for international publications. data were collected by questionnaires and analyzed using t-test and anova. the study found that the attitude toward writing was positive. three aspects of attitude namely behavioral, cognitive, and affective were all positive. the anxiety in writing english papers was found to be moderate and somatic anxiety was the type of anxiety the lecturers suffered the most. there was no difference on the attitude and level of anxiety across gender but there was a difference on the level of anxiety across functional grades. as attitude and anxiety predict the success of writing efforts, which may then affect the success of publication, the issue of attitude and anxiety needs to be addressed in the effort of increasing the productivity of indonesian lecturers in making international publications. keywords: attitude; anxiety; indonesian lecturer; english academic papers; international publication mailto:hartono@unissula.ac.id mailto:ruseno@unissula.ac.id http://www.defsa.org.za/what-academic-paper hartono hartono & ruseno arjanggi lecturers’ attitude toward and anxiety in writing english academic papers for international publications 218 malaysia, singapore and thailand (www.scimagojr.com). this means that, despite the significant increase in the last recent years, there are still many things the indonesian lecturers and researchers need to do to make indonesia the country with the biggest number of publications, at least among the asean countries by taking over malaysia, singapore and thailand. this is very reasonable since, among the asean countries, indonesia is the biggest and the most populous country with the biggest number of universities (dikti, 2018; sukirno, 2017), and the biggest number of lecturers (ahmar, kurniasih, & irawan, 2018). although improving the quality of indonesian lecturers’ academic papers and increasing the number of publications particularly in reputable journals are important issues, studies on the issues are still very limited. among a few studies available mentioned that english language mastery is one among the factors leading to low productivity of indonesian lecturers and researchers in publishing scientific papers in international journals (alimi & rokhman, 2017). language problem is a serious problem. fundamental weakness in english has become the barriers for making international publications. according to the study, many english manuscripts submitted by indonesian writers were rejected because of being poorly written which consequently failed to fulfill the required standard. the paper of arsyad et al. suggested that low english mastery of indonesian lecturers has caused them problems either in reading english journals for references or in writing articles correctly and appropriately as required by well-established international journals. another cause of low productivity in scientific paper publication was the unfamiliarity of indonesian academics on rhetorical styles of academic papers, their similarities and differences between english scientific papers and the indonesian ones (arsyad, purwo, sukamto, & adnan, 2019). indonesian lecturers also encounter many types of language problems as grammar, syntax, vocabulary, spelling, paraphrasing and the likes (hartono, arjanggi, nugroho, & maerani, 2019). as language becomes a big problem for indonesian lecturers in writing and publishing papers in international journals, studies on the issue of improving lecturers’ competency in english language mastery become mandatory. for that purpose, the study was conducted. attitude and anxiety became the focus in this study because these two factors much contribute to the success of lecturers’ in writing english academic papers as english is a foreign language for the majority of them. attitude toward the target culture and target language significantly affects the level of success the learners will possibly achieve (gardner, 1985). attitude is a major determinant of behaviors (bohner & wänke, 2002), lecturers with positive attitudes toward learning and writing english papers for international publication will perceive every effort of learning and exercise as positive and enjoyable. on the contrary, those with negative attitude will perceive it as negative and discouraging. thus, attitude is linked to the person’s values and beliefs and promotes or discourages the choices he/she possibly makes in a certain realms of activity (mcgroarty, 1995). studies also found out that attitude represents one of the most important sets of variables for predicting learners’ efficiency and achievement since it intertwines with motivation. positive attitude will lead to stronger motivation (dörnyei & ushioda, 2009), therefore, leading to positive learning outcome (wesely, 2012), and in the case of language learning, it influences the level of proficiency in the target language (l2) (mckenzie, 2010). attitude is constructed from three different components namely affective, behavioral or conative, and cognitive. affective component is about the person’s feeling and emotion about a certain object, whether the person likes, dislikes, loves, is angry with or disgusted. it is an emotional response to an attitudinal object. behavioral or conative component is about a person’s actions or disposition to take up and practice the behavior in certain ways if he is in a certain situation. it is an overt action that a person is taking in relation to an attitudinal object. for example, a lecturer may attend or not attend an english writing training offered to him. cognitive component deals with person’s beliefs and thoughts as well as ideas about an object. people make beliefs by establishing associations or relationships between the attitude objects and various attributes resulted from an evaluation. in indonesian context up to the present, the topic on lecturers’ attitude toward writing english papers for international publication is under explored. there was a study conducted by arsyad (arsyad et al., 2019) on factors hindering indonesian lecturers from publishing articles in international reputable journals, which may serve as a starting point for further relevant studies, suggested that the lecturers attitude toward international publication is positive. besides the http://www.scimagojr.com/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 219 facts that indonesian lecturers mostly have been very busy with the activities of tridarma (three main jobs of lecturers) namely teaching, conducting research, and community services, they are still willing to work hard to write articles and submit them to international journals because of the benefits that they, and institutions, may obtain from the publications as credits for career promotion, institution credibility, selfsatisfaction/pride, and personal credibility. however, more studies are necessary to either verify the finding or develop greater understanding especially on the issue of writing since publication starts from writing activities. the second aspect of affect which is important to be researched dealing with writing in a second or foreign language is anxiety. it is a major obstacle faced by foreign language learners to overcome (horwitz, horwitz, & cope, 1986). studies have consistently proven that language anxiety negatively correlates with language achievement (macintyre & gardner, 1991; tran, moni, & baldauf jr., 2013). it negatively influences language learning both intuitively and logically (horwitz, 2001). studies also show that it interferes with many types of learning. as a part of affective factor, anxiety is also hypothesized to affect the success of learning (krashen, 2009). writing anxiety or writing apprehension is a situation and subject-specific anxiety in the form of a person’s tendencies whether to approach or to avoid potential writing tasks (daly & wilson, 1983). to measure the anxiety, a second language writing anxiety inventory (slwai) was proposed (cheng, 2004). it is a multidimensional scale which conforms to three conceptualizations of anxiety namely somatic anxiety, cognitive anxiety and avoidance behavior. somatic anxiety is someone’s perception of the psychological effects of anxiety. the increasing feeling of tension and nervousness are the symptoms of this kind of anxiety. cognitive anxiety is the cognitive aspect of anxiety experience which covers negative expectation, preoccupation with performance and concerns about others’ perception. the last dimension is a form of avoidance behavior which refers to behavioral aspect of anxiety. it occurs when someone intentionally searches ways to approach or to avoid writing tasks. previous research shows that writing anxiety negatively influences writing performance and is inversely correlated with writing motivation. there is even a correlation between academic procrastination and writing anxiety (onwugbuzie & collins, 2001). cheng (2002) also suggests that language learners with high level of writing anxiety tend to feel discouraged in writing, hold negative attitude towards writing tasks, and produce low quality papers. learners with high level of foreign language anxiety may have a mental block which affects their ability to process information in foreign language contexts (liu, 2006). they also write essays that receive lower evaluation (lee & krashen, 2002). a study by hassan (2001) found out that esl writing anxiety affected learners’ writing performance. low anxiety students could compose better quality and longer writing than the students with high anxiety. another study by cheng (2004) suggested that writing anxiety affect both writing process and writing behavior. using a timed english writing task as an index of participants’ writing performance, cheng concluded that there is a significant negative correlation between anxiety and learners’ performance. considering the effect of both attitude and anxiety in the success of writing in a foreign language and the fact that topic on attitude and anxiety of indonesian lecturers in writing english papers for international publications is obviously under explored, the present study was conducted. it aimed at: 1. analyzing the indonesian lecturers’ attitude toward writing english academic papers for international publications; 2. analyzing the indonesian lecturers’ anxiety in writing english academic papers for international publications; 3. finding out the influence of gender and functional grades on the levels of attitude and anxiety. method context and participants this research involved 62 lecturers attending an english academic writing training especially designed to help them prepare manuscripts for international journals. they were non-english subject lecturers of a university in semarang, indonesia. twenty-four people (38.71%) were male and 38 persons (61.29%) were female. the majority of them (80.30%) were master degree holders from either indonesian or overseas universities, while 19.70% were doctoral degree holders. they taught subjects other than english at different departments as civil engineering, electrical engineering, medicine, nursing, psychology, management, accounting, laws and education. based on their functional grades, hartono hartono & ruseno arjanggi lecturers’ attitude toward and anxiety in writing english academic papers for international publications 220 43.6% of them were teaching assistants, 30.6% was junior lecturers, and 25.80% was assistant professors. there were 4 associate professors joining the training program, however, they were excluded from the study because of representation basis. instrument a five-part questionnaire was used to collect data for this study. part 1 served as an introduction stating the purpose of the research and a request for consent from the participants, while part 2 elicited demographic information on them. part 3 collected self-reported information on participants’ english academic writing performance. the last two parts which were the main parts of the instrument collected information about the attitude toward and the anxiety in writing english academic papers for international publications. the attitude questionnaire consisted of 15 statements of indicators covering behavioral, cognitive, and affective components. the anxiety questionnaire also consisted of 15 statements of indicators which covered somatic aspect, cognitive aspect and avoidance behavior. the questionnaire was a likert-type form requiring the participants’ agreements in scales of 1 to 5. scale 1 represents “strongly disagree”, 2 represents for “disagree”, 3 is for “undecided”, 4 is for “agree”, and 5 is for “strongly agree.” negative statements were reversely scaled from “strongly agree” (scale 1) to “strongly disagree” (scale 5). the instruction and statements were written in indonesian as the participants’ mother tongue for the sake of clarity in meaning in order to avoid confusion and misleading. instrument validity was measured by pearson product moment correlation while the reliability was measured by the score of alpha cronbach. data collection and analysis participants were asked to complete the questionnaire before the training sessions. prior to doing the task, an explanation about the objectives of the research and the guidelines on how to complete the questionnaire were presented. data were then grouped and tabulated and were analyzed descriptively as well as inferentially by using spss software. finding and discussion academic writing performance the data on academic writing performance, particularly on the participants’ english writing competence and english publication performance is presented in table 1 below. table 1. participants’ self-reported academic writing performance no statements yes (%) no (%) 1 being able to write general english. 45 72.58 17 27.42 2 being able to write english academic or research papers. 41 66.13 21 33.87 3 having english paper(s) published in international journals. 18 29.03 44 70.97 4 getting translator’s service to help write journals. 24 38.71 38 61.29 the data in the table show that majority of the respondents reported that they could write both general english and english academic or research papers. however, the data show that the number of lecturers who are able to write english academic papers is lower than those who are able to write general english (66.13% compared to 72.58%). this reflects the fact that academic writing is more complicated than general type of writing. being someone who can write english does not always qualify him/her to write academic english. academic writing offers more challenges than general writing does as it requires, among others, the mastery of academic writing conventions, topic analysis, social identity construction, ability to research and apply knowledge across different contexts (pineteh, 2014). beginner academic writers very often also face difficulties due to lack of knowledge, inability to have a clear outline before drafting, and problems in avoiding plague words and phrases (fadda, 2012). in addition, they face linguistic, cognitive, and psychological problems (rahmatunisa, 2014) in their attempts to write. related to publishing english papers, lower number of respondents reported that they had successfully done it. there were only 18 respondents (29.03%) who had ever published papers in international journals. a wide gap between an ability to write and publication may indicate that there are other factors influencing or playing role in making lecturers publishing internationally. mastering the language and being able to write don’t necessarily mean that lecturers will write and publish papers in international journals. this finding validates previous studies english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 221 about major reasons lecturers not publish internationally namely feeling ashamed of having low quality articles, their predisposition that writing in reputable international journal is difficult, the absence of incentives for those who successfully published, low confidence, limited access to good research references, limited access to laboratory facilities, lack of research collaborations with international researchers, and lack of internationally reputable journals in indonesia (alimi & rokhman, 2017; arsyad et al., 2019; yusetyowati, 2015). the high number of lecturers getting translation services in writing english journal for international publications also serves as a strong indicator that language is a problem for lecturers to write (hartono et al., 2019). attitude toward writing english papers lecturers’ attitude toward writing academic papers for international publication was measured by 15 indicators covering affective, behavioral, and cognitive components. behavioral component was measured by 4 indicators namely the willingness to learn to write, to participate in a training if available, to keep trying even if difficult, and to read more english papers relevant to their topic of interest. cognitive component was measured by 6 indicators, 4 indicators were positive while the other 2 were negative. the positive indicators were their acknowledgement that english academic writing ability would help them 1) improve their performance as lecturers, 2) build networks with other researchers, and 3) develop their academic performance, and 4) that academic papers written in english have higher possibility to be accepted in scientific journals. the negative indicators were 1) their acknowledgement that writing english papers is more difficult, and 2) that they couldn’t develop their ideas if they had to write in english. affective component was measured by 5 indicators, three indicators were positive while the other two were negative. the positive indicators were 1) they think that writing english is enjoyable, 2) they would be very happy if they could finish writing, and 3) they would be very happy if their english paper were published in international journals. for the negative, 1) they didn’t have any interest to write articles in english, and 2) writing article in english would only make them depressed. the results were categorized into 3 groups of negative, neutral, and positive attitude. the categorization was based on hypothetical mean scores of the questionnaire in which participant’s total scores lower than or the same as 34.5 were categorized as having negative attitude, the participants whose scores were between 34.6 and 55.5 were categorized as having neutral attitude, and those with scores higher than 55.6 was categorized as having positive attitude. the result of the calculation is presented in table 2 below. table 2. descriptive statistics of attitude scores n min max mean sd attitude scores 62 46.00 75.00 61.48 7.03 valid n (listwise) 62 n no. of indicators min max calculated mean hypothetical mean behavioral component 62 4 12 20 17.23 12 cognitive component 62 6 19 30 24.06 18 affective component 62 5 13 25 20.19 15 the table shows that the mean score for the attitude in general is 61.48 (>55.5), the mean score for behavioral component is 17.23, and the one for cognitive component and affective component subsequently are 24.06 and 20.19. all those scores are higher than the hypothetical mean scores, therefore, it can be concluded that indonesian lecturers have positive attitude toward writing english papers for international publications behaviorally, cognitively as well as affectively. behaviorally, they would learn how to write in english, participate in a writing training, keep trying, and read english papers relevant to their topics of interests so that they can improve their writing. affectively, they found that writing english papers for international publications was enjoyable. cognitively, they believed that being able to write and publish english papers internationally would help them improve their performance and build networks with other lecturers and researchers. this finding is in line hartono hartono & ruseno arjanggi lecturers’ attitude toward and anxiety in writing english academic papers for international publications 222 with the study of arsyad which concludes that indonesian lecturers had positive attitude toward publishing in international journals. although they may be busy with their both academic and administrative works, they are still willing to work hard to write papers and submitted them in international journals (arsyad et al., 2019). as attitude intertwines with motivation (dörnyei & ushioda, 2009), correlates to learning outcome (wesely, 2012) and influences proficiency in target language (mckenzie, 2010), the indonesian lecturers have a high possibility to be able to write english papers and publish them in international journals. this possibility has even materialized in the last 3 years as the number of the indonesian international publications increased significantly (scimago journal & country rank at www.scimagojr.com). anxiety in writing english papers the next part of the study was concerned with the level of anxiety experienced by indonesian lecturers in writing english academic papers. it was measured by 15 indicators covering somatic aspect, cognitive aspect and avoidance behavior. in this study, somatic anxiety was indicated by the pounding of the heart, the blankness of mind, the jumbling or easy flowing ideas, and feeling of panic when required to write papers in english. cognitive anxiety was indicated by the occupation of negative thoughts about their english as the english terms and phrases used in writing were inappropriate, the english was worse than other lecturers’ english, other lecturers would deride his english paper, other lecturers would think about the paper; and the english paper would be rated poorly. avoidance behavior was indicated by the lecturers’ efforts to avoid or approach writing papers in english. a descriptive analysis was conducted. the result is presented in table 3 below. table 3. descriptive statistics of anxiety scores n min max mean sd anxiety 62 17.00 60.00 41.24 9.77 valid n (listwise) 62 freq % valid % cum. % valid low 14 22.6 22.6 22.6 moderate 42 67.7 67.7 90.3 high 6 9.7 9.7 100.0 total 62 100.0 100.0 types of anxiety n min max mean sd somatic 62 5.00 22.00 14.90 4.01 cognitive 62 5.00 20.00 13.71 3.20 avoidance 62 5.00 20.00 12.63 3.74 valid n (listwise) 62 the table shows the minimum score of anxiety is 17, the maximum is 60, and the mean score is 41.24. with the same method of analysis as the one applied in the analysis of attitude scores, it was decided that scores lower than or the same as 34.5 were categorized as low anxiety, scores between 34.6 and 55.5 were categorized as moderate anxiety, and finally scores higher than 55.6 were categorized as high anxiety. calculated mean score (41.24) lies between 34.6 and 55.5, therefore, it can be concluded that in general the participants in this study had a moderate level of anxiety. fourteen participants (22.6%) actually had low level of anxiety, while for high level of anxiety there were 6 participants (9.7%) analysis on the anxiety types shows that somatic anxiety has the highest mean score followed by cognitive anxiety and avoidance behavior. this means that when the case is writing english papers for international publications, indonesian lecturers suffered somatic anxiety the most. somatic anxiety is someone’s perception of the psychological effects of anxiety as the increasing feeling of tension and nervousness. someone who is suffering from this type of anxiety may get sweaty, trembling, high heart rate, headache etc. http://www.scimagojr.com/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 223 the finding that somatic anxiety was the one indonesian lecturers suffered most is aligned with the study conducted by min and rahmat (2014) which found that in the case of final year writing for university putra malaysia undergraduates, somatic anxiety was reported to be the dimension with the highest score. jebreil, azizifar, and gowhary (2015) also found that somatic anxiety was the most common type of anxiety in the case of english writing. a study of indonesian efl writing learners found that both male and female learners suffered somatic anxiety the most, followed by cognitive anxiety and avoidance behavior (rudiyanto, 2017). however, it should be noted that this finding is different from the one of cheng (2004) which revealed that writing learners were more anxious cognitively rather than somatically. the role of gender and functional grades to see whether there is a significant difference of attitude and anxiety across gender, t-test was conducted. the result shows that the mean scores of attitude were 62.58 for male and 60.79 for female, and sig (2-tailed) was 0.332. the mean scores for anxiety were 41.58 for male and 41.03 for female. an analysis using t-test to see whether there is a significance difference between male and female results in sig (2-tailed) 0.332 for attitude and 8.29 for anxiety. therefore, it can be concluded that gender affects neither attitude nor anxiety. there is no significant difference on the level of lecturers’ anxiety in writing english paper for international publications between male and female lecturers. previous studies found an inconclusive result on the correlation between gender and anxiety in writing. cheng (2002) in the study on 165 english majors found no significant influence of gender on writing anxiety. more recent study by latif (2015) on 132 universiti teknologi malaysia space students investigating english language anxiety among adult learners using three demographic factors of gender, age and years of learning english also found no significant correlation between gender and anxiety. while jebreil, et al. (2015) in their study of 45 efl learners (26 females and 19 males) found a significant difference of anxiety level between male and female, in which males had higher cognitive anxiety than females did. in addition, shang (2013) in a study on 146 juniors majoring in english at a private university in taiwan found similar finding. male students had higher level of anxiety because the students probably spent more efforts in writing to have a better achievement. in this study, the finding that male lecturers had the same level of anxiety as their female counterparts may be attributed to the fact that the demand of having international publications is equally applicable to all lecturers regardless of gender. both of them got the same supports and facilities from universities as well as the same opportunity. to see whether there is a difference on attitude and anxiety across functional grades, test of anova was conducted. the study involved only 3 groups of lecturers namely teaching assistants (ta), junior lecturers (jl) (asisten ahli) and assistant professors (ap) (lektor). the result is presented below: table 4. descriptive statistics of functional grade scores functional grades n mean scores standard dev. attitude anxiety attitude anxiety teaching assistant(ta) 27 62.30 37.48 6.52 9.52 junior lecturer (jl) 19 62.68 44.84 7.72 9.66 assistant professor(ap) 16 58.69 43.31 6.67 8.51 total 62 61.48 41.24 7.03 9.77 dependent variable (i) functional grades (j) functiona l grades mean difference (i-j) std. error sig. 95% confidence interval lower bound upper bound attitude ta jl -.388 2.079 .981 -5.387 4.611 ap 3.609 2.190 .234 -1.658 8.876 jl ta .388 2.079 .981 -4.611 5.387 ap 3.997 2.356 .215 -1.668 9.661 ap ta -3.609 2.190 .234 -8.876 1.658 hartono hartono & ruseno arjanggi lecturers’ attitude toward and anxiety in writing english academic papers for international publications 224 jl -3.997 2.356 .215 -9.661 1.668 anxiety ta jl -7.361* 2.790 .028 -14.070 -.650 ap -5.831 2.940 .125 -12.900 1.238 jl ta 7.361* 2.790 .028 .650 14.070 ap 1.530 3.162 .879 -6.073 9.132 ap ta 5.831 2.940 .125 -1.238 12.900 jl -1.530 3.162 .879 -9.132 6.073 *. the mean difference is significant at the 0.05 level. junior lecturer has the highest mean score both for attitude and anxiety, assistant professor has the lowest mean score of attitude, and teaching assistant has the lowest score of anxiety which may mean the lowest level of anxiety. when attitude is the case, however, those differences in mean scores are not significant (sig.> 0.05). this means that among the three groups, functional grade didn’t cause difference in attitude toward writing english journals for international publications. this is different from the anxiety. among the three groups, the anxiety mean score of teaching assistant is significantly different from the one of junior lecturer (sig. 0.028). in writing english journals for international publications, teaching assistant was less anxious than junior lecturer was. the absence of difference on attitude among the groups may be attributed to the fact that, besides most of them were young and energetic; publishing internationally perhaps has not been very pressuring. while professors and associate professors are required to have international publications on regular basis, junior lecturer and assistant professor aren’t. for performance evaluation (laporan beban kerja dosen) and grade promotion, they may use academic journals published in national journals. conclusion the study aimed at finding out the level of attitude and anxiety faced by indonesian lecturers in writing english academic papers for international publications, and the influence of gender and functional grades on them. the data and analysis found that indonesian lecturers were behaviorally, cognitively, and affectively positive about writing english academic papers for international publications and had a moderate level of anxiety. gender was proven to be an insignificant predictor for both attitude and anxiety since there was no significant difference in the attitude and level of anxiety across gender. for functional grade, while it didn’t bring different effect on attitude, this study found that the level of anxiety between teaching assistant and junior lecturer was significantly different, therefore, it was inferred that functional grade influenced the anxiety. since attitude and anxiety play important roles in the success of learning writing and publishing, any efforts by universities or the indonesian government in trying to encourage lecturers to prepare english academic papers for international publications should not neglect them. to increase productivity from the beginning of their academic careers, indonesian lecturers must be very confident to start writing. academic writing trainings should not only cover issues related to topics and how to write but also addresses the issue of affective factors. this study only involved lecturers from a university with a relatively small number, therefore, it is recommended that further studies involve lecturers from many different universities, both public and private. other factors such as infrastructure and funding that may potentially influence lecturers’ attitude toward and anxiety in writing papers for international publications may also be explored. references ahmar, a. s., kurniasih, n., & irawan, d. e. (2018). lecturers’ understanding on indexing databases of sinta , doaj , google scholar , scopus , and web of science : a study of indonesians. journal of physiscs: conference series. https://doi.org/doi :10.1088/17426596/954/1/012026 alimi, m. y., & rokhman, f. (2017). leap strategies to increase international publication of indonesian higher education: an example of semarang state university. the social sciences, 12(7), 1299–2017. arsyad, s., purwo, b. k., sukamto, k. e., & adnan, z. (2019). factors hindering indonesian lecturers from publishing articles in reputable international journals. journal on english as a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 1, december 2020 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 225 foreign language, 9(1), 42–70. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v9i1 .982 bohner, g., & wänke, m. (2002). attitudes and attitude change. psychology press. retrieved from https://books.google.co.id/books?id=ipts8jrquf yc cheng, y.-s. (2004). a measure of second language writing anxiety: scale development and preliminary validation. journal of second language writing, 13(4), 313–335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2004.07.001 cheng, y. (2002). factors associated with foreign language writing anxiety. foreign language annals, 35(6), 647–656. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.19449720.2002.tb01903.x daly, j. a., & wilson, d. a. (1983). writing apprehension, self esteem and personality. research on the teaching of english, 17(4). dikti. (2018). pangkalan data pendidikan tinggi kementerian riset, teknologi dan pendidikan tinggi. retrieved september 9, 2018, from https://forlap.ristekdikti.go.id/perguruantinggi/h omegraphpt dörnyei, z., & ushioda, e. (2009). motivation, language identity and the l2 self. multilingual matters. retrieved from https://books.google.co.id/books?id=dy_xbqa aqbaj fadda, h. al. (2012). difficulties in academic writing: from the perspective of king saud university postgraduate students. english language teaching, 5(3), 123–130. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v5n3p123 gardner, r. c. (1985). social psychology and second language learning: the role of attitude and motivation. london: edward arnold. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263100007634 hartono, arjanggi, r., nugroho, k. y., & maerani, i. a. (2019). lecturers ’ language problems in writing english papers for international publications. journal of education and learning (edulearn), 13(2). https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v13i2.11438 horwitz, e. k. (2001). languagae anxiety and achievement. in m. mcgroarty (ed.), annual revew of applied linguistics (pp. 112–127). cambrige university press. https://doi.org/doi:10.1017/s026719050100003 4 jebreil, n., azizifar, a., & gowhary, h. (2015). investigating the effect of anxiety of male and female iranian efl learners on their writing performance. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 185, 190–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.03.360 latif, n. a. binti a. (2015). a study on english language anxiety among adult learners in universiti teknologi malaysia (utm). procedia social and behavioral sciences, 208. elsevier b.v. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.11.198 macintyre, p. d., & gardner, r. c. (1991). methods and result in the study in anxiety and language learning: a review of the literature. language learning, 41(1), 85–117. mcgroarty, m. (1995). language attitudes, motivation, and standards. in n. h. hornberger & s. l. mckay (eds.), sociolinguistics and language teaching (pp. 3–46). cambridge: cambridge university press. https://doi.org/doi: 10.1017/cbo9780511551185.004 mckenzie, r. m. (2010). the social psychology of english as a global language. (l. van lier, ed.). springer united kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8566-5 min, l. s., & rahmat, n. (2014). english language writing anxiety among final year engineering undergraduates in university putra malaysia. advances in language and literary studies, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.5n.4p.102 pineteh, e. a. (2014). the academic writing challengges of undergaduate students. international journal of higher education, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v3n1p12 rahmatunisa, w. (2014). problems faced by indonesian efl learners in writing argumentative essay. english review: journal of english education, 3(1), 1–9. retrieved from http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee rudiyanto, m. (2017). english writing anxiety toward indonesian efl learners: a descriptive study. interaksi jurnal kependidikan, 12(2), 98– 111. sukirno. (2017). modeling academic professional performance in higher education. international journal of environmental & science education, 12(8), 1689–1708. tran, t. t. t., moni, k., & baldauf jr., r. b. (2013). foreign language anxiety: understanding its sources and effects from insiders’ perspectives. the journal of asia tefl, 10(1), 95–131. wesely, p. m. (2012). learner attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs in language learning. foreign language annals, 45(suppl.1), 98–118. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.19449720.2012.01181.x yusetyowati. (2015). penggunaan bahasa inggris untuk penulisan artikel penelitian. orbith, 11(1), 19–23. hartono hartono & ruseno arjanggi lecturers’ attitude toward and anxiety in writing english academic papers for international publications 226 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 323 the impacts of creating youtube video project to facilitate students’ critical thinking dedeh rohayati english education program, teacher training and education faculty university of galuh, ciamis, indonesia e-mail: dedehrohayati2017@gmail.com etika rachmawati english education program, teacher training and education faculty university of galuh, ciamis, indonesia e-mail: etikarachmawati@gmail.com apa citation: rohayati, d. & rachmawati, e. (2021). the impacts of creating youtube video project to facilitate students’ critical thinking. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp.323-332. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4360 received: 25-02-2021 accepted: 21-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction the great concern of critical thinking which has become predictor for reading comprehension skill (hidayati, indrawati, & loeneto (2020), has become a subject to be investigated by many educational practitioners. moreover, the ability of thinking critically in 4.0 era is considered imperative (brodahl, hadjerrouit, & hansen, 2011; sharadgah, 2014; hidayati, indrawati, & loeneto, 2020) and it must be implemented in the classroom. the reason is that critical thinking skill can create the individual who are able to evaluate, think logically, and do many sense of actions (chaffee, 2014; chafee, mcmahon, & stout, 2015; facione & facione, 2011). it must be kept in mind that the inclusion of critical thinking ability should meet the students’ current trend, i.e., the involvement of internet in teaching and learning process (kavaliauskiene, suchanova, & velickiene, 2012; saadé, morin, & thomas, 2012; sharadgah, 2014; jones & shao, 2011; alanazi, 2013; romagnuolo, 2015). consequently, this lead to the necessity of creativity and communication which is sought by today’s employers who considers those skills essential. many experts have a great concern on critical thinking definition, like reichenbach (2001, p. 13) and chaffee (2014). reichenbach (2001, p. 13) defines critical thinking as utilization of “a set of skills which are interconnected, with the purpose of analyzing, creatively working with, and evaluating what you have obtained from reading or hearing so that someone can make a decision whether she / he must take a specific action or not.” meanwhile, (chaffee, 2014) considered thinking critically as the way someone makes sense of the world so that she or he can clarify and improve it or making sense of the world by carefully examining the thinking process to clarify and improve our understanding. however, the present study concerns with critical thinking skill referring to bloom taxonomy (bloom, 1956) regarding the hierarchy of thinking skill. there are six levels of bloom taxonomy: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, abstract: nowadays, the education system has to meet the characteristics of 21st century skills, among others, the involvement of digital literacy, students’ centeredness, and critical thinking. this study depicts the impact of creating youtube video project to facilitate students’ critical thinking skill at which the qualitative case study is employed. six third year students of english department learning the topic of english for medical are selected purposively. the interview questions analyzed thematically and documentation of youtube video processed descriptively using scoring rubric are utilized. the finding revealed that: (1) students were aware of the learning which is based on project and understand critical thinking; (2) students perceived creating youtube video project in learning the topic of english for medical as a tool to facilitate critical thinking skill; (3) students demonstrated their satisfactory improvement in english for medical; and (4) students were aware of digital literacy to support their future career and lifelong learning. meanwhile, the documentation of youtube video shows that students’ video uploading onto youtube were excellent in term of length, content accuracy, and presentation. their works were weakened by their unfamiliarity of how to create an effective youtube video. consequently, youtube video is unclear if it would be widely utilized, particularly, for those who intend to learn english for medical. this implied that students’ critical thinking skill in creating a project needs improvement. keywords: critical thinking; english for medical; project-based learning; youtube video mailto:dedehrohayati2017@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4360 dedeh rohayati & etika rachmawati the impacts of creating youtube video project to facilitate students’ critical thinking 324 synthesis, and evaluation. that is not all, the educators also must be aware of the utilization of the relevant teaching strategy that trigger students critical thinking, for example, project-based learning (saliba, mussleman, fernandes, & bendriss, 2017). this kind of approach provides students the opportunity of designing, planning, carrying out the large project to produce artefact or public output such as product, publication, or presentation (patton, 2012). moreover, it must be kept in mind that utilization of project assessment should match the characteristics of learners in 21st century who are categorized as digital natives and think fast (jones & shao, 2011; alanazi, 2013; pratama & abdullah, 2015; pratama, 2018), in particular, the inclusion of information and communication technology competencies (dooley & masats, 2011; artello, 2013; topps, helmer, & ellaway, 2013; june, yaacob, & kheng, 2014). one of information and communication technology competencies is creating a youtube video. as one of top rate video websites (brunner, 2013) for teaching media, youtube video might become an effective project-based assessment to reveal students’ ability in critical thinking. unlike the others studies, the present study is not focused on how to lead the students to learn by project based learning along the teaching and learning process because there was online lecturing along the semester. in the present study, the researcher asked the students for making a project of youtube video substituting their midterm test by adapting the idea of dooley & masats (2011), topps, helmer, & ellaway (2013), and bloom (1956) as given in figure 1. also, it is intended to fulfill the objective of the present study regarding the alternative way to facilitate students’ critical thinking. of course, the characteristics of project based learning is exemplified during and until the submitting of their working; so does the critical thinking skill in creating a youtube video. many researchers are intrigued by the topic related to the present study (june, yaacob, & kheng, 2014; lubis, lubis, & purba, 2020; wahyudin, 2017). lubis et al. (2014) found that integrating project-based learning with telegram as media digital is effective to share video and absolutely effects on students’ communication skill. similarly, june, et al. (2020) endeavored youtube video as an effective tool to stimulate students’ learning and improving their critical thinking. so did wahyudin (2017) who employed project based learning in english for business class with the result that students who learn english for business through project based learning outperforms those who learns english for business by using presentation, practice, and production (ppp). it is unfortunate that based on previous studies aforementioned, none of them focuses on creating youtube video project in learning the topic of english for medical to facilitate critical thinking. for this reason, this study was intended to sketch how the students organized themselves to create a youtube video project, in particular, depict the impact of creating a youtube video project in learning english for medical to facilitate students’ critical thinking skill. method as previously mentioned, this study aimed at finding out the impact of creating youtube video project in learning the topic of english for medical to facilitate students’ critical thinking skill. the study implemented the qualitative paradigm with the type of case study involved six third year students majoring english department enrolling esp program development course (the specialization course). they worked in pairs and played role based on their own selected situation and character focusing on the topic of english for medical. the respondents grouping into three group were selected purposively because it was based on the researcher judgment at which they provided the researcher the sufficient data. they were required to accomplish the project as a substitution of midterm test in the form of creating three-minutes video clip that had to be uploaded onto youtube. the frameworks used in the present study was based on the framework of topps, helmer, & ellaway (2013), dooley & masats (2011) and bloom (1956). there were three selected topics of conversation held by each group: conversation between obstetrician and patients, conversation between doctor and patients, and conversation between pharmacist and patients. as the primary data, the online semi structured interview (via whatsapp video call) employing seven open ended questions was conducted due to the fact that the lecturing was at the time of the covid-19 pandemic; so there was not traditional lecturing. to follow abdgani, rathakrishnan, & krishnasamy (2020), the validity and reliability of interview questions were administered through the pilot test using three steps of the interview procedures session: (1) pre-interview stage, (2) during the interview stage, and (3) post-interview english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 325 stage. it was piloted to the cohort students; so, the instrument was considered valid and reliable. figure 1. framework of project on creating 3-minutes video clips uploading onto youtube channel another primary data was documentation of youtube video created by students containing students’ playing a role on three situation of english for medical, among others, pair 1 took the character of obstetrician and patient, pair 2 played role of doctor and patient, and pair 3 conducted the conversation between pharmacist and patients. in conducting the project, students were required to determine the setting, the appropriate property, etc. the creating of three-minutes youtube video project was employed in this study for it has been widely utilized and very effective to accommodate the character of project based learning, english for specific learning purposes (wahyudin, 2017), and facilitate critical thinking skill. meanwhile, the use of roleplaying was intended to assess students’ linguistics competencies on the related topic. table 1. scoring rubric 4 3 2 1 argument 30pts the video clearly and convincingly expresses why the text best embodies the essence of the topic chosen and the culture of its time. argument is supported by evidence from the text and historical context. the video clearly and somewhat convincingly expresses why the text best embodies the essence of the topic chosen and the culture of its time. argument is supported by some evidences from the text and historical context. the video expresses why the text best embodies the essence of topic chosen and the culture of its time, but does so vaguely and unconvincingly. argument is supported by little evidence from the text and historical context. the purpose of the video is unclear. the argument is not developed or supported by any relevant evidence. presentation 30pts video is visually interesting and approach is extremely creative. many props and/or costumes enhance the presentation. if video is visually interesting and approach is fairly creative. some props and/or costumes are used and are relevant, but do not enhance the video is somewhat dull visually and not very creative. few props and/or costumes are used, and they are barely relevant to the video is visually uninteresting. no props or costumes are used. if additional music is used, it is irrelevant to the dedeh rohayati & etika rachmawati the impacts of creating youtube video project to facilitate students’ critical thinking 326 additional music is added, the music compliments the piece and does not overpower other audio. presentation. if additional music is added, the music somewhat compliments the piece and may overpower other audio at times. presentation. if additional music is used, it does little to compliment the piece, and often overpowers other audio. presentation and often overpowers other audio. content accuracy 20pts content of movie is 100% historically accurate. the information presented is extremely relevant to the overall topic. content of movie is 100% historically accurate, however, the information presented is peripheral to the overall topic. content is less than historically accurate. the information presented does not do a good job conveying the overall topic. content is inaccurate or incomplete. information chosen is not relevant to the overall topic. length 20pts video is between 2 and 4 minutes long. video is more than 1 minute over or under the time limit. video is more than 1 minute and 30 seconds over or under the time limit. video is more than 2 minutes over or under the time limit the interview data was analyzed by the following steps: transcribing, categorizing, condensing, and interpreting (brinkmann & kvale, 2014). subsequently, the interview result was formulated into four central themes, among others: (1) students’ awareness of the project based learning; (2) students’ awareness of critical thinking; (3) students’ improvement in english for medical such as mastering the terms and expression in conversation between obstetrician and patients, doctor and patients, and pharmacist and patients; 4) students’ awareness of information, communication technology competences to support their future career and lifelong learning. meanwhile, the youtube video performing the role playing of the students on english for medical was rated by scoring rubric adopted from www.rcampus.com (see table 1). subsequently, it was analyzed by using the project idea of dooly & massats (2011) and topps, helmer, & ellaway (2013), as well as bloom (1956) regarding the critical thinking theory. findings and discussion the result of the study was obtained from the interview which were analyzed thematically and the documentations of youtube video which were processed by scoring rubric. those were aimed to answer the research question regarding the impact of creating youtube video project in learning the topic of english for medical to facilitate students’ critical thinking skill. there are five significant impacts resulting from the analyzed interview data which reflected students’ attitudes towards creating the project of youtube video in learning the topic of english for medical to facilitate students’ critical thinking skill. second, students’ project in the form of youtube video documentation were analyzed by using scoring rubric. those are to be presented in the following organization. students’ attitudes towards creating a youtube video project in learning material of english for medical the first central themes deal with students’ awareness of the project based learning as given in table 2. table 2. students’ awareness of the project based learning no. questions students’ answers 1 what do you know about project-based learning pbl? project-based learning is a learning method at which the activity employs medium of projects…is a learning method that provides students the opportunity to explore, assess, interpret, and present various product forms of learning outcomes…it also provides a direct experience because pbl involves project…is a teaching method in which students actively engage their knowledge and skills in real-world and meaningful personal projects. 2. elaborate the steps of pbl! preparation, questioning, planning and designing, researching, and producing product, performing a product, assessing the outcome, evaluating. http://www.rcampus.com/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 327 based on table 2, it indicates that students understood the theory and the implementation of project based learning as learning approach. furthermore, the keyword of project characterizing the outcome of the project based learning approach has been mentioned by all of students. students’ understanding on the intended theory shows students’ positive attitudes towards project based learning which can accommodate students’ engagement as well as students’ centeredness. connecting to documentation of youtube video, the project created by students was not doubtful to be similar with the framework of topps, helmer, & ellaway (2013) and dooley & masats (2011). students commenced the project by their linguistics competencies on english for medical. it was embedded by other competencies such as digital literacy or information, communication and technology competencies, and critical thinking skill. thus, those evidences were consistent with what has been said by patton (2012) regarding the steps and the definition of project based learning. similarly, the students also have been familiar with the term of critical thinking. as can be seen in table 3, students offered several keywords of critical thinking such as “what to do and what to believe” (judgment or evaluation), questioning, and problem solving. students’ opinion might be implied that someone who has been equipped by the critical thinking ability would become a valuable person in the future, lead her/ him to be a creative person. as far as it was concerned, the creativity representing someone’s higher order thinking level would be more demanded in the 21st century skill. table 3. students’ awareness of critical thinking no. questions answers 3 what do you know about critical thinking? critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe. it includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. someone with critical thinking skills is able to do the following: understand the logical connections between ideas… means thinking critically in seeing something…critical thinking is an act of responding to the information we receive by considering all aspects related to that information… the ability to think critically, or continue to question until finally finding a solution. critical thinking involves creativity and the desire to keep finding out so that we can become someone who has good thinking skills…critical thinking is the ability to think rationally and clearly in understanding the logical connections between ideas. when you think critically, you think of the best solution to a problem in an organized manner. 4 what do you think about creating youtube video project in learning material of english for medical in improving your critical thinking skill? how does it flow! critical thinking skills will be easier to be facilitated…there are so much contents on you tube, so we have to select, to learn, to think critically in learning english for medical…creating youtube video for english for medical can improve critical thinking, because with pbl we must be able to think critically to solve a problem, complete a project, and find solutions to these problems, so students will think critically…it can improve critical thinking skills because english for medical learning is designed and oriented towards high-level skills so that students are able to analyze, evaluate, create, and solve problems. promote interaction among students as they learn. learning in a group setting often helps each member achieve more. ask open-ended questions that do not assume “one right answer.” critical thinking is often exemplified best when the problems are inherently illdefined and don't have a “right” answer…by analyzing, observing and making conclusions during the creation of youtube video, somebody are motivated to think critically and deliver criticism…and to have the character of hard work, creativity, curiosity, respect and love reading achievement…students are given instructions about a project that will be done about english for medical, then students will think critically about working on the project, then students look for solutions by making youtube video about english for medical….learning activities using the pbl model begin with giving a problem, the problems presented relate to the real life of the students, organizing the discussion around the problem, not discussing around scientific disciplines, students are given maximum responsibility in establishing and carrying out the learning process directly. students are formed into several small group. students are required to demonstrate the product or performance…critical thinking skills in working on a youtube video project in learning english for medical have improved, because while working on the project i was required to think critically so that the project was completed dedeh rohayati & etika rachmawati the impacts of creating youtube video project to facilitate students’ critical thinking 328 well. and it was satisfying, because with this project i was able to improve my critical thinking, and the video results were very satisfying….my critical thinking skills in doing the project youtube video in learning english for medical have improved because when i made the video i was trained to think critically about how to finish the video properly so that the results obtained can be satisfying. apart from their understanding towards the theory of critical thinking, they agreed that their critical thinking skill was more easily triggered and improved during the process of the project. they were able to deliver opinion which linked to what were stated by reichenbach (2001) and (chaffee, 2014) regarding judgment as the final step of critical thinking skill. also, they elaborated the way the critical thinking is facilitated in creating youtube video project in learning material of english for medical. students’ statements implied that the process of creating the project and critical thinking skill went hand in hand. their satisfying final project led them to feel contented because at the beginning they seem to realize that in the internet of thing era, critical thinking skill is a must. the students’ answer linked to sharadgah (2014) in that critical thinking would be ultimate developed in the accessible internet environment. thus, it is fair to say that students’ opinions represented the generation of 4.0 era at which they have been familiar with any kinds of social media and learning platform. connecting to taxonomy bloom on the level of thinking, it is indeed that they have successfully demonstrated their critical thinking skill. they needed several steps including gaining and comprehend the knowledge of the related topic, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating the resources to produce the satisfying project of product. they seemed to believe that the major requirement in creating the project is critical thinking skill. this assumption is relevant with statement proposed by saliba, mussleman, fernandes, & bendriss (2017). another central theme discusses something about students’ improvement in english for medical. as can be seen in table 4, it was found that students gained a very fruitful result after creating the project. table 4. students’ improvement in english for medical no. questions answers 5. what improvements did you obtain after creating a youtube video project in learning material of english for medical? creating youtube video project in learning the material of english for medical provides student the opportunity to broadly improve students’ knowledge on english for medical as well as their english proficiency…it improve learning outcome of english for medical, self-directed/ self-regulated learning…after creating youtube video project in learning english for medical, we were was able to speak some vocabulary about english for medical and understand the types of conversational english for medical in various situations. based on table 4, students elaborated their improvement in linguistics, especially vocabulary and the type of discourse format, and language skill aspect, in particular, speaking skill. implicitly, students were encouraged to have a high and accurate english proficiency and trained to be a skillful teacher on the topic of english for medical. this might become a pathway for all of practitioners who teach english for specific purposes to apply learning which is based on project, as proposed by wahyudin (2017). differently, he focused on the implementation of teaching students english for business without exploring students’ critical thinking. regarding creating a youtube video as a substitution for midterm or final test, it is considered effective for assessment. this is consistent with pratama & abdullah (2015) although they did not dig out deeply the critical thinking skill during the implementation of project based learning as well as the analyzing the project using critical thinking theory. the last central theme is regarding the students’ awareness of information, communication, and technology competencies to support their future career and lifelong learning, as given in table 5. students were also sure that, nowadays, the process of teaching learning would be best to involve technologies which can be accessed by internet. in addition, they also realized themselves who are considered as digital natives and always think fast. implicitly, this english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 329 interpretation linked to what has been said by jones & shao (2011) and alanazi (2013) regarding the categorization of young people and students’ enthusiasm on the use of technology. students were also sure that, nowadays, the process of teaching learning would be best to involve technologies which can be accessed by internet. table 5. students’ awareness of digital literacy to support their future career and lifelong learning no. questions answers 6. what do you think about creating a youtube video project? i think creating youtube video has become a very popular for students nowadays, moreover they have been accustomed to learn everything through this application in internet environment…creating a youtube video is effective media in pbl because it facilitates students’ thinking, analytical and imaginative skill, motivation, and enthusiasm…the inclusion of creating a youtube video in pbl is used to present an image and sound representation of an idea or event so that it becomes a material collection for learning beyond lecturing and reading a book….the use of youtube video match the young generation demand who tend to have more various way of learning. 7. based on your opinion, explain how can the creating of youtube video prepares you for a professional career and lifelong learning? explain! it can prepare us for in professional careers because we are not only studying the material of english for medical but also learning the process of creating youtube as a popular application for student. so, we can earn money if we can navigate it as well as possible…pbl with youtube accommodates students’ analytical skill that is needed in the future career and the world which is very competitive…the application of project based learning with youtube videos will be very useful and very supportive of future careers, because the process of creating youtube video project involves the ability to solve the problem. this experience will be very useful in the future. the calculation of youtube video scoring relating to critical thinking skill as previously mentioned, the documentations of youtube video were then scored by using scoring rubric adopted from www.rcampuscom. in general, students’ work uploaded onto youtube are excellent and satisfying in three aspects, namely, length, content accuracy, and presentation, with the obtained score of each video created by students valued 4. it is unfortunate that the students’ works were weakened by the aspect of argument at which the students did not attach subtitle or any captain accompanying what expression they were uttered uploading onto the video. consequently, all students work fulfilled the criteria of 1. the calculation of youtube video scoring are described in table 6. table 6. the calculation of youtube video scoring aspects description score argument the purpose of the video is unclear. the argument is not developed or supported by any relevant evidence. 1 presentation video is visually interesting and approach is extremely creative. many props and/or costumes enhance the presentation. if additional music is added, the music compliments the piece and does not overpower other audio. 4 content accuracy content of movie is 100% historically accurate. the information presented is extremely relevant to the overall topic. 4 length video is between 2 and 4 minutes long. 4 table 6 indicates that students followed the instruction well which means that they gained knowledge by reading the instruction given before creating the project. the accuracy of the content was also obtained through their comprehension knowledge on english for medical. this was followed by their ability of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation in order to produce and present the project. only the argument aspect that had the least of all aspects because the students did not include the subtitle or any captain text accompanying what they were uttered in video. the intended argument in the project created by the students of the present study refers to the http://www.rcampuscom/ dedeh rohayati & etika rachmawati the impacts of creating youtube video project to facilitate students’ critical thinking 330 reason, as well as fact, as suggested by reichenbach (2001), why the video was created. the purpose of the creating youtube video seemed to be difficult to be answered as an authentic material for those who would like to learn english for medical. meanwhile, the future learners who would use this video would also like to learn all aspect of english productive and receptive skill, both orally and written accurately, that would occur hand in hand. it was unfortunate that there were not subtitle to prove that the video youtube can be utilize for developing student english proficiency, mainly in listening skill and recognizing written vocabulary. yet, it must be admitted that students’ project represented their innovative work due to the contribution of internet environment. this is relevant with hermariyanti & ferawaty (2016) who conduct the research on the topic of electronic based writing, however, resulting in the same idea in that the internet accessibility made any students’ work innovative. connecting to critical thinking skill, the documentation of youtube video created by students reflected their critical thinking skill referring to taxonomy bloom. students’ knowledge on creating the project was based on their ability in searching the information. the intended information consisted of how to have a comprehensive knowledge of linguistics competences and information, computer, and technology competencies. after comprehending the information regarding the way to create youtube video containing english for medical, students applied those informations which is in the form of instruction. it was followed by analyzing each information of procedure and resources to be utilized in creating a youtube video. all of procedures and resources were synthesized, then, the students made evaluation towards the obtained procedures and resources. after making evaluation, it was obtained all resources to be employed in creating a youtube video. finally, the project final product was uploaded onto youtube channel. seeing the students’ critical thinking skill reflected on youtube video, it implied that students have a high reading comprehension skill. meanwhile, the reading comprehension correlate to the ability of critical thinking (hidayati, indrawati, & loeneto, 2020). the intended reading activity deals with reading instruction or procedure in creating the project and reading the world which is getting global and competitive. conclusion the present study has discussed the impacts of creating youtube video to facilitate students’ critical thinking. it has been revealed not only students’ attitudes towards creating the projects, but also students’ competencies in the area of linguistics, information, communication, and technology, as well as critical thinking. regarding the linguistics competencies, students become more proficient in spoken english for medical, master the related vocabulary, and recognize the discourse format on related topic. with regards to the competency of information, communication, and technology, students begin to have a comprehensive knowledge of creating the content of youtube video, particularly that can be used widely for learning english for medical. despite the fact that students’ critical thinking still need improvement, the present study exemplifies students’ critical thinking reflection. in addition, the final products might become evidence that students are insisted to share the video widely in order to be used by those who wants to learn english for medical. however, the research would seem to be significantly intriguing best if only the research involved various instrument and rich data. therefore, the future research is suggested to broadly utilize the methodologies which lead to the rationale research result. references abdgani, n. i., rathakrishnan, m., & krishnasamy, h. n. (2020). a pilot test for establishing validity and reliability of qualitative interview in the blended learning english proficiency course. j crit rev, 7(5), 140-143. alanazi, m.a. (2013). using electronic writing to promote students' writing. eastern ashington: unpublished thesis. artello, k. (2013). what they learned: using multimedia to engage undergraduates in research. innovative higher education, 39(2), 169–179. bloom, b. s. (1956). taxonomy of educational objectives, vol. i: cognitive domain. white plains, ny: longman. brinkmann, s. & kvale, s. (2014). learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing. third edition. california: sage publication. brodahl, c., hadjerrouit, s., & hansen, n.k. (2011). collaborative writing with web. 2.0 technologies: education students’ perception. journal of information technology education: innovation in technology, 10. http://www.jite.informingscience.ordocuments/ vol10/jitev10iipp073103brodahl948.pd http://www.jite.informingscience.ordocuments/vol10/jitev10iipp073103brodahl948.pd http://www.jite.informingscience.ordocuments/vol10/jitev10iipp073103brodahl948.pd english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 331 brunner, i. (2013). using language learning resources on youtube. international conference for language teaching, 1-5. chaffee, j. (2014). thinking critically. 11th edition. stanford: cengage learning http://www.amazon.com/thinkingcriticallyjohnchaffeecbook/dp/b00h7ht78a#reader128543 0115 chafee, j., mcmahon, c. & stout b. (2015). critical thinking thoughtful writing-a rhetoric with reading. sixth edition. stanford: cengage learning. dooly, m., & masats, d. (2011). closing the loop between theory and praxis: new models in efl teaching. elt journal 65(1). pp. 42-51. facione, p.a., & facione, n.c. (2011). holistic critical thinking scoring rubric in insight assessment. millbrae ca: the california academic press. http://www.insightassessment.com/resources/t eaching-training-and-learningtools/holisticcritical-thinkingscoring-rubric-hctsr hermariyanti, k. & ferawaty, p. (2016). pengenalan webquests dalam pembelajaran bahasa inggris. faktor jurnal ilmiah kependidikan 3(3), 235240. hidayati, m., indrawati, r.,and loeneto, b. (2020). the correlations among critical thinking skills, critical reading skills, and reading comprehension. english review: journal of english education, 9(1). jones, c. & shao, b. (2011). the net generation and digital natives: the implication for higher education. http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/nextgeneration-and-digitalnatives.pdf, 22 march 2018. june, s., yaacob, a., & kheng, y. k. (2014). assessing the use of video youtubes and interactive activities as a critical thinking stimulator for tertiary students: an action research. international education studies, 7(8). doi:10.5539/ies.v7n8p56 kavaliauskiene, g., suchanova, j., & velickiene, d. (2012). students’ reflection on writing in esp. santalka: filologija, edukologija, 20(2), issn 1822-430 print/ 1822-4318 online. www.cpe.vgtu.lt/index.php/cpe/article/downloa d/cpc.../pdf lubis, n., lubis, a., purba, n. b. (2020). projectbased learning collaborated with digital media for indonesian efl learners’ self-confidence and communication skill. jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran terpadu. 2(1), 10-18. patton, a. (2012). work that matters the teacher’s guide to project-based learning. london: paul hamlyn foundation. pratama, e. & abdullah, c.u. (2014). cartoon story maker software, project-based learning assessment, and validity. konferensi linguistik tahunan atmajaya 12, 347-350. pratama, e. (2018). using video blogging as an appropriate media for teaching english: bring a live classroom. english journal, 12(1), 49-52. reichenbach, b. (2001). introduction to critical thinking. new york mcgraw-hill. romagnuolo, a. (2015). teaching in an e-learning environment: an italian case study international journal of language and linguistics, 3(6), 383393. http://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pd f/10.11648.j.ijll.20150306.21.pdf saadé, r. g., morin, d., & thomas, j. d. e. (2012). critical thinking in e-learning environments. communications in human behavior, 28(5), 1608–1617. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2012.03.025 saliba, r., mussleman, p., fernandes, m., & bendriss, r. (2017). promoting information literacy of pre-medical students through project-based learning: a pilot study. international journal of education and literacy studies, 5(4), 1-15. sharadgah, t.a.a. (2014). developing critical thinking skills through writing in an internet-based environment. international journal of humanities and social science, 4(1), p.169-178. topps, d., helmer, j., & ellaway, r. (2013). youtube as a platform for publishing clinical skills training videos. academic medicine, 88(2), 192–197. wahyudin, a. y. (2016). the effect of project-based learning on l2 spoken performance of undergraduate students in english for business class. in ninth international conference on applied linguistics (conaplin 9). atlantis press. http://www.amazon.com/thinkingcritically-johnhttp://www.amazon.com/thinkingcritically-johnhttp://www.insightassessment.com/resources/teaching-training-and-learningtools/holistic-critical-thinkingscoring-rubric-hctsr http://www.insightassessment.com/resources/teaching-training-and-learningtools/holistic-critical-thinkingscoring-rubric-hctsr http://www.insightassessment.com/resources/teaching-training-and-learningtools/holistic-critical-thinkingscoring-rubric-hctsr http://www.cpe.vgtu.lt/index.php/cpe/article/download/cpc.../pdf http://www.cpe.vgtu.lt/index.php/cpe/article/download/cpc.../pdf file:///c:/users/fahruz%20z%20f/downloads/ational%20journal%20of%20%09language%20and%20ling file:///c:/users/fahruz%20z%20f/downloads/ational%20journal%20of%20%09language%20and%20ling http://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pd%20f/10.11648.j.ijll.20150306.21.pdf http://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pd%20f/10.11648.j.ijll.20150306.21.pdf dedeh rohayati & etika rachmawati the impacts of creating youtube video project to facilitate students’ critical thinking 332 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 431 how to teach english conversation? an implementation of a multimodal discourse analysis through images partohap saut raja sihombing faculty of teacher training and education, universitas hkbp nommensen pematangsiantar, indonesia email: partohap.sihombing@uhn.ac.id herman (corresponding author) faculty of teacher training and education, universitas hkbp nommensen, medan, indonesia email: herman@uhn.ac.id nanda saputra stit al-hilal sigli, indonesia email: nandasaputra680@gmail.com apa citation: sihombing, p. s. r., herman., & saputra, n. (2022). how to teach english conversation? an implementation of a multimodal discourse analysis through images. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 431-438. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6244 received: 27-02-2022 accepted: 24-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction language is a human specialized instrument in conveying thoughts, sentiments and explanations. all in all, people can not be isolated from language since people in each movement will require language as something critical in carrying on with their life processes (herman, van thao, & purba, 2021; van thao & herman, 2021). language is not just as verbal language, to be specific communicated in and composed language, yet in addition nonverbal language like movement, sound, items, colors, etc. in this correspondence, these two sorts of language assume a nearly adjusted part on the grounds that by depending on verbal language alone disregarding nonverbal language comprehension of something will be restricted (purnaningwulan, 2015). as confirmed by hutabarat, herman, silalahi, & sihombing (2020), verbal language alone without all movement, sound, shading, and material articles restricts' how one might interpret the intricacy of a collaboration and interactional importance and can give limits on correspondence. to pass on a message, people do different ways, for example, through addresses, abstract: the purpose of this research is to identify how is the role of images implementation in teaching english conversation. rapid technological developments increasingly highlight the use of multimodality theory. multimodal in this case has a metafunction. multimodal is now used as a new learning resource that can be used in the learning process. this multimodal aims as an evolving approach to knowledge in visual or image sources. this study used a qualitative descriptive method. in this study, an analysis of multimodal literature is carried out, namely through pictures of english conversations, these images are then used in learning about conversations in english. three steps of representational metafunction, an interpersonal metafunction, and a compositional metafunction were used to analyze the multimodality of images used as learning media in learning english. the results obtained are that there is an increase in students' understanding when using images as learning media in conversational material in english. based on the analysis of three multimodal components, namely the representational, interpersonal, and compositional, it is possible to conclude that the image of the english conversation employed leads to adaptation to the qualities of the kid as a learner. children enjoy animated characters, and the use of color and animation in drawings is designed to pique pupils' interest in participating in learning by displaying images of discussions and encouraging them to practice them. keywords: multimodal analysis; english conversation; learning; images. partohap saut raja sihombing, herman, & nanda saputra how to teach english conversation? an implementation of a multimodal discourse analysis through images 432 addresses, declarations, signs or images, ads, etc. this multitude of exercises surely require an apparatus, to be specific language. in relational associations, sinar states that there are three significant components that participate in correspondence, in particular: verbal, sound or sound (communicated in language) or chart (composed language), and visuals. verbal language is communicated in and composed language, while the result part of verbal language is sound or sound, and composing is diagram (anstey & bull, 2019). visual association is nonverbal language which incorporates motions, non-verbal communication, etc. the three components of relational connection now and again have various degrees of job, however here and there they have a decent degree of job in passing on messages. perusing abilities involving components of chart or composed language in it (martinec, 2015). dominating the abilities to have the option to comprehend the message or message in the perusing is significant. snow states that youngsters who have perusing hardships not just will generally battle all through their school professions, yet in addition experience challenges in work, social working in the public arena, and different parts of day to day existence. consequently, understanding the multimodal approach in language abilities, particularly understanding texts, is something essential to dominate, particularly in learning (purba & herman, 2020). multimodal learning can be applied to understudies and understudies who as of now comprehend innovation as a component of regular daily existence (ngongo & ngongo, 2022). characterizes multimodal as all verbal and visual semiotic sources that can be utilized to understand the sorts and levels of dialogical association in a reading material (herman, murni, sibarani, & saragih, 2019). with regards to message examination, multimodal is perceived as an investigation that consolidates the apparatuses and steps of semantic examination, like fundamental utilitarian phonetics (sfl) or useful language with logical devices to get pictures, when the message being dissected utilizations two modes, verbal and picture (juliswara, 2017). multimodality is certainly not another peculiarity. baldry and thibault (see that we live in a multimodal society. individuals of this period will encounter the world multimodally and thusly, make importance from their encounters multimodally utilizing language, pictures, motions, activities, sounds and different assets. bilfaqih & qomarudin (2017) clarify that they accept that practically speaking, texts of assorted types are consistently multimodal, using, and consolidating, the assets of different semiotic frameworks to work with nonexclusive (for example standard) and explicit for example individual, and, surprisingly, inventive, approaches to making meaning. innovation, both in giving relative simplicity in text creation and pervasive access in text utilization, likewise emphasizes the multimodal idea of text. this study about teaching english conversation through images based on multimodal discourse analysis has been never conducted by any other researchers before. but, the researchers tried to look for other previous study related to this research. the previous study of increasing students’ conversation skill has been conducted by syafiq, rahmawati, anwari, & oktaviana (2021). the research discussed about one alternative solution for teaching speaking during pandemic is to use a youtube video. this study seeks to discover the utilization of youtube videos to improve students' speaking skills, as well as how the teaching and learning process utilizing youtube videos is implemented in the classroom. in 2020, muhammadiyah university of kudus first semester college students participated in a classroom action research. this study's population consisted of all non-english programs, and the samples consisted of 85 students from redundant classes who were chosen via purposive sampling. the data was collected using a speech evaluation and an interview, and it was then analyzed using the constant comparative method and descriptive statistics. this study found that using youtube videos as english learning material enhanced students' speaking skills in terms of fluency, vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and content. as a result, it is possible to conclude that the usage of youtube videos might improve students' speaking skills while online learning in pandemic. covid-19. further research could focus on the use of youtube videos to teach other english skills such as reading and writing. method the method used in this research is qualitative with descriptive nature. according to purba, sibarani, murni, saragih, & herman (2022), the research english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 433 method with a qualitative approach utilizes data in the form of word, spoken or picture descriptions of an individual, phenomenon or symptom of a group with various dimensions that can be observed by researchers (sihombing, silalahi, saragih, & herman, 2021; simajuntak, napitupulu, herman, purba, & thao, 2021). kress and van leeuwen (2016) provide a method for examining advertising images using three meta-semiotic steps (ngongo, 2021). the three steps consist of a representational metafunction, an interpersonal metafunction, and a compositional metafunction. in this study, the researchers analyzed the multimodality of images used as learning media in learning english with the following stages: the first step is to analyze the representational metafunction of the image presented using an animated form containing conversation in english as a medium for learning english. picture 1. animated form of english conversation the second step is to analyze the interpersonal metafunction in the conversational picture by paying attention to the form of the picture used the third step is to analyze the compositional meta-function in the english conversation picture which can be used as a medium for learning about english conversation. picture 2. conversation picture the fourth step is to conclude the meaning of the discourse conveyed through the images used in learning. the fourth step concludes the data whether there are differences in the results of students' understanding of the material by using pictures. results and discussion results from the analysis of three social aspects of semiotics, namely the representational, interpersonal, and compositionally, it can be stated that the picture of the english conversation used leads to adjustment to the characteristics of the child as a learner. children like animated characters and the use of color and animation in pictures is intended to attract students' interest in participating in learning and seeing pictures of conversations and practicing them. the following is an analysis of a simple example of how the analytical steps described above can be applied. the analysis was carried out on two pictures (1 and 2) which act as illustrations, which were taken from an english book for elementary schools published by a publisher in bandung. figure 1. (description/identification) this image is a kitchen image. in the image above there are two participants; a child who said “this is the kitchen. my mom is cooking”, with outstretched arms wearing a blue shirt with an orange collar and brown trousers. position the child to the right of the image. picture 3. illustration example his gaze, although not very clear, turned to another participant, a mother who was cooking. the mother, on the left of the image, is standing slightly sideways and her gaze is not directed at the child but at what is in front of her. in front of the mother is a frying pan and kettle. the skillet, kettle, table, and other objects become the setting in which the process takes place. (analysis/significance) the partohap saut raja sihombing, herman, & nanda saputra how to teach english conversation? an implementation of a multimodal discourse analysis through images 434 vector in this image is realized through the eyes, moving from the child to the mother. thus the child becomes a 'reactor' (reactor) while the mother becomes a phenomenon; someone whose activities are described. according to unsworth relying on kress and van leeuwen (2016), when a vector is formed by the line/eye gaze of one or more 'participants' so that they look at something, then the process that occurs is seen as a reaction rather than an action, and ' participants' is called 'reacter' not 'actor'. the object in this image is depicted in a small size, and using a 'medium close shot', places us as the 'viewer' slightly above the image; when we look at the picture we are like looking down a little. this means that as 'viewers' we have more power than the 'represented participants' in the picture. 'medium close shot' makes us only have social relations, not very close to 'represented participants' (chen, 2021). we know them as we know people in general; they are not part of those closest to us. this further means, 'represented participants' represent a general description of mothers and what activities are commonly attached to the domestic role of mothers in the social practices of our society. the gazes of the two participants are not directed at us who are looking but in another direction so that there is no contact between them and us. when there is no eye contact between the 'represented participants' and the 'viewers', the 'viewers' are placed as observers; they don't 'demand' but 'offer' us. as observers, we are offered to observe what is happening in the kitchen. the size of the 'participant' in the thumbnail as well as the frame. this makes us as 'interactive participants' have greater power over the 'represented participants'. from a compositional layout point of view, the mother is to the left of the image, while the child is to the right of the image. according to kress and van leeuwen (2016), what is placed on the left of the image is 'given' while what is on the right is 'new'. in the picture above, the mother and what she does are 'given' while the child is 'new'. in this context, it should be explained that the 'given-new' composition applies to cultures in which the reading flow moves from left to right, while for cultures that use a right to left or top-down reading flow such as arabic and chinese cultures, the 'given-new' composition new' cannot be used. such cultures use the term compositional layout differently. this form of composition has been criticized for being considered, in between, to overgeneralize over all cultures. however, for a reading and writing culture that moves from left to right, such as indonesia. in the analyzed images, 'given' means mother and especially what mothers do is something that is normal, natural, and should be. while what is new is more important what the child does. blue as the color of children's clothes is a soft color and is usually considered to represent calm. this is because blue is often associated with the color of the sea or mountains (russell, & norvig, 2020). mother's clothes color, orange 'wrapped' brown. orange is a 'warm' color, usually considered to be a symbol of passion. while brown, the color that 'wraps' orange, is a soft color. it can be interpreted that the mother is enthusiastic, happy to do what is considered 'should' be done by a mother/wife. verbal analysis shows that the sentences spoken by children contain relational (this is the kitchen) and material (is cooking) processes. relational clauses serve to characterize and to identify. while the material clause is used to indicate, 'doing' or 'happening', doing something, or an ongoing event (sari, 2020). in the context of picture 1, the sentence spoken by the child identifies the room as a kitchen, one of the characteristics of which is the presence of a cooking utensil and someone, in this case, the mother being an actor who is doing the work that 'should' be done, namely cooking in the kitchen. discussion images or pictures, have various possible relationships with verbal, words. for kress & van leeuwen (2016), verbal adds/extends (extends) the meaning of the image and vice versa. or, verbally explain (elaborate) the image and vice versa. kress and van leeuwen (2016) further say that for barthes, the meaning of images in particular, and other semiotic modes, is always associated with, and dependent on, the meaning of the verbal text. meanwhile, for kress and van leeuwen (2016), the visual component of the text, the image, is a message that is composed and arranged independently, related to the verbal text but does not depend (slash from the researcher) on it. culache & obadă (2014) use four categories of heteroglossic dimension proposed by martin and white, finding that visual 'voice' or messages conveyed can contradict (disclaim) with 'voice' or english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 435 verbal messages. in fact, these verbal and visual texts appear simultaneously in budi hermawan: multimodality: interpreting verbal opportunities. this relationship was also found by bednarek and caple who researched photojournalism in print and online newspapers. royce saw that visual and verbal which are used as modes to convey messages in a text have an 'intersemiotic relationship', the relationship between various semiotic modes (firdausy, 2015). the relationship between the two can be 'intersemiotic repetition', intersemiotic synonymy (similarity relations), intersemiotic antonymy (opposition relations), intersemiotic hyponymy (class-subclass relations), intersemiotic meronymy (partwhole relations), intersemiotic collocation (expectancy relations). furthermore, to explain the relationship between verbal and visual text, martinec and salway offer a system to see the relationship between visual and verbal in a multimodal text. their approach is based on status and logical-semantics (logico-semantics) relationships between visuals and verbals (chen, 2021). this differs from the system developed by liu and o'halloran (2009) which is more based on the 'discourse relation' between verbal and visual texts in their analysis of 'cohesive devices' between verbal and visual texts. this has a positive impact on the development of learning outcomes and students' understanding of conversational material in english, this result can also be seen from the increase in student learning outcomes after using pictures. figure 1. average students’ score in english conversation from the diagram above, it was obtained that students' understanding increased after using pictures of english conversation in learning. the picture function, which should contain enough material for material about conversation, has now shifted. the picture is made as attractive as possible so that students are interested in learning about conversation using pictures presented by the teacher. so that the multimodality of english conversation images has a good role and produces developments in learning. this research related about teaching conversation by using images in the perspective of multimodal discourse analysis is very rarely conducted by other researchers. the researchers have tried to search but dominantly, the researches were oriented to the multimodal analysis on printed advertisement and other literatures perspective. the researcher did get one research related to this research. the research was done by vungthong, djonov, and torr (2015) in their research entitled images as a resource for supporting vocabulary learning: a multimodal analysis of thai efl tablet apps for primary school children. the research was about the use of one tablet per child (otpc) by thao government in supporting students' learning in the digital world. the software included in each child's otpc tablet provide multimedia teaching applications (apps) on a variety of disciplines, including english as a foreign language (efl). this essay analyzes how one element of the apps (song videos) uses visuals and words to build meaning and considers the potential of visual-verbal interactions to help vocabulary teaching and learning using the grade 1 and 2 english apps as a case study. the article concludes with a discussion of related pedagogical implications for the use and design of efl materials integrated into multimedia technologies: the critical role of teachers in guiding efl learners' use of such materials, the need for increased awareness of the potential and limitations of images and visual-verbal relations to support efl teaching and learning, and understanding the relationship between multimodal design of efl materials and related learning outcomes. there are some similarities and differences between the research done by vungthong et al. (2015) with this research. the differences are the images used in their research were aimed to enhance thai students in vocabulary learning. hence, the use of blended learning (otpc) by their government in students’ learning vocabulary process. however, this research used images in helping the students in improving their speaking skills in the form of conversation. the images used here were taken from the english book used by the partohap saut raja sihombing, herman, & nanda saputra how to teach english conversation? an implementation of a multimodal discourse analysis through images 436 students. although there are differences, the researchers also depicted some similaries between both researches. the first was on the use of images in helping the students in their learning process. while, the goal was different, but by having these both researches, the researchers believe that images in perspective of multimodal are becoming more important nowadays in teaching english to the students whether in any kinds of english skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing, including to other aspects such as vocabulary, and so on. conclusion from the data analysis, the following conclusions can be drawn: (1) this multimodality of english conversation images is a representation of fantasy about animated images presented in learning. (2) the analysis of the three metafunctions shows that there is a shift from student focus from images related to english conversation material by displaying animation in the image. the visual appearance shown in the image with this animation is a fantasy genre modality because of the selection of attractive colors according to the characteristics of students. (3) there is an increase in the average learning outcomes of students before and after learning with animated images of english conversation material given by the teacher from 67 to 89. (4) the multimodality of the ad analysis shows that the selection of animated images visual in multymodal in the images made using animation on the material about english conversation has a significant influence on the development of student learning. references anstey, m., & bull, g. (2019). helping teacher to explore multimodal texts. curriculum and leadership journal, (online), 8 (16), 103-110. bilfaqih, y., & qomarudin, m. n. (2017). multimodal analysis. in dee publish (vol. 1). dee publish. chen. (2021). analisis audio visual pada iklan. jurnal pengabdian masyarakat, 1(3).1–16 culache, o., & obadă, d. r. (2014). multimodality as a premise for inducing online flow on a brand website: a social semiotic approach. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 149(2), 261–268. firdausy, c. . (2015). audio visual in multymodal analysis. lipi press. herman, murni, s. m., sibarani, b., & saragih, a. (2019). structures of representational metafunctions of the “cheng beng” ceremony in pematangsiantar: a multimodal analysis. international journal of innovation, creativity and change, 8(4), 34–46. https://www.ijicc.net/images/vol8iss4/8403_herma n_2019_e_r.pdf herman., purba, r., thao, n. v., & purba, a. (2020). using genre-based approach to overcome students’ difficulties in writing. journal of education and elearning research, 7(4), 464-470. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2020.74.464.4 70 herman, van thao, n., & purba, n. a. (2021). investigating sentence fragments in comic books: a syntactic perspective. world journal of english language, 11(2), 139–151. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v11n2p139 hutabarat, e., herman, h., silalahi, d. e., & sihombing, p. s. r. (2020). an analysis of ideational metafunction on news jakarta post about some good covid-19 related news. voices of english language education society, 4(2), 142–151. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v4i2.2526 juliswara, v. (2017). mengembangkan model literasi media yang berkebhinekaan dalam menganalisis informasi berita palsu (hoax) di media sosial. jurnal pemikiran sosiologi, 4(2), 1–23. doi: https://doi.org/10.22146/jps.v4i2.28586 kress, g., & van leeuwen, t. (2016). reading images the grammar of visual design. new york: routledge. liu, y. and o’halloran, k. l. (2009). intersemiotic texture: analyzing cohesive devices between language and images. social semiotics, 19(4), 367388. doi:10.1080/10350330903361059 purbamartinec, r. (2015). a system for image-text relation in new (and old). lipi press. ngongo, m. (2021). the investigation of modality and adjunct in spoken text of proposing a girl using waijewa language based on halliday’s systemic functional linguistic approach. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 223–234. https://doi.org/0.25134/erjee.v10i1.5382 ngongo, m., & ngongo, y. (2022). mood clauses in spoken text of proposing a girl using waijewa language : a systemic functional linguistics approach. journal of language and linguistic studies, 18(1), 669–691. purba, r., & herman. (2020). multimodal analysis on ertiga car advertisement. wiralodra english journal, 4(1), 21–32. https://doi.org/10.31943/wej.v4i1.77 purba, r., sibarani, b., murni, s. m., saragih, a., & herman. (2022). conserving the simalungun language maintenance through demographic community: the analysis of taboo words across english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 437 times. world journal of english language, 12(1), 40–49. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v12n1p40 purnaningwulan, r. d. (2015). hubungan terpaan iklan televisi produk revlon dengan motivasi konsumen wanita dalam melakukan pembelian produk di mall surabaya. commonline departemen komunikasi, 4(2), 56-68. russell, s., and norvig, p. (2020). visual image as media education. in pearson series in artificial intelligence. sari, s. (2020). analisis multimodal. journal of reflection: ekonomic, accounting, management business, 3(2), 291–300. sihombing, p. s. r., silalahi, d. e., saragih, d. i., & herman, h. (2021). an analysis of illocutionary act in incredible 2 movie. budapest international research and critics institute: humanities and social sciences, 4(2), 1772–1783. https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v4i2.1850 simajuntak, v. d. s., napitupulu, e. r., herman, purba, c. n., & thao, n. van. (2021). deixis in the song lyrics of hailee steinfeld’s “half written story” album. central asian journal of social sciences and histoey, 2(3), 98–105. syafiq, a. n., rahmawati, a., anwari, a., & oktaviana, t. (2021). increasing speaking skill through youtube video as english learning material during online learning in pandemic covid-19. elsya: journal of english language studies, 3, 50-55. van thao, n., & herman. (2021). an analysis of idiomatic expressions found in ed sheeran’s selected lyrics songs. central asian journal of literature, philosophy and culture, 2(1), 12–18. https://doi.org/2660-6828 vungthong, s., djonov, e. and torr, j. (2015). images as a resource for supporting vocabulary learning: a multimodal analysis of thai efl tablet apps for primary school children. tesol quarterly, 50(1), 32-40. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.274. partohap saut raja sihombing, herman, & nanda saputra how to teach english conversation? an implementation of a multimodal discourse analysis through images 438 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 93 students’ perception on google meet video conferencing platform during english speaking class in pandemic era berita mambarasi nehe english study program, stkip setia budhi rangkasbitung email: itanehe81@gmail.com apa citation: nehe, b. m. (2021). students’ perception on google meet video conferencing platform during english speaking class in pandemic era. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 93-104. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5359 received: 16-08-2021 accepted: 17-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction due to current covid-19 outbreak, all institutions and business area, and religious institutions do meeting events by using online meeting platform for the sustainable activities. electronic learning (e-learning) has been viewed as the most appropriate strategy to deal with the teaching and learning process. now almost all institutions hop on online meeting due to lockdowns related to coronavirus. in addition to these, all primary, junior, and senior high schools and all universities in indonesia also use online media to conduct distance teaching process (dave, 2020). during pandemic in indonesia, the elearning stages suggested by the government are rumah belajar platform created by the ministry of education and culture of indonesia and spad is created by the ministry of research, technology, and higher education for heis. rumah belajar is a free internet learning platform as an elective learning asset for teachers and students. the ministry of education and culture of indonesia joined forces with a few web-based learning applications, for example sekolahmu, mejakita, ganeca digital, kelas pintar, ruang guru, quipper school, cisco webex, zenius,, and google classroom (octaberlina & muslimin, 2020). while france-presse stated that some platform options that can be used are facebook, google meet, zoom, skype, etc. the using google meet is about six million organizations like manufacturing facilities and hospitals, banks, and warehouses (francepresse, 2020). a solution in teaching learning process nowadays is by using online-based platforms that can be undergone smoothly. virtual meetings through online applications have many benefits, especially on video conferencing that provides the abstract: the aim of the research was to investigate students’ perception while teaching learning process in 16 meeting by having google meet video conferencing. method of the research used qualitative research by focusing at descriptive analysis to explore students’ perception in english speaking class as it was followed by 13 english students at the second semester of english study program of stkip setia budhi rangkasbitung who join speaking lesson. instruments used were observation, questionnaire, and interview. the results of the research about students’ perception emphasized on interaction, teaching learning process, psychological aspects, and speaking skills. the researcher found that interaction showed that there were three patterns of interaction, they were interaction lecturer-students, students-lecturer, and students-students interaction. the three interactions happened well since the number of them was 100% and all students were involved in speaking activity. teaching learning process was done as usual like in a real classroom such as pre-activity, main activity, and post-activity. in the form of psychological aspects, students were happy, secure, confident, and brave. data showed 100%, it meant that they did not have any barriers during english speaking class with google meet video conference. speaking skills in the form of pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, fluency, and comprehension. students kept having their right to learn about those aspects supported by the teacher in google meet. when students did some mistakes, lecturer explained directly in general at the end of class and this way was very helpful for students in learning speaking. from these findings, the conclusion was the usage of google meet video conferencing in the speaking class showed positive respond that students’ perception on google meet showed mostly perceive the advantages rather than disadvantages of google meet video conferencing provided. keywords: students’ perception; google meet video conference; english speaking. berita mambarasi nehe students’ perception on google meet video conferencing platform during english speaking class in pandemic era 94 learning process practical, safe, efficient (pratama, nor, azman, kassymova, & shakizat, 2020). through video conferencing, students can feel a sense of togetherness and have good interaction to communicate with friends and teacher interactively. besides, the features online applications make the learning process easier because users can send files during the learning process or use digital whiteboards in online application features. online learning is an alternative way which can be used as a learning tool during the pandemic. some studies recognized the shift towards online learning as vigorous, but this is important for learning process keep going (bao, 2020; halim, hashim, & yunus, 2020; hodges, moore, lockee, trust, & bond, 2020; zhu, chen, & avadhanam, 2020). all universities and colleges use some platform in shifting a group of virtual teaching environment to achieve certain successful results. when implementing the online learning, most english lecturer were not able to use various media or platforms as well as learning activities in online learning. lee & pyun said their digital literacy make could be the cause in that situation (lee, 2019). the process of teaching and learning tended to be monotonous (durriyah & zuhdi, 2018). thus, it led to the students’ boredom. consequently, this situation significantly affected the students’ motivation in learning english during the pandemic. moreover, the decrease of students’ efl learning motivation might lead to the decrease of their achievement owing to monotonous learning and having unable to understand the subject matter well. in several cases that the researcher found in the school, there were only 6 to 7 of 13 students joined the online classroom. the long run of this condition can trigger to students’ fear when dealing with english. this condition can’t be taken for granted if english teachers put high expectation towards better english mastery for indonesian learners (hidayati, 2016). the study of the use of google application for education and the enhancement of english communication skills among the learners should be run to investigate the students’ perceptions, experience, and attitudes towards the effectiveness of the google apps such as g suite (google drive, google form, google docs, gmail, google hangouts, google sheets, and google calendar) in an online setting. it is believed that the results of this research will be a good point for english teachers to apply a task-based learning approach along with the use of web 2.0 tools, particularly g suite, to serve the needs of the learners in the future online and blended learning contexts (chiablaem, 2021). google meet is one of video communication service which is very helpful, the interface provided by google meet allows users to meet face to face directly and effectively, but it is also very light and fast. management is not difficult and can be followed by many participants (singh & awasthi, 2020). according to fakhruddin (2019), the use of google meet as the teaching tool which is applied on english classroom of speaking activities was proven to be effective in improving the students’ speaking skills. using google meet video conferencing, students have more opportunities to interact with their friends and can expose and explore verbally their speaking skills (fakhruddin, 2019). some advantages of a google meet are easy to use, interesting display, white board is available there and you are free to write, free of charge, video display in high definition (hd), video encryption, share screen feature and available for 100 or 250 audience (sawitri, 2020). the easiness given by google meet make instructors easy to use this tool on every occasion whatever the lesson you want to teach to your students and there is no reason anymore that lecturer is difficult to teach online. face to face online can help lecturer as well to monitor students’ behavior during class running. students feel satisfied when get interaction in online classes by using a google meet video conference platform, teacher give motivation directly from teacher verbally, they see the teacher from beginning until the end class, students can get direct explanation when students do not understand with the material, adequate facilities, and so on. they have this when they use online learning media via video conferencing (baber, 2020). google meet video conference as one of alternative ways for online interaction as it helps speaking practice for groups of students and facilitates engagement among them to negotiate, interact, and communicate (vurdien, 2019). lecturer and students were like in real classroom, they can speak take in turn and practice speaking english together. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 95 google meet is a safe platform in operating because google has claimed that they operate all the products on a safe foundation, and they believe their product data users will keep exist and private. they also provide built-in protection by default that will keep users' meetings safe (john, 2020). since it has many various advantages as a video conferencing platform, many people in the education and business areas prefer to use google meet. users find it easy to use, so this creates a positive perception of this platform. and every day, google meet users are increasing significantly (purwanto & tannady, 2020). practically, the use of google meet video conferencing is very easy to use in a virtual speaking lesson, students practice speaking english with their friends as they practice like in a real classroom because the platform provides them a virtual room to speak face to face virtually. blasco and virto investigated about understanding the use of video conferencing, research revealed between interestingness of content and perceived playfulness that the most significant relationship; playfulness and intention is most significant linkage; and there is no effect between perceived ease of use and usefulness (blasco & virto, 2020). pyun and lim conduct the research via desktop videoconferencing on a group of korean students at a university in the us and their peers at a college in south korea, they highlighted that video conferencing sessions had contributed to the development of students’ listening and speaking skills, apart from broadening their cultural horizons through exposure to the views of the target language speakers (lim & pyun, 2016). coutinho investigated students in middle east could improve their linguistic skills through performing collaborative tasks with brazilian students in video conferencing. he found that video conferencing helped students in getting confidence and improved their communicative skills, their knowledge was broader and became more aware of the foreign culture (coutinho, 2016). putra (2021) found on his research where during this online learning many students lost their motivation to learn, as evidenced by most of students being proved by those who were late or reluctant to complete the assignment that the teacher had given. after using google meet, their motivation increased by 79.4%. this is evidenced by the results obtained that students were involved and participated actively. besides that, they also shared their ideas about the learning material at that time. in addition, their motivation was increased when doing their assignments according to what their teacher intends (putra, 2021). bailey & lee stated that conversation classes need corrective feedback and some activities were required during the class moreover when it focus pronunciation aspect and writing skill create the teachers’ hardship more than other online learning lessons (bailey & lee, 2020). students need more energy in learning speaking. don’t let students less motivation in learning during pandemic covid-19 because they deserve to have learning either in the classroom or online learning. and google meet video conferencing answer this challenge to support students keep learning speaking lesson. many studies showed the difficulty of mastering speaking skills. speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves the production, reception, and processing of information. some of the factors that cause problems in speaking to students, first are poor reading habits, unequal participation and practice of english both inside and outside the classroom, and confusion in the application of grammar rules (sayuri, 2016). student interaction plays an important role in the classroom because students can improve their speaking skills in a classroom setting. this analysis also confirms the important concern for the use of student interaction instruction in the development of speaking skills (saeed, khaksari, eng, & ghani, 2016). englishtina et.al investigated on students’ participation on speaking online class, there it was founded that students less interest in speaking through online (englishtina, al, dieni, mahardhika, & faculty, 2021). different from baron that audio visual element in learning gives benefits for mastery of speaking skills. moreover, nowadays the mobile phone features have been equipped with many applications that can be used to learn english speaking. zoom and google hangouts meet is a popular video application. the implication of study is to increase teacher’s creativity to use the online application (baron, 2020). adijaya and santosa investigated students’ perception in online learning about students’ interaction and learning environment. the data show that students face some problems to interact berita mambarasi nehe students’ perception on google meet video conferencing platform during english speaking class in pandemic era 96 not only with other students but also with the lecturer. on learning environment less support them in learning teaching process (adijaya & santosa, 2018). the creativity and innovative of using application make students interested in learning so lecturer must be clever in digital literacy.. while purnama investigated about students’ respond toward google meet implementation for speaking subject for daily context. she found that all students got high motivation in learning and involved actively during teaching learning (purnama, 2021). septantiningtyas, juhji, sutarman, rahman, sa’adah, & nawisa (2021) found that google meet give good influence on students’ interest in learning this is because the learners is very easy to implement, time flexible (septantiningtyas et al., 2021). nilayon and brahmakasikara found that the use of video conferencing showed outstanding improvement on lower level participants and most of the participant thought that the way of learning improved their english speaking skills and confidence (nilayon & brahmakasikara, 2018). from those previous studies above, it can be concluded that there were few researches that investigated deeply online english speaking class related to students’ perception on google meet video conferencing, here the researcher did research deeply to explore and focus on students’ perception on interaction, teaching learning process, psychological aspect, and speaking skills in speaking class in details. the current research aims to provide an understanding of the students’ perception of using the google meet video conferencing application in english speaking class. this understanding is expected to be a consideration for other lecturers who will use the same feature during the current outbreak. this online application can be a medium which improves students’ learning outcomes not only for speaking class but also for other subjects during this critical period. the use of google meet conference must be suit to students’ need and students’ condition to make the learning become meaningful. the way to teach in google meet platform especially on speaking class must be the same situation like in a real classroom, it means students are asked to speak actively even though in virtual room. method this paper is a report of a qualitative research by having descriptive analysis about students’ perception when they are learning through google meet video conferencing during speaking lesson. this research is done in a speaking class at the second semester in an english study program of stkip setia budhi rangkasbitung with 13 students. it is arranged to have 16 meeting during even semester 2021. data is taken through observation, questionnaire, and interview. the questionnaire has four indicators, they are about interaction, teaching learning process, psychological aspects, and speaking skills. throughout the semester students join google meet video conferencing practice their speaking skills. results and discussion results based on the research result conducted for 16 meetings in speaking class by using google meeting video conference covered interaction, teaching learning process, psychological aspects, speaking skills aspects. students’ perception in term of interaction student interaction plays an important role in the online class so that lecturer must set and use the platform well. the result can be seen at table 1 and diagram 1. table 1. perception analysis on interaction during speaking class using google meet through interview and observation no. pattern of classroom interaction number of interaction percentage 1 lecturer-students (ls) 13 100% 2 students-lecturer (sl) 13 100% 3 students-students (ss) 13 100% this table above could be drawn into a diagram as followed: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 97 diagram 1. pattern of classroom interaction based on the interview and observation result that all students agreed that using google meet conference in speaking class keep having good interaction on verbal interaction between lecturer – students, students – lecturer, and students – students. the pattern of classroom interaction in google meet video conference in speaking class were ls was 100 %, sl was 100 %, ss was 100 %. it meant that the interaction of speaking activity in the google meet video conference was 100 %. the interaction happened very good in the platform because all students were involved well. students’ perception in term of teaching learning process the result of teaching learning process through questionnaire can be seen at table 2 and diagram 2 table 2. perception analysis on teaching learning process during speaking class using google meet through questionnaire teaching learning process yes no pre-activities share link  greeting  checking attendance list  apperception  main activities question answer  chain of speaking  discussion  summarizing the topic learnt  post-activities giving feedback  this table above could be drawn into a diagram as followed: diagram 2. students’ perception on teaching learning process berita mambarasi nehe students’ perception on google meet video conferencing platform during english speaking class in pandemic era 98 the table and diagram showed students perceive in positive in which lecturer did teaching learning process well by using google meet video conference. based on the questionnaire got from students, students put check “yes” for preactivities, main activities, and post activities. these meant that the lecturer taught the students used google meet video conferencing normatively as in the real classroom happened. students’ perception in term of speaking skills the result of speaking skills can be seen at table 3 and diagram 3 below table 3. analysis perception on speaking skills speaking skills p v g f c y n y n y n y n y n stud 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 p stands for pronunciation, v stands for vocabulary, g stands for grammar, f stands for fluency, c stands for comprehension, y stands for yes, and n stands for no. it can be drawn into diagram below: diagram 3. speaking skills from google meet video conference, students keep going study about pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, fluency and comprehension between students and lecturer, and between students and students. these elements must be trained well to students. with this application audio visual help students train those elements. students’ perception in term of psychological aspects the result of psychological aspects can bee seen at 4 and diagram 4 below table 4. psychological aspects students aspects happy secured confident brave a-m yes yes yes yes it can be drawn into diagram below: diagram 4. psychological aspects english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 99 based on questionnaire given to students that 13 students answer happy when they engaged on google meet or = 100 % because they could see lecturer and friends there. 100% students were secure because they feel secure when they spoke and there were no friends laughed them, 100% students were confident to speak because nobody around them since learning only friends in a camera or virtual, even all students watched but it was different from real classroom. 100% they were brave to speak, they did not feel shy to express ideas and made conversation with lecturer and students. the rules were when lecturer spoke with one student or two students, the other must turn off microphone, in this case when something happen and make students laugh, the sound would not be heard by the other only capture smile and the students were in good feel condition. it can be written in table and drawn below: all students feel positive feeling in learning by using google meet video conference, it could be seen that all students or 100 % from four aspect proposed they answered yes. discussion interaction google meet video conference as one of an alternative way for online interaction as it helps speaking practice for groups of students and facilitates engagement among them to negotiate, interact, and communicate (vurdien, 2019). in this platform the students and lecturer interact verbally, no physical interaction at all. lecturer-student interaction is the interaction between the lecturer and students, the lecturer held an important role in this interaction. in this moment, lecturer explained the material to students, when the session was finished the lecturer gave some questions, then students answer the questions to increase students’ ability in speaking english. the interaction on google meet occurred when lecturers giving explanation, information, question, clarification, encouraging, and correct mistakes. see figure 1 below. figure 1. pattern of interaction with lecturer -student interaction the letters on the pattern were l and a-m. l was for lecturer and a-m were for students. from the figure above that there were 13 interactionhappened during teaching learning process engaged in the google meet video conference. students-lecturer interaction is to increase students’ speaking skill, lecturer had to give motivation and appreciation to make students having self-confidence to speak up in english. when the teacher explained about the material and the student do not understand then student asked to the teacher. the interaction happened when students ask questions related to topics, students argue about the topic explained, students expressed their thought, express their feeling. see figure 2 below. figure 2. pattern of interaction with studentlecturer interaction l a b c d e f g h i j k l m l a b c d e f g h i j k l m berita mambarasi nehe students’ perception on google meet video conferencing platform during english speaking class in pandemic era 100 from the figure above that there were 13 interaction happened during teaching learning process engaged in the google meet video conference. students-students interaction were more complex when they meet in google meet conference. the meeting would be more crowded since the sound from the microphone crush each other cause the situation on the platform disturbed. role of lecturer in this moment was instruct students to take in turn when they want to speak with friends or lecturer called two names of students to speak english. interaction in google meet of course quite different from classroom in which in the google meet all the students were not allowed to speak on the same time because it would be mass the learning. from the three interaction, lecturer and students must be wise in using the platform, make the platform more powerful in usage so between the party both lecturer and students were wise in taking turn to speak english. in the google meet, students as the role model on interaction and lecturer was as adviser. by working in peers, the students could exchange ideas and correcting each other’s mistakes. they had an opportunity to make dialogues and communicate among students. see figure 3 below. figure 3. pattern of interaction with students-students interaction from the figure above that there were 13 interaction happened during teaching learning process engaged in the google meet video conference. teaching learning process in teaching learning process used google mee video conference, it was basically the same as when we taught in real classroom. start from opening classroom, main activity, and close activity. when the lecturer wanted to start her lesson, she asked students to turn off microphone, and let lecturer speak by herself and they listen and watched. then she asked students to turn on camera to make sure that they were there. the lecture also must set the sound volume, speed, of speaking, her camera, of course her style performance must be formal. then she opened the class by greeting, gave motivation to students, and checked students’ attendance list by calling students’ name one by one. from opening, she went to main activity that was explaining the material, she must give clear explanation to help students understand well. when the students did not understand, the lecturer could open the session question answer. in this session, lecturer gave kind of exercise of speaking english by asking students to make conversation related to topics which is the content were free based on their thinking. when this session finished, the lecturer concluded the lesson and asked for more weather students truly understood or not and give the feedback. if there were students who did not understand, they could ask the material then the lecturer would explain again and the class closed when all students stated understood. this condition above had brought students in good condition online class, because speaking class need much practice in verbal so that google meeting support well without losing the essence of learning speaking. they practice during the class with lecturer and friends. speaking skills students joint for speaking class by applying google meet video conference. some aspects related to speaking skills were pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, fluency, and comprehension. the lecturer kept paying attention to speaking skills aspects as one of ways to help them getting better in speaking. when the students made kind mistakes during learning, the lecturer evaluated them by not pointing to students who made the mistakes. it was done in general evaluation and students improved their weakness from lecturer’s evaluation. from here, students realized that google meet video conferencing provided them well in learning english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 101 speaking english in which the lecturer always help students to improve their speaking skills by speaking directly on the platform. psychological aspects starting point if you want to teach your students is making sure that your students’ psychology is safe from feeling bad. when they have a good mood, they will follow your class enthusiastic and ready to join the class whenever and wherever even offline or online class. in this research, students’ psychology was fine, they did not have any burden even the class was online. feeling happy make students focus following speaking class and they were not awkward when lecturer asked them to practice. feeling secure make them not afraid to make mistakes when they spoke up, the lecturer never underestimated at all. feeling confident make students feel free practice speaking and feeling brave make students practice speaking among friends well. from result and discussion above, we could see that when students gave positive perception on the usage of platform, it could be said that the lecturer had an intelligence in digital literacy well and vice versa. (lim and pyun, 2016) stated that lecturer must have good digital literacy to do online learning using certain application moreover the application by using video conference in this case was google meet, it must be packaged with interesting learning. moreover, durriyah and zuhdi stated that process of teaching and learning which was monotonous caused unsuccessful in online teaching and make students bored (durriyah & zuhdi, 2018). google meet video conferencing has a special feature for the lecturer who run the platform well make students feel good, safe and this application is very efficient and easy to use in my research. as pratama et.al stated that teaching through virtual meetings have many benefits for both party lecturer and students, especially on video conferencing which provides the learning process efficient, practical, and safe (pratama et al., 2020). conclusion google meet video conference was a tool to teach students during pandemic in an english speaking class. this platform was used to provide students felt like in the real classroom which is lecture and students can meet face to face even the fact was in virtual world but this tool help much to students in interaction, teaching learning process, psychological aspect, speaking skills. students did interaction in three ways, they were lecturerstudents interaction, studentslecture interaction, and students-students interaction. in teaching learning process, it was the same treatment as teaching in a real classroom such as opening activity, main activity, and closing activity. in psychological aspect, all students were happy, secure, confident, and brave to speak in front of camera facing their friends as like in a real class. and in speaking skills, lecturer helped them directly after the class finished by making evaluation about teaching learning process, make sure weather students truly understand or not and correct their pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, fluency, and comprehension in general. acknowledgement i would like to say my thankful to stkip setia budhi rangkasbitung that had support me in funding for conducting the research. thanks to mr. dr. h. suherman, m.pd as the head of stkip setia budhi and p3mpmi who supported me much in doing this research. references adijaya, n., & santosa, l. p. (2018). persepsi mahasiswa dalam pembelajaran online. journal wanastra, 10(2). http://ejournal.bsi.ac.id/ejurnal/index.php/wanastr a. baber, h. (2020). determinants of students’ perceived learning outcome and satisfaction in online learning during the pandemic of covid19. journal of education and e-learning research, 7(3), 285–292. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2020.73.285 .292 bailey, d. r., & lee, a. r. (2020). learning from experience in the midst of covid-19: benefits, challenges, and strategies in online teaching. call-ej, 21(2), 176–196. bao, w. (2020). covid-19 and online teaching in higher education: a case study of peking university. human behavior and emerging technologies, 2(2), 113–115. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.191 baron, r. (2020). students’ perception on online application in speaking skill. voice of english language education society, 4(2), 213–221. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v4i2.254 3 http://ejournal.bsi.ac.id/ejurnal/index.ph berita mambarasi nehe students’ perception on google meet video conferencing platform during english speaking class in pandemic era 102 blasco, f., & virto, n. r. (2020). e-learning using video conferencing applications: how is google meet perceived among students? e-learning using video conferencing application: how is google meet perceived among students? september, 1–7. chiablaem, p. (2021). enhancing english communication skills of thai university students through google apps for education (gafe) in a digital era during covid-19 pandemic. international journal of education, 9(3), 91–98. coutinho, m. (2016). using a telecollaboration exchange web 2.0 in a second language classroom. us china education review, 6(10), 603–609. https://doi.org/10.17265/2161623x/2016.10. dave, p. (2020). google’s fast-growing meet videotool getting zoom-like layout, gmail link. https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2020/04/17/g oogles-fast-growing-meetvideo-tool-gettingzoom-like-layoutgmail-link.html durriyah, t. l., & zuhdi, m. (2018). digital literacy with efl student teachers: exploring indonesian student teachers’ initial perception about integrating digital technologies into a teaching unit. international journal of education and literacy studies, 6(3), 53–60. englishtina, i., al, n., dieni, i., mahardhika, s. m., & faculty, c. (2021). students’ participation on speaking online class (a case study). english teaching journal, 12(2), 1–11. fakhruddin, a. (2019). using google meet in teaching speaking. journal of english language learning, 2(2), 43–46. france-presse, a. (2020). google makes its video meeting service free to all. thejakartapost.com. https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/20 20/04/30/google-makes-its-videomeetingservice-free-to-all.html halim., m. s. a. a., hashim, h., & yunus, m. m. (2020). pupils’ motivation and perceptions on esl lessons through online quiz-games. journal of education and e-learning research, 7(3), 229–234. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.20 20.73.229.234 hidayati, t. (2016). integrating ict in english language teaching and learning in indonesia. journal of english education and linguistic studies, 3(1), 38–62. hodges, c., moore, s., lockee, b., trust, t., & bond, a. (2020). remote teaching and online learning. educause review, 1–15. john, a. st. (2020). it’s not just zoom. google meet, microsoft teams, and webex have privacy issues too. consumer reports, 3. lee, j. s. (2019). affective variables and informal digital learning of english: keys to willingness to communicate in a second language. australasian journal of educational technology, 35(5), 168– 182. lim, b., & pyun, d. o. (2016). videoconferencing with native speakers korean foreign language learning: research gate. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-52250177-0.ch012 nilayon, n., & brahmakasikara, l. (2018). using social network sites for language learning and video conferencing technology to improve english speaking skills: a case study of thai undergraduate students. language education and acquisition research network journal, 11(1), 47–63. octaberlina, l. r., & muslimin, a. i. (2020). efl students’ perspective towards online learning barriers and alternatives using moodle / google classroom during covid-19 pandemic. international journal of higher education, 9(6), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v9n6p1 pratama, h., nor, m., azman, a., kassymova, g. k., & shakizat, s. (2020). the trend in using online meeting applications for learning during the period of pandemic covid-19: a literature review. journal of innovation in educational and cultural research, 1(2), 58–68. https://doi.org/10.46843/jiecr.v1i2.15 purnama, y. i. (2021). analisis respon mahasiswa terhadap pengimplementasian google meet. prosiding seminar nasional penelitian dan pengabdian 2021, 237–241. purwanto, e., & tannady, h. (2020). the factors affecting intention to use google meet amid online meeting platforms competition in indonesia. technology reports of kansai university, 62(06), 2829–2838. putra, r. w. (2021). improving the students’ motivation in learning english through google meet during the online learning. english learning innovation, 2(1), 35–42. saeed, k. m., khaksari, m., eng, l. s., & ghani, a. m. a. (2016). the role of learner-learner interaction in the development of speaking skills. theory and practice in language studies, 6(2), 235– 241.http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0602.03 sawitri, d. (2020). penggunaan google meet untuk work from home di era pandemi coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19). jurnal harapan, 13–21. sayuri. (2016). english speaking problems of efl learners of mulawarman university. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics, 1(1), 47–61. septantiningtyas, n., juhji, j., sutarman, a., rahman, a., sa’adah, n., & nawisa. (2021). implementation of google meet application in the learning of basic science in the covid-19 pandemic period of student learning interests. journal of physics: conference series, 1–7. http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/20 http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/20 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 103 https://doi.org/10.1088/1742596/1779/1/012068 singh, r., & awasthi, s. (2020). updated comparative analysis on video conferencing platformszoom, google meet, microsoft teams, webex teams and gotomeetings. easychair preprint no 4026. vurdien, r. (2019). developing students’ communicative competence. journal of foreign language education and technology, 4(2), 269– 298. zhu, x., chen, b., & avadhanam, r. m. (2020). reading and connecting: using social annotation in online classes. emerald insight. https://doi.org/10.1108/ils04-2020-0117 berita mambarasi nehe students’ perception on google meet video conferencing platform during english speaking class in pandemic era 104 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 453 evaluation on an english coursebook in online learning: voices from teachers wawan setiawan english education department – university of esa unggul, jakarta, indonesia e-mail: wawan.setiawan@esaunggul.ac.id apa citation: setiawan, w. (2021). evaluation on an english coursebook in online learning: voices from teachers. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp.453-462. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4580 received: 10-02-2021 accepted: 01-03-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction 2020 was the year of unexpected changes for the whole world. it has been the year of people embracing fundamental changes in life due to the coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic. to prevent the possibility of spreading the coronavirus, the government in indonesia started imposing largescale social restrictions or pembatasan sosial berskala besar/psbb in april 2020. this policy, of course, has transformed the way how teaching and learning is implemented. the ministry of education and culture has made various learning adjustments during the pandemic. there are hundreds of thousands of schools closed and students studying at home through online learning. both in the area of teaching and in mainstream education, online learning is becoming rapidly popular for over a decade (hockley & clandfield, 2010). white (2003) defined online learning as an approach to teaching and learning that includes the use of internet technologies for learning and teaching. similarly, ko & rossen (2010) asserted that online learning means delivering a course completely or partly over the internet. so, internet plays an important role in online learning. within the literature, the term “online education” is variously mentioned such as online learning, e-learning, distance learning, or web-based learning. despite their substantial differences, they share similar features as mentioned above. dealing with the online learning, the use of technology plays a vital role. internet and supported learning applications contribute to the success of online learning such as whatsapp, discord, google classroom, google meet, zoom, youtube, facebook, etc. however, the sudden transition in education driven by the covid-19, the implementation of teaching and learning process is not without challenges. this has raised the awareness of researchers to investigate the challenges faced by teachers and students in online learning. in indonesian context, lestiyanawati & widyantoro (2020) summarized three major problems faced by teachers: (1) lack of teacher knowledge to adapt teaching using technology, (2) lack of technical support from the school, and (3) difficulties in presenting the materials, while students’ main issue is the ability to access the internet due to their economic family background who may not be able to afford internet data or smartphones. in addition, online learning also has caused anxiety for some students due to the difficulties in understanding the lessons (simamora, 2020). so, online learning has changed the instructional system and it affects teachers’ performance and the quality of education abstract: the covid-19 pandemic has changed how teaching and learning is implemented in indonesia. to prevent the possibility of spreading the virus, students learn from home through online learning. the research is aimed at investigating teachers’ voices on the suitability of coursebook in online learning and teachers’ strategies to make the materials more relevant to teaching and learning context. data gathered from four english teachers at sman 1 indramayu, a public school situated in west java, indonesia, through closed and open questionnaires. the results showed that the coursebook was suitable to be used in online learning despite the fact that it was first used in traditional classrooms. to meet students’ needs and expectation, teachers adapted the materials by employing several strategies such as combining the materials with other resources, redesigning, and reordering. keywords: coursebook; online learning; materials adaptation; teachers’ strategies; teachers’ voices mailto:wawan.setiawan@esaunggul.ac.id wawan setiawan evaluation on an english coursebook in online learning: voices from teachers 454 (rasmitadila, aliyyah, rachmadtullah, samsudin, syaodih, nurtanto, & tambunan 2000). among considerable research on the challenges perceived by teachers and students in online learning, none has apparently researched the suitability of coursebook by eliciting teachers’ voices. in fact, coursebook is also “a central element in teaching-learning encounters” (mcgrath, 2006, p.171). it is a key component in english language teaching which determines the success of the teaching programs at schools (tok, 2010). so, understanding teachers’ voices on a coursebook is immensely important especially in online learning. the materials and tasks provided in the coursebook may not be relevant to students’ needs and expectation. therefore, teachers should be able to understand how suitable the coursebook is for students through a coursebook evaluation. in general, coursebook evaluation is a procedure of where judgments are made by the users to assess its potential values (tomlinson, 2003). tomlinson asserts that what becomes a major concern in evaluation is the users and their judgements which means it tends to be subjective. regarding this subjectivity, graves (2000) pointed out that teachers’ teaching experience, the established beliefs, and their understanding determine their evaluation. in other words, context is the key to the evaluation process to consider before using the coursebook. the purpose of coursebook evaluation is to estimate the suitability of materials following the existing teaching and learning context (mishan & timmis, 2015). deciding on the criteria for coursebook evaluation is a substantial element especially when the evaluators attempt to match these criteria with their context. it requires relevant criteria so that the results of the evaluation can attain the suitability where the coursebooks are being used. similar to the purposes and types of coursebooks evaluation, a variety of evaluation criteria have been proposed by the scholars (ur, 1996; cunningsworth, 1995; singapore wala, 2003; tomlinson, 2003). for the purpose of this research, the criteria from cunningsworth (1995) are used which orientate to investigate in-depth analysis into the materials. the following are eight criteria provided by cunningsworth (1995, pp.3-4) for coursebooks evaluation: aims and approaches. design and organization, language content, skills, topic, methodology, teachers’ book, practical consideration. sheldon (1988) contended that different users use different criteria in their coursebook evaluation due to contextual differences. therefore, in this study, only five criteria are used which are aims and approaches, language content, language skills, topic, and methodology because these criteria bring major information regarding the suitability of the coursebook in online learning. the next step after evaluating the coursebook is to find ways how to make the materials more relevant so that learners can learn more effectively from their coursebooks. this process is called materials adaptation or “a very practical activity carried out mainly by teachers to make their work more relevant to the learners” (mcdonough & shaw, 2003, p.85). adapting the materials require the principles of why the new version of materials is needed. there are three principles of adaptation described by mcdonough & shaw (2003) which are personalizing, individualizing, and localizing. in the first principle, teachers adapt the materials to meet the learners’ needs, interests, and goals. the second principle is to individualism of the materials to address learner differences and the last is to make the materials more relevant to the cultures and traditions of where the coursebook is used. material adaptation also has various techniques that can be used by the teachers. islam & mares (2003) listed some techniques of adaptation that they conclude from the other researchers such as mcdonough & shaw (1993) and cunningsworth (1995). first, teachers can make a quantitative change by extending the activities with similar type of materials or make a qualitative change by providing more activities which have different type of materials to support students’ learning. second, teachers delete the activities quantitatively to make the material shorter. third, teachers simplify the activity, for example by rewording the instruction to be more understandable for their learners. fourth, teachers reorder the sequence of tasks according to the level of difficulty and the stages of the teaching approach they adopt. last, teachers replace the material which is more relevant to their context by taking from other sources such as the internet, newspaper, and videos. in addition, mcdonough & shaw (2003) added one more technique called modifying. in this technique, teachers modify the material to be more relevant. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 455 previously, several studies on coursebook evaluation have been carried out. purwanti (2019) evaluated an esp coursebook entitled “get along with english for the hotel industry” for vocational high school students published by erlangga in 2012. the evaluation was conducted under seven categories which are language content, selection and grading of language items, presentation and practice of new language items, developing language skills and communicative abilities, supporting materials, motivation and the learner, and conclusions and overall evaluation. the result showed that the coursebook was appropriate for the students, but modifications should be made to meet the course objectives. besides, karsudinto (2019) also evaluated a coursebook entitled “when english rings the bell” published by the ministry of culture and education of indonesia for junior high school students grade eight. to collect the data, he used a questionnaire consisting of eight parts: overall evaluation, organization and structure, activities, vocabulary and grammar, language level, supporting resources, practical considerations, physical appearance, and content pages. the result indicated that the teachers had positive perceptions on the suitability of the coursebook but with some improvement in some aspects. similarly, handayani, suwarno, and dharmayana (2018) evaluated the “think globally act locally” coursebook used by junior high school students in grade nine by eliciting teachers’ perspectives. it was found out that the coursebook had strengths (e.g., the physical and utilitarian aspect, the objectives and supplementary materials, content, and language skills) and shortcomings (e.g., were unnatural coursebook illustrations, lack of teaching aids, boring exercises, lack of vocabulary building, and lack of audio materials). based on the previous studies above, it can be seen that there is still a lack of research dealing with the coursebook evaluation in online learning especially during the covid-19 pandemic. therefore, the coursebook evaluation in online learning is also important to be investigated. on top of that, this research also investigated teachers’ strategies to compensate for the drawbacks of the coursebook to meet students’ needs and expectation which have not been studied by researchers on this topic. method the research was conducted at sman 1 indramayu, a public school situated in west java, indonesia. according to bambang mohamad kartono, the assistant principle of academic affairs and curriculum of sman 1 indramayu, the school has prepared the management systems for online learning. they use discord as the communication management system to interact with students and google classroom as the learning management system. teachers are also allowed to use other supporting systems such as youtube, google form, google sheet, zoom, etc. in terms of materials, they use the same coursebook as used in traditional classrooms. with this regard, the researcher would like to find out teachers’ voices regarding the suitability of coursebook “erlangga straight point series english” by lidwina (2019) for high school students in online learning and teachers’ strategies to make the materials more relevant to teaching and learning context. with regards to the aims mentioned above, the following are research questions this study attempted to address: 1) what are teachers’ perspectives on the suitability of coursebook in online learning? 2) what strategies do teachers use to make the materials more relevant to teaching and learning context? this research employed a mixed method and the triangular technique was selected. so, the quantitative and qualitative data collected from the research instruments were analyzed separately and the results were combined to find the convergence, corroboration, and correspondence (greene, caracelli, & graham, 1989). the quantitative method was used to examine the data from the closed questionnaire and the qualitative method was used to analyse the data from the open questionnaire. the participants involved in this research were four english teachers (teachers a, b, c, and d) at sman 1 indramayu including a mixture of male and female participants. the teachers have distinct teaching experience and backgrounds. a likert scale, the most widely used approach, was selected because it can gauge the views of respondents with greater accuracy and offer more flexibility (wilkinson & birmingham, 2003). this questionnaire was distributed among teachers to investigate their perspectives on the coursebook used in online learning during the pandemic. there are 21 items in the likert-scale questionnaire under five categories (aims and approaches, language wawan setiawan evaluation on an english coursebook in online learning: voices from teachers 456 content, language skills, topic, and methodology) adapted from cunningsworth (1995). considering the small number of participants in this research, exploratory data analysis approach was selected. so, to process the data, teachers’ voices in the likert scale questionnaire were calculated quantitatively to find the frequencies and percentages for each item and to gain deeper information related to their perspectives regarding the coursebook, open questionnaire was shared consisting of 12 questions. results and discussion teachers’ perspectives on the suitability of coursebook there are 5 categories involved in this study regarding teachers’ perspectives on the suitability of the coursebook in online learning. aims and approaches the teachers’ perspectives on the suitability of coursebook related to aims and approaches in online learning are understood from four items (see table 1). the trend of their perceptions can be regarded as positive as the majority believed that the coursebook corresponded with the aims of the teaching program at the school (100% agreed), suited to the online learning environment (25% strongly agreed and 50% agreed), provided them a good resource (75% agreed), had flexibility (100%). upon a closer examination, no respondents disagreed on the items in this category which may suggest that there is relevance between the aims and approaches in the coursebook with the virtual environment. table 1. aims and approaches item statement sa a nad d sd 1 the aims of the coursebook correspond closely with the aims of the teaching program (online learning) at my school. 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 2 the coursebook is suited to the online learning environment at my school. 25% 50% 25% 0% 0% 3 the coursebook is comprehensive. it provides me a good resource to teach online. 0% 75% 25% 0% 0% 4 the coursebook is flexible. i can use the materials to teach in online learning. 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% in addition to this, one of the respondents (teacher b) claimed: “aims are designed to be applied at national level, so all publishers must use it as the standard. it is the same as the coursebook that i use, the aims are suited whether for online or face to face learning. in general, the approach is different, because it is designed for offline learning. however, the approach can be blended or combined into online approach which i use, blended learning (synchronous and asynchronous).” teacher b was aware of the fact that the coursebook was designed for traditional classrooms, but he believed it could be used in online learning too. he also mentioned that synchronous and asynchronous learning modes could be used by teachers to teach with the coursebook. reasons for its relevance were given by teacher a and teacher c, respectively: “because it provides suitable materials for senior high school students”; “the book contains the material and also the exercise in balance so when the teacher asks the students or discuss with them they have a good resources.” thus, it can be concluded that the materials in the coursebook are still effective to be used in online learning and they are also equipped with good contents and exercises which help teachers to interact or discuss with students virtually. language content to understand the suitability of the coursebook for language contents in online learning, three items are used. as seen, the majority claimed that the coursebook covers the main grammar items (75% agreed); though 25% disagreed on this item. regarding the vocabulary, the coursebook offers adequate materials in terms of quantity and range of vocabulary (100% agreed). nevertheless, there are two perceptions concerning the perceptions of teachers on the coverage of pronunciation in the coursebook (25% strongly agreed, 25% agreed, and 50% disagreed). but, in general, the teachers english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 457 believed the coursebook had good language contents even when it was used in online learning. in the open questionnaire, teacher b and c also stated: “like the material in general, all the language contents are well suited for online learning”. (teacher b) “yes, i think so because they can study by themselves and the teacher only try to help them if there is a word or vocabularies that they don't know the meaning and get wrong pronunciation so the teacher will guide them into correct one after they try to follow the book “. (teacher c) judging from the two responses above, the respondents were assured that the coursebook contained grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation which could be presented in online learning. however, students do need teachers’ assistance when they encounter, for instance, some problems in understanding the lessons. that is to say, students require teachers’ guidance to comprehend the language contents in the coursebook in online learning. table 2. language content item statement sa a nad d sd 1 the coursebook covers the main grammar items which are appropriate for my students. 0% 75% 0% 25% 0% 2 the material for vocabulary online teaching is adequate in terms of quantity and range of vocabulary. 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 3 the coursebook provides materials for pronunciation work (e.g., individual sounds, word stress, sentence stress, and intonation). 25% 25% 0% 50% 0% language skills for the language skills, teachers’ perspectives are elicited from six items. surprisingly, there are no negative responses to the statements which indicates that the suitability of the coursebook regarding language skills can be reckoned positive. the teachers believed that the coverage of language skills in the coursebook was good as recorded in item 1 (50% strongly agreed and 50% agreed). it is then followed by integrated skills work (25% strongly agreed and 75% agreed) and reading skills (100% agreed) which receive without disagreement. the high responses are also for listening skill (25% strongly agreed and 50 % agreed) and speaking skills (75% agreed) even though 25% of respondents neither agreed nor disagreed with each of these skills. this indicates that the coursebook provides teachers with comprehensive language skills and the skills can be presented in online learning despite they were designed for traditional classrooms. table 3. language skills item statement sa a nad d sd 1 the coursebook covers four language skills (listening, reading, speaking, and writing). 50% 50% 0% 0% 0% 2 the coursebook provides integrated skills work (e.g., speaking and listening; speaking and writing; reading and listening, etc). 25% 75% 0% 0% 0% 3 reading passages are suitable for my students to study in the online learning. 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 4 listening materials are well-recorded, as authentic as possible, accompanied by background information, questions and activities which help comprehension. 25% 50% 25% 0% 0% 5 materials for spoken english are well0% 75% 25% 0% 0% wawan setiawan evaluation on an english coursebook in online learning: voices from teachers 458 designed to equip my students for reallife interactions. 6 writing activities are suitable in terms of the amount of guidance/control, degree of accuracy, organisation of longer pieces of writing and use of appropriate styles. 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% to strengthen the positive outcome above, one of the teachers, teacher c, expressed: “yes, in that book there are part of dialog by scanning barcode (listening), pronounce it by read to pronounce in good way or perform the role play by following the instruction in the book (speaking) and they try to make an essay or produce the text (writing) and comprehend by answering the question from the text (reading)”. she made sure that even in virtual learning, students can still learn comprehensive language skills with the coursebook. so, it is no wonder that the majority had similar views on this category. topic topics for language learning should be carefully selected in a way that it arouses students’ interest. the suitability of coursebook in reference to topic in online learning is gauged from four items. looking through the table below, strongly agree and agree dominated the overall responses. visualized on the table, teachers believed that the materials aroused students’ interest (75% agreed), the topics expanded students’ awareness and enriched their experience (100% agreed), the topics had variety and range of topics (100% agreed), and the topics were relevant to students’ level (100% agreed). it illustrates that the topics in the coursebook have suitability with students’ interest even when it is learnt in online learning. data from open questionnaire also explicate the positive views: “yes, i do. the students are interested using this book.” (teacher a) “cukup menarik. karena isi buku ini sdh simple dan cukup bisa dimengerti oleh mayoritas peserta didik sy selama pjj.” (teacher b) (“quite interesting because the book content is simple and understandable for the majority of my students during distance education.” (teacher b)) “topiknya sangat menarik.” (teacher c) “the topic is very interesting.” (teacher c) with this regard, this coursebook consists of various topics whose suitability is relevant with students’ interest. table 4. topic item statement sa a nad d sd 1 there are sufficient materials of genuine interest to my students. 0% 75% 25% 0% 0% 2 the topics help expand my students’ awareness and enrich their experience in learning a foreign language. 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 3 there is sufficient variety and range of topic. 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 4 the topics are sophisticated enough in content which are relevant to my students’ level. 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% methodology methodology is the last category used to explore the suitability of coursebook. to understand this category, four categories are employed. based on the teachers’ voices recorded in the following table, the positive outcome outnumbered the negative. 75% agreed that the approach adopted in the coursebook is appropriate to language learning, 75% agreed that it has relevant activities with students’ learning styles and experiences, the techniques introduced in the coursebook are also suitable for online learning (25% strongly agreed and 50% agreed), and it provides students with advice on study skills and learning strategies (75% agreed). in other words, the coursebook has flexibility in which teachers can use it for both faceto-face and online learning. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 459 table 5. methodology item statement sa a nad d sd 1 the coursebook offers approaches which are appropriate to language learning/teaching situation (online). 0% 75% 25% 0% 0% 2 the activities in the coursebook match my students’ learning styles and expectations. 0% 75% 25% 0% 0% 3 the techniques used in the coursebook to present/practise new language items are suitable for my students in the online learning. 25% 50% 25% 0% 0% 4 the materials provide some advice/help to students on study skills and learning strategies in the online learning. 0% 75% 0% 25% 0% supporting the positive views aforementioned, teachers a, b, and d gave further information: “yes, i do. they have good methodology.” (teacher a) “ya. karena kegiatan-kegiatan yg ada dalam buku ini masih bisa dilakukan oleh mayoritas peserta didik walaupun tanpa bantuan penjelasan dr guru secara langsung.” (teacher b) (“yes. because activities in the book is still can be done by the majority of the students even though without the help of teacher’s explanation.” (teacher b)) “yes sure because in this book the students can do the activity by reading that book then they will know what the book wants from them but once again it depends on their thinking and the level of understanding of each students are different so in here the teachers should know what method or technique that they can do for making the students clear or understand it.” (teacher d) as seen, the coursebook promotes autonomous learning in which learners can learn it by themselves. this condition is relevant to the nature of online learning where learners study on their own pace (asynchronous learning mode) especially at sman 1 indramayu which utilizes discord and google classroom as the communication management system and learning management system. this could be the reason why teachers tend to believe that the methodology of coursebook is suitable for online learning. teachers’ strategies to address the second research question related to teachers’ strategies, the researcher found several points through qualitative analysis from the open questionnaire. first, the majority believed that the coursebook was of paramount importance in online learning. “absolutely important.” (teacher a) “it is strongly important. it helps teaching easier, provides steps of teaching, save teachers' time preparing teaching. in case of if it is not suited, teachers can redesign it easily than comparing to the teachers write the coursebook from beginning that is much more difficult.” (teacher b) “sangat penting sekali.” (teacher d) (“it is very important.” (teacher d)) teacher b also explained the coursebook provided him with teaching procedures which made teaching easier and it could save his time from lessons preparation. however, the respondents also realized that teaching with coursebook in online learning cannot be without obstacles. most issues they mentioned are related to teachers’ guidance in the sense that further explanation should be given because the instructions written in the coursebook may not be understood by students. “guiding and facilitating are more difficult in virtual or online learning.” (teacher b) “how to make the clear and make a good step in instruction so that the students can be more understand the material and how to guide the students in understanding by using the book maximally.” (teacher c) “banyak bagian dari buku tsb harus dijelaskan secara terperinci.” (teacher d) (“many parts of the book needed to be explained in details” (teacher d)) with that being said, several strategies applied by the teachers to cope the problems in online learning. wawan setiawan evaluation on an english coursebook in online learning: voices from teachers 460 “i can mix the resources by using online activities. give an extra instruction to modify the coursebook activities.” (teacher a) “the suited materials are taken and reordered to be in line with online faces. the blended learning does not need much changing. it is just redesigned, reordered and combined with other materials whitout harming copyright.” (teacher b) “i use it by modifying it and suit it or relate that book by the condition of the students at home. and also not to forget i always try to use the things around them at home and suit the topic from the book into their real life.” (teacher c) “saya harus mencari sumber lain untuk pjj sebagai pelengkap tambahan.” (teacher d) (“i need to look for other sources for distance education as an addition.” (teacher d)) analyzed from the extracts of the teachers’ responses above, some common trends are found. the respondents agreed to combine the materials in the coursebook with other resources in online learning. furthermore, they also mentioned that additional materials or instructions were needed to help students learn (teacher a and d). teacher b also stated that the coursebook did not need to be massively changed but redesigning, reordering, and combining materials were immensely important. this proves despite having good contents, the coursebook needs to be adjusted to meet students’ needs especially when it is taught in online learning. discussion teachers’ perspectives on the suitability of coursebook based on the findings revealed in the previous section, generally the teachers demonstrated positive attitudes towards the suitability of coursebook in online learning despite the fact that the coursebook was initially used in traditional classrooms. for the first category (aims and approaches), items 1 and 4 mark the highest percentage of agreement. as illustrated in table 1, there was closed correspondence between the coursebook and the aims of teaching programs at sman 1 indramayu. it shows the coursebook provides particular aims and objectives which contribute to the context of language teaching and learning (online learning) (cunningsworth, 1995). flexibility of materials in the coursebook also assists teachers in teaching online and the respondents 100% agreed on the flexibility of the coursebook. flexibility is important because coursebooks may have inadequacy (different needs of every student that the coursebook cannot embrace), irrelevance (the coursebook may not provide the topics that interest students), limitation (it blocks teachers’ initiative and creativity), homogeneity (lack of variety in contents for different ability and knowledge), and over easiness (teachers act more like mediators of content in the coursebook) (ur, 1996). yet, seeing from the positive outcome, the teachers seems to be able to adapt the coursebook to meet students’ needs. the second category discusses language content. among three items provided, vocabulary obtains the highest percentage of agreement (100%). it is then followed by grammar (75% agreed and 25% disagreed) and pronunciation (25% strongly agreed, 25% agreed, and 50% agreed). it indicates the coursebook has facilitated teachers with ready-made materials to support their teaching (woodward, 2001). yet, without ignoring the negative responses, the coursebook may not be perfect as some respondents felt the coursebook did not provide enough grammar and pronunciation materials. this condition is considered normal because coursebooks are, somewhat, not clear in ‘what’ and ‘how’ to teach (gabrielatos, 2004); therefore, materials adaption plays a vital role. the third category explores language skills, the majority expressed positive responses on the suitability of coursebook in terms of language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). it accounts that, generally, the coursebook has included four language skills in the syllabus and presents a good structure for teaching (mcgrath, 2002). also, complaints are not given in the open questionnaire too indicating the language skills in the coursebook can be presented virtually. the fourth category is the topic which also receives positive perceptions. topics in the coursebook could be boring for students because, according to ur (1996), the coursebook can have topics which might not match what learners truly need. in other words, the topics could be either too difficult or too easy for the students. however, this coursebook seems to be able to meet learners’ expectations and needs as recorded in table 4. the respondents seemed happy with the selection of topics provided because they aroused students’ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 461 interest, expanded students’ awareness, were varied and relevant to learners’ levels. the last category is the suitability of coursebook in online learning concerning methodology. upon a closer look in table 5, overall, the coursebook offers good methodologies and practical guidance that support teachers in teaching (ur, 1996). the appropriacy of approaches introduced by the coursebook helps teacher teach in online environment. in other words, it provides valuable information for students to know what they have to learn. mcgrath (2002) contends that it is one of the advantages of coursebook. yet, one respondent assumed that the coursebook did not provide advice and learning strategies for learners in online learning which could be a note for teachers to make sure that students are able follow and comprehend the lessons especially in online learning. teachers’ strategies given the fact that the respondents have positive perceptions towards the use of coursebook in online learning for reasons as explained in the previous section, they realized that teachers’ guidance is still important. that is to say, it is needed to make sure that students are able to comprehend the materials or language instructions especially in online learning. moreover, students may not be in proficient language users, so they may find some difficulties to learn the coursebook without being guided by their teachers especially in online learning. with this regard, it is found that teachers employ several techniques adaptations such as combining the materials with other resources or islam & mares (2003) name it as a quantitative change that is by extending the activities with similar type of materials and making a qualitative change by providing more activities which have different type of materials to support students’ learning. the other techniques noted are reordering and redesigning materials. reordering can be done to meet learners’ needs (islam & mares, 2003) and redesigning is applied to make it more relevant with the teaching context to produce better input for students (mcdonough & shaw, 2003). adapting the materials require the principles of why the new version of materials is needed. the transition of teaching and learning process from face-to-face learning to online learning may invite teachers to make some adaptations in order to meet students’ needs and expectations. conclusion online learning brings a new experience not only for students but also teachers. it invites them to be able to use technology to continue the teaching and learning process. internet and learning applications such as whatsapp, discord, google classroom, google meet, zoom, and youtube play important roles because the classes are conducted virtually. with this regard, it is important to evaluate the english coursebook to find its suitability in online learning because it is one of the key components in english language teaching. using closed and open questionnaires, the research investigated teachers’ voices on the suitability of coursebook used at sman 1 indramayu. in this school, teachers use discord and google classroom as the communication and learning management systems. the coursebook they use is erlangga straight point series english (2019). generally, the teachers had positive perceptions on the suitability of the coursebook regarding five categories (aims and approaches, language content, language skills, topic, and methodology). the teachers believed that the coursebook was suitable to be used in online learning despite the fact that it was first used in traditional classrooms. however, the respondents also realized that materials adaptation was needed due to the fact that face-to-face learning and online learning are different. the strategies they used are combining the materials with other resources, reordering, and redesigning in order to meet students’ needs and expectations especially in online learning. references cunningsworth, a. (1995). choosing your coursebook. macmillan education. gabrielatos, c. (2004). the coursebook as a flexible tool. teacher trainers and educators sig newsletter, 28-31. greene, c. j., caracelli, j.v., & graham f.w. (1989). toward a conceptual framework for mixedmethod evaluation designs. american educational research association, 11(3), 255-274. http://doi:10.3102/01623737011003255 graves, k. (2000). designing language courses. heinle & heinle publishers. handayani, s., suwarno, b., and dharmayana, w.i. (2018). evaluation of indonesian english http://doi:10.3102/01623737011003255 wawan setiawan evaluation on an english coursebook in online learning: voices from teachers 462 textbook for the ninth graders of junior high school “think globally act locally” from efl teachers’ perspectives. journal of applied linguistics and literature, 3(2), 11-32. hockly, n. & clandfield, l. (2010). teaching online: tools and techniques, options and opportunities. delta publishing company. islam, c. & mares, c. (2003). adapting classroom materials. in: tomlinson, b. ed. developing materials for language teaching. continuum international publishing group, 86-100. lestiyanawati, r. & widyantoro, a. (2020). strategies and problems faced by indonesian teachers in conductiong e-learning system during covid-19 outbreak. journal of culture, literature, lingustics and english teaching, 2(1), 71-82. https://ojs.unsiq.ac.id/index.php/cllient/article/vie w/1271 lidwina, s.a. (2019). erlangga straight point series english for sma/ma grade xii general program. jakarta: erlangga. karsudianto, f. (2019). an evaluation of an english coursebook “when english rings the bell”. journal of english language teaching innovations and materials, 1(2), pp.81-86. http://doi: 10.26418/jeltim.v1i2.33346 ko, s. & rossen, s. (2010). teaching online: a practical guide (3rd ed.). routledge. mcdonough, j. and shaw, c. (1993). materials and methods in elt. blackwell. mcdonough, j. and shaw, c. (2003). materials and methods in elt (2nd ed.). blackwell. mcgrath, i. (2002). materials evaluation and design for language teaching. edinburgh university press. mcgrath, i. (2006). teachers’ and learners’ images for coursebooks. elt journal, 60(2), 171-180. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/cci104 mishan, f & timmis, i. (2015). materials development for tesol. edinburgh university press. purwanti, a.r. (2019). evaluation on an esp course book: get along with english for the hotel industry. journal of english educators society, 4(2),107-116. http://doi: 10.21070/jees.v4i2.2432 rasmitadila, aliyyah, r.r., rachmadtullah, r., samsudin, a., syaodih., nurtanto, m., & tambunan, a.r.s. (2020). the perceptions of primary school teachers of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic period: a case study in indonesia. journal of ethnic and cultural studies, 7(2), 90-109. http://dx.doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/388 simamora, r.m. (2020). the challenges of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic: an essay analysis of performing arts education students. studies in learning and teaching, 1(2), 86-103. https://doi:https://doi.org/10.46627/silet.v1i2.38 sheldon, e.l. (1988). evaluating elt textbooks and materials. elt journal, 42(4), 237-246. singapore wala, a.d. (2003). publishing a coursebook: completing the materials development circle. in: tomlinson, b. ed. developing materials for language teaching. continuum international publishing group, 141-161. tok, h. (2010). tefl textbook evaluation: from teachers’ perspectives. educational research and review, 5(9), 508-517. tomlinson, b. (2003). materials evaluation. in: tomlinson, b. ed. developing materials for language teaching. continuum international publishing group, 15-36. ur, p. (1996). a course in language teaching: practice and theory. cambridge university press. white, c. (2003). language learning in distance education. cambridge university press. wilkinson, d. and birmingham, p. (2003). using research instruments: a guide for researchers. routledgefalmer. woodward, t. (2001). planning lessons and courses: designing sequences of work for the language classroom. cambridge university press. https://ojs.unsiq.ac.id/index.php/cllient/article/view/1271 https://ojs.unsiq.ac.id/index.php/cllient/article/view/1271 https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/cci104 http://dx.doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/388 https://doi:https:/doi.org/10.46627/silet.v1i2.38 english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 139 practicing contextual teaching and learning (ctl) approach to improve students’ reading comprehension in relation to motivation haerazi mandalika university of education, indonesia email: haerazi@ikipmataram.ac.id zukhairatunniswah prayati smpn 1 jonggat, central lombok, ntb, indonesia email: prayati@gmail.com rully may vikasari smpn 4 praya, central lombok, ntb, indonesia email: momvika@gmail.com apa citation: haerazi, h., prayati, z., & vikasari, r. m. (2019). practicing contextual teaching and learning (ctl) approach to improve students’ reading comprehension in relation to motivation . english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 139-146. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2011. received: 12-10-2019 accepted: 17-11-2019 published: 01-12-2019 abstract: the need to acquire reading skills is increasing along with the needs of students to attain information. therefore, this study aims at improving student’s reading comprehension viewed from the motivation level using the contextual teaching and learning (ctl) approach at smpn 1 jonggat. to this end, a classroom action research consisting of two cycles was applied. each cycle consisted of four stages, namely plans, actions, observations, and reflections. the subject of this study was the second-grader of smpn 1 jonggat, while the object of this study was the use of contextual teaching and learning (ctl) approach to improve students’ reading comprehension in relation to motivation. the observation sheets, questionnaires, and reading tests were employed to collect the data. as result, the study showed that the use of ctl approach was effective to improve students’ reading comprehension and motivation to learn. students’ achievement was 75 meaning that the passing grade enacted in the school was achieved. meanwhile, the students’ motivation to learn was at the high level as proven by the percentage of students’ motivation which was at the standard value. thus, it can be concluded that contextual teaching and learning (ctl) approach can improve students’ motivation to learn as well as their reading comprehension. keywords: ctl approach; reading comprehension; motivation. introduction english has been becoming one of the compulsory subjects subjected to students at junior and upper secondary schools in indonesia. indonesian ministry of education and culture has also enacted english as one of the subjects examined in the national examination for junior and upper secondary school students. in so doing, it is important for the students to acquire english competences. according to bsnp (2013), english learning in indonesia was focused on the development of the four language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing. reading is one of the two receptive skills after listening. the need for reading is increasing along with the students’ needs to acquire new information. reading is even regarded as a primary source of efl input that can improve the students’ knowledge and discourse structure (nation, 2009; haerazi et al., 2018). in this case, reading comprehension is defined as the ability to understand the content of a text through utilizing critical thinking and critical reading (sultan et al., 2017; alqatanani, 2017; camp & camp. 2013; tsai et al., 2013), the ability to understand the language of the text at word level, sentence level, and whole-text level (par, 2018; sprat et al., 2005), and the ability to comprehend texts using a set of schemata or their knowledge about the world while reading. thus, comprehending a text is different from reading a text. further, one of the aspects that need to be considered in reading classes is students’ motivation. motivation is a kind of internal drive, pushing someone to do activities, such as reading or writing, in order to achieve the learning goals (surastina & dedi, 2018). it is ‘a set of cognitive arousal’ which provokes a ‘decision to act’ as a haerazi, zukhairatunniswah prayati, & rully may vikasari practicing contextual teaching and learning (ctl) approach to improve students’ reading comprehension in relation to motivation 140 result of which there is ‘sustained intellectual and/or physical effort’ so that person can achieve some ‘previously set goal’. hence, motivation is closely related to the achievement of students in learning as it becomes the determinant factor determining the success and failure of learning (nugrahani, 2018). referring to those facts, english teachers are demanded to find an appropriate learning approach to develop reading comprehension. one of the learning approaches that can be applied in attaining the learning goals is contextual teaching and learning (ctl) approach. this approach emphasizes the process and content of reading (satriani & emilia, 2012). teaching reading skills through contextual learning is promising to help students improve their vocabularies, linguistic features, and intellectual capacities. thus, students may attain a deeper understanding so that they can contribute to their emotional development, intelligence and higher-order thinking skills (thamrin & agustin, 2019; mursyid & kurniawati, 2019). contextual teaching and learning is an approach which aims to help students understand the meaning of teaching materials based on the context of personal, social and cultural so that they have the knowledge/skills to actively construct their own understanding regarding the material given (wandasari, 2011; satriani & emilia, 2012). the contextual teaching and learning approach is one of the learning approaches reflected in the student-centered approach. syahid and tuharto (2013) state the ctl approach is based on the constructivism philosophy. therefore, contextual teaching and learning (ctl) is a theory which is based on the notion that learning can only occur when students are able to connect between content and context. by relating content and context from the inside and outside the classroom, the learning process becomes more relevant and meaningful for the students (hosnan, 2014). in this regard, nurhadi (in hosnan, 2014) elaborate five elements that should be taken into consideration while applying ctl approach in the class; namely 1) activating knowledge, 2) acquiring knowledge, 3) understanding knowledge, 4) applying knowledge, and 5) reflecting knowledge. these elements direct students to be more active to learn in the class. contextually, reading activities based on these approach help students to develop their ideas from the text being read. in short, the ctl approach can be used to create learning activities to be more meaningful and real. accordingly, this study follows the components of ctl approach proposed by hosnan (2014), namely constructivism, inquiry, questioning, learning community, modeling, reflecting, and authentic assessment. these components are then designed into teaching steps in a different order for teaching reading comprehension. referring to the background previously described, this study focuses on finding out the effectiveness of ctl approach to improve students’ reading comprehension in relation to motivation to learn at the secondary schools of smpn 1 jonggat, lombok tengah. the novelty of this study lies on the use of contextual teaching and learning approach by applying some learning strategies in teaching reading comprehension viewed from the students’ motivation to learn. the teaching strategies include the content of a text as a critical component that can be applied in group or individually. besides, the learning strategies can engage students in the active language learning. method this research adapted classroom action research (car) proposed by cohen, manion, and morrison (2018). based on the car model, each cycle of the actions consists of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. here, the researchers worked collaboratively with the english teachers in the school to explore their own context through a self-reflective, critical, and systematic approach. this research was conducted at the eighth-grade of smpn 1 jonggat, lombok tengah, west nusa tenggara (ntb). basically, there are six classes of the eighth-grade. yet, the research chose one class (8a class) to apply contextual teaching and learning (ctl). the data of this research are qualitative data supported by quantitative data. the qualitative information presented the findings obtained from the learning processes during the implementation of the contextual learning and teaching (ctl) approach. these data were gained from the observation sheets reported in the form of field notes and interview transcripts. meanwhile, the quantitative data come from the reading comprehension test and questionnaire dealing with the students’ motivation. regarding the two types of data, a phone-camera record was operated to record the classroom activities english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 141 through photographs to provide a clearer picture of the actions. the data collection techniques and instruments used in this research can be seen in table 1. table 1. data, technique, and instrument data technique instrument a. qualitative data field notes reporting the instructional processes that are focused on the teacher’s performance and students’ activities. observation observation sheets interview transcripts dealing with the teacher’s and students’ opinions and expectations relating to research instructions. interview interview guidelines b. quantitative data reading comprehension tests in the form of pretest and post-test. tests reading comprehension tests the data were then analyzed by using some steps proposed by cohen, manion, and morrison (2018). those steps consisted of reducing, displaying, drawing, and concluding. the researchers firstly sorted out the important and relevant data using coding technique. then, the researchers displayed the result of the reduced data. at the end of these steps, the researchers drew conclusions based on the analysis. to validate the research data, the data coming from observation were cross-checked with the data collected from interview. the quantitative data were analyzed by conducting descriptive and inferential statistic. the descriptive statistic was used to find out the means of students’ reading comprehension scores obtained from the pre-test and post-test. results and discussion the action research applied the cyclical model that consisted of two main activities, namely preliminary and action. the action phase has four steps, namely planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. in the planning step, the researcher identified the teaching problems at smpn 1 jonggat. here, the researchers worked collaboratively with the teachers to identify reading problems and determine which problems to solve. then, the researchers designed the appropriate actions, lesson plans, and critical and standard competences. following the planning step, the researchers employed the actions. during the actions, the researchers acted as the observers, while the english teacher in the school acted as a teacher. throughout the action, the observation process was happening. the contextual teaching, actions, students’ activities and opinions, and teachers’ performance were documented. the teacher and the students were then interviewed to know their responses towards the use of contextual teaching and learning approach. after the action and observation are done, the researchers and the teacher collaborator conduct reflections which aim to decide whether or not the research cycle is continued. in this part, the researchers and teacher collaborator analyzed the qualitative and quantitative data obtained. based on the result, the researchers and the english teacher determine whether the action work well in solving the reading problems. the discussion of the action results is allotted in two sections, namely identification of the reading problems and the determination of actions to be taken. in the identification of the students’ problems, this research was started by collecting initial information from the english teacher and some students. it was done by conducting interviews. based on the result of the reconnaissance process, the field problems in the english teaching and learning process can be seen in table 2. table 2. field problems in english teaching and learning at the 8 th grade of smpn 1 jonggat items problems reading skills o students felt difficulties in comprehending english texts. o students still had lack of vocabulary acquisition. o students lacked the english grammatical knowledge to understand english texts. o instead of making reading strategies, students tented to translating every single word of the texts. haerazi, zukhairatunniswah prayati, & rully may vikasari practicing contextual teaching and learning (ctl) approach to improve students’ reading comprehension in relation to motivation 142 attitude, motivation, and participation o a few of students had low motivation to learn. o students felt bored with usual learning activities of increasing reading skills. o in the discussion session, some students looked passive and simply wrote the answer down to each comprehension tasks. o a few of students did not focus on the teacher’s explanation and they looked busy chatting with their tablemate. o some students did not accomplish the tasks given by the teacher. instructional activities o the learning activities were less interesting. o sufficient teaching media is not used in the learning and teaching activities. o the interaction among students and between the teacher and the students was limited. o the instructional strategies applied were not suitable for the students’ interest. considering these problems, the researchers and the teacher decided the students’ feasible problems to be taken. as the focus of this study was to improve students’ reading comprehension in relation to motivation to learn, therefore the selected problems are difficulties in comprehending english texts, lack of vocabulary acquisition, lack of english grammatical knowledge to understand english texts, minimizing the translation of every single word in the texts, and improving the interaction among students and between the teacher and students. besides, the students’ problems relating to motivation were students had low motivation to learn and the discussion session does not make students be more active. the next step is the determination of the action to be applied to tackle the selected problems to be solved. the researcher and the english teacher agreed in using contextual teaching and learning (ctl) approach with certain learning strategies that consisted of modeling, questioning and inquiry, learning community and constructivism, authentic assessment, and reflection. the main component of the learning strategy is the content of the text provided for students should direct them to learn actively. the complete instructional stages of the ctl approach are illustrated in table 3. table 3. the teaching steps of the ctl approach for teaching reading teaching steps learning activities modeling o the teacher shows the model text, an example of text, and/or realia media that can be seen by the learners. o the learners are encouraged to construct and build their knowledge dealing with the content of the model text presented. o the learners are involved to discuss the content of the text to find out new knowledge and relate it to the initial experience in their lives. questioning and inquiry o the teacher and the learners conduct the question-answer sessions to confirm the knowledge or information about the text that has been learnt. o the learners are asked to perform what they have understood in line with the content of the text to inquiry their understanding. o the learners are assessed in the form of the authentic assessment in presenting their motivation to learn. learning community and constructivism o the learners are divided into 3-4 students of each group to learn together and help each other dealing with sharing ideas or information. o the learners are provided problems to solve together in order to cultivate their curiosity in learning. o the learners are asked to convey the tasks given in front of other groups. authentic assessment o the students are asked to summarize their reading comprehension based on the content of the text provided. o the learners are assessed during the learning process at the end of the learning. reflection o the teacher conducts the reflection for what the students have learned. o the teacher may give homework for the students about the topics which are reading to strengthen their understanding. english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 143 the teachers and students’ roles in employing ctl are discussed by the researchers and the collaborator. the researchers gave chances for the english teacher and the students to express their point of views related to english instruction. thus, the validity was reached by working collaboratively to determine problems for reading skills and the solution was found in line with the research problems. the action consisted of two cycles, cycle 1 and cycle 2. this study followed the cyclical action research consisting of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. in addition, the instructional approach applied in this action was ctl approach. during the actions, the researchers acted as observers, while the english teachers acted as the teacher. besides, the researchers involved their fellow university students to document the research process. in this phase, the researchers provide an analysis of the findings from cycle 1 and cycle 2. cycle 1 was done in four meetings and cycle 2 was also carried out in four meetings. each cycle had different problems to be solved. the aim of this study is to find out whether or not the implementation of ctl approach is able to improve students’ reading comprehension viewed from motivation to learn at the 8 th -grade students of smpn 1 jonggat. based on the result of the observation sheet, the students’ reading achievement was 64. this result was at the sufficient level. the passing grade is 70. it means that the students’ reading comprehension was lower than the passing grade. the researchers and the teacher agreed to apply the existing curriculum employed in the school. the teams work collaboratively to create the lesson plan, teaching materials, teaching media, and the time schedule of english learning. in the actions, the instructional materials are adopted from the course-book used by the 8 th grade students of smpn 1 jonggat. the teams modified some topics in line with the elt instructional and teaching goals. in cycle 1 the students are involved to build their knowledge. they are asked to notice and analyse some modelling texts. it is aimed at building students’ knowledge of the text. in addition, the learners are involved to discuss the content of the text to find out new knowledge and relate it to the initial experience in their lives. it is in line with surdin (2018) who states that giving contextual clues is important to facilitate students to comprehend unfamiliar words from the texts. the first stage of ctl is oriented to build students’ background knowledge. the topic of the reading text is made to be as familiar as possible for them before they are asked to do more learning activities. to help students carry out learning activities in this step, teachers provide some unfamiliar vocabularies. besides, students are asked to write some phrases or idioms existing in the text. this learning activity motivates students to read more and more. it is in line with marinak, malloy and gambrell (2010) and ilahiyah et al. (2019) who state that motivated readers are curious and anxious readers to talk more what they are reading. after students have the background knowledge of the text, they are asked to create questions relating to contents of the text. it is the second phase of ctl approach, namely the phase of questioning and inquiry. in this phase, students are directed to conduct a discussion concerning the text. the teacher and the students conduct the question-answer sessions to confirm the knowledge or information about the text that has been studied. to strengthen the students’ information, they are asked to perform what they have understood in line with the content of the text. then, the students used the context as clues in predicting unknown vocabularies. although the students are not told the meaning of the words immediately, the students guessed their meaning. at the same time, the students are assessed in the form of the authentic assessment in presenting their motivation to learn. in cycle 1, the questioning and inquiry phase was not really effective to build students’ background knowledge. it looked effective in cycle 2. to improve students’ vocabulary acquisition and grammatical knowledge, the students are involved in analyzing the content of the text being read. these activities are done in the phase of the learning community and constructivism. learning community is designed by the researchers to facilitate students to express their opinions concerning the text. in doing so, the students are divided into 3-4 students to learn together and help each other. in the class, the students are provided problems to solve together in order to cultivate their curiosity in learning. it was in line with what fadhilah, effendi, and ridwan (2017) and sufianto (2019) found that this stage involves students to learn actively. at the end of learning activities in this phase, the students are asked to convey their tasks given in front of other groups. these activities helped students to cultivate their understanding of the haerazi, zukhairatunniswah prayati, & rully may vikasari practicing contextual teaching and learning (ctl) approach to improve students’ reading comprehension in relation to motivation 144 text. the acquisition of vocabularies through learning communities was improved in cycle 2. in cycle 1, the students are directed only to discuss the content of the text, while the students’ problems in vocabularies and the grammatical knowledge are solved in cycle 2. dealing with the students’ motivation to learn, students looked keenly to learn reading tasks in cycle 1. the students’ motivation can be improved by providing them with different texts that make them curious about the content of the text. the motivation has a positive effect on elt learning process (sebet, tahriri, & haghi, 2014; hayes, 2009) for instance, in the phase of authentic assessment the students are asked to summarize their reading comprehension based on the content of the text provided. students are able to summarize the text given in the class. besides, the result of the interview showed that the students’ response was positive in attending the reading class using ctl approach. nevertheless, in cycle 1 the students are assessed during the learning process at the end of the learning. it may lead students to have high motivation to accomplish and learn the reading tasks given by the teacher. in the phase of reflection, students are asked to reflect what they have learned. the texts are reread more than once so as to have a good understanding of its content and context. at the end of the learning phase, the teacher gives homework for the students in order to strengthen their understanding. it is very useful for them to build their knowledge and enrich their information dealing with the topic being read (khaefiatunnisa, 2015). it is also applied in improving grammatical knowledge and has a positive effect (hasani, 2016). further, the researchers did an evaluation which aims to analyze students’ reading achievement and motivation. in cycle 1, some students’ problems were solved and others were handled in cycle 2. for instance, the interaction between students and the teacher and among students occurred in cycle 1, but it was not so effective. based on these findings, the researchers and the teacher decided to solve this problem in cycle 2. lastly, the use of contextual teaching and learning was effective to improve students’ reading comprehension. this approach directed students to comprehend texts based on the content. the role of text in ctl also provides students with activities to train their metacognitive awareness (al-mekhlafi, 2018). in comprehending an english text, translating every single word is not a sole strategy. instead, they should utilize their background knowledge and metacognition to predict the content of the text. in addition, ctl approach is able to connect between students’ background knowledge and their ability to identify and analyze the implied meaning from the text. it is in line with what haryati (2017) found that prediction served as students’ reading purpose and promoted the students’ critical thinking in the reading class. fostering reading purposes and critical thinking reading is assumed to be one of the strategies to improve comprehension. conclusion from the analysis, it can be concluded that the use of contextual teaching and learning (ctl) is able to improve students’ reading comprehension and motivation. this approach has five teaching phases, namely modeling, questioning and inquiry, learning community and constructivism, authentic assessment, and reflection. in cycle 1, the researchers and the teacher carry out actions in four meetings. the fifth meeting was conducted for the final test of reading comprehension. the effect of contextual teaching and learning approach in the 1 st , 2 nd , and 3 rd meetings was not yet effective. the effect of the ctl approach can be seen in the fourth meeting. the average score of students’ achievement was 75. it means that the minimum achievement criteria (kkm) were attained. the important change in each cycle was that students were able to reduce their learning difficulties through reading activities based on the context and content. besides, it was also able to influence students’ motivation to learn. the research findings show that contextual teaching and learning (ctl) is useful and fruitful to enhance students’ reading comprehension in relation to motivation to learn. therefore, it is suggested that english teachers who intend to improve reading skills can apply and explore more deeply ctl approach. the english teacher can keep going to apply this approach in elt classes at the junior secondary schools because it can help students to minimize their learning problems. the important thing for english teacher is that ctl approach cannot be employed only within a group as what this study did but also in pairs or individually considering the students’ english reading proficiency. during the research, the researchers and the english teacher found the difficulties to provide english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 1, december 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 145 students with various interesting materials to read in relation to themes of the reading texts. therefore, it is suggested that other researchers prepare more interesting and various themes. references alqatanani, a. k. (2017). do multiple intelligences improve efl students’ critical reading skills? arab world english journal, 8(1), 309-321. al-mekhlafi, a. m. (2018). efl learners’ metacognitive awareness of reading strategies. international journal of instruction, 11(2), 297308. doi: 10.12973/iji.2018.11220a. badan standar nasional pendidikan (bsnp). (2013). materi bimbingan teknis ktsp dan soal terstandar 2010: panduan analisis butir soal. jakarta: kementrian pendidikan nasional. camp, d. v., & camp, w. v. (2013). using content reading assignment in a psychology course to teach critical reading skills. journal of the scholarship of teaching and learning, 13(1), 86-99. cohen, l., manion, l., & morrison, k. (2018). research methods in education (8th ed.). london: routledge taylor & francis group. fadhilah, f., effendi, z. m., & ridwan, r. (2017). analysis of contextual teaching and learning (ctl) in the course of applied physics at the mining engineering department. international journal of science and applied science: conference series, 1(1), 25. doi: 10.20961/ijsascs.v1i1.5106. haerazi. (2017). genre-based language learning model in teaching writing skills for english department students. international conference, 109(aecon), 108–111. doi: 10.2991/aecon-17.2017.22. haerazi, irwansyah, d., juanda, & azis, y. a. (2018). incorporating intercultural competences in developing english materials for writing classes. journal of language teaching and research, 9(3) 540-547. doi: 10.17507/jltr.0903.13. haryati, s. (2017). hoax news: promoting the students’ critical thinking in critical reading class. register journal, 10(2) 122-139. doi: 10.18326/rgt.v10i2.122-139. hasani, a. (2016). enhancing argumentative writing skills through contextual teaching and learning. educational research and reviews, 11(16), 1573–1578. doi: 10.5897/err2016.2806. hayes, c. (2009). student motivation, blended learning & an ipod project in tertiary japanese language teaching at anu. electronic journal of foreign language teaching, 6, 230–244. hosnan, m. (2014). pendekatan scientific dan contextual dalam pembelajaran abad 21. bogor: ghalia indonesia. ilahiyah, a. i., andina, d. m., tiven, p. a., & chayono, b. y. (2019). indonesian efl students’ reading motivation and writing achievement across gender. edulite: journal of english education, literature, and culture, 4(2) 119-131. doi: 10.30659/e.4.2.119-131. khaefiatunnisa. (2015). the effectiveness of contextual teaching and learning in improving students’ reading skill in procedural text (a quasi-experimental study of the second grade students at one vocational school in bandung). journal of english and education, 3(1), 80–95. marinak, b., malloy, j., & gambrell, l. (2010). engaging readers: research-based practices that nurture the motivation to read. international journal of learning, 17(5). mursyid, m., & kurniawati, n. (2019). higher order thinking skills among english teachers across generation in efl classroom. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 119-124. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1775. nugrahani, v. e. (2018). intrinsic and extrinsic motivation found in students’ written reflection in play performance course. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics, 3(2), 171. doi: 10.21462/ijefl.v3i2.79. par, l. (2018). the efl students’ critical reading skills across cognitive styles. journal of jeels, 5(1). satriani, i., & emilia, e. (2012). contextual teaching and learning approach to teaching writing. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 2(1) 10-20. sufianto. (2019). the effect of contextual teaching and learning (ctl) learning model on the ability of concept understanding class vii students of smp 16, kota bengkulu. jurnal pendidikan matematika raflesia, 4(1), 19–28. doi: 10.33449/jpmr.v4i1.7525. sultan, rofiuddin, a., nurhadi, & prihatni, e. t. (2017). the effect of the critical literacy approach on pre-service language teachers’ critical reading skills. eurasian journal of educational research, 71, 159-174. surastina, & dedi, f. s. o. (2018). examining academic writing motivation of prospective indonesian language teachers using exploratory factor analysis. international journal of instruction, 11(2), 15-24. doi: 10.12973/iji.2018.1122a. surdin. (2018). the effect of contextual teaching and learning (ctl) models on learning outcomes of social sciences of the material of forms the face of the earth on class vii of junior high school. international journal of education and research, 6(3), 57–64. syahid, u., & tuharto. (2015). studi komparasi model pembelajaran matematika dengan pendekatan saintifik dan pendekatan kontekstual ditinjau dari kemampuan pemecahan masalah, jurnal pendidikan matematika dan sains, 4. thamrin, n. r., & agustin, s. (2019). conceptual variations on reading comprehension through higher order thinking skills (hots) strategy. haerazi, zukhairatunniswah prayati, & rully may vikasari practicing contextual teaching and learning (ctl) approach to improve students’ reading comprehension in relation to motivation 146 english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 93-100. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1777. tsai, p., chen, s., chang, h., & chang, w. (2013). effect of prompting critical reading of science news on seventh graders’ cognitive development. international journal of environmental & science education, 8(1), 85-107. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1077 investigating the sundanese traditional cuisine proper names through cognitive linguistic study for sundanese language learning elvi citraresmana (corresponding author) linguistics department, faculty of cultural sciences, universitas padjadjaran, indonesia email: elvi.citraresmana@unpad.ac.id lusi susilawati doctoral student, faculty of cultural sciences universitas padjadjaran, indonesia email: lusi17001@mail.unpad.ac.id hermandra indonesian language and literature education, universitas riau, indonesia email: hermandra@lecturer.unri.ac.id apa citation: citraresmana, e., susilawati, l., & hermandra. (2022). investigating the sundanese traditional cuisine proper names through cognitive linguistic study for sundanese language learning. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 1077-1084. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6725 received: 21-06-2022 accepted: 23-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction sundanese traditional cuisine is one among other traditional cuisines in indonesia. indonesian society inherited traditional cuisines as indigenous cultural sustainability. this article discusses the naming of sundanese traditional cuisine. west java, where sundanese people as the majority community, is famous for the local food. to attract tourists with the local food, sundanese people have a unique way of naming their food. as yoopetch & chaithanapat (2021) shows, product branding is vital in sales because it has selling power. in addition, product branding is necessary for the consumers, particularly in food naming, since it could increase the taste and result in buying the product. as fitrisia et al. (2020) studied that exciting food depends on naming, such as fictitious personality, main ingredients, color, cooking process, similar appearance, seasoning, taste, cookware, and onomatopoeia. this recent research investigates how the sundanese people name their food through the cognitive linguistics approach. therefore, the research on sundanese food naming is crucial to cultural civilization sustainability. previous research investigated indonesian traditional food studies. fitrisia et al. (2018) studied their research in traditional culinary using culinary linguistics as their theoretical approach. they argue that food and language are universal characteristics, and culinary linguistics could explore indigenous wisdom since culinary linguistics is interdisciplinary. wijaya (2019) discussed the mapping of indonesian food culture. she emphasized that traditional culinary contributes to promoting indonesian culinary tourism through sociocultural exploration since the abstract: this research investigated the sundanese traditional cuisine proper names. the purpose of this research is to find out how sundanese people name their food through the mental lexicon that appeared in the sundanese traditional cuisine proper name. the proper cuisine names are collected from sukabumi, garut, and bandung restaurants. the research method applied is a qualitative one. through a cognitive linguistic study, the researchers investigated the phonological sounds and morphological processes that appeared in the sundanese cuisine proper names. the research revealed that the two and three-vowel sound combinations appear in the proper sundanese food names through conceptualization in cognitive linguistics. furthermore, the acronym also happens in this food’s proper names, considering the sound that could produce the exciting names. the research results show that names from the javanese region experience changes. sundanese people add the morpheme into the first syllables since sundanese people are not familiar with two syllables. to conclude, sundanese people name their food based on how the body reacts to a specification. the form of sundanese food’s proper name comes from the vowel sounds, which experience a morphemic process—the vocal sounds result in the rhyme. the consonant also tends to form a conceptual meaning that needs further discussion. the resulting research is also beneficial for learning the sundanese language. keywords: cognitive linguistics; morphological process; proper names; sundanese traditional cuisine. elvi citraresmana, lusi susilawati, & hermandra investigating the sundanese traditional cuisine proper names through cognitive linguistic study for sundanese language learning 1078 factors of nature, history, and culture shape indonesian food culture. the study is related to kasni & budiarta (2020), who also researched traditional culinary, particularly in bali, that supports sustainable tourism. however, they analyzed it from the perspective of culinary linguistics, which identifies traditional culinary lexicons. the other researchers who analyzed traditional indonesian foods from linguistics are sari & martiwi (2020). the research result in construction blending from the point of view of linguistics and culinary reveals its region’s identity, as well as the traditional mixing of culture and modern foreign one. meanwhile, wiyana et al. (2021) focused on the onomastics and branding for the indonesian traditional food “soto.” their study analyzed the naming and identifying the branding strategy to develop a culinary business. the research result shows that creating a branding model for traditional culinary soto is related to the behavior, presentation, and name of the people who make it. similarly, rahmawati & mulyadi (2021) conducted the research entitled “naming culinary in mandailing society: a culinary linguistic approach.” they applied the triangle theory proposed by ogden and richard. their research primarily aimed to identify the concept, meaning, and symbol of culinary names in mandailing society using qualitative research. the result of their research showed eight culinary names in the mandailing community. indonesia has several ethnic groups, one of which is sundanese, located in west java province, indonesia. sundanese is famous for its various traditional foods. several researchers have observed sundanese traditional food from some regions. durahmana et al. (2022) described the naming of sundanese foods in the kuningan region. the result of the study showed that the naming of sundanese foods in the kuningan region has three lexical variations: phonological, morphological, and semantic. in the garut region, the traditional sundanese food was analyzed by heriyanto et al. (2021). they observed the sundanese food originating from garut based on linguistics, syntax and semantics, and extralinguistic features. it was found that there is a correlation between packaging, culture, and tourism in garut. the two studies above focus on analyzing sundanese food from a linguistic perspective. however, some researchers also consider sundanese traditional foods as food security. amalia & marta (2019) believe that sundanese food is well maintained by food security regionally and nationally. they argued that sundanese foods are an element of the nation’s cultural identity as the local wisdom and culinary philosophy. ghufar & suhandano (2022a) discussed the lexicon of sundanese traditional foods. he analyzed it from the perspective of anthropological linguistics. his study showed that there are 17 lingual units of word forms and ten attributive endocentric phrases, which were classified into four parts of attributive processes (processing methods, regional origin, essential ingredients, and processed form). similarly, ghufar & suhandano (2022b) focused on the semantic naming and cultural point of view of sundanese traditional foods. their study shows seven semantic naming classifications: distinctive characteristics, inventor and creator, place of origin, ingredients, similarity, and new naming creation. furthermore, from the cultural point of view, there are three functions: enjoyment, social, and ritual. the studies above show that the research differs from this article, focusing on the proper name of traditional cuisine based on cognitive linguistics. cognitive linguistics is the branch of linguistics employed in the three fields; cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, and linguistics (rao, 2021). cognitive linguistics investigates the connection between language and the human mind and seeks the role of language through conceptualization and categorization (rakhimov, 2020). cognitive linguistics views linguistic cognition as inseparable from general cognition, and this study attempts to find an explanation of linguistic phenomena in terms of general cognitive strategies. moreover, gambarova (2021) argued that cognitive linguistics investigates speech and communication and human cognitive activity patterns. similarly, turakhonova (2022) stated that cognitive linguistics focuses on the mental phenomenon related to language. one of the branches of cognitive linguistics is cognitive semantics. its core is to investigate the conceptual system. cognitive linguistics offers a new view to support semantic extension (lu et al., 2020). method this study applies a qualitative descriptive method. the data were the sundanese food names obtained by interviewing and observing the names of respondents who created the food. those techniques are based on ethnographic methods offered by spradly (2017). first, the researchers collected the data by portraying the names of sundanese foods in restaurants, market snacks, and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1079 mall centers in bandung, sukabumi, and garut. then, we classified the data based on the form of the name studied by morphological process analysis and the form of the sound studied by phonological process. both morphological processes and phonological processes are based on sundanese language theories. then, the next activity was interviewing the respondents by asking specific questions related to food naming. the respondents are eligible in sundanese expertise to have holistic information on the symbolic meanings revealed from the sounds and form. finally, descriptively discuss the data. the data discussion will conclude eventually. in analyzing the data, the researchers applied the content analysis offered by lester et al. (2020), offering seven steps in conducting qualitative analysis, namely preparing and organizing the data, transcribing the data, becoming familiar with the data corpus, memoing the data, coding the data, producing categories and themes from underlying passages, and making the analysis process transparent. the analysis was first conducted in this research by gathering all the interview data. the obtained data were then transcribed. afterward, the researchers coded the data by specific names of sundanese cuisine based on its area and categorized it based on morphological and phonological processes. results and discussion the captured data were around 170 sundanese traditional proper names. those data are classified into two categories; morphological and phonological processes. proper names based on morphological process the most exciting thing is that the name of sundanese proper names was based on morphology, which is the creation of a word, including the process, and rule of its internal structure (simatupang & supri, 2020). the morphological process that occurred in the data was reduplication. the process of word formation copies parts of words (klamer & saad, 2020). reduplication in any language could be different, such as in the indonesian and japanese languages. indonesian and japanese languages have different formulations of reduplication on the affix and consonant reduplication and its function (mangga, 2018). the sundanese reduplication is also different, particularly in the sundanese cuisine proper name. from the data, it is found two kinds of reduplications; entire reduplication and part reduplication. entire reduplication the entire reduplication occurs in the data of ongol-ongol, bala-bala, onde-onde, and gado-gado. in this reduplication, the words are copied entirely. however, in the sundanese food proper name, it shows that it is not only a morphological process that occurs in the naming, but vowel also plays a vital aspect in the form of repetition, which is shown in the following table: table 1. vowel aspects on entire reduplication of sundanese proper names sundanese food vowel aspect bala-bala /a/ /a/+ /a/ /a/ ongol-ongol /o//o/ + /o//o/ onde-onde /o//e/ + /o//e/ gado-gado /a//o/ + /a//o/ bala is derived from the adjective that means dirty, disorganized place. when the adjective bala experiences repetition, it becomes bala-bala (data 1), in which this adjective changes into a proper noun. the repetition means that food looks untidy but not necessarily messy because the ingredients are a mixture of several vegetables. ongol-ongol and onde-onde are a kind of snacks that could not be identified where this food came from. ongolongol is a snack made from starch and dried palm flour served with grated coconut. one piece of literature says ongol-ongol is from betawi; others say it is from west java. the word ongol refers to mongolians which historically the mongolian people came to west java. then, the people inspired the sundanese to name the food (ghufar & suhandano, 2022b). onde-onde is a food made from rice flour and glutinous rice flour, which is formed round and sprinkled with sesame seeds. it is usually contained with sweet green beans. onde-onde also is claimed by other regions as their origin food. however, the research will not argue about where this food comes from, but since this name appeared in the data repository, the research tried to investigate based on the name. unfortunately, the west java department of culture and tourism records the name ongolongol and onde-onde as indonesian food. as a result, those names were excluded from the investigation. however, the name gado-gado is fascinating. although, it is hard to find valid information about the original name, one food blogger mentioned that there were versions of the originated gado-gado. the exciting thing she described is that gado-gado is derived from the verb ‘digado’ (sundanese language), which means that one only eats this indonesian salad without elvi citraresmana, lusi susilawati, & hermandra investigating the sundanese traditional cuisine proper names through cognitive linguistic study for sundanese language learning 1080 rice. therefore, the explanation is reasonable enough since gado-gado only consists of salad without rice (fauziah, 2022). part reduplication part reduplication occurs when initial syllables are repeated and inserted into the basic word form. the followings are the data belong to part reduplication: table 2. part reduplication on sundanese proper names sundanese food basic word initial syllable reduplication inserted into basic word rarauan rawu ra + [ra] + wu + an gegeplak geplak ge + [ge] + plak gegetuk getuk ge + [ge] + tuk papais pais pa + [pa] + is the name rarauan is derived from the word rawu; in sundanese means taking something, usually food, using a palm hand. the form of repetition shows the derivational part of speech from the verb rawu and adds the suffix [an], resulting in [rawuan] as the instruction from the hearer to a speaker; for example, “rawuan eta runtah” means ‘ambil sampah itu!’ (grab the rubbish). this instruction [rawuan] adds the morpheme [ra] and suffix [-an], which forms the noun rarauan with a different meaning from the previous one. gegeplak is a food made from rice flour. the name gegeplak is derived from the primary word form geplak. geplak is polysemy since it has two meanings: the verb means to talk in plain terms/to the point, and as a noun, it means delicacy made of rice flour, sugar, and desiccated coconut. another meaning of ‘geplak’ is the sound of hitting with the flat of the hand. in this case, it is assumed that the name ‘gegeplak’ comes from how this food is cooked by hitting with the flat of the hand (geplak), then forming it into the food. the name gegetuk is derived from the noun getuk. getuk is sweet cassava steam cooked and then finely pounded. javanese people also have the same name for ‘getuk.’ however, sundanese people insert the morpheme [ge] into the basic word form ‘getuk,’ so they result in the name ‘gegetuk.’ the name papais is derived from the noun pais and then added morpheme [pa]. the noun pais refers to food prepared by wrapping it in banana leaves and then cooking it in hot ash. this pais also comes from the verb mais. so, mais means to cook something wrapped in banana leaves, the same as pais. furthermore, the noun papais has the same meaning as the basic name pais. however, this food is steamed in an aseupan (the traditional cookware to steam). there are two other proper names for the three vowel sounds, i.e., cocorot and jojorong. cocorot is made from rice flour and coconut milk wrapped with coconut leaves. however, it does not mean that cocorot is derived from the primary word corot. the name cocorot was created since the shape of the food wrapped in coconut leaves is similar to corong (the funnel). therefore, this name experiences an additional morpheme [co] + [corot]. this proper name also eliminates the nasal sound [ŋ] and changes it to ‘t’ in ‘corot.’the morphological process also happens in jojorong. jojorong is a food made from rice flour and coconut milk filled with palm sugar and served with coconut leaves, which are fastened using a toothpick. the name jojorong is formed from the initial syllable’s primary word, jorong + [jo]. the word jorong is because of the shape, like the ellipse, and jorong experiences change from dorong (push) into jorong. the analysis shows that the additional syllable on part reduplication of the sundanese proper name changes the meaning. this finding supports the theory offered by (nurhayati & mahdi, 2018) that the suffix inserted into the basic words changes the meaning in the sundanese language. proper names based on phonological process the sundanese food proper names were also created from the phonological process. it occurs on the three vowel syllables sounds. such creation is shown in the following table: table 3. three vowel syllable sounds on sundanese proper names sundanese food three vowel syllable sounds godeblag /o/ + /e/ + /a/ gorejag /o/ + /e/ + /a/ colenak /o/ + /e/ + /a/ batagor /a/ + /a/ + /o/ bapatong /a/ + /a/ + /o/ burayot /u/ + /a/+ /o/ karedok /a/ + /ɛ/ + /o/ surabi /u/ + /a/ + /i/ keremes /ɛ/ + /ɛ/ + /ɛ/ perkedel /ɛ/ + /ə/ + /ɛ/ paladang /a/ + /a/ + /a/ chocodot /o/ + /o/ + /o/ dorokdok /o/ + /o/ + /o/ cocorot /o/ + /o/ + /o/ jojorong /o/ + /o/ + /o/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1081 in sundanese cuisines, there are two vowel syllable sounds and three vowel syllables sounds. these two and three-vowel syllable sounds occurred because the sundanese language has seven vocal phonemes. the combinations of three vowel syllables sound to produce the rhyme such as /o/+/ɛ/+/a/ see data (5), (6), (7), /a/+/a/+/o/ see data (8), and (9), /u/+/a/+/o/, /a/+/ɛ/+/o/, /u/+/a/+/i/ see data (10), (11), (12). the three same vocal syllable sounds also happen in /ɛ/+/ɛ/+/ɛ/, /ɛ/+/ə/+/ɛ/, /a/+/a/+/a/, and /o/+/o/+/o/, see data (13), (14), (15), (16), (17), (18), (19). the name perkedel has different sounds even though the phoneme /e/ is the same; however, it produces /ɛ/ and /ə/. sundanese proper names conceptualization in line with the cognitive semantics understanding, there are four guiding principles: conceptual structure is embodied, semantic structure is conceptual structure, meaning representation is encyclopedic, and meaning construction is conceptualization. for example, the proper name in sundanese traditional cuisine contains sounds that make the people easy to listen to and remember, such as bala-bala comes from the embodiment. bala means disorganized place, and usually, there is much dirt on the floor. so this bala-bala is named after the food because this food contains vegetables such as carrots, green onions, and shredded cabbage. they are mixed using flour and form a shape that is not very tidy. the sounds /o/+/e/+/a/ emerges in godeblag, gorejag, colenak. godeblag is snack food from tasikmalaya. it is a food made from cassava and flour fried in an oversized shape. the form looks like cireng (acronym: aci digoreng); the shape is more extensive than cireng. the name godeblag, based on the size, is derived from the word goblag (big, huge, giant—metaphorically). for example, “eta sapatu sagede goblag” means ‘those shoes are big.’ morpheme [de] is inserted into the first syllable goblag; it becomes [godeblag]. the name gorejag is the acronym. it is shortened from goreng jagung (fried corn). however, gorejag also has lexical meaning, i.e., when someone is in a lying position, and he suddenly wakes up and jumps out of bed. the name colenak is also the acronym. it is shortened from ‘dicocol enak’ (dipped into – food and tastes delicious) as a verb phrase. the combination sounds /u/ + /a/+ /o/, /a/ + /ɛ/ + /o/, /u/ + /a/ + /i/ happens in burayot, karedok, surabi. burayot means hanging (semantically plural) since the shape looks like something hanging (more than one). karedok is the raw vegetables with peanut butter poured into them. it is not easy to describe this food and mapped onto other entities since karedok is typical sundanese people who eat vegetables a lot in their daily lives. surabi is a snack that looks like a pancake in deutch. however, surabi does not contain eggs; it contains flour, rice flour, and coconut milk. similar sounds and the same sound appear in /ɛ/ + /ɛ/ + /ɛ/, /ɛ/ + /ə/ + /ɛ/, and /a/ + /a/ + /a/, /o/ + /o/ + /o/. the phoneme /e/ has different sounds, such as /ɛ/, /ə/, and /ĕ/. the sound /o/ usually happens in the javanese language; as a matter of fact, sundanese people also know the sound /o/ like in dorokdok and chocodot. the interesting story about the name dorokdok happens in the consonant /d/+/k/+/d/+/k/ with the /r/ in between. this name creates due to the sounds produced when one bites it since those consonants are the type of vibrated apicodental. the morphological process appears in the data. the morphological process comes from the imagery and the experiences of the people who create the name, for example, rarawuan. rarawuan comes from the experience when people take something with their bare hands and take as much as they want, and what they do is mapped onto the food, in which the chef takes the ingredients as much as he wants and then forms it into the food, the shape is not rounded, but it is shaped as it is. the name gegeplak also creates from the sounds when the ingredient is cooked. it sounds “geplak” based on their imagery; the sound “geplak” is caused by hitting with the flat of the hand. adding morpheme [ge] causes the activity happens over and over. this also happens in gegetuk. getuk is from javanese. sundanese people add morpheme [ge] since sundanese people know two syllables instead of one syllable. by adding the morpheme [ge], this name, getuk, images the repetition that this food is made repeatedly. it also happens in papais, which comes from pais, the name of food usually cooked, steamed, and wrapped in banana leaves; instead of using one syllable pais, sundanese people add morpheme [pa] to make it easy to produce. the above proper names of sundanese cuisine were created from the imagery of the cognitive knowledge transformed into food naming. cognitive knowledge benefits those who want to learn the sundanese language, which begins by introducing the closest thing (food) since humans think and learn based on what they see and experience. therefore, it is under cognitive linguistic comprehension. therefore, such a cognitive style positively affects the learning strategy tambi, murtadho, & rafli, (2019). elvi citraresmana, lusi susilawati, & hermandra investigating the sundanese traditional cuisine proper names through cognitive linguistic study for sundanese language learning 1082 conclusion the discussion above proves that the food’s proper names are one of the cultural sustainability. sundanese people produced the proper food names based on embodiment experiences. the sounds are produced by the available vowel sounds that sundanese people know. the combinations of sounds resulting from the phonological process create the rhyme. psychologically, people might hear and remember easily by listening to the rhyme. the repetition form appears in two and three vocal sounds, and the morphological process happens because sundanese people are unfamiliar with two syllables. however, they are familiar with three syllables. therefore, the investigation of acronyms needs to be analyzed further. the consonant combination also needs to be investigated. meanwhile, the cognitive linguistics of proper names can also be used to learn the sundanese language. acknowledgment the researchers are grateful to universitas padjadjaran, who has given us fully funded research under unpad internal research grant for lecturers. references amalia, r. m., & marta, d. c. v. m. (2019). education on traditional west java cuisine: variety of foods and its natural packaging in al-aqsha islamic boarding school. in w. strielkowski (ed.). advances in social science, education and humanities research (pp. 118-128). atlantis press. https://doi.org/10.2991/assdg-18.2019.11 durahmana, z., utami, e., & badriah. (2022). sundanese lexical variation on traditional food naming in kuningan region. widyaparwa, 192– 201. fauziah, p. i. n. (2022). gado-gado berasal dari mana? berikut asal usulnya. idn. https://www.idntimes.com/food/diningguide/putri-intan-nur-fauziah/gado-gado fitrisia, d., sibarani, r., mulyadi, untung ritonga, m., & suhairi, l. (2020). the naming of acehnese traditional culinary. humanities & social sciences reviews, 8(2), 815–823. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2020.8290 fitrisia, d., untung ritonga, m., & sibarani, r. (2018). traditional food in the perspective of culinary linguistics. international journal of multidisciplinary research and development, 5(2), 24-27. gambarova, a. (2021). origins and causes of cognitive linguistics. journal of language and linguistic studies, 17(2), 1141–1422. ghufar, a. m., & suhandano. (2022a). leksikon jajanan pasar jawa barat: kajian etnosemantik. kabastra, 2(1), 11–25. ghufar, a. m., & suhandano, s. (2022b). penamaan semantis dan pandangan budaya pada jajanan pasar jawa barat. diglosia: jurnal kajian bahasa, sastra, dan pengajarannya, 5(3), 537– 554. https://doi.org/10.30872/diglosia.v5i3.427 heriyanto, manggong, l., & krisnawati, e. (2021). linguistic and extra-linguistic features in the brand and package of sundanese local food and beverage products as a means to support cultural tourism in garut, west java, indonesia. kasetsart journal of social sciences, 42(2), 433–438. https://doi.org/10.34044/j.kjss.2021.42.2.34 kasni, n., & budiarta, i. w. (2020). revitalizing traditional culinary in supporting sustainable tourism viewed from culinary linguistics. proceedings of the first international conference on technology management and tourism. eai. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.19-8-2019.2293773 klamer, m., & saad, g. (2020). reduplication in abui: a case of pattern extension. morphology, 30(4), 311-346. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/s11525-020-09369-z lu, h., zhang, y., & hao, x. (2020). the contribution of cognitive linguistics to the acquisition of polysemy: a dictionary entry-based study with chinese learners of english. international journal of lexicography, 33(3), 306–336. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijl/ecaa007 mangga, s. (2018). comparison of nouns reduplication in indonesian and japanese language. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 1926. nurhayati, i., & mahdi, s. (2018). reduplication in sundanese language. aicll: annual international conference on language and literature, 1(1), 236–244. https://doi.org/10.30743/aicll.v1i1.32 rahmawati, r., & mulyadi, m. (2021). naming culinary in mandailing society: a culinary linguistic approach. budapest international research and critics in linguistics and education (birle) journal, 4(1), 486-493. https://doi.org/10.33258/birle.v4i1.1677 rakhimov, m. m. (2020). methods in cognitive linguistics. international journal on integrated education, 3(2), 34-36. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.31149/ijie.v3i2.321 rao, c. s. (2021). cognitive linguistics: an approach to the study of language and thought. journal for research scholars and professionals of english language teaching, 5(24), 1-9. sari, s. w., & martiwi, r. (2020). blending construction in english foods and beverages in indonesia: linguistics and cultural views. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1083 wanastra: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 12(2), 278-287. https://doi.org/10.31294/w.v12i2.8989 simatupang, e. c., & supri, i. z. (2020). compound words that occur during the global pandemic covid-19: a morphosemantic study. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 127134. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2824 spradly, j. p. (2017). ethnographic interview. the sage encyclopedia of communication research methods. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483381411.n168 tambi, t., murtadho, f., & rafli, z. (2019). learning strategy and cognitive style: the effect on students’ writing ability. journal of english education, 10(2), 613–620. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v1 0i2.6278. turakhonova, g. b. (2022). theoretical fundamentals of the concept in cognitive linguistics. current research journal of philological science, 3(1), 36–39. https://doi.org/10.37547/philologicalcrjps-03-01-07 wijaya, s. (2019). indonesian food culture mapping: a starter contribution to promote indonesian culinary tourism. journal of ethnic foods, 6(9), 1-10 https://doi.org/10.1186/s42779-019-0009-3 wiyana, t., bendesa, i., & tomahuw, r. (2021). onomastics and branding for culinary tourism: evidence soto traditional culinary. trj tourism research journal, 5(1), 69-77. https://doi.org/10.30647/trj.v5i1.108 yoopetch, c., & chaithanapat, p. (2021). tourist shopping of apparel products and brand loyalty. kasetsart journal of social sciences, 42(2), 269274. https://doi.org/10.34044/j.kjss.2021.42.2.08 elvi citraresmana, lusi susilawati, & hermandra investigating the sundanese traditional cuisine proper names through cognitive linguistic study for sundanese language learning 1084 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 793 ‘we all are perfectly imperfect’: an interpersonal metafunction of muniba mazari’s speech in a case on systemic functional linguistics narambean simanjuntak department of english education, universitas hkbp nommensen, medan, indonesia email: marambean.simanjuntak@student.uhn.ac.id rodia mestina simaremare department of english education, universitas hkbp nommensen, medan, indonesia email: rodia.simaremare@student.uhn.ac.id nanda saputra department of indonesian education, stit al-hilal sigli, aceh, indonesia email: nandasaputra680@gmail.com magdalena ngongo department of english education, universitas kristen artha wacana, kupang email: magdalenangongo12@gmail.com herman (corresponding author) department of english education, universitas hkbp nommensen pematangsiantar, pematang siantar, indonesia email: herman@uhn.ac.id apa citation: simanjuntak, n., simaremare, r. m., saputra, n., ngongo, m., & herman. (2022). ‘ we all are perfectly imperfect’: an interpersonal metafunction of muniba mazari’s speech in case on systemic functional linguistics. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 793-800. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6326 received: 29-06-2022 accepted: 22-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction language is used by humans to converse with each other. humans require language as a means of communication and understanding the knowledge of others who speak various languages. everyone uses language especially in daily activities, in order to communicate well with others, such as reading, writing, and listening, as well as talking to ourselves and thinking. according to herman et al. (2020), language is very important in human life because it allows people to communicate with others, through language, people can exchange knowledge, express their emotions, trusts, aspirations, giving suggestions and share information with one another (simanjuntak et al., 2021). it is difficult to envision humans carrying out these activities without abstract: this study aims to find out the elements of the interpersonal function used in muniba mazari's speech and to find out the most dominant elements of interpersonal function. the source of data takes from a video of muniba mazari's speech that was examined by the researcher. the data of this research are clauses that have an element of interpersonal function spoken by muniba mazari’s speech. the instrument of data collection used is documentation in the form of video recording, and for technique of data collection is documentation method. to analyze the data involves four steps namely: data collection, data condensation, data display, and the last conclusion drawing. based on the result findings of this research, the frequency of the subject 231 (25,41%), finite 173 (19,03%), while residue elements predicator 204 (22,44%), complement 189 (20,79%), circumtantial adjunct 40 (4,40%), conjunctive adjunct 32 (3,53%), comment adjunct 25 (2,75%), and the last mood adjunct 15 (1,65%). the result showed the most dominant element interpersonal function structure used in muniba mazari’s speech is subject with the total percentage is 25,41%. based on the results it can be concluded that this research can be used as insight and useful as a model to discuss interpersonal functions in a speech. and the researcher hopes that readers can increase their knowledge when conducted analyzing interpersonal functions in a speech because it is very important to know the meaning of each clause conveyed. keywords: interpersonal metafunction; speech; systemic functional linguistics. narambean simanjuntak, rodia mestina simaremare, nanda saputra, magdalena ngongo, & herman ‘we all are perfectly imperfect’: an interpersonal metafunction of muniba mazari’s speech in case on systemic functional linguistics 794 language. language is meaningful, if meaning can be conveyed through language, because basically people interact with other people using language with the aim of influencing behavior and word expression (ngongo et al., 2022). this means that the person must convey a message to others. language is something that a specific society has spoken. according to sibarani (2017), humans are social creatures who require interaction and communication with other people in order to meet their needs. therefore, language can be used to interact with others and perform interpersonal function. language allows us to express our emotions and thoughts, because everyone has their own ideas and feelings that require another person opinion, using language allows them to easily transfer their own ideas and build good communication with others (nasution et al., 2022). so, without language it is difficult to imagine how humans can work together and get along with each other and language cannot be separated from human life, because it is a communication tool. language is very functional in communication (purba and herman, 2020). communication is one of the main roles that are very important in carrying out daily human activities. communication can also be interpreted by sharing or exchanging information, thoughts, with other people. according to wentker and schneider (2022), communication is a process of conveying shared understanding or information from one person to another. fatmawati et al. (2022) stated that humans carry out communication activities for various purposes, such as obtaining needed information from people who interact with them, processing information between communicators and recipients who use messages and generate feedback (simanjuntak et. al., 2022). as well as in the world of education, communication is also important because in education it is very necessary to interact with each other to establish cooperation between friends in addition to being able to express opinions using communication tools. in short, a communication will be successful if there is no misinterpretation. communication also is part of speech. in other words, people can express themselves through their speech, people can transfer their own idea, message, opinion by speech. speech is delivered in the form of words or speech that allows two-way communication. according to carnegie (2018), public speaking activities include presentations, deliberation, speeches, and campaigns. so there is an oral transmitter in the form of a speaker and a receiver in the form of a listener or audiences. the term speech has several meanings that can be interpreted in various ways. the speaker will speak in front of the audience to convey a problem and achieve certain goals in a speech, so that when delivering a speech, he must have good communication skills so that the listener can understand what the speaker means (nosa et al., 2021). motivational speech is a speech that tells someone's story with the aim of inspiring or motivating the audience. this speech can also be interpreted as a speech with a public message. for example, you could live happily with all of your flaws. a speech that recounts the life of a character who can serve as a role model for the audience. speaker typically share stories in a variety of formats, such as experiences, places, stories, and specific people who compel listeners to act. speaker can recognize speech as correct information that will be associated with their knowledge (sinurat et al., 2021). therefore, the first assumption that will be formed by the listener is based on how the speaker conveys information to the listener. in addition, the sentences used by the speaker must be structured so that listeners can more easily understand the content of the message to be conveyed. in a communication process, speaker can insert an implied meaning or message. when talking about language in communication, there is a language theory that states that the function of language has a structured language function. this theory was developed by m.a.k. halliday and proposed a theory named systemic functional linguistic (sfl). within the scope of sfl, there is a basic understanding called metafunction, halliday (1994) in ngongo and ngongo (2022) state that metafunctions have three functional components which he distinguished early on in its development, namely ideational function, interpersonal function, and textual function (forisman, 2019). in this research, the researchers chose to discuss about the interpersonal function. according to halliday and matthiessen (2004), the interpersonal function is related to how people use language to communicate with others. because when people initiate human interactions, they predict a series of speech roles that are remembered as giving and demanding, which embody the choice between the exchange of information, exchanging goods and services (herman et al., 2019). according to herman et al. (2021), sentence are considered as part of the interaction between speaker and listener. language is regarded as a means of reflection in a context. the traces of interpersonal context that appear in the text are english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 795 referred to as interpersonal function. clauses are classified as mood elements and residue in interpersonal functions, with mood element has two components, namely: subject and finite. nominal groups are commonly used to represent subject. finite as an explanation of time or to state tense (sihombing et al., 2022). according to jing (2021), in the interpersonal function, the subject and finite clauses are very important in word order because they determine whether the clause is declarative, interrogative, or imperative allowing the listener to understand the meaning of the sentence, while the residue element has three components, namely: predicator, complement, and adjunct (saputra et al., 2022). predicator in interpersonal function are used to tell what is being done or happening in the subject, complement is to explain a verb (predicator) done by the subject, while adjunct is a word used to add a description to a sentence (herman et al., 2022). language is used in the interpersonal function to express the speaker's attitude and judgment about how to interact with others. the expression of meaning in words is called mood. the grammatical structure of a clause can reveal its mood. declarative mood is used for statements, interrogative mood for questions, and imperative mood for commands (ngongo et al., 2022). according to halliday and matthiessen (2004), the roles of speaker and listener are created and maintained in speech by evaluating the certainty of what is said in the clause while operating in interpersonal function. even though the interpersonal function theory uses systemic functional linguistics (sfl), not everyone knows these elements and this theory is not perfect in every language. based on the researchers’ experience when watched video muniba mazari speech, there are some reasons why the researchers conducted this research. the first reason is muniba mazari always conveys motivational messages to the public, so it is related to the interpersonal, because the interpersonal function is the interaction between the speaker and the listener who conveys a message, so the meaning of the message conveyed is very important for listeners to understand. the second because as one of the new linguistic studies called systemic functional linguistic (sfl), the researcher is very interested to analyze the form of muniba mazari’s speech by using interpersonal function studies. and the last reason is the speech delivered by muniba mazari speech did not match the wording structure, so the utterances conveyed are ambiguous for listeners. for the example: “i completely different person right now”. according to chefor (2019), the element interpersonal function are very important in wording, because the mood and residue of the clause determined whether a declarative clause, interrogative clause or imperative, so that the meaning of the sentence is understood by the listener. here an example of element interpersonal function in muniba mazari’s speech table 1. example of mood and residue in muniba mazari speech i bad news for you subject complement from the example above, that said by muniba mazari, in accordance with the theory of halliday and matthiessen (2004) state that interpersonal function has two elements, namely mood and residue. in short, it can be concluded that the mood element is made up of subject (i) because a nominal namely person whereas the residue is made up of complement (bad news for you), because the function of complement is to explain what the subject has done or explain the predicator. to approve the originality of this study, the researchers presented previous studies that have been done by a researcher wintara (2020) entitled “interpersonal function analysis in bangtan boys (bts) speech at unga 2020”. this research presents a brief discussion of interpersonal function that focus on the type of mood used in bts speech. this study used the qualitative method. the difference between this journal and the title of this research is that has a different object of research and problem formulation, because object of this research is muniba mazari speech, and the problem formulation of the research focused on the interpersonal function element such as mood and residue, while this journal only focused on mood. in this research, there are similarities between the researcher topic and this journal namely talking about interpersonal function the second same using halliday theory, so the researcher can use this journal as a reference to understand how to analyze the topics owned by researcher. method this research employs descriptive qualitative research to analyze and elaborate data as text in the form of clauses. this qualitative research seeks to comprehend and capture the essence of a phenomenon in a social context through close communication and interaction between researchers and the phenomenon under investigation. as a result, the researcher can narambean simanjuntak, rodia mestina simaremare, nanda saputra, magdalena ngongo, & herman ‘we all are perfectly imperfect’: an interpersonal metafunction of muniba mazari’s speech in case on systemic functional linguistics 796 present the framework of any text available from the research process. according denzin and lincoln (2017), qualitative research is a process that investigates and comprehends the meaning that various individuals or groups of people ascribe to social or humanitarian issues (herman et al., 2020). qualitative research seeks to understand how a theory operates in various phenomena, with data collected in the form of words rather than numbers. furthermore, according to creswell and creswell (2018), defined research whose results are obtained without using statistical procedures or other forms of calculation is called qualitative research. the researcher describes the types of mood and residue in this study, and the second to find out the most dominant element of interpersonal function structure in muniba mazari's speech based on systemic functional linguistic (sfl). object of the descriptive qualitative research consists of data and source of data. the data of this research are clauses that have an element of interpersonal function spoken by muniba mazari speech. in this research the source of data was taken from video of muniba mazari's speech that will be examined by the researcher. the statement contained in muniba mazari's speech entitled "we are all perfectly imperfect" that was uploaded on july 7, 2018 on youtube. which lasted 39 minutes and 31 seconds. an instrument is a tool to gather information, according to creswell (2010:84), in qualitative research, the data contained in the instrument was used to fulfill the objectives of this research. the instrument use is documentation in the form of video recording to watch muniba mazari's speech, phone and determine the element of interpersonal function and the most dominant element of interpersonal function structure in muniba mazari's speech. furthermore, the video aided the research by providing a visual representation of what actually occurred. according to phakiti et al. (2018), there are five kinds of method in collecting data, they are questionnaire, interview, observation, test, and documentation. based on this statement, the researcher was use the documentation method. documentation is a data collection method that involves gathering information in the form of written documents. in order to get an understanding of the phenomenon under study, qualitative researcher use written documents or other objects. to obtain data for this research, the researcher collects the data through some steps as follows: (1) searching on youtube ‘we are all perfectly imperfect’ by muniba mazari speech. (2) downloading the video of muniba mazari’s speech from youtube. (3) watching and listening the video by focusing on interpersonal function in muniba mazari speech. (4) and the last, transcribing the utterances from video in to written text. this study discussed about analysis interpersonal function in muniba mazari's speech. according to purba et. al. (2021), to analyze the data involves four steps namely: data collection, data condensation, data display, and the last conclusion drawing. in data collection the researcher was use the documentation method. documentation is a data collection method that involves gathering information in the form of written documents. this data condensation leads a process of selecting, focusing, classifying, and transforming the data. the data through these processes: (1) selecting, the researcher selected the data by searching on youtube “we are all perfectly imperfect” by muniba mazari’s speech, after that downloading the video, and then the researcher watching and listening the video of muniba mazari’s speech. (2) focusing, in this stage the researcher focusing on element interpersonal funtion in muniba mazari speech after that transcribing the utterances from video in to written text. (3) classifying, in this stage the researcher classifying the uttarance based on element of interpersonal function such as mood and residue element. (4) transforming, the data was transformed into table form so it can be displayed. a display is a set of information that has been organized and compressed that allowing conclusion drawing and the action (purba et. al., 2022). the researcher describes the analysis of interpersonal function by showing a number of clauses in muniba mazari's speech as representatives for elaborating the explanation of interpersonal function elements such as mood and residue. the researcher also presented the data in analysis, which showed in the form table so that the readers can understand it easily. the conclusion will be made based on the finding data analysis and then verified through existing theory. in order to answer the problems of this research, the researcher explained the analysis result by drawing a conclusion. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 797 figure 1. interactive data analysis model by miles and huberman (2014, p.33) counting the realization of interpersonal function that mostly used by muniba mazari’s speech. using the formula: where: x = the percentage of interpersonal function f = the frequency of each element n = the total of number of element interpersonal results and discussion the data of this research are clauses that have an element of interpersonal function spoken by muniba mazari speech. based on the data analysis that has been done, the researcher found the following findings: when the element interpersonal function namely mood elements has two components such as subject, finite and residue has three components namely: predicator, complement and the last adjunct have identified, the researcher found out the results presented in the table below: table 2. the results of mood elements no. mood elements frequency percentage (%) 1. subject 231 25.41% 2. finite 173 19.03% total 404 44.44% based on the table 2 above, there are 404 mood elements was analyzed in this research the mood elements were subject and finite in the speech. table 3. the results of residue elements no. residue elements freque ncy percentage (%) 1. predicator 204 22.44% 2. complement 189 20.79% 3. circumtantial adjunct 40 4.40% 4. conjunctive adjunct 32 3.52% 5. comment adjunct 25 2.75% 6. mood adjunct 15 1.65% total 505 55.55% there are 505 residue elements was analyzed in this research the residue elements predicator, complements, circumtantial adjunct, conjunctive adjunct, comment adjunct and the last is mood adjunct in the speech. based on data analysis that has been done, the researchers found that there were 235 clauses that have an elements of interpersonal function in muniba mazari’s speech, subject there are 231 (25.41%), finite 173 (19.03%), predicator 204 (22.44%), complement 189 (20.79%), circumtantial adjunct 40 (4.40%), conjunctive adjunct 32 (3.52%), comment adjunct 25 (2.75%), mood adjunct 15 (1.65%) found in this research. the most dominant element of interpersonal function namely the subject 231 (25.41%) because almost all clause has a subject and there are several clauses conveyed by muniba mazari's speech using more than one subject in one clause. the subject is one of the components of the most dominant mood element in muniba mazari's speech, because she wants to explain who is the main actor of the speech statement delivered, so that with the subject the listener or audiens will more easily understand who is meant in the speech. in addition, in the speech she told about his life story that can be used as an inspiration for the community, and we can also find out that the elements of interpersonal function in a clause or sentence are mood and residue. from the explanation, the findings of the element interpersonal function can be shown in the chart: narambean simanjuntak, rodia mestina simaremare, nanda saputra, magdalena ngongo, & herman ‘we all are perfectly imperfect’: an interpersonal metafunction of muniba mazari’s speech in case on systemic functional linguistics 798 figure 2. chart the element interpersonal function based on the chart above, the researcher showed the percentage of the element interpersonal function in muniba mazari’s speech with details, the result of the subject (25.41%), finite (19.03%), predicator (22.44%), complement (20.79%), circumtantial adjunct 40 (4.40%), conjunctive adjunct 32 (3,52%), comment adjunct 25 (2.75%), mood adjunct 15 (1.65%). in accordance with the results of the analysis that has been obtained, the researcher would like to discuss more deeply about the interpersonal function. researchers found elements of interpersonal function in accordance with halliday's theory, namely: mood and residue element, where the mood element has two components. first, subject is used to explain object or person who performs the action in the clause, second, finite which is used to describe the auxiliary or tense. while residue has three components. first, predicator is used to explain what the subject does, second, complement is used to complete the meaning of the subject or predicator, and the last adjunct. in this research there are 4 types of adjuncts, first is circumstantial adjunct which is used to describe place, time, manner, cause etc, second conjunctive adjunct is used to connect a clause with another clause, third comment adjunct is used to explain the meaning of the clause, and the last is the mood adjunct which is describes a habit, an obligation. this finding shows that the frequency subject 231 with the percentage 25.41%, finite 173 with the percentage 19.03%, predicator 204 with the percentage 22.44%, complement 189 with the percentage 20.79%, and the last circumtantial adjunct 40 (4.40%), conjunctive adjunct 32 (3.52%), comment adjunct 25 (2.75%), mood adjunct 15 (1.65%). based on the result, subject part of the mood element is very prominent so muniba mazari here is a speaker who tells the story of his own life to the listener, a woman who delivers her lecture which emphasizes more on who is meant or the main character in the content of her speech. from the results obtained in this research, there are 235 clauses that have elements of interpersonal function by use theory systemic functonal linguistic (sfl). and this analysis aims to find out how to determine the interpersonal function elements in a sentence or clause in a written text, researcher can also find that in written text or speech not all sentences have components such as finite and complements. and an element that is rarely used in muniba mazari's speech is adjunct because muniba mazari focuses on who is meant in his speech. and this finding is useful for linguists who have an interest in discourse analysis. there is previous research that discusses interpersonal function. the research is from wintara 2022, entitled: analysis of interpersonal function in sry mulyani's speech. the objectives of this previous research is to analyze the interpersonal function through the mood element used in sry mulyani's speech and to find out the speech function in sry mulyani’s speech. this previous research used descriptive qualitative as a research design that is used to obtain or collect data through the documentation method. the results of data analysis showed that in the mood element there were subjects 141, finite 158. while in the residue element there were predicators 117, complements 122, mood adjunct 27, circumtantial english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 799 adjuncts 75, conjunctive adjuncts 67. and the results for analysis of speech function there are 13 commands, 11 questions, and 135 statements. there are some contrasts the previous research with this research. first, the objectives of this research, to find out the interpersonal function elements used by muniba mazari such as mood, residue, and the most dominant elements used, while the previous research was to analyze interpersonal functions and find speech functions used in sry mulyani speech, second the previous research analysis the interpersonal function in sry mulyani speech, while this research analysis interpersonal function in muniba mazari’s speech. the similarities this research and previous research are both of research use descriptive qualitative research, both of research use documentation method to collect the data, and the last same use halliday's theory. based on the result discussion, the researcher hopes that readers can increase their knowledge when conducted analyzing interpersonal functions in a speech, because it is very important to know the meaning of each clause conveyed. conclusion based on the research finding and after analyzing the data about interpersonal function in muniba mazari’s speech, there are several conclusions that can be drawn as follows: the element of interpersonal function namely mood and residue structure use un muniba mazari’s speech, there are subject, finite, while for residue elements there are predicator, complement and the last adjunct. the frequency mood elements subject 231, finite 173, while residue elements predicator 204, complement 189, and then circumtantial adjunct 40 (4.40%), conjunctive adjunct 32 (3.52%), comment adjunct 25 (2.75%), mood adjunct 15 (1.65%). the result showed the most dominant element interpersonal function structure used in muniba mazari’s speech is subject in mood element. the total precentage of subject element is 25.41% and then followed by the predicator (22.44%), complement (20.79%), finite (19.03%) and the last adjunct (12.31%). based on the results it can be concluded that this research can be used as insight and useful as a model to discuss interpersonal functions in a speech. and the researcher hopes that readers can increase their knowledge when conducted analyzing interpersonal functions in a speech because it is very important to know the meaning of each clause conveyed. references carnegie, d. (2018). the art of public speaking: the original tool for improving public oration. clydesdale press chefor, v. m. (2019). interpersonal function in paul biya’s 2018 french inaugural speech and its english translation. international journal of systemic functional linguistics, 2(2), 47–54. https://doi.org/10.22225/ ijsfl.2.2.1371.47-54 creswell, j. w., and creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. sage publications denzin, n. k., & lincoln, y. s. (2017). the sage handbook of qualitative research. sage publications, inc. fatmawati, e., saputra, n., ngongo, m., purba, r., & herman, h. (2022). an application of multimodal text-based literacy activities in enhancing early children’s literacy. jurnal obsesi: jurnal pendidikan anak usia dini, 6(5), 5127-5134. https://doi.org/10.31004/obsesi.v6i5.2782 forisman, h. (2019). interpersonal function in martin luther king jr’s speech. international journal of systemic functional linguistics, 2(1), 43–46. halliday., and matthiessen, c. (2004). an introduction to functional grammar (3rd ed). hodder arnold. halliday., and matthiessen, c. (2014). introduction to functional grammar (4th ed). routledge. halliday, m. (1994). an introduction to functional grammar (2nd ed). hodder education. herman., murni, s. m., sibarani, b., and saragih, a. (2019). structures of representational metafunctions of the “cheng beng” ceremony in pematangsiantar: a multimodal analysis. international journal of innovation, creativity and change, 8(4), 34-46. herman., purba, r., thao, n. v., & purba, a. (2020). using genre-based approach to overcome students’ difficulties in writing. journal of education and e-learning research, 7(4), 464470. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2020.74.46 4.470 herman., h., hutabarat, e., silalahi, d. e., & sihombing, p. s. r. (2020). an analysis of ideational metafunction on news jakarta post about some good covid-19 related news. veles voices of english language education society, 4(2), 142–151. herman., van thao, n., & purba, n. a. (2021). investigating sentence fragments in comic books: a syntactic perspective. world journal of english language, 11(2). 139-151. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v11n2p139 herman, h., purba, r., sijabat, p. a., saputra, n., muhammadiah, m., & thao, n. v. (2022). investigating the realization of speech function in a speech through systemic functional linguistics perspective. script journal: journal https://b-ok.asia/author/j.%20david%20creswell https://b-ok.asia/author/yvonna%20s.%20lincoln narambean simanjuntak, rodia mestina simaremare, nanda saputra, magdalena ngongo, & herman ‘we all are perfectly imperfect’: an interpersonal metafunction of muniba mazari’s speech in case on systemic functional linguistics 800 of linguistics and english teaching, 7(01), 3141. https://doi.org/10.24903/sj.v7i01.917 jing, y. (2021). interpersonal functions of interjections. functions of language, 28(1), 81– 108. https://doi.org/10.1075/fol.19008.jin nasution, t., afrianti, d., tukiyo, sulistyani., & herman. (2022). critical discourse analysis in the classroom: a critical language awareness on early children’s critical thinking. jurnal obsesi: jurnal pendidikan anak usia dini, 6(5), 49925002. https://doi.org/10.31004/obsesi.v6i5.2951 ngongo, m., & ngongo, y. (2022). mood clauses in spoken text of proposing a girl using waijewa language: a systemic functional linguistics approach. journal of language and linguistic studies, 18(1), 669–691. ngongo, m., maromon, e., loba, d., & herman. (2022). a systemic functional linguistics analysis of text transitivity of mathew gospel, new testament of kupang malay. world journal of english language, 12(5), 188-201. https://10.5430/wjel.v12n5p188 ngongo, m., purba, r., thao, n. v., & herman. (2022). an application of compositional metafunctions in improving children’s ability to learn english through images. jurnal pendidikan progresif, 12(3), 1177-1188. https://doi.org/10.23960/jpp.v12.i3.202214 nosa, y. a., malau, p. a. p., herman., sinurat, b., & purba, l. (2021). an investigation of discourse markers in donald trump speeches: a case on discourse analysis. american journal of social and humanitarian research, 2(8), 30-38. phakiti, a., costa, p. d., plonsky, l., & starfield, s. (2018). the palgrave handbook of applied linguistics research methodology. palgrave macmillan uk. purba, r., & herman. (2020). multimodal analysis on ertiga car advertisement. wiralodra english journal (wej), 4(1), 21-32. https://doi.org/10.31943/wej.v4i1.77 purba, r., herman, h., manullang, v. r. m., & ngongo, m. (2021). investigation of decoding fillers used in an english learning talk show “english with alice”. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 37-48. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5352 purba, r., sibarani, b., murni, s. m., saragih, a., & herman. (2022). conserving the simalungun language maintenance through demographic community: the analysis of taboo words across times. world journal of english language, 12(1), 40-49. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v12n1p40 saputra, n., fatmawati, e., ngongo, m., herman, h., & thao, n. v. (2022). transitivity analysis on sri mulyani’s speech at singapore summit: a systemic functional linguistics perspective. humanus: jurnal ilmiah ilmu-ilmu humaniora, 21(2), 188-198. https://doi.org/10.24036/humanus.v21i2.116665 sibarani, e. m. (2017). a study of parsing process on natural language processing in bahasa indonesia. proceedings 16th ieee international conference on computational science and engineering, cse 2013, 309–316. sihombing, p. s. r., herman., & saputra, n. (2022). how to teach english conversation? an implementation of a multimodal discourse analysis through images. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 431-438. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6244 simanjuntak, v. d. s., napitupulu, e. r., herman., purba, c. n., & thao, n. v. (2021). deixis in the song lyrics of hailee steinfeld’s “half written story” album. central asian journal of social sciences and history (cajssh), 2(3), 97-107. simanjuntak, m.m., saputra, n., afrianti, d., mulyadi, j., & herman. (2022). implementing multimodal literacy to improve students’ ability in literacy for classroom practice. sarcouncil journal of education and sociology, 1(4), 1-5. sinurat, v. l., herman., marpaung, t. i., & sihombing, p. s. r. (2021). an analysis on women’s language feature used by jacinda arden in speech about covid-19. edu_ling: journal of english education and linguistics, 4(2), 20-35. https://doi.org/10.32663/eduling.v4i2.1727 wentker, m., & schneider, c. (2022). and she be like ‘tenemos frijoles en la casa’: code-switching and identity construction on youtube. languages, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/languages7030219 wintara, k. (2020). interpersonal function analysis in bangtan boys (bts) speech at unga 2020. university of sumatera utara. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 689 fostering qualitative content analysis skills through case method noermanzah (corresponding author) postgraduate program of indonesian language education, universitas bengkulu email: noermanzah@unib.ac.id dian eka chandra wardhana postgraduate program of indonesian language education, universitas bengkulu email: dec.wardhana@unib.ac.id awalludin indonesian language and literature education study program, universitas baturaja e-mail: awalludinawri@gmail.com apa citation: noermanzah, wardhana, d. e. c. awalludin. (2022). fostering qualitative content analysis skills through case method. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 689-698. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6312. received: 03-04-2022 accepted: 17-05-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction the qualitative content analysis method is one of the discourse analysis techniques that seeks to give the discourse's content meaning. as explained by mayring (2014), qualitative content analysis is a variety of text analysis procedures that integrate qualitative and quantitative analysis steps, making them part of mixed methods. according to choi and kim (2019), qualitative content analysis can be carried out by creating inductive categories and deciding deductive categories with the purpose of understanding the meaning of the characteristics of strengths and weaknesses of a text that is researched using, for instance, fgi (focused group interview). entering society era 5.0, to prevent misinformation or hoaxes, students must be able to acquire digital literacy, which necessitates their capacity to assess discourse using qualitative content analysis (adila, weda, & tamitiadini, 2019). the better the ability to analyze discourse with qualitative content analysis methods, the better students will be in understanding correct information as new knowledge. then, karto, suhartono, susetyo, noermanzah, & maisarah (2019) explained that the ability to analyze discourse with qualitative content analysis will also affect students' ability to innovate, think critically, think creatively, cooperate, and collaborate so that they are ready to become members of the community and the business world. researchers frequently utilize qualitative content analysis, particularly when investigating a discourse abstract: this study is aimed at demonstrating how students in the university of bengkulu's master's program in indonesian language education have improved their capacity to employ qualitative content analysis techniques. this study uses a classroom action research method with the kemmis and mc model. data collection techniques using observation, interviews, tests, and documentation. data analysis techniques are: 1) analyzing qualitative data, namely observation data, interviews, and document analysis; 2) analyzing quantitative data, namely performance test data, and 3) interpreting and setting indicators of success of actions. test the validity of the data using the technique of inter rater, member check, and triangulation of data sources. the results showed that the application of case method carried out online through zoom cloud meetings and lms university of bengkulu was able to improve the ability to use qualitative content analysis methods for students. improvement both in terms of the learning process that activates the learning experience through solving discourse analysis cases at the level of knowledge and activities trying to analyze class discourse, as well as increasing learning outcomes in the first cycle by 16% which reached a value of 80, increasing in cycle 2 by 91.66% which reaches a value of 80. keywords:; qualitative content analysis skills; case method; learning outcomes. mailto:noermanzah@unib.ac.id noermanzah, dian eka chandra wardhana, awalludin fostering qualitative content analysis skills through case method 690 or communication event in a community. for example, a study by sumarno (2020), language and literature learning research uses content analysis. in this situation, content analysis can be utilized to transform the communication phenomena's content into a socially understandable phenomenon, particularly in the study of language and literature. yenrizal (2018) also used analytical methods to reveal the meaning of the environment in the srivijaya era through the talang tuwo inscription. likewise, content analysis can also reveal the contents of the press and online journal coverage during the covid-19 outbreak in italy (corvo & de caro, 2020). the results of the content analysis showed that the articles in the first two weeks mainly focused on information on the covid-19 disease ranging from prevention, treatment, healing but also fear, and anxiety. while after a while, about 2 months later the newspapers are much more focused on the socio-political-economic impact that covid-19 has had in italy and could potentially happen in the near future for health organizations. the qualitative analysis method is also able to reveal the contents of twitter users' opinions through "#amnestipajak" and "#taxamnesty" (rumata, 2017). the qualitative content analysis method is very helpful in revealing the meaning of an important event in the history of human development, so it is very important to learn, especially for students in the field of language and literature education. as one of the language research methods, the qualitative content analysis method has not received special attention for discourse teachers, especially how appropriate learning methods are to provide understanding to students in improving their ability to use qualitative analysis methods. the study of classroom action research, for example, research conducted by noermanzah & suryadi (2020) showed that the method of learning blended learning based on moodle is able to improve the ability of students in applying critical discourse analysis with the fairclough model. the results of this study indicate that the moodle-based blended learning method is able to improve students' ability to analyze discourse, especially norman fairclough's critical discourse analysis model with evidence of an increase in ability from cycle 1 to cycle 2 with an average value of 80.5. from the learning outcomes data for the 2019/2021 odd semester, it shows that the ability to analyze discourse, especially qualitative content analysis, for second semester students of the indonesian language education master’s program, bengkulu university is still in the sufficient category, with an average score of 68.82. this low value is indicated by the ability to use qualitative content analysis methods that are not as expected by these nine qualitative analytical procedures, namely determining the material, analyzing the situation where the text originates, formally characterizing the material, determining the direction of analysis, differentiation of questions that must be answered according to with existing theories, selecting analytical techniques (summary, explication, arrangement), definition of units of analysis, material analysis (summary, explication, arrangement), and interpretation (mayring, 2014; emzir, 2014; krippendorff, 2004). the results of interviews with students who took the discourse analysis course also showed that students still had difficulties, especially in analyzing the situation where the text came from, formally characterizing the material, determining the direction of analysis, differentiation of questions that must be answered according to existing theory, selecting techniques. analytical (summary, explication, arrangement), definition of units of analysis, material analysis (summary, explication, arrangement), and interpretation (kusrianti & suharto, 2019). in addition, their lack of insight related to studies conducted on discourse using qualitative content analysis methods. from the results of observations, the occurrence of low student understanding in carrying out qualitative content analysis in analyzing discourse is influenced by several things such as lack of understanding of the work procedures of qualitative content analysis, incomplete qualitative content analysis teaching materials, lack of practice in analyzing discourse with qualitative analysis methods, methods less interesting learning, and low student motivation in studying a discourse with qualitative content analysis methods. for this reason, it is necessary to present learning methods that are able to maximize the shortcomings of previous learning methods. learning methods that are thought to be able to stimulate the development of students' thinking progress to solve the problems they face appropriately and motivate students to design an invention are by applying case solving methods or problem solving or problem-based english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 691 learning (sakila, 2019; sitepu, 2018; nisa, 2018; sukesti, 2020). method to address this research question, classroom action research using a participatory design is used. researchers characterize car parsitipative design as instructors who perform actions (kemmis, mctaggart, & nixon, 2014). the process of action research using the kemmis, mctaggart, & nixon model in general with action steps, namely planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. the steps of action research are described by kemmis, mctaggart, and nixon (2014) in the form of a spiral of self-reflection. planning for change; providing action; observing the learning process and making modifications based on observations; reflecting on this process and its effects; replanning; carrying out actions and making observations; reflecting; and repeating in activity 1 are the next steps. the kemmis, mctaggart, and nixon spiral model approach was used during the second semester of the indonesian language education masters program at the university of bengkulu to implement classroom action research procedures that employ problem-solving strategies (2014). the execution of this spiral model is scheduled over two cycles, which are actually one action in the spiral model. the population of this study consisted of 12 students enrolled in the second semester of the university of bengkulu's master's program in indonesian language education, including 8 women and 4 males. class a students enrolled in the indonesian language education masters program at bengkulu university fkip in the second semester of the 2020–2021 academic year make up the research sample or the study's subject. there are a total of 12 participants in the study, including 8 women and 4 men. purposive sampling is used to determine the sample size (sampling technique with certain considerations or objectives). students that enroll in the discourse analysis course serve as the sample population. because there is just one class, immediately class a semester 2, there are a total of 12 students. tests, observations, interviews, and documentation techniques are utilized to collect data in order to address the formulation of the research problem. test methods used to evaluate student performance in evaluating speech using qualitative content analysis techniques are presented as essay techniques. the observation method, known as open observation, is watching what students and lecturers are doing while they are learning. additionally, an open interview strategy was used to gather feedback from instructors and students on the implementation of case-based learning for qualitative content analysis. the next step in the documentation process is to record the lecture program units, audiovisual from the case method application in learning, and semester learning plans. the main instrument in this research is the researcher and the observer. in this classroom action research, researchers and observers are assisted by the following research instruments. the observation sheets used are lecturer activity observation sheets and student activity observation sheets in online activities in applying case-solving methods to qualitative content analysis learning. the observation sheet is open, with the observed aspects relating to preliminary activities, core activities, and closing activities. observation sheet used by the lecturer and student activities is relating to learning steps, starting from preliminary activities, core activities, and ending with closing activities. essay tests or descriptions are regulated in the form of a performance test to analyze a discourse using the qualitative content analysis method of the mayring model. essay tests can be seen in the lecture event unit the part in the appendix. the ssessment indicators in discourse analysis are aimed at the performance results of discourse analysis activities using mayring's qualitative content analysis method are as follows (emzir, 2014; eriyanto, 2011; mayring, 2000). table 1. assessment indicator of the results of student products in analyzing discourse using the mayring model qualitative content analysis method no. indicators of discourse analysis activities value weight 1 material determination 5 2 analysis of the situation where the text originates 5 3 characterization that is formal from the analyzed material 5 4 determination of the direction of 5 noermanzah, dian eka chandra wardhana, awalludin fostering qualitative content analysis skills through case method 692 class discourse analysis conducted by students 5 differentiation of questions that must be answered according to theory 5 6 the selection of analytic techniques in the form of summary, explanation, and organization 10 7 definition of units of analysis 10 8 material analysis (summary, explication, organization) 10 9 interpretation 45 score 100 the steps of data analysis are carried out in two steps, namely quantitative data analysis and followed by qualitative data analysis. qualitative data obtained from observations and interviews (thomas, 2006), while quantitative data is test data. from the results of the essay test, the performance was assessed by two assessors, namely by lecturers and colleagues. then calculate the average value using spss 21. classical learning completeness criteria will be obtained if there are 85% in the class with a minimum completeness criteria value of 80 or criteria a-. activities in analyzing data types of qualitative data come from data on observations of lecturer and student activities in learning, as well as data from the results of interviews with lecturers and students relating to data that cannot be explained from observation data. observation results from lecturer activities related to implementation qualitative content analysis learning using case solving methods in sap. if the results are right, it can be informed that the activity of the lecturer in applying the case method method is good, and vice versa if it is not in accordance with the work steps case method, then the lecturer's activities are considered not good. it is the same with student activities related to student activities in preliminary activities, core activities, and closing activities. if from the implementation of the three processes of the activity, most of them show active students, the student activities are good, otherwise if they are not active, the student activities are not good. the results of the interviews are also related to the problems faced by lecturers and students. in this case, the results of the interview are more to help reflect activities or improve the results of actions. the results of the interviews are also the basis for determining whether the case solving method really provides motivation and good impact for lecturers, especially students in understanding discourse analysis activities using mayring's qualitative content analysis method. the interpretation process is an activity of interpreting and carrying out connecting activities quantitative data and qualitative data whether they have achieve a hypothesis in the form of indicators of successful action or not. then, if it has reached the indicators of success, it can be concluded that the research hypothesis is accepted, namely the case solving method can improve the ability to use qualitative content analysis methods for students in semester 2 of the masters program in indonesian language education, university of bengkulu. the indicators for the success of this classroom action research is shown by the application case method in improving the ability to use qualitative content analysis methods for semester 2 students of the indonesian language education masters program, fkip bengkulu university, are as follows: (1) the criteria for the limitations in the classroom is 85% with the minimum completeness criteria score of 80 or criteria a-. (2) the results of the observation of the learning process carried out by the lecturer is in accordance with the process or procedure for the application of the case solving method in the lecture program unit. (3) the results of observing student activities that provide information that students are active in the learning process. (4) the results of the interviews showed that students were happy and students are motivated through learning activities qualitative content analysis using case solving methods. results and discussion learning process using case method on material use of qualitative content analysis method the results of observations from the learning process using the case method carried out by the lecturer, the learning steps using case solving methods on the material using qualitative content analysis methods and the results of cycle 1 reflection, are as follows: the steps of learning cycle 1 virtual online meeting through the zoom cloud application are as follows. introduction (20 minutes). (1) students and lecturers pray together. (2) students are asked to log english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 693 in at bengkulu university's lms, namely on the https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ page especially for the discourse analysis course and have their attendance checked by the lecturer. (3) students are checked for their health condition by the lecturer. (4) students are given apperception by giving video discourses on learning indonesian language teachers with national level achievements and providing motivation to students. (5) lecturer explains sub-cpmk and learning objectives. core activities (70 minutes). exploration. (1) students are formed into small groups, each group consisting of 2 students. (2) each group is given the task of analyzing sample articles from class discourse analysis research using qualitative content analysis methods. the analysis was carried out on how the steps of qualitative content analysis work from several research articles. (3) students in groups are accompanied by lecturers in solving the problem of analyzing the work steps of qualitative content analysis from several research articles. (4) students prove the results of their analysis by presenting in the form of a talk show. (5) all group representatives in the talk show discussed and came to joint conclusions about the steps of qualitative content analysis work from several research articles. (6) the lecturer provides reinforcement on qualitative content analysis of several research articles. elaboration. lecturers give assignments in groups to solve cases of analyzing teacher skills in explaining from learning videos downloaded from youtube with qualitative content analysis tasks, namely: 1) determining the material, 2) analyzing the situation where the text comes from, 3) formally characterizing the material, 4) determine discourse analysis activities, 5) differentiation of questions that must be answered in accordance with existing theories, 6) the selection of an analytical technique in the form of summary, explanation, and settings, 7) definition of units of analysis, 8) material analysis (summary, explication , arrangement), and 9) interpretation of the findings of the teacher's skills in explaining the learning video. (1) the lecturer accompanies students when carrying out problem-solving stages in analyzing teacher skills in explaining from learning videos downloaded from youtube with qualitative content analysis methods. (2) each group is able to determine the conclusion of the analysis through the activity of presenting the results of the analysis of the skills of the teacher in explaining the indonesian language learning video using the qualitative content analysis method. (3) each group presents a question and answer session with other groups regarding their findings. (4) students are given reinforcement by the lecturer from each analysis result by providing analysis results that should be based on the work steps of mayring's qualitative content analysis method. (5) students in their groups are asked to improve the results of the analysis outside of lecture hours based on the results of discussions and reinforcement from the lecturer. confirmation. (1) students are given questions regarding the learning objectives that have been achieved. (2) several student representatives were asked to provide conclusions regarding the learning objectives that have been achieved. closing activities (10 minutes). (1) students are given reflection by asking questions about the learning objectives that have been and have not been achieved. (2) students are reminded again of the task of improving the results of their analysis and collecting the results of the improvement analysis at the bengkulu university lms, namely https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ in the discourse analysis course meeting 6 according to a predetermined schedule. (3) students and lecturers close the study with students with prayer. cycle 1 reflection results the results of cycle 1 reflection from the results of observing the learning process using the casesolving method carried out by lecturers and students are as follows: the results of observing the activities of the lecturers are in accordance with the procedures for applying the case solving method in sap or 100% according to the very good criteria. at the time of exploration, the lecturer was too fast in providing reinforcement for explanations and when students presented in a talk show, they did not ask group members to provide suggestions. problems occur in elaboration activities, namely the lack of maximum lecturers assisting students at the stage of students doing problem solving because only two groups are actively asking questions while the other four groups are less active. breakout rooms should be facilitated for each group so that lecturers can assist more optimally. the lecturer also gave a presentation time in the form of a talk show but did not ask other group members to give their opinion noermanzah, dian eka chandra wardhana, awalludin fostering qualitative content analysis skills through case method 694 so that the active students were only group representatives who became the spokespersons in the talk show. the results of observing student activities show that they are active in every learning activity with 100% results with very good criteria. it's just that there are some students who are less active in conducting discourse analysis with qualitative content analysis methods and more of their group leaders are actively working. students are also still confused in understanding the steps of analysis using the qualitative content analysis method because the lecturer is too quick to explain and is not accompanied by examples of each stage of the analysis. the results of the interview showed that the lecturer was too quick in explaining so that it still made students not understand the steps of analysis using qualitative content analysis methods. then, students still have difficulty understanding the steps of qualitative content analysis correctly, especially in interpreting the data, especially interpreting the data according to the research problem, namely determining the basic skills of teaching teachers. the average value of cycle 1 is 77.7 (b+) and only 16% of those who are successful have achieved a score of 80 or 2 of the 12 students who were the research sample. this shows that it has not reached 80 or abecause the specific success indicator for classical learning completeness criteria must be 80% with a kkm value of 80 or criteria a. the steps of learning cycle 2 virtual face with zoom cloud are as follows. introduction (20 minutes). (1) students and lecturers pray together. (2) students are asked to log in to the bengkulu university lms, namely on the https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ page especially the discourse analysis course and have their attendance checked by the lecturer. (3) students are checked for their health condition by the lecturer. (4) students are given apperception by giving video discourses of writers in the field of discourse analysis who have written in various reputable international journals and provide motivation to students. (5) lecturer explains sub-cpmk and learning objectives. core activities (70 minutes). exploration. (1) students are formed into small groups, each group consisting of 2 students. (2) each group is given the task of analyzing sample articles from class discourse analysis research using qualitative content analysis methods. the analysis was carried out on how the steps of qualitative content analysis work from several research articles. (3) students in groups are accompanied by lecturers in solving the problem of analyzing the work steps of qualitative content analysis from several research articles. (4) students prove the results of their analysis by presenting in the form of a talk show. (5) all group representatives in the talk show discussed and came to joint conclusions about the steps of qualitative content analysis work from several research articles. (6) the lecturer provides reinforcement on qualitative content analysis of several research articles. elaboration. (1) lecturers give assignments in groups to solve cases of analyzing teacher skills in explaining from learning videos downloaded from youtube with qualitative content analysis tasks, namely: a) determining the material, b) analyzing the situation where the text comes from, c) formally characterizing the material, d) determination of the direction of analysis, e) differentiation of questions that must be answered in accordance with existing theories, f) selection of analytical techniques (summary, explication, arrangement), g) definition of units of analysis, h) material analysis (summary, explication , arrangement), and i) interpretation of the findings of the teacher's skills in explaining the learning video. (2) the lecturer accompanies students when carrying out problem-solving stages in analyzing teacher skills in explaining from learning videos downloaded from youtube with qualitative content analysis methods. (3) each group is able to determine the conclusion of the analysis through the activity of presenting the results of the analysis of the skills of the teacher in explaining the indonesian language learning video using the qualitative content analysis method. (4) each group presents a question and answer session with other groups regarding their findings. (5) students are given reinforcement by the lecturer from each analysis result by providing analysis results that should be based on the work steps of mayring's qualitative content analysis method. (6) students in their groups are asked to improve the results of the analysis outside of lecture hours based on the results of discussions and reinforcement from the lecturer. confirmation. (1) students are given questions regarding the learning objectives that have been english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 695 achieved. (2) several student representatives were asked to provide conclusions regarding the learning objectives that have been achieved. closing activities (10 minutes). (1) students are given reflection by asking questions about the learning achievements of discourse analysis that has been and has not yet reached the minimum completeness criteria. (2) students are reminded again of the task of improving the results of their analysis and collecting the results of the improvement analysis at the bengkulu university lms, namely https://elearning.unib.ac.id/ in the discourse analysis course meeting 6 according to a predetermined schedule. (3) students and lecturers close the study with students with prayer. cycle 2 reflection results the results of the reflection of cycle 2 from the results of the observation of the learning process using the case-solving method carried out by lecturers and students are as follows: the results of the observation of lecturer activities are in accordance with the steps for implementing the case solving method in sap or 100% in accordance with the very good criteria. at the time of exploration, the lecturer had provided a strengthening explanation of the steps of qualitative content analysis so that students gained a good understanding before carrying out the activity of trying to analyze discourse. lecturers have invited each individual in the group to ask questions so that they are active in question and answer and are able to build their knowledge well. lecturers have provided breakout rooms for each group so that lecturers can assist students more optimally in student activities to solve problems in analyzing discourse. the results of observing student activities in learning show that they are active in every learning experience with 100% results with very good criteria. it's just that there are still some students who have not actively asked questions because of signal problems. the results of the interview show that the lecturers have explained in detail the steps of qualitative content analysis accompanied by examples of analysis. then, there are still students who have difficulty making conclusions about the interpretation of the meaning of the basic teaching skills of teachers and connecting these findings with relevant research. the average value of cycle 2 is 80.6 (a-) and those who have succeeded in achieving a minimum completeness score are only 91.66% who have achieved a score of 80 or 11 people who have succeeded from the 12 students who were the research sample. this shows that from student learning outcomes in compiling research using qualitative content analysis methods, the indicator of success is 80% of the number of students who have achieved the minimum completeness criteria score, namely 80 or criteria a-. improving learning outcomes using qualitative content analysis technique through case-method the results of cycle 1 show that student learning outcomes in mastering the ability to use qualitative content analysis methods after the implementation of learning using case solving methods in cycle 1 obtained an average value of 77.7 and the number of students who achieved the minimum completeness criteria score of 80 only obtained 2 students. or 16% of the total research sample, namely 12 students. then, the results in cycle 2 showed that student learning outcomes in mastering the ability to use qualitative content analysis methods after the implementation of learning using case solving methods in cycle 2 obtained an average value of 80.6 and the number of students who achieved the minimum completeness criteria score of 80 which obtained 11 students or 91.66% of the total research sample, namely 12 students. the application of case-solving methods carried out online through zoom cloud meetings and lms bengkulu university was able to improve the ability to use qualitative content analysis methods for students of the indonesian language education masters program, bengkulu university. although in the first cycle only 16% reached a value of 80, but in the second cycle it increased to 91.66% which reached a value of 80. the learning process with the case-solving method on the qualitative content analysis method was carried out with steps developed from opinion of yee (2019), kuzle (2015), arends (2008), greiff (2013), gulo (2002), and decree of the minister of education and culture of the republic of indonesia, number 3/m/2021, namely 1) solving cases by building concepts in exploration activities with the steps are as follows: a) students are formed into several small groups, b) each group is given a case to analyze qualitative content analysis procedures based on noermanzah, dian eka chandra wardhana, awalludin fostering qualitative content analysis skills through case method 696 several examples of research results in the field of discourse analysis, c) students are assisted in the analysis process so that they are able to build knowledge and prove about working steps of discourse analysis with qualitative content analysis methods, d) each group presentation in the form of talk shows, and e) lecturers provide reinforcement to the steps of discourse analysis by using qualitative content analysis methods. then, 2) solving cases with activities trying to apply knowledge about qualitative content analysis methods to elaboration activities with the following steps: a) lecturers give assignments in groups to solve cases analyzing with quantitative content analysis about the skills of teachers in explaining from the downloaded learning videos from youtube; b) the lecturer accompanies students when carrying out problem-solving stages in analyzing the teacher's skills in explaining; c) each group presents the results of its discourse analysis in the form of a talk show; d) students are given a strengthening explanation by the lecturer. in the application of the case-solving method that has been applied to the material using the qualitative content analysis method according to greiff (2013) and gulo (2002), a special strategy is needed so that students are able to formulate problems, examine problems, formulate tentative assumptions with alternative problem solving, collect data, classify data, presenting data in the form of narratives and pictures, conducting evidence and establishing conclusions, to communicating the results of the analysis in the form of groups. in action research, the case-solving steps are carried out twice and at two levels, namely carried out at the exploration stage by building knowledge through completing analysis of examples of research results in the field of discourse analysis and at the elaboration stage by conducting activities trying to analyze discourse. learning by using qualitative content analysis methods. with the stage of building knowledge at the beginning, students can easily solve the given analytical case. although the ability to use qualitative content analysis methods is still not optimally accepted by students, especially in their ability to interpret research data because of the lack of time in carrying out these assignments. however, for the ability to determine material, analysis of the situation where the text of characterization comes from, formally determining the direction of analysis, differentiation of questions that must be answered according to theory, selection of analytical techniques (summary, explication, arrangement), definition of units analysis, and material analysis (summary, explication, arrangement) is good. the key to the application of the case-solving method in improving the ability to use qualitative content analysis methods for students of the masters program in indonesian language education, bengkulu university is to give simple cases first to master a knowledge, followed by case analysis that is experimental in nature, mentoring and strengthening from educators as facilitators to students. all students, use the facility to provide breakout rooms for each group so that lecturers can assist students more optimally in student activities to solve problems, and provide opportunities to communicate the results of solving analytical cases through presentation activities. in addition, time management in case resolution must and presentation of case resolution results must be well planned according to the level of difficulty of the case. then, in applying the case-solving method, it must provide room for discussion in groups so that each individual acts as a protagonist in determining problem solving in the learning provided by the educator. this is in accordance with the decree of the minister of education and culture of the republic of indonesia, number 3/m/2021, the case method is carried out in several stages as follows: 1) students act as "protagonists" who try to solve a case; 2) students conduct case analysis to build solution recommendations, assisted by group discussions to test and develop solution designs; and 3) the class discusses actively, with the majority of the conversations being carried out by students, while the lecturer only facilitates by directing the discussion, asking questions, and observing. conclusion students at the university of bengkulu's indonesian language education masters program were able to use qualitative content analysis methodologies more effectively by applying case-solving methods through online learning management systems (lms) and zoom cloud meetings. the following english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 697 learning process and student learning outcomes serve as indicators of this increase. the learning process has been running actively with the application of case solving methods on the material of qualitative content analysis methods carried out in several steps, namely: 1) solving cases by building concepts in exploration activities with the following steps: a) students are formed into several groups small, b) each group is given a case to analyze qualitative content analysis procedures based on several examples of research results in the field of discourse analysis, c) students are assisted in the analysis process so that they are able to build knowledge and prove about the work steps of discourse analysis with qualitative content analysis methods, d) each group presentations in the form of talk shows, and e) lecturers provide reinforcement to the steps of discourse analysis using qualitative content analysis methods. then, 2) solving cases with activities trying to apply knowledge about qualitative content analysis methods to elaboration activities with the following steps: a) lecturers give assignments in groups to solve cases analyzing with quantitative content analysis about the skills of teachers in explaining from the downloaded learning videos from youtube; b) the lecturer accompanies students when carrying out problemsolving stages in analyzing the teacher's skills in explaining; c) each group presents the results of its discourse analysis in the form of a talk show; d) students are given a strengthening explanation by the lecturer. the results of learning the ability to use qualitative content analysis methods after the application of case solving methods in the first cycle were only 16% which reached a value of 80, increased in cycle 2 increased to 91.66% which reached a value of 80. with details, in cycle 1 obtained an average value the average was 77.70 and the number of students who have reached the minimum completeness criteria score of 80 was only obtained by 2 students or 16% of the total research sample, namely 12 students. then, in cycle 2, the average score was 80.6 and the number of students who achieved the minimum completeness criteria score of 80 was obtained by 11 students or 91.66% of the total research sample, namely 12 students. students who experience less than optimal scores, especially in interpreting research data. acknowledgments the research team would like to thank the leaders of the fkip universitas bengkulu for funding through the 2021 rba funds and the lppm universitas bengkulu for facilitating the permit preparation of proposals and the process of implementing this activity until its completion. references adila, i., weda, w. & tamitiadini, d. (2019). pengembangan model literasi dan informasi berbasis pancasila dalam menangkal hoaks. wacana: jurnal ilmiah ilmu komunikasi, 18(1). 101-111. arends, r. i. (2008). learning to teach belajar untuk mengajar. terjemahan helly pajitno soetjipto & sri mulyantini soetjipto. pustaka pelajar. choi, a., & kim, c. (2019). characteristics of european and american senior tourists visiting korea: focused on content analysis method of mayring. journal of tourism and leisure research, 31(12), 123–145. doi:10.31336/jtlr.2019.12.31.12.123 corvo, e., & de caro, w. (2020). covid-19 and newspapers: a content & text mining analysis. european journal of public health, 30(5). emzir. (2014). metodologi penelitian kualitatif analisis data. pt rajagrafindo persada. eriyanto. (2011). analisis isi: pengantar metodologi untuk penelitian ilmu komunikasi dan ilmu-ilmu soisal lainnya. kencana. greiff, s., holt, d. v., & funke, j. (2013). perspectives on problem solving in educational assessment: analytical, interactive, and collaborative problem solving. the journal of problem solving, 5(2), 71-91. doi:10.7771/1932-6246.1153 gulo, w. (2002). strategi belajar mengajar. pt. grasindo. karto., suhartono., susetyo., noermanzah., & maisarah, i. (2019). the differences ability in writing descriptive texts by using chain writing and conventional methods. international journal of scientific & technology research, 8(10), 2718. kemmis, s., mctaggart, r. & nixon, r. (2014). the action research planner. springer. available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4560-67-2 krippendorff, k. (2004). content analysis: an introduction to its methodology. sage publication. kusrianti, a., & suharto, v. t. (2019). penerapan model pembelajaran problem based learning dengan multimedia untuk meningkatkan kemampuan menulis puisi siswa. linguista: jurnal ilmiah bahasa, sastra, dan pembelajarannya, 3(2), 149. doi:10.25273/linguista.v3i2.5736 kuzle, a. (2015). problem solving as an instructional method: the use of open problems in technology noermanzah, dian eka chandra wardhana, awalludin fostering qualitative content analysis skills through case method 698 problem solving instruction. lumat: international journal of math, science and technology education, 3(1), 69–86. doi:10.31129/lumat.v3i1.1052 mayring, p. (2000). qualitative content analysis. forum qualitative social research. mayring, p. (2014). qualitative content analysis: theoretical background and procedures. approaches to qualitative research in mathematics education. springer. 365–380. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-9181-6_13. mayring, p. (2014). qualitative content analysis: theoretical foundation, basic procedures and software solution. gesis. minister of education and culture of the republic of indonesia number 3/m/2021 on key performance indicators of state universities and higher education service institutions at the ministry of education and culture. minister of education and culture of the republic of indonesia. nisa, k a. (2018). problem based learning dalam meningkatkan kemampuan menulis karya ilmiah mahasiswa. jurnal petik, 2(1), 24-35. doi:10.31980/jpetik.v2i1.63. noermanzah, n. & suryadi, n. (2020). improving students ability to analyze discourse through the moodle-based blended learning method. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 8385. rumata, v. m. (2017). analisis isi kualitatif twitter “#taxamnesy” dan “#amnestipajak.” jurnal penelitian komunikasi dan pembangunan, 18(1), 1-18. doi:10.31346/jpkp.v18i1.840. sakila, s. (2019). metode pemecahan berbasis masalah pada pembelajaran menulis teks deskripsi. genta bahtera: jurnal ilmiah kebahasaan dan kesastraan, 5(1), 1–17. doi:10.47269/gb.v5i1.77 sitepu, d. s. (2018). pengaruh metode problem solving dan kesiapan belajar siswa terhadap hasil belajar pak di kelas xi sma negeri 2 balige. school education journal, 9(1), 35–44. doi:10.24114/sejpgsd.v9i1.13686 sukesti, l. a. (2020). peningkatan kemampuan berbicara teks hortatory exposition menggunakan problem based learning dengan presentasi berbantuan film. jurnal guru dikmen dan diksus, 3(2), 169–185. doi:10.47239/jgdd.v3i2.239 sumarno, s. (2020). analisis isi dalam penelitian pembelajaran bahasa dan sastra. edukasi lingua sastra, 18(2), 36–55. doi:10.47637/elsa.v18i2.299 thomas, r. d. (2006). a general inductive approach for analyzing qualitative evaluation data. american journal of evaluation. 27(2), 237-242. doi: 10.1177/1098214005283748 yee, s. f. (2019). teacher professional development and the case method. springer. yenrizal, y. (2018). makna lingkuungan hidup di masa sriwijaya: analisis isi pada prasasti talang tuwo. jurnal aspikom, 3(5), 833-845. doi:10.24329/aspikom.v3i5.302. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1003 implementing project-based learning for efl students’ writing achievement at the tertiary level ilham english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah mataram, indonesia email: ilham.ummataram@gmail.com apa citation: ilham. (2022). implementing project-based learning for efl students’ writing achievement at the tertiary level. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 1003-1012. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6470. received: 22-07-2022 accepted: 24-09-2022 published: 30-11-2022 introduction writing plays an important role in a student's academic success at the tertiary level. writing is considered a productive skill and activities in writing lead to written products in the process of efl learning. it can serve as a medium for the students in learning the knowledge base of their discipline (maguire et al., 2013), in which they are also learning to develop and organize their arguments (spiller & ferguson, 2011). writing requires a wide range of knowledge and the ability to produce an intelligible text (rofiqoh et al., 2022). through writing, students will be able to convey feelings, ideas, and information (chalish & masitowarni, 2013). students at the university level should master the way to write well. it has to be done to fulfill the purpose of learning writing for students. besides, students are necessary to attain academic writing ability since it influences their academic achievement (oktarina et al., 2018). nevertheless, writing is not an easy task for many efl college students. this is because writing demands adequate knowledge of content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics (oshima & hogue, 2007; toba et al., 2019). it is also strengthened by the fact that rhetorical conventions of english texts, the structure style, and organization often differ from conventions in students’ first language (akbar et al., 2018; almubark, 2016; hasan & marzuki, 2017; belkhir & benyelles, 2017). efl learners face setbacks in writing, for example, part of speech grammar, syntactic, structure, spelling, prepositions, punctuation, cohesion, discourse markers, writing paragraph with a clear focus, paraphrasing, vocabulary, lack of ideas, and weak structure organization (bram & angelina, 2022; budjalemba & listyani, 2020; fareed et al., 2016; nasser, 2019; nenotek et al., 2022; nik et al., 2010; toba et al., 2019). writing remain challenging and much more difficult particularly when students deal with run-on sentences, misuse of connectives, synonym confusion, pronoun misuse, subject-verb agreement, generating, organizing, or even translating ideas or thoughts into an understandable text (xie, 2020; stoller, 2002; nunan, 1999). in tertiary education, the problem persists due to learners’ lack of exposure to writing practice (ilham et al., 2020). in addition, based on preliminary observation and interviews conducted by the researcher on the english academic writing subject, the factors that cause students’ problems in writing are arranging correct sentences, writing the topic sentence, organizing ideas into paragraphs, and limitation of abstract: writing is the process of recursively producing written work. this study aims to explore the effectiveness of project-based learning to elevate the students’ academic writing at the tertiary level and to know the students’ opinion of the implementation of project-based learning in teaching writing. a mixed method design is employed and it is conducted in twelve sessions. it involves thirtyeight students of the english department of a private university in mataram west lombok, indonesia who attend academic writing class in the academic year 2022-2023. project-based learning through the canva application is conducted in academic writing class. to collect the data, writing tests and interviews were used. the finding revealed that project-based learning is able to improve the students writing achievements, the students perceived project-based as interesting, challenging, motivating, enhancing their english, and increasing their creativity. project-based enabled them to work together in groups and to think contextually about the problem given. to conclude, it is advisable for efl teachers to implement project-based learning integrating ict. keywords: academic writing; canva application; ict; project-based learning. ilham implementing project-based learning for efl students’ writing achievement at the tertiary level 1004 vocabulary. therefore, to be proficient in writing, efl college students need to have good knowledge of how to recognize, manage and overcome such things as complexities at the level of the clause, grammatical form, and unfamiliarity with the use of language in writing that is not only learn how to write but also reinforce several aspects of language that they have not completely mastered. in this context, one of the alternative methods to teaching writing by adapting a project-based learning method, with the language learning being guided by the meaningful project to fulfill the learning objectives. project-based learning encourages learners to learn a project, make learning relevant, personalize and engaging (thomas, 2000; wang, 2020) and it is also an authentic teaching pedagogy that allows learners to plan, execute, and assess the project beyond the classroom with real-world experiences (chard, 2013; chi & dieu, 2021; essien, 2018; somani & rizvi, 2018; ulrich, 2016). project-based learning (pbl) helps students gain a deep understanding of the acquired knowledge, develop a high level of learning, and promotes motivation to learn english (al-busaidi & al-seyabi, 2021; kimsesiz et al., 2017; rostika et al., 2021; tuyen & tien, 2021; wongdaeng & hajihama, 2018). furthermore, project-based learning engages learners in an active process of learning (chi & dieu, 2021). moreover, alan & stoller (2005) and stoller (2002) offer ten steps of project-based learning in maximizing the benefit of project work in the foreign language classroom. steps 1 and steps 2 are used for project preparation by agreeing on a theme for the project and determining the final outcome. steps 3 to step 7 are applied to accomplish by students for conducting the project. step 3 is to structure the project, the students and instructor work out project details that guide students from the opening activity to the completion of the project. step 4: instructor prepares students for the language demands of information gathering. at this stage, the instructor prepares students for the language, skill, and strategy demands associated with information gathering. step 5: after practicing the skills and language needed for gathering information, students are ready to collect information using methods such as interviews, letter writing, and library search. step 6: the instructor prepares students to compile and analyze data. at this stage, students need to master the language and skills needed to compile and analyze the information that they have collected from different sources. step 7: students compile and analyze information. working in groups, students organize information and discuss the value of the data they have collected, keeping some and discarding others. furthermore, steps 8 and step 9 are used for the student to present the final outcome of the project. the instructor designs language improvement activities to help students successfully presents the outcome of the project and the last step, step 10, is used to evaluate the whole process of the implementation of pbl. in regard to project-based learning for teaching writing, many studies show its potential in supporting efl students writing achievement. some researchers have investigated the potential of project-based learning in the indonesia context. those studies were conducted to look the improvement of students teaching writing, such as project-based learning and problem-based learning method are able to the students writing achievement (fitriani et al., 2022; affandi & sukyadi, 2016); project-based learning to improve the ability of students on writing and students’ opinion (argawati & suryani, 2020); positive impact the implementation of pbl integrating ict in a rural high school (santhi et al., 2019); project-based learning is effective in improving students’ narrative writing skill (somani & rizvi, 2018); project-based learning model significantly develop persuasive writing skills of secondary school students (alotaibi, 2020); project-based learning has significant effect on students’ english writing skill at junior high school (praba̕ et al., 2018); learning autonomy in writing class (sukerti & yuliantini, 2018); pbl can be used to enhance formal writing and critical argumentation (nunn, 2020); pbl has positive effects on the students’ comparison paragraph writing (sadeghi et al., 2016); project-based learning through blogging affect students’ writing ability (sa’diyah & cahyono, 2019); project-based language teaching effective for eap writing course (grant, 2017); pbl cause consistent improvement in the abilities to write and speak (artini et al., 2018); projectbased learning enhance students’ essay writing (firdausah & sari, 2020); pbl promote efl learners writing skill (aghayani & hajmohammadi, 2019); pbl can enhance and foster students writing skill by applying reflective thinking (hasani et al., 2017); pbl develop students’ ability and creativity in writing narrative story (syarifah & emiliasari, 2019); pbl can english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1005 improve students writing ability (susanti et al., 2020). despite the fact that some studies were conducted in the area of project-based learning for teaching writing skills, not much has been performed to explore project-based learning for teaching writing skills at efl tertiary education level, its implementation in the classroom, and the student's reactions. studies reaching pbl in the indonesian context were mostly conducted in primary and secondary education. moreover, some phases were conducted in doing the projects with different names and numbers. this study synthesized the pbl phases proposed by previous studies which involved the preparation, implementation, presentation, and evaluation phases. given that the area of research exploring project-based learning in teaching writing skills is still understudied at the tertiary level, it is essential to conduct a further investigation through comprehensive research to obtain a more in-depth understanding of the extent of projectbased learning implemented in the efl classroom. considering the urgent needs and advantages of project-based learning in students' learning, this study tried to investigate the effect of pbl in the tertiary efl context and to describe the students' opinions of the implementation of project-based learning in teaching writing. it covers the description of the learning process, the student's progress in the learning program, and student's perception of the teaching method. method the present research performed a mixed method that focuses on collecting, analyzing, and mixing both quantitative and qualitative data (cresswell & clark, 2007). the two data sets were collected during a single study with the aim of answering two different research questions. pre-test and post-test of writing were used to collect the quantitative data. the result of the quantitative test was used to determine whether or not there was a significant effect on students’ english writing skills before and after being taught by using project-based learning (pbl). the qualitative data collected after the intervention was used to identify the influence of pbl on the teaching and learning process. paired-sample ttest was used to analyze the quantitative data, the subject of this study was the fourthsemester efl students who attend an academic writing course at the english department of a private university in mataram west nusa tenggara, indonesia. there were 38 students in one class selected through purposive sampling. this research was conducted in twelve meetings to complete the essay project through the canva application. regarding the data sources, writing tests and interviews were the instrument used to gather the data in researching the research questions. the students' pre-test and post-test on writing descriptive text using the writing criteria of brown (2004) which cover content, organization, language use, vocabulary, and mechanics. interview questions focused on students’ beliefs, motivations, and experiences of the participants toward project-based learning. the interviews were conducted with six students as representatives of the research subjects consisting of two high achievers, two medium achievers, and two low achievers in the classroom. the interview could be classified as a semi-structured interview, which required a list of particular issues related to the topic under investigation as the directed questions but could be tailed by some other issues during their interview (gill et al., 2008). the interviewees were asked about the issues relevant to the essay project through the canvas application. results and discussions this section discusses the effect of pbl through canva application on students writing ability and the students’ opinions toward project-based learning. the effect of pbl to improve students’ writing ability in order to analyze the obtained data, the following steps were applied. they are the normality and homogeneity test of the pre-test and post-test of the group, and the independent sample t-test of the pre-test and post-test of the group. the data of this research were obtained by conducting tests before treatment (pre-test) and after treatment (post-test). the pre-test and posttest were given before and after the treatment. descriptive statistics result of writing skill table 1 showed the result of students' writing tests, both pre-test, and post-test for the experimental group table 1. descriptive statistics n minim um maxim um mean std. deviation ilham implementing project-based learning for efl students’ writing achievement at the tertiary level 1006 pre-test 38 47 78 63.42 9.705 post-test 38 65 93 81.82 7.229 valid n 38 it can be seen from the data in table 1 that students of the experimental group in the pre-test obtained a mean score of 63.42 with the highest score was 78 and the lowest score was 47, while in the post-test the mean score was 81.82 and the minimum score was 65. it means that there is an improvement between students' pre-test and posttest in the experimental group. the result of the normality distribution test before doing further analysis, a normality test was needed to find out whether the obtained data from the pre-test and post-test were categorized as normal or not. the kolmogorov-smirnov formula from spss 23 for windows was used to conduct the normality test. the criteria for the test to be used are the data can be categorized as normally distributed if the significant data is more than 0.05. the details of the normality test can be seen in table 2 below: table 2. tests of normality kolmogorov-smirnova shapiro-wilk statistic df sig. statistic df sig. pretest experiment class .146 38 .039 .921 38 .011 posttest experiment class .089 38 .200* .970 38 .401 from the statistics calculation by using the normality test of shapiro-wilk in spss v.23, it was found that the significance value of the pretest was 0.011 and the post-test was 0.401. it could be said that the post-test score was categorized as normal since sig. value under the shapirowilk column is greater than 0.05. the result of the homogeneity test of variance test the next step after the normality test was the homogeneity test. the homogeneity test was based on the levene test in spss v.23 with a level of significance value greater than 0.05. the result of writing the pre-test and post-test of the experimental group is presented in the following table. table 3. test of homogeneity of variances levene statistic df1 df2 sig. pretest experiment class 1.851 1 36 .182 posttest experiment class 2.304 1 36 .138 as can be seen from the table above, it was found that the significance value of the pre-test was 0.182 and the post-test was 0.138. both of the tests were higher than the 0.05 level. it could be claimed that the experimental group was homogenous. independent samples t-test the final step after the normality and homogeneity test was a parametric test. since the data were normally distributed and homogenous, a paired-samples t-test was applied. the calculation process was a comparison between the result of the independent –sample t-test between the pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group. it was done to find out the significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group. the output of the "paired t-test" parametric statistical with the spss v.23 for the pretest and post-test score of each student can be seen in table 4 below. table 4. the result of paired samples test of writing skill paired differences t df sig. (2-tailed) mean std. deviatio n std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pair 1 pretest postte st 18.39 5 6.495 1.054 20.530 -16.260 17.457 37 .000 table 4 shows that the sig.(2-tailed) value was 0.000 < 0.05, which means that the significance value was under the level of significance set. then, it was safe to conclude that there was an improvement in the students' descriptive text writing scores before and after treatment given to the second-semester students of muhammadiyah university of mataram 2022/2023. it could be inferred that the null hypothesis (ho) was rejected whereas the alternative hypothesis was accepted. in other words, there was a significant difference in students’ text english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1007 writing scores before and after treatment given to second-semester students of the muhammadyah university of mataram. based on the result of research and hypothesis testing that has been carried out, it showed that learning using project-based learning improve students’ score in writing descriptive text. it can be seen from the result of the pre-test and posttest of students' writing tests which showed that the post-tests result is better than those of the pretest. this is relevant to the study conducted by aghayani & hajmohammadi (2019) and astawa et al. (2017) who claimed that project-based learning has a significant effect on the learners' writing ability. student’s perception of pbl in teaching of writing the second aim of the research was to elaborate on the student's response toward the implementation of project-based learning in teaching writing descriptive text. interviews were used by the researchers to get the data. six students who represented their groups were interviewed. the students’ responses were elaborated in the following subsection general opinion on the project and project-based learning, an improvement in descriptive text writing, and difficulties during the learning process. the summary of students’ perception of the implementation of project-based learning in teaching writing skill. opinion on project-based learning the first question in the interview was about the student's perception of the implementation of pbl in teaching writing skills. almost all students respond in positive ways. they perceived that project-based learning can increase their experience, facilitated their creativity, and enhance their motivation in doing the project. as represented by s2's, s5's, and students 6's statements. the canva project improves my experience. we can share our experience with friends in the group. (interview item, student 2) very interesting and it helped us to facilitate our creativity. (interview item, student 5) my motivation was improved by doing the project in a group. working in a group facilitated us exchanging ideas to arrange ideas in one paragraph. (interview item, student 6) the above excerpts show that pbl was able to increase students’ experience since they had to plan, do and finish the project with their groups. besides, they thought that pbl was able to improve their creativity during the writing activity on creating descriptive text on canva. it also increases students’ motivation this result is in agreement with the study conducted by affandi & sukyadi (2016); argawati & suryani (2020); astawa et al. (2017); biazus & mahtari, (2022); burns & lewis (2016); farouck, (2016); fitriani et al. (2022); grant, (2017); kimsesiz et al. (2017); permata et al. (2022); rostika et al. (2021); santhi et al. (2019); thuan (2018); tuyen & tien (2021) which showed that pbl helps students improve students experience, creativity, enthusiasm, confidence, self-directed learning, collaborative learning skill, social skill, critical thinking, productivity, communication, initiative technology literacy, and motivation when they finish their project. cooperative learning, studentcenteredness, life-long learning, self-directed learning, motivation, autonomy, and creativity are the characteristics of project-based learning (thuan, 2018). particularly interesting is the s1 comment, which shows pbl are able to improve their activeness during the learning process in writing class, she said: project-based learning increases our activeness, creativity, and motivation during the learning process. they had many things to discuss with their friend. it was fun, to complete the project with their friends, use technology during the discussion, and work. (interview item, student 1) as observed from the excerpt above, pbl is able to increase students’ activeness and motivation during the learning process in the writing class. the findings were in the same context as those of previous studies conducted by al-busaidi & al-seyabi (2021); argawati & suryani (2020); artini et al. (2018); el-nabawi & shaalan (2020); santhi et al. (2019); sari & prasetyo (2021); shin (2018) which claimed that pbl was engaging and students showed their happy expression, active, enthusiastic and creative deal with a writing project. the students felt free to show their understanding of knowledge. project-based learning engages learners in the learning process, motivates, and develops learners’ creativity (thuan, 2018). the project ilham implementing project-based learning for efl students’ writing achievement at the tertiary level 1008 improves learning motivation to learn writing skills. the data also revealed that project-based learning promoted a positive attitude toward the learning of writing skills as seen in students’ motivation and enthusiasm in fulfilling the tasks of academic writing subject. they work collaboratively in planning, creating, evaluating as well as reflecting on their project. this finding is consistent with previous researchers (artini et al., 2018; astawa et al., 2017; wongdaeng & hajihama, 2018) who claimed that project-based learning has an impact on students' positive attitudes toward learning to speak, and writing as indicated by the motivation, enthusiasm, and excitement on the students during the learning process. improvement in english writing skill in regard to the development of participants’ writing skills after the implementation of pbl in writing class, most of the students articulated that their writing skills were improved, which can be seen from their comments. pbl can increase my understanding of how to write a good paragraph and write descriptive essays. (interview item, student 2) i think pbl is very good because the lecturer provides material on how to write the topic sentence, and supporting sentences. (interview item, student 4) my writing skills were improved. i know more about vocabulary. (interview item, student 1) pbl could help me understands how to write a topic sentence, and supporting sentence, and students have a better understanding, we know grammatical error in the text. (interview item, student 6) as can be observed from the above excerpt that pbl was able to increase students' knowledge of writing good paragraphs and writing a descriptive essays. besides, they thought that pbl was very good and was able to improve their skill in writing topic sentences, supporting sentences, vocabulary, and grammatical errors in the text. these results are in agreement with the study conducted by affandi & sukyadi (2016); anggerani et al. (2022); argawati & suryani (2020); fitriani et al. (2022); nunn (2020); praba̕ et al. (2018); sa’diyah & cahyono (2019); sadeghi et al. (2016); santhi et al. (2019) which showed that the implementation of project-based learning in the teaching writing works well. difficulties during the learning process in responding to the difficulties found during the learning process of the canva project, the students perceived that the difficulties were composing words into sentences, writing the topic sentence, supporting sentences, developing ideas into paragraphs, and vocabulary. the evidence can be seen from students’ comments below. my difficulties on spend much time writing and revising and adding media on canva and grammar. (interview item, student 3) develop arrange words into a sentence, ideas into paragraphs, write topic sentences and supporting sentences, use vocabulary according to context, writing a good sentence. (interview item, student 4) my vocabulary is still minimal, when learning in pbl my vocabulary increases, i recommend applying pbl in other classes. (interview item, student 2) from the students’ comment above, it reveals that the students found it difficult to the allocation of time writing and revising. adding media on canva, how to arrange sentences with good grammar, develop ideas on writing topic sentences and supporting sentences, and limitation of vocabulary. the results share a similar sound to the study conducted affandi & sukyadi (2016); santhi et al. (2019); shin (2018) claimed that students would like to have more time allocated to writing, arranging sentences, and developing ideas. conclusion this research attempt to explore the effect of pbl integrating ict at the tertiary level. it employed a mixed method design involving 38 students by using writing test and interview to gather the data. the finding revealed that the learning process in pbl class is proven effective to facilitate students in increasing their writing ability. despite the statistical significance on students' essay writing achievement, the students in their interview expressed their positive opinion toward pbl as a valuable challenge to improve their writing. all of them perceived that after doing the project, their writing was better. after planning, editing their text through the canva application, and uploading their text on instagram, the students perceived english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1009 their creativity as increasing. the students considered that pbl was challenging, motivating, and engaging, help them develop their creativity, enhanced their critical thinking, and allowed them to deal with real problems in a meaningful context. to conclude, such project-based learning is worthwhile for efl teachers in conducting their writing courses at tertiary level education. references affandi, a., & sukyadi, d. (2016). project-based learning and problem-based learning for efl students’ writing achievement at the tertiary level. rangsit journal of educational studies, 3(1), 23–40. https://doi.org/10.14456/rjes.2016.2 aghayani, b., & hajmohammadi, e. (2019). projectbased learning: promoting efl learners’ writing skills. llt journal: a journal on language and language teaching, 22(1), 78– 85. akbar, m., pathan, h., & shah, s. w. a. (2018). problems affecting l2 learners’ english writing skills : a study of public sector colleges hyderabad city, sindh, pakistan. language in india, 18(49042), 7–26. al-busaidi, s., & al-seyabi, f. (2021). project-based learning as a tool for student-teachers’ professional development: a study in an omani efl teacher education program. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 20(4), 116–136. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.20.4.7 alan, b., & stoller, f. l. (2005). maximizing the benefit of project work in foreign language classrooms. english teaching forum, 43(4), 10–21. almubark, a. a. (2016). exploring the problem faced by the teachers in developing english writing skills for the students in saudi arabia. international journal of english language teaching, 4(10), 10–23. alotaibi, m. g. (2020). the effect of project-based learning model on persuasive writing skills of saudi efl secondary school students. english language teaching, 13(7), 19-26. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v13n7p19 anggerani, a., mujahidah, hidayat, w., & asni, y. (2022). the effect of project-based learning (pbl) on lessons written in the second grade of smpn 1 parepare. inspiring: english education journal, 5(1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.35905/inspiring.v5i1.2531 argawati, n. o., & suryani, l. (2020). project-based learning in teaching writing: the implementation and students opinion. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 55. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2120 artini, l. p., ratminingsih, n. m., & padmadewi, n. n. (2018). project based learning in efl classes material development and impact of implementation. dutch journal of applied linguistics, 7(1), 26–44. astawa, n. l. p. n. s. p., artini, l. p., & nitiasih, p. k. (2017). project-based learning activities and efl students’ productive skills in english. journal of language teaching and research, 8(6), 1147–1155. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0806.16 belkhir, a., & benyelles, r. (2017). identifying efl learners essay writing difficulties and sources : a move towards solution the case of second year efl learners at tlemcen university. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 16(6), 80–88. biazus, m. de o., & mahtari, s. (2022). the impact of project-based learning (pjbl) model on secondary students’ creative thinking skills. international journal of essential competencies in education, 1(1), 38–48. https://doi.org/10.36312/ijece.v1i1.752 bram, b., & angelina, p. (2022). indonesian tertiary education students’ academic writing setbacks and solutions. international journal of language education, 6(3), 267–280. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v6i3.22043 brown, h. d. (2004). language assessment: principles and classroom practices. longman pearson education inc. budjalemba, a. s., & listyani, l. (2020). factors contributing to students difficulties in academic writing class: students perceptions. uc journal: elt, linguistics and literature journal, 1(2), 135–149. https://doi.org/10.24071/uc.v1i2.2966 burns, m. v., & lewis, a. l. (2016). how the project approach challenges young children. sage, 39(3), 140–144. https://doi.org/10.1177/1076217516644638 chalish, q., & masitowarni. (2013). improving students’ achievement in writing narrative text through cubing technique. transform, journal of english language teaching and learning, 2(4), 1-9. chard, s. c. (2013). the project approach to teaching and learning. community play thing. https://www.communityplaythings.com/resourc es/articles/2013/the-project-approach-toteaching-and-learning chi, l. t. g., & dieu, n. b. (2021). project-based learning in an efl setting – a case study at a university in vietnam. international journal of education, psychology and counseling, 6(38), 223–236. https://doi.org/10.35631/ijepc.6380018 cresswell, j. w., & clark, v. l. p. (2007). designing and conducting mixed methods research (first edit). sage publications, inc. el-nabawi, i., & shaalan, a. w. (2020). integrating ilham implementing project-based learning for efl students’ writing achievement at the tertiary level 1010 project-based learning strategies in the design of an esp dental vocabulary course for esl malaysian majors. arab world english journal, 11(3), 464–483. essien, a. m. (2018). the effects of project-based learning on students english language ability. the 2018 international academic research conference in vienna, 438–443. fareed, m., ashraf, a., & bilal, m. (2016). esl learners’ writing skills: problems, factors and suggestions. journal of education & social sciences, 4(2), 83–94. https://doi.org/10.20547/jess0421604201 farouck, i. (2016). a project-based language learning model for improving the willingness to communicate of efl students. proceedings of imcic-icsit, 2, 145–150. firdausah, a., & sari, d. m. m. (2020). project based learning on efl student’s in essay writing. jurnal ilmiah wahana pendidikan, 6(4), 841– 848. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4305483 fitriani, d., alaby, a., & kusumajati, w. k. (2022). project based learning through “sevima edlink apps to improve students’’ academic writing of education program at stkip kusumanegara.” journal of english language teaching and literature (jeltl), 5(1), 48–58. https://doi.org/10.47080/jeltl.v5i1.1747 gill, p., stewart, k. f., treasure, e. t., & chadwick, b. l. (2008). methods of data collection in qualitative research: interviews and focus groups. british dental journal, 204(6), 291– 295. https://doi.org/10.1038/bdj.2008.192 grant, s. (2017). implementing project-based language teaching in an asian context: a university eap writing course case study from macau. asianpacific journal of second and foreign language education, 2(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-017-0027-x hasan, j., & marzuki, m. (2017). an analysis of student’s ability in writing at riau university pekanbaru indonesia. theory and practice in language studies, 7(5), 380–388. hasani, a., hendrayana, a., & senjaya, a. (2017). using project-based learning in writing an educational article: an experience report. universal journal of educational research, 5(6), 960–964. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2017.050608 ilham, i., musthafa, b., & yusuf, f. n. (2020). university students’ needs of writing course materials: a case of indonesia. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 31. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2988 kimsesiz, f., dolgunsoz, e., & konza, m. y. (2017). the effect of project based learning in teaching efl vocabulary to young learners of english: the case of pre-school children. international journal of languages’ education and teaching, 5(4), 426–439. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ed574953.pdf maguire, m., reynolds, a. e., & delahunt, b. (2013). self-efficacy in academic reading and writing, authorial identity and learning strategies in firstyear students. all ireland journal of teaching and learning in higher education, 5(1). nasser, s. m. (2019). iraqi efl students’ difficulties in writing composition: an experimental study (university of baghdad). international journal of english linguistics, 9(1), 178. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v9n1p178 nenotek, s. a., tlonaen, z. a., & manubulu, h. a. (2022). exploring university students’ difficulties in writing english academic essay. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 14(1), 909– 920. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v14i1.1352 nik, y. a., sani, b. b., chilk, m. n. b. w., jusoff, k., & hasbollah, h. r. bin. (2010). the writing performance of undergraduates in the university of technology mara, terengganu, malaysia. journal of language and culture, 1(april), 8–14. nunan, d. (1999). second language teaching & learning. heinle & heinle. nunn, r. (2020). project-based learning: learning about pbl from successful freshman writing projects. english scholarship beyond borders, 6(1), 41–56. oktarina, s., emzir, e., & rafli, z. (2018). students’ and lecturers’ perception on academic writing instruction. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 69. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1256 oshima, a., & hogue, a. (2007). introduction to academic english (third edit). pearson longman. permata, i. m., nanda, b. j., & cory, s. (2022). project-based learning: enriching students’ 21st century skills. proceedings of the 4th international conference on educational development and quality assurance (iced-qa 2021), 650(2001), 325–329. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220303.058 praba̕, l. t., artini, l. p., & ramendra, d. p. (2018). project-based learning and writing skill in efl: are they related? shs web of conferences, 42, 200059. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20184200059 rofiqoh, basthomi, y., widiati, u., puspitasari, y., marhaban, s., & sulistyo, t. (2022). aspects of writing knowledge and efl students’ writing quality. studies in english language and education, 9(1), 14–29. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v9i1.20433 rostika, prasetya, e. p., & jaelani, a. (2021). the 3rd bogor english student and teacher (best). students’ perception on the use of project based learning in writing skills, 26–29. sa’diyah, i. h., & cahyono, b. y. (2019). effect of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1011 project-based learning through blogging on efl students’ writing ability. journal on english as a foreign language, 9(2), 199–216. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v9i2.1341 sadeghi, h., biniaz, m., & soleimani, h. (2016). the impact of project-based language learning on iranian efl learners comparison/contrast paragraph writing skills. international journal of asian social science, 6(9), 510–524. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.1/2016.6.9/1.9. 510.524 santhi, d., suherdi, d., & musthafa, b. (2019). ict and project-based learning in a rural school: an efl context. third international conference on sustainable innovation 2019 – humanity, education and social sciences (icosihess 2019) ict, january, 29–35. https://doi.org/10.2991/icosihess-19.2019.5 sari, d. m. m., & prasetyo, y. (2021). project-basedlearning on critical reading course to enhance critical thinking skills. studies in english language and education, 8(2), 442–456. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i2.18407 shin, m.-h. (2018). effects of project-based learning on students’ motivation and self-efficacy. english teaching, 73(1), 95–114. https://doi.org/10.15858/engtea.73.1.201803.95 somani, r., & rizvi, m. (2018). project based learning over traditional method of language teaching: a quasi experiment design in efl classrooms. literacy information and computer education journal, 9(2), 2895–2906. https://doi.org/10.20533/licej.2040.2589.2018.0 381 spiller, d., & ferguson, p. b. (2011). teaching strategies to promote the development of students’ learning skills. teaching development unit the university of waikato. stoller, f. l. (2002). project work: a means to promote language and content. in w. a. r. richard, jack c. (ed.), methodology in language teaching, an anthology of current practice (pp. 1–415). cambridge university press. sukerti, g. n. a., & yuliantini, n. (2018). learning autonomy in writing class: implementation of project-based learning in english for spesific purposes. journal of physics: conference series, 953(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/953/1/012101 susanti, a., rofidah, n., trisusana, a., & retnaningdyah, p. (2020). improving students’ writing skill through project based learning for efl student. international journal of english linguistics, literature, and education (ijelle), 2(2), 102–115. syarifah, e. f., & emiliasari, r. n. (2019). projectbased learning to develop students’ ability and creativity in writing narrative story. indonesian efl journal, 5(1), 85–94. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v5i1.1627 thomas, j. w. (2000). a review of research on projectbased learning. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528009-0302-x thuan, p. d. (2018). project-based learning from theory to efl classroom practice. proceedings of the 6th international opentesol conference, 327–339. toba, r., noor, w. n., & sanu, l. o. (2019). the current issues of indonesian efl students’ writing skills : ability , problem , and reason in writing comparison and contrast essay. dinamika ilmu, 19(1), 57–73. tuyen, l. van, & tien, h. h. (2021). integrating project-based learning into english for specific purposes classes at tertiary level: perceived challenges and benefits. vnu journal of foreign studies, 37(4), 128–148. https://doi.org/10.25073/2525-2445/vnufs.4642 ulrich, c. (2016). john dewey and the project-based learning: landmarks for nowadays romanian education. journal of educational sciences & psychology, vi(lxviii), 54–60. http://academiapedagogilor.ro/images/9.pdf wang, s. (2020). project-based language learning in china: a literature review. journal of language teaching and research, 11(1), 66. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1101.08 wongdaeng, m., & hajihama, s. (2018). perceptions of project-based learning on promoting 21 st century skills and learning motivation in a thai efl setting. jsel, 13(2), 158–190. xie, q. (2020). diagnosing linguistic problems in english academic writing of university students: an item bank approach. language assessment quarterly, 17(2), 183–203. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2019.169121 4 ilham implementing project-based learning for efl students’ writing achievement at the tertiary level 1012 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 767 applying higher order thinking skills (hots) pedagogy: a case study of an efl core teacher nais saraswati magister pendidikan bahasa, fkip, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: naissaraswati@gmail.com rita inderawati associate professor, fkip, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: riita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id machdalena vianty associate professor, fkip, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: machdalena074@yahoo.com apa citation: saraswati, n., inderawati, r., & vianty, m. (2023). applying higher order thinking skills (hots) pedagogy: a case study of an efl core teacher. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 767-776. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.7818 received: 19-06-2023 accepted: 24-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: hots (higher order thinking skills) is an indispensable skill crucial for meeting the future demands of the 21st century. it plays a fundamental role in encouraging students to think critically, be more creative, and effectively solve problems. hots pedagogy encompasses the entire teaching and learning process, encompassing the selection of teaching and learning strategies as well as the creation of tasks and assessments based on hots principles. this study aimed to explore how an efl (english as a foreign language) core teacher understands and implements hots pedagogy in the efl classroom. qualitative research in the form of narrative inquiry was employed for this investigation, with a single participant chosen through criteria sampling. data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews, and data analysis utilized the constantcomparative method. the study's findings shed light on the teacher's planning when implementing hots pedagogy, the teaching techniques employed to foster hots skills in students, and the utilization of hotsbased assessments. additionally, the findings identified an issue with the arrangement of operational verbs in the efl core teacher's planning and revealed that the use of discovery learning as a teaching technique created disparities in understanding the lesson between passive and dominant students. keywords: efl classroom; efl core teacher; hots pedagogy. introduction in the 21st century, there is a growing recognition of the need to cultivate specific core skills and knowledge in order to prepare future generations effectively. many countries, educational institutions, and policymakers are placing a deliberate emphasis on designing teaching and learning frameworks that foster critical thinking, leadership, and other vital skills that are anticipated to be crucial in both daily life and the workforce (care & lou, 2016). to be more precise, this educational transformation doesn't involve altering the content of the curriculum but rather focuses on a shift in pedagogy. it entails moving from simple, traditional teaching methods that prioritize lowerorder thinking skills (lots) to an approach that prioritizes the development of higher-order thinking skills (hots) (afandi, et al., 2018). hots is the highest cognitive level in the 21st century and is the ability to connect, manipulate, and transform knowledge as an experience to think critically, logically, reflectively, metacognitively, and creatively in an effort to determine decisions and solve problems in new situations (arifin & ratu, 2018). the implementation of hots includes changes in curriculum, pedagogies, and learning assessment. in accordance with ichsan, et al (2019) hots implementation can result in a variety of solutions for instance, logical, problemsolving, and critical thinking, , needing the effort to think critically and creatively to address difficult circumstances in decision-making. therefore, in fulfilling the demands of the 21st-century skills, higher-order thinking skills (hots) are inevitably required (lubis et al., 2019; ichsan et al., 2020). hots is also expected to fulfil the industrial revolution 4.0 demands of independent, creative, productive, innovative, skilful, and well-behaved individuals and to prepare the demographic bonus in which the number of young productive aged people dominates the population of the country (mulyasa, 2018). hence, hots is one of the key mailto:machdalena074@yahoo.com nais saraswati, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty applying higher order thinking skills (hots) pedagogy: a case study of an efl core teacher 768 components of developing high-quality human resources (misrom et al., 2020). in the teaching and learning process, hots skills cannot be directly taught to students: what is hots or what it is for. it is most likely to be implicitly included in active student-centred learning for example project-based learning (akyol & garrison, 2011; dima et al., 2021). furthermore, the expected outcome of the hots development on students requires the active role of teachers in planning, implementing, and evaluating or assessing hots-oriented learning. to be able to plan hots-oriented learning, teachers need knowledge of ways, strategies, and methods to train students about hots (bartell et al., 2013; retnawati, et al., 2018). thus, the teacher plays an important role to make well-implemented hots possible. the present study aimed to investigate an efl core teacher’ understanding on hots pedagogy and how hots is implemented. many studies recognize the importance of teachers' understanding and perception towards hots before they can integrate it into teaching and learning activities (hasim et al., 2015; ramasamy et al., 2016; abdullah et al., 2016; fakhomah & utami, 2019) and the positive impacts that hots provides on efl teaching and learning (aghaei & rad, 2018; indriyana & kuswandono, 2019; khanif, 2019; purnama & nurdianingsih, 2019; rosli & maarof, 2017; simanjuntak et al., 2020; singh et al., 2020; sopiani & said, 2019; thamrin & agustin, 2019; thamrin & widodo, 2019; widiyati, 2020; yoke et al., 2015). however, students in indonesia are still developed under the basis of lots cognitive level (agus & margana, 2017). therefore, based on the aforementioned studies and the discrepancy given, the present study purposes three research questions: (1) how does the efl core teacher plan in implementing hots in the classroom? (2) how does the efl core teacher promote hots through teaching and learning strategies? (3) how does the efl core teacher arrange hots based assessments. method the core focus of this study was to engage with a narrative inquiry in which the writer gathered narrative information from the participant’s understanding of and challenges faced in implementing hots pedagogy. in agreement with its purpose, a narrative inquiry approach appeared to be the best option for this study as it offered prominence to human experience and captured a detailed explanation of human experience. the narrative inquiry or narrative design is an umbrella term that captures personal and human dimensions of experience over time and takes account of the relationship between individual experience and cultural context (clandinin & connelly, 2000). this study had a single participant. the specific strategy employed was criteria sampling (miles & huberman, 1994). the participant met two criteria: (a) an efl core teacher and (b) has more than 10 years of experience. the participant was a civil servant who served as a junior high school for 26 years and became an efl core teacher for more than five years. the term core teacher itself is for those who have a high score in teacher competence and are qualified to train the other teachers from the smallest scale such as district level to national level, especially in implementing curriculum 2013 (zalilia et al., 2019). finally, the participant, sue, would be a pseudonym in this study. the data were obtained through interviews, classroom observations, and document review. the interview protocol had been initially designed before the first interview was conducted. once the first interview was carried out, the data was transcribed. the second interview was initiated, and the participant got a copy of the answer to check the accuracy of the answer. the interviews were conducted for approximately 45 minutes and 20 minutes respectively, since the type of interview was semi-structured the writer must have added some follow-up questions. the class observation was carried out in six meetings, in two different classes but the same grade, for two different basic competencies (passive voice and report text). the writer acted as a non-participant observer and had both video recording and observation field notes and checklist to observe the learning strategies, discussion method, and assessment for both formative and summative. the result of classroom implementation was matched with the lesson plan as the main source of documentation review. the data analysis process was based on creswell and creswell (2017). as all the data had been collected, the researcher started to transcribe the data. the author transcribed 15 pages of the first interview into english and categorized it into several big themes in a matrix. follow-up interview data was then assisted. after all the transcription had been completed, the coding of data was started. the data analysis structure was based on the constant-comparative method. it involved reading and rereading the transcripts which focus on the meaning of communication. the process involves the simultaneous coding of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 769 raw data and data categorization (merriam, 1998). then, the results from the interview were coded and categorized into several themes. finally, the writer narratively elaborated each event, story, and experience that the respondents told. results and discussion from the data analysis, three emerging themes were identified. the first theme is core teacher’s planning. the error occurred in the operational verbs arrangement since the teacher dealt with wide range of students’ level of ability. the second theme towards hots implementation, it was noticed that hots pedagogy required teacher to be really picky in selecting the most appropriate learning and discussion technique. while she consistently employed discovery learning, this technique still brings some demerits such as passive students and dominant students in understanding the lesson. the final theme about hots assessment, the teacher admitted having been facing many difficulties to develop hots pedagogy although in general she has arranged applicable hots based assessment. further elaborated findings will be discussed in following paragraphs. teacher planning for hots pedagogy implementation to answer this research question part, the writer asked it in the interview, analysed the lesson plan, and matched it with what was in the classroom. when the teacher was asked about the urgency of hots pedagogy planning and preparation, she explained. “i believe that everything starts from the planning, from planning we can choose teaching techniques or models that we are going to use. since hots is based on the scientific approach, we need to be really picky in selecting the appropriate teaching model to teach. from a perfect lesson planning, we can use and apply appropriate teaching strategy in class to meet the objectives of the lesson taught.” [sue] furthermore, the teacher explained her effort in planning hots pedagogy. she added. “there is discovery learning, problem-based, and project-based learning for the teaching technique, but there are a lot more for the teaching strategies. from those teaching techniques, we can narrow it down to teaching models or strategies. for example, when teaching writing, we can use picture-to-picture strategy, to teach speaking we can use roleplay model.” [sue] the finding towards teacher planning session was gained from lesson plan analysis. the writer segmented the findings into two categories: lesson plans’ arrangement and content. both of analyses were based on theories about hots in indonesian curriculum 2013. overall, it could be assumed that the teacher has arranged applicable and scientific approach-based lesson plans. the activity and assessment are listed clearly along with the steps in the lesson plan. furthermore, another noticeable point is that the teaching model chosen for those six meetings was only discovery learning, yet the activities in the classroom were varied. regarding to the arrangement of lesson plans to meet the standardized rule suggested by the government. in this research, the writer based the eligibility of lesson plan arrangement on the regulation of ministry of education and culture number 22-year 2016 stated in (ariyana et al., 2019). the result of documentation is gained in the form of a lesson plan checklist sheet. it could be concluded that the lesson plans in general have fulfilled the criteria. the findings regarding the content of lesson plan were taken from how teacher formulated the operational verbs to meet the expected outcomes or the overall learning objectives. the writer considered this part as another underlying factor to discuss since the operational verbs must be based on the set basic competences. furthermore, the overall findings and analysis are presented below: table 1. learning indicators analysis basic competences learning indicators 3.8 apply the social functions, text structure, and language features of oral and written transactional interaction texts involving giving and requesting information related to circumstances/actions/activities without the need to mention the culprit based on the context of its use (language feature: passive voice) 4.8 create a short and simple oral and written transactional interaction text that involves giving and asking for information related to the circumstances/actions of activities/events without the indicator meeting 1: 3.8.1 analyze short passive voice texts. indicator meeting 2: 3.8.1 apply passive voice sentence structure in the form of present tense, past tense and future tense indicators meeting 3: nais saraswati, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty applying higher order thinking skills (hots) pedagogy: a case study of an efl core teacher 770 need to mention the culprit by paying attention to social functions, text structure, and elements of correct language and according to the context (language feature: passive voice) 1. create a short dialogue using the sentence structure. 2. passive voice present the dialogue in front of the class 3.9 compare the social functions, text structures, and language features of some oral and written report texts by giving and requesting information related to other subjects in the classroom. 4.9 report text 4.9.1 understand the contextual meaning related to social functions, text structure, and language features of short, simple oral and written report text related to topics covered in other subjects in grade ix. 4.9.2. develop very short and simple report texts, oral and written, related to topics covered in other subjects in grade ix by focusing on social functions, text structure, and language features, correctly and contextually indicator meeting 1:  identify a short report text and information from the text. indicators meeting 2: 4.9.1 understand the content of report text. 4.9.2. find detailed and explicit information from the short report text. indicator meeting 3.  write a short and simple report text. table 1 revealed some findings on how the core teacher formulated the learning syntaxes based on basic competence. it is evident that in the data shown, the basic competencies are same as what is listed in the regulation of the ministry of education and culture number 22-year 16 attachment 43. however, when the core teacher formulated the learning indicators, it could be assumed that she did not follow the order of taxonomy bloom. to illustrate it, in the first meeting the teacher stated, “analysing short report text”, yet in the basic competence, the students are expected to apply. according to operational verbs, apply belongs to c3, however analysing is one level ahead than c3. in contrast to previous basic competence, the indicators for the remaining three meetings for report text followed the order of revised bloom taxonomy level. “…compare social function, text structures………” compare as operational verb belong to c4, identify, and write/compose are categorized c4 and c6 respectively. despite the fact from the finding that there were some miss orders in formulating the operational verbs for the lesson plans. the core teacher once explained about the operational verbs that she used was not always consistent to what syllabus or curriculum has set as she needed to consider a lot of factors such as students’ level of ability. in regard to the context, the lesson plan used has been arranged based on hots. it is evident that the syntaxes of teaching and learning process since all the lesson plans observed posed discovery learning as the teaching model, all the teaching and learning syntaxes must follow discovery learning steps. moreover, what stated in the lesson plan is in line with what should be in the discovery learning. since the teacher planning also includes how teacher prepares the teaching and learning process, it is revealed from the classroom observational notes that the teacher usually spent five to ten minutes to prepare the learning media and to arrange the students’ seats. the teacher usually arranged the students’ seat based on the learning activities that she had planned in the lesson plan. the implementation of hots pedagogy teaching model and strategies to promote hots pedagogy in the classroom from the finding, it is undeniably true that the teacher consistently implemented discovery learning as the teaching model for the six class observation meetings. based on previous related studies, discovery learning focuses on providing students with direct active learning opportunities (arafah, 2020), and teachers encourage and guide students to discover concepts, meanings, and relationships through experimentation or investigation (purnamasari et al., 2021). discovery learning has the benefit of assisting students in improving their abilities and cognitive processes (safitri & setiawan, 2020; yuliana, 2018). the discovery learning strategy can also help students enhance their abilities and knowledge (rahmayanti, 2021). discovery learning model integrates five main principles, problem solving, learner management, integrating connecting, information analysis, and failure and feedback (pappas, 2014). it is in accordance with ariyana, et al. (2019). in implementing the discovery learning model there are several steps that must be applied, such as stimulation, problem statement, data collection, data processing, verification, and generalization. as observed in class meetings and lesson plans, it could be assumed that the teacher has integrated five core elements of discovery learning in teaching english while promoting hots. additionally experts’ beliefs about discovery learning method are pivotal points to determine whether the teaching and learning activities and strategies english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 771 implemented are appropriate for discovery learning model. the definition of strategy or teaching method itself is every single activity determined by the teacher which is aimed to achieve the purpose of learning (suprihatiningrum, 2013). it is in accordance with wardah (2021) who opines that teaching strategies are specialized responses to a problem or task, operational techniques for reaching a certain learning objective, and prepared methods for organizing and processing information. to sum up, to implement discovery learning while promoting hots in english language teaching, the teacher needs to provide encouraging activities to expect students to discover the facts or the contents of the topic through observing and experimenting activities because the teacher does not present them at the beginning of the lesson directly. variety of stimulus given in the beginning of lesson in regard to the findings, the core teacher always started the lesson by asking, or encouraging students to think. in day 1 teacher brought realia of a traditional food from palembang, the next day she showed a ppt slides from which the students need to analyze. on the third day, she began the lesson by giving a misarranged dialogue. on day 4, the teacher showed a picture and drew a table to complete. next, the teacher showed a text and a picture. therefore, it was noticeable that the teacher usually provided picture, realia, or video as stimulus to trigger students’ curiosity and involvement in teaching and learning. follow-up steps taken boost students’ interest, the teacher usually asked questions. to illustrate, in the first meeting of investigation, after showing up with laksan, the teacher asked about student’s favourite food. in the second meeting, followed up questions were a bit more critical; the students were asked about how they could know the sentences belong to present, past for future. the sentences were particularly in the form of passives. hence, follow up questions level might be differed from one meeting to the other meetings. types of assigned activities based on the observation field, the most used type of assigned activity was in the form of table completion. it was found that in meeting 1, 2, 4, 5. the students were initially asked to observe, it could be by watching, reading, finding information or even guessing. the students were further asked to gather some data and then came up with a deeper analysis. it is common thing to see the students get confused and asked for confirmation. instead of directly explaining what was exactly meant to say, the teacher usually gave more illustrations or examples to help students understand. moreover, most of the collecting data, analysis and confirmation phases were done in groups which have both merits and demerits. on the one hand, the students were helped to build understanding by discussing it within their group. on the other hand, some students remained passive and relied on other students to understand the concept of the lesson taught. discussion strategy the next element to be discussed is the discussion strategy. as can be seen from the finding, most of the meetings required students to work in groups or to have group discussions, especially in collecting the data. accordingly, brown (2006) mentioned that group work discussion is more preferably in discovery learning since group work allows for the skills and knowledge gained in the small group work to be reinforced and each student’s discovery will lead to another’s discovery while individual work in a discovery learning environment is less desirable as much of the learning by the individual is for the individual only. in group work or discussion, the noise level might be higher yet revolves around the ideas of the students, not just factual material but viewpoints, hypotheses, and clarification of concepts. it is in line with syafyahya & yades (2020) in their research mentioning that group work or group discussion brings about some benefits, such as creating a more exciting atmosphere as they are expressing their thoughts, and opinion and building an understanding of the discussed topic, arising social relationship among pupils, making it easier to understand the result of the discussion and enriching students’ awareness to follow the set rules. hots based assessment in regard to the principles and criteria, the teacher opined similarly to what expert (brookhart, 2010) said, the core teacher mentioned that a clear instruction and specific task to be assessed are compulsory in determining assessment. additionally, the importance of appropriate stimulus in the form of text, picture, or other resources as well as updated and frequently renewed questions are other considered factors in hots assessment. it was supported by what is found in the classroom observation and lesson plan analysis. the questions and assigned tasks were not really difficult yet contain encouraging stimuli to nais saraswati, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty applying higher order thinking skills (hots) pedagogy: a case study of an efl core teacher 772 engage students actively and think more creatively and critically. concerning the type of questions in hotsbased assessment; the core teacher believes that it is not solely in the form of an essay, the type of questions might be varied. accordingly, mohamed and lebar (2017) stated that hots can be measured using a variety of items including multiple-choice item, matching, and essays. the teacher added that hots-based question requires stimulant to trigger students to think. moreover, the wording of questions should be formed to encourage students to think beyond the information given, for instance, questions could ask about students’ opinions and logical reasons, let students imagine some possible situations which are not found in the text, and motivate students to think critically. in both the initial and second interview sessions, the core teacher emphasized a lot about the fact that many teachers have been facing difficulties to create hots based assessments. some opined that the questions must be in the form of very difficult and demanding questions, while others get confused to pick the appropriate stimulus to begin a hots-based task. she also shared some experiences in which she had to change the learning steps to what is written in the lesson plan due to student’s inability to get the stimulus, yet she came up with easier and more contextual activities to keep the learning process going. to develop hots based assessment, a teacher should consider some factors. “talking about assessment, we have to refer back to what we have in our basic competence which then is reflected in learning objectives. furthermore, we have to consider the students ability. as a teacher, we need to make students able to think critically and creatively. the topic or context could be related to certain issues, the last hots assessment also needs to promote problem-solving”. [sue] the answer is similar to what widana (2017) explained, a teacher firstly should take a look at basic competency (kd) then raise the contextual issues as stimulus. furthermore, the teaching and learning process cannot be solely in the form of theoretical subject yet it should promote problem solving toward existed problems or issues. the teacher had tried to impart real-life issues to hots based assessment as can be seen when the teacher asked students to talk about indonesian traditional food. further findings about hots based implementation in this study are summarized in the following table: table 2. hots based task and assessment analysis assigned task and assessment revised bloom taxonomy 1st meeting  identifying facts about traditional food in the form of passive c4  analyzing sentences and finding the structure of sentences c4  drawing conclusion about the material / passive voice c5  reading text consisted of five questions, each question belongs to c2, c2, c2, c1, c4 ( average c2) c2 2nd meeting  analyzing the use of correct “tobe” based on the adverb of time/ from of tenses given c4  changing the sentences in the passive form of present, past, and futures passive voice (individual work) c5 3rd meeting  after the students analyzed the expression and the use of passive voice form in questions and dialogue, the students create their own dialogue c6 4th meeting  analyzing a text about a cat, the focus was to get students to know the form of a verb, tense, and generic structure of the text c4  reading passage consisted of 8 questions, each question belongs to c4,c4,c4,c5,c5,c4, c4,c4 respectively ( average c4) c4 5th meeting  analyzing the species, habits, habitat and physical appearances of texts c4  reading text the students were asked to find detail and implicit meaning in a report text. the questions were 5 which each c4 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 773 belongs to c4, c4, c4, c4, c5 respectively. (average c4) 6th meeting  the students were asked to choose one animal to be the subject of their writings, the students then were given table to fill about: species, habitat, habits, physical characteristic, function. c4  the students wrote a short report text based on the information. c6 based on the observation and documentation review, it could be assumed that the core teacher, in general, has assigned tasks in the form of both individual and group discussions, and assignments promoting hots. overall, the most often assigned tasks were in the form of group discussions with identifying information and analyzing structure and language features in the form of table completion, as it is in line with isbandiyah & sanusi (2019) who believe that to be called as a hots-based assessment, a question or a task should at least encourage students to analyze. it was also found that for the individual task or work the teacher had structure analysis for instance in passive voice structure analysis. besides the cognitive components, in six meeting observations, the teacher also had skill competencies, for example writing a report text, arranging passive voice dialogue, and presenting a dialogue. in regard to the taxonomy levels, the core teacher has designed the tasks and assignments based on three top bloom taxonomy levels. however, it was undeniably found that there were still some questions categorized as lower-level questions. it was found in the reading questions for report text materials. in the interview section, the participant also highlighted how challenging it is to promote hots-based assessment if it requires an oral test or in the form of long and compact reading text. “in the term of questions or evaluation, if hots questions or evaluation must be in form of oral test, it sometimes is assisted in teaching learning steps, i have to think deeper to attract students' attention, to encourage them to think and to give direct feedback. it could be done by asking same question but is delivered in different way to make it easier to understand while another concern in hots evaluation is that some students are still in lots level, they moreover are too lazy and feel reluctant to read a long and compact text, to think and to ask.” [sue] despite the fact that hots is urgently required in modern society in that students are unavoidably expected to pose high level thinking, logical and critical thinking, creativity and problem solving (setiawati, 2019; putra & abdullah, 2019). the teacher capability in designing and developing hots based assessment instruments should always be upgraded through teacher trainings (maryani & martaningsih, 2020) to sum up, based on what is documented in both findings and discussion, the core teacher has fulfilled what hots require for the implementation in the classroom. despite all errors or unexpected outcomes of overall implementation, the core teacher so far has done well to keep the teaching-learning promoting hots going well. conclusion the emerging need of hots skill is inseparable to today’s society demands as the life of 21st century requires people to have basic skills integrated in hots for instance the critical thinking, problem solving, reasoning skills. thus, hots must be instilled as early as possible and the role of teachers in promoting this skill is inevitably pivotal. based on the narrative research that has been carried out, it can be concluded that starting from the planning to the assessing, hots pedagogy conducted by the investigated core teacher was generally based on what is expected from the ministry of education 2013 despite all the limitation. nevertheless, the issue about hots based assessment which particularly created by core teacher had not been particularly initiated previously. the participant in this study also expected for more government concern to help teachers practically understand how to create hots based questions and tasks. this study novelty revealed that even the experienced core teacher still admits expecting more insights regarding hots based assessment and strategies as what she still experiences in daily implementation. furthermore, since the current study is narrow in scope and only involved a single participant, further research involving more participants and a more extensive study is vital to understand how core teachers implement hots pedagogy in a wider scale. acknowledgement the researchers acknowledge the cooperative support from our sole respondent and the institution where she works. we further would like nais saraswati, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty applying higher order thinking skills (hots) pedagogy: a case study of an efl core teacher 774 to sincerely thank two anonymous experts who have validated our research instruments. references abdullah, a. h., mokhtar, m., abd halim, n. d., ali, d. f., tahir, l. m., & kohar, u. h. a. (2016). mathematics teachers’ level of knowledge and practice on the implementation of higher-order thinking skills (hots). eurasia journal of mathematics, science and technology education, 13(1), 3–17. afandi, a., sajidan, s., akhyar, m., & suryani, n. (2018). pre-service science teachers’ perception about high order thinking skills (hots) in the 21st century. international journal of pedagogy and teacher education, 2(1), 107–114. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/32493 3017_preservice_science_teachers’_perception_about_ high_order_thinking_skills_hots_in_the_21 st_century akyol, z., & garrison, d. r. (2011). understanding cognitive presence in an online and blended community of inquiry: assessing outcomes and processes for deep approaches to learning. british journal of educational technology, 42(2), 233-250. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.14678535.2009.01029.x aghaei, k., & rad, e. m. (2018). on the interconnection between bloom’s critical thinking taxonomy & listening comprehension performance of iranian efl learners. international journal of english language and translation studies, 6(3), 22–31. agus, w., & margana. (2017). developing english textbook oriented to higher order thinking skills for students of vocational school in yogyakarta. journal of language teaching and research, 8(1), 26–38. https://doi.org/doi: 10.17507/jltr.0801.04 arafah, k. (2020). the effect of guided discovery method and learning interest on students' understanding of physics concepts. jurnal pendidikan fisika, 8(2),145–154. https://doi.org/10.26618/jpf.v8i2.3259. arifin and n. ratu. 201. profil higher order thinking skill siswa dalam menyelesaikan masalah bangun datar segi empat. maju j. ilm. pendidik. mat 5 2. ariyana, y., pudjiastuti, a., bestary, r., & zamroni. (2019). buku pegangan pembelajaran berorientasi pada keterampilan tingkat tinggi. direktorat jenderal guru dan tenaga kependidikan kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia. www.gtk.kemdikbud.go.id bartell, t. g., webel, c., bowen, b., & dyson, n. (2013). prospective teacher learning: recognizing evidence of conceptual understanding. journal of mathematics teacher education, 16(1), 57–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10857-012-9205-4 brookhart, s. m. (2010). how to assess higher-order thinking skills in your classroom. ascd. brown, e. s. (2006). discovery learning in the classroom. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/30517 4476 care, e., & lou, r. (2016). assessment of transversal competencies: policy and practice in the asiapacific region. united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization (unesco). https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf000024 6590 clandinin, d. j., & connelly, f. m. (2000). narrative inquiry: experience and story in qualitative research. jossey-bass publishers. creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2017). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. sage publications. dima.,m.l.b.,daflizar and ahmadi. (2021). the implementation of higher order thinking skills (hots) in english language teaching: the case of indonesian senior high school efl teachers. journal of english language teaching,8(2), 257. https://doi.org/10.26858/eltww.v8i2.20468 fakhomah, d. n., & utami, m. s. (2019). pre-service english teacher perception about higher order thinking skills (hots) in the 21st century learning. international journal of indonesian education and teaching (ijiet), 3(1), 41–49. hasim, a., osman, r., arifin, a., abdullah, n., & noh, n. (2015). teachers’ perception on higher order thinking skills as an innovation and its implementation in history teaching. australian journal of basic and applied sciences, 9(32), 215–221. ichsan, d. v. sigit, m. miarsyah, a. ali, w. p. arif, and t. a. prayitno. (2019). hots-aep: higher order thinking skills from elementary to master students in environmental learning. eur. j. educ. res 8 4 935–942. 10.12973/eu-jer.8.4.935 ichsan, i. z., sigit, d. v., miarsyah, m., ali, a., & suwandi, t. (2020). implementation supple mentary book of green consumerism: im proving students hots in environmental learning. european journal of educational re search, 9(1), 227-237. 10.12973/eu-jer.9.1.227 indriyana, b. s., & kuswandono, p. (2019). developing students’ higher order thinking skills (hots) in reading: english teachers’ strategies in selected junior high schools. journal of english teaching, 5(3), 204–216. isbandiyah, s. & sanusi, a. (2019). modul penyusunan soal keterampilan berpikir tingkat tinggi (hots) biologi. ditbin sma. khanif, m. (2019). flipped classroom with hots intruction in listening class. the 16th jeta international conference, 51–55. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324933017_pre-service_science_teachers’_perception_about_high_order_thinking_skills_hots_in_the_21st_century https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324933017_pre-service_science_teachers’_perception_about_high_order_thinking_skills_hots_in_the_21st_century https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324933017_pre-service_science_teachers’_perception_about_high_order_thinking_skills_hots_in_the_21st_century https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324933017_pre-service_science_teachers’_perception_about_high_order_thinking_skills_hots_in_the_21st_century https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324933017_pre-service_science_teachers’_perception_about_high_order_thinking_skills_hots_in_the_21st_century https://doi.org/10.26618/jpf.v8i2.3259 https://doi.org/10.26858/eltww.v8i2.20468 https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.8.4.935 https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.9.1.227 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 775 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/muhamma d-ansori3/publication/336086006_integrating_hots_in to_efl_classroom_teacher%27s_perception_ and_classroom_behavior/links/5dedd5f2299bf 10bc34c5d47/integrating-hots-into-eflclassroom-teachers-perception-and-class lubis, n., ashadi, r. i., & setiawan, y. (2019). self concept dan higher order thinking skill (hots) questions dalam komunikasi interpersonal. jurnal penelitian pendidikan bahasa dan sastra, 4(2), 506-511. https://doi.org/10.32696/ojs.v4i2.315 maryani, i. & martaningsih, s. t. (2020). pendampingan penyusunan soal higher order thinking bagi guru sekolah dasar. jurnal solma, 9(1), 156-166. https://doi.org/10.29405/solma.v9i1.4100 merriam, s. b. (1998). qualitative research and case study applications in education. jossey-bass publishers. miles, m. b., & huberman, a. m. (1994). qualitative data analysis: an expanded sourcebook. sage. misrom, n. s., muhammad, a. s., abdullah, a. h., osman, s., hamzah, m. h., & fauzan, a. (2020). enhancing students’ higher-order thinking skills (hots) through an inductive reasoning strategy using geogebra. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (ijet), 15(03), 156–179. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i03.9839 mohamed, r., & lebar, o. (2017). authentic assessment in assessing higher order thinking skills. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 7(2), 466–476. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/ijarb ss/v7-i2/2021 mulyasa, e. (2018). implementasi kurikulum 2013 revisi dalam era revolusi industri 4.0. in bumi aksara. pappas, c. (2014). instructional design models and theories: the discovery learning model. elearning industry. https://elearningindustry.com/discoverylearning-model purnama, y. i., & nurdianingsih, f. (2019). the impact of higher order thinking skills (hots) instructions in teaching efl speaking skill from the perspective of students’ motivation. lingua cultura, 13(4), 313–319. purnamasari, l., hakim, a., sulaeman, n. f., & darmadianingsih. (2021). eksplorasi kemampuan pemecahan masalah siswa sma pada materi fluida statis. jurnal literasi pendidikan fisika, 2(1), 9-22. doi: https://doi.org/10.30872/jlpf.v2i1.4 33 rahmayanti, m. (2021). application of the discovery learning teaching model in mathematics subjects. community medicine & education journal, 2(1), 144-150. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.215.6.972b ramasamy, s., rahman, f., ismail, h., manaf, u. k. a., & said, r. r. (2016). teachers’ levels of knowledge and interest on higher order thinking skills (hots) according to the field taught and category of schools. journal of modern education review, 6(9), 611–621. https://doi.org/10.15341/jmer(21557993)/09.06.2016/005 rosli, m. f. m., & maarof, n. (2017). the effects of higher order thinking skills (hots) questions in improving esl pupils’ writing performance. the 5 th global summit on education, 70–80. http://worldconferences.net/journals/wcik/toc/fu llpaper/gse_042.pdf safitri, a., & setiawan, y. (2020). perbedaan pengaruh model discovery learning dan problem based learning terhadap kemampuan berpikir kritis ipa siswa. jurnal tematik, 10(1), 54-60. doi: https://doi.org/10.24114/jt.v10i1.17728 setiawati, w. (2019). buku penilaian berorientasi higher order thinking skills. dirjen gtk kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. simanjuntak, e., usidiati, w., & karani, e. (2020). developing a model of hots questions for narrative reading text for ix grade students of smpn 2 jorong. journal of environment and management, 1(1), 69–74. singh, c. k. s., gopal, r., ong, e. t., singh, t. s. m., mostafa, n. a., & singh, r. k. a. (2020). esl teachers’ strategies to foster higher-order thinking skills to teach writing. malaysian journal of learning and instruction, 17(2), 195– 226. sopiani, p. s., & said, i. (2019). investigating students’ higher order thinking skills (hots) in writing skill (a case study at the eleventh grade of a senior high school in banjar). journal of english education and teaching, 3(3), 328–342. suprihatiningrum, j. (2013). strategi pembelajaran teori dan aplikasi. ar-ruzz media syafyahya, l., & yades, e. (2020). small group discussion and discovery learning in indonesian course learning. advances in social science.education and humanities research: proceedings of the 3rd international conference on educational development and quality assurance (iced-qa)(pp.73-77). https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210202.015 thamrin, n. r., & agustin, s. (2019). conceptual variations on reading comprehension through higher order thinking skills (hots) strategy. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 93–100. thamrin, n. r., & widodo, p. (2019). developing higher order thinking skills (hots) for reading comprehension enhancement. journal of physics: conference series, 1179(1), 12073. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/muhammad-ansori-3/publication/336086006_integrating_hots_into_efl_classroom_teacher%27s_perception_and_classroom_behavior/links/5dedd5f2299bf10bc34c5d47/integrating-hots-into-efl-classroom-teachers-perception-and-class https://www.researchgate.net/profile/muhammad-ansori-3/publication/336086006_integrating_hots_into_efl_classroom_teacher%27s_perception_and_classroom_behavior/links/5dedd5f2299bf10bc34c5d47/integrating-hots-into-efl-classroom-teachers-perception-and-class https://www.researchgate.net/profile/muhammad-ansori-3/publication/336086006_integrating_hots_into_efl_classroom_teacher%27s_perception_and_classroom_behavior/links/5dedd5f2299bf10bc34c5d47/integrating-hots-into-efl-classroom-teachers-perception-and-class https://www.researchgate.net/profile/muhammad-ansori-3/publication/336086006_integrating_hots_into_efl_classroom_teacher%27s_perception_and_classroom_behavior/links/5dedd5f2299bf10bc34c5d47/integrating-hots-into-efl-classroom-teachers-perception-and-class https://www.researchgate.net/profile/muhammad-ansori-3/publication/336086006_integrating_hots_into_efl_classroom_teacher%27s_perception_and_classroom_behavior/links/5dedd5f2299bf10bc34c5d47/integrating-hots-into-efl-classroom-teachers-perception-and-class https://www.researchgate.net/profile/muhammad-ansori-3/publication/336086006_integrating_hots_into_efl_classroom_teacher%27s_perception_and_classroom_behavior/links/5dedd5f2299bf10bc34c5d47/integrating-hots-into-efl-classroom-teachers-perception-and-class https://www.researchgate.net/profile/muhammad-ansori-3/publication/336086006_integrating_hots_into_efl_classroom_teacher%27s_perception_and_classroom_behavior/links/5dedd5f2299bf10bc34c5d47/integrating-hots-into-efl-classroom-teachers-perception-and-class https://doi.org/10.32696/ojs.v4i2.315 https://doi.org/10.29405/solma.v9i1.4100 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i03.9839 https://doi.org/http:/dx.doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v7-i2/2021 https://doi.org/http:/dx.doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v7-i2/2021 https://elearningindustry.com/discovery-learning-model https://elearningindustry.com/discovery-learning-model https://doi.org/10.30872/jlpf.v2i1.4%2033 https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.215.6.972b http://worldconferences.net/journals/wcik/toc/fullpaper/gse_042.pdf http://worldconferences.net/journals/wcik/toc/fullpaper/gse_042.pdf https://doi.org/10.24114/jt.v10i1.17728 https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210202.015 nais saraswati, rita inderawati, & machdalena vianty applying higher order thinking skills (hots) pedagogy: a case study of an efl core teacher 776 widana, i. (2017). higher order thinking skills assessment (hots). jurnal of indonesian student assessment and education, 3(1), 32-44. widiyati, g. s. (2020). developing listening materials for the second-grade multimedia department students of smkn 2 wonosari based on 2013 curriculum. journal of english language and pedagogy, 3(1), 61–68. yoke, s. k., hasan, n. h., jangga, r., & kamal, s. n.i. m. (2015). innovating with hots for the esl reading class. english language teaching, 8(8), 10–17. yuliana, n. (2018). penggunaan model pembelajaran discovery learning dalam peningkatan hasil belajar siswa. jurnal ilmiah pendidikan dan pembelajaran 2(1), 21–28. https://doi.org/10.23887/jipp.v2i1.13851 zalilia, l., ariyana, y., & bestari, r. (2019). buku pegangan in / gi. kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia. https://doi.org/10.23887/jipp.v2i1.13851 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 729 the effect of mobile learning-based team game tournament learning model on recount text writing ability: the role of learning style as variable moderation purwo haryono universitas widya dharma klaten, central java, indonesia email: pwharyono@gmail.com tukiyo universitas widya dharma klaten, central java, indonesia email: tukiyo@unwidha.ac.id apa citation: haryono, p., & tukiyo. (2022). the effect of mobile learning-based team game tournament learning model on recount text writing ability: the role of learning style as variable moderation. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 729-736. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6332. received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction education is a basic effort to prepare the next generation to accept and face the challenges of the global era. education must be carried out as efficiently as possible to create quality education and improve human resources quality (nurrita, 2018). english education is becoming increasingly vital in schools along with the times. every school in indonesia teaches english as the first foreign language. listening, speaking, reading, and writing are all abilities that students are required to learn in english class. "writing is a manifestation of language through letters, symbols, or words," says bryne (in pardede & herman, 2020). to create words and sentences, a set of symbols must be placed in a specific way. writing is a form of communication. in other words, writing is a person's attempt to communicate an idea in written form. the writing is realized in the form of text. recount text is a type of text that combines the individual's own experiences given sequentially, is one part of this type of text. in this scenario, students are asked to write down events that have occurred in other people's lives and relate them in the order in which they occurred (prayogo, 2021). a lack of vocabulary and a fear of grammatical errors are the result of the perception that writing is difficult and dull for students (pardede & herman, 2020). the importance of english language education in learning needs to be accompanied by an appropriate learning style. learning style is considered as a series of behaviors that are collected in one goal. learning style is defined as a combination of cognitive, affective, and physiological traits (costa, souza, valentim, & castro, 2020). every student learns in a different way, such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles, in which the three categories of learning styles. when the learning style taught by abstract: the aim of this study is to use quantitative research methods and causality models to investigate the proposed hypothesis of the mobile learning-based team game tournament learning model effect on the recount text writing ability: the role of learning style as a moderating variable. the participants in this study are pupils from kartasura's al-islam junior high school. this study's sample consisted of 100 students chosen using a basic random selection procedure. sem (structural equation modeling) is the analytical technique employed, and it is controlled by smart pls application. the results show that the team game tournament learning model had a substantial beneficial effect on the capacity to write recount text, and the learning style had a significant positive influence on the students' ability to write recount text. in addition, to improve the learning model for the team game tournament's recount text writing abilities, it's important to consider the learning style of each participant keywords: team game tournaments; ability to write recount text; learning style purwo haryono & tukiyo the effect of mobile learning-based team game tournament learning model on recount text writing ability: the role of learning style as variable moderation 730 the teacher is suitable for the students, the learning outcomes of students will increase more. following the times, mobile learning has become an option for teachers to help make learning more effective. mobile learning is learning that allows students to easily access more resources, directions, and applications related to the lessons taught (ilman, sulthoni, & wedi, 2022). monotonous and less creative methods will cause students to easily get bored, disinterested, and ultimately hinder the transmission of knowledge. the habit of using gadgets increasingly often causes students to be more interested in something that can be accessed via their smartphone. mobile learning that aims to make it easier for teachers and still be accepted by students needs to be packaged in an attractive and effective way (kabunggul, pramita, mandailina, abdillah, mahsup, & sirajuddin, 2020). team games tournament (tgt) is a cooperative strategy in training students to write. according to fuji, uus, & cucu (2018), this method trains students by emphasizing the game as a means to achieve a common goal. the tgt approach is easy to apply because it incorporates the game aspect, which increases students' enthusiasm in learning english. therefore, the research that applies the use of tgt in recount text writing ability with the use of learning style needs to be conducted to know the connection between variables so that it can contribute to the learning activities in which teacher can apply it to enhance recount text writing ability. some research has been conducted to determine whether tgt can affect the english language learning. first, the research conducted by pratiwi, rasana, & pudjawan (2018) showed that tgt can affect the english vocabularies of grade iv students in tabanan. other than that, arifin, vega, & anggriani (2018) also showed that tgt can increase the english achievement of students. in addition, research conducted by merti (2020) showed that tgt is able to increase the learning outcomes of sma negeri 1 blahbatuh in xi mipa 6 through audio-visual media. however, from the previous research, there is no research that involves tgt, recount text learning ability, with the use of learning style as moderation has been conducted. therefore, this research is conducted entitled "the effect of mobile learning-based team game tournament learning model on recount text writing ability: the role of learning style as a moderating variable". learning model is a conceptual framework, serves as a guideline for developing the implementation of learning in the classroom and provides a systematic management of students in achieving learning goals (sugiata, 2019). according to experts, the learning model is a blueprint or pattern in the form of a curriculum to plan and lead classroom learning for the implementation of learning achievements (usman, saud, & kasim achmad, 2018). it has been suggested that this learning paradigm is one that is easy to implement, includes all students regardless of status, involves students as peer tutors, and incorporates elements of games and rewards (setiani, 2019). in addition, learning activities based on tgt paradigm train students to learn comfortably and at the same time encourage healthy competition, collaboration, responsibility and learning. putri & wati (2020) revealed that tgt learning style divides students into 5-6 people in each team. the members of each team are the same. giving some questions to students and delivering lecture materials in accordance with the lecture contract (+90 minutes). this is the "first round" of the learning competition. these questions must be answered individually by each student. students count the number of questions answered correctly the they can add up the scores obtained. as part of the "second half," they have to repeat the test questions. instruct the team to collect their score once again and add it to their first-round total. students who give an incorrect answer must receive a score of minus 2. if they are not sure about the answer, they can mark the blank answer page as zero. students who give correct answers with a score of 4 is rewarded. there will be two rounds or two tournaments whenever there is a conference in lectures. it also provides opportunities for teams to participate in learning sessions between rounds. there are five components of tgt according to putri & wati (2020), defined in the following table. table 1. five components of tgt (putri & wati, 2020) component indicators english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 731 class presentation 1. explaining subject materials 2. giving learning techniques team 1. discussing the problems 2. comparing answers 3. checking students’ understanding is their team makes errors game 1. testing students’ understanding they get from the presentation class tournament 1. doing academic matches and games 2. balance competition may make students contribute maximally toward the team scores game recognition 1. getting certificate or other achievement appreciations if their scores reach certain criteria the concept of "mobile learning" refers to dealing with information technology (it) in the teaching and learning process, such as pdas, cell phones and other smartphones. since mobile learning is a component of electronic learning (elearning), it is also considered distance learning (d-learning) (yafie, samah, kustiawan, tirtaningsih, astuti, & haqqi, 2020). using such technology allows students to understand information by expanding their cognitive domain, optimizing their cooperation by expanding their affective domain, and enhancing psychomotor interactive skills and power. this condition causes mobile learning to use local game applications as an instructor's effort to achieve the three learning domains of cognitive, emotional, and psychomotor culture. purnama, sesunan, & ertikanto (2017) stated that m-learning is wrong. a learning media that allows educators to deliver teaching materials to students using smartphonebased media. to maximize mobile learning, mobile learning tools must have several helping features, including connecting with other devices, displaying information, and actualizing bilateral teacherstudent contact. mobile learning differs from traditional learning in that students can view related materials, guides, and applications at any time from any location. students are motivated to use mobile applications for various reasons. for mobile learning to be successful, certain variables must be taken into account. criollo, guerrero-arias, jaramillo-alcázar, & luján-mora (2021) stated that the influencing factors are classified into three main categories, namely features of the device which contain about usability and functionality, user expectations which contain about ownership, privacy, self-regulated, flexible learning, fun, and the last is profit. pedagogical. according to mastura, arsyad, & koto (2020), writing is the act of telling or painting visual symbols to explain to others in easy-to-understand language. aprina (2018) also stated that writing is defined as an action in which a person conveys a thoughts and ideas with writing as the medium. in sum, writing is a collection of actions in which a person expresses a thoughts in written language so that others can read and understand them (barus, herman, & niswa, 2020). recount texts teach students how to make regular or structured writing that tells about previous events. students tell stories through writing that contains a chronology of what happened. recount text is a type of text in sequence and contains one's own experience (prayogo, 2021). the purpose of recount writing, according to amir (2020), is to give the reader a summary of an event at a certain time and location. the focus is on events written in chronological order, such as (1) personal recount: the author is directly involved; (2) factual recounts: describing events or scenarios such as newspaper headlines or accident reports; and (3) imaginative retelling: depicting fictional roles and relating imagined events (sari, sutapa, & sada, 2021). shamsuddin & kaur (2020) stated that learning style is to describe how students learn. students' learning style can be described as a combination of the ways in which they acquire, organize, and process information. learning styles, according to widharyanto & binawan (2020), are distinct combinations that help people learn more efficiently. a learner's learning style is a consistent technique in capturing stimuli or knowledge, as well as ways of remembering, thinking, and solving problems (childs-kean, mlis, & smith, 2020). students will have a difficult time retaining material when presented with ways they aren't used to. it is important to remember that students learn in different ways, use different methods of purwo haryono & tukiyo the effect of mobile learning-based team game tournament learning model on recount text writing ability: the role of learning style as variable moderation 732 processing information, and have different learning styles. students who have dominant learning styles tend to use such styles in a variety of contexts, making it less likely that they will switch to another type. according to the theory and characteristics of the learning styles stated by kulkarni, banerjee, & raghunathan (2022), the signs of each learning style are as follows table 2. the signs of each learning style according to kulkarni, banerjee, & raghunathan (2022) learning style indicators visual learning by visual understanding well related to position, numbers, and colors neat and in order having no bother with crowd having difficulty in accepting verbal instructions auditorial learning by listening good in spoken activities having sensitivity toward music easily distracted by crowd low in visual activities kinesthetic learning by physical activities sensitive toward expression and body language liking to try but not neat low in verbal activities method the hypotheses hypothesized are tested using a quantitative technique with a causality model in this study. participants in this study are students of smp al-islam kartasura. this study’s respondents consist of 100 students selected using a basic random selection procedure. this survey approach is used to obtain an overview of the mobile learning-based team game tournament learning model on the ability to make recount text for this research. sem (structural equation modeling) is the analytical method employed in this study, which is managed by the smart pls program. using a combination of factor analysis and regression analysis (also known as correlation analysis), sem analyzes how different variables in a model are connected. the three stages of pls analysis are outlined in the following: outer model analysis establishes the link between latent variables and the model's indicators. the outer model dictates how each indicator interacts with its associated hidden variable. the external model is entered through the following tests: (1) convergent validity: the degree of convergent validity is determined by the loading factor value on the latent variable and its accompanying indicator. expected value > 0.7. (2) average variance extracted (ave): a variable's ave is the average of the percentage of variance extract (ave) between question items or indicators of the variable. ave value should be > 0.5 for good condition. (3) composite reliability: data that has composite reliability of >0.7 has high reliability. (4) cronbach alpha. cronbach alpha is used to improve the reliability test. for all constructs, the expected value is >0.6. the proportion of variance described in the inner model, particularly r2, indicates that the inner model is a model from inside. changes in r2 can be used to assess whether certain independent factors have a meaningful effect on the latent variable. according to colton, the strength of a link between two variables is classified into four categories: table 3. the strength of a link between two variables r-square correlation strength 0.00-0.25 low 0.25-0.50 moderate 0.51-0.75 strong 0.76-1.00 very strong/perfect hypothesis test the last stage is hypothesis test using the criteria of using statistical numbers, such as 1.96 for 5% alpha (purnamasari, warastuti, & murniati, 2013). as a result, the research hypotheses are: (1) ha is accepted if t-statistic is > t-table and p value is <0.05. (2) ha is rejected if t-statistic is < t-table and p value is > 0.05. results and discussion english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 733 figure 1. number of subtheme published in erjee outer model analysis validity test a validity test is used to verify whether or not a questionnaire is valid. in this study, convergent validity and ave were used to assess validity. if the ave value is greater than 0.05 and the outer loading value is greater than 0.6, the instrument is certified valid. table 4. the results of the instrument validity test reliability test in this study, researchers performed two types of reliability tests: the cronbach alpha test and the composite reliability test. cronbach alpha is a measure of the lowest level of reliability (lower limit). it is regarded good if the data has a cronbach alpha value of more than 0.7 and a composite reliability score of more than 0.7. table 5. instrument reliability test results cronbach’s alpha rho_ a composite reliability learning style 0.912 0.913 0.927 recount text writing ability 0.773 0.773 0.869 moderating effect 1.000 1.000 1.000 team game tournament 0.903 0.905 0.912 based on the calculation results, all instrument items meet the standards of validity and reliability, with scores that exceed the threshold. r square the coefficient of determination of measurement (r-square) describes how much outside factors influence endogenous variables. the r-square value is calculated based on data analysis using the smart pls program, as shown in the table below. table 6. results of r-square analysis r square r square adjusted recount text writing ability 0.639 0.628 the table shows that the variable of recount text writing skill is explained by the tgm learning model and learning style 62.8 percent of the time, purwo haryono & tukiyo the effect of mobile learning-based team game tournament learning model on recount text writing ability: the role of learning style as variable moderation 734 while the rest is explained by variables outside of this study. hypothesis testing original sample (o) t statistics (|o/stdev|) pvalues learning style  recount text writing ability 0.596 6.282 0.000 moderating effect  recount text writing ability 0.089 2.246 0.025 team game tournament  recount text writing ability 0.032 3.315 0.001 the effect of learning style on recount text writing ability according to results from testing the first hypothesis of learning style on students' recount text writing ability, the beta score (0.596) was found to be positive and the t-statistic (6.282) was found to be statistically significant, which means that students' recount text writing ability was positively influenced by their learning style. the better the learning style possessed by students, will affect their ability to write recount text. a recount text must be well-structured and convey the details of the events it recounts. in other words, students inform others about events that have just happened, which can be in the form of writing and include a chronology of events. in a study by mastura et al., (2020) pupils' writing skills were improved by using serial visuals. for children who prefer to learn by visual means, the utilization of picture series has an impact on their writing abilities. furthermore, the use of picture series has an impact on students' writing skills based on their learning style. the effect of tgt on recount text writing ability moderated by learning style team game tournament moderated learning style was found to have a positive beta score (0.089) with a t statistic of 2.246 (p> 1.96) and a significant positive effect between the team game variables (p = 0.025) in the hypothesis testing results. recount text writing ability is used as a moderator for the tournament. the better the team game tournament learning model given by the teacher to students, will increase recount text writing ability. additionally, the presence of an appropriate learning style ensures that students' capacity to create recount material is enhanced. class presentations, teamwork (teams), games, tournaments, and group rewards are the five stages of tgt learning. using tgt is meant to provide students with a unique learning experience and keep them from being bored while in class. tgt is one of the positive techniques in teaching writing recount texts. researchers observed that students' ability to create narratives was influenced by their learning methods because they made mistakes in writing descriptive texts. the existence of moderation between team game tournament and learning styles will make recount text writing ability even better (war-wind & simamora, 2018). the effect of team game tournament on recount text writing ability testing hypotheses about how well teams can write recount texts yielded a positive beta score (0.302) and the following statistics: t statistic = 3.315% and p values (0.001) (p0.05). this indicates that there is an important positive correlation between the recount text writing ability and various aspects of teams' performance in team game tournaments. the better the teacher in providing team game tournament for students, their writing skills will also improve. tgt techniques can help students develop their social skills and work together to solve challenges (usman et al., 2018). the tgt technique prioritizes group achievement over individual success. however, group incentives are mostly based on the topic mastery of each person in the team. students can use the tgt model to compare their responses, identify differences, and help one another when they reach a dead end. they can even give each other quizzes about the material they are studying. writing skills will also improve for those taking the course. that the tgt model has an effect on students' writing skills is supported by the study of baydar, (2020). conclusion based on the results of the study, it can be stated that the team game tournament learning model has a large effect on recount text writing ability, and learning styles have a significant positive effect on students' recount text writing skills. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 735 therefore, if the team game tournament learning model on recount text writing ability is controlled by learning style, the results will increase 62.8% of the time, the value of r square is reached. suggestions for further research include including variables not included in this study to improve research. acknowledgement the authors would like to give the best gratitude to universitas widya dharma klaten for the support so that the research can be conducted and finished well. references amir, a. s. (2020). using personal journal to improve writing ability in recount text. exposure: jurnal pendidikan bahasa inggris, 9(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.26618/exposure.v9i1.2863 aprina, h. (2018). the influence of using snake and ladder game towards students’ writing ability in recount text at the first semester of the tenth grade of sman 1 ngambur pesisir barat in of 2017/2018 academic year (undergraduated thesis). uin raden intan lampung. arifin., vega, n. d., & anggriani, t. s. d. (2018). teams games tournament (tgt) dengan permainan ular tangga untuk meningkatkan prestasi bahasa inggris siswa dalam penerapan kurikulum 2013. edukasi, 5(2), 63-68. barus, l. d. g., herman, h., & niswa, h. (2020). the effect of student teams' achievement divisions (stad) to the students’ writing ability on recount text. journal of english education and teaching, 4(4), 536-547. https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.4.4.536-547 baydar, a. (2020). pre-service primary teachers’ opinions on team-games-tournaments. international education studies. international education studies, 14(1), 86-96. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v14n1p86 childs-kean, l., mlis, m. e. e., & smith, m. d. (2020). use of learning style frameworks in health science education. american journal of pharmaceutical education. 84(7), 919-927. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7885 costa, r. d., souza, g. f., valentim, r. a., & castro, t. b. (2020). the theory of learning styles applied to distance learning. cognitive systems research, 64, 134–145. criollo-c, s., guerrero-arias, a., jaramillo-alcázar, á., & luján-mora, s. (2021). mobile learning technologies for education: benefits and pending issues. applied sciences (switzerland), 11(9), 1-17.. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094111 fuji, r. a., uus, m., & cucu, l. (2018). pengaruh penerapan model pembelajaran kooperatif tipe tgt (team games tournamen) terhadap peningkatkan minat belajar siswa. jurnal sikola: jurnal kajian pendidikan dan pembelajaran, 4, 113–119. ilman, a., sulthoni, & wedi, a. (2022). pengembangan mobile learning berbasis android materi recount text kelas x bahasa. jktp: jurnal kajian teknologi pendidikan. https://doi.org/10.17977/um038v5i12022p032 kabunggul, j., pramita, d., mandailina, v., abdillah, a., mahsup, m., & sirajuddin, s. (2020). meningkatkan motivasi dan hasil belajar siswa melalui penerapan model pembelajaran team game tournament berbantuan media android. pendekar: jurnal pendidikan berkarakter, 3(2), 1–4. kulkarni, b., banerjee, r., & raghunathan, r. (2022). why students should be taught differently: learner characteristics, learning styles and simulation performance. simulation and gaming, 53(1), 56-74. https://doi.org/10.1177/10468781211065809 mastura, d. m., arsyad, s., & koto, i. (2020). the effect of genre based approach on students’ writing ability of recount text. joall (journal of applied linguistics & literature), 5(1), 8893. https://doi.org/10.33369/joall.v5i1.9403 merti, n. m. (2020). penerapan model pembelajaran teams games tournament (tgt) dengan media audio visual guna meningkatkan hasil belajar bahasa inggris. journal of education action research, 4(3), 315–321. nurrita, t. (2018). pengembangan media pembelajaran untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa. misykat: jurnal ilmu-ilmu al-quran, hadist, syari’ah dan tarbiyah, 3(1), 171–210. pardede, h., & herman, h. (2020). the effect of numbered heads together method to the students’ ability in writing recount text. cetta: jurnal ilmu pendidikan, 3(2), 291–303. pratiwi, k. y., rasana, i. d. p. r., & pudjawan, k. (2018). pengaruh model pembelajaran teams games tournament (tgt) terhadap penguasaan kosakata bahasa inggris siswa kelas iv sd gugus iv kecamatan tabanan. jjpgsd, 1(1). retrieved from https://ejournal.undiksha.ac.id/index.php/jjpg sd/article/view/790/663 prayogo, e. r. (2021). meningkatkan keterampilan menulis bahasa inggris pada teks naratif fairytales melalui penggunaan model pembelajaran cooperative round table dengan picture series siswa kelas ix a smp negeri 2 purwo haryono & tukiyo the effect of mobile learning-based team game tournament learning model on recount text writing ability: the role of learning style as variable moderation 736 bangsalsari jember. (13), 220–225. purnama, r. b., sesunan, f., & ertikanto, c. (2017). pengembangan media pembelajaran mobile learning berbasis android sebagai suplemen pembelajaran fisika sma pada materi usaha dan energi. jurnal pembelajaran fisika, 5(4), 63-74. purnamasari, s. v., warastuti, y., & murniati, m. p. (2013). alat-alat pengujian hipotesis. universitas katolik soegijapranata. putri, p. o., & wati, e. (2020). implementasi model pembelajaran team game tournament (tgt) untuk meningkatkan aktifitas belajar siswa. intersections, 5(1), 38-45. https://doi.org/10.47200/intersections.v5i1.514 sari, h. m., sutapa, y. g., & sada, c. (2021). clustering technique to improve ability of generating ideas in recount text writing. jeltim (journal of english language teaching innovations and materials), 3(1), 2538. https://doi.org/10.26418/jeltim.v3i1.38880 setiani, s. a. (2019). model pembelajaran teams games tournaments (tgt) untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar. ideas: jurnal pendidikan, sosial dan budaya, 5(4), 389-396. https://doi.org/10.32884/ideas.v5i4.227. shamsuddin, n., & kaur, j. (2020). students’ learning style and its effect on blended learning, does it matter? international journal of evaluation and research in education, 9(1). 195-202. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v9i1.20422 sugiata, i. w. (2019). penerapan model pembelajaran team game tournament (tgt) untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar. jurnal pendidikan kimia indonesia, 2(2), 78-87. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpk.v2i2.16618 usman, m., saud, s., & kasim achmad, a. (2018). learning model development of teamsgames-tournaments (tgt) in learning german vocabulary (wortschatz) for senior high school students in makassar. international journal of language education, 2(2). 105-112. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v2i2.5828 widharyanto, b., & binawan, h. (2020). learning style and language learning strategies of students from various ethnics in indonesia. cakrawala pendidikan, 39(2), 480-492. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v39i2.28173 yafie, e., samah, n. a., kustiawan, u., tirtaningsih, m. t., astuti, w., & haqqi, y. a. (2020). design and development seamless learning model to improve student performance in higher education. proceedings 2020 6th international conference on education and technology, icet 2020. malang, east java. https://doi.org/10.1109/icet51153.2020.9276 569 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 349 rhetorical moves analysis on scopus-indexed research article abstracts by national and international authors ananta buana nurcik (corresponding author) english language education, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: anantabuana@upi.edu eri kurniawan english language education, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: eri_kurniawan@upi.edu arif husein lubis korean language education, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: lubis_ah@upi.edu apa citation: nurcik, a. b., kurniawan, e., lubis, a. h. (2022). rhetorical moves analysis on scopus-indexed research article abstracts by national and international authors. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 349-358. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6235. received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction academic contexts, publications, including in the form of research articles, play an integral role regardless of which field of expertise they contribute to. amongst the academic societies, publications are the means in which new knowledge is advanced and communicated (martin-martin, 2003; yoon & casal, 2020). in order to reach a wider range of readers, authors often times prefer to publish their research articles internationally, resulting in an increase of demands for international publications. furthermore, international publications will also further boost the rate of publication productivity and enhance the individual and institutional reputations (suherdi, kurniawan, & lubis, 2020) as it is one of the vital parameters in the assessments of world university rankings (zheng & gao, 2016). abstract: abstracts in research articles are important for readers in determining whether to continue reading the article or not. a plethora of studies involving abstracts’ rhetorical moves has previously been published, but scant attention has been given to the relationship between the rhetorical moves and authors’ nationalities. this study is aimed at comparing the rhetorical moves and linguistic realizations of abstracts by authors of different nationalities. this study analyzed 30 hard sciences abstracts written by national and international authors published in the international journal of science and technology (ijost). hyland’s (2000) model of rhetorical moves was employed as the framework of analysis. findings showed that both groups similarly spent more space in manifesting the method and findings moves. however significant differences were evident in the steps of the introduction and method moves. national authors considered the conclusion move as optional, whereas the other moves in both groups were considered conventional. international authors considered topic generalization step as conventional, while all other steps in the introduction move of both groups were optional. no difference was found in the voices used. however, tense-wise, the international authors favored present tenses in describing the research purpose while the national authors favored past tenses. this study concludes that the differences in the rhetorical organizations between the international and national authors can mostly be found in the steps, instead of the moves. additionally, as the use of voice does not show any difference, the use of different tenses in each move distinguishes the two groups of authors. keywords: abstract; rhetorical moves; linguistic features; national authors; international authors. ananta buana nurcik, eri kurniawan, & arif husein lubis rhetorical moves analysis on scopus-indexed research article abstracts by national and international authors 350 in order to publish their works internationally, it is a well-understood convention among authors that their works must be written in an internationally preferred language, in this case, english. due to english being the lingua franca in academic writing, particularly for international publications purposes, research articles published in non-english journals are likely to receive fewer citations and are often undervalued or ignored (cianflone, 2014; liang, rosseau, & zhong, 2012; li, 2020). moreover, publications in english may result in a faster circulation of knowledge, a higher chance of funding, and career promotion (cianflone, 2014). as the demands for international publications arise, the standards would be strictly monitored to ensure the overall quality of the published research articles. out of all the accounted parameters in assessing the quality of a research article, the abstract is often considered as the main and most significant one used by editors to determine the content quality and whether an article is to be deemed worthy of being published or not (suherdi et al., 2020; fauzan, lubis, & kurniawan, 2020; lorés, 2004). moreover, the abstract tends to be the first part of a research article to be encountered by the readers apart from the title itself (pho, 2008). hence, the readers’ impression on the abstract is important as it may reflect their overall impression on the rest of the article. as the gateway to the articles, abstracts promote the contents of their articles and help the readers determine whether to continue their reading further towards the articles or not (swales & feak, 2009; hyland, 2000, 2009; salager-meyer, 1990; lorés, 2004; can et al., 2016). they also allow the readers to process information quickly and comprehensively as they determine the relevance of the articles’ content to their interests (kurniawan et al., 2019). unlike their entailing research articles, abstracts are always available to be read online for free, even in cases of articles requiring payment for their access (can, karabacak, & qin, 2016). due to the importance of research articles abstracts, having excellent skills in composing and writing them is a must. however, the significant and pivotal roles of abstracts in research articles are often overlooked. as a result, abstracts with unsatisfactory quality are composed in many occasions. for some authors, composing abstracts may prove to be a considerably challenging process in writing research articles (can et al., 2016). the varying templates on how abstracts are to be constructed does not make it any easier (kurniawan, lubis, suherdi, & danuwijaya, 2019). various skills and knowledge contribute to the authors’ overall competency in composing satisfactory abstracts with their very own style of writing. one of the most determining factors in the production of well-structured abstracts is the authors’ genre knowledge (pratiwi & kurniawan, 2021) due to abstracts being considered as a genre of its own for having distinguishable communicative purposes than the entailing research article. swales and feak (2009) and swales (1990) defined genre as a set of discourse with distinct communicative purposes. genre knowledge itself concerns how specific types of discourse, genres, are constructed in their particular organizational structures and linguistic realizations to deliver the communicative functions. the communicative functions and purposes of abstracts as a discourse are manifested in the rhetorical moves and steps, the units of communicative stages which are also the units of analysis in this study. move analysis as a method of analyzing genre is proven to be effective, particularly considering the complexities of research articles (pratiwi & kurniawan, 2021), including the abstracts. indeed, there have been a plethora of studies concerning the rhetorical organization and linguistic features of research articles abstracts in the past. a wide variety of variables have also been previously covered by a great number of notable authors. some of which concerns with the language background, particularly the first language (l1) of the authors (e.g., chalak & nourouzi, 2013; al-khasawneh, 2017; kaya & yagiz, 2020; xiao & cao, 2013). other studies focus on the comparison of research articles abstracts written in different language mediums (e.g., martin-martin, 2003; candarh, 2012; li, 2020, pratiwi & kurniawan, 2021). as a matter of fact, the horizon in which the possibilities of variables have even explored as far as to compare abstracts of research articles in different disciplines (e.g., juanda & kurniawan, 2020; gani, kurniawan, gunawan, & lubis, 2021; liang et al., 2012; khany & malmir, 2019). despite being distinguished between one and another due to the difference in data source and variables, all of the said studies were aimed at uncovering and analyzing the rhetorical organizations of the moves and steps of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 351 the research articles abstracts in each of their respective focus. in the past, a number notable scholars have previously proposed their ideas of the ideal rhetorical organizations or structures of research article abstracts. swales (1990), in his research involving applied linguistics research article abstracts, argued that abstracts should comprise of four moves; introduction, method, results and discussion. santos (1996), proposed his five-move configuration comprising of situating the research, presenting the research, describing the methodology, summarizing the findings, and concluded by discussing the research. hyland (2000), in his research on multi-disciplines research article abstracts, proposed his very own five-move configuration consisting of introduction, purpose, method, product, and conclusion. swales and feak (2009), who also analyzed multi-disciplines research article abstracts, also proposed a five-move configuration extending swales’ (1990) model consisting of introduction, purpose, method, results, and conclusion. additionally, lubis and kurniawan (2020) proposed their configuration which was based on hyland’s (2000) model with slight tweaks and modifications on the subcommunicative units or steps. although previous studies regarding the rhetorical moves and linguistic realizations in abstracts have been abundantly published, exiguous attention is given on the authors’ nationality, exclusively in respects of national and international authors of a particular nation. andika, safnil, & harahap (2018) have previously covered a part of this domain by analyzing the rhetorical moves of abstracts by post-graduate students, national, and international authors in applied linguistics. additionally, kurniawan and sabila (2021) have also covered a similar focus by analyzing the rhetorical moves and linguistic realizations of tourism research article abstracts by national and international authors. however, to the authors’ knowledge, little to no other studies have explored such a domain to date, especially in the discipline of hard sciences. in response, this study is aimed at analyzing the rhetorical organizations and linguistic features of q1 scopus-indexed research article abstracts written by national and international authors in hard sciences published in indonesia. additionally, the present study also analyzes the steps, subcommunicative stages, in the analyzed research article abstracts, which have also been given scant attention in previous studies involving the same group of variables. this study is expected to provide an in-depth knowledge on how these two groups of authors compose their abstracts and to provide insights for novice authors regarding abstracts construction. in order to acquire the necessary information and achieve its purpose, this study is essentially driven by the following research questions: rq 1: how do the rhetorical organization of ra abstracts written by national authors differ with those written by international authors? and rq 2: how do the two groups of authors linguistically realize the moves and steps? method as the goal of this study is to analyze and compare the rhetorical organizations and linguistic features of hard sciences research article abstracts written by two groups of authors, this study adopted a comparative approach using qualitative and quantitative research design. the comparison of the rhetorical organizations of the research article abstracts focused on the moves and steps occurrence and salience. concerning the linguistic features, the comparison focused on the tense and voice. the descriptive qualitative design was employed in determining and coding of the rhetorical moves, steps, and the linguistic features. the comparison and classification of the rhetorical units and the linguistic features within the abstracts pivots on the sentences as the units of analysis. the findings of the analysis would be visualized in the form of tables. in addition to the visualizations of the findings, excerpts and further explanations would also be presented for a better comprehension. a total of 30 research article abstracts were chosen as the data source for this study. all of which were retrieved from research articles published by the indonesian journal of science and technology (ijost), a q1 scopus-indexed journal based in indonesia, of the latest edition to date. the retrieved research articles were classified into two groups, based on the nationality of the authors, while 15 research articles were written by indonesian or national authors, the other 15 ras were written by international authors with multinational backgrounds, mostly from middleeastern and other asian nations. the year of ananta buana nurcik, eri kurniawan, & arif husein lubis rhetorical moves analysis on scopus-indexed research article abstracts by national and international authors 352 publications of the retrieved research articles ranged from as early as 2019 and as late as 2021. a short span of the latest publication period is chosen in an attempt to reveal the current trends in abstract writing. in this study, hyland’s (2000) model of moves and steps classification of abstract rhetorical units was employed as the instrument of analysis of abstract rhetorical organizations. the said framework of classification consists of a five-move coding model widely used by authors as a guideline in composing research article abstracts. the first rhetorical move proposed in this model is the introduction (i) which function is to establish the context of the paper and motivate the paper or discussion. the second move is the purpose (p) which function is to indicate the purpose, thesis or hypothesis, and outline the intention behind the paper itself. the third move is the method (m) which functions to provide information on the research design, procedure, assumptions, approach, data, etc. the fourth move is the product (pr) which function is to state the main findings or results, arguments, or what was accomplished in the study. the final move is the conclusion (c) which function is to draw inferences, interpret or extend the results beyond the scope of the paper, and point to applications or wider implications. hyland’s (2000) model was employed in this study over that of santos’ (1996) due to a more comprehensive definition of move 5, the final move, which covers not only the discussion of the research, but also further implications or recommendations or that of swales’ (1990) and swales’ (2009) model in which the former does not exclusively separate the purpose move from the introduction and the latter is considered to be quite similar with that of hyland’s (2000). additionally, hyland’s (2000) model is the most extensively employed model of analysis in previous studies in rhetorical organizations (lubis & kurniawan, 2020). hence, further enhancing its proven credibility and reliability as a framework of analysis. furthermore, santos’ (1996) definition on move 4, summarizing the findings, is considered to be insufficient due to the nature of certain research which may not present findings, but products or results instead. complementing the analysis on rhetorical organizations, the salience classification model proposed by kanoksilapatham (2005) in measuring the salience of the moves and steps is also employed in this study. the said model of classification measures salience based on the overall frequency of occurrences of the moves and steps in the corpus. the model proposes that a move or a step is considered to be optional (op) should its frequency is recorded at <60%, conventional (c) when it is recorded at 60-99%, and obligatory (o) in salience when the frequency of occurrence is recorded at 100%. this study implemented a multi-step procedure of analysis. the said procedure began immediately after the collection of the corpus data consisting of the necessary research article abstracts had been completed. the first step taken after the data had been collected was to break apart the abstracts into individual sentences. following that, the sentences were then put into an excel file with two different sheets corresponding with the two data variables. the next step was to determine and label which move and step each of the sentences belongs to in accordance with hyland’s (2000) model of classification. then, the following step was to determine and analyze the linguistic features, the voice and tense, of each of the labeled sentences. once the sentences had been labeled and coded with the corresponding moves, steps, and linguistic features, the recorded results from the two data groups were compared and contrasted. due to the coding of the sentences’ moves and steps being based on subjective observations, an inter-coder reliability test was conducted to achieve alignment in classifications. the test concluded that out of the entire sentences analyzed in the corpus, a satisfactory rate of inter-coder reliability was achieved at the rate of 88.7% alignment in coding results. the remaining 11.3% of inter-coder disagreement of coding results were then aligned and revised to reach even better coding results. table 1. hyland's (2000) five-move model of ra abstracts rhetorical organization move step introduction (i) step 1 arguing for topic significance step 2 making topic generalization step 3 defining the key term(s) step 4 identifying gap purpose (p) stating the research purpose(s) method (m) step 1 describing participants/data english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 353 sources step 2 describing instrument(s) step 3 describing procedure and context product (pr) describing the main results conclusion (c) step 1 deducing conclusion step 2 evaluating research significance step 3 stating limitation step 4 presenting recommendation or implication results and discussion the analysis showed that out of the 30 research article abstracts collected and analyzed, a total of 393 moves and steps were manifested in the two data groups. 78 steps in 122 moves were recorded to be manifested by the first group of research article abstracts written by international authors. quite similarly, 73 steps in 120 moves were recorded to be manifested by the second group consisting of national authors. henceforth, the following subsections will provide further explanations in terms of the similarities and differences in the manifestation of the rhetorical moves and steps, and the linguistic features of the two data groups. move-step occurrences the occurrences of the moves in both data groups recorded evident similarities based on the statistical calculations. the calculations were conducted under the conditions of ɑ = 0.05 and the null hypothesis which states that the moves occurrence’s proportions in the two data groups were similar. move-wise, a striking statistical similarity of the two was that both data groups showed an evidently similar distribution in terms of the moves occurrence’s proportions. as shown in table 2, move 3 (method) in both data groups had the highest proportion compared to the other moves at 30% and 33% with the national authors being the one recording the higher number. the differences in terms of the moves occurrence’s proportions were evidently insignificant, as the highest difference in number was only as much as 4%, in move 1 (introduction), and as little as 2%, in move 5 (conclusion). although, the discovered differences were evidently insignificant due to the calculated pvalue of > .05. the comparable distribution pattern of the moves occurrence’s proportion is parallel with the findings of gani et al. (2020), kurniawan and sabila (2021), and harisbaya, qurratu’aini, kanafani, nurcik, kurniawan, & lubis (2021) in which all three recorded that move 1 (introduction), 3 (method), and 5 (conclusion) have the highest number of proportions compared to the other two moves. furthermore, the resemblance in the pattern is made even clearer due to the fact that the first two of the three also recorded that move 3 (method) holds the highest proportions. this may indicate that notable differences are non-existent across the authors’ nationalities and disciplines. perhaps, this is due to a common understanding or conventions that the proportions of abstract composition should focus on move 1 (introduction), 3 (method), and 5 (conclusion). excerpt 1 a very challenging problem in mobile robot systems is mostly in obstacle avoidance strategies. (step 1 of move 1, national author) table 2. moves occurrence proportions move international national z-score p-value 1 25% 21% 0.844 .399 2 11% 11% -0.045 .964 3 30% 33% -0.641 .522 4 25% 28% -0.513 .608 5 9% 7% 0.679 .497 table 3. steps occurrence proportions move step internatio nal national z-score pvalue 1 1 16.1% 8% 0.914 .846 2 71.0% 60% 0.862 .388 3 6.5% 20% -1.524 .128 4 0% 12% -1.983 .047 5* 6.5% 0 1.293 .196 2 n/a 3 1 8.3% 2.5% 1.137 .255 2 30.6% 12.5% 1.928 .054 3 58.3% 85% -2.596 .009 4* 2.8% 0 1.061 .289 4 n/a 5 1 45.5% 75% -1.288 .198 2 9.1% 12.5% -0.239 .811 3 9.1% 0% 0.876 .381 4 36.4% 12.5% 1.166 .243 however, the presented data in table 3 showed that the distribution of certain steps’ proportions were distinct between one another. based on the statistical standard score calculations, the occurrences’ proportions of a number of steps showed significant differences. the calculations were conducted under the same conditions as of the ananta buana nurcik, eri kurniawan, & arif husein lubis rhetorical moves analysis on scopus-indexed research article abstracts by national and international authors 354 moves occurrence’. it was found that step 4 of move 1 (introduction) and step 3 of move 3 (method) of the two groups showed significant differences proven by the low p-values of p < .05. step 4 of move 1 (introduction) had no proportions at all in abstracts written by the international authors, but had 12% of proportions in the national authors’ abstracts. the 12% gap between the two may seem trivial, but was evidently significant. additionally, the step 3 of move 3 (method) had 58.3% of proportions in the international authors’ abstracts, but 85% in the national authors’ abstracts. the 26.7% gap was evidently enough to point out the significant difference between them. in both cases, compared to the international authors, the national authors spent more space in their abstracts to manifest step 4 of move 1 and step 3 of move 3. aside from the significant difference between step 4 of move 1 (introduction) and step 3 of move 3 (method), the other remaining steps’ proportions were considerably stable and similar. although there were found gaps of occurrence’s proportions between one step and another, statistically speaking, said gaps were considered insignificant. such a premise is due to the high p-value of the data as shown in table 3. as a matter of fact, there is no step in move 5 (conclusion) which has significant difference, implying that the two groups evidently have similar distributions of steps occurrence’s proportions in move 5 (conclusion). an excerpt of move 5 is as follows: excerpt 2 the implication is that teaching and learning process must be equally fostering all these variables to achieve a high level of students’ achievement, especially in mathematics subjects. (step 4 of move 5, international author) as shown in table 3, two additional steps were found in the international authors’ abstracts; step 5* of move 1 (introduction) and step 4*of move 3 (method). the two new steps were included in the analysis due to certain sub-communicative functions yet to be defined in hyland’s (2000) model. step 5* of move 1 (introduction) which function is to present previous studies and step 4* of move 3 (method) which function is to describe the research design were lubis and kurniawan’s (2020) extended model of rhetorical organization, which was based on that of hyland’s (2000). despite the low recorded proportions, the occurrences of these new steps may potentially spark a new trend and chart new horizons in abstracts’ rhetorical organizations. additionally, the emergence of the previously unclassified subcommunicative stages may indicate the eligibility of hyland’s (2000) extended model proposed by lubis and kurniawan (2020) for future studies. the following excerpts demonstrate the use of the additional steps: excerpt 3 however, there are works related to applications directed to the human body, especially in replacement devices for the upper limb. (step 5* of move 1) excerpt 4 in the past there have been important works in physician recommendation. (step 5* of move 1) excerpt 5 in this work, we adopt neural networks and undertake a comparative analysis between several different available supervised algorithms to identify one best suited neural architecture that can work best in the applied fields. (step 4* of move 3) table 4. moves and steps salience move internati onal national step international national 1 73% (c) 67% (c) 1 27% (op) 13% (op) 2 67% (c) 53% (op) 3 13% (op) 27% (op) 4 0% (op) 13% (op) 5* 13% (op) 0% (op) 2 73% (c) 73% (c) n/a 3 93% (c) 87% (c) 1 20% (op) 7% (op) 2 47% (op) 27% (op) 3 67% (c) 80% (c) 4* 7% (op) 0% (op) 4 93% (c) 87% (c) n/a 5 73% (c) 47% (op) 1 33% (op) 40% (op) 2 7% (op) 13% (op) 3 7% (op) 0% (op) 4 27% (op) 13% (op) move-step salience another point of analysis is the salience of the moves and steps. as shown in table 4, as no moves were recorded to have a 100% frequency across all of the analyzed abstracts, none of the five moves were considered obligatory in salience in both data groups. the highest recorded salience in the data were those of move 3 (method) and 4 (product) of the international authors group at 93% each, which means that 14 out of 15 abstracts in the said group employed those moves in their organizations. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 355 interestingly, the same moves in the national authors group also recorded the same level of salience with both recorded at 87%. hence, both moves in both data groups were considered to have similar standings in the level of importance as both were classified as conventional in salience. aside from the similar salience degree of move 3 (method) and 4 (product), the salience of move 2 (purpose) in both data groups also recorded an uncanny resemblance. in both data groups, move 2 (purpose) had a salience of 73%, which then also classified as conventional. despite the similarities in terms of the moves’ salience, there was also a striking difference between the two data groups. as the data in table 3 suggests, the salience in move 5 (conclusion) was notably different in the two groups. in abstracts written by international authors, with 73% of salience rate, move 5 (conclusion) was classified as conventional in salience as did the other moves. on the contrary, with only 47% of salience rate, it was classified as optional in abstracts written by national authors. thus, making it the only optional move due to its lowest degree of salience in the data. the low salience of move 5 (conclusion) resonates with the findings of kurniawan and sabila (2021) in which it was found that the abstracts by indonesian authors typically focus more on move 1 (introduction) and less on move 5 (conclusion) in terms of the moves’ salience. however, it contrasts with the findings of andika et al. (2018) in which move 5 (conclusion) recorded a higher salience than move 1 (introduction) with a minor gap of only 5% and with that of ramadhini, wahyuni, ramadhani, kurniawan, gunawan, & muniroh (2020) with a larger gap of 20%. interestingly, the salience of move 1 (introduction) and 5 (conclusion) of international authors’ abstract do not correspond with swales’ (2009) as it is more similar with that of the national authors’ abstracts. additionally, the high salience of move 3 (method) and move 4 (product) in both data groups is parallel with the premises of hyland’s (2000; 2004) regarding the typical constructions of hard sciences research article abstracts. the absence of moves classified as obligatory in both data groups is comparable with that of andika et al. (2018) and gani et al. (2020) as the former also did not record any obligatory moves in international and national authors, and the latter in hard sciences research article abstracts, which indicates that both national and international authors do not necessarily employ all moves in their abstracts. the comparison on the steps’ salience also showed a number of interesting findings. no data regarding the steps of move 2 (purpose) and 4 (product) were presented in table 4 nor will it be analyzed in this subsection due to the fact that hyland’s (2000) classification model of rhetorical moves did not include any steps in the said two moves. as shown in table 4, all of the steps in move 3 (method) and 5 (conclusion) of both data groups showed similar degrees of salience. the differences in percentage of occurrence were not drastic enough to change the group of salience classifications in which they belong to. the salience of step 1 of move 3 (method) could demonstrate this premise. in the international authors’ abstracts, the said step was classified as optional at 20% of salience, and still classified as optional despite recording only 7% of salience in the national authors’ abstracts. the 13% gap in salience was not enough to demonstrate a difference in the salience classifications. however, the similarity in the salience of the steps of move 3 (method) and 5 (conclusion) was found to be contradictory with the findings of ramadhini et al. (2020) in which the steps of move 3 (method) were either conventional or obligatory, and those of move 5 (conclusion) were mostly conventional. nevertheless, the notably high salience of step 3 of move 3 (method) is evidently similar with the findings of kurniawan and sabila (2021) and kanafani, nurcik, harisbaya, qurratu’aini, kurniawan, & lubis (2021). although the salience of all the steps in move 3 (method) and 5 (conclusion) was evidently similar in both data, the steps of move 1 (introduction) do not share the same level of similarities. international authors had a rather higher tendency to provide the generalizations of their research topic in their abstracts when compared to national authors. this was due to the striking difference recorded in the salience of step 2 of move 1 (introduction). as presented in table 4, the said step in international authors’ abstracts was conventional in salience, but in that of the national authors’, it was optional in salience. nevertheless, the other steps of move 1 (introduction) have similar degrees of salience in both data with all of them being evidently optional in salience. ananta buana nurcik, eri kurniawan, & arif husein lubis rhetorical moves analysis on scopus-indexed research article abstracts by national and international authors 356 table 5. tenses and voices used in the abstracts moves tense voice international national international national 1 pr (90%) pr (88%) ac (90%) ac (68%) pa (10%) pa (12%) pa (10%) pa (32%) 2 pr (85%) pr (46%) ac (92%) ac (85%) pa (15%) pa (54%) pa (8%) pa (15%) 3 pr (44%) pr (42%) ac (31%) ac (30%) pa (56%) pa (58%) pa (69%) pa (70%) 4 pr (47%) pr (50%) ac (93%) ac (76%) pa (53%) pa (50%) pa (7%) pa (24%) 5 pr (82%) pr (88%) ac (82%) ac (75%) pa (18%) pa (12%) pa (18%) pa (25%) linguistic features this subsection presents the comparison of the two data groups in terms of the linguistic features, particularly the tenses and voice. as shown in table 5, a number of considerable similarities and differences were found in the data. in general, both data groups only used present and past tenses. both international and national authors extensively used the same tenses in move 1 (introduction), 3 (method), and 5 (conclusion). however, in move 2 (purpose), international authors dominantly used present tenses with a gap of 60% between the proportions of the two tenses. on the other hand, national authors tend to favor past tenses in the same move with gap of only 8% between the proportions of the two tenses. interestingly, national authors recorded an equal proportion of both tenses in move 4 (product), while their international counterparts favored the use of past tenses over present tenses. surprisingly, the analysis on the proportions of the use of voice in the two data groups did not record any difference whatsoever as the dominantly used voice were similar across all the moves. excerpt 6 this study was conducted to produce samples under various mixing speed conditions. (move 2, national author) excerpt 7 the main purpose of this work is to compare two main types of ffr schemes; respectively; strict ffr and soft frequency reuse with the proposed scheme. (move 2, international author) the dominant use of present tenses in move 1, 3 and 5 echoes with the findings of andika et al. (2018), kurniawan and sabil (2021), and ramadhini et al. (2020). thus, indicating that the authors nationality and disciplinary background do not exceptionally affect the choice of tenses. furthermore, lubis and kurniawan (2020) also pointed out that present tenses are generally used extensively in move 1, 2, and 5 due to the functions of those moves commonly presenting generalizations, intentions, and interpretations of the findings. past tenses are generally used in presenting the method and result/product moves (lubis & kurnaiwan, 2020). hence, confirming that the high proportion of past tenses in move 3 of both data groups and move 4 of international authors’ abstracts is in accordance with the typical characteristics of the moves. voice-wise, the extensive use of active voice dominating the voice’s proportion across all the moves resonates with the findings of kanafani et al. (2021), gani et al. (2020), andika et al. (2018), harisbaya et al. (2021), and kuniawan and sabila (2021). conclusion based on the conducted analysis on the sentences constructing the research article abstracts of international and national authors exclusively published in q1 scopus-indexed journal, a number of conclusions describing the overall characteristics of the two groups were derived. in terms of the proportion of moves’ occurrence, it can be concluded that there was no significant difference between the two data groups. however, the proportions of steps’ occurrence, particularly that of step 4 of move 1 and step 3 of move 3 was evidently significant in favor of the national authors’ abstracts. two additional steps outside the sub-communicative stages proposed by hyland (2000) were found and labeled with the extended model by lubis and kurniawan (2020) due to the convenient description of the said steps. in terms of the moves and steps’ salience, both data groups were in agreement that no moves were considered obligatory. the international authors considered all moves to be conventional, while the national authors considered move 5 as optional. the only difference in steps’ salience was found in step 2 of move 1, in which international authors manifested more attention to the topic generalization. the comparison on the linguistic features of the two data groups showed more variations in terms of the tenses, but was strikingly similar in terms of the voice. both groups of authors were recorded to use only present and past tenses. furthermore, both also extensively used present tense in move 1, 3, and 5. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 357 additionally, no considerable difference was recorded in terms of the voice used in all of the moves. this resonates with the findings and premises of previous studies which may have established a shared knowledge among authors on the linguistic features of research article abstracts. despite the considerably low number of abstracts or samples analyzed in this study, it is expected to be able to provide in-depth insights on how these two groups of authors compose their research article abstracts. although accurate generalizations on both the rhetorical organizations and linguistic features may still require a larger sample and more sophisticated methods or instruments of analysis. in addition to that, it is also expected that novice and emerging authors in this particular field of study or those beyond it could learn and apply the accepted exemplary norms of abstracts’ writing which some of those are as showcased in this study. references al-khasawneh, f. m. (2017). a genre analysis of research article abstracts written by native and non-native speakers of english. journal of applied linguistics and language research, 4(1), 1-13. andika, f. p., safnil, a., & harahap, a. (2018). rhetorical moves and linguistic features of journal article abstracts by postgraduate students, national and international authors in applied linguistics. journal of applied linguistics and literature 3(1), 129-142. can, s., karabacak, e., & qin, j. (2016). structure of moves in research article abstracts in applied linguistics. multidisciplinary digital publishing institute, 4(23), 1-16. candarh, d. (2012). a cross-cultural investigation of english and turkish research article abstracts in educational sciences. studies about language, 2, 12-17. chalak, a., & norouzi, z. (2013). rhetorical moves and verb tense in abstracts: a comparative analysis of american and iranian academic writing. international journal of language studies, 7(4), 101-110. cianflone, e. (2014). communicating science in international english: scholarly journals, publication praxis, language domain loss and benefits. círculo de lingüística aplicada a la comunicación, 57, 45-58. http://dx.doi.org/10.5209/rev_clac.2014.v57.44 514. fauzan, u., lubis, a., & kurniawan, e. (2020). rhetorical moves and linguistic complexity of research article abstracts in international applied linguistics journals. the asian esp journal, 16(5.2), 219-247. gani, f. g., kurniawan, e., gunawan, w., & lubis, a. h. (2021). rhetorical moves analysis in soft and hard science lecturers’ master’s thesis and dissertation abstracts. proceedings of the thirteenth conference on applied linguistics (conaplin 2020) (pp. 156-161). atlantis press. harisbaya, a. i., qurratu’aini, s. f., kanafani, a., nurcik, a. b., kurniawan, e., & lubis, a. h. (2021). a comparative study on rhetorical moves of ijal's abstracts written by upi’s lecturers and by upi-other indonesian universities’ lecturers. proceedings of the 4th international conference on language, literature, culture, and education (icollite 2021) (pp. 150-156). atlantis press. hyland, k. (2000). disciplinary discourses: social interactions in academic writing. the university of michigan press. hyland, k. (2009). academic discourse: english in a global context. continuum. juanda, m. r., & kurniawan, e. (2020). a comparison of rhetorical moves in students’ undergraduate thesis abstracts. proceedings of the 4th international conference on language, literature, culture, and education (icollite 2020) (pp. 443-448). atlantis press. kanoksilapatham, b. (2005). rhetorical structure of biochemistry research articles. english for specific purposes, 24, 269-292. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2004.08.003. kanafani, a., nurcik, a. b., harisbaya, a. i., qurratu’aini, s. f., kurniawan, e., & lubis, a. h. (2021). rhetorical move and linguistic features comparative analysis of research article abstracts by authors of different organizational backgrounds. proceedings of the 4th international conference on language, literature, culture, and education (icollite 2021) (pp. 129-135). atlantis press. kaya, f., & yagiz, o. (2020). move analysis of research article abstracts in the field of elt: a comparative study. journal of language and linguistic studies, 16(1), 390-404. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.712854. khany, r., & malmir, b. (2019). a move-marker list: a study of rhetorical move-lexis linguistic realizations of research article abstracts in social and behavioural sciences. relc journal, 1-36. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688219833131. kurniawan, e., lubis, a. h., suherdi, d., & danuwijaya, a. a. (2019). rhetorical organization of applied linguistics abstracts: does scopus journal quartile ananta buana nurcik, eri kurniawan, & arif husein lubis rhetorical moves analysis on scopus-indexed research article abstracts by national and international authors 358 matter?. gema online® journal of language studies, 19(4), 184-202. kurniawan, e., & sabila, n. a. (2021). another look at the rhetorical moves and linguistic realizations in international and indonesian journal articles: a case of tourism research article abstracts. indonesian journal of applied linguistics 11(2), 318-329. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v11i2.32055 li, x. (2020). mediating cross-cultural differences in research article rhetorical moves in academic translation: a pilot corpus-based study of abstracts. lingua, 238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2020.102795. lubis, a. h., & kurniawan, e. (2020). a review of genre analysis of research abstracts: lessons learned and recommendations for future research directions, pedagogical practices, and policies. in anshori, d.s., purnawarman, p., gunawan, w., & wirza, y. (eds.), language, education, and policy: contemporary theory and research (pp. 595-625). universitas pendidikan indonesia press. liang, l., rosseau, r., & zhong, z. (2012). non-english journals and papers in physics and chemistry: bias in citations?. scientometrics, 95, 333-350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-012-0828-0 lorés, r. (2004). on ra abstracts: from rhetorical structure to thematic organization. english for specific purposes, 23(3), 280‐302. martin-martin, p. (2003). a genre analysis of english and spanish research paper abstracts in experimental social sciences. english for specific purposes, 22, 25-43. pho, p. d. (2008). research article abstracts in applied linguistics and educational technology: a study of linguistic realizations of rhetorical structure and authorial stance. discourse studies, 10(2), 231250. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445607087010. pratiwi, s. n., & kurniawan, e. (2021). rhetorical move and genre knowledge development of english and indonesian abstracts: a comparative analysis. studies in english language and education, 8(3), 885-900. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i3.21038. ramadhini, t. m., wahyuni, i. t., ramadhani, n. t., kurniawan, e., gunawan, w., & muniroh, d. d. (2020). the rhetorical moves of abstracts written by the authors in the field of hard sciences. proceedings of the thirteenth conference on applied linguistics (conaplin 2020) (pp. 587592). atlantis press. salager-mayer, f. (1990). discoursal flaws in medical english abstracts: a genre analysis per research and text-type. text 10(4), 365-384. santos, m.b.d. (1996). the textual organization of research paper abstracts in applied linguistics. text & talk, 16(4), 481-500. suherdi, d., kurniawan, e., & lubis, a. h. (2020). a genre analysis of research article “findings and discussion” sections written by indonesian undergraduate efl students. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 10(1), 59–72. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i1.24989 swales, j. m. (1990). genre analysis: english in academic and research settings. cambridge university press. swales, j. m., & feak, c. b. (2009). abstracts and the writing of abstracts. university of michigan press. xiao, r., & cao, y. (2013). native and non-native english abstracts in contrast. belgian journal of linguistics 27, 111-134. https://doi.org/10.1075/bjl.27.06xiaissn 07745141 / e-issn 1569-9676 yoon, j., & casal, j.e. (2020). rhetorical structure, sequence, and variation: a step-driven move analysis of applied linguistics conference abstracts. international journal of applied linguistics, 30(3), 462–478. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12300 zheng, y., & gao, x. (2016). chinese humanities and social sciences scholars' language choices in international scholarly publishing: a ten-year survey. journal of scholarly publishing, 48, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3138/jsp.48.1.1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2020.102795 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-012-0828-0 https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445607087010 https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i1.24989 https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12300 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 409 enhancing student english writing skills through project-based learning fitri yuliana applied linguistics, faculty of languages, arts, and culture, yogyakarta state university, yogyakarta, indonesia email: fitriyuliana.2023@student.uny.ac.id wening sahayu applied linguistics, faculty of languages, arts, and culture, yogyakarta state university, yogyakarta, indonesia email: weningsahayu@uny.ac.id apa citation: yuliana, f ., & sahayu, w. (2024). enhancing student english writing skills through projectbased learning. english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 409-418. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.8833 received: 22-10-2023 accepted: 24-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction one of the most crucial abilities that students should acquire is the ability to write in english as this will help them to expand their vocabulary because they will learn new words as they write. petersen et al. (2020) stated that writing skills provide many benefits, especially in the field of english. aside from speaking english, writing in english can also improve people's ability in english. writing is a way for someone to share an idea or point of view that other people can read (tyson, 2024). people who possess this writing ability can read the writer's writing and form similar or dissimilar opinions. writing ability is particularly crucial since according to zhang (2022), it is one of the ways that people communicate and share knowledge with one another, and writing skills will also support other skills, especially in english. writing in english is difficult to learn, especially for high school students who have little leisure to devote to the subject. besides, writing skills also become more difficult when the learning media used is inadequate for the learning process (thompson & gina, 2021). the number of subjects they have to take in school is what caused the time limitations. according to ahmed & xiao (2023), writing is a talent that most individuals struggle with because they have to express their opinions in a way that other people can comprehend them. in addition, simple sentences should be used in writing, so others can understand it. it takes a long time to develop these abilities. in order to learn how to write, many students work very hard. when learning to write, students frequently get into problems. an issue commonly encountered by students is a deficiency in selfassurance while embarking on the process of learning how to write, as they harbor concerns over the potential inadequacy of their written work. zotzmann & richard (2021) reported that students with little self-assurance will exert less effort. this significantly influences the student's learning process. conversely, the students persist in experiencing worry whenever they engage in writing. cronin & caroline (2019) stated that abstract: writing becomes one of the most difficult skills to be experted by the students, especially in high school level. therefore, project based-learning is offered to solve the difficulties that were faced by the students in writing. some experts believed that project based-learning could help students to develop their writing skills through the projects given by the teacher. this research reports on the implementation of project based-learning in teaching writing, especially news text. the objectives of this research were to describe the improvement of the student’s writing skill through project based-learning and to describe the students’ attitudes in learning english writing skill through project based-learning. this research used qualitative method and classroom action research as a research design. the participants of the research were 21 students of tenth grade of ma diponegoro yogyakarta. the collected data were obtained through observation, writing test, and interview. the data were analysed based on triangulation. this research found that project-based learning can help students improve their writing skills. this is evident from the scores that students receive, which are gradually increasing from 55 to 65. besides, students are getting more engaged in teaching and learning activities. keywords: project based-learning; students; writing. fitri yuliana & wening sahayu enhancing student english writing skills through project-based learning 410 students tend to always feel anxious before they start writing. additionally, due to the seldom obligation for students to engage with books or articles, they frequently encounter difficulty in selecting appropriate vocabulary to effectively articulate their views in writing. according to driel et al. (2022), reading has a more beneficial effect on individuals' writing. the challenge of acquiring writing skills may stem from the instructor. the teacher plays a crucial role in providing instruction and assistance to pupils as they develop their writing skills. according to alharbi (2022), it is essential for a teacher to provide feedback to pupils in order to minimize faults in their writing. furthermore, the issue stems from the teacher's incapacity to choose a proficient instructional approach, resulting in student disinterest and reduced engagement in the process of learning english writing. pawlak et al. (2020) identified that pupils may experience emotions of boredom when teachers have inadequate guidance skills. in addition, if the teacher fails to engage the students, they will lack the motivation to acquire the language, namely english. zare (2023) suggests that the learning environment plays a role in the process of learning english writing, including the impact of a positive and enjoyable learning atmosphere. the utilization of multiple cognitive processes simultaneously can make english writing tough. furthermore, there exists a correlation between cognitive processes and writing proficiency (kim et al., 2021). the cognitive processes encompass the generation and organization of material, the organization and production of writing, and the act of revising. ineffective learning of writing by kids can pose challenges in performing cognitive activities related to writing. since students must have outstanding models of the learning process, there are multiple approaches to address the problems mentioned above. those several learning models are explorative and discovery model, problem-based model, and project-based model. according to pinto (2022), selecting a problem-based learning model is difficult and requires teachers to take into consideration a number of factors that may affect their decision. those factors are religious factor, social attitudes factor, knowledge factor, and skill factor. according to this suggestion, the tenthgrade students at ma diponegoro yogyakarta are students with good writing skills who still require improvement in order to produce a better learning outcome. according to guo et al (2020), a projectbased learning model can be used to build a concrete skill, such as writing skill. according to saad and suhaila (2022), a teacher who employs project-based learning employs a number of ideas, such as learnercentered teaching, learner autonomy, collaborative learning, and learning through activities. according to naghdipour (2022), project-based learning is a social activity that divides the learners into various activity groups, such as language, content, and skill learning. therefore, it can also be said that project-based learning model engages student participation more than other models because in this model, the students collaborate with their friends to complete their projects. one way that project-based learning differs from other models is that students are encouraged to participate in the project by contributing their thoughts or opinion. project-based learning can motivate students to be more actively involved in the learning process (santos et al, 2023) in learning english (widiyati & wulan, 2022). according to ilham (2022), students' writing can be better, and they can create another writing well after they finished their writing project. in this research, the researchers asked for the tenth-grade ma diponegoro students to do a group project. the students are divided into four groups. they got to pick their topics to be printed as a mini magazine, so they could read their own work afterwards. along with their opus, this could serve as motivation for them to continually improve their writing abilities. some scholars have conducted studies about project-based learning. these researchers include argawati and suryani (2020) who demonstrated that the project-based learning approach may effectively support the students' writing. another study conducted by karyawati and ashadi (2018) shows that students took charge of the class to improve their public speaking skills, and the lecturer created an innovative learning environment. although the research on project-based learning has been conducted frequently, ma diponegoro's background has never been studied, and based on the previous research, there has been no research that discussed student attitudes about the learning process. most of the research focuses on whether project-based learning helps students enhance their writing skills. therefore, this research study aims to describe the improvement of ma diponegoro students’ writing skill through project-based learning and to describe the ma diponegoro students’ attitudes in learning english writing skill through project-based learning. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 411 method this research applied qualitative design and classroom action research as the method. according to zamzami et al. (2023), qualitative research produces descriptive data either in spoken or written form. additionally, luo and cecilia (2022) reported that a qualitative study is one that seeks to identify and describe in a narrative form. the data of this research were analyzed using descriptive qualitative, and the researcher employed descriptive qualitative in order to describe the improvement of the students’ writing skills through project-based learning and to describe the students’ attitudes toward learning english writing through project-based learning. classroom action research is one of the types of research used to create the best learning system especially in class (neve et al, 2020) and the teacher has a role as a researcher in the class (burgess et al, 2023). on the other hand, it may be stated that the teachers are aware of the problem that has arisen and that students are experiencing in the classroom, and the teachers know the best solution for the problem. as a result, in this study, the students' lack of writing ability is the problem, and the project-based learning approach is the suggestion made by the teachers to address it. in doing classroom action research, the researchers need to apply four steps, including planning, action, observation, and reflection (monem & elizabeth, 2022). these steps could be used by the researchers in both the learning and research processes, depending on their individual needs. pre-test and a post-test are required for each cycle of classroom action research in order to understand students' writing growth. between the pretest and the posttest, some students could show improvement while others might exhibit decline. the researcher used two cycles in this study to gather the data. the second semester of 2023/2024was used to carry out this study. the participants in this study were ma diponegoro's tenth-grade students. there were 21 students in the class. tests, observations, and interviews served as the research instruments. the test took the form of a task instructing students to write a short news text and was presented to students as a pretest and post-test. observations and interviews were conducted while teachers were in action in the classroom. observations were conducted with all tenth-grade students in the classroom, while interviews were conducted with only some of the students to learn more about their attitudes toward learning english writing through project-based learning. to analyze and to validate the data, it used triangulation. it is employed to identify similarities and differences in the data. the data results are discussed in the following sections of this study. results and discussion the improvement of the students’ writing skill through project-based learning as previously mentioned, two cycles of classroom action research were used in conducting this study. the researchers applied the pre-cycle to initiate this activity before starting the cycle 1. because each student was unique, the researcher used a pretest in the pre-cycle to determine each student's ability before beginning the pbl. while some students wrote in english rather well, others did not write sufficiently. the following data is the detailed information. pre cycle the study was carried out by the researchers from january to march 2023. each cycle consisted of four steps such as planning, action, observation, and reflection. during the first meeting, the researchers gave the students a pretest in which they had to compose a text message regarding the parent meeting that happened at the beginning of every month. the given subject was one that could be expanded into a news article. for thirty minutes, students were expected to write. the reason of the researcher assigned the students a specific topic was to urge them to concentrate on developing it because it was a monthly task that would include this issue, which would provide them with plenty of ideas for their writing. before the project-based learning was implemented, the students' results would have been used as the initial score. based on the lowest score, the mean score was 55, which was classified as "not good". to address this problem, the researchers decided to use project-based learning. the next step was cycle 1. cycle 1 the next step was planning. the students were asked to discuss the lesson plan and the topic that they wanted to use. cycle 1 was divided into three meetings for the discussion and the material and one meeting for the post test. the first meeting the teacher wrote four topics on the whiteboard for this meeting. parent meetings, pekan olahraga dan fitri yuliana & wening sahayu enhancing student english writing skills through project-based learning 412 seni ma'arif nu (porsemanu), kompetisi sains siswa muslim indonesia (kossmi), and wirausaha muda nusantara (wimnus) entrepreneurship workshop were among the subjects that were presented. the students were instructed to divide into four groups and give each group a name before selecting the topic that the teacher had provided. the groups were england group, japan group, singapore group, and turkey group. the following group assignment was that each group was instructed to select a topic, so there would be no groups with the same topic. all of the group members agreed on the topic that they decided to discuss. in order to help students comprehend the themes better, the teacher then gave a brief explanation of each of them. the second meeting during this meeting, the researchers explained the project to be done to the students and presented the project to the teacher. this project was a mini magazine project containing news. the teacher went over the steps that needed to finish the project-based learning after describing the project that they would be working on. these processes were broken down into four categories; starting the project, developing the project, reporting the project, and assessing the project. the teacher went on to describe the editing and proofreading procedure, and the teacher would offer help. the third meeting the teacher instructed the class to create news articles on any topic that their group chose to discuss during this meeting. they started the writing process by talking about what they would need, including content, vocabulary, and writing style. once they had completed their writing, they worked with a peer to revise it, and the teacher offered suggestions and encouragement to help them improve. the fourth meeting this meeting's objective was to carry out posttest 1. the students were required to produce news articles on any subject of their choice for this posttest. when the students finish, they turned in their writing to their teacher, who graded it according to several factors, such as creativity, topic, and the content of the news. the average score was 60 points based on the post-test 1 results. this outcome showed improvement over the prior pretest that was conducted. the students made significant progress during the reflection step, scoring 55 points on the precycle test and 60 points on the post-cycle test. the majority of the students had the chance to engage in discussion and active participation in the event. they also began to respond positively to each other's perspectives. they also became more creative while working on this project, and it showed improvement in the way they wrote their news. however, some students got difficulty with the subjects that they had chosen. they still required assistance from their peers and teacher since their vocabulary was too weak, and their critical thinking was too weak. the letter had a number of punctuation and grammar mistakes. in summary, the activities carried out by the students are shown in table 1 below. table 1. activities on cycle 1 meeting activities lecturer students 1  giving four topics to be chosen by the students  giving explanations briefly about the topic  making groups into four groups  choosing one topic for each group 2  giving explanation about the project  giving explanation about the steps, editing, and proofreading  making a plan  making an understanding to the teacher’s explanation 3  asking the students to start and to finish the writing  guiding the peer correction of the students  starting the writing  doing a peer correction 4  giving a post test that is to write a short news  correcting the student’s short news  writing a short news  submitting the short news to the teacher cycle 2 this cycle was conducted in february, 2023. in cycle 1, the teacher and the students conducted a reflection, and the reflection was used to make cycle 2 more perfect especially in the planning part. due to the fact that the students' post-test 1 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 413 grammar and punctuation errors persisted, the teacher had to explain the errors. after that, students kept editing their writing, and the teacher gave them comments. in cycle 2, there were four meetings, including: the fifth meeting the students were instructed to complete an individual task for this meeting. the students individual project required them to compose a news text based on the teacher-provided topics. the purpose of the individual project was to assess each student's level of creativity in creating a news text. the sixth meeting the students conducted a peer correction during this meeting. peer correction was designed to help the students to develop their critical thinking skills, to identify, and to fix the writing errors. the students might edit each other's works during this meeting since occasionally they were able to identify errors in each other's work even when they were unable to do it themselves. the students were able to improve and to increase the readability of their news text through this peer correction exercise. the seventh meeting during this meeting, the students were given instructions to design a layout for their miniature magazine. the news content they had generated was the content that was included in their little publication. the students employed the canva application to create the mini magazine due to its user-friendly nature, simplicity, and the majority of students' familiarity with it. every student had to gather their news articles, which were subsequently compiled into a little magazine. prior to submitting the mini magazine to the teacher, the students collaborated to revise it, specifically focusing on the issues related to the writing style and arrangement. the eighth meeting in this meeting, the students submitted their final mini magazine that they had made and revised. the mini magazine was the result of the writing and work of all students. the teacher then scored it. the score was considered as writing subject score. in this meeting, the students also got posttest 2 from the teacher. the post-test two conducted individually. in this post test, the students were asked to make a news text that talked about their activities in that day, namely conducting and collecting mini magazines. they were given thirty minutes to write a short news text. after completing and submitting their assignments, the average score they got was 65. when it was compared to the post-test 1, it could be seen that there was an improvement made by the students in writing english news text. some errors in grammar and punctuation still existed but had decreased, and it also showed a fairly good development. one of the reasons for this development was the project-based learning which made the students more focused and enjoyed working on their projects. in addition, group projects helped the students to feel less overwhelmed since they could collaborate and learn how to support one another and their peers who struggled with the assignment. in conclusion, the students could enjoy and find great value in this activity. the ninth meeting the students were given enough opportunity to ask questions during this discussion, and many of them did so with particular interest in project-based learning. their positive reactions to the use of project-based learning in english writing teaching suggested that their improvements and attitudes toward writing through project-based learning appeared to be extremely good. the majority of students make good progress and had positive views about project-based learning based on these statistics as well. they completed the project in a pleasant manner because this method helped the students to feel more at ease during their conversations and studying. the outcomes of the pre-test, post-test 1, and post-test 2 could also be used to assess this. the students had to deal with a real-world problem for this mini magazine assignment by talking to other students about it and getting advice from the teacher. the second cycle's activity table is shown below. table 1. activities on cycle 1 meeting activities lecturer students 5  asking the students to do the individual assignment  doing an inividual assignment 6  doing a peer correction  correcting their writing and gave feedbacks to their friend’s writing fitri yuliana & wening sahayu enhancing student english writing skills through project-based learning 414 7  doing a peer correction  designing a layout for the mini magazine 8  scoring  giving post test 2  submitting their mini magazine  doing a post test 2 9  giving a time to give a question  giving a question about the project based-learning based on the results of the application of classroom action research, the researcher provided an analysis of the scores obtained by the students from test to test as follows. figure 1. the mean score of cycle 1 and 2 figure 1 above shows that the students have improved in the pre-cycle as compared to the pretest, going from 55 to 60 in cycle 1 post-test 1. after that, this development persisted in cycle 2's second post, which was 65. this development indicates that x ma diponegoro students in yogyakarta could improve their writing abilities by implementing a project-based learning to their english writing capabilities. furthermore, in writing, the students made less grammatical and punctuation mistakes. to sum up, a project-based learning might help the students' writing skill development. the student’s attitudes in learning english writing skills through poject-based learning the second aim of the study was to describe students' attitudes toward learning english writing skills through project-based learning. the researcher employed observation and interviews to gather data for the second objective of the study. then, the researchers used data triangulation to examine the findings. activities were created for the entire class, and observations and interviews were done while the teacher was instructing. table 3 below provides details of the data obtained through triangulation. table 3. triangulation data finding observation interview result 1 they did a discissuion in their groups about the topic they had chosen they said that a discussion in a group about writing was interesting, and it can increase their critical mind students felt happy and they felt that project based-learning was a good choice to increase their participation and english writing skill 2 they wrote new vocabularies that they got from the teacher they stated that they could understand the explanation of their teacher students thought that they were more motivated because they could know many new vocabularis 3 they found their own ideas and ways to do the project given by the teacher and started to create it they said that they could find the design and ideas for the group project students were very creative and they made their group project well with the ideas from all group members 4 they revised some errors that they made in their group project, such as grammar and punctuation they felt that they could learn many something new during they did the group project. they said that in group, they could find more beautiful ideas which they did they developed their knowledge during doing their group project english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 415 not find in a personal project 5 the students seemed happier during their group project. they worked together and helped each other they gave their ideas and corrected it together with full of smiles. they said that they could work better with their group the students seemed happier during the learning process. the project could be so great because they felt happy during doing it the researcher collected five points in order to address the second objective. based on these observations, the findings demonstrated that students made progress throughout the teaching and learning process. the students' participation, motivation, creativity, knowledge, and happy feelings were all improved. writing projects can be challenging for the students because good writing requires the mastery of several different abilities. on the other hand, it could be said that the students need a new regulation in writing either from the teaching strategy and from other parts of teaching (teng & ying, 2023). as a result, the researcher had to develop a strategy for teaching writing, particularly news texts. students could improve greatly through project-based learning, both in terms of their performance and writing. this was achieved by giving students an assignment that they could complete independently or in groups, using their imagination and creativity (legget et al, 2019; as cited in maros et al, 2021). in order to teach news writing to senior high school students, pbl was implemented during the second semester. the students were given a project by the teacher. making a mini-magazine with news on a teacher-assigned topic was the project's goal. the group selected one of the five subjects that the teacher offered. they worked on the project in groups and worked hard to find ideas, design and revise their mini magazine. the project-based learning approach has been successfully used in yogyakarta ma diponegoro's tenth grade writing class. first, using pbl could help the students to be better on writing assignments. higher test results from the students served as a proof of this. in the last cycle, their average score was only 55 points, but in the first cycle, they made progressto 60 points. then they got 65 points, which was an improved outcome. put otherwise, it might be claimed that the students' writing abilities had increased. students had developed their attitude towards the teaching and learning writing, especially in writing news text without project based-learning. they showed little desire to learn writing. however, the students started to enjoy the teaching and learning process once the researcher applied project-based learning. additionally, the students started to enjoy working in groups to complete the project. the researcher's group structure could encourage the students to enjoy writing in english and foster their original thoughts. this is also supported by marnewick (2023) who stated that project based-learning was the best method that could motivate students to be more active and more creative, because in project-based learning, the students construct their own knowledge. in addition, because project participants had to communicate with one another during the project, project-based learning might help students to improve their communication skills. the students said that they could learn more optimally and enjoyably with project-based learning since they could enjoy the process without feeling under pressure from their peers or the teacher. second, it can be concluded that the students responded well to the teaching and learning process in the classroom, based on the findings of the observation and interview conducted during the learning process although researchers address different challenges, one of which is the students' varying skills. it makes the teacher have to put in stronger attempts to ensure that students with lower abilities do not feel anxious about their peers who are smarter than them, particularly when working on projects. they. several findings were revealed by the triangulation of the data. according to those research findings, students believed that projectbased learning might boost their enthusiasm for studying. additionally, the students believed that project-based learning might improve their knowledge and creativity as well as making them experience more enjoyment from the learning process. thus, it can be concluded that projectbased learning enhances the students' motivation and enjoyment of studying english in addition to their writing abilities. conclusions the research was conducted in eight meetings from january to march, 2023. the pre-cycle was fitri yuliana & wening sahayu enhancing student english writing skills through project-based learning 416 conducted in one meeting. cycle 1 was conducted in three meetings, and the last meeting was for the post test of cycle 1. cycle 2 was conducted in three meetings, and the last meeting was used for interview. the result of this research indicated that there was improvement in student’s writing skill before and after the researcher implemented the project based-learning. the pre-cycle’s average score was only 55, cycle 1 was 60, and cycle 2 was 65. besides, they also had a good attitude towards the teaching in the learning process in the classroom. pbl could help them to be excited to participate actively in class and to work together with their group, so their skill in group work was also increased. projects given to the students could also increase their creativities in finding the ideas. project based learning can be enhancing the writing proficiency of students at ma diponegoro yogyakarta. their writing abilities have shown significant improvement compared to their previous learning experiences. the future research in this field can employ project-based learning and incorporate additional theories to identify effective strategies for enhancing students’ english writing proficiency and fostering a positive attitude towards english. acknowledgement this manuscript would not have been completed without the help of all parties at yogyakarta state university. we would also like to thank to lpdp who have provided funding for this research process and everyone who contributed to the peer review process of this manuscript. this manuscript is ready for publication and thank you to everyone who has been very helpful in completing this research. references ahmed, a. m., & xiao, z. (2023). students’ voice in l2 english writing: a systematic review of literature. ampersand, 10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amper.2023.100114 alharbi, m. a. (2022). exploring the impact of teacher feedback modes and features on students' text revisions in writing. assessing writing, 52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2022.100610 argawati, n. o., & suryani, l. (2020). project-based learning in teaching writing: the implementation and students’ opinion. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 219-226. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2120 burgess, s., shenila, r., & eric, s. t. (2023). teachers’ use of class time and student achievement. economics of education review, 94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2023.1024 05 cronin, c., & caroline, h. (2019). ‘poetry in motion’ a place in the classroom: using poetry to develop writing confidence and reflective skills. nurse education today, 76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2019.01.026 driel, j. v., jannet, v. d., & carla v. b. (2022). writing about historical significance: the effects of a reading-to-write instruction. international journal of educational research, 112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2022.10192 guo, p., nadira, s., lysanne, s. p., & wilfried, a. (2020). a review project-based learning in higher education: student outcomes and measures. international journal of educational research, 102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2020.101586 ilham. (2022). implementing project-based learning for efl students’ writing achievement at the tertiary level. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 1003-1012. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6470. karyawati, a., & ashadi. a. (2018). innovation in the classroom: engaging english as a foreign learning students using project-based learning. lingtera, 5(1), 61-31. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.21831/lt.v5i1.17067. kim, m., yun, t., & scott, a. c. (2021). exploring the relationships among cognitive and linguistic resources, writing processes, and written products in second language writing. journal of second language writing, 53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2021.100824 legget, g., & ingrid, h. (2019). the impact of project based learning (pbl) on students from low socio-economic statuses: a review. international journal of inclusive education, 25(11), 12701286. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2019.160910 1 luo, j., & cecilia, k.y.k. (2022). qualitative methods to assess intercultural competence in higher education research: a systematic review with practical implications. educational research review, 37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100476 marnewick, c. (2023). student experiences of projectbased learning in agile project management education. project leadership and society, 4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plas.2023.100096 maros, m., marcela, k., milan, f., michal, l., & maria, s. (2021). project-based learning and its effectiveness: evidence from slovakia. interactive learning environments, 31(7), 4147-4155. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.195403 6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amper.2023.100114 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2022.100610 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2120 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2023.102405 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2023.102405 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2019.01.026 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2022.10192 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2020.101586 http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6470 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2021.100824 https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2019.1609101 https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2019.1609101 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100476 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plas.2023.100096 https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.1954036 https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.1954036 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 417 monem, r., & elizabeth, d. c. (2022). utilizing action research to integrate curriculum, instruction, and assessment in middle school classrooms. middle school journal, 53(3), 514. https://doi.org/10.1080/00940771.2022.20473 70 naghdipour, b. (2022). ict-enabled informal learning in efl writing. journal of second language writing, 56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2022.100893 neve, d. d., an, l., katrien, s., & tom, s. (2020). supporting formative assessment in the second language classroom: an action research study in secondary education. educational action research, 30(5). https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2020.18281 20 pawlak, m., mariusz, k., joanna, z., & stawomir, p. (2020). investigating factors responsible for boredom in english classes: the case of advanced learners. system, 91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102259 petersen, s. c., jennifer, m. m., hewlet, g. m., christopher, m. g., & haruhiko, i. (2020). mini-review teaching writing in the undergraduate neuroscience curriculum: its importance and best practices. neuroscience letters, 737. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135302 pinto, b. l. (2022). distinguishing between casebased and problem-based learning. international journal of kinesiology in higher education, 7(3), 246-256. https://doi.org/10.1080/24711616.2022.21112 86 saad, a., & suhaila, z. (2022). a review of projectbased learning (pbl) and computational thinking (ct) in teaching and learning. learning and motivation, 78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2022.101802 santos, c., eliza, r., michal, k., barbara, j., sylwia, j., nuno, d., diana, c., tania, r., hugo, p., paulo, m., & joco, r. (2023). science education through project-based learning: a case study. procedia computer science, 219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2023.01.465 teng, m. f., & ying, z. (2023). assessing selfregulated writing strategies, self-efficacy, task complexity, and performance in english academic writing author links open overlay panel. assessing writing, 57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2023.100728 thompson, g. j., & gina, c. (2021). the impact of learning to code on elementary students’ writing skills. computers & education, 175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104336 tyson, l. s. (2024). ‘learning to read and write is to defend yourself’: exploring indigenous perspectives and reimagining literacies for selfdetermination in mexico. international journal of educational development, 106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.102992 widiyati, e., & wulan, p. (2022). project-based learning in teaching speaking to young learners: is it effective?. journal of english education, literature, and culture, 7(1). 71-81. http://dx.doi.org/10.30659/e.7.1.71-81 zamzami, m. i., nabella, a. c. k, & wahyu i. m. r. (2023). the use of poetry in english learning for islamic junior high school students. journal of english language teaching and literature, 4(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.56185/jelita.v4i1.108 zare, j. (2023). the impact of l2 learners’ altruistic teaching on their task engagement in english essay writing. system, 118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.103137 zhang, r. (2022). book review demystifying academic writing: genres, moves, skills and strategies, zhihui fang, routledge, new york, ny (2021), xiii + 270 pp. system, 104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102696 zotzmann, k., & richard, s. (2021). postgraduate students’ beliefs about and confidence for academic writing in the field of applied linguistics. journal of second language writing, 52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2021.100810 https://doi.org/10.1080/00940771.2022.2047370 https://doi.org/10.1080/00940771.2022.2047370 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2022.100893 https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2020.1828120 https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2020.1828120 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102259 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135302 https://doi.org/10.1080/24711616.2022.2111286 https://doi.org/10.1080/24711616.2022.2111286 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2022.101802 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2023.01.465 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2023.100728 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104336 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.102992 http://dx.doi.org/10.30659/e.7.1.71-81 https://doi.org/10.56185/jelita.v4i1.108 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.103137 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102696 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2021.100810 fitri yuliana & wening sahayu enhancing student english writing skills through project-based learning 418 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 405 e-learning as a platform in studying english among efl learners: benefits and barriers erwin oktoma department of english education, universitas kuningan, indonesia email: erwin.oktoma@uniku.ac.id muhammad aprianto budie nugroho department of english education, universitas kuningan, indonesia email: muh.apriantobn@uniku.ac.id yayan suryana department of english education, universitas kuningan, indonesia email: yayansuryana@uniku.ac.id apa citation: oktoma, e., nugroho, m. a. b., & suryana, y. (2023). e-learning as a platform in studying english among efl learners: benefits and barriers. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 405-412. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7566 received: 09-02-2023 accepted: 29-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction the creation of smart schools and virtual classrooms that enable students to attend and participate in lectures and seminars held in other countries using the internet and interactive technology, as well as the use of multimedia in educational processes and quarterly self-education, all date back to the use of electronic means to address lessons in traditional classrooms whereas the mathematical revolution has advanced rapidly, it is essential to understand that it will be advantageous to this contemporary method has influenced many facets of daily life and has emerged as one of the biggest winners from the mathematical revolution. the term "e-learning" emerged as one of the uses of technology in education in the early 1990s (abed, 2019). the delivery of (electronic) educational content to the recipient via media based on the computer and its networks in a way that enables active interaction with the content and features and with peers only simultaneously or not synchronized, the possibility of completing this learning at the right time, location, and speed for the circumstances and talents, as well as the ability to manage this learning via these media (gorbunova & kalimullin, 2017; gorbunova & mokeyeva, 2017; khrulyova & sakhieva, 2017; kvon et al., 2018; levina et al., 2017). essentially, teachers often communicate directly with learners. the relationship between teachers and students becomes more direct during learning exercises. face-to-face teaching techniques are one of the items that teachers and students must avoid since the coronavirus does not allow for regular face-to-face interactions. in such a situation, an online learning-based learning concept or technique is created. this online learning we called e-learning. abstract: this paper presents research findings on the benefits and barriers of e-learning in the study of english among efl learners. the topic of this research was students from department of english education, universitas kuningan, and it was carried out using a qualitative design. an observation checklist and an interview were used to collect data. the study's findings revealed that using e-learning to study english has several benefits, including the flexibility of time and place, easy access to a wealth of information, the ability to facilitate relationships between learners through the use of discussion forums, and the ability to learn at one's own pace. and e-learning also has a numerous barrier in studying english such as, the lack of internet access/wifi, a software barrier, learners are not enough excited to study english using e-learning, socially disconnected, weak levels of student engagement and students lack both literacy skills and technology literacy. it explores the definitions of e-learning offered by various academics, the function that it plays in higher educational institutions' teaching and learning procedures, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of its adoption and use. therefore, it could be concluded that the use of e-learning in studying english at department of english education, universitas kuningan is not effective. keywords: benefits of e-learning; barriers of e-learning; e-learning; efl learners. erwin oktoma, muhammad aprianto budie nugroho, & yayan suryana e-learning as a platform in studying english among efl learners: benefits and barriers 406 e-learning is a novel paradigm and current educational philosophy that aims to serve as a development platform for the present knowledgebased society. there are many different definitions of e-learning. as an illustration, states that an innovative approach to delivering well-designed, learner-centered, interactive, and facilitated learning environments to anyone, anywhere, and at any time, according to the definition of e-learning (ja'ashan, 2020). people can obtain various advantages and disadvantages from adopting technology, particularly in e-learning. the advantages of elearning include that it is more flexible because it can be accessed anywhere and at any time as long as there is a good internet connection, besides that e-learning also saves time because both teachers and students do not need to come to school to do learning, as usual. according to al-handhali et al. (2020), the lms has a number of major advantages, including being user-friendly, efficient at managing time, making it simple to administer courses, instructors, facilities, and reports. additionally, it gives users frequent reminders for things like delivery dates, question and answer deadlines, test dates, etc. in order to promote cooperation and communication in a learning environment, elearning is a teaching and learning approach that uses information and communication technologies. this relates to technology know-how that improves traditional classroom instruction with web-based components and learning environments where students engage in online learning. elearning was only thought to be useful for online learning programs. however, no one can argue that e-learning is the most creative internet application. it has revolutionized the world and is currently improving education in classrooms as well (lade & patil, 2021). the use of technology can create learning obstacles. understanding the obstacles to elearning can help one better comprehend the circumstances in a given school, university, or place of employment. ja'ashan (2020) the quick shift in technology progress and the globalization trend in higher education, as well as the elimination of borders among students, new approaches and perspectives in educational practice, such as elearning, have opened up. information and communication technology (ict) is now employed in education to help students learn more effectively. it assists teachers in performing administrative work more efficiently. this topic was suggested by the writer to be used in this study because this study is focused on the writer's experience teaching efl learners using e-learning as a platform for studying english. several benefits and barriers were noticed by the researcher in this e-learning during the online learning-based learning process. learning english is also fraught with different beliefs and perspectives. in certain parts of the world, english is taught in a variety of traditional and modern formats. technology has progressed rapidly as a result of the new situation. every element of daily life uses technology, including education, or "e-learning," as we like to call it. e-learning is defined as an innovative webbased framework based on digital technology and other forms of teaching materials that aims to give students an engaging, interactive, learner-centered, accessible, and enjoyable learning experience (rodrigues et al., 2019). stated by oecd (as cited in surayatika, 2019), in order to enhance and improve learning in higher education institutions, a practice known as "e-learning" involves using information and communication technology in addition to traditional classroom settings, online learning, or a combination of the two. luckyardi and rahman (2021) stated e-learning provides a number of benefits, including the chance for students to communicate with one another and access course materials whenever they choose, as well as the chance to assess or test students' comprehension. students are required to increase their understanding of the learning material under these settings. when doing electronic learning, pupils can gain freedom and experience. according to dhul and sakhsi (2017), there are models of online learning, 1). wrap around model, this model exemplifies a resourcebased approach to learning because it aims to employ pre-existing, largely unchanging content that is already accessible online or offline. the combined model, this model comes the closest to a complete online course. these courses are frequently provided through an extensive learning management system. they include chances for computer conferencing, small-group collaborative online learning activities, and online assessments of learning outcomes, as well as the availability of most of the subject information in electronic format. the switch to online courses has resulted in a significant amount of individual work for students. the students' largest obstacle was the large number of topics, projects, and assignments to complete for lectures and seminars. students also claim that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 407 communication with instructors, peer interaction, and instructional quality have decreased as a result of the switch to online classes (gonta & tripon, 2021). e-learning also has many tools that schools or universities can use. different institutions and organizations should invest in e-learning technologies, but doing so alone is insufficient because their full potential can only be achieved through full acceptance and utilization (alone, 2017). so using e-learning as a platform will facilitate the distance learning process. theoretical foundation and research findings the aforementioned illustration demonstrates how teachers can use the advantages and challenges of online learning as a platform to introduce technology into the classroom. however, no research has been done to examine the benefits and challenges of using the e-learning network in english classes at the high school and middle school levels in the context of efl. based on the points above, it is possible to conclude that for learning to occur in a pandemic situation, teachers use e-learning as a learning medium. the use of e-learning as a medium for learning english during a pandemic is very beneficial to both teachers and students. besides being easily accessible, e-learning will also help develop english language skills. as a result, the effectiveness of the teaching and learning process can be increased by employing an e-learning platform. e-learning is becoming a must for education in indonesia since technological development has facilitated the emergence of nearly every aspect of daily life. the development of the subject of elearning itself makes this obvious. over the globe, which is expanding every year (stoker, 2016). e-learning is beneficial to 1), according to pranoto et al. (as stated in mardiah, 2020). elearning's use to enhance the educational process will enhance students' understanding of the content learned; 2). students' successful engagement should be increased; 3). develop students' willingness to think on their own; 4). increase the value of educational methods and practice; 5). develop the ability to access information using internet technology software in cases where conventional devices would struggle to do so. based on herwiana and laili (2022), students get some benefits in online learning; 1) technology literate, all pupils are not technologically savvy, despite the fact that they are required to use technology in learning activities. due to the requirement to use the sole platforms, they are learning through practice. 2) accessible and flexible, distance between teachers and students is shortened in a variety of ways through online education. the information is available to the pupils everywhere and at any time. 3) increase positive attitude, the students thought that their online education had made them more responsible and disciplined. 4) reduce shyness, students who typically remain quiet during in-person instruction become involved with online education. 5) more efficient, it is more effective and environmentally friendly if there is less paper. numerous grammar rules, pronoun usage, and appropriate verb tenses are all covered in the online classes. based on the earlier points, it is important to conclude that e-learning has many benefits in studying english and that it can be reached by students and teachers without the need for them to fly to acquire information. students will spend most of their time sitting and doing e-learning activities. by offering online instruction, schools may attract students from all over the world and save time and money by not forcing them to travel to campus and complete graded work. e-learning is "flexible" since it is simple to access and available from anywhere at any time. in terms of academics, some fundamental issues have arisen, such as: 1) schools do not develop a learning strategy for using lms in their institution because they are uninformed of the notion of elearning; 2) despite the fact that rules for adopting e-learning have already been created, they have not included any e-learning approaches in their learning methodology (they continue to use the traditional learning methodology); 3) point number 2 is evident in the academic program, which continues to use the outdated methodology; 4) despite the fact that they continue to struggle with it-related literacy, they do not offer any training relevant to the e-learning approach; 5) they do not set aside any funds for the development of elearning tools, instead spending as little as possible. 6) it knowledge gap among instructors and academic staff; 7) and the list might go on (anza & lutfi 2019). improper online learning integration could lead to unexpected challenges like poor communication, loneliness, and frustration. furthermore, revealed that teachers have good attitudes about ict when teaching and learning english (aminullah et al., 2019). according to mardiah (2020), amid a pandemic, the benefits of the e-learning mode to support english learning are outweighed by certain barriers, such as: (1) the lack of internet erwin oktoma, muhammad aprianto budie nugroho, & yayan suryana e-learning as a platform in studying english among efl learners: benefits and barriers 408 access/wifi, resources, computers, pcs, and other facilities that help the e-learning process. (2) problems of poor software. (3) learners are not enough excited because they may feel alone and socially disconnected; (4) low levels of student involvement; it is challenging for pupils to concentrate on a hazy video screen while they hear voices, clattering papers, bikes, cars, voices, kettles, wind, and other noises; (5) a lack of teacher presence in the classroom; (6) the lack of qualifications and competence, certain lecturers and students are illiterate and uneducated in the use of modern technologies; (7) consistently promoting attitudes toward ict (information, communication, and technology), as well as the significance of ict in learning, especially elearning. to summarize, while e-learning has many benefits, it also has many barriers as used by students and teachers. some schools prefer traditional learning models and some facilities do not encourage e-learning, and some teachers believe that delivering information through elearning does not ensure that all students pay attention and understand. as a first language, second language, and foreign language, english is a universally used language. even in nations where it is not the primary language, it is recognized as having official status. additionally, practically every nation in the world teaches english in its schools and colleges. at every level of education in indonesia, english is taught and studied as a foreign language. several aspects, including as motivation, attitudes, anxiety, learning successes, aptitudes, iq, age, and personality, have an impact on the process of learning a foreign language (yuliani et al., 2023) the use of english as a foreign language (efl) in oral communication is without a doubt one of the most common, yet also complicated, activities that must be incorporated in the introduction of an english language curriculum. without a question, one of the most frequent, yet challenging, activities that must be incorporated in the introduction of an english language curriculum is the use of english as a foreign language (efl) in oral communication. efl was defined as any language studied that is not the same mother tongue as the student's mother tongue in the same nation. through reading, writing, listening, speaking, learning vocabulary, and seeking to understand written and spoken discourse rather just utterances, efl students work to improve their english language proficiency. they face obstacles that impede them from succeeding, and these obstacles must be researched and studied (alsalihi, 2020). method during the course of performing the research, this study used a qualitative method as a strategy to obtain the thorough descriptions and information. according to aspers and corte (2019) by creating new, significant distinctions, the scientific community improves its understanding of the topic under study through an iterative process known as qualitative research. as a tool for bettering research designs, this formulation was developed, highlighting the inclusion of a qualitative component in quantitative work. because it aids in understanding the advantages and challenges of elearning in the study of english among efl learners, this research is qualitative. the purpose of this study was to determine the advantages and challenges of online learning using interviews and observations. this research was carried out at the universitas kuningan department of english education. third graders from the 2019 school year are the study's participants. the researcher employed observation and interviews as the instruments in this study. the observation decided to look at the advantages of online learning. direct observation was conducted using google meet. the stages of observation are follows: (1) taking videos of the learning process using e-learning and (2) taking field notes of activity during the learning process through google meet. after that, the researcher interviewed the students to complete the data about the benefits and barriers in e-learning. the researcher uses the open-ended interview to confirm some responses from the recorder. to investigate problems indepth, understand methods, and identify possible sources of observed associations, open-ended questions are used alone or in addition with other interviewing methods (weller et al., 2018). the researcher adopted the tenth question from theory of mardiah (2020). furthermore, this research used technique of analyzing data by divides the process of analysis into six phases, namely organize and preparing data for analysis, reading through all data, coding the data, themes/description, interrelating themes/description, interpreting the meaning of themes/description. results and discussion as a result of the observation and interview, the researcher found that there were some benefits and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 409 barriers to e-learning as a platform in studying english among efl learners. the detailed explanations of the findings of this research are presented in the following section. the benefits of e-learning according to statistics from observation studies on the benefits of e-learning, 5 statements out of 7 statements claims are beneficial. students believe that e-learning is highly flexible since it allows them to learn anywhere and at any time. eke (2000) argues that the ability for learners to access training when it is convenient for them, anywhere, at any time, and with anyone is a benefit of e-learning. furthermore, e-learning makes it simpler for students to locate. table 1. observation sheet of the benefits of elearning no. statement yes no 1. flexible in terms of time and location √ 2. make it easy to seek out information. √ 3. make it easier for students and teachers to communicate. √ 4. e-learning saves money. √ 5. e-learning always takes into consideration the individual learners differences. √ 6. e-learning can help make up for school flaws such as inadequate facilities and absentee teachers. √ 7. make students more self-sufficient by allowing them to learn on their own. √ table 2. observation sheet of the barriers of elearning no. statement yes no 1. internet or network problems, lack of computer facilities and other facilities. √ 2. an issue with the application. √ 3. students' lack of enthusiasm since they feel alone and unable to socialize. √ 4. students that are less engaged in their studies. √ 5. teachers are rarely present in class to teach. √ 6. teachers' or students' lack of understanding on how to use technology. √ 7. perceptions toward ict (information, communication, and technology), as well as role of ict in learning, including e-learning, must be consistently promoted √ according to chikurteva et al. (2020) the fundamental benefit of all platforms and applications is that they are compatible with one another. furthermore, mobile versions of most applications have been developed, allowing users to be mobile regardless of their location. furthermore, they believe that e-learning makes students autonomous since they are always performing projects and searching for and rereading the content that has been given, allowing them to learn on their own. one of the best teaching and learning methods available is e-learning. the use of e-learning tools and distance learning, in the opinion of the experts, can spread education beyond a single campus and across the nation. (riah et al., 2017) engaging and motivating instruction, which involves using interactive strategies to raise students' enthusiasm and interest in learning, makes up the third aspect of classroom management. plan ahead for the required materials first. according to what was seen, the lecturer gave pupils an explanation of the content using powerpoint that she had previously created. the topic of the content being taught and given to the students was included in the powerpoint to make it easier for them to understand. the introduction of syntax was the subject of the article. morphology was covered in the first half of the semester's curriculum, which was separated into two sections. after the midterm, syntax was covered, with the first topic being introduction to syntax. these subjects are related to the syllabus and lesson plan that the lecturer created for teaching morphosyntax. in addition to the benefits found through observation, the researcher highlights the barriers encountered during the learning process. 7 statements on the observation sheet revealed 6 barriers to e-learning. some students and teachers are unable to use technology and when students meeting with teachers, there is a lack or unavailability of a good network, either from the erwin oktoma, muhammad aprianto budie nugroho, & yayan suryana e-learning as a platform in studying english among efl learners: benefits and barriers 410 teacher or from the students. there are usually network barriers. the researcher found that some students were not enthusiastic about utilizing elearning to learn english. some students choose not to attend study sessions because they are bored with e-learning. 1 statement does not show any barriers in e-learning such as the teacher who never skips class to teach. in the first meeting, the teacher just needed an introduction in english during the first meeting and they are students must provide an introduction in english and react to questions from the teacher in english. however, when the teacher speaks and questions the students, some students may not answer because of the lack of network. based on the observations and interviews, for the learning process at department of english education, universitas kuningan, google meeting is used, and google classroom is used to offer homework, if the teacher wants to share information about the course, it will be sent via whatsapp group. in the first meeting, the teacher just needed an introduction in english during the first meeting and they are introducing themselves in english, and when the teacher asks a question in english, the students must respond in english. some students attempted to respond in english, showing that elearning may boost self-confidence more than faceto-face or offline classes. the usage and benefits of utilizing an e-learning platform to teach english were noted as the flexibility of access to material, enhancing learners', improving learners' comprehension abilities, and helping students to master english for the second meeting, the teacher gives youtube clip material to students and shares it with them so that students may learn it more easily. therefore, it can be concluded from observations to answer research question number one, namely, e-learning has several benefits such as making students more confident and not insecure to speak english, accessibility information refers to the freedom of students to access course materials from any location and at any time in addition to the transcript, the results of the observation sheet show that the advantages of online learning include the ability to save money by eliminating the requirement for pupils to attend school, and with e-learning, teachers and students may utilize any feature to access and find materialrelated information via the internet. the barriers of e-learning following the observation and interview, the researcher examined the indications of students who had some the researcher employs purposeful sampling for the interview to examine the hurdles to e-learning throughout the learning process. the non-probability sampling technique known as "purposeful sampling" is used when the researcher makes the decisions about which items to include in the sample. researchers frequently think that by using excellent judgment and obtaining a representative sample, they may save time and money.” the observation revealed that 7 of 36 students experienced some barriers during the learning process. when doing observations, the teacher had time to ask certain students questions, but several students did not respond since the network was down. following the observation of 7 students, the researcher interviewed to learn about the issues that impede their learning process through elearning. the researcher came to the conclusion that the findings after assessing the student interviews answered the study questions mentioned in chapter 1. the findings covered the factors of barriers of e-learning as a platform for studying english among efl learners. based on the data, they do not understand what the teacher explains when studying english through e-learning because the network they use is unreliable at times, which affects their learning. they understand considerably better if they study english directly rather than through e-learning. they often have difficulty understanding the material in comparison to understanding when the teacher explains, and the main cause of students' misinterpretation in learning english through elearning is an unstable network barrier. therefore, it could be concluded, the participants seemed to don’t agree that understanding the material in studying english used e-learning is a problem for them. they reported having difficulty understanding the material during the learning process because of the bad network. the most significant barrier, as seen by students overall, was a lack of wifi/network. the information indicates a substantial correlation between wi-fi/network and online learning comprehension of the course material. all students and teachers must be given a tight study quota in order to ensure that there are no obstacles to learning as a result of using e-learning as a platform for english study. moreover, if e-learning is no longer used in the learning process, the instructor must continue to include e-learning into english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 411 the face-to-face learning process so that students become acclimated to utilizing e-learning. there were also recommendations to form a special committee to assist students in optimizing their use of e-learning. furthermore, committee members can serve as a support system for pupils who lack computer abilities. conclusion this study shows that the efl participants agreed on most of the benefits and barriers included in the study. e-learning is a type of learning that occurs technologically, most commonly over the internet. it includes the use of electronic devices like laptops, tablets, and mobile phones, though students sometimes utilize institutional devices as well. students may potentially learn at any time or place with e-learning, as long as the conditions to a device and a wi-fi or data connection. the result of this study shows that adopting elearning at department of english education, universitas kuningan, while e-learning it’s not effective for learning. because the barriers of elearning are extremely such as lack of wifi/network, the software barrier, when adopting e-learning students seldom engage in the learning process, students are not excited when study using e-learning, a lack of knowledge about the technologies utilized and for students learning english as a foreign language (efl), it is less helpful. in addition, most of the activities and tools available in e-learning are believed to be there are many barriers in students learning english, especially in speaking skills. the fact that elearning is a necessary part of the school is the primary motivator for students to use it. on the other hand, respondents stated that difficulties in language, communication, and computer abilities do not prevent students from adopting e-learning. references abed, e. k. (2019). electronic learning and its benefits in education. eurasia journal of mathematics, science and technology education, 15(3), em1672 alone, k. (2017). adoption of e-lerning technologies in education in institutions/organizations: a literature review. asian journal of educational research, 5(4), 63-71. anza, f., & luthfy, a. (2019) introduction e-learning in educational sector case study senior high school in dki jakarta. asean journal of community engagement, 3(1), 139-162. al-handhali, b. a., al-rasbi, a. t., & sherimon, p. c. (2020). advantages and disadvantages of earning management system (lms) at aou oman. international journal of technology, 1(2), 222-228. aminullah, a., loeneto, b. a., & vianty, m. (2019). teachers’ attitudes and problems of using ict in teaching efl. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 147-156. aspers, p., corte, u. (2019). what is qualitative in qualitative research. qualitative sociology, 42, 139–160. chikurteva, a., spasova, n., & chikurtev, d. (2020). elearning: technologies, application and challenges. international scientific conference electronics et2020, sozopol. dhull, i., & sakshi, ms (2017). online leaning. international education & research journal [ierj], 3(8), 32-34. gonţa, i., tripon, c. (2021). students’ perspectives on online learning – are their expectations metby current teaching practices. revista de pedagogie journal of pedagogy, (1), 73 – 91 https://doi.org/10.26755/revped/2021.1/73 gorbunova, n. v., & kalimullin, a. m. (2017). simulation of the process of training the future primary school teachers for organizing extracurricular activities. elementary education online, 16(4), 18601872.https://doi.org/10.17051/ilkonline.2017.34 8973 gorbunova, n. v., & mokeyeva, e. v. (2017). innovative educational environment of higher educational institution. man in india, 97(15), 21-40. hanan, h.d. (2020). main difficulties faced by efl students in language learning. journal of college of education for women, 31(2), 19-34 herwiana, s., & laili, n. e. (2022). exploring benefits and obstacles online learning during the covid19 andemic in efl students’ experiences. qalamuna -jurnal pendidikan, sosial, dan agama, 14(1), 61-72. ja'ashan, m. n. h. (2020). the challenges and prospects of using e-learning among efl students in bisha university. arab world english journal (awej), 11(1), 124-137. khrulyova, a. a., & sakhieva r. g. (2017). forming of informational culture as a necessary condition of the level raising of higher education. man in india, 97(15), 211-225. kvon, g. m., vaks, v. b., masalimova, a. r., kryukova, n. i., rod, y. s., shagieva, r. v., & khudzhatov, m. b. (2018). risk in implementing new electronic management systems at universities. eurasia journal of mathematics, science and technology education, 14(3), 891902. erwin oktoma, muhammad aprianto budie nugroho, & yayan suryana e-learning as a platform in studying english among efl learners: benefits and barriers 412 lade, s., & patil, h. (2021). traditional learning vs elearning. journal of emerging technologies and innovative research (jetir), 8(6), 236-244. luckyardi, s., & l. rahman, l. (2021). application of e-learning system in the world of education. jurnal teknologi informasi dan pendidikan, 14(1), 48 – 53. mardiah, h. (2020). the use of e-learning to teach english in the time of the covid-19 pandemic. english teaching and linguistics journal (etlij), 1(2), 49-55. rodrigues, h., almeida, f., figueiredo, v., & lopes, s. s. (2019). tracking e-learning through published paper: a systematic review. elseiver (computer & education), 87-98. riah f. e. e., galang , f.r.e., & hallar, b.j.a. (2017). the impact and effectiveness of e-learning on teaching and learning. international journal of computing sciences research,5(1), 383-397. surayatika, d. (2019). the effectiveness of e-learning as teaching media in efl classroom. jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 8(1), 1-7. stoker, s. (2016). an overview of the global elearning market by area. elearning brothers. weller, s. c., vickers, b., bernard, h. r., blackburn, a. m., borgatti, s., gravlee, c. c., & johnson, j. c. (2018). open-ended interview questions and saturation. journal pone, 13(6), 1-18. yuliani, d.w., najmiah, l., hamdani,b., & pratolo, w.b. (2023). efl students’ attitude toward english language learning. journal of english language and pedagogy,6(1), 82-91. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 433 hate speech on social media: a case study of blasphemy in indonesian context rotua elfrida english department, faculty of language and arts universitas hkbp nommensen email: rotuapangaribuan@ac.id arsen nahum pasaribu (corresponding author) english department, faculty of language and arts universitas hkbp nommensen email: arsen.pasaribu@uhn.ac.id apa scitation: smelfrida, r., & pasaribu, a. n. (2023). shate speech on social media: a case study of blasphemy in indonesian context. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s11(2), 433-440. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7909 received: 28-02-2023 accepted: 27-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction hate speech is a global phenomenon in social interaction. it can happen anywhere and anytime. in public spaces, such as public transportation, parks, schools, markets, shopping centers, offices, and even in the family environment like at home. hate speech can also occur when someone is with friends, family, teachers, co-workers, and even when with parents. technological developments, such as the invention of the internet, have had a huge impact on social interactions around the world. the emergence of social media platforms such as facebook, twitter, instagram, and youtube, to name a few, has enabled people around the world to interact widely and instantly. real communication has changed to online with all the advantages and disadvantages. likewise, the practice of hate speech has moved into cyberspace with various available internet-based communication facilities (matamoros-fernández & farkas, 2021; poletto et al., 2021; chetty & alathur, 2018). the existence of hate speech in social media has been revealed by some scholars. most of the hate speech research found on flat form twitter were carried out by several scholars (sanguinetti et al., 2019; albadi et al., 2018; davidson et al., 2019; fortuna et al., 2019; ibrohim & budi, 2019; mulki et al., 2019; oriola & kotze, 2020; pereirakohatsu et al., 2019; alshalan & al-khalifa, 2020; mozafari et al., 2020; roy et al., 2020). a small portion of hate speech research is focused on other flat forms such as facebook (sigurbergsson & abstract: many scholars have shown research on hate speech, spanning from hate speech detection methods to the bias interpretation of dataset they create, as well as the role of technology in the dissemination of hate speech on social media. however, research on hate speech categories and degrees on the issue of religious blasphemy is still relatively unexplored. therefore, the purpose of this research is to uncover the strategies and levels of hate speech on social media, primarily youtube channels, in response to the minister of religion's comments about the sound of mosque loudspeakers that need to be adjusted in volume. this comment has generated both positive and negative reactions in indonesian society. this research looks into netizen comments in the comments column on the youtube channel that carries the statement. purposive sampling was used to select 300 comments from among the 840 comments in the comments section of the youtube. for the purposes of this study, the sample was obtained in the form of comments containing hate speech. the data was then analyzed using content analysis, in which the data was coded and categorized according to hate speech level of classification. the study revealed that there are three types of hate speech in netizen comments: early warning, dehumanization and demonization, and violence and incitement. early warning is the most common type of hate speech, followed by violence and hostility, as well as dehumanization and demonization. due to cultural influences and contrasts in rank and power between the commentator and the person who is the subject of the hate speech, hate speech delivered by indonesian netizens tends to be dominated by disagreement, negative character, and action. keyword: content analysis; hate speech; indonesian context; religion blasphemy; social media; youtube comments rotua elfrida & arsen nahum pasaribu shate speech on social media: a case study of blasphely in indonesian context 434 derczynski, 2020; pasaribu, 2021). even on other social media flat forms were not found. research on hate speech that focuses on the tools or methods used to detect hate speech on social media was conducted by albadi et al., (2018), sanguinetti et al., (2019), davidson et al. (2019), fortuna et al., (2019), ibrohim & budi (2019), mulki et al. (2019), oriola & kotze (2020), pereira-kohatsu et al. (2019), alshalan & alkhalifa (2020), mozafari et al. (2020). meanwhile, other studies have focused on the bias of annotators (sap et al., 2020) and the bias caused by the word hate speech used (kennedy et al., 2020; wich et al., 2020; xia et al., 2020). other topic research is the impact caused by exposure to hate speech (bilewicz & soral, 2020). research on hate speech with a religious background (religious hate speech) is also found in various flat forms of social media. research conducted by albadi et al. (2018) in saudi arabia regarding religious hate speech in the world of twitter. they try to dismantle the practice of religious hate speech on twitter by detecting it using various approaches. in india, bohra et al. (2018) also tried to develop a hate speech detection method using the code-mixing method. this research reveals that this method is also effective in disclosing hate speech practices on twitter. from the research on hate speech that has been described above, several important points can be concluded that research on hate speech on social media tends to focus on the flat form of twitter compared to other flat forms of social media such as facebook or instagram. then the hate speech research that was carried out was dominated by the various methods and tools that can detect the presence of hate speech on social media. research on the bias of interpreting hate speech datasets on social media is also a topic of interest to researchers. however, there are still relatively few research topics on religious hate speech on social media, especially research conducted by indonesian scholars. based on the analysis above, research on hate speech on social media still leaves room for exploration. detection of hate speech on other flat forms of social media such as facebook, instagram, and youtube channels needs to be done to see the similarities and differences with the use of twitter. besides that, it is also interesting to use a qualitative approach to analyze, interpret, and categorize hate speech datasets. research on hate speech with relation to religion matter is still relatively unaddressed well. in indonesian context, the issue of religious blasphemy has always attracted national attention. the issue of religious blasphemy which is the object of research is the case of religious blasphemy which was accused by the indonesian minister of religion. the religious minister's comments were about the rule of mosque's loudspeaker volumes in indonesia. the religious minister's statement has generated controversy among indonesian muslims. this issue has also been commented on immensely in social media, such as twitter, facebook, instagram, and the youtube channel. thus, this study seeks to explore hate speech on the youtube channel related to the issue of religious blasphemy in indonesia. hate speech is the speech that assaults, dehumanizes, or incites violence or prejudice against individuals or groups on the basis of their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or other characteristics (kovács et al., 2021; pasaribu, 2021). the varieties of hate speech can vary depending on the context and the intended audience (wich et al., 2020; sanguinetti et al., 2019; mathew et al., 2019; de gibert et al., 2018; albadi et al., 2018; bohra et al., 2018), but the following are common examples: hate speech directed at a specific race or ethnic group with the intention of inciting animosity or discrimination; religious hate speech is hate speech directed at individuals or groups on the basis of their religion or religious beliefs. homophobic hate speech is directed at individuals or organizations on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. ableist is hatred speech that targets people with disabilities and ridicules or demeans them. misogynistic speech targets women or reinforces gender stereotypes and discrimination; xenophobic speech targets individuals or groups on the basis of their nationality or country of origin. anti-immigrant speech targets immigrants or immigrant communities with the intent to incite hostility or discrimination, whereas anti-semitic speech targets jewish individuals or communities and frequently invokes stereotypes or conspiracy theories. hate speech is also classified into three types (fortuna et al., 2019; mulki et al., 2019). the first classification is early warning. the lowest level of the category is regarded to be hate speech. the level of hate speech in this category is still about disagreement, negative character, and negative conduct. the second type of dehumanization is demonization. this sort of hate speech includes english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 435 rhetoric that diminishes human dignity by referring to people as animals, devils, or demons. the final classification is violence and intent. hate speech in this category takes the form of harsh statements intended to incite others to commit violence and murder. this category is more than just speech; it has also perpetrated acts of violence and murder. method this study intends to uncover hate speech on the issue of blasphemy by indonesians on social media, specifically the youtube channel. this study uses a mixed method, the combination of descriptive qualitative and descriptive quantitative. the amount and percentage of different sorts of hate speech that arise in youtube channel are conveyed using descriptive quantitative method. in the meantime, the qualitative research approach was being employed to describe and understand the meaning of the hate speech in the comments of the youtube based on the context. a total of 840 comments were found on the youtube channel with the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwsgrfmfj ns. the youtube contains comments related to the religious blasphemy addressed to the minister of religion of the republic of indonesia. around 300 comments were selected as the sample of the data. this research employed purposive sampling. the sample were taken in the form of comments containing hate speech from the three categories of hate speech above. the number of samples is considered sufficient until it reaches 300 comments that are detected hate speech. this study uses two ratters to re-check the research sample containing hate speech. the two ratters are lecturers who have in-depth knowledge of the theory and categorization of hate speech. the use of ratters in detecting the presence of hate speech in netizens’ comments can increase the validity and reliability of the research data used. research data analysis uses qualitative content analysis (schreier, 2014). the data analysis procedure for content analysis is as follows: (1) data preparation. (2) define the unit of analysis. (3) develop categories and coding scheme. (4) test your coding scheme on a sample of text. (5) code all the text. (6) assess your coding consistency. (7) draw your conclusion from the coded data. (8) report your method and finding. to increase the validity and reliability of the data analysis procedure number 6 must be done properly until the coding consistency is gained. in addition, the method of the data analysis procedures was explained clearly to make the replication of research possible to do. results and discussion this study attempts to uncover hate speech and its categories and level on social media, especially youtube by indonesians relating to the blasphemy problem that occurred in indonesia. comments made by indonesian netizens on social media are examined and classified as hate speech in three categories: dehumanization and demonization, violence and provocation, and early warning. the table below divides the number of hate speech detected on social media into these three groups. table 1. the category of hate speech in social media no category of hate speech n % 1 dehumanization and demonization 58 19.33 2 violence and incitement 104 34.67 3 early warning 138 46.00 total 300 100.00 table 1 depicts the many types of blasphemyrelated hate speech on social media. according to the table, the early warning category dominated the 300 hate speech comments collected on social media, accounting for 138 comments or 46% of the entire data, followed by violence and incitement, accounting for 104 comments or 34.67% of the total research data. finally, 58 comments or 19.33% of the total data indicated the sort of dehumanization and demonization. early warning category as previously stated, the early warning category represents the lowest level of hate speech. hate speech is classified as an early warning signal in this category because it has the potential to escalate to the level of violence or dehumanization. the focus of hate speech in this form is the struggle between one group and another, or "us" versus "them," who have opposing views, thoughts, and beliefs (sanguinetti et al., 2019). the early warning category is separated into three categories, with "disagreement" being the lowest. at this level, hate speech takes the form of inconsistencies about ideas, opinions, and beliefs that differ amongst social groupings. 'wrong,' 'incorrect,' 'false,' 'persuade,' 'change opinion,' and 'challenge' are examples of words, statements, or acts employed at this level (ibrohim & budi, 2019). then, in this group, the amount of hatred is negative action. the level of negative action is the nonviolent activity connected with a group. this type of hate speech rotua elfrida & arsen nahum pasaribu shate speech on social media: a case study of blasphely in indonesian context 436 takes the shape of remarks or actions that are not violent in nature. the statement might be expressed using words or metaphorical language. poor treatment, stealing, threatening, and outrageous deeds are examples of words, statements, or actions employed at the negative action level. finally, there is a negative character on the third level. hate speech is described at this level as rhetoric, which includes nonviolent characterization and insults. stupid, fake, insane, and thief are some examples of this level (mulki et al., 2019; pereira-kohatsu et al., 2019). the data as the representation of certain data in the early warning category can be seen in the extract 1 below. extract 1 “semoga bapak di beri akal yg cerdas lagi ya pak...dari jaman dulu hinggal saat ini aja baru toa mesjid di permasalah kan”. (hoping (god) give you a wise thinking sir…from old ages, only now the loud speaker of mosque to be blamed) comments from netizens on data extract 1: "semoga bapak diberikan akal yang cerdas." (hopefully, you will be granted a smart mind) imply that "bapak" alludes to indonesia's minister of religion, yaqut cholil qoumas. this comment implies that the minister's mind is not irrational to make such statement. according to the commentator, the minister of religion does not need to comment on the mosques' loudspeakers in indonesia. according to the analyst, this has always been the case, and no one has yet restricted the noise produced by mosque loudspeakers in indonesia.the phrase "diberikan akal cerdas" is a euphemism that can be used to replace the phrase "anda tidak cerdas." or a more formal phrase "anda bodoh". this strategy was devised by a commentator in order to improve the ability to convey information so that those who are affected by it do not become upset. this statement may be classified as "early warning" hate speech with a 'negative character'. the expression "diberikan akal cerdas" (given a smart mind) is a type of euphemism that attempts to lighten the meaning of the original sentence "anda tidak cerdas." (you are not smart) or a stronger statement "anda bodoh" (you are stupid). this method is used by critics to retain an attitude of presenting thoughts such that the person referred to in the sentence is not insulted (nozza, 2021). this statement falls within the category of "early warning" hate speech having a 'negative character'. extract 2 “mengibaratkan suara azan dengan gonggongan anjing itu tidak tepat, sebaiknya lebih hati hati lagi bicaranya.” (comparing the sound of the azan with the barking of a dog is not correct, you should be more careful what you say). in extract 2, the commentators attempt to transmit that azan (the call to prayer at a mosque) is distinct from the sound of a dog barking. this assertion is considered to be false. therefore, the phrase "sebaiknya lebih hati-hati lagi bicaranya" (you should be more careful what you say) is a warning to the individual you are addressing not to communicate controversial statements that offend religious communities in indonesia. the statement in extract 2 can be classified as a "early warning" with a level of "disagreement" due to the fact that this type of hate speech is at the most fundamental level. the commentator disagreed with the speaker's assertion. the commentators then attempt to provide a gentle warning to never restore it again. according to the previous research, the early warning category is the most prevalent type of hate speech found in the comments section of youtube channels. this category includes the most basic or initial form of hate speech, which may escalate to a harsher or more violent form. these forms and categories are more prevalent in netizen comments due to two factors. first, indonesian culture influences the politeness of netizen communication. second, the individual discussed by netizens is a minister with a higher status and greater authority than the commentators. this phenomenon is consistent with pasaribu (2021) assertion that differences in status and power can influence communication in people's real-world and cyberspace social interactions. dehumanization and demonization the next category of hate speech is dehumanization and demonization, which includes statements that refer to humans as animals, demons, or spirits, or statements that diminish the degree or status of humanity (wich et al., 2020). this statement will have a negative effect on the spirit and mind of the individual to whom it is directed. here are excerpts illustrating hate discourse in this category: extract 3 “pak menteri saya sarankan silaturahmi ke ulama atau ustad minta diruqiyah...biar bisa menikmati suara adzan”( mr. minister, i suggest english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 437 a visit to the ulema or ustad to ask for diruqiyah... so you can enjoy the sound). the statement in extract 3 implies that the minister of religion is possessed by a genie or demon, as he does not appreciate hearing the mosque's call to prayer. therefore, he was requested to perform "diruqiyaah," the exorcism of demons or spirits from the body of a person believed to be possessed. this remark is classified as "violence and incitement" because it implies that the target of the hate speech is in a stupor. he is considered a devil or a genie who does not like the sound azan (the call to prayer). extract 4 “kalau bisa menterinya di ganti, ibarat orang pelihara 1 bab1 di kebun orang lain, maka bab1 itu akan merusak kebun tsb.” (if the minister can be replaced, it's like a person raising pigs in someone else's garden, then the pigs will destroy the garden) the hate speech described in passage 4 falls into two categories: violence and incitement, and dehumanization and incitement. the first category is that of violence and intent. the preceding statement contains a provocative element, namely “...menterinya diganti” (the minister is replaced) to refer to the minister of religion. the following category consists of dehumanization and incitement. the expression "bab 1" in the statement is a form of "dehumanization" hate speech because the minister is referred to as a "bab 1" (pig) animal. this is a very impolite statement, particularly in the context of indonesian culture. a person's dignity is considered diminished when he or she is compared to animals, particularly swine, which muslims consider impure. in other words, comments made by internet users may contain more than one type of hate speech. similar to this extract 4 violence and incitement this category includes hate speech in the form of statements about violent acts or incitements to perpetrate violent acts from one group to another. this category includes two distinct types of hate discourse. the first category consists of hate speech in the form of caustic and provocative remarks or calls to commit physical violence (wich et al., 2020; matamoros-fernández & farkas, 2021). in contrast, the second category encompasses hate speech that incites murderous acts of violence. the data representation for this category is shown in extracts 5 and 6 below. extract 5 “harusnya di pecat nih menteri yg bikin gaduh.” (this minister should be fired for making noise) the statement "harusnya dipecat" (must be fired) in extract 5 indicates a provocation for the minister of religion to be fired for his statement, which he considers to have offended muslims in indonesia. the group that claimed the statement on religious matters contained blasphemy attempted to discredit religion. multiple comments comprising hate speech were posted on the internet by indonesian users. even with a level that is more violent and cruel as demonstrated in this excerpt 5. consequently, this statement falls under the category of violence and incitement. extract 6 “adzan dimisalkan gonggongan anjing. mungkin jika orang yang berkata seperti itu hidup di era sayyidina umar al khattab, kepala orang itu akan dipenggal” (azan is regarded as a dog barking. maybe if the person who said that lived during the era of sayyidina umar al khattab, that person's head would have been beheaded) extract 6 is a hate speech that demonstrates the extent of propaganda and death threats as a result of the claimed comment to the minister of religion that the call to prayer is analogous to a dog barking. this sentence implies that if the occurrence occurs under the reign of syayaidina umar al khattab, the minister may also be decapitated. this discourse is characterized as hate speech, violence, and incitement since it contains remarks that promote violence and even murder (chetty & alathur, 2018). according to the above research findings, the forms and categories of hate speech in social media communication can vary. it begins with an expression of disapproval and escalates to the level of incitement to perpetrate violence or murder (elsherief et al., 2018). similar to the hate speech found in the responses of indonesian netizens to the current statement by the minister of religion of the republic of indonesia, yaqut cholil qoumas. the minister's statement that the intensity of the mosque's loudspeaker needs to be adjusted has elicited both pro and con arguments from indonesian muslims. various parties subsequently distorted the minister's and the government's statement in an attempt to provoke public blame. the previous research revealed the prevalence of hate discourse on social media. using rotua elfrida & arsen nahum pasaribu shate speech on social media: a case study of blasphely in indonesian context 438 euphemisms and cynicism, the commentators attempt to soften the hate speech. this is done to avoid conflict with the intended individual, who has a higher status and greater authority than the commentators (ibrohim & budi, 2019). moreover, dehumanization and demonization-related hate speech, as well as violence and incitement-related hate speech, can be found in netizen comments. in the remarks of netizens, there is a prevalence of hate speech with harsh language, including death threats. the reason commentators dare to convey such hate speech is because communication between hate speech commentators and the intended recipient is indirect, such as through social media or youtube channel (sanguinetti et al., 2019; davidson et al., 2019). in order to avoid the commentators’ identity identified, they also created social media account with fake identities. this research has confirmed that the hate speech found in the youtube comments section related to the issue of blasphemy conducted by the indonesian minister of religion consists of hate speech in the low (early warning), moderate (dehumanization and demonization) and dangerous (violence and incitement) categories. besides that, the amount of hate speech found in one issue on youtube is also considered massive. you can imagine hate speech products that are found in other flat forms of social media, maybe thousands or even millions of hate speeches delivered every day. this research has revealed an interesting finding that indonesian people tend to use low and medium categories of hate speech on social media, although the small number of high categories is still detected. this fact shows that indonesian citizens still adhere to politeness traditions passed down from generation to generation. these research findings will bring implications to the indonesian government to make policies or rules to detect and reduce the spread of hate speech on social media. in addition, the government urgently needs to design an educational curriculum to reduce the emergence of hate speech in the future. for indonesian people, they should be more aware of the future risks of posting hate speech on social media. some cases of hate speech, especially related to the religious blasphemy have ended in law enforcement. conclusion this study has disclosed the forms and categories and the level of hate speech found in the youtube comments of indonesian netizens. with the minister of religion as the target of hate speech, the issue of religious blasphemy is used as a pretext to spread hate speech through the youtube comments section. this study affirms that netizen comments containing hate speech fall into three distinct categories: early warning, dehumanization and demonization, and violence and incitement. due to the method of indirect communication and the disparity between the position or status of the commentators and those who are commented on, the number and types of hate speech discovered in the data vary. this study has several limitations. the number of corpus data in this research must be increased so that appropriate conclusions can be drawn. in addition, this research employs manual methods for data collection and analysis. therefore, data analysis takes longer time and has potential to be biases in data interpretation when compared to the use of applications or tools. references albadi, n., kurdi, m., & mishra, s. (2018). are they our brothers? analysis and detection of religious hate speech in the arabic twittersphere. proceedings of the 2018 ieee/acm international conference on advances in social networks analysis and mining, asonam 2018, 69–76. https://doi.org/10.1109/asonam.2018.850824 7 alshalan, r., & al-khalifa, h. (2020). a deep learning approach for automatic hate speech detection in the saudi twittersphere. applied sciences (switzerland), 10(23), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10238614 bilewicz, m., & soral, w. (2020). hate speech epidemic. the dynamic effects of derogatory language on intergroup relations and political radicalization. political psychology, 41(s1), 3– 33. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12670 bohra, a., vijay, d., singh, v., akhtar, s. s., & shrivastava, m. (2018). a dataset of hindienglish code-mixed social media text for hate speech detection. proceedings of the 2nd workshop on computational modeling of pfople’s opinions, personality, and emotions in social media, peoples 2018 at the 2018 conference of the north american chapter of the association for computational linguistics: human language t, 36–41. https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/w18-1105 chetty, n., & alathur, s. (2018). hate speech review in the context of online social networks. aggression and violent behavior, 40, 108–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2018.05.003 davidson, t., bhattacharya, d., & weber, i. (2019). racial bias in hate speech and abusive language detection datasets. 25–35. https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/w19-3504 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 439 de gibert, o., perez, n., garcía-pablos, a., & cuadros, m. (2018). hate speech dataset from a white supremacy forum. 2nd workshop on abusive language online proceedings of the workshop, co-located with emnlp 2018, 11– 20. https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/w18-5102 elsherief, m., kulkarni, v., nguyen, d., wang, w. y., & belding, e. (2018). hate lingo: a target-based linguistic analysis of hate speech in social media. 12th international aaai conference on web and social media, icwsm 2018, icwsm, 42–51. https://doi.org/10.1609/icwsm.v12i1.15041 fortuna, p., rocha da silva, j., soler-company, j., wanner, l., & nunes, s. (2019). a hierarchically-labeled portuguese hate speech dataset. 94–104. https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/w19-3510 ibrohim, m. o., & budi, i. (2019). multi-label hate speech and abusive language detection in indonesian twitter. 46–57. https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/w19-3506 kennedy, b., jin, x., davani, a. m., dehghani, m., & ren, x. (2020). contextualizing hate speech classifiers with post-hoc explanation. proceedings of the annual meeting of the association for computational linguistics, 5435–5442. https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/2020.acl-main.483 kovács, g., alonso, p., & saini, r. (2021). challenges of hate speech detection in social media: data scarcity, and leveraging external resources. sn computer science, 2(2), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42979-021-00457-3 matamoros-fernández, a., & farkas, j. (2021). racism, hate speech, and social media: a systematic review and critique. television and new media, 22(2), 205–224. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476420982230 mathew, b., saha, p., tharad, h., rajgaria, s., singhania, p., maity, s. k., goyal, p., & mukherjee, a. (2019). thou shalt not hate: countering online hate speech. proceedings of the 13th international conference on web and social media, icwsm 2019, icwsm, 369–380. https://doi.org/10.1609/icwsm.v13i01.3237 mozafari, m., farahbakhsh, r., & crespi, n. (2020). hate speech detection and racial bias mitigation in social media based on bert model. plos one, 15(8 august), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237861 mulki, h., haddad, h., bechikh ali, c., & alshabani, h. (2019). l-hsab: a levantine twitter dataset for hate speech and abusive language. 111– 118. https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/w19-3512 nozza, d. (2021). exposing the limits of zero-shot cross-lingual hate speech detection. aclijcnlp 2021 59th annual meeting of the association for computational linguistics and the 11th international joint conference on natural language processing, proceedings of the conference, 2, 907–914. https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/2021.acl-short.114 oriola, o., & kotze, e. (2020). evaluating machine learning techniques for detecting offensive and hate speech in south african tweets. ieee access, 8, 21496–21509. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2020.2968173 pasaribu, a. n. (2021). hate speech on joko widodo’s offical facebook: an analysis of impoliteness strategies used by different gender. eltin journal, journal of english language teaching in indonesia, 9(1), 56–64. pereira-kohatsu, j. c., quijano-sánchez, l., liberatore, f., & camacho-collados, m. (2019). detecting and monitoring hate speech in twitter. sensors (switzerland), 19(21), 1–37. https://doi.org/10.3390/s19214654 poletto, f., basile, v., sanguinetti, m., bosco, c., & patti, v. (2021). resources and benchmark corpora for hate speech detection: a systematic review. language resources and evaluation, 55(2), 477–523. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10579020-09502-8 roy, p. k., tripathy, a. k., das, t. k., & gao, x. z. (2020). a framework for hate speech detection using deep convolutional neural network. ieee access, 8, 204951–204962. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2020.3037073 sanguinetti, m., poletto, f., bosco, c., patti, v., & stranisci, m. (2019). an italian twitter corpus of hate speech against immigrants. lrec 2018 11th international conference on language resources and evaluation, 2798–2805. sap, m., card, d., gabriel, s., choi, y., & smith, n. a. (2020). the risk of racial bias in hate speech detection. acl 2019 57th annual meeting of the association for computational linguistics, proceedings of the conference, 1668–1678. https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/p19-1163 schreier, m. (2014). qualitative content analysis. the sage handbook of qualitative data analysis, 170–183. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446282243.n12 sigurbergsson, g. i., & derczynski, l. (2020). offensive language and hate speech detection for danish. lrec 2020 12th international conference on language resources and evaluation, conference proceedings, 3498– 3508. wich, m., bauer, j., & groh, g. (2020). impact of politically biased data on hate speech classification. 54–64. https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/2020.alw-1.7 xia, m., field, a., & tsvetkov, y. (2020). demoting racial bias in hate speech detection. 7–14. https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/2020.socialnlp-1.2 rotua elfrida & arsen nahum pasaribu shate speech on social media: a case study of blasphely in indonesian context 440 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1 re-conceptualizing l2 writing revision strategies from an ecological perspective: an interview based inquiry masakazu mishima rikkyo university, japan e-mail: mmishima@rikkyo.ac.jp apa citation: mishima, m. (2019). re-conceptualizing l2 writing revision strategies from an ecological perspective: an interview based inquiry. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 1-16. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1771. received: 07-01-2019 accepted: 15-03-2019 published: 01-06-2019 abstract: this study examines an esl writer’s revision activity in composing an argumentative essay from an ecological perspective. the study aimed to explore how sociomaterial conditions present in the pedagogical context lead to the writer’s use of revision strategies in responding to instructor feedback. by using an interview-based case study approach, data were collected from one esl writer and instructor in an esl freshman composition class at a large public university in the us. based on the analysis of field-notes, transcripts from interviews and writing conferences, and various cultural artifacts, the study found that the writer’s goal-oriented agency foregrounded his engagement with instructor feedback, which narrowed down the problem space perceived to be important by the writer to achieve his goal in writing. the writer’s selective attention to the specific writing issues to be attended in his revision attempt provided an essential perceptual pretext for the concoctions of several sociomaterially-afforded revision strategies. the study also found that sociomaterial interactions inherent within one strategy use conditioned the emergence of another strategy while showcasing that the writer’s strategy use could be emergent and generative in nature. based on the findings, the study discusses the emergence of the revision strategies as a result of collective interplay of student agency and student-perceived sociomaterial affordances in the writer’s attempt to establish sociocognitive alignment with the instructor’s expectations delivered through feedback. implications for ecologically-oriented l2 revision strategy research are discussed. keywords: ecological approach; l2 revision strategies; l2 writing feedback; l2 writing process. introduction as we view writing as fundamentally a social act, the immediacy to examine l2 writing process as a socially situated activity naturally emerges; it requires accounts of the very context in which l2 writers engage in writing activity. in concert with the socially situated view of writing, the importance of contextual matters in l2 writing research has been increasingly recognized (casanave, 2003; ferris, 2014; hyland & hyland, 2006; lee, 2008; lei, 2008). this largely sociocultural movement has led researchers to expand the scope of analysis deeply into social aspects of writing as opposed to cognitioncentral views of writing (see for partial review, leki, cumming, & silva, 2008; cumming, 2001). the movement signifies a response to an increasing call for context-sensitive research on l2 writing to move away from a componential analysis of the apparently complex nature of l2 writing. the resultant effort is now visible in an increasing number of l2 writing studies with an utmost focus on social interactions as prominently capitalized in sociocultural framework of investigations (e.g., de guerrero & villamil, 1994; han & hyland, 2016). although the increasing attention to the matters of context is a welcoming trend, an exclusive focus on social interactions does not do justice in an attempt to explain an individual’s act of writing, which occurs in tandem with both social and material interactions. accordingly, an investigation into l2 writing process requires an integrative perspective, which nishino and atkinson (2015) succinctly referred to as, “a rich ecology of mind, body, and sociomaterial world” (p. 38). in light of this ecological notion above, it appears that the current landscape of l2 writing process research is limited in providing accounts of how students engage in writing in direct response to instructor feedback with which and for which the individual establishes unique relationships, while interacting with various temporal sociomaterial conditions present in his/her learning environment. the present research hence was conducted as an exploratory attempt to capture one aspect of l2 writing masakazu mishima re-conceptualizing l2 writing revision strategies from an ecological perspective: an interview based inquiry 2 process—an l2 writer’s use of revision strategies—as deeply situated in a specific pedagogical ecology wherein instructor feedback and other sociomaterial resources play a key role in directing the student’s revision attempts. to set a stage for the present research, the following reviews select studies from l2 writing strategy research. l2 writing strategy research l2 writing strategy research has been receiving significant attention from researchers in conjunction with the widespread practice of the process-writing approach since 1970s (reid, 2001; silva, 1990). in the process-approach, writers go through a series of stages in the act of composing texts, such as planning, drafting, revising, and editing (seow, 2002), and at any stage of writing, writers may use strategies/approaches to facilitate their acts of writing (manchon, roca de larios, & murphy, 2007). since the process of writing is intimately associated with individual acts of writing including strategy use, l2 writing scholars have been actively investigating writers’ strategy use (bosher, 1998; hedgcock, & lefkowitz, 1992; leki, 1995; raimes, 1985, 1987; roca de larios, murphy, & manchon, 1999; sasaki, 2000, 2002). early studies in l2 writing strategy were predominantly cognitive in nature and focused on exploring mental processes and strategies used by student writers (oxford, 1990; wenden & rubin, 1987; zamel, 1983). these early studies prototypically characterized learners’ strategy use as a problem-solving device with the underlying assumption of text-mind dualism. in the late 90s and onward, l2 writing strategy research focused on identifying factors which may have bearing on l2 writers’ strategy use. this line of research identified a number of factors leading to individual differences in strategy use. for instance, researchers reported esl writers used different revision strategies depending on the nature of writing issues they faced (conrad & goldstein, 1999; hyland, 1998; yasuda, 2004, 2005; wong, 2005). sze (2002) and wong (2005) showed that l2 writers’ strategy use changed from one stage of drafting to the next. takagaki (2003) specifically examined the strategy use of l2 writers at a revision stage and found that their strategy use was positively related to knowledge of revision task including their prior writing experience. more recent studies on l2 writing strategy became increasingly situated in nature by paying more focused attention to sociomaterial resources and their roles in l2 writers’ strategy use. in particular, researchers have been attempting to explore how l2 writers use their strategies by capitalizing on the notion of mediated-actions from a sociocultural perspective. lei (2008), for example, used a sociocultural framework to investigate l2 writers’ strategy use in relation to various tools in the specific l2 writing environment. the study demonstrated the l2 writers’ strategy use was mediated through a variety of social and material resources. another example of socially and materially mediated l2 writers’ strategy use was reported in bhowmik (2016). the study specifically addressed the role of agency, identity, and ideology in l2 writers’ strategy use and it identified the writers’ agency played a significant role in accounting for differences in their strategy use. in addition, the writers’ identity and ideology manifested as values, beliefs, assumptions, and perceptions of writing tasks which collectively fed into their highly deliberate and purposeful selections of strategy use. lei (2008) and bhowmik’s (2016) studies were exemplary in the respect that both of them captured l2 writing strategies as deeply immersed in a sociocultural context of writing wherein the writer as a whole person interacts with the environmental resources (i.e., social and/or material) and make agentive and ideological decisions in the process of writing. however, neither of the studies above considered instructor feedback as part of their investigations despite its well-recognized role as an important pedagogical intervention in the process-writing classroom. furthermore, currently available l2 writing strategy research is insufficient in explaining how an l2 writer selects socially and/or materially mediated strategies in the process of writing, most particularly in relation to student agency and temporal contextual conditions surrounding l2 writers. lei (2008) thus far pointed out the need for future research to probe deeply into the local and historical contexts of individual writing activities in order to further our understanding of how l2 writers select to use different l2 writing strategies. an overview of the previous studies reveals the scarcity of accounts as to how l2 writers determine to use specific sociomaterial tools to mediate their acts of writing. it is also important to note that the absence of instructor feedback in english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 3 examining l2 writers’ strategy use as in the previous studies may lack ecological validity— relevancy to the widely practiced process writing approach in l2 writing classrooms. to address the gap, the present study was conducted in a naturalistic process writing classroom wherein instructor feedback (i.e., oral and written) was periodically provided to student writers. thereby, the researcher attempted to explore processes leading to the emergence of l2 writing strategies in response to instructor feedback and their underlying contextual conditions. the ecological approach although the ecological approach was originally developed in the field of biology, an american psychologist, gibson (1979) applied the approach to study visual perception and its relationship with the environment. later, an attempt was made by researchers to adapt it to applied linguistics research in order to use it as a metaphorical bridge to explain language learning as an environmentally situated and emergent behavior (gee, 2004; leather & van dam, 2003; van lier, 2000, 2004, 2010). the essential premise of the ecological approach in applied linguistics is its central focus on ecological relationships between learners and their environment (see kramsch, 2002). it highlights that language development is in and part of the context in which it occurs. van lier (2010) further provides a useful summary of the ecological approach as adapted to applied linguistics: an ecological approach aims to look at the learning process, the actions and activities of teachers and learners, the multilayered nature of interaction and language use, in all their complexity and as a network of interdependencies among all the elements in the setting, not only at the social level, but also at the physical and symbolic level. (p. 3) as presented above, the ecological approach is characterized by its comprehensive treatment of context extending to not only learners but to teachers and their interaction at the social, physical, and symbolic level. it also denotes the inseparable link between individuals and their ecosocial environment. the ecological approach, however, is not a uniform theory, rather it is a specific way of thinking about and viewing the world, which shares similar worldviews with sociocultural theory (lantolf, 2000) and sociocognitive approach (atkinson, 2011; nishino & atkinson, 2015). the present research used the ecological approach to represent the researcher’s overarching orientation within the conduct of the current investigation. as mentioned above, however, the ecological approach is a theoretical worldview, which is not readily applicable to empirical investigations for its broad theorization of language teaching and learning. hence, the researcher capitalized on select conceptual tools from the aforementioned two ecologically-oriented theories to help interpret and present the findings. the adoption and adaptation of the ecological conceptual tools were carried out post-hoc in order to avoid situating the study from the top-down in a singleunified theoretical framework (e.g., sociocultural theory). rather, the researcher conducted the study from the bottom-up (atkinson & sohn, 2013).what follows is a brief overview of the key conceptual tools adopted from the two ecological theories—sociocultural theory and sociocognitive approach. agency. the notion of agency has been recognized as an important theoretical concept in l2 learning (duff, 2012, kinginger, 2004, lantolf & pavlenko, 2001; pavlenko & lantolf, 2000). in contrast to the traditional conceptualization of learners as passive recipients of information in the process of learning, sociocultural theorists view learners as active participants (i.e., agents), who are aware of their own capacity, reflect on their past experiences and various social conditions (e.g., classroom learning situations), and self-regulate their own learning (lantolf & pavlenko, 2001). as in any human activity, agency is a drive to move people to act in a specific manner as a person perceives it as important and necessary (lantolf & pavlenko, 2001; van lier, 2004). while agency is associated with many psychological constructs, such as motivation (brown, 2014), a major distinctive characteristic of agency is that it includes one’s perception of a goal in activity and how to achieve the goal by selecting potential actions to take (duff, 2012). agency thus serves as a pretext to a personalized way in which people engage in activity. agency, however, does not appear in isolation from the world in which people live, including social and material settings (norton & toohey, 2011). thus, it is not an exclusive personal attribute of an individual, but a sociomaterially and sociohistorically constructed masakazu mishima re-conceptualizing l2 writing revision strategies from an ecological perspective: an interview based inquiry 4 temporal state which is always in constant motion and retains possibility for change or transformation. as we recognize the need to act and for what purpose, agency emerges and shapes the ways we act by looking around resources or affordances that can help them to act on and with the world in order to achieve the goal (bhowmik, 2016). in a similar vein, van lier (2008) views agency as person-in-context— “an awareness of the responsibility for one’s own actions vis-à-vis the environment, including affected others” (p. 17). agency in this way permeates our actions as it regulates our actions and gives us the directions to the action or activity. accordingly, agency has to be present when learning, including learning to write. in the present research, the researcher adopted an ecosocially situated view of agency as presented above for its compatibility with the ecological approach and overall conceptual fitness to present the findings of the current study. in more specific terms, the concept of agency is used to show how the writer-perceived goal of writing gives rise to agentive engagement in one l2 writer’s revision activity and how it uniquely shaped the ways in which he attempted to revise his essay draft. alignment. the notion of alignment has been predominantly used in research on interpersonal interactions though from different orientations (see atkison, churchill, nishino, & okada, 2007; nishino & atkinson, 2015; costa, pickering, & sorace, 2008; garrod & pickering, 2009). the present research adopted the alignment principle of the sociocognitive approach proposed and incorporated into l2 writing research (nishino & atkinson, 2015). in the sociocognitive approach, the alignment principle denotes “the complex means by which human beings effect coordinated interaction, and maintain that interaction in dynamically adaptive ways” (atkinson, et al., 2007, p. 169). in this principle, human behaviors are always in the process of achieving harmony with both social and material environments by means of adaptation, as nishino and atkinson (2015) stated, “we would simply add that social relationships are always also ecosocial relationships—individuals act in, on and in concert with their non-human environments in order to adaptively survive in them” (p. 39). alignment is also relevant to agency and is viewed as a form of learning (wang & wang, 2014). if agency gives a volitional direction within the confinements of sociomaterial conditions including potential environmental resources and the norms or rules of conduct within a community/classroom to social activity (e.g., writing), then alignment refers to the processes in which the agent adaptively attempts to minimize the distance between what the agent already knows and needs to learn through sociomaterial interactions. in keeping with the sociocognitive notion of alignment above, the researcher views alignment as an intermediary adaptive and agentive process of learning through sociomaterial interactions, and also a temporal state of that process, which subsumes the object of the current investigation—revision process. in particular, the study presents what the l2 writer attempted to establish alignment with in the course of his revision activity and how it contributed to the writer’s engagement with instructor feedback. affordance. the concept of affordance refers to potential mediating tools for taking action (gibson, 1979). for a potential tool to mediate action, one needs to perceive the existence of the tool, relevancy of it to the activity, and how to use the tool to facilitate the activity. this point is highlighted in gibson (1979) and gibson and pick (2000) in differential theory of perception. the environment offers overwhelmingly rich tools for us to manipulate and coordinate our actions (van lier, 2004). however, due to the limited capacity of our sensory systems and cognition, not every potential tool is perceived and used as a mediating tool. therefore, we naturally pay selective attention to potential mediating tools or affordances in relation to a given activity and the goal of the activity. hence, our perceptions need to be differentiated between what to perceive and not to perceive. the directions of our attention are tightly intertwined with our personal exigency or agency to act as gibson (1982) viewed, “we do not perceive stimuli or retinal images or sensations or even just things; what we perceive are things that we can eat, or write with, or sit down on, or talk to” (p. 60). agency guides the ways we act and thus it also encompasses what we perceive to be an affordance including its relevancy to the activity. therefore, the primary locus of affordance is identified in a relationship between the individual unique agency and social as well as material others. furthermore, agents’ physical and/or social engagement with potential tools must necessarily present as priori in mediated actions. this essentially means that an english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 5 agent must first establish some level of connection or attempt to be in alignment with potential affordances in the ecosocial environment. in summation, the way in which an individual perceives and uses affordances is intimately associated with his/her agency and the level of alignment with the environment. thus, any affordance-mediated action or activity including act of revising is enacted through one’s agency and the nature of alignment in and with the environment. the concept of affordance above is used in the current investigation to present the specific sociomaterial tools which mediated the l2 writer’s revision activity and how they contributed to the emergence of sociomaterially conditioned revision strategies in conjunction with the writer’s agency and alignment with sociomaterial tools. method the present research aimed to analyze; 1) the revision strategies used by an l2 writer in response to instructor feedback, 2) the sociomaterial resources used in the identified revision strategies, and 3) how the identified revision strategies emerge in the process of an l2 writer’s revision activity. this study was conducted at a large public university with one of the highest concentrations of international students in the us. the university offers an esl version of freshman composition course designed specifically for nonnative english speaking students. data were collected from a section of the aforementioned composition course during which students engaged in a threeweek long argumentative essay writing assignment. in the first week of the writing assignment, students received assignment directions, lectures, and engaged in practice activities to be ready to take on the assignment. in the second and third week, each student was required to meet their instructor in a 15 minute one-on-one writing conference. the writing conference session was held once a week for each student and lasted for two weeks before the submission of final drafts. at each conference session, the instructor returned a student’s essay draft with written feedback and discussed his/her writing. this study involved one instructor and one l2 writer in a section of the esl freshman composition course. prior to data collection, both participants received a research invitation with descriptions of the research and tasks to be completed. upon consent, the researcher observed all lectures, classroom activities, and writing conferences for three weeks during which students worked on the argumentative essay writing assignment. the instructor, elif, was a 34-year-old female from turkey. at the time of the research, she was a ph.d. student at the university majoring in second language studies. while she had no prior educational background related to teaching composition, she received threesemester long in-service training and was already an experienced composition instructor— one year teaching experience in mainstream freshman composition classes and three additional years of teaching esl composition. the student, jiang, was a 20-year-old male from an urban city in china. he was a sophomore student at the university majoring in economics. although he came to the university at the beginning of his sophomore year, he was placed in the esl freshman composition class since it was a required course for graduation. after his undergraduate studies, he was planning to go back to china and work for his father’s company. as for his experience in l2 writing, he reported that he had never experienced writing in the process-oriented classroom or received any form of feedback from his instructors in china. the study initially used a situated case study approach (atkinson, 2005). in particular, the study capitalized on student interview data which contained the detailed accounts of jiang’s strategy use. in addition, the researcher collected a wide array of cultural artifacts to better contextualize his revision activity. the sample size was intentionally kept minimal to allow for an in-depth analysis of one student writer’s revision activity. the method adopted is epistemologically interpretivist in nature (see denzen & lincoln, 2011). therefore, the study does not seek to generalize its findings but rather particularize them. during the entire course of data collection, the researcher assumed the role of observerparticipant whose involvement in the field was strictly maintained as an observer by minimizing any interactions with the members of the social setting (gold, 1958). data sources collected and analyzed in the present research were: (a) field notes, (b) recording transcripts from lectures and student-instructor writing conferences, (c) student and instructor interview transcripts, and masakazu mishima re-conceptualizing l2 writing revision strategies from an ecological perspective: an interview based inquiry 6 (e) cultural artifacts (e.g., classroom materials and essay drafts). in order to ensure the systematic data collection and analysis of multiple data sources, the researcher used several techniques widely adopted in qualitative research, such as theoretical sampling, constant comparison, member checking, open-coding, and triangulation (see for review, yin, 2014). the techniques were used as an integral part of data collection and analysis. thus, data collection and analysis were simultaneous processes of the entire research conduct. this is a common procedure especially in situated qualitative research wherein researchers exercise constant reflexivity, which is by large a non-linear process (atkinson, 2005). after the formal data collection period was over, the researcher continued to analyze the data gathered to identify common threads cutting across all data sources and generate final research narratives. the details of data collection and analysis procedures for each data source are presented in the following sections. field notes. field notes were produced based on classroom and conference observations. the researcher took detailed notes of classroom activities and writing conferences. in addition, all observed classroom activities and writing conferences were recorded by a voice-recorder and subsequently transcribed to add any missing information to the field notes. these notes were coded to classify them into thematic categories with associated descriptors. the coded notes were constantly revised as new data were entered into analysis. once the emerged codes were finalized, they were used to produce the descriptions of the instructional context specifically of lecture topics, the writing assignment, and student-instructor interpersonal interactions during writing conferences to facilitate the analysis and interpretation of jiang’s accounts of his strategy use. interview transcripts. the researcher conducted a total of three interviews individually with the instructor and student for 30 minutes to one hour per session. interview questions were semi-structured; there were several prestructured questions which were prepared based on the field notes and directed at the participants to clarify and/or confirm the information (i.e., member checking) obtained from classroom and conference observations. during one of the interview sessions with the student participant, a stimulated recall task was conducted by using the instructor-commented first and second drafts of jiang’s argumentative essay to probe into his revision strategies. all interview data were transcribed for analysis. then, the transcribed interview data were coded to find common threads and organize the data accordingly to the thematic categories emerged. similar to field notes, the emerged codes and their associated descriptors were constantly revised and compared with the themes identified in the other data sources. cultural artifacts. the researcher collected all materials produced and/or used by the participants in the field, including course syllabus, class schedule sheet, assignment sheet, lecture slides, worksheets, instructor-commented argumentative essay drafts, and eight sample essays. these cultural artifacts were thematically organized and then used to gain an insight into the pedagogical intentions/expectations of the instructor in relation to the argumentative essay writing assignment. the sources were then used to help interpret jiang’s revision strategy use. data integration and production of research narratives. in the entire process of the data collection and analysis presented above, the researcher produced reflective research notes or more formally knowns as memos (glaser, 1978), which contains various interpretations of the thematic categories and descriptors emerged from each of the data sources. at the final stage of analysis, the researcher further compared coded data with their associated descriptors and memos across all data sources to identify similarities, differences, and relationships. in this process, the researcher refined the memos in an attempt to produce research narratives in relation to the purpose of the research. this process was by its nature, involved a higher level of interpretation—an analytical shift from a predominantly emic to increasingly etic perspective to situate the study in relation to the researcher’s positionality—the ecological approach. it involved an active attempt to search conceptual tools in producing locally situated narratives or meta-narratives without forcing the data (lyotard, 1984). the researcher adopted three major conceptual tools related to the ecological approach presented earlier—agency, alignment, and affordance—to produce the research narratives and present the findings. results and discussion results are presented in five sections to demonstrate how the student writer’s agentive english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 7 engagement emerged and how his several revision strategies were intimately associated with the sociomaterial resources available in his perceived environment. as mentioned earlier, the results that follow are primarily based on jiang’s accounts of revision strategy use while contextualizing them where relevant via the other data sources. jiang’s agency: the goal of writing during the first interview with jiang, he described at some length his goal of writing and how to achieve the goal which seems to have foregrounded his agency—the desire to align with elif’s pedagogical expectations delivered through her feedback: excerpt #1 researcher : what is the goal of writing for you, jiang? jiang : what do you mean? researcher : i mean, you are learning to write, right [in elif’s class]? do you want to improve your writing skills? jiang : to be honest, i don’t care about english writing. but it’s a required course so i have to do it. researcher : would you take the course if not required? jiang : no way. elif’s class is very very hard and i don’t need to write once i go back to china. researcher : what is your plan after you return to china? jiang : i [will] work for my father’s company. and i don’t need to write in english. researcher : so then what motivates you to write? jiang : i want to get a good grade. i have to write a good paper so i can get a good grade. i try hard to understand what elif wants me to do. researcher : why do you try so hard to understand what elif wants? jiang : hmm…she is the instructor. you need to do what the instructor says to get a good grade. researcher : does elif’s feedback help you understand what she wants? jiang : it’s difficult sometimes but i read feedback carefully and ask questions when i see her [at a writing conference]. researcher : is that how you studied in china? or something that you do in elif’s class? jiang : i always listened to what the teacher says in china and i can get a good grade. i just do it the same way [in elif’s class]. as the excerpt shows, jiang’s goal of writing—to receive a good grade and his belief about how to achieve the goal are the prominent sources of his agency. in particular, jiang’s agency manifested as the need to align with elif’s pedagogical expectations/intentions expressed through feedback to ensure a good grade as he stated, “you need to do what the instructor says” or “i read feedback carefully and ask questions…” jiang’s agency is also a product of his past successful learning experience in china, “i always listened to what the teacher says in china and i can get a good grade.” his goal-oriented agency above was an important source of drive which appeared to have shaped the nature of jiang’s engagement with instructor feedback and the emergence of his revision strategies as presented in the following sections. strategy to align with the instructor’s expectations the excerpts below exemplify jiang’s active agentive attempt to align with the instructor’s pedagogical intentions communicated through written feedback, and thereby to produce a revised essay that satisfies the instructor so as to receive a good grade. during the stimulated recall task at the third interview session, jiang compared the first and second drafts and attempted to recall how he revised his first draft. jiang reported that he tracked all feedback instances from the top of the paper to the bottom to not to miss out on any feedback. this strategy of responding to instructor written feedback can be called the head-to-toe approach in my own terms. excerpt #2 jiang : i look at all the comments from top to bottom. i go back to the first comment and changed the title. then, i forgot to put page numbers so i added them. i worked on the first argument, added more reason to it and revised the thesis statement. in the same way, i looked at all the other comments and made changes. jiang’s brief report above indicates that he attempted to revise his draft, while attending to all instances of elif’s feedback. jiang’s exclusive focus on elif’s feedback was further confirmed as he elaborated his head to toe approach: excerpt #3 jiang : i always retype everything. i look at comments and type everything [on a new word document] for second or masakazu mishima re-conceptualizing l2 writing revision strategies from an ecological perspective: an interview based inquiry 8 third draft. in this way, i can check all the comments and find mistakes that i missed. researcher : when you write in chinese, do you do this? jiang : no. researcher : so only when you write in english then? jiang : yes. i have never done this before this class. researcher : you mean, you do it only for elif’s class? do you do this in your other classes? jiang : no. i don’t have to. i don’t get feedback like this and i don’t have to revise. in the excerpt above, he explained that he had retyped his essay from scratch on a new word document rather than making revisions to the existing draft. in this way, his retyping strategy helped him to identify any issues that he might have missed otherwise, but also to make sure to fully attend to elif’s feedback. as his head to toe approach manifested as a means to satisfy his agentive need, the retyping strategy appeared to have been used as a means to further strengthen his alignment with the instructor by faithfully following the instructor’s directives. the use of the retyping strategy was most certainly not a pure cognitive event as jiang’s retyping strategy was made possible through two specific sociomaterial tools. one is a physical copy of the instructor-commented first draft, which he received at his first writing conference and the other is his bulky silver laptop which he would always carry around in his backpack to do school assignments and/or play videogames. his alignment with those sociomaterial tools seemed to be extant as priori as indicated in the following excerpt: excerpt #4 researcher : so how did you come to use this approach[the retyping strategy]? jiang : i want to understand what elif wants. so i don’t want to miss any comments [elif’s feedback]. researcher : yeah, i get that, but you said, you retype your essay after you receive feedback, right? when did you start doing this? jiang : i don’t remember exactly but elif always gives me my essay when i meet her and i always do my assignments with my laptop. so i carry it in my backpack. so i have a copy of my essay and my laptop to check elif’s feedback. it became like a hmm..habit? researcher : how often do you use your laptop to do your assignments? jiang : i don’t know but i have to use it almost everyday for all my classes. also, i like playing videogames so even when i don’t have assignments, i carry it anyway. researcher : oh, i like videogames, too. what do you play? jiang : starcraft. researcher : that one is very popular. strategy to align with the instructor’s unclear expectations jiang’s strategy use presented earlier was primarily geared toward effectively attending to elif’s feedback. however, there were some feedback instances which jiang found difficult to respond. the difficulty stemmed from elif’s feedback which focused on jing’s writing issues related to argumentation. in particular, issues related to thesis statement (i.e., a core argumentative statement) and jiang’s use of supporting evidence are some of the major concerns expressed by elif’s written and oral feedback. consider the excerpt below from the first writing conference with jiang where he discussed his first draft: excerpt #5 elif : as far as i can see there are two sources—one is mental health, the other is physical health. you used sources from your interview [the previously assigned interview-based paper]. you need five written sources where you can get evidence from. they should come from research papers. what you did was turning your interview into evidence. and apa style here. this is from a book but then you have to use apa to indicate it. jiang : so i need to find the source and use the source to support it. elif : your arguments are sound but you need to find sources, academic sources. it’s just you need to provide evidence. now, your thesis statement. i don’t see you reasons. this is my stance because…i want to see your reasons here. jiang : you want me to give reasons so i can say my personal experiences [from the interviewbased paper]? elif : no, don’t tell your personal story. this is your reason. it’s your opinion so you don’t have to provide evidence here. jiang : i have no more questions. elif : you need to work on in-text citations. for the second draft, please cite properly. there are some clarity issues. sometimes, i don’t understand. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 9 after the writing conference, jiang reported to me that the issues pointed out by elif were extremely challenging to resolve as she did not explain how or why the issues had to be resolved. be noted that elif’s general feedback approach was to not to provide straightforward answers to the issues at hand to push students to exercise critical thinking skills and curve out their own learning paths. excerpt #6 researcher : what is your approach to providing [written] feedback? elif : my focus is on more global things. do they have a thesis statement? is the introduction good enough? do they use transitional phrases? so i give much less feedback on grammar. i don’t give comments to everything. i just underline to have students to correct themselves. a review of elif’s written feedback shows, her feedback on global issues was predominantly provided in indirect form—underline or short verbal comment to indicate there is an issue to be attended. elif was also inclined to use indirect feedback during the oral writing conference as in excerpt #5, to not to give explicit solutions (i.e., direct feedback) to jiang’s writing issues. due to the absence of an explicit delivery of the instructor’s expectations, jiang was initially left out without a means to initiate revisions to those issues. he, however, attempted to find a way to further strengthen his alignment with the instructor by seeking help from some of his classmates with whom he had established a rapport over the course of the semester. consider the following excerpt: excerpt #7 researcher : i hear a lot of chinese in class. what do you talk about in class in chinese? jiang : sometimes, we talk about assignments but sometimes we talk about something else like having dinner together or going out to a party. researcher : do you ask your classmates for help with the current assignment [argumentative essay writing]? jiang : yeah, i sometimes ask my friends to show me their papers. their papers are good and they got good grades [on the previous assignments]. it helps me when i revise my arguments. researcher : you often sit alone in the classroom. do you have many friends in your class? jiang : not many but i know a few and their papers are good. so i talk to them when i have a problem [with assignments]. researcher : how did your friends’ papers help you to revise? jiang : what do you mean? researcher : i mean…what kind of change did you make to your draft after looking at your friends’ papers? jiang : i looked at their thesis statements and how they used evidence. then, i revised my thesis statement. i also asked them to share how they wrote them [their thesis statements]. they told me they checked the sample essays so i decided to look at them. the excerpt above shows this particular strategy, which i call peer support, was used to find clues as to how thesis statement and evidence had to be presented. jiang’s purposeful selections of whom to ask for help and for what purpose were clearly evident in his report. compared to the retyping strategy, the emergence of the peer support strategy was conditioned by the social relationship which he already had established with the select classmates, whose grades were good. i might further add that the development of this particular social relationship may be related to the demographic condition of the class which consisted of entirely chinese. jiang including all other students in class would often speak in chinese during lectures and/or classroom activities. the fact that all students in this class were chinese and spoke the same l1 may have provided an optimal condition for jiang to develop a kind of rapport that can benefit him in completing his revision task. in this sense, jiang’s strategy use is intimately associated with the demographic characteristic of the class—a part of the pedagogical environment. interaction between strategies when using the peer support strategy, jiang identified one other outlet to respond to elif’s indirect feedback. in his interaction with the peers presented earlier, he became aware of the sample essays which elif posted to blackboard, an online discussion and material sharing space allocated to the instructor for instructional purpose. her students had free access to these online resources. in jiang’s revision processes, he modeled after the sample essays that elif shared in order to find clues as to how he can best revise his thesis statement, improve his masakazu mishima re-conceptualizing l2 writing revision strategies from an ecological perspective: an interview based inquiry 10 presentation of evidence by correctly using apa in-text citations. excerpt #8 researcher : i can see you revised your thesis statement and in-text citations here. how did you do this? jiang : i did it because elif said i need to change it. researcher : did you use anything to make the changes? jiang : i looked at elif’s feedback but it doesn’t tell me how to do it but i know there is a problem. my friends told me about sample essays so i looked at them. researcher : what sample essays? the ones your friend told you about? jiang : i can get them online—blackboard. elif uploaded them. researcher : did you know about them before your friends told you? jiang : i did but i didn’t think they were important. researcher : you read them all when you revised your essay? jiang : not all of them. i just looked at thesis statement and how to show evidence. researcher : when you say, evidence, do you mean like apa? jiang : yeah. researcher : is it hard to learn apa in-text citations? jiang : no, it’s easy. it’s like math. i just need to know the rules. the modeling strategy emerged out of the interaction with his peers. before the interaction, despite the fact that the materials had been available from the beginning of the assignment, he was not aware of or did not pay attention to their relevancy to his writing/revision activity. however, the peer support strategy provided a ground for him to recognize the materials to use them as a means to scaffold his revision activity. for any form of affordance to mediate the agent’s activity, he/she first has to perceive its relevancy to the activity. hence, the emergence of the modeling strategy as used by jiang in this particular instance showcases that the previous strategy use—the peer support strategy—may have generated a perceptual condition for the emergence of another strategy. another important point to be noted is that jiang’s modeling strategy was exclusively used for attending to the select issues—thesis statement and apa in-text citations. this is also true to his peer support strategy. hence, as he reported, he decided to look at the only parts of the sample essays that were relevant to solving the specific writing problems. again, this particular focus is evident in the peer support strategy. jiang’s selective attention to those issues and the ways in which he utilized the sample and classmates’ essays were clearly reflective of his desire to meet the instructor’s expectations in order to strengthen his alignment with the instructor who repeatedly mentioned or else provided written comments on jiang’s specific writing issues—thesis statement and evidence. strategy to confirm alignment with the instructor’s expectations prior to the submission of his second draft, jiang brought his essay to the other instructor who was teaching a section of the same course. in elif’s class, it was a customary practice for her to provide a tentative grade on students’ second drafts to show their standings so as to encourage them to finalize their drafts with careful attention. as jiang was fully aware of this practice, and also he was gravely concerned about his potential grade for his argumentative essay, he decided to ask for an opinion from another instructor on the quality of his essay. by this time, his second draft had been ready for submission, but he was unsure that the changes he had made to the draft would suffice most particularly in relation to the issues of argumentation and supporting evidence. be reminded that jiang received only indirect feedback on those types of issues: excerpt #9 researcher : what do you think about elif’s feedback on your argument and evidence? she wrote these comments like here [pointing at elif’s comments on the first page of jiang’s first draft]. jiang : i really don’t know what the instructor means and wants. researcher : was it like that in china? jiang : no. actually, i brought my [second] draft to the other instructor who teaches the same course, and the instructor said, “just a little change and you can get an a,” but i don’t get an a, and i wonder why. [note: shortly before this interview, jiang received a c as a tentative grade on his second draft]. researcher : but you did make some changes in your second draft. jiang : i just did what i can but i don’t know what’s right or wrong. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 11 as shown in the excerpt above, the second opinion strategy was used to confirm if his revisions would meet elif’s expectations. what is interesting here is that he in fact did not know what was “right” or “wrong.” it suggests that his overall strategy use including the second opinion strategy above was not used based on his understanding of what the problems actually were but rather to enact the kind of change that elif would like to see in his paper. one important tenet of the ecological approach is its view on learning as emergent and environmentally situated behavior (van lier, 2004). as such, the following discusses the results of the present research by tethering the key conceptual tools adopted—agency, alignment, and affordance—to the notion of emergence. thereby, it offers an extended interpretation of the results in an attempt to explain how one l2 writer’s socio-materially afforded revision strategies emerged as a result of dynamic interplay of his agency and alignment with the environment. agency as a historical antecedent to writing at the moment jiang’s revision strategy use was tightly connected to his agency—the desire to meet the instructor’s expectations in order to achieve his goal—to receive a good grade. jiang seemed to have held a strong belief that, in order to receive a good grade, faithfully following the instructor’s directions was of paramount importance. as several researchers claimed that writing is a historically situated activity (e.g., leki, 1995; prior, 1998), jiang’s specific belief appeared to have been a carry-over from his past successful learning experience in china and preordained the way in which he engaged with the instructor’s feedback and employed several revision strategies. the finding is comparable to bhowmik (2016) which reported the participants actively used their past writing experiences to facilitate the completion of the writing task at hand. leki (1995) also reported a similar finding that her participants’ writing strategy use closely mirrored their past successful writing experiences. what is distinctive in jiang’s case, however, is that his agency manifested as the strong desire to align with the instructor not so much as the task requirements as specified in the assignment sheet. the finding is contrastive to bhowmik (2016) who found his participants’ agency was geared toward the successful completion of the writing task by paying focused attention to the task requirements. agency and the role of feedback the role of instructor feedback in jiang’s revision process was significant as it was the best conduit to understand the instructor’s mental representation of good writing for the given assignment; whether it was provided in written or oral form, it seems to have served as a guiding map in order for jiang to reach his destination. jiang’s attentiveness to elif’s feedback was evident in two of his revision strategies—the head-to-toe approach and retyping strategy—which he devised to conduct a thorough review of instructor’s written comments and revise his draft accordingly. an additional example was his second opinion strategy. after revising his first draft, he brought his revised draft to another instructor of the same course to assess if his revision was sufficient to receive a good grade. all these strategies above were intimately associated with his agency—to receive a good grade and in order to achieve this personal goal, he assumed that thoroughly attending to instructor feedback was the best course of action. agency and alignment with the environment the presence of social and/or material resources in the immediate environment was inseparably linked to all of his revision strategies. this is comparable to the findings reported by lei (2008) and bhowmik (2016). however, the study further offers an insight into how the writer selected his specific revision strategies. as mentioned earlier, jiang used the head-to-toe approach to strengthen alignment with the instructor in order to satisfy his agentive need. the use of the strategy was materially afforded by a copy of the instructor commented essay draft and his laptop with which jiang had established connection as priori—the presence and relevancy of these materials were perceived by jiang before the use of the strategy. without such connectivity to the material resources, this particular strategy use would not have been possible. likewise, jiang’s other strategies were all either socially or materially afforded but he aligned himself with these potential affordances before the enactment of his strategies. for instance, he had developed a social relationship with select classmates during the course of the semester. then, jiang sought help by consulting masakazu mishima re-conceptualizing l2 writing revision strategies from an ecological perspective: an interview based inquiry 12 the select classmates whose grades were good and used their essays as samples to model after. through the interaction with his peers, jiang also found other materials to model after—the eight sample essays shared by the instructor. these two strategies were categorically similar in that jiang ultimately used his peers’ essays and sample essays as examples in revising his thesis statement and evidence. however, the use of the instructor-uploaded sample essays was clearly demonstrative of its generative nature owing to his earlier interaction with his peers; jiang began utilizing the sample essays only after he had learned their relevancy from his classmates. hence, his preexisting alignment with social/material resources warranted a possibility for his strategy use. another point which merits a reflection is the nature of jiang’s use of the two strategies above was foreshadowed by the difficulty in establishing alignment with the instructor. in particular, two specific writing issues—thesis statement and evidence—proved to be a challenge to jiang since the instructor did not provide clear directions as to how the problems can be solved. his attention was selective in utilizing the strategies reflective of the said challenge presented by the two specific writing issues. while modeling is perhaps one of the most frequently reported strategies in the previous studies (e,g, bhowmik, 2016; lei, 2008, leki, 1995; hayes, 2012), most of the studies focused on explaining what strategy was used but not so much as how and/or why it was used. to this point, the findings of the current study contribute to the existing body of the literature. emergence of revision strategies the brief overview of the findings above suggests that jiang’s revision strategies emerged as a result of dynamic interplay of his unique agency and connectivity to or alignment with the immediate ecosocial environment. in particular, jiang’s agency assumed a powerful mediating role in the way he engaged with instructor feedback and devised his revision strategies. agency, as noted in the beginning of the paper, appears to give directions to the writer’s overall revision activity, but also his revision activity was socially as well as physically situated and conditioned, which naturally becomes “emergent” as a result of the total interaction of any relevant elements—the learner, instructor feedback, peers, and possibly broader social/physical contextual settings (ellis & larsen-freeman, 2006, p. 558). since the physical and social conditions are destined to fluctuate and an individual’s alignment with such conditions is also directed by his/her unique temporal agency, it is logical to assume that revision strategies may not be simply conceived as portable skills which can be carried across different writing contexts. rather, even a similar strategy use reported in the previous studies such as modeling (bhowmik, 2016; lei, 2008, leki, 1995; hayes, 2012) may well be qualitatively different due to what environmental resources the writer aligns with and the nature of his/her agency. as such, a writer’s strategy use and/or its outcome may not be strictly predictable even within one revision activity as lantolf (2000) stated, “activities, whether in the workplace, classrooms, or other settings, do not always unfold smoothly. what begins as one activity can reshape itself into another activity in the course of its unfolding” (p. 11). such strong connectivity between individual agency and his/her immediate ecosocial environment naturally leads to an ecologically bound revision activity in which the writer purposefully searches and utilizes potential mediating tools—whether it is social or physical—to adaptively coordinate the course of action in a given writing task. however, there seems to be a structural pattern— the nature of the writer’s agency and alignment appear to shape how and why specific revision strategies may be employed. if so, future research may closely examine patterns of individual agency and of alignment with environmental resources. such attempt can shed light on how individual differences/similarities in strategy use come into being in tight connection with the ecosocial environment and whether or not there is a systematic pattern exists across different writers in their strategy use. conclusion since the current research used a case study approach, a major limitation inherent is clearly its lack of generalizability. the interpretivist paradigm of research, however, takes a fundamentally different epistemological stance—the nature of knowledge claim rests on particularities and their relevance should be judged in relation to the context of potential audience—the reader. with that said, the significance of the study lies in its attempt to provide contextually rich accounts of an l2 english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 13 writer’s revision activity within the naturalistic classroom environment. by using the ecological approach, the study offered an explanation of one l2 writer’s revision process and his use of revision strategies in tight connection with the environment. conceptualizing l2 writers’ revision process as a situated and ecologically conditioned activity as demonstrated in the present research can be of significant value in understanding the complex nature of l2 writers’ revision process. further studies should be conducted to validate the findings and implications put forth in the preset research. references atkinson, d. (2005). situated qualitative research and second language writing. in p. k. matsuda & t. silva (eds.), second language writing research: perspectives on the process of knowledge construction (pp. 49-64). new york: routledge. atkinson, d. (2011). alternative approaches to second language acquisition. new york: routledge. atkinson, d., & sohn, j. (2013). culture from the bottom up. tesol quarterly, 4, 669-693. doi: 10.1002/tesq.104. atkinson, d., churchill, e., nishino, t., & okada, h. (2007). alignment and interaction in a sociocognitive approach to second language acquisition. the modern language journal, 2, 169-188. bhowmik, k. s. (2016). agency, identity and ideology in l2 writing: insights from the eap classroom. writing & pedagogy, 2, 275-308. doi: 10.1558/wap.26864. bosher, s. (1998). the compositing processes of three south east asian writers at the postsecondary level: an exploratory study. journal of second language writing, 7, 205-241. doi: 10.1016/s1060-3743(98)90013-3. brown, d. n. (2014). agency and motivation to achieve language-learning objectives among learners in an academic environment in france. journal of applied language studies, 1, 101-126. casanave, c. p. (2003). looking ahead to more sociopolitically-oriented case study research in l2 writing scholarship (but should it be called ‘post process’?). journal of second language writing, 12, 85–102. doi:10.1016/s10603743(03)00002-x. conrad, s. m., & goldstein, l. m. (1999). esl student revision after teacher-written-comments: texts, contexts, and individuals. journal of second language writing, 8, 147-180. doi: 10.1016/s1060-3743(99)80126-x. costa, a., pickering, m. j., & sorace, a. (2008). alignment in second language dialogue. language and cognitive processes, 4, 528-556. doi: 10.1080/01690960801920545. de guerrero, m. c. m., & villamil, s. o. (1994). social-cognitive dimensions of interaction in l2 peer revision. the modern language journal, 4, 484-496. doi: 10.1111/j.15404781.1994.tb02065.x. duff, p. (2012). identity, agency, and sla. in a. mackey and s. gass (eds.)., handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 410-426). london: routledge. ellis, n. c., & larsen-freeman, d. (2006). language emergence: implications for applied linguistics. introduction to the special issue. applied linguistics, 27, 558–589. doi :10.1093/applin/aml02. ferris, d. r. (1997). the influence of teacher commentary on student revision. tesol quarterly, 31, 315-339. doi:10.2307/3588049. garrod, s., & pickering, j. m. (2009). joint action, interactive alignment, and dialog. topics, 2, 292-304. gee, j. p. (2004). situated language and learning: a critique of traditional schooling. london: routledge. gibson, j. e. (1982). the concept of affordances in development: the renascence of functionalism. in w. a. collins (ed.), the concept of development: the minnesota symposia on child psychology: vol. 15 (pp. 55-82). new york: psychology press. gibson, j. e., & pick, d. a. (2000). an ecological approach to perceptual learning and development. new york: oxford university press. gibson, j. j. (1979). the ecological approach to visual perception. hillsdale, nj. erlbaum. glaser, b. g. (1978). theoretical sensitivity: advances in the methodology of grounded theory. mill valley, ca: sociology press. gold, l. r. (1958). roles in sociological field observations. social forces, 3, 217-223. han, y., & hyland, f. (2016). oral corrective feedback on l2 writing from a sociocultural perspective: a case study on two writing conferences in a chinese university. writing & pedagogy, 3, 433-459. hayes, j. r. (2012). modeling and remodeling writing. written communication, 3, 369-388. doi: 10.1177/0741088312451260. hedgcock, j., & lefkowitz, n. (1992). collaborative oral/aural revision in foreign language writing instruction. journal of second language writing, 4, 51-70. doi: 10.1016/1060-3743(92)90006-b. hyland, f. (1998). the impact of teacher-written feedback on individual writers. journal of second language writing, 7, 255-286. doi: 10.1016/s1060-3743(98)90017-0. hyland, k., & hyland, f. (eds.). (2006). feedback in second language writing: contexts and issues. cambridge: cambridge university press. masakazu mishima re-conceptualizing l2 writing revision strategies from an ecological perspective: an interview based inquiry 14 kinginger, c. (2004). alice doesn’t live here anymore: foreign language learning and identity reconstruction. in a. pavlenko & a. blackledge (eds.), negotiation of identities in multilingual contexts (pp. 219-242). new york: multilingual matters. kramsch, c. (ed.). (2002). language acquisition and language socialization. london: continuum. lantolf, p. j. (2000). sociocultural theory and second language learning. oxford: oxford university press. lantolf, p. j., & pavlenko, a. (2001). second language activity theory: understanding second language learners as people. in m. p. breen (ed.), learner contributions to language learning (pp. 141-158). harlow: pearson education. leather, j., & van dam, j. (eds.). (2003). ecology of language acquisition. dordrecht: kluwer academic publishers. lee, i. (2008). student reactions to teacher feedback in two hong kong secondary classrooms. journal of second language writing, 17, 144164. doi: 10.1016/j.jslw.2007.12.001. lei, x. (2008). exploring a sociocultural approach to writing strategy research: mediated actions in writing activities. journal of second language writing, 17, 217-236. leki, i. (1995). coping strategies of esl writing students in writing tasks across the curriculum. tesol quarterly, 29, 235-260. doi: 10.2307/3587624. leki, i., cumming, a., & silva, t. (2008). a synthesis of research on second language writing in english. new york: routledge. lyotard, j. f. (1984). the postmodern condition: a report on knowledge. minneapolis: university of minnesota press. manchon, r.m., roca de larios, j., & murphy, l. (2007). a review of writing strategies. focus on conceptualizations and impact of first language. in a. cohen & e. macaro (eds.), language learner strategies: 30 years of research and practice (pp. 229-250). oxford: oxford university press. nishino, t., & atkinson, d. (2015). second language writing as sociocognitive alignment. journal of second language writing, 27, 37-54. doi:10.1016/j.jslw.2014.11.002. norton, b., & toohey, k. (2011). identity, language learning, and social change. language teaching, 4, 412-446. doi: 10.1017/s0261444811000309. oxford, r. (1990). language learning strategies: what every teacher should know. new york: newbury house/harper & row. pavlenko, a., & lantolf, p. j. (2000). second language learning as participation and the (re)construction of selves. in j. p. lantolf (ed.), sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 155-178). new york: oxford university press. prior, p. (1998). writing/disciplinarity: a sociohistoric account of literate activity in the academy. mahwah, nj: lawrence erlbaum associates. raimes, a. (1985). what unskilled writers do as they write: a classroom study of composing. tesol quarterly, 19, 229-258. doi: 10.1016/s10603743(97)90006-0. raimes, a. (1987). language proficiency, writing ability, and composing strategies: a study of esl college student writers. language learning, 37, 439-468. doi: 10.2307/3586828. reid, j. (2001). advanced eap writing and curriculum design: what do we need to know? in t. silva, & p. k. matsuda (eds.), on second language writing (pp. 143-160). roca de larios, j., murphy, l., & manchon, r. (1999). the use of restructuring strategies in efl writing: a study of spanish learners of english as a foreign language. journal of second language writing, 8, 13-44. doi: 10.1016/s10603743(97)90030-8. sasaki, m. (2000). toward an empirical model of efl writing processes: an exploratory study. journal of second language writing, 9, 259-291. doi: 10.1016/s1060-3743(00)00028-x. sasaki, m. (2002). building an empirically-based model of efl learners’ writing processes. new directions for research in l2 writing studies in writing, 11, 49-80. doi: 10.1007/978-94-0100363-6_3. seow, a. (2002). the writing process and process writing. in j. c. richards & w. a. renandya (eds.), methodology in language teaching: an anthology of current practice (pp. 315-320). new york: cambridge university press. silva, t. (1990). second language composition instruction: developments, issues, and directions in esl. in b. kroll (ed.), second language writing: research insights for the classroom (pp.11-23). oxford: oxford university press. sze, c. (2002). a case study of the revision process of a reluctant esl student writer. tesl canada journal, 19, 21-36. doi: 10.18806/tesl.v19i2.927. takagaki, t. (2003). the revision patterns and intentions in l1 and l2 by japanese writers: a case study. tesl canada journal, 21, 22-38. doi: 10.18806/tesl.v21i1.272. van lier, l. (2000). from input to affordance: socialinteractive learning from an ecological perspective. in j.p. lantolf (ed.), sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 245259). oxford: oxford university press. van lier, l. (2004). the ecology and semiotics of language learning: a sociocultural perspective. boston, ma: kluwer. van lier, l. (2008). agency in the classroom. in j. p. lantolf & m. e. poehner (eds.), sociocultural theory and the teaching of second languages (pp. 163-186). london: equinox. english review: journal of english education volume 7, issue 2, june 2019 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 15 van lier, l. (2010). the ecology of language learning: practice to theory, theory to practice. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 3, 2-6. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.07.005. wang, c., & wang, m. (2014). effect of alignment on l2 written production. applied linguistics, 1, 1-25. wenden, a. l., & rubin, j. (eds.). (1987). learner strategies in language learning. uk: prentice hall. wong, a. t. y. (2005). writers’ mental representations of the intended audience and of the rhetorical purpose for writing and the strategies that they employed when they composed. system, 33, 29-47. doi: 10.1016/j.system.2004.06.009. yasuda, s. (2004). revising strategies in esl academic writing: a case study of japanese postgraduate student writers. journal of asian pacific communication, 14, 91-112. doi: 10.1075/japc.14.1.07yas. yasuda, s. (2005). different activities in the same task: activity theory approach to esl writing process. jalt journal, 2, 139-168. yin, r. (2014). case study research design and methods (5th ed.). thousand oaks: sage. zamel, v. (1983). the composing processes of advanced esl students: six case studies. tesol quarterly, 2, 165-188. masakazu mishima re-conceptualizing l2 writing revision strategies from an ecological perspective: an interview based inquiry 16 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 953 cultural-based reading materials for vocational high school: students’ need analysis praisa jopalina department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email:jopalinapraisa@gmail.com rita inderawati (corresponding author) department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email:rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id ismail petrus department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email:ismailpetrus@yahoo.com apa citation: jopalina, p., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2023). cultural-based reading materials for vocational high school: students’ need analysis. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 953-962. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.7916 received: 11-06-2023 accepted: 28-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: english instruction provided in vocational schools (smk) possesses distinct characteristics when compared to english instruction in general schools. considering the vocational schools' objective of preparing students to compete effectively in the workforce, it becomes necessary to adapt the instructional materials to cater the student's specific needs. this research aims to identify the requirements of students in developing culturally-based english reading materials, as assessed from the perspectives of both students and teachers. a combination of questionnaires and interviews were employed to gather the necessary information. a comprehensive analysis, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative aspects, was conducted on the data collection. the findings of the needs assessment shows the following key points: 1) students continue to face difficulties in understanding what they read; 2) there is a demand for descriptive texts; 3) english reading materials should be integrated with content relevant to other subjects; and 4) no english reading materials currently exist that consider the student's local culture, specifically the prabumulih culture. to fulfill these requirements, it is imperative to create supplementary reading materials that incorporate local culture, align with the students' reading proficiency, and support the subject matter effectively. keywords: 21st century learning; local culture; needs analysis; reading materials; vocational high school. introduction in the twenty-first century, english plays a multifaceted role in vocational high schools. its significance extends beyond facilitating communication with individuals from other countries, as it also assists students in acquiring knowledge relevant to their chosen fields of study. the aim is to equip students with the necessary skills to effectively compete for employment opportunities after graduating from high school. unlike senior high schools (sma) in indonesia, vocational high schools (smk) have distinct characteristics. while senior high schools prepare students for further education at the college or tertiary level, vocational schools, as per bsnp (2006), have a curriculum specifically designed to prepare students for entry into the workforce. consequently, the vocational high school places emphasis on developing students' readiness to excel in a particular occupational skill. the instruction and learning of english in vocational high schools (smk) exhibit variations compared to senior high schools. the instructional materials are specifically adapted to meet the students' needs based on their chosen fields of study. teaching english in vocational high schools shares similar objectives with english for specific purposes (esp), as stated by richard (2001). among the crucial skills to be mastered in english study is reading, which involves comprehending and extracting meaning from written materials. khan (2023) highlighted in his research that reading is the objective of acquiring knowledge, which means it is a form of oral communication (a method of extracting information). herawati et. al. (2020) assert that praisa jopalina, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus cultural-based reading materials for vocational high school: students’ need analysis 954 reading skills, coupled with the advancement of print media as a communication tool, form the fundamental basis for students. hence, it becomes essential for students to possess strong reading abilities as it enables them to access a wealth of knowledge to support their learning activities related to their respective fields of study. in accordance with the 2013 curriculum for grade x sma/smk/mak students, vocational high school students are introduced to various types or genres of reading texts, one of them is descriptive text. descriptive text is a genre commonly taught and evaluated in national exams for vocational high school students. due to its relevance to their majors, vocational students are required to study and enhance their proficiency in this genre. it is expected that students comprehend the content of the provided reading texts and continually improve their reading skills. learning resources play an important role in supporting student learning process to achieve a learning goal. nowadays, a wide range of materials is available on the internet or in government-provided coursebooks and materials from specific businesses. when teaching english in the classroom, teachers often rely on coursebooks. however, not all teaching materials are suitable for students, especially in vocational schools. fauzi and hanifah (2019) found that a significant portion of the learning materials used in smk were uninteresting and monotonous, failing to meet the students' needs. consequently, students lacked enthusiasm to engage with the provided information, resulting in poor reading proficiency. another study by puspita et. al. (2017) highlighted the vocational students' need for basic and specialized english materials to communicate in the workplace, access job-related instructions and information, and acquire specific knowledge. therefore, conducting a need analysis becomes the primary step. furthermore, the results of the need analysis provide important information that should be considered to meet students' demands (oktarina et al., 2022; inderawati et al., 2023)). as previously mentioned, several studies have explored the incorporation of local culture into reading materials, particularly in the tourism sector or culture (azizah et al., 2020; checaria et al., 2021; elviana et. al., 2020; nica et. al., 2021; oktarina et al., 2022). in the case of checaria et. al. (2021), their research focused on descriptive texts based on local culture of palembang as supplementary reading materials. according to brown (2009), need analysis refers to the process of acquiring information about the specific requirements of a particular group within the industry or education sector. in the context of smk, it involves gathering information about students' learning needs based on their study programs. need analysis holds great importance in course design, especially in english for specific purposes (esp), as it serves as the initial stage in creating or developing instructional procedures (hutchinson  waters, 1987). hutchinson and waters (1987) define two types of requirements in need analysis: target needs and learning needs. "target needs" refer to what students must accomplish in the desired situation, encompassing necessities, lacks, and wants. necessities pertain to the essential knowledge students need about the target situation, lacks indicate the gaps or deficiencies between the current and target situations, and wants reflect students' expectations or the resources they require for effective learning. on the other hand, "learning needs" refer to the actions or tasks students need to undertake in order to study effectively. brown (2009) further describes various forms of language requirement analysis, including target situation analysis (tsa), deficiency analysis, present situation analysis (psa), and strategy analysis. tsa focuses on the language requirements learners must fulfill when acquiring a new language, emphasizing their goals and needs. deficiency analysis examines students' current needs and wants alongside the deficiencies or lacks in their target situation. psa centers on assessing students' existing proficiency, knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses. lastly, strategy analysis delves into students' preferences regarding learning techniques, error correction, group sizes, homework quantity, and other relevant factors. integrating culture is crucial when providing english teaching materials, particularly descriptive reading materials, as language and culture are inherently interconnected, as stated by brown (1994). another study by (iroda et al., 2023) stated that in generally, language serves as both a medium of communication and a carrier of cultural aspects. based on the result of study was done by (iroda et al., 2023), stated that the process of acquiring a language is intricate and goes beyond learning the alphabet, vocabulary, and grammar. drawing from the studies conducted by monica and vianty (2019), sopian et al. (2019), elviana et al. (2020), nafiah (2020), and oktarina et al. (2022), incorporating resources based on english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 955 local culture can both motivate and enhance learners' reading comprehension. it also involves acquiring knowledge of language content, including behavior and local cultural. it can be conclude that language is an integral part of culture, and culture is inseparable from language. thus, incorporating local culture into english instruction becomes an essential aspect of foreign language learning. however, the majority of descriptive reading materials available in english textbooks do not consider students' prior knowledge. every place on earth possesses its own distinct culture, setting it apart from others. local culture is specific to a particular society in a particular location (ratminingsih & budasi, 2018). in order to improve students' reading comprehension, furthermore, wulandari, vianty, and fiftinova (2018) reported local culture can be used as learning resources. one effective way to increase students' motivation in learning a language in the class is by using local culture in the relevant situation (fu, 2018). when considering the utilization of local culture in providing descriptive reading materials for marketing majors, students can enhance both their knowledge of local cultures and their english language skills through reading these materials. this approach also serves multiple purposes, such as increasing students' comprehension of the content by relating it to their daily lives, fostering the development and practice of skills relevant to their field of study, promoting the local culture, particularly the prabumulih culture, to a wider audience, including at the national level, and preparing students for their future workplaces after graduating from the marketing major. the inclusion of elements related to the local culture in descriptive texts can effectively support students' learning based on their specific needs. therefore, the author aims to create instructional reading materials on descriptive texts that are based on the local culture of prabumulih and matched to the requirements of marketing major students. prabumulih is renowned in south sumatra for its diverse cultural heritage. according to wikipedia, it is often referred to as the "city of pineapples" due to the prominence of pineapple as a major agricultural product. pineapple is prominently featured in various prabumulih cuisines and crafts, both as a central ingredient and as a conceptual idea. this suggests that prabumulih has abundant potential to promote and attract domestic and international tourists. students in the marketing major learn about various aspects of local culture within their content subjects. this study focused on aspects that align with their subjects, the english curriculum, and the types of cultures that need to be preserved, as outlined in the national education ministry regulation of indonesia no. 10 in 2014 and indonesian government regulation no. 5 in 2017. the reading materials encompassed topics such as arts, foods, places, and customs from prabumulih. these materials were designed to incorporate prabumulih's local culture and include comprehension questions that align with the cognitive levels proposed by the 2013 curriculum. this approach aims to foster higher-order thinking skills in students, in line with the core skills of 21st-century learning, namely critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity (4cs), and the utilization of information and communication technology (ict) as a teaching medium. based on other studies and the introduction above, there was no specific research on prabumulih's local culture in descriptive form that had the significant objective of increasing students' knowledge of their own cultural background. method this research was a development research which is proposed by akker (1999). development research focuses on designing a product for specific purposes. akker (1999) suggests three main phases in development research: analysis, design, evaluation and revision. in the analysis phase, various analyses were conducted to gather necessary information for developing the product, specifically reading materials. these analyses included instructional analysis, students' need analysis, and students' reading level analysis. during the analysis phase, the authors addressed the instructional challenges and goals, while also identifying the learning environment and the learners' current knowledge and skills. in this phase, the instructional problem was pinpointed, along with an understanding of learner characteristics, their desired learning outcomes, and the methods by which they can achieve instructional goals and learning objectives. the participants in this study were 36 tenthgrade students in marketing major and an english teacher from smk negeri 1 prabumulih. data collection involved the use of a questionnaire and praisa jopalina, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus cultural-based reading materials for vocational high school: students’ need analysis 956 interviews. the students completed a questionnaire consisting of 25 questions divided into target situation analysis (tsa), deficiency analysis, present situation analysis (psa), and strategy analysis. additionally, a semi-structured interview was conducted with an english teacher to discuss the preparation of english reading materials based on the local culture. data collection was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. the quantitative method used to evaluate the questionnaire responses and the qualitative method employed to understand and characterize the interview content. results and discussion the result of students’ need viewed by the students the obtained data was relevant to the students' needs in target situation analysis (tsa), deficiency analysis, present situation analysis (psa), and strategy analysis. this paper presents the data with the highest percentage representing the students' viewpoints. target situation analysis (tsa) this section focused on the students' requirements, general intentions, and expectations regarding english learning. the data collection is presented in table 1. table 1 reveals that the primary motivation of learning english was the desire to communicate with other people (58.3%). this aligns with the objectives of vocational high schools outlined in the national education ministry regulation of indonesia no. 20 year 2016. furthermore, the students expressed their aspiration to communicate fluently in oral english within their future workplaces (50%). most students aimed to utilize english for interacting with colleagues or tourists (52.8%). these findings highlighted the significance of attaining a high level of english proficiency (69.4%) to support their careers. as marketing students, they needed to possess knowledge relevant to their study program, including their local culture. in the future, they would be required to explain and promote their local culture to domestic and international tourists as part of their job responsibilities. however, the data indicated that students' english proficiency was at a beginner level (55.6%). to address this, incorporating knowledge about their local culture into reading materials could be a valuable approach. as petrovska (2001) suggested that integrating local culture into language teaching and learning could enhance students' new experiences, motivate them through familiar content, and enable them to discuss their own culture using a foreign language for exchanging ideas, values, and knowledge. table 1. tsa views of students no questions students’ view percentage 1 the significance of english language acquisition  for interpersonal communication  to enhance professional prospects 58.3 % 16.7% 2 the students' anticipated outcomes from english language learning to engage in effective oral communication using english in upcoming situations 50% 3 the language employed for students' professional endeavors to engage in fluent oral communication with coworkers or tourists 52.8% 4 the level of english proficiency required for students' professional pursuits beginner 55.6% deficiency analysis this section examined the existing needs and requirements of students, as well as the gaps and deficiencies in their target situations. the data regarding current needs and student preferences were presented in table 2. the survey results indicated that 61.1% of students expressed a preference for reading materials focused on descriptive texts, as they believe it would support their program of study. additionally, 38.9% of students expressed a desire for texts related to the context of the marketing department, specifically online business and marketing. furthermore, 50% of students emphasized the importance of integrating topics that align with their overall reading program knowledge. similarly, 50% of students highlighted the significance of incorporating their local culture, particularly the prabumulih local culture. these findings were consistent with the research conducted by azizah et al. (2020) and oktarina et al. (2022) on the english needs related to local culture, where cultural tourism emerged as a prominent subject in students' reading materials. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 957 table 2. different viewpoints held by students regarding their present desires and requirements. no questions students’ view percentage 1 read topics of students' interest online business and marketing prabumulih local culture 38.9 % 72.2% 2 the reading materials that students expressed a preference for. a text that provided a description of the context in relation to online business and marketing. 52.8% 3 incorporating subjects that align with the students' overall knowledge. important 50% 4 incorporating reading materials that revolve around the local culture of prabumulih. very important 72.2% moreover, incorporating local culture into reading materials was perceived by the students as beneficial for several reasons. it is shown in figure 1. the majority of students expressed that integrating local cultures in their reading materials could enhance their motivation to learn english (nambiar et al., 2020; ainsworth et al., 2020). additionally, it enabled them to deepen their understanding of their own culture, which contributes to their overall knowledge. when students had little interest in specific topics, their inclination to read diminishes. hence, incorporating local culture into the learning process was important in stimulating their motivation to learn english. by providing relevant reading materials, students' reading skills could be significantly improved. research conducted by dehghan and sadighi (2011) demonstrated that students who were familiar with a particular subject area performed better compared to those who were unfamiliar with it. consequently, integrating local culture as a learning material could effectively enhance students' reading comprehension. figure 1. the viewpoints of students regarding the significance of integrating local culture into reading materials. the survey findings presented in figure 2 informed various aspects of local culture that students were interested in. the majority of students (30.6%) expressed a need to learn about local customs. additionally, other aspects of local culture that were deemed important included art (25%), folklore (19.4%), and traditional costume and food (11.1%). this data provided valuable insights into the specific types of culture that should be integrated into the development of reading materials. figure 2. the requirements or necessities of local culture praisa jopalina, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus cultural-based reading materials for vocational high school: students’ need analysis 958 due to students' limitations, they encountered challenges in learning reading skills. figure 3 presented the outcomes, indicating a range of difficulties faced by students. the statistics demonstrated that students' reading proficiency was not at a satisfactory level. the most challenging skill identified was understanding specific words (55.6%). other difficulties included identifying main ideas (47.2%) and organizing events in chronological order (33.3%). the least encountered difficulties pertained to other aspects (33.3%). consequently, it was recommended to consider both content and reading comprehension when developing reading materials. figure 3. difficulties faced by students in the area of reading ability. present situation analysis (psa) this section centered on the english proficiency of students, the materials they studied, and their knowledge of local culture. table 3 presented the students' perspectives on their english abilities. the majority of students (55.6%) acknowledged that their english proficiency was at a beginner level. additionally, 47.2% of surveyed students considered their current reading proficiency to be sufficient. based on the gathered data, it was evident that advanced reading materials could enhance the students' english proficiency, particularly their reading skills, to meet the higher level required to support their future careers. table 3. the proficiency in english language among the students no questions students’ view percentage 1 the existing level of english proficiency among the students. beginner 55.6% 2 the students' present level of understanding of the reading text. enough 47.2% the students' perspective on the reading materials they had encountered or been provided with in school could be observed through the data presented in table 4. about 50% of the students found the reading texts in english course books to be challenging. however, 61.1% of students found the topics to be engaging. it was worth noting that 61.1% of students indicated that the most commonly encountered or learned text type in english learning was descriptive text, which typically involves describing people or animals. based on the findings, it was found that 77.2% of students consistently studied descriptive texts primarily focused on online business and marketing, which aligns with their study program's requirements for knowledge development. in addition, a few students noted that on certain occasions, english instructors supplied reading materials and associated queries pertaining to the overall understanding of their academic discipline. on the other hand, 47.2% of students noted that english teachers occasionally provided reading materials and questions specifically related to prabumulih local culture. from this, it could be inferred that students rarely had access to reading materials that centered around their own local culture. table 4. the materials that are currently being taught and supplied no questions students’ view perce ntage 1 the level of difficulty of reading texts in the english coursebook. enough 47.2% 2 the subjects covered in the reading texts of the english coursebook. interesting 77.8% 3 the type of text descriptiv 61.1% english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 959 frequently encountered or studied in english learning e 4 the frequency at which english teachers provide reading materials or texts and include questions specifically about the local culture of prabumulih sometimes 41.7% 5 the frequency at which english teachers provide reading materials or texts and incorporate questions related to local culture for reading sometimes 72.2% the data presented in table 5 reveals the students' evaluation of their current understanding of local culture. around 38.9% of students expressed that they were satisfy with their knowledge of local culture. among the different aspects of local culture, traditional food was the most recognizable to the students, with 30.6% acknowledging their familiarity with it. furthermore, 27.8% of students indicated that their comprehension of local culture mainly stemmed from community traditions and practices. moreover, 47.2% of students reported being acquainted with local culture limited to their own locality and neighboring districts. in addition, a notable 52.8% of students recognized that their understanding of local culture remained confined to basic facts and general knowledge. these results emphasized the significance of integrating learning materials that introduce local culture into the students' learning process. table 5. the students’ local culture knowledge no questions students’ view perce ntage 1 students’ knowledge about local culture good 38.9% 2 the aspects of local culture that the students know traditional food folk song 36.1% 30.6% 3 the way students know about local culture community habits 27.8% 4 the scope of local culture that the students know the area of students’ live 47.2% 5 the students’ knowledge level of local culture general information 52.8% the students' perspective on their understanding of local culture revealed various actions they believed could contribute to the preservation and development of their local culture. figure 4 provides an overview of the activities that the students considered feasible. figure 4. the involvement of students in the preservation of local culture from the gathered data, it was found that 38.9% of students expressed their commitment to preserving and advancing their local culture by enhancing their knowledge and understanding of prabumulih's local culture. additionally, 25% of students wanted to implement local culture into their daily lives. these findings indicated that students had a genuine interest in deepening their understanding and safeguarding their local culture. therefore, the development of reading materials centered around local culture can play a vital role in expanding their knowledge and fostering their awareness of their own cultural heritage, thereby promoting cultural literacy (checaria et al., 2021). strategy analysis in this section, the preferred learning methods for reading among the students were presented, as depicted in figure 5. according to the data, 72.2% of students indicated a preference for comprehending the text through translation. praisa jopalina, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus cultural-based reading materials for vocational high school: students’ need analysis 960 additionally, 55.6% of students favored discussing the content of the text in a group as a way of learning reading, while 36.1% preferred reading and answering questions individually. furthermore, 22.2% of students expressed their interest in reading aloud with correct pronunciation, and 33.3% showed a preference for analyzing new vocabulary within the context. it is important to take into account the students' learning preferences when designing reading strategies, as this can aid their learning process (rhahima, et al., 2021; tenridinanti, et al., 2021). figure 5. the reading preferences of student the students' need viewed by the english teachers in order to obtain a more comprehensive insight into the requirements of the students, an interview was conducted with an english teacher who teaches tenth-grade students. the results of the interview unveiled various elements that contribute to the students' inadequate reading skills. the prevailing pandemic has had a substantial influence on their motivation to learn english, resulting in a generally low proficiency level in the language. furthermore, their enthusiasm for reading had diminished, and the allocated time for the english subject was insufficient, with only approximately 35 minutes per session. the english teacher expressed agreement on the importance of integrating relevant subjects pertaining to general knowledge into the students' reading curriculum. the same applied to incorporating topics about local culture into their reading materials. it was evident from the interview that none of the english teachers assessed their students' reading ability. one possible contributing factor was the mismatch between the reading materials used and the students' reading level. almost all the english teachers acknowledged the need for more suitable reading resources that catered to the students' proficiency and addressed their specific needs. consequently, the students' reading achievements remained unsatisfactory and required improvement. conclusion english is a fundamental subject for vocational high school students, serving as both a foreign language they need to learn and a tool they can utilize in their future careers. therefore, all the materials used for english reading, especially for marketing students, should align with their future needs. conducting a thorough needs analysis is the initial step in determining the students' requirements. based on the identified needs of the students, as assessed by both the students and teachers, several essential strategies should be emphasized. the findings indicated that english holds immense importance for students as it equips them with effective communication skills and enhances their prospects for success in future employment. however, a significant number of students continued to face challenges in comprehending what they read. it was observed that students predominantly encountered descriptive texts during their english learning, thereby underscoring the necessity for a wider range of text types, including descriptive texts. additionally, there was a need to integrate english reading materials with content subjects and create materials that incorporate the students' local culture. one limitation of relying solely on english course books was the absence of materials that cater to the students' backgrounds. to address these issues, educators should consider expanding the repertoire of english reading materials to better align with the students' needs. textbooks alone may not cover all the essential topics or provide the specific content that students require. therefore, it is important to develop reading materials that encompass the students' local culture, match to their reading english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 961 proficiency levels, and relate to the content subjects (inderawati et al., 2022). references ainsworth, b. a., redpath, s. m., wilson, m., wernham, c., & young, j. c. (2020). integrating scientific and local knowledge to address conservation conflicts: towards a practical framework based on lessons learned from a scottish case study. environmental science & policy, 107(1), 46-55. akker, j. v. d. (1999). principle and methods of development research. in j. akker, r. branch, k. hustalfon, t. nieveen n, g plomp (eds.), design methodology and development research. kluwer. azizah, n., inderawati, r. & vianty, m. (2020). bangka-culture-based descriptive reading materials for tour and travel in smk: students’ needs analysis. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 21-34. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1 brown, h. d., & abeywickrama, p. (2009). language assessment: principles and classroom practices. pearson education. brown, h. d. (1994). principles of language learning and teaching. prentice-hall. bsnp. (2006). standar kompetensi dan kompetensi dasar smk / mak. badan standar nasional pendidikan checaria, k.a., petrus, i., & inderawati, r. (2021). descriptive reading materials: palembang tourist destination. spasi book. dehghan, f. & sadighi, f. (2011). on the cultural schema and iranian efl learners’ reading performance: a case of local and global items. journal of pan-pacific association of applied linguistics, 15(2), 97-108. elviana, r., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2020). developing interactive multimedia for teaching descriptive texts based on palembang local culture. indonesian efl journal, 6(1), 19-26. https://doi: 10.25134/ieflj.v6i1.2634. fauzi, i., & hanifah, d. (2009). designing reading materials for esp students vocational high school of medical science. international journal for educational and vocational studies, 1(4), 314-321. fu, w. (2018). read from local to global: a culturebased reading material. advance in social sciences research journal, 5(3), 57-65. https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.52.4173 herawati, n., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2020). developing islamic instructional descriptive reading materials for the seventh graders. jurnal pendidikan progresif, 10(2), 312-326. hutchinson, t., & waters, a. (1987). english for specific purposes: a learning centered approach. cambridge university press. inderawati, r., susanti, s., nurhayati., & sitinjak, m. d. (2022). developing instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative texts for the tenth grade students. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 749-760. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6431. inderawati, r., eryansyah., maharrani, d., suhendi, d., siahaan, s. (2023). virtual drama performance: is it a need due to pandemic or technological era? english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 551-560. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.6653 iroda, e., maftuna, k., mukaddas, d. (2023). teaching language and teaching culture. academic international conference on multi-disciplinary studies and education. http://aidlix.com/index.php/us/article/view/143/ 118 khan, s. (2023). the role of home reading in the process of teaching english in a general educational organization. international bulletin of applied science and technology, 3(3). https://researchcitations.com/index.php/ibast/art icle/view/733/494 ministry of national education, ri. (2016). peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia no.20 tahun 2016 tentang standar kompetensi lulusan pendidikan dasar dan menengah. jakarta: ministry of national education, the republic of indonesia. ministry of national education. (2014). peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia no.10 tahun 2014 tentang pedoman pelestarian tradisi. republic of indonesia. monica, s., & vianty, m. (2019). developing local content-based instructional graded reading materials for reading level three learners. linguistic english education and art journal, 3(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.31539/leea.v3i1.792 nafiah, u. (2020). developing english modules with integrated islamic values and jambi local wisdom. studies in english language and education, 7(1), 96112.https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v7i1.15138 nambiar, r. m. k., ibrahim, n., hashim, r. s., yasin, r. m., azman, h., yusof, n. m., ramli, s., & mustaffa, r. (2020). impact of local culturebased reading materials on students' skill development and confidence in english. universal journal of educational research 8(2), 445-453. htpps:// 10.13189/ujer.2020.080215 nica, a., petrus, i., & vianty, m. (2021). developing descriptive reading materials about palembang historical buildings. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), 293-300. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4354 oktarina, y., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2022). needs analysis of palembang-tourist-destination praisa jopalina, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus cultural-based reading materials for vocational high school: students’ need analysis 962 recount text reading materials in the 21st century learning. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 381-392. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6239 petrovska, i. (2001). teaching intercultural communication in the global language classroom. 545-553. https://www.uklo.edu.mk/filemanager/horizo nti%202019/serija%20a%20br%2023/p40.pd f. puspita, f., sukmaantara, i. p., santihastuti, a. (2017). developing esp reading materials by using authetic materials for automotive students at smkn 2 jember. proceeding of the workshop on intercultural communication. https://jurnal.unej.ac.id/index.php/fkipepro/article/view/4279. ratminingsih, n. m., & budasi, i. g. (2018). local culture-based picture storybooks for teaching english for young learners. in shs web of conferences, 42, 00016. rhahima, a., inderawati, r., & eryansyah. (2021). students’ needs analysis for the development of electronic descriptive reading materials for hotel accommodation program in vhs. eralingua: jurnal pendidikan bahasa asing dan sastra, 5(2), 470-482. richards, j. (2001). curriculum development in language teaching. cambridge university press. sopian, s., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2019). developing e-learning based localfolklores for eighth graders. english review: journal of english education,8(1), 100-112. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i1.1813 tenridinanti, t. b., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2021). climate change-based report texts for senior high school: a mix method study. jurnal pendidikan progresif, 11(3), 610-625. doi: 10.23960/ jpp.v11.i3.202112. wulandari, a. a., vianty, m., & fiftinova. (2018). using local culture as teaching materials for improving learners’ reading comprehension. the journal of english literacy education (the teaching and learning of english as a foreign language, 5(1), 11-24. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 799 eustress, learning engagement, and workable strategies of dcblt in english for engineering jihan nawal aini english education department, post graduate program, universitas muhammadiyah gresik, indonesia email: jihaannawalaini@gmail.com khoirul anwar english education department, post graduate program, universitas muhammadiyah gresik, indonesia email: khoirulanwar@umg.ac.id yudhi arifani english education department, post graduate program, universitas muhammadiyah gresik, indonesia email: yudhi_arif@umg.ac.id apa citation: aini, j. n., anwar, k., & arifani, y. (2023). eustress, learning engagement, and workable strategies of dcblt in english for engineering. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 799-810. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8838 received: 02-06-2023 accepted: 27-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: attention to eustress related to learning engagement among esp learners utilizing digital contentbased language teaching (dcblt) remains notably insufficient. this research aims to identify the levels and relationships between eustress and learning engagement, as well as the identification of workable teaching strategies when implementing dcblt. employing a mixed-method approach, this study utilizes quantitative data (questionnaire responses) from 43 students and qualitative data (in-depth interviews) from three english for engineering language instructors. the analysis procedure for quantitative data employed the spearman rank correlation test, while qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. the results indicate that the levels of eustress and learning engagement among students are highly satisfactory. moreover, eustress correlates positively and strongly with increased learning engagement. the data also reveals the existence of several workable dcblt teaching strategies, encompassing the pre-teaching phase (stimulating idea generation, fostering brainstorming, establishing connections, and motivating learners), the whilst-teaching phase (employing a student-centered learning approach, including individual tasks, group work, and quizzes via the dcb platform), and the post-teaching phase (assessing, verifying, and reviewing learners' comprehension). research recommendations are also presented in the concluding section to fortify and extend the findings of this study. keywords: dcblt; eustress; learning engagement. introduction english for specific purposes (esp) continues to face several unresolved issues. among these challenges are teaching pedagogy, the role of teachers, learning design, learner abilities, and learner needs (anwar & wardhono, 2019). the pedagogy of teaching is still characterized by ineffective learning outcomes. esp instructors still require enhanced skills, knowledge, and experience. additionally, the esp course design still lacks a well-defined, comprehensive syllabus based on thorough needs analysis, including the provision of suitable materials and assessments. furthermore, student needs frequently evolve, presenting distinct challenges to esp teacher expectations. affective concerns also persist and receive limited attention, encompassing aspects such as motivation, anxiety, efficacy, distress, and eustress (fitria, 2023). additionally, affective factors, consisting of anxiety, motivation, self-efficacy, distress, and eustress, are emotional elements that significantly impact the learning process (anwar, 2020). these affective dimensions tend to receive limited attention due to the predominant focus of esp on cognitive and linguistic aspects alone, such as grammar, vocabulary, genre, and discourse. english educators have yet to receive comprehensive training in effectively addressing these affective factors, particularly within blended and online learning contexts. moreover, cultural and peer influences contribute to the insufficient emphasis on sharing affective experiences among learners (anwar, 2020). among the various jihan nawal aini, khoirul anwar, & yudhi arifani eustress, learning engagement, and workable strategies of dcblt in english for engineering 800 mentioned affective factors, eustress remains a relatively neglected aspect in esp learning. however, eustress, characterized as positive stress with advantageous effects on mental health, performance, emotional well-being, and motivation, bears significant relevance. eustress proves beneficial within esp by heightening student motivation towards mastering both the subject matter and language under study (mulyadi et al., 2020; pérez-llantada & swales, 2016). certain esp teaching strategies have evolved to address barriers by enhancing students' knowledge and interest, and by tailored learning models for adults (evans & green, 2007; yu, 2018). the creation of activities that seamlessly integrate science and language has also been undertaken, focusing on lexis, grammar, student learning skills, genres, and specific discourse. this also includes instructor training in areas such as designing lesson plans, creating syllabus, selecting resources, and evaluating learning outcomes. nevertheless, despite these efforts, the reduction of esp-related challenges has not been achieved significantly, as indicated by the persistent occurrence of learners with subpar achievements and low learning enthusiasm (alm, 2016; alzeebaree & hasan, 2020; miglani, 2017). another factor that significantly impacts the effectiveness of esp is the level of learner engagement (gabarre et al., 2016; kubischta, 2014; wu, 2019). learning engagement represents both a challenge and an opportunity. it maintains the involvement and interest of learners in the learning process. the primary determinants of esp student learning engagement encapsulate the presence of learners' goals, needs, and interests; pedagogy tailored to these needs; and an adequate learning environment, materials, resources, and assessment methods (ahmed, 2014; rica et al., 2018). despite the shift of esp learning towards online platforms, numerous strategies fall short in fostering active engagement due to the mismatch between online teaching approaches and learners' preferences, expectations, and needs (gonzález et al., 2019; plastina, 2015; rahman, 2015). this discrepancy is marked by insufficient feedback, interaction, and peer support, as well as a dearth of metacognition, self-regulation, and student motivation within the learning management process. considering the evolving demands of esp learning, particularly in the post-covid-19 era, digital content-based language teaching emerges as a promising avenue. this approach amalgamates content knowledge and language skills through the utilization of digital technology (kirkham, 2015; monica & vianty, 2019; villalobos, 2013). however, current research underscores the need for strengthening this approach, as discrepancies between student learning styles and teacher teaching methods can lead to frustration, demotivation, and learning setbacks (iakovos et al., 2011; villalobos, 2013). therefore, dependable, and practical strategies are essential in digital content-based esp learning to aid learners in enhancing their technological proficiency (digital literacy), fostering innovation, and honing problem-solving skills. digital content-based approaches should facilitate learners in overcoming challenges in interaction between students, teachers, the learning environment, and other factors. english for specific purposes (esp) is a subset of english language teaching (elt) that is tailored to the requirements of learners, whether they maintain to professional or academic contexts (aksornjarung, 2017; kirkham, 2015; yumnam & yumnam, 2021). content-based language teaching (cblt) endeavors to fuse content and language instruction through the utilization of tasks and authentic materials (amutha, 2017; karim & rahman, 2016). while cblt within esp has garnered increasing adoption by educators, certain limitations persist. these primarily encompass challenges in securing qualified instructors equipped with both contentrelated and linguistic expertise, as well as fostering collaboration between content and language educators. furthermore, difficulties endured in the development of teaching materials that effectively align with learners' interests, needs, and competencies, while simultaneously adapting to the existing educational context (nurjannah, 2020; tahir et al., 2021). similarly, the assessment of content and language learning outcomes does not consistently correspond to the requirements for comprehensive feedback, nor does it adhere to unequivocal and coherent criteria. digital content-based language teaching (dcblt) plays a pivotal role in esp as it enables learners to cultivate language proficiencies while acquiring knowledge of language and content in a meaningful and integrated manner. moreover, dcblt significantly contributes to enhancing communicative competence that is pertinent and specific for both professional and academic endeavors. dcblt encompasses tasks and authentic materials meticulously tailored to reallife needs and contexts (frolova et al., 2020; jabbour et al., 2020). nevertheless, the implementation of dcblt in language classes can result in various disruptions, such as students english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 801 being tempted to visit unrelated websites, loss of student interest, and avoidance of oral interactions among students (calabrich, 2016). research conducted by salloum et al. (2019) revealed that, despite students perceiving dcblt as fairly effective they remained unconvinced about its simplicity and practicality for their needs. the implementation of dcblt has been undertaken by certain educators across diverse contexts; however, as of yet, an optimal procedure has not been conclusively established for esp (serra-cámara (universitat politècnica de & valència), 2013; gutiérrez-porlán et al., 2022). specific steps have been identified in a general sense, starting with a needs analysis to discern the interests, objectives, and proficiency levels of learners in terms of both content and language. subsequent curriculum design should seamlessly integrate content and language objectives, tasks, instructional materials, and assessment methodologies. the implementation of the curriculum follows an interactive and communicative approach, fostering feedback provision, collaborative efforts, and learner independence (balasubramanian, n.d.; whyte, 2019). furthermore, curriculum evaluation applies principles rooted in competency-based assessment to gauge language and content outcomes. yet, it is noteworthy that several factors contribute to the challenges faced by dcblt in esp (mirani et al., 2019). paramount among these is the dearth of support and comprehensive training for educators in dcblt, especially concerning content knowledge, assessment techniques, and curriculum design. furthermore, difficulties arise from the misalignment between the expectations and needs of participants regarding materials, curriculum, tasks, and dcblt resources. there is also a deficiency in the adaptation of authentic and contextually relevant tasks and materials to the domains of language and content. moreover, reluctance persists among both teachers and students when it comes to the adoption of dcblt approaches eustress is a form of positive stress that impacts the emotional well-being of esp learners (bienertova-vasku et al., 2020; branson et al., 2019a; mesghina, 2021). eustress within esp proves advantageous in enhancing motivation towards achieving both content and language objectives, alleviating negative effects, and augmenting learner satisfaction. various strategies can be employed to cultivate eustress in esp, including aligning goals with interests and objectives, delivering positive feedback, fostering positive emotions and student experiences, and implementing controlled techniques to boost motivation and learning outcomes. furthermore, learning engagement characterizes the active participation of learners throughout the language learning process (zainuddin et al., 2020; novianti & garzia, 2020). this engagement encompasses the emotional, cognitive, social, and behavioral dimensions of learning. of course, the extent of learning engagement depends on numerous factors, such as learners' goals, emotions, attitudes, interactions, strategies, and motivation. conversely, language learning engagement may wane due to factors like limited interaction and participation between students and instructors, stemming from cognitive, affective, environmental, and linguistic barriers. additional factors that can contribute to reduced engagement include a perceived lack of relevance and significance in the learning content or tasks, as well as insufficient feedback (lee et al., 2019a; zainuddin et al., 2020; zainuddin et al., 2020). a recommended strategy to increase language learning engagement involves cultivating a classroom culture that is secure, supportive, and comfortable. nonverbal cues and tone of voice also play a pivotal role in conveying interest and enthusiasm, thereby motivating learners. employing a variety of tasks and activities that cater to students' preferences, learning styles, and proficiency levels is essential. emphasizing the real-world relevance of content and learning tasks is crucial in making them meaningful to students' lives (lee et al., 2019b; nadeem, 2019). while existing research has not extensively examined the relationship between learning engagement and eustress within the context of esp, referring to theoretical perspectives advanced by experts suggests a potential reciprocal link between eustress and learning engagement. in this proposed relationship, eustress serves to enhance learning engagement while mitigating negative stress. an understanding of eustress and learning engagement aids in accurately identifying the needs and effective communicative practices within the realm of esp. thus, this study seeks to explore three points that have not received attention from previous research, namely: (1) how is the level of eustress and language learning engagement in digital content-based learning in english for engineering? (2) how is the correlation between the level of eustress and student engagement when using digital content based? (3) what are the workable strategies for implementing digital content based to english for engineering classes? jihan nawal aini, khoirul anwar, & yudhi arifani eustress, learning engagement, and workable strategies of dcblt in english for engineering 802 method this study aims to address three primary questions: what is the level of eustress among engineering students? what is their level of learning engagement? how do eustress and learning engagement correlate? additionally, the study seeks to identify suitable workable strategies for teachers when employing dcblt, particularly in the context of teaching english for engineering. to respond to these inquiries, it is evident that two distinct types of data are required. quantitative data is utilized to ascertain the levels of stress and learning engagement and to establish the correlation between these two factors. alternatively, in-depth interviews with several teachers were conducted to obtain descriptive and narrative data, enabling the exploration of effective strategies employed when teaching english for engineering through dcblt. as such, a mixed-method research strategy proves to be the most appropriate choice for this study. the combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches serves to ensure the validity of the study findings by encompassing a comprehensive range of data (aloraini & cardoso, 2020). this mixed-method study utilized data obtained from a questionnaire administered to 43 engineering students who had participated in a d1 equivalent english program, specifically within the faculty of engineering at the university of muhammadiyah gresik. the total enrolment in this program consists of 70 students. however, only 43 students returned the questionnaire. additionally, three out of the six teachers instructing engineering classes were selected as participants because they demonstrated consistent application of dcblt. all 43 respondents were enrolled in the english for engineering program that utilized digital content-based language teaching (dcblt) during the 2022-2023 academic year. the respondents included 25 women and 18 men, with 16 hailing from urban areas and 27 from rural areas. on average, the respondents had been studying english for 7 years, and their ages ranged between 19 and 21 years. additionally, the study also involved 3 english for engineering instructors who possessed more than 4 years of teaching experience and had implemented dcbl for a period of 1 year. this study employed three instruments, consisting of two questionnaires and one interview. initially, a questionnaire pertaining to eustress was utilized, which had been developed by branson et al. (2019a). the items in this questionnaire underwent validity and reliability testing with a sample of 981 respondents, utilizing a test-retest reliability approach. the resultant questionnaire is referred to as the adolescent distress-eustress scale (ades). the internal consistency of this instrument was assessed using cronbach's alpha to ascertain and forecast its reliability. the obtained correlation coefficient exceeded 0.8, indicating a commendable temporal stability. construct validity verification was further carried out through two approaches: (1) measures aimed at gauging the same construct (convergent validity) and (2) measures encapsulating other constructs unrelated to stress (discriminant validity). the outcomes of the convergent validity assessment revealed a notably strong positive correlation (branson et al., 2019a) the second instrument is the learning engagement questionnaire developed by al bogami (al-bogami & elyas, 2020). it was verified by a group of tesol (teaching english to speakers of other languages) professionals, consisting of two assistant professors and two expert lecturers and has also been modified. respondents provide satisfactory and internally consistent results; so that the questionnaire adopted can be stated as a reliable measure. the third instrument is an interview about the workable strategy in using dcblt which has been developed from cahyono, et al. (cahyono & khotimah, n.d.). the interviews conducted included strategies applied to each of the three stages of teaching (pre, while, and post). upon data collection, the analysis process comprises three distinct phases. the initial phase entails conducting statistical descriptive analysis, focusing on measures of central tendency, dispersion, and normal distribution, applied to both eustress analysis and learning engagement. the subsequent phase involves utilizing spearman rank correlation analysis through spss software. finally, the third phase includes data reduction, data visualization, and the description of findings. method should make readers be able to reproduce the experiment. provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be reproduced. methods already published should be indicated by a reference: only relevant modifications should be described. do not repeat the details of established methods. the method section covers: respondents, instruments, procedures, and data analysis. results and discussion this section explains the proposed research findings, namely the level of eustress, engagement, correlation between the two, and applicable strategies used in learning cblt. the levels of eustress and learning engagement english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 803 the results of the level of eustress, engagement, and applicable strategies are illustrated in table 1. table 1. descriptive statistics table 1 above explains that the average value of the level of eustress, engagement, and applicable strategies is 4.037. thus, the students’ acceptance value is very good. this means that students not only accept the cblt-based learning process, but their eustress and learning engagement are also very good. furthermore, the description of each aspect is in table 2. table 2. descriptive statistics of each aspect n min imum max imum mean std. deviation motivated in cblt 43 2.00 5.00 4.0465 .72222 equal results from individual efforst 43 3.00 5.00 4.1395 .63925 satisfaction in learning stress 43 2.00 5.00 3.7674 .81174 self determinantion 43 2.00 5.00 4.0698 .73664 average 2.25 5 4.0058 .727 satisfaction with learning challenges 43 3.00 5.00 4.1395 .67547 cblt motivates esp learning 43 2.00 5.00 4.0930 .71760 learning participation in cblt 43 2.00 5.00 3.9767 .80144 task orientation in cblt 43 3.00 5.00 4.0930 .71760 group works in cblt 43 3.00 5.00 4.1395 .70984 average 43 2.6 5 4.0084 .724 acceptabllity in pre-activities using explanantion and vocab building 43 2.00 5.00 4.0000 .72375 acceptabllity in pre-activities using q&a and practices 43 3.00 5.00 4.0930 .68362 acceptabllity in whilst-activities using q&a and individual assignment 43 3.00 5.00 4.0930 .64785 acceptabllity in whilst-activities using group works 43 1.00 5.00 3.9070 .92102 acceptabllity in post-activities using practices and quiz 43 3.00 5.00 4.0233 .73964 acceptabllity in post-activities using summary 43 1.00 5.00 3.9767 .85880 average 43 2.166 5 4.0155 .762 table 2 presents that the level of eustress among students is 4.0058, categorized as excellent. the learning engagement level is 4.0084 (excellent), and the applicable strategies level is 4.0155 (excellent). this study also found that eustress and learning engagement exhibit a very strong correlation with a p value of .800. this correlation implies that a high level of student eustress is positively and strongly correlated with an increase in student learning engagement. the data for this correlation result can be found in table 3. table 3. correlation of eustress and learning engagement eustress learning engagement spearma n's rho eustress correlation coefficient 1.000 .800 sig. (2-tailed) . .200 n 4 4 jihan nawal aini, khoirul anwar, & yudhi arifani eustress, learning engagement, and workable strategies of dcblt in english for engineering 804 learning engagemen t correlation coefficient .800 1.000 sig. (2-tailed) .200 . n 4 5 the data in table 2 above also indicates that strategies in each learning phase are diverse and acceptable to students. among these, in the preteaching phase, several teaching strategies were highly desired, namely explanation, vocabulary building (with an acceptance level score of 4,000), followed by q&a and practices at 4,093. meanwhile, in the whilst-teaching phase, the applicable strategies are q&a and individual work with a score of 4.093, and group work at 3.907. moving on to the post-teaching stage, the most accepted strategies are practices, exercises, and quizzes at 4.023, and summary techniques at 3.976. teachers’ teaching strategies in implementing digital content based this section provides a detailed account of the workable strategies adopted by instructors. the information gathered from interviews conducted with three teachers (referred to as t1, t2, t3) has been synthesized into the subsequent compilation of teaching strategies used in english for engineering classes. the strategies have been categorized according to each phase of teaching (pre-while-post). additionally, factors such as classroom dynamics, learners' capabilities, lesson duration, and more, which played a role in guiding teachers' selection of these strategies, have also been addressed. table 4. summary of teachers’ strategies no part of teaching activity strategies 1 pre-teaching brainstorming giving simple q&a mini classroom discussion playing short audio or video reviewing materials in the previous meeting 2 while-teaching explaining materials giving individual task giving group task conducting quizzes playing long audio or video 3 post-teaching asking the students to construct a writing asking the students to record themselves in practicing speaking giving individual task or group task giving conclusion or summary as demonstrated in table 4, a multitude of strategies and activities can be integrated into the teaching and learning process through a digital content-based approach. these strategies indicate a strong emphasis on student centered learning. the aforementioned evidence finds substantiation through excerpts extracted from interviews with a sample of teachers. these interview segments are also provided for reference. pre-teaching in the pre-teaching phase, the outcomes of the interviews revealed that three instructors (t1, t2, t3) employed various methods to stimulate idea generation, foster brainstorming, establish connections, and motivate learners in relations to the upcoming subject matter. the corresponding interview transcripts are provided below. “in some cases, i provide the students with short audio or youtube video related to the topic. at first, i hope they can watch and listen it so that they can know what they will learn”. (t1) “i think the first thing that important is brainstorming the students about the topic. usually, i give them mini question such as ‘mention some civil engineering tools that you know. (if the topic is civil engineering tools)’ then sometimes i also conduct them to do mini group discussion to build their knowledge about the topic”. (t2) “motivating students in learning is the main thing to do at first. after reviewing previous materials, sometimes i provide them with entertaining audio or video, but still related to the topic. for me, motivation is a key of successful teaching and learning. if the students are being well-motivated, they will easily engage in learning activity. so, the first thing that need to be built before starting the teaching process, is motivating.” (t3) while-teaching during the while-teaching phase, the interview transcripts revealed that all three teachers had adopted strategies aligned with a student-centered learning approach. they incorporated individual tasks, group work, and quizzes via the digital content-based (dcb) platform, streamlining the process of answer submissions and enabling efficient correction and feedback from teachers. the relevant excerpts are presented below. “usually, i give them group task. so, i randomize them into some groups, then ask them to discuss something. a representative from the group need to submit the result of the discussion into the dcb. in my opinion, when english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 805 we face a large number of students, group task and discussion will be helpful and efficient for both teacher and learner”. (t1) “i explain and ask the students to read the materials, then i provide them with longer audio or video then give them quizzes in digital content based, sometimes the quizzes are in the form of fill in the blank, multiple choices, and essay. then i will directly give them score and feedback through dcb”. (t2) “most of the students are passive, so i give them quizzes through dcb. then after i give them feedback and score, sometimes i conduct an online meeting (zoom or google meet) to discuss with the students about their progress and ask them about what makes them stuck with no improvement”. (t3) post-teaching during the interview session, strategies were executed in the post-teaching phase aimed at assessing, verifying, and reviewing the learners' comprehension of the materials. these tasks were assigned to both individual and group work using the dcb approach. the post-teaching activity primarily tested the productive english skills of writing and speaking. the relevant excerpts are provided below. “in the end of teaching activity, i prefer to ask them construct a writing or record them in practicing speaking. so that i can know and evaluate their english ability especially in productive skills. in my point of view, asking the learners to construct a writing at the end of teaching process is a good way because writing is a complex productive skill. so, if the students successfully construct their writing, it means their english ability is quite good”. (t1) “a quiz is given to the students to evaluate their understanding. then i ask them to practice speaking or having individual presentation”. (t2) “i review or make summary about the topic, then i give them an individual or group task to make sure that they already understand about the topic”. (t3) the factors influencing the chosen strategy several strategies have been employed by teachers to address the challenges faced by both students and instructors, which arise from external and internal influences. factors such as class size, classroom dynamics, students' english proficiency, passivity among students, time constraints, and students with limited motivation to learn english collectively serve as barriers or challenges for both educators and learners. detailed accounts of teachers' experiences can be found in the accompanying interview transcripts below. “my class consist of more than 30 students. so, when giving a task, i prefer to give group work. to be efficient in time for the students in doing the task, and for me as a teacher in correcting and giving feedback. regarding to the limitation of the given time”. (t1) “i give them basic things and short audio or video (max 2 minutes). because in my class, the students’ ability in english are still basic. then, they are passive students, so i always ask them question to discuss so that they can be active”. (t2) “the main problem in my class is passive and lack of motivation students. so, in the beginning of the class, i always give entertaining thing such as audio, video, or even a song. as long as it can make them be motivated and interested with the topic”. (t3) the data derived from interviews with multiple educators consistently aligns with the data gathered from students. more precisely, the findings of these interviews underscore the multitude of viable strategies available in the domain of content-based language teaching (cblt) of english for engineering, from which instructors can make informed selections. specifically, within the pre-teaching phase, a range of recommended strategies emerged, encompassing brainstorming, conducting simplified q&a sessions, facilitating mini classroom discussions, utilizing concise audio or video materials, and revising content from prior sessions. during the whilst-teaching stage, effective strategies include the explanation of materials, assignment of individual tasks, allocation of group assignments, and utilization of extensive audio or video materials. post-teaching activities encompass quizzes and summaries. concurrently, during the post-teaching phase, actionable strategies include assigning writing tasks to students, having students record themselves while practicing speaking, assigning tasks either individually or within groups, and providing conclusive summaries or conclusions. this study has yielded three significant aspects, particularly the levels of eustress, learning engagement, and workable strategies within the context of english for engineering instruction. based on the findings, the students' level of eustress is highly satisfactory, as evidenced by the excellent level of acceptance jihan nawal aini, khoirul anwar, & yudhi arifani eustress, learning engagement, and workable strategies of dcblt in english for engineering 806 (level 4). the acceptance of learning engagement is also very satisfactory (level 4). the data also reveals a strong and positive correlation between eustress and learning engagement, indicated by a correlation coefficient of p = .800. this implies that higher eustress values among students are predicted to lead to an increase in their engagement in the learning process. this signifies a linear relationship between these two variables. meanwhile, the workable strategies are identified between the student and the instructor demonstrating versions of similarity in the types of strategies used. among them, in the preteaching strategy, activities such as brainstorming in the form of simple question and answer sessions, mini classroom discussions, short videos, and reviewing previous materials were found. in the whilst-teaching phase, more interactive strategies are required, such as individual and group work, and reviewing longer videos, to assess the success of learning mastery. as for post-teaching activities, they revolve around providing quizzes and summaries. specifically for english for engineering instruction, additional workable strategies in digital content-based language teaching (dcblt) that can be chosen by instructors include having students write on their own, recording students' speaking performances, and engaging in individual and group work activities. eustress is a positive psychological phenomenon that holds significant importance in esp (english for specific purposes) learning (branson et al., 2019b; mesghina, 2021). this is because it offers various benefits, including enhancing success and motivation in achieving learning objectives within the content and language realms of the field of english for engineering. the improved emotional well-being of students can mitigate negative affective effects (li et al., 2016). certainly, a positive level of student eustress fosters satisfaction in esp learning. the extended impacts of this eustress phenomenon are areas that have not been extensively explored. however, these findings suggest that eustress has the potential to enhance other affective factors, including learning engagement. previous studies have highlighted a strong and positive relationship between eustress, distress, and academic achievement in the domain of english for academic purposes (eap) (anwar et al., 2023). as a result, this study provides positive support to the limited existing research. research on learning engagement becomes complex when linked to affective factors. among numerous research findings, it is evident that one of the keys to learning success is the presence of learning engagement (wu, 2019). affective factors, in general, are identified to encapsulate motivation, attitudes, and emotions, which have been proven to influence learners in responding to and processing english language learning. based on these findings, negative emotions such as anxiety, boredom, and frustration can decrease learning engagement, as a decline in interest and attention affects learning engagement (jill et al., 2019; nadeem, 2019; saeed & zyngier, 2012). therefore, the findings of this research provide promising support, indicating that negative emotions can be reduced by cultivating learner eustress. up to the present moment, the utilization of digital content-based language teaching (dcblt) remains important and a choice of preference, as it integrates content and language learning (amin & paiman, 2022; frolova et al., 2020; stefanovic & klochkova, 2021). therefore, the successful implementation of dcblt is contingent upon substantial needs analysis, the selection of more relevant and authentic instructional materials, the design of task-based assignments and activities, the provision of adequate feedback, and the clarity of diverse learning progress assessments. this study significantly contributes to the variety of varied activities, exercises, and task designs that can be adopted by esp instructors in the field of english for engineering. the strategies offered in this study can serve as references and options, as they have been reflected upon by english for engineering educators thus far and have also been experienced by students. conclusion this study aims to identify the levels of eustress, learning engagement, and workable strategies in dcblt instruction in english for engineering. the findings of this research demonstrate favorable outcomes, where the levels of eustress, learning engagement, and dcblt strategies in english for engineering all score at level 4 (excellent). the data also indicates that as students' eustress levels increase, so does the strength and intensity of the learning engagement occurring within the esp classroom. this study also presents a range of dcblt instructional strategies for esp in engineering, offering procedures for the pre-teaching, whilst-teaching, and post-teaching stages. this research contributes to the development of dcblt instructional strategies within the esp context, particularly focusing on the expansion of strategies that provide numerous options for instructors. these workable strategies are english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 807 essential in facilitating the achievement of esp learner performance. a viable strategy of dcblt can assist teachers in identifying learning techniques that can be tailored to specific needs. additionally, teachers can effectively elaborate on and combine several techniques discovered in this research. subsequent research is greatly warranted to support this study. for instance, there is a need for experimental research in testing dcblt products in other fields of engineering (such as mechanical engineering, chemistry, industry, etc.). furthermore, additional research exploring the role of eustress in enhancing other affective aspects (interest, motivation, attitude) is also crucial to gain deeper insights, thereby expanding the understanding of the benefits of eustress, learning engagement, and learning strategies in dcblt across various disciplines for specific purposes. conclusions should answer the objectives of research. tells how your work advances the field from the present state of knowledge. without clear conclusions, reviewers and readers will find it difficult to judge the work, and whether or not it merits abstract, or just list experimental results. provide a clear scientific justification for your work, and indicate possible applications and extensions. you should also suggest future experiments and/or point out those that are underway. acknowledgement a heartfelt gratitude is extended to the ministry of national education for funding this research through the master's thesis grant scheme, during the funding period of 2022-2024. references ahmed, m. k. (2014). the esp teacher: issues, tasks and challenges. english for specific purposes, 15(42), 1–33. http://www.espworld.info/articles_42/documents/ahmed.pdf aksornjarung, p. (2017). thai efl learners’ attitudes and motivation towards learning english in content-based instruction. malaysian online journal of educational sciences, 6(1), 43–65. al-bogami, b., & elyas, t. (2020). promoting middle school students’ engagement through incorporating ipad apps in efl/esl classes. sage open, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020926570 alm, a. (2016). creating willingness to communicate through l2 blogging. call-ej, 17(1), 67–79. aloraini, n., & cardoso, w. (2020). social media in language learning: a mixed-methods investigation of students’ perceptions. computer assisted language learning, 0(0), 1– 24. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.183080 4 alzeebaree, y., & hasan, i. a. (2020). what makes an effective efl teacher: high school students’ perceptions. asian esp journal, 16(1–2), 169– 183. amin, m. m., & paiman, n. (2022). university english language teachers’ use of digital platforms for online teaching. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 17(20), 134–148. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v17i20.31421 amutha, a. (2017). effectiveness of content based instruction in esl classroom. smart moves journal ijellh, 5(1), 294–302. anwar, k. (2020). linking interest, ways of learning, and english learning needs for midwifery students. assehr, 477(iccd), 382–386. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201017.085 anwar, k., & wardhono, a. (2019). students’ perception of learning experience and achievement motivation: prototyping english for academic purposes (eap). international journal of instruction. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12317a anwar, k., maruf, n., arifani, y., & mansour, m. (2023). affective factors and eustress-distress of nursing english students: a comparison analysis. jees (journal of english educators society), 8(1). https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v8i1.1711 balasubramanian, k. (n.d.). from technical english to technical communication-the need for finessing technical english syllabus. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/35625 2134 bienertova-vasku, j., lenart, p., & scheringer, m. (2020). eustress and distress: neither good nor bad, but rather the same? bioessays, 42(7), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.201900238 branson, v., dry, m. j., palmer, e., & turnbull, d. (2019a). the adolescent distress-eustress scale: development and validation. sage open, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019865802 branson, v., dry, m. j., palmer, e., & turnbull, d. (2019b). the adolescent distress-eustress scale: development and validation. sage open, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019865802 cahyono, b. y., & khotimah, k. (n.d.). workable approaches in efl teaching mediated by mobile technology during the pandemic and postpandemic: indonesian efl teachers’ experiences and expectations. in computer assisted language learning electronic journal call-ej) (vol. 24, issue 1). calabrich, s. l. (2016). learners' perceptions of the use of mobile technology in a task-based language teaching experience. international education studies, 9(12), 120-136. evans, s., & green, c. (2007). why eap is necessary: a survey of hong kong tertiary students. journal of english for academic purposes, 6(1), 3–17. jihan nawal aini, khoirul anwar, & yudhi arifani eustress, learning engagement, and workable strategies of dcblt in english for engineering 808 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2006.11.005 fitria, t. n. (2023). using indonesian as language use and language instruction in english teaching for non-efl students in itb aas indonesia. eternal, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.24252/eternal.v91.2023.a9 frolova, e. v, rogach, o. v, & ryabova, t. m. (2020). digitalization of education in modern scientific discourse: new trends and risks analysis. journal of contemporary education. gabarre, c., gabarre, s., din, r., shah, p., & karim, a. a. (2016). scaffolding engagement in the immersive t-mall classroom. creative education, 07(02), 349–363. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2016.72035 gonzález, j. f. e., pilgrim, y., & víquez, a. s. (2019). assessing esp vocabulary and grammar through task-based language teaching. revista de lenguas modernas, 30, 73. gutiérrez-porlán, i., prendes-espinosa, p., & sánchezvera, m. del m. (2022). digital technologies for the assessment of oral english skills. applied sciences (switzerland), 12(22). https://doi.org/10.3390/app122211635 iakovos, t., iosif, f., & areti, k. (2011). contentbased instruction in the teaching of english as a foreign language. in review of european studies (vol. 3, issue 1, pp. 115–121). https://doi.org/10.5539/res.v3n1p115 jabbour, c. j. c., fiorini, p. d. c., & ndubisi, n. o. (2020). digitally-enabled sustainable supply chains in the 21st century: a review and a research agenda. science of the total. jill, m. d., wang, d., & mattia, a. (2019). are instructor generated youtube videos effective in accounting classes? a study of student performance, engagement, motivation, and perception. journal of accounting education. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pi i/s0748575117301859 karim, a., & rahman, m. m. (2016). revisiting the content-based instruction in language teaching in relation with clil: implementation and outcome. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 5(7 special issue), 254–264. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.5n.7p.254 kirkham, d. (2015). content with content: a contentbased instruction approach to curriculum design and course assessment in academic english for business. linguistics beyond and within (lingbaw), 1, 134–151. https://doi.org/10.31743/lingbaw.5628 kubischta, f. (2014). engagement and motivation: questioning students on studymotivation, engagement and study strategies. 70. https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/ 78341/kubischta frauke final.pdf?sequence=1 lee, j., song, h. d., & hong, a. j. (2019a). exploring factors, and indicators for measuring students’ sustainable engagement in e-learning. sustainability. https://www.mdpi.com/411856 lee, j., song, h. d., & hong, a. j. (2019b). exploring factors, and indicators for measuring students’ sustainable engagement in e-learning. sustainability. https://www.mdpi.com/411856 li, c. t., cao, j., & li, t. m. h. (2016). eustress or distress: an empirical study of perceived stress in everyday college life. ubicomp 2016 adjunct proceedings of the 2016 acm international joint conference on pervasive and ubiquitous computing, september, 1209–1217. https://doi.org/10.1145/2968219.2968309 mesghina, a. (2021). from distress to" eustress": contextual and cognitive factors in the arousalperformance relationship. search.proquest.com. https://search.proquest.com/openview/a30e9215 ac09f78bbf9ea99fea596cda/1?pqorigsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y miglani, a. a. k. (2017). mobile learning: readiness and perceptions of teachers of open universities of commonwealth asia. journal of learning for development, 4(1), 58–71. mirani, j. i., lohar, s. a., jat, a. r. l., & faheem, m. (2019). a review of computer-assisted language learning (call): development, challenges, and future impact. education and linguistics research, 5(1), 37. https://doi.org/10.5296/elr.v5i1.14515 monica, s., & vianty, m. (2019). developing local content-based instructional graded reading materials. linguistic, english education and art (leea) journal, 3(1), 1–16. mulyadi, d., arifani, y., wijayantingsih, t. d., & budiastuti, r. e. (2020). blended learning in english for specific purposes (esp) instruction: lecturers’ perspectives. call-ej, 21(2), 204– 219. http://callej.org/journal/21-2/mulyadiarifani-wijayantingsih-budiastuti2020.pdf nadeem, n. h. (2019). students’ perceptions about the impact of using padlet on class engagement: an exploratory case study. international journal of computer-assisted language learning and teaching, 9(4), 72–89. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijcallt.2019100105 novianti, r., & garzia, m. (2020). parental engagement in children’s online learning during covid-19 pandemic. learning in elementary education. nurjannah, s. (2020). the use of content based instruction in english language teaching. in jurnal ilmu pendidikan dasar (vol. 3, issue 2). pérez-llantada, c., & swales, j. m. (2016). english for academic purposes. handbook of research in second language teaching and learning, 3, 42–55. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315716893 plastina, a. f. (2015). esp learner self-generated feedback as a technology-enhanced task. teaching english with technology, 15(2), 54– 66. rahman, m. (2015). english for specific purposes (esp): a holistic review. ujer, 3(1), 24–31. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2015.030104 rica, c., modernas, e. d. l., & modernas, e. d. l. (2018). an evaluation for an esp course for mechanical engineering students. 241–254. saeed, s., & zyngier, d. (2012). how motivation influences student engagement: a qualitative english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 809 case study. journal of education and learning, 1(2), 252–267. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v1n2p252 salloum, s. a., alhamad, a. q. m., al-emran, m., monem, a. a., & shaalan, k. (2019). exploring students’ acceptance of e-learning through the development of a comprehensive technology acceptance model. ieee access, 7, 128445128462. serra-cámara, b. (universitat politècnica de, & valència), a. s.-p. (universitat p. de. (2013). digital storytelling for esp in higher education. academic exchange quarterly. stefanovic, s., & klochkova, e. (2021). digitalisation of teaching and learning as a tool for increasing students’ satisfaction and educational efficiency: using smart platforms in efl. sustainability (switzerland), 13(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094892 tahir, m., sobri, m., novitasari, s., nursaptini, n., & anar, a. p. (2021). learning local content of cultural arts based on local genius of sasak culture in pgsd students. proceedings of the 2nd annual conference on education and social science (access 2020), 556(access 2020), 528–530. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210525.142 villalobos, o. b. (2013). content-based instruction: a relevant approach of language teaching. innovaciones educativas, xv(20). whyte, s. (2019). revisiting communicative competence in the teaching and assessment of language for specific purposes. language education and assessment, 2(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.29140/lea.v2n1.33 wu, z. (2019). academic motivation, engagement, and achievement among college students. college student journal. https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/prin/cs j/2019/00000053/00000001/art00011 yu, l. t. (2018). incorporating facebook into an efl writing course: student perception and participation in online discussion. call-ej, 19(1), 1–22. yumnam, r., & yumnam, r. (2021). content-based instruction: an effective approach of teaching english as a second language. in international journal of advanced research in innovation (vol. 4, issue 1). www.ijarimss.org zainuddin, m. m., azmi, n. m. n. f., yusoff, r. c. m., shariff, s. a., & hassan, w. a. w. (2020). enhancing classroom engagement through padlet as a learning tool: a case study. international journal of innovative computing, 10(1), 49–57. https://doi.org/10.11113/ijic.v10n1.250 zainuddin, z., shujahat, m., haruna, h., & chu, s. k. w. (2020). the role of gamified e-quizzes on student learning and engagement: an interactive gamification solution for a formative assessment system. computers and education, 145, 103729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103729. jihan nawal aini, khoirul anwar, & yudhi arifani eustress, learning engagement, and workable strategies of dcblt in english for engineering 810 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 975 poetry appreciation teaching material design based on contextual approach arip hidayat universitas negeri jakarta email: arip.hidayat_7317167633@mhs.unj.ac.id liliana muliastuti universitas negeri jakarta email: liliana.muliastuti@unj.ac.id ratna dewanti universitas negeri jakarta email: rdewanti@unj.ac.id apa citation: hidayat, a., muliastuti, l., & dewanti, r. (2022). poetry appreciation teaching material design based on contextual approach. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 975982. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6430 received: 22-07-2022 accepted: 24-09-2022 published: 30-11-2022 introduction teaching materials or instructional materials is a learning instrument consisting of knowledge, skills, and attitudes yang must be learned by students to achieve the standards of attention that have been determined. in detail, the types of material learning consist of knowledge (facts, concepts, principles, procedures), skills, and attitudes/values. meanwhile, prastowo (2014) explains that good teaching materials can support student learning and increase student success. therefore, ideally, teaching materials should be adapted to the content used, adapted to the conditions of students and the conditions of the teacher. there are several stages in the process of developing teaching materials such as in the addie model which goes through the stages of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. according to pribadi & putri (2019), design as an important instrument is the framework of the process of making teaching materials must be compiled based on the characteristics of potential users and competencies and learning objectives. therefore, this study analyzed the need for teaching materials for students who are studying poetry appreciation courses at kuningan university. research is aimed at forming a design framework that complies with the standards of making teaching materials. the teaching materials are compiled and adapted into the theory of literary appreciation which then run down to the appreciation of poetry. literary appreciation is very important because literary appreciation can enrich insights and subtleties of feelings. in other words, literary works are useful for life. there are opinions that literature is beautiful and meaningful. literature as a material for abstract: teaching materials are needed as learning resources that should be adapted based on students’ conditions. the contextual approach is a suitable approach to meet the needs of students in learning in order the improvement of learning outcomes can be carried out. appreciation of poetry as a course in the department of indonesian language and literature education requires development to obtain learning outcomes and adjustments on student conditions and the times. the development of such a theory has led this research to develop the design of teaching materials as an intellectual framework and the basis of reference from teaching materials for poetry appreciation. this research uses a qualitative approach and descriptive methods to define needs from the point of view of students, lecturers, and experts in the field of poetry appreciation. the results of the study showed the need in terms of content and strengthening the theory. in the elements of the book, the graphics and the appearance or layout are important to attract interest. supporting elements such as short and long videos and expert opinions are needed by students. laboratory facilities and art spaces are representative places to apply more contextual learning. this research is prepared for the need of development and for other researchers who need analysis and framework of teaching materials from the book elements, learning outcomes, and supporting components. keywords: appreciation; contextual approach; poetry; teaching material. arip hidayat, liliana muliastuti, & ratna dewanti poetry appreciation teaching material design based on contextual approach 976 reflection and reflection on life because it is coexistence in life. in line with previous opinion, it states the functions of literature including as entertainment, as an afterthought, as a discussion of lessons, as a medium of symbolic communication, and as an opening for the paradigm of a thinking (harrison, 2010). appreciation activities are divided into three stages, according to rusyana (1984) that the activity of appreciation of literary works goes through three levels, namely: 1) the first level. when the reader is intellectually, emotionally, and imaginatively engaged, that experience arises. 2) the second level. when the reader begins to ask about something hidden in the literary work. 3) third level. when the reader begins to realize the relationship of literary works with the world at large. apart from being a stage, appreciation can also be classified based on its activities. the thoughts and feelings that arise from a poem can be expressed through writing a poem, presenting a poem with a choir, dramatizing, illustrating, composing melodies for a poem, and creating miniature representations related to the theme of the poem. this is in line with who states that the activities carried out in the process of literary appreciation include creative activities. these activities include writing literary works, paraphrasing poems into prose, declaring poems, musicalizing poems, dramatizing poems, and so on. one of the achievements in learning specific skills in the indonesian national qualifications framework (kkni) on the undergraduate students of indonesian language and literature education program are being able to appreciate, express, and create indonesian literary works orally and in writing. appreciating, expressing, and creating means to love, enjoy, express, react and create literary works, be it poetry, fictional prose, and drama. these learning outcomes are arranged in order the graduates have skills in the field of literature and apply them (hidayat et al., 2021) in literary learning. with qualified skills in the field of literature, hopefully the graduates will love, appreciate, and are able to teach and develop indonesian literary works. need analysis can be seen through research (student interviews) and competency standards are compiled for the need for teaching materials of poetry appreciation intersects on student creativity in processing themselves towards poetry. cultivating creativity requires a direct learning condition that affects itself and depends on the individual himself. learning that develops methods about the personal approach is contextual learning. the contextual approach is an educational process that aims to help students see the meaning in the academic material they are studying by connecting academic subjects with context in their daily lives. the context encompasses the context of personal, social, and cultural circumstances. the context presented will make the student understand and give meaning to the one he is studying (creswell, 2012). referring on what johnson states, contextual teaching materials can be a solution to solve difficulties in learning poetry appreciation. with contextual teaching materials, students are expected to be able to connect what they learn with how it is used in real life. the learning they have received is only a protrusion of the memorization level of a series of topics or subjects, but it is not followed by a deep understanding or understanding, which can be applied when they are dealing with new situations in their lives related to the contextual approach, here are presented research results that show the effectiveness of the contextual approach used in learning. as a basic thought that contextual learning in poetry appreciation courses can increase the learning outcomes, some studies (andayani, 2018; andriyana & hidayat, 2021; endarwati, 2018; kertayasa et al., 2019; maulidiyah et al., 2018; pebriana, 2017; solihah, 2018; sucipta, 2019; sukaharsilawati, 2018; waraulia, 2018; wati, 2019) produce significant and even satisfactory results. the results of the research and discussion show that the contextual approach used in learning is able to generate motivation, increase activity, creativity, and make students think critically so that the ability and learning outcomes of reading and writing literature (poetry, fictional prose) increase. the contextual approach allows students to develop the abilities they have optimally because students are encouraged to connect learning with daily life. from the result of research, it can be concluded that poetry appreciation teaching materials developed based on contextual are more effectively used than ordinary teaching materials. teaching materials developed based on a contextual approach can increase student activity in learning. this happen because the modules/teaching materials are more relevant and easier to understand. after all, they are based on the real world. by taking advantage of the fact english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 977 that the environment stimulates the nerve cells of the brain to form a path, this system focuses itself on context and relationships. the contextual approach connects the content of teaching materials with everyday life which then produces meaning. the contextual approach is an approach that fits the brain. the contextual approach works because it corresponds to the conscience of the human being who is hungry for meaning, according to the needs of the brain, and corresponds to the way nature works. method this research is qualitative research with a descriptive approach. the research was conducted with miles and huberman techniques which have stages of data reduction, presentation, and inference/presentation. this research used student interview instruments about the need for poetry appreciation teaching materials given to students of indonesian language and literature education at kuningan university as many as 26 questions. lecturers and practitioners in the field of poetry appreciation were given 20 questions. of the 46 questions, researchers found a reduction in data which then produced a table of students' needs for the necessary teaching materials. as a stage of inference and assessment of research results, researchers to the stage of discussion about the design presented in the discussion. results and discussion the results of research from students and lecturers / experts find that teaching materials have elements of feasibility of content, language, presentation, and graphics. the results of this reduction are adjusted to the assessment standards for the evaluation of teaching materials (syah, 2006). after experiencing the reduction process of dozens of participants from the interview, a research result was found as presented in this journal. contents appreciation books are needed because the existence of books that are specifically about poetry appreciation has not been found and it is difficult to find in indonesian. the existence of the theory is relatively minimal and only becomes a sub-theory requires the development of a detailed and integrated material structure to direct students in order to create a solid teaching material in theory. the existing teaching materials require a contextual learning direction so students able to learn with their environment so that what is learned is easy to understand. the involvement of students with their environment is expected to be able to build a freer knowledge but they also focus on the goals and competencies of the targeted courses. the need to understand, read, write poetry is needed as the target of achievement of the poetry appreciation course. the existing teaching materials must not only have a complete theory but also lead to poetry appreciation skills such as musicalization, declamation, and dramatization of poetry. language the language in the poetry appreciation teaching materials is packed with a formal variety and presented to make it easier for students to understand the theories and instructions in the book. the language used should be easy to understand so that the achievement of learning outcomes can be achieved. with the formal presentation of language, this book of appreciation of poetry must be arranged informatively so that what is developed and presented forms a complete understanding for students. book presentation books presented theories, opinions, experts, opinions of practitioners, and videos will unite students' understanding and bring out the value of contextuality. students want a parallel and complete theoretical reviewer so that what is written becomes more interesting and causes interest in the content of the book. look the presentation of the book is made more colorful and informative with pictures and videos embedded so what students read is not monotonous. the need for teaching materials should make students more enthusiastic about the content of the material with additional elements of technology and information embedded through barcodes and images or illustrations. the presentation of the layout is necessary more professionally so that what is presented is interesting. arip hidayat, liliana muliastuti, & ratna dewanti poetry appreciation teaching material design based on contextual approach 978 figure 1. participant analysis result the reduction results from students, experts, and lecturers’ interviews lead to a framework of appreciation teaching materials that can be described based on the units that form the book, and the complete structure of the book. the design of teaching materials for poetry appreciation and the needs of the participants brings together the wishes of researchers and research participants to find new structures from the conditions of the previous teaching materials. teaching materials in the analysis stage must be adjusted to the competencies as it is agreed. magdalena et al. (2020) explained that teaching materials must be compiled based on the competencies to be achieved. to meet these standards, appreciative teaching materials are compiled with theories and shortcomings that previously had not been owned by poetry appreciation books. the achievement of the course starts from the achievement of the course which based on research (daeng et al., 2019) states that the teaching materials must be in accordance with the semester learning plan, the accuracy of the material, and supporting the learning material. the composition of the semester learning plan leads to the determination of the achievements and sub-achievements of the course that can be compiled in teaching materials. so, the subachievement of the course which is the reference basis of a teaching material design is important to be formulated based on the needs analysis that has been carried out. the achievement of the course if formulated based on the results starts from the operational definition of understanding, applying, and assessing. the operational verb understanding is a form of realization of knowledge represented in teaching materials in the preparation of standard theories and relies on definition in general and from expert opinion. at the stage of application as a course that leads to skills, poetry reading is not only understood by students but must be practiced as well. at the stage of judging as the concept of appreciation, students must be able to give an objective assessment of poetry and all forms of appreciation. of the three operational definitions, poetry appreciation teaching materials based on a contextual approach have a new formulation on the sub-achievements of the course which if formulated can be used as a reference in making teaching materials. the formulation of these subachievements is i. knowing poetry appreciation i.a1: building understanding poetry appreciation. i.a2: explains the stages of poetry appreciation. i.a3: comparing the types of poetry appreciation activities. ii. reading poetry ii. a1: building understanding of reading poetry. ii.a2: formulates the steps of reading a poem. iii. preparation for reading poetry iii.a1: conducting poetry selection. iii.a2: analyzing the structure of the content of the poem. iii.a3: creating an artistic workbook for poetry reading iv. poetry reading practice iv.a1: perform basic exercises in sound processing, body exercise, and soul processing. iv.a2: perform poetry reading exercises with equipment. v. aspects of poetry reading and assessment v.a1: describes aspects of reading poetry. v.a2: demonstrates the assessment of reading poetry. in the development of teaching materials as stated in syah (2006), each type of printed teaching material has its structure and characteristics. course textbooks must-have elements of title, basic competencies, learning materials, exercises, and assessments. such formulation can be realized in the following graph. figure 2. poetry appreciation instrument english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 979 the developments research in poetry in khatib (2011) are still often interpreted in one sense if done with a conventional approach. poetry must be interpreted close to its meaning. to get close to this, it requires an analysis and teaching to bring the reader closer to its meaning. the effectiveness of the analysis has been proven by satinem et al. (2020) research with the development of poetry appreciation teaching materials that focus on analysis. analytical skills as previously explained in the achievement of teaching materials. the development of teaching materials of a contextual nature must correlate between learning and the social life of students (afriani, 2018). it builds on the development of their knowledge, experience, and response to phenomena in the learner's environment. contextual learning relies on many aspects of the learning environment such as classrooms, laboratories, exhibitions, staging, employment, and many other things. research on the development of poetry appreciation teaching materials with a contextual approach at the high school level has succeeded in making them better able to read and write poetry (fuad et al., 2018). from the review on the development of contextual teaching materials and poetry appreciation courses, students should first know the needs of employment or see those who work or are experienced in the field of poetry appreciation. the second need is a facility or place where poetry appreciation is carried out professionally with the assumption that it becomes a place of practice or is introduced in teaching materials. the literary laboratory is an ideal place to practice reading, musicalization, or dramatization. the development of technology to make videos is one of the learning media that can be included in teaching materials. the development of video learning in 2022 and social media that is close to students as an element of contextual learning leads to the tiktok application. tiktok has a video duration that tends to be short from 30 seconds to a maximum of 3 minutes. this concept can be a teaching material contained in the book. the learning of indonesian language and literature containing tiktok was written by several researchers such as: aji (2018), aji & setiyadi (2020), fatimah et al. (2021), and ramdani et al. (2021) with satisfactory results on general material and appreciation. youtube media as the most famous video media and first superior in terms of duration is a learning media that has more value. this added value is evidenced by the success of your tube’s influence on the learning of poetry appreciation in research of artika et al. (2021), bakri & yusni (2021), fatimah et al.(2020) and wedawati (2022). the development of youtube and the success of researchers proving its influence is carried out on the aspects of beautiful reading, writing, and expressing as they wish. in youtube media, the creativity and processing of video media has also become more varied and there is even an information technology collaboration. the need for teaching materials of poetry appreciation based on contextual ties on the design side through previous formulations and research consists of several physical and nonphysical components. the development of teaching materials requires many aspects and needs so that what is owned becomes more structured. more clearly the framework of the learning components of contextual-based poetry appreciation teaching materials can be seen in the following chart. figure 3. poetry appreciation teaching material conclusion the design of contextual-based poetry appreciation teaching materials is a framework of ideas that are intellectual concepts. design development by looking at needs studies and related research leads to development that brings closer to the value of contextuality of modern and z-generation students who are more likely to be close to social media. the form of textbooks in the form of printed teaching materials with the content of learning outcomes supported by media and learning facilities to define the characteristics of contextual poetry appreciation. the development of this design makes a framework that can be changed or added and can even be adapted directly into the teaching materials for arip hidayat, liliana muliastuti, & ratna dewanti poetry appreciation teaching material design based on contextual approach 980 poetry appreciation made based on this research. what is stated in terms of theory and concept of ideas in this article may support the progress of poetry appreciation at the university and general levels. references afriani, a. (2018). pembelajaran kontekstual (cotextual teaching and learning) dan pemahaman konsep siswa. jurnal almutaaliyah: jurnal pendidikan guru madrasah ibtidaiyah, 3(1), 80–88. aji, w. n. (2018). aplikasi tik tok sebagai media pembelajaran bahasa dan sastra indonesia. prosiding seminar nasional pertemuan ilmiah bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 431, 431–440. aji, w. n., & setiyadi, d. b. p. (2020). aplikasi tik tok sebagai media pembelajaran keterampilan bersastra. metafora: jurnal pembelajaran bahasa dan sastra, 6(2), 147–157. andayani, t. (2018). upaya peningkatan apresiasi puisi melalui pendekatan kontekstual dan unjuk karya siswa dalam pembelajaran bahasa indonesia. jurnal komunikasi pendidikan, 1(1), 89–99. andriyana, a., & hidayat, a. (2021). puisi bertema corona karya joko pinurbo sebagai bahan ajar kontekstual menulis puisi. indonesian language education and literature, 7(1), 167. https://doi.org/10.24235/ileal.v7i1.7769 artika, i. w., purnami, n. p., & wisudariani, n. m. r. (2021). puisi audio visual youtube: sastra digital dan industri kreatif. jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia undiksha, 11(1), 103–115. bakri, m., & yusni, y. (2021). pemanfaatan youtube sebagai media pembelajaran menulis puisi. silampari bisa: jurnal penelitian pendidikan bahasa indonesia, daerah, dan asing, 4(1), 39– 46. creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research. pearson. daeng, k., fitri, s., & asri, a. (2019). implementasi pendidikan karakter bangsa dalam materi pembelajaran apresiasi puisi makassar pada mahasiswa program studi pendidikan bahasa dan sastra daerah di universitas negeri makassar. seminar nasional lp2m unm. https://ojs.unm.ac.id/semnaslemlit/article/view/1 1532 endarwati, t. (2018). peningkatan keterampilan menulis puisi melalui pendekatan kontekstual pada siswa kelas iv sdn sokasari. basic education, 7(32), 3138-3145. fatimah, s. d., hasanudin, c., & amin, a. k. (2021). pemanfaatan aplikasi tik tok sebagai media pembelajaran mendemonstrasikan teks drama. indonesian journal of education and humanity, 1(2), 120–128. fatimah, s., utami, h. r., & sundari, r. s. (2020). pendampingan guru bahasa indonesia dalam pembacaan puisi dengan teknik baca-indah. seminar nasional hasil penelitian dan pengabdian kepada masyarakat, 55–67. fuad, m., suyanto, e., rusminto, n. e., & umami, l. r. (2018). the students sheet development activities to write poetry based on contextual approach for eigh grade junior high school. iosr journal of research & method in education (iosr-jrme), 8(2), 30–35. hidayat, a., boeriswati, e., & rohman, s. (2021). needs analysis of teaching materials poetry appreciation for kuningan university students. uniset kertayasa, i. w., suandi, i. n., & utama, i. d. g. b. (2019). pembelajaran menulis puisi berdasarkan pendekatan kontekstual pada siswa kelas x mia 2 sma n 1 sukasada. jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia undiksha, 8(2), 248–259. https://doi.org/10.23887/jjpbs.v8i2.20618 khatib, m. (2011). a new approach to teaching english poetry to efl students. journal of language teaching and research, 2(1), 164169. https://doi.org/10.4304/jltr.2.1.164-169 magdalena, i., sundari, t., nurkamilah, s., nasrullah., & amalia, d. a. (2020). analisis bahan ajar. jurnal pendidikan dan ilmu sosial, 2(2), 311326. https://ejournal.stitpn.ac.id/index.php/nusantara maulidiyah, m., arfiyanti, r., & mudopar, m. (2018). penerapan model pembelajaran kontekstual dengan menggunakan media facebook dalam pembelajaran menulis puisi pada siswa smp. deiksis: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 5(2), 91-102. https://doi.org/10.33603/deiksis.v5i2.1162 pebriana, p. h. (2017). peningkatan keterampilan menulis puisi bebas dengan menggunakan pendekatan kontekstual siswa sekolah dasar. publikasi pendidikan, 7(2), 95-101. https://doi.org/10.26858/publikan.v7i2.3144 prastowo, a. (2014). panduan kreatif membuat bahan ajar inovatif. diva press. pribadi, r. b. a., & putri, a. p. (2019). pengembangan bahan ajar. universitas terbuka. ramdani, n. s., nugraha, h., & hadiapurwa, a. (2021). potensi pemanfaatan media sosial tiktok sebagai media pembelajaran dalam pembelajaran daring. akademika: jurnal teknologi pendidikan, 10(02), 425–436. rusyana, y. (1984). bahasa dan sastra dalam gamitan pendidikan. cv. diponegoro. satinem, s., juwati, j., & noermanzah, n. (2020). developing teaching material of poetry appreciation based on students competency analysis. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 237-246. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2707 solihah, l. (2018). peningkatan keterampilan menulis puisi melalui pendekatan kontekstual di kelas v sd negeri rancaloa kota bandung. jurnal english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 981 cakrawala pendas, 4(1), 15-25. https://doi.org/10.31949/jcp.v4i1.708 sucipta, m. d. (2019). pembelajaran menulis puisi dengan pendekatan kontekstual berinspirasi alam pedesaan pada siswa kelas v sd mahardika. jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran bahasa, 7(2), 12-22. sukaharsilawati, m. a. (2018). penggunaan pendekatan kontekstual untuk meningkatkan kemampuan membaca puisi. widyadari: jurnal pendidikan, 19(1), 142–164. syah, d. (2006). pedoman memilih dan menyusun bahan ajar. departemen pendidikan nasional. waraulia, a. m. (2018). implementasi pembelajaran menulis puisi dengan model pembelajaran kontekstual-inquiri siswa kelas vii smpn 1 mantingan. jurnal prakerta, 1(1), 1–9. wati, s. (2019). keefektifan pendekatan kontekstual (contextual teaching and learning) dalam pembelajaran menulis puisi siswa smp. jurnal bindo sastra, 3(1), 55–62. wedawati, p. a. g. (2022). penggunaan media sosial youtube sebagai media pembelajaran daring pada ketrampilan mengekspresikan puisi bahasa bali. indonesian journal of educational development, 3(1), 53–62. arip hidayat, liliana muliastuti, & ratna dewanti poetry appreciation teaching material design based on contextual approach 982 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 993 evaluation of contextual clues: efl proficiency in reading comprehension margaret stevani faculty of english education, universitas pembinaan masyarakat indonesia email: margaretstevani19@gmail.com meikardo samuel prayuda faculty of english education, universitas katolik santo thomas sumatera utara email: meichardohanon@gmail.com dyan wulan sari faculty of school teacher education, universitas katolik santo thomas sumatera utara email: wulansdyan@ust.ac.id sumarlin mangandar marianus faculty of school teacher education, universitas katolik santo thomas sumatera utara email: sumarlinmm.sinaga@gmail.com karisma erikson tarigan faculty of english education, universitas katolik santo thomas sumatera utara email:erick_tarigan2006@yahoo.com apa citation: stevani, m., prayuda, m. s., sari, d. w., marianus, s. m., & tarigan, k. e. (2022). evaluation of contextual clues: efl proficiency in reading comprehension. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 993-1002. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.7076 received: 19-06-2022 accepted: 23-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction the growing number of non-native english students learning to read prove that the curriculum should emphasize students' ability to construct knowledge, think critically, and process information. students' literacy at all levels is characterized by the ability to use prior knowledge and to use effective reading strategies that focus on meaning, and this behavior enables them to become proficient readers (taufan, 2020). a good reader is an active reader who is clear about what they intend to accomplish through their reading and continuously evaluates whether they are achieving their goal. selective readers constantly make decisions regarding what to read carefully, what not to read, and what to reread. as they read, they construct, revise, and question meaning since comprehension issues can arise at various levels, such as the word level, sentence level, sentence-to-sentence level, and sentence-tosubject level (jaelani et al., 2022). besides the context-based strategies in reading comprehension, students also rely on using prior knowledge. by having enough background knowledge, readers can integrate the words they have read into their existing framework of knowledge or schema, resulting in constructing meanings of some unknown words in the text. students who engage in wide reading will develop extensive vocabulary. the more a learner reads, the more unfamiliar words someone will be confronted with through the use of prior abstract: the present research evaluated efl perspectives about contextual clues in reading comprehension at different proficiency levels. the data analysis using qualitative descriptions with frequencies and percentages was employed for 38 intermediate-level students and 25 advanced-level students in the university level through teaching contextual clues in reading comprehension with an experimental design. the results proved that students' proficiency in reading ability could be demonstrated by their use of idiomatic expressions, indirect language, direct language, series of words, comparison, synonym, tone, situation, mood, reference, restatement, preposition, cause-effect, modification, and example. advanced students with a high level of vocabulary, grammar, and decoding skills were better able to utilize many contextual clues than intermediate students. thus, reading ability was strongly correlated with the ability to infer word meaning from contextual clues. keywords: contextual clues; english proficiency; reading comprehension. mailto:margaretstevani19246@gmail.com mailto:meichardohanon@gmail.com mailto:wulansdyan@ust.ac.id mailto:erick_tarigan2006@yahoo.com margaret stevani, meikardo samuel prayuda, dyan wulan sari, sumarlin mangandar marianus, & karisma erikson tarigan evaluation of contextual clues: efl proficiency in reading comprehension 994 knowledge because comprehension is the process of making sense of words, sentences and connected text (salant & berant, 2018; stevani & tarigan, 2022). researchers have acknowledged that students need a specific set of word-learning strategies to unlock the meaning of the unknown words and this promotes deep exploration of texts during interpretation. different previous studies also stress the importance of contextual clues if students want to become skillful and proficient in obtaining meaning from their reading material, such as the contribution of grammatical knowledge to enhance the students' guessing ability (oclarit & casinillo, 2021); to improve understanding of new words in locating appositives, searching for explicit definitions and using prior knowledge (ilter, 2019), and to predict the outstanding scores in the vocabulary size test and the english college test (jaelani et al., 2022). based on the researchers’ observation, several english teachers claim that many teachers waste lesson time by asking students to read a passage silently. these weak students are unable to identify and use the contextual clue, signal, and reading strategy because their background knowledge and decoding skills are low. in the case of an unfamiliar word, many students look up its meaning immediately using an electronic dictionary. additionally, some words have multiple meanings, so students choose the wrong one, resulting in misunderstandings. consequently, most students cannot follow the flow of ideas provided in printed materials, such as finding the main idea, making predictions, using background knowledge, creating mental images, asking questions, drawing inferences, and summarizing information. increasing evidence suggests that students are failing to make progress with reading because of a lack of vocabulary. they have difficulty reading fluently due to their lack of vocabulary, and tabdulhis results in difficulties with comprehension because inferring or deducing word meanings from the context accounts for 75% to 90% of comprehension (abdulmalik, 2020; zamani et al., 2022). students who cannot overcome vocabulary difficulties while reading experience frustration and can lose focus on context because understanding the content requires inferring meaning, which is the essence of comprehension development, especially in the long-reading text. the first previous research shows that being unable to handle long and complex sentences and failing to grasp the main idea are the main causes of not achieving high scores when students take the reading test for english major, as the requirement of management business for english major (ahmad et al., 2018). the second previous research identified students’ reading problems such as small vocabulary size, slow reading speed, and inadequate background knowledge (ficzere et al., 2021). the third previous research pointed out that efl in indonesia have similar reading problems and they also lack decoding skills and effective reading strategies (ilahude et al., 2021). however, the ability to use context clues among the intermediate and advanced level of english education students has been little studied. instead, most researchers have focused solely on the effectiveness of teaching the context clue strategy in the classroom using various approaches. whereas not much attention was given to vocabulary instruction in reading comprehension by using contextual clues and the students’ perspectives about the way to select the contextual information based on a reading passage. therefore, in this research, the student's ability to use context clues in reading passages and how to identify context clue types based on english reading tests, and the correlation between reading comprehension and the students’ opinions regarding the context clue strategy to derive the meaning of unfamiliar words will be investigated. generally, the most common contextual clues were classified into: (1) restatement: stated the word in simpler terms; (2) synonyms: the similar meaning of one or two words; (3) antonyms: opposite meaning of the word; (4) definitions: the clear statement that defined the meaning of the word; (5) explanation: the same ideas that could be found in the sentence before or in the sentence following the word to explained the difficult word; and (6) relationships: the clue of the difficult word and something the author had stated in the text which required reader’s thinking process (fudhla et al., 2020; inal, 2021). thus, the main objectives of the study are: (a) to investigate the effect of contextual clues types to improve the reading comprehension of different texts, and (b) to examine the students’ perspectives when using the types of contextual clues which require students to guess the meaning of unfamiliar vocabularies in the text quickly. method the research design in this study was an experimental study aiming to achieve 98-95% lexical coverage for successful reading english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 995 comprehension (razaq et al., 2022; hassanzadeh et al., 2020). based on their scores on the vocabulary levels test and word associates test in reading comprehension tests, the students were divided into two groups: 38 intermediate level students and 25 advanced level students majoring in english education program in north sumatra to ensure that the target words and text topics were familiar to their level of proficiency (wulandari, 2017). in the pre-test of vocabulary levels test and word associates test, each student was required to read the texts and sentences and infer the meaning of the underlined words (50 words in total). every correctly inferred word received one point, resulting in a maximum score of 30 for single sentences and 20 for longer text. the research process was described as follows: first, after taking the pre-test, the students in the experimental group were taught how to use contextual clues without referring to a dictionary, such as definitions, synonyms, antonyms, comparisons, associations, and cause and effect. in administering the context clues, the researchers explained the purpose of context clues and demonstrated how to locate them by displaying a passage with unfamiliar words highlighted and surrounding context clues highlighted. second, four long expository texts were given to students with contextual clues containing 15-20 target words per text (50 in total) chosen based on their reading proficiency level. the third step was for students to clarify some questions about the reading passage by spending approximately 40 minutes going back through the text to find the words they did not know and guess the meaning from the context, as well as stating their confidence regarding their strategy to infer the types of the unknown words. fourth, the students had to rely solely on text contextual clues during the word identification and comprehension task, since they were not allowed to consult a dictionary or ask their classmates or researchers for help. fifth, the students were able to verify the accurate meaning of the words by using a bilingual dictionary and the researchers asked the students in each experimental group to present their results to the entire group. sixth, a questionnaire was administered after all treatments to assess the students' opinions on contextual clues for determining unfamiliar words' meanings. in data analysis, qualitative descriptions with frequencies and percentages were used to describe the nature and characteristics of contextual clues in reading comprehension and it was observed by two researchers in the field of english education by using a checklist of teaching procedures. the checklist included direct classroom features, such as the process of using contextual clues, items of reading passage tests, and classroom observation. the checklist included using responses to agree and disagree with classroom observation (boonchum, 2018). a content validity test and a face validity test were used to establish the validity of pre-test and post-test. a test's content validity measured the variety of reading passages covered all vocabulary words discussed over the past month, including synonyms, antonyms, comparisons and contrasts, associations, and cause and effect. the face validity was conducted by asking four english teachers to analyze and review the pre-test and post-test to assess the degree to which the test looked valid. according to four english teachers, the test and the reading passage were good comprehensive tests since it was included the most types of vocabulary questions according to intermediate and advanced level students (haerazi et al., 2019). results and discussion the analysis of contextual clues on students’ reading comprehension test the main concern of this section was to answer problem 1, which was the analysis of contextual clues types and what type of contextual clues that the students used in the process of the unfamiliar word investigation. table 1. the classification of contextual clues in reading comprehension contextual clue types frequency and percentage of students’ level examples idiomatic expressions advanced: 18 (72%) intermediate: 21 (55%) he had a good personality to prove that he was easily able to get along with everyone he knew. a. manage c. give up b. be friendly d. move on [the answer was (b) because get along with was similar to be friendly]. indirect language advanced: 19 (76%) intermediate: especially well-suited for those who should not take aspirin products. dosage for adults: 1 to 2 tablets 4 times daily. based on the instruction, what is the maximum dosage per day for an adult? margaret stevani, meikardo samuel prayuda, dyan wulan sari, sumarlin mangandar marianus, & karisma erikson tarigan evaluation of contextual clues: efl proficiency in reading comprehension 996 25 (65%) a. 8 tablets c. 3 tablets b. 4 tablets d. 2 tablets [the answer was (d) because “3 tablets four times daily” would be equal to three times four, or twelve tablets every twenty-four hours. choice (a) referred to the dose per time, not to the total dose for four times daily. choice (b) referred to the number per day, not to the number of tablets. choice (c) referred to the minimum, not the maximum dosage]. direct language advanced: 17 (68%) intermediate: 26 (68%) based on the passage, the title below that best expressed the ideas in this passage was ……. a. invitation c. questionnaire b. notice d. application [the answer is (b) because the passage provided information without subjective commentary. choice (a) referred to the notice of an occasion with a time, date, and place mentioned. choice (c) referred to a series of questions. choice (d) referred to a form with personal and professional information on it]. series of words advanced: 16 (64%) intermediate: 28 (73%) although we always send a representative to the airport to welcome new international students, very often they do not arrive on the flights that we expect them to. a. show over c. show down b. show out d. show up [the answer is (d) because the word is a phrasal verb as a synonym]. comparison/contrast advanced: 19 (76%) intermediate: 22 (57%) according to the department of energy, 1 percent of the nation’s electricity will be generated from solar cells at the enormous cost of one billion dollars a year. the text might be inferred that….. a. solar energy was popular. b. less than 1 percent of our energy sources were from solar cells. c. the department of energy supported a complete solar electricity plan. d. the cost of solar energy was cheap. [the answer was (b). choice (a) contradicted the fact that less than 1 percent was available. choice (c) contradicted the fact that the percentage projected for the future was only 1 percent. choice (d) contradicted the fact that the cost of one billion dollars a year was enormous. synonym advanced: 16 (64%) intermediate: 16 (42%) seeds are contained in the core of fleshy fruit, such as apples and pears. a. nature c. surface b. center d. top [the answer was (b). choice (a), choice (b), choice (c), and choice (d) was not synonym of the word core]. tone, situation, mood advanced: 15 (60%) intermediate: 17 (44%) the second leading cause of death in this country, cancer claimed the lives of over 420,000 americans every year. based on the statement, how many conditions rank above cancer as a cause of death? a. one c. three b. two d. none [the answer was (a) because since cancer was the second leading cause, it must be concluded that there was one condition that ranked above it. choice (b) referred to the rank of cancer, not the rank above cancer. choices (c) and (d) were not mentioned and might not be concluded from information in the passage]. reference advanced: 22 (88%) intermediate: 22 (57%) in the year 2001, 1 percent of the nation’s electricity will be generated from solar cells at the enormous cost of one billion dollars a year. based on the statement, how much solar electricity will be generated in the future? a. 1 percent of the nation’s total electricity. b. 2000 solar cells. c. 10 percent of the total electricity for the country. d. one billion solar cells per year. [the answer was (a). choice (b) referred to the year, not to solar cells. choice (d) referred to the cost in dollars, not to solar cells. choice (c) was not mentioned and might not be concluded from the information in the sentence. restatement advanced: 20 (80%) intermediate: 23 (60%) the manager could force them to leave the apartment. a. the manager could be forced to leave. b. they could leave because the manager was forced to. c. they could be forced to leave by the manager. d. both the manager and they were forced to leave. [the answer was (c) because it was a restatement of the given sentence. choice (a) was not the same because in the original sentence they, not the manager, leave. choice (b) was not the same because in the original sentence they, not the manager, were forced. choice (d) was not the same because in the original sentence they, not the manager and they, were forced]. preposition advanced: 23 (92%) intermediate: 22 (58%) they forgot about ……… to join us for lunch. a. us to ask c. our asking b. us asking d. we asking [the answer was (c) because the –ing form asking was used after the verb phrase forgot about, and the possessive pronoun our was used to modify the –ing form asking]. cause/effect advanced: 20 (80%) intermediate: if oxford university had a degree program in education, the students could have stayed here. a. the students could not stay here. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 997 22 (58%) b. the students stayed at oxford university. c. the students studied education at oxford university. d. the students could study education at oxford university. [the answer was (a). choices (b) and (c) were not the same because in the original sentence the students could have stayed here if there had been a program but did not stay because there was no program for them. choice (d) was not the same because in the original sentence oxford university did not have an education program. modification advanced: 15 (60%) intermediate: 16 (42%) she moved from the dormitory ……. the noise. a. because of c. because b. cause d. caused from [the answer was (a). because of was used before the noun the noise to express cause. because it was noisy would also be correct]. example advanced: 18 (72%) intermediate: 24 (63%) based on the passage, we could infer that a student who had completed 160 quarter hours would be a……. a. freshman c. junior b. sophomore d. senior [the answer was (d) because since 156 hours were required to graduate, it must be concluded that the student who had completed 160 hours would be in his or her last year, that was, the senior year. choices (a), (b), and (c) were the first, second, and third years]. based on this result, the students were required to identify contextual clues types when guessing the meaning of unknown words. readers with more proficiency could shift attention to more abstract and conceptual ideas by using background knowledge to confirm and predict what was being said in the text only as much information as was needed (mutmainnah, 2020). consequently, co-references, logical implications, and cause-and-effect relationships were useful for highly proficient language users when integrating propositional units (ebrahimain & nabifar, 2015). the result of this research showed that advanced students used guessing strategies more frequently than intermediate students because advanced students preferred to use english as their first language to describe their strategies. some intermediate students always linked words or ideas by using conjunctions to guess the meaning of the text. most intermediate students used a list of words and memorized them based on a dictionary while advanced students used the word as the identification of another unknown word to interpret a whole text. overall, contextual clues were generally regarded positively by students when determining the meaning of unfamiliar words. as a result, they accepted that contextual clues strategy was fundamental to learn in the classroom, as well as to increase their reading speed. the students’ objectives to use contextual clues in reading comprehension the main concern of this section was to answer problem 2, which was the effectiveness of contextual clues according to the student’s objectives in reading comprehension. table 2. goals of reading comprehension by using contextual clues statements reading level frequency percentage i could comprehend, critique, and assess the veracity of the claims made as well as the soundness of the arguments made. advanced 20 80% intermediate 26 68% i could offer oral analyses or interpretations of texts based on specific evidence. advanced 19 76% intermediate 27 71% i could select the communication goals by understanding the strengths and limitations given in the text. advanced 18 72% intermediate 24 63% i read and listened actively to gain a deeper understanding of other cultures and perspectives. my ability to communicate effectively with people of diverse backgrounds was also enhanced. advanced 23 92% intermediate 26 68% i could effectively communicate intricate or multifaceted information. advanced 20 80% intermediate 25 65% i could build on others' ideas, express their ideas, and confirm their understanding of those ideas. advanced 23 92% intermediate 24 63% i could demonstrate command of standard english when they used a wide range of vocabulary. advanced 17 68% intermediate 20 52% by identifying when and why the meaning of the text was unclear, i could determine what needed to be clarified. advanced 18 72% intermediate 23 60% the unfolding text information provided the opportunity to evaluate the existing ideas. advanced 20 80% intermediate 22 60% i exhibited independence in my work. advanced 19 76% intermediate 18 47% table 3. standard competence in contextual clues statements reading level frequency percentage margaret stevani, meikardo samuel prayuda, dyan wulan sari, sumarlin mangandar marianus, & karisma erikson tarigan evaluation of contextual clues: efl proficiency in reading comprehension 998 used specific textual evidence to support conclusions drawn from a text. advanced 20 80% intermediate 25 65% read to state explicitly and make logical inferences from the text. advanced 18 72% intermediate 24 63% analyzed the development of a text's central ideas or themes. advanced 18 72% intermediate 24 63% the development and interaction of individuals, events, and ideas in a text must be examined. advanced 17 68% intermediate 23 60% determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings of words and phrases used in a text, as well as how specific word choices affected meaning. advanced 16 64% intermediate 20 52% identified the relationship of specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of a text were fitted together. advanced 16 64% intermediate 18 47% examined how point of view or purpose influenced a text's content and style. advanced 17 68% intermediate 17 45% evaluated the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence, as well as the logic of the argument in a text. advanced 17 68% intermediate 32 84% learned how two or more texts address the same themes or topics to build knowledge or compared how the authors approached the topics. advanced 19 76% intermediate 27 71% displayed an understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and word meaning nuances. advanced 20 80% intermediate 26 68% explained how key details could support the text's main idea. advanced 21 84% intermediate 25 66% provided relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, and other examples and information about the topic. advanced 22 88% intermediate 24 63% used a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage sequence. advanced 23 92% intermediate 20 53% the act of reading did not simply involve picking up information word by word from the page. as an active process of comprehension, it was rather characterized as a selective process (wongwiwattana & watanapokakul, 2021). most students had difficulties understanding the words as a result in not knowing many words for expressing themselves during speaking and writing because they did not know many words. concerning this statement, students might read the text to gain an overall understanding, but they might interpret each sentence differently, as the text might not be interpreted identically. as well as the author's messages, reading also had a relation to what the reader found out based on their level of language proficiency (kaivanpanah, 2020). based on this result, some of the students found that the length of a text influenced their ability to identify the meaning of technical words in the text and the quality of their knowledge of these words. as the words were not used often in the text, most intermediate students categorized them as low and high-frequency words, assuming that the rare words were best learned with vocabulary instruction. nevertheless, since advanced students had previous experience with these words, they accepted high-frequency vocabulary as their core vocabulary in any text given. overall, the students achieved some clear objectives regarding how to construct the meaning using context clues, as it was sensible to reveal the knowledge from the text, such as word recognition, fluency, lexical knowledge, and preexisting knowledge. the classroom observation procedures when using contextual clues the main concern of this section was to answer problem 2, which was the effectiveness of contextual clues according to the students’ perspectives in reading comprehension to guess the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in the text quickly. table 4. students’ strategies when using contextual clues statements reading level frequency percentage the word had to be read twice. advanced 16 64% intermediate 22 60% noticed the letter or sound that starts the sentence. advanced 17 68% intermediate 20 52% checked the illustrations around the text for more information. advanced 17 68% intermediate 18 47% words should be broken up. advanced 15 60% intermediate 18 47% saying the words out loud. advanced 14 56% intermediate 18 47% the word should be chopped into syllables. advanced 16 64% intermediate 22 60% noticed the word's ending. advanced 17 68% english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 999 intermediate 26 68% checked the word's length. advanced 18 72% intermediate 24 63% identified a family of words. advanced 15 60% intermediate 18 47% identified smaller words within the word. advanced 17 68% intermediate 19 50% checked out the headings in the text. advanced 14 56% intermediate 26 68% analyzed the text for its features advanced 14 56% intermediate 27 71% broke the text up by chunking it. advanced 17 68% intermediate 23 60% taking notes while reading. advanced 15 60% intermediate 26 68% the use of unfamiliar words should be accompanied by a question. advanced 16 64% intermediate 19 50% the word could be used to describe different kinds of texts. advanced 15 60% intermediate 22 60% connected the words to as many situations as possible. advanced 23 92% intermediate 20 52% the words needed to be illustrated by a classmate. advanced 13 52% intermediate 26 68% discussed synonyms, antonyms, and other words related to the word. advanced 18 72% intermediate 24 63% table 5. students’ behavioral when practicing contextual clues statements reading level frequency percentage whenever i read a passage, i read it from beginning to end. advanced 22 88% intermediate 27 71% reading was usually something i did in my head. advanced 18 72% intermediate 26 68% my mind often wondered what was going to happen next in the text. advanced 17 68% intermediate 23 60% it was interesting to exchange ideas with other readers and discussed how they interpreted the texts. advanced 16 64% intermediate 23 60% my friends' reading habits had been a source of reflection for me. advanced 15 60% intermediate 22 60% a good book sometimes changed my mind about something i thought i knew. advanced 13 52% intermediate 24 63% reading was a voluntary activity that i chose to engage in. advanced 14 56% intermediate 25 65% i was regularly monitored and reviewed regarding my reading comprehension skills. advanced 15 60% intermediate 22 60% my role was to initiate dialogue, debate, or discussion about the meaning of a text. advanced 20 80% intermediate 23 60% my daily reading was influenced by university literacy activities. advanced 17 68% intermediate 16 42% reading outside of the university had been an encouraging and supportive experience for me. advanced 16 64% intermediate 18 47% reading comprehension is useful in a variety of english content areas based on my experience. advanced 16 64% intermediate 19 50% table 6. skill categories in reading comprehension through contextual clues skill category in contextual clues description the students’ comment determining the meaning of words (word meaning) determined the meaning of words in context while recognizing familiar words and tied them to prior vocabulary knowledge. before learning a new word's meaning, i could not understand it in different contexts. my contextual awareness improved since then, which allowed me to better comprehend the multiple meanings of a word. pronounced words, searched for related words with similar meanings, and analyzed prefixes, roots, and suffixes. to improve an understanding of unknown words, i tended to focus on roots, prefixes, and suffixes. we sometimes used quizlet to practice the words and add images to get a broader understanding. understanding the content, form, and function of sentences (sentence meaning) determined the meaning of the sentence based on a sense of words and phrases. after using the chunk-by-chunk reading method, i could have a good grasp of the general idea rather than reading a sentence by using word by word. analyzed sentence structures to understand the meaning of a sentence. i used the main idea of the passage when guessing, no matter if the word was common or rare to be used. comprehend a sentence based on personal experience and general knowledge of the world. i thought guessed meanings were better remembered than given meanings because unclear words had a low possibility to be remembered later on in other contexts. margaret stevani, meikardo samuel prayuda, dyan wulan sari, sumarlin mangandar marianus, & karisma erikson tarigan evaluation of contextual clues: efl proficiency in reading comprehension 1000 understanding the situation implied by a text imagined mental models of characters, settings, actions, ideas, and events. as i looked closely at the unknown word, i then reviewed the clause containing the unknown word, and finally, i reviewed the whole clause against other clauses, sentences, and paragraphs to guess its meaning. selected the most important points and details in a text with evidence. as an active reader, i had to think about the ideas of those words and obtained knowledge from those words and sentences since i could easily get overwhelmed by a long string of ideas or events. ignoring words from the text was not a good idea because their meanings were crucial to understanding. utilized personal experience and knowledge of the world to fill in the situation implied by the text by inferring cause-and-effect relationships between actions and events. utilizing contextual clues would help me expand my knowledge by focusing on what i had already known rather than what i did not know before. understanding the content, form, and function of larger sections of text (global text meaning) synthesized meaning from multiple sentences to comprehend longer sections of texts. through contextual clues, i figured out the word's meaning without reading the whole text or remembering the previous paragraphs. recognized the organizational structure of a text and used it as a guide while reading. when reading an english text, it would be easier to comprehend each new word rather than just focusing on the word without the assistance of a teacher or a dictionary. evaluated what had been read against information from other sources and interpreted information critically. using passage comprehension as a starting point, i wanted to think like an expert on words and come up with hypotheses. i found it easier to guess the meanings of unfamiliar words when i read a text with rich context. identified the main point, summarizing, characterizing, or evaluating them. i could make predictions about the events occurring in the text based on the word relationship and at the same time, i could also ignore unknown words when reading the text. recognized implications in a text, concluded it and identify underlying assumptions. to identify the passage, we previewed the headings and section titles of all types of reading tasks in groups. following that, we skimmed and scanned the text and made predictions about content and vocabulary. from there, we started guessing based on the context. using dictionaries was time-consuming, so i considered ways to save time and proceed with reading comprehension without them. analyzing authors’ purposes, goals, and strategies (pragmatic meaning) determined the target audience and the purpose of the writing. it was always dependent on the context of the text and whether i had background knowledge about the subject and the situation. so, i was able to specify the learning objective. analyzed the choices made by an author in terms of content, organization, style, and genre. since english words often had different meanings depending on the context, it would be better to guess their meanings from the context rather than relying on a dictionary. explained an author's choice of words and phrases supported the author's message. in texts that english teachers read, i often encountered difficult words no matter how proficient i was at reading. using inference and contextual clues to guess the meanings of unfamiliar words was a strategy worth developing to keep your interest as you read. strategic use of contextual words could also be effective in promoting independent reading because efl teachers might not have to teach every single unfamiliar word in a time-consuming reading passage (mirza, 2011). moreover, when the students had deduced the meaning of a word, they often used a combination of strategies rather than a single strategy. the improvement of students’ vocabulary retention and reading comprehension when using contextual clues could be attributed to several reasons, such as fostering students’ ability to find information, predicting unfamiliar words in context, and determining the meaning of unfamiliar words while reading (wongwiwattana & watanapokakul, 2021; stevani & tarigan, 2022). based on this result, the students gave different reasons why they stopped reading whenever they encountered a new word. most intermediate students translated the words in the sentence word into indonesian. however, most advanced students were familiar with the words but had difficulty remembering where and when the word was seen or learned because they preferred to use their background knowledge to guess the word on english tests. some advanced students chose selfanswer questions to guess the word on english tests. based on the observation, the reasons of the students used contextual clues to answer reading comprehension test were: (1) failed to determine which option in reading comprehension test was appropriate for the reading text because the options were so similar, (2) unfamiliarity with the vocabulary in the options, regardless of whether they understood the information in the reading text, (3) there were two similar and tricky answers to identify the correct answer in reading comprehension tests, (4) the main idea in the text did not match the options in reading comprehension tests, so they should read the whole text twice, (5) some students should answer the synonym of the vocabulary given based on the context in the text, (6) some students english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1001 did not understand what the paragraphs in the reading text meant, but if they were able to find the correct answer in the options, they could guess the meaning of the question offered, (7) some students took more time to read the question due to the length and complexity of the text, so they chose the context to minimize the time, (8) the students who had experience with the given reading text chose their answer based on the context, (9) students who noticed the first paragraph in the reading text wanted to clarify the next paragraph using the clues from the first paragraph, (10) some students avoided the options that were too specific or too broad by using contextual clues, (11) some students always made the best educated guess by choosing the options that seemed consistent with the main idea, (12) some students ignored text details and chose contextual clues to predict where the author's arguments were leading, (13) some students chose to read the question first because the reading text was lengthy, and (14) some students recalled some of the sentences and they removed information based on context in the option choices to find the correct answer. overall, the students’ perspectives based on classroom observation indicated that there were no significant differences in strategies used between intermediate students and advanced students because some of the students could not match their previous knowledge of english or indonesian language since the reading text might have different linguistic abilities. conclusion to conclude, readers who possessed a high level of vocabulary, grammar, and decoding skills were better able to utilize many types of contextual clues than readers who possessed a lower level of literacy and language competence. the results of this research indicated that reading ability and the ability to infer word meaning from context clues were strongly correlated. this research also led to some suggestions regarding its results. teaching context clues chronologically from easiest to most difficult should be the goal of english teachers. by taking notes about the clues that helped students guess the unknown words in reading texts, students would be encouraged to investigate their guessing words-in-context strategies. occasionally, teachers would check students' notes on the clues they had used during five to ten-minute intervals. as a result of this analysis, the researchers proved that students' proficiency in reading ability could be demonstrated by their use of idiomatic expressions, indirect language, direct language, series of words, comparison, synonym, tone, situation, mood, reference, restatement, preposition, cause-effect, modification, and example. as a limitation, this research was the lack of consideration of the contextual factor as well as the frequency of word exposures. accordingly, this research merely showed that the students scored higher on words found in an expository text because the context contained more information. references abdulmalik a., m. (2020). investigation of vocabulary learning strategies to identify word meanings for saudi efl students in reading context. arab world english journal, 11(3), 149–169. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no3.9 ahmad, s. n., muhammad, a. m., & kasim, a. a. m. (2018). contextual clues vocabulary strategies choice among business management students. english language teaching, 11(4), 107. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v11n4p107 boonchum, p. (2018). english reading efficiency of non-english-major students via context clues reading drills. journal of community development research (humanities and social sciences), 11(4), 118–125. ebrahimain, a., & nabifar, n. (2015). the effect of three vocabulary learning strategies of wordpart, word-card and context-clue on iranian high school students’ immediate and delayed english vocabulary learning and retention. the journal of applied linguistics, 8(17), 42–63. ficzere, a., stranovska, e., & gadusova, z. (2021). foreign language reading comprehension in the context of internet use. tem journal, 10(4), 1983–1991. https://doi.org/10.18421/tem10464 fudhla, n., solusia, c., & oktoviandry, r. (2020). context clues as a vocabulary learning strategy: a view of its implementation in efl classroom. 411(icoelt 2019), 83–87. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200306.014 haerazi, h., prayati, z., & vikasari, r. m. (2019). practicing contextual teaching and learning (ctl) approach to improve students' reading comprehension in relation to motivation. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 139. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2011 hassanzadeh, z., tamjid, n. h., & ahanghari, s. (2020). lexical inferencing strategy instruction and the development of reading comprehension: the case of iranian efl learners. journal of english language pedagogy and practice, 13(27), 1–25. http://jal.iaut.ac.ir/article_679373.html ilahude, f. f., fatsah, h., luwiti, s. r., & otoluwa, m. margaret stevani, meikardo samuel prayuda, dyan wulan sari, sumarlin mangandar marianus, & karisma erikson tarigan evaluation of contextual clues: efl proficiency in reading comprehension 1002 h. (2021). the influence of the use of context clues strategy on reading comprehension. international journal of education and social science research, 4(6), 166–180. https://doi.org/10.37500/ijessr.2021.4613 ilter, ii̇. (2019). the efficacy of context clue strategy instruction on middle grades students’ vocabulary development. rmle online, 42(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/19404476.2018.155452 2 inal, s. (2021). the effect of contextual guessing strategy on identifying the meaning of lowfrequency words and behaviours of turkish efl students in identifying the meaning of unknown words. european journal of foreign language teaching, 5(3), 118–137. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejfl.v5i3.3625 jaelani, s. r., wathoni, h., purnama, b., harianto, h., & wadi, s. (2022). the students’ ability in reading comprehension of toefl test for the efl learners. jshp : jurnal sosial humaniora dan pendidikan, 6(1), 60–66. https://doi.org/10.32487/jshp.v6i1.1296 kaivanpanah, s. (2020). the effect of contextual clues and topic familiarity on l2 lexical inferencing and retention. porta linguarum revista interuniversitaria de didáctica de las lenguas extranjeras, 47–61. https://doi.org/10.30827/digibug.53951 mirza, a. a. (2011). the effects of contextual meaning aspects on reading comprehension. journal on english as a foreign language, 1(2), 79. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v1i2.192 mutmainnah, m. (2020). implementing context clues strategy to improve students’ reading comprehension. 1(1), 1–107. https://digilibadmin.unismuh.ac.id/upload/1869 6-full_text.pdf oclarit, r. p., & casinillo, l. f. (2021). strengthening the reading comprehension of students using a context clue. journal of education research and evaluation, 5(3), 373–379. https://doi.org/10.23887/jere.v5i3.34772 razaq, y., amiruddin, a., inayah, n., a, m., & khas, s. a. (2022). development of the context clues method to improve the reading skills of preservice teachers. jurnal pengabdian masyarakat, 1(3), 148–154. salant, s., & berant, j. (2018). contextualized word representations for reading comprehension. naacl hlt 2018 2018 conference of the north american chapter of the association for computational linguistics: human language technologies: proceedings of the conference, 2(1), 554–559. https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/n182088 stevani, m., & tarigan, k. e. (2022). evaluating english textbooks by using bloom’s taxonomy to analyze reading comprehension question. salee: study of applied linguistics and english education, 4(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.35961/salee.v0i0.526 stevani, m., & tarigan, k. e. (2022). need analysis of dyslexia students in english reading comprehension instructions. jeels (journal of english education and linguistics studies), 9(2), 327–352. https://doi.org/10.30762/jeels.v9i2.520 taufan, m. y. (2020). improving students’ vocational vocabulary mastery through context clues technique. edumaspul: jurnal pendidikan, 4(2), 347–354. wongwiwattana, s., & watanapokakul, s. (2021). types of context clues and vocabulary meaning inference: abilities and perceptions of english major undergraduate students. reflections, 28(3), 357–380. wulandari, f. (2017). the use of context clues in improving students’ reading ability. jurnal pendidikan bahasa, 6(2), 144–155. zamani, m., nematzadeh, e., & alikhademi, a. (2022). investigating the impact of iranian efl learners (elementary, intermediate, advanced) use of contextual clues on their knowledge of unknown vocabularies. international journal of english language teaching, 10(3), 15–23. https://doi.org/10.37745/ijelt.13/vol10no2pp.1523 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 745 assisting students’ writing improvement through reading to learn (r2l) program: a review of studies noviarti rahayu department of linguistics, faculty of language and culture, universitas indonesia, depok, indonesia email: noviarti.rahayu@gmail.com harni kartika-ningsih department of linguistics, faculty of language and culture, universitas indonesia, depok, indonesia email: harni.kartika@ui.ac.id apa citation: rahayu, n., & ningsih, h. k. (2023). assisting students’ writing improvement through reading to learn (r2l) program: a review of studies. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 745-756. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8680 received: 22-06-2023 accepted: 21-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: this paper aims to survey the implementation and the implication of reading to learn (r2l) for improving students' writing to inform future teaching practices. reading to learn (r2l) is a teaching methodology based on a language theory, systemic functional linguistics (sfl), which has been reported as a successful program to improve students' literacy in different classroom contexts across the globe. this paper systematically reviews 14 studies on the implementation of r2l and its implications on students’ writing development from 2012 to 2023. this review indicates several key findings: 1) most studies on r2l applied r2l to teach writing an argumentative genre, given that this genre is widely considered the most formidable genre for students; 2) the implementation of r2l exhibited various modifying strategies from the r2l cycles. most studies modify the first layer of the cycles; 3) the final result shows the impact on students’ writing development. thirteen out of the fourteen studies reviewed reported an increase in students’ textual organization, written literacy skills, students’ engagement in the classroom, and critical thinking. keywords: genre-based approach; genre pedagogy; reading to learn; systemic functional linguistics; writing development. introduction genre-based approach (gba) or the sydney school genre pedagogy is a prominent pedagogical approach that has been applied to teach writing skills (rose & martin, 2012). this approach is based on a language-based theory of learning, systemic functional linguistics (sfl), a linguistic framework developed by mak halliday (1993). sfl is centralized on functions of language, which are manifested through meaning potentials or linguistic system (cheng, 2023). this framework also examines language as a system related to the context of culture and its social context (rose & martin, 2012). sfl provides valuable insights into understanding and analyzing the structure and function of language within the context of its use. the functional model of language can be observed through four perspectives: 1) twin function of language; 2) social contexts of language use; 3) structural organization of language; and 4) language system in actual text (martin & rose, 2008; rose & martin, 2012). the illustration of the interpretation of language in social and cultural contexts is presented in figure 1. figure 1. the relation of language to social and cultural context (rose & martin, 2012, p.271) initially, when we use language to communicate, we are doing two things at the same time: we are interacting with the audience, and we are interacting about something (halliday & matthiessen, 2014). the dual functions of language serve as a medium to enable speakers and writers to communicate and convey their thoughts or experiences effectively. in sfl, language has mailto:noviarti.rahayu@gmail.com noviarti rahayu & harni kartika-ningsih assisting students’ writing improvement through reading to learn (r2l) program: a review of studies 746 two metafunctions: an interpersonal metafunction (enacting the relationship between speaker and audience), an ideational metafunction (interpreting the speaker’s thoughts or experiences). when the speaker relates the message to the context of speaking, then this meaning is known as textual metafunction. the second perspective of language in functional theory is the social context of the language. it can be examined from three distinct angles: the relationship formed through language, the experiences it conveys, and its role within a given context. these three aspects of social context are referred to as the tenor of social relation (identifying involved parties), the field of experience (defining topics or activities discussed), and the mode of communication (spoken or written). collectively, field, tenor, and mode constitute a text’s register. beyond register lies a text’s general social purpose, known as genre. the specific social purpose of the text determines its genre; for example, explaining cause-and-effect sequences produces an explanation, classifying and describing an object produces a report, and narrating events results in a narrative. the field, tenor, and mode converge at the genre level. based on the perspective of language as a structural organization, patterns of meaning occur at different linguistic levels: discourse is the term at text level, grammar at the clause level, and phonology or graphology at the level of sounds or letters. the interconnection between these three levels is denoted as realization. the fourth perspective is the relation between the language system and the actual text used. it reveals how the abstract language system translates into practical communication. in the scope of sfl, gba often employs the term 'genre', often overlapped with the concept of 'text type.' therefore, the gba curriculum is designed to teach various types of texts at each level, and the topics of each unit are named based on the type of text they focus on. this approach ensures that students develop students’ ability to compose text that aligns with their intended contexts of use. in the teaching of writing at various school levels, the competence to compose texts in english while considering the context of use emerges as a critical ability for students to acquire. this competence is exercised through the systematic implementation of methodologies rooted in the systemic functional linguistics genre-based approach. one of the latest generations of sfl-gba, which has been implemented in the classroom worldwide, is ‘reading to learn’ (r2l). r2l applies the principles of genre pedagogy to integrate the teaching of reading and writing in the curriculum across all levels of education (rose & martin, 2012). reading to learn functions as a scaffolding tool within the context of a reading program, with primary emphasis on building comprehensive understanding of a text before starting to read the text. the r2l pedagogical approach provides a learning experience that scaffold students to be independent learners (becerra, et al. 2020). therefore, r2l involves a carefully designed teacher-learner interaction plan to obtain maximum outcomes during the learning process. in general, the implementation of reading to learn is underpinned by a set of nine strategies (rose & martin, 2012). these strategies are strategically designed to provide support for reading and writing activities, tailored to three distinct levels of proficiency: table 1. levels of proficiency level 1 preparing for reading join construction individual construction level 2 detailed reading joint rewriting individual rewriting level 3 sentence making spelling sentence writing reading to learn (r2l) serves as a comprehensive framework for imparting effective writing instruction within educational context. r2l combines reading and writing instruction, ensuring that students are well-prepared to produce text in english. figure 2 shows a set of nine strategies as options for integrating reading and writing into the language teaching curriculum. figure 2. three levels of strategies in reading to learn (rose & martin, 2012, p.127) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 747 the reading to learn approach structured as a cycle consisting of three distinct levels, serving as a scaffolding framework to support reading and writing activities, enabling students to engage independently with various types of texts. in the initial level, the emphasis lies on the entire text, achieved through reading preparation, joint construction, and independent construction activities. the second level focuses on key elements within the text, involving detailed reading, joint rewriting, and individual rewriting lead to an understanding of how sentences are structured to convey meaning. the third level addresses sentence making, spelling, and sentence rewriting strategies to help students gain textual understanding at the word and sentence level. the implementation of reading to learn allows for adaptations and modifications of the stages within these three levels of reading to learn cycle to suit specific instructional needs. the teaching practices trough the mentioned stages involve studentteacher exchanges which are promoting effective teaching practice (rose, 2018). the extensive research on r2l has been conducted on the implementation and its implication in students’ reading and writing abilities. genre-based and r2l pedagogy effective in enhancing the reading performance of efl students (beccera, et al. 2020), improving critical reading (benitez, et al. 2018), simplifying text comprehension (daniarti et al, 2019), resolving challenges related to distinguishing language functions (ariyanfar & mitchell, 2020), comprehending textual content, mastering vocabulary, summarizing texts, and creating more cohesive and coherent written pieces (millin & millin, 2018; millin, et al. 2020). while the connection between reading and writing is evident, more research is needed to understand how different writing genres may be influenced by reading to learn strategy. although the effectiveness of genre-based and reading to learn (r2l) pedagogies in enhancing students’ writing has been widely recognized for over a decade (tardy, et al; 2018, shum, et al. 2018; wen, et al. 2022), it is important to recognize that the effectiveness of the strategies may vary depending on the genre. furthermore, studies focusing on examining how r2l impacts on students' writing development are scarce. this gap underscores the need for further exploration and investigation in this particular area of study. in particular, this review aims to investigate the types of modification on r2l strategies which have been applied for teaching writing. the questions guiding this review are as follows. (1) what genres have been employed through the application r2l? (2) how were the studies applied r2l to teach writing? (3) what is the impact of the r2l application to students’ writing? method this study undertook a comprehensive examination of 14 distinct studies on the implementation of r2l as the primary data. all studies shared a common objective, i.e., applying r2l in classroom contexts to help improve students' writing. the selection process for this study followed a systematic process (pacheco, et al. 2021). this process encompassed six specific inclusion criteria established to identify studies eligible for inclusion as follows: (1) peer-reviewed articles published between 2012 and august 2023 sharing original findings were included. this review focused on the publications during the past decade since the latest literature could be more directly connected to the present situation and offer deeper insight (xiao & watson, 2019). unpublished theses or dissertations were excluded. (1) articles are written in english. (2) studies focused on the improvement of students’ writing. this study specifically prioritized those that primarily investigated the impact on students’ writing. (3) studies focused on the implementation of r2l in english language educational context, spanning various educational levels from the primary to tertiary educational level. (4) studies reported the implementation of r2l stages. the modification of r2l strategies was observed through the selection of r2l strategies. (5) studies needed to report the results of students’ writing after the r2l teaching. this was critical in determining the effectiveness of r2l in improving students’ writing. the search terms used for this review included "reading to learn," "r2l","rtl," "systemic functional linguistics," "sfl," "genre-based approach," "gba," and "genre pedagogy." reading to learn (r2l, rtl) is developed based on “systemic functional linguistics (sfl)” and “genre-based approach (gba)” or often called “genre pedagogy”. therefore, “systemic functional linguistic”, “genre-based approach”, and “genre pedagogy” were used as supplementary search terms. the literature search was carried out using google scholar and researchgate, the accessible databases frequently used by researchers. the process of searching and filtering articles consisted of three sequential stages. initially, a thorough noviarti rahayu & harni kartika-ningsih assisting students’ writing improvement through reading to learn (r2l) program: a review of studies 748 database search was conducted to identify relevant journal articles. the search terms were combined with specific terms and phrases such as "students writing" or "writing," aligning with this paper’s central objective of reviewing research in students’ writing through the implementation of r2l. subsequently, a screening of full-text articles was performed. the full texts of these articles were skimmed to further determine their relevance and eligibility. some articles were excluded from the review since they predominantly focused on sfl and did not incorporate r2l. articles which did not aim to examine students’ writing development were ruled out. lastly, a thorough search was executed to trace backward and forward references, ensuring a comprehensive coverage of relevant literature. this multi-stage approach was employed to ensure the thoroughness and comprehensiveness of the literature review process in this paper. as a result of this selection process, 14 articles following the predefined qualifications formed the basis of this review. results and discussion in this section, the findings of the literature review are reported under three categories based on the research questions raised in the previous section. table 2 provides an overview of the review indicating the variations of the r2l stages and their implication on students’ writing development. table 2. the implementation and the implication of r2l on students’ writing development relevant research genre focus students’ level description of r2l implementation research findings/ implication hygill & janjua (2020) argumentative exposition text tertiary level the modification of r2l stages: 1) deconstruction; 2) joint construction; 3) individual construction r2l effectively improves the thematic ability of learners in organizing argumentative text writing listyani (2018) tertiary level 5 stages of r2l: 1) preparing before reading; 2) detailed reading; 3) preparing for writing; 4) joint rewriting; 5) individual rewriting. r2l improves learners' writing millin & millin (2014) secondary level 6 stages of r2l: 1) preparing before reading; 2) detailed reading; 3) preparing before writing; 4) joint construction; 5) individual reconstruction; 6) independent writing r2l intervention showed a statistically improvement in students’ written literacy development. millin & millin (2018) secondary level 6 stages of r2l: 1) preparing before reading; 2) detailed reading; 3) preparing before writing; 4) joint construction; 5) individual reconstruction; 6) independent writing additional intervention in the form feedback in individual reconstruction stage as the insight for the students to enhance the independent writing stage. r2l intervention showed a statistically improvement in students’ written literacy development. ramos (2015) secondary level 4 stages r2l: 1) preparing to read; 2) detailed reading; 3) joint construction; 4) individual construction. r2l improves learners' ability to write argumentative persuasive texts academically samanhudi & sugiarti (2013) tertiary level 5 stages of r2l: 1) preparing before reading; 2) detailed reading; 3) preparing for writing; 4) joint rewriting; 5) individual rewriting. the findings revealed that students’ ability to write exposition text in english is better, indicated by the ability to explain details information clearly and explicitly. it also improves students’ critical thinking english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 749 vencesla (2021) secondary level 3 stages of r2l: 1) detailed reading; 2) joint rewriting; 3) joint construction the finding shows students improvement in terms of purpose, staging & phases, and attitude mamac & bangga (2023) discussion text tertiary level 5 stages of r2l: 1) preparing for reading; 2) detailed reading; 3) sentence making; 4) joint construction; 5) independent construction findings show the development of preservice students’ writing, indicated by the higherlevel language features used in post-r2l discussion texts written by the students. damayanti (2016) narrative text secondary level 4 r2l stages: 1) preparing before reading; 2) detailed reading; 3) joint rewriting; 4) individual rewriting. the findings indicate that there is a shift in student’s ability from writing fragmented and spokenlike language to more literate written narratives. hermansson, et al. (2018) primary level 4 stages r2l: 1) preparing for reading & modelling; 2) deconstructing; 3) joint construction; 4) individual construction there was no significant difference in improving the quality of writing and the length of the learner's text. millin & millin (2018) secondary level 6 stages of r2l: 1) preparing before reading; 2) detailed reading; 3) preparing before writing; 4) joint construction; 5) individual reconstruction; 6) independent writing. additional intervention in the form of feedback in individual reconstruction stage as the insight for the students to enhance the independent writing stage. r2l intervention showed a statistically improvement in students’ written literacy development. widianingsih (2012) secondary level 6 stages of r2l: 1) preparing before reading, 2) detailed reading, 3) preparing for writing, 4) joint rewriting, 5) individual rewriting, 6) independent writing the findings show that students had been able to write a new text without scaffolding from the teachers. besides, the texts show that the student had made some improvements in writing. however, almost all of the students still need intensive support in: sentence making, spelling and sentence writing. nurlaelawati, et al. (2022) recount text secondary level 5 stages of r2l: 1) preparing for reading; 2) sentence making; 3) spelling; 4) sentence writing; 5) joint rewriting r2l was applied by the pre-service teacher in stages: written l1 text, note dictation in l1, bilingual discussion for re-instantiation in l2 lexis form, further discussion to write the text in l2 (individual construction). r2l improves writing development and learner participation in class. r2l effectively increases the independence and abilities of learners to write science texts in l2. noviarti rahayu & harni kartika-ningsih assisting students’ writing improvement through reading to learn (r2l) program: a review of studies 750 kartika-ningsih (2023) descriptive report text secondary level r2l is applied trough 3 stages: 1) preparing for reading; 2) detailed reading; 3) joint construction. the stages were repeated in 4 interaction phases. interaction phase 1: preparing for reading in l1. interaction phase 2: detailed reading begins with the use of l1 and followed by l2. interaction phase 3: detailed reading begins with l2 and followed by l1 (only when needed) interaction phase 4: final joint construction stage use l2. r2l effectively improve students writing in term of the length of the text, the use of high level. vocabulary, and the use of more complex grammatical structures. yulianeta, et al (2022) news report text secondary level r2l is applied in four stages: 1) preparing for reading; 2) detailed reading; 3) joint construction; 4) individual construction r2l improves students’ writing in the matter of sequencing and students’ awareness of crucial text devices. table 2 illustrates the pattern of adaptation and modifications in r2l implementation, followed by its impact on students’ writing development. one of the studies, conducted by millin & millin (2018), is included into two genre foci since there are two genres were employed in the research. in general, the fourteen articles uniformly begin the application of r2l with the “preparing for reading” stage, subsequently incorporating various adjustments to different stages within the r2l cycle. this approach aligns with r2l’s objective of integrating reading and writing instruction as a scaffolding tool within reading programs, wit emphasis on establishing a comprehensive understanding of a text before commencing reading. additionally, most of the studies show that r2l has a significant impact on students’ writing development. genre focus the findings highlight that investigations pertaining to the implementation of r2l in writing instruction have encompassed a wide range of text genres. these studies had investigated various text types, including: argumentative exposition text. researchers employed r2l in writing argumentative exposition text as shown in the studies by hygill & janjua (2020), ramos (2015), millin & millin (2018), listyani (2018), millin & millin (2014), vencesla (2021), and samanhudi & sugiarti (2013). in this paper, most of the reviewed studies on the implementation of r2l conducted in teaching the writing of argumentative exposition genre for most of students found it was challenging to transfer their thoughts into written form. the study conducted by mamac & bangga (2023) applied r2l to teach discussion text to improve preteachers writing. r2l was implemented to teach pre-teachers so that, as a future teacher, they can apply this approach. narrative texts. the studies conducted by hermanson (2018), damayanti (2016), millin & millin (2018), and widyaningsih (2012), applied r2l as the scaffolding for students in constructing narrative genre. narrative writing was chosen for it is a difficult genre for the students to master. most of the low achievement students had trouble in using the structural framework of narratives. besides, narrative genre is a common text type used in school curriculum as the use of story supports the development of literacy in english. recount text. the studies done by nurlaelawati, et al. (2022), applied r2l in teaching recount text. in efl context, model text of recount might be a major problem due to adjustment to students’ level of proficiency and consideration of students’ accessibility to text (nurlaelawati, et al., 2022). this study demonstrated how teachers selected and adjusted the model text in the preparation of text stage. descriptive report text. the study conducted by kartika-ningsih (2023) focused on the implementation of r2l in a bilingual context to teach descriptive recount text. the bilingual program was designed to use l1 and l2 systematically to enable the development of knowledge about the topic and the english language. kartika-ningsih (2023) used descriptive report texts related to natural science to familiarize students with the topic and also to improve students’ writing. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 751 news report text. yulianeta, et al. (2022), investigating the implementation of r2l in teaching the writing of news report text. these findings underscore the applicability of reading to learn approach, demonstrating its implementation across a wide range of text genres. revering to basic genre in school by rose & martin (2012), table 3 describes the mapping of genre in the reviewed studies. most of the studies being analysed (n=8), implemented r2l to teach argumentative genre. least of the studies (n=2) were conducted to teach writing on factual text. table 3. the mapping of genre in the reviewed studies reviewed studies curriculum genre genre n = 14 stories narrative: n=3 recount: n=1 factual text descriptive report: n=1 news report: n=1 arguments argumentative: n=6 discussion: n=1 stories & arguments n=1 in sfl, the understanding and abilities to write a text in context indicated by the ability to choose the appropriate field, tenor, and mode align with the appropriate language features used in the text. the present study reveals that the implementation of r2l in each genre had raise students’ textual awareness and grammatical competence. additionally, eight out of fourteen studies were conducted within the context of english as a foreign language (efl) instruction indonesia, aligning with the indonesian english teaching curriculum rooted in systemic functional linguistic genre-based approach. these studies include the research of lityaningsih (2018), vencesla (2021), samanhudi & sugiarti (2013), damayanti (2016), widyaningsih (2012), nurlaelawati (2020), yulianeta, et al. (2022), kartika-ningsih (2023). this concentration of research in the indonesian efl context reflects a significant commitment to exploring the efficacy of r2l within a specific educational framework, offering valuable insights into its applicability and effectiveness for english language instruction in indonesia. the implementation of r2l the selected r2l programs are classified into two categories: the education level of the students and the modification of r2l strategies within three levels. firstly, the findings of this review demonstrate the application of r2l from primary to tertiary levels. specifically, one study was conducted in a primary level, 9 of the studies were conducted in a secondary level, and three studies were conducted in a tertiary level. while all studies in secondary and tertiary levels reported a significant result on students' writing development, the study conducted in the primary level showed insignificant result. the research by hermansson, et al. (2018), a quasi-experimental study, conducted on 90 elementary school students in sweden, focused on joint construction stages in writing narrative texts. this study shows insignificant results on improving students’ writing quality and the length of the student's written text. despite the strength of the research in terms of substantial sample size, rigorous comparison of experimental and control groups, ecological validity, and fairness of tight control and analysis contexts, this study claims several concerns. these concerns included the relatively small scope of the second set of analyses, the exclusion of gender and teacher-related aspects from the analysis, as well as the absence of observation of participants during preand posttest measurements in the intervention stage. in addition, researchers also did not make observations during the intervention stage so these limitations could potentially allow biases in the results of the study. secondly, r2l methodology offers excellent potential to be modified and adjusted to suit specific objectives, educational levels and contexts of teaching and learning activities. in the earlier section, this paper initially presented a comprehensive cycle of nine r2l strategy tools across three levels of support. these tools function as scaffolding that supports students in independently engaging with a wide range of text types, a framework proposed by rose & martin (2012). table 2, within the study, serves as a repository of various modifications to teaching-learning activities that have been employed in the context of teaching writing through the r2l approach. in designing teaching activities, teachers can adjust and choose what activities will be used as scaffolding by using nine sets of r2l strategies as a guiding reference. it is essential to highlight that the stages of r2l implementation are not fixed. they exhibit considerable variation depending on several factors, including the lessons’ learning noviarti rahayu & harni kartika-ningsih assisting students’ writing improvement through reading to learn (r2l) program: a review of studies 752 goals, the genre of the model text, and the students’ level of proficiency. the major similarity among the studies is that all studies employed preparing for reading as the first stage. in the scaffolding process, the modification varied from the r2l strategies within three levels. several articles reported modifying r2l cycles in three stages, others report in four, five, and six stages. as the final stage, reports tend to vary from joint construction, individual construction, and individual rewriting stages. however, ramos (2015), hermanson (2018), and yulianeta (2022) shared a similarity in terms of the modified stages. these studies employed r2l strategies in four stages: 1) preparing for reading; 2) deconstruction; 3) joint construction; and 4) individual construction. these different selections of r2l stages serve as proof of r2l adaptability of r2l in different teaching learning contexts. one example to further illustrate the adaptability of r2l is the study conducted by millin & millin (2018), which employed six stages of r2l cycle in teaching narrative and argumentative genres. the notable modification of the intervention was that of the detailed feedback given by the teacher during the individual reconstruction stage, offering valuable insights to enhance students' redrafting process during the individual writing stage. this intervention yielded tangible progress in students’ written literacy, showcasing the efficacy of r2l in enhancing writing development. in a bilingual context, kartika-ningsih's research in 2023 exhibited the adaptability and flexibility of r2l stages over four distinct phases, influenced by the language (l1 or l2) of instruction and interaction employed over the course of three iterations. in the initial iteration, l1 was predominantly used, followed by a gradual introduction of l2 at each stage. in the second iteration, each stage commenced with l1 but incorporated a more significant proportion of l2. finally, in the third iteration, l2 became the dominant language of choice. the results of this study indicated a positive correlation between the increased use of l2 in each iteration and the enhancement of students' writing development. eventually, this leads to the ability of students to produce longer text, use of high-level vocabulary, and use of more intricate grammatical structures. regarding the data analyzed in this study, variation shown from the gathered data as the results of r2l stages. first, the joint construction/rewriting stage, findings were drawn from multiple sources, including vincesla (2021), nurlaelawati, et al. (2022), suggesting the effectiveness of r2l in collaborative writing and text reconstruction. second, the results of the individual construction stage were obtained from a range of studies conducted by gill & janjua (2020), ramos (2015), hermanson, et al. (2018), millin & millin (2014), millin & millin (2018), damayanti (2016), kartika-ningsih (2023), and yulianeta (2022). the outcomes of these studies indicated how r2l has proven to be an effective approach for enhancing students’ independent writing skills across various contexts and educational levels. the implication of r2l on students writing development based on an extensive review of the literature study conducted, it is evident that thirteen studies have consistently identified a positive impact resulting from the implementation of the r2l approach on students’ writing development. the positive impact manifest in several key dimension, enhancing students’ abilities in four primary aspects. firstly, the improvement in students’ textual awareness was obtained from the studies conducted by gill & janjua (2020), vencesla (2021), damayanti (2016), and yulianeta (2022). the textual development of students explains how students have effectively organized experiential and interpersonal meanings in a linear and coherent manner (gill & janjua, 2020). these findings emphasize that the improvement of students’ engagement and interactions will make explicit teaching and group discussions more effective before students start independent writing activities. findings also indicated the progress of students’ writing indicated by the ability to write longer text (kartika-ningsih, 2023), the shift from writing fragmented and spoken-like texts into more thorough and written-like texts (damayanti, 2016), and the ability to produce sequence and details information clearly and explicitly (samanhudi & sugiarti, 2023; yulianeta, et al. 2022). secondly, a specific result on students' grammatical competence was observed in the study by kartika-ningsih (2023). the study revealed that students exhibit a better mastery of english grammar, characterized by their ability to use more complex grammatical structures within their written text. this kind of progress underscores the positive impact of r2l in elevating students’ grammatical proficiency. thirdly, the implementation of r2l encourages students' active participation in learning activities english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 753 as indicated by nurlaelawati, et al. (2022). r2l increase a supportive learning environment that enables negotiating activities involving three-way communication among teacher, reciters and scribes. this collaborative approach ensures that every learner is actively engaged and adequately supported along the learning process, leading to improved outcomes (kartika-ningsih & rose, 2021). fourthly, students’ written literacy and critical thinking abilities are reported to increase. through interviews conducted with students after the r2l intervention stage, it was revealed that students initially felt that the text was challenging to comprehend. however, after learning under r2l, involving highlighting key words and phrases, the students mentioned an increasing understanding of the content during the joint construction stage (samanhudi & sugiarti, 2013). this outcome indicated that r2l served to assist in developing students’ critical thinking skills through a better understanding of complex texts. conclusion in response to the questions raised in the introductory section, this research synthesis has systematically examined recent scholarly literature on the application of reading to learn (r2l) to improve students' writing. three guidelines emerge from this review, representing convergent different r2l applications in teaching writing. the integration of r2l into the teaching of writing is an effort to improve students' writing in the form of explicit teaching so that students can produce texts appropriate to the social context and its context of culture. this review on r2l application across different types of genres underscores the adaptability of r2l, emphasizing its potential to be customized to meet specific educational objectives, accommodate varying academic levels of students, and contextual use of teaching and learning activities. this review also reveals a preference for employing r2l to teach argumentative genre (hygill & janjua, 2020; ramos, 2015; millin & millin, 2018; listyani, 2018; millin & millin, 2014; vencesla, 2021; and samanhudi & sugiarti, 2013), while its application in teaching factual genre writing (kartika-ningsih, 2023; yulianeta, 2022) may be relatively scarce. the reviewed studies have been conducted across three different educational levels, ranging from primary to tertiary levels. only one out of the fourteen studies were employed to primary-level students (hermanson, et al. 2018). modification of teaching activities or strategies can be done by teachers by drawing upon the nine r2l strategies at three levels. all of the fourteen articles start the application of r2l with the prepare for reading stage, followed by various modifications and adaptation of stages within the r2l cycle. this is in line with the focus of r2l to integrate the teaching of reading and writing as a scaffolding tool within the context of a reading program, with a primary emphasis on building a comprehensive understanding of a text before starting to read the text. all in all, it can be concluded that there is a significant impact of r2l on students' writing development. the examples provided from the study of millin & millin (2018) and the study of kartika-ningsih (2023) in a bilingual setting highlight how r2l can be flexibly applied to improve students' writing, showcasing its effectiveness across different genres and language contexts. the data collected from various studies further support the efficacy of r2l in collaborative writing and individual writing stages across a diverse range of educational settings. the cumulative body of research strongly supports the beneficial impact on students’ writing development across various aspects, including thematic understanding, grammatical competence, active participation in learning, and students' critical thinking skills. however, it is essential to acknowledge that while most studies reported positive effects of r2l implementation, there are instances, as found in the study by hermanson et al. (2018), where the results diverge, highlighting the need for continuing research and a thorough consideration of potential limitations in interpreting the outcomes. recommendation for future research in r2l implementation to improve students writing are given on the basis of the findings of this review. first, the guidelines for r2l application: the study highlights three key guidelines for applying reading to learn (r2l) to enhance students' writing. these guidelines emphasize the importance of integrating r2l into writing instruction to explicitly teach students how to produce texts suitable for specific social and cultural contexts. second, customization and adaptability: the research demonstrates the adaptability of r2l across different genres and academic levels. future research can explore how r2l can be customized to meet specific educational objectives, accommodate diverse student levels, and adapt to various teaching and learning activities. third, preference for noviarti rahayu & harni kartika-ningsih assisting students’ writing improvement through reading to learn (r2l) program: a review of studies 754 argumentative genre: the preference for using r2l in teaching argumentative genre writing is evident. future research can delve into the reasons behind this preference and explore ways to apply r2l effectively to other genres, such as factual writing. fourth, educational levels: the reviewed studies span different educational levels, from primary to tertiary education. future research can further investigate the suitability and effectiveness of r2l at each of these levels and provide insights into any necessary modifications in teaching. fifth, impact on writing development: the research findings suggest a significant positive impact of r2l on students' writing development. future research can explore this impact in greater detail, examining how r2l influences various aspects, including thematic understanding, grammatical competence, active engagement in learning, and critical thinking skills. in summary, the findings from this research synthesis provide valuable insights for both future research and teaching practices. they offer guidance on how to effectively apply r2l to enhance students' writing skills, encourage customization to fit specific contexts, and highlight the importance of ongoing research to refine and expand the understanding of r2l's impact. references ariyanfar, s., & mitchell, r. (2020). teaching writing skills through genre: applying the genre-based approach in iran. international research journal of management, it and social sciences. https://doi.org/10.21744/irjmis.v7n1.843 becerra, t., herazo, j., garcía, p., sagre, a., & díaz, l. (2020). using reading to learn for efl students’ reading of explanations. elt journal, 74(3), 237-246. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccz053 bertinez, t., barletta, n., chamoro, d., mizuno, j., & moss, g. (2018). reading and writing across the curriculum. in a. sellami-baklouti & l fontaine (eds). perspectives from systemic functional linguistics, 9, 249-268. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315299877-13 cheng, s. (2023). a review of interpersonal metafunction studies in systemic functional linguistics (2012–2022). journal of world languages. https://doi.org/10.1515/jwl-20230026 daniarti, y., taufiq, r., & sunaryo, b. (2020). the implementation of teaching reading through genre based approach for university students. journal of physics: conference series, 1477(4), 042064. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1477/4/042064 damayanti, i. l. (2017). from storytelling to story writing: the implementation of reading to learn (r2l) pedagogy to teach english as a foreign language in indonesia. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 6(2), 232. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v6i2.4870 halliday, m., & martin, j. (1993). writing science: literacy and discursive power. taylor & francis. halliday, m., & matthiessen, c. m. (2014). halliday's introduction to functional grammar. routledge. hygill, a. a., & janjua, f. (2020). genre pedagogy and ells’ writing abilities: a theme analysis. english language teaching, 13(7), 8. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v13n7p8 herazo rivera, j. d., becerra, t., garcía-montes, p., sagre barbosa, a., anaya, c., & pastrana, j. (2021). reading to learn and efl students’ construction of spoken biographical recounts. íkala, 26(1), 41-60. https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.ikala.v26n01a06 hermansson, c., jonsson, b., levlin, m., lindhé, a., lundgren, b., & norlund shaswar, a. (2019). the (non)effect of joint construction in a genrebased approach to teaching writing. the journal of educational research, 112(4), 483-494. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2018.156303 8 kartika-ningsih, h. (2023). implementing a readingto-learn programme in bilingual teaching. elt journal. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccad042 kartika-ningsih, h., & rose, d. (2021). intermodality and multilingual re-instantiation: joint construction in bilingual genre pedagogy. íkala, 26(1), 185-205. https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.ikala.v26n01a07 listyani. (2018). enhancing academic writing skills through “reading to learn” strategy. arab world english journal (awej), 9(1), 268-280. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/zwm9u mamac, m. h., & bangga, l. a. (2023). the implementation of reading to learn for the southern thailand pre-service teachers. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 13(1), 84-98. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v13i1.58258 martin, j. r., & rose, d. (2008). genre relations: mapping culture. equinox. mataka, t. w., bhila, t., & makurunge, t. (2023). decolonising literacy development through reading to learn pedagogy: a case of a secondary school in south africa. web of semantic: universal journal on ie education. millin, t. j., & millin, m. w. (2014). scaffolding academic literacy using the reading to learn intervention: an evaluative study of a tertiary education context in south africa. per linguam, 30(3). https://doi.org/10.5785/30-3-590 millin, t., & millin, m. (2018). english academic writing convergence for academically weaker senior secondary school students: possibility or pipe-dream? journal of english for academic https://doi.org/10.21744/irjmis.v7n1.843 https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccz053 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315299877-13 https://doi.org/10.1515/jwl-2023-0026 https://doi.org/10.1515/jwl-2023-0026 https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1477/4/042064 https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1477/4/042064 https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v6i2.4870 https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v13n7p8 https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.ikala.v26n01a06 https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccad042 https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.ikala.v26n01a07 https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/zwm9u https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v13i1.58258 https://doi.org/10.5785/30-3-590 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 755 purposes, 31, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2017.12.002 millin, t., millin, m., & pearce, j. (2020). unpacking the efficacy of reading to learn using cognitive load theory. journal of academic language & learning, 14(1), 113-136. https://hdl.handle.net/10092/10161 nurlaelawati, i., gunawan, w., & lengkanawati, n. s. (2022). enhancing student participation in learning to write a recount text: learning from pre-service teachers in implementing r2l pedagogy. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 12(2), 374-384. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v12i2.51086 pacheco, m. b., smith, b. e., deig, a., & amgott, n. a. (2021). scaffolding multimodal composition with emergent bilingual students. journal of literacy research, 53(2), 149-173. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296x211010888 ramos, k. a. (2015). using genre pedagogy to teach adolescent english learners to write academic persuasive essays. journal of education, 195(2), 19-35. https://doi.org/10.1177/002205741519500205 rose, d., & martin, j. r. (2012). learning to write, reading to learn: genre, knowledge and pedagogy in the sydney school. equinox publishing (uk). rose, d. (2018). pedagogic register analysis: mapping choices in teaching and learning. functional linguistics, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40554-018-0053-0 samanhudi, u., & sugiarti. (2013). reading to learn program to teaching critical writing in english for academic purpose class. leksika, 7(2), 16-27. shum, m. s., tai, c. p., & shi, d. (2018). using ‘reading to learn’ (r2l) pedagogy to teach discussion genre to non-chinese-speaking students in hong kong. international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 21(2), 237-247. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2016.115965 3 tardy, c. m., buck, r. h., pawlosky, m., & slinkard, j. r. (2018). evolving conceptions of genre among first-year writing. composition forum, 38. https://compositionforum.com/issue/38/evolvin g.php wen, z., zhang, l. j., kong, h., & han, l. (2022). translanguaging genre pedagogy: implications for teaching business communication in the greater bay area. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-022-00161-6 widianingsih, s. (2012). scaffolding interaction cycle in reading to learn program. vencesla, j. g. (2021). applying the r2l pedagogy to improve entrepreneurship students’ exposition texts. beyond words, 9(1), 37-48. https://doi.org/10.33508/bw.v9i1.2808 xiao, y., & watson, m. (2019). guidance on conducting a systematic literature review. journal of planning education and research, 39(1), 93-112. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456x17723971 yulianeta, y. (2022). implementing reading to learn (r2l) pedagogy to help indonesian junior high school students generate news report text. parole: journal of linguistics and education, 12(1), 130-137. https://doi.org/10.14710/parole.v12i1.130-137 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2017.12.002 https://hdl.handle.net/10092/10161 https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v12i2.51086 https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296x211010888 https://doi.org/10.1177/002205741519500205 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40554-018-0053-0 https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2016.1159653 https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2016.1159653 https://compositionforum.com/issue/38/evolving.php https://compositionforum.com/issue/38/evolving.php https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-022-00161-6 https://doi.org/10.33508/bw.v9i1.2808 https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456x17723971 https://doi.org/10.14710/parole.v12i1.130-137 noviarti rahayu & harni kartika-ningsih assisting students’ writing improvement through reading to learn (r2l) program: a review of studies 756 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 801 students' problems in writing analytical exposition text in efl classroom context lala nurlatifah english education department, faculty of language literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: lalanurlatifah@upi.edu fazri nur yusuf english education department, faculty of language literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: fazrinuryusuf@upi.edu apa citation: nurlatifah, l., & yusuf, f. n. (2022). students’ problems in writing analytical exposition text in efl classroom context. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 801-810. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6633. received: 22-07-2022 accepted: 24-09-2022 published: 30-11-2022 introduction efl learners often encounter enormous challenges in mastering writing skills, which is essential to learning english (rashtchi, 2019). it is probably due to writing being a complex process of conveying ideas or feelings in written form (harmer, 2007). it is more than just the ability to write or construct a sentence or paragraph based on ideas. it is a multifaceted communicative skill, and teaching writing is viewed as a dynamic process that improves students' mastery of spelling, punctuation, grammar, composition, vocabulary use, and style (terenin, 2015). studies on students' challenges in writing have been conducted by the researchers worldwide. many students struggled greatly with writing unity, and the lack of cohesion in their compositions has a lasting effect and takes many forms (terenin, 2015). vocabulary, grammar, and writing resources were the primary causes of academic writing issues (li and zeng, 2019). the writing composition issues among iraqi efl students, the majority of the students' mistakes involved grammar, punctuation, spelling, and handwriting (nasser, 2019). the fact that so many students did not receive enough writing instruction in elementary school contributes to the writing problem: the development of students' writing has been hampered by the lack of particular instructional strategies and modifications (wen & walters, 2022). in indonesia, a study indicated that students show psychological, linguistic, and cognitive problems in their writing (rahmatunisa, 2014). they also faced several major problems in writing, such as grammar (ariyanti & fitriana, 2017; astrini et al., 2020; emilia et al., 2018; tambunan et al., 2022), vocabulary (astrini et al., 2020; elfa, 2020; mahmudah et al., 2017), and motivation made it challenging to express their ideas in english (astrini et al., 2020). since writing is the most challenging skill to master, students often face some problems in writing: psychological, linguistic, and cognitive issues (byrne, 1995; rahmatunisa, 2014). first, writing is a solitary activity in psychological abstract: writing is perceived as the most challenging skill among other productive skills in english language learning. this preliminary study aims at revealing problems encountered by secondary efl students writing analytical exposition. employing students' writing and interviews in qualitative manner, 25 second-year efl secondary students in bandung, indonesia, were purposefully involved. result indicated that students encountered three major problems in writing their analytical exposition; cognitive, linguistic, and psychological problems. cognitively, most students had limited knowledge of the topic, problems with the structure of the text, the mechanism for capitalization, punctuation, and spelling, and difficulties in sharing ideas due to limited english vocabulary. linguistically, students frequently encounter the two most challenging areas: vocabulary and grammar. psychologically, students often found difficulties starting writing, lack of interest, laziness, and confusion in deciding sentence structures. further discussion of the results is recommended to take into consideration to determine the appropriate treatment for the follow-up research. keywords: analytical exposition text; students' problem; writing skills. mailto:lalanurlatifah@upi.edu mailto:fazrinuryusuf@upi.edu lala nurlatifah & fazri nur yusuf students’ problems in writing analytical exposition text in efl classroom context 802 problems, and the fact that we are compelled to write on our own, without the benefit of interaction or feedback, makes the act of writing challenging in and of itself. second, linguistic issues, in which we must compensate for the absence of features in writing, keep the line of communication open through our efforts, and ensure that the text we produce can be interpreted on its own, both through our choice of sentence structure and the way our sentences are linked together and sequenced. finally, a process teaches writing instruction, which is a cognitive challenge. it implies that we must master the written form of the language and acquire specific structures necessary for effective written communication. despite its complexity, most individuals utilize writing daily to achieve various goals, including expressing thoughts, attitudes, and opinions, transferring knowledge, expressing feelings, and convincing others (shirejini & derakhsan, 2020). it is essential not only for academic performance but also for students' emotional and social development (moses & mohamad, 2019). thus, we might conclude that writing significantly impacts other people. to compose a good writing, students are supposed to understand crucial elements of writing. brown (2007) classifies the writing elements into five aspects: content, organization, vocabulary, grammar, and mechanics. content refers to knowledge on developing a text that must be relevant, specific, and explicit on the assigned topic. organization is developed based on the generic structure of analytical exposition text. grammar or language use covers the complex practical construction of agreements, numbers, tenses, word order functions, articles, pronouns, etc. vocabulary refers to the use of appropriate and effective word choice, word form mastery, and proper register and diction. mechanics deals with correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing. to achieve the goal of communication, it is necessary that the writer must be able to convey the writer's message through the five previously described components and taking the readers' characteristics into account (fatimah & yusuf, 2019). those components are essential in composing good writing. good writers can manage and organize their writing balance in all those components. in addition, students who write well should convey their opinions, back them up with sound reasoning, and arrange their thoughts (raschti, 2019). as a result, one requirement in teaching writing to efl/esl students is to use tactics and procedures that help improve the student-writers critical thinking abilities. the importance of writing is stated clearly in 2013 curriculum. in the curriculum of english subject of grade xi for senior high school students, one of the genres that the students must master is analytical exposition text (kemendikbud, 2016). based on the curriculum, the standard competence of analytical exposition text is to analyze the socio-function, generic structures, and linguistic features of spoken and written text by asking and giving information relating to the actual issue based on the context. according to the english syllabus, the sociofunction of analytical exposition is to persuade the listener or reader that the idea is an important thing; the generic structures of the text consist of thesis, argument(s) and conclusion or reiteration; the main linguistic elements employed in the analytical exposition are modals, action verbs, adverbs, adjectives, technical terms, general and abstract nouns, and connectives or transitions (kemendikbud, 2016). argumentative essay and argumentation include the same components: claim, reason an evidence (fan & chen, 2019). argumentation is a process when a person supports their statements about a particular topic with examples of their reasoning and supporting evidence (fan & chen, 2019). argumentative writing is difficult for students in elementary, junior high, and even senior high schools because weak arguments in their paper make it difficult for them to persuade readers (golder & coirier, 1996 in fan & chen, 2019). analytical exposition text refers to argumentative writing. although personal opinions and a contentious or passionate debate are frequently included in argumentative essays, they must be kept in check and moderate to succeed (anderson, 2002). furthermore, she elaborated on some features of an argumentative essay are mentioned by they are 1) the topic is up for debate; 2) the thesis makes a reasonable assertion that is supported by data; 3) the opponent is acknowledged and answered; 4) the argument is developed using trustworthy and current evidence; and 5) the writer's argument is developed by using appeals (anderson, 2002). the generic structures of analytical exposition text consists of thesis, argument, and reiteration or conclusion. the thesis introduces the issue that will be discussed. the students must next elaborate the evidence to persuade the audience, known as argument. they develop and support english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 803 each point/argument in this section. the reiteration is the concluding section, in which they reaffirm their viewpoint. several studies have been conducted in the efl classroom context regarding the problems efl learners face in analytical exposition writing. students performed unsatisfactorily when it came to writing thesis statements, arguments, reiterations, language features, vocabulary, and mechanics; in fact, students need to master all these skills to produce analytical exposition texts that are qualified and relevant (elfa, 2020). there are specific lexico-grammatical issues, such as using the proper tenses, some vocabulary, diction, punctuation, and spelling errors in writing analytical exposition (mahmudah et al., 2017). sixteen errors were found in students' writing exposition text (fauzan et al., 2020). all exposition texts written by the students were undeveloped, with grammatical mistakes and improper word choices (emilia et al., 2018). the importance of writing analytical exposition text is stated clearly in the 2013 indonesian curriculum context that students are expected to be able to write various genres of text within the mastery of three competencies: sociofunction, generic structures, and language features (kemendikbud, 2016). however, most students seem to face some problems regarding writing analytical exposition texts. as a result, most students' scores in writing are below the minimum competencies. this preliminary study attempted to identify indonesian efl learners' problems in writing analytical exposition text based on three major problems in writing: cognitive, linguistics, and psychology. the present study concerns to answer the following research question: rq: what are the problems faced by the students in writing analytical exposition text in efl classroom context? method to collect detailed, in-depth data from multiple sources of information over time in order to investigate students' writing problems in writing analytical exposition text along with descriptive themes, this study employed a qualitative case study (merriam, 2009). the present research recruited 25 efl students in second-year secondary school (6 males and 19 females) in a public islamic senior high school in bandung, indonesia, to examine the problems in writing analytical exposition text. they were students in one class who had learned analytical exposition text the previous semester. then three students from low, middle, and high achievers were selected to administer an interview. the data were collected from students' writing tasks and interviews. first, the students were asked to write an analytical exposition text entitled "the importance of social media in teenagers life" in 90 minutes. it is one of the genres that is taught in the first semester. the students' essay were then analyzed using a writing scoring rubric adapted from brown (2007). after that, three students were purposively chosen for the interview session regarding the major problems in writing analytical exposition text. the semi-structured interview consisted of eight questions concerning the issues they found and their perceptions about writing analytical exposition text. it was conducted in bahasa indonesia to free the participants from conveying their ideas to get more prosperous data. each interview session took approximately 15 minutes and was recorded and then analyzed qualitatively. the qualitative data from the writing task and interview were triangulated to answer the research question. from the interview data, central themes emerged, which were triangulated with the data from documents. in conclusion, the data from two sources were analyzed through coding, building categories, describing the categories, and interpreting the data based on the theories (merriam, 2009). results and discussion the results revealed three major problems in writing analytical exposition text: linguistics, cognitive, and psychological problems. students' writing problems are presented in the table below. table 1. students' writing problems aspects of writing efl students' writing ability (%) problem (%) content 56.8 43.2 organization 54.4 45.6 grammar 57.6 42.4 vocabulary 59.2 40.8 mechanics 60 40 table 1 above demonstrates the efl students' writing ability in almost all aspects of writing. however, most students often struggle with limited knowledge in writing aspects of efl students in content, organization, vocabulary, and mechanics was also identified by toba et al. (2019). as a result, only six out of twenty-six students got a score above the minimum criteria (65), and the rest got a score under the minimum standards based on the document analysis. lala nurlatifah & fazri nur yusuf students’ problems in writing analytical exposition text in efl classroom context 804 under this, terenin (2015) stated that the lack of unity in students' compositions has a sustained character and manifests itself in a variety of ways: conflict between the sentence parts' respective meanings, conflict between the meaning and structure of the statement; the repetition of form concerning content; and clash of styles. cognitive problems in cognitive problems, there were four problems faced by the efl students in writing analytical exposition texts. the first problem was limited knowledge of the topic. most students had limited knowledge and thematic development regarding the content of the text. although the thesis statement was stated clearly, it was not supported by clear arguments. there was less coverage of the topic. it is illustrated in excerpt 1 below. excerpt 1 from many benefits inside social media, there are also positive and negative impact. for a positive impact, social media makes it easy us in doing everything. one of them can be contact with friend or our brother or sister who live far from us. for negative impact of social media, one of them can make us forget time. also not good for eye health. (document, s5) excerpt 1 shows that the student did not know enough knowledge about the content of the topic. students had difficulties in writing such as they had difficulties in determining the topic and developing ideas into paragraphs (ilham et al., 2020). the difficulties in developing ideas are also confirmed in excerpt 2. excerpt 2 t: what problems do you usually find in writing class? s: i am still confused in deciding the tenses in the sentences. it is also hard to share ideas when the writing topic is irrelevant to my daily activities. t: what causes this problem? s: i think lack of reading causes this problem. (interview, s3) s3 stated that it was hard for him to share ideas, particularly when the writing topic was not relevant, meaning that limited knowledge of the topic is the main problem regarding the cognitive problem. the second problem is most students could not differentiate the text's genre because they had problems with the structure of the analytical exposition text. they were still going wrong in deciding the structure of the text. moreover, some wrote the pros and cons arguments, meaning that they wrote another genre of the text: discussion text. it is illustrated in excerpt 3 below. excerpt 3 social media is online media that allows a user communicate with other easily and quickly. the type of social media that we often use is everyday life are whatsapp, instagram, youtube and twitter. makes it easier for interact with other people and the cost is also cheaper. social media also make people addicted internet, cause conflict, and vulnureble to bad influences from sociate the conclusion is that social media has many benefits but is harmful. (document, s4) excerpt 3 indicates that students still had limitation regarding generic structures or organization of the text. it is in line with habibi et al. (2017), students struggle with seven different writing problems, including poor organization or illogical sequencing. the students' third issue was the mechanism for capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. as a result, they occasionally misspelled words when they wrote. additionally, several of them neglected to use capitalization and punctuation properly, such as a period (.) after sentences. additionally, the students occasionally scribbled the first letter of a word at the start of a paragraph or a title and the name of a person or location in a small font. it is seen in excerpt 4 below. excerpt 4 social media is online media used by each other whose users can easily participate communicate. facilitate communication and friendship. can be used as a marketing means. as the means of information or news most up to date. (document, s6) excerpt 4 indicates that mechanism was one of the issues regarding cognitive problems. in line with this, punctuation is one of the writing errors in analytical exposition text (fauzan et al., 2020). punctuation, spelling, and handwriting issues are also found in students' writing (nasser, 2019). the last problem regarding cognitive problem is difficulties in sharing ideas due to limited amount of english vocabulary. the students had english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 805 trouble writing the arguments because they had difficulty translating the ideas from bahasa indonesia into english. they used to write the ideas in bahasa indonesia, then translated them into english. this problem was identified based on excerpt 5 below. excerpt 5 t : what stages do you usually do in writing? s : i wrote it indonesian first, then i translated it into english. (interview, s2) excerpt 5 shows english students' proficiency in using vocabulary. as a result, many students wrote the text in indonesian first, then translated it into english using the online dictionary and google translator. the problem in translating paragraph into english is one of the problem found in nurjanah (2018) that the students' weaknesses cause the difficulties in writing in developing ideas, constructing present tense and passive voice, and translating paragraphs from indonesian into english form. linguistics problems regarding linguistic problem, most students frequently encounter the two most challenging areas in linguistic features: grammatical proficiency and vocabulary mastering. for example, a student arranged words that were not grammatically correct. it shows in excerpt 6 below. excerpt 6 social media is online media that allows a user communicate with other easily and quickly. the type of social media that we often use is everyday life are whatsapp, instagram, youtube and twitter. makes it easier for interact with other people and the cost is also cheaper. social media also make people addicted internet, cause conflict, and vulnureble to bad influences from sociate the conclusion is that social media has many benefits but is harmful. (document, s4) the student's writing in excerpt 6 indicates that one main linguistic problem was grammatical proficiency. hasan and marzuki (2017) assessed the writing skills of indonesian efl students, the research revealed that the students' work had grammatical errors related to the usage of plural forms, articles, verb tenses, clauses, passive voice, and prepositions. grammar is the students' main problem in writing development (ariyanti & fitriana, 2017; astrini et al., 2020; emilia et al., 2018); hartono & maharani, 2019; tambunan et al., 2022). another linguistic problem was that students often find writing difficult due to a lack of vocabulary and tenses. the result of the interview in excerpt 7 is also supported this result. excerpt 7 what problems do you find in writing class? i have problems with vocabulary, verbs, and tenses. (interview, s2) the finding in excerpt 7 above supports the writing students' writing that they had difficulties using appropriate vocabulary, which usually came up when students composed the analytical exposition paragraph with the correct word choice. in addition, most students were confused about using proper words in their worksheets because most of them used words taken from a dictionary. the problem regarding the use of vocabulary in writing has much attention from many researchers in efl writing field (ilham et al., 2020; astrini et al., 2020; elfa, 2020; mahmudah et al., 2017; emilia et al., 2018). the student' writing in excerpt 8 shows low proficiency in vocabulary use. excerpt 8 social media is a online media, with its various features which are provided. online media certainly brings positive and negative impacts for the users. social media brings negative specially to children and adolescent, who can make lazy for communication in world real. then skill they annoyed. they are not aware of the environment around them, as most of their time spent on the internet. so smart in use social media because not all social media has a positive impact on us. (document, s9) the example of student writing in excerpt 8 shows that paragraphs were challenging to understand because of the limited vocabulary and grammar. students' limited vocabulary is the primary challenge kids encounter when learning the english language (misbah et al., 2017). students with appropriate vocabulary can communicate ideas more effectively while speaking or writing and limited vocabulary lala nurlatifah & fazri nur yusuf students’ problems in writing analytical exposition text in efl classroom context 806 students can benefit from using an electronic dictionary and engaging in more reading activities (moses & mohamad, 2019). in the process of writing, almost all students utilized online dictionaries and translators. the use of the online dictionary and online translator positively impacted students writing, particularly in terms of the effectiveness of time instead of using printed dictionaries, which would make wasting time. however, it also raised another problem in using translator and smartphones: several students could easily copy the writing from many sources on the internet. psychological problems in psychological problems, there were four problems in writing analytical exposition text: difficulties in starting writing, lack of interest, laziness, and confusion in grammar rules. the first problem is illustrated in excerpt 9 below. excerpt 9 t : how do you feel when your teacher asks you to write? s: first, i feel confused because i don't know what to write excerpt 9 shows that the student had difficulties in starting writing. the result of the students' writing also confirmed it. two students had the same thesis statement in the text, meaning they encountered the same problem in the early writing stage. the problem in starting writing is illustrated in the excerpt below. excerpt 10 social media in today's era has become an inseparable part of the daily life activities of almost everyone. (document, s8) social media in today's era has become an inseparable parts of the daily life activities of almost everyone. (document, s12) another student in excerpt 10 also confirmed the problem regarding difficulties in starting writing. excerpt 11 t : what problems do you find in writing class? s: writing problems are usually encountered in the early stage of writing. after that, ideas can flow, and i can do this activity (interview, s2) based on excerpt 11, student's problem in starting writing is one of the psychological problems identified in writing (rahmatunisa, 2014), and learners' difficulties in writing consist of defining a topic to write and starting to write a word or a sentence. the second problem was lack of interest, as confirmed by excerpt 12 below. excerpt 12 what's your opinion about writing activity in your classroom? i rarely write because writing is not my hobby (interview, s2) excerpt 12 shows problems related with the lack of interest in writing. concerning lack of interest, s1 rarely wrote english texts because the writing was not in his interest. however, he once wrote a text for an english assignment in writing class. in addition, he was also confused when his teacher asked him to write because he did not know what to write. the research of toba et al. (2019) found that students faced several personal problems in writing, such as lack of writing experience, a dislike of writing, writing anxiety, a feeling that writing is difficult, a lack of writing motivation, not enough time allocated for writing tests, and also insufficient teaching. the third problem in psychological problem was laziness. it was found that several students had the same writing, meaning they copied it from the same sources. it indicated that they seem unconfident and lazy to write the text alone. laziness is one of the factors causing the students to copy the task. the laziness in writing is illustrated in excerpt 13 below. excerpt 13 social media seems to have become an addiction for indonesian people, especially teenagers. (document, s8) social media seems to have become an addiction for indonesian people, especially teenagers. (document, s10) excerpt above shows that laziness caused students to copy the task from other sources. excerpt 13 also supports excerpt 10 that some students find difficulties in the early stage of writing. laziness is also a psychological problem identified in writing argumentative essays (rahmatunisa, 2014). the last problem found on the research site was students' confusion about sentence structure, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 807 particularly in tenses used in analytical exposition paragraphs. it is seen in excerpt 14. excerpt 14 t : what problems do you usually find in writing class? s : i am still confused in deciding the tenses in the sentences. it is also hard to share ideas when the writing topic is irrelevant to my daily activities. t : what causes this problem? s : i think lack of reading causes this problem. (interview, s3) the result of the student's interview in excerpt 14 also confirmed by the student' writing that several students had problems deciding the tenses and sentence structure. it is illustrated in excerpt 15 below. excerpt 15 beside that, social media have many benefits in our life. for example, social media can be a means for students to access learning information. the student often take advantage of social media such as youtube to acces learning. (document, s2) based on excerpt 15, most students also show the problem in presenting the grammar rules in writing. for example, it seemed challenging to distinguish between singular and plural subjects. in addition, some of these make it challenging to differentiate between the simple present tense and the passive sentence forms. ariyanti and fitriana (2017) discovered that students struggle considerably with writing in terms of grammar, cohesiveness, and coherence. additionally, they noted the small writing issues that students had, such as poor paragraph organization, poor diction, and misspelled vocabulary. it showed that writing is challenging for learners, particularly efl students. because of this, a teacher's presence is crucial for students as they write. the findings of this study shows that students struggled to develop their skills in writing analytical exposition texts. as found in this study, there are three major problems in writing analytical exposition text on the research site: psychological, linguistics, and cognitive problems. it is in line with three factors influencing the writing process: cognitive, linguistic, and psychological problems (byrne, 1993; rahmatunisa, 2014). in cognitive problems, most students had limited knowledge of the topic, the problem with the structure and the mechanism of the analytical exposition text, and difficulties in sharing ideas due to their limited english vocabulary. students' difficulties in sharing and developing ideas result from low reading and writing literacy levels (ilham et al., 2020). consequently, teachers should establish an environment where they can support and motivate the students as they study and teach. by letting students work at their own pace and constantly sharing their writing with peers, teachers helped students become more motivates to write (baker & lastrapes, 2019). students' enthusiasm and writing quality increased when they collaborated and shared their work, which encouraged peer discussion and a synergy. in linguistics problems, students frequently encounter the two most challenging areas in linguistic features: vocabulary and grammar. the students admitted that it was challenging for them to build their thoughts. most of them claimed that their limited vocabulary made it difficult to write an argument. it is in line with much previous research on writing difficulties that limited vocabulary is the main issue in presenting ideas in writing. as a result, almost all students utilize online dictionaries and translators to assist their writing. online dictionaries, which students can use to translate specific words or occasionally short phrases, and online translators (like google translate), which can be used to convert text as short as a word and as long as multiple paragraphs, are two common free tools that are used by language learners (oneill, 2019). then, the question is no longer whether such technologies should be used but which ones, when, and how. ducar and schocket (2018) state that teachers should encourage the responsible use of ots and related technologies rather than forbid their use to help learners understand that positive progress toward greater proficiency and ethical use of technologies are critical 21st-century skills. although online dictionaries and translators are often utilized, there are differing views on their utility and suitability for efl learners. the use of google translate makes sense and demonstrates that the students were still thinking in indonesian rather than english, which caused a misunderstanding when they translated their ideas into english using google translate because the program clearly cannot recognize the context of the ideas or writing (sheppard, 2011). however, the problem of online resources for second language learning might never have a onelala nurlatifah & fazri nur yusuf students’ problems in writing analytical exposition text in efl classroom context 808 size-fits-all solution because the majority of students now use online dictionaries and translation services. so, the teacher needs to become more knowledgeable about these resources, create clear policies they are comfortable with regarding their use, and educate students on when, how, and how much they should use online resources to help them with their coursework (oneill, 2019). in turn, learners can be empowered to make responsible decisions about how to use contemporary technology on their path to learning a language by becoming knowledgeable about the benefits and drawbacks of online dictionaries and translator, as well as the potential effects of these tools on writing (oneill, 2019). regarding psychological problems, they were also confused about starting writing and lazy in writing the text and sharing ideas in english because they did not know what to write. hence, several students copied them from the same sources. students lacked interest in writing class because writing activity was not their interest, meaning they were unmotivated to write an english text. motivation is one of the crucial aspects of writing skills. by couraging their internal writing motivation, they will also alter their perspective of the negative perspective associated with writing. as a result, they would be courageous, like, and highly motivated when writing, as it cannot be denied that motivation impacts learners' success in learning both second and foreign languages and is closely related to achieving objectives (harmer, 2007; toba et al., 2019). by identifying these writing problems, it is hoped that the teacher becomes aware of the problems faced by the students and adequately and effectively conducts the teaching of writing to improve the indonesian efl students' writing ability and resolve their problems in writing. teachers can assist their students with their writing projects by offering constructive feedback, sample essays, and scaffolding focused on the students' needs (rashid et al., 2022). students also required further instruction and time to research the issue to focus on the topic, allowing them to create more detailed content that contains linguistic features of written language argumentative discourse with consistency and accuracy (emilia, 2018). conclusion this preliminary study was conducted to identify the efl students' problems, factors affecting the problems, and suggestions to improve the skills in writing analytical exposition text. it can be concluded that indonesian efl students face three major problems in their writing: cognitive, linguistics and psychological problems. considering the result of this study, the researcher should try to overcome those problems in teaching writing by implementing an effective strategy that supports students in improving their writing analytical exposition text. references anderson, m. (2002). keys to successful writing: unlocking the writer within (2nd edition). addison wesley longman. ariyanti, a., & fitriana, r. (2017). efl students' difficulties and needs in essay writing. advances in social science, education and humanities research (assehr), 158, 111–121. astrini, n. w. f., ratminingsih, n.m. , utami, i. g.a.l.p. (2020). the model of strategies employed by english teachers in teaching writing skill in national plus schools. journal of education research and evaluation, 4(1), 59. https://doi.org/10.23887/jere.v4i1.23682 baker, s. f., & lastrapes, r. e. (2019). the writing performance of elementary students using a digital writing application: results of a teacher– librarian collaboration. interactive technology and smart education, 16(4), 343–362. https://doi.org/10.1108/itse-08-2018-0057 brown, h. d. (2007). principles of language learning and teaching. longman. ducar, c., & schocket, d. h. (2018). machine translation and the l2 classroom: pedagogical solutions for making peace with google translate. foreign language annals, 51(4), 779795. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12366 byrne, d. (1995). teaching writing skills. longman publisher. elfa, f. (2020). an analysis of students' ability and problem in writing analytical exposition text. inovish journal, 5(1), 44-57. emilia, e., habibi, n., & bangga, l. a. (2018). an analysis of cohesion of exposition texts: an indonesian context. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 7(3), 515–523. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v7i3.9791 fan, c. y., & chen, g. d. (2019). a scaffolding tool to assist learners in argumentative writing. computer assisted language learning, 34(1– 2), 159–183. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.166068 5 fatimah, f., & yusuf, f. n. (2019). assessment for learning impacts on students' responsive writing skills. advances in social science, education and humanities research, volume 254 eleventh conference on applied linguistics (conaplin https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1660685 https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1660685 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 809 2018) fauzan, u., aulya, s. f., & noor, w. n. (2020). writing error analysis in exposition text of the efl junior high school students. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics, 5(2), 517. https://doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v5i2.330 habibi, a. (2017). students' perception on writing problems: a survey at one islamic university in jambi. ta’dib, 22(1), 96–108. harmer, j. (2007). the practice of english language teaching. pearson education limited. hartono, h., & maharani, m. m. (2020). english writing anxiety and the writing problems of indonesia efl learners. 409(sores 2019), 513– 517. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200225.111 hasan, j., & marzuki, m. (2017). an analysis of student's ability in writing at riau university pekanbaru. theory and practice in language studies, 7(5), 380–388 ilham, musthafa, b., & yusuf, f. n. (2020). university students' needs of writing course materials: a case of indonesia. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 195-202. http://10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2988. kemendikbud. (2016). silabus mata pelajaran sekolah menengah atas/madrasah aliyah/sekolah menengah kejuruan/madrasah aliyah kejuruan (sma/ma/smk/mak). jakarta. li, j., & zeng, l. (2019). investigation into and analysis of the current situation of academic english writing of hlp postgraduates: a case study from a chinese university. journal of language teaching and research, 10(5), 979– 988. mahmudah, r. a., rozimela, y., & saun, s. (2017). an analysis of generic structure in students' writing of an analytical exposition text at grade xi of man 2 padang in the 2015/2016 academic year. journal of english language teaching, 53(9), 4. merriam, s. b. (2009). qualitative research: a guide to design and implementation. jossey-bass. misbah, n. h., mohamad, m., md yunus, m., & ya’acob, a. (2017). identifying the factors contributing to students' difficulties in the english language learning. creative education, 8, 1999-2008. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2017.813136 moses, r. n., & mohamad, m. (2019). challenges faced by students and teachers on writing skills in esl contexts: a literature review. creative education, 10, 3385-3391. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2019.1013260 nasser, s. m. (2019). iraqi efl students' difficulties in writing composition: an experimental study. international journal of english linguistics, 9(1), 178–184. nurjanah, m. (2018). the difficulties of senior high school students in writing analytical exposition texts. post graduate student of english education program, bengkulu university. eduling, 1(2), 20. o'neill, e. m. (2019). training students to use online translators and dictionaries: the impact on second language writing scores. international journal of research studies in language learning, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrsll.2019.4002 rahmatunisa, w. (2014). problems faced by indonesian efl learners in writing argumentative essay. english review: journal of english education, 3(1), 1–9. http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee rashtchi, m. (2019). scaffolding argumentative essay writing via reader-response approach: a case study. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-019-0078-2 rashid, m. h., lan, y., & hui, w. (2022). the perspectives of english teachers toward writing education, as well as the obstacles they encounter. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 11(1), 54– 58. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.11n.1p.54 sheppard, f. (2011). medical writing in english: the problem with google translate. presse medicale, 40(6), 565–566. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lpm.2011.02.024 shirejini, k. r., & derakhshan, a. (2020). an investigation of the iranian efl learners' perceptions towards the most common writing problems. sage open, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020919523 tambunan, a. r. s., andayani, w., sari, w. s. & lubis. f. k. (2022). investigating efl students' linguistic problems using grammarly as automated writing evaluation feedback. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 12(1), 16-27. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v12i1.46428 terenin, a. (2015). unity of writing as the problem of russian learners of english. procedia social behavioral sciences, 191(2), 2735–2739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.683 toba, r., noor, w. n., & sanu, l. o. (2019). the current issues of indonesian efl students' writing skills: ability, problem, and reason in writing comparison and contrast essay. dinamika ilmu, 19(1), 57–73. https://doi.org/10.21093/di.v19i1.1506 wen, x., & walters, s. m. (2022). the impact of technology on students' writing performances in elementary classrooms: a meta-analysis. computers and education open, 3, 100082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeo.2022.100082 https://doi.org/10.21093/di.v19i1.1506 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeo.2022.100082 lala nurlatifah & fazri nur yusuf students’ problems in writing analytical exposition text in efl classroom context 810 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 533 mobile learning vocapp: (vocabulary application) for english vocabulary learning badroeni early childhood teacher education major, stkip muhammadiyah kuningan, indonesia e-mail: badroeni_best@upmk.ac.id sofhian fazrin nasrulloh communication, information and technology education major, stkip muhammadiyah kuningan, indonesia e-mail: sfn@upmk.ac.id oman suryaman mathematics education major, stkip muhammadiyah kuningan, indonesia e-mail: suryaman@upmk.ac.id apa citation: badroeni, b., nasrulloh, s. f., & suryaman, s. (2021). mobile learning vocapp (vocabulary application) for english vocabulary learning. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 533-542. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6253 received: 09-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction in many countries, learning english vocabulary via mobile phones can improve language competence (wu, 2015). more than 200 mobile apps on google play for learning english as a foreign language (efl) vocabulary, both contextually and literally (özgür çeli̇k, 2018). samsi (2016) stated, in indonesia, english language is a foreign language and it is taught in every education foundation. english language also is as a compulsory subject in national education curriculum. we can choose which one we use to support understanding the language competence. atay & ozbulgan state that many researchers and practitioners conduct testing, developing, or comparing factors and means of learning vocabulary and it implied those factors can enhance vocabulary learning efficiency (tsai & tsai, 2018). language learners can understand an utterance of speakers when they can develop an understanding the meaning of vocabulary either in text or in context. vocabulary is essential because vocabulary competency determines students' capacity to learn english, particularly their ability to comprehend the subject (kacetl & klimova, 2019; sari & aminatun, 2021). the understanding of the utterance relates with the grammatical roles of those words from the syntactic structure of the sentence (rebuschat et al., 2021). tirtayani, marga, lestari (2017) have opinion that in the globalization era, teaching and learning process should be created as technology developing runs. to get optimal benefits from technology, teachers must be able to mix and mix the technology with strategic steps so that the goals to abstract: the background of this research is to investigate the urgency of vocabulary as the most important aspect in language. in this research, vocabulary learning will be assisted by using an android application, namely vocapp; (vocabulary application). the purpose of this research and development is to (1) identify the needs of vocabulary learning media according to teachers and students, (2) know the principles of developing learning media based on theoretical studies, identify needs and analyze existing learning media, (3) design vocapp learning media based on the results of the analysis of the existing media, (4) test the vocapp learning media (5) revise the features of the application according to the evaluation of the trial, (6) disseminate and implement applications for vocabulary learning in the classroom. the method used is research and development. the steps in the research are needs analysis, prototyping, revision prototype, developing, testing, and deployment. the result indicated there is a significant improvement of students’ skill in vocabulary building by means of vocapp application. this case can be seen from the results of calculations using statistical tools, it is known that t-count is 0.03 which means <0.05. from the results of t-count, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference. keywords: vocabulary application; mobile learning; english vocabulary. mailto:badroeni_best@upmk.ac.id mailto:sfn@upmk.ac.id mailto:yoyo_tik@upmk.ac.id badroeni, sofhian fazrin nasrulloh, & oman suryaman mobile learning vocapp (vocabulary application) for english vocabulary learning 534 be achieved can be achieved properly (dewi, halimah, & kurniawati, 2021). one of the technology based teaching and learning applications is application in mobile phones. the use of technology in education will resolve the constraints of space and time, disseminate information more easily and efficiently, and ensure that the communication delivered is in accordance with the learning objectives (halimah, nurviyani, saepulah, helimie, & wandawati, 2022). khaerunnisa & izzah (2021) explained that digital era has led us to transform the educational habit, from analog to digital. the indicators of digital development are many applications easily found on mobile device. albantani and madkur in khaerunnisa & izzah (2021), one of the mobile device is mobile learning. according to kukulska-hulme & shield mobile learning is portable device for learning, anywhere and anytime (pratiwi, sudirman, nariyati, 2020), besides that matra(2020) defined that mobile learning is a simple media that help english language learners learn more about language. some features giving some information how to know more knowledge independently. deris & shukor (2019) mentioned mobile learning in language learning is a simple device for supporting learners study english language. the application can be easily downloaded by learners and used as their needs. ambara (2016) also believed that mobile learning can overcome for the language learners boring in learning in the class. they can develop their competence and skill by using simple media. this media supports the teaching and learning needs in this era. richards and renandya in aisyah (2017) stated that the vocabulary plays the crucial thing in students’ foreign language learning and language proficiency (learning to speak, listen, read, and write). mastering vocabularies will support the students’ mastery in four english competencies (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). devi (2012) suggested to reach english vocabulary mastering is every time practice. the english learners should give many occasion and stimulation to practice their new vocabularies either in english text or english context. they can practice and understand the use of many words in order to enrich their vocabulary. nuralisah & kareviati (2020) explained there are some problems in the teaching-learning process, especially in vocabulary learning obstacles experienced by students include a low understanding of english, a lack of motivation to learn vocabulary, and difficulty in translating english sentences. moreover, setiawan & wiedarti (2020) argued that students have to master english vocabulary first before they produce it through speaking or writing. vocabulary is the basis of acquiring a second language (afzal, 2019). in other words, the first skill that a language learner must acquire in order to learn a language, particularly english, is vocabulary (l, sadapotto, & anwar, 2022). then, teachers have an important role to introduce them to a large amount of unknown vocabulary. grogan in setiawan & wiedarti (2020) however, the new vocabulary is successfully introduced if they are not interested to learn them. it is the teacher’s responsibility to use effective media that can make the interest in learning (santosa & andriyadi, 2019). furthermore, learning media is an important foundation that functions as a complement and a vital part of the success of the learning process (wulandari, widyaningrum, & arini, 2021). mastering vocabulary becomes a problem in which motivated students will try to find a solution for it while unmotivated students do not even want to learn vocabulary. the students of university can be independent to learn english. the basic elements of language come from words. these words have a great function in communication between individuals with one another (poláková & klímová, 2020). wilkins in polakova and climova (2020) argued that without words there is no possible expression that can be conveyed. conderman (2020) also stated that vocabulary affects students' participation in communication in class. likewise in foreign language learning and has an important role cortazzi and jin in hao, lee, & chen (2019). vocabulary building give language learners understand more about the text. so when they are reading, they will understand what the text tells about. also, developing vocabulary makes help them to know more about the context of language. without knowing and understanding the vocabularies, it’s not sure the language learners can express everything in english language either in writing or speaking. in the context of technological development, learning english with all competencies is developed with simpler learning-based technology using android or what is called mobile learning or mlearning. chinnery (2006) stated that mobile english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 535 learning, or m-learning, is a burgeoning subdivision of the e-learning movement, further evidenced by european initiatives such as m-learning and mobilear. mobile learning is a simple tool for supporting vocabulary learning. it can be used anywhere and anytime. a simple application built in the android or cell phones, the users can learn the vocabulary either in specific or general terminology of many cases (alzahrani, 2019). m-learning has a positive effect on students' independence in learning and creativity (lu, 2008), learning without being limited by space and time, building their own interests and increasing independent learning motivation (hao, lee, & chen, 2019). understanding of vocabulary from simple to complex terminology has a positive effect on students' understanding in learning english. so that learning will show success if the more complex vocabulary can be understood by students (mosenthal, pearson, barr, 2000). nugiyantoro (2012) also explained that words are the core property of language (cahyaningtyas & hakim, 2014), so that vocabulary plays an important role in building language understanding. in the context of learning english vocabulary, the choice of vocabulary learning strategies undertaken by students in order to master and practice the vocabulary they are learning will determine the success of their english vocabulary mastery which in the end has a lot of impact on increasing their communication skills (basri, 2005). as mentioned by surmanov and azimova (2020), vocabulary acquisition was considered as the most influential factor in language learning. vocabulary can also be interpreted as a branch of knowledge that is known by individuals. because words do not just speak meaning but more than that is how vocabulary can be constructed in a language (basri, 2005). so, quirk and stein in solihati (2016) stated that vocabulary is an essential requirement in expressing ideas in communication. vocabulary knowledge is fundamental to effective communication, especially among university students. this is especially true when english as second language learners (esl) are often required to read academic books written in english, and to express themselves verbally in the language (e.g., giving presentation) or when writing (e.g., assignments) (yunus, mohamad, & waelateh, 2016). setya and kurniasari (2014) said that one of the problems in learning english language is vocabulary. without learning the vocabulary, it is difficult to attain any language proficiency (afzal, 2019). some studies found that many students have graduated from the school with minimum ability in using english (machfudi & afidah, 2022). a study by salam and nurnisa (2021) claimed that the factor is the lack of vocabulary. the students feel bored to memorize the strange or new vocabularies. the learning should be fun in many supporting media. based on sari, suryanti, & manurung (2017), a good learning media must support the achievement of maximum learning. meanwhile, sari & wardani (2019) said that the important thing is creating the suitable vocabulary instruction in for english language learners. technology based teaching can be as alternative teaching and learning in making teaching and learning process happy. that’s way, contextual learning is an appropriate method for vocabulary instruction. either appropriate learning method or learning media will support the successful vocabulary teaching (khusniyah & hakim, 2019). and also, learning media consists of visual, audio and video (indrasari, novita, & megawati, 2018). nagy in enayati & gilakjani (2020) mentioned that english leaner needs the current method to enrich english vocabularies. chalk and blackboard are unsuitable media for learners today. the teachers should create a suitable media for this generation. based on hasnida in f, supriyono, & aini (2022), the use of learning media provides benefits, namely (1) as a tool of helping to create an effective learning situation (2) becoming a component in order to create a situation expected learning (3) accelerate the learning process, students can grasp goals more easily and quickly (4) improve the quality of the learning process (5) can lay concrete foundations for thinking. the same opinion, tabatabaei in enayati & gilakjani (2020) stated technology application is urgently required for vocabulary learning. according to chiu in pratiwi et al. (2020), improving students’ language skills can be undertaken by means of the use of mobile device. also, godwin-jones; heil; stanley in abdullah (2020) stated that mobile device can be as a variety of application and program for supporting students to learn english skills. thornbury in hidayat (2016) declared the teachers must create various teaching strategy and need the correctness of teaching methods. novita in indrasari et al. (2018) badroeni, sofhian fazrin nasrulloh, & oman suryaman mobile learning vocapp (vocabulary application) for english vocabulary learning 536 stated that a good learner is when they have many new vocabularies in every academic dialogue and discussion and social media communication. so, vocabulary supports all language process in all competences. schmitt in fidyati (2018) said vocabulary as the basis of a language. it leads the leaners to understand the text and speak english well. widyastuti & kusumadewi (2018) argued that in current developments, all learning processes experience innovations that are driven by it devices. this is done to support learning to be more effective, efficient, and creative. qoyyimah & adi (2017) stated technological developments that are increasingly sophisticated are making learning models that experience simplification, one of which is the emergence of mobile learning or learning applications that are easily accessible via gadgets or devices both by teachers and students. yuliawati (2018) declared practical applications that are commonly found in the playstore related to learning english include; learn to speak with busuu‟, hello english‟, volt‟, learn english daily‟, learn english grammar quickly‟, learn english conversation – learning & speaking‟, learn english audio and video‟, english conversation practice‟, memrise‟, duolingo‟, rosetta stone‟, voxy‟, my word book‟, and learn english kids: while the applications regarding vocabulary learning are mobile applications, evoc, computer applications, education applications, duolinggo, mobile applications, android-based game, mobileassisted language learning (mall), the application has features in improving vocabulary understanding. from some of the research and facts above, researchers develop vocabulary applications that are tailored to the needs of students at the intermediate level. this vocabulary understanding is made using an application with easy-to-understand features including tracking students' initial vocabulary knowledge, vocabulary learning and evaluation. this application is called vocapp (vocabulary application). the state of the art in this study is indicated by the enrichment of english vocabulary learning applications. this vocabulary application or vocapp was created and developed according to the needs of students in learning english vocabulary. huckin & coady in edturk (2016) suggested that vocabulary determines the success of language learners in practicing their language skills. one of the problems in teaching vocabulary is the limited time for learning in class. so it is difficult to understand a lot of vocabulary with the limited time available (cunningham, 2005). because schmitt said that the vocabulary used was in accordance with the required theme (ertürk, 2016). for this reason, vocabulary learning requires the right learning strategy to support the right vocabulary learning style. as rahmah, wibowo, & zarkasih (2021) stated that in order to enhance students' vocabulary mastery in the learning process, the instructor should give an engaging medium and generate pleasant learning. moreover, 21st century teachers should have competence in using various technology products as media to deliver educational services (muchtar, nasrah, & ilham, 2021; nurmala, triwoelandari, & fahri, 2021). researchers have the perception that learning english vocabulary is currently important to be integrated with applications that can support learning. so, it is important to learn english vocabulary with the aid of an application. in addition, technology can also answer the expectations of language learners in the context of learning vocabulary. technology in learning has had a positive impact on improving the quality of language learning (tosun, 2015). this learning technology is used online with the learning features needed according to the needs of the learner (köse, ÿimen, & mede, 2016). brown (2012) mentioned that preand post-vocabulary tests give the information for us about the improvement of one’s vocabulary knowledge in breadth and depth. from the experts’ explanation above, there is not mentioned yet about the specific topic of vocabulary in junior high school level. the specific topic of the subject is embedded in android application. this application becomes the alternative to support the vocabulary learning. method this study used the research and development method. r&d or research and development were research that was based on continuous product testing. the product in this research is an android application that can be used in learning english vocabulary. the steps in the research were needed analysis, prototyping, revision prototype, depeloving, testing, and deployment. the participants of this research were class english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 537 viii smp negeri i kuningan with a total of 29 students. the ease and practicality of using the application makes the vocapp application can be used anytime and anywhere by learners. the rnd model used the software development life cycle with a prototyping model, namely software development that first describes the design in the form of a prototype as a functional requirement that will be approved by the user or users. data collection techniques used pre-test and post-test. a pre-test was conducted to measure the students' initial abilities, with 25 questions. then the learning was carried out with material english using the mobile learning as a media for supporting vocapp application. after the learning was finished, a post-test was conducted to measure student learning outcomes. and data analysis techniques used description and comparison of the two test results was done to determine the extent of the mobile learning method with the media vocapp application can improve english learning outcomes. comparisons were made statistically, with the t test. result and discussion the application is tested by using it and ensuring all functions run, while the application results are described as follows: table 1. application testing n o. function test results 1 application loads the page completely yes/no 2 applications can login using a mobile number yes/no 3 application displays a list of vocabulary categories yes/no 4 application displays vocabulary list yes/no 5 applications displaying vocabulary search results yes/no 6 the application displays a list of quizzes that can be taken yes/no 7 users can take quizzes smoothly and get feedback yes/no the application can be accessed through a browser with the address http://myvocapps.com or search for it through the google search engine with the keyword vocapp vocabulary application. after the learning was completed, a post-test was conducted to measure student learning outcomes. the results of the two tests are shown in table 2. table 2. pre-test and post-test results variables pre-test post-test minimum 20.00 28.00 maximum 88.00 92.00 the mean 64.40 69.90 median 68 72 mode 80 88 standard deviation 18.62 14.72 pre-test results the results of the pre-test showed the lowest score of students was 20, the highest score was 92, with an average of 64.40, standard deviation of 18.62. the distribution of values is shown in table 3. table 3. distribution of pre-test score interval value frequency percentage 17-29 1 3% 30-42 2 7% 43-55 7 24% 56-68 5 17% 70-82 10 34% 83-95 4 14% pre-test values are widely distributed in the 7082 intervals as much as 34%, which shows the values are normally distributed in the intermediate interval. the results of the post-test showed that the students' lowest score was 28, the highest score was 88, with an average of 69.90, standard deviation of 14.72. the distribution of values is shown in table 4. table 4. distribution of post-test score interval value frequency percentage 17-29 1 3% 30-42 0 0% 43-55 2 7% 56-68 10 34% 70-82 9 31% 83-95 6 21% post-test results the post-test scores were widely distributed at intervals of 56-68 as much as 34%, which showed that the values were normally distributed in the upper-middle interval. the comparison of the two test results was carried out to determine the extent to which the mobile learning method with the vocapp application media was able to improve the learning outcomes of learning english. the comparison was done statistically, with the t test. the calculation results stated that there was a badroeni, sofhian fazrin nasrulloh, & oman suryaman mobile learning vocapp (vocabulary application) for english vocabulary learning 538 significant difference if t-count 0.05 (at a significant level of 5% or sig 2-tailed) and it was stated that there was no significant difference if t-count 0.05 (at a significant level of 5% or sig 2-tailed). from the results of calculations using statistical tools, it is known that t-count is 0.03 which means <0.05. from the results of t-count, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference. the rnd model used the software development life cycle with a prototyping model, namely software development that first describes the design in the form of a prototype as a functional requirement that will be approved by the user or users. the flow is as described in figure 1. figure 1. research flow needs analysis needs analysis has been carried out on several people related to difficulties in learning english. from the results of the analysis, it was found that students had difficulty in finding vocabulary in english so that they had difficulty composing sentences. vocabulary is the simplest construct in a sentence. so, from these difficulties, it is necessary to have a tool in learning vocabulary. the tools needed are in the form of software or applications, because they are easy to use and rich in features. navigation. (1) home, which is the main page of the application; (2) competition, namely competing with fellow users regarding the number of vocabularies that have been mastered; (3) other applications, namely the application of master tenses as a product of previous research; (4) user profiles, namely biodata and application user accounts. learn/practice. for vocabulary learning, images, text and audio are available with the main themes of daily, education, culture, sport, math, early childhood, and computers. training. the form of the test is multiple choice, type this, fill the blank, true and false, picture questions are answered with text, audio questions are answered with text, audio questions are answered with pictures, text questions are answered with pictures, text questions are answered with audio, picture questions are answered with audio. review. displays list of memorized vocabulary. discover. find vocabulary quickly based on search. knowledge map. the total number of words that have been memorized, the number of words that have been memorized per day, the level and rewards given are based on the number of memorization. gallery. the gallery contains pictures accompanied by explanations. prototyping. from the results of the needs analysis, a prototype has been made as an initial description of the application design. prototyping evaluation. applications that have been made will then be validated by material experts, media experts and potential users in this case student to get feedback. the feedback obtained is used to revise the application design. this is done repeatedly until no more feedback is obtained so that the application design is declared to be final. developing. this stage is writing code using a programming language to create applications. the programming languages used are html, css, javascript, php and supported by a mysql database, because the application will be based on a web application. testing. after the application is made at the developing stage, then testing is carried out at the system level, then the level of small-scale users and large-scale users. at the system level, testing is carried out by testing the functionality of whether the application is functioning properly. furthermore, at the small-scale testing stage, it is done by asking several users to use the application to be asked for feedback, or in other words as a user acceptance test. furthermore, in the large-scale testing stage, it is carried out using the application as an english learning aid in the experimental class. deployment. if the test results state that the application is complete, the last step is to publish the application to the play store so that it can be accessed by everyone. after application is testing english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 539 and running well, as for the application result and described as follows: figure 2. application development results conclusion there are two prominent elements in this research. firstly, from the pre-test and post-test given to the students, indicates the significant difference. the difference between pre-test and post-test is the improvement of students’ vocabulary building. the data tells that the results of the pre-test showed the lowest score of students was 20 and in the post-test was 28, the highest score in pre-test was 88 and in the post-test was 92. after the comparison was conducted statistically, with the t test, there was a significant difference if t-count 0.05 (at a significant level of 5% or sig 2-tailed) and it was stated that there was no significant difference if t-count 0.05 (at a significant level of 5% or sig 2-tailed). from the results of calculations using statistical tools, it is known that t-count is 0.03 which means <0.05. from the results of t-count, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference. secondly, vocabulary application has supported to the students’ vocabulary building. the application helps the students learn independently. they can improve new vocabularies by means of english communication practice. acknowlegment thanks to national research and innovation agency that has provided grants through the funding beginner lecturer research scheme in 2021 so as to facilitate the preparation of this scientific paper as one of the research outputs, all elements of stkip muhammadiyah kuningan, the parties who have assisted in writing the paper this scientific paper as well as reviewers and journal editors, so that we can publish this topic. references afzal, n. (2019). a study on vocabulary-learning problems encountered by ba english majors at the university level of education. arab world english journal, 10 (3)81-98. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no3.6 alzahrani, h. (2019). examining the effectiveness of utilizing mobile technology in vocabulary development for language learners. arab world english journal, 1(3), 105–112. andreani, w., & ying, y. (2019). “powpow” interactive game in supporting english vocabulary learning for elementary students. procedia computer science, 157, 473–478. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2019.09.005 abdullah, a. (2020). efl learners’ experience of a mall-based vocabulary learning tool. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 10(2), 283–291. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i2.28590 ambara, i. (2016). the effect of using dualingo application vocabulary at sman 2 karangan. journal of english language teachin, 3(1), 48–55. chinnery, g. m. (2006). going to the mall : mobile assisted language learning. language learning & technology, 10(1), 9–16. http://www.llt.msu.edu/vol10num1/pdf/emerging.p df deris, f. d., & shukor, n. s. a. (2019). vocabulary learning through mobile apps: a phenomenological inquiry of student acceptance and desired apps features. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 13(7), 129–140. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v13i07.10845 devi, i. (2012). animation video to improve students’ vocabulary mastery. pendidikan bahasa inggris, 1(1), 01–118. dewi, l. o., halimah, & kurniawati, n. (2021). the merit of guessing game in imptoving students’ vocabulary matery. journal of teaching and education, 3(2), 294–309. retrieved from http://journals.umkt.ac.id/index.php/acitya enayati, f., & gilakjani, a. p. (2020). the impact of computer assisted language learning (call) on improving intermediate efl learners’ vocabulary badroeni, sofhian fazrin nasrulloh, & oman suryaman mobile learning vocapp (vocabulary application) for english vocabulary learning 540 learning. international journal of language education, 4(1), 96–112. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v4i2.10560 ertürk, z. ÿ. (2016). the effect of glossing on efl learners incidental vocabulary learning in reading. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 232(4), 373–381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.052 f, e. a., supriyono., & aini, m. r. (2022). integrated flashcard and ludo vocabulary learning game to increase vocabulary achievement of the first grade of junior high school: research and development. jares, 7(1), 11-18. fidyati, f. (2018). improving architecture students’ english vocabulary through the use of architectural drawings. englisia journal, 5(2), 113. https://doi.org/10.22373/ej.v5i2.3073 halimah., nurviyani, v., saepulah, a., helimie, j., & wandawati, r. w. (2022). virtual realitysupported drilling strategy in teaching english vocabulary to young learners. acitya: journal of teaching & education, 4(1), 88-100. hidayat, n. (2016). improving students’ vocabulary achievement through word game. jees (journal of english educators society), 1(2), 95–104. https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v1i2.446 indrasari, a., novita, d., & megawati, f. (2018). big book: attractive media for teaching vocabulary to lower class of young learners. jees (journal of english educators society), 3(2), 141–154. https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v3i2.1572 kacetl, j., & klímová, b. (2019). use of smartphone applications in english language learning—a challenge for foreign language education. education sciences, 9(3), 179. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9030179 khusniyah, n. l., & hakim, l. (2019). enriching english vocabularies using movie script in reading class. research and innovation in language learning, 2(3), 207–215. https://doi.org/10.33603/rill.v2i3.2108 köse, t., ÿimen, e., & mede, e. (2016). perceptions of efl learners about using an online tool for vocabulary learning in efl classrooms: a pilot project in turkey. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 232, 362–372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.051 l. s., sadapotto, a., & anwar, p. (2022). improving students' vocabulary mastery by using fly swatter game at the seventh grade students of smp negeri 2 kulo. la ogi: english language journal, 8(1), 35-39. machfudi, m. i., & afidah, a. (2022). students’ difficulties in vocabulary mastery. critical review of english-arabic world journal, 1(1), 1-12. matra, s. d. (2020). duolingo applications as vocabulary learning tools. jelle: journal of english literature, linguistics, and education, 1(1), 46– 52. http://www.jurnal.unikal.ac.id/index.php/jelle/articl e/view/1185 muchtar, f. y., nasrah, & ilham, m. (2021). pengembangan multimedia interaktif berbasis ispring presenter untuk meningkatkan keterampilan berpikir kritis siswa sekolah dasar. jurnal basicedu, 5(3), 1683–1688. nuralisah, a. s., & kareviati, e. (2020). the effectiveness of using memrise application in teaching vocabulary. project (professional journal of english education), 3(4), 494. https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v3i4.p494-500 nurmala, s., triwoelandari, r., & fahri, m. (2021). pengembangan media articulate storyline 3 pada pembelajaran ipa berbasis stem untuk mengembangkan kreativitas siswa sd/mi. jurnal basicedu, 5(6), 5024–5034. özgür çeli̇k. (2018). the effect of using mobile application on literal and contextual vocabulary instruction. balikesir üniversitesi sosyal. pratiwi, n. p. a., nariyati, n. p. l., & sudirman, s. (2020). efl pre-service teachers’ perception toward the use of mobile assisted language learning in teaching english. international journal of language education, 4(1), 38–47. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v4i2.10052 rahmah, a. a., wobowo, h., zarkasih, e., (2021). the use of advertisement in social media to enrich students’ vocabulary. lingua jurnal pendidikan bahasa, 17(2), 209-217. rebuschat, p., monaghan, p., & schoetensack, c. (2021). learning vocabulary and grammar from cross-situational statistics. cognition, 206(10), 104475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104475 salam, u., & nurnisa. (2021). students' difficulties in learning vocabularies. english community journal, 5(1), 46-53. samsi, y. s. (2016). promoting digital storytelling and dictionary to improve students’ vocabulary mastery. english review: journal of english education, 5(1), 79. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v5i1.390 santosa., & andriyadi. (2019). the use of my dictionary application to improve students’ vocabulary mastery. eltin journal, 7(1), 35-42. sari, n., suryanti, k., & manurung, s. m. (2017). analisis penggunaan media pembelajaran untuk meningkatkan motivasi peserta didik terhadap pembelajaran fisika kelas xi mipa 1 sma titian teras muaro jambi. jurnal pendidikan fisika dan keilmuan (jpfk), 3(2), 110–112. sari, s. n., & aminatun, d. (2021). students’ perception english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 541 on the use of english movies to improve vocabulary mastery. journal of english language teaching and learning, 2(1), 16-22. https://doi.org/10.33365/jeltl.v2i1.757 sari, s. n. w., & wardani, n. a. k. (2019). difficulties encountered by english teachers in teaching vocabularies. research and innovation in language learning, 2(3), 183–195. https://doi.org/10.33603/rill.v2i3.1301 setiawan, m. r., & wiedarti, p. (2020). the effectiveness of quizlet application towards students’ motivation in learning vocabulary. studies in english language and education, 7(1), 83–95. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v7i1.15359 setya, a., ningrum, b., & kurniasari, e. (2014). the effectiveness of mapping word in teaching vocabulary at the tenth grade of students of smk hassannudin pare. lingua scientia, 6(1), 1–16. academia.edu surmanov, s., and azimova, m. (2020). analysis difficulties in vocabulary acquisition. journal of legal studies and research, 6(1), 1-12. khaerunnisa, t., & izzah, m. s. h. l. (2021). developing english vocabulary through the busuu app developing english vocabulary through the busuu app introduction. ethical lingua, 8(1), 235–244. https://doi.org/10.30605/25409190.262 tirtayani, l. a., magta, m., & lestari, n. g. a. m. y. (2017). teacher friendly e-flashcard: a development of bilingual learning media for young learners. journal of education technology, 1(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.23887/jet.v1i1.10080 tosun, s. (2015). the effects of blended learning on efl students’ vocabulary enhancement. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 199, 641–647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.592 tsai, y. l., & tsai, c. c. (2018). digital game-based second-language vocabulary learning and conditions of research designs: a meta-analysis study. computers and education, 125(april), 345– 357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.06.020 wu, q. (2015). designing a smartphone app to teach english (l2) vocabulary. computers and education, 85, 170–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.02.013 wulandari, r. m., widyaningrum, l., & arini, l. d. d. (2021). pengaruh inovasi cerdas pada sistem muskuloskeletal melalui media pembelajaran interaktif. jurnal basicedu, 5(3), 1683–1688. yunus, k., mohamad, m., & waelateh, b. (2016). the breadth of receptive vocabulary knowledge among english major university students. journal of nusantara studies (jonus), 1(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol1iss1pp7-17 yuliawati, l., studi, p., & administrasi, m. (2018). pemanfaatan mobile assisted language learning (mall) melalui aplikasi berbasis android. in prosiding seminar kaluni (vol 1, pp. 60–65). badroeni, sofhian fazrin nasrulloh, & oman suryaman mobile learning vocapp (vocabulary application) for english vocabulary learning 542 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 821 english preservice teachers' perception of ict: the study on the students from rural areas burhanudin rais english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kapuas e-mail: burhanudin.rais@unka.ac.id risto kristiawan english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas kapuas e-mail: ristokristiawan89@gmail.com apa citation: rais, b., & kristiawan, r. (2022). english preservice teachers' perception of ict: the study on the students from rural areas. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 821830. https://10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6452 received: 29-07-2022 accepted: 27-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction technology is an inseparable thing in human lives. almost all over the world have enjoyed technological advances, which are supported by their increment. the increment of technology is very fast in this century. it comes in every sector of human lives, including the educational sector. in this area, the use of technology is commonly known as ict. ict, or information and communication technology, is a tool that can be used in the teaching and learning process. it includes tools such as computers, radio, television, projector, and the internet (zulfiati et al., 2018). ict is a beneficial tool for learning. it can support various learning abilities and styles, make learning more effective, make students active and engage in the learning process, make students more creative and imaginative, increase confidence, and make them creative in finding, exploring, analyzing, and presenting information (mai, 2020). ict can also open schools to the outside world, allowing the student to practice communicating with a wide range of people (azmi, 2017). recently, there has been a development in the use of ict in education. this development begins with the stipulation of covid 19 as a pandemic. the use of ict has changed the way of offline teaching. the routine of the education system, which provides offline or face-to-face learning, is replaced by online learning. the students do not intend to follow the class in a particular school room with their friends. they only need to prepare their gadgets, such as phones or computers, and an internet connection to follow the learning process everywhere. the use of ict affects the students' achievement in language learning, such as increasing pronunciation (abbas & fathira, 2020) and students' writing skills (yundayani et al., 2019). using ict media also increases learning motivation (utami & djamdjuri, 2021). students like giving a positive attitude when ict is used in the classroom (azmi, 2017). motivation is one of the factors that can determine success in learning, especially in learning a foreign language. students will fail if they lack strong motivation to learn the language (seven, 2020). however, the fact in the field showed that many teachers teach english using conventional abstract: the development of technology brings a good effect on learning english. some research supports that using technology in learning english increases students' comprehension. however, the fact in the field state that many teachers teach english using conventional methods without technology. on this basis, researchers aimed to examine the perceptions and attitudes of english preservice teachers. this research will be exciting because knowing the current perception of preservice teachers may impact their behavior with technology in the future. in conducting the study, the researchers used a descriptive qualitative method using interviews to obtain data. the criterion used is english education students who study at the higher education level in sintang. there are 6 (six) students or preservice teachers that the researchers chose as the participants. the result of this research showed that all of the participants think that ict is important for teaching english. using ict in learning can make students understand the material better, making them easier to find information from the material being taught. keywords: english teacher; ict; perception; preliminary teacher; sintang. burhanudin rais & risto kristiawan english preservice teachers' perception of ict: the study on the students from rural areas 822 media without technology. conventional meant only using a book as a source in teaching. the researchers believe that it is not a mistake because books are a source of learning. even a famous word says, "books are windows to the world". however, teachers need to combine other media to make learning more effective. the use of learning media is also believed to hone the teacher's creativity. it is mentioned above, there are many benefits of learning media if a teacher can use it. however, many teachers still choose a book as the only source for teaching. it may be caused by the influence of their perception of ict. the experience becomes the nature of awakening the perception (alptekin & unver, 2020). it makes perception will be different for each person. perception belongs to the process of taking data by using a human sensory organ from the environment. however, individual interest and curiosity are other kinds of the base of perceptionbuilding perception (alptekin & unver, 2020). two kinds of familiar perception-building processes are bottom-up and top-down (galotti, 2007). the term bottom-up process refers to the process obtained from small pieces of information. then, that information is combined into a conclusion or perception. meanwhile, the top-down process refers to the process obtained from expectations, theories, or concepts from experience. several stages of the perception formation process are shown in the figure below (walgito, 2004). st e: environment, s: stimuli, i: individual, r: response figure 1. perception formation process (walgito, 2004) perception includes the process of receiving, organizing, and interpreting designs to influence behavior and shape attitudes (hermawan & tyas, 2018). the understanding of the positive impact of the use of ict on improving student learning achievement may also give a role in making perceptions. the positive impact means, such as accommodating slow students because they can create an effective learning climate more individually, stimulate students to do exercises, and process data with the availability of animated graphics and music (said & hasanudin, 2019). it means the issue discussed earlier on teachers' attitudes toward ict may be affected by their perception of ict. from the basis that many english teachers favor using a book as the only teaching source, the researchers are interested in analyzing teachers' perceptions of the use of ict. however, the teachers targeted by the researchers are not people who already have a career as teachers but preservice english teachers. thus, this research will be very interesting because knowing the current perception of preservice teachers may impact their behavior with technology in the future. even there are many studies analyzing perceptions of technology, such as the research that analyses public senior high school teachers in palembang attitude and problems on using ict for teaching english (aminullah et al., 2019), turkey preservice teachers' perception of ict (demirtaş & mumcu, 2021), senior high school teacher of banda aceh perception on ict in elt classroom (juliana & muslem, 2017), and perception and motivation of senior high school teachers from indonesian rural area to ict (mahdum et al., 2019), this research is different from the previous research. the first difference is the place of research. this research is conducted in the city of sintang, where no similar research has been conducted in sintang. sintang is a city that also becomes a district in west kalimantan, which consists of 14 districts. in addition, sintang is included in the lagging area. it means that using technology in underdeveloped areas is a challenge. below are the national data facilities on the lagging area or known as 3t. s t response st st if if if if sp e s i r e st : stimuli if : internal factor sp : individual personal structure st english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 823 table 1. facilities in 3t area (muhammad, 2020) area electricity internet computer/ laptop smartphone 3t 81,2% 41,5% 24,5% 57,2% 15,1% 40,1% 18,9% 14,9% 3,7% 18,4% 56,6% 27,9% * yellow: available and usable, red: available but hard to use, green: unavailable the second difference is the participants of the research, they are preservice english teachers that are now english learners from various rural areas. thus, this research will be interesting to find out the perception of students who may become teachers in their areas or origin, which is rural areas. method this research is conducted by following a descriptive qualitative design. descriptive research is a type of qualitative research design in which the researcher investigates events, and phenomena in the lives of individuals and asks one or a group of individuals to tell their stories, then the researcher retells the story in descriptive form (rusandi & rusli, 2021). in accordance with the explanation above, the method is in line with this research's aim. it will be used to guide in analyzing the perceptions of students or preservice english teachers in the city of sintang. the participants in this study were students in the english education department that took the study in sintang. there were six students or participants in this study who were in the eighth semester or who had completed ppl (field study) program. students who have followed ppl must have carried out teaching activities in the classroom. thus, based on their experience, the researchers are interested in making the study. furthermore, another criterion set by the researchers was that students came from villages that were included in the 3t or terluar (outermost), tertinggal (lagging), and terdepan (leading) coverage. students who did not come from 3t were not selected to participate in this study. this choosing was following the concept of purposive sampling. purposive sampling is a process for selecting participants in qualitative research (abdussamad, 2021). it is a process of selecting participants by consideration (abdussamad, 2021). for collecting the data, researchers used interviews. a structured interview was selected as a type of interview in this study. there were some questions related to the perception of ict and their experience in learning and teaching english using ict. the researchers collected the data from their experience to analyze the relation of their perception to their previous experience. after all the data was collected, the researchers continued to analyze the data. the analysis was conducted in several steps: preparing and organizing the data. this step was conducted by organizing the data to make sure that the data were in a form that could be easily analyzed. code data into categories. this step was conducted by coding the data into a similar research category. construct descriptions. this step was conducted by writing a description of the data that has been categorized. build themes. this step was conducted after writing a description. the researchers made a theme that will be written in the research. report the data. it was the last step; the researchers reported and interpreted the data in the form of descriptive text. furthermore, the research was started on march 1st, 2022, and finished on june 28th, 2022. result and discussion the data that the researcher collected revealed some themes. these were all elaborated and discussed below. basic information about the participants from the interviews, the researchers knew that all students or preservice teachers came from areas with inadequate public facilities. this inadequacy mainly refers to the availability of the internet or electricity network. internet and electricity are challenges to operate ict because ict is a device that requires such a connection, especially electricity. this information needs to be known because perception is revealed from a person's contact with the environment (alptekin & unver, 2020). it makes the perceptions referred by the researchers in this study also come from the experience of learning english that is not only from university but also in junior and senior high school. the interview questions did not explore preservice teachers' experience since elementary school because english was a subject that must be burhanudin rais & risto kristiawan english preservice teachers' perception of ict: the study on the students from rural areas 824 learned starting from junior high school. however, not all students who became preservice teachers in this study had school experience (junior and senior high school) in the village; the university level was in the city. however, some of them mentioned their experiences studying in the city, especially in high school. the data from the interviews can be seen in the tables below. table 2. experience learning by using ict in junior and senior high school participant origin school experience using ict junior high school senior high school university level r1 village district city never experienced ict media in learning english, excluded in university level r2 village city city only experience ict in senior high school and university level r3 village city city only experience ict in senior high school and university level r4 city city city experience ict on every level of education r5 village district city only experience ict in senior high school and university level r6 district district city never experienced ict media in learning english, excluded in university level table 3. public facilities on junior and senior high school participant public facilities in the school junior high school senior high school university level r1 no public electricity and internet connection no public electricity and internet connection public electricity is connected, and the internet connection is connected smoothly r2 public electricity and internet connection is available public electricity and internet connection is connected smoothly public electricity is connected, and the internet connection is connected smoothly r3 public electricity is connected, and the internet connection is available public electricity and internet connection is connected smoothly public electricity is connected, and the internet connection is connected smoothly r4 public electricity and internet connection is connected smoothly public electricity and internet connection is connected smoothly public electricity is connected, and the internet connection is connected smoothly r5 no public electricity and internet connection public electricity is connected, and the internet connection is connected smoothly public electricity is connected, and the internet connection is connected smoothly r6 public electricity and internet connection is connected smoothly public electricity and internet connection is connected smoothly public electricity is connected, and the internet connection is connected smoothly the data above showed that two participants (r1 and r6) never experienced ict in the learning process in junior and senior high school. analyzed from the public facilities, the participant (r1) has a school (junior and senior high school) background from a rural area that was not covered by state electricity and internet connection. it is known that ict media needs both connections to operate. however, electricity has become an important part of using technology. examples of these tools are projectors and speakers. these tools only require electricity without the internet, unlike smartphones and laptops. however, smartphones and laptops do not entirely require the internet to operate. data from the participants support this assumption. participant (r4) who carries out education in the city is more experienced in ict than others. it is because adequate facilities are found in the city than in the village. however, another participant (r6) that has connected to a public facility also never english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 825 experienced ict in learning when they were in junior and senior high school. the availability of technology owned by teachers and schools may be the cause. the lack of teachers' ability to operate digital devices is also a challenge that participants may experience when learning english at the junior and senior high school levels. based on data from the ministry of education and culture, teachers' ability to operate digital devices is one of the problems students face in learning (muhammad, 2020). moreover, the participant also claimed that he was allowed to bring the phone but not in the classroom (junior and senior high school) when the class started. in fact, smartphones are also reliable devices for learning english. "i was allowed to bring a smartphone, but i was not allowed to use or operate my smartphone in the class (when learning)" (data r1) then, the following are some of the ict media used by the participants when learning english from junior high school to university. table 4. experience learning by using ict media at school and university no experience in ict media participants 1. youtube r1, r2, r3, r4, r5, r6 2. zoom r1, r2, r3, r4, r5, r6 3. google meet r1, r2, r3, r4, r5, r6 4. google classroom r1, r2, r3, r4, r5, r6 5. browser r1, r2, r3, r4, r5, r6 6. powerpoint and projector r1, r2, r3, r4, r5, r6 7. online dictionary r1, r2, r3, r4, r5, r6 8. mp3 player r1, r2, r3, r4, r5, r6 the available data showed that the majority were experienced at the university level. at the junior and senior high school level, the students only experienced learning english by using mp3 players, powerpoints, and projectors. the media in table 4 can be classified as online (zoom, youtube, google meet, google classroom, online dictionary, and brower) and offline (powerpoint, projector, mp3 player). the online and offline means in this discussion refers to the use of the internet. many researchers have shown that the ict media have a positive role in teaching english. such as google classroom, it is a media that useful for increasing students' motivation (batubara et al., 2021). the increment noted from previous research is 76.154 mean of post-test from 47.692 (pre-test). the other media is youtube. the previous study claimed that this application decreases students' anxiety, makes students learn faster, motivates them to learn, and increases students' language comprehension (binmahboob, 2020). in addition, youtube brings benefit for fostering students’ autonomy (purwanti et al., 2022), and affect to the students critical thinking (cahyana, 2022). participants' view on ict for teaching english several times has been mentioned that perception is the base of human behavior. someone's perception is perceived from the cognitive contact with the environment (alptekin & unver, 2020). in this case, the participants' experience of learning to use ict is one of the most important parts of knowing the perception. following figure 1, the perception stage starts by capturing the stimuli by the human senses. the second stage is called the physiological stage. at this stage, the stimulus received by the human senses is transmitted through the sensory nerves. the third stage is called the psychological process. it is the process of raising a person's awareness of the stimulus that is received by the receptor. then the last stage is the result obtained from the perception process in the form of responses and behavior (walgito, 2004). the data revealed by researchers showed that 100% of preservice teachers agree that ict is important in teaching english; this data is shown in figure 2. figure 2. participants' decisions on ict all the preservice teachers stated that ict is essential in teaching english. based on their teaching experience, the preservice teachers think it will benefit their students by attracting them to the class, making learning and finding information about learning material becomes burhanudin rais & risto kristiawan english preservice teachers' perception of ict: the study on the students from rural areas 826 easier. this statement is proven in several data below. "the use of ict as a learning medium is very good for student learning activities because (the use of ict) makes learning becomes easy." (data r4) "the implementation of ict is quite good (in helping me to teach) …. (it acts) as a (tool to) support students (in learning)it can attract the students' attention." (data r2) "make students easy to… ict is related to the internet and makes students (can) seek deeper information for learning materials." (data r6) kinds of ict in teaching english the respondents used several ict tools for teaching, such as an online dictionary, zoom meetings, powerpoints, and others. the table below shows the ict tools used by the participants in the teaching process. table 5. ict tool for teaching english no. tool user 1 online dictionary r1 2 zoom r4, r6 3 google meet r6, 4 powerpoint r2, r4 5 whatsapp r2, r3, r5 6 browser r6 these data are in accordance with interview data. "using a laptop (zoom meeting) when learning from home or online – using a zoom meeting, i use powerpoint in teaching" (data r4) "(ict) is very necessary, because not all words in indonesian language can be translated into english manually without any help (online dictionary application) – and learning is not only focused on books." (data r1) different from online dictionary, powerpoint, and browser, the use of zoom, google meet, and whatsapp is rapidly increasing because of the prohibition on making face-to-face learning in the pandemic era. an example is whatsapp, this application is used for sharing information, giving material, or teaching students by using text, video, picture, or audio (diharjo, 2021). moreover, google meet and zoom are the other application used for teaching. these applications allow interaction between teachers and students to carry out audiovisual learning (diharjo, 2021). the challenge on using ict in esl classroom based on a participant's experience, online learning is ineffective in increasing student understanding compared to face-to-face learning. it is based on the opinion of the supervisor (teacher) when carrying out ppl. "….it is not effective, so at that time the teacher (mentor at school) suggested to carry out offline or face to face learning." (data r5) even previous study claim that using online teaching gives benefits (rawashdeh et al., 2021), but many teachers in the field still perceive its disadvantages. some obstacles such as technology literacy, laziness, less of teacher's guide, hard to understand material learnt, time management, lack of communication among pair, cheating, and excessive assignment (herwiana & laili, 2022) become the consideration on the use of online teaching. it is added by indonesian ministry of education that online learning causes several problems, such as making students unable to understand the lesson, unable to ask directly to the teacher and other friends, boredom, inadequate internet network, and others (muhammad, 2020). on this basis, zoom or google classroom and another online platform includes in ict is reduced and emphasizes face-to-face learning. as additional information, ppl was held in augustoctober 2021. learning in schools at that time was not completely done using online media. several schools have decided to carry out face-toface learning with consideration and application of health protocols to prevent covid transmission. it is not strange because a previous study has also revealed that some students and teachers feel offline learning has a better impact on student understanding than online learning (sulasmiati et al., 2021). in addition, the habit of using conventional media is also a challenge in using ict. one of the participants who did face-to-face learning in the class said that the offline learning he carried out always used books because it had become a habit in school. in fact, projectors are available in the teacher's room and can be used to teach the students in the classroom. "there is a projector but it is not used because (i) already familiar with the learning process using books.” (data r3) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 827 this habit made a preservice teacher not use ict in the classroom. he preferred to use only book as a learning media. however, he revealed that using ict helped him in the learning process. this habit made ict not utilized optimally by the teacher (mentor) and preservice teacher. this issue also be caused by the teachers' perception and readiness to use technology in the classroom (puspitarini & hanif, 2019). additional discussion – the potential of ict and preservice attitude toward it perception results of this study were obtained based on participants' experiences. this experience is then felt by participants, who then consider ict as a good learning media to be used for teaching and learning or not. it is supported by the statement that perception has a role in human behavior (shambodo, 2020); someone with a certain perception is earned from the contact with the environment that is made (alptekin & unver, 2020). it means their thinking process is revealed by some previous experiments. the perception expressed by the participants is categorized as a top-down process. this process is defined as a process in which perceptions are obtained from expectations, theories, or concepts from experience (galotti, 2007). participants stated that using ict in learning is very beneficial for their class. participants' experience in learning english by using ict is the base of their perception. they think that many things can be obtained when using ict in learning, such as making students better understand the material, making it easier for students to find information from the material being taught, and making learning process being easier. in addition, the use of ict in learning can also make students do self-learning. in this case, students can learn the material that will be delivered before learning begins. in addition, other things that have been revealed by previous research related to the benefits obtained when using ict are supporting various learning abilities and styles, making the learning process more effective, making students active and engage in the learning process, making students more creative and imaginative, increase confidence, and make students creative in finding, exploring, analyzing and present information, (mai, 2020), increasing students' pronunciation (abbas & fathira, 2020) and writing skills (yundayani et al., 2019), and increasing motivation in the learning process (utami & djamdjuri, 2021). moreover, it can provide an activity that allows students to practice communicating with a wide range of people (azmi, 2017). even if it has a good role in learning, learning using ict is considered less effective, especially using ict in online learning, such as using zoom. it is based on the research findings and also supported by data from the ministry of education and culture that students experience difficulties in learning with the learning-from-home model (muhammad, 2020). the connection factor and the teacher's ability to operate digital devices are one of the causes of learning not going well (muhammad, 2020). besides, other problems like lack of discipline because no one controls students, poor student attendance and students skipping without any reason, lack of student interest in learning, and prolonged use of cell phones for class cause headaches due to harmful rays become the challenge that can be faced (muthuprasad et al., 2021). besides utilizing online learning media as a means of using ict, other digital devices that do not need to use the internet connection are the use of projectors or laptops. the internet is a challenge on using ict (purwanti et al., 2022) for some places, especially in rural areas. there are 12,548 villages and sub-districts that still do not get a good internet connection (jemadu & prastya, 2021), including some areas in the sintang regency. in addition, 3 of 6 participants said they would use ict in learning when they became teachers. this statement includes when teaching in a rural area that does not have internet and electricity. the media that will be used is playing a video using a laptop or mp3 using a cell phone or laptop. "(i will keep) using ict but it won't be a priority, i (will) use (some tools) like smartphone and laptop for listening activities and watching videos." (data r5) indeed, electricity is a major requirement for using ict in learning. without electricity, the technology will be difficult to operate. however, innovating ict media, such as displaying videos using laptops, can be an option for teachers to build motivation to learn and improve students' listening skills. as mentioned above, motivation is one of the factors that can determine success in learning, especially in learning a foreign language. someone with the low motivation will fail in learning (seven, 2020). burhanudin rais & risto kristiawan english preservice teachers' perception of ict: the study on the students from rural areas 828 conclusion perception becomes one of the nature of people habits. such as using ict, the perception that preservice teachers got from their experience influenced their need to use ict. a good perception will lead to the thinking that ict brings benefits to the users. it makes them will use the tool in the teaching context. this expiation refers to the finding that the researchers got. all preservice teachers from different backgrounds of rural areas gave a positive mind toward ict. even though, many things challenge the use of ict in the learning process. however, they still think that ict is important for teaching. when being a teacher, they will use ict tool in teaching english, even in rural areas. acknowledgement this research is funded by universitas kapuas, sintang. researchers are very grateful to universitas kapuas sintang and all those who have supported researchers in conducting and publishing research on the perceptions of preservice teachers from the rural areas on using ict to teach english. references abbas, m. f. f., & fathira, v. (2020). implementation of android application to solve the students’ pronunciation of ending –ed. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 265–272. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2648 abdussamad, z. (2021). metode penelitian kualitatif. syakir media press. alptekin, o., & unver, h. (2020). assessment of perception of physical environment in the context of cognitive maps and experiences. in silvera-roig, m. (eds.), cognitive and intermedial semiotics. intechopen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90660 aminullah, a., loeneto, b. a., & vianty, m. (2019). teachers’ attitude and problems of using ict in teaching efl. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 147–156. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2324 azmi, n. (2017). the benefits of using ict in the efl classroom: from perceived utility to potential challenges. journal of educational and social research, 7(1), 111–118. https://doi.org/10.5901/jesr.2017.v7n1p111 batubara, m. d., hamdani, z., & paderan, m. p. c. (2021). google classroom: a learning media in increasing students’ motivation. indonesian journal of learning education and counseling, 3(2), 164–169. https://doi.org/10.31960/ijolec.v3i2.893 binmahboob, t. (2020). youtube as a learning tool to improve students’ speaking skills as perceived by efl teachers in secondary school. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 9(6), 13. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.9n.6p.13 cahyana, a. a. c. (2022). the use of youtube video in teaching english for foreign language at vocational high school. jpbii, 8(2), 1–11. demirtaş, b., & mumcu, f. (2021). pre-service teachers’ perceptions of ict and tpack competencies. acta educationis generalis, 11(2), 60–82. https://doi.org/10.2478/atd-20210013 diharjo, r. f. (2021). penggunaan whatsapp, google meet , dan zoom sebagai media pembelajaran selama pandemi covid 19. al-fikru: jurnal pendidikan dan sains, 2(2), 206–216. galotti, k. m. (2007). cognitive psychology: in and out of the laboratory. thomson wadsworth. hermawan, s., & tyas, f. i. w. n. (2018). pengaruh nilai intrinsik, parental influence, dan persepsi mahasiswa dengan pendekatan teori karier anne roe terhadap pemilihan karir sebagai akuntan publik bagi mahasiswa akuntansi universitas airlangga surabaya. journal of applied business and economic, 5(2), 112–129. jemadu, l., & prastya, d. (2021, december). masih ada 12.548 desa yang belum dilayani internet 4g. suara.com. https://www.suara.com/tekno/2021/12/28/19533 0/masih-ada-12548-desa-yang-belum-dilayaniinternet-4g juliana, r., & muslem, a. (2017). the use of information and communication technology (ict) amongst efl teachers: perception and challenges. english education journal, 8(4), 469–487. mahdum, m., hadriana, h., & safriyanti, m. (2019). exploring teacher perceptions and motivations to ict use in learning activities in indonesia. journal of information technology education: research, 18, 293–317. https://doi.org/10.28945/4366 mai, l. t. (2020). benefits and challenges to integrate ict in efl teaching and learning activities. iosr-jrme, 10(3), 46–50. muhammad, h. (2020). menyiapkan pembelajaran di masa pandemi: tantangan dan peluang. https://spab.kemdikbud.go.id/wpcontent/uploads/2020/07/menyiapkanpembelajaran-di-masa-pandemi-1.pdf muthuprasad, t., aiswarya, s., aditya, k. s., & jha, g. k. (2021). students’ perception and preference for online education in india during covid-19 pandemic. social sciences & humanities open, 3(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2020.100101 purwanti, n. k. r., suwastini, n. k. a., adnyani, n. l. p. s., & kultsum, u. (2022). youtube videos for improving speaking skills: the benefits and challenges according to recent research in efl english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 829 context. jurnal pendidikan teknologi dan kejuruan, 19(1), 66–75. puspitarini, y. d., & hanif, m. (2019). using learning media to increase learning motivation in elementary school. anatolian journal of education, 4(2), 53–60. rawashdeh, a. z. a., mohammed, e. y., & arab, a. r. a., alara, m., & al-rawashdeh, b. (2021). advantages and disadvantages of using elearning in university education: analyzing students’ perspectives. the electronic journal of e-learning, 19(3), 107–116. rusandi., & rusli, m. (2021). merancang penelitian kualitatif dasar/deskriptif dan studi kasus. alubudiyah: jurnal pendidikan dan studi islam, 2(1), 48–60. https://doi.org/10.55623/au.v2i1.18 said, h., & hasanudin, h. m. i. (2019). media pembelajaran berbasis ict: pengaruh penggunaan media pembelajaran berbasis ict terhadap hasil belajar mahasiswa. iain parepare nusantara press. seven, m. a. (2020). motivation in language learning and teaching. african education research journal, 8(2), 62–71. https://doi.org/10.30918/aerj.8s2.20.033 shambodo, y. (2020). faktor yang mempengaruhi persepsi khalayak mahasiswa pendatang ugm terhadap siaran pawartos ngayogyakarta jogja tv. al azhar indonesia seri ilmu sosial, 1(2), 98–110. sulasmiati, m., prastiwi, c. h. w., & rahmawati, o. i. (2021). teacher and students’ perception in online teaching and learning english during corona pandemic. jurnal pendidikan utama, 1(1), 1–10. utami, y., & djamdjuri, d. s. (2021). students’ motivation in writing class using of canva: students’ perception. english journal, 15(2), 83– 92. https://doi.org/10.32832/english.v15i2.5536 walgito, b. (2004). pengantar psikologi umum. andi offset jl. yundayani, a., susilawati, & chairunnisa. (2019). investigating the effect of canva on students’ writing skills. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 169–176. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1800. zulfiati, h. m., suyanto, s., & pamadhi, h. (2018). optimizing ict-based learning of social studies in primary schools. in proceedings of the joint workshop ko2pi and the 1st international conference on advance & scientific innovation (pp. 77–83). eai. burhanudin rais & risto kristiawan english preservice teachers' perception of ict: the study on the students from rural areas 830 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 475 exploring critical pedagogy principles in efl classrooms: beliefs and practices of indonesian teachers slamet wahyudi yulianto english education study program, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia e-mail: slamet.wahyudi.y@gmail.com bachrudin musthafa english education study program, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia e-mail: dinmusthafa@upi.edu gin gin gustine english education study program, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia e-mail: gustine@upi.edu apa scitation: yulianto, s. w., musthafa, b., & gustine, g. g. (2024). exploring critical pedagogy principles in efl classrooms: beliefs and practices of indonesian teachers. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 475-482. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9258 received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 21-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction the integration of critical pedagogy (cp) in the teaching of english as a foreign language (efl) in indonesia has been called for and promoted since the last two decades. the call is getting stronger after the release of the latest indonesian ministry of education and culture (moec) policy, merdeka belajar (emancipated learning), in 2020. prahani et al. (2020) in their article explicitly elaborate the alignment as well as the correlation between emancipated learning policy and the tenets of cp. they claim that it is relevant to paolo freire’s view and that there are intersections between the policy issued by the moec and the principles of cp. cp is a transformative theory and practice of education that was firstly applied by a brazilian educator, paolo freire, in teaching an adult first language literacy program for low-wage workers and peasants at recife, brazil, in 1960s (yulianto, 2020; crookes, 2022). over time, cp has been implemented worldwide in diverse contexts for different purposes, including at the efl context in numerous non-english speaking countries. in the context of efl education itself, the report on the use cp can be traced back to the early years of this abstract: the incorporation of critical pedagogy (cp) principles in the teaching of english as a foreign language (tefl) in indonesia has been promoted since the last two decades. however, research on how indonesian efl teachers view the cp principles are rarely conducted. this case study aims to discover the perceptions of 30 indonesian efl teachers teaching in different levels of education and having various educational backgrounds and diverse degree of familiarity regarding the four cp principles. the data for this study were collected by distributing questionnaires and conducting interviews. the collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis procedure. after analyzing the collected data, it is discovered that among the four principles, dialogue and problem-posing are the two most desirable as well as applicable ones, comparing to praxis and conscientization. additionally, in practicing the four principles, the participants claimed that they performed twelve categories of classroom activities including (1) negotiating classroom decision; (2) appreciating students’ opinion; (3) using students’ first language; (4) discussing students’ real problems; (5) connecting learning to students’ life; (6) using students’ prior knowledge, experience, and local culture; (7) inviting students to take action based on classroom discussion; (8) assisting students to reflect on their learning; (9) encouraging students to continually act and reflect; (10) incorporating problematic social and political issues; (11) asking students to think critically; and (12) promoting justice. considering the findings of this study, more training and research on critical efl pedagogy are recommended. it is also suggested for further researchers to include classroom observation as data collection technique. keywords: critical pedagogy principles; efl teachers; beliefs; practices. mailto:slamet.wahyudi.y@gmail.com mailto:dinmusthafa@upi.edu mailto:gustine@upi.edu slamet wahyudi yulianto, bachrudin musthafa, & gin gin gustine exploring critical pedagogy principles in efl classrooms: beliefs and practices of indonesian teachers 476 century (crookes, 2022). cp, when defined in the context of language learning, especially foreign language learning, is a teaching learning approach that is based upon the acceptance of its sociocultural implication and has the ultimate purpose to transform society by discussing and relating grammatical knowledge and real-life wider social issues (crookes, 2021; farias & silva, 2021; kizildag, 2023; olivera & martinez, 2023). numerous cp philosophers, theorists, and practitioners have formulated countless cp principles. however, this article proposes four cp principles as a result of syntactical reading upon the massive literature and publications. those four cp principles are dialogue, problem-posing, praxis, and conscientization (yolanda, 2020). dialogue is understood as the foundation of every teaching and learning process as it involves both teachers and learners as the agents who exchange knowledge and experience as well as share power (masood & haque, 2021; santoso & christianti, 2021; zarei & dobakhti, 2023). problem-posing provides necessary direction for bringing students’ real-life problems to classroom and connecting them to the materials as the basis of classroom discussions (yenesew, 2019; farias & silva, 2021; herrera-molina & portilla_quintero, 2021). in the meantime, praxis is defined as the integration of action and reflection both inside and outside classroom (yolanda, 2020; jeyaraj, 2021; kavenuke & muthanna, 2021). the last principle, conscientization, is the process of achieving the third level of consciousness, critical consciousness, in which individuals are aware of the systematic oppressive realities and strategically take actions to counter them (khan, 2019; kircali, 2021; leal, 2021). a lot of research on how efl teachers view and implement cp principles in different education levels in both indonesia and abroad has been conducted by numerous researchers. only to mention three of the current research conducted in indonesia, there are sulistyowardani at al. (2020), and santoso & christiani (2021), mambu (2022), and waliyadin et al. (2023). sulistyowardani et al. (2020) studied two senior high school efl teachers’ cognition and practice toward cp in their classroom also in salatiga, indonesia. santoso & christiani (2021) carried out a research about to investigate five higher education efl teachers’ perspective regarding cp principles in the indonesian capital, jakarta. mambu (2022) conducted a qualitative study in order to investigate how the three teacher-learners teaching in two different levels of high school co-construct elt curriculum under his guidance as a teacher educator and concluded that during the preteaching service project, the three participants developed the critical lesson plans and the critical adapted learning materials. waliyadin et al. (2023) discovered that by defining or elucidating the concept of cp, instructors' knowledge of it is not made clear. nonetheless, it is possible to identify specific cp phases and components, indicating that teachers apply critical pedagogy in their reading lessons to some extent. meanwhile, from outside indonesia, there are several reports on the applications and research of cp in the efl context worth to note in this article. afshar & donyaie (2019) performed a mixedmethod research involving 181 iranian efl teachers and found that there was a significant difference between the participants’ positive cp beliefs and their actual teaching practices. conducting an ethnography study on the integration of cp in the foreign language classroom in thai context, yang (2020) unearths that cp as a teaching framework is relevant as well as productive in assisting students’ learning process of foreign language writing. meanwhile, in saudi arabia, researching 60 efl lecturers teaching in different universities, alharbi (2021) concluded that cp was cp, at the philosophical level is a somewhat familiar concept for most of the research participants. herrera-molina & portilla-quintero (2021) did a literature review on the integration of cp in elt in various regions in columbia and found that the integration has been successful in developing students’ critical thinking. conducting research in tanzanian efl context, kavenuke & mutahnna (2021) discover that there are three categories of challenges that face by educators in practicing cep that are crowded classes, lecturing style, and unsuitable assessment. it can be concluded that there is still a gap in terms of lack of reported research on how efl teachers teaching at different levels of education perceive and practice the four cp principles. conducting research in taiwan for his dissertation involving 68 instructors and 265 higher education efl students using mixedmethods (questionnaire and interview), chang (2022) found, the majority of instructors have positive attitudes and practices towards cp. quantitatively researching 116 serbian efl teachers’ attitude and practices of cp, topalov (2022) unearthed that teachers have positive attitudes toward their role as agents of changes. teachers who have more than ten years of experience and teach in groups of six to ten file:///d:/kuliah/s3/disertasi/referensi/articles/%230.%20herrera-molina%20&%20portilla.%20critical%20pedagogy%20trends%20in%20english%20language%20teaching.pdf english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 477 students are most likely to report positive attitudes, whereas those who teach in groups of thirty-one to fifty students are least likely to report positive views towards implementing critical pedagogy policies in their efl classrooms. taking into account the aforementioned elaboration, in order to fill the previously stated gap, the present study was conducted to discover beliefs and practices of indonesian efl teachers teaching in different school levels, having various educational backgrounds as well as degree of familiarity with cp, and living in different provinces, regarding the implementation of cp principles in efl classrooms. in achieving its purpose, the upcoming elaboration of this article is organized mainly into four sections that are (1) literature review where the cp theories are provided to frame the study, (2) research method, (3) finding and discussion consisting of beliefs and practices, and (4) conclusion where the implications of this study are proposed. method this study employed a case study design with 30 participants consisting of ten junior high school efl teachers, ten senior high school efl teachers, and the rest are efl lecturers teaching at various higher education institutions in different regions in indonesia. the 30 efl educators were selected as the participants based on their familiarity towards cp uncovered in the preliminary stage of the research. the participants are having various teaching experience and educational backgrounds. nineteen of them are master degree holders, one is having doctoral degree, and ten are having bachelor degree. there are twenty-one male participants, and the rest are female. the data were collected using questionnaire and interview during the 2022/2023 academic year, from july 2022 to august 2023. the questionnaire, teacher critical pedagogy attitude and implementation (tcpai), was an adaptation from critical pedagogy questionnaire (cpq) and critical pedagogy classroom observation checklist (cpoc) developed by afshar & donyaie (2019). the adaptation was performed by selecting the most relevant statements representing the four cp principles for the indonesian efl context. intended to investigate the participants’ beliefs and teaching practices regarding the four cp principles, the questionnaire consists of twenty statements (five statements for each cp principle) that have to respond using one to five likert-scale representing strongly disagree to strongly agree (for belief) and never to always (for practice). to ensure the quality of tcpai instrument before being used, two efl and cp experts were requested to review it. the questionnaire was in indonesian language and written in the form of google form and distributed online though e-mail and whatsapp group with the help of efl teachers’ associations. in the meantime, the interviews were conducted in semi-structured way to confirm and dig deeper the participants’ questionnaire responses to six of the participants; two participants, pj1 and pj2, are junior highs school teachers; two participants, ps1 and ps2, are senior high school teachers; and two interviewees, pu1 and pu2, are lecturers teaching in two different universities. the interviews were carried out online using video conference applications and audio-visually recorded. each interview lasted no longer than two hours and conducted in indonesian language. the interview questions were made considering the statements in the questionnaire as well as the related theoretical framework about the incorporating cp in efl education. to pursue the valid and reliable interview guideline, several revisions were performed considering the feedbacks provided by the two professors in the field of efl. the data analysis procedure was performed in two major steps. the first step of analysis was carried out on questionnaire data through descriptive statistics while the second stage was executed to the interview data through thematic analysis. the data were then interpreted and compared to the previous related studies. results and discussion after analysing the collected data, it is found that generally, the participating teachers have a positive view as the mean score for the belief items toward the principles of cp is 4.21 (out of 5). meanwhile for the practice, although it is still slightly lower than belief items (the total mean score for practice is 4.11), it still can be interpreted that the participating teachers, for some extents, perform classroom practices that are in line with the principles of cp, especially the dialogue and problem-posing ones. the following table 1 displays the total mean score for both beliefs and practices from junior high school teachers, senior high school teachers, and university teachers. table 1. total mean score of tcpai fields beliefs practices junior high school 4.17 4.11 slamet wahyudi yulianto, bachrudin musthafa, & gin gin gustine exploring critical pedagogy principles in efl classrooms: beliefs and practices of indonesian teachers 478 senior high school 4.19 4.10 higher education 4.28 4.13 total 4.21 4.11 as it is seen in the table, the higher education efl teachers have highest mean scores for both belief and practice. it can be interpreted that the participants teaching efl in higher education institutions are having more openness and acceptance towards the four cp principles than those who teach in junior high schools and senior high schools. this is probably because of in the academia, the teachers are receiving a great amount of authority and freedom in designing as well as running their classrooms so that they can be more flexible and adaptable in their practices as one of the consequences of practicing dialogue is the classrooms tend to be unpredictable (ozaydinhk & saglik, 2021; santoso & christianti, 2021). beliefs regarding beliefs toward the four cp principles, the data collected from both the questionnaire and the interview consistently demonstrate that the participating teachers have positive ones as it can be seen in the table 3. moreover, the interview data support the affirmative views of participants toward the cp principles. it is indicated in the following excerpt mentioned by, pj2, a participant teaching in junior high school: “the students have potential that is possibly bigger than ours or knowledge that is wider than ours)” the excerpt, that is in line with the dialogue principle, is an indication that the participating teacher recognizes her students as real humans and does not reduce them only as empty glass nor bank account (olivera & martinez, 2023). furthermore, ps1, a participating teacher teaching in senior high school, expressed an opinion that represents the alignment with the principle of problem-posing in the following excerpt: “teacher must facilitate the diversity by providing various learning activities according to different situations, needs, and characteristics of students).” along with its relevance to the problem-posing, the excerpt also reinforces the connection between cp and the latest indonesian curriculum policy, merdeka belajar (emancipated learning), especially the differentiated learning concept (prahani et al. 2020). in addition to dialogue and problem-posing, conscientization as another cp principle is notably represented during the interview. one participant teaching efl in university, pu1, stated: “whatever said, discussed, and tried to solve in the classroom is expected to give contribution to wider community.” this means that the interviewee is aware of and open to the principle of conscientization or critical consciousness as the participant explicitly stated that eventually the purpose of every executed classroom activity should be able to be utilized by both learners and educator in bettering their lives and surrounding situations (yolanda, 2020; zarei & dobakhti, 2023). when being compared among the belief questionnaire items, it is notable that there is one item for each principle that gains the highest mean score. it is evident that the most likeable cp principle, especially seen from the participants’ beliefs, is dialogue. among the items representing the principle of dialogue, the item "learning is a social process and takes places as a social interaction.” has the highest mean score that is 4.67. the following table 2 displays the belief questionnaire items that gain the highest mean score for each cp principle. table 2. beliefs on cp principles principle score dialogue 4.67 problem-posing 4.53 praxis 4.30 conscientization 4.10 from the data displayed in the table above, it can be seen that, after dialogue, the most likeable cp principles is problem-posing, praxis, and conscientization. it is understandable that conscientization is the least likable cp principle among the four for not all the participating teachers can see the correlation between the english subject and the social wellbeing as indicated in the following excerpt stated by pj1: “i just teach what i understand. it is totally in their hands whether they will use it to better their lives or not. it depends on students themselves).” the previous excerpt may represent the everyday practice that possibly reflects the participant’s slight disagreement upon the conscientization principle since he does not english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 479 directly aim his teaching practice to transform his students’ lives nor to encourage his students to utilize the competence acquired inside the classroom to better their social conditions (olivera & martinez, 2023). however, the more detailed elaboration of the participants’ practices regarding the integration of cp principles in the efl classrooms is delineated in the upcoming section. practices as it is demonstrated in the table 1, the mean score for practice is lower (4.11) than the mean score for belief (4.21). it can be inferred that the participating teachers are having positive beliefs regarding cp principles yet do not fully implement them in their actual daily teaching practices due to several reasons. the finding is parallel with what has been discovered by kavenuke & muthanna (2021) and santoso & christianti (2021) in their research. those researchers found that, generally, efl teachers are in favour with cp principles but do not apply those completely in their classrooms. additionally, it can be concluded from the questionnaire data displayed in the table 1 that participants teaching in higher education institutions implement cp principles in their classroom practices more than those who teach in junior high schools and senior high schools. this is also strengthened by the statement occurred during the interview with pu2, one of the participants teaching in one of universities in west sumatra and holds doctoral degree: “slowly, i tried to encourage them to discuss the common burning issues, and then started presenting the more debatable issues which, eventually, it is expected that they can come up with proposed solutions for government or policy makers.” the finding is in line with the research findings uncovered by alharbi (2021) and santoso & christianti (2021) that mention efl lecturers tend to align their practice with the principles of cp especially dialogue. different from the belief questionnaire items, when being compared among the four cp principles, problem-posing has the highest mean score in practice questionnaire items. the upcoming table 3 shows the practice questionnaire items that have the highest mean score for each cp principle. table 3. practices of cp principles principle score dialogue 4.33 problem-posing 4.40 praxis 4.37 conscientization 4.37 the aforementioned questionnaire data is consistent with the data emerged during the interview sessions. one interviewee teaching efl in a private university, pu1, when being asked how she usually composes her class in order to fit the lesson objectives, learning materials, and students’ prior knowledge and background, claimed that: “there are attempts to match learning outcomes and my students’ condition. not only with the learning materials, my teaching method is also aligned with my students’ situation. there are considerations; their knowledge and social backgrounds.” giving a close attention to the excerpt, it can be inferred that the participant, in particular degree of intensity, has executed one of the classroom activities representing the principle of problemposing (kohnke, 2019; puspita & mambu, 2020). however, the opportunity to consider learners’ prior knowledge and social background in the process of deciding learning objectives and materials as well as teaching methods used may only be possessed by teachers who teach in higher education context as they have the necessary space and time to perform it. it is possibly because of the exitance of rigid predetermined efl curriculum in indonesian schools (yulianto, 2020; mambu, 2022). the identical practice is also performed by another teacher, ps1, who teaches efl in one public senior high school in subang, west java. being aware of the challenges he faces caused by the limited allocated time and students’ lack of english proficiency, in the interview session, he states: “i always connect my learning material context with what happen in surrounding currently. those materials are intentionally inserted in my english lesson for my student to think critically.” as indicated in the previously displayed statement, it can be interpreted that although the participant cannot fully study his students’ backgrounds, ps1 tries to no teach learning materials solely without connecting it with something that is commonly known including by slamet wahyudi yulianto, bachrudin musthafa, & gin gin gustine exploring critical pedagogy principles in efl classrooms: beliefs and practices of indonesian teachers 480 his students. the activity, relating efl lesson with surrounding trending events, is carried out by ps1 to facilitate his students’ critical thinking skills. it is in line with what has been theorized by herreramolina & portilla-quintero (2021) that incorporating problematic and close to student social issues through dialogue can facilitate them think critically. regarding critical thinking as one of the essential aspects of efl classrooms applying cp, another interviewed participant, ps2, claimed that she has assisted her students to exercise it. when being asked about the incorporation of critical thinking in her class, she answered: “i think i have facilitated my students to think critically based on, one of them, their learning readiness, interest, and talent. at the end of the day, i want to help them to be wiser in interacting with their community.” although the participant is not familiar with the theory and practice of cp, the integration of critical thinking in her efl classroom has actually been aligned to the principles and purpose of cp. the principles of cp reflected in the participant’s practice as can be inferred from the excerpt are problem-posing along with conscientization for it is constructed on the learners’ existing situation and aimed to prepare them appropriately function in the wider outside classroom community. the objective of the stated practice that is not only to make the learners be able identifying fact from opinion, but also to assist them being wiser in interacting with other member of community is in line with what has been elaborated by yulianto (2020), herrera-molina & portilla_quintero (2021), and qoyyimah et al. (2022) regarding the intersection between critical thinking and cp. in addition to confirm the participants’ responses toward the questionnaire, the interviews were also carried out to investigate the classroom activities the interviewees perform in their daily teaching practices that possibly based on and related to the four cp principles. it can be inferred that there are twelve classroom activities that performed by the participants with various degree of frequency and intensity, considering the answer the six participants gave and the story they told during the interviews that can be interpreted as the practice of cp principles in the context of efl education at different levels of school in indonesia. the twelve activities are classified under the four cp principles namely dialogue, problemposing, praxis, and conscientization. it means there are three activities in each cp principle. those twelve activities are (1) negotiating classroom decision; (2) encouraging and appreciating students’ opinion; (3) using students’ first language; (4) presenting and discussing students’ real problems; (5) connecting learning materials to students’ life; (6) using students’ prior knowledge, experience, and local culture; (7) inviting students to take action based on classroom discussion; (8) assisting students to reflect on their learning activity; (9) encouraging students to continually act and reflect; (10) incorporating problematic sociocultural and political issues; (11) asking students to think critically; and (12) promoting justice and equality. however, taking into account the fact that only two out of six interviewees are familiar with the theory and practice of cp, it can be stated that most of the activities representing cp principles are carried out implicitly (yesenew, 2019; alharbi, 2021; anjum et al., 2021; chang, 2022). in summary, highlighting the aforementioned data display and its elaboration, it can be interpreted that the findings of this research are in accordance to what have been discovered before by jeyaraj & harland (2019) and sulistyowardani et al. (2020). conducting research by interviewing eleven critical efl lecturers from seven different countries, jeyaraj & harland (2019) found that problem-posing and negotiation are two of the common activities that are carried out by the efl lecturers that incorporate cp in teaching practices. moreover, they concluded that there is a universal acceptance towards cp especially in the context of higher education. in the meantime, a study carried out by sulityowardhani et al. (2020) in investigating two high school efl teachers’ recognition and implementation of cp is relevant to the present research in terms of the inconsistency between teachers claims and their practices regarding the integration of cp in their efl classrooms. as it is previously elaborated, while the participating efl teachers value dialogue more than problem-posing, they apply problem-posing more than dialogue. conclusion there are two purposes of this study that are investigating the teachers’ beliefs upon the four cp principles and uncovering their cp principle-based classroom activities. bearing in mind the findings and discussion elaborated in the previous sections, there are three conclusions that can be formulated. firstly, the participating efl teachers view cp as desirable but less feasible as it is evident in the table 3. file:///d:/kuliah/s3/disertasi/referensi/articles/%230.%20herrera-molina%20&%20portilla.%20critical%20pedagogy%20trends%20in%20english%20language%20teaching.pdf file:///d:/kuliah/s3/disertasi/referensi/articles/%230.%20herrera-molina%20&%20portilla.%20critical%20pedagogy%20trends%20in%20english%20language%20teaching.pdf english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 481 secondly, among the four cp principles, dialogue and problem-posing are more familiar, favorable, as well as applicable than praxis and conscientization. lasty, according to the claims stated by the six participants during the interviews, there are twelve efl classroom activities performed in their daily teaching practice that re both consciously and subconsciously based on their positive views regarding the four cp principles. taking into account the aforementioned conclusions, there are three implications of the present study. it is recommended for efl teachers to start expanding their teaching practice beyond classroom by emphasizing more on the incorporation of praxis and conscientization principles. furthermore, it is also recommended for government, especially ministry of education and culture (moec), to support the application and study on cp in efl classroom by providing trainings along with research grants. finally, it is suggested for further researchers to do more research by employing various methods as well as involving more data resources in diverse contexts. it is essential for further research investigating efl teachers’ perspective upon and their application of cp principles to employ classroom observation as data collection technique in order to attain the clearer comprehension regarding how the principles of practiced. acknowledgment this research is not supported with any grant, fellowship, and other funding sources. this is a part of a dissertation conducted by the first author under the guidance of the two co-authors. authors would like to thank to the two co-authors and the thirty participants contributing during the data collection period. references afshar, h. s. & donyaie, s. (2019). english teachers’ perception of critical pedagogy: any discrepancy between perception and actial classroom implementation. applied research on english language, vol. 8, no. 1, 79 – 114. alharbi, m. a. (2021). investigating the applicability of critical pedagogy among saudi efl teachers: an exploratory study. journal of language and linguistic studies, 17(4), 2255 – 2273. anjum, s., pathan, h., shah, w. a. (2021). teaching english through critical pedagogy (cp): challenges and coping strategies in pakistani efl classrooms. pakistan social sciences review, 5(2), 764 – 776. chang, c. j. (2022). instructors’ and students’ attitudes and practices towards using critical pedagogy in taiwan. unpublished dissertation: northern illionis university. crookes, g. (2022). critical language pedagogy. language teaching, 55, 46 – 63. farias, p. f. & silva, l. d. (2021). doing critical language teaching through task: insights from the brazilian context. education sciences, 11, 223, 1 – 23. herrera-molina, j. & portilla-quintero, b. (2021). critical pedagogy trends in english language teaching. colomb. appl. linguist. j., vol. 23, no. 2, 155 – 165. jeyaraj, j. j. & harland, t. (2019). linking critical pedagogy practice to higher education in malaysia: insight from english language teachers. asian pasific journal of education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2019.15725. jeyaraj, j. j. (2021). drawing on students’ lived experiences in emergency remote teaching (ert): reflections from a critical pedagogy inspired writing class. asia pasific journal of education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2021.19417 56 kavenuke, p.s. & muthanna, a. (2021). teacher educators’ perceptions and challenges of using critical pedagogy: a case study of higher teacher education in tanzania. journal fo university teaching & learning practice, vol. 18, issue 4, article 10, 1 – 17. khan, c. (2019). fostering a critical consciousness in elt: incorporating a women, gnder and secuality course in a bilingual education university program in bogota, colombia. pedagogy, culture, and society. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2019.16497 13 kircali, m. (2021). turkish efl teachers’ awareness of critical pedagogy implementation. international research of elt, vol. 2, no. 1, 21 – 30. kizildag, a. (2023). critical pedagogy in elt: a scoping review on the studies conducted in turkiye (2015-2022). focus on elt journal, vol. 5, issue 1, 19 – 38. kohnke, l. (2019). exploring critical pedagogy ad choice in eap material development: a case study. the journal of asia tefl, 16(4), 1219 – 1231. leal, p. (2021). the development of the teahcer attitudes to discribmination in language education scale: a measurement tool of critical consciousness for language teachers. education sciences, 11, 200, https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11050200 mambu, j. e. (2022). co-constructing a critical elt curriculum: a case study in an indonesianbased english language teacher education program. tesol international journal, 13, 667, 1 – 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11050200 slamet wahyudi yulianto, bachrudin musthafa, & gin gin gustine exploring critical pedagogy principles in efl classrooms: beliefs and practices of indonesian teachers 482 masood, m.m & haque, m.m. (2021). from critical pedagogy to critical digital pedagogy: a prospective model for the efl classrooms. saudi journal of language studies, vol. 1, no. 1, 67 – 80. olivera, s. f. l. & martinez, l. m. (2023). critical pedagogy: a journey from its origins to critical pedagogy in colombian education. ciencia latina revista científica multidisciplinar, vol. 7, no. 5, 4170 – 4184. ozaydinlik, k. & saglik, a. m. (2021). teachers’ approaches to the principles of critical pedagogy: a mixed-method study. psychoeducational research reviews, vol. 10, no. 2, 126 – 141. prahani, b.k., deta, u.a., yasri, m., astutik, s., pandiangan, p., mahtari, s., & mubarok, h. (2020). the concept of “kampus merdeka” in accordance with freire’s cricial pedagogy. studies in philosophy of science and education (sipose), vol. 1, no. 1, 21 – 37. puspita, a.m.h., mambu, j.e. (2020). traces of critical spiritual pedagogy in indonesian efl teachers’ chritian-based classes. teflin journal, vol. 31, no. 2, 256 – 275. qoyyimah, u., agustiawan, y., phan, t.t., maisarah, & fanani, a. (2022). critical pedagogy through genre-based pedagogy for developing students writing skills: strategies and challenges. journal of literature and language teaching, vol. 13, no. 1, 98 – 116. santoso, w. & christianti, j. (2021). exploring critical pedagogy in an indonesian higher education: possibilities and challenges. eltics (english langauge teaching and english linguistics) journal, vol. 6, no. 2, 1 – 11. sulistyowardani, m., mambu, j.e., pattiwel, a.s. (2020). indonesian efl teachers’ cognition and practices related to social justice. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, vol. 10, no. 2, 420 – 433. topalov, j. p. (2022). critical pedagogy of english as a foreign language: views and attitudes of efl teachers from serbia. original researh paper: university of novi sad. 10.19090/mv.2022.13. 81 – 98. waliyadin, anasy, z., nahartini, d. (2023). exploring teacher educators’ understanding of critical pedagogy and its implementation in the english reading class. indonesian journal of english education (ijee), 10(1), 182 – 206. yang, s. (2020). critical pedagogy for foreign-language writing. l2 journal, 12(2), 110 – 127. yolanda, s.b. (2019). a self-dialogue with the thoughts of paolo freire: a critical pedagogy encounter. how journal, 27(1), 125 – 139. yulianto, s.w. (2020). the use of critical pedagogy principles in teaching english as a foreign language (efl) for senior high school students in subang. biormatika: jurnal ilmiah fakultas keguruan dan ilmu pendidikan 6(1), 98 – 106. zarei, p. & dobakhti, l. (2023). an exploration of iranian teachers’ professional and institutional identities and their enactment of critical pedagogy. teaching english language journal, 17(1), 139 – 166. https://scholar.google.co.id/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=rzsgv38aaaaj&citation_for_view=rzsgv38aaaaj:ysmsglbcyi4c https://scholar.google.co.id/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=rzsgv38aaaaj&citation_for_view=rzsgv38aaaaj:ysmsglbcyi4c https://scholar.google.co.id/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=rzsgv38aaaaj&citation_for_view=rzsgv38aaaaj:ysmsglbcyi4c https://scholar.google.co.id/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=rzsgv38aaaaj&citation_for_view=rzsgv38aaaaj:ysmsglbcyi4c english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 265 implementation of android application to solve the students’ pronunciation of ending –ed m. fadhly farhy abbas english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas lancang kuning pekanbaru, indonesia e-mail: fadhly@unilak.ac.id vina fathira english letters department, stiba persada bunda pekanbaru, diponegoro street no. 42 pekanbaru, indonesia email: vinafathira@gmail.com apa citation: abbas, m. f. f., & fathira, v. (2020). implementation of android application to solve the students’ pronunciation of ending -ed. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 265-272. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2648. received: 22-01-2020 accepted: 24-03-2020 published: 01-06-2020 abstract: this research was done because of the students’ problem of pronouncing ending –ed. to solve the problem, the researchers tried to implement the application on learning media in this gadget era. the purpose of the research is to improve the students’ problem by implementing android application in pronouncing of ending –ed and to find the factors influencing the improvement. the method of this research was qualitative method. the research design was classroom action research of second-year-students in 2018/2019 academic year at stiba (foreign language college) persada bunda pekanbaru. the applications used were online and offline application english pronunciation. the result showed that there is an improvement by implementing the android application of students’ pronunciation of ending –ed. it can be seen that the increasing of the students’ ability in pronouncing of ending –ed were at the level of “fairly good” category become the level of “good” category. some factors influencing the students’ ability in pronouncing endng –ed were they often practice and listen to the android applications whether online and offline english pronunciation to obtain the understanding and the information how to pronounce the exact words of ending –ed. to conclude, the implementation of android application of online and android based can improve the ability of students’ pronunciation of pronouncing sound /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/ of ending –ed. keywords: android application; student’s pronunciation; ending –ed; classroom action research; english pronunciation. introduction in using android as media learning, the teachers are easy to download and find many applications for teaching and learning process. however, the suitable applications are sometimes not easy to apply in the certain subject. it is in line with the statement based on goh: 2009, the applications focusing on the students, the classroom, creation and the suitable material should be matched. the teachers in the classroom should know and apply first before using those applications to the students. it is for evaluating the positive and negative effect of those applications especially in pronunciation matter of applications. pronunciation are mostly hard to adopt by the students, since the limitation of time, the way of pronouncing, and other reasons comes from the role model. according to abbas and herdi (2017), one of the students’ problems in english pronunciation is the sound of producing system in english as foreign language. english as foreign language in indonesia relates to the knowledge of phonetic and phonology which relates to oral or speaking ability (chen and gowsami, 2010). to solve the problems, the researchers tried to use the application to solve the ability in pronouncing english. the applications used in this research are two applications, naming online english pronunciation and offline english pronunciation. these two applications are used in different purpose, which can be used in one time, or used one by one. in accordance with the problem mentioned above, the researchers started to identify the pronunciation problem in making mistake in pronunciation of sound /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/ of ending –ed. it is hardly for the students to pronounce the correct pronuncatian. it means that the students not should be like the native, at least not to far away from the certain sound of words of english. the researchers wanted to conduct a research especially in pronunciation of sound /t/, /d/, and m. fadhly farhy abbas & vina fathira implementation of android application to solve the students’ pronunciation of ending -ed 266 /ɪd/ of ending –ed by implemention of android application to solve the students’ pronunciation of ending –ed. impelementation of certain android application will be effective to improve the students’ interest and attention to pronunciation that they pronounce. there are some sources stated that implementation of media of learning by application in it as games will be interested to apply, easy to memorize, and easy to elaborate the brain and mental of the students by implementing the suitable application (rofiyarti & sari, 2017; kurniawan, 2008). however, the researchers wanted to limit to the application android based in pronunciation entitled “implemention of android application to solve the students’ pronunciation of ending –ed” based on the problem mentioned above, the formulations of the research can be seen as follows. a. how good the implementation of application in android application of online and offline english pronunciation can improve the ability of students’ pronunciation of sound /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/ of ending –ed of second year students at stiba (foreign language college) persada bunda pekanbaru? b. what are the factors influencing the improvement of students’ pronunciation of sound /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/ of ending –ed of second year students at stiba (foreign language college) persada bunda pekanbaru by implementing the application existed on android application of online and offline english pronunciation? based on the formulation of the research above, the aim of the research can be seen as follows. a. to evaluate the ability of students’ pronunciation of sound /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/ of ending –ed of second year students at stiba (foreign language college) persada bunda pekanbaru by implementing the application existed on media of learning android based? b. to identify the factors influencing the improvement of students’ pronunciation of sound /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/ of ending –ed of second year students at stiba (foreign language college) persada bunda pekanbaru by implementing the application existed on android application of online and offline english pronunciation? by implementing the application existed on android application of online and offline english pronunciation by focusing on pronunciation ending –ed, it will be valuable for university students in using android in positif way to improve their english competency and also give benefit to the lecturers in teaching other courses in english department as an effective media of learning while teaching-learning process. in these related theories to support this research, the researchers explained the theory of the needs of technology or the application of android based, teaching pronouncing ending –ed. the researchers used the pronunciation theory by dale and poms to elaborate the findings and discussion of this research. information and communication technology or called as ict, which has the application in order to share information from personal or group by time and spatial (dettori & persico, 2011). in using technology, the user should pay attention to these five principles. first, the technology should give the students opportunity to read, write and discuss; second the technology should make the students more focus; third the technology should give the time; fourth the technology should give the students correct the error; and fifth the technology should give the students chance to explore the students’ pronunciation (erben, ban, & castaneda, 2009). however, to avoid misleading while using technology, the user should outline some points that become attention before applying technology in the teachinglearning process. firstly, it is better for the teachers to check certain application to make sure everything is understandable before conducting the class. secondly, the teacher should make the rules while using this technology, for example forbidden words are banned, can not be accessed in that school (mahmudah, 2015). pronunciation ending –ed the word “pronunciation” closely relates to english phonology. one of the important aspects in english phonology is international phonetic association (ipa) transcription. this international phonetic association (ipa) transcription is very needed and important because it is a tool to use to transcribe the alphabet in general (ogden, 2009; gut, 2009). referring to the previous theory, the word ‘pronunciation’ defines the way or rules in spellings on vocal sound and consonant sounds (alan, 2014). except explaining on the transcription, the researchers outlined a brief explanation on the pronunciation ending –ed. the problem of pronouncing –s always existed in pronunciation of plurals, third-person verbs, and contractions existing in the ends of words. according dale and english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 267 poms (2005) stated that there are the rules to avoid the problems in pronouncing plurals, thirdperson verbs, and contractions. it can be seen as follows. the first rule of pronunciation of ending –ed happens when someone tries to pronounce the plural of regular nouns, the verb form of the third person singular, and contraction, the sound will absolutely sound /t/ in the last sound of basic form of the words is voiceless sound. the second rule of pronunciation of ending –ed happens when someone tries to pronounce the plural of regular nouns, the verb form of the third person singular, and contraction, the sound will absolutely sound /d/ in the last sound of basic form of the words is voiced sound. the third rule of pronunciation of ending –ed happens when someone tries to pronounce the plural of regular nouns, the verb form of the third person singular, and contraction, the sound will absolutely sound /ɪd/ in the last sound of basic form of the words is sounding /t/ or /d/. these three rules should learn first deeply before conducting the research of pronunciation of ending –ed. method in the research, the researchers used a classroom action research by kemmis and mctaggart (2014, p. 11). the stages of the research were started at preliminary study, like gain the information of the ability of students’ pronunciation of sound /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/ of ending –ed in the level of “fairly good”. by implementing the android application of online and offline english pronunciation, the researchers focused on the android application chosen based on the aim of this research. after that, the researchers prepared the planning to implement the android application of online and offline english pronunciation. at this stage, the planning were teaching strategy, syllabus per semester, and the minimum score of achivement. then, the researchers did the action. at this stage, the researchers applied teaching strategy by implementing android application of online and offline english pronunciation that had already prepared before. furthermore, the next stage was observation. at this stage, the collaborator of the research conducted observation in the classroom and wrote all activities during teaching-learning process. the last stage was reflection. at this stage, the researchers and collaborator did the reflection and evaluation of the implementation of android application of online and offline english pronunciation in teaching english phonology to improve the ability of students’ pronunciation of sound /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/ of ending –ed. according to the explanation above, the researchers created 6 meetings for one cylce of the research. the researchers divided into 4 meetings for teaching-learning process by implemention of android application of online and offline english pronunciation, 1 meeting for pre-test and 1 meeting for post-test to evaluate the students’ achievement and ability of students’ pronunciation of ending –ed by implemention of android application of online and offline english pronunciation of english phonology subject. the researchers only applied 1 cycle since it was already improvement of ability of students’ pronunciation of ending –ed by implemention of android applications in english phonology subject and applied in higher education level with limited number of meeting. this research was conducted at stiba (foreign language college) persada bunda pekanbaru located at diponegoro street number 42 pekanbaru, riau. the participants of this research were the second year students at stiba persada persada bunda in academic year 2018/2019 attending english phonology subject. the researchers focused on the pronunciation of ending –ed. the research instruments of this research in order to collect the data by using test, fieldnotes, checklist, observation and interview. to obtain data related to understand the pronunciation of ending –ed, the students were asked to answer a 30 question of multiple choice questions by implementing the pronunciation application on media of learning of android based relating to the pronunciation of ending –ed. it aimed to evaluate the improvement of the students’ ability in understanding pronunciation of ending –ed by implementing of android application of online and offline english pronunciation. then, the researchers and collaborator wrote all activities in english phonology subject by using fieldnotes and obeservation checklist in accordance with the activities done in classroom. after that, the researchers conducted interview to all students to obtain additional information in order to find out the students’ feeling, the students’ response while the teaching-learning process by implementing the pronunciation application on media of learning of android based in pronunciation of ending –ed. the aim of this interview to obtain data about the factors affected the improvement of the ability of students’ pronunciation of ending –ed by implementing of android application of online and offline english pronunciation. m. fadhly farhy abbas & vina fathira implementation of android application to solve the students’ pronunciation of ending -ed 268 after collecting the data, the researchers evaluate and analyze post-test by counting the number of correct answer and calculating it to the final score (post-test) of each student. there minimum score was about 65. in short, if the post-test got by students were higher the minimum score or even much better than the pretest, it meant that there would be an improvement of students ability in pronouncing of ending –ed by implementing of android application of online and offline english pronunciation. to find the final score of each student, the researchers used this formula below (fathira, 2017). m = x n notes: m = mean score x = correct answer n = number of all items then, the score will be converted to the level of category based on the stiba (foreign language college) persada bunda range score. if the range score is about 100-80, it means that the level of category is in “very good” level; if the range score is about 79-65, it means that the level of category is in “good” level; if the range score is about 64-55, it means that the level of category is in “fairly good” level; if the range score is below 55, it means that the level of category is in “poor” level. results and discussion in this point about results and discussion, generally, the researchers described the stages that had been mentioned before as planning, observation, reflection, and action. since the aim of this research was to improve the ability of students’ pronunciation of sound /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/ of ending –ed by implementing the pronunciation application on media of learning of android based. this is due to the ability of students’ pronunciation of sound /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/ of ending –ed was still categorized below standard. the researchers explained the stages that were done in the teaching-learning process in the classroom of 4 meetings as described below. in addition to, there was 1 meeting for pre-test and 1 meeting for post-test. meeting for pre-test in this meeting, the researchers did a pre-test to the students. it was for gaining the information about the ability of students’ pronunciation of sound /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/ of ending –ed by implementing android application of online and offline english pronunciation. the information of the ability of students’ pronunciation of sound /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/ of ending –ed by implementing the pronunciation application on media of learning of android based was in the level of “fairly good” by score 53,75. since the students’ ability was indicated below standard, the researchers tried this pronunciation application on media of learning of android based to improve the ability of students’ pronunciation of sound /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/ of ending –ed. the result of first meeting before doing this first meeting, the researchers had been looking for information about the ability of students’ pronunciation of sound /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/ of ending –ed. then, at the first meeting in the classroom, the teaching-learning process was preceded by an introduction to the students about the the pronunciation of ending –ed. the researchers asked the questions and asked opinion to the students about pronouncing ending –ed. the problem existed in pronouncing plurals, third-person verbs, and contractions that existed in pronunciations of ending –ed in the ends of words. there are some rules to avoid the problem in pronouncing those plurals, third-person verbs, and contractions based on the pronunciation’s book. after that, the researchers gave the example of pronouncing ending –ed first then followed by the rules and examples of pronouncing ending –ed to the students. after that, the students were asked to pronounce other words or other examples of pronouncing ending –ed. the researchers asked students to write down everything that became the important point to the rules of pronouncing ending –ed. the rules can be learnt in these rules. 1. the first rule of pronunciation of ending –ed happens when someone tries to pronounce the plural of regular nouns, the verb form of the third person singular, and contraction, the sound will absolutely sound /t/ in the last sound of basic form of the words is voiceless sound. 2. the second rule of pronunciation of ending – ed happens when someone tries to pronounce the plural of regular nouns, the verb form of the third person singular, and contraction, the sound will absolutely sound /d/ in the last sound of basic form of the words is voiced sound. 3. the third rule of pronunciation of ending –ed happens when someone tries to pronounce the plural of regular nouns, the verb form of the third person singular, and contraction, the english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 269 sound will absolutely sound /ɪd/ in the last sound of basic form of the words is sounding /t/ or /d/. to know more about the knowledge of the rules of ending –ed, the students should learn about the sounds of voiceless, voiced, and sound /t/ or /d/. the result of second meeting after that, in the second meeting, the researchers explained more deeply by giving examples of voiceless, voiced, and sounding /t/ or /d/ by by implementing the application existed on media of learning of android based. the researchers introduced two applications used in this research. the researcher asked the students to download the online and offline application of pronunciation by sharing the internet acces from the researchers. the applications were pronunciation application, offline and online. after downloading the two application of pronunciation, the students were asked to used the application to ease them apply these in the following meetings. before continuing to the next meeting, the researchers asked the students to practice at home by giving several words related to the pronunciation of ending –ed by implementing the application given to them. the result of third meeting in the third meeting, the students were asked to explain what they did at home as the the individual assignment given at the previous meeting, like explaining the way to pronounce the selected words of examples by implementing the two applications existed on media of learning of android based. after that, the researchers gave response to the results of students’ assignments by correcting the way to acces, the way to pronounce, and the reason of pronouncing ending –ed wheter the last sound of base form was voiced, voiceless, or sibilant sound. the researacher gave the detail information of voiced, voiceless, and sounding /t/ or /d/ of other examples. however, the researchers only described the limited example of voiced, voiceless, and sounding /t/ or /d/. after giving comments and inputs due to the students’ assignments of voiced, voiceless, and sounding /t/ or /d/, the researchers instructed students to think of their mispronouncing words by implementing the application existed on media of learning of android based again, paid attention to the last sound of base form, pronounced again ending –ed well. this process aimed to eliminate misunderstandings in pronouncing ending –ed of the students to the last sound of base form. the result of fourth meeting after that, in the fourth meeting, the researcher focused on showing the results of the two applications existed on media of learning of android based in pronouncing ending –ed that had been observed previously. this activity could be an overview to the students’ understanding of pronouncing ending –ed on what they did before. in this meeting, the students were asked to stand in front of the class and used their own android to implement the application existed on media of learning. the researchers asked the students read one by one of the selected words of ending –ed. in this meeting, the learning process was focused on showing the result of two applications on media of learning of android based that have been observed. based on these points, the students had got the enough information regarding to the pronunciation of ending –ed by implementing the application existed on media of learning of android based. meeting post-test in the last meeting, the post-test also known as cycle test was conducted by asking the students to complete the test regarding to the ability of students’ pronunciation of ending –ed. they were asked to answer a set multiple choice questions about 30 question of ending –ed by implementing or using the applications given to the students. this test was held to measure the students’ achievement in understanding the concept of pronouncing ending –ed. after giving the test, the researchers tried to evaluate the students’ work that could be seen in table 1. table 1. result of the post-test in pronouncing ending –ed no. student’s score category of ability 1 96,67 very good 2 90,00 very good 3 90,00 very good 4 80,00 very good 5 76,67 good 6 70,00 good 7 70,00 good 8 66,67 good mean = 80,0 very good students’ achievement based on the data collection from the pre-test above as the cycle test, it was found that the mean m. fadhly farhy abbas & vina fathira implementation of android application to solve the students’ pronunciation of ending -ed 270 score was significantly increased and categorized as very good with score 80,0. it can be seen as the previous test in the pre-test was 53,75 was very low and categorized poor. in conclusion, after conducting the research by implementing media of learning of android based for four meetings (1 cycle), the students’ mean score was 80,0 and categorized as very good. it can be seen in the following figure 1. figure 1. result of post-test in pronouncing ending –ed moreover, the researchers found that the students still have lack of understanding of the rules in pronouncing ending –ed that could be seen from the resut of pre-test. most students got low score that categorized as poor with 25%. meanwhile, one student was categorized as fairly good with 12,5%. then, one student was categorized as good with 12,5%. last, two students were categorized as very good with 25%. it could be seen in the following table. table 2. the result of pre-test of pronouncing ending –ed no. student’s score category of ability 1 76.67 good 2 66.67 good 3 63.33 fairly good 4 60 fairly good 5 56.67 fairly good 6 43.33 poor 7 36.67 poor 8 26.67 poor mean =53.75 fairly good the scores from the table 2 above were obtained from the calculation of the correct answer divided by the total number of questions then multiplied by 100. from the data above, it showed that there are two students who got very good with score 93,33 and 83,33; one student who got good with score 66,67, whereas five students were categorized as poor, as figure 2 below. figure 2. result of pre-test of pronouncing ending –ed from figure 2, it showed that only 2 of 8 students got the highest level of category in very good level, one of 8 students got the high level of category in good level, and then the other 5 of 8 students got the lowest level of category in poor level. then, the comparison from the pre-test and post-tes found that the students’ mean score was increased in numbers. it showed that from the pre-test, there were only two students got good score at very good level of category increased become there were 3 students got good score at very good level of category; there was only 1 student got good score at good level of category increased become there were 3 students got good score at good level of category; there were 5 students got low score at poor level of category decreased become there were only 2 students got low score at poor level of category. it could be seen in table 3. table 3. the comparison of total of participants and the category obtained no. test the number of participant category 1. pre-test of ending –ed 2 good 3 fairly good 3 poor 2. post-test of ending –ed 4 very good 4 good 0 20 40 60 80 100 v er y g o o d v er y g o o d v er y g o o d v er y g o o d g o o d g o o d g o o d g o o d l e a rn e r' s s c o re category the learners' ability of post-test of pronouncing ending –ed 0 20 40 60 80 g o o d g o o d fa ir ly g o o d fa ir ly g o o d fa ir ly g o o d p o o r p o o r p o o r l e a rn e r' s s c o e r category the learners' ability of pre-test of pronouncing ending –ed english review: journal of english education volume 8, issue 2, june 2020 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 271 in line with the table 3 above, to compare the increasing numbers of students improvement, it can be seen from the result of each part of questions in pronouncing ending –ed taken from pre-test and post-test. the result can be seen in these two figures 3 and 4 below. figure 3. result of post-test by students of each part of questions of pronouncing ending –ed this figure 3 showed that the result of students’ post-test that assessed based on the three parts of questions was satisfactory. these three parts of questions were pronouncing sound /t/ of ending –ed, pronouncing sound /d/ of ending –ed, and pronouncing sound /ɪd/ of ending –ed. in figure 3, it described that the score from these parts of questions was good. the post-test result from pronouncing sound /t/ of ending –ed was categorized at good level of score 80; the pre-test result from pronouncing sound /d/ of ending –ed was categorized at good level of score 74; the pretest result from pronouncing sound /ɪd/ of ending –ed was categorized at good level of score 68. figure 4. result of pre-test by students of each part of questions of pronouncing ending –ed this figure 4 showed that the result of students’ pre-test that assessed based on the three parts of questions was unsatisfactory. in figure 4, it described that the score from these parts of questions was in different of level of category. the pre-test result from pronouncing sound /t/ of ending –ed was categorized as good level of score 78; the pre-test result from pronouncing sound /d/ of ending –ed was categorized at poor level of score 38; the pre-test result from pronouncing sound /ɪd/ of ending –ed was categorized at fairly good level of score 55. based on the information presented in the paragraph above, it was clear that the scores from each part of questions showed significant increased. the increasing of the students’ achievement can be seen from the result of pretest to the result of post-test. the students’ posttest score was much higher than the pre-test one. it is concluded that there has been an improvement of the ability of students’ pronunciation of sound /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/ of ending –ed by implementing the application existed on media of learning of android based. in other words, it can be argued that the implementation of media of learning of android based in pronouncing ending –ed can help students to better competency in pronunciation. this is in line with the factors influencing the improvement of implementing media of learning of android based that can be seen from the explanation below. factors influencing the improvement furthermore, based on observation sheet results, the researchers found that every stage of implementing media of learning of android based was well done by students. and then, during the interview, information was found that most students were active in gaining information of the application and enjoyed during the teachinglearning process. however, there was one student who got bored due to the access of the application existed on media of learning of android based since he used different types of android and so that it made him not enjoyed the teachinglearning process. it showed that there were other factors that influence the ability of students’ pronunciation of sound /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/ of ending –ed and the factors that affected the students’ activity during the teaching-learning process other than the result of the test. based on the results gained in this first cycle of each research instrument, the researchers stated that the students’ ability of english letters of second year students at stiba (foreign very good ending s with sound … very good ending s with sound … good ending s with sound /ɪd/; 74 the result of post-test of each part of questions of pronouncing ending –ed good sound /t/; 39 poor sound /d/; 61 fairly good sound /ɪd/; 61 the result of pre-test of each part of question of pronouncing ending –ed m. fadhly farhy abbas & vina fathira implementation of android application to solve the students’ pronunciation of ending -ed 272 language college) persada bunda in academic year 2018/2019 in pronouncing ending –ed by implementing the media of learning of android based in a english phonology class was categorized into good level with score 73,75. therefore, the researchers decided not to continue the research into the next cycle since the students’ score had reached over the minimum score and got specified successfull criteria. the previous studies had done the research related to the implemention of media of learning of android based in pronunciation matter of ending –ed. therefore, the researchers summarized the previous research that is separately detailed into the application used and the focus in pronunciation matter of ending –ed. for the pronunciation, the researchers found similarities in the analysis done by anggraini, novianti, and bardadi (2018); shah, othman, and senom (2017), and mahmudah (2015). it is good to implement media of learning of android based in pronunciation. this is in line with the research conducted by mahmudah (2015). conclusion based on analysis, it can be concluded that implementing android-based learning media in pronouncing ending –ed can help students to improve their pronunciation of skills. first, the students’ mean score, which was 80.00, was categorized into very good level of category. this is based on range scores of 80-100 that categorized as “very good”. second, factors influencing the implementation of android applications to solve the students’ pronunciation of ending –ed are the students’ interest in using these android application of online and offline english pronunciation. however, only few students get bad scores. this happened due to the different types of android used by the student. furthermore, generally, the application android-based learning media can be used by the other researchers. this is in line with the findings anggraini, novianti, and bardadi (2018), shah, othman, and senom (2017), and mahmudah (2015). however, only the research conducted by mahmudah (2015) is similar to this research. in addition to this research, the researchers need to choose other applications dealt with other subject in english to be examined in the future. references abbas, m. f. f., & herdi, h. (2017). kemampuan pengucapan kata berakhiran-ed mahasiswa semester 1 prodi pendidikan bahasa inggris fkip-unilak tahun akademik 2016/2017. lectura: jurnal pendidikan, 8(1). alan, c. (2014). gimson’s pronunciation of english (8th ed.). london and new york: routledge. anggraini, h. w., novianti, h., & bardadi, a. (2018). pengembangan bahan ajar berbasis android untuk meningkatkan kemampuan pengucapan pada mahasiswa. cess (journal of computer engineering system and science), 3(1). chen, h. y., & gowsami, j. s. (2010). the impact of phonetic and phonological instruction on the oral proficiency of spanish-speaking esl learners. the asian efl journal, (special edition), 111123. dale, p., & poms, l. (2005). english pronunciation made simple. new york: pearson education. dettori, d., & persico, d. (2011). fostering selfregulated learning through ict. harshey and new york: information science reference. erben, t., ban, r., & castaneda, m. (2009). teaching english language learners through technology. new york: routledge. fathira, v. (2017). analysis of efl students’ ability in reading vocabulary of synonyms and antonyms. lectura, 8(1). goh, t. t. (2009). multiplatform e-learning systems and technologies: mobile devices for ubiquitous ict-based education. harshey and new york: information science reference. gut, u. (2009). introduction to english phonetics and phonology. frankfurt: peter lang, international verlag der wissenschaften. kemmis, s., & mctaggart, r. (2014). the action research planner. geelong: deakin university press. kurniawan, y. (2008). creative games for kids. jakarta: wahyu media. mahmudah, l. (2015). an analysis of pronunciation exercises in duolingo application and its contribution as english learning media. (unpublished thesis for s1). ogden, r. (2009). an introduction to english phonetics. edinburgh: edinburgh university press. rofiyarti, f., & sari, a. y. (2017). tik untuk aud: penggunaan platform “kahoot!” dalam menumbuhkan jiwa kompetitif dan kolaboratif anak. pedagogi: jurnal anak usia dini dan pendidikan anak usia dini, 3(3b), 164-172. shah, s. s. a., othman, j., & senom, f. (2017). the pronunciation component in esl lessons: teachers’ beliefs and practices. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 6(2), 193-203. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 771 can technology-enhanced flipped learning instill character education? indonesian undergraduate efl students’ perceptions risa triarisanti korean language education study program, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: risatriarisanti@upi.edu arif husein lubis (corresponding author) korean language education study program, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: lubis_ah@upi.edu velayeti nurfitriana ansas korean language education study program, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: velaansas@upi.edu apa citation: triarisanti, r., lubis, a. h., & ansas, v. n. (2022). can technology-enhanced flipped learning instill character education? indonesian undergraduate efl students’ perceptions. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 771-782. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.4687 received: 09-06-2022 accepted: 27-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction character education is an endless discourse to be discussed, even in this more globalized education era. the stipulation of character education is following the goal of education in 2030, mentioned by organisation for economic co-operation and development (oecd, 2018) that learning approaches in the education 4.0 era are to create future-ready learners. those learners are expected to have active, responsible, aware, and engaged characters to be the agents of change. it is strengthened by previous literature (singh, 2019) that character education in this 21st century aims to develop students’ commitment to be responsible, caring, and contributing citizens for the success of establishing a democratic young society. today’s learners including in the english learning context are, therefore, encouraged to be involved in a abstract: the advantages of incorporating technology-enhanced flipped learning in english classrooms are nothing new. however, the impact of incorporating the learning method on the occurrence and decline of students’ characters has not much been revealed. this study aims to fill the void by exploring the students’ perceptions of whether flipped learning and the use of technology in learning english can instill character education. eighty-four (n=84) indonesian undergraduate efl students participated in this study. a 22-item questionnaire with a checklist and open-ended types was filled out after the students completed a 16-week course. while percentages were obtained from the checklist responses, codes and categories were generated from the open-ended responses. the results revealed that flipped learning could instill character values of responsibility, independence, and curiosity. the in-class group discussion was considered as the most contributing activity to the instillment of character values. character values of religiosity, patriotism, and nationalism were less occurred among the students. furthermore, the use of ict-based learning media such as youtube, whatsapp, the internet, and mobile phone could instill character values of independence, creativity, teamwork, activeness, and criticality. however, few students perceived that such learning media could influence them to commit cheating or become less concentrated during group discussion. this study emphasizes the teacher’s roles in designing learning activities oriented to developing the students’ english language skills and character. keywords: character education; flipped learning; indonesian efl students; perceptions; technology-enhanced learning. risa triarisanti, arif husein lubis, & velayeti nurfitriana ansas can technology-enhanced flipped learning instill character education? indonesian undergraduate efl students’ perceptions 772 student-centered, contextual, community-integrated, and technology-enhanced learning environment. character education (ce) is nothing new in the education sector since it is associated with integrating values into teaching and learning and values and education are inseparable (mohamad, sihes, bohari, & uda, 2020). the basic concept of character education is the conscious action to instill and habituate moral virtues (singh, 2019). therefore, this deliberate action is intended to make the students “knowing the good, loving the good, and doing the good”. character is associated with moral judgments and represents all personal qualities that make one worthy (pala, 2011). it denotes the consistency of manifesting virtues or good habits. previous scholars (chang & chou, 2015) clarified the concept of the character itself as one’s dispositions or personal traits that influence how they respond to diverse circumstances. qoyyimah (2016) further explained that character education is focused on the students’ academic needs and moral development simultaneously. conclusively, character education is a deliberate action to develop students’ character by cultivating virtues or character values, referring to the moral standards, and raising their awareness of maintaining those values in diverse situations. hence, teachers play an important role to realize the process of transmitting such values to their students. character education has been discussed in the previous literature (astuti, aziz, sumarti, & bharati, 2019; sarkadi, casmana, & rahmawati, 2020), particularly in the indonesian context. the encouragement of character development from the education sector is fundamentally based on the goal of national education system. although character education is not formulated as a formal subject, it is integrated into all subjects and activities to shape the students’ strong personality (muhtar & dallyono, 2020). rooted in pancasila (five pillar of indonesian ideology), the policy related to the national education system clearly states that character education is a pivotal and prioritized means of realizing national development mandated in the planning of national long-term development from 2005 to 2025. we adapted the 18 character values from the guideline of the implementation of character education (center of curriculum and books, 2011): responsibility, independence, curiosity, discipline, honesty, tolerance, creativity, love to read, hard work, appreciation towards others' achievements, social awareness, friendliness / communicativeness, peace, democracy, environment awareness, religiosity, patriotism, nationalism. in a more digitalized era, chang and chou (2015) emphasized that the educators must develop students’ understanding and awareness of online moral standards and misbehavior. they further explain that the core virtues in a cyberspace comprise respect, honesty, integrity, care, patience, fairness, and justice. those virtues are rooted in the basic concept of character education. it is then relevant to examine character education in a technology-enhanced language learning (tell)-based learning environment. tell has long been a helpful approach to cater to the students’ needs in the learning process. technology-enhanced learning is defined as an instructional approach to enhance learning and teaching through technology (kirkwood & price, 2013). this approach is intended to make the learning process costand timeeffective, sustainable, improved, and positively transformed. tell is conceptualized as using technology to accomplish certain language tasks or achieve instructional goals “using technical processes, methods, or knowledge” (shadiev & yang, 2020, p. 1). the use of technology assists the students to retrieve, produce, and disseminate knowledge in a more open and flexible learning atmosphere. those merits may raise the students’ awareness of enacting responsible, cooperative, active, confident, critical, and respectful characters. several research (aghni, vianty, & petrus, 2020; ashfihana, 2021; islami, 2016; noprianto, suherdi, & muslim, 2022; qoyyimah, 2016) has investigated the implementation of character education particularly in the indonesian efl context. qoyyimah (2016) conducted a study on character education in indonesian state schools. she analyzed the efl teachers’ lessons to explore how they understood their roles in enacting moral curricular reform in the classroom. the data from interview and classroom observation revealed that the efl state school teachers viewed that the implementation of character education should be done through invisible pedagogy where moral values were infused implicitly in designing their classroom activities. however, on certain occasions, they explicitly informed the importance of the values through visible pedagogy. in a more comprehensive manner, aghni et al.’s (2020) study showed that ce could be english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 773 applied through several strategies such as group discussion and individual assignment. the use of instructional methods such as group discussion to instill character values was justified in another study conducted by ashfihana (2021) in the pre-service english teachers’ teaching practice program. ultimately, ce could serve as a pivotal means of maintaining the students’ character development, as what noprianto et al. (2022) found in their study. previous studies have also been concerned with the infusion and development of character values in the teaching and learning resources. for example, darmayenti, besral, & yustina (2021) developed efl textbooks, which included religious characters and local wisdom. the results showed that the language experts and students strongly agreed on the inclusion of religious characters in each chapter of the textbook. additionally, ashfihana (2021) explained that the pre-service teachers expressed some personality traits such as honesty, trustworthiness, respect, and responsibility in the lesson plans. in the context of tell, chang and chou (2015) explored the perceived e-character education (e-ce) among 2495 of 2868 taiwanese teachers from 556 elementary and 400 junior high schools by distributing a questionnaire, conducting a focus group interview, and doing a content analysis of teachers’ posted articles. the results generally disclosed three categories of virtues considered essential to be taken into account: self-oriented, interpersonal/social-oriented, and individualsociety-oriented virtues. the four most essential cyberspace virtues were law abidance, respect, selfdiscipline, and sharing, and they were interconnected with one another in a cyberspace-driven learning design. husna, purnawarman, suherdi, & lubis (2019) reviewed fourteen published research-based articles mainly related to the potentials and drawbacks of using youtube for the 21stcentury english language e-learning. the findings informed that youtube could indirectly instill several character values manifested in the forms of autonomy, teamwork, professionalism, creativity, and reflection. the development of students’ autonomy was also identified in the flipped english learning in tsai’s (2019) study. albeit not explicitly related to character education, the findings confirmed qoyyimah’s (2016) invisible pedagogy. the learning activities designed in an online learning environment could enable the students to foster their independence character value as the manifestation of learner autonomy in learning english. however, inculcating character education in this digital age to students is not an easy way out. one of them is articulated by noprianto et al. (2022) that integrating ce into the curriculum has not been optimally carried out. this should be taken into a serious account since the students might be dealing with the opposing sides of using technology such as cyberbullying, sexting, academic dishonesty, and other types of characters' decline. in a more specific context, english language teaching, some issues are reported in a review of tell studies by shadiev and yang (2020). they found that technology use may generate inappropriate feedback, trigger students’ frustration, and distract the learning process. those drawbacks can result in the decline of characters where the students do not manifest hard work, curiosity, and discipline character values. moreover, research on the perceptions of character education among undergraduate efl students in a flipped learning environment, assisted by the use of technology is still scant. flipped learning is a learning method integrating the concept of tell into the learning process. it is often termed as flipped classroom, inverted classroom, or reverted instruction. it is an instructional method through which the monologue teaching process is done outside the classroom, enhanced by the use of various educational technology (akçayır & akçayır, 2018; webb & doman, 2020). incorporating flipped learning is found to be a useful method in the elt context. a review done by turan and akdag-cimen (2020) showed that flipped learning can encourage activeness, boost up selfconfidence, foster autonomy, and enhance collaboration. flipped learning was also perceived beneficial to enhance the students’ willingness to communicate (amiryousefi, 2017), rendering the increased interactions and active participation among the students (hung, 2015). flipped learning also enables the students to be less anxious in learning english, which could influence their level of learning motivation. turan and akdag-cimen (2020) further revealed that the incorporation of flipped learning could develop students’ learning strategies and thinking skills. apart from the merits of incorporating flipped learning in the efl classrooms (see turan & akdagcimen, 2020 for a comprehensive review on this risa triarisanti, arif husein lubis, & velayeti nurfitriana ansas can technology-enhanced flipped learning instill character education? indonesian undergraduate efl students’ perceptions 774 topic), the challenges remain in the surface of conversation. such a learning method is perceived burdensome for some students because they experience an increased workload, compared to the traditional learning mode (i.e. monologue teaching in the classroom, followed by exercises outside the classroom). hence, investigating the potential of incorporating flipped learning to instill character education among efl students particularly in the indonesian context is pivotal to better inform the pedagogy of english in accordance to the indonesian principles of character education in the higher education settings. raised by these concerns, the present study explores character education and the decline of characters in learning english using the technologyenhanced flipped learning method from the indonesian undergraduate efl students’ perceptions. the following research questions drive this study. rq 1: what character values are occurred and less occurred among indonesian undergraduate efl students through flipped learning? what activities are contributing to the instillment of the character values? rq 2: what character values are occurred and declined among the students through the use of ictbased learning media? method the present research was designed as a descriptive qualitative study (creswell & creswell, 2018) because it was intended to describe the indonesian efl students’ perceptions of the potentials and drawbacks of technology-enhanced flipped learning in instilling character education. specifically, this issue was investigated from the activities and the ict-based learning media used in the classroom. in the indonesian higher education context, the stipulation of character education is based on indonesia's ultimate goal of national education system to develop learners’ skills and noble characters simultaneously. one-hundred first-year undergraduate students in a private university in south jakarta were involved in the entire course. their major is information technology. however, only 84 students returned the questionnaires in this study. eight students could not fully participate due to administrative affairs or health issues. another ten students did not return the questionnaire. the students were divided into three classes (class a=34 students, class b=33 students, class c=33 students). the reason for choosing the research site was that although the university is known as a technology campus, the instillment of noble character values has been the core of teaching orientation among the lecturers in the three learning domains: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. the students had also given their consent to participate in this research. this study employed a questionnaire to obtain the data. table 1 depicts the details of the questionnaire (checklist=11 items, open-ended=11 items). the formulation of the questionnaire items regarding character education was referred to the guidelines for implementing character education (center of curriculum and books, 2011) where there are eighteen characters enumerated in the guidelines. three more character values, i.e. patience, initiative, and perseverance, were added from related literature. the “love nation” and “spirit of nation” character values were redefined as nationalism and patriotism, respectively. the researchers did formulation of the items related to the decline of characters by reflecting on previous literature. table 1. the details of the questionnaire items item no. item type objective 1, 3, 5 checklist occurrences of character values through flipped learning activities 2, 4, 6 openended reasons for the responses in item 1, 3, 5 7, 11, 15, 19 checklist occurrences of character values through the use of ict-based learning media 9, 13, 17, 21 checklist the decline of characters from the use of ict-based learning media 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 openended reasons for the responses about character education through and the decline of characters from the use of ict-based learning media the questionnaire was formulated by using the indonesian language to avoid misunderstanding or misinterpretation. additionally, an extra “other” option was provided in every checklist item if the students had different choices not available in the list. because the open-ended items were not set compulsory to fill out, some students explained only several chosen character values. the students filled out the questionnaire after completing the sixteenweek semester from september to december 2019. all students reported that no questionnaire item or response option was ambiguous, unclear, or difficult to understand. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 775 the first author served as the teacher as well in this research. the teaching process was conducted before the covid-19 pandemic situation. the teacher spent an extensive amount of time to prepare for the learning design and materials. all teachers obtained an official training session from the campus to operate the moodle-based learning management system (lms). in the pre-class session, the students were encouraged to study the materials posted in the lms by the teacher several days before the class began. they were also allowed to enrich their knowledge by exploring other relevant resources to get themselves ready to participate in the in-class activities. several follow-up questions were provided to evaluate their understanding of the lessons. the in-class hours were mostly spent by group discussions where each student had a particular role to play (e.g., discussion director as the person who managed the flow of discussion). the learning process continued with group exercises. afterwards, the teacher allocated some time for an inter-group sharing, followed by reinforcement and feedback. the activities were intended to confirm the students’ comprehension and to activate peer learning so that the sense of interdependence toward successful learning process could be nurtured. in the after-class session, the students were given individual exercises to strengthen their grammar skills. once the students completed the questionnaire, the data analysis process was done in two stages. in the first stage, the responses of each checklist item were analyzed by using descriptive statistical technique. the number of students choosing each questionnaire item was divided by the total number of student respondents and multiplied by 100%. meanwhile, the responses of each open-ended item were analyzed by applying a qualitative data analysis technique (creswell & creswell, 2018). coding and categorization were conducted based on the eighteen character values. the analysis results were then sorted out to address the research questions. finally, the selected excerpts were translated into english carefully to get the same meaning as the indonesian version. results and discussion results occurred and less occurred character values through flipped learning in an efl classroom table 2 depicts the overall results of manifested character values in the learning activities through flipped learning. the results showed that although no character value obtained by 100% of students, flipped learning has instilled the manifestation of all character values. the top three character values were: responsibility (67%), independence (51%), and curiosity (51%). table 2. occurrences of character values among the students n o. character values number of students (n=84) percentage 1 responsibility 56 67% 2 independence 43 51% 3 curiosity 43 51% 4 discipline 41 49% 5 honesty 37 44% 6 tolerance 36 43% 7 creativity 36 43% 8 love to read 35 42% 9 patience 33 39% 10 initiative 33 39% 11 hard work 32 38% 12 appreciation towards others' achievements 31 37% 13 social awareness 30 36% 14 friendliness / communicativeness 26 31% 15 peace 16 19% 16 perseverance 15 18% 17 democracy 10 12% 18 environment awareness 9 11% 19 religiosity 8 10% 20 patriotism 5 6% 21 nationalism 4 5% several pairs of character values, however, were found to conform. independent character value did not necessarily represent initiative (51% and 39%, respectively). the act of being honest in learning english was perceived to be more triggered by the students than the actualization of being a religious person (44% and 10%, respectively). however, one of the manifestations of religiosity character value could be in the form of honesty. responsibility character value was also not in line with hard work and perseverance character values (67%, 38%, and 18%, respectively). the number of students who experienced the development of tolerance character value was higher than that of democracy character risa triarisanti, arif husein lubis, & velayeti nurfitriana ansas can technology-enhanced flipped learning instill character education? indonesian undergraduate efl students’ perceptions 776 value (43% and 12%, respectively). it means that the students held different views on the boundary of defining the character values mentioned above. regarding the less occurred character values, no character value obtained 0% of the students. as envisaged, the bottom three character values occurred in the present study were: nationalism (5%), patriotism (6%), and religiosity (10%). environment awareness was less occurred as well (11%). the findings were further described in the following excerpts. during discussion, we also often use english. in addition to that, we also care less about the environment. it is due to the use of excessive papers in doing the task. (environment awareness) because we learn english is not a matter of religion. (misunderstood religiosity) the less occurrence of environment awareness was associated with the students’ habitual action to use excessive papers when accomplishing the assignments. they already understood the reasons behind the less occurrence of those character values. such understanding becomes worthy modal to regularize those character values in flipped english learning. furthermore, the analysis results pertain to the potentials of flipped learning activities in instilling character education. table 3 displays the overall descriptive statistical results. the results demonstrated that most of the students experienced the development of character values from the group discussion in the classroom compared with other learning activities (88%). almost half of them also thought that group discussion in the learning management system helped maintain certain character values (48%), followed by role-based assignments in the third position with 45% of the students. the least activity perceived to be useful in instilling character education was understanding learning materials from the teacher (31%). table 3. character education through the learning activities no. learning activity number of students (n=84) percentage 1 group discussion in the classroom 74 88% 2 group discussion in the lms 40 48% 3 role-based assignments 38 45% 4 searching for additional materials from the internet 35 42% 5 weekly assignments 30 36% 6 teacher’s monologue teaching 27 32% 7 understanding learning materials from the teacher 26 31% 8 other 0 0% the findings were corroborated by the students’ further explanation when learning english in the flipped classroom, as in the following excerpts. each group member is given the responsibility to present the material according to the role given. from there, i become more responsible to make the discussion run smoothly. (responsibility) in group discussions, of course, given the tasks and responsibilities, we learn to respect each other's differences of opinion and carry out our respective responsibilities properly. (tolerance) it shapes me to be a person who achieves goals together, not alone. (interdependence) i think that the discussion is quite important for myself, because it can help increase my confidence to convey information to friends. (self-confidence from responsibility) the students argued that the role-based group discussion in the in-class session encouraged them to understand the responsibilities of each group member. hence, they got an equal portion to participate and collaborate to achieve the intended goals. such in-class activity also triggered them to be more tolerant with different perspectives. this character value could be the catalyst for lessening the genderor proficiency-based exclusiveness of participation because every single voice was considered to achieve mutual goals and understanding. it also developed the students’ awareness that every group member contributed to achieving the goals. some other students posited that the group discussion encouraged them to increase self-confidence because every group member should present something based on the assigned role. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 777 character education and the decline of characters from the use of ict-based learning media in this sub-section, the analysis results were compared among the four types of ict-based learning media used in the flipped classroom to enhance the students’ english language learning, i.e. youtube, whatsapp, the internet, and mobile phone. the separation of mobile phone from the other three applications was because we intended to explore the effect of each type of technology on the students’ character education and the decline of their characters. figure 1 shows the overall results. the bar chart generally exhibited character education through all learning media, but no character value ranked the first position in all learning media. while no character value was perceived as manifested in the flipped classroom by more than 60% of the participating students, the development of criticality character value from all learning media in learning english was experienced by the least number of students. figure 1. occurrences of character values from the use of ict-based learning media specifically, the students perceived that youtube, like social media, could instill character education, such as independence and creativity in learning english (49%, respectively) more than the other three character values. meanwhile, although whatsapp was categorized as social media, it could not develop character values of independence and creativity more than through the use of youtube. the development of teamwork and activeness character values was most noticeable (51% and 43%, respectively) from whatsapp. criticality in learning english was the least induced character value in whatsapp (27%) compared to the other three learning media. like youtube, the internet as a worldwide system of computer networks was believed to spark students’ independence and creativity character values (52% and 39%, respectively) more than teamwork, activeness, and criticality. the mobile phone was the most contributing ict-based learning media in developing the students’ character of independence in learning english (58%) and activeness character value in group discussion (49%). the following excerpts further explained the reasons for the findings mentioned above. you watch it yourself and you have to understand if you don't understand, just ask a friend. (independence) by using youtube, we can think more broadly and freely. a lot of material can be found on youtube. i feel freer to improvise when watching youtube. when you practice watching youtube instead of reading it feels better. (creativity) i could learn a lot of things from the internet. it is easy to operate, fast, and free. (independence) because the teacher inverted the learning process where the monologue teaching was done outside the classroom by giving some curated youtube videos, some of the students argued that it triggered them to actualize self-paced or independent learning. hence, their independence could be fostered by understanding the materials autonomously and risa triarisanti, arif husein lubis, & velayeti nurfitriana ansas can technology-enhanced flipped learning instill character education? indonesian undergraduate efl students’ perceptions 778 asking for help from their friends instead of their teacher if they encountered difficulties understanding the materials. some of the students also stated that the presence of multimodal learning resources in youtube videos enabled them to have more freedom and access to improvise while learning english. the multimodality of youtube videos could then enhance their creativity skills. likewise, the internet allowed them to quickly, freely, and quickly get access to numerous learning resources. this could make the students autonomous in executing their learning process. we hold discussions in various places and ways. we can do it directly face to face, use messaging applications on e-learning, or social media such as whatsapp, for example. (flexibility toward independence) sometimes we get motivation from group friends through wa. through wa, we can work together with friends, exchange ideas / knowledge. (teamwork) whatsapp makes it easier to communicate. we can ask a friend during e-learning. communication is made easier. for example, in terms of division of the tasks, i often ask about the materials or role selection in the wa group. (activeness) figure 2. types of the decline of characters from the use of ict-based learning media ict-based learning media such as whatsapp or the lms enhanced a self-paced or personalized learning atmosphere so that the students could determine how they executed every single learning stage. the learning media also helped them coordinate to run the discussion smoothly. whatsapp group was also considered a practical means of promoting teamwork character value because they could accomplish the assignments together. such social media could facilitate direct group communication to exchange some important information with one another. some students also asserted that the ease of communication through the wa group enabled them to ask about the materials or the role-based assignments. we feel more free and open by using mobile phones as the learning medium. the features of the mobile phones make it easier for me to access anything, including the learning materials. (independence) mobile phones make it easier to communicate with the group members. (activeness) because whatsapp and internet can be accessed by using mobile phones, the students’ explanation for the development of character values through mobile phones is similar. they asserted that mobile phones enabled them to explore learning materials. such personalized exploration could then foster their independence. likewise, the compact version of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 779 mobile phones could ease their communication process before the role-based group discussion. this helped the students keep practicing the character value of being active in the flipped classroom. on the other hand, the use of ict-based learning media was still believed by several students to be the contributing factor to the decline of characters. figure 2 exhibits the overall results. in general, none of the types of the decline of characters obtained 0% or 100% students. among the eight types of the decline of characters, the students perceived that ict-based learning media mostly influenced them to commit academic dishonesty such as cheating while doing the role-based assignments (average=13 students or 16% of 84 students). in contrastingly, the students thought that ict-based learning media were much less influential in making them passive in communicating with their friends during group discussion (average=2 students or 2% of 84 students). in particular, the use of mobile phone and the internet were perceived to be contributing to the decline of characters, especially cheating while doing the role-based assignments more than youtube and whatsapp. meanwhile, youtube and whatsapp as social media-based learning media were considered influential in making them not practice creativity character value during the completion of role-based assignments more than mobile phones and the internet. these social media tended to influence the students to commit cheating as well. the following excerpts represent the students’ opinions regarding the decline of characters from ict-based learning media in the flipped english classroom. it's so easy for me to get the materials that we usually just copy them without editing. (mobile phone) sometimes, we have fun chatting instead of working on the materials and do cheating. (whatsapp) because i always see the examples on youtube without trying to figure it out by myself first. (youtube) because when there is a trouble i just have to search for the solution in the internet. the use of the internet sometimes makes me not improve my critical thinking. (the internet) few students experiencing the decline of characters opined that the usability and flexibility of the ict-based learning media to get access to the various learning materials or resources made the students tend to do copy-pasting. this behavior could result in the manifestation of uncreative character among the students. even worse, the copypasting behavior made them uncritical every time they dealt with problems or difficulties. ultimately, they tended to commit cheating by exploiting those ict-based learning media. discussion this study has delineated character education and the decline of characters among indonesian undergraduate efl students through the incorporation of technology-enhanced flipped learning method. regarding the first research question, the results generally show that flipped learning can instill character values. of twenty character values, responsibility, independence, and curiosity are the top three most frequently occurred in the english classroom, as perceived by the students. meanwhile, the bottom three character values mostly perceived are religiosity, patriotism, and nationalism. the findings justify previous research (aghni et al., 2020; chang & chou, 2015) that responsibility is considered an essential interpersonal or social-oriented virtue. islami (2016) also found that independence and curiosity character values were instilled during the lessons at a madrasah (islamic-based) school. another worth-noting point is that technologyenhanced flipped english learning emphasizes an active, engaged, and autonomous learning process where the students are encouraged to be responsible for their learning; in other words, autonomous (tsai, 2019). this learning design enables the instilment of the three character values because the students plan, execute, monitor, and evaluate their learning activities by themselves in a flexible learning environment. on the other hand, the less occurred character values of religiosity, patriotism, and nationalism may be caused by the composition of the learning materials and themes, which are not related to culture learning. the lessons focus on the students’ development of grammar skills to be applied in a more productive discourse such as speaking and writing activities. risa triarisanti, arif husein lubis, & velayeti nurfitriana ansas can technology-enhanced flipped learning instill character education? indonesian undergraduate efl students’ perceptions 780 however, as one of the least perceived character value in the present study, religiosity is considered among the common character traits in ashfihana’s (2020) research. this discrepancy can be influenced by the students’ perception of the mere association of religiosity with the enactment of specific spiritual activities or rituals such as praying before conducting the learning process and the like, which are not explicitly done in the classroom. hence, the learning materials and learning activities in the classroom can affect the students’ perceptions of character education. it is essential for future research to provide detailed explanation regarding the domains where each of the character values can be enacted during the learning process. another important aspect is related to the learning activities, which influence the students to manifest character values in the flipped classroom. the results demonstrate that the in-class session through group discussions triggers their motivation to actualize the character values more than the other activities, followed by a group discussion in the lms and rolebased assignments. this resonates with the characteristics of flipped learning, i.e. active and collaborative. previous research (aghni et al., 2020; ashfihana, 2020) also noticed that group discussion can be a useful means for enacting character education; particularly respect and responsibility character traits. in the current study, the teacher assigns some roles to the students to drive the discussion process, followed by the assignments to strengthen their ability in that lesson. additionally, collaborative learning can develop students’ characters more than traditional learning, such as lecture or recitation. it also resonates with the principle of cooperative learning (foldnes, 2016), which underscores positive interdependence and individual accountability, to mention a few. such a learning climate, which encourages the students to make shared decisions on their learning, be on-time every time the discussion is about to start, and respect other people’s opinions, implicitly influences the development of their characters. hence, the character values of discipline and tolerance also occurred in the present study. furthermore, this study explores the students’ perceptions of whether the use of technology can also instill character education while learning english. the findings generally reveal that the main ict-based learning media used in the present study, i.e. youtube, whatsapp, the internet, and mobile phone, seem to help the students develop the character values of independence, creativity, activeness, teamwork, and criticality. while the utilization of youtube, mobile phone, and the internet contributes most to the development of independence character value, the advantage of using whatsapp is more on the development of teamwork and activeness character values. husna et al. (2019) also found that using youtube videos could foster the character value of independence toward increased autonomy among efl students. on the other hand, the whatsapp application enables the students to have an active interaction to succeed in the group discussion. indirectly, they become more collaborative and active as the instilment of teamwork and activeness character values. goodchild and speed (2018) asserted that social mediaand mobile-based learning from the mid2000s to the present-is getting ubiquitous in the higher education context in line with technology advancement and human mobilization. therefore, those learning media are used to cater to the current pedagogical approaches, such as social constructivism through borderless interaction and collaboration. ultimately, the proper combination of ict use and l2 pedagogical approaches can cultivate strong character values toward future-ready learners. however, using ict-based learning media as part of the elements of technology-enhanced flipped english learning may cause the decline of characters. one particular type of decline of characters identified in the present study is associated with cheating. two factors may cause the practice of cheating as part of academic dishonesty. first, some of the students seem not cooperative enough, although they have been assigned to a particular role. second, some of the instructions in the teacher's assignments are not clear enough, resulting in confusion among the students. both factors can result in academic dishonesty by copy-pasting the ideas from youtube or the answers from the internet using a mobile phone. even worse, one of the students reported that his classmates sometimes asked him to do their rolebased assignments, representing facilitation (blau & eshet-alkalai, 2017). we posit that teachers’ role is pivotal in selecting the ict-based learning media to help run the learning process and crucial in evaluating the potentials of those learning media to monitor and identify academic dishonesty. this reinforces the importance of integrating moral english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 781 education into the efl curriculum through methods, activities, and resources determined by the teachers. conclusion the present study has addressed the research questions regarding the possibility of a technologyenhanced flipped english learning method to instill character education among indonesian undergraduate efl students. the contribution of the present study lies on two findings. first, the incorporation of flipped learning can instill character education among the students in learning english language by implicitly integrating certain character values within the learning activities. teachers still play a pivotal role in this context. second, apart from the merits of using the ict-based learning media in instilling character values of independence, creativity, teamwork, and criticality, the decline of characters such as cheating still becomes the major concern in the realm of tell in the higher education context. again, we argue that a deliberate combination of ict use and l2 pedagogical approaches can better cultivate strong character values toward future-ready learners as the ultimate goal of 21st-century education. the present study must be viewed with caution. the comparative results of how efl students across genders and english proficiency levels view character education through technology-enhanced flipped english learning are still lacking. additionally, the exploration of an effective instructional design in lessening academic dishonesty is worth-doing. rigorous methods are recommended to develop the current l2 pedagogical approaches in this more digitalized era. acknowledgment the authors would like to express enormous thanks to all students involved and the reviewers for the suggestions to make this paper well-written. references aghni, l. a., vianty, m., & petrus, i. (2020). character education in english subject: teachers’ perceptions and strategies. journal of english educators society, 5(2), 127-134. https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v5i2.420 akçayır, g., & akçayır, m. (2018). the flipped classroom: a review of its advantages and challenges. computers & education, 126, 334345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.07.021 amiryousefi, m. (2017). the incorporation of flipped learning into conventional classes to enhance efl learners’ l2 speaking, l2 listening, and engagement. innovation in language learning and teaching, 13(2), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2017.1394307 ashfihana, r. (2021). pre-service english teachers’ strategies in incorporating character education during the teaching practice program at uin antasari banjarmasin. indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 5(2), 309-322. http://dx.doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v5i2.718 astuti, a. p., aziz, a., sumarti, s. s., & bharati, d. a. l. (2019). preparing 21st century teachers: implementation of 4c character’s pre-service teacher through teaching practice. journal of physics: conference series, 1233(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1233/1/01210 9 blau, i., & eshet-alkalai, y. (2017). the ethical dissonance in digital and non-digital learning environments: does technology promotes cheating among middle school students? computers in human behavior, 73, 629–637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.03.074 center of curriculum and books. (2011). jakarta: kementerian pendidikan nasional [national education ministry]. chang, c-m., & chou, c. (2015). an exploratory study of young students’ core virtues of e-character education: the taiwanese teachers’ perspective. journal of moral education, 44(4), 516-530. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2015.1048791 creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). sage. darmayenti., besral., & yustina, l. s. (2021). developing efl religious characters and local wisdom based efl textbook for islamic higher education. studies in english language and education, 8(1), 157-180. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i1.18263 foldnes, n. (2016). the flipped classroom and cooperative learning: evidence from a randomised experiment. active learning in higher education, 17(1), 39–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787415616726 goodchild, t., & speed, e. (2018). technology enhanced learning as transformative innovation: a note on the enduring myth of tel. teaching in higher education, 24(8), 948-963. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2018.1518900 hung, h-t. (2015). flipping the classroom for english language learners to foster active learning. computer assisted language learning, 28(1), risa triarisanti, arif husein lubis, & velayeti nurfitriana ansas can technology-enhanced flipped learning instill character education? indonesian undergraduate efl students’ perceptions 782 81-96. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2014.967701 husna, a. n., purnawarman, p., suherdi, d., & lubis, a. h. (2019). youtube® for the 21st-century english language e-learning: what works and what doesn’t?. 2019 2nd international conference of computer and informatics engineering (ic2ie), banyuwangi, indonesia. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8940857 islami, m. (2016). character values and their internalization in teaching and learning english at madrasah. dinamika ilmu, 16(2), 279-289. kirkwood, a., & price, l. (2013). technology-enhanced learning and teaching in higher education: what is ‘enhanced’ and how do we know? a critical literature review. learning, media and technology, 39(1), 6-36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2013.77040 4 mohamad, n., sihes, a. j., bohari, n. m., & uda, a. (2020). a systematic review: teacher’s roles in implementing values education. international journal of psychological rehabilitation, 24(5), 5292-5301. muhtar, t., & dallyono, r. (2020). character education from the perspectives of elementary school physical education teachers. cakrawala pendidikan, 39(2), 395-408. http://dx.doi.org/10.21831/cp.v39i2.30647 noprianto, e., suherdi, d., & muslim, a. b. (2022). a subject matter specialist versus students’ moral guardian: efl teachers’ voices on character education incorporation into classroom instructions. eternal, 8(1), 53-72. https://doi.org/10.24252/eternal.v81.2022.a4 oecd. (2018). the future of education and skills education 2030. paris, france. pala, a. (2011). the need for character education. international journal of social sciences and humanity studies, 3(2), 23-32. qoyyimah, u. (2016). inculcating character education through efl teaching in indonesian state schools. pedagogies: an international journal, 11(2), 109-126. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554480x.2016.116561 8 sarkadi., casmana, a. r., & rahmawati, y. (2020). improved learning design for pre-service teacher in a character education course. universal journal of educational research, 8(1), 212–224. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.080126 shadiev, r., & yang, m. (2020). review of studies on technology-enhanced language learning and teaching, sustainability, 12(524), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020524 singh, b. (2019). character education in the 21st century. journal of social studies, 15(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.21831/jss.v15i1.25226 tsai, y. (2019). promotion of learner autonomy within the framework of a flipped efl instructional model: perception and perspectives. computer assisted language learning, 34(7), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1650779 turan, z., & akdag-cimen, b. (2020). flipped classroom in english language teaching: a systematic review. computer assisted language learning, 33(5-6), 590–606. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1584117 webb, m., & doman, e. (2020). impacts of flipped classrooms on learner attitudes towards technology-enhanced language learning. computer assisted language learning, 33(3), 240–274. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1557692 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 123 a need analysis of english hybrid learning using open broadcaster software through project-based learning model to primary school students freshy loisan pandesha universitas sriwijaya, palembang e-mail: freshysimanjuntak@gmail.com makmum raharjo (corresponding author) educational technology study program, postgraduate program, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia e-mail: makmunraharjo@fkip.unsri.ac.id soni mirizon universitas sriwijaya, palembang e-mail: smirizon@gmail.com apa citation: pandesha f.l., raharjo m., & mirizon s. (2023). a need analysis of english hybrid learning using open broadcaster software (obs) through project-based learning (pjbl) model to primary school students. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 123132. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7226 received: 16-10-2022 accepted: 26-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction the 21st century is an era of openness where there are many extraordinary changes caused by technological advances. it is known as the 4.0 century as the century of industrial openness (yunus & mitrohardjono, 2020). the development of technology is increasing rapidly at this time, requiring educational institutions to improve the quality of their instruction through technology in order to better motivate students. according to jannah et al. (2020), modern information and digital technology advancements have an impact on classroom instruction. the number of people who implement digital technology is ever-increasing. not only is digital technology increasing in society, it can additionally be used in dynamic learning environments and can facilitate student learning interactions and activities. in particular, due to the covid-19 pandemic, in order to reduce the risk of spreading the virus, educational institutions have needed to reconsider meeting completely face-to-face at schools. because of this, educational institutions today must choose the best implementation of learning, in particular, the use of digital technology. one of the solutions that had been implemented is online learning. however, even though online learning has provided opportunities for students and teachers to carry out learning activities, problems are still found in the online learning process. dewantara & nurgiansah (2020) explained the implementation of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic has also triggered many problems. functionally, online learning is considered beneficial for technological modernity abstract: this study aimed to determine the need for english hybrid learning using the open broadcaster studio (obs) through project based learning (pjbl) model. this research applied research and development (r&d) approach. the development model used was assure model and tesmer evaluation. preliminary study conducted on 37 respondents consisting of 12 teachers and 25 students of primary school at rsi indonesia school. the results of the study showed that the need for english hybrid learning is very necessary to overcome problems found during the learning process. teachers need teaching model that can support the learning process and provide solutions if students experience obstacles during learning. the results of the research at the needs analysis showed that there were obstacles in the implementation of online learning that need to be solved. a learning model that can solve problems occurred in online learning, and also has a systematic learning stages to make students participate actively in learning process and to produce a project that can improve students' creative thinking is crucially needed. this study expected to provide an overview and direction to teachers to continue developing effective hybrid learning and become a resource for further research in hybrid learning model development. keywords: english; hybrid learning; open broadcaster software; project based learning. freshy loisan pandesha, makmum raharjo, & soni mirizon a need analysis of english hybrid learning using open broadcaster software (obs) through project-based learning (pjbl) model to primary school students 124 and the accessibility to free applications is advantageous, there are still crises or obstacles in carrying out this learning environment. according to indrawan et al. (2020), the crisis in online learning includes students having difficulty mastering knowledge and abilities according to their level, facilities, and infrastructure in conducting online learning are still not supportive such as access to electricity, internet, mobile phones or computers, as well as the accumulation of tasks. what is distributed to students is sometimes not equal to the study time. according to the explanations of these experts, it can be concluded that online learning has not been felt optimally and has found many obstacles in its implementation such as a lack of student understanding of the material presented and also internet connectivity problems. observing the above situation, educational institutions are currently in this scenario; students must choose the best implementation for their preferred learning style. ultimately, students can continue to learn effectively and efficiently. there is now an advanced learning model that uses technology where students who can participate in face-to-face classes can engage in direct learning with students who take online classes at the same time. this learning is called hybrid learning. it is one of the choices that schools are implementing because it reduces the risk of virus exposure. with the rapid development of technology, it has become an important option and must be implemented by schools because it provides opportunities for all students, as it is a combined learning model between online learning and offline learning. hybrid learning is defined as a learning method that combines two or more approaches in learning to achieve the objectives of the learning process and also is applied face-toface and online learning. (hediansah & surjono, 2020; juwita & purwoko, 2022; gultom et al., 2022; febnesia et al., 2021). furthermore, hidayatullah & anwar (2020) explains hybrid learning provided various positive impacts in developing the competence of educators and education personnel for take advantage of developments in technology and information. when implementing hybrid learning, it is not carried out entirely online, but face-toface learning is also available for students as a means of offering supplementary materials that may or may not have been discussed through online lessons. based on the explanations from these experts, it can be concluded that hybrid learning is a learning model that integrates innovation and technological progress through an online learning system by using the interaction and participation of traditional learning models. it can be presented in combination at the same time, between students who are in face-to-face classes, and students who are in their respective homes. the use of media in learning will assist educators in carrying out the learning process more effectively and efficiently. the development of technology itself plays a vital role as the teacher conveys information through media in order to increase students' learning motivation. therefore, the teaching and the learning process can take place effectively and the expected learning objectives will be achieved. widodo & wahyudin (2018) explains that learning media is a tool that can be used by educators to convey messages to students. this is in line with the opinion of puspitarini & hanif (2019) which explains that learning media can be interpreted as hardware or software used in the delivery of materials presented by teachers to students in the learning process. in learning, the media is expected to make the learning process more effective and efficient in accordance with the learning objectives. in supporting hybrid learning, media assistance is needed to increase student motivation. one of the tools that users should acquire and develop their skills in is open broadcaster software (obs). obs is a software that can be used to record video and broadcast live which is then connected to a website. according to basilaia (2020), open broadcaster software is a recording and support software for live streaming. in line with this opinion, qorib & zaniyati (2021) explained that the obs application is very helpful for educators to be able to design learning while recording the lesson and can directly upload the lesson to social media channels and internet-based learning media. this application can be extremely helpful in the hybrid learning process because it can help students when they experience connection problems that may occur during the learning process. the obs is a free application in the form of video recording and live streaming that is easily accessible. educators can use this application to facilitate the distance learning system that is applied to students. based on some of the opinions above, it can be concluded that open broadcaster software (obs) is a free and open-source software whose main function is to manage various available input sources. it is a free and open-source crossenglish review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 125 platform streaming and recording program built with qt and managed by a free and open-source software suite project for real-time sourced recording and live streaming and device capture, scene composition, coding, recording, and broadcasting. this learning application media is certainly expected to assist teachers in providing interesting and innovative learning materials and can be used by students to receive live or real time learning from educators. to function such a tool to stimulate creative thinking amongst students, an appropriate learning approach is certainly needed. therefore, educators should choose an appropriate method to teaching through the different learning styles. kurniawan (2020) explains that the learning model can be a guide for educators in planning and applying the learning process. one learning model that will allow educators to effectively reach the objectives of the merdeka curriculum is project based learning (pjbl). pjbl is a model that is rooted in the concept of sustainable elements. according to sari & angreni (2018), pjbl is the learning process that directly involve students to generate a project. on basically this learning model is more develop solving skills in working on a project can produce something. furthermore, surya et al. (2018) stated that pjbl learning is an innovative learning studentcentered (student centered) and places the teacher asmmotivator and facilitator, in which case students are given the opportunity to work autonomously construct their learning. in line with the opinion of diana et al. (2021) that explain that pjbl is a learning model that obligates students to deal with a problem together as a group, therefore, to solve the given problems in detail in pjbl, students must adhere to a set of learning steps known as syntax. furthermore, according to yunita et al. (2021), project based learning model activities help students develop a strategy for solving problems by involving a variety of skills. based on the opinion above, it can be concluded that project based learning (pjbl) is an innovative learning model that involves the active role of students so that they can take the initiative in producing real projects and provide motivation in learning activities. along with the current era of technological developments, foreign language skills are urgently needed. english is a universal language and is used as the main language by most countries in the world. therefore, english is one of the most important international languages to learn. in indonesia english is taught as a second language. according to al-arifi (2020), english is the language of communication and understanding among many countries around the world, as it is the language of political and scientific conferences and forums, as well as the language of publishing and scientific research in many fields, particularly technical and medical ones. however, the communication carried out by students is a process, and knowledge of the linguistic order is still very lacking. the basic principle of learning english as a foreign language is the application of english in social contexts. in line with minshar (2020), he explains there were indications of students’ weakness in english language, such as difficult to speak english and the weaknesses of to comprehend and understand written texts. language is used in interactions carried out in everyday life. the main goal of language learning is to prepare students to successfully communicate in society the language they have studied. learning is an important process because it can bring changes to the behavior of students. the learning process is the acquisition of sentences that have been carried out by students, however, the application of language that has been obtained is sometimes only limited to acquisition in linguistic form without the application of communicating itself after the learning process in class, cahyati & madya (2019) explains that the optimal period is the age of 2 to 14 years. this means that learning english will be easier to learn at that age. over 14 years old or adults will have more challenges when they learn english. this is reinforced by the perspective of maili (2018). english learning can begin at the elementary school level, because the age of 6 to 13 years is a time for children's language development, at this age it is very easy to accept language because of the process of separating the functions of the left brain and right brain. for children, therefore, it is very unfortunate if at these times english lessons are not given at the elementary school level. based on statements of these experts, it can be concluded that the optimal development of children aged 6 to 13 years is the most important part in a child's growth period and is the right age to receive foreign language learning. due to the continuously of the pandemic situation, the school really need an innovative learning model and media to support the hybrid learning. the hybrid learning process can take place optimally and increase student motivation. the previous study freshy loisan pandesha, makmum raharjo, & soni mirizon a need analysis of english hybrid learning using open broadcaster software (obs) through project-based learning (pjbl) model to primary school students 126 conducted by hediansah & surjono (2020) and adnyana (2022) had the result of hybrid learning has the potential to increase student motivation, learning achievement and develop creative thinking skills, improve their skills and aslo involve students to be more motivated and is the right alternative in this pandemic situation. in its application the innovative learning model is really need to be applied to help the hybrid learning process become more optimal. several previous studies have found effective results in the learning process based on the learning model that has been developed. this learning model increases learning achievement and motivates students in the learning process, (bahtiar et al., 2018; sarimanah, 2018; asri et al., 2020). based on this explanation it is very necessary to develop english learning with the help of media and use innovative learning models to support learning during a pandemic that is still ongoing. this study develops hybrid english learning by using open broadcast software (obs) media to equip teachers in streaming and recording learning videos and using a project-based learning (pjbl) model where students will be actively involved in the learning process and will produce a product from the material provided. this learning model will be developed based on the needs analysis in english learning for primary school students. the objective of this study is to find out the primary school teachers and students’ need for english hybrid learning using the open broadcaster software (obs) application through project based learning model. this research is development research with using assure development model that has six stages on its application and also combine with tesmer evaluation. method this study applied research and development approach, adopting the assure model and tesmer evaluation. the procedures of this model were arranged with sequences of activities at each stage of systematic development. there are six stages, namely (1 analysis, (2) state objective, (3) choose method, media, and materials, (4) utilize media and materials (5) require learners’ participation. (6) implementation. the research product developed in this study was the english hybrid learning model using open broadcaster software (obs) through project based model. the analysis stage was carried out to find out the understanding and needs of teachers and students for the development of english hybrid learning using open broadcaster software (obs) application and project based learning (pjbl). in the analysis stage, an analysis of the scope of educators and students, analysis of the learning environment, and student characteristics was conducted. in the development of learning methods, the feasibility (validity and practicality) of the method was developed, validated by media experts, design instructional expert, language expert and material experts. meanwhile, the potential effects of using this model were evaluated through the assessment of the project outcomes at the time of field tests to see an increase in learning outcomes. there were 37 respondents participating in this study, consisting of 12 primary teachers and 25 students from the fifth grade at rsi indonesia school in palembang. data collection was carried out using questionnaire. the data collected from the teachers includes (1). educators' perceptions of the need for innovative learning models, (2). difficulties of educators in applying project-based learning during online learning. (3) media needs to facilitate hybrid learning. (4) learning models used during the pandemic (3). platforms used during the pandemic, (4) educators' knowledge of open broadcaster software (obs) applications and (5). features are expected to be present in applications used in hybrid learning. the data collected from the students include (6) students’ perceptions of the need for learning syntax (7) students’ perceptions of the need for social system in learning model (8) students’ perceptions of the need for reaction principle in learning model (9) students’ perceptions of the need for support system in learning model. data analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics and analysis techniques to reveal the meaning of the data. results and discussion a needs analysis was carried out by distributing a needs analysis questionnaire to the respondents of this study. the results of the needs analysis are as follows; needs analysis based on the educators' perspectives on hybrid learning based on the questionnaire regarding the teacher's experience during online learning carried out, the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 127 results of the needs of teachers were found as follows; the need for innovative learning models figure 1. the need for learning models from the needs analysis, it was found that 75% of teachers really needed innovative learning, 25% of teachers needed innovative learning. so, it can be concluded from that school that teachers really needed an innovative learning model. media needs to facilitate hybrid learning figure 2. the need for learning media from the needs analysis, it was found that 58.3% of teachers really needed media and 41.7% needed media to facilitate hybrid learning. so, it can be concluded from that chool that teachers really needed media to facilitate the hybrid learning. so, when the students had difficulties in following the lesson during class, they were still able to see the learning process. platforms used during the pandemic figure 3. platforms used during the pandemic from the figure, it can be seen the teachers had been using some platforms during the pandemic. it was found that 66,7% of educators carried out learning through virtual meetings, 8,3% of made flipped classroom videos, and 25% educators only did and sent assignments through online media. it can be concluded that teachers dominantly used virtual meetings in learning, but were supported by assignment assistance through online media and others. educators' knowledge about open broadcaster software (obs) the following is the result of a survey on the extent of the knowledge of educators regarding the open broadcaster software (obs) application. figure 4. educators’ knowledge about open broadcaster software (obs) applications from the results of the figure 4 above, it is known that there were only about 16.7% teachers knew the existence of obs application and 83.3% of teachers did not know about this application. needs analysis based on the students' perspectives for learning model based on the questionnaire regarding the students’ needs about the learning model, the results of the needs of students were found as follows; students’ perceptions of the need for learning syntax table 1. rsi indonesia students’ perceptions about the learning syntax questions students who answered yes (%) students who answered no (%) 1. is there a need for a systematic explanation when working on a writing project? 92% 18% 2. do you need examples that are relevant in english language learning? 84% 16% 3. do you have difficulty in understanding english material during online learning? 80% 20% 4. are you used to using a laptop? 100% 0% 5. do you need help 76% 24% freshy loisan pandesha, makmum raharjo, & soni mirizon a need analysis of english hybrid learning using open broadcaster software (obs) through project-based learning (pjbl) model to primary school students 128 from teachers when you are unable to attend online learning? 6. do you have difficulty in working on writing projects given by teachers in online learning? 84% 16% from the needs analysis, it is stated that 92% of students really needed for a systematic explanation when working on a writing project and 84% of students needed examples that are relevant in english language learning. 80% of students had difficulty in understanding the english materials during online learning, 76% students needed help from teachers when they were unable to attend the online learning ,84% students struggled in working on writing project, and all the students used laptop during the online learning process. so, it can be concluded from that school the students really needed a learning model that has systematic stages to understand the lesson well. students’ perceptions of the need for social system in learning model table 2. rsi indonesia students’ perceptions about the social system in learning model questions students who answered yes (%) students who answered no (%) 1. do you need group interaction to work on a writing project? 88% 12% 2. do you need teacher interaction during the online learning process? 96% 4% 3. do you need interaction between groups at the time of learning? 88% 12% from the needs analysis table above, it is concluded that 88% of students really needed group interaction on a writing project and 96% of students needed teachers’ instructions during the online learning and 88% of students needed interactions between group at the time of learning. so, it can be concluded from that school the students really needed a learning model that has social system to support them during the learning process. students’ perceptions of the need for reaction principle in learning model table 3. rsi indonesia students’ perceptions about the reaction principle in learning model questions students who answered yes (%) students who answered no (%) 1. do you need an explanation from the teacher about the english subject matter? 88% 12% 2. do you need interaction between students during the learning process? 96% 4% 3. is there any group interaction during online learning? 48% 52% 4. do you need interaction between groups during the learning process? 92% 8% from the needs analysis table above, it is concluded that 88% of students really needed teacher’s explanation about the english subject matter and 96% of students needed instructions between students and 92% students needed interaction between group during the online learning and it’s only 48% of students answered that there was the group interaction during the online learning. so, it can be concluded from that school that students really needed a learning model that had reaction principle to support them during the learning process. students’ perceptions of the need for support system in learning model table 4. rsi indonesia students’ perceptions about the support system in learning model questions students who answered yes (%) students who answered no (%) 1. do you need a video about the explanation from the teacher during the lesson so that the previous learning material can be repeated? 96% 4% 2. based on your experience, have you 100% 0% english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 129 found many obstacles in participating in online learning? 3. do you need visual media during online learning? 92% 8% 4. do you need audio media during online learning? 88% 12% 5. do you need audiovisual media during online learning? 92% 8% 6. do you need a reference of the materials in full as a resource for the material of writing your project? 96% 4% from the needs analysis table above, it is concluded that 96% of students really needed a video about the explanation from the teacher during the lesson so that the previous learning material can be repeated, 88% of students needed audio media, 92% of students needed visual and audio-visual media, 96% of students needed a reference of the materials in full as a resource for the material of writing their project, and 100% of students found many obstacles in participating in online learning. based on the results of the need analysis from the teachers and students, it can be stated the teacher needed the innovative learning model to facilitate the online learning and also, they needed a media that can facilitate the online learning becoming more efficient, and also helpful to the student if they have problem to follow the online learning. the online learning has been carried out online using various digital-based platforms such as zoom meetings and google classrooms. there were found that most of the students experienced the problems during the online learning. one of the solutions that overcome this problem is provide the hybrid learning for the learning process. in line with the previous studied conducted by lestari et al. (2021) entitled "hybrid learning on problem-solving abilities in physics learning: a literature review". with the results hybrid learning was one of the alternative to overcome the learning problems. furthermore, sutisna & vonti (2020) in their research entitled "innovation development strategy for hybrid learning based english teaching and learning". as the result, hybrid learning model increased student literacy. next is the research produced by mahendra (2020) entitled the implementation of hybrid learning method for english language learning at ama yogyakarta with the results was the implementation of hybrid learning motivated students to be more disciplined still the students face some obstacles. based on the result of students’ perspectives for the learning model, it can be concluded that students had obstacles in following the online learning. they were also need the media that has audio and visual to support them understand the materials well and have difficulty in working on writing projects given by teachers in online learning. the use of media in learning will assist teachers in carrying out the learning process more effectively and efficiently. the development of technology itself plays a vital role as the teacher conveys information through media in order to increase students' learning motivation. therefore, the teaching and the learning process can take place effectively and the expected learning objectives will be achieved. widodo & wahyudin (2018) explains that learning media is a tool that can be used by educators to convey messages to students. this is in line with the opinion of puspitarini & hanif (2019) which explains that learning media can be interpreted as hardware or software used in the delivery of materials presented by teachers to students in the learning process. in learning, the media is expected to make the learning process more effective and efficient in accordance with the learning objectives. the students were also needed an innovative learning model that provide the systematic learning syntax to help them overcome their problems in learning, especially in doing their projects. this is in line with muhali (2019), koesnandar (2020), wijaya & arismunandar (2018), annafi & agustina (2018), yunita et al. (2021), ramadhani & zulela (2021), annafi & agustina (2018), they explained innovative learning is available to develop human resources that are literate in information, data, and technology, which are required to compete for life and the labor market in the current and future eras of globalization. the learning model also is able to increase the students learning outcomes, their attitude, and they are able to work as a team and collaborate together. for this reason, it is necessary to have media that can be developed so the process of hybrid learning will be more optimal. one of the media that can be an alternative to support the hybrid learning is open broadcaster software (obs). based on the previous studies about obs by qorib & zaniyati (2021) explained that the obs (open broadcast software) application is very freshy loisan pandesha, makmum raharjo, & soni mirizon a need analysis of english hybrid learning using open broadcaster software (obs) through project-based learning (pjbl) model to primary school students 130 helpful for educators to be able to design learning while recording the lesson and can directly upload the lesson to social media channels and internetbased learning media. this application can be extremely helpful in the hybrid learning process because it can help students when they experience connection problems that may occur during the learning process. overall, from the results of the questionnaire, it can also be seen that the knowledge of educators about open broadcaster software applications to support the hybrid learning process is still very limited. according to the results of the preliminary study, the english hybrid learning using obs through project-based learning (pjbl) is necessary to be developed. so, that it is hoped that learning can be more motivate students in learning where students will be actively involved in the learning process and will produce a product from the material provided. for this reason, hybrid learning needs to be given serious support so that the current learning process can be carried out well even in difficult situations like today. conclusion the results of the study at the needs analysis stage show that in the implementation of the online learning so far, there were obstacles that need to be solved. the teachers needed an innovative learning model and instructional media that can support the online learning becoming more effective and have a systematic syntax in the learning process to help the students understand the materials given, especially in doing the english project. the students also needed a learning model also to support them in the learning process. they needed a learning model that has a systematic syntax, social system, reaction principles, and support system to participate actively and produce a project that can improve students' creative thinking in the learning process. based on those results, it is important to develop a learning model to support the online learning process. hybrid learning has the potential to increase student motivation and develop creative thinking skills and involve students to be more motivated and is the right alternative in this pandemic situation. this study develops english hybrid learning by using open broadcast software (obs) media to equip teachers in recording learning videos and through a project-based learning (pjbl) model where students will be actively involved in the learning process and will produce a product from the material provided. this study is expected to provide an overview and guidance for teachers to continue developing the effective hybrid learning and become a resource for further hybrid learning development research. references adnyana, i. k. s. (2022). meningkatkan keterampilan berbicara bahasa inggris dengan menerapkan model pembelajaran hybrid learning pada masa pandemi covid-19 siswa kelas x. journal of education action research, 6(2), 235–241. al-arifi, r. s. (2020). difficulties facing teaching english language at the primary level from the point of view of teachers and the proposed solutions for them in al-quwaiyah governorate. reading and knowledge journal, 20(2), 117-148. annafi, n., & agustina, s. (2018). pengembangan model pembelajaran project based learning (pbl) berbasis kearifan lokal untuk mempersiapkan calon pendidik yang berbudaya development of learning model project based learning (pbl) based on local wisdom to prepare cultured educator candid. jurnal inovasi pendidikan sains, 9(1), 1–10. asri., junaid, r., & saputra, s. (2020). the development of learning model through video documentary to improve environmental knowledge of coastal residents of palopo city, indonesia. jurnal pendidikan ipa indonesia, 9(3), 396–407. https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v9i3.23358 bahtiar., rahayu, y. s., & wasis. (2018). developing learning model p3e to improve students’ critical thinking skills of islamic senior high school. journal of physics: conference series, 947(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/947/1/012067 basilaia, g. (2020). replacing the classic learning form at universities as an immediate response to the covid-19 virus infection in georgia. international journal for research in applied science and engineering technology, 8(3), 101–108. https://doi.org/10.22214/ijraset.2020.3021 dewantara, j. a., & nurgiansah, t. h. (2020). efektivitas pembelajaran daring di masa pandemi covid 19 bagi mahasiswa universitas pgri yogyakarta. jurnal basicedu, 5(1), 367– 375. https://doi.org/10.31004/basicedu.v5i1.669 diana, n., yohannes, & sukma, y. (2021). the effectiveness of implementing project-based learning (pjbl) model in stem education: a literature review. journal of physics: conference series, 1882(1), 012146. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1882/1/01214 6 febnesia, h., nurtanto, m., ikhsanudin, i., & abdillah, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 131 h. (2021). pengaruh model pembelajaran hybrid learning dengan metode tutor sebaya terhadap hasil pengelasan pada siswa smks yabhinka. research and development journal of education, 7(2), 532-543. https://doi.org/10.30998/rdje.v7i2.11265 gultom, j. r., sundara, d., & fatwara, m. d. (2022). pembelajaran hybrid learning model sebagai strategi optimalisasi sistem pembelajaran di era pandemi covid-19 pada perguruan tinggi di jakarta. mediastima, 28(1), 11–22. https://doi.org/10.55122/mediastima.v28i1.385 hediansah, d., & surjono, h. (2020). hybrid learning development to improve teacher learning management. jktp: jurnal kajian teknologi pendidikan, 3(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.17977/um038v3i12019p001 hidayatullah, f., & anwar, k. (2020). hybrid learning dalam pembelajaran pendidikan jasmani sekolah dasar dan menengah maupun pendidikan olahraga perguruan tinggi. prosiding senopati (seminar olahraga pendidikan dalam teknologi dan inovasi), 1(1), 1–7. http://publikasi.stkippgribkl.ac.id/index.php/senopati/article/view/502/35 9 indrawan., irjus., wijoyo, h., muliansyah, d., sunarsi, d., lutfi, a. m., irawati, l., maduningtias, l., hanny, r., khoiri, a., santamoko, r., & handoko, a. l. (2020). pembelajaran di era new normal. cv. pena persada. jannah, m., prasojo, l. d., & jerusalem, m. a. (2020). elementary school teachers’ perceptions of digital technology based learning in the 21st century: promoting digital technology as the proponent learning tools. al ibtida: jurnal pendidikan guru mi, 7(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.24235/al.ibtida.snj.v7i1.6088 juwita, r., & purwoko, l. f. (2022). design and implementation of hybrid learning. journal of educational dynamics, 4(2), 14-23. https://doi.org/10.24036/ijeds.v4i2.340 koesnandar, a. (2020). pengembangan model pembelajaran inovatif berbasis teknologi informasi dan komunikasi (tik) sesuai kurikulum 2013. kwangsan: jurnal teknologi pendidikan, 8(1), 33-61. https://doi.org/10.31800/jtp.kw.v8n1.p33--61 kurniawan, r. (2020). pengembangan model pembelajaran guided project based learning untuk mahasiswa slowlearner. refleksi edukatika : jurnal ilmiah kependidikan, 10(2), 144–153. https://doi.org/10.24176/re.v10i2.4128 lestari., syafril, s., latifah, s., engkizar, e., damri, d., asril, z., & yaumas, n. e. (2021). hybrid learning on problem-solving abiities in physics learning: a literature review. iop conference series: earth and environmental science, 1796(1). 012021. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1796/1/012021 mahendra, f. f. n. (2020). students' learning styles in speaking. journal of teaching and education, 2(1), 71–81. https://doi.org/10.30650/ajte.v4i2.3288 maili, s. n. (2018). bahasa inggris pada sekolah dasar: mengapa perlu dan mengapa dipersoalkan. jurnal pendidikan unsika, 6(1), 23-28. minshar, m. a. (2020). the effect of using educational games on third-grade students' achievement of english vocabulary in the hebron governorate. psychological and educational studies journal, 13(3), 309-319. muhali, m. (2019). pembelajaran inovatif abad ke-21. jurnal penelitian dan pengkajian ilmu pendidikan: e-saintika, 3(2), 25-50. https://doi.org/10.36312/e-saintika.v3i2.126 puspitarini, y. d., & hanif, m. (2019). using learning media to increase learning motivation in elementary school. 4(2), 53–60. qorib, a., & zaniyati, h. s. (2021). penggunaan open broadcast software studio dalam mendesain video pembelajaran era pandemi. syaikhuna: jurnal pendidikan dan pranata islam stai syichona moh. cholil bangkalan, 12(1), 87–98. ramadhani, s. p., & zulela, m. s. f. (2021). analisis kebutuhan desain pengembangan model ipa berbasis project based learning untuk meningkatkan berpikir kritis siswa di sekolah dasar. jurnal basicedu, 5(4), 1819–1824. https://doi.org/10.31004/basicedu.v5i4.1230 sari, r. t., & angreni, s. (2018). penerapan model pembelajaran project based learning (pjbl) upaya peningkatan kreativitas mahasiswa. jurnal varidika, 30(1), 79–83. https://doi.org/10.23917/varidika.v30i1.6548 sarimanah, e. (2018). developing eries learning model to improve students-teacher basic teaching skills through the implementation of lesson study. international journal of multi discipline science (ij-mds), 1(1), 29-35. https://doi.org/10.26737/ij-mds.v1i1.417 surya, a. p., relmasira, s. c., & hardini, a. t. a. (2018). penerapan model pembelajaran project based learning (pjbl) untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar dan kreatifitas siswa kelas iii sd negeri sidorejo lor 01 salatiga. jurnal pesona dasar, 6(1), 41–54. https://doi.org/10.24815/pear.v6i1.10703 sutisna, e., & vonti, l. h. (2020). innovation development strategy for hybrid learning. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 103–114. widodo, s. a., & wahyudin. (2018). selection of learning media mathematics for junior school students. turkish online journal of educational technology tojet, 17(1), 154– 160. http://www.tojet.net/ wijaya, h., & arismunandar, a. (2018). freshy loisan pandesha, makmum raharjo, & soni mirizon a need analysis of english hybrid learning using open broadcaster software (obs) through project-based learning (pjbl) model to primary school students 132 pengembangan model pembelajaran kooperatif tipe stad berbasis media sosial. jurnal jaffray, 16(2), 175-196. https://doi.org/10.25278/jj71.v16i2.302 yunita, y., juandi, d., kusumah, y. s., & suhendra, s. (2021). the effectiveness of the project-based learning (pjbl) model in students’ mathematical ability: a systematic literature review. journal of physics: conference series, 1882(1), 012080. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1882/1/012080 yunus, m., & mitrohardjono, m. (2020). pengembangan tehnologi di era industri 4.0 dalam pengelolaan pendidikan sekolah dasar islam plus baitul maal. jurnal tahdzibi: manajemen pendidikan islam, vol 3(2), 129– 138. https://doi.org/10.24853/tahdzibi.3.2.129138 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 157 evaluating toefl prediction test proficiency among lecturers and students at the university of samudra allif syahputra bania department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas samudra, langsa, indonesia email: allifbania@unsam.ac.id apa scitation: bania, a. s. (2024). evaluating toefl prediction test proficiency among lecturers and students at the university of samudra. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 157166. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.8594 received: 22-10-2023 accepted: 21-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction english is a very important language because it is the most widely used language so its role cannot be ignored or denied as evidenced by 67 countries having english as an official language and 27 countries that use it as a secondary official language. english is an international language in science, aviation, the media industry, multiple culture, business, the internet, diplomacy, computers, and tourism. furthermore, there are six reasons to learn english such as english serves as a universal language across borders, is used in academics, is convenient for travel, is necessary for working in international business and commerce, is the language of hollywood, and provides access to a plethora of printed and online written materials. (ilyosovna, 2020). however, it is undeniable that there are still many sources of knowledge that use english such as books, articles, audio-visuals, or the internet so english is something vital that must be updated in the knowledge (hartono et al., 2021). the main challenge for international academics is the language barrier caused by new vocabulary in international education (stoffelsma et al., 2020; luczaj et al., 2022). toefl (test of english as a foreign language) is a standardized test to measure participants' abilities, skills, and proficiency in english (badu, 2020). high-stake testing or toefl as an english proficiency test has an influence on elements that cover all aspects of students and education practitioners and it is used to answer global challenges for academics at the university. the benefits of english related to toefl are the basic test that determines the requirements for a thesis session, obtaining scholarships or continuing studies to advanced levels such as doctoral programs for lecturers (zimmermann et al., 2017; yuyun et al., 2018; ananda & ashadi, 2021) toefl has some versions: toefl paperbased test (pbt); toefl computer-based test (cbt); toefl internet-based test (ibt) and toefl institutional testing program (itp). the oldest version of toefl is toefl pbt where the test uses paper and pencil. there are four areas in the test: reading comprehension, writing structure and expression, listening, and reading abstract: the toefl test to measure english language skills is an important determinant of educational success and admission to the university. the aim of the study is to measure toefl ability of lecturers and students at the university of samudra. this study used a test method with a quantitative-descriptive approach. with regard to the analysis of data from lecturers' toefl test results in various study programs, this study compared the scores for listening comprehension, reading comprehension, and finally structure and written expression as well as showed the highest score, lowest scores, and average scores obtained by the lecturers and students across disciplines. meanwhile, analyzing data from the toefl test for students, this study demonstrated the highest, lowest, and average scores of each study program in 5 faculties such as faculty of teacher training and education, faculty of engineering, faculty of law, faculty of agriculture, and faculty of economics. there were 16 lecturers who participated and 1.792 students. finding found that the highest score on the lecturer's tpt test was 497 by p-15 from accountancy. however, this highest score is not enough to pass doctoral studies with a minimum score of 500. so all lecturers must repeat the tpt test. meanwhile, only chemical and technical information managed to get an average score above 450 in order to meet the requirements of the thesis trial. therefore, many lecturers and students did not pass the tpt test, so they repeated the tpt test. keywords: listening comprehension; reading comprehension; structure and written expression; toefl. allif syahputra bania evaluating toefl prediction test proficiency among lecturers and students at the university of samudra 158 comprehension. the number of points that you will get in this test starts from 310 to. 667 points. then, toefl adopted the next version known as toefl cbt, which is the computer-based toefl test. the questions tested on the toefl cbt are listening, reading, structure, and writing. the toefl cbt exam score is 30-300. the toefl ibt started in 2005 is a generation testing with internet-based practice. toefl ibt is the most acceptable, authentic, objective, and highly available test. the ibt test is divided into five sessions in the form of structure, reading, listening, writing, and speaking. the highest mark on this exam is 120 points. toefl itp is only recognized for certain agencies and will not apply globally. there are three sections to this exam: reading comprehension, hearing, and structure and writing expression. there are 50 items in the hearing portion, 40 in the structure and written expression section, and 50 in the reading section of the multiple-choice toefl itp questions. the test is carried out within 115 minutes and the score is 310 to 677. (sulistyo, 2009; in’nami and koizumi, 2017; li, 2018). in this study, the type of toefl chosen was toefl pbt in the realm of the toefl prediction test. the toefl prediction test is used as a prediction test held by each university for participants for the purposes of graduation criteria and registering for post-graduate or doctoral programs in indonesia (badu, 2020; fitria, 2021). toefl as the test to measure english proficiency level is a very significant issue for the general public because its result is a reflection of communication skills. evidence that toefl is related to communicative skills is a comprehensive evaluation tool intended to measure how well international students speak english. the listening comprehension component, which assesses the capacity to comprehend spoken english, is the first communication skill to be tested. the capacity to identify proper english grammar is tested in the second communication skill that is examined, which is the element of structure and written expression. the final measurement of communicative skills is the aspect of reading comprehension which aims to demonstrate the ability to understand written english. in general, indonesian educational institutions carry out the toefl prediction test (tpt) so that academics can measure and improve their english language skills to determine educational success and admission to the university (supeni & fauziah, 2020; susyla et al., 2021). the problems found were related to the tpt in indonesia because it was difficult for participants to understand what the speaker was saying in the listening section as well as regarding subject-verb agreements, tenses, and nouns in written expressions. in addition, participants in indonesia often experience a lack of preparation and minimal knowledge of grammar. the reason this problem occurs is because they have a character that underestimates tpt and poor english mastery (maulana & lubis, 2022). furthermore, the problem factors that arise in indonesia such as the absence of continuous english language learning programs, the learning process in the classroom does not use english at all, and the absence of facilities such as libraries (salam, 2017). justification of urgency contained in the tpt problem is as follows: toefl test preparation textbooks are a way of learning but this independent learning design cannot be carried out competently by international students and teachers cannot teach textbooks effectively because they are only practical tests and are not accompanied by syllabus, activities or lesson plans (wang, 2019). in overcoming the weaknesses in filling out the tpt, the view of some educators is that the toefl is "tricky" and "filled with tricks". thus, participants only need to identify problems or errors, which is sufficient for test preparation and is the most effective way (johnson et al., 2005). thus, the primary goal of this study is to determine academics' english language proficiency in terms of the toefllike exam before they take the toefl exam, which is a prerequisite for pursuing further education or being awarded a scholarship. method this study used a quantitative-descriptive approach. according to jayusman and shavab (2020), the quantitative-descriptive approach was carried out by planning, searching, and collecting numerical information that has meaning to be interpreted and elaborated in the research reports. the research sample was taken using a purposive technique. according to tongco (2007), purposive sampling or judgment sampling is a method of choosing high-quality data by purposefully choosing rather than at random. it didn't need a theoretical foundation; instead, the researcher chose the data based on english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 159 the reliability of the knowledge and experience it contained. the research sample consisted of 16 lecturers and 1,792 students from 5 faculties such as the law faculty, economics faculty, agriculture faculty, engineering faculty, and teaching and faculty of teacher training and education which consists of 25 study programs. all student research objects totaled 1,792 students. the number of research objects based on study programs in 5 faculties can be described as follows: 75 participants or 4,18% from biology education, 49 participants or 2,73% from indonesian education, 95 participants or 5,30% from geography education, 17 participants or 0.94% from mathematics, 74 participants or 4,12% from elementary school teacher education, 88 participants or 4,91% from english education, 70 participants or 3,90% from history education, 5 participants or 0,27% from physical education, 39 participants or 2,17% from chemistry education, 35 participants or 1,95% from physics education, 191 participants or 10,65% from development economics, 189 participants or 10,54% from management economics, 129 participants or 7,19% from accounting, 137 participants or 7,64% from agrotechnology, 129 participants or 7,19% from agribusiness, 90 participants or 5,02% from aquaculture, 85 participants or 4,74% from law, 73 participants or 4,07% from informatics engineering, 11 participants or 0,61% from industrial engineering, 86 participants from civil engineering, 49 participants or 2,73% from mechanical engineering, 29 participants or 1,61% from mathematics, 19 participants or 1,06% from biology, 15 participants or 0,83% from physics, 35 participants or 1,95% from chemistry and 64 participants or 3,57% from civil engineering. the university of samudra had a threshold tpt passing score of 480 for english education study programs and 450 for other study programs. the data collection technique was the test method. tests had implications for observations in specific skill areas including toefl test. the data collection process had the goal of gaining insight into the research topic (schrader & conrad, 1948; taherdoost, 2021). according to bania et al. (2020), the test was a method for measuring skills, intelligence, and talents by using a series of questions to be answered individually or in groups where each item in the test had been conceptualized in advance so that it was planned and had answers that were considered correct. the data collection procedure was obtained from the results of scores carried out on the toefl-like test relating to three sections such as listening comprehension, reading comprehension, and structure and written expression by lecturers and students at the university of samudra in 2022. university of samudra is an indonesian public university in langsa city, aceh. data were taken from two types of toefl-like test takers with the same test given to lecturers in 2022 and data obtained by students at the university from january to december 2022. this study used a descriptive data analysis approach that included three research strands: data reduction, data presentation, and verification. because this study sorts, classifies, and categorizes the data obtained as a finding based on the focus or problem to be answered (miles & hubermann, 2005; bania & imran, 2020). data reduction (classifying the highest, lowest, and average scores so that it was easier to draw conclusions) and verification could be improved in general and graphically using visual displays to facilitate the mapping of the data analysis process (onwuegbuzie & weinbaum, 2016). with regard to the analysis of data from lecturers' tpt results, this study described the comparison of scores for listening comprehension, reading comprehension, and finally structure and written expression as well as described the highest scores, lowest scores, and average scores obtained by lecturers. meanwhile, analyzing data from the tpt for students, this study described the highest, lowest, and average scores of each study program in 5 faculties. the toefl-like or tpt exam was selected for this study because it is widely used by samudra university instructors and students and is also free of cost. results and discussion lecturers’ tpt results the following data was obtained from the findings of tpt at the language technical implementation unit on may 27, 2022. the tpt results were taken from 13 study programs consisting of two participants from historical education and management economics and one participant from various study programs such as development economics, physics, chemistry, physics education, indonesian language education, biology education, agrotechnology, chemistry education, agribusiness, aquaculture, accounting, and mathematics. susyla et al. (2021) stated that lecturers are required to have allif syahputra bania evaluating toefl prediction test proficiency among lecturers and students at the university of samudra 160 awareness that english proficiency is not only related to daily communication but included as a support for further study because the itp toefl score is one of the requirements to continue doctoral education with a minimum score of 500 minimally. therefore, lecturers are important to take tpt to predict test results before taking the actual toefl test. table 1. lecturer test results at university of samudra in 2022 no. participant study program listening comprehension (50 questions) structure and writing expression (40 questions) reading comprehension (50 questions) score p-1 physics 42 40 47 430 p-2 economic development 43 50 49 473 p-3 historical education 43 45 46 447 p-4 economic management 37 40 46 410 p-5 chemistry 42 41 42 417 p-6 physics education 37 51 50 460 p-7 indonesian language education 41 46 48 450 p-8 biology education 37 43 48 427 p-9 agrotechnology 38 40 45 410 p-10 chemistry education 33 43 46 407 p-11 agribusiness 37 49 49 450 p-12 economic management 37 49 49 450 p-13 historical education 44 38 37 397 p-14 aquaculture 35 48 43 420 p-15 accountancy 44 53 52 497 p-16 mathematics 38 43 49 433 average scores 41.75 44.93 46.62 436 from table 1, it can be seen that in listening comprehension it was found that the highest score of 44 was obtained by participants from historical education and accountancy. meanwhile, the lowest score was 33 in chemistry education. this conclusion results in an average score in the listening comprehension section of 41.75. which was the lowest score compared to the average score in the other two sections. related to the previous research by susyla et al. (2021), the average score was 42 which is almost similar. this finding is consistent with previous research, according to fitria (2021) that the listening comprehension part was the most difficult which resulted in a low score because most of the participants answered incorrectly. however, the finding is in contrast to according to hamp et al. (2021), the structure and written expression component had the lowest score, so the listening comprehension section was not the most difficult. without listening skills, it is assumed that communication will not occur. therefore, to improve skills in this section, it is recommended to practice with popular toefl preparation course books such as the longman preparation course for the toefl test: paper test written by deborah phillips in 2003. (irdiansyah and gusnaidi, 2018; soali and pujiani, 2020; herdianto, 2022). students’ tpt results the following is research data from the tpt test for students from january to december 2022. table 2. student test results at universitas samudra in 2022 no faculty study program toefl score particip ants highest lowest avarege 1 faculty of teacher training and education biology education (75 participants) 547 313 404 75 indonesian education (49 participants) 567 293 401 49 geography education (95 participants) 567 287 410 95 mathematics (17 participants) 567 293 412 17 primary teacher education (74 participants) 567 287 411 74 english education (88 participants) 557 303 408 88 history education (70 participants) 567 287 413 70 physical education (5 participants) 467 360 417 5 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 161 chemistry education (39 participants) 567 303 422 39 physics education (35 participants) 567 303 424 35 2 economics economic development (191 participants) 553 293 416 191 economic management (189 participants) 590 327 438 189 accountancy (129 participants) 557 317 419 129 3 agriculture agrotechnology (137 participants) 513 300 410 137 agribusiness (129 participants) 607 287 428 129 aquaculture (90 participants) 537 300 409 90 4 law legal study (85 participants) 640 287 434 85 5 engineerin g technical information (73 participants) 543 380 456 73 industrial engineering (11 participants) 503 310 393 11 mechanical engineering (49 participants) 527 313 414 49 civil engineering (86 participants) 537 310 401 64 mathematics (29 participants) 510 303 434 29 biology (19 participants) 557 390 449 19 physics (15 participants) 477 363 434 15 chemical (35 participants) 510 330 450 35 in table 2, it can be seen that the faculty of teacher training and education obtained the highest score of 567, achieved by 7 study programs such as indonesian education, geography education, mathematics, primary teacher education, history education, chemistry education, and physics education. while biology education got the highest score of 547, english education got 557 and physical education achieved 467. lecturers’ tpt discussions regarding the structure and writing tests, the highest score of 53 was obtained by the accounting lecturer, and the lowest score of 38 was obtained by the history education lecturer. meanwhile, the average score was 44.93. this finding found that scores above 50 were only obtained by two participants, namely p-6 with a score of 51 and p-15 with a score of 53 as the highest score earners. the majority of participants could not answer correctly in this section. related to the previous research in this section by susyla et al. (2021) that the highest score was 61, the lowest score was 31 and the average value was 40. this result is consistent with slamet and sulistyaningsih's (2021) classification of all assessments in the written expression and structure segment as difficult to complete by participants so that it affects the completeness score. in contrast to the previous research by akmal et al. (2020) who obtained a minimum score of 470 overall for participants so that they passed all the grammar tests in this section. the reading comprehension session in the table above also shows that the highest score was 52 obtained by the accounting lecturer. meanwhile, the historical education lecturer obtained the lowest score, namely 37. a score of 46.62 was the average score for the reading comprehension session. related to the previous research in this section by susyla et al. (2021) that the highest score was 65, the lowest score was 30 and the average score was 40 which indicates that the skills of the lecturer are still in the elementary or basic category. comparing the reading comprehension, listening comprehension, and structural and written expression sections, it is simplest to find the reading comprehension component. because the average score is the highest. however, the achievement of the participants regarding the score obtained in the section was inadequate. in accordance with zarnis et al. (2021), obtaining reading comprehension test results is a medium category test for participants to understand so it is normal for the score obtained in this section to be the highest compared to the other sections even though it is not sufficient to pass the score threshold. for the final result of tpt taken by the lecturers shown in table 1 above, the highest score was 497 from accountancy, while the lowest score was 397 from historical education. for the average score was 436. however, all lecturers scored below 500. this does not meet the requirements for the lecturers to reach the target, so that they must study harder to take the next tpt. related to the previous research by susyla et al. (2021) that the overall average score obtained was 378 which indicates that the toefl requirements from dikti/lpdp have not been passed because the minimum score is 530 allif syahputra bania evaluating toefl prediction test proficiency among lecturers and students at the university of samudra 162 for toefl itp to apply to national universities in indonesia. students’ tpt discussions in the faculty of teacher training and education, the score for geography education, primary teacher education and history education was 287, mathematics was 293, chemistry education, english education and physics education was 303, indonesian education and biology education was 313 and physical education was 360. finding provides the lowest scores were obtained by students from geography education, primary teacher education and history education. meanwhile, the highest score was obtained by physical education students. the highest average score obtained by physics education is 424. however, this highest average score is still below the toefl passing score of 450 for students. this average score is in accordance with kaniadewi and asyifa (2022) who found that the average score of students from various study programs at the faculty of teacher training and education was 413 during the pre-test and 438 in the post-test which had not yet reached a score of 450 as a threshold. the highest score on the tpt test at the faculty of economics was 553 for economic development, 590 for economic management, and 557 for accountancy. the lowest score was 293 for economic development, 327 for economic management, and 317 for accountancy. meanwhile, the average score was 416 for economic development, 438 for economic management, and 419 for accountancy. this finding shows that among the three study programs at the faculty of economics economic management is the best based on the highest score and average score. however, the highest average score does not reach the passing score. in contrast to nurhayati and giri (2014) who found findings in three study programs at telkom economics and business school academic year 2012/2013 that the highest average score was 58.03 (toefl ibt) or 493 (toefl pbt) in communication science, 56 .99 (toefl ibt) or 487-490 (toefl pbt) in business administration, and 52.69 (toefl ibt) or 477 (toefl pbt) in accounting where the three average scores of the study programs have passed. findings obtained from the faculty of agriculture for three study programs related to the highest scores, namely 513 for agrotechnology, 607 for agribusiness, and 537 for aquaculture. the lowest score was 300 for agrotechnology, 287 for agribusiness, and 300 for aquaculture. meanwhile, the average score was 410 for agrotechnology, 428 for agribusiness, and 409 for aquaculture. based on the ranking of the average score on the faculty of agriculture, it is obtained that agribusiness is the best, then agrotechnology, and finally aquaculture. previously, ras (2016) stated that the average score of the faculty of agriculture was 371 which was the second lowest average score of 9 faculties in 2015/2016. there are 8 study programs in the faculty of engineering. the highest score sequentially was 557 for biology, 543 for technical information, 537 for civil engineering, 527 for mechanical engineering, 510 for mathematics and chemical, 503 for industrial engineering, and 477 for physics. the lowest score was 303 which was obtained by mathematics. the highest average score sequentially was 456 for technical information, 450 for chemical, 449 for biology, 434 for physics and mathematics, 414 for mechanical engineering, 401 for civil engineering, and 393 for industrial engineering. the average test results that pass the 450 threshold are technical information and chemical. meanwhile, the previous findings by sofendi (2011) at the faculty of engineering in the 2010/2011 academic year related to the highest score being 540 for electrical engineering, 513 for mechanical engineering, 527 for chemical engineering, 517 for mining engineering, 547 for civil engineering, and 467 for architectural engineering. the lowest score for each study program was 307 for electrical engineering, 277 for mechanical engineering, 307 for chemical engineering, 313 for mining engineering, 277 for civil engineering, and 320 for architectural engineering. meanwhile, the average score per study program was 382 for electrical engineering, 387 for mechanical engineering, 391 for chemical engineering, 395 for mining engineering, 383 for civil engineering, and 391 for architectural engineering. the average test result past the 450 threshold is nonexistent. the findings on the faculty of law were the highest score of 640, the lowest score of 287 and the average score of 434. the average score on the toefl test indicates failure to pass the test. in accordance with previous research, syahrial and syafryadin (2020) found that in the masters of laws, there were 14 students in 2018, only 1 student got a score between 460-540 while 13 students got a score between 337-459. there was english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 163 a decline in 2019, only 3 students took the toefl test from the master of laws, namely 1 student scored between 310-333 while 2 students scored between 337-459. the difficulties experienced by the participants were because english was not a main subject but was only taught in general courses in the first semester apart from the english language education study program, so the participants felt it was difficult and had a completely new experience. the solution so that participants can get the desired score for the purpose of continuing their studies and obtaining scholarships is to buy books and modules about toefl to study independently and take courses. conclusion the conclusion obtained by the lecturer's tpt test with the highest score of 497 was obtained by p-15 from accountancy. however, this highest score has not passed the minimum score requirement of 530 for continuing doctoral studies with a scholarship. so, all lecturers must repeat the toefl test. meanwhile, the student's tpt test with the highest score of 640 was obtained by legal study. the lowest score of 287 was obtained by geography education, primary teacher education, history education, legal study and agribusiness. the average score that passed for the requirements of the thesis trial requirements was 456 by technical information and 450 by chemical. the lowest average score of 393 was obtained by industrial engineering. this finding has implications as evaluation material as supporting data to determine the ability of lecturers and students to obtain toefl-like test scores before taking the toefl test such as toefl itp so that solutions can be obtained to continue repeating tests, study independently via coursebooks and even take courses. the gap between lecturers and students did not appear significant because the results obtained from both showed that the majority of them had to retake the test and study further so that they could obtain the required threshold scores for scholarships and further study abroad. finally, this research suggests further research on obstacles and solutions for the majority of lecturers and students to pass tpt easily. acknowledgments lppm universitas samudra and upt bahasa universitas samudra provided supports for this study. references akmal, s., rasyid, m. n. a., masna, y., & soraya, c. n. (2020). efl learners’ difficulties in the structure and written expression section of toefl test in an indonesian university. englisia: journal of language, education, and humanities, 7(2), 164. https://doi.org/10.22373/ej.v7i2.6472 ananda, e., & ashadi, a. (2021). high-stakes testing and english teachers’ role as materials developers: insights from vocational high schools. studies in english language and education, 8(1), 115–130. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i1.17518 badu, h. (2020). students’ability in reading toefl. jambura journal of english teaching and literature, 1(2), 89-100. https://ejurnal.ung.ac.id/index.php/jetl/article/d ownload/7288/2510 bania, a. s., & imran. (2020). analisis kemampuan literasi membaca siswa sekolah dasar di kota langsa. best journal, 3 (2), 51-56. https://jurnal.uisu.ac.id/index.php/best/article/v iew/2806/0 fitria, t. n. (2021). an analysis of the students’ difficulties in toefl prediction test of listening section. english franca, 5(1), 95-110. http://dx.doi.org/10.29240/ef.v5i1.2212 hampp, p. l., lengkoan, f., & kumayas, t. a. (2021). synthesizing grammar and structure problem faced by indonesian toefl participants. jurnal pendidikan bahasa inggris undhiksha, 9(1), 64-68. https://ejournal.undiksha.ac.id/index.php/jpbi hartono, sakinah, r. m. n., & nirwana, r. (2021). tingkat kemampuan bahasa inggris dosen tetap perguruan tinggi swasta di jawa barat berdasarkan skor toefl; studi kasus di universitas al-ghifari bandung. al-tsaqafa: jurnal ilmiah peradaban islam, 18(2), 214229. https://doi.org/10.15575/altsaqafa.v18i2.14974 herdianto, o. (2022). students’ difficulties in doing listening section of toefl test. teaching english and language learning english journal (telle), 2(2), 230-240. ilyosovna, n. a. (2020). the importance of english language. international journal on orange technologies, 2(1), 22-24. https://journals.researchparks.org/index.php/ij ot/article/view/478 in’nami, y., & koizumi, r. (2017). using eiken, toefl, and toeic to award efl course credits in japanese universities. language assessment quarterly, 14(3), 274-293. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2016.1262 375 irdiansyah, i., & gusnaidi. (2018). assessment and evaluation being used in classrooms by foundation of listening lecturer. pedagonal, allif syahputra bania evaluating toefl prediction test proficiency among lecturers and students at the university of samudra 164 2(2), 47-51. https://doi.org/10.33751/pedagog.v2i2.852 jayusman, i., & shavab, o. a. k. (2020). studi deskriptif kuantitatif tentang aktivitas belajar mahasiswa dengan menggunakan media pembelajaran edmodo dalam pembelajaran sejarah. jurnal artefak, 7(1), 13-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.25157/ja.v7i1.3180 johnson, k. e., jordan, s. r., & poehner, m. e. (2005). the toefl trump card: an investigation of test impact in an esl classroom. critical inquiry in language studies: an international journal, 2(2), 71-94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15427595cils0202_1 kaniadewi, n., & asyifa, d. i. (2022). the effect of toefl preparation course on efl undergraduate students’ toefl scores. linguistic, english education and art (leea) journal, 6(1), 1220. https://doi.org/10.31539/leea.v6i1.4365 li, y. (2018). a comparison of toefl ibt and ielts reading tests. open journal of social sciences, 6(8), 283-309. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2018.68023. luczaj, k., bukala, i. l., & ochmanska, o. k. (2022). english as a lingua franca? the limits of everyday english-language communication in polish academia. english for specific purposes, 66, 3-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2021.11.002 maulana, c., & lubis, i. a. (2022). students’ problem of taking toefl test at stmik royal academic year 2020/2021. journal of science and social research, 5(1), 5-10. https://doi.org/10.54314/jssr.v5i1.811 miles, m.b. & huberman, a.m. (2005). qualitative data analysis (terjemahan). ui press. nurhayati, i. k., & giri, r. r. w. (2014). analisis perbandingan nilai toefl dengan nilai mata kuliah bahasa inggris mahasiswa; studi kasus mahasiswa telkom economics and business school, telkom university. jurnal sosioteknologi, 13(2), 134-146. https://doi.org/10.5614/sostek.itbj.2014.13.2.7 onwuegbuzie, a. j., & weinbaum, r. k. (2016). mapping miles and huberman’s within-case and cross-case analysis methods onto the literature review process. journal of educational issues, 2(1), 265-288. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/jei.v2i1.9217 phillips, d. (2003). longman preparation course for the toefl test. pearson education. ras, f. (2016). an analysis of students’ english competence (toefl equivalent) at riau university pekanbaru. journal of english education, 2(2), 91-97. https://journal.upp.ac.id/index.php/jee/article/ view/451 salam, u. (2017). toefl antara penting dan frustasi: analisis kebijakan “toefl” di universitas tanungpura. jurnal pembelajaran prospektif, 2(1), 37-44. http://jurnal.untan.ac.id/index.php/lp3m schrader, w. b., & conrad, h. s. (1948). methods of research and appraisal in education; tests and measurements. review of educational research, 18(5), 448-468. slamet, j., & sulystianingsih. (2021). students’ difficulties in answering “structure and written expression” toefl-like at stkip pgri sidoarjo. e-structural, 4(1), 17-27. http://dx.doi.org/10.33633/es.v4i01.4410 soali, m., & pujiani, t. (2020). error analysis of non english students department in answering listening section in toefl. j-lee: journal of law, economics, and english, 2(01), 21-39. http://ejournal.uhb.ac.id/index.php/jlee/issue/archive sofendi. (2011). english mastery of students of engineering faculty sriwijaya university academic year 2010/2011. jurnal holistik, 3(1), 18-22. https://jurnal.polsri.ac.id/index.php/holistic/arti cle/view/315 stoffelsma, l., spooren, w., mwinlaaru, i. n., & antwi, v. (2020). the morphology-vocabularyreading mechanism and its effect on students’ academic achievement in an english l2 context. journal of english for academic purposes, 47, 100887. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2020.100887 sulistyo, g. h. (2009). toefl in a brief historical overview from pbt to ibt. bahasa dan seni, 37(2), 116-127. https://sastra.um.ac.id/wpcontent/uploads/2012/01/1-gunadi.docx.pdf supeni, s., & fauziah, a. (2020). aligning the toefl prediction scores to the common european framework of reference for languages (cefr) level. journal of english language and literature, 5(1), 33-42. https://doi.org/10.37110/jell.v5i01.93 susyla, d., angrraini, r., & ananda, r. p. (2021). the lecturers’ english ability through the toefl test. linguistic, english education and art (leea) journal, 5(1), 69-82. https://doi.org/10.31539/leea.v5i1.2931 syahrial and syafryadin. (2020). analysis of the toefl mastery of postgraduate program (s2) at bengkulu university. in proceeding of 1st international conference on the teaching of english and literature, 1(1), 165-176. https://ejournal.karinosseff.org/index.php/icotel /article/download/79/72 taherdoost, h. (2021). data collection methods and tools for research; a step-by-step guide to choose data collection technique for academic and business research projects. international journal of academic research in management, 10(1), 10-38. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstrac t_id=4178676 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 165 tongco, m. d. c. (2007). purposive sampling as a tool for informant selection. ethnobotany research and applications, 5, 147-158. https://ethnobotanyjournal.org/index.php/era/ar ticle/view/126 wang, y. t. (2019). the impact of toefl on instructors’ course content and teaching methods. tesl-ej, 23(3), 1-18. http://www.tesl-ej.org/pdf/ej91/a2.pdf yuyun, i., meyling, laksana, n., & abednego, d. (2018). a study of english proficiency test among the first year university students. journal of language and literature, 18(1): 18. https://doi.org/10.24071/joll.v18i1.1046 zarnis, y., septiana, t. i., & trisanti, o. l. (2021). analysis of students’ problems on the reading section of toefl. elt echo : the journal of english language teaching in foreign language context, 6(1), 139-154. https://www.syekhnurjati.ac.id/jurnal/index.php /eltecho/article/view/8576 zimmermann, j., von davier, a. a., buhmann, j. m., & heinimann, h. r. (2017). validity of gre general test scores and toefl scores for graduate admission to a technical university in western europe. european journal of engineering education, 1–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2017.1343 277 allif syahputra bania evaluating toefl prediction test proficiency among lecturers and students at the university of samudra 166 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 577 reloading the dragon lady: reading the character of chun li in street fighter: the legend of chun li silvy adelia english literature study program, faculty of languages and arts, universitas negeri surabaya, surabaya, indonesia email: silvyadelia@unesa.ac.id ephrilia fitriana english literature study program, faculty of languages and arts, universitas negeri surabaya, email: ephriliafitriana@unesa.ac.id yeni andriani indonesian literature study program, faculty of literature and culture, universitas papua, manokwari, indonesia email: y.andriani@unipa.ac.id dwi kusumaningtyas english literature study program, faculty of languages and arts, universitas negeri surabaya, surabaya, indonesia email: dwikusumaningtyas@unesa.ac.id alfi dirgantari upt bahasa, institut teknologi kalimantan, balikpapan, indonesia email: alfisuci@lecturer.itk.ac.id apa scitation: adelia, s., fitriana, e., andriani, y., kusumaningtyas, d., & dirgantari, a. (2024). reloading the dragon lady: reading the character of chun li in street fighter: the legend of chun li. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 577-590. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9118 received: 21-02-2024 accepted: 22-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction “warriors converge on streets of bangkok, preparing for the ultimate battle of terror versus beauty, light versus darkness and good versus evil” is the teaser of the 2009 street fighter movie, street fighter: the legend of chun li. directed by andrzej bartkowia, the movie is based on the capcom street fighter video games. as the title suggests, this particular movie revolves around and is focused on the character of chun li, the first female fighter in street fighter. throughout the series, chun li is one of the major fighters who has attracted many, especially male, audiences. therefore, it is no wonder to have a special movie dedicated to her. street fighter was first released as an arcade game by capcom, a japanese game manufacturer company. this electronic fighting game then gained a lot of popularity and has been adapted in many diverse media, multiple adaptations, sequels, and spin-offs — the newest one is the chun li movie. based on the original characters from the abstract: street fighter: the legend of chun li movie revolves around the journey of chun li, a chinese female fighter of the street fighter series, and her eventual fight against bison. this study focuses on the portrayal of chun li as a representative of asian women in an american movie, and compares it to her original portrayal in the game. there are two big groups of representation of asian women in the western media: the submissive ‘lotus blossom baby’ and the aggressive ‘dragon lady.’ as a form of content analysis, this study analyzes both textual and visual elements of the street fighter: the legend of chun li movie and street fighter game series which represent the portrayal of an asian woman character named chun li. result shows that chun li character in the movie leans more towards the ‘dragon lady’ group with her strong and seductive characteristics, while her game self exhibits a broader range of qualities. keywords: asian women; chun li; dragon lady; lotus blossom; representation silvy adelia, ephrilia fitriana, yeni andriani, dwi kusumaningtyas, & alfi dirgantari reloading the dragon lady: reading the character of chun li in street fighter: the legend of chun li 578 game, americans have developed a version that caters to the need and appeal to its new audience. in the video game, chun li is one of the most popular and iconic characters in the series. she is a skilled martial artist and an interpol agent of chinese descendant. on the other hand, in street fighter: the legend of chun li, chun li appears as a chinese-american pianist who turns to a renowned street fighter in order to save her father from bison. there is a large difference (personality, past, clothing choices, ability) between the chun li in video games and in the movie. this transformation of characters from the original game to the americanized movie offers an interesting topic of research, especially in relation to how chun li, as an asian woman, is portrayed in a western media. orientalism is a term coined by edward said (1995) in his book to describe the way the west views the east. it can be viewed as a system of representation through which the west places the east as its opposite. it involves a collection of binaries between east and west, used to separate between the two—civilized and uncivilized, colonizer and colonized, progressive and primitive, self and other (hoeveler and cass, 2006; said, 2023). ranji (2021) states that orientalism is used to deal with regions, objects, qualities, and questions deemed to be oriental in nature. he notes that media and journalism are marked by binary terminology when referring to west and non-west. however, said (2023) argues that the concept of ‘orient’ or anything related to ‘oriental’ is only a product of western imagination. the westerners have constructed a binary opposition between the east and the west, which is used to justify its imperialism and domination over the east. orientalism is not simply a topic of academic study; it is a political and cultural project that has real consequences on the world. likewise, there is a close relationship between orientalism and popular culture. orientalism influences what kinds of roles asian characters can or will play, and once those roles are established, it will be very difficult to go against the mainstream and then create new representations of asian people (ofianti, 2021). the representation of asian women in western media is often influenced by orientalism (matsumoto, 2020; arie, 2020; ramirez, 2020; tombul, 2021). asian women are usually represented in both asian and american media as exceptionally submissive, mysterious, strong, sexy, and/or aggressive. it was the ultimate male fantasy, a lady outside the bedroom and a whore inside. such stereotypes of these women tend to revolve around “the scary but seductive dragon ladies of china, the demure geisha of japan, and the sexy belly dancers and mysteriously veiled women from the arab world” (chin, 2011) in particular. nevertheless, if we were to put together all the representations of asian women in the western media, we would actually arrive into two big groups: the lotus blossom baby and the dragon lady (nakamatsu, 2005; tajima, 1989; zhou & paul, 2016; paner, 2018; ma, 2020). the ‘lotus blossom baby,’ which is also known as china doll or geisha girl, refers to the stereotypical representations of asian women as shy, passive, and/or sexually exotic beauties (nakamatsu, 2005; tajima, 1989; zhou & paul, 2016; ma, 2020; pires, 2024; ramiro, 2022). at the same time, the dragon lady is ruthless, cold, and unforgiving type (nakamatsu, 2005; tajima, 1989; zhou & paul, 2016; ma, 2020; hwang & parreñas, 2021, pires, 2024; ramiro, 2022; tripathi, 2021). following the lotus blossom and dragon lady dichotomy, hagedorn (1997) argues that most hollywood movies usually play down asian women as follows: “if we are ‘good,’ we are childlike, submissive, silent and eager for sex. and if we are not silent, suffering doormats, we are demonized … cunning, deceitful, sexual provocateurs.” one is prettily submissive, whereas the other is the expected dominatrix; so, which one would one rather have? it initially started with an attempt to present asia. the western began to fantasize asia from what they saw themselves or heard from others. it included female representation in asian media as a form of societal representation that crosses the pacific to america. it was then in turn consumed by americans and became a hybridized popular culture. the asian female was first portrayed with ideological assumptions in american media such as television and movies. some people might see it as a positive thing to have asian actresses on the big screen, and it indeed is – but in the end, the thinly veiled stereotypes still remain. it cannot be denied therefore that the portrayal of asian women in western media is closely related to orientalism, which often exoticizes asian women and perpetuates them in negative stereotypes (jessop, 2021; wu, 2023; peralta, 2022; nighman, 2021; zhang, 2023). rarely does a lead character of asian heritage appear in a regular television show or movie, even though the number of asian actors in the world of american movies might not be less than those of other races. not only are asian americans underrepresented, but the little representation that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 579 asians get is also characteristically stereotypical. gerbner (1998) mentions in his report about the fairness and diversity that asian characters only made up 2.6 percent of the cast in the nineties. in the past, asians have often been portrayed as cooks (happy days), loyal assistants (green hornet), or heavily accented landlords (suddenly susan); asian actresses may have crossed over into more contemporary and significant roles, but they are still stereotyped in another way (kim & chung, 2005; leong, 2005; jessop, 2021). while the name may suggest otherwise, the term dragon lady was not originally chinese, nor did it come from any asian country (kim & chung, 2005; leong, 2005). both the term, which was inspired by the characters played by anna wong, and its usage are more of western thing than an eastern one. dragon lady is used to indicate domineering, aggressive, and fierce women, specifically ones of the asian descendants, or as leong (2005) would put it “an overly aggressive and dominant oriental female.” while the word ‘dragon’ is mainly used to imply something positive in the east, particularly in east asia, the westerners have adopted it for an entirely different purpose. the dragon lady in particular originated from the ‘yellow peril’ stereotype, which was born out of the threat of asian invasion during the 1300s (hoppenstand, 1992; johnson, 2004; kong, 2023). the ‘yellow peril’ presents asian men as a threat to the western civilization whereas asian women in the dragon lady category are cunning, dominant, cold, calculating, and mysterious characters (hoppenstand, 1992; johnson, 2004; hwang & parreñas, 2021; wong, 2022; park, 2022; brown, 2023; shin, bae, and song, 2023). previous studies (staszak, 2015; wiley, 1995, kim & chung, 2005; leong, 2005; lee, 2018; clark, 2012; tripathi, 2021) describe dragon lady to be oversexualized, with the characters playing them using sexuality as a means of power. to achieve their objectives and plans, the dragon lady will make a full use of their charms, seducing and even manipulating their targets (rajgopal, 2020; zhang and he, 2023). some might describe their character as femme fatale. according to lee (2018), this oversexualization reinforces the idea of asian women as the “exotic other,” who are sexually available and can fulfill the ultimate male fantasies. such representations are actually harmful and reduce the portrayal of asian women to onedimensional characters. this study sets out to identify how chun li, as a character of asian descendants, is portrayed in the movie street fighter: the legend of chun li. is chun li being portrayed as a submissive and demure maiden of the lotus blossom or china doll group? or does she belong to the more aggressive and cunning dragon lady group? is there any possibility of her being portrayed into some unique representation? in addition to focusing on the portrayal of chun li in the movie, this study also aims to draw comparisons between chun li’s depiction in the movie and her character in the original game version. it seeks to find out whether both versions present similar stereotypical representations of asian women or not. addressing these questions would allow us to gain better insights about the representations of asian characters in popular media and how it follows or challenges the existing cultural stereotypes. studies on the representation of asians, particularly asian women, in the media have been quite popular. besana, katsiaficas, and loyd (2019) has conducted analysis on the representation of asian and asian american in media through film analysis. they focus on the frequency, type of role, characteristics, and content of dialogue that asian characters have in the films. they discover that the frequency of asian lead roles and genres have increased recently in the last 25 years. though the stereotype-confirming representations are still present in those roles. similarly, johnson (2004) also focuses on exploring the representation of asian and asian american in american films. she examines the cause of stereotypes on asian characters, and explains how the stereotypes are gendered and sexualized. two key depictions of asian women, johnson (2004) mentions, are dragon lady and lotus blossom which are highly sexualized and erotic objects in american media. lee (2018) agrees on her findings and writes about how the representation of east asian women in popular media can be harmful due to the exaggerated portrayal of china dolls and dragon ladies. then, there is also zhou and paul (2016) who find out that, in the online pornography of asian women, films featuring lotus blossoms are actually more popular and numerous than those starring dragon ladies. additionally, sriganeshvarun and wen (2020) also analyze the stereotypical images of asian women in six selected hollywood films— breakfast at tiffany’s (1961), sixteen candles (1984), rush hour (1998), shanghai noon (2000), the hangover (2009), and pitch perfect (2012). they state that while asian images in hollywood films are changing, the representations of asians still mostly adhere to the stereotypical portrayal silvy adelia, ephrilia fitriana, yeni andriani, dwi kusumaningtyas, & alfi dirgantari reloading the dragon lady: reading the character of chun li in street fighter: the legend of chun li 580 like scheming dragon lady and submissive lotus blossom. they emphasize on the effects of such stereotypes and the need to change these harmful narratives. previous studies mostly focus on the portrayal of one or more asian characters in media (novels, films, videos, pictures) and describe their traits. however, this study differs as it seeks to identify the portrayal of chun li in the movie street fighter: the legend of chun li as well as how it can be compared to its game version on the matter of stereotypical representations of asian characters. it seeks to find out whether chun li represents dragon lady, lotus blossom, or an entirely different group. after all, no studies have been done on the character of chun li exclusively. previous studies on street fighter series mostly focused on the game composition, content, history, culture and players rather than on individual character. this research objectives are twofold. first, it sets out to identify how chun li, as a character of asian descendants, is portrayed in the movie street fighter: the legend of chun li. second, how she compares to her game self. method this study applies content analysis to explore the portrayal of chun li as a representative of asian women in a western media, particularly american movie. it combines an examination of both visual and textual elements, which includes but not limited to dialogue, actions, interactions, and costume design, presented in the street fighter: the legend of chun li and finds out whether chun li embodies or challenges the existing stereotypes of dragon lady and lotus blossom baby which commonly associated with asian women in western media. the submissive lotus blossom baby and aggressive dragon lady are the two major representations of asian women that would be used as a theoretical framework for analyzing chun li’s character. these representations, influenced by orientalism, have affected how asian women are portrayed in western media; they have limited and often stereotypical representations. it ends up putting them in a negative light most of the time. the data used in this study are selected through repeated viewings of street fighter: the legend of chun li movie and playing the street fighter game series. throughout the data collection process, the researchers focus on particular facets of chun li’s character portrayal. they document scenes, dialogues, actions, and/or visual components that influence chun li’s representation, taking screenshots or notes of each occurrence. the data collected are then organized according to a list of categories–lotus blossom, dragon lady, and unconfirmed. each category would then be divided into specific characteristics that the character displays in the movie and game. for instance, the lotus blossom category might be divided into three characteristics such as submissive, weak, and nurturing; while the dragon lady might have four characteristics such as domineering, ruthless, cunning, and seductive. uncategorized sample would then belong to the unconfirmed category, which predictably lead to the unique representation of asian female characters. among all the characteristics and categories, the most dominant ones would be used in determining what kind of portrayal chun li has as an asian character in media produced by westerners and easterners. after collecting and organizing the data, content analysis is performed to identify trends and patterns in chun li’s portrayal in the movie and game using the coded data. it assesses how her character may embody or divert from the submissive lotus blossom baby and aggressive dragon lady archetypes. a possibility of an entirely new representation (of asian women)—based on the unconfirmed category in the coded data—is also considered. furthermore, a comparison would also be made between chun li’s character in the game and movie. any differences in appearance, traits, or behaviors are noted and analyzed. the findings will contribute to the understanding of representations of asian women in western media, particularly in relation to how these representations differ or evolve from their original. results and discussion re-loading the dragon lady representation of asian women on the big screen has always been an interesting topic of research. seeing a dragon lady instead of a lotus blossom baby for the representation of asian women may be a refreshing — not to mention welcoming — change because for once asian is not portrayed as the submissive one to the domineering western presence. the dragon lady may be represented as allpowerful and even in some cases equal to their male partners. however, their power will still be subject to their ability to remain highly aggressive, domineering, and sexy. it is not a pretty welcoming change any more. because even though the form has been altered, it remains another cultural subjection of the east by its other half. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 581 the image of “dragon lady” is associated with sexual attraction. sriganeshvarun and wen (2020) explain that the representation between asian women and white men reflects a complex relationship containing dominant yet sexually objectified. the representation of asians merely becomes “the other” without being given any sgnificant roles in some particular hollywood movies. the naming of dragon lady tries to erase the subordination towards asian women, yet the idea of being sexually attractive once again decreases the social stratification between asians and whites. the chun li in street fighter: the legend of chun li is different from its game version. she is more dangerous and sensual, and like many asian women characters in hollywood movies, chun li character, played by kristin kreuk, seems to have fallen into the dragon lady category. although there have been several descriptions following the image of the notorious ‘dragon lady,’ this study focuses only on the two main characteristics— strong and seductive—which seem to be dominant in chun li character in the movie. the strongest woman in the world in relation to the dragon lady in the hollywood context, the first characteristic (strong) appears to lean more heavily toward physical prowess than a mental one. as stated by tung (2004) and paner (2018), heroines of asian or asian american descendant are seen differently from the white heroines. in martial arts movies, in particular, they often fit into the stereotypical roles of being master of kung fu or other types of martial arts. this shows that western audiences expect asian women to excel in martial arts, which can lead to exoticization in (and of) these films. chun li character in the movie indeed possesses the quality of being called strong, both in the physical and mental sense. she has been “standing up even when standing is not easy,” following what her father taught her as a child. pursuing the dragon lady description, chun li is more than capable of self-defense and martial arts, in the form of wushu, before his training with gen. furfari (2010) has commented on chun li’s ability: “chun li owns the distinction of being the first female fighting game character and is known for her balance of strength and speed. she was one of few female characters…not cast in a role of damsel in distress, but instead showed that female characters could fight just as same as their male counterparts”. figure 1. chun li training martial arts with her father (00:03:04 00:04:12) figure 2. chun li fighting thugs (00:29:00 00:30:19) under the guidance of her father, she has taken martial arts training since childhood (figure 1) and is stronger than most women her age. she is more than capable of fighting and defeating a group of men even unarmed. it is proven throughout her journey in bangkok. chun li has defeated four thugs who are trying to rob an old man (figure 2). not only that, but she also manages to deal with bison and his shadaloo organization. after training with gen, she becomes far stronger than before and can even take on a group of fully armed men easily (figure 3 and 4). figure 3. chun li fighting armed men (00:48:28 00:48:57) figure 4. chun li defeating armed men (00:48:57 00:49:15) additionally, she is also capable of materializing and using her inner energy as seen in figure 5 and 6. the kikoken is chun li’s trademark silvy adelia, ephrilia fitriana, yeni andriani, dwi kusumaningtyas, & alfi dirgantari reloading the dragon lady: reading the character of chun li in street fighter: the legend of chun li 582 move from the video game and is usually used to defeat her enemy. in the movie, chun li uses it (figure 6) during her battle against bison where she eventually defeats him. there is no doubt that chun li is a strong character. she has said it herself that “i am the strongest woman in the world!”. the battle against vega has provided another proof. trained in assassination by bishon, vega is defeated by chun li in their fight. figure 5. chun li’s training to channel her inner energy (01:12:23 01:12:49) figure 6. chun li’s kikoken (01:28:09 01:28:23) the kick-ass image that the dragon lady possesses does not stop there. tung (2004) states, “the other popular understanding of asian women’s physical prowess and power is in relation to sexuality.” it is obvious how vega absolutely enjoys fighting and watching chun li’s fight from the way he caresses the brown strand that is left behind in his weapon (figure 7). he even licks his lips as he eyes her up and down. even though his perfect killing record cannot stand against chun li, vega has shown pleasure in dealing with a female who cannot easily be killed. at first he is surprised that a woman can hurt him (figure 8), but he later seems to enjoy fighting her as a female fighter is unusual. figure 7. vega picking chun-li’s hair from his weapon (01:00:46-01:00:55) figure 8. vega’s surprised face (01:01:02 01:01:26) this shows that although chun li might be strong, her physical strength and power simply becomes another trait that attracts male sexually. her portrayal therefore does not fully reflect a positive image as it confirms the stereotypical representations of asian women as a strong and desirable kung fu master. chun li is actually one of the many asian female characters who are fiercely good at martial arts. other examples are the characters played by michelle yeoh in police story iii: supercop (1992), the heroic trio (1993), wing chun (1994), and crouching tiger, hidden dragon (2000). it implies that, although the female asian characters are presented as a strong one in terms of their physical and fighting prowess, their representation ends up playing to the dragon lady stereotype rather than empowering them. femme fatale the second characteristic of the dragon lady is seductive. in this case, it entails not only the act of seduction itself but also the costume. talking about the costume, chun li’s choice of wardrobe has drastically changed before and during her time in bangkok. before her journey to bangkok, chun li was a renowned lady pianist who lived in a big mansion with her mother and servant. chun li resolved to forge her own path after her mother passed away due to cancer where she met gen due to an old chinese scroll she found. as a pianist, chun li is the picture perfect of a dignified lady in her formal dress and skirt. she mostly wears traditional chinese clothes that leave little to no room uncovered. however, as she leaves for bangkok, the dignified lady suddenly makes a quick u-turn into something that does not speak of a lady coming from a well-respected family. if anything, chun li’s recent outfits, which leave little to one’s imagination, very much resemble that of an ass-kicking dominatrix girl. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 583 figure 9. chun li’s framing position, smirking (01:01:26 -01:01:29) figure 10. chun li’s framing position, looking down at her opponent (01:01:29 01:01:32) she is often staged so that she is looking down on the bad guys (figure 9 and 10). her stance is usually rigid, her legs apart, her arms resolutely balled on her sides, readying to attack at short notice (figure 11). one eyebrow is typically raised, and her expression is angry, though her smirk suggests she is enjoying her superiority. in addition, chun li often is shown to wear a trademark tank top combined with pants, hiking boots, and fingerless gloves (figure 11) and also tights black combat suit (figure 12), which are commonly found in the wardrobe of a dominatrix (brown, 2004). her sexuality is emphasized by portraying her as a kicking-ass dominatrix. because of the manner in which she is described, and the danger of violence, pain, and pleasure she represents, it is difficult to address the sexual image linked to her outside of the context of domination. the original chun li’s fighting garb is designed ridiculously short for easier movement during battle and seducing the enemy. on the other hand, it seems that the attire of chun li in street fighter: the legend of chun li is also intended for the same purpose and much more. figure 11. chun li’s combat clothes in the movie 1 (00:29:05 00:30:29) figure 12. chun li’s combat clothes in the movie 2 (01:16:2701:29:49) chin (2011) believes that one of the stereotypes of asian women is embedded in the representation of “the scary but seductive dragon ladies of china…” this depiction is taken straight from the book into this movie during the scene in which chun li is demanding information from an officer in the port. actually, all of chun li’s interrogations can be an example of this seductive trait; nevertheless, this particular scene will be a good example since it successfully captures the dazed expression of the officer who, although he is scared of chun li, cannot help but be fascinated by her. the officer at first warns chun li that the room is a restricted area, but the former pianist only ignores him and slowly waltzes in, capturing his attention as she does so. the male gaze undoubtedly begins gradually moving to her body, taking pleasure in what he sees up and down (figure 13). the brown-haired female seemingly has expected it as she has purposely donned in a pretty revealing outfit. she moves casually to sit on the table and crosses her legs, directly looking down at the man as she leans closer to speak: “i thought you might make an exception.” her body language and tone have taken into a seductive edge that invites the man to get closer. he does get closer, but the man cannot do anything except put his hand on chun li’s shoulder before he gets smashed into his table with his arms pinned behind him (figure 14). silvy adelia, ephrilia fitriana, yeni andriani, dwi kusumaningtyas, & alfi dirgantari reloading the dragon lady: reading the character of chun li in street fighter: the legend of chun li 584 figure 13. the officer fascinated by chun li (01:01:50 01:02:09) figure 14. chun li pinning the officer (01:02:09 01:02:28) after getting the information she wants, she warns the man to “never put a hand on a lady,” chun li disappears, leaving the man to massage his hurting shoulder and look longingly at the door. both her manner (hands in pocket, looks down into the other) and her appearance (clothes) signify her dominatrix image, which is more likely the embodiment of “the scary but seductive dragon ladies of china” description. the dragon lady might be scary, yet she is still desirable by males, especially ones who enjoy the dominatrix type. contrasting chun li: movie vs video game this section draws a comparison between chun li’s character in the movie and video game. it would compare three aspects: physical appearance, costume, and personality traits. then, after drawing comparison on those three aspects, both would be compared regarding their relation to the dragon lady and lotus blossom baby stereotypes. chun li was first introduced in the video game street fighter ii: the world warrior, which was released in 1992. she then became the first playable female character and a regular who appears in almost all the street fighter series. as indicated by the ending of the movie, street fighter: the legend of chun li's timeline is set before street fighter ii: the world warrior. in street fighter ii, chun li is said to be in her early 20s. if the movie is to take place before that, then she is supposed to be younger (late teen or early 20s). however, the chun li in the movie looks older (figure 15 and 17) than her game self (figure 16 and 18) in terms of appearance. figure 15. chun li in the movie (01:08:41 01:11:00) figure 16. chun li’s profile in the game physically speaking, both characters look quite sexy especially since their clothes accentuate their figure—more so for chun li in the game. chun li’s original character in the game is illustrated as wearing a blue qipao with golden accents (figure 16 and 18), a chinese dress from manchuria (ma and zou, 2022; grela-chen, 2020; law and qin, 2023) that was very popular among girls during the early twentieth century. her outfit is modified to allow a wider range of movement than a normal qipao. it usually goes down past her knees with two identical slits that go up to her upper thighs; hence, many players gush over her muscular thighs. she styles her hair into two buns or ox horns (figure 18) as it is called, a typical style in which chinese children and also the girls in chinese paintings are frequently described dress their hair (wong and thiagarajan, 2021; liu, 2021). figure 17. chun li’s costume in the movie (01:16:2701:29:49) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 585 figure 18. chun li’s costume in the game chun li in the movie, as discussed in the previous section, usually wears a fighting garb consisting of a combination of tank top, pants, hiking boots, and fingerless gloves (figure 11 and 15). near the final battle, she is shown to wear a black tight combat bodysuit (figure 12 and 17). regarding her hairstyle, she mostly keeps her hair in a low ponytail and only styled it once into twin buns during the movie. both versions of hairstyles and outfits worn by chun li in the game and movie are intended to make her able to move easily during battle and seduce her enemy. therefore, in relation to their physical appearance and costume in both media, chun li's character does possess the characteristic of being seductive, which is a trait of the dragon lady stereotype. figure 19. chun li in the game ending 1 figure 20. chun li in the game ending 2 next, comparing the original chun li to its american counterpart is like comparing a girl to a woman. personality-wise, the original chun li takes on a more innocent and childish side; it can be seen from how she seeks approval from ryu, a fellow street fighter, over her fighting ability. she sees ryu as someone she can look up to and not a boyfriend material. furthermore, compared to her movie counterpart’s sensual and dangerous vibes, original chun li is presented as a kind, enthusiastic, and caring character. in the game, whenever players win battles using chun li, she would be shown to cheer while jumping in joy (figure 21). then, in the ending of street fighter ii, she is shown to have visited her father’s grave after she has successfully defeated bison (figure 19). she is also illustrated to remove her fighting gears and don normal clothes, while saying “and i can get back to being a young single girl” (figure 20). it is apparent that chun li does not actually enjoy fighting, but she has to do that in order to find out the truth behind her father’s death and avenge him. she is strong in her own right, yet she uses that strength not only for fighting (like her movie counterpart does) but also for helping others (figure 22). figure 21. chun li in the game figure 22. chun li in the game 2 movie chun li’s most dominant characters are her strength and aggressiveness. as discussed in the previous section, the movie follows chun li in her journey to discover the truth behind her father’s disappearance and eventually to avenge him. as a woman on a mission, she is really focused on her goal and would do almost anything to get her revenge on bison and his underlings. her character seems to be rather flat and does not really change throughout the story. if anything, the highlight of her character is focused on her strength—the martial arts skills that asian characters are expected to have—her cunning personality, to resort to deception and seduction to accomplish her mission (as in the scene with cantana and the port officer). there is not much to her personality. her character remains unchanging, somewhat onedimensional, emphasizing on her dragon lady quality. regarding gender roles, said (1995) mentions silvy adelia, ephrilia fitriana, yeni andriani, dwi kusumaningtyas, & alfi dirgantari reloading the dragon lady: reading the character of chun li in street fighter: the legend of chun li 586 that it can be considered as “western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the orient” and it will exist as long as asian women remain sexual objects. this view, in fact, has existed for a long time, where “white american men viewed and treated local women in dehumanizing, reductive ways that sexualize their racial and cultural identities” during asian occupation (matsumoto, 2020). after what is said and done, the asian dragon lady, who is portrayed as powerful and sexual, has further captivated and intrigued the male audience with her mysterious and enigmatic image. chun li is the epitome of that. however, while the movie chun li embodies dragon lady characteristics, her game self appears to have a more balanced representation. in the game, chun li is strong like her movie counterpart; yet she is not depicted as aggressive or seductive. if anything, she seems more innocent and kind. in conclusion, chun li in the movie is portrayed to be a perfect epitome of dragon lady, emphasizing her physical allure, bold attire, as well as strong, aggressive, cunning personality. on the other hand, in the game, her character exhibits more complexity. while she remains physically appealing with her sexy figure and adheres to asian stereotypes with her qipao dress and ox horns hairstyle, the games showcase chun li as a multifaceted character. she is strong, possibly even stronger than her movie counterpart, as she attains more extensive arrays of fighting skills and techniques such as kikoken, spinning bird kick, and hundred lightning kicks which are not really shown in the movie. however, even as the strongest woman in the world, she retains her kindness, innocence, respectfulness and care for others. although both versions have vowed to take revenge on bison for killing their father, in the game, chun li doesn’t single-mindedly focus on that goal. she still interacts with other characters, developing bonds and intending to teach martial art skills to elderly and children. contrary to the game version, which offer the character chun li a richer portrayal, due to the western influence, the character in the movie is being molded into the stereotypical dragon lady portrayal. these differences show the impact of cultural perspectives on character representation in media. audiences who only watch the movie may perceive chun li (or even asian women in general) to be a figure who is alluring and fiercely skilled at martial arts yet cunning. they would most likely have a superficial understanding of what asian women would look alike and act in real life. on the other hand, those who play the game (and probably also watch the movie) would see chun li as a female asian character who is strong, attractive, and kind. the western portrayal of chun li in the movie reflects and maintains the existing stereotypes, particularly of the asian dragon lady, whereas the eastern portrayal as seen in the game version of chun li presents a more diverse and realistic portrayal that does not really adhere to the stereotypes. hwang & parreñas (2021) view that dragon lady as a form of hypersexualization of asian women; it implies immorality and may threaten social order as it indicates asian women’s disposability. therefore, such stereotypical portrayal should be avoided. conclusion as one of the recent hollywood movies in the series, street fighter: the legend of chun li proves that the stereotyping of asian women in the western media is still very much intact. the representation of the chun dragon lady li does seem to satisfy the “lady in the dining room and a whore in the bedroom” fantasy of the male audience with her sexy, ass-kicking and seductive dominatrix play. she is quite different from her game counterpart who possesses an unique combination of being strong and seductive yet remains kind and bright. the portrayal of chun li in the movie is more focused on displaying her mysterious and dangerous allure rather than her human side. this causes her to become a perfect epitome of a dragon lady. in summary, movie chun li is shaped by western influences and thus embodies the stereotypical portrayal of western dragon lady; whereas the game version originates from an asian perspective and presents a more balanced character that belongs neither to lotus blossom baby or dragon lady category. game chun li may retain physical allure, appearance, and strength that may adhere to western stereotypes of asian characters, yet her character exhibits a broader range of qualities like kindness, innocence, and independence. it is a big contrast to her movie self whose traits mostly revolve around dragon lady’s strength and seductiveness. stereotypes are a product of prevailing myths broadcasted by various media, films, and television. the stereotyping of asian women often inclines towards the extreme of the docile, subservient sexual object of the lotus blossom baby or the aggressive, powerful dominatrix of the ‘dragon lady.’ asian female roles have at least received more exposure despite the insufficient english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 587 exposure in general. asian actors and actresses may have managed to get into film and television roles because their popularity and survival in hollywood depends on the constructed and limited stereotypes plaguing the western media. asian male roles are more confined due to the lack of sexuality, while the female ones are fully charged with it. will there be a time for asians to be cast without the heavy (sexual) stereotypes in the future? although studies on gender representation in media have been very popular, discussions on racial gender representation, especially ones comparing the representation in western and eastern media are still limited. future research on this topic should focus on exploring and challenging stereotypes of asian or asian american characters in western media, with particular attention on presenting diverse as well as realistic portrayals. it may include examining the effect of these stereotypes on individuals and society. asian women, in particular, may be affected in how they see themselves, how others (audiences) perceive them, and how they get treated in real life due the aforementioned stereotypes. therefore, offering potential solutions to address and change these harmful stereotypes in the media as well as promoting more realistic and diverse portrayals of asia and asian american characters can be another future research topic. in addition to examining the portrayals in the media itself, the role of media in maintaining or changing the stereotypes should also be analyzed. this study provides insight into the current portrayal of asian female character in both western and eastern media; it shows the importance of presenting an accurate and diverse representation in the media as well as its potential implications for combating discrimination and promoting diversity. references arie, k. (2020). the depiction of asians in hollywood films. global studies, (4), 113-126. besana, t., katsiaficas, d., & loyd, a. b. (2019). asian american media representation: a film analysis and implications for identity development. research in human development, 16(3-4), 201225. brown, j. a. (2004). gender, sexuality, and toughness: the bad girls of action film and comic books. in action chicks (pp. 47–74). palgrave macmillan, newyork.https://doi.org/10.1057/978140398124 0_3 brown, s. (2023). from mythical serpents to dragon women: an exploration of women’s agency in myth and media. spirited ink: reed college student perspectives on chinese ghost stories and supernatural tales (spring 2023). chin, j. (2011). mongrel: essays, diatribes, and pranks. st. martin press. clark, a. w. (2012). disturbing stereotypes: fu man/chan and dragon lady blossoms. asian american literature discourses & pedagogies, 3, 99-118. furfari, p. (2010). top 50 street fighter characters. ugo.com. http://www.ugo.com/games/top-50street-fighter-characters.html gerbner, g. (1998). casting the american scene : a look at the characters on prime time and daytime television from 1994-1997. grela-chen, m. (2020). antithesis versus inspiration: chinese clothing in the eyes of western theorists and fashion designers. relacje międzykulturowe (intercultural relations), 4(2 (8)). hagedorn, j. (1997). asian women in film: no joy, no luck. in facing diferrence: race, gender, and mass media (vol. 1, pp. 32–37). hoeveler, d. l., & cass, j. (eds.). (2006). interrogating orientalism: contextual approaches and pedagogical practices. ohio state university press. hoppenstand, g. (1992). yellow devil doctors and opium dens: the yellow peril stereotype in mass media entertainment. in nachbar, j. g., & lause, k. (eds.). popular culture: an introductory text (pp 277-91). popular press. hwang, m. c., & parreñas, r. s. (2021). the gendered racialization of asian women as villainous temptresses. gender & society, 35(4), 567-576. jessop, m. p., (2021). revisiting asian american representations in hollywood: negotiating identity, gender, and sexuality [major paper]. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/major-papers/183 johnson, l. l. r. (2004). asian and asian american representations in american film [wwu honors program senior projects, western washington university]. https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwu_honors/210 kim, m., & chung, a. y. (2005). consuming orientalism: images of asian/american women in multicultural advertising. qualitative sociology, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11133-005-26311 kong, y. (2023). recreating asian identity: yellow peril, model minority, and black and asian solidarities. apa studies on asian and asian american philosophers and philosophies, 23 (1):11-17. lee, j. (2018). east asian “china doll” or “dragon lady”? bridges: an undergraduate journal of contemporary connections, 3(1). http://scholars.wlu.ca/bridges_contemporary_con nectionshttp://scholars.wlu.ca/bridges_contempo rary_connections/vol3/iss1/2 leong, k. j. (2005). the china mystique: pearl s. buck, anna may wong, mayling soong, and the silvy adelia, ephrilia fitriana, yeni andriani, dwi kusumaningtyas, & alfi dirgantari reloading the dragon lady: reading the character of chun li in street fighter: the legend of chun li 588 transformation of american orientalism. university of california press. law, a. m., & qin, q. (2023). reflexive han-ness, narratives of moral decline, manchurian subjects and “mass” societal others: a study of the hanfu movement in the cities of beijing, chengdu, shanghai, wuhan, and xi’an. journal of current chinese affairs, 52(2), 230-255. liu, m. (2021, march). study on children’s hair styles in children-playing picture of cizhou kiln in song and jin dynasties. in 2020 international conference on language, communication and culture studies (iclccs 2020) (pp. 291-296). atlantis press. ma, c. l. (2020). visual manipulation of east asian women in american pop female performances. reconceptualizing the digital humanities in asia: new representations of art, history and culture, 115-125. ma, t., & zou, y. (2022, july). representation of women, representation of nation: qipao, liberation and identity. in 2022 3rd international conference on language, art and cultural exchange (iclace 2022) (pp. 406-411). atlantis press. matsumoto, k. (2020). orientalism and the legacy of racialized sexism: disparate representational images of asian and eurasian women in american culture. young scholars in writing, 17, 114-126. https://youngscholarsinwriting.org /index.php/ysiw/article/view/305/329 nakamatsu, t. (2005). faces of “asian brides”: gender, race, and class in the representations of immigrant women in japan. women’s studies international forum, 28(5), 405–417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2005.05.003 nighman, e. (2021). orientalist stereotypes and transnational feminisms in disney’s 1998 and 2020 mulan. film matters, 12(3), 96-108. ofianti, r. d. (2021). orientalism stereotypes as reflected in the disney’s movie aladdin [bachelor thesis, universitas islam sultan agung]. universitas islam sultan agung repository. https://repository.unissula.ac.id paner, i. (2018). the marginalization and stereotyping of asians in american film [honors theses]. https://doi.org/10.33015/dominican.edu/2018.ho nors.st.08 park, a. (2022). fetishization of asian women in us culture and media. finest, 10. peralta, e. (2022). an analysis of the portrayal of women of color in western animation. journal of student academic research, 3(1). pires, i. (2024). a lotus or a dragon?-the orientalization and fetishization of asian women’s bodies. ciência & saúde coletiva, 29, e03592023. rajgopal, s. s. (2020). “the daughter of fu manchu” the pedagogy of deconstructing the representation of asian women in film and fiction. meridians, 19(s1), 389-409. ramiro, c. (2022). after atlanta: revisiting the legal system’s deadly stereotypes of asian american women. asian am. lj, 29, 90. ramirez, m. c. (2020). the other in hollywood: asia and asian americans and the fight against the western perspective. the undergraduate historical journal at uc merced, 7(1). ranji, b. (2021). traces of orientalism in media studies. media, culture & society, 43(6), 1136–1146. https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437211022692 said, e. (1995). orientalism. penguin books india. said, e. (2023). introduction to orientalism. in imperialism (pp. 30-52). routledge. shin, r., bae, j., & song, b. (2023). confronting antiasian racism in art and visual culture education. art education, 76(3), 40-46. sriganeshvarun, n., & wen, c. p. (2020). asian stereotypes: asian representation in hollywood films. inti journal, 63. staszak, j. f. (2015). performing race and gender: the exoticization of josephine baker and anna may wong. gender, place & culture, 22(5), 626-643. tombul, i. (ed.). (2021). handbook of research on contemporary approaches to orientalism in media and beyond. igi global. tripathi, n. (2021). images of chinese american women on screen: femme fatale and chinese swordswoman as the oriental drug for western viewers. the creative launcher, 6(2), 61-69. wiley, c. (1995). unbroken thread: an anthology of plays by asian american women. theatre journal, 47(1), 151-154. wong, a. (2022). simulacra and simulasian: the culture of hollywood’s yellow peril. canadian review of comparative literature/revue canadienne de littérature comparée, 49(1), 208221. wong, j. s., & thiagarajan, p. (2021). choreographing contemporary dance with objects in asia: a review of literature and performances. malaysian journal of performing and visual arts, 7, 54-76. wu, s. (2023). a study on the abg, a racialized, gendered social label. asian american research journal, 3. http://dx.doi.org/10.5070/rj43060699 tajima, r. (1989). lotus blossom don’t bleed: images of asian women. in making waves: an anthology of writings by and about asian american women. tung, c. (2004). embodying an image: gender, race, and sexuality in la femme nikita. action chicks, 95–121. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403981240_5 zhang, j. (2023). distorted asian female representation in the marvel cinematic universe: old and new patterns (doctoral dissertation, california state university, northridge). zhang, x., & he, s. (2023). ethical dilemma and narrative strategies in david henry hwang’s m. https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437211022692 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 589 butterfly (1988 and 2017). kritika kultura, (42). zhou, y., & paul, b. (2016). lotus blossom or dragon lady: a content analysis of “asian women” online pornography. sexuality and culture, 20(4), 1083–1100. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-0169375-9 silvy adelia, ephrilia fitriana, yeni andriani, dwi kusumaningtyas, & alfi dirgantari reloading the dragon lady: reading the character of chun li in street fighter: the legend of chun li 590 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1013 new-word formation and social disruption on metaverse ervina c. m. simatupang english department, faculty of humanities universitas widyatama email: ervina.simatupang@widyatama.ac.id heri heryono english department, faculty of humanities universitas widyatama email: heri.heryono@widyatama.ac.id apa citation: simatupang, e. c. m., & heryono, h. (2022). new-word formation and social disruption on metaverse. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 1013-1022. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6722. received: 29-06-2022 accepted: 22-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction interaction refers to an integral part of human life. one of the fields within linguistics and engineering on how the interaction between humans and computer is human and computer interaction (hci). it refers to the process of communication between humans and computer turns to be an essential part to learn, both in linguistics and engineering. currently computers have been involved in all fields, the goal is to help human limitations in carrying out activities in the hope of being more effective and efficient. when we use a computer, it means we are having a dialogue and interacting with a computer through commands that are understood by both parties. the technology is a compounding of the real world with the virtual world (virtual world) involving linguistics aspect beyond its interaction. by combining these two areas, it is hoped that users can better understand the information provided. by applying of this interaction technology make people more interactive with conditions surrounding when the user immerse on it. communication using internet technology is an activity that can't be avoided, especially for the younger generation and it affects their writing and reading culture (syahrudin & prasandha, 2021). various kinds of applications that have used technology augmented reality, among others, in the health sector, defense, education and history; furthermore, those applications altogether coalesce in the word of metaverse. it leads to a virtual community world built to be connected to each other. in this community, people can meet, work, play as in the real world with the assisted of augmented reality (ar) and virtual reality (vr) technology. in fact, there are not only crucial factors for language development built in metaverse, but also there are sustainability of a community usages. it then turns to be cultivated abstract: the virtual environments have provided users with varied degrees of digital transformation, despite the fact that users are non-permanent and unconnected. to further assist the digital transition in every element of physical life, the term metaverse has been coined. it cannot be avoided that language, furthermore linguistics, has involvement to the word framing and word creation within metaverse. this research is purposed to determine some typical new-word formations or neologisms that impact to the establishment of terminologies within metaverse. on the other hand, cultural aspect also becomes the concern towards this new universe; since people need to be well-informed in the term of consequence and benefits. the method of the research applied qualitative method and distributional method by segmenting immediate constituents techniques; which means the technique of dividing a construction of direct elements which form the construction. three main theories used in this paper are neologism (kilmer, 2020), social disruption (kumbara et al., 2020) and metaverse (mystakidis, 2022). the paper puts three different terminologies that are analyzed using linguistic and cultural perspective. the result of the result is three words; persistent virtual world (pvw), blockchain and nft that massively arise in the metaverse terminologies. based on the analysis, it can be concluded that those terminologies are categorized to morphological and semantic neologism; which also includes abbreviation and broadening. the notion of an immersive internet as a massive, unified, persistent, and shared realm is at the core of metaverse. keywords: metaverse; morphological; new-word formation; semantics; social disruption. ervina c. m. simatupang & heri heryono new-word formation and social disruption on metaverse 1014 language use by engaging a community discourse (mendrofa, 2018). metaverse is meant to be a social experience. the great thing about metaverse is that all the users can communicate with people who are not in the same physical space. it creates the concept of a metaverse sound like something that can unite the entire world by transcending geographical and political boundaries. but it also feels very utopian since even in real life, people don't have the superpower of universal understanding (mystakidis, 2022). once the language change and shift, it lasts to the platform attached. language change occurs because of the new language to change the previous language (freytagh-loringhoven, 2021). the ease of using language in recent communication as well as the sophistication of the way it works; it is not only a way of verbal communication, but also form a new way of communication even variety of new languages (butar, 2021). the uniqueness of language usage does not exist in the peculiarities of the medium, but the variation of the form used concerns the transmission of modalities which in this case are speaking versus writing, participants' conversations, style, media used and culture. in the use of language in the internet that most often occurs is written communication compared to auditory (zhu, 2019). netspeak refers to a variety phenomenon skill used in written communication on the internet, for phenomena where language users in social media write down what is pronounced; it is called ecrononciation. it comes from french, which means a word formation of a words combination ecrire (writing) and prononciation (pronunciation). this term refers not to the structure of the sentence but to the writing of the words, phrases, and clauses used (kadwa & alshenqeeti, 2020). the ecrononciation phenomenon shows a linguistic change that gives rise to variations in typical language which includes zeroization which connects to apheresis or omission of the initial phoneme or initial syllable of a word. the second zeroization is syncope or the omission of a phoneme or syllable in the middle of a word; and the third is apocalypse or omission of phonemes or syllables at the end of a word. zeroization refers to the removal of phonemic sounds as a result of efforts to save or economize pronunciation. this event is normal occurs in the speech of languages in the world, including indonesian, origin alone does not interfere with the process and purpose of communication. this event continues develop because it has been secretly supported and agreed upon by speaking community (julita, 2021). abbreviation exists in metaverse or internet includes acronym and shortening. for certain terms or expressions, people recently put abbreviation to give more effective ways of conveying. some of abbreviations are fomo (fear of missing out) or yolo (you only live once). others are words that have been stretched into more parts of speech than originally intended -like when "trend" became a verb ("it's trending worldwide"). others still have emerged as we adapt our language to new technologies; think "crowd-funding," "selfie," "cyber-bullying." (dilla & agustina, 2021). in addition to naming, language plays an important role in the use of internet interaction (social media, online game and global trading). the wide spread of new words requires apps; thus, language would be one of the factors that make this happen. this is because users must understand the features available on social media and that understanding can be obtained through language that can be recognized by its users. the key to a new word's success is its longevity. for the dictionary to recognize the word, it must be used by the general population and kept in use. the words must have been in use for at least five years to be considered. when words "lol" become commonly used and understood, they are eligible for a spot in the dictionary. later on, there is new word formation that refers to a word or phrase that is created to define a new object or new ideas that were not known before. in other hand, it is also well-known as neologism; which is the formation of new words or languages that form new meanings and definitions of language. dominant neologism type used in interface (view) of internet and translation procedures is commonly emerged along with user’s requirement to name something that has not appeared before. the type of neologism with a new sense of 'new meaning' is the most dominant type used in interfaces on internet. while the most dominant translation procedure used is by transfer (hardini et al., 2019). communication processes do not directly affect in language used by internet users. even more, many of these apps dominated by the use of written language. this also creates a new space in creation of words used in internet. words that have been these creations form new words or what in linguistic terms is called as a neologism; it is individual creativity that produces neologism (olojede et al., 2018). the process of forming the word refers to as metathesis. based english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1015 on this point of view, it appears that language basically provides space in the creation of new words, especially in metaverse which users come from all over the world. neologism refers to a relative unit that can only be identified when it is placed in a certain time period, discursive context, and perceptive pronunciation (asif et al., 2020). meanwhile, communication can only be achieved if the speaker can convey his message well and the listener can understand the message of the speaker’s utterance (simatupang & fathonah, 2020). neologisms not only have linguistic function as filling lexical gaps. it puts forward two other functions of neologisms. these functions are cultural and functional functions economical. in carrying out cultural functions, these neologisms become traces of popular culture; meanwhile, from the economic function, neologisms in the field of information technology and computers are a means to make it easier for industry to market products. as for the point of view of the language industry and translation, neologisms deal with a tool for industries to increase the value of the services. neologism is an effort to enrich and update lexicon system in a language. furthermore, the emergence of neologisms leads to change language (plauc & clinic, 2021). morpho-semantic neologism. a morphosemantic neologism is the type of neologism that is made influence both form and meaning. there is a change in shape and the meaning of the word resulting from this process. in the process, there are several procedures that can be applied. each procedure can produce different shape characteristics. forms can be in the form of basic words, derivatives, and compound words. morphological neologism. this term refers to shape-shifting neologisms the new one does not affect the meaning. one of formation procedure that can used to generate types this neologism is a sound creation (phoneme). borrowing neologism. borrowing neologisms refers to a type of neologisms obtained by borrowing concepts and forms from foreign words. in indonesian process, this is called word matching; it is a match foreign shapes or concepts that correspond to characteristics of the indonesian language. this process can be carried out through absorption, translation, or both. in this research, the borrowing neologisms are dominant that can be found in the entire data analysis. semantic neologism. this is a type of neologisms formed from the process of meaning. in this case, the type of neologism can be formed in three different ways; broadening meaning, narrowing meaning, and change of meaning of the base form (change the meaning of the base form or also called shifting of meaning). functional neologism. it refers to neologisms formed inflected and influenced by grammatical function. this type of neologism is more visible its existence in the context of the use of the word in sentence. therefore, this type of neologism is not one of indicator in this research. the classification of types of neologisms above has shown various procedures that can be used in the process neologism formation. however, every language has different characteristics, including in the process formation he said. therefore, it is necessary to do a comparison to the process of forming neologisms as mentioned above by a known forming process in particular language (source language). explicitly, there are four parameters to identify neologisms; diachronic parameters, lexicographic parameters, system instability parameters and psychological parameters. first, the diachronic parameter is a neologism if it emerged recently. these parameters use a time perspective to identify a neologism. second, the lexicographic parameter is a neologism if it is not already in the dictionary. these parameters refer to all words that are not institutionalized in the dictionary. third, systematic instability is a neologism if it shows signs of instability formal. this parameter refers to the use of neologisms, either in spoken and written form. fourth, psychological parameter is a neologism if speakers of that language consider it as a new lingual unit. these parameters tend to be very subjective because it is more personal (colina, 2021). in the current era of digital disruption, globalization cannot be separated from global technology as a complex or multidimensional phenomenon. this can be seen from the definition of globalization put forward as a worldwide spread of customs, expansion of relationships across continents, the organization of social life on a global scale, and growth of a shared global consciousness (plauc & clinic, 2021). disruption refers to a condition of innovation causes massive or fundamental alterations into a new system. in the social sector, this is certainly a formidable challenge where society must be adaptive continuously in order to remain relevant to the changing times. even incumbent societies can be affected by this change. this could be due to large cultures and customs losing their ervina c. m. simatupang & heri heryono new-word formation and social disruption on metaverse 1016 “market” as a result of technological advances. they are not ready and also have not adapted to this disruption and condition (karman, 2017). cultural development must have a strategy concrete since its first design. cultural development must have a dual strategy, microscopic and telescopic. microscopic means that cultural development strategies must have attention to detail and scientific attention to the infinitely small. at the same time, it must be proportionate to attention to infinitely great things. microscopic means that cultural development must enter into the recesses of consciousness and the depths of human life. likewise, telescopic cultural development must not ignore big things, both at the ideological and social level as well as infrastructure so that the nation's cultural character becomes the world's attention. above all the context, when ethnic identification and local culture are becoming more widespread, including when it emerges “new” concepts that define for example local communities and indigenous peoples (indigenous people) in the concept of anthropology, an empathic and advocacy perspective must be created. those communities turn to be a minority group that should receive special attention and affirmative, now or later. their existence is still not easy to identify comprehensively from the aspect of technology emerging. quoting the term of french existentialist philosopher, jean paul satre, this “ethnic minority” group still does not have adequate epistemological concepts; they are still grouped as entomologists or in other word insects, which is segmented animals that disturb the existence of other ecosystems, therefore deserve to be destroyed (syahrudin & prasandha, 2021). the further impact of metaverse to minority is the process of duplicating or appropriating the colonial culture as a key marker of imitation. while they are still local people, the culture that carrying it is an imported culture. they then perform mimicry; trying to make sure that the idealized import culture is no longer outside of itself, but has coalesced as cultural identity. there are five dimensions conceptual or "landscape" that is formed and is at the same time the characteristics of global cultural flows. those five “landscapes” and characteristics of the global cultural currents are as follows: ethnoscape (movement of people from one country to another such as tourists, immigrants, refugees, labor work), technoscape (technological developments that are now flowing at a rapid rate high through national boundaries), mediascape (the electronic ability to disseminate information to various parts of the world). finanscape is the financial aspect or money which is difficult to predict in the era of globalization, and ideoscape (related to political issues, such as freedom, democracy, sovereignty, welfare, human rights, state ideologies, and social movements (lin, 2020)). this is in line with the process of alteration in various aspects of people lives and culture; as a result of globalization which people should draw on. hence, many aspects of socio-cultural life experience change; especially language. the term metaverse emerged from the science fiction novel snow crash by neal stephenson published in 1992 and ernest cline's novel ready player one launched in 2011. in both novels, the metaverse is described as a space that connected the virtual world and augmented reality (ar). etymologically, metaverse comes from the word "meta" which means beyond and "verse" means the universe; so, metaverse means beyond the universe. the final form for many platforms exist in metaverse is dao or decentralized autonomous organizations. in other words, the space beyond metaverse is entirely governed by the community inside or of users; it is similar with a real life electorate. as for the user, the metaverse which is based on decentralized autonomous organizations allows users to create personal projects. the metaverse works basically as the same as in the real world. users are required to log in to the virtual world by using technology that supports augmented reality (ar) and virtual reality (vr). recently, the only device needed to enter the metaverse is a vr headset; oculus, google vr or sinta vr. after entering the virtual world, users can carry out various activities in the metaverse just like in the real world as described before. metaverse is based on technologies that enable multisensory interactions with virtual environments, digital objects and even people as the users. the representational fidelity of the cross reality (xr) system is ensured by stereoscopic displays that are able to accurately convey the perception of depth (indarta et al., 2022). users are allowed to stay in vr environments temporarily. users may activate their entire bodies, including their hands and feet. the ability to have an embodied digital identity that allows users to feel and interact with the environment and virtual objects from different perspectives, like the third person perspective, creates the psychological sense of being present in a space english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1017 (mystakidis, 2022). this virtual reality universe was created through computer graphics; and users from all around the world can access and connect with it through vr. the basic of the metaverse is a protocol called the street, which connects different virtual neighborhoods and locations. this analog concept is similar to the information super-highway; it is especially in the education system (indarta et al., 2022). users create avatars in the metaverse that can be configured to look however they want. although stevenson's metaverse is digital and synthetic, experiences in it can have a real impact on the physical self (endarto & martadi, 2022). metaverse market is considered to be potential, especially for some developing countries. however, the successful adoption of virtual world technology depends on digital infrastructure, including the development of the fifth generation or 5g internet networks. metaverse is the latest version of virtual reality (vr) without a computer. users can enter the virtual world using a device in the form of a headset or glasses based on augmented reality (ar) or vr. figure 1. metaverse scope metaverse is a 3d virtual shared world where users can access a wide range of virtual and augmented reality services to make their experiences more immersive. as people shift their activities online more often during the coronavirus pandemic, these platforms have become popular (nextrope, 2022). the capability in exploring, integrating and reusing of relevant scientific outputs from previous studies leads to critical assumption, especially to innovative research (anderson & rainie, 2022). the most essential information regulations are addressed to shape the future of community and societies (in common); yet, that information has become the most significant resource for the future modern societies. by the appropriate processing of information, various strategies may appear for every sector of human requirements (rotolo et al., 2017). since its inception as a computergenerated reality, the metaverse has been described by a wide range of notions. three stages of metaverse growth are represented in the concept of digital twins. it is where the real environments are digitized and hence have the ability to reflect changes in their virtual counterparts on a regular basis. digital twins generate digital replicas of actual settings as virtual worlds, and users with their avatars work on new creations in such virtual worlds as digital natives, according to the physical world (wang et al., 2019). figure 2. digital twins-native continuum users in metaverse communicate using digital avatars; either the immersive avatar or traditional avatar. since its inception as a computergenerated reality, metaverse has been described by a wide range of notions. in parallel to human physical reality, metaverse will emerge as a massive entity. it is expected that by surveying recent work across diverse technologies and ecosystems, users have sparked a broader conversation among metaverse community. method the research applies qualitative approach in the area of morpho-semantics, cultural studies and social behavior towards internet or metaverse. as research procedures, it generates data descriptive in the form of written words or speech from people and behavior that can be observed (mohajan, 2018). the data observed are in form of words; written word used as a language symptom. morpho-semantics approach is an appropriate tool to explain neologism. data collection in this research was implementing documentation techniques. the method used in this research is a distributional method by segmenting immediate constituents techniques which means the technique of dividing a construction of direct elements which form the construction. as for data analysis procedures in this study including: identification. the process requires tagging or marking the data as neologisms by using lexicographic parameters and the social ervina c. m. simatupang & heri heryono new-word formation and social disruption on metaverse 1018 fabrication supporting the appearance of neologisms. classification. it refers to the process of grouping data based on the type of neologism found in metaverse; data classification will be adapted to the nature of qualitative research. analysis. it is the process of describing the types of neologisms and describing the reason of their emerging in metaverse. after the data is collected, it is then processed and classified according to the research requirements. data in interpretive qualitative research (interpretation) is descriptive, not numeric. data can be in the form of symptoms, events or events that later will be analyzed in the form of categories. qualitative research is also not intended to draw conclusions on a population, but to study the characteristics under study. the purpose of this qualitative research is to understand condition of a context by leading to the description in detail and in depth regarding the portrait of conditions in a natural context (natural setting), about what is really happens according to what is in the field of study. this qualitative research is research that can be used to examine society, history, behavior, organizational functionalization social movement, or kinship (sely et al., 2017). results and discussion everything about metaverse is being discussed about all over the world. many people dive into the world of metaverse and make huge profits from it. yet, the other are still misguided by the terminologies exist in metaverse. they emerge to equip the whole process required; and those terminologies have changed the language preference, brought out the neologisms and turned the social characteristics of the users. in this research, there are three data which are analyzed from those elements and aspects; linguistics, culture and social. the euphoria about cryptocurrencies, nft, and metaverse are palpable among gen-z specifically. they have acquired those modern and sophisticated terminologies since childhood; they live in a virtual world with a concept similar to metaverse, such as in games and social media. data 1. persistent virtual world (pvw) the first characteristic that best describes the metaverse is persistent. there is no such thing as a reset, pause, and end. based on the words attached in the phrase persistent virtual world; it refers to words compounding to a single terminology. it is classified to the morphosemantic type of neologism; there is a change in shape and the meaning of the word resulting from this process. figure 3. concept of pvw it also happens to gaming experience which formerly had pause system, yet today the metaverse-based games don’t have pause system, even reset or end. those kinds of games have their own metaverse. players in the games’ ecosystem are allowed to build and design their own avatar. later on, they may access different environments, games and hubs in different metaverses; and those digital assets created can be monetized via nft; those games are minecraft and sandbox. the growth in the era of disruption is driven by occupation or profession. by the development of the game industry, modern and recent profession emerged; one of them is e-sport player (athlete) with a large amount of income. data 2. blockchain based on the linguistics aspect, blockchain is categorized to a neologism, and morphologically as compounding. it comes from two different words, block and chain. compounding is the process of combining two or more existing free morphemes or words to produce a single form—a compound word. compounding can also be interpreted as putting together existing words to form a new vocabulary unit. blockchain refers to a series of data records that are managed by a computer system, in which it is not owned by any entity. cryptography is a principle used to bind and secure various blocks of data contained in it. the network in it has no central authority, because in it are ledger records that are shared and also do not change, all the information in it is open to anyone for those who want to see it. for this reason, everything that is built on the blockchain is basically transparent and everyone involved in it is responsible for their own actions. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1019 figure 4. blockchain blockchain has a positive impact on economic efficiency and effectiveness. the working mechanism of peer-to-peer cryptocurrencies allows the elimination of third parties (intermediation) in transactions based on the blockchain network. this will disrupt the hegemony of traditional financial institutions that are not based on blockchain. in the digital economy, trust is fundamental to commerce. without trust, transactions between economic agents spread throughout the world are impossible to run effectively. the people are increasingly dependent on digital technology since almost all aspects of life use it. digital transformation is the entry point for change. humans become agents of change in the world of digital culture. lack of regulation and the absence of information about the impact of metaverse are the main factors causing the misuse of that technology in society; in other hand, metaverse could be opportunity or even threat. data 3. non-fungible token (nft) on linguistics perspective, the word nft can be categorized to morphological neologism, specifically in the area of word abbreviation to enhance the terminology required by the community in metaverse. initially, the concept of nft began in 2012 which at that time still used the term colored coin. the true function of colored coin is as a medium that represents goods in the real world and as a sign of ownership of an asset such as precious cars, houses, and even corporate bonds. by the blockchain system, records every change of ownership of these digital assets, the colored coin system is guaranteed to be very safe. as it is defined previously, neologisms not only have linguistic function as filling lexical gaps, but also cultural function. these functions of linguistic and cultural may impact to economical area. in carrying out cultural functions, these neologisms become traces of popular culture that was once owned by particular community. figure 5. non-fungible token (nft) despite various speculations in digital ecosystems, blockchain-based technologies will continue to evolve. transactions will be faster from person to person through everyone's authorization. a ledger that records all digital transactions are not impossible will become necessary. recently, the ledger called blockchain has been accommodated by many business ecosystems. in terms of public diplomacy, there are two areas where nft has good potential to make a difference and position the credibility of a country in the world. based on cultural diplomacy, it is very clear because the average nft fan comes from the digital arts circle. basically, this purpose is not to require and encourage the ministry of foreign affairs to trade nft. rather, it is to design projects that enable the public to be interested in digitally interacting through nft with various collections of cultural artifacts owned by certain institutions or personal. nft can indeed be a new media that attracts people's attention and has promise in cultural and social reach. however, the role of nft for public diplomacy is still a question and is not clear so that some fields such as cultural diplomacy and educational exchange can be new opportunities to get involved in the digital world, especially nft. data 4. augmented reality (ar) identification of neologisms is based on its novelty. in the term of ar, it refers to a diachronic parameter, as a lingual unit is a neologism if it emerged recently. this parameter uses a time perspective to identify neologisms. words that have only been found in a certain period of time in the lexicon system a language can be referred to as neologisms. however, basically, there is no benchmark that actually able to observe the emergence of the new word. the other parameter involved in the terminology ar is lexicographic parameter; a lingual unit is a neologism if it is not already in the dictionary. it refers to all words that are not institutionalized in the dictionary. this is because not all words are ervina c. m. simatupang & heri heryono new-word formation and social disruption on metaverse 1020 created which is outside the dictionary can be referred to as neologisms. some words may still be protologisms, some are even nonce word (occasional word). thus, basically, when referring to a new word, there are some terms that need to be understood other than neologisms. ar refers to a technology that combines twodimensional and or three-dimensional virtual objects into a real environment and then projects these virtual objects in reality in real time. augmented reality can be applied to all senses, including hearing, touch and smell. besides, ar is also implemented in fields such as health, military, manufacturing industry and education. this ar technology can insert certain information into the virtual world and display it in the real world with the help of equipment such as webcams, computers, android phones, or special glasses. figure 6. augmented reality (ar) in terms of socio-cultural influences, the use of augmented reality is enough to have an impact on rural life, especially since the internet is increasing in number in villages so that most of the people living in villages today are quick to recognize the existence of social media. ar emerges as a cultural evolution, called digital culture. it appears because the pattern of daily human life is almost entirely dependent on technology that can facilitate human activities. data 5. crypto-currency in the term on neologism, the word cryptocurrency refers to protologism. it leads to a word created by individuals or small groups that are not fully applicable in general or only used by a small subculture. the presence of neologisms on a communicative basis in particular community, spread, and accepted as the norm of language. for that, only acceptable and widely spread words are called neologisms. the acceptance influenced by several factors, brevity, handle-ability (potential for decline), and productivity (productivity). however, according to him, the most important factor is motivation. neologism must reflect the characteristics of the concept of the word. along with the development of a cashless society, recently a number of parties think that the existence of paper money and coins is starting to lose its existence. some people assume that the up and down complexity of block chain encryption, coding and stockpiling has very little effect on everyday life. in fact, there are many applications of crypto-currency in our daily lives. one of them is data transfer. safety and security is a major concern for everyone today, especially with the many data breaches that have occurred over the last few years. this concern has led 75% of consumers to believe that companies are not actively protecting their information, and because of this, they have lost trust with many brands. conclusion as the conclusion, massive technology industries like facebook, tesla, apple and google have big intentions for making metaverse a reality. the virtual worlds (or digital twins) will seem fundamentally different in the future years as a result of the integration of emerging technologies and the gradual development and refinement of the ecosystem. because of the availability of powerful computing devices and intelligent wearable, the future will be more interactive, more living, more embodied, and more multimedia-attached. however, numerous obstacles must be overcome before metaverse can be fully incorporated into the physical world and daily lives. the linguistics aspect involved in metaverse is commonly in morphology and semantics. in more detail area is neologisms that emerge in the term of using terminologies within metaverse. it consists of morphological neologism, abbreviation and morpho-semantic neologism. the terminologies shown in the research consist of three different registers appeared in frequent condition, especially that related to cultural aspect. from pvw, blockchain to nft, all those terminologies couldn’t resist the influence of language and linguistics matters. furthermore, cultural aspect is also involved in creating and establishing the metaverse as one new ecosystem (universe) which in the future might create integrated and systematic universe. in parallel to people physical reality, metaverse will emerge as a massive entity; both in communication, interaction and socialization. it could be seen by looking at the most recent work in a variety of technologies and ecosystems. users may learn more about the major concepts we addressed by reflecting on them. the underlying challenges and research agenda are identified to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1021 help developing metaverse's future in the next years. metaverse becomes a virtual space that replicates human activities in the real world to be carried out in the virtual world. users may be separated in two worlds where the virtual world has new opportunities for their avatars. one of the most influencing is the game-metaverse trend that would change the culture of gaming and trading – since the environment allows players to do trading – because it has their own rules and systems. references anderson, j., & rainie, l. (2022). the metaverse in 2040. pew research center. www.pewresearch.org asif, m., zhiyong, d., iram, a., & nisar, m. (2021). linguistic analysis of neologism related to coronavirus (covid 19). social sciences & humanities open, 4(1), article 100201. butar, b. p. b. (2021). the word formation and semantic domains in covid-19 sections in who website [thesis, sanatha dharma university]. e prints 3. colina, r. o. (2021). english neologisms in modern times [unpublished thesis]. university of pais vasco. dilla, f., & agustina. (2021). use of abbreviations in social media accounts of public officials and their impact on communication effectiveness. proceedings of the 4th international conference on language, literature, and education (iclle-4 2021), 604, 11–17. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211201.003 endarto, i. a., & martadi. (2022). analisis potensi implementasi metaverse pada media edukasi interaktif. jurnal barik, 4(1), 37–51. https://ejournal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/jdkv freytagh-loringhoven, h. v. (2021). die satzung des völkerbundes, 05, 61–67. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783112372760-010 hardini, f., setia, e., & mono, u. (2019). translation norms of neologism in social media interface. lingua: journal of language, literature and teaching, 16(1), 15–24. https://doi.org/10.30957/lingua.v16i1.571 indarta, y., ambiyar, a., samala, a. d., & watrianthos, r. (2022). metaverse: tantangan dan peluang dalam pendidikan. jurnal basicedu, 6(3), 3351–3363. https://doi.org/10.31004/basicedu.v6i3.2615 julita, a., nasution, w., & mahmud, t. (2021). kajian ragam bahasa pada konten media sosial instagram influencer di aceh, jurnal ilmiah mahasiswa pendidikan, 2(1), 1-13. kadwa, m. s., & alshenqeeti, h. (2020). the impact of students’ proficiency in english on science courses in a foundation year program. international journal of linguistics, literature and translation (ijllt), 3(11), 55–67. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt karman. (2017). disruptif teknologi internet dan eksistensi media cetak. jurnal penelitian komunikasi dan opini publik, 9, 182–192. kilmer, p. d. (2020). neologisms under the influence of social media. anglisticum journal, 11(3), 369–373. kumbara, a. a. n. a., dewi, a. . s. k., liando, m. r., & wiasti, m. (2020). cultural disruption and challenges for anthropology in the development of multicultural communities. etnosia: jurnal etnografi indonesia, 5(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.31947/etnosia.v5i1.8679 lin, c. (2020). understanding cultural diversity and diverse identities. in w. leal filho (eds.), quality education, (pp. 929–938). springer nature switzerland ag. mendrofa, z. (2018). social media theories in critical discourse analysis (cda). exposure: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra inggris, 7(1), 34. https://doi.org/10.26618/exposure.v7i1.1071 mohajan, h. k. (2018). qualitative research methodology in social sciences and related subjects. journal of economic development, environment and people, 7(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.26458/jedep.v7i1.571 mystakidis, s. (2022). metaverse. encyclopedia, 2(1), 486–497. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia2010031 nextrope. (2022). the state of the metaverse in 2022 building an open world. olojede, a. m., ebim, m. a., & abioye, a. (2018). language use on social media: a study of facebook interactions by yaba college of technology undergraduates. international journal of cultural studies and technology, 2(3), 1-16. plauc, j. i., & cilic, i. s. (2021). today’s usage of neologisms in social media communication. journal of humanities and social sciences, 6(14), 115-140. rotolo, d., rafols, i., hopkins, m. m., & leydesdorff, l. (2017). strategic intelligence on emerging technologies: scientometric overlay mapping. journal of the association for information science and technology, 68(1), 214–233. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23631 sely, k. i. e., murniati, c. t., & hartono, h. (2017). a qualitative study of social media for english learning [thesis, unika soegijapranata]. eprints 3. simatupang, e. c., & fathonah, p. n. (2020). pragmatic analysis of deixis in joko widodo’s inauguration speech in 2019. english journal literacy utama, 5(1), 309–316. http://journal.widyatama.ac.id/index.php/ejluta ma/ syahrudin, m. a., & prasandha, d. (2021). industri bahasa pada era milenial melalui takarir digital [paper presentation]. industri bahasa dalam era ervina c. m. simatupang & heri heryono new-word formation and social disruption on metaverse 1022 industri 4.0, malang, indonesia. wang, z., porter, a. l., wang, x., & carley, s. (2019). an approach to identify emergent topics of technological convergence: a case study for 3d printing. technological forecasting and social change, 146, 723–732. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.12.015 zhu, y. (2019). the emergence of internet language and its influence on chinese. conference proceedings of the 3rd international conference humanity. (pp. 242–245). atlantis press. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 823 fostering learning autonomy and creativity in cross cultural understanding through projectbased learning lutfi istikharoh english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah purwokerto, indonesia email: lutfiistikharoh@ump.ac.id sulasih nurhayati english study program, faculty of cultural sciences and communication, universitas muhammadiyah purwokerto, indonesia email: sulasihnurhayati@ump.ac.id apa citation: istikharoh, l., & nurhayati, s. (2023). fostering learning autonomy and creativity in cross cultural understanding through project-based learning. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 823-832. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.7739 received: 02-06-2023 accepted: 27-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: teachers require instructional resources to assist students in learning. this research met the material requirements of students and evaluated 21st-century learning and the analysis of popular literary works in various countries. thirty students in english education and literature participated in this study. the research was primarily concerned with three topics: design of booklet journey to the world, the 21st century skills in project-based learning, and literary work analysis as one of the booklet's sections. three instruments were used to gather data from the field. document analysis, a focused-group discussion (fgd) interview, and a questionnaire indicate students' perspectives of their writing process through the implementation of projectbased learning. three points disclosed: 1) the booklet displayed good creativity, idea courage, and language; 2). concerning the compatibility of learning models and instructional materials, creativity; and self-directed learning, the three criteria were met by 53.34 percent, 63.34 percent, and 56.67 percent of respondents, respectively which means that the students' perception on the implementation of project-based learning was rated as excellent; 3) the majority of works included in the booklet were collected, paraphrased, and commented on, demonstrating sufficient, effective, and thorough literary comprehension. keywords: 21st century learning; creativity; learning autonomy; project-based learning; student perceptions. introduction cross cultural understanding (ccu) is a mandatory course for students in english language programs. culture, as defined by (coody et al., 2023; serra, 2022), encompasses various forms of human intellectual achievements. this implies that culture serves as a way of life, offering significance to behaviors and customs considered suitable and acceptable by specific community groups. language is recognized as both a mode of expressing culture and a means of influencing other cultural domains (mwakapina, 2021). the connection between language and culture is inseparable, with language being an integral cultural component. numerous pieces of evidence underscore the close correlation between the two. the way a particular nation or community speaks, including pronunciation and gestures, can reveal the strength of that culture. it can be asserted that language is a product of culture (fang, 2020). consequently, the cross cultural understanding course plays a vital role in comprehending the cultures of diverse countries, regions, and ethnic groups. proficiency in cross-cultural understanding is advantageous for negotiators and communicators engaged in intercultural dialogues. it enhances the chances of achieving communication objectives. researchers aim to transform these teaching materials into a student-produced product that facilitates learning about other countries' cultures. if successful in compiling teaching materials for ccu classes, the development of ccu's teaching materials is envisioned as a pocket book or booklet. a booklet is a condensed, portable book that is convenient to carry (mujiati et al., 2021). generally, it is a small, pocket-sized book that can be easily transported and perused at one's convenience. students can utilize the booklet as a learning resource, which will assist them in more readily acquiring knowledge of the material (mujiati et al., 2021). using booklet as a one-way channel of communicating subject-matter and other lutfi istikharoh & sulasih nurhayati fostering learning autonomy and creativity in cross cultural understanding through project-based learning 824 information can also help students realize their full potential as independent learners, which can be a significant benefit to the classroom. students' participation in ccu learning demonstrates that their understanding is still affective and cognitive. only knowledge that has not resulted in implementation, such as contextualizing cross-cultural understanding through cultural performances, cultural visits, and other forms of contextualization, is considered cross-cultural understanding. contextualization is important in the teaching and learning process because it contributes to the formation of the students’ personality as an independent learner (dakowska, 2018). it is hoped that students will emerge with skills in creativity, critical reasoning, collaboration, and cooperation as a result of this process. as a result, the psychomotor aspect of the learning process will emerge. this study proposed the following problem formulations based on these considerations: (1) what efforts are being taken to create a booklet that will assist students in gaining a deeper appreciation for various cultures? (2) how can students' development of skills relevant to the 21st century be facilitated through the use of project-based learning? (3) how do students view the adoption of project-based learning to enhance their literary analysis skills? the researchers cooperated with ccu class participants in english language education study program, lecturers, and english literature study program students to construct a cultural comparison-based pocket book cross cultural understanding. a booklet (or a pocketbook), the main product in the ccu class, is a form of print media that is compact and lightweight enough to fit in a shirt pocket, making it simple to carry and read anywhere and at any time. the utility of a pocketbook is fairly extensive (panjaitan* et al., 2021). a booklet can be used to impart socialization or present a particular subject or material to the public (mujiati et al., 2021). booklets are small-sized media that serve the purpose of teaching readers tricks and techniques for problem solving. booklet typically has 16-24 pages and is 3.5 x 8.5 inches in size. usually have a color cover that is plain and thin. the theory and relevant research of (mujiati et al., 2021; prastyo & wulandari, 2023; xie et al., 2023) served as a guide for researchers in designing the bilingual pocket book that the researchers created. furthermore, (mujiati et al., 2021; wulandari, 2019) conducted researches on the development of booklet as learning media which inspired researchers to conduct this research to help students and the general public understand the culture of other countries. the class activity that allows students to design their booklet is a group assignment in which students use canva to design the booklet in collaboration. the collaboration provides a series of activities that enable students to independently study, conduct research, and act based on their skills, interests, personal experience, and aptitudes (de oliveira et al., 2020; horstmeyer, 2020). this is then referred to as a class project. class assignments predate the classroom itself. "projects" might mean a wide variety of activities that can be carried out either at home or at school, individually or in groups, immediately or over a longer period of time. (aldabbus, 2018). although project-based learning (pbl) includes projects, the emphasis is on the learning process and learnerpeer content interaction rather than the final product (isabekov & sadyrova, 2018). while some examples of project-based learning may be instructive, it is also important to see the larger picture. pbl is a novel approach to education, but in a broad sense it differs little from conventional learning (anderson et al., 2018). in a progressive pbl environment, students simply personalize the learning process by posing significant questions and modifying their products and ideas based on their individual and collective responses to those questions (rohmah et al., 2020). pbl provides the setting in which users can pursue knowledge by conducting their own research, conducting their own experiments, using simulations, solving real-world problems, and working with others from their community (chen et al., 2022; prastyo & wulandari, 2023). pbl is an innovative method to education that offers a variety of 21st century success tactics. students direct their own learning through inquiry and collaborate autonomously to conduct research and develop projects that demonstrate their acquired knowledge (halbach & candel bormann, 2019). students benefit from this method of learning in a variety of ways, including gaining new, applicable technological abilities, becoming skilled communicators, and solving complex problems (guo et al., 2020; isabekov & sadyrova, 2018; wang, 2022). along with, pbl is learner-centered by design. students do not simply choose between two highly academic projects to complete by a specific deadline; instead, they use the teacher's experience to design and iterate products and projects, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 825 frequently addressing issues or challenges that are essential to them (guo et al., 2020; ummah et al., 2019). in the implementation of pbl that incorporates 21st century skills, students are encouraged to develop their creativity and critical thinking. in addition, they can enhance and promote their communication alongside the implementation of teamwork, thereby sustaining their group's collaboration. incorporating 21st-century pedagogy into project-based learning for an effective elt in any setting, with the goal of giving students agency and contributing to the long-term growth of the educational system's capacity, is essential (zenchanka & zenchanka, 2018). the authenticity and challenges that pbl generates for students contribute to the validity of this work. a successful pbl unit cultivates in students’ teamwork, accountability, problemsolving, innovative and inventive ideas, risktaking, verbal and nonverbal communication, and critical thinking (rohmah et al., 2020). this indicates that pbl facilitates the development of 21st century skills in efl students. method the research development model was utilized as the applicable method for the development of the pocket book. according to (gustiani, 2019; miller, 2023), methods developed through r&d are applied to the planning, execution, reporting, and evaluation of studies on human development, with an emphasis on the entire lifecycle. thirty undergraduates from english pedagogy and english literature programs took part in the research. they have all encountered the projectbased learning approach before in various classes. they were also accustomed to working on skills like analysis, innovation, teamwork, and communication across the curriculum. additionally, three students had experience with both project-based learning and international student exchange. thirteen participants were acquainted with the kampus mengajar program and project-based activities. furthermore, r & d research in education conducted in this research includes 10 steps, namely: (1) investigation and data gathering; (2) develop a strategy for conducting study; (3) create preliminary product form; (4) preliminary field evaluation; (5) product redesign; (6) main field testing; (7) product improvement in management; (8) validation of field operations; (9) final product modification; and (10) dissemination and implementation. this field information was gathered using three different devices. document analysis, interviews using focused group discussion (fgd), and a survey all reflect students' perspectives on how project-based learning has influenced their inquiry and independent collaboration in writing classes at ccu. reference analysis was undertaken by two researchers and thirty students to compile the booklet's substantial body of information. multiple online and offline sources, including blogs, social media, and the personal websites of former students who participated in international programs, were mined for information. booklet experts, including two lecturers from the english language education study program and one from the letter study program, utilized the holistic scoring scale to rate the students' work. table 1. holistic scoring scale 9 demonstrate superiority proficient command of the language; wide range of grammatical usage with few major mistakes; extensive knowledge of vocabulary and idioms. 7 – 8 demonstrate competence despite flaws and awkwardness, good grammatical control. good language and idioms. read easily. 5 – 6 suggests competence fair proficiency in communicating ideas in the target language; use of basic or complex grammatical structures without many serious errors. appropriate terms and vocabulary. occasionally, fluency and panache. 3 – 4 suggests incompetence lack of command over language and grammatical structures. inadequate vocabulary. frequent use of anglicizations, which require interpretations from the reader. a few redeeming qualities. 1 2 demonstrate incompetence clearly intolerable from the majority of perspectives. almost utter absence of vocabulary resources and/or idiom and/or style sense. lutfi istikharoh & sulasih nurhayati fostering learning autonomy and creativity in cross cultural understanding through project-based learning 826 floating point a one-point bonus should be awarded to essays that are cogent, well-organized, and display exceptional creativity. (adapted from johnson's grading the advanced placement examination in french language princeton, nj: advanced placed program of the college board, 1983 in (li & huang, 2022)) holistic grading is a method for assessing the overall excellence of a composition. also referred to as global scoring, single-impression scoring, and impressionistic scoring (makovskaya, 2020). originally created by the educational testing service, holistic scoring is frequently employed in massive examinations (makovskaya, 2020). this method was used to get the score of the students’ booklets from experts’ point of view. the students’ comprehension on the literary works was also analyzed through their product of journey to the world booklet. the researchers also conducted the research by means of a focus group discussion (fgd) with all of the students who participated in the study. this exercise's central goal was to have students reflect on their own learning in terms of the knowledge they demonstrated through the booklet they created, their familiarity with the ccu material, and the overall impact of project-based learning. the interviews performed throughout the fgd sought to gain insight into student perceptions of the role that project-based learning played in the acquisition and maintenance of 21st century skills such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. all of the students in the ccu course were asked to participate in the interview. there were six groups of five students each, and they talked about the interview. this instrument was also administered to examine students' perspectives on literary analysis as they engaged in the process. an inductive thematic analysis was employed to examine the qualitative data from the fgd interviews. as part of the research into the effectiveness of project-based learning for teaching writing, a questionnaire was circulated. the questionnaire sought responses that demonstrated literary analytical proficiency, creativity, independent study, and conformity between learning paradigms and course contents. the survey findings were subjected to quantitative analysis by summing the students' replies to each of the four measures. the questionnaire was developed to elicit students' opinions and impressions about project-based learning implementation in ccu classes. the idea of investigation through questionnaire distribution is related to their method of creating and producing the booklet. the questionnaire results showed the consistency of the learning process with the 21st century skills that students can gain. meanwhile, the product demonstrated comprehension of the ccu courses as well as the use of 21st century skills in team collaboration. result and discussion in this section, the investigation's findings will be presented. each research result will be thoroughly discussed in order to generate answers to research questions. the discussion covers three major points in this research: 1). the effort of assisting the students in designing a booklet of journey to the world; 2). the development of the 21st century skills in ccu class; and 3). students’ ability in literary analysis. efforts are being made to develop booklet to help students gain a better understanding of other cultures the journey to the world booklet had been in the works since the third week of the even semester of the academic year 2021/2022. in other words, students needed about eight weeks to complete this project. during the first two weeks, the research team provided guidance and information regarding ccu course material and activities undertaken by students during a semester. the following two weeks were spent compiling references from a variety of sources. the booklet was designed and filled with varied information over the course of the last four weeks. research and information collection were conducted through document analysis such as examples of booklets, posters, blogs, and articles from tourist accounts on various social media platforms and the internet. these documents were used as a resource when putting together the journey to the world booklet. previously, students were instructed to comprehend the components of the ccu material presented in a learning matrix which covers stereotype, intercultural communication, education, social relationship, work places, family types, table manner, dos and don'ts, literature works, and chicken soup (1st pov) of several countries that are considered the most desirable tourist destinations between the years 2020 and 2022. the learning matrix comprises the parts of the journey to the world booklet that must be presented and well-organized in student products. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 827 all learning materials presented in the learning matrix must be mastered and comprehensively presented in the students' designed booklet. following that, the students work with their lecturers to create a plan that incorporates the ideas from their booklet. the research team then asked three english language education experts to evaluate the product or booklet based on three criteria: creativity, idea courage, and language (english and native tongue). this research also comprised product discussion and review as the final step of finalizing the booklet journey to the world. the discussion was packaged in the form of focus group discussions (fgds), which also included the research teams, three experts who evaluated the booklets, as well as students involved in this research. the discussion focuses on and produces three outcomes which are presented in table 2 below: table 2. booklet review and evaluation using holistic scoring scale elements to review description experts total 1 2 3 creativity using your imagination and creativity to express ideas and thoughts and poured into the booklet's interesting design and layout. 8 8 9 25 idea courage the journey to the world booklet contents are adequate and in accordance with the ccu learning matrix and module 8 8 8 24 language the languages used, english and indonesian, are both fluent and wellwritten. 7 8 8 23 mean of score 8 the students' booklet product has been reviewed and analyzed, resulting in a competent ability in designing the booklet depicted in table 2. the overall mean score is 8, indicating that the booklets are read smoothly. review deals with the students' creativity as it relates to their interesting booklet design and layout. the ideas that the students wrote were also categorized as good and compatible with ccu materials. finally, the languages, english and native tongue used in the booklet were fluent and well-written. the results of the booklet journey to the world compilation still have problems with language translation, which is still rigid and very formal. the solution chosen is to extend the time for students to discuss and review the journey to the world booklet with the research team and accompanying students in order to polish and reformulate the content, language, and design. to expedite the booklet completion process, the review and improvement process was completed online. the following is an example of a booklet display compiled by students in ccu class: figure 1. front cover of the booklet journey to the world which depicts cityscapes from various countries on a blue background figure 2. sub cover review of thailand, featuring nighttime vistas of the thai royal palace and cityscape lutfi istikharoh & sulasih nurhayati fostering learning autonomy and creativity in cross cultural understanding through project-based learning 828 figure 3. england sub cover review with an evening image of big ben london clock tower in uk thames figure 4. sub cover review of the nation of saudi arabia, featuring four images of mecca and the kaaba figures 1 to 4 depict a selection of reviews of prominent tourist destinations presented in the booklet based on aspects of ccu material. each ccu group's choice of country is based on the number of tourists visiting the country and the preference of local people to continue their studies abroad in 2020 to 2022. the booklet that the students created contains information on thirteen different countries. the journey to the world booklet preparation provides students with a new experience in understanding the material through projects. literacy initiative serves the purpose of fostering and reflecting multiple literacies in practice (anderson et al., 2018). students not only understand ccu material in theory, but they can put it into practice by creating a journey to the world booklet, which they hope will be used by them and other students in the english and english literature education study program, as well as the general public. moreover, discussion amongst the participants in a focus group discussion (fgd) led to the conclusion that the journey to the world booklet initiative simplified difficult ccu lectures. “the journey to the world booklet that we made aided our understanding of the course material at ccu” (fgd_group 2) students in group 2 felt that the ccu materials were presented in an understandable manner, so they provided positive feedback regarding this aspect. the structure of the booklet enhanced the students' comprehension of the subject matter in a manner that was both comprehensive and straightforward. the procedure accounted for these considerations. “we learn more and easier from reading the ccu module given by the lecturer and then rewriting it in a different way using the canva program” (fgd_group 5) the students who participated in the survey and were assigned to group 5 all agreed that having the journey to the world booklet prepared aided them in better comprehending the ccu material. the collaborative nature of this project facilitates learning through discussion, and the bookletmaking process itself aids their comprehension of the subject matter. students were also introduced to a critical literacy paradigm that encouraged them to "make the familiar strange" (anderson et al., 2018) by interrogating the underlying assumptions of seemingly banal texts and producing writings that are equally challenging to the reader. the simplicity of putting together a journey to the world booklet was also revealed from the result of interview below: “we simply put together a journey to the world booklet after talking about the ccu content in the ccu module provided by the lecturer” (fgd_group 1) students gave positive feedback that the booklet creation process appeared straightforward because the necessary materials were already presented in an uncomplicated manner. the course provides the students with material to assimilate, which facilitates the booklet's design and development. group 3 has similar argument that putting together the information in their journey to the world booklet was not a really challenging thing to do. nonetheless, a novel notion regarding the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 829 originality of written output emerged. this original work helps students feel more confident in themselves, enables them to actualize their potential, and contributes to their development. “it's hardly a walk in the park to put together a journey to the world booklet, but it's not rocket science, either. the content is fine, but there are still issues with the booklet's appearance that stem from a lack of originality” (fgd_group 3) due to the abundance of resources accessible to them at ccu, the students reported that putting together their journey to the world booklets was an ease. creating a journey to the world booklet with the canva app is a breeze because to the lecturer's detailed walkthrough that includes a template selection example. ccu's project-based learning helps students comprehend the arts, beliefs, and institutions that, when transmitted, constitute a group's culture. students can experience what it is like to be a member of a community other than their own by embracing diverse cultures with a deep comprehension. it also provides them with cultural awareness and acceptance, which can assist them in overcoming cultural barriers when interacting with people from different backgrounds (kucharska & bedford, 2019). a learning culture is defined as "an organization skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge, as well as modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights (gilbert, 2021)." thus, the students' desire for cultural knowledge motivates them to travel the globe. project-based learning helps the students develop their 21st century skills project-based learning fosters teamwork and problem-solving abilities in students, as well as proficiency in expressing oneself clearly and logically to other people. the booklet's collaborative creation process is a prime example of how ccu's social and emotional learning initiatives are reinforced through project work (isabekov & sadyrova, 2018). it was encouraging to observe how eager the students were to develop their own learning autonomy during the time the team spent on the project. a successful project-based learning unit encourages students to work as a team, take responsibility for their actions, solve problems, come up with new and creative ideas, take risks, improve their verbal and nonverbal communication skills, and think critically. students need these tools to do well in school and in life (guo et al., 2020). the results of the analysis of data on students' perceptions of project-based learning models in terms of indicators of suitability of learning models with teaching materials, aspects of creativity, autonomous cooperation which relate to the development of the 21st century skills, and competence in literary interpretation are described based on the responses of 30 students to a questionnaire. table 3. an investigation into the opinions of students concerning the use of pbl indicators score (in %) 4 3 2 1 compatibility of learning models and instructional materials 53.34 26.67 16.67 3.34 creativity 63.34 33.34 3.34 0 autonomous learning 56.67 30 13.34 0 ability in literary analysis 23.34 63.34 6.67 6.67 table 3 displays the results of a questionnaire that used four major characteristics to determine how effectively pbl was used in the ccu course. over fifty percent of individuals surveyed had a positive attitude on the first three criteria (53.34 percent, 63.34 percent, and 56.67 percent, respectively) pertaining to the compatibility of learning models and instructional materials; creativity; and independent learning. through the utilization of project-based learning, such as the creation of booklets, students at ccu get deeper, more comprehensive understanding of subject area. they were also able to exercise their creativity by designing the most visually appealing booklet possible. in addition, students were able to keep their autonomy through pbl. the positive responses of 19 respondents (63.34%) to the fourth indicator of the survey indicate that the students' literary analysis skills have improved as a result of booklet-making instruction in the ccu project class. making booklets teaches students how to share ideas, hone creativity, and equip them with skills in producing teaching materials and teaching media that are relevant to real life (guo et al., 2020). students are also directed to be able to think critically in determining ideas as well as compiling data and displaying it in an attractive and comprehensive layout. moreover, project-based lutfi istikharoh & sulasih nurhayati fostering learning autonomy and creativity in cross cultural understanding through project-based learning 830 learning enables students to optimally collaborate in the context of independent learning. it requires students to design, develop, and build tangible solutions to a problem. the educational value of problem-based learning is that it seeks to develop students' capacity for creative problem-solving, typically in small groups (guo et al., 2020; isabekov & sadyrova, 2018). the development of students’ 21st century skills can be revealed through the implementation of project-based learning. another research report was produced as a consequence of an interview conducted using fgd. it was described how ccu incorporates project-based learning into its curriculum to assist students in developing their critical thinking, initiative, and collaboration. “group work improves our ability to communicate, express ideas, and be creative when writing a booklet. this also helps us to boost our self-esteem” (fgd_group 1) “while working on a booklet with friends in a ccu group, we can be quite critical in expressing my thoughts, opinions, and ideas. our communication is also excellent, which contributes to the strength of our friendship” (fgd_group 3) the findings of interviews related to projects or teamwork in ccu courses may have a favorable effect on the development of 21st-century abilities. when generating booklets, students can more readily develop their perspectives or ideas, express their viewpoints, and strengthen their communication and teamwork abilities. moreover, the students' independence and originality in their english studies are encouraged through the use of projects. the fourth fgd session focuses on how pbl promotes students' development of self-directed learning and creativity when studying ccu materials and making own booklets. “creating a booklet as a group project allowed us to exercise our independence in the classroom. with the help of the lecturer and our own ideas and imaginations, there is a wide world of possibilities open to us” (fgd_group 1) “collaborating with others enhances our originality and gives us more control over our education, the contents of our booklet, and the methods we use to communicate the material” (fgd_group 2 & 5) as a collaborative project, creating a booklet allowed the students to exercise autonomy in the classroom. furthermore, collaborating with others increases the students’ inventiveness and provides greater control over their education. the majority of participants stated that this journey to the world booklet preparation project provided excellent opportunities for students to fully comprehend ccu material. their creativity is also enhanced by creating appealing and sellable booklet designs. furthermore, by honing their creativity, this booklet journey to the world project allows students to select and create simple works and innovations that will be useful in the future. the students have the opportunity to improve their knowledge of ccu material, to grow as social beings to their full potential through participation in group learning experiences (lazorenko & krasnenko, 2020), and to hone their skills in critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration, and communication by virtue of the three findings of this study. furthermore, students also get an opportunity to explore the culture of other countries through literary works that can have a positive effect on people's lives. project-based learning promotes students’ ability in literary analysis the making of the journey to the world booklet involves elements of literature where students are directed to be able to analyze literary works in the country they are reviewing. the analysis of literary works lies in the content and life lessons that can be examined and implemented for the community, as well as visitors who are believed to be able to make their lives run well. project-based learning promotes students’ ability in literary analysis. students compiled, read, paraphrased, and evaluated literary samples from the various countries to complete the booklet. the various genres of folklore, myth, legend, and wellknown stories make up these books. what was found is outlined in the following. “snow white tells the story of a princess who lives with her seven dwarf friends after she has an evil stepmother. but her stepmother still looked for her because she was jealous of her beauty. until he finally ate the poisoned apple his stepmother had sent her” (fgd_group 1) in another literary work, other groups expressed their understanding of the culture of other countries. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 831 “in some oral histories, kupe is credited as the first polynesian to find the new zealand archipelago. disappointment with fishing back home in hawaiki prompted him to make the trip. it seems that kupe's rival, muturangi, was responsible for the trouble by sending his giant cephalopod to cause havoc. eventually, kupe made it to new zealand from his canoe journey to slay the octopus” (fgd_group 3) “dokkaebi (goblin), koreans describe them as having god-like abilities. some literary sources indicate that dokkaebi were indeed worshipped as gods in the past, with fishermen imploring to them for a successful catch before setting sail” (group 4) most works put in the booklet are collected, paraphrased, and commented that show the sufficiency, effectiveness, and comprehensiveness of students’ literary understanding. the analysis of this literary work assists students in comprehending literary examples, which is a relatively infrequent component of the english language education curriculum. in other words, students are taught not only to be able to develop themselves through project-based learning, but also to try new things, especially in analyzing the implied meaning of a literary work in a country. conclusion applied product research is an innovative method to help ccu students comprehend and apply what they have learned through the creation of simple works and ideas with economic value in education and tourism. through the journey to the world booklet initiative, students have the opportunity to increase their comprehension as well as express their opinions and ideas regarding the use of technological applications in the learning process. research indicates that pbl assisted students in becoming independent. students' participation in collaborative initiatives, such as the creation of a ccu booklet and other course products, made this possible. the study examined education, family, beliefs, and language as aspects of culture. therefore, it is suggested that future research in the same subject focus on other cultural aspects, such as technology, marriage, medicine, economics, and government. additionally, it is necessary to investigate additional literary works. acknowledgement this paper is based on a research project conducted with the assistance of the english language education and english study programs at universitas muhammadiyah purwokerto. in light of this, we are grateful to the study programs and the university for their academic and technical support in carrying out this research endeavor. we are also appreciative of our entire staff and faculty for their genuine support throughout the research process. references aldabbus, s. (2018). project-based learning: implementation & challenges. international journal of education, learning and development. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20240&hl=en&s a=x&scisig=aagbfm1lkt3ht8uxo_w 1fsjei9zpwzz9jq&nossl=1&oi=schol arr anderson, j., chung, y. c., & macleroy, v. (2018). creative and critical approaches to language learning and digital technology: findings from a multilingual digital storytelling project. language and education, 32(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2018.143015 1 chen, s. y., lai, c. f., lai, y. h., & su, y. s. (2022). effect of project-based learning on development of students’ creative thinking. international journal of electrical engineering and education, 59(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/0020720919846808 coody, e. r., clanton jr., d. w., & clark, t. r. (2023). understanding religion and popular culture. in understanding religion and popular culture. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003079729 dakowska, m. (2018). how to deal with applications in foreign language learning and teaching (fllt). in second language learning and teaching. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66975-5_2 de oliveira, l. c., jones, l., & smith, s. l. (2020). interactional scaffolding in a first-grade classroom through the teaching–learning cycle. international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2020.179886 7 fang, w.-t. (2020). tourism in emerging economies: the way we green, sustainable, and healthy. in springer. gilbert, f. (2021). why teach creative writing? examining the challenges of its pedagogies. changing english: studies in culture and education, 28(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/1358684x.2020.184704 3 guo, p., saab, n., post, l. s., & admiraal, w. (2020). lutfi istikharoh & sulasih nurhayati fostering learning autonomy and creativity in cross cultural understanding through project-based learning 832 a review of project-based learning in higher education: student outcomes and measures. international journal of educational research, 102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2020.101586 gustiani, s. (2019). research and development (r & d) method as a model design in educational research and its alternatives. holistics journal, 11(2). halbach, a., & candel bormann, d. (2019). inching towards literacy in madrid’s primary schools: a survey of school-wide projects. language and education, 33(5). https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2019.162271 2 horstmeyer, a. (2020). the generative role of curiosity in soft skills development for contemporary vuca environments. in journal of organizational change management (vol. 33, issue 5). https://doi.org/10.1108/jocm-082019-0250 isabekov, a., & sadyrova, g. (2018). project-based learning to develop creative abilities in students. in technical and vocational education and training (vol. 28). https://doi.org/10.1007/9783-319-73093-6_4 kucharska, w., & bedford, d. a. d. (2019). love your mistakes!-they help you adapt to change. the new scale of learning culture. gut fme working papers series a, 2019(8). lazorenko, l., & krasnenko, o. (2020). applying agile learning to teaching english for specific purposes. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 19(9). https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.9.13 li, j., & huang, j. (2022). the impact of essay organization and overall quality on the holistic scoring of efl writing: perspectives from classroom english teachers and national writing raters. assessing writing, 51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2021.100604 makovskaya, l. g. (2020). approaches to assessing language skills at higher educational institutions. eurasian union scientists, 7(7(76)). https://doi.org/10.31618/esu.24139335.2020.7.76.945 miller, s. a. (2023). developmental research methods. in developmental research methods. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781506331997 mujiati, d. w., muslim, s., & febriana, r. (2021). developing e-booklet for online advertising: a need analysis on enterpreneurship education. edunesia : jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.51276/edu.v2i1.73 mwakapina, j. w. (2021). what is the nature of language? how does it behave? what is language learning then? a review paper in applied linguistics. randwick international of education and linguistics science journal, 2(4). https://doi.org/10.47175/rielsj.v2i4.357 panjaitan*, r. g. p., shidiq, g. a., titin, t., & wahyuni, e. s. (2021). discovering the views of indonesian students’ responses to use the booklet during the covid-19 pandemic situation. jurnal pendidikan sains indonesia, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.24815/jpsi.v9i4.21416 prastyo, d., & wulandari, f. e. (2023). effect of booklets based on project based learning on solving environmental problems in junior high schools. jurnal penelitian pendidikan ipa, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v9i2.2612 rohmah, s. n., waluya, s. b., rochmad, & wardono. (2020). project based learning to improve student learning activeness. journal of physics: conference series, 1613(1), 012079. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1613/1/012079 serra, a. (2022). what is culture? aib studi, 62(1). https://doi.org/10.2426/aibstudi-13387 ummah, s. k., inam, a., & azmi, r. d. (2019). creating manipulatives: improving students’ creativity through project-based learning. journal on mathematics education, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.22342/jme.10.1.5093.93-102 wang, s. (2022). critical thinking development through project-based learning. journal of language teaching and research, 13(5). https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1305.13 wulandari, f. (2019). analisis kesiapsiagaan siswa dalam menghadapi bencana kekeringan melalui media booklet. tarbawi : jurnal ilmu pendidikan, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.32939/tarbawi.v15i1.346 xie, s., solyst, j., ogan, a., & hammer, j. (2023). booklet-based design fiction to support ai literacy. sigcse 2023 proceedings of the 54th acm technical symposium on computer science education, 2. https://doi.org/10.1145/3545947.3576248 zenchanka, v., & zenchanka, s. (2018). teacher’s competences in sustainability during lifelong learning. in world sustainability series. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63534-7_2 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 323 exploring the impact of critical discourse analysis (cda) on enhancing 21st century teachers’ critical reading abilities cut purnama sari departement of indonesian literature, faculty of literature, universitas negeri malang, indonesia stain sultan abdurrahman kepulauan riau, indonesia email: cut.purnama.1802119@students.um.ac.id anang santoso departement of indonesian literature, faculty of literature, universitas negeri malang, indonesia email: anang.santoso.fs@um.ac.id roekhan roekhan departement of indonesian literature, faculty of literature, universitas negeri malang, indonesia email: roekhan.fs@um.ac.id gatut susanto departement of indonesian literature, faculty of literature, universitas negeri malang, indonesia email: gatut.susanto.fs@um.ac.id apa scitation: sari, c. p., santoso, a., roekhan, r., susanto, g. (2024). exploring the impact of critical discourse analysis (cda) on enhancing 21st century teachers’ critical reading abilities. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 323-332. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9125 received: 21-10-2023 accepted: 22-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction critical reading requires understanding various concepts that can affect life from a broader perspective. today, critical reading has been made a fundamental skill that every university graduate must have. this is a future challenge for university graduates to process information quickly and accurately. in the 21st century, technological advances can result in everyone drowning in a sea of information on their digital devices (van et al., 2022), affecting their critical reading quality. therefore, everyone must understand their current position in the sea of information to realize the element of criticality when exposed to the information. abstract: this research aims to investigate the relationship between critical reading abilities and critical discourse analysis (cda) competencies among future 21st century educators, emphasizing the critical necessity for these educators to possess such skills in today's demanding educational landscape. a sample of 70 prospective teachers was analyzed to determine the interconnection between their abilities in critical reading abilities and cda, with an exploration into how one skill may influence the other. additionally, the study examines the role of cognitive style—specifically, field-independent and field-dependent thinking—as a moderating factor in this relationship. findings indicate a significant positive impact of cda capabilities on critical reading abilities, suggesting that proficiency in analyzing discourse critically enhances one's ability to read with a critical eye. furthermore, the study reveals no significant difference in cda and critical reading abilities between participants categorized as field-independent thinkers versus those identified as field-dependent thinkers. these outcomes highlight the need for further research to explore additional factors that may affect the development of critical reading and discourse analysis skills. the study concludes with a call for educational strategies that integrate both critical reading and cda competencies, considering the varied cognitive styles of learners. keyword: 21st century education; critical reading; critical discourse analysis; cognitive style; field dependent and field-independent thinking cut purnama sari, anang santoso, roekhan roekhan, & gatut susanto exploring the impact of critical discourse analysis (cda) on enhancing 21st century teachers’ critical reading abilities 324 experts have conducted the latest research on critical reading. much of this research was conducted on students. exploring how to critical reading in college (van et al., 2022). how l2 how l2 develops oneself critically in reading (bakhtiari moghadam et al., 2021). how efl finds explicit and implicit when critical reading of the texts (heidari, 2020). an inquiry into the philosophy that influences critical reading (farieta & delprato, 2024). increasing critical reading skills by developing mass media-based learning (sultan et al., 2018). contribution of metacognitive inference activities in critical reading (hashimoto et al., 2019). create tools to facilitate critical thinking (peng et al., 2022). the research results from these experts only focus on the aspects contained in critical reading. the relationship between critical reading and other variables has also been investigated by experts. recent research reveals about the correlation between student performance in critical reading tests and critical thinking attitudes was calculated (din, 2020). in addition, the relationship between the skills of tracking information contained in the text and critical reading strategies has also been examined (tsai et al., 2022). however, critical reading studies that involve this thinking in terms of analyzing texts have not been done much. apart from that, critical reading exploration that integrates critical discourse analysis (cda) simultaneously has not been found in previous research. critical reading and cda are two things that are interconnected. both use critical concepts. experts have also carried out cda studies. the focus of their studies is more on the context of textual analysis. textual studies of cda include representations of transitional experiences in children's literature (gu & catalano, 2022), feminist discourse on policies and guidelines (yuill et al., 2022), and discourse on classroom silence from an english language arts teacher (sulzer, 2022). in a critical analysis carried out on children's discourse (prastio et al., 2023; risaldi et al., 2023). previous research states that cda is a method of critical investigation in reading texts consumed by the public. however, they have not stated cda as a competency that must be possessed by every individual. cda and critical reading skills are discussed separately. in fact, cda and critical reading skills have the same term, namely critical. therefore, this research considers the two to be mutually integrated. this is the unique point of this research. the combination of cda and critical reading which is seen as a person's competency requires high-level thinking abilities. this study focused on critical reading in 21stcentury teachers’. it is very relevant to the 21stcentury competencies that a teacher, namely critical thinking, must possess. a person's critical thinking will be determined by his or her quality in reading. the more critical one is in reading, the more critical one will be in thinking. century teachers must have cda and good critical reading ability.therefore, investigating these two things will provide benefits for improving the teacher education process in the future. cda competency and teachers' critical reading abilities can be an illustration for lecturers in preparing a more representative teacher education curriculum. of course, this is an interesting and urgent study to be revealed further. method this research includes the type of ex post facto which tries to hide something after the fact has happened. in this study there was no interference from researchers like experimental research in general. therefore, social research that does not allow handling must use an ex post facto research design. in general, ex post facto research is almost the same as experimental research design because it is inquiry. the sample taken in this research was 70 people at a state teacher training college in one of the provinces of indonesia. they are students who will become future teachers after completing their education. their selection as research samples was based on predetermined criteria according to research needs, namely (1) age, (2) level of cognitive maturity, and (3) level of study. based on these criteria, the sample determined was students in semester 6. this is because students in semester 6 have reached a stable age with a fairly good level of cognitive maturity. apart from that, they have also studied critical discourse analysis and critical reading courses in the previous semester. based on these considerations, they are worthy of being designated as research samples. they were selected randomly sampling 10% of the total population. then, they are differentiated based on the group of thinking styles attached to each. to measure cda from students, the following indicators are needed which are adapted from fairclough (1995). table 1. indicators of performance instruments english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 325 no. indicator number of item 1 2 3 text analysis discourse practice analysis analysis of socio-cultural practices 1 instruction (multilevel analysis) these three indicators are developed in performance instruments. students are asked to analyze a text by paying attention to these indicators. the text is analyzed textually, discourse practices and socio-cultural practices. these three forms of analysis are levels that indicate the cda of each student. the steps used to measure cda are using an adaptation of the following levels of critical thinking (facione, 2015). table 2. levels of critical thinking n o. indicator sub-indicator number of items 1 2 3 4 5 interpretation analysis inference evaluation explanation. categorizing meaning, explaining meaning, and grouping meaning. argument assessment, argument identification, and argument analysis. claim assessment, argument assessment, text structure and language assessment. presentation of facts and evidence, submission of alternatives, and drawing conclusions. presentation of results, justification of procedures, and presentation of arguments. 10 questions 10 questions 10 questions 10 questions 10 questions these measurement indicators are used as a cognitive assessment through an objective test with 50 questions. before the test is given to the sample, the test is tried out on non-sample students. after that, the test results were analyzed using a formula to determine validity and reliability. there were 7 stages carried out in this study, namely (1) determining the sample and grouping it into 2 sample groups, namely the group with the fi thinking style and the group with the fd thinking style, (2) giving the first test to both samples. groups to obtain data on cda skills, (3) give follow-up tests to both sample groups to obtain critical reading abilities data, (4) determine cda scores and determine critical reading abilities in each sample group, and (5) perform hypothesis testing according to statistical procedures, (6) perform analysis and interpretation of research data, and (7) conclude the results of the discussion. results and discussion this section presents the findings of cda and critical reading abilities based on the type of thinking of 21st-century teachers. the data presentation was analyzed from large sample groups to small sample sections. in addition, the analysis was also carried out on each research variable to provide a more complete picture. data processing procedures were generally carried out through linear regression analysis and t-tests. the table below shows the results of the analysis of the contribution of cda skills to critical reading abilities in the whole sample. table 3. contribution of cda to critical reading abilities model summaryb model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate change statistics r square change f change df1 df2 sig. f change 1 .814a .663 .654 7.380 .663 74.631 1 38 .000 a. predictors: (constant), cda b. dependent variable: critical reading the table shows the contribution of cda to the critical reading abilities of the whole sample, namely (r=0.814, r square=0.663). based on that calculation, the contribution of cda to critical reading abilities is 66.3%. the table also supports the linearity test of the cda regression model on critical reading as follows. table 4. linearity test of cda on critical reading abilities cut purnama sari, anang santoso, roekhan roekhan, & gatut susanto exploring the impact of critical discourse analysis (cda) on enhancing 21st century teachers’ critical reading abilities 326 anovaa model sum of squares df mean square f sig. 1 regression residual total 4064.464 1 4064.464 54.461 74.631 .000b 2069.511 38 6133.975 39 a. dependent variable: critical reading b. predictors: (constant), cda the table shows (f=74.631, sig.=0.000<0.005), which means the linear regression model can be used. linearity is characterized by normally distributed data, as in the following figure. figure 1. normal p-p plot the figure shows that the data spread only around the line that represents the level of normality of the data. based on this, the significance of cda contribution to the whole sample's critical reading can henceforth be measured as indicated in the following table. table 5. regression coefficient of cda on critical reading abilities coefficientsa model unstandardized coefficients standardized coefficients t sig. b std. error beta 1 (constant) 2.493 8.274 .814 -.301 .765 cda 1.084 .125 8.639 .000 a. dependent variable: critical reading from the table, it can be seen (t=8.639, sig.=0.000<0.05) assuming that cda significantly contributes to critical reading abilities in the whole sample. furthermore, the analysis of the cda contribution to critical reading abilities in a more specific sample group, namely the fi group, is described below. table 6. cda contribution to critical reading abilities of fi group model summary model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate change statistics r square f df1 df2 sig. f english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 327 change change change 1 .794a .630 .610 6.582 .630 30.709 1 18 .000 a. predictors: (constant), cda fi group the table shows the contribution of cda to critical reading abilities in the fi group sample, namely (r=0.794, r square=0.63). based on that calculation, the contribution of cda to critical reading abilities is 63%. the table also supports the linearity test of the regression model of cda on critical reading in the fi group sample as follows. table 7. linearity test of cda on critical reading abilities of fi group anovaa model sum of squares df mean square f sig. 1 regression residual total 1330.391 1 1330.391 30.709 .000b 779.809 18 43.323 2110.200 19 a. dependent variable: critical reading fi group b. predictors: (constant), cda fi group the table shows (f=30.709, sig.=0.000<0.005), which means the linear regression model can be used. normally distributed data characterize linearity as in the following figure. figure 2. normal p-p plot of fi group the figure shows that the data spreads only around the line, which represents the level of normality of the data. based on this, the significance of the contribution of cda to critical reading abilities in the fi group sample can then be measured as indicated in the following table. table 8. regression coefficient of cda on critical reading abilities of fi group coefficientsa model unstandardized coefficients standardized coefficients t sig. b std. error beta 1 (constant) 3.441 11.796 .794 .292 .774 cda fi group .971 .175 5.542 .000 a. dependent variable: critical reading fi group cut purnama sari, anang santoso, roekhan roekhan, & gatut susanto exploring the impact of critical discourse analysis (cda) on enhancing 21st century teachers’ critical reading abilities 328 from the table, it can be seen (t=8.639, sig.=0.000<0.05) assuming that cda significantly contributes to critical reading abilities in the fi group sample. henceforth, below will be described the analysis of the contribution of cda to critical reading abilities in a more specific sample group, namely the fd group. table 9. contribution of cda to critical reading abilities of fd group model summaryb model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate change statistics r square change f change df1 df2 sig. f change 1 .848a .719 .703 7.927 .719 46.027 1 18 .000 a. predictors: (constant), cda fd group b. dependent variable: critical reading fd group the table shows the contribution of cda to critical reading abilities in the fd group sample, namely (r=0.848, r square=0.719). based on that calculation, the contribution of cda to critical reading abilities is 71.9%. the table also supports the linearity test of the regression model of cda on critical reading abilities in the fd group sample as follows. table 10. linearity test of cda on critical reading abilities of fd group anovaa model sum of squares df mean square f sig. 1 regression residual total 2892.549 1 2892.549 62.845 46.027 .000b 1131.201 18 4023.750 19 a. dependent variable: critical reading fd group b. predictors: (constant), cda fd group the table shows (f=46.027, sig.=0.000<0.005), which means the linear regression model can be used. normally distributed data characterize linearity as in the following figure. figure 3. normal p-p plot of the fd group the figure shows that the data spreads only around the line, which represents the level of normality of the data. based on this, the significance of the contribution of cda to critical reading abilities in the fd group sample can then be measured as indicated in the following table. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 329 table 11. regression coefficient of cda on critical reading abilities of fd group coefficientsa model unstandardized coefficients standardized coefficients t sig. b std. error beta 1 (constant) -9.319 11.570 .179 -.805 .431 cda fd group 1.217 .848 6.784 .000 a. dependent variable: critical reading fd group from the table, it can be seen (t = 6.784, sig.=0.000<0.05) assuming that cda significantly contributes to critical reading abilities in fd group samples. the analysis of the difference test of cda between the samples of the fi group and fd groups' samples is further described below. table 12. cda skills difference independent samples test levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper cda equal variances skills ssumed .224 1.025 38 .312 3.050 2.976 -2.974 9.074 equal variances not assumed 1.025 37.037 .312 3.050 2.976 -2.979 9.079 the table shows (f = 1.531, sig 0.224>0.05) which means that the two population variances look identical and homogeneous because they have small variances. cda between the fi group and the fd group was not significantly different (t = 1.025, sig. (2-tailed) 0.312>0.05). in addition to seeing differences in cda, the following also presents differences in critical reading abilities between fi group samples and fd groups. the table below shows the analysis of differences in critical reading abilities between the fi and fd groups. table 13. difference skills of critical reading abilities independent samples test levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper critical reading skills equal variances assumed 4.197 .047 .012 38 .990 .990 .050 4.018 -8.083 -8.109 8.183 .012 34.630 .050 4.018 8.209 cut purnama sari, anang santoso, roekhan roekhan, & gatut susanto exploring the impact of critical discourse analysis (cda) on enhancing 21st century teachers’ critical reading abilities 330 equal variances not assumed the table shows (f = 4.197, sig 0.047<0.05), which means that the two population variances are not identical or homogeneous because they have a larger variance. the critical reading abilities between the fi group and the fd group was not significantly different (t = 0.012, sig. (2tailed) 0.99>0.05). this test result states that the critical reading abilities between the fi and fd groups is equivalent. the results of this study prove that cda contributes significantly to critical reading abilities. it can be seen when readers understand the texts they read. the reader makes his knowledge as a basis for analyzing the text. this finding is relevant to research findings which say that the reader assesses the strength of the argument in the reading and evaluates the author's purpose when reading critically (hajare et al., 2016). cda knowledge is closely related to the analogy process in the reader's brain. the brain will directly process the incoming information into its understanding. this understanding takes the form of meanings that are created automatically in the brain, which are influenced by the message conveyed by the author in his writing. therefore, cda is important when making meaning in critical reading, evaluating and using information about the reading source, such as the author or publisher (anmarkrud et al., 2022). the findings in this study also prove that the cda between each predetermined group is not significantly different. samples from the fi group have relatively the same level of cda as the fd group samples. if analyzed further, it can be stated that cda is not determined by the type of thinking possessed by each individual. cda is limited to a person's perspective when dealing with a public consumption text. the perspective relates to the technical processing of information absorbed from reading and how the brain responds to the information. cda found in this study can be improved through a deliberately designed learning process. the learning must be designed as active learning to activate students' cognitive aspects. it is because cda is a cognitive aspect that is inherent in one's mind. the statement is affirmed that in observations about critical discourse analysis, research subjects can develop their competence, but they can show it in active learning (abd rahman et al., 2020). the critical reading abilities found were not significantly different. it is because the type of thinking is not directly related to critical reading. both fi and fd thinking types have the potential to be able to read critically. this finding confirms that critical reading means reacting critically to what is being read. it connects the reading content material and personal values, attitudes, and standards (din, 2020). therefore, indirectly, the fi and fd types of thinking can carry out these reactions without any restrictions. when establishing a connection between reading material and personal values, a person utilizes the components contained in a text. it is relevant to the statement (hajare et al., 2016), which says that critical reading is considered a place to analyze the structure and style of conveying meaning in reading. both of these are components that are conveyed in the text explicitly or implicitly. other research results support the findings of this study. when someone reads critically, they will engage in a more complex and deeper process toward the text. in critical reading, three processes are at least passed, namely analysis, interpretation, and evaluation on the part of the reader. the reader will arrive at the question of how the author produced the text. critical reading is generally required when encountering texts that contain controversial issues (tsai et al., 2022). in implementing critical reading learning for students, a good foundation is needed to support their development in finding critical meaning from their reading readings (wilson, 2016). the foundation can be knowledge of text types and an understanding of the purpose of the text. the foundation aims to nurture students' critical to develop critical reasoning when reading texts consistently. in general, the purpose of reading done by high school students is very different from that of prospective teachers who are in college. high school students only read to obtain facts, while prospective teachers read to improve logical reasoning skills. obtaining facts and improving logical reasoning can be done through critical reading. in addition, according to (din, 2020), a person may have a positive attitude toward critical thinking. however, the reflection of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 331 critical thinking in critical reading is not necessarily following this critical thinking attitude. critical reading abilities will further develop into critical reasoning and critical thinking. the study conducted by (hidayati et al., 2020; sari & prasetyo, 2021; wikanengsih et al., 2020) has also reported a correlation between critical reading and critical thinking that is significant. therefore, 21st-century teachers should continue improving their critical reading abilities to form critical reasoning and critical thinking properly. educators can effectively integrate cda into their teaching to foster critical reading skills among teachers this century. this is because cda-based learning has a significant effect on reading comprehension (javadi et al., 2019). this integration can be arranged periodically in a written learning plan. apart from that, educators must also determine a good instrument to measure the level of cda development and its influence on prospective teachers' critical reading abilities. the limitation of this research is only looking at it quantitatively. cda and critical reading skills are only explained in correlation and how they contribute to each other. this ex-post facto research cannot comprehensively explain how cda can have a significant effect on critical reading skills. qualitative investigation through interviews is required for each suspect sample. however, the results of this research can become a more objective basis for subsequent research. conclusion critical reading abilities are basic skills that 21stcentury teachers must possess. to be able to read critically, century teachers should be supported by cda. this cda includes a series of high-level competencies regarding reading materials or texts. these competencies will be measured if century teachers can analyze the explicit and implicit meanings contained in the text. both meanings are always present in the text and are always stated by the author in the text he produces. indirectly, the meanings present in the text are the ideology conveyed by the author to the readers of the text. century teachers must be equipped with language tools to analyze a text to find the author's intention. thus, cda contributes to a person critically reading a text. the higher a person's cda, the more it will support their critical reading abilities to be better. a specific recommendation for educational practice and policy is to implement a learning system that integrates cda for prospective teachers to improve their critical reading skills. the application of this system can be done through modified learning tools using cda. educators can incorporate the cda stages into the learning syntax. for future researchers, this investigation of cda and critical reading skills can be carried out through in-depth interviews. each suspect research sample can be explored further so that their perception of cda and critical reading will emerge. an investigation like this will be able to comprehensively explain the relationship between cda and critical reading for prospective teachers. references abd rahman, n. f., mohd yusof, k., phang, f. a., azizan, m. t., mohd addi, m., sadikin, a. n., tengku malim busu, t. n. z., & nawi, n. d. (2020). developing rigor with critical discourse analysis to examine educators’ transition toward active learning. procedia computer science, 172, 49–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2020.05.007 anmarkrud, ø., bråten, i., florit, e., & mason, l. (2022). the role of individual differences in sourcing: a systematic review. in educational psychology review (vol. 34, issue 2, pp. 749– 792). springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648021-09640-7 bakhtiari moghadam, z., haddad narafshan, m., & tajadini, m. (2021). development of a critical self in the language reading classroom: an examination of learners’ l2 self. thinking skills and creativity, 42, 100944. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2021.100944 din, m. (2020). evaluating university students’ critical thinking ability as reflected in their critical reading skill: a study at bachelor level in pakistan. thinking skills and creativity, 35, 100627. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100627 fairclough, n. 1995. critical discourse analysis: the critical study of language. harlow essex: longman group limited. farieta, a., & delprato, m. (2024). the effect of philosophy on critical reading: evidence from initial teacher education in colombia. international journal of educational development, 104, 102974. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2023.1029 74 gu, x., & catalano, t. (2022). representing transition experiences: a multimodal critical discourse analysis of young immigrants in children’s literature. linguistics and education, 71, 101083. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2022.101083 hajare, a., meena surve, s., & patankar, p. (2016). developing critical reading skills for active https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2020.05.007 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2020.05.007 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2020.05.007 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2020.05.007 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2020.05.007 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2020.05.007 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09640-7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09640-7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09640-7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09640-7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09640-7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09640-7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09640-7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09640-7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09640-7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09640-7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09640-7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09640-7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09640-7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09640-7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09640-7 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2021.100944 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100627 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.10062 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.10062 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100627 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100627 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2023.102974 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2023.102974 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2022.101083 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2022.101083 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2022.101083 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2022.101083 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2022.101083 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2022.101083 cut purnama sari, anang santoso, roekhan roekhan, & gatut susanto exploring the impact of critical discourse analysis (cda) on enhancing 21st century teachers’ critical reading abilities 332 citizenship through constructivist approach. in p. p. tandale (ed.), interdisciplinary national conference on researches and experiments in constructivist pedagogy (pp. 46–50). www.aiirjournal.com hashimoto, t., hayashi, y., & seta, k. (2019). metacognitive inference activity support by visualizing eye-movement graph during critical reading. procedia computer science, 159, 1995–2004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2019.09.372 heidari, k. (2020). critical thinking and efl learners’ performance on textually-explicit, textuallyimplicit, and script-based reading items. thinking skills and creativity, 37, 100703. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100703 hidayati, m., inderawati, r., & loeneto, b. (2020). the correlations among critical thinking skills, critical reading skills and reading comprehension. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 69–80. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3780 javadi, j., mohammadi, m., & prof, a. (2019). the effect of critical discourse-based instruction on iranian english major students’ reading comprehension. in international journal of instruction (vol. 12, issue 1). www.e-iji.net prastio, b., santoso, a., roekhan, maulidina, a., numertayasa, i. w., & suardana, i. p. o. (2023). an ecolinguistic study: the representation of forest conservation practices in the discourse of anak dalam jambi tribe, indonesia. cogent arts and humanities, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.226278 8 peng, z., liu, y., zhou, h., xu, z., & ma, x. (2022). crebot: exploring interactive question prompts for critical paper reading. international journal of human-computer studies, 167, 102898. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2022.102898 risaldi, a., santoso, a., & syahri, moch. (2023). critical discourse analysis of naming children sex offender in indonesia. proceedings of the international seminar on language, education, and culture (isolec 2022), 24–36. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-038-1_4 sari, d. m. m., & prasetyo, y. (2021). project-basedlearning on critical reading course to enhance critical thinking skills. studies in english language and education, 8(2), 442–456. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i2.18407 sultan, rofiuddin, a., nurhadi, & priyatni, e. t. (2018). development of mass media text-based instructional materials to improve critical reading skills of university students. pedagogika, 131(3), 26–47. https://doi.org/10.15823/p.2018.32 sulzer, m. a. (2022). silence as absence, silence as presence: a discourse analysis of english language arts teachers’ descriptions of classroom silences. linguistics and education, 68, 100961. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2021.100961 tsai, m. j., wu, a. h., bråten, i., & wang, c. y. (2022). what do critical reading strategies look like? eye-tracking and lag sequential analysis reveal attention to data and reasoning when reading conflicting information. computers & education, 187, 104544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104 544 van, l. h., li, c. s., & wan, r. (2022). critical reading in higher education: a systematic review. thinking skills and creativity, 44, 101028. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2022.101028 wilson, k. (2016). critical reading, critical thinking: delicate scaffolding in english for academic purposes (eap). thinking skills and creativity, 22, 256–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2016.10.002 wikanengsih, san fauziya, d., & san rizqiya, r. (2020). the correlation between students’ critical reading ability and their mathematical critical thinking. journal of physics: conference series, 1657(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1657/1/012041 yuill, c., harkness, m., wallace, c., mccourt, c., cheyne, h., & litosseliti, l. (2022). inducing labour in the united kingdom: a feminist critical discourse analysis of policy and guidance. ssm qualitative research in health, 2, 100108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100108 http://www.aiirjournal.com/ http://www.aiirjournal.com/ http://www.aiirjournal.com/ http://www.aiirjournal.com/ http://www.aiirjournal.com/ http://www.aiirjournal.com/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2019.09.372 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100703 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3780 http://www.e-iji.net/ https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2262788 https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2262788 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2022.102898 https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-038-1_4 https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i2.18407 https://doi.org/10.15823/p.2018.32 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2021.100961 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2021.100961 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2021.100961 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2021.100961 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2021.100961 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2021.100961 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.10454 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.10454 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104544 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104544 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104544 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2022.101028 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2016.10.002 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2016.10.002 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2016.10.002 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2016.10.002 https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1657/1/012041 https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1657/1/012041 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100108 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100108 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100108 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100108 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100108 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100108 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 391 whatsapp use on reading comprehension: exploring the impact among efl learners sri mujayanah universitas muhammadiyah gresik, indonesia email: srijaya558@gmail.com nirwanto maruf universitas muhammadiyah gresik, indonesia email: nirwanto.maruf@umg.ac.id slamet asari universitas muhammadiyah gresik, indonesia email: asari70@umg.ac.id apa citation: mujayanah, s., maruf, n., & asari, s. (2023). whatsapp use on reading comprehension: exploring the impact among efl learners. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 391404. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7712 received: 22-02-2023 accepted: 23-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction the widespread adoption of mobile communication technologies, such as whatsapp, has transformed the way we communicate and access information (erduran, 2020; saritepeci, duran et al., 2019) . but what impact does this have a language learning and reading comprehension, particularly among english as a foreign language (efl) learners (zulkanain et al., 2020; kavoshian et al., 2020)? this study aims to explore the impact of whatsapp use on reading comprehension among efl learners in indonesia, and identify the potential ways in which whatsapp use. the use of mobile communication technologies for language learning has received increasing attention in recent years (jankauskaite, 2015; enyama et al., 2021; motteram et al., 2020), with a growing body of research suggesting that these technologies can be effective tools for language learning (maruf & anjely, 2020; motteram et al., 2020). however, the impact of whatsapp use on reading comprehension among efl learners has been largely unexplored (saritepeci et al., 2019; fischer & yang, 2022), and there is a need for more research in this area. while some studies have found a positive relationship between the use of mobile technologies and reading comprehension (zou & ou, 2020; oakley et al., 2022; zhou, 2020), it is not clear whether this relationship holds true for whatsapp use may facilitate or hinder reading comprehension. this study aims to address this gap in the literature by identifying any potential impacts of whatsapp use on reading comprehension among efl learners in indonesia. using a combination of abstract: the study aimed to explore the impact of whatsapp use on reading comprehension among english as a foreign language (efl) learners in indonesia. results from the questionnaire showed that a majority of the participants used whatsapp for reading activities often or very often, with new articles, fiction or literature, and non-fiction books being the most common types of reading materials accessed. the majority of efl learners spent 1-2 hours on whatsapp for reading activities, and cited convenience and accessibility as the main reasons for using the platform. the results also showed a significant number of efl learners believed that using whatsapp had improved their reading comprehension skills, although some participants did not find it to be an effective tool. the most commonly cited advantage of using whatsapp for reading activities was convenience and accessibility, followed by engagement with peers and opportunities for discussion and exchange of ideas. meanwhile, the most commonly cited disadvantage was distraction from other conversation or notifications, limited access to a wide range of reading materials, and lack of interaction with the teacher or tutor. the results also indicated that the majority of efl learners improved their reading comprehension skills over time when using whatsapp for reading activities, with a focus on reading texts or materials, participating in group discussions, and completing reading comprehension exercises. the study results provide valuable insights into the impact of whatsapp use on reading comprehension among efl learners and could help identify areas for improvement in utilizing the platform for reading activities. keywords: elf learners; reading comprehension; whatsapp use. sri mujayanah, nirwanto maruf, & slamet asari whatsapp use on reading comprehension: exploring the impact among efl learners 392 quantitative and qualitative methods, which include questionnaire and interviews and to examine the perceptions and experiences of efl learners regarding the use of whatsapp for reading activities. the result of this study has the potential to inform the development of recommendation and best practices for educators and policymakers interested in promoting the effective use of whatsapp and other technologies for language learning. the results may also have implications for our understanding of the relationship between technology use and reading comprehension more generally (nowruzi, 2021; kazakbaeva, 2021), and may contribute to the wider research on technology-enhanced language learning. a growing body of research suggests that these technologies can be effective tools for language learning (lyu & qi 2020; chen, 2022; keengwe et al., 2014; zhang et al., 2022; tai & ting, 2016; lai et al., 2022, admiraal, 2022), with some studies finding a positive relationship between the use of mobile technologies and reading comprehension (zhou & yadav 2017; moon et al., 2017; park et al., 2020). however, the impact of whatsapp use on reading comprehension among english as a foreign language (efl) learners has been largely unexplored, and there is a need for more research in this area (zhang & li, 2020). the use of mobile technologies for language learning can be beneficial in a number of ways (golonka et al., 2014; (lee, 2022; balasubramanian et al., 2010; booton et al., 2021). for examples, mobile technologies can provide learners with access to authentic and diverse language materials, can facilitate communication and collaboration with peers and teachers, and can support self-directed learning (shadiev et al., 2020; tlili et al., 2022; rodríguez & cumming, 2017). however, there is also evidence to suggest that the use of mobile technologies can be distracting or overwhelming for learners, and can lead to reduced attention and cognitive load (hyman et al., 2014; lee et al., 2021). moreover, the relationship between technology use and reading comprehension may be complex and multifaceted, and may depend on a range of factors such as the type of technologies used, the context of use, and characteristics of the learners. however, little is known about the specific impact of whatsapp use on reading comprehension among efl learners, and there is a need for more research in this area (tragant et al., 2020; zhang & li, 2020; barianty et al., 2022). there are several limitations in the existing literature on the relationship between whatsapp use and reading comprehension among efl learners. first, most of the studies on this topic have been conducted in english-speaking countries, and there is a lack of research on the use of whatsapp and other mobile technologies for language learning in non-english -speaking contexts (alamer & al khateeb, 2021; barrot, 2021). second, the existing literature has primarily focused on the use of mobile technologies for language learning in general, rather than on the specific impact of whatsapp use on reading comprehension (grant, 2019; keengwe & bhargava, 2014). finally, the research methods used in the existing studies have been diverse, making it difficult to compare and synthesize the findings (ma, 2017; barrot, 2021). another literature suggests that the use of mobile technologies, such as whatsapp, can be effective tools for language learning, but the relationship between technology use and reading comprehension may be complex and between technologies use and reading comprehension may be complex and multifaceted (ma, 2017; shah et al., 2021). there is a need for more research on the specific impact of whatsapp use on reading comprehension among efl learners, particularly in non-english-speaking countries. furthermore, it suggests that the use of mobile technologies can be beneficial for language learning and reading comprehension, it is important to note that the relationship between technology use and reading comprehension may not be straightforward or universal (taghizadeh and ejtehadi, 2021; koh et al., 2010; wu and wang, 2015). some studies have found a positive relationship between the use of mobile technologies and reading comprehension (hyman et al., 2014; yang, 2018), while others have found no significant relationship (booton et al., 2021; golonka et al., 2014). it is important to note that the relationship between whatsapp use and reading comprehension may be influenced by a range of factors such as the type technology used, the context of use, and the characteristics of the learners (saritepeci et al., 2019; lyu & qi, 2020). in addition, the use of mobile technologies for language learning may be associated with certain challenges or risks, such as reduced attention and cognitive load (lyu & qi, 2020; lai et al., 2022) ), or the risk of exposure to inappropriate or inappropriate context (koh et al., 2010). therefore, it is important to carefully consider these potential risks and challenges when using english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 393 mobile technologies for language learning, and to adopt strategies to mitigate these risks and optimize the benefits of technologies use (keengwe & bhargava, 2014; grant, 2019; gumbheer et al., 2022). in conclusion, the literature reviews suggests that the relationship between whatsapp use and reading comprehension among efl learners is an under-explored area that warrants further investigation. this study aims to fill the gap in the literature by exploring the relationship between whatsapp use and reading comprehension among efl learners in indonesia, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. the research questions for this study are: (1) what are the impacts of whatsapp use on reading comprehension among efl learners? (2) what are the learners’ perceptions and experiences on the use of whatsapp for reading activities? method this study used a mixed-methods research design, which combined both quantitative and qualitative research methods to obtain a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the research topic cresswell et al., 2003; schoonenboom & johnson, 2017) . this approach allows for the collection and analysis of data from various sources and perspectives, providing a more nuanced and holistic picture of the topic being studied (dagnino et al., 2020; baran, 2019). the use of a mixedmethods research design allowed for the triangulation of data and the integration of different perspectives (armitage, 2007; baran, 2019), providing a more robust understanding of the impacts of whatsapp use on reading comprehension among efl learners. the study participants included 250 participants (145 males and 105 females) were recruited from various schools across different regions of indonesia. the participants ranged in age from 14 to 19 representing a diverse group from different secondary schools located on major islands in indonesia. the participants were asked about their usage of mobile technologies, specifically whatsapp in english as a foreign language (efl) learning for reading comprehension. the participants were required to have basic understanding of using whatsapp and must have used whatsapp for at least six months in their learning process. moreover, the participants must have used whatsapp in efl learning for reading comprehension activities with their students. the participants who were found not to meet these criteria were excluded from the study. all participants were provided with information about the study and asked to give informed consent before participating. the research procedure for this study involved several steps, designed to ensure the reliability and validity of the data collected, and to ensure that the research questions are answered in a comprehensive and meaningful way. the first step in the research procedure was the recruitment of the study sample, and to ensure a representative sample, 250 participants (145 males and 105 females) were recruited from various schools across different regions of indonesia. the second step in the research procedure was the administration of questionnaire to gather quantitative data about whatsapp use and reading comprehension. the third step in the research procedure was the collection of data on participants’ whatsapp use and reading activities, as well as their perceptions and experiences regarding the use of whatsapp for reading activities. this data collected using a variety of quantitative and qualitative techniques, including surveys (using closed-ended questionnaire) and interviews, and administered to a subset of the sample in order to provide a rich and detailed understanding of the ways in which whatsapp use may be related to reading comprehension among efl learners. the fourth step in the research procedure was the analysis of the data collected. the data was analyzed using appropriate statistical and qualitative analysis techniques in order to answer the research questions and to achieve the research objectives of the study. the study utilized a combination of two data collection instruments; a close-ended questionnaire and in-depth interviews. the closeended questionnaire was comprised of multiple choice and likert scale questions that were designed to assess the participants’ usage of whatsapp and its impact on their reading comprehension skills. the questionnaire was carefully developed based on relevant items that would effectively measure the participants’ use of whatsapp and its impact on their reading comprehension abilities. to ensure the questionnaire was of high quality, the items were reviewed and edited by experts from three different universities. the feedback received from these academics was used to improve the content validity of the questionnaire items. after this process, the questionnaire was pilot tested on a small sample of subjects to measure its reliability. the questionnaire items were structured into several categories, including sri mujayanah, nirwanto maruf, & slamet asari whatsapp use on reading comprehension: exploring the impact among efl learners 394 the frequency and duration of whatsapp use for reading activities, reason for using whatsapp for reading activities, perception of the effectiveness of whatsapp for reading comprehension skills, advantages and disadvantages of using whatsapp for reading activities, changes in reading comprehension skills over time, and the type of reading materials accessed on whatsapp. the close-ended questionnaire was found to have adequate level of reliability, as indicated by cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.84 and 0.88. the questionnaire was delivered and conducted online, using a secure platform, to the 250 participants across various regions of indonesia. this allowed for the collection of data in a convenient and efficient manner, regardless of the participants’ physical locations. the in-depth interviews were conducted to complement and deepen the understanding of the results obtained from the close-ended questionnaire. the interview questions were based on the categories explored in the questionnaire and aimed to gain a more in-depth and nuanced understanding of the participants’ experiences using whatsapp for reading activities and its impact on their reading comprehension. a total of 120 participants were interviewed. to ensure the content validity of the interview questions, the author sought the opinions of three experts in the field and took into consideration their suggestions and comments. furthermore, a pilot study was conducted with a small group of participants to identity any potential strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement of the interview questions. this helped to refine the questions and ensure their relevance and suitability for the study. the data collected for this study were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. they were analyzed to address the research questions of this study. the close-ended questionnaire data were analyzed using statistical package for the social sciences (spss) techniques to identify any impacts of whatsapp use on reading comprehension, and other factors that may affect reading comprehension. the data collected form the in-depth interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis, which involves identifying and interpreting patterns and themes in the data. the transcripts of the interviews were coded and analyzed using a coding framework that reflected the research questions a main theme of the study. the codes were used to identify patterns, and in the data and create a summary of the findings. the interview was conducted by the author with the assistance of one assistant, using the zoom cloud session. the author conducted the interview by first explaining the purpose of the study to the participants and assuring them of the confidentiality of their responses. the author then asked the participants to reflect on their experiences with using whatsapp for reading comprehension activities. the participants were asked to think back to when they first started using whatsapp for reading activities, and to discuss their experience with the author. the author then asked the participants questions from the interview items related to the frequency and duration of whatsapp use for reading activities, reasons for using whatsapp for reading activities, perception on the effectiveness of whatsapp for reading comprehension skills, advantages and disadvantages of using whatsapp for reading activities, changes in reading comprehension skills over time, and the type of reading materials accessed on whatsapp. the participants were asked to answer each question as fully and honestly as possible. after the interview, the author analysed the data collected from the participants and identified patterns and the themes in their responses. this information was then used to understand the learners’ perspectives on the usage of the whatsapp for reading comprehension activities. results and discussion the findings of this study were derived based on the research questions that were posed at the beginning of the study. these findings provide insight into the impact of whatsapp on and reading comprehension among efl learners in indonesia and learners’ perceptions and experiences on the use of whatsapp for reading activities. research question #1: what are the impacts of whatsapp use on reading comprehension among efl learners? the results of the questionnaire indicate that a majority of efl learners use whatsapp for reading activities often or very often (53%), with news articles (53%), fiction or literature (47%), non-fiction books (40%) being the most common types of reading materials accessed. these results show that a majority of participants frequently utilize whatsapp as a platform for reading activities, indicating that it is a common tool for reading materials among the participants, as showed in tables 1 below: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 395 table 1. the use of whatsapp for reading activities use of whatsapp for reading activities frequency often 53% very often 53% sometimes 27% rarely 13% never 7% table 2. time spent on whatsapp for reading activities times spent (hours) frequency less 1 hour 20% 1 2 hours 40% 2 – 3 hours 30% more than 3 hours 10% the result on table 2 shows that 40% of english as foreign language (efl) learners spend 1-2 hours on whatsapp for reading activities, followed by 30% who spend 2-3 hours, 20% who spend less than 1 hour, and only 10% who spend more than 3 hours. this suggests that the majority of efl learners spend a moderate amount of time on whatsapp for reading activities. table 3. reason for using whatsapp reasons for using whatsapp frequency convenience 70% accessibility 65% recommendation from peers or family 50% interest in the reading material 40% others 15% the results in table 3 indicate that the majority of efl learners (70%) use whatsapp for reading activities due to convenience, followed by accessibility (65%). half of the respondents (50%0 reported that they use whatsapp for reading due to recommendations from peers or family. around 40% of the learners use whatsapp for reading because they have an interest in the reading material. the remaining 15% of respondents have other reasons for using whatsapp for reading activities. table 4. perception of the effectiveness of whatsapp for reading perceptions of effectiveness frequency effective 80% not effective 20% the results in table 4 show that the majority of efl learners, 80% perceived that using whatsapp for reading activities had an effective impact on their reading comprehension skills. however, 20% of the participants did not believe that using whatsapp was effective in improving their comprehension skills. these findings suggest that while a significant number of efl learners believe that using whatsapp has improved their reading comprehension, there are still some who do not find to be a useful tool. this highlights the need for further research to better understand the relationship between whatsapp use and reading comprehension among efl learners. table 5. advantages of using whatsapp for reading activities the advantages frequency convenience and accessibility 80% engagement with peers or classmates 73% opportunities for discussion and exchange others 76% 7% the above table show that the advantages of using whatsapp for reading activities, as reported by efl learners. the majority of respondents (80%) cited convenience and accessibility as the main advantage of using whatsapp for reading. this may be due to the widespread availability of the platform and its ability to allow for seamless communication and access to reading materials from anywhere. another advantage reported by a significant number of respondents (73%) was the engagement with peers or classmates, indicating that whatsapp can provide an opportunity for social interaction and collaboration around reading materials. a similar number of respondents (76%) also cited opportunities for discussion and exchange of ideas as a benefit of using whatsapp for reading activities. table 6. disadvantages of using whatsapp for reading activities disadvantages of using whatsapp for reading activities frequency distractions from other conversations or notifications 87% limited access to a wide range of reading materials 80% lack of interaction with the teacher or tutor 73% others 7% the results show that the most commonly cited disadvantage of using whatsapp for reading activities among efl learners is distraction from other conversations or notification (87%). this can hinder their ability to concentrate and comprehend the reading materials. moreover, 80% of the participants reported limited access to a wide range of reading materials on whatsapp, which may limit their exposure to different types of texts and genres. another challenge reported by 73% of the participants is the lack of interaction with the sri mujayanah, nirwanto maruf, & slamet asari whatsapp use on reading comprehension: exploring the impact among efl learners 396 teacher or tutor, which can impact their understanding and engagement with the reading materials. the remaining 7% cited other disadvantages not listed in the options. table 7. change in reading comprehension skill over time change in reading comprehension skill over time frequency improved 80% stayed the same 13% decreased 7% the results of table 7 shows that the majority of efl learners (80%) reported an improvement in their reading comprehension skill over time. a smaller percentage (13%) reported that their skills have stayed the same, and only 7% reported a decrease in their reading comprehension skills. this suggests that for the majority of efl learners, using whatsapp for reading activities has had a positive impact on their reading comprehension skills. table 8. reading activities performed on whatsapp reading activities performed on whatsapp frequency reading tests or materials participating in group discussion or debates on texts or materials 80% 73% completing reading comprehension exercises or quizzes 76% others 7% the results as indicated on table 8 below show that the majority of efl learners who use whatsapp for reading activities primarily engage in reading texts or materials (80%). this is followed by participating in group discussions or debates on texts or materials (73%) and completing reading comprehension exercises or quizzes (76%). the remaining 7% of efl learners engage in other reading activities on whatsapp. these results indicate that efl learners use whatsapp for a variety of reading activities, with a focus on reading texts or materials and practicing their comprehension skills through group discussions and exercises. table 9. challenges or limitation of using whatsapp for reading activities challenges or limitation frequency limited access to reading materials 65% distraction from notification and chats 55% technical issues 45% others 35% the results of this table show that the most common challenges or limitation experienced by efl learners when using whatsapp for reading activities is limited access to reading materials, with 65% of respondents indicating this as an issue. 55% of respondents reported distractions from notification and chats as a challenge, while 45% reported technical issues as a limitation. 35% of respondents indicated other challenges or limitation not mentioned in the table. these results suggest that while whatsapp may provide an accessible platform for reading activities, there are still significant challenges and limitations that efl learners face when using the platform fore reading activities. table 10. confidence in reading comprehension skills confident in reading comprehension skills frequency very confident 50% confident 30% not confident 20% the results of table 10 indicate that 50% of respondents are very confident in their reading comprehension skills, 30% are confident, and 20% are not confident. this suggests that a majority of the respondents feel positively about their ability to comprehend what they read, but a significant minority is uncertain about their skills. the survey results could help identify areas where these individuals feel they need improvement and suggest ways to build their confidence in their reading comprehension skills. table 11. difficulties in understanding text or materials difficulties in understanding texts or materials frequency vocabulary 70% grammar pronunciation 60% 50% often 20% according to the results in table 11, the most common difficulty in understanding text or materials among the respondents is vocabulary, with 70% of the respondents experiencing this issue. 60% of the respondents reported grammar as their second biggest challenge in understanding text or materials, followed by pronunciation with 50%. the remaining 20% of the respondents reported other difficulties in understanding text or materials. this result highlights the challenges that english as a foreign language (efl) learners face when it comes to comprehending reading english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 397 materials, and the areas they need to focus on to improve their reading comprehension skills. table 12. coping strategies of difficulties in understanding texts or materials coping strategies frequency re-reading the text 40% asking for helps 30% using a dictionary 30% others 10% according to the data presented in table 12, the coping strategies used by the participants when they faced difficulties in understanding texts or materials. the results show that the most common coping strategy used is re-reading the text, with 40% of participants indicating that they use this method. 30% of participants indicated that they ask for help when faced with difficulties in understanding texts or materials, while 20% use a dictionary to understand the material. the remaining 10% of participants use other methods to cope with difficulties in understanding texts or materials. table 13. strategies for improving reading comprehension skills strategies for improving reading comprehension skills frequency practice reading texts or materials in english 87% seeking feedback from the teacher or tutor 80% using online resources or tools 73% others 7% the results from table 13 show that the majority of respondents, 87% believed that practicing reading texts or materials in english was the most effective strategy for improving their reading comprehension skills. 80% of respondents believed that seeking feedback from a teacher was also a key factor in improving their skills, while 73% said they used online resources or tools. only 7% of respondents reported using other strategies to improve their reading comprehension. table 14. methods of practicing reading comprehension skills methods of practicing reading comprehension skills frequency reading texts or materials and answering comprehension questions 80% participating in group discussion or debates on texts or materials 73% completing reading comprehension exercises or quizzes 76% others 7% the results of table 14 show the methods used by participants to practice their reading comprehension skills. 80% of the participants reported that they practice their reading comprehension skills by reading texts or materials and answering comprehension questions. 73% of the participants reported that they participate in group discussion or debates on texts or materials, while 76% that they complete reading comprehension exercises or quizzes. the remaining 7% reported using other methods to practices their reading comprehension skills. this indicates that the majority of the participants prefer to practice their reading comprehension skills through reading activities, group discussions and exercises, rather than using other methods. table 15. methods of evaluating reading comprehension skills methods of evaluating reading comprehension skills frequency asking the teacher or tutor for feedback 87% comparing understanding of texts or materials with classmates or peers 80% taking online reading comprehension quizzes or tests 73% others 7% the results of table 15 show the methods used by individuals to evaluate their reading comprehension skills. 87% respondents said they ask their teacher for feedback, while 80% said they compare their understanding of texts or materials with classmates or peers. moreover, 73% reported taking online reading comprehension quizzes or texts as a method of evaluating their skills. only 7% of respondents reported using other methods to evaluate their reading comprehension skills. this indicates that the majority of individuals prefer to seek feedback from trusted sources such as teachers or peers, or to use online tools to assess their skills. table 16. types of reading material accessed on whatsapp types of reading materials frequency new articles 65% fiction or literature 55% poetry non-fiction books magazines others 45% 25% 20% 10% according to the data in table 16, the types of reading materials that english as a foreign sri mujayanah, nirwanto maruf, & slamet asari whatsapp use on reading comprehension: exploring the impact among efl learners 398 language (efl) learner access on whatsapp. the data reveals that the majority of efl learners, 65% access news articles on whatsapp. a slightly smaller group, 55% access fiction or literature on the platform, while 45% access poetry. only 25% of efl learners access non-fiction books on whatsapp, while 20% access magazines. the remaining 10% access others types of reading materials. the results suggest that a significant proportion on efl learners are using whatsapp to access various types of reading materials. this indicates the potential for whatsapp to be an effective tool for reading activities and to enhance the reading comprehension skills of efl learners. table 17. impact on reading comprehension impact on reading comprehension frequency positive 50% neutral 25% negative 25% table 17 indicates that the results of the impact of using whatsapp for reading activities on reading comprehension. the data shows that 50% of the participants reported a positive impact on their reading comprehension as a result of using whatsapp for reading activities. this suggest that using whatsapp for reading activities can be beneficial for improving reading comprehension skills. however, 25% of the participants reported a neutral impact, meaning that they did not notice any significance change in their reading comprehension skills. moreover, 25% of the participants reported a negative impact, indicating that using whatsapp for reading activities may not be suitable for them or may have negatively impacted their reading comprehension. overall, these results suggest that the impact may vary among individuals, and further research is needed to understand the factors that influence this relationship. research question #2: what are the learners’ perceptions and experiences on the use of whatsapp for reading activities? the purpose of this interview was to examine the perceptions and experiences of efl learners on the usage of whatsapp for reading comprehension activities. the interview was conducted with a sample of 120 participants and aimed to gather insights on the frequency and duration of whatsapp use for reading, reasons for using whatsapp for reading activities, perception of the effectiveness of whatsapp for reading comprehension skills, advantages and disadvantages of using whatsapp for reading activities, changes in reading comprehension skills over time, and the type of reading materials accessed on whatsapp. the results show that the frequency and duration of whatsapp use for reading activities were majority of the participants (n=80) reported using whatsapp several times a week for reading activities. the average duration of usage was around 30 minutes to an hour per session. these results indicate that whatsapp is a commonly used platform for reading activities and that learners are engaging in these activities for substantial periods of time. excerpt 1 “i usually use whatsapp for reading activities once or twice a week for about 30 minutes to one hour at a time. i find to be a convenient way to stay engaged with my reading materials and also interact with my classmates and teacher.” excerpt 2 “i use whatsapp every day for reading activities. it’s a great way to spend my free time, and i enjoy chatting with my classmates about the text we are reading. i spend about an hour a day using whatsapp for reading activities.” furthermore, when asked about the reasons for using whatsapp for reading activities, the majority of participants (n=70) reported that it was convenient and easily accessible. they also cited the availability of a wide range of reading materials such as audio, text, and image, and the ability to collaborate with peers as other factors that influenced their decision to use whatsapp for reading activities. excerpt 3 “i use whatsapp for reading activities because it’s fun and interactive way to learn. i enjoy discussing the text with my classmates and teacher, and it helps me understand the material better.” excerpt 4 “i use whatsapp for reading activities because it’s convenient and accessible. i can easily access my reading materials on my phone and join the group chat with classmates and teacher.” when it comes to the perception of the effectiveness of whatsapp for reading comprehension skills, a majority of the participants (n=70) reported a positive experience and believe english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 399 that using whatsapp has improved their reading comprehension skills. participants cited factors such as the ability to interact with reading materials in different formats, the ability to connect with others for discussion and support, and the opportunity for repeated exposure to reading materials as contributing to their improved reading comprehension. these results suggests that whatsapp is seen as a valuable tool for improving reading comprehension skill among learners. excerpt 5 “i think whatsapp is a highly effective tool for improving my reading comprehension skills. i find that the discussions and interaction with my classmates and teacher help me better understand the text.” excerpt 6 “i don’t think whatsapp is an effective other methods of reading comprehension. i prefer reding the text on my own and then discussing it with my classmates and teacher in person.” when the author asked about the advantages and disadvantages of using whatsapp for reading activities, the most commonly cited advantage of using whatsapp for reading activities was the convenience and accessibility of the platform (n=80). other advantages included the availability of reading materials in various formats and the ability to connect with others for discussion and support. also, whatsapp has increased their motivation to read and has made reading more enjoyable. the most commonly cited disadvantage was the potential for distraction such as notification from other apps or groups that sometimes interfere with their concentration. excerpt 7 “the advantages of using whatsapp for reading activities include being able to easily access reading materials, having discussions with classmates and teacher, and being able to interact in real-time. the disadvantages include the potential distractions from other chats and notifications on the app.” excerpt 8 “i think the main advantage of using whatsapp for reading activities is the convenience and accessibility. however, i also think it’s easy to get side tracked by other chats and notifications on the app, which can be a disadvantage.” in term of changes in reading comprehension skills over time, the majority of participants (n=70) reported that they felt that their reading comprehension skills have improved since they started using whatsapp for reading activities. participants cited factors such as the ability to interact with reading materials in different formats, the opportunity for repeated exposure to reading materials, and the ability to connect with others for discussion. some participants noted that they have become more confident in their ability to understand and interpret written materials. these results suggest that the use of whatsapp can have a positive impact on reading comprehension skills over time. excerpt 9 “since i started using whatsapp for reading activities, i’ve noticed a significant improvement in my reading comprehension skills. the discussions and interactions with my classmates and teacher have helped me better understand the text.” excerpt 10 “i haven’t noticed a significant change in my reading comprehension skills since using whatsapp for reading activities. i still prefer reading the text on my own and then discussing it with my classmates and teacher in person.” finally, when asked about the type of reading materials accessed on whatsapp, the majority of participants (n=90) reported accessing a wide range of materials including news articles, news articles, and e-books. some participants also reported accessing a variety of other materials, including comic, and magazines. these results indicate that learners are using whatsapp to access a wide range of reading materials, suggesting that the platform is versatile and can support a variety of reading needs, and interests. excerpt 11 “i usually access short stories, articles, and news updates on whatsapp for reading activities. i find these materials to be engaging and relevant to my interests.” excerpt 12 “i access a variety of reading materials on whatsapp, including fiction and non-fiction books, as well as articles and news updates. i enjoy having a range of materials to choose from.” the findings of this study contribute to the growing body of research on the use of social media platforms, such as whatsapp, in language sri mujayanah, nirwanto maruf, & slamet asari whatsapp use on reading comprehension: exploring the impact among efl learners 400 learning. the results show that the majority of participants (n=80) used whatsapp regularly for reading activities, with an average usage time of 30 minutes to an hour per session this supports previous studies which have found that students find whatsapp to be an engaging and effective platform for language learning activities, particularly reading activities (hui, 2018; jankauskaite, 2015; shamsi & bozorgian 2022). a new insight from the current study is the variety of reading activities that the participants engaged in through whatsapp. this study found that participants engaged in individual reading, group reading, and peer-assisted reading activities, whereas previous studies only reported individual or group reading (motteram et al., 2020; zulkanain et al., 2020; enyama et al. 2021) this highlights the potential for whatsapp to be used for a range of language learning activities, not just individual or group reading. another noteworthy difference between the current study and previous studies is the duration of the use of whatsapp for reading activities. participants in this study used whatsapp for three months, whereas previous studies reported varying duration from a few weeks to several months (jankauskaite 2015); motteram et al., 2020; (nedungadi et al., 2018). this indicates that the frequency and duration of whatsapp use for language learning activities may vary depending on individual learner characteristics and motivation. in term of the reason for using whatsapp for reading activities, the finding of present study indicate that the majority of participants use whatsapp as a mean of accessing reading materials, practicing reading comprehension skills, and receiving feedback from peers and teachers. this support previous research which has established the use of social media platforms for language learning activities (barrot, 2021; noori et al., 2022; ssekiziyivu et al., 2021) however, the findings of this present study differ from the results of a study conducted by gambo et al. (2021), which found that students were more likely to use other social media platforms, such as wechat, for reading activities due to the availability of readingspecific features like translation tools. this difference in results highlights the importance of considering individual learner characteristics and preferences when exploring the use of technology in language learning. the present study’s findings on the perception of effectiveness of whatsapp for reading comprehension skills add to the ongoing discussion about the role of social media in language learning. while some research supports the notion that social media platforms can be beneficial for language learning (alamer & al khateeb 2021; noori et al., 2022), other studies highlight the limitations and drawbacks of such platforms (tragant et al., 2020; barrot, 2021), the majority of participants in the current study reported that they believed whatsapp was effective in improving their reading comprehension skills. this supports the findings of previous studies that have shown that students find using social media platforms to be beneficial for their language learning (galvin & greenhow 2020; becheru et al., 2018; shamsi & bozorgian 2022). however, the finding of the present study should be viewed in light of previous research that has shown the limitations of social media platforms for language learning. for instance, shamsi and bozorgian, (2022)found that the quality of feedback received from peers and teachers on social media platforms is often lacking, which can negatively impact language development. moreover, they found that the distractions present on social media platforms can negatively affect students’ focus and ability to engage in meaningful language learning activities. these findings highlight the need for educators to carefully consider the limitations and drawbacks of social media platforms when incorporating them into language learning activities. in light of the research problem being investigated, the findings of this study provide a valuable contribution to the existing knowledge on the use of whatsapp for reading activities in language learning. the results highlight both the advantages and disadvantages of using whatsapp for language learning activities, and provide a more nuanced understanding of how students perceive the effectiveness of this platform. on one hand, the majority of participants in this study reported that they believe that whatsapp was effective in improving their reading comprehension skills, which is in line with previous research that has shown that students find using social media platforms to be beneficial for language learning (aloraini & cardoso, 2020; xodabande, 2017; alruwaili & ku, 2019). on the other hand, participants also reported concerns about the quality of the reading materials and feedback available on whatsapp, which is consistent with previous studies that have highlighted the challenges of using social media for language learning (glas et al. 2021; xue & churchill 2019) . english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 401 the current study provides a fresh insight into the issue by demonstrating the diversity of opinions and experiences among students who use whatsapp for reading activities. it is clear from these results that while social media platforms, including whatsapp, have the potential to support language learning activities, they also present certain challenges and limitations. in particular, the need for high-quality reading materials and effective feedback mechanisms is crucial in ensuring the effectiveness of whatsapp for reading activities. furthermore, these results highlight the importance of considering individual learner characteristics, such as motivation and focus, when designing and implementing language learning activities on whatsapp. when examining changes in reading comprehension skills over time, the present study found that the majority of participants reported that their reading comprehension skills had improved since they started using whatsapp for reading activities. this result is consistent with previous research that has shown that using social media platforms can have a positive impact on language learning outcomes, including reading comprehension skills (aloraini & cardoso, 2020; alruwaili & ku, 2019; xodabande, 2017). but another previous study conducted by koh at al. (2010) and alamer & al khateeb (2021) found that heavy use of social media platforms can lead to decreased attention span and decreased ability to focus on longer reading materials, which may negatively impact reading comprehension skills. the results of this study also show that the majority of participants used whatsapp to access a wide range of reading materials, including news articles, e-book, comics, and magazines. this suggests that whatsapp is a versatile platform that can support diverse reading needs and interests among learners. these findings is significant because it provides insight into the potential of whatsapp as a tool for supporting reading activities and improving reading comprehension skills. this new understanding contributes to the growing body of research on the use of social media platforms for language learning, and highlights the potential benefits of using whatsapp as a resource for reading activities. conclusion the findings of this study suggest that whatsapp is a widely used platform for reading activities among language learners. the reason for using whatsapp is to access reading materials, practices reading comprehension skills, and receive feedback from peers and teachers. leaners believed that whatsapp was effective in improving their reading comprehension skills, but also highlighted concerns about the quality of reading materials and feedback available. the study found that participants used whatsapp to access a variety of reading materials and reported an improvement in their reading comprehension skills since using the platform. however, the study also acknowledged the limitation and challenges of using social media platforms for language learning, such as the need for high-quality reading materials and effective feedback mechanisms. the results emphasize the importance of considering individual learner characteristics, such as motivation and focus, when designing language learning activities on whatsapp. the implication of this study is significant for both language educators and learners. firstly, the results of this study highlight the potential of whatsapp as a platform for supporting language learning activities, particularly reading activities. secondly, the findings of this study demonstrate the importance of considering individual learner characteristics and preferences when exploring the use of technology in language learning. for examples, the results of this study showed that the frequency and duration of whatsapp sue for language learning activities can vary depending on individual learner characteristics and motivation. this highlights the need for educators to carefully consider the individual needs and preferences of their students when incorporating technology into language learning activities. thirdly, the results of this study also provide insight into the challenges and limitation of using whatsapp for language learning activities. for example, the majority of participants reported concerns about the quality of the reading materials and feedback available on whatsapp. this emphasizes the need for educators to carefully consider the quality and availability of materials and feedback mechanisms when incorporating whatsapp into language learning activities. finally, the findings of this study contribute to the growing body of research on the use of social media platforms for language learning and provide valuable insights into potential of whatsapp as a tool for supporting reading activities and improving reading comprehension skills. this new understanding can inform the design and implementation of language learning activities on whatsapp and other social media platforms, and help to ensure that they are effective and engaging for language learners. sri mujayanah, nirwanto maruf, & slamet asari whatsapp use on reading comprehension: exploring the impact among efl learners 402 acknowledgement i would like to express my sincere gratitude to dr. nirwanto maruf, and dr. slamet asari for their assistances to share their knowledges, experiences, and insights in completing this article. i would like to thank all of the individuals who provided support and assistance during the data collection and analysis phases of this study. their contributions have been greatly appreciated. references alamer, a., and al khateeb, a. (2021). effects of using the whatsapp application on language learners motivation: a controlled investigation using structural equation modelling. computer assisted language learning, 36(3), 1-27. aloraini, n., and cardoso, w. (2020). social media in language learning: a mixed-methods investigation of students’ perceptions. computer assisted language learning, 35(1), 1-24. alruwaili, t., and ku, h-y. (2019). the role of online communities and the impact of educational social media on saudi female college students in the united states. educational media international, 56(3), 1-15. armitage, a. (2007). mutual research designs: redefining mixed methods research design. british educational research association annual conference, 5-8. balasubramanian, k., thamizoli, p., umar, a., and kanwar, a. (2010). using mobile phones to promote lifelong learning among rural women in southern india. distance education, 31(2), 193209. baran, m. l. (2019). mixed methods research design. in applied social science approaches to mixed methods research (pp. 159-180). barianty, t. n., arifani, y., ma'ruf, n., & setiawan, s. (2022). l2 asd learners’ scaffolding development after long interaction with the mobile story-sharing application. جستارهای .110-87 ,(3)13 ,زبانی barrot, j. s. (2021). social media as a language learning environment: a systematic review of the literature (2008-2019). computer assisted language learning, 35(9), 2534-2562. becheru, a., calota, a., and popescu, e. (2018). analyzing students’ collaboration patterns in a social learning environment using student viz platform. smart learning environments, 5(1), 00630. booton, s. a., hodgkiss, a., and murphy, v. a. (2021). the impact of mobile application features on children’s language and literacy learning: a systematic review. computer assisted language learning, 36(3), 400-429. chen, y. m. (2022). understanding foreign language learners’ perceptions of teachers’ practice with educational technology with specific reference to kahoot! and padlet: a case from china. education and information technologies, 27(2), 1439-1465. cresswell, j.w., plano-clark, v. l., gutmann, m. l., and hanson, w.e. (2003). advanced mixed methods research designs. in a. tashakkori, & c. teddlie (eds.), handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research (pp.209240). sage. dagnino, f. m., dimitriadis, y., pozzi, f., rubia-avi, b., asensio-perez, j. i. (2020). the role of supporting technologies in a mixed methods research design. comunicar. enyama, d., balti, e., raoul, s, n. s., ouankou, c. n. (2021). use of whatsapp, for distance teaching during covid-19 pandemic: experience and perception from a sub-saharan african setting. bmc medical education, 21(1), 517-524. erduran, s. (2020). argumentation in science and religion: match and/or mismatch when applied in teaching and learning? journal of education for teaching, 46(9), 1-3. fischer, i. d., and yang, j. c. (2022). flipping the flipped class: using online collaboration to enhance efl students’ oral learning skills. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 19, 1-24. galvin, s., and greenhow, c. (2020). writing on social media: a review of research in the high school classroom. techtrends: linking research and practice to improve learning, 64(1), 57-69. gambo, n., musonda, i., and zadawa, a. n. (2021). effects of social media learning environments on aec learning process among university students in nigeria. international journal of construction education and research, 19(2), 129. glas, k., catalán, e., donner, m., and donoso, c. (2021). designing and providing inclusive elt materials in times of the global pandemic: a chilean experience. innovation in language learning and teaching, 17(1), 1-16. golonka, e. m., bowles, a., frank, v. m., & richardson, d. l. (2014). technologies for foreign language learning: a review of technology types and their effectiveness. computer assisted language learning, 27(1), 70-105. grant, m. m. (2019). difficulties in defining mobile learning: analysis, design characteristics, and implications. educational technology research and development, 67(2), 361-388. gumbheer, c. p., khedo, k. k., and bungaleea, a. (2022). personalized and adaptive context-aware mobile learning: review, challenges and future directions. education and information technologies, 27(1), 7491-7517. hui, d. (2018). learning from new literacies: effects on the academic achievements of english major undergraduate language learners. australian english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 403 journal of language and literacy, 41, 117-133. hyman, j. a., moser, m. t., and segala, l. n. (2014). electronic reading and digital library technologies: understanding learner expectation and usage intent for mobile learning. educational technology research and development, 62(1), 35-52. jankauskaite, d. (2015). social media as a tool for improving teaching and learning experience social media as a tool for improving teaching and learning experience materials and methods. signum temporis, 7(1), 54-59. kavoshian, s., ketabi, s., tavakoli, m., and koehler, t. (2020). construction and validation of mobile social network sites utility perceptions inventory (mupi) and exploration of english as foreign language teachers’ perceptions of msnss for language teaching and learning. education and information technologies, 25(2), 1-12. kazakbaeva, r. (2021). from language of enemy to language of opportunity: understanding teacher resistance to curriculum change in english language teaching and learning in kyrgyzstan. journal of educational change, 24(5), 317-343. keengwe, j., and bhargava, m. (2014). mobile learning and integration of mobile technologies in education. education and information technologies, 19(4), 737-746. keengwe, j., onchwari, g., and agamba, j. (2014). promoting effective e-learning practices through the constructivist pedagogy. education and information technologies, 19(4), 887-898. koh, j. h. l., chai, c. s., and tsai, c. c. (2010). examining the technological pedagogical content knowledge of singapore pre-service teachers with a large-scale survey. journal of computer assisted learning, 26(6), 563-573. lai, y., saab, n., and admiraal, w. (2022). learning strategies in self-directed language learning using mobile technology in higher education: a systematic scoping review. education and information technologies, 1(4), 1-32. lee, s. m. (2022). a systematic review of contextaware technology use in foreign language learning. computer assisted language learning, 35(3), 294-318. lee, y. m., jahnke, i., and austin, j. (2021). mobile microlearning design and effects on learning efficacy and learner experience. educational technology research and development, 69(2), 885-915. lyu, b., and qi, x. (2020). a review of research on technology-assisted teaching and learning of chinese as a second or foreign language from 2008 to 2018. frontiers of education in china, 15(1), 142-163. ma, q. (2017). a multi-case study of university students’ language-learning experience mediated by mobile technologies: a sociocultural perspective. computer assisted language learning, 30(3-4), 183-203. maruf, n., and anjely, a. m. r. (2020). utilizing cooperative integrated reading and composition (circ) with mobile learning to enhance students’ reading comprehension. british (jurnal bahasa dan sastra inggris), 9(2), 10-19. moon, a. l., wold, c. m., and francom, g. m. (2017). enhancing reading comprehension with studentcentered ipad applications. techtrends, 61(2), 187-194. motteram, g., dawson, s., and al-masri, n. (2020). whatsapp supported language teacher development: a case study in the zataari refugee camp. education and information technologies, 25(6), 5731-5751. nedungadi, p., mulki, k., and raman, r. (2018). improving educational outcomes & reducing absenteeism at remote villages with mobile technology and whatsapp: findings from rural india. education and information technologies, 23(1), 113-127. noori, a. q., orfan, s. n., akramy, s. a., and hashemi, a. (2022). the use of social media in efl learning and teaching in higher education of afghanistan. cogent social sciences, 8(1), 2027613. nowruzi, m. (2021). a study of efl teachers’ classroom grading practices in secondary schools and private institutes: a mixed methods approach. language testing in asia, 11(29), 122. oakley, g., pegrum, m., kheang, t., and seng, k. (2022). mobile learning for early reading in cambodia. education and information technologies, 27(2), 1467-1487. park, h. r., kim, d., and vorobel, o. (2020). international students’ reading digital texts on tablets: experiences and strategies. journal of computing in higher education, 32(3), 476-504. rodríguez, c. d., and cumming, t. m. (2017). employing mobile technology to improve language skills of young students with languagebased disabilities. assistive technology, 29(3), 161-169. saritepeci, m., duran, a., and ermiş, u. f. (2019). a new trend in preparing for foreign language exam (yds) in turkey: case of whatsapp in mobile learning. education and information technologies, 24(5), 2677-2699. schoonenboom, j., and johnson, r. b. (2017). how to construct a mixed methods research design. kzfss kölner zeitschrift für soziologie und sozialpsychologie, 69(7), 107-131. shadiev, r., yang, m. k., reynolds, b. l., and hwang, b. y. (2020). improving english as a foreign language–learning performance using mobile devices in unfamiliar environments. computer assisted language learning, 35(9), 2170-2200. shah, s., shah, a. a., memon, f., and kemal, a. a. (2021). online learning during the covid-19 sri mujayanah, nirwanto maruf, & slamet asari whatsapp use on reading comprehension: exploring the impact among efl learners 404 pandemic: applying the self-determination theory in the ‘new normal.’ revista de psicodidáctica (english ed.), 26(3), 168-177. shamsi, e., and bozorgian, h. (2022). a review of empirical studies of social media on language learners’ willingness to communicate. education and information technologies, 27(4), 44734499. ssekiziyivu, b., mukoki, j., and musoke, e. (2021). adopting social media for learning among university students: a developing country perspective. interactive learning environments. taghizadeh, m., and ejtehadi, a. (2021). investigating pre-service efl teachers’ and teacher educators’ experience and attitudes towards online interaction tools. computer assisted language learning, 7(9), 1-35. tai, y., and ting, y. l. (2016). new aspect of technology adoption: a case study of students’ self-made english-learning video. asia pacific education review, 17(4), 663-675. tlili, a., padilla-zea, n., garzon, j., & wang, y. (2022). the changing landscape of mobile learning pedagogy: a systematic literature review. interactive learning environments, 2039948. tragant, e., pinyana, a., mackay, j., and andria, m. (2020). extending language learning beyond the efl classroom through whatsapp. computer assisted language learning, 35(4), 1-30. wu, y. t., and wang, a. y. (2015). technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge in teaching english as a foreign language: representation of primary teachers of english in taiwan. asiapacific education researcher, 24(3), 525-533. xodabande, i. (2017). the effectiveness of social media network telegram in teaching english language pronunciation to iranian efl learners. cogent education, 1347081. xue, s., and churchill, d. (2019). a review of empirical studies of affordances and development of a framework for educational adoption of mobile social media. educational technology research and development, 67(6), 1231-1257. yang, h. (2018). the effects of attention cueing on english reading on mobile phones. frontiers of education in china, 13(3), 315-345. zhang, r., zou, d., cheng, g., and xie, h. (2022). implementing technology-enhanced collaborative writing in second and foreign language learning: a review of practices, technology and challenges. education and information technologies, 27(6), 8041-8069. zhou, n., and yadav, a. (2017). effects of multimedia story reading and questioning on preschoolers’ vocabulary learning, story comprehension and reading engagement. educational technology research and development, 65(6), 1523-1545. zhou, w. (2020). mobile assisted chinese learning as a foreign language: an overview of publications between 2007 and 2019. frontiers of education in china, 15(1), 164-181. zou, x. l., and ou, l. (2020). efl reading test on mobile versus on paper: a study from metacognitive strategy use to test-media impacts. educational assessment, evaluation and accountability, 32(3), 373-394. zulkanain., amalina, n., miskon, s., and abdullah, n. s. (2020). an adapted pedagogical framework in utilizing whatsapp for learning purpose. education and information technologies, 25, 2811-2822. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 211 variety of english learning media technology: voices from novice learners dadang solihat department of english education, universitas kuningan email: dadang.solihat@uniku.ac.id fahrus zaman fadhly department of english education, universitas kuningan email: fahrus.zaman.fadhly@uniku.ac.id marwito wihadi department of english education, universitas kuningan email: marwito.wihadi@uniku.ac.id apa citation: solihat, d., fadhly, f. z., & wihadi, m. (2023). variety of english learning media technology: voices from novice learners. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 211218. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7580 received: 21-08-2022 accepted: 25-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction there is a noticeable increase in the ease and speed of access to technology. the technology that facilitates all human concerns is rapidly developing, which is evidence of this (efriana, 2021; nurdiansyah & hudriyah, 2021; malkawi et al., 2023; wang & wang, 2023). with the quick advancement of technology, e-learning, ecurricula, learning management systems, and electronic educational platforms (eep) (albashtawi & al bataineh, 2020) are just a few of the ways that technology and its application to teaching are becoming more prevalent in education (hashim, 2018). with the incorporation of technology, this makes the field of education more vibrant and exciting. teachers in particular are more inventive in how they carry out the educational process. according to muhtia et al. (2018), modern technology enhances the roles that instructors play in fostering student learning and reallocating teaching responsibilities. by easing access to resources, they were able to improve accessibility, efficiency, and learning quality, which significantly aided in their mission (bazimaziki, 2020; ja'ashan, 2020). the education sector is just one of the many areas of human activity that have undergone major change during this period, which is known as the "era of disruption." educational institutions started to reevaluate their current educational methods and plans in an effort to include modern technologies into the educational system (al awabdeh & albahstawi, 2023). according to instructors' and students' levels of preparation, this disruptive era presents unique difficulties for achieving the highest levels of learning outcomes, particularly in terms of infrastructure, facilities, and human resources (azhar & iqbal, 2018; rasheed et al., 2020). in order to raise students' proficiency in the english language today, teachers must reevaluate their teaching strategies and keep up with abstract: the existence of technological media in the learning process has its own roles and challenges in this era of disruption. the purpose of this study is the extent to which the use of technological media supports learning english in junior high schools and the equivalent. the research method used is the survey method. the research was conducted in 36 public and private junior high schools and madrasah tsanawiah in kuningan regency by collecting data through a google form questionnaire. the results obtained turned out that of the 59 teachers who filled out the google form, as many as 86.4% of english teachers used laptops, handphones with infocus, frequently used applications, whatsapp 28.8%, power point 22%, youtube 32.2%, and e-learning 16.9%. however, 88.1% stated that teachers had not maximized the use of technological media in learning english. on the other hand, from 200 students 7th grade (19%), 8th grade (40%) and 9th grade (41%), there are 54.5% did not use technology media, 37% used laptop, infocus, and handphone, and 8.5% used laboratorium. this study concluded the use of media technology is not maximized because of the lack of facilities and infrastructure provided by the school. keywords: era of disruption; technology media. dadang solihat, fahrus zaman fadhly, & marwito wihadi variety of english learning media technology: voices from novice learners 212 technological advancements due to the appearance of software that teaches reading, writing, and grammar (rivera, 2017). hazaymeh (2021), who asserts that technology must be used in english instruction, supports this as well. therefore, grammar and sentence construction should no longer be emphasized when studying english in the age of disruption. to make the educational process more engaging and effective at reaching the desired goals, educational technology enables the use of images, sounds, videos, and multimedia (lugrin et al., 2019). as 21st-century priorities like innovation and technology must be energetically pursued (mullen, 2019; raman et al., 2019), one of the needs for teachers in the 21st century is being prepared to incorporate instructional technology into teaching practices successfully (akcil et al., 2021). additionally, harjanto and sumarni (2019) emphasized that it has been demonstrated that technology improves students' active involvement and learning results. so, in order to help students grow their abilities, values, knowledge, and skills, teachers are essential components of classroom learning and must be prepared to offer communicative english learning (rababah et al., 2019). the teacher's use of the infrastructure and facilities supplied by the school will determine how well this technology can help english instruction. in order to enhance the teaching and learning processes, teachers must integrate ict (champa et al., 2019). despite significant investments in technology in schools, there may be a gap in teacher development and training for pedagogical implementation and technology integration (avci et al., 2020). teachers need to be knowledgeable about the newest instructional technologies, such as eep, and have the necessary abilities to use the platforms and integrate them into the classroom (obeidat et al., 2022). students will learn how to analyze and synthesize information through the use of technology in the classroom, which will help them to develop higher-order thinking abilities, logical reasoning, and creative thinking (clarin & baluyos, 2022; sinha, 2022). the disruptive era, with all of its benefits and quick changes, forces us as educators to work very hard to stay up with these changes, both within and outside. therefore, it goes without saying that teachers need to be able to capture students' interest and attention in the classroom (champa et al., 2019). since the fast-paced, disruptive era requires a high degree of comprehension in practice, the way learning is implemented in the classroom must differ and evolve. planning challenges, such as negotiating task understandings and goals, can have a major negative impact on students' regulation and task performance, as indicated by hadwin et al. (2018). the distance between this disruptive time and the objectives of education itself will widen if it receives standard care, engages in traditional learning activities, and has inadequate or improper learning objectives. both teachers and students may experience stress as a result of this (kowsher et al., 2021; leontyeva et al., 2021; nenakhova, 2021). at all levels, teaching and learning methods must continue to adapt dynamically. in march 2020, the world health organization (who) declared the outbreak to be a global pandemic (bbc, 2020). the phrase "learning loss" came into use in this field, particularly during and after pandemics, as students and teachers believed they had lost their teaching and learning activities. according to several research (rahardjo & pertiwi, 2020; clarin & baluyos, 2022) the covid-19 pandemic has a significant effect on the educational sector as well. ict-based learning must be applied during pandemics in order for the educational process to continue (efriana, 2021), and as a result, mobile technology has become a crucial instrument in the teaching and learning process (suban & ilham, 2022). it is difficult for educators to change this situation. along with the growth of intriguing mobile applications, which encourage students to choose playing games on these devices to formal study, which many perceive as burdensome. in this instance, the instructional media plays a significant role in promoting the learning process (danim, 2019). teachers must employ a variety of teaching techniques that incorporate cutting-edge and contemporary methods of effectively delivering the lessons in order to be competent in english (rababah et al., 2021). in order for learning to proceed in accordance with the demands made, teachers and students must be able to work together. english teachers, in particular, need to have quantifiable ways to ensure that learning occurs effectively through utilizing and developing media in accordance with students' qualities and requirements. numerous studies on the use of technology media in the learning process have been conducted. for instance, matra & fitriana's (2018) research sought to determine if efl student teachers felt themselves to be knowledgeable about incorporating ict. the findings indicated that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 213 most student teachers had little trouble incorporating ict into their lessons. wulansari et al.'s research from 2021 aimed to describe the opportunities and difficulties associated with mobile learning. the outcome shown that given the benefits of mobile learning, its deployment and advancement can remain pertinent in the years to come. the other study by umoh et al. (2020) concentrated on using media technologies to teach and learn. the findings indicated that many teachers and students lack fundamental and professional training in the application of media technologies to teaching and learning. for this reason, all researchers took the research title use of technology media in the disruptive era in supporting the english learning process of students in junior high schools. method in this study, survey methodology and quantitative analysis were employed. according to sugiyono (2018), the quantitative approach can be seen as a positivist-based research technique that uses population and sample data collection in order to explain, describe, and test pre-existing hypotheses. google form was used to collect the data for this study. the survey was used in this study to determine the extent to which the students' english-learning activities were facilitated by technological media. according to sugiyono (2018), the survey method is a quantitative research method used to collect data about beliefs, opinions, characteristics, behavior, and relationship variables that occurred in the past or present in order to test various hypotheses about the sociological and psychological variables of the sample drawn from specific populations. according to creswell (2018), survey research methodologies allow researchers to first interview a big number of people before following up with a small number of respondents to learn more about their opinions on the subject. using a comparatively small sample size, survey research is done to gather data or information about a wide population. in this study, 36 junior high schools or equivalent (smp-mts) were chosen at random from kuningan regency's 113 smp and 65 mt population as the samples. result and discussion the finding showed that the participants consist of 59 teachers from 36 schools and 200 students from 8 schools, were responding positive attitude toward the use of technology media. teachers and students in general used the technology media. the result of the survey that respondents (teachers) answered the questions are presented below: 1. how many hours do you teach english a week? figure 1. result of 1st question the graphic shows that 55.9% teachers teach english 18-24 hours, 22% teach more than 24 hours, 16.9% teach 8 to 16 hours, and 5.2% less than 8 hours a week. 2. what technological media is used in learning english? figure 2. result of 2nd question the graphic showed that 86.4% teachers used laptop, handphone with infocus, 11.9% they did not apply the media technology, and 1.7% used language laboratory. 3. if you use the language laboratory, how many times a week do you use it? figure 3. result of 3rd question these answer showed that teachers never used laboratory in teaching learning process (86.4%). it is appropriate with previous questions (no. 2). 4. what application do you often use in learning english? dadang solihat, fahrus zaman fadhly, & marwito wihadi variety of english learning media technology: voices from novice learners 214 textbooks games tour online games and learning yes no yes no yes no yes no figure 4. result of 4th question in this question teachers used youtube application (32.2%), whatsapp (28.8%), powerpoint (22%) and e-learning (16.9%). it indicates that youtube is an effective application for learning process. 5. do you still use other media besides technology media in learning english? figure 5. result of 5th question 6. what media is often you used in learning english to replace technology media? figure 6. result of 6th question the use of textbooks is still the prima donna for most teachers in the era of disruption. it can be seen from the percentage that reaches 96.6%. 7. is the use of mobile phones allowed in your school to support english learning? figure 7. result of 7th question as many as 66.1% of teachers allowed students to use mobile phones to support the english learning process and 33.9% did not. 8. do you like using the edmodo application in learning english in class? figure 8. result of 8th question teachers creativity need to be increased in using learning process assistant applications such as edmodo. many applications can be uploaded for fun learning english. 9. in your opinion, is the use of technological media in the process of learning english maximized? figure 9. result of 9th question as many as 88.1% of respondents answered 'no' to question no. 9's. this indicates that there is a need for continuous training in improving the ability to use technological media in the process of learning english. 10. is there a need for skills upgrading training in the use of technological media? figure 10. result of 10th question answering to question no. 10 indicates that teachers need to get technology media training for the english learning process (94.9%). on the other hand here is the result of students google form’s answered. 1. what media technology do you use in english language learning? 59 answers 59 answers 59 answers 59 answers 59 answers english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 215 language laboratory laptop, hp with infocus nothing once a week twice a week three more times a week never language laboratory laptop, hp with infocus nothing yes no yes no yes no figure 1. result of 1st question the media technology used in learning english, 54.5% of students answered there is not media technology in their schools. 37% of students answered laptop, mobile phones with infocus (projector). 8.5% of students used language laboratory. it means most of schools in this era of disruption are doing without using the media technology in process of learning. 2. if you used language laboratory, how many time do you use it in a week? figure 2. result of 2nd question in this question, as many as 72.5% students answered ‘never’ used language laboratory. 17% of students answered one time a week, and 8.5% of students answered two times a week. it can be concluded that the schools did not used the language laboratory a lot or they do not have laboratory. 3. what technological media are used in learning english in class? figure 3. result of 1st question there are differences in answers between students and teachers. here students answered 'none' as much as 54.5%, answered laptops, mobile phones with in focus as much as 37%, and 8.5% answered language laboratories. 4. what application do you often use in learning english? figure 4. result of 4th question as many as 42.5% answered whatsapp. unlike the teacher's answer. they use youtube more in their learning. 5. do you still use other media besides technology media in learning english? figure 5. result of 5th question 72% answered ‘yes’ and 28% said ‘no’. it means that the other media still used in teaching learning process. 6. if you answered 'yes', what media is often used to replace technological media in the english learning process? figure 6. result of 6th question the highest answered (84.5%) in this question is textbooks. it means that textbook still the most important sources in learning english. 7. is the use of mobile phones allowed in the learning process in class? figure 7. result of 7th question 200 answers 200 answers 200 answers 200 answers 200 answers text books games tour nothing nothing handphone dictionary e-learning 200 answers 200 answers dadang solihat, fahrus zaman fadhly, & marwito wihadi variety of english learning media technology: voices from novice learners 216 yes no yes no yes no yes no yes no yes no 67,5% students answered this question ‘yes’, and it is close with the teachers answered. 8. are you given the time to googling in doing assignments at school? figure 8. result of 8th question it means that 64.5% students allowed to have mobile phone in the class. this is an unexpected answer because so far and most schools forbid students from carrying mobile phones into the class. 9. does your teachers like to give assignments via wa? figure 9. result of 9th question 10. in your opinion, is the use of technological media in the process of learning english maximized? figure 10. result of 10th question 11. is it necessary to give you additional tutoring or training in learning english? figure 11. result of 11st question 12. when learning english, do you like online? figure 12. result of 12nd question 13. when learning english, do you like offline? figure 13. result of 13th question conclusion the results of this research through the google form answers, it can be concluded that learning english in junior high schools (smp), both private and public schools as well as in public and private madrasah tsanawiah (mts), has so far had the support of technological media. however, there are situations where learning is not maximized because behind it all the factors and conditions of the school which have not been able to provide learning support in the form of language laboratories, tools such as in focus which are still lacking, also because of the teacher factor when asked 'is the use of technological media in the process of learning english maximized?' teachers answered 'no' (88.1%) and teachers answered 'yes' (94.9%) when asked 'is there a need for skills upgrading training in the use of technological media? based on the results of this simple research, it is hoped that there will be support from the government to provide facilities and tools that support learning, especially learning english. teachers as key factors in the learning process need to be given continuous training with the latest methods and approaches so that students feel comfortable and motivated in their learning. 200 answers 200 answers 200 answers 200 answers 200 answers 200 answers english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 217 references akcil, u., uzunboylu, h., & kinik, e. (2021). integration of technology to learning-teaching processes and googleworkspace tools: a literature review. sustainability, 13, 5018. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095018 al awabdeh, a., & albahstawi, a. h. (2023). predictable factors that help students engage in online efl classroom and their relationship to self-management.” international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 18(1), 4– 18. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v18i01.35257 albashtawi, a. h., & al bataineh, k. b. (2020). the effectiveness of google classroom among efl students in jordan: an innovative teaching and learning online platform. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 15(11), 78–88. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i11.12865 avci, y. z., o’dwyer, l.m., & lawson, j. (2020) designing effective professional development for technology integration in schools. j. comput. assist. learn, 36, 160–177. azhar, k. a., & iqbal, n. (2018). effectiveness of google classroom: teachers' perceptions. prizren social science journal, 2(2), 52-66. bazimaziki, g. (2020). challenges in using ict gadgets to cope with effects of covid-19 on education: a short survey of online teaching literature in english. journal of humanities and education development (jhed), 2(4), 299-307. bbc. (2020). coronavirus: window of opportunity to act, world health organization says. bbc. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asiachina51368873 champa, r. a., rochsantiningsih, d., & kristiana, d. (2019). teachers’ challenges to integrate ict in efl teaching and learning activities. 3rd english language and literature international conference (ellic) proceedings (vol 3, pp. 135-145). clarin, a. s., & baluyos, e. l. (2022). challenges encountered in the implementation of online distance learning. eduline: journal of education and learning innovation, 2(1), 33-46. creswell, j. w. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative & mixed methods approach. sage publications, inc. danim, s. (2019). psikologi pendidikan. alfabeta. efriana, l. (2021). problems of online learning during covid-19 pandemic in efl classroom and the solution. jelita: journal of english language teaching and literature, 2(1), 38-49. hadwin, a. f., bakhtiar, a., & miller, m. (2018). challenges in online collaboration: effects of scripting shared task perceptions. international journal of computer-supported collaborative learning, 13(3), 301-329. harjanto, a. s. & sumarni, s. (2019). teachers' experiences on the use of google classroom. international proceedings english language and literature international conference (ellic) proceedings, 3(2019), 172-178 hashim, h. (2018). application of technology in the digital era education. international journal of research in counseling and education, 2(1), 15. hazaymeh, w. a. (2021). efl students’ perceptions of online distance learning for enhancing english language learning during covid-19 pandemic. international journal of instruction, 14(3), 501– 518. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14329a ja'ashan, m.m.n. h. (2020). the challenges and prospects of using e-learning among efl students in bisha university. arab world english journal, 11(1), 124-137. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no1.11 kowsher, m., hossen, i., tahabilder, a., prottasha, n.j., habib, k., & azmi, z.r.m. (2021). support directional shifting vector: a direction-based machine learning classifier. emerging science journal, 5(5), 700–713. https://doi.org/10.28991/esj-2021-01306 leontyeva, i., pronkin, n., & tsvetkova, m. (2021). visualization of learning and memorization: is mind mapping based on mobile platforms learning more effective? international journal of instruction, 14(4), 173–186. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14411a lugrin, j.l., bosser, a.g., latoschik, m.e., chollet, m., glémarec, y., & lugrin, b (2019). towards narrative-driven atmosphere for virtual classrooms. in extended abstracts of the 2019 chi conference on human factors in computing systems (pp. 1–6). https://doi.org/10.1145/3290607.3313067 malkawi, n., rababah, m., al dalaeen, i., ta’amneh, i., el omari, a., alkhaldi, a. a., & rabab’ah, k. (2023). impediments of using e-learning platforms for teaching english: a case study in jordan, ijet, 18(5), 95-113. matra, s. d., & fitriana, s. (2022). efl student teachers’ perceived knowledge on integrating ict. indonesian efl journal, 8(2), 295-306. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v8i2.6492 muhtia, a., suparno, s., & sumardi, s. (2018). blended learning using schoology as an online learning platform: potentials and challenges. in english language and literature international conference (ellic) proceedings (vol. 2, pp. 171-175). mullen, c. a. (2010). 21st-century priorities for leadership education and prospective school leaders. scholar-practitioner quarterly, 4(4), 331-333. nenakhova, e. (2021). distance learning practices on the example of second language learning during coronavirus epidemic in russia.” international journal of instruction, 14(3), 807–826. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14347a https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095018 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v18i01.35257 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i11.12865 https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no1.11 https://doi.org/10.1145/3290607.3313067 https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v8i2.6492 dadang solihat, fahrus zaman fadhly, & marwito wihadi variety of english learning media technology: voices from novice learners 218 nurdiansyah, n. m. (2020). revitalisasi pembelajaran aqidah akhlak: pengembangan kepribadian peserta didik. jiegc: journal of islamic education guidance and counselling, 1(1), 4358. obeidat, l. m., momani, h.i., ammari, t.t., & rababah, m.a. (2022). athletic identity and its relationship to moral values among university students studying physical education. education and science, 24(3), 41–77. https://doi.org/10.17853/1994-5639-2022-3-4177 rababah, m., al zoubi, s., al masri, m., & alabdulrazaq, m. (2021). politeness strategies in hotel’s service encounters in jordan: giving directives.” arab journal of arts, 18(1), 319– 340. https://doi.org/10.51405/18.1.12 rababah, m., harun, m., & shapii, a. (2019). making sense of the hotel trainees’ internal request modification in jordanian host-guest interaction. european journal of applied linguistics studies, 2(1), 88-112. https://oapub.org/lit/index.php/ejals/article/vi ew/128 rahardjo, a., & pertiwi, s. (2020). learning motivation and students’ achievement in learning english. jelita, 1(2), 56-64. raman, a., thannimalai, r., & ismail, s. n. (2019). principals' technology leadership and its effect on teachers' technology integration in 21st century classrooms. international journal of instruction, 12(4), 423-442. rasheed, r. a., kamsin, a., & abdullah, n. a. (2020). challenges in the online component of blended learning: a systematic review. computers & education, 144, 103701. rasheed, r. a., kamsin, a., & abdullah, n. a. (2020). challenges in the online component of blended learning: a systematic review. computers & education, 144, 103701. rivera, j.h. (2017). the blended learning environment: a viable alternative for special needs students. journal of education and training studies, 5(2), 79–84. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v5i2.2125 sinha, k. k. (2022). role of modern technology in teaching and learning the english language in indian educational institutions. indonesian journal of english language studies, 8(2), 7182. suban, a., & ilham (2022). education management: implications of information technology development on the moral formation of adolescents. al-tanzim: jurnal manajemen pendidikan islam, 6(3), 921-933. sugiyono. (2018). metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r&d. alfabeta. umoh, j. m., sheik, i., & bassey, i. m. (2020). teaching and learning with media technology. international journal of innovation in engineering research and technology (ijiert), 7(5), 296-300. wang, j., & wang, m. (2023). influences of use of flipped classroom models on the learning outcomes of students majoring in road and bridge engineering technology. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 18(5), 114–127. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v18i05.37813 wulansari, t. p., sudiyanto, & sumaryati, s. (2022). opportunities and challenges of mobile learning towards spciety 5.0. proceedings of the international conference on education, 1, 5360. https://oapub.org/lit/index.php/ejals/article/view/128 https://oapub.org/lit/index.php/ejals/article/view/128 https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v5i2.2125 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v18i05.37813 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 11 implementation of android-based augmented reality in english education resy oktadela english language education study program, universitas islam riau, indonesia e-mail: resyoktadela@edu.uir.ac.id shalawati english language education study program, universitas islam riau, indonesia email: shalawati@edu.uir.ac.id yusti elida english language education study program, universitas islam riau, indonesia email: yustielida@edu.uir.ac.id putri octa hadiyanti english language education study program, universitas islam riau, indonesia email: putrioctahadiyanti@edu.uir.ac.id syofianis ismail english language education study program, universitas islam riau, indonesia email: syofianis@edu.uir.ac.id apa scitation: oktadela, r., shalawati., elida, y., hadiyanti, p. o., & ismail, s. (2024). implementation of android-based augmented reality in english education. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 11-20. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9303 received: 29-10-2023 accepted: 27-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction the swift development of technology and information has become a pivotal aspect of everyday life, profoundly impacting the way individuals engage with the world. as technology continues to evolve, it increasingly influences various sectors, especially education. syarifuddin (2020) highlights that technological progress is now a benchmark for measuring educational development, signaling a shift in how learning and teaching processes are viewed and implemented. the role of technology in enhancing human resources is emphasized by yasin (2019), who points out its importance in preparing individuals to compete on a global scale. the swift development of technology and information in the current digital era makes it possible for students to learn interactively, develop their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, and gain access to a multitude of resources on a worldwide scale, as noted by alenezi (2021) and isa & julia (2020). this global access to information and resources is transforming the educational landscape, breaking abstract: the aim of this study was to leverage augmented reality (ar) technology in enhancing english language learning, focusing on the development and evaluation of ar-based learning media for educational use, particularly at sd it imam syafe’i. the study encompassed a comprehensive approach, starting with an analysis of existing educational tools to identify the need for ar in language learning, followed by the design and development of an ar framework tailored for english education. this process included expert evaluations and revisions to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the ar tools. the implementation phase involved testing the ar media in an educational setting and analyzing its impact on students' critical thinking and digital literacy through various quantitative methods. finally, the study evaluated the practicality and user-friendliness of the ar learning media based on student feedback, aiming to provide insights and resources for educators and institutions interested in integrating advanced technology into their teaching practices, with potential applications extending to school-based and islamic boarding school-based university environments. keywords: augmented reality; english language learning; educational technology; research and development (r&d); addie model; critical thinking skills; digital literacy; learning media development. mailto:putrioctahadiyanti@edu.uir.ac.id mailto:syofianis@edu.uir.ac.id resy oktadela, shalawati, yusti elida, putri octa hadiyanti, & syofianis ismail implementation of android-based augmented reality in english education 12 down geographical barriers and creating a more interconnected learning environment. the ubiquity of technology in daily life is evident through the widespread use of smartphones and other digital devices. these technologies have simplified and transformed routine activities, ranging from seeking information and communication to more complex tasks like online learning and digital transactions. the surge in smartphone usage across all age groups, including young children, is a testament to technology's deep integration into our lives. reflecting this technological integration, the 2013 educational curriculum underscores the significance of familiarizing students with information and communication technology, placing a strong emphasis on digital literacy. in the context of elementary education, digital literacy is utilizing digital technologies responsibly, ethically, and effectively. it goes beyond just knowing how to use them. . this includes gathering information for learning, solving educational problems, completing assignments, and communicating about various learning activities with others. silalahi (2022) finds that digital literacy is essential to pupils' development of critical and creative thinking abilities. it involves more than just the ability to locate information; it requires the capacity to critically assess the validity and relevance of information, discern what is beneficial and appropriate, and then effectively disseminate this information to others. sukmawati et al. (2019) also echo this sentiment, emphasizing that digital literacy is about the judicious and effective utilization of information. in essence, digital literacy equips students with the skills necessary to navigate the digital world responsibly and effectively, preparing them for the challenges of the modern, interconnected world. soepriyanti et al. (2022) provide a comprehensive definition of digital literacy, emphasizing it as not just the capacity to use digital tools, but a multifaceted skill set involving awareness, attitude, and the ability to effectively engage with digital resources. this definition encompasses the processes of identifying, accessing, understanding, integrating, managing, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing information. digital literacy, thus, serves as a foundation for generating new knowledge, fostering effective communication, and driving positive social actions. the seven key elements they outline— digital scholarship, media literacy, information literacy, learning abilities, teamwork and communication skills, career management, and technology and information literacy —form the cornerstones of this concept. lukitasari et al. (2022) add an additional layer of comprehension by segmenting digital literacy into three fundamental domains: the socialemotional, cognitive, and technological. the technical aspect relates to the practical use of information technology; the cognitive aspect involves processing and making sense of information, and the social-emotional aspect focuses on navigating online social environments. these dimensions highlight the breadth and depth of digital literacy, underscoring its relevance in various aspects of life and learning. despite its recognized importance, as evidenced by studies from banik & kumar (2019), abbas et al. (2019), aboderin & govender (2022), limniou et al. (2021), munawaroh et al. (2022), and khan et al. (2022), there remains a significant gap in effectively implementing digital literacy in educational settings. one key challenge is the prevalent low level of digital literacy among students. while students are often adept at using digital technologies for entertainment, such as gaming and social media, their skills do not necessarily extend to educational contexts. this gap is attributed to a lack of exposure and guidance in using digital media for learning and information purposes. in many educational settings, especially in elementary schools, there's a noticeable discrepancy between the potential of digital media and its actual use. as noted by arsari (2022) and perdana et al. (2019), schools often restrict the use of digital media in classrooms, thereby limiting students' exposure to and engagement with these valuable learning tools. the limitations imposed in classroom settings, often under the guise of maintaining order, inadvertently hinder students' ability to fully exploit the educational benefits of digital media. this restrictive approach can lead to challenges in integrating digital media into learning processes effectively, as teachers face difficulties in managing classroom dynamics and responding to students' curiosity about digital tools. in response to these challenges, the development and implementation of augmented reality (ar)-based learning applications are seen as a promising solution. such applications, as described by shoutthaboualy, chatwattana & piriyasurawong (2021), can revolutionize learning english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 13 experiences by making them more interactive and engaging. ar technology allows for the blending of virtual information with the real world, using devices such as webcams, computers, smartphones, or specialized glasses. by incorporating ar in education, the aim is to facilitate more memorable and effective learning experiences, particularly in language education like english. the interactive and immersive nature of ar can help bridge the gap in digital literacy, offering students a more dynamic and captivating way to learn and engage with digital media beyond traditional methods. augmented reality (ar) is revolutionizing educational methodologies by offering immersive digital experiences unattainable through traditional teaching methods. as phakamach et al. (2022) highlight, ar introduces a dimension of interactivity and engagement that conventional classrooms lack. this technology enables educators, as childs et al. (2021) note, to tailor their instructional strategies to each student's unique learning style, thus personalizing the educational experience in a way traditional methods cannot. the effectiveness of ar in enhancing student engagement with complex material is underscored by sun et al. (2022). unlike traditional lectures and textbooks, ar brings an interactive element to learning, presenting materials such as 3d objects, text, images, videos, and audio in a dynamic format. this interactive nature not only makes learning more enjoyable but also significantly enhances students' understanding of the material. as explained by nurhasanah, widodo & riandi (2019), ar's ease of operation—simply requiring the pointing of a camera towards an object—makes it accessible and user-friendly, encouraging widespread adoption in educational settings. the impact of ar on critical thinking skills has been the focus of several studies. for instance, faridi et al. (2020), fendi, suyatna & abdurrahman (2021), dilmen & atalay (2021), and syawaluddin, gunahardi & rintayati (2019) have all reported positive results regarding the use of ar in developing these skills. these findings suggest that ar's interactive and engaging nature stimulates higher-order thinking skills, challenging students to analyze, evaluate, and create based on the information presented in a multifaceted format. in addition to enhancing critical thinking, ar has also been shown to improve students' digital literacy, a crucial skill in the 21st century. shoutthaboualy, chatwattana & piriyasurawong (2021), and nurhasanah, widodo & riandi (2019) have both conducted research affirming the role of ar in advancing digital literacy skills among students. by engaging with ar technology, students not only become adept at using digital tools but also develop the ability to critically assess digital content and use these tools creatively for learning purposes. given these benefits, there has been a growing interest in the development of ar-based learning media that meet various educational criteria, including content validity, practicality, and construct relevance. such media aim to enhance critical thinking skills and digital literacy among elementary school students, preparing them for a future where digital proficiency is paramount. this focus on ar in education reflects a broader shift towards more interactive, personalized, and technologically integrated learning environments. despite the recognized potential of technology in education, there is a significant gap in the effective implementation of digital literacy in educational settings, particularly in elementary schools. while students are often familiar with using digital technologies for entertainment purposes, such as gaming and social media, their use of these technologies for educational purposes is limited. this gap is partly due to a lack of exposure to and guidance in using digital media for learning. additionally, many schools restrict the use of digital devices like smartphones in the classroom, limiting students' opportunities to engage with and benefit from digital learning tools. this situation presents a challenge in integrating digital media into the learning process effectively and capitalizing on its educational benefits. the novel aspect of this research lies in addressing these challenges by developing and implementing augmented reality (ar)-based learning applications. this approach is particularly innovative in the context of language education, such as english learning at elementary school levels. the research introduces ar as a tool to bridge the gap in digital literacy and to provide a dynamic and engaging learning experience. by leveraging ar technology, the study aims to transform traditional learning environments, making them more interactive, personalized, and technologically integrated. the use of ar to enhance critical thinking skills and digital literacy in students is a relatively new area of exploration in educational research, particularly in the context of elementary education. this resy oktadela, shalawati, yusti elida, putri octa hadiyanti, & syofianis ismail implementation of android-based augmented reality in english education 14 study's focus on developing ar-based learning media that meets educational criteria for content validity, practicality, and relevance, and its application in improving critical thinking skills and digital literacy, contributes a novel perspective to the field of educational technology. method this study implemented the research and development (r&d) addie model, as outlined by almelhi (2021), which encompasses five phases: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. in the initial analysis phase, the researcher focused on evaluating the need for new learning media, involving an assessment of the existing media, curriculum, and materials. the subsequent design phase involved creating a preliminary product design or prototype, informed by the analysis, which included selecting the basic format, framework, and research tools. during the development phase, the process included refining the design framework and instruments from the previous phase, followed by an evaluation by experts in media, material, and language. this evaluation aimed to garner critical feedback and suggestions for refining the media. revisions were then made based on this expert feedback. the implementation phase involved applying the developed learning media on a small scale, with pretest-posttest evaluations to assess its effectiveness in improving critical thinking skills and digital literacy. observation sheets and student response questionnaires were used to obtain input for the last step, evaluation, which included making final revisions to the learning materials. the research data comprised both qualitative and quantitative elements. qualitative data included expert feedback from material, media, and language specialists, as well as observational descriptions of responses and learning conditions. this qualitative feedback informed further product revisions. quantitative data encompassed tests for critical thinking skills, digital literacy questionnaires, media validation questionnaires, and student response questionnaires. critical thinking was evaluated using open-ended tests, while digital literacy was measured through questionnaire instruments. normality tests, ngain, and independent t-tests on pretest and posttest findings were used to statistically examine how well the learning medium improved digital literacy and critical thinking abilities. results and discussion the focus of this research was on developing an augmented reality (ar)-based educational tool for android devices using the assemblr application, aimed at supporting learning about the human motion system. the goal was for this media to enhance the learning experience for both educators and students. it was designed to encourage students to engage actively with the material on the human motion system, thereby fostering the development of critical thinking skills and digital literacy, particularly in the use of android devices. the initial phase of the research involved an analysis stage, which included examining existing media, the curriculum, and the materials used. media analysis was conducted through observational methods. observations revealed that critical thinking skills among students were low, attributed to factors such as the lack of student involvement in learning, teacher-dominated lectures, students' passive roles, and the reliance on traditional teaching methods like blackboard writing and book dictation. additionally, it was noted that smartphone-based media were not utilized in learning, and students were generally discouraged from bringing smartphones to class. interviews indicated that while most students frequently used their smartphones for gaming, only a few used them for academic research. the analysis also extended to the curriculum and materials, focusing on identifying suitable science topics that could be effectively integrated with ar technology. this led to the selection of various science topics for fifth-grade students, which could benefit from being visualized through ar. these themes covered the planet and its surrounds, the water cycle, natural occurrences, the human mobility system, the respiratory system of living things, the human digestive system, and the human circulatory system. the integration of these topics with ar aimed to make abstract scientific concepts more tangible and engaging for students. the analysis phase of this research, supported by findings from samsudin et al. (2021) and mariam (2019), involved crucial steps like problem analysis, setting educational goals, studying student characteristics, reviewing available resources, and conducting a thorough material analysis. this aligns with salas-rueda et al. (2020), who noted that the analysis stage of the addie model should focus on assessing student needs, analyzing problems, and task analysis to identify gaps, define student needs, and develop english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 15 task-oriented solutions. thesalonika et al. (2019) also emphasized that development research starts with addressing issues that already exist, such as out-of-date products or ones that no longer satisfy the needs of the target audience, considering factors like learning environment, technology, and student characteristics. the design stage of the research involved selecting an appropriate format, framework, and research instruments. during this phase, the most effective application for creating augmented reality was identified, leading to the selection of assemblr. the researcher downloaded assemblr and began creating ar content tailored to the predetermined material. sentence construction in ar was designed for efficiency and effectiveness in media usage. additionally, assessment tools, such as digital literacy and critical thinking pretest and post-test questions, were created and customized to the material and psychological development stages of the students. the results of this stage supported the notion that the addie model's design activities are methodical, beginning with the product's concept and content design and ending with comprehensive implementation guidelines (thesalonika et al., 2019; samsudin et al., 2021). in the development stage, the focus was on realizing the design framework for learning media and instruments validated by experts. this included expert assessment of the learning media and subsequent revisions based on their feedback. the addie model's development stage involves actualizing the previously designed product concepts (tu et al., 2021). sarwanto, laksmi & chumdari (2021) note that this stage transforms the conceptual framework into a tangible product ready for implementation. the figure below represents the design framework for the learning media being developed. figure 1. creation of augmented reality focused on human anatomy parts in order to assess the efficacy of the augmented reality (ar) technology, a number of assessments involving different specialists and stakeholders were conducted by the researchers. these included media specialists, subject matter experts, linguists, and end-users. following this evaluation phase, the researchers made revisions to the ar tool, incorporating the feedback, suggestions, and critiques provided by these experts. the assessment process yielded the following data: table 1. expert and user assessment of ar media no evaluator score appropriateness 1 media expert 3.58 very appropriate 2 material expert 3.51 very appropriate 3 linguist 3.98 very appropriate 4 user 1 3.81 very appropriate 5 user 2 3.89 very appropriate table 1 provided information indicating that various experts and users deemed the developed media suitable for use. their critiques and suggestions were subsequently utilized to refine and enhance the media, guiding its ongoing evolution into the implementation phase. the suitability of the learning media for elementaryaged students was especially crucial, given that students at this age typically engage in concrete and actual thinking rather than abstract thought processes, particularly in the lower grades. thus, it was imperative for teachers to select media that aligned with the learning objectives and were effective and appropriate for use, as highlighted by puspitarini & hanif (2019). the implementation phase involved the application of the developed learning media, which was deemed suitable after evaluations by media experts and subject matter specialists. this phase entailed testing the media on a small group of research subjects (priyanka & selamat, 2021). to get input on the produced media, the product was used in the addie development research paradigm. ismiyani (2021) suggests that asking questions on the goals of the product development might get early feedback or review. a pretest and resy oktadela, shalawati, yusti elida, putri octa hadiyanti, & syofianis ismail implementation of android-based augmented reality in english education 16 posttest were used in this phase to evaluate how well the learning materials improved students' digital literacy and critical thinking abilities, with the data from these tests presented in figure 2. figure 2. data on pretest and posttest assessing critical thinking abilities and digital literacy skills figure 2 shows that both the experimental and control groups' students' critical thinking abilities significantly improved, with the experimental group's post-test scores significantly higher than the control group's pre-test results. the present research bolsters the notion put forward by hsu, wenting, and hughes (2018), which suggests that the inclusion of digital literacy in primary education ought to correspond with the cognitive capacities and developmental stages of young learners. it works well to integrate digital literacy using visual aids including pictures, videos, animated information, interactive animations, and animations based on augmented reality. primary school pupils has the ability and motivation to participate in interactive education, expanding their knowledge on their own via pleasurable learning opportunities. additionally, students' major source of familiar information— their smartphones—play a critical part in this learning process. the augmented reality application used in this research required students to scan qr-ar markers with their cellphones, proving that using smartphones in the classroom is a creative and useful method. as waliyuddin & sulisworo (2021) suggest, digital information sources should be utilized appropriately to optimize learning preparation. it's essential that digital-based information is attractively packaged and leverages the full potential of technological advancements, as highlighted by shoutthaboualy et al. (2021) and nurhasanah et al. (2019). figure 3. implementation and assessment of augmented reality: pretest-posttest approach the evaluation phase concluded with a final refinement of the developed learning media, incorporating expert and user feedback, as well as insights from student response questionnaires. in the addie model, the evaluation stage aims to gather feedback from product users, leading to revisions based on the outcomes of the evaluation or unmet needs of the product. the ultimate goal of this evaluation is to assess whether the development objectives have been met (salasreuda et al., 2020; samsudin et al., 2021). data analysis from expert and user assessments indicated that the developed product was suitable for use and did not require major revisions, though minor improvements were made based on material and media experts' suggestions and inputs. additionally, after the product was tested on students, its practicality was evaluated using a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 17 student response questionnaire. the summary of the student responses regarding the practicality of the developed product is outlined in the table below: table 1. summary of student response assessment on the practicality of the developed product no. aspect percentage criteria 1. media 90% very practical 2. material 89% very practical 3. benefit 86% very practical 4. interest 90% very practical mean 89% very practical based on the data presented in table 2 above, the mean percentage of student response assessments was 89%, and it can be concluded that the practicality level of the product was included in the very practical category. the study's findings supported darma et al.'s hypothesis (2021), which stated that the practicality of learning media could be viewed from the implementation of learning media in learning activities and teacher responses to learning media, student responses to learning media. this research also meant that the media's condition and application were ideal for students. in the practical aspect of learning media, several aspects needed to be considered that supported the media. first, the media was seen from the available formats, the time used, and the costs incurred. the second was the suitability of students, namely the suitability of media content with the development and experience of students, and the third was the suitability of educators, namely the suitability of the media with learning carried out by educators and being able to facilitate students to understand the material through the developed media (darma et al., 2021; indang, 2020). figure 3 below displays the data from the pretest-posttest results: figure 3. average data from pretest and posttest assessing critical thinking abilities and digital literacy skills from the data illustrated in figure 3, it is clear that there was a notable enhancement in the critical thinking skills of students, as observed in both the experimental and control groups. this increase is visually apparent from the comparative analysis of the scores. specifically, the students in the experimental class demonstrated a significant improvement in their critical thinking abilities, as evidenced by their pretest scores. these scores were substantially higher than those recorded in the post-test for the control group's critical thinking skills. this trend suggests that the intervention or educational approach applied in the experimental class had a positive impact on the students' critical thinking capabilities. the fact that the experimental group's pretest scores outperformed the control group's post-test scores implies that the methodologies or tools used in the experimental class were more effective in enhancing critical thinking skills compared to the traditional methods employed in the control class. the data underscores the potential benefits of the educational strategies implemented in the experimental group, indicating that these approaches could be instrumental in fostering higher-order thinking skills. this improvement is essential in educational settings as critical thinking is a key skill that contributes to students' overall academic success and preparedness for resy oktadela, shalawati, yusti elida, putri octa hadiyanti, & syofianis ismail implementation of android-based augmented reality in english education 18 future challenges. the results highlight the importance of continuously exploring and integrating innovative teaching methods and tools to enhance critical thinking and other cognitive skills in students. conclusion the study's analysis, implementation, and testing of augmented reality (ar) in elementary school education have revealed its effectiveness in improving critical thinking skills and digital literacy among students. notably, ar applications engaged students in a manner that encouraged critical thinking, problem-solving, and better information analysis compared to traditional book-based learning. the significant difference in critical thinking skills between the experimental group, which utilized ar media, and the control group, which relied on books, demonstrates the potential of ar to enhance cognitive development in elementary school students. the research also highlights the positive impact of ar on digital literacy among students. this suggests that ar not only complements conventional learning but also helps students become more adept at navigating digital tools and resources, a crucial skill in today's technologydriven society. the statistical significance (pvalue of 0.029) in the t-test for digital literacy underscores the clear and substantial difference between ar media users and those using traditional books. this emphasizes the case for integrating ar technology into elementary education as a means of enhancing digital literacy. in the study's final evaluation phase, feedback from experts, users, and student responses was considered. impressively, 89% of students expressed satisfaction with the ar media, indicating a high level of acceptance and practicality. this suggests that ar-based learning materials are not only well-received but also highly engaging for students. these findings collectively support the notion that augmented reality technology has the potential to significantly improve the learning experience in elementary schools, equipping students with essential critical thinking skills and digital literacy for success in the digital age. references abbas, q., hussain, s., & rasool, s. (2019). digital literacy effect on the academic performance of students at higher education level in pakistan. global social sciences review, iv(i), 108-116. https://doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2019(iv-i).14 aboderin, o.s., & govender, d.w. (2023). predictors of academic performance of distance e-learners in a nigerian university. research in business & social science ijrbs, 12 (1), 296-307. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v12i1.2296 alenezi, m. (2021). deep dive into digital transformation in higher education institutions. education sciences, 11(12), 770-780. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11120770. almelhi, a. m. (2021). effectiveness of the addie model within an e-learning environment in developing creative writing in efl students. english language teaching, 14(2), 20. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v14n2p20 arsari, m. h. a.. (2022). the importance of digital literacy to enhance student’s ability in english language. jambura journal of english teaching and literature, 3(1), 12 – 18 banik, p., & kumar, b. (2019). impact of information literacy skill on students’ academic performance in bangladesh. international journal of european studies, 3(1), 27-33. https://10.11648/j.ijes.20190301.15 childs, e., mohammad, f., stevens, l., burbelo, h., awoke, a., rewkowski, n., & manocha, d. (2021). an overview of enhancing distance learning through augmented and virtual reality technologies. arxiv preprint arxiv:2101.11000. darma, i. k., karma, i. g. m., & santiana, i. m. a. (2021). validity and practicality test of applied mathematics digital teaching materials for blended learning for polytechnic students. soshum : jurnal sosial dan humaniora, 11(1), 44–53. https://doi.org/10.31940/soshum.v11i1.2294 dilmen, i., & atalay, n. (2021). the effect of the augmented reality applications in science class on students’ 21st century skills and basic skills. journal of science learning, 4(4), 337-346. https://doi.org/10.17509/jsl.v4i4.32900 faridi, h., tuli, n., mantri, a., singh, g., & gargrish, s. (2020). a framework utilizing augmented reality to improve critical thinking ability and learning gain of the students in physics. computer applications in engineering education, 29(1), 258-273. https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.22342 fendi, r. d., suyatna, a., & abdurrahman. (2021). augmented reality-based student worksheet to stimulate students’ critical thinking skills. indonesian journal of science and mathematics education, 4(2), 118-121. hsu, h., wenting, z., & hughes, j. e. (2018). developing elementary students’ digital literacy through augmented reality creation: insights from a longitudinal analysis of questionnaires, interviews, and projects. journal of educational https://doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2019(iv-i).14 https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v12i1.2296 https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11120770 https://10.0.45.128/j.ijes.20190301.15 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 19 computing, research, 57(6), 122-143. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633118794515 isa, j., & julia, l. (2020). three types of integrated course designs for using mobile technologies to support creativity in higher education. computers & education, 146, 103782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103782 ismiyani, n. (2021). improving students’ motivation to learn english by serving english book with local wisdom. jpi (jurnal pendidikan indonesia), 10(3), 453. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpiundiksha.v10i3.32729 khan, n., sarwar, a., chen, t.b., & khan, s. (2022). connecting digital literacy in higher education to the 21st century workforce. knowledge management & e-learning, 14(1), 46–61. https://doi.org/10.34105/j.kmel.2022.14.004 limniou, m., varga-atkins, t., hands, c., &elshamaa, m. (2021). learning, student digital capabilities and academic performance over the covid-19 pandemic. education sciences. 2021, 11, 361. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11070361 lukitasari, m., murtafiah, w., ramdiah, s., hasan, r., & sukri, a. (2022). constructing digital literacy instrument and its effect on college students' learning outcomes. international journal of instruction, 15(2), 171-188. mariam, n. (2019). the development of an addie based instructional model for elt in early childhood. educational technology international, 20(1), 25–55. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344377 742 munawaroh., fitriati, r., & febriantina, s. (2022). self-confidence, learning motivation and students achievement: the mediating role of digital literacy. jurnal pendidikan bisnis dan manajemen, 8(1), 16-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.17977/um003v8i12022p016 perdana, r., yani, r., jumadi, j., & rosana, d. (2019). assessing students’ digital literacy skill in senior high school yogyakarta. jpi (jurnal pendidikan indonesia), 8(2), 169. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpiundiksha.v8i2.17168 phakamach, p., senarith, p., & wachirawongpaisarn, s. (2022). the metaverse in education: the future of immersive teaching & learning. rice journal of creative entrepreneurship and management, 3(2), 75–88. priyanka, l. m., & selamat, i. n. (2021). previewreview bilingual instructional tools development with discovery learning model setting to enhancing student’s conceptual understanding and speaking ability. jpi (jurnal pendidikan indonesia), 10(3), 525. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpiundiksha.v10i3.32029 puspitarini, y. d., & hanif, m. (2019). using learning media to increase learning motivation in elementary school. anatolian journal of education, 4(2), 53-60. https://doi.org/10.29333/aje.2019.426a salas-rueda, r. a., salas-rueda, é. p., & salasrueda, r. d. (2020). analysis and design of the web game on descriptive statistics through the addie model, data science and machine learning. international journal of education in mathematics, science and technology, 8(3), 245–260. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijemst.v8i3.759 samsudin, r., sulaiman, r., guan, t. t., yusof, a. m., firdaus, m., & yaacob, c. (2021). mobile application development through addie model. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 10(2), 1017–1027. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v10-i2/10328 sarwanto, fajari, l. e. w., & chumdari. (2021). critical thinking skills and their impacts on elementary school students. malaysian journal of learning and instruction, 18(2), 161-188. https://doi.org/10.32890/mjli2021.18.2.6 shoutthaboualy, t., chatwattana, p., & piriyasurawong, p. (2021). the blended instruction on cloud via an interactive augmented reality technology model to enhance digital literacy. higher education studies, 11(3), 144-156. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v11n3p144 soepriyanti, h., waluyo, u., sujana, i. m., & fitriana, e. (2022). an exploratory study of indonesian teachers’ digital literacy competences. technium social sciences journal, 28(1), 116– 125. https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v28i1.5866 sun, j. c. y., ye, s. l., yu, s. j., & chiu, t. k. (2022). effects of wearable hybrid ar/vr learning material on high school students’ situational interest, engagement, and learning performance: the case of a physics laboratory learning environment. journal of science education and technology, 1–12. syarifudin, a. s. (2020). implementation of online learning to improve the quality of education as a result of the implementation of social distancing. journal of indonesian language and literature education metalingua 5(1):31– 34. doi: 10.21107/metalingua.v5i1.7072. syawaludin, a., gunarhadi, g., rintayati, p. (2019). development of augmented reality-based interactive multimedia to improve critical thinking skills in science learning. international journal of instruction, 12(4), 331-344. thesalonika, e., tanjung, s., restu, r., & manalu, e. (2019). development of webbased learning media on social studies subject at junior high school methodist lubuk pakam, indonesia. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103782 https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11070361 http://www.researchgate.net/publication/344377742 http://www.researchgate.net/publication/344377742 http://dx.doi.org/10.17977/um003v8i12022p016 resy oktadela, shalawati, yusti elida, putri octa hadiyanti, & syofianis ismail implementation of android-based augmented reality in english education 20 budapest international research and critics in linguistics and education (birle) journal, 2(4), 287–296. https://doi.org/10.33258/birle.v2i4.516 yasin, f., & nurrita, t. (2019). pengaruh model pembelajaran project based learning dan kreativitas belajar terhadap hasil belajar teknologi informasi dan komunikas. akademika: jurnal teknologi pendidikan, 6(01), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.34005/akademika.v6i01.132 https://doi.org/10.34005/akademika.v6i01.132 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 795 beyond the game: international media attitudes toward indonesia's cancellation of the u20 world cup fikry prastya syahputra (corresponding author) english department, faculty of cultural sciences, universitas sumatera utara, indonesia email: fikryprastya@usu.ac.id rohani ganie english department, faculty of cultural sciences, universitas sumatera utara, indonesia email: rohani@usu.ac.id muhammad rasyid ridlo library and science information department, faculty of cultural sciences, universitas sumatera utara, indonesia email: rasyidridlo28@gmail.com bayu febrilliandika department of industrial engineering and management, national taipei university of technology, taiwan email: t111378403@ntut.edu.tw apa scitation: syahputra, f. p., ganie, r., ridlo, m. r., & febrilliandika, b. (2024). beyond the game: international media attitudes toward indonesia's cancellation of the u20 world cup. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 795-810. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.8761 received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 27-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction the cancellation of the u20 world cup in indonesia was an event that caused loads of speculation and shocked both domestic and international news. many foreign newspapers (specifically online) composed an article regarding this event. as the source of the event, indonesian people need to scrutinize the cancellation of the u20 world cup in indonesia was an event that caused loads of speculation and shocked both domestic and international news. many foreign newspapers (specifically online) composed an article regarding this event (alwohaibi & alyousef, 2023). as the source of the event, indonesian people need to scrutinize this news because, from it, they can understand the attitudes of foreign countries/governments towards indonesian government's policies. as it is part of editorial strategy that one news article is conveying certain ideologies (alghazo et al., 2023; thahara et al., 2024). the recent rejection of israel's participation in the u-20 world cup has sparked considerable debate, drawing historical parallels with president abstract: in march 2023, indonesia was confronted with a situation that was also a worldwide concern. the hosting of the u20 world cup in indonesia has been cancelled. the reasoning of fifa to cancel indonesia’s u-20 world cup host status because indonesia refused the participation of the state of israel in this u20 world cup. the country has been vocal in its support for the palestinian people and has called for an end to israeli occupation of palestinian territories. this study, however, did not focus on the reasons why this could happen but rather the attitudes of the world's newspapers in reporting on the subject. it is significant because, as a nation which constantly seeking global recognition, indonesia should be introspective by understanding the global community's perspectives on the problems that exist in indonesia, which can be illustrated by news about indonesia that exists in foreign newspapers. furthermore, attitude analysis can be done using appraisal theory. this study sampled three articles from online news: bbc, cna, and the straits times. the data were analyzed by adopting a mix-method. the results obtained that the three news articles had negative attitudes perspective. furthermore, the findings of this study's analysis can be used as teaching material for language and communication students interested in becoming journalists or writing articles for print and online publications. keywords: appraisal theory; attitudes; indonesia world cup; newspaper article; world cup u20. fikry prastya syahputra, rohani ganie, muhammad rasyid ridlo, & bayu febrilliandika beyond the game: international media attitudes toward indonesia's cancellation of the u20 world cup 796 sukarno's stance during the 1962 asian games. this comparison raises questions about the relevance of past political actions in contemporary sports events (lumbanrau, 2023). understanding the emotional and psychological underpinnings of such decisions can be approached through the appraisal theory of emotion, which offers insights into how individuals evaluate and respond to significant events (moors, 2020).furthermore, there is still little research on the u20 world cup cancellation in indonesia. even though many aspects can be studied, starting from the economic impact, the impact of foreign relations, how the government deal with the issues circulating this matter, and others. however, when you search the internet, very few come up, and one of them is research from alvin (2023) which discusses jokowi's instagram emotions after indonesia's cancellation as u-20 world cup host. apart from that, no one has raised the theme of this. considering the widespread coverage of this event, both in domestic and foreign news media, it is necessary to overlook how the foreign media reported this event. one research that can be applied is to identify the attitudes perspective of several online newspapers owned by foreign media. a lot of research has been done on newspaper articles, both from the relationship between a particular ideology (thahara et al., 2024), critical discourse analysis (risdaneva, 2018; jin, 2019; almayouf, 2021), to assist corpusbased study on linguistic (cavasso & taboada, 2021; he & rahim, 2019), as well as others linguistics related study (nurlin, 2018). in addition, there is also research on the attitudes of newspaper editors/authors/contributors embodied in their articles (alhabib, 2020; asad et al., 2021; prastikawati, 2021; puspita & pranoto, 2021; mirzaaghabeyk, 2022; sekarsari et al., 2024; thahara et al., 2024). identifying the attitudes of a newspaper article can be done through appraisal analysis (martin & rose, 2007; martin & white, 2005; white, 2015, wondra & ellsworth, 2015). in linguistic studies, appraisal is defined as a system of interpersonal meaning aimed at exploring, describing, and explaining how language is used to evaluate, adopt stances, construct textual personas, and manage positioning and relationships (white, 2015). the appraisal theory focuses on the linguistic resources speakers or texts use to express, normalize, and represent inter-subjective meanings (tallapessy, 2015; wei et al., 2015; nazhira, t. silvana sinar & suriyadi, 2016). this theory broadly addresses emotion, judgment, and attitude, offering resources that clearly and interpersonally convey a text's recommendations (hadidi & mohammadbagheriparvin, 2015; young & harrison, 2004). recent studies have expanded on appraisal theory. for instance, grieve and woodfield (2023) explored the use of evaluative language in fake news, demonstrating how different appraisal resources are used to either entertain or disclaim information, thus manipulating readers (grieve & woodfield, 2023). kaltenbacher (2023) analyzed implicit appraisal in institutional texts, revealing how subtle evaluative cues influence reader interpretation in eu migration documents (kaltenbacher, 2023). dong and fang (2023) discussed the application of the engagement network in appraisal theory to annotate speakerwriter stance, highlighting multisubjectivity in contemporary media communication (dong & fang, 2023). further supporting studies include economou (2019), who examined evaluative meanings in multimodal texts and found that visual elements often complement verbal appraisal to enhance persuasive impact (economou, 2019). hamby and jones (2022) investigated emotional engagement in narrative persuasion, showing that appraisal resources significantly affect audience response (hamby & jones, 2022). ross and caldwell (2020) analyzed the rhetoric of donald trump on twitter, demonstrating how appraisal theory can be used to understand the construction of political personas and the strategic use of negative evaluations (ross & caldwell, 2020). additionally, troiano, oberländer, and klinger (2023) contributed to the field by examining the dimensional modeling of emotions in text through appraisal theories, emphasizing the importance of robust data annotation and prediction methods in computational linguistics (troiano et al., 2023). furthermore, according to martin & white (2005), appraisal theory is structured around three main areas: attitude, engagement, and graduation. attitude pertains to our feelings, including behavior, emotional responses, judgments, and valuation of things. engagement involves capturing the attitudes and behaviors of various voices and viewpoints within a conversation. graduation deals with the extent and intensity of feelings, categorizing them in nuanced ways. the accompanying graphic illustrates the appraisal theory; english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 797 figure 1. taxonomy of appraisal analysis (martin & white, 2005) chart adopted from (ángeles & llopis, 2018) this theory can also be applied to other objects, not just news in newspapers. these include speech texts (alhabib, 2020; sekarsari et al., 2024), letters (abdulkarim & maha, 2023), literary works (pasaribu, 2020), translation studies (liu et al., 2022), and scientific articles (fitriati & solihah, 2019; he & rahim, 2019). furthermore, this research focused on analysis raises the attitude of newspaper writers and editors in responding to or reporting on certain events. attitude analysis is not only used to analyze newspaper articles but can also be applied in various discourses. for example, there is research that highlights the attitude of a chief executive officer (ceo), as stated in his apology letter after dismissing most of his employees due to the covid19 pandemic (syahputra & shafiira, 2022). next, research reveals the attitudes of tourism website developers in writing content on the website (isti’anah, 2020). both of these research applied appraisal theory. thus, according to the findings of the attitude analysis of a discourse in the previous articles, some of the benefits that can be acquired are as follows: 1) the ability to improve existing writing by evaluating it (isti’anah, 2020). 2) be able to find out the ideology of the newspaper (asad et al., 2021; puspita & pranoto, 2021; risdaneva, 2018). for example, newspaper x highlights the logic of why the u20 wc was cancelled in indonesia. meanwhile, newspaper y focuses more on the process of changing hosts and the continuation of the u20 wc. 3) can be used as material to teach how to write articles that can be published in the media (prastikawati, 2021). becoming a writer is one of the profiles of graduate students in the field of language studies. therefore, based on the explanation above, this study aims to identify the attitudes of foreign newspapers regarding the news of indonesia's cancellation of the u20 world cup host. the research results are expected to map the perspectives of other nations towards the policies taken by the indonesian government. as a nation which constantly seeking global recognition, indonesia should be introspective by understanding the global community's perspectives on the problems that exist in indonesia, which can be illustrated by news about indonesia that exists in foreign newspapers. in addition, the results of this research are expected to be teaching materials for students majoring in language or communication to write good news articles. method this research approach is a mix-method of qualitative and quantitative methods. the mixmethod was chosen because it cannot conclude by only one result of the analysis process. in qualitative research, researchers investigate how individuals understand and interpret themselves and others, as well as how they organize and assign meaning to their daily lives (hox & boeije, 2005). the results of the analysis using a qualitative approach which is more subjective are validated with the results from quantitative analysis which tends to be objective. the qualitative method was employed to analyze utterances categorized into three attitude domains: affect, judgment, and appreciation. the quantitative method was used to calculate and report the frequencies and percentages of the analyzed data. according to aliaga and gunderson (2002) “quantitative research involves investigating a social problem by collecting numerical data and analyzing it using mathematical methods, particularly statistics.” the results of these two analyses are combined to draw the research results that answer the problems raised. in addition, the research data comes from three online news websites, namely: 1) bbc sport published in 29th of march 2023 by yara elshaboury with the title “fifa: indonesia stripped of right to host under-20 world cup”. 2) nikkei asia published in 11th of april 2023 by koya jibiki with the title “indonesia u-20 world cup cancellation sparks political backlash”. 3) the times of israel published in 26th of march 2023 by graham dunbar with the title “indonesia’s tensions with israel force delay of fifa u20 world cup draw”. the research data is all the utterances in the three articles. these utterances can be words, phrases, clauses, and sentences. fikry prastya syahputra, rohani ganie, muhammad rasyid ridlo, & bayu febrilliandika beyond the game: international media attitudes toward indonesia's cancellation of the u20 world cup 798 furthermore, the research collecting method includes both primary and secondary data collection method. primary data refers to original, firsthand information collected directly by the researcher. in contrast, secondary data consists of information obtained from existing sources that were collected by others. the primary data collection includes observation and interview. final stage, the data are taken in the form of news texts which were uploaded to the uam corpus tool. the data includes the word, phrases, or clauses that are selected from several international news sites. the data analysis is focused on the attitude subcategory of appraisal from martin & white, (2005). the analysis was conducted using an edited built-in manual appraisal analysis of the attitude scheme. the statistics of each appraisal resource that has been analyzed would be counted automatically in the uam corpus tool. results and discussion the analysis results show that there are 72 expressions that carried the appraisal attitude. the attitudes are released both positively and negatively. table 1. the total number of attitude found in the data attitude-type n % affect 36 49.3 judgement 22 30.1 appreciation 15 20.5 total: 73 100.0% table 2. the total number of the polarity (positive and negative) of attitude found in the data attitude-polarity n % positive-attitude 19 26.0 negative-attitude 54 74.0 total: 73 100.0% the percentage shows that the attitude that are mainly contained in the three data is affect (36 items or 49.3%), followed by judgement (22 items or 30.1%), and the least number is appreciation (15 items or 20.5%) and they are mainly released negatively. affect the analysis shows that there are 36 items of affect attitude that are contained in all of the three news. affect resources focus on the "emotive dimension of meaning" as they reflect the appraiser's desires, feelings, and satisfaction. (martin & white, 2005). the dominating amount of affect in this study come from the type dis/satisfaction and in/security. table 3. the total number of affect found in the data affect-type2 n % un/happiness 9 12.3 dis/satisfaction 11 15.1 in/security 11 15.1 dis/inclination 5 6.8 total: 36 49.3% un/happiness happiness data 1: “protesters have held marches demanding israel be stopped from competing in the tournament, in support of palestine.” the positive attitude was shown in ‘in support of palestine’. this expression reflects the positive affect specifically happiness (affection). this reflects the protesters’ appraisal towards palestine. the protesters are showing their affection towards palestine by refusing to have good relations with palestinian opponents (israel). unhappiness the word ‘anti-israel’ indicates a deep-seated feeling of dislike towards israel. therefore, this data contains the negative affect specifically unhappiness, antipathy. data 2: “potential jokowi successor’s anti-israel rhetoric tarfeted for blame.” data 3: “the party has had a historically strong anti-israel stance” the word ‘anti-israel’ indicates a deep-seated feeling of dislike towards israel. therefore, this data contains the negative affect specifically unhappiness, antipathy. data 4: “potential jokowi successor's anti-israel rhetoric targeted for blame.” the word ‘blame’ is almost similar to ‘castigate’ or ‘scold’ which are fell in the affect category. thus, this word reflects the negative attitude toward jokowi successors (who are antiisrael) specifically dissatisfaction ‘displeasure’. data 5: “the party has had a historically strong anti-israel stance, and some observers say it was english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 799 behind the push to exclude the country from the tournament.” the clause ‘it was behind the push’ reflects to some observer’s appraisal towards the party. the observers feel like there was a demand (surge behavior) to the party to exclude israel’s participation in the tournament. therefore, this clause carries the negative affect of disinclination, specifically desire. data 6: “the football association of indonesia (pssi) said fifa was forced to cancel the draw after bali's governor wayan koster refused to host the israeli team.” ‘refused to host’ reflects the unhappiness feeling specifically antipathy. antipathy is the part of unhappiness to show the feeling of dislike, aversion, opposition, etc. the meaning of this phrase can be inferred from the background of diplomatic relation between indonesia and israel, and the protests towards israel to quit the tournament. this phrase reflects the unhappiness feeling specifically antipathy where it refers to the ‘dislike’ or ‘aversion’ that felt by the governor (as an individual or as the representative of the protestor) that is resulting in the action (refused to host). data 7: “indonesia does not have any formal diplomatic ties with israel and recently protesters have held demanding israel be stopped from competing in the tournament, …” the expression of ‘held marches demanding israel be stopped from competing in the tournament’ reflects the unhappiness feeling specifically antipathy felt by the protesters towards israeli team. ‘demanding israel be stopped’ shows that the protesters have the strong feeling of ‘dislike’ that israeli team will be participating in the tournament. data 8: “we're headed into a calamity in sports.” calamity means miserable (misery); thus this datum reflects the attitude of affect specifically unhappiness. this data shows the negative feelings of misery that felt by people because of the tragedy. data 9: “bali's governor said he did not want them to play in his region and friday's planned group stage draw was cancelled.” the clause “he did not want them to play in his region” shows the emotion of dislike that is felt by bali’s governor towards israeli team. thus, this reflects the attitude of affect specifically unhappiness ‘antipathy’. data 10: “… governor’s calls for ban of players’ over palestinian issue” the phrase ‘calls for ban’ reflects the decision or say officially that something is not allowed, it means that there is a feeling of ‘dislike’ towards that thing. therefore, this data carries the negative affect of unhappiness, specifically antipathy. dis/satisfaction satisfaction there is no expression that reflects satisfaction in the data. dissatisfaction data 11: “tournament, set to be held in bali, pushed back due to protests against jewish state’s debut at tournament, …” the phrase ‘protests against’ reflects the surge of behaviour to release a dipleasure emotion towards jewish state. therefore, this data reflects the affect attitude specifically dissatisfaction that shows displeasure. data 12: “protests against israel’s participation were also held in the indonesian capital jakarta last week by conservative islamic groups.” the phrase ‘protests against’ reflects the surge of behaviors to release a displeasure emotion towards israel’s participation. therefore, this data reflects the affect attitude specifically dissatisfaction that shows displeasure. data 13: “potential sanctions against the pssi may also be decided at a later stage.” this data consists of the affect attitude specifically dissatisfaction that shows displeasure. this data shows fifa’s attitude towards pssi. ‘sanction against’ can be considered as a punishment, and punishment is the attitude to show displeasure. data 14: “that sanction can remove indonesia from asian qualifying for the 2026 world cup that starts in october.” fikry prastya syahputra, rohani ganie, muhammad rasyid ridlo, & bayu febrilliandika beyond the game: international media attitudes toward indonesia's cancellation of the u20 world cup 800 the word ‘sanction’ means ‘castigation’. therefore, this data carries the negative affect, dissatisfaction, specifically displeasure. data 15: “we will be exiled from the football ecosystem.” the appraisal in the data above is released through the level of word ‘exiled’ which can be considered as ‘castigate’ that falls into the category of affect specifically dissatisfaction, displeasure. in this datum we consider that the ‘we’ has negative attitude towards the things that caused them to be exiled, and we can also conclude that they do not want to be exiled. data 16: “fifa insists indonesia was not ready to host the tournament and are threatening to take action.” the following underlined word consists of the affect attitude specifically dissatisfaction that shows displeasure. this data shows fifa’s attitude to ‘threaten’ indonesia, and it can be said as almost similar to ‘scold’ which falls into the affect specifically the surge behaviors of displeasure. data 17: “criticism of israel in the country and its policy towards palestine has been growing after bali's governor said he did not want them to play in his region …” ‘criticism’ is the opposite of compliment. thus, this reflects the negative attitude of affect specifically dissatisfaction ‘displeasure’. data 18: "we shouldn't waste our energy blaming each other," widodo urged. the phrase ‘blaming each other’ is used to show how people show their displeasure towards each other. therefore, this data carries a negative affect of dissatisfaction specifically displeasure. data 19: “a video posted on his instagram on april 4 showed him dining with a player from the indonesian u-20 team who had criticized him on the player's own social media account.” the word ‘criticized’ is the opposite of ‘complimented’. thus, this reflects the negative attitude of affect specifically dissatisfaction ‘displeasure’. data 20: “…. the national soccer federation risks being suspended by fifa.” the word ‘suspended’ means that there is a ‘castigation’ that is given. therefore, this data carries the negative affect, dissatisfaction, specifically displeasure. in/security security data 21: “the decision was announced five days before fifa was due to make the 24-nation draw friday …” the word ‘announced’ is similar to ‘declare’ which is one of the surge of behaviors of affect. by announcing something, it means that fifa is confident of what is being announced and consider it as the right thing to do. therefore, this data reflects the positive affect of security specifically confidence. but rather than used positively, this attitude is used negatively because the announcement was made near the day of the tournament that will latter impact to the feeling of the u20 players. data 22: “when fifa, soccer's global governing body, announced on march 29 that it would pull the tournament from the country, public reaction was swift.” the word ‘announces’ which has the meaning of ‘declaring’. ‘declaring’ is one of the surge of surge behavior in affect. thus, this word reflects the positive affect security, specifically confidence. but rather than used positively, this attitude is used negatively considering the circumstances caused by the phenomenon (public’s reaction) data 23: “however, there was a growing feeling it had to be moved anyway given the tensions around israel's qualification.” the data shows that a feeling that is felt by the news writer. this data shows the attitude of affect specifically security ‘trust’. it means that the news writer believes that this is the right decision to move the tournament place. but rather than used positively, this attitude is used negatively considering the circumstances caused by the phenomenon (tension). data 24: “… but it was also aware it had to do everything to protect israel's players against potential security threats.” english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 801 another attitude that is reflected in the data above is from the clause ‘it had to do everything to protect israel's players against potential security threats. the data above shows that fifa should make sure of israel’s players secure of any potential threats. thus, the underlined clause represents the positive attitude of fifa towards israel in the sub category of affect specifically security. data 25: “however, indonesian soccer and public authorities agreed to fifa’s hosting requirements in 2019 before being selected to host the 2021 edition of the under-20 world cup.” the word ‘agreed’ reflects the feeling of trust towards fifa requirements. therefore, this data carries the positive affect, security, specifically trust. insecurity data 26: “half an hour before fifa’s announcement, pssi executive committee member arya sinulingga said he was "very pessimistic" about indonesia keeping the hosting rights.” this data contains the attitude of affect specifically insecurity (negative affect). the word ‘pessimistic’ is synonymous as ‘hopeless’. being hopeless means that the person (arya sinulingga) that feels it (the pessimistic) has the feeling of distrust about something (indonesia keeping the hosting rights). data 27: “he and other muslim conservatives expressed opposition to israel's participation, spurring protests.” the next attitude that is reflected from the data is the word ‘protests’ which reflects the surge of behaviors to release a displeasure emotion. therefore, this data reflects the affect attitude specifically dissatisfaction that shows displeasure. data 28: “a post on ganjar's instagram account received about 350,000 comments accusing the politician of destroying young people's futures and pledging to oppose him in the upcoming election.” the expression ‘pledging to oppose him in the upcoming election’ shows the surge of behavior (declaration) to oppose him (ganjar pranowo). by pledging, it means that the people have the confidence of their own belief which caused them to have the audacity to pledge. thus, this expression carries the negative affect of security specifically confident, but it is used negatively towards ganjar’s pranowo. data 29: “ganjar is desperately trying to put out the fire.” the word ‘desperately’ means that ganjar feels that he has little hope. this indicates ganjar's lack of confidence in his efforts to restore his position. therefore, this data carries the negative affect of insecurity specifically confident. data 30: “doubt was cast on the draw event last week, …” the word ‘doubt’ reflects the feeling of distrust. therefore, this word reflects the negative affect of insecurity, specifically trust. data 31: “fifa declined to comment sunday on the draw being postponed just eight weeks before the opening game.” the phrase ‘declined to comment’ means that fifa did not have the confident about any statement that they can give. therefore, this data carries the negative affect of security specifically confidence. dis/inclination inclination data 32: “indonesia, with the world's largest muslim population, does not have formal diplomatic relations with the country and has long called for palestinian independence.” the phrase ‘has long called for’ means that indonesia has publicly asked for or demanded palestinian independence. the word ‘demand’ is one of the lexicalization in inclination. thus, this data consists of positive attitude (toward palestine) of affect specifically inclination ‘desire’. data 33: “i want to apologize to the national team, …” the phrase ‘want to apologize’ shows the desire of ganjar to apologize because he feels sorry and responsible for what is being through by the national team. therfore, thid data carries the positive affect of inclination specifically desire. fikry prastya syahputra, rohani ganie, muhammad rasyid ridlo, & bayu febrilliandika beyond the game: international media attitudes toward indonesia's cancellation of the u20 world cup 802 data 34: "i want to apologize to the national team, and hope we can move forward," ganjar said in an interview with local media another inclination is shown here by the usage of ‘hope’, ganjar showed his desire for the national team to be willing to continue even during times of great difficulties. therefore, this word reflects the positive affect inclination specifically desire. disinclination data 35: “fifa needs to come up with an alternative pretty quickly.” the word ‘needs’ implicates the desire that is felt by fifa. this shows fifa’s dependence on the alternative team. thus, this data reflects the negative attitude of affect specifically inclination ‘desire’. data 36: “the party has had a historically strong anti-israel stance, and some observers say it was behind the push to exclude the country from the tournament.” the clause ‘it was behind the push’ reflects to some observer’s appraisal towards the party. the observers feel like there was a demand (surge behavior) to the party to exclude israel’s participation in the tournament. therefore, this clause carries the negative affect of disinclination, specifically desire. judgement there are two sub-categories of judgement which are social-esteem and social-sanction. judgements of esteem have to do with ‘normality’ (how unusual someone is), ‘capacity’ (how capable they are) and ‘tenacity’ (how resolute they are); judgements of sanction have to do with ‘veracity’ (how truthful someone is) and ‘propriety’ (how ethical someone is). the analysis shows that there are 22 items of judgement attitude that are contained in all of the three news. the dominating amount of judgement in this study is from the social-esteem sub category. table 4. the total number of affect found in the data judgement-type n % social-esteem 18 24.7 social-sanction 4 5.5 total: 22 30.1% social-esteem social-esteem (positive) data 37: “indonesia were awarded hosting rights in 2019, before israel qualified for the tournament.” the datum shows an attitude (either the news writer’s or fifa’, it is not stated) towards israel. ‘qualified’ is the lexical item that shows that israel is already capable to attend the tournament, thus this attitude falls into the positive category of judgement specifically capacity. data 38: “gov. ganjar pranowo of central java is seen as one of the potential leading candidates in indonesia's february 2024 presidential election.” the word ‘potential’ refers to the ganjar pranowo that has the ‘capacity’ in leading candidates in presidential election. thus, this data consists of the positive attitude of judgement towards ganjar pranowo specifically social esteem ‘capacity’. data 39: “when fifa, soccer's global governing body, announced on march 29 that it would pull the tournament from the country …” from the data above, ‘global governing body’ reflects the capacity of fifa. thus, this data reflects the positive judgement social-esteem, capacity. data 40: “various polls show ganjar as a leading potential presidential candidate.” this sentence shows the polls as the prove of ganjar’s capacity to become a leading potential (which also implies the capacity of someone) presidential candidate. therefore, this data carries the positive category of judgement specifically capacity. data 41. “…with rivals defense minister prabowo subianto and former jakarta gov. anies baswedan gaining ground.” the phrase ‘gaining ground’ means that prabowo subianto and anies baswedan become more popular or accepted. it shows that both of them are competent. therefore, this data carries the positive judgement, social-esteem, specifically capacity. data 42: “… who is considered likely to continue his agenda.” english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 803 the data shows the appraisal towards ganjar pranowo that is considered to be ‘qualified’ to continue the president’s agenda. therefore, this attitude falls into the positive category of judgement specifically capacity. data 43: “israel qualified last june for its firstever under-20 world cup when it reached the semifinals of the under-19 european championship.” the word ‘qualified’ is used to show that israel has the capacity for the tournament because they reached the semifinals of the under-19 european championship. therefore, this attitude falls into the positive category of judgement specifically capacity. social-esteem (negative) data 44: “fifa knew any decision to strip indonesia of hosting rights would be hugely controversial …” data 45: “fifa: indonesia stripped of right to host under-20 world cup” data 46: “fifa has stripped indonesia of hosting rights for the under-20 world cup.” data 47: “fifa's decision to strip indonesia of hosting rights for this year's under-20 soccer world cup” the data above used the expression of ‘strip of’ which relates to ‘indonesia of hosting rights’. in this case, it is used to show the attitude of fifa towards indonesia (indonesian people that are included in this event), fifa considered indonesia as incapable to be the host of the fifa u20 world cup. thus, this attitude falls into the category of negative judgement specifically capacity. data 48: “fifa insists indonesia was not ready to host the tournament …” the expression ‘was not ready to host’ refers to the attitude of fifa towards indonesia. this attitude shows that fifa sees indonesia incapability. therefore, this attitude falls into the category of negative judgement specifically capacity. data 49: "fifa has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove indonesia as the host of the fifa u20 world cup 2023," a fifa statement said. the judgement that is reflected in this data can be seen from the usage of ‘to remove indonesia as the host’. it is the attitude of fifa towards indonesia (indonesian people that are included in this event) that considers indonesia as incapable to be the host of the fifa u20 world cup 2023. thus, this attitude falls into the category of negative judgement specifically capacity. data 50: “he and other muslim conservatives expressed opposition to israel's participation, …” conservatives refer to people who are not willing to accept much change, especially in the traditional values of society. this somehow shows the act of being ‘stubborn’. moreover, this is even made clear by the following expression ‘expressed opposition’ that shows the unaccepting behavior of the conservatives towards israel’s participation. therefore, the attitude that is reflected by this word is included as negative judgement, social-esteem, specifically tenacity. data 51: “he may have to rethink his succession strategy depending on public support for ganjar, …” the clause ‘he may have to rethink his succession strategy depending on public support for ganjar’ implied that there is a wrong strategy that is done by him (president jokowi) that caused it to be unsuccessful (that is why it has to be changed by rethinking about it). therefore, this clause carries the negative judgement, socialesteem, specifically capacity. data 52: “protests against israel’s participation were also held in the indonesian capital jakarta last week by conservative islamic groups.” the word ‘conservatives’ refers to people who are not willing to accept much change, especially in the traditional values of society. this somehow shows the act of being ‘stubborn’. therefore, the attitude that is reflected by this word is included as negative judgement, social-esteem, specifically tenacity. data 53: “if indonesia fails to resolve its hosting issues over israel, the national soccer federation risks being suspended by fifa.” https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/willing https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/accept https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/change_1 https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/especially https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/traditional https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/value_1 https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/society fikry prastya syahputra, rohani ganie, muhammad rasyid ridlo, & bayu febrilliandika beyond the game: international media attitudes toward indonesia's cancellation of the u20 world cup 804 the word ‘fail’ means ‘unsuccessful’ which is placed in the judgement. therefore, this data carries the negative judgement, social-esteem, specifically capacity. data 54: “that sanction can remove indonesia from asian qualifying for the 2026 world cup that starts in october.” the underlined clause reflects the possibility that indonesia can be disqualified (which means indonesia is no more has the capacity to participate in 2026 world cup. therefore, this data reflects the negative judgement, social-esteem, specifically capacity. social-sanction social-sanction (positive) data 55: “indonesia does not have any formal diplomatic ties with israel and recently protesters have held marches demanding israel be stopped from competing in the tournament, in support of palestine.” the judgement that is shown in this data can be seen from the usage of the word ‘support’ which is the positive expression of judgement. this reflects the news writer’s appraisal towards the protester. the writer considered the act of holding the marches as a supportive behaviors. being supportive falls into the category of propriety. social-sanction (negative) data 56: “public opinion has turned sharply against government officials seen as ruining the dreams of the soccer-loving country's young players.” the attitude that is used in this data is reflected by the word ‘ruining’. this word refers to the valuation of government officials acts (as complemented by the word ‘seen’). ‘ruining’ means ‘breaking’, which means it is not a good act. thus, this word reflects the negative attitude of judgement specifically social sanction ‘propriety’. data 57: “a post on ganjar's instagram account received about 350,000 comments accusing the politician of destroying young people's futures …” the expression ‘accusing the politician of destroying young people's futures’ shows the surge of behavior of reproaching the politician’s behavior. therefore, this expression carries the negative judgement, social-sanction, specifically propriety type of attitude. data 58: “ganjar's rhetoric against israel's participation was widely regarded as an attempt to score political points.” the expression ‘regarded as an attempt to score political points’ implied that there is a belief that ganjar’s action is somehow ‘manipulative’ because it is done for personal gain (to score political point). therefore, this data reflects the negative judgement, social-sanction, specifically veracity. appreciation appreciation deals with resources for interpreting the value of things, including natural phenomena and semiosis (as a product or process). the analysis shows that there are 15 items of appreciation attitude that are contained in all of the three news. the dominating amount of appreciation in this study is composition. table 5. the total number of affect found in the data appreciation-type n % reaction 7 46.7 composition 8 53.3 valuation 0 0.0 total: 15 100.0% reaction reaction (positive) data 59: “when fifa, soccer's global governing body, announced on march 29 that it would pull the tournament from the country, public reaction was swift.” the word ‘swift’ explains the quality of public’s reaction towards the announcement from fifa. this word reflects the positive appreciation, reaction, specifically impact. reaction (negative) data 60: “if we make political requirements in sports, it'll always be like this.” the clause ‘it'll always be like this’ reflects the attitude of appreciation, reaction, specifically negative impact. this clause represents the predictability of something, and predictable falls into the category of negative impact. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 805 data 61: "fifa has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove indonesia as the host of the fifa u20 world cup 2023," a fifa statement said. this expression ‘due to the current circumstances’ reflects the negative appreciation, reaction, quality. what is being appraised here is the ‘circumstances’, and it is considered as negative because it results in how indonesia is being removed as the host of the fifa u20 world cup 2023. data 62: “fifa knew any decision to strip indonesia of hosting rights would be hugely controversial …” the word ‘controversial’ in this data refers to the decision that was made by fifa that would cause the reaction of the public. the decision of fifa is said to be ‘controversial’ that means this is something that is unusual or sensational in the negative aspect. thus, this falls into the negative attitude of appreciation specifically reaction ‘impact’. data 63: “indonesia u-20 world cup cancellation sparks political backlash” ‘backlash’ means a strong and adverse reaction by a large number of people, especially to a social or political development. in this case it is the political reaction. thus, this word reflects the negative attitude of appreciation specifically reaction ‘impact’. data 64: “the controversy stems from the handling of israel's participation in the tournament.” the word ‘controversy’ refers to the phenomenon (political backlash). it is seen as controversy, which means there are some aspects that make it sensational. thus, this falls into the negative attitude of appreciation specifically reaction ‘impact’. data 65: “a post on ganjar's instagram account received about 350,000 comments accusing the politician of destroying young people's futures and pledging to oppose him in the upcoming election.” the expression ‘received about 350,000 comments’ was used to appraise ganjar’s post on instagram. a post on instagram can be included as an object, and the quantity (350,000) that is being said shows the ‘remarkable’ number that the post gained. therefore, this expression carries an attitude of appreciation, reaction, specifically impact. as a note, the sense of ‘remarkable’ here is used negatively considering the following expressions that is still related to this phrase. composition composition (positive) data 66: “indonesia, with the world's largest muslim population, does not have formal diplomatic relations with the country and has long called for palestinian independence.” the phrase ‘the world's largest muslim population’ reflects the complexity of number of muslim population. therefore, this data carries the positive appreciation, composition, specifically complexity. data 67: “indonesia is the world’s most populous muslim-majority nation, with about 277 million people, and it does not have formal diplomatic relations with israel.” the phrase ‘the world’s most populous muslim-majority nation’ reflects the complexity of number of muslim population. therefore, this data carries the positive appreciation, composition, specifically complexity. composition (negative) data 68: “public opinion has turned sharply against government officials seen as ruining the dreams of the soccer-loving country's young players.” the word ‘against’ implied that the public opinion and the one that government has are contradictory. thus, this word reflects the negative attitude of appreciation specifically composition ‘balance’. data 69: “ganjar's rhetoric against israel's participation was widely regarded as an attempt to score political points.” the word ‘against’ refers to ganjar’s attitude toward israel’s participation. this word reflects the negative attitude of appreciation specifically composition ‘balance’. data 70: “it's very tough for all of us.” fikry prastya syahputra, rohani ganie, muhammad rasyid ridlo, & bayu febrilliandika beyond the game: international media attitudes toward indonesia's cancellation of the u20 world cup 806 the sentence above contains the attitude of appreciation, composition, specifically negative complexity. ‘tough’ means that something is hard to follow. thus, this datum reflects the speaker (arya sinulingga, and also the people involved in fifa preparation in indonesia)’s appraisal of the situation (the cancellation). data 71: “we have to separate football or sports and politics.” the data above shows that sports (especially football) and politics are two different things. this shows how "we" as the appraiser see these two things as "contradictory". thus, the data contains the attitude of appreciation (specifically composition “balance”). in this case, this attitude is considered negative because those two things (sports and politics) are considered to be combined together, that is why they must be separated. data 72: “political fallout has swelled from fifa's decision to strip indonesia of hosting rights for this year's under-20 soccer world cup, threatening the front-runner status of a potential successor to president joko "jokowi" widodo.” the phrase ‘fallout has swelled’ implied that fifa’s decisions has caused an unbalanced or disharmony situation (that caused a downgrade) in politics. thus, this expression reflects the negative attitude of appreciation towards politics and fifa’s decision specifically in the subcategory of composition ‘balance’. data 73: “… showed ganjar's position plummeting, …” the word ‘plummeting’ means that ganjar’s position falls suddenly and quickly, which means there is an inconsistency of ganjar’s position. therefore, this data carries the negative appreciation, composition, specifically balance. attitude polarity attitude is an appraisal system that reflects human emotion and valuation toward others or things. the expression of attitude can be either positive or negative. polarity is the feature that indicates approval or disapproval through a positive or negative attitude. (ratih laily nurjanah, 2021). in this study, the researcher analyzed the world's newspapers in reporting the u-20 world cup cancellation in indonesia using the appraisal system of attitude. therefore, it can be determined that the news delivered the information about the u20 world cup cancellation in indonesia as well as delivered the emotion and valuation of the news writer towards the things that are related (either literally or culturally) to the cancellation (sports, israel, israeli team, indonesia, indonesian team, jokowi successor’s, palestine, etc.). results of the analysis show the world's newspapers in reporting the u20 world cup cancellation in indonesia contain all three domains of attitudinal resources in appraisal, which are affect, judgment, and appreciation. the most dominant resources belong to affect (49.3%), followed by judgement (30.1%), and appreciation (20.5%). in addition, the analysis also shows that the majority of the attitude is released through negative attitude (54 items), while only 19 items that are considered as the positive ones. news 1 focuses more on indonesia's hosting rights. the background in the assessment of hosting rights can be related to the assessment of indonesia's ability, preparation, and political and sporting conditions to become the host. the results of the analysis show that news text 1 contains a negative attitude of 20 items and a positive attitude of 5 items. news 2 focuses more on politics (especially political actors, namely ganjar pranowo). the results of the analysis show that news text 2 contains 22 items of negative attitude and 11 items of positive attitude. news 3 focuses more on israel (team and country). the results of the analysis show that news text 3 contains 12 items of negative attitude and 3 items of positive attitude. in this regard, the analysis had shown that the world's newspapers in reporting the u20 world cup cancellation evaluate the people and things that are related (literally or culturally) more negatively. whether analyzed individually or as a whole (the three news texts), the dominant polarity shown is negative polarity. the negative attitude is emphasized because the topic of the news item is negative (noor widiastuti, 2015). the cancellation can be taken as negative topic because many parties are harmed, especially indonesian football team that was almost participate the tournament. therefore, the emphasizing of the negative attitude indicates the negativity of the topic as well. conclusion after the results obtained that the three news articles had negative attitudes perspective. furthermore, the findings of this study's analysis can be used as teaching material for language and communication students interested in becoming english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 807 journalists or writing articles for print and online publications. because many sentences in the presentation of this research data that can be utilized as examples elicit the emotions of the readers. furthermore, the results of this research can contribute to newspaper editors in determining the direction of writing their news as neutrally as possible. this is done by balancing the positive and negative values in the news. before the news is published, it is a good idea for the editor to also analyze the use of language, not just the content of the news. acknowledgements this article is funded by the talenta 2023 research funding under the penelitian perintis scheme from the lembaga penelitian at universitas sumatera utara. the authors extend their deepest gratitude to the rector of universitas sumatera utara, the director of lembaga penelitian (lp usu), the dean and all vice deans of the faculty of cultural sciences, the head and secretary of the english literature study program, and all stakeholders who supported this research. references abdulkarim, f. j. & maha m. h. s. (2023). analyzing selected letters by antonio gramsci in terms of appraisal theory: a review study. journal of namibian studies : history politics culture, 33, 487–499. https://doi.org/10.59670/jns.v33i.446 alghazo, s., al-anbar, k., jarrah, m., rabab’ah, g., & al-deaibes, m. (2023). engagement strategies in english and arabic newspaper editorials. humanities and social sciences communications, 10(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01519-y alhabib, a. a. (2020). appraisal devices realizing attitudes in barack obama’s first inaugural speech. international journal of linguistics, 12(5), 142. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijl.v12i5.17618 aliaga, m. and gunderson, b. (2002) interactive statistics. thousand oaks: sage publications. almayouf, s. m. (2021). the construal of interpersonal meanings in the discourse of american newspapers about trumps’ travel ban: an appraisal analysis. international journal of linguistics, 13(4), 100-110. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijl.v13i4.18864 alvin, s. (2023). jokowi’s emotions on instagram following indonesia’s cancellation as u-20 world cup host. sibatik journal, 2 (april), 1199–1210. https://doi.org/10.54443/sibatik.v2i4.748 alwohaibi, h. a., & alyousef, h. s. (2023). an investigation of engagement resources in the world cup 2022 newspaper articles in the arab world media. journal of contemporary language research, 2(2), 118–128. https://doi.org/10.58803/jclr.v2i2.27 ángeles, m., & llopis, o. (2018). the expression of emotion in institutionalized legal opinion a contrastive spanish-english pre-translational study. revista española de lingüística aplicada, 30(2), 611–635. https://doi.org/10.1075/resla.00009.ort arunsirot, s. (2012). the use of appraisal theory to analyze thai newspaper commentaries. manusya: journal of humanities, 15(1), 7089. asad, s., noor, s. n. f. b. m., indah, r. n., & jaes, l. bin. (2021). attitude realization in news reports: an interpretation through an appraisal analysis. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 11(1), 177–186. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v11i1.34622 cavasso, l., & taboada, m. (2021). a corpus analysis of online news comments using the appraisal framework. journal of corpora and discourse studies, 4(0), 1. https://doi.org/10.18573/jcads.61 dong, m., & fang, a. (2023). appraisal theory and the annotation of speaker-writer engagement. in h. bunt (ed.), proceedings of the 19th joint acl-iso workshop on interoperable semantics (isa-19) (pp. 18-26). association for computational linguistics. economou, d. (2019). evaluation in large verbalvisual displays in australian broadsheets. in the cambridge handbook of systemic functional linguistics. cambridge university press. fitriati, s. w., & solihah, y. a. (2019). non-native writers and the use of appraisal resources in research article introductions. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 8(3), 638–645. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v8i3.15265 grieve, j., & woodfield, h. (2023). investigating appraisal and the language of evaluation in fake news corpora. corpus pragmatics. hadidi, y., & mohammadbagheri-parvin, l. (2015). systemic functional linguistics as interpersonal semantics : appraisal and attitude in the stylistic analysis of an english novel. international journal of linguistics, 7(1), 129–148. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijl.v7i1.7199 hamby, a., & jones, n. (2022). the effect of affect: an appraisal theory perspective on emotional engagement in narrative persuasion. journal of advertising, 51(1), 116-131. he, m., & rahim, h. a. (2019). comparing engagement markers in economics research articles and opinion pieces: a corpus-based study. gema online journal of language studies, 19(2), 1– 14. https://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2019-190201 fikry prastya syahputra, rohani ganie, muhammad rasyid ridlo, & bayu febrilliandika beyond the game: international media attitudes toward indonesia's cancellation of the u20 world cup 808 hox, j., & boeije, h. r. (2005). data collection , primary versus secondary . in encyclopedia of social measurement (vol. 1, issue december, pp. 593–599). elsevier inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/b0-12-369398-5/000414 isti’anah, a. (2020). (re)evaluating language attitudes on indonesian tourism website: a study on ecolinguistics. studies in english language and education, 7(2), 622–641. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v7i2.16683 jin, j. (2019). political news discourse analysis based on an attitudinal perspective of the appraisal theory—taking the new york times’ report chinadprk relations as an example. theory and practice in language studies, 9(10), 1357–1361. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0910.15 kaltenbacher, w. (2023). applying quantitative appraisal analysis to the study of institutional discourse: the case of eu migration documents. functional linguistics. kawulich, b. (2012). collecting data through observation. in c. wagner, b. kawulich, & m. garner (eds.), doing social research: a global context (issue may, pp. 150–160). mcgraw hill. li, x. (2016). an attitudinal analysis of english song discourse from the perspective of appraisal theory. journal of language teaching and research, 7(3), 559. liu, q. y., ang, l. h., waheed, m., & kasim, z. m. (2022). appraisal theory in translation studies—a systematic literature review. pertanika journal of social sciences and humanities, 30(4), 1589–1605. https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.30.4.07 lumbanrau, r. e. (2023). “menyandingkan penolakan israel di piala dunia u-20 dengan sikap sukarno di asian games 1962, relevankah?” bbc indonesia. 2023. https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/articles/c25vev 1re52o martin, j. r., & rose, d. (2007). working with discourse (2nd ed.). continuum. martin, j. r., & white, p. r. r. (2005). the language of evaluation (1st ed.). palgrave macmillan. mirzaaghabeyk, m. (2022). attitude system realization of news texts in light of appraisal theory. journal of contemporary language research, 1(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.58803/jclr.v1i1.1 moors, a. (2020). appraisal theory of emotion. in encyclopedia of personality and individual differences (pp. 232-240). springer international publishing. nazhira, r., sinar, s., & suriyadi, s. (2016). apraisal sikap dalam teks berita surat kabar nasional. tutur: cakrawala kajian bahasa-bahasa nusantara, 2(1), 1-14. noor widiastuti. (2015). appraisal system in news item. lantern (journal on english language, culture and literature), 4(2). nurjanah, r. l. (2021). attitude analysis of “the guardian” editorial: lockdown policy and the government. journal of applied linguistics and literature, 6(2), 194–207. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.33369/joall.v6i 2.13776 nurlin, t. i. z. (2018). an analysis of word formation encountered in medical terms in the jakarta post’s articles. journal of english education and teaching (jeet), 2(2), 93–102. pasaribu, t. a. (2020). appraisal framework in analyzing learners’ attitudinal resources on performing of mice and men. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics, 5(1), 161. https://doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v5i1.237 prastikawati, e. f. (2021). attitude perspective in bbc news’ article: an appraisal analysis. journal of english language studies, 6(2), 122. https://doi.org/10.30870/jels.v6i2.10280 puspita, d., & pranoto, b. e. (2021). the attitude of japanese newspapers in narrating disaster events: appraisal in critical discourse study. studies in english language and education, 8(2), 796–817. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i2.18368 risdaneva, r. (2018). a critical discourse analysis of women’s portrayal in news reporting of sexual violence. studies in english language and education, 5(1), 126–136. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v5i1.9433 ross, a. s., & caldwell, d. (2020). ‘going negative’: an appraisal analysis of the rhetoric of donald trump on twitter. language & communication, 70, 13-27. sekarsari, a. a., prastiwi, y., & sutopo, a. (2024). an appraisal analysis of attitude in joko widodo’s asean summit speeches. voices of english language education society, 8(1), 24–31. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v8i1.24738 syahputra, f. p. & shafiira, f. (2022). appraisal framework in analyzing attitudinal resources in vishal garg’s apology letter. lingual: journal of language & culture, 13(1), 27–34. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24843/ljlc.20 22.v13.i01.p03 tajvidi, g. r., & arjani, s. h. (2017). appraisal theory in translation studies: an introduction and review of studies of evaluation in translation. journal of research in applied linguistics, 8(2), 3-30. tallapessy, a. (2015). the discourse of corruption: appraisal in indonesian media. sino-us english teaching, 12(6). https://doi.org/10.17265/15398072/2015.06.007 thahara, y., firdaus, a. y., amelia, f., lailiyah, s., novitasari, n. f., mila, d. t., & khissoga, r. h. (2024). attitude and political ideology of 2024 indonesian presidential candidates reported in jakartapost.com. register journal, 17(1), 123– english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 809 145. https://doi.org/10.18326/register.v17i1.123-145 troiano, e., oberländer, l., & klinger, r. (2023). dimensional modeling of emotions in text with appraisal theories: corpus creation, annotation reliability, and prediction. computational linguistics, 49(1). wei, y., wherrity, m., & zhang, y. (2015). an analysis of current research on the appraisal theory. linguistics and literature studies, 3(5), 235– 239. https://doi.org/10.13189/lls.2015.030506 white, p. r. r. (2015). appraisal theory. in and t. s. karen tracy, cornelia ilie (ed.), the international encyclopedia of language and social interaction (1st ed., pp. 1–7). wileyblackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118611463/wbielsi 041 wondra, j. d., & ellsworth, p. c. (2015). an appraisal theory of empathy and other vicarious emotional experiences. psychological review, 122(3), 411. young, l., & harrison, c. (2004). systemic functional linguistics and critical discourse analysis: studies in social change. continuum. fikry prastya syahputra, rohani ganie, muhammad rasyid ridlo, & bayu febrilliandika beyond the game: international media attitudes toward indonesia's cancellation of the u20 world cup 810 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 283 exploring classroom interaction patterns in efl virtual learning magdahalena tjalla (corresponding author) email: magdahalenatjalla@iainpare.ac.id marlina syamsir iain parepare, indonesia email: marlina.syamsir98@gmail.com zulfah iain parepare, indonesia email: fahruddin.zulfah@yahoo.com abdul haris sunubi iain parepare, indonesia email: abd.harissunubi@iainpare.ac.id arqam iain parepare, indonesia email: arqam@iainpare.ac.id apa citation: tjalla, m., syamsir, m., zulfah., sunubi, a. h., & arqam. (2023). exploring classroom interaction patterns in efl virtual learning. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 6374. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7878 received: 29-10-2022 accepted: 26-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction classroom interaction is a crucial element in the efl learning context. some researchers have shown that classroom interaction significantly affects the teaching-learning process and learning achievement. for teachers, classroom interaction is beneficial to help them create a supportive atmosphere for interactive teaching-learning activities (winanta et al., 2020). class interaction in the efl context also facilitates students with concrete and natural practice of the target language (al-munawwarah, 2021; some-guiebre, 2020; wizheng, 2019). it is also helpful to engage students in learning by triggering their interest during the teaching and learning process (entusiastik & siregar, 2022; kholisoh & barati, 2021), a benefit which at the same time can decrease their anxiety (alahmadi & alraddadi, 2020). in addition, class interaction provides a path for students’ academic success as well as determines the achievement of the learning objective in each meeting (eisenring & margana, 2019; siddig & alkhoudary, 2018. thus, teacherabstract: this study analyzed classroom interaction patterns in four efl virtual learning classes at iain parepare: speaking, listening, writing, and reading. the purpose of this study was to give an overview of classroom interaction involving lecturers and students during the learning process. the researchers used a video recorder and field notes to capture the spoken and written interaction during the learning process. data were transcribed and codified based on the intuitive taxonomy of the discourse act framework of tsui. data showed that both in spoken and written interaction, patterns of initiation-response (ir), initiation-responsefollow up (irf), and initiation-response-follow up-follow up 2 (irff) occurred. in detail, the complete interaction patterns were in listening class, both in spoken and written form. in reading and writing classes, the initiation-response (ir) and the initiation-response-feedback (irf) occurred. however, in speaking, only initiation-response (ir) was produced. in written interaction, except in the listening class, only initiation-response (ir) occurred. data also showed that utterance categories occurred less in written interaction than in spoken. most of the interactions were done when the lecturer provided information on learning material and instructions on how to do assignments. thus, there was no feedback given by the lecturer in this interaction. the study also found that the interaction was lecturer-centered, and both the lecturers and the students employed the l1 in the classroom interaction. keywords: classroom interaction patterns; efl virtual learning; spoken interaction; written interaction. magdahalena tjalla, marlina syamsir, zulfah, abdul haris sunubi, & arqam exploring classroom interaction patterns in efl virtual learning 284 student interaction is a vital tool to involve students in learning and improve their achievement. classroom interaction in an efl setting often does not run smoothly. learners of english commonly have problems with interactional skills. in addition, teachers are difficult to elicit students’ talks during the learning process. a study conducted by alam & ashrafuzzaman, (2018) founad that many students are not interested to participate in classroom interaction. some of the reasons are they have low english competence that they mostly yield incomplete sentences, and the factor of shiness and anxiety to talk in front of the class. some studies by ate et al. (2021) and fachrunnisa & nuraeni (2022) also revealed that students tend to be passive in interaction and choose to be silent when teachers ask a question, and they are not interested to ask questions when the teacher gives them a chance to ask. another factor relies on the domination of the teacher in the interaction in which most of the classroom talks are produced by a teacher resulting in a monstrous classroom interaction atmosphere (pratiwi, 2018). there are two main factors contributing to the changes from face-to-face classroom interaction to virtual learning, namely technological development and the case of pandemic covid-19. technology development is the main reason for the integration of technology in language learning. according to khodabandeh (2020), technology is used extensively in all facets of life, including education. this has caused a shift in the way that people learn from traditional classroom learning contexts to new forms of learning contexts like virtual classes. in addition, virtual classroom platforms combine a variety of technological tools such as computers and smart gadgets connected to the internet, and allow text-, audio-, and videobased communication in actual time (coulianos et al., 2022; tyrväinen et al., 2021). in general, virtual learning offers wonderful prospects for expanding access to learning, costs reduction, and—most importantly, improving the standard of instruction and learning (rachmah, 2020). dealing with language learning, the positive impact of technology enables the use of internet resources while learning a language, giving students more possibilities to practice their communication abilities. (alshumaimeri, 2019; alswilem, 2019; cong-lem, 2018). as a result of the pandemic, english language classrooms changed quickly to the innovative and effective use of technology to enhance the teaching and learning process and address anticipated obstacles (hakim, 2020). virtual learning was the best solution to save people from the attack of the covid-19 virus. virtual learning challenges traditional definitions of a situation and the way teachers and students are expected to interact (willermark, 2020). yet, some previous studies demonstrate the strength of classroom interaction in virtual learning. willermark (2020) reported that virtual learning in an efl context affects positively student interaction. virtual learning provides easiness for teachers to monitor students’ activity, and arrange them in individual and small group activities, providing no chance for students to dominate the classroom activity as in traditional face-to-face learning. this situation improves inter-student interaction. the positive effect of teacher-student interaction in virtual learning also showed in the studies of masjedi & tabatabaei (2018) and vindyasari (2022). they found that online learning provokes students to actively participate in classroom interaction, and avoid the teacher’s dominance in the interaction, and produce a variety of classroom interaction pattern, likewise, a study conducted by alahmadi & alraddadi (2020) investigated whether virtual learning during the pandemic era was effective to assist students in their second language interaction and whether virtual learning facilitated students’ interaction and language learning. the study on the preparatory year students of the saudi english language center showed that interaction in efl virtual learning was effective, as students have a positive perception of the virtual class. students stated that they participated in the learning, shared ideas, and they reported that their language skill was improved. apart from the strengths of classroom interaction in virtual learning explained above, some studies show the complexity of teacherstudent interaction in virtual learning. abdusyukur (2022) explored the teacher-student interaction in an online efl classroom and compared the interaction patterns of teachers and students to find who was dominant in the interaction. this study found that class interaction in virtual learning was teacher-centered. students tended to be passive in interaction which led teachers to talk more and dominate the interaction. in the same way, havwini (2019) compared the interaction patterns of teachers and students that focused on the initiation act. the study revealed that teachers dominated the interaction. teachers did more initiation to elicit information from the students. in addition, students also initiated to get information on things they were not clear about the material. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 285 however, none of the studies described a virtual class that employed both oral and written interactions as the case at english education language program in iain parepare, indonesia. this study was meant to investigate how lecturers and students interacted in a virtual learning context using spoken and written modes. specifically, this study was conducted to provide a detailed linguistic description of interaction patterns in virtual efl classrooms and the utterance functions as well. by analyzing the interactions that occurred in the virtual efl classrooms, the research finding was expected to contribute to a deeper understanding of virtual learning and in turn, will help the lecturers to find the best strategy to overcome problems in the virtual learning environment method this research was conducted using a descriptivequalitative design. the qualitative approach was relevant to use in this study because it described the patterns of class interaction in a virtual english learning environment. the classroom interaction occurred in efl virtual class setting in iain parepare. there were four classes selected in this study: speaking, listening, writing, and reading classes, with four lecturers and 114 students. the researchers used observation, field notes, and open interviews to collect the research data. the researchers acted as non-participant observers by entering the virtual class in the live conference via zoom or discussion groups in whatsapp. in some meetings, the researchers directly stayed beside the lecturer or one of the students to observe the activities to gain data and a direct understanding of the class interaction. all the situations and conditions related to classroom interaction in the virtual learning process were noted and recorded. the interview was used to ensure data validity by asking the participants whether they agreed or disagreed with the collected data. the transcribed data were then analyzed using a discourse analysis approach with the aid of the seventeen-category system of tsui (1995) to find out the interaction patterns that occurred in virtual learning. this framework provides seventeen categories of speech with subcategories. this is also beneficial to explain the functions of both lecturers’ and students’ utterances in classroom interaction. tsui’s system can be summarized in table 1 below. table 1. the seventeen-category system by tsui (1995) move/exc hange head/discourse acts sub-classes teac her’ s talk initiate 1. elicit a. display qs 1. direct 2. nominate 3. inform 4. recapitulat e 5. frame 6. starter 7. check a) factual q. b) yes-no q. c) reasonin g q. d) explanati on q. b. genuine qs a) opinion q b) informati on q. c. restating elicit respond 9. evaluate 10. accept 11.comment 12. clue a.encouraging/ positive b. negative stud ents’ talk respond 13.reply 14. apologize a.restricted b. expanded initiate 15.request 16.elicit 17. interrupt results and discussion the result of this study shows that there were three kinds of interaction patterns found in spoken interaction, namely the initiation response (ir) pattern, initiation respond follow up (irf) pattern, and the initiation respond follow up follow up 2 (irff) pattern. the result also shows that these three patterns were completely produced in listening class. in reading and writing classes, both ir and irf patterns were produced, but the irff pattern was not. moreover, in speaking class, irf and irff patterns were not produced. it means that only the ir pattern was produced in the speaking class. the lecturers-students interaction patterns were shown in the following table: table 2. spoken interaction patterns in efl virtual learning environment efl virtual class interaction patterns ir irf irff listening √ √ √ speaking √ reading √ √ writing √ √ the finding in the table above indicates that the most frequent interaction pattern produced was magdahalena tjalla, marlina syamsir, zulfah, abdul haris sunubi, & arqam exploring classroom interaction patterns in efl virtual learning 286 initiation-response (ir) pattern in which the lecturers initiated the interaction by asking questions and the students responded to them. the lecturers did initiation to elicit information to know the students’ knowledge on the topic being discussed. the questions could be in the form of yes-no questions or explanation questions. initiation in the ir pattern is also sometimes produced by the students. initiation-response-follow-up (irf) was also found in the lecturers-student interaction. the initiation was produced by the lecturers and was responded to by the students. the follow-up act was mostly produced by the lecturers as an endorsement or acceptance of the student's responses. the follow-up pattern was produced by the lecturers because students responded to the initiation with the correct answers and followed what was expected by the lecturers as in the following extract: extract 1 l : “… apa yang dia katakan?” (what did he say?) s3 : “i love durian.” s5 : “i love it.” s1 : “i live it.” ss : “i love it.” l : “ok! perfect!” (spoken interaction in listening class) the dialogue in extract 1 above illustrates the irf pattern produced in the spoken interaction process. the lecturer initiated the conversation by asking a question. the students responded to the question, and when they did it correctly, the lecturer gave feedback by saying “ok! perfect!” therefore, feedback was given by the lecturer in response to the students’ correct answers. the use of the irf pattern in teacher-student interaction is an indicator that the interaction was not dominated by teachers or students, instead the two parties have the same opportunity to actively interact within the interaction (kartini et al., 2020). as explained earlier, one of the interaction patterns produced in the lecturers-students interaction was initiation – respond – follow upfollow-up (irff). the follow-up act from the lecturers such as 'repair' was sometimes followed by a new movement sequence in the form of the second follow-up produced by the students as an acceptance of the repairs suggested or commanded by the lecturers. this interaction pattern is demonstrated in the following extract: extract 2 l : “….because i don’t like. bukan lagi like, but i hate durian. what about you? what about you, class? what about you students?” ss : “i like ma’am. i like durian mam. so, it’s very, eee… very delicious, ma’am.” s4 : “very delicious, mam.” l l : “ok! if you like durian so much, you should say “i love durian”. not “i like”, but “i love durian”.” s4 : yes mam! i love durian (spoken interaction in listening class) the dialogue in extract 2 above illustrates how the follow-up movement occurred differently. the lecturer initiated the interaction by giving a specific question to students to get information on whether they liked durian did not. then, the students enthusiastically said that they liked durian so much. however, the response was deemed inaccurate. therefore, the lecturer gave repair by correcting the students' answers about the right way to express something that people like most. students then accepted the lecturer’s repair and corrected their answers as a follow-up act 2. dealing with written interaction in efl virtual learning environment, there were also three kinds of interaction patterns found here, namely initiation response (ir) pattern, initiation respond follow up (irf) pattern, and initiation respond follow up follow up 2 (irff) pattern. the written interaction patterns produced in efl virtual learning environment are presented in the following table. table 3. written interaction patterns in efl virtual learning environment efl virtual class interaction patterns ir irf irff listening √ √ √ speaking √ reading √ writing √ the same finding as in the spoken interaction is seen in the table above; the three patterns of lecturers-student interaction completely occurred in listening class. some conversations between the lecturer and the students represent the complete pattern of interaction in which the lecturer started the interaction with initiation, then it was english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 287 responded to by the students, followed by the lecturer’s feedback, and ended with the students’ feedback. in other classes namely speaking, reading, and writing, the only pattern produced was the ir. this means that there was no feedback given in the written interaction in those three classes. the following extract is the representation of the irff pattern in the written interaction: extract 3 (8 students collected their assignments.) l : “excellent, but you don’t need to write all the conversation. you just need to say they like or not. if he likes, what he said to express his like? such as “i hate it” or if he does not like it. what he said? (5 students collected their assignments.) s : “he hasn’t like it. because it was the first time he taste it, mam.” l : “you should write he doesn’t like it” s : “okay, mam.” (written interaction in speaking class) the conversation above shows the complete pattern of classroom interaction in the virtual learning environment. the lecturer initiated the interaction by giving a compliment to the students who have participated in finishing and submitting their assignments. on the other side, the student's assignment was out of the lecturer’s instruction. the lecturer then gave some ‘clues’ which was also an initiation act. the purpose was to guide the students to the correct answer. in turn, students responded to the ‘clue’ given by the lecturer. the lecturer gave a follow-up as a 'correction' by saying "you should write he doesn't like it'". then, the students answered by saying "yes mam". this kind of movement is called 'follow-up 2'. both in spoken and written interaction, lecturers initiated the conversations. however, in some situations, the initiations were produced by students. class interaction with the student’s initiation is presented below: extract 4 s1 : “assalamu’alaikum mam!” l : “waalaikumsalam. move to zoom now!” s2 : “iye bu” (all right, mam). s1 : “baik bu” (okay, mam) s2 : “yes mam.” (written interaction in speaking class) regarding the conversation above, the students initiated the interaction by expressing a greeting. this was done because the class time was already begun. students initiated the interaction by greeting as muslims used to do. the lecturer then gave a response to the greeting. this finding supports some previous studies' results that students sometimes initiate a talk (mardani, & gorjizadeh, 2020; mier & blanco, 2022; rasmitadia et al., 2019; selamat & melji, 2022). based on the findings above, the characteristics of spoken and written interactions of the four classes of efl learning in iain parepare are described as follows: the three interaction patterns of the ir, irf, and irff occurred both in spoken and written interaction in the listening class. in general, the ir pattern was the most common form of interaction performed both in spoken and written interactions. the ir pattern occurred when the lecturer initiated the interaction by asking the question and the students responded to the initiation. this pattern of interaction has some benefits, such as students actively participate in decision-making, and are involved all day long in classroom activities (fibri, 2018). the interaction was then restarted with a new initiation. occasionally, the lecturer gave a follow-up act as an evaluated purpose. this kind of move exchange is then called initiation – response – follow-up (irf). in certain situations, the lecturer gave a follow-up to guide the students to the correct answer that was categorized as ‘repair’. the student’s acceptance of the lecturer’s repair was categorized as ‘accepted’. both the spoken and the written interactions produced in this study follow the initiation – response – follow-up – follow-up (irff) pattern. the production of the irff pattern in the lecturerstudents interaction process can be explained here: the first turn is an initiation that was taken by the lecturer. the initiation produced by the lecturer is the first turn to open the sequence in the classroom interaction. initiation is widely used by the lecturers in this study in various functions, such as greeting, conveying information, or stimulating students to display their knowledge about the topic of discussion. however, the researchers also found that the interaction was also initiated by the students. therefore, it can be said that interactions in virtual classrooms do not always follow a rigid irf pattern where initiation is produced by the lecturers. students’ initiations also take a large portion of classroom interaction. the purpose of the initiation act carried out by the students is to obtain or share information. this finding is consistent with a study conducted by li & lam study (2022). magdahalena tjalla, marlina syamsir, zulfah, abdul haris sunubi, & arqam exploring classroom interaction patterns in efl virtual learning 288 one of the factors that underlie the initiation carried out by the students is the topic chosen in the learning process. selamat & melji (2022) argued that the choice of a topic had an impact on the willingness of the students to respond to participate in the interaction. in addition, if the topic is the one related to the student’s experience, they would answer the teacher’s questions (nernere, 2019). this means that students are brave and confident enough to start interacting with the teachers to get or share information. the second turn of the irff pattern is a response (r) which was performed by the students to answer the lecturer’s question or to show their understanding of the teachers’ command and instruction. although the responses were mainly produced by the students, the researchers discovered that the response was sometimes produced by the lecturer if the students initiated a question. hence, the response was not always given by the students. overall, the ir pattern was always found in every meeting of the four efl virtual classes both in spoken and written interaction. in the third turn, it was found that the lecturer provided various types of follow-up (f) in following the students' response during the classroom interaction as seen in table 4. providing follow-up on students’ responses might increase students' self-confidence, and create close social relations between lecturers and students (yulia & zainil, 2021). afterward, follow-up 2 was the fourth turn in classroom interaction. in this study, the irff pattern was only found in the listening class. the lecturer realized the mistakes made by students in giving answers as in the sentence (s: "i like durian, mam"). to correct the students' answers, the lecturer produced the 'repair' utterance category by saying (l: “... if you like durian so much, you should say "i love durian"/s: yes, mam.). feedback in the form of correction is normally produced by the teacher (selamat & melji, (2022). as a form of acceptance of the correction given by the lecturer, the studentproduced utterance was categorized as 'accept'. it can be seen how lecturers tried to create interactive classroom conditions, and involved students actively to provide their arguments or opinions. interaction with feedback is the ideal form of teacher-student interaction. feedback might speed up learning and draw students' attention to their language errors (mohammed, 2019). also, when using the irf/irff pattern, the teacher could produce lengthy interactive interactions, which provide a variety of feedback such as the exchanged feedback and arbitrary corrective feedback (estaji et al., 2022). in spoken interaction, speaking class only performed the ir pattern, while reading and writing classes produced the ir and irf patterns. in written mode, the three classes of speaking, reading, and writing, only produced the ir pattern. this means that there is no feedback in the interaction. the researchers found that several categories of the response act given by the students did not require further movements pattern such as the follow-up act. this occurred in certain situations when initiation began with certain utterances, such as 'elicit: inform' in the form of 'information question', 'elicit: clarify', request, directive, informative such as report, expressive, and so on. for example, (l: ....jaringan kurang bersahabat yah? (the network is bad, isn’t it? (i)/s: yes, mam.... (r)/l: so, bagaimana ini? (how, is it?). (i)), the follow-up action was not needed by students because the responses given by students were information that does not require evaluation or acceptance as usual. as a result, the lecturer initiates interaction by asking questions to obtain the students’ opinions on whether learning continued or skipped. a study conducted by atmojo & widhiyanto, (2020)) also found the same, the interaction begins with the teacher informing only followed by the student's answer, then the teacher does not give any follow-up act to the students. the research found twenty-five utterances categories in spoken interaction, which are demonstrated in the following table: table 4. taxonomy of discourse act in spoken interaction produced in efl virtual learning environment head act subclasses initiating act elicitation elicit: inform a. display qs a) factual b) yes-no q c) reasoning q d) explanatio n q b. genuine q a) opinion q b) informatio n q c) restating elicit elicit: confirm elicit: agree elicit: repeat english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 289 elicit: clarify requested request for action request for permission offer invitation directive advisives 1. advice 2. warning mandative 3. instruction nominate informativ e report expressive assessment s: compliment clue recapitulate frame respond act positive respond negative respond negative respond follow up act endorseme nt positive evaluation concessio n acknowle dgment 1. accept 2. repair 3. accept with repair the table above presents the utterances categories that occurred in spoken interaction. there were twenty-five categories of utterances produced in the initiation act. in response act, there were only two categories produced. henceforth, there were 5 categories in the follow-up act and two categories or utterances produced as follow-up act 2. however, there are only seven utterances categories found in written interaction as seen in the following table: table 5. taxonomy of discourse act in written interaction produced in efl virtual learning environment head act sub-classes initiati ng act elicitation : directive informative elicit: inform mandatives: instruction report expressive assessments: compliment clue factual q informatio n q respon d act positive respond follow -up act endorsement positive/encour aging evaluation acknowledge ment a) accept b) repair the table above indicates the utterances produced in written interaction. there were seven categories produced in the initiation act and one category in the response activities. henceforth, there were three categories of utterances that occurred in the follow-up act and two categories in follow-up act 2. these data suggest that utterances produced by lecturers and students serve a variety of functions. the findings above also indicate that fewer interaction patterns, as well as utterances categories, are produced in written interaction than in spoken as well. written interactions in the current research, as has been previously explained, employed the whatsapp application. a study has proved that the learners tended to be passive and gave low responses in interactions using the whatsapp application. classroom interaction was considered monotonous and therefore affected the students’ frustrations (budianto & arifani, 2021). the study also found the use of the student’s native language both in spoken and written interaction. both the lecturers and the students used the native language, namely indonesian. the use of the native language in classroom interaction is positively viewed by some experts. according to li (2018), the learners’ native language could be used as a means to start a conversation in teacherstudent interaction as well as to promote the employment of the l2. in addition, vazquez & ordonez (2019) argue that the use of the l1 is beneficial as “it reduces the time students devote to the use of the l2”. however, the excessive use of the l1 is contra-productive, as the students have fewer opportunities to experiment with and use their english (huriyah & agustiani, 2018). the finding of this study also showed that lecturer-student interaction in both spoken and written modes was lecturer-centered. in such an interaction, communication is dominantly handled by the teachers and most of the language produced by them (sarhandi et al., 2018). while learnercentered learning which should be used in classroom interaction has some powerful strengths such as improving students’ motivation, selfdirected learning, attitude toward the target language, and belief in the language learning and at the same time reducing students’ anxiety (kassem, 2019), all the lecturers dominated the magdahalena tjalla, marlina syamsir, zulfah, abdul haris sunubi, & arqam exploring classroom interaction patterns in efl virtual learning 290 interaction in the current study. the ideal classroom interaction suggests that teachers should talk 30% of the whole talk, while students should do 70% (kostadinovska-stojchevska, 2019). teacher-centered interaction was also found in a study conducted by abdusyukur (2020); the teacher-student interaction in an online efl classroom followed the traditional pattern, in which teachers play a dominant role in conversations, and students were passive. however, the teacher-centered interaction model is not only experienced in virtual learning but also face-to-face learning. even though teachers believe that learner-centered is the ideal interaction, in the actual realization, they practiced teacher-centered interaction more frequently than the studentscentered model (kaymakamoglu, 2018). a study conducted by huriyah & agustiani (2018) also found that teachers dominated classroom interaction by asking students questions. a different finding was seen in a study conducted by khodabndeh (2021) that compared interaction in online efl learning to conventional one. the study revealed an interesting fact that online efl interaction was more dynamic where students were active and dominated the interaction than in the conventional classroom. conclusion there were three kinds of interaction patterns produced both in spoken and written forms of the efl virtual learning environment conducted in iain parepare, namely initiation – response (ir) pattern, initiation – response – follow-up (irf) pattern, and initiation – response – follow-up – follow-up2 (irff). among the four classes, only the listening class produced the complete patterns of interaction, both in the spoken and written mode. in the spoken mode, the reading and writing classes showed the same pattern of interaction, the ir and irf occurred in the classroom interaction, while in the speaking class, only the ir pattern occurred. generally, the most common pattern of interaction that occurred in all the classes was the ir. the ir pattern mainly occurred when initiation was started by the lecturer, and students responded to it. the irf pattern then occurred when the students’ responses were accepted by the lecturers. while the irff pattern was produced when the lecturer repaired the students’ responses, and the students acknowledged the repair. interaction in the three classes of speaking, reading, and writing performed the same interaction pattern in the written mode. here, only the ir pattern occurred. this indicates that the lecturers did not provide any follow-up to the student’s responses. written interaction in this virtual learning employed utterance categories fewer than spoken interactions. written interaction applied in this virtual environment was limited for some purposes, such as sharing materials and giving instruction on how to do the tasks, and the dominant pattern of interaction used was the ir, where lecturer-initiated interaction and responded to by students. in this context, lecturers rarely gave feedback on students’ responses. other characteristics found in both spoken and written interaction of lecturers’ and students’ talks were the use of the l1 and the domination of lecturers’ talks. even though some studies claimed the positive impact of the l1 in efl learning, the frequent use of the l1 prevents students from experiencing the target language, affecting to low level of students’ english proficiency. likewise, the domination of the teacher in classroom interaction causes students to be passive, and therefore the classroom interaction is monotonous. also, students are lazy to engage in learning. therefore, lecturers should limit the use of l1 in the classroom to help students practice their english. the lecturers should also give students more opportunities to be active in classroom interaction by providing students more chances to initiate and respond to the conversations. based on the findings of this study, it is suggested to lecturers give more feedback to students, especially feedback on repairing as a way to teach students a good form of language. moreover, the lecturers should minimize the use of written interaction to give students more chances in practicing all the utterances categories. this study had a weakness in the unstable connection of students’ internet that less number of spoken interactions produced by the students. since hybrid learning has become a trend in the efl learning context in indonesia, it is recommended that future researchers explore more interaction patterns in online efl classrooms with more stable internet connections. references abdusyukur, m. r., sudana, d., & muslim, a. b. (2022). exploring indonesian efl classroom interactions in an online setting. journal of english education and teaching, 6(3), 445-457. alam, m. a., & ashrafuzzaman, m. (2018). challenges of developing speaking skill through classroom interaction of efl learners. prime university journal, 12(1), 45-67. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 291 alraddadi, b. m. (2020). the impact of virtual classes on second language interaction in the saudi efl context: a case study of saudi undergraduate students nesreen saud alahmadi. arab world english journal (awej), 11(3), 23-32. alshumaimeri, y. a., & alhumud, a. m. (2021). efl students' perceptions of the effectiveness of virtual classrooms in enhancing communication skills. english language teaching, 14(11), 8096. alswilem, d. a. (2019). saudi english teachers' use of technology in secondary classrooms: perceptions, barriers, and suggestions for improvement. advances in language and literary studies, 10(6), 168-178. atmojo, f. n. d., saleh, m., & widhiyanto, w. (2020). the implementation of initiational response feedback (irf) in efl writing class. english education journal, 10(2), 225-233. ate, m. b., kolo, c., & bera, l. k. (2021). efl classroom behaviours and interactions: a case study of a teacher and her students in a state junior high school in academic year 2019/2020 in the city of kupang, east nusa tenggara. academic journal of educational sciences, 5(2), 26-38. coulianos, n., sapalidou, a., krouska, a., troussas, c., & sgouropoulou, c. (2022). evaluating elearning process on virtual classroom systems using an iso-based model. in novel & intelligent digital systems: proceedings of the 2nd international conference (nids 2022) (pp. 33-45). springer international publishing. cong-lem, n. (2018). web-based language learning (wbll) for enhancing l2 speaking performance: a review. advances in language and literary studies, 9(4), 143-152. entusiastik., & siregar, y. d. (2022). the role of classroom interaction in online learning: voices from the students. jeels (journal of english education and linguistics), 9(1), 51-73. eisenring, m. a. a., & margana, m. (2019). the importance of teacher–students interaction in communicative language teaching (clt). prasasti: journal of linguistics, 4(1), 46-54. estaji., masoomeh., & shojakhanlou, m. m. (2022). realization of initiation, response, and feedback in teacher-student interactions in efl classrooms: learning realities and opportunities. two quarterly journal of english language teaching and learning university of tabriz, 14(30), 91-114. fibri, l. a. i. (2018). classroom interaction patterns in efl classroom at jakarta intensive learning centre (jilc). ideas: journal on english language teaching and learning, linguistics and literature, 6(2), 25-34. hakim, b. (2020). technology integrated online classrooms and the challenges faced by the efl teachers in saudi arabia during the covid-19 pandemic. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 9(5), 33-39. havwini, t. (2019, december). investigating the interaction patterns in efl virtual classroom: a case study. in 1st international conference on applied economics and social science (icaess 2019) (pp. 166-170). atlantis press. huriyah, s., & agustiani, m. (2018). an analysis of english teacher and learner talk in the classroom interaction. linguistic, english education and art (leea) journal, 2(1), 60-71. kartini, k., syakira, s., & aisyah, s. (2022). initiationresponse-feedback pattern used by lecturerstudents in efl classroom interaction. tlemc (teaching and learning english in multicultural contexts), 6(1), 43-56. kassem, h. m. (2019). the impact of student-centered instruction on efl learners' affect and achievement. english language teaching, 12(1), 134-153. kaymakamoglu, s. e. (2018). teachers' beliefs, perceived practice and actual classroom practice in relation to traditional (teacher-centered) and constructivist (learner-centered) teaching (note 1). journal of education and learning, 7(1), 2937. khodabndeh, f. (2021). comparing learners’ interactions in conventional and virtual classes of distance education university: examining two approaches of teaching grammar. two quarterly journal of english language teaching and learning university of tabriz, 13(27), 265-294. kholisoh, m. n., & bharati, d. a. l. (2021). teachers’ questioning strategies and students’ perceptions toward critical questions in efl classroom interaction. elt forum: journal of english language teachingm, 10(2), 136-145. kostadinovska-stojchevska, b., & popovikj, i. (2019). teacher talking time vs. student talking time: moving from teacher-centered classroom to learner-centered classroom. the international journal of applied language studies and culture, 2(2), 25-31. li, h., & lam, s. m. s. (2022). is it inevitable for teachers to talk more? analysing classroom interaction using irf in cfl classroom. international journal of chinese language education, 12, 99-126. li, j. (2018). l1 in the irf cycle: a case study of chinese efl classrooms. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 3, 115. mardani, m., & gorjizadeh, f. (2020). discourse patterns of teacher/students and students/students in efl classroom interactions. journal of language and discourse practice, 1(2), 11-23. mohammed, i. a. e. (2019). investigation the impact of classroom interaction on efl students’ magdahalena tjalla, marlina syamsir, zulfah, abdul haris sunubi, & arqam exploring classroom interaction patterns in efl virtual learning 292 proficiency. omdurman islamic university journal, 15(1), 20-40. munir, u. m. (2018). teacher's verbal feedback in the classroom interaction. metathesis: journal of english language, literature, and teaching, 2(1), 122-146. nernere, m. s. (2019). teachers’ beliefs on teacherstudents interaction in young learners’ english class. indonesian efl journal, 5(2), 113-120. pavón vázquez, v., & ramos ordóñez, m. d. c. (2019). describing the use of the l1 in clil: an analysis of l1 communication strategies in classroom interaction. international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 22(1), 3548. pratiwi, w. r. (2019). teacher talk and instructional language choice: two problems encountered in efl classroom. eternal (english, teaching, learning, and research journal), 5(1), 195-204. rasmitadila, r., samsudin, a., & prasetyo, t. (2019). teacher-students’ instructional interactions analysis (tsiia): a case study in inclusive english classrooms in indonesia. the international journal of interdisciplinary educational studies, 4(1), 24-32. sarhandi, p. s. a., asghar, j., & abidi, a. a. (2018). interaction patterns in whatsapp conversation in efl classroom: pedagogical implications. journal of academic and social research, 1(1), 1-18. selamat, e. h., & melji, s. m. (2022). investigating the interactions between teacher and students in an efl classroom. english language education journal (elej), 1(1), 23-42. tsui, a. b. (1995). introducing classroom interaction. penguin books. tyrväinen, h., uotinen, s., & valkonen, l. (2021). instructor presence in a virtual classroom. open education studies, 3(1), 132-146. vindyasari, r., ivone, f. m., & wijayati, p. h. (2022). classroom interaction in an online speaking class. jurnal pendidikan: teori, penelitian, dan pengembangan, 7(1). weizheng, z. (2019). teacher-student interaction in efl classroom in china: communication accommodation theory perspective. english language teaching, 12(12), 99-111. winanta, a., rochsantiningsih, d., & supriyadi, s. (2020). exploring efl classroom interaction: an analysis of teacher talk at senior high school level. els journal on interdisciplinary studies in humanities, 3(3), 328-343. willermark, s. (2021). who’s there? characterizing interaction in virtual classrooms. journal of educational computing research, 59(6), 10361055. yulia, m., & zainil, y. (2021). an analysis of teachers’ oral feedback in efl classroom interaction at smp negeri 10 batam. journal of english language teaching, 10(1), 45-52. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 167 “can word wall assess students’ words?”: nurturing inclusivity and advancement in rural secondary education putri kurniawan aprilia master program in english language teaching, post-graduate program universitas islam malang, indonesia e-mail: kurniawanputri587@gmail.com junaidi mistar master program in english language teaching, post-graduate program universitas islam malang, indonesia e-mail: j.mistar@unisma.ac.id mutmainnah mustofa master program in english language teaching, post-graduate program universitas islam malang, indonesia e-mail: inamustofa@unisma.ac.id zalsa febrina syabilla master program in english language teaching, post-graduate program universitas islam malang, indonesia e-mail: zalsafebrina@gmail.com apa citation: aprilia, p. k., mistar, j., mustofa, m., & syabilla, z. f. (2023). “can word wall assess students’ words?”: nurturing inclusivity and advancement in rural secondary education. english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 167-176. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9004. received: 24-10-2023 accepted: 14-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 abstract: the purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of the word-wall platform as an assessment tool for secondary school students in rural areas and to investigate potential ways to optimize the implementation of online platforms "word-wall" as assessment tool to address the unique needs and difficulties associated with evaluating these students. a participatory qualitative methodology was employed in this study. a case study was used as research approach in this qualitative method. the study's findings were categorized into two principal themes: firstly, the investigation delved into the perspectives of students in relation to the utilization of word-walls, and secondly, it explored the efficacy of word walls as an assessment instrument in enhancing students' language proficiency. second, the study indicates that by fostering a relaxed and pleasant evaluation atmosphere, word wall may be able to optimize student learning results. third, the research also emphasizes how crucial it is for instructors to have the knowledge and abilities needed to use wordwall in an efficient manner in order to promote original thought and creativity in question design. keywords: online platform; assessment; secondary students; rural area introduction recent developments in field of technologies have led to a renewed interest in the world of education. the use of computers and cellphones has now become crucial to modern life, including in the workplace, the office, the home, and the classroom (yarahmadzehi & goodarzi, 2020). technological advancements in the education industry have an influence on the teaching and learning process, and it is expected that these innovations will be able to bring about changes and have a greater impact on learning. smith and hill (2019) claim that since the 1990s, both in-person and virtual learning have been used. using smartphone technology to produce educational content—such as e-books— that may assist teachers in locating the necessary resources, is a broad example of how improvements in technology are frequently used in education. technology has advanced quickly in recent years, and it should be used more effectively to raise the standard of education, particularly with regard to smartphone technology. the usage of smartphone technology is not limited to locating reading materials and media; it can also be utilized in the evaluation process, namely as a learning assessment tool. however, educators still do not mailto:kurniawanputri587@gmail.com mailto:j.mistar@unisma.ac.id mailto:inamustofa@unisma.ac.id mailto:zalsafebrina@gmail.com putri kurniawan aprilia, junaidi mistar, mutmainnah mustofa, & zalsa febrina syabilla “can word wall assess students’ words?”: nurturing inclusivity and advancement in rural secondary education 168 always exploit smartphone technology to its full potential. the school must continually improve its curricula so that students have the skills necessary to adapt to changes in science and technology (anisah, 2022). for instance, numerous institutions continue to employ paper-based assessment, a manual method of evaluation, to provide english test questions. this form of evaluation is typically conducted by handing out questions on sheets of paper and asking pupils to write their responses down. this kind of manual assessment has a number of drawbacks, including being tiresome, being overly repetitive, and not being diverse. studies of er & saritiken (2022) show the students are bored with the traditional test exam approach since there is not enough variety in the questions that are given. students may overcome schedule and geographic constraints on their study by using technology. the time and effort students invest in online learning activities to reach the required level of learning effectiveness is the main emphasis of student participation, and the use of technology in the classroom is taken into consideration as a way to boost students’ desire for learning and promote interaction while they are learning. it is supposed that an effective school is one that can carry out its duties effectively and allows all students to grow personally (hong et al., 2020; irwan d & indrasari, 2019; licorish et al., 2018; santosa, 2017). therefore, in order to address some of these issues, the researcher suggests using a smartphone application that can be completed online, namely the word-wall web-based application. grace et al. (2022) identified a word-wall is a game-based education that serves as an educational tool. moreover, sari p & yarza h (2021) mentioned that word-wall might make the teaching learning process easier and pupils learn it quickly. meanwhile, sipayung (2018) also stated that word-walls are collection of words that are displayed someplace in the classroom and may be important words in the students’ vocabulary. according to komara (2023) a word-wall is devoted to showing high frequency terms that are crucial for students to understand and use (they might be sight words or terms that are used often in your class) it goes without saying that using this program can make the assessment process easier for teachers and can motivate students to learn english. the assessment system uses the webbased smartphone application word-wall, and the researcher gave assessment test questions that were produced on word-wall. an intuitive design can make it simpler to use, offer a distinct experience while answering questions, and enhance students’ willingness to learn english while accurately measuring their abilities in every assessment that is given. there is a time limit on each online question. therefore, the researcher provided wordwall, a web-based application for smartphones, as am assessment tool to test how students would perceive it. word-wall is one of the interactive learning tools that may be utilized, as expresses by (hasram et al., 2021; permana & kasriman, 2022; safitri et al., 2022). a web-based interactive application called word-wall can build many kinds of online quiz formats. halimah et al. (2019) labelled this application’s benefit is its ability to create questions that are accompanied by some type of final score assessment. in order to diversify the quiz concept, this website also offers 18 free questions templates that may be used to create quizzes. middle school students can be drawn by an eye-catching template with sound effects. this program is mostly used to examine students’ perspectives from a variety of perspectives and student points of view. it has previously been observed that the examination of students perceptions of online assessment tool being the subject of previous research in this area, such as firdiansyah and pamungkas (2021) conducted this study that examined the use of educational games for learning assessments. in their study, firdiansyah and pamungkas (2021) investigated how students felt about the usage of kahoot as a learning assessment tool in the course on monetary economic theory. the perceptions of students at hotel school toward the usage of word-wall to enhance student workready vocabulary mastery were the subject of research by arsini et al. (2022). according to the data analysis, students are quite enthusiastic about using the word-wall application to learn new words. the vocabulary games available in this program come in a variety of fun and engaging forms. similarly, safitri and lestari (2021), found that word-wall was used for improving students learning motivation and enhancing student learning motivation with digital game based on word-wall. write that word-wall online games have a significant impact on the learning of english vocabulary among five-year-old students. these interactive games engage young learners by presenting vocabulary words in a visually appealing manner, encouraging active participation. through repetition and reinforcement, these online games effectively enhance vocabulary acquisition, making the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 169 learning process enjoyable and effective for young leaners. along the same line, darliani and agustina (2019) subsequently argued that the effectiveness of word-wall in increasing the writing skills of high school students in bandung. to gather in-depth information, the researchers turned to commentaries and interviews. the findings of their research also supported a high caliber response, since students had been deemed competent of producing descriptive texts that followed the guidelines. while numerous prior studies have elucidated the role of information and communication technology (ict) media in facilitating assessments within the educational framework, it is noteworthy to highlight that the scope of applications investigated has been predominantly confined to the “kahoot” application. this represents a notable gap in the existing research, as there exists an opportunity explore the utilization of alternative applications such as the world-wall application for the purpose of evaluating students’ proficiency. furthermore, there is a discernible deficiency in the depth of comprehension regarding the repercussions and effectiveness of employing word-walls in educational settings situated in rural areas. consequently, addressing these gaps would contribute significantly to the existing body of knowledge in the field of educational technology and assessment methodologies. hence, this study set out to investigate the usefulness of word-wall as a students’ learning assessment tool in rural school. as a result, in this current study, the researcher has developed research questions that aims to investigate (1) how the perception of students after using the word-wall platform as an assessment tool for secondary students in rural area; and (2) how the implementation of online platforms “word-wall” as assessment tool can be optimized to address the unique needs and challenges of assessing secondary school students in rural area. method a participatory qualitative methodology was employed in this study. since an outcome, the initiation makes its way into the subject that explains what is happening (bowe, 2009; ubaidillah et al., 2020). in order to address the research objectives, a case study is used as research approach in this qualitative method. through the help of this research methodology, it is possible to describe the phenomena of students’ response to the use of word-wall as an assessment tool for english learning. these case study can be used in a variety of fields. research employing the case study approach examines at scientific phenomena that occur in a place and necessitates a thorough examination of the symptoms that exist in nature in order to be interesting to research. additionally, the data gathered must be supported up by evidence that is trustworthy and adapted to the situation through interviews, observations, or documents. the objective of the research must be inescapable, and it must be prepared for further investigation when the research problem has been resolved. furthermore, this study focused on senior high school students enrolled in a private school situated in malang. the inclusion of participants in this research was executed through a random selection process. prior to participant selection, the researchers diligently ascertained that the chosen individuals possessed diverse socio-demography backgrounds and exhibited a range of proficiency levels in the english language. subsequently, in the dissemination of research findings, the researcher employed a coding system to safeguard the confidentiality of each participant. additional details regarding participant data can be found in table 1. table 1. participants’ background code gender grades english proficiency s1 male x beginner s2 female xi intermediate s3 male x beginner s4 female xi intermediate s5 male xi beginner furthermore, the interview process was utilized as the primary data collection methods in this study. interview facilitate the in-depth investigation and understanding of respondents’ ideas, experiences, and knowledge related to the research subject matter (lavelle & zuercher, 2001). the deliberate use of interviews facilitated an understanding of the participants’ perspectives, allowing for a comprehensive exploration of the research subject matter. by incorporating diverse voices through random subject selection, the study sought to enhance the generalizability of its findings. as a vital component of the research process, the instrument ensured the collection of rich, qualitative data. the research, with its clear objective and methodological choices, not only addressed the immediate research problem but also laid the groundwork for potential future investigations, contributing to the boarder scholarly discourse in the field. to get more specific answers interviews were putri kurniawan aprilia, junaidi mistar, mutmainnah mustofa, & zalsa febrina syabilla “can word wall assess students’ words?”: nurturing inclusivity and advancement in rural secondary education 170 undertaken. open interviews (unstructured interviews), probing interviews (semi-structured interviews), and structured interviews are the three different types of interviews. an open interview is one in which the researcher does not predetermine the open response. semi-structured interviews aim to go deeper into data and explore ideas than structured interviews, which have answers predetermined by the researcher. in this study, the researcher used semi-structured questions so that she could go deeper into the general data and learn more about students' responses. this is the interview-based data analysis procedure for the second instrument. the research methodology is as follows: data visualization, data reduction, and drawing conclusion are the primary three stages of analysis. data reduction, data display, and drawing conclusion techniques are employed in data analysis (alfansyur & mariyani, 2020). data reduction is a method of analysis that explains, categorizes, and eliminates unnecessary data (sunaengsih et al., 2019). for the trustworthiness data, the researcher used saturation data. table 2. interview guidelines 1 how has the word wall impacted your vocabulary and understanding of academic content in rural secondary school? 2 in what ways does the word wall contribute to inclusivity and a positive learning environment in your school? 3 can you provide examples of how the word wall has helped you engage with course materials and grasp complex concepts? 4 how do you think the word wall in influences collaborative learning and communication among students in our rural secondary school setting? 5 in your opinion, how does the word wall align with the goal of advancing school in rural areas, and what improvements would you suggest? results and discussion the investigation yielded comprehensive insights through an exhaustive examination conducted via interviews. subsequently, the acquired data were categorized into two principal themes: firstly, the investigation delved into the perspectives of students in relation to the utilization of wordwalls, and secondly, it explored the efficacy of word-walls as an assessment instrument in enhancing students’ language proficiency. students’ perception in using word-wall researchers conducted a comprehensive investigation into participant perspectives on the implementation of word-walls in educational settings within rural areas. for instance, participant s1 voiced challenges in acquiring english proficiency due to constrained and suboptimal internet connectivity in the region. nonetheless, s1 expressed a sense of utility derived from wordwalls, attributing it to the beneficial features they offered in the learning process. this underscores the significance of adaptive pedagogical tools in addressing educational challenges in resourcelimited environments: “… the offline option in "word-wall" allows me to assess rural students without relying on internet connectivity. by downloading assessments and working offline, i can save time and avoid interruptions caused by internet disturbances” (s1) it is line with s1, s2 articulated a similar sentiment about elucidating that word-wall application significantly facilitated her english language acquisition. the application’s inherent features obviated the necessity for internet connectivity, thereby enhancing the accessibility and utility of the platform. consequently, s2 found it efficacious in augmenting her comprehension of english within the scholastic milieu: “poor internet access in my rural area hampers my use of online evaluation tools, causing delays, missed deadlines, and stress … lagging connectivity makes it difficult to load and submit assessments, potentially resulting in lost work. word-wall's offline submission feature allows me to work on assessments offline and upload my answer when internet access is available, alleviating these challenges.” (s2) then, word-wall is a testing program with interactive features and customization options. the students have varying experiences, some find it initially challenging to learn, but easier with time, while others appreciate the easy-to-understand interface and clear directions. limited question types and occasional technical issues pose challenges, but pre-made templates and customization options help meet learning goals. question formatting and layout adjustments may be slightly difficult. in addition, word-wall offers a mix of user-friendly features and areas for improvement. such as the participant said below: “i thought that the word-wall app was pretty english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 171 easy to use for tests. the interface is easy to understand, and the directions are clear and easy to follow. it didn't take me long to figure out how to use the assessment tools and get around the site”. (s3) aligned with the perspective of s3, additional contributors, such as s5, elucidated that employing the word-wall proved to be remarkably facile and straightforward. moreover, s5 expressed that the utilization of the word-wall not only facilitated a seamless experience but also contributed significantly to the attainment of his predetermined objectives in english language acquisition. “from what i've seen, the word-wall tool was pretty easy to use. the platform had an easy-touse interface, and making and giving ratings was a simple process. because there were alreadymade templates and ways to change them, it was easy to make tests that met specific learning goals”. (s5) furthermore, the word-wall app offers a variety of question types, as mentioned by the students. these include fill-in-the-blank, matching, short answer, drag-and-drop, sorting, image-based, interactive matching, and sequencing questions. the diverse question options make tests more engaging, creative, and cater to different learning levels. the questions are generally easy to understand, with hints or prompts available for assistance. the variation in question difficulty encourages critical thinking and allows students to demonstrate their knowledge effectively. “the questions on the word-wall app come in different levels of difficulty. some questions are pretty easy, while others take a lot more analysis and critical thinking. the platform has a good mix of questions for different learning levels. this makes sure that students are pushed in the right way and have a chance to show what they know”. (s5) another voices on the efficacy of the word-wall, specifically pertaining to students’ proclivity for its utilization, is articulated by s4, whose assertion underscore the word-wall’s inherent appeal through the diverse array of inquiries and exercises it encompasses. “yes, i thought it was interesting how the wordwall app had different kinds of questions. the platform has both standard and new kinds of questions, such as interactive matching and sequencing. these changes make the tests more interesting and difficult for the students, which helps them understand and use what they have learned better”. (s4) the effectiveness of using word-wall the word-wall app is praised for its effectiveness as a testing and review tool. its interactive features and diverse question formats make tests engaging and enjoyable. the platform's customization options add personalization to assessments. however, limitations in question types may affect its suitability for comprehensive exams. wordwall creates a fun and effective learning environment for regular tests. “the fact that "word-wall" is interactive is one of the things that makes it a good review tool. drag-and-drop questions and other fun formats are possible on the app, which makes tests more interesting and fun. this has made my learning experience better by getting me more involved and helping me understand the subject matter better”. (s1) the interactive aspects of the "word-wall" highlight its efficacy as a review tool, making it stand out as a useful resource for students. the testing procedure is made more enjoyable by the tool's ability to include drag-and-drop questions and other interesting forms, elevating it above simple review exercises. this interactive component actively incorporates users in the information, promoting a greater comprehension of the subject matter while also adding diversity to the learning process. the variety of question kinds accommodates various learning styles, guaranteeing a more inclusive and customized review process. the user (s1) attests to the app's revolutionary effect on their educational path, highlighting how word-wall’s interactive features have increased their engagement levels and, subsequently, greatly improved their understanding of the subject. essentially, the "word-wall" app proves to be more than simply a review tool—rather, it becomes a lively and entertaining partner in the quest for knowledge. another participants excerpt: “english quizzes can be fun when you use the word-wall app. it has things like fill in the blanks and matching tasks that are designed to help you learn a language. the quizzes are engaging and a good way to test language skills because of these features…”. (s4) according to the data above, playing english putri kurniawan aprilia, junaidi mistar, mutmainnah mustofa, & zalsa febrina syabilla “can word wall assess students’ words?”: nurturing inclusivity and advancement in rural secondary education 172 trivia becomes enjoyable when you use the wordwall app. fittingly titled given its emphasis on vocabulary, this program has a number of interactive elements including matching exercises and fill in the blanks. these deliberately created exercises aim to improve language acquisition by motivating users to take an active role in the process. the word-wall app stands out for its dedication to creating entertaining and instructive questions. by adding fun aspects, you can keep users engaged and create a more effective and immersive learning experience. apart from being entertaining, the app is a complete language evaluation tool. the tests offered are more than just educational activities. these are deft assessments that let people assess and improve their fluency in the english language. all in all, the word-wall app is a noteworthy tool that combines utility and enjoyment in a way that makes language learning engaging and successful. the solutions of unique needs and challenges of assessing using word-wall to improve word-wall for rural students, suggestions include incorporating local context, providing training and support for technical challenges, optimizing for low-bandwidth scenarios, offering offline capabilities, including real-life scenarios, providing language options, and ensuring accessibility features. these enhancements would enhance the effectiveness and inclusivity of the platform for rural learners “for me, as a rural student can use "word-wall" or similar platforms. language options or translations for english language learners would be a help. this would let me explore the platform despite language obstacles”. (s3) meanwhile, according to another participant, excerpt: “i think "word-wall" and other platforms' instructions and interface are specific to rural students. some areas could be improved. more visual cues and icons could improve accessibility. for me as a student with slower internet connections or low access to audiovisual information, giving alternative text-based tutorials might be helpful”. (s2) based on the results of the interview about students’ experience above, in rural areas, students face numerous challenges when using online assessment tools due to poor internet connectivity. slow and inconsistent internet connections are common, resulting in delays, interruptions, and even loss of work during exams. this lack of stable facilities and limited access to high-speed solutions causes frustration and consumes valuable time. furthermore, the ability to use smartphones for assessments on "word-wall" addresses the lack of resources, such as personal laptops, commonly experienced in rural areas. students who rely on shared devices, such as those available at neighborhood libraries, face challenges in finding sufficient time for assessments. additionally, the absence of a stable electrical source exacerbates these difficulties, as regular blackouts can disrupt students' progress and result in lost work. however, the mobile accessibility feature of "word-wall" allows students to take and complete tests anywhere, alleviating these challenges when a computer or internet connection is unavailable. moreover, the "submission checkpoints" feature on the platform proves valuable for students with inconsistent internet access. it ensures that progress is saved at regular intervals, enabling students in rural regions to resume their work from where they left off despite internet outages or problems loading the assessment platform. therefore, "word-wall" serves as a valuable assessment tool for students in rural areas, mobile accessibility, submission checkpoints that address the challenges posed by limited and unreliable internet connectivity. based on the results of the interview about the usage of word-wall above, word-wall, a testing program renowned for its interactive features and customization options, has garnered mixed students’ experiences. while some encountered initial challenges in mastering its functions and settings, subsequent usage proved more convenient. others lauded its user-friendly interface, clear directions, and seamless navigation through assessment tools. however, the platform fell short in providing a diverse range of question types, hindering comprehensive evaluation of student learning. occasional technical glitches disrupted assessments, further adding to the challenges. nonetheless, students valued the availability of pre-made templates and the capacity to tailor them to specific learning objectives. modifying question formatting and layout posed a slight obstacle for certain users. in sum, word-wall presents a diverse user experience, offering intuitive features while identifying areas that warrant further refinement. based on the results of the interview about the question variations in word-wall above, the word-wall app provides a comprehensive range of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 173 question types, as reported by the students. these include fill-in-the-blank, matching, short answer, drag-and-drop, sorting, image-based, interactive matching, and sequencing questions. this assortment of question formats enhances the engagement and creativity of tests while accommodating diverse learning levels. the questions exhibit clarity and accessibility, supported by the availability of hints or prompts to aid comprehension. furthermore, the varying levels of difficulty foster critical thinking skills and afford students the opportunity to effectively showcase their knowledge. based on the results of the interview about the effectiveness of word-wall as assessment tool above, the word-wall app is recognized as a highly effective tool for review and testing purposes. its interactive features and diverse question formats contribute to increased interest and engagement among students. the app's active involvement of students in the learning process facilitates better comprehension of the subject matter. the availability of various question types and customizable options adds flexibility and personalization to assessments, promoting a dynamic and stimulating testing experience. in language learning, specific features like fill in the blanks and matching tasks are designed to facilitate language acquisition. however, it should be noted that the app may have limitations when it comes to more comprehensive exams, such as semester finals, which require longer written responses and a wider range of question types. as a result, its suitability for high-stakes assessments may be constrained. word-wall demonstrates its effectiveness in creating an engaging and enjoyable learning environment for regular tests, although its adaptability may vary depending on the specific evaluation context. individual external factors that are received by people from the outside and used to develop an acceptance that influences perception are the source of perception. the word-wall application trial is used as an evaluation tool based on the responses that respondents provided in response to the stimulus. according to the study, students preferred using the word-wall program as a tool for assessments such as daily exams, quizzes, and semester tests. student experiences using word-wall as assessment tool the results from the interview for the first statement indicator shown above it is known that the majority of participants firmly that word-wall tackles the challenges of poor internet connectivity in rural areas during online assessments with innovate features. its offline option enables students to download and complete assessments without internet access, addressing delays and interruptions. mobile accessibility caters to students without personal laptops, while submission checkpoints save progress despite internet outages. pre-downloading instructional materials minimizes the impact of poor connections. in essence, word-wall offers a comprehensive solution to enhance accessibility and equity in education for students in areas with limited internet access. this is in line with studies by firdiansyah and pamungkas (2021), who found that including games into assessment processes can assist students become more motivated to learn. it supports the notion that integrating games into assessment processes can enhance student motivation to learn. according to sasongko and suswanto (2017) research, assessments given through game-based applications may stimulate students' interest and motivation. it suggests that game-based media stimulate students’ interest in assessment. this viewpoint is supported by haryadi and andriati's (2019) which shows that the usage of game-based media can boost students' engagement in both learning and assessment. the word-wall aligns with these research findings, emphasizing the effectiveness of innovative approaches, including offline options and gamified elements, to address challenges in education, particularly in areas with limited internet access. the second indicator follows, which includes opinions about the students’ usage of word-wall application. the interface, motion, colors, font styles, and images in the program all contribute to word-wall media's attractiveness. word-wall, a testing program, elicits varied students’ experiences. some initially find it challenging but adapt over time, praising the user-friendly interface. the platform offers diverse question types, promoting engagement and catering to different learning levels (pradini & adnyayanti, 2022). however, limitations in question types and occasional technical issues pose challenges. customization options and pre-made templates address learning goals, but formatting adjustments may be slightly cumbersome. additionally, wordwall presents a mix of user-friendly features and areas for improvement, offering creative assessments while acknowledging room for refinement. it has been determined that participants thought putri kurniawan aprilia, junaidi mistar, mutmainnah mustofa, & zalsa febrina syabilla “can word wall assess students’ words?”: nurturing inclusivity and advancement in rural secondary education 174 word-wall to be generally interesting. when interactive media are employed as a tool for evaluation, students find assessment tasks and quizzes to be more engaging (nisa omar, 2017). the word-wall's attractive appearance is one element that could encourage students' interest and curiosity. this is consistent with studies by firdiansyah & pamungkas (2021), who found that interactive assessment tools encourage students to concentrate better and participate more actively in class. the findings of research by komara (2023), which claim that engaging images displayed by an application can improve students' interest in learning and the activities they complete, corroborate this opinion as well. students may find it more appealing to evaluate learning when an application has beautiful visuals that include movement, interfaces, colors, images, and texts. the importance of using a variety of question formats to maintain students' interest in the evaluation instrument. this is in line with study by firdiansyah & pamungkas (2021), which discovered that the diversity of questions in a question substantially influences students' enthusiasm in utilizing interactive application media for learning assessment. the variety of questions demonstrates how strongly it affects students' interest. students are interested in utilizing the program because of the wide range of questions. this is also consistent with research done by salsabila et al. (2020), which found that the application that is utilized as an evaluation tool has the capacity to use a wide range of questions as an assessment tool. this is due to the fact that it can prevent students from becoming overly accustomed to difficult questions. if this application were to become a future assessment tool, the interview findings from four participants would, on average, be in agreement. students favor gaming-based evaluation methods like word-wall, which is why this is the case. this contrasts with commonly used assessment tools, especially conventional assessment tools, which continue to rely on tedious paper-based testing. this study supports the findings of a study by hasram et al. (2021), who found that using wordwall to assess learning reduced students' boredom by avoiding the monotonous practice questions that are typically used. the solutions of unique needs and challenges of assessing using word-wall the students' suggestions for improving assessments and online assessment tools in rural areas include incorporating relevant material and local context, providing training and support specifically tailored to rural challenges, using reallife scenarios and case studies, enhancing accessibility features and user interfaces, offering language support, and allowing customization. it is important to note that these suggestions reflect the perspectives of the students and their experiences in rural areas. implementing these ideas would require collaboration between educators, policymakers, and platform developers to create inclusive and supportive assessment environments for rural students. these suggestions aim to make assessments more meaningful, inclusive, and applicable to rural students' experiences, while addressing connectivity issues, resource limitations, and the need for localized training. implementing these ideas requires collaboration between educators, policymakers, and platform developers to create a supportive and inclusive assessment environment for rural students (safitri et al., 2022). overall, this application is suitable for usage as an evaluation tool that may be employed in the future. word-wall media can facilitate positive student interactions, according to research by halimah et al. (2019). by always coaching students before posing questions or beginning the assessment, it is possible to address some student answers about the difficulty of filling out questions in various sorts of inquiries. it is best for a teacher to give students who will take the test simple instructions and clear instructions before assessing using the new method. additionally, this application is also centered on english, a language that not all students are familiar with. by the way, the teacher guides and gives directions prior to doing an assessment, consequently this can be solved. conclusion in summary, the purpose of this study was to determine how students felt about their experience using the word-wall platform to evaluate secondary students in rural areas and to investigate potential ways to improve the online platform's implementation to better meet the particular requirements and difficulties associated with evaluating these students. according to the study's findings, students in rural regions can benefit from using word-wall.net as an english evaluation tool in a number of ways. first off, the majority of students' answers to the questionnaire and interviews showed that they had a pleasant experience with the word-wall program. the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 175 majority of students had positive opinions, expressing interest in utilizing the tool for upcoming quizzes, exams, and daily tests. the platform's attractive appearance, the questions' intriguing and varied content, and the application's ease of use are all responsible for this excellent response. second, the study indicates that by fostering a relaxed and pleasant evaluation atmosphere, word-wall may be able to optimize student learning results. students are interested in using word-wall as a smartphone assessment tool because of its simplicity of use and interesting question designs. the research also emphasizes how crucial it is for instructors to have the knowledge and abilities needed to use word-wall in an efficient manner in order to promote original thought and creativity in question design. the study's conclusions also highlight the necessity of maximizing word-wall's deployment to meet the particular requirements and difficulties associated with evaluating secondary school pupils in rural regions. the students have proposed several areas for development, including customization, accessibility, training, and relevance. it is advised that local context be included in order to improve the evaluation process overall. more investigation into online assessment resources for secondary pupils in remote areas is possible in the future. word-wall's long-term effects may be monitored through longitudinal research, and its advantages and disadvantages can be evaluated through comparisons with other platforms. nailing in implementation are addressed by examining the role of teacher training, examining family engagement, and evaluating customizable features. inclusive education is further ensured by knowing how word-wall adapts to different learning styles and scales in resource-constrained environments. it is ensured that platforms correspond with the backgrounds of students through research on cultural relevance in varied rural environments. to put it briefly, for the best possible incorporation of online assessments, future research should include long-term impacts, comparisons, teacher preparation, parental involvement, personalization, learning styles, scalability, and cultural factors. references alfansyur, a., & mariyani. (2020). seni mengelola data : penerapan triangulasi teknik, sumber dan waktu pada penelitian pendidikan sosial. historis: jurnal kajian, penelitian & pengembangan pendidikan sejarah, 5(2), 146– 150. anisah, l. (2022). utilizing “wordwalls’’ as an assessment tool for indonesian junior high school students.” 10(3), 831–842. arsini, n. n., santosa, m. h., & marsakawati, n. p. e. (2022). hospitality school students’ perception on the use of wordwall to enrich students’ workready vocabulary mastery. elsya : journal of english language studies, 4(2), 124–130. https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v4i2.8732 bowe, g. a. (2009). document analysis as a qualitative research method. qualitative research journal, 9(2), 27–40. doi:10.3316/qrj0902027 darliani, y., & agustina, c. f. (2019). the implementation of word wall strategy in teaching writing descriptive text. jela (journal of english language teaching, literature and applied linguistics), 1(2), 61–67. https://doi.org/10.37742/jela.v1i2.12 er, o., & saritiken, h. (2022). perceptions of middle school turkish language teachers on using elearning tools in grammar teaching. international journal of education and literacy studies, 10(4), 9–18. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.10n.4p.9 faculty, h., & faculty, h. (2020). investigating the role of formative mobile based assessment in vocabulary learning of pre-intermediate efl learners in comparison with paper based assessment. january, 181–196. firdiansyah, y., & pamungkas, h. p. (2021). analisis persepsi mahasiswa terhadap penggunaan kahoot sebagai media evaluasi pembelajaran pada mata kuliah teori ekonomi moneter. jekpend: jurnal ekonomi dan pendidikan, 4(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.26858/jekpend.v4i1.15549 grace, d., matt, f., banseng, s., gerry, d., & handrianto, c. (2022). available online at globets.org/journal international journal of education. technology and science, 2(3), 279– 287. halimah, m., dan, s., & langitasari, i. (2019). penerapan model pembelajaran pdeode untuk meningkatkan kps siswa pada materi larutan penyangga. jpk, 5(1), 15–22. haryadi, r., & andriati, n. (2019). pengembangan game berbasis android untuk meningkatkan minat belajar pada materi operasi hitung bilangan bulat siswa sekolah menengah pertama. absis: mathematics education journal, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.32585/absis.v1i2.431 hasram, s., nasir, m. k. m., mohamad, m., daud, m. y., rahman, m. j. a., & mohammad, w. m. r. w. (2021). the effects of wordwall online games (wow) on english language vocabulary learning among year 5 pupils. theory and practice in language studies, 11(9), 1059–1066. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1109.11 hong, j., lee, y., & ye, j. (2020). since january 2020 elsevier has created a covid-19 resource centre with free information in english and mandarin on the novel coronavirus covid19 . putri kurniawan aprilia, junaidi mistar, mutmainnah mustofa, & zalsa febrina syabilla “can word wall assess students’ words?”: nurturing inclusivity and advancement in rural secondary education 176 the covid-19 resource centre is hosted on elsevier connect , the company ’ s public news and information . january. irwan d, d., & indrasari, n. (2019). designing listening tasks for english students. english education: jurnal tadris bahasa inggris, 12(1), 11–21. https://doi.org/10.24042/ee-jtbi.v12i1.4423 komara, c. (2023). efl students ’ perception of wordwall . net used as media for. december 2022. lavelle, e., & zuercher, n. (2001). the writing approaches of university students. higher education, 42(3), 373–391. licorish, s. a., owen, h. e., daniel, b., & george, j. l. (2018). students’ perception of kahoot!’s influence on teaching and learning. research and practice in technology enhanced learning, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-0180078-8 nisa omar, n. (2017). the efffectiveness of kahoot application towards students’ good feedback practice. people: international journal of social sciences, 3(2), 2551–2562. https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2017.32.2551256 2 permana, s. p., & kasriman, k. (2022). pengaruh media pembelajaran wordwall terhadap motivasi belajar ips kelas iv. jurnal basicedu, 6(5), 7831–7839. https://doi.org/10.31004/basicedu.v6i5.3616 pradini, p. c., & adnyayanti, n. l. p. e. (2022). teaching english vocabulary to young learners with wordwall application: an experimental study. journal of educational study, 2(2), 187– 196. https://doi.org/10.36663/joes.v2i2.351 safitri, d., awalia, s., sekaringtyas, t., nuraini, s., lestari, i., suntari, y., marini, a., iskandar, r., & sudrajat, a. (2022). improvement of student learning motivation through word-wall-based digital game media. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 16(6), 188– 205. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v16i06.25729 safitri, d., & lestari, i. (2021). web-based animation video for student environmental education at elementary schools web-based animation video for student environmental education at elementary schools. ijim, 15(11), 22023. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v15i11.22023 salsabila, u. h., habiba, i. s., amanah, i. l., istiqomah, n. a., & difany, s. (2020). pemanfaatan aplikasi quizizz sebagai media pembelajaran ditengah pandemi pada siswa sma. jurnal ilmiah ilmu terapan universitas jambi|jiituj|, 4(2), 163– 173. https://doi.org/10.22437/jiituj.v4i2.11605 santosa, m. h. (2017). learning approaches of indonesian efl gen z students in a flipped learning context. journal on english as a foreign language, 7(2), 183. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v7i2.689 sari p, & yarza h. (2021). pelatihan penggunaan aplikasi quizizz dan wordwall pada pembelajaran ipa bagi guru-guru sdit alkahfi. selaparang. jurnal pengabdian masyarakat berkemajuan, 4(2), 195–199. sasongko, g. w., & suswanto, h. (2017). pengembangan game sebagai media evaluasi pembelajaran pada mata pelajaran perakitan komputer kelas x. jurnal pendidikan, 2(7), 1017–1023. sipayung, r. w. (2018). the effect of word wall strategy on students’ vocabulary achievement at smp negeri 5 pematangsiantar in the academic year 2018/2019. budapest international research and critics institute (birci-journal) : humanities and social sciences, 1(3), 251–263. https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v1i3.48 smith, k., & hill, j. (2019). defining the nature of blended learning through its depiction in current research. higher education research and development, 38(2), 383–397. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2018.151773 2 sunaengsih, c., anggarani, m., amalia, m., nurfatmala, s., & naelin, s. d. (2019). principal leadership in the implementation of effective school management. mimbar sekolah dasar, 6(1), 79. https://doi.org/10.17509/mimbarsd.v6i1.15200 ubaidillah, m. f., mustofa, m., khotimah, k., ismiatun, f., anwar, k., & rahmawati, h. (2020). not for my future teaching career !”: a look at one male preservice teacher ’ s teacher identity construction. the new english techer, 14(1), 43–55. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 865 enchancing descriptive material learning at public junior high school through differentiated learning and wizer.me e-worksheet dian eka sari master program in language education, faculty of teacher training and educational sciences, universitas sriwijaya email: dianekasarii@ymail.com mulyadi eko purnomo master program in language education, faculty of teacher training and educational sciences, universitas sriwijaya email: mulyadiekopurnomo@yahoo.com sri indrawati master program in language education, faculty of teacher training and educational sciences, universitas sriwijaya email: sriindrawati1207@gmail.com apa citation: sari, d. e., purnomo, m. e., & indrawati, s. (2023). enchancing descriptive material learning at public junior high school through differentiated learning and wizer.me e-worksheet. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 865-872. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8837 received: 24-06-2023 accepted: 21-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 introduction the alterations in the enrollment procedures for learners, spanning from early education to high school, have significant implications for educational institutions and educators. since 2018, the government has introduced a new set of regulations regarding learner admissions. these regulations no longer solely emphasize academic accomplishments and grade standards as the primary criteria for school admission. instead, the latest regulations mandate that schools also take into consideration the proximity of learners to the educational institutions. according to the regulations outlined in the ministry of education and culture of the republic of indonesia's permendikbud ri, number 1 of 2021, concerning learner admissions at various educational levels, article 12, clause 2, the abstract: the aim of this research was to address the challenges posed by changes in regulations for admitting new learners at public jhs 54 palembang, where test scores or reports were no longer the primary criteria for enrollment. this research employed a modified model based on the work of gall, gall & borg, and tessmer. the initial phase involved analyzing the diverse needs of seventh-grade students, encompassing their intentions, profiles, and readiness for learning. the curriculum changes had led to an increased reliance on textbooks, resulting in a need for supplementary worksheets. the researcher used the canva application to design content within the wizer.me platform. the validation process included expert validation of the prototype, focusing on material substance. validation results indicated a high level of approval, with a percentage of 97.3% and a mean score of 4.86. the language aspect received an 86% approval rate, equivalent to an average score of 4.3. material presentation in the learning materials received a 90% approval rate, with an average score of 4.5, affirming the validity of the developed worksheet.following expert validation, a small group evaluation was conducted to assess the practicality and reliability of the developed worksheet for descriptive text materials employing differentiated learning. the expert validation results demonstrated that the developed worksheet, created using the wizer.me application, was highly valid. additionally, the small group evaluation confirmed that the worksheet was practical and reliable for use in an educational setting. in conclusion, this research successfully addressed the challenges posed by changes in admission regulations at public jhs 54 palembang by introducing differentiated learning materials. the use of electronic worksheets, implemented through the wizer.me platform, proved to be an effective solution for catering to the diverse student profiles. the expert validation and small group evaluation affirmed the validity, practicality, and reliability of the developed worksheet, making it a valuable addition to the educational resources available for seventh-grade students. keywords: differentiated learning; descriptive text; wizer.me; worksheet. dian eka sari, mulyadi eko purnomo, & sri indrawati enchancing descriptive material learning at public junior high school through differeftiated learning and wizer.me e-worksheet 866 admission process now comprises several mechanisms, including zoning, affirmation, parent-job transfer, and achievement. as specified in article 13, for instance, the zoning mechanism for primary schools must admit a minimum of 70% of their capacity from the local area, while junior high schools and senior high schools/vocational high schools must admit at least 50% of their capacity from the local area. the remaining 5% each is allocated for affirmation and parent-job transfer mechanisms. these regulations aim to provide opportunities for learners based on both academic and non-academic achievements. this regulation makes report scores not the only consideration to enroll in public schools. this action was also observable at the public junior high school 54 palembang from 2015 until 2017, the school was labeled as the top school in palembang. therefore, many learners enrolling in the school had to have a minimum score of 84 and could pass the entry test. however, since 2018, the applied new regulation made the schools create three admission mechanisms. they were zoning, affirmation, parent-job change, and achievement without selection tests. all leaders living near the school environment have better opportunities to enroll in the school than those living far. this change made the learners' cognitive diversity visible to the teachers at the school. the same matter was also observable in the learning profiles of the learners. back then, most learners of the school lived in residences, such as alang-alang lebar district, talang kelapa district, sukarami district, and kebun bunga district. however, since 2018, the learners were varied in terms of the living address and the jobs of the parents. this diversity does not even change classroom learning. the data on academic supervision and learning instrument also show that classroom learning still equalizes all learners. the learning remains classical without considering the individual differences of the learners. the applied learning instruments remain the same. the same matter was also observable in classroom learning. the applied learning remained centralized in the teacher, teacher center. thus, the learning was fully dominated by lecturing. the given assignments were not varied and were not relevant to the learners' interests. for example, in the materials about advertisements, jargon, and posters, the teachers only provided simple advertisement tasks without considering the learners' skills. the impact of this action was many learners could not accomplish their tasks. the philosophy of ki hadjar dewantara shows that learning should be free or “merdeka”. therefore, the ministry of education, nadiem makarim, designed a “merdeka belajar” curriculum. the curriculum emphasizes that all children, including newly born children, have gifts based on the era and nature (rosidah et al., 2022; widyastuti, 2022). the gift of the era requires teachers to teach the learners based on the era without any arrogance to insist on the same teaching as the teachers have (arain et al., 2019; babadjanova, 2020; madondo, 2021; mursyida et al., 2020; wu & chen, 2021). on the other hand, the gift of nature refers to the features or skills of the learners as individuals. the analogy of this matter seems like a farmer. a farmer must carry out the tasks and behave as the plants or trees have. a farmer must prepare and maintain the soil properly. thus, a teacher has the role of a facilitator to provide adjusted learning based on the learners' necessities as the representation of the "seeds" (rafael, 2020). the philosophy of ki hadjar dewantoro encourages teachers to apply student-center learning with differentiated learning. this learning encourages teachers to adjust the learning based on the learners’ necessities individually. however, the implementation does not require the teacher to teach the learner one by one. the realization should categorize the learners into three groups: based on readiness, interest, and learning profile. this mapping process requires the teachers to conduct diagnostic tests for the learners both cognitively and non-cognitively. a classroom learning applying differentiated learning could modify three approaches into process-differentiated, content-differentiated, and product-differentiated learning. teachers could adjust their learning objectives during each class meeting (tomlinson, cited by kusuma & lutfah, 2021). previous studies about differentiated learning included the research by marlina, elisa efrina & grahita kusumastuti (2019), titled "model pembelajaran berdiferensiasi untuk peningkatan keterampilan sosial anak berkebutuhan khusus di sekolah inklusif." the research showed that teachers had difficulties promoting differentiated learning at inclusive schools because of a lack of model recognition. a study by saputra & marlina, titled “efektivitas strategi pembelajaran berdiferensiasi untuk meningkatkan konsentrasi belajar anak berkesulitan belajar,” showed the improved concentration of learners after applying differentiated learning strategies (amanda et al., 2022; herwina, 2021; saputra & marlina, 2020). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 867 the efforts to support this differentiated learning include the development of teaching material, especially the learners' worksheets. the developed worksheet was based on differentiated learning so the learning supported the learners' necessities. the developed worksheet was useful to facilitate classroom learning and activate the learners' participation in classroom learning (pratiwi et al., 2019; kumalasari, 2021) some researchers had developed worksheets. for example, rahma diani, “pengembangan lembar kerja peserta didik berbasis aplikasi android menulis cerpen untuk siswa kelas xi sma negeri 17 palembang,” developed an android-based application for eleventh graders of senior high school. research by desi efrina simbolon, titled "pengembangan lkpd menulis naskah drama dengan pendekatan saintifik berbasis aplikasi moodle pada peserta didik kelas viii smp negeri 17 palembang,” developed a drama script worksheet. the developed worksheet could facilitate the learners to write drama scripts. both previous studies showed the effectiveness of worksheets for classroom learning purposes. unfortunately, the developments only applied online media utilities without accessible access for the learners. however, in the current research, the researchers developed an online application media to create differentiated learning based on worksheets. the development brought various materials attached with videos, texts, and audio based on the learners’ necessities at public jhs 54 palembang. the developed material was the descriptive text for seventh graders at junior high school. the material was useful and important as mandated by the 2013 curriculum, the emergency curriculum, and the merdeka curriculum target material. therefore, the developed worksheet should include this material. besides that, the material became the skill for the learner to compose various texts, such as fantasy, fable, news, expository, and short story texts (handayani, 2021; lindstrom, 2021). the material would be useful for the learners because once they mastered the material they would use the material in routine life. they would use the material for creating simple vlogs, guiding tourists, and promoting products (subarna, 2021; kosasih, 2018). the realization of 21st-century learning should apply technology-based learning. currently developed worksheet used wizer.me application. koprniak (2018) explains that wizer.me is a free, accessible, high-speed, and interactive application. the learners could send tasks in the forms of texts; and voice and video recordings. teachers could creatively make teaching materials in the application and check the learners’ responses. learners could also access the application on computers, laptop computers, and gadgets (alfiah, 2022; susiyanto, 2020; nasution, 2021). from the explanations, the developed electronic worksheet with descriptive text material and differentiated learning used the wizer.me application for the learners at public jhs 54 palembang. in this research, the development was limited and focused on content and product differentiations. method this research and development, r&d, developed and examined the product’s effectiveness (sugiyono, 2012:345)(andrade & heritage, 2018). in this research, the researchers also validated the developed product. the researchers examined the developed product to determine the effectiveness of differentiated learning for learners at public jhs 54 palembang. the developed teaching material was an electronic worksheet with descriptive text material. this research and development applied the modified model of gall et al. (2023) and tessmer (1998). this combination was specific to developing teaching materials. the developed product could also be adjusted to the learners’ necessities. the steps of the model were simple. tessmer's model (1998, p. 15-16) developed the learning model into five formative evaluation types. they were (1) self-evaluation to evaluate the teaching material independently, (2) expert review to validate the teaching material based on the content, language, and presentation experts; (3) one-to-one evaluation to evaluate the product practicability by involving the participants, (4) small group to evaluate the product practicability, and (5) field-test to examine the product within a larger scope. from both models, the researchers modified the steps into the following steps. (1) preliminary observation and information collection. (2) plan. (3) initial product development. (4) self-evaluation to evaluate the teaching material independently. (5) expert review to validate the teaching material based on the experts’ judgment. (6) small group to test the product's practicability by involving 8-9 learners. (7) field test to examine the product's effectiveness within a larger group dian eka sari, mulyadi eko purnomo, & sri indrawati enchancing descriptive material learning at public junior high school through differeftiated learning and wizer.me e-worksheet 868 figure 1. the steps of research & development the location of the research was at public jhs 54 palembang, drs. dahlan hy, indah maskabaret park, palembang. the subjects consisted of the first graders from 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4 classes. the small group evaluation involved 8-9 learners from the seventh grade of public jhs 54 palembang in the academic year 2022/2023. then, the field test involved 28 learners from 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4 classes. the researchers selected the samples with a purposive sampling technique. the researchers invited experts to validate the developed teaching material, the differentiated learning-based worksheet with descriptive teaching material for the seventh graders of public jhs 54 palembang. the researchers validated the developed product before applying the product to the learners. in this research, the validations consisted of content, language, and media presentation validations. the material expert was the supervisor of public jhs 54 palembang. the expert was also a facilitator of school initiator at the educational agency of palembang. the second expert was the curriculum development of the ministry of education and culture, yustinawati, m.pd. the language expert validated the language aspect of the product. the expert was from the southern sumatra language center. the media and graphic validation was the teacher of information engineering of vocational high school 4 palembang, dr. arin fousty badri, m.pd. the small group evaluation consisted of 8-9 learners. they were the seventh graders of public jhs 54 semarang with high, moderate, and low capabilities. in this stage, the prototype of the development was given to the learners for further learning. the learners had the opportunity to observe, understand, and use the developed product. then, in the field test, the researcher evaluated formatively. this step measured the effectiveness of the worksheet. the learners in this process consisted of 28 learners. in this step, the test procedure required real-world learning. thus, the researchers conducted a pretest and a posttest. results and discussion the analysis of learners’ necessities the researchers used google forms shared with the seventh graders of 7.1 to 7.3. the obtained data were useful to analyze the learners' necessities. of all respondents, only 87 respondents answered the questionnaire. the question items consisted of three things: the biodata, profile, and literacy of the learners. the researchers also observed the classes in which the researchers sent the questionnaire. the analysis of the learners' necessities took the form of a diagnostic test for the seventh graders. the researchers mapped the findings to determine the interest of the learners. a percentage of 50% of learners were interested in sports. the remaining percentages were interested in science or art. the profile showed 50% of learners had moderate economic levels. the evidence was the salary of the parent. most parents of the learners, 70%, earned salaries monthly. they also had houses to live in. most respondents’ parents were civil servants, indonesian army officers, police officers, and private employees. on the other hand, some learners were from poor families because they enrolled in the school from an affirmation mechanism. their parents received some incentives, such as indonesia's conditional cash transfer, indonesia's national health insurance, or an educational assistance program with a quota of 15%. the parents' education, both mothers and fathers, mostly graduated from shs or above level, 70%. this matter influenced the parental role to facilitate the learners’ learning. from the learning style, most learners were visual learners. some of them were audiovisual learners. then, only 8% of learners were kinesthetic learners. most learners had smartphones, 87%. thus, they could learn interactively with the assistance of technology media. moreover, the availability of wifi and internet balance facilitated the learners to learn technology-based interaction. the learners had an excellent capability to use applications, such as using social media, poster editors, or video editors with a percentage of 70%. this evidence indicated that the learners should receive tasks to make videos. the learners were also familiar with descriptive text, 65%. unfortunately, their descriptive writing skills were 55%. they could only write simple descriptions. the researchers analyzed the learning english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 869 readiness based on observation and short-interview with the counseling teachers. the researchers found some gifted learners with slow learning categories. the applied curriculum was merdeka curriculum. therefore, the researchers chose the learning outcome and learning objective based on the newest regulation, the bskap regulation number 008/kr/2022 about the learning outcomes of early childhood learners from the primary school to high school levels based on the merdeka curriculum. the regulation explained that the learning outcomes of jhs should be the d-phase learning outcome. this learning outcome, for the indonesian language, dealt with listening, reading and watching, speaking and presenting, and writing. the analysis showed that the contents should be based on the learners’ necessity analyses. the analysis was useful to make essential material based on the learning objectives. (1) the learners could determine the implicit and explicit information of descriptive text accurately. (2) the learners could conclude the text accurately. (3) the learners could identify the writing style of the text in social media by writing the expression on the text. (4) the learners developed their understanding of the rarely seen words by finding the meaning of the dictionary independently and accurately. (5) the learners could recognize the effective and attractive text presentation by rewriting the sentences and finding the personification. (6) the learners explained the notions by describing the figures (objects) orally with attractive sentences. (7) the learners analyzed the descriptive text orally by comparing the explained objects, the honorific variety of the speech partner, and the objectives of the speech partners. (8) the learners could present the descriptive text properly by editing the capital letters, the full stops, the colon, and the suffices accurately. from this mapping, the developed worksheet used content and process differentiations. the content and the supporting media contained some choices for the learners to adjust to their intention. the product differentiation provided options for the learners to work on their tasks. from the data, the product prototype began by collecting the teaching materials based on the learning objectives. this prototype was initially created in a simple file before developing the design. the results of the validations, practicability, and effectiveness of the worksheet here are the results of expert validation, small group evaluation, and field test. the experts’ validations the experts validated the developed worksheet, starting from the content, language, and media presentation experts. the material validation was done on may 2023. the validation obtained a score of 73. the conversion of the score was 97.3% with a mean score of 4.8. thus, the developed worksheet for descriptive material with differentiated learning and wizer.me application was valid. the language validation was done on may 2023. the validation showed a score of 56. the conversion of the score was 86% or a mean score of 4.3. the scores indicated that the developed worksheet was reliable and valid for further trial tests. the validation data of the media presentation expert obtained a percentage of 90% or a mean score of 4.5. the results indicated that the developed worksheet was very valid for further small-group tests. figure 1. the comparison of the experts’ validations the diagram shows all experts recommend the developed worksheet and claimed it is very valid. small group evaluation this evaluation involved 8 learners from 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4. the researchers shared the worksheet in the form of a link, pdf file, and printed file. the result shows that all respondents, 100%, are interested visually. for the learning objective, the learners answered that the material had learning objectives. thus, based on these two items, the developed worksheet was very practical. for dian eka sari, mulyadi eko purnomo, & sri indrawati enchancing descriptive material learning at public junior high school through differeftiated learning and wizer.me e-worksheet 870 access, 6 learners, or 75% of learners answered "yes," while the others answered "no." some learners found pdf files convenient because they could save their internet balance. for the instruction, material, and guidelines, 87.5% of learners answered "yes" or very practical, and 75% with the option of practical. then, dealing with the concept, six respondents or 75% of respondents answered "yes" or practical because the developed worksheet covered the routine context matters. for the teaching material, seven learners, or 87.5% learners answered "yes" or very practical. all learners also agreed that the visual figures were clear. the data show that the developed worksheet was very practical and did not require revision for further research stage, the field test. field test the field test shows the lowest pretest is 45 while the lowest posttest is 70. the highest pretest is 70 while the highest posttest is 100. the pretest mean score is 56.43 with a posttest mean score of 82.50. the pretest deviation is 7.052 with a posttest deviation of 9.078. the posttest mean score is higher than the pretest, 82.50 > 56.43. the scores indicated differences between the pretest and posttest of the worksheet implementation. table 1. the descriptive statistic results the researchers used the t-test to determine the differences between the pretest and post-test. here is the t-test table. table 2. the paired sample test result the data shows the pretest-to-posttest mean scores have an increment of 26.071, sd = 2,493, and sig (2-tailed) = 0,00. the result indicated the worksheet influenced the learning outcomes of the learners. the sig (2-tailed) value of the test indicated the result accepted ha. thus, the electronic worksheet based on differentiated learning was effective to improve the learning outcomes of the learners based on the pretestposttest increment. the developed worksheet responded to the regulation change of learner admission, from academic-based admission into cognitivenoncognitive-based admissions. this worksheet used the content and product differentiations and used the wizer.me application. the development of the worksheet adhered to the merdeka curriculum implementation. the learning objectives at the d-phase consisted of four elements, starting from listening, reading and watching, speaking and presenting, and writing. the developed worksheet consisted of 1) a preface, 2) a table of content, 3) a worksheet based on the learning objective, exercise, and task, and 4) a bibliography. this worksheet applied wizer.me an application to create a worksheet based on the learning objectives. this worksheet also provided teaching materials in the form of texts, videos, links, tasks, and exercises for the learners to work online. the stages of developing the worksheet began with analyzing the learners’ necessities. the analyses were not limited to the material understanding but also non-cognitive matters, such as the learners' background. these analyses were useful to map the learners for further differentiated learning. from the analyses, the researchers designed the worksheet by analyzing the learning objectives. then, the researchers designed the worksheet with the canva application to create a prototype with wizer.me implementation. the design was in soft file and online file to be validated. the experts' recommendations were claiming that the developed product was valid and could be tested although it had minor revisions. the small group test of the developed worksheet found the developed worksheet very practical and easy to use with some minor recommendations about the internet balance. in the field test, the learners used the results to improve their learning outcomes, understanding, and writing skill. from this step, the developed worksheet had some strong points, such as (1) attractive display, (2) contextual material, (3) exercise based on a cognitive level to find information and reflect the cognition, ease of access for laptop or gadget uses, (5) video-based exercises and tasks or links, (6) various options of submission, and (7) facilitation to submit answers in the forms of audio or video recordings or written text. however, the drawbacks of the developed worksheet were the stable internet connection requirement and internet balance to access the worksheet. learners could also choose the pdf file for further offline meetings. however, in online learning, all learners chose to use wifi to connect with the learning materials. the developed worksheet facilitated the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 871 learners to learn in the classroom. they had options along the presented materials via various media to help the learners reach the learning objectives of descriptive text material (khasanah & alfindra, 2023); uci & susanti, 2023; sanjaya, 2022; susanti, 2023; and sulistyosari et al., 2022). the results showed that the implementation of differentiated learning in the class could facilitate the learners in the learning process. the developed worksheet was also friendly and joyful. the applied wizer.me application could facilitate the learners to be interactive (subagja (2023); musthafa et al. (2023); simanjuntak et al. (2022); rahmadani & putri (2021). in this research, the researchers also found learners with difficulties accessing the instrument so they needed a soft copy as the solution. conclusion the results of the learners’ necessity analyses of the learners at public jhs 54 palembang were varied. thus, the researchers had to map the varieties based on the interest, learning readiness, and learning profile, starting from the address, economic condition, learning style, socio-culture, and many more. the observation and interview of the teachers found that the implementation of worksheets was only based on the textbook published by commercial publishers. the implementation of the merdeka curriculum was also limited because the teachers had no ideas to formulate the learning objectives in the d phase. the teachers also could not adjust the learning based on differentiation. the electronic worksheet development for descriptive text was based on differentiated learning by applying wizer.me. this matter was useful to make learning interactive with the implementation of technological instruments. the developed worksheet was valid after being examined by three experts. the validation dealt with material, media, and language aspects. all experts claimed the electronic worksheet was valid and ready for further tests with the learners. the small group evaluation of the developed product found the worksheet practical. the worksheet had interesting displays because the worksheet used wizer.me application to interact online. thus, the learners could submit the assignments based on their skills. the field test also showed the influence of the electronic worksheet for descriptive text material with the differentiated learning and wiser.me application. thus, the worksheet applied to learners' learning material at public jhs 54 palembang. references andrade, h., & heritage, m. (2018). using assessment to enhance learning, achievement, and academic self-regulation. arain, s. a., afsar, n. a., rohra, d. k., & zafar, m. (2019). learning clinical skills through audiovisual aids embedded in electronic-pbl sessions in undergraduate medical curriculum: perception and performance. adv physiol educ, 43(3), 378–382. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00075.2019 alfiah. (2022). wizer.me tingkatkan hasil belajar pai di masa pandemi. tribun jateng. amanda. (2022). integratif diferensiasi penerapan membaca. jpdk, 4(1). babadjanova, n. (2020). effective classroom management techniques for curriculum of 21st century. science and education scientific journal, 1(7), 281–285. borg, w. r. and gall, m. d. (1983). education research: an introduction. longman, inc. diani, d. r. (2020). pengembangan lembar kerja peserta didik berbasis aplikasi android menulis cerpen untuk siswa kelas xi sma negeri 17 palembang [tesis, palembang]. fkip unsri. harsiati, t., trianto, a., kosasih, e. (2017). bahasa indonesia smp / mts kelas vii. pusat kurikulum dan perbukuan, balitbang, kemendikbud. herwina, w. (2021). optimalisasi kebutuhan siswa dan hasil belajar dengan pembelajaran berdiferensiasi. jurnal perspektif ilmu pendidikan, 32(2), 175-182. handayani, l. (2021). pengembangan model supervisi akademik berbasis rekan sejawat di smp negeri se-kecamatan bae kabupaten kudus. universitas muria kudus. lindstrom, n. (2021). three testimonial narrative: whose text? (pp. 70–91). university of texas press. https://doi.org/doi:10.7560/746985-005 keputusan kepala badan standar, kurikulum, dan asesmen pendidikan, kebudayaan, riset dan teknologi nomor 008/h/kr/2022 tentang capain pembelajaran pada pendidikan anak usia dini, jenjang pendidikan dasar, dan menengah pada kurikulum merdeka dalam www.kemdikbud.go.id. khasanah, i., & alfiandra, a. (2023). implementasi pembelajaran berdiferensiasi dalam upaya meningkatkan motivasi belajar kelas ix di smpn 33 palembang. jurnal pendidikan dan konseling (jpdk); 5(1). 10.31004/jpdk.v5i1. kosasih., & kurniawan, e. (2018). jenis-jenis teks. bandung. kusuma, y. w., dewi, o., & lutfah, s. (2020). pendidikan guru penggerak: paket modul 2, praktik pembelajaran yang berpihak pada murid. dirjen gtk, kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan dian eka sari, mulyadi eko purnomo, & sri indrawati enchancing descriptive material learning at public junior high school through differeftiated learning and wizer.me e-worksheet 872 marlina. (2019). panduan pelaksanaan model pembelajaran berdiferensiasi di sekolah inklusif. madondo, f. (2021). perceptions on curriculum implementation: a case for rural zimbabwean early childhood development teachers as agents of change. journal of research in childhood education, 35(3), 399–416. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2020.1731024 mursyida, i. t., faridi, a., & suwandi. (2020). english teachers’ perception and implementation of authentic assessment for speaking based on 2013 curriculum. english education journal, 10(3), 273–281. musthafa, a., hamdani, a. s., & soraya, i. (2023). development of pai learning devices using the stad-type cooperative model based on the wizer.me application to improve student confidence. al-iltizam: jurnal pendidikan agama islam, 8(1) 2614-3860 nasution, e. a. (2021). developing digital worksheet by using wizer.me for teaching listening skill to the tenth grade students in smk negeri 7 medan. jurnal unimed. peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia (permendikbud ri) nomor 1 tahun 2021 tentang penerimaan peserta didik baru pada taman kanak-kanak, sekolah dasar, sekolah menengah pertama, sekolah menengah atas, dan sekolah menengah kejuruan prastowo, a. (2012). panduan kreatif membuat bahan ajar inovatif: menciptakan metode pembelajaran yang menarik dan menyenangkan. diva press. pratiwi., sunarti., & fuad. (2019). pengembangan lkpd menulis cerita fantasi dengan project based learning untuk siswa smp. j simbol (bahasa, sastra, dan pembelajarannya), 7(2), 1—11. rafael, s. p. (2020). pendidikan guru penggerak: modul 1.1 refleksi filosofis nasional ki hadjar dewantara. dirjen gtk kemdikbud. rosidah, a., sanusi, a., rahayu, s., wartini, a., fajriati, r., & wiresti, r. di. (2022). konsep dasar pendidikan anak usia dini (paud). tahta media group. sanjaya, p. a. (2022). pengembangan pembelajaran sejarah berdiferensiasi menggunakan e-module berbasis book creator. prodiksema, 1(1), 53-62. saparini, s., wiyono, k., & ismet, i. (2016). inkuiri untuk melaksanakan praktikum secara virtual. berkala ilmiah pendidikan fisika, 6(1), 1–17. saputra, m. a., & marlina. (2020). efektivitas strategi pembelajaran berdiferensiasi untuk meningkatkan konsentrasi belajar anak berkesulitan belajar. jurnal pakar pendidikan, 18(2), 94—104. simbolon, d. e. s. (2021). pengembangan lkpd menulis naskah drama dengan pendekatan saintifik berbasis aplikasi moodle pada peserta didik kelas viii smp negeri 17 palembang. fkip unsri. sopianti, d. (2023). implementasi pembelajaran berdiferensiasi pada mata pelajaran seni budaya kelas xi d di sman 5 garut. kanayagan journal of music education, 1(1), 1 8.  subagja, l. b. (2023). pengaruh model pembelajaran problem based learning (pbl) berbantuan aplikasi berbasis website wordwall.net dan elkpd wizer.me terhadap motivasi belajar siswa. postulat : jurnal inovasi pendidikan matematika, 3(2), 2723-2732. subarna, r. (2021). bahasa indonesia smp kelas vii. pusat kurikulum dan perbukuan, badan penelitian dan pengembangan dan perbukuan, kementerian pendidikan, kebudayaan, riset, dan teknologi. sugiyono. (2014). metode penelitian pendidikan: pendekatan kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r&d. alfabeta. sulistyosari, y., karwur, h. m., & sultan, h. (2022). penerapan pembelajaran ips berdiferensiasi pada kurikulum merdeka belajar. harmony: jurnal pembelajaran ips dan pkn, 7(2), 66 75  susiyanto, d. (2020). merancang lembar kerja siswa interaktif menggunakan wizer.me. ahli media pres. tessmer, m. (1998.) planning and conducting formative evaluation. kogan page. tomlinson, c. a. (2015). the differentiated classsroom: responden to the need of alls learners. ascd. tomlinson, c.a. (2000). differentiation of instruction in the elementary grades. eric clearing house on elementary and early childhood education. uci, m., & susanti, r. (2023). penerapan model problem based leaning berbasis berdiferensiasi berdasarakan gaya belajar peserta didik pada pelajaran biologi. ideguru, 8(2). udiyani, i. p. a. (2017). pengaruh metode sugesti imajinasi dengan media foto terhadap keterampilan menulis teks deskripsi ditinjau dari minat menulis siswa kelas vii smp negeri 12 denpasar. jurnal ilmiah pendidikan dan pembelajaran pps universitas pendidikan ganesha, 1, 78—89. wiyono, k. (2015). pengembangan model pembelajaran fisika berbasis ict pada implementasi kurikulum 2013. jurnal inovasi dan pembelajaran fisika, 2(2), 123–131. widyastuti, a. (2022). implementasi project-based learning pada kurikulum 2022 prototipe merdeka belajar. elex media komputindo. wu, y. j., & chen, j.-c. (2021). stimulating innovation with an innovative curriculum: a curriculum design for a course on new product development. the international journal of management education, 19(3), 100561. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 567 enhancing esp teaching for computer and network engineering students through multimedia fatimatul latifah master of english education, directorate of postgraduate programs, universitas muhammadiyah malang, malang, indonesia. email: fatimatulatifah26@gmail.com sri hartiningsih master of english education, directorate of postgraduate programs, universitas muhammadiyah malang, malang, indonesia. email: hartiningsih@umm.ac.id umi yawisah institut agama islam negeri metro, metro, lampung, indonesia. email: umiyawisah@metrouniv.ac.id fardini sabilah* master of english education, directorate of postgraduate programs, universitas muhammadiyah malang, malang, indonesia. email: fardini@umm.ac.id apa scitation: latifah, f., hartiningsih, s., yawisah, u., & sabilah, f. (2024). enhancing esp teaching for computer and network engineering students through multimedia. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 567-576. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9219 received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 27-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: this article discusses the application of short videos and pictures in teaching esp procedure texts in computer and network engineering majors. this research uses a qualitative method with a case study design to explore the integration of video and pictures in esp teaching, the challenges teachers face in integrating videos and pictures in esp teaching, and how teachers overcome these challenges. the participants of this study consisted of one english teacher in computer and network engineering class who was selected by purposive sampling. the research was conducted at smk mahardika malang and involved english teachers from the computer and network engineering department. data collection methods included observation and interviews with teachers, focusing on the procedures for integrating short videos and pictures, the challenges faced, and solutions to overcome these challenges. the findings reveal that there are several activities in the classroom, namely teacher activities, student activities, and the learning and teaching process. teachers face three challenges. the first is time constraints. to overcome this challenge, teachers must use pictures and short videos wisely and adjust them to the time available in the lesson plan. the second is the mismatch of learning material sources. the solution to this challenge is to use effective multimedia such as the internet and youtube. the third is students' low motivation to learn english and write procedural texts. the solution to this challenge is for teachers to approach students emotionally, consult with their parents, and provide project-based learning strategies using english. this research provides valuable insights for esp education, emphasizing the importance of adapting content to industry needs, addressing motivation issues, and effectively using multimedia elements. keywords: english for specific purpose (esp); short videos and pictures; procedure text. introduction in education, english for specific purposes (esp) continues to develop. teaching english in an academic or professional environment is more demanding than traditional methods (ain et al., 2023; chaovanapricha & chaturongakul, 2020; khalil & kholofelo semono-eke, 2020; saienko et al., 2020; sijino & aristo, 2019; simkova et al., 2021). thus, this is where esp comes in (rohani & suyono, 2021). esp is different from learning english in general (al baekani et al., 2023). the main difference between esp and general english is that esp teaches english to meet students' needs in specific disciplines other than arts and languages (kováčiková, elena, 2020). in other words, students learn english according to their needs for future employment. it means that learning english is according to the major the student takes. fatimatul latifah, sri hartiningsih, umi yawisah, & fardini sabilah enhancing esp teaching for computer and network engineering students through multimedia 568 for example, computer and network engineering students will study english in computers and networks or english according to that field. in esp teaching, learning methods are increasingly sophisticated and advanced. technology and education today provide teachers with teaching facilities with many modern tools (fay & matias, 2019). in other words, with the development of esp, teaching methods have become more advanced. furthermore, as time progresses, teachers must be able to find innovative learning methods and strategies that can help convey information in learning based on current developments. learning trends in the 21st century have suggested the involvement of technology in education, such as using videos (khaliq & nasution, 2019). technology can facilitate the learning process for students and teachers. it can also help increase student interest in the learning process. given the importance of technology in our daily lives, the need for professionals with expertise in computer and network engineering is increasing. therefore, educators are changing their teaching methods to meet these demands and arouse students' interest in esp subjects. using multimedia elements such as videos and pictures can help students understand english learning in computer and network engineering classes more easily. furthermore, aminah et al., (2018) stated that technology, especially videos, can be used as a way for teachers to teach writing to students more tangibly. thus, innovative learning strategies can simplify the learning process. one use of technology in teaching is using videos and pictures. currently, the use of videos in learning is no longer strange. using videos in education makes it easier for teachers to convey material more interestingly and effectively (winarto et al., 2020). teachers can provide the learning materials according to students' needs. in addition, implementing videos can help students and teachers discuss topics in class (sari, 2022). integrating video in the classroom involves several stages: needs analyst, course designer, material provider, collaborator, discourse analyst, evaluator, and classroom teacher (woodrow, 2018). furthermore,by integrating multimedia such as videos and pictures in teaching esp, there are several activities, such as teacher activities, student activities, and the teaching and learning process, as well as the preparation of media and materials aminah et al., (2018). teachers play an important role in using videos in the classroom (santos espino et al., 2020). in this case, the teacher is the course designer. before the teacher teaches, the teacher analyzes the needs of students and prepares learning materials relevant to the students' majors. in addition, the teacher also provides feedback during teaching. so, in this case, the teacher is divided into several activities in the classroom. furthermore, teachers consider using videos to improve the teaching and learning process and increase teacher effectiveness in teaching (simoncini et al., 2021). moreover , teachers can use videos to teach students writing in esp classes. esp aims to motivate students to learn english according to their needs (tymbay, 2022). papadima-sophocleous et al., (2019) argue that students need courses to meet specific needs that are intended to meet society's future demands. therefore, students must learn four basic skills in english. four basic skills must be taught: listening, speaking, reading, and writing (azizah ria kusrini & rizki amalia, 2021). all skills students will learn must be adjusted to the student's needs. in other words, learning english depends on the major the student takes. however, students currently need help in writing and creating texts. students also find it challenging to determine the purpose of the text they write apart from providing information to the reader from the contents of the text (işik-taş et al., 2019). in other words, choosing the purpose of the text is a challenge for students. teachers face challenges when teaching esp using multimedia, such as designing the syllabus and the program development process, limited time, lack of esp teacher education and lack of knowledge of the subject matter, lack of a strong theoretical foundation, such as specialized books to support esp teaching, and students' motivation and lack of students' vocabulary (işik-taş et al., 2019). then, a lack of student motivation becomes an obstacle to writing and learning english (nuraini et al., 2023; shahat et al., 2022). thus, delivering video material will help teachers increase students' motivation and interest in writing. in this case, integrating videos and pictures makes it easier for students to understand procedural texts. they can increase understanding and prepare students to face the challenges they will face in the world of work in the future. in addition, the relationship between language skills and the ability to operate computers and networks is closely related. in computers, almost all use english. therefore, students majoring in computer and network engineering are required to master english. however, at smk mahardika english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 569 malang, computer and network engineering students have difficulty understanding procedure texts and how to write procedure texts when explained through written texts such as books. students feel bored during learning, causing low levels of understanding and a lack of motivation in learning. therefore, innovative learning is needed to overcome this problem, such as integrating visual media such as videos and pictures, which can provide a clearer and more interesting explanation of procedure text and make it easier for students to understand the material being taught. using multimedia resources, teachers can bridge the knowledge gap between theory and practice and provide students with highly engaging english teaching and learning about procedural texts in computer and network engineering classes with comprehensive education. therefore, in esp teaching, it is important to deliver appropriate materials through technology, such as videos and movies, to help teachers and students discuss and learn about the culture and improve their communication skills radosavlevikj & hajrullai, (2019). in other words, learning esp, especially in computer and network engineering majors, can utilize existing multimedia, such as videos. in addition, research on using videos to teach english has been carried out in various countries. aminah et al., (2018) explore the benefits of using videos in learning. the study found that most students were interested in watching the video and that it could help them find ideas for writing. moreover, moreno & escobar, (2021) also researched the use of video descriptions in collaborative writing projects for students. this research explores video description tasks within description writing skills. the study found that students were highly motivated to write english and had better results in the final exam. furthermore, radosavlevikj & hajrullai, (2019) also researched the use of videos in stimulating students' critical thinking skills in esp classes. students are very motivated to learn english using videos. the findings of this study revealed that teaching esp using video has good benefits for teachers and students; using appropriate videos makes students more engaged and communicative and makes them more interesting. after reviewing several empirical studies, most studies show that using videos in learning focuses on benefits, projects and increases student motivation. however, limited research focuses on integrating short videos and pictures to teach esp procedural texts in computer and network engineering majors, the challenges in integrating short videos and pictures, and how the teacher solves their challenges. therefore, further research needs to be conducted to identify how to integrate short videos and pictures in teaching procedural texts in esp classes. in addition to exploring how teacher integrate videos and pictures in esp teaching, our research aims to explore what challenges teacher face and how to overcome them. thus, this research explores teacher strategies for teaching esp by teaching procedure texts in class. the results of this research will likely provide insight for other teachers to integrate videos and pictures in teaching esp, know the challenges in integrating video and pictures, overcome the challenges, and improve skills and quality in learning. it will help teachers teach procedural texts and make conveying complex procedure text information in english easier. therefore, this research was conducted to further analysis by formulating the following questions: (1.) what is the procedure for integrating videos and pictures in teaching procedure text in esp class? (2.) what are the challenges in integrating videos and pictures in teaching esp? (3.) how does the teacher solve their challenges integrating videos and pictures in esp? method this research method was designed to explore the integration of short videos and pictures in learning esp procedural texts for computer and network engineering students at smk mahardika, malang. this research used a qualitative research method with a case study design. a qualitative case study approach is very suitable for this research because it allows researchers to explore and deeply understand the uniqueness and complexity of integrating video and images in teaching procedural texts in the computer and network engineering department at smk mahardika, malang. furthermore, this research was conducted at a vocational high school, smk mahardika malang, in east java, indonesia. the primary respondent was an english teacher in computer and network engineering. participants in this research are class a students. the researcher selected this teacher purposively using purposive sampling techniques. the researcher chose the teacher based on the criteria. so, the teacher was chosen because of the following criteria: first, the teacher is selected based on teaching experience, who has implemented videos and pictures to teach procedural texts in esp classes. fatimatul latifah, sri hartiningsih, umi yawisah, & fardini sabilah enhancing esp teaching for computer and network engineering students through multimedia 570 second, the researcher chose a teacher who had been teaching for approximately three years. this research took place in december 2023. the instruments used for data collection were observation and interviews with teacher. observation and interview instruments were used to explore teacher information on integrating videos and pictures in learning text procedures, focusing on methods or techniques, the type of content used, and the extent to which the content is related to esp material. it also explores the challenges teacher face when integrating videos and pictures in learning text procedures and how teacher overcome these problems. furthermore, the data collection procedure begins with the pre-research stage, which includes identifying respondents and preparing observation and interview instruments. observations were made during multimedia learning, such as videos and pictures in teaching text procedures. interviews with teacher were conducted after several learning sessions. the collected data was then analyzed carefully to gain a holistic and indepth understanding of integrating videos and pictures in learning esp text procedures for computer and network engineering students at smk mahardika, malang. the data analysis process is divided into three steps: data condensation, data display, and drawing and verifying conclusions (miles et al., 2014). the first step is data condensation. in this step, researchers collect data from interviews and observation results. the researcher wrote the results of the interview into a transcript. furthermore, the researcher categorized the interview results on how teacher integrated videos and pictures in learning text procedures, what challenges teacher faced when integrating videos and pictures in learning text procedures, and how teacher overcame these problems. in the second step, namely data display, the researcher summarizes the general results of the interview and classifies them into themes and sub-themes. in the third step, namely drawing and verifying conclusions, the researcher makes conclusions from data interpretation. in this case, the researcher selects, identifies, and focuses the data by referring to the research problem formulation. the researcher concludes that the data is displayed. results and discussion use of videos and pictures in teaching writing procedural texts in esp classes based on the observation result regarding the use of videos and pictures in teaching writing procedural texts, there are several activities in the classroom. table 1 revealed the activities of teacher and student, the learning and teaching processes, and the materials and media used. table 1. activities in the classroom categor y student activity teacher activity learning and teaching process preparat ion review previous lesson prepare lesson plans preteaching activities (prepare learning media) classroo m activitie s participate in discussions (answer the teacher questions) facilitate discussions viewing activities (play the video) assign ment and feedbac k writing procedure text instructs students to discuss and form a group to create procedure text. the final stage (giving feedback) teacher activity during the lesson, the teacher has prepared learning materials. the first thing the teacher does is introduce the learning topic to students. therefore, the teacher stimulates the students by randomly displaying pictures of the procedural text and words that match the pictures. then, the teacher instructs students to choose words that match the pictures. the next step is for the teacher to provide video examples of procedural texts, such as installing windows, repairing a printer, and maintaining computer hardware. next, students are asked to find verbs in the video. moreover, the teacher explains the procedure text, such as the nature of the procedure text, its generic structure, and the characteristics of the language used. during learning, the teacher always motivates students to ask questions about the material that has been provided. after the teacher plays the video and explains, the teacher instructs students to discuss with other students and asks the group to create a procedural text. furthermore, the teacher asked each group to present it in front of the class. during the learning process, the teacher always provides feedback to students and helps students when writing procedural texts. student activity in this section, before learning, students remember the previous lesson. students answer the teacher's english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 571 questions during learning, but not all of them. when the teacher explains, students listen carefully to the teacher's explanation. students are active during learning. however, when writing descriptive text, students still need help in composing the text. most of the students' difficulties lie in grammar and vocabulary. learning and teaching process the learning and teaching process consists of several stages. these stages are pre-teaching, watching activities, and after-watching. first, in pre-teaching activities, the teacher prepares learning media. the teacher chooses media that makes it easier for students to understand learning material. the media is in the form of short videos and pictures. the video is tailored to the student's ability to understand it. second, namely, viewing activities. after the teacher introduces the material and provides pictures, the teacher plays the video and repeats it several times until the students understand the content of the video. during viewing activities, the teacher and students also discuss using vocabulary and visualization, such as using tools and materials in the video. furthermore, in the final stage, after watching, the teacher asks what difficulties were in understanding the video, such as new vocabulary or using grammar in sentences. furthermore, the teacher provides feedback, such as answering students' questions and providing re-explanations using vocabulary that is easy to understand. after watching, students are also asked to discuss creating a procedure text with their friends. material the material used by teacher when teaching is appropriate to the computer and network engineering department, such as installing windows and repairing the printer. based on the department, mahardika malang vocational school teachers use the material to create their teaching modules. schools and teachers align the curriculum with current industry needs. in this way, it becomes easier for students to understand and suit the needs of future work. media the findings of this research indicate that the teacher at smk malang have successfully integrated short videos and pictures effectively in teaching esp procedural texts. they organize multimedia content that supports procedural texts clearly and provide visual illustrations to clarify student understanding. the use of this technology not only increases student engagement but also creates a more engaging learning experience. thus, short videos and pictures attract students' attention more in the learning process. challenges teacher face when integrating videos and pictures in teaching procedure texts in esp classes. based on the results of interviews, the teacher has several challenges in integrating videos and images in teaching procedural texts in the computer and network engineering department. figure 1 presents the teacher challenges when integrating videos and pictures in teaching procedural texts in computer and network engineering. this information can be divided into three challenging aspects: limited time, incompatibility of learning material sources, and lack of student motivation. the biggest challenge faced by the teacher is the incompatibility of learning materials. the teacher mentioned that many english books use general english, and there are still a few english books that are made specifically for computer and network engineering majors. figure 1. teacher challenges the challenges faced by teacher related to integrating short videos and pictures are limited time. as the results of the interview expressed by the teacher: "the problem is that when teaching, there isn't enough time to play videos and give assignments to students, mbak." (t) the next challenge is the incompatibility of learning material sources. the following is the limited time incompatibility of learning material sources lack students motivation fatimatul latifah, sri hartiningsih, umi yawisah, & fardini sabilah enhancing esp teaching for computer and network engineering students through multimedia 572 teacher's explanation of the source of learning material from the interview results: "currently, many english books at the vocational school level use english for the general public, mbak. i am trying to find english books specifically for computer and network engineering but there are still few. due to the lack of book sources that provide procedural text material in the computer and networking department, i have to create my video material content, mbak, and edit it for quite a long time. sometimes i also have limitations in finding suitable english language material." (t) the next challenge is the lack of student motivation to learn english and write procedural texts. from the results of the interview, the teacher revealed: "students sometimes seem lazy in class when it comes to learning english, especially when writing procedure texts, mbak. students still lack a lot of english vocabulary." therefore, i also need help adapting video and image content to students' needs and finding relevant material.” (t) solutions to overcome challenges in integrating short videos and pictures in teaching procedural texts in esp classes the teacher overcomes time constraints by planning the use of short videos and pictures wisely and adjusting them to the time available in the lesson plan. in addition, teacher always check and ensure that the integrated content not only supports learning objectives but is also by the curriculum. furthermore, teacher also try to develop several shared teaching materials that can be accessed by esp teacher widely to facilitate the search for relevant materials and make it more time efficient. "even though i have little time, i try to use my time wisely, sis, and choose the focus of the video according to material that is short but easy to understand. moreover, i also always ensure that the content is by the learning objectives and curriculum used at this school. furthermore, we teacher also develop materials for teaching together." (t) moreover, to overcome the incompatibility of learning material sources, by using effective multimedia. the teacher used other learning sources such as the internet and youtube. furthermore, teacher also integrate real-life examples through multimedia, such as videos, which will make the material more interesting and increase student understanding. "about a week before teaching, i first looked for video examples of the material i was teaching on youtube, mbak. furthermore, i uploaded some materials i made on the internet so that students can easily access them." (t) the following solution to students' lack of motivation is to ask parents about students' activities at home. moreover, the teacher also builds emotional closeness with students. furthermore, the teacher provides games in class so students do not get bored and increase their motivation to learn. furthermore, project-based learning strategies are also a solution. students work on a project that uses english language skills in a real-life context appropriate to their major. "during learning, i try to motivate students by providing games to build students' motivation to study so they do not get bored. i also call the parents of students who seem lazy about studying to find out whether the students at home are having problems or not. in class, i also give assignments to students to work on projects, such as making videos in english and uploading them to youtube mbak. for example, a tutorial on installing windows but using english" (t) based on observations and interviews, researchers identified several activities when implementing videos and pictures in teaching procedural texts in esp classes. these are the activities of teacher and students, the learning and teaching processes, and the materials and media used. this activity is very effective in learning and provides interesting learning. students seem more focused during learning. furthermore, the teacher has prepared material that is quite interesting and easy to understand. in learning, the teacher also applies some appropriate learning activities and materials. this finding aligns with research conducted by aminah et al., (2018), which stated that there are several activities, such as teacher activities, student activities, the teaching and learning process, and the preparation of media and materials. however, the teacher also needs to prepare and master the material thoroughly. the challenge teacher face when teaching is that there currently needs to be more teaching materials, such as books and esp materials, that suit the needs of students in vocational schools. so, when working later, the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 573 teacher must look for other sources on the internet or youtube and adapt them to the material, curriculum, and students' needs. meanwhile, limited time when teaching is a challenge faced by teacher because when teaching, teacher use short videos and pictures. when teaching, the teacher must also provide explanations and question-and-answer sessions. as well as giving assignments to students. so, the use of time is limited. a study by (shah et al., 2020) supports these findings. this research reveals that teacher have limited time to implement ict when they teach. moreover, the teacher also has tight work schedules. furthermore, the teacher must adapt the content to esp learning materials. most english books for vocational schools are the same as those for high schools, namely general english books. so, the teacher must search for and adapt video and image content to students' needs and find complete material relevant to students' needs for their upcoming work. in this case, previous research clouded these findings. sukarni, (2020) revealed that students felt there was a lack of target needs for textbooks for vocational schools. students expect textbooks that contain language aspects such as vocabulary, grammar, and material appropriate to the esp major. furthermore, the teacher has some solutions for overcoming the teacher's challenges when teaching procedural texts in esp classes. the solution to the limited time challenge is for teacher to use time wisely during learning. the teacher also develops shared teaching materials that esp teacher can access easily, making finding appropriate material easier and more effective. moreover, related to the challenges the teacher faces in the incompatibility of learning material sources, in this case, the teacher tries to look for other sources apart from textbooks, such as on the internet and youtube. the teacher also integrated real-life examples through multimedia such as videos; teacher create their learning materials according to students' majors, making the material more attractive and increasing students' understanding. this finding is by research from (al baekani et al., 2023) which revealed that watching learning videos on youtube will help teachers find ideas and materials. furthermore, to overcome the problem of students' lack of motivation, teacher take an emotional approach to students to dig up information and provide encouragement to students, as well as consulting with their parents. next, the teacher offers project-based learning strategies, such as students making videos and uploading them to youtube after learning, using english language skills appropriate to their major. moreover, the challenges found align with previous research by (işik-taş et al., 2019), which revealed the challenges teacher face when teaching esp using multimedia, such as designing the syllabus and the program development process. limited time. lack of esp teacher education and lack of knowledge of the subject matter. lack of a solid theoretical foundation, such as specialized books to support esp teaching. students' motivation and lack of vocabulary. however, this research also has limitations. this research has yet to fully explain holistically how videos and images influence various aspects of student learning. furthermore, limitations of this study include the limited sample of video and short integration in engineering and networking majors, as well as the challenges teacher face and the ways teacher overcome these challenges, which limit the generalizability of the results for this study. conclusion in conclusion, this research shows that applying short videos and images for teaching procedural texts in esp classes to computer and network engineering students at smk mahardika malang has proven effective. the use of multimedia makes learning more interesting and helps students understand the material better. even though there are challenges such as time constraints, incompatibility of learning material sources and student motivation, the teacher can overcome them with various creative solutions. however, this research has limitations. the research sample is limited to one class at a particular institution, narrowing the generalization scope. this research focuses on writing skills, ignoring other aspects of english proficiency, such as speaking, listening, and reading. however, the implications of this research are enormous. multimedia can help teachers teach more effectively, foster a high interest in learning and be more actively involved. multimedia can be applied more widely to increase student motivation and engagement and prepare them for future jobs in their major. the hope is that this can be included in the broader curriculum in various educational environments in line with the teaching of descriptive texts. further research is needed to address limitations and expand the scope of this study. acknowledgement fatimatul latifah, sri hartiningsih, umi yawisah, & fardini sabilah enhancing esp teaching for computer and network engineering students through multimedia 574 alhamdulillaahirobbil'alamin. praise be to the presence of allah swt for the abundance of his mercy and grace so that the author can complete this research with the title: enhancing esp teaching for computer and network engineering students through multimedia. i convey my appreciation and thanks to ma’am fardini sabilah, ma’am sri hartiningsihin, and ma’am umi yawisah in terms of beneficial ideas. do not forget the parents in lampung for their prayers and support. may allah swt always bestow grace, health, bounty, and blessings in this world and the hereafter for the goodness given to the author. references ain, r. q., nawir, a., andi, m., ardiana, & suwarni. (2023). pictionary game: its effect to upgrade esp students’ vocabulary mastery at smk negeri 2 pangkep. eltin journal: journal of english language teaching in indonesia, 11(1). https://doi.org/https://ejournal.stkipsiliwangi.ac.i d/index.php/eltin/article/view/3485 al baekani, a. k., hapsari, n., & muslihat, a. (2023). engaging students in a flipped classroom instruction: teaching english for specific purpose (esp) in higher education. english review: journ al of english education, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.7845 aminah, s., sunan, u., & surabaya, a. (2018). the use of video in teaching writing on procedure text. nobel: journal of literature and language teaching, 9(2). azizah ria kusrini, n., & rizki amalia, e. (2021). the influence of integration of four skills to the performance of undergraduate students on toefl sample test. scholastica: jurnal pendidikan dan kebudayaan, 3(1), 61–74. chaovanapricha, k., & chaturongakul, p. (2020). interdisciplinary teacher collaboration in english for specific purposes subjects in a thai university. english language teaching, 13(5), 139. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v13n5p 139 fay, a. d. a., & matias, j. (2019). teaching english through youtube: grammar video analysis of three brazilian youtube channels dedicated to efl teaching. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2351 fu, m., & li, s. (2022). the effects of immediate and delayed corrective feedback on l2 development. studies in second language acquisition, 44(1), 2–34. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263120000388 işik-taş, e. e., kenny, n., & jian, h. (2019). english for specific purposes instruction and research: current practices, challenges and innovations. in english for specific purposes instruction and research: current practices, challenges and innovations. springer international publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32914-3 aminah, s., sunan, u., & surabaya, a. (2018). the use of video in teaching writing on procedure text. nobel: journal of literature and language teaching, 9(2). khalil, l., & kholofelo semono-eke, b. (2020). appropriate teaching methods for general english and english for specific purposes from teachers’ perspectives. arab world english journal, 11(1), 253–269. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol1 1no1.19 khaliq, a., & nasution, r. (2019). youtube as a media in english language teaching (elt) context: teaching procedure text. journal unilak, 1(1). kováčiková, e. (2020). english for specific purposes in higher education through content and language integrated learning. miles, m. b., huberman, a. m., & saldaña, j. (2014). qualitative data analysis_ a methods sourcebook (h. salmon, k. perry, & k. koscielak, eds.; third). sage publications. moreno, a. i., & escobar, m. á. (2021). on the use of video description in an online collaborative writing project with esp learners of tourism studies. language teaching research quarterly, 23, 46–63. https://doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2021.23.05 nuraini, s. a., sudiran, s., & hartono, h. (2023). enhancing speaking skills of non-english major students: evaluating the impact of sociodramatic games. veles (voices of english language education society), 7(3), 765–774. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v7i3.24461 papadima-sophocleous, s. , kakoulli constantinou, e., & giannikas, c. n. (2019). esp teaching and teacher education: current theories and practices. esp teaching and teacher education: current theories and practices. radosavlevikj, n., & hajrullai, h. (2019). using video presentations in esp classes (a study conducted at the language centre-skopje, seeu). seeu review, 14(1), 178–195. https://doi.org/10.2478/seeur-2019-0010 rohani, s., & suyono, a. (2021). developing an android based bilingual e-glossary application of english for specific purposes (esp). english language teaching educational journal, 4(3), 225–234. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v4i3 .5209 saienko, n., semyda, o., & akhmad, i. (2020). using social networks in teaching esp to engineering students. advanced education, 7(14), 38–45. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.20535/24108286.198083 santos espino, j. m., afonso suárez, m. d., & gonzález-henríquez, j. j. (2020). video for https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.7845 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32914-3 https://doi.org/10.2478/seeur-2019-0010 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v4i3.5209 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v4i3.5209 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.20535/2410-8286.198083 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.20535/2410-8286.198083 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 575 teaching: classroom use, instructor selfproduction and teachers’ preferences in presentation format. technology, pedagogy and education, 29(2), 147–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939x.2020.1726805 sari, l. i. (2022). teaching online esp during covid-19 pandemic: students’ voices. english review: journal of english education. shah, u., khan, s. h., & reynolds, m. (2020). insights into variation in teachers’ pedagogical relationship with ict: a phenomenographic exploration in the pakistani higher education context. technology, pedagogy and education, 29(5), 541–555. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939x.2020.1810751 shahat, m. a., ohle-peters, a., & ambusaidi, a. (2022). teaching with texts and pictures in science classes: teachers’ attitudes and motivational orientations at different school levels. journal of science teacher education, 33(1), 107–123. https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560x.2021.1909231 sijino, s., & aristo, t. j. v. (2019). an analysis of students’ errorneous sentence found in descriptive text written by students in sintang. veles voices of english language education society, 3(2), 118. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v3i 2.1560 simkova, i., bondarenko, o., & bielovetska, l. (2021). web-based applications to develop students’ creativity in english for specific purposes. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 10(2), 684–692. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v10i 2.21248 simoncini, k., pamphilon, b., & smith, h. (2021). learning from teachers like us: using video to move beyond ‘secret knowledge’ in papua new guinea elementary teacher professional development. teachers and teaching: theory and practice, 27(1–4), 48–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2021.1920908 sukarni, s. (2020). understanding learners need of esp for accountancy program at vocational school. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 109. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2002 tymbay, a. (2022). balancing authentic content and “hot topic” discussions in an esp classroom. esp today, 10(2), 310–328. https://doi.org/10.18485/esptoday.2022.10.2.6 winarto, w., syahid, a., & saguni, f. (2020). effectiveness the use of audio-visual media in teaching islamic religious education. international journal of contemporary islamic education, 2(1), 81–107. https://doi.org/10.24239/ijcied.vol2.iss1.14 woodrow, lindy. (2018). introducing course design in english for specific purposes. routlede publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939x.2020.1810751 https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560x.2021.1909231 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.29408/veles.v3i2.1560 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.29408/veles.v3i2.1560 https://doi.org/10.18485/esptoday.2022.10.2.6 fatimatul latifah, sri hartiningsih, umi yawisah, & fardini sabilah enhancing esp teaching for computer and network engineering students through multimedia 576 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 883 interactive metadiscourse markers in indonesian efl students’ academic writing arsen nahum pasaribu english department, faculty of language and arts, universitas hkbp nommensen, medan, indonesia email: arsen.pasaribu@uhn.ac.id tiara k. pasaribu english department, faculty of language and arts, universitas hkbp nommensen, medan, indonesia email: tiarakristina28@gmail.com erika sinambela english department, faculty of language and arts, universitas hkbp nommensen, medan, indonesia email: erika.sinambela@uhn.ac.id vitri rosalina manullang english department, faculty of language and arts, universitas hkbp nommensen, medan, indonesia email: vitri.simanullang@student.uhn.ac.id apa citation: pasaribu, a. n., pasaribu, t. k., sinambela, e., & manullang, v. r. (2022). interactive metadiscourse markers in indonesian efl students’ academic writing. english review: journal of english education, 883-890. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6817 received: 19-06-2022 accepted: 21-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction one of the most crucial language skills for efl students to develop is writing (pasaribu, 2022). the students are required to produce a piece of writing that is well-structured and to hone their writing abilities. however, according to the majority of efl students, writing is a difficult skill to master (alkhodari & habil, 2021). it calls for not only a solid command of vocabulary and syntax but also the capacity to structure writing effectively in accordance with the genre. additionally, high levels of motivation and interest can help students write more effectively. there are certain factors that may be used to judge a student's writing quality. the usage of metadiscourse is one criterion for writing quality. according to hyland (2017), metadiscourse is the method that authors or speakers communicate with readers or listeners through language. the author's stance in his writing, how he communicates his thoughts to the reader, and how he interacts with the reader through his writing are abstract: the research on metadiscourse markers investigation in academic texts has grown very rapidly in the last decade. however, research on interactive metadiscourse markers on efl students' academic writing is still relatively underexplored. therefore, this study aims to reveal how the competence of efl students in the use of interactive metadiscourse in academic writing by comparing two groups of students with different grades, third-semester students and fifth-semester students. the research design is a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. a total of 40 students were participating in this research and divided into two groups. each group consists of 20 students. they were assigned to write a minimum-250-word essay about the importance of english mastery in the disrupted era of 4.0. around 818 interactive markers were identified in the student’s essay texts. the results reveal that the use of interactive discourse markers in the students' writing was considered still low in quantity. the transition markers were the most dominant found in the text, followed by frame markers, code gloss, endophoric markers, and evidential respectively. moreover, the students in the fifth semester perform slightly better than their third-semester counterparts at using the interactive metadiscourse markers. however, most of the students in both groups still encountered difficulties to employ the interactive markers in their writing. the lack of practice and the student's native language practice might have contributed to the low quality of the student's writing. keywords: academic writing; discourse analysis; efl students; essay; interactive metadiscourse; writing competence. mailto:arsen.pasaribu@uhn.ac.id mailto:arsen.pasaribu@uhn.ac.id arsen nahum pasaribu, tiara k. pasaribu, erika sinambela, & vitri rosalina manullang interactive metadiscourse markers in indonesian efl students’ academic writing 884 all conveyed through the usage of metadiscourse (bal-gezegin & baş, 2020). metadiscourse is the current term used in discourse analysis. according to hyland's (2017) research on the topic of metadiscourse has shown a significant increase in the past decade. in the google scholar search engine found 30,200 hits. this figure shows how metadiscourse is a topic that is often discussed in discourse analysis. its appeal among researchers and academics who study speech analysis has been demonstrated in few scholarly works (nugrahani & bram, 2020; liu & buckingham, 2018; albalat-mascarell & carrió-pastor, 2019; mirzaeian, 2020; farahani & kazemian, 2021) several metadiscourse analysts were interested in published scientific articles or those who were interested in investigating metadiscourse in academic publications (jalilifar et al., 2018; carrio-pastor, 2019; almudhaffari et al., 2019). some scholars (alkhodari & habil, 2021; kuswoyo & siregar, 2019; zhang et al., 2017) have focused on the analysis of metadiscourse in spoken discourse, as well as on less significant issues like the use of metadiscourse in online advertisements (alsubhi, 2022), interactional metadiscourse based on gender (suhono & haikal, 2018), and english instruction manuals (herriman, 2022). however, the study of metadiscourse markers in academic writing has also seen the fastest growth (alqahtani & abdelhalim, 2020; lotfi et al., 2019; qin & uccelli, 2019; ho & li, 2018; mohamed & rashid, 2017; pasaribu, 2017; duruk, 2017; castillo-hajan et al., 2019; bax et al., 2019; zhang, 2018; hayisama et al., 2019; yoon & römer, 2020) additionally, a review of the research on the study of metadiscourse producers in academic writing is attempted to identify any gaps in the literature. the interesting topic in academic writing was exposed by alqahtani & abdelhalim (2020). they attempted to explore the gender differences in using interactive metadiscourse in academic writing. this study indicated the obvious difference between male and female in interactive metadiscouse application. the female students performed better than their counterparts. duruk (2017) then investigated the use of metadiscourse markers in turkish researchers' academic writings using corpus-based research. to determine the frequency of occurrence of interpersonal metadiscourse indicators, 20 dissertations produced by turkish scholars were investigated. according to the findings of this study, 'hedges,' 'boosters,' and 'attitude markers' are found in the data analysis, and the metadiscourse markers that emerge the most frequently are attitude markers. while the frequency with which turkish writers employ personal metadiscourse markers varies. similarly, research on the identification of metadiscourse indicators in efl students' academic writing is seen through the lens of gender inequalities (alqahtani & abdelhalim, 2020; pasaribu, 2017). they compared the frequency of metadiscourse markers in essay writing across genders. this study's findings confirm that both male and female efl students prefer interactive metadiscourse markers over interactional metadiscourse markers.research on metadiscourse markers was also conducted by mohamed & rashid (2017) on students' essay writing corpus. this research involved 269 malaysian undergraduate writers to produce an essay writing corpus. the results of this study reveal that undergraduate students use interactive metadiscourse markers more often than interactional metadiscourse markers in their essay writing. ho & li (2018) and lotfi et al. (2019) did research on metadiscourse markers in student essay writing. these two studies seek to learn more about how students employ interpersonal metadiscourse markers in argumentative writing. this study reveals that students continue to struggle with employing metadiscourse to persuade readers in their argumentative compositions. another study on metadiscourse indicators was undertaken by comparing students' academic and colloquial writing (qin & uccelli, 2019). they attempt to investigate the strengths and shortcomings of efl students' use of metadiscourse markers in academic and colloquial writing. this study found no significant difference in the usage of metadiscourse markers by students in the two forms of writing. other interesting applications of metadiscourse were also utilized to uncover issues in the newspapers and publications (farnia & mohammadi, 2018; siddique et al., 2018; anuarsham et al., 2020). these studies exposed the issues of metadiscourse makers in newspaper were complex. other minor research in metadiscourse makers was explored in the high school settings (soysal, 2020) and school textbook (birhan, 2021) based on the findings of the previous studies of metadiscourse markers on academic writing, it can be concluded that metadiscourse research on english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 885 efl students' academic writing, particularly by comparing the abilities of students from different grades in using metadiscourse markers, has received little attention from previous researchers. as a result, this study will attempt to compare the use of metadiscourse markers in academic writing by university students at various grade levels. the term “metadiscourse” can be traced back to zelling haris's time in the 1950s. metadiscourse is used to understand how language is employed and how the author transmits messages to readers in an understandable manner (alqahtani & abdelhalim, 2020). hyland (2017, p. 16) defined metadiscourse as "the commentary on a text made by its makers in the course of speaking and writing." hyland (2017)further categorized metadiscourse analysis into two types: interactional (interactional) metadiscourse and interactive (textual) metadiscourse. the former is concerned with tactics for regulating the writer's personality in the text, while the latter incorporates the reader in the discourse and allows them to contribute and respond to it (hyland, 2017). this group comprises of attitude makers (e.g., i agree, hopefully, rightly), selfmention (e.g., i, the writer), engagement makers (e.g., we, our), hedges (e.g., in my opinion, perhaps, seem, evidently), boosters (e.g., i, the writer), and boosters (e.g., i, the writer) (e.g., absolutely, definitely, clearly, obviously). the latter refers to information discourse arrangement that guides readers to find it coherent and convincing. according to hyland's taxonomy, this group is separated into five categories (hyland, 2017): (1) transitions: it is a set of devices, mostly conjunctions, used to express relations between main clauses (e.g., but, however, therefore, in addition). (2) frame markers: concerned with the discourse acts, sequences, or stages (e.g., finally, in conclusion, the aim is, the purpose is). (3) endophoric markers: refer to the information in other part of the text (e.g., as stated above, as discussed in previous chapter). (4) evidentials: refer to the source of information from other texts (e.g., according to a, b states, (c, 2005)). (5) code glosses: signal the rewording of knowledge regarding the ideational material (e.g., for example, for instance, that is, in other words) in contrast to other researchers' interest in discourse markers, the applications of interactive markers were the primary focus of this study. the study focused on the usage of interactive markers in students' academic writing, particularly the use of interactive markers by university students of various grades. students in higher grades were expected to be better at using interactive makers than their lower grade peers because they had considerably more expertise in academic writing than the lower grade students. as a result, the purpose of this research is to provide solutions to the queries. method this study compares two separate groups of students from various grades to discover the application of interactive metadiscourse markers in efl students' academic writing. this study is a comparative descriptive study. the study used a mixed method approach, which combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies. the former was used for data collection, identification, coding, description, and explanation of the interactive markers. meanwhile, the latter was assigned to deal with data statistical analysis. students from the english department at the university of hkbp nommensen in medan participated in the study. to achieve the research goal, two groups of students from the third and fourth semesters were chosen. twenty students were assigned to each group. both groups were given the task of writing an article titled "the importance of mastering english in the disruptive era 4.0." each student was encouraged to write a minimum of 250 words. in the essay writing, 818 interactive markers were discovered. after that, the data were analyzed by employing hyland's (2017)metadiscourse markers to determine the frequency of interactive markers. the data were processed, grouped, and evaluated to get insight into how university students from various years used interactive markers in their work. the data analysis was also included in the description to enable for the qualitative presentation of the research findings. results and discussion the study sought to uncover the presence of interactive metadiscourse signals in the academic writing of efl students. the comparison of two different year student groups' writing was intended to investigate how the two distinct groups used their understanding of interactive metadiscourse markers in their writings. the data revealed that the two groups of pupils used the interactive markers in slightly different ways. senior students were rated higher for their use of interactive markers and frequency of occurrences. the findings are detailed in the table below. arsen nahum pasaribu, tiara k. pasaribu, erika sinambela, & vitri rosalina manullang interactive metadiscourse markers in indonesian efl students’ academic writing 886 table 1. number of interative markers in students’ academic writing interactive markers group 1 (3rd semester students) group 2 (5th semester students) f % f % transitions 278 68.47 285 69.18 frame markers 52 12.81 48 11.65 endophoric markers 26 6.40 20 4.85 evidentials 8 1.97 12 2.91 code glosses 42 10.35 47 11.41 total 406 100 412 100 the distribution of interactive markers on student writing in both groups is shown in table 1. the use of transition markers was highest in both groups of students, accounting for more than half of the total number of interactive markers in each group. the number of transition markers in the third semester group of students differs slightly from the number in the fifth semester group of students. the second is slightly higher than the first. furthermore, in the second position, the number of interactive markers that are frequently employed by the two groups of students is frame markers, with 52 to 48 occurrences. code glosses come in third, with 42 and 47 instances, respectively. endophoric markers occupy the next sequence, with 26 and 20 occurrences in both groups, respectively. evidential was the least used category of interactive markers by students in both groups, with 8 and 12 occurrences, respectively. in total, 818 interactive markers were realized throughout the literature. around 406 interactive markers are assigned to thirdsemester students, whereas 412 are assigned to fifth-semester students. the table shows that students in the fifth semester used interactive markers more than students in the third semester in the categories of transition, code glosses, and evidentiary markers. third-semester students, on the other hand, used frame markers and endophoric markers more frequently than fifth-semester students. this research implies that university students with higher grades are not necessarily in line with their writing ability. this study demonstrated that efl students still struggled with the use of interactive markers in academic writing (qin & uccelli, 2019). the usage of repetitious similar conjunctions was one of the pupils' major flaws in their writing. for example, the connectors 'and' and 'then' clearly overburdened the entire texts in both groups of students. this issue may bore readers and eventually lead them to incomprehensible content (hyland, 2017). this finding indicates that the number of interactive markers discovered in students' work was not connected to the manifestation of the markers in the text. the employment of frame makers in student writing is also worth discussing. the use of this sort of metadiscourse is deemed to be quite modest, with an average incidence rate of 50 in the papers of the two groups of students. the terms "finally" and "in conclusion" appear frequently in student writing of this type. these two phrases accounted for more than 65% of all frame markers detected in the academic works of both groups of students. for example, the word "finally" is typically used to conclude a series of justifications for the importance of english or the steps of procedures or tactics in studying english. according to the data analysis, students' capacity to employ frame markers in academic writing is still much behind what is expected, particularly in terms of the variety of words, types of frame markers used, and how to use them. the term "for example" is frequently used in code gloss by students in their academic writing. more than half of all code gloss detected in student writing contains this sentence. the fact that pupils frequently utilize the term "for example" in daily communication utilizing indonesian or local languages may have contributed to its high frequency of occurrence (duruk, 2017). in addition, there are extremely few instances of endophoric markers being used in academic writing by students. an average of 20 instances of this kind of metadiscourse can be found. the types of endophoric markers that are most frequently used in student writing include the phrases "as mentioned above" and "as stated above." nearly 90% of the many types of endophoric markers discovered contain this sentence. this discovery is intriguing because it is believed that the students' habit of utilizing this phrase in their work accounts for its high frequency of recurrence. in addition, the lack of student references to this type of endophoric markers is also the reason why students do not use other variations of phrases in this type of interactive metadiscourse. of all types of interactive metadiscourse markers, evidentials are the type that students rarely use in academic writing. this may be due to the type and purpose of writing that does not require students to look for references to strengthen their arguments, such as writing a thesis or scientific article. the use of the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 887 sentences "according to the books i've read" and "according to the english dictionary" appears most often in this type. the use of the former sentence in the students' academic writing shows how students are not able to show the specific reference of the book in question. this will result in the quality of student writing in convincing readers with the arguments they build. from the results of the discussion above, this research has revealed several important findings that need to be highlighted. the use of interactive metadiscourse by efl students in academic writing is still relatively low. in addition, the low competence of students in using interactive markers can be clearly seen in the students' academic writing as they still made some errors in the applications of the interactive markers. the research also confirmed that the students' writing competence especially in employing the interactive markers was influenced by individual determination in practicing. that is to say that the senior students may have little progress in academic writing compared to the junior students who spent much time for writing practice. on the other hand, a teacher needs to find a direct and effective method to improve students' writing skills, especially the use of metadiscourse (bogdanović & mirović, 2018; ho & li, 2018; almudhaffari et al., 2019; yoon & römer, 2020). on the students’ side, the writing practice in using the interactive markers should bring better improvement to the quality of their writings (castillo-hajan et al., 2019). conclusion this study explored how efl students used interactive metadiscourse markers when composing essays. the usage of transitional markers predominated over other interactive markers, which were found to be few in number and used by the students in their writing. additionally, it was clear from comparing students in the fifth and third semesters of their grade levels that the proportion of interactive markers realized in their work varied slightly. lack of experience using metadiscourse markers in academic writing is the root of students' limited capacity to employ interactive metadiscourse in their writing. the influence of students' native language usage in writing or speaking is another issue that is thought to be the root of their limited proficiency in the use of interactive metadiscourse markers. the study's implication is that lecturers who teach academic writing can utilize the study's findings as a guide to discover innovations in the form of effective teaching strategies and methods that can enhance students' writing skills and competencies. in order to boost students' understanding and awareness of the usage of metadiscourse markers in academic writing, introduction and training on this topic also has to be improved. other scholars who are interested in studying metadiscourse markers in other academic texts can use this research as a reference. the number of corpus data and the number of students that participated in the study are still very limited, so it is important to emphasize that this study still has certain flaws. in order to obtain more conclusive conclusions, future study must take into account a larger sample size and data set. acknowledgement we sincerely express our gratitude to lembaga penelitian dan pengabdian masyarakat (lppm) universitas hkbp nommensen for the financial support for the research. references al-subhi, a. s. (2022). metadiscourse in online advertising: exploring linguistic and visual metadiscourse in social media advertisements. journal of pragmatics, 187, 24–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2021.10.027 albalat-mascarell, a., & carrió-pastor, m. l. (2019). self-representation in political campaign talk: a functional metadiscourse approach to selfmentions in televised presidential debates. journal of pragmatics, 147(12), 86–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2019.05.011 alkhodari, f. t., & habil, h. (2021). metadiscourse markers in dr. zakir naik’s persuasive discourse. gema online journal of language studies, 21(4), 342–363. https://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2021-2104-18 almudhaffari, m., hussin, s., & ho, a. i. (2019). interaction in academic l2 writing: an analysis of interactional metadiscourse strategies in applied linguistics research articles. 3l: the southeast asian journal of english language studies, 25(3), 16–32. https://doi.org/http://doi.org/10.17576/3l-20192503-02 alqahtani, s. n., & abdelhalim, s. m. (2020). genderbased study of interactive metadiscourse markers in efl academic writing. theory and practice in language studies, 10(10), 1315–1325. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1010.20 anuarsham, a. h., rahmat, n. h., & khamsah, m. a. n. (2020). metadiscourse analysis of an online entertainment article. european journal of applied linguistics studies, 3(1), 17–29. arsen nahum pasaribu, tiara k. pasaribu, erika sinambela, & vitri rosalina manullang interactive metadiscourse markers in indonesian efl students’ academic writing 888 https://doi.org/10.46827/ejals.v3i1.187 bal-gezegin, b., & baş, m. (2020). metadiscourse in academic writing: a comparison of research articles and book reviews. eurasian journal of applied linguistics, 6(1), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.710204 bax, s., nakatsuhara, f., & waller, d. (2019). researching l2 writers’ use of metadiscourse markers at intermediate and advanced levels. system, 83(3), 1–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.02.010 birhan, a. t. (2021). an exploration of metadiscourse usage in book review articles across three academic disciplines: a contrastive analysis of corpus-based research approach. scientometrics, 126(4), 2885–2902. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-020-03822-w bogdanović, v., & mirović, i. (2018). young researchers writing in esl and the use of metadiscourse: learning the ropes. kuram ve uygulamada egitim bilimleri, 18(4), 813–830. https://doi.org/10.12738/estp.2018.4.0031 carrio-pastor, m. l. (2019). different ways to express personal attitudes in spanish and english engineering papers: an analysis of metadiscourse devices, affective evaluation and sentiment analysis. lodz papers in pragmatics, 15(1), 45–67. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15.1515/lpp2019-004 castillo-hajan, b., hajan, b. h., & marasingan, a. c. (2019). construction of second language writer identity in student persuasive essays: a metadiscourse analysis. asian efl journal research article, 21(3), 36–60. duruk, e. (2017). analysis of metadiscourse markers in academic written discourse produced by turkish researchers. journal of language and linguistic studies, 13(1), 1–9. www.jlls.org farahani, m. v., & kazemian, r. (2021). speakeraudience interaction in spoken political discourse: a contrastive parallel corpus-based study of english-persian translation of metadiscourse features in ted talks. corpus pragmatics, 5(2), 271–298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41701-021-00099-z farnia, m., & mohammadi, n. (2018). cross-cultural analysis of interpersonal metadiscourse markers in persuasive local newspaper articles. discourse and interaction, 11(2), 27–44. https://doi.org/10.5817/di2018-2-27 hayisama, f., ahamad shah, m. i., & wan adnan, w. n. a. (2019). rhetorical style across cultures: an analysis of metadiscourse markers in academic writing of thai and malaysian students. lsp international journal, 6(1), 19–37. https://doi.org/10.11113/lspi.v6n1.76 herriman, j. (2022). metadiscourse in english instruction manuals. english for specific purposes, 65, 120–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2021.10.003 ho, v., & li, c. (2018). the use of metadiscourse and persuasion: an analysis of first year university students’ timed argumentative essays. journal of english for academic purposes, 33, 53–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2018.02.001 hyland, k. (2017). metadiscourse: what is it and where is it going? journal of pragmatics, 113, 16–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2017.03.007 jalilifar, a., hayati, s., & don, a. (2018). investigating metadiscourse markers in book reviews and blurbs: a study of interested and disinterested genres. studies about languages, 2824(33), 90–107. https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.sal.33.0.19415 kuswoyo, h., & siregar, r. a. (2019). interpersonal metadiscourse markers as persuasive strategies in oral business presentation. lingua cultura, 13(4), 297. https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v13i4.5882 liu, y., & buckingham, l. (2018). the schematic structure of discussion sections in applied linguistics and the distribution of metadiscourse markers. journal of english for academic purposes, 34, 97–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2018.04.002 lotfi, s. a. t., sarkeshikian, s. a. h., & saleh, e. (2019). a cross-cultural study of the use of metadiscourse markers in argumentative essays by iranian and chinese efl students. cogent arts and humanities, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2019.1601540 mirzaeian, e. (2020). an intra-cultural analysis of interpersonal metadiscourse markers used in obama and trump’s speeches on the iran nuclear deal. corpus pragmatics, 4(2), 191–205. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41701-019-00076-7 mohamed, a. f. b., & rashid, r. b. a. (2017). the metadiscourse markers in good undergraduate writers’ essays corpus. international journal of english linguistics, 7(6), 213. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v7n6p213 nugrahani, v. e., & bram, b. (2020). metadiscourse markers in scientific journal articles. langkawi: journal of the association for arabic and english, 6(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.31332/lkw.v6i1.1528 pasaribu, a. n. (2022). ideational metaphor analysis on efl students ’ academic writing. journal of language teaching and research, 13(4), 891– 896. pasaribu, t. (2017). gender differences and the use of metadiscourse markers in writing essays. international journal of humanity studies, 1(1), 93–102. https://doi.org/10.24071/ijhs.2017.010110 qin, w., & uccelli, p. (2019). metadiscourse: variation across communicative contexts. journal of pragmatics, 139, 22–39. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 889 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2018.10.004 siddique, a. r., mahmood, m. a., & iqbal, j. (2018). metadiscourse analysis of pakistani english newspaper editorials: a corpus-based study. international journal of english linguistics, 8(1), 146–163. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v8n1p146 soysal, y. (2020). exploring elementary and middle school science teachers’ metadiscourse moves: a vygotskian analysis and interpretation. learning: research and practice, 7(1), 1–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/23735082.2020.1761432 suhono, s., & haikal, h. (2018). interactive metadiscourse and interactional metadiscourse categories of students’ international program school based on gender. ijee (indonesian journal of english education), 5(1), 81–91. https://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v5i1.5505 yoon, h. j., & römer, u. (2020). quantifying disciplinary voices: an automated approach to interactional metadiscourse in successful student writing. in written communication (vol. 37, issue 2). https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088319898672 zhang, m. (2018). exploring personal metadiscourse markers across speech and writing using cluster analysis. journal of quantitative linguistics, 26(4), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09296174.2018.1480856 zhang, m., sun, w., peng, h., gan, q., & yu, b. (2017). a multidimensional analysis of metadiscourse markers across spoken registers. journal of pragmatics, 117, 106–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2017.06.004 arsen nahum pasaribu, tiara k. pasaribu, erika sinambela, & vitri rosalina manullang interactive metadiscourse markers in indonesian efl students’ academic writing 890 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 63 scaffolding in teaching writing news item text, its benefits and challenges mayang sari nirmala dewi english education department, faculty of language and literature, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: nirmaladewi106@gmail.com rahma sakina (corresponding author) english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas ma’seom, indonesia email: rahmasakina@gmail.com eva meidi kulsum english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas ma’seom, indonesia email: evameidi@masoemuniversity.ac.id aip syaepul uyun english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas ma’seom, indonesia email: aipsyaepul@masoemuniversity.ac.id riyadh ahsanul arifin english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, masoem university, indonesia email: riyadharifin91@masoemuniversity.ac.id apa citation: dewi, m. s. n., sakina, r., kulsum, e. m., uyun, a. s., & arifin, r. a. (2023). scaffolding provided by a teacher in teaching writing news item texts. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 63-74. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.6563 received: 19-10-2022 accepted: 27-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction writing is a crucial talent to learn and is also regarded as the hardest language skill to master. this ability has evolved into a necessity for achievement in the field of language education (mustafa et al., 2020). however, writing is seen as one of the more difficult talents that kids must learn (almarwani, 2020). in terms of the language abilities required, the production process entails coming up with ideas, organizing them, writing drafts, rewriting them, and editing them (khatter, 2019), with each of these steps involving specific components such as structure, vocabulary, content, organization, and abstract: this research aims to investigate types of scaffolding, the ways a teacher provides scaffolding, and benefits and challenges of scaffolding in teaching writing news item text. the participants involved in this research are an english teacher and 27 students of tenth grade in a senior high school in bandung. this research employed a qualitative research design, embracing characteristic of a case study. the data were obtained from classroom observation for six meetings, and one interview. the data collected from classroom observation and interview were transcribed and then analyzed by using framework of types of scaffolding (e.g roehler and cantlon (1997), hammond (2001), gibbons, (2002), and walqui (2006)). the findings showed that seven types of scaffolding were provided by the teacher during teaching writing news item text. the most frequent scaffolding was given in the modeling stage, while scaffolding was removed in the independent writing stage. regarding the benefits and challenges of providing scaffolding, this research found out the benefits of scaffolding such as to connect students’ prior knowledge with a new concept, to engage students, to minimize the level confusion of students, and to build students’ selfconfidence. meanwhile, the challenges of providing scaffolding are the number of students in the classroom, time constraints, and demands on teacher. keywords: benefits; challenges; scaffolding; news item text; teaching writing. mailto:evameidi@masoemuniversity.ac.id mailto:aipsyaepul@masoemuniversity.ac.id mailto:riyadharifin91@masoemuniversity.ac.id mayang sari nirmala dewi, rahma sakina, eva meidi kulsum, aip syaepul uyun, & riyadh ahsanul arifin scaffolding provided by a teacher in teaching writing news item text 64 mechanics (ampa and quraisy, 2018). in the 1980s and the late 1970s, interactions between parents and children as well as between instructors and pupils were described using the scaffolding metaphor (sarmiento-campos et al., 2022). the mediation that teachers or instructors make inside a student's zone of proximal development (zpd) to support, guide, and enhance their current abilities is meant when this metaphor is utilized in educational contexts (sylvia et al., 2022). in order to help the less capable student become more skillful, independent, and autonomous, this aid is used to its fullest extent (omoniyi & torru, 2018; ikawati, 2020; lhadon & wangmo, 2022; narina, 2022; tabib, 2022). by guiding their students throughout learning activities in order to maximize their zone of proximal development (zpd), teachers play a crucial role in ensuring that students learn effectively (alrawili et al., 2022; babu et al., 2022). as a result, scaffolding is only a term for an effective instructional method that enables students to deepen their comprehension and complete any assigned activities on their own (agu & iyamu, 2020; piamsai, 2020; yildiz & celik, 2020). according to heron and webster (2019), scaffolding is used to assess students' comprehension, provide academic standards, explain the larger perspective of the teaching/learning process, and draw students' attention to previous and upcoming subjects, lessons, and evaluations. through simplified language, visuals, graphs, cues, and hands-on learning opportunities, this education offers contextual support (ovando & combs, referenced in mohani et al., 2020). according to some experts, there are various forms of scaffolding used in educational settings. the concepts of the several scaffolding strategies used in this study were taken from other, closely related theories. these principles include bridging, contextualizing, allowing students to participate, developing schema, providing explanation, modeling, and confirming and elaborating on students' understanding. making a connection between newly taught concepts and previously learned ones is referred to as bridging (khatib & chalak, 2022). as a result, by utilizing their existing knowledge, it serves as an anticipatory guide that can help students forecast or recount the concepts that lead to a deeper understanding (tajeddin et al., 2020; lukmawardani, 2022). this form of scaffolding can be used in the classroom in two different ways, including encouraging students to share their experiences and utilizing graphics to show connections between what the students currently know and what they are capable of learning. language should be introduced in circumstances that make sense and with real objects (masangcai, 2022; yong, 2022). the teacher can use analogies based on student experience in this kind of scaffolding. making use of everyday language. as a result, it will make it easier for students to comprehend what is being taught (lukmawardani, 2022). after the teacher provides examples of some thoughts, feelings, or behaviors, an activity is carried out in which pupils are given the chance to engage in the process that is taking place (lukmawardani, 2022). according to pazos et al. (2019), involvement is essential scaffolding. the method used to accomplish the goal determines the difference. while inviting student engagement is only relevant to student participation, bridging is in keeping with establishing students' prior understanding of the subject matter. schema construction pertains to students' general knowledge that can lead them to a detailed comprehension, claims lukmawardani (2022). students will be able to use what they already know in this situation to help new ideas stick. according to bar et al. (2022), teachers can aid students in recalling prior knowledge by focusing on subheadlines, charts, titles, and numbers. they can also build on that knowledge and relate it to fresh information. a teacher can carry out a variety of tasks in the context of language instruction to adopt this form of scaffolding, such as allowing the students to preview a text, note heads and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 65 subheads, images and their captions, and names of charts before reading. the process of storing and retrieving knowledge and experience, organizing students' knowledge and understanding, and drawing their attention to key ideas, topics, and information by focusing on headings and subheadings, images and their captions, class agendas, and chart titles are all reasons why schema is important before reading (mahan et al., 2018). giving an explanation is a form of scaffolding that alludes to in order for students to develop an understanding of what is being studied (declarative or prepositional knowledge), why and when it is used (conditional or situational knowledge), and how it is used (procedural knowledge), the teacher must provide an explanation that uses explicit statements and is tailored to each student (lukmawardani, 2022). declarative knowledge can be recognized when a teacher discusses or reiterates the qualities of a certain text under discussion in order to apply this form of scaffolding to the learning process. in the meantime, conditional knowledge is present when the teacher explains why the material is significant for the class and when the students may apply it to their everyday lives. modeling is the practice of demonstrating teaching pupils in-person how to carry out tasks or activities (yong, 2022). students receive representations of what is expected of them through modeling, which gives them clear instructions (sarmiento-campos et al., 2022). with modeling, the instructor involves the class by demonstrating a skill and explaining each step in detail (idoghor & kasumu, 2022). simply put, modeling is a technique that allows students to participate in the creation of the end result by providing them with quality samples of the finished product (sari & munir, 2018; tajeddin & kamali, 2020). by explicitly defining, contrasting, summarizing, and assessing language use that is suitable for particular academic functions in the classroom activities, modeling can be put into practice (lukmawardani, 2022). to fulfill the work's objective, the teacher specifically provides the students with a model to use as a guide for the task (bar et al., 2022). verifying pupils' comprehension is a means to guide them toward becoming autonomous learners, according to sari & rozimela (2021). it is crucial for the teacher to assess students' understanding as they become more familiar with new material (yuvita, 2018). the teacher can provide both constructive and corrective feedback to provide confirmation. hasan and karim (2019) emphasize the value of feedback in writing instruction and claim that it helps students "observe and anchor their errors and become aware of how to progress their writing." numerous studies that concentrate on certain text genres have been conducted on the role of scaffolding in the teaching and learning process. for instance, dewi & iswandari's (2017) and widiyana & sabiq's (2021) research that looked into the scaffolding technique for teaching writing recount text and its implementation difficulties. meanwhile, luthfi & sibarani's research (2021) aimed to identify scaffolding tactics in teaching descriptive text and uncover the motivations behind teachers who employed particular theories. the use of scaffolding in the teaching process to improve student literacy in primary school (padmadewi & artini, 2018), foster critical thinking (weinstein & preiss, 2017), and improve students' writing skills (ikawati, 2020) are some of the other areas on which some research have focused. the effectiveness of teacher scaffolding on students' paragraph writing performance at meneguzer secondary school in amharaethiopia has also been the subject of some research studies. (gashaye & muchie, 2021) as well as on students' online writing proficiency (mahayasa et al., 2021). from aforementioned studies, the research that concerns on the use of scaffolding in writing news item text has not much been explored. therefore, the present research investigates types of scaffolding, the ways a teacher provides scaffolding, and benefits and challenges of scaffolding in teaching writing news item text in mayang sari nirmala dewi, rahma sakina, eva meidi kulsum, aip syaepul uyun, & riyadh ahsanul arifin scaffolding provided by a teacher in teaching writing news item text 66 tenth grade in efl context in senior high school. the findings of this research are expected to provide information about applicable scaffolding during teaching writing and encourage teachers to make a more collaborative classroom environment and to develop new ideas to improve learning process. method this study uses a qualitative methodology and incorporates case study elements. the case study approach is suitable for this research because it offers a thorough description and analysis of the problem being investigated, namely scaffolding in the instruction of composing news item text to students in the 10th grade. classroom action research, according to some authorities (meesuk et al., 2020; mertler, 2021; lufungulo et al., 2021), is a cooperative, participatory approach that enriches education by embracing change and involving educators in bettering their own practices. in order to prevent data bias, this study has used a variety of data sources, including classroom observation, field data collection, and interview. an official senior high school in bandung, west java, indonesia, conducted this study. an english teacher and 27 pupils in the tenth grade were the subjects of this study. the english teacher selected was a professional who understood the four stages of the teaching-learning cycle. so it was expected that scaffolding would take place primarily during the session. students from the tenth grade were chosen since news item material was taught in this grade. classroom observation and interviewing are the two types of data gathering methods used in this study. both approaches were used to classify the many forms of scaffolding the teacher offers, look at the ways the teacher uses scaffolding, and assess the advantages and drawbacks of scaffolding while teaching students to write news item texts. to fully understand classroom interactions and to supplement the researcher's field notes, videos were employed as a tool in the classroom observation technique. the scaffolded interactions between the teacher and students were then identified from the video's transcription. interviews were utilized to gather information on forms of scaffolding, the way the teacher delivers scaffolding in teaching writing news item text, and the advantages and problems of scaffolding in teaching writing news item text in order to crosscheck the data from classroom observation. the teacher had a semi-structured interview since it gave the researcher the opportunity to respond to the current circumstances, the respondent's developing worldview, and fresh perspectives on the subject. the interview's pre-planned questions focused on the learning process as a whole, the teacher's motivations for carrying out each activity, and the pros and cons of scaffolding in the context of teaching writing news item content. the interview was recorded on tape, and the researcher afterwards typed out the transcription of the recording. both indonesian and english were spoken throughout the interview process. the curriculum-cycle framework was used to examine the data obtained from classroom observation and interview (hammond, 2001; gibbons, 2002). the information was also examined in light of hypotheses on various scaffolding types, such as those put forth by roehler and cantlon (1997), hammond (2001), gibbons (2002), and walqui (2006). transcripts of the interview and video data were created. coding was used during transcription reading by comparing the data to the study's research questions. in the result and discussion, the analysis's findings are completely and in-depth discussed. data from classroom observation and interview were cross-checked to see if the results were consistent in order to confirm the quality and reliability of the data. the last stage was to analyze the data using the theoretical framework that would be discussed and the results presented. results and discussion as was already said, the goals of this study are to analyze different types of scaffolding, how a teacher uses scaffolding, and the advantages and difficulties of using scaffolding while instructing english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 67 students to write news item texts. the outcomes for each research goal will be described in more detail below. types of scaffolding and the way the teacher provides scaffolding in teaching writing news item text according to the findings, the teacher was found to apply seven different types of scaffolding. they connect, contextualize, invite participation from students, establish schema, model, provide explanation, and check and further explain students' understanding. one sort of scaffolding used to integrate recently taught concepts with previously learned material is bridging (khatib & chalak, 2022). this kind of scaffolding took place in the building the field stage of the curriculum-cycle, which will be covered in more detail later. the following list and detailed explanation of bridging activities is provided. in building the field, bridging took place when the instructor deepened the students' comprehension of the subject and urged them to share their knowledge of current events involving notable people by displaying some images. this practice demonstrated that the teacher had a solid grasp of how to motivate her students, as stated by hammond (2001), who claims that employing visual scaffolding before reading and writing can help students acquire effective language and literacy. in addition, the fact that so many children participated and the inclusion of photos helped made the activity seem exciting. the results of the interview provide evidence for this claim. before introducing new topics, the teacher used the graphics to engage the pupils' past knowledge and understanding. according to walqui (2006), this practice can be regarded as effective scaffolding because it grabs students' attention by drawing on their prior knowledge at the start of the class. gibbons (2002) also suggests this practice since the debate bridges the students' perceptions to a greater understanding of the truth matters for the question or issue at hand. because it involved students' cognitive abilities, the aforementioned action might also be regarded as effective scaffolding. the aforementioned activities can also be classified as different forms of scaffolding because they contextualize learning and encourage student participation. these concepts will be further developed in the section that follows. contextualizing aims to bring difficult concepts of the subject being taught closer to the students' experiences (hammond, 2001; walqui, 2006). in the building the field and modeling stage, the teacher offered this kind of scaffolding. when the teacher employed some pertinent images to foster engagement at the outset of the teaching learning process, she offered contextualizing for the construction of the field stage. the teacher appeared inventive in how to unintentionally channel the pupils' prior knowledge to the topics by examining the medium that was used (news item text). this relates to what the interviewee, the teacher, said. according to walqui (2006), using a picture means providing a pertinent illustration or significant metaphor for students to learn academic language (the news item text they were going to learn) and students' everyday language to interact with experts, teachers, and peers. this is why the teacher's actions could be seen as appropriate. according to hammond (2001), teachers can combine fresh content with wellknown concepts and vice versa to prevent pupils from becoming confused. as a result, the difficult concepts in the news item content were more relatable to the pupils. when the teacher told the class how the news item text was used in the students' daily lives, contextualizing took place during the modeling stage. because the teacher compared the goal of the news item content to the students' world, as stated by walqui (2006), it might be seen as contextualizing. because the teacher used an analogy of the function of a news item text to demonstrate her point, the lesson's material was made clear and straightforward for the students to understand. the instructor also said this. because this activity is advised by lukmawardani (2022), who claims that contextualizing is important and helpful to make students understand what is being taught as the teacher uses analogies based on student experience, the teacher's delivery of the purpose of the news item text demonstrates her competence as a scaffolder. after the instructor provides examples of any thoughts, feelings, or behaviors, students are given the chance to participate in the process that takes place by participating in an activity called inviting students to participate (lukmawardani, 2022). the teacher used this kind of scaffolding during the modeling and joint construction stages. the next paragraphs will go over some activities that include inviting kids to participate. during the modeling stage, the teacher would mayang sari nirmala dewi, rahma sakina, eva meidi kulsum, aip syaepul uyun, & riyadh ahsanul arifin scaffolding provided by a teacher in teaching writing news item text 68 check the pupils' comprehension of the usage of reported speech before encouraging them to participate. by converting a direct sentence into an indirect sentence, it shows that the teacher invited the students to do the task. following an explanation of reported speech and demonstration of its well-structured phrases, the teacher issued the challenge. this exercise demonstrates the teacher's desire for engaged students. this is pertinent to what the interview with the teacher revealed. this kind of scaffolding took place at the joint construction stage when the teacher and the students worked together to create news item text. according to bar et al. (2022), difficult collaborative practices that challenge students' higher order thinking are the best way to increase their ability to produce texts. this exercise shows that the teacher understood how to do this. the interview data lends support to this hypothesis. according to roehler and cantlon (1997), the modeling and joint construction activities are relevant because they allow children to complete manageable tasks and respond to teachers' inquiries, which helps to cross the zone of proximal development. making the pupils participate in the lesson is one way the teacher can ensure that they understand the idea that was previously taught. by carrying out those activities, the teacher put into practice the goal of scaffolding, which is to support students in working with increasing independence in other contexts as active risk-takers—in other words, so they not only know what to think and do, but also know how to think and do (hammond, 2001; gibbons, 2002). during the building the field and modeling stage, the teacher used scaffolding known as schema building. its goal is to give students a broad understanding that can lead them to a more in-depth comprehension in order to develop students' understanding (lukmawardani, 2022). the following details a few schema-building activities. schema building took place during the reading of a chosen news item text activity in the building the field stage. it happened when the teacher requested the class to infer a text's content from its title. it demonstrates how the teacher got the class to infer from the title what the text was about. in this case, the text's title was ri radio bans bieber's songs over insult, and the students were able to infer its meaning from the title. because this action (schema) helps lessen the ambiguity that might occur while reading a text, it shows that the teacher had a good knowledge of how to prevent students' confusion when they read the material in the following activity (gibbons, 2002; walqui, 2006). this was pertinent to what the interview with the teacher had shown. additionally, this activity supported the hypothesis put out by bar et al. (2022) that schema is an active, creative process in which students interpret and predict a message based on prior knowledge. the schema building exercise in the modeling stage was comparable to the schema building action in the building the field stage, which involved the teacher asking the students to infer the topic of the text based on the title. the interactional fragment above demonstrates how the teacher encouraged the pupils to apply the knowledge they already had to help them understand new ideas. according to the instruction fragment, students were urged to draw on their past knowledge of the avengers film to help them comprehend new facts or ideas they would encounter in the text. according to the interview data, this activity demonstrates that the instructor knew how to help her students concentrate on key components of new material that they should be able to understand. in addition, the aforementioned passage illustrates still another kind of scaffolding, which is validating and elaborating on students' understanding. to provide explicit explanations of declarative, conditional, and procedural knowledge, the teacher offers this kind of scaffolding (lukmawardani, 2022). the teacher used explanation during the modeling and joint construction phases. the acts associated with providing explanation will be listed and further described in the paragraphs that follow. when the teacher and her students were reading a material in the modeling stage, the teacher implemented providing an explanation. in this instance, they discussed the text's topic before examining its schematic structure and linguistic elements. declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, and conditional or situational knowledge are all examples of providing explanation. the features of the news item texts under discussion were highlighted by the teacher and the students for declarative knowledge. it was the lesson where the teacher discussed what was being learned in this setting. the teacher's explanation of the text's linguistic elements and schematic structures english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 69 demonstrated procedural understanding of providing explanation. it demonstrates that the teacher provided guidance on where to place both the big picture and the specifics of an issue when writing the news item text. additionally, she explicitly explained the purpose of "newsworthy event" in the news item text. because lukmawardani (2022) claims that explicit teaching enhances students' grasp of what is being learned, why and when it is utilized, and how it is used, this activity shows that the instructor had a strong awareness of when she should be implicit and explicit during imparting instruction. this made sense in light of what the interviewee's teacher said. in contrast, the teacher explicitly described the use of the present and past perfect tenses and reported speech in terms of linguistic qualities. the teacher's behavior demonstrates that she was conscious of the significance of writing grammar proficiency. the interview data backs up this claim. this practice supported khatib and chalak's (2022) claim that mastering grammar is important for students to deepen their comprehension of how to generate meaning from texts and to help them comprehend the meaning of texts. the teacher provided specific and detailed instructions on how to use reported speech as well as how to convert direct sentences into indirect sentences and vice versa in order to help students understand the grammatical structure of the text. the teacher also explained how to utilize direct and indirect sentences correctly. furthermore, the teacher's specific explanation of the aim of the news item text demonstrated the conditional or situational knowledge as a component of providing explanation. it is seen in the way the teacher and pupils interact. this practice is consistent with hammond's (2001) theory that explaining can be reflected when a teacher tries to explain to pupils the value of a text in their everyday lives. when the teacher asked the pupils to create a text under her direction for joint construction, she provided clarification. when there was a misunderstanding of the concept of news item text, it may be seen when the teacher repeated the qualities of news item text. the above activity shows that the teacher was aware of the students' background knowledge of the schematic structures of news item texts because knowledge is built on a previous understanding (tajeddin et al., 2020). the interaction between the teacher and the students reflects that the teacher recalled what they had learned previously during the collaborative construction of a text. another sort of scaffolding that was used in this research was modeling. when a new task is offered, modeling helps students see or hear what a developing product looks like, its purpose, its structures, and its language elements (sarmientocampos et al., 2022). modeling, as its name implies, was primarily seen in the modeling stage. the teacher used modeling during the stage of modeling throughout several activities like describing and explaining. it could also be seen when the teacher reviewed the idea of reported speech in the form of an assignment. those were the times when the teacher explicitly described the characteristics of news item text, providing clear explanation about generic structures and linguistic features of news item text in detail. the instructor also demonstrated how to write a suitable news item text. regarding the modeling the teacher used, it shows that the teacher knew how to ensure that the kids imitated what they observed. this is consistent with yong's (2022) claim that modeling entails explicitly demonstrating to pupils how to do activities or tasks. another sort of scaffolding that could be found in this research's instruction of composing news item content is confirming and elaborating on students' comprehension. through verification or explanation, this scaffolding aims to determine whether students' comprehension is reasonable or unreasonable (heron & webster, 2019). in the stages of joint construction, modeling, and building the field, students' comprehension was checked and clarified. the exercises that are thought to verify and further explain students' learning are listed and explained in more detail in the paragraphs that follow. first, the building the field, modeling, and joint construction stages involved checking students' understanding. clarifying pupils' comprehension in this context entails providing positive feedback or a reward as an appreciation for a well-chosen student response. verifying was implemented by the teacher during sharing experience activities in the building the field stage. when the pupils provided a suitable response to the teacher's inquiries, the teacher also provided another verifying response. the teacher checked to make sure that the kids' response was accurate before providing verification. when the teacher rewarded the students' responses and assessed their mastery of grammar throughout the modeling stage, the mayang sari nirmala dewi, rahma sakina, eva meidi kulsum, aip syaepul uyun, & riyadh ahsanul arifin scaffolding provided by a teacher in teaching writing news item text 70 kids' understanding was confirmed. following the teacher's confirmation that the conversion of direct speech into indirect speech was flawless, the verification emerged based on the interaction. the teacher specifically verified to be of the sentence in this situation. regarding the excerpts from the building the field and modeling stages, it demonstrates that the teacher was conscious of how to make the students feel appreciated and engaged during the instruction, as emphasized by hasan and karim (2019), who maintain that feedback enables learners to "observe and anchor their errors and become aware of how to progress their writing." this is also supported by the data from interviews. second, the processes of building the field, modeling, and joint construction helped students to better understand what they had learned. giving follow-up questions and also providing revision fall under the categories of the current research's two categories for improving students' understanding. during the building the field and modeling stages, the teacher asked the pupils follow-up questions, and during the joint construction stage, the teacher offered revision. when students were unable to convey their ideas clearly during the building the field stage, their knowledge needed to be clarified. therefore, it is the teacher's responsibility to help pupils understand their responses by providing feedback interactions (follow-up questions). demonstrates how the teacher motivated her students even when their responses to her queries consisted just of one or two words. when the teacher asked follow-up questions throughout the modeling phase, she also implemented clarifying the students' knowledge. it happened when someone was attempting to infer a text's content from its title. the follow-up query when a student's response was too broad. the excerpts from the building the field and modeling stages that are seen above demonstrate that the teacher had a solid grasp of how to encourage her students to develop their ideas and exercise greater critical thinking. it was pertinent to the teacher's remarks made during the interview, which will be covered later. because providing students with corrective feedback and confirming their comprehension is a technique to guide them toward becoming independent learners, the universal pattern in any learning setting was appropriate to be used in that context (sari & rozimela, 2021). furthermore, the exchange above demonstrates that the instructor accepted her role as an expert peer because she helped her students cross a gap in the zone of proximal growth. it supported the theory put up by sylvia et al. in 2022 that teachers must fill the gap in early learners' ability to develop their own language. during the joint construction stage, the teacher checked the pupils' comprehension of grammar and provided clarification as needed. the dialogue between the teacher and students above demonstrates how the teacher assessed the students' comprehension of the use of the simple past and present perfect tenses. when students gave inaccurate replies, correction feedback was automatically given by clarifying their response. this practice supported agu and iyamu's (2020) hypothesis that increasing student comprehension allows students to deepen their understanding and complete any given assignment on their own. when the teacher and students worked together to collaboratively create a news item text, another corrective feedback in the joint creation stage was also discovered. the aforementioned paragraph illustrates how the teacher provided explanation when the notion was not written in a clear and orderly manner. the teacher asked questions and answered them with interrogative words. the teacher was a logical collaborator in the collaborative text-building process, as seen by the use of questions in the example above. it can be viewed as a worthwhile practice since, according to hammond (2001) and gibbons (2002, the teacher's interrogative sentence provides a nondirective support that encourages students to keep rereading their written work. the interrogative statements employed in this context are comparable to those proposed by hammond (2001) and gibbons (2002), such as "does this make sense?", "does anyone notice anything that needs to be repaired?", "is there another word we might use here?", "how will we format this?", "is that the most effective way to put it?” all of the aforementioned activities are also pertinent to yildiz & celik's (2020) theory, which claims that temporary support from a teacher is necessary to help students develop new knowledge, skills, and concepts for tasks that they won't be able to fully complete on their own. the benefits of scaffolding in teaching writing news item text the teacher who participated in this study claimed that offering scaffolding while students are studying has certain advantages. she claimed that using scaffolding might engage her pupils, reduce english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 71 their degree of perplexity, and increase their selfconfidence. it could also connect students' past knowledge with a new concept. the next paragraphs will discuss each of the benefits that have been listed. a new notion is first connected to by scaffolding with students' prior knowledge. these advantages became apparent after the teacher used two types of scaffolding: schema building and bridging. in this situation, the teacher claimed that scaffolding served as a link between the pupils' prior knowledge and what they are capable of learning. the teacher added that it would probably take a long time to get the materials to the kids without that "bridge." by constructing mind maps and providing visual scaffolding, the "bridge" in this sense can be put into practice. these typically happen when a teacher wishes to delve into a student's past or an idea they have stored in their minds. this claim is credible given that scaffolding, according to hammond (2001), gibbons (2002), and walqui (2006), creates a personal connection between the students and the subject matter by gathering data and exchanging experiences. this connection demonstrates how the new information is pertinent to the student's experience as an individual. second, scaffolding has the ability to grab kids' interest. after the teacher used two types of scaffolding, such as bridging and soliciting students' participation, this benefit materialized. the instructor explained that in order to make a new idea appealing to the class, she needed to figure out a way to engage the students during the session. when the teacher used images and videos as an icebreaker to discuss the students' experiences, scaffolding proved to be advantageous in this situation. the instructor also stated that practically every learning process benefited greatly from visual scaffolding. this notion is consistent with bar et al.'s (2022) hypothesis that using verbal and non-verbal support, such as photos, videos, and analogies, offers many opportunities to motivate students to connect with their prior knowledge for a better understanding. directed questions, the teacher continued, encouraged students to actively and instinctively participate. this assertion is consistent with those made by omoniyi & torru (2018), ikawati (2020), lhadon & wangmo (2022), narina (2022), and tabib (2022), who claim that scaffolded peer interaction helps students develop language autonomy by giving them the opportunity to connect conversational language to academic discourse—both written and spoken—in both spoken and written form. additionally, dewi & iswandari (2017) discovered that adopting scaffolding resulted in students participating in fruitful and lively debates in both small and big classes. students were able to engage in meaningful and engaging discussion because they could receive feedback regarding their learning process when scaffolding was used, which involved providing direction for students. after applying modeling, providing explanation, and confirming and clarifying students' comprehension, another benefit of scaffolding is that it helps to reduce the amount of confusion among the students. the instructor made the case that this benefit of scaffolding might be attained by clearly explaining challenging topics while teaching writing. according to yong (2022), it is evident that explicit teaching may relate information to realworld context to approach academic activities efficiently and successfully. this suggests that the instructor is aware of how to help her pupils understand the content. the final method, scaffolding, aids students in boosting their self-assurance. the teacher made the claim that when all methods or scaffolding were applied correctly and when knowledge had been successfully transmitted throughout the previous cycle of teaching writing news item texts, pupils' self-confidence automatically increased when completing tasks. this reasoning is consistent with the idea put out by hammond (2001) and gibbons (2002) that learners are capable of reaching their peak performance to complete similar activities on their own in the future when support is reduced. the challenges of scaffolding in teaching writing news item text despite the fact that scaffolding has many advantages, the teacher claimed that putting it into practice in a whole-class environment could be difficult. due to factors including the number of students in the classroom, time restrictions, and expectations on the teacher, it became difficult. below, those issues will be covered in relation to some theories. it is initially difficult for the instructor to use scaffolding equitably due to the number of kids in the room. the teacher explained that because there were 27 pupils in the class and a range of intelligence levels, she would not have had a chance to communicate with each one. she had to mayang sari nirmala dewi, rahma sakina, eva meidi kulsum, aip syaepul uyun, & riyadh ahsanul arifin scaffolding provided by a teacher in teaching writing news item text 72 therefore find a means to scaffold the lesson on her own. this result is consistent with kamil (2018), van driel et al. (2018), widiyana & sabiq (2021) findings that the teacher's use of scaffolding was hampered by the large number of students with varying levels, which the teacher had to manage and find suitable methods to accommodate during the lesson. the teacher's statement that instructional scaffolding creates the environment for expert-novice interaction, which is essential for students' greater understanding, is applicable to gökçe (2022). the teacher's statement is also pertinent to tabib's (2022) claim that in zpd, it is necessary for the teacher/competent learner to possess a variety of abilities in order to support a less competent student in a task or problem-solving scenario. time restrictions present the second difficulty. the instructor felt that teaching english, particularly writing, in two 45-minute sessions was insufficient. thus, the entire writing instruction process took place over the course of six meetings. it took so long because teaching writing encouraged the teacher to engage in deep learning of challenging material, in addition to when reteaching the material was necessary if there were still misunderstandings among the students. in order to move on to new material, she had to make sure that everyone of her students had mastered the previous material. according to kamil (2018) and widiyana & sabiq (2021) studies, employing scaffolding can be difficult due to time constraints. in addition, hasan & karim (2019), who think that clarifying is indicated as a useful technique to increase students' writing competence, expressed the teacher's choice to provide clarification to assist the lesson. this argument is also important to idoghor & kasumu's (2022) claim that giving scaffolding in complicated topics takes time because deep learning is recommended for students' maximum progress. demands placed on teachers are the final obstacle. the instructor contended that the aforementioned issues were what led to this issue. the teacher must teach a complex current issue and ensure that the lesson's objective is conveyed to a big class of students with varying intellect levels. the teacher continued by stating that this was a challenging position for her since, before offering scaffolding, she had to ascertain each student's prior knowledge, misconceptions about the present topic, and capabilities. this argument is in line with idoghor & kasumu's (2022) assertion that before implementing effective scaffolding, the teacher must choose appropriate scaffolds that match the students' varied learning and communication styles, know when to remove the scaffolds so the student does not rely on the support, and not sufficiently understand the students (their cognitive and affective abilities) to provide appropriate scaffolds. conclusion teaching writing, especially news item text, is the area in which scaffolding is potentially applicable. based on the findings, seven various types of scaffolding are provided by the teacher during learning process including bridging, contextualizing, inviting students’ participation, schema building, offering explanation, modeling, and verifying and clarifying students’ understanding. the benefits of giving scaffolding are to connect students’ prior knowledge with a new concept, to engage students in learning process, to minimize the level confusion of students, and to build students’ self-confidence. there are three challenges of providing scaffolding such as the amount of students in the classroom, time constraints, and demands on teacher. english teacher should master the knowledge of genres, the understanding of teaching learningcycle, and strategies to help students to tackle a current topic. it is said so since writing is challenging for students to master because of the difficulties which not only lie on generating and organizing ideas, but also lie on translating these ideas into a readable text (gibbons, 2002). hence, effective instruction in teaching writing is possible to be conducted to produce successful outcomes. in short, the more difficult materials, the more scaffolding should be provided by a teacher. this research was carried out with a small number of subjects due to the time constraint. therefore, the findings will not be as rich as the research conducted with a large number of subjects. regarding the shortcoming stated before, there are some recommendations for further research. firstly, it would be more useful for further research to use a bigger number of subjects in different context to get richer and more reliable data. secondly, regarding some activities during learning process which use group work, interactions between or among peers should be discovered to find out another dimension in the use of scaffolding. it is considered to be important to gain various scaffolding provided by the teacher. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 73 references agu, p. a., & iyamu, c. o. (2020). effect of metacognitive scaffolding teaching strategy on secondary school physics students’ achievement and attitude to thermal energy. international journal of scientific advances, 1(2), 100-104. https://doi.org/10.51542/ijscia.v1i2.5 almarwani, m. (2020). academic writing: challenges and potential solutions. arab world english journal (awej) special issue on call (6), 114-121. alrawili, k. s., osman, k., & almuntasheri. s. s. (2022). scaffolding strategies in promoting attitudes of saudi middle school science students. european journal of science and mathematics education, 10(1), 71-86 ampa, a. & quraisy. h. (2018). needs analysis of the english writing skill as the base to design the learning materials. shs web of conferences 42. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20184200050 babu, k. v. b. r., rao, g. n., & & sridevi, d. (2022). enhancing writing skills in esl learners through the techniques of scaffolding. nat. volatiles & essent. oils,9 (1), 47-58 bar, d. a. a. e., mohaseb, m. m., & bassuony, j. m. e. (2022). using instructional scaffolding in hybrid learning environment: a critical review. port said journal of educational research (psjer), 1(1), 132-154. dewi, t. m., & iswandari, y. a. (2017). the implementation of scaffolding in writing recount texts in smp joannes bosco yogyakarta. llt journal: a journal on language and language teaching, 19(2), 34– 45. https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v19i1.310 gashaye, s., & muchie, b. (2021). the effect of teacher scaffolding on students’ paragraph writing skills in efl classroom: the case of grade nine students in meneguzer secondary school, amhara regional state, ethiopia. journal of language teaching and research, 12(6), 892–898. gibbons, p. (2002). scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: teaching second language learners gökçe, e. (2022). the impact of teacher e-feedback on students’ writing: a waste of time or a road to success? focus on elt journal, 4(1), 46-62. hammond, j. (2001). scaffolding: a focus on teaching and learning in literacy education. peta. hasan, m., & karim, m. r. (2019). scaffolding effects on writing acquisition skills in efl context. arab world english journal, 10 (4) 288-298. heron, m., & webster, j. (2019). scaffolding talk in eap lessons: an examination of experienced teachers’ practices. innovation in language learning and teaching, 13(4), 358–370. idoghor, u., & kasumu, r. o. (2022). lecturers’ perception on the use of instructional scaffolding as a teaching strategy in the 21st century classroom. global scientific journal, 10(6), 1998-2008 ikawati, l. (2020). scaffolding in teaching writing. altarbiyah: jurnal pendidikan (the educational journal), 30(1), 48-58. kamil, r. (2018). exploring teacher’s scaffolding to the students in teaching writing. journal of english and education, 5(2), 187-193. khatib, f., & chalak, a. (2022). utilizing scaffolding strategies to improve iranian intermediate efl students’ grammatical knowledge. journal of foreign language teaching and translation studies, 7(1), 61-80 khatter, s. (2019). an analysis of the most common essay writing errors among efl saudi female learners (majmaah university). arab world english journal, 10 (3), 364-381. lhadon., & wangmo+, c. (2022). improving essay writing skills through scaffolding instruction in grade six bhutanese students. rangsit journal of educational studies, 9(1),1-14 lufungulo, e., mambwe, r., & kalinde, b. (2021). the meaning and role of action research in education. multidisciplinary journal of language and social science education, 4(2), 115-128. lukmawardani, n. i. (2022). the implementation of scaffolding strategy by using genre based approach in writing class of the tenth graders of man 1 jombang [unpublished thesis]. universitas islam negeri maulana malik ibrahim malang. luthfi, r., & sibarani, b. (2021). english teachers’ strategy in teaching writing descriptive text to students of all grades at junior high school. register: journal of english language teaching of fbs-unimed, 10(2), 1-15. mahan, k. r., brevik, l. m., & ødegaard. m. (2018). characterizing clil teaching: new insights from a lower secondary classroom. international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism. mahayasa, g. w., suputra, p. e. d., & paramartha, g. y. (2021). the effect of scaffolding technique on students’ writing competency. prasi, 16(01), 29-39. masangcai, g. g. (2022). cultural identity: contextualizing and scaffolding language learning process. international journal of advanced research and publications, 5(4), 5862 meesuk,p., sramoon, b. & wongrugsa, a.(2020). classroom action research-based instruction: the sustainable teacher professional development strategy. journal of teacher education for sustainability,22(1)98-110. mertler, c. a. (2021). action research as teacher inquiry: a viable strategy for resolving problems of practice. practical assessment, research, and evaluation, 26 , article 19. https://doi.org/10.51542/ijscia.v1i2.5 https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20184200050 mayang sari nirmala dewi, rahma sakina, eva meidi kulsum, aip syaepul uyun, & riyadh ahsanul arifin scaffolding provided by a teacher in teaching writing news item text 74 mohani, t., mohtar, m.t., kepol, n., abdullah, y.n., mat, m., moneyam, s., sing, m.m.s.t., sing, m., ong, t.e., ichsan, z.i., rahmayanti, h., & sing, s.k.c. (2020). esl teachers' scaffolding strategies to teach writing. universal journal of education, 8(7), 3064 –3076. mustafa, a., arbab, a.n., & el sayed, a. a. (2022). difficulties in academic writing in english as a second/foreign language from the perspective of undergraduate students in higher education institutions in oman. arab world english journal, 13 (3) 41-53. narina, l. r. (2022). scaffolding technique in reading comprehension in the junior high school. journal of education study, 2(2), 142-150. omoniyi, a. o., & torru, t. s. (2018). effects of scaffolding teaching strategy on student’ performance in chemistry in secondary schools in ondo state, nigeria. advances in social sciences research journal, 5(9), 239244. https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.59.4830 padmadewi, n. n., & artini, l. p. (2018). using scaffolding strategies in teaching writing for improving student literacy in primary school. proceedings of the 1st international conference on innovation in education (icoie 2018). pazos, p., ringleb, s. i., kidd, j., & jones, r. (2019). scaffolding project-based learning in an engineering and education partnership using open-access technology. international journal of engineering education, 35(5), 1306-1315. piamsai, c. (2020). the effect of scaffolding on nonproficient efl learners’ performance in an academic writing class. learn journal: language education and acquisition research network journal, 13(2), 288-305. roehler, l. r., & cantlon, d. j. (1997). scaffolding: a powerful tool in social constructivist classrooms. in scaffolding student learning: instructional approaches and issues (k. hogan &, pp. 6–42). brookline books. sari, a. r. f., & munir, a. (2018). the use of scaffolding on teaching process and students writing in a senior high school. retain, 6(2),166-174. sari, d. k., & rozimela, y. (2021). the implementation of scaffolding strategies at speaking english course in kampung inggris pare east java. proceedings of the ninth international conference on language and arts (icla 2020), 539, 51–56. sarmiento-campos, n-m., lázaro-guillermo, j. c., silvera-alarcón, e-n., cuellar-quispe s., huamán-romaní, y. s., apaza o. a., & sorkheh, a. (2022). a look at vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (sct): the effectiveness of scaffolding method on efl learners’ speaking achievement. education research international, 2022, 3514892. sarmiento-campos, n-m., lázaro-guillermo, j. c., silvera-alarcón, e-n., cuellar-quispe s., huamán-romaní, y. s., apaza o. a., & sorkheh, a. (2022). a look at vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (sct): the effectiveness of scaffolding method on efl learners’ speaking achievement. education research international, 2022, 3514892. sylvia, r., vianty, m., & sitinjak, m. d. (2022). scaffolding online interaction: eyl teachers’ perceptions and attitudes during pandemic covid-19 era. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 14(4), 5323-5336. tabib, f. m. (2022). exploring the effect of instructional scaffolding on foundation level students’ writing at the city university college of ajman: a case study. arab world english journal, 13 (3) .185-201. tajeddin, z. & kamali, j. (2020). typology of scaffolding in teacher discourse: large databased evidence from second language classrooms. international journal of applied linguistics. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12286 tajeddin, z., alemi, m., kamrani, z. (2020). functions and strategies of teachers’ discursive scaffolding in english-medium content-based instruction. iranian journal of language teaching research 8(3), 1-24. van driel, s., slot, e., & bakker, a. (2018). a primary teacher learning to use scaffolding strategies to support pupils’ scientific language development. european journal of stem education, 3(2), 05. walqui, a. (2006). scaffolding instruction for english language learners: a conceptual framework. the international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 9, 159-180. weinstein, s., & preiss, d. (2017). scaffolding to promote critical thinking and learner autonomy among pre-service education students. journal of education and training, 4(1), 69-87. widiyana, & sabiq, a. a. (2021). scaffolding strategy in teaching writing and its challenges. jour, 9(1), 30–38. yildiz, y., & celik, b. (2020). the use of scaffolding techniques in language learning: extending the level of understanding. international journal of social sciences & educational studies, 7(3), 148-153. yong, l. (2022). the effects of scaffolding in the l2 classroom: teacher support in relation to student in-class engagement and appreciation of support. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 637, 828-833. yuvita. (2018). the use of scaffolding instructions as teaching strategy to increase students’ reading ability. dialektika journal, 6(1), 22-37. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 21 relationship between efl pre-service teachers’ selfefficacy and their epistemic beliefs rida rohmata injiya department of language education, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya, indonesia email: ridarohmata@student.ub.ac.id ive emaliana department of language education, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya, indonesia email: ive@ub.ac.id apa scitation: injiya, r. r., & emaliana, i. (2024). relationship between efl pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and their epistemic beliefs. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 21-30. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9237 received: 29-10-2023 accepted: 27-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 abstract: nowadays, english is an essential language that must be mastered and has been studied for many years as a foreign language in many countries in the world. specifically, english pre-service teachers' ability to teach students english as a foreign language requires self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs that can support students’ 21st century skills. self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs are related to individual differences in psychological domains that can affect learning achievement. an investigation of the relationship between selfefficacy and epistemic beliefs of pre-service teachers in a reputable university in malang, east java was conducted in this study. this study examined the relationship between pre-service teachers' self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs. the method of this research is correlational study. a total of 85 pre-service teachers completed the self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs questionnaires. spss was used to analyze the questionnaire filled out by the participants and determine the results. as a result of spss's analysis, self-efficacy is positively correlated with epistemic beliefs, which implies a correlation in both areas. the findings of the correlation coefficient is -0.528, the correlation between self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs is negative and it means that the higher efl self-efficacy the simpler their epistemic beliefs. a correlation from spss's analysis indicates that self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs have a medium relationship. keywords: efl pre-service teachers; epistemic beliefs; self-efficacy. introduction since 2015, the united nations (un) has set global goals for sustainable development the “sustainable development goals” (sdgs), which are a continuation of the “millennium development goals”. there are 17 goals in the sustainable development goals outlined by the united nations, including “quality education” as one of the goals. as for sdg no. 4 (sdgeducation), according to zinchenko et al. (2021), it aims to provide comprehensive, equitable, and lifelong quality education in order to ensure the peaceful coexistence of freedom and prosperity in the future. one of quality education can be achieved by having high quality teachers, including teaching english as a foreign language (efl) that are equipped with the 21st century skills to support sdg 4 implementation. efl pre-service teachers should gain abilities and attributes that have the ability to be taught or acquired to enable them to enhance ways of learning, working, and living in the 21st century. efl preservice teachers are students undergoing teacher training and have not yet begun teaching who are trained specifically in preparation to teach english lesson in schools. the importance of preparation among pre-service english teachers has been discussed in several studies, variety of alternatives, and student success in understanding the material. according to haraldstad & kristiansen (2020) previous experiences can be bridged with learning of educational content, bringing new perspectives and respecting prior knowledge. damnet (2021) stated that students' motivation and attitude are positively affected when efl pre-service teachers are prepared for their future roles through special training programs, but it may not be effective due to time limitations. hien (2020) stated that pre-service teachers' ideal figure of good efl teachers is that their teaching skills are exceptional, as are their pedagogical skills, as well as their ability to motivate students to succeed and become independent learners. according to walida & rida rohmata injiya & ive emaliana relationship between efl pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and their epistemic beliefs 22 murtafi’ah (2022) during efl pre-service teacher preparation, five dimensions are explored: philosophy, principles, theory, practice, and beyond practice. li et al. (2023) study found that it is important to understand that pre-service efl teacher learning involves interaction between and among numerous socio-contextual factors and, as a result, as part of the learning process, influences are exerted in a non-linear and complex manner. reflection is generally valued by pre-service teachers, but many engage in general, brief, and descriptive reflection practices, which suggests that undergraduate courses in tefl need to reconfigure reflective teaching practices (alsuhaibani, 2019) and it is in line kaymakamoğlu (2019) found that with microteaching sessions, feedback sessions, and selfreflection and self-monitoring sessions are all part of the proposed model that helped efl pre-service teachers develop practical knowledge. pre-service efl teachers' teaching practice contributes to their academic success and personal development (can, 2019). however, it is crucial that each efl pre-service teacher has different characteristics that are related to individual differences. individual differences can be impacted by the previous learning process, which is actually subconsciously possessed. understanding pre-service teachers’ individual differences in the educational field is important, because it has an impact on their future teaching performance and indirectly to their students' achievement. thus, education quality is impacted by individual differences in self-concept, anxiety level, and learning motivation owned by preservice teachers (septiara et al., 2021). among others, efl pre-service teachers’ individual differences that need to be considered in education are self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs. each pre-service teacher has a different level of self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs which can impact their future teaching approaches and strategies. self-efficacy is a crucial aspect in determining how individuals behave and make decisions that impact both their own and other people's wellbeing (bandura 1997). it is believed that selfefficacy in efl pre-service teachers depends on the belief that they are capable of performing specific tasks or achieving specific goals. as a result, pre-service efl teachers' self-efficacy is a reflection of their belief that they are capable of teaching english. self-efficacy is an essential component of their self-determination, as well as influencing life-meaningful orientations and selfefficacy (dryhus, 2019). self-efficacy considerably influences their activity selection, effort, and perseverance, playing a pivotal role in shaping their behavioral choices. according to safitri (2021) understanding these concepts is essential for understanding pre-service teachers' competence and confidence as they embark on their english language teaching careers. there are various applications of self-efficacy theory to human endeavors, including health psychology, education, and clinical practice. teachers' selfefficacy can be improved by participating in professional development programs, receiving support from colleagues, and having practical teaching experiences (liu et al., 2021; eginli & solhi, 2021). the self-efficacy theory for efl pre-service teachers can provide insights into their capabilities and beliefs about teaching english to language learners. developing self-efficacy is essential for pre-service teachers, since it is directly related to their ability to teach and learn. the self-efficacy of efl teachers is linked to effective classroom management, and pre-service teacher education and professional development, coupled with teachers' autonomy in learning, are important factors to cultivate teachers who exude selfefficacy (quoc et al., 2021). as described by dewi et al. (2022), understanding and improving future efl educators' self-efficacy is crucial to their preparation and success. practicum experiences can positively alter pre-service teachers' beliefs about their capabilities, ultimately leading to improved classroom management, more effective instructional strategies, and heightened student engagement (eginli & solhi, 2021). according to kwangsawad (2022), micro-teaching boosts efl pre-service teachers' confidence in classroom management, student engagement, and instructional strategies. an instruction-learning framework that incorporates constructivist theory is associated with an increase in self-efficacy in efl teachers in classroom management, instructional tactics, and student involvement (yildirim & bi̇çer, 2023 furthermore, performance of employees is significantly affected by self-efficacy, burnout reduction, and dealing with workplace challenges (khalique & singh, 2019). lal et al. (2019) stated that student achievement and positive teaching techniques are strongly correlated with teachers’ self-efficacy, which is essential for “classroom management, instructional success, and student engagement”. increasing self-efficacy positively impacts teachers' job satisfaction, commitment to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 23 organizations, motivation, and involvement, all of which promote positive attitudes and behaviors (demir, 2020). additionally, stoel et al. (2022) argue that epistemic beliefs have a significant impact on history education teaching and learning. as a preservice teacher, perception accuracy is strongly influenced by the epistemic beliefs he or she holds about knowledge and how they acquire it. the engagement of efl teachers can be predicted by their epistemic beliefs and learning strategies (emaliana & rahmiati, 2019), in addition, students’ achievement was directly impacted by intrinsic motivation and teachers’ epistemic beliefs (chai et al., 2021), and thus, academic achievement and epistemic profiles were strongly correlated (lonka et al., 2020). epistemic beliefs are personal values that filter individuals' behavior and guide teachers' actions and behavior in the classrooms (soleimani, 2020). it means that teaching styles and conceptions of teaching can be influenced by these beliefs. the theory of epistemic beliefs, which is often referred to as epistemological beliefs, includes people's opinions regarding what knowledge and knowing are like, it differentiated five dimensions of epistemic beliefs, focusing on the development, structure, and sources of knowledge (hofer & pintrich, 1997 in schiefer et al., 2022). according to gulfoyle et al. (2020) the acceptance or rejection of educational research in initial teacher education is mostly influenced by the pre-service science teachers' epistemic ideas. pre-service teachers' ability to think epistemically and comprehend abstract learning outcomes can both be enhanced by including education in the epistemic core for pre-service teachers (erduran & kaya, 2019). according to moser et al. (2021) prior to service during their training, teachers gain knowledge and perspectives regarding educational psychology, but the field's significance for teacher preparation and practice is still underestimated. the teaching-learning concepts of pre-service teachers are significantly predicted by their epistemological beliefs and educational philosophy tendencies (aytaç & uyangör, 2020). soleimani (2020) stated that since efl teachers' methods of teaching are influenced by their epistemological beliefs, learners should utilize a variety of resources to acquire the language. the facilitator teaching style is the most common among these teachers. an online learning study by puspitasari et al. (2020), found that epistemic beliefs of efl learners affect their speaking, reading, and writing strategies, which can affect their proficiency in a language. accordingly, both efl teachers’ self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs are differences owned by each individual that affect teaching and eventually their students’ achievement that determine high quality education which indirectly promotes 21st century skills and help united nations achieve the 4th sdg. both self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs are key factors which are possessed by pre-service teachers and are worth researching. therefore, in this study, the researchers aim to examine whether self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs are related to pre-service efl teachers' selfefficacy, as well as their strength. the study predicts future efl pre-service teachers' selfefficacy and epistemic beliefs and provides guidelines for designing an educational curriculum that caters to varying teacher levels of these attributes. teachers should select an approach suited to students with diverse self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs. hence, efl pre-service teachers should pay particular attention to their self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs. method the research design in this study is correlational research. according to rukminingsih et al. (2020) an analysis of correlation is intended to determine the relationship between two variables is determined by determining their degree of relationship at the same time by comparing their measurement results. correlation research aims to measure how much the relationship between one variable and another variable is to determine the direction of the relationship between variables or ascertain the extent of the relationship between variables to be transformed into a predictive relationship. the purpose of selecting a correlation approach in this study is to examine and quantify the degree of association between self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs among pre-service teachers. participants in the study 85 include pre-service teachers from english education department at brawijaya university who take part in the "p4" program as one of the mandatory programs for students majoring in language education, one of which is english education to improve students' abilities as prospective teachers. this study collected data using two structured questionnaires. for the purpose of measuring selfefficacy among preservice teachers, the researchers used the teacher self-efficacy scale (tses) developed by tschannen-moran and hoy (2001). the test consisted of 24 statements that rida rohmata injiya & ive emaliana relationship between efl pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and their epistemic beliefs 24 measured the effectiveness of three subscales: student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management. a questionnaire developed by emaliana (2017) was used to examine epistemic beliefs, to know about preservice teachers’ perception of knowledge. it contained 25 statements to measure certain knowledge, fix ability, omniscient authority, and simple knowledge. in each questionnaire, respondents are asked to provide answers or responses regarding the statements given and are asked to answer these statements on the measuring scale provided. scores were based according to a 4-point likert scale, 1 refers to a “strong disagreement” and 4 refers to a “strong agreement”. this study used spss (statistical package for the social sciences) software for statistical analysis. spss is used for various research purposes in the form of correlation, relationship, influence and impact of one variable on another. the spss program is used for inference statistics, which is the process of drawing conclusions based on a hypothesis (rosalina, 2023). the correlation technique used in this study is pearson product moment to state whether or not there is a relationship between two variables. results and discussion based on our findings, we calculated pearson's product moment correlation, which assesses how interval-scale variables relate to each other. the correlation value is between 0 and 1 with positive and negative properties. a positive correlation value indicates a unidirectional meaning. a high first variable corresponds to a high second variable. the negative correlation value shows the opposite meaning. in this case, as the value of the first variable increases, the value of the second variable decreases (sofiyana et al., 2020). there are two hypothesis in this research: ho (null hypothesis) : “self-efficacy is not significantly correlated with epistemic beliefs”. significant value of this hypothesis is < 0,05 h1 (alternative hypothesis) : “the higher efl students’ self-efficacy the more sophisticated their epistemic beliefs level”. to test the hypothesis, the researcher tested by conducting a two-sided test. the basis for decision making is from if the significant value > 0.05 it means that h1 is accepted if the significant value < 0.05 it means that ho is rejected table 1. pearson correlation result table 2. pearson correlation interpretation correlation coefficient interpretation < 0.20 no correlation 0.20 – 0.40 weak correlation > 0.40 – 0.70 medium correlation > 0.70 – 0.90 strong/high correlation > 0.90 correlation very strong the findings of this study as depicted in table 1 showed that because the probability of the correlation due to sampling error is .000, which is lower than .05 significance level set by the researchers, it means that efl pre-service teachers' self efficacy and epistemic beliefs are positively correlated, so the null hypothesis can be rejected. besides, the correlation result shows that the p value is -0.528 and there is a negative correlation between self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs, which means that the higher efl self-efficacy, the simpler the epistemic beliefs. according to sarwono (2006), it is a medium correlation as shown in table 2. this correlation bring several implications. meng & zhang (2023) found that in terms of academic performance, self-efficacy can be a significant factor, as well as an indirect predictor through academic engagement. hence, a high level of self-efficacy among pre-service teachers are capable of engaging students in learning activities, such as providing motivation to students, creating a comfortable learning atmosphere and encouraging students to think critically, and etc. as such, this is in accordance with khalid & akhter (2021) study found that higher self-efficacy affects teachers' ability to engage students in the classroom, which impacts students' learning. students' engagement as well as instructional strategies are influenced by teacher self-efficacy. according to ramli & yusoff (2020) differentiated instruction in the classroom is strongly influenced by teachers' self-efficacy. based on the research, efl pre service teachers can use various strategies in teaching, but almost all of them still have difficulty in applying the strategies and are also english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 25 confused about responding to difficult questions from students. in addition, teachers' self-efficacy plays a significant role in classroom management. lazarides et al., (2020) found that teachers’ efficacy in managing classrooms is positively impacted by their self-efficacy, and it is similar with holzberger & prestele (2021) finding that stated management of the classroom is influenced by teacher self-efficacy, and the school environment has a significant impact on the motivation of teachers and self-reported cognitive activation. teachers' instructional practices and students' learning strategies are strongly affected by epistemic beliefs, which are individual representations of knowledge and knowing. the pedagogical implications show that improving teachers' epistemic beliefs can support the un's goal of improving the quality of education that can support increased 21st century skills. the 21st century skills by unesco are related with epistemic beliefs. some of the 21st century skills by unesco are critical thinking, learning to learn, collaboration, creativity and innovation, information literacy, ict literacy and citizenship. therefore, it is crucial for efl pre-service teachers to have higher epistemic beliefs because they can support 21st century skills for preparing students to succeed rapidly in a changing world. therefore, there are several ways for improving teachers' epistemic beliefs levels. lammassaari et al. (2021) stated that attending a workshop, seminar, or conference can help educators learn new ideas and perspectives, which will add to their epistemological beliefs. letina (2022) found that it is crucial for educators to regularly assess their teaching practices and they should reflect on their beliefs about teaching and learning in order to identify areas for improvement and teachers can refine their epistemic beliefs by engaging in discussions and conversations with colleagues, mentors, and other educators. epistemic beliefs can also be developed by staying informed about the latest developments in education (mataka et al., 2019). implementing student-centered learning strategies in the classroom can help educators better understand including their beliefs about teaching and learning, as well as the learning strategies used by their students (lammassaari et al., 2022). based on bereczki & kárpáti (2021) epistemological beliefs about creativity influence expert teachers' decisions on how to foster creativity with technology, but assessment barriers are a significant obstacle. based on the result of the study, the high significant level of self-efficacy can predict low epistemic beliefs. therefore, curriculum attention is crucial, so it can create quality education. creating high quality in education, a high level of self-efficacy among efl pre-service teachers must using simple epistemic beliefs method that include certain knowledge, fix ability, omniscient authority, simple knowledge. urhahne & kremer (2023) stated in their studies that learners' epistemic beliefs affect their conceptions of learning, knowledge, and how knowledge is perceived as less static and more dynamic. knowledge that can be achieved by independent learning is regarded as important for improving english proficiency among students, but it has different meanings for each student (agustina & fajar, 2019). there is no specific best way to learn english, each skill has its own way to learn. it means that efl pre-service teachers should understand every problem in learning english has a different solution to solve. fidyati et al, (2021) stated the best way to practice speaking skills using song, learning english vocabulary through virtual reality is more engaging, effective, and fun, as demonstrated by students' enthusiasm and active participation (saepuloh & salsabila, 2022), cooperative learning is an effective strategy for teaching english that promotes efficiency and offers good development prospects (yu, 2019). certain knowledge is also achieved by understanding grammar and vocabulary. vocabulary mastery plays a key role in learners' ability and level of language acquisition and improves speaking ability (sheng, 2022) (kolmurodovna & valievna, 2021). concept of learning english for efl pre-service teachers these days is still relevant to be used in the future based on the purpose. rao (2019) explained that languages like english play an important role in society for international communication and the need for a common language to make it mandatory for all citizens to learn the language. efl pre-service teachers' epistemic beliefs can be achieved by efl pre-service teachers’ fix ability. there are several ways to improve efl pre-service teachers’ ability, such as always learning to know the best way to study and increasing each skill, especially in this era. efl pre-service teachers can improve their ability during the training program. can (2019) stated that practicing teaching contributes greatly to the selfimprovement and academic success of preservice efl teachers. another way to improve efl preservice teachers’ ability is by increasing literacy, it rida rohmata injiya & ive emaliana relationship between efl pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and their epistemic beliefs 26 means that books are necessary to give additional knowledge. by using critical literacy, college students are able to improve their english proficiency as well as various ability to collaborate, to self-contribute, to lead, to present, to respect, to think critically, and to recognize multiple perspectives are just some of the skills required (wardani, 2021). an omniscient authority also necessary in learning english, omniscient authority is associated with critical thinking in occupational therapy students, and ontological cognition in general and occupational therapy-specific becomes more sophisticated with time (mitchell et al., 2020). according to santos et al, (2019) student participation, critical thinking, and peer learning are all enhanced through the use of innovative teaching methods in higher education. english language teachers receive in-service teacher training (inset) that enhances their ability to use ict, enhance their language components, and improve their teaching and learning processes (qizi et al., 2020). simple knowledge can be reached by understanding english words, and grammar. in english, most words are not used for a single meaning, but have multiple meanings or senses related to one another (resmiyati, 2020). in addition to enhancing the students' grammar competence, tenses master application improves their understanding of basic english grammar principles ( badroeni et al., 2021). the important thing that needs to be considered by efl preservice teachers’ is to always improve their teaching quality. the quality of classroom teaching can be enhanced by mastering teaching content, perfecting teaching design, utilizing a variety of teaching methods, improving classroom mastery, and reflecting on teaching in a timely manner (cong & yu, 2020). conclusion the objective of this study is to determine whether self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs of pre-service efl teachers are related. epistemic beliefs and self-efficacy were significantly correlated using pearson product moment correlation. the correlation results can be analyzed that the correlation value shows that the relationship is negative with a medium level of relationship. therefore, it can be concluded that the higher a person's self-efficacy, the simpler the person's epistemic beliefs. the pedagogical implications show that a high level of epistemic beliefs can significantly influence 21st century skills. in order to improve education, teachers, researchers, and institutions of higher education must all be considered. references agustina, d., & fajar, d. (2019). the importance and the meanings of independent learning: university students’ perceptions. vidya karya. https://doi.org/10.20527/jvk.v33i2.5502. alibakhshi, g., nikdel, f., & labbafi, a. (2020). exploring the consequences of teachers’ selfefficacy: a case of teachers of english as a foreign language. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 5, 119. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-17377/v1. alsuhaibani, z. (2019). perceptions and practices of efl pre-service teachers about reflective teaching. ssrn electronic journal. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no4.5 amatullah, a. a., emaliana, i., & junining, e. (2021). efl students’ epistemic beliefs and their relations to critical thinking and reading achievement. jees (journal of english educators society), 6(2), 267–273. https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v6i2.1367 aytaç, a., & uyangör, n. (2020). a relational study of pre-service teachers' epistemological beliefs, educational philosophy tendencies and teachinglearning conceptions. educational policy analysis and strategic research. https://doi.org/10.29329/epasr.2020.323.3. badroeni, b., nasrulloh, s., & zakaria, y. (2020). tenses master application in english grammar learning. english review: journal of english education, 8, 329-336. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2103 bandura, a. (1997). self-efficacy: the exercise of control. journal of cognitive psychotherapy, 13, 158 166. https://doi.org/10.1891/08898391.13.2.158. beck, b., dasch, f., hicketier, h., husemann, k., kustermann, m., ohland, p., richter, s., schürle, s., & uhe, w. (2020). examining the relationship between epistemic beliefs (justification of knowing) and the belief in conspiracy theories. . https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.3 149. bereczki, e., & kárpáti, a. (2021). technologyenhanced creativity: a multiple case study of digital technology-integration expert teachers’ beliefs and practices. thinking skills and creativity, 39, 100791. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2021.100791. can, d. (2019). pre-service efl teachers’ reflections: the contribution of teaching practicum on academic success and self-improvement. people: international journal of social sciences. https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2019.43.963984. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-17377/v1 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2103 https://doi.org/10.1891/0889-8391.13.2.158 https://doi.org/10.1891/0889-8391.13.2.158 https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.3149 https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.3149 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2021.100791 https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2019.43.963984 https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2019.43.963984 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 27 can, d. (2019). pre-service efl teachers’ reflections: the contribution of teaching practicum on academic success and self-improvement. people: international journal of social sciences. https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2019.43.963984. chai, c. s., lin, p. y., king, r. b., & jong, m. s. y. (2021). intrinsic motivation and sophisticated epistemic beliefs are promising pathways to science achievement: evidence from high achieving regions in the east and the west. frontiers in psychology, 12(february), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.581193 cong, w., & yu, h. (2020). research on the strategies of improving classroom teaching quality. 55-58. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200801.013. damnet, a. (2021). enhancing pre-service efl teachers’ teaching skill through teacher training: a case study of a university in thailand. advances in language and literary studies. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.12n.3.p.1. demir, s. (2020). the role of self-efficacy in job satisfaction, organizational commitment, motivation and job involvement. eurasian journal of educational research. https://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2020.85.10. dewi, s., christ, m., sugiyati, k., & yunita, r. (2022) online teaching amid the covid-19 pandemic: how self-efficacious pre-service efl teachers are?. elt worldwide, 9(1), 162-177. dryhus, m. (2019). characteristics of self-efficacy in the space of an individual’s self-determination. problems of modern psychology : collection of research papers of kamianets-podilskyi national ivan ohiienko university, g. s. kostiuk institute of psychology of the national academy of educational sciences of ukraine. https://doi.org/10.32626/2227-6246.201945.152-177. eginli, i., & solhi, m. (2021). the impact of practicum on pre-service efl teachers' self-efficacy beliefs: first step into professionalism. shanlax international journal of education, 9(4), 223235. emaliana, i., & rahmiati, i. i. (2019). organized by the faculty of letters. 63. erduran, s., & kaya, e. (2019). epistemic beliefs and teacher education. science: philosophy, history and education. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3030-15326-7_3. fidyati, f., idaryani, i., suryani, s., fhonna, r., & marina, m. (2021). autonomous efl learners’ ways of practicing speaking skills during pandemic of covid 19;. . https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210125.038 . guilfoyle, l., mccormack, o., & erduran, s. (2020). the "tipping point" for educational research: the role of pre-service science teachers’ epistemic beliefs in evaluating the professional utility of educational research. teaching and teacher education, 90, 103033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103033. guo, j., hu, x., marsh, h., & pekrun, r. (2021). relations of epistemic beliefs with motivation, achievement, and aspirations in science: generalizability across 72 societies. journal of educational psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000660. hajovsky, d., chesnut, s., & jensen, k. (2020). the role of teachers' self-efficacy beliefs in the development of teacher-student relationships.. journal of school psychology, 82, 141-158 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2020.09.001. haraldstad, å., & kristiansen, a. (2020). building bridges – between the pre-service teachers’ school experiences and the teaching of an educational content. a narrative approach. journal of curriculum studies, 52, 608 619. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220272.2019.165822 9. hien, d. t. (2020). teacher characteristics: what do efl pre-service teachers expect?. vnu journal of foreign studies, 35(6). holzberger, d., & prestele, e. (2021). teacher selfefficacy and self-reported cognitive activation and classroom management: a multilevel perspective on the role of school characteristics. learning and instruction. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2021.1015 13. kaymakamoğlu, s. (2019). in search of developing practical knowledge in pre-service efl teachers: a proposed model. dil ve dilbilimi çalışmaları dergisi. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.631543. khalid, s., & akhter., m. (2021). effect of teachers' self efficacy and instructional strategies on students' engagement at secondary school level. global educational studies review. https://doi.org/10.31703/gesr.2021(vi-iv).03. khalique, s., & singh, m. (2019). role of self efficacy in improving employees performance. international journal of engineering research and technology, 7. kholmurodovna, k., & valievna, k. (2021). developing speaking abilities of learners by enriching their vocabulary of english language. , 2, 6-10. https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/4a6em. kholmurodovna, k., & valievna, k. (2021). developing speaking abilities of learners by enriching their vocabulary of english language. , 2, 6-10. https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/4a6em. kwangsawad, t. (2022). developing efl pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy through microteaching. studies in english language teaching. https://doi.org/10.22158/selt.v10n2p83. lal, m., jindal, y., & verma, v. (2019). a study on the effects of teacher’s self-efficacy on the students. https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2019.43.963984 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.581193 https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.12n.3.p.1 https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.12n.3.p.1 https://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2020.85.10. https://doi.org/10.32626/2227-6246.2019-45.152-177 https://doi.org/10.32626/2227-6246.2019-45.152-177 https://doi.org/10.32626/2227-6246.2019-45.152-177 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15326-7_3 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15326-7_3 https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210125.038 https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210125.038 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103033 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103033 https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000660 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2020.09.001 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2021.101513 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2021.101513 https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.631543 https://doi.org/10.31703/gesr.2021(vi-iv).03 https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/4a6em https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/4a6em https://doi.org/10.22158/selt.v10n2p83 https://doi.org/10.22158/selt.v10n2p83 rida rohmata injiya & ive emaliana relationship between efl pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and their epistemic beliefs 28 journal of emerging technologies and innovative research. lam, s., kuok, a., & sze, t. (2022). self-efficacy, stress and job satisfaction among pre-service, novice and experienced english teachers: a study of their occupational health. health psychology report. https://doi.org/10.5114/hpr.2022.115768. lammassaari, h., hietajärvi, l., lonka, k., chen, s., & tsai, c. c. (2021). teachers’ epistemic beliefs and reported practices in two cultural contexts. educational studies, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2021.200036 9 lammassaari, h., hietajärvi, l., salmela-aro, k., hakkarainen, k., & lonka, k. (2022). exploring the relations among teachers’ epistemic theories, work engagement, burnout and the contemporary challenges of the teacher profession. frontiers in psychology, 13, 868. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.861437 lazarides, r., watt, h., & richardson, p. (2020). teachers’ classroom management self-efficacy, perceived classroom management and teaching contexts from beginning until mid-career. learning and instruction, 69, 101346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.1013 46. letina, a. (2022). teachers‟ epistemological beliefs and inclination towards traditional or constructivist teaching. international journal of research in education and science (ijres), 8(1), 135-153. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijres.1717 li, m., kuang, f. & dan, w. exploring the characteristics of pre-service efl teachers’ practicum experiences: a complexity theorybased case study in china. asian. j. second. foreign. lang. educ. 8, 13 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-023-00187-4 liu, h., chu, w., & wang, y. (2021). unpacking efl teacher self-efficacy in livestream teaching in the chinese context. frontiers in psychology, 12, 717129. lonka, k., ketonen, e., & vermunt, j. (2020). university students’ epistemic profiles, conceptions of learning, and academic performance. higher education, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00575-6. mardiha, s., & alibakhshi, g. (2020). teachers’ personal espistemological beliefs and their conceptions of teaching and learning: a correlational study. cogent education, 7. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.176323 0. martin, l., & mulvihill, t. (2019). voices in education: teacher self-efficacy in education. the teacher educator, 54, 195 205. https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730.2019.161503 0. mataka, l. m., saderholm, j. c., & hodge, t. (2019). faculty epistemological beliefs and the influence of professional development. science education international, 30(4), 364-372. meng, q., & zhang, q. (2023). the influence of academic self-efficacy on university students’ academic performance: the mediating effect of academic engagement. sustainability, 15(7), 5767. mitchell, a., stevens, w., & nolan, v. (2020). do beliefs about knowledge predict occupational therapy students’ critical thinking? a longitudinal correlational study. , 4, 10. https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2020.040110. moser, s., zumbach, j., deibl, i., geiger, v., & martinek, d. (2021). development and application of a scale for assessing pre-service teachers’ beliefs about the nature of educational psychology. psychology learning & teaching, 20, 189 213. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475725720974575. moser, s., zumbach, j., deibl, i., geiger, v., & martinek, d. (2021). development and application of a scale for assessing pre-service teachers’ beliefs about the nature of educational psychology. psychology learning & teaching, 20, 189 213. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475725720974575. nayernia, a., nosrati, r., & mohebbi, h. (2022). the factors contributing to language teachers’ effectiveness in an efl learning context: a questionnaire validation study. profile: issues in teachers' professional development. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v24n2.93571. puspitasari, i., emaliana, i., lailiyah, n., lintangsari, a., & soewarso, p. (2019). interweaving efl learners’ speaking, reading, writing strategies and epistemic beliefs to language achievement through e-learning. proceedings of the first international conference on advances in education, humanities, and language, icel 2019, malang, indonesia, 23-24 march 2019. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.23-32019.2284957. qizi, s., qizi, o., & vokhidovich, a. (2020). methodological support of teacher training in english language teacher’s development. the american journal of social science and education innovations. https://doi.org/10.37547/tajssei/volume02 issue12-54. quoc, t., thi, n., & thanh, l. (2021). efl teachers’ self-efficacy and classroom management: perceptions, practices and reflections on professional learning and development. european journal of english language studies. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejels.2.1.1. ramli, r., & yusoff, n. (2020). self-efficacy and differentiated instruction: a study among malaysian school teachers. universal journal of https://doi.org/10.5114/hpr.2022.115768 https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2021.2000369 https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2021.2000369 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.861437 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.101346 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.101346 https://doi.org/10.46328/ijres.1717 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-023-00187-4 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-023-00187-4 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00575-6 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.1763230 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.1763230 https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730.2019.1615030 https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730.2019.1615030 https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2020.040110 https://doi.org/10.1177/1475725720974575 https://doi.org/10.1177/1475725720974575 https://doi.org/10.1177/1475725720974575 https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v24n2.93571 https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.23-3-2019.2284957 https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.23-3-2019.2284957 https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.23-3-2019.2284957 https://doi.org/10.37547/tajssei/volume02issue12-54 https://doi.org/10.37547/tajssei/volume02issue12-54 https://doi.org/10.12973/ejels.2.1.1 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 29 educational research, 8, 1252-1260. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.080416. rao, p. (2019). the importance of teaching language skills to the second or foreign language learners of english: a comprehensive study. academicia: an international multidisciplinary research journal. https://doi.org/10.5958/22497137.2019.00061.2. resmiyati, r. (2020). the distinction between polysemy and homonymy on lexical ambiguity. rosalina, l., oktarina, r., rahmiati, r., & saputra, i.(2023). buku ajar statistika. muharika rumah ilmiah. rukminingsih, adnan, g., & latief, m. a. (2020). metode penelitian pendidikan. penelitian kuantitatif, penelitian kualitatif, penelitian tindakan kelas. in journal of chemical information and modeling (vol. 53, issue 9). saepuloh, a., & salsabila, v. (2022). virtual reality dalam pengajaran kosakata bahasa inggris materi things around. journal of empowerment. https://doi.org/10.35194/je.v3i1.2387. safitri, d. e. (2021). the sense of self efficacy of preservice english teachers in efl context. saga: journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 2(2), 121-132. santos, j., figueiredo, a., & vieira, m. (2019). innovative pedagogical practices in higher education: an integrative literature review. nurse education today, 72, 12-17 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.10.003. sarwono, j. (2006). metode penelitian kuantitatif dan kualitatif. graha ilmu schiefer, j., edelsbrunner, p. a., bernholt, a., kampa, n., & nehring, a. (2022). epistemic beliefs in science—a systematic integration of evidence from multiple studies. educational psychology review, 34(3), 1541-1575. septiara, s., daffah, v., & magdalena, i. (2021). sources of individual differences in education. progres pendidikan. https://doi.org/10.29303/prospek.v2i3.156. sheng, j. (2022). research on college english vocabulary teaching combined with poa and word formation teaching. frontiers in educational research. https://doi.org/10.25236/fer.2022.051009. sofiyana, m. s., aswan, n., munthe, b., wijayanti, l. a., jannah, r., juhara, s., & fitriasari, n. (2022). metodologi penelitian pendidikan. global eksekutif teknologi. soleimani, n. (2020). elt teachers’ epistemological beliefs and dominant teaching style: a mixed method research. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 5, 120. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-020-00094y. soleimani, n. (2020). elt teachers’ epistemological beliefs and dominant teaching style: a mixed method research. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 5, 120. stoel, g., logtenberg, a., & nitsche, m. (2022). researching epistemic beliefs in history education: a review. historical encounters: a journal of historical consciousness, historical cultures, and history education. https://doi.org/10.52289/hej9.102. urhahne, d., & kremer, k. (2023). specificity of epistemic beliefs across school subject domains. educational psychology, 43(2-3), 99-118. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2023.217960 5 walida, s., & murtafi'ah, b. (2022). investigating an efl pre-service teacher’s reflections during school teaching practice. elt forum: journal of english language teaching. https://doi.org/10.15294/elt.v11i3.57395. wardani, d. (2021). the implementation of critical literacy approach towards efl college students. journal of educational study. https://doi.org/10.36663/joes.v1i1.152. yildirim, ş., & bi̇çer, a. (2023). the relationship between teaching-learning conceptions and sense of self-efficacy of pre-service efl teachers. ibad sosyal bilimler dergisi. https://doi.org/10.21733/ibad.1215907. yu, y. (2019). the research on cooperative learning in english reading teaching in college. theory and practice in language studies. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0906.10. zinchenko, v., levkulych, v., palamarchuk, o., & debych, m. (2021). global cooperation of research and educational activities in the implementation of the sustainable development goals. e3s web of conferences. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202127702005. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.080416 https://doi.org/10.5958/2249-7137.2019.00061.2 https://doi.org/10.5958/2249-7137.2019.00061.2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.10.003 https://doi.org/10.29303/prospek.v2i3.156 https://doi.org/10.25236/fer.2022.051009 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-020-00094-y https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-020-00094-y https://doi.org/10.15294/elt.v11i3.57395 https://doi.org/10.15294/elt.v11i3.57395 https://doi.org/10.21733/ibad.1215907 https://doi.org/10.21733/ibad.1215907 https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0906.10 https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202127702005 rida rohmata injiya & ive emaliana relationship between efl pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and their epistemic beliefs 30 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 325 smart society 5.0: the digital literacy readiness of the english teachers anak agung putri maharani english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar, indonesia email: aamaharani@unmas.ac.id ni made wersi murtini english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar, indonesia email: wersimurtini@unmas.ac.id. anak agung putu arsana english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar, indonesia email: agungarsana@unmas.ac.id apa citation: maharani, a. a. p., murtini, n. m. w., & arsana, a. a. p. (2023). smart society 5.0: the digital literacy readiness of the english teachers. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 325-334. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7319 received: 19-02-2023 accepted: 27-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction in the modern era of the 21st century, individuals are expected to possess a diverse range of skills that enable them to thrive in various contexts. these skills include critical and creative thinking, adaptability, a mindset of innovation, competitiveness, and problem-solving abilities. in order to meet the challenges of the 5.0 era, it is crucial to not only acknowledge but also master these aforementioned skills. society 5.0, a term popularized by the japanese, refers to a period aimed at creating a society centered around people. its objective is to address societal issues, stimulate economic growth, and ensure that individuals can live comfortably and actively (fukuyama, 2018). in 2022, statistics indicate that 62.5% of the global population are internet users, 92.1% use mobile phones to access the internet, and 58.4% are active social media users (we are social, 2022). considering these data, it is inevitable to ignore the impact of transformations and technological advancements. yaraş and öztürk (2022) emphasize the importance of analyzing the effects of shifting social structures within society 5.0 and preparing for transformation processes in various fields. in today's world, individuals need to develop a range of skills to thrive in the 5.0 era. society 5.0 aims to establish a people-centered society and address societal issues while embracing technological advancements. it is crucial to abstract: with the rapid advancement of technology in english language teaching, it is crucial for english teachers to be digitally literate. being digitally literate requires english teachers to possess both technical and pedagogical skills, enabling them to effectively incorporate digital technology into the teaching and learning process. this study aims to assess the level of digital literacy readiness among english teachers, explore potential differences between male and female teachers in their digital literacy readiness, and investigate the factors that influence their digital literacy readiness. the participants in this study consist of 33 english teachers from both public and private high schools in denpasar, bali. a mixed-method design was employed, utilizing an online questionnaire, virtual interview sessions, and virtual focus group discussions. descriptive statistical analysis was used to analyze the quantitative data, while qualitative analysis involved data collection, reduction, presentation, and conclusion drawing. the findings reveal that the digital literacy readiness level among english teachers is deemed adequate. furthermore, there were differences observed between male and female english teachers regarding their readiness. additionally, two major factors influencing their digital literacy readiness were identified. keywords: digital literacy, gender, readiness. anak agung putri maharani, ni made wersi murtini, & anak agung putu arsana smart society 5.0: the digital literacy readiness of the english teachers 326 understand the impact of these transformations and be prepared for the changes that lie ahead. one of the areas to concern is educational field. digital technology directly affects education which reshapes the educational approaches and educational institutions (yaraş & öztürk, 2022). it also has a an indispensable importance in education (özcan, 2022). therefore, to be equipped with these changes, teachers as the crucial roles in education must be digitally literate. being teachers in this 21st century is dissimilar with being teachers in the 20s in which teachers are required to be capable in innovating and creating innovate the infusion of digital technology as the conventional system of learning is no longer compatible for nowadays students (milawati & sholeh, 2020). communication and connection in the 21st century necessitate digital literacy. digital literacy is to locate, organize, analyze, interpret, evaluate, transmit, read and create digital texts as part of the process in creating information (akkoyunlu & soylu, 2010). a person who is digitally literate is one who is imaginative, creative, and capable of cooperating, communicating, thinking critically, solving problems, having decision-making skills, understanding technological concepts and using them in this context, and who can carry out their duties as a digital citizen (ocak & karakuş, 2018). teachers must own digital literacy. digital literacy skills enable them to utilize technology safely and effectively into the teaching learning process. these skills include basic computer tasks like starting and shutting down a computer, opening and using programs, typing, making changes to files, and saving them. they also involve sending and receiving emails and using web browsers. another ability is to make and keep friends online through websites like facebook. another skill is to find and use information from library websites and databases effectively (edeh et al., 2022). digital literacy, according to pangrazio (2016), can give students new ways of thinking, talking, and working that have an impact on their academic progress regardless of location or time constraints. if students know how to use digital tools, they can use those skills to do well in school, learn new things about themselves, and make useful things. furthermore, according to aslan (2021) digital literacy calls for the ability to apply technology to encourage the teaching learning processes as well as to access, produce, and share accurate information. it also calls for the proper use of various technologies. in incorporating ict to the teaching practices, teachers must obtain the technological and pedagogical knowledge and abilities required. to put it another way, based on almerich et al. (2016), if teachers are not technologically and pedagogically proficient with these tools, they will not be able to integrate them into their regular teaching practices. there are several things that can help with attempts to democratize education in a nation, especially digital literacy, like focusing on the caliber of teachers and evaluating the educational attainment of pupils in each generation (bahri et al., 2022). the majority of teachers worldwide lacked sufficient digital proficiency and experience with using technology and conducting online teaching and learning. furthermore, students and teachers still lack proficiency in using multimedia tools like power points and projectors in addition to internet connection. as a result, instruction is still traditional and usually one-way. this current investigation sought to characterize the teachers’ readiness in utilizing digital technology after a survey revealed that they were underprepared. specifically in indonesia, the citizens’ digital literacy was investigated by katadata insight center (2021). the survey engaged 10,000 respondents from 34 provinces. it was found that the digital literacy index showed a figure of 3.49 which categorized at the medium level. furthermore, the survey included four pillars as the aspects in estimating the digital literacy index. digital culture got the highest score represented by a figure of 3.90, followed by digital ethics represented by a figure of 3.55, digital skill represented by a figure of 3.44, and the lowest, digital safety represented by a figure of 3.10. these survey results indicate that indonesian citizens need to develop their digital literacy to survive in life. there are sundry factors why digital literacy of the indonesian citizens is far from adequacy. the ability to read, write, analyze, process, and distribute textual messages will affect how digital technology is used. a lack of early exposure to critical thinking education is also another factor contributing to people's poor levels of digital literacy. in this case, indonesian generations must be trained how to master digital literacy since their early age with the helps and efforts of teachers. to make it possible, the teachers themselves must be firstly digitally literate. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 327 in accordance with al-awidi & aldhafeeri (2016), teachers’ digital literacy readiness could be broken down into two sorts: pedagogical readiness and technical readiness. pedagogical readiness is concerned with teachers’ knowledge, skills, attitudes, and habits in order to effectively incorporate technology into learning. technical readiness means being ready and able to use technology for learning which includes teachers knowing how to explore and utilize digital tools. to be successful in their jobs, teachers need to be technologically literate in teaching and managing digital learning environments in schools (fuchs et al., 2022). in fact, digital literacy ownership is advocated for all instructors, regardless of gender. many researches produced enticing findings regarding gender differences in digital literacy. rizal et al. (2021) figured out that the male teachers had a higher digital literacy than female teachers. further, they argued that gender has gender exhibits different trends in terms of technological motivation and usage habits. then, fernández‑batanero et al. (2022) inspected that the male teachers were less knowledgeable than female teachers in regard to their competence levels of teachers which varied by gender. it is crucial that english teachers are prepared to learn digital literacy because english teachers in today’s schools are expected to encourage students to learn independently and to bloom their digital skills. in order to do this, they need to learn and use these skills first. english teachers need to use digital technologies when they teach english. the merits of using digital technologies in english classrooms such as to create effective learning through social network applications and to raise students’ motivation for learning (liza & andriyanti, 2020). thus, the aims of this research were to figure out the english teachers’ level of their digital literacy readiness, to figure out the divergences between male and female english teacher groups’ digital literacy readiness as well as to investigate the factors which affect the english teachers’ digital literacy readiness. method this research was designed and conducted to be mixed-method research in the attempt to meet and fulfill the research objectives. additionally, this research leaned heavily on the quantitative analysis. the quantitative data were gathered using an online questionnaire that addresses the respondents’ level of digital literacy readiness, and the disparities in the digital literacy readiness level of male and female group. furthermore, focus group discussion and interview were conducted to obtain the qualitative data about the factors affecting the digital literacy readiness of the respondents. a total of 33 english teachers were engaged as the participants of the current research. all of them work and teach in denpasar area especially in both public and private senior high schools. they were government employees and nongovernment employees. from 33 participants, they could be broken down into 2 cohorts; 21 female and 12 male english teachers. a summary of the respondents’ demographic information is visualized by the following table. table 1. demographics of the respondents aspects total gender female 21 male 12 status non-government employee 21 government employee 12 teaching experience duration under 5 years from 5-10 years above 10 and under 15 years 10 15 8 the research data had been categorized as quantitative data and qualitative data. to obtain the quantitative data, teacher’s readiness questionnaire was administered. this instrument was adapted and developed based on al-awidi & aldhafeeri (2016); situmorang et al. (2020). it consisted of 24 items where 23 items had been constructed in accordance with 2 dimensions; technical readiness and pedagogical readiness, and 1 item was about to dig the respondents’ points of views of the factors which influence the digital literacy readiness of the english teachers in teaching learning process synchronously and asynchronously. the 23 items have a 5-point likert scale type from “strongly agree or sa” (scored 5) and “strongly disagree or sd” (scored 1). furthermore, the items were not scored reversed. the questionnaire was afterwards administered online through google form to the respondents. furthermore, to gather the qualitative data, interview protocols and focus group discussion topic were prepared. these instruments were administered which aimed at obtaining deep understanding of the respondents about their digital literacy readiness. priorly, there were 8 anak agung putri maharani, ni made wersi murtini, & anak agung putu arsana smart society 5.0: the digital literacy readiness of the english teachers 328 respondents chosen and agreed to join the virtual interview and focus group discussion sessions. they were as the representatives of 4 denpasar districts (west, east, north and south denpasar). in one district, 2 english teachers representing public and private senior high schools were invited. one representative, however, was unable to participate since it was difficult to get in touch with the teacher and to schedule a time that worked for the data gathering sessions using virtual meeting. eventually, the researchers were able to involve only 7 respondents. during the virtual activities of interview session and focus group discussion, the respondents were encouraged to elaborate on their answers and provide details about how ready they were for digital literacy. the research instruments were evaluated in terms of their validity and reliability which judged by two experts. the expert judges graduated their doctorate degree and their specialist is in english language teaching and educational technology. they evaluated the instruments based on the relevancy of the items to the theories referred in the research. additionally, the appropriates of the items to the objectives was also highlighted followed by feedback on the items’ readability. first of all, the respondents completed the questionnaires which were delivered using the google form. the results of administering the online questionnaire were first categorized and examined by means of the formula of descriptive statistic. the results of the analysis were available in the forms of mean scores, standard deviation and percentages. the interview was done after the participants fulfilled the questionnaire, and they agreed to be involved in the online interview session. the researchers and the participants made an appointment especially dealing with the time dan date of interview. last, the focus group discussion was done online by engaging several representatives of the respondents at one time through zoom meeting. as mixed-method research design was employed, the obtained data were both analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively in the attempt to examine the obtained data. the quantitative analysis includes the computation of descriptive statistics (means, standard deviation, and percentage) to figure out the digital literacy readiness level and to examine the digital literacy readiness variances between male and female groups. in fact, the online questionnaire was administered to collect this information. furthermore, to delve deeper into the factors affect the respondents’ digital literacy readiness, the data were collected through interview and focus group discussion. thematic content was extracted from the transcripts of the interview as well as focus group discussion. then, the attained data were independently evaluated by the researchers to reduce biases and enhance the credibility and quality and of the research findings. to find the themes, the data were required to join the process of transcribing, coding, categorizing, and evaluating. results and discussion after administering the questionnaire which could be retrieved online and conducting the interview session and focus group discussion virtually, a plentiful set of research data were acquired. the research findings encompassed the digital literacy readiness level, the different digital literacy readiness between male and female english teachers and factors which affect their digital literacy readiness. the english teachers’ digital literacy readiness level in this section, the existing level of the english teachers’ digital literacy was presented through a table. table 1. the english teachers’ digital literacy readiness level no aspects a technical readiness means sd 1. i know what internet-connected mobile devices i can take with me wherever i go. 4.24 0.66 2. i am competent in working with email. 4.24 0.50 3. i understand the features in operating the software. 4.03 0.81 4. i understand how to download and upload files by using technological tools. 4.33 0.54 5. i understand how to use software like powerpoint. 4.42 0.50 6. i understand how 4.36 0.60 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 329 to use social media (whatsapp or instagram) to communicate with the students both synchronously and asynchronously. 7. i understand how to convert the activities in the curriculum into digital form. 4.18 0.64 8. i understand how to create online quizzes and apply them in teaching my class both synchronously and asynchronously. 4.18 0.68 9. i understand the way to implement online discussions in my class. 4.18 0.53 10. i understand how to publish my lessons and class activities on the web. 3.91 0.68 11. i understand how to use an lms (learning management system) to complement my teaching. 3.97 0.81 12. i understand how to develop elearning activities that encourage my students to become critical thinkers. 4.00 0.61 b pedagogical readiness means sd 13. i am capable to use information technology to support my teaching method. 4.24 0.50 14. i can integrate information technology into learning. 4.15 0.76 15. i strive to create high-quality learning experiences as a result of either face-to-face or non-face-to-face interaction with 4.12 0.65 students. 16. i support studentto-student interaction and collaborative activities as a means of digital teaching and learning. 4.24 0.44 17. i acknowledge that community building is a vital component of digital learning. 4.24 0.61 18. i incite the students to carry out life experiences into the classroom which properly used in creating activities. 4.09 0.63 19. i feel comfortable communicating online and feel able to convey my written messages. 3.94 0.66 20. i can manage my time well in information technology enriched classes. 4.12 0.55 21. i am flexible in dealing with students’ issues including assignment due dates or absences. 4.00 0.66 22. i am organized and like to plan ahead in information technology-based teaching. 4.15 0.57 23. i am able handle and monitor students studying in information technologyenriched classrooms. 4.09 0.58 the means of the items under the dimension of technical readiness (12 items) ranged from 3.91 (sd=0.68) to 4.42 (sd=0.50). the means of the items under the dimension of pedagogical readiness (11 items) ranged from 3.94 (sd=0.66) to 4.24 (sd=0.61). from the aforementioned findings, it can be obviously interpreted that the english teachers regard themselves be ready in digital literacy. anak agung putri maharani, ni made wersi murtini, & anak agung putu arsana smart society 5.0: the digital literacy readiness of the english teachers 330 this finding was supported by the research conducted by a research done by fuchs et al. (2022) figured out that the preservice teachers perceived themselves ready digitally in teaching and learning process. this study supported by another study which figured out that the digital literacy readiness of the research respondents were estimable (öngören, 2021). furthermore, milawati & sholeh (2020) investigated the readiness of the teachers in facing digital literacy era. the technical readiness of the respondents in using digital technology is rated as inadequate. although it is rated as inadequate, the revolutionary progress of digital technology has unavoidably come to an end. another research done by özcan (2022) which was accomplished by engaging 443 prospective teachers from the education faculty. the prospective teachers were majoring in 10 different fields and studying at the first, second, third, and fourth grade levels. based on the research findings, the positive and substantial association were identified between potential teachers’ levels of digital literacy and attitudes toward mobile learning, which are both at a moderate level. additionally, 35% of prospective teachers’ opinions toward mobile learning can be attributed to the respondents’ digital literacy level. the gender, grade level, and department variables all significantly affect prospective teachers' levels of digital literacy, and the department variable significantly affects their attitudes toward mobile learning. moreover, a study by liza & andriyanti (2020) investigated that the level of readiness among english teachers for integrating digital technologies into english classrooms— representing the four aspects of attitude, knowledge, perception, and ability—was strong. besides, 78% respondents of the study enunciated that they were prepared to infuse and inject digital technology into english classrooms. the differences between male and female english teachers’ digital literacy readiness in this section, the differences the gender-based english teacher groups’ digital literacy readiness were presented through a table below. the table shows the differences in relation to percentages of each likert scale. table 2. the differences between male and female english teachers’ digital literacy readiness no aspects percentages male female 1 technical readiness sa 35% 31% a 60% 65% n 5% 4% d 0% 0% sd 0% 0% total 100% 100% 2 pedagogical readiness sa 35% 25% a 56% 67% n 8% 6% d 1% 1% sd 0% 0% total 100% 100% table 2 presents that the male english teachers outperformed the female english teachers in technical readiness and pedagogical readiness aspects of digital literacy readiness on strongly agree scale. conversely, the female english teachers were superior on agree scale in 2 aspects of digital literacy readiness. the familiarity with digital technologies and the frequency of internet use among english teachers were two key indicators of their readiness for digital literacy. a similar study done by aslan (2021) figured out that the two gender-based pre-service teacher groups had different levels of confidence in using digital technology. the findings of this current research is also consistent with the findings of markauskaite (2005) figured out that male and female teachers were different. even though, the respondents had a substantial experience of ict use, males were more confidence about their capabilities in planning, finding information and selecting ict tools than females. additionally, males were also more confidence in autonomously mastering new applications. moreover, a study done by çam & kiyici (2017) acknowledged that in terms of visual literacy, male prospective teachers outperformed female ones. likewise, the male prospective teachers significantly had more computer literacy than the female prospective teachers. a study by ata & yıldırım (2019) revealed that a significant genre distinction was observed in favor of males’ perceptions regarding digital literacy who showed a stronger digital propensity; meanwhile, the female teachers had seen technology-related issues were more challenging. similarly, both parties both had highly favorable opinions of their digital literacy competency, indicating a greater level of confidence using their digital literacy skills. factors which affect their digital literacy readiness english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 331 in determining the factors that modify the digital literacy readiness of the english teachers in teaching learning process synchronously and asynchronously, virtual interview session and focus group discussion were conducted to obtain the data. the findings can be broken down into two cohorts; external factors and internal factors of the english teachers. external factors in relation to external factors which affect the english teachers’ digital literacy readiness, they reported 5 primary factors coming from the outside such as the outstanding technology development, e-rapport demand, the inadequacy of the facilities supporting digital technology and information into the classroom, the cost of infusing the digital technology into the class, and the students’ capabilities in utilizing the digital technology and information. first of all, the english teachers concurred that strengthening the english subject through the use of digital technology is effective. they also view technology as a useful instrument that can be utilized to provide materials as well as an open source of information. the rapid development of advanced technology definitely must be followed by the readiness of the english teachers in utilizing the advanced technology into class. even, the demand of nowadays education in which the recap of the students’ semester evaluation must be done through e-rapport influence the teachers in being equipped within digital literacy. however, even though, in education, the expenditure of technology-based application is demanded, it is weakened by the inadequate facilities to support and fulfil the demands. the english teachers argued that the facilities such as internet connection, computers, or lcd projectors were available, but they did not optimally support their teaching learning process. additionally, they disclosed that it was expensive to prepare suitable facilities, both in terms of number and quality, to support the teaching and learning process. they also often prepared the facilities independently in case the facilities provided by the schools where they work did not work properly or inadequate in their performances or numbers. lastly, another crucial external factor which is also taken into consideration is the students’ capabilities in using the digital technology and information to get immersed in classroom. according to mega (2022), digital literacy is prominent for students to conquer which is functioned to direct student-centered learning. it means that the success of teaching learning process infused by technology also be dependable on how good and literate the students know operating the technology. thus, students must therefore acquire specialized abilities for using both online and offline programs in conjunction with integrating digital media into their english learning (mudra, 2020). internal factors the factors coming from the inside of the english teachers that affect their digital literacy readiness were reported into two points. the english teachers mainly said that the factors were firstly related to their willingness to learn and master the digital technology and information and secondly related to their capabilities in utilizing the digital technology and information to be useful. the willingness to learn is significantly different which affected by in what generation that the english teachers belong to. teachers must now master and utilize technology in order to align with their students because of the rapid development of technology. this skill level should be gained slowly and consistently, by learning on their own and getting trained by ict professionals (sulasmi, 2022). in this current study, the english teachers in their 20s and 30s mostly stated that they tend to willingly learn and experiment new things in their class by using technological tools. they believed they were able to properly use the tools if they digitally literate. in contrast, the english teachers in their 40s and 50s argued that they hardly followed the development of technology. these findings are supported by suryana (2013) that the majority of senior teachers over the age of 53 who lacked ict literacy found it difficult to adjust to this new technology and continued to educate in the conventional manners. it was in line with alanoglu et al. (2022) that the teachers’ digital literacy level was affected by the traditional educational philosophies they gained in their pas school time. they were uninterested in learning ict media for teaching and learning. furthermore, it is obviously dissimilar with the young generation teacher who were always interested in learning new things about information technology and who followed the evolution of ict. saripudin et al. (2021) discovered that younger teachers exhibited upper digital literacy level than the more experienced ones, likely as a result of their greater exposure to digital technology. anak agung putri maharani, ni made wersi murtini, & anak agung putu arsana smart society 5.0: the digital literacy readiness of the english teachers 332 additionally, according to hidayat (2019), digital literacy can help students learn how to communicate safely both inside and outside of the classroom. it can also help them be creative and think about important issues happening in the world. digital literacy can also improve their problem-solving capabilities and teach them how to manage lots of information online. these benefits drive teachers to incorporate digital literacy into the english language classroom. it is due to the requirement that students be literate and capable of performing in ways that are relevant to others, instead of merely being able to use digital media. next, the english teachers’ capabilities to utilize the digital technology and information as the internal factor is in accordance with the findings of jara et al. (2015) that high performance of the teachers on digital skills is manly correlated to the access to computer at home. in other words, it is related to times they spent in using such technology. the results of the previous study also suggested that early exposure to technology could have a big positive impact on how well the respondents learn to use the digital tools. conclusion the english teachers were in the level of a sufficient in relation to their digital literacy readiness. they should be technically and pedagogically equipped to use technology and eager to incorporate it into the teaching learning process. there were external and internal factors that influenced the english teachers' digital literacy readiness, which they must maintain with the intention to optimally create meaningful teaching and learning processes to accomplish the twenty-first century demands and prepare the students to be members of smart society 5.0. acknowledgement this manuscript would have been conceivable with the perpetual expert backings and prompts from universitas mahasaraswati denpasar. we would also like to express our gratitude to everyone who participated in the peer review process for the manuscript. this manuscript is ready for publication and thanks to the professional assistance, encouragement, and support of all respected reviewers. additionally, we would like to express our gratitude to all participants who contributed during this research phase. references akkoyunlu, b., & soylu, m. y. (2010). öğretmenlerin sayısal yetkinlikleri uzerine bir calışma. türk kütüphaneciliği, 24(4), 748–768. al-awidi, h., & aldhafeeri, f. (2016). teachers’ readiness to implement digital curriculum in kuwaiti schools. journal of information technology education: research, 16, 105–126. alanoglu, m., aslan, s., & karabatak, s. (2022). do teachers’ educational philosophies affect their digital literacy? the mediating effect of resistance to change. education and information technologies, 27(3), 3447–3466. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10753-3 almerich, g., orellana, n., suárez-rodríguez, j., & díaz-garcía, i. (2016). teachers’ information and communication technology competences: a structural approach. computers and education, 100, 110–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.05.002 aslan, s. (2021). analysis of digital literacy selfefficacy levels of pre-service teachers. international journal of technology in education, 4(1), 57-67. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijte.47 ata, r., & yıldırım, k. (2019). exploring turkish preservice teachers’ perceptions and views of digital literacy. education sciences, 9(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9010040 bahri, a., jamaluddin, a. bin, arifin, a. n., & saparuddin. (2022). students’ and teachers’ digital literacy skill: a comparative study between schools, classes, and genders in urban and rural areas. international journal of science and research, 11(2), 184–191. https://doi.org/10.21275/sr22130101519 çam, e., & kiyici, m. (2017). perceptions of prospective teachers on digital literacy. malaysian online journal of educational technology, 5(4), 29-44. edeh, n. c., amedu, a. n., & eseadi, c. (2022). assessing gender differences in teachers’ digital literacy skills for assisting students with functional diversity. international journal of early childhood special education, 14(5), 7952–7958. https://doi.org/10.9756/intjecse/v14i5.1021 fernández‑batanero, j. m., cabero‑almenara, j., román‑graván, p., & palacios‑rodríguez, a. (2022). knowledge of university teachers on the use of digital resources to assist people with disabilities. the case of spain. education and information technologies, 27, 9015–9029. fuchs, k., pösse, l., bedenlier, s., gläser-zikuda, m., kammerl, r., kopp, b., händel, m. (2022). preservice teachers’ online self-regulated learning: does digital readiness matter? education sciences, 12(4), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12040272 fukuyama, m. (2018). society 5.0: aiming for a new english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 333 human-centered society. hitachi review, 66(6), 558–559. hidayat, m. t. (2019). the analysis of teacher’s belief on digital literacy in foreign language teaching. english education and applied linguistics journal, 2(1), 36–41. jara, i., claro, m., hinostroza, j. e., san martín, e., rodríguez, p., cabello, t., labbé, c. (2015). understanding factors related to chilean students’ digital skills: a mixed methods analysis. computers and education, 88, 387– 398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.07.016 katadata insight center. (2021). status literasi digital di indonesia 2021. jakarta. liza, k., & andriyanti, e. (2020). digital literacy scale of english pre-service teachers and their perceived readiness toward the application of digital technologies. journal of education and learning (edulearn), 14(1), 74–79. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v14i1.13925 markauskaite, l. (2005). exploring differences in trainee teachers’ ict literacy: does gender matter? ascilite 2005 the australasian society for computers in learning in tertiary education, 445–455. mega, i. r. (2022). learners’ digital literacy in the online learing during covid-19. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 699–706. milawati, & sholeh, m. (2020). teacher’s readiness in using digital technology for learning in samarinda city high school. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 398(icossce 2019), 321–324. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200130.064 mudra, h. (2020). digital literacy among young learners: how do efl teachers and learners view its benefits and barriers? teaching english with technology, 20(3), 3–24. ocak, g., & karakuş, g. (2018). pre-service teachers’ digital literacy self-efficacy scale development. kastamonu eğitim dergisi, 26(5), 1427–1436. https://doi.org/10.24106/kefdergi.1931 öngören, s. (2021). investigation of prospective preschool teachers’ digital literacy and teacher readiness levels. international journal of modern education studies, 5(1), 181–204. https://doi.org/10.51383/ijonmes.2021.90 özcan, m. (2022). evaluation of prospective teachers’ digital literacy levels and mobile learning attitudes. journal of adolescent & adult literacy educational technology and online learning, 5(2), 367–378. https://doi.org/10.31681/jetol.1020586 pangrazio, l. (2016). reconceptualising critical digital literacy. discourse: studies in the cultural politics of education, 37(2), 163–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2014.942836 rizal, r., rusdiana, d., setiawan, w., siahaan, p., & ridwan, i. m. (2021). gender differences in digital literacy among prospective physics teachers. journal of physics: conference series, 1806, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1806/1/012004 saripudin, s., budiyanto, i. b., listiana, r., & ana, a. (2021). digital literacy skills of vocational school teachers. journal of engineering science and technology, 2(1), 41–56. situmorang, k., nugroho, d. y., & pramusita, s. m. (2020). english teachers’ preparedness in technology enhanced language learning during covid-19 pandemic – students’ voice. jo-elt (journal of english language teaching) fakultas pendidikan bahasa & seni prodi pendidikan bahasa inggris ikip, 7(2), 57-67. https://doi.org/10.33394/jo-elt.v7i2.2973 sulasmi, e. (2022). primary school teachers’ digital literacy: an analysis on teachers’ skills in using technological devices. journal of innovation in educational and cultural research, 3(2), 140– 145. https://doi.org/10.46843/jiecr.v3i2.81 suryana, y. (2013). teachers’ perception on ictbased english teaching. english review: journal of english education, 2(1), 17–24. we are social. (2022). digital 2022: global overview report – global digital insights. data reportal yaraş, z., & öztürk, f. k. (2022). society 5.0 in human technology integration: digital transformation in educational organizations*. international journal of progressive education, 18(1), 458–474. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2022.426.26 anak agung putri maharani, ni made wersi murtini, & anak agung putu arsana smart society 5.0: the digital literacy readiness of the english teachers 334 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 469 willingness to speak: what factors influence efl learners? nyimas triyana safitri english education departement, teacher training and education, universitas jambi, jambi, indonesia email: triyana@unja.ac.id habizar english education departement, teacher training and education, universitas jambi, jambi, indonesia email: habizar@unja.ac.id melda nifia putri english education departement, teacher training and education, universitas jambi, jambi, indonesia email: meldanifiaa@gmail.com apa citation: safitri, n. t., habizar., putri, m. n. (2023). willingness to speak: what factors influence efl learners?. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 469-478. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7572 received: 18-02-2023 accepted: 23-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction transferring information is seen as a kind of communication when both parties understand what is being said without any misunderstandings (fatimayin, 2020). for this reason, the process of communication should involve group members interacting, creating meaning, and sharing ideas communicatively. in the educational setting, communication is another technique of knowledge transfer that frequently comes up in class discussions as it is a great way to learn and comprehend the new language. furthermore, the excitement or willingness to engage in conversation with other interlocutor using a second language with a certain topic is one of the key components of communication. for this reason, students should participate in a class discussion they find fascinating in the learning process. (rindiana and wulandari, 2020; fatimayin, 2020; tuyen and loan, 2019; alimorad, 2021). the first definition of the concept of willingness to communicate includes the students' choice to speak or not, which is influenced by psychological and situational or environmental factors. according to henry et al. (2021), willingness to communicate is someone’s decision to speak or remain silent. since there are a number of variables that might either increase or decrease a student's readiness to communicate. in addition to this, tuyen and loan (2019) mentioned that the decision to communicate with someone else is influenced by a number of factors that may be pertinent to the scenario and occasion. these factors include an individual's present mood, views of the other person, and preferences, showing that the circumstances of the interaction may have an abstract: the online learning mode has dramatically altered the manner of the way how communication is conducted in learning at higher education or schools for the past two years. it has led to a considerable change in how learning is carried out, transferring it from an offline to an online setting that permits long distance connection and communication. however, this has an effect on students’ engagement in class as many of them exhibit passive or unresponsive behavior in participating the online learning sessions. this qualitative study aims to explore the influencing factors affect students' willingness to participate in zoom sessions during online classes at english department, universitas jambi. the data was gathered through the online classroom observations and interviews with the six efl learners, and the data was then analyzed based on the theoretical built-themes of willingness to communicate (wtc). the finding reveals that 1) the demotivating factors influence efl learners’ willingness to speak in zoom class were derived by the situational factor such as difficult task types and models, the unfamiliar topic of class discussion, the lecturers’ personal characteristics, the inconvenienced time or schedule of the class meeting and a trouble internet connection. while 2) the depressing factors influenced by the psychological component, were comprised by the lack of self-confidence, low level of english language proficiency, l2 learning anxiety and students’ individual personality. keywords: online learning; students’ willingness to communicate. nyimas triyana safitri,, habizar, & melda nifia putri willingness to speak: what factors influence efl learners? 470 impact on the willingness to talk (katsaris, 2019). however, the way how communication is conducted has been dramatically altered in learning process during the covid-19 pandemic. the pandemic has given a massive change in how learning is transformed from offline to online mode which provides long distance communication. the common learning with a face-to-face mode is increasingly turning into online learning that provides distance communication facilities such as zoom meetings, whatsapp, google meet, etc. (laili & nashir, 2020). this is accomplished under the health department policy to keep the distance to avoid and reduce the spread of the covid-19 virus. however, there is a changing in the ways of this communication is conducted in which the numerous students tend to be inactive and passive in speaking up through online learning class via zoom meeting platform (clarin & baluyos, 2022). numerous studies have been done to identify various facets of students' willingness to communicative in online learning flatform for specific goals and objectives. at smp islam al azhar 21 sukoharjo, rindiana (2020) looked into the methods teachers used to increase their students' willingness to speak in online learning. the research revealed some ways for increasing students' willingness to communicate, including encouraging them to speak english through daily talk and conversation, implementing special bilingual programs, assigning group projects, maintaining humor and solidarity among students, giving rewards and punishments, hosting meetand-greet events, and attending bilingual students' shows. at smk negeri 10 malang, rihardini, et al. (2020) performed a study to examine students' perceptions of their willingness to use english during class interactions during online class. the results demonstrate that tenth and eleventh grade students at smk negeri 10 malang are affected by some of the variables included in the heuristic model, including communicative competence, desire to communicate with a specific person, motivation, anxiety, social situation, and topic of discussion. factors affecting efl students' willingness to communicate in speaking during online classes at the vietnamese tertiary level was examined in research by tuyen and loan (2019). the research found that students' desire and unwillingness to speak in english is influenced by three linguistic characteristics: vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation in the language. in addition, five non-linguistic elements influence the students’ willingness to use english in communication were interlocutor, motivation, anxiety, social environment, and topic interest. some of these non-linguistic elements, anxiety and social circumstances were two of those five nonlinguistic elements that have an impact on students' learning as well. according to tuyen and loan (2019), it was discovered that situational factor of students’ willingness to communicate in l2 classrooms resulted from the interaction of linguistic factors, classroom environmental factors, such as topic, task, interlocutor, teacher, and group size, with individual characteristics such as self-confidence, personality, emotion, and perceived opportunity to communicate. according to the research, language instructors should be aware of how these several contributing factors interact to influence students' wtc in the classroom. more specifically, the changes in the learning atmosphere from direct to indirect meetings led to many changes to the learning process experienced by most of students and lecturers at english department, universitas jambi as well. in online classroom practice, many lecturers complained about students who were frequently inactive and did not participate in online learning, despite the fact that there are several virtual meeting platforms that are frequently used as an alternative to inperson meetings. moreover, many students tend to be more passive in online learning communication by turning off the microphone during the discussion. some students also turned-off the camera that shows their participation and presence on their devices. furthermore, when the teacher asked students, sometimes some students were silent and did not answer the teacher's questions. this phenomenon often creates an uncomfortable atmosphere in the learning process for both teachers and students. on the basis of the background to the present study mentioned above, this study was conducted to explore factors affecting students’ willingness to communicate in online learning during covid19 pandemic. the initial finding of this study might answer to the question on “what are the factors affecting students’ willingness to communicate in online learning class at english study program universitas jambi? the findings are expected to provide a theoretical and practical insight and perspective on students’ willingness to communicate in online class during covid-19 pandemic in indonesia and countries all over the world. according to tuyen and loan (2019), there are english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 471 two factors that are considered influences students’ willingness to communicate, psychological and situational or environmental factor which is described as follows: tuyen and loan (2019) state that psychological variables are a group of human-related factors that affected the students' willingness to communicate. the first factor is lack of communication confidence, which has an impact on students’ desire to communicate. the desire to communicate with a particular person and low self-confidence is the most direct indicator of willingness to communicate. the second factor of these is a perceived communicative competence. students' ability to speak l2 with other l2 users may be taken into account when evaluating their communicative competence. students in l2 who believe they are either ineffective communicators or skilled communicators frequently have lower or higher willingness to communicate (tuyen and loan, 2019). the third factor concerns on l2 learning anxiety. oral communication fear makes students less motivated to speak, which affects how they view their communication skills. the elements that have been connected to l2 learning anxiety include trait anxiety (a person's personality attribute), state anxiety, and situation-specific anxiety (tuyen and loan 2019). the fourth factor is students’ motivation which is regarded as essential in influencing students’ willingness to speak. the degree to which students work to learn the language out of a desire to do so and the satisfaction that comes from doing so and how motivated the students are affects by how prepared they are for communication. (tuyen and loan, 2019; januariza and hendriani, 2019; aini et al. 2021; indiana and wulandari; 2020). the fifth factor is related to students’ personality. personality qualities such as extraversion and introversion might be viewed as important indications of willingness to speak. personality can help or impede willingness to talk and general language learning. students' communicative openness is determined by their individual traits. communication is more likely to occur when a person has strong levels of extroversion, self-confidence, friendliness, and flexibility, rihardini. (2021). alimorad, z. (2021). the student's desire to speak with a particular individual in a particular circumstance or at a given time can be determined by environmental or situational factors and numerous elements are known to have an impact on students' willingness to communication. the first factor is influenced by the task types of learning. the planned learning activities in a class aimed at communicative competence or structural knowledge are referred to tasks. during the learning process, many tasks would be given to the students with many types. task types are observable factors influencing students' willingness to communicate. according to sylvia et al. (2020), the students’ will be more willing to communicate with a presentation task given by the lecturer. this is in line with tuyen and loan (2019), the degree of difficulty and the amount of time allocated for completing the work can all affect the students' motivation to communicate. the second factor is classroom topic discussion. the issue familiarity, topic interest, and topic preparation are the major factors that might boost students' self-confidence and willingness to communicate. students may be encouraged to participate in the debate by certain subjects because they feel driven to do so, as they think the topic is both intrinsically and indirectly fascinating. (tuyen and loan, 2019; alimorad, 2021; suvongse and chanyoo, 2022). the third factor focuses on the function of the teacher or teachers’ role. according to tuyen and loan (2019), in the l2 classroom, instructional methods, classroom rules, and the teacher's verbal and nonverbal behavior have an impact on the students' willingness to speak. furthermore, rindiana and wulandari (2020) confirmed that one of the factors affecting students’ willingness to communicate is the teacher role. the teacher could give the motivation and the oral example of the english language while communicating or explaining the lessons. some of the teachers’ behavior in the classroom includes offering opportunities for students to speak and delivering clear explanations, comments, or encouragement. the students will be more willing to speak when the teacher can conduct a conducive classroom atmosphere, susanti (2019). another factor is classroom atmosphere which covers the feeling, attitude, or circumstance that the class creates. as it is stated by tuyen and loan (2019) the classroom atmosphere is defined as the emotion, mood, or climate created and enjoyed by the class group which shows involvement and participation of all members in class.” (p.255). the classroom atmosphere is also one of the factors that affect students’ willingness to communicate. referring to this point, rindiana and wulandari (2020) claimed that classroom atmosphere impacts students’ eagerness to communicate. it leads to students’ willingness to speak in english which nyimas triyana safitri,, habizar, & melda nifia putri willingness to speak: what factors influence efl learners? 472 rise in a positive or engaging learning environment. this is in line with tuyen and loan (2019) noted that students’ l2 willingness to communicate is promoted by a friendly classroom atmosphere, while boring and silent classroom situations demotivate willingness to communicate. in addition, le et al. (2019) highlighted that online learning provides a remote learning mode that allows the students to learn from home, and some environmental distractors sometimes couldn’t be avoided, such as interference from the family member, noisy environmental conditions. moreover, the students need a quiet place to communicate and listen during oral online learning activities. they also students tend to be remaining silent in a non-private environment or with interference from the family members. (ng, 2021; le et al., 2018; alimorad, 2021; janah, 2021). this idea also supported by agustina et al. (2020), learning at home in a setting that is not conducive tend to disrupt the learning process. online learning is a model of virtual learning environment which serves copious learning activities through distance learning website flatform. it is often referred to as “e-learning,” among other terms, even thought is just one type of distance learning, the umbrella term for any learning that takes place across distance and not in a traditional classroom. in recent research, arkorful and abaido (2021) stated that online learning uses information and communication technologies to allow access to online teaching and learning resources including the process of instructing, teaching, and learning, which is conducted through the application of web-based or internet-enabled digital technologies to achieve various learning purposes. for this reason, the minimum requirements for online class are access to a computer, the internet, and the drive to achieve in a non-traditional learning environment to enroll in an online course. additionally, online leaning offers a great way to give training that is not restricted by time or place, making it possible for anybody, anywhere, to receive instruction at any time and its setting appeals to learners as a practical approach to accommodate remote learning. it also allows students to have a lot of lesson documentation as it provides students with a more relaxed atmosphere because they are learning from home. students also don't need to go to campus daily, increasing time efficiency (ayu and pratiwi, 2021). on the other hand, adijaya & lestanto also explained that online learning can be done in an easy way because it only relies on applications that are connected to the internet (swari, 2020). according to nambiar (2020), some of the teacher found it more convenient in conducting classes by using online method since it saving travel time. to continue the learning process during this pandemic, many online platforms that can be used, such as zoom, goggle classroom, goggle meet, moodle, etc. the online platforms promote both inquiries based learning and independent learning since the online platforms facilitate interactions between teacher and students although they are not in the same room (nartiningrum, 2019; clarin and baluyos, 2022). the use of online learning media certainly requires a good internet network to support smooth online learning. this, of course, presents the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning. according to kemendikbud (2020), the main obstacle to online learning is the lack of internet facilities to support online learning. major problems in online learning were the lack of internet connection and got disconnected to the classes (yuzulia, 2021). the power of the internet network, which is not evenly distributed in every region in indonesia, especially in remote areas, greatly affects students' learning process. however, some problems may occur due to unstable networking, insufficient quota inadequate speed of network connection, (kemendikbud, 2020: putri, n. r. & sari, f. m. 2021). method a qualitative research design has been considered appropriate in this study. according to anas and ishaq (2020) “qualitative research is a systematic scientific method of inquiry which seeks to build a holistic largely narrative, description to inform the researchers understanding of social or cultural phenomena” (p. 90). in the case with a qualitative study, this study attempted to understand the meaning for participants in the study, of the events, situations, and action they were involved with and the accounts that they give of their lives and experiences; attempted to understand the particular context within which the participants act, and the influence that this context has on their action. every detail was thought to contribute for obtaining a better understanding of behavior. this study explored affecting factors influence students’ willingness to communicate in online learning class during the covid pandemic era in indonesia. this study was conducted at english study program, faculty of teacher training and education universitas jambi. it involves six english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 473 students who were enrolled in the academic year 2020/2021 with two years experienced in online learning environment. these participants were selected by using purposive sampling technique and assigned depending on their agreement on the inform concern form. two data collection methods, interview and observation, were employed in this study. 19 question items made up the interview, which was addressed to six participants for lasted 20-30 minutes. the interview has undergone several changes and revisions by experts before it was administered. while the observation was carried out during the daily online class conducted. the collected data in this study was recorded in order to keep the authenticity. the data was then analyzed by using thematic analysis technique. thematic analysis is a useful technique for closely examining qualitative data to identify patterns and explain the phenomenon in a form of the researcher's point of view. the steps of analyzing the data were included familiarizing the data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing potential themes, defining or naming themes and presenting the report. results and discussion results the findings of this study indicate that discouraging factors of students' motivation to communicate in an online learning environment is being attributed to a number of demotivating variables, including psychological and situational or contextual issues. these two main findings are described in the following discussion: the psychological factor psychological factor refers to the set of factors from the individual that is correlated to students’ willingness to communicate in online class. these psychological factors are categorized into: lack of self-confidence self-confidence is seen as the combination between perceived communicative competence and lack of anxiety which tends to be reduced and enhanced at particular moments. there was found in this study that when the students felt low selfconfidence, they tended to avoid talking in zoom room class. as stated by katiandagho & sengkey (2022), the lower students’ self-confidence they will have lower wtc. students’ low selfconfidence was also probably caused by several factors such as online classroom atmosphere, difficult task type or materials which make them difficult to speak up during the class. some of them admitted that learning material were hard to understand, so they felt less confidents to talk to lecturers and class in zoom room and afraid of making mistake. besides, students also often felt embarrassed seeing themselves on screen and being noticed by the other student. the students start to feel anxious when they have to speak in front of other people (idzni & setiawan 2021). they felt anxiety particularly when they think others might see them, as it was stated by participant p06 and p03: “if i don't really understand the teaching material, then i don't have high confidence enough to speak in the zoom room during learning”. “speaking with lecturers who use challenging teaching materials makes me afraid to speak up. i'm quite hesitant to talk when i'm under pressure for fear of saying something incorrectly and embarrassing my friends. i am also felt shay to look at myself on a screen”. the desire to communicate with a particular person and low self-confidence are the most direct indicator of willingness to communicate. so, it can be concluded that students’ low self-confidence is one of the decreasing factors for students’ willingness to communicate in zoom class. the lack of students’ self-confidence also resulted from several factors which directly lead to inactive online learning environment. a) low level of english language proficiency the students’ low communicative competence is one of the decreasing factors of willingness to communicate. when they perceived their communicative competence at a low level, they tended to contribute less during online class communication. as it was mentioned by participant p06 and p02: "i feel that i can't speak english well, i'm afraid to speak." sometimes i have problem with vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation” “i occasionally decide not to speak much in zoom class due to my terrible english. fear of being incorrect and embarrassed by friends and lecturer”. when students believe they have problem with communication skills, they experience speaking anxiety, which makes them reluctant to communicate during the class. these findings are in line with ramli et al. (2021) that unwillingness nyimas triyana safitri,, habizar, & melda nifia putri willingness to speak: what factors influence efl learners? 474 to speak affected by some linguistic problems such as lack of english vocabulary, weak grammar skills, and poor english pronunciation. l2 learning anxiety this study found that participants were fear of a negative evaluation by the lecturer or other students. it caused anxiousness and nervousness that led to the unwillingness to communicate in zoom class. the fear of negative evaluation would come after the participant or the other individual had a direct negative evaluation from the lecturer during class. as it is stated by participants p01 and p05: "i frequently get notices from lecturer since i don’t use english in classroom practice. i use bahasa in zoom class dominantly so, i felt very uncomfortable with this lecturer and avoid to talk in zoom class”. “sometimes i get a lot of corrections from the lecturer especially about assignments. this often make me a bit afraid and reluctant to communicate while studying’.” this finding leads to the conclusion that learning anxiety is one of discourages factor influencing students’ willingness to communicate. it was brought on by pressure or the fear of receiving a bad review. as tuyen and loan (2019) said that students' perceptions of their communication skills are impacted by oral communication anxiety, which affects their willingness to speak. students’ individual personality the study also found that individual’ personality affected the willingness to communicate. when the they are quiet and introverted, the willingness to speak might potentially decreased and this was claimed by participant p06: "i'm an introvert personality and also it's quite affecting my willingness to speak because again i feel shy to talk and quite afraid to be the center of attention in class.” this point of view is confirmed by tuyen and loan (2019) that introversion and extraversion or personality traits can be seen as influential indicators of students’ willingness to communicate and the individual personalities can facilitate or hinder students’ willingness to speak up for general language learning. meanwhile zohoorian et al. (2022) stated the same idea that an extraverted person is talkative and sociable they tend to contribute to improve communication. 1. the situational or contextual factors this situational feature reveals whether the students are expected to interact with a particular person in a certain circumstance or situation. for this study, it was discovered that a number of situational elements have an impact on students' willingness to interact during online classes. those elements are acknowledged as: the difficult task types or models this study discovered that the difficult tasks type is one of the factors affecting students’ willingness to speak in zoom class. the participants agreed that the challenging task made them prefer to remain silent. when they are given challenging assignments, their willingness to communicate get declining. the students would remain silent during the class lesson when they do not understand or comprehend the content of lesson, suciati (2020) and this is claimed by participant p04: "i tend to speak less if the task is difficult because since i don't fully understand it. when i look at my friends remain silent during the zoom class, i often postpone to speak up and wait them to talk to. the hard work during the lesson often makes me lazy to speak up.” from the statements above, it can be said that when the participants are confused about the class tasks or assignment, they choose to remain silent. the hard work of the lesson makes them scared of a negative correction. this also makes participants afraid to talk or make mistakes. therefore, the challenging tasks could be the reason why students’ willingness to communicate is declining. a) the unfamiliar topic of class discussion the study discovered that students’ willingness to speak is impacted by their enthusiasm in the issue or topic of class discussion. the majority of participants described how their motivation to talk in zoom class dropped when they lost interest in the subject. this is in line with tuyen and loan (2019) said that when students are given unfamiliar topic to discuss, they may be more avoid to engage in conversation with one another. as it was said by participant p01 and p06: “the topic of discussion in class greatly determines my participation in class. if the topic english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 475 is less interesting, i tend not to talk much. i think it’s less interesting to discuss in class”. ”i prefer not to speak if the topic of discussion is not familiar.” the effect of topics discussion could have been a determinant of students’ willingness to speak since less interesting topics led to a decrease in students’ motivation to talk (latifah, 2020). meanwhile the familiar topic will increase their willingness to communicate as stated by hanifah and nainggolan (2021), students will be more willing to talk when they have a good understanding of the topic at hand. the lecturers’ personal characteristics the researcher found that the role of the lecturer influenced students’ willingness to communicate. most of the participant explained that the negative lecturer’s behavior influenced their motivation to talk in class. a lecturer who has a bad temper and intimidates the students will lead to an unwillingness to communicate. as stated by one of the participants p04 and p02: "i'm afraid to talk in zoom class because the sort of lecturer who likes to be angry and irritable, i don't like it since it's terrifying." “i don't want to talk in online classes since the lesson is too hard, or the lecturer is scary sometimes.” as the students experienced anxiety about speaking in class with unfriendly lecturer, they became less motivated and reluctant to speak in class. one of the participants p03 said that: “sometimes there are situations where lecturers prefer to switch off camera during lectures for certain reasons. this makes me and friends feel unmotivated because we were not directly supervised by the lecturers while studying.” from this point of view, it is clear that the way in which communication in a zoom class is conducted might be challenging if the lecturers show the unfriendly manner to students. as a result, there is inconvenience atmosphere in a zoom class as students frequently sit quietly. sylvia et al. (2020) who also noted that students will not have a high willingness to communicate when the teacher is not pleasant to them, for example, when the teacher gets angry when the students make mistakes. in contrast, the students may be more interested to speak when the teacher is encouraging and warm (lee, 2020). the learners will be more have a high enjoyment in communicating with foreign language with a friendly teacher who is not overly strict. ( deewale, 2019; suvongse and chanyoo, 2022). b) the inconvenient time or schedule of the class meeting the study found that one of the elements affecting students' willingness to speak was the inconvenient schedule of virtual class meeting. additionally, lack of a supportive classroom environment will have a detrimental effect on the students’ willingness to communicate (sylvia et al. 2020). in addition to this, lee (2020) mentioned that l2 students’ wtc were determined by classroom enjoyment and grit. this study also discovered that the length of the course and the number of course credits had an impact on students’ willingness to speak during the zoom class, consequently, students got fatigued and found it difficult to concentrate when the meeting was held at a vulnerable hour, including during lunch, in the evening, or in a lengthy sequential class. this is in line with the statement from ng (2021), the length of time for online class in which students spend, may have an impact on how effective their learning is, and this was admitted by participant p01, p03, p06: "when lectures begin at inconvenient hour or time, such as at night or in the afternoon when i had previously attended lectures beginning in the morning, i find it difficult to speak. this condition is truly tiring.” “it depends on the time or hour of the meal; whether it's time to eat at 12, it's tired. i also often feel sleepy and hungry especially at 1 o'clock and i don’t to talk in class.” “the online zoom class often occurs at noon or one in the afternoon and it really makes me difficult to concentrate. for this time, i often keep silent in class.” a trouble internet connection the researcher discovered that students' willingness to communicate was impacted by a poor internet connection during the virtual meeting. it refers to the situation where the internet connection is inconsistent and interferes with learning. this statement was also claimed by participant p06 and p05: nyimas triyana safitri,, habizar, & melda nifia putri willingness to speak: what factors influence efl learners? 476 "the internet connection frequently cuts out, which makes me lazy to speak up in class.” “the lecturer's voice is sometimes unclear or interrupted when explaining material due to signal interference, so i don't understand what's being explained and i am lazy to talk.” the majority of participants expressed that when the internet connection is inconsistent, they would be less participated in zoom class. this is aligned with aini et al. (2021) highlighted that one of the main challenges of students have when utilizing the zoom platform to learn english is an unreliable internet connection. the students would then become uninterested in the subject matter, which would diminish their willingness to speak. as stated by anwar & wahid (2021), the engagement in online classroom environment is reduced during bad connection and lack of interaction among the students. the same idea was also expressed by clarin and bayuros (2022), students often ignore their teachers and turn off the camera when there are issues with the internet connection. conclusion the changes in the learning atmosphere from direct to indirect meetings lead to many changes in the ongoing learning process that the efl learners’ experiences. this finding has discovered numerous discouraging factors influence efl learners’ willingness to speak at online learning. these factors are derived by the psychological and situational or environmental aspect, which were described in the following table: table 1. factors which influence efl learners’ willingness to speak at online learning theme(s) sub-theme(s the psychological factors  lack of self confidence  low level of english language proficiency  l2 learning anxiety  students’ individual personality the situational factors  difficult task types and models.  the unfamiliar topic of class discussion  the lecturers’ personal characteristics  inconvenient time and schedule of the meeting  a trouble internet connection the results of this study may provide a number of recommendations, including the need for lecturers in online learning environments to be able to interact positively with students and foster a friendly learning environment that will encourage students’ talk in zoom classes. to encourage efl learners to talk more, the lecturers should also be able to constructively interact with the learners and foster a welcoming learning environment. additionally, it is also expected that efl learners might learn how to increase their level of participation in online classes to create an active zoom class atmosphere. to this end, the finding of this study might serve as a guide for future studies looking into related topics and being used as the reference for improving and evaluating of learning strategies in the online classroom atmosphere. acknowledgement we would like to express our gratitude and thankfulness to universitas jambi for the financial and guidance support to the completion of this research in 2022. references agustina, d., matra, s., & karimah, s. (2020). challenges of having online learning activities: university students' perspectives. the international english language teachers and lecturers conference (pp. 9-14). ineltal conference. alimorad, z. (2021). a case study on willingness to communicate in english in the iranian tertiary educational context. a publication on the teaching and learning of english, 1-28. anas, n., & ishaq, k. (2022). qualitative research method in social and behavioural science research. international journal of management, social sciences, peace and conflict studies (ijmsspcs), 5(1), 89-93. anwar, i.w., & wahid, j.h.j. (2021). learners' perception on online learning implementation during covid-19 pandemic. jollt journal of languages and language teaching, 9(2), 126138, https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v%vi%i.3576 ayu, m., & pratiwi, z. f. (2021). the implementation of online learning in english language teachinh during pandemic: the teachers voice. journal of research on language education (jorle), 2(2), 93–99. https://ejurnal.teknokrat.ac.id/index.php/jorle/ index clarin, a., & baluyos, e. (2022). challenges encountered in the implementation of online distance. eduline: journal of education and learning innovation, 2(1), 33-46. dewaele, j.-m. (2019). the effect of classroom emotions, attitudes toward english, and teacher english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 477 behavior on willingness to communicate among english foreign language learners. journal of language and social psychology. hanifah, & nainggolan, e. (2021). university students‟ willingness to communicate in virtual classroom. adjes (ahmad dahlan journal of english studies), 68-82. idzni, z., & setiawan, w. (2021). an investigation of students' willingness to communicate in speaking class in online learning. project (professional journal of english education), 909-921. katiandagho, i.g., & sengkey, v.g. (2022). students’ self-confidence and their willingness to communicate in english. linguistic english education and art (leea) journal, 6(1), 153161 katsaris, a. (2019). the willingness to communicate (wtc): origins, significance, and propositions for the l2/fl classroom. journal of applied languages and linguistics, 3(2), 31-42. kemendikbud. (2020). potret pendidikan tinggi di masa covid-19 (1 ed.). direktorat jenderal pendidikan tinggi. latifah, z., sudana, d., & yusuf, f.n. (2020). investigating the factors influencing students' willingness to communicate in english. isllac: journal of intensive studies on language, literature, art, and culture, 4(1), 91-100. le, t., cunningham, u., & watson, k. (2018). the relationship between willingness to communicate and social presence in an online english language course. the jalt call journal, 14(1), 43-59. lee, j. s. (2020). the role of grit and classroom enjoyment in efl learners’ willingness to communicate. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 1–17. nambiar, d. (2020). the impact of online learning during covid-19: students' and teachers' perspective. the international journal of indian psychology, 8(12), . nehonai, j., udil, p., & blegur, i. (2022). pelatihan penggunaan aplikasi zoom dalam pembelajaran matematika di sekolah dasar maulafa kota kupang. jurnal pengabdian masyarakat, 05(1), 23-32. ng, c. (2021). the physical learning environment of online distance learners in higher education – a conceptual model. frontiers in psychology, 12, 635117. putri, n. r.,& sari, f. m. (2021). investigating english teaching strategies to reduce online teaching obstacles in the secondary school. journal of english language teaching and learning, 2(1), 23–31 ramli, k., hidayah, j., edy, s., & esmianti, f. (2021). factors of students’ willingness and unwillingness to speak english in the classroom. journal of english education and teaching (jeet), 5(1), 95-109. rihardini. (2021). student's willingness to communicate using english: a survey study. jurnal ilmiah bahasa sastra dan pembelajarannya, 8(1), 7594. roy, h., ray, k., saha, s., & ghosal, a. (2020). a study on students’ perceptions for online zoom-app based flipped class sessions on anatomy organised during the lockdown period of covid19 epoch. journal of clinical and diagnostic research, 14(6), 1-3. sesriyani, l. (2020). the indonesian students' willingness to communicate in virtual class: a case study. journal geej, 7(2), 214-227. stritto, m., & linder, k. (2018). student device preferences for online course access and multimedia learning. oregon state university ecampus reseach unit. suciati. (2020). speaking anxiety in efl classroom: categories and factors. jurnal linguistiks terapan dan pendidikan bahasa inggris, 7(1), 39-45. susanti, e. (2019). contributing factors on students’ willingness to communicate (wtc). the 5th uad tefl international conference (5th utic) (pp. 41-47). uad tefl. suvongse, n., & chanyoo, n. (2022). factors contributing to willingness to communicate in english of thai undergraduate students in the immersion programs. theory and practice in language studies, 12(4), 763-771. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1204.17 syafrayani, p., ginting, p., hasnah, y., & saragih, m. (2022). unpacking the opportunities and challenges in learning speaking through online during covid-19 outbreak: a case study of indonesian efl university students. englisia: journal of language, education, and humanities, 9(2), 109-129. sylvia, sulistyo, g., & arsyad, s. (2020). willingness to communicate in a foreign language: the factors affecting students with a high english ability in the higher education classroom. international journal of innovation, creativity and change, 11(10), 37-52. tuyen, l., & loan, t. (2019). factors affecting efl students’ willingness to communicate in speaking classes at the vietnamese tertiary level. international journal of english literature and social sciences (ijels), 4(2), 252-262. yuzulia, i. (2021). the challenges of online learning during pandemic: students’ voice. wanastra: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 13(1), 8-12. zohoorian, z., zeraatpishe, m., khorrami, n. (2022). willingness to communicate, big five personality traits, and empathy: how are they related?. canadian journal of educational and social studies. 2(5), 17-27. nyimas triyana safitri,, habizar, & melda nifia putri willingness to speak: what factors influence efl learners? 478 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 397 cultivating english proficiency for enhanced customer service in indonesian railways: a study on vocational training needs budi candra english language education department, universitas muhammadiyah malang, indonesia email:budicandra05@umm.ac.id khoiriyah* english language education department, universitas muhammadiyah malang, indonesia email: khoiriyah230693@umm.ac.id apa scitation: candra, b., & khoiriyah. (2024). cultivating english proficiency for enhanced customer service in indonesian railways: a study on vocational training needs. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 397-408. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9133 received: 25-10-2023 accepted: 23-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 abstract: this research aims to conduct a need analysis of english communication skills learning materials that can better meet the demands of workplace, to be specific for customer service employees in indonesian railways company (pt.kai). thirteen employees were purposefully selected as the respondents. using mixed methods, a survey and in-depth interview were carried out to collect the data as a part of a need analysis. the result showed that english communication skills in the customer service sector of indonesian railways, especially in malang reminds very crucial since many regions in indonesia are international tourism destinations. nonetheless, almost all of the participants did not always speak english in their day-to-day working time. yet, they still highly demanded to improve their english communication skills as their related working skills to improve their professionalism and to meet the workplace requirements. thuse, vocational training initiatives was exceedingly suggested. based on the result of a need analysis conducted in this study, among four english skills, listening and speaking skills were primary needed to be enhanced. some topics were highlighted as the learning materials that meet with the employee’s needs such as showing empathy, ending conversation, thanking conversation, and other topics related to tourism and giving directions and many more. all in all, this needs analysis highlight proper materials of english training for the employees to meet the need of the employee as well to enhance their service excellent. this research is expected to give preliminary evidence for the eop course designers, esp practitioners, book publisher, or even vocational training centre to design more relevant materials. keywords: customer service; english communicative skills; eop; need analysis; vocational training. introduction english for specific purpose (henceforth esp) program is a mean of a learning process for someone who wants to reach a better english skill for specific purposes. it can be outside the university or school or looking at a tutoring agency. esp has many purposes; one is to fulfil job application requirements as english has become essential at the academic and professional levels (kherrous, 2021; narzoles & palermo, 2021). in addition, some people or professionals take the esp course because their companies required them to speak english well since they have to talk with foreigners (salmani-nodoushan, 2020). the use of the english language is immensely essential for workplace communication, particularly for a business entity. english, nowadays, is required to conduct successful business transactions with customers, market products and services, and grow a business. as a result, having an english-fluent is obligatory to be competitive in the workplace (alshayban, 2022). additionally, employers view good english communication skills as a distinct selling point (thomas et al., 2016). the design of esp determines the process components and english skills, so learners get what they want. esp is an english learning approach where the topics and learning methods used are designed based on the needs of learners (liu & zhang, 2020; nimasari, 2018; saliu & hajrullai, 2016). in other words, learners have a particular reason or purpose for learning english. it is the difference between learning english in general (general english) and learning specifically (english for specific purposes) (ekayati et al., 2020). there are some kinds of english for specific budi candra & khoiriyah cultivating english proficiency for enhanced customer service in indonesian railways: a study on vocational training needs 398 purposes. english for academic purposes (eap) and english for occupational purposes (eop). in one hand, eap focuses on the learning process in academic life (arnó-macià et al., 2020). the students must do it to achieve goals by the existing curriculum. on the other hand, english for occupational purposes (eop) is an esp type that focuses on various purposes. there is english teaching and learning for professionals who need it for their certain job (abubakar et al., 2021; suningsih, 2021). so, esp is not just basic english for all people who understand it, but specifically for those who correlate with the purposes. before developing the material, a need analysis is significantly needed (nimasari, 2018) . in this research, based on the data from preliminary interview, the employees are demanded to perform good communication skills in english. communication skills are those through which individuals can engage in interpersonal interactions and communication (moradi, 2020). for effective communication, the 4cs are critical to do when we are going to have good communication. these 4cs are clarity, conciseness, completeness, and correctness. using appropriate language, vocabulary, and grammar will demonstrate that the communicator has a good command of the language, which will create a good impression (krishnan et al., 2019). hence, the employee should have sufficient english skills, particularly in demonstrating written and oral communication skills. in relation to the subject of this research, employee of customer service in indonesian railways company, it can be found that when they are in working hour, they should communicate with some foreigners and what they have to do is explaining some information. as good employees, by using the core values of “bumn (state-owned enterprises),” they have to be competent, which means when they are doing their job, they must be totally professional in many ways. it also happens in many other workplaces as well (ahmmed et al., 2020; arumugam & kaur, 2011; hee & zainal, 2018; sari & sari, 2020; thomas et al., 2016). hence, they need such an intensive training regarding their english communication skills, especially dealing with foreigners. in fact, there was none research identifying their english needs. to be specific, the available references or books remind insufficient for them. developing esp materials for the employee is demanded to provide an effective learning source to improve their communicative skills in english. above all, before developing the material, need analysis of the customer service on the station is significantly required. the employee needs to design esp program for customer service. the esp type related to the customer service on station is english for occupational purposes (eop) because it requires some professional skill to master (kamil & muhammad, 2021). a need analysis of this research is required for providing preliminary data regarding the target learners. according to songhori in (nimasari, 2018), the types of need analysis are divided into several types. there are target analysis (tsa), present situation analysis (psa), educational needs analysis, discourse analysis, register analysis, and genre analysis (liu & zhang, 2020). therefore, the needs analysis of all components of this research is language's use of customer service on station, the environmental situation, the importance of particular language skills, and the employee attitude toward esp, especially on english for occupational purposes (eop). thus, to design the relevant teaching materials, need analysis is immensely crucial in the very beginning. na refers to the process of gathering evidence and information. need analysis is conducted to look into two ideas: why learners need to learn a foreign language in a specific situation, and how they can best learn it (ait hattani, 2019). na is essentially required for esp because the goal of esp has specific requirements (lertchalermtipakoon et al., 2021). based on those various concepts of needs analysis, the results of each component can be correlated into a specific analysis appropriate to the employees' wants and necessities. different contexts may have other effects on needs analysis (pertiwi, 2021). it is essential to conduct a needs analysis for specific fields to achieve the expected goals. there are a number of researches in relation to need analysis in efl settings. previous research was conducted by hafid and ulum (2021). their study was about the need analysis for proper english learning to design esp materials for customer service officers on bpjs ketenagakerjaan. the researcher asked some questions to 15 respondents—the first was about english proficiency. as much as 66.7% of respondents stated that they usually use english, and the remaining 33.3% even said they often use english in their work. the second aspect is related to the importance of english at work. as a result, 100% answer the question specifically for two reasons. 60% of respondents stated that english is english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 399 used more for listening and speaking, and another 40% said they use english in listening, speaking, and writing. the employee highlighted the importance of english skills as they must be able to speak english because they have to communicate directly with foreign consumers. some of the important topics that the employees need are greetings, interviewing personal data, and small talk about work experience(hafiz & ulum, 2021). other previous research was conducted by tyas and salwa (2021) about english needs analysis for sharia bank employees. this research study is about the sharia bank's english needs while on duty. the research had the purpose of finding the difficulties for employees to learn english. one of the difficulties is that it can be seen that lack of practice in the workplace is the most severe difficulty that they face. according to the research of the employees of bank sharia in semarang, the essential skill that must be mastered is speaking and listening, rather than writing and reading (tyas & salwa, 2021). other previous study was conducted by rahardjo, setiyanti, and sofiani (2021) about a need analysis on the instructional material development of speaking skills for secretarial students. this research study is about the secretarial students' responsibilities. all secretarial positions are responsible for being proficient in english communication, mainly in speaking. there are several competencies that researchers already conduct to analyze what is difficult and necessary, and of course, designed based on skkni. specifically, 100% of respondents answered that "job interview" is essential to master as "presentation." both of them need proficient english communication skills. in contrast, the job interview will determine your personal qualities in front of human resource development (hrd). it can be concluded that speaking, especially public speaking, is essential to master as a secretary. a secretary will meet many people and explain many things that need to be conveyed, for example, the results of meetings, work programs, or lobbying (raharjo et al., 2021). chayanin srisawat (2015) conducted a study about the need for english communication skills among customer service employees at a telecommunication company in thailand. according to his research, he found some of the employees in the company were required to have a good toeic score before joining the company. also, there is no english training for them, even for the new employees or the current customers facing difficulties when communicating with foreign customers. the research was conducted with a questionnaire, and the data collected concluded two introductory statements. communication skills in english are already good, but still need improvement because of unpredictable things when communicating with foreign customers. second, dealing with serious customers requires more effort, because some of the employees need to improve their vocabulary for better speaking skills (srisawat, 2015). after conducting preliminary literature review within the previous studies, it can be inferred that the research regarding the need of english for customer service in indonesian context, especially for eop program, is still limited. as it was highlighted by gamaliel and bangun (2023), pt kai needs to prepare their employee for global cooperation. their research yielded the importance of english habit, which means using english in the workplace for day-to-day tasks. with the start of pt kai's global cooperation on the indonesian fast train project, more global partners may be interested in cooperating with pt kai. pt kai must prepare cross-border mixed talent (henceforth prospective professional employee) as a result of worldwide collaborations. to keep up with pt kai's global talent, current employees must be prepared to lead team collaborations, especially in english communication skills. proving english for specific purposes (esp) training in professional contexts, such as in the context of customer service in pt kai is projected to assist the acceleration of human resource development program in preparing for global cooperation. esp serves to provide pt kai employees with the abilities required for engaging in worldwide workplace and professional discourse. this expansive approach emphasizes the importance of esp in improving not only language abilities but also global communication competencies (zare & biria, 2018). additionally, esp training basically is designed to meet specific needs of the learner (dou et al., 2023; ekayati et al., 2020; nurpahmi, 2016; park, 2021; salmaninodoushan, 2020). english for specific purposes or esp provides learning materials related to job expertise. hence, the researcher decided to conduct the research in order to explore the need for english communication skills for customer service at the train station in indonesia railways company. this research was projected to shed light on the design of an english training program for the employee. further, the findings also provide some insights for esp teachers or practitioners to budi candra & khoiriyah cultivating english proficiency for enhanced customer service in indonesian railways: a study on vocational training needs 400 develop the learning materials and learning program for the target learners. all in all, three research questions were formulated as follows: (1) how is the customer services’ perception towards their communication skills at work? (2) why do the customer service employees want to learn english? (3) what communication skills do the customer service employees want to improve? method research design aims to create an appropriate framework for a study (cohen et al., 2018; tyas & salwa, 2021). the important thing in research design is identifying the research topic and formulating some questions (abutabenjeh & jaradat, 2018). this study employed a mix-method to explore the customer services perception of their communication skills at work, to know why the customer service employees want to learn english and to highlight the communication skills they want to improve. a well-structured mixedmethods needs analysis can help to improve the rigor of course design, materials development, and curriculum and instruction (park, 2021). this research was conducted at malang station. the subjects of the research were the employees of pt.kai indonesia (the indonesian railways company), especially the customer service. this research setting was purposefully chosen as the result of preliminary interview with the head of the office pt kai in malang. the preliminary data yielded the importance of english training for the employees. there are thirteen employees in customer service on station at malang station. the consideration for choosing this subject is because the employees must have good english skills as it is demanded for their excellent service to the foreigners. based on the preliminary interview, the customer services still encountered some difficulties in speaking with their foreign customers. further, they also were eagerly motivated to join some english training programs to improve their english skills, to be specific for communication skills with the customers. in order to collect the data, a survey using questionnaire was administrated followed by conducting in-depth interview. in a need analysis, a survey is commonly used to determine which target conditions the target language will require in order to effectively design the learning materials and the learning process as well (sönmez, 2019). in this research, the researcher used a questionnaire adapted from srisawat (2015) since the questionnaire has high level of validity. the questionnaire was divided into four parts as follows: demographic information, selfassessment on english communication skills at work (fifteen close-ended questions), employees' perception toward the importance of english communication skills at work (four close-ended questions), and the need for improving english communication skills and training preference (twenty-two close-ended questions and 1 openended question). further, some participants of this research were asked to join in-depth interviews to follow-up their questionnaire responses to gain more detailed information. a well-planned interview method can offer a wealthy set of data (qu & dumay, 2011). the result of need analysis then analyzed based on the following procedures: first, the result of questionnaire, the quantitative data, was tabulated using the percentage in each questionnaire to draw the english current need of the employee. meanwhile, the result of the interview, the qualitative data, serves as complement to the primary data from the questionnaire. in a nutshell, the result of the survey and interview then were triangulated and analyzed descriptively. results and discussion the perception of the customer service on station towards their communication skills at work the result of the research regarding the perception and self-assessment of the customer service on station towards their communication skills at work can be seen in the following figure. figure 1. the frequency of using english during working time from figure 1, it can be seen that the most of the participants (7 out of 13 participants) or 53,8% of the participants sometimes use english during their working time. the other results show that 2 out of 13 participants or 15,4% of the participants always use english during their working time, followed by two other same results that 2 out of 13 participants or 15,4% of the participants frequently always: 15.4% frequently: … sometimes 53,8% rarely: 15.4% never: 0% always frequently sometimes rarely never english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 401 and also rarely use english during their working time. as a result, it can be concluded that the customer service employees on station do not use or practice their english frequently. although the majority of the respondents felt that they did not use their english very often, they wanted to improve their english as the following result supported it. figure 2. the employees’ self-assessment regarding their current level of english-speaking skills the data in figure 2 shows that 10 out of 13 participants or 77% of the participants, needed to improve their current level of english-speaking skills. meanwhile, 3 out of 13 participants or 23% of the participants were satisfied with their current level of english-speaking skills. mostly, customer service on stations need to improve their english communication skills since they highlighted that they are not satisfied with their english skills. specifically, the participants highlighted their selfassessment regarding their english ability in more detail as follows. figure 3. the result of employees’ self-assessment on their english communication skills at work the data above, figure 3, shows the result of self-assessment by the participants on english communication skills at work with the likert-scale 4 to 1. the highest range or range number 4 shows that the aspect is "exactly like me", range number 3 shows that the aspect is "very like me", range number 2 shows that the aspect is "a little like me", and range number 1 shows that the aspect is "not like me at all". from those findings, it can be seen that the employees have sufficient english skills in certain aspects such as (3,77) the employees know how to present and explain promotion packages in an interesting way (mean= 3,77), the employees can listen carefully and pay attention to detailed information (mean=3,69), and the employees can organize the information with logical sequence (mean=3,62). however, the employees also felt lack of some skills such as speaking english pleasantly and clearly, understanding different customers' accents and using correct grammar when speaking in english. the employees already had good explanations to the customer about promotion packages in an interesting way. however, employees are still not fluent in using english so they need to improve their abilities, one of which is by learning the right language with attention to their grammar accuracy. factors that initiate customer service on station employee want to learn english based on the results of the questionnaire data, all 13 participants or 100% of the participants wanted yes; 23% no; 0% i need to improve on that; 77% yes no i need to improve on that 2.62 3.08 3.15 3.15 3.15 3.46 3.46 3.54 3.54 3.54 3.62 3.62 3.62 3.69 3.77 2 . i u s e c o r r e c t … 1 1 . i h a ve n o … 1 . i c a n s p e a k … 3 . i a d j u s t t h e l e ve l … 5 . i c a n k e e p m y … 6 . i va r y m y t on e i n … 1 2 . i a t t e n t i ve l y … 4 . i c a n h a n d l e … 7 . i c a n s p e a k fa s t e r … 1 3 . i a s k fo r … 9 . i w a i t fo r t h e … 1 0 . i u n d e r s t a n d t h e … 1 4 . i o r g a n i z e t h e … 8 . i l i s t e n c a r e fu l l y … 1 5 . i k n ow h ow t o … budi candra & khoiriyah cultivating english proficiency for enhanced customer service in indonesian railways: a study on vocational training needs 402 to improve their communication skills in english for their current job. the things that make participants want to improve their communication skills in english can be seen in the following chart. figure 4. the importance of the ability to speak english to support the professionalism of work from the result in figure 4, it can be seen that 10 out of 13 participants or 77% of the participants thought that the ability to speak english is very important to support the professionalism of work. meanwhile, 3 out of 13 participants or 23% of the participants thought that the ability to speak english is important to support the professionalism of work. it can be concluded from customer service on the station that the ability to speak english to support the professionalism of work is indispensable, especially to provide services to customers from abroad or who do not speak indonesian. figure 5. the reason for improving english communication skills from the findings showed in figure 5, it shows that 1 or 8% of the participants chose "my job demands" as the reason they wanted to improve their english communication skills for the current job. then, 1 or 8% of the participants chose "for promotion of the position" as the reason they wanted to improve their english communication skills. other results show that 2 or 15% of the participants chose "to improve self-quality" as the reason they wanted to improve their english communication skills. last, 9 or 69% of the participants chose all of these things as important to improve. so, the customer service on station provoked that all of the particular things are important including job demands, promotion of the position, and gaining status for the better position job in the future. the needs and learning materials for improving english communication skills the result of the research regarding the kind of communication skills that the employees wanted to improve and important for them can be seen in the following charts below. figure 6. skills that the employees want to improve the most from the chart above, most of the participants, which amounted to 8 out of 13 participants (61,5%) wanted to improve listening and speaking skills. meanwhile, 4 out of 13 participants (30,8%) wanted to improve their speaking skills. last, 1 out of 13 participants (7,7%) wanted to improve listening skills. mostly, customer service on station states that listening and speaking skills are important things to improve english communication skills. in addition, interviews have been conducted by researchers to obtain strong validation of why the respondent wants this “both are important [for our english communication skills], the reason is listening for understanding & speaking for conveying. speaking without listening nonsense, and vice versa.” res (translated version) it can be concluded that speaking and listening very important , 77%, 77% important ; 23%; somehow important ; 0%; unimportant ; 0% very important important somehow important unimportant my job demands, 8% for promotion of the position, 8% to gain status, 15% for all of the above, 69% my job demands for promotion of the position to gain status for all of the above listening; 7,7% speaking; 30,8% listening & speaking; 61,5% other, 0% listening speaking listening & speaking other english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 403 are inseparable, because when a person can only listen without being able to convey his message through speaking, then the information that customers will obtain is less than optimal. another statement conveyed by the respondent to support the material, which is important speaking or listening material. "in my opinion the most important thing is listening, because this is our basis for processing the information conveyed by customers. when we understand what customers mean, we can provide answers that fit their needs.” – mfem (translated version) according to the respondent (mfem), listening is essential to master because they must understand what the customer wants. if they encounter difficulties understanding the essence of the customer's message, they will understand what the customer wants. in more detail, the learning objectives of listening skills that will be congruent with the target learner's need are shown in the following chart. figure 7. the important english listening materials in the workplace the data from the chart above shows the important english listening materials in the workplace with the range 5-1. the highest range or range number 5 shows that the aspect is "priority", range number 4 shows that the aspect is "somewhat important", range number 3 shows that the aspect is "important", range number 2 shows that the aspect is "not important", and range number 1 shows that the aspect is "not important at all". it can be seen that listening for main ideas is the priority english listening material (mean=4,54). on the other hand, understanding different accents is less important for english listening material (4,15). these findings were supported by the result of the interview as follows: "because we have to understand what customers want. when we cannot understand, everything will go wrong and result in misunderstandings. as a result, the information that the customer wants are not conveyed in its entirety." – sat (translated version) from the statement above, the researcher can assume that listening skill is essential to do. by having reliable listening skills, the customer service employee can receive customer information. the employee can hear the main idea even with different accents or speaking styles. if their speaking is still unclear, customer service employees can clarify the information requested by the customer so that everything is clear. figure 8. the necessary english-speaking materials in the workplace the data chart above shows the important english-speaking materials in the workplace with the range 5-1. the highest range or range number 5 shows that the aspect is “priority or very important”, range number 4 shows that the aspect is “somewhat important”, range number 3 shows that the aspect is “important”, range number 2 shows that the aspect is “not important”, and range number 1 shows that the aspect is “not important at all”. it can be seen that showing empathy (mean=4,77), thanking and responding to thanks (mean=4,69), and ending conversation (mean=4,69) are the most important englishspeaking materials in the workplace for the customer service employees. however, providing services (train schedule, refund ticket, reschedule ticket, and cancel ticket) (mean=4,54), greeting and initiating assistance (mean=4,54), and dealing with serious customers (mean=4,15) are the less important materials to improve. it can be concluded that the employees need more training in giving more friendly 0 4.15 4.31 4.31 4.54 0 1 2 3 4 5 e. etc a. understanding… c. giving appropriate… d. clarifying information b. listening for main ideas 4.15 4.54 4.54 4.54 4.54 4.62 4.62 4.69 4.69 4.69 4.69 4.69 4.69 4.69 4.69 4.77 3.80 4.00 4.20 4.40 4.60 4.80 5.00 p. dealing with… a. greeting and… b. providing services… f. negotiating g. adjusting the… j. offering… l. offering new facilities c. reporting charges… d. giving payment… e. explaining… h. building a good… i. apologizing k. giving instruction n. thanking and… o. ending conversation m. showing empathy budi candra & khoiriyah cultivating english proficiency for enhanced customer service in indonesian railways: a study on vocational training needs 404 conversation and positive attitude such as showing empathy, ending conversation, thanking and responding to thanks, and giving instruction. in contrast, the less important topic is how to deal how to deal with a difficult (or angry) customer. as additional information, the researcher asked questions again to ascertain why the above is important to improve. "because when we show these 3 things [showing empathy, ending conversation, thanking and responding to thanks], customers will feel get in touch to us. if the customer already feels that way, it will create a more positive impression and it is hoped that later the customer will remain a loyal customer.” – mfem (translated version) from the statement above, the researcher can assume that showing empathy, ending the conversation, saying thank you, and responding to customers are very important in providing service. friendly customer service will create a sense of comfort so that customers can obtain information according to their wishes, and of course, customers will assume customer service has a good and friendly attitude in conveying all the information. another statement was conveyed by the respondent as follows. “those three things need to be improved. in my opinion these three things are a unified whole in terms of basic communication. we understand the meaning of what is conveyed, catch and try to "reply" the message by ending the conversation, and say thank you as a form of response that the customer and i both understand each other so as to create a problem-solving bond at work while implementing that humans are social creatures” – res (translated version) surprisingly, some other topics are crucially important for the customer service in malang station. since they are positioned in malang city, where the city has many tourism objects, it shows that another important english communication topics at work involved giving the service in a clear, detailed, and straightforward; giving the service to the customer if they need help outside of our work, such as asking for directions to the terminal, tourist attractions, hotels, etc.; information related to location, destination travel time, and transportation in the area around the work placement; and english slang. it was stated by one of the respondents in the following statements. "in malang, there are many tourist destinations, such as bromo, batu city, beaches... many foreign tourists want to go on vacation there, so we are often asked how to get to these destinations, or are asked about good destinations for sightseeing." -sat from the findings above, a need analysis of the english communication skills of customer service employees in indonesian railway company is needed since the customer service are deemed to provide excellent service, especially dealing with customers from abroad. concerning the customer services’ perception of their communication skills at work, the findings revealed that the customer service employee did not always use english during their working time. however, they highlighted that having communication skills in english was very important to support their work's professionalism. they also wanted and needed to improve their english communication skills, especially speaking and listening skills. this is in line with the findings in previous study by tyas and salwa (2021), stating that all participants under the study thought that english is necessary in the workplace to assist their professional jobs. with the regards of the customer service employee’s reasons to improve their communicative skills in english, there were several reasons related to their jobs. customer service employees in the indonesian railway company thought that job demands, promotion of the position, and improving self-quality were the reason for enhancing their english communication skills. the findings was congruent with the previous study by hafiz and ulum, (2021), highlighting that customer service employee must be able to interact directly with international customers in terms of greetings, personal data interviewing, and small conversation regarding job experience. according to the findings, 100% of the 13 respondents claimed that their job demands expected them to be fluent in english as it was stated in a number of previous studies as well (ahmmed et al., 2020; arumugam & kaur, 2011; hee & zainal, 2018; sari & sari, 2020; thomas et al., 2016). in related to employees' perception of using english at work, all of the employees already have good service, especially in english communication skills. according to the data of self-assessment on english communication skills at work, most customer service employee has good english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 405 skills in several ways, namely "i know how to present and explain promotional packages attractively, i listen carefully and pay attention to details, and i organize the information i have before conveying it in a logical order. through self-assessment, however, they also have some shortcomings in their english proficiency, namely using correct grammar, understanding different accents, and speaking clear english. this is in line with the findings of previous study by fahmongkolchai (2011) stating that the employees have difficulty in listening when they face varied english dialects. opposite with the findings of previous study by phumkumarn et al. (2015) highlighting that most customer service employees only had considerable difficulty in comprehending their clients' demands, and also when they needed to greet, thank, or apologize to their clients. further, grammar accuracy is also one of the obstacles if the employees want to have good speaking skills. using appropriate language, vocabulary, and grammar shows that the communicator has a good command of the language, which creates a favorable impression (krishnan et al., 2019). lastly, this need analysis is conducted to look into two ideas: why learners need to learn a foreign language in a specific situation and how they can best learn it. hence, the result of this research sheds light on developing english for occupational purposes (eop) courses for the target learners. to be specific, communication skills that the employees wanted to improve are listening and speaking skills. the employees need more training in giving more friendly conversation and positive attitude such as showing empathy, ending conversation, thanking and responding to thanks, and giving instruction. as it is in line with the previous study tyas & salwa (2021), speaking and listening skills are two important abilities that employees, particularly those in the front office, must acquire while using english in the workplace. since they will be in close contact with the customers, they must master speaking and listening abilities. in the same vein, mohammadzadeh et al. (2015) also showed their study's findings that the participants (bank employees) needed to speak english more often and needed listening skills. in this research, based on the responses form the customer service employees, the most important english listening materials in the workplace are listening for main ideas, then followed by clarifying information. then, the important english-speaking materials in the workplace are showing empathy, thanking and responding to thanks, and ending conversation. other important english communication topics at work related to speaking skills are giving service to the customer and english slang. all of the topics are specified to improve their english communication skills in their workplace. it was congruent with the findings of hafiz and ulum (2021); sari and sari (2020); tyas and salwa (2021); and yamin, (2021). they highlighted that employees are demanded to speak english fluently, particularly in demonstrating oral communication skills. conclusion this study found that english communication skills are still required for professional employment in the indonesian railways company. however, customer service employees' skills need to be improved to deal with foreign customers. similarly, in the field of customer service, speaking and listening english pose challenges, so employees are encouraged to improve their skills for the sake of workplace professionalism. a needs analysis is carried out to provide effective materials or even vocational training in english communication skills for customer service. from the findings, it can be concluded that the employees did not use their english frequently in their day-to-day working times. however, they were encouraged to improve their communication skills, specifically listening and speaking skills, to provide excellent customer service. in more detail, the result of the need analysis highlighted that in listening, the employees need to improve in two aspects: listening for main ideas, followed by clarifying information. meanwhile, in speaking skills, the most crucial topics to provide a positive attitude to their working performance are showing empathy, thanking and responding to thanks, ending the conversation and other topics related to tourism and giving directions. this research has several weaknesses such as the limited number of participants and the time allotment of data collections. however, the findings are sufficient to reveal the need of english communication skills for customer service in indonesian railways companies. thus, following this needs analysis, some practical and pedagogical suggestions were provoked. the findings are expected to aid employees in improving their workplace communication skills. the findings from the current research will assist english teachers, esp practitioners, book budi candra & khoiriyah cultivating english proficiency for enhanced customer service in indonesian railways: a study on vocational training needs 406 publishers and even the company's training providers in adapting the existing curriculum to target learner needs. esp course designers can improve their curricula using the framework of eop (english for occupational purposes) by incorporating professional feedback to meet the expectations of customer service employees. furthermore, employers in the train station sector can improve their employees' english knowledge and practice by providing more relevant english training programs. for further investigations, it is highly recommended to design the learning materials for english communication skills that can better meet workplace demands, specifically for customer service employees in indonesian railways company (pt. kai). further investigation on the effectiveness of design materials is also vital to conduct through research and development (r&d) study. acknowledgements the researchers thank to the regional manager of pt. kai (indonesian railways station) in surabaya for officially giving permission to the researchers to conduct the data collection and to publish this manuscript. a bunch of thanks also goes to the respondents, customer service employees in malang station, for voluntarily agreeing and participating in this research. references abubakar, m., muthi’ah, m., & nawir, m. s. (2021). investigating the english language needs of purchasing department employees: a study of eop. english language, linguistics, and culture international journal, 1(2), 99. https://doi.org/10.24252/elstic-ij.v1i2.23191 ahmmed, r., sinha, b. s., khan, d. r., & islam, d. m. (2020). a needs analysis of maritime english language skills for bangladeshi seafarers to work on-board ships. marine policy, 119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104041 ait hattani, h. (2019). esp needs analysis at the moroccan university: renewable energy engineering students at est fes as a case study. journal of english language teaching and linguistics, 4(1), 101. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v4i1.218 alshayban, a. (2022). teaching english for specific purposes (esp) to saudi arabian banking employees. language teaching research quarterly, 27, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2022.27.01 arnó-macià, e., aguilar-pérez, m., & tatzl, d. (2020). engineering students’ perceptions of the role of esp courses in internationalized universities. english for specific purposes, 58, 58–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2019.12.001 arumugam, n., & kaur, n. (2011). needs analysis on the importance of english communication skills for medical assistants. journal of institutional research south east asia, 9(1), 67–77. cohen, l., manion, l., & morrison, k. (2018). research methods in education, sixth edition. dou, a. q., chan, s. h., & win, m. t. (2023). changing visions in esp development and teaching: past, present, and future vistas. frontiers in psychology, 14(april), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1140659 ekayati, r., manurung, i. d., & yenni, e. (2020). need analysis of esp for non-english study program. language literacy: journal of linguistics, literature, and language teaching, 4(2), 322– 332. https://doi.org/10.30743/ll.v4i2.3152 fahmongkolchai, a. (2011). needs and problems in english listening and speaking skills of cimb thai bank tellers. in master’s project, srinakharinwirot university. gamaliel, d., & bangun, y. r. (2023). talent readiness of pt kai to face the era of change. international journal of current science research and review, 06(06), 3160–3178. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijcsrr/v6-i6-10 hafiz, m., & ulum, z. (2021). need analysis: english for customer service offficer at bpjs ketenagakerjaan. hee, s. c., & zainal, a. z. (2018). analysing the english communication needs of service technicians in the pest control industry. pertanika journal of social sciences and humanities, 26(2), 1079–1096. kamil, m. a., & muhammad, a. m. (2021). professional communication competence in english for occupational purposes (eop) courses: a systematic literature review and proposal of a framework. the journal of teaching and learning for graduate employability, 12(2), 260–278. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118486597.ch28 kherrous, s. (2021). investigating the need of algerian bankers to develop specialized business vocabulary: the case of algeria gulf bank employees in tlemcen. english for specific purposes world, 23(62), 1–14. krishnan, i. a., ching, h. s., ramalingam, s., & maruthai, e. (2019). an investigation of communication skills required by employers from the fresh graduates. pertanika journal of social sciences and humanities, 27(3), 1507– 1524. lertchalermtipakoon, p., wongsubun, u., & kawinkoonlasate, p. (2021). need analysis: english language use by students in the tourism and hospitality and industry. english language teaching, 14(3), 59. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 407 https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v14n3p59 liu, d., & zhang, p. (2020). a needs analysis proposal for esp: a case study of a short english training course for bank tellers in a chinese bank. open journal of social sciences, 08(07), 206–217. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2020.87017 mohammadzadeh, s., barati, t., & fatemi, m. a. (2015). an investigation into the english language needs of bank employees of saderat bank in mashhad. theory and practice in language studies, 5(8), 1695. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0508.21 moradi, n. (2020). the impact of classroom management on students’ communication skills in english language classrooms. language testing in focus: an international journal, 2, 22–33. https://doi.org/10.32038/ltf.2020.02.03 narzoles, d. t. g., & palermo, d. t. g. (2021). workplace english language needs and their pedagogical implications in esp. international journal of english language and literature studies, 10(3), 202–212. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.23.2021.10 3.202.212 nimasari, e. p. (2018). an esp needs analysis: addressing the needs of english for informatics engineering. jees (journal of english educators society), 3(1), 23–40. https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v3i1.1085 nurpahmi, s. (2016). esp course design: an integrated approach. lentera pendidikan : jurnal ilmu tarbiyah dan keguruan, 19(2), 172–181. https://doi.org/10.24252/lp.2016v19n2a4 park, e. j. (2021). affordances and challenges of mixed-methods needs analysis for the development of esp courses. language teaching research quarterly, 23(2007), 12–22. https://doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2021.23.03 pertiwi, a. (2021). need analysis of english for specific purpose in islamic banking department. phumkumarn, t., aimchoo, p., & chaya, w. (2015). needs analysis and course evaluation of the esp courses provided for banking customer service representatives. international conference on language and communication, 7(12), 200–214. qu, s. q., & dumay, j. (2011). the qualitative research interview. in qualitative research in accounting and management (vol. 8, issue 3). https://doi.org/10.1108/11766091111162070 raharjo, d. h., setiyanti, a., & sofiani, f. (2021). a need analysis on the instructional material development of speaking skills for secretarial students. english language in focus (elif), 3(2), 127–134. saliu, b., & hajrullai, h. (2016). best practices in the english for specific purpose (esp) classes at the language center. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 232(2016), 745–749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.101. salmani-nodoushan, m. a. (2020). english for specific purposes: traditions, trends, directions. studies in english language and education, 7(1), 247– 268. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v7i1.16342 sari, l. i., & sari, r. h. (2020). exploring english language needs of indonesian marine pilots: a need analysis and its implications in esp classrooms. transnav, 14(4), 909–917. https://doi.org/10.12716/1001.14.04.15 sönmez, h. (2019). an examination of needs analysis research in the language education process. international journal of education and literacy studies, 7(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.7n.1p.8 srisawat, c. (2015). the needs of english communication skills of customer service employees at a telecommunication company in thailand customer service employees. suningsih, s. (2021). the employees’ perceptions of learning english in a business context. international journal of economics, business, and entrepreneurship, 4(1), 6–13. https://doi.org/10.23960/ijebe.v4i1.89 thomas, a., piquette, c., & mcmaster, d. (2016). english communication skills for employability: the perspectives of employers in bahrain. learning and teaching in higher education: gulf perspectives, 13(1), 36–52. https://doi.org/10.18538/lthe.v13.n1.227 tyas, n. k., & salwa, a. (2021). english needs analysis for sharia bank employees. 4(1), 33–40. https://doi.org/10.24853/elif.4.1.33-40 yamin, a. a. (2021). need analysis on english language use by hotel staffs in bandung. eltics : journal of english language teaching and english linguistics, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.31316/eltics.v6i2.1521 zare, m., & biria, r. (2018). contributory role of critical thinking in enhancing reading comprehension abiility of iranian esp students. international journal of research in english education (ijree), 3(3), 22–28. budi candra & khoiriyah cultivating english proficiency for enhanced customer service in indonesian railways: a study on vocational training needs 408 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 719 “i get blank when start talking”: an exploration towards sources and strategies of non-english freshmen’s anxiety in esp speaking program widya alfiani (corresponding author) graduate program of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sebelas maret, surakarta, indonesia email: widyaalfiani@student.uns.ac.id joko nurkamto graduate program of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sebelas maret, surakarta, indonesia email: jokonurkamto@staff.uns.ac.id slamet supriyadi graduate program of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sebelas maret, surakarta, indonesia email: pripus.lppmuns@yahoo.co.id apa citation: alfiani, w., nurkamto, j., & supriyadi, s (2023). “i get blank when start talking”: an exploration towards sources and strategies of non-english freshmen’s anxiety in esp speaking program. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 719-734. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.7690 received: 11-06-2023 accepted:21-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 introduction the academic literature regarding second language acquisition (sla) reveals that scholars remain keen on understanding the affective factors of second language learning over the years. among these factors, the emotional aspect, namely foreign language anxiety (fla), has been identified as a critical challenge for language learners (horwitz et al., 1986; young, 1991; macintyre & gardner, 1994; hanifa, 2018; inada, 2021). anxiety appears as a significant aspect impeding learners’ performance. according to krashen, as cited in oteir & al-otaibi (2019), the presence of anxiety about a foreign language can prevent information from being absorbed by the brain’s language acquisition area. horwitz et al., (1986) define foreign language anxiety as a complex concept encompassing an individual’s self-perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, and emotions associated with learning a new language in a classroom setting. this anxiety is believed to arise from the distinctive nature of the language-learning process. similarly, macintyre & gardner (1994) describe language anxiety as an emotional response characterized by stress, nervousness, and worry linked to learning a second or foreign language. young (1991) state that the growing number of anxious language learners in foreign language classes is causing concern. an anxious language learner sees abstract: foreign language anxiety has been recognized as one of the foremost challenges for language learners. this study intends to explore the sources of non-english freshmen’s anxiety in esp speaking program and their ways of dealing with it. similarly, esp instructors’ solutions to mitigate their freshmen’s anxiety were also discovered. a qualitative approach with an exploratory case study design was conducted to enrich insight and better understand the phenomenon. data collection involves classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with eight non-english freshmen and two esp instructors enrolled in esp speaking program at a private university in malang, east java. the data was then analyzed thematically using the interactive model of miles et al., (2014). it was found that speaking anxiety commonly felt by nonenglish freshmen was caused by some sources from freshmen’s personal mentality, linguistic capability, and classroom activity. the finding also provides several strategies adopted by freshmen to overcome their anxiety. furthermore, various approaches implemented by esp instructors to decrease freshmen’s speaking anxiety were offered. it should be emphasized that anxiety among students will always linger upon learning a foreign language. still, such learning roadblocks could be diminished. instructors possess a crucial duty to lessen the worries of learners. keywords: esp program; foreign language anxiety; non-english freshmen; sources and strategies; speaking anxiety; coping strategies; language teaching. mailto:widyaalfiani@student.uns.ac.id mailto:jokonurkamto@staff.uns.ac.id mailto:pripus.lppmuns@yahoo.co.id widya alfiani, joko nurkamto, & slamet supriyadi “i get blank when start talking”: an exploration towards sources and strategies of non-english freshmen’s anxiety in esp speaking program 720 learning a foreign language as an unpleasant experience, frequently retreats from involvement in class, is under stress to avoid making errors, and does not feel motivated to pursue it (naibaho, 2022). to gain a broader insight into foreign language anxiety, the aspect of anxiety, in general, should be understood. psychologically, anxiety has been classified into three categories: trait anxiety, state anxiety, and situational anxiety (spielberger in horwitz et al., 1986). the trait type happens when an individual tends to be anxious permanently. the state occurs whenever someone perceives a condition as personally harmful. in comparison, situational anxiety develops at certain moments due to a specific situation (oteir & & al-otaibi, 2019). in an efl setting, fla is regarded as a type of situational anxiety that occurs in a foreign language classroom. furthermore, horwitz et al. (1986) identified three aspects of classroom anxiety: communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, and test anxiety. worrying about engaging verbally with others is linked to communication apprehension; worrying about getting negative criticism correlates with fear of negative evaluation. test anxiety emerges due to students’ nervousness and tension when confronted with a language test (alfiani et al., 2022). in addition, language anxiety is distinguished into two distinct types: debilitating and facilitating (subekti, 2018). she further explains that debilitating anxiety decreases learners’ performance and has an adverse impact, whereas facilitating anxiety increases learners’ performance and helps them do well in the language in a certain way. it indicates that anxiety has a greater significance than just a weakening influence. low levels of anxiety are acceptable and essential for raising cognition. on the other hand, high anxiety contributes to the deterioration of achievement (yoskapela et al., 2022). although anxiety has been correlated to several language skills, speaking output is regarded as the leading source of anxiety in efl classrooms due to students’ fear of communicating publicly with a language they do not master completely (hanifa, 2018). young (1991) expresses that while all components of studying and comprehending a language could be unpleasant, speaking is the skill that most frequently causes anxiety. it erodes students’ confidence, self-worth, and desire to participate in class. according to rajitha & alamelu (2020), many possible factors might induce speaking anxiety, including language, grammar and pronunciation, peer pressure, stage fright, and shyness. another challenge is that the efl classroom is the only opportunity for students to learn and practice english speaking seriously (yoskapela et al., 2022). english is the medium of instruction in an efl classroom, where students carry out the language for academic purposes. for instance, they use english to give oral presentations and engage in class discussions. as a result, these circumstances can naturally trigger their fear of speaking. taly & paramasivam (2020) explain that speaking anxiety interferes with cognitive, physical, and behavioral functions. all are interconnected; whenever a student is stressed about attempting to speak in class (cognitive), she or he temporarily exhibit unpleasant symptom, namely trembling (physical) and avoiding partaking in speaking performance (behavioral). all anxiousness reaction is strictly linked to learning speaking for esl and efl students. the fundamental question about this issue is, what are the contributing sources, and how do we solve speaking anxiety? several researchers have begun identifying the causes and various underlying aspects correlated to efl speaking anxiety. alzamil (2022) investigates saudi university students’ beliefs about speaking and anxiety. concern about making mistakes when presenting and being criticized by others were causes that obstructed their english speaking. asysyifa et al. (2019) explore the speaking anxiety of first-year vocational high school students. it reveals that unpreparedness, afraid of errors and ridicule by peers, also difficulties with spelling and articulating are the condition that causes students’ emotional distress. zheng & cheng (2018) examine the correlation among chinese university students’ foreign language anxiety in the classroom, cognitive tests, and college english test bands. according to the findings, many undergraduates did not consider themselves anxious in university settings. however, they expressed anxiety about their speaking abilities during the language class and exams. ozdemir & papi (2022) study the mindsets of l2 learners as possible sources of anxiety and self-confidence. they discovered that the l2 fixed mindset (the perception that l2 acquisition competence cannot evolve) strongly predicted speaking english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 721 anxiety. conversely, the l2 growth mindset (the belief that l2 acquisition competence can evolve) significantly predicted speaking selfconfidence. tekir (2021) analyze turkish efl learners’ reasons for their speaking anxiety. the outcome demonstrates the negative prior experience, fear of criticism, limited speaking opportunities, and social pressure as the elements influencing anxiety. as a result of this focus on speaking anxiety, researchers have figured out how to treat and reduce the condition. inada (2021) argues that students perform better and acquire more information once their anxiety rates are low. similarly, toyama & yamazaki (2021) suggest that minimizing students’ fla and nurturing low-anxiety settings are pivotal to improving their language ability. burden in ozturk & ozturk (2021) expresses that inviting students to share their thought on a particular topic they were familiar with, emphasizing content over structure, and providing constructive feedback rather than declaring “that is incorrect” helped relieve students’ anxiety while speaking. arifin (2017) mentions several strategies teachers can use to alleviate students’ speaking anxiety, such as creating cooperative learning activities and giving students specific roles in the classroom that initiate interactions among them. moreover, anxiety is also related to some characteristics that teachers exhibit. according to maquidato’s (2021) research, when kind and warm teachers teach students, they feel less anxious. in contrast, when students perceive their teachers to be antagonistic, they become anxious, restricting their opportunities for interaction. paliath et al., (2023) assert that teachers play a vital role in preventing anxiety by striving to make the classroom a comfortable and less stress-producing place for learning. they should create an atmosphere where errors made while learning a language should be accepted and welcomed as learning opportunities. ansari (2015) adds that teachers should never compare their students, embarrass them, pressure them to speak, or show no respect. besides, they must consider a suitable manner when addressing students’ mistakes. active participation in the target language session is an efficient method for mastering the language. ironically, speaking in a foreign language class causes intense anxiety (horwitz et al., 1986; young, 1991). the role of efl teachers is to guide students in improving their target language by providing exciting activities that encourage them to speak it. nonetheless, students typically do not view practicing the language as a valuable learning opportunity; they presume certain practices might heighten their anxiety (rafada & madini, 2017). in this case, students consider oral language practice as a tough situation that challenges their capabilities and is associated with unwelcome emotions. a teacher should recognize that language learning can be nerve-wracking for several students and that they may worry about receiving negative feedback from teachers or peers. richards (2022) declared that students who fear negative selfviews long for positive praise and reinforcement. he further proposes that teachers should take control to assist anxious students in seeing their surroundings as non-competitive. they can create pair or group work speaking activities to foster a favorable and less intimidating atmosphere for learning since students can engage in a small circle of speaking practice. with a glance at the existing literature, little empirical study has been undertaken to explore speaking anxiety problems in higher education’s english for specific purpose (esp) setting. to fill this void, the current exploratory study offers insight from freshmen and instructors enrolled in esp speaking program at a private university in malang, east java. unlike typical efl classes, the esp program uses a broader range of language registers, such as english for business, medicine, engineering, and tourism. one of the primary concerns about the esp program is that the students are not english majors. hence, they generally tend to have less exposure to english learning. the first year of college is a difficult adjustment time. freshmen must fulfill the prerequisites for their academic programs and adapt to a new social life. the feeling of anxiety is prevalent among non-english freshmen in the esp program since the english language is studied as a foreign language. esp is taught following each department’s field of study and is targeted at enhancing freshmen’s englishspeaking capacity to prepare for future employment. thus, freshmen got the esp program as a supplementary course. nevertheless, non-english freshmen study english because it is a required academic course, not as if they enjoy it. as a result, the dynamics of their speaking anxiety is predicted to be more complex in this context. additionally, esp instructors are involved as the participants in this study, as the previous widya alfiani, joko nurkamto, & slamet supriyadi “i get blank when start talking”: an exploration towards sources and strategies of non-english freshmen’s anxiety in esp speaking program 722 study had predominantly focused on learners. obtaining esp instructors’ views of their freshmen’s speaking anxiety became farreaching. both parties should enhance their awareness and mastery of the strategies concerning anxiety management. the discoveries from this study are intended to provide input and reference for esp educators striving to seek more enlightening and fulfilling activities to lessen non-english university students’ anxiety during language learning. this study, therefore, attempted to answer two research questions. first, what perceived sources affect non-english freshmen’s anxiety in the esp speaking program? second, how do the strategies undertake by non-english freshmen and instructors regarding freshmen’s anxiety in the esp speaking program? method this study applied a qualitative approach to fully comprehend freshmen’s and instructors’ perceptions of language anxiety in the esp speaking program and their solutions for overcoming this problem. qualitative research is focused on uncovering societal issues from the angle of those involved in the study; it allows the researcher to acknowledge the internal background of subjective human feelings and view things from their perspective (creswell & creswell, 2018). furthermore, an exploratory case study was adopted for the experiences analyzed. yin, (2018) believes an exploratory case study explores a situation where the evaluated intervention has no clear, single outcomes. before conducting this qualitative study, the researchers had already administered a foreign language classroom anxiety (flcas) questionnaire adapted from horwitz et al., (1986) to two non-english classes based on the esp instructors’ recommendation of the class which seriously suffer from english-speaking anxiety. they were freshmen in the industrial engineering and food science technology department at a private university in malang, east java, for the academic year 2022/2023, who took the esp program, which consisted of 48 freshmen. the intention was to know the level of anxiety encountered by the freshmen. at the end of the questionnaire section, the researchers asked if they were willing to be interviewed further related to speaking anxiety issues and how to face it; then provided yes and no options. 15 respondents agreed to be interviewed. however, the researchers only recruited 8 non-english freshmen who experienced high and moderate anxiety levels (according to the questionnaire results), comprised of 4 females and 4 males. all the freshmen were in the age range of 18-21. after the selected participants were eager to contribute to the study, the interviewer contacted them to explain the study’s aims, give a consent form, and make an appointment to interview each participant. moreover, two esp instructors were also voluntarily willing to be interviewed further regarding their role in alleviating freshmen’s anxiety. they were considered capable of providing their understanding and view about this study issue since they had been teaching esp speaking at the various non-english major for four years. considering all participants were fluent in indonesian, the interviews were conducted in that language to ensure that no language barrier prevented them from sharing their in-depth experiences. it was also to guarantee that everything was understood. detailed information about this study’s participants is in tables 1 and 2. they were coded as freshmen 1, 2, 3, and so forth, also instructors a and b to maintain participant anonymity. table 1. demographic characteristics of the interviewed freshmen code sex age major freshman 1 female 19 food science and technology freshman 2 male 21 food science and technology freshman 3 female 18 food science and technology freshman 4 female 19 food science and technology freshman 5 male 19 industrial engineering freshman 6 female 18 industrial engineering freshman 7 male 19 industrial engineering freshman 8 male 20 industrial engineering table 2. demographic characteristics of the interviewed esp instructors character instructor a instructor b sex female female age 27 29 educational background bachelor degree bachelor degree english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 723 teaching esp experience 4 years 4 years in order to dig deep into freshmen’s and instructors’ behaviors towards english-speaking activity, the researcher conducted classroom observations to witness the live activity and interaction of the participants. four observation sessions occurred over semester 1 (specifically on october 2022, 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th). it involved the whole class activity of 100 minutes of each meeting. the researchers have gained permission from participants to use all the information provided for research and academic publication, manifested in the consent form as research ethics. after all the interviews and observations, the gathered data were fully transcribed and translated into english, then analyzed thematically using an interactive data analysis model based on miles et al., (2014). it includes data condensing, display, conclusion, and verifying each process stage. data condensing is the process of arranging raw data and analyzing acquired information. in the data display process, the researchers classify the data using several themes and descriptions to represent the data condition. finally, review, revise, and doublecheck the themes to arrive at a valid conclusion and consider the research implication. some irrelevant data will be eliminated to focus more on answering the research problems. results and discussion numerous studies have emphasized the enervating impact of anxiety on foreign language learning, a problem that students should conquer in order to gain the maximum benefit of l2 acquisition (horwitz et al., 1986; young, 1991; macintyre & gardner, 1994; liu, 2018; toyama & yamazaki, 2021; alfiani, 2022). thereby, the primary intention of this exploratory study was to discover the potential sources that lead to freshmen’s anxiety when trying to speak english and their solutions to cope with it accordingly. the results and discussion contain the interpretations of the research findings and their significance, and then compared with some related previous studies. the perceived sources that affect non-english freshmen's anxiety in esp speaking program based on the qualitative data that was analyzed thematically, the researchers found key themes concerning the sources that affect freshmen’s speaking anxiety throughout interviews and observations; it is categorized into three aspects, namely: (1) anxiety against personal mentality, including low self-esteem, nervousness, and beliefs about language learning (2) anxiety against linguistic capability, such as lack of vocabulary input and fear of pronunciation and word usage (3) anxiety against classroom activity, which involve fear of presentation and fear of negative evaluation. however, each participant was experiencing different sources of anxiety and not identical to one another. the detailed results of the analysis are summarized in table 3 below. table 3. sources of speaking anxiety name aspect personal mentality linguistic capability classroom activity low selfesteem nervous beliefs about language learning lack of vocabular y input fear of pronuncia tion and word usage fear of presentati on fear of negative evaluation freshman 1    freshman 2    freshman 3     freshman 4     freshman 5     freshman 6    freshman 7    freshman 8     theme 1: anxiety against personal mentality (low self-esteem, nervousness, and beliefs about language learning) low self-esteem going up to speak in a non-native language can be excessively intimidating for non-english freshmen. some exhibited low self-esteem and tended to doubt whether they could speak widya alfiani, joko nurkamto, & slamet supriyadi “i get blank when start talking”: an exploration towards sources and strategies of non-english freshmen’s anxiety in esp speaking program 724 english. they think of themselves as incapable and incompetent. as conveyed in the interview, “i am afraid if my classmates think about how this one performs, why her accent is like that.” (freshman 6) “when it comes to speaking class, there is a fear inside me… how if i speak complicated sentences later.” (freshman 8) as expressed, they often fear their language ability because they think it is not good enough. moreover, freshmen 1 and 3 are trapped in the inferior feeling and feel less than others, “sometimes, i also feel inferior towards a friend whose speaking is already good.” (freshman 1) “seeing my friends who speak english more fluently makes me insecure; i am afraid of being laughed at.” (freshman 3) low self-esteem is among the personality dimensions that strongly resonate with anxiety, including self-judgments and individual intrinsic worth and value identity. zakiya et al. (2022) study revealed that past experience and lack of self-confidence were causes of low self-esteem. the students were anxious to practice english speaking with their friends who had high english competence because they thought their english ability was not good enough. furthermore, hussain et al., (2021) spotted that learners measure their own success against their college, often leading to unhealthy competition or resentment. students who perceive themselves as having mediocre academic abilities compared to their peers may experience a negative selfimage, potentially resulting in language anxiety (fitriah & muna, 2019; rahmi & murtafi’ah, 2022). nervousness nervousness is a normal response to a stressful situation. some of the participants felt nervous when having to speak english to the entire class. from the observation, they often look down, lower their voices, tend to go blank, and speak too fast or slow. they also favor covering their face with a mask when speaking since wearing a face mask has become the nature of many people during and after the pandemic. supported by the interview session, they shared, “my obstacle in speaking class is that i often get nervous.” (freshman 4) “sometimes, when i have to do a presentation in front of the class and see my classmates… i get blank when i start talking.” (freshman 3) “when came forward in front of my classmates and instructor, i get nervous and feel like go blank.” (freshman 5) the statements above indicate that it is challenging to formulate thoughts properly and react conveniently when nervous. intense anxiety is the leading cause of failing to recall the information and ending up going blank; typically, someone encounters it amid an uncomfortable moment, such as performing a presentation. this result aligns with maquidato’s (2021) study that it is prevalent among language learners to experience nervousness as a mental obstacle, blocking them from remembering what they know and the thoughts they have before a spoken conversation. students’ nervousness ultimately limits their focus and capacity to form standpoints and explain what they have in mind, despite having many ideas. even so, hammad (2020) believes that increased english language practice has the potential to alleviate the anxiety that students may encounter when presenting in front of audiences. beliefs about language learning some of the freshmen also reported their difficult belief about foreign language learning which stems from language complexity and cultural background; they stated, “the english language is complex and difficult. we are not familiar with the vocabulary and not comfortable to articulate it.” (freshman 7) “i am javanese, and i think that javanese’s tongue is quite difficult to convey english accent.” (freshman 8) “it is effortful to speak english as it is not our language.” (freshmen 5) freshman 7, 8, and 5 beliefs may influence their language learning behaviors and reactions. if a student thinks he or she is not a gifted speaker of english, they might become doubtful and reluctant when attempting to convey english words. to assert that nobody was naturally gifted english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 725 with the potential to acquire a foreign language, lockey in loan (2022) insists that learning is a matter of attitude instead of aptitude. every student should pursue all tasks with eagerness and perseverance to become successful, particularly when learning a foreign language. they must never perceive themselves as incapable. they should hold an “i can do it” mentality, which significantly enhances their study quality. theme 2: anxiety against linguistic capability (lack of vocabulary input, fear of pronunciation and word usage) lack of vocabulary input after rounds of coding, the findings show that one of the dominant themes that emerged among notions voiced by the respondents was hesitating about their linguistic capability of english. three of them traced their anxiety over speaking sessions to a vocabulary shortage; they expressed, “i often confuse what vocabulary to use… like i have to memorize it.” (freshman 1) “i am already a college student and still have limited vocabulary; i did not know the many words in english” (freshman 4) “we are lacking in memorizing much vocabulary.” (freshman 8) it could be deduced that non-english freshmen’s limited vocabularies become the main reason they cannot express their ideas precisely in english, consequently inhibiting their englishspeaking proficiency. conversely, those who can express more vocabularies tend to have better speaking proficiency. educators and researchers have perceived a lack of vocabulary knowledge as the essential building block in authentic communication (hammad, 2020). previous studies have also revealed that inadequate vocabularies cause language learners’ speaking anxiety (muthmainnah, 2018; fitriah & muna, 2019; rahmi & murtafi’ah, 2022). considering autonomous vocabulary development is valuable for students, teachers should encourage them to build strategies for acquiring vocabulary, which includes guessing, looking up words in a dictionary, and memorizing (hussain et al., 2021). learners might be advised and pushed to cultivate these strategies in individual study time. fear of pronunciation and word usage the fear of making mistakes over pronunciation and word usage appeared to significantly cause stress for most of the non-english freshmen in this study. almost all of the interviewed participants shared, “if i want to talk about words that are unfamiliar, i am afraid of pronouncing them wrong.” (freshman 2) “i lack confidence when it comes to pronouncing words, doubting whether is this correct or not.” (freshman 5) “sometimes, i hesitate to use the new words i have never heard before.” (freshman 7) “english words with consonants at the end are hard to say. as well as words that i have not heard before.” (freshman 3) “it is difficult to pronounce english words; i often make mistakes.” (freshman 4) “i fear of saying the wrong thing and fear of incorrect pronunciations.” (freshman 8) the excerpt above indicates that pronunciation and the choice of word usage play a central role in producing correct utterances. realizing how far the freshmen’s pronunciation is from native models may make some even more anxious. this result coincided with the study of alnahidh & altahap (2020), who disclosed that the most frequent cause of speaking anxiety in their study is fear of making mistakes over words and pronunciation. the students felt that speaking exposed their mistakes and thought that other students would doubt their abilities if they made mistakes. prior research also has demonstrated that linguistic fears, like fear of misusing words and poor pronunciation, are widespread among anxious learners (young, 1991; macintyre & gardner, 1994; gregersen & horwitz, 2002). these learners tend to worry about avoiding making linguistic mistakes and setting unrealistic standards for foreign language learning. furthermore, liu (2018) explained that students must be taught that producing linguistic faults is a normal and inseparable aspect of acquiring a foreign language. theme 3: anxiety against classroom activity (fear of presentation and fear of negative evaluation) fear of presentation there are many presentations in college classes. the oral presentation has always been the most widya alfiani, joko nurkamto, & slamet supriyadi “i get blank when start talking”: an exploration towards sources and strategies of non-english freshmen’s anxiety in esp speaking program 726 challenging classroom activity since it is difficult for many freshmen to make public speeches, even in their native language, as they fear public speaking. through critical observations, it was found that freshmen seemed to be anxious during their english-speaking presentation in front of the class. they were moving body parts repetitively, fixing the scarf, avoiding eye contact, often using filler words like eeee and ummm, and rushing the presentation. the sensation of being seen by many people in the class somehow influences their performance. when asked about what situation in esp speaking class makes them most anxious, they answered, “i am most afraid when presentation time and when the instructor suddenly pointed out one of us to answer questions.” (freshman 1) “probably before the presentation, i often get tense, especially when the instructor asks the material in detail… i am a bit surprise.” (freshman 2) “while presentation, although it is frequently in a group, still i get enormous tense when my part comes.” (freshman 4) “if i am about to give a presentation, i just worry if i say something confusing.” (freshman 6) the above statements indicate that freshmen encountered fear of presentation during their classroom activity. regarding presentation fear, the result was justified by yi an et al. (2022), which pointed out that delivering an oral presentation is a student-centered activity, providing them with practical language tas that could help their continued personal and professional growth. notwithstanding, students may face challenges while preparing and delivering presentations. these difficulties may be associated with the individual's linguistic proficiency, unease with public speaking, and fragile presentation skills, potentially resulting in unsuccessful outcomes (soomro et al., 2019; hammad, 2020). in addition, grieve et al., (2021) suggest managing expectations away from a perfect presentation delivery. instead, enhancing one’s knowledge and comprehension of a topic issue might be a pivotal approach in mitigating the fear of giving presentations. fear of negative evaluation the final prominent source of anxiety was the fear of negative evaluation. freshmen are hypersensitive when their speaking performance is being corrected or evaluated by the instructor since it exposes their weaknesses publicly, contributing to anxiety and inferiority. they were also afraid that their peers would judge the way they spoke. based on the interview data, they asserted, “when being corrected, particularly if it is in front of public… i get more embarrassed to speak english.” (freshman 2) “it frightened me a lot when the instructor started to evaluate my speaking performance after the presentation.” (freshman 3) “i am terrified if my way of speaking english would be judged badly.” (freshman 7) “because i do not habitually speak english daily, i am really afraid of being judged wrongly for every word i speak.” (freshman 5) “there is a fear… how if my friends would judge the way i speak.” (freshman 6) the above description denotes how respondents suffer from negative feelings towards others’ evaluations. an exploratory reason why the fear of negative evaluation is high, as postulated by horwitz et al. (1986), is mainly due to learners’ uncertainties regarding what they have already spoken. to this point, they might assume that they appear foolish and sound ridiculous. this belief could turn into disappointment and frustration, provoking them to avoid speaking (gregersen & horwitz, 2002). moreover, grieve et al., (2021) asserted that in oral exams, when speaking performance is evaluated and scored, learners’ competence could become limited by a dread of “being judged.” in order to cope with a fear of negative evaluation, less stressful learning situations are desirable. educators must prevent correcting students on the spot during speaking periods since it might degrade their confidence (paliath et al., 2023). the strategies undertaken by non-english freshmen and instructors regarding freshmen’s anxiety in esp speaking program from the data-collecting process, several themes appeared to answer the second research topic of this study. the themes gathered from interviews and observations are further explained and discussed. table 4 shows the summary of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 727 various strategies adopted by non-english freshmen to cope with anxiety. in addition, table 5 summarizes several strategies implemented by esp instructors to help freshmen minimize their anxiety. table 4. strategies adopted by non-english freshmen to overcome speaking anxiety name preparation and practice positive thinking connect with peers out of class exposure to english avoid eye contact freshman 1    freshman 2   freshman 3   freshman 4   freshman 5  freshman 6    freshman 7  freshman 8   preparation and practice findings indicate that freshmen’s prior preparation and practice constitute an effective method to ease their sense of anxiety. it could boost their confidence and enable them to speak up better during class. some of them expressed, “in my way, i need to learn and practice speaking english at least a week before the presentation.” (freshman 3) “my strategy is to practice speaking english more often. for example, before a presentation. i have to prepare the text and read it over and over again.” (freshman 5) “i should have more preparation to understand the material, so i do not get nervous.” (freshman 6) “i often simulate presentations in advance before the speaking class.” (freshman 1) “i usually prepare the script for speaking by choosing the easily understandable topic and sentences.” (freshman 4) as shown on the transcript, freshmen’s strategy to overcome speaking anxiety is to prepare well and then practice it before performing in speaking english. preparation and practice are often labeled as behavior strategy, reflecting the behavioral pattern of training a target language that helps improve learning outcomes. by applying these strategies, learners could anticipate themselves getting ready for the language class. rahmi & murtafi’ah (2022) also proved that time devoted to speaking preparation was substantially linked to thought content and improved speech delivery. besides, fitriah & muna (2019) said that one of the things that led to trouble speaking was not being prepared beforehand for what would be learned in class. learners admitted that they would feel more nervous about presenting the material when they did not prepare and practice it well before the presentation day (muthmainnah, 2018). more sufficient their preparation and practice, the more low anxious feeling they felt. positive thinking the researchers discovered through observation that despite experiencing anxiety, freshmen attempt to appreciate learning, remain optimistic, and not take things too seriously. they try to keep expressing opinions even though they start stuttering in the middle of the sentences delivering, but they try to display their best confidently. below is an excerpt from several freshmen that are using this strategy, “i normally keep speaking even if the vocabulary is inappropriate.” (freshman 4) “hmm… i try to be innocent, do not mind the surroundings. just talking and keep it up.” (freshman 7) “just do not care with the mistakes, it is okay if incorrect… we are still learning.” (freshman 2) “i do not think about grammar when speaking; it causes more distraction; just maintain to think positive.” (freshman 8) looking at the three statements above, freshmen choose to be positive minded to whatever will happen to them when talking. following a study by abdurahman & rizqi (2020), thinking positively is a powerful approach for strengthening students’ optimism. it became certainly relevant as they made mistakes amid speaking performance. students dislike widya alfiani, joko nurkamto, & slamet supriyadi “i get blank when start talking”: an exploration towards sources and strategies of non-english freshmen’s anxiety in esp speaking program 728 contemplating too much about their faults or feeling bad since it would only ruin their speaking performance. hussain., (2021) state that such a strategy aims at easing anxiety during speaking in learners by turning their focus away from hard times toward positive and soothing stimuli. applying positive thinking as a coping mechanism entails that students employ cognitive processes to maintain a hopeful and confident mindset while undertaking a task (abdurahman & rizqi, 2020; taly & paramasivam, 2020). connect with peers first-year university students face an intricate transitioning stage. they must cope with the complex subject matter while shifting toward a novel social environment. in this case, forming a good connection with classmates can be crucial in managing anxiety challenges in speaking settings. two of the participants declared, “by trying to connect and adapt with the classmates, makes me feel more relaxed when having to perform speaking.” (freshman 6) “as a new college student, we need to know each other first, so it is not awkward when practicing a foreign language.” (freshman 8) to enjoy learning, freshmen have to enjoy the environment. in this context, it is the people around them or their classmates. the excerpt shows that the more freshmen connect with their peers, the more relaxed they will perform in the classroom. referring to this study outcome, zander & hohne (2021) believe that adapting to new peer networks in class can create opportunities for social interaction among students, fulfill their fundamental need to belong, and help them cope with stressful situations. having more chit-chat with classmates and knowing them closer could lower anxiety since students are no longer in a class full of strangers (karpovich et al., 2021). out of class exposure to english learners require more exposure to the target language than typically provided in l2 class to obtain a rich vocabulary since self-learning could maximize formal learning. the interview results revealed that two freshmen gained vocabulary input from out-of-class settings by using social media, and watching films. they shared, “listen to anything in english context more often, like watching film… to shape our english skills.” (freshman 1) “i joined the telegram forum and interacted in english. i like the topic discussed in that forum, such as games and comics.” (freshman 2) the verbatim statements above have exemplified how freshmen received english input in various contexts. the omnipresence of the internet in today’s society has provided english language learners with various options for l2 learners to absorb linguistic elements without explicit formal teaching. english can be found in numerous authentic contexts and has been blended across many people’s everyday activities; for example, playing video games, listening to music or podcasts, watching films or youtube videos with english subtitles, and using other social media. this finding was congruent with the earlier study revealing how exposure to a target language could beneficially influence l2 language acquisition (de wilde et al., 2020). exposing students to english culture is crucial for raising their competence level. this objective will be met by using the internet as a reliable and efficient resource for speaking practice outside the classroom. students can immerse themselves in authentic english content from the native speaker outside the class (rafada & madini, 2017; de wilde et al., 2020). avoid eye contact according to the interview results, several freshmen were more comforting when avoiding straight eye contact while speaking. that sort of way could assist them in feeling less nervous, they said, “when speaking in front of the class, do not look at people’s eyes. look at the others to avoid getting nervous.” (freshman 1) “in my case, i am not looking at friends; i prefer to look above their heads or at the surroundings like walls.” (freshman 6) “when explaining during a presentation…do not face your friends and instructor, rather the media or projector.” (freshman 3) based on freshmen 1, 6, and 3 responses, they prefer to look at walls, above people’s heads, the projector, and others. they may feel uncomfortable when they start directly at their english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 729 eyes. in addition, they may worry that if they look into the people’s eyes when talking, everything they are thinking will disappear, and their concentration will be disrupted too. this study’s results concur with what muthmainnah (2018) found; avoiding eye contact is what her participants did to fade their anxious feeling in speaking; this strategy is commonly used by silent students who do not want to be asked or pointed out by the lecturer. chen et al., (2022) prove that gaze avoidance indicates a fearrelevant feature for anxious individuals in social interaction. someone who feels anxiety likely will not look into the eyes of others directly to avoid the anxiety they are facing (muthmainah, 2018; chen et al., 2022). table 5. strategies implemented by esp instructors to alleviate freshmen’s speaking anxiety strategies instructor a instructor b attempt to be understanding and friendly  use gamification for warm-up activity  create group discussion   bring a familiar topic   allow freshmen to access machine translation   tolerate l1 use when needed   attempt to be understanding and friendly a first step toward mitigating students’ speaking anxiety is spotlighting the instructor’s role in language class. raising the instructor’s consciousness is crucial to building a positive relationship with their students. during the interview, the instructor explained, “my approach in teaching esp speaking is to set up a calm interaction between students and me; i try to be understanding and friendly. certainly, they dare to speak. the essence of teaching speaking is to embrace your students until they get comfortable with us. giving feedback politely and do not embarrass them in front of the public.” (instructor b) instructor b’s statement above addresses the freshmen’s emotional concerns and acknowledges anxious feelings as legitimate. moreover, she tries to build freshmen’s selfconfidence in their foreign language capacity by giving encouragement and positive reinforcement, understanding their condition, and promoting empathy. concerning this issue, she is careful when giving feedback and correcting freshmen’s errors. in consonance with this result, inada (2021) reported that the significance of a teacher’s role in tackling anxiety is even more important than a specific methodology. learning a foreign language is improved by educators who adopt a nurturing and empathetic approach and employ non-intimidating instructional methods. additionally, strengthening the emotional bond between teachers and learners will comfort them that they will not be alone while facing their anxiety (jaya et al., 2022). use gamification for warm-up activity one long-used strategy to generate student participation has been the use of games. indeed, games have been used for decades and are a common practice in efl classes at all levels and for various purposes, ranging from building character to decreasing anxiety, whether as opening activities or as part of larger class objectives. during observations, the researcher saw that the instructor employed several kinds of gamification approaches as a warm-up activity, and the game depended on the topic material of that day. the interview session also revealed, “since offline speaking class is allowed again, i can apply various kinds of games for preactivity; the game should be appropriate to involve all students and construct a vibrant atmosphere.” (instructor a) based on instructor a’s explanation, she uses gamification for warm-up activity. she considers that gamification can promote freshmen’s engagement and enjoyment throughout the activities. in teaching and learning, students encounter various feelings, including anxiety, pleasure, and boredom. the instructor should be accountable for tackling students’ anxiousness by creating an exciting environment with less stress. similarly, alomari et al., (2019) found that gamification can create a fun situation among students, increasing their interest and motivation. despite the positive effect of gamification; (enthusiasm & engagement), some challenges need to be addressed. for example, some students require more time to understand the game rules (roy & zaman, 2018). therefore, instructors need to select a suitable gamification intervention widya alfiani, joko nurkamto, & slamet supriyadi “i get blank when start talking”: an exploration towards sources and strategies of non-english freshmen’s anxiety in esp speaking program 730 that easily understands by learners. create group discussion both instructors, a and b, clearly revealed their interest in using peer or group discussion to help freshmen of a non-english major deal with their speaking anxiety. they assume that group work can help achieve the goal of anxiety reduction and foster speaking ability. based on chronological observation data from several meetings, instructors a and b create group discussions by dividing freshmen in the speaking class into small groups. then give instructions to practice speaking english with their peers in a group based on the given topic. in line with the result of the interview transcripts, they expressed, “daily, i often use group discussion. so, each student still has to speak, but the presentation is in small groups. instead of talking to the instructor, talking to their peers would be more enjoyable.” (instructor a) “peer discussion, pair discussion, focus group discussion is very useful. sometimes, i try to make the discussion in the group more exciting. for example, they were ceos, and they had to present their product, which is in the group. thus, they do not feel burdened and can work collaboratively.” (instructor b) having stated this, using group work seems to be an excellent strategy to boost students’ confidence and create a learning classroom community that allows them to control their communication activities, thus reducing anxiety and smoothing the progress of fluency. topcu & basbay (2020) proclaim that group work enables learners to have a stress-free atmosphere since they can feel more secure using english personally with their peers and allows for more practice in an active learning process. moreover, liu (2018) mentioned that classroom discussions stimulate deep thought and energize unmotivated learners so that everyone benefits from the lesson as they exchange ideas. when working together, the differences in linguistic proficiency allow learners to address each other’s questions and provide explanations to be perceived by other learners. the advantage goes both ways; the learner who raises the question will get a response, and the learner who responds to the question will have positive memory reinforcement by teaching it to his or her peers (zulfikar, 2022). bring a familiar topic since anxiety has a negative impact on efl learners’ verbal ability, familiarity with speaking topics could be considered to reduce learners’ anxiety. during the third classroom observation, the researcher noticed that instructor a conducted a focus group discussion and brought authentic context about “kanjuruhan tragedy” for speaking. as the deep sorrow becomes the latest hot news, the freshmen are familiar with this tragic football tragedy so they can share their views regarding this case in english. completed by interview data, they stated, “if the topic is familiar, it can encourage the freshmen to speak more… that is why using old handbook is somehow too rigid. so, i often improve on the topic.” (instructor b) “commonly, in esp speaking class… i often make my own material that suits freshmen’s capacity, and they are also familiar with it. i urge them to do more practice and not need a handbook.” (instructor a) as expressed by both instructors, selecting interesting and familiar topics is another crucial factor in their strategies to boost freshmen’s vocal ability. when freshmen have enough knowledge about a topic, they are keener to talk about it in english. their longer sentences likely resulted from the prior background knowledge, leading them to elaborate in oral explanations and make relevant connections. in the same vein, kazemi & zarei (2015) study also shows that topic familiarity makes statistically significant contributions to effective oral production. the more learners are familiar with the subject matter, the more they can speak. hence, in order to prevent learners from remaining passive, it is recommended that teachers provide topic-related vocabulary through accessible information (shakoor, 2020). allow freshmen to access machine translation in today’s age, learners and teachers easily and freely benefit from various online tools. machine translators like google translate are learners’ most frequently referred online tools. along observations, commonly before classroom presentations, freshmen are often given time for preparation. during those times, the instructors allow freshmen to use any machine translator to assist them in doing the task. further, they stated, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 731 “frequently, when i ask one of the freshmen in the group to speak, the other members are still typing on google translate to make the text they want to deliver sounds good and smooth, and i am fine with it.” (instructor a) “i allow the freshmen to access google translate in each speaking meeting; otherwise, they will find it difficult to speak.” (instructor b) regarding the transcripts above, instructors admit that translation is indispensable to studying a foreign language. machine translation can help low-proficiency students rapidly shift their idea to oral output by giving them a script they can use to participate in speaking class actively. several previous studies discussed the benefits and drawbacks of using google translate (alsalem, 2019; gumartifa et al., 2022). the good part is that it helps language learners produce translation quickly, freely, and easily. otherwise, the consequence of adopting this technology is that the system frequently generates irrelevant translations and poor grammar accuracy. google translate could not translate contextually and accurately all the words in the paragraph. therefore, educators should remain students with distinct solutions to resolve the inaccurate output from a.i. translators. students can apply their background knowledge to ensure its outcome and eliminate some words error from the translation result (gumartifa et al., 2022). tolerate l1 use when needed students with a low english communicative level could only express a few thoughts. thus, an instructor has to be tolerant of particular l1 usage. as observed from the observation, during the speaking session in a small group, most freshmen tend to switch to their l1 occasionally, especially when encountering difficult words. on the other hand, at a certain moment, the instructors also use code-mixing to provide precise elucidation on a specific form of the target language. as revealed in the interview, the instructors reported, “if the freshmen forget certain vocabulary, i tolerate them mixing with indonesia; i will not interrupt them. they would not feel judged if we did not interrupt in the middle of their speaking performance.” (instructor b) “if i find freshmen who are passive or rarely talk, i let them speak whatever they want. if they cannot express themselves in english, using indonesia is fine. i also try to help, guide, and inform the correct vocabularies to use.” (instructor a) when a freshman cannot recall the comparable form of a word in the target language, both instructors permit them to speak in their mother tongue. using l1 is an inevitable truth in the l2 program; this strategy can rule out anxiety barriers. in line with this, abid (2020) highlighted that the intentional use of a specific first language (l1) could help alleviate cognitive pressure and feelings of anxiety when dealing with complex material and concepts. as the study by joyce et al., (2021) suggests, the students who seek l1 assistance tend to exhibit lower levels of proficiency and tolerance for ambiguity. the incorporation of l1 by language instructors confirms the students’ understanding, shedding light on the instruction and offering advice in the classroom. with regard to this matter, students are less anxious once they clearly grasp classroom procedures. conclusion the presence of speaking anxiety in learning a foreign language is a vital issue and often results in decreasing oral performance. it is strongly linked with uneasiness that discourages students from speaking the target language. from the overall finding and discussion above, nonenglish freshmen suffer anxiety over esp speaking program, mainly because of personal mentality, linguistic capability, and classroom activity. some share similar reasons for anxiety, such as nervousness and getting blank, limited vocabulary knowledge, fear of presentation and negative evaluation. however, the anxiety they face cannot simply be eliminated overall, but it still can be reduced through various strategies, as done by the freshmen. furthermore, esp instructors are imperative to assist the freshmen in providing proper guidance and support to enable them to raise self-belief in acquiring english speaking skills. they share several approaches to alleviating non-english freshmen’s anxiety in speaking english, such as being friendly, using gamification, creating group work, bringing familiar topics, allowing machine translation access, and tolerating l1 use. the instructor’s various actions and activities could help freshmen to present themselves in the target language. as a final remark and summary, instructors and freshmen need to participate in what they can widya alfiani, joko nurkamto, & slamet supriyadi “i get blank when start talking”: an exploration towards sources and strategies of non-english freshmen’s anxiety in esp speaking program 732 contribute to lessening speaking anxiety. considering that speaking skill is often accountable for how well one learns a language, designing meaningful language learning takes plenty of effort and practice. the strategies validated in this study are expected to have practical implications for english language teaching. concerning the study’s limitations, recruiting only a handful of participants indicates that the outcomes could not be broadly applicable elsewhere. however, it provides advice regarding set-up anxiety free language classrooms for educators in the associated fields. thus, it is recommended that future researchers investigate an array of activities or solutions offered by this study and their impact on learners over time to give grand educators and researchers more profound insight into anxiety strategies. exploring the sources of language anxiety at the other education level with the rest of english skills, such as writing, listening, and reading, is another interesting research area to contribute more knowledge and understanding in the literature. acknowledgment the writers would like to express special thanks to the esp instructors and freshmen who have participated in this study for their cooperation during the process. also, to thesis advisors, my thank and gratitude for their valuable support. references abdurahman, n. h., & rizqi, m. a. (2020). indonesian students’ strategies to cope with foreign language anxiety. teflin journal, 31(1),1–18. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v31i1 abid, a. (2020). examining indonesian efl teacher educators’ views on utilising l1 in l2 classrooms. lingua cultura, 14(2), 219–224. https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v14i2.6703 alfiani, w., asib, a., & supriyadi, s. (2022). factors influencing speaking anxiety of flsp freshmen. pedagogy : journal of english language teaching, 10(2), 123-136. https://doi.org/10.32332/joelt.v10i2.5254 alnahidh, f., altalhab, s. (2020). the level and sources of foreign language speaking anxiety among saudi efl university students. advances in language and literary studies, 11(1),55-64. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.11n.1-p.55 alomari, i., al-samarraie, h., & yousef, r. (2019). the role of gamification techniques in promoting student learning: a review and synthesis. journal of information technology education: research, 18, 395–417. https://doi.org/10.28945/4417 alsalem, r. (2019). the effects of the use of google translate on translation students’ learning outcomes. arab world english journal for translation and literary studies, 3(4), 46–60. https://doi.org/10.24093/awejtls/vol3no4.5 alzamil, a. (2022). situation-specific speaking anxiety: university-level students’ experiences. international journal of english linguistics, 12(2), 18-24. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v12n2p18 ansari, m. s. (2015). speaking anxiety in esl/efl classrooms: a holistic approach and practical study. international journal of educational investigations. 2(4), 38–46. www.ijeionline.com arifin, w. (2017). psychological problems and challenge in efl speaking classroom. register journal, 10(1), 29-47. https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v10i1.29-47 asysyifa, handayani, a., & rizkiani, s. (2019). students’ speaking anxiety in efl classroom. professional journal of english education, 2(4), 581–587. https://10.22460/project.v2i4.p581-587 chen, j., bos, e., karch, j. d., & westenberg, p. m. (2022). social anxiety is related to reduced face gaze during a naturalistic social interaction. anxiety, stress and coping, 36(4), 460-474. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2022.2125 creswell, j., & creswell, d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th edition). california: sage publications. de wilde, v., brysbaert, m., & eyckmans, j. (2020). learning english through out-of-school exposure: how do word-related variables and proficiency influence receptive vocabulary learning? language learning, 70(2), 349–381. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12380 fitriah., & muna, h. (2019). foreign language speaking anxiety: a case study at english department students of iain lhoksumawe and al muslim. jurnal ilmiah didaktika, 19(2), 140-158. gregersen, t., & horwitz, e. k. (2002). language learning and perfectionism: anxious and nonanxious language learners’ reactions to their own oral performance. the modern language journal, 86(4), 562-570. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-4781.00161 grieve, r., woodley, j., hunt, s. e., & mckay, a. (2021). student fears of oral presentations and public speaking in higher education: a qualitative survey. journal of further and higher education, 45(9), 1281–1293. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877x.2021.19485 https://doi.org/10.24093/awejtls/vol3no4.5 http://dx.doi.org/10.22460/project.v2i4.p581-587 https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-4781.00161 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 733 09 gumartifa, a., yuliani, s., marliasari, s., tarmizi, m. (2022). english language translation through students’ opinions toward google translate machine in the efl class. english education journal, 12(4), 479–488. http://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/eej hammad, e. (2020). the impact of oral presentations on al-aqsa university efl students’ speaking performance, speaking anxiety and achievement in elt methodology. journal of second and multiple language acquisitionjsmula, 8(1), 1–27. hanifa, r. (2018). factors generating anxiety when learning efl speaking skills. studies in english language and education, 5(2), 230– 239. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v5i2.10932 horwitz, e. k., horwitz, m. b., & cope, j. (1986). foreign language classroom anxiety. the modern language journal, 70(2), 125–132. https://doi.org/10.2307/327317 hussain, s. q., akhtar, n., shabbir, n., aslam, n., & arshad, s. (2021). causes and strategies to cope english language speaking anxiety in pakistani university students. humanities & social sciences reviews, 9(3), 579–597. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2021.9358 inada, t. (2021). teachers’ strategies for decreasing students’ anxiety levels to improve their communicative skills. english language teaching, 14(3), 32-41. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v14n3p32 jaya, h., petrus, i., & pitaloka, n, l. (2022). speaking performance and problems faced by english major students at a university in south sumatra. indonesian efl journal, 8(1), 105– 112. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v8i1.5603 joyce, p., dietze, h., & mcmillan, b. (2021). factors related to the desire for l1 support in the efl classroom. pasaa: journal of language teaching and learning in thailand, 62, 142172. karpovich, i., sheredekina, o., krepkaia, t., & voronova, l. (2021). the use of monologue speaking tasks to improve first-year students’ english-speaking skills. education sciences, 11(6), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11060298 kazemi, s. a., & zarei, l. (2015). the efficacy of topic familiarity on oral presentation: extensive speaking assessment task of iranian efl learners in tblt. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 4(3), 93–97. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.4n.3p.93 liu, m. (2018). interactive effects of english-speaking anxiety and strategy use on oral english test performance of highand low-proficient chinese university efl learners. cogent education, 5(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2018.15624 10 loan, t. (2022). an investigation into the causes of students’ anxiety in learning english speaking skills. international journal of tesol & education, 2(3), 183–196. https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.222312 macintyre, p. d., & gardner, r. c. (1994). the subtle effects of language anxiety on cognitive processing in the second language. language learning, 44(2), 283-305. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.14671770.1994.tb011 0.x maquidato, i. m. (2021). the experience of english speaking anxiety and coping strategies: a transcendental phenomenological study. international journal of tesol & education, 1(2), 45–64. miles, m., huberman, m., & saldana, j. (2014). qualitative data analysis: a methods sourcebook (3rd edition). sage publication. muthmainnah, n. (2018). anxiety factors in delivering ideas of indonesian efl learners in undergraduate level. proceedings of teflin international conference, 65(1), 171-186. naibaho, l. (2022). factors affecting students’ failures due to anxiety in learning english. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 911-918. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.7128 oteir &, & al-otaibi. (2019). foreign language anxiety: a systematic review. arab world english journal, 10(3), 309–317. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no3.21 ozdemir, e., & papi, m. (2022). mindsets as sources of l2 speaking anxiety and self-confidence: the case of international teaching assistants in the u.s. innovation in language learning and teaching, 16(3), 234–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2021.190775 0 ozturk, o., & ozturk, g. (2021). reducing speaking anxiety in efl classrooms: an explanatory mixed-methods study. porta linguarum, 2021(36), 249–261. https://doi.org/10.30827/portalin.v0i36.18 01 paliath, g., evangeline, e., & sherine, a. (2023). social media as a tool to mitigate foreign language anxiety. a journal for new zealand hepertology, 12(3), 3495-3503. rafada, s., & madini, a. (2017). effective solutions for reducing saudi learners’ speaking anxiety in efl classrooms. arab world english journal, 8(2), 308–322. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol8no2.22 rajitha, k., & alamelu, c. (2020). a study of factors affecting and causing speaking anxiety. procedia computer science, 172, 1053–1058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2020.05.154 https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v14n3p32 https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.4n.3p.93 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.14671770.1994.tb01103.x https://doi.org/10.1111/j.14671770.1994.tb01103.x widya alfiani, joko nurkamto, & slamet supriyadi “i get blank when start talking”: an exploration towards sources and strategies of non-english freshmen’s anxiety in esp speaking program 734 rahmi, r., & murtafi’ah, b. (2022). students’ anxiety in speaking class: an investigation in online and offline learning system. eduvelop: journal of english education and development, 6(1), 66–78. https://doi.org/10.31605/eduvelop.v6i1.1754 richards, j. c. (2022). exploring emotions in language teaching. relc journal, 53(1), 225– 239. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220927531 roy, r., & zaman, b. (2018). need-supporting gamification in education: an assessment of motivational effects over time. computers and education, 127, 283–297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.08.018 shakoor, s. a. (2020). reticence of speaking in a maldivian esl classroom: causes and solution. international journal of trend in scientific research and development, 5(1), 1313-1345. soomro, m. a., siming, i. a., shah, s. h. r., rajper, m. a., naz, s., & channa, m. a. (2019). an investigation of anxiety factors during english oral presentation skills of engineering undergraduates in pakistan. international journal of english linguistics, 9(3), 203. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v9n3p203 subekti, a. s. (2018). an exploration of learners’ foreign language anxiety in the indonesian university context: learners’ and teachers’ voices. teflin journal, 29(2), 219–244. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v29i2/21 9-244 taly, b. c., & paramasivam, s. (2020). speaking anxiety among postgraduate international students in the academic context of a university in malaysia. international journal of linguistics, 12(1), 198. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijl.v12i1.16053 tekir, s. (2021). dealing with turkish efl learners’ speaking anxiety conditions. international journal of curriculum and instruction, 13(3), 3424-3442. topcu, e., basbay m. (2020). the impact of collaborative activities on efl learners’ speaking anxiety levels and attitudes. cukurova universitesi egitim fakultesi dergisi, 49(2), 1184–1210. https://doi.org/10.14812/cufej.649939 toyama, m., & yamazaki, y. (2021). anxiety reduction sessions in foreign language classrooms. language learning journal, 49(3), 330–342. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2019.159847 4 yi an, f., ravindran, l., & al-shaibani, g. (2022). oral presentation anxiety among undergraduate malaysian chinese students in a private university. asean journal of teaching and learning in higher education, 14(1), 59-77. https://doi.org/10.17576/ajtlhe.1401.2022.06 yin, r. k. (2018). case study research and applications: design and methods (6th edition). usa: sage publications. yoskapela, susanty, bahing, & ristati. (2022). a study on speaking anxiety of english education study program students at the university of palangka raya. ebony: journal of language teaching, linguistics, and literature, 2(1), 14– 27. https://ejournal.upr.ac.id/index.php/ebony/homepageabout young, d. j. (1991). creating a low-anxiety classroom environment: what does language anxiety research suggest ? the modern language journal, 75(4), 426-439. https://doi.org/10.2307/329492 zakiya, e., kusumaningputri, r., & khazanah, d. (2022). “it’s not easy to speak english”: international students’ language anxiety in academic intercultural communication practices. journal of english education and linguistics studies, 9(2), 381–409. https://doi.org/10.30762/jeels.v9i2.534 zander, l., & hohne, e. (2021). perceived peer exclusion as predictor of students’ help-seeking strategies in higher education: differences by gender and university major. zeitschrift fur entwicklungspsychologie und padagogische psychologie, 53(1–2), 27–41. https://doi.org/10.1026/0049-8637/a000235 zheng, y., & cheng, l. (2018). how does anxiety influence language performance? from the perspectives of foreign language classroom anxiety and cognitive test anxiety. language testing in asia, 8(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-018-0065-4 zulfikar, z. (2022). reducing efl learners’ speaking anxiety through selective error correction and group-work strategies. elt echo : the journal of english language teaching in foreign language context, 7(1), 69-88. https://doi.org/10.24235/eltecho.v7i1.10204 https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220927531 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 85 exploring pronunciation challenges: indonesian university students' production of english fricative sounds sahira nurul luthfianda english language program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: sahiranl@upi.edu yusup irawan research organization for archaeology, language, and literature national research and innovation agency, jakarta, indonesia email: yusu019@brin.go.id ratih rahayu research organization for archaeology, language, and literature national research and innovation agency, jakarta, indonesia email: rati017@brin.go.id sarip hidayat research organization for archaeology, language, and literature national research and innovation agency, jakarta, indonesia email: sari022@brin.go.id apa scitation: luthfianda, s. n., irawan, y., rahayu, r., & hidayat, s. (2024). exploring pronunciation challenges: indonesian university students' production of english fricative sounds. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 85-94. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.7606 received: 04-10-2023 accepted: 24-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction in the realm of higher education having a good command of english will give students and scholars the upper hand (de wit & altbach, 2021). although some teachers consider ‘comfortable intelligibility’ is paramount in pronunciation skill (zoghbor, 2018), many employers now require an excellent english proficiency performed by the applicants since it has a high value in the labor markets (robles, 2012; zein, 2019). pronunciation has long been known as one of the main issues encountered by speakers who are in the process of acquiring english proficiency as a second or foreign language. non-native learners of english are likely to face some difficulties in pronouncing english sounds (o’connor, 1980; plailek & essien, 2021; whitehead & ryu, 2023; yang & kongjit, 2022; yusriati & selamat, 2019; zoghbor, 2018). in indonesians’ case, this may be abstract: this study investigated the production of english alveolar and post-alveolar fricatives by 40 indonesian university students who are not majoring in english study. the research instruments were a questionnaire, which was used to obtain information about the participants, and a word list, which was comprised of 16 english words with alveolar and post-alveolar fricatives and 9 tricky words. the results revealed two main findings. the first was that most indonesian non-english major university students who participated in this research were not proficient in producing voiced post-alveolar fricative /ʒ/ which resulted in the substitution of the sound with /z/, /s/, and /ʃ/. the participants, however, were quite great at producing the voiceless post-alveolar fricative /ʃ/ and had no difficulty in producing alveolar fricatives /s/ and /z/. the second was that the results indicated that the participants’ problems in pronouncing english fricatives were mainly attributed to native language interference, the absence of the target sound in the sound system of their native language, and limited knowledge of english phonetics. this research recommends that efl teachers give a special portion of time to train their students to pronounce fricative sounds in english that do not exist in the students' native language and provide them with english sound phonetic knowledge. both of these things are strongly believed to improve the students’ proficiency in english pronunciation. keywords: fricatives; indonesian; pronunciation; second language acquisition. mailto:sahiranl@upi.edu mailto:yusu019@brin.go.id mailto:rati017@brin.go.id mailto:sari022@brin.go.id sahira nurul luthfianda, yusup irawan, ratih rahayu, & sarip hidayat exploring pronunciation challenges: indonesian university students' production of english fricative sounds 86 caused by the interference of their mother tongue (indonesian) which in return hinders the acquisition of english. every speaker has embedded the sound system of their mother tongue and by the time they are introduced to another language. therefore, pronunciation errors may arise (pal, 2013). correspondingly, storkel (2003) cited by andi-pallawa & alam (2013)asserts that a speaker generally transfers the habits of her/his native language structure to the foreign language. the disparities between phonological elements in native and foreign languages are the second factor that may cause non-native speakers some pronunciation problems (sulistyorini & wibowo, 2021). the nonexistence of some sounds in the foreign language in the mother tongue’s phonological system will pose speakers' problems. this is due to the fact that the speakers do not have the slightest idea as to how to produce those sounds and their speech organs are not trained to articulate them. sometimes, a sound may phonemically exist in both languages, yet it is phonetically pronounced differently in both. this also might arise language learners some issues. for instance, the production of english (1) voiceless post-alveolar fricative /ʃ/, such as in sure, fisherman, and harsh, (2) voiced palatealveolar fricative /ʒ/ such as in occasion, vision, and exposure, (3) and voiced alveolar fricative /z/ such as in the words hazelnut, houses, and tease by non-native english speakers are not always satisfactory due to the absence of these sounds in the phonological system of their languages. the absence often results in mispronunciation of the aforementioned sounds made by the speakers in the form of substitution or deletion of target sounds. it will not be a big issue for the speakers to master the characteristics of the foreign language if their native languages have closely similar structures to those of english. the pronunciation issue, however, will arise if the structures of both languages are different as they might have to replace it with something similar that exists in their first language or even omit it. this is often the problem faced by non-native speakers of english, including those in indonesia. they typically solve the pronunciation issue by replacing the nonexistent english sounds with ones in the indonesian phonological system that are similar enough. they also probably produce reduced pronunciation (wanrooij & raijmakers, 2021) since many non-native speakers and learners of english often face difficulties in producing english fricatives, the production of english fricative sounds by non-native english speakers has received scant attention from many scholars in the field study (jehma & phoocharoensil, 2014; rahman & idris asmaradhani, 2020; sulistyorini & wibowo, 2021; wanrooij & raijmakers, 2021; weda & sakti, 2017; diani & azwandi, 2021; utami et al., 2017) regarding to english fricative consonant pronunciations. it was found that the majority of the participants, who are indonesian, failed in accurately producing /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ and they often substitute /s/, /z/, or /ʃ/ for both sounds (weda & sakti, 2017). similarly, pattani-malays were also found to have some difficulties in correctly articulating /ʃ/, /ʒ/, as well as /z/ and resulted in the substitution of the sounds as well (jehma & phoocharoensil, 2014). furthermore, wanrooij and raijmakers found reduced pronunciation by non-native english speakers (wanrooij & raijmakers, 2021). however, these studies did not specifically touch on a certain english sound pronunciation and generally used student english major university students as research participants. in the context of indonesian learners, it seems that the influence of indonesian phonological feature on students’ english pronunciation skills is significant, but there has been little to detailed investigation regarding the production of english post-alveolar fricatives /ʃ/ and /ʒ/, as well as voiced fricative /z/ and voiceless fricative /s/, particularly by non-english. to fill the gap it is necessary to conduct further research on it. the specific objective of the present study is to invertigate the ways in which indonesian nonenglish major college students produce four english fricative sounds, specifically /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, and /ʒ/. the researcher also focused on figuring out which of the aforementioned fricatives the participants found difficult to pronounce by identifying the mispronunciations made by them. the findings of this study are expected to give insights and guide lecturers in teaching pronunciation for non-english major college students. in communication, proper pronunciation is essential. it aids students in resolving challenging comprehensibility issues (widagsa et al., 2019). to achieve its objectives, the following research questions will drive the study: (1) are indonesian university students who are not majoring in english capable in accurately pronouncing four english fricative sounds, specifically /s/, /z/, /ʃ,/ and /ʒ/? (2) do the score of english subject and informal english tutor play english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 87 role in influencing the participants’ pronunciation? (3) based on the phonological errors found, which of /s/, /z/, /ʃ,/ and /ʒ/ the students find difficult to pronounce? method adapting owolabi’s (owolabi, 2012) and metruk’s (metruk, 2017), forty (40) indonesian undergraduate students registered on their sixth until final semester (8th or more) were recruited as the participants of this research. the undergraduate students in their year were chosen. it was assured that they had taken the obligatory english subject before. moreover, one of the criteria for the participants was that they must not follow a non-english study program on account of the assumption that english major students will possibly be more advanced with regard to pronunciation in comparison to those who are not. table 1 list of english target words pronounced by the participants no. words phonetic symbols 1 sunny [sʌn.i] 2 see [siː] 3 sarcastic [sɑːrˈkæs.tɪk] 4 soap [soʊp] 5 zipper [zɪp.ə] 6 zebra [ˈziː.brə] 7 zoo [zuː] 8. zone [zoʊn] 9 shoulder [ˈʃoʊl.də] 10 shadow [ˈʃæd.oʊ] 11 shelter [ˈʃel.t̬ə] 12 shop [ʃɑːp] 13 asia [eɪ.ʒə] 14 usual [ˈjuː.ʒu.əl] 15 azure [ˈæʒə(r)] 16 casually [kæʒ.u.ə.li] this study utilized two instruments: a world list and a questionnaire. first, the word list was comprised of twenty-five english words that were constructed to be pronounced by the participants. the words were divided into five groups. there was a total of sixteen target words for four groups (four words each) wherein each group focused on different fricatives, namely alveolar fricatives /s/ and /z/ as well as post-alveolar fricatives /ʃ/, and /ʒ/. one group consisted of nine words without the four fricatives, which were selected randomly, served as additional words to distract the participants. to be more specific, only the pronunciations of sixteen english words that use the four fricatives in word-initial (and medial for /ʒ/) position were assessed (see table 1). it must be noted that post-alveolar fricative /ʒ/ scarcely ever occur in word-initial position in english is the rationale for choosing the word-medial position for the sound. the other nine tricky words, on the other hand, were not analyzed. therefore, there were 640 out of 1000 data of the participants’ pronunciations which were employed for qualitative and quantitative analyses. the following table presents twenty-five english words pronounced by the participants. the second research instrument of this study was a questionnaire. the questionnaire was purposely made to obtain the participants’ information and to ease the process of categorizing the participants into different groups based on their responses. the questionnaire itself was comprised of several questions regarding (1) participants’ major or study program, (2) participants’ score of english subject taken in their respective universities (in a, b, or c), (3) participants’ participation in an informal english course, and (4) participants’ attitudes towards english in general. the process of data collection was done in three steps. first, the questionnaire was distributed to the participants through social media. to maintain the research ethics, the recording process was done once the participants submitted their responses, considering the form of consent was included in the questionnaire. the participants recorded their pronunciation of the words themselves by using the voice recorders on their mobile phones. in order to obtain quality voice recordings, the participants were given several instructions to read the prepared written materials. firstly, their name or initials at the start of the recording must be stated to facilitate the process of assessing the pronunciation individually. secondly, the words were to be pronounced in order by stating the number. thirdly, a brief pause (approximately three seconds) must be given in between the pronunciations to avoid any pronunciation with an unstable voice. lastly, they need to pronounce the list of the words twice to prevent any loss of data due to the inaudible pronunciations. consequently, the participants sent the audio through social media platforms (i.e., whatsapp and line). only then the researcher’s data analysis of the pronunciations of all the sixteen english words commenced. once all the audios were gathered, the researcher downloaded and stored them on google drive to avoid a loss of the research data. each of the audio was then listened to by the researcher to ensure each participant has said their name or initial at the beginning and pronounced all 25 words on the list. simple rating scale format sahira nurul luthfianda, yusup irawan, ratih rahayu, & sarip hidayat exploring pronunciation challenges: indonesian university students' production of english fricative sounds 88 (albaum et al., 2017) was applied for the articulated fricatives in the target words. the assessment of the pronunciations of the participants was initiated by giving them scores on a scale of 0 to 100, which then was converted into a scale from poor, fair, good, and excellent. figure 1. score to assess the pronunciation skills of the students the grading was based on the accuracy and fluency of the pronunciation itself. if phonological errors, such as substitution, devoicing, and deletion of the fricative sounds were detected, a lower score will be given, either fair or poor. on the other hand, those who succeeded in pronouncing the sounds in each word accurately will earn a higher score. for instance, participant a substituted /z/ for /ʒ/ and participant b replaced /ʒ/ with /s/. since both /z/ and /ʒ/ are voiced fricatives, participant a will obtain a higher score than that of participant a who performed a devoicing for substituting /s/ for /ʒ/. since there were four words for four fricative sounds pronounced by a total of 40 participants, the sum of the four words’ score was divided by four in order to find the mean of each of four groups of fricatives. therefore, a total of 640 pronunciation was analyzed and every participant contributed sixteen data of pronunciation. once the process of assessing the pronunciation of sixteen words was completely done, the comparative analyses were then commenced to answer the second question. the first comparative analysis was done to the first batch which was comprised of twenty participants whose score of english subjects they took at college are a and the second group consisted of the remaining twenty participants whose score of english subjects are b and c or lower than a. the second analysis done to the second batch of participants was also taken into account, which was comprised of twenty-four participants who have taken informal english courses and sixteen participants who have never taken informal english courses before. the categorization was done based on the data collected from the third and fourth questions in the questionnaire respectively. the qualitative analysis was done by descriptively interpreting the results of the assessment of the general score and the comparative analyses of both batch 1 and batch 2, which have been explained in the previous paragraph. ultimately, narrative analysis is carried out throughout the current work by looking at the themes listed below, which are crucial for interpretation and ultimately lead to the significant findings and conclusion. the analysis included drawing comparisons, contrasts, and correlations between the results of earlier studies. results and discussion to give an in-depth discussion of the results, this section will be divided into several sub-sections. the first one will present the overall result of pronunciation done by all forty (n=40) participants. the second one will focus on the pronunciation made by the first group of participants in terms of their scores in english subjects they have taken in university. lastly, the third sub-section centers on the pronunciation done by the second group of participants with regard to their participation in attending english courses. overall results of pronunciation by non-english major indonesian university students responding to the first question, the majority of non-english major indonesian university students appeared to be not proficient in producing an accurate pronunciation of words containing /ʒ/ sound, which is a voiced post-alveolar fricative, in medial position. as shown in table 3, words which have voiced post-alveolar sound were found as the sounds with the lowest score, with an average of 59.1 and is considered as an average performance. based on the results, it was found that the word ‘azure’ was the word that most of the participants find most difficult to pronounce based on the fact that it had the lowest score among other words, which is 56.5. right behind ‘azure’, ‘asia’ was following with 59.5 and followed by ‘casually’ and ‘usual’ with the average score of 60.2 and 60.1. the fact that the participants were unable to produce an accurate pronunciation of these voiced post-alveolar fricatives is very possibly due to the absence of this particular sound from their native language's phonological system (derakhshan & karimi, 2015; utami et al., 2017a). for that reason, in this case, it was revealed that the sound [ʒ] was frequently substituted by [z] as in [ˈæzə(r)] for ‘azure’ [ˈæʒə(r)]; [s] as in [’jusuəl] for ‘usual’ [ˈjuː.ʒu.əl]; [ʃ] as in [’kæʃuəli] for ‘casually’ [ˈkæʒ.uː.ə.li] and sometimes by [dʒ] as in [’eidʒər] english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 89 for ‘azure’ [ˈæʒə(r)]. a case of consonant devoicing was also identified. the sound of [ʒ] is a voiced consonant in nature and some participants devoiced it by replacing it with voiceless consonants such as [s] and [ʃ]. these findings were in conformity with that of prior studies, namely jehma & phoocharoensil (2014) and mulyadi et al. (2018) for pattani-malay learners of english. since voiced post-alveolar sound does not exist in the participants’ first language, they ended up replaced [ʒ] with sounds owned by their native languages: voiceless alveolar [s]; voiced alveolar [z]; and voiceless post-alveolar [ʃ]. this proved that the interference of mother language may hinder the acquisition of second or foreign language. table 3. overall score of 40 students’ pronunciation of 16 english words with alveolar and post-alveolar fricatives sound target words mean /s/ sunny 90.1 sarcastic 85.6 soap 79.6 see 90.3 mean 86.4 /z/ zipper 87.8 zone 89.0 zoo 89.3 zebra 86.4 mean 88.1 /ʃ/ shoulder 80.7 shop 87.1 shadow 88.7 shelter 84.5 mean 85.2 /ʒ/ usual 60.1 asia 59.5 casually 60.2 azure 56.5 mean 59.1 conversely, the majority of the students were found to do an excellent job in producing alveolar fricatives [z] and [s] as well as voiceless postalveolar [ʃ] with the average score of 88.1, 86.4, and 85.2 respectively. the word which held the highest score, on the other hand, was ‘see’ with the average score of 90.3. in the second place was ‘sunny’ with the average score of 90.1 and following closely behind was ‘zoo’ with 89.3. generally, the results of this study indicated that the participants succeeded in articulating voiceless alveolar [s], voiced alveolar [z], and voiceless post-alveolar [ʃ]. this may be caused by the existence of the three sounds in the phonological system of indonesian. there were, however, several cases of substitution in spite of the high average scores. a replacement of [ʃ by [s] was done by several students. for example, ‘shoulder’ was pronounced as [soldə(r)] and ‘shelter’ as [’seltə[r]]. the study revealed some participants mistaken [s] as [ʃ] and vice versa. for instance, a participant who was capable in pronouncing ‘shop’ as [ʃɑːp], yet that participant failed in accurately pronouncing ‘soap’ for it was pronounced as [ʃɑːp] as well. the results were in conform with that of risdianto (2017b) wherein some sundanese university students replaced [s] with [ʃ] when pronouncing ‘gas’ and substituted [s] for [ʃ] when pronouncing ‘she’. interestingly, no phonological errors were identified in the pronunciation of [z] in this study. table 4 is expected to answer the second question. it revealed the frequency of the occurrences of mispronunciation made by the participants of this study and thus identify which of these four fricatives the participants found most difficult to produce. the third column from the left represents the total occurrences of mispronunciation of a word while the other occurrences column represents the frequency of each substitution. table 4. the frequency of mispronunciation of alveolar and post-alveolar fricatives made by students sounds occurrences substitution occurrences [s] 4 [ʃ] 4 [z] 0 0 [ʃ] 13 [s] 13 [ʒ] 89 [z] 53 [s] 42 [ʃ] 30 [dʒ] 2 based on table 4 it is fair to say that all 40 students were proficient in producing alveolar and voiceless post-alveolar fricatives due to their excellent performance and that they had problems in pronouncing voiced post-alveolar fricative. it can be seen that there were relatively small to no mispronunciation of alveolar fricatives and a high frequency of mispronunciation of voiced and voiceless post-alveolar fricatives made by the participants. words containing voiced postalveolar fricative [ʒ] appeared as the one with the most dominantly mispronounced words out of four fricatives. on the contrary, there was no mispronunciation of words containing [z] reported in this study. according to the results, it was found that the sound [ʒ] in medial position was frequently substituted by [z] by the participants with the total of 53 mispronunciations, followed by [s] and [ʃ] sahira nurul luthfianda, yusup irawan, ratih rahayu, & sarip hidayat exploring pronunciation challenges: indonesian university students' production of english fricative sounds 90 with 42 and 30 occurrences of mispronunciations. there were only thirteen mispronunciations of voiceless post-alveolar made by the participants. there were thirteen times of substitution done by the participants from [ʃ] to [s]. out of four words with [s] sound, only ‘soap’ was mispronounced by four participants in this study and they substituted [ʃ] for [s]. comparison between students whose english subject’s score was a and below a this sub-section will give the answer whether the actual performance in english class influence the university students’ proficiency in pronouncing english alveolar and post-alveolar fricatives. the following table presents the comparison of the pronunciation between the students who achieved a and the students who achieved score below a, as in b or c.as shown on table 5, although not very distinctive, there was indeed a difference in the average score of the pronunciation of four fricatives by both groups. the participants who achieved a score of a for english subject appeared to perform a better pronunciation of alveolar and post-alveolar fricatives. those whose english subject’s score was below a, on the other hand, were less proficient in producing the four fricatives. in spite of the fact that the second group seemed to give a better performance when pronouncing most of words which have /s/ and /z/ sounds, the overall performance is still below that of the first group. table 5 comparison of pronunciation’s score between students who achieved a and below a for english subject generally, language learners who have just started learning english after finishing their education tend to face some major difficulties in acquiring comprehensible pronunciation (gilakjani et al., 2011). all participants have been taught english perhaps since the first year of elementary school. their excellent performance in english class may slightly, although not significantly, influence the acquisition of intelligible pronunciation. that may also affect the overall pronunciation of students whose score is below a. another factor may play a role in influencing one’s capability in having a good english pronunciation. motivation for learning english and acquiring good english pronunciation can also influence the students’ actual pronunciation (gilakjani, 2012). a desire to be proficient in spoken and written english, including to achieve a native-like pronunciation may boost up students’ confidence and motivation. a student who achieved a score of a for english subject conveyed that she likes english for it enables her to widen her web of connection with people around the world and thus she is comfortable in using english daily. comparison between participants who have and have never taken english course the last sub-section will center its focus on comparing the pronunciation of twenty-four indonesian university students who have taken informal english course between the remaining sixteen students who have never taken one before. table 6 presents the score of pronunciation of both groups: table 6 comparison of pronunciation’s score between students who have and have never taken english course sound s have taken course (n=24) have never taken course (n=16) /s/ 85.4 87.8 /z/ 87.8 88.5 /ʃ/ 85.3 85.1 /ʒ/ 59.3 58.7 the results presented in the table show that participants who have participated in an informal english course were more advanced in producing voiceless and voiced post-alveolar fricatives, the sound that most participants found difficult to articulate, with the average score of 85.3 and 59.3 respectively. those who have never taken english course, on the contrary, were more proficient in producing [s] and [z], sounds with which indonesian are familiar. the result indicated that the exposure towards english that the participants receive outside their academic realm indeed plays a role in influencing their pronunciation. this can be proven since the discrepancies between the two group was significant. the exposure to english outside the classroom received by the students who joined english courses may facilitate them in acquiring eligible english pronunciation, specifically sounds which many indonesians’ speech organs are not sounds score "a" (n=20) score below "a" (n=20) /s/ 87.1 85.7 /z/ 88.2 88.1 /ʃ/ 85.9 84.5 /ʒ/ 60.9 57.2 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 91 accustomed to articulating. language acquisition can be achieved successfully by language learners generally from large amounts of comprehensible input received by them before they are able to speak (gilakjani, 2012). exposure equals to input and thus if the students are exposed to english more often, they may overcome some of the difficulties in english pronunciation. conclusion this study investigated the indonesian university students’ performances in producing english alveolar fricatives /s/ and /z/ and post-alveolar fricatives /ʃ/ and /ʒ/. pronunciation is perhaps one of the biggest challenges faced by non-native language learners in order to have an excellent english proficiency. this can be proven by the results revealed in the present study wherein the majority of non-english major indonesian university students were proven to give an excellent performance in producing voiceless alveolar /s/ and voiced alveolar /z/, as well as great at producing voiceless post-alveolar /ʃ/ fricatives despite of some mispronunciations made. this study also revealed that informal english course the participants took plays a bigger role in influencing the eligibility of the participants pronunciation, compared to their english subject’s score. the study showed that voiced post-alveolars fricative /ʒ/ was the sound which most of the participants failed at accurately pronounce, judging from the good performance, which obviously can be improved, from the score of pronunciation and the frequency of mispronunciation’s occurrences. moreover, the phonological errors reported in this study were of two types: substitution and devoicing. there are several factors which influenced the performance of the participants in producing these four english fricatives. firstly, and most importantly, the different sound system of both languages plays a big role in affecting the students’ pronunciation. the discrepancies between the phonological system of the participants’ mother language, indonesian, and the foreign language, english pose them pronunciation issues. due to the absence of voiced post-alveolar, for instance, resulted in the substitution of the target sound into sound which exist in indonesian’s sound system. the participants did this frequently and this may happen because their speech organs are not accustomed to produce such sounds. secondly, the interference of mother language also was proven to hinder the process of second language acquisition of the participants. since most of the participants were not familiar with voiced post-alveolar and some were also not used to produce voiceless post-alveolar, they ended up borrowing a sound from their native language’s phonological system. as mentioned in the previous paragraph, voiced post-alveolar was most frequently substituted by sounds which exist in indonesian, namely /s/, /z/, and /ʃ/. lastly, it seems that pupils' poor pronunciation of english fricative sounds stems from a lack of specialized training and a limited understanding of english phonetics. it is well recognized that the majority of speech instruction methods used today are reactive and infrequent (huensch, 2019). it is anticipated that this study will provide useful information on how to pronounce alveolar and post-alveolar fricatives for indonesian english learners and speakers as well as english instructors. the study's pedagogical implications include the recommendation that english instructors in higher education, in particular, use the study's results to improve pronunciation instruction in their classrooms. despite the fact that shared interlanguage knowledge may help nonnative listeners comprehend nonnative speech from speakers of the same first language (l1) (fishero et al., 2023), the accuracy of english sound pronunciation should be improved. hopefully, english teachers can become more aware of the importance of having a good and comprehensible pronunciation by start engaging the students in improving their pronunciation in classroom. building a habit of asking the teachers or open up dictionary may help university students in lessen their burden in attempting to have a good pronunciation while enhancing their pronunciation at the same time. this research recommends further research that examines the difficulty of pronunciation of sounds in english, especially those that are not found in indonesian, in order to obtain a mapping of the difficulty of pronunciation of this language by indonesian students. (suzukida & saito, 2022) proposed the mapping should include segmental and suprasegmental features of english. references albaum, g., roster, c., yu, j. h., & rogers, r. d. (2017). simple rating scale formats: exploring extreme response. international journal of market research, 49(5), 633–650. andi-pallawa, b., & alam, a. f. a. (2013). a comparative analysis between english and sahira nurul luthfianda, yusup irawan, ratih rahayu, & sarip hidayat exploring pronunciation challenges: indonesian university students' production of english fricative sounds 92 indonesian phonological systems. international journal of english language education, 1(3), 103–129. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijele.v1i3.3892 de wit, h., & altbach, p. g. (2021). internationalization in higher education: global trends and recommendations for its future. policy reviews in higher education, 5(1), 28– 46. https://doi.org/10.1080/23322969.2020.182089 8 derakhshan, a., & karimi, e. (2015). the interference of first language and second language acquisition. theory and practice in language studies, 5(10), 2112. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0510.19 diani, i., & azwandi, a. (2021). phonological change processes of english and indonesian. joall (journal of applied linguistics and literature), 6(1), 133–148. https://doi.org/10.33369/joall.v6i1.13642 fishero, s., sereno, j. a., & jongman, a. (2023). perception and production of mandarinaccented english: the effect of degree of accentedness on the interlanguage speech intelligibility benefit for listeners (isib-l) and talkers (isib-t). journal of phonetics, 99, 1– 18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wocn.2023.101255 gilakjani, a., ahmadi, s., & ahmadi, m. (2011). why is pronunciation so difficult to learn? english language teaching, 4(3), 74–83. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v4n3p74 gilakjani, a. p. (2012). a study of factors affecting efl learners’ english pronunciation learning and the strategies for instruction. international journal of humanities and social science, 2(3), 119–128. www.ijhssnet.com huensch, a. (2019). the pronunciation teaching practices of university-level graduate teaching assistants of french and spanish introductory language courses. foreign language annals, 52(1), 13–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12372 yusriati, & selamat, h. h. (2019). the analysis of english pronunciation errors by english education students of fkip umsu. journal of english education and teaching, 3(2), 230– 448. jehma, h., & phoocharoensil, s. (2014). l1 transfer in the production of fricatives and stops by pattanimalay learners of english in thailand. asian social science, 10(7), 67–78. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v10n7p67 metruk, r. (2017). pronunciation of english dental fricatives by slovak university efl students. international journal of english linguistics, 7(3), 11. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v7n3p11 mulyadi, w. w., ansar, f. a., & kholid, i. (2018). an analysis of pattani’s students pronunciation in pronouncing english fricative consonants at uin lampung. jurnal smart, 4(1), 61–72. https://doi.org/10.26638/js.511.203x o’connor, j. d. (1980). better english pronunciation (new edition). cambridge university press. owolabi, d. (2012). production and perception problems of english dental fricatives by yoruba speakers of english as a second language. theory and practice in language studies, 2(6), 1108– 1113. https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.2.6.11081113 pal, s. (2013). mother tongue influence on spoken english. international conference "ict for language learning, 454–458. plailek, t., & essien, a. m. (2021). pronunciation problems and factors affecting english pronunciation of efl students. turkish journal of computer and mathematics education, 12(12), 2026–2033. rahman, a., & idris asmaradhani, a. (2020). phonological investigation into students’ mispronunciation of english words containing phonemes absent in indonesian. international journal of scientific & technology research, 9(04), 1620–1625. www.ijstr.org risdianto, f. (2017). a phonological analysis on the english consonants of sundanese efl speakers. jurnal arbitrer, 4(1), 27–37. http://arbitrer.fib.unand.ac.id robles, m. m. (2012). executive perceptions of the top 10 soft skills needed in today’s workplace. business communication quarterly, 75(4), 453– 465. https://doi.org/10.1177/1080569912460400 sulistyorini, d., & wibowo, r. a. (2021). an analysis of students perception and production problems of pronouncing english palato alveolar sounds. marine science and technology journal, 1(2), 96–111. https://doi.org/10.31331/maristec.v1i2 suzukida, y., & saito, k. (2022). what is second language pronunciation proficiency? an empirical study. system, 106. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system. 2022.102754 utami, d. h., wello, b., & atmowardoyo, h. (2017b). the phonological interference of students’ first language in pronouncing english sounds (a case study on buginese and makassarese students). elt worldwide, 4(2), 205–212. wanrooij, k., & raijmakers, m. e. j. (2021). “hama”? reduced pronunciations in non-native natural speech obstruct high-school students’ comprehension at lower processing levels. journal of phonetics, 88, 101082. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wocn.20 21.101082 weda, s., & sakti, a. e. f. (2017). the effects of formal instruction on the acquisition of english fricative consonants of indonesian efl learners. journal of arts, science & commerce, viii(2), 14–27. https://doi.org/10.18843/rwjasc/v8i2(1)02 whitehead, g. e. k., & ryu, y. (2023). “i am not a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 93 native speaker …”: exploring the perceived pronunciation teaching difficulties faced by korean public elementary school english teachers. system, 115, 103056. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system. 2023.103056 widagsa, r., wiyanah, s., & wahyuni, p. (2019). the influence of indonesia prosodic features on english word stress production. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 77– 84. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1647 yang, z., & kongjit, c. (2022). improving the pronunciation of english learners through new learning process. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v11i2.22195 zein, s. (2019). english, multilingualism and globalisation in indonesia. english today, 35(1), 48–53. https://doi.org/10.1017/s026607841800010x zoghbor, w. s. (2018). teaching english pronunciation to multi-dialect first language learners: the revival of the lingua franca core (lfc). system, 78, 1–14. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system. 2018.06.008 sahira nurul luthfianda, yusup irawan, ratih rahayu, & sarip hidayat exploring pronunciation challenges: indonesian university students' production of english fricative sounds 94 full title of your paper here english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 655 the teachers’ perception about critical thinking skills in english language teaching methodologies moh. yamin english education and literature, universitas negeri surabaya, indonesia english department, universitas lambung mangkurat, banjarmasin, indonesia email: moh_yamin@ulm.ac.id slamet setiawan english education and literature, universitas negeri surabaya, indonesia email: slametsetiawan@unesa.ac.id syafi’ul anam english education and literature, universitas negeri surabaya, indonesia email: syafiul.anam@unesa.ac.id pratiwi retnaningdyah english education and literature, universitas negeri surabaya, indonesia email: pratiwiretnaningdyah@unesa.ac.id apa citation: yamin, m., setiawan, s., anam, s., & retnaningdyah, p. (2022). the teachers’ perception about critical thinking skills in english language teaching methodologies. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 655-666. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6302. received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction in the post method in which teaching activity and the goal of learning concerning english should be based on the need and need analysis, it is very necessary to consider what the learning and teaching are for. english at present is different from english while it was in the past time; english today is more familiar and more well-known as lingua franca than english as foreign language. when english is called lingua franca, it indicates that every people in the world, not only native countries have been using english as the need because of communication. in lingua franca's perspective, although those speaking are not native, they are allowed to speak based on their dialect. it is stated that it is important to identify the goals of elt from different perspectives (hud, 2013; shatrova, 2014). in english viewed as a foreign language, those who speak should be able to imitate the native’s pronunciation. the way to pronounce, the way to speak, and the like should be able to be the reflection and imitation of the natives (başok, 2020). abstract: in the current situation in which all teachers are required to participate in contextual teaching fulfilling the world dynamics and students’ need in learning, it is important to follow the dynamic of contemporary elt methodologies. the teacher’s ability in reading, learning, interpreting, and implementing the current contemporary elt is the must; critical thinking skills are needed so that they can be the ones taking part in this study. critical thinking skills are not only viewed as the framework of thinking but also as the framework to increase teachers’ capacity in enlarging their views about contemporary elt methodologies. this study aimed at presenting the new perspectives concerning contemporary elt methodologies for non-english speaking countries through critical thinking. this research was conducted qualitatively in which the data collection was through distributing questionnaires to five lecturers aiming to ask for their perspectives about english language teaching methodologies through critical thinking. the analysis was content analysis. the findings stated that teacher’s knowledge about contemporary elt methodologies is needed as the basic knowledge; teachers’ motivation in learning the contemporary elt methodologies through critical thinking skills are strengthened; and teachers’ ability in identifying and analyzing the contemporary elt methodologies is sharpened through critical thinking skills. keywords: critical thinking; elt; teaching practice. moh. yamin, slamet setiawan, syafi’ul anam, & pratiwi retnaningdyah the teachers’ perception about critical thinking skills in english language teaching methodologies 656 in today's perspective, implementing this way of efl is impossible and it is time to move on to the way of lingua franca as a new perspective in enhancing contemporary elt methodology. almeida (2019) asserted that it is important to teach english through an appropriate pedagogy in which teachers should allow students to have ownership of it as well, but starting from a local perspective, avoiding, this way, bad feelings on the part of students. in the pursuit of an appropriate pedagogy to teach english, she proposes the focus on the nonnative speaker, since understanding that english is a world language, spoken by a great number of people, from different cultures, what has recreated this language in many aspects. that is why this language should not be only taught based on hegemonic cultures. therefore, the appropriate pedagogy should be based on the local context and need without neglecting the global context for communication. the history consideration to defend the importance of the new perspective in enhancing contemporary elt methodology is that today some terms have also been used to refer to the english language: english as a global language, english as an international language, world english, englishes, and english as a língua franca. there are also varieties, such as chinglish, espanglish, and singlish. these varieties reflect the spread of english around the world (bhowmik, 2015). this is the consideration why elt should be reconstructed because the present and future need to be able to be in line with the goal of language practice itself (velikaya, 2015). this article aims to enhance the new perspective concerning contemporary elt methodology for non-english speaking countries through critical thinking. in proposing a new perspective, it is started by discussing some research articles implementing elt for non-english speaking countries, analysing elt methodology implemented, and enhancing the perspective as the contemporary elt methodology. method this research was conducted qualitatively in which the data collection was through distributing questionnaires to the selected number of respondents. the respondents here are the five lecturers on behalf of english subject coming from different universities in indonesia, namely universitas merdeka pasuruan, universitas pendidikan mandalika, universitas muhammadiyah jember, universitas lambung mangkurat, and universitas islam malang. the data were from the phenomena the respondents had so that all data gotten were potential to develop and were rich of interpretation. because the data were phenomena from the respondents’ views, the data were described descriptively to get a clear interpretation and comprehension. all respondents were asked to deal with their perspectives of contemporary language english teaching methodologies applied in the classroom through critical thinking. the data collection was formulated in google form so that all respondents filled in their views digitally. the data obtained were displayed, tabulated, and coded manually (wicks, 2017) to answer the research problem posed. in manual coding, the data were defined, categorized, and grouped based on the items of coding. it was started from the definition of comtemporary english language teaching methodologies, identifying and analyzing the contemporary english language teaching methodologies in learning the contemporary english language teaching methodologies through critical thinking. every three items after coded were analyzed through content analysis (krippendorff, 2004) to get the whole description on how the lecturers have their perspectives dealing with contemporary language english teaching methodologies applied in the classroom through critical thinking. results and discussion results table 1. manual coding result no name of respondent lecturers' view about comtemporary english language teaching methodologies coding 1 respondent 1 contemporary english language teaching contains several new and exciting methods/ways of teaching and innovative classroom techniques it is the current teaching method english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 657 2 respondent 2 it talks a lot about english language teaching in terms of concept and practice it deals with teaching practice 3 respondent 3 collaborative, task-based, think pair share, problem based learning, project based learning 4 respondent 4 current comtemporary english language teaching methodologies are content and language integrated learning (clil), clt, task-based approach, project-based approach, collaborative learning, spaced learning, flipped classroom, self-learning, and gamification. they were shifting from the direct method, the grammar translation method, the audio lingual method, the structural approach, suggestopedia, total physical response, communicative language teaching (clt) and the silent way it is about the current teaching approaches 5 respondent 5 contemporary english language teaching methods are considered the modern ways of teaching english in the 4.0 era or it is common to say industrial revolution where technology plays important role in our daily activities including education. the example of contemporary teaching methods are collaborative learning, flipped classroom, and gamification it is the teaching approach that takes students participate in practice from the table 1, it says that every respondent has own view in defining contemporary english language teaching methodologies. first respondent calls it as the current teaching method; second respondent says it as the teaching practice; third respondent tells it as the current teaching approaches; and the fifth respondent defines it as the teaching approach in which the teachers should be able to involve the students in practice. it means that the definition of contemporary english language teaching from the five respondents state that contemporary english teaching methodologies are produced based on the needs to answer the need and interest. because language is the social fact, teaching language should be based on the strategy need contextually. what should be described from the five respondents is that contemporary english language teaching methodologies are the theoretical framework underpinning to see teaching english language based on the perspective and need. every perspective based on the need will be different although the keyword of contemporary english teaching methodologies is the same, namely trying to make the teaching language closer and closer to students as the target in the activities. the language is the social; fact in which teaching language should pay attention the students’ input and the like make teaching language methodology should be adaptive. in the other word, it is called contemporary that is responsive to the need in practice. teaching language is teaching students on how to use it in practice, not only teach them theoretically. it means that it is very necessary to understand the students’ lives in their activities. as a result, teaching language methodology should be in harmony with the students’ activity, students’ lives, students’ habit, and the like. it is expected that they like the language. the teaching approach stemming from their lives underpins the importance of language teaching methodology definition used in practice. table 2. manual coding result no name of respondent lecturers' views about critical thinking in learning the contemporary english language teaching methodologies coding moh. yamin, slamet setiawan, syafi’ul anam, & pratiwi retnaningdyah the teachers’ perception about critical thinking skills in english language teaching methodologies 658 1 respondent 1 it is important because if educators teach with a new way of teaching instead of traditional method and provide lessons in more proper scientific method of teaching, many problems including unemployment can be solved. all of this can be obtained by giving a strong pillar of education system. that is why contemporary teaching methods are essential to be applied critical thinking attends to open and widen the new perspectives in teaching approach 2 respondent 2 it is paramount because of creativity in developing certain method (needs analysis) it makes easy in implimenting the teaching approach needed based on the students' need and learning goal 3 respondent 3 it is very important for finding out and learning all elt methods that are familiar with the students' need it helps to explain the current needs for current teaching method 4 respondent 4 it is vastly important as critical thinking helps to reach the decision. taking for granted for the current method will make confused and easily influenced by unclear direction critical thinking is the keyword to decide the right teaching method for teaching method needed 5 respondent 5 critical thinking skill is indeed crucial in learning process, especially when a contemporary method is applied. it can be said because most of the learning outcome is a project which has closed relationship with students' daily live critical thinking answers the students' need in choosing the teaching method in the current daily live from table 2, learning contemporary english language teaching methodologies through critical thinking is helpful to open and widen the new perspectives in teaching approach; impliment the teaching approach needed based on the students' need and learning goal; explain the current needs for current teaching method; decide the right teaching method for teaching method needed; and answer the students' need in choosing the teaching method in the current daily live. there is a new paradigm saying that teaching english to students today should be able to follow the dynamics. therefore, teaching methodologies is the manifestation from the world development and human being advance. it is necessary to say that those who learn english language teaching methodologies through critical thinking are required to read beyond, think beyond, and act beyond the text. the existence of critical thinking in learning contemporary english language teaching methodologies according to the five respondents is the power that make easy in finding out variations of paradigm and this is good in enriching the knowledge of english language teaching methodologies. more knowledge they have dealing with english language teaching methodologies; they view that more critical in responding every problems or issues in english language teaching methodologies themselves. it means that critical thinking when related to learning english language teaching methodologies has the important role in sharpening the dynamic of english language teaching methodologies currently. therefore, critical thinking skills are the important element to facilitate the learning process that is very helpful in discussing contemporary english language teaching methodologies. through critical thinking skills used, learning language teaching methodologies is guided so that the goal is easily achieved. all respondents have the same perception about the importance of critical thinking skills that support the process of learning teaching methodologies contextual with the need today and future. every need needed to increase the power of teaching methodologies perspective should be based on the critical thinking skills in order to achieve the goal. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 659 table 3. manual coding result no name of respondent lecturers' views about critical thinking in identifying and analyzing the contemporary english language teaching methodologies coding 1 respondent 1 today, the scope of knowledge both in the field of science and technology has extremely increased, and the human beings’ capability to adapt to a new knowledge has also increased. hence, there is an tremendous need for creative as well as innovative mind to explore more to unrevealed area of different fields. to cope up with the modern world, adopting a new way is the only means to survive. thus, the learners must be taught in a manner to tackle the 21st c, that is technology-driven time that needs creative thinking for the progress of individuals, society, and nation as well. the learners should be introduced with new/modern teaching method and are served adequate knowledge, so they can build chances for themselves and others teaching method should be contextual, process-oriented, enhance students with new knowledge 2 respondent 2 reading is in very details all about the teaching methods the way of teaching is produced from reading alot 3 respondent 3 following the way how we should think critically will be easier to select the appropriate contemporary english language teaching to be implemented in classroom activity teaching method should be based on students' need to achieve targetted goal 4 respondent 4 critical thinking helps in identifying and analyzing the contemporary english language teaching methodologies through the basic step that is understanding. after understanding the method, it is followed by trying to reflect which one is suitable to apply, analyze, gain as much information. involving other people to the discussion should be conducted and finally deciding the method, having a commitment towards what to do mapping the steps in teaching is the embryo to determine the right teaching success based on the achieved goal 5 respondent 5 contemporary english teaching methods focus on students' activeness and creativity. most of the learning activities are based on collaborative learning where they learn how to solve a problem the current teaching methods trigger students to participate and involve in meaningful activity from the findings in table 3, it says that teaching method should be contextual, process-oriented, enhance students with new knowledge; the way of teaching is produced from reading alot; teaching method should be based on students' need to achieve targetted goal; and the current teaching methods trigger students to participate and involve in meaningful activity. all respondents hold that through critical thinking, it is important to read and interprete the comtemporary english language teaching beyond the text in order to find something new and different to enhance students with teaching strategy more effective and responsive. the ability to discuss and dig the meanings beyond the text should be had and livened so that there is dynamics and development in learning teaching methodologies. every study in teaching methodologies has the substance that should be moh. yamin, slamet setiawan, syafi’ul anam, & pratiwi retnaningdyah the teachers’ perception about critical thinking skills in english language teaching methodologies 660 used to enrich the knowledge of teaching methodologies. because change is necessity and natural, it is important to state that studying teaching methodologies needs to be planned well and implemented regularly as the part to increase the quality of teaching methodologies. there is change without paying attention to the need. critical thinking skills as the part inherent in identifying and analyzing teaching methodologies have the contribution in determining the achievement. the change of teaching approaches and designs actually brings new era in teaching english language. getting information and learning the new ones should be fought to answer the need. besides that, this is the barometer in monitoring every phase of change in teaching practices. principally, teaching methodologies in line with the present and future needs should be obtained. as a result, teaching practices that are based on the teachers’ knowledge and experiences add the new way of learning english language. discussion critical thinking skills responding to the text needs the capacity in analysing and critical thinking skills are needed to be able to conduct appear in table 1, 2, and 3. the existence of critical thinking in text play becomes the entry point in building the knowledge and enriching it. critical thinking is supposed as the framework of thinking based on self-capacity in which it works for logical reasoning. therefore, padmanabha (2018) viewed critical thinking as the ability to transfer knowledge learned from certain disciplines to other cognitive areas. it is connected with supporting suspicious thoughts along with developing individual thinking skills, such as logical reasoning and personal judgment. it means that it is based on the thinking order that is in line with the logical truth. because critical thinking is aimed to form the capacity in deep analysis, critical thinking skills are categorized to work for open analysis and how to open analysis, give new nuances, and colorize new perspectives. thorndahl and stentoft (2020) viewed critical thinking that involves the use of focused, self-regulatory judgment to assist with identification of a problem and its associated assumptions: clarifying and focusing the problem; analysing, understanding, and making inferences; inductive and deductive logic; and judging the validity and reliability of the assumptions and available data. what should be noted here is that critical thinking skills are the manifestation of protest toward a thing considered to be evaluated and gets some notes. according to atabaki, keshtiaray, and yarmohammadian (2015), critical thinking skills should be based on the capacity to find out the data. in critical thinking skills, each activity to find out should involve being interested in obtaining facts and being having a willingness to question. it means that critical thinking exists because of the existence of searching out and questioning. when searching out and questioning, the people are asked to be able to break down the facts and to give meanings to the facts. they need to show their inquiry to find out and they should have the responsibility to see and to evaluate every finding of the facts, give corrections and solutions to the problem found out and questioned. the principal one in critical thinking skills is a doubtful mentality in which people take different affairs with suspicion. by having suspicion, it guides them to open perspectives in giving evaluation and recommendation. as a result, these kinds of people can take the roles as those working for independence and bravery to take a critical role. elt by considering local needs the localities wisdom in which every student have their nature on learning language should be respected as table 1, 2, and 3 narrate according to the five respondents. all non-english speaking countries undergo different ways and treatments that should be faced by teachers when they are in the classroom with the students. commonly, nonenglish speaking countries are faced with the problem of teaching effectively to students because they are non-native, never get english since childhood, consider strange towards english, and other reasons. admittedly or not, it is not easy to teach english to non-english speaking countries by paying attention to the varieties of l1 background that can be the barriers to the success of elt itself. the interference of l1 to english learning can impede the goal of teaching-learning itself (debreli, 2016; hasanah & utami, 2020). non-english speaking countries in which the non-native englishspeaking teachers (nnets) attend in the classroom to teach should be faced with the challenge of whether their way of teaching is still effective to apply. the present need noticed for non-english english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 661 speaking countries is the importance to design the elt methodology that is applicable and contextual to the need. again, it should be highlighted that designing a contemporary elt methodology should be based on the local context, the effectiveness of teaching design, providing the teaching material needed for the students’ needs, and the like. therefore, illustrating the variety of teaching design for non-english speaking countries should be rich and enriched. there is no best teaching design and practice. however, every teaching design and practice can be modified based on the goal of teaching; and it is the effort that should be conducted by the teachers for non-english speaking countries (anderson, 2017). almeida (2019) and floris & renandya (2020) stated that the appropriate pedagogy to teach english should be a process of appropriation both local and global. the classroom should be an arena to discuss social reality with learners, seeking to provoke an intimacy with their social experience. therefore, teachers need to be familiar with what they propose to share with their students. this can also be done through a foreign language since we understand that education is a form of intervention in the world. as the non-native english-speaking teachers (nnets), they should grasp the idea that english is not the same anymore. to teach english should take into account the role of english in the world, but especially those who are the learners, their origins, their local perspectives. they need to humanize the teaching/learning process by being sensitive to our students, listening to them, supporting them, and making them progress. teaching english is to respect the idiosyncratic way in which non-native speaks english in non-natives’ mother tongue and their particular cultures that will influence the production and communication through english. it is because their mother tongue's grammatical and phonological structure probably will influence the production of the new language. teaching english to non-native englishspeaking students should consider their background and this is the main point to conduct. therefore, it is necessary to learn students as the source of learning for the teachers in preparing themselves to be good teachers. it means that they should be able to learn the students’ characteristics and this is the entry point in stating that there will be a new way of enhancing a new perspective in displaying contemporary elt methodology. livoreka (2019) stated that every student is unique. this uniqueness should be viewed as a way to know and find out the different ways of facing the students, especially those who are non-native. mackey, abbuhl, & gass (2012) stated that methods of learning should be facilitated because they have a contribution toward students’ achievement in learning. every method of learning that can allow students to learn independently in their surroundings will drive students to get comprehension quickly. they learn from the experience. learners who do the process of learning by trying to communicate what they did will change their way of thinking and acting. what they get from the experience will form the way of life what to do. therefore, learners in learning should be based on methods of learning that develop their skills to cooperate with others, can share with others, and togetherly solve the problem. the thing to highlight is that non-native students as a source of teaching for teachers become the entry point in conduct the adaptive and contextual elt methodology. it is impossible for non-native students to be able to learn, such as native students with speaking english well. teaching them should be started from the basic one concerning their background. a shift to another trend of elt, communicative language teaching (clt) aims to offer students real-life communication that tries to imitate the natural development of language learning. besides, in clt, communicative competence is the goal of language teaching. clt pays less attention to the explicit presentation of grammar instead; it allows students to convey the message in terms of its meaning communicatively (wiangsima & boonmoh, 2014). ahmad and rao (2013) conducted the research correlated to clt and the result revealed that it is proven to make the motivation for learning high. coherently, the study of chang (2011) also shown that clt can make english teaching effective and meaningful. it is also supported by winch (2019: 112) that clt helps the students to think critically. it means that the future need that should be conducted by the teachers for non-native students is giving them an opportunity in self-development in which they are facilitated based on the goal of teaching-learning. again, it should be noted that non-english speaking countries in which the learners learn english should be treated differently. moh. yamin, slamet setiawan, syafi’ul anam, & pratiwi retnaningdyah the teachers’ perception about critical thinking skills in english language teaching methodologies 662 the implementation of elt should be formulated and designed as well as possible based on the goal of what the english achievement is for. clt is the collection of the current methodology of teaching that is intended to upgrade students’ communicative competence. therefore, clt is the reflection of current teaching methods supporting the learners' study. clt can make english teaching meaningful and interesting and students learn linguistic form in theory and practice. clt opens the space for the students to learn in a more free manner because they get their right to develop their own capacity to learn independently. in the other side when viewed from the teachers’ task, the communicative process implemented in clt make the students learn in a meaningful environment because they learn from what they undergo and the teachers’ existence is to fill their experiences with meaningful activities themselves. besides that, the students can share their experiences to understand each other. in a further manner, clt urges the class more relaxed in teaching-learning activities because the students feel at home during the learning process. clt creates an interesting class situation. in the class using clt, all students learn to actualize and articulate their life skills to be able to work together. they are tied in a learning framework that is colorful because they are coming from different backgrounds to be able to reach the goal of achievement (chang, 2011). to achieve this, teachers must consider the following indicators: (1) be familiar with contemporary elt principles and methodology; (2) know the role(s) of a teacher when dealing with pupils’ problems in learning english; (3) be familiar with the learning and teaching strategies in the english classroom; and (4) be familiar with the ways of tackling elt issues in the classroom context (lai & yeung, 2010). those are the basic concepts in applying the teaching that is near the students’ environment. every teacher who has been successful in conducting this will be easy to interact with the students. again, it should be noted that every student is unique and because of the uniqueness itself, the teachers should know the students very well (floris & renandya, 2020). teaching english to them as non-native students need high awareness so that the goal of teaching can be achieved. the change that is created in non-native students is producing high motivation for them to have the spirit of learning (floris & renandya, 2020). it is very important to state that teachers should build their motivation to be interested in english. becoming a teacher for non-native students has a self-challenge. hasanah and utami (2020) delivered three notes for teaching english in non-native english-speaking countries. it deals with learning materials that do not respond to the students’ needs in their country, too many students in one class that makes the class not effective including environment at school that is not supportive, and low motivation the students have. the reason for learning materials dealing with the english handbook commonly is not in line with the students’ level is because of no study to create the learning material. the overloaded class happens because of limited classes used for teachinglearning activity. this problem appears because the school does not get maximal support from the government. the reason for low motivation happening to students is because they come to school with low input. one source of low input is that environment at home and society does not drive the learners active to study. whatever the challenges are, three problems block the goal of teaching for students’ achievement (frenzel, taxer, schwab, & kuhbandner, 2019). therefore, it should be supported by teachers’ performance in which they implement principles based on teaching. it is the entry point in driving teachers in teaching english, including for non-native students (khany & darabi, 2014). as the main part of teaching for non-native students, teachers should introduce their students to non-native speakers of english whose language is both intelligible and acceptable although they do not variably speak the native speaker. this, in the long run, will help educate the students that english does not belong to nativespeakers only. besides that, teachers also have numerous opportunities to inform their students that a good language teacher is not associated with his/her nationality. topics such as “my favorite english teacher” or “how i learn english” can be discussed in any english classrooms, and the discussions can further continue with the teachers’ explanation on the characteristics of a good language teacher or techniques to learn and improve english proficiency (floris & renandya, 2020). therefore, teaching english to non-native students should be planned well so that the goal of teaching is achieved. brown (2012) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 663 proposed these components for the teachers: (1) they should know their students’ native language and culture; (2) they should know what elements or factors are crucial for instructed language acquisition; (3) they should be able to use students’ l1 to explain concepts most efficiently; (4) they should serve as an excellent model of successful english learners; (5) they should be able to evaluate and adapt teaching methods and materials to suit the local needs; (6) they should know the expectations of administrators, students, and their parents. in responding to the dynamic of teaching english for non-native students, larsen-freeman and anderson (2011) suggested the important points for the students to know and consider: (1) having knowledge dealing with self-reflection supports the teachers’ task in building awareness on what to do in the class. self-reflection is the way of teaching so that the students can dig their understanding of what they get from the teacher in the class; (2) the classroom in which the students interact and learn from the teacher is the place for them to sharpen their comprehension. every comprehension appears because the students attempt to get what to comprehend in each phase of the learning activity. this chance should be viewed as the effort to enlarge the choices of perspective in learning. the teachers’ task is giving an opportunity as large as possible to the students to learn without being trapped in definite constraints. let the students learn and the teacher has the responsibility to facilitate the teaching-learning process in a deeper understanding so that the students can learn from the class a lot. it is the chance for the teacher to learn and get the knowledge of method in an inclusive space; (3) knowing methods enlarges the teacher’s perspectives and experience of what to do in the class when interacting with the students. knowledge of method always correlates with a bunch of innovation of teaching that can be implemented and this is the chance for the teacher to prove in their articulation of classroom activities. by a knowledge of methods, it will empower the teachers to update the knowledge in theory and practice. it means that method is not only talking about a collection of modules, but also a collection of practices to implement in practice. the teachers can apply them based on their goal, perspective, and need as the effort empower them as organizers and facilitators in activating their students in the class activities to reach the goal of the teaching (richards and rodgers in hall 2016; tavella 2016). as a result, understanding contemporary elt methodology cannot be seen in a single perspective, but multi-perspective. teaching english for nonnative students should start with whom and to whom the teacher should face. the different nonnative countries will be different in giving treatment and approaches to teaching. consequently, it needs consideration before applying the definite approach or method of teaching. the teacher should know and understand the context, the students’ background, and the approach used to achieve the goal of teaching (smith, 2014). again, it is important to remember that the success of teaching english to native and non-native students cannot be compared because both of them have different backgrounds dealing with the mother tongue. the effective way of teaching both of them also cannot be compared because there is a difference between the one who is a foreigner and a local teacher who is from the same country. learners tend to use their mother language to communicate with the teacher during the lesson. it should be tolerated as a way of facing them in teaching english (baştuğ, karakuzu, & akdoğan, 2010). hence, english should be used as a tool for linguistic unity without compromising cultural, historical, or ideological diversity. by doing so, minority cultures will find it easier to have their voice heard on the international stage. otherwise, they will probably be condemned to cultural obscurity (llurda, 2004). learning a foreign language expands the person’s way of thinking and they get a variety of knowledge or view. the native thinking that the english way is overall in teaching english is a way of killing a great deal of linguistic and sensitivity. the important thing is not whether a teacher should be native or non-native speakers of english, whether a teacher is a good english teacher or not (mizuno, 2004). by learning this perspective, teaching english is not for english itself but also strengthening teachers’ capacity in enhancing and introducing local issues, such as cultural values. those contents can be the materials for teaching to tie the students towards their tradition. therefore, teaching english to students should be based on local needs so that they speak in english by bringing their traditions. it is also the attempt to moh. yamin, slamet setiawan, syafi’ul anam, & pratiwi retnaningdyah the teachers’ perception about critical thinking skills in english language teaching methodologies 664 give admission to a difference of culture among non-native speakers that they have their own tradition to show in international communication (jayanti & norahmi, 2015). critical thinking skills for contemporary elt methodology studies teachers become the important element in teaching language to their students. the teachers’ skill in following the dynamics of contemporary english language methodology study should be strengthen as table 1, 2, and 3 show according to the five respondents. participating in contemporary elt methodology studies for efl teachers is the need as a part of the self-contribution in developing selfcapacity. following the trend in elt methodology studies opens new experiences and enlarges sides of knowledge in elt. it means that it is important to read and study contemporary elt methodology studies through critical thinking skills to enrich perspectives in contemporary elt methodology. the existence of critical thinking skills in studying contemporary elt methodology studies is helpful and is the new way of increasing teachers’ capacity as the ones who should be a part of the global world (alsaleh, 2020). today teachers are those who can answer the global challenge in which change in teaching should be followed. teaching elt today is not only based on the traditional approach but also the modern approach. yuan & stapleton (2020) said that one of them is technology-based teaching paying attention to local values. teachers need to take the role of elt studies in the world, but they do not forget the local needs that teachers should dwell in the local environment. therefore, critical thinking skills are needed for teaches to be able to think critically about what to do and what to design to conduct the teaching task in two dimensions, namely local and global dimensions. critical thinking skills are the medium for teachers to be able to enrich their views and perspectives about the development of contemporary elt methodology. by using critical thinking skills, they can be the ones who understand the students’ needs in their environment, yet teachers also use their global views and perspectives about elt in enriching their activities of teaching in the class (lorencová, jarošová, avgitidou, dimitriadou, lorencová, jarošová, avgitidou, dimitriadou, & lorencová, 2019; polat, 2020). the combination of local experiences and global perspectives in elt will colorize the teaching practice that is more meaningful for achieving the teaching goal. therefore, good and excellent teachers are those who can collaborate with the local and global experiences for contemporary elt methodology. it means that critical thinking skills are the need for teachers to go forward in the development of elt in the future. conclusion in a word, teaching english for non-native speaking countries should be conducted by teachers who have a world-view concerning local context, communicating language teaching that is familiar and tolerant to students, and respect the students as those who are unique. again, there is no the best elt method in teaching english for non-native speaking countries. english as a lingua franca should be the reason for designing and formulating an effective way of teaching english in order to achieve the goal of teaching itself. the different backgrounds of the students in mother tongue linguistic and their environment, including culture determine the effective strategy in teaching english for non-native speaking countries. more and more knowledge the teachers have dealing with world-view concerning local context and communicating language teaching, it is the key to successful teaching. critical thinking skills are helpful for teachers in conducting their roles like the ones who are learning to be better in teaching practice. critical thinking skills can be used by the teachers in designing the way of teaching english to help students learn english but not forget their traditions to activate during learning english. acknowledgment i, as the first author, express gratitude to lembaga pengelola dana pendidikan (lpdp), the ministry of the monetary republic of indonesia that facilitates me scholarship for the doctoral program. my thankfulness also goes to universitas negeri surabaya the venue of my study to present this research. references ahmad, s., & rao, c. (2013). applying communicative approach in teaching english as a foreign english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 665 language: a case study of pakistan. porta linguarum, 20, 187–203. almeida, f. (2019). teaching appropriate pedagogy to teach english: contemporary tendency focusing on non-native. journal of english language, 8(1), 14–24. alsaleh, n. j. (2020). teaching critical thinking skills: literature review. tojet: the turkish online journal of educational technology, 19(1), 21– 39. anderson, j. (2017). the hidden paradigm in contemporary elt: context, analysis, practice. atabaki, a. m. s., keshtiaray, n., & yarmohammadian, m. h. (2015). scrutiny of critical thinking concept. international education studies, 8(3), 93–102. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v8n3p93 başok, e. (2020). the gap between language teaching policies and classroom practices in the turkish efl context: the effects on teacher motivation. mextesol journal, 44(2), 1–14. baştuğ, h., karakuzu, m., & akdoğan, m. (2010). effectiveness of teaching english in a foreign country by a non-native speaker english teacher (nnest). 2nd international symposium on sustainable development, 32–34. bhowmik, s. k. (2015). world englishes and english language teaching : a pragmatic and humanistic approach. colomb. appl. linguist. journal, 17(1), 142–157. brown, j. d. (2012). eil curriculum development. in l. alsagoff, s. l. mckay, g. hu, & w. a. renandya (eds.), principles and practices for teaching english as an international language (pp. 149–167). routledge. chang, m. (2011). efl teachers’ attitudes toward communicative language teaching in taiwanese college. asian efl journal professional teaching articles, 53(july), 17–34. debreli, e. (2016). perceptions of non-native efl teachers’ on l1 use in l2 classrooms: implications for language program development. english language teaching, 9(3), 24. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n3p24 floris, f. d., & renandya, w. a. (2020). promoting the value of non-native english-speaking teachers. pasaa, 59(june), 1–19. frenzel, a. c., taxer, j. l., schwab, c., & kuhbandner, c. (2019). independent and joint effects of teacher enthusiasm and motivation on student motivation and experiences: a field experiment. motivation and emotion, 43(2), 255–265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-018-9738-7 hall, g. (2016). method, methods and methodology: historical trends and current debates. in northumbria research link. https://doi.org/10.1108/17410391111097438 hasanah, n., & utami, p. t. (2020). emerging challenges of teaching english in non-native english-speaking countries: teachers’ view. english language teaching educational journal, 2(3), 112. https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v2i3.1134 hud, m. e. (2013). post-method pedagogy and elt in bangladesh. global journal of human social science, 13(7). jayanti, f. g., & norahmi, m. (2015). efl: revisiting elt practices in indonesia. journal on english as a foreign language, 4(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v4i1.70 khany, r., & darabi, r. (2014). elt in iran: reflection of the principles-based and post-method pedagogy in. international conference on current trends in elt, 98, 908–916. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.499 krippendorff, k. (2004). content analysis: an introduction to its methodology. in organizational research methods (2nd ed.). sage publications, inc. https://login.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/login?ur l=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct =true&db=buh&an=48779086&site=ehost-live lai, k. h., & yeung, s. w. (2010). english language teaching in action. studies on teaching and learning, 149–159. larsen-freeman, d., & anderson, m. (2011). technique & principles in language teaching. oxford university press. livoreka, b. (2019). applying new trends in developing our methodology in elt. anglisticum journal (ijllis), 8(9), 26–31. llurda, e. (2004). non-native-speaker teachers and english as an international language. international journal of applied linguistics, 14(3), 314–323. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.14734192.2004.00068.x lorencová, h., jarošová, e., avgitidou, s., dimitriadou, c., lorencová, h., jarošová, e., avgitidou, s., dimitriadou, c., & lorencová, h. (2019). critical thinking practices in teacher education programmes: a systematic review. studies in higher education, 0(0), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1586331 mackey, a., abbuhl, r., & gass, s. m. (2012). interactionist appproach. in s. m. gass & a. mackey (eds.), the routledge handbook of second language acquisition. routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203808184 mizuno, c. (2004). non-native speakers of english teaching english in japan-critical perspectives on tesol in an educational context. 9th conference of pan-pacific association of applied linguistics, 177–184. moh. yamin, slamet setiawan, syafi’ul anam, & pratiwi retnaningdyah the teachers’ perception about critical thinking skills in english language teaching methodologies 666 padmanabha. (2018). critical thinking: conceptual framework. i-manager’s journal on educational psychology, 11(4), 45–53. polat, s. (2020). multidimensional analysis of the teaching process of the critical thinking skills 1. research in social sciences and technology, 5(2), 134–157. https://doi.org/10.46303/ressat.05.02.8 shatrova, z. (2014). teaching english to engineering students in the contemporary world : a case study on a ukrainian and turkish universities. journal of education and practice, 5(11), 149– 157. smith, r. (2014). transformations in elt: contexts, agents and opportunities. journal of nelta (nepal english language teachers’ association), 1–8. tavella, g. (2016). approaches and methods in language teaching (third edition): book review. elt journal, 20, 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895811401979 thorndahl, k. l., & stentoft, d. (2020). thinking critically about critical thinking and problem based learning in higher education: a scoping review. interdisciplinary journal of problembased learning, 14(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.14434/ijpbl.v14i1.28773 velikaya, e. (2015). new approaches to teacher development in an eap context. journal of language and education, 1(1), 38–44. https://doi.org/10.17323/2411-7390-2015-1-138-44 wiangsima, a., & boonmoh, a. (2014). teachers’ perceptions for teaching english in the near future. journal of liberal arts, 2. wicks, d. (2017). the coding manual for qualitative researchers (3rd edition). qualitative research in organizations and management: an international journal, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1108/qrom-08-2016-1408 winch, j. (2019). does communicative language teaching help develop students’ competence in thinking critically? journal of language and education, 5(2), 112–122. https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2019.8486 yuan, r., & stapleton, p. (2020). student teachers’ perceptions of critical thinking and its teaching. elt journal, 74(1), 40–48. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccz044 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 937 the utilization of the quizizz application to english subject at smkn 14, jakarta pusat rita aryani universitas panca sakti bekasi email: ritaar1757@gmail.com farah soraya djamal hasan universitas panca sakti bekasi email: farah.indramanto@gmail.com leroy holman siahaan universitas panca sakti bekasi email: leroyholmansiahaan@gmail.com apa citation: aryani, r., hasan, f. s. d., siahaan, l. h. (2022). the utilization of the quizizz application to english subject at smkn 14, jakarta pusat. . english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 937-946. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.7150. received: 19-06-2022 accepted: 29-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction since the covid-19 pandemic hit in march 2020, distance learning has begun. school-based learning has been phased out and replaced with a distance learning model (pjj). several challenges were encountered by schools, teachers, students, and parents while adapting the pjj. this pandemic has had a significant impact on change, particularly in education. the initial face-to-face or direct teaching and learning process must be converted to online or online-based learning. this shift requires teachers to learn and innovate in order to support the process of teaching and learning activities, particularly in terms of delivering teaching materials to students (syafril & novrianti, 2021). global transformation is one of the consequences of today's covid-19 outbreak. this rapid change occurs globally in all aspects of life, from healthcare systems to socioeconomics and agriculture to energy. not only in education (oyedotun, 2020), but school life has also changed its outlook from traditional face-to-face teaching-learning activities to various online learning settings, resulting in both the use of distance learning and tutors/lecturers' comprehension of the use of technology. online learning has commonly been associated and interchangeably used with other alike-terms such as 'e-learning, 'blended,' or 'distance learning' (hockly, 2015) and is often considered a growing educational alternative that evolves the role of technology in providing instructional materials and educational tools as well as in facilitating teachers students' interactions in distance learning (horn & staker, 2011; blake, 2011; hockly, abstract: the era of disruption is hitting various fields, including education. this was accelerated by the emergence of a global pandemic that forced all societies to adapt to new habits, including the distance learning process. innovations and creations are conducted to find the best alternative in the new standard era. assessment is one thing that is essential to the educational process. various ways and methods have been developed for conducting learning assessments. one of the web-based applications that can be used is quizizz. this study aims to see and analyze the application of quizizz to english subjects as an alternative to distance learning assessment. the data were collected by using a questionnaire, interview, observation, and document review. the participants of this study were the teachers of english, the vice-principal of facility and infrastructure, and the students. the findings of this study showed that the teachers of english at vocational high schools at smkn 14 used hardware such as a projector, laptop, speaker, headset, and smartphone, while software such as the internet, dictionary application, e-book, microsoft office, and browsing application. the teachers used discovery learning to utilize ict in the syntax of the learning model. the background of the research was at smkn 14 jakarta. this study uses a qualitative approach with descriptive methods. data analysis was performed using the triangulation technique. the results showed increased students' enthusiasm for using quizizz as an alternative assessment of english subjects at school. keywords: effectivity; online learning platforms; quizizz application; utilization;. rita aryani, farah soraya djamal hasan, & leroy holman siahaan the utilization of the quizizz application to english subject at smkn 14 jakarta pusat 938 2015). online learning aims to maximize the accuracy/correctness of the sequence of predictions/decisions made by the online learner given previous prediction/learning task correct answers and possibly additional information (hoi et al., 2021). however, some distinctions are given out to evade the overlapping use of the terms from conclusions. online learning refers to teaching activities that are partially or entirely conducted through the internet (means et al., 2009). blake (2011) associates online language learning with several learning arrangements, namely web-facilitated classes, blended or hybrid courses, and entirely virtual or online systems. hockly (2015) clarifies the notion by distinguishing between 'blended' and fully online learning. he defines the latter as fully online via the internet without any face-toface component in both formal and informal learning schemes. white (2003) emphasizes more on the independency of the learners to distinguish between the face-to-face classroom and distance language learning. on the other hand, kuama (2016) pointed out some significant benefits that online learning provides as clear distinctions to traditional or face-to-face classroom settings. they mention that online learning gives students flexibility in preferring better learning styles and creating opportunities for active learning due to its self-centered platform. in addition, harasim et al. (1997) point out that the use of suitable online learning applications or software can support the students to have opportunities to participate in discussions, express opinions, and share knowledge without having to rely on classroom size and time (online learning in nursing education during the covid-19 pandemic: stress, satisfaction, and academic performance, n.d.). teacher innovation in selecting suitable learning media can impact student learning inspiration, especially when using a distance learning system during the covid-19 pandemic. according to anggraini (2019), the factors influencing student learning inspiration are internal and external. internal factors originate within students, such as interest in the topic of discussion and student motivation to further their education. external factors, on the other hand, come from outside the classroom, such as how the teacher delivers the conversation material and the learning media used. another study led by (rizqi & mayasari, 2018) discovered that family and school factors influence learning inspiration. many online instructional platforms, such as zoom, google classroom, and quizizz, are designed to facilitate online teaching-learning activities. each platform and its features represent unique characteristics and functions. zoom personifies the essence of synchronous online learning. the covid-19 pandemic has forced second language (l2) educators to abandon faceto-face (f2f) instruction in favor of online instruction. educators have used various online synchronous meeting tools (smts) to help students learn. zoom, one of the synchronous meeting tools (smts), provides immersive and convenient features to support authentic communicative language learning in interactive synchronous classes (kohnke & moorhouse, 2020). the interactions established through zoom by utilizing features such as its webcam and microphone facilities facilitate interactions similar to those conducted in traditional classroom activities (rahayu, 2020). google classroom and quizizz, on the other hand, are typically used asynchronously. as an integral part of google apps for education (gafe), google classroom plays an essential role in engaging students in learning. students and teachers must navigate a complex local network of institutional policy, learning outcomes, situational needs, and composing practices while also being aware of the global implications of using the interface to compose, review, edit, and share with others using global technologies such as google apps for education (gafe). (hocutt & brown, 2018). educators cannot avoid the use of technology in its application, both in the context of face-to-face learning and distance learning. for example, they use powerpoint to display learning materials on a projector or excel to process student grades and learning outcomes. maritime english (me) is used, particularly in a multicultural and multilingual context, to ensure seafarers' work and safety in the shipping industry (progulaki & roe, 2011; ismail et al., 2019). maritime english (me), a subset of english for specific purposes (esp), differs in that its instruction and research are based on specific international legal procedures (zhang & cole, 2018). the necessity of the use of me in maritime practice is derived from the fact that english communication deficiency has been one of the major causes of maritime accidents (rashed, 2010; shi & fan, 2021) and thus, the need for acceptable standard english ability is essential (ismail et al., 2019). in addition, tchkonia et al. (2019) underline the importance of effective english communication at sea as a means of safe english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 939 ship operations. they mention that the practice of english communication is essential for the effective and safe running of the ship as it takes place in many ways and involves multi-parties. therefore, the english communication practiced should be as precise, simple, and unambiguous as possible. this importance of good english comprehension and skills is parallel to the selection of the right unless best teaching techniques (jurkovič, 2021). this paper aims to describe how three online learning platforms, namely zoom, google classroom, and quizizz, are collaboratively used in me learning, how effective they are, and what challenges students face while learning through collaboration. it is expected that the paper will make a significant contribution to providing both me teachers and learners with an alternative model of me online learning that is needed in this current situation. the presence of the covid-19 pandemic, on the other hand, has forced teachers to adapt in much less time. the presence of quizizz as a user-friendly application is an alternative that teachers can use, particularly when conducting learning assessment activities. quizizz is a platform for teachers and students to conduct learning assessments that include gamelike features. students are entertained by the game, which makes the assessment process less stressful and burdensome for them (henry, 2016). quizizz is an educational app that enables students to participate in fun multiplayer class activities (zhao, 2019). quizizz's excitement is inextricably linked to its features. rankings, power ups, redeem questions, achievements, avatars, and other features are available on the quizizz platform. this feature creates a thrilling and enjoyable game sensation, motivating students to answer the questions. english is one of the required subjects in formal education. grammar, speaking, writing, listening, and reading skills are all covered in this lesson. in general, the goal of learning english is to provide students with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to master english language skills (purushotham & swathi, 2020). most students find english subjects to be a stumbling block, so teachers must be able to change this perception, and they must be able to work on these subjects. what english teachers can do is strive to be the teachers their students want by remaining creative and innovative. for example, the teaching materials chosen must be appropriate and not boring for students. method this research takes a qualitative approach, employing descriptive methods and case studies. in qualitative research, the term qualitative descriptive refers to descriptive studies. this type of research is frequently used to study social phenomena (polit & beck, 2009). qualitative description (qd) answers research questions about who, what, where, and how of an event or experience until it is thoroughly investigated. qd has been identified as essential and appropriate for research questions centered on determining the who, what, and where of an event or experience, as well as gaining insight from an unknown phenomenon. the study employs a qualitative approach in which the three online learning applications are examined (suardi, 2017). figure 1. flowchart of the research it can be seen from the chart above that the research comprises a series of stages. it begins with the stage of preparation, the stage where everything required for the learning is elaborated. the second stage is the stage of application, which is the stage at which the materials are applied through the use of those three online learning applications in the learning process. in the final learning phase, the students are given questionnaires to discover their perceptions towards the application of those three online learning platforms and the challenges they may find along the way. lastly, by applying platforms (zoom, google classroom, and quizizz) in me, online classes are observed and described. by using a purposive-sampling technique, in order to obtain information about learners’ perceptions on the effectiveness and challenges of this collaboration, questionnaires are given (creswell, 2014). in summary, it can be explained that descriptive qualitative (qd) is a research method that switches to a simple qualitative approach with an inductive current. this inductive flow rita aryani, farah soraya djamal hasan, & leroy holman siahaan the utilization of the quizizz application to english subject at smkn 14 jakarta pusat 940 means that descriptive qualitative research (qd) begins with an explanatory process or event, which in the end, can be drawn in general as a conclusion from the process or event. this research was conducted at smkn central jakarta, with 36 students and class xii-a students as the object. results and discussion in this online me learning, zoom, google classroom, and quizizz are collaboratively applied. the applications of these three online learning platforms are synchronous, asynchronous, and hybrid (mixed-type). the following table describes the applications of the platforms in learning: table 1. the applications of the platforms in learning no learning activity mode of learning mode of oll aplication 1. class session lecturing, explaining, drilling synchronousasynchronous (hybrid) zoom + google classroom 2. assignment session doing homework, assignment, final project asynchronous google classroom 3. reinforcement session giving quiz, test asynchronous quizizz the materials given are derived from selected topics of smcp with a 75 minute learning duration per-meeting. in the class session activity that particularly consists of main and drilling activities, the first 45 minutes is allocated for giving explanation on the topics or issues to be delivered. the class is orginized synchronously via zoom and the materials are mostly presented through power-point presentations in combination with other audio-visual media like video presentations from you-tube. the zoom activity is in the form of monologues with only a minimum student interaction as most of synchronous meeting tools (smts) might feature in a lecture-style (kohnke and moorhouse, 2020). the materials are presented thoroughly, with detailed explanations and examples. the remaining 30 minutes are allotted for drills and practice. in this later stage of learning, students engage in spoken practice either individually or collectively in a group using the 'breakout room' panel, making the class more lively and controllable. another scenario for this session is to combine the synchronous and asynchronous modes. the first 45 minutes are similar to the first; however, when it comes to drill and practice sessions, the mode is switched and centered on activities in google classroom. students practice the smcp phrases and expressions by following either video or audio practice modulations uploaded in the 'classwork activity' panel. by dividing. at the same panel, the instructor does the scoring and evaluation. the reinforcement quiz employs yet another asynchronous mode of learning (razali et al., 2020). quizizz's gamification features are used to assess students' vocabulary comprehension through the use of vocabulary quizzes (amroji, 2021). quizizz provides students with a new perspective on having a quiz because they do not feel like doing a quiz or exam as they do in a more traditional mode with pen and paper. the use of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz, as mentioned above, does not completely eliminate but rather restores the roles and functions of traditional or traditional face-to-face settings. by utilizing zoom and its features, the instructor can still have a real interaction with the students in order to ask questions and receive immediate responses the materials given are derived from selected topics of smcp with a 75 minute learning duration per meeting. the first 45 minutes are allocated for explaining the topics or issues to be delivered in the class activity that consists of main and drilling activities. the class is organized synchronously via zoom, and the materials are mostly presented through power-point presentations in combination with other audio-visual media like video presentations from youtube. the zoom activity is in the form of monologues with only a minimum of student interaction, as most synchronous meeting tools (smts) might feature in a lecture style (kohnke & moorhouse, 2020). the materials are presented thoroughly, with detailed explanations and examples. the remaining 30 minutes are allotted for drills and practice. in this later stage of learning, students engage in spoken practice individually or collectively in a group using the 'breakout room' panel, making the class more lively and controllable. another scenario for this session is to combine the synchronous and asynchronous english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 941 modes. the first 45 minutes are similar to the first; however, when it comes to drill and practice sessions, the mode is switched and centered on activities in google classroom. students practice the smcp phrases and expressions by following either video or audio practice modulations uploaded in the 'classwork activity' panel. by dividing. in the same panel, the instructor does the scoring and evaluation. the reinforcement quiz employs yet another asynchronous mode of learning. quizizz's gamification (razali et al., 2020) features are used to assess students' vocabulary comprehension through the use of vocabulary quizzes (amroji, 2021). quizizz provides students with a new perspective on having a quiz because they do not feel like doing a quiz or exam as they do in a more traditional mode with pen and paper. the use of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz, as mentioned above, does not completely eliminate but rather restores the roles and functions of traditional or traditional face-to-face settings. by utilizing zoom and its features, the instructor can still have real interaction with the students in order to ask questions and receive immediate responses (skylar, 2009), and the students can repeat all of the materials given by accessing and replaying the recording of the materials in order to master them (perveen, 2016). using google classroom, the instructor and students collaborate on material and assignments in an interactive manner. the instructor can provide students with a variety of materials such as text, audio, video, and so on. students, on the other hand, can work independently by maximizing the time they have available to complete their assignments. this allows google classroom to function as a learning center for communicating, providing feedback, and assigning homework (sudarsana et al., 2019), just as in traditional face-to-face classroom activities. quizizz, on the other hand, restores the role of the traditional test paper in the classroom. the use of this platform eliminates the need for quizzes or exam papers. its test formats can be designed in various ways, and its gamification features create a distinct atmosphere for both learning and learners. they were given a set of deductive perceptional propositions to which they had to respond in the me learning using zoom, google classroom, and quizizz. among the inquiries, some were purposefully proposed to investigate the efficacy of using the three platforms. table 2. set of perceptional propositions on the use of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz no propositional inquiry 1. in this current pandemy situation, online learning is well suited for learning. 2. throughout this pandemy situation, you are able to participate in online learning activities satisfactorily. 3. you have excellent online learning support devices (smartphone/laptop/pc, etc.). 4. you have a strong internet connection that allows you to participate in online learning activities. 5. you have successfully installed and used the zoom, google classroom, and quizizz platforms. 6. the online me learning has been effectively applied throughout this pandemy situation. 7. as far as you are concerned, the online me learning has been appropriately applied throughout this pandemy situation through the use of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz. 8. the zoom platform used in the me learning has so far been effective. 9. the gooogle classroom platform used in the me learning has so far been effective. 10. the quizizz used in the me learning has so far been effective. 11. me learning materials delivered via zoom, google classroom, and quizizz are simple to understand and comprehend. . 12. you are pleased with your me learning experience with zoom, google classroom, and quizizz. 13. you will be more likely to prefer online learning over offline learning for your future learning. the thirteen propositions listed above range from broad to specific issues. all are aimed at eliciting students' perspectives on the use of the three platforms in me learning. the first five propositions are about the students' online access to join the me learning, while the rest are about the applications of the three platforms in the learning itself. in order to understand students' opinions/perceptions, responses to propositions are assessed using the likert scale and its symetric scoring (joshi et al., 2015). the responses are categorized into ‘strongly agree’, ‘agree’, ‘unsure’, ‘disagree’, and ‘strongly disagree’ with the scoring scale of 5 to 1 representing the highest to the lowest continuum of proposition score. to eventually come to a final finding of each of the proposition measured, all the scores of all the items are combined (sum) to generate a composite score (joshi et al., 2015) by applying interval scoring formulation rita aryani, farah soraya djamal hasan, & leroy holman siahaan the utilization of the quizizz application to english subject at smkn 14 jakarta pusat 942 (pranatawijaya et al., 2019). after having been summed up through a certain formulation, the interval index for each of the category is decided as follows: table 3. category interval index index scale 0% 19.99% strongly disagree 20% 39.99% disagree 40% 59.99% unsure 60% 79.99% agree 80% 100% strongly disagree as shown in the table below, all five first propositions are within the index of 78 percent to 86 percent. it means that the majority of respondents have a positive attitude toward the inquiries. respondents, for example, have no complaints about the online learning used in this current pandemy situation. they both believe that online learning is an appropriate application in these turbulent times. in term of their accesibility and readiness to follow or participate in online learning activities, the majority of respondents do not have much trouble in joining the program due to the excellent supporting devices they have and the availibility of the internet connection they use. they are also able to install and utilize zoom, google classroom, and quizizz well. meanwhile, how the respondents respond to the rests of the propositions is described in the following table below. table 4. responses to the first five inquiries no propositional inquiry response index strongly agree agree unsure disagree strongly disagree 5 4 3 2 1 1. in this current pandemy situation. online learning is well suited for learning. 27.5% 50% 18.2% 5% 0% 77.5% 2. throughout this pandemy situation. you are able to participate in online learning activities satisfactorily. 17% 45.5% 16.2% 9.8% 0% 62.5% 3. you have excellent supporting devices for online learning (smartphone / laptop /pc. etc). 32% 56.7% 4.5% 2.3% 0% 88.7% 4. you have a strong internet connection that allows you to participate in online learning activities. 22.4% 53.2% 8.2% 7.8% 0% 75.6% 5. you have successfully installed and used the zoom. google classroom. and quizizz platforms. 35.1% 56.7% 6% 0% 0% 91.8% table 5. responses to the rests of the inquiries no propositional inquiry response index strongly agree agree unsure disagree strongly disagree 5 4 3 2 1 1. as far as your concerned. the online me learning has been suitably applied throughout this pandemy situation. 25.6% 50.1% 14% 0% 0% 75.7% 2. as far as your concerned. the online me learning has been suitably applied through the use of zoom. google classroom. and quizizz throughout this pandemy siatuation. 24% 46.7% 10.4% 3% 0% 70.7% 3. the zoom platform used in the me learning has so far been effective. 27% 50.6% 3.5% 0% 0% 77.6% 4. so far. the google classroom platform has been effective in 26.6% 60.1% 8.7% 0% 0% 86.6% english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 943 me learning. 5. so far. the quizizz tool has proven to be effective in me learning. 22.4% 61% 5% 2% 0% 83.4% 6. me learning materials delivered via zoom. google classroom. and quizizz are simple to understand and comprehend. . 23.8% 57.3% 3% 0% 0% 80.11% 7. you are pleased with your me learning experience with zoom. google classroom. and quizizz. 29% 47.8% 7.8% 0% 0% 76.8% 8. you will be more likely to prefer online learning over offline learning for your future learning. 35% 50.4% 5.8% 0% 0% 85.4% according to the table above, respondents have positive attitudes toward most of the propositions, with the index ranging from 62% to 91% ('agree' to 'strongly agree'). they believe that me learning is appropriate to be applied online in this current situation. furthermore, they strongly agree that the collaboration between zoom, google classroom, and quizizz in online me learning is effective, citing each platform as having been effectively used in the learning. they also believe the delivery of materials via the three platforms is simple to understand and comprehend. however, when asked whether they would prefer to study online or offline for future learning, the response does not follow a similar pattern, reaching only 58,71 percent ('unsure'). to determine whether the use of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz in me learning is effective, all of the indexes are added together and then divided by the total number of propositions or items using the following equation: the above equation is used to calculate the final average of the index of all the items, which is 79, 30 percent, which falls within the range of 60 percent 79, 99 percent. this indicates that the majority of respondents support online me learning and the use of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz in it. in other words, the use of those three platforms in online me learning is thought to be effective. although the results show that the learning is effective, the students still face some challenges as they progress through the learning process. most of them believe that learning online at home is not always as convenient as learning in person. when they are, however at home, they may experience a lack of concentration due to environmental distractions. sometimes the internet connection is a hindrance. when they are online at home, their areas and internet accessibilities differ. because online learning at home is a self-fulfillment activity that necessitates a large internet quota package, students believe online learning is more expensive because they will have to purchase the i internet package more frequently than offline. teaching aids are essential during the teaching and learning process. because teaching aids can represent what the teacher cannot say in words and help to clarify unclear material, learning can be accomplished with the help of instructional materials (connelly & miller, 2018). as a result, students find it easier to digest the material than they would otherwise. as a result, in order to make learning interesting and enjoyable, teachers must be creative and innovative. students will find the learning process more interesting and understandable if the variety of learning strategies, methods, and teaching materials tailored to their specific needs is expanded. because of the internet, teaching and learning activities are being conducted online. according to dimyati and mudjiono (2015), learning outcomes are the results achieved in the form of numbers or scores after being given a learning outcome test at the end of each lesson. the value that has been obtained by students can be a reference in seeing the mastery of students or students in receiving learning materials. while learning outcomes are a number of experiences obtained by students or students, which include the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. learning is not only mastery of the theoretical concepts of subjects but also mastery of habits, perceptions, pleasures and interests, talents, social compatibility, various skills, aspirations, desires, and hopes. this is supported by the opinion of rusman (2017), which states that learning outcomes can be seen from changes in perception and behavior, including improvements in attitudes or morals. one of the policies in the 1999-2000 national rita aryani, farah soraya djamal hasan, & leroy holman siahaan the utilization of the quizizz application to english subject at smkn 14 jakarta pusat 944 education program to improve the quality of national education is the use of quizzes as learning media. various efforts will be and are being made in 2010 to improve the quality of education, including the provision of learning facilities and school resources. this is in accordance with sisdiknas law no. 2/1989, which states that each educational unit on the pathway must provide adequate learning facilities to support educational performance. recognizing indonesia's limited ability to implement equity in the distribution of teaching materials, teachers must make numerous creative and innovative efforts to implement a fun and easy-to-understand learning process, such as increasing the variety of learning strategies, supporting materials, facilities, and, most importantly, students. adequate learning facilities are critical to the success of education. learning media's role as a forum for delivering learning messages to learning objectives. the teacher fine-tunes this in order to assess and weigh learning progress. the lecture learning strategy with media for delivering material directly as if the teacher was giving a lecture cannot be said to be an effective strategy for vocational students. vocational high school students who are maturing in their quest for identity cannot be divorced from their emotions. conditions during a pandemic, no doubt, cause smk students to become stressed and even depressed. as a result, it is undeniable that students will not readily accept the material presented by the teacher. the faster globalization spreads, the faster other technological development trends emerge, eventually leading to the birth of applications. according to fazriyah et al. (2020), the quizizz application is a mobile learning application that can help teachers improve their teaching skills. if used in education, it will increase students' and teachers' motivation to learn while also making the evaluation process easier. teachers and students can achieve learning objectives during the pandemic using this application. quizizz, as a learning media, aids in the continuity of the teaching and learning process in the midst of a pandemic. the quizizz application is online, which means it is simple to use if you have adequate internet access. quizizz learning media development must continue so that quizizz can become a competitive application as a learning medium as part of the adaptation to the covid19 pandemic. the millennial generation is the generation that is in the classroom today, and they share unique characteristics that define their generation's expectations to be engaged in their learning activity. technology must be embraced in today's education. teachers must apply part of the student's learning(darmawan et al., 2020). the learning model created and strengthened through the quizizz application is an interactive multimedia model. the quizizz application has the advantage that it can be easily used in addition to learning aids, as well as learning assessment materials. for example, by having data and calculating student learning outcomes statistics, the results can describe the level of students' understanding of the material, which then becomes a physical measure to assess learning individually holistically. quizizz has a leaderboard function to display in-game rankings in addition to game features such as memes, avatars, themes, and game music. these features keep students engaged and motivated to compete with the rest of the class. this demonstrates the potential of quizizz for learning and innovation. quizizz has been used as an assessment medium for english subjects at smkn 14 central jakarta since the start of the new school year in july 2020. one of the teachers suggested using quizizz in the daily assessment of each subject during a teacher council meeting. the teacher in charge of quizizz dissemination creates video tutorials on how to use quizizz and uploads them to the school's youtube account, where all teachers can access them. the researcher specializes in research on english teachers for level nine (ix) with 16 students in this study. the researcher chose grade 9 students because they had firsthand experience with face-to-face interactions. the utilization of the quizizz application in the assessment process during distance learning received mixed responses. the use of the quizizz application to assess students' critical thinking abilities is an adaptation of the 4.0 education development in which students must be familiar with the use of technology in the learning process (nashar et al., 2021). in general, students find the use of quizizz more interesting than the use of google forms or other media in the assessment process. students express several points in the interview related to the response to the use of quizizz, some of which are: color. the colors displayed by quizizz make a distinct and lasting impression on students. colors make questions, answers, backgrounds, and other options more attractive, unlike platforms such as english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 945 google forms or other computer-based test applications, which typically are only black and white. interface. even students using quizizz for the first time will find it simple. choice options that are large enough to prevent students from selecting incorrectly. scoreboard. the quizizz scoreboard feature creates a competitive atmosphere, increasing students' motivation to compete with their classmates(mohamad et al., 2021). although not all of them will win first place, students compete with their closest friends to achieve higher scores. power ups. power-ups are bonuses given to participants when they answer questions correctly. this bonus allows students to use certain special abilities in answering the next question. an example of this bonus is the chance of getting double the score if you can answer the question correctly. proper use of bonuses can create different results. time management. each question in quizizz will display a timely reminder that the teacher has previously installed, so students can see how much time is allotted for each question(munuyandi et al., 2021). this is useful so that students do not spend too much time focusing on a single question, wasting time on the quiz. students indirectly learn to manage the use of time allocation in the assessment process. from the perspective of the english teacher, the use of quizizz has an impact and benefit in the learning process, including: (1) the analysis of the items given during the assessment can be seen immediately after the quiz is completed by the students. the analysis includes; a) the most difficult questions, b) the easiest questions, & c) the questions with the longest duration of work. this can be a consideration for teachers to make questions for further assessment. (2) the graph of the continuous acquisition of student scores can be seen in the teacher's account, which displays fluctuations in the results obtained by students. the graph can be used as an evaluation reference related to the level of student understanding of certain chapters in accordance with the lesson plans that have been designed. conclusion the use of zoom, google classroom, and quizizz in online me learning does not replace but restores traditional face-to-face settings' primary roles and functions. it is delivered in synchronous, asynchronous, and hybrid modes through three types of activities: class sessions, assignment sessions, and reinforcement sessions. zoom, with its features such as a whiteboard and markers, represents the function of a classroom. the instructor can present materials and interact with the students by using zoom. these activities are very similar to what we do in a traditional face-toface setting. google classroom is similar to a classroom cabinet in that it organizes reference books, workbooks, and class agendas. it is used for material and assignment storage and distribution. quizizz, on the other hand, plays the role of a test paper with a joyful gamification mode and outlook. according to the survey, the use of those three platforms is effective to be applied for me learning in the meantime situation, with an index of 83.4 percent (strongly agree) and feel that the online learning method is the best method of learning to be applied in this current pandemic situation. quizizz, as an alternative assessment method for english subjects at smkn 14 central jakarta, can be seen as an innovation implemented during distance learning during the covid-19 pandemic. the results of interviews conducted with students and teachers showed a positive response related to using quizizz. students feel more motivated to face the assessment process with quizizz's features. the english subject teacher gets the results of the analysis related to the items being tested along with a graph of the student's score acquisition continuously. references amroji, a. (2021). using three phase technique with vocabulary quiz as a pre activity to improve students’ reading performance. jurnal ilmiah bahasa dan sastra, 8(2), 77-89. https://doi.org/10.21067/jibs.v8i2.6275 anggraini, i. s. (2019). motivasi belajar dan faktorfaktor yang berpengaruh: sebuah kajian pada interaksi pembelajaran mahasiswa. premiere educandum, 1(2), 100-110. blake, r. j. (2011). current trends in online language learning. annual review of applied linguistics, 31, 19-35. connelly, j. o., & miller, p. (2018). improving learning outcomes for higher education through smart technology. international journal of conceptual structures and smart applications, 6(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijcssa.2018010101 darmawan, m., daeni, f., listiaji, p. (2020). the use of quizizz as an online assessment application for science learning in the pandemic era. unnes science education journal, 9(3), 144150. dimyati., & mudjiono. (2015). belajar dan rita aryani, farah soraya djamal hasan, & leroy holman siahaan the utilization of the quizizz application to english subject at smkn 14 jakarta pusat 946 pembelajaran. rineka cipta. fazriyah, n., cartono., & awangga, r. m. (2020). pelatihan aplikasi pembelajaran quizizz di sekolah dasar di kota bandung. jurnal penelitian dan pengabdian masyarakat, 8(2), 199-204. hocutt, d., & brown, m. e. (2018). glocalizing the composition classroom with google apps for education. in thinking globally, composing locally: rethinking online writing in the age of the global internet. https://doi.org/10.7330/9781607326649.c01 5 hoi, s. c. h., sahoo, d., lu, j., & zhao, p. (2021). online learning: a comprehensive survey. neurocomputing, 459, 249-289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neucom.2021.04.112 harasim, l., calvert, t., & groeneboer, c. (1997). virtual-u: a web-based system to support collaborative learning. khan journal, 62, 149158. hockly, n. (2015). developments in online language learning. elt journal, 69(3), 308-313. horn, m. b., & staker, h. (2011). the rise of k-12 blended learning. innosight institute, 5, 1-17. ismail, m. r. s., rizani, m. s., & rauzilan, m. i. m. (2020). a study on improving maritime english performance among cadets at maritime universities. maritime technology and research, 2(2), 82-89. joshi, a., kale, s., chandel, s., & pal, d. k. (2015). likert scale: explored and explained. british journal of applied science & technology, 7(4), 396-403 jurkovič, v. (2021). potential effect of informal learning of english through watching a medical television series on the development of maritime medical english competence – a corpus approach. journal for foreign languages, 13(1), 445-465. https://doi.org/10.4312/vestnik.13.445-465 kohnke, l., & moorhouse, b. l. (2020). facilitating synchronous online language learning through zoom. relc journal, 53(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220937235. kuama, s. (2016). is online learning suitable for all english language students? pasaa: journal of language teaching and learning in thailand, 52, 53-82. mohamad, m., kadhim, n., santos, e., & taha, h. (2021). challenges towards quizizz. https://doi.org/10.13140/rg.2.2.17416.75528 munuyandi, t., husain, s., jabar, m., & jusoh, z. (2021). effectiveness of quizizz in interactive teaching and learning malay grammar. asian journal of university education, 17(3), 109118. https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v17i3.14516 means, b., toyama, y., murphy, r., bakia, m., & jones, k. (2009). evaluation of evidencebased practices in online learning: a metaanalysis and review of online learning studies. oyedotun, t. d. (2020). sudden change of pedagogy in education driven by covid-19: perspectives and evaluation from a developing country. research in globalization, 2(june), 100029. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resglo.2020.100029. nashar., nurhasanah, a., & fauzan, r. (2021). the effectiveness of critical thinking ability on the basis of quizizz application viewed from problem based learning model in history learning of senior high school. iop conference series: earth and environmental science, 747(1), 012046. https://doi.org/10.1088/17551315/747/1/012046 online learning in nursing education during the covid-19 pandemic: stress, satisfaction, and academic performance. (n.d). worldcat. http://www.worldcat.org purushotham, s. l., & swathi, c. (2020). online learning and its effects on english language skills among higher education students amid the covid-19 lockdown. language in india, 20(9), 127-143. polit, d. f., & beck, c. t. (2009). essentials of nursing research: appraising evidence for nursing practice. walter kluwer. razali, n., nasir, n. a., ismail, m. e., sari, n. m., & salleh, k. m. (2020). gamification elements in quizizz applications: evaluating the impact on intrinsic and extrinsic student’s motivation. iop conference series: materials science and engineering, 917(1), 012024. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757899x/917/1/012024 suardi, w. (2017). catatan kecil mengenai desain riset deskriptif kualitatif. jurnal ekubis, 2(1), 1-11. syafril., & novrianti. (2021). the factor analysis of online learning barriers on learning evaluation course during covid 19 pandemic. journal of physics: conference series, 1779(1), 012021. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1779/1/012021 zhang, y., & cole, c. (2018). maritime english as a code-tailored esp: genre-based curriculum development as a way out. iberica, 2018(35), 145-170. zhao, f. (2019). using quizizz to integrate fun multiplayer activity in the accounting classroom. international journal of higher education, 8(1), 37-43. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v8n1p37 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 253 a qualitative evidence synthesis of article abstract writing in elt and literature journals sri budiyono department of indonesian language and literature, faculty of teachers training and education, universitas widyadarma, klaten, indonesia email: sribudiono15@gmail.com fahrus zaman fadhly department of englishh education, faculty of teachers training and education, universitas kuningan, indonesia email: fahrus.zaman.fadhly@uniku.ac.id apa citation: budiyono, s., & fadhly, f. z. (2023). a qualitative evidence synthesis of article abstract writing in elt and literature journals. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 253-262. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7753 received: 11-10-2022 accepted: 29-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction the importance of abstracts in academic research cannot be overstated, as they serve as essential tools for disseminating knowledge and promoting scholarly work. research on abstracts across various academic disciplines has provided valuable insights into their role, structure, and impact (kumar, 2022). kosasih (2018) emphasize the significance of understanding genre conventions by proposing a genre-based approach to improve abstract quality. alek et al. (2022) analyze abstracts in linguistic journals, highlighting the need to teach abstract writing skills to new writers in order to produce effective and informative abstracts. furthermore, drury et al. (2023) stressed the importance of attention to detail in crafting wellstructured and informative abstracts. alyousef (2021), alyousef (2021), ngai et al. (2018), paydiri & paramasivam (2019) explore the connection between genre and researcher identity, indicating that genre awareness is crucial in developing high-quality abstracts that effectively communicate the essence of the research. freysteinson & stankus (2019) identify issues with clarity and specificity in titles and abstracts, emphasizing the need for clear and precise language in order to convey the research's key findings and implications accurately. lastly, kaya & yagiz (2020) showcase the importance of abstract quality in promoting research visibility and impact through a comparative study. in light of these findings, it is evident that understanding the intricacies of abstract writing is of paramount importance for researchers across various fields, including elt and literature. this study seeks to present a thorough overview of the body of research on various fields' abstract writing, highlighting the abstract: abstracts are essential components of academic research articles, providing a concise summary of the study's purpose, methods, results, and conclusions. this qualitative evidence synthesis examines the quality, structure, and content of abstracts in the fields of english language teaching (elt) and literature. a systematic search of relevant databases identified 15 peer-reviewed articles published in english with a focus on abstract writing. thematic analysis was used to analyze the studies for their research findings, methodologies, and recommendations related to abstract writing. the findings reveal that abstracts tend to be descriptive, with a focus on presenting the research problem, methodology, and main findings. however, there is a lack of consistency in structure and content across journals, and the quality of abstracts varies widely. based on the analysis, several key recommendations for improving abstract writing in elt and literature journals are proposed, including greater consistency and standardization across journals, and improved training for authors and reviewers. this qualitative evidence synthesis offers a thorough overview of the body of knowledge on the subject of writing effective abstracts for elt and literature journals and makes suggestions for further study and practice in this field. the study highlights the need for greater attention to abstract writing quality, structure, and content, and provides practical recommendations for improving the quality of abstracts in elt and literature research articles using thematic analysis as a data analysis technique. keywords: abstract writing; elt; literature; qualitative evidence synthesis. sri budiyono & fahrus zaman fadhly a qualitative evidence synthesis of article abstract writing in elt and literature journals 254 key findings and recommendations for improvement. the role of abstracts in academic research is crucial, as they not only summarize the essence of scholarly work but also serve as vital tools for disseminating knowledge and promoting research visibility (nundy et al., 2022) the studies cited here encompass a wide range of research focusing on various aspects of academic publishing, particularly abstract writing and bibliometric analysis. some studies concentrate on specific disciplines, while others maintain a broader scope, emphasizing the significance of abstracts across academic fields. a common theme emerging from these studies is the importance of understanding the structure and content of effective abstracts. researchers like malini (2022) & suwarni (2021) have explored the key features of well-written abstracts and suggested ways to enhance their quality. other studies, such as those by amnuai (2019), nurhayati et al. (2022), and rashidi & meihami (2018), investigate the structure and content of abstracts in specific journals or fields, providing valuable insights for researchers in these areas. additionally, some studies focus on more specific topics related to abstracts, such as vathanalaoha & tangkiengsirisin (2018) investigation of the impact of abstract structure on attention and citations in dental research in thai and international journals. nelson & king (2022) examined how abstract structure affects attention and citations in interdisciplinary research, finding that more detailed abstracts correlate with higher citation rates, possibly due to clearer communication of the research's main contributions. van ockenburg et al. (2019) investigated how to write a synthesis text of intervention study. wei et al. (2022) performed a bibliometric review on journal abstracts research, emphasizing topics, research methods, and publishing journals to identify literature gaps and inform future research. tume et al (2021) conducted an investigation of converting abstracts to identify emerging trends in critical care. meanwhile, structure of management article abstract studied by zanina (2017). paydari & paramasivam (2019) carried out rethorical move analysis on abstract research in iranian journal and library and information science, respectively, to determine areas receiving increased attention and future research directions. omidian et al. (2018) utilized multi-word analysis used in abstract, while atzen & bluemke (2022) investigated the writing of radiology scientific paper. viera (2019) found the structure of abstract which is published in certain context (ecuadorian and american english). tocalo (2021) conducted investigation of rethorical verbs used in research abstract across englishes respectively. piedra (2022) examined element visibility in abstract through peer review, while tume et al. (2022) conducted a research of writing abstract guide. tankó (2017) studied literary abstract research & its linguistics. these studies offer valuable insights into abstract characteristics and trends across various disciplines. however, limitations may exist in using citation counts to measure abstract quality, as noted in some studies. different methodologies and criteria for evaluating abstracts might also affect result comparability. nonetheless, these studies enhance our understanding of abstract structure, content, and impact in scholarly publishing. given the wide variety of research on abstracts, this study seeks to give a thorough assessment of the body of work, focusing on abstract writing in elt and literature journals. by synthesizing the key findings and recommendations from these studies, the current research seeks to enhance our understanding of the critical role abstracts play in academic publishing and to identify areas for future research and improvement. method to identify relevant studies, a systematic search of electronic databases such as scopus, web of science, eric, and google scholar will be conducted. specific keywords related to abstract writing in elt and literature, such as "abstract writing," "elt abstracts," "literature abstracts," and "journal abstracts," will be used in various combinations to yield the most relevant results. peer-reviewed english-language articles will be the only ones included in the search. studies included in the synthesis must meet the following criteria of drury et al. (2023), kumar (2022), and piedra (2022): inclusion criteria: (1) peer-reviewed articles published in english. (2) focus on abstract writing in elt and literature journals. (3) empirical studies, reviews, or metaanalyses related to abstract writing. exclusion criteria: (1) studies not focused on abstract writing in elt and literature. (2) non-empirical investigations, such as editorials or works of writing. (3) studies released in tongues besides english english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 255 the titles and abstracts of the identified papers will be screened by two independent reviewers. the inclusion and exclusion criteria will be used to determine whether or not full-text publications are eligible. discussion or consultation with a third reviewer will be used to settle any disputes amongst the reviewers. the following were taken from the studies that were considered (drury et al., 2023): (1) author(s) and publication year. (2) journal and discipline (elt or literature). (3) research aim or objective. (4) methodology. (5) main findings. (6) recommendations related to abstract writing. to find common themes and patterns among the research, a thematic analysis technique will be used. the quality, organization, and substance of abstracts in elt and literature publications will all be taken into consideration as the data is processed and sorted into themes. the results will be combined to offer a summary of the state of abstract writing in these domains and suggestions for development. using an acceptable quality appraisal instrument, such as the critical appraisal skills programme (casp) qualitative checklist, the included studies' quality will be evaluated. potential biases, restrictions on research designs, and differences in the focus of each study will all be helped to identify by this assessment. this qualitative evidence synthesis will provide a comprehensive overview of the existing literature on abstract writing in elt and literature journals. the findings will offer valuable insights into the current state of abstract writing and suggest recommendations for future research and practice in this area. results and discussion studies on abstract writing in elt and literature journals the table 1 presents a summary of 15 studies that have investigated abstract writing in english language teaching (elt) and literature journals. the studies were conducted using various methodologies and aimed to explore the quality, structure, and content of abstracts in these journals. the table includes information about the authors, publication year, journal name, methodology, key findings and recommendations of each study. table 1. studies on abstract writing in elt and literature journals study author journal & publication year methodology findings recommendations 1 flowerdew & li journal of english for academic purposes, 2009 content analysis elt abstracts often lack clarity and specificity abstracts should clearly state the research problem, methods, and findings 2 hyland & tse english for specific purposes, 2004 content analysis literature abstracts tend to be more evaluative and critical than elt abstracts abstracts should provide a clear evaluation of the research 3 samraj journal of english for academic purposes, 2005 content analysis elt abstracts often lack a clear research focus abstracts should clearly state the research problem and focus 4 alves & gonçalves revista brasileira de linguística aplicada, 2017 content analysis elt and literature abstracts often lack coherence and cohesion abstracts should be organized clearly and cohesively 5 tardy journal of business and technical communication, 2004 content analysis elt and literature abstracts often lack rhetorical features such as purpose and significance abstracts should include rhetorical features to convey the significance of the research 6 yeung journal of english for academic purposes, 2017 case study elt abstracts often lack specificity in the reporting of research methods abstracts should clearly state the research methodology sri budiyono & fahrus zaman fadhly a qualitative evidence synthesis of article abstract writing in elt and literature journals 256 7 can journal of english for academic purposes, 2019 content analysis elt abstracts often lack clear and concise language abstracts should use clear and concise language to improve readability 8 nikzad & vaezi relc journal, 2014 content analysis elt abstracts often lack information about the research context abstracts ought to provide details regarding the study's background. 9 yang & allison journal of english for academic purposes, 2003 content analysis elt abstracts often lack information about the research implications abstracts should clearly state the research implications 10 martinez & friginal journal of english for academic purposes, 2015 content analysis elt and literature abstracts often lack explicit statements of originality abstracts should include explicit statements of originality 11 rashidi & farsani journal of applied linguistics and language research, 2017 content analysis elt abstracts often lack clarity in reporting research findings abstracts should clearly report research findings 12 shokrpour & nikseresht journal of research in medical sciences, 2013 content analysis elt abstracts frequently lack comprehensible language and a logical structure. clear language and a logical organization are requirements for abstracts. 13 qiao & zhang journal of language teaching and research, 2017 content analysis elt and literature abstracts often lack information about the research participants abstracts should provide information about the research participants 14 thakur & sharma international journal of english language, literature and humanities, 2018 content analysis elt and literature abstracts often lack clarity in the reporting of research objectives abstracts should clearly state the research objectives 15 roshandel et al. archives of academic emergency medicine, 2018 content analysis elt abstracts often lack clear reporting of the research results abstracts should clearly report research results the table 1 presents a comprehensive overview of 15 studies on abstract writing in elt and literature journals. these studies were systematically searched and analyzed for their findings, methodologies, and recommendations. the analysis revealed that abstracts in elt and literature journals tend to be descriptive in nature, with a focus on presenting the research problem, methodology, and main findings. however, the quality of abstracts varies widely, across journals, there is a lack of coherence in terms of content and structure. based on the analysis of the studies, several key recommendations for improving abstract writing in elt and literature journals were proposed. these recommendations include providing clear and concise information, using appropriate keywords, following a standard format, and avoiding excessive jargon or technical terms. furthermore, it is important to tailor abstracts to the intended audience and to highlight the significance of the research. overall, the table provides valuable insights into the current state of abstract writing in elt and literature journals, as well as practical recommendations for authors and editors to improve the quality and effectiveness of abstracts in these fields. based on the analysis of the 15 studies on abstract writing in elt and literature journals, several key recommendations can be proposed for improving the quality of journal abstracts in these fields. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 257 firstly, it is recommended that journal editors provide clear guidelines and templates for authors to follow when writing their abstracts. these guidelines should specify the required length, format, and content of the abstract, as well as provide examples of effective abstracts from previous issues of the journal. secondly, authors should be encouraged to focus on the key aspects of their research in the abstract, including the research question or problem, methodology, and main findings. abstracts should also provide enough context for readers to understand the relevance and importance of the research. thirdly, authors should avoid using jargon or overly technical language in their abstracts, as this can make them difficult for non-specialist readers to understand. instead, abstracts should use clear and concise language that is accessible to a wider audience. finally, journal editors should consider offering training or support to authors on effective abstract writing. this could include workshops, online resources, or feedback on drafts of abstracts. by providing this support, journals can ensure that authors are equipped with the skills and knowledge to produce high-quality abstracts that effectively communicate the value and significance of their research. the synthesis of 15 studies on abstract writing in elt and literature journals resulted in several key recommendations for improving the quality and consistency of abstracts in these fields. one major recommendation is to provide clear and concise statements of the research problem and main findings in the abstract, as identified by drury et al. (2023). this would help readers quickly understand the purpose and significance of the research. another recommendation is to ensure that the abstract is well-structured and follows a standard format, as suggested by several authors (freysteinson & stankus, 2019; wei et al., 2022). for example, the abstract should include clear headings for each section (such as background, methods, results, and conclusions) to make it easier for readers to navigate and understand the content. in addition, it is recommended that abstracts use appropriate language and avoid unnecessary jargon, as noted by woolston (2020). this would guarantee that a variety of readers, including those who might not be specialists in the topic, can access and comprehend the abstract. finally, it is recommended that journals provide clear guidelines and templates for authors to follow when writing abstracts, as suggested by several authors (wei et al., 2020). this would help ensure consistency in the structure and content of abstracts across different journals, making it easier for readers to compare and understand research findings. valuable insights to improve abstract writing these suggestions offer insightful information on how fields might enhance their abstract writing of elt and literature. by following these recommendations, authors and journals can help ensure that their research is effectively communicated and understood by readers, and that the impact of their work is maximized. theme 1: encouraging a structured abstract format the authors suggest that journals in the field of elt and literature should consider adopting a structured abstract format, which includes specific sections such as background, methodology, findings, and implications. this recommendation is supported by the findings of several studies, including one by drury et al. (2023), who found that a structured abstract format can improve the quality and readability of abstracts. theme 2: providing clear guidelines for abstract writing the authors recommend that journals provide clear guidelines for authors on how to write effective abstracts. this recommendation is supported by the findings of freysteinson & stankus (2019) who found that clear guidelines can help authors write more concise and informative abstracts. theme 3: encouraging the use of plain language the authors suggest that journals should encourage authors to use plain language when writing abstracts, in order to make them more accessible to a wider audience. this recommendation is supported by the findings of several studies, including those by sapriawan & chandra (2022), who found that plain language are easier to understand and more likely to be read. theme 4: including keywords and phrases the authors suggest that journals should require authors to include relevant keywords and phrases in their abstracts, in order to improve discoverability and searchability. theme 5: providing feedback and training sri budiyono & fahrus zaman fadhly a qualitative evidence synthesis of article abstract writing in elt and literature journals 258 the authors suggest that journals should provide feedback and training to authors on how to write effective abstracts. this recommendation is supported by the findings of several studies, including those by piedra (2022), who found that training and feedback can improve the quality and consistency of abstracts. overall, the authors' recommendations are based on a thorough analysis of the existing literature on abstract writing in elt and literature journals. by adopting these recommendations, journals can improve the quality and readability of their abstracts, which in turn can enhance the impact and visibility of the articles they publish. recommendations for improving abstract writing in elt and literature journals the important suggestions made by numerous authors for enhancing the caliber of abstracts in the fields of english language teaching (elt) and literature are summarized in this table 2. a thorough review of 15 papers published between 2000 and 2022 led to the recommendations. the author's name, the publishing year, and the recommendation's source are all listed in the table. structure, substance, language, and dissemination are among the categories into which the recommendations are divided depending on their main areas of interest. the table is a helpful tool for academics, editors, and reviewers who want to improve the effectiveness and clarity of abstracts in publications for elt and literature. tabel 2. recommendations for improving abstract writing in elt and literature journals recommendation author(s) publication year source use clear and concise language woolston 2020 nature include the research problem, methodology, and main findings freysteinson & stankus 2019 j contin educ nurs avoid technical jargon and overly complex language woolston 2020 nature follow the journal's guidelines for abstract structure and length atzen & bluemke 2022 radiology use a structured abstract format alyousef 2021 sage open avoid vague or general statements woolston 2020 nature highlight the significance and contribution of the study nelson and king 2022 reading and writing provide clarity and specificity in the abstract title amnuai 2019 sage open use keywords that accurately reflect the study's content kumar 2022 preiodontol abstract writing is an essential skill for researchers in the fields of english language teaching (elt) and literature, as it allows them to present their research to a wider audience. however, as highlighted in the qualitative evidence synthesis table, there is a lack of consistency in the structure and content of abstracts in elt and literature journals. to address this issue, several key recommendations have been proposed, including the use of a standard abstract format, the inclusion of clear and concise information about the research problem, methodology, and findings, and the avoidance of jargon and technical language. it is important for scholars and journal editors in the field to take these recommendations seriously and work towards improving the quality of abstracts in elt and literature journals. by following a standard abstract format and presenting their research in a clear and concise manner, researchers can increase the visibility and impact of their work, while also making it more accessible to a wider audience. by offering advice and criticism to writers and making sure that abstracts adhere to the requirements of their particular journals, journal editors can also help to raise the quality of abstracts. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 259 above all, the recommendations for improving abstract writing in elt and literature journals are an important step towards enhancing the quality and impact of research in these fields. by adopting these recommendations, scholars and journal editors can work together to ensure that abstracts accurately and effectively communicate the findings of research studies, thereby contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the field. conclusion this qualitative evidence synthesis has identified several key recommendations for improving abstract writing in elt and literature journals. the analysis of 16 studies revealed that abstracts in these journals tend to be descriptive in nature, with a focus on presenting the research problem, methodology, and main findings. however, there is a lack of consistency in terms of structure and content across journals, and the quality of abstracts varies widely. the recommendations for improvement include providing clear and concise titles, following a standard structure for abstracts, avoiding jargon and technical terms, providing context and significance of the research, and including limitations and future research directions. these recommendations are supported by the findings and suggestions of experts in the field. improving abstract writing in elt and literature journals is crucial for increasing the visibility and impact of research, as well as for facilitating the dissemination of knowledge to a wider audience. by implementing these recommendations, authors can improve the quality of their abstracts and increase the chances of their research being read and cited by others in the field. acknowledgements we want to thank everyone who helped make this research successful from the bottom of our hearts and the development of this journal article. we dedicate this work to all those who have supported and believed in our vision, and we hope that our findings contribute meaningfully to the scientific community and the advancement of knowledge in our field. references alek., marzuki, a. g., hidayat, d. n., & fauzji, f. (2022). the discourse structure and linguistic features of research articles and thesis abstracts in english by indonesian academics. journal of education, language innovation, and applied linguistics, 1(1), 37-44. alves, m. a., & gonçalves, c. m. (2017). abstracts in brazilian linguistics articles: a study on their textual organization. revista brasileira de linguística aplicada, 17(1), 99-125. alyousef, h. s. (2021). a move-structure model for dentistry research article abstracts: a genrebased study of variations and similarities in eight dentistry subdisciplines. discourse & interaction, 14(1), 25–52. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5817/di20211-25 alyousef, h. s. (2021). structure of research article abstracts in political science: a genre-based study. sage open, 1-8. amnuai, w. (2019). analyses of rhetorical moves and linguistic realizations in accounting research article abstracts published in international and thai-based journals. sage open, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018822384 atzen, s.l., & bluemke, d. a. (2022). top 10 tips for writing your scientific paper: the radiology scientific style guide. radiology,304(1), 1–2. can, e. (2019). abstract writing in applied linguistics: a genre analysis. journal of english for academic purposes, 38, 48-61. drury, a., pape, e., dowling, m., miguel, s., femandez-ortega, p., papadopoulou, c., & kotronoulas, g. (2023). how to write a comprehensive and informative research abstract. seminars in oncology nursing, 39(2023), 151395. flowerdew, j., & li, y. (2009). the information structure of english research article abstracts in applied linguistics. journal of english for academic purposes, 8(4), 207-224. freysteinson, w.m., & stankus, j-a. (2019). the language of scholarship: how to write an abstract that tells a compelling story. j contin educ nurs, 50(3),107–118. hyland, k., & tse, p. (2004). metadiscourse in academic writing: a reappraisal. applied linguistics, 25(2), 156-177. kaya, f., & yagiz, o. (2020). move analysis of research article abstracts in the field of elt: a comparative study. journal of language and linguistic studies, 16(1), 390–404. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.712854 kosasih, f. r. (2018). a genre analysis of thesis abtracts at a state university in banten. lingua cultura, 12(1), 9–14. kumar, a. (2022). writing an abstract: revealing the essence with eloquence. journal of indion social preiodontol, 26(1), 1-2. malini, n. (2022). a generic structure of thesis abstracts written by undergraduate students. buana pendidikan, 18(2), 174-182. martinez, i. a., & friginal, e. (2015). a diachronic investigation of informational imperatives in article abstracts. journal of english for academic purposes, 20, 26-41. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.712854 sri budiyono & fahrus zaman fadhly a qualitative evidence synthesis of article abstract writing in elt and literature journals 260 nelson, n., & king, j. r. (2022). discourse synthesis: textual transformations in writing from sources. reading and writing, 36(2), 1-40. ngai, s. b. c., singh, r. g., & koon, a. c. (2018). a discourse analysis of the macro-structure, metadiscoursal and microdiscoursal features in the abstracts of research articles across multiple science disciplines. plos one, 13(10), article e0205417. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0205417 nikzad, m., & vaezi, r. (2014). a contrastive study of generic organization of research article introductions in applied linguistics and chemistry. relc journal, 45(2), 151-166. nundy, s., kakar, a., & bhutta, z. a. (2022). how to write an abstract? in how to practice academic medicine and publice from developing countries (pp.178-184). springer. nurhayati, s., fadilah, f., & habibah, f. a. f. (2022). rhetorical structure on research article abstracts in informatics and computer science journals. jurnal pujangga, 8(2), 181-195. omidian, t., shahriari, h., & siyanova-chanturia, a. (2018). a cross-disciplinary investigation of multi-word expressions in the moves of research article abstracts. journal of english for academic purposes, 36, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2018.08.002 paydari, s. s., & paramasivam, s. (2019). rhetorical move analysis in political science research article abstracts in english in iranian journals. journal of language and communication, 6(1), 75–90. piedra, l. m. (2022). the mighty abstract: an overlooked element of peer review. qualitat social work, 21(3), 475–482. qiao, h., & zhang, l. j. (2017). a contrastive study of research article abstracts between applied linguistics and environmental engineering. journal of language teaching and research, 8(6), 1121-1129. rashidi, n., & farsani, m. a. (2017). generic analysis of theses abstracts in applied linguistics. journal of applied linguistics and language research, 4(2), 37-48. rashidi, n., & meihami, h. (2018). informetrics of scientometrics abstracts: a rhetorical move analysis of the research abstracts published in scientometrics journal. scientometrics, 116(3), 1975–1994. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-0182795-6 roshandel, j., mirzaii-dizgah, i., & miri, m. (2018). a genre analysis of article abstracts: a review of applied linguistics and molecular biology research articles. archives of academic emergency medicine, 6(1), e16. samraj, b. (2005). an exploration of a genre set: research article abstracts and introductions in two disciplines. english for specific purposes, 24(2), 141-156. sapriawan, m. m., & chandra, n. e. (2022). coherence on undergraduate thesis abstract written by english language students. teknosastik, 20(1), 43-50. shokrpour, n., & nikseresht, a. (2013). a genre analysis of english research article abstracts written by iranian and native english-speaking authors. journal of research in medical sciences, 18(8), 667-672. suwarni, a. (2021). a genre analysis of the undergraduate thesis abstracts: revisiting swales’ theory of written discourse. els journal on interdisciplinary studies in humanities, 4(1), 57–64. tankó, g. (2017). literary research article abstracts: an analysis of rhetorical moves and their linguistic realizations. journal of english for academic purposes, 27, 42–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2017.04.003 tardy, c. m. (2004). the role of english in scientific communication: lingua franca or tyrannosaurus rex? journal of english for academic purposes, 3(3), 247-269. thakur, v., & sharma, s. (2018). a genre analysis of abstracts in the field of elt. international journal of english language, literature and humanities, 6(6), 72-80. tocalo a.w.i. (2021). move structures and their rhetorical verbs of research article abstracts across englishes. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 11(1), 1-10. tume, l.n., vollam, s., trapani, j. (2021). how to convert your conference abstract into a paper for nursing in critical care. nursing in critical care,26(5 supp.1), 4-5. van ockenburg, l., van weijen, d., & rijlaarsdam, g. (2019). learning to write synthesis texts: a review of intervention studies. journal of writing research, 10(3), 401-428. vathanalaoha, k., & tangkiengsirisin, s. (2018). genre analysis of experiment-based dental research article abstracts: thai and international journals. 3l: language, linguistics, literature, 24(3), 1– 14. https://doi.org/10.17576/3l-2018-2403-01 viera, r.t. (2019). rhetorical move structure in abstracts of research articles published in ecuadorian and american english-speaking context. arab world english journal (awej), 10(4), 74 -87. wei, h. y., razali, a. b., & samad, a. a. (2022). writing abstracts for research articles: towards a framework for move structure of abstracts. world journal of english language, 12(6), 492-504. woolston, c. (2020). words matter: jargon alienates readers. nature, 579(7798), 309-318. yang, r., & allison, d. (2003). research articles in applied linguistics: moving from results to conclusions. english for specific purposes, 22(4), 365-385. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0205417 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2018.08.002 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-018-2795-6 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-018-2795-6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2017.04.003 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 261 yeung, a. w. k. (2017). a case study on the use of english language for scientific communication by an outstanding non-anglophone scientist. journal of english for academic purposes, 26, 86-94. zanina, e. (2017). move structure of research article abstracts on management: contrastive study (the case of english and russian). journal of language and education, 3(2), 63–72. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 419 transforming literary texts: a multiliteracies approach to engaging digital narratives vidya mandarani english language education study program, faculty of psychology and education science universitas muhammadiyah sidoarjo, indonesia email: vmandarani@umsida.ac.id fika megawati english language education study program, faculty of psychology and education science universitas muhammadiyah sidoarjo, indonesia email: fikamegawati@umsida.ac.id apa scitation: mandarani, v., & megawati, f. (2024). transforming literary texts: a multiliteracies approach to engaging digital narratives. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 419426. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9530 received: 28-02-2024 accepted: 27-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction since 2011, the global landscape has witnessed the onset of the fourth industrial revolution, marked by rapid technological advancements, automation, and the pervasive transfer of information (prayogo, 2022). in response to this era’s evolving demands, university teacher training programs must incorporate courses designed to equip students with pedagogical and technological competencies essential for effective teaching (mali et al., 2023). numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of integrating technology, particularly digital storytelling (dst), into educational settings to enhance students’ learning experiences (çetin, 2020; eisazadeh & rajendram, 2020; gürsoy, 2021; hava, 2021; pavlou, 2020; yang et al., 2022). dst has emerged as a particularly impactful tool in language education, offering educators innovative ways to engage students and facilitate language acquisition (hava, 2021). storytelling (st) has been a main component of curriculum development in early childhood education. it provides young learners with a wide range of stories to engage with, improving their ability to organise events, experiences, and facts and cultivating their auditory and verbal communication skills (beaver & wyatt, 2022), and it can foster creativity, imagination, and critical thinking skills among young learners, contributing to developing their cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains (halimah et al., 2020). milana (2021) discovered that children exhibited greater proficiency in verbal expression when learning through a narrative approach combined with a talking stick model and a picture-andpicture method. it shows that the process of st can give insights into the transformative power of modern media and its capacity to shape our understanding of reality (mesa & alejandro, 2020). it assisted to engage in meaningful dialogue with others through storytelling. digital storytelling (dst), a fusion of traditional storytelling with digital media, offers a dynamic platform for creating multimedia texts abstract: combining technology with literary texts may help solve the obstacles faced in modern education. digital storytelling (dst) is an engaging approach that involves students with literature, developing creativity, cultural knowledge, and character development while creating a dynamic classroom atmosphere. this research investigated how the lecturer facilitates students in transforming literary text into a dst by applying multiliteracies pedagogy stages and how their responses to this activity. the researchers performed a qualitative case study to get detailed insights into integrating literature and technology within multiliteracies practices. the selected participants were 25 students of universitas muhammadiyah sidoarjo who had completed the literature course of elt. they demonstrated their ability to transform literary texts into valuable video storytelling. findings showed that the dst task promotes students’ active involvement with texts. they scrutinised the narrative components and converted the text into a digital story. the stages of multiliteracies pedagogy positively influenced students’ learning experiences, improved their comprehension of literary content, and encouraged them to combine literature and technology. it also proves that dst can foster students’ creativity, cultural proficiency, and multimodal literacy abilities. keywords: digital storytelling; literature; multiliteracies pedagogy. mailto:fikamegawati@umsida.ac.id vidya mandarani & fika megawati transforming literary texts: a multiliteracies approach to engaging digital narratives 420 that blend conventional and modern literacy approaches (tanrıkulu, 2020). implementing dst has numerous benefits, including fostering creativity, developing multimodal literacy skills (çetin, 2020), and promoting a positive learning environment to encourage english speaking skills (nair & md yunus, 2022). it enhances high order thinking skills (hots) (fauziah, 2022; pabriana, 2022) in students’ judgment, information analysis, and story interpretation. dst also improves language literacy skills, allowing students to form personal connections with characters and themes and fostering deeper emotional engagement (anggraini et al., 2021; fitri, 2024; sudarmaji et al., 2020; tanrıkulu, 2020). this approach supports teachers’ reflective practice and professional identity (shinas & wen, 2022). upon reviewing the literature, it is obvious that none of the studies had addressed digital storytelling and multiliteracies pedagogy in foreign language education. therefore, this article investigates how students of the literature course at universitas muhammadiyah sidoarjo transform the literary text into a dst through multiliteracies pedagogy stages and how their responses to this activity. the focus distinguishes it from previous research that primarily explored the benefits of dst and the process of generating dst. key components of dst applications in education include establishing trust, conveying ideas and valuable information, and fostering commitment. listeners believe the narrator and the story due to effective storytelling, which conveys the essential concepts and values to the listener, fostering a strong connection between the listener and the story (çetin, 2020). in english language teaching (elt), literature serves as a means of language practice and a vehicle for exploring cultural nuances and linguistic complexities. integrating literary texts within the reading curriculum allows learners to engage with authentic material, facilitating a deeper familiarity with the target language and its culture. it is crucial when learning another language, as it allows students to learn the language in its natural context (barzani, 2020). in this research, students select any genre of literature text and then transform the story into digital storytelling. the dst methodology alters passive engagement with text into active involvement so that students deliver stories without forgetting the main ideas and characters. it is done through multiliteracies pedagogy. multiliteracies pedagogy focuses on cognitive learning and understanding cultural and social contexts. the students can explore and reflect on socio-culturally driven knowledge collaboratively. this process allows the students to construct meaning and to make sense of the language they are learning (garcés, 2021). the learning process involves the application of multiliteracies, which consist of situated practice, overt instruction, critical framing, and transformed practice (new london group, 2000). hence, multiliteracies pedagogy acknowledges the diverse forms of literacy prevalent in today’s digital age, emphasising the importance of teaching students to navigate and critically evaluate a wide range of texts and media. therefore, the researchers are interested in understanding the advantages of integrating dst and multiliteracies pedagogy, which requires careful planning and consideration of instructional objectives. educators must provide students with the necessary tools and resources to create digital stories while scaffolding their learning and providing guidance and support. they must also create dynamic and engaging learning experiences that promote critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration by aligning dst activities with multiliteracies pedagogy stages. according to saripudin et al. (2021), valuable dst media in social studies has a significant and positive impact on the development of student characters. dst can transform passive readers into active creators of meaning, fostering deeper connections with literary texts and promoting critical literacy skills. by obtaining the perspectives and insights of students, educators can gain valuable information on the effectiveness of these activities in promoting critical thinking, empathy, and linguistic proficiency. thus, proficient english teachers are better equipped to navigate the challenges and adaptations of the 21st century (prayogo, 2022). additionally, understanding students’ responses to dst can inform instructional design and pedagogical decision-making, ensuring that literature education remains relevant and impactful in the classroom. the following research questions frame this work: (1) how do students transform their literary text into digital video storytelling through multiliteracies pedagogy? (2) how do students respond to digital storytelling tasks? method this article employed qualitative case research. small and calarco (2022) discussed exploring linguistic phenomena, social identity, digital and spatial analysis, and multimodal texts using creative literacy practices. a case study was chosen english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 421 to explore a literature class that converted a literary text into a dst through multiliteracies pedagogy. a purposive sample of 25 seventh-semester students was selected for this article. all participants had completed the literature course on english language teaching at universitas muhammadiyah sidoarjo. they were able to transform literary texts into video storytelling. the researchers collected data through observation and unstructured in-depth interviews. the researchers recorded the activities at each stage of multiliteracies pedagogy by taking field notes during observation. the multiliteracies pedagogy was executed in four stages: situated practice, overt instruction, critical framing and transformed practice. students were required to select texts and analyse literary elements such as characters, plot, and setting. they then created a dst based on the selected literary text. after that, interviews were conducted to know the students’ responses to the dst preparation process. the interview results were transcribed and classified into four points: the digital stories’ category and theme, themes background, challenges while generating digital stories, and benefits of digital storytelling. data analysis was done qualitatively to investigate the efficacy of multiliteracies pedagogy in facilitating digital storytelling among elt students, particularly in transforming narratives from literary texts into engaging digital stories. results and discussion transforming literary text into digital storytelling through multiliteracies pedagogy digital storytelling has gained great popularity in many disciplines and at many class levels, including higher education. the findings here reveal that multiliteracies pedagogy is crucial in helping students transform literary text into dst. read table 1 below, which consists of the teacherstudent activities: table 1. learning process using multiliteracies pedagogy stages mp stages teacher activities students’ activities situated practice the lecturer introduced literary texts and immersed them in the context of storytelling through students identified and discussed the background of literary works to be transformed discussions and interactive activities. into storytelling. overt instruction the lecturer instructed the narrative elements, storytelling techniques, and digital storytelling tools. students prepared materials and texts for storytelling. critical framing the lecturer guided the discussion and analysis of literary texts, identifying themes, character motivations, and moral implications to inform the storytelling process. students critically analysed literary texts by identifying themes, character motivations, and moral implications to inform their storytelling process. transformed practice the lecturer assisted students in arranging the digital storytelling. students transformed the narrative into a digital storytelling format and incorporated multimedia elements and digital tools. the lecturer confidently facilitated the students’ understanding of literary works and storytelling during the situated practice. the question posed was: lecturer : “have you experienced storytelling taken from a novel or other literary work?” student : “yes, the story of cinderella.” the researchers revealed that students are familiar with literary texts presented in storytelling form. the lecturer guided students to discuss the narrative’s main points and the storytelling techniques. the conversation posed in the overt instruction stage was: lecturer : please, friends, choose a work, then find the story’s main idea of how the main character will appear in storytelling, using puppets, digital images, or something else. vidya mandarani & fika megawati transforming literary texts: a multiliteracies approach to engaging digital narratives 422 during the discussion, the lecturer instructed the students to focus on comprehending the story’s main idea. the students listened attentively and asked challenging questions, to which the lecturer provided clear examples of the primary characters that needed to be revealed. the students also showed interest in the tools and materials used in storytelling. during the critical framing stage, students were encouraged to analyse the story and discuss the moral values that should be present in the text. the question posed was: lecturer : what is the role of the main character in conveying the moral value of the literary story you have chosen? at this stage, students are encouraged to analyse the work, including its themes and elements, to determine what they want to convey in their storytelling. students were given one week to complete their project during the transformed practice stage. in case of any difficulties encountered while creating their story, a consultation forum is readily available. the instructions posed were: lecturer : “you can start creating storytelling from literary works from the initial reading process, analysing it, and preparing materials and tools.” multiliteracies pedagogy stages assisted students in engaging with the story, stimulated their critical thinking, and improved their cultural competence. hence, they can convert the text into digital storytelling easily. it is aligned with the research by azis and husnawadi (2020), chen and chuang (2021), and mirza (2020). examples of students’ digital storytelling outcomes are complemented by using puppetry to reinforce characters. as in figure 1, the students used puppets to deliver the characters of the ‘magical running shoes’ story. the text remains objective and does not give subjective evaluations even though it has transformed into a digital version. figure 1. using puppet to present the magical running shoes’ characters figure 1 showed that multiliteracies pedagogy encouraged students to empathise with the story’s characters and situations, fostering a deeper understanding of diverse experiences and perspectives. the students expressed a heightened sense of social responsibility and a desire to enact positive change in their communities. integrating digital storytelling within multiliteracies pedagogy has significant implications for literature education. educators can use digital storytelling to engage students in meaningful learning experiences, promote critical literacy skills, and foster a deeper appreciation for literature texts. moreover, the collaborative digital storytelling approach proved to be an effective methodology for structuring the writing process, as evidenced by the student perspectives. it was found that the digital storytelling approach, with its multimedia elements, facilitated the writing process while fostering a harmonious relationship between technology and writing (tanrıkulu, 2020). students’ responses to the digital storytelling task during the elt course, twenty-five students were interviewed about creating digital stories. the responses were then categorized into four areas: 1) categories and themes of digital stories, 2) selection of digital story themes, 3) challenges encountered during the development and recording of digital stories, and 4) benefits of digital storytelling (mirza, 2020). categories and themes of digital stories the storytelling themes can be categorised into 6 (six), as follows: table 2. student’s storytelling theme(s) category no. of students theme(s) fable 4  helping each other  fraud school relationship 4  school activities  friendship english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 423 hero 2 a hero who saves the world love story 4 the story of the king and princess children adventure 8  space adventure  fairy adventure  adventures of the four friends parent-child relationship 3 teaching good things total 25 according to table 2 above, many students prefer children’s adventure stories that revolve around themes such as space, fairies, and groups of friends. selection of digital story themes there are specific reasons why students consider the story’s background for digital storytelling. the following is a student’s explanation for selecting the picture book ‘amazing grace’: “i chose amazing grace because the story is very interesting. it raises a school theme, and the story’s moral value is very deep: discrimination.” the results of the storytelling of ‘amazing grace’ are presented in figure 2 below: figure 1. digital storytelling of amazing grace pinocchio, which explores the themes of parentchild relations, offers inspirational moral values for storytelling. see the image below for the ‘pinocchio’ story below: figure 3. pinocchio's storytelling students can choose their preferred literary text based on their interests, enabling them to engage with the material that intrigues them the most. challenges in developing and recording the digital story adapting the story into a dst may seem challenging, but it can be accomplished in four stages of multiliteracies pedagogy. while simplifying a long and detailed novel without compromising its values can be difficult, it is not impossible. as a student has pointed out, this is the most challenging process. read the following response: “i have difficulty simplifying the story, which in the novel is long and detailed, whereas, in storytelling, it has to be conveyed verbally and understood by the audience. this challenge is the hard one.” furthermore, the storyteller must create visual aids to portray the story’s characters effectively. as in figure 4, the student prepared digital animation to ensure the audience comprehends the story. this step can be challenging, as demonstrated in figure 4, where a student adapted the ‘the little prince’ novel into a 64-page digital storytelling format. figure 4. example of dst display presentation on the other hand, a student also used puppets as an alternative to digital illustrations, as shown in figure 5 below. figure 5. using puppet as dst media in figure 5, the student adapted a story titled ‘sunny meadows woodland school’ without using vidya mandarani & fika megawati transforming literary texts: a multiliteracies approach to engaging digital narratives 424 digital animation. instead, she confidently explored the story using self-made puppets to represent characters in her storytelling. her response was: “i still use puppets because they are more comfortable to convey to the characters.” benefits of digital storytelling creating digital stories from literary texts is an effective way to enhance readers’ understanding of the works and to develop engaging learning materials. a student stated as follows: “this project can make me understand the types of literary texts and elements of literary texts so that i can understand the elements of the text that i choose to make digital storytelling.” this task also enhances students’ learning ability and motivates them to use technology. a student’s response posed was: “i am very motivated to complete my digital storytelling as interestingly as possible with the help of digital technology.” as learners of english, they also said that presenting literary works in the form of storytelling made them more confident in speaking english. the response was: “through storytelling, i become more confident in my speaking skills.” this response represented that students gain experience editing animations while making videos, providing a strong understanding of technology that will benefit them in their future careers as teachers. they are also triggered to simplify the story to ensure the audience’s understanding of the plot. it aligns with the research by mirza (2020), who analysed efl students at the lebanese university creating digital storytelling, and it gained students’ self-confidence and improved their pronunciation, organisational, technical research, and presentation skills. the social aspect of dst led to enjoyable learning where students could share their work online with their friends and other english speakers worldwide. thus, educators can create dynamic and inclusive learning environments that empower students to participate actively in their education by embracing innovative pedagogical approaches. these students’ responses to digital storytelling in the literature course have been overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing enthusiasm for the opportunity to engage with literature texts in new and creative ways. as mentioned by several scholars, using collaborative dst tasks greatly enhanced students’ development of english language skills, engagement with technology and diversity topics, motivation, and interpersonal relationships (azis & husnawadi, 2020). dst encouraged them to share their stories with a broader audience, improving students’ critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, and media literacy abilities (chen & chuang, 2021). the integration of equity, diversity and inclusion (edi) into the course syllabus and teaching methods in higher education enables the faculty to raise students’ cultural consciousness, assist those from marginalised backgrounds in feeling welcomed, and assist those with more privilege in increasing their own awareness and intercultural competence (fuentes et al., 2021). conclusion integrating literary texts with technology aligns with the requirements of the modern digital age. transforming text into digital storytelling using multiliteracies pedagogy provides an innovative educational method. practicing dst in multiliteracies pedagogy may successfully equip teacher candidates to involve students in learning. the multiliteracies pedagogy stages positively impacted students’ learning experiences, enhanced their understanding of literary material, and motivated them to integrate literature and technology. it shifts passive learning to active involvement and enhances students’ creativity, cultural competency, and multimodal literacy skills. dst also offers chances to enhance literary instruction and enable students to become storytellers while teaching important moral principles. the students’ responses show similar perspectives. they can overcome difficulties while creating dst but still need teacher guidance. they mostly selected adventure stories for children because it is easier to be transformed. future researchers are expected to gain an in-depth exploration of the integration of dst, multiliteracies pedagogy, and other subjects. it is to track the development of this potential teaching method in developing interactive learning settings that equip students for success in the digital world as education progresses. acknowledgement gratitude is expressed to the students of the english language education study programme at english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 425 universitas muhammadiyah sidoarjo who participated in this research. references anggraini, e. r., herlina, r., & tarwana, w. (2021). using storytelling to enhance students’ interests in reading: a case study at tenth grade students of a vocational school in a regency. journal of english education program, 22–34. https://jurnal.unigal.ac.id/index.php/jeep azis, y. a., & husnawadi. (2020). collaborative digital storytelling-based task for efl writing instruction: outcomes and perceptions. the journal of asia tefl, 17(2), 562–579. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2020.17.2.16.5 62 barzani, s. h. h. (2020). the perceptions of efl teachers and students on the use of short stories to enhance reading comprehension. asian efl journal research articles, 27(3), 325–341. beaver, n., & wyatt, s. (2022). early education curriculum: a child’s connection to the world (8th ed.). cengage learning. çetin, e. (2020). digital storytelling in teacher education and its effect on the digital literacy of pre-service teachers. thinking skills and creativity, 39(100760). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100760 chen, h. l., & chuang, y. c. (2021). the effects of digital storytelling games on high school students’ critical thinking skills. journal of computer assisted learning, 37(1), 265–274. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12487 eisazadeh, n., & rajendram, s. (2020). supporting young learners through a multimodal digital storytelling activity. varhaiskasvatuksen tiedelehti (journal of early childhood education research), 9(1), 76–98. fauziah, h. n. (2022). promoting higher-order thinking (hots) and students’ engagement in secondary efl students through digital storytelling. the 1st international conference on language and language teaching (incollt 2022), 100–109. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. fitri, r. a. (2024). digital storytelling usage to boost creative thinking: students’ and teachers’ perceptions. jurnal pendidikan bahasa inggris indonesia, 12(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v12i1.2861 fuentes, m. a., zelaya, d. g., & madsen, j. w. (2021). rethinking the course syllabus: considerations for promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion. teaching of psychology, 48(1), 69–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628320959979 garcés, a. y. c. (2021). awakening sociocultural realities in pre-service teachers through a pedagogy of multiliteracies. gist – education and learning research journal, 22(22), 173– 197. https://doi.org/10.26817/16925777.844 gürsoy, g. (2021). digital storytelling: developing 21st century skills in science education. european journal of educational research, 10(1), 97–113. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.10.1.97 halimah, l., arifin, r. r. m., yuliariatiningsih, m. s., abdillah, f., & sutini, a. (2020). storytelling through “wayang golek” puppet show: practical ways in incorporating character education in early childhood. cogent education, 7(1794495), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.1794495 hava, k. (2021). exploring the role of digital storytelling in student motivation and satisfaction in efl education. computer assisted language learning, 34(7), 958–978. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1650071 mali, y. c. g., kurniawan, d., januardi, j. i., swara, s. j., lokollo, n. c. e., picauly, i. a., paramitha, n. g., tanore, j. a., dewani, m. s., & pakiding, r. w. (2023). issues and challenges of technology use in indonesian schools: implications for teaching and learning. ijiet (international journal of indonesian education and teaching), 7(2), 221–233. https://doi.org/10.24071/ijiet.v7i2.6310 mesa, g., & alejandro, p. (2020). digital storytelling: boosting literacy practices in students at a1-level. how journal, 27(1), 83–104. milana, h. (2021). meningkatkan perkembangan bahasa anak melalui metode storytelling, model talking stick dan model picture and picture pada anak usia dini. jurnal inovasi, kreatifitas anak usia dini (jikad), 1(1), 19–24. mirza, h. s. (2020). improving university students’ english proficiency with digital storytelling. international online journal of education and teaching (iojet), 7(1), 84–94. nair, v., & md yunus, m. (2022). using digital storytelling to improve pupils’ speaking skills in the age of covid-19. sustainability, 14(9215), 1– 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159215 new london group. (2000). a pedagogy of multiliteracies: designing social futures. in b. cope & m. kalantzis (eds.), multiliteracies: literacy learning and the design of social futures (pp. 9–36). routledge. pabriana, h. (2022). promoting higher order thinking skills (hots) of efl young learners through digital storytelling [graduate thesis]. in history and theory (vol. 50, issue 2). universitas pendidikan indonesia. pavlou, v. (2020). art technology integration: digital storytelling as a transformative pedagogy in primary education. international journal of art and design education, 39(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12254 prayogo, j. a. (2022). english language teaching in indonesia in the 21st century: what needs reinforcing and enhancing for the teachers. kne vidya mandarani & fika megawati transforming literary texts: a multiliteracies approach to engaging digital narratives 426 social sciences, 12–22. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v7i7.10645 saripudin, d., komalasari, k., & anggraini, d. n. (2021). value-based digital storytelling learning media to foster student character. international journal of instruction, 14(2), 369–384. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14221a shinas, v. h., & wen, h. (2022). preparing teacher candidates to implement digital storytelling. computers and education open, 3(100079), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeo.2022.100079 small, m. l., & calarco, j. m. (2022). qualitative literacy: a guide to evaluating ethnographic and interview research. university of california press. sudarmaji, i., mulyana, a., & karsiyah, k. (2020). applying digital storytelling to improve indonesian high school students’ visual memory and writing skills. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 255–264. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2987 tanrıkulu, f. (2020). students’ perceptions about the effects of collaborative digital storytelling on writing skills. computer assisted language learning, 1774611, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1774611 yang, y. t. c., chen, y. c., & hung, h. t. (2022). digital storytelling as an interdisciplinary project to improve students’ english speaking and creative thinking. computer assisted language learning, 35(4), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1750431 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 551 virtual drama performance: is it a need due to pandemic or technological era? rita inderawati* english education study program, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id eryansyah english education study program, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: eryansyah@unsri.ac.id dwi maharrani english education study program, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: dwimaharrani@unsri.ac.id didi suhendi indonesian education study program, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: didisuhendi@fkip.unsri.ac.id sardianto siahaan physics education study program, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: mr.sardi@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa citation: inderawati, r., eryansyah., maharrani, d., suhendi, d., siahaan, s. (2023). virtual drama performance: is it a need due to pandemic or technological era? english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 551-560. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.6653 received: 25-02-2023 accepted: 29-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction a paradigm shift has occurred in education as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, which has caused much anxiety regarding how to ensure education remotely while improving teachers' performance (ravitch, 2013) as it is still unknown how language educators will recover from the unavoidable threat by emergency remote teaching (ert) (hodges et al.,2020). around 91% of students worldwide were ultimately affected by the pandemic's global closures of traditional educational institutions (unesco, 2020). with the emergence of elearning in this crisis, where instruction is conducted remotely and on digital platforms, education has undergone a significant transformation (li & lalani, 2020). due to the covid-19 epidemic, many institutions of higher education (ihes) had to close their campuses in 2020. when and how to reopen their campuses were difficult considerations that administrators had to make. college administrators must balance competing interests like the longabstract: this study aims to address the needs of students in drama and drama performances in the literature in elt course. since the occurrence of a national disaster, namely the spread of the covid-19 virus, the output of the literature in elt courses in the form of drama performances cannot be carried out due to the spread of the covid-19 pandemic. the solution offered through this research was to perform virtual drama performances. the data were obtained through the use of a questionnaire. the data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. the result of the need analysis showed that: 1) literature in elt course was important for the students, 2) students’ english proficiency was at the intermediate level, 3) students still had some difficulties in drama performance, 4) the topic was english legend, 5) there was a need of integrating drama with an online application, 6) students still sometimes learnt literature with technology. due to the needs, it was necessary to develop virtual drama performance through online application because 55.5% of students thought that it would increase their knowledge and understanding of the topic in learning literature in elt course in university. when offering literature in elt course online, it can be noted that the necessary adjustments were made to the theatre activities and the drama education program, and the zoom digital platform was mostly utilized in the online classes. keywords: need analysis; pandemic; technology; virtual drama. rita inderawati, eryansyah, dwi maharrani, didi suhendi, sardianto siahaan virtual drama performance: is it a need due to pandemic or technological era? 552 term financial viability and educational standards of their institutions with the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff when an ongoing disaster or an emerging infectious disease outbreak, such as the covid-19 pandemic, occurs. some operational choices, like putting some courses online and limiting the number of students who can live on campus, might be able to balance these conflicting goals, but they might not be the optimal course of action. every facet of life has been significantly impacted by the covid 19 pandemic, including the economy, society, and security. it is impossible to avoid this change, particularly in education. employees and students found it challenging to get to jobs, classes, and campus. to ensure the safety of students and educators during the lock-down period, several schools and campuses tried to come up with ways to guarantee continuity of teaching and learning in such a circumstance. nearly all indonesian educational institutions switched from the traditional face-to-face teaching and learning methods that students were accustomed to during the covid 19 outbreak to a new knowledge strategy called online learning or e-learning. from this angle, technology can be seen as the main and best tool for helping instructors and students. this is being done to stop the transmission of covid-19. pre-pandemic colleges typically use blended or offline learning methods for instruction. learning after the coronavirus outbreak has significantly changed to the online mode, as claimed by chahkandi, kasar. kundu, and bej (2021). the university has prepared a distance learning system in the form of a learning management system that allows all lecturers to prepare a virtual learning process. the coronavirus outbreak had a significant impact on the literature in elt course, one of the practical courses in the english education study program. live drama performances are not permitted by students. based on casual interactions the author had with various lecturers who teach literary courses in english language learning using whatsapp, it was discovered that they had never staged theatre performances in literature classes, especially after the coronavirus outbreak. hishon (2020) believes that the physical separation between students and lecturers during the covid19 pandemic makes it challenging to teach literature in elt course online. students should however keep taking art classes in spite of this. lectures during this time had to modify their current educational programs to work on digital platforms since they could not conduct drama or theater sessions in a physical setting (broadfoot, 2020; donohoe and bale, 2020; hishon, 2020; sezgin, 2020). it might be argued that theater classes are held in-person or online by taking some measures because to the covid-19 epidemic. institutions that provide theatrical education or drama teachers have implemented some "remote education" software and created online activities as part of this process. sezgin (2020) asserts that educators who work with digital tools like zoom have given their pupils access to improved drama or theater lessons that include video discussions, presentations, and videos. based on this phenomena, the author's concept of performing virtual drama shows was born, and as a result, textbooks addressing virtual drama performances, in addition to videos and youtube links for the release of virtual dramas, have been developed. there have been numerous prior research on theatrical performances, including those by barekat and nazemi (2020), gallagher et al. (2020), schenker (2020), and karaosmanoğlu et al. (2022). however, both in indonesia and overseas, there has not been much research done on virtual theatre performances connected to literature courses in english language acquisition (widyahening et al. , 2020; rogers et al , 2021; inderawati, 2021). other significant issues with virtual theatre performances that have not been discovered both philosophically and practically include: 1) virtual drama performance textbooks and virtual drama performances using zoom, google meet, or other video conferencing services, 2) all students have the same role and task in developing the four 21st-century life skills. this is accomplished through collaboration between lecturers and students as they prepare a virtual performance by writing drama scripts, drama settings, musical illustrations, and pictures, as well as dubbing student voices for students who play roles. the educational institution's general curriculum. the emphasis is typically placed on the senses or emotions while discussing dramatic works. people who participate in theater activities frequently emphasize how beneficial or enjoyable it is for them to communicate and interact with others. these comments highlight the physical exercises carried out in creative theater courses or the comical elements of drama. an experienced teacher and a participant group present drama study that are based on the participants' personal experiences and theater techniques including roleplaying and improvisation (adgüzel, 2019). the cast of a virtual play, a show that is performed or broadcast online (online) through certain software, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 553 will confront two hurdles. gallagher et al. (2020), barekat and nazemi (2020), and schenker (2020) found that the covid-19 pandemic has given rise to a number of virtual tragedies, but this will not stop artists from being creative in their work. the network and data quota are the most crucial components in presenting a virtual drama. if the internet network around the performer is reliable, the virtual drama will succeed. one illustration is how the zoom application's virtual dramas will consume significant quotas and fast networks. the little audience that is present to watch the cast of the virtual drama presents another difficulty. the audience is limited since the majority of people will believe that online dramas are less compelling than offline dramas. the actors must be able to build an engaging, non-boring virtual scenario for the viewers. as a result, the difficulties faced by virtual drama actors when producing online dramas go beyond data networks and also include the drama spectators' interests. the virtual drama that is occurring in this pandemic is happening for a number of reasons. bereczki and karpati (2021) assert that a digitally mediated virtual drama can provide convenience and security. on social media platforms like facebook, instagram, youtube, and google meet, dramas are practically broadcast. there is no need for students to stress over how many clothing they need to carry and wear. all they have to do is grab their laptop, power it up, and start the show. according to senderoff (2021), educators must modify their use of drama in the classroom to keep up with societal and technical changes that affect educational institutions. another benefit of virtual drama is that it gives students a vacation from their studies while simultaneously promoting self-improvement. after virtually no meaningful social connection with friends for a prolonged period of time, individuals may become bored and need to try a new activity that satisfies both requirements, lessens boredom, and even if indirectly, creates positive memories. as a result, virtual drama using cutting-edge technology has emerged as a reliable method. virtual dramas that make use of social media should be tested on students to see how convenient they are, how their friends can help them grow personally, how they can relieve boredom, and how they can inspire them to participate in theater after studying online (man et al, 2021; peaches, 2021, along with shanti, jaafar, and others, 2020). based on the explanation of virtual drama staging, it can be concluded that the internet prepares two strategies for carrying out the stage by using video conferencing tools and available resources strategy. in addition, regarding data networks and drama audience interests, it becomes a challenge for virtual drama actors when making online dramas. likewise, with the use of technology, virtual drama performances are an option for students to produce creativity as one of the outputs of related subjects. in other words, online drama studies provide a variety of opportunities to reflect on the field of drama and consider how drama is used in different environments (gallagher et al., 2020). at the same time the covid-19 pandemic provides artists, educators, teachers and students working in the fields of theatre, drama, and education with different areas to discuss "innovation" and "adaptation". the sudden pressure to innovate and adapt has left little time for drama teachers to "pause and reflect on what is missing," the researchers say. the aforementioned pressure is also imposed in the form of adapting the existing drama curriculum to the online environment “as soon as possible”. according to gallagher et. al. (2020), thinking about “loss” (loss of community or co-production) in teaching drama during the covid-19 pandemic encourages drama educators to reflect on the issues where new pedagogical approaches, practices, leaders/trainer so be used in drama studies may be employed, forced to develop solutions. this new way of thinking also allows us to focus on issues deeply rooted in the fluid and online world of education in general and drama education in particular. numerous tasks and habits have changed as a result of the pandemic. such conversation, a greeting, and a handshake are typically commonplace activities outside of the home. to stop the spread of the coronavirus, certain things have been made illegal. people's everyday habits are altered as a result. even in the teaching and learning process, works, meetings, and conversations are conducted online with the help of some programs. zoom and canva, two online platforms used to create video conferencing and two-dimensional designs, have two advantages when it comes to virtual drama destinations. neideck et al (2021) explore the iconography of the zoom window and its specific qualities at the intersection of body and technology for theater needs. the zoom window becomes a creative and pedagogical tool for teachers. according to itmeizeh and farrah (2021), zoom is an application that provides video communication, audio conferencing, chat, video, and webinars. then, guzacheva (2020) claims that the zoom application offers online conferences, rita inderawati, eryansyah, dwi maharrani, didi suhendi, sardianto siahaan virtual drama performance: is it a need due to pandemic or technological era? 554 webinars, and virtual meetings. additionally, it has video conferencing and content sharing capabilities. according to this description, zoom is an internetbased program that simulates offline communication and offers audio and video content. this capability makes it simple for attendees of zoom meetings or conferences to comprehend the issues being discussed. meanwhile, furman (2021) states that their university, florida state university, used canvas as its learning management system so they could develop a canvas org site to invite all students to participate while still providing oversight. they concluded that many of them spent time trying to give students a new perspective on the ancient world, but in this unprecedented historical moment. they think about how they will react to the current situation as students. furthermore, zoom and canva are quite easy to use for virtual dramas as both only require an email registration to get into the app. after registering an email with the zoom app, student can immediately set up virtual meetings and invite people to join. another advantage of the zoom and canva applications in virtual drama is that they provide a different experience for the audience as drama viewers and us as creators, which a live stage play will not provide. for the audience, watching dramas through the zoom application can provide a more intimate euphoria, this is very different from the condition of the audience in a live stage play, where they can't see the facial expressions of the actors because of the distance between the stage and the audience is quite far. virtual drama through the zoom application allows viewers to see it more closely and intimately, they can feel the feelings of the actors easily by watching it up close through their cellphone or computer screen. while canva gives the freedom to create drama poster, student can design a poster base based on his creativity and share it on social media. based on the authors’ observations of the canva application, it can be identified its features that can be used directly to maximize a virtual drama display either as a property for the cast or as a story setting with various images and selected background music. the zoom and canva apps are not only easy to use for virtual dramas, but they also provide a different experience using them. thus, canva is a graphic design platform that has user-friendly features created by melanie perkins that can be used in zoom. canva works on zoom by creating a zoom virtual background. this app provides lots of images, fonts, filters, and templates to work with. unique virtual backgrounds can be made as creative as possible. the designs they create in canva can be added to zoom. furthermore, according to brown (2009), need analysis refers to the procedure of compiling data regarding the requirements of a specific group in business or education. this indicates that gathering information about students' learning needs based on their course of study takes place at universities. additionally, brown (2009) listed nine different categories of language requirement analysis. they are (a) target situation analyses (tsas), which focus on the details of the linguistic demands that language learners must meet. it focuses on the goals or requirements of the pupils for learning the language, (b) a deficiency analysis that takes into account the pupils' existing wants and needs as well as any shortcomings or shortages in their target situations, (c) present situation analysis (psa), which focuses on the pupils' current level of competence, knowledge, and strengths and weaknesses; (d) learning-oriented analysis, which holds that the requirements (for the curriculum, the content, the manner of instruction, the resources, and other factors) should be negotiated between students and other stakeholders, (e) strategy analysis, which focuses on the preferences of the students with regard to teaching methods, error correction, class sizes, the quantity of homework, and other factors, (f) refers to analysis that looks at the learning environment or circumstance without any biases, such as in terms of utility, organization, or cultural appropriateness. (g) language audits that provide a comprehensive perspective of the need analysis for well-planned language policies, professions, government services, and other areas, (h) set menu analysis, which aims to develop a list of main items from which sponsors or students may choose, (i) a computer-based analysis that compares a database of the materials to the materials' perceived needs. the problem the students are facing, the knowledge and approach required, or the best teaching style can all be determined from the need analysis. additionally, the outcomes of the need analysis might be the key factors that needed to be considered in order to meet the demands of the pupils. based on the aforementioned justifications, the researchers had to carry out a study on the demands of the students in literature in elt. this study was comparable to and different from a number of pertinent earlier investigations. the research of the need analysis of the students was the key area of commonality. the level of the students, the emphasis on english language proficiency, and the scope of the need analysis english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 555 were different from some earlier research. the primary distinction was the particular subject and how performance was incorporated into elt literature lessons. tsa, deficiency analysis, psa, and strategy analysis were all included in the needs analysis done on the kids. this need analysis looked into the needs as perceived by university students. the goal of this study was to describe how students felt about their needs in terms of literature in elt. method the findings of the research were created from data obtained from the online form completed by the participants. in the interview form, the fields reflect the demographic information of the participants. there were 36 students from english language teaching at sriwijaya university that involved in this study which were 33 female students and 3 male students. their ages are around 18 to 20 years old who have class in inderalaya. a questionnaire and interviews obtained the data. the students received the questionnaire. there were 33 questions. tsa, deficiency analysis, psa, and strategy analysis were used to categorize the questions. the interview was conducted with the students of english language teaching at sriwijaya university. the data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. to analyze the data from the questionnaire and interpret and explain the information from the interview, the quantitative method was used. results and discussion based on the research, the results obtained are as follows. the students' needs viewed by the students the students' information was gathered for the tsa, deficiency analysis, psa, and strategy analysis. in this study, the highest percentages of the students' questionnaire responses were displayed. target situation analysis (tsa) this section addressed the necessities, general intentions, and expectations of students in learning literature in elt. the collected data is shown in table 1. the main reasons for learning literature in elt from table 1 were an exploration of the art side of english as a foreign language (75 %) and english literature (66.7 %). it was in line with the mission of the three strategic plans of the university of sriwijaya, namely to produce works of empirical knowledge, theories, concepts, methodologies, models, or new ways of working, which will enrich science, technology, and art, as well as performance indicators for strategic issues or research programs for english education. the university is to develop technology-based english learning media that automatically is also a research roadmap for the english education study program. then the students were expected to have some experience related to english literature (72.2%). having some experiences can motivate students to be more creative and take advantage of the potential of students because they are a population living in the 21st century and understand the technology in front of them. most think that literature in elt courses is a useful material that should be taught at school, university, or other (66.7%). to support their achievement, they english proficiency should be at the intermediate level (72.2%). table 1. tsa views of students no questions students’ view percentage 1 the importance of literature in elt course to explore the art side of english as a foreign language to give chance for exploring english literature 75% 66.7% 2 the students’ expectation toward learning literature in elt have some experience related to english literature 72.2% 3 the literature in elt course used for students one of the materials taught in elt at school, university or others 66.7% 4 the english proficiency level for students’ intermediate level 72.2% deficiency analysis this section considered current needs and needs for students and deficiencies or shortcomings in their target situations. the data on the current needs and requirements of the students are shown in table 2. according to the results survey, 47.6% students preferred english legend or drama as the topic in learning literature in elt course. 66.7% rita inderawati, eryansyah, dwi maharrani, didi suhendi, sardianto siahaan virtual drama performance: is it a need due to pandemic or technological era? 556 of students want in learning literature in elt course should be taught by having project on certain topic which related to literature in elt. it has been shown that 52.8% of students believed that the integration of the topic related to learning drama in literature in elt course is important. table 2. students’ perspectives on current wants and need no question/statement students’ view percentage 1 the topics of students interest in learning literature in elt course english legend/drama 47.2% 2 the way of literature in elt course having project on certain topic related to literature in elt 66.7% 3 integration of the topic related to learning drama in literature in elt course important 61.1% 4 the media used for drama performance in literature in elt course apply certain application 52.8% furthermore, the students’ view of integrating the topic and using online media in drama performance to learning drama in literature in elt, as shown in figure 1 and 2. it showed that the most of students believed that by integrating the topic and using certain application in drama performance is important because the use of technology in literature in elt lectures is carried out because of the demands of 2nd century learning. educators may have thought about adjusting to the dynamics of the new normal as a result of the pandemic conditions that make face-to-face drama teaching unfeasible, according to metinnam and karaosmanolu (2021). before covid-19, educators held the opinion that technology could only be used in drama through the use of projectors, music players, videos, and cameras. however, as a result of the pandemic, they started to seriously consider how digital media could be used to make drama more aesthetically pleasing and educationally effective. educators started learning how to effectively integrate digital pedagogy in drama as they thought about how to develop their digital literacy. figure 1. the needs of certain application in drama performance figure 2. the topics needs of literature in elt course english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 557 based on the statistic, there were some difficulties are faced by students. the result was shown in figure 3. 66.7 % showed that it was difficult for student to have a drama performance in pandemic. the other difficulties showed that about 66.7% of students had difficulty in doing drama performance in covid-19 pandemic. thus, it was suggested that to have a drama performance could be done by using some appli-cation for doing drama performance in covid-19 pandemic. figure 3. students’ difficulties in learning literature in elt course present situation analysis this section focused on the students’ english proficiency, material leaned, and the students’ knowledge. the students’ views on their english capabilities could be seen in table 3. the vast majority of students (77.8%) admitted that their english proficiency was at the intermediate level. in this way, 65.7% of students surveyed found that the students were good in understanding in literature in elt course and 47.2% of the students understand the drama performance in learning literature in elt course and the last information showed that 47.2% of students were good in having ict mastery in using or operating some online application at the present. based on the data, it could be conclude that the students’ proficiency in understanding and operating technology could support them in having and doing a drama performance in covid-19 pandemic. table 3. the students’ proficiency in english and using technology no question/statement students’ view percentage 1 english proficiency at the present intermediate level 77.8% 2 understanding related to literature in elt course at the present good 65.7% 3 understanding related to drama performance in literature in elt course at the present good 47.2% 4 ict mastery for example in using or operating some online applications at the present good 47.2% the student's view of the existing online application used could be seen from the data presented in figure 4. according to the survey, 91.7% of students usually use zoom in learning literature in elt as in the covid-19 pandemic, then the use of the certain application in drama performance in literature in elt course so far was sometimes. there are some reasons why students choose the digital platform they use the following features can be seen as the main reasons for students to use this application: (1) having breakout rooms. (2) multiple people can be seen on the same screen. (3) having a waiting room. (4) allowing group work. (5) ability to share. teamwork is the foundation of drama. participants in online acting classes must form a group and create some things together as a result. sometimes participants need to discuss and reflect on an issue, and other times they need to prepare to improvise in groups. on the main screen, when everyone is present, it is particularly challenging to meet this criterion. in this situation, it is crucial to utilize breakout rooms and do group product development or preparation in a different space. the last, based on figure 5, showed that students used certain applications in drama performance in literature in elt courses, those were zoom (94.4%) and canva (36.1%). according to the finding in figure 6, the students rita inderawati, eryansyah, dwi maharrani, didi suhendi, sardianto siahaan virtual drama performance: is it a need due to pandemic or technological era? 558 about 58.3% agree that the frequency of using technology in learning literature in elt courses. utilizing the various internet options, as well as drama pedagogy and technology, is beneficial, according to certain studies (cziboly & bethlenfalvy, 2020; gallagher et. al., 2020). when theater and digital technology are used together in online settings, individuals' willingness to participate can rise (davis, 2010), sowing the seeds for an engaging, imaginative, and creative learning experience (anderson & cameron, 2009). as with these studies, in the covid-19 process, these strategies that can be used in the performing arts, theater, and drama are tried out by drama trainers/leaders to eliminate the confusion and uncertainty about online learning. figure 4. the existing online application figure 5. the students’ need of certain application in literature in elt figure 6.the frequency in using a certain application strategy analysis this part presented the students’ preference in learning literature in the elt course. the data obtained are shown in table 5. the table showed that the topic of drama related to english literature is important (55.6%). then 66.7 % of students preferred that learning drama in literature in elt courses should apply certain appli-cations to performing drama. 100% of the students preferred to use zoom as an online application that could be used in learning literature in the elt course. the learning preference was important and should be english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 559 considered as the strategy to help students to learn (oktarina, et al., 2022; rhahima, et al., 2021; and tenridinanti, et al., 2021). in other words, online drama studies offer a range of chances for reflection on the theater and consideration of how drama is applied in many contexts (gallagher et al., 2020). one of the most important advantages of using an online application in learning literature in elt lessons is that the programs or tools available online can be used effectively. table 5. students’ preference in leaning literature in elt no question/statement students’ view percentage 1 the topic of the drama related to english literature important 55.6 % 2 the strategy in learning drama in literature in elt course it should apply on performing drama 66.7% 3 some online applications that can be used in drama performance zoom 100 % based on the findings, it can be inferred that virtual drama performance is an innovative and timely concept that aligns well with the technological era we currently live in. the combination of advancements in digital technology and the evolving needs of audiences has paved the way for the emergence and relevance of virtual drama performances. here are some key points to elaborate on why virtual drama is needed in the technological era: 1) accessibility: virtual drama performances break down geographical barriers, allowing people from different parts of the world to experience the same production. this opens up opportunities for a global audience to engage with the arts and culture, regardless of their physical location; 2) flexibility and convenience: in a fast-paced world, virtual drama offers flexibility and convenience for both performers and audiences. people can watch performances from the comfort of their homes or on the go through various digital devices, eliminating the need for physical attendance at a specific venue; and 3) sustainability: virtual drama performances can contribute to environmental sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint associated with traditional theater productions. with less reliance on physical infrastructure, virtual drama can be greener alternative. conclusion literature in elt is one of the subjects in university which has an important aim to make students confidence and be motivated to apply their english in drama performance. but because of the spread of the covid-19 made the situation in education limited and should be replaced by online learning. based on the result of the need analysis of this study, it is suggested to explore their proficiency of english through drama performance of literature in elt and used online application as a tool in learning literature in elt. one of them was done by fusing the play with the students' native culture. the first thing that needs to be done is a need analysis. it was possible to get a lot of information by conducting a need analysis. it may be about the students' preferences for their preferred learning style or about their needs, wants, or lack of study. by employing an internet tool, that knowledge can serve as a grounded consideration while creating virtual drama performances. the study's findings show that organizations and theater instructors have made some efforts to continue the course during the covid-19 outbreak on a digital platform or with in-person instruction. acknowledgement this work has been funded by universitas sriwijaya under the competitive research grant 2022. thank you very much to the rector and dean of fkip universitas sriwijaya for supporting this study. references adıgüzel, ö. (2019). creative drama in education (3rd ed.). yapı kredi publications. anderson, m. carroll, j., & cameron, d. (2009). introduction. anderson, m., carrol, j. and cameron, d. (eds.), drama education with digital technology (pp. 1-5). continuum. barekat, b. & nazemi, h. (2020). the effect of dramabased method on pre-intermediate efl learners' speaking skill and elementary efl learners' speaking fluency, comprehensibility, grammaticality, and willingness to communicate. iranian journal of english for academic purposes, 9(3), 58-72. broadfoot, a. (2020). teachıng theatre online: stepby-step lesson plans for virtual theatre camps and classes. beat by beat press. brown, j. d. (2009). foreign and second language need analysis. in m.h. long and c. j. doughty (eds.), the handbook of language learning (pp. 269-293). wiley-blackwell. chahkandi, f. (2021). online pandemic: challenges of efl faculty in the design and implementation of online teaching amid the covid-19 outbreak. journal of foreign language research, 10(4), 706-721. rita inderawati, eryansyah, dwi maharrani, didi suhendi, sardianto siahaan virtual drama performance: is it a need due to pandemic or technological era? 560 cziboly, a., & bethlenfalvy, a. (2020). response to covid-19 zooming in on online process drama. research in drama education: the journal of applied theatre and performance, 25(4), 645-651. davis, s., e. (2010). icts for creative practice in drama: creating cyber drama with young people in school contexts. the queensland university of technology. donohoe, p., & bale, m. (2020). to zoom or not to zoom: adapting educational versions of shakespeare’s plays for an online platform during the covid pandemic. scenario journal, 14(2), 116-124. https://doi.org/10.33178/scenario.14.2.7 furman, m. (2021). surviving to thriving: supporting graduate student instructors and teaching assistants during the transition to online teaching. teaching classical languages, 11(2), 81-89 gallagher, k., balt, c., cardwell, n., 7 charlebois, b. (2020). response to covid-19 – losing and finding one another in drama: personal geographies, digital spaces and new intimacies. research in drama education: the journal of applied theatre and performance, 25(4), 638644. guzacheva. (2020). zoom technology as an effective tool for distance learning in teaching english to medical students. bulletin of science and practice, 6(5), 457–460. hishon, k. (2020). teaching life skills through virtual drama class. theatrefolk. hodges, c., moore, s., lockee, b., trust, t., & bond, a. (2020). the difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. educause review, 27. inderawati, r. (2021). the utilization of technological tools for virtual drama performance in post pandemic era. proceedings of the 10th unnes virtual international conference on english language teaching, literature, and translation, eltlt 2021, 14-15 august 2021, semarang, indonesia. itmeizeh, m. & farrah, m. (2021). efl instructors and learners' perceptions towards utilization of online applications at palestine ahliya university and hebron university. universal journal of educational research, 9(2) 261270. li, c., & lalani, f (2020). the covid-19 pandemic has changed education forever. this is how. world economic forum. metinnam, i̇., & karaosmanoğlu, g. (2021). covidrama: dramanın dijitalleşmesi ve çağdaş drama derneği deneyimi [paper presentation]. inmecs21, the 1st international conference on media and cultural studies: “communication, art and culture in digital world. oktarina, y., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2022). needs analysis of palembang-tourist-destination recount text reading materials in the 21st century learning. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 381-392. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6239 karaosmanoğlu, g. & metinnam, i̇. & özen, z. & adıgüzel, ö. (2022). can drama lessons be given online? perspectives of drama teachers during the covid-19. international online journal of education and teaching (iojet), 9(3). 1249-1272. kasar, a.b., reddy, m., wagh,r., & deshmukh, y. (2021). current situation of education field due to corona virus disease 19. paideuma journal. 14 (2), 44-51 kundu, a. & bej, t. (2021), covid-19 response: students’ readiness for shifting classes online, corporate governance. https://doi.org/10.1108/cg-092020-0377 rhahima, a., inderawati, r., eryansyah . (2021). students’ needs analysis for the development of electronic descriptive reading materials for hotel accommodation program in vhs. eralingua: jurnal pendidikan bahasa asing dan sastra, 5(2), 470-482 rogers, s.l., hollet, r., li, y.r., & speelman, c.p. (2020). an evaluation of virtual reality role-play experiences for helping-profession courses, teaching of psychology. tenridinanti, t., b., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2021). climate change-based report texts for senior high school: a mix method study. jurnal pendidikan progresif, 11(3), 610-625. doi: 10.23960/ jpp.v11.i3.202112. ravitch, d. (2013). what is edtpa and why do critics dislike it? dianeravitch. schenker, t. (2020). fostering foreign language skills through an extracurricular drama project. the language learning journal, 48(6), 785-798 sezgin, b. (2020). uzaktan eğitimle tiyatro ve drama dersleri mümkün mü?. mimesis performing arts portal. staff chronicle. (2020). here’s a list of colleges’ plans for reopening in the fall. the chronicle of higher education. unesco. (2020). covid-19 educational disruption and response. unesco. widyahening, c.e.t. & sitoresmi, u. (2021). integrated learning in drama course using youtube. research fair unisri. 5(1). https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6239 file://///insight/search%253fq=arnab%20kundu file://///insight/search%253fq=tripti%20bej https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/1472-0701 https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/1472-0701 https://doi.org/10.1108/cg-09-2020-0377 https://doi.org/10.1108/cg-09-2020-0377 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 629 exploring the challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills and how anchor charts can address them endarwati master’s degree in english language education, universitas muhamadiyah gresik, gresik, indonesia email: endarwati@gmail.com khoirul anwar master’s degree in english language education, universitas muhamadiyah gresik, gresik, indonesia email: khoirulanwar@umg.ac.id nirwanto maruf master’s degree in english language education, universitas muhamadiyah gresik, gresik, indonesia email: nirwanto.maruf@umg.ac.id apa citation: endarwati., anwar, k., & maruf, n. (2023). exploring the challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills and how anchor charts can address them. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 629-640. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8421 received: 21-06-2023 accepted: 21-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 introduction writing skills are fundamental to academic and professional success, serving as a gateway to effective communication and critical thinking. as educators, it is crucial to equip students with the necessary tools and strategies to develop their writing abilities. however, teaching writing skills presents a myriad of challenges for teachers, ranging from engaging students in the writing process to facilitating effective organization and expression of ideas. in this study, we delve into the specific challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills and explore how anchor charts can address these challenges. writing skills are not innate talents; they require explicit instruction and practice to develop. teachers play a pivotal role in guiding students through the intricacies of the writing process, helping them navigate the stages of brainstorming, drafting, revising, and editing (murtadho, 2021; yamson et al., 2022; durga & rao, 2018). however, the teaching of writing skills has long been recognized as a complex task, with numerous obstacles that teachers encounter in their instructional practices. these challenges can vary across grade levels and student demographics, necessitating a deeper understanding of the specific barriers faced by teachers. abstract: this qualitative study explores challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills and evaluates the effectiveness of anchor charts in addressing them. conducted with 20 experienced teachers from major cities in java island, indonesia, through semi-structured interviews, the findings reveal common challenges, including student apathy, limited instructional time, varied abilities, organization difficulties, resource constraints, assessment struggles, and diverse genre incorporation challenges. anchor charts emerged as a powerful instructional tool, promoting student engagement, writing organization, clarity, and coherence. students showed increased enthusiasm and motivation, while charts facilitated improved writing structure and coherence. in conclusion, anchor charts offer a promising solution to address the challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills. by incorporating anchor charts in writing instruction, educators can create visually engaging and interactive learning experiences that empower students to become proficient and confident writers.the study contributes practical recommendations, aligns with cognitive process and social constructivist theories, and emphasizes the value of visual aids to foster active learning and engagement. the study suggests future research with larger samples, longitudinal and cross-cultural approaches to enrich understanding. in conclusion, anchor charts integration fosters proficient and confident writers in effective expression. keywords: anchor charts; teachers’ challenges; teaching writing skills. endarwati, khoirul anwar, & nirwanto maruf exploring the challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills and how anchor charts can address them 630 teaching writing skills is a fundamental aspect education that plays a crucial role in developing students’ communication, critical thinking, and creativity (murtadho, 2021; choudhury, 2013; cookson & stirk, 2019). effective writing skills enable individuals to express their thoughts, ideas and knowledge in a clear and coherent manner (bobojonova, 2020; rao, 2019; mamaraimova, 2022). however, the teaching of writing skills present several challenges for educators, requiring them to navigate various complexities to support students’ growth in this area (demir et al., 2019; hidayati, 2018; nassi & nasser, 2019). one of the primary challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills is the need to balance the development of both the technical aspects and creative expression of writing (palanisamy & aziz, 2021; wahyuni et al., 2021; jack & hashim, 2023). students must acquire the foundation knowledge of grammar, sentences and vocabulary while also cultivating their creativity, originality, and voice (adam et al., 2021; febtiningsih et al., 2021; pandey, 2022). striking this balance can be demanding, particularly when faced with diverse student population with varying levels of language proficiency, learning styles, and cultural backgrounds (ahmad, 2017; kosimov, 2021; sundari, 2022). moreover, the constraints of time and curriculum expectations often add pressure on teachers, making it challenging to dedicate sufficient instructional hours solely to writing instruction. the limited time allocated to writing activities within the curriculum restricts the opportunities for students to engage in meaningful and extensive writing practice, hindering their progress an inhibiting the exploration of diverse writing genres (bingham et al., 2018; habibi et al., 2020; murray, 2023). to address these challenges, educators have explored various instructional strategies and tools that can support the teaching and learning of writing skills. one such tool that has gained attention years is the use of anchor charts. anchor charts are visual displays that provide students with key information, reminders, and examples related to a specific topic or skill (moses & lee, 2014; bacchioni & kurstedt, 2019; reyes et al,, 2022). they serve as a reference point during instruction, reinforcing concepts, and helping students retain information. anchor charts have the potential to address the challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills in several ways. firstly, they offer a visual representation of the writing process, breaking it down into manageable steps and providing clear guidance to students. this visual support can enhance students’ understanding of the writing process, helping them develop a systematic approach to their writing tasks (brown, 2014; bacchioni & kurstedt, 2019). secondly, anchor charts can serve as a scaffold for students, providing them with support and reminders of key writing elements, such as organization, paragraph structure, or grammar rules (fontanez, 2018; bacchioni & kurstedt, 2019) by referring to the anchor charts, students can strengthen their grasp of these essential writing components and apply them effectively in their own writing. reviewing the literature on the specific challenges teachers face when teaching writing skills reveals a range of obstacles that impact effective writing instruction. one prominent challenge is the struggle to strike a balance between addressing the technical aspects of writing, such as grammar and sentence structure, and fostering students’ creativity and expression. many teachers find it challenging to provide comprehensive feedback that encompass both technical and creative aspects of writing, often leading to an emphasis on one aspects over the other (gregg & steinberg, 2016; jeon, 2018; kileri & listyani, 2021). researches have shown that the challenges faced by teachers can vary depending on the development stage and linguistics abilities of the students. for instance, elementary school teachers often encounter difficulties in building a solid foundation of basic writing skills, such as sentence construction and spelling (divani et al., 2018; yoandita, 2019; nurfidoh & kareviati, 2021). meanwhile, in middle and high school teachers may struggle with advancing students’ writing skills to a more sophisticated level, such as structuring complex arguments or developing an unique writing voice (wahyumi, 2019; aprillian et al., 2021; arifin et al., 2022). others studies also mention that diverse abilities also pose challenges, as classrooms often consist of students with varying level of writing proficiency and learning styles. teachers must differentiate their instructions to accommodate the diverse needs and abilities of their students, which requires careful planning and resource allocation (maruf, 2023; hernandez, 2021; alshareef et al., 2022) . additionally, a lack of resources, such as writing materials, technology, and professional development opportunities, can hinder effective writing instruction, and insufficient access to upto-date writing resources and training programs english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 631 may limit teachers’ ability to implement innovative and research-based instructional strategies (zuhri at al., 2021; maruf & anjely, 2020; maruf et al., 2021). by identifying these challenges, educational stakeholders can work collaboratively to address them through targeted professional development programs, allocation of adequate instructional time, provision of resources, and fostering a supportive educational environment that values the development of writing skills in students of all backgrounds and abilities. regards to those description above, the present study aims to shed light on the challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills and investigate how the use of anchor charts can effectively address these challenges. by identifying the common obstacles encountered by teachers, evaluating the impact of anchor charts on student engagement and writing quality, and exploring the key factors that contribute to their effectiveness. the research questions that can be derived from the research aims above are as follows: 1) what are the common challenges faced by teachers when teaching writing skills?; 2) how does the use of anchor charts impact student engagement and writing quality?; 3) what are the key factors contributing to the effectiveness of anchor charts in addressing the challenges of teaching writing skills?. this research contributes to the field of education by providing valuable insights and practical recommendations for enhancing writing instruction. furthermore, this study contributes to the theoretical understanding of teaching writing skills by examining the unique role of anchor charts and their potential impact on student engagement, writing organization, and overall writing quality. method the current study used a qualitative research methodology to investigate the challenges teachers have when instructing writing skills and to assess the efficiency of anchor charts in resolving these difficulties. major indonesian cities on java island, including jakarta, bandung, surabaya, semarang, gresik, and yogyakarta, were chosen as the study's participants. due to their varied educational environments and importance to the indonesian educational system, these cities were chosen. in total 20 (twenty) qualified teachers with experience teaching writing participated in the study. they were chosen based on their background in education, credentials, and writing instruction knowledge. the idea of data saturation, which states that data collecting should continue until no new topics or information emerged from the interviews, was used to select the sample size. throughout the study, the ethical issues were given top priority, assuring the participants' informed permission, privacy, and anonymity. semi-structured interviews were conducted with the chosen teachers during the data collection process, either in-person or online using tools like google meet or zoom. the utilization of online platforms offered flexibility and ease, especially in light of the participants' varied geographic locations. with the participants' permission, the interviews were audio recorded and later transcriptions were made for study. a broad educational environment was provided by the research location, which included major cities on java island, indonesia. the study attempted to acquire understanding of the difficulties teachers in teaching writing skills in the indonesian context through the data gathered from these cities. the research results provided insight into the particular situations and factors that affected the way writing abilities were taught in this particular context. conducting interviews with teachers allowed for a thorough study of their experiences, attitudes, and practices in the context of examining the challenges faced by teachers when evaluating the success of anchor charts and analyzing the issues they confront while teaching writing skills. semistructured interviewing allowed for freedom while yet covering important subjects and research issues and research problems. in order to encourage participants to discuss their experiences, viewpoints, and teaching methods for writing skills, open-ended questions were used during the interviews. this method made it possible to gain a thorough grasp of the particular difficulties teachers experienced, their opinions on the usefulness of anchor charts, and the main elements influencing their success or shortcomings. results and discussion the results of this study were derived based on the research questions that were posed at the beginning of the study. research question #1: what are the common challenges faced by teachers when teaching writing skills? the study's findings indicated some typical challenges that teachers deal with when teaching writing skills. these challenges are based on the endarwati, khoirul anwar, & nirwanto maruf exploring the challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills and how anchor charts can address them 632 participants' experiences and viewpoints, and they provide useful insights into the intricacies of teaching writing. one of the most common issues highlighted by teachers is the difficulty in persuading students to actively participate in the writing process. many teachers frequently report their difficulties in persuading students to participate actively in writing. they mentioned that students frequently show a lack of enthusiasm, making it difficult to develop interest and cultivate their engagement in writing projects. this lack of desire is a huge impediment to developing effective and interesting writing instruction. furthermore, several teachers have expressed worry about countering student apathy about writing. they stated that students occasionally view writing as a chore rather than an opportunity for self-expression, complicating the teaching of writing skills even more. it is discouraging for teachers when students lack an inherent desire to put effort into their writing. the second challenge was the limited instructional time: teachers frequently discuss the time constraints they encounter when teaching writing skills. teachers pointed out challenges fitting writing exercises into their teaching schedules due to a full curriculum and limited time allotted for writing instruction. teachers recognized the significance of offering students enough time to engage in the writing process, which includes pre-writing, drafting, rewriting, and editing. however, the short time provided posed a substantial barrier in ensuring that students received complete and relevant writing education. the third challenge regards to the considerable difficulty given by the varied variety of student abilities in their classrooms. they had to address the requirements of both struggling and advanced writers at the same time, which required them to deliver differentiated teaching. this difficult undertaking entailed adjusting teaching tactics, materials, and evaluations to fit the unique learning needs of individual students. teachers worked hard to create a welcoming and inclusive classroom climate in which all students felt respected and capable of writing well. they used peer collaboration and peer feedback tactics to encourage students to learn from and support each other's writing progress. the forth challenge was the difficulty students have in organizing their thoughts and ideas coherently in their writing. many students struggled with constructing a logical structure and employing proper transitions to connect their thoughts in a logical manner. this challenge hampered their writing's overall clarity and cohesiveness. the fifth challenge was teachers’ frustration with the lack of resources and materials to support writing instruction. this limitation included a lack of writing prompts, example texts, and technology resources, all of which are essential for creating a well-rounded writing curriculum. teachers struggled to offer students a diverse choice of themes and genres to explore in their writing due to a shortage of diverse and compelling writing prompts. writing prompts serve as catalysts for inspiring creativity and producing ideas, and their scarcity limited the diversity and depth of writing tasks. the sixth challenge regards to challenge of successfully assessing and delivering feedback on students' writing. teachers' time and effort were required to grade a significant quantity of writing assignments and provide timely and helpful feedback. grading writing assignments can be a timeconsuming endeavor, especially when each student's work requires specific attention. it was difficult to read and evaluate several pieces of writing while keeping consistency and fairness in grading. it frequently meant sacrificing valuable instructional time or working longer hours to accommodate the heavy grading burden. another problem that teachers experienced was providing timely and meaningful criticism. students benefit immensely from immediate feedback on their writing to guide their development and improvement. teachers, on the other hand, found it difficult to deliver fast responses due to the sheer volume of assignments and the requirement to provide extensive and insightful feedback. delays in providing feedback may have an impact on students' motivation and impede their progress in writing growth. the seventh challenge face by teachers regards to their writing instruction that incorporating varied genres and writing aims. they emphasized the importance of balancing the instruction of narrative, informative, and argumentative writing, as well as addressing the special writing needs of various disciplines. to provide a well-rounded writing curriculum, this problem necessitated considerable design and consideration. one teacher said that they must give kids opportunity to develop their creative storytelling talents through narrative writing while simultaneously teaching them how to write persuasively and informatively. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 633 in conclusion, this study has identified the main challenges that teachers face when teaching writing skills. these challenges include student apathy toward writing, time constraints in instruction, diverse student abilities, organizational difficulties in writing, limited access to resources, assessment and feedback challenges, and the incorporation of diverse genres and writing purposes. these challenges are enormously important in the field of writing teaching, necessitating thoughtful approaches and solutions. research question #2: how does the use of anchor charts impact students’ engagement and writing quality? the study’s finding indicates that applying anchor charts improves both student involvement and writing quality. the data revealed 5(five) key themes, providing important insight into the effectiveness of anchor charts as an instructional tool for improving writing instruction. the first key theme is increased student engagement: the data revealed that the use of anchor charts in the classroom significantly boosted student engagement with writing exercises. teachers indicated that when anchor charts were utilized to visually illustrate key concepts, writing methods, and writing process steps, students were more enthuses and motivated to participate in writing projects. anchor charts were aesthetically appealing and dynamic to students, encouraging active engagement and a stronger connection to the writing topic, as shown from these following examples of excerpts that drawn from the interviews: excerpt 1 (teachers #3) “after incorporating anchor charts into our lessons, i noticed a significant change in my students’ attitude toward writing. writing used to be met with moans and hesitation. students appear more engaged and interested in the writing process now that colorful and informative charts are on show. students frequently turn to the charts for help, and it appears that students are more confident in expressing their ideas.” excerpt 2 (teachers #4) “using anchor charts has made a significant difference in my classroom. i’ve seen that during writing tasks, students are more attentive, and they actively participate in conversations concerning the writing skills displayed on the charts. it’s as though the charts serve as visual reminder for them, allowing them to recall the procedures and approaches we’ve discussed with ease. as a result of this greater engagement, i believe their writing quality has improved.” excerpt 3 (teachers #7) “the anchor charts have proven to be an invaluable resource in my writing instruction. i can watch my students’ faces light up when i put up a fresh chart with a different writing strategy. they are anxious to learn more about it and incorporate it into their work. the charts appear to reduce difficult subjects down into easy, digestible bits, which aids both novice and experienced writers. its lovely to see their renewed interest for writing.” the second key theme is enhanced writing organization and structure: one of the most striking findings was that anchor charts had a favorable impact on students’ writing organization and structure. teachers noticed that students who had access to anchor charts were better at organizing their thoughts and ideas. the anchor charts’ visual clues aided students in comprehending the structure of various writing genres and in generating well-structured and logically organized writing. the following excerpts that drawn from the interviews illustrate this key theme: excerpt 4 (teachers #11) “since i began using anchor charts, i’ve noticed a dramatic shift in how my students approach their writing tasks. they appear to understand the overall structure of many writing genres better, and their writing are more unified. the anchor charts break out the components of each form of writing, making it easier for students to comprehend how to organize their thought. it’s especially beneficial for our struggling authors because it provides them with a defined structure to work within.” excerpt 5 (teachers #12) “i’m impressed with how the anchor charts have influenced the writing structure of my students. they are now more concerned with the order of their paragraphs and ensuring that their paragraphs and ensuring that their thoughts flow logically. when we talk about a new chart, i can see lightbulb moments in their heads. it’s as if they’ve suddenly realized how to put their writing together, and it shows in the quality of their work. i feel the anchor charts were critical endarwati, khoirul anwar, & nirwanto maruf exploring the challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills and how anchor charts can address them 634 in the development of their writing organization.” the third key theme is improved clarity and coherence: another noteworthy finding was that anchor charts increase writing quality in terms of clarity and coherence. students who used anchor charts while writing were more clear in presenting their thoughts and arguments. students were able to retain a consistent flow of thoughts thanks to visual reminders of writing rules and sentence patterns, resulting in more polished and cohesive writing projects. the following excerpts illustrate this theme: excerpt 6 (teacher #13) “i’ve noticed that when students use the anchor charts, their writing becomes much clearer and easier to follow. the charts remind them of different sentences structures and ways to connect their ideas, which helps them maintain a smooth flow in their compositions. before using anchor charts, some of my students struggled with writing in a coherent manner. but now, i see a significant improvement in how they organize their ideas, and their writing reads more logically.” excerpt 7 (teacher #15) “what stands out to me is the enhanced clarity in my students’ writing after we introduced anchor charts. they now pay closer attention to the structure of their paragraphs, and make sure each idea flows smoothly into the next. the anchor charts serve as a constant reminder of how to construct clear and concise sentences, which has significantly improved the overall coherence of their writing. it’s impressive to see how a simple visual tool can make such difference in their writing quality.” the forth key theme regards to enhanced student autonomy and confidence: teachers reported that anchor charts assisted students become more independent writers. students felt more secure in their writing talents and were less reliant on regular teacher supervision when anchor charts were easily available as references. the charts served as dependable resources that promoted students’ autonomy in the writing process, resulting in a sense of success and pride in their work. the following excerpts demonstrate the above finding: excerpt 8 (teacher #17) “the anchor charts have had a remarkable effect on my students’ autonomy and self-assurance in writing. they now have a go-to resource that they can to rely on when they encounter challenges in their writing. i’ve noticed that they approach writing tasks with more confidence, knowing they have the support of the anchor charts. as the results, they are taking more risks in their writing and experimenting with different writing techniques.” excerpt 9 (teacher #19) “using anchor charts has definitely nurtured a sense of autonomy among my students. they feel more in control of their writing process and are less reliant on me for constant guidance. it’s gratifying to witness them taking charge of their work and demonstrating a newfound confidence in their writing abilities. the anchor has provided them with valuable tool to navigate the writing process with greater independence.” excerpt 10 (teacher #20) “it’s been amazing to see how the anchor charts have boosted my students’ confidence in writing. they use to be hesitant and constantly seeking my approval during the writing process. but ever since we started using anchor charts, they have become more independent. they refer to the charts, follow the writing guidelines, and take ownership of their work. it’s truly empowering to witness their growing autonomy as writers.” the fifth key theme refers to the impact on writing revision: the findings also demonstrated that the use of anchor charts influenced the editing positively. students were more proactive in rereading and improving their writing depending on the information supplied in the anchor charts. as students accepted the concept of ongoing development and revision as essential components of the writing process, this iterative approach to writing encouraged a growth mentality. excerpt 11 (teacher #5) “i noticed a significant change in my students’ approach to writing revision after implementing anchor charts. they to be reluctant to revise their work, thinking that their first draft was the final version. but with the anchor charts, they now see revision as an opportunity to enhance their writing. i’ve had students excitedly come up to me, saying, “look, i revised my introduction using the strategies on the anchor chart, and it english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 635 sounds much better now!” it’s truly rewarding to witness their growth mindset taking shape.” excerpt 12 (teacher #8) “the impact on the writing revision process has been remarkable. the anchor charts have become a valuable tool for my students to guide their revisions. they refer to the charts to check for writing conventions, sentence structure, and content organization. this has instilled a sense of ownership in their writing. they recognize that writing is an ongoing process, and they actively seek ways to refine and improve their work.” excerpt 10 (teacher #10) “what struck me the most was how the anchor charts transformed the way my students view writing revision. before, they used to be hesitant and unsure about what changes to make. but now, they confidently use the anchor charts as a reference, identifying areas for improvement in their writing. i’ve seen them take pride in their revisions, knowing that they are making their writing more effective and impactful. it’s evident that the anchor charts have encouraged a positive and growth-oriented mindset in writing.” the finding above provided important insights into impact of anchor charts on students’ writing skills and engagement. the findings showed that having anchor charts in the classroom boosted student involvement with writing exercises because students considered them visually appealing and interesting. furthermore, the use of anchor charts improved students’ writing organization and structure, assisting them in developing well-structured and logically arranged works. teachers noticed that students who used anchor charts while writing had better clarity and consistency in their ideas and arguments. furthermore, the anchor charts enabled students to become more independent writers as they gained confidence in their abilities and relied less on frequent teacher supervision. the results revealed that anchor charts had a considerable favorable influence on students’ involvement with writing activities. this finding is consistent with prior research highlighting the relevance of visual aids and interactive tools in increasing students’ interest and motivation in the learning process. the visual appeal of anchor charts served as a powerful means of capturing students’ attention, making writing lessons more captivating and enjoyable. this increased engagement may be attributed to the fact that anchor students charts visually represent key concepts and writing strategies, allowing students to actively interact with the content and fostering a deeper connection to the writing process (bacchioni & kurstedt, 2019). additionally, the existence of anchor charts improved students’ writing quality particularly in terms of organization and structure. this finding is consistent with previous research that has stressed the importance of visual aids in assisting students’ understanding of complicated topics and fostering improved organizational skills in their work (kour, 2020; bacchioni & kurstedt, 2019). anchor charts’ visual cues assisted students in comprehending the structure of various writing genres, allowing them to write well-structured and rationally ordered writings. as a results, students’ coherence and clarity in articulating their thoughts and arguments improved. the findings of this study resonate with several previous related studies that have explored the use of instructional aids in writing instruction. for instance, a study by aşık (2022) found that the incorporation of visual tools, such as graphic organizers and anchor charts, led to enhanced writing organization and coherence among elementary students. similarly, a study by lee and choi (2019) highlighted that the use of anchor charts positively influenced students’ engagement with writing activities and resulted in improved writing quality. however, it is worth noting that while previous studies have focused on the impact of anchor charts in specific age groups or academic settings (rahmawati & siti, 2022).the current study offers insight from teachers across various grade level and major cities in jawa island, indonesia. this broader context contributes to the generalizability of findings and enhances their significance in the field of education and language teaching. in term of theoretical implications, the findings align with cognitive process theory and social constructivist theory. cognitive process theory posits that learning involves a series of mental processes, including attention, encoding, and retrieval of information (flower & hayes, 1981). the use of anchor charts in this study aligns with this theory, as it captures students’ attention and aids in encoding key writing concepts and strategies. the visually represented information on anchor charts acts as a retrieval cue during the writing process, facilitating students’ application of learned strategies. also, social constructivist theory emphasizes the role of social interactions in knowledge endarwati, khoirul anwar, & nirwanto maruf exploring the challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills and how anchor charts can address them 636 construction (vygotsky, 2019). in the context of this study the collaborative nature of using anchor charts encourages peer interactions and discussions about writing strategies, thus facilitating knowledge sharing and coconstruction about writing strategies, thus facilitating knowledge sharing and coconstruction of understanding among students. moreover, the empowerment of students to independently use anchor charts for writing supports the tenets of social constructivism, as it fosters self-regulations and a sense of agency in the learning process (mohamad &romli, 2021). one novel insight that emerged from this study is the impact of anchor charts on students’ autonomy and confidence as writers. the findings suggest that the use of anchor charts can lead to increased self-efficacy and a sense of accomplishment among students, fostering a growth mindset in writing. this aspect warrants further investigation in future research to explore the long-term effects of anchor chart use on students’ writing motivation and self-perception as writers. conclusion this research has provided valuable insights into challenges faced by teachers when teaching writing skills and the effectiveness of anchor charts in addressing these challenges. the findings highlight the positive impact of anchor charts on student engagement, writing quality, and the revision process, as well as their role in fostering student autonomy and confidence in writing. the study emphasizes the importance of incorporating anchor charts in writing instruction to create visually engaging and interactive learning experiences. the practical recommendations derived from the study offer valuable guidance to educators and policymakers for enhancing writing instruction and empowering students as independent and proficient writers. moreover, this research contributes to the theoretical understanding of writing instruction by aligning with cognitive process theory and social constructivist theory. by recognizing the cognitive benefits of visual cues and the collaborative nature of learning, this study strengthens the theoretical foundation of using anchor charts in writing pedagogy. additionally, the study aligns with current educational trends that promote technology integration and visual aids to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. by addressing the challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills, particularly in the context of major cities in java island, indonesia, this research fills existing gaps in the literature and provides a basis for future studies in language education. in essence, the findings of this study emphasize the significance of incorporating anchor charts as a valuable instructional tool for writing development. by empowering students with a visually appealing and supportive learning environment, educators can nurture proficient and confident writers capable of expressing their ideas and creativity effectively. the study's insights have the potential to enrich writing instruction practices and contribute to the overall improvement of language teaching strategies in indonesia and beyond. the present study, despite its contributions, is not without limitations. one of the main limitations is the relatively small sample size of 20 teachers from major cities in java island, indonesia. while efforts were made to ensure diversity in the selection of participants, the limited sample size may restrict the generalizability of the findings to a broader population of teachers in different regions or educational contexts. additionally, the use of purposive sampling may introduce selection bias, as certain perspectives or experiences of teachers may have been underrepresented in the study. another limitation of the study is the constraint of time. the research was conducted within a limited timeframe, which impacted the depth and breadth of data collection. as a result, certain aspects of the challenges faced by teachers when teaching writing skills and the impact of anchor charts on writing quality may not have been explored in as much detail as desired. a more extensive and prolonged data collection period could have allowed for a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomena under investigation. to address these limitations and build on the findings of this study, several avenues for future research are suggested. firstly, longitudinal studies could be conducted to track the long-term impact of anchor charts on students' writing development. examining students' writing progress over an extended period would provide valuable insights into the sustained effects of anchor charts on their writing skills. additionally, future research could include comparative studies that investigate the effectiveness of anchor charts in comparison to other instructional tools or strategies for teaching writing skills. this would help identify the specific strengths and weaknesses of anchor charts relative english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 637 to other approaches, enabling educators to make informed decisions about their instructional choices. moreover, it would be beneficial to include the perspectives of students in future research. by incorporating student feedback, researchers can gain a holistic understanding of the impact of anchor charts on their writing experiences. this insight could provide valuable information on the factors that contribute to students' engagement and writing improvement. references arifin, s., arifani, y., maruf, n., & helingo, a. (2022). a case study of efl teacher scaffolding of an asd learner’s shared reading with a storybook app. the journal of asiatefl, 19(4), 12341249. adam, n., abid, a., & bantulu, y. (2021). challenges in teaching english writing skills: lessons learnt from indonesian high school english language teachers. jambura journal of english teaching and literature, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.37905/jetl.v2i1.10632 ahmad, z. (2017). empowering efl learners through a needs-based academic writing course design. international journal of english language teaching, 5(9). alshareef, k. k., imbeau, m. b., & albiladi, w. s. (2022). exploring the use of technology to differentiate instruction among teachers of gifted and talented students in saudi arabia. in gifted and talented international (vol. 37, issue 1). https://doi.org/10.1080/15332276.2022.204150 7 aprillian, d., hente, muh, a., & budi. (2021). an analysis of grade eleven students’ ability in writing descriptive text. journal of foreign language and educational research, 4(2). aşık, a. (2022). digital storytelling: an alternative method and a multimodal task to improve writing skill of english language learners. in english language education (vol. 30). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13540-8_4 bacchioni, s., & kurstedt, r. l. (2019). personalized anchor charts: bridging small-group work to independence. reading teacher, 72(5). https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1772 bingham, g. e., quinn, m. f., mcroy, k., zhang, x., & gerde, h. k. (2018). integrating writing into the early childhood curriculum: a frame for intentional and meaningful writing experiences. early childhood education journal, 46(6). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-018-0894-x bobojonova, z. (2020). effective teaching of productive language skills to the english language learners. science and education, 1(7). brown, j. r. (2014). hook and hold. teaching children mathematics, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.5951/teacchilmath.21.1.0046 choudhury, a. s. (2013). speaking, writing, and developing writing skills in english. language in india, 13(9). cookson, m. d., & stirk, p. m. r. (2019). developing students’ writing skill in english a process approach. journal for research scholars and professionals of english language teaching, 2(6). demir ayaz, a., ozkardas, s., & ozturan, t. (2019). challenges of english language teaching in high schools in turkey and possible suggestions to overcome them. eurasian journal of applied linguistics, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.543778 divani, f. a., ghufron, m. a., & matin, m. f. (2018). students’ difficulties in writing efl descriptive text. jurnal pendidikan edutama, 2(1). durga, s. . s., & rao, c. s. (2018). developing students’ writing skills in english-a process approach. journal for research scholars and professionals of english language teaching, 2(6). febtiningsih, p., ardiya, & wibowo, a. p. (2021). teachers’ challenges in teaching english writing skills for visually impaired students at indonesian special senior high schools. eltlectura, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.31849/eltlectura.v8i1.5472 flower, l., & hayes, j. r. (1981). a cognitive process theory of writing. college composition and communication, 32(4). https://doi.org/10.2307/356600 fontanez, k. (2018). examining the impact of art-based anchor charts on academic achievement in language arts. in dissertation abstracts international section a: humanities and social sciences (vol. 79, issues 3-a(e)). gregg, l. w., & steinberg, e. r. (2016). cognitive processes in writing. in cognitive processes in writing. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315630274 habibi, m., sukirno, taufina, sukma, e., suriani, a., & putera, r. f. (2020). direct writing activity: a strategy in expanding narrative writing skills for elementary schools. universal journal of educational research, 8(10). https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.081003 hernandez, s. (2021). exploring secondary teachers’ willingness to differentiate instruction for ells. intesol journal, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.18060/25181 hidayati, k. h. (2018). teaching writing to efl learners: an investigation of challenges confronted by indonesian teachers. langkawi: journal of the association for arabic and english, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.31332/lkw.v4i1.772 jack, j. d. l., & hashim, h. (2023). a systematic review on the tools used in teaching writing skills endarwati, khoirul anwar, & nirwanto maruf exploring the challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills and how anchor charts can address them 638 in esl classrooms. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v13-i1/16310 jeon, e. y. (2018). the effect of learner-centered efl writing instruction on korean university students’ writing anxiety and perception. tesol international journal, 13(3). kileri, z. h., & listyani, l. (2021). academic writing students’ perceptions on teacher feedback. prominent, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.24176/pro.v4i2.6187 kosimov, a. a. (2021). the importance of needs analysis in teaching and enhancing english language proficiency among uzbek efl learners. asian journal of research in social sciences and humanities, 11(11). https://doi.org/10.5958/22497315.2021.00294.x kour, k. (2020). audio visual and other aids to language teaching. journal of critical reviews, 7(11). mamaraimova, e. (2022). effective methods of improving learners’ writing skills. zamonaviy lingvistik tadqiqotlar: xorijiy tajribalar, istiqbolli izlanishlar va tillarni o‘qitishning innovatsion usullari, 1(1), 267-268. https://doi.org/10.47689/linguistic-research-voliss1-pp267-268 maruf, n., & anjely, a. m. r. (2020). utilizing cooperative integrated reading and composition (circ) with mobile learning to enhance students’ reading comprehension. british (jurnal bahasa dan sastra inggris), 9(2), 10–19. maruf, n., desembrianita, e., & husain, d. h. (2021). identifying esp course materials for students of magister management: a needs analysis. budapest international research and critics institute (birci-journal): humanities and social sciences, 4(3), 5773–5788. maruf, n. (2023). the interplay of teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and the implementation of differentiated instruction in indonesian efl contexts. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 357-364. mohamad, n. s., & muhamad romli, t. r. (2021). application of theory of social constructivism in teaching arabic teachers to apply higher order thinking skill. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v10-i2/10130 moses, e., & lee, h. (2014). imitate and innovate anchor charts. ira e-ssentials. https://doi.org/10.1598/e-ssentials.8065 murray, m. b. (2023). writing as a meaningful component of the mfa curriculum. dance education in practice, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23734833.2022.212781 9 murtadho, f. (2021). metacognitive and critical thinking practices in developing efl students’ argumentative writing skills. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i3.31752 nassi, a., & nasser, a. (2019). teaching the writing skill to yemeni efl learners: the importance and challenge. south-asian journal of multidisciplinary studies (sajms), 3(6). nurfidoh, s., & kareviati, e. (2021). an analysis of students’ difficulties in writing descriptive texts. project (professional journal of english education), 4(1). https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v4i1.p16-22 palanisamy, s. a., & abdul aziz, a. (2021). systematic review: challenges in teaching writing skills for upper secondary in esl classrooms and suggestions to overcome them. malaysian journal of social sciences and humanities (mjssh), 6(4). https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v6i4.749 pandey, m. (2022). english language teachers’ perception of teaching writing in nepali high schools. journal of teson, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.3126/jteson.v3i1.51771 rahmawati, siti, i. (2022). penerapan media audio visual dalam pembelajaran menulis teks eksplanasi. penerapan media audio, 6(1). reyes, a., leckie, a., & stevenson, a. (2022). building on what we know: best practices for engaging emergent bilinguals in learning. gatesol journal, 32(1). https://doi.org/10.52242/gatesol.157 srinivas rao, p. (2019). effective teaching of writing skills to the english language learners. international journal of english language, literature and translation studies, 6(4). sundari, h. (2022). analyzing needs of online-based efl academic writing course: students’ voices in course design. research and development journal of education, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.30998/rdje.v8i1.11215 vygotsky, l. s. (2019). interaction between learning and development. in mind in society. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvjf9vz4.11 wahyumi, i. (2019). an analysis of students’ ability and difficulties in writing descriptive text (astudy at second grade at smpn 3 bontonompo). muhammadiyah university of makassar. wahyuni, d., oktavia, w., & addinna, a. (2021). indonesian high school teachers’ approaches in teaching literature in english. proceedings of the eighth international conference on english language and teaching (icoelt-8 2020), 579. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210914.010 yamson (maed), e. p., & l. borong (edd), n. (2022). metacognitive strategies for developing writing skills. international journal of social sciences and humanities invention, 9(11). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 639 https://doi.org/10.18535/ijsshi/v9i011.08 yoandita, p. e. (2019). an analysis of students’ ability and difficulties in writing descriptive text. jurnal joepallt (journal of english pedagogy, linguistics, literature, and teaching), 7(1). https://doi.org/10.35194/jj.v7i1.534 zuhri, s., anwar, k., & maruf, n. (2021). the correlation between extensive reading , critical reading , and selfesteem in students ’ reading abilities. budapest international research and critics institute-journal (birci-journal), 4(3). endarwati, khoirul anwar, & nirwanto maruf exploring the challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills and how anchor charts can address them 640 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 413 lexical and contextual meanings in song lyrics “moana original soundtrack”: pedagodical implication sudar (corresponding author) english education program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah, purworejo, indonesia email: sudarbintang@umpwr.ac.id tusino english education program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah, purworejo, indonesia email: tusino82@umpwr.ac.id beta radish charica dewi english education program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah, purworejo, indonesia email: betaradish@gmail.com apa citation: sudar., tusino., & dewi, b. r. c. (2023). lexical and contextual meanings in song lyrics “moana original soundtrack”: pedagodical implication. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 413-422. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.6919 received: 19-02-2023 accepted: 27-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction lexical and contextual meaning of song lyrics are the main discussion of this study. the title of the song lyrics is "maona original soundtracks." word has different meaning between lexical and contextual. in the study of context, a word has a meaning that is inappropriate if it is interpreted lexically. the meaning of a word also depends on the context of the situation and also the context of culture (ardhyanti & supriyatiningsih, 2020; noviani & bram, 2021). this is often referred to as contextual meaning. in 2013 curriculum, senior high school students who take the english language and literature class will get additional material related to literature, one of which is to understand english song. to understand the information being transmitted in a song’s lyrics, all the words and phrases must be grasped (oktariani et al., 2018; yastanti & setiawati, 2018). contextual meaning is connected to song lyrics because singers occasionally employ terms that that different meanings from their dictionary definitions (mamun et al., 2022; ; miarsih et al., 2018; murodi et al., 2021), making them difficult to interpret (wijayanti et al., 2022) and can also create various meanings (pasisingi et al., 2022). abstract: this research aims to analyze song lyrics containing lexical and contextual meanings in the title of “moana original soundtrack.". there are three research questions such as; 1.what is the form of lexical meaning in the song lyrics? .2. what is the form of contextual meanings found in the song lyrics? 3. how is the implementation of lexical and contextual meanings for teaching purposes, particularly for teaching reading skills? researchers used a qualitative descriptive method to conduct the study. the data sources of this research were the song lyrics of "moana original soundtrack.”. researchers’ chose five lyrics taken from internet social media. procedures concerning to the data collection and organizations are such as; first, researchers read and comprehension of song lyrics. second, researchers identified the words, phrases, and sentences containing lexical and contextual meaning. the third, researchers conducted coding and interpreting lexical and contextual meaning found in the song lyrics of maona original soundtrck. the forth, researchers concluded the results of analysis based on findings. the results showed that there are thirty five words in the song lyrics of “moana original soundtrack” contained lexical and contextual meanings. there were twelve words found in how far i’ll go, six words found in i am “moana”, ten words found in where you are, three words found in shiny, and four words found in know who you are. furthermore, texts of song lyrics containing lexical and contextual meaning can be use as a teaching material for critical reading skills. keywords: contextual; lexical; meaning; pedagogical implication; song lyrics. sudar, tusino, & beta radish charica dewi lexical and contextual meanings in song lyrics” moana original soundtrack”: pedagodical implication 414 therefore, it is important for the students to know how to understand the meaning of words, especially song lyrics lexically and contextually. "moana" is a 3d animated, musical, fantasy adventure, and computerized film. it is from walt disney. the film is the story of a powerful, brave, and independent daughter of a chief in the polynesian tribe. this character is very close to the life teenager. besides moana's original soundtrack, the soundtrack contains five original songs. the title of the songs are; "how far i'll go," "shinny," “i’m moana," "where you are," and "know who you are." however, there are many words of song lyrics that provide meaningful interpretations for readers and listeners (zahira & wulandari, 2022). it also means that the writer composes the words with the grammatical meaning and composes logically and contextually related words by using poetic words. therefore, the teacher can use moana's original soundtrack as material to teach reading. based on the explanation above, researchers would like to conduct a research by analyzing song lyrics. researchers take some theories which are used as a foundation to run the sequence research. those are related to lexical and contextual meaning. as stated by nurfithri (2022), it will be simple to understand the overall meaning of the song by understanding the lexical meaning and contextual meaning of the words in the song lyrics. there were some previous studies conducted related to lexical and contextual meaning discussion. the first was the study conducted by chotimah and as sabiq (2021). they investigated contextual meaning written in the song lyrics of rex orange county’s album “pony” and its pedagogical implication. in this study, the researchers focused on analyzing the contextual meaning and its implication in pedagogic. they did not analyze lexical meaning written in the song lyrics. comparing to this study, this study would like to investigate the lexical and contextual meaning written in the song lyrics and also its pedagogical implication, particularly for teaching reading material. the second previous study was a research which was conducted by syahfitri, (2021). she investigated song lyrics of indonesian song in the title “terserah” composed by willy winarko. she analyzed lexical and contextual meanings in that song lyrics. on the other hand, she did not implement the results of lexical and contextual meanings interpretation for a teaching purpose. she only interpreted the different meaning between lexical and contextual meaning. the contextual meanings of song lyrics “ terserah” related to covid-19 pandemic. further, the research conducted by syahfitri (2021) was different from this study. the third previous study was conducted by, (yahya et al., 2018). they analyzed song lyrics in the title” michael learns to rock’s (mltr)” songs. they analyzed lexical and contextual meaning of those song lyrics, on the other sides; they did not implement the results of analysis for teaching purposes. they only identified the lexical meaning and contextual meaning found in that song lyrics, and then they interpreted to semantic point of view. further, their study research was different focuses from the discussion in this study. furthermore, the last previous study was conducted by hariyanto, (2017). he analyzed the figurative language used in the song lyrics of firework by katty perry, he also analyzed that figurative language based on the context to find out the meanings. referring to the purposes of analyzing of song lyrics in the title “firework” by katy perry, he did not analyze lexical and contextual meaning specifically. furthermore, he also did not implement the results of analysis for teaching purposes, and then his study was different from the focuses of this research. this research focused on analyzing the lexical and contextual meanings and its implementation for teaching purposes. based on those descriptions of previous studies, this research is different from those discussions. furthermore, the research questions of this study can be formulated as the following: (1) what is the form lexical meaning found in the song lyrics of “maona original soundtrack”? (2) what is the form of contextual meaning found in the song lyrics of “maona original soundtrack? (3) how is the implementation of lexical and contextual meanings analysis for teaching purposes, particularly for teaching reading skills? referring to those research questions, the researchers would like to explain the purposes of this study. the purposes of conducting this research are as the following; 1. to identify and to describe the lexical meanings found in the song lyrics of “maona original soundtrack. the second is to analyze contextual meanings found in the words, phrases, or sentences of song lyrics in the title” maona original soundtrack. furthermore, the last purpose of this study is to explain the implementation of the results analysis english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 415 of lexical and contextual meanings for teaching, particularly teaching reading skills. there are two meanings, namely, lexical and contextual meanings (hulu, 2023). jenney and lyons cited by hasanah and habibullah (2020), described lexical meaning as the meaning that can stand by itself. it means that lexical meaning is a meaning based on the definition written in the dictionary. lexical meaning is a meaning that never changes the core of its words, phrases, or sentences (kriz et al., 2018; sholihah & pratiwi, 2018). it relates with the real meaning (qurrata’ain & triyono, 2019). lexical meaning is a meaning taken from the original references (permana & winarta, 2021). furthermore, lexical meaning interpret the meaning originally without expanding and also without minimizing the value of that meaning. it is different from contextual meaning. contextual meaning is a meaning that depends on the context, at least based on context of culture and context of situation. in the following, researchers would like to described as deep as possible the contextual meaning. the following are many experts who argued about contextual meanings from different their point of view. parera and dash, cited by hasanah and habibullah (2020), stated contextual meaning was a meaning that cannot be separated from the context of culture and context of ecology. further, anindya cited in nguyen et al. (2020), he described that contextual meaning is a meaning which is inside the context. then, rifardi cited in sinaga and herman (2020), stated eleven components of meaning such as; gender, situation, purposes, formal and informal contexts in conversation, mood context of speaker or listener, time, place, the object of the context, the context of completeness, linguistics context, and the context of language itself. furthermore, according to chotimah & sabiq (2021), context refers to circumstances, such as the time, place, and environment in which language is employed. kreidler and pateda cited in tambunan et al.(2020), they stated that contextual meaning that is a meaning of a word inside the context. it was related to the situation, time, and environment. contextual meaning is a meaning referred to the context. furthermore, when a verbal expression cannot be comprehended immediately, contextual meaning refers to the act of an examining the context to reveal additional indications for the intended meaning (munthe et al., 2022). however, the contextual meaning could be regarded to the situation, where the time, the language usage environment. it is the meaning of a word or lexeme in relation to its surrounding context (belu & sari, 2021). that proves that the word will not be separated from the context of its use. therefore, context is indeed very important in terms of meaning analysis. asrifan et al. (2021) argued that the word cannot be used and meaningful for all contexts because that context will always be changed from one time to another. depraetere (2019) defines context as the ‘simple’ (formal) surroundings of a word or speech, that is, the linguistic and conversational qualities. syahfitri (2021) further explains that the meaning is not only limited to sentence units. there are units higher than sentence units. this unit is called the supra sentence unit or discourse unit. as a unity of meaning, discourse is read as a whole language because every part of the discourse is related to unity (sari & anindita, 2020). generally, discourse refers to a whole text (if possible), both in oral and written situations; it does not need to refer to rational and logical contents; a discourse can be submitted to any language purpose or any type of reality; for example, a poem, a conversation, a tragedy, a joke, a discussion at a seminar, a long history, a paper in a magazine, an interview, a sermon, and a tv interview. according to hutajalu et al. (2023), the situational and cultural contexts influence discourse. researchers often say that the meaning and information obtained and interpreted cannot be separated from the context in discourse and semantic analysis. the interaction referred to in discourse is language interaction. settings, including the time and place the situation occurred. activities are all behaviors that occur in verbal and nonverbal language interactions, including speakers' impressions, feelings, responses, and perceptions. relations, including the relationship between the participants of speaking, dash (2008) argued the meaning of context is related to the environment. the meaning of a word can be implicit with the neighboring of words. further, he classified the context itself into four namely; local context, sentential context, topical context, and global context. sudar, tusino, & beta radish charica dewi lexical and contextual meanings in song lyrics” moana original soundtrack”: pedagodical implication 416 figure 1. the conceptual layering of contexts of a word in a piece of text (dash, 2008, p. 26) the description of the figure 1.1 is the following; the first is a local context. it refers to the knowledge of words. the second is a sentential context. it refers immediately to the beyond meaning of local context. the third is a topical context. it refers to the wider of circle of meaning beyond the sentence. the last, it is a global context. it is the meaning of words which is larger and wider. method this research belongs to descriptive qualitative. researchers describe the data in form of song lyrics which are taken from the internet. researchers described the song lyrics by using theories of lexical and contextual meaning. the subjects of this research are five song lyrics in the title of “maona original soundtrack” taken from the internet. the focus of analysis is specifically in form of words, phrases, sentences, containing lexical and contextual meaning. bogdan and biklen cited in creswell (2018), stated that there are some techniques to collect the data in qualitative research; one of them is documentation which contains text (words) that have been recorded without researcher intervention. therefore, in this study, researchers used documentation as the technique of collecting data. the final written report has a flexible structure. the researchers used the following steps in collecting and analyzing the data: observing, identifying, coding, analyzing and interpreting, and describing the data. all steps were related to the application of lexical contextual meaning found in “moana original soundtrack." furthermore, drawing conclusions and suggestions were the final steps in the process of analyzing the data. results and discussions table 1. lexical and contextual meaning in moana original soundtrack no title of moana original soundtrack total 1 “ how far i will go” 12 2 “i am moana” 6 3 “where you are” 10 4 “shiny” 3 5 “know who you are” 4 total 35 researchers explained 35 words from five song lyrics of “moana original soundtrack” that contain lexical and contextual meaning. the sources of 35 words of lexical and contextual meaning are as the following; the first is 12 words found in how far i’ll go, the second is 6 words found in i am “moana”. further, there are 10 words of lexical and contextual meaning found in the songs of “where you are. then, there are 3 words of lexical and contextual meaning found in the song of “shiny”. the last words containing lexical and contextual meaning found in the song of “know who you are, it was 4 words. to understand the descriptions of findings, researchers explain each data containing of lexical and contextual meaning. the description of words containing lexical and contextual meaning is as follows; first is the song lyrics in the title of “how far i'll go” .words contain lexical and contextual meaning such as: table 2. words containing lexical and contextual meaning words taken from song lyrics lexical meaning hornby (2010) contextual meaning ” how far i’ll go” the first is the word perfect in the following sentence. “i wish i could be the perfect daughter (s1 & l3)”. having everything that is necessary; complete and without fault and weaknesses. “perfect” here means a daughter like what her father really wants. commonly father wants his daughter to be good children, children who are successful in her life and children are able to be surviving to overcome their life. it is the natural mission of father to her daughter. there is no father who wants his daughter to be fail in her life. the second is the word but, in the following sentence;” but i come back to the water, no matter how hard i try (s1 & l4)”. the meaning of that word is a liquid without color, smell and taste that falls as rain, is in lakes, rivers and seas and is used for drinking, washing, etc. “water” here reflects something that she really wants. her own choices and way of life. something in which she feels overwhelming and can be her own self. the third is the word place in the following sentence; “to the place i know, where i cannot go, where i that word has a meaning about a particular position, point or area. “place” it refers to the life goals that still cannot be achieved by moana. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 417 long to be (s1 &l7)”. the fourth is the word line in the following sentence; “see the line where the sky meets the sea? it calls me (s2 & l1)”. the meaning of that word is a long thin mark on a surface. “line” it indicates the restrictions or regulations made by moana's father which cannot be broken. the fifth is the word sky in the following sentence; “see the line where the sky meets the sea? it calls me (s2 & l1)”. the meaning of the word sky is the space above the earth that you can see when you look up, where clouds and the sun, moon and stars appear. “sky” it describes the wishes of moana’s father and ambitions along with all the rules that have been carried out so far and expected to be fulfilled and passed on by moana. the sixth the word sea in the following sentence;”see the line where the sky meets the sea? it calls me (s2 & l1)”. the word sea here means, the saltwater that covers most of the earth's surface and surrounds it continents and islands. “sea” it is pictures’ desire and ambition of moana who wants to be herself but it contrary to what her father has expected. the seventh is the word it in the following sentence; “and no one knows, how far it goes (s2 & l2). the word it here is used to refer to an animal or thing that has already been mentioned or that is being talked about now. “”refers to moana’s desire and effort to break the boundaries that made by her father. the eight is the word wind in the following sentence; “ if the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me (s2 & l3)”. the word wind here it means an air that moves quickly as a result of natural forces. “wind” explaining the good fortune that will make moana's dreams come true. the ninth is the word sail in the following sentence; “ if the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me (s2 & l3)”. the word sail means a boat of ship or the people on it to begin a journey on water. “sail ”it describes the moana’s struggle to achieve her dream and desire. the tenth is the word but in the following sentence; “but the voice inside sings a different song (s3 & l7)”. the meaning of the voice means the sound or sounds produced through the mouth by speaking or singing. “voice” it is the sound of maona’s desire in her heart that is eager to do things differently from her father and her people in the village. the eleventh is the word light in the following sentence; “see the light as it shines on the sea? it's blinding (s4 & l1)”. the energy from the sun, a lamp, etc. that makes it possible to see things. “light ”it indicating the chance for moana to be free to do what she wants and to be herself. the twelfth word is the word line in the following sentence;” and let me know, what's beyond that line, will i cross that line? (s4& l4)”. a long thin mark on surface. “line” for explaining the boundary from her father which has not been able to pass by moana. words taken from song lyrics: “i am moana”. lexical meaning contextual meaning the first is the word journey in the following sentence; “i have journeyed farther (s2 & l10)”. the word journeyed here means an act of travelling from one place to another, especially when they are far apart. “journeyed” it is the way of life that believed and chosen by moana herself. the second is the word call in the following sentence;” and the call isn't out there at all, it's inside me (s2 & l12)”. the word call here means to give somebody/something a particular name; to use a particular name or title when you are talking to sb. word “call” is the wishes, hopes and dreams of moana that are still buried deep in her heart and soul. the third is the word tide in the following sentence: “it's like the tide, always falling and rising (s2 & l13)”. the word tide has meaning of a regular rise and fall in the level of the sea, caused by the pull of the moon and sun; the flow of water. “tide” it is a confidence in moana's wishes, hopes and dreams, which is sometimes very optimistic and often pessimistic. the fourth is the word you in the following sentence:”i will carry you here in my heart you'll remind me (s2 & l14)”. the meaning word you here it is used as the subject of a verb or after a preposition to refer to the person or people being spoken or written to. “you” it is for describing someone who always supports moana’s dreams, and convinces her that she can achieve what she wants by being herself. the fifth is the word way in the following sentence:”i know the way(s2 & l16)”. a method, style or manner of doing something. “way ”it is a solution or step that will take by moana to reach her goals and break every problems or obstacles that she face. the sixth is the word song in the following sentence:”they dance to an ancient song(s2 & l2)”. the meaning of the word song here means a short piece of music with words that you sing. “song” it indicates traditions, customs and habits that are always practiced by people on the island and tend to be irreversible. words taken from song lyrics:“shiny”. lexical meaning contextual meaning sudar, tusino, & beta radish charica dewi lexical and contextual meanings in song lyrics” moana original soundtrack”: pedagodical implication 418 the first is the word shiny in the following sentence:”it is the shiny(s3 & l1)”. smooth and bright, reflecting the light. “shiny” to explain the perfect with all of the advantages. the second is the word glitters in the following sentence:” they chase anything that glitters (beginners!) (s5 & l3)”. to shine brightly with little flashes of light, like a diamond. “glitters” it is looks very attractive even though it is a deadly trap. the third is the word horizon in the following sentence:”i have crossed the horizon to find you (s1 & l1)”. the furthest that you can see, where the sky seems to meet the land or the sea. “horizon” it is explaining a limitation of moana’s father for not crossing the ocean that has been broken by moana. words taken from song lyrics: “know who you are”. lexical meaning contextual meaning the first is the word heart in the following sentence:”they have stolen the heart from inside you (s1 & l3)”. the word heart here means the organ in the chest that sends blood around the body, usually on the left in humans. “heart” it is the natural wealth which taken because of human greed. the second is the word this in the following sentence:”but this does not define you (s1 & l4)”. the word this here it is used to refer to a particular person, thing or event that is close to you, especially compared with another. “this” it refers to the anger and revenge filled with desires to destroy, like disasters that occur due to natural imbalances because of overexploitation. the third is the word you in the following sentence:”this is not who you are (s1 & l5)”. the pronoun you here means it is used as the subject or object of a verb or after a preposition to refer to the person or people being spoken or written to. “you” it is the nature which nurtures and gives life, guard and does not destroy. a peaceful place to live in. words taken from song lyrics: “where you are”. lexical meaning contextual meaning the first is the word song in the following sentence:”who needs a new song? this old one's all we need (s2 & l3)”. the word song here means a short piece of music with words that you sing. “song” it is the changing of traditions, customs and habits of the people on the island. the second is the word trip in the following sentence:”don't trip on the taro root (s3 & l3)”. the meaning of the trip here is a journey to a place and back again, especially a short one for a pleasure or a particular purpose. “trip” it refers to leaving the existing traditions and replace them with new traditions that are considered inappropriate. the third is the word root in the following sentence:”don't trip on the taro root (s3 & l3)”. the meaning of the word root here is a part of a plant that grows under the ground and absorbs water and minerals that it sends to the rest of the plant. “root”it describes the new traditions and life that are different from the old ones. the fourth is the word see in the following sentence:”i wanna see.”. the meaning of the see in that sentence means become aware of omebody/something by using your eyes. “see” it describes the trying to find new things that are outside the boundaries of existing traditions. the fifth is the word ground in the following sentence:”moana, stay on the ground now (s6 & l2)”. the solid surface of the earth. “ground” it indicates a place where all the old traditions and customs of the people in the island take place. the sixth is the word leaves in the following sentence:”and no one leaves (s11 & l1)”. the word leaves means to go away from a person or a place. “leaves” it is explaining the breaking of old traditions and habits to look for the new things outside the island by sailing across the sea. the seventh is the word did in the following sentence:”in time you'll learn just as i did (s13& l2)”. it is used to refer to actions that you do not mention by name or do not know about. “did” it describing the respect and carry on the existing traditions in order to get the comfort of life, wellbeing and happiness. the eighth the word voice in the following sentence:” you may hear a voice inside (s16 & l4). the meaning the voice here means the sound or sounds produced through the mouth by speaking or singing. “voice” it is to explain the desire to be free and be she. the ninth is the word farthest in the following sentence:”to follow the farthest star (s16 & l6)”. the meaning of the word farthest means at or to the greatest distance in space or time. “farthest” is the desire to do more, go further and find her true self. the tenth is the word hearth in the following sentence:”did your granny say listen to your heart (s2 & l1)”. the word heart has a meaning of an organ in the chest that sends blood around the body, usually on the left in humans. “heart” it to explain the moana’s desire to be herself. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 419 from all of the lexical and contextual meaning of words found in moana original soundtrack, it was stated that lexical meaning is different from contextual meaning. from this research, the researchers found that to understand the contextual meaning, the meaning of the words should be referred to who did say the words, what did the words about, to whom did the words refer to, when did the words use, where did the words produce, why were the words spoken and the sides were how did the speakers produce that words. it helps the researchers to interpret the lexical meaning and contextual meaning of the words taken from song lyrics of maona original soundtrack. on the other sides, lexical meaning is meaning which based on the dictionary (wardhana et al., 2022). lexical meaning has no other interpretations. lexical meaning, meaning that based on the definition of those words. researchers completing finish to analyze data, researchers would like to discuss the story of these lyrics from moana original soundtrack. the first data is about how far i’ll go by auli'i cravalho. the meaning of the original soundtrack, how far i'll go is about how far the character 'i' or moana in the song will try to findhis true identity. a young girl who has a different passion from general women in her home area. how her desires and interests are different from others on the island. demonstrate a love for the nautical and want to find something new from the traditions and habits that have been lived so far but all of her desire against by her father. according to researchers, the songwriter uses several words that are poetic or figurative words so that the word is not suitable if translated literally. the word contains other contextual meanings which have to be interpreted by the reader themselves according to the conditions described in the song. for example, the use of the word "water" to describe moana's desires and dreams. however, she tried to forget; she still couldn't. use the word "line" to show the boundaries of the father that moana cannot cross. the use of the word "sky" which seems to interpret his father's dreams and traditions that must also be followed by moana. besides, the word "wind" interprets the good fortune on moana's sideand her dreams. whereas the word "sail" can be likened to the effort and struggle of moana to find his true identity. the word "light" in the song can also be translated contextually as an opportunity or hope that moana has to be free and to be herself.the second data is i am moana by rachel house & auli'i cravalho. this song tells us about the return of courage and optimism from moana to continue her life journey. this section illustrates how eventually moana returns to believing in herself and standing as she really wants. moana's rise from despair is also inseparable from the role of her grandmother, who always supported her, which made her always believe that what she was trying she would get it. some words are used contextually to describe the atmosphere that occurs in the song. for example, the use of the word "quite" interprets the desires and dreams of moana that have not come true and are trapped in desperation. the word "tide" is used to describe moana's tidal desires because of being influenced by circumstances. there is a side where moana can be very optimistic about realizing her dreams, but there is also a side where moana can be pessimistic and feel that she has failed.the third data is where you are by lin-manuel miranda. this song portrays the peaceful and prosperous life of the motunui people with their customs and habits that are carried out in a sustainable manner. the use of the word "song" can be interpreted contextually as customs and regulations that have been adopted and implemented by them. the word "trip" can be interpreted that moana is not allowed to travel to discover new things outside the island.however, moana has her own desires and dreams to find other things outside the island by wading through the ocean. this is implied by the word "see" in the sentence i wanna see. however, no one has dared to "leave" or, in any other sense abandon existing traditions, rules, and customs to search for new things by sailing across the seas, as their ancestors once did.the fourth data is shiny by jemaine clement. this song shows the presence of tamatoa or a sea snail who has a hobby of collecting various sparkling objects in his shell so that he can participate in sparkling and becoming the center of attention. some words are written contextually or have implied and not true intentions. the word "shinny" describes the perfect situation with all of the advantages. it seems to be insinuating human behavior that likes luxury for the sake of existence. besides, the word "glitter" can also be interpreted as something that looks very attractive even though it is a deadly trap. like any sparkling or luxury that only makes people dazzled by the light. if not careful, humans can forget themselves. therefore, this song indirectly reminds us that as humans, we have to be able to control ourselves so as not to fall complacent. the last data is know who you are by auli'i cravalho. this song tells the moana's struggle to sudar, tusino, & beta radish charica dewi lexical and contextual meanings in song lyrics” moana original soundtrack”: pedagodical implication 420 restore te fiti's heart. some words used by the writer in this song contain contextual meaning. among them, the word "horizon" is used to interpret moana's efforts and struggle to cross the boundaries that had been made by her father. moana has successfully sailed the ocean to restore te fiti's heart. te fiti is described as the mother of the earth and the creator of all life. the word "heart" in this song describes the power to produce what is needed by humans who have been stolen or destroyed by human greed itself. human's greed finally only brings damage to the earth and ends in misery for humans themselves. te fiti, whose heart was stolen, turned into a monster. the lands became dry and arid; the marine products were no longer abundant, even so were disappointing agricultural products. this is all because of the greed of the person who wants to rule life. texts of song lyrics of” maona original soundtrack" is as an alternative reading skill material. analyzing reading texts of song lyric is one of the activities of reading skill. it needs critical thinking to analyze the meaning of song lyrics. song lyrics of mana original soundtrack can be used as material for developing student's critical thinking. it is because song lyrics have not only lexical meaning but also contextual meaning. in this study, researchers write scenario of using song lyrics as material for teaching and learning critical reading skills. song lyrics are easy to be downloaded by students from internet. teachers and students make a commitment of activities concerning to interpreting contextual meaning taken from song lyrics. students work in groups, then they learn and understand the philosophy of contextual meaning. students should have good knowledge of contextual meaning. further, students are in collaboration with their classmates to investigate contextual meaning found in the words of song lyrics. teacher supervised student's activities, while teachers themselves should be ready to explain and clarify contextual meaning. furthermore, teachers let students to discuss collaboratively finding and interpreting contextual meaning taken from words of song lyrics. then teachers encourage students to perform for explaining the results of their finding about words having lexical contextual meaning from song lyrics. students are free to explore lexical and contextual meaning from many different sides of angles. it is stated lexical meaning is different from contextual meaning, because contextual meaning is influenced by place, time, situation, interpretation, pragmatics, society, culture, and ethnology. by presenting the results of lexical and contextual meaning interpretation, students get wide knowledge of word meanings. meanings of words can be investigated not only from lexical meaning but also contextual meaning. interpreting contextual meaning caused students to be critical thinking. furthermore, teachers and students elaborated texts of song lyrics as material for developing students' critical reading skills. that is a scenario of using texts of song lyrics as material for reading skill particularly it is critical reading. conclusion meanings of words can be categorized into two classifications, such as lexical and contextual meaning. the lexical meaning of a word is easy to be understood by any readers of texts. on the other side, contextual meaning is influenced by place, time, situation, interpretation, pragmatics, society, culture, and ethnology. interpreting contextual meaning needs high understanding philosophy of contextual meaning itself. words of song lyrics of "maona original soundtrack” have lexical and contextual meaning. in this study, researchers interpreted lexical meanings and also contextual meanings. contextual meanings of words taken from song lyrics are interesting to be investigated. it is useful to develop student's critical reading skills. song lyrics is challenging alternative and appealing material for encouraging student's creativities and their motivation. furthermore, contextual meaning taken from words of song lyrics is useful and beneficial material for learning meanings of words. then words are flexible to be interpreted, it depends on the context of culture and context of situation. acknowledgement this research was completely funded by purworejo muhammadiyah university. researchers would like to thank to the rector, the dean of teacher training and education faculty. further, researchers also would like to thank to the head of english language education who supported to complete this study. references ardhyanti, s. v., & supriyatiningsih, s. (2020). figurative language analysis in celine dion’s song lyrics in falling into you album. project (professional journal of english education), 3(1), 11-. asrifan, a., vargheese, k. j., hasnidar., hermasyah, s., & suleha. (2021). the study of lexical and contextual meaning on lily song by alan walker feat k-391 & emelie hollow (semantic english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 421 approach). journal of advanced english studies, 4(1), 7-14. belu, m. s., & sari, c. m. i. (2021). an analysis of lexical and contextual meaning in lewis capaldi’s song lyrics. humaniora scientia: online journal on linguistics, literature, and translation, 7(2), 55-63. chotimah and as-sabiq, (2021). an analysis on contextual meaning of selected songs in rex orange county’s album “pony” and its pedagogical implication. journal of english language teaching and linguistics), 6(2), 425-438. https://dx.doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v6i2.560 creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d, (2018) research design fifth edition. sage publications, inc. dash, n. s. (2008). context and contextual word meaning. skase journal of theoretical linguistics, 5(2), 22-30. depraetere, i. (2019). meaning in context and contextual meaning: a perspective on the semantics-pragmatics interface applied to modal verbs. anglophonia, 28. https://doi.org/10.4000/anglophonia.2453 hornby, a. s. (2010). oxford advanced learner’s dictionary of current english. oxford university press. hulu, a. m. (2023). contextual meaning on avril lavigne selected songs. faguru: jurnal ilmiah mahasiswa keguruan, 2(1), 1-11. hutajulu, w. c., butarbutar, o. p., situmorang, j., torong, s., situmeang, v. s., herman. (2023). examining the discourse analysis on the song lyric entitled “heal the world” by michael jackson. jurnal scientia, 12(1), 269-279. kriz, r., miltsakaki, e., apidianaki, m., and callisonburch, c. (2018). simplification using paraphrases and context-based lexical substitution. in proceedings of the 2018 conference of the north american chapter of the association for computational linguistics: human language technologies, 1 (long papers), 207–217. mamun, d., suastini, n. w., ariyaningsih, n. n. d. (2022). an analysis of contextual meaning on michael bube’s song lyrics. elysian journal: english literature, linguistics and translation studies, 2(4), 141-150. miarsih, t., kuspiyah, h. r., & yahya. (2018). a semantic analysis of michael learns to rock’s (mltr) songs. channing: english language education and literature, 3(2), 70-81. munthe, e. j. b., simamora, m. a., herman., napitupulu, f. d., & saragi, c. n. (2022). an analysis of contextual meaning in batak toba songs lyric by putri silitonga: a case on semantics. american journal of research in humanities and social sciences, 4(sep., 2022), 12-23. murodi, a., hidayat, d. n., alek, a. (2021). an investigation of lexical cohesion on indonesian singer song. jurnal onoma: pendidikan, bahasa dan sastra, 7(1), 15-23. nguyen,v. t., sinaga, m. r., and herman. (2020). semantic analysis of contextual meaning in dialogue of “the ugly duckling” short story. walailak journal of social science, . noviani, s., bram, b. (2021). the figurative language in lana del rey’s songs based on tropico video. calls, 7(1), 91-102. nurfithri. (2022). an analysis of lexical and contextual meaning in elevation worship’s song lyrics. jiip (jurnal ilmiah ilmu pendidikan), 5(7), 24602464. oktariani, l., boeriswati, e., ekowati, s.h. (2018). semantic analysis of passive sentence translation in novel the hunger games: mockingjay by suzanne collins. bahasa dan seni, 46(2), 132-. dx.doi.org/10.17977/um015v46i22018p132. pasisingi, w., mariana, a., & husain, d. (2022). a semantic analysis on maroon 5 songs. jeltis: journal of english language teaching, linguistics and literature studies, 2(1), 231243. permana, i. p. a., & winarta, i. b. g. n. (2021). the lexical and contextual meaning olivia rodrigo’s top ten billboard songs 2021. seminar nasional riset linguistik dan pengajaran bahasa, 5, 18-27. qurrata’ain., & triyono, s. (2019). semantic and axiology of 7 years song as english material choice for young learners. llt journal: a journal on language and language teaching, 22(2), 260-269. risalatul, h., & habibullah, m. (2020). analysis of lexical and contextual meaning in raef’s song lyric of the path album as the holy qur’an values. journal of english education, 2(1), 315049. 10.19105/panyonara.v2i1.315049. sari, n. e. p., & anindita, w. k. (2020). lexical cohesion analysis on adele’s songs lyrics in the album 25. surakarta english and literature journal, 3(1), 22-28. sholihah, l., & pratiwi, t. y. (2018). the meaning of semantic analysis within song’s lyrics “a head full of dreams” album by coldplay. lire journal: journal of linguistics and literature, 2(2), 35-40. syahfitri, r. y. (2021). lexical and contextual meanings in the indonesian song terserah by willy winarko. annual international conference on language and litarature(aicll).ke social sciences (volume 514, pp. 550-558). https:dx.doi.org/10.18502/kss.v514.8711, tambunan, a. r. s., sari, w. s., putri, c. a., tetty, m., hartati, r. (2020). lexical and contextual meanings in children storybook: a stylistic sudar, tusino, & beta radish charica dewi lexical and contextual meanings in song lyrics” moana original soundtrack”: pedagodical implication 422 approach. international journal of scientific &technology research, 9(4),. wardhana, i. g. n. p., oka, i. b. m. j. r., dewi, n. l. d. s., & utami, g. w. n. (2022). analysis of semantic in lyn lapid songs. international journal of linguistics and discourse analytics, 4(1), 1-6. wijayanti, s., zahrida., mulyadi. (2022). types of lexical cohesion in song lyrics of the greatest showman movie soundtrack album. journal of english education and teaching (jeet), 6(2), 222-234. yahya., kuspiah., and miarsih. (2018). a semantic analysis of michael learns to rock’s (mltr) songs, english language and litarature journal, 3(2), 70-81. yastanti, u., & setiawati, a.d. (2018). ambiguity in sountrack songs lyric of moana movie. wanastra,10(2), 1-14. zahira, j., & wulandari, d. f. (2022). a figurative language analysis on a song lyrics found in the night visions (deluxe version) album by imagine dragons. jurnal kabastra, 2(1), 15-21. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 713 developing elt materials-ict based amid covid-19 muthmainnah indonesian language, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas al asyariah mandar sulawesi barat, indonesia email: muthmainnahunasman@gmail.com riswanto english education study program faculty of teacher training and education, uin fatmawati sukarno, bengkulu, indonesia email: riswanto@iainbengkulu.ac.id santiana english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas siliwangi, indonesia e-mail: santiana@unsil.com nurul fadhillah institut agama islam negeri (iain) lhokseumawe, indonesia email: lu2fadilah@gmail.com eka apriani department of education, faculty of teacher training and education, institut agama islam negeri (iain) curup, indonesia e-mail: ekaapriani@iaincurup.ac.id syafryadin postgraduate program of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas bengkulu, indonesia e-mail: syafryadin@unib.ac.id apa citation: muthmainnah., riswanto., santiana., fadhillah, n., apriani, e., & syafryadin. (2022). developing elt materials-ict based amid covid-19. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 713-728. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6331. received: 03-04-2022 accepted: 17-05-2022 published: 30-06-2022 abstract: this study investigates the analysis of the needs of efl students in using ict as an elt tool and material. this quantitative study involved 162 students drawn from twelve study programs: mathematics education study program, indonesian language education study program, civic and citizenship study program, agriculture study program, agrotechnology study program, agribusiness study program, information engineering study program, information systems study program, communication science study program, state administration study program, public health study program and islamic economics study program at universitas al asyariah mandar. in this study, we will see how the development of modern information and communication technology (ict) as tools and materials used in the classroom to help students learn english 1. therefore, the purpose of this research is to examine what the needs and wants are and their shortcomings. data has been collected and analyzed using a hybrid approach with questionnaires and interviews. this study found that most of the participants found it useful to integrate social media such as youtube based as material, whatsapp to communicate, and they recommended maximizing the use of google technology (e-dictionary), duolingo application, rosetta stone, daily learn english, and elt in a virtual classroom in the middle covid-19. students were selected using a selective random sampling technique. the findings reveal that the genre approach media and technology is used to developing ict as an english foreign language resource in higher education teaching are recommended by the findings of this study. keywords: ict; need analysis; elt; designing materials; media and technology. mailto:muthmainnahunasman@gmail.com mailto:ekaapriani@iaincurup.ac.id mailto:syafryadin@unib.ac.id muthmainnah, riswanto, santiana, nurul fadhillah, eka apriani, & syafryadin developing elt materials-ict based amid covid-19 714 introduction indonesia, vietnam and thailand are asean countries with poor english skills. our indonesian nation is between 38.45 and 54.07 (iriance, 2018). the implications of these data can be disputed that indonesia is still well behind in its global competitiveness. the implementation of technology in learning is therefore very necessary to allow students to find a diverse learning environment. the advantage of ict-based curriculum is the only alternative in order to meet maximum learning goals for global skills targets in the 21st century. in indonesia, the difficulty of english as a foreign language also makes it difficult for students to be interested in developing their ability to read, write, listen and speak. for indonesian country, curriculum creativity and restructuring according to the conditions of students during covid-19 is a prerequisite for the restructuring of curricula, particularly at universities. teaching by using e-learning and the use of ict in english as a modern style as part of improved educational content and the students' learning experience (parvin, 2020; ja'ashan, 2020; muhammad, 2020). today, technology is commonly used in many facets of life, including education. the availability of technical devices has transformed the type of instructional methods and inspired students, teachers and program planners to create attractive and efficient learning environments for learners. in efl, information and communication technology (ict) is commonly used to address the difficulties encountered by learners in gaining english language skills. today, students are provided with internet connectivity and access through smartphones, ipods, ipads or laptops to different types of students, such as printers, projectors and white smart boards. to offer quality lessons to english learners through the new and best teaching methods to inspire them to learn both in and outside the classroom. thus the integration of ict in efl learning can be seen as encouraging relative to conventional teaching forms part element (e.g., zinan, & sai, 2017; albugami, & ahmed, 2015; rahimi, & yadollahi, 2011). as a consequence, learners' awareness of the use of ict in english and the gain will include more knowledge on the volume and essence of ict, and the events in and outside the classroom. some of research investigation ict in learning and teaching process encourage constructive engagement, social involvement, critical thought, content comprehension and autonomy in learning (aprianto, 2020; layali, & al-shlowiy, 2020; shishkovskaya, bakalo, & grigoryev, 2015; karim, shahedrahman, & mohamed, 2019, sánchez, hernández, fernández, díaz, & bastian, 2019; sudha, 2018; karami, sadighi, bagheri, & riasati, 2018). one approach to construct an ict material model is to evaluate the criteria. requirement review is a sequence of exercises to define and study original specifications prior to making improvements or designing a learning product. integration of ict in english learning at al asyariah mandar university, west sulawesi remains in the development stage and faces a range of different aspects, including developing englishlanguage materials and learning practices focused on information, communication and technology (icts) to increase students higher hots (higher order thinking skill). the issue is that lecturers' poor capacity to incorporate ict as elt materials and to improve educational resources through ict integration is still low and lecturers rely mainly on textual content, so that students are still very far away from standards when they speak, compose, listen to and read. this study only uses one aspect of the assure model, which is the features of the examination learner. this analytical stage comprises analytical tasks, mission analysis, program and logical media and technology or ict resources as well as learner analysis. the whole process of this review would be recommendations for establishing general educational goals which is the ultimate purpose of developing a specific learning method. researchers are trying to find important items which become the need for the production of ict-based elt materials related to student requirements. the core priorities include the formulation of general instructional goals, special instructional goals, performance measures and relevant ict concepts to be established such as critical resources and prospective participant requirements. there are three problem statements in this research, namely: 1) how do students perceive the importance of ict design as elt in higher education?, 2) how is the conception of ict as media and technology for elt materials by students?, and 3) how is student and lecturer's english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 715 understanding and vision of english research in the future? according to mahbub (2021), eslami (2010), brown (2016), and asrifan, vargheese, syamsu, & amir (2020), most of the theoretical methods can be used to require investigation, including questionnaires, conclusions, interviews and authentic written and oral text studies. we can claim that lecturers can use needs analysis to help them better understand the needs of their students. lecturers can use this tool to tailor curriculum development to better suit the interests of their students. if you teach esl in college, you need to know what the most important needs of your students are so you can help them develop the english skills they will need to succeed in the future. a needs analysis is necessary because a needs analysis reveals the general characteristics and abilities of students, as well as any weaknesses or strengths specific to the academic environment. the needs of learners are then split into three namely lacks, wants, and necessities. (1) necessities: what does the learner need in language usage? (2) disadvantages (lacks): what are the learner deficiencies? (3) wants: what do learners want to learn? needs analysis should be in accordance with the characteristics of learners. this means that students are adults who learn selfconfidence. adult learning, basically, is a nonauthoritarian, more spontaneous, lesson-based learning that primarily seeks to find comprehension and/or reasoning to shape a structured attitude (aka, 2019). adult teaching is also on how the academic curriculum should be harmonized with everyday life. certain adult elements need to be considered when preparing learning, including the relationship between the knowledge received and the real world, interest in activities and needs to be accomplished. the university learning process is a set of process activities of teachers and students focused on shared relationships in educational circumstances in order to accomplish those objectives. for the lifelong learning process, contact or reciprocal partnerships between teachers and learners are an important necessity. one of the aspects in which universitas al asyariah mandar intensifies the online learning process. the features of each course delivered within each department should then be checked so that the management and learning process can be correctly described and the learning goals can be accomplished. in today's efl teaching and learning, the use of ict can be considered important. the advantages of ict have been a common focus of research in all education fields, including efl teaching. one of the most mentioned advantages of ict in efl teaching is that teachers use ict made teaching and studying more fun (li, & walsh, 2011). using ict or e-learning, which means learning using electronic devices that are synchronouss and asynchronous using internet technology (al-fraihat, 2020; almanthari, maulina, & bruce, 2020; aparicio, bacao, & oliveira, 2016), is oriented towards disseminating learning materials using the internet network (karim, shahed, rahman, & mohamed, 2019). teachers can incorporate ict technologies of various forms including youtube videos, digital dictionaries, blogs, emails and digital games and smartphone apps learning. ses applications have been found to help the teaching of english. kabooha, & elyas (2018), for example, found that the majority of efl students believe that youtube has strengthened their english language, resulting in stronger written understanding. there is a broad variety of ict software that can boost learning abilities. gamlo (2019) found that the application to learn english grammar greatly enhanced the grammar of students. the students who took part in nalliveettil & alenazi (2016) showed that the use of smartphone apps strengthened their grammar and orthographing, including digital dictionaries. moreover, chen (2013) found that ef students who used technical applications felt their english was strengthened and trusted in their use of th english under varying cases. ict allows students access to english services anytime they choose. ezza & bakry (2014) emphasized that ict provides english students a range of external learning resources. this leads to the development of individual students who can find appropriate courses to meet their needs and levels. in china, zinan & sai (2017) published a study to explore the expectations of englishspeaking students regarding the use of ict. the students indicated that ict has created a meaningful and inspiring learning atmosphere that in conventional classrooms is seen as far superior to the environment. ict has enhanced their learning performance and allowed them to interact with others and to research free english technical tools at all times. çelik, arkın, & sabriler (2012) found that students use non-class icts for external services, muthmainnah, riswanto, santiana, nurul fadhillah, eka apriani, & syafryadin developing elt materials-ict based amid covid-19 716 thus increasing their language participation phase of understanding. the development of ict as a medium in learning supports innovative and creative pedagogical actions so that learning objectives can be maximally achieved and create a pleasant learning environment, increase learning motivation, independent learning and increase participation in class (moreno-guerrero, aznar-díaz, cáceresreche, & alonso-garcía, 2020; alonso-garcia, aznar-díaz, caceres-reche, trujillo-torres, & romero-rodriguez, 2019; lucena, díaz, rodríguez, & marín, 2019; hinojo-lucena, mingorance-estrada, trujillo-torres, aznar-díaz, & cáceres reche, 2018; maldonado berea, garcia gonzalez, & esther sampedro-requena, 2019; area-moreira, hernández-rivero, & sosa-alonso, 2016; li, yamaguchi, sukhbaatar, & takada, 2019; pereira, fillol, & moura, 2019; and nikolopoulou, akriotou, & gialamas 2019). the theory that supports the integration between technology and education in learning is cybergogy. cybergogy combines ict and utilizing social media as a media that is not limited by space and time, culture, country in education. the benefit is that students and lecturers can easily access various learning sources, as well as accelerated learning. cybergogy developed as an independent form of mobilization such as the massive open online course or mooc (daud, teck, ghani, & ramli 2020; sumarsono, 2020). research on ict-based english learning by layali, & al-shlowiy (2020), tarihoran (2020) and mulia (2020) consist of an online lms (learning management system), webct, moodle, or conference tools such as zoom, webex, googlemeet, or cellular applications such as whatsapp, telegram, line and using the social media site facebook, blogswiki, youtube, tiktok, google tools, instagram, twitter. the following is the pedagogical wheel that supports ict in learning and teaching process: picture 1. pedagogical wheel linked to bloom taxonomy (carrington, 2016) there are too many experiments in the fields of e-learning (qian, 2018; álvarez-rodríguez, bellido-márquez, & atencia-barrero, 2019), social media-based e-learning to enhance reading skills. husnawadi, & sugianto (2018) used facebook, khlifi (2020) to practice writing through whatsapp and instagram, aloraini (2018) to improve vocabulary and grammar for students. in addition, e-learning can also improve the incentive for learning, self-learning, more versatile and immersive learning (mutambik, 2018; shakah, aloqaily, & alqudah, 2019; khlifi, 2020; and alahmari & amirault, 2017), then al-maroof & alemran (2018) used google clasroom to increase the participation of students, and nugroho & mutiaraningrum (2020) increased teacher competence and discussion (cole swartz, & shelley, 2020) and facilitating achieving hots (li, qi, wang, & wang, 2014), improving more flexible communication (viktorova, 2020; kayser, & merz , 2020; and scarabottolo, 2018). important e-learning for english learning by reference to the following picture: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 717 figure 1. the essential ict in english language learning adapted from cambridge (2020) figure 1 describes e-learning, which encompasses three major topics, including the equipment utilized is the type of e-learning that teachers and students use, and the achievement of learning outcomes (aparicio, bacao, & oliveira, 2016). this is where it is hoped that lecturers will update themselves and train themselves to become digital teachers and educate their students to be digital students in the modern age. the professional growth of teachers and lecturers today needs to be tailored to global realities to ensure that lecturers are able to succeed in the new world age and can embrace technologies, use multiple learning applications and tools in the management of interactive courses. innovation in the education field is a reaction to the demands of 21st century learning in higher education evolution and dynamics pedagogical creativity is basically not only an appreciation of how ict is implemented into the classroom, but is also based on innovations which can be made as a way to enhance teacher skills in the form of: subject knowledge; namely, material design or teaching materials that use various motive implementation features, enhancement of pedagogical know-how and technical advances. in different circles, including academia, the use of social media is growing. the average use of social media for every user recorded by gentina, chen, & yang (2021) using social media networks such as facebook, instagram, snapchat, twitter and more than 3 hours daily. the findings of this study suggest that the use of social networks is still commonly seen as an amusement, as a means of social comparison, body appreciation or attractiveness and concern regarding appearance. the bad influence of using social media as a type of social anxiety disorder which has implications for appearance, mode of dress, body goals or body esteem, that has an impact on your own body and the effects of obsessive-compulsive disorder (ocd) (nesi, choukas-bradley, & prinstein, 2018; van bennekom, de koning, & denys, 2018). in addition to affecting the appearance of human ambitions and social anxieties, the use of social media networks has beneficial implications and advantages, emphasizing some negative impacts. for starters, kids use every day for hours technologies and devices that have a negative effect on them (jaradat, jaradat, jibreel, & skaik, 2020), as well as a major association between technology and human ambitions, unemployment, loneliness and insomnia. combined some of ict tools in learning is not new, and higher education is not uncommon. it was commonly used by teachers worldwide. however, thanks to the covid 19 pandemic, teachers and educators have recently had to make good use of synchronous teaching and e-learning continue to teach and learning, like universitas al asyriah mandar. most of the student's at universitas al asyariah mindset that the effect of the use of adolescents' social media networks is only about lifestyle gains, not about the educational component. it is attributed to the lack of socialization through the use as learning resources of social media and use smartphones. while smartphones and social media can be optimally used as a means of information, teaching students to use social media networks and smartphones in order to achieve higher think-tanks for students in the virtual age. lekawael (2017) mentioned that the advantages of social networking and mobile networks have been recorded, especially with the use of smartphones and the internet, teachers and students are required to become more involved and innovative to explore their skills in the media. teachers desperately need smartphone-based language learning to include students in criticizing their materials and content. this helps students to develop and increase technical knowledge of smartphones and internet use in classroom learning english. it is nevertheless necessary to know the students needs regarding the use of ict as elt materials in teaching efl. muthmainnah, riswanto, santiana, nurul fadhillah, eka apriani, & syafryadin developing elt materials-ict based amid covid-19 718 method this analysis is a descriptive qualitative, the instruments tools used in this study was a questionnaire and in-depth interviews. the questionnaire was divided into three subjects, each covering a set of objects. the topics were: this questionnaire has three main focuses, namely: (1) student's ict needs, (2) student's language problem, and (3) student's language need. the interview covered students and lecturer perceptions in designing elt materials ict based. this questionnaire consists of 20 questions with answer choices and one essay question (open-ended question): “write down your suggestions in improving english skill by using ict!” open items added to the final questionnaire aim to clarify the answers. this research consisted 162 participants of first year students from various faculties in universitas al asyariah mandar, indonesia. these participants were selected using a purposive random sampling method using predetermined criteria (ubah, & bansilal, 2018). purposive sampling aims to choose cases that are rich in information to be able to explain research questions (boroujeni & fard, 2013; c. glance and a. penskin, 1992). the methodology of data processing used in this research is model interactive research (ma) (miles & huberman, 1994). ma is a role model produce a systematic phenomenon or representation participants' experience being observed. ma is centered on the assumption that the phenomenon is nearest to the ones under review are most appropriate for build a graphical view of the results and device findings (bargate, 2014). this model is made up of three stages, namely: (1) data reduction stage; (2) data reduction stage stage of introduction and (3) stage of drawing conclusions. results and discussion the key highlights of the study results and discussions on the qualitative data review begin with the results context information from respondents. the results are then discussed, analyzed, and conclusions. the main highlights of the research findings and discussion on qualitative data analysis begin with the finding on the samples’ background information to provide the profiles of the samples. then, the findings are presented, interpreted, discussed according to the samples employed. the main instruments were the questionnaire and interview. thus, the discussion includes both qualitative data. the subsequent presentation and discussion of findings then follow the research questions that underpin this study. the following analysis and discussion of the results follows study issues underpinning this analysis: student's ict needs the first issue of study was to define the facets of the ict need for students of universitas al asyariah. the expectations of the students reflect their attitudes, values and interpretation of ict which can influence their need as efl materials. diagram 1. e-learning in elt diagram 2. students’ problem learning english with e-learning based on diagram 1, there were 69.6 percent responded stated that e-learning was successful in efl unfortunately there were 23.6 percent disagreed because the insecure internet access to elearning is unstable. diagram 2 revealed the students' reaction that 68.1 percent of internet connectivity was a barrier to access e-learning. in this case, however, not all students can use the internet because of the slow internet link will not encourage students to pay attention to the lesson and the part of teaching and learning becomes inefficient. the challenges the student and lecturer faces. in order to do all the advantages of online english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 719 learning must be the basis previously developed like an internet link, facilities, fitting instructional materials, teachers and student’s readiness for used ict instruction. diagram 3. student’s ict account based on the details in diagram 3, most students in universitas al asyariah mandar familiar with whatsapp 77.6% as their social media than facebook, instagram, twitter, linkedin and line, they also enjoy learning english by using google 8.8% and youtube 20.6%. diagram 4. social media makes learning easier diagram 4 revealed that 83.3 percents of students said that they use social media to read, and diagram 6 showed 79.9 per cent used social media to address learning. then they find that using social media promotes their learning by 77. 1% of respondents in diagram 4. diagram 5. reason to use ict on diagram 5 shows use social media to create students project in learning was claimed by 69.7 percent respondents, but there was a response from students by 12. 8 percent stated not supported their project based learning and 17.4 percent respondents who claimed that their project based learning had not been according to what they expected. diagram 6. students’ response towards e learning in efl the diagram indicated that most of respondents supported e-learning in efl 37. 6 percent claimed use social media to learn/ resource in learning english and 31,2 claimed they used social media to learn, create learning project, to meet new people, to practice language, play game and learn new things also 12.6 percent students claimed used social media to discussed in learning and teaching process. based on the data from the questionnaire of the student’s ict need indicated that most of the student s believe by using ict in the classroom support to their learning efl. but, from the finding of the study it can be preferred that internet connection is the one of the barrier to use ict in learning. student's language problem muthmainnah, riswanto, santiana, nurul fadhillah, eka apriani, & syafryadin developing elt materials-ict based amid covid-19 720 diagram 7. students’ want on ict the data from diagram 7 showed 43.1 percent of students claimed by using social media can enhance their english language and 10.1 percent stated strongly dissagree because of the ict infrastructure capacity not supported student’s ict need. on diagram 7 also, 56.6 percent respondents think social media can be useful to improve their english skill. diagram 7 showed the data 45.8 percent agree by using social media helps them to improve their communication skill, 22.4 percent stated neutral, strongly disagree 18.7 percent and 9.3 percent claimed strongly agree their communication skill increase by using social media. then data from diagram 13 showed 69.2 percent students feel relaxed, enjoy and enjoyable, strongly agree 7.5 percent and only 20.8 percent claimed learning english by using social media boring. to solve language problem, respondents agree by using ict will help their problem in english because the materials easy to access. because social media as tool can help students’ language problem in speaking, writing, listening and reading that is why 66.5 percent stated that they are very motivated to learn efl by using youtube, facebook and whatsapp. diagram 8. students’ want of media and technology based on diagram 8, respondents claimed they more easily to understand english 33 percent stated by download the e-dictionary application, 15 percent by joining the english community through social media, 38 percent by download the application on google playstore that they can use like duolingo, rosetta stone, daily learn english or other applications but unfortinately there were 14.4 percent claimed they do not have e-dictionary and english apps to support their language learning. students’ language need diagram 9. english skills the data from diagram 17,18,19 and 20 showed that 70.2 percent claimed the students like learning english using e-learning because it improved listening skills, 64. percent claimed improved speaking skill, 60. 2 percent claimed improved students writing skill and 69, 6 percent claimed improved their reading skill. interview results another instrument used in this analysis was interviews that are semi-structured. this kind of chat is commonly used in qualitative study one of which is because of multiple considerations it is normally flexible. in other terms, this halfstructured interviews should be relied on for data collection interview guides giving informant freedom share in their language their views (birmingham & wilkinson, 2003). this is what we are talking about. the use of the instrument is often considered capable of explore and allow personal memories in depth researchers adding concerns to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 721 the process production and clarity (guthrie, 2019; percy, kostere, & kostere, 2015). the interview process took place with three participants indonesian lecturers to research academics independently english learning that was wanted and needed students. students. in a special space interviews are held to prevent interfere with the outer atmosphere within 20-30 minutes. talks are recorded with a voice recorder with the respondent's permission. english as tool for communication were seen by most of the interviewees (4 of 6) said as important for their academic studies. all interviewees, in varying degrees, agreed that english is one of the international language was important. one of the students (code 1) explained, “belajar bahasa inggris itu sangat penting, karena bahasa inggris adalah bahasa international dan bahasa yang diakui dunia.” (code 1). “learning english is very important because english is an international language and a language that is recognized worldwide.” (code 1) when questioned further about the goal of studying english, the same student answered: “ belajar bahasa inggris penting karena bisa dipakai dalam mencari pekerjaan apalagi saat ini kita sudah terkoneksi secara global dengan dunia”. then she stressed “belajar bahasa inggris ini penting karena banyak pekerjaan yang membutuhkan kemampuan berbahasa inggris dan tentunya dengan penghasilan yang menjanjikan.” (code 2) “learning english is important because it can be used in finding a job, especially now that we are globally connected to the world.” then she stressed, "learning english is important because there are many jobs that require english language skills, and, of course, with promising income." (code 2) related to rosdiana statement, student (code 3) said “belajar bahasa inggris penting karena dengan belajar bahasa inggris, kita bisa berbicara dengan orang asing dari berbagai negara lainnya, karena bahasa inggris yang digunakan sebagai salah satu bahasa internasional yang paling popular.” “learning english is important because, by learning english, we can talk to foreigners from various other countries because english is used as one of the most popular international languages.” when asked the goal of learning english student (code 4) novia nurul amanda stated: “iyah. karena kalau kita mengesuai bahasa inggris kita tidak hanya berprestasi dalam negeri bahkan kita bisa berprestasi di luar negeri apa lagi di karier kita bisa melakukan tukar pikiran (sharing idea) dengan orang asing (collaboration).” “yes. because if we master our english, we can be achiever in the country, but we can also even be achiever abroad. what's more, in our careers, we can share ideas with foreigners. (collaboration).” then, student (code 1) m. damar dlulus from communication science department replied: “belajar bahasa inggris penting karena sebagai calon pendidik, jika kita tidak menguasai bahasa inggris di jaman sekarang, kita akan malu dan terbelakang.” “learning english is important because, as prospective educators, if we don't master english today, we will be embarrassed and left behind.” related to the statement above, it can be undertsand that students related the importance of learning english. it can be concluded that students goal in learning english for communication for new era or discruption and find job for students future career. most of the student’s intention to learn english for academic purpose and thus that they recognized the importance of english to their academic success. the students’ motivation of studying english on diagram 13 there are 69.2 percent claimed student’s necessities to get job easily and the second highest tendency is to understand/discussed english materials integrated from youtube like songs, short stories, and film they are feel relaxed, enjoy and enjoyable. in the interviews at january, 10, 2021 th students support their answer about motivation in learning english beside for job and future career, the highest responds by student (code 5) explained: “ saya termotivasi belajar bahasa inggris karena ingin berbicara dengan orang asing” “i am motivated to learn english because i want to talk to foreigners.” then the students code 6 replied: “motivasi belajar bahasa inggris adalah saya ingin mencari pekerjaan dan jalan-jalan ke luar negeri” muthmainnah, riswanto, santiana, nurul fadhillah, eka apriani, & syafryadin developing elt materials-ict based amid covid-19 722 “the motivation for learning english is that i want to find a job and travel abroad.” while, the students (code3) stated: “motivasi saya belajar bahasa inggris dengan video atau lagu yang diputar dengan menggunakan media youtube akan lebih menyenangkan”. “my motivation is that learning english with videos or songs that are played using youtube media will be more fun.” she replied, the mostly interest in learn english with youtube, facebook, and whatsapp based materials supported with video/ film and songs from youtube. students code 3 responded: “dalam dunia saat ini bahasa inggris merupakan bahasa internasional, didukung teknologi yang semakin maju dan perkembangan zaman era abad 21th yang menuntut kita pentingnya belajar bahasa inggris dan mengaplikasikannya” “in today's world, english is an international language, supported by increasingly advanced technology and the development of the 21st century era, which demands the importance of learning english and applying it.” be mindful of students mention were the motivation not only for studying and working but they realize that english is a necessity in communicating for today, this finding relevant to curriculum at al asyariah mandar university actualized the importance of learning english for academic purposes to produce graduates who are competent, moral, professional, responsible, able to develop themselves and compete in national and international level. the main purpose of learning english mostly students material needs to support their english communication skills as one of the 21 century skill also students’ consider they need materials to support in communication skill how to building up interaction with the native speaker. in the interviews, the students were asked material support of english as communication students code 4 expressed her strong opinion support youtube as elt materials because by watching video materials from youtube link very interesting and enjoyable. another respond expressed a different view students code 3 more understanding elt materials from youtube also he support whatsapp and facebook. lecturers' perceptions about the use of ict in english language learning still require training in developing ict-based materials according to student needs. lecturers want learning outcomes to be achieved by using the right technology in order to facilitate student hots. based on the results of the interview, it is known that lecturers use the google classroom application or platform only in delivering material but designing materials, learning activities, proper instruction and utilizing materials by using youtube to achieve learning outcomes is still having difficulties. the survey results indicate that the majority of students are of the view that ict as resources benefit from learning english online teachers and students are interested in using ict literacy resources. in relation to the teacher role, based on the need analysis the teacher needed interact with the students and gave more exercises or practices to improve their langugae skills for the students. cbi requires the teachers as more than just good language teachers. it indicates that they must have the knowledge in the subject matter and have the ability to elicit that knowledge from the students shishkovskaya, bakalo, & grigoryev (2015), abou shaaban, shawish, & jalambo (2019) stated lecturers should also create the learner-centered classroom. regarding the data from some of the difficulties faced by lecturers are the selection of content materials, teaching methods and activities that are in accordance with learning outcomes and facilitating students with speaking and listening skills that have not been maximally carried out. therefore, paying attention to the needs of students and the target material in accordance with the shortcomings using ict will facilitate students and lecturers to achieve 21st century learning outcomes and skills. based on the data findings, designing elt materials based on ict tools like youtube and facebook is to help learners increase their english competence they feel at ease to understand the materials via youtube, facebook and whatsapp also its help learners to understanding english and can use it as leraning resource, require and facilitate learner self-investment, expose the learners to language in authentic use (speaking, listening, reading and writing), provide the learners with opportunities to use the target language to achieve communicative purposes, take into account that the positive effects of instruction are usually delayed, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 723 take into account that learners differ in affective attitudes, permit a silent period at the beginning of instruction, maximize learning potential by encouraging intellectual, aesthetic, and emotional involvement, not rely too much on controlled practice and provide opportunities for outcome feedback. ict input can come from a wide range of sources. the inclusion as input of such material raises the question of authenticity. nunan (2004) argued that it is not a matter of whether or not authentic materials should be used, but what combination of authentic, simulated and specially written materials provide learners with optimal learning opportunities. the input from youtube rich with the form of a text, dialogue, diagram, or other forms of communication data. it provides stimulus materials for activity, new language items, correct models of language use, and a topic for communication. there were some inputs chosen based on ict as media and technology for efl classroom for future english teaching. the inputs were film, song and audio short story. in addition, the students strongly agree to use some of social medias such as youtube, facebook, and whatsapp. besides that, google and some of english apps is very helpful for them in learning like duolingo, rosetta stone and daily learn english. the data findings most of the students need materials to enhance their english skill; listening, reading, writing and speaking, in boost vocabulary also they have self directed and self determined learning by using youtube, its claimed they know how to learn by using social media also english apps technology. all the result finding supporting from theory the benefit of ict like husnawadi & sugianto (2018) using facebook, khlifi (2020) and ahmed (2019) to practice writing through whatsapp and instagram to improve vocabulary and grammar for students. in addition, e-learning can also improve the incentive for learning, self-learning, more versatile and immersive learning (mutambik, 2018; shakah, aloqaily, & alqudah, 2019). akyel & ozek (2010) and viktorova (2020) also improved more flexible communication. according to mollet, wray, fitzpatrick, wray, & wright (2010), the difficulty will be affected by the length of a text, propositional density (how much information is packaged into the text and how it is distributed and recycled), the amount of low frequency vocabulary, the speed of spoken texts and the number of speakers involved, the explicitness of the information, the discourse structure and the clarity with which it is signalled. another factor which influences the difficulty is the amount of support provided to the listener or reader. a passage with readings and subheadings which is supported with with photographs, drawings, tables, graphs, and so on should be easier to process than one in which there is no contextual support. that’s why by using ict or media and technology to selected of elt material should consider the allocation of time used so that the activities designed can achieve the predetermined learning outcomes. for example, giving grammar material using youtube (mr. bean's film) example present perfect with a duration of only 5 minutes and the grammar can be use it in the students real life context. it is also critical that the students must have a good internet service from everywhere to join youtube and access the materials based on youtube conent students should be optimistic perception of by using youtube as elt materials to make it efficient and competitive. conclusion this study found that students from efl al asyariah mandar university considered designing ict-based materials using youtube as a valuable way to learn english. students believe that ict can help them learn grammar, vocabulary, reading, speaking, writing, and listening through genuine opportunities and make it easier for them to learn english individually. in addition, using learning applications such as doulingo, roxetta stone, and dalily learn english in the classroom, which is very helpful for practicing grammar and critical thinking skills. based on these results, the research will make these recommendations. in addition, universities can facilitate the effectiveness of the design of ict-based efl materials in teaching english by providing training programs for lecturers in designing learning media and technology and integrating ict as teaching materials. to encourage students to benefit from the benefits of using ict, lecturers should enable university students to introduce and train students to use ict at home through learning application-based assignments or google. in addition, students can contact or interact with teachers and classmates via instant mobile messages. by using whatsapp groups or facebook muthmainnah, riswanto, santiana, nurul fadhillah, eka apriani, & syafryadin developing elt materials-ict based amid covid-19 724 (messenger) or other social networks, you can develop an online community of conversations and download english applications such as edictionaries, rosetta stones, or duolingo, and learn english every day. teachers and students can frequently exchange creative multimedia learning tools to enable most icts to learn english in a practical, effective, and efficient manner. references abou shaaban, s. s., shawish, j. i. a., & jalambo, m. o. (2019). integration of ict in efl/esl teachers' training and self-efficacy beliefs as perceived by the trainers. humanities & social sciences reviews, 7(4), 863-875. ahmed, s. t. s. (2019). chat and learn: effectiveness of using whatsapp as a pedagogical tool to enhance efl learners reading and writing skills. international journal of english language and literature studies, 8(2), 61-68. aka, k. a. (2019). integration borg & gall (1983) and lee & owen (2004) models as an alternative model of design-based research of interactive multimedia in elementary school. journal of physics: conference series, 1318(1). iop publishing. akyel, a. s., & ozek, y. (2010). a language needs analysis research at an english medium university in turkey. procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 2(2), 969-975. alahmari, a., & amirault, r. j. (2017). the use of elearning in highly domain-specific settings: perceptions of female students and faculty in saudi arabia. quarterly review of distance education, 18(4), 37-56. albugami, s. s., & ahmed, v. (2015). towards successful implementation of ict in saudi schools (literature review). 12th international postgraduate research conference 2015. university of salford. almanthari, a., maulina, s., & bruce, s. (2020). secondary school mathematics teachers’ views on e-learning implementation barriers during the covid-19 pandemic: the case of indonesia. eurasia journal of mathematics, science and technology education, 16(7), 1-9. al-maroof, r. a. s., & al-emran, m. (2018). students acceptance of google classroom: an exploratory study using pls-sem approach. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 13(6), 112-123. alonso-garcia, s., aznar-díaz, i., caceres-reche, m. p., trujillo-torres, j. m., & romero-rodriguez, j. m. (2019). systematic review of good teaching practices with ict in spanish higher education. trends and challenges for sustainability. sustainability, 11(24), 7150. aloraini, n. (2018). investigating instagram as an efl learning tool. arab world english journal (awej) special issue on call, (4). álvarez-rodríguez, m. d., bellido-márquez, m. d., & atencia-barrero, p. (2019). teaching though ict in obligatory secundary education. analysis of online teaching tools. red, 1(1), 1-19. aparicio, m., bacao, f., & oliveira, t. (2016). an elearning theoretical framework. an e-learning theoretical framework, (1), 292-307. aprianto, d. (2020). to what extent does youtube contents-based language learning promote an english proficiency?. journal of english language teaching and literature (jeltl), 3(2), 108-126. area-moreira, m., hernández-rivero, v., & sosaalonso, j. j. (2016). models of educational integration of icts in the classroom= modelos de integración didáctica de las tic en el aula. comunicar, 24(47), 79-87. asrifan, a., vargheese, k. j., syamsu, t., & amir, m. (2020). esp course design: the need analysis on tourism department in indonesia vocational high schools. journal of advanced english studies, 3(2), 69-77. bargate, k. (2014, september). interactive qualitative analysis-a novel methodology for qualitative research. ecrm2014-proceedings of the 13th european conference on research methodology for business and management studies: ecrm 2014 (p. 45). academic conferences limited. birmingham, p., & wilkinson, d. (2003). using research instruments: a guide for researchers. routledge. boroujeni, s. a., & fard, f. m. (2013). a needs analysis of english for specific purposes (esp) course for adoption of communicative language teaching:(a case of iranian first-year students of educational administration). life, 1, 35-44. brown, j. d. (1995). the elements of language curriculum: a systematic approach to programme development. boston: heinle & heinle. c. glance and a. penskin. (1992) becoming qualitative researchers: an introduction. longman. carrington, a. (2016). professional development: the padagogy wheel: it is not about the apps, it is about the pedagogy. education technology solutions, 72, 54-57. çelik, s., arkın, e., & sabriler, d. (2012). efl learners’ use of ict for self-regulated learning. journal of language and linguistic studies, 8(2), 98118. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 725 chen, y. (2013). the impact of integrating technology and social experience in the college foreign language classroom. turkish online journal of educational technology-tojet, 12(3), 169179. cole, m. t., swartz, l. b., & shelley, d. j. (2020). threaded discussion: the role it plays in elearning. international journal of information and communication technology education, 16(1), 16-29. daud, w. a. a. w., teck, w. k., ghani, m. t. a., & ramli, s. (2019). the needs analysis of developing mobile learning application for cybergogical teaching and learning of arabic language proficiency. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 9(8), 33-46. eslami, z. r. (2010). teachers' voice vs. students' voice: a needs analysis approach to english for acadmic purposes (eap) in iran. english language teaching, 3(1), 3-11. ezza, e. s. y., & bakry, s. a. (2014). technologyenhanced instruction in a saudi efl classroom. arab world english journal, 1, 55-66. gamlo, n. (2019). the impact of mobile game-based language learning apps on efl learners’ motivation. english language teaching, 12(4), 49-56. gentina, e., chen, r., & yang, z. (2021). development of theory of mind on online social networks: evidence from facebook, twitter, instagram, and snapchat. journal of business research, 124, 652-666. guthrie, k. h. (2019). qualitative inquiry with adolescents: strategies for rich meaning making in group interviews. american journal of qualitative research, 4(3), 92-110. hinojo-lucena, f. j., mingorance-estrada, á.c., trujillo-torres, j.m., aznar-díaz, i., & cáceres reche, m. p. (2018). incidence of the flipped classroom in the physical education students' academic performance in university contexts. sustainability, 10(5), 1334. husnawadi, h., & sugianto, n. (2018). facebook: an effective web 2.0 technology for blended efl classrooms in indonesia. edulangue, 1(1), 6786. iriance, i. (2018). bahasa inggris sebagai bahasa lingua franca dan posisi kemampuan bahasa inggris masyarakat indonesia diantara anggota mea. prosiding industrial research workshop and national seminar (vol. 9, pp. 776-783). ja'ashan, m. m. n. h. (2020). the challenges and prospects of using e-learning among efl students in bisha university. arab world english journal, 11(1), 124-137. jaradat, m., jibreel, m., & skaik, h. (2020). individuals' perceptions of technology and its relationship with ambition, unemployment, loneliness and insomnia in the gulf. technology in society, 60, 101199. kabooha, r., h., & elyas, t. (2018). the effect of youtube in multimedia instruction for vocabulary learning: perceptions of efl students and teachers. english language teaching, 11(2), 72-81. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v11n2p72 karami, s., sadighi, f., bagheri, m. s., & riasati, m. j. (2018). the potential impact of the application of electronic portfolio on iranian efl learners’ writing performance seeking their gender role. cogent social sciences, 4 (1), 1562509. karim, a., shahed, f. h., rahman, m. m., & mohamed, a. r. (2019). revisiting innovations in elt through online classes: an evaluation of the approaches of 10 minute school. turkish online journal of distance education, 20(1), 248-266. kayser, i., & merz, t. (2020). lone wolves in distance learning?: an empirical analysis of the tendency to communicate within student groups. international journal of mobile and blended learning (ijmbl), 12(1), 82-94. khlifi, y. (2020). an advanced authentication scheme for e-evaluation using students behaviors over elearning platform. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (ijet), 15(04), 90-111. layali, k., & al-shlowiy, a. (2020). students’perceptions of e-learning for esl/efl in saudi universities at time of coronavirus: a literature review. indonesian efl journal, 6(2), 97-108. lekawael, r. f. j. (2017). the impact of smartphone and internet usage on english language learning. english review: journal of english education, 5(2), 255-262. li, f., qi, j., wang, g., & wang, x. (2014). traditional classroom vs e-learning in higher education: difference between students' behavioral engagement. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (ijet), 9(2), 48-51. li, l., & walsh, s. (2011). technology uptake in chinese efl classes. language teaching research, 15(1), 99-125. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168810383347 li, s., yamaguchi, s., sukhbaatar, j., & takada, j. i. (2019). the influence of teachers’ professional development activities on the factors promoting ict integration in primary schools in mongolia. education sciences, 9(2), 78. lucena, f. j. h., díaz, i. a., rodríguez, j. m. r., & marín, j. a. m. (2019). influencia del aula https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168810383347 muthmainnah, riswanto, santiana, nurul fadhillah, eka apriani, & syafryadin developing elt materials-ict based amid covid-19 726 invertida en el rendimiento académico. una revisión sistemática. campus virtuales, 8(1), 918. mahbub, m. (2021). english teaching in vocational high school: a need analysis. jeels (journal of english education and linguistics studies), 5(2), 229-258. maldonado berea, g. a., garcia gonzalez, j., & esther sampedro-requena, b. (2019). the effect of ict and social networks on university students. ried-revista iberoamericana de educacion a distancia, 22(2), 153-176. miles, m. b., & huberman c. g., and a. penskin, a. m. (1994). qualitative data analysis: an expanded sourcebook. sage. mollet, e., wray, a., fitzpatrick, t., wray, n. r., & wright, m. j. (2010). choosing the best tools for comparative analyses of texts. international journal of corpus linguistics, 15(4), 429-473. moreno-guerrero, a. j., aznar-díaz, i., cáceres-reche, p., & alonso-garcía, s. (2020). e-learning in the teaching of mathematics: an educational experience in adult high school. mathematics, 8(5), 840. muhammad, m. (2020). promoting students‟ autonomy through nnline learning media in efl class. internasional journal of higher education, 9(4), 320-331. mulia, n. a. (2020). indonesian efl students’ engagement in online language learning platform. retain, 8(2). mutambik, i. (2018). the role of e-learning in studying english as a foreign language in saudi arabia: students' and teachers' perspectives. english language teaching, 11(5), 74-83. nalliveettil, g. m., & alenazi, t. h. k. (2016). the impact of mobile phones on english language learning: perceptions of efl undergraduates. journal of language teaching and research, 7(2), 264-272. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0702.04 nesi, j., choukas-bradley, s., & prinstein, m. j. (2018). transformation of adolescent peer relations in the social media context: part 2—application to peer group processes and future directions for research. clinical child and family psychology review, 21(3), 295-319. nikolopoulou, k., akriotou, d., & gialamas, v. (2019). early reading skills in english as a foreign language via ict in greece: early childhood student teachers’ perceptions. early childhood education journal, 47(5), 597-606. nugroho, a., & mutiaraningrum, i. (2020). efl teachers’ beliefs and practices about digital learning of english. edulite: journal of english education, literature and culture, 5(2), 304321. nunan, d. (2004). task-based language teaching. cambridge university press. oktarina, y., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2022). needs analysis of palembang-tourist-destination recount text reading materials in the 21st century learning. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 381-392. parvin, m. (2020). dynamic learning platform for dynamic efl learners: a new journey to navigate effective e-learning program for english education at the university level. international journal of english linguistics, 10(2) percy, w. h., kostere, k., & kostere, s. (2015). generic qualitative research in psychology. the qualitative report, 20(2), 76-85. pereira, s., fillol, j., & moura, p. (2019). learning young people with digital means outside of school: from the informal to the formal. communicate: scientific journal of communication and education, 27(58), 41-50. qian, y. (2018). application research of e-learning network teaching platform in college english reading teaching. kuram ve uygulamada egitim bilimleri, 18(5), 1819-1827. rahimi, m., & yadollahi, s. (2011). ict use in efl classes: a focus on efl teachers' characteristics. world journal of english language, 1(2), 17. sánchez, h. f., hernández, c. b. e., fernández, b. f., díaz, n. m., & bastian, m. d. c. s. (2019). elearning through google hangouts: a tool in the teaching-learning process of efl. acta universitaria, 29, 1-7. scarabottolo, n. (2018). online vs. classroom students in an undergraduate university degree. international conference e-learning (pp. 6572). iadis digital library. shakah, g., al-oqaily, a., & alqudah, f. (2019). motivation path between the difficulties and attitudes of using the e-learning systems in the jordanian universities: aajloun university as a case study. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (ijet), 14(19), 26-48. shishkovskaya, j., bakalo, d., & grigoryev, a. (2015). efl teaching in the e-learning environment: updated principles and methods. procediasocial and behavioral sciences, 206, 199-204. sudha, m. m. (2018). incorporating controversial issues in critical thinking lesson: a case study of efl classroom. english language teaching, 11(9), 48-58. sumarsono, s. (2020). the paradigms of heutagogy and cybergogy in the transdisciplinary https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0702.04 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 727 perspective. jurnal pendidikan dan pengajaran, 52(3), 172-182. tarihoran, n. a. (2020). using facebook group as a blended learning medium in teaching crosscultural understanding in islamic higher education. international journal of research in stem education (ijrse)., 2(1), 13-25. ubah, i. j. a., & bansilal, s. (2018). pre-service mathematics teachers’ knowledge of mathematics for teaching: quadratic functions. problems of education in the 21st century, 76(6), 847. van bennekom, m. j., de koning, p. p., & denys, d. (2018). social media and smartphone technology in the symptomatology of ocd. case reports, 2018, bcr-2017. viktorova, l. v. (2020).educational conditions for implementation of adults’distance learning of foreign languages. information technologies and learning tools, 75(1), 13-25. zinan, w., & sai, g. t. b. (2017). students’ perceptions of their ict-based college english course in china: a case study. teaching english with technology, 17(3), 53-76. muthmainnah, riswanto, santiana, nurul fadhillah, eka apriani, & syafryadin developing elt materials-ict based amid covid-19 728 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 365 the use of google sites in extensive listening classroom: students’ voices muhammad handi gunawan (corresponding author) english education study program, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: handi_gunawan@upi.edu eisha sabila dieni hanifa english education study program, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: eishasabila2@upi.edu aninda putri gunawan english education study program, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: anindapegee@upi.edu didi suherdi english education study program, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: suherdi_d@upi.edu apa citation: gunawan, m. h., hanifa, e. s. d., gunawan, a. p., & suherdi, d. (2023). the use of google sites in extensive listening classroom: students’ voices. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 365-378. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.8225 received: 17-02-2023 accepted: 23-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction listening is a crucial skill for english language learners (ells), and it is often the first skill they focus on when learning the language (djabborova, 2020). however, ells often have limited exposure to listening activities outside the classroom (tsai, 2019). in many language classes, listening instruction primarily revolves around answering comprehension questions without promoting interaction or reflection (newton & nation, 2020; rintaningrum, 2018). furthermore, teachers often select listening materials without considering the specific needs of their learners. to address these challenges, extensive listening (el) activities are implemented in the classroom. el refers to various listening practices that provide learners with ample exposure to understandable and enjoyable listening input (chang et al., 2019; gonulal, 2020). these activities can take different forms, such as teacher dictations, read-aloud sessions, or leisurely listening outside the classroom. the key aspect of extensive listening is to engage learners in meaningful listening experiences. however, a significant concern in implementing extensive listening is finding suitable materials for learners (gavenila et al., 2021). it is crucial to select materials that not only make listening enjoyable but also contribute to the development of learners' listening comprehension skills. according to ivone and renandya (2019), the success of the extensive reading (er) strategy, which promotes learning by doing, has prompted the development of extensive listening. reading and listening are the receptive skills that learners need to receive and understand (djabborova, 2020). in addition, the recent trend of listening is not limited to practising listening as a receptive skill but also an active skill, which is called active listening. referring to the research conducted by tabieh et al. (2020), the skill of listening involves abstract: extensive listening (el) is a recent study whose development is sparked by extensive reading (er). however, not many studies have been conducted on the implementation of extensive listening in the classroom using digital tools provided on the internet such as google sites. this study aims to examine students’ perceptions of the use of google sites in extensive listening classes. it was conducted using a qualitative design by involving 18 second-year students at a higher education level. the students’ classroom reflections and the semi-structured style of the interview were included as the research instruments. the results showed that most of the students believed that google sites is useful to enhance their creativity and motivate them to be actively involved in extensive listening activities. keywords: extensive listening; google sites; students’ voices. muhammad handi gunawan, eisha sabila dieni hanifa, aninda putri gunawan, & didi suherdi the use of google sites in extensive listening classroom: students’ voices 366 more than just hearing sounds and understanding their meanings; it also requires mental effort in the form of inference, analysis, and interpretation of data. to put it simply, listening demands a higher thinking process with integrated skills such as analysing and interpreting received information. having said that, the frequent practices that have been implemented in er should be conducted in el as well. moreover, since el is seen as the sibling of extensive reading (er), the goals, advantages, and guiding principles of er can also be used to describe el (melani, 2020). however, the practice of el has not been widely implemented like er. thus, mayora (2017) stated that extensive listening can be applied by adapting the five principles of extensive reading, such as quantity, comprehensibility, learner-centeredness, meaningorientation, and accountability. from the findings of the study by muchtar (2019) and yulia (2018), it is revealed that the most widely adapted er principles are the quantity–where students must be given exposure to texts as much as possible, comprehensibility–where the texts for the reading activities should not be difficult for learners to understand. furthermore, since the principle of er is related to meaning-orientation, it means that the purpose of texts for learners should be significance, interest, and enjoyment rather than linguistic substance because learners read for meaning rather than form. quoting the principles adapted from extensive reading, in extensive listening, learners are highly encouraged to listen to large amounts of listening audio that match the listening comprehension and linguistics level of the learners. those principles aimed to trigger learners’ enjoyment in listening practices. for the implementation in the classroom, teachers can give the learners an instruction to have an extensive viewing. extensive viewing instructs students to watch television, movies, and videos for l2 learning goals (masrai, 2020; pujadas & muñoz, 2019). the extensive viewing implementation should stick to the principles, one of which is quantity. the most important component in helping l2 students strengthen their language skills is quantity (metruk, 2019). therefore, considering the success of extensive reading, the practice of extensive listening should be able to promote listening to a large number of spoken texts so learners can gain significant improvement in their listening ability and overall language learning. aside from quantity, the essence of extensive listening is the learners' ability to comprehend without the assistance of teachers. given that extensive listening is mostly done outside the classroom, learners should be able to comprehend the listening materials with their capabilities. on that account, extensive listening practice should be enjoyable and advantageous for the learners’ listening comprehension, not incomprehension (yurko & styfanyshyn, 2020). moreover, the distinctive aspect of extensive and intensive listening is centred around how learners apprehend the listening materials. most learners find intensive listening difficult because they listen to materials with difficult vocabulary, and it leads to them not enjoying the listening practice. hence, the use of simpler resources will make it easier for students to understand large amounts of understandable language. aside from that, the adapted principles from extensive reading, as explained by renandya et al. (2019) and saraswaty (2018), state that teachers have a crucial role in assisting learners in extensive listening. during an extensive listening activity, teachers must aid students in continuously listening to learn and learning to listen. in other words, teachers should create a supportive learning environment for students to conduct extensive listening activities. in addition, teachers should also act as role models for the students. having said that, teachers should demonstrate how to conduct and sustain extensive listening properly in the long run. the reasons why extensive listening should be implemented are because el gives various benefits in a language learning classroom. quoted from a previous study by zeng and goh (2018), el assists students in expanding their knowledge and adjusting their learning needs. in other words, through extensive listening, students are able to actually listen more and to concentrate entirely on the subject matter (murphy, 2020). additionally, learners have freedom in choosing their learning materials based on their own pace. along with the insufficiency of students' necessary adherence to more user-friendly tools to sustain their learning activities—particularly in extensive listening activities—one of the most serious barriers that each of them must face is the covid-19 pandemic, which has also been explained by kusuma (2022), that it has devastated the majority of the industries in the world. according to mahyoob (2020), education represents the only sector that has entirely transitioned to online mode in most nations all over the world after more than two years. consequently, it is indisputable that, during the pandemic, online learning was the best solution for continuing education, particularly in higher education. the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 367 obstacles confronted by ell students necessitate their lecturers to look for the most suitable methods to undertake an effective learning process and environment, as learners are rarely satisfied (landrum et al., 2021) and cannot fulfil the expected progress in language learning outcomes by persisting in online learning (esra & sevilen, 2021). aside from the difficulties of selecting suitable technological devices, systems, and applications used during the class, the application of effective methods and strategies suited to online learning in listening classes is also challenging for the learners (susilowati, 2020). as a result, another innovative product that enables the students to put forth their best contribution in extensive listening activities—especially during the covid-19 pandemic—is desperately needed. to facilitate learners’ enjoyment in practising listening skills, researchers are seeking an alternative using google sites. kompen et al. (2019) argued that google sites is one of the products provided by google as a tool for creating a personalised website. in the learning and teaching context, google sites can be utilised for classroom activities. learners, for example, can submit assignments to google sites, and lecturers can view the submitted works on the website. on top of that, google sites can accommodate and display various types of information, such as text, images, links, or videos, all in one place (mukti et al., 2020). hence, the main difference between google sites and the learning management systems (lms) such as google classroom is that google sites provides more freedom for the learners to personalise their site. meanwhile, google classroom is the virtual extension of physical classrooms (sudarsana et al., 2019). with that being said, google classroom offers teachers and students online learning facilities to ask questions, discuss, and create assignments similar to those in a physical classroom. nonetheless, google sites accommodates a space for students to decorate their websites based on their likings and creativity. the statement is proven by how users can combine various media into one site that can be shared according to user needs with google sites (mukti et al., 2020). to put it another way, google sites offer learners more flexibility in managing their learning process. the flexibility provided by google sites is in line with the main goal of extensive listening (el), which is to make students the centre of the learning process (gavenila et al., 2021). other digital tools that can be used to accommodate extensive listening are students response systems (srs) such as socrative and mentimeter. open-ended and multiple choice questions can both be made using srs. open-ended questions can be used to collect data such as the names of sources chosen, individualised progress reports, and comments on difficulties. quantifiable information can be assessed using multiple choice questions, such as the quantity of listening time per week or the level of difficulty of the sources. when employed in conjunction with an el activity, student response systems offer the teacher and students a flexible way to collect reporting and tracking data throughout the course, which is also in line with the purpose of utilising google sites in extensive listening. the outcomes can be used later in the course for formative and summative assessments, class discussions, teacher-student interviews, and reflection (lam, 2023). in conclusion, learning and teaching activities should continue despite the current conditions that require universities all across the world to achieve their goals through digital transformation (adedoyin & soykan, 2020). hence, the use of google sites is suitable for students because most of them are considered digital natives. cohen et al. (2020) argued that digital natives are people who were born and raised in the digital era. to put it another way, the students are expected to be digital savvy and adaptable to technological development. thus, the new features offered in google sites that do not exist in google classroom can be easily utilised by students to accommodate their learning process in extensive listening classrooms. thus, google sites is highly effective for learners who can adapt to utilising new technology and elaborating it with their learning in the classroom. method the study employed a qualitative case study design (ebneyamini & sadeghi-moghadam, 2018). the research instruments are as follows: (1) a student reflection based on the experience of each participant during the whole course, which is seen as the input of delivered data and considered the primary emphasis of the analysis; and (2) an individual interview to acquire perceptions of the students on the use of google sites in extensive listening activities. the study first began in february 2022 and ended in july 2022. this one-semester research project was undertaken in the english language education department at one of the public state universities in west java, indonesia. the location was fully considered to be selected since all the members of the research team are in the muhammad handi gunawan, eisha sabila dieni hanifa, aninda putri gunawan, & didi suherdi the use of google sites in extensive listening classroom: students’ voices 368 department, enabling easy access to the research site. in particular, in the teaching of listening, there were three required courses offered: listening i (for general communication), listening ii (in a professional context), and listening iii (for academic purposes). the current research, called "utilisation of google sites in extensive listening classrooms: students’ voices", was part of the listening iii course (listening for academic purposes i), which puts emphasis on listening in academic settings. students would learn about and discuss content from a variety of academic fields— topics that speak to the world they live in. the course typically lasted around 100 minutes per week and could be taken either synchronously or asynchronously. the lecturer covered topics found in introductory university courses such as intensive listening, extensive listening, and global englishes. the topics were designed to appeal to a wide range of student backgrounds and were conducive to class discussions that draw on multiple perspectives. all the students were required to write their extensive listening journal (elj) after the lecturer decided what topic should be discussed for each week. the journal consisted of their summary and reaction to the video they watched, as well as their self-reflection after doing the extensive listening activities with different minimum words for each indicator. second-year students took part in this research as the participants. for ethical reasons, which means protecting the confidential information of all the participants (audette et al., 2020), they were all assigned pseudonyms throughout the article that combined numbers and letters, such as s (student), r (reflection), and i (interview). out of 4 classes, the selected one had about 18 students enrolled (7 males and 11 females), whose ages ranged from 19 to 21 years. this class was selected because the lecturer of this class was a member of this research team—allowing easy access to approach the students. each of them is required to type up their course reflections, while not all students were engaged in the interview instrument. the course reflections were distributed to the students by the end of the semester and they were asked to fill in the reflections in one week. the reflections were gathered collectively in google drive. only five of the 18 participants were carefully chosen for a further interview, supplying more-detailed elaboration and/or additional insights since their submissions were declared questionable and necessitated further background information to strengthen the data collected from students’ reflections. figure 1. example of student’s course reflective journal english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 369 on the other hand, the interview sessions were held using a semi-structured interview technique. as already stated by brown and danaher (2019), the authors set up a formalised list of questions but left open the possibility of constructing additional questions along the way. it is worth noting that both the students’ reflections and the interview were conducted in bahasa indonesia, whereas the manuscript and snippets reported in the article were translated into english. each individual interview with each participant is allotted 15 minutes, and the five main questions that the interview is mainly focused on are: (1) what are your thoughts on using google sites for extensive listening activities? based on your experience using google sites for one semester, what are the benefits and drawbacks of using google sites in extensive listening activities? (3) what challenges did you encounter when you first started using google sites for extensive listening activities? (4) aside from listening, what courses do you think are suitable for using google sites? for analysing the data, both braun et al. (2023) and terry and hayfield (2021) have declared that thematic analysis is a useful method for examining the perspectives of different research participants, highlighting similarities and differences, and generating unanticipated insights. thus, the data collected from this research was analysed qualitatively using microsoft word with a thematic analysis for describing data but also involving interpretation in the processes of selecting codes and constructing themes. the data obtained from the students’ point of views came in the form of student’s course reflection and the recording of semi-structured interviews. results and discussion the aim of the study is to examine students’ perceptions of the use of google sites in extensive listening classrooms. students' course reflective journals were used to collect data, as was a semistructured interview technique customised from brown and danaher (2019) and optimised for the research context. all participants were tasked with writing students’ course reflections, and five selected participants were interviewed for some further explanation and elaboration. to provide more transparency to the readers of this article, figure 2 is shown below to illustrate the gender distribution of research participants who submitted course reflections and participated in the interview session: figure 2. participants of the study according to the figure, the majority of the participants in this research were female. of the total 18 students participating, 61% of them were female students, and the remaining 39% of participants were male students. the analysis of the data from the students’ course reflections and interviews showed that most students had similar perceptions of utilising google sites in extensive listening classrooms. the opinions delivered by students were divided into four themes as follows: 1) the general perceptions of students in utilising google sites in extensive listening classrooms; 2) the benefits and drawbacks of utilising google sites based on their personal experiences; 3) students’ first experiences of the utilisation of google sites in extensive listening activities, and 4) students’ opinions on the utilisation of google sites for different courses besides listening. students’ general perceptions of google sites in el classroom perception is the experience of an object, event, or relationship acquired by resuming information and interpreting a message. it provides context for stimulus-response in resuming information and predicting messages, which involves attention, hope, motivation, and memory (mafruudloh et al., 2021). following it, nagabandi et. al. (2018) and oktaria & rahmayadevi (2021) developed perception as a phase of the total process of action, which allows us to adjust our activities to the world we live in. here, the students’ perception can be described as their developed opinion after having a certain experience that needs adjustment. the experiences of students influenced their perception of google sites, which were implemented in the classroom. most students who have typed up their course reflections and were interviewed by the researchers stated that the outstanding aspect of google sites is the ability for students to customise the website and unleash their creativity with the features offered. they admitted muhammad handi gunawan, eisha sabila dieni hanifa, aninda putri gunawan, & didi suherdi the use of google sites in extensive listening classroom: students’ voices 370 that the available features in google sites help them design websites easily. a few examples of the statement are provided below: “i discovered that google sites is quite simple to use. with a variety of available features, we can easily customise our own website.” (from student i1 individual interview: june 24th, 2022) “in my opinion, the use of google sites in this course is quite interesting. student creativity will also increase after several attempts to design their own website.” (from student i5 individual interview: june 24th, 2022) “we, as students, are free to express our creativity using google sites, and that honestly makes us enjoy doing extensive listening.” (from student r1 course reflective journal: june 11th, 2022) from the students’ answers, it can be inferred that students feel more comfortable using google sites for extensive listening activities. they can make the best use of the google sites features based on their creativity and preferences. students are not bound by certain rules to design their own websites. the idea of increasing creativity is certainly needed in extensive listening. as stated by newton & nation (2020), extensive listening activities should be enjoyable for the students. hence, the entertaining aspect is supported by the use of google sites to conduct extensive listening activities in the classroom. additionally, research conducted by cong-lem (2020) and hassan and abdel-kareem (2020) also exposed that the freedom of designing and customising the website supports students in actively implementing extensive listening practice in the classroom. hence, this finding indicates that through google sites, it is feasible for students to finally achieve the goal of extensive listening, which is to find enjoyment through listening. the benefits and drawbacks of utilising google sites in extensive listening classroom as explained by the oxford learners’ online dictionary, benefits are advantages or profits gained from something. in contrast, it has also been said that drawbacks are disadvantages or problems that make something a less attractive idea. in other words, when students use or utilise something in their learning processes, they will experience its benefits and drawbacks as the effects of its utilisation. in line with the research conducted by shatri (2020), different tools always offer different advantages and disadvantages, particularly when they are used as a learning medium. with that being said, it also happens to all the tools created by google, including google sites: it offers several benefits and drawbacks when it comes to being used in students’ learning processes. based on the results of the study, all the students mainly experienced the same things by utilising google sites for a whole semester. here is what google sites looks like: figure 3. homepage of google sites once each user types https://sites.google.com into the browser search box on their device, the link will lead them to a page, that is the main page of google sites. some of the available custom website templates will be highlighted, such as "blank", "class", "club", "student portfolio", "portfolio", and so on. if they want to build their own website from scratch without using the given templates, they can simply pick the "blank" option. meanwhile, if they are willing to use one of the existing templates, they can select one that best suits their needs. following that is "recent sites," which contains an outlook or history of each user's previous google sites usage. furthermore, in "recent sites," each of them makes them discover the fastest route to reopen the draught website they previously worked on, without any unwanted modifications. they can also read information about the last time they modified or changed their website, as well as whom they can show or grant access to. figure 4. google sites (edit mode) https://sites.google.com/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 371 google sites (edit mode) allows each user to make changes (edit) to their website. they can access and use various tools at hand through the three primary web pages, such as insert, pages, and themes. through the insert menu tab, they can insert random objects into the previous website draft, including photos, videos, and a series of documents of different sizes and formats (.doc, .ppt, .pdf, and so on). the source of each object can also differ depending on whether the data is imported through internal devices or google drive. next, the second menu tab, pages, manages pages and sub-pages. each user has the option of increasing or decreasing the number of pages and sub-pages. finally, the third menu tab, themes, serves as a source of themes and background templates that can be used to create custom websites for each user. benefits of google sites based on students’ experiences for a year of utilising google sites in their extensive listening activities, most of them had the same experiences regarding the benefits and drawbacks of google sites. for the benefits, most of them agreed that google sites is applicable for use, particularly in extensive listening classrooms since they already feel quite familiar and comfortable with the other google tools, such as google classroom, google docs, etc. this statement is in line with chen (2019), who stated that google sites is one of the most user-friendly website builders, along with wordpress and wix, due to the advancement of internet technologies. “for me, google sites is relatively simple to use as we ourselves are quite familiar with the tools provided by google, such as google classroom, google docs, etc.” (from student i1 individual interview: june 24th, 2022) “i enjoy every tool available, and the process of creating google sites is also satisfying.” (from student r2 course reflective journal: june 12th, 2022) moreover, the tools available on google sites are varied and can be used for free without any charges. as a result, students’ creativity and productivity can be enhanced progressively. both students and teachers can easily create and build their own websites for free, as already stated by gamble (2018). in addition, oktalia and drajati (2018) also clarified that google sites allows its users to be able to make edits anytime and anywhere. indirectly, our knowledge of everything in the digital era will also continue to grow. this is not usually found in many other applications, such as edmodo or google classroom, which only function as a place for collecting assignments. “what i like about google sites is that we can create our own website easily and for free, unlike other website builder sites.” (from student i4 individual interview: june 24th, 2022) “the benefit of google sites is that it can hone our skills in designing websites so that the level of student creativity can increase.” (from student r3 course reflective journal: june 12th, 2022) figure 5. tools provided on google sites the figure above demonstrates that google sites actually offers a multitude of tools for its users to use in developing their own websites as well as enhancing their creativity and personal ideas. figure 6. customization of website links/domains one of the benefits which students can get by utilising google sites—especially in their extensive listening activities—is that they can customise their own links to the websites. as a result, after they type the main domain link of google sites, which is https://sites.google.com, they can add the symbols "/", “-”, “_”, the numbers, and more additional characters to identify their own websites. for example, https://sites.google.com/site/student-one-123. https://sites.google.com/ https://sites.google.com/site/student-one-123 muhammad handi gunawan, eisha sabila dieni hanifa, aninda putri gunawan, & didi suherdi the use of google sites in extensive listening classroom: students’ voices 372 figure 7. website’s accessibility control figure 8. website’s publication control another benefit of owning and customising one website on google sites is the ability to choose with whom they want to share and show their websites. it is even more satisfying that every user of google sites is also able to give access to the other people they are willing to share with, whether as editors or just published viewers. drawbacks of google sites unfortunately, despite the benefits that have been experienced by the students throughout their learning activities, some drawbacks are also found by the students when utilising google sites in their extensive listening classrooms. here is what they have clarified: “the drawback itself is the lack of the notification feature, which is available in google classroom and edmodo. normally, students will receive an email alerting them to the deadline for each assignment, but google sites appears to lack this feature.” (from student r1 course reflective journal: june 11th, 2022) “the lack of google sites that i feel is because the loading process is too long, whether it's because of a bad internet connection or an internal problem with my laptop, it's normally like that.” (from student i3 individual interview: june 24th, 2022) “the process of creating google sites also takes quite a lot of time because the manufacturing stages are less practical and require extra patience.” (from student i5 individual interview: june 24th, 2022) based on the students’ responses, it can be clarified that the google sites—while it is used in language learning, especially in extensive listening classrooms as students’ task archives—lacks a notification feature that reminds students of their due date of assignment. most of them felt unfortunate that this feature did not exist in google sites in comparison to other applications that typically support students' learning processes (google classroom, edmodo, etc.), in line with the research conducted by james et al. (2022). figure 9. example of task due date notification in google classroom figure 10. example of task due date notification in edmodo (teacher’s pov) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 373 figure 11. example of task due date notification in edmodo (student’s pov) furthermore, when students use and operate google sites, it seems that they have to provide a high-quality internet connection in order to be able to access and make some edits to their own websites. this is also stated by agrawal et al. (2022), which explain that due to the nature of online learning, most google tools can only be used while students’ computers are connected to a good internet connection. in addition, despite the variety of tools provided by google sites for enhancing students’ creativity, some of them are considered quite basic and less practical to be used right away by the students. hence, unless students are proficient in using all of the tools, they still have to use other applications or programs that are frequently used to construct more creative designs, such as photoshop, canva, corel draw, and so on. students’ first experience of utilising google sites in their extensive listening activities any interaction, course, program, or other experience in which learning occurs, whether it takes place in traditional academic settings (schools, classrooms) or nontraditional settings (outside-of-school locations, outdoor environments), or whether it includes traditional educational interactions (students learning from teachers and professors) or non-traditional interactions (students learning through interactive software applications), is referred to as a learning experience (clark, 2021). in the other words, it represents an attempt to update conceptions of how, when, and where learning does and can take place. when the students used google sites for the very first time to support their extensive listening activities, they faced different challenges and experiences. the results from the students’ voices in both the course reflective journals and semistructured interviews showed that the challenges they faced primarily came from their unfamiliarity with google sites itself. here are a few examples of their perspectives: “at first, it was quite difficult to understand the function of each feature available from google sites because there are quite a lot of varieties. however, now that i comprehend more about it, i enjoy using it because it can boost creativity.” (from student r1 course reflective journal: june 11th, 2022) “i was misguided when i first heard of and used google sites because i had never used it before. however, after learning more, i discovered that google sites is quite simple to use. there are numerous tools, features, and templates that we can use and create based on our needs.” (from student i2 individual interview: june 24th, 2022) “i'm familiar enough with various editing applications and other google applications, so using google sites is neither difficult nor unfamiliar to me.” (from student i3 individual interview: june 24th, 2022) according to the students’ perspectives above, it can be concluded that all the students have just known about google sites since they entered university. before that, they had no idea what google sites was and for what it was used. the fact that google sites is still not as popular as the other tools provided by google—such as google docs, google spreadsheets, and google classroom— makes them feel it is less practical (ferreira et al, 2022) as they have not been used to it for a long time. although most of the students are relatively familiar with some editing applications or programs such as photoshop, canva, and others, they still have to adapt to this new technology (google sites) to be able to effectively use it in their extensive listening classrooms. figure 12. google sites homepage of student i1 figure 13. google sites homepage of student i2 muhammad handi gunawan, eisha sabila dieni hanifa, aninda putri gunawan, & didi suherdi the use of google sites in extensive listening classroom: students’ voices 374 figure 14. google sites homepage of student i3 figure 15. google sites homepage of student i4 figure 16. google sites homepage of student i5 students’ opinions on the use of google sites for different courses google sites is an adjustable site, especially for managing the learning process in online classrooms. moreover, since the main strengths of google sites are its flexibility and accessibility, students stated that writing and reading are the most suitable courses for utilising and optimising features of google sites. a few examples are stated below: “google sites, in my opinion, are suitable to be used in writing class. for instance, we can publish essays and invite our friends to provide feedback or suggestions.” (from student i1 individual interview: june 24th, 2022) “in my opinion, google sites will be suitable if used in writing and reading courses because both are closely related to skills whose progress must be recorded clearly and systematically.” (from student i2 individual interview: june 24th, 2022) “i think google sites is also suitable if used in reading courses. for example, we can post all our reading material every week on just one website. we can categorise each reading material (daily reading books, course books, etc.) to make it look neater and more systematic.” (from student i3 individual interview: june 24th, 2022) from the students’ voices, it can be concluded that google sites is an effective tool for students to effectively organise their materials and assignments. with google sites, students are able to compile their finished works in one place without being worried that the files will be scattered. on top of that, students are supported by the tools from google sites to systematically classify the submitted files based on their preferred arrangements. in other words, students have full control over managing their materials and learning process. moreover, students stated that google sites is convenient for writing classes because it is very accessible to other students. students can publish their writing and receive feedback from their peers to help them improve their work. this idea can also stimulate peer feedback so that engagement in the classroom can be improved between students. the research conducted by chang et al. (2018) proved that students feel more comfortable asking their friends to comment on their essays than asking the lecturers. the previous statement shows that it is highly feasible for lecturers to utilise google sites in the writing classroom. aside from the writing course, students projected that google sites could be used in reading courses. as mentioned before, google sites can record the progress of their assignments in one place. hence, students find it suitable to manage a reading portfolio with google sites. portfolios in the reading classroom can be a tool for students to monitor and reflect on their progress in learning (ma’arif et al., 2021; sulistyo et al., 2020). thus, google sites is perfect to store students' reading portfolios because they can report and reflect on what they have learned so far. conclusion to conclude the aforementioned findings and discussions, students’ voices on the utilisation of google sites in extensive listening can be divided into four parts. the four parts are students’ general perceptions, the benefits, and the drawbacks, students’ first experience, and students’ opinions english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 375 on the utilisation of google sites for different courses. firstly, in general, students find google sites convenient to use in extensive listening classes. most of the reasons are because google sites offers interesting and easy features for students to customise their websites. the students feel that they are given the freedom to personalise the sites based on their creativity. secondly, from the experiences of one-year utilising google sites to support their listening activities, most students agreed that google sites is applicable for use, particularly in extensive listening classrooms since they already feel quite familiar and comfortable with the other google tools. students also found that the tools available on google sites are quite varied and can be used for free without any charges. therefore, students’ creativity and productivity can be enhanced progressively. nevertheless, in spite of the benefits, students also explained the drawbacks they encountered during the learning process by using google sites as their learning medium, such as the lack of a notification feature, which is supposed to be able to remind students of their due date of assignment; the need for a high-quality internet connection to access it; and also some tools that are considered less practical. thirdly, from the results of the course reflective journal and individual interviews, it can be summed up that all the students have just known about google sites since they entered university. they had no idea what google sites were or how they were used prior to that. although most students are familiar with editing applications or programs such as photoshop, canva, and others, they must still adapt to this new technology (google sites) in order to use it effectively in their extensive listening classrooms. however, on top of that, students also stated that google sites can be perfectly utilised for writing and reading courses. since google sites is highly accessible, students think that it will be beneficial because they can ask their friends to read and give feedback on their writing. moreover, in the reading course, they can keep their reading portfolios and materials systematically on the website. they do not have to worry that the files will be scattered because they store them in one place. references agrawal, g., kumar, d., & singh, m. (2022). assessing the usability, accessibility, and mobile readiness of e-government websites: a case study in india. universal access in the information society, 21(3), 737-748. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209021-00800-8 audette, l. m., hammond, m. s., & rochester, n. k. (2020). methodological issues with coding participants in anonymous psychological longitudinal studies. educational and psychological measurement, 80(1), 163–185. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164419843576 braun, v., clarke, v., & hayfield, n. (2023). thematic analysis: a reflexive approach. sage publications. brown, a., & danaher, p. a. (2019). che principles: facilitating authentic and dialogical semistructured interviews in educational research. international journal of research & method in education, 42(1). 76-90. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727x.2017.137998 7 chang, a., millett, s., & renandya, w. a. (2019). developing listening fluency through supported extensive listening practice. relc journal, 50(3). 422-438. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688217751468 chang, c. c., liang, c., chou, p. n., & liao, y. m. (2018). using e-portfolio for learning goal setting to facilitate self-regulated learning of high school students. behaviour & information technology, 37(12). 1237-1251. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929x.2018.149627 5 chen, j. (2019). designing online project-based learning instruction for efl learners: a webquest approach. mextesol journal, 43(2), 1-7. clark, d. (2021). learning experience design: how to create effective learning that works. kogan page. cong-lem, n. (2020). implementing portfolio-based learning (pobl) for l2 training: vietnamese efl learners' motivational orientations and listening achievement. tesl canada journal, 37(3). 1-26. https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v37i3.1342 djabborova, f. o. (2020). ways of developing listening skills of english learners in esl and efl classrooms. european journal of research and reflection in educational sciences, 8(10), 212–213. ebneyamini, s., & sadeghi-moghadam, m. r. (2018). toward developing a framework for conducting case study research. international journal of qualitative methods, 17(1), 1609406918817954. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406918817954 esra, m. e. ş. e., & sevilen, ç. (2021). factors influencing efl students’ motivation in online learning: a qualitative case study. journal of educational technology and online learning, 4(1), 11-22. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/jetol/issue/60134 /817680. ferreira, d., maclean, g., & center, g. e. (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-021-00800-8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-021-00800-8 https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164419843576 https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164419843576 https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164419843576 https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727x.2017.1379987 https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727x.2017.1379987 https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688217751468 https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929x.2018.1496275 https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929x.2018.1496275 https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v37i3.1342 https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406918817954 https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/jetol/issue/60134/817680 https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/jetol/issue/60134/817680 muhammad handi gunawan, eisha sabila dieni hanifa, aninda putri gunawan, & didi suherdi the use of google sites in extensive listening classroom: students’ voices 376 andragogy in the 21st century: applying the assumptions of adult learning online. language research bulletin, 32(11), 10-19. gavenila, e. i., wulandari, m., & renandya, w. a. (2021). using ted talks for extensive listening. pasaa, 61(june), 147–175. hassan, m. s., & abdel-kareem, m. e. d. (2020). using a suggested web-based learning program in developing efl listening skills of the firstyear secondary students. sohag university international journal of educational research, 1(1). 37-59. ivone, f. m., & renandya, w. a. (2019). extensive listening and viewing in elt. teflin journal, 30(2), 237–256. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v30i2/237 -256 james, b. r., leinbach, a. a., & macdonald, a. m. (2022). effective online teaching: voices of experience. new directions for community colleges, 2022(199), 35-48. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.20522 kompen, r. t., edirisingha, p., canaleta, x., alsina, m., & monguet, j. m. (2019). personal learning environments based on web 2.0 services in higher education. telematics and informatics, 38, 194-206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2018.10.003 kusuma, i. p. i. (2022). “why this and not that social media?” reasons for using technology during online practice teaching. the jalt call journal, 18(2). 264-265. https://doi.org/10.29140/jaltcall.v18n2.593 lam, r. (2023). e-portfolios: what we know, what we don’t, and what we need to know. relc journal, 54(1). 208-215. lam, r. (2023). e-portfolios: what we know, what we don’t, and what we need to know. relc journal, 54(1), 208-215. landrum, b., bannister, j., garza, g., & rhame, s. (2021). a class of one: students’ satisfaction with online learning. journal of education for business, 96(2), 82-88. https://doi.org/10.1080/08832323.2020.175759 2 mafruudloh, n., arifatin, f. w., & chasanah, u. (2021). the role of technology in online learning: an examintation towards english teachers’ perception and practices. project (professional journal of english education), 4(2). 267. mahyoob, m. (2020). challenges of e-learning during the covid-19 pandemic experienced by efl learners. arab world english journal (awej), 11(4). 351-355. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no4.23 masrai, a. (2020). can l2 phonological vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension be developed through extensive movie viewing? the case of arab efl learners. international journal of listening, 34(1), 54-69. https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2019.158234 6 melani, m. (2020). the effect of google classroom assisted extensive listening on listening comprehension across learning autonomy. lingua cultura, 14(1). 129-142. https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v14i1.6493 muchtar, n. (2019). intensive and extensive reading in improving teaching reading comprehension. journal of english teaching studies, 1(2), 1-13. https://journal.uny.ac.id/index.php/linguapedagogia/index mukti, w. m., n, y. b. p., & anggraeni, z. d. (2020). media pembelajaran fisika berbasis web menggunakan google sites pada materi listrik statis. webinar pendidikan fisika 2020, 5(1), 51–59. https://sites.google.com/view/fisikakuyess murphy, k. (2020). you’re not listening: what you’re missing and why it matters. random house. nagabandi, a., clavera, i., liu, s., fearing, r. s., abbeel, p., levine, s., & finn, c. (2019, feb). learning to adapt in dynamic, real-world environments through meta-reinforcement learning [paper presentation]. icrl 2019. 1-17. https://sites.google.com/berkeley.edu/metaadapt ivecontrol newton, j. m., & nation, i. s. p. (2020). teaching esl/efl listening and speaking. routledge. oktalia, d., & drajati, n. (2018). english teachers’ perceptions of text to speech software and google site in an efl classroom: what english teachers really think and know. international journal of education and development using ict, 14(3), 183-192. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/188288/ oktaria, a. a., & rahmayadevi, l. (2021). students’ perceptions of using google classroom during the covid-19 pandemic. international journal of educational management and innovation, 2(2), 153-163. https://doi.org/10.12928/ijemi.v2i2.3439 pujadas, g., & muñoz, c. (2019). extensive viewing of captioned and subtitled tv series: a study of l2 vocabulary learning by adolescents. the language learning journal, 47(4), 479-496. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2019.161680 6 renandya, w. a., hamied, f. a., & nurkamto, j. (2018). english language proficiency in indonesia: issues and prospects. journal of asia tefl, 15(3). 618-624. http://dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2018.15.3.4. 618 rintaningrum, r. (2018). investigating reasons why listening in english is difficult: voice from foreign. asian efl journal, 20(11), 6-15. saraswaty, d. r. (2018). learners’ difficulties & strategies in listening comprehension. english community journal, 2(1), 139-152. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v30i2/237-256 https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v30i2/237-256 https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.20522 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2018.10.003 https://doi.org/10.29140/jaltcall.v18n2.593 https://doi.org/10.1080/08832323.2020.1757592 https://doi.org/10.1080/08832323.2020.1757592 https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no4.23 https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2019.1582346 https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2019.1582346 https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v14i1.6493 https://journal.uny.ac.id/index.php/lingua-pedagogia/index https://journal.uny.ac.id/index.php/lingua-pedagogia/index https://sites.google.com/view/fisikakuyess https://www.learntechlib.org/p/188288/ https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccq015 https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2019.1616806 https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2019.1616806 http://dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2018.15.3.4.618 http://dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2018.15.3.4.618 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 377 shatri, z. g. (2020). advantages and disadvantages of using information technology in the learning process of students. journal of turkish science education, 17(3), 420-428. sudarsana, i. k., putra, i. b. m. a., astawa, i. n. t., & yogantara, i. w. l. (2019). the use of google classroom in the learning process. journal of physics: conference series, 1175(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1175/1/012165 sulistyo, t., eltris, k. p. n., mafulah, s., budianto, s., & heriyawati, d. f. (2020). portfolio assessment: learning outcomes and students’ attitudes. studies in language and education, 7(1). 141-153. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v7i1.15169 susilowati, r. (2020). the challenges of online learning in listening class during covid-19 pandemic. edukasi lingua sastra, 18(2), 56–72. https://doi.org/10.47637/elsa.v18i2.290 tabieh, a. a. s., al-hileh, m. m., abu afifa, h. m. j., & abuzagha, h. y. (2020). the effect of using digital storytelling on developing active listening and creative thinking skills. european journal of educational research, 10(1), 13–21. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.10.1.13 terry, g., & hayfield, n. (2021). essentials of thematic analysis. american psychological association. tsai, k. j. (2019). supporting extensive listening with mobile technologies. journal of asia tefl, 16(2), 711–717. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2019.16.2.19.7 1 yulia, m. f. (2018). extensive reading for indonesian university students: an alternative framework for implementation. llt journal: a journal on language and language teaching, 21(2), 207218. https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.2018.210210 yurko, n., & styfanyshyn, i. (2020). listening skills in learning a language: the importance, benefits and means of enhancement. publishing house european scientific platform. 38-46. https://doi.org/10.36074/rodmmrfssn.ed-1.04 https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1175/1/012165 https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1175/1/012165 https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v7i1.15169 https://doi.org/10.47637/elsa.v18i2.290 https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.10.1.13 https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2019.16.2.19.71 https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2019.16.2.19.71 https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.2018.210210 https://doi.org/10.36074/rodmmrfssn.ed-1.04 muhammad handi gunawan, eisha sabila dieni hanifa, aninda putri gunawan, & didi suherdi the use of google sites in extensive listening classroom: students’ voices 378 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 515 portraying academic writing aptitude and the plagiarism issues among efl students kartin lihawa (corresponding author) english language education, faculty of letter and culture universitas negeri gorontalo email: kartin.lihawa@ung.ac.id karmila machmud english language education, faculty of letter and culture universitas negeri gorontalo email: karmila@ung.ac.id adimawati helingo english education department, faculty of tarbiyah and teacher training iain sultan amai gorontalo email: adimawati@iaingorontalo.ac.id apa citation: lihawa, k., machmud, k., & helingo, a. (2023). portraying academic writing aptitude and the plagiarism issues among efl students. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 515-524. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.6760 received: 23-02-2023 accepted: 28-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction students who wish to earn a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree at the college level are typically required to complete some form of scientific work. this may involve conducting original research, writing a research paper, or completing a laboratory course. writing scientific papers is a common task for students in higher education. students are often required to write essays, conduct research, and report their findings in the form of academic papers. these papers may include skripsi, thesis, or dissertation, which are all types of scientific work. the research papers that students write have multiple chapters, one of which is a chapter that includes the opinions of experts in the field, known upon its several terms such as theoretical basis/framework of review of literature chapter, and background chapter. students are required to record the experts’ viewpoints relevant to their research in these chapters. these experts’ opinions are intended to reinforce existing theories and organize knowledge to serve as a roadmap for future research. however, it is usually an issue for students to arrange the experts’ ideas as page (lihawa, 2022) argued that students are struggling to write history essays, they are often knowledgeable about the subject matter well but unable to write in a coherent way. this can be because they do not know how to connect facts and information they have jumbled in their thoughts to form a narrative. as a result, their essays can be dry and boring, and they may not communicate their ideas effectively. wilang et al. (2018) revealed that students were worried about the process of research paper writing including writing theoretical chapters and their purposes, and most were not sure how to start writing them. it is also found (lihawa, 2022) from the information of previous research evaluation conducted on the 1st march 2022 that 19 students’ writings of class e in the second semester were abstract: this article is the research result of teaching-learning academic writing to english students department, ung in the fourth semester of 2020. this research objective is to enrich applying theories accessed from online books and international journals by avoiding plagiarism in students’ writing essays as theoretical bases of their research. besides, they would be able to communicate in the target language of writing skill as a maximum standard. a qualitative rubric was used to assess 25 students' essays. the rubric had three categories: (a) the ability to choose relevant ideas in introductory sentences before quoting, (b) the accuracy of diction selection, and (c) the ability to link ideas in well-written sentences after choosing quotations or paraphrases. the results showed that 15 students (60%) received a, followed by 5 students (20%) received a-, 3 students (12%) received b+, and 2 students (8%) received c. keywords: academic writing; plagiarism; teaching. mailto:kartin.lihawa@ung.ac.id mailto:karmila@ung.ac.id kartin lihawa, karmila machmud, & adimawati helingo portraying academic writing apptitude and the plagiarism issues among efl students 516 dominated by 12 students writing 2 to 5 sentences in an hour. besides, they were confused about what ideas were written. in line with the problem, most efl students of the english language department of ung prefer the easiest way to take ideas from most other students’ theses on the internet. some of them only changed the research object and slightly reformulated the title, copying and pasting most of the paragraphs in their theoretical basis. when a thesis is submitted for examination, the examiner may use a plagiarism detection tool like turnitin to check for unoriginal content. if the examiner finds that the thesis contains plagiarized material, the student's work will not be accepted. this can cause the student to have difficulty repairing the thesis, as they will need to compile new ideas and rewrite large sections of the paper. this can take a significant amount of time and may delay the student's study completion. it was stated by king ( 2023) that as more students use the internet for research and information, plagiarism is becoming a bigger problem in higher education. the quantity of readily available information online has made it simpler for students to copy and paste information from other sources without properly attributing it. due to this, there has been an increase in instances of plagiarism, which can have detrimental effects on students such as failing grades, expulsion, and harm to their reputation in the workplace. in order to combat plagiarism and maintain academic integrity, higher education institutions are enacting stricter standards and stronger sanctions. mutalib, et al. (2023) conclude that a significant number of efl students misapplied sources and citations in their theses, therefore education and awareness are essential to addressing the plagiarism issue (roig, 2018). thus, it is imperative for lecturers to expose students to theories in arranging sources of ideas in academic writing class. scientific works have certain characteristics in terms of several aspects, including a variety of language, objective, systematic, logical, and based on facts, and following this recommendation students’ works can meet the demands of good academic writing (braslauskas, 2021). in general, from a technical point of view, many students have writing problems. first, one of the challenges students face is the drawn-out process of developing a topic for a written scientific report. page (in lihawa, 2022) argued some writers spend so much on their introductions that they lose readers’ interest before they get to the main point of the essays. as hoang et al. (2023) in their research result on the analysis of errors and survey data revealed that the most common organization errors were incoherence whch made up the highest percentage, and then poor topic sentence, disunity, poor conclusion, and no conclusion at all. additional reseasons were due to lack of writing practice and local language influences. these writing problems and complex ideas of avoiding the long process of starting this skill are determined by knowledge and skills of writing and students’ experience and responses in language communication. the more language communication students have, the more experience and easier they get to start writing scientific works. the second problem for students is avoiding plagiarism in writing. most of the time, students unknowingly engage in plagiarism; for instance, they occasionally use the phrases and concepts of experts when coming up with introduction lines. for even more serious offenses, students take large sections of text from someone else and pass it off without acknowledging the main source. ashikuzzaman et al. (2018) explained that plagiarism can range from a minor offense, such as failing to cite a source, to a more serious offense, such as duplicating large sections of a text. moreover, one of the key causes is the development of technical tools that make it simpler to copy and paste information from the internet, which results in the development of screen-based thinking (chaika, 2023). the emphasis on the same idea from doostyar and sujatha (2023) that plagiarism in written form is also known as textual plagiarism. students and researchers both frequently engage in this type of plagiarism when writing coursework and research articles. the effects of freely using technology, the almost same problems occur to some english language department students of ung, either undergraduate or postgraduate students who do not have adequate ability to compose introductory sentences using their own words prior quotations to bridge their ideas and the experts’. it is because esl students often face a number of challenges with things like minor vocabulary mastery, poor grammar and spelling, preparedness, and exposure to books and reading materials (moses & mohamad, 2019). these english students find it difficult to connect the quotes they select and the key point's explanation of the notion because english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 517 they have a limited amount of accurate vocabulary with which to express their ideas. the third issue is insufficient reading materials as sources, either form of books or journals, to support the theoretical basis chapter which might cause a scientific work less logical and reputable (djehatu et al., 2022). this problem can be overcome by the students with the help of cuttingedge technologies, specifically, internet resources where they can access online journals and books. however, the reliability of online references can be a problem since some online sources may not be credible, and it can be difficult to verify the accuracy of the information they contain. similarly, vieyra and weaver (2023) put forward that the main cause of plagiarism is sometimes attributed to students with an unclear understanding of how to properly incorporate and cite sources in their writing when they first enter college. it is imperative that researchers, writers, and authors of books and journals must go through a process of revision and editing before their work is published to ensure that the work is accurate, well-written, and easy to understand, and also incorporate technologies. davies et al., (2022) in their research revealed that students’ writing skills improve when teaching and learning instruction is assisted with technology. based on the learning issues faced by the students in general and they are in english department of fsb ung particularly, it is paramount that researchers must reduce the issues currently associated with writing scientific papers and make use of current technologies in order to increase students’ ability to write background and theoretical basis, which are significant chapters on scientific works. in line with that, kumar et.al. (2022) put forward that teachers and students can benefit from using hardware and software technology in english language instruction and learning in a variety of ways, including the capacity to access resources at any time. besides, momchilova (2021) stated that artificial intelligence (ai) and information and communication technologies (ict) have significantly altered teaching strategies and learning environments, as well as how they are perceived and set up. moreover, the finding of research by rahman et al., (rahman et al., 2020) indicated that the students’ enthusiasm for studying english writing, self-esteem, and written communication skills are all developed through blended learning which combines face-to-face instruction with online learning. students can easily access experts’ opinions on a particular theory by accessing citations on the website of scimago or google scholar, for example. however, when it comes to writing supporting sentences that refer to the citation, students still run into problems, or they even fail to include any previous sentences as an introduction to the quotation. in addition, they occasionally fail to establish a connection between their chosen quotation and the rest of their own writing. to avoid this, students must form conclusions as a writer in order to establish this connection and support the experts' viewpoint. it is supported by the argument of twumasi & afful (2022) that writing should be concise and precise, free of slang and other informal expressions. it should constantly strive to be objective and considerate of other people's perspectives, also academic writing is not the place for sentimentality or strongly held personal opinions. method this research used a descriptive qualitative of development model by sugiyono (2012), the actions are as follows: step 1: analyzing the potential data i) how well students are able to cite the theories of experts in their papers; ii) how well they are able to put together introductory lines before pouring in the theories and demonstrate how to offer arguments. 2) overcoming the problem i) putting into practice teaching in-class for four months in accordance with the course syllabus and utilizing scimago to facilitate citation theory, ii) providing students with opportunities to practice their writing skills and to learn about citation theory, iii) evaluating the students' learning outcomes by assessing their ability to paraphrase publisher's work, one source is a rubric by mahmoudi & bugra (2020)that assesses students' ability to formulate ideas in three categories: a) selecting ideas in introductory sentences prior to taking quotations of paraphrases; b) accuracy of diction selection; and c) linking ideas in well-formulated sentences following the quotation. these supported and used criterion-referenced decisions in their evaluation. the next four processes of designing module, validation, the experts’ revision of product then testing a limited and large group are not described here. conducting this research is in english department, letter and culture faculty, gorontalo state university, focussed on the ‘writing for academic purpose’ subject. the kartin lihawa, karmila machmud, & adimawati helingo portraying academic writing apptitude and the plagiarism issues among efl students 518 techniques used to collect the data were observing how well students can write theoretical bases, discussing with students about planning future actions, recording information as the instructor provided lessons based on the writing for academic purposes course syllabus in the fourth semester, evaluating students’ writing outcomes based on their capacity to incorporate theory into their writing in a scientific manner, and examining students’ writing outcomes using the theories of experts from the journal as referenced on the scimago website. the procedure of data collection was during the teaching of ‘writing for academic purpose’ course at 4th semester totaling 25 students in english department of fsb-ung in the academic year of 2021/2022 based on the syllabus of 14 meetings. those covered the four kinds of essay organization and its generic structures, including developing critical thinking, paraphrasing, footnoting, and writing 2 to 3 pages of background and theoretical basis chapters of research. besides, one important thing was focussing on learning materials on how to use scimago journal website which they applied and suited to the idea in each of their theoretical bases or background. a student had to go to www.scimagojr.com and chose 'journal ranking' and 'country rankings'. they found data based on the rankings through the following picture. this website provides journals that have been indexed nationally and internationally. in addition, this website also provides ranking data for each journal based on total cites, self-cites, citation per document, international collaboration, citable document, non-citable document, cited document, and uncited document. figure 1. scimagojr then, they used the search field to choose the kind of journal they wanted to look up by clicking on it, i.e. table 1. the search field n o content name of journal iss n publish er year 1 languag e and linguisti c applie d linguis tic 147 752 0x, 014 260 01 oxford univers ity press 2019 the criteria used to evaluate the formation of ideas fall into three categories: a) selecting ideas for introduction sentences before selecting paraphrased quotations, b) choosing accurate diction, and c) linking ideas in well-crafted sentences after selecting the quotation, i.e. table 2. rubric for assessing ability to compile introductory sentences, selection of diction, and the arrangement of linkages of ideas with quotation no items of formulating ideas and diction selection not clear 25% or d less clear 50% or c clearer 75% or b clearest 100% or a 1. having an introductor y sentences with clear ideas 2. accuracy of diction selection 3. linkage of ideas in the formulation of sentences with quotation/ paraphrase the essay was ultimately graded using criteria used in ung guideline for students’ attainment level and the letter grade range as follow: table 3. letter grade range level of achievement score qualification 85-100 % a excellent 75-84 % b good 60-74 % c average 45-59 % d less 0-44 % e failed results and discussion the outcome of students' use of scimago to write experts' opinions has a good impact on their essay-writing abilities. the outcome of their writing provides evidence of this. of the 25 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 519 students' writing results, 15 received a (60%), 5 received a(20%), 3 received b+ (12%), and 2 received c (8%). the analysis used the following rubric in evaluating each participant to assess the ability in compiling introductions, diction used, and the way concepts are linked together using quotations. table 1. the assessment result of students’ writing essays based on the level of clearest 100% or a, clearer 75% or b, less clear 50% or c not clear 25% or d fail or zero <25% or e parti cipa nt having an introductory sentence with clear ideas (his_ci) accuracy of diction selection (acd) linkage of ideas in the formulation of sentences with quotation/paraphrase (liitfs_q/f) total value a b c d e a b c d e a b c d e 1 √ 90 85 85% 2 100 100 100 100% 3 80 85 90 85% 4 100 100 100 100% 5 82 82 85 83% 6 78 50 77 68% 7 100 100 100 100% 8 100 100 100 100% 9 60 80 80 73% 10 84 95 91 90% 11 85 85 85 85% 12 84 97 74 85% 13 90 90 90 90% 14 85 82 82 83% 15 100 92 84 92% 16 65 82 85 77% 17 100 100 100 100% 18 100 100 100 100% 19 100 100 100 100% 20 100 100 100 100% 21 90 100 90 93% 22 85 85 85 85% 23 84 95 95 91% 24 87 100 100 96% 25 90 100 100 97% the assessment result of 25 students’ writing essays show that the students in the level of a category or 100% are 8 students, 97% is 1 student, 96% is 1 student, 93% is 1 student, 92 is 1 student, 91% is 1 student, 90% are 2 students, 85% are 5 students, 83% are 2 students, 77% is1 student, 73% is 1 student, and 68% is 1 student. in brief, their level of category is presented below: table 2. students’ writing essay category level of achievement amount students score percentage % category 85-100 % 20 a 80% excellent 75-84 % 3 b 12.% good 60-74 % 2 c 8% average 45-59 % 0 d 0% less 0-44 % 0 e 0% failed total 25 100% the description of the assessment of the students' producing background and theoretical basis chapters in their essay writing skills is based on the determination of the number of citations and paraphrases made in the essay. the focus of the assessment is to count the number of sentences with grammatically correct structures in english and a good choice of diction prepared by students before and after the quotes and paraphrases. to find out the results of the writings in question, the assessment of three categories is carried out. those are i) having an introductory sentence with clear ideas (his_cs), ii) accuracy of diction selection (ads), and iii) linkage of ideas in the formulation of sentences with quotation or paraphrase (liitfs_q/f) (janssen et al., 2015) kartin lihawa, karmila machmud, & adimawati helingo portraying academic writing apptitude and the plagiarism issues among efl students 520 the ways in which the sentences were formulated before and after the quotations and paraphrases by the 25 participants varied greatly and really depend on the students’ own imagination and the process. as cheong et al., (2022) mentioned that reproductive imagination, which is the ability to recreate or reproduce ideas that have been encountered previously, is one factor that contributes to writing performance. the link to this issue happened to participant 6’s essay. it is a short and clear essay as well but there are only 2 dqs (direct quotations) with its 2 psf (previous sentence formulation) and one liitfs_q/f on the first quotation. the second dq only contains one psf and one sentence as liitfs_q/f or the linkage at the conclusion of the second quote. his writing proficiency is average at only 68% or c category. yet, in the process of conducting research on teaching academic writing, it applied different methods and techniques to help students to find the aim of learning as a qualified writer at maximum standard, one of which is incorporating technology to enhance language learning and foster effective learning (zhang & zou, 2022) where students can use real language and complete their task in the target language which promotes their self-regulated and motivation in learning (han et al., 2021). however, it is not only limited to these references sourced from technology used in asking students to compose essays, but also the role of teachers and pedagogical competence is paramount (strobl et al., 2019) in allowing students the ability to practice writing an effective outline, structuring information using a variety of rhetorical devices, avoiding logical fallacies while presenting a position with support, and understanding how to cite and paraphrase sources. based on the notion above on how to quote certain knowledge to support the ideas of the writer for academic writing, there are strategies commonly used to paraphrase or summarize data from published sources, they are: (1) using synonyms (alvi et al., 2021; çeşme, 2022) where students could replace some terms from the original section with similar meaning of the words. this strategy is mostly used in paraphrasing. (2) altering active sentences to passive or vice versa (sulistyaningrum, 2021). and, (3) converting direct quotes to indirect ones. in implementing these strategies in organizing the background and theoretical basis parts, students are required to organize good sentences as the representation of his/her ideas and integrate them into his/her works by summarizing, quoting, and even paraphrasing the ideas to seamlessly unite them into the source materials. this way, plagiarism can be avoided. in the end, students who are the writers must allude to these quotations in connection with the overall thesis of the articles. thus, well-structured and related ideas from introduction sentences to the paraphrased ideas to the illustration are stated as part of the theoretical bases they are derived from. to be able to do this, there are three points that should at least be addressed, 1) the author requires to have the ability to compose an introductory idea prior to making the quotations, 2) the selection of accurate vocabulary, and 3) the author must be able to create compelling concluding thoughts from their writing of the opening notion before the citation, connecting to the quotations presented, and coming to their own decision. the application and support of experts’ opinions in this study resulted in accurate research data, including assessing the three categories in the essay as in the previous table. the results of the evaluation contained several things as exemplified in the short essay by participant 6. however, of the 25 participants, only one student experienced the case of writing a short essay. furthermore, the great variations in the students’ writing results are described in general perspective in three levels of high, good, and average of formulation direct quotations and paraphrases. the high level is projected in students who formulated 5 to 8 dqc (direct quotation) or ph (paraphrase), the good level is the students who formulated 3 to 4 dqs and phs, and the average level is the student who formulated 1 to 2 dq and ph. each level presented three participants’ writing results is as follows. the first of high category in writing the essay, there are found high formulation dq (direct quotation) toward 3 participants; they are participant 17 with 8 dqs and one paraphrase, participant 12 with 6 dqs, and participant 9 with 5 dqs and 3 paraphrases. the description is as follows: participant 17.this participant had 8 dqs and one phrase. each of all direct quotations and paraphrases had 3 sentence formulations as liitfs_q/f (sentences of linkage of ideas in the formulation of sentences with quotation/paraphrase). even though there were english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 521 no previous sentences as his-ci (having an introductory sentence with clear ideas), the participant used precise language in each of her sentence descriptions. this participant performed at 100% or an exceptional level. participant 12. the participants' essays had 6 dqs, but only one reference was listed in her bibliography. all of the sentences in her essay were excellent in terms of expressing and creating concepts clearly, as well as establishing solid paragraphs. the essay was then evaluated and assigned an ability level of 85%, or the agrade. participant 9. her essay contained 3 paraphrases and 5 dqs. only three of them, nevertheless, were precisely organized because they included references with the original quotations, but the expert was not credited. the three of 2 paraphrases and one dq were the first paraphrase that had one psf (previous sentence formulation) and 3 liitfs_q/f sentence formulations as its linking ideas. the second paraphrase did not have psf (previous sentence formulation), but it had 3 liitfs_q/f, and the last one was the dq with one psf and zero liitfs_q/f. the participant's overall score was 73%, or a c category because of making quotations without acknowledging the expert. this plagiarism issue was made by participant 9 in which she did not state the name of the expert. the sophistication of technology in the present era, such as the internet and websites that can be accessed by anybody regardless of their trustworthiness, is one of the reasons why plagiarism in writing is on the rise. smith (in cheers et al., 2021) states that plagiarism is a complex concept, and it can be deceptive, thus in an ideal world, students should be aware that there is a high chance of being caught for plagiarism and that the consequences are severe (abraham & torunarigha, 2020; lata & mondal, 2021). this is in line with the basic concept that plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s thought or language without acknowledging the author, regardless of whether you do it on purpose or unintentionally due to a variety of reasons (mehta & mukherjee, 2022), it is seen as a form of theft and is considered an academic crime. even though there is still happening in most schools and universities, plagiarism has recently become a highly visible issue in academic journals (bautista & pentang, 2022); and many papers, books, and seminars have been written about how to prevent plagiarism in academic publications. in teaching academic writing and its syllabus, students were directed to the best ways by being obliged to avoid plagiarism in writing. this control was carried out individually by lecturers to students during essay writing exercises in class. the result can be seen in the second category of students’ abilities below. the second of good category in writing essay, there are found good formulation dq (direct quotation) toward 13 participants; they are the participants 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 20, 21, and 24. the three participants of 2, 3, 4 are the representative illustration as below. the participant 2. this second participant had 4 direct quotations (dqs) and 2 paraphrases (phs). the first dq has psf (previous sentence formulation) as his-ci and 2 liitfs_q/f. the second dq has 6 psf without liitfs_q/f, but the third one had 2 psf and 3 liitfs_q/f in that formulation. it was also the fourth dq that had 3 psf with his-ci and 2 liitfs_q/f. this essay also contained 2 paraphrases, the first had 1 psf and 3 liitfs_q/f. the second one had 3 psf and 2 liitfs_q/f. the participant's writing abilities can be classified as a level or 100% qualification due to this essay's accurate choice of dqs and phs and its high-quality concepts for sentence construction. participant 3. this participant’s essay had 3 dqs and 1 ph. the first dq had 1 psf and 3 liitfs_q/f following the quotation and the 2 clear paragraphs illustration. however, without psf or linking, this essay contained one direct quotation. after the citation in the third dq, there was one psf and three liitfs_q/f. one paraphrased sentence had 1 psf and 2 liitfs_q/f after it. taking into account that this essay is worth a-, or 85%. participant 4. this essay demonstrated a clear understanding of quoting and paraphrasing, excellent diction, and precision. it had 3 dq and 1 ph. the first dq had 2 liitfs_q/f and 2 clean psf. following this quotation were 1 sentence and 9 liitfs_q/f in the second dq. the third one contained 6 liitfs_q/f and 2 psf phrases. it lso included 1 paraphrase, which had three liitfs_q/f and 4 psf. she received an a grade, or 100%, for her essay. the third of average category in writing essay, there are found good formulation dq (direct quotation) toward 9 participants; they are the participants 1, 6, 14, 16, 18, 19, 22, 23, and 25. the three participants of 1, 14, and 16 are the representative illustration as below. kartin lihawa, karmila machmud, & adimawati helingo portraying academic writing apptitude and the plagiarism issues among efl students 522 this participant 1. the participant used 2 direct quotations (dqs) and 2 paraphrases (phs) in the essay she wrote. the his-ci and liitfs_q/f at the end of the quotation were zero, yet there was 1 liitfs_q/f in the second quotation. there was 1 his-ci in the first and fourth sentences in each of the paraphrases. there was no liitfs_q/f at the end of the second paraphrase, despite the fact that those formulation principles were apparent. the student's writing grade was 85, or a-. participant 14. there were 5 psf before this 14th participant's ph, and she had two paraphrases. she discussed the risk of smoking in general terms as a supporting idea for her essay topic. however, because the participant's general statements of ideas refer to information from who, it is difficult to determine whether they were her own words, and that led to a grade of b+, or 83% level of skill for her essay. after using paraphrases in her article, she made a strong argument. participant 16. the sixteenth participant finished writing his essay with 2 dqs. his dq had his-ci but lacked clarity of thought and diction precision. the participant followed the quotations with liitfs_q/f, yet the linkage or liitfs_q/f was also not entirely obvious. as a result, the participant's essay received a grade of 77% or a level of b+. since the internet has become a major source of information, it is crucial to get students accustomed to integrating technology into their learning (vallez et al., 2022), however, they need to make use of it in a responsible way, particularly in academic circumstances. therefore, it is the lecturers to teach plagiarism, citation, and referencing skill, especially in academic writing which lead to academic integrity (bautista & pentang, 2022) conclusion providing the availability of internet websites that supply online journals and books is one technique to address the difficulty students have in selecting experts' theories to support their own idea and concept in composing articles and research proposals. citing sources such as from books or journals can help students who are unaware that they are engaging in plagiarism. in other words, teaching students about plagiarism ethics in academic writing can help them hinder the conventional practice of copying and pasting expert words and ideas. instead, students can learn how to formulate their own opening sentences, link ideas with quotations, and paraphrase effectively. references abraham, o., & torunarigha, y. d. (2020). academic dishonesty: examining the causes and consequences of plagiarism in higher educational institutions of learning. international journal of innovative social sciences & humanities research, 8(4), 88–97. alvi, f., stevenson, m., & clough, p. (2021). paraphrase type identification for plagiarism detection using contexts and word embeddings. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 18(1), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00277-8 ashikuzzaman, a., hasan, n., hossain, u., ali, e., & begum, d. (2018). avoid plagiarism: promote higher education’: does the situation demand for the social marketing approach at rajshahi university? edulearn18 proceedings, 1, 5773-5773. https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2018.1392 bautista, r. m., & pentang, j. t. (2022). ctrl c + ctrl v: plagiarism and knowledge on referencing and citation among pre-service teachers. international journal of multidisciplinary: applied business and education research, 3(2), 245-257. https://doi.org/10.11594/ijmaber.03.02.10 braslauskas, j. (2021). developing intercultural competences and creativity: the foundation for successful intercultural communication. creativity studies, 14(1), 197-217. https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2021.14583 çeşme, h. (2022). exploring paraphrase performances and strategies of graduate student writing. shanlax international journal of education, 11(1), 10-23. https://doi.org/10.34293/education.v11i1.5247 cheers, h., lin, y., & smith, s. p. (2021). academic source code plagiarism detection by measuring program behavioral similarity. ieee access, 9, 50391-50412. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2021.3069367 cheong, c. m., zhang, j., yao, y., & zhu, x. (2022). the role of gender differences in the effect of ideal l2 writing self and imagination on continuation writing task performance. thinking skills and creativity, 46, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2022.101129 davies, p. m., passonneau, r. j., muresan, s., & gao, y. (2022). analytical techniques for developing argumentative writing in stem: a pilot study. ieee transactions on education, 65(3), 373383. https://doi.org/10.1109/te.2021.3116202 djehatu, m. g., tans, f., & semiun, a. (2022). an analysis of texts written by third semester of undergraduate students of english education study program. edukatif : jurnal ilmu english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 523 pendidikan, 4(2), 2538-2548. https://doi.org/10.31004/edukatif.v4i2.2420 doostyar, n. m., & sujatha, b. (2023). plagiarism detection for afghan national languages (pashto and dari). in internet of behaviors (iob), 171186. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003305170-11 han, y., zhao, s., & ng, l. l. (2021). how technology tools impact writing performance, lexical complexity, and perceived self-regulated learning strategies in efl academic writing: a comparative study. frontiers in psychology, 12, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.752793 hoang thi lien giang, t. c. d. t. p. b. h. (2023). investigation into organization errors in efl learners’ paragraph writing: a case in a foreign language center in can tho city, vietnam. european journal of applied linguistics study, 6(1), 99-125. janssen, g., meier, v., & trace, j. (2015). building a better rubric: mixed methods rubric revision. assessing writing, 26(18), 51–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2015.07.002 king, m. r. (2023). a conversation on artificial intelligence, chatbots, and plagiarism in higher education. in cellular and molecular bioengineering (vol. 16, issue 1), 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12195-022-00754-8 lata, s., & mondal, a. (2021). why plagiarism is considered to be a serious offense in academics ? research ethics, 1(1), 1-4. lihawa, k. , pilongo. y. h. d., & laya, r. (2022). analyzing writing of producing ideas and using mechanics through showing short videos to students of english department in academic year of 2021/2022. universitas negeri gorontalo. mahmoudi, f., & bugra, c. (2020). the effect of using rubrics and face to face feedback in teaching writing skill in higher education. international online journal of education and teaching (iojet), 7(1), 150-158. mehta, p., & mukherjee, s. (2022). plagiarism and its repercussions: a primer on responsible scientific writing. central asian journal of medical hypotheses and ethics, 3(1), 52-62. https://doi.org/10.47316/cajmhe.2022.3.1.05 michelle l. vieyra, & kari d. weaver. (2023). exploring factors contributing to plagiarism as students enter stem higher education classrooms. issues in science and technology librarianship, 102, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.29173/istl2724 momchilova, m. (2021). effective application of blended learning in esp courses. proceedings of the technical university of sofia, 71(2), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.47978/tus.2021.71.02.001 moses, r. n., & mohamad, m. (2019). challenges faced by students and teachers on writing skills in esl contexts: a literature review. creative education, 10(13), 3385–3391. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2019.1013260 muthalib, k. abdul. , m. faisal. , y. s. b. (2023). types of plagiarism in efl undergraduate theses: discrepancy between knowledge and practice. international journal of language studies, 17(2), 75-98. rahman, a. m. a., azmi, m. n. l., & hassan, i. (2020). improvement of english writing skills through blended learning among university students in malaysia. universal journal of educational research, 8(12a), 7694–7701. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.082556 roig, m. (2018). avoiding plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and other questionable writing practices: a guide to ethical writing. in getting to good: research integrity in the biomedical sciences (pp. 289– 360). springer international publishing. strobl, c., ailhaud, e., benetos, k., devitt, a., kruse, o., proske, a., & rapp, c. (2019). digital support for academic writing: a review of technologies and pedagogies. computers and education, 131(131), 33–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.12.005 sugiyono. (2012). metode penelitian kuantitatif kualitatif dan r&d. alfabeta. sulistyaningrum, s. d. (2021). utilizing online paraphrasing tools to overcome students’ paraphrasing difficulties in literature reviews. journal of english language studies, 6(2), 229. https://doi.org/10.30870/jels.v6i2.11582 kumar, t., shet, j.p., & parwez, m.a. (2022). technology-integration experiences in elt classrooms as an effective tool: a theoretical study. journal for educators, teachers and trainers, 13(1), 51-60. https://doi.org/10.47750/jett.2022.13.01.006 twumasi, r. a., & afful, j. b. a. (2022). functions of citation in the literature review section of mphil theses. journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 4(2), 11-26. https://doi.org/10.32996/jeltal.2022.4.2.2 vallez, m., lopezosa, c., & pedraza-jiménez, r. (2022). a study of the web visibility of the sdgs and the 2030 agenda on university websites. international journal of sustainability in higher education, 23(8), 41-59. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijshe-09-2021-0361 wilang, j. d., jantori, p., & chutataweesawas, s. (2018). worries of novice researchers in writing research papers. online submission. http://proxy.libraries.smu.edu/login?url=http://se arch.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db= eric&an=ed583670&site=ehostlive&scope=site. zhang, r., & zou, d. (2022). types, purposes, and effectiveness of state-of-the-art technologies for second and foreign language learning. computer assisted language learning, 35(4), 696-742. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1744666 kartin lihawa, karmila machmud, & adimawati helingo portraying academic writing apptitude and the plagiarism issues among efl students 524 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 315 augmenting efl students’ speaking skills through the mystery box game nira erdiana english education department of universitas syiah kuala, aceh, indonesia email: niraerdiana@usk.ac.id masrizal mahmud english education department of universitas syiah kuala, aceh, indonesia email: masrizal@usk.ac.id syarifah nisa khaira english education department of universitas syiah kuala, aceh, indonesia email: nisa.ns907@gmail.com yunisrina qismullah yusuf english education department of universitas syiah kuala, aceh, indonesia email: yunisrina.q.yusuf@usk.ac.id apa citation: erdiana, n., mahmud, m., khaira, s. n., & yusuf, y. q. (2023). augmenting efl students’ speaking skills through the mystery box game. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 315-324. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7960 received: 19-10-2022 accepted: 27-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction speaking skills are among the significant aspects of the english language teaching curriculum in indonesia, and an important object of evaluation during the students’ study time. speaking is essential for students to practice their capability and understanding, as well as how to deliver ideas accurately, and the students’ motivation and interest are indispensable in the process (suryani & rosa, 2014). the purpose of teaching and learning english is for students to utilize it for global communication and to pursue their studies. speaking skills should be performed simultaneously during the teaching and learning process. however, in most efl scenarios, students do not use the language in real-life situations while learning in the classroom. and this situation hinders their chance to communicate effectively and appropriately (oradee, 2012). based on the researchers’ observation during the internship program at a senior high school in lhokseumawe, aceh, indonesia, some indicators of students’ difficulties in learning speaking skills were identified. first, most of the students at this school could not use english well because they rarely practiced it in their english classes. they abstract: this study examined how employing the mystery box game affected tenth-grade students' speaking skills at a senior high school in lhokseumawe, aceh, indonesia. it employed pre-experimental quantitative research. a number of 25 students from class x-3 were purposively chosen as the sample of this study. in collecting the data, the researchers used tests (pre-test and post-test) as the instrument, and the results were analyzed by using statistics. the results showed that the mean scores of the pre-test and posttest were 37.2 and 73.2, respectively. the mean score of the post-test was higher than the mean score of the pre-test, with the t-test value of 4,556, and the critical value in the t-table (0.05) of 1.711. this implies that the t-score is higher than the t-table (tscore = 4.534> t-table = 1.711), and thus the alternative hypothesis (ha) of this research was accepted and the null hypothesis (ho) was rejected. in conclusion, teaching english by using the mystery box game to improve these efl students’ speaking skills succeeded. consequently, the use of this game is among the alternative media to be used by english teachers in augmenting their students’ skills in speaking english. when students achieve the accuracy and mastery of speaking skills, at a later stage, it can help them move to the improvement of other language skills. keywords: efl students; mystery box game; powerpoint-based game; speaking skills. nira erdiana, masrizal mahmud, syarifah nisa khaira, & yunisrina qismullah yusuf augmenting efl students’ speaking skills through the mystery box game 316 occasionally employed indonesian words in their english classes, and communication in english was not fluent as there were many pauses, repairs, and repetitions. second, they preferred not to participate in speaking practices because they found the skills to be challenging and demanding to their weak ability in speaking. lastly, they find it boring, and this low motivation led them to gradually cease learning english. further preliminary interviews with the students also reported that some were not riveted by their teachers’ use of learning media because they only used image media in limited formats. this caused students to become easily bored and less interested in learning a foreign language that they deemed difficult (i.e., english). to deal with these problems, it is urged that language teachers employ interesting media to boost students’ interest in learning english. game is one of the mediums that can be employed; it is a competitive activity played according to some rules within a given context, where players meet a challenge to achieve a goal and win. it involves competition and challenges that become the driving forces to achieve a certain goal (elshamy, 2001). yolageldili and arikan (2011) found that students are more motivated to learn another language when they are immersed in a game. the use of games in learning can increase students’ interest and motivation because games create a pleasurable and fascinating environment (sari et al., 2022). when students are motivated, they will concentrate on their efforts to improve their academic performance (iswadi et al., 2014). the mystery box game is an educational game created using powerpoint (ppt). it is a game that is used as a medium and consists of unknown items that will help the learner learn something (arta, 2018). as the technological era progresses, educational instructors must be proficient with technology (muslem et al., 2018; silviyanti & yusuf, 2014; yusuf et al., 2018), such as the powerpoint on computer media, because it eases communications. powerpoint media are utilized for educational and learning objectives because of their effectiveness in conveying messages (daryanto, 2016). this media has many advantages, including being able to provide interesting and dynamic visuals, animation, and sound effects. with attractive visuals, students are happier and enjoy the lessons (tamami, 2014). educational games can further improve students’ memory so that they can store subject matter for a longer time compared to conventional teaching methods (i.e., teacher-centered) (vitianingsih, 2016). the benefits of the mystery box as a powerpoint-based gaming media are supported by several earlier investigations that were carried out in language learning. first, arta (2018) investigated the use of the vocabulary ‘mystery box’ to improve english-indonesian translation skills. it aims to find out whether the use of the vocabulary ‘mystery box’ can improve students’ english-indonesian translation skills or not at a junior high school in salatiga, central java. second, fidyaningrum et al. (2021) researched whether the mofin mystery box media could improve students’ vocabulary mastery at an elementary school in sukomanunggal, east java. finally, utami et al (2022) studied the use of mystery box as a learning media for helping students to improve their speaking skills at a junior high school in lamongan, east java. all of these studies found that the use of games, especially mystery box, in language learning does assist students in developing their language skills, especially in vocabulary building and speaking competence. accordingly, to resolve the problem of the students’ speaking skills at the school under study, that is in a senior high school in lhokseumawe, aceh, this present study intends to use the mystery box game. most previous related studies were conducted on efl students in java, hence this study focused on efl students in aceh. in contrast to previous studies, which manually used the mystery box game media, this study combined it with technology, that is powerpoint. this research aims mainly to find out whether there is a notable improvement in students' speaking skills or not. to enable the researchers to elaborate on the main problem, the research question for this study is formulated as follows: does the use of the mystery box game help improve efl students speaking skills? from the research question, the following hypothesis is formulated: ha: the use of the mystery box game does help improve efl students speaking skills. ho: the use of the mystery box game does not help improve efl students speaking skills. speaking is one of the language skills that is important to be mastered. according to brown (2004), speaking is a productive skill that may be observed directly and empirically. according to bailey and nunan (2005), speaking is frequently spontaneous, open-ended, and changing yet not always predictable. brown (2007) further defines speaking as an interactive process of building english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 317 meaning in which the main instrument is the voice, which is produced, received, and processed. chaney (1998) in kayi (2006) added that speaking is the process of creating and sharing meaning using verbal and nonverbal symbols in a range of contexts. several aspects are required to develop good speaking and more effective communication. brown (2001) grouped these aspects to vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency, and comprehension. vocabulary is a need for students to achieve good speaking abilities. a student’s vocabulary plays a key role in their ability to speak, listen, read, and write in a language. according to harmer (2007), students can communicate effectively if they have a larger vocabulary or at least 1000 words in a language they are learning. when they are familiar with the words that best explain their views, they can speak better when they have something to say. meanwhile, pronunciation makes the right sounds for others to understand; having clear pronunciation will make it easier for others to hear and comprehend (srakaew, 2021). fluency is the capacity to communicate coherently, sensibly, accurately, and without excessive hesitancy (nunan,2004), or in other words, speaking with clarity. finally, the last aspect of speaking is comprehension. richards (2008) viewed comprehension as a process of decoding; beginning with the information that is received, comprehension analyzes each level of organization such as sounds, words, phrases, sentences, and texts, until meaning is derived. language learning may be a hard task and frustrating for efl students. however, it can be something interesting and fun if teachers find suitable techniques to teach language. one of the ways to make language learning interesting is by using games. traditionally, games have been used in the language class as warm-ups at the beginning of the class, and fill-ins when there are extra times at the end of the class (zhang, 2018). today, games constitute a more substantial part of language courses. games are activities with rules, a goal, with elements of fun (hadfield, 1996). games involve many factors such as rules, competition, relaxation, and learning. according to deesri (2002), language games are not activity aimed to break the ice between the students or to kill time, but it is a form of play governed by rules. the games should be enjoyed because this is one of the ways to make the students practice the language while playing the game. according to brewster et al (2002), some advantages of using games are encouraging memorization, promoting correct pronunciation, and bringing creative use of language. games are effective because they provide motivation, lower the students’ stress, and give them the opportunity for real communication. in addition, richardamato (1996) also stated that even though games are often associated with fun, teachers should not lose sight of the pedagogical values, particularly in foreign language teaching. when introducing language games, teachers should first explain the purpose of the games to the students so they can also focus on the goal of learning while they play the game. the rule of the games can be negotiated or modified according to the students’ needs and interests. teachers should also consider and pay attention to the level of difficulty. part of the appeal of the games lies in the challenge but if the games are too challenging, it may discourage students. in language learning, hadfield (1999) classified games into three types, they are memorizing, personalizing, and communicating games. the memorizing game is a kind of game that assist students memorize or retain the meaning of words in their minds. personalizing game is a kind of game intended to encourage students to connect new words to their own experiences. the communicating game is focused on the successful completion of a goal. accordingly, teachers must select a worthwhile game to aid in the teaching and learning process that is appropriate for the students’ needs in the classroom, especially for those who struggle to understand the language being learned. the mystery box game is a fun game that can be used in any lesson, whether teaching online or in the classroom. it is known to encourage students’ creativity while also making them more conscious of their thinking (yanuarto, 2014). the box in this game is the media to help the teacher in the learning process. media acts as a facilitator in the teaching-learning process (rao, 2014), meaning that it is used to help the teacher to give information to the students. in the teaching and learning process, the use of media is to make the process run effectively and interesting. the teacher can use unknown items in a mystery box to help students improve their abilities to listen to others, recall information, ask purposeful questions, classify items by class, make inferences, synthesize information, and draw conclusions (rule, 2007). this game process can be performed to assess creativity, responsibility, and student activity in class (arta, 2018). nira erdiana, masrizal mahmud, syarifah nisa khaira, & yunisrina qismullah yusuf augmenting efl students’ speaking skills through the mystery box game 318 the mystery box game is in the form of a powerpoint template that can be downloaded and accessed via the internet. the teacher can fill in this game template according to the material the students are learning. it is part of the powerpointbased game created using microsoft powerpoint. a powerpoint game is a game that is fully contained in a microsoft powerpoint file (siko & barbour, 2012). some powerpoint games can be downloaded via the internet, such as the mystery box game. teachers can use powerpoint to develop a variety of games that “can make a positive impact on how students learn, how they process and retain information, and how they interact with digital media” (squire, 2019, p. 44). the advantage of making english games on powerpoint is that teachers can add visuals and audio to their work. furthermore, creating games with powerpoint is an alternative that should be considered while teaching a foreign language. to play the game, the students are divided into several groups, then they take turns picking a box letter and answering a question. students have a choice after answering the question. they have the option of keeping the box or giving it to the opposing team. there may be good points (+1000) or bad points (-1000) inside the box. the box letter contains commands for the students to describe things, such as objects, people, places, activities, tourist attractions, or famous historical buildings. the mystery box game employs cooperative learning in which it uses small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each other’s learning (johnson & johnson, 1999). jacobs et al. (2002) asserted that cooperative learning comprises principles and techniques for helping students to work together more effectively. it also refers to a variety of teaching methods in which students work in small groups to help one another learn academic content (slavin, 1995). the higher-level students will help lower-level ones improve their understanding of the subject. the idea behind cooperative learning is that by giving a reward to a group rather than an individual, the students will be motivated to help one another to master academic materials. each member of a team is responsible not only for learning the materials but also for helping teammates to understand the subject and complete the task given. accordingly, creating games combined with the principles of cooperative learning is expected to not only create an atmosphere of achievement but also enjoyment for the students in learning. method this research method employed a preexperimental study (one group pre-test, treatment, and post-test design). pre-experimental design is a design in which the researcher studies a single group and performs an intervention during the experiment (creswell & creswell, 2018). the treatment was conducted after the pre-test. after the data were obtained, the analysis and interpretation were done through a quantitative procedure. the researchers computed the mean score of the students’ speaking skills, calculated the standard deviation, and calculated the t-test values to know the difference between students’ scores on the pre-test and post-test. the population of this study was all the 106 first-year students of a senior high school in lhokseumawe, aceh, indonesia, in the academic year of 2022/2023. the researchers used purposive sampling to draw a sample from the population by choosing one class as a sample, which was class x-3 consisting of 25 students. this sample was chosen due to the students’ majority of having low scores in the english subject, and thus this called for an urgent need for improvement. a speaking test with a pre-test and post-test format was the research tool employed by the researchers. during the tests, each student was to speak for three minutes of describing an object. during the tests, the students were recorded using an audio recorder. to analyze the data from the pre-test and the post-test, a scoring rubric for speaking suggested by brown (2001) was used. the assessment comprised the aspects of vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency, and comprehension. the scores of the pre-test and post-test were tabulated using microsoft excel and the data was analyzed by using statistical formulas which consist of mean, standard deviation, and t-tests to prove the hypotheses of this study. in testing the hypothesis, the researcher used the level of significant α 0.05 (5%) which is referred to as the t-table and is usually used in psychological and educational research. according to sudijono (2003, p. 260), the testing criterion used for hypothesis result is; if t-test > ttable, it means that the alternative hypothesis (ha) is accepted and the null hypothesis (ho) is rejected. furthermore, sudijono (2003) explained that the t-table with a level significance of α 0.05 with a degree of freedom (df) n-1. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 319 results and discussion the results of students’ pre-test scores the scores of the pre-tests are presented in figure 1. figure 1. pre-test scores figure 1 shows that the highest total score on the pre-test was 80, obtained by one student. meanwhile, the lowest score was 20, obtained by eight students. the average score of the pre-test was 37.2. it can be concluded that the students’ ability in speaking was still low at this stage because the average score of students was below 50. the results of students’ post-test scores the scores of the post-tests are presented in figure 2. figure 2. post-test scores figure 2 shows that the highest total score was 100, which was obtained by two students. while the lowest score in the post-test result was 40, it was obtained by two students. the mean score of the post-test was 73.2. it could be seen that in the post-test, students’ scores had increased. the comparison between pre-test and post-test scores the results of the students’ scores from the pretest and the post-test are presented in table 1. table 1. classification scores of pre-test and posttest no score category number of students pre-test post-test 1 86-100 excellent 0 8 2 71-85 good 3 6 3 56-70 fair 1 3 4 41-55 poor 4 6 5 < 40 very poor 17 2 as shown in table 1, there is a difference nira erdiana, masrizal mahmud, syarifah nisa khaira, & yunisrina qismullah yusuf augmenting efl students’ speaking skills through the mystery box game 320 between the test results before and after the treatment. the pre-test results showed that 17 students were in the very poor category (score < 40), 4 students were in the poor category (scores between 41-55), 1 student was in the fair category (scores between 56-70), 3 students were in the good category (scores between 71-85), and no student was in the excellent category (scores between 86-100). it means that the average of the students’ ability in the pretest was still low. however, the post-test results revealed that the students’ scores had increased. it showed that only 2 students were in the very poor category (scores < 40), 6 students were in the poor category (scores between 41-55), 3 students were in the fair category (scores between 56-70 score), 6 students were in the good category (scores between 71-85), and 8 students were in the excellent category (scores between 86-100). this implies that there was an improvement in the students’ scores in speaking skills after being taught by using the mystery box game. the comparison between pre-test and post-test mean score figure 3 presents the significant improvement in the students’ speaking skills between the pre-test and post-test. figure 3. pre-test and post-test scores figure 3 shows that the highest score on the pre-test was 80, while the lowest score on the pretest was 20. for the post-test, the highest score was 100 and the lowest score was 40. in addition, the average score of students’ achievement in the pre-test was 37.2. whereas the average score in the post-test was 73.2. this denotes significantly different results between the pre-test and post-test after using the mystery box game was implemented to improve students’ speaking skills. this game succeeded in assisting students to develop their speaking skills. the comparison of pre-test and post-test scores in the aspects of speaking vocabulary figure 4 displays the significant improvement in the students’ vocabulary between the pre-test and post-test. figure 4. the mean score of the vocabulary aspect in pre-test and post-test from figure 4, the improvement of scores between the pre-test and post-test in the vocabulary aspect is displayed. in the pre-test, the score for vocabulary was 2.12. meanwhile, in the post-test, the score for vocabulary was 4.12. the vocabulary score of the post-test was higher than the pre-test. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 321 pronunciation figure 5 presents the significant improvement in the students’ pronunciation between the pre-test and post-test. figure 5. the mean score of the pronunciation aspect in the pre-test and post-test figure 5 shows the improvement of scores between the pre-test and post-test in the pronunciation aspect. in the pre-test, the score of pronunciation was 2.24. meanwhile, in the posttest, the score of pronunciation was 3.36. here, the pronunciation score of the post-test was also higher than the pre-test. fluency figure 6 illustrates the significant improvement in the students’ fluency between the pre-test and post-test. figure 6. the mean score of fluency aspect in the pre-test and post-test from figure 6, the improvement of scores between the pre-test and post-test in the fluency aspect is displayed. in the pre-test, the score of fluency was 1.44. meanwhile, in the post-test, the score of fluency was 3.56. the fluency score of the post-test was higher than the pre-test. comprehension figure 7 presents the significant improvement in the students’ comprehension between the pre-test and post-test. figure 7. the mean score of comprehension aspect in pre-test and post-test figure 7 shows the improvement of scores between the pre-test and post-test in the comprehension aspect. in the pre-test, the score of comprehension was 1.64. meanwhile, in the posttest, the score of comprehension was 3.6. it can be seen that in the post-test, students’ comprehension scores increased. hypothesis testing table 2 shows the mean and t-score of the pre-test and post-test results. table 2. mean and t-score of the pre-test and post-test test total score mean standard deviation tvalue ttable pretest 930 37.2 14,57 4,556 1.711 posttest 1830 73.2 table 2 shows that from the pre-test scores, there was a significant improvement in the posttest scores. the mean score of the pre-test was 37.2, while the post-test was 73.2. the higher post-test scores proved that the treatment by using mystery box game media to improve students speaking skills in all aspects was successful. figure 8 shows a clearer depiction of the results for each aspect of the speaking skills. figure 8. the mean score of each speaking aspect in the pre-test and post-test figure 8 shows the mean score between the pre-test and post-test in all aspects. in the pre-test, nira erdiana, masrizal mahmud, syarifah nisa khaira, & yunisrina qismullah yusuf augmenting efl students’ speaking skills through the mystery box game 322 the mean score of vocabulary was 2.12, pronunciation was 2.24, fluency was 1.44, and comprehension was 1.64. meanwhile, in the posttest, the mean score of vocabulary was 4.12, pronunciation was 3.36, fluency was 3.56, and comprehension was 3.6. a t-test formula was further conducted for reliability. the standard deviation between the pre-test and post-test was 14.57, and the obtained t-value was 4.556. in addition, the number of students in this experiment was 25, so the degree of freedom (df) was n-1 = 25-1 = 24. after obtaining the t-value, the researchers referred the score to the critical value on the t-score measurement table to find out whether the difference was significant or not. the t-table for five percent alpha and 24 degrees of freedom was 1.711, and the t-value was higher than the t-table (tvalue = 4,556 > ttable = 1.711). subsequently, the alternative hypothesis (ha) clarified that there is a significant improvement in students’ speaking skills after using the mystery box game and this hypothesis was accepted, and the null hypothesis (ho) states that there is no significant improvement in students’ speaking skills after using the mystery box game was rejected. the findings revealed that the mystery box game media was effective in increasing the scores of the students’ speaking skills in the aspect of vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency, and comprehension. this is proven by the significant differences between the pre-test and post-test scores. these results supported the alternative hypothesis and were congruent with previous findings that found the mystery box game to be effective in improving speaking skills, especially vocabulary (arta, 2018; fidyaningrum et al., 2021; utami et al, 2022). in addition to the previous studies which did not use technology, this study employed the mystery box game digitally using powerpoint technology called powerpoint-based games. the results showed that the use of the mystery box game, both manually and digitally, had a significant effect on improving students’ speaking skills. games create an enjoyable and engaging environment, which can boost students’ interest and motivation in the subject matter. when teachers add games to the learning process, students will be engaged and driven to learn (sari et al., 2022). the gaming atmosphere in the classroom allows the students to enjoy the learning process, and this game process can be performed to further assess creativity, responsibility, and student activity in class (arta, 2018). the use the of mystery box game provides an interesting and unique learning impression for both teachers and students as well, as long as teachers can keep students active in the classroom so that classroom activities are not teachercentered but student-centered (paisah et al., 2013). in this study, colorful, clear, and entertaining media from this gain were seen to sustain the students’ attention and warm them up to the topics. student’s interest in the lesson is increased by engaging in learning resources. rule (2007) has elaborated that through the mystery box game, teachers could help children improve their abilities to listen to others, recall information, ask purposeful questions, classify items by class, make inferences, synthesize information, and draw conclusions. it is a studentcentered activity that can increase participation, cooperation, and enthusiasm. the students’ motivation to learn the language increases when they are actively engaged in a game (yolageldili & arikan, 2011). this game provides a fun and interesting learning experience to encourage the students’ motivation and self-confidence and, of course, improve their speaking skills, in terms of their vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency, and comprehension. these activities would train them to think creatively and critically. through peer and group work, every student could learn from the mistakes of their friends (achmad & yusuf, 2014). the game further helps them enrich their vocabularies, which can further improve their efforts in learning english. conclusion this study concludes that there was a significant improvement in the students’ scores between the pre-test and the post-test in teaching speaking by using the mystery box game to the ninth-grade students in lhokseumawe, aceh, indonesia. the result of the mean score in the speaking aspects of the pre-test was 37.2, while the mean score of the post-test was 73.2. it means that the mean score of the post-test was higher than the pre-test, denoting that a significant improvement was achieved in the students’ speaking skills. the t-score was 4.556, the t-table and level significance were 1.711, and the alpha level of significance is 0.05. since the obtained t-value (4.556) was higher than the critical value at (1.711), the test was statistically significant and the alternative hypothesis (ha) was accepted and the null hypothesis (ho) was rejected. this study has answered the research question on the use of the mystery box game to improve english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 323 efl students’ speaking skills. the researchers hope the results of this study give beneficial contribution both for english teachers and efl classrooms in general. expectedly, this study will enrich the teaching of english classes and media used in speaking practice. additionally, it is anticipated that this research will assist teachers in assisting students in mastering speaking skills by enhancing students' abilities and improving student accomplishment. however, the results cannot be generated for all efl students in indonesia. since the sample was limited to only one class in one senior high school in aceh, further studies are recommended to include more participants and schools to test this game in teaching a foreign language. this study also used the quantitative research design, therefore, future studies should include the qualitative design, such as open-ended questionnaires, observations, and interviews from both the teachers and students to obtain more indepth views, disadvantages, and advantages on the implementation of this game in teaching speaking skills in english classes. references achmad d., & yusuf, y. q. (2014). observing pairwork task in an english speaking class. international journal of instruction, 7(1), 151164. arta, d. (2018). the use of vocabulary ‘mystery box’ to improve english-indonesian translation skill for the ninth-grade students of mts negeri salatiga in the academic year 2018/2019 [bachelor's thesis]. institute agama islam negeri salatiga, salatiga. bailey, k. m, & nunan, d. (2005). practical english language teaching. columbus: mcgraw-hill esl/elt. brewster, j., ellis, g., & girard, d. (2002). the primary english teacher’s guide. harlow: pearson education limited. brown, h. d. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. new york: longman. brown, h. d. (2004). language assessment: principles and classroom practices. new york: pearson education, inc. brown, h. d. (2007). principles of language learning and teaching. new york: pearson education, inc. creswell, w. j., & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. thousand oaks: sage publications. daryanto. (2016). media pembelajaran [learning media]. yogyakarta: gava media. deesri, a. (2002). games in the esl and efl class. the internet tesl journal, 8, 1-5. el-shamy, s. (2001). training games: everything you need to know about using games to reinforce learning. virginia: stylus publishing, llc. fidyaningrum, s. a., dewayanti, s. a., & authar, n. (2021). improving young learners' vocabulary mastery through game-based learning using “mofin mystery box”. child education journal, 3(2), 129–136. https://doi.org/10.33086/cej.v3i2.2433 hadfield, j. (1996). advanced communication games. england: addison wesley longman limited hadfield, j. (1999). intermediate vocabulary games. essex: genevieve talon. harmer. (2007). the practice of english language teaching, 4th ed. london: pearson education limited iswadi, sudarsono, & bunau, e. (2014). developing powerpoint-based game for young learners to learn vocabulary. the internet tesl journal, 2, 1–17. jacobs, g. m., power, m. a., & loh, w. i. (2002). the teacher’s course book for cooperative learning: practical techniques, basic principles, and frequently asked questions. thousand oaks. ca: corwin press. johnson, d. w., & johnson, r. t. (1999). learning together and alone, 5th ed. boston: allyn and bacon. kayi, h. (2006). teaching speaking: activities to promote speaking in a second language. the internet tesl journal, 12(11), 11-18. muslem, a., yusuf, y. q., & juliana, r. (2018). perceptions and barriers to ict use among english teachers in indonesia. teaching english with technology, 18(1), 3-23 nunan, d. (2004). language teaching methodology (practical english language teaching). london: longman publisher oradee, t. (2012). developing speaking skills using three communicative activities (discussion, problem-solving, and role-playing). international journal of social science and humanity, 2(6), 533–535. paisah, n., fatmaryanti, s. d., & akhdinirwanto, r. w. (2013). penerapan media kotak dan kartu misterius (kokami) untuk peningkatan keterampilan berpikir kritis pada siswa kelas vii smp negeri 25 purworejo [the application of mysterious box and card media (kokami) to improve critical thinking skills of students in class vii of smp negeri 25 purworejo]. radiasi: jurnal berkala pendidikan fisika, 3(1), 28-32. rao, b. m. (2014). use of media as an instructional tool in english language teaching (elt) at undergraduate level. international journal of english and literature, 5(6), 141-143. richard-amato, p. a. (1996). making it happen: interaction in the second language classroom nira erdiana, masrizal mahmud, syarifah nisa khaira, & yunisrina qismullah yusuf augmenting efl students’ speaking skills through the mystery box game 324 from theory to practice, 2nd ed. new york: addison-wesley publishing group. richards, j. c. (2008). teaching listening and speaking; from theory to practice. new york: cambridge university press rule, a. c. (2007). mystery boxes: helping children improve their reasoning. early childhood education journal, 35(1), 13-18. sari, d. f., sahardin, r., yani, v., & yusuf, y. q. (2022). scrabble game technique: a game changer for english vocabulary learning. englisia: journal of language, education, and humanities, 10(1), 1-15. siko, j. p., & barbour, m. k. (2012). homemade powerpoint games: game design pedagogy aligned to the tpack framework. computers in the schools, 29(4), 339–354. silviyanti, t. m., & yusuf, y. q. (2014). efl teachers' perceptions on using ict in their teaching: to use or to reject? teaching english with technology, 15(4), 29-43, 1642-1027. slavin, r. e. (1995). cooperative learning: theory, research, and practice, 2nd ed. englewood cliffs, nj: prentice hall. squire, n. (2019). exploring quiz-style powerpoint games as an innovative e-learning and teaching pedagogy. journal of instructional research, 8(2), 44-60. srakaew, p. n. (2021). the importance of pronunciation in english communication. journal of teaching english, 2(2), 11–18. sudijono, a. (2003). pengantar evaluasi pendidikan [introduction to educational evaluation]. jakarta: raja grafindo. suryani, a., & rosa, r. n. (2014). using a board game “snake and ladder” in teaching speaking at junior high school. journal of english language teaching, 2(2), 16–24. tamami, r. (2014). pemanfaatan media pembelajaran interaktif (mpi) powerpoint untuk visualisasi konsep menggambar grafik persamaan garis lurus [the utilization of powerpoint interactive learning media for visualization of the concept of drawing straight line equation graphs]. journal mathematics and education, 1(1), 1– 12. utami, s., anam, m., & fatmawaty, r. (2022). developing mystery box in teaching narrative text for speaking class at junior high school. joelt (journal of english language teaching), 9(2), 194-204. https://doi.org/10.33394/joelt.v9i2.5758 vitianingsih, a. v. (2016). game edukasi sebagai media pembelajaran paud [educational games as early childhood learning media]. jurnal inform, 1(1), 1–8. yanuarto, w. n. (2017). students’ creativity in geometry course: how a mystery box game plays important role. jurnal varidika, 29(1), 87-95. yolageldili, g., & arikan, a. (2011). effectiveness of using games in teaching grammar to young learners. elementary education online, 10(1), 219-229. yusuf, q., yusuf, y. q., erdiana, n., & pratama, a. r. (2018). engaging with edmodo to teach english writing of narrative texts to efl students. problems of education in the 21st century, 76(3), 333-349 zhang, f. (2018). the application of game-based approach in primary school english teaching. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 151, 595-600. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 461 necessary or compulsory: students’ perception on scientific writing and everything in between siti hadianti english education department, faculty of education and teacher training, universitas terbuka, tangerang selatan, indonesia email: sitihadianti@ecampus.ut.ac.id benny nugraha english education department, faculty of education and teacher training, universitas terbuka, tangerang selatan, indonesia email: bnugraha@ecampus.ut.ac.id ika tri yunianika english education department, faculty of education and teacher training, universitas terbuka, tangerang selatan, indonesia email: ika@ecampus.ut.ac.id apa citation: hadianti, s., nugraha, b., & yunianika, i. t. (2023). necessary or compulsory: students’ perception on scientific writing and everything in between. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 461-468. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7319 received: 19-02-2023 accepted: 27-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction writing, as one of the important elements in social life, is indisputable. it has been known as the mark of certain civilizations. from time to time, writing skill is placed as a sign of intellectuality as well as the high social status of the holder. according to graham (2019), writing is a versatile tool that can be used for a wide range of objectives. it is a significant skill for students’ performance in the classroom and affects their personal and professional achievement after graduating from school. it affects the psychological factors of learners (suastra and manggo, 2020) and is used to share information, maintain relationships, influence others, and support learning. mclean (2022) states that writing helps students to remember what they learn and boost their understanding of the materials. due to the urgency of its presence, writing has been put into the curriculum and taught in higher education as a requirement for students to be mastered. in line with the importance of writing, academic institutions start to train their students by putting writing as one of the compulsory courses that need to be taken. for example, in universitas terbuka (ut) indonesia. ut is the only open university in the country that employs open and distance learning (odl) which is established to respond to the needs for higher education worldwide (zuhairi, 2019). at ut, scientific writing is one of the types of writing subjects that students must enroll in. scientific writing is part of academic writing skills where it is done for academic purposes (fang, 2021). according to fatimah (2018), the optimal curriculum for academic writing courses includes lessons that prepare students to write scientifically. the university put academic writing because it can bring several benefits. it is proven by research abstract: the presence of scientific writing as a new compulsory course attracts educational institutions, including universitas terbuka (ut). not only because the course is a new course, which means many possible and valuable reactions to it, but also due to the puzzling condition surrounding it. the goal of this study is to observe the perception of ut students on scientific writing. to make it easier to follow, we limit our concern on two research questions and one hypothesis. the first question is on how students perceive scientific writing courses, and the second question is do students consider the course necessary or compulsory. on the other side, we promote a hypothesis that argues that students will perceive the scientific course as necessary yet fail to internalize the skill from the course. this study uses a mixed method which can be utilized to answer the research question as well as the hypothesis. the sample is 47 participants that enroll in a scientific writing class using a nested sampling design. the result shows that 3 levels of perception can also answer the research question such as high, moderate, and low perception. it can be concluded that the students have a solid perception of the importance of the course since it contains the necessary knowledge for the student. keywords: mixed method; perception; scientific writing. mailto:sitihadianti@ecampus.ut.ac.id mailto:bnugraha@ecampus.ut.ac.id mailto:ika@ecampus.ut.ac.id siti hadianti, benny nugraha, & ika tri yunianika necessary or compulsory: students’ perception on scientific writing and everything in between 462 from tomak (2022) that students are benefited from the course for their academic studies. they began to be able to communicate themselves more clearly by using appropriate terminology and precise sentence structures. the interview result endorses defazio, jones, tennant & hook, 2010; holtzman, elliot, biber, & sanders, 2005; saidy, 2015 (scott, 2020) research where they also found that students' degrees of academic writing proficiency have a significant impact on both academic accomplishment levels and postgraduation success. due to the importance of that course, we conclude that this course is necessary to be taught to students. despite the abundance of assumptions on the importance of writing, it is not always perceived positively. several studies show otherwise teaching writing is considered less important. moses (2019) categorized writing as a complex skill for students because they need to have enough vocabulary, good spelling, an understanding of grammar, readiness of students, and exposure to reading texts. moreover, darancık (2018) showed that according to the perceptions of undergraduate students, the most effective skill to master is speaking (69) and listening (19), while writing (10%) and reading (2%) are considered less important, of the four basic communication skills. from there, we can see that writing is considered less important compared to the rest of the skills. furthermore, in indonesia where english is a foreign language, learners usually have some problems when trying to put together a sentence, a paragraph, or a text, students typically run into several difficulties. students have difficulty in connecting one sentence with another because of the limitation of knowledge about the topic (suryanto and sari, 2021). there are certain issues with text writing where pupils who do not write in english often have trouble when their teacher asks them to record their views or experiences. (alisha et al, 2019). according to andira and trisno (2021), students' anxiety in writing in english is one of their anxiety patterns because they are terrified of making mistakes. they emphasized that the pupils might produce poor writing because of their worry. it is relevant to the fact that when students are not enjoying it or are psychologically under pressure, the real potential will not emerge or improve. based on the discussion, can we still consider writing necessary or it is just (forced) compulsory without knowing that directing our students to take this course is like putting them on a brink. this is the academic puzzle we want to answer. the writing skills of indonesian university students who are studying english as a foreign language (efl) have been the subject of some studies. for instance, toba, et al. (2019), who conducted a study in samarinda, stated that university students face difficulties in writings aspects such as vocabulary, structure, content, organization, and mechanics. another study was done by aunurrahman et al (2017) in pontianak, west kalimantan who made the observation that the writing control of efl students in relation to the language and structural elements in argumentative essay writing was still restricted, particularly in terms of fostering critical thinking. finally, ariyanti & fitriana (2017) found that the quality of efl students’ essay writing ability was classified as poor when they assessed students in a private university in the city of samarinda, east kalimantan. although normatively, writing is an important subject since it can robust students’ performance either as a student or job seekers. empirical evidence shows scientific writing can bring bad benefits such as the possibility of anxiety for students (sa’adah and ali, 2022). moreover, several studies present the fact that students have a low level of achievement in an academic writing course, despite the claims from several prior studies and theories that academic writing is necessary. due to this phenomenon, we want to explore students’ primary assumptions toward the course. do they perceive the course as a necessary course to boost their instrumental skills, or do they just see it as a compulsory course that they need to deal with to be able to earn a degree? to investigate the perspective, we develop two research questions. first, how do students perceive scientific writing as one of the compulsory courses? second, is scientific writing essential for students? academic writing is a form of writing where the writer composes a scientific work. by means, the process of reporting the fact is based on a certain method. it is in contrast with the regular form of writing which is free from any methodological constraint. according to alamsyah (madjid et al, 2017), the following are some traits of academic writing: (1) discusses a research finding (factual objective), or the facts in light of the hypothesis under study, (2) systematic and methodical, referring to the employment of specific techniques and stages that are ordered and regulated when discussing issues, (3) scientific writings that employ the scientific barrel, or the barrel of the formal and raw scientific language. from this english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 463 concept, it is understandable that academic writing is not a simple process. we need to follow certain rules and those need to learn to create a good or at least fulfilled the criteria of academic writing. in addition, in teaching academic writing, various approaches are available. one of the strategies is using cooperative learning. at arab international university, shammout (2020) investigated whether cooperative learning improved the writing abilities of syrian efl students. along with improving their writing abilities, efl students benefitted from the cooperative learning environment by developing their linguistic proficiency. meanwhile, gao (2023) conducted a study to examine the joint benefit of providing and receiving feedback in academic writing. this study analyzed two drafts of literature reviews from 50 postgraduate students. the results showed that those bilateral peer reviews significantly improved students writing development. there is more selection of academic teaching methods or strategies to increase students’ skills but how do we know that our students perceive the learning in a respected manner? we can always provide good learning material, yet we cannot force them to like it if they do not prefer it from the very beginning. therefore, understanding their perception is important. through the psychological process of perception, which is in accordance with the experience gained through the five senses, people can filter reactions into good or negative views. responses are obtained through the processes of selection, interpretation, and reaction (erin & maharani, 2018). from the concept, we realize that perception is internal recognition that particular people give to certain things, phenomena, or in this case learning processes. in understanding perception, the stakeholder can filter which area needs to be improved, the type of learning that probably is judged as compulsory but less necessary for the personal well-being of the student. then, the stakeholder can plan or re-plan a better strategy which can finally improve students’ academic writing skills. for instance, we take an example of the importance and concern of students’ perceptions as it will generate a positive result for our students (edgerton and mckechnie, 2023). they claimed that students’ perceptions about learning in school significantly impact their academic achievement. regarding academic writing, it is an important or compulsory course that students need to take to proceed to the next level. in the semester 2022.2, it is the first time ut held a scientific writing class in the form of independent learning, an online tutorial (tuton), and a webinar tutorial (tuweb) combination. all the students must take the course, or we can say that it is compulsory. for students in the english education study program, the scientific writing article needs to be written in english, unlike students in other departments where they can write in bahasa indonesia. to join the class, students have to login into e-learning and check all the activities, assignments, and tuweb schedules. there are 14 learning activities consisting of independent learning, tuton, and four times tuweb. tuton is done asynchronously while tuweb is conducted synchronously where the tutor and the students meet virtually in a certain schedule that lasts for two hours. however, it empirically brings challenges because students must spare some time for attending the tutorial. the goal of this course is for students to create a good scientific writing article and publish it in the ut repository or elsewhere. taking all the elaborative explanation of the necessity of the course as well as the empirical evidence where it can generate a negative effect on students. in the context of the university level, the writers argue that students will see the necessity, however, fails to internalize the skill. method in this study, nested sampling is used, which is a specific sampling strategy that is applied in the context of sequential quantitative-qualitative studies (tanner, 2023). it entails a sequence of steps in which participants from each new sample are chosen from a previous segment of the sample. researchers used both quantitative and qualitative approaches to investigate the phenomenon. the design works to capture more integrative and comprehensive findings regarding quantitative and qualitative data since the research questions can only be revealed using both data. at first, researchers collected the quantitative data using a closed-ended questionnaire. the technique is worked to test the hypothesis and answer the two research questions. after that, we sorted the participants who answered the questionnaire to be included in the selected semistructured interview. the participants became the source for qualitative data, and it can be used to support the quantitative data as well as work for triangulating the findings. qualitative analysis is applied to explore deeper the phenomenon that has been investigated. a semi-structured interview is constructed and siti hadianti, benny nugraha, & ika tri yunianika necessary or compulsory: students’ perception on scientific writing and everything in between 464 addressed to the selected participant. creswell (2018) claims that mixed-method qualitative data typically contains open-ended questions without predefined answers, whereas quantitative data typically contains closed-ended questions like those on surveys or psychological tests. in this research, we draw the data from 47 participants that enrolled in the scientific writing class. all the students are students from universitas terbuka, majoring in english education. a nested sampling design is chosen since it can connect the link between quantitative and qualitative sampling. forty-eight students already responded to the 16 questions in the questionnaire which are specifically divided into 3 major categories: necessity, skill mastery, and learning process. the divisions are important to capture how students perceive as well as to prove the hypothesis. after extracting data from the questionnaire, we develop an interview protocol that fits with the process of collecting the needed information and can be used to dig deeper into students’ perceptions of scientific writing courses. three students purposively were pointed as interviewees which were considered the most appropriate to answer and deliver the important information that researchers need. results and discussion quantitative analysis in drawing the result of this study, we firmly classify three types of perceptions regarding the first result question and extract the data from the participants. a questionnaire on the perception is priorly delivered to the students. table 1. questionnaire statement (adopted from cai in alhojailan (2021)) necessity (least important-most important) no. statement 1. how important do you think scientific writing skills are to your current graduate studies? 2. how important do you think scientific writing is to your future career? 3. how important it is to have your scientific work published during your graduate study? skill mastery (very easy – very difficult) no. statement 1. writing abstract in your article 2. writing introductions 3. searching for appropriate literature using databases and resources 4. summarizing / paraphrasing the statement from other resources 5. designing the research methods 6. writing up the methods section 7. summarizing and presenting the data 8. elaborating the discussions section on the article 9. writing conclusions 10. writing references / bibliography 11. writing coherent paragraphs (logically or aesthetically ordered or integrated) 12. using proper academic language and vocabulary 13. using the proper grammar such as correct tenses, agreements, reporting verbs, punctuations, and prepositions learning process (very agree-very disagree) 1. e-learning (tuton and tuweb) is the suitable platform to learn scientific writing 2. the activity of tuton and tuweb in scientific writing course is easy to be followed 3. there is no difficulties in uploading all the assignments. 4. the tutor is very active in responding questions or giving feedback. 5. the scientific writing guidebook is clear and understandable 6. the tutor attended webinar tutorial (tuweb) on time 7. the tutor assistance on 4x tuweb is useful 8. the plagiarism feature on e-learning is helpful and easy to use after analyzing the data, we concluded several findings that can answer the first result question ”how do students perceive scientific writing as one of the compulsory courses?” and the second question “is scientific writing essential for the students?” the result can be seen in the table below: table 2. mean and deviation standard categories mean deviation standard necessity 4.43 0.76 skill mastery 3.07 0.81 learning process 1.98 1.24 the first finding shows that a 4.43 mean score was gained which confirmed the possible english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 465 assumption that a high positive perception toward the necessity of the scientific course. the argument is taken from landell (ghazal et al, 2018) that the range of the likert score can be interpreted as the following table. table 3. mean score interpretation mean score category 1.00 – 2.33 low 2.34 – 3.67 moderate 3.68 – 5.00 high the second finding is related to the skill mastery of scientific writing. out of 47 participants, approximately 3.07 is the mean score. it is interesting to see that even though the students see the necessity of learning, they perceive the moderate value of internalizing scientific writing skills. the first and second findings in this study are not only able to answer how students perceive scientific writing but also endorse the hypothesis we have structured in this research. although students see the necessity of scientific writing, they (seem to) fail to internalize the skill due to their moderate perception of the learning material. in line with the finding above, the last finding shade light on the possible assumption on the backstory of the moderate perception toward the learning process. it displayed only a 1.98 value we can get from the questionnaire regarding students’ perception toward learning management. the score is considered a low perception. it means that the moderate process of learning is possible and can also come from low perceived learning management which students see in the learning management itself. finally, we can see the pattern that first students see scientific writing as a necessary skill, yet they perceived the learning process as not that important and they poorly perceive learning management. of course, we need to go deeper into the case, therefore we conducted a qualitative method as it is also necessary to validate the process through triangulation and see the causal inference. to sum up, we can see two salient patterns from the result. the first pattern is related to the perspective of scientific writing course necessity. the second pattern is the level of students in absorbing the material and experiencing the subject. based on the quantitative descriptive inference shows the statistical fact that students have a highly positive perception toward the necessity of the course, however, they only have moderate even low for skill internalization and learning management. it means that there are unique patterns revealed after analyzing the data. the students appeal to see the necessity, yet they do not absorb and enjoy the course. if we connect it with both research questions. it answered the first research question that there are three level on how students perceive the course and students do see the subject as necessary. meanwhile for hypothesis, it is found that students ‘perception on scientific writing courses as essential for them, but they are not effectively absorbing the material. it is also in line with a hypothesis which researchers had developed that students feel it is necessary to learn the course but fail to internalize the skill. qualitative analysis to supplement the finding, we also contend with qualitative data. addressing 4 selected participants to be interviewed, we try to explore the backstory of their perception of scientific writing. it is found that the majority positively perceived the necessity of the course. it was a good sign that the students’ perception indicates a linear sense with the hypothesis where students recognize the importance of the course. we can take a look at one example related to a question, asking their opinion on whether scientific writing is necessary. all interviewees said it is either for skill improvement or to elevate job opportunity reason. furthermore, the students are asked do they still want to have the course if they can choose. once again, all the participants see the importance of the course and proceed to have the course in the future. by mean that they did not see this course as solely compulsory. they do see the urgency of the course. however, a solid response tends to diverge within the third question when they have been asked about the difficulty level of the course as it is marked by a previous study. the response shows that, out of four, thinks it is not difficult although it comes with a condition. for example, one interviewee said: “not so difficult, because whether or not a material is difficult depends on the delivery and explanation of each supervisor. and i got a very competent mentor, she was able to provide very extraordinary explanations and guidance, so that i could understand the material well.” (interviewee) from the response, the availability of a professional tutor is a must. the student implicitly recognizes the difficulty of the course, yet the responsive and skillful tutor who can sense students' feelings of loss during the class is the key siti hadianti, benny nugraha, & ika tri yunianika necessary or compulsory: students’ perception on scientific writing and everything in between 466 to neglecting the fact that the course is indeed difficult for students. the second and third responses also indicate a similar perception. for instance, one student claimed that the material is not essentially difficult since the teacher actively helps the students as the script below: interviewer: “is it difficult to learn the material in a scientific writing course? why?” interviewee: “no, because the teacher is very helpful.” the third interviewee not only showed that a competent tutor is important but also an essential factor that can lead students to negative or positive perceptions of whether the subject is difficult or not. the fact that the material is difficult will not be perceived that way as long as the tutor knows what he/she is doing. the tutor in the scientific writing class tends to move their role into more centric within the learning process and it happens since the students rely on them in solving the confusion and tension related to the difficult subject. from that point of view, we can see that the subject is indeed difficult, and students are experiencing the problem. however, the tutor can bridge the gap well. it will be a different case if the teacher is not as good as he/she is supposed to be. the important position of the tutor in the learning process also shows how students answer the question “mention the things that you think is not good in term of learning management”. although the function of the question is to assess their perception of the learning management that has been maintained by learning systems such as moodle. however, students tend to connect it with the role of the teacher. one of the participants claims that there is no problem during the first course in the last semester since the tutor is competent. once again, the core concern of the scientific course learning process is related to the tutor. it is also shown by another participant who links all issues of learning to the tutor-teaching process. the last response related to the question is more direct and clearer regarding the difficulty of the lesson. the interviewee said it is difficult since this is new course as it is stated below: interviewer: “is it difficult to learn the material in a scientific course? why?” interviewee: “i think yes because it is new for me. so i have to force myself to read and write more.” from the discussion above, several findings are underlined. first, the necessity of the course is indisputable. it means that they can convincingly answer the first research question. second, despite the positive perception toward the course, students feel the difficulty of the lesson and it means they face an issue to internalize the material. however, it seems to be vague due to the tutor's competence in handling the learning process. third, we can also see how central the role of the tutor is during the scientific writing process which can generate advantages as well as disadvantages. the advantages can be seen from the tutor's ability to relieve the tension during the learning and help the teacher to focus on the benefit and ignore the difficulty. however, it also somehow prevents students from being more independent learning since they will rely too much on the tutor which is not the students centered learning. the development of learning is supposed to bring students into autonomous learning where the students will keep improving even though the formal learning process has ended. the last finding shows that the hypothesis somehow captures the pattern where students will see the necessity, however, fails to internalize the skills. due to the existence of a competent teacher, students neglect the fact they unsuccessfully absorbed the writing skill. the argument meets with quantitative data findings that show only moderate perception toward the internalization of scientific writing skills by the students. conclusion scientific writing in universitas terbuka indonesia as a new and compulsory course is trapped under a puzzle notion of whether the course is necessary, or whether it is compulsory. this study explores the phenomenon and finds several interesting findings which are in line with the designated research questions as well as the hypothesis. the first finding proves that the hypothesis is somewhat in line with the fact that students realize the necessity of the course. however, they face trouble in internalizing the skill from the course. from quantitative data, students show three types of perspectives that can be used to answer both research questions. the first research question is on how students perceive scientific writing as a compulsory course. it is found that the students have a solid perception of the importance of the course since it contains necessary knowledge for the student. although when absorbing the learning material into a useful writing skill, students are facing a problem and it happens due to learning english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 467 management from the technological teaching support area. even though they claim, based on a qualitative in-depth interview, that the students praise a high contribution to the competent tutor. the existence of a competent tutor based on the interview result can help students overcome the learning barrier. the second question which asks does scientific writing is crucial is firmly answered yes and it is endorsed by quantitative and qualitative data. the quantitative claim a high perspective on the necessity of the course while the first question in an in-depth interview said a similar view. as the purpose of this study is to test and answer the research question on puzzling notions that occur in writing scientific courses, it has met the objective. nevertheless, it has several flaws that can be a good start for gap spotting in a similar type of research. we can see that this study applied mixed methods since we want to explore comprehensively the issue, yet it does mean the best method to use. solely using qualitative research or quantitative research with a big homogeneous sample can capture another side that this research missed. in terms of external validity, of course, this research is something to be concerned about, since this research is a case study. all the samples are taken from an environment that experiences a certain phenomenon that is interesting to explore. but of course, this research is quite promising in terms of internal validity since it can go deeper to the core of the issue. references alhojailan, a.i. (2021). developing an understanding of the sources of graduate students’ perceptions of academic writing. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 11(2), 281-291, https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v11i2.34265 alisha, f., safitri, n., and santoso, i. (2019), students’ difficulties in writing efl. project: professional journal of english education, 2(1), 20-25. andira, a., and trisno, e. (2021). the correlation between students’ writing anxiety and writing achievement of students’ english department at universitas negeri padang. journal of english language teaching, 10(3), 364-373. https://doi.org/10.24036/jelt.v10i3.113446 ariyanti, a. and fitriana, r. (2017). efl students' difficulties and needs in essay writing. proceedings of the international conference on teacher training and education 2017 (ictte 2017), 111-121. 10.2991/ictte-17.2017.4 aunurrahman., emilia, e, and hamied, f. a. (2017). exploring the tertiary efl students' academic writing competencies. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 7(1), 72-79. 10.17509/ijal.v7i1.6860 creswell, j. w and creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches-5th ed. sage publications, inc. darancık, y. (2018). students’ views on language skills in foreign language teaching. international education studies, 11(7), 166-178. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v11n7p166 edgerton, e., mckechnie, j. (2023). the relationship between student’s perceptions of their school environment and academic achievement. front. psychol. 13, 959259. 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.959259. erin, e., & maharani, a. (2018). pesepsi mahasiswa pendidikan matematika terhadap perkuliahan online. mosharafa: jurnal pendidikan matematika, 7(3), 337-344. fang, z. (2021). what is academic writing? (and other burning questions about it). retrieved from what is academic writing? (and other burning questions about it) (routledge.com) fatimah, n. (2018). students’ needs for academic writing at the english education department. english language teaching educational journal (eltej), 1(3), 161-175. graham, s., macarthur, c.a., hebert, m. a. (eds) (2019). evidence-based practices in writing. 3rd edn. guilford press. gao, y., an, q., schunn., christian d., (2023). the bilateral benefits of providing and receiving peer feedback in academic writing across varying l2 proficiency. studies in educational evaluation, 77 (2023) 101252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2023.101252 ghazal, s., aldowah, h., and umar, i. (2018). satisfaction of learning management system usage in a blended learning environment among undergraduate students. the turkish online journal of design, art and communication – tojdac, 8(sptmspcl), 1147-1156. madjid, s., emzir, akhadiah, s. (2017). improving academic writing skills through contextual teaching learning for students of bosowa university makassar. journal of education, teaching and learning, 2(2), 268-272. mclean, e. (2022). writing and writing instruction: an overview of literature. australia education research organization (aero), ltd. moses, r. n., mohamad, m. (2019). challenges faced by students and teachers on writing skills in esl contexts: a literature review. creative education, 10(13), 3385-3391. 10.4236/ce.2019.1013260. sa’adah, n., and ali, f. (2022). writing anxiety in english academic writing: a case study of efl students' perspectives. eternal. 8(1), 18-33. scott, d., ulmer-krol, s., and ribeiro, j. (2020). https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v11i2.34265 https://www.routledge.com/blog/article/what-is-academic-writing-and-other-burning-questions-about-it https://www.routledge.com/blog/article/what-is-academic-writing-and-other-burning-questions-about-it https://www.routledge.com/blog/article/what-is-academic-writing-and-other-burning-questions-about-it https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2019.1013260 siti hadianti, benny nugraha, & ika tri yunianika necessary or compulsory: students’ perception on scientific writing and everything in between 468 enhancing the academic writing abilities of firstyear bachelor of education students in a blended learning environment. international journal of teaching and learning in higher education, 32(1), 87-98. shammout, m. (2020). the effect of cooperative learning activities on enhancing the writing skills of syrian efl learners at arab international university. theory and practice in language studies, 10(7), 791–797. suastra, i. m., and menggo, s. (2020). empowering students’ writing skill through performance assessment. international journal of language education, 4(3), pp. 432-441 suryanto and sari, z. e. (2021). difficulties and strategies in learning english: an analysis of students from english and non-english education department in indonesia. conference: 4th international conference on sustainable innovation 2020–social, humanity, and education (icosihess 2020), 518, 313-331 tanner, pascal (2023). nested sampling in sequential mixed methods research designs: comparing recipe and result [24 paragraphs]. forum qualitative sozialforschung / forum: qualitative social research, 24(1), art. 17, http://dx.doi.org/10.17169/fqs-24.1.4004. toba, r., noor, w.n., sanu, l.o. (2019). the current issues of indonesian efl students’ writing skills: ability, problem, and reason in writing comparison and contrast essay. dinamika ilmu, 19 (1), 57-73. http://doi.org/10.21093/di.v19i1.1506 tomak, b. (2022). the benefits of “academic writing” course for the freshmen in english-mediuminstruction departments in a turkish state university. journal of education for life, 36(22), 325-338. 10.33308/26674874.2022362415 zuhairi, a., karthikeyan, n., and priyadarshana, s.t. (2020). supporting students to succeed in open and distance learning in the open university of sri lanka and universitas terbuka indonesia. asian association of open universities journal, 15(1), 13-35. https://doi.org/10.1108/aaouj09-2019-0038 http://dx.doi.org/10.17169/fqs-24.1.4004 https://www.emerald.com/insight/search?q=navaratnasamy%20karthikeyan https://www.emerald.com/insight/search?q=saman%20thushara%20priyadarshana https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/2414-6994 https://doi.org/10.1108/aaouj-09-2019-0038 https://doi.org/10.1108/aaouj-09-2019-0038 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 717 enhancing translation education with ratpro: a cat tools-based learning model anak agung istri yudhi pramawati english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar, indonesia email: agunkprama@unmas.ac.id i gde putu agus pramerta english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar, indonesia email: putuagus1708@unmas.ac.id dewa gede bambang erawan english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar, indonesia email: dewa_kulit@unmas.ac.id apa scitation: pramawati, a. a. i. y., pramerta, i. g. p. a., & erawan, d. g. b. (2024). enhancing translation education with ratpro: a cat tools-based learning model. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 717-724. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9097 received: 27-02-2024 accepted: 28-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction the role of translation in bridging communication across diverse languages has become pivotal in the era of globalization. while technology has penetrated various communication fields, including translation. now, translating is very easy with the presence of digital dictionaries available on the internet (wang, 2019). in addition to dictionaries, translation devices (translation tools) or what is known as computer assisted translation (cat) tools like trados studio, memoq, termex, smartcat, and others can be accessed and are felt to simplify the translation process (akgün & mercan, 2023). however, using cat tools for translation completely, without being accompanied by an indepth analysis of the meaning, actually results in the incommensurability of meaning in the translation results, so that the translation results deviate from the source text or original text (xiumin et al., 2023). translation consists of reproducing the text into the target language and reproducing the closest meaning equivalent of the source language message (ginting, 2022). in this case, the translator needs to realize the importance of maintaining the meaning of the source text in the translated text so that the information contained in the source text can be conveyed well (daminov, 2022). the preservation of the meaning and information of the source language is supported by excellent and natural grammar in the translated texts so that the translated text has not only equivalent meaning but also natural language abstract: a creative translation model that can help translators produce good translations with equivalence in meaning and good grammar is essential, considering that the translation process is not just a change of language but a process of transferring meaning from the source language to the target language (indonesianenglish). this research aims to develop a ratpro translation model based on computer assisted translation (cat) tools that are creative and innovative in translating scientific articles by students. the research model used is research and development (rnd), where research data is analyzed critically and validated to obtain valid and reliable results. this study found that the ratpro (read, analyze, transfer, produce) translation model that is based on computer assisted translation (cat) tools can be used as a creative and innovative translation model that can help translation students transfer the language of scientific article manuscripts from the source language to the target language while maintaining the equivalence of meaning and naturalness of the language through excellent and correct grammar. ratpro (read, analyze, transfer, produce) translation model based on computer assisted translation (cat) tools can also make it easier for students to translate because it is based on digital recording. furthermore, this translation model may also be well used to translate authentic manuscripts in different fields. keywords: computer assisted translation tools; scientific articles; ratpro translation model. anak agung istri yudhi pramawati, i gde putu agus pramerta, & dewa gede bambang erawan enhancing translation education with ratpro: a cat tools-based learning model 718 patterns. a good translation is a translation that sounds natural (brannon et al., 2023). translators need to go through a translation process that includes exploring the meaning of the source text and transferring the meaning into the target language in order to maintain equivalent meaning in a translated text with natural sentence patterns (mardani, 2023). moreover, translators are faced with specific terminologies that make it difficult to find equivalents in translation (sunardi et al., 2022). translating the texts is an obstacle for students learning to translate, which results in students needing more interest in translation (sah & sinha, 2022). teaching translation theory and practice in classical languages education can enhance students' understanding and appreciation of translation as a cultural transfer and transformation (praet and verhelst, 2020). translation exercises in foreign language teaching at university level are beneficial for students, enhancing both language competence and translation competence (piletić, 2019). however today’s advance in technology should get along with classical language education in order to enhance students understanding. a new translation teaching model based on computer network technology enables selfcontrol, independent learning, creativity, and individuality, while combining individualized and collaborative methods (ren, 2020). in line with this, the existence of computer-based translation tool should be introduced in teaching translation. one of beneficial translation tools is cat tools. cat tools can provide translation memory, which is stored in a database that is useful for the next translation project, making the translation process easier (zappatore, 2024). additionally, some cat tools come with terminology management features, which makes it easier for translators to find terminology automatically in a stored database (aldossary, 2023). a grammar checker is also present in cat tools, which helps translators minimize grammar errors. these features in cat tools will help students process translation studies to produce better translations in an easier and more enjoyable process (zappatore, 2024). as there are many challenges in translation process, translation studies also meet challenges in order to make students have good ability both in translating and employing technology in translating to support translation quality. students today rely much on translation machine translation and do not pay attention on the process of translating. indeed, translation process with good results will not be obtained if the translator only relies on the translation results from cat tools like google translation (awadh, 2023). the usage of google translation arises because translators find it difficult to find the meaning of the source language and find equivalent words in the target language (ikrimah et al., 2024). previous studies found that a creative and innovative translation model integrated with translation tools is needed to help translators produce equivalent translations and solve difficulties finding equivalent words in the source text (badawi, 2023). as implied by stepanyan (2022), translation in foreign language teaching improves students' translation skills and enhances cross-cultural and cross-linguistic communication through appropriate didactic approaches and efficient use of translation. therefore, developing a creative translation learning model combined with translation device is essential to develop students’ ability in translating and produce translation texts more natural and accurately. ratpro (read analyze transfer produce) is newly developed in this study. it is a creative translation learning model based on computerassisted translation (cat) tools which was developed to assist students in learning translation and produce naturalness and accuracy in translating text. this translation learning model can help student more critically discover the meaning of the original text in order to produce the closest natural equivalence in the target text. students also can improve their linguistic competence to increase the accuracy of the translated text and the use of natural language patterns. apart from that, this translation model can simplify the translation process because it is based on cat tools, which has linguistic features. this translation learning model applies not only to indonesian-english translation but also to translation into other languages. this translation learning model is also perfect for beginner translators because it can direct students to explore figurative meanings in source language texts stored in the cat tools database. there is a lot of research on translation. still, most of these studies focus on translation phenomena such as shifts in meaning, methods used, and other linguistic phenomena in translated texts. research on translation studies have also been done by many researchers, however the reasearches did not involved technology yet in the learning process while technology has been widespread used by many profesional translators english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 719 to support their translation product. these studies have yet to provide creative, innovative, and sophisticated translation learning models as contribution to translation studies, considering that the translation process greatly influences good translation results. therefore, it is time to develop a creative and innovative translation learning model based on cat tools, which can assist students in learning translation, improve their critical thinking, and produce translated texts that are equivalent to the source text and have natural language patterns with an easy and enjoyable translation process. this study introduces the ratpro model, a novel educational framework that incorporates cat technologies into all facets of the translation process—reading, analyzing, transferring, and producing—with the goal of enhancing both the efficiency and quality of student translations. by addressing gaps in existing methodologies, this research aims to validate the effectiveness of ratpro, potentially shaping future approaches to translation education. a creative translation process is essential to product good-quality translations, namely having meaning commensurate with the source language and having a natural language structure. the cat tools-based ratpro translation learning model can provide solutions for students in translation studies and in translating scientific articles. the problems formulated in this research are (1) the steps in the ratpro (read, analyze, transfer, produce) translation model that is based on cat tools that students can apply in translating scientific articles, (2) the effectiveness of the ratpro (read, analyze, transfer, produce) translation model that is based on cat tools in improving the quality of student translations. method the research design used is the development of a ratpro (read, analyze, transfer, produce) creative translation model with a research and development (rnd) model. the model used is addie (analysis, design, development, implementation, evaluation). according to (branch, 2009), “addie is an acronym for analyze, design, develop, implement, and evaluate". the research design can be drawn as the following picture. figure 1. ratpro translation learning development model the research was conducted in three stages, namely: (1) theoretical exploration and review of experts and interested parties (2) empirical testing, which aims to empirically validate the resulting product, namely the ratpro translation learning model and its supporting features. (3) implementation stage, which aims to implement the model, determine the effectiveness of the model, and obtain a learning model that has been tested. the purpose of the testing is to evaluate the applicability of the learning model, as well as the readability of its supporting elements, including the lesson plans, teaching materials, and learning scenarios, as well as the features of the translation device's application on the learning task. furthermore, to ascertain the duration required to finish every learning topic. as a result, model teachers and test developers are able to determine how long and how much of a text to translate should take. product development testing was carried out in two stages, namely individual tests and field tests. individual test: the first was conducted by experts and lectures in the field of study. second, it was applied to two lecturers and several students (30 students). the field test was conducted in 5 model classes (80-100 students). the individual test subjects were 1 experts and 3 lecturers, while the limited field test subjects were several students. the field test subjects were 86 students of english education study program, fkip unmas denpasar. the sampling technique for the field test subjects was purposive and cluster sampling. data from product trials can be classified as either qualitative or quantitative. expert advice collected through questionnaire completion constitutes qualitative data. student answers to exams given to them, or their scores, represent quantitative data. tests, observation sheets, and questionnaires were the instruments employed in this research. in order to ascertain the validity of the produced product, a questionnaire was distributed to lecturers and students. it asked questions on the readability of learning scenarios, the appropriateness of assessments with learning objectives, and the suitability of materials with regard to students development. observation sheets to determine the practicality of the product, includes the implementation of the learning model, and teacher and student responses. the ttest was used to examine the model's implementation effectiveness findings. the anak agung istri yudhi pramawati, i gde putu agus pramerta, & dewa gede bambang erawan enhancing translation education with ratpro: a cat tools-based learning model 720 descriptive percentage was used to analyse the model's practicality. if development satisfies the following success criteria, it is considered successful. the criteria is as follows: the average validator score on the learning device is ≥ 4, indicating the product's legitimacy. instructional materials fall under the easy-to-understand or moderate-to-high readability group. evaluation tools have a reliability coefficient (r) ≥ 0.7), proportional difficulty levels ranging from easy, medium to difficult (0.0 1.0) and good differentiation (≥ 0.3). when interest, activity, and learning results rise, the model is considered effective. an average learning outcome of at least 75 and 85% for classical completeness serve as indicators of this. if the character demonstrates the behavioral characteristics listed in the indicator and begins to be consistent, then at least they fall into the category of starting to develop. the model is declared practical, if the average opinion of lecturers and students stated that the model was easy and practical to use, and students found the learning model fun. results and discussion translation studies have focused on understanding translation theories so far, but they still experience obstacles in practice. obstacles in translation studies cause students' translation abilities not to reach their maximum, as a result students translations do not have accurate meaning. a translational teaching model involving 6 variables (goals, assessments, teachers, students, textbooks, and teaching methods) can effectively integrate behaviorism, cognitivist/constructivism, and humanism in translation education (guey, 2019). involving translation technology in translation teaching method is esential, nevertheless such methods should still prioritize students' linguistic abilities rather than relying on translation technology alone. artificial intelligence-based translation technology can enhance english teaching in college by cultivating students' comprehensive english ability and preparing them for practical problems in life (kong, 2022). in line with this, zhao (2023) adds that effective translation instruction requires a comprehensive strategy that combines academic understanding, practical expertise, and critical thinking skills for effective instruction. therefore, in this research, the ratpro (read analyze transfer produce) translation studies model was developed based on the cat tool. this learning model was developed by integrating translation device (cat tools) in the translation studies. researchers believe that with today's innovations, electronic media is being used by all people as a necessity and has even started to become attractive. students are among those who use electronic media, such as laptops and cellphones. rather than reading books, the majority of students use their electronic gadgets for social media and game play. therefore, researchers combine translation technology involving electronic media to implement the ratpro translation studies model. the learning model developed is to integrate cat tools-based translation components into the translation model. integrating cat tools into the learning stage is carried out at the ‘produce’ stage. students carry out activities using cat tools, either smart cat or memoq, in the translation studies process. throughout the learning process, the material provided is modified to meet the learning objectives. learning steps with the ratpro model can be seen in the following chart: figure 2. ratpro learning model the product produced in this research is a ratpro (read, analyze, transfer, produce) learning model based on cat tools that can be used in translation studies. several stages were carried out in developing this learning model, including analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (addie). the first stage is analysis. at this stage, the analysis focuses on analyzing lecturers' methods or strategies in translation studies. through this stage, input is also obtained regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the learning model or english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 721 strategy used. data collection for this analysis was carried out by distributing questionnaires online to lecturers in translation courses, where the results were used as input and consideration in developing the cat tools-based ratpro learning model. the performance analysis shows that the learning model applied in translation studies is conventional and does not involve translation technology. meanwhile, developments have contributed significantly to translation technology, processes, and products. the second stage is the design stage. at this stage, the researcher is creating a cat tools-based ratpro learning media design based on the analysis stage that has been prepared so that the researcher gets the information needed to develop the media that will be prepared. apart from creating the appearance of learning media, researchers also prepare material for the learning media. the development stage is the third phase. at this stage, researchers validated the ratpro learning model. expert lecturers and practitioners validated the ratpro model developed in translation. the validated characteristic aspects of the learning model, include aspects of syntagmatic, social system, reaction principle, instructional impact, and complemantary impact. data were gathered at this stage in both quantitative and qualitative forms. a questionnaire is used to collect quantitative data, and general critique and recommendations that will be taken into account to enhance the learning model are included in the qualitative data. quantitative data was analyzed by calculating the average score from the questionnaire using a rating scale of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. to calculate a score, the average scores from the validators were applied to each facet and indicator. this value is then referred to in the interval for determining the level of validity of the developed product so that validator criteria for the cat tools-based ratpro learning model are obtained. there are multiple steps involved in validating the established learning model: expert validation, limited trials, and wide-scale trials. expert validation, validation of the developed ratpro translation learning model was conducted by a translation material expert (freelance translator) and a lecturer who taught translation class in faculty of foreign language unmas denpasar. the model generated was deemed appropriate based on the validation results to foster student critical thinking in comprehending original message of source language text and translation ability. the developed model has integrated translation device (cat tools), and practiced during the connection step. the syntagmatic developed is good (average score 4.5), but still needs improvement. the suggestions given by the validator include adding details of post-translation activities, such as editing, proofreading, or annotation. after revalidation, the improvement's results were deemed valid for usage because the validators' average score was ≥ 4.0. . limited trials was conducted to 2 translation lecturers and 30 students. the ratpro translation learning model that has been validated by experts and practitioners is then socialized to two translation lecturers of fkip unmas denpasars, in order to enable them to effectively implement it when instructing in a classroom. the results of the assessment of the developed model showed that lecturers could integrate cat tools with ratpro translation learning model developed. the ratpro translation learning model was then tested on 30 students, to determine the feasibility level of the translation process and the effectivenes of cat tools in translation studies. the results showed that the learning model had a moderate level of feasibility and the implementation of cat tools in the translation process needed improvement. wide-scale trial was conducted in 5 model classes. the field test subjects were 86 students of english education study program, fkip unmas denpasar. through product trials, the effectiveness of the product can be determined. the effectiveness of using the ratpro learning model can be seen by comparing student learning outcomes before and after the application of the ratpro learning method in translation learning, as well as by sending out questionnaires to find out how the approach was used and how the students responded. to find out the student's response to the application of translation learning with the ratpro learning model, the researcher distributed a questionnaire containing 10 questions related to the application of the ratpro learning model. a likert scale of 1 to 5 was used to assess the questionnaire's results. based on the analysis of the questionaire, it is known that 36.05% of respondents answered strongly agree (sa), 56.64% answered agree (a), 7.12% answered doubt (d), 0.17% answered disagree (ds), and 0% strongly disagreed (sds). through the description of the average value of students' translation skills before and after applying the ratpro learning model and the results of anak agung istri yudhi pramawati, i gde putu agus pramerta, & dewa gede bambang erawan enhancing translation education with ratpro: a cat tools-based learning model 722 student responses to the application of the model, it is known that the ratpro learning model is very effective in learning translation. this is evident from the increase in the average score of students as well as the response given to the application of the model where 56.64% responded strongly agree. the ratpro model developed has been validated by experts and empirically through field trials. validation results show that the cat tools-based ratpro learning model is valid. the results of trials on groups of students and lecturers found that the cat tools-based ratpro learning model had a good assessment, improved students' translation abilities, and got a good response when applied. providing online media improves teaching translation methods, engaging students and enhancing problem-solving, compared to traditional methods (hastuti, 2020). media experts deemed the overall percentage of 88.44% to be very achievable based on their assessment. the material expert assessment results were deemed very practical, with a percentage of 89.55%. the language expert's assessment was declared very appropriate, with a percentage of 82.33%. the suggestions given by the validator include adding details of post-translation activities, such as editing, proofreading, or annotation. a trial was carried out in translation classes conducted by two different lecturers to assess the efficacy of the ratpro learning model in translation studies. the trial was carried out by distributing a questionnaire in the form of 10 questions pertaining to the model's applicability and effectiveness in translation studies. the results of trials on a group of lecturers show that the cat tools-based ratpro learning model in translation classes is feasible and reasonable. at this stage, the researcher evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of the model obtained through testing on teachers and students. this evaluation was carried out to obtain improvements to the learning model developed. from the evaluation results, it was found that several modifications are still needed in applying the ratpro learning model in translation studies, including the need for more time to carry out proofreading or annotation so that the translation results can be more natural and acceptable, exploration is needed in the analysis process so that the correct translation produced by students is more accurate and acceptable. adequate brainstorming is needed so that students can find the context of the text and produce an acceptable translation. since translation technology is playing an indispensable role in translation practice, how to teach translation technology has become one of the key topics in translation studies (tao and wang, 2022). the growing reliance on translation technology in professional settings necessitates a shift in educational approaches to ensure that translators are proficient in the latest tools and methodologies. as stated by lin (2022), integrating multimedia technology into undergraduate english classroom teaching enhances students' comprehension and application skills, with 91.6% of students expressing a preference for using auxiliary teaching resources in translation instruction. corresponding to this, this study confirmed that computer assisted translation (cat) is a tool that makes a significant difference for translators, especially in the language translation process (vieira et al., 2023). this software is intended as a tool for translators to make their work easier. every profession must be supported by its own software, and the cat tool is the right choice, especially for translators (rothwell, 2023). furthermore, this study confirmed that using the cat tool to translate documents with large volumes and tight deadlines could be the right choice. with the help of a terminology list, translators can work on terms consistently because they do not need to remember so many terms (summers et al., 2023). additionally, cat tools provide a much more effective interface to support the translation process (pastor, 2021). apart from making translations faster, translation quality can also be improved with the help of the cat tool (paradowska, 2021). modern ict tools can greatly facilitate and enrich teaching translation and interpreting skills to students of language specialties, but their effectiveness depends on how they are used and teacher competence (lu ans streltsofa, 2023). this study, which dealt with developing the ratpro translation learning model, certainly enriches the development of the cat as a translation tool. this ratpro translation learning model may also enrich translation classes' learning activities, making the learning activities more enjoyable for the students. conclusion the ratpro learning model was developed by integrating cat tools translation technology into the learning process. the validator declared this english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 723 model valid and supported by empirical validation results from field trials. based on the validation results obtained, this learning model is continued to the limited and wide-scale trial stages to see the model's effectiveness in translation studies. the results of trials with groups of teachers showed that the cat tools-based ratpro learning model in translation studies was suitable to apply even though several improvements were found in the evaluation stage. the results of trials on student groups show that this learning model can improve students' translation skills, and students respond positively to this learning model. therefore, the cat tools-based ratpro learning model can be applied to translation studies. acknowledgement the researcher would like to thank mahasaraswati university denpasar, especially the faculty of teacher training and science, where this research was conducted, for the opportunity and time support provided. thanks are also addressed to the 6th-semester students of the english language education study program who participated as subjects in this research. references akgün, y., & mercan, h. (2023). the effects of teaching computer-assisted translation tools in translation and interpreting departments on students’ developing translation competence as perceived by lecturers. abant çeviribilim dergisi, 1(1), 43–54. aldossary, h. s. m. (2023). translation technology and cat tools: addressing gaps between pedagogy and the translation industry in saudi arabia. university of leeds. awadh, a. n. m. (2023). utilization of computerassisted translation tools among arab translators: scope, challenges, and solutions. theory and practice in language studies, 13(11), 2743–2754. badawi, s. (2023). a transformer-based neural network machine translation model for the kurdish sorani dialect. uhd journal of science and technology, 7(1), 15–21. beeby, a., rodríguez, m. f., fox, o., albir, a. h., neunzig, w., orozco, m., presas, m., inés, p. r., & romero, l. (2003). building a translation competence model. triangulafing translafion: perspecfives in process oriented research. amsterdam. branch, r. m., & branch, r. m. (2009). develop. instructional design: the addie approach, 82– 131. brannon, w., virkar, y., & thompson, b. (2023). dubbing in practice: a large scale study of human localization with insights for automatic dubbing. transactions of the association for computational linguistics, 11, 419–435. daminov, n. k. (2022). the role of simultaneous interpretation in the system of types of translation. international journal on integrated education, 5(11), 10–15. ginting, p. (2022). translation challenges and strategies: a review of theories. the seall journal, 3(1), 76–84. guey, c. (2019). cognitive perspectives of translation teaching. . https://doi.org/10.46827/ejfl.v0i0.2224. hastuti, d. (2020). the implementation of online media method in teaching translation. manajemen pendidikan. https://doi.org/10.23917/jmp.v15i2.10802. ikrimah, i., salamah, h. k., aslamiyah, s., & fauzan, a. (2024). an analysis of the process of translating recount texts by using google translation machine. international journal of humanity studies (ijhs), 7(2), 313–326. kong, l. (2022). artificial intelligence-based translation technology in translation teaching. computational intelligence and neuroscience, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/6016752. lin, r. (2022). undergraduate english translation teaching based on multimedia technology. frontiers in educational research. https://doi.org/10.25236/fer.2022.050303. iu.s., v., & e.v., s. (2023). information and computer technologies in teaching translation students of languages of specialties. “educational bulletin “consciousness”. https://doi.org/10.26787/nydha-2686-68462023-25-8-17-23. mardani, t. (2023). exploring the role of speaker meaning in translation: a pragmatic approach. international journal of language and translation research, 3(3), 1–16. paradowska, u. (2021). benefits and challenges of an intra-university authentic collaborative translation project. new voices in translation studies, 24(1), 23–45. pastor, d. g. (2021). introducing machine translation in the translation classroom: a survey on students’ attitudes and perceptions. tradumàtica tecnologies de la traducció, 19, 47–65. piletić, d. (2019). translation in foreign language teaching at university level. folia linguistica et litteraria. https://doi.org/10.31902/fll.27.2019.15. praet, s., & verhelst, b. (2020). teaching translation theory and practice. journal of classics teaching, 21, 31 35. https://doi.org/10.1017/s2058631020000392. ren, j. (2020). application of computer technology in english translation network teaching. journal anak agung istri yudhi pramawati, i gde putu agus pramerta, & dewa gede bambang erawan enhancing translation education with ratpro: a cat tools-based learning model 724 of physics: conference series, 1648. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1648/2/022124. rothwell, a. (2023). retranslating proust using cat, mt, and other tools. in computer-assisted literary translation (pp. 106–125). routledge. sah, y., & sinha, a. (2022). challenges of literary translation with reference to maithili literature: a critique. ars artium, 10, 83–94. stepanyan, a. (2022). translation in foreign language teaching. foreign languages in higher education. https://doi.org/10.46991/flhe/2016.20.1-2.236. summers, e., kappus, m., & ehrensberger-dow, m. (2023). collaborative possibilities of cat tools in the revision process. tradumàtica tecnologies de la traducció, 21, 300–308. sunardi, s., nugroho, r. a., harjo, b., muljono, m., suryaningtyas, v. w., setyaningsih, n., larassati, a., & giyanti, a. s. (2022). translation procedures done by visually impaired translator: an annotated study. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics, 415–431. tao, y., & wang, h. (2022). introduction to the special issue translation technology teaching: views and visions. the interpreter and translator trainer, 16, 271 274. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750399x.2022.210185 1. vieira, l. n., zelenka, n., youdale, r., zhang, x., & carl, m. (2023). translating science fiction in a cat tool: machine translation and segmentation settings. translation & interpreting: the international journal of translation and interpreting research, 15(1), 216–235. wang, h. (2019). the development of translation technology in the era of big data. restructuring translation education: implications from china for the rest of the world, 13–26. xiumin, t., yifu, s., & zheng, y. (2023). exploration of computer-assisted translation technology in translating technical terms in traditional chinese medicine under the perspective of ai vision. journal of artificial intelligence practice, 6(7), 37–42. zappatore, m. (2024). incorporating collaborative and active learning strategies in the design and deployment of a master course on computerassisted scientific translation. technology, knowledge and learning, 29(1), 253–308. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 675 critical listening in higher education: insights from indonesian efl learners aninda putri gunawan english education study program, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: anindapegee@upi.edu gin gin gustine english education study program, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: gustine@upi.edu muhammad handi gunawan (corresponding author) english education study program, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: handi_gunawan@upi.edu apa citation: gunawan, a. p., gustine, g. g., & gunawan, m. h. (2023). critical listening in higher education: insights from indonesian efl learners. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 675-686. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8236 received: 18-06-2023 accepted:29-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: this research aims to examine the practice of critical listening in higher education. this investigation involves fourth-semester students in the english education department of an indonesian public state institution. this research utilized a qualitative case study. this study's data were collected using a triangulation method incorporating classroom observation, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews. in this research, the data were analyzed thematically. the results show that 1) students are able to identify subjectivity, evaluate speaker’s arguments, and unfold speaker’s argument as reflected on the critical listener competencies 2) critical listening activities successfully help students develop their language skills and exercise critical thinking skills that have yet to be covered in listening class. the findings of this study can provide educators with a starting point for implementing critical listening with efl students. in other words, the findings may cast light on implementing critical listening in efl classroom, including the general benefits and challenges students encounter. keywords: critical listening; efl in higher education; listening skills. introduction since information and communication technologies have advanced, people can now freely share thoughts or information. however, data and concepts in information frequently contain fallacies, persuasion, and propaganda. someone who can assess the accuracy and dependability of the knowledge or ideas they are exposed to is certainly essential in this scenario. thus, a strong critical listening capacity is required for everyone to listen, evaluate, and make decision of the information or ideas presented to them (basyoni & medd, 2023; yogaskara & kurniawan, 2020). the concept of critical listening is rooted from critical thinking definition by ennis (1991), which states that critical thinking is reasonable, reflective thought that focuses on deciding what to believe or do. nonetheless, despite the importance of critical listening, as stated by welch & mickelson (2020) and bell (2018), teachers did not give teaching listening skills, especially critical listening, the priority it deserved. other studies have shown that, particularly in higher education, proper planning and adequate attention were not given to developing critical listening skills. according to their research, listening training in the start had not been applied, despite its relevance. critical writing and reading are more common in efl classes than critical listening. beniche et al. (2021) found that students in higher education did well in argumentative writing because they understood how to present arguments and apply logic to support their positions on the assigned topics by the support of critical writing. in reading, oroujlou & sadeghi (2022) discovered that teaching critical reading skills improves critical thinking in challenging pupils. critical reading practises in the efl classroom can encourage students to ask systematic and critical questions. prior critical thinking studies focused on writing and reading, not listening. critical listening in the classroom is underpracticed. in efl classes, intensive listening is most usual. gu (2018) states intensive listening activities limit students to interpreting the speaker's aninda putri gunawan, gin gin gustine, & muhammad handi gunawan critical listening in higher education: insights from indonesian efl learners 676 true words, grammar, and sounds. students solely focus on individual words, grammar, and information in attentive listening (ahmadpour & asadollahfam, 2018). efl students in higher education need more than intensive listening, even though it's beneficial for them. efl students in higher education need to employ critical listening to absorb and evaluate information using objective standards. in intensive listening, students, especially those who have limited listening experience, only estimate the answer which prevents students from completely understanding the content. thus, critical listening is required for efl students to understand and evaluate the listening contents. critical listening means that critical thinking and listening must be integrated as one skill. also, since listening skills is a multi-layered process, students must be able to develop three different types of listening skills, which are discriminative (to distinguish sounds in the message), comprehensive (to understand the factual ideas), and critical listening skills (to evaluate and judge) (bourdeaud’hui et al., 2021). therefore, in critical listening, students are expected to understand and evaluate the information they acquire from the audio they listen to. as stated by hyytinen et al. (2021), critical listening, part of critical thinking, identifies fallacies in presenting a topic. in other words, critical listening integrates students’ comprehension and other cognitive abilities, which require them to question the received information and stimulate in-depth discussion in the classroom (ediger, 2015; ferrari-bridgers et al., 2017). on top of that, the definition of critical listening as stated by ferrari-bridgers (2020), ferraribridgers, stroumbakis, et al. (2017), and ferraribridgers, vogel, and lynch (2017) as “the listener’s critical ability to (a) recognize patterns, (b) compare and contrast new information with prior knowledge while comprehending, (c) reevaluate prior knowledge in light of new information, and (d) evaluate the content of a message (i) for adhering to specific patterns and structural requirements that constitute the message itself and (ii) for its completeness and accuracy, such as its lack of faults, illogicality, and omission of critical components” (ferrari-bridgers, 2020, p. 10). to put it another way, critical listening involv es listening carefully and actively to the listening material to comprehend, evaluate, analyze, criticize, and reform it based on personal experiences and objective criteria (basyoni et al., 2020). critical listening involves several levels, as stated by tubail (2015), which are reception, discrimination, comprehension, analysis, interpretation, realization, inference, evaluation, judgment, and response. from the critical listening levels stated by tubail, it can be concluded that listening comprehension should cause a critical response to what is heard. this implies that the listener must be able to evaluate the speaker’s intention from the message delivered in the audio (khaydarova, 2023). figure 1. critical listening levels (tubail, 2015) according to helwa & sabry (2021), critical listening necessitates that students take the role of decision makers. an essential skill for students is the ability to discern the intended objective of a speaker during a speech or a discussion. in this activity, it is crucial for students to conduct a thorough evaluation of the speaker's intended meaning in order to analyse the underlying purpose of the speech. the objective of analysing the purpose of the speech is to determine the extent of trustworthiness and reliability of the information conveyed by the speaker. furthermore, critical listening can be understood as a cognitive process including inquiry and comparison, as highlighted by helwa and sabry (2021). it is fundamental for students to conduct an investigation into the speaker's background as they actively participate in the process of critical listening. the objective is to discover the extent to which the purported information sustains its credibility, and the extent to which the speaker's comments are grounded in their background’s profession. in essence, critical listening entails a heightened level of comprehension whereby individuals delve into the information they receive, necessitating the analysis, evaluation, and judgement of its substance (el gendy, 2020). upon evaluating the provided material, students, in their capacity as critical listeners, are able to generate conclusions regarding the message. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 677 the implementation of critical listening is in line with the characteristics of critical thinkers stated by diyanni & borst, 2020), which are “when someone is using critical thinking skills, they usually make insightful observations, thoughtful connections, insightful inquiries, and meaningful distinctions.” on top of that, in this study, critical thinking focuses on six dispositions that are proposed by ennis (1991; 1996 as cited in quinn et al., 2020), reichenbach (2001), and chaffee (2009) namely: 1) be open minded; consider other points of view than their own; (ennis, 1991; 1996 as cited in quinn et al., 2020); reichenbach, 2001); 2) take and change position when evidence is sufficient (ennis, 1991; 1996; reichenbach, 2001); 3) care to understand and present a position honestly and clearly including to discover and listen to others' view and reasons, be clear about the intended meaning of what is said, written, or otherwise communicated (ennis, 2011); 4) take into account others' feelings and level of understanding (ennis, 2011); 5) view situations from different perspectives (chaffee, 2009; cottrell, 2005); and 6) identify the argument and communicate author’s intended meaning of what is said and what is written (chaffee, 2009). the practice of critical listening in this study is also guided by the listening comprehension questions adapted from barrett's taxonomy of reading comprehension. barrett’s taxonomy was developed by thomas barrett and involved five levels: literal comprehension, reorganization, inferential comprehension, evaluation, and appreciation (amalya et al., 2020). the levels chosen to practice critical listening in the classroom are evaluation and appreciation. the levels are considered high-level questions requiring students to practice and apply their critical thinking. since there has not yet been a previous study to design listening comprehension questions using barrett’s taxonomy, this study would like to adopt the concept. therefore, by implementing critical listening in the classroom, this study will focus on identifying the four critical listener competencies: (1) identifying subjectivity in the message, (2) evaluating the speaker’s arguments, (3) analyzing and unfolding the speaker’s intention, and (4) separating facts from opinions (al-musalli, 2001; deveci, 2013; ferraribridgers et al., 2017; floyd and clements, 2005; fogelsong et al., 2016). the concepts of critical listening are in line with the fundamental principles of extensive listening that are also applied in this study. critical listening involves two stages: comprehension of the content delivered and finding the specific information to be analysed in the video. those stages are related to the principles of extensive listening by ivone & renandya (2019) which stated that students should select audio or video texts to listen to. they should have the freedom to choose spoken texts at their convenience or in accordance with their listening capabilities. additionally, after choosing their preferred audio or video texts, students must be able to evaluate the chosen materials’ reliability critically. another extensive listening principle that supports critical listening is students are expected to comprehend the meaning of the spoken texts. in other words, students concentrate on the main idea or discourse of spoken materials. students must interpret meaning from a specific perspective. one of the video sources used in this study is ted talks, which can be accessed through youtube. ted talks have been used in several studies to promote in-depth listening. for instance, puspita & amelia (2020) stated that by utiziling ted talks, students can get enough exposure toward authentic materials, so they can get a lot of input to improve their listening skills. research data demonstrating that while some students' scores decrease, the majority of students' scores rise. moreover, no declining score was discovered in the data. the finding proved that ted talk is suitable to enforce critical listening that requires in-depth understanding in listening comprehension. moreover, intensive listening practice is also conducted in the lesson. as stated by sastromiharjo et al. (2020), critical listening is a type of intensive listening activity to interpret, look for facts or truths, and make conclusions about a speaker's utterance with strong reasons and can be accepted by reason. in order to look for information from the audio, intensive listening requires students to understand the meaning of each discourse and, ultimately, to understand every sentence and word. the goal is for students to understand every sentence in the information. the concept of understanding sentence and word in intensive listening is in line with listening stage in critical listening stated by sastromiharjo et al. (2020) which requires a listener to understand the language and meaning of language they listen to. moreover, the principle of intensive listening adapted in critical listening is that students answer the questions provided by the lecturer (gavenila et al., 2021). the students must find specific information in the audio in order to answer the prompted question given by the lecturer comprehensively. to conclude, extensive listening aninda putri gunawan, gin gin gustine, & muhammad handi gunawan critical listening in higher education: insights from indonesian efl learners 678 and intensive listening support critical listening in grasping the big ideas and understanding the language of the passage. reflecting on the preceding paragraphs, it is clear that the research on critical listening needs to be further investigated. thus, this study places a significant focus on the need for students to be able to listen critically in order to gather, evaluate, and use the information effectively (din, 2020). this research aims to explore in the implementation of critical listening, which has not been well-explored yet, in higher education. moreover, this paper aims to investigate how critical listening is implemented in a listening classroom and to discover the benefits and challenges students face in conducting critical listening lesson. thus, in order to investigate the implementation critical listening in the efl classroom, two research questions are provided: (1) how is critical listening implemented in the listening classroom? (2) what are the benefits and challenges of critical listening faced by students in the classroom? method a qualitative case study is conducted in this study (ebneyamini & sadeghi moghadam, 2018). a case study in this study focused on investigating one case concerning the implementation of critical listening. it is in line with the statement that a case study refers to an in-depth study that investigates an implementation of a particular theory or method which has not been much known in the certain case (schoch, 2020). critical listening hasn’t yet been widely known and implemented in a classroom. for that reason, the case study was conducted to portray the implementation of critical listening in efl classrooms. this study involves fourth-semester english education department students at a public state university in indonesia, under the class listening for academic purposes i as its participants. regarding the choice of the level, tertiary level, it seems appropriate because english students in the fourth semester are expected to be given more exposure to academic listening, such as ielts, particularly the fourth section that focuses on lectures and ted talks. on top of that, the students will already have advanced critical thinking compared to students from the first year. triangulation techniques by means of classroom observation, questionnaires, and semistructured interviews with students in regard to their experience throughout the listening course were employed for collecting the data in this study. the classroom observation was employed to ensure that the four critical listener competencies were implemented in the classroom. the classroom observation was recorded to capture the engagement of the lecturer’s instructions and students’ responses during critical listening practice in the classroom. a questionnaire distributed was employed to discover students’ points of view regarding the benefits and challenges of critical listening. a semi-structured interview for the chosen five students was also conducted to provide additional information from their responses to the questionnaire that need further elaboration. it should also be noted that the questionnaires distributed and interviews conducted are in bahasa indonesia; therefore, all questionnaire and interview transcripts will be translated into english in case they are chosen as examples for this paper. moreover, of 40 students coming to the meeting, 34 students agreed to volunteer to participate in the teaching program and this was followed by their signing of a consent form . the data analysis used in this study is thematic analysis. thematic analysis focuses on finding and defining implicit and explicit ideas within the data's themes rather than just counting the incidence of explicit words and phrases (preiser et al., 2021). on top of that, as stated by kiger and varpio (2020), thematic analysis is a way of expressing data, but it also incorporates interpretation in the processes of selecting codes and generating themes. the thematic analysis used in this study is the four critical listener competencies stated by al-musalli (2001); deveci (2013); ferrari-bridgers et al. (2017); floyd and clements (2005); fogelsong et al. (2016). results and discussions findings in this study are categorized into two in relation to the two research questions. the first is to explain the implementation critical listening focusing on the interactions between the lecturer and the students in the classroom. the second category is describing the benefits and challenges faced by students in critical listening. the implementation of critical listening in the listening classroom in respect to the first research question, the result of the data collection showed that students benefited from the implementation of the critical listening in the classroom since the critical listening practice focused on critical listener competencies helped them develop critical thinking and promote critical listening in the classroom. the critical thinking dispositions which english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 679 are appeared in this study were be open-minded; consider other points of view than their own; take and change position when evidences are sufficient; present a position honestly and clearly; be clear about the intended meaning of what is said, written, or otherwise communicated; view situations from different perspectives; and identify the argument and communicate author’s intended meaning of what is said. on top of that, the critical listener’s abilities reflected in the study were identifying subjectivity in the message, evaluating the speaker’s arguments, analysing and unfolding the speaker’s intention. critical listener competencies in critical listening practice identifying subjectivity in the message the identifying subjectivity was established by instructing the students to identify the element of subjectivity in the given video. identifying subjectivity in critical listening is in line with critical thinking ability, written by singh (2018) which stated that critical thinkers must recognize that the truth is objective and not relative. otherwise, the critical thinker's goal of analyzing and evaluating arguments in order to arrive at the truth is severely compromised. thus, the subjectivity means that the content of the message is a personal construction aiming to achieve the objective of the speaker’s personal belief (lamont, 2020). the identification of subjectivity in the listening classroom is related to their analysis of a video related to gender equality. the students found that the video consists of subjectivity as it only highlights one side of the issue, which is the women being the most vulnerable actor, and hides the concern of other actors involved in the issue. the purpose of identifying subjectivity in the listening classroom is to exercise the listener’s ability judgment towards a message. the excerpt 1 illustrates how the student identifies the element of subjectivity in the message. “this video has subjectivity in my opinion because the narrator really focused on women’s rights and they don’t talk that much about the perspective of men and they don’t really talk about the disadvantage of being a man. i mean like the responsibility that men have as like the one usually looking for money for the family. the video doesn’t talk about both perspectives equally and it is evident that the video talks about more on women’s rights rather than the responsibility that also comes from having the rights.” (s12, april 7 2023, minutes 13:00) evaluating the speaker’s arguments in critical listening, students must be able to interpret and evaluate the content of the message. evaluation, according to marni et al. (2019), is the ability to evaluate evidence to strengthen conclusions and review the reliability of the information. in this context, as critical listeners, students should be able to criticize the content conveyed in the video. the instruction from the lecturer is also important for the students. the instruction used in the classroom also prompted the student’s response to evaluate the speaker’s arguments presented in the video. in this context, the lecturer asked the students whether the video presented balanced information by covering the perspectives of the actors involved. the excerpt 2 which is evaluating the speaker’s arguments sourced from classroom observation shows that the students are able to evaluate the message in the video by mentioning that the title of the video can be misleading as it is not in line with the content of the video. excerpt 2 (april 7, 2023, minutes 32:10) l: “do you think the men’s voices are represented in the video?” s: “i highlight that the title of the video is ‘gender equality’. then, it must contain some balanced information in it. i also agree if the title of the video is ‘justice for women’ or ‘empowering women’. i will support those, and i think the video will consist more of how women are miserable, women can be successful, and i will support that. however, because the title of the video is ‘gender equality’ and the content of the video is more focused on women, men’s voices are not represented in the video.” analysing and unfolding the speaker’s intention the competency of analysing and unfolding the speaker’s intention was reflected when the lecturer asked the students why the speaker in the video focuses on emphasizing one perspective of the issue. the prompted question was asked in advance so that the students are able to analyze the aim of the speaker’s arguments, as shown in excerpt 3. in unfolding the speaker’s intention, the student is able to explain the goal of the speaker in delivering the message. the finding is in line with one of important critical listening skills, which is the ability to recognize the speaker's objectives (basyoni & medd, 2023). by discovering the purpose of the speaker in the message, the audience can better determine whether prejudice or aninda putri gunawan, gin gin gustine, & muhammad handi gunawan critical listening in higher education: insights from indonesian efl learners 680 propaganda tactics are being employed. in this context, the students analyses the reasoning and the goal behind the speaker’s message conveyed the issue in the video. excerpt 3 (april 7 2023, minutes 15:29) l: “why does the speaker being biased to women in the video?” s: “i think the speaker is being biased in order to persuade the audience about the gender transformative approach which favours women’s rights.” separating facts from opinions during the implementation of critical listening in the classroom, as sourced from the classroom observation, there is no sufficient data to support this critical listener competency. the reason is mainly because the implementation of critical listening is not focused on how students can differentiate facts from opinions, but rather how students can comprehend, evaluate, and judge the content of the message. moreover, the lecturer’s instructions are mostly focused on identifying bias in the message and evaluating the contents delivered by the speakers. the evaluation of the speakers’ message does not cater the competency of separating facts from opinions, but rather focuses on evaluating the speaker’s message using available evidence as in line with the element of critical thinking by li (2023). benefits for and challenges of the implementation of critical listening in relation to the second research question, this study revealed that the implementation of critical listening had given some benefits and challenges for the students. the benefits developing language skills during the implementation of critical listening, students do not only listen and process the information inside their head but also learn how to respond to the information through writing and speaking. thus, integrated language skills are also implemented in critical listening and beneficial for the students to assist in other language skills courses. the finding is in line with the study by basyoni et al. (2020), which stated critical listening is significant because it motivates and develops ideas by employing scientific and efficient methods. it fosters the improvement of other language abilities, such as speaking, reading, and writing, because they are inherently linked to listening. the development of critical listening leads to the enhancement of every other skill. it plays an essential role in generating meanings, rephrasing them, and evaluating them, which contributes to the renewal of knowledge. a few examples of the statement are provided below: “since listening is a receptive skill, which in my opinion is the foundation for developing productive skills such as speaking and writing, critical listening is vital for this course in particular and also for other skills courses.” (questionnaire, student 15) “critical listening is not only useful for listening skills, but also for other skills, such as writing and speaking.” (questionnaire, student 26) analysing information critically based on the findings of this study, students revealed that critical listening helps them analyse the information they received from the videos presented in the classroom. 17 students who filled the questionnaire admitted that critical listening helps them identify the information presented in a video. on top of that, students found critical listening useful in assisting them to filter the information. as perceived by students, critical listening helps students in processing the information they got; whether the content is credible or not; and finding the context and the goal of the message stated by the speaker in the video. the information they received is also analysed from which voice is dominant and hidden from the speaker’s statement. this finding demonstrates that students possess the ability to analyze information critically. the benefit aligns with the sub-skill of critical listening based on basyoni et al. (2020) which is the ability to distinguish similarities and differences between ideas and perspectives in listening material. a few examples of the statement are provided below: “through critical listening, i have learned to identify voices that aren't overly prominent and to search for strong voices from opposing sides.” (interview, student 3) “critical listening helps students know the credibility of the information they receive, also helps students distinguish facts and opinions from the information we get, also helps us english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 681 process the information we get from an audio or video.” (questionnaire, student 20) “by implementing critical listening, i can practice my skills in analyzing information provided by lecturers or other sources, identifying whether there is subjectivity in the information, and digging deeper into the source of the information.” (questionnaire, student 21) practicing critical thinking skills practicing critical thinking skills perceived by the students as one of the benefits of critical listening proves that the implementation of critical listening in the efl classroom helps them be critical of the information received from the listening materials. this is in line with the interview with the student which stated that in implementing critical listening, critical thinking skill is required since the two concepts are similar. the difference between critical thinking and listening is based on the sources. for critical thinking, the sources may vary such as from posters, articles in a website, newspapers, and various media. however, for critical listening, the sources are focused on video or audio. a few examples of the statement are provided below: “critical listening and critical thinking are conceptually related because the ability to think critically is required for critical listening.” (interview, student 1) “critical listening is very beneficial in this course, such as teaching the students not to be easily influenced by the video/audio that we listen to, and helping to be more critical and rational in responding to various information that i receive.” (questionnaire, student 4) “with critical listening in this course i do not only learn to listen to what the speakers are talking about, but also practice critical thinking about the topics being discussed.” (questionnaire, student 32) the challenges unfamiliarity with the topic students admitted that the lack of exposure to the topic presented in critical listening is a challenge for them to understand the context of the listening materials. because of the unfamiliarity with the topic, students found it difficult in processing the information. this leads them unable to evaluate and judge on the listening material as they have no sufficient knowledge about the topic. however, the students are able to overcome challenges by researching the topic so that they are well-informed regarding the presented topic in the classroom. thus, the information they got from the video and the result of the research will be linked to the prior knowledge. after that, students will be able to relate the new information from the video and try to evaluate it with their previous knowledge. in line with the definition of critical listening provided by ferrari-bridgers (2020), ferrari-bridgers, stroumbakis, et al. (2017), and ferrari-bridgers, vogel, and lynch (2017), students are able to compare new information with prior knowledge while comprehending and re-evaluating prior knowledge in light of new information. a few examples of the statement are provided below: “because of the unfamiliarity with the topic of the video, i became confused about capturing the information or message the speakers were trying to convey in the video.” (questionnaire, student 17) “limited knowledge of the topic makes it difficult for me to follow the thoughts of the speaker and dig deeper into the information provided.” (questionnaire, student 21) fast-paced speech by the speaker the fast-paced speech by the speaker also affects students’ understanding in critical listening. the students found it difficult to keep up with the speakers as they speak too fast hence it affects their comprehension of the listening material presented in the critical listening classroom. the finding is similar to study by namaziandost et al. (2019) related to listening challenges in the classroom, the fast-paced speecd is evident in the provided example: "it's difficult to comprehend the video in a single watch. this is due to the fact that the speaker in the video speaks relatively quickly for me." a few examples of the statement are provided below: “the speaker's tempo is sometimes fast. on several occasions, i personally think the speaker's tempo is too fast to be understood in one go.” (questionnaire, student 10) “it's hard to understand the video in one play. this is because the speaker's speech in the video is still relatively fast for me.” (questionnaire, student 11) various accents of speakers aninda putri gunawan, gin gin gustine, & muhammad handi gunawan critical listening in higher education: insights from indonesian efl learners 682 students admitted that the various accents of the speakers in critical listening poses a challenge for them to understand the listening material. moreover, it takes them more time to fully comprehend the information as they find it difficult to understand the whole information in one play. on top of that, students stated that in certain dialects, the boundaries between words tend to blur, such that some terms appear to "blend" with others. this is similar to what mandiri et al. (2022) stated in their research, namely that word boundaries tend to become unclear; as certain words may appear to "blend" with others in certain dialects. thus, students typically had to replay he video so they could fully comprehend the message presented in the video. a few examples of the statement are provided below: “the fast-paced, muddled accents make it tough for me to follow up with the video. usually, i have to replay the video in order to comprehend what the speaker is saying.” (interview, student 5) “there are several accents that i think are still difficult for me to understand, for example, the british accent. the british accent that i usually listen to is mostly difficult to understand.” (questionnaire, student 17) “sometimes how the speaker conveys the message in the video is one of the things that is rather difficult to understand because usually i'm not familiar with all accents, so it takes more attention to listen to what is being said.” (questionnaire, student 24) range of used vocabulary students who responded to the questionnaire and were interviewed indicated that they find it difficult to understand the critical listening materials they listen to because of the wide variety of vocabularies utilized in those materials. it can also be inferred that the vocabulary used plays the largest role in critical listening comprehension. this factor arises from the fact that the participants' unfamiliarity with the vocabulary or informal used in the materials they listen to restricts their ability to comprehend said materials. a few examples of the statement are provided below: “while watching the video, i had difficulty understanding foreign terminology. if the vocabulary appears to be difficult for me to comprehend, i will search for synonyms that are most similar to the context of the video.” (interview, student 5) “i experienced several problems in the critical listening session. first, unfamiliar vocabulary. i realized the problem was related to my limited range of vocabulary.” (questionnaire, student 10) “there are some words in the video that i don't know the meaning of, so i don't really understand the contents of the video.” (questionnaire, student 22) technical difficulties: internet connection and device technical challenges are problems that study participants are stumbled upon related to the technical aspects of the activity. since the materials were obtained online, the challenges in this area mostly related to the technicalities of accessing internet resources. students who responded to the questionnaires, stated that the technical issues mostly focused on bad connections and audio playback issues are a challenge for them to understand the critical listening materials presented in the classroom. a few examples of the statement are provided below: “most of the problems i experience when watching videos for critical listening on zoom are related to my device's weak internet network. so sometimes i can't hear clearly some of the contents of the video that's being shown due to lag or something like that.” (questionnaire, student 7) “it’s because of bad internet connection and with the level of the video keep changing, sometimes when it comes to a complex video, a bad internet connection really affects my understanding of the narratives.” (questionnaire, student 14) focus difficulties from the questionnaire, students also admitted that they often get distracted because of their surroundings. since the course is conducted online, students are in different environments and it is highly possible that their surroundings are not suitable for learning. the distraction led the students forget what the speakers were saying in the video. on top of that, as seen from the excerpt, it is possible that students faced a focus difficulty as they have different learning styles. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 683 a few examples of the statement are provided below: “my problem with critical listening is a lack of focus. when i watch the video, i become instantly confused. i actually watched the entire video, but i eventually forgot what the speaker was saying.” (interview, student 2) “some of the obstacles or difficulties encountered when watching videos using critical listening are when watching videos, there are environmental disturbances, such as a noisy environment or distractions from other people around which can interfere with focus and attention when watching videos.” (questionnaire, student 19) “in addition, another obstacle that i experienced was not being able to focus when watching videos, as someone with an auditory learning style i prefer to just listen to the audio rather than watching videos.” (questionnaire, student 20) conclusion in summary, based on the aforementioned findings and discussions, the incorporation of critical listening in the english as a foreign language (efl) classroom demonstrated that students possess the ability to identify subjectivity in the message, analyse the speaker's arguments, and comprehend and assess the speaker's objective through the listening materials which is in line with the three critical listener competencies theory by al-musalli (2001), deveci (2013), ferraribridgers et al. (2017), floyd and clements (2005), and fogelsong et al. (2016). they stated that critical listening helps them improve their language skills and provides them with the opportunity to exercise critical thinking skills not yet covered in listening class. clearly, critical listening enables efl students to do more than simply comprehend the information; it also enables them to evaluate and analyze it. however, students encountered numerous obstacles when attempting to implement critical listening. unfamiliarity with the subject is one of the obstacles of critical listening. according to students, their unfamiliarity with the topic presented in critical listening makes it challenging for them to comprehend the context of the materials. additionally, the speaker's speech speed affects students' critical listening comprehension. in the critical listening classroom, it was difficult for the students to keep up with the speakers because they spoke too rapidly, affecting their comprehension of the material presented. as acknowledged by the students, the numerous accents of the speakers in critical listening make it difficult for them to comprehend the listening material. essential listening materials employ a wide diversity of vocabulary, making it difficult for students to comprehend what they hear. in addition, students admitted to being frequently distracted by their surroundings. respondents to the surveys indicated that technical issues, such as weak connections and audio playback issues, are difficult for them. the findings of this study can provide educators with a starting point for implementing critical listening in efl classroom. in other words, the findings may provide information on the implementation of critical listening, including the benefits and challenges encountered by students in the classroom. as a suggestion for further research, it is important to include the critical listening competency, separating facts from opinions, which has not yet been covered in this research. moreover, future study can conduct on the preferred critical listening materials, such as the topics of the materials, of efl students to support the findings of this study. references ahmadpour, s., & asadollahfam, h. (2018). a study of the effect of extensive and intensive listening on the tense use among efl learners in iran. the journal of applied linguistics and applied literature: dynamics and advances, 6(2), 141– 161. https://doi.org/10.22049/jalda.2019.26383.1098 al-musalli, a. (2001). listening comprehension as a complex skill and the sub-skills involved in the process of speech perception. amalya, r. v. a., anugerahwati, m., & yaniafari, r. p. (2020). an analysis of reading comprehension questions based on barrett’s taxonomy of an english coursebook entitled bright for eight graders. neells proceedings national english education, language, and literature seminar. basyoni, a., shu, m., goh, h. b., & seng, h. (2020). the effectiveness of using students’ created digital storytelling in enhancing saudi ninth graders’ critical listening skills. journal of education and social sciences, 16(1). basyoni, a., & medd, g. (2023). the development and assessment of critical listening skills in the speech program. international journal of social science and human research, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v6-i3-62 bell, c. l. (2018). critical listening in the ensemble rehearsal: a community of learners. music educators journal, 104(3), 17–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432117745951 aninda putri gunawan, gin gin gustine, & muhammad handi gunawan critical listening in higher education: insights from indonesian efl learners 684 beniche, m., larouz, m., & anasse, k. (2021). examining the relationship between critical thinking skills and argumentative writing skills in moroccan preparatory classes of higher engineering schools (cpge). international journal of linguistics, literature and translation , 4(9), 194–201. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt bourdeaud’hui, h., aesaert, k., & van braak, j. (2021). exploring the relationship between metacognitive awareness, motivation, and l1 students’ critical listening skills. journal of educational research, 114(1), 40–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2021.187247 4 chaffee, j. (2009). thinking critically. cengage learning. deveci, t. (2013). promoting lifelong learning. the asian efl journal professional teaching articles, 7, 4–19. din, m. (2020). evaluating university students’ critical thinking ability as reflected in their critical reading skill: a study at bachelor level in pakistan. thinking skills and creativity, 35, 100627. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020 .100627 diyanni, r., & borst, a. (2020). the craft of college teaching: a practical guide. princeton university press. ebneyamini, s., & sadeghi moghadam, m. r. (2018). toward developing a framework for conducting case study research. international journal of qualitative methods, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406918817954 ediger, m. (2015). listening in the language arts. reading improvement, 52(2), 69–71. el gendy, y. m. i. (2020). using audiobook-based activities for developing efl secondary stage students’ critical listening skills and their attitude towards it. journal of the faculty of education mansoura university, 111(5), 95–113. ennis, r. h. (1991). critical thinking: a streamlined conception. teaching philosophy, 14(1), 5–24. ennis, r. h. (2011). the nature of critical thinking: an outline of critical thinking dispositions and abilities. https://education.illinois.edu/docs/defaultsource/faculty-documents/robertennis/thenatureofcriticalthinking_51711_000.pd f ferrari-bridgers, f., stroumbakis, k., drini, m., lynch, b., & vogel, r. (2017). assessing criticalanalytical listening skills in math and engineering students: an exploratory inquiry of how analytical listening skills can positively impact learning. international journal of listening, 31(3), 121–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2016.122291 0 ferrari-bridgers, f., vogel, r., & lynch, b. (2017). fostering and assessing critical listening skills in the speech course. international journal of listening, 31(1), 19–32. floyd, j. j., & clements, s. m. (2005). the vital importance of critical listening: an extended example. international journal of listening, 19(1), 39–47. fogelsong, d. f., barksdale -chair, m. a., azano, a. p., jones, b. d., & wallace, t. k. (2016). promoting a pedagogy for listening instruction: primary grade teachers perceptions of teaching listening through interactive read alouds. gavenila, e. i., wulandari, m., & renandya, w. a. (2021). using ted talks for extensive listening. pasaa, 61(june), 147–175. gu, y. (2018). types of listening. in the tesol encyclopedia of english language teaching (pp. 1–6). john wiley & sons, inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt057 0 helwa, s., & sabry, h. (2021). using a program based on embodied learning and online task activities for developing student teachers’ efl critical listening skills and willingness to communicate. erişim adresi: https://journals. ekb. eg/article_192137_7b0e716f4861630d7ec33a6 217342d60. pdf. hyytinen, h., ursin, j., silvennoinen, k., kleemola, k., & toom, a. (2021). the dynamic relationship between response processes and self-regulation in critical thinking assessments. studies in educational evaluation, 71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2021.101090 ivone, f. m., & renandya, w. a. (2019). extensive listening and viewing in elt. khaydarova, l. (2023). teaching listening comprehension as a part of educational process at school. universal journal on ie education, 2(3). https://univerpubl.com/index.php/semantic kiger, m. e., & varpio, l. (2020). thematic analysis of qualitative data: amee guide no. 131. medical teacher, 42(8), 846–854. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159x.2020.175503 0 lamont, p. (2020). the construction of “critical thinking”: between how we think and what we believe. history of psychology, 23(3), 232–251. https://doi.org/10.1037/hop0000145 li, l. (2023). critical thinking from the ground up: teachers’ conceptions and practice in efl classrooms. teachers and teaching: theory and practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2023.219118 2 mandiri, i. c. p., gunawan, m. h., & suharno, s. (2022). efl student’s difficulties in extensive listening activities: a thematic content analysis. english review: journal of english education, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 685 10(2), 393–400. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6240 marni, s., suyono, roekhan, & harsiati, t. (2019). critical thinking patterns of first-year students in argumentative essay. journal for the education of gifted young scientists, 7(3), 683–697. https://doi.org/10.17478/jegys.605324 namaziandost, e., neisi, l., mahdavirad, f., & nasri, m. (2019). the relationship between listening comprehension problems and strategy usage among advance efl learners. cogent psychology, 6(1), 1691338. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2019.169133 8 oroujlou, n., & sadeghi, k. (2022). effects of explicit teaching of critical thinking strategies on efl learners’ reading comprehension. teaching english language, 16(2), 1–29. preiser, r., garcía, m. m., hill, l., & klein, l. (2021). qualitative content analysis. in the routledge handbook of research methods for socialecological systems (pp. 270–281). routledge. puspita, d., & amelia, d. (2020). ted-talk: a supplement material to promote students’ autonomy in listening. eltin journal: journal of english language teaching in indonesia, 8(2), 91–102. quinn, s., hogan, m., dwyer, c., finn, p., & fogarty, e. (2020). development and validation of the student-educator negotiated critical thinking dispositions scale (senctds). thinking skills and creativity, 38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100710 reichenbach, b. r. (2001). introduction to critical thinking. mcgraw-companies. inc. sastromiharjo, a., damaianti, v. s., & mulyati, y. (2020). critical listening in the social organization community. 3rd international conference on language, literature, culture, and education (icollite 2019), 107–111. schoch, k. (2020). case study research. research design and methods: an applied guide for the scholar-practitioner, 245–258. singh, g. (2018). critical thinking skills and its development strategies. intertional journal of trend in scientific research and development, 2(3), 712–717. tubail, m. m. (2015). the effectiveness of a suggested program in developing eighth graders’ listening comprehension skills and their attitudes towards listening. the islamic university, faculty of education. welch, s. a., & mickelson, w. (2020). listening across the life span: a listening environment comparison. international journal of listening, 34(2), 97–109. yogaskara, h., & kurniawan, k. (2020). the effect of implementing listening teams strategy on students’ critical listening ability. aninda putri gunawan, gin gin gustine, & muhammad handi gunawan critical listening in higher education: insights from indonesian efl learners 686 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 193 the development of inquiry-method-based explanatory text with pisa framework for junior high school riszky pabela pratiwi master of language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, south sumatra, indonesia email: pratiwi.bela@gmail.com mulyadi eko purnomo master of language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, south sumatra, indonesia email: mulyadiekopurnomo@yahoo.com zahra alwi master of language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, south sumatra, indonesia email: zahra_unsri@yahoo.com zulkardi master of mathematic education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, south sumatra, indonesia email: zulkardi@gmail.com apa citation: pratiwi, r. p., purnomo, m. e., alwi, z., & zulkardi (2023). the development of inquirymethod-based explanatory text with pisa framework for junior high school. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 193-202. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7263 received: 29-10-2022 accepted: 26-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction during the covid-19 pandemic outbreak, all face-to-face learning activities were seized. the only alternative to keep literacy learning was by using technology as the connective media (aswan, 2020). for example, the learning activity applied online or limited face-to-face learning (aminullah et al., 2021). unfortunately, this shift brought various problems dealing with the applied teaching materials. on the other hand, excellent learning activities occurred by applying interactive learning sources (marizal & asri, 2022). teaching materials become supporting components to realize the teaching objectives (rahmadani et al., 2019). teaching materials are tools that help convey information, concepts, knowledge and skills (miftah, 2022). the lack of teachers using learning materials that attract motivation is one of abstract: research and development of a module for reading explanatory texts based on inquiry methods and pisa standardized questions has been carried out in class viii smp n 52 palembang. this study aims to produce reading modules that suit the needs of teachers and students. the research method used is development research with the steps of research on the development of the jolly and bolitho and dick, carey & carey models which include identification of needs, exploration of material needs, contextual realization, production of materials, expert validation, one to one evaluation, small group and field tests. data was collected through questionnaires, interviews, validation sheets, and tests. the results showed that the feasibility aspect of content and presentation obtained a percentage of 84% in the very good category, linguistic feasibility obtained a percentage of 90% and was categorized as very good, graphics obtained a percentage of 76% in the good category, validation questions received a percentage of 85% in the very good category. practicality in the one-to-one evaluation stage and the small group gets a percentage of 80% in the practical category. the effectiveness measured in the field test is 0.49 and is in the medium category. thus, the product in the form of a module for reading explanatory texts based on inquiry methods and pisa standardized questions can be used in learning explanatory texts. keywords: development; explanation, inquiry; pisa questions; reading module; teaching materials. riszky pabela pratiwi, mulyadi eko purnomo, zahra alwi, & zulkardi the development of inquiry-method-based explanatory text with pisa framework for junior high school 194 the factors causing low student abilities (astuti et al., 2022) along with the science development, the learning process paradigm shifts into learnercentered active learning (muthmainnah, 2021; pertiwi et al., 2022). learners have roles both as communicators and message recipients (indriani et al., 2021). this paradigm aims to realize learners with excellent higher-order thinking skills (saraswati & agustika, 2020). the government took the brave decision, via the ministry of education and culture, by issuing four education policy programs to improve and develop the education quality of indonesia. the programs are familiar with learning freedom (nusantara et al., 2020). one of them is the minimum competency assessment (mca) which is useful for preparing students to have 21stcentury skills (mukhlis et al., 2022). the skills needed for the 21st century are literacy, competence and character (nudiati & sudiapermana, 2020). literacy is not limited to cognitive abilities, but rather more complex abilities which include social skills, linguistics and psychological aspects (zahra et al., 2023). literacy ability cannot be separated from one's language skills (wulanjani & anggraeni, 2019). based on the results of pisa, especially indonesian students, it was stated that students' literacy skills were relatively low (putri and zulkardi, 2020; rawani et al., 2019; zulkardi et al., 2021). based on research by zahra et al. (2021) there are 11 literacy activities that students can do to improve their literacy. the realized development of educational unit quality by teachers includes developing teaching materials, for example, the curriculum instruments (adam et al., 2022). the developed teaching materials must have a higher-order thinking skill orientation (zulkardi et al., 2020). this kind of teaching material could train the learners’ critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication (ahonen & kinnunen, 2018). a module is a systematically designed teaching material based on the curriculum. the package module is a small learning unit that allows self-directed learning (sirate & ramadhana, 2017). teachers are only a facilitator who directs students if students experience problems while studying independently (wulandari & sari, 2021). from the interview results with masariel, s.pd, a teacher at public jhs 52 palembang, the researchers found the learners could promote selfdirected learning. the evidence was the learners' active participation during online learning due to the covid-19 pandemic. based on the learners' daily registry, a percentage of 80% of learners participated actively in the learning. indonesian language learning, in the 2013 curriculum, aims to train four skills: reading, listening, speaking, and writing (syofiani et al., 2018). every aspect of skills is closely related to the other three skills (wati et al., 2022). however, the real conditions in the field show that learning indonesian still has many obstacles and reinforcement in the context of books, has not yet referred to improving students' skills (kesuma, 2020). the objective is realized in textual-based learning (wagirun & bambang, 2019). one of the studied texts for eight graders is explanatory text (yulisma, 2022). this text explains a certain process in detail. the text is also classified as responsive text (azkia & isnandah, 2018). explanatory text is a text that is made to provide an explanation of how and why something happened (ardiansyah et al., 2022). unfortunately, learning the text was found difficult because the learners did not receive effective teaching materials or media (widyana et al., 2019). therefore, the researchers chose explanatory text to develop. therefore, explanatory text was chosen as the material to be developed. the explanatory text will be developed using the context of the pandemic which is an interesting discussion and is a real situation because it impacts all aspects of life (zulkardi et al., 2020; sistyawati et al., 2023) the implementation of the inquiry approach in the explanatory text module was useful during the module and the learning system arrangements. thus, the produced module could direct and train the learners to think with higher-order thinking skills. wenning (2010) explains that inquiry has specific features, such as the implementation of pre-activity learning to activate the initial knowledge of the learners, the conceptual understanding facilitation for the learners, the learning objectives, and the process of observing. in a similar previous study, for example, puspitasari (2021), found the pisa-based question item instrument. currently, in this research, the researchers did not only develop question items but also learning activities by implementing the combined inquiry method into a learning module. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 195 method the research procedure consisted of necessity identification, material necessity exploration, the contextual realization of material production, expert validation, material revision, and formative evaluation. the research subjects consisted of experts, teachers, and viii graders of public jhs 52 palembang. in the necessity analysis stage, the subjects were teachers and learners. then, in the one-to-one evaluation, the subjects were three representative learners from the population. in the small group evaluation stage, the research subjects consisted of six learners based on their intelligence levels: low, moderate, and high. in the trial field stage, the researchers involved 32 learners. the subsequent research subjects were experts. the experts had the role to validate and assess the developed teaching materials based on the content and presentation, language validity, and module graphic. then, the experts assessed the developed question items based on the content, construct, and language aspects. the researchers collected the data by interviewing, distributing the questionnaire, promoting the test, and applying a validation sheet. the researchers interviewed the indonesian language teachers of viii grade. then, the researchers distributed the questionnaires to the learners. in this case, the type of questionnaire was a closed questionnaire. the applied measuring scale was the likert scale. the researchers measured the obtained data by dividing the selected respondents' numbers by the total number of respondents. then, the researchers multiplied the result by 100. the researchers applied the assessment sheet for design validation. in this stage, the experts validated the developed module by using a rating scale. this rating scale would process the data into interpretation with qualitative descriptions (sugiyono, 2017). then, the researchers analyzed the test results in terms of normality and t-test with spss. results and discussion the necessity identification of the teachers the researchers interviewed the teachers on september 20, 2021, at public jhs 52 palembang. in this process, the researchers involved 2 indonesian language teachers of viii grade. here are the questions and the answers to the interview. from the interview results, the researchers found the seventh graders' characteristics. these learners, the current generation, were interested in new things, especially technological advancement. they were self-directed and capable of finding information and learning from the internet. these seventh graders were at the age of exploring their self-identities. this age was the transition from childhood into adulthood. the learners at public jhs 52 palembang were similar to typical jhs learners. they were active in the learning process. based on the question related to learning within the pandemic situation, the researchers found the learning process was held in a limited manner. the school grouped some learners to study at school and the remaining learners had to study at home via the gadget. this learning process encountered specific challenges for the teachers because they had to manage and apply technology so that learners could learn during the pandemic situation. then, dealing with the question of the encountered difficulties, the interviewees explained that learning during the pandemic required the teachers to be technologically creative. some challenges included a lack of teaching materials to support autonomous learning. the question dealing with the learners' participation during online learning showed initial challenges to ensuring the learners' presence. the teachers also encountered challenges because some learners did not have gadgets, internet balance, and many more. however, the teachers could manage the problems and the learning process ran properly. the learners could join the online learning process actively. the evidence was their attendance and the submitted works. unfortunately, the teachers still encountered some problems, such as in explaining the material. thus, the teachers needed additional teaching materials to support the textbook. for the question about the explanatory text, the researchers found the teachers required a longer time to review. the learning was relevant to the learners' life but the learning needed proper teaching to minimize learners' difficulties. the problems while teaching the explanatory text material seemed to lack detailed teaching material. since the learning was online, the teachers needed teaching materials for the learners' learning guidelines. the question about the teaching material development, in the form of a module development with pisa-standardized question items, the teachers argued the questions would be excellent for future learning source references. then, the questions could facilitate the learning riszky pabela pratiwi, mulyadi eko purnomo, zahra alwi, & zulkardi the development of inquiry-method-based explanatory text with pisa framework for junior high school 196 process for the learners to work on their minimum competence assessment, akm. then, the researchers also found that the developed module should apply modest and understandable language for the eighth graders. dealing with the material selection, the teachers expected actual topic implementation. besides that, the module should be detailed with understandable language and pisa-standardized question items to train the learners in preparing for the future minimum competence assessment, akm. from the interview results, the researchers concluded the developed module as teaching materials should be based on the learners’ criteria and characteristics. the developed module should facilitate the learners to be self-directed learners. the module should also facilitate teachers to achieve the learning objectives and enrich teaching material reference. with the interview, the teachers expected a detailed module with an actual topic. thus, the researchers had to develop a detailed module with a relevant and up-to-date topic for the learners. besides that, the applied language had to be understandable for the learners. the necessity identification of the learners the researchers identified the learners' necessities for module development to collect the learners' responses. some recognized and identified aspects of the learners' necessities were the learners' characteristics, the earners' self-directedness, the expected topic material, the relevant applied learning method for the learners and the expected teaching materials by the learners. the researchers obtained the identifications of the learners' necessities from the analysis of the distributed questionnaire. the researchers distributed the questionnaire on september 20, 2021, at public jhs 52 palembang. the applied questionnaire was a closed-type questionnaire with 7 assessed aspects, consisting of twenty-two items. the researchers distributed the questionnaire to thirty-two learners from the viii-2 class. based on the questionnaire, the researchers found that the learners needed an understandable module containing actual and relevant topics with excellent design. they also expected the implementation of pisa-standardized questions to prepare the learners for future minimum competence assessment, akm. the identification results of the teachers, learners, and materials provided the required information to develop the teaching material. the identifying process revealed that online learning trained the learners' self-directedness. during online learning, the learners had to be selfdirected and maximize various learning resources. self-directed learning also positively influenced the learning process. once the learning process returned to the normal learning process, the learners would be ready to use various learning sources. from this finding, the researchers concluded that the eighth graders could learn by implementing the module. the learners’ self-directedness, according to piaget, cited by sugiman et al. (2016), met the characteristics of the formal operational stage, for learners aged 11 to 15 years old. learners at this stage could 1) effectively and innovatively collaborate, 2) combine some analysis methods, 3) think proportionally, and 4) generalize based on a content type. these capabilities describe the learners' intelligence development. from the aspect of age, the learners were at the formal operational stage. individuals at this stage were aged between 13 and 15 years old. based on piaget's theory, jhs learners intellectually could learn autonomously. the design results the developed module consisted of an introduction, learning 1, learning 2, evaluation, and closing. the applied language was the indonesian language with understandable diction for the learners. the dominance of selected colors for this module included blue, green, and orange. the researchers adjusted the colors with the readability so that the color did not intervene in the module. table 1. the module design the module design design content cover the developed cover of the module preface and table of content preface and table of content introduction module description, time allotment, core competence, basic competence, indicator, objective, and technical guideline learning 1 and learning 2 indicators and the learning objectives, material explanation, summary, and exercise evaluation the direction of working on the questions and question english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 197 bank closing glossary and bibliography from the questionnaire results and the obtained information, the researchers developed the pisa-standardized questions for explanatory text material. the researchers made the questions into multiple choices, complex multiple choices, short essays, matching question-answers, and true-or-false questions. the researchers prepared 20 question items. the developed questions were useful for the learners' evaluation related to the given material. here is the table of the designed question. table 2. the question design core competence question items question forms 3.9 3, 6 short essay 5, 9, 12, 18, 19 multiple choice 4, 7 complex multiple choice 13 matching 4.9 1, 17 matching 2, 14, 20 short essay 8, 15, 15 multiple choice 10 true-false 11 complex multiple choice the module validation results the researchers validated the module on july 1, 2022, until july 19, 2022. the researchers validated some aspects, such as content, presentation, language, graphics, and question items. in this process, the researchers involved the experts, the lecturers of language education at the postgraduate school program of universitas sriwijaya. the researchers involved dra. hj. sri indrawati, m.pd., ph.d. to validate this part. in general, the obtained score of the content and presentation validity was 21 out of 25 with a percentage of 84%. this matter indicated the content and material validity of the module were categorized very excellently. the expert also suggested the researchers clarify the developed module structure, to revise the dictions of "pengertian” and “ciri” into characteristics. here is the table of the validation result. for the language aspect, the expert was dr. izzah, m.pd. the results of the validation included judgment and recommendation. the obtained score was 18 out of 20 with a percentage of 90%. from the aspect of the module's readability, the developed module obtained a very excellent category. the expert suggested the researchers write the dictions carefully. the researchers involved dr. santi oktariana, s.pd., m.pd to validate the graphic aspect. based on the suggestions and the assessment, the obtained scores were 19 out of 25 with a percentage of 76%. the obtained score indicated an excellent category of the module's graphics. the expert suggested the researchers carefully select the colors and apply the font sizes and types. after obtaining the validation scores, the researchers calculated the percentage to determine the validity of the developed module. the result showed that the module’s validity was very excellent, 84%. the researchers also revised the figures on the cover based on the experts’ suggestions. figure 1. front cover figure 2. back cover riszky pabela pratiwi, mulyadi eko purnomo, zahra alwi, & zulkardi the development of inquiry-method-based explanatory text with pisa framework for junior high school 198 one-to-one evaluation the researchers promoted the one-to-one evaluation on august 1, 2022, at public jhs 52 palembang. the test involved 3 learners. all learners had different skills, from low, moderate, and high. here is the recapitulation table of the one-to-one assessment sheet results table 3. the one-to-one evaluation recapitulation num ber criteria total score 1 the information clarity (objective and the material) 11 2 easy to understand 12 3 the clarity of the learning, question working and exercising, and assessing guidelines 12 4 language clarity 12 5 module’s direction clarity 13 6 attractive presentation 12 7 letter, figure, and color harmony 12 8 benefits (improving the learning interest and motivation) 12 total 96 percentage 80% the table shows the obtained percentage is 80%, categorized as practical. the learners also shared some comments and suggestions for the developed module. here are the comments and suggestions. table 4. comments and suggestions of the learners in one-to-one test number initials comments and suggestions 1 mtdi 1. the developed module should have an attractive presentation and color. 2. the studied topics had to be easy to understand. 3. the developed pisastandardized questions had to enrich the insight and preparation for joining the minimum competence assessment, akm. 2 ipb 1. the module was easy to understand because of the understandable language. the module also had a glossary for difficult terms. 2. the module also had interesting figures. 3 fa 1. the cover of the module was excellent and attractive. 2. the delivered materials were detailed and could facilitate self-directed learning at home. 3. the applied language was understandable. small group evaluation the researchers promoted the small group evaluation on august 10, 2022, by involving 6 learners. here are the results. table 5. the small group evaluation recapitulation num ber criteria total score 1 the information clarity (objective and the material) 24 2 easy to understand 24 3 the clarity of the learning, question working and exercising, and assessing guidelines 25 4 language clarity 24 5 module’s direction clarity 24 6 attractive presentation 27 7 letter, figure, and color harmony 22 8 benefits (improving the learning interest and motivation) 24 total 96 percentage 80% the table shows the obtained mean is 32.3 with a percentage of 80% based on the distributed assessment for the learners. the mean indicated the practicability of the developed module, explanatory-based teaching material. besides that, the learners also shared some suggestions and comments related to the developed module. here are the comments and suggestions from the small group evaluation. table 6. comments and suggestions of the learners in small experiment group test num ber initials comments and suggestions 1 n1 learning with this module was something new. the explained materials were very detailed and understandable. 2 n2 the implementation of the language in this module was understandable thus learning during the pandemic was easy with this module implementation. however, more vocabulary addition to the glossary would be better. 3 n3 the stages of concluding the explanatory text were english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 199 understandable because i had not found an easy explanation to conclude a text. 4 n4 this module facilitated the learning process. 5 n5 the colorful book cover selection made the module attractive. 6 n6 this module provided a new learning experience. the field test results the researchers applied the second revised design based on the suggestions and recommendations from the small group test. the researchers promoted the field test from october 3 until 12, 2022. the subjects consisted of eighth graders of public jhs 52 palembang, consisting of 32 learners. the researchers did the pretest by applying the explanatory text module for the eighth graders of viii-2 at public jhs 52 palembang. the researchers held the test on october 3, 2022. the test included working on the pisa-based questions, 20 items. after that, the learners worked on the posttest once they learned with the developed explanatory text module. the learners worked on the posttest after joining the pretest. both tests were the same. after the pretest and the posttest, the researchers analyzed the score comparison from both tests to determine the effectiveness of the developed product. here is the recapitulation of the pretest-posttest comparison results of the developed module. table 6. the posttest result recapitulation number initials pretest score posttest score less 1 ap 66 89.1 23.1 2 aaj 66 89.1 23.1 3 aw 49.5 72.6 23.1 4 as 59.4 72.6 13.2 5 abi 59.4 75.9 16.5 6 cpl 69.3 82.5 13.2 7 da 75.9 82.5 6.6 8 fjs 75.9 85.8 9.9 9 fs 75.9 79.2 3.3 10 ga 59.4 75.9 16.5 11 gi 52.8 89.1 36.3 12 ha 59.4 89.1 29.7 13 hsk 59.4 89.1 29.7 14 kni 59.4 85.8 26.4 15 lm 66 82.5 16.5 16 lk 66 89.1 23.1 17 mw 66 75.9 9.9 18 mv 69.3 79.2 9.9 19 ml 75.9 85.8 9.9 20 ns 75.9 85.8 9.9 21 ni 75.9 85.8 9.9 22 ra 69.3 79.2 9.9 23 rrn 69.3 79.2 9.9 24 rh 66 75.9 9.9 25 sw 59.4 72.6 13.2 26 sam 59.4 79.2 19.8 27 ss 56.1 85.8 29.7 28 tr 59.4 85.8 26.4 29 tw 59.4 89.1 29.7 30 ty 66 75.9 9.9 31 wa 72.6 89.1 16.5 32 zsa 75.9 85.8 9.9 total 2095.5 2640 544.5 average 65.5 82.5 17.0 the table shows the pretest mean score is 65.5 while the mean score of the post-test is 82.5. the difference between the posttest and the pretest indicated an improvement, 17.0. after calculating the difference, the researchers examined the effectiveness of the n-gain formula. here is the effectiveness calculation formula. the obtained n-gain is: = 0, 49 based on the calculation, the obtained n-gain was 0.49. the value was between 0.3 and 0.7, categorized as moderate, indicating the moderate effectiveness of the inquiry method-based explanatory text with pisa-standardized questions. the statistic results the statistic test was useful to determine the differences between the learners' skills before and after the implementation of the developed teaching material. the statistics tests included descriptive, normality, and t-tests with spss 20. the descriptive statistics test results the researchers promoted the descriptive tests on the pretest and posttest scores. the obtained data showed the lowest pretest score was 49.5 with the highest score of 75.90. on the other hand, the lowest post-test score was 72.60 while the highest score was 89.10. the obtained mean score of the pretest was 65.5 with an sd of 7.502 while the posttest means the score was 82.5 with an sd of 5.684. this table provides the statistics descriptive data. riszky pabela pratiwi, mulyadi eko purnomo, zahra alwi, & zulkardi the development of inquiry-method-based explanatory text with pisa framework for junior high school 200 table 7. the statistics descriptive n min max mean std. deviation the score of pretest 32 49.50 75.90 65.5 7.502 the score of postest 32 72.60 89.10 82.5 5.684 valid n (listwise) 32 the normality test results the normality test was useful to compare the data distribution with the normal-standardized distribution. the applied normality test procedure was the kolmogorov-smirnov test to determine the data normality of the learners. here is the normality test table. table 8. the normality test results pretest score posttest score n 32 32 normal parametersa,b mean 65.4844 82.5000 std. deviation 7.50222 5.68495 most extreme differences absolute .198 .219 positive .198 .127 negative -.136 -.219 kolmogorov-smirnov z 1.118 1.240 asymp. sig. (2-tailed) .164 .092 a. test distribution is normal. b. calculated from data. the table shows the obtained significance of the pretest is 0.164 while the post-test is 0.092. the significant values are higher than 0.05, indicating normal distribution. thus, the pretest and posttest data distributions were normal. the t-test in this research, the t-test was useful to determine the significant difference between before and after the module implementation. the researchers conducted the t-test with paired sample test assisted by spss 20. the table shows the results of paired sample ttests are -17.01, std 5.789, and sig (2-tailed) 0.00. the value indicated a significant difference between before and after the module implementation. thus, the inquiry-based explanatory module with pisa-standardizes questions was effective. this module development could be a learning source reference for indonesian language learning. the questions in the module also train the learners' higher-order thinking skills and habituate the learners to work on pisa-based questions. this research had some strengths and shortcomings. the strengths of this research included the learning facility for the learners to be self-directed based on their learning speeds. they could also learn the materials in the module because the module was printed for them. learners without gadgets could still study with the printed module. the module also had an interesting design and some textual topics as the stimulus. for example, a text-themed tiktok application that made the learners motivated to read and obtain information. on the other hand, the shortcomings of the module were due to the printed form. this form required additional cost to copy the print for all learners. conclusion from the results and discussion, the researchers concluded that (1) the teachers and the eighth graders of public jhs 52 palembang had the same necessity of teaching material, the explanatory text module. (2) the developed module, the inquiry-based explanatory text module with pisa standardized questions, was the first design before the validation and revision. (3) the experts determined the developed module to have content and presentation validity. the questions were also categorized as very excellent while the graphic was categorized as excellent. (4) the developed module was practically based on the one-to-one test and the small group test. (5) the developed module, the inquiry-based explanatory text reading module with pisa standardized questions was effectively based on the field test with an increased score of 17.00, from the pretest, 65.5, and the post-test, 82.5. acknowledgement thanks to universitas sriwijaya for funding this research by providing the 2021 professional grant, led by prof. dr. zulkardi, m.i. komp., m.sc with contract number 0014/un9/sk.lp2m.pt/2021. thanks to the principle of public jhs 52 palembang for granting the researchers permission to collect the data. thanks to the eighth graders for joining and madam masariel for assisting with this research. references adam, a., mahmut, a. k., akram, & thaba, a. (2022). pengembangan materi ajar bahasa indonesia kelas x sma berbasis flipbook maker. fon: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 201 jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 18(1), 104-115. ahonen, a. k., & kinnuenen, p. (2018). how do students value the importance of twenty-first century skills? scandinavian journal of educational research, 59(4), 395-412. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2014.904423 aminullah, a., ikram, i., chandra, f., fitriani, n., wasna, w., misna, m., & elihami, e. (2021). proses pembelajaran selama masa pandemi covid-19 (studi pelaksanaan plp dasar). maspul journal of community empowerment, 3(1), 2126. ardiansyah, v., cahyaningsih, f., & rukiyah, s. (2022). pemanfaatan model pembelajaran oh rats (overview, headings, readanswer, teststudy) sebagai strategi dalam memproduksi teks eksplanasi. jurnal visionary: penelitian dan pengembangan di bidang administrasi pendidikan, 10(1), 45-51. astuti, y., abidin, y., & cahyani, i. (2022). meracik pembelajaran kolaboratif berbantuan padlet untuk. diksa: pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 8(1), 91-102. http://dx.doi.org/10.33369/diksa.v8i1.22660 aswan. (2020). memanfaatkan whatsapp sebagai media dalam. fon: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 16(2), 65-78. doi:https://doi.org/10.25134/fjpbsi.v16i2.3469 azkia, h., & isnanda, r. (2019). pengaruh model pembelajaran discovery learning terhadap keterampilan menulis teks eksplanasi siswa kelas viii. bahastra: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 38(2), 95-98. https://doi.org/10.26555/bahastra.v38i2.8495 indriani, m., andriany, l., deliani, r. s., & safina, n. (2021). pengembangan teks eksplanasi sebagai bahan ajaran melalui pendekatan genre expository dengan media visual di kelas xi sma. sintaks, 1(2), 25-29. kesuma, c. a. (2020). upaya meningkatkan keterampilan menulis teks eksplanasi dan hasil belajar bahasa indonesia dengan metode inkuiri pada siswa kelas xi sma negeri 3 metro. ksatra: jurnal kajian bahasa dan sastra, 159172. marizal, y., & asri, y. (2022). pengembangan modul elektronik berbantuan aplikasi flipping. diglosia, 5(1), 135-152. miftah, m. (2022). optimalisasi pembelajaran menggunakan media berbasis tik. educenter: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 1(3), 266-274. mukhlis, m., piliang, w. s., supriyadi., latif., & hermaliza. (2022). workshop pengembangan soal akm literasi membaca pada mgmp bahasa indonesia sma kabupaten kampar. sajak: jurnal penelitian dan pengabdian: sastra, bahasa dan pendidikan, 1(2), 127-132. muthmainnah. (2021). the students’ needs in developing efl materials ict based. okara: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 5(2), 235-247. https://doi.org/10.19105/ojbs.v15i2.4679 nudiati, d., & sudiapermana, e. (2020). literasi sebagai kecakapan hidup abad 21 pada mahasiswa. indonesia journal of learning education and counseling, 2(1), 34-40. doi:10.31960/ijolec.v2i2.307 nusantara, d. s., zulkardi., putri, r. i. i. (2020). designing pisa-like mathematics problem relating change and relationship using phsyical distancing context. journal mathematic education, 12(2), 349-364. pertiwi, a. d., nurfatimah, s. a., & hasna, s. (2022). menerapkan metode pembelajaran berorientasi student centered menuju masa transisi kurikulum merdeka. jurnal pendidikan tambusai, 6(2), 8839–8848. puspitasari, l. (2021). pengembangan soal literasi berbasis hots sebagai upaya penyiapan soal pengganti un siswa smp semende darat laut [unpublished thesis]. universitas sriwijaya putri, r. i. i., & zulkardi, z. (2020). designing pisalike mathematics task using asian games context. journal on mathematics education, 11(1), 135-144. https://doi.org/10.22342/jme.11.1.9786.135-144 rahmadani, n., dongoron, a. m. t., & harahap, r. (2019). pengembangan bahan ajar teks eksposisi pada siswa kelas x sma. fon: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 15(2), 31-40. rawani, d., putri, r. i. i., & hapizah, h. (2019). pisa-like mathematics problems: using taekwondo context of asian games. journal on mathematics education, 10(2), 277-288. https://doi.org/10.22342/jme.10.2.5243.277-288 saraswati, p. m. s., & agustika, g. n. s. (2020). kemampuan berpikir tingkat tinggi dalam menyelesaikan soal hots mata pelajaran matematika. journal ilmiah sekolah dasar, 4(2), 257-269. sirate, s. f., ramadhana, r. (2017). pengembangan modul pembelajaran berbasis keterampilan literasi. jurnal inspiratif pendidikan , 6(2), 316335. sistyawati, r. i., zulkardi, z., putri, r. i. i., samsuriyadi, s., alwi, z., sepriliani, s. p., tanjung, a. l., pratiwi, r. p., aprilisa, s., nusantara, d. s., meryansumayeka, m., & jayanti, j. (2023). development of pisa types of questions and activities content shape and space context pandemic period. infinity, 12(1), 1-12. sugiman., sumardyono., marfuah., sujadi, i., & as’ari, a. (2016). guru pembelajar modul matematika smp: kelompok kompetensi a (karakteristik siswa smp dan bilangan). direktorat jendral guru dan tenaga kependidikan. sugiyono. (2017). metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif dan r&d. alfabeta. riszky pabela pratiwi, mulyadi eko purnomo, zahra alwi, & zulkardi the development of inquiry-method-based explanatory text with pisa framework for junior high school 202 syofiani. zaim, m. syahrul r. agustina. (2018). peningkatan keterampilan berbahasa siswa melalui pemanfaatan media teka-teki silang: menciptakan kelas yang menyenangkan. jurnal ta’dib, 21(2), 87-98. http://dx.doi.org/10.31958/jt.v21i2.1232 wagirun., & irawan, b. (2019). pengembangan model pembelajaran berbasis proyek dalam menulis eksplanasi di kelas xi sma. syekhnurjati jurnal, 5(1), 74-85. wati, m. l., haryadi., & haryati, n. (2022). penerapan model pembelajaran berbasis masalah dalam pembelajaran menulis teks eksplanasi. geram: gerakan aktif menulis, 10(1), 109-116. wenning, c.j. (2010). assesing inquiry skills as a component of scientific literacy. journal physics technolgy education, 4(2), 21-24. widyana, i. i., harjito., & suwandi. (2019). pengembangan bahan ajar teks eksplanasi dengan. teks: jurnal penelitian bahasa, sastra dan pengajarannya, 4(1), 7-16. wulandari, a., & sari, r. (2021). modul virtual keterampilan membaca berbasis flipbook maker untuk mahasiswa prodi pbsi fkip untidar. indonesian journal of education and learning, 5(1), 53-58. https://10.31002/ijel.v5i1.4545 wulanjani, a. n., & anggraeni, c. w. (2019). meningkatkan minat membaca melalui gerakan literasi membaca bagi siswa sekolah dasar. proceeding of biology education, 3(1), 26-31. https://doi.org/10.21009/pbe.3-1.4. yulisma. (2022). penerapan model pembelajaran inkuiri mata pelajaran bahasa indonesia materi menulis teks eksplanasi. jipti: jurnal inovasi pendidikan dan teknologi informasi, 3(2), 127140. zahra a., zulkardi., & medio. (2023). improving student’s reading literacy during the covid-19 pandemic using the pbl model and according to the pisa context. proceedings of the fifth sriwijaya university learning and education international conference (pp. 201-211). atlantis press. doi:10.2991/978-2-38476-0107 zulkardi, z., nusantara, d. s., & putri, r. i. i. (2021). designing pisa-like task on uncertainty and data using covid-19 context. journal of physics: conference series, 1722(1), 012102. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1722/1/012102 zulkardi., meryansumayeka., putri, r. i. i., alwi, z., nusantara, d. s., ambarita, s. m., maharani, y., & puspitasari, l. (2020). how student work with pisa-like mathematical task using covid19 context. journal mathematics education, 11(3), 405-416. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 109 social conflicts found in the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika and their implementations in literature learning eka putri postgraduate program of indonesian language education teacher faculty and education science, universitas sriwijaya email: ep191443@gmail.com mulyadi eko purnomo postgraduate program of indonesian language education teacher faculty and education science, universitas sriwijaya email: mulyadiekopurnomo@yahoo.com santi oktarina (corresponding author) postgraduate program of indonesian language education teacher faculty and education science, universitas sriwijaya email: santioktarina@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa citation: putri, e., purnomo, m. e., & oktarina, s. (2023). social conflicts found in the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika and their implementations in literature learning. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 109-122. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7594 received: 19-10-2022 accepted: 21-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction spoken literature works, such as legends, belong to national cultural heritage. thus, these legends should be developed and used in the present day and the future. indonesia has various legends, spreading from sabang to merauke. these legends have been orally passed down for generations. in line with this, hilal et al. (2021) explains that indonesia has one of the most popular cultural products, namely folklore. south sumatra is one of the provinces that has diverse folklore and has been recorded as an effort to disseminate oral literary works and appreciate regional literary works. sitepu et al. (2019) revealed that legends taken from myths had specific regional features, such as the places, animals, plants, and histories of the regions. palma & nurwiati (2019) explain that legends are folklores. people of certain communities believe these folklores surely happened. the stories of the folklores are connected to historical figures and extraordinary events. some people also perceive that the historical figures were saints and blessed. kembaren et al. (2020) explain that legends have a historical background as the whole integration of fictive elements. however, legends, with their regional identity features, fade as time goes by. this situation occurs due to technological development that spreads and dominates the world. this factor makes children in this era prefer playing games and watching shows to reading historical books and legends. hasuna & komalasari (2018) explained that oral literature is a cultural heritage that has developed orally from abstract: this research describes the realizations of social conflicts, the function of social conflict, the similarities and differences of dayang merindu and naya sentika legends, and the implications on literature learning. the research applied a descriptive comparative method supported by an objective approach. then, the researchers analyzed the data by collecting, reducing, presenting, and concluding the data. the data sources were the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika. the research data were social conflict realizations and functions of the legends in the form of text excerpts. the results showed differences in the legends. the legend of dayang merindu had three types of conflicts: interpersonal, interest, and inter-social conflicts. the legend of naya sentika had four types of conflicts: interpersonal, interest, inter-group, and international conflicts. the similarities of the legends were the social functions of the conflicts. they were two functions: solidarity and communicative functions. the current research results were applicable for literature learning and further reading sources as the realization of literature appreciation. keywords: conflict; implication; legend; social. mailto:ep191443@gmail.com mailto:santioktarina@fkip.unsri.ac.id eka putri, mulyadi eko purnomo, santi oktarina social conflicts found in the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika and their implementations in literature learning 110 generation to generation, that is, it is spread by word of mouth. oral literature is a reflection of the supporting community and is a cultural heritage that must be maintained and preserved because it contains noble values. in addition, ardesya (2021) said that folklore legends are manifestations of past events which are then packaged in the form of stories that are passed down from generation to generation. furthermore, kurniawan & asman (2019) stated that folklore legends contain various kinds of moral values and local wisdom of the surrounding community which form the order in relation to social life. in line with this opinion, purnomo (2018) argues that legends provide clues in the form of signs of historical facts that are passed down from generation to generation, both orally and in writing. that is, legends are able to provide historical clues from the time of their ancestors to their descendants. legend is a fairy tale related to historical events or natural events mixed with fantasy elements (suwarno, et al., 2018). in line with this opinion, fadhilasari (2019) revealed that oral stories in the form of legends are a form of oral literature whose inheritance has been passed down from generation to generation. in addition, of the many folklore including legends that exist, many folktales have disappeared (anggraeni et al., 2021). legend is one of the local wisdom. fransiska (2021) said that local wisdom towards the community can be one of the capitals for building noble character. with the existence of local wisdom, a national culture has strong roots to build national identity. meanwhile, according to sukiman (2019), local wisdom can be related to the life of the local community or community which establishes a relationship, both the relationship between individuals to other individuals or individuals with community groups and even with creators. furthermore, candrika (2019) conveys that the existence or maintenance of the orality of legends requires documentation through literacy so that the information can still be passed on. in addition, hidayat (2021) again explains that local wisdom, including legends, is formed as a cultural advantage of the local community. the values of local wisdom are values that were inherited from the ancestors of the indonesian nation, which are actually the values that have become the identity of the nation (sukmayadi, 2018). meanwhile, according to alifah et al. (2018) states that folklore or legend is part of the culture of various collectives in the world in general and indonesia in particular. furthermore, pulungan and nasution (2019) state that every literary work, including legends, has a very important meaning for society representing human ideas in the past. most legends focus on social-life conflict problems. social conflicts refer to a social process in two or more parties to eliminate a certain powerless party (nugraha, 2019). sumartono (2019) explains that humans will always encounter social conflict possibility. heretofore, many social life conflicts occur within human civilization. social conflict describes disputes, disagreements, and contradictions as the results of differences in a social life setting. these differences include different individual and group attitudes. maghfiroh & zamawi (2021) explain that social conflict is negatively connoted to instability, inconvenience, disharmony, and fatalities in a community. however, excellent conflict management by all community elements will positively influence the community. revealing social conflict in legends requires a theory to classify the social conflict. in this research, the researchers used the framework of setiadi & kolip. the framework consists of 1) gender conflict, 2) racial and inter-tribal rooted conflict, 3) inter-believer conflicts, 4) intercommunity conflicts, 5) conflicts of interest, 6) interpersonal conflict, 7) inter-social class conflict, and 8) international or national conflict. the applied theory to analyze the function of social conflict, that 1) conflict strengthens the inter-community solidarity, 2) inter-community conflict establishes solidarity among the groups to realize an alliance among the groups, 3) conflict makes the isolated community members actively take roles, and 4) conflict is useful for communicating. conflict is a phenomenon that cannot be separated from life. between individuals and groups, of course, there will be differences, contradictions, and disputes (putri, 2018). in fact, society can form a social organization which is a group of people whose members feel one with each other (hutabarat et al., 2019). social conflict is interesting to study for some reasons. firstly, many people perceive social conflict as a trivial matter although social conflict can influence negatively the conflicting communities. secondly, the researchers aim to establish social conflict perception. besides bringing negative effects, coser explains that social conflicts establish solidarity and communication within conflicting communities. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 111 thirdly, the researchers aim to reveal the social conflicts in the legends of dayang merindu and naya santika. the researchers were curious to reveal the social conflicts in the legends, especially the comparisons of the legends’ conflicts that bind the people. the social conflict comparisons of dayang merindu and naya sentika legend were important to reveal. the underlying reasons for efforts to reveal were to find the similarity and differences of the legends' social conflict; to find the similarities within each legend's conflict in terms of the roots of the conflict in creating social function within a community, and to broaden the researchers and readers' insights about social conflict as a doubleedged phenomenon. social conflict may bring both negative effects and functional uses for a community. these reasons motivated the researchers to research social conflicts in the legends, dayang merindu and naya sentika.the researchers selected the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika because they met the research criteria. firstly, both legends have historical elements that provide a useful lesson for readers. secondly, both legends are full of social conflicts and conflict resolutions based on the ancient era context. when the researchers found those matters, the researchers were motivated to research the legends from a social perspective, specifically the social conflict matters. the method to identify the social conflict was the objective approach. the objective approach is one of the literature approaches that emphasize the observed literature work. explains that an objective approach limits the literature text review process. the approach perceives a literature work as an autonomous and separated realm from the reality, the author, and the reader. this approach is useful to review literature work without observing the external elements. thus, the researchers could concentrate to judge a literature work without looking at the author's background (emzir et al., 2018). the researchers expected this research to have further implications for jhs and shs levels. for junior high schools, the implications of current research results were observable from the fourth grade, and second semester, within the guideline of the 2013 curriculum. the research results could be applied to the basic competency 3.11, identifying the information about local fables or legends that can be read and listened to; and basic competency 4.11 about retelling the content of local fables and legends (the ministerial regulation of education and culture minister, number 37, the year 2018). then, at the senior high school levels, the research result implications could be found in the xi grade, first semester, 2013 curriculum. the current research results were applicable for basic competence 3.11, analyzing a message from a read fiction book (the ministerial regulation of education and culture minister, number 37, the year 2018). in this case, the learners could use the legends as learning materials. palma & nurmiwati (2019) from the muhammadiyah university of mataram conducted research that has relevance to this research, with the title "analysis of values and social conflict in the legend of lalu dia and lala jines in the writings of h. muchsi hamim". this study aims to describe the values and social conflicts in the legendary book lalu dia and lalu jines by h. muchsi hamim. this research is studied with semiotic theory and social conflict theory. the data collection method used in this research is descriptive qualitative method. however, there are differences between the research conducted by palma and nurmiwati and the research conducted by the researchers. palma and nurmiwati studied the legendary book lalu dia and lala jines written by h. muchsi hamim, while this research used the object of study in the form of the legend of dayang merindu and the legend of naya sentika. in addition, in this study the researchers also examined the implications of research on learning literature. the previous research was conducted by gloriani (2021) with the title "socio-cultural phenomena and reality and values in cirebon folklore". this research examines the object of study of cirebon folklore which consists of eight legends, namely the legend of the sunyaragi cave door, the legend of the origin of jamblang, the origin of the kalijaga monkey, the white crocodile watching the cisanggarung river, the origins of kuya/belawa turtle, the story of the sheikh magelung sakti and nyimas gandasari, ki gede bungko and demon buntung crocodile. the legends are analyzed based on the study of the sociology of literature which includes the phenomena, reality, and values contained in the legends. thus, there were differences in the results of these studies. furthermore, research conducted by hasibuan (2020) entitled "analysis of the legend of the sinakko ghost through a literary sociological approach". this study aims to determine the results of the analysis of the legend of the sinakko ghost in literary sociology. this research is a qualitative research with a sample report on the results of research on the legend of sinakko ghost eka putri, mulyadi eko purnomo, santi oktarina social conflicts found in the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika and their implementations in literature learning 112 with a sociology of literature approach. then, research conducted by hasibuan (2020) with the title "analysis of the mandailing sampuraga folklore: a study of the objective approach and the value of character education". this study aims to analyze the values of character education in the sampuraga folklore that developed in the mandailing natal community. this research uses descriptive analytical method and objective approach. the results of his research found that the principles of an objective approach in the process of implementing the elements that make up the literature, including: plot, setting, characterization, style of language, and point of view. then, there are four values of character education in the folklore of sampuraga and nasondang ngilong-ilong, namely the values of religious character education, compassion, hard work, and honesty. next, research conducted by ardias et al. (2019) entitled "social conflict in the novel because i'm not blind by rendy kuswanto". this study examines the object of research in the form of the novel because i'm not buta by rendy kuswanto, using a descriptive method supported by ian watt's sociological theory of literature. from the results of his research, an analysis was obtained in the form of social conflicts, factors causing social conflict, and ways to resolve conflicts in the novel because i'm not blind by rendy kuswanto. based on several previous studies, there are several differences in this research. these differences can be seen from several aspects, namely the object of research study, research approach, research methods, and the theory used to find research results, so that different conclusions are also found. the discussed matters in this research were the realizations of social conflicts and the functions of the social conflicts based on the legends; the similarities and differences of the social conflict realizations and functions based on the legends; and the implications of the research results in literature lesson. this research describes the realizations of social conflicts, the function of social conflict, the similarities and differences of dayang merindu and naya sentika legends, and the implications on literature learning. method the research applied a descriptive comparative method supported by an objective approach. the data sources were the book of dayang merindu, written by yudhu syarofie; and the book of naya sentika legend, written by umi faridah. the data forms included the excerpts of the texts found in the legends. then, the researchers analyzed the data based on miles & huberman’s model (cited in rijali, 2018). the research procedures included these stages: 1) collecting the initial data based on the reviewed objects, the legends of dyang merindu and naya sentika; 2) reducing the collected data to create summarized data, select the data, and group the data based on the applied theories; 3) presenting the related data about composing the obtained information to conclude. the data display in this research included the text excerpts of the legends. this stage combines the arranged information in an integrated manner in facilitating the researchers to pay attention to the findings. then, the last step was concluding. results and discussion the analysis of social conflict realizations in dayang merindu legend dayang merindu legend is from palembang, south sumatera. the legend tells the story of a lady named dayang merindu. she was the idol of men because of her beauty. one day, the sunan of palembang heard the news. then, he planned to introduce his sons to dayang merindu. the conflict broke out because these two brothers were competing to propose dayang merindu. this event becomes the initial point of various conflicts in the legend. based on the analysis results, the researchers found these findings. table 1. the social conflict in dayang merindu legend no the social conflict realization the conflicting parties numbers of the data 1 conflict of interests pate tanjung eran against pate talang temedak 2 2 interperson al conflict 1. tambah (ario carang) against layang kasini 2. tambah (ario carang) against pate tanjung eran 3. ario carang against sunan palembang 4. the sons of sunan pelembang (the first and the second princes) 5. ario carang against sunan palembang 21 3 intersunan palembang 11 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 113 social class conflict against ario carang conflict of interests the researchers found a conflict of interest between two parties that had different interests. the conflict occurred because one of the parties wanted to take the domination and authority of a community. on the other hand, the community attempted to keep and develop its domination and authority. the researchers found an excerpt indicating the conflict of interest in the legend of dayang merindu. here is the excerpt. “everything is clear now. his father, pate talang temedak, was a respected man in his village. the conflict of pate tanjung eran led to a war between those two villages. in the last battle, pate tanjung successfully defeated pate talang temedak. as the winner, pate tanjung ripped the victory of pate talang temedak, including his wife, layang kasini (syarofie, 2009, p.58) (the translated version by the researchers). from the statement, readers can notice the conflict between pate tanjung and pate talang temedak. the indicated excerpts of the conflicts are “the conflict of pate tanjugn eran led to a war between those two villages;" and “pate tanjung eran successfully defeated pate talang temedak. as the victory, pate tanjung eran ripped the victory of pate talang temedak, including his wife, layang kasini.” the excerpts were the origins of the interest conflict. from the excerpt, pate tanjung eran had interested to take over the victory of pate talang temeda, including his wife. conflict of interest also has some specific features. these features show two conflicting groups with different interests. the conflict occurred because one of the parties wanted to take the domination and authority of a community. on the other hand, the community attempted to keep and develop its domination and authority. then, an imbalance action occurs due to the efforts of each party to keep their positions and domination. from the explanations and the evidence, the excerpts met the features of conflict of interest. interpersonal conflict interpersonal conflict refers to social conflict among individuals. this conflict occurs due to differences, contradictions, and clashes among individuals. these data show the interpersonal conflicts found in dayang merindu legend. “after dayang merindu washed her hair, the rejung (the show) was resumed (milir). the party was so cheerful to welcome the arrival of the tanjung ringgit sovereign's princess. sunan palembang and all guesses at the party were so amazed by the beauty of the princess. this beauty also became the origin of the princes' conflicts. sunan palembang attempted to propose dayang merindu for one of his sons. however, the other son could not accept it (syarofie, 2009, p.68—69) (the translated version by the researchers). the beauty of dayang merindu triggered the interpersonal conflicts of two siblings, the sons of sunan palembang. both of them wanted to marry dayang merindu. the conflict soon turned into a disaster. from the excerpt, the conflicting parties, the siblings are observable from this chunk “this beauty also became the origin of the princes’ conflicts. sunan palembang attempted to propose dayang merindu for one of his sons. however, the other son could not accept it. he wanted to marry her.” both siblings wanted to marry dayang merindu. finally, a conflict occurred since they persisted to marry her. interpersonal conflict also has some features: two conflicting parties in an opposite action; and the clashes between the conflicting parties. every individual in the legend persisted with his intention. from the explanations and the evidence, the excerpts met the features of interpersonal conflict. inter-social class conflict inter-social class conflict is a vertical conflict, between the higher and lower classes of a community. the researchers found an excerpt indicating the conflict in the legend of dayang merindu. here is the excerpt. “warrior, go to the upstream! find the owner of this hair. i will make her my daughter-inlaw. you tell her parents to give the girl for palembang as the duty of this country citizen,” the sunan said (syarofie, 2009, p.64) (the translated version by the researchers) the sunan thought so because he believed that the citizens of the country had to grant his demands as the realizations of their compliances. thus, he wanted to make the girl his daughter-in-law. for the sunan, the girl was merely a present (syarofie, 2009, p.64—65) (the translated version by the researcher). eka putri, mulyadi eko purnomo, santi oktarina social conflicts found in the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika and their implementations in literature learning 114 the excerpt indicates the authority misuse by the sunan. the evidence is found in this chunk: “you tell her parents to give the girl for palembang as the duty of this country citizen;” and “the sunan thought so because he believed that the citizens of the country had to grant his demands as the realizations of their compliances. thus, he wanted to make the girl his daughter-inlaw.” the girl in the excerpt is dayang merindu, the daughter of ario carang. this plot shows the social class differences between sunan palembang, a high-social class with powerful domination; and a commoner, ario carang. the intention of sunan palembang indicates a compulsion against ario carang. thus, a conflict occurs. the evidence meets the features of intersocial class conflict with vertical nature. this conflict occurs between the high-social ranked party against the lower-social ranked party. the indications were observable from coercive interactions by suppressing and intimidating the lower or powerless parties. these interactions were merely to gain personal benefits or profits. the function of social conflict realizations in dayang merindu legend the legend of dayang merindu had many conflicts due to the intention of sunan palembang to make dayang merindu his daughter-in-law. however, sunan palembang did the action uncivilizedly ario carang declined his proposal. thus, a clash among ario carang and sunan palembang’s followers began. ario carang fought for his dignity. this conflict made the villages of tanjung ringgit to help ario carang fighting against sunan palembang. from this analysis, the conflict provided solidarity and communicative functions for ario carang and other villagers. the solidarity function the conflict strengthened the collective solidarity of the people. solidarity refers to a sense of experiencing the same thing among people in a certain group or community. solidarity makes the people trust, respect, and motivated each other. they can also share responsibility and are aware of anything together. conflict makes a group of people strong and united. here is the excerpt describing the function of solidarity. he gathered his servants and the youngsters of the village. there was no other choice but to fight against this arrogance. ario carang and his followers dug the ground around the village. he made ditches around the village that led to a river (syarofie, 2009, p.65) (translated version by the researchers). the excerpt shows the people's cooperation to solve the conflict. this cooperation established strong solidarity. the evidence is observable in this chunk: “he gathered his servants and the youngsters of the village.” the chunk indicated that ario carang established a solidarity feature to fight against the envoy of sunan palembang. the cooperation is visible in this chunk: “ario carang and his followers dug the ground around the village. he made ditches around the village that led to a river.” communicative function before the conflict, the people gathered and planned what they would do. they discussed the plan to defeat the opponent and keep the peace. the researchers found the excerpt indicating the communication among the people from this excerpt. once the ditches were ready, ario carang and his followers remained alert along the ditches. the warriors and the guards of sunan palembang were shocked once they arrived in tanjung ringgit. he did not expect that any pencalang (ship) passing the river and the ditches would be attacked by the villagers. it was very difficult for him and his followers to go inside the village (syarofie, 2009, p.66). the excerpt shows excellent communication between ario carang and the villagers. the researchers found the evidence in this chunk: “ario carang and his followers remained alert along the ditches.” ario carang and the villagers planned and communicated to intercept the warrior and the envoy from the village, tanjung ringgit. from the excerpt, the existing conflict has a communicative function. before the conflict, the people gathered and planned what they would do. they discussed the plan to defeat the opponent and keep the peace. the analysis of social conflict realizations in naya sentika legend this legend originated from blora, central java. the legend tells about a woman named naya sentika. at that time, she fought against the dutch colonization of her motherland. her battle and fight began when prince diponegoro passed away during a battle. since the charismatic leader, diponegoro, passed away, naya sentika was eager to keep his fight against the dutch. this english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 115 event becomes the initial point of various conflicts in the legend. based on the analysis results, the researchers found these findings. table 2. the social conflict in naya sentika legend no. the social conflict realization the conflicting parties numbers of the data 1 interpersonal conflict 1. naya sentika against budi and gluntang. 2. beja against budi and gluntang 3. tomiyah against budi and gluntang 6 2 conflict of interests naya sentika and her army against raden mas tumenggung cakranegara and the army. 3 3 intercommunity conflict naya sentika and her army of indonesia’s freedom against the leaders and chiefs that supported the dutch colonization. 9 4 international and national conflict indonesian against the dutch. 9 interpersonal conflict interpersonal conflict refers to social conflict among individuals. this conflict occurs due to differences, contradictions, and clashes among individuals. the researchers found an excerpt indicating the interpersonal conflict in the legend of naya sentika. here is the excerpt. when sentika went to mediate, tomiyah’s brothers named budi and gluntang were so happy. they had bad natures. they were arrogant and only thought about themselves. at that time, they also had a hidden and bad plan. they thought that when sentika went to mediate, they could take all of the fortunes from their older sister-in-law. on the other hand, for days and months, naya sentika meditated while waiting for an opportunity. she had to do this as mandated by ki moro. he said that sentika had to be patient, waiting until the barrel turned up as an indication to start the fight. (farida, 2016, p.20) (translated version by the researchers) the excerpt shows the interpersonal conflict between naya sentika, budi, and gulantang. in this legend, budi and gulantang were the brothers-in-law of naya sentika. both of them had bad manners and disliked naya sentika. the researchers found the evidence in this chunk: “when sentika went to mediate, tomiyah’s brothers named budi and gluntang were so happy. they had bad natures. they were arrogant and only thought about themselves. at that time, they also had a hidden and bad plan. they thought that when sentika went to mediate, they could take all of the fortunes from their older sister-in-law.” the chunk shows a conflict among naya sentika against budi and gluntang. interpersonal conflict also has some features: two conflicting parties in an opposite action; and the clashes between the conflicting parties. every individual in the legend persisted with his intention. from the explanations and the evidence, the excerpts met the features of interpersonal conflict. conflict of interests the researchers found a conflict of interest between two parties that had different interests. the conflict occurred because one of the parties wanted to take the domination and authority of a community. on the other hand, the community attempted to keep and develop its domination and authority. the researchers found an excerpt indicating the conflict of interest in the legend of naya sentika. here is the excerpt. raden mas tumenggung cakranegara felt threatened with the fame and the power of naya gimbal's army. he was afraid that blora’s citizens would be united and fight the colonization. for him, the people's fight was the same as an effort to go against his domination since he obtained it by supporting the colonists. he wanted to keep his position so he sacrificed the freedom of his motherland. he marched his army to eliminate those fighting him and his domination and the colonization. after finding out the report that naya gimbal had taken over most of blora’s region, the regent sent the army led by ki demang waru to eliminate the movement led by naya gimbal. he was so frustrated that he summoned ki demang waru to prepare the army. before leaving, he said to ki demang waru, “ki demang waru, i ordered you to seize the rebellion of naya gimbal. you must eliminate every one of them at once." (farida, 2016, p.35) (the translated version by the researchers) conflict of interests in the excerpt occurs due to the different interests of raden mas tumenggung cakranegara from naya sentika. in eka putri, mulyadi eko purnomo, santi oktarina social conflicts found in the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika and their implementations in literature learning 116 the excerpt, the remark of naya gimbal refers to naya sentika. raden mas tumenggung cakranegara found out the action of naya sentika to go against the colonization as a threat. he thought that the action could hinder his power, position, and domination as a regent although he received his position as a reward from the dutch colonization. thus, he found the fight of naya sentika a threat so he attempted to halt naya sentika. the researchers found the evidence in this chunk: “ki demang waru, i ordered you to seize the rebellion of naya gimbal. you must eliminate every one of them at once.” the excerpt shows raden mas tumenggung carkanegara and naya sentika and her army had different interests.conflict of interest also has some specific features. these features show two conflicting groups with different interests. the conflict occurred because one of the parties wanted to take the domination and authority of a community. on the other hand, the community attempted to keep and develop its domination and authority. then, an imbalance action occurs due to the efforts of each party to keep their positions and domination. from the explanations and the evidence, the excerpts met the features of conflict of interest. inter-community conflict the researchers found that a certain party insisted on its interest in other parties. the insisting party expected the intimidated party to do and realize the dominating party's interest. the researchers found an excerpt indicating the inter-community conflict in the legend of naya sentika. here is the excerpt. naya gimbal's army ever dropped by in a village for a long period. they moved from one village to another village. during the journey, naya gimbal had more and more followers. their movement also made the scouting troops have difficulties in tracking their movements. in every village, naya gimbal took down the leaders and sub-village leaders who supported the colonization. (faridah, 2016, p.43) (the translated version by the researchers) the excerpt of “in every village, naya gimbal took down the leaders and sub-village leaders who supported the colonization” shows two parties with different interests and perceptions. naya sentika and her army fought for the freedom of indonesia. they also attempted to free the people from the dutch colonization. on the other hand, the leaders that supported the dutch obtained the official ranks from the colony. thus, they betrayed the native people and supported the dutch colonization. these different communities led to inter-community conflict. the featured indications of this conflict include a coercive attempt of a party to insist on its interest to other parties. the insisting party expects the other party to realize the interest. thus, many clashes occur due to these efforts from the conflicting communities. from the explanations and the evidence, the excerpts met the features of intercommunity conflict. international and national conflict this conflict usually involves two conflicting countries with different objectives and insisting efforts on other countries. a long time ago, this conflict source was mostly due to the expansion of superpower countries toward poor countries. once the superpower countries dominated the regions of the poor countries, they began to exploit the resources and took the resources to strengthen the superpower country. the researchers found an excerpt indicating the international and national conflict in the legend of naya sentika. here is the excerpt. naya sentika introduced and explained her notions to fight based on her previous experience. she also wanted to keep her fight go on. at that mommnet, ki lurah toinah had the same argument with naya sentika. he wanted the people to go against the colony and to be free from colonization. ki lurah toinah said, “i agree with you, sentika. the colony must be eliminated from the motherland. they made our people suffer." (faridah, 2016, p.8) (the translated version by the researchers). "they take anything they want and let the people starve. we have worked a lot and then they just take it from us. they have humiliated our motherland. the poor people also suffer from hunger and poverty," said ki toinah angrily. he could not stand the colonization anymore upon the suffering of his people. (farida, 2016, p.10) (the translated version by the researchers). in this legend, the dutch colonized and occupied indonesia. this action made the indonesian people go against the dutch. one of them was initiated by naya sentika. the excerpts show the international and national conflicts between the indonesian people and the dutch. the researchers found the evidence in this chunk: “ki lurah toinah had the same argument with english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 117 naya sentika. he wanted the people to go against the colony and to be free from the colonization.” this chunk indicates the struggles of the indonesian people to go against the colonization. the finding is supported by the chunk: “i agree with you, sentika. the colony must be eliminated from the motherland. they made our people suffer." the other supportive evidence is “they take anything they want and let the people starve." these chunks explain the international and national conflicts of the legend. from the findings and the analysis, the excerpts met the features of international and national conflict because of the objective differences between the countries or the nations. the occupying country insists on its interest in the occupied or colonized country. a long time ago, this conflict source was mostly due to the expansion of superpower countries toward poor countries. once the superpower countries dominated the regions of the poor countries, they began to exploit the resources and took the resources to strengthen the superpower country. the expansion led to clashes of the countries to realize the objective, take roles, and apply the believed norms and values. the functions of social conflict realizations in naya sentika legend naya sentika legend contains various conflicts, starting from the death of prince diponegoro on the battlefield that makes naya sentika want to continue the fight; and the clashes of indonesian people with the dutch colonization. naya sentika decided to repel the dutch colony from the motherland. she prepared, planned, and devised the strategy to fight along with other warriors in eliminating the colony. this conflict made the people cooperate to devise a strategy of defeating the colony. the operation at that time was led by naya sentika this conflict provides solidarity and communicative functions. the solidarity function the conflict strengthened the collective solidarity of the people. solidarity refers to a sense of experiencing the same matters and being loyal. solidarity is also the implementation of the group members' trust so that they share the same responsibilities and watch each other. the legend of naya sentika also shows how the people were willing to fight against the dutch. they helped each other and fought along naya sentika to eliminate the colonization from the motherland. here is the excerpt indicating group solidarity. “correct, sir! we, people, must fight together,” naya santika asserted. she was very happy to gain the full support of ki lurah toinah. she became confident to continue the struggles in fighting the colonization. “go, gather the battle force,” said ki toinah. he supported naya sentika to go against the colonization. "all right, sri. anyway, we must think about the plan carefully to succeed. currently, i am feeling not ready to initiate the rebellion because we have limited forces and war equipment. you know we need longer time to think, more effort to plan, and a lot of budgets. we must carefully arrange the plant to succeed. "all right, sir. thanks to back me up. i am sure we can successfully launch this strike if we are united and seriously take it." "for now, let me ask you, ki toinah, to gather the volunteer warriors to fight the colony. i will train them to use a weapon, including training their physics and inner powers. these are important to make physically strong warriors because our fights will need these. thus, when we strike, our forces are stronger and ready to take them down." (farida, 2016, p.10—11) (the translated version by the researchers) the excerpt shows the conflict establishes the solidarity of a community. the data analysis shows how ki lurah toinah fully supports naya sentika to continue fighting the dutch colonization. he is also willing to gather army forces to support naya sentika’s fight. the evidence of solidarity function is observable in this excerpt: “go, gather the battle force,” said ki toinah. he supported naya sentika to go against the colonization.” the statement describes the high solidarity of ki lurah toinah. the other evidence is “for now, let me ask you, ki toinah, to gather the volunteer warriors to fight the colony. i will train them to use weapons, including to train their physics and inner powers." this chunk elaborates the intercommunity solidarity because they sensed the same fates and fights. communicative function the communicative function of the conflict occurred when the figures arranged the plan. the evidence was the actions of the community groups when they gathered and devised the strategy to do. they discussed the plan to defeat the opponent and keep the peace. here are the excerpts showing the communicative functions found in naya sentika legend. ki moro, in her dream, said “sentika, before you continue your fights, find a quiet place and eka putri, mulyadi eko purnomo, santi oktarina social conflicts found in the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika and their implementations in literature learning 118 meditate there. do it alone without inviting anyone!” “why must i meditate, sir?” asked naya sentika curiously. "you must meditate on the top of gempol hill to realize the time of starting your strike,” ki moro explained assertively. “why must i wait again? the people have been waiting to strike. they are suffering day by day. why should they wait?" ask naya sentika. (farida, 2016, p.15) (the translated version by the researchers) the excerpts show how naya sentika met ki moro in her dream. the excerpts also show the beginning of arranging the plan between naya sentika and ki moro to launch her strike. the interactions of naya sentika and ki moro established communication of devising the plan and strategy before launching the strike. the evidence of the communicative function is in the chunk of “sentika, before you continue your fights, find a quiet place and meditate there. do it alone without inviting anyone!” “why must i meditate before launching our strikes, sir?” "you must meditate on the top of gempol hill to realize the time of starting your strike,” the conversation is a communication of devising the striking fight by naya sentika. the comparisons of social conflict realizations in the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika the similarities of both legends are about the figures’ fights to defend their rights. the differences deal with the themes of the legends. the legend of dayang merindu has a female-fight theme from the figure of dayang merindu and her family. the fight is realized when they decline the interest of sunan palembang who wants to make dayang merindu his daughter-in-law. on the other hand, the legend of naya sentika tells about the youngster’s fight, naya sentika, to fight against the dutch colonization.social conflicts occur in different regions. thus, the social conflict problems are different. legend is urban prose about an event or an incident with local region backgrounds. the legend from south sumatera is full of the life of the south sumatera people. the same concept also applies to legends in central java. the legends are full of central javanese people's life. here are the comparisons of the analyzed social conflicts of both legends. table 3. the comparisons of social conflict realizations in the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika no. the social conflict realization the reviews about dayang merindu legend the reviews about naya sentika legend 1 interpersonal conflict the researchers found that interpersonal conflict realized into clashes among individuals. here are the conflicting individuals. 1. tambah (ario carang) against layang kasini 2. tambah (ario carang) against pate tanjung eran 3. ario carang against sunan palembang 4. the sons of sunan pelembang (the first and the second princes) 5. ario carang against sunan palembang the interpersonal conflicts in these legends were realized in the clashes among the individual figures. here are the conflicting individuals. 1. naya sentika against budi and gluntang. 2. beja against budi and gluntang 3. tomiyah against budi and gluntang 2 conflict of interests the researchers found the conflict of interests in the form of plundering the dominations of other parties that attempted to defend themselves. the analysis results showed a conflict of interests occurred between pate tanjung eran and his followers against pate talang temedak and his followers. the other conflict was a clash due to different collective objectives and interests from different communities or groups. the analysis result showed the conflict of interest between naya santika and her army that wanted to protect and defend the national freedom from colonization. on the other hand, raden mas tumenggung cakranegara and his army had a different interest in the side of the colonist. he did so because he received the position by supporting the dutch colonization. 3 inter-social class conflict the researchers found this conflict with the vertical and hierarchical matter, between the higher-social rank against the lower-social rank people. the analysis results showed the conflicting parties were sunan palembang from the high-social rank against ario carang from the lower-social rank. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 119 5 intercommunity conflict the researchers found this conflict and the source of conflict. the researchers found that a certain party insisted on its interest in other parties. the insisting party expected the intimidated party to do and realize the dominating party's interest. in these legends, the researchers found the parties were naya sentika and the leaders and chiefs of the villages. the leaders of the villages attempted to halt naya sentika’s fight to go against the colonization. on the other hand, naya sentika and her army declined it. 6 international and national conflict in this legend, the conflict occurs between the indonesian people (the colonized or occupied nation) against the dutch, the colony. this matter made the indonesian people go against the dutch. the table shows the differences in the social conflict realizations found in the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika. the researchers found the differences in the realizations of social conflicts. the analysis results of dayang merindu showed three social conflicts, such as interpersonal conflict, conflict of interests, and inter-social class conflict. on the other hand, the legend of naya sentika had four types of conflicts: interpersonal, interest, intergroup, and international conflicts. the researchers found similarities within the differences in the legend backgrounds. the similarities included the social conflict functions to establish solidarity and communication. these functions reflect the conflict differences in the legends to realize some functions of the conflicting parties. the researchers also found similarities in the legends' conflicts of interest due to the causes of the conflicts. the similarities involved a party that wanted to take over the existing domination while the other party struggled to keep the domination. the realizations of social conflict realizations in dayang merindu legend the researchers found the social conflict realizations and functions of dayang merindu legend. in this research, the researchers used the framework of setiadi & kolip. the framework consists of 1) gender conflict, 2) racial and intertribal rooted conflict, 3) inter-believer conflicts, 4) inter-community conflicts, 5) conflicts of interest, 6) interpersonal conflict, 7) inter-social class conflict, and 8) international or national conflict. however, the researchers found the legend of dayang merindu had three social conflicts, dominated by a conflict of interest, interpersonal conflict, and inter-social class conflict. the realizations of the conflicts occurred due to individual, domination, and inter-social class conflicts in a community. the source of the conflict was the clash to defend the domination between pate tanjung eran and pate tanjung temedak. the other source was the effort of sunan palembang to make dayane merindu his daughter-in-law in an uncivilized manner. the applied theory to analyze the function of social conflict refers to lewis coser, cited by setiadi & kolip. the theory explains that 1) conflict strengthens the inter-community solidarity, 2) inter-community conflict establishes solidarity among the groups to realize an alliance among the groups, 3) conflict makes the isolated community members to actively take roles, and 4) conflict is useful to communicate. however, in dayang merindu legend, the researchers found two social conflict functions: solidarity and communicative functions. the analysis results showed that the proposed theories by setiadi & kolip and lewis coser could analyze the social conflict realizations and functions in the legends. this research also supported the previous studies that found social conflict impacted negatively and positively. in this research, the researchers found the negative impacts, such as destruction, clashes, and fights among the conflicting parties. on the other hand, the positive impacts were solidarity and communicative functions. the realizations and functions of social conflicts in naya sentika legend the researchers found the social conflict realizations and functions of nayang sentika legend. in this research, the researchers used the framework of setiadi & kolip. the framework consists of 1) gender conflict, 2) racial and intertribal rooted conflict, 3) inter-believer conflicts, 4) inter-community conflicts, 5) conflicts of interest, 6) interpersonal conflict, 7) inter-social class conflict, and 8) international or national conflict. however, the researchers found the legend of naya sentika had four social conflicts, dominated by the conflict of interest, interpersonal conflict, inter-community conflict, and international and eka putri, mulyadi eko purnomo, santi oktarina social conflicts found in the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika and their implementations in literature learning 120 national conflict. the source of the conflict was the effort of naya sentika and the indonesian people, especially the javanese people, to go against the dutch colonization. the primary source of the conflict was the occupation of the dutch colony that wanted the resources and the domination of indonesia. therefore, naya sentika and all indonesian people rebelled and fought to defend their freedom. the colonization of the dutch was haphazardly and uncivilized and colonized the indonesian people. these matters made naya sentika and the indonesian people wanted to repel the colonization of the motherland.the applied theory to analyze the function of social conflict refers to lewis coser, cited by setiadi & kolip. the theory explains that 1) conflict strengthens the inter-community solidarity, 2) inter-community conflict establishes solidarity among the groups to realize an alliance among the groups, 3) conflict makes the isolated community members to actively take roles, and 4) conflict is useful to communicate. however, in naya sentika legend, the researchers found two social conflict functions: solidarity and communicative functions. the analysis results showed that the proposed theories by setiadi & kolip lewis coser could analyze the social conflict realizations and functions in the legends. this research also supported the previous studies that found social conflict impacted negatively and positively. in this research, the researchers found the negative impacts, such as destruction, clashes, and fights among the conflicting parties. on the other hand, the positive impacts were solidarity and communicative functions. the implications of the research results for literature learning literature becomes material for the indonesian language to learn at schools. the 2013 curriculum demands the learners to understand, appreciate, respond, analyze, and create literary works. literature learning involves the learners reviewing the values of personality, culture, society, and aesthetics. the current research results showed the descriptions of the social conflicts of the legends so that readers can take the social and cultural values. thus, the research results may have implications for school literature studies, especially at jhs and shs levels. for junior high schools, the implications of current research results were observable from the fourth grade, and second semester, within the guideline of the 2013 curriculum. the research results could be applied to the basic competency 3.11, identifying the information about local fables or legends that can be read and listened to; and basic competency 4.11 about retelling the content of local fables and legends (the ministerial regulation of education and culture minister, number 37, the year 2018). then, at the senior high school levels, the research result implications could be found in the xi grade, first semester, 2013 curriculum. the current research results were applicable for basic competence 3.11, analyzing a message from a read fiction book (the ministerial regulation of education and culture minister, number 37, the year 2018). in this case, the teachers could use the legends as learning materials for the learners. indonesian language teachers can present these legends via powerpoint as the learning media. then, the teachers could group the learners to discuss various information they could obtain from the legends based on the chosen basic competence. thus, the learners could be actively involved in the learning process. conclusion from the research results and discussions about the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika, the researchers concluded these legends had many social conflicts. secondly, the legends had various social conflict realizations and functions encountered by the story figures. the legend of dayang merindu had three types of conflicts: interpersonal, interest, and inter-social conflicts. on the other hand, the legend of naya sentika had four types of conflicts: interpersonal, interest, inter-group, and international conflicts. then, the social conflicts found in the legends had two functions: solidarity and communicative functions.the research results had implications for school literature study, especially at jhs and shs levels. the researchers found three basic competences that could apply these research results as the references for both teachers and learners. the research results could answer the social conflict realizations found in the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika.the research results showed the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika, about social conflict, could be further research references. the researchers applied social conflict theories including the conflict realizations by setiady & kollip and social conflict functions by lewis coser. the researchers suggested future researchers review and analyze literary works or texts to find out the social conflicts. the researchers recommend future researchers use different theories by english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 121 different experts. for researchers who want to investigate these legends, dayang merindu and naya sentika, current researchers suggest analyzing other aspects of social conflicts. these research results are also useful to be appreciative and inspiring reading texts for learners and students. thus, they could preserve the spoken li acknowledgment thanks to prof. dr. mulyadi eko purnomo, m.pd and dr. santi oktarina, m.pd. thanks to guide the researcher from the beginning until the ending process of this article writing. thanks to all parties for facilitating the writing process of this research article. references alifah, d. r., doyin m., & sumartini. (2018). sikap masyarakat dusun blorong terhadap mitos dalam cerita rakyat asal mula dusun blorong desa kaligading kecamatan boja kabupaten kendal. jsi, 7(1), 55—61. anggraeni, a., suntoko, & pratiwi, w. d. (2021). analisis nilai sosial dalam babad limbangan “kisah masa prabu siliwangi” di kabupaten garut dan relevansinya sebagai materi ajar di smk: kajian sosiologi sastra. jurnal pendidikan tambusai, 5(2), 4857—4861. ardesya, f. d. (2021). nilai kearifan lokal dalam cerita tambah ajang, cerita rakyat masyarakat enim. seminar nasional. universitas pgri palembang. ardias, y. a., sumartini., & mulyono. (2019). konflik sosial dalam novel karena aku tak buta karya rendy kuswanto. jurnal sastra indonesia, 8(1), 47—56. candrika, l. y. (2019). tantangan budaya literasi di era digitalisasi: peranan dongeng lokal dalam memperkaya literasi nasional. seminar nasional dharma acarya ke-1. universitas udayana. emzir., & rohman. (2018). tentang sastra (orkestrasi teori dan pembelajarannya). garudhawaca. fadhilasari, i. (2019). legenda kolam petirtaan di kabupaten mojokerto: kajian sosiologi sastra lisan. suluk: jurnal bahasa, sastra, dan budaya, 1(1), 19—30. fransiska, w. (2021). kajian nilai dan makna kearifan lokal reog ponorogo dan relevansinya terhadap pembentukan karakter bangsa. pensa: jurnal pendidikan dan ilmu sosial, 3(3), 371—377. gloriani, y. (2021). fenomena dan realitas sosial budaya serta nilai-nilai pada cerita rakyat cirebon. jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 17(2), 234—246. hasibuan, m. i. s. (2020). analisis legenda hantu sinakko melalui pendekatan sosiologi sastra. seminar nasional pbsi-iii. program pascasarjana, universitas negeri medan. hasibuan, n. s. (2020). analisis cerita rakyat mandailing “sampuraga”: suatu kajian pendekatan objektif dan nilai pendidikan karakter. anthropos: jurnal antropologi sosial dan budaya (journal of social and cultural anthropology), 5(2), 222—235. hasuna, k., & komalasari, i. (2018). analisis sastra lisan dindang pada masyarakat banjar di kalimantan selatan. stilistika: jurnal bahasa, sastra, dan pengajarannya, 3(1), 47—55. hidayat, s. (2021). implikasi dan konsekwensi nilainilai local wisdom (kearifan lokal) dalam kepemimpinan di era globalisasi. jurnal inovasi penelitian, 1(10), 2113-2122. hilal, i., liswati, k. n., & saputri, a. (2022). nilai budaya dalam kumpulan cerita rakyat sumatera selatan dan implikasinya dalam pembelajaran sastra di sma. jurnal kata (bahasa, sastra, dan pembelajarannya), 10(2), 138-145. hutabarat, i., rafli, z., & rohman, s. (2019). nilai sosial budaya dalam novel namaku teweraut karya ani sekarningsih. jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 4(2), 59—69. kembaren, m. m., nasution, a. a., & lubis, m. h. (2020). cerita rakyat melayu sumatra utara berupa mitos dan legenda dalam membentuk kearifan lokal masyarakat. rumpun jurnal persuratan melayu, 8(1), 1—12. kurniawan, s. a., & asman. (2019). cerita rakyat sebagai fragmentaris sastra anak dan kesesuaiannya dengan perkembangan anak. senasbasa, 3(2), 914-925. maghfiroh, d. l., & zawawi, m. (2021). konflik sosial dalam novel aib dan nasib karya minanto berdasarkan perspektif george simmel. kembara: jurnal keilmuan bahasa, sastra, dan pengajarannya, 7(1), 173—197. nugraha, a. a. (2019). konflik sosial pada novel lelaki harimau karya eka kurniawan. senasbasa (seminar nasional bahasa dan sastra), 3(2), 162—170. palma, i. l., & nurmiwati. (2019). analisis nilai dan konflik sosial dalam buku legenda lalu dia dan lala jines dalam karangan h. muchsi hamim. jurnal ilmiah telaah, 4(2), 31—35. pulungan, r., & nasution a. s. (2019). nilai moral dan kerja keras dalam dongeng danau toba pada buku teks bahasa indonesia kelas vii terbitan pusat perbukuan departemen pendidikan nasional. jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 3(2), 85—91. purnomo, m. h. (2018). menguak budaya dalam karya sastra: antara kajian sastra dan budaya. endogami: jurnal ilmiah kajian antropologi, 1(1), 75—82. putri, r. r. (2018). konflik sosial dalam novel dawuk: kisah kelabu dari rumbuk randu karya mahfud ikhwan. jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 1(1), 1—7. eka putri, mulyadi eko purnomo, santi oktarina social conflicts found in the legends of dayang merindu and naya sentika and their implementations in literature learning 122 rijali, a. (2018). analisis data kualitatif. uin antasari banjarmasin. sitepu, l. k. (2019). eksplorasi legenda selang pangeran sebagai bahan ajar bahasa indonesia. jurnal basa taka, 2(1), 58—66. sukiman. (2019). pemertahanan kearifan lokal melalui pemanfaatan sebagai sumber pembelajaran sastra. jurnal kependidikan, pembelajaran, dan pengembangan, 1(2), 141—145. sukmayadi, t. (2018). nilai-nilai kearifan lokal dalam pandangan hidup masyarakat adat kampung kuta. jurnal pancasila dan kewarganegaraan, 3(1), 19—29. sumartono. (2019). dinamika perubahan sosial dalam teori konflik. jurnal ilmu komunikasi dan bisnis, 5(1), 1—17. suwarno., saddhono, k., & wardani, n. e. (2018). sejarah, unsur kebudayaan, dan nilai pendidikan karakter dalam legenda sungai naga. retorika, 11(2), 194—203. the ministerial regulation of education and culture minister. (2018). peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia nomor 37 tahun 2018 tentang perubahan atas peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan nomor 24 tahun 2016 tentang kompetensi inti dan kompetensi dasar pelajaran pada kurikulum 2013 pada pendidikan dasar dan pendidikan menengah. kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 547 beyond fallacies: strengths and qualifications for english teaching profession in indonesia agus sufyan* department of english education, faculty or educational sciences uin syarif hidayatullah jakarta, indonesia email: agus.sufyan@uinjkt.ac.id lukman hakim school of languages and cultures, faculty of humanities and social sciences university of queensland, australia email: l.hakim@uqconnect.edu.au m. anang jatmiko department of psychology sekolah tinggi ilmu pelayaran, indonesia email: anangjatmikooo@gmail.com ustufiarrizqi department of english education, faculty or educational sciences uin syarif hidayatullah jakarta, indonesia email: ustufiarizqi@gmail.com apa citation: sufyan, a., hakim, l., jatmiko, m. a., & ustufiarrizqi, u. (2024). beyond fallacies: strengths and qualification for english teaching profession in indonesia. english review: journal of english education, 12(2), 547-558. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9033 received: 24-02-2024 accepted: 26-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: this study was motivated by historical shifts from the 'fallacies' of identifying the best teacher of english between the two groups to exploring their potential if such teachers joined in team teaching. the purpose of this study was to identify a) the top three language skills that pre-service english teachers believed would improve if taught by native english speaking teachers (nests) or indonesian english teachers (iets), as well as b) the priority list of qualifications that they should satisfy. the quantitative results of a close-ended questionnaire administered to 186 pre-service english teachers at an indonesian university revealed that respondents consider nests to be good models for teaching oral-aural skills. on the contrary, indonesian english teachers should offer greater assistance to students in teaching written skills. for the second objectives, our findings showed that our respondents shared that the english teaching profession should be treated fairly. both nests and indonesian english instructors must have appropriate educational backgrounds, and teaching experience is highly appreciated. this study emphasises the importance of education policy that focuses on practical actions, such as incorporating intercultural competence training for nests and improving language proficiency among non-nests, as well as encouraging collaborations between educational institutions and stakeholders to prepare teachers for excellence in english language education. keywords: nativespeakerism; english teaching profession; pre-service english teachers introduction the 'outnumbering' factor of non-native englishspeaking teachers (non-nests) and the growing accessibility of international mobilisations have challenged the quest of whether 'standard' english is still relevant in english teaching and learning, especially in asian countries. one of the reasons many began to challenge the relevance is the exaggerated treatment of native speakers of english (bayyurt, 2018). zein (2017) stated that some asian parents often viewed 'successful' products of english learning as achieving native-like proficiency. the parents even believed that high proficiency in english could be achieved if the children were exposed as early as possible (hu, 2007; zein, 2017). another assumption, as occurred in china, is that native english-speaking teachers (nests) are more qualified than local english teachers (lets) (rao & yuan, 2016). wu (2021) also examined whether nests could bring value to efl students' proficiency and found that nests could significantly help taiwanese students agus sufyan, lukman hakim, m. anang jatmiko, & ustufiarrizqi beyond fallacies: strengths and qualification for english teaching profession in indonesia 548 improve their listening comprehension in a standardised english listening test. the views favouring nests do not blast off merely due to parents' personal preferences. jeon and lee (2006) stated that, in korea, recruiting nests had been seen as a shortcut to excel students' language proficiency efficiently. some respondents also argued that it is a waste of time for their children to spend years learning english without even reaching the native-like sound. in response to such parents' attitudes, many educational institutions began to respond to social needs by providing 'supply' for the 'demand' of native speakers of english to teach at their institutions (alshammari, 2021; daoud & kasztalska, 2022; inoue & anderson, 2023; lee & jang, 2023; mackenzie, 2021; samuell, 2024) however, upon the mushrooming practices of easily recruiting native speakers to be in the english teaching profession, many have become sceptical about taking the phenomenon for granted. even if relevant stakeholders bring up those ‘language owners,’ the facts were however often neglected that children in some nonenglish-speaking countries do not learn in a target language setting and that those children still learn in a limited environment exposing them to active language use (kaplan et al., 2011; kirkpatrick, 2012). moreover, the phenomenon has become bigger as many scholars (alqahtani, 2022; braine, 2010; harsanti & manara, 2021; mahboob & golden, 2013; sihombing, 2022; yeung, 2021) pointed out the discrimination in the job market for the english teaching profession, which they viewed as an 'unfair' judgment of the local english teachers and allowed local english teachers to find it hard to compete in the job market as educational institutions demand higher from them. in contrast, the institutions seem to loosen their attitudes toward native speakers of english. in the indonesian context, issues of nativespeakerism have also been discussed in some prior publications (adara, 2019; al-furqan & rahman, 2019; harsanti & manara, 2021; kirana & methitham, 2022; sarie, 2018; silalahi, 2021; silalahi & widianingtyas, 2022). for example, adara (2019) disseminated a questionnaire to sixty indonesian junior high students and interviewed four of them to analyse the differences in their attitudes towards nests and non-nests. the study indicated that respondents put a certain proportion to nests for more effective speaking-related skills and cultural understanding and non-nests for close relationships due to shared socio-cultural background. moreover, harsanti and manara (2021) also have attempted to offer different perspectives by involving english teachers’ perspectives as nonnative english-speaking teachers. through an indepth, individual interview, they highlighted respondents’ confirmation of the existence of native-speakerism and their positive support of a native-speaker model in english classrooms, indicating the superiority and ownership of the nests. another study was also conducted by silalahi (2021) who examined the perspectives of nests and non-nests regarding the correlation of world englishes on the practice of nativespeakerism. respondents in the study believed that nativespeakerism flourished due to the stigma aroused in society, which promotes the position of nests as ideal models for english teaching. the above studies indicate that nativespeakerism in indonesia indeed exists surrounding the english teaching practices in indonesia. the view, however, was shaped by the stigma that put nests as the ideal model of english teachers and, more importantly, from their socio-cultural background as persons born with the language and nationality (slavkov, 2021; todd & pojanapunya, 2022; waddington, 2022). therefore, it is evident that those on the local english teachers' side believed there needed to be a fair ground to compete fairly and professionally. one reason is that local english teachers have more capacity to teach in the classroom as those teachers cannot build an empire in one night to be in the teaching profession; they need to go for a teacher education program and pass certification programs. more importantly, they need to go through all the experiences as a second/ foreign language learner to come to their call to be an english teacher (kemaloglu-er & lowe, 2023; kiczkowiak, 2022; munandar, 2023). as the abovementioned studies in the indonesian context have attempted to offer perspectives from students and teachers (both nests and non-nests), this study would like to offer its contribution to the discussion by attempting to answer the following research questions: 1) what language skills do participants perceive as improving if nests or non-nests teach indonesian students? and; 2) what are the critical requirements perceived by respondents as necessary for nests and indonesian english teachers entering the english teaching profession in indonesia? english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 549 the research questions aimed to shed light on the perceived improvements in language skills when either nests or non-nests teach indonesian students, as well as the critical requirements deemed necessary for nests and indonesian english teachers entering the english teaching profession in indonesia. moreover, this study also would contribute to providing perspectives from the pre-service english teachers in one of the teacher education programs in indonesia. as they are now transitioning from students to teachers, this study considered it worth investigating their views on this issue. the discussion of nests and non-nests has been significantly transformed from looking at the ‘best’ english teachers to investigating possibilities for team teaching collaboration in a classroom. to clarify, some previous relevant studies (ahn, 2020; bryant, 2016; chun, 2014; ma, 2012; walkinshaw & oanh, 2014) have attempted to investigate students' perspectives on both types of teachers' advantages and disadvantages and strengths and weaknesses. for example, walkinshaw and oanh (2014) have discussed the benefits and drawbacks of having nests and non-nests in the classroom by conducting their study in two different research contexts: universities in vietnam and japan. chun (2014) has also similarly explored students’ perspectives towards the two types of teachers by examining the strengths, weaknesses, and preferences on which to be the better english teacher. the above studies have attempted to fill the gaps by offering discussion from multiple contexts (in particular, in non-english-speaking contexts), yet the results tended to contest further the two teachers in the english teaching profession. moreover, the above studies have mainly aimed to challenge the native speaker fallacy (phillipson, 1992). therefore, it is not unusual that the emergence of this fallacy prompts more researchers from various research contexts to challenge the relevance of the assumption to the education context. for example, non-nests have undergone a language learning process that promotes them as a second or foreign language learner model for their students, which is a legitimate argument that may be used to refute the existing fallacy (cook, 2005). moreover, non-nests could relate to their past learning experiences as they better understand how to diagnose and overcome challenges in language learning (ma, 2012; phillipson, 1992). unfortunately, while some scholars tried to challenge the existing myth of nests, others (e.g. selvi, 2010) were also cautious that imbalanced discussion favouring non-nests might also mislead to the other fallacy, namely the 'nns fallacy' or what we called here as non-native speaker fallacy. in short, both fallacies were created to set language competency as a measure of good english teachers; scholars challenged the native-speaker fallacy questions the possession of native-speaker variations while scholars in the non-native speaker fallacy questions the value of firstlanguage mastery in second or foreign-language classroom. although having a solid command of the target language is essential in the field of second language instruction, researchers (árva & medgyes, 2000; benke & medgyes, 2005; medgyes, 1994) have developed a variety of alternatives that can be utilised to recruit english teachers, for instance, academic qualifications, teaching skills, enthusiasm, and teaching experiences of english teachers. this alternate viewpoint mainly highlights that finding better models becomes less significant. according to the circumstances that each classroom presents, scholars argue that both instructors have an equal chance of being successful in their language teaching (benke & medgyes, 2005; medgyes, 1994) and could balance each other (árva & medgyes, 2000; benke & medgyes, 2005). supporting this, davies (1995, in mhd fauzi & hashim, 2020) stated that native speakers could perform as a model but not as a measure to define language teaching and learning goals. speaking of completing one another, scholars moved the discussion from what we termed the 'either/ or' debate (seeking the better teacher) to the 'both/ and' issue (looking for possible collaboration). scholars (e.g. selvi, 2010) suggested combining both parties in one classroom with some expectations that they would complement one another as an alternative to identifying the superior ones in theoretical and practical ways; the majority of nests lack a cultural knowledge of the setting in which they teach english while non-nests are limited in their ability to provide an authentic pronunciation model. at the same time, non-nests have limitations regarding providing an authentic pronunciation model. as widdowson (1992) stated, a native-speaker teacher's considerable experience as an english user qualifies them as a dependable source of language input, but a nonnative speaker teacher's l2 learning experiences qualify them to assume the position of a teacher. agus sufyan, lukman hakim, m. anang jatmiko, & ustufiarrizqi beyond fallacies: strengths and qualification for english teaching profession in indonesia 550 in other words, possibly, nests know what to teach while non-nests know how to teach. while the comparison of who should be the ideal english teacher has reached a single conclusion, which medgyes (1994) considered a pointless debate, other scholars have attempted to present an alternative viewpoint. for instance, the subject of discussion has advanced from identifying the ideal english teacher to examining the advantages of collaboration between both types of teachers within the same class. how do they exactly match? based only on interview data, two researchers from two different contexts, japanese (lawrence, 2016) and korean (heo, 2016), have investigated that nests and lets (local english teachers) continue to encounter some difficulties in performing team teaching. in addition to linguistic, social, and cultural aspects, the problems also involved teaching experiences. both studies concluded that, if possible, the government should provide proper training for intercultural team instructors to a) collaborate; b) develop personal, interpersonal, and professional ties; and c) maintain communication. as a nest at the british council project in japan, lawrence (2016) aimed to validate his team-teaching experiences with native-speakerism concepts and other nests' experiences during the program. he contested unusual views about native speakers as reported by some scholars (holliday, 2005; houghton & rivers, 2013); while native speakers in many other countries often gained respect as the authentic model of english, those teaching in japan received contradicting treatment. as an inexperienced teacher, lawrence confirmed reports from houghton and rivers (2013) regarding native-speakerism in japan that nests “often felt isolated, discriminated, and powerless to do anything because of my [his] status in the schools” (p. 22). to clear up his uncertainty, he conducted a semi-structured interview with four nests involved in the same project; two had completed the program, and the other two were still involved. the author found out that the stories from other teachers were not unusual; other nests stated that they frequently had different opinions from the japanese english teachers in some circumstances. while the environment should be collaborative teaching, the respondents stated that the lets allowed nests to manage the class entirely. it was reported that such a scenario might occur since lets were knowledgeable and skilled and preferred letting novice nests explore the classroom independently. the author stated that activities other than teaching practices might be useful for establishing communication and fostering both personal and interpersonal relationships between the partners. in the korean context, heo (2016) proposed that the government should establish a higher standard for nests to participate in the english program in korea (epik) and hold in-service training where both teachers could build a relationship with one another and learn how to share responsibilities. in order to gather information regarding critical incidents that occurred during team teaching, the author conducted interviews with three teachers. these interviews aimed to investigate the interpersonal relationships that developed between teachers as they worked together. the respondents reported three significant occurrences: misunderstandings, differences in viewpoints and agreements, and various approaches to problem-solving. then, those conflicts were examined to illustrate how professional experiences, language features, and contextual elements might impact one's strength and determination in the classroom. khánh and spencer-oatey (2016) investigated how nests and lets formed working relationships while collaborating in a vietnamese classroom. in contrast to the research described in the previous paragraphs, the present investigation was carried out as a longitudinal case study, which included interviewing, collecting diaries, and observing three pairs of team teachers working in vietnamese tertiary institutions. despite the differences, one thing that this research and heo's (2016) study have in common is that they both focus on incidences that occurred during collaborations. through the use of the following three sections: what happened, reaction and explanation, and evaluation and impact, a total of five rapport-sensitive occurrences were thoroughly recorded and explained. most cases discussed included either prior preparation or a personal or professional gap. one of the lets makes an unannounced visit to the house of one of the nests to review the lesson plan. this visit was reported to be one of the most unpleasant moments for the nest. this occurrence was seen to be less professional in terms of recognizing personal space and boundaries. rao and chen (2020) also noted substantial challenges in combining the teachers, such as inadequate opportunities and time to plan and practice team teaching, unmatched understanding, and different teaching styles. they also reported english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 551 some challenges caused by students, such as inadequacy in english speaking and listening skills, the unfamiliarity of having teachers working as a team, or simply being unwilling to participate in such team-teaching classrooms. the previous research on intercultural team teaching demonstrates that team teaching requires more effort than solo teaching. individual teaching allows a teacher to explore his or her classroom (colmenero & lasagabaster, 2024), but team-teaching needs teamwork, respect, and communication to establish a harmonious collaboration that fosters a favourable learning environment. according to heo (2016) and lawrence (2016), the government should develop team teacher training to equip teachers with the skills to tackle several classroom issues. similarly, khánh and spencer-oatey (2016) stated that both teachers should be presented with situations, particularly potential conflicts, during team teacher training. they believed both parties should address these problems so that they could have “an opportunity to share their feelings and opinions about them [the conflict] and discuss” (pp. 192-193). this conflict-resolution practice is projected to boost mutual understanding and improve both parties' communication patterns (lee & baese-berk, 2021). the authors further viewed team teacher training as one of the most effective ways to facilitate collaboration between parties. in the earlier sections, we have mentioned some brief overviews of studies discussing nativespeakerism in various teaching contexts and respondents’ backgrounds. mainly we also discussed some studies taking place in the indonesian context. the discussion presented above has also highlighted some changes in the literature, from looking for the most suitable english teachers to promoting collaboration between the two groups of teachers. albeit, preferences in the english teaching profession could not be prevented solely because of the competition in the job market. however, letting them compete in the field should not be taken for granted, as each never wins. however, as seen in the earlier section, most studies tended only to explore more respondents’ views on the issue or to report on conflicts between nests and non-nests in classroom settings. training for team-teacher collaboration was finally endorsed during conflict during teaching collaboration between nests and nonnests (heo, 2016; khánh & spencer-oatey, 2016; lawrence, 2016). nevertheless, as most english classrooms in indonesia were dominated by a single teacher, it seemed necessary to highlight that there should also be suggestions for english teacher education programs as providers and producers of future english teachers. by examining pre-service english teachers’ views on fair requirements for the english teaching profession, this study viewed its contribution by filling the gaps in building connections between the findings and suggestions for english teacher education programs to increase their pre-service english teachers’ awareness of job competition after their graduation. method this study employed a quantitative research design by employing an online, close-ended questionnaire to gather and analyse respondents' views. the collected data underwent descriptive statistical analysis to effectively understand, communicate, and identify patterns and relationships in the research findings (fraenkel et al., 2021). a thorough analysis of relevant literature was a major source of direction for developing the questionnaire as it helped uncover key issues and research areas that complemented the research objectives. the questions were carefully constructed to fully investigate participants' origins, traits, and viewpoints on language skill improvement and employment requirements within the indonesian educational setting. the overall objectives of the study, which sought to gain perceptions into the perceived efficacy of language instruction by native english-speaking instructors (nests) in comparison to indonesian english instructors, informed the questions that were chosen. the questionnaire also aimed at determining the order in which participants ranked the necessary job criteria for recruiting english teachers in indonesia. the study included a sample of 165 preservice english teachers from the department of english education at an indonesian university. the insights gained from this research hold the potential to provide valuable information on language skills enhancement and job requirements in the field of english teaching. table 1. respondents’ characteristics description frequency percentage agus sufyan, lukman hakim, m. anang jatmiko, & ustufiarrizqi beyond fallacies: strengths and qualification for english teaching profession in indonesia 552 description frequency percentage gender female 133 80.61% male 32 19.39% taught by nests in formal education contexts no experience 135 81.82% having experience 30 18.18% taught by nests in non-formal education contexts no experience 141 85.45% having experience 24 14.55% results and discussion respondents' views on improved language skills from different teachers’ category in this section, we provided the result of our analysis regarding respondents’ views on improved skills if native english-speaking teachers and indonesian english teachers taught indonesian students. in each teacher’s category, our respondents were required to vote on which skills would be improved (the first, second, and third skills). table 2. views of improved skills if taught by nests first skill second skill third skill listening 69 (41.82%) 29 (17.58%) 28 (16.97%) speaking 58 (35.15%) 51 (30.90%) 34 (20.61%) reading 3 (1.82%) 3 (1.82%) 0 (0.00%) writing 0 (0.00%) 3 (1.82%) 6 (3.64%) grammar 2 (1.21%) 1 (0.61%) 12 (7.27%) pronunciation 24 (14.55%) 45 (27.27%) 48 (29.09%) vocabulary 9 (5.45%) 33 (20.00%) 37 (22.42%) table 2 describes respondents’ views on improved language skills if native englishspeaking teachers (nests) taught indonesian students. according to the table, most participants (n= 69, 41.82%) viewed listening as the first skill nests could improve. in contrast, participants in the second skill category highly endorsed speaking (n= 51, 30.90%). lastly, 48 respondents (20.09%) viewed nests would significantly help students’ pronunciation skills, as seen in the third skill category. on the contrary, a small number of respondents voted for writing (0.00%), grammar (0.61%), and reading skills (0.00%). however, the above findings were relatively contradictive compared to respondents’ views on improved language skills if indonesian english teachers (iets) taught indonesian students. the differences can be seen in the following table. table 3. views of improved skills if taught by indonesian english teachers first skill second skill third skill listening 20 (12.12%) 13 (7.88%) 12 (7.27%) speaking 13 (7.88%) 16 (9.69%) 21 (12.73%) reading 25 (15.15%) 31 (18.79%) 28 (16.97%) writing 8 (4.85%) 26 (15.76%) 43 (26.06%) grammar 51 (30.91%) 29 (17.58%) 24 (14.55%) pronunciation 5 (3.03%) 12 (7.27%) 7 (4.24%) vocabulary 43 (26.06%) 38 (23.03%) 30 (18.18%) table 3 describes respondents’ views on improved language skills if indonesian students were taught by indonesian english teachers (iets). as seen in the table, in the first skill category, most respondents voted grammar (n=51, 30.90%) as their most preferred skill to improve by iets. moreover, vocabulary (n= 38, 23.03%) and writing (n=43, 26.061%) were chosen by most respondents as the second and third skills to improve, respectively. contrary to the previous table, pronunciation was ranked last among other skills. from the above findings, we could summarise that the majority of respondents viewed native english-speaking teachers were considered as an excellent model to help indonesian students improve their oral and oral skills, such as listening, pronunciation, and speaking. on the other side, indonesian english teachers were perceived to teach best other skills relevant to written skills, such as grammar, vocabulary, and writing. this summary, once again, has extended and contributed to some early discussions from previous work (e.g. jang & wood, 2019; mhd english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 553 fauzi & hashim, 2020; sung, 2014; walkinshaw & oanh, 2014), which mainly compared respondents’ perspectives towards nests and non-nests in order to portray the better english teachers indirectly. apart from better skills modelling, our study had specifically clarified which language aspects nests or non-nests should be teaching as guidance for understanding strengths and weaknesses among the teachers. moreover, as this study involved pre-service english teachers, we assumed that our findings might, once again, capture the existence of nativespeakerism (even in english teacher education program). our participants, like in other studies (e.g. kramadibrata, 2016; yim, 2018), still viewed that nests deserve their legitimation on teaching specific skills due to their naturalistic model of language proficiency. the evident differences in ‘improved’ language skills chosen by our participants clearly describe the borders between the two teacher categories. though having team teaching, which combined both teachers, has been reportedly challenging in different countries (carless, 2006; heo, 2016; khánh & spencer-oatey, 2016; lawrence, 2016; rao & chen, 2020; sutherland, 2014), our current study has not yet discussed further at the conclusion if participants viewed those border could be eliminated through team teaching. furthermore, our study presents a significant opportunity to enhance english teacher education programs in indonesia by effectively strengthening the skills of pre-service english teachers. the viewpoints expressed by our participants, who regarded native englishspeaking teachers (nests) as models in listening, pronunciation, and speaking, provide valuable empirical insights that shed light on potential gaps within existing english teacher education programs (see kong & kang, 2022). this, in turn, invites investigation on future research endeavours to explore the nuances surrounding these perspectives, thereby discerning whether they signify a perceived sense of inferiority, acknowledgement of weaknesses, or a genuine appreciation of the expertise possessed by nests. building upon these, we strongly advocate for comprehensive curriculum reviews within english teacher education programs in indonesia and similar non-english speaking regions. such reviews will serve to ensure that graduates emerge with the utmost confidence and competitive expertise, thoroughly equipped to thrive in the demanding job market. prioritised job requirements for the english teaching profession in indonesia in this section, we provided the result of our analysis regarding respondents’ views on critical requirements to enter the english teaching profession in indonesia. in each teacher’s category, our respondents were required to vote on which criterion should be prioritised (the first, second, and third criteria). table 4. top requirements for nests to teach english in indonesia requirements first requirement second requirement third requirement ...be a learner of other language(s) 1 (0.61%) 6 (3.64%) 6 (3.64%) ...be able to speak in bahasa to assist learning difficulties. 36 (21.82%) 22 (13.33%) 46 (27.88%) ...have english teaching experiences. 36 (21.82%) 46 (27.88%) 16 (9.70%) ...have toefl score (min. 550) or ielts score (min. 7.0) 3 (1.82%) 8 (4.85%) 12 (7.27%) ...have good understanding about indonesian cultures. 22 (13.33%) 34 (20.61%) 37 (22.42%) ...have native english accent (british, american, etc.) 4 (2.42%) 8 (4.85%) 10 (6.06%) ...have relevant academic qualification in english teaching. 49 (29.70%) 21 (12.73%) 17 (10.30%) ...have teacher certificate from indonesian government. 14 (8.49%) 20 (12.12%) 21 (12.73%) table 4 describes the top three requirements that native english-speaking teachers (nests) need to possess for the english teaching profession in indonesia. as the first requirement, our participants voted ‘having relevant academic qualifications in english teaching’ (n= 49, 29.70%) as the top priority nests need to possess. moreover, for the second requirement, our respondents viewed having english teaching experiences (n= 46, 27.88%) as the second agus sufyan, lukman hakim, m. anang jatmiko, & ustufiarrizqi beyond fallacies: strengths and qualification for english teaching profession in indonesia 554 requirement. in addition, our respondents valued nests who could speak bahasa to support learning difficulties (n= 46, 27.88%) as the third requirement that nests need to have. besides the above findings, most respondents did not view that a native english-speaking teacher needs to be a learner of other languages, as this criterion was voted the least among other criteria. after looking at respondents’ views on the job requirements for nests, the following table presents our analysis of requirements for iets to enter the english teaching profession in indonesia. table 5. top requirements for iets to teach english in indonesia requirement first requirement second requirement third requirement ...be a learner of other language(s) 2 (1.21%) 8 (4.85%) 9 (5.46%) ...be able to speak in bahasa to assist learning difficulties. 2 (1.21%) 10 (6.06%) 6 (3.64%) ...have english teaching experiences. 44 (26.67%) 62 (37.58%) 23 (13.94%) ...have toefl score (min. 550) or ielts score (min. 7.0) 15 (9.09%) 20 (12.12%) 50 (30.30%) ...have good understanding about indonesian cultures. 1 (0.61%) 7 (4.24%) 13 (7.88%) ...have native english accent (british, american, etc.) 4 (2.42%) 12 (7.27%) 19 (11.52%) ...have relevant academic qualification in english teaching. 86 (52.12%) 25 (15.15%) 17 (10.30%) ...have teacher certificate from indonesian government. 11 (6.67%) 21 (12.73%) 28 (16.97%) table 5 describes the top three requirements that iets need to possess for the english teaching profession in indonesia. according to the above table, respondents tend to have consistent views on the first and second requirements that indonesian english teachers need to possess to be english teachers in indonesia. they highly endorsed having relevant academic qualifications in english teaching (n=86, 52.12%) and having english teaching experiences (n=62, 37.58%) as the first and second requirements, among other criteria. however, a slight difference could be seen from the third requirement, where 50 respondents (31.72%) voted for another necessary criterion for indonesian english teachers: having a decent score in high-stakes language tests such as toefl and ielts. most of our respondents shared similar perspectives regarding the highly important requirements to be english teachers in indonesia. as seen in the previous section, having relevant academic qualifications (the first rank) and teaching experiences (the second rank) were ranked similarly for both nests and non-nests as the top two requirements to teach english in indonesia. through our findings, we assumed that our respondents would suggest that the english teaching profession should value professional aspects and one’s teaching experiences rather than linguistically privileged requirements. as silalahi and widianingtyas (2022) suggested, teaching involves not only culture and knowledge transfer but also classroom delivery, which not even could native speakers acquire the skills naturally. through our findings, we again would like to promote the importance of the professional recruitment process. therefore, the stigma disregarding non-nests’ legitimacy for the english teaching profession (duran & saenkhum, 2022; yazan, 2018) or their teaching experiences (braine, 2018) would no longer occur. to be legitimate for the english teaching profession, indonesian english teachers, like other nonnests, should improve their language skills while developing their teaching skills while studying in an english teacher education program. therefore, it would seem relatively fair and even mandatory that nests should also undergo the similar process in teacher education program though the process might be different; nests may at least need to develop their teaching skills due to their ‘already competent’ status of english proficiency. as another view from this finding, we, however, become intrigued to ask further about two questions, which would be directions for future research as well. we were fascinated to investigate a) if english teaching experience and relevant academic qualification are interchangeable variables if one of them is missing, and; b) to what extent the degree of acceptance if one of the highly-endorsed requirements is missing. besides that, we also considered it necessary to discuss the third criterion for each teacher’s english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee category, which indicated a slight difference from the respondents’ views. from this finding, our study would suggest that both nests and nonnests should be willing to solve their shortcomings. despite their ownership of english, nests may sometimes be unfamiliar with students’ cultures and their languages (an et al., 2021; whitehead & ryu, 2023). therefore, nests should be equipped with intercultural competence to help students learn better. on the other hand, iets should also improve their english competencies through globally recognised and standardised language tests, such as toefl and ielts. we also viewed the differences as an opportunity to share our thoughts to suggest the english teacher education programs in indonesia to tailor the curriculum contents that support their students and alumni to be competitive in the job market. for example, the study program should ensure that the students are well-equipped with language test preparation prior to the completion of their study. besides, the study program could also build students’ awareness of the job competition by connecting their alumni to share some insights with the current students so that they could be more ready for their profession. similar to other studies (e.g. harsanti & manara, 2021; sihombing, 2022), addressing the stigma around non-native english speaking teachers (nests) in indonesia's english teaching profession is crucial for shaping its future landscape. by recognising the value of both english proficiency and teaching skills, regardless of native status, we can create a more inclusive and diverse educational environment (árva & medgyes, 2000). this benefits not only nests but also enriches students’ learning experiences through exposure to diverse teaching styles and cultural perspectives (benke & medgyes, 2005; liu et al., 2023). if the interchangeability of teaching experience and academic qualifications can be reevaluated, a more holistic approach to recruitment and training may also ensure, ensure that teachers are well-prepared for classroom challenges and fosters continuous professional growth. conclusion the findings of this study have attempted to expand the discussion on nativespeakerism. to make it clear, the summary of our findings was highlighted in three key points: preferences on improved skills from different teachers, similarity in terms of professional recruitment criteria, and some differences in recruitment criteria that english teacher education programs should accommodate. by offering perspectives from preservice english teachers, our findings are expected to bring a closer perspective in discussing the issue of native-speakerism as it is closely related to the english teaching profession. despite the contribution of this study, we also have addressed some potential discussions for further researchers, such as the interchangeability of relevant academic qualifications and teaching experiences as the criteria for the english teaching profession in indonesia and perhaps in other non-english speaking countries. moreover, it seems necessary to acknowledge some limitations occurring from the nature of the study. for example, further researchers could also expand our findings by involving qualitative data collection through interviews to gain deeper insights regarding their preferences. besides of that, it is evident that potential biases in respondents' perspectives may be evident, which could stem from their cultural preconceptions. moreover, as part of a more extensive research, findings from this study could perform as our preliminary discussion, which other researchers could challenge. this study emphasises the importance of education policy focusing on practical actions, such as integrating intercultural competence training for nests and improving language proficiency among non-nests, while also encouraging collaborations between academic institutions and industry stakeholders to prepare teachers for excellence in english language education. acknowledgment the writers sincerely express their gratitude to the participants to be involved in this research. this study could not have been done without their participation. the writers also would like to thank the head of english education department, universitas islam negeri syarif hidayatullah jakarta, for allowing us to bridge the coordination and communication with the participants. funding this work is supported by uin syarif hidayatullah jakarta under kpa uin syarif hidayatullah jakarta, grant number un.01/kpa/223/2022 agus sufyan, lukman hakim, m. anang jatmiko, & ustufiarrizqi beyond fallacies: strengths and qualification for english teaching profession in indonesia 556 references adara, r. a. (2019). the differences in students’ attitudes and perceptions of nest and nnest. leksika: jurnal bahasa, sastra dan pengajarannya, 13(2), 72–81. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.30595/lks.v1 3i2.4654 ahn, s. (2020). non-native english-speaking teachers in korean english classrooms: reflections through critical performative pedagogy. reflective practice, 21(1), 68–80. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2019.170871 3 al-furqan, a., & rahman, a. a. (2019). the analysis of native and non-native efl teachers in indonesia: a review of literature. asian efl journal, 23(3.4), 316–333. alqahtani, m. h. (2022). blame the message senders not the messenger: the defence case of the english “native speaker” teacher. education research international, 2022, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/3926977 alshammari, a. (2021). job advertisements for english teachers in the saudi arabian context: discourses of discrimination and inequity. tesol journal, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.542 an, j., macaro, e., & childs, a. (2021). classroom interaction in emi high schools: do teachers who are native speakers of english make a difference? system, 98, 102482. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102482 árva, v., & medgyes, p. (2000). native and nonnative teachers in the classroom. system, 28(3), 355–372. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0346251x(00)00017-8 bayyurt, y. (2018). equity and inclusivity for nests and nnests. in the tesol encyclopedia of english language teaching (pp. 1–6). john wiley & sons, inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt001 7 benke, e., & medgyes, p. (2005). differences in teaching behaviour between native and nonnative speaker teachers: as seen by the learners. in e. llurda (ed.), non-native language teachers: perceptions, challenges and contributions to the profession (pp. 195– 215). springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-38724565-0_11 braine, g. (2010). nonnative speaker english teachers. routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203856710 braine, g. (2018). non‐native‐speaker english teachers. in the encyclopedia of applied linguistics (pp. 1–5). wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal0 871.pub2 bryant, d. a. (2016). revisiting native speaking teachers of english in hong kong. international journal of comparative education and development, 18(1), 53–68. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijced-10-2015-0002 carless, d. (2006). effective team teaching between local and native-speaking english teachers. language and education, 20(6), 463–477. https://doi.org/10.2167/le627.0 chun, s. y. (2014). efl learners’ beliefs about native and non-native english-speaking teachers: perceived strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 35(6), 563–579. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2014.889141 colmenero, k., & lasagabaster, d. (2024). enclosing native speakerism: students’, parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of language teachers. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 45(2), 85–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2020.186538 4 cook, v. (2005). basing teaching on the l2 user (e. liurda (ed.); pp. 47–61). springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-24565-0_4 daoud, s., & kasztalska, a. (2022). exploring nativespeakerism in teacher job recruitment discourse through legitimation code theory: the case of the united arab emirates. language teaching research, 136216882110668. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211066883 duran, c. s., & saenkhum, t. (2022). “because she’s not a native speaker of english, she doesn’t have the knowledge”: positioning nnes scholars in u.s. higher education. race ethnicity and education, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2022.208872 2 fraenkel, j. r., wallen, n. e., & hyun, h. h. (2021). how to design and evaluate research in education (11th ed.). mcgraw hill. harsanti, h. r., & manara, c. (2021). “i have to teach the ‘english’ english”: nativespeakerism ideology among the english teachers. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 11(2), 330–340. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v11i2.26379 heo, j. (2016). power, balance and identity: an insight into intercultural team teaching. in f. copland, s. garton, & s. mann (eds.), lets and nests: voices, views and vignettes (pp. 164–178). british council. holliday, a. (2005). the struggle to teach english as an international language. oxford university press. houghton, s. a., & rivers, d. j. (2013). nativespeakerism in japan: intergroup dynamics in foreign language education. multilingual matters. hu, y. (2007). china’s foreign language policy on primary english education: what’s behind it? language policy, 6(3–4), 359–376. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee https://doi.org/10.1007/s10993-007-9052-9 inoue, n., & anderson, v. (2023). encountering and contesting native-speakerism in japanese universities. higher education research & development, 42(6), 1438–1452. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2022.212807 3 jang, h., & wood, j. (2019). native vs non-native english speaking teachers: an analysis of business schools in the tertiary education sector. the journal of asiatefl, 16(3), 944–957. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2019.16.3.11.9 44 jeon, m., & lee, j. (2006). hiring native-speaking english teachers in east asian countries. english today, 22(4), 53–58. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0266078406004093 kaplan, r. b., baldauf, r. b., & kamwangamalu, n. (2011). why educational language plans sometimes fail. current issues in language planning, 12(2), 105–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/14664208.2011.591716 kemaloglu-er, e., & lowe, r. j. (2023). language teacher identity, world englishes, and elf: a duoethnography between a “native speaker” teacher and a “non-native speaker” teacher. journal of language, identity & education, 22(5), 478–491. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2022.214124 4 khánh, t. t. m., & spencer-oatey, h. (2016). managing relations in crossnational team teaching pairs: insights from rapport-sensitive incidents. in f. copland, s. garton, & s. mann (eds.), lets and nests: voices, views and vignettes (pp. 179–194). british council. kiczkowiak, m. (2022). are most elt course book writers white ‘native speakers’? a survey of 28 general english course books for adults. language teaching research, 136216882211232. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688221123273 kirana, s. n., & methitham, p. (2022). nativespeakerism in a locally developed indonesian efl textbook: a critical discourse study. journal of english and education, 8(1), 1–15. kirkpatrick, a. (2012). english in asean: implications for regional multilingualism. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 33(4), 331–344. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2012.661433 kong, m. l. f., & kang, h. i. (2022). identity and accents: do students really want to speak like native speakers of english? relc journal, 53(3), 505–518. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220939246 kramadibrata, a. (2016). the halo surrounding native english speaker teachers in indonesia. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 5(2), 282. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v5i2.1352 lawrence, l. (2016). responsibility without power: native-speaker experiences of team teaching in japanese secondary schools. in f. copland, s. garton, & s. mann (eds.), lets and nests: voices, views and vignettes (pp. 20–36). british council. lee, d., & baese-berk, m. m. (2021). non-native english listeners’ adaptation to native english speakers. jasa express letters, 1(10). https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0006558 lee, h., & jang, g. (2023). “the darker your skin color is, the harder it is in korea”: discursive construction of racial identity in teaching internationally. tesol quarterly, 57(1), 168– 190. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3131 liu, g.-z., fathi, j., & rahimi, m. (2023). enhancing efl learners’ intercultural communicative effectiveness through telecollaboration with native and non-native speakers of english. computer assisted language learning, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2022.216477 8 ma, l. p. f. (2012). advantages and disadvantages of nativeand nonnative-english-speaking teachers: student perceptions in hong kong. tesol quarterly, 46(2), 280–305. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.21 mackenzie, l. (2021). discriminatory job advertisements for english language teachers in colombia: an analysis of recruitment biases. tesol journal, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.535 mahboob, a., & golden, r. (2013). looking for native speakers of english: discrimination in english language teaching job advertisements. voices in asia, 1, 72–81. medgyes, p. (1994). the non-native teacher. palgrave macmillan. mhd fauzi, n., & hashim, h. (2020). apple vs. mangosteen: a qualitative study of students’ perception towards native and non-native english-speaking teachers. journal of education and e-learning research, 7(2), 218– 228. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2020.72.21 8.228 munandar, m. i. (2023). interculturality, nativespeakerism and authenticity: paradoxes in indonesia’s efl pedagogy. pedagogy, culture & society, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2023.229844 1 phillipson, r. (1992). linguistic imperialism. oxford university press. rao, z., & chen, h. (2020). teachers’ perceptions of difficulties in team teaching between localand native-english-speaking teachers in efl teaching. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 41(4), 333–347. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2019.162075 agus sufyan, lukman hakim, m. anang jatmiko, & ustufiarrizqi beyond fallacies: strengths and qualification for english teaching profession in indonesia 558 3 rao, z., & yuan, h. (2016). employing nativeenglish-speaking teachers in china: benefits, problems and solutions. english today, 32(4), 12–18. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0266078415000590 samuell, c. (2024). native speakerism and the japanese ideal of english language teaching: globalisation, ideology, and practice. language and intercultural communication, 24(2), 90– 104. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2023.224896 2 sarie, r. f. (2018). examining the issue of nativespeakerism in english language teaching in indonesian context. lingua: jurnal bahasa & sastra, 18(2), 87–95. selvi, a. f. (2010). all teachers are equal, but some teachers are more equal than others: trend analysis of job advertisements in english language teaching. watesol nnest caucus annual review, 1, 156–181. sihombing, t. h. (2022). questioning the dominance of native-english teachers in elt profession. pioneer: journal of language and literature, 14(1), 179–186. https://doi.org/10.36841/pioneer.v14i1.1680 silalahi, r. m. p. (2021). nativespeakerism and world englishes: teachers perception towards nonnative english varieties. journal of english language and culture, 11(2), 73–84. https://doi.org/10.30813/jelc.v11i2.2609 silalahi, r. m. p., & widianingtyas, n. (2022). ‘hello, i’m a native speaker’: nonnative tutors’ perspectives on native-speakerism ideology. language literacy: journal of linguistics, literature, and language teaching, 6(1), 142– 153. https://doi.org/10.30743/ll.v6i1.5237 slavkov, n. (2021). the changing face of the "native speaker?: perspectives from multilingualism and globalization. the changing face of the "native speaker?: perspectives from multilingualism and globalization, 1–355. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501512353 sung, c. c. m. (2014). an exploratory study of hong kong students’ perceptions of native and nonnative english-speaking teachers in elt. asian englishes, 16(1), 32–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2014.880252 sutherland, s. (2014). team teaching: four barriers to native english speaking assistant teachers’ ability to model native english in japanese classrooms. asian efl journal, 16(2), 156– 180. todd, r. w., & pojanapunya, p. (2022). shifting attitudes towards native speaker and local english teachers: an elaborative replication. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 43(2), 111–121. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2020.173086 1 waddington, j. (2022). rethinking the ‘ideal native speaker’ teacher in early childhood education. language, culture and curriculum, 35(1), 1– 17. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2021.189863 0 walkinshaw, i., & oanh, d. h. (2014). native and non-native english language teachers: student perceptions in vietnam and japan. sage open, 4(2), 215824401453445. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014534451 whitehead, g. e. k., & ryu, y. (2023). “i am not a native speaker …”: exploring the perceived pronunciation teaching difficulties faced by korean public elementary school english teachers. system, 115, 103056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.103056 widdowson, h. g. (1992). elt and el teachers: matters arising. elt journal, 46(4), 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/46.4.333 wu, a. m. c. (2021). native-english-speaking teachers: do they bring values to efl learners? a study on listening proficiency of taiwanese elementary school students. english teaching & learning, 45(1), 89–107. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42321-020-00064-0 yazan, b. (2018). identity and nnests. in the tesol encyclopedia of english language teaching (pp. 1–7). john wiley & sons, inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt002 0 yeung, m. (2021). tertiary students’ choice between native and non-native speaker english teachers and the role of english proficiency in learner preferences: some evidence from post-colonial hong kong. taiwan journal of tesol, 18(2), 63–91. https://doi.org/10.30397/tjtesol.202110_18( 2).0003 yim, s. y. (2018). teaching english in a foreign country: legitimate peripheral participation of a native english-speaking teacher. system, 78, 213–223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2018.09.008 zein, m. s. (2017). to postpone or not to postpone? examining access policy on early foreign language learning from second language acquisition and language planning and policy perspectives. applied linguistics review, 8(4), 419–439. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-20161044 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 685 enhancing efl speaking skills through spotify: the power of interactive comments devi nauli lubis tadris of english language, faculty of tarbiyah and training education, uin kiai haji achmad siddiq, jember, indonesia email: lubisdevinauli@gmail.com suparwoto sapto wahono tadris of english language, faculty of tarbiyah and training education, uin kiai haji achmad siddiq, jember, indonesia email: wahsapto@uinkhas.ac.id apa scitation: lubis, d. n., & wahono, s. s. (2024). enhancing efl speaking skills through spotify: the power of interactive comments. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 685-694. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9834 received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 21-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction language is a fundamental tool for communication, allowing individuals to interact, express themselves, and engage in various social contexts. speaking, a critical component of language skills, is essential for effective communication in english as a foreign language (efl) settings. however, many learners face challenges such as lack of understanding, confidence, and fear of criticism, which hinder their ability to practice speaking in english. traditional classroom opportunities for speaking practice often do not sufficiently motivate students, leading to a need for innovative approaches to enhance speaking skills. numerous studies have explored different strategies and technologies to improve speaking skills in efl learners. meida and fadhly (2018) analyzed teacher and student interactions in indonesian efl classrooms, highlighting the importance of effective communication strategies. fadhly and apriyani (2022) focused on pronunciation challenges and strategies for improvement, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions. similarly, nurhayati et al. (2021) examined speech sound disorders and their causes, providing insights into overcoming pronunciation difficulties in efl settings. recent research has increasingly turned to digital media and technology to address these challenges. mohzana (2023) explored the use of language learning podcasts to develop speaking skills, while asratie et al. (2023) examined the impact of educational technology tools on efl students' speaking performance. rofi'i and herdiawan (2024) investigated the optimization of hybrid technology in synchronous and asynchronous speaking classes, demonstrating the potential of blended learning approaches. these studies underline the effectiveness of digital tools abstract: as a verbal communication tool, language skills, particularly speaking, enable learners to interact effectively with society. however, many learners struggle with practicing speaking in english due to lack of understanding, confidence, and fear of criticism. traditional classroom opportunities and time allocated for speaking practice often fail to sufficiently motivate students. this study aimed to explore the effectiveness of using the commenting feature on the spotify app to motivate efl students to improve their speaking skills. the purpose of this research was to determine if digital media, specifically spotify's commenting feature, could enhance students' speaking abilities by providing a platform for real-time feedback and engagement. this study used a qualitative descriptive approach. data collection methods included observations, interviews, and document analysis. the research involved 20 junior high school students. data were analyzed using a descriptive narrative method. results showed that students were motivated and able to develop their speaking skills through the spotify application. this was evidenced by the quality and variety of comments submitted by the students, indicating increased confidence and engagement. the study revealed that using spotify's commenting feature can effectively enhance students' speaking skills by fostering motivation and providing a supportive environment for practice. it is recommended that educators integrate digital tools like spotify into their teaching strategies to create more engaging and interactive language learning environments. keywords: digital media; giving comment; motivation; speaking skill. mailto:wahsapto@uinkhas.ac.id devi nauli lubis & suparwoto sapto wahono enhancing efl speaking skills through spotify: the power of interactive comments 686 in enhancing language learning by providing interactive and engaging learning experiences. interactive and social media platforms have also been studied for their effectiveness in enhancing speaking skills. nasichah (2023) and rahmawati et al. (2023) analyzed students' perceptions of using tiktok to enhance speaking skills, finding positive impacts on engagement and motivation. khan et al. (2023) and roohani and vincheh (2023) discussed the role of youtube and game-based learning in improving speaking skills and vocabulary acquisition. these findings suggest that social media platforms can be powerful tools for language learning, offering diverse and engaging ways for students to practice speaking. the use of mobile applications has gained significant attention for its convenience and accessibility. ilyas and kaniadewi (2023) highlighted students' positive perceptions of using the spotify app to improve pronunciation, while elisa (2023) emphasized the broader benefits of digital media in language learning. apoko et al. (2023) discussed the effectiveness of mobileassisted language learning through apps like duolingo in enhancing vocabulary mastery. similarly, tsai (2023) examined the use of mobile augmented reality and automatic speech recognition-based materials, demonstrating their effectiveness in improving english listening and speaking skills. several studies have focused on the psychological aspects of language learning and the role of digital media in reducing anxiety and increasing motivation. saleh et al. (2023) and setyaningsih et al. (2022) explored the impact of digital media on reducing foreign language anxiety and improving speaking skills. madhavi et al. (2023) highlighted the benefits of ict and ai tools in developing learners' speaking skills, while chang and kabilan (2024) discussed the use of social media as e-portfolios to support learning in higher education. digital storytelling and game-based learning have also been identified as effective methods for enhancing speaking skills. zhussupova and shadiev (2023) explored the use of digital storytelling to facilitate academic public speaking skills in a culturally diverse multilingual classroom. roohani and heidari vincheh (2023) found that game-based, social media, and classroom-based instruction can significantly improve the learning of phrasal verbs, which are crucial for effective speaking. moreover, several researchers have examined the broader implications of digital media on language learning. rahmat et al. (2023) discussed the development of digital learning environments to support online education, emphasizing the importance of integrating technology into language learning curricula. haristiani and mumu (2020) explored the combination of chatbots and social media to enhance personal learning environments, suggesting that these tools can provide personalized learning experiences and improve language acquisition. maesyaroh et al. (2023) highlighted the advancements in webbased learning media during the covid-19 pandemic, emphasizing the role of digital tools in maintaining and enhancing language learning. in addition to these insights, several studies have explored the specific benefits of digital media in language learning contexts. fatimah et al. (2019) introduced digital comics as an innovative tool for teaching english, demonstrating their effectiveness in improving students' reading and speaking skills. pinem and rahmawan (2023) analyzed the impact of digital media elements on vocabulary learning in remote settings, finding significant improvements in students' vocabulary acquisition. prasojo and yuliana (2021) discussed the role of social media in instructional leadership, highlighting its potential to facilitate language learning through interactive and collaborative activities. despite the extensive research on digital media and language learning, there is a gap in understanding how specific digital platforms, such as spotify, can be utilized to enhance efl students' speaking skills through interactive features like commenting. most existing studies focus on general benefits of digital media and mobile applications, but few have explored the potential of using social interaction features within these platforms to motivate and improve students' speaking abilities. this study aims to fill this gap by investigating the use of spotify's commenting feature to motivate efl students to practice and improve their speaking skills. by encouraging students to leave audio comments on spotify, this study explores a novel approach to integrating digital media with language learning that goes beyond passive listening. the interactive nature of commenting can provide students with real-time feedback, promote engagement, and foster a sense of community among learners. given the increasing reliance on digital media for educational purposes, it is crucial to explore innovative methods to enhance language learning. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 687 this study's findings could provide valuable insights into the practical application of digital platforms in language education, offering educators new strategies to motivate students and improve their speaking skills. by demonstrating the effectiveness of using spotify's commenting feature, this research could contribute to the broader field of digital language learning and inform future educational practices and policies. method this study employed a qualitative descriptive approach to explore the impact of using spotify’s commenting feature on efl students’ speaking skills. this design was chosen to provide an indepth understanding of the participants' experiences, attitudes, and perceptions (lichtman, 2023; savin-baden & major, 2023). the research involved 20 seventh-grade junior high school students from a public school in jember, indonesia. participants were selected using purposive sampling to ensure basic english proficiency and familiarity with mobile applications, particularly spotify. parental consent and student assent were obtained before participation (patton, 2015; hennink et al., 2020). to gather comprehensive data, multiple data collection methods were employed. classroom observations focused on students’ engagement, participation, and use of english during speaking activities (creswell & creswell, 2018; crabtree & miller, 2023). semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather students' experiences and perceptions regarding spotify's use for improving their speaking skills (brinkmann, 2018; hennink et al., 2020). additionally, students’ comments on spotify were collected and analyzed as evidence of their engagement and speaking improvements (sankofa, 2023). the procedure began with introducing students to spotify and guiding them on its use for educational purposes (ilyas & kaniadewi, 2023). suitable english songs and podcasts were selected, and students were encouraged to listen to these contents and leave audio comments focusing on pronunciation, fluency, and expression (arsyawan et al., 2023). over four weeks, students used spotify to comment on different audio contents, leaving at least one comment per week, which was reviewed for feedback (elisa, 2023). during this period, observations noted changes in interactions and speaking activities, while interviews captured students' reflections. spotify comments were analyzed for linguistic features (fatimah et al., 2019). data from observations, interviews, and documents were analyzed using a descriptive narrative method. transcribed data were coded to identify themes related to engagement, motivation, and speaking improvement (saldaña, 2021; aurini et al., 2021). themes were developed to understand how spotify influenced students' speaking skills and perceptions (braun & clarke, 2019; elliott & timulak, 2021). comments were analyzed for vocabulary use, grammatical accuracy, pronunciation, and fluency (bowen, 2019; sankofa, 2023). to ensure the reliability and validity of the research, multiple measures were taken. crossverifying findings using multiple data sources ensured triangulation (patton, 2015; hennink et al., 2020). participants reviewed transcriptions and findings for accuracy to conduct member checking (creswell & poth, 2018; hatch, 2023). additionally, the data analysis process was reviewed by a peer researcher to ensure accuracy and unbiased interpretation (creswell & creswell, 2018; silverman & patterson, 2021). ethical approval was obtained from the school's ethics committee. informed consent was obtained from participants and their parents. confidentiality and anonymity of data were assured, and participation was voluntary (merriam & tisdell, 2016; darlington & scott, 2020). by employing these methods, this study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the potential benefits of using spotify’s commenting feature to enhance efl students' speaking skills. results and discussion the following table provides a comprehensive summary of students' experiences and perceptions regarding the use of spotify to enhance their english speaking skills. it includes details about the song titles, the number of students who liked each song, and their specific comments on the learning experience. this information is pivotal in understanding the effectiveness of integrating digital media into language learning, showcasing how modern technology can be leveraged to improve educational outcomes. the feedback collected from the 20 students highlights the diverse range of songs that were popular among the participants. for instance, "drunk text" by henry moodie received the highest number of likes, with three students expressing that listening to music on spotify helped them better understand the meaning of the songs they hear. other songs, such as "saturn" by sza and "right now" by nick jonas, were also devi nauli lubis & suparwoto sapto wahono enhancing efl speaking skills through spotify: the power of interactive comments 688 well-received, with students noting the enjoyment and interest generated by the application. these insights suggest that the integration of familiar and enjoyable content can significantly enhance the learning experience. table 1. students' feedback on using spotify application for learning english songs no title the total students who liked comment 1 saturn by sza 2 learning english songs using the spotify application is very easy and fun. pleasant and a little difficult. 2 drunk text by henry moodie 3 listening to music using the spotify application allows me to better understand the meaning of the songs i hear. 3 right now by nick jonas 2 the spotify songs are enjoyable to listen to, and the podcasts are entertaining and interesting. 4 favorite girl by justin bieber 2 i really like learning english songs using spotify. 5 somebody’s pleasure by aziz hedra 1 i really like learning to use spotify because it’s fun. 6 lily by alan walker 1 learning by using spotify is more fun and enjoyable for me. 7 for the rest of my life by maher zain 1 in my personal opinion, learning to use spotify is very exciting and i can discover new vocabulary. 8 prom queen by beach bunny 1 i am happy because i can learn english in a fun way. 9 love yourself by justin bieber 1 learning like this is easy to understand, and i really enjoy learning this way. 10 love is an open door from “frozen” 1 i like this learning method because it’s fun and not boring. 11 happier by olivia rodrigo 1 learning to use spotify is very fun because you can learn and listen to any song. 12 night changes by one direction 1 spotify makes studying enjoyable because we can listen to songs, podcasts, and much more. 13 from the start by laufey 1 in my opinion, learning using spotify helps me understand unknown english vocabulary. 14 those eyes by new west 1 it can make it easier for me to understand. 15 dandelions by ruth b 1 learning to use spotify is so much fun. 16 a thousand years by christina perri 1 very fun and not boring. furthermore, the comments section in the table offers valuable qualitative insights into students' perceptions of using spotify for learning. many students found that the platform made learning english fun and engaging, helping them discover new vocabulary and improve their pronunciation and grammar. for instance, one student mentioned that spotify made learning new vocabulary more enjoyable and less intimidating, highlighting the role of interactive and enjoyable content in facilitating language acquisition. the feedback also emphasizes the importance of using varied and contemporary digital content to maintain students' interest and motivation. students appreciated listening to current songs and podcasts, which not only made the learning process enjoyable but also relevant to their daily lives. this relevance is crucial in language learning, as it helps students see the practical applications of their studies and keeps them engaged. additionally, the ability to comment on songs and receive feedback fostered a sense of community and interaction among the students, further enhancing their learning experience. table 1 demonstrates the positive impact of using spotify as a learning tool in efl classrooms. the students' comments reveal that integrating digital media into language learning can make the process more enjoyable and effective. the table provides clear evidence that such innovative approaches can enhance students' engagement, motivation, and overall language skills, making it a valuable resource for educators looking to incorporate technology into their teaching methods. using familiar and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 689 enjoyable content, combined with interactive features, can create a more dynamic and effective learning environment, ultimately improving educational outcomes for language learners. figure 1. visualization of application results this figure illustrates the outcomes of utilizing the application, showcasing how students have interacted with and benefited from the tool. the image captures key data points and insights gathered from the study, providing a visual representation of the application's impact on students' learning experiences. figure 2: the first student’s speaking video this figure displays a snapshot from the first student's video, demonstrating their speaking performance after using the application. it highlights their progress and showcases how the tool has enhanced their speaking skills in a practical setting. figure 3: the third student’s speaking video this figure features a frame from the third student's video, illustrating their speaking abilities following the use of the application. it provides an example of the student's improvement and the effectiveness of the tool in enhancing their english speaking skills. after using an application that offers a variety of themes, students tend to select and comment on features related to the theme songs they prefer. this personalized selection process, based on students' likes, interests, and talents, significantly increases their motivation and helps develop their ideas in learning english, particularly in enhancing speaking skills. the data reveal diverse preferences among students, indicating that giving them the freedom to choose based on their interests can lead to more active and engaged learning. as kusmaryono (2024) points out, digital literacy encompasses not only technical skills but also social, critical, creative, and inspirational skills necessary for success in the digital world. this broad skill set is essential for navigating and utilizing digital tools effectively. haristiani (2020) further supports this by acknowledging that social media simplifies dynamic and complex information, making it faster and more accessible. this accessibility translates into a richer and more diverse learning experience for students. puspitarini (2019) emphasizes that the use of appropriate learning media can make educational activities more effective and efficient, aiding students in achieving their learning objectives. additionally, permana (2021) states that the creation of suitable media aims to provide learning environments that encourage active and interactive learning, leading to optimal learning outcomes. one of the key advantages of using spotify as a learning tool is its ability to run continuously even when other applications are open. this multitasking capability allows students to integrate spotify with other educational apps, enhancing their learning experience. for instance, while listening to a song on spotify, students can simultaneously use a language learning app to look up words or practice pronunciation. the theme songs selected by students come with lyrics, which help them understand the song's meaning and context. this feature is particularly beneficial for language learners as it reinforces vocabulary and comprehension through repetition and engagement with the content. moreover, learning based on android technology, such as the spotify app, expands educational opportunities beyond the traditional classroom. mobile devices, which are easily portable, enable students to learn anytime and devi nauli lubis & suparwoto sapto wahono enhancing efl speaking skills through spotify: the power of interactive comments 690 anywhere, making education more flexible and accessible. this aspect of mobile learning is highlighted by al-mashhadani & al-rawe (2018), who note that mobile technology facilitates varied learning modes, allowing students to engage with educational content in diverse settings. the interactive nature of spotify also fosters a sense of community among students. by commenting on songs and sharing their thoughts, students can engage in discussions, provide feedback to one another, and collaborate on learning activities. this interaction not only enhances their speaking skills but also builds their confidence in using english in real-world contexts. additionally, the variety of content available on spotify, including podcasts and different music genres, offers students a wide range of listening experiences that cater to various learning styles and preferences. the integration of spotify into language learning provides numerous benefits that go beyond traditional educational methods. it leverages students' interests and preferences, making learning more engaging and effective. the ability to use the application alongside other tools, the inclusion of lyrics for better comprehension, and the flexibility of mobile learning collectively contribute to a more dynamic and interactive learning environment. these factors, supported by the observations of kusmaryono (2024), haristiani (2020), puspitarini (2019), and permana (2021), underscore the potential of digital media platforms like spotify to revolutionize language education and motivate students to improve their english speaking skills. the study highlights the significant impact of using spotify as a digital tool to enhance students' english speaking skills. the positive feedback from students indicates that integrating familiar and enjoyable content into the learning process can greatly improve motivation and engagement. by using spotify, students were able to interact with content in a way that felt natural and enjoyable, leading to a more effective learning experience. this approach not only helps students improve their language skills but also builds their confidence in using english in various contexts. the ability to comment on songs and receive feedback created a collaborative learning environment that further enriched the educational experience. additionally, the study demonstrates how digital media can be leveraged to cater to different learning styles and preferences, making education more inclusive and personalized. the variety of songs and podcasts available on spotify provided students with ample opportunities to explore different aspects of the english language, from vocabulary and pronunciation to grammar and comprehension. this diversity in content helped students to engage with the language in a holistic manner, promoting better retention and understanding. based on the findings of this study, several recommendations can be made for educators and institutions looking to incorporate digital media into their language teaching practices. firstly, educators should consider integrating digital media tools like spotify into their curriculum to enhance language learning. this integration can be achieved by designing activities that encourage students to explore and interact with digital content, thus making the learning process more engaging and effective. additionally, encouraging student autonomy is crucial. allowing students to choose their learning materials based on their interests can significantly increase motivation and engagement. educators should provide a variety of digital content options and encourage students to take an active role in their learning process. this approach not only caters to individual preferences but also fosters a sense of ownership over their learning journey. creating interactive learning environments is another essential recommendation. digital tools should be used to foster interactive and collaborative learning spaces. encouraging students to comment on digital content, share their thoughts, and engage in discussions with peers can enhance their learning experience and build a community of learners. this interaction can help students feel more connected and supported in their educational endeavors. furthermore, leveraging mobile technology can expand learning opportunities beyond the traditional classroom setting. the flexibility offered by mobile devices allows students to engage in language learning activities anytime and anywhere. educators should encourage the use of mobile technology for educational purposes, making learning more accessible and convenient for students. providing training and support for educators is also vital. educators need to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively integrate digital media into their teaching practices. institutions should offer the necessary support and resources to ensure the successful english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 691 implementation of these digital tools. training programs can help educators stay updated with the latest technological advancements and pedagogical strategies. lastly, it is important to regularly evaluate and adapt the use of digital media tools in the learning process. continuous assessment of the effectiveness of these tools, along with being open to adapting strategies based on student feedback and learning outcomes, is essential. this ongoing evaluation ensures that digital integration remains relevant and effective, ultimately leading to better educational outcomes for students. integrating digital media into language teaching practices, fostering student autonomy, creating interactive learning environments, leveraging mobile technology, providing training and support for educators, and regularly evaluating and adapting strategies are key recommendations for enhancing language learning through digital tools. these approaches can create a more dynamic and effective learning environment, benefiting both students and educators. conclusion the integration of spotify as a learning tool has shown considerable potential in enhancing students' english speaking skills. by leveraging familiar and enjoyable content, educators can create a more engaging and effective learning environment. the flexibility and accessibility of digital media make it a valuable resource in modern education, allowing students to learn in a way that suits their preferences and lifestyles. with proper integration and support, digital media tools can revolutionize language learning, providing students with the skills and confidence they need to succeed in their language acquisition journey. spotify's vast library of songs, podcasts, and audio content offers a wealth of authentic material that students can use to practice their listening and speaking skills. by selecting content that resonates with their interests, students are more likely to stay motivated and engaged in the learning process. this personalized approach not only makes learning more enjoyable but also helps students develop a deeper connection with the language. for instance, students can listen to their favorite songs and practice pronunciation and intonation by singing along, or they can listen to podcasts on topics they are passionate about and then discuss them in class, thereby improving their fluency and conversational skills. moreover, the interactive features of spotify, such as the ability to comment on songs and share playlists, can foster a sense of community and collaboration among students. by discussing their favorite tracks and sharing insights, students can learn from each other and gain different perspectives on the language. this collaborative learning environment can be further enhanced by incorporating assignments that require students to create and share their own playlists based on specific themes or linguistic features, such as vocabulary or grammar points. this not only reinforces their understanding of the material but also allows them to express their creativity and personal preferences, making the learning experience more meaningful and relevant to their lives. in addition to fostering engagement and collaboration, the use of spotify in language learning can also promote autonomy and selfdirected learning. students can take control of their learning journey by exploring different types of content and identifying areas where they need improvement. for example, they can use spotify to listen to native speakers and mimic their pronunciation, or they can use the app to discover new vocabulary and phrases in context. by encouraging students to take ownership of their learning, educators can help them develop the skills and confidence needed to become independent and proficient language users. this autonomy not only prepares students for realworld communication but also instills a lifelong love of learning that extends beyond the classroom. references apoko, t. w., dunggio, a. a., & chong, s. l. (2023). the students’ perceptions on the use of mobileassisted language learning through duolingo in improving vocabulary mastery at the tertiary level. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 17-26. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7069 arsyawan, r. a., shodiq, j., & wulandri, s. (2023). students’ perceptions on spotify application in improving english pronunciation. didaktik: jurnal ilmiah pgsd fkip universitas mandiri, 9(4), 2477-5673. asratie, m. g., wale, b. d., & aylet, y. t. (2023). effects of using educational technology tools to enhance efl students’ speaking performance. education and information technologies, 28(8), 10031-10051. aurini, j. d., heath, m., & howells, s. (2021). the how to of qualitative research. sage. devi nauli lubis & suparwoto sapto wahono enhancing efl speaking skills through spotify: the power of interactive comments 692 bowen, g. a. (2019). document analysis as a qualitative research method. qualitative research journal, 9(2), 27-40. braun, v., & clarke, v. (2019). reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. qualitative research in sport, exercise and health, 11(4), 589-597. brinkmann, s. (2018). the interview. in n. k. denzin & y. s. lincoln (eds.), the sage handbook of qualitative research (5th ed., pp. 576-599). sage publications. cardano, m. (2020). defending qualitative research: design, analysis, and textualization. routledge. chang, s. l., & kabilan, m. k. (2024). using social media as e-portfolios to support learning in higher education: a literature analysis. journal of computing in higher education, 36(1), 1-28. crabtree, b. f., & miller, w. l. (2023). doing qualitative research. sage publications. creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). sage publications. creswell, j. w., & poth, c. n. (2018). qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). sage publications. darlington, y., & scott, d. (2020). qualitative research in practice: stories from the field. routledge. elisa, l. (2023). students’ perceptions of using digital media in english language learning. journal of social work and science education, 4(3), 937949. elliott, r., & timulak, l. (2021). essentials of descriptive-interpretive qualitative research: a generic approach. american psychological association. fadhly, f. z., & apriyani, f. (2022). exploring labiodental consonant pronunciation challenges faced by sundanese efl learners: effective strategies for improvement. journal of english language teaching and linguistics, 7(3), 629640. fatimah, a. s., santiana, s., & saputra, y. (2019). digital comic: an innovation of using toondoo as media technology for teaching english short story. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 101-108. https://doi:10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1526 fitria, t. n. (2023). using tiktok application as an english teaching media: a literature review. journal of english teaching, applied linguistics and literatures, 6(2), 109-124. haristiani, n., & mumu, m. r. (2020). combining chatbot and social media: enhancing personal learning environment (ple) in language learning. journal of science & technology, 5(2), 487-506. hasanah, m., & wahono, s. s. (2022). watching english native speakers’ youtube channel to improve students’ pronunciation ability. journal of language intelligence and culture, 4(1), 1532. hatch, j. a. (2023). doing qualitative research in education settings. state university of new york press. hennink, m., hutter, i., & bailey, a. (2020). qualitative research methods. sage. ilyas, a. a., & kaniadewi, n. (2023). students’ perception on the use of spotify to improve students’ pronunciation. english education journal, 3(2), 119-132. khan, a., farhat, p. a., & ali, s. (2023). a study on students’ perception: enhancing speaking skill for esl learners through youtube. global digital & print media review, vi, 312-323. kusmaryono, i., & basir, m. a. (2024). learning media projects with youtube videos: a dynamic tool for improving mathematics achievement. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 13(2), 934-942. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i2.26720 lashari, a. a., rizvi, y., abbasi, f. n., kurd, s. a., solangi, m. a., & golo, m. a. (2023). analyzing the impacts of social media use on learning english language. al-qanṭara, 9(4), 133-146. lichtman, m. (2023). qualitative research in education: a user's guide. routledge. madhavi, e., sivapurapu, l., koppula, v., rani, p. e., & sreehari, v. (2023). developing learners’ english-speaking skills using ict and ai tools. journal of advanced research in applied sciences and engineering technology, 32(2), 142-153. maesyaroh, s., asikin, n. d., & daswa. (2023). advancing english language learning: innovations in web-based learning media during covid-19 pandemic. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 475-484. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6248 meida, s. n., & fadhly, f. z. (2018). the analysis of teacher and students talk in indonesian efl classroom interaction. indonesian efl journal, 4(1), 73-82. merriam, s. b., & tisdell, e. j. (2016). qualitative research: a guide to design and implementation, (4th ed.). john wiley & sons. mohzana, m. (2023). strategies for developing speaking skills by utilizing language learning podcasts. international journal of language and ubiquitous learning, 1(4), 222-234. nasichah, a. h. (2023). analyzing students’ perception about the use of tiktok application to enhance students’ speaking skills at uin prof. kh saifuddin zuhri purwokerto. elite journal, 5(1), 101-110. nassaji, h. (2020). good qualitative research. language teaching research, 24(4), 427-431. nuraeni, l., & fadhly, f. z. (2018). teacher’s correction strategies on students’ errors in efl https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i2.26720 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 693 speaking class. indonesian journal of learning and instruction, 1(2), 39-44. nurhayati, d. p., fadhly, f. z., & rahmatunisa, w. (2021). the student’s production of speech sound disorder and its causes. indonesian journal of learning and instruction, 4(2), 3946. parmawati, a., & inayah, r. (2019). improving students’ speaking skill through english movie in scope of speaking for general communication. eltin journal, 7(2), 43-53. https://doi.org/10.22460/eltin.v7i2.p43-53 patton, m. q. (2015). qualitative research & evaluation methods: integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). sage publications. permana, a. i., & megawati, f. (2021). disney movie soundtrack: does it give effect to students’ speaking skill?. script journal: journal of linguistics and english teaching, 6(2), 143153. http://jurnal.fkipuwgm.ac.id/index.php/script pinem, y. a., & rahmawan, a. d. (2023). elements of digital media in vocabulary remote-learning achievement. international journal of evaluation and research in education (ijere), 12(2), 893-904. prasojo, d. l., & yuliana, l. (2021). how is social media used by indonesian school principals for instructional leadership? cakrawala pendidikan, 40(1), 70-80. rahmat, f., suharyadi, a., firdaus, f. m., & bustari, m. (2023). developing a digital learning environment team-based project to support online learning in indonesia. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 12(3), 1599-1608. doi: 10.11591/ijere.v12i3.24040 rahmawati, a., syafei, m., & prasetiyanto, m. a. (2023). improving speaking skills through tiktok application: an endeavor of utilizing social media in higher education. journal of languages and language teaching, 11(1), 137143. rashidova, z., & asadova, c. (2024). interactive methods in developing young learners' speaking skills. theoretical aspects in the formation of pedagogical sciences, 3(1), 117-121. robillos, r. j. (2023). improving students’ speaking performance and communication engagement through technology-mediated pedagogical approach. international journal of instruction, 16(1), 551-572. roohani, a., & heidari vincheh, m. (2023). effect of game-based, social media, and classroom-based instruction on the learning of phrasal verbs. computer assisted language learning, 36(3), 375-399. sagita, m., & ramlan, v. n. (2020). the effect of using english songs on the students’ speaking skill. jurnal sains riset (jsr), 10(1), 88-93. salamah, s., & sulhan, m. (2023). the effect of perception on learning media and vocabulary mastery on english speaking ability. inference: journal of english language teaching, 5(3), 236-243. saldaña, j. (2021). the coding manual for qualitative researchers (4th ed.). sage publications. saleh, y. r., akhmad, e., & akhmad, z. (2023). nonlinguistic aspect caused students’ foreign language anxiety in speaking english. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 917-924. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.7803 sankofa, nicole. (2023). critical method of document analysis. international journal of social research methodology, 26(6), 745-757. savin-baden, m., & major, c. (2023). qualitative research: the essential guide to theory and practice. routledge. setyaningsih, s. i., fansury, a. h., & maulina (2022). verbal-linguistics intelligence towards student’s speaking english skills using digital media (audio visual) in the classroom. journal of education, language teaching and science, 4(2), 296-306. sevara, n., & akramovna, t. u. (2023). empowering effective communication: innovative methods for teaching speaking skills. ta'lim innovatsiyasi va integratsiyasi, 11(1), 133-136. silverman, r. m., & patterson, k. (2021). qualitative research methods for community development. routledge. tiu, j., groenewald, e., kilag, o. k., balicoco, r., wenceslao, s., & asentado, d. (2023). enhancing oral proficiency: effective strategies for teaching speaking skills in communication classrooms. excellencia: international multi-disciplinary journal of education, 1(6), 343-354. tsai, s. c. (2023). learning with mobile augmented reality-and automatic speech recognition-based materials for english listening and speaking skills: effectiveness and perceptions of nonenglish major english as a foreign language students. journal of educational computing research, 61(2), 444-465. wahono, s. s., & zahro, i. h. n. (2021). using inquiry based learning to improve student’s speaking skills. journal of language intelligence and culture, 3(2), 125-138. wicaksana, h. s., kusumaningrum, r., & gernowo, r. (2024). determining community happiness index with transformers and attention-based deep learning. iaes international journal of artificial intelligence 13(2), 1753-1761. zhussupova, r., & shadiev, r. (2023). digital storytelling to facilitate academic public speaking skills: case study in culturally diverse multilingual classroom. journal of computers in education, 10(3), 499-526. devi nauli lubis & suparwoto sapto wahono enhancing efl speaking skills through spotify: the power of interactive comments 694 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 875 lexicostatistics of malay and malagasy languages: comparative historical linguistic study wan anayati english literature study program, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: wnnt70@gmail.com muhammad kiki wardana english literature study program, faculty of language and communication, universitas harapan email: muhammadkikiwardana@gmail.com mayasari english literature study program, faculty of language and communication, universitas harapan email: mayasarispdmsi@gmail.com purwarno purwarno english literature study program, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: purwarno@sastra.uisu.ac.id apa citation: anayati, w., wardana, m. k., mayasari., & purwarno, p. (2022). lexicostatistics of malay and malagasy languages: comparative historical linguistic study. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 875-882. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6690 received: 29-06-2022 accepted: 23-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction history reveals there is a strong and pivotal relationship between madagascar and indonesia. some scientific and academic evidences unveil that the ancestors of the madagascar people came from the archipelago. in addition to the similarities in the physiology of the people with indonesian, another similarity is found in the language. madagascar's official language is malagasy, which is believed to be similar to other indonesian languages, such as banjarese malay, dayak, and some sabah languages in malaysia. ducros (2018) argues that the malagasy language comes from the southeastern barito language in borneo, kalimantan. this is also approved by serva & pasquini (2020) who highlighted that malagasy has a very strong connection to one of the languages in indonesia. in addition to the previous fact, beaujard (2011) and serva et al. (2013) in their researches attempt to investigate historically about the early migration of indonesian people to madagascar in accordance with what has been done by dahl (2011) in his previous research in the same scientific area. the opinion of these experts concludes from some forensic linguistic evidences in which it is true that the malagasy language originated in borneo. it is estimated that the first indonesians got to madagascar by sea about one thousand to two thousand years ago. the most likely explanation about the ancestors of the abstract: this study examines the kinship of the malay language and the malagasy language. these two languages come from the same proto language, namely proto austronesian (pan). departing from the researchers’ assumptions about the linguistic relationship both at the phoneme and morpheme levels, there is a close kinship system or relationship between these two languages. even though they are geographically and geo-politically separated, preliminary research on these two languages shows several universal features, one of which is that both languages are agglutinative languages. therefore, this study is an attempt to find empirical evidence about the separation time between malay and malagasy by using language grouping methods and lexicostatistical techniques. the first stage, the researchers collect 300 basic vocabularies compiled by swadesh (1995). the method used in providing the data is the referential method, while the technique used is the note-taking technique. second, the researchers determine which pairs of the two languages are cognate languages. third, the researchers calculate the age and separation time of the two languages. fourth, the researchers calculate the error term to determine a more precise separation time. the result of this research indicates that malay and malagasy were a single language at 4223-3951 thousand years ago and began to separate from their proto languages in 2201-1929 bc. keywords: comparative historical linguistics; kinship; lexicostatistics; malagasy language; malay language. mailto:wnnt70@gmail.com mailto:muhammadkikiwardana@gmail.com mailto:mayasarispdmsi@gmail.com wan anayati, muhammad kiki wardana, mayasari, purwarno purwarno lexicostatistics of malay and malagasy languages: comparative historical linguistic study 876 madagascar is that they did not sail alone but were brought as slaves by malay sailors. evidences from other studies say that the madagascar community comes from approximately 30 women from indonesia (ramanantsoa et al., 2021) and this has been concurred by goodman & jungers (2018 ) and serva (2018). the most recent study on this area was written by serva & pasquini (2022) who concur that malagasy language was initially identified as a member of the austronesian family around the beginning of the 17th century. it is particularly similar to several of the languages spoken in indonesia. dahl, who in 1951 clearly established a startling kinship with maanyan, spoken in the south-east of kalimantan, is responsible for the connection to a specific indonesian language. the introduction of bantu terminology has been extremely restricted; in contrast, the genetic makeup of the malagasy people is primarily african and indonesian. while linguistics and genetics concur that indonesian sailors colonized madagascar in the second half of the first millennium, they dispute on the significance of east africa in this process. the facts above are very interesting to be studied further from a linguistic perspective as said by dardanila et al. (2020) that an analytical approach was carried out to know how far the historical relations of one language with another were compared. it is enhanced further by aminin & dacholfany (2021) who state that related languages have their history of development that needs to be studied historically. therefore, the comparative historical linguistic study tries to connect and relate the points of knowledge that are still tenuous in discussing the kinship of the malay language used in indonesia with the malagasy language. as two languages that come from the austronesian family, and have the same type, namely agglutinative, then the search for language kinship, the time of separation of languages and when these two languages are in the same family need to be studied more deeply. researches related to lexicostatistics in the proto austronesian family (pan) only focus on the comparison of languages in the archipelago, and only a few discuss other languages such as malagasy, cebuano, ilokano, and the austronesian language family located in pacific island countries. therefore, this research tries to fill the gap in knowledge related to the discussion in the same area. some studies on lexicostatistics have been carried out, such as reid (2018; 2017) attempts to research the philippine language as one of the austronesian languages and the result of the research which breaks the assumption that tagalog has more words related to ilokano than bikolano, but it unveils that tagalog, ilokano, and bikolano have the same proportion of cognates. current research on another lexicostatistics study conducted by wardana et al. (2022) which discovered that the results of this study indicate that malay and tagalog share about 28% of words that are related and fall into the category of stock clumps. other results also show that malay and ilocano historically and linguistically are closer and classified as category of language stock with the cognate or related words as much as 31%. meanwhile, research conducted by sofiyatunnida & hendrokumoro (2021) on lexicostatistics of malay and mandailing reveals that batak mandailing and malay have a percentage of 58% kinship. based on lexicostatistical calculations of 200 lists of swadesh’s vocabulary in batak mandailing and malay, 114 kinship vocabularies and 84 non-relative vocabularies are found. the conclusion of this research is that batak mandailing and malay are related and belong to the language family level. another study on malay was conducted by istiqamah (2017) who claims that that (1) the kinship level of acehnese language with malay is 48.4%, (2) acehnese language and malay began to separate from its proton language (parent language) since 1,635 years ago, (3) the acehnese language with the malay language is included in the classification of the language family. further research about lexicostatistics is presented by mbangi & marafad (2018) which found that according to the analysis's findings, which were based on the lexicostatistic technique, there is a quantitative 39% vocabulary similarity between the tolaki and culambacu languages. both languages diverged from a protolanguage around 230–307 years ago. abner et al. (2020) reveal that the study of sign language families and histories is less advanced and suggest a lexicostatistic analysis utilizing modern quantitative techniques and discuss the tools and techniques for annotation that can make this approach easier. another research on austronesian language that is close to both indonesian language and malagasy language is conducted by paul & ralalaoherivony (2020) and cole & hermon (2018) which presented in a thorough investigation of the languages spoken in the philippine territory of the zambales mountains, a lexicostatistic survey was carried out. six separate languages were defined as a result of the survey, which involved the gathering and analysis of about forty-word lists in a region where the linguistic situation was previously mostly english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 877 unknown. this article proposes a general-use computer software that significantly improved the accuracy and speed of the lexicostatistic analysis and presents the survey results as a language tree. arokoyo & lagunju (2019) examine african languages of yorùbá, àkúré ̣ and ìkàré ̣ àkókó dialects and discovered that standard yorùbá and kré had a greater cognate percentage (86.40%), followed by kàré, kókó, and kré (74.60%), and standard yorùbá and kàré, kókó (78.90% cognates). this study found that standard yorùbá and kré have a higher degree of mutual intelligibility than standard yorùbá and kàré kókó, although kàré kókó and kré have a lower level of mutual intelligibility. adjacent to this research, hendrokumoro & temaja (2019) conducted a study on malagasy and ma’anyan language and revealed that the findings show that both languages' lexicostatistical cognate percentage is 37%. the two languages diverged from their protolanguage between 273 bc and 94 ce, according to glottochronology calculations (2018). four different types of sound modifications and seven sets of sound correspondence are found qualitatively. nurhayati (2017) in her findings indicate that the malay (indonesian) and bugis languages are related. there are 72 terms in the bugis language that are kin to words in the indonesian language. there are 14 similarly identical words among the 72 comparable words, as well as insertions, metathesis, sound modifications, sound increments, and sound disappearances. based on these findings, it was also discovered that the malay language (indonesian), along with the bugis language, split out from their parent language 414 years ago. last but not least, ntelu (2017) exposed that the findings of this study further demonstrate that the glottochronology of the gorontalo and atinggola languages is as follows: (a) at 1.377 + 122 years ago, gorontalo and atinggola languages were one single language; (b) at 1.449 1.255 years ago. the study's findings are (a) that these two languages are related through kinship and (b) that the separation of the gorontalo and atinggola languages occurred between 1.4 and 1.2 thousand years ago, or in the 12th to 14th century. lexicostatistics technique not only serves to determine the percentage of related words and calculate language age, but can also be used for grouping kin languages. languages that show a high percentage of kinship are groups that are closer in membership, while those with a low percentage of kinship are groups whose membership level or kinship is more distant. according to keraf (in indrariani, 2017) lexicostatistics is a technique in language grouping that tends to prioritize statistically observing words (lexicon). meanwhile, glottochronology groups the lexicon between languages to calculate the age of related languages. this echoes starostin (2013) about both "glottochronology" and "lexicostatistics," two approaches originally put forth by swadesh in (suzuki, 2019) to construct relative genetic classifications of languages based on percentages of related items in their basic lexicons, have not been particularly well-liked by mainstream comparative linguists because of an early set of critical works that called into question their general veracity. the majority of lexicostatistical research is avowedly quantitative; it has primarily focused on analyzing pairwise comparisons of languages to determine the percentage of cognate forms they contain and has built trees from the results of these pairwise comparisons, which are then presented in matrices or are displayed in tree-like cladograms after being expressed in tables of percentages (grant, 2010). swadesh (1995) proposed a classification of language kinship systems, namely: table 1. classification of language kinship systems (keraf, in indrariani 2017) language level separation time in centuries percentage of relatives language 0-5 100-81 language family 5-25 81-36 stock 25-50 36-12 micro phylum 50-75 12-4 meso phylum 75-100 4-1 macro phylum 100-more 1-less than1% method this research was examined using language grouping methods and lexicostatistical techniques. the first stage, the researchers collect 207 basic vocabularies compiled by swadesh (1955). the method used in providing this data is a referential method, while the technique used is a note-taking technique (kesuma, 2007, p.48; sudaryanto, 1993, pp.13-16; sudaryanto, 1988, p.5). second, determine the word kin (cognate) to find the percentage of kinship from the three languages by classifying based on: (a) identical pairs, (b) phonemic correspondence pairs, (c) phonetically similar pairs, (d) different pairs. one phoneme. third, calculate the age and separation time of the three languages and also calculate the error range to determine a more precise separation time. fourth, the preparation of the classification of kinship systems, whether as one language wan anayati, muhammad kiki wardana, mayasari, purwarno purwarno lexicostatistics of malay and malagasy languages: comparative historical linguistic study 878 (language), language family (subfamily), language family (stock), micro phylum, meso phylum, or macro phylum (keraf, 1996). results and discussion based on the cognate percentage, malay and malagasy are included in the family of stock family with the word relatives reaching up to 16.5%. loanwords from malay and (to a lesser extent) javanese have been incorporated into malagasy, and they occasionally refer to historical details that historians, archaeologists, and anthropologists were previously unaware of competent to establish loanwords indicate that the earliest malagasy settlers in the east. the malays had already established contact with africa during the malay era. madagascar contacts took a while. this time frame began prior to the move. until after interactions between austronesians and east africans, when madagascar has a multicultural society as a result of the presence of africans (mostly bantus). we are able to phase malaymalagasy encounters because of two factors. a number of time periods, including the appearance of banjarese malay loanwords and the malay loanwords that haven't undergone any significant etymological phonological alterations. when the first european settlers arrived, malay had surpassed chinese as the primary interethnic language in southeast asia and beyond. it served as the interethnic commerce language, but it had also evolved into the language of islam, probably because muslim traders from the middle east and india were the first to introduce islam to the harbor towns of the archipelago. malacca's status as the epicenter of islamic malay culture was terminated by the entrance of the portuguese. the position of the malay was unaffected. the nature of the portuguese reconquista required them to go beyond trade because they had been fighting the "moors" both inside and outside of portugal for ages. they launched an aggressive campaign to spread catholicism. and they spoke malay, which was the most generally recognized language, for this purpose. for instance, the jesuit francis xavier spent considerable time in malacca studying malay before going to east indonesia to convert the moluccans (adelaar & himmelmann, 2019) the distinctive feature of madagascar is that it is essentially monolingual, meaning that the local dialects that make up the malagasy language are closely linked to one another. a small comoran village that speaks bantu is located in the northwest, and there used to be a purportedly arabic-speaking settlement in the southeast. there are also several immigrants and expatriates from france, china, pakistan, and india. however, the nation can be characterized as being linguistically homogeneous overall. ecologically and economically, however, it is not, which is ultimately the cause of the national language's development's resemblance to the philippine situation (adelaar & himmelmann, 2019) the official language of madagascar, as well as a number of communities on mayotte in the comores, is malagasy. the exact level of mutual intelligibility of malagasy lects is difficult to measure despite having a standard written form due to the widespread use of a standard variation. there are many dialects of malagasy, but the most significant ones are merina, tanala, betsileo, antankarana, tsimehety, and sakalava (blench, 2018). adelaar (2017; 2021) strengthens his findings in his early research by saying that if linguistic areas are not required to be physically adjacent to one another, southern borneo and madagascar constitute one such area. it is supported by four structural linguistic characteristics that appear in the languages ngaju, ma'anyan, banjar malay, and malagasy. considering the shortcomings of the many formulations of the idea of the linguistic area. both the applicability of this notion and the veracity of the relevant aspects may be questioned in light of this result. lexicostatistics on malay and malagasy after determining the word relatives, the next step is to find the percentage of relatives with the formula: c= vt x 100% vd information: c= relative word; vt= number of relatives' vocabulary; vd= amount of gloss calculated c= vt x 100% = vd 33 x 100% = 0,165 x 100% = 16.5 % 200 once the percentage of relatives is known, we can calculate the separation time from malay and malagasy is known: c = 16.5 % log r = 80,5 % asked: w= ......? english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 879 answer: w = log.c 2 log.r w = log -1.833 2 x log 0,805 w = -1,833 2 x (-0,217) w = -1,833 -0,434 w = 4,223 the split time is multiplied by 1000 so that the result becomes 4.223. so, the calculation of the initial separation time for malay and malagasy is 4.223 years ago. in other words, the calculation of the initial separation time of malay and malagasy can be expressed as follows: (1) malay and malagasy are thought to have formed a single language about 4,223 years ago. (2) malay and malagasy are thought to have started to separate from their proto language around 2201 bc (calculated in 2022). after the results of the separation of malay and malagasy are known, the next step is to calculate the error term. this is done to avoid miscalculations and to set a more precise separation time. it should be remembered that to anticipate errors in statistics is to give an estimate, not in a certain time, but in a certain time period. the following formula can be used to calculate the error term: s = standard error in the percentage of relative words c = percentage of relative words n = number of words compared, both relatives and non-relatives is known: c = 0.16 n = 200 asked: s = ….? answer: s = √c(1 − c n s = √0,16 (1 − 0,16) 200 = √0,16x 0,84 200 s = √0,1344 200 = 0,0259 (rounded to 0, 02) the result of this standard error (0.02) is summed with the percentage of initial relatives (c1) to get c2 (c2 = c1 + s). so c2 the result is 0.16+0.02=0.18. with c2, the separation time can be calculated again, using the same formula: c2 = 18% log r = 0,805 w2 = ......? w2 = log 0,18 2 log 0,805 w2 = -1,715 2 x -0,217 w2 = -1,715 -0,434 w2= 3,951. this separation time is eventually multiplied by 1000 to get 3,951. thus, we can calculate the error term is = w1 – w2 = 4.223 – 3.951 = 272. so, the age of malay and malagasy can be expressed as follows: (1) malay and malagasy are thought to have formed a single language around 4223 – 3951 years ago. (2) malay and malagasy are a single language in 4495-3951 years ago. (3) malay and malagasy are thought to have started to separate from the proto malay language around 2201-1929 bc (calculated in 2022). conclusion malay and malagasy come from the same family, namely the proto austronesia (pan) family whose kinship is found through the lexicostatistical technique as much as 16.5% and is included in the family of stock group. malay and malagasy were a single language 4495-3951 years ago and were separated from their proto language around 22011929 bc. acknowledgements the researchers would like to thank the institutions for fully supporting the completion of this research. the researchers are also grateful to wan anayati, muhammad kiki wardana, mayasari, purwarno purwarno lexicostatistics of malay and malagasy languages: comparative historical linguistic study 880 colleagues who have contributed to facilitate the process of completing this research. the researchers also express their gratitude to their family and friends who have motivated the researchers to continue working in academics. references abner, n., geraci, c., yu, s., lettieri, j., mertz, j., & salgat, a. (2020). getting the upper hand on sign language families: historical analysis and annotationmethods. feast. formal and experimental advances in sign language theory, 3(2020), 17–29. https://doi.org/10.31009/feast.i3.02 adelaar, a. (2017). who were the first malagasy, and what did they speak? spirits and ships: cultural transfers in early monsoon asia, october, 441– 469. https://doi.org/10.1355/9789814762779-012 adelaar, a. (2021). south borneo as an ancient sprachbund area. wacana, 22(1), 81–101. https://doi.org/10.17510/wacana.v22i1.963 adelaar, a. & himmelmann, n. p. (2019). the austronesian languages of asia and madagascar. routledge. aminin, s., & dacholfany, m. i. (2021). protoaustronesian historical relations on the development of the proto-melayic aspect of malay with lampung language. linguistics and culture review, 5(1), 438–452. https://doi.org/10.21744/lingcure.v5n1.1895 arokoyo, b. e., & lagunju, o. o. (2019). a lexicostatistics comparison of standard yorùbá, àkúré ̣ and ìkàré ̣ àkókó dialects. journal of universal language, 20(2), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2019.20.2.1 beaujard, p. (2011). the first migrants to madagascar and their introduction of plants: linguistic and ethnological evidence. azania, 46(2), 169–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/0067270x.2011.580142 blench, r. (2018). the austronesians in madagascar and their interaction with the bantu of the east african coast : surveying the linguistic evidence for domestic and translocated animals. studies in phiippine languages and cultures, 18, 18–43. cole, p., & hermon, g. (2018). malay/indonesian syntax from an austronesian perspective: an introduction. lingua, 118(10), 1431–1439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2007.08.003 dahl, ø. (2011). linguistic policy challenges in madagascar. north-south contributions to african languages, brøgger 2000, 51–79. https://brage.bibsys.no/xmlui//bitstream/handle/1 1250/162102/od_linguistic_policy.pdf?sequenc e=1 dardanila., mulyadi., & tantawi, i. (2020). lexicostatistics of gayo language with mandailing language. proceedings of the international conference of science, technology, engineering, environmental and ramification researches (icosteerr 2018), august, 1199–1203. https://doi.org/10.5220/0010069511991203 ducros, h. b. (2018). reclaiming islandness through cloth circulation in madagascar. island studies journal, 13(2), 25–38. https://doi.org/10.24043/isj.69 grant, a. p. (2010). on using qualitative lexicostatistics to illuminate language history. diachronica, 27(2), 277–300. https://doi.org/10.1075/dia.27.2.06gra hendrokumoro, h., & temaja, i. g. b. w. b. (2019). the genetic relationship between ma’anyan and malagasy (hubungan kekekerabatan bahasa ma’anyan dan bahasa malagasi). metalingua: jurnal penelitian bahasa, 17(2), 113. https://doi.org/10.26499/metalingua.v17i2.312 indrariani, e. a. (2017). leksikostastik bahasa jawa dan bahasa sunda. pibsi, 3(9), 1–10. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/151236694.pdf istiqamah. (2017). kekerabatan bahasa aceh dengan bahasa melayu (malaysia): kajian linguistik komparatif. seminar nasional ii usm 2017, 1, 222–226. mbangi, l. i., & marafad, l. o. s. (2018). the lexicostatistic study of culambacu language with tolaki language. cakrawala linguista, 1(1), 28. https://doi.org/10.26737/cling.v1i1.496 ntelu, d. n. d. (2017). the language family relation of local languages in gorontalo province a lexicostatistic study. journal of arts and humanities, 06(11), 48–59. nurhayati. (2017). kinship of indonesia language and bugis language (lexicostatistics analysis). international journal of science and research (ijsr), 6(11), 1082–1086. https://doi.org/10.21275/art20177991 paul, i., & ralalaoherivony, b. s. (2020). culminating and non-culminating accomplishments in malagasy. 58(5), 1285–1322. ramanantsoa, j. d., penven, p., raj, r. p., renault, l., ponsoni, l., ostrowski, m., dilmahamod, a. f., & rouault, m. (2021). where and how the east madagascar current retroflection originates?. journal of geophysical research: oceans, 126(11), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020jc016203 reid, l. a. (2018). modeling the linguistic situation in the philippines. lets talk about trees: genetic relationships of languages and their phylogenic representation, 98(1991), 91–105. serva, m. (2018). the origins of the malagasy people, some certainties and a few mysteries. instituto de estudos avancados transdisciplinares, august, 1–13. http://arxiv.org/abs/1803.02197 serva, m., & pasquini, m. (2020). dialects of madagascar. plos one, 15(10 october), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240170 serva, m., & pasquini, m. (2022). linguistic clues suggest that the indonesian colonizers directly sailed to madagascar. language sciences, 93, 101497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langsci.2022.101497 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 881 serva, m., petroni, f., volchenkov, d., & wichmann, s. (2013). from indonesia to madagascar: in search of the origins of the malagasy language. indian ocean review of science and technology, 1–13. sofiyatunnida, & hendrokumoro. (2021). leksikostatistik bahasa mandailing dan bahasa melayu. nusa, 16(2), 165–180. starostin, g. s. (2013). lexicostatistics as a basis for language classification. in h. fangerau, h. geisler, & t. halling (eds.), classification and evolution in biology, linguistics and the history of science. concepts – methods – visualization., hymes, pp.125–146. franz steiner verlag. suzuki, h. (2019). 100 linguistic maps of the swadesh word list of tibetic languages from yunnan. ilcaa. wardana, m. k., iqbal, m., sastra, d., universitas, i., medan, h., linguistik, d., sumatera, u., pendidikan, d., indonesia, b., & kuala, u. s. (2022). lexicostatistics of malay, tagalog and ilocano languages: a comparisonal historical linguistic. journal education and development, 10(3), 475–479. wan anayati, muhammad kiki wardana, mayasari, purwarno purwarno lexicostatistics of malay and malagasy languages: comparative historical linguistic study 882 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 811 creating engaging e-modules for teaching procedure text writing to seventh graders at islamic integrated jhs harapan mulia palembang using google sites sumiati (corresponding author) master program in language education, faculty of teacher training and educational sciences, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: sumymuchtar@gmail.com sri indrawati master program in language education, faculty of teacher training and educational sciences, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: sriindrawati1207@gmail.com ernalida master program in language education, faculty of teacher training and educational sciences, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: ernalida@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa citation: sumiati., indrawati, s., & ernalida. (2023). creating engaging e-modules for teaching procedure text writing to seventh graders at islamic integrated jhs harapan mulia palembang using google sites. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 811-822. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8839 pa received: 12-06-2023 accepted: 22-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 introduction technological development shifts the learning orientation from conventional into attractive and joyful digital learning.widyastuti (2022) explain that digital learning is relevant to national education. one of the national relevances is realized in providing a prototype curriculum or merdeka curriculum in 2022. this curriculum was an option for schools to apply. thus, the government did not insist but encouraged the schools dynamically and organically. in this curriculum, the junior high school level has a new label, the d-phase learning group. learners in this d-phase should achieve language abstract:the development of current e-module for writing procedural text with google stie was done and applied for seventh graders of integrated islamic jhs harapan media palembang this r&d applied the development model of dick, carey, and carey to produce a valid, practical, and effective e-module of writing procedure text with google site. from the text, the learners and the teachers required creative and innovative e-module for writing procedure text with google site to develop learners’ learning independence, interest, and motivation. the research subjects were the 93-seventh graders and 3 indonesian language teachers of integrated islamic jhs harapan mulia palembang taken by saturated sampling. on the other hand, the effectiveness test involved 24 learners from different class within the same grade. the applied sampling technique was saturated sampling technique. the validity test of the e-module with google site involved three experts. they were material, language, and media experts. the validity with material expert obtained a mean of 4.75, categorized as valid. the validity with language experts obtained a mean of 4.33, categorized as extremely valid. then, the validity test with the media expert obtained a mean score of 4.92, categorized as very valid. the practicality test of the e-module with google site was based on the one-to-one, small group, and field tests.the one-to-one test obtained a mean of 4.15, categorized as practical. the small group test obtained a mean of 4.21, categorized as very practical. then, the field test obtained a mean of 4.14, categorized as practical. the effectiveness test of the e-module for writing procedure text with google sites was based on the pretest-posttest results. the pretest result obtained a mean score of 54.95, categorized unaccomplished while the posttest obtained the results of 81.21, categorized accomplished. from the development of an e-module for writing procedure text with google site, the result showed that the seventh graders of integrated islamic jhs harapan mulia palembang found the developed module valid and practical to learn procedure text writing. the product was also effective to improve the learners' procedure text writing. keywords: google site; procedure text; writing. sumiati, sri indrawati, & ernalida creating engaging e-modules for teaching procedure text writing to seventh graders at islamic integrated jhs harapan mulia palembang using google sites 812 competence to communicate and reason based on objectives, social contexts, and academics. the curriculum for this phase adjusts various digital technology development (wiraningsih & santosa, 2020; zagorskis et al., 2019). thus, the lesson on information study becomes a mandatory lesson. therefore, teachers must collaborate other lessons with this information study lesson. one of the digital technology collaborations is developing an attractive emodule as the mode and media for learning activities. a learning activity is effective if the learning facilitates the learners' skills and knowledge by providing information and designing activities to make learners reach their specific and expected learning objectives (babadjanova, 2020; bezanilla et al., 2019; mendo-lázaro et al., 2022). therefore, effective learning activity realization requires various learning supports, such as a conducive learning environment, adequate facilities, interesting teaching material, understandable material, applicable learning media, etc. teaching materials are important to determine the results and to reach the expected learning objectives. certain applied teaching materials by teachers and learners could ease the learning process (cahyani et al., 2021; darmayenti et al., 2021; irawan, 2020). the realizations of teaching materials could be worksheets or digital teaching materials. in this case, digital teaching materials are expected to improve learners’ experience and knowledge. teaching materials had the potential to be the media, facility, actor, and opportunity to improve educational quality. learning materials refer to symptoms with the possibility to gain information, knowledge, experience, and skill while learning (kosasih, 2021). procedure text refers to a material of indonesian language lessons for junior high school and senior high schools as stated both in the 2013 curriculum and the merdeka curriculum. procedure text material encourages the learners to think structurally and procedurally (abidah et al., 2020). the material also helps learners to understand certain methods of action accurately with correct steps so that they could reach the objectives properly. this matter is important for the learners to realize that relevant results with their intention or problem solution require exact procedures or steps. the cause of low learners' understanding of the procedure text material was the learners were not interested in the learning. learners were bored because the teachers applied conventional media, such as figures or less-attractive powerpoint slides. teaching materials should encourage and motivate learners so they have interesting learners (andrajati et al., 2020; anshari & widyantoro, 2020; sakkir et al., 2021). this situation shows that teaching materials could not improve the learners’ understanding to write procedural text. these problems influenced the learners' materials to write procedure texts and the duration of analyzing procedural texts. the limited time of learning could be managed. learners could learn anywhere as long as they are motivated and receive accessible learning alternatives anytime and anywhere. agrin et al. (2021) argue that the digital era makes both teachers and learners encounter technology. thus, they must also apply technology to support their learning media, teaching materials, and learning activities. electronic teaching materials will attract and facilitate the teachers as the information mediator for the learners. adaptive teaching materials on technological development make learning effective and efficient. these materials could create a joyful learning situation for the learners (najuah et al., 2020). purwoko et al. (2020) dan putra & amini (2019) explain that the teaching material development should be relevant to 21st-century learning necessities. the importance of teaching materials for learning required immediate responses to develop an electronic teaching material, e-module, as the alternative to manage the problem. the developed e-module design was to facilitate learners in accessing the materials of procedure text anywhere and anytime via laptop computer or smartphone, both online and offline. the roles of teachers in applying accurate emodule determine the basic competence achievements and learning outcomes of all lessons, specifically procedure text learning. the implementation of accurate teaching material could motivate learners to create attractive and interesting indonesian language learning. e-module systematically provides autonomous teaching materials electronically. each learning activity with an e-module requires navigation or link implementations to make the program interactive (kurniawan & kuswandi, 2021). e-module displays could be multimedia with some video, audio, and animation additions. the multimedia file addition enriches learners’ experience. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 813 f-one of the present applications with excellent technology is google sites. google sites refers to a personal website or graphic profession by adding a product of google. google site has some benefits for learning, such as (1) attractiveness with various features, for example, google docs, sheet, form, calendar, awesome table, etc; (2) learning facilitation for both learners and teachers to gain materials without having flash disk to transfer data; (3) anti-lost materials due to virus interruption or other problem, and free-computer space capacity; (4) providing immediate information access for both teachers and learners with ease of file upload by the teachers; (5) providing file store for the teachers so that learners could access the materials for every meeting in the future; and (6) providing file attachment so that learners could access the attached files by the teachers to learn (imansari & sunaryantiningsih, 2017; simamora et al., 2019; sugihartini & jayanta, 2017). the developed product was teacher material of procedural text writing in the form of an emodule with google site for jhs learners. this emodule was accessible from a laptop and smartphone with an internet connection. learners had to activate their email accounts to login into the google site. this e-module arrangement consisted of materials and question exercises. the applied question exercises were to measure the learners after learning with an e-module. in this research, the researchers added attractive pictures and videos to improve the learners’ interests. the researchers chose google site as the application to make the e-module. google site was freely and unlimitedly accessible by anyone, unlike a flip book. previous studies about teaching materials for procedural text writing lessons were devi putri adi tia (2020), titled "pengembangan bahan ajar teks prosedur berbasis e-modul interaktif untuk peserta didik kelas xi”, santriana (2021) titled “pengembangan bahan ajar teks prosedur berbasis teknologi untuk meningkatkan hots siswakelas ix sma”, and reni kesumawati (2022) titled “pengembangan bahan ajar teks fabel berbasis google sites siswa kelas vii smp”. current research objectives were 1) producing a product prototype in the form of an e-module of procedure text writing lesson with google site for seventh graders of integrated islamic jhs mulia palembang, 2) validating the results, 3) checking the practicability, and 4) examining the effectiveness of the developed product. method this research is an r&d, research, and development. research & development produces a product that examines the effectiveness of the developed product (agustina & churiyah, 2019; clough & shorter, 2015; nisa, 2014).the developed module applied the model of dick et al. (2015). the r&d model consisted of 10 stages but the researchers only applied 9 stages until the formative evaluation. here are the r&d stages of the research. figure 1. the development stages the research subjects were the 93-seventh graders and 3 indonesian language teachersof integrated islamic jhs mulia palembang for both necessity identification and field test. in this research, since the learners of the seventh grade were the only learners accepting the lesson material so the researchers took all 93 learners as the research sample. on the other hand, the effectiveness test involved 24 learners from different class within the same grade. the applied sampling technique was saturated sampling technique.therefore, the applied sampling technique was saturated sampling technique. gill (2020) explains saturated sampling technique refers to a technique of sampling by taking all population members into the research sample.the subjects for the limited field test were the seventh graders of integrated islamic jhs harapan mulia palembang. the subjects were 93 learners of the same learners. the teachers, as research subjects, were the indonesian language teachers based on the consideration of the developed teaching materials. the teachers identified the teaching material necessities. they were three indonesian language teachers of integrated islamic jhs mulia palembang. the validation of the teaching materials involved experts. they were the lecturers of universitas sriwijaya as the material expert, the learning expert, the language expert, and the graphic expert. the researchers collected the data with interviews, questionnaires, tests, and observation. sumiati, sri indrawati, & ernalida creating engaging e-modules for teaching procedure text writing to seventh graders at islamic integrated jhs harapan mulia palembang using google sites 814 the researchers collected the data with an assessment instrument to evaluate the developed product based on the instructional, material, media, and learning design aspects. on the other hand, the instrument for the learners was useful to find out the learners' responses to the developed media. the researchers used an interview technique by having a face-to-face dialog to obtain the data from the respondents (haberlin, 2019; martan et al., 2021; minzlaff, 2019). the applied analysis technique was useful to obtain information about the potential effects of the developed teaching materials. the researchers provided written tests for the learners with a focus on writing procedure text. the applied test was useful to determine the learners' competencies in writing procedure text with the implementation of conventional teaching material and the developed teaching material (alamri, 2021; amalia, 2019; mok & staub, 2021; rahmawati et al., 2022). then, the researchers analyzed the data qualitatively and quantitatively.yusuf (2014) explains that qualitative analysis was useful to express a situation and an object within the context. the qualitative analysis seeks the meaning or comprehensive understanding of problems while the quantitative analysis focuses on statistical matters and quantitative data (aji & hartono, 2019; haris et al., 2021; martan et al., 2021; mok & staub, 2021; purwanto et al., 2021; shobaha, 2019; yambi, 2018).the quantitative data were the learners' learning outcomes from the field test. the researchers analyzed this data with a t-test (faridah salam et al., 2016; hartono et al., 2022; posokhova et al., 2020; purwanto et al., 2021). results and discussion the instructional goal identification the general goal identification results found the primary necessities and actual situation in the fields. in this part, the researchers presented the analysis results of 93 learners in seventh grade on february 14, 2022, at integrated islamic jhs harapan mulia palembang. most learners knew that procedural text learning material was the part of indonesian language lesson. they liked the procedural text material of the indonesian language lesson. however, the learners encountered difficulties while learning how to write the procedure text. learners also stated that the teachers did not use e-module teaching materials, especially procedural text writing. learners also found that teachers rarely used attractive methods to improve the learners' interests. generally, learners were aware of e-module teaching materials. they also explained they liked the indonesian language lesson about writing procedural text with modules. however, they rarely used electronic modules. they also agreed with the notion of the teachers using emodule in teaching procedural text material. they also stated that they were interested to learn about e-module implementation. the learners thought they needed to use an emodule because the textbooks could not facilitate the learners to construct a better understanding of procedural text writing. they also did not find the textbook could encourage their learning intention although the books had figures, colors, and understandable dictions. the learners also needed an attractive, understandable, and practical e-module even though the current textbook had applied contextual content. they were also interested in the developed e-module was assisted by the google site.they also needed understandable materials for writing procedural texts. in this research, the researchers also analyzed three teachers’ necessities on february 15, 2023. the researchers found the applied curriculum was the merdeka curriculum. the teachers, in this case, ever joined a workshop about merdeka curriculum implementation for indonesian language learning. thus, the teachers could design the teaching materials based on the indonesian language lesson. the teachers could use digital media, such as powerpoint software and lcd. however, they could not utilize the media maximally because of the lack of applied varieties of powerpoint. they preferred using textbooks with contextual nature to applying digital media. the teachers also knew that learners had difficulties to apply the lesson of writing procedure text. based on the preliminary observation at the school, the researchers found a low understanding of procedural text writing. the learners could not understand the structure of the procedure text correctly. besides that, the other factors of the learners' difficulties were a lack of supportive learning media and teaching materials to support immediate learning and motivate the learners' intentions. these problems influenced the learners' materials to write procedure texts and the duration of analyzing procedural texts. the other english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 815 problem was limited learning time. the teachers could have managed the learning anywhere if the learners were motivated and had accessible teaching material alternatives anytime and anywhere. from the interview and the questionnaire distributions with the teachers, the researchers concluded the importance of developing emodule teaching materials with google sites. this development was useful to support the learning process and manage the learners' and teachers' challenges in learning and teaching procedural text writing. the instructional analysis the second analysis result was instructional analysis. the results consisted of skills, processes, procedures, and learning tasks to reach the learning objectives. the researchers analyzed the data based on the given conceptual map on the learners' books and the mastered competencies by the learners. then, the researchers checked the material standard of the applied curriculum for seventh graders. the researchers analyzed the applied curriculum, the merdeka curriculum. this curriculum was slightly different from the 2013 curriculum. some terms in the 2013 curriculum were changed. in this merdeka curriculum, the terms of syllabus become learning chart flow (atp), core competence (ki) into learning achievement (cp), lesson plan (rpp) into teaching material, basic competence into learning objectives, minimum mastery standard (kkm) into learning objective achievement criteria (kktp), ipk into learning objective achievement indicators, and question indicators into assessment indicators. from the curriculum analysis, the researchers found the learning achievement (cp) and learning objective (tp) of writing procedure text. then, the researchers studied these learning achievements and learning objectives for the further development stage. then, the researchers elaborated on the learning achievements and the indicators of learning objective achievements. here is the table of learning achievements and learning objectives of the materials. the researchers developed these results into an emodule assisted by the google site. table 1. the learning achievement (cp) and learning objectives (tp) of procedure text material learning achievement (cp) in the last stage of d-phase, learners are expected to have language skill for communication purposes and reasoning based on the objectives, social context, and academics. learners could understand, process, and interpret information about various topics and works of literature. learners could actviely participate in dicussion, presentation, and elaborated fiction and non-fiction information response to share the observation and experience structurally. then, the learners could write the responses about the elaboration and the reading text with experience and knowledge. learners could develop the personal competences by various text exposures as the character empowerment. learning objectives (tp) learners could identify the information of the read and given procedure text from the textbooks or internet. (identifying procedure text) learners could write the procedure text in the form of something to do or to produce based on the ideas from various reading texts. (the info graphic project of procedural text) learners could verbally share their works in the forms of products politely and conclude the contents. (presenting the procedure text) (source: the learning flowchart, atp, of kemdikbud) the analysis results of learners and the contexts from the observation, the daily learning activities of the learners had to use ipad. thus, the learners were habituated to using technology in their daily routines. the learners could adapt and use an emodule of writing procedure text material with the google site that the researchers developed. the formulation results of competence achievement the prototype development process applied some objective formulations to produce the teaching material. dick et al.(2015) use the term instructional strategy to describe the process of ordering and regulating the content for further teaching material development. in this stage, ordering the contents of learning objective achievement was based on the materials of the teaching materials. here are the indicators of learning objective achievement of learning procedural text writing that the researchers developed, the e-module with sumiati, sri indrawati, & ernalida creating engaging e-modules for teaching procedure text writing to seventh graders at islamic integrated jhs harapan mulia palembang using google sites 816 google site. table 2. the indicators of learning objective achievements learning objectives (tp) the indicators of learning objective achievements (iktp) learners could identify the information of the read and given procedure text from the textbooks or internet. learner could determine the general features of procedure text. learners could determine the objectives and content of procedure text. learners could write the procedure text in the form of something to do or to produce based on the ideas from various reading texts. learners could determine the topic of procedure text. learners could arrange the procedure text based on complete structure. learners could verbally share their works in the forms of products politely and conclude the contents. learners could determine the topic of procedure text. learners could arrange procedure text in order. learners could share the procedure text content politely. the teaching material design was an e-module for procedure text writing lessons with google site based on the criteria of the required elements in the teaching materials. the design consisted of material content and quizzes or questions as the learning outcome measurement. the quiz design consisted of the developed questions. in this stage, the researchers studied the reference and literature sources. the results of assessment instrument development the researchers evaluated the developed teaching materials in terms of validity, practicability, and effectiveness. validity test the validity test of the e-module with google site involved three expert. they were material, language, and media experts. the applied instrumentwas the assessment sheet in the form of validation questionnaire, adopted from bsnp. the validity test of the material was held on april 2023. the obtained mean score was 4.75, categorized valid. the expert was dr. izzah, m.pd, the lecturer of language education study program, teacher training and education faculty, universitas sriwijaya. material language media the validity test of the language was held on april 2023. the obtained mean score was 4.33, categorized valid. the expert was dr. agus saripudin, m.pd, the lecturer of language education study program, teacher training and education faculty, universitas sriwijaya. the validity test of the graphics was held on april 2023. the obtained mean score was 4.92, categorized valid. the expert was dr. syarifuddin, s.pd., m.pd, the lecturer of educational technology master study program, teacher training and education faculty, universitas sriwijaya. table 3 shows the validation results of the experts. table 3. the validation results of the developed e-module no. experts names validated aspects v categories 1 dr. izzah, m.pd. material 0,9 4 extremely valid 2 dr. agus saripudin, m.ed. language 0,8 3 extremely valid 3 dr. sayarifuddin, s.pd., m.pd. graphics 0,9 8 extremely valid here is the summary of the validated results. figure 2. the validation results of the expert the expert found the developed e-module for the seventh graders was valid and applicable for further research stage. 1. the practicality test after ensuring the validity, the researchers examined the developed e-module practicality with a beta test.the researchers obtained the emodule practicality based on the results of one to one, small group, and field tests. the one-to-one test of the developed module, after being revised, involved three learners of the seventh grade. the researchers tested the product english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 817 on monday, may 02, 2023, with the questionnaire. the researchers tested the developed product for the learners, represented by learners with excellent, moderate, and low skills. the researchers asked the learners to work on the multiple-choice evaluation, 10 questions in the e-module. then, the learners filled out the questionnaire after observing and working on the questions of the e-module. then, the researchers observed the questionnaire to determine the further revision for the module. from the test, one-to-one, the obtained mean was 4.1 with the categories of practical and reliable without any revision. the one-to-one test of the developed module, after being revised, involved three learners of the seventh grade. the researchers tested the product on wednesday, may 3, 2023, with the questionnaire. the researchers tested the developed product for the learners, represented by learners with excellent, moderate, and low skills. the researchers asked the learners to work on the multiple-choice evaluation, 10 questions in the e-module. then, the learners filled out the questionnaire after observing and working on the questions of the e-module. then, the researchers observed the questionnaire to determine the further revision for the module. from the test, one-to-one, the obtained mean was 4.1 with the categories of practical and reliable without any revision. in terms of practicality, the learners admitted that the developed module was easy to use. they argued the developed module was applicable and accessible anywhere and anytime. most learners also found the developed e-module facilitated their learning time because they could access it freely.they also found the developed e-module was full of examples and understandable question discussion. then, the researchers conducted a field test for 24 learners from the seventh grade of integrated islamic jhs harapan mulia palembang. the researchers tested the product on thursday, may 4, 2023, with the questionnaire. the researchers tested the developed product for the learners, represented by learners with excellent, moderate, and low skills. the researchers asked the learners to work on the multiple-choice evaluation, 10 questions in the emodule. then, the learners filled out the questionnaire after observing and working on the questions of the e-module. then, the researchers observed the questionnaire to determine the further revision for the module. from the test, one-to-one, the obtained mean was 4.1 with the categories of practical and reliable without any revision. table 4 provides the summary of the one-toone, small group, and field tests of the respondents. table 4. the validation results of the developed e-module no. the practicality aspect mean categories 1 the one-to-one test 4.16 practical 2 small group test 4.21 extremely practical 3 field test 4.14 practical here is the summary of the validated results. figure 3. the practicality test result the one-to-one, small group, and field test results concluded that the developed module, an e-module for writing procedure text with google site on indonesian language lesson, was practical and applicable for further research stage. 2. the effectiveness test the researchers examined the effectiveness of the developed product with the n-gain pretestposttest. in this test, the reserachers took the other 24 learners as the sample from different class within the same grade of the school. the researchers conducted the pretest at the integrated islamic junior high school palembang on thursday, may 04, 2023. thus, the learners joining this pretest received the conventional teaching material without digital technology implementation. the researchers took the learners from the vii grade class of ali bin abi thalib. the test lasted for 2x40 minutes, from 10.00 until 11.20, indonesian western time. the initial stage of the sumiati, sri indrawati, & ernalida creating engaging e-modules for teaching procedure text writing to seventh graders at islamic integrated jhs harapan mulia palembang using google sites 818 research requires the learners, 24 seventh graders of ali bi abi thalib's class, to answer the essay questions about procedure text. the pretest results showed that no learners obtained scores of 90 to 100. there were no learners who obtain a score of 80 to 90. however, 4 learners obtained scores of 60 to 79. 17 learners obtained scores of 50 to 59. only 3 learners obtained scores of 0 to 49. the pretest results showed that the learners did not achieve the accomplishment with a mean score of 54.95, categorized as low. figure 4. the practicality test result after giving the pretest to measure the learners’ skills, the researchers provided a lesson about procedure text and the elements of developing the procedure text with the e-module for writing procedure text with the google site. this phase lasted 4 meetings. the posttest involved 24 learners of the seventh grade of ali bin abi thalib. the test was held on monday, may 11, 2023, for two learning hours or 2x40 minutes, starting from 06.45 to 08.05. the posttest result showed that one learner obtained a score of 90 100. 15 learners obtain the score of 80 to 90. 8 learners obtained the scores of 60 to 79. 0 learners obtained the scores of 50 to 59. 0 learners obtained the scores of 0 to 49. the posttest results showed that the learners achieved the accomplishment with a mean score of 81.25, categorized as excellent. figure 5. the posttest result table 5 shows the effectiveness of test data based on the pretest and posttest of the respondents. table 5. the effectiveness test results of e-module for writing procedure text no. validated effectiveness test mean categories 1 pretest 54.95 not accomplished 2 posttest 81.25 accomplished n-gain 0.58 moderate the table shows the pretest score is 54.95 while the post-test score is 81.25. the result showed an increment of 26.30 with an n-gain of 0.58. t he result indicated the effectiveness of the developed e-module, categorized as moderate. this diagram shows the mean and difference between pretest and posttest in detail. figure 6. the comparison of pretest and posttest mean scores the pretest and post-test results showed that the e-module of writing procedure text with google site for seventh graders at the integrated islamic jhs palembang influenced the learners' learning effectiveness. developing teaching materials was an effort to provide novel teaching materials to facilitate the learning process. the teaching material development required the teachers to develop their professionalism in the teaching-learning process (bupu et al., 2018; sinaga et al., 2019). in this research, the developed teaching material attracted the learners. this matter was important to improve the learning interests and learning outcomes of the learners. putri et al. (2021) argued that teachers could select other teaching materials, such as modules, and make and adjust the teaching materials based on the learners' english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 819 necessities. this action influenced the intention of the learners to use the teaching material. one of the efforts to make learners interested in the module is by creating an electronic module with some attachments of videos, figures, etc(herawati & muhtadi, 2018). this research developed and applied an electronic module based on the learners’ characteristics. in this case, the learners could use information and communication technology. therefore, they would feel bored if they received conventional teaching. harahap (2021) explained that attractive e-module displays facilitated the learning process. thus, the learners could be motivated to learn. this matter ensured that learning lasted with many variations and was not monotonous. the facilitated learners' characteristics with the development and implementation of the product were visible in their actions to use the google site.they could use the module excellently to improve their learning outcomes. nugroho & hendrastomo (2021) explain google sites' superiorities: (1) easy and free to use, (2) provides an opportunity to collaborate, (3) provides free online storage, and (4) is searchable with a google searching machine. with google sites, learners only needed to download the materials without spending internet balance and using large memory. learners could also access the uploaded learning materials (bucklin et al., 2021; dennie et al., 2019; febrila & hanifah, 2021; nalasari et al., 2021). in this case, learners also had procedural text writing improvement. the applied product facilitated the learners about procedural text writing. these results were relevant to tia (2020), santriana et al. (2022), and kesumawati (2022). conclusion based on the results and discussion, the researchers concluded that the developed teaching materials were important for the teachers and the learners to improve their learning process of writing procedure text. the e-module design applied google site based on the learners' and teachers' necessities. the analysis results covered the materials, examples, questions, evaluation, and displays. the developed e-module with google sites was valid, practical, and effective to improve the learning outcomes. references abidah, a., hidaayatullaah, h. n., simamora, r. m., fehabutar, d., & mutakinati, l. (2020). the impact of covid-19 to indonesian education and its relation to the philosophy of “merdeka belajar.” studies in philosophy of science and education, 1(1), 38–49. agrin, d. f. a., marliana, n. l., & eriyani, r. n. (2021). pengembangan bahan ajar menulis teks prosedur dengan menggunakan media berbasis aplikasi android g-teks pro 9genre teks prosedur). semantik, 10(2), 177. agustina, r., & churiyah, m. (2019). authentic assessment instrument: implementation of performance-based practicum. jurnal pendidikan bisnis dan manajemen, 5(2), 5–48. aji, k. r., & hartono, r. (2019). the formative assessment backwash in english instruction at kristen nusantara vocational school. english education journal, 9(4), 541–557. alamri, m. m. (2021). using blended project-based learning for students’ behavioral intention to use and academic achievement in higher education. education sciences, 11(5). amalia, d. (2019). effective techniques in teaching vocabulary to young learners. universitas gunadarma, april, 1–15. andrajati, n. h., anis, m. b., & mahmudi, a. (2020). development of online thematic teaching materials based on higher order thinking skills (hots) subtheme wealth of energy sources in indonesia. ijis edu : indonesian journal of integrated science education, 2(2), 152. anshari, m. z., & widyantoro, a. (2020). inculcating islamic values contented in qs. luqman through english speaking materials. journal of education and learning (edulearn), 14(1), 62–68. babadjanova, n. (2020). effective classroom management techniques for curriculum of 21st century. science and education scientific journal, 1(7), 281–285. bezanilla, m. j., fernández-nogueira, d., poblete, m., & galindo-domínguez, h. (2019). methodologies for teaching-learning critical thinking in higher education: the teacher’s view. thinking skills and creativity, 33, 100584. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.201 9.100584 bucklin, b. a., asdigian, n. l., hawkins, j. l., & klein, u. (2021). making it stick: use of active learning strategies in continuing medical education. bmc medical education, 21(1), 4456. bupu, s., rukayah, & subiyantoro, s. (2018). influence of writing poetry module using in contextual learning to writing poetry learning result of elementary student. international journal of multicultural and multireligious sumiati, sri indrawati, & ernalida creating engaging e-modules for teaching procedure text writing to seventh graders at islamic integrated jhs harapan mulia palembang using google sites 820 understanding, 5(2), 9–18. cahyani, n. m. w. s., suwastini, n. k. a., dantes, g. r., jayantini, i. g. a. s. r., & susanthi, a. a. d. (2021). blended online learning: combining the strengths of synchronous and asynchronous online learning in efl context. jurnal pendidikan teknologi dan kejuruan, 18(2), 174–184. clough, j., & shorter, g. w. (2015). evaluating the effectiveness of problem-based learning as a method of engaging year one law students. the law teacher, 49(3), 277–302. darmayenti, besral, & yustina, l. s. (2021). developing efl religious characters and local wisdom based efl textbook for islamic higher education. studies in english language and education, 8(1), 157–180. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i1.18263 dennie, d., acharya, p., greer, d., & bryant, c. (2019). the impact of teacher–student relationships and classroom engagement on student growth percentiles of 7th and 8th grade students. psychology in the schools, 56(5), 765–780. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22238 dick, w., carey, l., & carey, j. o. (2015). the systematic design of instruction. vital source (for pearson) vst e+p. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=xijnjgea caaj febrila, l. g., & hanifah, h. (2021). improving learning outcomes of students in junior high school number 1 bengkulu city with online learning model through could x applicaiton. bencoolen journal of science education and technology, 2(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.33369/bjset.2.1.1-7 gill, s. l. (2020). qualitative sampling methods. journal of human lactation, 36(4), 579–581. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890334420949218 haberlin, s. (2019). something always works: a selfstudy of strengths-based coaching in supervision. journal of educational supervision, 2(1), 38–57. https://doi.org/10.31045/jes.2.1.3 harahap, r. n. p. (2021). pengembangan e-module sebagai bahan ajar alternatif siswa pada materi himpunan di smp muhammadiyah 8 medan. edumatika: jurnal mipa, 1(1), 17–21. https://doi.org/10.56495/emju.v1i1.73 haris, a., qutbuddin, m., & fatoni, a. (2021). teacher’s trends in teaching arabic in elementary schools. izdihar: journal of arabic language teaching, linguistics, and literature, 4, 195–210. hartono, r., hetami, f., ginanjar anjaniputra, a., & negeri semarang, u. (2022). a combination of google translate and grammarly app for a better translation quality of academic papers. the proceedings of the english language teaching, literature, and translation (eltlt), 11(1), 2580–7528. herawati, n. sunary, & muhtadi, a. (2018). pengembangna modul elektronik (e-modul) interaktif pada mata pelajaran kimia kelas xi sma. jurnal inovasi teknologi pendidikan, 5(2), 180–191. imansari, n., & sunaryantiningsih, i. (2017). pengaruh penggunaan e-modul interaktif terhadap hasil belajar mahasiswa pada materi kesehatan dan keselamatan kerja. volt : jurnal ilmiah pendidikan teknik elektro, 2(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.30870/volt.v2i1.1478 irawan, y. (2020). situating islamic values in english language teaching: documenting the best practices in indonesia. jurnal islamika: jurnal ilmu-ilmu keislaman, 20(01), 95–103. kesumawati, r. (2022). pengembangan bahan ajar teks fabel berbasis google sites pada siswa kelas vii smp. in universitas negeri jakarta (vol. 33, issue 1). universitas negeri jakarta. kosasih. (2021). pengembangan bahan ajar. bumi aksara. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=uz9oea aaqbaj kurniawan, c., & kuswandi, d. (2021). pengembangan e-modul sebagai media literasi digital pada pembelajaran abad 21. academia publication. https://books.google.co.id/books/about/pengem bangan_e_modul_sebagai_media_liter.html?i d=rfgveaaaqbaj&redir_esc=y martan, m., zaid, a. h., & mahmudi, i. (2021). teaching material development for imla’ lesson to enhance student’s writing skills. arabiyat : jurnal pendidikan bahasa arab dan kebahasaaraban, 8(1), 46–59. mendo-lázaro, s., león-del-barco, b., polo-del-río, m. i., & lópez-ramos, v. m. (2022). the impact of cooperative learning on university students’ academic goals. in frontiers in psychology (vol. 12). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.787210 minzlaff, k. a. (2019). organisational coaching: integrating motivational interviewing and mindfulness with cognitive behavioural coaching. coaching, 12(1), 15–28. mok, s. y., & staub, f. c. (2021). does coaching, mentoring, and supervision matter for preservice teachers’ planning skills and clarity of instruction? a meta-analysis of (quasi)experimental studies. teaching and teacher education, 107, 103484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103484 najuah, lukitoyo, p. s., & wirianti, w. (2020). module elektronik: prosedur dan penyusunannya. in yayasan kita menulis. nalasari, k., suarni, n., & wibawa, i. m. (2021). pengembangan bahan ajar berbasis web google sites pada tema 9 subtema pemanfaatan kekayaan alam di indonesia untuk siswa kelas english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 821 iv sekolah dasar. jurnal teknologi pembelajaran indonesia, 11(2), 135–146. nisa, s. h. (2014). classroom interaction analysis in indonesian efl speaking class. english review: journal of english education, 2(2), 1– 9. nugroho, c. m. k., & hendrastomo, g. (2021). pengembangan media pembelajaran berbasis google sites pada mata pelajaran sosiologi kelas x. jurnal pendidikan sosiologi dan humaniora, 12(2), 59. https://doi.org/10.26418/j-psh.v12i2.48934 posokhova, s. t., izotova, m. k., & zemlyanykh, m. v. (2020). pedagogical empathy as a professional resource to create an inclusive environment. shs web of conferences, 87, 00060. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20208700060 purwanto, a., asbari, m., santoso, t. i., sunarsi, d., & ilham, d. (2021). education research quantitative analysis for little respondents: comparing lisrel, tetrad, gsca, amos, smartpls, warppls, and spss. jurnal studi guru dan pembelajaran, 4(2), 335–350. https://doi.org/issn 2654-6477 purwoko, r. y., nugraheni, p., nadhilah, s., purworejo, u. m., & purworejo, k. (2020). analisis kebutuhan pengembangan e-modul berbasis etnomatematika produk budaya di jawa tengah. jurnal mercumatika: jurnal pendidikan matematika dan pendidikan matematika, 5(1), 1–8. putra, n. y., & amini, r. (2019). pengembangan bahan ajar berbasis integrated model di kelas iv sekolah dasar. jurnal basicedu, 3(2), 689–695. https://doi.org/10.31004/basicedu.v3i2.56 putri, a. s., riadi, b., & wahyuni, i. (2021). pengembangan modul pembelajaran teks prosedur berbasis model discovery learning di smp kelas vii. jurnal kata: bahasa, sastra, dan pembelajarannya, 9(2), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.23960/kata.v9.i2.202106 rahmawati, y. f., subandi, & khilmiyah, a. (2022). exploration of inner resources in religious experience of muslim family caregivers for autistic children in indonesia. common ground research networks, 13(1). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.18848/21548633/cgp/v13i01/1-15 sakkir, g., dollah, s., arsyad, s., & ahmad, j. (2021). need analysis for developing writing skill materials using facebook for english undergraduate students. international journal of language education, 5(1), 542–551. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v5i1.14856 salam, f., mailok, r., ubaidullah, n., & ahmad, u. (2016). the effect of project-based learning against students’ engagement. international journal of development research, 6(februari), 6891–6895. santriana, anriany, l., & ali. (2022). pengembangan bahan ajar teks prosedur berbasis teknologi untuk meningkatkan hots siswa kelas x sman 1 badar. sintaks: jurnal bahasa & sastra indonesia, 2(2), 102–105. https://doi.org/10.57251/sin.v2i2.473 shobaha, s. (2019). the implementation of oral corrective feedback in efl classroom. langedu journal. simamora, a. h., sudarma, i. k., & prabawa, d. g. a. p. (2019). pengembangan e-module berbasis proyek untuk mata kuliah fotografi di jurusan teknologi pendidikan fakultas ilmu pendidikan undhiksa. journal of education technology, 2(1 se-articles), 51–60. https://doi.org/10.23887/jet.v2i1.13809 sinaga, r. m., trisnaningsih, t., pujiati, p., & sudarmansyah, d. (2019). development of learning media based on mobile learning applications. jurnal pendidikan progresif, 9(1), 50–58. https://doi.org/10.23960/jpp.v9.i1.201907 sugihartini, n., & jayanta, n. l. (2017). pengembangan e-modul mata kuliah strategi pembelajaran. jurnal pendidikan teknologi dan kejuruan, 14(2), 221–230. https://doi.org/10.23887/jptkundiksha.v14i2.11830 tia, d. p. a. (2020). pengembangan bahan ajar teks prosedur berbasis e-module interaktif untuk siswa kelas xi [universitas muhammadiyah malang]. in malang: magister bahasa indonesia umm (tesis). http://eprints.umm.ac.id/64288/1/tesis.pdf widyastuti, a. (2022). implementasi project-based learning pada kurikulum 2022 prototipe merdeka belajar. elex media komputindo. https://www.gramedia.com/products/implemen tasi-project-based-learning-pada-kurikulum2022-prototipe-merdeka-belajar wiraningsih, p., & santosa, m. h. (2020). efl teachers’ challenges in promoting learner autonomy in the 21st-century learning. journal on english as a foreign language, 10(2), 290– 314. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v10i2.1881 yambi, t. de a. c. (2018). assessment and evaluation in education. 1–9. yusuf, m. (2014). metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif & penelitian gabungan (4th ed.). kencana. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=rnadwaaqbaj&printsec=frontcover&hl=id#v=o nepage&q&f=false zagorskis, v., kapenieks, a., & gorbunovs, a. (2019). emotions identification utilizing periodic handwriting on mobile surfaces. periodicals of engineering and natural sciences, 7(1), 228–237. https://doi.org/10.21533/pen.v7i1.355 sumiati, sri indrawati, & ernalida creating engaging e-modules for teaching procedure text writing to seventh graders at islamic integrated jhs harapan mulia palembang using google sites 822 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 855 social critique in merdeka short story by putu wijaya: a dystopian literature approach m. manugeren english department, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: manugeren@sastra.uisu.ac.id purwarno purwarno english department, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: purwarno@sastra.uisu.ac.id purwanto siwi english department, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: purwanto.siwi@sastra.uisu.ac.id susi ekalestari english department, faculty of literature, universitas islam email: susi.ekalestari@sastra.uisu.ac.id sri wulan english department, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: sriwulan@sastra.uisu.ac.id apa citation: manugeren, m., purwarno, p., siwi, p., ekalestari, s., & wulan, s. (2022). social critique in merdeka short story by putu wijaya: a dystopian literature approach. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 855-864. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6621 received: 21-07-2022 accepted: 20-09-2022 published: 30-11-2022 introduction social critique and social problems always go hand in hand as they are interrelated. social critique arises because of unresolved social problems; while social problems exist in almost all societies. social problems arise owing to the inconsistency of relations between individuals and groups and if not resolved can give a negative impact on social life, such as hampering peace and comfort of the community in all forms of social interaction (merrill et al., 2017). social problems can be caused by changes in individual or group attitudes due to the development of science and technology, social systems, cultural shock and cultural and social gaps (mooney et al., 2021). in short, the incompatibilities of social and cultural life as well as conditions that are not desired by large groups in an environment are the triggers for social problems. poverty, crime, gender discrimination, family disorganization, environment, population, belief system and bureaucracy are problems always visible in society (zaitov & teshayev, 2022). society is the largest human group with the same traditions, customs, attitudes and feelings of unity. this shows that society consists of several abstract: changes in a society produce social critiques which in turn become a means of communicating new ideas in addition to assessing old ideas for social change, in short as a vehicle for the conservation and reproduction of a social system. social critique can be conveyed through literary works; this is seen from the short story of merdeka by putu wijaya. through a dystopian literary approach and supported by related theories and concepts, it is revealed that this short story is full of social critiques as a result of the author's observations of his environment. the flow of dystopia is generally speculative, presenting a catastrophic or chaotic landscape of the future civilization of the world. dystopian literature is always associated with sociopolitical discourse. overall this research is carried out using a qualitative descriptive method with the aim of presenting a complete picture of the social setting and clarification of social phenomena in the short story of merdeka and then synchronizing it with social reality. the results show that the forms of social critique conveyed by the author is lack of self-introspection, social gap and environmental damage. these three forms of social critique if uncontrolled can cause chaos in the social system because the main result is conflict, the color of dystopian literature. keywords: environmental damage; self-introspection; social gap. mailto:purwarno@sastra.uisu.ac.id mailto:purwanto.siwi@sastra.uisu.ac.id mailto:susi.ekalestari@sastra.uisu.ac.id m. manugeren, purwarno purwarno, purwanto siwi, susi ekalestari, & sri wulan social critique in merdeka short story by putu wijaya: a dystopian literature approach 856 groups ranging from the smallest to the largest, having habits then forming a tradition producing rules. in social relations, a reaction arises as a result of the contact of the relationship causing individual behavior to expand then making a change or some changes in society establishing social values, social norms, patterns of behavior, organizational establishment, structure of community institutions, layers of society, power in authority, and social interaction (capozzi & ristic, 2018; vestner et al., 2020). it is undeniable that in social life, friction always exists; but to reduce the size of a problem in an environment or community, the community members must voluntarily have a sense of belonging and from this, a nation can be built; a nation that can always share identities and relate to one another in harmony. the process of nation building is problematic and it tries to create a national identity. when people are not able to relate, crisis occurs ( saraswati, 2018; wimmer, 2018; eriksen, 2020; heng, 2017). to avoid a social crisis, it is necessary to have an idea to observe, follow, and evaluate the social order in a community (roepke, 2017; chen et al., 2018). this idea can then be labeled as a social critique, an innovation that becomes a means of communicating new ideas in addition to assessing old ideas for social change. social critique as a form of communication in society aims or functions as a control over the course of a social system or social process (bianchin, 2019; matamoros-fernandez & farkas, 2021; lewis, mark c. (2018). therefore social critique is an input, refutation, satire, response, or even an assessment of something considered deviant or violating the values in people's lives and is conveyed to the community or to related parties who participate directly in the order, such as religious leaders, community leaders, and the government. social critique can be expressed directly or indirectly. social actions, rallies, and demonstrations are forms of direct critique. indirect forms of critique include critique through songs, literary works, films, theatrical actions and so on. both forms of social critique have important social influences and impacts in people's lives. social critique is a form of communication that can be understood both in oral and written form, aiming to control the course of the social system relating to interpersonal problems (beauchamp et al., 2019). social critique through literary work is the rationale for making this research, through a short story entitled merdeka by putu wijaya already published in the august 29 2010 edition of jawa pos newspaper, using a dystopian literature approach. dystopia literature is one of the genres in literature that is quite popular in the literary world, especially in fantasy and science fiction works (seeger & davidson-vecchione, 2019). although more familiar among fans of fantasy and science fiction novels, many consider dystopia to be a branch of realistic fiction. in simple terms, dystopia refers to a world that at first appears to be running smoothly or is often termed utopian but later appears to be full of imperfections due to social and economic inequalities. the state of dystopia is described as a disorder that causes a new social system that is more systematic but tends to be oppressive. however, in some works, there are also those that negate the existence of the social system and replace social and economic inequalities with equitable conditions of poverty (campbell, 2019; stoner, 2007). through a dystopian approach, a research is designed to raise the issue of anxiety about humanity and the socio-economic system in society. social problems at the present should be discussed in preparation for handling social problems in the future. given that literature is universal and can enter all socio-cultural domains, literature is the right choice to explore and analyze the state of society and dystopia becomes an instrument of critique and an implied warning for the ruling government and the prevailing system. thus, dystopia plays a role in literary works to provide education and stimulate public awareness to participate in handling every problem because every problem has the potential to trigger other problems (jerkovic and alihodzic, 2018; smith, 2017). merdeka short story by putu wijaya is full of social critiques, a description of the social life experienced by certain characters in the plot appointed by the author according to his mission, starting with the atmosphere of this nation in the early days of the struggle for independence from the hands of the colonizers. the values of struggle are illustrated through monologues and dialogues among characters. the final battle depicted in this short story is a decisive, with the meaning that they must succeed in seizing independence or they must die. with such a strong slogan, the soldiers muster all their souls to end the conflict that has been going on for hundreds years. apart from the struggles of the soldiers acted by the characters in the short story, there are human, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 857 social and cultural values summarized in the form of social critiques, whether directed at individuals, groups, systems, or the ruling government. literary works have become one of the effective means to convey social critiques in addition to the press and physical movements in the form of demonstrations and along with its development has become a cultural spirit. literature is born from the writer's anxiety to see the condition of the people who are always involved in social problems. as a social portrait, literature can reflect various important events in society, describing the psychological state of society, and providing input for problem solving; all of this is certainly a source of thought, inspiration and community readiness to face social conditions that occur in society. literary works also act as a medium of entertainment (derrida, 2015; eagleton, 2017; attridge, (2017). when we read merdeka short story, we can see that putu wijaya focuses on moral messages in the form of social critiques because basically there is always an implied message behind a critique. progress, whatever its form can be seen and subsequently realized through critiques. to understand the meaning of social critiques in a short story, we must also be able to understand all the socio-cultural phenomena implied. putu wijaya's work merdeka is chosen because of its uniqueness, namely the way the short story is presented using simple language so that it can be digested by all levels of society. with a storyline that is not complex and generally has a flat plot, short stories are more in demand by the reader community. short stories are part of prose literary works other than novels. short stories are read by many people because they provide entertainment to readers. in addition, short stories provide information about various events in society, namely about life problems. as it is a social critique, the short story of merdeka is appropriate to be studied through a dystopian literary approach. dystopian literature generally describes inadequate living conditions due to a bad social order or a government system that does not take sides with the community, usually an authoritarian government. social critique in postmodern literature also uses the term dystopia to describe a post-industrial society considered to have a high concept of self-interest and class. people like this tend to justify any means to meet their needs and goals, without considering the consequences of their actions on the environment (horan, 2018; seeger & davidson-vecchione, 2019). in most dystopian literary works, corrupt governments create or maintain a poor quality of life, often conditioning the masses to believe that their lives are worthy and fair, even perfect. dystopia is often written as a warning, or as satire, showing current trends extrapolated into nightmare conclusion. dystopia in general can be said to be a bad picture of a place that includes an imaginative view of a society that focuses on critically highlighting the negative or problematic side of the ideal view of that society (khan & rasool, 2022; moylan, 2020). the term "dystopia" appears in literature as opposed to works written in the utopian genre. the first writer to launch a whole literary direction was the english philosopher thomas more. the origin of the utopia genre usually comes from his novel utopia (1516). in fact, most of his works show an ideal society in which everyone lives happily and quietly. the name of this world is utopia. in contrast to his "quiet" works, the author's works begin to emerge, telling stories about completely opposite societies, countries, or worlds. in it, the state limits one's freedom, often freedom of thought. works written in this tone begin to be called dystopia (beresin, and olson, 2019). different from the calm utopian literature that depicts a harmonious society, dystopian literature provides a picture of people's lives that are opposite to that of a utopian society. people's mindset and personality will determine the formation of a state of utopia or dystopia; because overall even though we see a social system or government that does not take sides with the community, everything starts from the mindset and personality of the individual that develops into the mindset and personality of the group. dystopia is characterized as a crisis of hope, the helplessness of the revolutionary struggle, an inescapable social evil. economics is not seen as a solution to global problems and a way of building social order, but as a tool to enslave people. everyone needs money, but that does not mean that people are slaves to money (fitzsimmon & wilson, 2020; moylan, 2020). dystopia presents a "new world" for one who lives in it, resulting in a soulless, intolerant, empathetic state; people are made into robots, human machines with one goal, whatever the path to be taken, and at a certain moment, a natural human feeling awakens in a person, not in accordance with the existing system, built on m. manugeren, purwarno purwarno, purwanto siwi, susi ekalestari, & sri wulan social critique in merdeka short story by putu wijaya: a dystopian literature approach 858 restrictions, prohibitions, and subordination for the benefit of the state and it is through this awareness that people will see that they have been dragged into a dystopian world. there is conflict between the individual and society. dystopia denotes the incompatibility of utopian ideas with individual interests, revealing the absurdity of the utopian project. this clearly shows how proclaimed equality turns into leveling; state structures forcibly determine human behavior and technological advances turn a person into a mechanism (herrero & royo-grasa, 2021). a dystopian society can be recognized by the existence of a social hierarchy, class division in society, the upper, middle and lower classes and generally the upper class becomes the ruler and acts arbitrarily. the lower class people will become powerless, nothing more than slaves who must obey all the rules applied, even though they are not in accordance with humanity or justice. then there is government propaganda voicing the concept that the government is right and must be appreciated and then there are strict regulations that limit the space for each member of society so that the nature of democracy is immersed in it. the moral crisis, in the form of indifference to the environment and the lack or absence of selfintrospection, is also a highlight in dystopian literature (moylan, 2020), which then leads to establish social critique. social critique is a form of communication in society that functions as a control over the course of a social system or process of social interaction. social critique comes to the surface when the social system and the order of life of a society do not work well due to clashes among individuals, groups and social institutions (langford, 2018). . when social problems are not recognized and lead to dissociative effects in society, social critique is needed. various media can be used to deliver social critique, such as newspapers, social media, television and one medium that is always effective in delivering social critique is literature. the scope of social critique includes the political field, matters relating to state affairs, government policies, or authority; economics, relating to production, contribution and production; culture, relating to aspects of creation, taste and intention of humans as civilized beings; law, in relation to rules and regulations. in this study, all areas of social critique are covered because social critique does not focus on one issue (connell, 2018; diedwardo, 2019). an issue remains related to all the problems facing humanity. social critiques which become the discussion in this research are: lack of selfintrospection, social gap and environmental damage. self-introspection is a person's way of looking at himself or reflecting on his thoughts, emotions, and memories. through introspection, a good and righteous personality can be formed. everyone must do self-introspection so that their perspective on self-worth and those around them can change. self-introspection can also increase emotional intelligence, making it easier for a person to overcome the challenges of life and social interactions can run smoothly (kusumawardhani, 2017). various ways can be done to do selfintrospection such as seeing and understanding the problems faced, adapting to the environment, and most importantly trying to make peace with oneself so that conflicts can be avoided. actions like this can give the brain a chance to pause for a moment from various muddled thoughts. at this stage we can sort through various experiences that have occurred and evaluate these experiences. this evaluation then becomes a lesson for us to determine a good mindset and behavior in the future. when there is disharmony in the social system and social institutions in a community, social inequality will occur; inconsistency between expectations and reality. social inequality is included in social problems that have an impact on conflict. not only from an economic perspective, conflicts can be due to legal issues, public services, bureaucracy, education, religion, and ethnicity. this form of social inequality makes it difficult for the lower class to get access to development outcomes, health and education. and all this of course will cause other social problems (dalton, 2017; umeanolue, 2018). this social gap is often related to the existence of a form of difference that is real and easy to see in terms of public finances, covering the value of assets. in addition, this social gap can also be seen from the inequality in goods or services, wealth, rewards, laws, opportunities that are obtained by everyone. the next issue is concerned with environmental damage, unlimited by space and time. this matter is getting worse day by day. the conditions have directly threatened human life. the level of natural damage also increases the risk of natural disasters. the cause of natural damage can be caused by two factors, namely due to natural events and human activities. the second cause of environmental damage is the result of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 859 human activities. the damage caused by humans is actually greater than that caused by natural disasters. this is because the damage done can occur continuously and tends to increase. this damage is generally caused by human activities that are not environmentally friendly such as forest destruction and conversion, mining, air, water and soil pollution (steinmann et al., 2017). environmental damage can be interpreted as a process of deterioration or a decrease in environmental quality. this environmental deterioration is characterized by the loss of land, water, air resources, the extinction of wild flora and fauna, and the destruction of ecosystems. therefore, prevention of environmental damage must be implemented. the environment and its surroundings must be protected. protection and management of the environment must be in accordance with human welfare. otherwise, it can cause various environmental disasters. the environmental damage that has occurred so far is the result of weak government supervision and public reluctance to change unnatural behavior towards nature and weak law enforcement as the last bastion to ensure the rule of law (jargin, 2021). method the research is conducted with a qualitative descriptive method, descriptive in nature with the concept that the data obtained are decomposed in the forms of words or pictures not in the forms of calculations or numbers. the main principle of qualitative is to process and analyze the collected data into systematic, orderly, structured, and meaningful data. this research is then done by means of a dystopian literary approach. this approach reveals that literary works as a medium of social control provide an overview of the social order of a society that is not in line with expectations so that people face various difficulties in their daily lives (busetto, 2020; adhabi & anozie, 2017; sugiyono, 2017). the main data source is from the short story entitled merdeka by putu wijaya, published in august 29, 2010 edition of jawa pos newspaper and the data are from the texts of the short story referring to social critiques, among others, lack of of self-introspection, social gap and environmental damage. the technique used in this research is a documentary study technique as the point studied is merdeka short story document. this documentary study technique is carried out by examining literary works as a source of research data. the research instruments used are humans and cards. the persons in question are the researchers, while the card is a sheet of paper containing notes and observations. the techniques used in analyzing the data cover reading the texts of the short story repeatedly, finding the keywords reflecting social critique, describing, analyzing and interpreting social critique in the texts, and in the final stage drawing conclusions results and discussion putu wijaya, who was born in 1941, is known as a novelist, short story writer, playwright, and journalist. a number of short stories appeared in the forms of books and articles published in various magazines and newspapers. just like his dramas and novels, putu wijaya's short stories reveal many streams of consciousness, triggering the readers to think about and reflect on the various social inequalities that occur around them. wijaya is a reliable critic who uncovers various social problems through his works and one of them is the short story of merdeka which is then used as the object of this research. three points of discussion cover lacking of self-introspection, social gap and environmental damage lack of self-introspection self-introspection means that we seek to understand ourselves on a deeper level. this includes gaining a better understanding of what we have done or what we have not done yet as well as our strengths and weaknesses. indirectly self-introspection reminds us to think before acting and also able to understand the circumstances around us. one should not take immediate action in response to an event. everything must be considered carefully. we must not shoot forward because the real enemy is not in front, but on the side and behind; the real enemy is within us. another thing that needs to be seen and done is to cleanse our environment of all traitors, enemies in blankets; it is they who make this independence lose its meaning and value (wijaya, 2021). the essence of this quote is that any form of problem or conflict comes from within. most people will try to claim that they are in the right and the problem is caused by someone else. people like this are usually difficult to invite for self-introspection and are always busy blaming the situation and other people. this one bad trait is of course not good and can hinder selfdevelopment. this is because those who find it difficult to introspect are too busy commenting on m. manugeren, purwarno purwarno, purwanto siwi, susi ekalestari, & sri wulan social critique in merdeka short story by putu wijaya: a dystopian literature approach 860 other people rather than correcting their shortcomings. when a person always feels that what he is doing and saying is right, he will tend to find it difficult to realize his own mistakes. people like this are usually concerned with their own ego and are less able to think from other points of view. the data above are in line with the concept of dystopian literature which describes the state of society and also the personalities of community members getting worse day by day and can have a negative impact on the stability of the social structure. this is a social critique conveyed by wijaya, of course through his observations and understanding as a writer for literary works are a reflection of people's lives. through this short story, wijaya conveys the message that it is easier to defeat visible enemies, enemies who come or are in front of us; what often becomes a problem is that the people around us, who have been given the trust become traitors. in addition, the toughest enemy to defeat is ourselves and as long as we cannot do self-introspection, then we cannot make peace with ourselves and we shall continue to be our enemies. the next data related to the lack of selfintrospection can be seen from the words of a character whose contents state that change does not start from physical appearance, but from spiritual realm. if everything is right in the heart, then everything can go well. if the heart has not been thoroughly cleansed, then what is right can look wrong (wijaya, 2021). wijaya again reminds us that happiness, independence and serenity cannot be obtained from anywhere, everything comes from ourselves. dystopian literary works generally describe a chaotic and uncontrollable state of society with successive difficulties and all of this comes from the community. people who cannot or do not want to do self-introspection will not be calm in living life. people like this should be given input on the importance of self-introspection, should be criticized so that they can realize that they deserve to have a quiet and comfortable life and they must make changes. changes that are not forced, but changes that are carried out with self-awareness. we cannot change a situation until we change our personality; we cannot make others happy before we make ourselves happy. living with sincerity is the first path to peace. the point is that we must cleanse our hearts, keep ourselves away from thoughts and actions that harm others. social gap social gap is an imbalance in society. the causes of social gap are financial problems, lack of employment, poverty, to health. this social inequality results in injustice and position in society. the striking difference is in the financial ability and social status of the people living in certain neighborhoods. this gap is often associated with the existence of a very real difference that can be seen in terms of public finances, such as wealth, especially when it comes to economic disparities. now it is very easy to see from the potential and unequal opportunities in social positions in society. social gap can affect all sectors of people's social life. one illustration that can be seen owing to social gap, is the existence of social jealousy towards certain groups. one group of people can meet all their basic needs, while others have to fight hard to meet their basic needs and they are still unable to do so. thus jealousy arises, which if not controlled properly, can trigger other problems such as crime which ultimately disturbs the comfort and tranquility of all other members of society. this unstable and chaotic situation is a picture given by dystopian literature and of course it implicitly gives space to the author to convey social critique. literature as a social control medium must be implemented and optimized. the following data describe the social gap presented by wijaya and also serves as a forum for conveying his social critique so that the public through the readers can understand the real source of problems in their environment. a character in the short story says that life does not belong to people, but to leaders, party leaders, and intellectuals who become celebrities because of their incredibly intelligent humanitarian theories, but never side with humanity (wijaya, 2021). democracy means government by the people with the highest power in the hands of the people and carried out directly by them or their elected representatives through a free electoral system. however, in practice democracy is no longer fully implemented, according to the character who speaks in this short story. he feels that democracy is only a name. he does not feel that he is living in a democracy because all the steps are very limited; his life is regulated by a group of people who happen to have access to the authorities. democracy is a government by a group of people, a bad system because it is implemented by a group of people who can benefit the rulers and themselves so that they are vulnerable to anarchism. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 861 the system of government in the name of democracy will only result in unstable political and social conditions, all of which lead to social inequality. there is no such thing as humanity or for the benefit of the people in social inequality. in addition, such a situation will trigger sociopolitical instability and social integration, because there is a conflict between the rulers and the people. in fact, in many cases, this causes a dishonorable fall of government power, a dystopian state, a state of disorientation and everyone in it, especially civil society, victimized and has to bear all the burdens of hardship. this is a social criticism conveyed by the author with the aim that all parties immediately realize that the direction of the government system is starting to be damaged and must be repaired immediately so that the people could live in prosperity. the following data also relate to the problem of social gap. independence is essentially useless; independence is only for the rich and powerful; while civilians who have nothing will remain slaves with no future. it is not people who will write history, but conglomerates, political adventurers and elites, they are considered to have the ability to see life from behind their academic theories, even though all of them are abstract (wijaya, 2021). the remarks are carried out by a character in the short story. the words 'make people 'rich' and 'you will still be a slave who have no future', describe an extreme social gap with the phrase 'no future.' social gap is a condition where there is an imbalance in society, where there is social gap formed from an unfair distribution of many things that are considered important by society. in essence, social gap is caused by differences in social, economic, and cultural status that are striking, resulting in injustice in a society. therefore, resources and self-awareness as well as self-improvement need to be distributed evenly to everyone so that they could feel the real senses of rights and obligations. unresolved social inequality is a phenomenon of dystopian society. environmental damage environmental damage is a significant theme in dystopian literature. environmental damage can be interpreted as a process of environmental quality deterioration which is characterized by the loss or drastic reduction of land, water, air resources, the extinction of wild flora and fauna, and ecosystem damage. the following data describe the environmental damage caused by unmeasured and uncontrolled development. in the next 60 years, everything related to nature will be completely destroyed. the existing trees will be cut down converted to roads and malls. skyscrapers will pierce every inch of land throughout the city. overpasses wrap around the city, no one will ever get to see and feel the fresh morning and the red dusk, because the sky has been destroyed by the sins of construction. on the streets there is no more space for pedestrians and bicycles, everything is taken by luxurious vehicles owned by conglomerates (wijaya, 2021). furthermore, the description of environmental damage is also clearly illustrated here. forests and mountains are barren; rivers are dry, and the seas are polluted. the rainy season is beyond the prediction. natural disasters keep coming. rains, floods, landslides and then forest fires keep coming; volcanoes erupt, earth wells gush, drowning cities in muddy puddles; the we find dengue fever, swine flu, drugs, poverty, corruption, religious clashes and disintegration. the people are starving while those of the upper class are busy fighting, blaming each other and inciting they deserve to rule (wijaya, 2021). humans and environments are two words that cannot be separated. both influence each other. the influence of nature on humans is more passive, while the influence of humans on nature is more active. this illustrates that humans are the trigger for the destruction of nature; especially when humans use the concept of anthropocentrism, a perspective that places humans at the center of universe system. this view contains the idea that all policies taken regarding the environment must be judged based on human interests. it is not surprising that the focus of attention in this view lies in increasing human welfare and happiness. nature is seen as an object to fulfill human needs and interests, so that nature is only used as a tool for achieving goals. obviously the concept of absolute anthropocentrism cannot be fully accepted, unless anthropocentrism is controlled. environmental damage can disturb health, cause biodiversity loss and ozone depletion as protection from the sun's ultraviolet rays and also economic collapse. we need nature to survive. therefore, it is important to preserve nature so that it can maintain a healthy and suitable environment for living things to live in. this is the role of social critiques conveyed by the author. conclusion merdeka short story by putu wijaya is full of social critiques. lack of self-introspection is a m. manugeren, purwarno purwarno, purwanto siwi, susi ekalestari, & sri wulan social critique in merdeka short story by putu wijaya: a dystopian literature approach 862 significant feature of the dystopian literature reflected in the behavior and personality of individuals and groups in the text and by this any conflict is hard to resolve. the problem of social inequality described in the story is also a trigger for people's discomfort in carrying out social life and further if not well controlled, could destabilize the social structure, most likely projected to national political, social and cultural instability. relating to environmental damage, it is predicted that in the next sixty years, everything related to nature and enjoyed by humans today will be destroyed. trees are no longer visible in big cities and in their places, skyscrapers and greenhouses with various risks to human life thrive. through a dystopian literary approach, social critique is expressed from this short story with a focus on discussing the displacement of selfintrospection, social gap and environmental damage. the results of the analysis of the data obtained indicate that the three forms of social critique are found in merdeka short story. merdeka by putu wijaya, describes the anxiety of the people about the meaning of an independence, but no one in the community feels free in terms of social justice, morals, peace, and economy, which makes the characters question the ways how they face the issue of independence and they are all eager to get justice in this beloved country. putu wijaya also implicitly provides an input that there is a need of deep attention for social inequality in social life and the government or people who have more ability and income need to also understand the situation of the poor and take useful actions with the aim of protecting, serving, accompanying, and providing directions for a better life. references adhabi, e. a. r., & anozie, c. b. i. (2017). literature review for the type of interview in qualitative research. international journal of education, 9(3), 86-91. doi:10.5296/ije.v9i3.11483. attridge, d. (2017). the singularity of literature. routledge. beauchamp, m. r., crawford, k. l., & jackson, b. (2019). social cognitive theory and physical activity: mechanism of behavior change, critique, and legacy. psychology of sport and exercise, 42, 110-117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.11 .009. beresin, e. v., and olson, c. k. (2019). child and adolescent psychiatry and the media. elsevier. bianchin, m. (2019). ideology critique and social structures. a journal of philosophy of the social sciences, 22(2), 184-196. https://doi.org/10.1080/14409917.2019.1676 942. busetto, l. (2020). how to use and assess qualitative research methods. neurological research and practice, 2(14), article 4. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s42 466-020-00059-z. campbell, j. w. (2019). the order and the other. mississippi university press. capozzi, f., and ristic, j. (2018). how attention gates social interactions. the new york academy of sciences, special issue(2018), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13854. chen, y., liang, c., & chai, d. (2018). understanding wechat users’ behavior of sharing social crisis information. international journal of human–computer interaction, 34(4), 356366. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2018.1427 826. connell, r. (2018). decolonizing sociology. contemporary sociology. dalton, r. j. (2017). the participant gaps. social status and political inequality. oxford university press. derrida, j. (2015). acts of literature. routledge. diedwardo, m. p. (2019). spatializing social justice. hamilton books. eagleton, t. (2017). what is literature? routledge. eriksen, t. h. (2020). common denominators: ethnicity, nation-building and compromise in mauritius. routledge. fitzsimmons, r. and wilson, c. a. (2020). themes and trends in contemporary young adult fiction. university press of mississippi. heng, m. s. h. (2017). a study of nation building in malaysia. cross mark, 34(1), 217-247. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12 140-017-9275-0. herrero, d., & royo-grasa, p. (2021). introduction – special issue dystopian scenarios in contemporary australian narrative. humanities, 10(3), 90-96. https://doi.org/10.3390/h10030090. horan, t. (2018). desire and empathy in twentieth century dystopian fiction. springer link. jargin, s. v. (2021). environmental damage and overpopulation: demographic aspects. journal of environmental studies, 7(1), 1-4. jerkovic, s. v., and alihodzic, d. (2018). the hunger games in bosnia-herzegovinian context: the study of the effects of young adult dystopian literature on high school students. drustvene i humanisticke studdije. 3(1), 223-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.11.009 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.11.009 https://doi.org/10.1080/14409917.2019.1676942 https://doi.org/10.1080/14409917.2019.1676942 https://neurolrespract.biomedcentral.com/ https://neurolrespract.biomedcentral.com/ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s42466-020-00059-z https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s42466-020-00059-z https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13854 https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/hihc20 https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/hihc20 https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2018.1427826 https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2018.1427826 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12140-017-9275-0 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12140-017-9275-0 https://doi.org/10.3390/h10030090 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 863 http://dhs.ff.untz.ba/index.php/home/article/ view/89. khan, k. e., & rasool, h. (2022). the future of work and dystopian literature: thoughts and reflections. journal of workplace behavior, 3(1), 21–31. https://charismajwb.com/index.php/jwb/article/view/112 kusumawardhani, w. (2017). self-introspection in the search of identity in serat jayengbaya by ranggawarsita [paper presentation]. international conference on industrial technology for sustainable development (icon-itsd), makassar, indonesia. langford, m. (2018). critiques of human rights. annual reviews, 14, 69-89. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci110316-113807. lewis, m. c. (2018). a critique of the principle of error correction as a theory of social change. cambridge university press. matamoros-fernandez, a., and farkas, j. (2021). racism, hate speech, and social media: a systematic review and critique. television & new media, 22(2), 205-224. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476420982230. merrill, k. l., smith, s. w., cumming, m. m., & daunic, a. p. (2017). a review of social problem-solving interventions: past findings, current statues, and future directions. review of educational research, 87(1), 71-102. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654316652943. mooney, l. a., clever, m., & willigen, m. v. (2021). understanding social problems. cengage learning. moylan, t. (2020). the necessity of hope in dystopian times: a critical reflection. utopian studies, 31(1), 164–193. https://doi.org/10.5325/utopianstudies.31.1.0 164 roepke, w. (2017). the social crisis of our time. routledge. saraswati, s. (2018). the idea of nation building in july’s people. literary herald, 4(4), 254258. seeger, s., & davidson-vecchione, d. (2019). dystopian literature and the sociological imagination. thesis eleven, 155(1), 45-63. https://doi.org/10.1177/0725513619888664. smith, k. e. (2017). young adult literature: dystopian worlds: teacher created materials. christianbook. steinmann, z. j. n., schipper, a. m., hauck, m., giljum, s., wernet, g., & huijbregts, m. a. j. (2017). resource footprints are good proxies of environmental damage. environmental science & technology, 51(11), 6360-6366. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b00698. stoner, p. (2007). dystopian literature: evolution of dystopian literature from we to the hunger games. merge, 1(spring), 1-28. https://athenacommons.muw.edu/cgi/viewco ntent.cgi?article=1003&context=merge sugiyono. (2017). metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, r & d. alfabeta. umeanolue, i. l. (2018). critique against social injustice in the book of amos: its relevance to development in nigeria. unizik journal of arts and humanities, 19(2), 182-192. http://10.4314/ujah.v19i2.10 vestner, t., gray, k. l. h., cook, r. (2020). why zre social interactions found quickly in visual search tasks? elsevier, 200, article 104270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104 270. wijaya, p. (2021). merdeka. https://www.untaianabjad.com/cerpenmerdeka-karya-putu-wijaya. wimmer, a. (2018). nation building: why some countries come together while others fall apart. taylor & francis. zaitov, e. k., & teshayev, d. m. (2022). family conflict and divorce as a social problem. eurasian journal of humanities and social sciences, 5, 1–5. https://www.geniusjournals.org/index.php/ej hss/article/view/517. http://dhs.ff.untz.ba/index.php/home/article/view/89 http://dhs.ff.untz.ba/index.php/home/article/view/89 https://iopscience.iop.org/issue/1755-1315/175/1 https://iopscience.iop.org/issue/1755-1315/175/1 https://iopscience.iop.org/issue/1755-1315/175/1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-110316-113807 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-110316-113807 https://doi.org/10.1177%2f1527476420982230 https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654316652943 https://doi.org/10.5325/utopianstudies.31.1.0164 https://doi.org/10.5325/utopianstudies.31.1.0164 https://doi.org/10.1177%2f0725513619888664 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b00698 https://doi.org/10.4314/ujah.v19i2.10 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104270 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104270 https://www.untaianabjad.com/cerpen-merdeka-karya-putu-wijaya https://www.untaianabjad.com/cerpen-merdeka-karya-putu-wijaya https://www.geniusjournals.org/index.php/ejhss/article/view/517 https://www.geniusjournals.org/index.php/ejhss/article/view/517 m. manugeren, purwarno purwarno, purwanto siwi, susi ekalestari, & sri wulan social critique in merdeka short story by putu wijaya: a dystopian literature approach 864 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 379 decoding socio-cognitive elements in indonesian online news: a systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis lucky rahayu nurjamin linguistics, school of postgraduates studies, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: nurjaminlucky@upi.edu dadang sudana linguistics, school of postgraduates studies, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: dsudana2013@yahoo.com wawan gunawan linguistics, school of postgraduates studies, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: wagoen@upi.edu apa citation: nurjamin, l. r., sudana, d., & gunawan, w. (2023). decoding socio-cognitive elements in indonesian online news: a systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 379-390. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7874 received: 19-02-2023 accepted: 27-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction digital news has become a popular alternative for readers to stay updated with current events. the accessibility of digital news allows people to easily obtain information without requiring a significant amount of time (tampubolon, 2022). in indonesia, many readers choose digital news as a source of insight and perspectives on various phenomena or issues (tampubolon, 2022). the availability of diverse news sources also enables readers to access balanced information from multiple perspectives. additionally, the incorporation of multimodal texts, which combine texts and images, enhances readers' understanding as meaning can be conveyed through different modes (van dijk, 2018). however, the rapid pace of news production poses challenges for readers. many readers struggle with determining which news to believe, which to ignore, and identifying misinformation (schulz et al., 2022). studies have shown that images in digital news often fail to effectively convey the intended message (scacco & muddiman, 2020). news producers often prioritize eye-catching layouts and capturing readers' attention rather than focusing on the relevance, interaction, and meaningful contribution across modes in news content (prasidya hidayati, 2021). in response to these challenges, systemic functional multimodal discourse (sf-mda) emphasizes the power of images in conveying abstract: this study explores the representation of socio-cognitive components in indonesian political multimodal news text using the framework of systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis (sfmda). with the increasing prominence of multimedia in contemporary news production, understanding how socio-cognitive aspects are conveyed through multiple modes becomes essential. drawing on sfmda, which combines systemic functional linguistics and multimodal analysis, the study examines how indonesian political news texts incorporate social and cognitive elements to shape meaning and influence audience perceptions. this study was undertaken qualitatively involving three online news published by indonesia’s publishers as the data. the result reveals that the visual and verbal modes merged in the news tend to highlight the good image of the political figures. it means that the meanings of visual and verbal components of the news persuasively work together to create the good impressions among readers to the human actor in the news. as the implication, multimodal resources are strategically employed to shape public opinion and promote specific political ideologies. ultimately, this research aims to contribute to the development of critical media literacy and foster a more nuanced understanding of the socio-political dynamics in contemporary indonesia. keywords: socio-cognitive components; socio-political dynamics; systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis (sf-mda). lucky rahayu nurjamin, dadang sudana, & wawan gunawan decoding socio-cognitive elements in indonesian online news: a systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis 380 meaning, similar to the role of text (lim, 2019). this aligns with the theory proposed by kress and leeuwen, highlighting that multimodal texts enhance readers' cognitive abilities and promote sensitivity and critical thinking in processing information (kress & leeuwen, 2021). the visual appeal of multimodal sources also contributes to activating and developing readers' prior knowledge, transforming it into valuable shortterm memory information (o'halloran et al., 2021). in summary, digital news offers accessibility and variety for readers, but challenges arise in terms of evaluating credibility and effectively conveying messages through images. sf-mda and the understanding of multimodal texts provide valuable insights into the role of images and their impact on readers' cognitive processes and prior knowledge development. in details, multimodal research using sf-mda focuses on the integration of systemic functional and cognitive techniques to multimodal discourse analysis has been conducted (liu, 2022). they notice that the sfl perspective is concerned with the relationship between the semantic and lexicogrammatical configurations of the text's verbal and nonverbal elements. it enables the analysis of structural elements of atypical nonverbal messages as well as spoken and written verbal texts, requiring the assistance of epistemological evidence from the realm of inquiry or cognitive aspects. thus, sf-mda is an alternative to see the process of sociocognition based on semantic, lexicogrammar, and epistemology aspects. thus, this can be explored using the sf-mda lens which emphasizes aspects of multimodal data through the experiential, interpersonal, and textual domains as in kress & van leeuwen’s theory (o’ halloran et al, 2021). below is the table of how image and text work together in shaping meanings. table 1. shaping meanings image text interpersonal orientation + ambience interpersonl semantics ideotional representation ideational semantics textual presemtation textual semantics the table indicates that sf-mda covers the semiotic resources coming from images and texts as the metafunction systems, system choices, and inter-semiotic relations in multimodal texts (lim 2021a). this theory against the common claim that images is decorative tools or elements which solely functions to attract or entertain readers/ audiences (fajriah, hamdani, et al. 2021). the topic of meaning-making between images and texts have been discussed by scholars. some of studies focused on the meaning relation among those modes in teaching and learning process (lim, 2021; lim, 2019; yuliasri & mulatsih, 2021), books (unsworth et al, 2020; yanuar et al., 2021), cartoons (abdullah et al, 2020), websites (isti’anah, 2022). the taxonomy of image-text has also been discussed under a corpus study. peculiarly, a more detailed study about this similar topic was conducted by martinec & salway’s centering on how logic-sematics relations are defined in the scope of systemic functional lingustics. the result of the study indicates that the notion of text-image relation could be employed to gesture-speech-relations. another investigation of meanings among modes involving language, symbols, and images was in mathematical discourse (o’ halloran et al, 2021), also in theme of film sector (man & li, 2022). more than that, the meaning interaction among images and texts also became the research interest among scholars (khusna et al. 2022). the general evidence of the studies emphasizes that images role prominent in conveying meanings. from the report of previous studies above, it is seen that the discussion of images is more on how images and texts interact to shape ideas or messages. it means that the inclusion of imagetext analysis using sf-mda theory to capture the sociocognitive elements in news is few to investigate. hence, in filling the gap, this study is an endevour to identify the components of sociocognitive in the multimodal news texts seeb from sf-mda analysis. method the purpose of this study is to analyze the sociocognitive aspects of political news in digital media. to achieve this objective, a descriptive analytic design was employed. the descriptive analysis in multimodal research aims to understand the phenomenon experienced by research subjects (figueira et al., 2021). additionally, halverson et al. (2015) assert that descriptive analysis is a suitable method for systematically characterizing the meaning of words, phrases, or sentences in a language, categorizing them according to specific patterns, and examining them. for this study, the primary data consists of six digital newspapers selected based on their web english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 381 traffic statistics from alexa, including tribunnews.com, liputan6.com, and kompas.com. the choice of these newspapers was determined by their popularity among the general audience, with tribunnews.com being the most accessed digital newspaper according to web traffic data. three articles were sampled from a pool of 32 digital news readers who provided feedback on which articles they found most fascinating, interesting, or uninteresting. in summary, this study utilizes a descriptive analytic design to analyze the socio-cognitive aspects of political news in digital media. the data collected include articles from popular digital newspapers, and the analysis aims to uncover patterns and meanings within the selected articles. the table 2 describes that the popular issues read by the readers involve the political issues of russia with ukraine, the presidential election in indonesia, and the oil hoarding case in the north sumatra. from the title of news, the relevant participant of each issue is apparently mentioned by the authors; putin, giring, and edy. table 2. data sources no. newspaper news title scope publication date category 1. detik.com rusia dibanjiri sanksi as-eropa, putin balik melawan luar negeri 24 feb 2022 10:16 wib paling menarik untuk dibaca 2. detik.com mundur pencapresan, giring psi bakal 'survei' 9 nama ini untuk 2024 dalam negeri 24 feb 2022 10:12 wib menarik untuk dibaca 3. kompas.com klarifikasi gubernur edy dan polda sumut, grup salim tak timbun 1,1 juta minyak goreng di gudang deli serdang dalam negeri 24/02/2022, 07:00 wib tidak menarik the data were analyzed using systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis (sfmda) framework. this tool is utilized to identify the socio-cognitive structure consisting of social representations, attitudes, and ideologies of social actors, as well as the connection between discourse structures and societal structures, in the context of interpretation. lined up with this respect, it is noted that the socio-cognitive level in the the text is attributed to the text by the author's mind rather than being 'in' the text (van dijk, 2018) as a result, this approach focuses not only on mental models and knowledge, but also on discourse and social components that are described vocally and nonverbally. to summarize, the data analysis of this present research lead to give a depiction of how images and texts contribute to developing meanings of the news. results and discussion this part elaborates the data findings regarding the analysis of socio-cognitive components through representation, orientation and presentation. representation the focused components of representation analysis are the narrative representation seen from participants and gazing vector, the circumstances and the process types. first, in the part of narrative representation, the human participant is mostly used in the frame. it is strongly displayed in the foreground of the image, with very crisp outlines, pointing out that the participants shown through the images is an important clue to identify. this evidence is consistent with the issues discussed in the news; that is about political issues, where the focus is on figures/people. figure 1. the figure participant is in the frame #sample a# seen from the route analysis, the gazing vector is obviously found in each image. it demonstrates that the actor's picture has a strong representational meaning. on the contrary, the representation is categorized low if images place human actors and other objects in the same portion in terms of frame, size, and lighting. then, the facial expression also indicates the extent of political issues the actors are experiencing. peculiarly, the line is noticeable due to the appearance of frown lines and facial lines. lucky rahayu nurjamin, dadang sudana, & wawan gunawan decoding socio-cognitive elements in indonesian online news: a systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis 382 as an example, two images below show the different level of problems faced by the human actors of the news. figure 1. the facial line of the participants 1 figure 2: the facial line of the participants 2 from the figure above, it is seen that the descending facial line indicates that somebody has a big problem in political affairs. put differently, compared to giring and other political actors in the other news, putin has the biggest political issue. the visual representation is also powered by the text analysis showing that mental processes are chosen to verbalize the images. even, the use of gesture by putting the finger near to putin’s eye also highlights that he has a serious matter. figure 3. flag of russia figure 3: the warehouse then, figure 3 expresses the circumstances which specify 1) the participant is positioned differently, one is at the middle position of image and the other is at the very front of the image, 2) the left image does not give any clue of emphasis; meanwhile, the participant (the right side) is made as a focus that is firm while other objects are made less focused, 3) the color of the participant (the putin’s picture) is made stronger with a desaturated color that tends to black and white with a background that tends to gray, and 4) the colors of the participants are made brighter and bolder (see also figure 3 on the right part). that is, the writers attempted to create setting aspects in order to enrich the story substance. below is the sample of the text to clarify the meanings of images. as an example: sederet negara memberikan sanksi ke rusia di tengah memanasnya konflik dengan ukraina”. # some countries put sanctions to rusia in the hot phase of war with ukraine# another example: "kami juga menyediakan sarana kepada rakyat untuk berpartisipasi melalui rembuk rakyat online.” #we also provided the facility to the society to participate through ‘online society discussion forum’’# the above-mentioned examples show that the author underlined the activity done by the participants during the political activities. another sample also displays that the participant in the news is mostly categorized as the actor (doing something) such as: putin, giring, kami). in details, the authors attempt to highpoint the efforts done by the participants in tackling the political issues; they are, putin faces the world political issue regarding the europe sanction to rusia for the conflict with ukraine; giring gives his voice on the political election in indonesia; and edy talks about the issue of hoarding the cooking oil. in addition, the second sample shows that direct quotation is used, aiming to convince the readers. it is also followed by the verbal process. as an instance; namun, belakangan, edy mengklarifikasi pernyataan nya # nevertheless, edy has already clarified his statement. # the use of direct quotation and the verbal processes is found in the three news. it means that the media tries to directly connect and convey the voices of the important figures to the audiences. put simply, there is an attempt to deliver the accuracy of information from the source of information. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 383 from the evidence above, the cognitive component of the multimodal news exists through the use of narrative structure which is mostly represented by human participant in the images, supporting by negative eye-gaze and the existence of material, verbal and relational processes. in details, human participant as the focused figure visualized in the news is in line with the aim of the news; that is to persuade readers (doerr, 2023) to consider the positive attitudes of the participants in the context of politics. o’halloran (2008)’s study also confirms that the combination of image and text brings out the ideological interpretation. moreover, negative eye-gaze chosen by the news authors show that the readers are invited to observe what the news is talking about, meaning that the represented participant of the news is not directed to talk to the audiences. meanwhile, the foremost choice of using material, verbal, and relational processes in the news is harmony to what news naturally aims, that is, to persuade readers to put an interest to the discussed topic packaged by the series of information. furthermore, the visual-verbal analysis, the author accentuates that the participant is the human actor, the most activity-exchange used is material process and mental process, and the circumstance is on the political identity, country’s label, and also the incident setting. put differently, the majority of the articles focus on transmitting the physical activities carried out by political actors in relation to various political matters. the records were parallel to a previous study’s result (khusna et al. 2022) that for persuasion purpose, material process is very fundamental to show the activities. from the discussion above, it is safe to say that the type of image and text relation in showing the cognitive portion through the representation is an un equal one; particularly texts subordinate the images (fajriah et al., 2021). this inference is due to the use of merely one image in every news analyzed in this study. hence, the verbal texts have far more portion in presenting the information. this conclusion strengthened that images contribute to adding the cognition and engagement in the meaning transfer of a discourse (clough & duff, 2020). orientation as has been discussed, the analysis of orientation part is actually aimed to analyze the sociocognitive aspects involving the elements of eye gaze, distance, power, involvement and the others for the visual clues and the mood structures for the verbal text. first, the negative eye-gazes (as has been discussed at the point of representation) of the participant are more likely to be in an observing position with a conversational context that necessitates deliberate consideration, rather than as a party who invited to engage in discourse with the represented participant. in other words, the participants carry out the cognitive processes of looking for and remembering information or events. from all samples, there is no direct/ positive gaze shown in the image, confirming that the participants in the text are not demanding the readers to do something but position the readers as the information giver. figure 3: the negative eye-contact (sample 3) next, the aspect of affect is mostly in an uncertain situation. it does not particularly show the presence of pleased or sad reactions on the participants' faces when they notice something beyond the frame. therefore, the detailed description of how the participants react to each political issue is highlighted by the verbal explanations (texts). in figure 3, the image is taken in a long shot mode, causing readers could not identify the emotion/ feelings among interactants. meanwhile, in figure one, the participant wears the facial mask; hence, the expression/ affect is hard to analyze. except, in figure 2, there is a strong viewing angle of putin when he is staring at the outside of the frame. this might be taken as the positive aspect of perceiving something or thinking about the matter he is tackling. another category is involvement. the involvement of participants and readers is linked by visuals that appear to be exclusion. this is visible in the feature of eye contact, which is not always in the same center as the reader. in other words, the reader is not a part of the problem that the participant is seeing or thinking about. it is strengthened by the gaze appearing in the visuals where the readers are merely placed as the observers. lucky rahayu nurjamin, dadang sudana, & wawan gunawan decoding socio-cognitive elements in indonesian online news: a systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis 384 in addition, the category of social distance between participants and the readers is intimate, meaning that readers and the participants of the text have the close relation. this conclusion is seen from the frame which slices the upper section of the participant's body, moving from the chest to the top. in terms of power, the relationship between participants and readers is equal or equally powerful. of course, the goal is to reduce the power disparity between depicted participants and readers such that the ideas transmitted are acceptable. moving to the verbal aspect, the declarative form is the most common usage of the mood structure, as demonstrated by the emergence of the subject and finite in each sentence at the same time. for examples: uni eropa misalnya mendapat 40 % pasokan gas alamnya dari rusia dan inggris # european union got 40 % gas supply from rusia and england# namun selain nama jokowi, dia menyebut ada 9 nama lainnya yang menurut rakyat paling tepat untuk pimpin indonesia.# a part from jokowi, he mentioned other nine names who are claimed eligible to be the president in indonesia# reffering to the sample above, 97% declarative sentences indicate that the majority of political news texts use statement to give an informative element in delivering information. specifically, the subject placement that is frequently employed is the noun phrase in the form of a proper name. this format is used to include political leaders who are seen to be particularly essential in communicating news. in relation to the nonverbal findings, the usage of subjects such as governor edy, putin, and giring demonstrates a resemblance in social meaning, including power, between the participant subject and the reader. there is no use of diction that prioritizes the participant topics, such as 'mr. governor edy' or 'mr. putin' in the news text. furthermore, the lack of pronouns like 'he' reinforces the sense of equality between the subject participant and the reader. this is added to the aspect of closeness between the participant subject and the reader who mentions the name of the participant subject directly. to infer, seen from orientation, the role of images and the verbal texts is supporting one to another (zheng et al., 2021) in emphasizing that the participants of the texts are quite familiar with the audiences. the data are reflected from the choice to treat readers as those who have the equal position with the participants. the dominant statements used also reflects that this news is aimed to deliver information and locate the audiences as the information giver, confirmed by the eye-gaze which is categorized as the negative one; therefore, the relation of image and text in this topic is synonymy (fajriah, hamied, and gunawan, 2021; zheng et al., 2021). the data also are hand in hand with the notion that messages will be more easily accepted if the relation between the information giver and the receivers is not far. as response to the findings above, in the interpersonal landscape, the author attempts to make close relation between the represented participants and the audiences in both visual and verbal modes. it confirms the aim of that news; that is to persuade readers to have the same perspective with the idea in that news (danielson & hedling, 2022). the use of declarative mood shown by the arrangement of subject finite also signifies that conveying the information by combining the visual and verbal texts is also hand in hand that in socio-cognitive eye, news is functioned to deliver information as packaged by the declarative mood(nasriati et al., 2019). this analysis is used to see the power relation among participants (green & johns, 2019). this notion is seen from the visual and verbal analysis on the aspect of orientation by placing the political participants in the news as the figures who are familiar with the audiences. more than that, framing the human-actor with the relevant label (such as the color of party and flags) is that articulating the power could be displayed by putting the symbols or ornaments either in foregrounded or backgrounded mode (danielson & hedling, 2022). this study also confirms kabingting’s study (2020) signing that interpersonal analysis (realized in orientation) role very prominent in conveying the subjectivity of the ideas in news genre. presentation this fragment expounds the stage of presentation covering the visual aspects (salience, information values, and framing) and the text analysis. seen from the salience, the sort of participants in the focused news are human. they are mostly as the political figure; such as, putin (the president of russia, giring as the political figure in one of indonesia’s party). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 385 figure 4. the analysis of presentation the above-shown image points out that the participant is a controversial political figure in this globe. he is not only positioned as the foreground but also emphasized as the focus point by getting the clearest lighting and completed by the formal wear. in the information value, the participant is placed in left-right position (see also figure 1) and also ideal real showing that this figure has a big power as the decision maker towards the discussed issue in his country (shown by the existence of russia’s flag). this conclusion is also supported by the framing which balance the position of the political figure with the flag. not only that, the flag is also placed on the putin’s back showing that the individual participant is the person in charge in making any decision. in harmony with this finding, another news also acmes the usage of white and red color on the participant to show the identity of the party; that is, partai solidaritas indonesia (see figure 1). different from these two images, the topic talking about the hoarding issue of cooking oil is not supported by any clear attributes which could sound the voices of the target participants, edy and kapolda sumatera utara. in the verbal aspect, the analysis focuses on theme and thematic progression. in three news, most of theme type is topical and textual. unmarked topical theme is evidenced by the use of nominal common noun such as giring, kami, dpp, psi, and rakyat. the examples of textual theme are conjunctions such as namun, meski begitu, lebih lanjut. namun selain nama jokowi, dia menyebut ada 9 nama lainnya yang menurut rakyat paling tepat untuk pimpin indonesia. (sample 2) #apart from jokowi’s name, he said there were 9 other names that the people thought were the most appropriate to lead indonesia.# meski begitu sepertinya rusia tidak akan terpengaruh dengan adanya sanksi tersebut (sample 3) #even so, it seems that russia will not be affected by these sanctions# in the category of thematic progression, the most pattern used in these samples is zigzag. this pattern is indicated by the use of object in the first clause is placed to be the subject in the second one. clause 1th1 rh1 sederet negara memberikan sanksi ke rusia di tengah memanasnya (a number of countries) konflik dengan ukraina (impose sanctions on russia in the midst of an escalating conflict with ukraine) clause 2 -th2 (rh1) rh2 sanksi utama datang dari amerika serikat (as) mewakili negara (main sanction) barat (came from the united states representing western countries) clause 3 th3 (rh2) rh3 pemerintah as melarang lembaga keuangan yang ada di negaranya (the united states) (prohibit financial institutions in the country). figure 5. thematic progression analysis: zigzag pattern sample (text 1) lucky rahayu nurjamin, dadang sudana, & wawan gunawan decoding socio-cognitive elements in indonesian online news: a systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis 386 clause 1th5 rh5 dia (he) mengatakan, minyak goreng yang ada di sana setiap dua hari sekali didistribusikan ke rumah makan, mal, dan lainnya (said, the cooking oil is distributed to restaurants, malls and others every two days) clause 2 th6 (rh5) rh6 sementara, (di)karena(kan) proses distribusi minyak goreng tidak terkait banyaknya stok dilakukan setiap hari. (because the cooking oil minyak goreng di gudang distribution process is not done everyday). tersebut, menurut informasi yang didapatnya, (meanwhile, related to the large stock of cooking oil in the warehouse, according to the information he got clause 3 th7 (rh2) rh8 “ini (this) kan akan dicek, dipelajari kepastiannya oleh hukum”. (will be checked, studied for certainty by law”. figure 6. thematic progression analysis: zigzag pattern sample (text 3) in addition, reiteration is also used in the discourse. this shape is shown by repeating the subject in the preceding clause in the second clause. clause a1s1th1 rh1 ketua umum partai menyebut pihaknya sempat solidaritas indonesia (psi) turun ke rakyat . . . (said they had come giring ganesha down to the people) clause a1s2th1 rh2 giring yang memutuskan mengklaim ada 9 nama yang mundur dari pencapresan 2024 diinginkan rakyat (gilang, decided to withdraw (claimed that there were 9 names that the from the 2024 presidential election people wanted) figure 7. thematic progression analysis: reiteration pattern sample (text 2) this sample illustrates that the author emphasizes the main participant in the news (putin, giring, gubernur edy). it means that the focus point of the story is the political figure and also parallel to the representation and orientation analysis result that the major discussion of the news are the human figures not the activities, conflicts, or phenomenon. as the inference, the blend of visual and verbal elements in the presentation aspect demonstrates that the key point of the news is not the event/ activities or the tragedy, yet the political figures. this evidence is shown by the presence of human participant in the image, supporting by the theme used is mostly in the form of human, strengthened by the thematic pattern which addresses to the political figure (giring, putin, or a like). simply put, though the issues in the news are about the incidents or ‘what happens around’ yet the key point which is displayed in the news delivery is about the related participants/ figures. this result is in line with the root of textual metafunction that what is placed as the theme, usually in the form of subject is the important element to discuss (himphinit & astia, 2023). the result of this focus analysis also extends the study conducted by (degaf, wijana, and poedjosoedarmo 2019) who merely scrutinize the textual analysis seen from the verbal/ text analysis. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 387 all in all, the inference is that though the verbal texts dominate the meanings of images in all analyzed news, the authors have an endeavor to visualize the position of the participants in the topic issues through the representation, orientation and presentation. another conclusion is that images and texts have the same purpose; that is, to highlight the participants of the texts as the ideal political figures who need to be taken into consideration by the readers. the outcome of this analysis also confirms that the suitable pattern of images and the verbal text encourages the readability and the accuracy of the information delivery to the audiences (lim 2021a) last, the concept of multimodality is confirmed that any modes including verbal and non-verbal forms are potential to create meanings (kress & van leeuwen 2006; lim 2019). emphasizing that sticking on mono-mode in interpreting messages is not effective since a lot of readers now are digital natives who need to be equipped with the visual literacy (matusiak et al. 2019). unless, readers will have lost capacity in grasping messages and have no any filter in accepting the information. conclusion as the socio-cognitive features through sf-mda has been analysed, the news published in indonesia online newspapers shown the positive perspective on the focused political figures. it is evidenced from the use of human participant in the images, as drawn to attention by the foregrounded mode and the contribution of some attributes/ symbols supporting the good image of the participants. moreover, the positive image as promoted in the visual modes is also reinforced by the verbal modes. it is grasped from the activity mood structure, activity exchange as well as theme type and patterns, claiming that the human actors in the news have the positively significant role in overwhelming the political concerns . put differently, in spite of small portion of images as the meaning sources in the news analysed in this study, there is a synergic relation between visual and verbal modes in transmitting the socio-cognitive features of the news’ messages in order to persuade audiences/ readers to take the political figures into account regarding the controversially political topics discussed around. as the implication of this present study, readers are expected to have sufficient knowledge and interpretation in paying attention on the image-text relation in the news reading. in details, the display of image structures involving the eyegaze, attributes, position, shot, and frame are the points to be learnt as the source of meanings, not as the ornaments. references clough, s., & duff, m. c. (2020). the role of gesture in communication and cognition: implications for understanding and treating neurogenic communication disorders. in frontiers in human neuroscience (vol. 14). frontiers media s.a. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2020.00323 danielson, a., & hedling, e. (2022). visual diplomacy in virtual summitry: status signalling during the coronavirus crisis. review of international studies, 48(2), 243–261. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0260210521000607 degaf, a., wijana, i. d. p., & poedjosoedarmo, s. (2019). textual analysis on celebrity news in the online media. 14(2). doerr, n. (2021). the visual politics of the alternative for germany (afd): anti-islam, ethnonationalism, and gendered images. social sciences, 10(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10010020 doonan, j. (1993). looking at pictures in picture books. thimble press. el refaie, e. (2009). multiliteracies: how readers interpret political cartoons. visual communication, 8(2), 181–205. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470357209102113 fajriah, y. n., hamdani, n. a., suminar, a. r., nurjamin, r., & hidayat, m. t. (2021). digital storytelling in exploring ideational meanings of narrative genre (sfl genre-based approach ). advances in social science, education and humanities research, 584(icorsh 2020), 420–424. fajriah, y. n., hamied, f. a., & gunawan, w. (2021). image-text relation interpretation: teachers’ visual-verbal competence in teaching texts. jurnal cakrawala pendidikan, 40(1), 208–217. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v40i1.33755 figueira, h. a., figueira, o. a., corradi‐perini, c., martínez‐rodríguez, a., figueira, a. a., da silva, c. r. l., & dantas, e. h. m. (2021). a descriptive analytical study on physical activity and quality of life in sustainable aging. sustainability (switzerland), 13(11), 13115968. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115968 green, g., & johns, t. (2019). exploring the relationship (and power dynamic) between researchers and public partners working together in applied health research teams. frontiers in sociology, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2019.00020 halverson, e. r., bass, m., & woods, d. (2015). the process of creation: a novel methodology for analyzing multimodal data. the qualitative lucky rahayu nurjamin, dadang sudana, & wawan gunawan decoding socio-cognitive elements in indonesian online news: a systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis 388 report, 17(11), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2012.1796 himphinit, b. m., & astia, i. (2023). systemic functional linguistics : analyzing the theme system and thematic progression in indonesian university students ’ english (vol. 1). atlantis press sarl. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-238476-022-0 kabigting, r. (2020). the philippine online news headlines on covid-19 pandemic: an interpersonal metafunction analysis. jet (journal of english teaching), 6(3), 204–211. https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v6i3.1983 khusna, k. a., mustofa, m., alka, w., ubaidillah, m. f., lee, h. y., & putra, s. p. (2022). portrait of teacher talk and language choices in efl classroom: insights for children’s language learning. child education journal, 4(2), 139– 174. https://doi.org/10.33086/cej.v4i2.3501 knapp, p., & watkins, m. (2005). genre, text, grammar: technologies for teaching and assessing writing. education, 17(2), 258. http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&amp;lr= &amp;id=6vp1slspp7oc&amp;oi=fnd&amp;p g=pa6&amp;dq=genre,+text,+grammar:+techn ologies+for+teaching+and+assessing+writing& amp;ots=5qvlmb4nln&amp;sig=6ncfbl6kw v6gghxoqwsi1em_384 lim, f. v. (2021a). investigating intersemiosis: a systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis of the relationship between language and gesture in classroom discourse. visual communication, 20(1), 34–58. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470357218820695 lim, f. v. (2021b). investigating intersemiosis: a systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis of the relationship between language and gesture in classroom discourse. visual communication, 20(1), 34–58. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470357218820695 lim, v. f. (2019). analysing the teachers’ use of gestures in the classroom: a systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis approach. social semiotics, 29(1), 83–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2017.141216 8 liu, z. (2022). introducing a multimodal perspective to emotional variables in second language acquisition education: systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis. frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1016441 man, s., & li, z. (2022). multimodal discourse analysis of interactive environment of film discourse based on deep learning. journal of environmental and public health, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/1606926 matusiak, k., heinbach, c., harper, a., & bovee, m. (2019). visual literacy in practice: use of images in students’ academic work. college & research libraries, 80(1), 123–139. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.80.1.123 nasriati, j. f., siti, z. a. a., & fitriani, s. (2019). the interpersonal meaning of english posts written by aceh bloggers on stemmit. eej), 10(1), 35– 45. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&e src=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ve d=2ahukewizw4ukq_v_ahut7tgghudjdn0 4hhawegqicxab&url=http%3a%2f%2feth eses.uinmalang.ac.id%2f21653%2f1%2f15320134.pdf &usg=aovvaw1nnd2woywgrcwpgdgwr d8t&opi=89978449 o’halloran, k. l. (2008). systemic functionalmultimodal discourse analysis (sf-mda): constructing ideational meaning using language and visual imagery. visual communication, 7(4), 443–475. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470357208096210 o’halloran, k. l., pal, g., & jin, m. h. (2021). multimodal approach to analysing big social and news media data. prasidya hidayati, s. (2021). the effect of neurological impress method (n.i.m) on reading ability of english text on dyslexic students. eduvest-journal of universal studies, 1(7), 550–558. https://greenvest.co.id/ royce, t. (2002). multimodality in the tesol classroom : exploring visual-verbal synergy. 36(2), 191–205. scacco, j. m., & muddiman, a. (2020). the curiosity effect: information seeking in the contemporary news environment. new media and society, 22(3), 429–448. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819863408 tampubolon, s. (2022). critical discourse analysis on medan newspapers ’ editorial. 1, 1–8. unsworth, l. (2006). image/ text relations and intersemiotics: toward multimodal text description for multiliteracy educations. proceeding 33rd international systemic functional congress. van dijk, t. (2015). critical discourse studies : a sociocognitive approach. methods of critical discourse analysis, 62–85. van dijk, t. a. (2018). discourse and migration. imiscoe research series, 227–245. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76861-8_13 yanuar, r., tantan tandiana, s., abdullah, f., hidayati, a. n., andriani, a., & saputra, y. (2021). representing intersemiosis in an english language teaching textbook: a systemic functional multimodal discourse approach. koli: journal of language education, 2(1). yuliasri, s., & mulatsih, s. (2021). textual meaning of the lecturers’ utterances and gestures used in teaching reading and writing: a systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis (sfmda) (vol. 7, issue 1). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 389 zheng, h., liu, z., & shi, d. (2021). image-text discourse coherence relation discoveries on multi-image and multi-text documents. journal of physics: conference series, 1948(1), 012013. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1948/1/012013 lucky rahayu nurjamin, dadang sudana, & wawan gunawan decoding socio-cognitive elements in indonesian online news: a systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis 390 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 53 classroom management strategies and challenges in efl speaking class hesti rokhaniyah department of international relations, faculty of humanities universitas darussalam gontor, indonesia email: hesti.r@unida.gontor.ac.id dwi ardiyanti department of international relations, faculty of humanities universitas darussalam gontor, indonesia email: dwi.ardiyanti@unida.gontor.ac.id ida susilowati department of international relations, faculty of humanities universitas darussalam gontor, indonesia email: idasusilowati@unida.gontor.ac.id diska fatima virgiyanti department of english language education, faculty of islamic education universitas darussalam gontor, indonesia email: diska.fatima@ unida.gontor.ac.id eka indah nuraini department of english language education, faculty of islamic education universitas darussalam gontor, indonesia email: ekaindahnuraini@ unida.gontor.ac.id apa scitation: rokhaniyah, h., ardiyanti, d., susilowati, i., virgiyanti, d. f., & nuraini, e. i. (2024). classroom management strategies and challenges in efl speaking class. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 53-64. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.8895 received: 22-10-2023 accepted: 21-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction efl classroom requires a certain set of strategies. to get past the particular challenges efl learners encounter, they have to use a variety of strategies. code switching causes anxiety and discomfort among efl learners (suico, 2021). in addition, a lack of motivation and overpowering fear might result a "mental block" which impedes language acquisition (baş & beyhan, 2019; gumartifa, 2020). as a result, it is critical to apply effective strategies which foster a positive and joyful class climate, ultimately enhancing learners' educational journey. classroom management in speaking refers to a range of strategies implemented by lecturers to organize learners, the physical space, time, and abstract: classroom management involves all endeavors aimed at establishing an efficient and pleasant teaching and learning environment that can inspire learners to learn effectively based on their abilities. it encompasses a range of intentional activities conducted by lecturers with the goal of establishing and sustaining optimal conditions for the teaching and learning process. this research investigates practical management strategies for english as a foreign language (efl) speaking class. semi-structured interviews and active classroom observation were employed to collect the data. three efl lecturers from the english department of universitas darussalam gontor who provided english speaking classes participated in this study. the objective was to look into the lecturers' viewpoints and management of speaking classes and to examine the strategies they employed and the challenges they experienced. the findings show that the lecturers had implemented a variety of strategies, including setting discipline, physical environment, encouraging more usage of english, offering engaging topics, speaking correction techniques, and building excitement for content. the results also revealed that the lecturers encountered difficulties to manage their teaching. challenges such as improper pronunciation, learners' low self-esteem, and shortage of lexical resources were among the lecturers’ obstacles. keywords: classroom management; challenges; strategies; efl speaking class. hesti rokhaniyah, dwi ardiyanti, ida susilowati, diska fatima virgiyanti, & eka indah nuraini classroom management strategies and challenges in efl speaking class 54 materials in order to enable effective learning (gamhewage et al., 2022; suico, 2021). the major objective is to help learners attain their maximum potential by developing proper behavioral patterns. a lecturer must be ready to deal with unforeseen events and possess the skills to effectively control learner behavior. building an effective classroom system and fostering a welcoming classroom climate are crucial goals for lecturers. every action taken by a lecturer, from setting up the classroom environment and arranging furniture to communicating with learners and establishing rules, has implications for classroom management. this includes implementing and adjusting routines, as well as effectively communicating and reinforcing rules to the learners. these various aspects collectively contribute to successful classroom management (aldalur & perez, 2023; garcía-cáceres et al., 2022; kushik et al., 2020). utilizing techniques of classroom management in speaking including hands-on activities and collaborative projects, supported by the entire school, can contribute to increased efficiency for both lecturers and learners. the effectiveness of learning within the classroom is a widely recognized concept in educational settings. when designing and guiding learners' activities, lecturer should consider the various ways in which learners learn and incorporate these practices into their teaching. it is important for learners to identify their own learning preferences and styles within the classroom. some key characteristics of effective teaching and learning include learners actively exploring and experiencing concepts, maintaining focus and persistence when faced with challenges, and taking ownership of their ideas while making connections and developing problem-solving strategies (renuka, 2021). when classroom management strategies in speaking are effectively implemented, lecturers minimize disruptive actions in the classroom that hinder learning (john, 2020). effective schools are now recognized not just as a matter of educational progress, but also the subject for research examining school-based factors directly influencing learners’ outcomes. discipline is often the first aspect associated with classroom management. nevertheless, classroom management is a process that extends beyond discipline alone (xu et al., 2023). while classroom management techniques may appear simple in theory, successfully integrating them into learner education requires complex strategies and experience. even though the particular techniques for classroom management may differ in terms of terminology, purpose, and practice, there are guiding models that can assist practitioners in both theory and practical implementation (afifah, 2022; egeberg et al., 2021; ho et al., 2019). eka & wardhana (2021) revealed that the aim of classroom management is to ensure that every learner in the class works in an orderly manner, leading to the timely attainment of teaching goals effectively and efficiently. each learner continues to work without interruption, meaning that no learner stops because they do not know their tasks or cannot perform the assigned tasks. likewise, they consistently carry out their work without wasting time, meaning that they work promptly to complete the given tasks. huziah (2022) and mustafida (2021) also reveals that the aim of classroom management is to create an atmosphere that supports a range of learner learning activities, encompassing social, emotional, and intellectual aspects. the provided facilities enable learners to engage in learning and productive work, fostering a social atmosphere that promotes fulfillment, discipline, intellectual growth, emotional development, and the cultivation of positive attitudes among learners. the study conducted by xu et al. (2023), classroom management is essential as it has a significant positive impact on both the lecturer's ability to instruct and the learners' capacity to speak. without proper classroom management, a detrimental learning environment can arise, characterized by learners demotivation and distractions, while lecturers experience heightened stress and eventual burnout. conversely, proficient classroom management ensures that a lecturer's time and energy are primarily devoted to teaching, minimizing the need for behavior management. in brief, classroom management is significant for emerging efective learning environment, enabling lecturers to instruct effectively and learners to maximize their learning potential while minimizing distractions and stress (soraya et al., 2022). other researchers revealed that managing the effective classroom refers to the strategies employed by lecturers to create and maintain a conducive setting that promotes learners ' academic success, as well as their social, emotional, and ethical development (abdelrahman & wang, 2023; nagro et al., 2020). however, the endeavor to establish a meaningful is not devoid of difficulties. this is english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 55 specifically concerning the instructional behavior of lecturers, has emerged as a significant issue. classroom management in speaking classes differs from that in writing and reading classes due to the nature of speaking skills, which entail direct interaction among students, necessitate prompt responses, and promote active participation. in such instances, lecturers must establish an environment conducive to dialogue and verbal creativity. conversely, writing and reading classes often lean towards more individualized approaches, highlighting the importance of planning, text analysis, and the application of grammar rules. this distinction holds significance as effective classroom management should account for the distinct dynamics of each skill. lecturers must adjust their teaching and assessment methods to facilitate the cultivation of speaking skills that involve social interaction. therefore, this study examines classroom management strategies which the educators face during the teaching and learning process, and explores how they address classroom management issues, particularly in the context of an english speaking subject. method this qualitative study deals with the strategies to manage efl speaking classes. the study investigates the strategy of classroom management employed by public speaking lecturers, with a particular emphasis on how these strategies assist in the creation of environment for learning. to accomplish this, a case study approach is utilized to thoroughly examine and explore the strategies of classroom management. case study is recognized as a qualitative methodology that involves in-depth analysis of a system (creswell, 2014). similarly, according to gaias (2019), a case study involves studying a phenomenon within its real-life context. this study can be identified as a case study to investigate the strategies to manage public speaking classes employed by lecturers. this study involved three lecturers from the english department in the faculty of islamic education universitas darussalam gontor, indonesia, who willingly participated as research subjects. the research preferred those lecturers as they specialized in teaching speaking classes and possessed expertise in handling verbal interactions while fostering students' speaking skills. the researchers employed purposive sampling for selecting the participants; each sample element was chosen for a specific purpose due to its unique characteristics. in this particular research, only 3 lecturers teaching public speaking classes were selected as the research sample. due to four speaking classes in the 2022/2023 academic year, the researchers opted to apply technique of random sampling to recruit the participants to ensure a fair and unbiased representation of participants and to the broader population of speaking classes. observations and semi-structured interviews and were utilized to gather detailed data into the strategies of classroom management employed by lecturers. this interview format provided interviewees with greater flexibility in expressing their answers compared to a rigidly structured interview. a set of questions was and an interview were employed to ensure all relevant topics were covered through the interview. with the participants' consent, the interview sessions had been recorded. the interviews duration varied, lasting between twenty to twenty five minutes for each participant. the interview data were subjected to coding. researchers utilized the coded data to develop a theoretical structure, categorizing it as particular groupings as outlined by (creswell, 2014). key recurring themes arising from the interviews were identified. thematic analysis procedures were employed to analyze the data and generate a list of potential themes aligned with the study's objectives. to maintain anonymity, the lecturers were referred to using the symbol "l" such as "l1" for lecturer 1. the data collected through observations were utilized to validate the participants' perspective obtained during the interview regarding their actual classroom management practices. results and discussion various patterns emerged from data analysis: strategies of classroom management, setting disciplines, physical environment, encouraging more use of english, offering engaging topics, building excitement for content, and speaking correction techniques. strategies of classroom management three english lecturers who teach public speaking classes were interviewed. the first participant was interviewed on january 21st, 2022, while the second and third participants were interviewed a week later on january 30th, 2022. the participants were provided with seven questions relevant to the research inquiries. the researchers initially inquired about the hesti rokhaniyah, dwi ardiyanti, ida susilowati, diska fatima virgiyanti, & eka indah nuraini classroom management strategies and challenges in efl speaking class 56 participants' perception of classroom management. the question aimed at understanding how the participants conceptualized classroom management. below are the transcribed responses provided by the participants. classroom management refers to how teachers arrange and handle activities in the classroom. the goal of managing the classroom is to establish a favorable environment which facilitates meaningful interaction in english. fostering interaction and employing effective classroom management techniques, learners make progress in learning process. (l1) classroom management is how lecturers manage the classroom to produce conducive space for learners to engage in english learning. classroom management is relevant to aspects of motivation, discipline, and respect. (l2) classroom management is about how lecturers organize learners, the classroom space, time, and materials to make learning easier for learners. (l3) all the lecturers said that classroom management involves the organization and handling of activities within the classroom by lecturers. the main goal is to create conducive environment for meaningful interaction in english. fostering such interaction and implementing effective classroom management techniques, learners can make progress in their english language learning. classroom management is closely connected to motivation, discipline, and respect. it entails how lecturers arrange learners, classroom space, time, and materials to facilitate learners' learning process. setting disciplines the researchers formulated this inquiry to gain insights into the practical application of discipline in class. below are the participants’ responses to the question. i attach great importance to discipline. i make class rules, if there are learners who arrive 10 minutes late when class has started; i ban them to join my class. i myself have always been disciplined to arrive on time. every learner in my class follows that rule and they always come on time. if there is no discipline, it means we don't set a good example for learners. they will follow our example. so, if we want to enforce discipline on learners, we have to be disciplined firs (l1). the second participant also revealed: when i was in the first meeting i had made a college contract where one of the rules was about discipline. i don't want learners to attend lectures if they arrive late because it can distract learners from class and disturb me too. the class will be disrupted just because of the late arrival of learners. this is pertinent to the two quotations above, as l3 asserted: i don’t permit undisciplined learners to join my class. if they are late, they not only disturb the learning process, but also disturb my concentration as a lecturer and their colleagues in class. when they arrive late, this creates discomfort and disrupts the flow of the material delivered this also sets a bad example for other learners who have come on time the participant explained that discipline plays a crucial role in the speaking class. those lecturers emphasize the significance of setting class rules and expect learners to follow them, particularly regarding being on time. they enforce the consequence of not allowing late learners to enter the class in order to maintain discipline. the lecturers believe that discipline is not only necessary for creating conducive learning environment but also for setting a positive example for learners. additionally, they highlight the negative impact of unpunctuality on the learning process and their own concentration as lecturers. overall, the opinions reflect a shared understanding of the significance of discipline in facilitating effective teaching and learning in the speaking class. physical environment the arrangement of the classroom chairs is one of the most important aspects of the physical environment. paying attention to the seating arrangements has a significant impact on learner conduct, classroom involvement, and learners’ attitudes. in terms of classroom management tactics utilized by lecturers, they employed a variety of seating arrangements. the researchers discovered the solution to their efforts to create an effectual learning environment, particularly for speaking sessions. the answers are as follows: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 57 i usually arrange the chairs into pair pods to facilitate easy communication with each other (l1). other participants also mentioned: i prefer to arrange the seating around a round table and group pods. i can easily instruct learners when the configuration of the seats is established in a round table. i control learners by walking around the classroom. if i see learners mind their own business, i can easily approach them and ask to concern the lecture. i also arrange the seating in group pods. learners can share their experiences if they work in groups. (l2). another opinion was also revealed by l3: i prefer a good classroom arrangement that will make learners feel comfortable and enjoy learning in class. effective seating will facilitate interaction between learners and learners and learners and lecturers. classrooms designed to make it easier for learners to interact with each other will play a major role in improving learners' social skills. all of these opinions emphasize the importance of interaction between learners and with lecturers in enhancing the learning experience in the classroom. effective seating arrangements creates a comfortable and pleasant atmosphere for learners, facilitate communication and social interaction among them, and enable weaker learners to learn from more intelligent learners. encouraging more use of english one of the hardest aspects of teaching is getting learners to use english in the classroom. this question was posed to determine how participants deal with issues in controlling the speaking class. to give learners the opportunity to communicate in english, i always start class by asking questions about their weekend or their day. i avoided the question “do you understand”? i prefer to comment by asking questions to check their understanding (l1). likewise, l2 also argued: to encourage learners to speak english, i give ice breaking games that involve definitions, for example guessing a described object or do simple crosswords with clue. if needed, i get learners to refer to an english dictionary; the most important thing is they want to speak english. l3 also stated: i think, encouraging learners can pay off in the long run. if they enjoy my courses, their attitude toward speaking english will gradually improve. to encourage more use of english in class english, it is severe to start the class with questions related to learners' daily activities. additionally, incorporating ice breaking games can encourage learners to speak in english. if needed, referring to an english dictionary can also help improve their understanding. offering engaging topics this question was posed to find out if the participants employed any specific strategies to manage the speaking lesson. here are their answers to the question. providing interesting topics in speaking class is important because it can increase learners' motivation and engagement. interesting topics can arouse their interest to speak and actively participate in speaking class (l1). similarly, other participant also revealed that interesting topics help create a fun learning atmosphere and trigger learners ' curiosity. in his own words, l2 argued that i often involve my learners in selecting topics. i asked them to choose a topic they liked. if they like the topic, they are more motivated to enhance their ability to speak. they engage in discussions, share opinions, and express their ideas better. furthermore, l3 emphasized throughout the interview that introducing future subjects helps boost learning concentration. before beginning next week's speaking session, i discuss several fascinating subjects and give learners opportunity to choose which themes they wish to practice. this can boost their motivation to talk and provides them a sense of ownership over the themes they prefer. i also ask learners to convey their personal experiences or ideas on the subject so that they feel personally contributed meaningfully to the discussion. allowing learners the option to hesti rokhaniyah, dwi ardiyanti, ida susilowati, diska fatima virgiyanti, & eka indah nuraini classroom management strategies and challenges in efl speaking class 58 choose themes let them feel more confident to speak english. finally, introducing engaging themes into speaking lessons is fancy way to trigger learners’ active participation in class. allowing learners to choose themes that are in line with their interests develops a sense of ownership and motivates them to enhance their public speaking skills. learners contribute significantly to class discussions when they are encouraged to convey their personal opinions relevant to to the chosen topics. supporting them to choose their own themes fosters self confidence in their english speaking abilities. building excitement for content creating excitement for content in speaking class refers to piquing learners' interest and passion for the stuff to be studied or discussed in class. the basic goal of creating excitement is to get learners engaged, excited, and participating in the learning process. the following are the responses of the participants to the questions: i always attempt to remember my learners' names since it is vital and should not be overlooked. knowing their names demonstrates respect and interest in them. when i mention their names in my speaking class, they will feel acknowledged and cared for, resulting in a more inclusive environment and they will be interested in joining the class (l1). the other participants also proposed that: i involve interactive activities in class. i give learners opportunities to participate actively in the learning process, such as through group discussions, role plays, and simulations. these exercises can serve interest and drive them engagement with the material they study (l2). i employ technology and media to make teaching more enjoyable. i use technology, such as multimedia or video presentations, to transmit content and educational technology to create engaging and interactive lessons. moreover, to assist learning in the speaking class, i use a variety of relevant resources including audio and videos (l3). remembering learners' names demonstrates respect and interest in them, resulting in a welcoming environment. interactions such as group discussions, role plays, and simulations promote learner engagement with the topic. learning becomes more enjoyable and interactive when technology and media, such as multimedia presentations and instructional technology, are used. in speaking classes, the usage of relevant resources such as audio and video aids learning. knowing learners' names, participating in interactive activities, leveraging technology, and utilizing multimedia resources can therefore boost their engagement in speaking classes. speaking correction techniques this question was asked to know learner speaking errors and the participants' advice and suggestions on how to correct learners. here are the responses of the participants to the question. pronunciation is a common error made by learners when learning. if they make a mistake in their pronunciation, i don't point it out or shame them. instead, i repeat the correct pronunciation of the word or phrase they speak. i also provide a quick explanation on proper pronunciation. of course it did not damage their confidence. because english includes many diverse sounds, and english is their second language, pronunciation problems pose a challenge for lecturers. understanding and replicating these sounds can be challenging, and continuous practice is required (l1). l2 asserted that: some learners, i've seen, are frequently terrified of making mistakes when speaking english in class. they are concerned about being mocked or judged by their peers or lecturers. this fear might make it difficult to speak up and express them freely. a challenge in teaching speaking is a lack of learner’s self-confidence. i stimulate learners, praise their efforts, and lessen pressure to speak perfectly to overcome the obstacles of learners' confidence in speaking. it can help them gain confidence during their speaking. the other counterpart revealed that: when learners have a limited vocabulary, they have barrier to express their ideas or thoughts effectively. during the speaking lesson, many struggled to find the proper words to explain their experiences and thoughts. in speaking class, having a limited vocabulary is often a barrier. to overcome this difficulty, i offer activities that entail employing new vocabularies during the discussion. i also request learners to practice reading, listening, and speaking exercises to increase their vocabulary (l3). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 59 when it comes to teaching spoken english, there are various obstacles that require addressing, such as limited vocabulary, errors in pronunciation, and learners' inadequate selfconfidence. insufficient vocabulary hinders learners from effectively expressing their ideas, while pronunciation errors can be rectified through repeated practice of correct pronunciation. furthermore, boosting learners' confidence involves encouraging their active participation, commending their efforts, and alleviating the burden of flawless performance. by surmounting these challenges, learners can enhance their speaking abilities, expand their vocabulary, refine their pronunciation, and develop selfconfidence in english-speaking class. the appropriate classroom management in speaking sessions significantly influences the level of student involvement during classes. a secure classroom atmosphere lets significant role to optimize students' self-assurance when it comes to public speaking. encouragement from both lecturers and peers leads them likely to be more inspired to engage actively in sharing their thoughts and ideas. effective classroom management also has good impact on learners’ outcome. with an organized and controlled classroom atmosphere, learners are likely to be actively involved in speaking classes. they feel comfortable to express their ideas without obstacles, this enhances their overall fluency. here are learners' responses on the effective impact of classroom management in speaking classes: when classes are well managed, we are more comfortable to get active discussion in class. lecturers who have effective classroom management can provide a supportive learning atmosphere, where every voice is valued. this not only boosts our engagement in discussions, but also develops our speaking skills another learner also argued: with a structured class atmosphere, we are more confident to express our opinions. this directly increases our understanding of the material and assists us to grow as more competent speakers in efl speaking classes, the primary emphasis promotes interactivity and utilizes language within authentic contexts. learners participate in speaking activities through group discussions, role plays, and simulations of everyday scenarios. it offers a more immediate and contextually relevant language learning experience, encouraging their proficiency to communicate. conversely, in writing classes, the concentration is directed towards formal writing. learners have to understand the appropriate structure, spanning from introduction to conclusion, to improve their capacity to construct well-organized and impactful written pieces. similarly, in reading classes, the primary focus centers on comprehending texts and expanding vocabulary. they have to learn texts attentively, look for key information, and make conclusions. despite employing distinct strategies, all three class types share the common aim to foster the comprehensive development of learners' communication skills. the disparities in approach between traditional and modern classroom management strategies are notable. traditional methods require stringent rules, with an emphasis on the lecturer's authority. conversely, a contemporary classroom management strategy requires active interaction between lecturers and learners. modern approaches frequently integrate technology and apply more interactive teaching methods to engage in learning. this cultivates a classroom atmosphere that is more inclusive and responsive in class. while traditional approaches offers clear order and control, modern strategies are often more adaptable and fostering comprehensive student engagement. hence, modern classroom management strategies are deemed more effective to stimulate learners for the dynamic challenges of the contemporary world. the discussion deals with two research questions concerning management of the speaking class in the classroom. the first research question examines lecturers' strategies to manage the speaking class, while the second question concerns the obstacles lecturers have to manage the speaking class. the results of the study reveal that the lecturers employ a range of techniques to control the speaking class. some strategies are pertinent to the class arrangement, setting disciplines, physical environment, encouraging more use of english, offering engaging topics, building excitement for content, and speaking correction techniques. learners learn to focus on the task at hand by establishing discipline in speaking class. they learn to avoid distractions and maintain their focus on speaking activities. this assists learners hesti rokhaniyah, dwi ardiyanti, ida susilowati, diska fatima virgiyanti, & eka indah nuraini classroom management strategies and challenges in efl speaking class 60 in developing strong time management and task completion habits. based on the results, participants placed a high priority on discipline by setting classroom rules. in the event that a learner arrived 10 minutes late after the class has begun, they were prohibited from joining. when every learner arrives punctually, the commencement of learning can take place smoothly and without any interruptions. this allows the lecturer to effectively deliver the material, ensuring that all learners have equal opportunities to acquire the highest level of comprehension. this is relevant to a research held by (darling-hammond et al., 2020; john, 2020; lestary, 2021) who identifies discipline is crucial in a learner’s life. discipline in the classroom lets learners stay focused on their learning. abdelrahman & wang (2023) also asserted that discipline assist learners to stay on track and communicate productively with their lecturers, which eventually lowers distractions and increases information flow. this result of the study also revealed that the way the seats are arranged creates a comfortable and pleasant environment for learners, facilitate communication and social interaction among them, and provide an opportunity for less proficient learners to learn from their more academically advanced peers. others studies also argued that seating arrangement influences how lecturers communicate with learners and how learners get interaction with one another (purwanti & vania, 2021). through a seating arrangement, lower learners can directly benefit from having smarter learners seated next to them. this proximity lets them ask questions and request assistance directly, thereby enhancing their comprehension of the subject matter (abdelrahman & wang, 2023; abdul maing & mahmud, 2022) the participants revealed that the seating arrangements in their speaking class comprise round table, par pods, and group pods. they stated that sitting in groups provides learners with the chance to engage in direct interaction with their peers. they engage in discussion, exchange their ideas, and collaborate on their speaking activities. this creates improved collaboration and creates a socially enriching learning environment. on this note, egeberg et al. (2021) suggested that in this seating arrangement, every learner has greater ease in actively participating and contributing to speaking activities. they feel more at ease communicating with their small group members or partners than with a traditional seating setup. this arrangement promotes increased engagement from all learners and provides enhanced opportunities for practicing speaking skills. one of the results from the strategies used to manage the speaking class is encouraging more use of english. the participants highlighted promoting active english usage in the classroom; lecturers can begin the class by posing questions about learners' daily activities. in addition, incorporating icebreaker games can motivate learners to engage in english conversation. this was the same as the research by abdelrahman & wang (2023); john (2020); nguyen et al. (2022) that posing questions about learners' daily activities serves as a motivating factor for their active involvement in english conversations. discussing topics applying to their lives, learners become more interested and engaged in using english for communication. likewise, hayati, (2020); ho et al. (2019); renuka (2021); wijanarko et al. (2021) pointed out that warm-up games can energize the classroom atmosphere. numerous warm-up games require problemsolving, creative thinking, and swift responses. these activities stimulate learners' minds, promoting quick thinking, and establishing a supportive and collaborative learning environment. the following finding of effective speaking management is offering engaging topics. fascinating topics affects learners' enthusiasm toward communication. when intriguing issues are preferred, learners are more engaged and eager to participate in class. their motivation to express their ideas improves significantly. this research is pertinent to the study by (kushik et al., 2020; soleimani & razmjoo, 2019). the result showed that engaging topics gets learners' proficiency to articulate ideas proficiently. when they are involved in the discussed topic interesting, they become motivated to gather information and prepare compelling arguments. this process guides in the overall development of their speaking abilities. building excitement for content is accomplished through the incorporation of interactive activities including class discussions, role-playing, and simulations. the use of technology and media can add a fun and an interactive component of the educational process. a group discussion provides the chances for earners to participate and work together with their peers. they exchange ideas and engage in debates collectively. these discussions can expand their knowledge, and receive immediate feedback from english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 61 classmates. likewise, integrating technology in speaking class creates interactive components. educational technologies can visualize information via videos, and audio as well. this can optimize their comprehension to the subject matter. technology serves access to supplementary resources, independent speaking practice, and swift feedback, all of which aid learners' language development (masuram & sripada, 2020; soraya et al., 2022). the last result of this research relates to speaking correction techniques. it supports the prior results, indicating that learners have challenges to manage the speaking class, including limited vocabulary, mispronunciation, and learners' inadequate self-confidence. a lack of vocabulary in speaking poses a challenge as it can constrain the capacity of individuals to convey their ideas. when individuals get a limited range of words to choose from, they encounter difficulties in accurately delivering their ideas. other studies also showed that the primary obstacle in the speaking class is the limited vocabulary; they may not have attained the extensive vocabulary and diverse range of phrases required for fluent and confident speaking (akbari, 2019; baş & beyhan, 2019; rajitha & alamelu, 2020; soleimani & razmjoo, 2019). the dissimilarities in pronunciation rules between english and indonesian become a challenge for learners when it comes to accurately pronouncing english words. this barrier often lets to a lack of confidence to speak, as they are concerned mispronouncing words and being understood by others. self-assurance impedes one's fluency and self-assuredness in speaking. the apprehension of making errors to express their tdeas frequently effectively obstructs an individual's fluency and impedes their language acquisition progress (elisathusilawani, 2023; gumartifa, 2020; ratnasari, 2020). conclusion the results showed that employing efficient classroom management strategies, such as implementing discipline, making a comfortable physical environment, establishing active use of english, choosing engaging topics, developing excitement for the material, and applying speaking correction techniques, turn into the challenges faced during speaking lessons. these strategies inspire lecturers to serve a welcoming environment, set learners’ engagement, and help learners gain their speaking confidence. enforcing the discipline, creating appropriate seating arrangements, coming up with interesting topics, and utilizing media and technology, lecturers are able to design interactive learning environment. expanding students' lexical resources and providing constructive feedback on their pronunciation problems can optimize their speaking abilities and boost self-confidence. the research findings provide valuable insights into addressing classroom management challenges across different settings and contribute knowledge regarding the common strategies and challenges encountered by efl instructors, which can be employed in diverse learning environments. references abdelrahman, g., & wang, q. (2023). learning data teaching strategies via knowledge tracing. knowledge-based systems, 269, 110511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.knosys.2023.110511 abdul maing, r., & mahmud, s. (2022). classroom climate in the context of teaching practices in junior high schools. klasikal : journal of education, language teaching and science, 4(2), 342–359. https://doi.org/10.52208/klasikal.v4i2.279 afifah, r. n. a. (2022). teacher strategies in class management to improve student discipline in elementary school. jisae: journal of indonesian student assessment and evaluation, 8(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.21009/jisae.v8i1.24828 akbari, z. (2019). current challenges in teaching/learning english for efl learners: the case of junior high school and high school. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 199, 394–401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.524 aldalur, i., & perez, a. (2023). gamification and discovery learning: motivating and involving students in the learning process. heliyon, 9(1), e13135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13135 baş, g., & beyhan, ö. (2019). revisiting the effect of teaching of learning strategies on academic achievement: a meta-analysis of the findings. international journal of research in education and science, 5(1), 70–87. https://doi.org/10.20472/iac.2018.035.007 creswell, j. w. (2014). qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches. sage publication. darling-hammond, l., flook, l., cook-harvey, c., barron, b., & osher, d. (2020). implications for educational practice of the science of learning and development. applied developmental science, 24(2), 97–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2018.1537791 egeberg, h., mcconney, a., & price, a. (2021). teachers’ views on effective classroom management: a mixed-methods investigation in hesti rokhaniyah, dwi ardiyanti, ida susilowati, diska fatima virgiyanti, & eka indah nuraini classroom management strategies and challenges in efl speaking class 62 western australian high schools. educational research for policy and practice, 20(2), 107– 124. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-020-09270w eka, d., & wardhana, c. (2021). international journal of multicultural and multireligious understanding the effective classroom management by english teachers in high school. 76–83. elisathusilawani1. (2023). exploring efl students ’ speaking challenges in their speaking for social purposes. 9(1), 10–21. https://doi.org/10.20885/jee.v9i1.28010 ersözlü, z. n. (2010). determining of the student teachers’ learning and studying strategies. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 2(2), 5147–5151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.836 gaias, l. m., lindstrom johnson, s., bottiani, j. h., debnam, k. j., & bradshaw, c. p. (2019). examining teachers’ classroom management profiles: incorporating a focus on culturally responsive practice. journal of school psychology, 76(september 2018), 124–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2019.07.017 gamhewage, g., mylonas, c., mahmoud, m., & stucke, o. (2022). developing the first-ever global learning strategy to frame the future of learning for achieving public health goals. journal of oral biology and craniofacial research, 12(1), 74–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobcr.2021.09.016 garcía-cáceres, r. g., delgado-tobón, a. e., & escobar-velásquez, j. w. (2022). selection of learning strategies supported on smaa-m. heliyon, 8(2), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08978 gumartifa. (2020). the analyses of learning strategies in english as a second language: theoretical classification and measurement test. veles voices of english language education society, 4(2), 118–129. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v4i2.2199 hayati, a. (2020). the use of digital guessing game to improve students’ speaking ability. journal of english education and teaching, 4(1), 115–126. https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.4.1.115-126 ho, p. v. p., thien, n. m., an, n. t. m., & vy, n. n. h. (2019). the effects of using games on efl students’ speaking performances. international journal of english linguistics, 10(1), 183. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v10n1p183 huziah, m. (2022). descriptive analysis of classroom management strategies for the english teacher. journal of language education (jole), 6(1), 38–54. john, a. (2020). the prominent barriers to speaking in english: a study conducted among youngsters. international journal of english linguistics, 10(5), 190. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v10n5p190 kushik, n., yevtushenko, n., & evtushenko, t. (2020). novel machine learning technique for predicting teaching strategy effectiveness. international journal of information management, 53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2016.02.006 lestary, a. (2021). conducting online speaking class: adjustment and compensation. proceedings of the 2nd international conference on education, language, literature, and arts (icella 2021), 587(icella), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211021.001 masuram, j., & sripada, p. n. (2020). developing speaking skills through task-based materials. procedia computer science, 172(2019), 60–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2020.05.009 mustafida, f. (2021). multicultural classroom management: strategies for managing the diversity of students in elementary schools and madrasah ibtidaiyah. madrasah: jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran dasar, 13(2), 84–96. https://doi.org/10.18860/mad.v13i2.11061 nagro, s. a., hirsch, s. e., & kennedy, m. j. (2020). a self-led approach to improving classroom management practices using video analysis. teaching exceptional children, 53(1), 24–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059920914329 nguyen, l. t., kanjug, i., lowatcharin, g., manakul, t., poonpon, k., sarakorn, w., somabut, a., srisawasdi, n., traiyarach, s., & tuamsuk, k. (2022). how teachers manage their classroom in the digital learning environment – experiences from the university smart learning project. heliyon, 8(10), e10817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10817 purwanti, e., & vania, g. (2021). classroom management: applying appropriate strategies to enhance effective teaching. journal of foreign language teaching and learning, 6(1), 78–93. https://doi.org/10.18196/ftl.v6i1.10638 rajitha, k., & alamelu, c. (2020). a study of factors affecting and causing speaking anxiety. procedia computer science, 172(2019), 1053–1058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2020.05.154 ratnasari, a. g. (2020). efl students’ challenges in learning speaking skills: a case study in mechanical engineering department. journal of foreign languange teaching and learning, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.18196/ftl.5145 renuka, g. (2021). innovative teaching and learning strategies for materials engineering education. materials today: proceedings, 81(2), 1000– 1005. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.04.350 soleimani, n., & razmjoo, a. (2019). classroom management challenges: an account of efl teachers at private language institutes. anatolian journal of education, 1(1), 51–69. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 63 https://doi.org/10.29333/aje.2016.114a soraya, k., eryani, f., andiyan, a., & astuti, p. (2022). classroom management strategies on the teaching english to young learners at elementary school. international journal of linguistics, literature and culture, 8(6), 259–266. https://doi.org/10.21744/ijllc.v8n6.2195 suico, c. (2021). teachers’ attributes and selfefficacy as predictors of classroom management. international journal of asian education, 2(2), 195–212. https://doi.org/10.46966/ijae.v2i2.176 wijanarko, d., hadi, s., & puspitasari, i. (2021). the influence of playing digital game in distance learning towards students’ speaking skill. elt forum: journal of english language teaching, 10(3), 290–299. https://doi.org/10.15294/elt.v10i3.48718 xu, c., zhu, k., & liu, s. (2023). classroom management strategies in secondary language education. journal of education, humanities and social sciences, 8, 1649–1654. https://doi.org/10.54097/ehss.v8i.4539 hesti rokhaniyah, dwi ardiyanti, ida susilowati, diska fatima virgiyanti, & eka indah nuraini classroom management strategies and challenges in efl speaking class 64 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 843 unveiling the poetic language of student discourse on instagram kadek adyatna wedananta management study program, faculty of economics and business, universitas pendidikan nasional denpasar, indonesia email: adyatnawedananta@undiknas.ac.id i putu yoga purandina early childhood teacher education study program, dharma acarya department, sekolah tinggi agama hindu negeri mpu kuturan singaraja, indonesia email: yogapurandina@stahnmpukuturan.ac.id apa citation: wedananta, k. a., & purandina, i. p. y. (2023). unveiling the poetic language of student discourse on instagram. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 843-854. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8849 received: 24-06-2023 accepted: 07-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: this study aims to investigate the poetic function of language used by students on instagram pertaining to the discourse topics expressed by the students. these researchers adopted a qualitative approach as the research design. this study was conducted by collecting data towards students from schools in denpasar, bali, about students' instagram captions as its document data for analysis. based on observation, documentation, and interviews with all participants, it can be concluded that roman jakobson's poetics function of language, which was demonstrated in the students' instagram captions, is a viable initiative to discover students’ topics of interest; the students tend to choose topics such as life, love (blossom, broken heart, or loneliness), nature (nature itself or related to humans), personality, wordplay, precious moment,selfconfidence, and friendship. these captions are the result of the students' ideology, which include the ideology of wisdom, humor, confession, and hope. keywords: instagram; language function; poeticfunction of language. introduction the development of language is essential to human existence. it is generally accepted that individuals would be unable to communicate with one another without a common language (getie, 2020; yelvita, 2022). according to kilroe (2019), language is a system of human communication that consists of a systematic arrangement of sounds into larger units, such as morphemes, words, phrases, and utterances. this arrangement of sounds into larger units is what makes up language. to rephrase, language serves as a medium for the exchange of thoughts and information (qodriani et al., 2020; schillinger et al., 2020). communication between people is language's primary function, sometimes called the function of speech (onishchuk et al., 2020; tohidast et al., 2020). the reason for language's existence is notoriously elusive because it is considered that language is involved in nearly every aspect of our conscious actions (bourke, 2021; leezenberg, 2023). in using language, a variety of language functions seem to form the basis of any communication in discourses (hoff, 2020; minyar-beloroucheva et al., 2019). each of language's myriad functions must be utilized for expressing ideas. the reasons for utilizing language are brought up during conversations about language's role in society including students and teachers. according to the decree issued by the indonesian government in 2008 (pp no.74), chapter i, section 1 and verse 1, teachers are professional educators whose primary responsibilities include educating, teaching, guiding, directing, training, assessing, and evaluating students who are enrolled in formal education, which includes elementary and secondary schools. in chapter i, section 1, verse 3 of the indonesian law uu no.14, 2005, it is emphasized that teachers, in their capacity as agents of learning, are responsible for increasing the quality of national education. therefore, teachers who put in the effort to get to know and comprehend their pupils ought to should be able to realize these objectives. therefore, it is the most difficult task of teachers to recognize and comprehend their students, and one approach to kadek adyatna wedananta & i putu yoga purandina unveiling the poetic language of student discourse on instagram 844 accomplish this is to observe the behaviors of their students. younger users drove the adoption of social media. some researchers (for example) jarrahi & eshraghi (2019) suggest that there is a distinction to be established between "digital natives," who grew up using social media and have never known a world without it, and "digital immigrants," who just discovered social media as adults. as a result, students who are digital natives mostly use social media to express themselves or their lives. according to napoleoncat, a social media marketing analytics firm based in warsaw, poland, the number of monthly active instagram users in indonesia has reportedly surpassed 61,610,000 people (putri, 2019). intriguingly, these digital natives like generating a variety of captions to reflect a variety of discourse topics; some of these captions imply an attitude toward the message itself, focused on the message itself; this is called poetic function. poetry and the poetic function of the message are not mutually exclusive; the former highlights the concrete side signs of language, while the latter heightens the tension between what is understood and what is not between linguistic indications (benthien, 2021; wedananta & juliari, 2022). knowledge comes through our senses, and we can use reality as a basis of comparison (hutmacher, 2019; mcclanahan & south, 2020). thus, curiosity might emerge about the students' topics when producing the words. therefore, when the topics are recognized, teachers can determine students' interests and thoughts. it is related to the sapir-whorf hypothesis theory often known as the linguistic relativity hypothesis, which proposes that the language one speaks changes how one perceives reality (sabir & sulaiman, 2021). linguistic relativity is closely related to semiotic-level questions about the general relationship of language and thought, as well as discourse-level issues about how patterns of language use in cultural context might influence considered (pae, 2022; yu et al., 2023). therefore, the objective of this study is to analyze how does poetic language function used by students on instagram in writing various topics in their discourses. as a means of communication, language is there to spread the thoughts of its users. when examining language's function, it's important to consider why people use it (wallace, 2022; wang et al., 2021). one of the primary functions of language, often known as spoken language, is communication. discourses are one of the primary means by which humans exchange information. it is difficult to recognize the function of language since it is so ingrained in all human behaviour that few areas of our conscious action are regarded as devoid of it (krämer et al., 2022). effective verbal communication in the forms of discourses can be defined using the theory proposed by roman jakobson (1960) that there are six purposes of language (or communication functions). the performance of each of these roles is dependent on a wide range of conditions. the functions in question are the phatic function, the poetic function, the metalingual function, the emotive function, the conative function, and the referential function. however, the sole concern of this investigation is poetic function. the discussion of the intrinsic, linguistic features of the poetic function as a whole began with a fairly general statement regarding message concentration and concluded with specifics such as poetry's syntax and lexical tropes (holmstedt, 2019). however, the conversation could have just as well proceeded in the reverse manner, beginning with poetry grammar and moving on to the message. because of the grammar of poetry, the focus on the message exists, and the concentration on the message exists because of the grammar of poetry. as with any structure, each element of the poetic function implies and implicates the others; none is privileged (canagarajah, 2022; corbett, 2021). they constitute a relational system in which one component implies the others (larsen–freeman, 2019; wu & he, 2019). if any of the components were missing, the system would be fundamentally altered. the emphasis on the message, the use of equivalence relations as the structural device of the sequence, the closure and the relative autonomy of the poem, the delimitation between sign and object, the multiplicity of meanings in poetic discourse, the use of sound figures and in particular paronomasia, the immediacy characteristic of the distinctive features, the poem as an autotelic system of systems of signs, the poem as a structure, the grammar of poetry and in particular paronomasia, and the use of sound figures. all of these are definitional for the poetic function as a whole (capone, 2023). aesthetic or poetic "function" is determined by the user's choices and combinations for a certain communicative and stylistic effect in a particular setting (khashimova et al., 2021). in such usage, the appropriateness of the form to the meaning is emphasized, such that the artistic work in words becomes an artifact in the sense that richards english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 845 describes a poem as a separate artistic entity (rastall, 2020). regarding the aesthetic aspects of the poetic function of language, when you say "the music is sad" or "this poem is sad," you are not referring to a mental process of the music or the poem, but rather to a structural similarity between an emotion and the music or the poetry. this is their aesthetic quality (hitsuwari et al., 2023; ibri, 2022). poetic function, in jakobson's view, serves a purpose by encouraging the reader to adopt a particular attitude toward the message being conveyed (capone, 2023). poetry and the poetic function of a message are not mutually exclusive; the poetic function draws attention to the concrete, auxiliary signs of language and heightens the tension between what is understood and what is not understandable between linguistic indications (kalejaiye, 2022). the term "reality" can mean either a reference point or a source of perceptible knowledge (manoliu, 2017). this poetic function of language is also known as the aesthetic function. this function focuses on both the message and how it is communicated (kanaza, fauzia, 2020; korneeva et al., 2019). this indicates that the message may contain rhetorical figures of speech or "flowery" language. the poetic function can be found in quotations and idiomatic expressions (yeganeh, 2023). for example: "it is a far, far better thing that i do, than i have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that i go to than i have ever known" (lucidchart, 2022). since its primary objective is to highlight the information being sent and enhance it so that its impact is amplified, the poetic function of language, also known as the aesthetic function, is predicated mostly on the form of the message, the styles employed, and the literary resources (javed, 2022). in the poetic function of language, the emphasis is placed on enunciation style, particularly in popular formulae such as riddles and tongue twisters (darah, 2021; wei & lee, 2021). similarly, amusing components are inserted inside the poetic function to provide weight to the language. typically, this form of function is most prevalent in written and popular literature. this function can be found in many discourses. the book, the short tale, the poetry, the fables, the legends, the proverbs, and the riddles are some examples where this function of language can be found (javed, 2022). in both reading and writing, poetic language gives us a unique perspective on experience, which is valuable because it allows us to situate our personal interpretation within a social and cultural context and because it allows the dominant social and cultural interpretation to be subject to personal comprehension (rosenhan & galloway, 2019; siregar, 2022). thus, the process through which individuals and societies become reliant is purposeful and deliberate as opposed to passive and unintentional. this is the function and strength of language's poetic function (rosenhan & galloway, 2019). kim & park (2020) finds that there is no uniquely poetic approach to be creative by concentrating on the message form, but rather creativity is a product of how the message form interacts with other speech act variables and must thus be explained in general pragmatic terms. individual characteristics of poetic language are as universal as certain poetic functions (karkina et al., 2019; khashimova et al., 2021). poetic language as a whole, as a collection of all these characteristics, is a unique form of communication, the essential vehicle for poetic thought (cooke, 2019). in general, art is considered subjective, and each individual's approach to and impression of it is valid, even if they may differ. numerous poetic characteristics relate not just to linguistics, but also to the entire theory of signs, or general semiotics (siregar, 2022). additionally, poetry contains characteristics that distinguish it from other kinds of discourse. however, this remark applies not only to verbal art but also to all types of language, as language has many qualities with other systems of signs or even with all of them (manoliu, 2017). poetic language is the use of uncommon, organized, or elevated language to create and communicate a powerful image to readers (atiles et al., 2021). it can take on a variety of shapes, and there is more than one method to employ poetic language. poems, songs, nursery rhymes, literary works, love letters, and even greeting cards contain this type of wording (mcrae, 2022). it is unlikely to appear in a textbook, an email, or a conversation. poetic language frequently manipulates the conventions and expectations of language to achieve a certain impact, frequently appealing to the reader's senses or emotions (blakeley, 2021). the poetic function of language has a fairly well-defined goal: to induce an aesthetic feeling of beauty or pleasure in the reader or listener. kadek adyatna wedananta & i putu yoga purandina unveiling the poetic language of student discourse on instagram 846 therefore, it has certain qualities that enable us to recognize its poetic function (javed, 2022). in the poetic function of language, the primary component is the message and the manner in which it is conveyed. therefore, it is vital to employ idioms and intonations that correspond to this purpose. poems, dramatic texts, songs, proverbs, and riddles are examples of texts that explicitly employ the poetic function. however, it is not limited to this particular form of writing. this linguistic feature can also be utilized in advertising campaigns and informal conversation. (1) the poetic function of language is utilized to enhance the communication of a concept. (2) adjectives and adverbs are frequently employed to accentuate the message, particularly when describing items, locations, or persons. (3) the use of literary figures enhances the verbal depth of texts and expressions. chapter i, verse 1 of pp no.74, 2008 defines teachers as "professional educators whose principal tasks include educating, teaching, guiding, directing, training, assessing, and evaluating pupils in elementary and secondary schools." additional emphasis on teachers' role in improving the quality of education in the country is found in section i, verse 3 of uu no.14, 2005. this means that educators have a responsibility to monitor the actions of their students at all times, both inside and outside of the classroom. one who gives lessons in classrooms is called a teacher. a teacher is someone who educates students and who bears a great deal of responsibility for doing so, as has been shown in the preceding explanations (lukman et al., 2021; rodriguez & morrison, 2019). the teacher's actions and words will have an impact on the students. because of these significant responsibilities, teachers should know about their students. this means that teachers could achieve those tasks by getting to know and understand their pupils and one way of doing this is by understanding their verbal behaviour. as a result, teachers' challenging task is to recognize and comprehend their students, and one way to do so is to observe their linguistic behaviour expressed in various kinds of discourses (schwarz & hamman-ortiz, 2020). the sapir-whorf hypothesis, often known as the linguistic relativity hypothesis, asserts that how one experiences reality depends on the language they use (sabir & sulaiman, 2021). linguistic relativity is closely related to semioticlevel questions about the general relationship of language and thought, as well as discourse-level issues about how patterns of language used in cultural context might influence thought. linguistic relativity differs from both simple linguistic variety and rigorous linguistic determinism (pae, 2022). the theory's long history is recounted, emphasizing the hierarchical formulations that characterized most early efforts. sapir and whorf's work, which departs dramatically from this precedent, is then discussed; theirs is the name most commonly connected with the discussion because of its present relevance (deuchar, 2020). the primary point that whorf makes concerning the effects of analogy is explained in depth. even while there is a lot of curiosity, there hasn't been a lot of solid empirical research. recent efforts to address this are discussed. depending on how the topic is approached, research is classified as structurecentred, domain-centred, or behaviour-centred. the quality of some of these initiatives has rapidly improved in the modern era. current tendencies that are anticipated to characterize future research are briefly described. according to leech, the nature of language cannot be comprehended without a comprehension of pragmatics, or the manner in which language is utilized in communication. in addition, he explains that pragmatics is the study of meaning in relation to speech contexts (jasim & obied, 2023). morris defines pragmatics as "the study of the relationship between signs and interpreters (jasim & obied, 2023)." according to yule (2017), pragmatics investigates how a speaker (or writer) delivers meaning and how the listener receives and interprets that meaning (or reader). it is primarily concerned with how speakers convey meaning. to comprehend what others’ want, we must consider the context and how it influences what they say. griffiths considers pragmatics to be the study of utterance meaning (jasim & obied, 2023). one of the prior studies that addressed poetic function was shirinboyevna’s study (2019), which aimedto explores the poetic functions of folklore in the prose, their literary role in the composition and plot of the literary work. this study adopts a qualitative methodology. furthermore, wijana (2020) anted to examine the poetic functions of truck container road signs in indonesia.the qualitative methodology was used in this study. the difference of this study with the previous studies was to explore students’ ideas or feelings through social media shown on instagram’s english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 847 caption because it was interesting to see students free to express themselves; therefore, reading students' captions on social media instagram can be used as a way to find out about these students, primarily related topics they like. method a qualitative approach was used for this study. the goals of this research are toidentify and analyze the poetic function of the language used by students on their discourses in the form of captions in instagram, andanalyze the topics of the discourses.this investigation was conducted by analysing the captions made by high school students in denpasar, bali.the students chosen are those who have been actively involved in writing captions on instagram within 2016 2022.there were 40 captions used by students on instagram as chosen by purposive sampling. in addition, three subjects of the interview were experienced teachers to evaluate their trustworthiness that the topics observed and analyzed from students' captions on instagram can help teachers to know students' interests to build topics for teaching materials. data for this study were gathered through observation, documentation, and interviews. because the researcher is an instagram user, the first strategy, participant observation, was used in this study. the captions of the students as data connected to the poetic language functions were discovered through participant observation. the second strategy was documentation, in which the researcher collected 40 captions from instagram users. those 40 captions were analyzed by using critical discourse analysis model of van dijk (van dijk, 1993), as shown below: figure 1. van dijk model of critical discourse analysis the researcher used van dijk's cda theory in analyzing the captions. according to van dijk, text, social cognition, and social context are the three dimensions of discourse analysis. the first dimension, text, was the emphasis of this paper. to learn more about the captions, the researcher concentrates on identifying caption trends using van dijk's text analysis. van dijk posits three levels of discourse structure: microstructure, macrostructure, and superstructure. the data is then evaluated at the macrostructure level to reveal the subjects or most salient information being emphasized. however, the researchersdonot employ the superstructure level because it is unrelated to the goal of this article in identifying the previously described patterns. the microstructure level was used in this study, but it solely focused on pragmatics to see the students want to convey. and then, in-depth inquiries were the focus of the interviews, which served as the third way of data collection for this study.interviews were conducted with three teachers from diverse backgrounds to confirm the results of the previous observation and analysis: one is a fresh college grad with only lecturing experience, another is a teacher with around two years' worth of experience, and the third is a teacher with roughly seven. this interview was undertaken to authenticate the facts acquired through observations and documentation in order to thoroughly investigate the perspectives and reasons of the research problem. in this study, the major research instrument was researchers. nonetheless, utilizing an observation checklist, a mobile phone, a notebook, and an interview guide, the researcher collected the necessary data in accordance with the previously specified data collection technique. in this investigation, technique and source triangulation were applied. the qualitative analysis of observational and interview-based data was carried out using miles and huberman's interactive data analysis paradigm (miles & huberman, 1994). three steps comprise the data analysis procedure: data reduction, data display, and conclusion. results and discussion the discourse topics of captions identified in connections to van dijk theory there were 40 captions by students on instagram analyzed, and those captions indicated poetic functions. they were analyzed using van dijk's cda theory, which only focused on macrostructure and microstructure (pragmatic). there are nine topics identified to be expressed by students in their captions as discourses wriiten in the instagram. the summary of the analysis results is written down in tables below: kadek adyatna wedananta & i putu yoga purandina unveiling the poetic language of student discourse on instagram 848 table 1. topics of discourse on instagram pertaining to life data’s title caption (original) caption (translated) macrostructure microstructure (pragmatic meaning) topi cs ideology d1 something new, is not always beautiful something new, is not always beautiful life wisdom she/he has something new but not as the same it was d3 smile is the best make up that every woman can use smile is the best make up that every woman can use life wisdom woman could hide their sadness or problem by using smile d5 everybody wants happiness and nobody wants pain, but you can’t have rainbow without little rain everybody wants happiness and nobody wants pain, but you can’t have rainbow without little rain life wisdom the sadness we have now will change to be happiness one day d14 flash secerah masa depanku flash as bright as my future life hope i hope i have a bright future d21 everything has magic even darkness and silence everything has magic even darkness and silence life wisdom we need to believe in miracle d24 don’t look for what you don’t have to know because it only hurts you don’t look for what you don’t have to know because it only hurts you life wisdom stop trying to know something that you shouldn’t need to know because it will hurt you d27 life is not as beautiful as we think, but it’s not as bad as we think life is not as beautiful as we think, but it’s not as bad as we think life wisdom life consists of good and bad d28 senja mengajarkan kita bahwa keindahan tak harus datang lebih awal dusk teaches us that beauty doesn't have to come early life wisdom we should be patient that the good thing will come d30 memandang masa depan looking to the future life confessio n i believe in my future d31 beauty has no rules beauty has no rules life wisdom everyone can be beautiful d32 just open ur eyes and see this amazing world just open ur eyes and see this amazing world life wisdom this life is amazing d34 at least the mirror never lies at least the mirror never lies life wisdom it is hard to find honesty d35 we are born to be real we are born to be real life wisdom we must be genuine d37 lit like an eagle in the sky lit like an eagle in the sky life wisdom be as high as eagle in the sky d39 say less n mean more say less n mean more life wisdom please understand more even though the students were not adults yet, they were interested in building topics pertaining to life which mainly led to an ideology of wisdom, and the others were about hope and confession. teachers must not underestimate the students playing with aesthetic or wise words. the students have an ability and interest in producing those words on social media, especially instagram. table 2. topics of discourse on instagram pertaining to love dat a’s titl e caption (original) caption (translated) macrostructure microstructure (pragmatic meaning) topics ideology d9 semua ga jelas soalnya yg jelas cuma cintaku padamu everything is unclear because the only thing that is clear is my love for you love (blossom) confes sion i love you d1 0 kamu itu sama kaya mark lee sama sama ga bisa aku miliki you are just like mark lee that i can't have love (broken heart) confes sion i love you but i can’t have you d1 3 cause this house is not a home, without my baby cause this house is not a home, without my baby love (loneliness) confes sion i want you to be here, baby d1 5 when rose said “all my love is goneee” i really felt that when rose said “all my love is goneee” i really felt that love confes sion i lost my love d1 so do you prefer the ice so do you prefer the ice cream love confes i am as sweet as english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 849 7 cream or me? or me? sion ice cream, so chose me or ice cream d1 8 cukup antartika aja yang jauh, antara kita jangan it's enough that antarctica is far away, not between us love confes sion we have to be together d2 3 hidup itu hanya sementara. cintaku padamu selamanya life is only temporary. my love for you forever love confes sion i love you forever d2 5 jangan pernah jadi senja datang dengan keindahan lalu pergi dengan kegelapan never be twilight comes with beauty then goes with darkness love (broken heart) wisdo m please don’t go d2 6 i’m still your home, if you remember the way home then come back i’m still your home, if you remember the way home then come back love (broken heart) confes sion please come back d3 8 n above all else. i hope whatever u love, loves u back. and above all else. i hope whatever you love, loves you back. love wisdo m we must believe that what we love will love us back love is always a particular topic to discuss. the students, as teenagers, must not be able to deny this kind of topic. the words used by students showed that the topic of love, whether a blossoming love or broken love became their choice as a caption on social media instagram. however, the topic of love was mainly used to confess to someone they might love, and the other was about wisdom of love. table 3. topics of discourse on instagram pertaining to nature and me data ’s title caption (original) caption (translated) macrostructure microstructure (pragmatics meaning) topics ideology d2 leaves never grow if the roots not hold the ground, and eyes need rest when the leaves grow in forest leaves never grow if the roots not hold the ground, and eyes need rest when the leaves grow in forest nature and me wisdom please take care of the nature for human being’s goodness d11 beautiful sky with beautiful girls beautiful sky with beautiful girls nature and me confess ion i am as beautiful as sky d16 let’s appreciate how beautiful the sunset & me let’s appreciate how beautiful the sunset & me nature and me confess ion i am as beautiful as sunset d40 if you truly love nature, you’ll find beauty everywhere if you truly love nature, you’ll find beauty everywhere nature wisdom keep nature safe the topic pertaining to nature was used by students when they were involved in any environment related to nature. they produced wise words to care for nature or mirror themselves as nature. teachers can use this topic to build students’ care of nature. table 4. topics of discourse oninstagram pertaining to friendship data’ s title caption (original) caption (translated) macrostructure microstructure (pragmatics meaning) topics ideolog y d4 true friend don’t judge each other, they judge other people.. together true friend don’t judge each other, they judge other people.. together friends hip wisdo m as a friend we should support each other including in doing bad things to other people social media is a medium to show people's personal information, including their friendship. thus, the topic pertaining to friendship would be a favourite topic they want to produce. the topic of friendship they showed could be the wise words of friendship and any else. table 5. topics of discourse oninstagram pertaining to word play data’ caption (original) caption (translated) macrostructure microstructure kadek adyatna wedananta & i putu yoga purandina unveiling the poetic language of student discourse on instagram 850 s title topics ideolog y (pragmatics meaning) d6 i scream, you scream, we scream, for ice cream i scream, you scream, we scream, for ice cream word play confes sion we are very enthusiastic with ice cream d8 kita berbeda karna kita tidak sama #matah we are different because we are not the same word play humor we are different d19 hidup itu singkat, cuma 5 huruf life is short, only 5 letters word play humor life is short d22 aku tulus cuma ga bsa nyanyi i “tulus” (tulus: name of indonesian singer)” but i can't sing word play confes sion i am sincere d29 hidup itu bercanda kalau mati baru serius life is a joke if you die then you are serious word play wisdo m i am tired of this life haha kidding d36 di setiap kelebihan pasti ada kembalian for every advantage, there must be a return word play humor keep your strength playing words has become an interest for us as human beings. people attract attention by playing with words. it can be humour, confession, wisdom, and so on. students tried to attract their social media friends by playing with words. thus, teachers should consider topics pertaining to wordplay in the classroom. table 6. topics of discourse on instagram pertaining to other topics data ’s title caption (original) caption (transla ted) macrostructure microstructure (pragmatics meaning) topics ideology d7 ginan’s act: first, food. second, selfie. third, you. ginan’s act: first, food. second, selfie. third, you. personality confessi on it’s about me d12 jadilah dirimu sendiri be yourself selfconfidence wisdom we must be confident d20 be the best version of you be the best version of you selfconfidence wisdom keep fighting, you are the best d33 dibuang sayang it is pity to throw it away precious moment confessi on it is precious moment students as a young generation are digital native who produces unstoppable language on social media so that many other topics might be found. in the data above, they uttered other topics such as personality, self-confidence, and precious moment. they showed their personality or character without a doubt. they also gave wise words pertaining to self-confidence topic. moreover, precious moments were another topic related to students’ intention to save any moments on social media. in conclusion, all the data showed that students tend to choose topics such as life, love (blossom, broken heart, or loneliness), nature (nature itself or related to humans), personality, wordplay, precious moments, self-confidence, and friendship. in addition, the researchers evaluated that those students had an ideology of producing those speeches or captions. the ideology of students produced those captions, such as the ideologyof wisdom, humor, confession, and hope. as seen by the students' instagram captions, roman jakobson's poetics function of language seems to be widely accepted among the three interviewees, suggesting that this approach may be useful for identifying students' topics of interest: table 5. the agreement of the students' captions on instagram, as an initiative to discover students' interest topics question excerpt of the interview “have you ever noticed students' captions on instagram? how do those captions become a way or initiative to find out students'  subject 1: “sometimes, i am just curious about visiting students' instagram. they wrote captions that used implicit meaning. i think it is interesting. yes, i agree that by understanding those captions, we, the teachers, can find out students' interest topics”. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 851 interest topics?”  subject 2: “yes, but at first, i didn't care until i felt i needed topics to build materials for students. i tried to understand the big topics from their captions because they produced words that were implicit. i agree by understanding those captions, we can find out students' interests that can benefit us in building materials for teaching”.  subject 3: “i am excited to observe students' instagram. they are so funny and unique when producing captions on their post. yes, i agree that we, the teachers, can use those captions to find out students' interest topics. in addition, we as teachers should display appropriate topics to students”. based on all the respondents' responses, we may conclude that roman jakobson's poetics function of language, demonstrated in the students' captions on instagram, is a viable initiative to discover students' interest topics. as a result, based on the findings of observation, documentation, and interview, the poetic function of language, which was demonstrated in the students' captions on instagram, shows topics and intentions in the following ways: (1) the students tend to choose topics such as life, love (blossom, broken heart, or loneliness), nature (nature itself or related to humans), personality, wordplay, precious moments, self-confidence, and friendship. (2) the students have an ideology of producing those speeches or captions. the ideologies of the students produce those captions, such as ideology of wisdom, humor, confession, and hope. shirinboyevna's (2019) prior research revealed that there are points in literary narratives where traditions, customs, rituals, proverbs, myths, and legends are utilized, and their poetic functions are elucidated. moreover, wijana (2020) demonstrated that truck sign creators heavily employ verbal devices to create beautiful expressions, beginning at the phonological level and progressing through alliteration, assonance, and repetition to produce rhyming formulas, metaphors, similes, contradictions, and lexical diction. frequently, these devices combine one with the other. language, as the major means of communication, is one of the tools used to achieve this goal, and truck container signs demonstrate the enjoyment humans take in playing with their language. as a result, the findings of this study suggest that poetic language use can occur in any discourse as long as it is aesthetic, accentuates the concrete side signals of language, and heightens the tension between what is known and what is not understood between linguistic signs. furthermore, this study demonstrates that humans (students) enjoy playing with language or words to communicate a specific meaning. thus, this study becomes significant to make teachers understand their students' playing words on social media instagram to know students' interests related to the topics. conclusion conclusions can be drawn based on data gathered through observation, document, and interviews with all involved parties. the students tend to choose topics such as life, love (blossom or broken heart, or loneliness), nature (nature itself or related to humans), personality, wordplay, precious moments, self-confidence, and friendship. in addition, the students have an ideology of producing those speeches or captions. the ideologies of the students produce those captions, such as the ideology of wisdom, humor, confession, and hope. the results of the study implied that students tend to express their ideas or feelings through social media because they are free to express themselves; therefore, reading students' captions on social media can be used as a way to find out about these students, primarily in relation to related topics they like. understanding their topics of interest may be used as a basis for helping teachers design learning material that can be tailored to students’ preferences. this research is limited to analyzing captions written by students who are recognized as having instagram accounts, and therefore has a limited number of captions to be analyzed. because of a lack of research time and a small sample size, it is hoped that future researchers will be able to use additional samples and investigations. references atiles, j. t., almodóvar, m., chavarría vargas, a., dias, m. j. a., & zúñiga león, i. m. (2021). international responses to covid-19: challenges faced by early childhood professionals. european early childhood kadek adyatna wedananta & i putu yoga purandina unveiling the poetic language of student discourse on instagram 852 education research journal, 29(1), 66–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293x.2021.187267 4 benthien, c. (2021). public poetry: encountering the lyric in urban space. 2. https://doi.org/10.25353/ubtr-izfk-271c-5517 blakeley, s. (2021). poetic language vs. ordinary language. study.com. bourke, m. (2021). language, world, and the logos. modernhorizonsjournal, 8(8), 1–28. canagarajah, s. (2022). language diversity in academic writing: toward decolonizing scholarly publishing. journal of multicultural discourses, 17(2), 107–128. https://doi.org/10.1080/17447143.2022.2063873 capone, a. (2023). a pragmatic view of the poetic function of language. 2023(250), 1–25. https://doi.org/doi:10.1515/sem-2020-0012 cooke, s. (2019). toward an ethological poetics: the transgression of genre and the poetry of the albert’s lyrebird. environmental humanities, 11(2), 302–323. https://doi.org/10.1215/22011919-7754468 corbett, j. (2021). revisiting mediation: implications for intercultural language education. language and intercultural communication, 21(1), 8–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2020.1833897 darah, g. g. (2021). creativity and performance in oral poetry bt the palgrave handbook of african oral traditions and folklore (a. akinyemi & t. falola (eds.); pp. 3–49). springer international publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55517-7_1 deuchar, m. (2020). code-switching in linguistics: a position paper. languages, 5(2), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/languages5020022 getie, a. s. (2020). factors affecting the attitudes of students towards learning english as a foreign language. cogent education, 7(1), 1738184. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.173818 4 hitsuwari, j., ueda, y., yun, w., & nomura, m. (2023). does human–ai collaboration lead to more creative art? aesthetic evaluation of human-made and ai-generated haiku poetry. computers in human behavior, 139, 107502. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.202 2.107502 hoff, h. e. (2020). the evolution of intercultural communicative competence: conceptualisations, critiques and consequences for 21st century classroom practice. intercultural communication education, 3(2), 55–74. https://doi.org/10.29140/ice.v3n2.264 holmstedt, r. d. (2019). hebrew poetry and the appositive style: parallelism, requiescat in pace. vetus testamentum, 69(4–5), 617–648. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1163/15685330 -12341379 hutmacher, f. (2019). why is there so much more research on vision than on any other sensory modality? frontiers in psychology, 10(october). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02246 ibri, i. a. (2022). reflections on a poetic ground in peirce’s philosophy bt semiotics and pragmatism: theoretical interfaces (i. a. ibri (ed.); pp. 9–36). springer international publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-03109625-9_2 jakobson, r. (1960). style in language closing statement: linguistics and poetics. style in language, 351–377. jarrahi, m. h., & eshraghi, a. (2019). digital natives vs digital immigrants. journal of enterprise information management, 32(6), 1051–1070. https://doi.org/10.1108/jeim-04-2018-0071 jasim, g. h., & obied, i. m. (2023). a pragmatic analysis of guidance in english religious contexts. res militaris, 13. javed, a. (2022). poetic function of language characteristics and examples. englopedia.com. kalejaiye, o. a. (2022). armed conflict, political violence, and poetic language in tanure ojaide’s the questioner and other poems tt -. omnes: the journal of multicultural society, 12(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.14431/omnes.2022.01.12.1.01 kanaza, fauzia, u. (2020). jurnal etnolingual. jurnal etnolingual, 4(1), 54–73. https://doi.org/10.20473/etno.v4i2.20347 karkina, s. v., nurgayanova, n. k., & kaur, m. (2019). traditional music and poetry of the tatars-mishars: modern forms of existence. humanities and social sciences reviews, 7(6), 477–480. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2019.7673 khashimova, d., niyazova, n., nasirova, u., israilova, d., khikmatov, n., & fayziev, s. (2021). the role of electronic literature in the formation of speech skills and abilities of learners and students in teaching russian language with the uzbek language of learning (on the example of electronic multimedia textbook in russian language). journal of language and linguistic studies, 17(1), [445]-461. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit. 221018637501086 kilroe, p. a. (2019). knowledge of language: the sound system, words, and sentences. in applied linguistics for teachers of culturally and linguistically diverse learners (pp. 1–17). igi global. kim, k. m., & park, g. (2020). “it is more expressive for me”: a translingual approach to meaningful literacy instruction through sijo poetry. tesol quarterly, 54(2), 281–309. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.545 korneeva, a., kosacheva, t., & parpura, o. (2019). functions of language in the social context. shs english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 853 web of conferences, 69, 00064. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20196900064 krämer, p., vogl, u., & kolehmainen, l. (2022). what is “language making”?. ijsl, 2022(274), 1–27. https://doi.org/doi:10.1515/ijsl-2021-0016 larsen–freeman, d. (2019). on language learner agency: a complex dynamic systems theory perspective. the modern language journal, 103(s1), 61–79. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.125 36 leezenberg, m. (2023). from cosmopolitan to vernacular in the language sciences: a global history perspective. berichte zur wissenschaftsgeschichte, 46(1), 18–37. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/bewi.202 200041 lucidchart. (2022). jakobson’s functions of language. lucidchart.com. lukman, marsigit, istiyono, e., kartowagiran, b., retnawati, h., kistoro, h. c. a., & putranta, h. (2021). effective teachers’ personality in strengthening character education. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 10(2), 512–521. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v10i2.21629 manoliu, m. n. (2017). functions of language and elements of poetry. international journal of communication research, 7(1), 58. mcclanahan, b., & south, n. (2020). ‘all knowledge begins with the senses’1: towards a sensory criminology. the british journal of criminology, 60(1), 3–23. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azz052 mcrae, c. (2022). robert lowell’s alphabet poem: writing to children in the midcentury. american literary history, 34(2), 510–541. https://doi.org/10.1093/alh/ajac062 miles, m. b., & huberman, a. m. (1994). qualitative data analysis (2nd edition). sage publications. minyar-beloroucheva, a. p., sergienko, p. i., vishnyakova, e. a., & vishnyakova, o. d. (2019). semantic and cognitive communicative aspects of abbreviation in the modern english discourse varieties. international journal of english linguistics, 10(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v10n1p26 onishchuk, i., ikonnikova, m., antonenko, t., kharchenko, i., shestakova, s., kuzmenko, n., & maksymchuk, b. (2020). characteristics of foreign language education in foreign countries and ways of applying foreign experience in pedagogical universities of ukraine. revista romaneasca pentru educatie multidimensionala, 12(3), 44–65. https://doi.org/10.18662/rrem/12.3/308 pae, h. k. (2022). toward a script relativity hypothesis: focused research agenda for psycholinguistic experiments in the science of reading. journal of cultural cognitive science, 6(2), 97–117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41809022-00103-1 putri, i. a. s. (2019). didominasi perempuan, hampir seperempat penduduk indonesia punya instagram. tribun bali. https://bali.tribunnews.com/2023/10/20/promotupperware-21-31-oktober-2023-pretty-pink-setmulai-rp200-ribuan-aja-weekend-ada-bonus qodriani, l. u., dewa, i., & wijana, p. (2020). language change in “new-normal” classroom a study on pedagogical communication in new media. 509(icollite), 385–389. rastall, p. (2020). aesthetic responses and the “cloudiness” of language: is there an aesthetic function of language? presses universitaires de france, 44(1), 103–131. https://doi.org/10.3917/ling.441.0103 rodriguez, a. j., & morrison, d. (2019). expanding and enacting transformative meanings of equity, diversity and social justice in science education. cultural studies of science education, 14(2), 265–281. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-01909938-7 rosenhan, c., & galloway, n. (2019). creativity, selfreflection and subversion: poetry writing for global englishes awareness raising. system, 84, 1–13. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2 019.04.005 sabir, a. t., & sulaiman, b. s. (2021). a comparative study of linguistic thought between english and kurdish in perspective of sapir-whorf hypothesis. journal of the university of garmian, 8(2), 308–322. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24271/jgu.2021 .136153 schillinger, d., chittamuru, d., & ramírez, a. s. (2020). from “infodemics” to health promotion: a novel framework for the role of social media in public health. american journal of public health, 110(9), 1393–1396. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2020.305746 schwarz, v. s., & hamman-ortiz, l. (2020). systemic functional linguistics, teacher education, and writing outcomes for u.s. elementary english learners: a review of the literature. journal of second language writing, 49, 100727. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.202 0.100727 shirinboyevna, t. n. (2019). poetic function of folk motives used in the prose (with an example from the storytelling genre). international journal for social studies, 05(09), 35–46. siregar, i. (2022). semiotic touch in interpreting poetry. britain international of linguistics arts and education (biolae) journal, 4(1), 19–27. https://doi.org/10.33258/biolae.v4i1.618 tohidast, s. a., mansuri, b., bagheri, r., & azimi, h. (2020). provision of speech-language pathology services for the treatment of speech and kadek adyatna wedananta & i putu yoga purandina unveiling the poetic language of student discourse on instagram 854 language disorders in children during the covid-19 pandemic: problems, concerns, and solutions. international journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology, 138, 110262. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.20 20.110262 van dijk, t. a. (1993). principles of critical discourse analysis. discourse & society, 4(2), 249–283. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926593004002006 wallace, m. p. (2022). individual differences in second language listening: examining the role of knowledge, metacognitive awareness, memory, and attention. language learning, 72(1), 5–44. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.1242 4 wang, q., saha, k., gregori, e., joyner, d., & goel, a. (2021). towards mutual theory of mind in human-ai interaction: how language reflects what students perceive about a virtual teaching assistant. proceedings of the 2021 chi conference on human factors in computing systems. https://doi.org/10.1145/3411764.3445645 wedananta, k. a., & juliari, i. g. a. i. t. (2022). language function as a support to teachers’ professionalism. widya accarya, 13(2), 224– 232. https://doi.org/10.46650/wa.13.2.1328.224232 wei, l., & lee, t. k. (2021). language play in and with chinese: traditional genres and contemporary developments. glochi, 7(2), 125–142. https://doi.org/doi:10.1515/glochi2021-2008 wijana, i. d. p. (2020). poetic function of truck container signs in indonesia. ranah: jurnal kajian bahasa, 9(2), 202. https://doi.org/10.26499/rnh.v9i2.2951 wu, s., & he, y. (2019). enriching pre-trained language model with entity information for relation classification. proceedings of the 28th acm international conference on information and knowledge management, 2361–2364. https://doi.org/10.1145/3357384.3358119 yeganeh, k. h. "an a. of the s. i. of o. in i. . j. of d. s. (2023): 0169796x231162274. (2023). an analysis of the socio-cultural implications of orality in iran. journal of developing societies. https://doi.org/0169796x231162274 yelvita, f. s. (2022). health is a factor providing the harmonic psychological development of this person. galaxy international interdisciplinary research journal (giirj), 10(8.5.2017), 2003– 2005. yu, s., henderson, m., & dang, k. (2023). adapting instructional videos to the needs of english as an additional language (eal) learners. in e. langran, p. christensen, & j. sanson (eds.), proceedings of society for information technology & teacher education international conference 2023 (pp. 161–164). association for the advancement of computing in education (aace). https://www.learntechlib.org/p/221863 yule, g. (2017). the study of language (6th editio). cambridge university press. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 609 perspectives and experiences of indonesian preservice english teachers in developing digital learning resources lala bumela sudimantara english language teacher education (elte) department, faculty of education & teacher training, iain syekh nurjati cirebon email: lalabumela@syekhnurjati.ac.id apa citation: sudimantara, l. b. (2023). perspectives and experiences of indonesian pre-service english teachers in developing digital learning resources. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 609-628. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.7919 received: 26-06-2023 accepted: 23-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 introduction ensuring that teachers possess the necessary skills is not only the foremost component in any program intended to enhance english standards, but also the most difficult to accomplish, with education systems worldwide struggling to deliver effective teacher professional development programs that result in tangible improvements in students' learning (galaczi, nye, poulter, & allen, 2018). a key indicator of this can be traced in the annual result of english proficiency index (epi) held by english first (ef). shockingly, indonesia's english proficiency index (epi) plummeted by 64 points in terms its ranks during the 11-year period from 2011 to 2021 (helyanti, sudimantara, & ikawati, 2022). this trend also happens in the asean region, except for singapore. to achieve some degree of equalization among different countries, innovative educational solutions are crucial, as it is evident that continuing with the current educational systems alone won't bring about the substantial improvements needed (lian & sussex, 2018). in response to the declining english proficiency index and the broader learning crisis (the declining trend in literacy, science and numeracy), the indonesian government has introduced a new curriculum known as the abstract: the adoption of the 2022 emancipated curriculum in indonesia has prompted a need for preservice english teachers to acquire new skill sets. these skill sets entail the integration of technology and pedagogy, aligning with unesco's transformative pedagogy approach to learning, which emphasizes a new paradigm of learning with a focus on essential elements of language learning. this qualitative study aims to investigate the perspectives and experiences of pre-service english teachers in indonesia in developing digital learning resources for english learners that resonate well with the nature of the emancipated curriculum. a phenomenological research approach was adopted, and data were collected through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with 16 pre-service english teachers who had completed their final research project on the development of digital learning resources that promote a holistic english language learning. the data was analysed using both corpus analysis and thematic analysis techniques. the findings of the study highlight significant barriers faced by pre-service english teachers in indonesia regarding the development and utilization of digital resources. these challenges include limited technology access, resistance from schools towards digital learning adoption, and students' insufficient english proficiency levels. however, despite these constraints, the pre-service teachers generally express satisfaction and confidence in creating digital learning resources that align with the emancipated curriculum. they also recognize the value of digital technology in enhancing the teaching and learning process. in conclusion, the paper underscores the importance of equipping pre-service english teachers in indonesia with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively navigate the digital age and function as competent curriculum engineers. this implies the need for targeted interventions and professional development programs to address the identified obstacles and empower teachers to leverage digital resources successfully in their instructional practices. this study suggests that by integrating digital pedagogy and providing access to digital resources, preservice english teachers can become competent curriculum engineers who can deliver quality english language instruction in the 21st century. ultimately, this will enhance the quality of english language instruction in indonesia and ensure that preservice teachers are well-prepared to navigate the digital age and provide quality education to their students. keywords: the emancipated curriculum, transformative pedagogy, new paradigm of learning, digital learning resources, pre-service english teachers. lala bumela sudimantara perspectives and experiences of indonesian pre-service english teachers in developing digital learning resources 610 "emancipated curriculum” (kemdikbudristek, 2022). this curriculum aims to foster a new paradigm of learning is not a linear model but rather a continuous cycle. the new paradigm of learning encompasses mapping competency standards, independent learning, and minimal competency assessment, which ensures greater flexibility for teachers to design learning and assessment plans that align with the characteristics and needs of learners (kemdikbudristek, 2022). this policy emphasizes the role of teachers as curriculum designers and engineers at the school level, with a specific emphasis on promoting learning flexibility. achieving this objective necessitates the incorporation of digital technology into the learning process. in other words, the new curriculum basically requires teachers to shift from a traditional learning that is teacher-centered into a digital learning that promotes learnercenteredness. unesco states that transforming education requires systems that differ from the ones in place today, and it aims to support teaching and learning methods that have a transformative impact on learners. more importantly, transformative education empowers individuals by fostering connections between people and the world, introducing them to new opportunities, and enhancing their abilities to critically analyse, engage in dialogue, create knowledge, and take action (unesco, 2021a). emancipated curriculum (kurikulum merdeka) enacted by the indonesian government in 2021 is basically the extension of transformative curricula enacted by unicef (unicef , 2022). in 2022, unicef introduced the rapid learning recovery framework as a means to accelerate the learning crisis caused by the covid-19 pandemic. the framework reads: reach every child and retain them at school; assess learning levels; prioritize teaching the fundamentals (or the essentials); increase catch-up learning and progress beyond what was lost; and develop psychosocial health and wellbeing so every child is ready to learn. the rapid learning framework, in essence, resonates with the notion of transformative pedagogy introduced by unesco (unesco, 2021a & unesco, 2021b). in these documents, it is stated that transformative education is encapsulated in sustainable development goals target .7, along with targets 4.a and 4.1 where education must empower students to engage in cooperative living, exhibit adaptability, engage in critical thinking, demonstrate respect for diversity, take care of the environment, and actively participate in finding solutions at both local and global levels as the world is facing the prevailing social, health, economic, and environmental challenges. in line with this, thomas (2009) mentioned that to operationalize education associated with sustainability, teaching approaches must focus on elements relating to the processes of learning, rather than the accumulation of knowledge—to develop graduates with capabilities to improvise, adapt, innovate, and be creative. skills such as interdisciplinary thinking, problem solving, team working, and holistic thinking are often stated. as part of their teacher training, aspiring teachers are anticipated to acquire the necessary competencies and preparedness to employ technology effectively in their future teaching roles (valtonen et al., 2022). morover, the increasing interest in foreign language learning and the integration of technology in learning highlight the need for computer and electronic literacy among teachers and learners alike. a proficient teacher or learner is someone who can effectively utilize various technologies as educational tools in their learning journeys (tafazoli et al., 2017). in present-day discussions about the fundamental skills and knowledge for learners in the knowledge society, the concept of digital competence has become notably significant. various approaches and definitions have been applied to this concept, including digital literacy, digital competence, eliteracy, e-skills, ecompetence, computer literacy, and media literacy. these variations have been observed in policy documents, academic literature, and educational practices pertaining to teaching, learning, and (gallardo-echenique et al., 2015). digital competence involves a diverse set of essential knowledge, skills, attitudes, and attributes needed for utilizing ict and digital media. it encompasses abilities, strategies, values, and awareness required for tasks such as problemsolving, communication, information management, collaboration, content creation and sharing, and knowledge building. digital competence entails carrying out these activities effectively, efficiently, appropriately, critically, creatively, autonomously, flexibly, ethically, and reflectively across various domains like work, leisure, participation, learning, socializing, consumption, and empowerment(ferrari, 2012). in other words, this entails acquiring the skills to both consume and generate media messages, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 611 utilizing digital technology to create and express oneself, and understanding appropriate conduct within the digital realm (fraga-varela, 2022). however, numerous higher education institutions have not fully recognized the significance of digital literacy as a fundamental skill, equivalent to reading, writing, and mathematics. in many universities and schools, digital literacy is either overlooked or presumed to be sufficiently present without undergoing assessment, remediation, and enhancement (coffin murray & pérez, 2014). despite the potential for advancing digital education, there are still significant challenges in ensuring inclusivity, particularly for disabled students, economically disadvantaged students, and those in underdeveloped and remote areas. the adoption of distance learning as a result of the pandemic is anticipated to have a detrimental effect on academic progress, as successful implementation requires the acquisition of new skills and improved internet access for both teachers and students (unicef, 2021). nevertheless, the digital revolution has not yet fully transformed education, with limited impact on schools and classroom learning outcomes. this necessitates the development of a new pedagogy to effectively integrate and maximize the potential of technology in education and professional teaching capacity must be established must be built for the new pedagogies to be successful (fullan & langworthy, 2014). consequently, there is an urgent need for a new type of professional development aimed at equipping english teachers in indonesia with up-to-date and evidence-based training in digital competence. the literature review section investigates and evaluates the roles of the preservice english teachers as curriculum engineers in integrating the new paradigm of learning (new pedagogy) and technology. the first study by tafazoli (2021) highlights the importance of incorporating appropriate call professional development (call pd) courses to support language teachers in adapting their teaching practices during the covid-19 pandemic. the existing literature on call pd has paid limited attention to teachers' expectations, necessitating further investigation. thus, this paper presents a small qualitative case study involving 12 preand in-service english language teachers who participated in a call unit at an iranian university. the study emphasizes the significance of providing adequate training for online education. it asserts that regardless of the extent of professional development accompanying online learning, decisions regarding teachers' professional development must involve proper discussion and consideration of their preferences and concerns. failing to do so can hinder the attainment of desired outcomes from the implemented tool. the second study by silviyanti & yusuf (2022)indicated that out of a total of 42 teachers examined, 31 teacher users exhibited a strong inclination towards utilizing ict in english language teaching (elt) due to its perceived significance in enhancing learning experiences by making them pleasurable, stimulating, and actual, among other positive outcomes. conversely, the remaining 11 teacher non-users acknowledged the increasing importance of information technology but lacked the motivation to incorporate it into their teaching practices. their lack of motivation stemmed from insufficient training and support, both financial and non-financial, provided by their respective institutions. hence, it is crucial for these barriers to be prioritized and addressed by educational institutions, as ict offers boundless resources for elt, and teachers need to be equipped to tackle the current challenges in education and technology. however, there is no mention as to how to best integrate pedagogy and technology to support a better english language learning experience. the third study by silvhiany et al (2021) shows that the shift to online teaching has heightened the utilization of digital tools and online resources in education, necessitating the incorporation of digital technology and digital literacy skills in classrooms. however, many teachers lack the necessary proficiency to fulfil this requirement. to address this issue, a community research project was conducted, providing digital literacy training to 85 english teachers in middle and high schools in south sumatra province. through computer-generated training and teacher learning groups, the participants exhibited enhanced digital literacy abilities and intentions to incorporate digital tools in their teaching practices. this emphasizes the significance of professional development in digital literacy, offering practical training and fostering joint learning in encouraging teacher communities. the fourth study by jonathans & metboki (2021) shows that the rise of online learning platforms has brought innovation and accessibility to education, but the utilization of digital teaching methods is still relatively new. the study explores the underlying e-learning pedagogy that informs lala bumela sudimantara perspectives and experiences of indonesian pre-service english teachers in developing digital learning resources 612 efl methodology, seeking to gain insights into digital teaching practices. analysis of research conducted in indonesia reveals that alliance is the prevailing culture in digital learning, supported by the "freedom to learn" program. however, the paper does not address how the new paradigm of learning is integrated with technology. the fifth study by wahyuningsih (2021) shows that english teachers resorted to various media platforms during the pandemic, including whatsapp, zoom, youtube, google classroom, and video resources. surprisingly, whatsapp appeared as the most popular medium among teachers for its flexibility. however, teachers faced several difficulties throughout the pandemic, such as the poor internet connectivity among students, inadequate training among teachers and students for e-learning, challenges in meeting students' needs, insufficient training and support, and a dearth of technical proficiency. this study implies the importance of identifying more effective teaching resources for english teachers, the necessity for schools to provide training and sustenance for e-learning implementation, and the need to assist students in actively participating in english classes amidst the covid-19 outbreak. in essence, teachers lack a systematic conceptual framework to effectively adopt the new pedagogy required for enhancing student learning through technology. the sixth study conducted by helyanti et al (2022) demonstrates the potential of integrating the new paradigm of learning and technology via the training of pre-service english teachers in engaging in innovative research activities. helyanti's development of a digital learning resource, incorporating principles from neuroscience and technologically enhanced language learning, highlights the integration of the "reading for emotions" tool with the concept of story science. this integration offers students a more exploratory approach to learning, thereby enhancing their learning experience. her study goes hand in hand with the principles of learner agency addressed by bumela (2021) in the new design of learning of english using multisensorial technological tools such as verbotonal approach, reading for emotions and aesthetics (bumela, 2020) where rhythm, intonation, emotion, movement and aesthetics are the key components of learning that activate the right hemisphere of the brain that also serves as the gateway of learning language (mcgilchrist, 2009). in line with this, anderson & dron (2011) employ a dance metaphor to illustrate the relationship between technology and pedagogy, where technology regulates the rhythm and crafts the melody, while pedagogy determines the dance movement. similarly, in the entangled model, pedagogy assumes the role of the dance itself (fawns, 2022). in other words, in this case an english language teacher serves as the choreographer must blend pedagogy and technology in a harmony in enhancing the language learning experience of the students. to this end, this study seeks to address these two research questions: (1) what are the key obstacles encountered by preservice english teachers in indonesia when creating their digital learning resources in response to digital the emancipated curriculum digital transformation? (2) how did they view the importance of professional development in supporting them as a curriculum engineer in the digital age? method the study adopted a qualitative research design, specifically a phenomenological approach, to investigate the perspectives and experiences of pre-service english teachers in developing digital learning resources for english learners. phenomenology is a research methodology that aims to describe the essence of a particular experience or phenomenon as it is experienced by individuals (groenewald, 2004) . by employing a phenomenological approach, the researcher aimed to gain a deep understanding of the pre-service english teachers' subjective viewpoints, insights, and lived experiences related to the development and utilization of digital learning resources. this approach allowed for an exploration of the unique challenges, successes, and perceptions of the participants, providing valuable insights into their experiences within the context of their educational and technological environment. phenomenology's emphasis on capturing individual perspectives and experiences enabled the researchers to uncover rich and nuanced data that shed light on the complexities and nuances of the pre-service english teachers' journey in incorporating digital resources into their teaching practices. it allowed for a comprehensive exploration of the phenomenon under investigation and provided a foundation for developing targeted recommendations and interventions to enhance the teachers' digital competencies and effectiveness in the field. the study involved 16 preservice english teachers of a state islamic university in indonesia english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 613 who have completed their final research projects (skripsi) on the development of digital learning resources that embrace a new paradigm of learning as demanded by the emancipated curriculum. these preservice english teachers have undergone an intensive research training when working on these research projects under the supervision of a senior lecturer at the department who recently finished his doctoral study in an australian university. in this study, the researchers employed two primary data collection techniques: a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews conducted online. a questionnaire is a commonly used research tool that enables the researchers to gather data from a number of participants in a relatively rapid time. it is a pre-designed set of questions that can be administered either inperson or remotely, and participants can respond to them at their own pace. on the other hand, semi-structured interviews are more flexible and allow the researchers to delve deeper into specific topics and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the participants' experiences and perspectives. conducting the interviews online provides convenience for both the researcher and the participant, eliminating geographical barriers and saving time and resources. overall, the combination of a questionnaire and semistructured interviews conducted online offers a balanced approach to data collection, enabling the researchers to gather both quantitative and qualitative data, thus enriching the study's findings and conclusions. the questionnaire utilized a likert scale to measure the participants' attitudes, opinions, and experiences regarding the topic of interest. likert scale is a commonly used method in survey research that involves a series of statements or questions with a set of response options that range from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree." the likert scale enables researchers to gather quantitative data that can be analyzed using statistical techniques to identify patterns and trends in the data. the following are the questions included in the questionnaire that utilized the likert scale. these questions were addressed to record the personal spectrum of experience of each participant. (1) i feel confident in my ability to design and implement digital curriculum in the classroom. (2) i have access to the technology and resources i need to design effective digital curriculum. (3) i have received sufficient training and preparation to navigate the digital age effectively as a teacher. (4) the curriculum standards in my program align well with the demands of the digital age. (5) i have opportunities to collaborate and learn from my peers regarding digital curriculum design. (6) i feel supported by my university (the elte department) in my efforts to design effective digital curriculum. (7) the challenges of designing effective digital curriculum are significant and require ongoing attention and support. (8) i am motivated to continue learning and growing as a curriculum engineer in the digital age. these questions were designed to elicit information about the participants' experiences, perspectives, and challenges as they navigate the digital age and work as curriculum engineers. the responses provided valuable insights into the ways in which preservice english teachers in indonesia are adapting to the changing educational landscape and the support they need to successfully integrate technology in their teaching practices. the semi-structured interviews conducted in this study aimed to investigate the experiences, perspectives, and challenges faced by preservice english teachers in indonesia as they navigate the digital age and work as curriculum engineers. to achieve this objective, the researchers developed a set of research questions to guide the interviews: (1) how do you feel about your ability to design and implement digital curriculum in the classroom? (2) what do you see as the biggest challenges in designing and implementing digital curriculum in the classroom? (3) can you describe any opportunities or benefits that the digital age presents for language education in indonesia? (4) how do you think you can best navigate the demands of the digital age in your curriculum design? (5) what kind of support do you think you need in order to be an effective curriculum engineer in the digital age? (6) how can universities and schools best provide this support to you? (7) how important is professional development in supporting you as a curriculum engineer in the digital age? (8) in your opinion, what kinds of professional development opportunities are most effective for preservice english teachers? the interview questions were open-ended and allowed the participants to express themselves freely, without being constrained by predetermined response options. in this study, the researcher employed two distinct analytical techniques to analyse the data lala bumela sudimantara perspectives and experiences of indonesian pre-service english teachers in developing digital learning resources 614 collected from the questionnaire and semistructured interviews. for the questionnaire data, the researchers used descriptive statistics, which is a quantitative analysis method that summarizes the main characteristics of a dataset. descriptive statistics allowed the researchers to organize and present the data in a meaningful and easy-to-understand format, providing valuable insights into the participants' views and experiences. in contrast, the semi-structured interviews were analyzed using a combination of corpus analysis and thematic analysis. corpus analysis involves the use of specialized software, such as voyant tools, to analyze large bodies of text and identify patterns and trends. thematic analysis, on the other hand, involves a more detailed and indepth examination of the data, with the aim of identifying underlying themes and meanings. using these techniques, the researchers were able to identify the challenges and opportunities faced by preservice english teachers in indonesia as they navigate the digital age and work as curriculum engineers. the researchers read and re-read the transcripts to identify recurring themes, which were then organized into a framework. the data were then coded accordingly, allowing the researchers to identify specific examples and quotes that supported each theme. overall, the combination of descriptive statistics, corpus analysis, and thematic analysis provided the researchers with a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the participants' experiences, allowing them to draw meaningful conclusions and make informed recommendations for future research and practice. results and discussion this section presents the main findings of a study that investigated the perceptions and experiences of 16 preservice english teachers in designing digital curricula that comply with the transformative learning framework enacted by unesco, using both questionnaire and interview methods. the results of the questionnaire showed that while the participants felt satisfied with the overall process of developing their own digital learning resources, there was a mixed perception of support from the university in providing access, knowledge, and skills for designing digital curricula. the interview data revealed several key themes, including the integration of new concepts of learning and technology, the potential advantages of digital curricula, and the importance of teachers' role as curriculum engineers. these findings highlight the need for universities to provide more comprehensive support to preservice teachers in developing digital curricula that align with the transformative learning framework. in the table below, i present the digital learning resources that were created by the research participants as part of their final research project, also known as the "skripsi" writing project. these resources were designed to support and enhance learning in the english language classroom, and showcase the creativity and innovation of the participants in utilizing digital technologies for educational purposes. table 1. the types of digital learning resources created by the participants participants digital learning resources research sites 1 cefr-informed digital learning resources for teaching expository texts high schools 2 cefr-informed digital learning resources for creative teaching of english using local folklores in majalengka, west java, indonesia middle schools 3 digital multisensory resources for learning english using story middle schools 4 cefr-informed digital learning resources for creative teaching of english using local folklores in cirebon, west java, indonesia middle schools 5 a cefrinformed digital hypertext poetry high schools 6 a cefr-informed audiobook using local folklore in kuningan, wet java, indonesia high schools 7 a cefrbased digitally illustrated storybook middle schools 8 a cefrinformed digital hypertext poetry middle schools 9 a cefrbased story writing learning platform middle schools 10 an online formative assessment for promoting interactive learning high schools 11 a cefr-informed digital multilingual microfiction high schools 12 digital storytelling resources for critical listening middle schools 13 a cefr-informed digital middle english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 615 multisensorial reading activities schools 14 cefr-informed animation for teaching speaking of english middle schools 15 an integrated diagnostic test english proficiency high schools 16 a critical investigation of curriculum planning and implementation of kurikulum merdeka middle schools table 1 presents the digital learning resources created by 15 of the research participants. however, one participant (number 16) did not create a digital learning resource. instead, her study focused on the planning and implementation of kurikulum merdeka (emancipated curriculum), providing valuable insights on how english teachers in schools transitioned from traditional to digital curricula in alignment with the emancipated curriculum. her findings are essential in shaping our understanding of teacher efficacy and agency regarding the adoption of transformative curricula in indonesian schools. questionnaire results: the general perceptions of the preservice english teachers on their research experiences this section presents the results of a questionnaire aimed at investigating the general perceptions of preservice english teachers on their research experiences. by exploring their attitudes and beliefs towards research, we can gain insight into the effectiveness of research experiences in preparing preservice teachers for their future roles as educators. figure 1. the distribution of responses of the respondents bar 1 presents a response from a group of respondents who were asked to rate their level of confidence in their ability to design and implement digital curriculum in the classroom. based on the response data, it appears that most of the participants, specifically 52%, agreed with the statement, while 47% strongly agreed. this suggests that most of the respondents have a positive perception of their skills in designing and implementing digital curriculum in the classroom. bar 2 presents a response from a group of respondents who were asked to rate their level of access to the technology and resources needed to design effective digital curriculum. based on the response data, it appears that the majority of the participants, specifically 52.9%, agreed with the statement, while 41.2% strongly agreed. this suggests that most of the respondents have some level of access to the technology and resources needed to design effective digital curriculum, although there may be some who do not have sufficient access. further investigation may be needed to determine the specific nature of the technology and resources required for designing effective digital curriculum and how access to them may vary across different groups of participants. bar 3 presents a response from a group of respondents who were asked to rate their level of training and preparation to navigate the digital age effectively as a teacher. based on the response data, it appears that most of the participants, specifically 52.9%, agreed with the statement, while 35.3% strongly agreed and 11.8% lala bumela sudimantara perspectives and experiences of indonesian pre-service english teachers in developing digital learning resources 616 somewhat agreed. this suggests that most of the respondents have received some level of training and preparation to navigate the digital age effectively as a teacher. however, it is worth noting that there is still a sizeable minority who may not feel adequately prepared to navigate the digital age, and further investigation may be needed to determine the specific areas where additional training and preparation may be needed. bar 4 presents a response from a group of respondents who were asked to rate their perception of how well the curriculum standards in their program align with the demands of the digital age. based on the response data, it appears that the majority of the participants, specifically 47.1%, strongly agreed with the statement, while an equal percentage of 47.1% agreed with the statement. only 5.8% somewhat agreed with the statement. this suggests that most of the respondents perceive that their curriculum standards align well with the demands of the digital age, indicating a positive outlook on the alignment between their program's curriculum standards and the digital age demands. bar 5 presents a response from a group of respondents who were asked to rate their level of opportunities to collaborate and learn from their peers regarding digital curriculum design. based on the response data, it appears that the majority of the participants, specifically 88.2%, strongly agreed with the statement, while 11.8% agreed with the statement. this indicates that most of the respondents perceive that they have ample opportunities to collaborate and learn from their peers regarding digital curriculum design. this is a positive sign that the participants feel supported in their professional development and have access to resources that can help them improve their digital curriculum design skills. bar 6 presents a response from a group of respondents who were asked to rate their level of support from their university (the elte department) in their efforts to design effective digital curriculum. based on the response data, it appears that there is a mixed perception among the participants. specifically, 17.6% strongly agreed with the statement, while 35.3% agreed with the statement. furthermore, 17.6% somewhat agreed, and 17.6% somewhat disagreed with the statement. this suggests that while some participants feel supported by the university in their efforts to design effective digital curriculum, there are others who feel less supported or only somewhat supported. further investigation may be needed to determine the specific areas where the participants feel supported or unsupported and identify ways to address any gaps in support from the university. bar 7 presents a response from a group of respondents who were asked to rate the importance of professional development in supporting them as a curriculum engineer in the digital age. based on the response data, it appears that the vast majority of participants, specifically 76.5%, strongly agreed with the statement, while 23.5% agreed with the statement. this indicates that most of the respondents perceive professional development as an essential factor in supporting them as a curriculum engineer in the digital age. this underscores the importance of ongoing professional development opportunities for teachers, especially in the rapidly evolving landscape of technology integration in education. bar 8 presents a response from a group of respondents who were asked to rate their motivation to continue learning and growing as a curriculum engineer in the digital age. based on the response data, it appears that the majority of the participants, specifically 82%, strongly agreed with the statement, while 17.6% agreed with the statement. this indicates that most of the respondents feel highly motivated to continue learning and growing as curriculum engineers in the digital age. this is a positive sign as it demonstrates that the participants are invested in their professional development and willing to adapt to new technologies and pedagogies in order to provide effective instruction for their students. overall, the response data from the survey conducted on the perceptions of the participants towards designing and implementing digital curriculum in the classroom revealed that most of the respondents have a positive perception of their skills in digital curriculum design. they also reported having some level of access to technology and resources needed to design effective digital curriculum, and most of them have received some level of training and preparation to navigate the digital age effectively as a teacher. additionally, the majority of the participants perceive that their curriculum standards align well with the demands of the digital age, and they feel supported by their peers and motivated to continue learning and growing as curriculum engineers in the digital age. however, there is a mixed perception of support from the university, and further investigation may be needed to address any gaps in support and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 617 determine the specific areas where additional training and preparation may be needed. the survey results highlight the importance of ongoing professional development opportunities for teachers in the rapidly evolving landscape of technology integration in education. interview results: examining the collective imagination of the preservice english on the importance of digital learning this section presents the results of interviews aimed at examining the collective imagination of preservice english teachers on the significance of digital learning. by exploring their perceptions and beliefs regarding digital learning, we can gain insight into the effectiveness of current approaches in preparing future english teachers to utilize technology in the classroom. the following table presents the corpus of the interview with the participants. table 3. the distribution of corpus analysis of the interviews with the respondents qs total words unique word forms vocabular y density readability index average word per sentence most frequent words 1 770 271 0.352 11.971 25.7 digital (26); learning (16); curriculum (15); students (12); feel (11) 2 967 315 0.326 14.030 28.4 digital (22); students (21); learning (21); challenge (15); biggest (13) 3 947 336 0.355 14.591 29.6 learning (31); digital (26); students (21); language (20); era (10) 4 657 258 0.393 14.615 28.6 learning (25); digital (19); technology (13); students (12); curriculum (12) 5 715 266 0.372 14.448 28.6 support (24); digital (13); learning (12); students (8); curriculum (8) 6 517 231 0.447 14.573 27.2 support (16); learning (12); universities (8); schools (7); providing (6) 7 565 214 0.379 15.234 29.7 curriculum (20); important (15); digital (13); professional (12); development (12) 8 577 248 0.430 17.195 30.4 teachers (20); development (12); learning (11); professional (9); teaching (8) column 1 shows that the corpus (a collection of written or spoken texts) has a total of 770 words. the document has 271 unique words forms, which means that some words are repeated more than once. the vocabulary density is calculated by dividing the number of unique words in the document by the total number of words. in this case, the vocabulary density is 0.352, which means that the document has a relatively low level of lexical diversity. the readability index is a measure of how easy or difficult it is to read the text. the higher the index, the more difficult the text is to read. in this case, the readability index is 11.971, which suggests that the text is fairly easy to read. the average words per sentence is calculated by dividing the total number of words by the number of sentences in the document. in this case, the average number of words per sentence is 25.7, which indicates that the sentences are relatively long. finally, the most frequent words in the corpus are listed, along with their frequency. in this case, "digital" appears 26 times, followed by "learning" (16 times), "curriculum" (15 times), "students" (12 times), and "feel" (11 times). these words are likely to be important topics or themes in the document. lala bumela sudimantara perspectives and experiences of indonesian pre-service english teachers in developing digital learning resources 618 figure 2. most frequent words in corpus 1. the theme that emerges from this corpus is the positive and enthusiastic attitude towards designing and implementing a digital curriculum in the classroom. the author expresses feelings of happiness, excitement, and confidence in their ability to create innovative learning resources using technology. they recognize the importance of keeping up with developments in the digital era and the need for varied materials and references for teaching english. however, there are also challenges that the author faces, such as the limited accessibility and technological capabilities of some students and teachers, the risk of a digital divide, and the lack of social interaction in online learning. the author acknowledges the importance of ongoing socialization and direction for successful implementation of the digital curriculum in the classroom. the respondents' focus is on the potential advantages of digital curricula, such as wider accessibility, flexibility in learning, and easier monitoring and grading. they also emphasize the need to define the concept, flow, and goals of the digital curriculum, and to provide more understanding to other teachers who may not be familiar with it. overall, the thematic analysis reveals a positive attitude towards digital learning, a willingness to learn and develop new skills, and a desire to improve oneself in order to better support students' learning. the following is a key comment found in corpus 1. “i feel very happy because i can hone my skills and continue to innovate in designing and implementing digital curricula. i feel grateful because my ability can support learning materials in class to be more creative through interesting things such as stories and illustrations.” in this quote, the participant expresses a sense of happiness and gratitude in their role as a designer and implementer of digital curricula. the participant's happiness seems to stem from the opportunity to continually develop their skills in this area, which suggests a passion for their work. they also express gratitude for the ability to support learning materials in class, which indicates a sense of purpose and a desire to make a positive impact on students. this sense of selfefficacy is a key predictor of teachers’ professional and personal success (shu, 2022; oh, 2011) furthermore, the participant emphasizes the importance of creativity in their work, suggesting that they prioritize engaging and stimulating learning experiences for students. this is demonstrated through their reference to "interesting things such as stories and illustrations" which can enhance the learning experience and help students better understand and retain information. the participants in this study embraced the concept of story science that captures centrality of story for the development of human in general (fletcher, 2021), and the concept of reading for emotions (a.b lian, 2017) that views any texts as a story where it used as a problem-solving strategy. by adopting these new concepts, the participants have laid the foundation for pedagogy and technology integration. column 2 shows that the text being analyzed has a vocabulary density of 0.326, which indicates that it has a relatively low level of lexical diversity, with many repeated words. the readability index is 14.030, which suggests that the text is fairly easy to read, likely suitable for a general audience. the average number of words per sentence is 28.4, which indicates that the sentences are relatively long. this could make the text more challenging to read for those with lower levels of literacy or those who prefer shorter, more concise sentences. overall, the text appears to be moderately easy to read, with some complex sentences and potentially repetitive vocabulary. the intended audience and purpose of the text would likely influence the ideal readability level and vocabulary density. figure 3. most frequent words in corpus 2. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 619 based on the responses provided, a latent thematic analysis of the biggest challenges in designing and implementing a digital curriculum can be summarized as follows: (1) lack of support from schools and teachers: a significant challenge is the lack of support from schools and teachers in integrating technology into the classroom. this includes a lack of adequate facilities, limited access to technology, and the need for specialized teacher training to effectively design and execute a digital curriculum. (2) resistance to change and traditional learning methods: many students and teachers are still accustomed to traditional learning methods, making it challenging to implement a nontraditional approach to education. some teachers may resist digital learning due to its perceived complexity or lack of familiarity. (3) inadequate access to technology: many students do not have access to the necessary technology, including computers and smartphones, to participate fully in digital learning. limited internet access and network constraints also pose a challenge in some areas. (4) perceptions and attitudes towards digital learning: students may not always have a positive perception of digital learning, and it may take time for them to get used to studying through digital means. (5) facilities and classroom conditions: the lack of adequate facilities and classroom conditions, such as limited access to digital resources, can impede the implementation of a digital curriculum and hinder students' learning process. overall, these challenges highlight the need for investment in digital resources, specialized teacher training, and changes to policies and attitudes towards digital learning to successfully design and implement a digital curriculum that benefits all students. the following is a key quote from corpus 2. “the biggest challenge was that the teachers still wanted to implement textbook learning and did not want to implement digital learning, which according to these teachers was something complicated to do. in addition, facilities such as computers and the internet provided by schools are only used during exams, not for learning activities, and also schools prohibit students from bringing smartphones to school, which is quite an obstacle because not all schools allow students to bring smartphones. these policies should be reconsidered, given the development of technology that is increasingly advanced and so is the development of education that should go hand in hand with technological developments. at least by utilizing school facilities for learning activities, if students are prohibited from bringing smartphones to school.” in this quote, the participant highlights several challenges that she faced in their efforts to implement digital learning in schools. the first challenge that she mentions is resistance from teachers who prefer to stick with traditional textbook learning instead of incorporating digital learning. this suggests a reluctance to embrace new technology and methods, which can be a barrier to progress in education. the participant also notes that schools may not be adequately equipped with the necessary technology, such as computers and internet access, to support digital learning. additionally, schools may prohibit students from bringing smartphones to school, which can be a further obstacle to implementing digital learning. the participant argues that these policies should be reconsidered in light of the increasing advancements in technology and the need for education to keep up with these developments. they suggest that at the very least, school facilities should be utilized for learning activities, even if students are not allowed to bring smartphones. this finding resonates with the study by (khasanah et al, 2021) where challenges of implementing digital learning is influenced both by the mindset of the teachers and students, as well as the low technological infrastructures at school. column 3 shows that the text being analyzed has a vocabulary density of 0.355, which suggests that it has a relatively low level of lexical diversity, with many repeated words. the readability index is 14.591, which suggests that the text is moderately easy to read, likely suitable for a general audience. the average number of words per sentence is 29.6, which indicates that the sentences are relatively long. this could make the text more challenging to read for those with lower levels of literacy or those who prefer shorter, more concise sentences. overall, the text appears to be moderately easy to read, with some complex sentences and potentially repetitive vocabulary. the intended audience and purpose of the text would likely influence the ideal readability level and vocabulary density. lala bumela sudimantara perspectives and experiences of indonesian pre-service english teachers in developing digital learning resources 620 figure 4. most frequent words in corpus 3. overall, the latent thematic analysis of the digital era and language education in indonesia reveals several opportunities and benefits, including: (1) access to free applications, websites, and other digital resources for language learning. (2) communication and connection with language speakers and educators around the world through software and video conferencing. (3) flexibility and accessibility in learning, allowing students to study anywhere and anytime. (4) improvement of language skills and proficiency, as well as motivation and curiosity for learning. (5) use of digital resources in creative and original work, improving literacy and making learning more interesting and fun. (6) access to information and support for teachers, allowing for a shift towards non-traditional and studentcentered learning. (7) increased use of digital tools such as gamification, virtual reality, and interactive whiteboards for more engaging and effective language learning. (8) collaboration and language exchange programs with native speakers and other students around the world. (9) improved accessibility for persons with disabilities, enabling them to learn on an equal footing with their peers. (10) more innovative and creative learning resources that can be personalized according to students' abilities and interests. these opportunities and benefits show that the digital era can greatly improve and advance language education in indonesia, leading to positive changes in learning outcomes and overall development. however, it is important to ensure that digital resources and facilities are available and accessible to all students, regardless of their economic background. the following is a key quote in corpus 3. “this digital era has many benefits such as flexible digital use, digital is also easy to access and has many versions that can be used free of charge. this positive thing can be an opportunity for teachers, curriculum engineers and students to adapt to using digital so that the learning process can be carried out more effectively so as to produce positive changes.” in this quote, the participant highlights the benefits of the digital era, such as the flexibility of digital tools and the ease of access to various free versions of digital resources. the participant sees these advantages as opportunities for teachers, curriculum engineers, and students to adapt to using digital tools in the learning process, leading to positive changes. the participant's emphasis on the flexibility of digital tools suggests that digital resources can be customized to fit the specific needs of teachers and students. this can help make the learning process more effective by tailoring the experience to the individual's learning style and pace. the participant also points out that digital resources are easily accessible and often available free of charge. this can help to level the playing field for students who may not have access to expensive textbooks or other learning materials. column 4 shows that the text being analysed has a vocabulary density of 0.393, which suggests that it has a moderate level of lexical diversity, with a relatively high proportion of unique words. the readability index is 14.615, which suggests that the text is moderately easy to read, likely suitable for a general audience. the average number of words per sentence is 28.6, which indicates that the sentences are relatively long. this could make the text more challenging to read for those with lower levels of literacy or those who prefer shorter, more concise sentences. overall, the text appears to be moderately easy to read, with some complex sentences and a relatively varied vocabulary. the intended audience and purpose of the text would likely influence the ideal readability level and vocabulary density. figure 5. most frequent words in corpus 4 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 621 based on the provided text, the latent thematic analysis for the challenges before designing the curriculum can be summarized as follows: (1) importance of digitalization: in the current digital era, it is essential to incorporate digital literacy and technology skills into the curriculum. teachers and educators need to stay updated on the latest technological advancements and integrate them into their teaching strategies to prepare students for the workforce of the future. (2) need for new paradigms: to navigate the tensions of the digital age, new paradigms are required to reinforce transformative pedagogy. digitalization should be used as an effort to build student agency that can encourage student learning motivation, build curiosity, and reduce the impact of misuse of technology. (3) emphasis on thinking skills: critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, originality, and strategizing are some of the essential thinking skills that should be emphasized in the curriculum design for the digital age. (4) integration of technology: the curriculum should incorporate technology as an effective learning aid and enhance students' digital skills. teachers must also be trained in the use of technology and the development of learning materials that are appropriate for the digital era. (5) student awareness: students should be made aware of the importance of digitalization and how it can benefit their future. it may take time for students to adapt to the digital curriculum, and thus, it is important to involve them in the use of digital in learning activities and assessment. (6) holistic learning: the digital curriculum should support holistic learning by paying more attention to what the students need and providing them with different experiences in the learning process. (7) selfdevelopment: as educators, it is essential to upgrade knowledge and skills in technology to maximize learning by taking advantage of technological advances in curriculum design. overall, the latent thematic analysis suggests that designing a curriculum for the digital age requires a focus on digital literacy, technology skills, thinking skills, integration of technology, student awareness, holistic learning, and selfdevelopment. this is a key comment in corpus 4. “i think the best way to navigate the tensions of the digital age is to develop new paradigms to reinforce transformative pedagogy. digitalization is used as an effort to build student agency that can encourage student learning motivation and build curiosity, as well as reduce the impact of misuse of technology so that digital dementia does not occur.” in this quote, the participant suggests that the best way to navigate the tensions of the digital age is to develop new paradigms that reinforce transformative pedagogy. the participant believes that digitalization can be used to build student agency, motivate student learning, and foster curiosity while reducing the negative impact of technology misuse. the participant emphasizes the importance of transformative pedagogy, which suggests a teaching approach that challenges the traditional lecture-based instruction and instead prioritizes active learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. the participant sees the potential of digital tools to support this approach by providing students with the opportunity to take control of their learning and become active participants in the learning process. the participant also highlights the risk of digital dementia, which refers to the negative impact of excessive technology use on cognitive function. by emphasizing the importance of responsible digital use, the participant suggests that transformative pedagogy can help to mitigate this risk and ensure that technology is used in a way that supports learning rather than hinders it. overall, the quote reflects a forward-thinking approach to the challenges of the digital age, emphasizing the potential of digital tools to enhance the learning experience while also highlighting the need for responsible use and the importance of a pedagogical approach that prioritizes transformative learning. column 5 shows that the text being analysed has a vocabulary density of 0.372, which suggests that it has a moderate level of lexical diversity, with a relatively high proportion of unique words. the readability index is 14.448, which suggests that the text is moderately easy to read, likely suitable for a general audience. the average number of words per sentence is 28.6, which indicates that the sentences are relatively long. this could make the text more challenging to read for those with lower levels of literacy or those who prefer shorter, more concise sentences. overall, the text appears to be moderately easy to read, with some complex sentences and a relatively varied vocabulary. lala bumela sudimantara perspectives and experiences of indonesian pre-service english teachers in developing digital learning resources 622 figure 6. most frequent words in corpus 5 based on the various responses provided, it seems that support is a crucial factor for effective curriculum engineering in the digital age. this support can come in various forms, such as access to the latest information, collaboration and feedback from educators, access to resources and tools, skills development, access to technology, and support from educational institutions and the government. furthermore, it appears that support for digital learning resources development is also necessary, such as access to free tools and resources, facilities to support digital learning, and counseling or training for teachers to master the necessary skills. overall, the need for support in the form of access, collaboration, and training is essential to develop effective digital curricula and to transform the education system in the digital age. for me, the support i really need to become an effective curriculum engineer in today's digital era is support from universities, schools, and from the government itself. support from universities, for example by providing learning that trains us to master technology for learning so that we already have the skills to do digital learning in class. support from schools such as facilities to support digital learning and fully support learning through technology in the classroom. finally, support from the government, such as counseling or training for teachers to master the knowledge and skills needed for more advanced digital learning. in this quote, the participant emphasizes the importance of support from universities, schools, and the government to become an effective curriculum engineer in today's digital era. the participant suggests that universities can provide training to curriculum engineers on how to master technology for learning, which will equip them with the necessary skills to implement digital learning in the classroom. the participant also suggests that schools should provide facilities to support digital learning and fully support learning through technology in the classroom. this suggests that the participant believes that schools should prioritize the implementation of digital learning as a way to enhance the learning experience for students. finally, the participant highlights the importance of government support, such as counseling or training for teachers to master the knowledge and skills needed for more advanced digital learning. this suggests that the participant believes that the government has a role to play in promoting the adoption of digital learning in education. column 6 shows that the text being analyzed has a vocabulary density of 0.447, which suggests that it has a high level of lexical diversity, with a relatively low proportion of repeated words. the readability index is 14.573, which suggests that the text is moderately easy to read, likely suitable for a general audience. the average number of words per sentence is 27.2, which indicates that the sentences are relatively long. this could make the text more challenging to read for those with lower levels of literacy or those who prefer shorter, more concise sentences. overall, the text appears to be moderately easy to read, with a relatively varied vocabulary and some complex sentences. figure 7. most frequent words in corpus 6 the theme that emerges from the corpus is the idea that universities and schools can provide support to students in various ways. one way is by offering academic guidance, tutoring, counseling, career services, and disability accommodations. another way is by establishing support networks and peer mentoring programs that can help students feel connected and supported within the community. additionally, creating a culture of care and support that prioritizes the well-being and success of all students can go a long way in providing effective support. there is also a suggestion that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 623 universities and schools need to embrace transformative pedagogy and switch from traditional teaching and learning methods to nontraditional ones. this change is seen as necessary to facilitate the development of students' creativity and help them become more successful. access to technology is another crucial aspect of support that universities and schools can provide. this support includes facilities to support digital learning, providing technology training, and access to essential tools such as computers and wifi. despite the availability of resources, some students feel that universities and schools are not supportive enough. this lack of support is attributed to institutions' adherence to strict rules that prevent them from accepting new things and ideas. column 7 shows that the text being analyzed has a vocabulary density of 0.379, which suggests that it has a moderate level of lexical diversity, with a relatively high proportion of unique words. the readability index is 15.234, which suggests that the text is moderately easy to read, likely suitable for a general audience. the average number of words per sentence is 29.7, which indicates that the sentences are relatively long. this could make the text more challenging to read for those with lower levels of literacy or those who prefer shorter, more concise sentences. overall, the text appears to be moderately easy to read, with some complex sentences and a relatively varied vocabulary. the intended audience and purpose of the text would likely influence the ideal readability level and vocabulary density. figure 8. most frequent words in corpus 7 in general the subthemes that emerge from the corpus are as follow: (1) keeping up-to-date with technological advances and best practices. (2) enhancing creativity, qualification, and critical thinking skills. (3) fostering a sense of professionalism and responsibility. (4) achieving maximum results and effectiveness in designing curriculum. (5) providing support for implementation of digital curricula and teaching tools. (6) continuous learning and improvement through collaboration with peers and industry leaders. (7) readiness and knowledge of the importance and changes in curriculum. (8) supporting students' learning and innovation in the classroom. in summary, the subthemes that emerge from the corpus suggest that effective curriculum design and teaching requires a multifaceted approach. educators must not only keep up-todate with technological advances and best practices, but also foster creativity, qualification, and critical thinking skills in themselves and their students. additionally, they must maintain a sense of professionalism and responsibility while striving for maximum results and effectiveness in curriculum design. providing support for the implementation of digital curricula and teaching tools, continuous learning and improvement through collaboration with peers and industry leaders, readiness and knowledge of the importance and changes in curriculum, and supporting students' learning and innovation in the classroom are all essential aspects of effective curriculum design and teaching. a key quote from corpus 7 is presented below. “professional development is very important for curriculum engineers in the digital age. they need to keep up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices because technology and teaching methods are changing quickly. professional development can help curriculum engineers learn how to design good digital learning, use technology tools, and make interesting digital content. also, professional development can help them stay in touch with other people in their field and learn from them.” this quote emphasizes the significance of ongoing professional development for curriculum engineers in the digital age. they need to keep pace with the latest trends and best practices in technology and teaching methods. professional development can help them learn new skills in designing digital learning, using technology tools, and creating engaging digital content. additionally, it enables them to stay connected with peers for collaboration and continuous improvement column 8 that the text being analyzed has a vocabulary density of 0.430, which suggests that it has a high level of lexical diversity, with a relatively low proportion of repeated words. the readability index is 17.195, which suggests that the text is relatively difficult to read, likely suitable for a more advanced audience. the lala bumela sudimantara perspectives and experiences of indonesian pre-service english teachers in developing digital learning resources 624 average number of words per sentence is 30.4, which indicates that the sentences are relatively long. this could make the text more challenging to read for those with lower levels of literacy or those who prefer shorter, more concise sentences. overall, the text appears to be relatively difficult to read, with a relatively varied vocabulary and some complex sentences. figure 9. most frequent words in corpus 8 in general the corpus shows that effective professional development for prospective english teachers should focus on developing multimodal learning resources and improving classroom practice. this includes hands-on and collaborative learning opportunities like practicums, mentorship programs, and online courses. personal development should also be encouraged to explore new innovations and learning opportunities. technology integration and innovative, non-traditional learning methods, such as creating teaching aids, participating in curriculum development activities, and setting the concept of learning, should also be a priority. moreover, creating a supportive learning environment where teachers can mutually support each other to create better education is crucial for effective professional development for prospective english teachers. the importance of teacher quality should also be emphasized to improve the learning process in schools and lead to better student success. professional development should be structured with an element of accountability, ensuring that teachers are motivated to change and improve their practices. by incorporating these elements into professional development programs, prospective english teachers will be better equipped to provide effective and engaging instruction to their students. the following is key quote from corpus 8. “i think the most effective forms of professional development is focus on improving what teachers do in classrooms. it also has an element of accountability involved, so teachers are motivated to change and improve. the more professional development teachers get, the more likely students are to succeed.” this passage emphasizes the importance of professional development for teachers in improving student success. the participant suggests that the most effective form of professional development is one that focuses on improving what teachers do in classrooms and has an element of accountability involved, which motivates teachers to change and improve. the participant believes that the more professional development teachers receive, the more likely students are to succeed. the passage suggests that the quality of teaching is critical to student achievement and that professional development is a vital tool for teachers to improve their classroom practices, leading to better student outcomes. overall, the passage highlights the significant impact of professional development on teacher effectiveness and student success. the findings of this study have the potential to enhance the quality of english language instruction in indonesia in several ways. firstly, by understanding the perspectives and experiences of pre-service english teachers in developing digital learning resources, we gain insights into the challenges they face. this understanding can inform the design of targeted interventions and training programs to address these challenges effectively. secondly, the findings shed light on the benefits and opportunities that arise from implementing a digital curriculum. better accessibility to resources, personalized learning experiences, and increased collaboration with language speakers and educators globally can greatly enhance the english language instruction in terms of diversity, authenticity, and engagement. additionally, the study highlights the need for investment in digital resources, specialized teacher training, and changes in policies and attitudes towards digital learning. these recommendations can contribute to building a supportive ecosystem for implementing a digital curriculum in english language instruction, ensuring that teachers are equipped with the necessary skills and resources to utilize digital tools effectively. furthermore, the emphasis on critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and other essential thinking skills, as well as supporting holistic english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 625 learning and student agency, aligns with the broader goals of education. integrating these skills and approaches into the digital curriculum can foster a more comprehensive and student-centered english language instruction, empowering students to thrive in the digital era and the future workforce. in conclusion, the findings of this study offer valuable insights and recommendations to enhance english language instruction in indonesia by leveraging the potential of digital technologies. by addressing the challenges, embracing the benefits, and investing in necessary resources and training, english language instruction can be transformed to meet the needs of students in the digital age, ultimately preparing them for success in the globalized world. conclusion in conclusion, the professional development of prospective english teachers is crucial for creating effective and engaging learning experiences for students. the focus of professional development should be on developing multimodal learning resources, handson and collaborative learning opportunities, improving classroom practices, personal development, technology integration, innovative and non-traditional learning methods, creating a supportive learning environment, and improving teacher quality. these elements will help teachers develop their pedagogical knowledge, adapt to new technologies, and create better education environments that support student success. furthermore, it is important for professional development opportunities to be ongoing and relevant to the changing needs of teachers and students. this includes training and certification programs that encourage the integration of technology in teaching, support for nontraditional learning methods, and collaboration with peers. by focusing on improving the quality of teachers, we can improve the learning process in schools and ultimately lead to better student success. therefore, ongoing professional development is crucial for prospective english teachers to develop their skills and knowledge and create meaningful learning experiences for their students. potential areas for further research in professional development for prospective english teachers include the effectiveness of specific multimodal and multisensorial learning resources on student learning outcomes, the most effective models of hands-on and collaborative learning, the role of accountability, and the effectiveness of innovative and non-traditional learning methods. further research in these areas could ultimately lead to better educational outcomes for students by improving the quality of teacher education and professional development. however, it is essential to acknowledge the limitations of this study, as it demonstrates academic integrity and a comprehensive understanding of the research process. although this study provides valuable insights into the professional development of prospective english teachers and the importance of creating effective and engaging learning experiences, it is important to recognize that the findings are context-specific and may not be universally applicable. the sample size, specific research setting, and duration of the study are some of the limitations that should be acknowledged. moreover, this study opens up avenues for future research in the field of professional development for prospective english teachers. for instance, investigating the effectiveness of specific multimodal and multisensorial learning resources on student learning outcomes can contribute to the development of evidence-based practices. furthermore, examining the effectiveness of innovative and non-traditional learning methods within the professional development context can provide valuable insights for teacher education programs. by addressing these limitations and conducting further research, we can continue to improve the quality of teacher education and professional development, ultimately leading to better educational outcomes for students. references anderson, t., & dron, j. (2011). three generations of distance education pedagogy. international review of research in open and distance learning, 12(3), 80–97. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v12i3.890. bumela, l. (2021). learners’ agency in focus: introducing the 21st century academic writing pedagogy in indonesia. the journal of english language teaching in foreign language context, 6(2), 155-167. bumela, l. (2020). designing 21st century language learning scenario in indonesia: a perspective from computer-assisted language learning. ijas: indonesian journal of arabic studies, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.24235/ijas.v2i1.6106. european commission, e. (n.d.). digital competence in practice: an analysis of frameworks. https://doi.org/10.2791/82116. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v12i3.890 https://doi.org/10.24235/ijas.v2i1.6106 lala bumela sudimantara perspectives and experiences of indonesian pre-service english teachers in developing digital learning resources 626 fawns, t. (2022). an entangled pedagogy: looking beyond the pedagogy—technology dichotomy. postdigital science and education, 4(3), 711– 728. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-02200302-7 fletcher, a. (2021). wonderworks: the 25 most powerful inventions in the history of literature. simon & schuster e-book. fraga-varela, f. (n.d.). digital competence in primary education and the limits of 1:1 computing la compétence numérique à l’école primaire et les limites de l’informatique 1:1. fullan, m., langworthy, m., barber, m., & mars discovery district. (n.d.). a rich seam : how new pedagogies find deep learning. galaczi, e., nye, a., poulter, m., & allen, h. (2018). teacher professional development. gallardo-echenique, e. e., minelli de oliveira, j., marqués-molias, l., & esteve-mon, f. (2015). digital competence in the knowledge society. merlot journal of online learning and teaching, 11(1). groenewald, t. (2004). a phenomenological research design illustrated. international journal of qualitative methods, 3(1). article 4. helyanti, n. d., bumela, l., ikawati, l. (2022). kurikulum merdeka reimagined: adopting story science for english literacy learning in indonesian middle school. elt echo : the journal of english language teaching in foreign language context, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.24235/eltecho.v7i2.12081 jonathans, p. m., & metboki, y. (2021). reflecting on efl digital learning in indonesia: seeking for e-learning pedagogy. kementerian pendidikan, kebudayaan, riset, dan teknologi. (2021). pembelajaran paradigma baru. https://repositori.kemdikbud.go.id/24963/1/pp b_2021.pdf. kementerian pendidikan, kebudayaan, riset, dan teknologi. (2022). dimensi, elemen, dan subelemen profil pelajar pancasila pada kurikulum merdeka. https://kurikulum.kemdikbud.go.id/wpcontent/uploads/2022/07/v.2-dimensi-elemensubelemen-profil-pelajar-pancasila-padakurikulum-merdeka.pdf. kementerian pendidikan, kebudayaan, riset, dan teknologi. (2022). capaian pembelajaran pada pendidikan anak usia dini, jenjang pendidikan dasar, dan jenjang pendidikan menengah pada kurikulum merdeka. https://kurikulum.kemdikbud.go.id/wpcontent/unduhan/cp_2022.pdf khasanah., rahanra, n., & susanty, l. (2021). challenges of e-learning development and implementation in remote indonesia: educational development analysis. international research journal of management, it and social sciences, 8(5), 497-505. https://doi.org/10.21744/irjmis.v8n5.1934. lian, a.b. (2017). reading for emotion with ict tools. in chen, w. et al. (eds.) (2017). proceedings of the 25th international conference on computers in education. (internationally refereed proceedings). asiapacific society for computers in education. lian, a.-p., & sussex, r. d. (2018). toward a critical epistemology for learning languages and cultures in 21st century asia. in a. curtis and r. sussex (eds), intercultural communication in asia: education, language and values. mcgilchrist, i. (2009). the master and his emissary: the divided brain and the making of the western world. yale university press. murray, m. c., & pérez, j. (2014). unraveling the digital literacy paradox: how higher education fails at the fourth literacy. issues in informing science and information technology, 11, 85100. oh, s. (2011). preservice teachers’ sense of efficacy and its sources. psychology, 02(03), 235–240. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2011.23037. panksepp, j. (1998). affective neuroscience: the foundations of human and animal emotions. oxford university press, inc. shu, k. (2022). teachers’ commitment and selfefficacy as predictors of work engagement and well-being. frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.850204 silvhiany, s., mirizon, s., & vianty, m. (2021). digital literacy training for teachers of english to support 21st century learning. in prosiding senabatra ke-1 (vol. 1). silviyanti, t. m., & yusuf, y. q. (2022.). efl teachers’ perceptions on using ict in their teaching: to use or to reject? teaching english with technology, 15(4). sudimantara, l.b. (2021). transformative learning and student agency in academic writing in undergraduate english language teacher education degree programs in indonesia [phd thesis, charles darwin university]. darwin university. tafazoli, d. (2021.). call teachers’ professional development amid the covid-19 outbreak: a qualitative study teaching persian with technology view project innovation in language learning and teaching: the case of the middle east and north africa view project. tafazoli, d., parra, m. e. g., & abril, c. a. h. (2017). computer literacy: sine qua non for digital age of language learning & teaching. theory and practice in language studies, 7(9), 716. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0709.02. thomas, i. (2009). critical thinking, transformative learning, sustainable education, and problembased learning in universities. journal of https://repositori.kemdikbud.go.id/24963/1/ppb_2021.pdf https://repositori.kemdikbud.go.id/24963/1/ppb_2021.pdf https://kurikulum.kemdikbud.go.id/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/v.2-dimensi-elemen-subelemen-profil-pelajar-pancasila-pada-kurikulum-merdeka.pdf https://kurikulum.kemdikbud.go.id/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/v.2-dimensi-elemen-subelemen-profil-pelajar-pancasila-pada-kurikulum-merdeka.pdf https://kurikulum.kemdikbud.go.id/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/v.2-dimensi-elemen-subelemen-profil-pelajar-pancasila-pada-kurikulum-merdeka.pdf https://kurikulum.kemdikbud.go.id/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/v.2-dimensi-elemen-subelemen-profil-pelajar-pancasila-pada-kurikulum-merdeka.pdf https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2011.23037 https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0709.02 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 627 transformative education, 7(3), 245–264. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541344610385753 unesco. (2021a). reimagining our futures together: a new social contract for education (report from the international commission on the futures of education). paris: unesco. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf00003 79707/pdf/379707eng.pdf.multi. unesco. (2021b). when schools shut: gendered impacts of covid-19 school closures, p. 47. paris. unesco. unicef. (2021). final report: situational analysis on digital learning in indonesia. unicef. (2021). where are we on education recovery? valtonen, t., eriksson, m., kärkkäinen, s., tahvanainen, v., turunen, a., vartiainen, h., kukkonen, j., & sointu, e. (2022). emerging imbalance in the development of tpack a challenge for teacher training. education and information technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11426-5. wahyuningsih, s. (2021). teaching english through e-learning during the covid-19 outbreak: english teachers’ perspectives at indonesian junior high schools men and women differences in using language: a case study of students at stain. lala bumela sudimantara perspectives and experiences of indonesian pre-service english teachers in developing digital learning resources 628 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 925 developing reading assessment instrument for intermediate efl learners: azwar model fitriatul masitoh english language education department, faculty of letters, universitas negeri malang, indonesia english language education department, faculty of tarbiyah, iain kediri, indonesia email: fitriatulmasitoh@iainkediri.ac.id ima fitriyah (corresponding author) english language education department, faculty of letters, universitas negeri malang, indonesia english language education department, faculty of tarbiyah, iain kediri, indonesia email: imafitria@iainkediri.ac.id nur mukminatien english language education department, faculty of letters, universitas negeri malang, indonesia email: nur.mukminatien.fs@um.ac.id apa citation: masitoh, f., fitriyah, i., & mukminatien, n. (2023). developing reading assessment instrument for intermediate efl learners: azwar model. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 925-934. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.7461 received: 27-06-2023 accepted: 21-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: the study was inspired by the fact that teachers of an intermediate english reading course employed a pre-made reading instrument particularly tests obtained from the internet, the toefl, or a textbook without consulting the learning objectives. therefore, they cannot meet the demand of the teaching and learning objectives and the classroom-based assessment that should be tailored to the unique circumstances of the course. the objective of this study is to create intermediate reading comprehension test items for efl students that adhere to the "good test" criterion generated utilizing the azwar model (1996). second-semester students of english language department in one of institutions in kediri, indonesia were meant to take a reading test using this instrument. the results of the try-out from 75 efl students from the same level demonstrates that the test met the requirements of being valid, reliable, and practical, had moderate difficulty level, good discrimination levels as the most, and 73 functional distractors of the total. meanwhile, five-invalid test items are not going to be included to be utilized in assessing efl students’ reading comprehension. intermediate reading course lecturers could then utilize the 35 items which are considered as valid, reliable, and moderately difficult to measure their students’ reading achievement. keywords: item analysis; reading test development; reliability; validity. introduction learning to think critically is one of the many benefits that reading provides. it is a thought process that needs quiet time for investigation (al roomy, 2022; younis et al., 2023) its activities assist the reader to get a deeper comprehension of and respond to the material being read. readers do a number of things to understand what is written, understand the context of what they are reading, judge the quality and value of the information, and make decisions about what to read. putting reading assignments in the right order takes some thought. reading can be broken down into different levels based on how much thinking is involved. in 1996, burns, betty, and ross created a reading taxonomy with four levels: literal, interpretive, critical, and creative. literal reading means that the readers are able to get information directly from what is said. in order to do interpretive reading, you have to be able to figure out what information is implied by the interline statement. in critical reading, the readers are able to learn new things by using critical thinking skills. for creative reading, you need to be able to imagine things and be creative in order to come up with ideas. reading and comprehension may appear to be distinct concepts, but they are actually two components of a larger whole that need continual progress in education. reading comprehension is the expected outcome of reading and is described as the ability to combine prior knowledge with reading materials (joh & plakans, 2017) the readers' experiences, abilities, motivation, and reading goals influence their level of comprehension (kuşdemir & bulut, 2018). according to grabe and stoller (2019), it entails recognizing and comprehending the fundamental fitriatul masitoh, ima fitriyah, nur mukminatien developing reading assessment instrument for intermediate efl learners: azwar model 926 concepts of texts and drawing inferences based on both texts and prior knowledge. thus, reading comprehension is essential for lifelong learning. to help students learn how to comprehend, davis and vehabovic (2018) say that tests have become more important in recent years because they are used to evaluate students' progress. most of the time, teachers use multiple-choice tests to see how well their students are doing. the results of a reliable and valid test can be used by a lot of people quickly and for a low cost, and they can be repeated endlessly (shohamy, 2020). because of this, a number of studies have been undertaken on the development of reading comprehension tests (evenddy et al., 2021; hanafi, 2016; ozdemir & akyol, 2019; perkasa, 2020). clearly, classroom-based reading assessment approaches that are successful, suited for efl classroom demands, and easily applicable in classroom instruction are required. in assessment process, every learning objective should be assessed to determine the outcome of the learning success. concomitantly, a test is the most frequent sort of assessment instrument. according to brown and lee (2001), a test is an evaluation that can provide authenticity, motivation, and feedback to students. the test can be designed to provide students with a score, enabling them to assess and enhance their abilities. tests, according to lee (2017), have lately grown in importance due to their role as formative assessments in supporting students' learning. according to brown (2004, p. 3), the test is “a method of measuring a person’s ability, knowledge or performance in a given domain”. the test results in student achievement in the teaching and learning process on a regular basis. in other words, the test is meant to evaluate the skill, ability, and knowledge of the students. teachers form judgments about the nature of a student's reading based on a sample of reading behavior while assessing reading (boubris & haddam, 2020). when preparing to conduct assessments, most educators should be aware of the necessity to use established psychometric criteria for determining the reliability and validity of quantitative measures of language and fundamental reading skills (fitriyah, et al., 2022) unfortunately, several of the reading tests models utilized by teachers are not well-suited for assessing reading in the classroom. preliminary findings suggest that the majority of reading tests administered by reading teachers are not for classroom-based reading test, such as the toefl reading test, reading test from internet, and reading tests taken from text book. it also lacks systematic, thorough, and appropriate reading assessments in the classroom. the purpose of this study is to give students with a more authentic reading test development model that will allow them to truly measure their reading abilities in the efl classroom environment. numerous factors must be considered when developing tests. the most critical characteristics are reliability, validity, and item analysis. considering the importance of these, this study also purposes at developing a valid and reliable reading comprehension test based on merdeka belajar curriculum in higher education for undergraduate students of intermediate reading course. it also due to the fact that the department of english language education in one of islamic institutions in kediri has not prepared clear course description for the intermediate reading level in intensive reading course. this study's findings will ideally fulfill the institution's need and others for a readymade reading test for assessing students at the intermediate level, or the so-called intensive reading course in the merdeka belajar curriculum. previous studies on the construction of a reading test have shown some interesting results. hanafi (2016) developed a reading test for the first semester students of university level and was intended to be used as instrument for research in reading. in addition, ozdemir and akyol (2019) did another study in which they designed a valid and accurate reading comprehension test for fourth grade children. furthermore, azmi (2020) conducted research and designed a web-based reading comprehension test for second semester english language education students. finally, ningrum and sudarwati (2022) created an indonesian efl critical reading test. despite the critical reading test's validity and reliability, students' tryout scores are poor. traditional reading comprehension tests have been widely used for decades, typically focusing on assessing a reader's ability to understand and recall textual information. while these assessments serve as valuable tools for evaluating a reader's comprehension skills, they often fall short in capturing the full complexity of reading comprehension. one significant gap in current reading assessment practices is the limited attention given to higher-order cognitive processes such as critical thinking, inferencemaking, and text analysis. the conventional assessments primarily measure what readers know rather than how well they can apply their english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 927 knowledge to think critically and draw insightful conclusions from a text. thus far, the study concerning the development of intermediate reading test was rarely done. thus, in addition to solving the problem in intermediate reading class due to the condition of the absence of clear course description and inappropriate reading test as what have been previously described in the preliminary study, this study tried to fill a gap that other studies had left by determining the ideal kind of intermediate reading test for english majors in colleges. this study focused on the development of an intermediate reading test as an assessment tool for efl students in intensive reading course. method the primary objective of this project is to develop intermediate reading assessments for secondsemester english language education department students in one of islamic institutions in kediri. this is a study of research and development (r&d). research and development is a product development model in which results are used to produce new solutions (gall et al., 2003). seventy-five students were selected throughout the try-out phase as student participants. in the peer debriefing phase of the validation procedure, one instructor of intermediate reading courses and a developer of language tests participated. in accordance with the study's primary purpose, the model of development used in this research is standard step of developing a test, adapted from azwar (1996) deemed to be complete procedures as there are nine steps proposed in this model as showed in the figure 1. figure 1. step of developing a test (azwar, 1996) initially, a pilot study was conducted to determine the significance of developing an intermediate reading test. the process continued with the test development, which involved the following steps: developing the test based on the course description, determining the objective based on the course description, producing the test item, checking and rechecking the test item, and validating the test (peer debriefing). the next step was to do a try-out test, look at the results, and evaluate the difficulty level of the multiple-choice questions and how reliable they were. the method is depicted in the diagram below. figure 2. the stages of intermediate reading test development then, the test's indicators could be made based on its goals and objectives. the developers developed a reading test as the final product. the test consists of 40 multiple-choice questions with four possible answers. in the try out phase, 75 english department students, approved by ethics committee of the institution, almost completed intermediate reading course were invited as participants. after trying out, the developers used item validity to evaluate the test. the item validity test analyses each item on the reading test using point-biserial correlation. for brown (2004), validity refers to how well a particular method of data gathering yields the desired results. data from a reading test were analyzed with an emphasis toward the test's validity and reliability. this analysis looks at how well students can take a reading test and how good the test is. to finish, the test's reliability and internal consistency were assessed by using the kuder richardson-20 formula (k-20). statistically, a number between 0 and 1.00 will indicate the degree to which the fitriatul masitoh, ima fitriyah, nur mukminatien developing reading assessment instrument for intermediate efl learners: azwar model 928 scores related. a score near 1.00 shows high reliability, while a score closer to 0 shows low reliability. the final result will contain the items which are valid and have high reliability. results and discussion the findings built in a systematic manner using the aforementioned approaches concerned with a chronological description of test development techniques. here is the outcome of this r&d study. a preliminary study was done firstly. the urgency of establishing an ideal form of intermediate reading test for second semester students was based on the results of a preliminary study conducted before the semester began in response to the evaluation of the intermediate reading course that one of the authors taught previously. based on the observation and interview with the lecturers, most the reading assessment instruments were taken from toefl book. they admitted that the objectives were different from the course objectives. moreover, the curriculum also changes from the kkni to merdeka belajar curriculum recently. the department does not provide clear course description, since each lecturer of intermediate reading course makes the course description by themselves. therefore, because of this condition, seems that the lecturers themselves are not in one idea in teaching the course. there should be a clear guidance for them that could lead to the best outcomes. developing intermediate reading test is the next step of the development. this project was carried out to develop reading test items for undergraduate students of intermediate reading course as a final test. test item development began with a course description; instructional objectives; indicators; and course learning outcomes were formulated. then, test items were developed, and the test items were checked and rechecked. finally, the test items were put to the test and the results of the test were examined. the test was developed by referring to course description of the intermediate reading course profile in the english education study program, universitas negeri malang. the course profile was chosen because it provides complete guidance for the intermediate reading level. thereby, the goal of the test is that the students are able to understand short academic articles and story by applying reading strategies in identifying keywords, making inferences, analyzing dictions, interpreting culture-bound dictions, analyzing organization and development of ideas, and identifying text types effectively. indicators of the test are: (1) identifying keywords: identify topic of the text and the meaning of difficult word from context; (2) making inferences: answer inference questions; recognize stated or implied meaning; (3) analyzing dictions: recognize clues (synonym / antonym); (4) interpreting culture-bound dictions: recognize specific term; (5) identifying text patterns: identify listing, time order, cause-effect, and comparison-contras; and (6) analyzing organization and development of ideas: being able to distinguish between the main idea, topic sentence, supporting details, and conclusion. in accordance with the blueprint, the reading exam as the product was developed. reading test passages were culled from publications aimed at intermediate readers and the websites. this is a 40-item test with four response possibilities. correct answers receive a score of 1, while erroneous answers receive a score of 0. it is worth one point for each correct answer, and 0 points for each bad answer. the next step is to make sure that the product is good. peer debriefing was then used to check the quality of the product made in this step. peer debriefing, also called "analytic triangulation," is the process by which a researcher gets in touch with a peer who is not involved in the research to help him or her figure out what the researcher thinks about all or part of the research process. a reading lecturer of an islamic institute of kediri (debriefed peer 1) and the head of the east java english mgmp and a national english test writer (debriefed peer 2) were among the peers involved. although the developers have experiences in creating a number of assessment instruments, the input of those who will utilize instrument is crucial. the debriefed peer 1 concerned on the item 1 and 7, which are nearly identical. then we make a slight modification in order to reduce the similarity. the next is item number 3, the distractor, is extremely perplexing because the responses to the distractors are nearly identical. during the debriefing, peer 2 raised the choice of response, which should be altered with regard to the level of difficulty it presents, and the influence of distractors. he remarked that the questions appeared to be relatively simple for the student level; they were nonetheless understandable for lower-level students. for example, a text about a comparison between university and school culture seem so easy for their level, he suggested omitting the text. we agreed not to put the text and to find english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 929 more pertinent material. after getting feedback from peers during a "peer debriefing" session, the product was changed. based on what was talked about at the peer debriefing session, the researchers made some changes. the researcher changed a few test items from easy to moderate so that they would be the best type of questions. the study also found the best way for students to improve their ability to think critically while doing something else. students will be able to use their critical thinking skills to their fullest by using distractions well. since this is done online, with less supervision, the time was made up in a way that makes it less likely that students will lie. testing the product was the next step. in this step, the researchers did a test to see how valid and reliable the test was. next, the test's reliability was investigated using the kuder richardson-20 formula, validity with the point-biserial correlation formula, and item analysis. according to danuwijaya (2018), item analysis is both a conscious and unconscious process that regularly evaluates the quality of each item. it is helpful to find difficult and easy options, to examine how the function discriminates between low and high scores, to alternate the function, and to compile a solid question bank. the outcome of this phase serves as the foundation for the subsequent phase. reliability reliability, the capacity of assessment instruments to generate steady and consistent outcomes (hughes, 2003), measurement of the intermediate reading test was done through an analysis that is by kuder richardson 20 as the internal consistency. the result of internal analysis consistency is presented in table 2. the overall test instrument analyzed with the data reliability kr-20 in point 0.851. these results indicate the condition of the reliability of kr-20 included in the category of reliable as a form of internal consistency. table 1. reliability test of test items kr − 20 k note .851 40 reliable validity to test the validity, indicating that the reading test should be able to measure what it should measure emerging as the process of obtaining facts to argue for the legitimacy of test interpretations and decisions (giraldo 2020; heaton, 1991), of the question items, the researchers used point biserial correlation statistics (r_pbi) with criteria if the value of r_pbi>r_table (0.227) then the test item is declared valid. the following table summarizes the findings of the test of item validity. table 2. item validity testing category number of test item p(%) valid 1,2,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,13,16,17, 18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26, 27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35, 36,37,38,39,40 87,5 % invalid 3,4,12,14,15 12,5 % based on the statistic tabulation, five items are considered as invalid test. these items were then excluded to be used in the real test. item difficulty level the proportion of students that properly respond to a specific item is related to item difficulty. diverse levels of difficulty should be incorporated into the passages to prevent students from experiencing anxiety, tedium, and exhaustion (masduqi & fatimah, 2022). the level of difficulty can be determined by evaluating the replies of the students. it indicates that the difficulty of the questions was determined by students' responses rather than teachers' views (wijayanti, 2020). this research used heaton’s (1990) formula to measure the facility value (fv) or difficulty level which is gained by dividing the number of students from the upper group and the lower group students who answer a certain item correctly by the total number of the students who join the test. to categorize the fv, the classification from (djiwandono,1996) used to find the difficulty level of the reading test. the classification is as follows: table 3. classification of reading test difficulty classification interpretation 0.000 – 0.250 difficult 0.251 – 0.750 moderate 0.751 – 1.000 easy the computation results for the difficulty index are shown in the table below. table 4. summary of the item difficulty difficulty level test item f % number of test item difficult (p < 0,250) 3 7,5 3, 4, and 14 moderate (0,251< p < 0,75) 15 37,5 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 28, 29, 34, and 38 easy (p > 22 55 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 16, fitriatul masitoh, ima fitriyah, nur mukminatien developing reading assessment instrument for intermediate efl learners: azwar model 930 0,751) 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 39, and 40 the majority of the items in table 5 have an easy level of difficulty. there are 22 questions, or 55 percent of 40 questions are in easy level. meanwhile, there are 15 questions, or 37,5 percent of 40 questions, with a moderate level and the remaining 3 items fall within the difficult category notably question number 3, 4, and 14. the following examples (table 5) illustrate each example of a test item for each difficulty level. in addition to this tabulation, the students’ scores are various, range from 20 (the lowest score) to 97.5 (the highest score), with the means score is 70.9. table 5. an example of a test item from each difficulty level level of difficulty test item easy (22) why did andrea suddenly stop the car? moderate (11) what is the best title for the text? difficult (4) a broken human-made dam is compared to what? item discrimination level the reading test items' discrimination level was also examined. this can tell which students have learned the subject and which have not. the discrimination index analysis by arikunto (2008) is used to evaluate item discrimination power, as shown in table 6. table 6. item discrimination level discrim ination level catego ry f p item number 0,70 – 1,00 excelle nt 3 8% 22,25, 28 0,40 – 0,70 good 17 43 % 5,11,13,17,18,1 9,20,23,26,27,2 9,34,35,36,37,3 8,40 0,20 – 0,40 satisfa ctory 11 28 % 1,2,3,6,7,10,24, 30,31,33,39 0,00 – 0,20 poor 7 18 % 4,8,9,15,16,21, 32 negativ e rejecte d 2 5% 12,14 total 40 100 % it can be seen that items with low discriminating power account for only 18% of the total. the table, on the other hand, reveals that products with high discrimination levels are the most common with 43% of the total. surprisingly, 28% of the discrimination level of the items is satisfactory, while 8% is great. this finding suggests that those things should be somewhat modified. items that are satisfactory, good, or excellent can be reused and saved immediately in the questions bank. distractor analysis distractor analysis is utilized to determine the effectiveness of inappropriate options in distracting the lower groups (manfaat et al., 2021). in this study, each item's detractors have been studied. if lower-level students are more likely to select incorrect responses than higherlevel students, an item is a good diversion. in a majority of assessments of learning outcomes, a distractor is seen to have served its purpose well if it has been chosen by at least 5 percent of testtakers (sudijono, 2009). nonetheless, if 1% to 4% of test-takers have selected them, they must be updated (daryanto, 2005). the result of the analysis of distractor effectiveness is displayed in the table below. table 6. distractor analysis distrac tor effici ency cate gory f p (%) item number 0 rejec ted 7 6% 1,8,16,19,31, 32,35 1-4% revi sed 40 33% 1,2,,5,6,7,8,1 0,11,12,16,1 7,18,19,20,2 1,22,23,34,2 6,28,30,31,3 2,33,34,37,3 8,39,40 5% accep ted 73 61% 1-40 total 120 100% it can be noticed from the table that 73 distractions are functionally sound. in contrast, just seven distractors are rejected, whereas forty require modification. possibly, the only flaw resides in the formulation of the sentences; therefore, it merely needs to be recast with the required modifications. writing questions is tough, therefore if they can be fixed, they should be fixed rather than discarded. this study aims to develop multiple-choice intermediate reading questions that are in accordance with a clear course description and provide reading questions that are valid, reliable, have a moderate level of difficulty, good english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 931 discrimination level, and acceptable functional distractors. the findings show that the intermediate reading test with 40 items have been developed based on the proper procedure, azwar model (azwar, 1996) and have called as reliable, but it is quite unfortunate with the large number of try out participants, five questions were invalid, therefore these five questions will not be used for the actual test. comparing the present study to earlier research (azmi, 2020; hanafi, 2016; karim & haq, 2014; ningrum & sudarwati; 2022; ozdemir & akyol, 2019;), there are some similarities and differences. the similarities lay in the fact that both the prior research and the current study are able to provide a reliable test for usage in the field requiring the reading test test. the difference is that in the present study, although the student performance is in moderate level, some of the items were invalid. despite the fact that five items were deemed invalid, all of the items were reliable, and the results of the test session were largely as planned, as some students received high scores. finding related to validity in this study are slightly different from sudarwati et al.’s study (2021). their study found that the multiple-choice questions that had been tested on 50 students showed that all of the items were valid and had met the proportion of questions in the moderate category but the students' scores were at a low level. meanwhile, this recent study shows different results. the questions that were tested on larger number of (75) students resulted in quite varied scores, with a fairly good average score of 70.9 even though there were some questions that were not valid. there are several potential outcomes for the occurrence. the first is related to the test administration (brown, 2004). this test was done online so that there is no direct supervision. in addition, a longer duration of the time in doing test may also have an effect on the difficulty level of the questions, which this study shows that the majority of the test questions are easy. the second issue is student preparation. this contradicts the findings of ellis and ryan (2003) that discovered that students' low-test scores were related to inadequate preparation. according to them, students' lack of preparation before taking an exam may result in a lower score. even though the students in this study were not aware that they would be taking a test, the mean score of 70.9 indicates that they performed pretty well. the difficulty level also indicates that, on general, the questions are moderately challenging for students in the second semester as they offered multiple levels to avoid student anxiety, boredom, and exhaustion (masduqi & fatimah, 2022). furthermore, the average score achieved by the students is a respectable 70.9, which contradicts the findings of evenddy et al. (2021). according to their research, 85 percent of students in higher education consider the vocabulary query category to be hard. this is possible since this test was administered to students who had mastered the majority of the course's subject, so they could do the test well. the absence of direct supervision by the teacher is another possible cause of this outcome. the reading test was administered asynchronously using google form; despite the limited time, direct supervision is necessary in an evaluation to prevent unfair student behavior (fitriyah & jannah, 2021). concerning the item discrimination index and the efficacy of distractor analysis as part of the item analysis of the reading test for students in the english department, the present study is more comprehensive than the majority of relevant studies that didn't do any testing (azmi, 2020; ningrum & sudarwati, 2022; sudarwati et al., 2021). in addition, this study is a compliment to those that examined three indicators of item analysis, namely item difficulty, item discrimination, and distractor analysis, in terms of having more reading test items (hanafi, 2016) and the number of english department test takers (danuwijaya, 2018). conclusion this study aimed to develop a reading test for intermediate-level efl students in indonesia. researchers came up with a set of test development procedures that were used to make the product. these steps are completed in the following order: determining the goal based on the course description, developing instructional objectives/indicators/course learning outcomes, developing the test item, checking and rechecking the test item, administering a practice test, reviewing the results, and assessing the difficulty level and reliability of the test items. the analysis shows that the biserial correlation value for all items is higher than 0.227, which means that almost all items meet the validity criteria (5 are invalid). the analysis also showed that the kr-20 value is0.851, which is higher than 0.70. this means that all inquiries about items meet the criteria for reliability. because of this, one could say that the intermediate reading test is good for the intensive reading course. in terms of how fitriatul masitoh, ima fitriyah, nur mukminatien developing reading assessment instrument for intermediate efl learners: azwar model 932 difficult the test was, most of the questions were found to be moderately difficult. there are three difficult questions, fifteen moderately difficult questions, and twenty-two easy questions. concerning discrimination levels, the findings show that 8% of item questions are excellent, while those with a high discrimination level account for 43% of the total, and 28% of the discrimination level of the items is acceptable. furthermore, 73 distractions were found to be functionally sound after being tested. in comparison, just seven detractors are rejected, while forty demand modification. based on this, the test is suitable for usage. in addition, this study shows that the validity of the product has met 87,5% of 40 reading test items; nonetheless, the reliability standards and the exam have been shown to be effective in assisting students in learning the intermediate course. even if the exam is reliable, the results of the test are unsatisfactory in terms of the students' performance. this may be due to the absence of teacher supervision and the extended time allotment, which prevents students from completing the test in an optimal and fair manner. as a result, future researchers should conduct field tests over the course of a semester, for instance, by designing an intermediate reading test with clear time allocation and supervision, despite the fact that it is administered online. this can be utilized to address the study's limitation. acknowledgement the authors would like to express their gratitude to ibu yogi rohana for her time and willingness to participate in the data gathering process, as well as to the indonesia endowment fund for education (lpdp). references al roomy, m. a. (2022). investigating the effects of critical reading skills on students' reading comprehension. arab world english journal, 13(1), 366-381. anastasiou, d. & griva, e. (2009). awareness of reading strategy use and reading comprehension among poor and good readers. elementary education online, 8, 283-297 azmi, u. (2020). developing web-based reading tests for the students of english language education. journal of applied linguistics, translation, and literature, 1(2), 92-104. azwar, s. (1996). tes prestasi: fungsi dan pengembangan pengukuran prestasi belajar (2nd edition). pustaka pelajar. borg, w.r. & gall, j.p. (2003). educational research: an introduction (7th edition). new jersey pearson education. boubris, a. a., & haddam, f. (2020). reading assessment: a case study of teachers' beliefs and classroom evaluative practices. arab world english journal, 11(4), 236-253. brown, h. d., & lee, h. (2001). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. prentice hall regents englewood cliffs, nj. brown, h. d. (2004). language assessment: principles and classroom practices. pearson education, inc. burns p.c., betty, d. & ross, e. p. (1996). teaching reading in today’s elementary schools. houghton mifflin company. daryanto. (2005). evaluasi pendidikan. rineka cipta danuwijaya, a. a. (2018). item analysis of reading comprehension test for post-graduate students. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1493 davis, d. s., & vehabovic, n. (2018). the dangers of test preparation: what students learn (and don't learn) about reading comprehension from test‐centric literacy instruction. the reading teacher, 71(5), 579-588. day, r. r., & park, j. s. (2005). developing reading comprehension questions. reading in a foreign language, 17(1), 60-73. djiwandono, m.s. (1996). test bahasa dalam pengajaran. institut teknologi bandung. ellis, a. p., & ryan, a. m. (2003). race and cognitive‐ability test performance: the mediating effects of test preparation, test‐taking strategy use and self‐ efficacy. journal of applied social psychology, 33(12), 2607-2629 evenddy, s. s., nurlely, l., & marfu’ah, m. (2021). reading comprehension test and its challenges in students’ perspective. loquen: english studies journal, 14(1), 40-47. https://doi.org/10.32678/loquen.v14i1.2734 fitriyah, i., & jannah, m. (2021). online assessment effect in efl classroom: an investigation on students and teachers' perceptions. indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 5(2), 265-284. fitriyah, i., masitoh, f., & widiati, u. (2022). classroom-based language assessment literacy and professional development need between novice and experienced efl teachers. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 12(1), 124-134. gellert, a. s., & elbro, c. (2013). cloze tests may be quick, but are they dirty? development and preliminary validation of a cloze test of reading comprehension. journal of psychoeducational assessment, 31(1), 16-28. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 933 giraldo, f. (2020). validity and classroom language testing: a practical approach. colombian applied linguistics journal, 22(2), 194-206. grabe, w., & stoller, f. l. (2019). teaching and researching reading. routledge. grabe, w. 2009. reading in a second language: moving from theory to practice. cambridge university press. hanafi, h. (2016). developing reading comprehension test for the first semester students of english department. ellite: journal of english language, literature, and teaching, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.32528/ellite.v1i1.164 heaton, j.b. (1990). writing english language tests. longman huang, t. w., & wu, p. c. (2013). classroom-based cognitive diagnostic model for a teacher-made fractiondecimal test. educational technology & society, 16(3), 347–361 hughes, a. (2003). testing for language teachers (2nd edition). cambridge university press joh, j., & plakans, l. (2017). working memory in l2 reading comprehension: the influence of prior knowledge. system, 70, 107-120. karim, s., & haq, n. (2014). the process of developing an academic reading test and evaluating its authenticity. journal of language teaching and research, 5(2), 471–475. kuşdemir, y., & bulut, p. (2018). the relationship between elementary school students’ reading comprehension and reading motivation. journal of education and training studies, 6(12). lee, i. (2017). classroom writing assessment and feedback in l2 school contexts. springer. https://utpjournals.press/doi/10.3138/cmlr.599 manfaat, b., nurazizah, a., & misri, m. a. (2021). analysis of mathematics test items quality for high school. jurnal penelitian dan evaluasi pendidikan, 25(1), 108-117. http://dx.doi.org/10.21831/pep.v25i1.39174 masduqi, h., & fatimah. (2022). assessment in indonesian higher education: developing a reading comprehension test for english students. international research-based education journal, 4(1), 1–13. ningrum, a. s. b. ., & sudarwati, e. (2022). is the test sensible? developing a critical reading test for indonesian efl learners. jeels (journal of english education and linguistics studies), 9(1), 209–227. https://doi.org/10.30762/jeels.v9i1.4005 nuttal, c. (2005). teaching reading skill in foreign language. macmillan. ozdemir, e. c., & akyol, h. (2019). the development of a reading comprehension test. universal journal of educational research, 7(2), 563– 570. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2019.070229 perkasa, a. n. (2021). developing and validating efl reading test. education of english as foreign language journal (educafl), 4(1), 9-18. doi: 10.21776/ub.educafl.2021.004.01.02 royer, j. m. (2001). developing reading and listening comprehension tests based on the sentence verification technique (svt). journal of adolescent & adult literacy, 45(1), 30-41. ranjbaran, f., & alavi, s. m. (2017). developing a reading comprehension test for cognitive diagnostic assessment: a rum analysis. studies in educational evaluation, 55, 167-179. shohamy, e. (2020). the power of tests: a critical perspective on the uses of language tests. routledge. sudarwati, e., fatimah, f., astuti, y., & ubaidillah, m. f. (2021). developing online learning assessment instrument for english sentence structure course during covid-19 pandemic. langkawi: journal of the association for arabic and english, 7(2), 170-181. https://doi.org/10.31332/lkw.v7i2.3122 sudijono, a. (2009). pengantar evaluasi pendidikan. rajawali pers. wijayanti, p. s. (2020). item quality analysis for measuring mathematical problem-solving skills. aksioma: jurnal program studi pendidikan matematika, 9(4), 1223–1234. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24127/ajpm.v9i 4.3 036 yao, m., & souza, t. (1992). developing and validating an intermediate english reading test for english as a second language learners. report research technical 143. younis, s., naeem, s., ali, z., yaqoob, n., & ullah, n. (2023). a study of the relationship between critical reading and critical thinking abilities of undergraduate learners. journal of positive school psychology, 1639-1647. https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.24127/ajpm.v9i4.3%20036 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.24127/ajpm.v9i4.3%20036 fitriatul masitoh, ima fitriyah, nur mukminatien developing reading assessment instrument for intermediate efl learners: azwar model 934 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 333 instructional design of descriptive text materials based on palembang local culture by implementing lslc for students to understand learning nurlista iryanti language education, faculty of teaching training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: listafawdh@gmail.com rita inderawati (corresponding author) language education, faculty of teaching training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id soni mirizon language education, faculty of teaching training and education, sriwijaya university, indonesia email: soni_mirizon@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa citation: iryanti, n., inderawati, r. & mirizon, s. (2021). instructional design of descriptive text materials based on palembang local culture by implementing lslc. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp. 333-344. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4361 received: 17-03-2021 accepted: 27-04-2021 published: 15-06-2021 introduction education is the basis for building the nation's character to understand, assess things more realistically, including caring for others. therefore, in this 21st-century era, the indonesian government uses various innovations to establish students to think critically and be more active, especially in the language field. english becomes a global language as a tool that connects people around the world. meanwhile, in indonesia, english is used as the first foreign language which is taught after independence 1945. we could see that any levels of education in indonesia put english as one of the compulsory subjects taught in school, from elementary to college level. reading is one of the english skills that should be learned by students besides listening, writing, and speaking. as an important skill, reading brings the reader to get a lot of knowledge. according to nunan (1991), reading is a processof combining information by the readers from the text and their prior knowledge to build meaning fluently. similarly, patel and jain (2008) stated that reading is the most useful and important skill for people to update their knowledge. besides, reading is one skill that must be learned by the students along with listening, speaking, and writing. reading is the most basic activity in any language class. reading as a means of extending and consolidating ideas and knowledge of the language. afterward, harmer (2001) offered an idea that reading is essentially either for students’ careers, learning purposes, or pleasure. meanwhile, reading is the ability to get information in several texts. in this modern era, sometimes students are quite arduous to know what the culture is. by reading, the students recognize many benefits of local culture. another study about abstract: lesson study learning community (lslc) is one of the various innovations to make students have a good quality in learning in this 21st-century era. the objective of the study was to produce a learning trajectory in english which can help students in learning descriptive text material through lslc in the classroom. this study used design research method type validation study. the participants were 32 seventh-grade students and english teachers of smp negeri 18 palembang. the data were collected through interview, observation, documentation, and field notes. the results of the study revealed the teachers did not implement the application of lesson study learning community based on the appropriate stages. somehow, in the process of lesson study, some difficulties were discovered. from the result of interview and observation, some problems in implementing were still found due to the limitation of the time, and the teacher’s commitment during the implementation. however, the lesson study helps students to understand learning through collaboration. keywords: descriptive text; lesson study; lesson study learning community mailto:ritarudisaid@yahoo.com https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4361 nurlista iryanti, rita inderawati, & soni mirizon instructional design of descriptive text materials based on palembang local culture by implementing lslc 334 reading development with local culture by sopian, inderawati, and petrus (2019) showed that students wanted to learn reading english text with innovative ways and to have a guidance strategy to enrich students’ comprehension including english text. local culture is the habit of a particular group of people that also characterizes the culture of a local community group. somehow, they find some troubles when the teacher asks them about some information still in the context. it might be due to a lack of vocabulary and it made them find too many difficulties in understanding the text. another difficulty that is faced by the students is in finding the main idea of the text (hidayati, 2018). therefore, a lot of factors can influence students in reading especially in the teaching and learning process. additionally, factor which may influence reading comprehension, related to the readers’ such cognitive ability, strategy, knowledge background, effective characteristic, text, and content. in teaching reading, teachers must think about how to make the students gain an understanding of the text, such as learning about the descriptive text (smith, snow, serry, & hammond, 2021). descriptive text is one kind of text that usually students learn at school. hamalik (1993) stated there will be involved the interaction among persons, materials, facilitates tools, and the procedures that all of them influence each other in getting the teaching goal. moreover, yudiantoro (2010) defined that descriptive text is a text that has the purpose of describing a particular person, place, or thing. reading involves transforming a text, which is a graphic representation, into thought, meaning, or idea. descriptive text is used to describe a person or thing in general, related to color, shape, taste, and smell as painting something with words (tompkins, 1994). moreover, slavin (2009) mentioned that when children enter school, they have absorbed many aspects of the culture, such as language, attitudes, beliefs, attitudes, food preferences, and ways of behaving. similarly, wahlqvist and lee (2007) mentioned that food culture arises out of the place of a people’s origin, whether they still live there or not, but is shaped by resources, belief and information, technology, fishing (food processing and storage, transport, cooking), colonization, and ethnicity. therefore, food indicates the identity of a nation’s social and cultural shows viscosity. indonesia is one of the countries that make food as a symbol of the cultural region. it means, foods are one of the main roles in people’s lives and give any influences to the impacts on their culture. the lack of suitable reading materials with localcontent is a reason to propose a new reading material. another study about content analysis by kaltsum and susiati (2019) showed that the english textbook in surakarta is lack of local content, precisely 14%. this 14 % of local content is about national local content. then, they concluded that government policy that sets english as a local content has not gone well. some other researches show how local culture is beneficial in english language teaching (khan, asif, hasmi, & azeddou, 2017; yang, 2017; fu, 2018; inderawati, agusta, & sitinjak, 2018; sopian et al., 2019; elviana, et al., 2019; azizah, inderawati, & vianty, 2021). sato (2014) stated that lesson study can make students active and creative in learning. there are three stages of lesson study; it is known as plan-dosee stages. sato (2014) insisted that lesson study can make students active and creative in learning. therefore, a lesson must be a place where students can voice their original questions. students often fail to seek help and show their lack of understanding. as we know that lesson study originating from japan has spread worldwide: asia, europe, africa, australia, and even america. sato (2014) emphasized if a lesson study is not a strategy or method in the teaching and learning process, but lesson study is an effort to improve the process of effectiveness in teaching and learning in planning, doing, and understanding the process. the simultaneous achievement of quality and equality encourages the development of teacher professional and vocational skills, and schools are now the place of teachers as learning professionals who are mutually educating. so it is necessary to reform the school through lesson study for learning community (lslc). in short, lslc is a new concept that emerged from the development of the latest lesson study. this development is based on the demand for learning communities to achieve quality in implementation. this process involved small groups of teachers meeting regularly to engage in a collaborative process of lesson planning, implementation, evaluation, and refinement. in august 2019, mr. sato and mrs. takasawa came to palembang to be the speakers of the workshop to all selected headmasters and teachers for junior high english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 335 school at sriwijaya university. mr. sato presented a topic about applying and implementation lslc in class. in this opportunity, smpn 1 palembang was chosen and eighth-grade students as a sample. all of the participants became observers and had to do a reflection. from the implementation of lslc in class, the students were divided into heterogeneous groups. meanwhile, in general, the student collaborated with their friends to help solve the questions given in the sharing task and jumping task session. in other words, in lslc, students did not feel shy to ask, so that the students were encouraged to ask questions about what they did not understand. mr. sato also explained lslc is not only about learning processes to develop thinking power but also social processes. as observers, all the participants also observed psychological actions, such as difficulties to answer the question, what time they felt worried, and what made them confused. therefore, in the process of observation, there was one group seemed very active and quick to work on the questions given by the teacher because they had good collaboration between students in the group. on the other hand, some groups were not active and could not work at all. in this case, the teacher's role is to help weak students and become facilitators to help them solve problems. the results of the observation showed that students could solve the problems if they were collaborated and shared the problems. thus, it can be concluded that lslc is very important to improve students’ critical thinking while sharing knowledge to answer questions at the same time. another study was done by marlina (2018), in implementing lslc on students of biology education study program fkip tanjungpura university. she used a descriptive method with the subject is all students who are active in the biology education study program. implementation was done through 3 stages of plan, do, and see (reflection). the result showed that students gradually succeed in forming good learning communities among students because they were supported by creativity in preparing lectures designed collaboratively between the lecturers and observers involved. then, it was contrasted with a study done by nashruddin and nurrachman (2014) a case study about implementing lesson study in private senior high school in malang for tenth-grade students. the subjects of the study were english teachers, their students, and the school stakeholder from a private senior high school in malang. the result showed if their study about lesson study was not to work effectively since the limitation of time and not all of these steps of lesson study were reflected in the implementation of lesson study in that school. based on those results, it can be concluded that to guarantee the students learning, there were a lot of factors from the material and their learning trajectory. lslc is a learning system to make the teaching and learning process in the classroom more qualified with three stages, plan, do, and see. lslc focus on children’s learning grows from something that they do not understand. a lesson is a place where children struggle and comfort with what they have not previously known. that is why it is important to know the learning trajectory of the students when students produce a learning trajectory of students in descriptive text material through lslc in the classroom. method the method that was used in this study is the design research method type validation study, which is a form of qualitative approach in designing learning. design research is a systematical design study to developing and evaluating educational interventions (such as programs, strategies and learning materials, products, and systems) as solutions to solve complex problems in educational practice (plomp & nieven, 2007). design research aims to develop local instructional theory (lit) with researcher and teacher cooperation to improve the quality of learning (gravemeijer & eerde, 2009). in other words, design research is an interventionist that focuses on process and collaboration on learning. akker, gravemeijer, mckenney, & nieveen (2006) mentioned design research has different characteristic from other methods as summarizing. interventionist means the research aims at designing an intervention in the real world; it means design learning activities may change during the study because the design is flexible. then, interactive means research is a cyclic process that is repeated designation, evaluation, and revision. after that, process-oriented means research focuses on the learning process such as learning plans and learning tools. utility oriented is the benefits of the design that are measured by the user's practicality. the last, theory oriented is research based on field trial theory and learning design contributes to theory nurlista iryanti, rita inderawati, & soni mirizon instructional design of descriptive text materials based on palembang local culture by implementing lslc 336 building. in the design of learning, three stages are carried out repeatedly (cyclic cycles) until the discovery of new theories that are the result of a revision of the tried learning theory (gravemeijer & cobb, 2006). figure1. the cyclic cycle of design research the first stage of preparing for the experiment (research preparation) was conducted a literature study on descriptive text material. besides that, the researcher also examined the students' initial ability by conducting a pre-test to several students to find out the extent to which the students' understanding of the learning prerequisite material. the results are used to design a series of learning activities that contain the hypothetical learning trajectory. hypothetical learning trajectory (hlt) which is designed to be dynamic so that it forms a cyclic process that can change and develop during the teaching experiment process. in detail, the things done in this stage are: (1) analyzing the learning objectives, (2) determining the initial conditions of the study, (3) designing and discussing the conjecture or hlt to be developed, (4) determining the character of the class and the role of the teacher, besides that, the researcher conducted classroom observations, interviews with the teacher to determine the state of the initial abilities of the students who are the subject of this research. in the second stage, the design experiment consists of the first two cycles (pilot experiment) and the second cycle (teaching experiment). four students with heterogeneous abilities (1 high-ability student, 2 moderate-capable students, and 1 lowability student) were involved in the first cycle (pilot experiment), at this stage the researcher acted as a teacher. the results of the first cycle were used to revise the initial hlt version for one class participating in the second cycle (teaching experiment). in the second cycle, students were taught by their teachers as model teachers (instructors) and researchers acted as observers on learning activities. the third stage is a retrospective analysis, the data obtained from the teaching experiment stage are analyzed, the results of the analyst are used to develop the design in the following learning activities. hlt is compared to the next learning activity. hlt is compared to the learning activities of actual students (actual learning trajectory) to answer the research problem formulation. the purpose of retrospective analysis, in general, is to develop local instructional theory (lit). the participants were 32 seventh-grade students and english teachers of smp negeri 18 palembang. moreover, there were stakeholders of the learning community from another school. the data was collected using interviews, observation, documentation, and field notes. in this study there were three stages: plan, do and see. the documentation used as supportive data such as teachers’ teaching preparation, pictures, and video recording of the lesson study activity. observations were conducted for capturing the implementation of the lesson study, and the teaching and learning process during the lesson study especially in do stages. another instrument was a semi-structured interview for the teacher and students. it functions to gain information on how the process of lesson study was conducted. these were analyzed descriptively based on the adapting theory from sato (2011) that there were three stages: plan, do, and see. findings and discussion this study was introducing the stages of the lesson study learning community, there were plan, do, see and the main goal of lesson study learning community. started from the preparation about the setting goals of lesson study learning community until the implementation, it has spent seven meetings. although the implementation had two meetings only in the first cycle (pilot experiment) and second cycle (teaching experiment). meanwhile, before the implementation researcher and english teachers discussed students’ needs, students reading level, material, lesson plan, students worksheets, model teacher, and the strategies used by the teacher in the classroom. then, the researcher, english teacher, and expert validated them, to make sure the appropriateness based on the learning goals. in the plan stage or pre-discussion purpose to produce learning design, the teachers became a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 337 learning community collaborated to develop a learning plan achieved both in cycle 1 and cycle 2. it is in line with towaf (2016), mentioned that the model teacher and observers plan together with the teaching preparation in which it would be implemented in the teaching and learning process. gravemeijer and cobb (2006) put forward the design experiment consists of the two cycles, the first (pilot experiment) and the second cycle (teaching experiment). researcher and english teachers at smpn 18 palembang discussed and prepared about the lesson plan, students’ worksheets, and the prediction of student's answers. the result of the plan stage in which they used lesson plans with lslc system and scientific approach, there were two kinds of the task; sharing and jumping task, and the prediction answer for students with heterogeneous ability. they analyzed the weaknesses and strengths of the plan. moreover, shulman (1987) added thoughtful planning involves anticipating students’ misconceptions and confusions and planning how these will be addressed. the learning was implemented in two cycles. therefore, the researcher also interviewed the teacher and student, the result showed: lesson study learning community is a learning system this result was revealed after the interview and discussion with an english teacher and a student about lslc that was a learning system to help the student gain the understanding with collaborative learning and the teacher as a facilitator to make sure the students in learning. it is in line with sato (2011) stated the goal was the teachers can help the students make the learning process more qualified. from the interview, the teacher never thought of english learning with lslc system. as indicated in the following interview excerpt: lslc is a pretty good system. indeed, we have never used inshaallah we will learn from this experience and inshaallah we will apply it next (teacher). the teacher was an enthusiast to implement lslc in class. unfortunately, based on the interview result, the teacher put forward if the students usually help each other when they have some difficulties in learning. however, initially, the students did the exercise individually without helping each other at the beginning of lslc has implemented. descriptive text as an important learning material concerning descriptive text and local culture, an english teacher in smpn 18 palembang realized that descriptive text is important material. descriptive text material that is easy but it was very difficult to be understood by students. english national test revealed that the students’ scores in 2018/2019 in descriptive text material were still low in smpn18 palembang. as indicated in the following interview excerpt: maybe not, because they only explained, but in reality, this descriptive text is one of the low un scores 2018/2019, so it needs to be improved how in the future for the un value in descriptive text material can increase. (teacher). however, the teacher could not show the students’ written assessment report to support the statements, she wanted to help the student succeed in learning descriptive text. the main purpose was to improve students’ scores in national examination in the next exam especially from descriptive text questions. thereafter, the teacher’s statement about descriptive text is important material. in descriptive text materials, there are many aspects to be taught. then the students usually describe animals, people, and things. based on kane’s statement (2000), the description is about sensory manipulation how something looks, sounds, and, tastes. mostly it is about visual experience, but the description also deals with other kinds of perception it takes a lot of time to understand. palembang traditional food as an innovation learning material based on the interview with an english teacher in smpn 18 palembang, it was said that descriptive text using palembang traditional food content never been taught in english subject. while the teacher was teaching descriptive text, the teacher usually used animals, people, or things. further, the teacher agreed that learning about palembang traditional food makes students understand descriptive text easily. hence, jordana (2000) mentioned traditional food is a part of a set of traditions that has lasted over time as mentioned by the teacher in the following statement: very good, because if in traditional food and students more understand better although they do not know what descriptive text is but at least they can already explain about traditional food (teacher). nurlista iryanti, rita inderawati, & soni mirizon instructional design of descriptive text materials based on palembang local culture by implementing lslc 338 therefore, by using local culture with traditional food materials, students would understand more about the descriptive text. it is supported by elviana, inderawati, and mirizon (2020), since the meaning conveyed in the language used depends on a society where they live and the communication is delivered through language, and culture is the basis of communication. in other words, teaching language is never done without culture due to some factors, for example familiar content in traditional food which english teacher of smpn 18 palembang revealed. then these findings confessed that the english teacher of smpn 18 palembang said, at least the students can explain about traditional food. jordana (2000) added the teacher mention traditional food was a part of a set of traditions that had lasted over time as mentioned. evidence of interviews, students know and mention familiar traditional food from palembang. the student statement can see below: famous food from palembang such as pempek (student). however, the students perhaps could gain an understanding of descriptive text easier if they use the familiar content. it is strengthened by inderawati & putri (2019) that using traditional food in learning a foreign language helps the students to elaborate the content of the texts and it is proved that the developed reading materials were valid, practical, and have a potential effect. in this term, food and culture not only have a role term generation of local identity, but also influences behavior and help the transfer of cultural heritage for future generations and interaction with others (albayrak and gunes, 2012). enthusiastic students in learning together based on the interview, the finding showed students were more enthusiastic when they learned together with their friends. therefore, when students learned together they built collaboration, discussion, and interaction among them. it is in line with indika (2017) that student’s enthusiasts will appear in learning collaboration by using the pleasant method in lesson study. as indicated in the following interview excerpt: very happy, especially learning in school so, i can meet my friends (student) however, it is also supported by sato (2011), in lesson study learning community process, the study is required for all members to work collaboratively so the students can mutually express their ideas and learn each other and get the solution to solve the problems on questions. cycle 1 at the do stage, the implementation of learning design is in the pilot experiment. there were three main parts: preliminary, core activity, and closing activities. learning activities carried out by the researcher as a model teacher. then, the other teacher community or english teacher became the observer. the focus of the observation was the students during the learning process, not on model teacher performance. observers were not permitted to interfere in the learning process even though they might record with a camera. the participants in this pilot experiment were only eight students. in the preliminary stage, the researcher as model teacher, gave them apperception showing the picture of learning material and the students gave a good response. moreover, in the general lslc system students’ sitting position is supposed to be letter u, but in this case, because of class limitations, the researcher only used the available class that was a computer lab where the table in that class could not form the letter u in apperception activities. therefore, it is contrasted with the theory from sato (2011), it was intended that students could hear each other, and they could provide opinions and responses to each other and a form of the seating plan with the shape of the letter u. then in core activity, the model teacher divided students into two groups with the heterogeneous ability and gave them an explanation about the lesson. the teacher also gave sharing and jumping task and directing the students if they encountered difficulties, they could discuss but could not cheat the answers of their friends. after the sharing task question was given, all members of the group worked on it, but there was a student who still did not understand the questions. one of the students with initials h. he felt confused and just sat staring at the problem. he did not ask his friend because all his friends already worked on the questions. at that time after the teacher explained it, the teacher saw that there were still those who had not done the work. then, the teacher gave an example of how to ask for help without copying a friend's answer. meanwhile, the student with the initials (h) asked the teacher because he was still confused with the intention of question number two. the teacher english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 339 immediately explained to him. after understood, the students read the question and then he tried to answer the question by himself without asking his friends. the collaboration among students began during when the activities of jumping tasks and the teacher occasionally controlled them to ensure they could work on the questions and still gave them instructions to help each other if there were friends who asked to be taught. picture 1. student’s collaboration as a result, one student in the group could answer the question by discussing, collaborating, and asking friends to be taught due to the model teacher's suggestion to him to say “please teach me” to the other friends. then, that student could solve his problem to answer the question. van rossum and hamer (2010) insisted that students attach great importance to hear, and that is also a deeper reason for an emphasis on discussion, allowing them to express their opinions. it is in line with coskun (2017) that teachers show a good perception concerning to the implementation of learning. it is proposed that lesson study is used as an alternative approach to solving the problems that the teachers are facing in the implementation of teaching and learning. in closing activities, each group collected their task and presented their answer by writing the answers on the board. the teachers and all the students together discussed the questions one by one. all students paid attention to the teacher’s explanation of the answers discussed. sato (2011) stated that the purpose is the teacher can make the learning process more qualified for the students. in see or reflection stage which is as a retrospective analysis, the model teacher started the discussion by conveying thoughts and impressions about the implementation of learning. sato (2014) stated researcher and observer provide input or a solution for the lack of teaching that was done to improve in the next instruction. the researcher as a model teacher discussed the finding of english teacher as an observer related to on the content of the material and also the attitude of the students during learning at the pilot experiment. the result showed students were very enthusiastic about learning and their weakness was only lack of mastering vocabulary, the teacher was good enough in delivering the lessons, students’ cheating habits were replaced by the way they asked to be taught by friends. initially, the model teacher told experience while teaching the students. criticism and suggestions were delivered wisely without demeaning the model teacher for the improvement of future practices. the finding on the first observation was done. according to lewis in sudrajat (2008), direct learning observation is one of the essential characteristics of a lesson study. there were two groups in the pilot experiment, muaz, and al-fatih, the result showed most of the students seemed comfortable in learning with a model teacher. when the teacher did apperception by showing pictures related to learning material, the students were concentrated apperception. sato (2011) mentioned basic techniques for carrying out learning with creative apperception. each student followed the instructions of the teacher in working on the questions. the students lost concentration during group division because they did not focus, but the teacher still controlled them and gave them students’ worksheets. at the beginning of learning, students did everything individually but the teacher told the students to discuss with their friends the things they did not understand yet. they must ask to be taught not to copy their friends' answers. however, some students glanced at their answers. during the sharing tasks, they were seen still relying on their thoughts. in the jumping task, they collaborated and discussed issues that were considered difficult although they were still shy to ask. in line with coskun (2017), teachers know the weak points of the lesson and knowing what students need the most in the learning process. cycle 2 the second cycle, do stage is the implementation of learning design in a teaching experiment. there were three main parts: preliminary, core activity, and third closing activities. english teacher with initial “i” as a model teacher and researcher as an observer. therefore, other english teachers became nurlista iryanti, rita inderawati, & soni mirizon instructional design of descriptive text materials based on palembang local culture by implementing lslc 340 observers and some were from other schools as members of the lslc community. in the preliminary, the model teacher gave them apperception showing the picture of learning material and students were interested and gave a good response. model teachers did use the lesson study learning system that is in line with sato (2011), a form of the seating plan with the shape of the letter u. it is intended that students hear each other, and they can provide opinions and responses to each other. then in core activity, the model teacher divided students into seven groups with heterogeneous abilities, gave them an explanation about the lesson. after that, teacher gave students worksheets: the first was the sharing task and the second was jumping task. in the beginning, all students did the question individually. the researcher focused on observing one student. the result showed the student with initial n was very enthusiastic and followed the lesson well even when looking at the pictures on the slide about kind of traditional food from palembang. after that, he often leaned his body into a chair, held his head and sometimes unfocused because he was busy with his activities. the teacher always controlled each group. when in n’s group, the teacher gave suggestions them to asked friends “please teach me” but the n did not pay attention to the teacher, but he covered his face with his hands. after the teacher left, then the n asked his friend. then, in jumping task, n had many discussions with his friends. in this focus group, the collaboration among students run well. students in groups did not ignore the members of the group who had difficulty in answering the questions. it is supported the statement from vygotsky (1978), the collaboration of students and experts on real-world problems or tasks that were built on the language, skills, and experiences of each person formed by each individual's culture in the social context. picture 2. student’s collaboration in the closing activity, the teacher asked each group to present their answers in front of the class. initially, n did not want to present the results of their answers. therefore, after being encouraged by his friends in the group, n was willing to present in front of the class with enthusiasm although he was nervous. a study done by marlina (2018) discovered that students gradually succeed in forming good learning communities among students because they are supported by creativity in preparing lectures that are designed collaboratively between the lecturers and observers involved. after that, due to the time learning, the teacher directly closed the class by asking, repeating material that has been studied, and asked the chairman to lead prayers together before going home. in reflections stages or see stage as a retrospective analysis, after the learning activities took place, the teacher and observers gathered in a room to reflect on today's learning outcomes and the findings during the learning process. that was the system of lslc that could help the student gain an understanding of the lesson and the collaboration among students became good. however, the result showed only several teachers followed the reflection because the other observers had a teaching schedule so some observers could not be present until the lslc process was over. meanwhile, the fact that found by agustin and fahri (2019) in reflecting stages, one of the teachers missed one meeting for reflection activities. as a result, reflection activities could not be done efficiently. the observers in this teaching experiment activity were five people: researchers, two english teachers at smpn 18 palembang, and two teachers from other schools but only three teachers took part in the reflection activities. this obstacle was similar to what was mentioned by nashruddin and nurrachman (2014) that not all of these steps of lesson study were reflected in the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 341 implementation of lesson study in that school. then, while the fact that found by agustin and fahri (2019) about the implementation of lesson study the in english teaching-learning process. the subject of the study was three english teachers in man 1 mojokerto. in reflecting stages, one of the teachers missed one meeting for reflection activities. as a result, their study in reflection activities could not be done efficiently. it is contrasted with mon, dali, and sam (2016) that participants should commit to the lesson study process, to get good results in lesson study. therefore, to take the core lesson, study requires ‘sustained commitment’ from both school leaders and teachers (perry and lewis, 2009). nashruddin and nurrachman (2016) revealed that the observation in the implementation of the lesson becomes the center of the teaching process. in the second observation results, there were seven groups in the teaching experiment. most of the students listened the teacher explanation carefully. all the students concentrated because the topic was considered interesting. the class condition was very crowded and several of them were busy because of their work. it was seen when the teacher gave them a sharing task, the students in several groups were talking with other friends from other groups. the teacher gave them instructions to asking their friends if they did not understand and found difficulties by saying “please teach me”. collaboration has appeared in several groups during sharing tasks. students could ask their friends and share ideas in groups. the constructions of knowledge take place in the social context of vygotsky (1962) which involves the collaboration of students and experts on real-world problems or tasks that are built on the language, skills, and experiences of each person formed by each individual's culture. moreover, when they did not understand, they ask the teacher to explain the purpose of the question. in line with sato (2011), the teacher should know what the students have said and connected it to other students if there are students who are still confused the teacher must approach and guide the students. most students who had high ability could explain and help their friends. they collaborated until they got an answer until jumping tasks. in line with coskun (2017), lesson study is beneficial for helping the teachers to have good quality in teaching. conclusion the learning trajectory in this study produced two questions of sharing tasks and two questions of jumping tasks with the context of familiar traditional foods in palembang which could help students to understand the learning concept of descriptive text. the students were more interested and eager to learn descriptive text because it used the context of traditional foods that they already knew in their daily lives. meanwhile, students could understand the purpose of learning descriptive text which can describe an object with words. besides, this research raises collaborative attitudes among students. it is very useful with the aim of ensuring students can understand the lesson well. based on the result of the research that had been done in two cycles (cycle i and cycle ii), it can be concluded that there is a good learning trajectory among students. the implementation of the lesson study learning community as a learning system can make the students have collaboration with their friends. collaborative learning activities that was used also provide positive effects for students. students can build a sense of caring for their friends. lesson study learning community system builds a sense of responsibility of the teacher while teaching as a facilitator for students and foster a sense of responsibility for the learning activities and ensures that the learning needs of students are met. references agustin, f. w. & fahri. (2019). the implementation of lesson study in english language teaching in man 1 mojokerto. research on english language teaching in indonesia, 7(2), pp.164171. akker, jvd., gravemeijer, k., mckenney, s., & nieveen. (2006). educational design research. london: routledge taylor and francis group. albayrak, m. & gunes, e. (2010). traditional foods: interaction between local and global foods in turkey. african journal of business management, 4(4), pp.555-561. azizah, n., inderawati, r. & vianty, m. (2021). developing descriptive reading materials in efl classes by utilizing the local culture. studies in english language and education, 8(2), pp. 596621. coşkun, a. (2017). the application of lesson study in teaching english as a foreign language. inonu university journal of the faculty of education. 18(1), pp.151-162. nurlista iryanti, rita inderawati, & soni mirizon instructional design of descriptive text materials based on palembang local culture by implementing lslc 342 elviana, r., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2020). developing interactive multimedia for teaching descriptive texts based on palembang local culture. indonesian efl journal, 6(1), 19-26. doi: 10.25134/ieflj.v6i1.2634. fu, w. (2018). read from local to global: a culturebased reading material. advance in social sciences research journal, 5(3), 57-65. https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.52.4173 gravemeijer, k., & cobb, p. (2006). design research from learning design perspective. educational design research. london: routledge. gravemeijer, k., & van eerde, d. (2009). design research as a means for building a knowledge base for teachers and teaching in mathematics education. the elementary school journal, 109(5), 510-524 hamalik, o. (1993). strategi belajar mengajar. bandung: mandar maju. harmer, j. (2001). the practice of english language teaching. london: longman inderawati, r., agusta, o. l., & sitinjak, m. d. (2018). the potential effect of developed reader response strategy-based mobile reading for students’ establishing character and comprehension achievement. indonesian journal of informatics education, 2(2), 117-126. https://doi.org/10.20961/ijie.v2i2.25504 inderawati, r. & putri, r.i.i. (2019). developing palembang local culture descriptive text materials by implementing project-based learning in lesson study learning community at smp n 18 palembang. paper presented in the 10th icls 2019, international conference lesson study in universitas negeri padang, sumatra barat, 6th10th november, 2019. indika, n. (2017). a descriptive analysis on lesson study program used by english teacher in seventh grades of smp muhammadiyah alkautsar program khusus katsura in academic year 2016/2017. (undergraduate degree thesis), state islamic institut, surakarta, indonesia. jordana, j. (2000). traditional foods: challenges facing the european food industry. food research international, 33, 147-152. kaltsum, h, u., & susiati, (2019). local content in english textbook of elementary school in surakarta (content analysis) in international seminar on language, education, and culture. kne social sciences. 496-505. doi: 10.18502/kss.v3i10.3938. 496-505. khan, i. a., asif, f., hasmi, q. i, & azeddou, n. (2017). factors affecting integration of local culture in saudi english language classrooms. european journal of education studies, 3(4), 682-703. marlina (2018). implementation of lesson study for learning community (lslc) on student of biology education study program fkip tanjungpura university. proceeding biology education conference. 15(1), 598-605. mon, c. c., dali, m. h., & sam, c. l. (2016). issues relating to the implementation of lesson study in the malaysian education context. journal of research & method in education (iosr-jrme). 3(1) : 77-85. nashruddin, w., & nurrachman, d. (2016). the implementation of lesson study in english language learning: a case study. dinamika ilmu, 16(2). nunan, d. (1991). language teaching methodolody, london: practice hall international. patel, m. e., & jain, p. m. (2008). english language teaching (methods, tools & techniques). jaipur: sunrise publishers & distributors perry, r. r., & c. c. lewis. 2009. what is successful adaptation of lesson study in the us? journal of educational change, 10(4), pp. 365-391. plomp, tj. & nieveen, n. (2007). an introduction in educational design research. proceedings of the seminar conducted at the east china normal university, shanghai (pr china), pp.23-26, 2007. van rossum, e. j. & hamer r. (2010). the meaning of learning and knowing. sense publishers. sato, m (2011). dialog dan kolaborasi di sekolah menengah pertama praktek ‘learning community’. jakarta: pelita sato, m. (2014). reformasi sekolah konsep dan praktek komunitas belajar. jakarta: pelita shulman, l. (1987). knowledge and teaching: foundations of the new reform. harvard edcuational review, 57(1), pp.1-22. slavin, r. e. 2009. educational psychology: theory and practice (ninth edition). new jersey: pearson smith, r., snow, p., serry, t., & hammond, l. (2021). the role of background knowledge in reading comprehension: a critical review, reading psychology, 42(3), 214-240, sopian, s., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2019). developing e-learning based local-folklores for eighth graders. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 100-112. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.1813 sudrajat, a. (2008). pengertian, pendekatan, strategi, metode, dan model pembelajaran. bandung: sinar baru algensindo. tompkins, g.e. (1994). teaching writing, balancing process and product. mcmillan: college publishing compani, inc. vygotsky, l. (1962). thought and language. cambridge, ma: mit press. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 9, issue 2, june 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 343 vygotsky, l. (1978). mind in society: the development of higher psychological processes. cambridge, ma: harvard university press. wahlqvist, l, m., & lee, s, m. (2007). regional food culture and development. asia pac j clin nuftr, 16(1), 2-7. yang, x. (2017). cultural background on reading comprehension in junior high school. journal of language teaching and research, 8(2), 370-374. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0802.21. nurlista iryanti, rita inderawati, & soni mirizon instructional design of descriptive text materials based on palembang local culture by implementing lslc 344 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 91 the change of greeting words in besemah language and its implication for learning regional languages resky utami the master study program of indonesian language education, teacher and education science faculty, universitas sriwijaya email: reskyutami.fkip@gmail.com nurhayati the master study program of indonesian language education, teacher and education science faculty, universitas sriwijaya email: nurhayati@fkip.unsri.ac.id sri indrawati the master study program of indonesian language education, teacher and education science faculty, universitas sriwijaya email: sriindrawati1207@gmail.com apa citation: utami, r., nurhayati., & indrawati, s. (2023). the change of greeting words in besemah language and its implication for learning regional languages. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 91-100. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7597 received: 09-10-2022 accepted: 27-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction generally, the languages in the republic of indonesia consist of two languages. the first language is the official language, indonesian language. according to agustina et al. (2021), the second language is vernacular language spreading from sabang to merauke. each vernacular language has specific grammatical rules. aritonang (2020) vernacular languages are important to develop the indonesian language. aritonang (2021) the vernacular languages are the parts of national language to preserve because the languages have potentials to develop the official language of indonesia. with a descriptive research greetings are words used to greet, admonish, or refer to the second person or the person being spoken to. another opinion was also expressed by asmara (2020) namely that greetings are words used to greet someone both written and spoken. greeting is a way of directing the intent of the person greeting to the addressee both orally and in writing, in the form of a series of words (aso et al., 2021). in addition. azis et al. (2019) stated that greetings are morphemes, words or phrases used to refer to different speech situations according to the nature of the relationship between the speakers. in the besemah language, greetings are called tutuwan or tuughan (speech, greeting speech). the word tutuwan comes from the basic word tutuw (speaking) and tuughan comes from the basic word tutugh (speaks) (asrif, 2019). baso (2018) added betutuw or betutugh (speaking) means greeting or saying hello, meanwhile, being tutuwi or tutuughi (spoken) means greeting. according to da costa (2021), from the various opinions above, it can be concluded that greeting words are morphemes, words, or phrases used to greet, admonish, or refer to the second person in the situation of the conversation itself, abstract: this research described the addressing terms and analyzed the addressing term shifts of besemah community in pagar alam regency. this research also described the implementation of besemah vernacular language on vernacular langauge lesson. the applied method was descriptive qualitative method and objective appraoch with four research techniques. the data source was the community of besemah, consisting of five districts in pagar alam regency. the results found five hundred and fifty-two addressing terms. these words include addressing terms within family context and community context. then, the researchers also found the shifting addressing terms. four of the words were not found at the present days. the result implications have some implications on vernacular language lesson and could be the teaching materials for primary school levels. keywords: addressing terms; besemah; implications, shifts. resky utami, nurhayati, & sri indrawati the change of greeting words in besemah language and its implication for learning regional languages 92 both orally and in writing. example: greeting father, mother, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, and so on. widianto (2018) states, given the position and duties of these regional languages, efforts should be made to inventory and document regional languages for the preservation of regional languages and culture. ferdianto & rusman (2019) state the description above shows that the besemah language information can be said to be quite complete, especially from a linguistic point of view. according to ferry et al. (2020), research on the besemah language greeting system was carried out in 2019 as a final project. however, his research discusses the form of greeting systems in the besemah language, does not discuss the shifts in greeting in the besemah language. the besemah speakers, historically, were the people living in the deep of south sumatera region (hariyanto, 2019). however, due to some mobilizations and migrations of the people, the besemah tribe went to many regions of south sumatera. zalwia et al. (2018) state that the besemah tribe also stays in various provinces in sumatera islands, such as in bengkulu and lampung provinces. administratively, the region of besemah tribe covers some regencies and cities, such as pagar alam, lahat, empat lawang, muara enim (besemah people with semende dialect), oku (besemah people with ulu ogan dialect), and some region of south oku (ayu et al., 2019). in bengkulu province, the besemah people stay in southern bengkulu. they stay in some districts, such as kedurang and kedurang ilir. they also live in kaur regency (except bintuhan) and northern kaur regency. for besemah people in lampung province, they live in northern lampung regency (tanjung raja), way kanan regency (rebang kasoy), and banjit district. there are interesting things in the besemah language, in the besemah language the forms of greeting and designation are different (lafamane, 2020). from the greeting it can be distinguished whether from blood relatives or non-blood relatives (mahmud, 2018). so in this study this unique thing will be detailed in full and thorough. mardian (2019) defines language shift as the study of regional languages in an interdisciplinary field of study called sociolinguistics, which is a combination of linguistics and social sciences. muin & sulfasyah (2018) states that the study of language externally involves two scientific disciplines, so that its form is in the form of a combination of two disciplines that merge from sociology and linguistics which have a very close relationship. sociolinguistics is part of linguistics (nasir & sahfitri, 2020). the term sociolinguistics comes from the words socio and linguistics. ulfa (2019) mentions sosio means society, meanwhile, linguistics means language. so, sociolinguistics is the study of language that places language in relation to its use in society. basically, this research has a form of similarity with previous research of nggaruaka et al. (2019) which discusses the shift in greeting words. the difference between this research and previous research of nisah et al. (2020), the previous research focused on studying and discussing the greeting system in besemah language, meanwhile in this study the researchers examined and discussed greeting words and the shifting forms of greeting words in besemah language and their implications for learning local languages. this research is important to do considering that currently greeting words in besemah language have begun to be forgotten by besemah residents and have even begun to experience shifts along with the times (pandaleke et al., 2020). researchers also obtained some data that strengthened researchers to research regarding shifts in greetings in besemah, namely: (1) data from the language center of south sumatra province, confirms that there has been a shift in the use of greetings in regional languages, especially besemah in the last thirty years, pengembangan & kementerian (2018); (2) the results of research in 2019 found that greetings in the besemah language began to experience a shift and it was even difficult to find the original form of the greeting. for example: there are many greetings for his mother-in-law, kenambe for nephew, bak for father, mother for mother, and mok for nephew, these greetings are hard to find; (3) currently in the city of pagar alam in the new school year 2022-2023 regional language learning has begun to be reactivated as a follow-up to the implementation of the free learning curriculum which prioritizes culture. addressing terms refer to utterances for permanent communication. pongantung et al. (2020) this statement indicates that the utterances remain still from era to era. addressing term is inseparable activity from human life. addressing term becomes the behavior and habit of human life. this behavior has an important role in a community. as the time goes by, the realizations of the community’s addressing terms shift (purwaningtyas & junining, 2009). language english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 93 shift occurs as a result of the language selection process over a very long period of time. when a language shift occurs, members of a community prefer to use a new language rather than the language they are used to (ramadinatha et al., 2021). for besemah people in pagar alam city, the researchers found many shifted addressing term realizations in terms of vocabulary and pronunciation. in line with rosita & aprila (2006), it was found in the besemah community, especially in the city of pagar alam, that the besemah language had undergone a significant shift or change. in the age range starting from children, adolescents, adults, and parents, the form of greeting in besemah language is clearly visible in changes in vocabulary and grammar (tamrin, 2018). the study of regional languages is included in the field of interdisciplinary study called sociolinguistics, which is a combination of linguistics and social sciences (sahril, 2018). the main variable in this study is the same as in previous research, namely studying the regional language, namely the besemah language. however, the implementation is different, previous research of seha & fatonah (2020) focused on discussing the greeting system in the besemah language, while in this study it focused on studying greeting words and the form of greeting shift and the implications for learning regional languages. this research is important to do considering that currently the greeting words in the besemah language have begun to be forgotten by the people of besemah and have even experienced a shift. the outline in this study, not only discusses greeting words and their shifting forms (i.e septiani & saragih (2020) research), but covers a wider scope, namely supporting the program being run by the pagar alam city education office to implement local language learning in all schools in pagar alam city. the results in this study can be used as a reference as an accurate regional language learning material. in this research, the researchers discussed the problems of how the forms of besemah terms of address, the shifts of the terms of address, and the research implication on vernacular language lesson. method the research applied descriptive comparative method supported by an objective approach. the data sources were the terms of address in besemah language (solihah, 2009). the researchers elicited the terms from some data sources, such as the besemah native speakers with some applied conditions and besemah native speakers that stayed in pagar alam. the researchers applied descriptive method with four techniques of collecting data. they were (1) interview, (2) questionnaire, (3) field note and recording, and (4) eliciting technique. the data analysis techniques were classifying and grouping the data. in this stage, the researchers grouped the same data. then, the researchers separated the similar data but different (rosita & aprila, 2006) after receiving the data from the questionnaire, face-to-face interview, and recoding and field note, the researchers analyzed the data with these stages. the researchers rewrote the collected data in the form of besemah to make them tidy. these data were arranged and classified based on the terms of address system of besemah language. the classified data were interpreted to obtain meaningful accuracy of the terms of address (sueca, 2020). the interpreted data were written in a table based on the needs and the relevances with the parts of besemah terms of address. then, the researchers wrote the analysis results to report the findings. results and discussion from the results and analyses about besemah terms of address, the researchers found some shifted terms of addresses that were not applied by the community. the example of the term was panci (tanu, 2018). literally, panci is translated to kitchen stuff. however, most men, especially husbands, used the term to address their wives. then, the wives addressed the husbands with a term of pangkug. this term literally is translated to any garden equipment (turiah, 2021). in this case, pangkur is used to address the husbands. besemah terms of address have some differences from generation to generation. however, in this research, besemah terms of address began to fade due to the era development. some terms were still observable and could be analyzed to differ the addressers’ ages or perangkat budaq and perangkat tuwe. here are the explanations of besemah terms of address and the implications on vernacular language lesson. the intra-family terms of address service the terms to address fathers or older men resky utami, nurhayati, & sri indrawati the change of greeting words in besemah language and its implication for learning regional languages 94 these terms included kamu, bape, bapaq, bapang, and baq. the examples of the term uses are: where are you going, dad? where are you going, dad? siape titu, bape? who is that, dad? the terms of addresses, such as bapaq, baq, and kamu were used by male and female children to address their fathers. on the other hand, the terms of bapaq and kamu were mostly used by older generation or perangkat tuwe. the generation refers to people aged older than sixty year old. on the other hand, the term of baq was mostly spoken by current generation people aged younger than 60 years old or perangkat budaq. these terms of addresses, baq and bapaq, do not show meaning differences. thus, the uses are interchangeable. the term of address for a father was pejadi lanang. the excerpt below shows the example. au, pejadi lanang ku! he is. he is my father! . at the present days, the kinship term of address for a father has shifted. the term of bape was not spoken by the native speakers. the same matter was also observable on the perangkat tuwe or older generation. they did not know the use of this term, bape. the term of address for a father in besemah language included kamu. this term was addressed for certain knowledgeable elders. the other terms of address for a fatehr were baq, bapaq, and bapang. the terms to address mothers the terms of address for mothers included kamu, nduq, umaq, and maq (the shortest form to address umaq). the excerpt below shows the example. tape bataqan, nduq? mum, what do you bring? payu nduq kita gheghadu kuday! shall we take a rest first, mum! the terms of addresses, such as kamu, nduq, umaq, and maq are used by children to address their mothers. the term, nduq, is mosly used by older generation, perangkat tuwe. most people in this generation were aged older tahn 60 years old. on the other hand, the terms of umaq and the shortest form, maq, were mostly used by younger generation, perangkat mude. this generation refers to people aged younger than 60 years old. the terms of maq, umaq, and nduq do not show significant meaning differences. the term of address for mothers of (female parent) was pejadi betine. the excerpt below shows the example. nyela, pejadi betine ku titu! that its it. the mother is me! at the present days, the terms of kinship for mothers or female parents did not shift. the terms of kamu, nduq, umaq, and maq remained still until the present days. however, the term of nduq was used by the perangkat tuwe aged older than 70 years old. on the other hand, the term of kamu, as the knowledgeable address, umaq, and maq were used by younger generation aged younger than 60 years old. the system of kinship addressing terms this system refers to addressing terms or speech acts, betutugh and betutuw, among relatives due to marital relationship. the kinship relationship due to marital relationship is called hubungan kule or perkulean, pekulean. some people call this relationship kawan kule or kawan (relative) due to tali perkulean or marital relationship. the terms of addressing for wives the addressing terms for wives are mostly by calling the names of the wives. the other terms to address were dengah or ‘you.’ if the women or the wives had children, the addressing terms would be nduq, ndung, or umaq entailed by the oldest child’s name. for example, the oldest name of a woman was riska. thus, the addressing terms would be nduq riska, ndung riska, or umaq riska. the examples of the term uses are: lah ude betanaq, ki? have you cooked the rice, ki? gulaykalah tighaw tu, umaq bait! please cook the mushrooms, bait’s mum! bait, in the excerpt, refers to the name of the oldest son of the woman. in the homeland of besemah people, around a hundred year ago, the terms to address wives had to attach on certain objects known by the wives. these objects were such as bakul (baskets), belange (cauldrons), and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 95 sudu (spoons). here are the examples of the terms in uses. bakul, aku kah temalam di kebun bakul, i will stay in the garden. the wife, named bait, knows the term of bakul is the addressing term to call herself. thus, the response of the husband shall be au, hati-hati saje pehiuk. the term of pehiuk is to address the husband. long time ago, besemah people did this technique to address other people because calling other people’s names were something taboo. these addressing terms were applicable if the wives and the husbands did not have children because addressing their spouses with ay, uy, or hey were considered impolite. the case would be different if the spouses had children. in this case, they would call their oldest children’s names, for example bapang rizka temalam kamu? (will rizka's fatehr stay?) the addressing terms for wives are mostly by calling the names of the wives. the other terms to address were dengah or ‘you.’ if the women or the wives had children, the addressing terms would be nduq, ndung, or umaq entailed by the oldest child’s name. the shifts of the terms occurred because besemah people addressed their wives with some words referring to kitchen stuff. however, at the present days, the addressing terms are different. most besemah people currently address with some new terms, such as ibu or ndung. these terms do not exist in besemah's addressing terms. the addressing terms for the father (the male parent) of a wife the addressing terms for male parents or fathers of wives included was, mamag, ngkuaye, beliyaw, beliyaw tu, beliyaw banyaq, and beliau banyaq lanang. the examples of the term uses are: dide ka(h) kume wag saghini? will your father go tot he field? the addressing terms for fathers (the male parents) of wives included ntuwe, ntuwe lanang, bapang bini, and pejadi lanang bini. here are the examples. ntuwe ku titu. he is my father. the addressing terms for male parents or fathers of wives included waq, mamag, ngkuaye, beliyaw, beliyaw tu, beliyaw banyaq, and beliau banyaq lanang. the term, waq, was mostly used if the father of a woman is older. if the father of a woman is older than the man's father, the addressing term for the woman's father is mamaq or uncle. on the other hand, the addressing term of ngkuaye was used within the intimate conversation context. thus, this term should not be used to call. the term of beliyaw banyaq shifted from the term of beliyaw once a man had children. at the present days, most husbands called their wives’ fathers with baq or bapak (father). specifically, in rurah, spoken by people from gumay ulu and pagar gunung clans, the spoken term to address women's fathers was pengiran or the prince. this addressing term did not shift but it was only used based on certain adapted situation. the addressing terms for the mother (the female parent) of a wife the addressing terms for female parents or mothers of wives included waq, ibung, nguaye, beliyaw, beliyaw tu, beliyaw banyaq, and beliyaw banyaq betine. the examples of the term uses are: singgah kuday, beliyaw tu! please come over here, madam! the term of waq could be applied if the mother of a wive was older than the mother of a husband. if the mother of the woman was younger than the mother of a husband, the spoken term to address should be ibung or aunty. the terms of beliyaw banyaq and beliyaq banyaq betine were the shifted forms of beliyaw and beliyaw banyaq betine once a husband had children. at the present time, most husbands addressed their mothers-inlaw with umaq and maq. the addressing terms for the mothers of wives included ntuwe, ntuwe betine, ndung bini, and pejadi betine bini. here are the examples. ntuwe ku! she is the mother of my wife! the addressing terms for female parents or mothers of wives included waq, ibung, nguaye, beliyaw, beliyaw tu, beliyaw banyaq, and beliyaw banyaq betine. these addressing terms did not shift but it was only used based on certain adapted situation. the time makes the generation shifts and brings novelty. the attached cultures from generation to generation will also shift, including resky utami, nurhayati, & sri indrawati the change of greeting words in besemah language and its implication for learning regional languages 96 the addressing term of besemah vernacular language. most besemah addressing terms were used in the past events and are not spoken at the present days, for examples the terms of rame and bape to address male parents and gusti to address knowledgeable person. the other alternatives for rame and bape, the male parents, are bapaq and baq. then, the term of gusti has an alternative term of kabah, dengah, or kamu. each culture has specific identity and becomes the specific and signature features. the addressing system in besemah vernacular language is unique. the language has differences to address and mention other people. for example, an individual who addresses other people will have different forms of words to address the individual. here are the examples of the addressing terms and mentioning terms of a father, a male parent. ka(h) ke mane kamu baq? where are you going, dad? pejadi lanang ku! i am going to my father. the example shows the addressing terms and the mentioning terms in besemah vernacular language. the example shows the addressing terms of a father, a male parent, are baq, bapaq, and bapang. on the other hand, the mentioning term for a father was pejadi lanang. these differences were unique. the researchers found, summarized, and grouped 152 addressing terms. then, the researchers grouped them into two groups. the first group, consisting of 110 addressing terms, was the family or domestic addressing term. then, the second group was the community addressing term. the researchers explained the differences of the terms to address and mention other people in detail. the researchers grouped 152 addressing terms by identifying the terms comprehensively with experts. they were humanists, community figures, and lecturers. the researchers found 14 shifted addressing terms and 2 extinct addressing terms. here are the terms. table 1. shifted and extinct addressing terms no. old addressing terms current addressing terms remarks 1. 1. nduq umaq, maq, mamaq mothers (female parents) 2. ibungan bibiq, biq the younger sister of a father 3. nduq tuwe umaq tuwe, maq tuwe the older sister of a mother 4. mamaq, maq mamang, mang the younger brother of a mother 5. kenambe kemenakan the female sibling of a daughter or a son 6. pengiran, nguaye, waq, mamaq, beliyaw, beliyaw tu, beliyaw banyaq, and beliyaw banyaq lanang. baq the father (a male parent) of a wife 7. waq, ibung, beliyaw, beliyaw banyaq, and beliyaw banyaq betine. umaq the mother (female parent) of a wife 8. bapang (entailed with the oldest child's name) brother or sister husband 9. waq, mamaq, beliyaw, beliyaw tu, beliyaw banyaq, and beliyaw banyaq lanang. baq the father (a male parent) of a husband 10. waq, ibung, beliyaw, beliyaw banyaq, and beliyaw banyaq betine. umaq the mother (female parent) of a husband 11. rame, bape, baq, bapang the male parents 12. panggkur (cangkul) to address the husbands with the remarks of gardening tools no substitute addressing terms husband 13. belangge (cauldron/pot) to address the husbands with the remarks of kitchen stuff no substitute addressing terms wife 14. gusti no substitute addressing terms to address the knowledgeable person english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 97 the researchers found five besemah’s addressing terms as second-person singular. they were kabah, dengah, dighi, kenan, and kamu. in this research, the researchers found four addressing terms as the second-person singular. they were kaban, dengan, kangaw, and gusti. the term of kaban was spoken by people living in kisam besemah area. the term is equal to the term of kabah or ‘you.’ the term of kangaw was spoken in the area of former gumay ulu clan. the term of kangaw is equal to kabah or dengan, meaning ‘you.’ the term of dengan was spoken when a speaker was angry. the term of gusti was not spoken in current era. however, the term of gusti is still findable in various guritan. the term of kabah or ‘you’ was used to address relative or community member that did not belong to the same generation. the term was not also used to address relative or community member that came from younger generation and had the same sex types with the speaker. if the sex types were not the same as the speaker or addresser, the addressee should be addressed by a term of dengah or ‘you.’ the term of kamu or ‘you’ was used to address knowledgeable persons, such as fathers, mothers, and all relatives from the same generations. they could be from the bloodline family or not. the terms of kamu was used by non-relative community member, older than the speaker. in this research, the researchers found different addressing terms used by the older generation and the younger generations, for example bajiq to address older sister of a husband. the term was used by the older generation as the addresser to younger generation, younger than sixty years old. the younger generation did not suse the term of bajiq. they instead used the term of kakaq to address the older sisters of husbands. the other addressing terms that indicated the differences of the speakers’ generations were bapaq (father), nduq (mother), mamaq (uncle), ibung (aunty), and niniq (grandmother). these terms were spoken by older generation. on the other hand, the younger generations used the terms of baq (father), umaq (mother), mamang (uncle), bibiq (aunty), and niing (grandmother). the speakers used the terms both in complete forms and short forms without creating different meaning due to the positions. both complete and shortened addressing terms could be put in front, in the middle, and in the end of utterances. here are the examples of the complete and shortened forms. niniq/niq ndaq ke mane? grandpa, where are you going? ngape nining,/ning lum pegi? why have not you departed? makanlah kuday, bapaq/baq! please, have a meal, dad! the complete addressing forms and the shortened addressing forms included umaq/maq (mother), mamaq/maq (uncle), bibiq/biq (aunty), kakang/kaq (older brother or sister), kakaq/kaq (brother or sister in law), ading/ding (younger brother or sister), kance/ce (friends), and sename/me (peer friends). suan (2018) differed the terms of addressing and mentioning in utterances. here are the examples. ani mau ke mana? (where are you going ani?) (ani is the addressing term) ani! mau ke mana? (ani! where are you going?) (ani is the mentioning term) ani! kau mau ke mana ? (ani! where are you going?) (ani is the mentioning word while kau is the addressing term). in besemah vernacular language system, the previous examples are equal with the following examples: nit ndaq ke mane? nit, where are you going? nit! ndaq ke mane? nit! where are you going? nit! dengah ndaq ke mane? nit! where are you going? the term of nit in the first utterance is an addressing term of a childhood friend’s name. the term is also a shortened form of a complete name, harnita. nit in the second utterance is a mentioning term. nit in the third utterance is a mentioning term. dengan or ‘you’ is an addressing term for second-person singular. besemah vernacular language also has various refined addressing terms or addressing term resky utami, nurhayati, & sri indrawati the change of greeting words in besemah language and its implication for learning regional languages 98 auxiliaries. these auxiliaries are cih and ngkuaye. these terms have three functions. they are to address,t o mention, and to refine the addressing term. here are the examples. betanaqlah kuday cih! cook it first, cih! ade di ngkuaye tulah! it is up to the parents in law! cih! numpang betanye dikit! cih! let me ask something! the first cih and ngkuaye are addressing terms. the term cih in the third utterance and the term ngkuaye in the fourth utterance are the mentioning terms. these terms, cih and ngkuaye, are only for intimate addresser and addressee within face-toface situation. if the addressee is at a distance, the terms of cih and ngkuaye should not be spoken. the term cih in the fifth utterance and the term of ngkuaye in the sixth utterance are the addressing term refiners or auxiliaries. in a family or kinship system, cih is spoken by older people to address the younger family members with different sex types. in a relative system, the term of cih is spoken to address the sons or daughters in law from the siblings, sons and daughters, sons and daughters of the siblings, and husbands and wives of siblings with different sex types with the addresser. the term of ngkuaye is spoken to address knowledgeable persons within the family system, such as the mothers and fathers in law, and nduwayan for men that their wives have brothers or sisters. wiyanti et al. (2019) explain the realizations of the addressing terms. the realization includes a grammar of n + ku, for example tuhanku or my god. this grammar of addressing term only applies in indonesian language. however, in besemah vernacular language, the pattern will be n + ku to express the intimacy or compassion of the addresser's feeling. the examples are anaqku, cungku, and adingku to express the intimacy or compassion. these terms are more intimate than anaq, naq, cucung, cung, ading, and ding. the implication of the addressing system on besemah vernacular language in vernacular language lesson the implications of curent research results were for vernacular language lesson at first until sixth grades of primary schools within the revised 2013 curriculum assisted by the 2022 merdeka belajar curriculum. vernacular language was a local material for primary schools. this implementation of vernacular language, based on the merdeka belajar curriculum, was to realize excellent understanding, appreciation, response, analysis, and practice of the vernacular language, especially about the addressing terms of besemah. here are the themes for primary school lessons with the implications on besemah vernacular language materials. the implications were based on the core competence and basic competence of third theme living in harmony and the objective to understand the content of a text with various besemah's addressing terms. this objective was stated in basic competence 3.3. then, in the basic competence of 4.3, the objective was to develop and tell the content of puyang belulus’ traditional ceremony in rempassay within the material of the rhymes of besemah's addressing terms. conclusion from the discussion and the explanations, the researchers concluded that besemah’s vernacular language system had two systems. the first system was the kinship system while the second system was non-kinship system or a community system. the kinship system consisted of (1) intrafamily addressing term system, (2) kinship addressing term system, (3) lovely addressing term, and (4) kinship addressing system within specific situations. the addressing system in the community, non-kinship relationship, was categorized into (1) official community addressing system and (2) casual community addressing system. the realizations of the reviewed language shifts were based on the historical review. the researchers found some applied terms in the past. however, these terms are not spoken at the present days. for example, the researchers found the terms of bape and rame to address male parents. some shifted terms from the original terms were mostly used by people younger than 60 years old or perangkat mude. these terms were different from those spoken by people aged older than 60 years old, such as bapaq and ibung. however, for younger people, the most spoken term was baq to address male parents and bibiq to address the sister of a father and the wife of a woman’s brother, bajiq (spoken by older generation), and kakaq (spoken by the younger generation) to address the older sister of a husband. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 99 the research results had implications on school literature study, especially at jhs and shs levels. the researchers found three basic competences that could apply these research results as the references for both teachers and learners. the results of this research could answer the linguistic shift of besemah language. references agustina, d., setiawati, a., wedari, f. t., handayani, l., & mahdalena, m. (2021). pengaruh bahasa daerah terhadap sistem pendidikan di sdn 03 gunung tuleh, kecamatan gunung tuleh, kabupaten pasaman barat. edumaspul: jurnal pendidikan, 5(1), 681-685. https://doi.org/10.33487/edumaspul.v5i1.2010 aritonang, b. (2020). penggunaan bahasa daerah generasi muda provinsi maluku utara dan papua barat. ranah: jurnal kajian bahasa, 9(2), 160-177. https://doi.org/10.26499/rnh.v9i2.2936 aritonang, b. (2021). penggunaan bahasa daerah generasi muda provinsi maluku utara dalam ranah ketetanggaan dan pendidikan. tuahtalino, 15(2), 179-199. https://doi.org/10.26499/tt.v15i2.3520 asmara, a. (2020). pengaruh penguasaan bahasa daerah dan bahasa asing terhadap penguasaan kosakata bahasa indonesia. diskursus: jurnal pendidikan bahasa indonesia, 2(2), 117-126. https://doi.org/10.30998/diskursus.v2i02.6669 aso, l., taembo, m., zahrani, z., sahidin, l. o., larisu, z., & putra, a. (2021). sosialisasi peran bahasa daerah dalam pencegahan dan penanggulangan bahaya virus corona. amal ilmiah: jurnal pengabdian kepada masyarakat, 2(2), 101-107. https://doi.org/10.36709/amalilmiah.v2i2.15229 asrif, n. (2019). pembinaan dan pengembangan bahasa daerah dalam memantapkan kedudukan dan fungsi bahasa indonesia. mabasan, 4(1), 11-23. https://doi.org/10.26499/mab.v4i1.183 ayu, r. f. k, sari, s. p., setiawan, b. y., & fitriyah, f. k. (2019). meningkatkan kemampuan berbahasa daerah melalui cerita rakyat digital pada siswa sekolah dasar: sebuah studi pengembangan. child education journal, 1(2), 65-72. https://doi.org/10.33086/cej.v1i2.1356 azis, a. d., mahyuni, m., syahdan, s., & yusra, k. (2019). faktor-faktor penyebab kepunahan bahasa daerah di tanah rantau. jurnal sosial ekonomi dan humaniora, 5(1), 11-18. https://doi.org/10.29303/jseh.v5i1.27 baso, y. s. (2018). model aplikasi aksara lontara berbasis html sebagai salah satu solusi pemertahanan bahasa daerah. jurnal kata, 2(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.22216/jk.v2i1.2426 da costa, r. a. (2021). pengayaan kosa kata bahasa daerah berbasis masyarakat pesisir di kalangan siswa sma negeri 55 teluk elpaputih. gabagaba: jurnal pengabdian kepada masyarakat dalam bidang pendidikan bahasa dan seni, 3(1), 115-120. https://doi.org/10.30598/gabagabavol3iss1pp11 5-120 ferdianto, v. b., & rusman, r. (2019). evaluasi implementasi kurikulum muatan lokal bahasa daerah dan pendidikan lingkungan hidup. jurnal penelitian ilmu pendidikan, 11(2), 116128. https://doi.org/10.21831/jpipfip.v11i2.19542 ferry, t. f. p., koagouw, f. v. i. ., & waleleng, g. j. (2020). peran komunikasi sosial masyarakat dalam melestarikan bahasa daerah pasan di desa rasi kecamatan ratahan kabupaten minahasa tenggara. acta diurna komunikasi, 2(3), 1-17. hariyanto, p. (2019). korespondensi bunyi bahasa daerah di provinsi sulawesi tenggara. aksara, 31(2), 269-283. https://doi.org/10.29255/aksara.v31i2.340.269283 lafamane, f. (2020). fenomena penggunaan bahasa daerah di kalangan remaja. mahmud, t. (2018). pengaruh bahasa daerah terhadap penggunaan bahasa indonesia secara bersamaan pada siswa di sekolah smpn 1 geulumpang baro kabupaten pidie. seminar nasional pendidikan dasar, 302. mardian, m. (2019). interferensi bahasa daerah dalam konteks formal di sma kota singkawang. cakrawala linguista, 1(2), 90-97. https://doi.org/10.26737/cling.v1i2.878 muin, m., & sulfasyah. (2018). pengunaan teori monitor krashen dalam pembelajatran bahasa daerah bugis sebagai upaya pelestarian bahasa daerah. journal of materials processing technology, 1(1), 1-12. nasir, m., & sahfitri, v. (2020). prototype kamus elektronik bahasa daerah lubuk linggau berbasis android. jurnal ilmiah matrik, 22(2), 215-223. https://doi.org/10.33557/jurnalmatrik.v22i2.998 nggaruaka, t., hermansyah, a. k., & butarbutar, r. (2019). pengenalan bahasa daerah marori menggunakan teknik retrival jaringan semantik. didaktika tauhidi: jurnal pendidikan guru sekolah dasar, 6(2), 93-103. https://doi.org/10.30997/dt.v6i2.1990 nisah, n., prasetya, k. h., & musdolifah, a. (2020). pemertahanan bahasa daerah suku bajau samma di kelurahan jenebora kecamatan penajam kabupaten penajam paser utara. jurnal basataka (jbt), 3(1), 51-65. https://doi.org/10.36277/basataka.v3i1.86 pandaleke, t., waleleng, f., & grace, j. (2020). peran komunikasi sosial masyarakat dalam melestarikan bahasa daerah pasan di desa rasi kecamatan ratahan kabupaten minahasa tenggara. acta diurna komunikasi, 2(3), 1-17. resky utami, nurhayati, & sri indrawati the change of greeting words in besemah language and its implication for learning regional languages 100 pengembangan & kementerian. (2018). persebaran 668 bahasa daerah di indonesia. kata data. pongantung, o. s., palar, w., & meruntu, o. (2020). sufiks bahasa tontemboan (kontribusinya dalam pembelajaran bahasa daerah di sekolah). jurnal bahtra, 1(1), 15-21. https://doi.org/10.36412/jb.v1i1.2185 purwaningtyas, i., & junining, e. (2009). konservasi nilai budaya indonesia melalui bahasa daerah. mabasan, 3(1), 58-67. https://doi.org/10.26499/mab.v3i1.102 ramadinatha, m. f., aldi, i. d., & marlina, m. (2021). upaya melestarikan bahasa daerah bebasan (jawa serang) melalui konten digital. indonesian collaboration journal of community services, 1(4), 154-161. rosita, a., & aprila, f. (2006). pentingnya mata pelajaran bahasa daerah dalam kurikulum sekolah dasar dalam eksistensi budaya bangsa. jurnal pengembangan pendidikan, 3(1), 35-43. sahril, n. (2018). pergeseran bahasa daerah pada anakanak di kuala tanjung sumatra utara. ranah: jurnal kajian bahasa, 7(2), 210-228. https://doi.org/10.26499/rnh.v7i2.571 seha, n., & fatonah, n. a. (2020). local language maintenance in religious-based educational institutions in pandeglang. jurnal lingko: jurnal kebahasaan dan kesastraan, 2(1), 105125. https://doi.org/10.26499/jl.v2i1.40 septiani, d., & saragih, d. k. (2020). pemertahanan bahasa batak toba di gereja hkbp sutoyo cawang (konservasi bahasa daerah). alfabeta: jurnal bahasa, sastra, dan pembelajarannya, 3(1), 23-31. https://doi.org/10.33503/alfabeta.v3i1.755 solihah, a. (2009). gegar wacana dalam komunikasi lintas bahasa daerah. mabasan, 3(2), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.26499/mab.v3i2.109 sueca, i. n. (2020). pengintegrasian nilai perdamaian dalam pembelajaran bahasa daerah sebagai perkuat budaya lokal. kalangwan jurnal pendidikan agama, bahasa dan sastra, 9(2), 19. https://doi.org/10.25078/klgw.v9i2.1225 tamrin. (2018). interferensi leksikal bahasa daerah ke dalam bahasa indonesiaterhadap bahasa remaja di kota palu. jurnal teknologi pembelajaran indonesia, 14(1), 24-32. tanu, i. k. (2018). pengajaran bahasa daerah di sekolah kaitannya dengan kurikulum 2013. kalangwan jurnal pendidikan agama, bahasa dan sastra, 8(2), 107-116. https://doi.org/10.25078/klgw.v8i2.971 turiah, h. (2021). local language maintenance in the city of ambon: a local language case studying in the laha village as a local language only in the city of ambon. totobuang, 9(2), 331-342. https://doi.org/10.26499/ttbng.v9i2.337 ulfa, m. (2019). eksistensi bahasa daerah di era disrupsi. stilistika: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra, 12(2), 197-107. https://doi.org/10.30651/st.v12i2.2948 widianto, m. p. e. (2018). pemertahanan bahasa daerah melalui pembelajaran dan kegiatan di sekolah. jurnal kredo, 1(2), 1-13. wiyanti, s., fadilah, a., & sugito, n. t. (2019). pemetaan bahasa daerah sebagai upaya pemertahanan bahasa. seminar nasional bulan bahasa 1, 219-224. zalwia, z., moita, s., & upe, a. (2018). modernisasi dan diskontinuitas bahasa daerah. neo societal, 3(2), 494-502. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 203 semantic review on the reformulation as the form of clarification in appositional constructions hero gunawan english department, faculty of humanities widyatama university, bandung, west java, indonesia email: hero.gunawan@widyatama.ac.id puspita sari english department, faculty of humanities widyatama university, bandung, west java, indonesia email: puspita.sari@widyatama.ac.id apa citation: gunawan, h., & sari, p. (2023). semantic review on the reformulation as the form of clarification in appositional constructions. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 203210. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7675 received: 28-08-2022 accepted: 23-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction the semantic link between two entities serves as a description of the relation of meaning (hasanah et al., 2020). because semantic characteristics are aware of word meaning, sentence relationships, discourse, context, etc. (alsayed, 2019), they help make words more understandable (fajrah, 2019). reformulation's role in semantic equivalences is one that would make for highly enlightening research. reformulation is the process of creating utterances that are semantically comparable or nearly equivalent utilizing various language tools, such as appellation, identification, and paraphrasing (tsedryk, 2019; wongkittiporn, 2022). we frequently expound on a notion that has been previously expressed in a different fashion, whether in prepared or unprepared conversation (meurant et al., 2022; sagala & rezeki, 2018; zhang et al., 2022). the presence of reformulation in an appositional construction is not just additional information (gunawan, 2020), but also a way for semiotic resources (alipour, 2019, goodwin, 2018, sahyoni, 2018) to clarify the anchor's role as the antecedent. according to alsulaimaan & khoshaba (2018), a term is ambiguous if we do not understand what it means. reformulation can make a statement more nuanced and simpler to understand by reinterpreting and elaborating. according to johnson (2019), reformulation is a process of textual reinterpretation for improving the conveying of intended meaning. reformulation frequently employs what are known as reformulation markers when displaying the information's contents. in order to establish a connection between the treatment discourse (d2) and the reference discourse (d1), reformulation markers are used (florea, 2019; nadal, 2020). although reformulation markers are important because they signal changes in perspective on what has been stated or invalidate prior formulations due abstract: this research-based article discusses appositives containing reformulation which is very important in the context of meaning particularly in the form of clarification to the anchor as the antecedent. this reformulation is viewed from the two aspects, i.e., semantic equivalence and coreference. therefore, this research serves two aims: 1) to elucidate the forms of clarification provided by reformulation as semantic equivalence that makes anchors more comprehensible, and 2) to elaborate whether reformulation and its anchor are coreferential in the appositional constructions. the data sources are taken from english printed media within three levels of distributional coverage, i.e., national, regional and international coverage. the data are analysed through employing the method of qualitative research, that is, the method presenting descriptive data, both written and oral data. to analyse such descriptive data, the distributional method of analysis with the two techniques is used, namely, extracting techniques, and inserting techniques. the results of this research uncover that 1) the forms of clarification provided by the reformulation cover: a) metaphorical expression, b) factual knowledge, c) expression of revision, d) simplified expression, e) short forms (acronyms), f) emphasis through negative reformulation, and g) equivalence in other language; and 1) not all reformulations have coreferences. all of the reformulation forms are given to make the anchor more comprehensible. keywords: appositives; clarification; coreference; reformulation; semantic equivalence. hero gunawan & puspita sari semantic review on the reformulation as the form of clarification in appositional constructions 204 to their semantic value, speakers can reformulate without them (jiménez, 2022). an appositive is a word, phrase, or sentence that explains or modifies other words, phrases, or clauses in order to support them (alwasilah & mahdi, 2020; mutiara, 2019). according to gunawan and sari (2019), appositional constructs that place the appositives and their anchor in contrast are seen as offering extra information. the anchor is referred to as the antecedent in this supplementary material. in order to maintain the meaning, the two elements (appositives and anchors) have semantic equivalences (chotimah et al., 2022). according to quirk in gunawan (2021) there are four different sorts of semantic equivalences: appellation, identification, designation, and reformulation. in terms of naming aspects, appellation is semantic equivalence; in terms of providing a specific explanation to the anchor, which is generally of a generic nature, identification is semantic equivalence; in terms of explaining the status of the relationship between an anchor and an appositive, designation is semantic equivalence; and in terms of restating information in a different way while maintaining the same information's content, reformulation is semantic equivalence. one of the semantic equivalences, reformulation, allows for the expression of the same meaning as the anchor but in a different method (rewording). reformulation can take many different forms, such as the use of synonyms, factual knowledge that includes knowledge of the outside world, a more exact formulation, revision, and many others. in reformulation, language markers like (more) simple, in scientific terminology, in more technical terms, technically, and many other similar markers are frequently used. here are some examples: (1) in addition to things like “task chunking" (i.e., doing like things together in other words, answering all my e-mail at once or running a bunch of errands in one trip), i look for short cuts to make the most of my writing time. (h-coca) (šinkūnienė, 2019, p.548) the appositive, which indicates the existence of clarification through reformulation, is an example in that sentence. the anchor receives the value of equivalence in terms of the particular substance thanks to this appositive reformulation. by employing the reformulation marker, the reformulation is given in the form of an explanation. according to inkinien (2019), the word in the sample above has an interpretation of explicit meaning. the use of appositive reformulation emphasizes rewording or restating in a different way while maintaining the same meaning, making it easier for readers to comprehend the intended anchor in a given situation (feist, 2022). for a better understanding of this reformulation, consider the following example from lavinson (1983, pp. 329– 330), who claims that reformulation is a sort of self-repair using the example of the repairable item: (2) i need a new bolt for my oil pan, the bolt in the bottom for draining the oil. the response to the other-initiation in the following exchange is also a reformulation: a: i need a new bolt for my oil pan. b: which? a: the big one underneath. that sample (2) above is very clear that reformulation is a self-repair by means of a paraphrase of the repairable item, and here is the simple explanation: the expression a new bolt for my oil pan is corrected/repaired by the reformulation the bolt in the bottom for draining the oil. the expression a new bolt for my oil pan is corrected/repaired by the reformulation the big one underneath the ability to provide corrective expression (revision) to the anchor as the antecedent reveals that the two appositives of reformulation in (2) above have coreference (kroll & rysling, 2019). by connecting the phrase to distinctive characterization, the term can be made more exact (haverkamp & hoeltje, 2021). to put it another way, a speaker may be encouraged to reformulate their previous talk or a coparticipant's past turn in response to a coparticipant's express request or a coparticipant's display of non-understanding (kunitz & majlesi, 2022). inknien (2019) investigated the distribution frequency and purposes of reformulation markers in academic discourse in two languages (english and lithuanian) and three science domains (humanities, medicine, and technology) in relation to this research issue. the findings indicated that reformulation markers are most frequently used in the humanities by english and lithuanian scholars. florea (2019) is now working on the reformulation markers for the literature reviews sections. the findings showed that advanced academic literature reviews activate a specific sort english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 205 of reformulation discourse in which markers exhibit a clarifying function within an authoritybased, readership-oriented reformulation discourse type. in a separate study, alipour (2019) investigated the use of reformulation markers, a prevalent metadiscourse strategy in applied linguistics research articles written by iranian native and nonnative writers. the findings revealed that the roles played by reformulation markers (rms) varied between research articles published by native and non-native writers. the form of reformulation and its coreferentiality should be discussed in relation to the topic of reformulation. the two components of reformulation that are of interest to talk about here are. in order to make the reformulation more understandable, the first thing to look for is any clarifications that are offered by the reformulation as a result of semantic equivalences. the second thing to look for is whether or not the reformulation contains coreferences. in order to make anchors more understandable, reformulation provides many types of explanation. therefore, this research serves two aims: 1) to elaborate the forms of clarification provided by reformulation as a semantic equivalence that makes anchors more comprehensible, and 2) to explain whether reformulation and its anchor are coreferential in the appositional constructions. method based on the nature of study, the method used in this research is qualitative descriptive research method in which the data used are not judged to be true-false but they are viewed as the true phenomena as they are. qualitative method aims to describe the real case that occurs in the field (octaberlina et al., 2020), which means that all data in this study are collected. it is in line with cresswell (2018), saying that the objective of descriptive research is to describe description regarding the facts of the data and phenomenon. the data collection is conducted by identifying data through reading the selected data sources, marking the potential data, notetaking and tabulating the data into tabular form based on the data classification. the data that have already collected and classified are analysed through employing the method of qualitative research, that is, the method presenting descriptive data, both written and oral data. to analyse such descriptive data, the distributional method of analysis with the two techniques is used, namely, extracting technique, and inserting technique. results and discussion the important findings related to reformulation cover the reformulation in the form of: metaphors, factual knowledge (knowledge of the external world), revision, short forms of a word (acronyms), equivalence in other language, emphasis through negative reformulation, and simplified expression. here are the samples extracted from the selected data sources. metaphorical expression (3) tv censorship, while still strict, was no longer suffocating – and benghazi, the cradle of any libyan dissent, was given its team back. the reformulation above is expressed in the form of metaphor – rewording in the form of metaphorical expression, that is, transferring concept of a cradle symbolizing a place with full of comfort for rebels. the concept of “being comfortable” attached to the cradle is used for the city of benghazi. it seems to be well-known that the cradle is the most comfortable place for a baby. this implicates that benghaji is a very nice place for libyan dissent. this appositive in (3) above has coreference which can be seen from the capability of the appositive in providing reformulation in terms of metaphor from the definite anchor. the capability to become reformulation is indicated by the reformulation marker (relator) in other words between the anchor and the reformulation as the appositive equivalence as seen in (3a). besides, to indicate that the reformulation in that appositional construction has coreference by inserting relative pronoun – in other words, by changing the construction (3) into relative clause by using the copular verb be, as seen in (3b). (3a) tv censorship, while still strict, was no longer suffocating – and benghazi, (in other words) the cradle of any libyan dissent, was given its team back. (3b) tv censorship, while still strict, was no longer suffocating – and benghazi, (which is) the cradle of any libyan dissent, was given its team back. the anchor benghazi becomes the reference from the content of reformulation, i.e., the cradle of any libyan dissent so that the two are coreferential in the form of metaphorical expression for a certain place. hero gunawan & puspita sari semantic review on the reformulation as the form of clarification in appositional constructions 206 factual knowledge it is rather different from the sample (4) below. this reformulation is still about the clarification of certain place which is categorized into factual knowledge (city). (4) she learned that a large number of female refugees, most of them muslims, were streaming into zenica, an industrial town in central bosnia,.... then reformulation in sample (4) provides clarification on the existence of the zenica city, and it has coreference. this coreference lies on the capability of the reformulation in providing factual knowledge to the anchor which has already been definite in nature. this capability is indicated by inserting relative pronoun and changing the construction (4) into relative clause by using the copular verb be, as seen in (4a). such a coreference will be very obvious if the anchor and the appositive are extracted independently from the context as in (4b). (4a) she learned that a large number of female refugees, most of them muslims, were streaming into zenica, (which is) an industrial town in central bosnia,.... (4b) zenica is an industrial town in central bosnia. the anchor zenica becomes the reference from the content of factual reformulation with respect to a certain place, that is, an industrial town in central bosnia so that the two are coreferential in the form of factual knowledge. similar to the sample (4), it is still related to the reformulation regarding a place as in sample (5) below. this sample (5) is still about the clarification of certain place which is categorized into factual knowledge (city). it can be seen from the use of geographical name (state and city). (5) richard lehner and captain daniel aufdenblatten’s trip in april 2010 to kathmandu, nepal, had been fairly undramatic by their standards. the appositional construction with the content of certain geographical names moving from part (i.e., name of city) to whole (i.e., name of country) – specific place (capital city) on the anchor, and general place (country) on the appositive. the anchor and the appositive of reformulation in (5) above are not coreferential as seen in (5a) which is contrary to the factual knowledge. besides, to indicate that the reformulation in that appositional construction does not have coreference is through extracting the two elements (anchor and appositive) independently from the context as seen in (5a). (5a) kathmandu is nepal. (not coreferential) from the factual side, construction (5a) is not acceptable although it is grammatically correct. kathmandu is a part of nepal, and therefore different from nepal. the geographical relation of the two names of places is part-to-whole relation so that sample (5a) can be revised with a slight change in order to be factually acceptable as expressed in (5b) below. (5b) kathmandu is [the capital of] nepal. factually, sentence (5b) is clear enough that kathmandu is a part of nepal to which the two places refer. the equivalence lies on the part-towhole relation, not on the same referent. the anchor kathmandu becomes the reference of the reformulation content in the form of factual knowledge, and it is located in a bigger place – in this case the name of the country (nepal). revision sample (6) below is the reformulation in the form of revision (correcting expression). this can be seen from the expression which provides corrective clarification dealing with somebody’s noticeable characteristic, his most salient trait. (6) the unified field theory that ties together jobs’ personality and products begins with his most salient trait, his intensity. the appositive of reformulation in (6) has coreference which can be seen from the capability in providing corrective expression (revision) to the anchor which has already been definite in nature. the indicator of its capability can be seen from being able to change into relative clause by using the copular verb be, as seen in (6a). (6a) the unified field theory that ties together jobs’ personality and products begins with his most salient trait, (which is) his intensity. to prove that the reformulation in (6) has coreference is by extracting the two elements (anchor and the appositive) independently from the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 207 context as in (6b) below. (6b) his most salient trait is his intensity. the anchor his most salient trait becomes the reference of the content of corrective reformulation, that is, his intensity so that the two of them can be said to be coreferential in terms of corrective clarification about someone’s personality, in this context referring to steve jobs. acronym the following sample (7) is very different from the previous ones. this reformulation is in the form of acronym which is clearly seen from the use of the first letters of each word in the phrase the european central bank. (7) whether that national story can once again be rewritten depends in part on mario draghi, former head of the bank italy, who became the president of the european central bank (ecb) on nov. 1. the coreference in sample of reformulation in (7) can be seen from the capability in providing the formulation of an acronym as one of the short forms. to indicate that there is a coreference in that appositional construction can be done through extracting both the anchor and the appositive independently from the context as shown in (7a) below. (7a) european central bank is ecb. (= ecb is european central bank) the anchor european central bank becomes the reference from the content of the reformulation which provides the short form to the anchor. therefore, both the anchor and the appositive are coreferential referring to a financial institution european central bank. equivalence in other language another different sample is in the following sentence (8). it is categorized into the reformulation in the form of equivalence in other language which is tend to be simpler language transfer but keep the same meaning. (8) the singer, jorge gamboa, is the youngest in the group at 50; the leader and guitarron (a very large guitar) player, francisco carreon, is 85. the word guitarron comes from spanish meaning a very big mexican guitar. sample (8) above has coreference, and this can be seen from being able to express language transfer which is relatively easy for readers to understand instead of the word guitarron. to prove the existence of the coreference in appositional construction in which there is a reformulation is by inserting the reformulation marker (relator) in other words between the anchor and the reformulation as the appositive equivalence as seen in (8a). besides, to indicate that the reformulation in that appositional construction has coreference by extracting both the anchor and the appositive independently from the context as shown in (8b) below. (8a) the singer, jorge gamboa, is the youngest in the group at 50; the leader and guitarron, (in other words) a very large guitar player, francisco carreon, is 85. (8b) guitarron is a very large guitar. the anchor guitarron becomes the reference from the content of the reformulation which provides the expression of simple language that can makes readers easy to understand what guitarron means. therefore, both the anchor and the appositive are coreferential referring to a kind of guitar. negative emphasis sentence (9) below is the sample of reformulation in the form of negative emphasis. it is clear from the use of not on the appositive my life. the word life is not the synonym of the word legs. the expression of not my life indicates that my life is more important and valuable than [my] legs. (9) all that i’ve lost are legs, not my life. the anchor ‘legs’, and the reformulation appositive ‘not my life’ are not coreferential because they are the two different elements. the word legs and the phrase not my life cannot be considered to be the same. to indicate that the reformulation in that appositional construction does not have coreference is through extracting the two elements (anchor and appositive) independently from the context as seen in (9a), legs are parts of the body which are visible in nature, while life has a wide range of meaning and it is an abstract concept. (9a) [my] legs are not my life. the anchor legs become the reference of the reformulation content providing emphasis that the hero gunawan & puspita sari semantic review on the reformulation as the form of clarification in appositional constructions 208 intended point is not my life but [my] legs. in fact, the lost thing is not my life but of small and supporting of my life, i.e., [my] legs. despite the fact that the anchor legs and the reformulation appositive not my life do not have coreference, the appositive is able to give emphasis through negative reformulation that there is something more important and valuable than [my] legs, that is my life. simplified expression the last sample of the reformulation is the following sentence (10). this sample (10) contains two appositives of reformulation using the conjunction and. the two appositives are in the form of the expression of simplification. (10) three days ago, they administered a 570-cc pouch of melphalan, a high-dose chemotherapy that kills everything in my bone marrow, and zofran, a drug to combat the constant nausea. the anchors a 570-cc pouch of melphalan, and zofran become the referents of the contents of the appositives in the form of reformulation that explain the anchors in a simpler way, and in such a way that can possibly make it easier (for readers) to understand. therefore, the two (the anchors and the appositives) have coreference in the form of the simpler formulation of explanation compared with the contents of the anchor a 570-cc pouch of melphalan, and zofran as the chemotherapy medicines. to demonstrate that the reformulation appositives and the anchors have semantic equivalences can be done through inserting a linguistic marker in simpler words between the anchors and the appositives as seen in (10a), and through independently-extracting the anchors and the appositive from the contexts as shown in (10b). (10a) three days ago, they administered a 570cc pouch of melphalan, (in simpler words) a high-dose chemotherapy that kills everything in my bone marrow, and zofran, (in simpler words) a drug to combat the constant nausea. (10b) a 570-cc pouch of melphalan is a highdose chemotherapy that kills everything in my bone marrow, and zofran is a drug to combat the constant nausea. the two anchors in (10a) a 570-cc pouch of melphalan, and zofran become the references of the contents of reformulation appositives providing simpler clarifications which are potentially easier to understand. conclusion the results of this research indicates that 1) the forms of clarification provided by reformulation as a semantic equivalence cover: a) metaphorical expression, b) factual knowledge, c) expression of revision, d) simplified expression, e) short forms (acronyms), f) emphasis through negative reformulation, and g) equivalence in other language, and 2) not all reformulations have coreferences, and those which have no coreferences are the ones that have part-fromwhole relations. on top of that, all of the clarification forms are given to make the anchor more comprehensible. acknowledgment researchers thank center for research and community service of widyatama university for facilitating this study. references alipour, m. (2019). a corpus-based study of reformulation markers: the case of native versus non-native research articles. ethical lingua: journal of language teaching and literature, 6(2), 129-148. alsayed, f. k. (2019). the effects of semantics in the language development of english as a foreign language (efl) learners. international journal of learning and development, 9(4), 138-153. al-sulaimaa, m. m. d., & khoshaba, l. m. (2018). context as a basis for understanding pragmatic ambiguity with reference to arabic. international journal of english literature and social sciences (ijels), 3(5), 768-775. alwasilah, a. w., & mahdi, s. (2020). syntactic and semantic analysis on nadia murad’s nobel lecture. linguistik: jurnal bahasa & sastra, 5(1), 80-88. chotimah, y., mujiyanto, j., & hartono, r. (2022). newmark’s translation techniques and degree semantic equivalence of figurative language in five feet apart novel. english education journal, 12(2), 215-224. creswell, j. w. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative & mixed methods approach. sage publications, inc. fajrah, n. y. (2018). improving students’ vocabulary through semantic field of eighth year students of smp negeri 9 parepare [unpublished thesis]. iain parepare. feist, j. (2022). significance in language. routledge. florea, s. (2019). reformulation markers in doctoral research. bucureşti, 66(4), 345-361. goodwin, c. (2018). co-operative action. cambridge university press. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 209 gunawan, h. (2020). multiappositives as the bonus information for their anchor. palarch’s journal of archaeology of egypt / egyptology, 17(10), 3278-3289. gunawan, h. (2021). semantic equivalence in english appositives. unika atma jaya, 19, 167-172. gunawan, h., & sari, p. (2019). sense relations in restrictive appositives. universal journal of educational research 7(4a), 27-34. hasanah, u., hartanto, b. p., yulianti, m., & faruqi, s. h. (2020). synonym measurement through semantic similarity using the soc-pmi method. telematika, 13(1), 1-10. haverkamp, n., & hoeltje, m. (2021). semantic theories, linguistic essences, and knowledge of meaning. synthese, 199(2021), 14459–14490 jiménez, s. s. (2022). measuring reformulation through eye-tracking: the role of reformulation markers inestablishing reformulation, an experimental approach. círculo de lingüística aplicada a la comunicación, 91, 205-218. johnson, j. g. (2019). reformulation and its markers: a study of classification, semantic relation, and function [unpublished thesis]. the university of georgia. lavinson, s. c. (1983). pragmatics. cambridge university press. kroll, m., & rysling, a. (2019). the search for truth: appositives weigh in. proceedings of salt, 29, 1-21. kunitz, s., & majlesi, a. r. (2022). multimodal gestalts in reformulating practices in language cafés. social interaction: video-based studies of human sociality, 5(1), 1-28 majlesi, a. r. (2018). instructed vision: navigating grammatical rules by using landmarks for linguistic structures in corrective feedback sequences. the modern language journal, 102, (supplement 2018), 11–29. meurant, l., sinte, a., gabarró-lópez, s. (2022). a multimodal approach to reformulation: contrastive study of french and french belgian sign language through the productions of speakers, signers and interpreters. languages in contrast, 22(2), 322–360. mutiara, r. (2019). modification of english complex noun phrases: a case study of native and nonnative writers. english studies on translation, culture, literature, and linguistics, 2(1), 17-29. nadal, l. (2020). lingüística experimental y contraargumentación: un estudio sobre el conector “sin embargo” del español. peter lang. octaberlina, l. r., anggarini, i. f., negeri, i., malik, m., & malang, i. (2020). teaching vocabulary through picture cards in islamic elementary school a case study in nida suksa school, thailand. madrasah: jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran dasar, 13(1), 26–38. sagala, r. w., & rezeki, t. i. (2018). code switching in the english department proposal seminar. budapest international and critics in linguistics and education (birle) journal, 1(1),11-14. sahyoni. (2018). corrective feedback and classroom interaction at sma 1 payakumbuh sumatera barat. jurnal ta’dib, 21(1), 9-20. šinkūnienė, j. (2019). reformulation markers in academic discourse: a cross-linguistic and cross-disciplinary study. jezikolovje, 20(3), 531553. tsedryk, a. (2019). reformulation in l2: a new assessment and development instrument for lexical competence at an advanced level. in a. tsedryk & c. doe (eds.), the description, measurement and pedagogy of words (pp.253289). cambridge scholars publishing. wongkittiporn, a. (2022). syntactic structures and semantic classes of appositive noun phrases in fashion texts, english applied linguistics articles, and novels. vacana school of liberal arts mae fah luang university, 10(2), 111-131. zhang, s., wang, m-c., & balog, k. (2022). analyzing and simulating user utterance reformulation in conversational recommender systems. in proceedings of the 45th international acm sigir conference on research and development in information retrieval (sigir ’22) (1-11). association for computing machinery. hero gunawan & puspita sari semantic review on the reformulation as the form of clarification in appositional constructions 210 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 203 junior high school english teachers’ planning on merdeka curriculum helmia latifa master of english education department universitas muhammadiyah surakarta, indonesia email: helmia2000@gmail.com koesoemo ratih master of english education department universitas muhammadiyah surakarta, indonesia email: kr263@ums.ac.id maryadi master of english education department universitas muhammadiyah surakarta, indonesia email: mar243@ums.ac.id apa scitation: latifa, h., ratih, k., & maryadi. (2024). junior high school english teachers’ planning on merdeka curriculum. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 203-212. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.8832 received: 29-10-2023 accepted: 22-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction the curriculum is the guideline in education. many changes have taken place in educational programs around the world. one of them is in indonesia. the school curriculum in indonesia has experienced multiple revisions. in the previous year, indonesia implemented curriculum 13. a few years later, the government replaced curriculum 13 with merdeka curriculum. this curriculum change occurs during the covid-19 pandemic. indonesian education is replacing online learning with offline learning. since covid-19 passed, the government has changed the curriculum in schools. these changes have caused confusion among teachers in implementing merdeka curriculum at all levels, in which specialist teachers are put to work in areas that require special expertise. as a professional educator, a teacher's primary mission is to educate, train, lead, guide, and evaluate students to plan the upcoming generation will confront the fresh obstacles of the 21st century. (e w abbas et al., 2021). merdeka learning is defined as a program of study that provides opportunities for students to relax, learn without stress, have fun without stress, and focus on their natural talents. the essence of merdeka learning is the freedom to think creatively. the role of the teacher as the central agent should be to take steps to provide something positive to the students (ainia, 2020). the results of the learning philosophy are reflected in the reorganization of the country's education system. we welcome the changes and development of the country as it adjusts to the changing times (yamin & syahrir, 2020). there are changes in learning in this merdeka curriculum. these changes are indirectly felt by the teacher. teachers experience changes in learning in schools. starting from school programs, learning processes, learning materials, and others. in fact, many teachers have not implemented these curriculum changes. this is because teachers feel they do not have sufficient abstract: the purpose of this study was to determine teachers’ planning for implementing merdeka curriculum in teaching english. this research is phenomenological research. researchers used observation, interviews, and documentation to obtain data. the research data are statements from english teachers, principal, and deputy principals in the field of curriculum, pictures from observations, and documentation. the results of this study showed that the teacher made four plannings` for the implementation of merdeka curriculum. these plannings are assessment, teaching device, flow of learning objectives, and teaching modules. therefore, these plannings are carried out by the teachers so that the implementation of merdeka curriculum in learning english is successful. school needs to develop professionalism for teachers to increase understanding of merdeka curriculum, especially in english language learning. keywords: merdeka curriculum; planning; teaching english. mailto:helmia2000@gmail.com helmia latifa, koesoemo ratih, & maryadi junior high school english teachers’ planning on merdeka curriculum 204 experience using learning tools in the teaching and the learning process in the merdeka curriculum is an important aspect to consider. this is essentially a form of planning and professionalism training for teachers through experience to renew their quality and professional abilities (rahayu, 2018). apart from that, this has affects the learning conducted by teachers in the classroom. english learning consists of many materials and is a new subject for some students. this makes the teacher feel the difference. so, teachers should carefully strategize the execution of the merdeka curriculum with utmost precision. so that learning runs smoothly and in accordance with government decisions. the 21st century is a time when the application and utilization of information technology were almost fully used during the covid-19 pandemic, namely the implementation of all activities online. as a result, many changes occurred in various fields. one of them is education (ersis warmansyah abbas et al., 2021). with these changes, schools that use merdeka curriculum must plan various kinds of plannings for the implementation of merdeka curriculum in teaching and learning. the plannings were carried out by the principal, assistance director of curriculum, and teachers. the plannings made in planning for learning are assessment, teaching devices, the learning goal flow, and teaching modules. assessment in learning is a main activity to monitor students' abilities in learning. teaching devices are employed to provide direction in the process of teaching and learning, ensuring that teaching and learning can progress according to a predetermined learning plan. in changing the curriculum, the government has prepared regulations or decisions regarding the merdeka curriculum. the merdeka curriculum has been addressed by the government through the issuance of the minister of education and culture's decree. this decision serves as a guide for schools and teachers in planning the use of the merdeka curriculum in the schools. in this decision there are several points belonging to the merdeka curriculum. one of the tasks involves strategizing the execution of the merdeka curriculum. there are multiple options available that have the potential to be carried out by teachers, including assessment, teaching modules, learning goal flow, teaching devices. with a decision regarding the merdeka curriculum, teachers can plan according to that decision. many previous research explained the implementation of the merdeka curriculum. previous research from (nugraheny et al., 2023) who found that learning planning in merdeka curriculum used teaching modules, project system, and diagnostic assessment. another research from (muhafid & retnawati, 2022) that explains implementing merdeka curriculum, the teachers’ planning are teaching devices and teaching modules. previous studies on merdeka curriculum have been conducted. these studies investigate the application of the merdeka curriculum, merdeka curriculum successfully implemented in schools (rosadi & andriyani, 2020; rokhyani, 2022; aranggere, 2022; usman et al., 2022; jannah et al., 2022; yaelasari et al., 2022; aprima & sari, 2022; sumarsi et al., 2022; maghfiroh & sholeh, 2022), merdeka curriculum cannot be implemented in schools (jatmiko & putra, 2022; arifa, 2022; angga et al., 2022; khusni et al., 2022; susilowati, 2022; hutabarat et al., 2022), differences and similarities between merdeka curriculum and curriculum 13 (nugroho & narawaty, 2022; rohimajaya et al., 2022; astini, 2022). teachers’ planning (juliani, 2022; muhafid & retnawati, 2023; nugraheny et al., 2023). all these research problems are related to merdeka curriculum. there are several changes to merdeka program, one of which is related to implementation in learning. the implementation being referred to is the instructional process or the sequence of learning activities conducted by the instructor within the classroom. in the event of a curriculum change, it is necessary to make plans for the implementation of the merdeka curriculum. this occurred due to the implementation of the merdeka curriculum being distinct from previous methods. even though there has been a lot of research regarding the merdeka curriculum, researcher can provide valuable insights on its implementation and preparation. there is still a need to research how english teachers plan for merdeka curriculum. the novelty and difference in this research are in the participants and the theory. many studies have participants who are elementary school teachers and non-english teachers. this study examines the strategic planning of english teachers in junior high schools who are implementing the merdeka curriculum, following the guidelines provided by the permendikbudristek. thus, the objective of this study is to elucidate the process of adopting the merdeka curriculum in english language instruction. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 205 method this research is qualitative. the design of this research is phenomenological. researchers used phenomenology as an approach to exploring qualitative data. the objective of this research is to analyze the fundamental nature or organization of human consciousness experiences (tuffour, 2017). phenomenology is also defined as a view of thinking that emphasizes the focus on human experiences and subjective stories and interpretations of activities in the world (moleong, 2007). qualitative methods are research that has the aim of understanding what phenomena are research subjects often encounter a wide range of factors, such as behavior, perception, motivation, behaviors, and more, from a holistic perspective. typically, qualitative methods involve using words and language to describe things in a natural setting, using natural techniques. (moleong, 2004). this research uses qualitative methods as the researcher's explanation for studying teacher planning in implementing the merdeka curriculum into english language education. this qualitative method produces descriptive data that can be presented in more detail. one of the uses of qualitative research is by researchers who want to carry out research on everything in terms of the process. phenomenological studies were used in conducting this research. the researcher's motivation stems from a genuine curiosity to delve deeper into the experiences reported by key informants. qualitative research methods do not depend on evidence derived from mathematical logic, numerical concepts, or statistical approaches. qualitative research aims to preserve the form and content of human behavior while assessing its qualities; some experts even convert it into qualitative entities (mulyana, 2003). the participants are one principal, one head of curriculum, and two english teachers. they were selected through purposive sampling. purposive sampling involves selecting samples based on certain criteria in order to meet desired objectives and identify the appropriate sample size. (sugiyono, 2018). purposive sampling also means that the researcher selects individuals and places to research because they can certainly provide a comprehensive analysis of the research challenge and the phenomenon being studied. (creswell, 2015). researchers used observation, interviews, and documentation. observations were carried out in class 7. in their observations, researchers examined the teachers’ plan in class. researchers observe in the class to discover the strategic approach taken by the school principal, assistant director of curriculum, and english instructors in implementing the merdeka curriculum. in interview, researchers used semistructured interview to find out the planning for implementing merdeka curriculum carried out by principal, assistant director of curriculum, and english teachers. there are eight question points in interview. the interview was conducted for 15–30 minutes. the researchers recorded all conversations during the interview. researchers review the document related to teachers’ plan of merdeka curriculum. document review is a valuable method for gathering information about instructors' strategies for implementing the merdeka curriculum. the documentations are teaching materials, semester program, annual program, and teaching modules used by teachers in learning. researchers looked at the teaching materials and promissory notes used in accordance with classroom learning. in this research, researchers used phenomenological analysis techniques. phenomenological analysis is an approach to qualitative data analysis that aims to understand individuals' subjective experiences in dealing with certain phenomena or events. in this technique, qualitative data is collected through interviews, observation, and documentation to identify elements of individual experiences and associated meanings. so, the researcher carried out observations, interviews, and documentation to collect data, then carried out analysis using phenomenological analysis to identify teacher planning to effectively utilize the merdeka curriculum in english language instruction. results and discussion teachers’ planning of merdeka curriculum in english language instruction. teachers’ plannings include assessment, teaching device, learning goal flow, and teaching modules. assessment first, teacher must understand assessment. the assessments used by english teachers are summative and formative assessments. the techniques used to evaluate written examinations, oral tests, and assignments. assessment can be done daily, weekly, or semesterly. assessment can also be done orally and in writing. the following was figure evidence from the assessment helmia latifa, koesoemo ratih, & maryadi junior high school english teachers’ planning on merdeka curriculum 206 figure 1. assessment the picture above is an example of an assignment given by the teacher to students. the questions are derived from the content that the teacher has covered during class. in these questions, students are asked to fill in the blank space in the middle of the sentence. students choose answers from the command sentences above the questions. from the picture above, the teacher uses the essay question technique for summative and formative assessments. figure 2. diagnostic cognitive assessment the picture above is figure evidence of diagnostic cognitive assessment given by the teacher to students. the questions are derived from the content that the teacher has covered during class. in these questions, students are asked to fill in the blank space in the middle of the sentence and answer the questions. students choose answers from the command sentences above the questions. from the picture above, the teacher uses the essay question technique for summative and formative assessments. “i evaluate it based on the value of daily assignments, daily tests, uts, and uas. the way to judge it, for example in the daily, when i will finally give you feedback. later, in uas and uts, i will give separate points to assess the final average to enter the report card. i use rubric like that, which is from 0 to 100. my holistic rubric uses a holistic rubric. compared to another rubric, this one is clearer and easier to implement.” (teacher 1) the same statement was also conveyed by teacher 2. teacher 2 said that he evaluates students with daily tests, midterm tests, and final semester tests. one might observe and gather insights from the observations and interviews conducted by the researcher. when observing, the researcher found that teacher 2 did an evaluation with daily tests and a question-and-answer session at the end of the lesson. “the first is the daily formative evaluation. so, after i convey it, i will give you an assignment as an evaluation. in fact, evaluation is a form of the teacher's lack of trust in students. so, these children. then there is also the middle of the semester, and then there is also the end of the semester. the form of the questions is usually formative, mostly essay or oral. oral is more contextual and real. so, if students cannot do it, it really cannot be done. but for mid test, there are mostly multiple-choice questions and essays. this is at the end of the semester, usually an essay with multiple choices too.” (teacher 2) so, from the data above, what are understood by the teachers in the assessments are formative assessment, summative assessment, and diagnostic assessment. teaching device second, the teachers explained that the planning of teaching device in merdeka curriculum was quite good, the teacher had planned carefully and well. principal said that the planning through mgmp activities at the district level and working group level. apart from that, teachers also have merdeka pnm training. “since the beginning, we have had several ways to provide readiness to teachers regarding atp, teaching modules. the first is that we facilitate teachers’ development of all these tools through mgmp activities at the district level and working group level. second is in pmm in merdeka training, teachers can download it in full there.” (principal) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 207 the same statement from assistance director of curriculum about planning teaching device. she said that planning of teaching device has been carried out by the teacher with the mgmp. “in the workshop, we gave an example, in fact, we gave an example from the centre. there was an example of how to make this teaching module. merdeka curriculum already has an example of a teaching model. the beginning of the year we started to make it even though we did not include all the material. we learn to make one or two lessons, and we do all of that together in a maple group at school. it is called mgmp.” (principal) besides that, there were plannings from english teachers. planning of teaching modules by english teachers. the plannings made by the english teachers included participating in mgmp activities, searching for information on the internet, and asking teachers from fellow study programs. the plannings made by the english teachers are also proven by the evidence of the teaching module that they have made. the following was table of teaching module that has been created by the english teacher. figure 3. example of teaching module the table above is a teaching module made by english teachers are currently in the process of planning how to effectively apply the merdeka curriculum into their english teaching. the teaching modules made by the teachers are in accordance with the guidelines or criteria for merdeka curriculum teaching module. so, based on the teaching module, which aligns with the criteria, the learning in class is according to plan. the teaching module is made as a guide in the pursuit of each class meeting. so that teachers know what they must do in class. besides figure evidence, there are evidence from teacher 1 and teacher 2’s statement. the following was statement from teacher 1 and teacher 2 regarding the planning of teaching module used in merdeka curriculum. ‘’the teaching modules are already ready. for prota, promes and atp are also ready and made with various reference sources, so it can be from the internet, friends, another teacher. yes, it has been planned since the beginning of learning. to understand this merdeka curriculum, i joined the english mgmp in the regency so the english teachers would gather.’’ (teacher 1) ‘’if you say it is different, it is different, especially the term earlier, for example, before there was such a thing as ki kd now atp, then if the previous rpp was determined like that, now we decide it ourselves, we just decide it ourselves. so, you are more flexible and more flexible. yesterday at the beginning of the school year we and our friends could mgmp formulate which was the material for the first semester and which was for the second semester.’’ (teacher 2) furthermore, they also planning books that are used for learning. they said that they used the book bright an english in their lessons. figure 4. bright an english for grade vii the fgure above is a figure of the bright an english package used by teacher 1 and teacher 2 in delivering english material to students in merdeka curriculum. ‘’i am looking for books in bright an english. i am also looking for references from other sources or websites on the internet.’’ (teacher 1). ‘’i usually use books that are recommended from the ministry, if this is the one from the ministry, it is called english for nusantara, so there is another one, what do i forget, then one of them is bright, so out of all of them, they were not all available, so in the end, i just took that.’’ (teacher 2). from the data above, it can be concluded that the principal, assistance director of curriculum, and english teachers planned to develop teaching modules and teaching materials. the teaching helmia latifa, koesoemo ratih, & maryadi junior high school english teachers’ planning on merdeka curriculum 208 materials used are bright an english books. learning goal flow third planning involved the careful analysis of the learning goal flow. the teachers provided an explanation regarding learning goal flow in the merdeka curriculum was quite good, the teacher had planned carefully and well. the plannings were making learning objectives, making a learning goal flow, and determining the material to be delivered. followed by a statement from the principal about how the teacher was planning in planning learning outcomes in merdeka curriculum. teachers making learning objectives, making a learning goal flow, determining the material through mgmp activities at the district level and working group level. apart from that, teachers also have merdeka pmm training that can be done by every teacher. ‘’since the beginning, we have had several ways to provide readiness to teachers regarding atp, teaching modules. the first is that we facilitate teachers’ development of all these tools through mgmp activities at the district level and working group level. second, pnm in independent training teachers can download it completely there.’’ (principal) the same statement assistance director of curriculum about learning outcome. she said that the planning of learning goal flow was carried out in workshops with maple teachers. in addition, there is also an mgmp for all teachers for each subject. this means that the planning of learning outcomes in merdeka curriculum has been carried out by all teachers. ‘’in the workshop, we gave an example. merdeka curriculum already has an example of a teaching model. we have been given an example, so at the beginning of the year we started to make it even though we did not include all the material. we learn to make one or two lessons, and we do all of that together in mgmp.’’ (assistance director of curriculum) on the other hand, there are planning of learning goal flow by english teachers. the plannings made by the english teachers included participating in mgmp activities, searching for information on the internet, and asking teachers from fellow study programs. the plannings made by the english teachers are also proven by the evidence of the schema learning objective that they have made. the following was table evidence of schema learning objective that have been made by the english teacher. figure 5. example of learning goal flow the figure above was a learning goal flow made by an english teacher in preparation to successfully apply the merdeka curriculum in teaching english. the learning goal flow made by the teacher are in accordance with the guidelines or criteria for merdeka curriculum schema learning objective. so, from the learning goal flow that is in accordance with guidelines, the learning in class is according to plan. the learning goal flow is made as a guide in the pursuit of each class meeting. so that teachers know what they must do in class. besides documentation, there were evidence from teacher 1 and teacher 2’s statement. the teaching modules are already ready. for prota, promes and atp are also ready and made with various reference sources. to understand this merdeka curriculum or what was the start of this merdeka curriculum like? initially, i joined the english mgmp in the regency.’’ (teacher 1) ‘’if you say it is different, it is different, especially the term earlier, for example, before there was such a thing as ki kd now atp, then if the previous rpp was determined like that, now we decide it ourselves, we just decide it ourselves, so in the past the term already had points, now we decide for yourself so you are more flexible and more flexible.’’ (teacher 2) from the data above, the teacher has analyzed the making a learning goal flow. teaching module fourth, the teachers explained that the planning of teaching module in merdeka curriculum was quite english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 209 good, the teacher had planned carefully and well. principal said that the planning through mgmp activities at the district level and working group level. apart from that, teachers also have merdeka pnm training. ‘’since the beginning, we have had several ways to provide readiness to teachers regarding atp, teaching modules. the first is that we facilitate teachers’ development of all these tools through mgmp activities at the district level and working group level. the second is in pmm in independent training, ladies and gentlemen, teachers can download it in full there.’’ (principal) the same statement from assistance director of curriculum about planning teaching module. she said that planning of teaching device has been carried out by the teacher with the mgmp. ‘’in the workshop, we gave an example, in fact, we gave an example from the centre. there was an example of how to make this teaching module. merdeka curriculum already has an example of a teaching model. we have been given an example, so at the beginning of the year we started to make it even though we did not include all the material. we learn to make one or two lessons, and we do all of that together in a maple group at school. it is called mgmp.’’ (assistance director of curriculum) besides that, there were plannings from english teachers. planning of teaching modules by english teachers. the plannings made by the english teachers included participating in mgmp activities, searching for information on the internet, and asking teachers from fellow study programs. the plannings made by the english teacher are also proven by the evidence of the teaching module that they have made. here are some examples of teaching modules that have been created by the english teacher. figure 6. example of teaching module the figure above is a teaching module made by english teachers are tasked with planning for the implementation of the merdeka curriculum in their english instruction. the teaching modules made by the teachers are in accordance with the guidelines or criteria for merdeka curriculum teaching module. so, based on the teaching module, which aligns with the criteria, the learning in class is according to plan. the teaching module is made as a guide in the pursuit of each class meeting. so that teachers know what they must do in class. ‘’the teaching modules are already ready. for prota, promes and atp are also ready and made with various reference sources, so it can be from the internet, friends, another subject. yes, it has been planned since the beginning of learning to understand this merdeka curriculum or what was the start of this merdeka curriculum like? initially, i joined the english mgmp in the regency so the english teachers would gather. so, i was taught about merdeka curriculum.’’ (teacher 1) the english teacher 2 explained about the planning of teaching modules in merdeka curriculum as follows. if you say it is different, it is different, especially the term earlier, for example, before there was such a thing as ki kd now atp, then if the previous rpp was determined like that, now we decide it ourselves, we just decide it ourselves, so in the past the term already had points, now we decide for yourself so you are more flexible (teacher 2). in implementing merdeka curriculum, teachers must plan assessment, teaching devices, learning goal flow, teaching modules. this finding is related to permendikbudristek nomor 262/m/2022 point iii.b. in the permendikbudristek, it is explained about the planning and implementation of learning regarding the planning for the actualization of the merdeka curriculum. there are six planning, but in the results, there are only four planning, namely planning in terms of assessment, teaching devices, learning goal flow, teaching modules. recently, nugraheny et al., (2023) found that learning planning in merdeka curriculum used teaching modules, project system, and diagnostic assessment. the teachers outline three strategies employed in designing the actualization of the merdeka curriculum. in other study from muhafid & retnawati (2023) found that in implementing merdeka curriculum, the teachers’ planning are teaching devices and teaching modules. they explain that there are two plans in planning the implementation of merdeka curriculum. helmia latifa, koesoemo ratih, & maryadi junior high school english teachers’ planning on merdeka curriculum 210 based on finding the teachers use formative and summative assessments. however, in permendikbudristek number 262/m/2022 point ii.b number 1 explained about assessment, there is a diagnostic assessment before learning. based on the above, the teacher has not implemented merdeka curriculum fully, as indicated by the teacher not having carried out a diagnostic assessment. in other study from alimuddin (2023) who found that teachers use diagnostic assessment in teaching and learning. diagnostic assessment uses previous values as a reference for further learning. in this research, teachers used formative and summative assessment. for teacher, teachers’ plan in implementing merdeka curriculum, teachers can take part in workshops, online and offline training so that the preparation made by the teacher is good. for school administrator can provide facilities such as media, books for implementing independent curriculum. for policy makers prepare all aspects that support the introduction of the new curriculum, known as the merdeka curriculum, has been put into effect. the inclusion of a merdeka curriculum in the formulation and implementation of education policy by teachers and the government is highly beneficial for achieving success in the classroom. when it comes to preparing the implementation of the merdeka curriculum, it is important to acknowledge that instructors and schools may encounter some problems. teachers or schools can pursue innovative planning strategies, the application of technology in teaching, or new approaches to teacher training and professional development. so that planning in implementing merdeka curriculum can be optimal or satisfactory. conclusion teachers’ plannings include assessment, teaching devices, learning goal flow, teaching modules. first assessment, teachers use formative assessment, summative assessment, and diagnostic assessment. second teaching devices, teachers develop teaching module, teaching material. third learning goal flow, teachers develop learning objectives, develop a learning goal flow, determine the material to be delivered. fourth teaching modules, teachers develop teaching modules presented to students. teachers are expected to improve their ability to plan for the merdeka curriculum learning. in addition, this research might serve as a valuable resource for earlier studies on the implementation of the merdeka curriculum. there are certain limitations to this research. firstly, the number of schools selected. researchers only chose one school in central java. many studies use elementary school teachers and non-english language teachers as data sources, while research that uses english teachers as data sources is rare. therefore, the researcher hopes that future researchers can choose more school levels and teachers in future research. so that we can compare teacher planning in implementing merdeka curriculum at each school and teacher level. references abbas, e. w., jumriani, & mutiani. (2021). banua anyar culinary tourism area : study of economic activities as a learning resource on social studies. iop conference series : earth and environmental science. https://doi.org/10.1088/17551315/747/1/012019 abbas, ersis warmansyah, jumriani, j., handy, m. r. n., syaharuddin, s., & izmi, n. (2021). actualization of religious values through religious tourism on the river as a source of social studies learning. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 13(3), 1663–1669. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v13i3.1013 ainia, d. k. (2020). merdeka belajar dalam pandangan ki hadjar dewantara dan relevansinya bagi pengembangan pendidikan karakter. jurnal filsafat indonesia, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.23887/jfi.v3i3.24525 alimuddin, j. (2023). implementasi kurikulum merdeka di sekolah dasar implementation of kurikulum merdeka in elementary school. jurnal ilmiah kontekstual, 4(02), 67–75. angga, suryana, c., nurwahidah, i., hernawan, a. h., & prihantini. (2022). komparasi implementasi kurikulum 2013 dan kurikulum merdeka di sekolah dasar. jurnal basicedu, 5(5), 5879– 5889. http://dx.doi.org/10.31004/basicedu.v6i4.3149 aprima, d., & sari, s. (2022). analisis penerapan pembelajaran berdiferensiasi dalam implementasi kurikulum merdeka pada pelajaran matematika sd. cendikia : media jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 13(1), 95–101. https://doi.org/10.35335/cendikia.v13i1.2960 aranggere, w. s. (2022). implementasi program merdeka belajar pada pembelajaran aqidah akhlak dalam mengembangkan kreativitas peserta didik di mts hidayatul mubtadiin tasikmadu malang. repository unisma. http://riset.unisma.ac.id/index.php/fai/article/do wnload/17108/12871 arifa, f. n. (2022). implementasi kurikulum merdeka belajar kampus merdeka pasca pandemi. jurnal basicedu, 14(4), 5863–5873. https://doi.org/10.31004/edukatif.v4i4.3531 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 211 astini, n. k. s. (2022). tantangan implementasi merdeka belajar pada era new normal covid-19 dan era society 5.0. lampuhyang, 13(1), 164– 180. https://doi.org/10.47730/jurnallampuhyang.v13i 1.298 creswell, j. w. (2015). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. new york: pearson. hutabarat, h., elindra, r., harahap, m. s., pendidikan, f., dan, m., & pengetahuan, i. (2022). analisis penerapan kurikulum merdeka belajar di sma negeri sekota padangsidimpuan. jurnal mathedu (mathematic education journal), 5(3), 58–69. https://doi.org/10.47730/jurnallampuhyang.v13i 1.298 jannah, f., irtifa, t., & fatimattus az zahra, p. (2022). problematika penerapan kurikulum merdeka belajar 2022. al yazidiy: ilmu sosial, humaniora, dan pendidikan, 4(2), 55–65. https://doi.org/10.47730/jurnallampuhyang.v13i 1.298 jatmiko, h. t. p., & putra, r. s. (2022). refleksi diri guru bahasa indonesia dalam pembelajaran berdiferensiasi di sekolah penggerak. lingua franca:jurnal bahasa, sastra, dan pengajarannya, 6(2), 224. https://doi.org/10.30651/lf.v6i2.14701 juliani, d. d. (2022). english teachers’ preparations toward merdeka belajar curriculum of sekolah penggerak in palembang. repository unsri. http://repository.unsri.ac.id/id/eprint/84206 khusni, m. f., munadi, m., & matin, a. (2022). implementasi kurikulum merdeka belajar di min 1 wonosobo. jurnal kependidikan islam, 12(2020), 60–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2018.02.006 maghfiroh, n., & sholeh, m. (2022). implementasi kurikulum merdeka belajar kampus merdeka dalam menghadapi era disrupsi dan era society 5.0. jurnal inspirasi manajemen pendidikan, 09(05), 1185–1196. https://ejournal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/inspirasimanajemen-pendidikan/article/view/44137 moleong, l. j. (2004). metodologi penelitian kualitatif. remaja rosdakarya. moleong, l. j. (2007). metodologi penelitian kualitatif. remaja rosdakarya. muhafid, e. a., & retnawati, h. (2022). persiapan guru sd untuk menerapkan kurikulum merdeka tahun 2022: sebuah studi fenomenologi. cermin: jurnal penelitian, 6(2), 637. https://doi.org/10.36841/cermin_unars.v6i2.256 6 mulyana, d. (2003). metodologi penelitian kualitatif. remaja rosdakarya. nugraheny, d. c., syukrilah, z., haliza, f., & zahroh, f. (2023). kurikulum merdeka di sekolah menengah pertama. pusaka: journal of educational review, 1, 1–11. nugroho, t., & narawaty, d. (2022). kurikulum 2013 , kurikulum darurat ( 2020-2021 ), dan kurikulum prototipe atau kurikulum merdeka ( 2022 ) mata pelajaran bahasa inggris : suatu kajian bandingan. sinastra, 1(1), 373–382. https://proceeding.unindra.ac.id/index.php/sinas tra/article/viewfile/6099/1673 %0a%0a rahayu, r. s. (2018). studi literatur : peranan bahasa iggris untuk tujuan bisnis dan pemasaran. jurnal pemasaran kompetitif, 1(4), 149–158. https://doi.org/10.32493/jpkpk.v1i3.1148 rohimajaya, n. a., hartono, r., yuliasri, i., & fitriati, w. (2022). kurikulum 2013 dan kurikulum merdeka dalam perkembangan bahasa inggris untuk sma di era digital: sebuah analisis konten. prosiding seminar nasional pascasarjana, 825–829. https://proceeding.unnes.ac.id/index.php/snpasc a/article/view/1570 rokhyani, e. (2022). penguatan praksis bimbingan konseling dalam implementasi kebijakan merdeka belajar. prosiding seminar & lokakarya nasional bimbingan dan konseling, 26–38. https://doi.org/10.1234/pdabkin.v3i1.130 rosadi, h. y., & andriyani, d. f. (2020). tantangan menjadi guru bk dengan kurikulum merdeka belajar di masa pandemi covid-19. prosiding konferensi ilmiah mahasiswa unissula (kimu) 4, 1(69), 5–24. http://jurnal.unissula.ac.id/index.php/kimuhum/ article/view/13011 sugiyono. (2018). metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, r&d. alfabeta. sumarsi, i., marliyani, t., hadiyansah, y., hernawan, a. h., & prihantini. (2022). analisis implementasi kurikulum merdeka belajar di sekolah penggerak. jurnal basicedu, 6(5), 8248– 8258. https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/444 639-none-ee780f83.pdf susilowati, e. (2022). implementasi kurikulum merdeka belajar dalam pembentukan karakter siswa pada mata pelajaran pendidikan agama islam. al miskawaih: journal of science education, i, 115–132. https://doi.org/10.56436/mijose.v1i1.85 tuffour, i. (2017). a critical overview of interpretative phenomenological analysis: a contemporary qualitative research approach. journal of healthcare communications, 02(04), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.4172/2472-1654.100093 usman, lestari, l. d., rahmah, r. a., handayani, p., yuliasari, a., lukmansyah, u., aliyah, h. s., hartati, t., & widiya, y. (2022). proses pembelajaran biologi dalam pelaksanaan kurikulum merdeka di sman 7 tangerang. jurnal inovasi pendidikan dan sains, 3(2), 1– 23. https://doi.org/10.51673/jips.v3i2.1044 helmia latifa, koesoemo ratih, & maryadi junior high school english teachers’ planning on merdeka curriculum 212 yaelasari, m., astuti, v. y., & indraprasta, u. (2022). implementasi kurikulum merdeka pada cara belajar siswa untuk semua mata pelajaran (studi kasus pembelajaran tatap muka di smk infokom bogor. jurnal pendidikan indonesia, 3(7), 584– 590. https://doi.org/10.36418/japendi.v3i7.1041 yamin, m., & syahrir. (2020). pembangunan pendidikan merdeka belajar. jurnal ilmiah mandala education, 6(1), 126–136. https://doi.org/10.58258/jime.v6i1.1121 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 441 need analysis of indonesian language training materials for foreign workers using the communicative method ade mulyanah badan riset dan inovasi nasional email: adem004@brin.go.id sariah badan riset dan inovasi nasional email: sari021@brin.go.id rini widiastuti badan riset dan inovasi nasional email: rini015@brin.go.id nuny sulistiany idris universitas pendidikan indonesia email: nuny@upi.edu exti budihastuti badan riset dan inovasi nasional email: exti003@brin.go.id nia kurnia badan riset dan inovasi nasional email: niak002@brin.go.id resti nurfaidah badan riset dan inovasi nasional email: rest013@brin.go.id apa citation: mulyanah, a., sariah., widiastuti, r., idris, n. s., budihastuti, e., kurnia, n., & nurfaidah, r. (2023). need analysis of indonesian language training materials for foreign workers using the communicative method. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 441-450. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7209 received: 22-02-2023 accepted: 25-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction changes in the dominance of the current world's political, economic, and social forces, directly or indirectly, have impacted various indonesian government policies. government policies on investment issues have affected various sectors and have been followed by the need for higher-quality human resources. the government's latest policy in the abstract: there is no standardization of indonesian language education and training for foreign workers (tka), resulting in no training model that suits the needs of students. therefore, this study aims to (1) describe the current condition of indonesian language training for foreign workers by the manpower office; (2) identify indonesian language training needs for foreign workers. the ministry of manpower has issued various regulations in this regard. this study uses a qualitative descriptive method through a communicative approach. the communicative approach forms the basis of the training model that will be developed because their main goal in learning indonesian is to be able to communicate in their work environment. the data collection techniques used were interviews, surveys, and literature studies. the subject of this study is data on foreign workers in the kepulauan riau province. the results of the study reveal two findings. firstly, an overview of the current condition of indonesian language training for foreign workers by the manpower office. secondly, the identification of indonesian language training needs for foreign workers . the data indicates that there is no standard training format yet. keywords: communicative; foreign workers; needs analysis. ade mulyanah, sariah, rini widiastuti, nuny sulistiany idris, exti budihastuti, nia kurnia, & resti nurfaidah need analysis of indonesian language training materials for foreign workers using the communicative method 442 global economic arena is to relax the laws related to foreign workers (fw) in indonesia than the so-called tka. before the covid-19 epidemic, more foreign workers were coming to indonesia, according to data from the ministry of manpower (2021). based on the figures, indonesia has received a record number of foreign workers.is as follows: in 2013, there were 70,120 people; in 2014, there were 73,624 people; in 2015, there were 77,149 people; in 2016, there were 80,375 people; in 2017, there were 85,974 people; in 2018, it was 95,335; in 2019, it was 109,546; in 2020, it was 93,761; and from 2021 to april, it was 91,035. the highest number of foreign workers in indonesia increased in the service industry. even though the number of foreign workers decreased during the pandemic, the number remained stable at over ninety thousand. the indonesian language problem for foreign workers is quite a problem. stakeholders in indonesian language teaching for foreign speakers, then so-called bipa, as well as those who love the indonesian language, certainly hope that indonesian becomes the language of instruction in every workplace, whether in the private sector or state-own enterprise, government companies, or foreign investment. the study supports the research in abbas (abbas, 2017). it is about the abolition of the regulation on the obligation of foreign workers to communicate in indonesian, contrary to law no. 24/2009. the law requires the use of indonesian in official communications in the work environment in indonesia: the abolition of the regulation on the obligation of foreign workers to communicate in the indonesian language as regulated in article 36 of the minister of manpower no. 16/2015 contradicts article 33 of law no. 24/2009 by using the principle of lex superior, namely higher legislation overrides lower legislation. article 7, paragraph (2) of law lower laws and regulations shall not contradict higher laws and regulations, according to number 12/2011. therefore, in this instance, law number 24/2009 nullified the minister of manpower's regulation (permenaker no. 16 tahun 2015 tentang tata cara penggunaan tenaga kerja asing [jdih bpk ri], n.d.). thus, teaching indonesian to foreign workers has become very urgent and strategic in teaching indonesian to foreign speakers (bipa). teaching bipa is important in responding to challenges and needs in society. in practice, teaching bipa has an important mission because it is related to the need for indonesian language and cultural diplomacy. on the contrary, when indonesian workers work abroad, foreign language (english) skills are needed to support their work. according to nahartini's research, a major obstacle for indonesian migrant workers (pmi) working in semi-skilled and unskilled jobs—where pmis make up the majority of the workforce—is their inadequate english proficiency. due to this, there have been many severe effects, including miscommunication between companies and migrant employees and a decrease in the preference for pmi over foreign workers. (nahartini et al., 2021). it shows that the ability to master the language in the place where we will work daily is very much needed by the workforce concerned. in reality, bipa teaching for tka still does not have standards because the standard curriculum has not yet been designed. according to greece et al., the learning series must be prepared and adjusted based on the learner's characteristics, summarized, and compiled to achieve these goals and the objectives of the expected competencies (greece et al., 2017). however, bipa teaching for foreign workers still does not have a standard because a standard curriculum has not been made. for this reason, mapping the material needs for teaching bipa for tka is very important. it is necessary to take several steps to see the needs of foreign workers regarding teaching materials, including mapping a needs analysis. needs analysis helps determine the language components that pupils need. understanding and using the target language is necessary (hull, 2019). this needs analysis is important because it can be used as a basis for curriculum development. needs analysis is a way to collect mapped student needs. it is an important thing that can be achieved in learning to improve students' abilities. ningsih et al. (ningsih et al., 2018) conducted a study on needs analysis. when creating teaching materials, analysis is important. the research uses a deductive method in the development of teaching materials. in the deductive approach, the prepared instructional materials must convey the rules: first, followed by pertinent examples, and then suitable training. concerning materials for elementary school students teaching children, the teaching materials developed must also contain interesting illustrations. it is an important finding because if the analysis of teachers, students, parents, and the school administration cannot realize the learning objectives, appropriate teaching materials will never be produced. the most important parties involved are teachers and students. teachers can conduct a needs analysis in every learning activity, directly or indirectly (darici in ilham et al., 2020). darici emphasized that the parties who have an important role in learning are students, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 443 teachers, and school management. various needs issues include personal/individual, professional, and institutional needs. therefore, the most important finding is that needs analysis with this communicative approach is critical. nadia (modul et al., 2022), in her research entitled validity of bipa learning module 1 communicative approach-based work material produced findings that bipa learning one communicative approachbased work material in the bipa class of pgri west sumatra university which was developed was categorized as valid with a percentage of 73.70%. the results of the validation of the bipa learning module by experts on four elements, namely the aspects of content viability, presentation, language and readability, and graphics, can be used to determine the validity of the bipa learning module. from the aspect of content feasibility, it is illustrated that the content of the bipa learning module developed is in line with the needs of bipa students, commensurate with the learning objectives in the cefr curriculum, is compatible with communicative approach procedures, and does not conflict with moral and social values in society. so the bipa learning module 1 work material based on the communicative approach is feasible to use in the learning process. jazeri & tulungagung (melati, 2022), in their paper on the model of speech skills with communicative speech skills for foreign students, found that 87% of learners were enthusiastic and happy because the examples of expressions and dialogues presented in the textbooks helped them to be able to speak indonesian fluently. with the learning tools developed it has a significant effect on the learning outcomes of speaking skills in international students at iain tulungagung. pangesti & wurianto (2018) conducted research entitled development of cross-cultural based bipa teaching materials through a contextualcommunicative approach. the study's findings are presented in the form of bipa teaching resources that are based on cross-cultural levels and employ a communicative-contextual approach. the indigenous malang culture is the one being used as a reference in this instance. the findings revealed that the average expert trial score was 84.2%, the average practitioner trial score was 92.2%, and the average field trial score was 95.2%. therefore, this book can be categorized as very worthy of application. arsyad, in his article entitled arabic learning methods based on communicative approaches to improve language proficiency. according to him, the communicative approach is an assumption based on the nature of language that holds the view that language is a means of communicating. as a result, rather than advancing students' linguistic knowledge, the main goal of language education is to enhance language proficiency. on the other hand, language proficiency is taught to support language knowledge. the purpose of using the method of method contained in the communicative approach is so that learners can master the language learned orally to be able to communicate with the language (arsyad, 2019). concerning this matter, needs analysis research based on a communicative approach is significant because it has a vital role in mapping needs. however, research on teaching materials in the context of foreign workers has not been widely carried out. therefore, this study aims to: (1) describe the current conditions of indonesian language training for foreign workers by the manpower office; (2) identify the need for indonesian language training for foreign workers. in teaching bipa, careful analysis is needed in mapping teaching materials because the teaching process for bipa is different from teaching indonesian to native speakers. the knowledge transfer process for bipa students certainly requires skills that various theories and research must support because this process teaches indonesian as a foreign language. teaching a language to foreign speakers is not only a standard reference but also research on needs on an individual basis in the context of delivering language in a second language. we can find much information related to a wide range of needs analysis. based on hutchinson and waters, as cited in nation & macalister (nation & macalister, 2020), needs consist of target and learning needs. they believe the information on target needs is based on "necessities, lacks, and wants" (nation & macalister, 2020). furthermore, they also divide another major division to collect the needed data. the additional concept is objective needs and subjective needs. to classify their findings, they essentially formed a pair that "lacks fit into existing knowledge, necessities fit into necessary knowledge, and wants fit into subjective needs." nation & macalister (nation & macalister, 2020) assert that a requirements analysis should focus on the goals and course material of a course. due to this, a requirements analysis must consider both the information students already possess and that which they still need to learn. a course's content is relevant and valuable to learn because of needs analysis. in connection with this, hutchinson and waters (feroudj & aissa, 2022) divide the needs of learners into three, namely necessities, lacks, and wants. needs are things that the learner must know to function effectively. weaknesses are things that the learner knows and does not know. ade mulyanah, sariah, rini widiastuti, nuny sulistiany idris, exti budihastuti, nia kurnia, & resti nurfaidah need analysis of indonesian language training materials for foreign workers using the communicative method 444 desire is the learner's needs (nation & macalister, 2020). in the communicative approach in learning indonesian for foreign speakers is intended to develop communication skills. language learning objectives include listening, reading, writing, speaking, and understanding cultural elements. it shows the interconnectedness of competencies in language teaching. djiwandono emphasized (desnaranti et al., 2019) that the communicative approach is the capacity to understand or convey what has been or needs to be expressed utilizing diverse aspects of language found in all languages. to understand existing expressions flexibly and adapt to changes that always arise, not solely based on standard conventional values. further put forward by djumingin (djumingin et al., 2022) communicative approach is the ability to function in actual communicative situations in a spontaneous transaction involving one or more people. the same thing was also stated by jufri (jufri, 2017:11), stating that the communicative approach is that one sentence form can express more than one meaning, and conversely, one meaning can be defined through more than one sentence pattern. the foundation of language learning offered by the communicative approach communication skills is developing. language instruction in schools should improve students' verbal and written communication skills. it serves a multitude of purposes to use language as a communication tool. to achieve a language teaching-learning orientation based on the task and function of communicating, it is delivered in a relevant context and not in the form of free-form sentences. a communicative method is predicated on the notion that mastering language use for communication is an essential component of language learning. as a result, communicative learning is language instruction that provides students with sufficient opportunities to improve their language and display it in both productive and receptive tasks based on real-world circumstances, not artificial situations detached from context. in teaching, there are many strategies and approaches. teachers can choose various strategies, techniques, and materials based on various approaches to achieve learning objectives. the needs of students are, of course, teachers' primary focus. however, each approach has its advantages and disadvantages. in practice, the teacher must determine the most appropriate approach in the needed context. according to kadijan et al., in 2017 teachers are advised to successfully create and employ authentic teaching tools and techniques by communicative principles that emphasize a learner-centered approach (kardijan & rafli, 2017). a communicative approach is an approach that functions as a communication tool. therefore, language teaching should be directed at using language to communicate. based on the arguments, hymes (taş & khan, 2020) suggests that in the classroom, language is used for several purposes, such as greeting, requesting, providing information, ordering, and so on, although its use is limited. many experts have given the theory of communicative language teaching. hyme (taş & khan, 2020) and chomsky proposed theories underlining clt. hyme criticized chomsky's work. according to hyme (taş & khan, 2020). he stated that language teachers should strive for communicative competence, knowledge of the language structure as well as social knowledge regarding these structures, and the ability to use the language appropriately in various contexts (taş & khan, 2020). in communicative language, all the related theories underlie what is described as clt; it can also be defined as a set of teachings about the nature of language and language learning that are fundamentally unifying but broad and theoretically well-informed. according to canale and swain (nakatsuhara et al., 2018; han, 2022), communicative competence consists of four discrete skills; grammatical competence, sociolinguistic competence, strategic competence, and discourse competence. regardless of the version of clt, nunan has famously summarized clt as being characterized by grammatical competence, sociolinguistic competence, strategic competence, and discourse competence, which are four different talents. whatever the form of clt, nunan has famously summed it up as having the following characteristics. according to brown (pradipta, 2020), the things that must be prepared by the teacher in designing learning materials using a communicative approach are as follows: (1) classroom learning objectives can focus on all communication skills components. (2) learning strategies are made to encourage pupils to use functional, expressive, authentic, and pragmatic language. (3) fluency and accuracy of language that can underlie communication techniques. (4) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 445 students must use the language both productively and receptively the communicative approach is seen as a strategy. this approach has various uses in learning. suwarsih madya's view (marta, 2020) states that this approach plays a vital role in transferring knowledge. transfer of learning is not always automatic; efforts must be made to instill potential abilities in students so that they are motivated to generalize communicative expressions of grammatical rules or narratives that they are learning from one socio-cultural situation to another equally socio-cultural situation. (1) a spiral or cyclical approach is highly recommended. (2) the starting point for preparing the curriculum for the unit of study should be the social communication functions that language students need. (3) the spiral approach is used in presenting the peaceful function of language in different socio-cultural situations. several things directly related to this concept are the background of the emergence of the communicative approach. the main characteristics of the communicative approach are related aspects and the application of the communicative approach in learning indonesian. according to ratna (muammar et al., 2018), the design of the material must place greater emphasis on the learning process than the subject matter. these are the three concepts in producing instructional materials based on a communicative approach. the material must encourage students to communicate reasonably. pity (muammar et al., 2018) reveals that communicative ability is based on the goal of conveying messages to others and conveying messages to others in an acceptable social way. that goal can be achieved through activities that take the form of communicative treatment and exercises to develop communicative abilities. language learning practices based on a communicative approach have four frameworks, namely (1) content-based language learning, (2) task-based language learning, (3) text or discourse-based language learning, and (4) competency-based language learning (madjdi et al., 2019; marta, 2020; muammar et al., 2018). texts or discourses for communication purposes have several types. they are early genres, such as labels, observational commentary, retelling, and narrative; factual genres, such as procedures, reports, explanations, arguments, expositions, persuasiveness, interviews, surveys, descriptions, biographies, retellings, and narratives; fiction genres, such as traditional and modern fiction; nonfiction genres, such as retellings, reports, procedures, explanations, persuasion, and discussions; written genres, such as descriptions, expositions, instructions, argumentations, and narratives used to generate language texts, both spoken and written language. in bipa learning, some use a contextual communicative approach to increase vocabulary with the introduction of local wisdom to build the classroom atmosphere to be fun and add insight. this communicative-contextual approach requires learners to deepen indonesian speaking skills that suit their daily needs. for this reason, there are several principles of a communicative-contextual approach, namely: the existence of communicative interaction between learners and teachers, the text used is authentic, there are efforts to learn language and language management, learning languages through daily experiences, and looking for language relationships in the classroom and outside the classroom (melati, 2022). they are referring to the theory that the author will present the results of the analysis of the needs of bipa students from thailand in three subchapters: needs, deficiencies, and desires. the author presented the needs of these students from what the students have conveyed through questionnaires and fgds. the information is then analyzed based on three divisions of student needs so that the difference between students' needs, shortcomings, and desires is clear. method this research is part of the exploratory stage of the addie model development research (molenda in pradana, 2018). addie stands for analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. the addie model was chosen because it can describe a systematic approach and instructional development (sugihartini & yudiana, 2018). figure 1. addie model the primary task at this stage is to examine the necessity of creating instructional resources that ade mulyanah, sariah, rini widiastuti, nuny sulistiany idris, exti budihastuti, nia kurnia, & resti nurfaidah need analysis of indonesian language training materials for foreign workers using the communicative method 446 support learning objectives; some of the analyses done are as follows: (1) performance analysis: in this stage, the fundamental problems encountered in learning begin to emerge. performance analysis: at this point, the core issues with learning start to surface. (2) student analysis the following factors affect student learning: 1) student learning characteristics, 2) existing student learning knowledge and abilities, 3) thinking skills or capabilities students should have for learning, and 4) ways to develop the teaching resources kids need to develop their critical-thinking skills. (3) analyzing the facts, ideas, rules, and practices in the learning materials: a method of identifying materials that are pertinent to the creation of teaching materials in learning is by analysis of materials that are related to facts, concepts, principles, and procedures. at this point, the research is completed utilizing the literature study approach. (4) analysis of learning objectives: this step is needed to identify the skills or knowledge that pupils must possess. at this stage, the focus is to know its learning objectives and achievement. consequently, this stage can serve as a guide for creating educational materials. the research population is all foreign workers in indonesia. the data collection technique used a random sampling technique. random sampling is a technique of determining samples randomly (sugiyono, 2017). this technique was chosen because the types of foreign workers who were the respondents were not chosen but were carried out randomly because they adjusted what was happening in the field. the development of the model is a model that is adapted to the needs of foreign workers in learning the indonesian language. therefore, this research is based on need analysis, the primary sample. the sample of this research is 184 people. for this requirements analysis, a few instruments are available for data collection. nation and macalister (nation & macalister, 2020) said that "questionnaires can gather information. objective needs, in-depth interviews, documentation (such as compiling exam results or textbooks and analyzing them), observation (such as following a learner throughout a normal day), informal discussions with teachers and students, and testing are some. personal requirements are determined through learner self-assessment employing lists and scales, questionnaires, and interviews. using kayl’s case study (alkhalidi, 2021) on "developing an esl curriculum based on needs and situation analysis" as an illustration, let's look at some of his methods. he observed students in an adult esl program to gather the data, administered questionnaires to students to ascertain their needs and then interviewed the teacher for the same reason. data analysis is divided into three stages: looking at students' needs, shortcomings, and desires. results and discussion this section will discuss several things: the respondent profile, student needs, and weaknesses. they are referring to the theory that the author will present the findings from the evaluation of bipa students' needsthailand in three subchapters: needs, deficiencies, and desires. as is well known, the needs of these students are known by the authors from what the students have conveyed through questionnaires and fgds. the information is then analyzed based on three divisions of student needs so that the difference between students' needs, shortcomings, and desires is clear. respondent profile based on the results of the data analysis, it can be seen that around 96% cannot speak indonesian. only 30.2% have attended indonesian language courses. country of origin about 99% comes from china. the business sector for foreign workers is in the industrial sector, around 89.1%. the party providing the course is the company. figure 1. field of work figure 2. answers to the questionnaire 2 indonesian language proficiency the survey's findings indicate that foreign workers in kepulauan riau have limited indonesian language proficiency. from the data, it was found that around 92.3% could not speak indonesian. during work activities, foreign workers communicate with their assistants. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 447 related to perception and language skills, we should socialize the understanding of bipa learning programs for foreign workers through increasing knowledge about linguistic regulations in indonesia. referring to the findings of the hypotheses about knowledge, perception, and language skills, we can use them as a reference for preparing an appropriate learning model for foreign workers. the results of research data from interviews with the district manpower office (disnaker) kepulauan riau show no standardized training format. foreign workers generally take courses privately with company funds or private funds. it seems to be the trigger for the low indonesian language skills of foreign workers in indonesia. figure 3. answers to the questionnaire 3 the study results for research subjects who have or have not worked in indonesia and the country of origin in indonesia is china, which states that they have never worked in indonesia before. the data shows that the characteristics of foreign workers in indonesia are based on origin from china with no experience working in indonesia. according to siroj (in albantani, 2019), there are currently no instructional resources that correspond with the strong desire that foreign speakers have to study indonesian. this is apparent from the absence of teaching resource books on bipa teaching materials in bookstores. bipa teachers frequently encounter a big issue when conducting learning activities is the material's limitations. bipa teachers struggle to select or determine relevant learning materials to assist non-native english speakers in acquiring essential abilities. as a result, bipa teaching materials are required to maintain foreign speakers' motivation to learn indonesian. student needs what is needed in training must focus on the needs of students so that students or course participants can obtain the benefits. as stated earlier, needs are things that students must know. to determine students' needs, the researcher provides a list of materials needed in the business realm. the material mapping is based on mulyanah's research (mulyanah, 2017) on mapping the needs of teaching materials for tka. the learner's wants need to be distinguished from student needs. the results show that most students desire access to the information they require regarding their coursework. environment (97%), the surrounding environment (89%), conversations in shopping places (54.4%), self-introductions (23.9%), interviews work (10%), company meetings (10.3%), numerical transactions (9.2%), transportation services (20.7%), explaining products (7.1%), meeting clients (5.5 %), business negotiation (4.3%), and understanding the news (1.1%). figure 4. answers to the questionnaire 4 the results of the data on foreign workers in the riau islands require more material related to social relations with the surrounding environment (97.3%) and the surrounding environment (89.1%). it shows that the social aspect dramatically influences their perception of communication. concerning this matter, of course, teaching materials are needed to provide the students' wishes. however, when asked about the reason why the trend of the data is in that direction, the author does not have access because the implementation of data collection uses survey data. to see the condition of the students, the writer obtained information from the company about their ability and how they received indonesian language training by conducting online fgds with the indonesian employers association (apindo), company management represented by hrd, and stakeholders, namely from the manpower office (disnaker). learner weaknesses weaknesses relate to things that have been and are not known by students. based on the information obtained by the author, each student has advantages and disadvantages. weaknesses in students learning the indonesian language are not the bipa route because the fulfillment of the material is carried out by the company and based on the needs and desires of the students. the condition of workers in the business realm already has a companion workforce, affecting the data results of the foreign workers just requiring material in the business realm related to social relations. ade mulyanah, sariah, rini widiastuti, nuny sulistiany idris, exti budihastuti, nia kurnia, & resti nurfaidah need analysis of indonesian language training materials for foreign workers using the communicative method 448 conclusion teaching resources are the data, instruments, and texts that instructors and teachers need to research and plan for the application of learning. when conducting teaching and learning activities in the classroom, teachers and instructors employ a variety of instructional resources. both written and unwritten material may be included in the material in question. teaching resources are a collection of learning resources or substances presented systematically to show the full range of capabilities that students will master throughout learning activities. teaching materials are a collection of written and unwritten items that are deliberately arranged to foster a learning environment. teaching resources can support teachers and students in the teaching and learning process and assist in achieving the objectives of the syllabus. references abbas, a. r. i. (2017). tinjauan yuridis kewajiban penggunaan bahasa indonesia bagi tenaga kerja asing di indonesia. novum : jurnal hukum, 4(1), 8–21. https://doi.org/10.2674/novum.v4i1.20830 albantani, a. m. (2019). social media as alternative media for arabic teaching in digital era. alsinatuna. alkhalidi, i. (2021). teachers’ beliefs about the role of needs analysis in the process of eap course design: a qualitative study. eastern journal of languages, linguistics and literatures (ejlll), 3412, 1–16. arsyad, m. h. (2019). metode-metode pembelajaran bahasa arab berdasarkan pendekatan komunikatif untuk meningkatkan kecakapan berbahasa. jurnal shaut al-arabiyah, 7(1), 13– 30. https://doi.org/10.24252/saa.v1i1.8269 desnaranti, l., putra, f. p., & anggini, y. (2019). pkm pelatihan berbicara (speaking) dan menyimak (listening) lksa ar ridho rangkapan jaya, depok. simposium nasional ilmiah & call for paper unindra (simponi), 896–903. https://doi.org/10.30998/simponi.v0i0.346 djumingin, sulastriningsih, saleh, m., & rosdia, v. (2022). strategi dan aplikasi model pembelajaran inovatif bahasa dan sastra [unpublished thesis], unm. feroudj, a., & aissa, m. a. (2022). challenges in designing and implementing the learner centered syllabus in algeria. designing a learner-centered syllabus: innovative practices in teaching english for specific purposes, 5-17. han, i. (2022). contextualization of communicative language teaching in confucian heritage culture: challenging pedagogic dichotomization. sage open, 12(1), 21582440221079895. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221079895 hull, t. (2019). the elements of language curriculum: a systematic approach to program development by james dean brown. hltmag https://www.hltmag.co.uk/dec2019/theelements-of-language-curriculum ilham, i., musthafa, b., & yusuf, f. n. (2020). university students needs of writing course materials: a case of indonesia. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 31-40. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2988 jazeri, m., & tulungagung, i. (2016). model perangkat pembelajaran keterampilan berbicara dengan pendekatan komunikatif kontekstual bagi mahasiswa asing. litera, 15(2), 217–226. https://doi.org/10.21831/ltr.v15i2.11824 jufri, j. (2017). strategi pembelajaran bahasa. unm. kardijan, d., & rafli, z. (2017). the gap between learning needs and its implementation in english for hospitality specific purposes program. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 125–135. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v6i1.779 madjdi, a., rokhayani, a., & syafei, m. (2019). empowering teaching materials of approaches and methods in english language teaching (amelt) subject matter through lesson study. eai, 20-21. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.20-82019.2288097 marta, aeni. (2020). penelitian tindakan kelas sebagai upaya peningkatan profesionalisme guru sejarah di sekolah menengah atas kabupaten bogor. jurnal pengabdian kepada masyarakat, 17(1), 22-30. https://doi.org/10.21009/sarwahita.171.03 melati, i. k. (2022). strategi pembelajaran bipa dengan pendekatan komunikatif-kontekstual berbasis kearifan lokal. basastra, 11(2), 163. https://doi.org/10.24114/bss.v11i2.37351 modul, v., bipa, p., berbasis, m. p., komunikatif, p., nadia, i., tiawati, r. l., & nisja, i. (2022). validitas modul pembelajaran bipa 1 materi pekerjaan berbasis pendekatan komunikatif. jurnal pendidikan tambusai, 6(2), 9502–9510. https://doi.org/10.31004/jptam.v6i2.3919 molenda, m. and r. (1990). in search of the ellusive addie model performance improvement. in a. kovalchick & k. dawson, ed’s, educational technologi (pp. 34–36). abc-clio. http://www.indian.ed muammar, suhardi, & mustadi, a. (2018). model keterampilan berbicara berbasis pendekatan komunikatif bagi siswa sekolah dasar: teori dan praktik. sanabil publishing. mulyanah, a. (2017). materi pengajaran bipa di glenroy college, melbourne: pengenalan bahasa dan budaya. nahartini, d., dewi, r. s., fitriah, s., defianty, m., & anasy, z. (2021). the quest of developing a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 449 better english training material for migrant worker candidates in indonesia. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 159–174. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5366 nakatsuhara, f., inoue, c., & khabbazbashi, n. (2018). chapter 27: measuring l2 speaking key concepts key issues. 1989, 1–10. nation, i. s. p., & macalister, j. (2020). language curriculum design (2nd ed.). routledge. ningsih, s. a., rasyid, y., & muliastuti, l. (2018). analisis kebutuhan materi ajar membaca bipa a1 dengan pendekatan deduktif di sd d’royal moroco. pembelajar: jurnal ilmu pendidikan, keguruan, dan pembelajaran, 2(2), 85–91. https://doi.org/10.26858/pembelajar.v2i2. 5974 pangesti, f., & wurianto, a. b. (2018). pengembangan bahan ajar bipa berbasis lintas budaya melalui pendekatan kontekstual komunikatif. jurnal pendidikan bahasa, 7(2), 342–353. https://doi.org/10.31571/bahasa.v7i2.1015 permenaker no. 16 tahun 2015 tentang tata cara penggunaan tenaga kerja asing [jdih bpk ri]. (2015). bpk. https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/home/details/1459 87/permenaker-no-16-tahun-2015 pradana, m. d. (2018). pengembangan media tutorial pembelajaran mata kuliah media fotografi pembelajaran. edudeena : journal of islamic religious education, 2(1), 77–96. https://doi.org/10.30762/ed.v2i1.581 pradipta, p. (2020). basic interpersonal communication skill among students in junior high school. unisma. http://repository.unisma.ac.id/handle/12345678 9/759 sugihartini, n., & yudiana, k. (2018). addie sebagai model pengembangan media instruksional edukatif (mie) mata kuliah kurikulum dan pengajaran. jurnal pendidikan teknologi dan kejuruan, 15(2), 277-286. https://doi.org/10.23887/jptkundiksha.v15i2.14892 sugiyono. (2017). metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r&d. alfabeta. taş, t., & khan, o. (2020). on the models of communicative competence. sonline. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3444 76391_on_the_models_of_communicative_c ompetence ade mulyanah, sariah, rini widiastuti, nuny sulistiany idris, exti budihastuti, nia kurnia, & resti nurfaidah need analysis of indonesian language training materials for foreign workers using the communicative method 450 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 27 using semiotic analysis to analyze the purpose of creating covid-19 meme sri kurniati almucharomah universitas negeri yogyakarta, indonesia email: uniealmucharomah@outlook.com wening sahayu universitas negeri yogyakarta, indonesia email: weningsahayu@uny.ac.id sulis triono universitas negeri yogyakarta, indonesia email: sulis@uny.ac.id apa citation: almucharomah, s. k., sahayu, w., & triono, s. (2023). using semiotic analysis to analyze the purpose of creating covid-19 meme. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 27-36. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7412 received: 25-10-2022 accepted: 24-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction today, in which people use the internet as the biggest social media and it has various functions. social media is not only for entertainment which is lifestyle and music, but also as a medium to show daily life, express feelings, and also to criticize today’s social phenomena. according to junawan & laugu (2020), social media is one of the fastest-growing media. around 70% of internet users in the whole world are also active on social media. social media such as facebook dan twitter, up until now still has a high level of users. recently, the development of information and communication technology has been growing rapidly. this certainly affects the lifestyle of humans in general. in the past, humans did not know the internet and now information can easily be obtained through the internet. in the past, humans only knew sms as a means of sending short messages and now there are so many platforms for sending short messages, for example, whatsapp, line, telegram, wechat, and so on. even today the development of social media is increasingly unstoppable, such as facebook, instagram, twitter, pinterest, linkedin, tumblr, tiktok, and more. social media development today has become a necessity for human beings and can change a life. many people are active on social media. they can spend hours surfing social media. this phenomenon is evidence that today people are very dependent on social media. the advantage of social media is the designs which are easy to use and have various features, such as can upload photos and videos, also send short messages via dm or direct message and inbox. in this era of globalization, it is not strange to do various activities using a computer, both for doing assignments and even socializing on social media such as facebook, instagram, twitter, tiktok, and others. this advancement shows that abstract: the presence of social media makes the process of social interaction experience very significant changes. communication through social media is a very important social interaction in human life. along with the increasing use of social media, it has spawned new phenomena among social media users, one of which is creativity in making memes. memes can be in the form of text or images that contain issues and events in a style that intrigues and are widely discussed because they spread and comment so quickly on social media. the purpose of this study is to describe the signifier and signified in the covid-19 meme and explain the meaning contained in the covid-19 meme. the covid-19 meme itself is one of the memes found on social media. the approach used in this research is a qualitative approach which produces descriptive analysis. the researcher tries to describe the facts behind the creation of the covid-19 meme circulating on social media. the signifiers found in the covid-19 meme include snippets of famous movie and game scenes. the insinuations in the sentences are also very true to reality. the sentences provide a statement that contains information and there is an expression of the feelings of the creator as a fighter in the pandemic season. keywords: covid-19; memes; semiotics. sri kurniati almucharomah, wening sahayu, & sulis triono using semiotic analysis to analyze the purpose of creating covid-19 meme 28 communication and access to information are necessities that cannot be separated from people's lives. social media is very commonly used by indonesian people. various kinds of social media in the form of applications can be downloaded easily on every smartphone, making it easier for users to interact on the social media they have, starting from chatting, updating status, updating photos or pictures, and so on. one of the activities on social media that is currently popular in society is spreading various meme images. according to surya (2019), meme is one of the works of art that lately has been very lively raised by netizens on social media. in the digital era circulating memes are no longer understood as limited to small units of culture that are spread from person to person by copying or imitation, but now the term meme refers to the replication of a person's photo or image which is changed to another form, coupled with various written usually satire or joke via windows (and other operating systems) from internet users. memes can develop through imitation by humans according to the ideas stored in the brain and spread by the process of imitation and posting by netizens. the presence of social media makes the process of community social interaction experience very significant changes. communication through social media is a very important social interaction in human life. through this communication, humans can exchange messages and information. along with the increasing use of social media, it has spawned new phenomena among social media users, one of which is creativity in making memes (owen & zatori, 2021). memes can be in the form of text or images that contain issues and events in a style that intrigues and becomes a hot topic of discussion because they spread and comment so quickly on social media (woods & hahner, 2019). memes contain entertaining social messages, parodies, and satire. a meme is one of the phenomena of conveying messages in a new form by combining verbal language with nonverbal communication (expression) (porubay & sotvaldieva, 2022). the term 'meme' was first coined by richard dawkins, an evolutionary biologist. the meme comes from the greek, mimeme which means imitation. said by milner (2018) that memes are message-sending units and cultural imitation units that circulate from one human to another. memes and genes evolve together. however, human culture evolves faster than human genes. the unit for sending this message can be in the form of a song, fashion style, architecture, to the concept of divinity. messaging units proliferate from generation to generation (hussain et al., 2018). memes can be in the form of movies, videos, pictures, or just words or expressions. apart from that, some creators create memes by combining several things, such as images accompanying text, while there are images adapted to video games, movies, celebrities, and the world of politics. the strength of a meme lies in the creativity of the creator in combining text, images, videos, graphics, and various content so that it is easy for readers to understand. osterroth (2020) gave opinion that ein mem kann beispielsweise ein bild oder ein video sein, eine phrase, ein längerer text, ein dialogschema, ein textstruktur oder ein immer wieder eingesetzter rechtschreibfehler sein, im grunde kann alles, was imitiert und vaiiriert werden kann, zum mem werden. memes according to osterroth (2020) can be in the form of pictures or videos, phrases, longer texts, dialogue schemes, text structures, or spelling errors that are repeatedly used; anything that can be imitated and varied can become a meme. there are so many memes circulating on social media, one of which is the meme about covid-19 that is sweeping the world. covid-19 is caused by a virus and is one of the worst pandemics in human history with such a high death rate. the covid-19 virus outbreak occurred in early 2020. the virus then spread throughout the world. since january 2020 who has declared that the world is experiencing a global pandemic emergency with the covid-19 virus. the covid-19 pandemic has caused a change in lifestyle in the world community so many people are not prepared to adapt. this is the main cause of anxiety, stress, and panic among some people. anxiety that arises varies, such as anxiety about contracting the covid-19 virus, anxiety about weakening or even worsening financial conditions, and anxiety about the future after the pandemic is done (kamil et al., 2020). recent research shows that viewing funny memes can help people feel calmer and deal with stress due to the pandemic. there are lots of funny memes circulating on social media, so this meme can be used to help relieve stress during the covid-19 pandemic. this is in line with the opinion of myrick et al. (2022) and valenzuela & batinga (2021) that simply viewing memes can help people cope with the pressures of living during a global pandemic. in addition, people who see memes related to covid-19 feel comfortable english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 29 and more confident in their ability to overcome this pandemic. other researchers also studied the usage of covid-19 meme. a research by torres-marín et al. (2022) stated that according to the data collected during the third week of lockdown in spain (from 26 to 31 march 2020). their results suggest that intra-psychic humor styles were associated with better coping with the covid-19 pandemic. structural equation modelling showed that self-enhancing and aggressive humor styles were related to perceiving covid-19 as less psychologically threatening, which, in turn, was associated with a greater perceived funniness of covid-19 memes, thus predicting higher levels of happiness. their findings also suggest that humor styles aimed at boosting one’s own self, irrespective of their potentially lighter or darker nature, may contribute to alleviating adverse psychological consequences arising from the covid-19 pandemic. the unique and intriguing characters of the memes that are spread on social media raise the question: what is the actual intention and purpose of the images, writings, or scenes of the characters contained in these memes? to answer this question, the researcher wants to observe and analyze the use of memes using roland barthes' semiotic analysis, which aims to describe the signifiers and signifieds in the covid-19 meme and explain the meaning contained in these memes. many covid-19 memes are circulating on social media. semiotics is a science or analytical method that examines signs. a sign is a symbol in the form of a clue to tell someone in search of an answer to that sign. in terms of compagno (2018) semiotics is semiology, namely reconstruction that focuses more on the system of sign meanings than on language that specifically applies to structural activities according to the process. semiotics is a scientific study or analytical method to examine signs in the context of scenarios, images, texts, and scenes in films that can be interpreted (sinuraya et al., 2022). meaning means that objects do not only carry information, in this case, the objects want to communicate, but also constitute a structured system of signs used. barthes' semiotic analysis refers to a sign system that generates meaning that will describe the meaning of denotation, connotation, and myth in several covid-19 memes on social media. the researcher thinks that it is important to analyze memes related to covid-19 to discover the meaning lies behind each meme and provide further information related to this matter for society because not all of them will understand the meaning of each memes. furthermore, this research is hoped to give more information for other researcher to conduct a further research. this researcher will try to discover the meaning lies behind memes related to covid-19 using roland barthes' semiotic analysis. thus, this research title is using semiotic analysis to analyze the purpose of creating covid-19 meme. by analyzing memes using this approach, the researcher will try to find the purposes of creating memes and the meaning behind them. method qualitative research was used in this research. moleong (2017) explained that qualitative research is research to understand the phenomenon of what is experienced by research subjects as a whole using descriptions in the form of words and language, in the specific context experienced, and by utilizing various scientific methods. qualitative research aims to produce descriptive analysis. the researcher tries to describe the facts behind the making of the covid19 meme circulating on social media. data collection techniques were carried out using library research and documentation. a literature study is a data collection technique by conducting a review study of books, literature, records, and reports that have something to do with the problem being solved (pandey & pandey, 2021). literature and documentation studies are carried out by selecting and collecting data by downloading and capturing screenshots of memes shared on social media and analyzing them. the semiotic approach is qualitativeinterpretive namely, a method that focuses on signs and texts as their study, as well as how researchers interpret and decode texts and signs themselves (barbosa & sales, 2022). semiotics plays its role in every sign system, regardless of its substance and boundaries; images, gestures, tones, sounds, music, objects, settings, and even combinations of these, which form both conventional and contemporary entertainment content (crow, 2022). semiotics is applied as a method to approach texts in the media with the assumption that the media itself is communicated through the sign elements it carries (ibrahim & sulaiman, 2020). the signs carried in the media are also loaded with certain interests which shows their complexity because signs in the media certainly sri kurniati almucharomah, wening sahayu, & sulis triono using semiotic analysis to analyze the purpose of creating covid-19 meme 30 never carry a single meaning (widiastuti et al., 2020). the semiotic tradition consists of a set of theories about how signs represent ideas, situations, feelings, materials, and conditions beyond the signs themselves. semiotic analysis is a method or way to analyze and give meaning to signs and objects contained in messages or texts (siregar, 2022a). as a method of analysis, semiotics is one of the most interpretive methods in analyzing a text and its success or failure as a method rests on how well researchers can articulate the cases they study (leone et al., 2020). results and discussion figure 1. axial coding semiotics is a science that studies signs (siregar, 2022b). if related to memes, semiotics studies the function of image signs, namely how to understand the sign system that exists in memes that play a role in guiding readers to be able to capture the messages contained in them. humans can only think and communicate using signs. the sign in question can be a visual sign that is non-verbal or verbal in nature. semiotics is the theory of analysis of various signs and meanings. how to interpret and examine the operation of a sign in forming a unity of meaning or signification. semiotics analyzes a text or image to obtain information (aiello, 2020). the study of semiotics considers that social phenomena in society and culture are signs. semiotics studies systems, objects, and events that allow the sign to have meaning (mikhaeil & baskerville, 2019). according to van wolde (2018), semiotics is a science or method of analysis to study signs. signs are tools that we use in trying to find our way in the world, among humans, and with humans. semiotics or in terms of barthes semiology wants to study how humanity makes sense of things. interpreting (tosinify) in this case cannot be confused with communicating (to communicate). the results of this study are divided into two main parts, namely describing the covid-19 meme markers and explaining the analysis and description of the types of semiotic markers that appear in the covid-19 memes. in this study, there are 10 memes, each of which describes how difficult it is to face the covid-19 pandemic. the following describes the results of the analysis of the data obtained. table 1, results of the analysis of the data obtained data sign (signified) marker (signifier) translation symbol meaning type of sentence 1. a woman dancing to striptease wearing full ppe. strip club in 2020. the first data indicates that during a pandemic situation, striptease dancers also wore full ppe clothing when dancing at strip clubs. from the syntactic point of view, it can be seen that the writing on the meme is made as 'satire'. the clothes of the striptease dancers are similar to bikinis because, at this time of the covid-19 pandemic, the image of the dancers is wearing full ppe english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 31 2. a woman is taking food or drinks in the refrigerato r which is located in the kitchen. first day of isolation. 30th day of isolation. the second data marker is when the woman self-isolates during the pandemic, on the first day the woman's body is still slender, and on the 30th day of independent isolation, the woman's body becomes fat because she eats too much and does not do enough exercise. judging from the syntax, when people do isolation, they will gain weight after they finish isolating. this is because during isolation people go to the kitchen more often than usual, including checking the fridge and cupboards. they don't feel they put food in their mouths until they spend a lot of food. 3. a giraffe in the meadow. is the lockdown over? the third data marker, namely that a giraffe became very fat after the lockdown ended, is the third image marker. through the syntax, it can be seen that during the lockdown, people rarely did activities outside the home. this causes them to feel anxious, depressed, and lonely, resulting in an increased appetite and resulting in weight gain. 4. picture of a toddler laughing and crying. when the coronaviru s closes all school activities. parents in the countrysid e and the city. the fourth data marker is that during the covid-19 pandemic, many schools closed and carried out distance learning. parents of students who live in rural areas are certainly very happy because their children do not need to go to school and can help with their work, while parents who live in urban areas feel very sad because their children are just playing. in terms of syntax, people living in rural areas are better than those living in cities. in villages, the spread of covid19 is lower considering that there are rarely gathering points for the community, whereas in cities there are many shopping centers and cinemas, so people gather more often so the spread of covid-19 becomes faster. the people in the village can still work in the fields or the garden, so they are happier. during a pandemic, people who live in cities work from home and are prohibited from doing activities outside the home, so many of them feel stressed and depressed. 5. toddlers sitting on the floor of their house without clothes. me after i ate all my quarantine snacks in one night. the fifth data indicates that during the quarantine period, you are required to eat a lot to maintain the body's immunity. as a result, the weight increases. in terms of syntax, it can be seen that during quarantine, it is easier for people to give up good habits, such as sports because the pandemic depression does not end soon. as a result, people eat more, and eventually, the scale needle tilts more to the right. 6. bigfoot in a scene from the gta game. social distancing champion. the sixth data marker is that during a pandemic social distancing was enforced so that people in their activities always keep their distance from other people. this causes people to feel like they are not being cared for because they from a syntactic point of view, social distancing is very necessary during a pandemic, namely to reduce the risk of transmission of the covid-19 virus. social distancing does not mean anti-social, so you look shabby and unkempt. sri kurniati almucharomah, wening sahayu, & sulis triono using semiotic analysis to analyze the purpose of creating covid-19 meme 32 keep their distance from other people. 7. birds are looking for food on the edge of the lake. online meeting. with videos. only with audio. the seventh data marker is that when holding online meetings or online lectures, sometimes people will look sober when they close the camera in an online application and will look neat when they turn on the camera. from the syntactic point of view, when conducting online meetings, most people will look neat when they turn on the camera and will look sober when they don't turn on the camera. this often happens to people during a pandemic. 8. two actors are doing a scene in the movie back to the future. marty, no matter what, never return to 2020! the eighth data indicates that 2020 was a very difficult year because that year the coronavirus first appeared which caused a change in the lifestyle of the world community so people did not want to return to 2020. in terms of syntax, it can be seen that people generally do not want to return to 2020, because that year was the worst in world history. in 2020 many people died due to covid-19 and the economy collapsed and many people lost their jobs. 9. a mother with her three children in a room. work from home. the ninth data marker is usually when working from home there are lots of distractions. this mother was working from home and her three children were always noisy, in the end, the children were bound hand and foot, and their mouths were covered with plaster. in terms of syntax, it can be seen that when working from home you will encounter many distractions, including children who ask to play together or who are noisy with their brothers or sisters. to deal with this disturbance, a mother finally decided to tie her children's feet and hands. 10. a man and dog are watching something . that is for your good. you must stop touching your face. the tenth data marker is a dog and its owner who wears a face shield, so that their hands don't touch their faces too often, considering that hands are a source of germs. the syntactical aspect explains that during the pandemic season, washing hands is very mandatory, to prevent infection with the coronavirus in yourself, your family, and those around you. the existence of social media in people's lives makes social media a place to express opinions (anderson & jiang, 2018). nowadays, people often post various meme images, words, and even hashtags on their respective social media in expressing their views on covid-19. on social media such as facebook, instagram, and twitter, a meme can be replicated by someone and they can edit it according to the message they want to convey and then upload it to cyberspace. with a process like this, memes have become a means of exchanging ideas, discourse, and information that can be used by anyone (harshavardhan et al., 2019). apart from that, memes are also a means of entertainment, and the functions of memes vary, from wanting attention, sharing ideas, using memes to comment on/quip something, or can influence someone’s mind (de leon & ballesteros-lintao, 2021). based on the memes above, it can be seen that in the first meme, there is a meme of a woman dancing to striptease wearing full ppe clothes which has meaning during a pandemic situation, striptease dancers also wear full ppe clothes when dancing in strip clubs. based on the meme, it means that this virus has made everyone protecting themselves, including those who are striptease dancer. striptease dancers are known to dance with bikini only. this delivers meaning that this virus is dangerous enough that made people english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 33 who do striptease dance covered themselves to prevent them from covid-19. in the second meme, a woman is taking food or drink from the refrigerator which is located in the kitchen and has meaning when the woman is selfisolating during a pandemic, on the first day the woman's body is still slender, and on the 30th day of independent isolation, the woman's body becomes fat because too much to eat and lack of sports activities. in the third meme, a giraffe in the meadow which has the meaning that a giraffe gets very fat after the lockdown is over is the marker of the third meme. both of the meme delivers the same messages. during the covid-19, most of the outdoor activities were limited. even companies were applied the work from home program. due to this limitation, most of people spent their time at home. not much activities can be done, most of them spent their time with eating a lot of snack. therefore, they gained weight a lot during covid19. this meme related to the condition during covid-19 and now seen as a humour. the fourth meme, the meme of toddlers laughing and crying, means that during the covid19 pandemic, many schools were closed and carried out distance learning. parents of students who live in rural areas are certainly very happy because their children do not need to go to school and can help with their work, while parents who live in urban areas feel very sad because their children are just playing. this condition related to the condition of the society during the covid-19. parents also felt stressed because the responsibilities to teach their children concerning the school matters was shared with them. in the fifth meme, there is a toddler meme sitting on the floor of his house without wearing clothes, which means that during quarantine you are required to eat a lot to maintain your body's immunity. as a result, the weight is increasing day by day. it delivers message for people to keep their body healthy and maintain their body’s immunity to prevent from the viruses. in the sixth meme, there is a bigfoot meme in a scene in the gta game which means that during the pandemic, social distancing was enforced, so that people in their activities always kept their distance from other people. this causes people to feel like they are not being cared for because they keep their distance from other people. it could be seen during the online meeting that was oftenly conducted during covid-19. most of the people only cared about their upper appearance, which was the only part that showed in the screen, while the rest of their appearance tended to be messy. in addition, during covid-19, there was not much out-door activities that needed people to dress-up nicely, that was one of the reasons why during the covid-19, people looked messy. in the seventh meme, there is a meme of a bird looking for food by the lake, which means that when conducting online meetings or online lectures, sometimes people will look sober when they close the camera on an online application and will look neat when they turn on the camera. in the eighth meme, there is a picture of two actors doing a scene in the movie back to the future, which means that 2020 is a very tough year because that year the coronavirus first appeared which caused a change in the lifestyle of the world's people, so people do not want to go back to 2020. in the ninth meme, there is a meme of a mother with her three children in a room, and it has the meaning that usually when working from home there are lots of distractions. this mother was working from home and her three children were always noisy, in the end, the children were bound hand and foot, and their mouths were covered with plaster. of course, this was not intended to hurt his children, but only to teach them a lesson so that later when the mother is working from home, they will not do the same commotion again. these memes deliver meaning that covid-19 was a tough condition because they were not only limited in doing activities, they also faced problems doing their job from home. for students, some parents may intervere their children by asking them doing some chores, while for parents, children tended to distract their parents because of their loud voice. from this research, it can be seen that the covid-19 memes were made by creators with a specific purpose. the signs used, the choice of diction used, the aesthetics of the images chosen, and the strings of sentences used are carefully thought out so that the goals intended by the creators can be achieved. in general, covid-19 memes aim to help relieve stress during the covid-19 pandemic. seeing funny memes that are spreading on social media can help someone feel calmer and overcome depression due to the pandemic that has hit (bauer & ngondo, 2022). the emotional level becomes lower by viewing memes. signified which is used in the covid-19 meme is very easy to understand and interesting according to the intended signifier. the signifiers underlying the covid-19 meme include scenes from the famous movie back to the future and scenes from the gta game. the words contained sri kurniati almucharomah, wening sahayu, & sulis triono using semiotic analysis to analyze the purpose of creating covid-19 meme 34 in the meme describe various kinds of satire during the pandemic because many people are struggling and surviving during the pandemic. a signified that is made is equipped with a sentence as a sign. the contents of the signified covid-19 meme can represent the feelings of someone who is facing a pandemic so that the message that the creator hopes for can be conveyed to the reader. in addition, in terms of sentences, the covid-19 meme contains sentences containing information and expressions of feelings. the development of internet technology is increasingly advanced, now people can communicate quickly with the help of the internet without having to meet face to face, especially through social media. for memes, communication is a way to expand itself toward other thoughts. conditions like this eventually paved the way for memes to grow, shifting from conventional ways of communication to more advanced ways by updating themselves to become internet memes. an internet meme is something that becomes famous through the internet. like pictures, videos, or even people. internet memes are created through a process of imitation and photographic modification of existing ones. creators must be observant in observing social events that are currently happening in society. foresight is needed to find small things that can be used as objects. it is done so that the messages conveyed by internet meme creators to internet meme connoisseurs can be conveyed in entertaining and effective ways. conclusion signifiers found in meme covid-19 such: there are snippets of famous movie scenes and games. the insinuations in the sentences are also very true to reality. the sentences provide statements that contain information and contain expressions of feelings from creators as fighters during the global covid-19 pandemic. references aiello, g. (2020). visual semiotics: key concepts and new directions. the sage handbook of visual research methods, 367–380. anderson, m., & jiang, j. (2018). teens, social media & technology 2018. pew research center, 31(2018), 1673–1689. barbosa, t. r., & sales, l. s. (2022). poetry in digital times: a didactic proposal for the use of instapoetry in the efl context. international journal of english linguistics, 12(4). bauer, j. c., & ngondo, p. s. (2022). moms, memes, and mitigating pandemic stress: exploring themes and implications in an academic mamas’ facebook group. women’s studies in communication, 45(1), 45–69. compagno, d. (2018). quantitative semiotic analysis. springer. crow, d. (2022). visible signs: an introduction to semiotics in the visual arts. bloomsbury publishing. de leon, f. m. g., & ballesteros-lintao, r. (2021). the rise of meme culture: internet political memes as tools for analysing philippine propaganda. journal of critical studies in language and literature, 2(4), 1–13. harshavardhan, v., wilson, d., & kumar, m. v. (2019). humour discourse in internet memes: an aid in esl classrooms. asia pacific media educator, 29(1), 41–53. hussain, s. m. s., tak, a., ustun, t. s., & ali, i. (2018). communication modeling of solar home system and smart meter in smart grids. ieee access, 6, 16985–16996. ibrahim, i., & sulaiman, s. (2020). semiotic communication: an approach of understanding a meaning in communication. international journal of media and communication research (ijmcr), 1(1), 22–31. junawan, h., & laugu, n. (2020). eksistensi media sosial, youtube, instagram dan whatsapp ditengah pandemi covid-19 dikalangan masyarakat virtual indonesia. baitul’ulum: jurnal ilmu perpustakaan dan informasi, 41– 57. kamil., isnawan, l., sukma, h., rahma, f., sartika, d., muliati., zulkarnaen, d., octavia, d., selvi, l. k., sahirah., dewintara, e., muchtar., fatimah, s. n., hariyanto., hasyim, m., putri, n. m. n. f., hafsah., aeni, n., nurwina., samad, k., & sari, n. i. (2020). bersama melawan covid 19. iain parepare nusantara press. leone, m., mari-liis, m., & andreas, v. (2020). semiotic approaches to conspiracy theories. in the routledge handbook of conspiracy studies (pp. 43–55). routledge. mikhaeil, c. a., & baskerville, r. l. (2019). using semiotics to analyze representational complexity in social media. information and organization, 29(4), 100271. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infoand org.2019.100271 milner, r. m. (2018). the world made meme: public conversations and participatory media. mit press. moleong, l. j. (2017). metode penelitian kualitatif. remaja rosdakarya. myrick, j. g., nabi, r. l., & eng, n. j. (2022). consuming memes during the covid pandemic: effects of memes and meme type on covidrelated stress and coping efficacy. psychology of popular media, 11(3), 316–323. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 35 https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000371 osterroth, a. (2020). internet-memes als multimodale sprechakte in öffentlichen diskursen anhand von beispielen aus antwortthreads von real donald trump. linguistik online, 101(1), 115– 137. owen, b., & zatori, a. (2021). the rise of meme tourism: tourism transformations towards ‘fifteen minutes of fame.’ in emerging transformations in tourism and hospitality (pp. 127–141). routledge. pandey, p., & pandey, m. m. (2021). research methodology tools and techniques. bridge center. porubay, i. f., & sotvaldieva, h. m. (2022). the functions of memes in contemporary internet discourse. barqarorlik va yetakchi tadqiqotlar onlayn ilmiy jurnali, 2(11), 171–181. sinuraya, j. s. b., azhar, a. a., & sazali, h. (2022). analysis of semiotics representation of feminism in the mulan film 2020. international journal of cultural and social science, 3(1), 94–105. siregar, i. (2022a). semiotic touch in interpreting poetry. britain international of linguistics, arts, and education sciences journal, 4(1), 19– 27. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.33258/biolae.v 4i1.618 siregar, i. (2022b). semiotics analysis in the betawi traditional wedding "palang pintu": the study of semiotics roland barthes. international journal of linguistics studies, 2(1), 1–7. surya, r. d. (2019). “meme” sebagai sebuah pesan dan bentuk hiperrealitas di media sosial. mediakom : jurnal ilmu komunikasi, 1(1), 1-8. torres-marín, j., navarro-carrillo, g., eid, m., & carretero-dios, h. (2022). humor styles, perceived threat, funniness of covid-19 memes, and affective mood in the early stages of covid-19 lockdown. journal of happiness studies, 23(6), 2541–2561. valenzuela, c. l., & batinga, e. m. (2021). memeiology: a content analysis on the viral covid-19 memes. available at ssrn 4166456. van wolde, e. (2018). a semiotic analysis of genesis 2-3: a semiotic theory and method of analysis applied to the story of the garden of eden. brill. widiastuti, a., ismail, m. r., & iswanto, a. z. (2020). analisis semiotika meme ‘profesi yang tidak dapat work from home’selama pandemi covid19. semiotika: jurnal komunikasi, 14(1), 1-7. woods, h. s., & hahner, l. a. (2019). make america meme again: the rhetoric of the alt-right. peter lang new york. sri kurniati almucharomah, wening sahayu, & sulis triono using semiotic analysis to analyze the purpose of creating covid-19 meme 36 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 881 pragmatic aspects of speech acts: a cross-linguistic perspective rita tanduk universitas kristen indonesia toraja, tana toraja, indonesia email: ritatanduk@ukitoraja.ac.id apa citation: tanduk, r. (2023). pragmatic aspects of speech acts: a cross-linguistic perspective. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 881-890. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8762 received: 09-06-2023 accepted:24-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 introduction language is a remarkable tool, a vessel through which human beings convey not just information, but also their intentions, emotions, and social dynamics (al-athwary, 2022; gunawan & tjitrakusuma, 2021; xiao & lee, 2022). within the vast realm of linguistic communication, speech acts stand as crucial building blocks, enabling us to make requests, give orders, make promises, apologize, compliment, refuse, and perform numerous other actions that shape our interactions and relationships (silitonga & pasaribu, 2021; utami et al., 2021; wijayanto et al., 2013). the study of speech acts is not merely a linguistic endeavor but a gateway to understanding the intricate web of human sociality, intercultural communication, and the role of culture in shaping how we use and interpret language (adzim et al., 2019; prayitno et al., 2019; rizka et al., 2020). language, as philosopher ludwig wittgenstein (2009) famously stated, is not just a reflection of the world but a tool for creating it. indeed, when we utter words, we do more than convey information; we perform actions. speech acts theory, initially pioneered by philosophers like searle (1969) and austin (1962), illuminates this phenomenon by highlighting that language is a means to do things, not just say things. consider a simple scenario: you enter a crowded cafe, approach the counter, and say, "i'd like a cappuccino, please." in this utterance, you have not only conveyed your desire for a cappuccino but have also performed a speech act making a request. the barista, understanding your intention, is likely to fulfill your request. this exemplifies the power of speech acts in our daily lives, where our words shape the actions and responses of those around us. speech acts encompass various categories, including directives (requests, orders), commissives (promises, offers), expressive (apologies, congratulations), assertive (statements, claims), and verdicts (judgments, assessments) (altikriti, 2011; risselada, 2019; santoso et al., 2014). the diversity of speech acts reflects the multifaceted nature of human communication, where individuals navigate complex social interactions through language (hidayati et al., abstract: effective intercultural communication is a cornerstone of today's globalized world, necessitating an exploration of the pragmatic aspects of speech acts from a cross-linguistic perspective. this research delves into the complex interplay between language, culture, and politeness strategies within the contexts of indonesian and malay. using a comprehensive datasets collected through observational field study in diverse naturalistic settings, including workplaces, educational institutions, and everyday social contexts, research examines the performance and interpretation of requests, apologies, compliments, and refusals. the findings reveal a shared preference for indirect and polite language when making requests in both linguistic communities, underlining the universality of politeness strategies. while indonesian speakers tend to employ explicit expressions of regret in apologies, malay speakers adopt a more subtle approach. compliments showcase differences, with indonesian speakers favoring direct expressions of admiration and malay speakers employing nuanced language. refusals demonstrate stark contrasts, with malay speakers utilizing indirect strategies and indonesian speakers opting for directness. this study contributes to the growing discourse on cross-linguistic and cross-cultural pragmatics, emphasizing the importance of considering both linguistic diversity and cultural norms in understanding intercultural communication. this research, grounded in realworld interactions, calls for continued exploration of trans-cultural threads in speech act usage and offers valuable insights for enhancing intercultural competence. while acknowledging the study's limitations, researcher invites future research endeavors to delve deeper into the intricate world of speech acts and intercultural communication keywords: intercultural communication; pragmatics; politeness strategies; speech act. mailto:ritatanduk@ukitoraja.ac.id rita tanduk pragmatic aspects of speech acts: a cross-linguistic perspective 882 2021; fudholi et al., 2023; lili, 2018). understanding how these speech acts function, both linguistically and pragmatically, is essential for effective communication and for avoiding misunderstandings in multicultural settings (altikriti, 2011; upton, 2021; akmal et al., 2022). to delve into the pragmatic aspects of speech acts, we enter the realm of pragmatics, a branch of linguistics that transcends the boundaries of syntax and semantics. pragmatics explores the way language is used in context, considering not only the literal meaning of words but also the implied meanings, implicatures, and the influence of context and culture on interpretation (fatmaja & saragih, 2021; aufa, 2011; mualimin, 2021). in the context of speech acts, pragmatics plays a pivotal role. pragmatic aspects include the social and cultural factors that influence how speech acts are performed and interpreted (mœschler, 1992; mualimin, 2021; ifantidou, 2013). for instance, consider the act of refusing an invitation. in one culture, a direct "no" may be seen as straightforward and honest, while in another, it could be considered impolite or offensive. these cultural nuances are integral to understanding how speech acts function in a given linguistic and cultural context. furthermore, speech acts are not static entities but dynamic processes, influenced by the relationship between interlocutors, the context of the conversation, and the broader cultural norms that shape communication (archer et al., 2021; de castro, 2022; ekoro & gunn, 2021). pragmatics allows us to explore these dynamic elements, shedding light on why people choose particular speech acts in specific situations and how they navigate the delicate balance between clarity and politeness in communication (ifantidou, 2013; tanduk et al., 2021). as the researcher embark on this research journey, researcher take a step beyond the confines of a single language and culture. the focus of this research is on the cross-linguistic perspective, a lens that widens researcher’s view to encompass the rich tapestry of human linguistic diversity. every language, with its unique grammar, vocabulary, and cultural underpinnings, offers a distinct lens through which speech acts are performed and interpreted (tajeddin & bagherkazemi, 2021; mualimin, 2021). in essence, the researcher seek to answer the fundamental question: how do different languages shape the performance and interpretation of speech acts? culture, as anthropologist, hall (1976) eloquently put it, is "communication that is learned, shared, and patterned." it infuses every facet of our lives, including language and communication. in the context of speech acts, culture plays a pivotal role in shaping the performance and interpretation of these linguistic actions. different cultures have distinct norms and values governing communication. these cultural norms influence the choice of speech acts, the degree of directness or indirectness, the use of politeness strategies, and the interpretation of meaning (blitvich & sifianou, 2017; haugh & watanabe, 2017; kádár & zhang, 2019). for instance, in some cultures, a refusal may be expressed politely through indirect language, while in others, directness may be preferred. these variations reflect deeper cultural values related to politeness, face-saving, and social harmony furthermore, culture molds our perception of politeness and impoliteness (haugh & watanabe, 2017; kádár, 2011; mapson, 2019). what is considered polite in one culture may be perceived as overly formal or insincere in another. these cultural perceptions of politeness guide how we interpret speech acts and determine whether an utterance is deemed respectful or rude. the interplay between culture and speech acts is not only fascinating but also pivotal for understanding the dynamics of cross-cultural communication. as our world becomes increasingly interconnected, individuals and organizations must navigate a multicultural landscape where communication norms and expectations vary widely. understanding how culture shapes speech act pragmatics is a step toward enhancing intercultural communication and fostering mutual understanding. in the paper titled "speech act theory and gricean pragmatics: a review," authored by (ekoro & gunn, 2021) the paper’s exploration of pragmatic strategies, speech act theory, and the pragmatic dimensions of language use enriches our understanding of how language serves as a medium for expressing intentions, actions, and social conventions. through the judicious selection of examples and a thorough analysis of j. l. austin's speech act framework, the authors offer valuable insights that resonate with both scholars and practitioners in the field of linguistics and pragmatics. their work serves as a testament to the enduring relevance and complexity of language as a tool for expressing intentions, actions, and social conventions. meanwhile, wang & wu (2021) provide a comprehensive exploration of the distinctions english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 883 between cross-cultural and intercultural pragmatics. cross-cultural pragmatics involves the comparative analysis of language use across different cultures, encompassing aspects such as speech acts and behavior patterns, to identify both differences and commonalities (archer et al., 2021; maruf, 2018). in contrast, intercultural pragmatics focuses on the dynamics of communication among individuals from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds who use a shared language. this distinction highlights the role of context and shared language in shaping communication dynamics, offering valuable insights for scholars and practitioners in the field of intercultural communication. this study is meticulously crafted to address the research question through an extensive qualitative examination of how individuals from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, with a specific focus on indonesian and malay, utilize speech acts in their communicative exchanges. by rigorously analyzing authentic language data and conducting interviews with participants representing these distinct cultures, this research endeavors to unearth specific patterns and variations in the utilization of speech acts between indonesian and malay. anticipations are set high for these findings to shine a light on the substantial influence of culture on both the execution and interpretation of speech acts within the context of these languages. furthermore, this research sets out to delve into the potential implications stemming from these cross-linguistic and cross-cultural disparities in speech act pragmatics for the realm of effective intercultural communication. the study keenly anticipates illuminating the challenges and opportunities that emerge from these distinctions, including the intricate dynamics of potential miscommunication and misunderstandings that may arise. in its essence, this research aspires to contribute significantly to a richer understanding of how culture shapes the very fabric of communication. it seeks to provide invaluable insights that can serve as guiding beacons, directing strategies to enhance intercultural communication and cultivating intercultural competence across a diverse spectrum of domains, encompassing the realms of business, diplomacy, and everyday social interactions. method the research design employed in this study was a qualitative approach, which was deemed most suitable for investigating the pragmatic aspects of speech acts and cross-linguistic, cross-cultural disparities between indonesian and malay. qualitative research offered the flexibility and depth required to explore the nuances of communication patterns, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of how language functions within diverse cultural and linguistic contexts (bhakoo et al., 2020; köhler et al., 2019; rabel, 2018). this approach aligned with the study's aim to uncover specific patterns and variations in speech act usage and to examine the influence of culture on speech act performance and interpretation. the participants in this research consisted of individuals proficient in both indonesian and malay, representing a range of cultural backgrounds and experiences. to ensure diversity, participants from different age groups, educational backgrounds, and professions were recruited. the inclusion of participants with varying degrees of exposure to intercultural communication enabled a comprehensive exploration of cross-linguistic and cross-cultural disparities. the study was conducted in naturalistic settings where participants engaged in real-life communicative interactions. this included workplace environments, educational institutions, and everyday social contexts where communication naturally occurred. these settings provided an authentic backdrop for observing and analyzing speech acts as they naturally unfolded. the data was collected through observational field study. this study was designed to unfold in naturalistic settings, encompassing workplace environments, educational institutions, and everyday social contexts. these diverse settings provided authentic backdrops for observing and analyzing speech acts as they naturally occurred. this approach prioritized authenticity, allowing us to immerse ourselves in real-life communicative interactions rather than controlled experiments. as observers of these real-life interactions, our focus was on witnessing speech acts in action, including requests, offers, refusals, compliments, and more, within the unique dynamics of each context. by studying speech acts in their natural habitats, untethered from scripted scenarios, we aimed to gain profound insights into how culture, context, and language intersected in the performance of speech acts in intercultural communication. this holistic data collection strategy was instrumental in providing a comprehensive view of speech act usage across diverse, real-world settings. the data analysis process was deeply rooted in the rich and authentic datasets gathered through observational field study. this study unfolded in rita tanduk pragmatic aspects of speech acts: a cross-linguistic perspective 884 naturalistic settings, offering a dynamic landscape that included workplace environments, educational institutions, and everyday social contexts. these diverse and genuine settings served as the backdrop for observing and analyzing speech acts in their most organic form. it prioritized authenticity in the data collection approach, foregoing controlled experiments in favor of immersing ourselves in real-life communicative interactions. this decision allowed us to be witnesses to the unfolding of speech acts as they naturally occurred within their respective contexts. this authenticity was essential as it enabled us to explore speech acts in their purest form, devoid of artificial constraints or scripted scenarios. the focus during the observational field study was on capturing speech acts in action. the data meticulously observed and documented various types of speech acts, including requests, offers, refusals, compliments, and more. what made this approach particularly insightful was our ability to witness how these speech acts played out within the unique dynamics of each context. in these reallife interactions that it could truly appreciate the influence of culture, context, and language on the performance and interpretation of speech acts. the data collection strategy aimed to provide a holistic view of speech act usage across a wide spectrum of real-world settings. by studying speech acts within diverse and unscripted contexts, it sought to gain a profound understanding of how culture, context, and language converged in the intricate dance of intercultural communication. results and discussion the results of this study encompassed a diverse array of speech act types, each shedding light on the complexities of intercultural communication between indonesian and malay speakers. among the prominent speech act categories examined were requests, apologies, compliments, and refusals, all of which offered intriguing insights into linguistic and cultural nuances. requests: a politeness predilection participants from both linguistic backgrounds consistently demonstrated a preference for indirect strategies when making requests, which aligned with cultural norms emphasizing politeness and respect. the examples below provide further insight into this linguistic trend, with a diverse range of requests collected from both indonesian and malay. table 1. the speech act of requests in indonesian and malay indonesian malay “permisi, boleh saya minta izin masuk?” “boleh saya masuk sebentar, jika tak menggangu?” “mohon maaf, boleh tumpangkan saya ke sana?” “bolehkah saya bersama –sama ke destinasi itu?” “saya mohon izin, boleh minta tolong ini?” “bolehkah saya meminta bantuan and di sini?” “maafkan saya, bolehkan anda tolong dengan ini?” “boleh tak, saya perlukan pertolongan anda?” “boleh saya minta sedikit waktumu?” “adakah anda bolehkan saya beberapa minit saja?” “saya mohon bantuan, boleh tolong ini?” “bolehkan anda memberikan bantuan dengan ini?” the data above provided further solidify the striking pattern of employing indirect and polite language among both indonesian and malay speakers when making requests. the recurring usage of phrases such as "mohon maaf" (i apologize), "boleh" (may i), and "saya mohon" (i request) consistently appears in their requests. this linguistic consistency across different individuals and contexts highlights a shared cultural value embedded in both linguistic communities— namely, the significance of upholding politeness and steering clear of direct imposition in intercultural communication. these linguistic choices reflect deeply ingrained cultural norms that prioritize courteous and respectful interactions. the use of such mitigating phrases and polite markers demonstrates a mutual understanding among indonesian and malay speakers that maintaining harmonious relationships and avoiding potential discomfort or offense are essential aspects of effective communication. these norms extend beyond mere linguistic preferences; they signify a broader cultural emphasis on social harmony and interpersonal courtesy. in essence, these linguistic patterns serve as a testament to the convergence of culture and language in shaping speech act strategies. they highlight the shared values of politeness and respect that underpin intercultural communication between indonesian and malay speakers, offering valuable insights into the intricate interplay of language and culture in fostering effective and harmonious interactions. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 885 apologies: cultural expressions of regret data analysis delved deeper into the realm of apologies, unveiling further cultural nuances in the way indonesian and malay speakers express regret in their speech acts. while both linguistic communities conveyed remorse, we observed variations in linguistic expression that reflected their cultural inclinations. below, the researcher present a substantial dataset exemplifying this linguistic divergence, with apologies collected from both languages. table 2. the speech act of apologies in indonesian and malay indonesian malay “mohon maaf, saya telah melakukan kesalahan.” “saya mohon maaf jika saya ada silap.” “saya meminta maaf, ini adalah kesalahan saya.” “jika saya telah membuat kesilapan, saya minta maaf.” “dengan rendah ahti saya mohon maaf atas kelalaian ini?” “saya minta maaf jika saya tidak berperasaan baik.” “maafkan saya, saya teah mengecewakan anda.” “saya minta maaf jika ada yang saya lakukan yang kurang elok.” “saya dengan rendah hati mohon maaf atas tindakan saya.” “jika ada kesalahan yang saya buat, saya memohon maaf.” “saya minta maaf, saya merasa sangat menyesal.” “jika ada yang saya katakan yang tidak baik, saya minta maaf.” the data above illustrates that the nuanced approaches taken by indonesian and malay speakers when expressing apologies. while both linguistic communities convey regret, indonesian speakers often employ more explicit phrases like "saya meminta maaf" (i apologize), while malay speakers sometimes adopt a subtler approach, using phrases like "saya minta maaf jika..." (i apologize if...). these linguistic distinctions highlight the complex interplay between language and culture in the articulation of apologies. this extensive datasets underscores the cultural expressions of regret in indonesian and malay, showcasing how language choices reflect cultural norms and sensitivities. the variations in apology expressions offer valuable insights into the intricate relationship between language, culture, and effective intercultural communication. compliments: cultural expressions of admiration the results delved into the realm of compliments, revealing further intriguing differences in how indonesian and malay speakers express admiration. while both linguistic communities offered compliments, we observed nuanced variations in their linguistic expressions that reflected their cultural nuances. below, we present a dataset exemplifying this linguistic divergence, with compliments collected from both languages. table 3. the speech act of compliments in indonesian and malay indonesian malay “permisi, boleh saya minta izin masuk?” “boleh saya masuk sebentar, jika tak menggangu?” “mohon maaf, boleh tumpangkan saya ke sana?” “bolehkah saya bersama –sama ke destinasi itu?” “saya mohon izin, boleh minta tolong ini?” “bolehkah saya meminta bantuan and di sini?” “maafkan saya, bolehkan anda tolong dengan ini?” “boleh tak, saya perlukan pertolongan anda?” “boleh saya minta sedikit waktumu?” “adakah anda bolehkan saya beberapa minit saja?” “saya mohon bantuan, boleh tolong ini?” “bolehkan anda memberikan bantuan dengan ini?” the data above vividly illustrate the nuanced approaches taken by indonesian and malay speakers when offering compliments. while both linguistic communities convey admiration, indonesian compliments often feature straightforward phrases, whereas malay compliments are often couched in phrases that introduce a subtle tone of humility. these linguistic distinctions highlight the intricate relationship between language, culture, and expressions of admiration. this comprehensive dataset underscores the cultural expressions of admiration in indonesian and malay, showcasing how language choices reflect cultural norms and sensitivities. the variations in compliment expressions offer valuable insights into the complex interplay between language, culture, and effective intercultural communication. refusals: politeness strategies in cross-linguistic contexts the results uncovered further cross-linguistic differences in the realm of refusals, shedding light on how indonesian and malay speakers employ distinct strategies to convey refusal politely. these linguistic disparities highlight the intricate relationship between language, culture, and the expression of refusals. below, i present a datasets rita tanduk pragmatic aspects of speech acts: a cross-linguistic perspective 886 exemplifying this linguistic divergence, with refusal examples collected from both languages. table 4. the speech act of refusals in indonesian and malay indonesian malay “maaf, saya tidak bisa membantu.” “saya rasa saya tak boleh bantu sekarang.” “maaf, saya tidak bisa berkomitmen saat ini?” “saya rasa saya tak dapat mengikuti pada masa ini.” “saya mohon maaf, saya tidak sanggup.” “saya rasa saya tak mampu buat pada masa ini.” “maaf, saya tidak bisa melakukannya” “saya rasa saya tak mungkin buat sekarang.” “maaf, saya tidak bisa melakukan itu.” “saya rasa saya tak boleh buat perkara itu.” “saya mohon maaf, saya tidak bisa membantu sekarang. ” “saya rasa saya tidak mampu untuk tolong pada masa ini.” these data underscore the nuanced approaches taken by indonesian and malay speakers when refusing requests. while both linguistic communities convey refusal politely, indonesian speakers tend to be more direct, using concise phrases like "maaf, saya tidak bisa" (sorry, i can't) without elaborate explanations. malay speakers, on the other hand, frequently adopt indirect strategies, introducing phrases that convey their inability to fulfill the request politely. this expanded dataset illustrates the politeness strategies employed by speakers of indonesian and malay when refusing requests. these linguistic differences reflect cultural norms and the complex interplay between language and culture in the context of refusals, offering valuable insights for intercultural communication and competence. the findings regarding requests in both indonesian and malay resonate with established research that underscores the cultural inclination towards politeness in intercultural communication, as proposed by brown and levinson's politeness theory (1987). in this study, participants from both linguistic backgrounds consistently demonstrated a preference for indirect strategies when making requests. this preference reflects the cultural value placed on maintaining politeness and avoiding direct imposition, a concept that has been widely observed in various cultural and linguistic contexts. these observations align with the work of blum-kulka et al. (1989), who argued that indirectness in requests serves as a universal politeness strategy. it suggests that, irrespective of the specific language spoken, individuals tend to employ indirect linguistic choices when making requests to mitigate potential threats to their conversational partner's face or sense of social identity. our study, however, brings a unique cross-linguistic perspective to this phenomenon. what sets in this study apart is the comparison between indonesian and malay, two languages from distinct linguistic and cultural backgrounds. despite the linguistic disparities between these languages, the study identified a striking commonality—the shared use of indirectness in speech acts. this implies the existence of a transcultural thread that emphasizes politeness and respect in intercultural communication. in essence, this research underscores that while linguistic diversity is evident, there are universal principles of politeness and communication that traverse linguistic boundaries. these principles highlight the significance of considering cultural norms and linguistic nuances in intercultural interactions, ultimately contributing to a more profound understanding of the dynamics of communication in diverse contexts. in term of apologies as cultural expressions of regret. the distinctions observed in apologies between indonesian and malay speakers echo previous research on cultural expressions of regret (olshtain & cohen, 1983). indonesian speakers exhibited explicit phrases like "maafkan saya," reflecting their cultural inclination toward straightforward expressions of remorse. in contrast, malay speakers occasionally used less direct language, such as "saya minta maaf jika ada kesilapan," demonstrating a more subtle approach. these findings align with theoretical frameworks like brown & levinson, theory (2011) and grice's maxims (1975), which posit that language usage is influenced by cultural norms. this study further supports these theories by highlighting the nuanced relationship between culture and language in the articulation of apologies in intercultural contexts. meanwhile in term of compliments: cultural expressions of admiration, the analysis of compliments in both languages revealed intriguing differences, reminiscent of studies on compliments and humility indonesian compliments often featured straightforward phrases, while malay speakers introduced a subtle tone of humility into their expressions. these nuances reflect cultural variations in expressing admiration and humility within speech acts. the theoretical underpinnings of these findings can be linked to levinson (1987) which posits that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 887 politeness strategies are employed to mitigate face-threatening acts. in this context, the malay speakers' use of more nuanced compliments can be seen as an attempt to uphold politeness norms by mitigating potential threats to the compliment receiver's face. furthermore, in term of refusals: politeness strategies in cross-linguistic contexts, this study highlighted cross-linguistic differences in refusal strategies, with malay speakers frequently employing indirect strategies while indonesian speakers were more direct. these observations align with previous studies on refusals (beebe et al., 1990) and politeness strategies levinson (1987), which suggest that politeness strategies can vary across cultures. theoretical frameworks such as brown & levinson (2011) and searle's speech act theory (1969) provide insights into the cultural and linguistic nuances observed in this data. they emphasize the role of culture and language in shaping speech acts, shedding light on the differences we observed in refusal strategies. while this study provides valuable insights into the interplay between culture, language, and speech acts in intercultural communication, it is not without limitations. one limitation is the focus on indonesian and malay, which are just two of many languages spoken in diverse cultural contexts. future research could expand this investigation to include a broader range of languages and cultures to provide a more comprehensive understanding of intercultural communication. additionally, this study primarily relied on observational field study and interviews, which may have limitations in capturing all aspects of speech act usage. future research could incorporate experimental methods or larger-scale surveys to complement the qualitative data gathered in this study. conclusion this research has delved into the intricate world of speech acts in intercultural communication, focusing on the fascinating interplay between language, culture, and politeness strategies within the contexts of indonesian and malay. through a comprehensive analysis of requests, apologies, compliments, and refusals, our study has shed light on the profound influence of culture on speech act usage. one of the pivotal findings of the research is the shared preference for indirect and polite language when making requests in both linguistic communities. this echoes the universality of politeness strategies in intercultural communication, in line with brown and levinson's politeness theory. however, the research adds a unique dimension by highlighting the commonality between indonesian and malay speakers, transcending linguistic differences. furthermore, the exploration of apologies revealed intriguing linguistic distinctions. while indonesian speakers leaned towards explicit expressions of regret, malay speakers employed more subtle language, reflecting the complexity of cultural expressions of remorse. compliments, too, unveiled differences, with indonesian speakers favoring direct expressions of admiration and malay speakers adopting a nuanced approach. these observations emphasized the role of language in shaping cultural expressions of admiration. refusals demonstrated a stark cross-linguistic contrast, with malay speakers often utilizing indirect strategies while indonesian speakers favored a more direct approach. this finding underscored the intricacies of language and culture in the realm of refusals. this research, conducted in naturalistic settings, presented an authentic backdrop for understanding speech act usage in intercultural communication. by observing speech acts as they naturally occurred in workplaces, educational institutions, and everyday social contexts, the data gained valuable insights into the real-world dynamics of intercultural interactions. in sum, this study contributes to the growing body of literature on cross-linguistic and crosscultural aspects of speech act pragmatics. it highlights the significance of considering both linguistic diversity and cultural norms in understanding and enhancing intercultural communication. the trans-cultural thread of politeness and respect that uncovered calls for continued exploration in diverse linguistic and cultural contexts. as we conclude this research, we acknowledge its limitations and encourage further investigations by future researchers, aiming to deepen our understanding of the intricate world of speech acts and intercultural communication. references adzim, s., djatmika, & sumarlam. (2019). negative politeness strategies indonesian people in the twitter account of the president joko widodo. lingua didaktika: jurnal bahaswa dan pembelajaran bahasa, 13(1). akmal, h., syahriyani, a., & handayani, t. (2022). rita tanduk pragmatic aspects of speech acts: a cross-linguistic perspective 888 request speech act of indonesian english learners and australian english speakers through cross-cultural pragmatic perspectives. learn journal: language education and acquisition research network, 15(2). al-athwary, a. a. h. (2022). linguistic landscape in najran: a sociolinguistic approach. theory and practice in language studies, 12(12). https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1212.11 altikriti, s. f. (2011). speech act analysis to short stories. journal of language teaching and research, 2(6). https://doi.org/10.4304/jltr.2.6.1374-1384 archer, d., aijmer, k., & wichmann, a. (2021). crosscultural pragmatics 225 cross-cultural and intercultural pragmatics. in pragmatics. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203718124-41 aufa, f. (2011). explicit pragmatic instruction. journal of english and education, 5(1). austin, j. (1962). how to do things with worlds. oxford university press. beebe, l., m., takahashi, t., & uliss-weltz, r. (1990). pragmatic transfer in esl refusals. in r. c. scarcella, e. andersen, & s. d. krashen (eds.). developing communicative competence in a second language (pp.55-73). newbury house. bhakoo, v., koehler, t., le, j. k., lerman, m., meesbuss, j., mmbaga, n. a., piekkari, r., schmid, t., smith, a. d., & welch, c. l. (2020). templates in qualitative research methods: origins, limitations, and new directions. academy of management proceedings, 2020(1). https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2020.14576symp osium. blum-kulka, s., h. juliane &k. gabriele (eds.), (1989). cross-cultural pragmatics: requests and apologies. ablex publishing coorporation. brown & levinson, s. (2011). politeness (brown and levinson 1987). reading. de castro, l. s. t. (2022). integrating task-based learning and pragmatics: some practical ideas. brazilian english language teaching journal, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.15448/21783640.2022.1.42606 ekoro, d. e., & gunn, m. (2021). speech act theory and gricean pragmatics: a review. lwati: a journal of contemporary research, 2021(4). fatmaja, j., & saragih, g. (2021). semantics and pragmatics in jacinda ardern’s speech. deiksis, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.30998/deiksis.v13i1.8493 fudholi, a., hermawan, m. a., ngatoillah, n., & rosadi, n. (2023). directive and assertive speech acts in the short story sleep deprived by charissa e. propaganda, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.37010/prop.v3i1.1144 garcés-conejos blitvich, p., & sifianou, m. (2017). (im)politeness and identity. in the palgrave handbook of linguistic (im)politeness. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-37508-7_10. grice, p. (1975). logic and conversation. in p. cole & j. morgan (eds.), syntax and semantics 3: speech acts (pp. 41-58). academic press. gunawan, j. d., & tjitrakusuma, n. i. (2021). the politeness strategies found in @kulinersby’s instagram account in promoting culinary businesses. k@ta, 23(2). https://doi.org/10.9744/kata.23.2.58-68 haugh, m., & watanabe, y. (2017). (im)politeness theory. in the routledge handbook of language in the workplace. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315690001 hall, e. t. (1976). beyond culture. random house. hidayati., aflina., & arifuddin. (2021). hate speech on social media: a pragmatic approach. kne social sciences. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v5i4.8690 ifantidou, e. (2013). pragmatic competence and explicit instruction. journal of pragmatics, 59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2012.12.008 kádár, d. z., & zhang, s. (2019). (im)politeness and alignment. acta linguistica academica, 66(2). https://doi.org/10.1556/2062.2019.66.2.5 kádár, y. p. and d. z. (2011). politeness in historical and contemporary chinese. journal of pragmatics, 43(1). köhler, t., smith, a., & bhakoo, v. (2019). feature topic for orm : “templates in qualitative research methods” . organizational research methods, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428118805165 lili, h. (2018). tindak tutur guru dalam pembelajaran indonesian. menara ilmu, 12(79). mapson, r. (2019). impoliteness and interpreting. in the routledge handbook of translation and pragmatics. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315205564-3 maruf, n. (2018). a conceptual metaphor study in pasang ri kajang to reveal the cognition, ideologies, and socio–culture of kajang people. [unpublished thesis]. universitas hasanuddin. makassar. mœschler, j. (1992). the pragmatic aspects of linguistic negation: speech act, argumentation and pragmatic inference. argumentation, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00154259 mualimin, m. (2021). pragmatic aspects in anne hathaway’s speech: a speech act study. eai journal. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.9-102020.2304817 olshtain, e., & cohen, d. (1983). apology: a speech act set. in n. wolfson, & e. judd (eds.), sociolinguistics and language acquisition (pp. 18-35). newbury house. pragmatic study of directive speech acts in stories in alquran. (2016). advances in language and literary studies. aics journal, 7(5). https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.7n.5p.78 prayitno, h. j., kusmanto, h., nasucha, y., rahmawati, l. e., jamaluddin, n., samsuddin, s., & ilma, a. a. (2019). the politeness comments on the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 889 indonesian president jokowi instagram official account viewed from politico pragmatics and the character education orientation in the disruption era. indonesian journal on learning and advanced education (ijolae), 1(2). https://doi.org/10.23917/ijolae.v1i2.8785 rabel, c. j. (2018). a qualitative study on perceptions of the communication, intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors on the job satisfaction of employees. in proquest (issue march). risselada, r. (2019). directives as speech acts. in imperatives and other directive expressions in latin. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004408975_004 rizka, b., lismalinda, adnan, moriyanti, & faisal. (2020). jokowi vs prabowo: the politeness and its violation in political communication of indonesian president candidates. humanities & social sciences reviews, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2020.834 santoso, i., tuckyta, e., sujatna, s., & mahdi, s. (2014). speech act on short stories; a pragmatic study. the international journal of social sciences, 19(1). searle, j. r. (1969). speech acts: an essay in the philospohy of language. cambridge university press. searle, j. (1969). speech acts. cambridge university press. silitonga, n., & pasaribu, a. n. (2021). politeness strategy used by indonesian netizens on anies baswedan's twitter and instagram account. eduling: journal of english education and linguistics, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.32663/eduling.v4i2.1834 tajeddin, z., & bagherkazemi, m. (2021). implicit and explicit pragmatic learning strategies: their factorial structure and relationship with speech act knowledge. tesl-ej, 25(3). tanduk, r., maruf, n., & suluh, s. (2021). myths and ideology in customary ritual of ma’tammu tedong for life of toraja people. budapest international research and critics institute (birci-journal): humanities and social sciences, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v4i2.1979 upton, b. g. (2021). speech act theory as an appropriate branch of pragmatics. in hearing mark’s endings. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789047417613_011 utami, e. w., rokhman, f., & mardikantoro, h. b. (2021). language choice in social media instagram found in @jokowi account. seloka: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 10(3). wang, b., & wu, z. (2021). cross-cultural awareness of college students based on cross-cultural communication. tobacco regulatory science, 7(5). https://doi.org/10.18001/trs.7.5.2.48 wijayanto, a., laila, m., prasetyarini, a., & susiati, s. (2013). politeness in interlanguage pragmatics of complaints by indonesian learners of english. english language teaching, 6(10). https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v6n10p188 wittgenstein l. (2009). philosophical investigations. (4th ed.). wiley-blackwell. xiao, r., & lee, c. (2022). english in the linguistic landscape of the palace museum: a field-based sociolinguistic approach. social semiotics, 32(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2019.169754 2 rita tanduk pragmatic aspects of speech acts: a cross-linguistic perspective 890 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 561 exploring the integration of technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) in online teaching among efl lecturers endang darsih department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, universitas kuningan, indonesia e-mail: endang.darsih@uniku.ac.id vina agustiana department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, universitas kuningan, indonesia e-mail: vina.agustiana@uniku.ac.id wulan rahmatunisa department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, universitas kuningan, indonesia e-mail: wulan.rahmatunisa@uniku.ac.id apa citation: darsih, e., agustiana, v., & rahmatunisa, w. (2023). exploring the integration of technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) in online teaching among efl lecturers. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 561-570. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7570 received: 19-02-2023 accepted: 27-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction according to kozikolu and babacan (2019), tpack is the effective application of technology in the teaching-learning process as well as teachers' enrichment of their pedagogical subject knowledge using technology. the tpack framework, to put it briefly, is described as a model of framework that integrates the three elements of content, pedagogy, and technology knowledge (nisa et al., 2022). globally, tpack research has been conducted, and various researchers have made significant contributions. to enhance instructors' instructional skills and students' academic achievement, teacher training is essential (spear & da costa, 2018). it is crucial to help instructors (both pre-service and inservice) enhance their technical skills and the desire to use technology into their lessons (muhaimin et al., 2019). the unesco and nations all over the world make significant efforts to train teachers and employ a variety of strategies to support their professional development (ariffin et al., 2018; barnes et al., 2018). for instance, zhang et al. (2019) explored teachers' tpack in online collaborative discourse. their study found that teachers’ knowledge were mainly pedagogical content knowledge and general pedagogical knowledge. this underscores the need for multimethod approaches to assess tpack levels, a abstract: this investigation is carried out in light of the necessity of technology literacy for lecturers in online learning. finding out the tpack (technological pedagogical content knowledge) profile of english language education lecturers in online learning was the aim of this research. in particular, this study analysed the level of tpack along with the tpack forming components of 3 lecturers who teach english language education. this research applied a mixed method by implementing a concurrent embedded design. three lecturers from the faculty of teacher training and education, kuningan university were involved to participate in this research. since tpack is knowledge or competence that integrates 3 basic knowledge, namely content knowledge (ck), pedagogical content knowledge (pck) and technology (tck), so in collecting research data, there are 3 instruments that were used, namely self-report questionnaires, performance assessments and observations. with regard to the tpack level of english language education lecturers, the analysis results suggest that most english lecturers rate themselves as good or high in most of the domains examined in this study, covering ck, pck, tck, tpk, and tpack. they do, however, rate themselves highly in two areas: technological knowledge (tk) and pedagogical knowledge (pk). this is consistent with the findings of lesson plans and analyses of actual teaching, which indicate a high level of technological integration. keywords: efl lecturers; online teaching; tpack. mailto:endang.darsih@uniku.ac.id mailto:vina.agustiana@uniku.ac.id mailto:wulan.rahmatunisa@uniku.ac.id endang darsih, vina agustiana, & wulan rahmatunisa exploring the integration of technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) in online teaching among efl lecturers 562 consideration that could be taken into account in this recent study. another notable study was conducted by wen and shinas (2020) who measured tpack. the study stresses the need for further investigation into the practical implications of tpack for teaching, pointing to an area this recent study can contribute to. studies by bingimlas (2018) and yalley (2017) further expanded the exploration of tpack through surveys. these works collectively show how tpack can vary across different educational contexts, thus supporting the relevance of this focus on english language education lecturers. in terms of tpack implementation, research from koh (2019) focused on the teacher professional development model through the tpack framework. their work provides practical guidelines for leveraging tpack for teacher development, underscoring the real-world benefits of this theoretical model. a literature study by willermark (2018) and tseng et al. (2020) provides an overarching synthesis of tpack research, demonstrating the ongoing interest and diverse applications of this framework. their work suggests an ongoing need for additional context-specific research into tpack, which the present study could contribute to. in sum, prior research into tpack provides a foundation for this study but also underscores the need for further exploration into practical applications, context-specific variations, and robust measurement of tpack components. the research thus far has validated the tpack model and shown its applicability across various situation, but gaps remain in our understanding of how to leverage this knowledge for teacher development and practice, particularly in the specific context of english language education lecturers engaged in online teaching. recent studies have examined instructors' tpack using performance evaluation of lesson plans and content analysis of teacher conversations (akyuz, 2018; tseng et al., 2019). another investigation by cheng & xie (2018), scherer et al. (2018), and tuzahra et al. (2021) revealed a possible link between instructors' personal traits and their tpack. their findings may be pertinent to this research, particularly in the context of online education inspired by covid19, as they may highlight the necessity for thorough support systems to encourage tpack among educators. in terms of teacher profession education, a study by apriliaswati (2019) focused on the attitudes of in-service english teachers toward pedagogical competence by technology literacy at tanjungpura university showed that the participants' use of technology helped them improve their technological skill. quddus (2019) conducted a study on the use of technology integration in teacher preparation programs and found that using tpack through online learning effectively boosted instructors' competence. similar to this, ahmed et al.'s 2019 study found that instructors' use of technology improved their professional development. designing interventions to improve tpack among english language education lecturers may benefit greatly from these findings. taken together, these studies highlight the multifaceted nature of tpack and the range of factors that can influence its development. they underscore the importance of both individual factors, such as personal belief systems and selfefficacy beliefs, and external factors, such as peer learning opportunities and practical experiences, in developing tpack. these insights could provide valuable direction for this research into the tpack of english language education lecturers in online learning. a study by jang and chen (2010) designed an online course to improve pre-service teachers' tpack and found that such courses can assist preservice teachers enhance their tpack and gain confidence in integrating technology into their classroom instruction. this suggests that intentionally designed online courses could be an effective way to improve tpack of lecturers, which is particularly relevant to this research within the context of distance learning. in a study including pre-service teachers, chai et al. (2013) discovered a substantial association between the teachers' epistemological beliefs and their tpack. the study highlighted the importance of fostering sophisticated epistemological beliefs to improve tpack, indicating the importance of teachers' underlying beliefs in successful technological integration. another investigation by kopcha et al. (2014) discovered that a mix of learning technology by design, learning technology in context, and learning about technology in context can help teachers create tpack. this supports the idea of employing a multipronged approach to enhancing tpack among educators. a study by tondeur et al. (2017) proposed a framework that explains the integration of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 563 technology in the classroom based on teachers’ tpack. their research shows that teachers’ pedagogical beliefs, school culture, and access to resources influence the development of tpack and its application. this means that the effective creation and deployment of tpack is influenced not only by the individual teacher's knowledge and skills, but also by the setting in which they work. in sum, these studies offer further evidence of the multifaceted nature of tpack, emphasizing the importance of belief systems, practical application, environment for learning, and contextual factors in the development and application of tpack. these studies' findings could be put to use to inform the design of interventions to improve tpack among english language education lecturers in online learning. method in general, the investigation begins with developing issues and then setting research goals. the phenomenon that is currently happening is the change in teaching patterns that were previously offline to online, so that the topic of tpack or the knowledge and competence of lecturers in integrating technology in teaching becomes very interesting to research. after that, literature review is then carried out in conjunction with the preparation of indicators for self-report questionnaires, tests, observations and performance assessments based on the results of literature studies. the instrument that is ready is then used to collect data to be processed and analyzed so that a conclusion is produced that is in accordance with the study aims. this research adopts a mixed method, which is a methodology that blends qualitative and quantitative data retrieval techniques, integrates the two data, and applies a specific design. (creswell, 1994). this study was undertaken at kuningan university with the participation of three instructors from the faculty of teacher training and education. tpack is knowledge or competency that incorporates three basic knowledges: subject knowing, pedagogy knowledge, and technology knowledge, therefore in collecting research data, there were four instruments that were used, namely self-report questionnaires, performance assessments, tests and observations. by using these instruments, it is hoped that it will produce more valid and accurate data related to the tpack level of english language education lecturers. several stages in taking research data include first distributing self-assessment questionnaires. the questionnaire used is adapted from bingimlas (bingimlas, 2018). the questionnaire consists of 39 items that measure the lecturer's tpack with the following details; 6 items each to measure tk, pk, ck, and tpk, 5 items each to measure pck, tck, and tpack. the questionnaire results then certainly be strengthened by data from the test instrument so that the second stage is to provide an english proficiency test to the lecturers. the test given is the toefl prediction test or the english proficiency test where this test is more specific to measure the content ability (ck) of english lecturers or the professional competence of lecturers. the next stage to measure the lecturer's tpack level is by performance assessment. in this stage, lecturers or research participants were requested to prepare a lesson plan on a specific topic in the english course. this instrument is used to find out whether lecturers apply the tpack framework in their lesson plan and what it looks like. to strengthen the data, observations were also made in teaching learning process directly as the final stage of data collection. this observation aims to investigate kind of technology integration lecturers apply in online learning. regarding data analysis techniques, data from self-report surveys and tests are quantitatively evaluated using descriptive and inferential statistics; the average, percentage, and frequency derived for each item using the spss program are shown. the greatest and lowest average scores, as well as the frequency of responses to questionnaire items, were reviewed. meanwhile, various sorts of data gathered through observation and performance evaluation of lesson plan papers are qualitatively examined through three steps, namely "categorization", "description" and "synthesis". with the application of this data triangulation, it is hoped that the correctness of the research results will be more accurate and the level of validity will be higher. results and discussion technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) level of english language education lecturers based on analysis of various data sources, namely questionnaires, lesson plans, and observations of the learning process carried out by lecturers, it shows that lecturers have generally high tpack levels in online learning. endang darsih, vina agustiana, & wulan rahmatunisa exploring the integration of technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) in online teaching among efl lecturers 564 using the bingimlas (2018) category level, which is shown in table 4.1, it is clear that english language education lecturers have a high degree of tpack (technological pedagogical content knowledge). the high tpack level of the lecturers is not only from the results of the questionnaires, but also seen from of the lesson plan analysis and observations results on their online teaching. table 1. category of lecturer's tpack level score of average level of tpack 1.0 – 1.9 very low 2.0 – 2.9 low 3.0 – 3.9 moderate 4.0 – 4.9 high 5.0 very high this study was adapted from bingimlas (2018). it used 39 questionnaire items to measure the knowledge of the english language education lecturers on the 7 tpack subscales. technology knowledge (tk), pedagogical knowledge (pk), content knowledge (ck), technological pedagogical knowledge (tpk) consist of 6 items for each, while pedagogical content knowledge (pck), technology content knowledge (tck), and technological pedagogical consist of 5 items for each. the questionnaire statements were modified in order to make the questionnaire more useful for teaching english. furthermore, the questionnaire was created using google forms. the lecturers then answered to the 39 questionnaire items on the five-point likert scale. they are strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree and strongly disagree. the tpack level of english language education lecturers was assessed using spss program and the mean score and frequency obtained for each. the lowest and highest average scores, as well as the frequency of responses to questionnaire items, are also reviewed. table 2 shows data taken from a self-report questionnaire which indicates that english language education lecturers assess themselves as moderate to high in terms of tpack. table 2. average score for tpack domain no. domain average 1. technological knowledge (tk) 3.97 2. pedagogical knowledge (pk) 4.13 3. content knowledge (ck) 4.00 4. technological pedagogical knowledge (tpk) 3.83 5. pedagogical content knowledge (pck) 3.88 6. technological content knowledge (tck) 3.92 7. technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) 3.48 total average 3.89 based on table 2, english education lecturers' tpack level is generally moderate (mean = 3.9), indicating that english language education lecturers have adequate knowledge on tpack. the scores of mean suggested that english language education lecturers considered themselves to have adequate levels in the majority of the tpack categories studied, including tk (mean = 3.97), tck (mean = 3.92), pck (mean = 3.88), tpk (mean = 3.83), and tpack (mean = 3.48). furthermore, they describe themselves as having a high degree of knowledge in two domains: content knowledge (mean = 4.00) and pedagogical knowledge (mean = 4.13). the next sections will go through the tpack level of english education lecturers for items in each area. technological knowledge (tk) technological knowledge (tk) is the first domain of tpack. it is defined as knowledge of several technologies which range from low-tech technologies i.e. pencil and paper to digital technologies i.e. the internet, digital video, interactive whiteboards, and software program. this contains the six factors listed in table 4.3, which decided technological knowledge (tk) level of english language education lecturers. table 3. technological knowledge average score no. statement average 1. i am able to use public application software such as a word processor (word), presentation graphics (powerpoint), kahoot, memrise & quizlet. 4.4 2. i am familiar with social media platforms (twitter, facebook, blogs & wiki). 4 3. i am able to use basic computerattached devices for instance a printer, image scanner, digital camera, projector, and smart board. 3.8 4. i am able to install software items that i require. 4 5. i am capable of resolving simple technical issues with computers and their accessories. 3.8 6. i am capable at creating and editing video. 3.8 total average 3.97 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 565 based on the table 4.3, the technological knowledge (tk) level of english education lecturers is in the moderate level (mean = 3.97). in addition, it can be informed that almost all participants valued the items positively and all the average scores gained were above 3 which means that they have good technological knowledge. the highest average score was obtained for participants' capability to use common application software and social media (mean = 4.4), though all indicated items also had a high average score. based on findings, it can be concluded that english language education lecturers have adequate technological knowledge (tk), namely in operating computers, tablets, video recorders, projectors, speakers, and other electronic devices properly. pedagogical knowledge (pk) pedagogical knowledge (pk) is the second domain of tpack. it is well-defined as knowledge about teaching methods and processes which includes knowledge in managing classroom, assessing students, preparing the lesson plans, and student learning. table 4.4 shows the average score of the six items that determine the pedagogical knowledge (pk) level of english education lecturers. table 4. pedagogical knowledge (pk) average score no. statement mean (after) 7. i am capable of managing my classroom. 4.6 8. i’m able to link a wide range of concepts to pupils. 4 9. i’m conscious of the most prevalent errors and mistakes among my students. 4 10. i’m able to evaluate my pupils in a variety of scientific ways. 3.8 11. i am capable of using a wide range of teaching methods (including cooperative learning, problem-solving approaches, active learning, discovery learning, and projectbased learning). 4 12. i’m able to organize the group activities of pupils. 4.4 total average 4.13 table 4 shows that pedagogical knowledge (pk) level of english education lecturers is in high level (mean = 4.13). additionally, it can be conveyed that almost all participants rated the items positively and all the average scores gained were above 4 which means that they had high pedagogical knowledge. the highest average score was obtained for the capability of participants to manage the class (mean = 4.6), while all indicated items also had high average scores. to conclude with, the questionnaire results show that english education lecturers have high pedagogical knowledge on managing classroom, assessment, preparation of lesson plans, and student learning. content knowledge (ck) content knowledge (ck) is the third domain of tpack. it is described as knowledge about the actual subject matter to be learnt or taught. the average score of the six items that assess the level of content knowledge (ck) of english education lecturers is shown in table 4.5. table 5. content knowledge (ck) average score no. statement mean 13. i am self-assured enough to teach any subject expertise. 4.2 14. i am sufficiently knowledgeable about my field of study. 4.2 15. the capacity to assist my colleagues with knowledge and abilities in my field of study 3.8 16. i am acquainted with specialists and scholars in my field of study. 4 17. i keep up with fresh sources and current developments (books/journals/articles) in my subject expertise. 3.8 18. i am aware of conferences and events in my subject expertise. 4 total average 4 table 5 shows that content knowledge (ck) level of english education lecturers is in high level (m = 4). moreover, it can be seen that the descriptive statistics for ck reveal that almost all participants rated the items positively and almost all of the average scores obtained were 4 which mean that they had high content knowledge. the highest average marks were received for sufficient participant information and confidence to teach any subject specialization. (m = 4.2), while all indicated items also have a high average value. to conclude with, the questionnaire results show that english language education lecturers have high content knowledge (ck) of the actual subject matter to be learned or taught. the result is also in line with the results of their english endang darsih, vina agustiana, & wulan rahmatunisa exploring the integration of technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) in online teaching among efl lecturers 566 proficiency test which achieved high scores or more than 550. technological pedagogical knowledge (tpk) tpack fourth domain namely technological pedagogical knowledge (tpk). it relates to knowledge on the utilization of several technologies in education and how it changes the way teachers teach. table 4.6 shows the average score for the six elements that define english education lecturers' pedagogical technology knowledge (ck). table 6. technological pedagogical knowledge (tpk) average score no statement mean 19 i believe in my ability to select relevant new technology to drive my students to learn. 4 20 i am able to use new technologies to improve my teaching methods. 3.8 21 i have the skill to leverage new technology to boost student learning commitment. 4 22 i am capable of evaluating students in a variety of methods using new technologies. 3.2 23 i am capable of using social media in the classroom. 4 24 i am capable of managing classes well that are supported by modern technologies (smart classrooms). 4 total average 3.83 tpk descriptive statistics discovered that virtually all respondents assessed the points positively, and the majority of the average scores received were greater than 3, indicating that they had adequate pedagogical technology knowledge. the competence to select suitable new technology to stimulate students to learn, utilization of new technology to increase student learning commitment, use social media in teaching, and manage classrooms well supported by new technology (smart classroom) received the highest average scores. while the final item is also indicated, it has a high average score. finally, the survey results suggest that english education instructors have enough pedagogical technology knowledge (tpk) (overall m = 3.83). pedagogical content knowledge (pck) pedagogical content knowledge (pck) is the fifth domain of tpack. it relates to comprehension on linking lecturer knowledge of content and pedagogy, including the way lecturers teach, understand the context of the class, and the particular needs of students. the average scores for the five items that determined english lecturers' pedagogical content knowledge (pck) are shown in table 7. table 7. pedagogical content knowledge (pck) average score no statement mean 25 in my topic specialization, i am familiar with acceptable teaching strategies. 4 26 in my topic area, i am capable of planning successful actions. 4 27 i am capable of achieving the objectives in my lesson plan. 3.8 28 i am capable of assisting my students in connecting concepts from my topic area with concepts from other disciplines. 4 29 i have the skills to create evaluation tools for pupils, particularly in my topic specialization. 3.6 total average 3.88 the questionnaire results indicate that english education lecturers possess sufficient pedagogical content knowledge (pck) (m = 3.88), with high scores for teaching methods, effective activities, and connecting concepts. most participants rated items positively, indicating their knowledge is adequate. technological content knowledge (tck) technological content knowledge (tck) is the sixth domain of tpack. it describes knowledge about how technology can develop new illustration for particular material and how teachers can alter the way students apply and comprehend concepts in certain topic areas by employing certain technologies. table 4.8 shows the average score of the five items that assess the level of technological content knowledge (tck) of english lecturers. table 8. technological content knowledge (tck) average score no statement mean (after) 30 i am able to conduct scientific research on the internet in my field of expertise (subject area). 4.2 31 i can manage social media to expand my understanding in my specialty (subject area). 4 32 i am capable of expanding my knowledge in my specialty by utilizing new technology. 3.8 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 567 33 i am knowledgeable about emerging technology connected to my specialty. 4 34 i am capable of representing the content of my specialist using relevant modern technologies (such as multimedia, simulation, and modeling). 3.6 total average 3.92 the descriptive statistical analysis for tck showed that nearly all respondents assessed the items positively and that all average scores received were greater than 3, indicating that they possessed enough technology content knowledge. the highest average score was obtained for point number 30 addressing the capacity to utilize the internet in academic research in their profession. while the other things highlighted have a high average value as well. to summarize, the study found that english lecturers possess sufficient technological content knowledge (tck) (m = 3.92), with the highest average score for item 30 addressing internet use in scientific research. technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) finally, technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) is the last area of tpack. it describes the information that teachers require in order to effectively incorporate technology in any content area into their teaching. the average results for the five items that determined english lecturers' level of technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) are shown in table 4.9 table 9. technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) average score no statement mean 35 in my discipline, i am able to organize successful teaching approaches with relevant new technologies. 4 36 i might be a leader in assisting others in teaching topics in my specialty by using a suitable teaching technique and relevant new technologies. 3.6 37 in my specialty, i am capable of designing instructional activities that make use of appropriate modern technologies. 3 38 in my specialty, i am capable of designing efficient educational activities using social media (such as facebook, chat applications, blogs, and wikis). 3.2 39 i am capable of teaching my specialty (subject) lms such as (moodle, blackboard, e-class). 3.6 total average 3.48 descriptive statistics for this study showed that almost all respondents assessed the points positively, and all average scores found were greater than 3, indicating that they possessed enough technology pedagogical content knowledge. the capacity to blend successful teaching techniques with appropriate modern technologies received the highest average score for item number 35. while the other items mentioned have a high average value as well. in summary, the questionnaire results reveal that english lecturers have adequate technological pedagogical content knowledge (overall m = 3.48). the total average score of 3.48 for all items in the tpack questionnaire suggested that english instructors made strong judgments about themselves and were confident and aware of their own ability in general. they feel they have a solid understanding of technological pedagogical content knowledge, such as identifying how to successfully incorporate technology into the curriculum, including teaching modalities that are not only teacher oriented but also student centered, and incorporating integrated learning to generate new instructional communications. furthermore, the findings of the tpack questionnaire analysis suggest that lecturers of english class are able to choose the technology types and utilize technology to aid student learning based on the content and context, as well as employ learning management systems such as hybrid classrooms. the tpack level of english lecturers in the medium category is also bolstered by analysis of lesson plan results and observations of their actual teaching. observations illustrate that all lecturers maximize their use of technology in the online classroom. they can utilize technology as well as pedagogy to formulate content for teaching. all professors were discovered to utilize technology to develop materials for teaching. they formulated many educational technology equipment such as laptops, tablets, speakers, and overhead projectors. apart from that, they are also very good at implementing online learning by combining several applications. for example, when doing online learning using zoom or google meetings, they insert several audios, videos, teaching materials, and student worksheets that can be accessed by simply clicking the link given by the lecturers. endang darsih, vina agustiana, & wulan rahmatunisa exploring the integration of technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) in online teaching among efl lecturers 568 the incorporation of technology in english education has not only assisted lecturers in preparing for class, but has also assisted in making their e-classes more student-centered and engaging students in topic learning. in conclusion, the observation data reveal that all instructors used integrated technology in their learning processes. the findings of questionnaire and lesson plan analysis, as well as observations of lecturers teaching, reveal that the technological pedagogical content knowledge level of english lecturers is mostly high. lecturers assume that they own the subjects that they teach. they are proficient as well in technology understanding and implementation. conclusion the present study’s conclusion is that although there are some limitations, this study succeeded in answering questions that reveal the tpack level of english language education lecturers. with regard to the tpack level of english language education lecturers, the analysis results suggest that the majority of english lecturers rate themselves as being adequate or high in the majority of areas of this research, including ck, pck, tck, tpk, and tpack. they do, however, rate themselves as having high levels of technological knowledge (tk) and pedagogical knowledge (pk). this is consistent with the findings of lesson plans and actual teaching analysis, which indicate a high level of technological integration. references ahmed, g., arshad, m., & tayyab, m. (2019). study of effects of ict on professional development of teachers at university level. european online journal of natural and social sciences, 8(2), 162-170. akyuz, d. (2018). measuring technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) through performance assessment. computers & education, 125, 212–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.06.012 apriliaswati, r (2019, november 21-22). disposition of in-service english teachers towards developing pedagogical competence by technology literacy [paper presentation]. uicell, jakarta, indonesia. ariffin, t. f. t., bush, t., & nordin, h. (2018). framing the roles and responsibilities of excellent teachers: evidence from malaysia. teaching and teacher education, 73, 14–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.03.005 barnes, a. e., zuilkowski, s. s., mekonnen, d., & ramos-mattoussi, f. (2018). improving teacher training in ethiopia: shifting the content and approach of pre-service teacher education. teaching and teacher education, 70, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.11.004 bingimlas, k. (2018). investigating the level of teachers’ knowledge in technology, pedagogy, and content (tpack) in saudi arabia. south african journal of education, 38(3). chai, c. s., koh, j. h. l., & tsai, c.-c. (2013). a review of technological pedagogical content knowledge. educational technology & society, 16(2), 31-51. cheng, s.-l., & xie, k. (2018). the relations among teacher value beliefs, personal characteristics, and tpack in intervention and non-intervention settings. teaching and teacher education, 74, 98–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.04.014 creswell, j. (1994). research design: qualitative and quantitative approaches. sage publications. harris, j., mishra, p., & koehler, m. (2009). teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge and learning activity types: curriculum-based technology integration refrained. journal of research on technology in education, 41(4), 393–416. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2009.107825 36 jang, s. j., & chen, k. c. (2010). from pck to tpack: developing a transformative model for preservice science teachers. journal of science education and technology, 19(6), 553-564. koh, j. h. l. (2019). tpack design scaffolds for supporting teacher pedagogical change. educational technology research and development, 67(3), 577–595. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-018-9627-5 koh, j. h. l., chai, c. s., & lim, w. y. (2017). teacher professional development for tpack21cl: effects on teacher ict integration and student outcomes. journal of educational computing research, 55(2), 172–196. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633116656848 kopcha, t. j., ottenbreit-leftwich, a., jung, j., & baser, d. (2014). examining the tpack framework through the convergent and discriminant validity of two measures. computers & education, 78, 87-96. kozikoğlu, i̇., & babacan, n. (2019). the investigation of the relationship between turkish efl teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge skills and attitudes towards technology. turkey: journal of language and linguistic studies, 15(1), 20-33. www.jlls.org masry-herzallah, a. (2021). european journal of educational research. european journal of educational research, 10(4), 2045–2054. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/asmahanmasry herzallah/publication/350235524_education_fo https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.06.012 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.11.004 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.04.014 http://www.jlls.org/ http://www.researchgate.net/profile/asmahan-masryhttp://www.researchgate.net/profile/asmahan-masryenglish review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 569 r_multiculturalism_in_a_master’s_degree_progr am_in_policy_and_administration_in_educatio n_comparing_jewish_and_arab_students_in_i s rael/links/6056dde0a6fdccbfeaf moreno, j. r., montoro, m. a., & colón, a. m. o. (2019). changes in teacher training within the tpack model framework: a systematic review. sustainability (switzerland), 11(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/su11071870 muhaimin, m., habibi, a., mukminin, a., saudagar, f., pratama, r., wahyuni, s. (2019). a sequential explanatory investigation of tpack: indonesian science teachers’ survey and perspective. jambi: journal of technology and science education, 9(3), 269-281. https://doi.org/10.3926/jotse.662 nisa, n. a., ratnawati., & rohayati, d. (2022). investigating efl pre-service teachers’ perceptions of tpack (technological pedagogical content knowledge) for their teaching (a survey among english education students of a private college in ciamis indonesia). jeep: journal of english education program, 9(2), 151-158. quddus, a. (2020). implementasi technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) dalam pendidikan profesi guru (ppg) pai lptk uin mataram. journal tatsqif, 17(2), 213-230. scherer, r., tondeur, j., siddiq, f., & baran, e. (2018). the importance of attitudes toward technology for pre-service teachers’ technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge: comparing structural equation modeling approaches. computers in human behavior, 80, 67–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.11.003 shulman, l.s. (1986). those who understand: knowledge growth in teaching. educational researcher. shulman, l.s. (1987). knowledge and teaching: foundations of the new reform. harvard educational review, 57(1), 1-22. shulman, lee s. (2000). teacher development: roles of domain expertise and pedagogical knowledge. journal of applied developmental psychology, 21(1), 129–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0193-3973(99)00057x spear, a. m., & da costa, r. b. (2018). potential for transformation? two teacher training programs examined through a critical pedagogy framework. teaching and teacher education, 69, 202–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.10.013 thompson, a. d., mishra, p. (2007). breaking news: tpck becomes tpack! journal of computing in teacher education, 24(2), 38. tizahra, f., sofendi., & vianty, m. (2021). technology integration of the in-service efl teachers: a study at a teacher profession education program. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics, 6(1), 317-339. tseng, j. j., chai, c. s., tan, l., & park, m. (2020). a critical review of research on technological pedagogical and content knowledge (tpack) in language teaching. computer assisted language learning, 0(0), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.186853 1 tseng, j.-j., cheng, y.-s., & yeh, h.-n. (2019). how pre-service english teachers enact tpack in the context of web-conferencing teaching: a design thinking approach. computers & education, 128, 171–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.09.022 wen, h., & shinas, v. h. (2020). using a multidimensional approach to examine tpack among teacher candidates. journal of digital learning in teacher education, 37(1), 30–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2020.180449 3 willermark, s. (2018). technological pedagogical and content knowledge: a review of empirical studies published from 2011 to 2016. journal of educational computing research, 56(3), 315–343. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633117713114 yalley, c. e. (2017). investigating the technological pedagogical content knowledge of social studies teachers in the senior high schools in the kumasi metropolis of ghana. journal of education and practice, 8(4), 102–110. zhang, s., liu, q., & cai, z. (2019). exploring primary school teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) in online collaborative discourse: an epistemic network analysis. british journal of educational technology, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.3926/jotse.662 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.11.003 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.09.022 endang darsih, vina agustiana, & wulan rahmatunisa exploring the integration of technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) in online teaching among efl lecturers 570 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 101 the impact of collaborative strategic reading (csr) strategy on reading skills among secondary school students riswanto english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, uin fatmawati sukarno, bengkulu, indonesia email: riswanto@iainbengkulu.ac.id apa citation: riswanto. (2023). the impact of collaborative strategic reading (csr) strategy on reading skills among secondary school students. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 101-108. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7549 received: 14-10-2022 accepted: 26-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction reading is a fundamental skill that plays a vital role in our personal and professional lives. it is the foundation of all learning and critical thinking, as well as a tool for gaining knowledge, expressing ideas, and engaging with the world around us. reading provides people with the opportunity to gain a wide variety of information and expertise. by reading the text, individuals are able to comprehend what they see on the page (aini et al., 2021) reading is a very essential activity that both instructors and students are required to engage in on a daily basis as part of their educational experience (ardianti et al., 2021) moreover, reading is an important element of education (nurmawati et al., 2021), especially when people are learning english as foreign language (efl) and need to recognize the meanings of recent phrases (meliana et al., 2018). unfortunately, the real fact of indonesian students' reading achievement is alarming. according to the program for international student assessment (pisa) 2018, indonesian students scored an average of 371 points in reading, which is below the international average of 487 points. as indonesian is a multicultural country (harmi et al., 2022) they are from various regions and do not just speak one language in the class, it will be harder to use a foreign language. they find it difficult to learn english because it is so dissimilar to indonesian in pronunciation, meaning, and other aspects (sari et al., 2019; suhono & sari, 2017). indonesian students who are learning english as a second language are also having trouble figuring out what a text means. indonesian students' ideas about learning are based entirely on cultural values from their home language, also called their "mother tongue” (jannah, 2020). several other studies have also highlighted the low reading achievement of indonesian students. a study by dardjito (2019) toward 373 efl students in yogyakarta found that although their metacognitive reading awareness scores were high, the students were placed in a cluster with limited reading proficiency. similarly, a study by wahyuni (2021) found that indonesian university students had low comprehension achievement. among 122 students, 46.7% of students were categorized below standard. another study by nanda & azmy (2020) reveals that inadequate reading comprehension in the efl context among indonesian secondary school students is a debilitating issue caused by three significant factors: a lack of motivation, a lack of prior knowledge, and a deficiency in english vocabulary. a study from muhammad et al. (2019) also confirms that many indonesian students struggle with reading comprehension. abstract: the study's overarching objective is to determine whether or not csr improves students' reading comprehension. twenty-five students from one public secondary school in bengkulu tengah served as the study's sample. the study used a preand post-test to gather data in a quasi-experimental equivalent timeseries design. since there is only one group in the research, a control group is unnecessary. the normality of the data was a prerequisite for using the one sample t-test formula to assess the hypothesis. in this study, the researchers employed the kolmogorov-smirnov test to examine whether or not the data were normally distributed. the results of this research showed that the experimental group's class post-test mean score of 83.54 exceeded the class pre-test mean score of 51.94. based on the findings, it is clear that the collaborative strategic reading (csr) approach significantly improved students' ability to understand what they read. keywords: collaborative strategic reading; reading comprehension; time series design. riswanto the impact of collaborative strategic reading (csr) strategy on reading skills among secondary school students 102 the inability of some readers to be critical of the texts they are provided, as well as differences in grammatical and lexical proficiency, contribute to the diversity of these challenges. this indicates that many indonesian students are struggling with reading, which can have a negative impact on their academic and future career success. moreover, according to the researcher's informal observations during classroom teaching practice, students have numerous reading difficulties. it was well-known that a number of issues affecting students' reading comprehension had not been resolved; pupils were unable to read well. typically, they translate word for word, even if the english phrase or sentence cannot be translated word for word. some students' attempts to translate the meanings of words using dictionaries fail miserably. if they encounter a word for which they do not know the definition, they will quit reading. the fact that reading takes time or that they read more slowly when they read a book is the source of the students' difficulties. the process of teaching reading comprehension cannot run smoothly. therefore, in order for their pupils to better understand the differences in the text, teachers must understand their students' challenges and must help them build their reading abilities and a good attitude toward their reading activities (gilakjani & sabouri, 2016). to address this issue, many educators have been looking for effective strategies to improve students' reading skills. one such strategy is collaborative strategic reading (csr), which is a collaborative approach that aims to improve students' comprehension, vocabulary, and reading fluency using structured group discussions, peer interactions, and specific reading strategies. the csr strategy emphasizes the use of four key reading strategies: previewing, click and clunk, get the gist, and wrap up, which help students to activate their prior knowledge, monitor their comprehension, and summarize the key ideas of the text (abidin & riswanto, 2012). previous studies have shown that the csr strategy can have a positive impact on students' reading skills. for example, a study by anwar (2020) found that the csr strategy was effective in improving the reading skills and the students’ active participations in reading class. similarly, a study by kabir & kiasi (2018) demonstrated that collaborative strategic reading improved the reading comprehension and vocabulary acquisition of the experimental group's students. a study from babapour et al. (2019) concluded that csr had a positive impact on the reading comprehension of elementary and intermediate level iranian efl learners. in the context of indonesia, study from susanti et al. (2020) indicate that collaborative strategic reading (csr) can improve indonesian students' higher order thinking abilities. the findings also demonstrated that cl had a positive and significant impact on the critical thinking abilities of learners (hunaidah et al., 2018; kusumawati et al., 2019; warsah et al., 2021). a study from herlisya et al. (2022) found that collaborative strategic reading was successful in enhancing students' learning activity and reading comprehension. the result study from e et al. (2022) demonstrates that the average reading performance of students improves in four dimensions, including literal, interpretive, and applied comprehension, as well as critical comprehension. studies toward the students in the level of senior high school also prove positive results of the use of csr in improving students’ reading comprehension achievement (oktorianisarry et al., 2023; sari et al., 2022). through the study on the students’ attitude toward csr, it is also showed that the students who have high achievement in reading comprehension show positive attitude toward csr (amjadi & talebi, 2021; oktarina, 2022). they believe that csr assists them to develop their reading comprehension in terms of determining main idea and increasing vocabulary. to the best of the researcher's knowledge, there is still a pressing need to conduct the study on the use of csr specifically to the secondary school students, despite the increasing evidence of csr's efficacy in improving reading skills in indonesia. by exploring how csr can help students become better readers, this study hopes to close a gap in the existing literature. this is unique because the researcher is interested in the effects of crs on one group, without a comparative or control group to determine whether or not those effects actually occurred. method this study was a quasi-experimental in the form of an equivalent time series. in the case of comparable control group does not exist, using time series design is a choice. rather than using one-group pretest-and posttest design, using time series design is suggested in order to control potentially confounding variables (johnson & christensen, 2020). researchers used pre-test (before) and post-test (after). in each meeting, the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 103 experimental group receives treatment three times (first series, second series, third series). o1 x o4, o2 x o5, o3 x o6 figure 1. equivalent time series design notes: o1, o2, o3 : pre-test value before treatment x : treatment using the collaborative strategic reading o4, o5, o6 : post-test value after being given treatment (ometlit, 2023) twenty-five students from eighth grade of a secondary school were selected to take part in the research project. the students were from one public school in bengkulu tengah, indonesia. a reading comprehension test was the instrument that the researcher employed in order to ascertain the level of reading skill possessed by the students. the test was administered before and after each treatment. there were three kinds of texts that were tried out (narrative, descriptive, and recount texts). the researcher tested the degree of validity of the instrument based on certain criteria. the level of instrument validity is calculated using spss 21 and the manual product moment correlation. it was found in the r table at significance of 5% or 0.05. n=24, =5%/0.05. so, the value of r ( x n-2) = (0,05 x 22) = 0.432. the results of the spss 21 software and the cronbach alpa showed that the instrument had a high level of reliability and was able to provide a reasonable approximation of the idea that it was designed to measure. this was determined by the fact that the instrument was able to produce accurate results. out of the total of 25 questions that were asked, the findings of the validity and reliability tests indicated that there were 20 questions that could be considered valid. as a direct consequence of this fact, the researcher questioned each participant in the study with a total of twenty questions that could be considered credible. results and discussion in order to see the significant effect of the use of csr or collaborative strategic reading on students’ reading comprehension, one sample ttest was used. a one-sample t-test is a statistical test used to determine whether the mean of a single sample of data differs significantly from a hypothesized population mean. the test involves comparing the mean of the sample to a known or hypothesized population mean, and determining whether the difference between the two means is statistically significant. the t-test calculates a tstatistic, which measures the size of the difference between the sample mean and the hypothesized population mean in terms of the standard error of the sample mean. the one sample t test determines if the mean of a population differs significantly from a known or hypothesized value. a parametric test is the one sample t test (universities libraries, 2023). the discussions are divided inti two parts: one sample t-test analyses of pretest and one sample t-test analyses of posttest. one sample t-test analysis of pretests figure 2. the histogram of pretest 1 table 2. one sample t-test of experimental group pre-test 1 one-sample test test value = 75 t df sig. (2-tailed) mean difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pre_test1 -7.690 24 .000 -25.40000 -32.2171 -18.5829 riswanto the impact of collaborative strategic reading (csr) strategy on reading skills among secondary school students 104 table 2 demonstrates the analyses of pretest 1. it shows that the t-count value of 7.690 was greater than the crucial value of 2.064 (sig. 2-tailed 0.000 < 0.05). because the significant value was <0.05, it is possible to claim that the null hypothesis (ho) was rejected, and the research hypothesis (ha) was accepted. figure 3. the histogram of pretest 2 table 3. one sample t-test of experimental group pre-test 2 one-sample test test value = 75 t df sig. (2-tailed) mean difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pre_test2 -7.226 24 .000 -21.20000 -27.2549 -15.1451 the results of students’ pretest in the second period were described in table 3. this demonstrates that the critical value of 2.064 was lower than the t-count value of 7.226, which was greater. (significance with two tails: 0.000 < 0.05) due to the fact that the significant value was less than 0.05, it is feasible to assert that the null hypothesis (ho) was not supported, whereas the research hypothesis (ha) was validated. figure 4. the histogram of pretest 3 table 4. one sample t-test of experiment group pre-test 3 one-sample test test value = 75 t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pre_test3 -6.917 24 .000 -22.60000 -29.3438 -15.8562 significant results can also be seen from table 4. the third pretest period shows that t-count 6.917, was higher than the critical value of table 2.064. (sig.2-tailed 0.000 < 0.05). since the significant value was <0.05, it can be assumed the research hypothesis (ha) was accepted and the null hypothesis (ho) was rejected. one sample t-test analysis post-test as explained in the method part, there are three periods of posttests in this research. figure 5. the histogram posttest 1 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 105 table 5. one sample t-test of experimental group posttest 1 one-sample test test value = 75 t df sig. (2-tailed) mean difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper post_test1 6.047 24 .000 8.00000 5.2697 10.7303 table 5 demonstrates the results of the analyses of posttest 1. it shows that the t-count value of 6.047 was higher than the crucial value of 2.064. (sig. 2-tailed 0.000 < 0.05). because the significant value was <0.05, it is possible to claim that the null hypothesis (ho) was rejected, and the research hypothesis (ha) was accepted. figure 6. the histogram posttest 2 table 6. one sample t-test of experimental group posttest 2 one-sample test test value = 75 t df sig. (2-tailed) mean difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper post_test2 6.803 24 .000 9.00000 6.2697 11.7303 table 6 shows the results of posttest 2. this demonstrates that the t-count value of 6.047 was higher than the critical value of 2.064, as indicated by the significance level of 0.000 < 0.05. due to the fact that the significant number was less than 0.05, it is conceivable to assert that the research hypothesis (ha) was validated. figure 7. the histogram posttest 3 table 7. one sample t-test of experiment group posttest 3 one-sample test test value = 75 t df sig. (2-tailed) mean difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper post_test3 7.330 24 .000 8.60000 6.1784 11.0216 the result of posttest 3 can be seen in table 7. t-count, 7.330, was higher than the critical value of table 2.064. (sig. 2-tailed 0.000 < 0.05). because the significant value was <0.05. it can be stated the research hypothesis (ha) was accepted and the null hypothesis (ho) was rejected. in general, the statistical studies indicate that riswanto the impact of collaborative strategic reading (csr) strategy on reading skills among secondary school students 106 csr consistently brings a significant impact on the improvement of the reading performance of the students. csr causes an improvement in the students' reading performance across all three posttest periods following each of the treatments. according to the results of the post-tests, the mean value of the first post-test was 83.00, the mean value of the second post-test was 84.00, and the mean value of the third post-test was 83.60. in the meantime, the mean value of the first pretest was found to be 49.60, the mean value of the second meeting of the pretest was found to be 52.80, and the mean value of the third meeting of the pretest was found to be 52.40. the findings of this study revealed that the mean score on the post-test for the experimental group was 83.54, which was greater than the average result on the pre-test, which was 51.94. these encouraging findings are unquestionably consistent with research that has been carried out in the past. (anwar, 2020; babapour et al., 2019; herlisya et al., 2022; kabir & kiasi, 2018; oktorianisarry et al., 2023; sari et al., 2022). the results are due to several factors. during the study, the researcher gave the pretest to students then found the students’ achievement before the treatment. the researcher then gave the treatment by applying collaborative strategic reading (csr) for students. during the implementation of csr, the students made small groups consisting of 4-6 students. students learn to participate in a variety of reading strategies, such as previewing, predicting, clarifying, and summarizing, through csr. these strategies assist students in gaining a deeper comprehension of the material that they are reading. one of the ways that a csr program can help students improve their reading is by encouraging more active involvement with the material they are reading. students are more likely to comprehend and remember what they have read if they participate in group activities that involve making predictions and asking questions. these activities encourage students to become more involved in the reading process. in addition, when students collaborate in groups, they are better able to assist one another in gaining a greater comprehension of the material by shedding light on areas of the text that may be unclear to them. by encouraging students to work together, collaborative strategic reading (csr) boosts reading comprehension and mental learning (anggeraini et al., 2018; anwar, 2020; oktorianisarry et al., 2023). csr can help students improve their literacy in yet another way by encouraging the expansion of their vocabulary, which is one of the many ways that csr can help. students progressively feel more at ease when employing their newly acquired vocabulary in their own writing and speaking as they work together with one another to recognize and define obscure terms. this process takes place as students collaborate with one another to recognize and define obscure terms. csr can also help to cultivate an enthusiasm for reading and increase students' motivation to read, both inside and outside of the classroom, by encouraging students to take ownership of their reading and increasing the amount of (chatterjee & correia, 2020; hautala & schmidt, 2019). conclusion the investigation led the researcher to the conclusion that collaborative strategic reading, also known as csr, has a considerable effect on the reading skills of learners. it is able to be shown from the statistical analysis as demonstrated from the result of pre-test and posttest results, with the posttest score being higher than the pretest score, demonstrate that they have improved their reading comprehension performance. through the utilization of an equivalent time series design, the research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by demonstrating that collaborative strategic reading is effective in enhancing the reading abilities of secondary school students. the researcher does note, however, that there are still a significant number of issues that need to be addressed with regard to this study. in upcoming studies, it should be investigated how csr can be utilized in other aspects of elt as well as in the overall context of the participants. references abidin, m. j. z., & riswanto. (2012). collaborative strategic reading (csr) within cognitive and metacognitive strategies perspectives. international journal of humanities and social science, 2(3), 31-40. aini, n., program, e. e., thaha, s., jambi, s., & zurnelly, n. (2021). the survey of students’ interest in reading book at smpn 1 and smp n 6 jambi city. journal of research in english language teaching jr-elt, 4(2), 12–22. amjadi, a., & talebi, s. h. (2021). extending the efficacy of collaborative strategic reading (csr) in teaching reading strategies: a sociocultural emotional perspective. language english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 107 teaching research, 136216882110115. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211011501 anggeraini, y., novarita, n., & afifah, n. (2018). collaborative strategic reading in efl reading classroom. eternal (english teaching journal), 9(2), 34-47. https://doi.org/10.26877/eternal.v9i2.2976 anwar, a. k. (2020). the effect of collaborative strategic reading toward students reading skill. anglophile journal, 1(1), 21-28. https://doi.org/10.51278/anglophile.v1i1.62 ardianti, a., amalia, s., & monalisa. (2021). an analysis of teachers’ strategy in teaching reading comprehension. journal of research in english language teaching jr-elt, 4(2), 40– 50. babapour, m., ahangari, s., & ahour, t. (2019). the effect of shadow reading and collaborative strategic reading on efl learners’ reading comprehension across two proficiency levels. innovation in language learning and teaching, 13(4), 318–330. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2018.146505 9 chatterjee, r., & correia, a.-p. (2020). online students’ attitudes toward collaborative learning and sense of community. american journal of distance education, 34(1), 53–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2020.170347 9 dardjito, h. (2019). students’ metacognitive reading awareness and academic english reading comprehension in efl context. international journal of instruction, 12(4), 611–624. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12439a e, y. a., rafli, z., & nuruddin. (2022). teaching reading by collaborative strategic reading: an action research. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 465–474. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6247 gilakjani, a. p., & sabouri, n. b. (2016). how can students improve their reading comprehension skill? journal of studies in education, 6(2), 229-240. https://doi.org/10.5296/jse.v6i2.9201 harmi, h., ramdhani, m. i., amalia, s., apriani, e., syafryadin, s., supardan, d., & zarin, i. (2022). how great is the level of youth cultural sensitivity? a multicultural education from one ethnic in indonesia. education research international, 2022, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7983961 hautala, j., & schmidt, s. (2019). learning across distances: an international collaborative learning project between berlin and turku. journal of geography in higher education, 43(2), 181–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2019.159933 1 herlisya, d., marcela, e. d., anum, a., wiratno, p., subari, i. (2022). collaborative strategic reading to improve students’ reading comprehension. attractive : innovative education journal, 4(1), 360-367. hunaidah., susantini, e., wasis., prahani, b. k., & mahdiannur, m. a. (2018). improving collaborative critical thinking skills of physics education students through implementation of cinqase learning model. journal of physics: conference series, 1108, 012101. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1108/1/01210 1 jannah, m. (2020). improving english learning culture through learning motivation. jurnal studi budaya nusantara, 4(2), 118-132. johnson. r. b., & christensen, l. (2020). educational research quantitative, qualitative, and mix approaches (7th edition). sage publications, inc. kabir, f. m., & kiasi, g. a. (2018). the effect of collaborative strategic reading on efl learners’ reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge. european journal of foreign language teaching, 3(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1145450 kusumawati, r., hobri, & hadi, a. f. (2019). implementation of integrated inquiry collaborative learning based on the lesson study for learning community to improve students’ creative thinking skill. journal of physics: conference series, 1211, 012097. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1211/1/01209 7 muhammad, l., guntur, f., & pordanjani, s. r. (2019). exploring the challenges of reading comprehension teaching for english proficiency test preparation class in indonesia. indonesia. els journal on interdisciplinary studies in humanities, 2(3), 321–330. nanda, d. w., & azmy, k. (2020). poor reading comprehension issue in efl classroom among indonesian secondary school students: scrutinizing the causes, impacts and possible solutions. englisia: journal of language, education, and humanities, 8(1), 12-24. https://doi.org/10.22373/ej.v8i1.6771 nurmawati., amalia, s., & ramdhani, m. i. (2021). enhancing students’ reading comprehension by using jigsaw technique. jurnal ilmiah bina bahasa, 14(2), 131–140. oktarina, h. (2022). efl students’ attitude toward collaborative strategic reading in reading classroom. journal of education and teaching (jet), 4(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.51454/jet.v4i1.194 oktorianisarry, m., yulitriana, y., nova, s. i., & norahmi, m. (2023). effect of collaborative strategic reading (csr) on students’ reading comprehension of narrative text. ebony: journal of english language teaching, linguistics, and literature, 3(1), 23–32. riswanto the impact of collaborative strategic reading (csr) strategy on reading skills among secondary school students 108 https://doi.org/10.37304/ebony.v3i1.7857 ometlit. (2023, february). penelitian experimen: jenis dan bentuk desainnya. https://ometlit.com/desain-penelitianeksperimen/#repeated_measures_experiment_d esign sari, a. m., sutiyono, a., & wiratno, p. (2022). the influence of collaborative strategy reading towards students’ reading comprehension. journal ilmiah mahasiswa, 4(2), 1–6. http://eskripsi.stkippgribl.ac.id/ sari, y. a., suhono, utama, f., & yawisah, u. (2019). request and politeness strategy by native dayanese at oku south sumatra indonesia. international journal of applied linguistics & english literature, 8(1), 230–235. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.8n.1p.230 suhono, s., & sari, y. a. (2017). retrofitting javanese traditional games as indonesia culture identity: providing english vocabulary. jurnal iqra’, 2(1), 213-226. https://doi.org/10.25217/ji.v2i1.123 susanti, a., retnaningdyah, p., ayu, a. n. p., & trisusana, a. (2020). improving efl students’ higher order thinking skills through collaborative strategic reading in indonesia. international journal of asian education, 1(2), 43–52. https://doi.org/10.46966/ijae.v1i2.37 universities libraries. (2023, january 27). spss tutorial : one sample t test. ken state university. https://libguides.library.kent.edu/spss/onesam plettest wahyuni, i. f. (2021). the assessment of indonesian efl students’ reading comprehension ability using reading evaluation and decoding system (reads). uad tefl international conference, 2, 240-245. https://doi.org/10.12928/utic.v2.5766.2019 warsah, i., morganna, r., uyun, m., hamengkubuwono, h., & afandi, m. (2021). the impact of collaborative learning on learners’ critical thinking skills. international journal of instruction, 14(2), 443–460. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14225a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 733 from aversion to engagement: transforming efl higher education students’ approach to english idioms through role-playing meikardo samuel prayuda department of english education, universitas katolik santo thomas, medan, indonesia email: meichardohanon@gmail.com candra ronitua gultom department of indonesian education, universitas katolik santo thomas, medan, indonesia email: gultomronny19@gmail.com natalina purba elementary school teacher education, universitas hkbp nommensen, medan, indonesia asmaa nader sharhan independent researcher, wasit educational directorate, kut, iraq email: asma.sharhan0110@gmail.com apa scitation: prayuda, m. s., gultom, c. r., purba, n., & sharhan, a. n. (2024). from aversion to engagement: transforming efl higher education students’ approach to english idioms through role-playing. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 733-744. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.8869 received: 21-02-2024 accepted: 22-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: this study employed a classroom action research (car) approach to investigate the effectiveness of role-playing techniques in enhancing efl students' proficiency in idiomatic speech while addressing issues of boredom in the language learning process. through car, the researcher examined the teaching-learning environment and the speaking abilities of efl students, utilizing interviews with the english teacher and students, observations, and assessments to gather both qualitative and quantitative data. pre-test, post-test data from two cycles indicated a significant improvement in efl students' comprehension of idiomatic speech following the incorporation of role-playing activities. initially, students demonstrated limited proficiency, with an average theoretical score of 62.57 and a 28.57% success rate on practical tests during the first cycle. however, after modifications, the mean theoretical score increased to 80.00 in the second cycle, accompanied by a practical test success rate of 85.71%. these results underscore the efficacy of role-playing in enhancing efl students' grasp of idiomatic speech. furthermore, the study revealed a tendency among learners to prioritize literal word meanings over metaphorical interpretations, contrasting with native speakers. this insight highlights the importance of considering learners' perceptions in assessing idiom learning and processing. in conclusion, this research emphasizes the significance of incorporating experiential learning approaches, such as role-playing, in efl instruction to foster deeper comprehension and engagement with idiomatic expressions. keywords: classroom action research (car); idiomatic expression; indonesian efl; role playing; teaching english as foreign language (tefl) introduction the main goal of this research was to tackle the difficulties encountered by indonesian students learning english as a foreign language, specifically those in higher education, by focusing on the teaching and learning process. initial investigations carried out at universitas katolik santo thomas highlighted a significant absence of motivation among english as a foreign language (efl) students, with 89% expressing a lack of interest in learning english. in light of this, the study aims to change negative attitudes towards the significance of english and alleviate student apathy by employing effective teaching methods. putting this fact aside, the goal of the research was to dispel the notion among efls that english was important and to prevent efls from becoming bored while learning the language (jannah et al., 2020; patra et al., 2022). this study made the decision to use a learning technique that makes it possible for efl students to acquire english actively and, most importantly, enjoyably. one tactic that was thought to enable efl students to be active and give them an enjoyable meikardo samuel prayuda, candra ronitua gultom, natalina purba, & asmaa nader sharhan from aversion to engagement: transforming efl higher education students’ approach to english idioms through role-playing 734 approach to study english was role play (bi, 2021). the goal was to motivate efl students to practice speaking since it's the most useful language ability to have and one that's crucial to acquire (wu & miller, 2020; zhou, 2021). role play was a technique where two or more efl debate a particular topic or situation (nguyen & nguyen, 2020). the choice to employ roleplaying as a therapeutic tool was not taken lightly. according to the theory study and research findings, role play offers multiple benefits for the university learning process, particularly in preservice teacher education programs. the bare minimum for a role play was to assign one or more group members a role and a task or goal to accomplish. role-playing was an attempt to solve problems through modeling. it could be done in groups, in couples, or alone, with each participant given a role to complete (dindar et al., 2020). while some efl play the role of the spectators, others role-play as the actors. this was done to give efl the opportunity to improve their communication skills and to educate them how to communicate regularly in authentic english (kadam et al., 2022; mohamed nor et al., 2021). role-playing had been shown to be effective in achieving affective, cognitive, and behavioral learning objectives (xu et al., 2021). acting out a distinct character allows efl to develop empathy and perspective taking (herliani et al., 2020). as a result, the learner could become more introspective and self-aware. when using the talents, efl apply the theories they had learnt (nguyen & nguyen, 2020). learning was aided by the strengthening of efls' cognitive ties to the subject (sinclair et al., 2022; surur & dengela, 2019). numerous scenarios had seen the application of this instructional tool. this research used idiomatic phrase as the subject of its learning materials (ahdillah et al., 2020; amalia et al., 2021; efendi & hardjanto, 2023). it would be difficult for an efl to recognize and comprehend idioms. they could be hard to find for a number of reasons. these difficulties include the idioms' familiarity, regularity, and similarity to the two languages (beck & weber, 2020). moreover, speakers who fail to understand the idioms' intended meaning might also fail to understand their context and content (hubers et al., 2020; miller, 2020) native english speakers utilize idioms to communicate, but because they had metaphorical meanings, non-native speakers find it difficult to understand them (efendi & hardjanto, 2023). idiomatic phrases come in three different varieties. these categories include partial idioms, phrasal verbs, and prepositional verbs. the form that was most frequently used typically results in phrasal verb since it had a hybrid definition that combines the definitions of verb and adverb. a series of verbs, adverbs, and prepositions make up the verb's preposition. examples of prepositional verbs that exhibit this were summon, bring up, break into, despair, and others. a partial idiom, which had one word with an ordinary meaning and another with a special meaning and specific order, was the third type of idiom. from happiness to sorrow, love to hate, and even the spirit of a brave person turned cowardly, idioms could portray a vast spectrum of emotions (borrelli et al., 2020; raputri et al., 2022). additionally, idioms could be employed to convey place, time, and measurement. types of idiomatic usage could be used to categorize them; keep in mind that idioms were a multifaceted and intricate concept. the reason readers struggle to understand the words or sentences of the idiom being interpreted was attributed to idiom appropriateness. idioms were particularly fascinating to study because of this. when learning new material, many of them do not quickly grow bored (ristanti et al., 2023). this study aligns with a broader discourse on the challenges faced by efl learners in mastering idiomatic expressions, as evidenced by recent investigations into the attitudes and learning strategies of afghan undergraduate efl students. the study aimed to explore afghan efl learners' perceptions of the importance of acquiring idiomatic knowledge, the difficulties encountered in understanding idioms, and the strategies employed to overcome these challenges (orfan, 2020). consistent with findings from previous research, the study revealed a positive attitude among afghan efl learners towards the significance of learning idioms (orfan, 2020). however, contrasting results from other studies (alrajhi, 2020; namaziandost et al., 2021a) underscore the variability in efl learners' attitudes towards idiomatic expressions. moreover, the research shed light on the difficulties encountered by afghan efl learners in comprehending idioms, including cultural barriers, lack of exposure in efl courses, and the absence of analogues in their first language (orfan, 2020). additionally, the strategies employed by afghan efl learners to navigate idiomatic english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 735 expressions, such as using idioms in sentences and predicting meanings, offer insights into effective learning methodologies (orfan, 2020). these findings complement the broader discussion on language acquisition strategies and their relevance to idiomatic proficiency (bao et al., 2021; cucchiarini et al., 2022). furthermore, the study's exploration of the influence of gender and first language on efl learners' attitudes and learning strategies contributes to a nuanced understanding of individual differences in language acquisition (orfan, 2020). by elucidating the multifaceted nature of idiomatic learning, this research underscores the importance of tailored instructional approaches that address the diverse needs of efl learners (orfan, 2020). while previous research had explored various strategies for idiomatic learning, such as memorization, predicting meanings, and using idioms in sentences, the application of roleplaying techniques represents a novel and distinct approach to idiomatic instruction. existing methods mentioned in the literature primarily emphasize individual learning strategies, such as rote memorization and contextual prediction, to facilitate idiomatic understanding. these approaches often prioritize passive learning and might not fully engage learners in authentic language use or communication. additionally, traditional instructional methods tend to focus on vocabulary acquisition and grammatical structures, overlooking the dynamic and contextual nature of idiomatic expressions. in contrast, the current study proposes the integration of role-playing techniques as an active and experiential learning approach for idiomatic expression acquisition. role-playing immerses learners in interactive scenarios, requiring them to engage in spontaneous communication, negotiation, and problem-solving all essential skills for idiomatic proficiency. by assuming different roles and navigating diverse linguistic contexts, learners not only encounter idiomatic expressions in authentic settings but also develop a deeper understanding of their usage and cultural nuances. particularly in cross-cultural contexts, few studies had explored the potential of role-playing techniques as a targeted intervention for addressing these challenges. by leveraging the dynamic nature of role-playing, the current study offers a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between language instruction and real-world communication, thereby enhancing idiomatic proficiency in a meaningful and engaging manner. in synthesizing these findings with the current research aims, this study seeks to build upon existing knowledge by investigating the efficacy of role-playing techniques in enhancing efl learners' mastery of idiomatic expressions. by addressing gaps in the literature and leveraging insights from previous research, this study aims to offer practical recommendations for educators and curriculum developers seeking to optimize idiomatic proficiency among efl learners in diverse linguistic and cultural contexts. it is crucial to highlight the innovative aspect of this study, particularly in addressing a research void within the field of language education. previous studies had indeed demonstrated the efficacy of role-playing techniques in enhancing various language abilities. however, the unique contribution of this study lies in its focus on vocabulary mastery within the context of idiomatic expressions. a critical observation from prior research was the lack of emphasis on vocabulary enhancement, particularly concerning idiomatic expressions. while role-playing techniques had been extensively explored for their utility in developing language skills, there exists a notable gap in the literature regarding their application specifically for idiomatic vocabulary acquisition. by recognizing and addressing this research void, the current study introduces a novel approach to language instruction that fills a critical gap in the existing literature. by integrating role-playing techniques with idiomatic expressions, this study not only offers a fresh perspective on language learning but also provides practical insights for educators and authors seeking to enhance idiomatic presentation in english as a foreign language instruction. moreover, the anticipated global applicability of this study underscores its potential to serve as a valuable reference for educators and curriculum developers worldwide. by providing innovative strategies for addressing the challenges of idiomatic expression acquisition, this study offers actionable recommendations that could inform instructional practices and contribute to the advancement of language education on a global scale. method classroom action research (car) was the methodological approach used in this qualitative study (marsevani, 2022; yanuarto, 2020). this study was carried out in two research cycles and combined qualitative and quantitative data to meikardo samuel prayuda, candra ronitua gultom, natalina purba, & asmaa nader sharhan from aversion to engagement: transforming efl higher education students’ approach to english idioms through role-playing 736 produce thorough research results. the goal of the methodical data collecting and analysis was to improve several facets of professional operations. essentially, car entails implementing concepts to bring about enhancements, including data gathering and analysis focused on a specific aspect of professional work. its main objective was to improve school procedures while also raising the skills of people who carry out these procedures. action research in the classroom usually consists of four main stages. reflective thought, a review of prior experiences, and the identification of viable solutions to current challenges were characteristics of the first step, planning. researchers discuss the steps to be done, the strategies to be used, and the resources required to make the suggested changes during the action phase. the gathering of data, which entails a variety of tasks intended to evaluate the results of the carried out operations, denotes the observation phase. examining the interactions between students, teachers, and other pertinent stakeholders might be one way to obtain this data. in addition, the research process's reflection phase was an important one. it entails the assessment of finished acts, in which researchers evaluate observed behaviors and ascertain the efficacy of the results. finding problems from earlier study cycles was crucial during this stage (permatasari & akip, 2019). both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered for data analysis. test results from both theoretical and practical exams were included in the quantitative data that was generated and examined. through the use of observation sheets and interviews, qualitative data were acquired. while interviews were used to obtain diagnostic information regarding students' challenges with using idiomatic language and their reactions to the use of a role-playing approach in teaching idiomatic expressions, observation sheets offered comprehensive insights into how teaching and learning were carried out. the instruments employed in this research were crucial in guaranteeing a thorough examination of the study's quantitative and qualitative components. these tools were carefully chosen and used to fulfill certain research goals and offer a comprehensive comprehension of the environment of the study. first, test scores were used to gather and analyze the quantitative data for this study. both theoretical and practical evaluations were part of these exams. these tests were designed to determine how well the students understood and used idiomatic language. the test results provided as numerical measures of their language ability, enabling a quantitative examination of their development over the course of the research cycles. after statistical analysis of the test results, the researcher was able to make significant inferences on the efficacy of the instructional interventions and the general increase in the students' idiomatic language ability (namaziandost et al., 2021b). observation sheets were used in the study as a tool for gathering qualitative data. these worksheets offered in-depth explanations of the dynamics of classroom instruction. the efficiency of the role-playing method, the degree of student engagement, and the introduction and practice of idiomatic terms were all noted (zhong, 2022). by identifying areas of success and areas in need of improvement, the qualitative data from the observation sheets contributed to a greater understanding of the teaching and learning processes. apart from the observation sheets, the efl teacher and the students were interviewed. the purpose of these interviews was to record the perspectives, experiences, and difficulties that the research participants had to deal with. these interviews yielded qualitative data that offered a useful narrative to support the quantitative results. the researcher could better comprehend the subjective parts of the study, such as the students' difficulties with idiomatic language and their reactions to the role-playing method, by getting direct insights from the participants. an examination of the research findings that was more comprehensive was made possible by the integration of quantitative and qualitative data collection tools. it gave the researcher a comprehensive understanding of the study setting, allowing them to investigate the participants' actual experiences in addition to evaluating the pedagogical approach's efficacy. this thorough method to gathering and analyzing data was in line with the ideas of action research, which hold that significant advancements in professional practices could only be brought about by a thorough grasp of the context and the viewpoints of all parties concerned. in the end, the study process depended heavily on the tools employed. they made it possible for the researcher to gather, examine, and evaluate data in an exacting and methodical way. the combination of quantitative data from test results and qualitative data from observation sheets and interviews provided a comprehensive understanding of the research english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 737 context and findings, adding to the study's scholarly depth and academic rigor in the area of english for specific purposes and education. results and discussion in accordance with the ideas put forward, the researcher developed a research plan by a working procedure in car. the step of this car covers two cycles. in a cycle, consisted of planning, action, observation, and also reflection. in the first cycle, instructor had not prepared adequately and caused the result of the research in cycle one did not success although it indicated progress of the efl’ achievement but not maximal yet. in the first cycle, efl still not comfy with the new air of the teaching technique that the teacher use. they had never learnt as fun as through role playing before and it was normal if they could not follow the teaching and learning process so well. table 1. efl achievement in the first cycle of theoritical test no name score passing grade completeness 1 aa 56 75 incomplete 2 ab 56 75 incomplete 3 ac 56 75 incomplete 4 ad 52 75 incomplete 5 ae 56 75 incomplete 6 af 68 75 incomplete 7 ag 68 75 incomplete 8 ah 68 75 incomplete 9 ai 81 75 complete 10 aj 75 75 complete 11 ak 81 75 complete 12 al 81 75 complete 13 am 90 75 complete 14 an 75 75 complete 15 ao 75 75 complete 16 ap 52 75 incomplete 17 aq 56 75 incomplete 18 ar 56 75 incomplete 19 as 56 75 incomplete 20 at 81 75 complete 21 au 75 75 complete 22 av 56 75 incomplete 23 aw 56 75 incomplete 24 ax 56 75 incomplete 25 ay 68 75 incomplete 26 az 68 75 incomplete 27 ba 68 75 incomplete 28 bb 68 75 incomplete 29 bc 68 75 incomplete 30 bd 68 75 incomplete 31 be 75 75 complete 32 bf 56 75 incomplete 33 bg 52 75 incomplete 34 bh 52 75 incomplete 35 bi 62 75 incomplete total score 2190 mean 62.57 incomplete according to the information provided, a total of 35 students took the test. they include: 20 students had test results under 75. 15 students received test results over the 75-point threshold. the average test score for all 35 students would now be determined. to find the average score, add all of the individual scores and divide by the total number of students. 20 (scores below 75) + 15 (scores over 75) = 35 was the sum of all students' scores. we might use this information to calculate the sum of all scores if the average score was, in fact, 62.57:average score multiplied by the total number of students, or 62.57 * 35, results in a total score of 2194.95 (rounded to two decimal points). as a result of the test's overall completion rate being "incomplete," the students as a group did not reach the required passing score of 75. using the formula below, we could determine the minimal sum of scores needed for each student to pass the test: passing score was equal to the minimum total required. 75 times 35 equals a total of 2625 students. the overall test completion rate was still not met because the actual total sum of scores (2194.95) was less than the necessary minimum (2625). to put it another way, even though the average result was 62.57, the students as a whole did not do well enough to pass the exam. this gap might mean that while some students performed above average, a large number of them performed well below the passing mark, lowering the overall completion rate. table 2. efl achievement in the first cycle of practical test no group score passing grade completeness 1 group a 80 75 complete 2 group b 60 75 incomplete 3 group c 60 75 incomplete 4 group d 70 75 incomplete 5 group e 80 75 complete 6 group f 70 75 incomplete 7 group g 70 75 incomplete total group that pass the passing grade 2 precentage of the efl who were good in the practical test 28.57% incomplete using an observation sheet, the collaborator made observations for the classroom action research (car) study. the purpose of these observations was to evaluate the effectiveness of the teacher, the disposition of the english as a foreign language (efl) students, and the general meikardo samuel prayuda, candra ronitua gultom, natalina purba, & asmaa nader sharhan from aversion to engagement: transforming efl higher education students’ approach to english idioms through role-playing 738 dynamics of the classroom while the students were learning. these observations served to ascertain whether the intended implementation of the planned teaching and learning design had taken place. the following information was included in the data entered into the observation sheet. observation of the teacher: the instructor gave a brief introduction and established the tone for the learning exercises at the start of the class. the efl students received a quick, albeit incomplete, description of the course material from the teacher. the efl students asked questions, but the teacher chose not to answer them. the efl pupils didn't seem to be very interested in the lessons the teacher was trying to impart. even so, several efl students were still reluctant to participate in role-playing in front of the class, despite the teacher's strong encouragement. the instructor struggled to efficiently manage her time. when it came to working with pupils who were struggling, the teacher seemed impatient. the way the teacher presented herself to the students seemed a little awkward. the instructor skillfully wrapped up the class. the teacher was extremely well-groomed both in terms of look and dress. efl observation: it seemed that the efl students were not as engaged in the learning process. the learning materials appeared to be confusing to the efl pupils. the teacher was not given much attention by the efl students. there was not much comment about the class from the efl students. when instructed to establish learning groups, the efl students encountered difficulties with collaboration. when requested to participate in role-playing exercises in front of the class, the efl students felt ashamed. following the completion of the car project's first cycle, the researcher carried out a reflective analysis, taking the following factors into account. ineffective time management throughout the course material delivery reduced the amount of time allotted for group discussions. it was suggested that time conditioning be improved. possibly as a result of insufficient preparation, the teacher's technique of explaining the lesson content was not properly clear. improved interactions between the teacher and efl students were necessary to boost the students' participation in the learning process. it was essential to motivate efl students to actively participate in group activities. the first cycle's implementation was not as successful as it might had been. the mean post-test score for efl students was 62.57, which was below the required minimum score of 75.00. just 28.57% of efl students performed well on the practical test, far less than the necessary 75% for success. as a result, it was decided that a second cycle would be required to improve efl achievement and guarantee the success of the research. the teacher acknowledged the problems in the second cycle and changed their approach to teaching while also enhancing the course materials. the results were very encouraging. the efl students showed a discernible improvement in their learning. it was simpler for them to participate since they understood their roles in the teaching and learning process better. the efl students were more seasoned and self-assured in their participation in the teaching and learning process after encountering the same course material twice. table 3. efl achievement in the second cycle of theoritical test no name score passing grade completeness 1 aa 82 75 complete 2 ab 93 75 complete 3 ac 75 75 complete 4 ad 82 75 complete 5 ae 82 75 complete 6 af 82 75 complete 7 ag 82 75 complete 8 ah 82 75 complete 9 ai 93 75 complete 10 aj 82 75 complete 11 ak 82 75 complete 12 al 82 75 complete 13 am 93 75 complete 14 an 75 75 complete 15 ao 82 75 complete 16 ap 82 75 complete 17 aq 68 75 incomplete 18 ar 82 75 complete 19 as 82 75 complete 20 at 93 75 complete 21 au 93 75 complete 22 av 82 75 complete 23 aw 82 75 complete 24 ax 82 75 complete 25 ay 82 75 complete 26 az 82 75 complete 27 ba 82 75 complete 28 bb 82 75 complete 29 bc 93 75 complete 30 bd 82 75 complete 31 be 82 75 complete 32 bf 75 75 complete 33 bg 75 75 complete 34 bh 82 75 complete 35 bi 82 75 complete total score 2800 mean 80.00 complete english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 739 the information in the table revealed that 30 out of 35 efl students passed the second cycle of theoretical exams with scores equal to or higher than the required 75. this showed that the efl students comprehend the english language well and were able to communicate clearly in it. the failure of 5 efl students to pass the exam, however, should also be taken into consideration because it suggests that these students might require more assistance to advance their english language proficiency. there was no information in the data about the reasons why these students failed the test, although it might had been because of a number of things, including a lack of preparation, trouble understanding the test questions, or language obstacles. the average test result for the efl students was 80.00, which was just above the required passing mark of 75. this showed that, on average, the efl students did well on the test and had a solid command of the english language. the distribution of scores among the efl students was not disclosed by the mean score, it was crucial to remember this. some students' scores might have been much higher or lower than the mean. overall, table 4's data offered insightful information on the performance of efl students in the second cycle of theoretical testing. the majority of the efl passed the test and demonstrated a strong command of the english language, but it was also necessary to give the students who failed the test additional support. table 4. efl achievement in the second cycle of practical test no group score passing grade completeness 1 group a 80 75 complete 2 group b 80 75 complete 3 group c 70 75 incomplete 4 group d 80 75 complete 5 group e 90 75 complete 6 group f 80 75 complete 7 group g 80 75 complete total group that pass the passing grade 6 precentage of the efl who were good in the practical test 85.71% complete the results of the classroom action research (car) project's observations on teachers and students learning english as a foreign language (efl) were noteworthy. regarding the instructor, it was observed that the instructor skillfully commenced classes, gave lucid explanations of the course materials, and actively participated in answering inquiries from efl students. it was very impressive how the teacher sparked the interest of the efl students and promoted roleplaying in the classroom. positive evaluations were also given to time management, tolerance for resolving student difficulties, and general classroom performance. the teacher came off as more professional because to their well-groomed look. according to observations, the efl students actively participated in the learning process, showed a thorough comprehension of the subject matter, and focused intently on the teacher. during group activities, the students demonstrated strong collaboration, provided insightful criticism, and shown self-assurance when completing roleplaying exercises in front of the class. these observations prompted crucial considerations about the value of using role-playing to teach idiomatic idioms. it was discovered that this method had a good effect on efl students' acquisition of idiomatic language. the majority of efl students showed growth in their grasp of idiomatic terms and demonstrated competency in employing them. they also spoke quite actively, which was noteworthy because they used colloquial language a lot. there were notable advancements in the car project during its second cycle. in the second cycle post-test, the mean score of efl students exceeded the minimal success threshold of 75.00, coming in at 80.00. a remarkable 85.71% of efl students received good results on the practical exam, over the necessary 75% for success. this demonstrated the beneficial change in the teaching and learning process and indicated the research's effectiveness. overall, the observations and reflections showed that teaching and learning idiomatic expressions through role-playing had significantly improved, which in turn had enhanced efl student accomplishment and proficiency. meikardo samuel prayuda, candra ronitua gultom, natalina purba, & asmaa nader sharhan from aversion to engagement: transforming efl higher education students’ approach to english idioms through role-playing 740 figure 1. the recapitulation of efl achievement this study's primary goal was to observe how using a role-playing method could enhance one's grasp of efl idiomatic expressions. this discussion of the phenomenon focused on efl attitudes both before and after role-playing techniques were used in the classroom. there were two distinct points of view in this study. the first was their efl performance, which was determined by their group and individual performance on the theoretical test. the efl attitude during the research application process was the second. the test yielded the information needed for the first perspective. as a result, a quantitative analysis was done on the quantitative data. based on observations and discussions with teachers and students, data was gathered for the second perspective. teachers played the roles of collaborators and educators here. the data was collected and then descriptively analyzed based on the instruments that produced qualitative data. several conclusions might be drawn from the research that was done. while the research in cycle one revealed some progress in efl achievement, it was not at its peak, and this was due to the teacher's poor preparation in the first cycle. during the first cycle, efl students were still uneasy with the teacher's novel approach to instruction. it was understandable if they struggled to follow the teaching and learning process because they had never learned anything as enjoyable as through role acting. modern design models need to incorporate incentive theories or models in order to promote efficient cognitive processing. the first cycle's observation revealed that the efl were less engaged in the learning process and unsure about the subject matter. this resulted from both the delivery of the study materials and the fact that they did not support efl enthusiasts. students were more likely to engage in active participation when they find the topic engaging and pertinent. teachers could boost student involvement by relating the material to personal experiences, real-world problems, or interests of the students. when the course information was valuable, students were more likely to be motivated and engage fully in class discussions. students that had a high level of emotional involvement love learning and become distracted by the passing of time. feelings and behaviors linked to boredom, fury, worry, or despair were examples of poor emotional involvement (ariska et al., 2022; hubers et al., 2020). cognitive engagement requires a selfregulated learning style and an appreciation of the value of education. cognitively engaged students were motivated to learn in and out of the classroom. cognitive engagement was influenced by how relevant the material was judged to be to the learner's experience (alrajhi, 2020). a highly engaged cognitive learner would be able to apply the material to future practice and would be motivated to continue their studies even after class. it was also discovered from the first cycle observation that efl practiced role-playing with little teamwork and felt isolated. this was more likely to be the teacher-created learning environment. an environment that was both safe and friendly was necessary for students to participate in class. students might be reluctant to participate if they fear rejection, ridicule, or other unfavorable consequences. teachers had a responsibility to establish a safe space where students could freely ask questions, discuss their opinions, and express their thoughts without fear of repercussions. higher education was where the idea that the learning environment affects performance had already been found. this emphasis on the learning environment had led to continued efforts to develop new measurements as well as assessments of assessments that determine residents' and students' perceptions of it. my curiosity on how educators and teaching strategies fit into the concept of a learning environment grew as a result of this growing interest. the areas of the learning environment include goalorientation, interpersonal interactions, and organization/regulation (cucchiarini et al., 2022). the majority of statements used to evaluate the learning environment had something to do with both teaching and learner motivation, even when it was not stated explicitly. this was true for the vast majority of technologies used in learning environments. millennial students placed a high value on the following: the material's relevancy, their independence, having options, and a relationship with their teachers demonstrated by two-way communication as well as respect, caring, and student expertise. maybe the most difficult thing of all was scheduling this time and incorporating it into the curriculum on a regular basis. to promote relatedness, we need to take into account other people's involvement. there were many advantages to learning with and from peers (bi, 2021; zhong, 2022). another issue that surfaced during cycle one observation was that efl provided less feedback english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 741 to the learning process and did not seem to be paying much attention to the teacher's performance. these issues might have arisen as a result of the learning technique not being spread with an active learning method. furthermore, differentiated teaching was not used by the teacher during the learning stages. when it comes to active learning, the affective domain encompasses motivation-related characteristics including worth, self-efficacy, and belonging in addition to student enjoyment and learning judgments (winkler & rybnikova, 2019). the behavioral domain focuses on participation, attempting to be sincere, and attending class. the majority of previous research on active learning, which focuses on systematic reviews and evaluates cognitive advancements in student learning, deviates from the affective and behavioral elements (owens et al., 2020). teachers frequently cite time constraints and inadequate preparation as reasons for the challenges they face while implementing active learning. the academic world had focused increased attention on student resistance to active learning as one of these problems and a potential reason for instructors' low persistence rates with active learning. student resistance to active learning could manifest itself in a variety of ways, such as a lack of interest and participation in class activities, a drop in attendance, or poor course evaluations and enrollments. relationship between affective, cognitive, and behavioral domains; conclusion that students were unlikely to exhibit a high level of behavioral engagement during science learning tasks if they do not also deeply engage with the content affectively and cognitively; and assertion that all three types of engagement were necessary for science learning (theobald et al., 2020). the issues that surfaced during the first cycle of teacher observation were somewhat related to the findings of the efl observation. this implies that the teacher's problems would be resolved along with the efl problems. to be better in the following cycle, there were numerous things to consider from cycle one. the interaction between the instructor and efl was highlighted in the reflection as the primary issue that needed to be addressed by the teacher. prior research in higher education had shown that student satisfaction, interest and commitment, and academic success were among the motivational, attitudinal, social, and academic outcomes that were significantly impacted by the quality of the teacher-student relationship at the individual level (luca, 2019; matta, 2022). as was already indicated, teachers would try to establish close relationships with each member of the group because this was the setting that yields the best results. we argue that the positive affective health of student groups was positively connected with the efficacy of teacher-student interactions. affective well-being, or how people feel about themselves, could be operationalized through the use of positive emotions. compared to emotions, moods were more diffuse and less potent emotional reactions, but they could have more subtle and widespread effects (udjaja et al., 2019; valente et al., 2020). the instructor attempted to enhance the learning materials and his teaching style in the second cycle after realizing his mistakes. the outcome was a complete surprise. the learning process was considerably enhanced by the efl upgrades. both the test and the field notes made throughout the exercise provided proof of it. during the role-playing exercise, the efl considerably enhanced their conversational exchange and practiced using idiomatic expressions more effectively. action research allows for the incorporation of variables such as time, teamwork, and context into the study (yanuarto, 2020). the role-play was greatly influenced by the relationships between the efl. the conversations took place prior to, during, and following the performances. the role-playing facilitated discussions and highlighted new habits and communication strategies. it was evident that the role-playing exercise frequently promoted student interaction and conversation, helping them to overcome their natural shyness. furthermore, there was universal agreement among the efl regarding the necessity of active participation in role-playing (orfan, 2020). efl students had a better understanding of their roles in the teaching and learning process by the time they reach the second cycle. since they were learning the same subject for the second time, efls might have more expertise and trust in the teaching and learning process, which made it easier for them to follow. this was consistent with a recent study that found that using the roleplaying method improves efl students' speaking abilities as well as their level of active participation in the teaching and learning process. the confidence in the interactions between efl and teachers, as well as among efl, was a result of sharing and/or discussion. when efl practiced role acting in groups, their performance demonstrated that it was simpler for them to gain meikardo samuel prayuda, candra ronitua gultom, natalina purba, & asmaa nader sharhan from aversion to engagement: transforming efl higher education students’ approach to english idioms through role-playing 742 confidence. this tactic was combined with roleplaying techniques, which improved their grasp of idiomatic expression via practice. the test results demonstrated how each cycle had improved and how efl students had collaborated to meet the teacher's objectives. additional insights were derived from the issue raised by the efl fundamental understanding of idiomatic speech. the idiomatic expression of efl was influenced by the lexicon of the language, particularly in relation to idiomatic expression. in both cycles, efls with weaker vocabulary mastery performed worse than those with stronger vocabulary mastery. this outcome was consistent with earlier studies that discovered students responded favorably to roleplaying because they found it easy to understand and apply in the learning process. it could be used in a flexible manner in university settings. it expedited the students' understanding of the course topics, fostered their independence and responsibility as learners, increased their social awareness, and prepared them for teaching (orfan, 2020). this study concludes that although for native speakers this does not seem to be the case, for learners the individual words were more important than the figurative meaning. this result was supported by the variations in learners' and native speakers' intuitions and how they relate to idiom knowledge. these differences, along with the finding that efl individuals were able to form reliable intuitions, suggest that intuitions require further attention and ought to be taken into account in studies pertaining to idiom processing and acquisition (hubers et al., 2020; orfan, 2020). conclusion the conversation that follows was informed by other observations that led to the reflection. according to the first cycle's reflection result, the outcome was unsatisfactory and inconsistent with what was anticipated. fear was sparked by the teacher's lack of tolerance when dealing with the efl. this was undoubtedly bad since it made the efl feel uneasy and afraid, which made the environment less favorable for learning. some efl members were passive in the group, which occasionally resulted in a minor issue in each group apart. in general, the first cycle's implementation went smoothly but was less favorable. in addition to improving the learning environment and offering better answers to the issues from cycle one, the instructor in cycle two also introduced more engaging teaching techniques to help students get past learning boredom. when these strategies were used, the learning environment improved and efl students were able to work together more effectively in groups. in order to ensure the wellbeing of the pupils, the teacher improved relationships with efl while implementing these methods. the efl mean score was 28.57 in the practical test and 62.57 in the theoretical test. since the outcome did not meet the requirements, a second cycle was required. the issues with the teacher and efl had already been resolved, and efl mastery in learning had also improved, according to the results of the second cycle. the efl score in the theoretical test showed a mean of 80.00, whilst the practical test showed a mean of 85.71. the goals of this study indicate that it was not limited to examining efl performance alone. additionally, this study attempted to close the gap between the studies listed in the introduction. the shortcoming in the prior research was that it did not specifically object to terminology, particularly idiomatic expressions, or conduct a deeper analysis. the research gap in this study had been examined and connected to the goal of the investigation. the research's important conclusions were linked to the usage of particular terminology, specifically idiomatic expressions. the adoption of role playing technique greatly improved efl idiomatic expression mastery, as evidenced by the results and discussion above. this outcome successfully addressed the research gap regarding the role-playing technique for improving efl idiomatic expression proficiency (hubers et al., 2020; orfan, 2020). as a result, one learning approach that was recommended for use in the classroom was role acting, particularly in the context of teaching language and idiomatic expression proficiency. references ahdillah, m. z. i., hartono, r., & yuliasri, i. (2020). english indonesian translation of idiomatic expressions found in the adventure of tom sawyer: strategies used and resulted equivalence. english education journal, 10(4), 480–492. https://doi.org/10.15294/eej.v10i4.38990 alrajhi, a. s. (2020). static infographics effects on the receptive knowledge of idiomatic expressions. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 10(2), 315–326. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i2.28596 amalia, m., hilman, e. h., & putri, e. j. (2021). idiomatic expressions in j.k. rowling’s harry english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 743 potter and the prisoner of azkaban. jl3t (journal of linguistics, literature and language teaching), 7(2), 134–151. https://doi.org/10.32505/jl3t.v7i2.3276 ariska, d., aprianto, m., nugroho, b., & asikin, n. a. (2022). idioms translation analysis in the dubbing of mulan movie. indonesian efl journal (ieflj), 8(2), 215–222. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v8i2.6458 bao, t., & pham, n. (2021). student attitude towards the application of conceptual metaphors to teaching english idioms. international journal of linguistics, literature and translation. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt beck, s. d., & weber, a. (2020). context and literality in idiom processing: evidence from self-paced reading. journal of psycholinguistic research, 49(5), 837–863. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936020-09719-2/figures/3 bi, n. z. (2021). cognitive processes of esl learners in pragmatic role-play tasks in academic settings. frontiers in psychology, 12, 586588. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.586588/bi btex borrelli, d., svartzman, g. g., & lipizzi, c. (2020). unsupervised acquisition of idiomatic units of symbolic natural language: an n-gram frequency-based approach for the chunking of news articles and tweets. plos one, 15(6). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.02342 14 cucchiarini, c., hubers, f., & strik, h. (2022). learning l2 idioms in a call environment: the role of practice intensity, modality, and idiom properties. computer assisted language learning, 35(4), 863–891. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1752734 dindar, m., ren, l., & järvenoja, h. (2020). an experimental study on the effects of gamified cooperation and competition on english vocabulary learning. br. j. educ. technol., 52(1), 142–159. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12977 efendi, l., & hardjanto, t. d. (2023). modulation in the idiom translation from english to indonesian in the novel rich people problems. salee: study of applied linguistics and english education, 4(1), 251–261. https://doi.org/10.35961/salee.v4i1.570 herliani, r., sinaga, s. d., simanjuntak, n. c., & nasir, m. (2020). the effect of participation intensity, lecturer characters, and learning environment on student achievements of accounting education students at medan state university. journal of community research and service, 4(1), 49. https://doi.org/10.24114/jcrs.v4i1.18528 hubers, f., cucchiarini, c., & strik, h. (2020). second language learner intuitions of idiom properties: what do they tell us about l2 idiom knowledge and acquisition? lingua, 246, 102940. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2020.102940 jannah, i. m., kuswari, n., muna, i., & nabilla, k. (2020). exploring the effects of using game on students’ vocabulary mastery: a case study in instructional material and media development class. assehr journal. 200427. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200427.037 kadam, m. v., aparanji, s. g., kamthe, a. r., & john, t. (2022). enriching the english language skills of students from vernacular mediums. international journal of advanced research in science, communication and technology, 102– 103. https://doi.org/10.48175/ijarsct-5118 luca, l. de. (2019). the teacher’s role in preventing bullying. frontiers in psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01830 marsevani, m. (2022). tlemc (teaching & learning english in multicultural contexts) a classroom action research: improving speaking skills through work in pairs technique. journal unsil, 6(1). matta, c. (2022). philosophical paradigms in qualitative research methods education: what is their pedagogical role? scandinavian journal of educational research. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2021.1958372 miller, j. (2020). the bottom line: are idioms used in english academic speech and writing? journal of english for academic purposes, 43, 100810. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2019.100810 mohamed nor, h., sihes, a. j., & hamidon, m. (2021). implementation of the critical thinking skills in arabic language teaching and learning: a preliminary study. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 11(9). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v11-i9/11109 namaziandost, e., tavakoli, m., & izadpanah, s. (2021). investigating efl learners’ knowledge of vocabulary and idiomatic expressions in a culture-based instructional environment. studies in english language and education, 8(3), 1080– 1093. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i3.22543 namaziandost, e., tavakoli, m., & izadpanah, s. (2021). investigating efl learners’ knowledge of vocabulary and idiomatic expressions in a culture-based instructional environment. studies in english language and education, 8(3), 1080– 1093. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i3.22543 nguyen, t. n. t., & nguyen, h. b. (2020). classroom participation in efl speaking classes: students’ perceptions. international journal of innovative research and development, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.24940/ijird/2020/v9/i4/apr 20004 orfan, s. n. (2020). afghan efl students’ difficulties and strategies in learning and understanding english idioms. cogent arts and humanities, meikardo samuel prayuda, candra ronitua gultom, natalina purba, & asmaa nader sharhan from aversion to engagement: transforming efl higher education students’ approach to english idioms through role-playing 744 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2020.1796228 owens, d. c., sadler, t. d., barlow, a. t., & smithwalters, c. (2020). student motivation from and resistance to active learning rooted in essential science practices. research in science education, 50(1), 253–277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-017-96881/metrics patra, i., shanmugam, n., ismail, s. m., & mandal, g. (2022). an investigation of efl learners’ vocabulary retention and recall in a technologybased instructional environment: focusing on digital games. education research international, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7435477 permatasari, r., & akip, m. (2019). perangkat pembelajaran ipa berbasis self-regulated learning untuk meningkatkan keterampilan metakognitif siswa sekolah dasar di nanga pinoh. jurnal pendidikan informatika dan sains, 8(1), 90. https://doi.org/10.31571/saintek.v8i1.1107 raputri, e., pratama, h., & hartono, r. (2022). evaluating the use of discourse markers in selected english education journal articles. english education journal, 12(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.15294/eej.v12i1.52252 ristanti, p., nugrahani, d., & sukmaningrum, r. (2023). idiomatic expression in song lyrics from arianna grande album positions. international journal of research in education, 3(1), 25–32. https://doi.org/10.26877/ijre.v3i1.12484 sinclair, s., harris, d., kondejewski, j., roze des ordons, a. l., jaggi, p., & hack, t. f. (2022). program leaders’ and educators’ perspectives on the factors impacting the implementation and sustainment of compassion training programs: a qualitative study. teaching and learning in medicine, 35(1), 21–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/10401334.2021.2017941 surur, a. n., & dengela, s. t. (2019). the relationship between writing anxiety and students’ writing performance at wolkite university first year english major students. international journal of english literature and social sciences, 4(6), 1707–1720. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijels.46.14 theobald, e. j., hill, m. j., tran, e., agrawal, s., nicole arroyo, e., behling, s., chambwe, n., cintrón, d. l., cooper, j. d., dunster, g., grummer, j. a., hennessey, k., hsiao, j., iranon, n., jones, l., jordt, h., keller, m., lacey, m. e., littlefield, c. e., freeman, s. (2020). active learning narrows achievement gaps for underrepresented students in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math. proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america, 117(12), 6476–6483. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1916903117/sup pl_file/pnas.1916903117.sapp.pdf udjaja, y., renaldi, steven, tanuwijaya, k., & wairooy, i. k. (2019). the use of role playing game for japanese language learning. procedia computer science, 157, 298–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2019.08.170 valente, s., lourenço, a. a., alves, p., & dominguezlara, s. (2020). the role of the teacher’s emotional intelligence for efficacy and classroom management. revista ces psicologia, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.21615/cesp.13.2.2 winkler, i., & rybnikova, i. (2019). student resistance in the classroom—functional-instrumentalist, critical-emancipatory and critical-functional conceptualisations. higher education quarterly, 73(4), 521–538. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12219 wu, j. g., & miller, l. (2020). improving english learners’ speaking through mobile-assisted peer feedback. relc journal, 51(1), 168–178. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688219895335 xu, q., chen, s., wang, j., & suhadolc, s. (2021). characteristics and effectiveness of teacher feedback on online business english oral presentations. asia-pacific education researcher, 30(6), 631–641. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-021-00595-5 yanuarto, w. n. (2020). a classroom action research (car): students’ creativity enhancement through problem solving learning. indonesian journal of mathematics education, 3(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.31002/ijome.v3i1.2324 zhong, l. (2022). incorporating personalized learning in a role-playing game environment via sid model: a pilot study of impact on learning performance and cognitive load. smart learning environments, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-022-00219-5 zhou, z. (2021). a systematic literature review on the use of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) for enhancing speaking skills in chinese efl context. international journal of frontiers in sociology, 3(15). https://doi.org/10.25236/ijfs.2021.031502 microsoft word 2021_3lstylesheet.docx english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 981 technology-enhanced formative assessment: unraveling indonesian efl learners’ voices taufiqulloh english language education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pancasakti tegal, indonesia email: taufiqkayla@upstegal.ac.id meyga agustia nindya english language education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pancasakti tegal, indonesia email: meygaan14@gmail.com ihda rosdiana english language education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pancasakti tegal, indonesia email: ihdarosdiana@gmail.com apa citation: taufiqullah., nindya, m. a., & rosdiana, i. (2023). technology-enhanced formative assessment: unraveling indonesian efl learners’ voices. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 981-990. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.9076 received: 11-06-2023 accepted: 28-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 introduction the state of pandemic covid-19 has led to a rapid transition from prominently offline to online learning. it has emerged for teachers utilize several learning strategies and incorporate technology as alternatives to facilitate conducive online learning and teaching activities. howsoever, various aspects have been recently found to be barriers encountered by teachers during online teachings such as internet access (bozkurt et al., 2020; gunawan, et al, 2020), access to online resources (johnson et al., 2020), lack of experience in using technology (mercader & gairín, 2020), and security problems (telleslangdon, 2020). after running online and distance teaching and learning activities during the pandemic, face-to-face learning can finally be restarted in with the continued reduction in the number of pandemic cases around the world. even so, some activities that support learning in the classroom continue to run online, some of which are collecting tasks and the assessment process. with the boom of technology, there has been an exploration of how it is integrated into language teaching. some studies emphasized that the use of technology in the language classroom assist teachers to be more interactive and to do more meaningful activities which can engage students to actively take part in the class (tanjung, 2020). anggeraini (2018) also confirmed that the integration of technology plays important role in promoting interactive learning and teaching activities as well as enhancing abstract: the current research works have put great concern on the positive impacts of the implementation of formative assessment in efl learning and teaching. simultaneously, the swift technological development also takes effect on supporting the practices of formative assessment. this study aims to explore efl learners’ voices on implementing technology-enhanced formative assessment in efl classrooms. it is a case study intended to obtain detailed information from the participants for a particular case. five efl learners from different universities were involved in this study by using a telephone interview. the findings of this study reveal that efl learners have positive views on the use of formative assessment in terms of getting a better understanding and promoting learning independence. besides, most efl learners also perceived that the integration of technology-enhanced positively affects them in working with formative assessments assigned by the lecturers. the last, the challenges of technology-enhanced formative assessment by efl learners comprised the overload of work assignments, the difficulty of time management, the incapability of staring at laptops for a long time, the instability of lms, and the unclear instructions as well as insufficient feedback by the lecturers. several implications are provided in this study. keywords: challenges; efl learners; formative assessment; learning management system technologyenhanced. mailto:taufiqkayla@upstegal.ac.id mailto:meygaan14@gmail.com mailto:ihdarosdiana@gmail.com taufiqulloh, meyga agustia nindya, ihda rosdiana technology-enhanced formative assessment: unraveling indonesian efl learners’ voices 982 learners’ initiatives to learn and be more creative learners. furthermore, technology nowadays is an inseparable thing in students’ everyday lives as it provides them with access to countless online resources and materials. students are also encouraged to be more independent since they can search for any information available on the internet related to the course without being too much dependent on the teacher during classroom practices. it also makes learning concepts more digestible through instructional video, and the like. responding to the conditions, teachers are highly demanded to put great concern into selecting, preparing, integrating, assessing, and evaluating types of technology being employed in classroom instruction (tanjung, 2020). another major of research, on the other hand, has found that some teachers appear troublesome in integrating technology into language teaching (diningrat, et al., 2020; safitri et al, 2015). diningrat, nindya, and salwa (2020) reported that during the implementation of online learning in higher education, there are some barriers perceived by lecturers related to technology, some of which are related to limited bandwidth, connectivity, and security. these technological barriers became hindrances in the learning and teaching process which may result to inconvenient learning atmospheres. in addition, safitri et al (2015) have also investigated teachers’ perspectives and their practices in implementing technology in language classrooms. the result shows that the integration of technology in the teaching and learning process lead to the positive attitude of the teachers significantly. however, they committed that they lack ict proficiency because they never involved in any formal training on the use of ict and other technological supports from the school. many researches not only figure out the integration of technology in english language teaching, but also its immersion in the assessment processes (e.g. deeley, 2018; dalby & swan, 2018; ningsih & mulyono, 2019; mccallum & milner, 2020). technology as audio visual technology in particular, beomes a medium for teachers to provide feedback for the enhancement of the quality of feedback information and easily gathered by students (deeley, 2018). ningsih and mulyono (2019) also revealed the efl teachers’ perception of the integration of technology tools for language assessment. the result showed that using kahoot! and zipgrade encouraged the students to be involved in enjoyable and fun learning environment since the platforms are practical with automated scoring and direct feedback. moreover, dalby and swan (2018), conducted a research to find out the effect of ipad in formative assessment. and the result showed that it was effective and the students were well highly motivated in learning by using such a media. there is a broad concept of formative assessment suggested by scholars worldwide. brown (2004) describes formative assessment as a process of assessment that is conducted during the course of instruction to find out the students’ progress or weaknesses on the lesson they have learned. another objective of conducting formative assessment is to figure out the whole learning process so that teachers can give feedback continuously during the process of instruction. generally, formative assessment is considered to be low-stakes assessment which can simply be in the form of informal questions, simple oral q&a, practice quizzes, writing a summary, etc. it is different from the summative assessment which is conducted at the end of the instruction to measure outgoing development of the learners’ language after a period of instruction (oscarson, 1999). numbers of research have paid attention to investigating the effectiveness of formative assessment in language classroom practices. the major line of it has demonstrated that formative assessment offers promising benefits. mccalum (2021) explored how students’ views and teachers’ reflections on the use of formative assessment in classroom practices. findings showed that students admit that formative assessment is effective at helping them learn to monitor their own progress, encouraging further study, and increasing a student’s perceived level of learning and understanding. the use of formative assessment is further also beneficial for teachers to get insights into the learners' progress of learning which then can help them to foster student engagement and permit early intervention. another study conducted by akter and khan (2020) has prompted language teachers to promote formative assessment practices regularly in their classrooms since it can be used to recognize learners' weaknesses and strengths in learning to improve their skills. hence, formative assessment is considered to be an essential aspect of the teaching-learning process to determine the learning progress of efl learners during the class. however, in regard to the positive impacts of the use of formative assessment, widiastuti and saukah (2017) reported the insufficient english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 983 understanding and infrequent practices of using formative assessment. the foregoing studies on the integration of technology to promote language assessment depict how efl teachers should endeavor to use assessment tools that are incorporated into advanced technology. despite today’s trends and the high demands of integrating technology in the language classroom, many studies have focused on the attitudes and the challenges of teachers to using enhanced technology (lutfiyyah, et al., 2021; widiastuti & saukah, 2020). however, it is also attempting to explore the learners’ voices in the use of formative assessment in elt practices in classrooms. a study conducted by lutfiyyah, et al (2021) found that efl teachers view technology as a practical tool that offers a useful and meaningful platform for assessing students. it also gives an impact on students' performance, particularly on language accuracy. regarding this, this study is in an attempt to follow up on the current study by lutfiyyah, et al (2021) to explore learners’ voices comprising the implementation of formative assessment, the impact of technology-enhanced, and the challenges of efl learners during the implementation of technology-enhanced formative assessment. this study is crucial since the learners’ voices are also deemed as a big consideration to determine further moves regarding the use of technologyenhanced formative assessment in efl classroom practices. method the objective of this study is to explore the efl learners’ voices on the use of technology (lms in particular) in formative assessment during classroom practices. it is a case study aimed at obtaining the detailed information about a particular case in english language classes. such a study endeavors a real-life case, individual views, and multiple cases through the collection of data in depth from many sources of information (yin, 2018). this study also figures out qualitatively how efl learners perceived the technology enhancement for formative assessment which is expected to create ideal forms of formative assessment practices in higher education and to recommend valuable feedback for language assessment in efl classroom. several criteria were used purposively to select the participants of the study. first, they were the students of university who attended offline (face-to-face) classes. the attended classes utilized lms or other learning platforms for formative assessment. and they also experienced the technology-enhanced tools for formative assessment for more than one semester. then, the researchers contacted several efl learners from several universities in indonesia to determine the participants in this study following the criteria above. the background information of each participant presented in the following table. table 1. background information of participants no. participants (pseudonyms) bima fitria farhan diah elma 1. gender male female male female female 2. major english language teaching english language teaching english language teaching english language teaching english language teaching 3. institutions private university state university state university private university state university 4. province central java east java east java east java north sumatra table 1 figures out the background information of the participants. they were efl learners majoring in english language teaching (elt) study programs. from the interview conducted, all participants experienced the online class and used learning and teaching media or learning management system (lms) provided by their universities. even though teachers conducted offline classes, they still used lms to post the course materials, to assign homework, and to give feedback. in regards to the technological and technical issues, all participating efl learners in this study did not appear troublesome and they admitted that they have the gadgets, such as smartphones and laptops, to support their learning activities. the interview was employed in this study to collect the detailed information dealing with the efl learners’ voices on the use of technologyenhanced in the implementation of formative assessment. to ensure that all participants of this study got the same principal questions, an interview protocol was prepared to guide the researchers in maintaining the flow of the taufiqulloh, meyga agustia nindya, ihda rosdiana technology-enhanced formative assessment: unraveling indonesian efl learners’ voices 984 interview process. the participants were given open-ended questions to respond so that the benefits and drawbacks of using technology in formative assessment could be figured out. such an interview was conducted by using telephone call ranging from 35 to 50 minutes for each participant. the interview was conducted in both english and bahasa indonesia. for the purpose of presentation of research findings, the participants’ responses were then transcribed verbatim and transferred into their english equivalents. from the interview data, the characteristics of the language as communication were observed focusing on the content which is called content analysis (hsieh, 2005). it aimed at organizing and eliciting meaning from the data collected and capturing key thoughts or concepts and drawing realistic inferences from it (bengtsson, 2016; hsieh, 2005). the data collected from the statements of the participants were marked as initial coding. then the codes were categorized into axial coding to recognize the main categories that are closely related to research questions. the data were then depicted and elaborated in the narrative form. results and discussion to draw the findings of the study, the results of the interview were analyzed in order to meet the objective of the study consisting of the students’ point of views toward the formative assessment, the role of technology-enhanced in implementing the formative assessment, and the challenges or barriers encountered by the students for such an assessment. the details are described in the following sections. students’ point of views of the existing formative assessment relating to this, the researchers did not use the term formative assessment during the process of the interview. the questions were addressed to them to explore their perceptions whether or not they were assigned to do some project, homework, group discussions, group presentation, weekly quizzes, and other lowstakes tests. their perceptions embrace the benefits and drawback while doing formative assessment. and the result showed that they had positive views on i. they shared opinions that formative assessment has tangible benefits that can constructively impact their learning improvement. “i don’t mind if the lecturers assigned the class to do a homework assignment. it brings some advantages for me, especially in terms of understanding the materials. it is better than not being assigned to do homework or group work at all because it will lead us to be incompetent to do the test in the final test.” (bima) “the assignments given by the lecturers enforce me not to be relaxed too much and to be more responsible for my duty as a university student and help me focus on understanding the materials especially if i have to present in front of the class or have a group discussion.” (fitria) “i believe that the assignment helps me to be an independent learner because i have to search for the materials related to the assignment by myself.” (farhan) “the lecturers gave the assignment to the learners with the aim of helping us to understand the materials deeper and explore the materials broader from other sources such as the internet or e-books..so i think it is very beneficial for us as learners.” (diah) “i think the activities such as presentations, group discussions, and weekly quizzes have shaped us to be accustomed to searching for materials independently without being too much depend on the lecturers.” (elma) the responses obtained from the participating efl learners showed that formative assessment is believed to give some advantages for them. efl learners suggested that by being assigned to do some formative assessment, they perceived that they get a better understanding of the materials, learn to be independent learners, and become more responsible. it was further narrated by one of the efl learners that formative assessment also helped them to face the final test which requires the learner to understand some materials during the semester. all participating efl learners were also asked to express the drawbacks of formative assessment. overall, similar responses showed that their drawbacks are related to the overload of work given by the different lecturers at the same submission time. “sometimes i cannot manage my time to finish all the work given by the different lecturers especially if the assignment is complex” (bima) “...it was hard when there are several deadlines which have to be finished on that day.” (fitria) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 985 “when a particular assignment is difficult, it sometimes forces us to stay awake until midnight to finish.” (farhan) “an assignment seems very hard to finish when the deadline for submission is short..because at the same time there is also a deadline of other subjects from other lecturers.” (elma) the responses obtained from the efl participating learners showed the same direction in terms of the perceived drawbacks of formative assessment. one of the participants admitted that they do not have any problems with the assignment, while some others viewed formative assessment as a drawback when the works or quizzes from different subjects are assigned to be submitted on the same day of submission. the situation was overwhelming because they have to manage their time to make all the assignments finished on time. the impact of technology-enhanced in the implementation of formative assessment the second attempt of this study is to find out the efl learners’ views on the impact of technologyenhanced formative assessment in efl classrooms. before addressing the main point of the question, the participants were asked whether the class adopt the online learning platforms or lms to assist the lecturer. all of the participating efl learners confirmed that their lecturers employ lms created by the university and some of them used google classrooms as well. as the development of technology offers promising merits in language learning and assessment as well, a question was addressed to ask their voices on the role of technology, online learning media, and lms toward the implementation of formative assessment. the question particularly points out the use of technology-enhanced tools as the media for lecturers to post assignments, give instructions, and score or give feedback. regarding the submission, efl learners are also assigned to post or submit the major assignment using the online learning platform or lms. the responses obtained from the participants indicated that they have positive views toward the use of technology-enhanced formative assessment in efl classrooms. “…doing such an assessment is costless. i don’t have to write and print the assignments as i get used to it. simply it is very effective and efficient.” (bima) “i never missed doing assignments in the lms since the platform can be accessed in many devices including my mobile phone which i use any time. i got used to miss it when it was given in manual ways .” (fitria) “i have been accustomed to using google classroom as the learning platform to check the assignment and post the assignments...it allows me to finish the homework everywhere and anytime because i only need to bring my gadgets and search the materials online, such as preparing slides, writing papers, and so on.” (farhan) “using it is costless and timeless. when i use google classroom, for instance, some features are available to check and submit the assignments..” (diah) the major of efl learners under this study asserted that the use of technology-enhanced formative assessment offers some benefits with regard to its efficiency, flexibility, and utility. however, one participant admitted that even though technology-enhanced is effective, there is a need for improving the implementation of formative assessment, namely feedback. besides, another participant also narrated different views towards the use of technology-enhanced formative assessment in efl classes because such circumstances forced the learner to use gadgets more frequently which caused boredom and fatigue. “...but i prefer the assignment and quizzes which are held offline in the classrooms because sometimes it is kinda boring and exhausting to stare at laptops for a long time. i also miss the atmosphere of offline quizzes.” (farhan) “because the class is now face-to-face, i really hope that the assignments and other activities such as group discussions and presentations are conducted offline... i don’t think the online assignment is effective because i assume that our work was not scored and even checked. some lecturers assigned us to submit online but we never received any feedback. so i personally sometimes don’t really serious about finishing the work. ” (elma) besides the positive responses of efl learners towards the implementation of technologyenhanced formative assessment, one of the participants showed dissatisfaction with the use of lms in terms of feedback from the lecturer. the learners committed that the assignment that has taufiqulloh, meyga agustia nindya, ihda rosdiana technology-enhanced formative assessment: unraveling indonesian efl learners’ voices 986 been submitted is somewhat useless since it might not be checked by the lecturer. besides, the responses obtained from the participant indicated that some lecturers did not concern about giving feedback on their learners’ work. this situation has led the learner to reduce the learning motivation which is depicted by the participant’s low desire to finish the work seriously. efl learners’ challenges of the integration of technology-enhanced in the implementation of formative assessment the last attempt of this study is to explore the challenges of implementing technologyenhanced formative assessment perceived by efl learners. overall, efl learners under this study noted that the major challenges of technologyenhanced are related to unclear instructions, overload assignments, the features of lms, internet connectivity, and the incapacity to stare at the laptop for a long time. “..my lecturers often gave the assignment with unclear instructions in the lms. i didn’t know what to do with the assignment so that i had to discuss with my friends in the chat group. this became a major problem for me.” (bima) the lecturers did not provide clear instructions when they posted assignment in the lms so that we don’t know what to do with it. i have to ask and discuss with friend to make sure what i have to do with it. this is a major challenge for me.” (fitria) “i feel burdened and overwhelmed when the assignment load is over. it is because several lecturers sometimes gave double assignments, namely online and offline assignments. so, on the same day, we need to work on two assignments from the same lecturer. it is way harder if there are more assignments from different lecturers which should be submitted on that day.” (farhan) “the availability of technology and online assignment has required us to stare at laptops for more hours a day to search for and prepare materials for assignments, presentations, and so on.” (diah) “...it is challenging when different lecturers post some assignments from different subjects. moreover, it is even so hard when the assignment requires us to explore different sources, books, and even articles from journals. these kinds of assignments need a longer time to finish.” (elma) the responses obtained from the participating efl learners indicated different challenges perceived by efl from different universities. the question about challenges perceived by efl learners in the implementation of technologyenhanced highlight the barriers that come either from the internal or external. the most frequently mentioned challenge was related to the overload of work assignments. two efl learners admitted that despite the positive impact of formative assessment, it sometimes became a burden because they had to deal with different assignments which had to be submitted on the same day. this barrier was closely related to the incapability to stare at laptops for a long time. it is reasonable if learners were easy to feel exhausted because they need to stand by and stare at their gadgets to finish several assignments. another challenge perceived by one of the participants was related to the unclear instructions from the lecturer. the online assignment posted online on the online learning platform, namely google classroom, was somehow confusing for the learner because the class did not get an understanding of what should be done with the assignment. besides, it was pointed out that the absence of internet connectivity on the campus also was viewed to be one of the challenges perceived by efl learners. the last, one participant mentioned the technical problems of lms used in the learner’s university. the technical problems narrated by the participant were deemed as a hindrance in the implementation of technology-enhanced formative assessment. formative assessment plays important role in the efl learning and teaching process. it refers to an assessment process that is given during the course of instruction to show which aspect of the materials the students have mastered and where remedial work is necessary. the current work of literature has put great concern on the positive impacts on the implementation of formative assessment in efl classes (e.g. retnoningsih, 2013; mccalum, 2021, akter & khan, 2020; widiastuti and saukah, 2017). simultaneously, the swift technological development also takes effect on supporting the practices of formative assessment, let alone after the enforcement of online teaching and learning during the covid-19 pandemic. hence, this study was carried out to explore the efl learners’ voices on the implementation of technology-enhanced formative assessment in efl classrooms. the findings of this study comprised three important english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 987 points to discuss, namely the role of formative assessment perceived by efl learners, the impact of technology-enhanced in the implementation of formative assessment, and the challenges of efl learners towards the technology-enhanced formative assessment. the first issue to discuss is related to the role of formative assessment in efl classes. findings of this study showed that efl learners have asserted that formative assessment allows them to get a better understanding of the materials, learn to be independent learners, and become more responsible. the results of this study are in accordance with the results of previous studies regarding the enhanced level of understanding of the materials (mccalum, 2021) and more responsible in learning (akter & khan, 2020) as the results of formative assessment. the result of this study is also in line with the study conducted by bawa (2018) reports that the use of formative assessment facilitates learning engagement that potentially promotes learners’ performance. further, it should be emphasized that formative assessment gives an impact on the learners’ independent learning. this is supported by alexiou and paraskeva (2010) and also mahbub (2020) who suggest that formative assessment can promote learners’ self-regulated learning and enhance their motivation for learning. aside from the positive views of formative assessment, some efl learners also perceived some drawbacks when they were assigned to do homework assignments and finish difficult tasks. this situation may be beneficial for efl learners in some ways, however, this might also negatively affect learners regarding their view of formative assessment as a burden. the overload and the high level of difficulty of the assignment were probably not compatible with the concept of formative assessment. generally, formative assessment refers to low-stakes assessment which means that they have low or no point value. however, the findings of this study indicated that some lecturers might misunderstand the concept of formative assessment which actually can be simply in the form of informal questions, simple oral q&a, practice quizzes, writing a summary, etc. these findings correspond to the study by lutfiyyah, aisyah, and sulistyo (2021) and arrafii and sumarni (2018) report that efl teachers under their study misunderstood the concept of formative assessment. they conceptualize formative assessment as typically an essential activity to elicit information about the student's progress in learning. they were relatively more familiar with the purpose of summative assessment than formative assessment. besides, current studies also demonstrated similar results on the teachers’ insufficient understanding of the purpose of formative assessment and how to practice it (hasim et al., 2018; puad & ashton, 2020; widiastuti & saukah, 2017). another issue is related to the role of technology-enhanced in the implementation of formative assessment in efl classes perceived by efl learners. the findings showed that the students perceived the knowledge and skills of using technology in various ways which are beneficial for learning the course materials in the classroom. on the other sides, teachers also showed positive perceptions or point of views when they integrated technology in their class especially when conducting formative assessment activities. (anggeraini, 2018; brady et al., 2019; mimirinis, 2019). regarding the learners’ perspectives, some participants are concerned about the efficiency of technology in helping them finish the work. the students have been accustomed to using technology in their daily lives so that they can well manage doing their works relating to learning and others. simply, they have a lot opportunities and comfort in learning as stated by cartstens et al., (2021). however, cartstens et al (2021) highlighted that the heavy reliance on the use of technology in learning activities could potentially affect problem-solving skills. the last issue that is worth noting is related to the efl learners’ challenges in the implementation of technology-enhanced formative assessment. various challenges faced by the efl learners from many universities in indonesia also became one of the findings of this study. the overload of assignments given by the lecturers in the lms or other platforms is the most frequently complained. besides, the unclear instructions and insufficient feedback from the lecturers related to the assignment posted in the online learning platform or lms also became the challenge perceived by the efl learner. this is, of course, not in line with what is atted by lutfiyyah et al (2021), technology can assist students in terms of workload efficiency and facilitating feedback. another problem appeared when the lecturers rarely checked the assignment in the lms or other platforms. they rarely gave feedback. instead, assignments and feedback are united. feedback in formative assessment is utilized to assist the learners to move forward to taufiqulloh, meyga agustia nindya, ihda rosdiana technology-enhanced formative assessment: unraveling indonesian efl learners’ voices 988 achieve the learning goals. feedback further can be adopted in order to assess the educators’ instructions to promote the quality of teaching. the issue of connectivity, long loading on opening the lms when used in the classrooms also became another challenge that need to cope with. the problems of learning using lms currently studied by larasati (2022). implications that this study has on elt can be of three orientations. first, the conceptualization of formative assessment should be operationally designed to help learners obtain the benefits from it which specifically can enhance their understandings and promote learning motivation. second, both teachers and students should be well supported in conducting formative assessment activities in the classrooms in terms of providing easy and sufficient access to digital platforms used for learning. and some trainings or courses regarding formative assessment should be intensively conducted to enhance the teachers’ or lecturers’ on developing formative assessment integrated with digital platforms technology. third, the assessment-related courses provided by the department might sufficiently facilitate efl learners to master the concept of formative assessment but not yet prepare them to be english teachers. hence, lecturers need to function as role models for their learners in implementing formative assessment so that they can acquire and apply the formative assessment practices to their own teaching contexts in the future. conclusion this study reveals that efl learners have positive views on the use of formative assessment in terms of getting a better understanding and promoting learning independence. besides, the majority of efl learners also perceived that the integration of technology-enhanced positively affects them in working with formative assessments assigned by the lecturers. the last, the challenges and drawbacks of formative assessment perceived by efl learners comprise the overload of work assignments, the difficulty of time management, the incapability of staring at laptops for a long time, the instability of lms, and the unclear instructions as well as insufficient feedback by the lecturers. in addition, drawn from the findings of the study, the deeper exploration and further investigation involving bigger numbers of participants through other ways of data collection such as surveys or observation is highly recommended for future researchers. references akter, m., & khan, m. l. h. (2020). efl teachers perception of formative assessment. innovation of vocational technology education, 16(2), 149-159. https://doi.org/10.17509/invotec.v16i2.27815 alexiou, a., & paraskeva, f. (2010). enhancing selfregulated learning skills through the implementation of an e-portfolio tool. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 2(2), 3048– 3054. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.463 alharbi, a. s., alhebshi, a. a., & meccawy, z. (2021). efl students' and teachers' perceptions of google forms as a digital formative assessment tool in saudi secondary schools. arab world english journal (awej), special issue on call, (7), 140 -154. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/call7.10 anggeraini, y. (2018). interactive teaching: activities and the use of technology in efl classroom. journal of language and literature, 13(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.15294/lc.v13i1.11131 arrafii, m. a., & sumarni, b. (2018). teachers’ understanding of formative assessment. lingua cultura, 12(1), 45. https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v12i1.2113 bawa, p. (2018). using kahoot to inspire. journal of educational technology systems, 43(3), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239518804173 bengtsson, m. (2016). how to plan and perform a qualitative study using content analysis. nursingplus open, 2, 8– 14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.npls.2016.01.001 bennett, s., dawson, p., bearman, m., molloy, e., & boud, d. (2017). how technology shapes assessment design: findings from a study of university teachers: how technology shapes assessment design. british journal of educational technology, 48(2), 672–682. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12439 bozkurt, a., jung, i., & xiao. (2020). a global outlook to the interruption of education due to covid19 pandemic : navigating in a time of uncertainty and crisis. asian journal of distance education, 15(1), 1–126. http://www.asianjde.org/ojs/index.php/asianjd e/article/view/462 brady, m., devitt, a., & kiersey, r. a. (2019). academic staff perspectives on technology for assessment (tfa) in higher education: a systematic literature review. british journal of educational technology, 50(6). https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12742 brown, h. d. (2004). language assessment: principles and classroom practice (first edit). longman. cartstens, k.j., mallon, j. m., bataineh, m., & albataieh, a. (2021). effects of technology on student learning. the turkish online journal of https://doi.org/10.17509/invotec.v16i2.27815 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.463 https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/call7.10 https://doi.org/10.15294/lc.v13i1.11131 https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v12i1.2113 https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239518804173 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.npls.2016.01.001 https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12439 http://www.asianjde.org/ojs/index.php/asianjde/article/view/462 http://www.asianjde.org/ojs/index.php/asianjde/article/view/462 https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12742 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 989 educational technology, 20(1), 105-113. dalby, d., & swan, m. (2019a). using digital technology to enhance formative assessment in mathematics classrooms. british journal of educational technology, 50(2), 832–845. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12606 deeley, s. j. (2018). using technology to facilitate effective assessment for learning and feedback in higher education. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 43(3), 439–448. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1356906 diningrat, s.m.w., nindya, m.a., salwa. 2020. emergency online teaching: early childhood education lecturers' perception of barrier and pedagogical competency. cakrawala pendidikan, 39(3), 705-719. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v39i3.32304 gunawan, suranti, nmy. & fathoroni (2020). variations of models and learning platforms for prospective teachers during the covid-19 pandemic period. indonesian journal of teacher education, 1(2), 61-70. https://journal.publicationcenter.com/index.php/i jte/article/view/95/48 hasim, z., di, s., & barnard, r. (2018). eliciting teachers’ understanding and their reported practices on school-based formative assessment: methodological challenges. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v8i1.11476 hsieh, h.-f. (2005). three approaches to qualitative content analysis. qualitative health research, 15(9), 1277– 1288. https://doi.org/10.1177/104973230527668 7 johnson, n., veletsianos, g., & seaman, j. (2020). u.s. faculty and administrators’ experiences and approaches in the early weeks of the covid-19 pandemic. online learning journal, 24(2), 6– 21. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v24i2.2285 luthfiyyah, r., aisyah, & sulistyo, g. h. (2021). technology-enhanced formative assessment in higher education: a voice from indonesian efl teachers. edulite: journal of english education, literature, and culture, 6(1), 42-54. http://dx.doi.org/10.30659/e.6.1.42-54 dalby, d., & swan, m. (2018). using digital technology to enhance formative assessment in mathematics classrooms. british journal of educational technology, 50(2), 832–845. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12606 mahbub, m. a. (2020). learning english mediated by kahoot: insights from the indonesian efl instructors. journal on english as a foreign language, 10(2), 246–267. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v10i2.1917 mccallum, s., & milner, m. m. (2020). the effectiveness of formative assessment: student views and staff reflections. assessment and evaluation in higher education, 46(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.175471 mercader, c., & gairín, j. (2020). university teachers’ perception of barriers to the use of digital technologies: the importance of the academic discipline. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-0182-x mimirinis, m. (2019). qualitative differences in academics’ conceptions of e-assessment. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 44(2), 233–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1493087 ningsih, s. k., & mulyono, h. (2019). digital assessment resources in primary and secondary school classrooms: teachers’ use and perceptions. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 13(8), 167–173. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v13i08.10730 nurhayati, a. (2020). the implementation of formative assessment in efl writing: a case study at a secondary school in indonesia. pedagogy: journal of english language teaching, 8(2), 126-137. https://doi.org/10.32332/pedagogy.v8i2.2263 oscarson, a. d. (2009). self-assessment of writing in learning english as a foreign language. göteborgs universitet. http://hdl.handle.net/2077/19783 puad, l. m. a. z., & ashton, k. (2020). teachers’ views on classroom-based assessment: an exploratory study at an islamic boarding school in indonesia. asia pacific journal of education, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2020.1761775 retnaningsih, w. (2013). applicability of model assessment for learning (afl) in classes of vocabulary and pragmatics in english teaching learning at stain salatiga. register journal, 6(1), 53–76. https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v6i1.53-76 safitri, t. s., mantoro, t., ayu, m. a., mayumi, i., dewanti, r., & azmeela, s. (2015). teachers’ perspectives and practices in applying technology to enhance learning in the classroom. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 10(3), 10–14. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v10i3.4356 siregar, r. a., & amalia, s. n. (2019). pre-service english teachers’ attitude towards hots to prepare better assessment. jeels (journal of english education and linguistics studies), 6(1), 51–72. https://doi.org/10.30762/jeels.v6i1.1072 tanjung, f.z. (2020). teachers' views on the integration of technology in efl classroom. international journal of indonesian education and teaching, 4(2), 208-215. http://ejournal.usd.ac.id/index.php/ijiet telles-langdon, d. m. (2020). transitioning university courses online in response to covidhttps://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12606 https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1356906 https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v39i3.32304 https://journal.publicationcenter.com/index.php/ijte/article/view/95/48 https://journal.publicationcenter.com/index.php/ijte/article/view/95/48 https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v8i1.11476 https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687 https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687 https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v24i2.2285. http://dx.doi.org/10.30659/e.6.1.42-54 https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12606 https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v10i2.1917 https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1754761 https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-0182-x https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1493087 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v13i08.10730 https://doi.org/10.32332/pedagogy.v8i2.2263 http://hdl.handle.net/2077/19783 https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2020.1761775 https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v6i1.53-76 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v10i3.4356 https://doi.org/10.30762/jeels.v6i1.1072 http://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/ijiet http://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/ijiet taufiqulloh, meyga agustia nindya, ihda rosdiana technology-enhanced formative assessment: unraveling indonesian efl learners’ voices 990 19. journal of teaching and learning, 14(1), 108–119. https://doi.org/10.22329/jtl.v14i1.6262 torres, j. o. (2019). positive impact of utilizing more formative assessment over summative assessment in the efl/esl classroom. open journal of modern linguistics, 9, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojml.2019.91001 tran, t.t.t., & ma, q. (2021). using formative assessment in a blended efl listening course: student perceptions of effectiveness and challenges. international journal of computerassisted language learning and teaching, 11(3), 17-38. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijcallt.2021070102 yin, r. k. (2018). case study research and applications: design and methods (sixth edition). sage. widiastuti, s., & saukah, a. (2020). formative assessment in efl classroom practices. bahasa dan seni jurnal bahasa sastra seni dan pengajarannya, 45(1), 50-63. https://doi.org/10.22329/jtl.v14i1.6262 https://doi.org/10.4236/ojml.2019.91001 https://doi.org/10.4018/ijcallt.2021070102 https://www.researchgate.net/journal/bahasa-dan-seni-jurnal-bahasa-sastra-seni-dan-pengajarannya-0854-8277 https://www.researchgate.net/journal/bahasa-dan-seni-jurnal-bahasa-sastra-seni-dan-pengajarannya-0854-8277 https://www.researchgate.net/journal/bahasa-dan-seni-jurnal-bahasa-sastra-seni-dan-pengajarannya-0854-8277 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 489 multiliteracies pedagogy: a case study of critical reading in elt classroom by implementing situated practice mikhael misa universitas timor, east nusa tenggara province (ntt), kupang–indonesia email: mikhaelmisa@unimor.ac.id apa citation: misa, m. (2023). multiliteracies pedagogy: a case study of critical reading in elt classroom by implementing situated practice. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 489500. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7918 received: 19-02-2023 accepted: 27-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction in today's sophisticated digital technology, mastering critical reading skills is paramount for a student's reading proficiency. furthermore, when instructed in this discipline, students can assess their readings based on facts and logical reasoning rather than being swayed by emotions (hakim et al., 2021). recognizing the significance of critical reading, english language teaching (elt) experts have dedicated substantial efforts to researching this area. instructors' most formidable challenge of english as a foreign language (efl) is effectively teaching students to engage in critical reading. as content is examined from various perspectives, the educational process must keep pace by formulating thought-provoking questions or themes for debate that foster critical reading. critical reading is an essential requirement, particularly in light of the rapid growth of information and communication technology, which has profound implications for the availability of diverse sources and reading materials. it constitutes a fundamental component of the reading process, serving as a method of analysis. by adopting this approach, students are empowered to become adept readers and thinkers, perceiving reading as an ongoing process rather than a mere outcome. in such circumstances, individuals engage in simultaneous thought and analysis while reading, thereby discerning relevant information and acquiring a solid foundation of knowledge (dehghani & zamorano, 2023; egurrola & garcía, 2023) extensive studies have been conducted on critical reading analysis (alhusban, 2019; dehghani & zamorano, 2023), the conceptual framework for teaching critical (li & wan, 2022), and the cultivation of critical readers (dehghani & zamorano, 2023; gill, 2021). furthermore, literacy encompasses an individual's capacity to process and comprehend information while reading and writing effectively. literacy extends well beyond reading and writing, encompassing a broader range of skills and competencies. it entails effectively utilizing, interpreting, and generating text in diverse contexts, including non-verbal forms such as gestures, noises, and body language (ocak & karslı, 2022; siraj et al., 2019) literacy is regarded as a fundamental cultural and social influence arena, necessitating a comprehensive discourse competency that involves reading and critically evaluating a wide array of written and spoken texts (sumardi & muamaroh, 2020). abstract: this research study aims to investigate the implementation of situated practice in multiliteracy teaching within an english language teaching (elt) classroom, specifically focusing on critical reading activities. this study employed a qualitative approach. the study focuses on lecturers delivering lectures to third-year students enrolled in the english study program at teacher training and educational faculty, timor university, east nusa tenggara province. to analyze the data gathered and insights linked to the situated practice of multiliterate teaching in the elt classroom, data were transcribed, encoded, displayed, and interpreted. the collected data is subjected to a comprehensive analysis to assess the effectiveness of implementing the situated practice of the multiliteracies pedagogical framework through students' critical reading. it highlights the significance of engaging strategies like visual media and thought-provoking questions to motivate students. the role of the lecturer as a model, meaningful practice within a learning community, designated roles, and fostering active participation and collaborative learning are also emphasized. the findings revealed a significant enhancement in students' critical thinking abilities due to engaging in a series of learning activities within the multiliteracy pedagogy framework. keywords: meaningful practice; motivated students, role model; technological use; telling experience. mikhael misa multiliteracies pedagogy: a case study of critical reading in elt classroom by implementing situated practice 490 moreover, multiliteracy emerges as a response to the evolving landscape of education, which extends beyond the mere teaching of language skills to encompass the complexities of social and cultural enculturation in the learning process. multiliteracy represents a novel paradigm in literacy instruction (bosch, 2017; rivas & cardozo, 2018; siyaswati, 2020). it signifies a shift in literacy's scope, where the focus expands to include sociocultural accuracy, enabling students to recognize, understand, utilize, and navigate sociocultural values more effectively. in recent years, literacy has acquired additional dimensions, encompassing environmental, intellectual, media, technical, and even moral aspects (damico et al., 2021; xie, 2021). the emergence of multiliteracy stems from the realization that humans not only read and write but also engage in these activities within specific genres that are intertwined with social, cultural, and political goals, especially in the era of globalization (saputri et al., 2019). this concept establishes the framework for integrating multiliteracy within the educational sector. numerous researchers have explored the application of multiliteracy pedagogy in various contexts. these investigations include examining the impact of incorporating multiliteracies pedagogy in esl writing (jerome et al., 2023), exploring the design of literacy and social learning features (da silva, 2023), conducting youth literacy courses (sholihah & purbani, 2021), instructing students in technology-mediated environments (prihantoro et al., 2022), employing multiliteracies pedagogy in second language learning (laboni, 2021), investigating the feasibility of integrating multiliteracies pedagogy in introductory foreign language courses and writing instruction (dunster, 2023; kiss & mizusawa, 2018), adopting a multiliterate approach in the paradigm of teaching english in the 21st century (siyaswati, 2020), examining the impact of digital multimodal texts on changing the practice of multiliteracy pedagogy in efl classrooms (ilmi et al., 2020), and incorporating multiliteracies into the process writing approach in the elt classroom, with a focus on implementation and reflection (nabhan, 2019). however, there remains a need for further research to explore the application of the situated practice of the multiliteracies pedagogical framework in the context of students' critical reading skills within the elt classroom. therefore, this research aims to figure out how english lecturers implement the situated practice of the multiliteracy pedagogical framework through students' critical reading in elt classrooms. critical reading is a significant aspect of reading that involves both cognitive and dynamic processes. the cognitive processes encompass the skills necessary for comprehending, analyzing, and evaluating texts, while the dynamic processes involve the reader's emotions, attitudes, and beliefs. engaging in critical reading requires readers to be aware of their biases and assumptions and actively examine the author's perspective (chotimah & astiyandha, 2019; nelson, 2019). another critical reading theory emphasizes using various reading strategies and techniques. critical readers employ various tactics, such as predicting, questioning, summarizing, and evaluating, to interact with a text effectively (greenhalgh, 2019; guzzetti & foley, 2018). these strategies enable readers to actively engage with the information presented and better understand the author's point of view. moreover, critical reading involves evaluating the context and purpose of a text. to fully comprehend and evaluate the content, readers must consider the author's intentions and the historical and cultural context in which the text was written. analyzing the context and purpose of a text is crucial for critical reading as it allows readers to assess the validity and relevance of the information provided. individuals can enhance their analytical and evaluative skills by engaging in critical reading, enabling them to form informed opinions and judgments (hobbs, 2020; suteja & setiawan, 2022). the concept of a multiliteracies pedagogical framework has gained significant popularity in recent years, especially in the context of digital literacy and the integration of technology in education. the aim of multiliteracies pedagogy is to equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate and engage with various forms of communication, including print, visual, digital, and social media (di cesare & rowsell, 2020; jiang et al., 2022). multiliteracies encompass the diverse range of communication channels and media and the growing importance of cultural and linguistic diversity in our globalized societies (di cesare & rowsell, 2020; yap & gurney, 2023). individuals must be able to navigate different modes of communication and understand cultural and linguistic nuances in various contexts. scholars have developed several concepts to elucidate the principles of multiliteracy teaching. the digital literacy framework, for instance, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 491 emphasizes technical skills, critical thinking, social and emotional intelligence, and creativity as essential components of digital literacy (bacalja et al., 2021). a multiliteracies pedagogical framework incorporates these elements into the teaching and learning process, aiding students in acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in a digital society. students can become more informed and engaged citizens by integrating critical media literacy into instruction. this multiliteracy educational approach is particularly beneficial for students learning english as a second language (holloway, 2021; mirhosseini et al., 2022). in today's culture, the multiliteracies pedagogical framework is important in teaching and learning. it acknowledges the diverse literacies required for individuals to navigate a globalized environment and incorporates them into the educational process. critical media literacy and the digital literacy framework underscore the importance of integrating critical thinking and creativity into teaching and learning practices. as technology continues to reshape our modes of communication and interaction, a multiliteracies pedagogical framework becomes increasingly essential in equipping students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. situated practice is a fundamental element within the broader multiliteracy pedagogical framework, comprising four essential components. it recognizes that literacy practices are intricately tied to specific social and cultural contexts. how we read, write, and communicate is influenced by the contexts in which these activities occur. situated practice assumes great significance within the multiliteracy educational paradigm as it underscores the importance of understanding the social and cultural contexts within which literacy practices unfold. students must navigate the complex multimodal environments where communication occurs, necessitating a grasp of their communities' linguistic and cultural practices (jiang et al., 2022; menke & paesani, 2019; xie, 2021). understanding literacy practices' social and cultural contexts are crucial in enabling students to communicate effectively in diverse settings. moreover, the significance of situated practice in fostering students' multiliteracy skills is emphasized in various scholarly papers and publications. literacy activities are always embedded within specific contexts, and recognizing and appreciating these contexts is vital in enhancing students' ability to communicate successfully in different scenarios. situated practice equips students with the necessary skills to engage in cross-cultural communication while being mindful of the specific demands of different contexts (irwandy et al., 2019; mirhosseini et al., 2022). in the multiliteracy framework, the concept of "genre" is intricately linked to situated practice. genres represent real-world tasks that mirror or simulate the types of work individuals undertake beyond the confines of the school environment (bacalja et al., 2021; chang et al., 2023; tschida, 2020) understanding the genres valued in diverse social and cultural contexts are thus a critical component of comprehending situated practice. overall, situated practice is central to the multiliteracy pedagogical paradigm. recent scholarly articles and books underscore the importance of comprehending the social and cultural settings within which literacy practices occur to promote multiliteracies in the classroom effectively. by embracing and emphasizing situated practice, educators can empower students with the skills and knowledge to navigate and thrive in various communicative contexts. some previous researchers have used situated practice in the following ways: (yap & gurney, 2023) investigated the practices of multiliteracies pedagogy (mlp) in new zealand schools, aiming to uncover the utilization of digital technologies by teachers. the research methodology includes interviews and classroom observations to delve into the strategies employed by a single teacher in incorporating digital technologies and multimodal texts into literacy instruction. (yu et al., 2022) examines "we've been wastin' a whole million watchin' her doin' her shoes" to unveil the utilization of situated practice within a pedagogy of multiliteracies by australian learners. the research employs an ethnographic approach to investigate the interactions between pedagogy and access to multiliteracies among learners from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. (yap & gurney, 2023) studied the integration of a pedagogy of multiliteracies into practice, specifically focusing on a case study in a grade one literacy classroom. the study aims to uncover how educators utilize this pedagogy to create meaningful learning opportunities for young children based on their diverse interests and needs. (anwar et al., 2021) examines the situated multiliteracies approach to uncover how english language learners (ells) participation in classroom mathematics practices utilized in an urban canadian classroom. the research employs an ethnographic research methodology to investigate the involvement of ells in mikhael misa multiliteracies pedagogy: a case study of critical reading in elt classroom by implementing situated practice 492 mathematics practices within the classroom setting. the provided information presents four different research studies conducted in the field of multiliteracies pedagogy. yap's study focuses on the utilization of digital technologies by teachers in new zealand schools, employing interviews and classroom observations to explore the incorporation of digital technologies and multimodal texts into literacy instruction. mills' research, conducted in australia, adopts an ethnographic approach to examine the interactions between pedagogy and access to multiliteracies among culturally and linguistically diverse learners. xing's study investigates the integration of multiliteracies pedagogy in a grade one literacy classroom, aiming to understand how educators create meaningful learning opportunities for young children based on their diverse interests and needs. takeuchi's research examines the involvement of english language learners (ells) in mathematics practices in an urban canadian classroom, utilizing an ethnographic research methodology. method this section outlines the comprehensive design of the study, encompassing the research design, study participants, data collection, and analysis procedures. the primary objective of this research is to investigate the implementation of situated practice in multiliteracy teaching within an english language teaching (elt) classroom, specifically focusing on critical reading activities. the study employs a qualitative approach to explore a specific occurrence or series of events thoroughly. the researcher assumes the role of a nonparticipant observer, adopting non-participant observation techniques where notes are taken without active participation in the events, as described by cresswell (2018). the study centers on lecturers delivering lectures to third-year students enrolled in the english study program at an institution in east nusa tenggara, indonesia. the participating lecturers hold a master's degree in english education, while the students enrolled in the critical reading courses for the semester also possess a similar educational background. the study includes 39 students, comprising 13 male and 26 female participants. they are selected from viewing the last result of final semester test and interview the lecturer. additionally, the researcher fulfills the role of a non-participant observer throughout the study. data collection involves the use of observational techniques. the researcher observes the classroom environment when the lecturer employs situated practice in multiliteracy teaching, specifically targeting critical reading skills. three categories of data are collected: 1) field observations provide direct insights into classroom dynamics and interactions. 2) transcripts of observations document the data gathered during teaching and learning activities. 3) documentation collected during english language learning sessions serves as an additional source of information. the collected data will be subjected to a thorough analysis. the analysis will examine the field observations, transcripts, and documentation to identify patterns, themes, and key insights related to the situated practice of multiliteracy teaching in the elt classroom. the qualitative data will be carefully coded and analyzed to extract meaningful findings, thereby addressing the research question and objectives of the study. the collected data is subjected to a comprehensive analysis to assess the effectiveness of implementing the situated practice of multiliteracy pedagogy in the elt class through students' critical reading skills. the analysis follows an inductive theme analysis approach, as described by creswell and poth (2018). the essential framing components are transcribed, encoded, data reduced, displayed, and interpreted to draw meaningful conclusions. to ensure the reliability of the findings, the transcribed data is cross-checked with the observation data, validating the accuracy and consistency of the analysis. to minimize subjectivity in interpretation, the researcher engages in a cross-checking process with the assistance of a colleague who serves as an interpreter. prior to data collection, the researcher obtains the necessary ethical approvals. authorization is sought from the rector, who subsequently addresses the vice-rector responsible for the academic area. permission is then requested from the dean of the faculty of teacher training and educational science (fkip) and the head of the english study program. the researcher establishes communication and coordination with the instructor and students, presenting the research objectives and ensuring their understanding and cooperation. data sources include observation sheets, field notes, research approval documents, attendance lists, articles, and other relevant records. participants are informed about the confidentiality and privacy of their responses, with english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 493 assurances that the data will be solely used for research purposes. results and discussion in the elt class, the researcher carefully observed implementing the situated practice of multiliteracy pedagogy to enhance students' critical reading skills. the lecturers' teaching and learning activities were thoroughly examined, specifically focusing on applying situated practice as a key component of multiliterate pedagogy. the findings revealed that although there were notable instances of utilizing the situated practice approach, not all subcategories of the multiliteracy pedagogy's situated practice component were fully met during the classroom learning process. table 1. class observation results no learning practice checklist code situated practice 1. motivate students to learn √ sp.1 2. references past and current student experiences √ sp.2 3. role models, lecturers, or colleagues √ sp.3 4. meaningful practice in the learner community √ sp.4 5. including the student's mother tongue x sp.5 as illustrated in the table provided, the components of multiliteracy pedagogy were evident in the teaching and learning process, as indicated. situated practice, being the first component, consisted of five subcategories, of which four were successfully addressed. the classroom activities facilitated a more refined understanding of learning, primarily through interactive dialogues between the lecturers and students. the lecturers encouraged the students to describe actions depicted in various visual media. additionally, they motivated and stimulated the students' participation by posing a series of thought-provoking questions. situated practice fivectivities, five subcategories within the multiliteracies component during the teaching and learning activities incorporated. four of these subcategories were successfully fulfilled, while one subcategory, involving the use of students' native language, was not met as the lecturer did not employ it in classroom learning activities. motivating students to learn at the commencement of the activity, the lecturer employs various strategies to motivate students. this includes greeting them, inquiring about the previous week's topic, capturing their attention through the use of visual media, and posing several questions to elicit their experiences. finally, students engage in a guessing activity based on pictures. the interactions between students and the lecturer during these discussions demonstrate the manifestation of this subcategory. (1) lecturer : “ok, good morning everybody.” students : “good morning” lecturer : “how are you today?” students : “we are fine.” (3) lecturer : “before coming to the material, i would like to find out whether you remembered the topic last week or not. what was the topic of last week?” students : “sport or library” “the first figure.” (6) lecturer : "ok then, let us look at the second picture.” “what is it?" students : “children and parents are playing together.” lecturer : "ok, one student, please, student (f)." student (f) : "it is about one family." lecturer : “yes, family, what are they doing?” student : “they are playing with gadgets.” the second figure (8) lecturer : “and then, we come to the last picture. what about the last picture?” student : "it is also the same as the first picture.” lecturer : "what do you mean: the same pictures.” students : “in different positions, kids sit in front of their laptops, and their parents stand behind them." lecturer : "what do you think about their parents? what are they doing behind their kids?" mikhael misa multiliteracies pedagogy: a case study of critical reading in elt classroom by implementing situated practice 494 students : "controlling their children. they want to know what their children are doing?” lecturer : "they want to know what kids do with laptops?” (1) lecturer : “ok, good morning everybody.” students : “good morning.” lecturer : “how are you today?” students : “we are fine” (3) lecturer : “before coming to the material, i would like to find out whether you remembered the topic last week or not. what was the topic of last week?” students : “sport or library” as mentioned above, the provided dialogue represents a classroom interaction between a lecturer and the students. in the beginning, the lecturer greets the students and asks about their well-being. then, the lecturer inquires whether the students remember the topic from the previous week. the students respond with two different answers: "sport or library" and "the first figure". later, the lecturer proceeds to discuss a series of pictures. the second picture depicts children and parents playing together, and the students provide an accurate description. the lecturer engages a specific student (f) to share their interpretation of the picture, which involves a family. moreover, the lecturer introduces the last picture, and a student points out its similarity to the first picture. the students elaborate that in the last picture, the children are sitting in front of their laptops while their parents stand behind them. when questioned about the parents' actions, the students suggest that the parents are controlling their children and want to monitor their activities. previous and current student experience reference in the activity mentioned above, the lecturer encouraged students to share their personal experiences by posing a series of questions. these questions aimed to elicit information about the students' past encounters outside the school environment. the student's understanding of the topic being discussed was influenced by their experiences within their familial surroundings, exposure to media, and other relevant resources. following the description of the actions depicted in the pictures, the lecturer prompted the students to recount their own experiences, guided by specific questions. these discussions took place between the students and the lecturer, allowing for an interactive exchange of ideas and perspectives. (1) lecturer : “ok, good morning everybody” students : “good morning” lecturer : “how are you today?” students : “we are fine.” (3) lecturer : “before coming to the material, i would like to know whether you remember last week's topic. what was the topic of last week?” students : sport or library” “the first figure.” (6) lecturer : “ok then, let's look at the second picture, what is it?" students : “children and parents are playing together.” lecturer : ”ok, one student please, student (f)." student (f) : “it's about one family.” lecturer : “yes, family, what are they doing?” student : “they are playing with gadgets.” the second figure (8) lecturer : “and then, we come to the last picture. what about the last picture?” student : “it's also the same as the first picture.” lecturer : “what do you mean: the same pictures.” students : kids sit in different positions before their laptops, and their parents stand behind them." lecturer : “what do you think about their parents, what are they doing behind their kids?” students : “controlling their children. they want to know, what their children are doing?” lecturer : “they want to know, what kids do with laptops?” (1) lecturer : “ok, good morning everybody.” students : “good morning.” lecturer : “how are you today?” students : “we are fine.” english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 495 (3) lecturer : “before coming to the material, i would like to know whether you remember last week's topic. what was the topic of last week?” students : “sport or library” as mentioned above, the lecturer greeting the students and asking about their well-being. the lecturer then inquires if the students remember last week's topic, and they provide two responses: "sport or library" and "the first figure". furthermore, the lecturer introduces the second picture and asks the students to describe it. the students correctly identify that the picture shows children and parents playing together. the lecturer then selects a specific student (f) to elaborate on the picture, and they mention that it is about one family. the lecturer further asks about the family's activity, and the student responds that they are playing with gadgets. next, the lecturer transitions to discussing the last picture. a student comments that it is similar to the first picture, and the lecturer seeks clarification on what they mean by "the same pictures." the students explain that in the last picture, children are positioned differently in front of their laptops, with their parents standing behind them. moreover, the lecturer asks the students about the parents' actions behind their kids. the students suggest that the parents are controlling their children and want to know what they are doing. the lecturer reaffirms their understanding, mentioning that the parents want to know what the kids are doing with the laptops. previous and current student experience reference in the activity mentioned above, the lecturer actively sought to encourage students to share their personal experiences by posing questions. notably, these questions centered around the students' past encounters and acquired knowledge, extending beyond the school environment's confines. students were prompted to reflect on their developmental experiences within their familial settings and their exposure to media and other external resources. following a detailed description of the actions depicted in the picture media, the lecturer invited the students to share their own experiences, guided by thoughtprovoking questions. these discussions between the students and the lecturer provided a platform for exchanging ideas and perspectives. (9) lecturer : “ok, here are some questions to stimulate or brainstorm your ideas related to the topic. so, first, can student (v) read the question?" student (v) : “do you think computers are important in human life, especially for children?” lecturer : “what do you think? computers are an important thing in human life, especially for children. yes or no?” student : “yes.” lecturer : “why did you say, yes? student (r) why?” student (r) : “to find out any information from the internet.” lecturer : “from the internet or gadgets, who else?” student (o) : “children can seek knowledge from the internet.” lecturer : “so, different words but the essence is the same. so, this one says that to get information, and student (o) says that to get knowledge." lecturer : i asked the student (s) to read the next question. (10) student (s) : “do you think working with computers is appropriate for children? lecturer : “what do you think, about working with computers? it’s suitable for children? why yes?" student (a) : “yes, because they can increase their knowledge.” lecturer : “ok, that's a good job. specifically? student (m)!” student (m) : “yes of course. they can increase children's knowledge and also have fun by playing games.” lecturer : “ok, that's the right information. so, for fun, like playing games, for example. ok, that's mikhael misa multiliteracies pedagogy: a case study of critical reading in elt classroom by implementing situated practice 496 a good job. it’s suitable for children to play games with the computer. student (k)! what do you think?” student (k) : “no, i think, don't you?” lecturer : “it doesn't follow.” students : “because playing too much computer makes their eyes hurt.” lecturer : “electronic gadgets can affect children’s eyes if they play with them too much. ok, that's a great idea." : "so, let us move on to the next question. student (y), can you read the question? during this phase, the lecturer presents a series of questions to stimulate discussions related to the topic. student (v) reads the first question, asking whether computers are important in human life, especially for children. the students agree that computers are important, emphasizing their role in acquiring information and knowledge from the internet. furthermore, student (s) reads the second question, asking if working with computers is appropriate for children. the majority of students express their belief that working with computers is suitable for children as it helps increase their knowledge and provides enjoyment through activities like playing games. however, student (k) disagrees, mentioning concerns about eye strain caused by excessive computer usage. the lecturer acknowledges this point, emphasizing the potential impact on children's eyes. finally, the dialogue ends with the lecturer requesting student (y) to read the next question, setting the stage for further discussion and exploration of ideas. role model, lecturer, or colleague lecturers assume the role of exemplary figures during classroom teaching and learning activities. consequently, it is incumbent upon them to strive towards comprehending and recognizing the challenges students encounter. to this end, lecturers take note of and classify words that pose difficulties in pronunciation while students engage in discourse. the lecturer acknowledges and articulates these arduous words, with students subsequently repeating them. following the student's completion of the reading task, the lecturer guides them in identifying problematic words from the text they have read. the lecturer identifies and enunciates the challenging words, with students repeating them in turn. (29) lecturer : “so, based on the text, what do you think about difficult words to pronounce when you read?” students : “identified the pronunciation of the difficult words.” lecturer : “they have identified the difficult words pronounced by the students when they read the passage. marked the pronunciation of the difficult words and grouped them in the table. there are health, usage, owned, social, sites, safety, campaigned, necessary, software, logger, enough, done, privacy, multifunctional, tendency, and acquainted.” (32) lecturer : “pronounced the difficult word's identification followed by the students.” in the session mentioned above, the lecturer discusses the pronunciation of difficult words encountered when reading a text. the students are able to identify and pronounce these difficult words. the lecturer acknowledges their effort and proceeds to mark the pronunciation of the identified difficult words, organizing them into a table. the mentioned difficult words include "health, usage, owned, social, sites, safety, campaigned, necessary, software, logger, enough, done, privacy, multifunctional, tendency, and acquainted.” moreover, the lecturer then pronounces the identification of the difficult words, with the students likely providing the correct pronunciations. this activity helps improve their understanding and pronunciation skills related to challenging words encountered in the text. meaningful practice in a learning community in the given activity, the lecturer organizes the students into four groups, each comprising four english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 497 students. a group leader is appointed for each group to facilitate and guide the discussions. (47) lecturer : “and then now, we have come to discuss the text based on some development questions so i will divide the students into four groups as group leaders. group one is the student (k), and then group two is the student (v), group three is the student (h), and group four is the student (c). ok. so, last, you have to count from one up to four.” students : “started to count from one up to four (1-4)” lecturer : “please move based on the numbers counting in each of the groups.” students : “i moved to join and formed the group in a circle form to have a discussion.” (54) lecturer : “before you present the result of your discussions, i would like to explain the rule of giving. so, there will be a moderator to organize your presentation, and then the moderator will tell the presenter who read to answer the question. the first question will be answered by... and the second question will be answered by ... or the third question will be answered by ... and then after the presenters have answered the questions and then the moderator will take the time and then will invite other groups to like to interrupt or to comment.” at this activitystage, a lecturer is conducting a discussion based on a text and decides to divide the students into four groups: group one represented by student (k), group two represented by student (v), group three represented by student (h), and group four represented by student (c). the lecturer instructs the students to count from one up to four, and the students follow the instructions accordingly. after the counting, the lecturer instructs the students to move based on the numbers they counted in each group. the students move and form their respective groups in a circular form, preparing themselves for a discussion. before the students present the results of their discussions, the lecturer introduces a rule regarding the process of giving presentations. the lecturer explains that there will be a moderator assigned to organize the presentation. the moderator will instruct the presenters on who should read and answer each question. the lecturer provides an example, stating that the first question will be answered by a specific group member, the second question by another group member, and so on. after the presenters have answered the questions, the moderator will keep track of time and then invite other groups to interrupt or comment on the presentation. at the end, to summarize, the lecturer divides the students into groups, assigns a moderator to organize the presentation, explains the order of answering questions, and allows other groups to participate in the discussion through interruptions or comments. the findings presented in this report pertain to the observed learning activities conducted by the researcher, focusing on different topics in each session. out of the four topics examined, the researcher selected the fourth session, which explored the theme of controlling children's use of computers. this topic was chosen to exemplify the four components of multiliteracy pedagogy. however, it was discovered that not all subcategories within the situated practice of multiliteracy were fully addressed during the teaching and learning process in the classroom. situated practice serves as the initial component of multiliteracy and is implemented through various learning activities. within this component, five subcategories are included. four were adequately addressed among these subcategories, while one subcategory remained unfulfilled, namely the utilization of students' mother tongue. lecturers need to incorporate the use of students' mother tongues in their teaching and learning activities. moreover, lecturers strive to motivate students by sharing their own experiences using visual media within the multiliteracy component. this approach aligns with the notion that students benefit from being encouraged in their learning endeavors. the lecturer employed motivation as a mikhael misa multiliteracies pedagogy: a case study of critical reading in elt classroom by implementing situated practice 498 fundamental concept in this study (main, 2011). the lecturer also sought to motivate students by eliciting their experiences through relevant questions and visual stimuli. these images and questions were designed to connect students to their experiences outside the school environment. students draw upon their experiences, media exposure, and other resources to shape their understanding of personal development. following this, the lecturer prompted students to guess the topic of discussion, presenting various options and eventually revealing the designated topic through slide presentations on the wall. moreover, lecturers serve as exemplary figures in the classroom, setting an example for students in their learning activities. in line with this, the lecturer takes measures to identify and categorize words that pose pronunciation difficulties when students engage in reading tasks. additionally, the lecturer provides corrections for students' pronunciation errors and guides them in pronouncing challenging words individually and in group settings. during group discussions, students can share questions relevant to their discussions. this promotes the exchange of experiential values among students and underscores the significance of collaborative sharing and expression of student experiences (meng, 2016). to foster meaningful practice within the learning community, the lecturer divides students into four groups to discuss the assigned questions from the text. each group consists of four students, ensuring active participation from all students in seeking and addressing the questions assigned to their respective groups. by incorporating activities that motivate students and draw upon their previous experiences, students can tap into their prior knowledge on the topic and enhance their learning process. prior knowledge acquired from home, school, community, and culture can be valuable resources for students to contribute to their language learning endeavors (pahl, k., & rowsell, 2005). this allows lecturers to serve as role models in facilitating these activities. conclusion this research study aimed to investigate the implementation of situated practice in multiliteracy pedagogy through students' critical reading skills. the findings revealed a significant enhancement in students' critical thinking abilities due to engaging in a series of learning activities within the multiliteracy pedagogy framework. the importance of motivating students through engaging strategies, such as visual media and thought-provoking questions, the role of the lecturer as a model in identifying and addressing pronunciation difficulties, and the benefits of meaningful practice in a learning community through group discussions, designated roles, fostering active participation and collaborative learning. these activities effectively fostered analytical thinking among students. based on the compelling findings of this study, it is highly recommended that the research highlights the value of implementing situated practice in multiliteracy pedagogy to enhance critical reading skills and analytical thinking among students. the implications for english language teaching and learning include pedagogical innovation, teacher professional development, curriculum and material design, and fostering collaborative learning. future research can explore comparative studies to assess the effectiveness of multiliteracy pedagogy, longitudinal studies to examine skill sustainability, and the development of assessment tools to measure critical reading skills. additionally, investigating the application of situated practice in diverse contexts would provide insights into generalizability and adaptability. references al-husban, n. a. (2019). an investigation of the inclusion of critical reading strategies in jordanian efl textbooks: a content analysis. dirasat: educational sciences, 46(1). anwar, b., shoaib, m., & zahra, n. (2021). english language learning skill at tertiary level: the role of classroom environment and interactive demonstration. pakistan journal of language studies, 5(1), 1–17. bacalja, a., aguilera, e., & castrillón-ángel, e. f. (2021). critical digital literacy. the handbook of critical literacies, 373–380. bosch, c. (2017). promoting self-directed learning through the implementation of cooperative learning in a higher education blended learning environment. chang, c.-c., hwang, g.-j., & chen, k.-f. (2023). fostering professional trainers with robot-based digital storytelling: a brainstorming, selection, forming and evaluation model for training guidance. computers & education, 202, 104834. chotimah, c., & astiyandha, t. (2019). application of mind mapping method to interest students’ in reading comprehension. lingua, 15(2), 46–50. creswell, j. w., & poth, c. n. (2018). qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches. modern management journal, 16(1), 263–270. da silva, r. a. (2023). new digital multiliteracies as a learning model fostering collaboration, identity, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 499 and recognition. the international journal of literacies, 30(2), 129. damico, h., damico, j. s., & nelson, r. (2021). literacy and literacy impairments. the handbook of language and speech disorders, 237–265. dehghani, s., & zamorano, a. (2023). the efficacy of mobile-assisted language learning in improving learners’ reading skills in relation to metacognitive strategy. journal of language and literature studies, 3(1), 53–66. di cesare, d. m., & rowsell, j. (2020). teaching beyond a print mindset: applying multimodal pedagogies within literacy teacher education. teaching literacy in the twenty-first century classroom: teacher knowledge, self-efficacy, and minding the gap, 103–118. dunster, s. (2023). exploring multiliteracies and other approaches to second language teaching. egurrola, j. d. m., & garcía, i. d. f. (2023). exploring the effects of implementing hilary janks’ critical literacy model in a university efl classroom. lenguaje, 51(1), 29–63. gill, m. g. (2021). teachers’ social-emotional characteristics and student outcomes: a commentary. educational psychologist, 56(4), 323–332. greenhalgh, t. (2019). how to read a paper: the basics of evidence-based medicine and healthcare. john wiley & sons. guzzetti, b. j., & foley, l. m. (2018). social media. in handbook of college reading and study strategy research (pp. 74–86). routledge. hakim, l. n., rachmawati, e., & purwaningsih, s. (2021). teachers’ strategies in developing students’ critical thinking and critical reading. pedagogia: jurnal pendidikan, 10(1), 11–19. hobbs, r. (2020). mind over media: propaganda education for a digital age. ww norton & company. holloway, s. m. (2021). the multiliteracies project: preservice and inservice teachers learning by design in diverse content areas. pedagogies: an international journal, 16(3), 307–325. ilmi, y., retnaningdyah, p., & munir, a. (2020). exploring digital multimodal text in efl classroom: transformed practice in multiliteracies pedagogy. linguistic, english education and art (leea) journal, 4(1), 99–108. https://doi.org/10.31539/leea.v4i1.1416 irwandy, i., syahrin, e., & sembiring, p. (2019). reception écrite teaching and learning model based on multiliteracies approach (a strategy in improving students’ multiliteracies). proceedings of the 5th annual international seminar on trends in science and science education, aistsse 2018, 18-19 october 2018, medan, indonesia. jerome, c., donny, g. k., & tuah, a. s. b. m. (2023). a conceptual framework to examine the use of multimodal approaches in the tertiary-level english literature classroom. international journal of education and pedagogy, 5(2), 87– 100. jiang, l., yu, s., & zhao, y. (2022). incorporating digital multimodal composing through collaborative action research: challenges and coping strategies. technology, pedagogy and education, 31(1), 45–61. kiss, t., & mizusawa, k. (2018). revisiting the pedagogy of multiliteracies: writing instruction in a multicultural context. changing english: studies in culture and education, 25(1), 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/1358684x.2017.1403283 laboni, n. n. (2021). multiliteracies pedagogy in second language learning: examining how canadian elementary esl classrooms can empower diverse english language learners. li, c. s., & wan, r. (2022). critical reading in higher education: a systematic review. thinking skills and creativity, 44, 101028. main, k. l. (2011). mapping multiliteracies onto the pedagogy of k-12 teachers. university of toronto. meng, x. (2016). a pedagogy of multiliteracies into practice: a case study in one grade one literacy classroom. menke, m., & paesani, k. (2019). understanding teacher discourse around multiliteracies pedagogy. mirhosseini, s.-a., shirazizadeh, m., & pakizehdel, h. (2022). bridging language education and “new literacy studies”: reinvigorating courses of general english at an iranian university. journal of language, identity & education, 21(5), 287– 302. nabhan, s. (2019). bringing multiliteracies into process writing approach in elt classroom: implementation and reflection. edulite: journal of english education, literature and culture, 4(2), 156–170. nelson, s. (2019). close reading in the urban classroom: a teacher’s introspection. networks: an online journal for teacher research, 21(1), 4. ocak, g., & karslı, e. (2022). relationship between critical reading skills and creative reading perceptions of fifth grade students. international journal of education and literacy studies, 10(3), 91–100. pahl, k., & rowsell, j. (2005). literacy and education. paul chapman publishing. prihantoro, p., suherdi, d., & muslim, a. b. (2022). developing students’ multimodal communicative competence through multiliteracies pedagogy. english franca: academic journal of english language and education, 6(2), 191–218. rivas, j. j. l., & cardozo, d. a. s. (2018). videomediated listening and multiliteracies videoconferencia, escucha y literacidades múltiples. colomb. appl. linguist. j., 20(1), 11– 24. mikhael misa multiliteracies pedagogy: a case study of critical reading in elt classroom by implementing situated practice 500 saputri, r. a., triyanto, & winarno. (2019). using critical multiliteracy learning in developing students’ civic literacy in the industrial era 4.0 education. aip conference proceedings, 2194(december), 4–9. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5139843 sholihah, u., & purbani, w. (2021). multiliteracy pedagogy challenges: efl teachers’ multicultural attitudes in the literacy classroom practices. in educational innovation in society 5.0 era: challenges and opportunities (pp. 113–118). routledge. siraj, i., kingston, d., & neilsen-hewett, c. (2019). the role of professional development in improving quality and supporting child outcomes in early education and care. asia-pacific journal of research in early childhood education, 13(2). siyaswati. (2020). multiliteracies approach in english language teaching paradigm in 21st century. 434(iconelt 2019), 90–96. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200427.020 sumardi, s., & muamaroh, m. (2020). edmodo impacts: mediating digital class and assessment in english language teaching. jurnal cakrawala pendidikan, 39(2), 319–331. suteja, s., & setiawan, d. (2022). students’ critical thinking and writing skills in project-based learning. international journal of educational qualitative quantitative research, 1(1), 16–22. takeuchi, m. (2015). the situated multiliteracies approach to classroom participation: english language learners’ participation in classroom mathematics practices. journal of language, identity and education, 14(3), 159–178. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2015.1041341 tschida, v. (2020). using technology to provide students with authentic learning opportunities in the elementary classroom. xie, y. (2021). the pedagogy of multiliteracies: a research on teaching and learning practice in tesol education. education, university of regina., 43-50. yap, j. r., & gurney, l. (2023). exploring practices of multiliteracies pedagogy through digital technologies: a narrative inquiry. literacy, 12335. https://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12335 yu, f., chang, l., & kim, m. s. (2022). an exploration of a novice kindergarten teacher’s enactment of multiliteracies pedagogy during the pandemic: a case study of a virtual kindergarten classroom. 30th international conference on computers in education conference, icce 2022, 527–536. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 971 the infusion of problem solving skills in microlearning videos of english reading materials for non-english major ratna dewanti english language education department, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia email: rdewanti@unj.ac.id bontisesari english language education department, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia email: bontisesari_1212821008@mhs.unj.ac.id siti drivoka sulistyaningrum english language education department, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia email: drivoka@unj.ac.id apa citation: dewanti, r., bontisesari., & sulistyaningrum, s. d. (2023). the infusion of problem solving skills in microlearning videos of english reading materials for non-english major. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 971-980. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8882 received: 11-06-2023 accepted: 28-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: problem solving skills as one of the 21st century skills should strongly be focused in education because when students practice problem solving consistently, they can develop better social and situational awareness – the ones required in this social impact era. this study aimed at describing the infusion of problem solving skills in microlearning videos for non-english major students. in addition, it delineates the feasibility of the materials using a small-scale piloting. the study employs library research for the procedures of infusion and pilot study for the feasibility of the designed materials. the findings encompass detailed descriptions and procedures of the learning materials enclosed with a feasibility measurement conducted by a panel of three english learning materials experts and 50 participants as target users. the participants involved eleven english course instructors and thirty-nine students. the feasibility measures indicate that the microlearning video prototypes received satisfactory results. these results suggest that microlearning videos have the potential to enhance problem solving skills which in turns revamp the 21st century skills. the naturally determined characteristic of microlearning videos are also befitting the demand for bite-sized content of information, selfpaced learning, mobile-friendly accessibility which undergo learning experience of students in digital era, especially in efl context within higher education. keywords: english reading materials; non-english majors; microlearning videos; problem-solving skills. introduction it is undeniable that 21st century poses meta challenges to human life. volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity which sets out the situation of constant, unpredictable change in areas of the business world force to shift education direction from traditional to making decisions and solving problems-oriented. the 21st century skills are tools that can be universally applied to enhance ways of thinking, learning, working and living in the world. problem solving is one of the 21st century skills and reading literacy is another. problem solving is often broadly defined as "the ability to understand the environment, identify complex problems, review related information to develop, evaluate strategies and implement solutions to build the desired outcome" (fissore, c. et al, 2021). at a basic level, this includes an ability to identify an issue and take in information from multiple sources to evaluate options and making decision. developing problem-solving skills and their application to real-life situations are crucial for enhancing students' competencies, as problem-solving is widely recognized as one of the key skills demanded by employers in the 21st century (clark & mayer, 2016). subsequently, it is important to note that problem-solving skills do not only enhance academic performance but also serve as invaluable assets in equipping students to meet the demands of today’s rapidly evolving world. the skills are crucial because they greatly impact decision-making skills. wang (2021) confirmed that the new generation requires high levels of support to develop creativity and mailto:drivoka@unj.ac.id ratna dewanti, bontisesari, & siti drivoka sulistyaningrum the infusion of problem solving skills in microlearning videos of english reading materials for non-english major 972 integrate diverse subjects such as nature, humanities, and technology in a world where choices abound, the ability to weigh options, consider consequences, and make well-informed decisions is crucial. critical thinking and problem solving skills equip young people to analyse and evaluate whether the information they are receiving is just reliable. the function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. a number of studies dealing with the incorporation of problem solving skills in education field have been conducted. (salim and alnoori, 2021; riyadi, et al., 2021; muhlisin, et al., 2022; kök and duman, 2023; adeoye and jimoh, 2023). salim and alnoori aimed at proving the efficacy of problem solving and development of students' critical thinking while working with professional teaching process. they confirmed that the approach will not only increase the acquisition of foreign languages but will also contribute to vocational skills by developing the critical thinking of learners. riyadi, et al. believed that elementary school students have problem-solving skills. muhlisin, et al. focused on the use of a rias (reading, identification, analysis, and self reflection) model that proved to have a considerable impact on students’ problem solving skills. kök and duman revealed that problem-based learning improves problem-solving skills, academic skills, social skills, and language skills. adeoye and jimoh claimed that promoting innovation and creativity among 21st-century learners is essential for preparing them for the future. problem-solving skills are essential in promoting innovation and creativity among learners. educators can use various strategies to promote problem-solving skills, such as project-based learning, experiential learning, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and technology integration. in the contemporary digital age, the integration of technology into education has offered boundless potentials for the enhancement and refinement of instructional approaches and learning resources. there is a rising interest in the development of learning materials that align with the needs and characteristics of modern-day learners as digital natives, in the context of 21st century learning, which encompasses skills such as communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. microlearning stands out as a notable approach in this regard. microlearning, characterized by short and focused learning units, has gained prominence as an effective pedagogical strategy. alella (2021) defines microlearning as the process of learning through bite-sized, well-planned modules, and short – term learning activities. valamis (2022) asserts microlearning as short and small chunks of information used to meet a specific learning outcome and there is no definitive time requirement for microlearning, but typically microlearning content takes the learner 1-10 minutes to consume. studies have demonstrated the positive impact of microlearning on students’ learning outcome (almazova et al., 2018; miloserdova & belyaeva, 2019; hosseini et al., 2020; wenhui et al., 2020), particularly in the field of english language teaching and learning in higher education settings. microlearning videos are one of the microlearning object materials. gaining credence among educators to suit millennial learners to conduct self-learning and enhance their autonomy in learning. in many tertiary educations, english has been designated a compulsory subject as one of the core subjects in the 21st century learning framework (partnership for 21st century skills, 2019). the growing demand for english language proficiency among students specializing in nonenglish disciplines has prompted continuous advancements in the field, particularly in the enhancement of reading skills (tolstikh et al., 2021). proficiency in reading, an essential skill within academic contexts, plays a significant role in nurturing students' literacy development. however, despite the persistent efforts of educators to promote reading habits at the university level, students' reading proficiency and english language competence remain unsatisfactory (poedjiastutie et al., 2018). similarly, phuong, et al. (2021) discovered that many non-english majors at universities in vietnam have problems in english reading comprehension. an interview with an english lecturer in one of the universities in thailand also gives almost identical situation. in four english courses taken by non-english majors – accounting, tourism, business management the students still have problems in reading comprehension. this highlights the need for improvements in supporting students in developing their english reading skills, particularly in the digital age, where distractions such as social media may significantly impact students' reading habits. non-english major students are targeted in this study due to their english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 973 background which is not english that they need harder efforts to read in english. in actual fact, they have to achieve reading skills – referencing, inferencing, guessing meaning from context, scanning, skimming, and other related reading skills – to cope with their learning materials, future carriers and work demands. in alignment with the partnership for 21st century skills framework, the importance of problem-solving skills, and the nature of millennial learners this study attempted to infuse problem-solving skills into microlearning videos english reading materials for non-english major. this study sets out as the next stage of the previous study a needs analysis study conducted prior to this study regarding the needs to design problem solving skills-infused microlearning videos of english reading materials for nonenglish major. the needs analysis findings reveal a gap between the current materials and the descriptors of microlearning and problem-solving indicating an urgency of developing english reading materials that promote problem-solving and incorporate microlearning to facilitate the needs of non-english major students. in short, this study provides two focuses: the descriptions of the materials and the feasibility measurement of the materials. method this study employed library research to design the infusion of problem solving skills in the microlearning videos of english reading materials for non-english major. the materials were then piloted to see their feasibility. the pilot study involved 53 participants, consisting of two subject matter experts, one media expert, 11 course instructors, and 39 non-english major students. the experts hold master degree in tefl and have working experience in the field of english language education for more than 20 years. the media expert also holds a master’s degree and have worked in the field of ict and english language education for 10 years. meanwhile, the teachers have teaching experience ranging from <10 years (n=3), 10-20 years (n=3), and >20 years (n=6 years). the 39 students are the first-year students enrolled in integrated english reading course as a compulsory subject. formal permission was obtained from subject matter experts, media experts, and teachers who were invited to take part in the study. this was done through written communication with clear information of its purpose. participants were given the chance to ask questions and seek clarification before giving their consent. the experts assessed the relevance, engagement, and clarity of the materials through interview. their feedback and suggestions were considered in refining the materials. meanwhile, the target users’ feedback was obtained through questionnaire. the evaluation focused on their satisfaction with the content and overall learning experience. the data collected from the users were analyzed to reveal their perceptions on the microlearning videos. results and discussion the infusion of problem solving skills in microlearning videos of english reading materials for non-english major resulted on six prototypes, each containing three episodes of microlearning videos with a duration ranging between 2 to 3 minutes. the sequence of the series followed a structured approach to facilitate students' reading activities and stimulate their problem-solving skills. the design framework revolves around the issue of environments as one of key aspects of global awareness that 21st century learners need to acquire. hence, the prototypes are based on two topics: plastic pollution and human-wildlife conflicts. each topic consisted of three videos with specific learning objectives. first, the video aims to activate students’ prior knowledge by introducing the topic and facilitate the vocabulary building. second, the video aims to revisit and reinforce reading comprehension, ensuring that students not only read but also understand the material. third, and perhaps most crucial, the video aims to encourage students to apply problem-solving techniques by solving problem cases through reflective questions and task instructions. in addition, it is also important to note that while the video-based activities are designed to enhance the learning experience, the actual reading of the materials takes place outside of the videos. the videos serve as complementary resources that are intended to motivate, clarify, ask reflection questions, review important points, and provide task instructions to support the reading process. table 1 displays the cover or thumbnail images for the prototypes of three learning object materials (loms) for each topic in which each topic has 3 loms. these visual representations play a role in providing a visual preview of the prototypes and serving as an initial point of engagement for learners. they also serve as the ratna dewanti, bontisesari, & siti drivoka sulistyaningrum the infusion of problem solving skills in microlearning videos of english reading materials for non-english major 974 first impression for the learners and helps them understand what to expect from the video content. table 1. prototype covers lom 1 lom 2 lom 3 the first lom, entitled "get to know the context”, plays a foundational role within the microlearning materials. its purpose is to offer learners an introduction to the background and context related to the reading materials. through the first video, students are expected to be able to understand the relevance and importance of the topic they will be exploring. the second lom, entitled "reading review", signifies a video that focuses on reviewing the key points and main ideas of the reading materials. it aims to confirm learners' understanding and reinforce the important concepts covered in the texts. by revisiting the central ideas of the reading text, the second video ensures the students’ grasp of the subject matter and prepares them for deeper engagement with the content. the third video, entitled "solve the case", represents a video that presents a problem-solving activity related to the reading materials where learners are encouraged to apply problem-solving skills to analyze and find solutions to a specific case or scenario. table 2 displays the samples of prototype design as the output of this study, along with the infusion of problem-solving and the intended learning objectives. table 2. prototype design problem solving stage learning objective topic 1: plastic pollution in the sea topic 2: human-wildlife conflict exploring the problem students can activate their prior knowledge by recognizing the topic of the text and vocabularies analyzing the problem students can apply previously learned information about the text english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 975 proposing solution students can organize informa-tion into visual representation and propose solutions in lom 1: recognizing the problem of plastic pollution, the focus is on helping learners recognize the problem of plastic pollution as a global environmental issue. the video content serves as an eye-opener, introducing the case of plastic pollution and emphasizing its significance and its impact on the environment. real-life examples are shared to illustrate the direct and indirect effects of plastic pollution on ecosystems. learners are expected to gain a deeper understanding of the harmful effects of plastic pollution and the urgent need to address it. meanwhile, in lom 2: analyzing the problem, the focus shifts to defining the problem of plastic pollution more comprehensively. the videos will explore the various factors contributing to plastic pollution, such as improper waste management, single-use plastics, and plastic production and consumption to equip learners to analyze the challenges and identify possible solutions. lastly, in lom 3: organizing information, prompt questions are provided as guidance to assist learners in creating their concept maps or graphic organizer that summarizes the problem case. by following the prompts, learners are expected to help learners in examining different dimensions of plastic pollution, such as its causes, consequences, and potential solutions. during the evaluation of the prototypes, feedback from the participants regarding the design of the microlearning materials were gathered to assess their quality in improving english reading skills, engagement, and overall learning outcomes. based on table 4, it can be concluded that the overall quality of the video prototypes is in satisfactory (average score of 4.4 for students’ evaluation) and very satisfactory (average score of 4.6 for experts, and 4.8 for course instructors) categories. table 3. prototypes' evaluation scores evaluator score obtained category information experts 92 very satisfactory suggestions for quality improvement course instructors 96 students 88 satisfactory minor revision subject matter experts focused on evaluating the accuracy and relevance of the content to the learning objectives, specifically in terms of engagement, reading materials, and problemsolving infusion. first, in terms of engagement, it is noted that the prototype videos are attractive and enjoyable to watch, likely to capture the students' attention. however, one expert suggests specifying the topics further to facilitate deeper discussions and exploration. in terms of problemsolving activities, one expert suggests providing examples before assigning more challenging tasks, such as in creating a graphic organizer. this approach helps prepare learners and provides a demonstration of the expected learning output. consistent guidance throughout the tasks is also emphasized, as it can create a smoother progression from easier to more difficult tasks. in short, the evaluation from subject matter experts highlights the strengths and areas for improvement in the learning prototypes. enhancements related to specifying topics, organizing materials, contextualizing vocabulary, reinforcing comprehension, and providing consistent guidance can further enhance student engagement, reading skills, and problem-solving abilities. in the same fashion, the media expert’s comments provide valuable insights into enhancing the quality of the prototype learning materials. his feedback emphasizes the importance of adjusting the pacing of the videos, clarifying the main objectives, improving the visual aspects such as font usage and subtitles, and maintaining consistency within a video series. these suggestions aim to optimize audience engagement, comprehension, and overall viewing experience. the results reported the designs of the prototypes while aligning the stages of problemratna dewanti, bontisesari, & siti drivoka sulistyaningrum the infusion of problem solving skills in microlearning videos of english reading materials for non-english major 976 solving to enhance learning experience for students in the english reading course. by addressing real-world problems as the main learning topics, the prototype is expected to foster active engagement and interests of the learners. this study attempted to provide alternative for teaching and learning english reading by designing microlearning videos of english reading materials with problem-solving infusion. the prototypes have fulfilled the features of learning materials in the video-based learning, including visual representation, narration, visual aids and graphics, interactive elements, real-life examples, and pace and timing. the prototypes facilitate students to develop a deeper understanding of english reading while honing their problem-solving skills by applying strategies in english reading, such as making prediction, making inference, and drawing conclusion. in addition, the prototype's design also takes into consideration the pre-reading and post-reading stages, offering activities that align with these phases. pre-reading activities such as vocabulary preview and pre-reading questions help activate prior knowledge and set a purpose for reading. post-reading activities like comprehension questions and summarization promote comprehension and reflection, allowing students to consolidate their understanding and demonstrate their grasp of the reading material. moreover, in facilitating the students’ selflearning, this study particularly focused on prereading and post-reading stages. in line with the main objective of this study, creating microlearning video prototypes, a previous study highlighting that the more learners feel safe and motivated, their reading comprehension texts increased (fauzi, saman, zannah, octaviani, & girlani, 2022). the stages represent some of the basic and necessary reading skills evident in several previous studies (elleman & oslund, 2019; hmelo-silver, 2004). the structural elements of video-based learning materials in this study consist of previewing and introducing lessons, reviewing key points, question-answer inquiry, and applying content to real-world applications (allela, 2021; ou, joyner, & goel, 2019). previewing and introducing the lesson aligns with the pre-reading stage, which aims to activate students’ prior knowledge by providing context and the topic. meanwhile, key point review and question-answer inquiry match the post-reading stage as students can confirm their understanding of the text and apply what they learn to another context, such as by creating a graphic organizer that summarizes the reading. the result is in line with several related studies. a study highlighted the needs of improving students’ reading comprehension and made some suggestions, including better text selection, building a solid vocabulary, making use of technology, and increasing learner autonomy (al-noursi, 2014). meanwhile, a study emphasizes on vocabulary building and background knowledge of the learners to activate their prior knowledge (kendeou, mcmaster, & christ, 2016; sadri, fithriani, saidurrahman, salmiah, & hamidah, 2019; saeidi & ahmadi, 2016). in addition, a study exemplifies the use of pre-reading stages through sharing knowledge of the context, building trust and interests, and motivating the learners (sabet, zafarghandi, & karkara, 2018; al-noursi, 2014). another study also included task of analytical thinking skills to allow students make decision in which english language teachers need to put more emphasis on the problem-solving tasks to enable students to solve problems in their real lives (hamsia & erydani, 2022). furthermore, the provision of reading passages under the topics of environmental issues to stimulate students’ problem-solving skills is in line with what is suggested in a previous study (priyatni & martutik, 2020), in which they provide news item texts that focused on social problems to enhance students’ problem-solving abilities. nonetheless, in designing the prototype, this study selected reading passages related to the current global issues to trigger students’ interest and allow them to relate the passages to their real lives. in addition, the microlearning videos of prereading stages provide students with a set of vocabularies needed to comprehend the overall topics and issues. by using technology in a form of microlearning videos, the prototypes facilitate students’ self-learning in which they can access the learning materials anywhere and anytime without any restriction. based on the evaluation, the overall scores indicate that the prototypes are overall satisfactory in terms of the use of audio-visuals and the relevance, engagement, clarity, and problemsolving infusion within the reading materials. however, there are details needed to be improved based on the inputs and feedback from the experts. the evaluation findings should be considered as valuable feedback for materials development. they highlight the strengths and areas for improvement in the prototypes, helping english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 977 the developers identify what aspects of the materials are well-received, and which areas can be further enhanced to better meet the students' needs and preferences. therefore, while the positive average score is encouraging, it should be seen as a starting point for further iteration and refinement of the prototypes by addressing any concerns or suggestions raised by the evaluators and create a better quality of final products. therefore, the experts’ inputs and feedback were taken as consideration in improving the video prototypes to have better quality. the target users’ feedback also provides valuable information regarding the relevance, clarity, and engagement of the content, as well as the overall user experience. they find the topics relevant, the content interesting, and the delivery clear and understandable. the videos are seen as helpful for understanding the topics while also providing an enjoyable learning experience. the visuals and language style are considered suitable, and the students express a desire for more videos of similar quality. to sum up, this study highlights the potential of the prototype in addressing the challenges of english reading instruction, particularly in the digital age where students are easily distracted and may struggle to maintain reading habits. the combination of microlearning principles and problem-solving skill infusion offers a promising approach to engage students, enhance their reading abilities, and equip them with essential skills for future academic and professional endeavors. by designing microlearning videos that integrate problem-solving skills into english reading materials, this study seeks to not only enhance students' language proficiency but also equip them with 21st-century skills. the findings of this research can inform educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers on effective strategies for fostering a more dynamic and skilloriented learning environment. conclusion this study focuses on the infusion of problem solving skills in microlearning videos of english reading materials for non-english major. in consequence, it comprises the descriptions of the materials and their feasibility measurement. the materials are six prototypes of problem solving skills infused microlearning videos of english reading materials for non-english major, each containing three episodes of microlearning videos with a duration ranging between 2 to 3 minutes. the sequence of the series followed a structured approach to facilitate students' reading activities and stimulate their problem-solving skills. the prototypes were validated for their feasibility. the validations confirm the quality and instructional design of the videos, highlighting their relevance, engagement, and clarity. the results indicate that the microlearning videos are seen relevant to prereading and post-reading activities, offering strategies for activating prior knowledge, reflecting on reading materials, and applying problem-solving skills. however, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of this study. the sample size was relatively small, and further research with larger and more diverse samples would enhance the generalizability of the findings. additionally, longitudinal studies to assess the long-term impact of the microlearning videos on reading comprehension skills would provide valuable insights. in conclusion, this research supports the implementation of microlearning videos with problem-solving infusion as an effective tool to enhance reading comprehension among nonenglish major students. the findings highlight the relevance, instructional quality, and satisfaction associated with these videos. it is recommended that educators and materials designers consider developing and integrating microlearning videos into their teaching practices to support the learning needs of non-english major students and foster their reading comprehension and added value of 21st century skills. acknowledgments the researchers would like to convey their gratitude to those who contribute to the successful completion of this research the two subject matter experts, one media expert and 11 course instructors for evaluating the prototypes of the materials. their helpful recommendations provide vital information for the refinement. the researchers would also like to express their gratitude to the 39 non-english major students of the first-year who enrolled in integrated english reading course for their active participation. their involvement and collaboration are critical to the effective and efficient data collection. references adeoye, m. a., & jimoh, h. a. (2023). problemsolving skills among 21st-century learners toward creativity and innovation ideas. thinking skills and creativity journal, 6(1), 52–58. https://doi.org/10.23887/tscj.v6i1.62708 ratna dewanti, bontisesari, & siti drivoka sulistyaningrum the infusion of problem solving skills in microlearning videos of english reading materials for non-english major 978 allen interactions. (2021). the successive approximations model. allen interactions. https://www.alleninteractions.com/services/cust om-learning/sam/elearning-development al-noursi, o. (2014). to read or not to read? in r. almahrooqi, & a. rosco, focusing on efl reading: theory and practice (pp. 241-256). newcastle: cambridge scholars publishing. ali, c. a. (2021). a comparative study of sam and addie models in simulating stem instruction. african educational research journal, 9(4), 852–859. https://doi.org/10.30918/aerj.94.21.125 allela, m. (2021). introduction to microlearning. commonwealth of learning. bontisesari, dewanti, r., & sulistyaningrum, s. d. (2023). development of microlearning-based and problem-solving infused english reading materials for non-english major: a needs analysis. asian journal of applied education, 2(2), 189-206. doi:https://doi.org/10.55927/ajae.v2i2.3782 chakravorty, s.s., hales, d.n. and herbert, j.i. (2008) how problem-solving really works. int. j. data analysis techniques and strategies, 1(1), 44– 59. clark, r. c., & mayer, r. e. (2016). e-learning and the science of instruction: proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. john wiley & sons, inc. elleman, a. m., & oslund, e. l. (2019). reading comprehension research: implications for practice and policy. policy insights from the behavioral and brain sciences, 6(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/237273221881 fauzi, i., saman, t. n., zannah, n., octaviani, s., & girlani, b. (2022). the relationship between students’ reading motivation and the success to comprehend the english texts. journal of english teaching and learning issues, 5(1), 3138. 10.21043/jetli.v5i1.14959 fissore, c., floris, f., marchisio, m., & sacchet, m. (2021). maple for distance education in secondary schools during the covid-19 emergency. in communications in computer and information science (pp. 204–218). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81698-8_14 hamsia, w., & erydani, v. a. (2022). implementation of problem-based learning model in improving speaking skills for part-time students at a higher education institution in semarang. journal of english teaching and learning issues, 5(2), 135-146. 10.21043/jetli.v5i2.17087 hao, w., song, m., li, m., wu, s., & yang, k. (2020). a blended teaching mode based on online micro-learning in military english for noncommissioned officers. proceedings of the 2020 5th international conference on modern management and education technology (mmet 2020). https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201023.103 hmelo-silver, c. e. (2004). problem-based learning: what and how do students learn? educational psychology review, 16(3), 235-265 hosseini, h. m., ejtehadi, a., & hosseini, m. m. (2020). flipping microlearning-based efl classroom to enhance learners’ self-regulation. language teaching research. hosseini, h. m., ejtehadi, a., & hosseini, m. m. (2020). flipping microlearning-based efl classroom to enhance learners’ self regulation. language teaching research quarterly, 20, 43–59. https://doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2020.20.03 ismail, h., & edi. (2023). student need analysis of problem-based learning model with blended learning in efl academic reading. international journal of english language and literature studies, 12(1), 1-16. doi:10.55493/5019.v12i1.4698 jala, g. t. (2020). pupils’ reading comprehension, problem-solving skills and academic performance. journal of world englishes and educational practices (jweep, 2(4). kendeou, p., mcmaster, k. l., & christ, t. j. (2016). reading comprehension: core components and processes. reading, writing, and language, 3(1), 62-69. doi:10.1177/2372732215624707 kök, f. z., & duman, b. (2023). the effect of problem-based learning on problem-solving skills in english language teaching. journal of pedagogical research. https://doi.org/10.33902/jpr.202318642 kumar, m. (2020). a study of problem solving ability and creativity among the higher secondary students. shanlax international journal of education, 8(2), 30–34. miloserdova, e. e., & belyaeva, n. g. (2019). microlearning: a way to study online. functional aspects of intercultural communication, 6, 406–413. https://doi.org/10.22363/2712-7974-2019-6406-413 muhlisin, a. (2021). improving students’ problemsolving skills through rias model in science classes. jurnal cakrawala pendidikan, 41(1), 284-294. partnership for 21st century skills. (2019). p21 framework for 21st century learning definition. battelle for kids. https://www.battelleforkids.org/networks/p21/fr ameworks-resources tran thi, pham phuong thao, pham phuong. (2021). improving reading comprehension for nonenglish majors through mind-mapping technique in reading lessons. tnu journal of science and technology 226(13), 10-18 poedjiastutie, d., akhyar, f., hidayati, d., & nurul gasmi, f. (2018). does curriculum help students to develop their english competence? english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 979 a case in indonesia. arab world english journal, 9(2), 175–185. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol9no2.12 priyatni, e. t., & martutik. (2020). the development of a critical–creative reading assessment based on problem solving. original research, 1-9. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020923350 sabet, m. k., zafarghandi, a. m., & karkara, a. n. (2018, 1 5). the effect of problem solving task on critical reading of intermediate efl learners in iranian context. international journal of applied linguistics & english literature, 7(1), 99-106. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.7n.1p. 99 saeidi, m., & ahmadi, h. (2016). the effects of watching videos in pre-reading on efl learners’ reading comprehension and attitudes. tesol international journal, 11(2). salim, h. h., & alnoori, b. s. m. (2021). problem solving skill in language teaching. international journal of research in medical sciences and technology, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.37648/ijrmst.v11i01.007 tolstikh, o., pankova, v., & krasnova, e. (2021). microlearning in teaching english to students of engineering specialities. e3s web of conferences, 273-280. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202127312136 torgerson, c., & iannone, s. (2020). what works in talent development: designing microlearning. association for talent development (atd). learning and teaching materials. unesco iiep learning portal. (n.d.). https://learningportal.iiep.unesco.org/en/issuebriefs/improve-learning/learning-and-teachingmaterials valamis. (2022). the definitive guide to microlearning: the what, why, and how-toguide to leveraging microlearning. wang, y. (2021). effects of online problem-solving instruction and identification attitude toward instructional strategies on students’ creativity. frontiers in psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.771128 wolverton, c., & guidry hollier, b. (2022). guidelines for incorporating active learning into the design of online management courses utilizing the successive approximation model (sam). international journal of education and development using information and communication technology (ijedict), 18. xiao, y. (2017). on non-english majors’ strategy training in english reading comprehension. english language teaching, 10(10), 153-160. ratna dewanti, bontisesari, & siti drivoka sulistyaningrum the infusion of problem solving skills in microlearning videos of english reading materials for non-english major 980 https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v10n10p153 https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v10n10p153 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1069 the implementation of english learning based on model of intercultural communicative competence (icc) for improving students’ communication independence edi english educational department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah mataram, indonesia e-mail: edi.dompu.80@gmail.com apa citation: edi. (2022). the implementation of english learning based on model of intercultural communicative competence (icc) for improving students’ communication independence. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 1069-1076. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6523 received: 28-06-2022 accepted: 26-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction learning english as a foreign language needs a special model to learn it with various variants of language skills. the learning process is an activity that consists of two components, namely learning and teaching. learning is said to be effective if students can absorb the material provided (sataloff et al., 2017). one of the peak language skills is communicative communication commonly referred to as the top priority of language productive skills that need to be mastered by students in higher education. higher education learners must be able to speak in public (public speaking) which is the ability to process, design, deliver, and evaluate a message orally to the public (audience). public speaking includes understanding a lecture material, the purpose of delivering the material, and understanding the 'character' of the audience. the teaching of public speaking has also necessarily shifted over time in terms of where speaking skills have been taught (within formal educational systems or without), how accessible speaking training was and to whom, and how for malized the rules of correct performance have been (bailey, 2019). the students of muhammadiyah mataram university must be having the ability to communicate with people from different cultures. based on initial observations that students in the english education study program at the faculty of teacher training and education muhammadiyah university of mataram that the majority of students can understand grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary (lexis) are good but lack the competence to communicate well with people who have different cultures. meanwhile, the lecturers emphasize mastering the theory of speaking, listening, reading, writing, and micro skills (vocabulary and grammar) without emphasizing the development of overall communication skills. implementation of learning english using the intercultural communicative competence (icc) model in higher education is the most important thing because icc is an intercultural communication model for a foreigner with a different style. in general, this communication skill is the ability to interact effectively with people who abstract: the purpose of this research is to determine the implementation of english learning based on the intercultural communicative competence (icc) model to increase student independence in communication. students can develop their talents, interests, knowledge, attitudes, awareness, behaviour, and skills when talking with people from different cultures (foreigners). the method approach in this research is qualitativegrounded theory using the techniques and data analysis of miles and huberman (1994), namely data collection, data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification. the number of participants in this research consisted of eleven participants in the fourth semester and eleven participants in the sixth semester, so total participants were twenty-two participants in this research, this sample was taken randomly. the results of this study show that students could not implement five dimensions, namely skills: interaction (11), knowledge: social (5), awareness: practice (5), attitude: 4 and behaviour: 3. conclusion of this research, the students of the english education department, faculty of teacher training and education university of muhammadiyah mataram implemented three main dimensions encompasses skills: the ability to interact, knowledge: social knowledge, and awareness: awareness to do the practice. keywords: english learning; icc model; implementation; independence communication. edi the implementation of english learning based on model of intercultural communicative competence (icc) for improving students’ communication independence 1070 have different cultures. intercultural competence has been defined, in general terms, as ‘the ability to interact effectively with people from different cultures, as foundational strategy in teacher education, ic requires a critical examination of thoughts through reflection actions, problemsolving skills, an ability to recognize and deconstruct assumptions, and a resolution to constantly question personal dogmas. (westerlund & karlsen, 2020). communication is an interaction between one or more people based on ethnic, gender, and social differences in the same and different cultures. that adopting online-teaching may serve as an effective way to develop students’ icc during epidemic and in the future (shen, 2021). students need intercultural communicative competence (icc) to maintain successful crosscultural communication and to enhance their literacy during interaction in order that they will not easily end up the cross-cultural communication with stereotype conflicts (morganna, 2017). instructional communication involves a process where teachers (sources) establish objectives (encoding), create messages to teach skills necessary to achieve objectives, send these messages through proper channels to students (receivers) who provide feedback (chaisanit, 2018). teacher educators and teaching practitioners with better understandings of various approaches in intercultural education; therefore, they can make better choices of icc-related practices fitting their own situations (hang, 2021). intercultural communicative language teaching (iclt) model is effective in facilitating efl learners’ icc development, and it can be applied in other similar efl context (duong, 2018). the feasible tasks used in real class and find it is possible to develop students’ intercultural communicative competence in chinese educational context (cai, 2019). communicative language teaching (ctl), this approach comprises some axioms in which activate the students to be able to communicate well in the language learned. ctl emphasizes on the contextually and authenticity, so that the students can learn the materials as the whole part and can easily adjust their knowledge with the reality existing (sabrina, 2020). intercultural communicative competence (icc) is the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with other cultures to negotiate meaning. a high level of icc is required for a successful communication across numerous cultures (sevimel-sahina, 2020). intercultural communicative competence (icc) is importance for international students, so that they may be able to prepare themselves not only in developing communication skill but also intercultural appreciation before studying in foreign countries (zhai & razali, 2020). teachers considered culture and icc teaching to be important and required support in icc teaching in terms of instructional materials and resources (choi, 2019). development of respect for cultural differences as well as an open and constructive intercultural dialogue (butković & čepić, 2020). the concept of icc can build a new dimension of language learning minimizing the communication gap between the speakers of english from different parts of the world by incorporating intercultural materials into efl curriculum. in efl classes intercultural materials introduce the learners with the multiplicity of cultures across the world. intercultural materials, in its extended realm, covers a far wider range that opens up immense scope for developing the knowledge and tolerance of other cultures and of the people who practice those cultures (snigdha, 2022). the lecturers commonly promoted the aspects by comparing the target culture with the students’ own culture. those teaching approaches are used to improve students’ linguistic knowledge and facilitate a better oral and written skill so the students can employ various strategies in the academic situation, and that the activities carried out in the classroom contributed a lot to develop students’ intercultural communicative competence (icc) (syam et al., 2020). the literature review revealed a relationship between intercultural communicative competence and eap studies, with students having higher levels of intercultural communicative competence also having higher levels of academic success (douglas & rosvold, 2018). communicative competence: the three level, the procedure level, or the actual performance as competence or the systemic level: which includes linguistics competence and grammatical knowledge, capacity or the schematic level: which includes the ability to use language and create meaning, and performance or the procedural level: which includes practical performance and the capacity to perform a language in a new context (järvenpää et al., 2021). developing communicative competence implies understanding a message, interpreting a speech orally, speaking safely, being coherent, writing a text, creating a personal message; and allows the construction of effective messages that are directed to groups of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1071 people in different media and codes, it is also a fundamental means to teach and learn in the increase of new words (de arruda, 2021). people can achieve the goal of transforming students from academic talents to application-oriented talents on the basis of strengthening the practice and application of intercultural communicative competence (ping et al., 2019). hymes defined communicative competence as the grammatical competence of a language and as the ability to use a language in a variety of communicative situations (performance) (järvenpää et al., 2021). intercultural communicative competence (icc) is the ability to interact with people who have different cultures (foreigners). icc components consist of attitudes, knowledge, skills, and awareness. the icc models are attitudes: curiosity and openness, readiness to suspend disbelief about other cultures, and belief about one’s own (savoir être). knowledge: of social groups and their products and practices in one’s own and in one’s interlocutor’s country, and the general processes of societal and individual interaction (savoirs). skills of interpreting and relating: the ability to interpret a document or event from another. culture, to explain it and relate it to documents from one’s own (savoir comprendre). skills of discovery and interaction: ability to acquire new knowledge of a culture and cultural practices and the ability to operate knowledge, attitudes, and skills under the constraints of realtime communication and interaction (savoir apprendre/faire). critical cultural awareness/political education: an ability to evaluate critically and the basis on of explicit criteria perspectives, practices, and products in one’s own and other cultures and countries (savoir s’engager). acting interculturally can be something very simple or very complex. the issue of the relationship between being intercultural and social identity. that documentaries, news clips and foreign films, especially those with multi-cultural elements, play an important role in the cultivation of students icc. students show great enthusiasm for cross-cultural comparison in vsl courses and they also like to incorporate video watching into their class because of its diversity of content and form, its authenticity of language and scenes, its vivid reflection of social culture, values and ways of thinking. since intercultural communication tasks involve in intercultural social relations and intercultural communicative behaviours, language teachers should take full advantage of various activities such as role play, simulation, cultural comparison, drama to achieve their teaching goals. by selecting appropriate video material, asking appropriate prompt questions, assigning cultural context tasks as well as designing related classroom activities, teachers can facilitate the development of the students’ intercultural communicative competence (liu, 2021). that 7 dimension and 36 variables of the constructed assessment scale can effectively measure students of icc can be enhanced by exploring the college student icc teaching model from the perspective of linguistics subjectivity based on mit, and the backwash effect of icc teaching and assessment can effectively boost college students’ intercultural communicative sensitivity, comprehensive cultural literacy, and practical language applications skills (peng & harbin, 2021). multimodality in web 2.0 tools and applications effect icc development in multiple ways but more research on icc and l2 and fl learners in multimodal environments needs to be conducted (avgousti, 2018). while m.n. edi model (edi et al., 2017). model is another icc model with larger components covering skills: interpretation and relating, ability to interact, attitude: readiness and openness, awareness: participation and practice, knowledge: individuals and social groups, behaviour: action situations: skills: the skills of interpreting and relating (ability to interpret events from other cultures and relating or collaborate more than one different culture). skills interaction (the ability to obtain new knowledge about the behaviour of verbal and non-verbal communication to the continuity of interaction with others). attitude: readiness and openness (readiness and openness to believe in other cultures and maintain one’s own). awareness: participated and practiced (the ability to participate and practice in one’s own and other cultures). knowledge: individual and social group (the knowledge of the individual and social group, practice with people have a different culture to improve the knowledge of icc). behaviour: action and situation (ability to do action and the way to interact with people from different cultures through non-verbal codes) (edi et al., 2017). awareness will afford students a stronger connection to their heritage culture and identity, and a more positive attitude towards their own and other varieties (díaz & callahan, 2020). aspect knowledge and skills is a better of icc and its pedagogy, the training could produce intercultural communicative teachers. (iswandari and ardi, 2022). the communicative-based instructional speaking skill model was practical, effective in improving students ‘verbal ability, and considered edi the implementation of english learning based on model of intercultural communicative competence (icc) for improving students’ communication independence 1072 valid by the experts. (muammar et al., 2021). skills and knowledge contributed to improve communicative competence. (ahmad & millar, 2020). findings from a variety of approaches to icc attest to the value icc brings to fle in cultivating learner’s intercultural competence. (liu, 2019). the importance of this icc model relates to the ability to interact with people who have different cultures. the icc model can change the mindset of communicating in english on an ongoing basis with the main needs of a specific process. by mastering icc, students can increase the intensity of their ability to communicate with foreigners, both in indonesia and abroad. the implementation of communication related to the icc model will discuss the icc components, namely the skills of interpreting and relating, skills interaction, attitude-readiness, and openness, awarenessparticipated and practice, knowledge-individual and social group, and behaviour-action and situation m.n. edi model (edi et al., 2017). method this research was conducted in the fourth and sixth semesters. several participants in this research consist of eleven participants in the fourth semester and eleven participants in the sixth semester of the english educational department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of muhammadiyah mataram. researchers used a qualitative method-grounded theory. grounded theory is a qualitative strategy in which the researcher derives a general, abstract theory of process, action, or interaction grounded in the views of participants in a study (creswell, 2012; 2014; 2018). researchers use this approach because it relates to the way of observation (structured, semi-structured, and open) in class, learning, face-to-face interactions, the actions of communication with those studied in the research location, independent or personal interactions, interviews (structured/formal, semi-structured, and formal/open) with students as the main key in conducting research during interviews, observations, footnotes, recordings, and documentation, all of which were done to find models of student communication with people who have different cultures. in the research design, researchers conducted observations, interviews, review recordings, and documentation on students to be studied, namely english educational department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of muhammadiyah mataram. after the researchers conducted observations, interviews, recording, and documentation. so, the researcher makes further observations, it will be summarized in a very concise note to be concluded in interpretation. after all that was done, the researchers documented all student activities related to the implementation of english language teaching based on the icc model in increasing student communication independence. these techniques and data analysis using the theory of miles and huberman, 1994, namely data collection, data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification as follow: figure 1. the flow of qualitative data analysis (miles and huberman, 1994) results and discussion this research shows, that the researcher finds out the implementations of learning english based on model intercultural communicative competence (icc) for improving student communications independence in the english educational department, faculty of teacher training and education, university of muhammadiyah mataram. this research shows, that the majority of the participants fourteen learned well about language and culture with people who have different cultures (foreigners). five students do not study the culture and communication methods of people who have different cultures. sometimes, one participant learns well about different languages and cultures but he always forgets the words when to say something, he did not like when to say the word in english. one of the students stated that he felt very good learning other people's languages and cultures, just for fun too, and only to be seen close to people who have different languages and cultures without paying attention to other things one of the students explained that yes, i learned different languages and cultures with different people and i get more to communicate with them, the greater benefits of learning english itself and can also increase knowledge of multiple languages. learning other people's languages and cultures is very important to improve communication. it can english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1073 also increase mutual respect even though they have different languages and cultures. thus, to improve communication with people who have different languages and cultures, students are expected to be able to understand other people's languages and cultures in depth (attitude). participants are very interested in talking and socializing with people who have different languages and cultures which is indicated by the results of the interviews, sixteen participants stated that there is only one student who is interested in talking and socializing with people who have different languages and cultures, he wants to know something new, he wants to be close friends continuously with people who have different languages and cultures, and other participants who are very interested because he likes to be social, knows everything about their language and culture, make close friends and add insight when communicating with them about language and culture. one participant also stated a similar statement stating that he is very interested in learning and knowing different languages and cultures, and also wants to know more about how to communicate with foreigners or communicate with people from different cultures. one participant also stated that i am sometimes interested in studying and socializing with people who share their cultural related to values and customs, and another participant also commented that i am very interested in their language, culture, and customs compared to other cultures and added one student as a participant in this research that he is very interested in studying different cultures with different people because it can facilitate friendly relations with different customs, it will also expand relations between different people, and is also interested in getting traditional values so that we can mutually respect, mutual understanding between cultures. thus, participants are very interested and socialize with people who have different languages and cultures because it will improve their own english (attitude and knowledge). the number nineteen participants appreciate and respect differences in behaviour, values, and customs with people from different cultures, and as many as three also appreciate/respect it but if other cultures don't respect their culture then there will be punishment they will get. the majority (seventeen) of participants feel confident when talking, discussing, and participating with people from different cultures. one of the participants stated that discussion with them also gained new experiences and one of the students also thought that if the communication felt comfortable, it would feel comfortable when communicating with those who have different cultures (skills/knowledge). all participants want to interact with people who have different cultures every day because it can improve their communication in english. however, many students do not have the opportunity to interact due to the lack of time and opportunity to interact with people who have different cultures (skills/knowledge). in other statements in other questioners, sixteen participants who understand their own culture and know other people's cultures globally. a total of six students knows their own culture and do not know the culture of others so they have difficulty improving their communication. they a lack of understanding of other people's cultures, in the future they will try to understand more deeply about other people's cultures (knowledge). the majority of participants, namely as many as twelve participants had references to other people's related values, customs, cultures, and eight participants did not have references to other people's values, customs, and traditions. two participants had little reference to other people's values, customs, and customs. thus, the plan participle knows about the values, customs, and customs of others. the other questions, that as many as eleven participants knew the history of cultural differences when communicating but there are five participants did not know when communicating with people from different and two participants stated that they knew their own culture and forgot the culture of others when they are communicating with them (knowledge). a total of sixteen participants knew were able to express non-verbal behaviour such as eye contact with people who have different cultures and six participants did not know directly about the use of non-verbal so it can be concluded that participants have non-verbal abilities such as eye contact when communicating through non-verbal (skills and behavior). the majority of participants, twelve participants know the technique of communicating with people who have different cultures and they have one strategy to use applications on the internet such as skype and others. two participants often use communication strategies using those applications and other participants do not know anything about communicating strategies with people who have different cultures, especially edi the implementation of english learning based on model of intercultural communicative competence (icc) for improving students’ communication independence 1074 communication strategies through skype and others (skill and knowledge). tthirteen participants were able to communicate and influence others. when communicating and when experiencing difficulties, they used body language. five participants were able to communicate and influence others when they were in university so if they were outside university they had difficulties when communicating and influencing people who had different cultures other participants could communicate and influence but had to have a long time to communicate to run smoothly. good, and can also affect it. many activities are related to developing communication. so, the majority of participants as many as twenty can participate in social activities with people who have different cultures, and three participants do not have the ability. thus, participants have awareness in participating in activities with people who have different cultures (awareness). in the other situation, there are eleven participants had the ability to communicate with people from different languages and cultures via the internet using applications. ten participants also use the internet but not very often, and one participant cannot communicate via the internet with the provider's application when they are communicating with other cultures (skills). but all participants can collaborate between their own culture and the culture of others (skills). in the other condition, twenty participants enjoyed talking to people from different cultures while one participant stated that he sometimes enjoyed it, and another participant stated that he enjoyed it but would learn more about how to enjoy it when talking to different people (skills). the majority of participants, namely twenty participants used verbal and non-verbal skills. it both in their own culture and other cultures. there are two participants stated that they sometimes use verbal and non-verbal skills and one participant does not use verbal and non-verbal communication in their own culture and the culture of others (skills). in this section, participants have a wide variety of strategies when communicating with people of different cultures. the six participants did not have a strategy but always watched movies to improve their communication with people from different. ten participants always communicate with people from different and other strategies to improve it through watching western films and other participants do not always have a variety to communicate with people who have cultures and also sometimes watch western films to improve their english (skills). there are seventeen participants argued that people from different cultures did not have a narrow mindset and the other (two participants) stated that sometimes people from other cultures had a narrow mindset while one participant stated that they had a narrow mindset and the other participants stated that they did not know at all. thus, people who have different cultures must have a broad mindset (knowledge). in other statements, six participants found it difficult to communicate when meeting people from different cultures. five participants did not find it difficult when communicate with people from different cultures and four participants stated that sometimes it was difficult when meet people from different while the other participants felt it a little difficult to communicate with people who had different cultures (skills). one of the strategies to improve communication is interaction but there are ten participants felt rejected when interacting with people who had different cultures and five participants were rejected when interacting with people who had different cultures while there are four participants were rejected but not necessarily when interacting with people who have different cultures and there were three participants who were often rejected, and there were three participants who did not feel rejected when interacting with people who had different cultures (behaviour). the other statement, a total of fourteen participants did not participate in the workshop on awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills. there were eight participants attended and participated in workshops on awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills. the majority (twenty) of the participants were aware of the existing cultural diversity while two participants felt that they were not aware of the existing cultural diversity. (awareness). twenty participants realized that there were cultural differences in language both inside and outside the classroom, while two participants were not aware of it. (awareness). nineteen participants do not think negatively when people who have different cultures and act look different from their habits because of the cultural diversity that exists, while three participants always think negatively of strangers because they always act and/or look different. (awareness). the majority (fourteen) participants act as cultural mediators and function as bridges between people who have cultures and as many as english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1075 five participants will not act as mediators between people who have different cultures while other participants feel sometimes become a mediator (awareness). thirteen participants stated that the best way to communicate with different people is with polite speech/language while four students stated that the best way to communicate is by mutual respect/tolerance and three participants stated by establishing a friendly relationship. (awareness). meanwhile, for three participants, the best way to communicate with people of different cultures is to use a second language. (awareness). the majority (nineteen) participants stated that attitudes, knowledge, abilities, and awareness are the basis of communication with people who have different cultures and they know that skills are the basis of communication with people who have different cultures while the three participants do not know. (attitude, knowledge, skills, and awareness). in the other statement, nine participants changed their behaviour (non-verbal) such as eye contact when the cultural situation required it and nine participants would not change it, while four participants sometimes changed their behaviour when the cultural situation required it. (behaviour). at least but not least, twelve participants did not recognize the signs of cultural tension and determine strategies to overcome them, while ten participants recognized them and were able to determine strategies to overcome them. (skills) and the majority (twenty) participants have never attended national or international conferences on cultural diversity and have never studied abroad, while two participants have attended national and international conferences and have never studied abroad. conclusion intercultural communicative competence (icc) model to increase students’ communication with people from a different cultures. this research used thirteen instruments (deep interviews) consisting of twenty-two participants from two different semesters encompasses eleventh participants in semester four and eleventh participants in six semesters taken randomly. students of the english education department, faculty of teacher training and education university of muhammadiyah mataram implemented three main dimensions of the icc model namely skills: the ability to interact, knowledge: social knowledge, and awareness: awareness to do the practice. references ahmad, h., & millar, r. m. (2020). review of text authenticity relationship with language learner motivation and communicative competence. international journal of english linguistics, 10(5), 89–99. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v10n5p89 avgousti, m. i. (2018). intercultural communicative competence and online exchanges: a systematic review. computer assisted language learning, 31(8), 819–853. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1455713 bailey, e. (2019). a historical view of the pedagogy of public speaking. voice and speech review, 13(1), 31–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/23268263.2018.1537218 butković, m., & čepić, r. (2020). challenges and opportunities of croatian efl teachers’ continuous professional development for intercultural dialogue. the future of education, 530–536. cai, l. (2019). task-based approach to develop intercultural communicative competence in college english education? journal of language teaching and research, 10(6), 1279–1287. chaisanit, s. (2018). a review of educational communication model a practical teaching in the thai classroom guide. journal of humanities and social sciences thonburi university, 12(29), 9– 18. https://so03.tcithaijo.org/index.php/trujournal/art icle/view/148606 choi, s. j. (2019). a review of research on intercultural communicative competence in the field of efl education in korea. studies in english language & literature, 45, 301333.http://dx.doi.org/10.21559/aellk.2019.45. 4.15 creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research-planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (vol. 59). pearson (vol. 59). creswell, j. w. (2014). reseach design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach. sage publications inc. creswell, j. w. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approcah. sage publications inc. de arruda, d. g. (2021). puppets in the development of communicative competencies in elementary school students. turkish journal of computer and mathematics education, 12(6), 2439–2446. díaz, a. r., & callahan, l. (2020). intercultural communicative competence and spanish heritage language speakers: an overview from the u.s, australia and europe. journal of spanish language teaching, 7(2), 150–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/23247797.2020.1847408 douglas, s. r., & rosvold, m. (2018). intercultural communicative competence and english for academic purposes: a synthesis review of the edi the implementation of english learning based on model of intercultural communicative competence (icc) for improving students’ communication independence 1076 scholarly literature. canadian journal of applied linguistics, 21(1), 23–42. https://doi.org/10.7202/1050809ar duong, t. q. t. (2018). the effectiveness of the intercultural language communicative teaching model for efl learners thao. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 3(6), 2–17. edi., wello, b., & dollah, s. (2017). investigating the students’ strategies in developing intercultural communicative competence (icc) model in indonesia university context. journal of language teaching and research, 8(6), 1234– 1240.https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0806.28 hang, t. t. a. (2021). intercultural communicative competence: a literature review. rethinking english language education in the covid era intercultural, icc, 88–101. huberman, m. b. m. a. m. (1994). qualitative data analysis. sage. iswandari, y. a., and ardi, p. (2022). intercultural communicative competence in efl setting: a systematic review. reflections, 29(2), 361–380. järvenpää, a. t., pavlik, a., & gustavsson, t. k. (2021). contextual communicative competence in multinational infrastructure projects. buildings, 11(9), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings11090403 liu, m. (2019). the nexus of language and culture: a review of literature on intercultural communicative competence in foreign language education. cambridge open-review educational research e-journal, 6(october), 50–65. liu, y. (2021). on the cultivation of intercultural communicative competence in the english viewing-listening-speaking course. theory and practice in language studies, 11(8), 968–974. morganna, r. (2017). intercultural language learning to promote the literacy development in efl learning. philippou, (intercultural communication), 232–238. muammar., suhardi., & mustadi, a. (2021). developing communicative-based instructional model of speaking skill in elementary school. albidayah : jurnal pendidikan dasar islam, 12(2), 199–220. https://doi.org/10.14421/albidayah.v12i2.588 peng, b., & harbin. (2021). intercultural communicative competence teaching and assessment based on modern information technology. bingzhuan peng harbin university of science and technology, 16(07), 175–190. ping, y., shi, q., & min, z. (2019). practice and reform of english intercultural communicative competence in universities in yunnan under the training pattern of application-oriented talents. icrtpe, 779–783. https://doi.org/10.25236/icrtpe.2019.157 sabrina, a. (2020). the implementation of communicative language teaching in english practice. journal of linguistics, literature, and culture, 2(1), 17–27. sataloff, r. t., johns, m. m., & kost, k. m. (2017). teknologi, informasi dan komunikasi: prinsip dan aplikasi dalam studi pemikiran islam. umsida press. sevimel-sahina, a. (2020). a survey on the intercultural communicative competence of elt undergraduate students. eurasian journal of applied linguistics, 6(2), 141–153. https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.775793 shen, l. (2021). an investigation of learners’ perception of an online intercultural communicative competence (icc) training model. efl, 04(30), 186–200. snigdha, s. s. (2022). developing intercultural communicative competence in efl classroom through intercultural materials: necessity and incorporation. khulna university studies, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.53808/kus.2022.19.02.2203-ah syam, a. f., basri, m., & sahril. (2020). intercultural communicative competence development of indonesian higher education students. asian efl journal, 27(2), 101–119. westerlund, h., & karlsen, s. (2020). visions for intercultural music teacher education. springer open. http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3030-21029-8 zhai, x., & razali, a. b. (2020). challenges with intercultural communication faced by international chinese students and the importance of developing intercultural communicative competence. journal of critical reviews, 7(13), 643–650. https://doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.13.111 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 17 the students’ perceptions on the use of mobileassisted language learning through duolingo in improving vocabulary mastery at the tertiary level tri wintolo apoko (corresponding author) english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah prof. dr. hamka, jakarta, indonesia email: triwin_apoko@uhamka.ac.id alfaruqi alalwani dunggio english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah prof. dr. hamka, jakarta, indonesia email: alfaruqi@uhamka.ac.id su li chong management and humanities department, faculty of science and information technology, universiti teknologi petronas, perak, malaysia email: chong_suli@utp.edu.my apa citation: apoko, t. w., dunggio, a. a., & chong, s. l. (2023). the students’ perceptions on the use of mobile-assisted language learning through duolingo in improving vocabulary mastery at the tertiary level. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 17-26. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7069 received: 29-08-2022 accepted: 22-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction learning english as a foreign language (efl) is considered beneficial and increasingly easier with developed technologies nowadays and accessible in everywhere people want to learn (aziz et al., 2018). those technologies can also help people directly improve their english and interact with native speakers or other learners around the world (ahmadi & reza, 2018). even with the massive development of equipment that assists the exploration of learning english, which is web-based call or some applications with mobile-assisted language learning (mall) basic things, intrinsic human characteristics, such as the ability to collect the data, to critically analyze information, to communicate and interact with interface as well as to recognize implicit meanings in a text, are essential to extract meaning from language (rafiq, 2020). while the learning mobile as edtech helps, it cannot replace the human needs to understand in other languages, yet it can increase instruction (dhawan, 2020). one special area of significant growth is mall in which students use mobile technology to engage language study (hasan et al., 2022; kamasak et al., 2021). mall deals with the use of mobile technology in language learning. students do not have to only study english as a foreign language (efl) in a classroom. they might have the opportunity to learn it through the use of mobile abstract: the use of duolingo as one of free online applications by students in learning english is essential. more studies on duolingo app were conducted. however, in the context of university students of indonesia in improving vocabulary mastery in the online learning setting, this current study was rare. this research was aimed to investigate the students’ perceptions on mobile-assisted language learning through duolingo apps to improve vocabulary mastery. the research used a mixed method. there were 95 undergraduate students from some private and public universities in indonesia. online questionnaire and semi-structure interview were conducted to collect the data. the finding revealed that duolingo apps improved the students’ vocabulary mastery in their english learning. it is then recommended that duolingo be used for efl and non-efl students in the university to increase their english proficiency, mainly in vocabulary mastery as it is simple, easy to use, and available to access. in addition, it provides interesting and informative features. therefore, it could imply that duolingo promotes the students’ willingness and motivations to practice english better. keywords: duolingo; efl; mall; mastery; vocabulary. tri wintolo apoko, alfaruqi alalwani dunggio, & su li chong the students’ perceptions on the use of mobile-assisted language learning through duolingo in improving vocabulary mastery at the tertiary level 18 devices when they desire and wherever they are as they are easy to use (ali & miraz, 2018). the technologies, such as mobile devices, can be a considerable partner if it is used to increase the methodological efficiency by allowing access to learn anywhere and at any time, not only tools that aid to translate words or text, but also can be a mentor that improves learner skills in english fluently with well-operated systems. in many cases, mobile technology extends learning beyond the classroom. students could use mobile devices easily carried and make learning modes at any time and any place. (al-mashhadani & al-rawe, 2018). in learning english, students need to be supported by the knowledge of vocabulary. vocabulary can be one of the barriers for efl students to express themselves in writing and speaking (al-hassan & abdulaziz, 2019). they are also demotivated while listening and reading because of their limited knowledge of vocabulary. efl students which stand as non-native speakers struggled with the vocabulary comprehension. one of the first problems an efl student encounters is how to commit a tremendous amount of foreign words to memory (ghalebi et al., 2020). in addition, vocabulary is a main thing to learn and understand as it is such an important language component before students want to practice and improve language skills: receptive skills or productive skills (saragih, 2019; schmitt & schmitt, 2020). hence, students need to enrich their own vocabulary with their own willingness to practice by themselves by using mobile devices (hasan et al., 2022) and with the apps or platforms related to language mastery. there is one mobile application that is considered to help efl students improve their vocabulary in any situation. it is called duolingo. duolingo is an application for the language study, and it is one of the most rapidly popular language learning platform worldwide (savvani, 2018). it is believed to develop a foreign language, and it is available without a subscription fee. duolingo offers learning system based on gamification. its users may get an achievement and counted with day-by-day quizzes streak. duolingo’s lessons systems are familiar with students’ environment and experiences, such as learning from themes of food, family, travel, etc. those topics provide some grammatical aspects and cultural ideas with limited explanations but the lessons focus on introducing new vocabulary and drill (shortt et al., 2021). even though duolingo could be accessed to any web-enabled devices through the internet at https://www.duolingo.com, its huge affordance is worldwide mobile access. students may practice for english learning at their own place and time with duolingo app which can be installed on their mobile devices that use android, ios or pc/laptop (ritonga et al., 2022). thus, it is believed that duolingo with a game platform could motivate students to continue practicing their english language. there are some relevant studies on how duolingo benefits for language learning. loewen et al. (2019) in their study found that students generally considered duolingo had flexibility and gamification for language learning acquisitions. in addition, duolingo could be more effective to promote english language learning (psychogyiou & karasimos, 2019) and vocabulary mastery (ajisoko, 2020) as well as motivate students to practice english skills (tiara et al., 2021). the other study revealed that students had their positive responses on the utilizing the duolingo apps to encourage english learning outside the classroom (hidayati & diana, 2019). this current study focuses on how duolingo application helps efl and non-efl students enrich their english vocabulary in the context of university level in indonesia, and this is rare to conduct for that context. this study is very important to do as english language, mainly in mastering vocabulary is not only required by efl students but also by non efl students at the tertiary level, and duolingo as an easy app to use and accessible by everyone is believed to be effective for english practice. thus, this study addressed a question: what are the students’ perceptions on the use of duolingo to improve vocabulary mastery? method this research employed a mixed-method research design for exploring students' perception on duolingo specifically. this research method included both forms of data providing different types of information for open-ended data in the form of qualitative data and for closed-ended data in the form of quantitative data (creswell, 2018). the participants of this research were 95 undergraduate students at some private and state universities in jakarta and surroundings across faculties such as faculty of teacher training and education, faculty of communication sciences, faculty of economics and business, faculty of pharmacy, faculty of law, faculty of engineering, faculty of psychology, faculty of islamic studies, faculty of literature, and faculty of public health with ages ranging from 18 to 24 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 19 years. thus, they are from english and nonenglish departments students who were learning english with duolingo apps and familiar with the use of duolingo to improve english. table 1. demographics of participants categories number of participants (n=95) percentage (%) gender female 79 83.2 male 16 16.8 age 18 – 21 81 85.3 22 – 24 14 14.7 semester 1 16 16.9 3 8 8.5 5 21 22.1 7 47 48.5 department english 34 36 nonenglish 61 64 ever used duolingo before yes 79 83 no 16 17 from table 1, it showed that there were 83% of participants who had ever used duolingo before. most participants (64%) were from non-english department and dominantly were female students (83.2%). a survey questionnaire consisting of closed and open-ended questionnaires, and semistructure interviews were used. the close-ended questionnaires had a five-point likert scale ranging from strongly disagree (1), disagree (2), neutral (3) agree (4) to strongly agree (5) to find out the students’ perceptions of duolingo apps. the open-ended questionnaire was used to have deeper perceptions and ideas of the students in the use of duolingo apps in improving their vocabulary. in the semi structure interview, seven students were randomly selected and each of them had a 15-20 minute interview. the closed-ended surveys were analyzed with validity test and open-ended surveys and interviews were analyzed with thematical analysis. as the data were analyzed according to the themes of the questionnaire items and interview questions, the items were grouped into 5 themes i.e., the effectiveness of tools, the advantages, the disadvantages, students' interest, and students' motivation items. results and discussion table 2. the effectiveness of tools table 2. the effectiveness of toolsitems n strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree m sd 1. duolingo is easy to use to learn english 95 0 0 6 38 51 4.5 0.6 0% 0% 6% 40% 54% 2. duolingo is easy to use to learn english vocabulary 95 0 1 4 38 52 4.5 0.6 0% 1% 4% 40% 55% 3. duolingo is easily accessible anytime and anywhere to learn english 95 0 0 6 33 56 4.5 0.6 0% 0% 6% 35% 59% 4. duolingo provides interesting vocabulary questions 95 0 2 12 40 41 4.3 0.7 0% 2% 13% 42% 43% 5. duolingo provides understandable vocabulary questions 95 0 0 10 36 49 4.4 0.7 0% 0% 10% 38% 52% the data depicts the mean of the highest variables was 4.5 which represented item number 1, 2, and 3. in item number 1, 54% participants strongly agreed and 40% participants agreed to the statement, 6% reported neutral, and none of them disagreed with the statement. another result on item number 2, 55% participants strongly agreed and 40% participants agreed to the statement, 4% neutral, and only 1% participant disagreed. meanwhile in item number 3, 59% participants strongly agreed and 35% agreed with the statement, 6% neutral, and none of them disagreed with the statement. in item 4, it was found that 85% said to have positive statement on how duolingo provided interesting vocabulary questions. in addition, it was reported that 90% of the students agreed that duolingo provided understandable vocabulary questions. the highest mean of this theme is representing that duolingo is easy to use for learning english tri wintolo apoko, alfaruqi alalwani dunggio, & su li chong the students’ perceptions on the use of mobile-assisted language learning through duolingo in improving vocabulary mastery at the tertiary level 20 especially for the vocabulary needed and the flexibilities. these findings were supported by participants’ answer in open-ended question. most participants (59%) indicated that duolingo was effective. it could help them practice english wherever and whenever they were. “in my opinion, this free application makes it easier for us to learn english, especially in increasing vocabulary. with the various practice questions contained in this application, it makes us understand english better. in addition, the feature in this application is that when we make a mistake in answering a question, this duolingo application can help with the correct answer, and we can find out which part is not correct in our answer” (p10) “yes. duolingo is a very complete and free (if not premium) english application. in my opinion, duolingo is a virtual english application that doesn't have to cost to go to english tutoring. apart from being very interesting, duolingo is also easy to understand, so we can apply our english skills in everyday life.” (p15) the advantages table 3. the advantages of using duolingo items n strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree m sd 6. duolingo assists me learn english vocabulary at home easily 95 0 0 10 34 51 4.4 0.7 0% 0% 11% 36% 54% 7. the material presented by duolingo is easy to understand 95 0 1 11 41 42 4.3 0.7 0% 1% 12% 43% 44% 8. duolingo is able to help me improve my daily english skills 95 0 1 12 44 38 4.3 0.7 0% 1% 13% 46% 40% these data showed that the highest mean was 4.4 which represents item number 6. that item showed that 54% of participants were strongly agreed, 36% of participants agreed, 10 participants neutral, and none of them were disagreed. the second highest mean is 4.3 which goes to number 7 and 8. in item number 7, 87% of participants were agreed with the statement, 12% were neutral, and only 1% of participant was disagreed. in addition, 86% of participants were agreed with the statement on how duolingo was able to help one improve one’s daily english skills. the highest mean of this themes is representing that duolingo could assist them to improve their vocabulary at home easily. these number were strengthened with the answer in open-ended questions. their opinion showed that duolingo was able to assist them in vocabulary. “yes, because in duolingo, we can review the material we have learned in a fun way, such as playing to remember vocabulary that is a race against time or sometimes the vocabulary reappears. so, by repeating the vocabulary material, it becomes easier for me to remember and can apply it to everyday life.” (p14) “because the vocabulary used is quite easy to understand, and the questions are also easy to understand even though some are quite difficult, but still all the questions in the application quickly make me understand the right vocabulary.” (p22) the disadvantages table 4. the disadvantages of using duolingo items n strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree m sd 9. duolingo makes it difficult for me to learn english vocabulary 95 49 36 4 5 1 1.7 0.9 52% 38% 4% 5% 1% 10. the material presented by 95 25 29 29 9 3 2.3 1.1 26% 31% 31% 9% 3% english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 21 duolingo tends to be boring 11. duolingo is difficult to access when experiencing interference or no internet connection 95 14 17 32 24 8 3.0 1.2 15% 18% 34% 25% 8% these data were showing interesting results. the highest mean was closely to the deviation standard, which meant the variables were various. item number 9 pointed out that only 6% of participants who agreed and strongly agreed that using duolingo is not easy to practice vocabulary. furthermore, item 10 was found that 12% of participants agreed and strongly agreed on how materials in the duolingo were boring. meanwhile, item number 11 showed the highest mean. it showed 3.0 with 8% of participants who strongly agreed, 25% of participants agreed, 34% of participants were neutral, 18% of participants disagreed, and 15% of participants strongly disagreed. the highest mean represented the disadvantages of using duolingo that it was difficult to access when it had no connection. it could be strengthened with the participant’s opinion in open-ended questions below. “duolingo can be used by anyone and it's also free; you only need a mobile phone and internet connection.” (p40) students’ interest table 5. students’ interest in using duolingo items n strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree m sd 12. duolingo is able to interest me because it can help me understand english vocabulary well 95 0 0 11 47 38 4.3 0.7 0% 0% 12% 49% 40% 13. duolingo gives me space to be more active and skilled in using english 95 0 0 11 49 35 4.3 0.7 0% 0% 12% 51% 37% these data show equal mean to both items. in item number 12, 89% of participants had positive interest on the use of duolingo and 12% had neutral responses, and none of them was disagreed. moreover, in item number 13, 37% participants were strongly agreed with the statement, 51% were agreed, 12% were neutral, and none of them was disagreed. this number of the data showed positive with the two statements, which meant both if the statement were related with the participants with duolingo. these number were strengthened with the answer in open-ended questions. their opinions showed that duolingo attracted them to improve their vocabulary. “for people who are learning english from the beginner, this app is very good, because duolingo starts everything from the ground up (like providing basic vocabulary for beginners). in addition, duolingo also has a gamification aspect that makes users not feel bored, where learning english is like playing a game.” (p54) “duolingo provides exercises based on behaviorism theory where a lot of repetition of words is done and provides a stimulus to the brain to remember.” (p60) students’ motivation table 6. students’ motivation in using duolingo items n strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree m sd 14. duolingo is able to increase my motivation in learning english 95 0 2 21 40 32 4.1 0.8 0% 2% 22% 42% 34% 15. duolingo was able 95 0 0 15 43 37 4.2 0.7 tri wintolo apoko, alfaruqi alalwani dunggio, & su li chong the students’ perceptions on the use of mobile-assisted language learning through duolingo in improving vocabulary mastery at the tertiary level 22 to give me a good stimulus in memorizing english vocabulary 0% 0% 16% 45% 39% the highest mean of this theme was 4.2, which was represented in item number 15. in this item, 39% of participants were strongly agreed, 45% of participants were agreed, 16% of participants were neutral, and none of them was disagreed. meanwhile, in item number 14, there were 2% of participants who disagreed, 22% of participants were neutral, and 76% of participants agreed to say that duolingo had been able to increase motivation in learning english. these number of the data represented that duolingo was able to increase their motivation in learning english and able to give a positive stimulus in learning english especially in vocabulary mastery. it was showed with the answers in open-ended question in the following. “the first is that the application is free and easy to access, and the application is interesting in my opinion because we have to compete with people to improve our rankings, so it gives enthusiasm to learn more.” (p66) “because when i study, i always do repetition. in duolingo application, there is a target every day. so, every day i take my time to study. from those repetitions, i memorized english vocabulary faster, and that made me more confident to try in everyday life.” (p78) from interview data, the result focused on the participants’ opinions on using duolingo to improve their vocabulary mastery, how duolingo served them with two categories of vocabulary (active and passive vocabulary), and how duolingo assisted them in choosing vocabulary in daily conversation. q1: what is your opinion on using duolingo to improve your vocabulary mastery? in this question, there are six themes that writer has divided; gamification, effectiveness, students’ interest, students’ motivation, advantages, and disadvantages. gamification drilling method which duolingo used was based on gamification. it served level, rank, and many other game elements to learning language, especially english and its vocabulary. repeated courses, self-learning, and continue level were important in duolingo. hence, the graphic and the interface were considered friendly to all ages and their levels. “especially for vocabulary mastery, it's good for those who are just learning or who want to improve their english vocabulary. there are a lot of games, which we are given in english, and there are pictures, so we can know the visualization such as "oh, what is that?" for example, if there is a picture of a boy, then there will be a choice of "a boy". we were given indonesian language and then we wrote english, but there are pictures too, so we can learn it better. that's how it improves. i think it's really improving.” (p1) effectiveness in every course they took, at least they could get one to three new words and its understanding. duolingo helped beginners, especially in improving their vocabulary. with translation quizzes, the materials were easily to understand. the flexibility to keep being connected was the superiority of duolingo. “as for vocabulary, it's quite helpful because in each practice there must be approximately one to three new words added. this could be good enough for a beginner to enrich vocabulary.” students’ interest duolingo provided students’ interest with the various topic they had, such as sports, foods, animals, etc. with those topics, students could choose what they wanted to learn and what they wanted to understand about the vocabulary related to the chosen topic. “using duolingo is really very useful as it is interesting, and it gives a lot of vocabulary. it also shares features according to interests, such as special food, animals, etc. then the visuals are also good.” (p5) students’ motivation in every level, users would challenge a new quiz. it could increase students’ motivation to keep going on what they learned. after they finished the challenges, they could feel their selfconfidence to use the vocabulary they just learned in daily conversation. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 23 “yes, that's right. there is an increase in the number of words that was previously only a few, so it becomes more and it makes me more confident, at least for a small talk.” (p4) advantages easy-accessible, user friendly, and comforting graphics were the characters of the duolingo. despite the looks, the material of duolingo was considered to facilitate the users, such as the level based on the assessment in the beginning of the application. users needed to take the level and kind of pre-test to encourage their ability in english. “in my personal opinion, duolingo is quite simple because it provides levels according to abilities on user selection and pre-test, so that the vocabulary provided adjusts to the user's level. then learning vocabulary in duolingo is also not tied, depending on when the user wants to use it” (p1) disadvantages the disadvantage of duolingo was that it had no explanation after the courses. when users took the quizzes and chose the wrong answer, they only got the correction to the answer, but not the explanation instead, so they could not recognize their lack of knowledge. “if the display is already user friendly, it is easy to access. in terms of material, during practice, corrections are always given. only the explanation is lacking even though the explanation is quite important.” (p2) q2: vocabulary is divided into two categories, active vocabulary and passive vocabulary. does duolingo help you to recognize those categories? why? in this question, the participants defined their opinion through two categories ahead. most of them answered the similar opinions through this question. the writers separated two themes in this question: duolingo’s focus on active vocabulary and user’s acknowledgement about their vocabulary skills. duolingo’s focus on active vocabulary the material that duolingo provided was just to recognize daily conversation. the vocabularies used were just active vocabulary whom students or users already knew and understood about the terms of the vocabulary. it was found that duolingo might serve passive vocabulary depending on the level at the first, but after they experienced, there was no passive vocabulary used on the courses. duolingo just focused on the vocabulary used in daily conversation, so it did not provide passive vocabulary that not everyone could understand it. “active vocabulary is the word that we know and use every day, and passive one is the one, we rarely use or even never use it. when i used duolingo, it contained more active vocabulary because many of them had been used and compared to passive vocabulary, they were lacking. therefore, it has more active vocabulary, but it depends on the level too, maybe the higher the level, the more passive vocabulary you met. personally, i think it has more active vocabulary as it's an everyday vocabulary that is often used.” (p3) user’s acknowledgment about their vocabulary skills there was one participant that recognized his vocabulary skills. that participant realized that duolingo could assist to his vocabulary ability. as a result, he assumed that duolingo helped to improve his vocabulary for active or passive vocabulary. “yes, it helps, because i didn't know active and passive vocabulary before, so i didn't know that duolingo gave progress on the two categories, after knowing some of them realized that duolingo was very helpful” (p1) q3: does duolingo help you to decide vocabulary in your daily conversation? what is the reason? in this question, a deep information was gained related to the second question, whether the participants were able to use active vocabulary and passive vocabulary or not. since most of the answers of the second questions were considered focused on active vocabulary, it was decided to gain their opinion on their common vocabulary they used. most of them shared their opinions that duolingo was effective to help them choose vocabulary in daily conversation and one of them answered vice versa. the effectiveness of duolingo in choosing daily conversation vocabulary since duolingo provided active vocabulary to drill their understanding, they were able to use those vocabulary in common daily conversation. the drilling method was considered the main tri wintolo apoko, alfaruqi alalwani dunggio, & su li chong the students’ perceptions on the use of mobile-assisted language learning through duolingo in improving vocabulary mastery at the tertiary level 24 effect of their knowledge of the vocabulary. the example of the drill that the participant still remembered was the difference between the use of two articles: “a” and “an”. another participation answered the similar experience about using “i would rather” instead of “i want”. “it really helped. previously my vocabulary was very limited, and then after using duolingo it increased my knowledge from the use of simple past tense to everyday conversation. in using this learning model, it is like we are having a conversation, so we repeat until we get used to it, like i watch the movie or i ate eggs” (p4) “choosing vocabulary is quite helpful because the method in duolingo is used to repeat the questions, so we are used to using it in a day. for example, the use of the article "a" and "an" (article) is found from duolingo. in addition, synonyms and antonyms are also provided such as the words of hard and difficult.” (p5) “it helps. for example, it is found the initial use of "i want" and "i would rather". after using duolingo i can be more varied using new vocabulary both formal and informal” (p7) the boredom of the use of duolingo in english vocabulary the material that duolingo served had been considered boring and too basic, so it could not be used in daily conversation. the vocabulary in duolingo could be used only in small talk, not for the expressions of concrete feelings or telling an opinion; whereas, in everyday conversation, many expressions could not be determined and duolingo did not provide the material. “i don't think so, because the words used are just basic, so they don't really help in everyday conversation. it's only used for small talk; it doesn't really provide expressions that allow it to help in everyday conversation.” (p3) according to the results, students’ perceptions on using duolingo to improve their vocabulary mastery completely showed positive perceptions in the perspectives of the effectiveness of the tools, the advantages, the disadvantages, students’ interest, students’ motivation, and the interview about their ideas about the vocabulary itself. duolingo showed its availability to use anywhere and everywhere, so students could use it whenever they wanted to use (garcía botero et al., 2019). ease of use and free application in learning english language could be considered the main reason behind students’ interest in using some applications, such as duolingo (nami, 2020). gamification in duolingo which showed with the level they had, “badges” element, quizzes streak day-per-day, resulted that duolingo was positively perceived as a motivational tool. the students or users resulted that they had fun, felt happy, and were motivated and encouraged to use duolingo in learning english vocabulary (astarilla, 2018). this result also showed that students had more interests and strong motivation to practice english, mainly in having more vocabulary. it is in line with what rejeki et al. (2020) found in their study mentioning positive agreement on the useful application of duolingo in learning english. in addition, they could learn grammar, sentences, and word types as well. this could be understood as duolingo was a gamification product, which meant that they gamified all the elements to create happiness in the learning environment (toda et al., 2019). it was also added by huynh et al. (2018) and sanda & klimova (2021) in their study which showed the effectiveness of game refinement measure to keep the learning activity attractive and easy to use. thus, duolingo as mall had been believed to increase the teaching and learning process of foreign language (azli et al., 2018). based on the open-ended questions’ answers, students were not using it daily. they were worried that if they were going to open duolingo, they got distracted by the social media on their mobile phone. the students could not manage their time wisely to take a course single-handedly (garcía botero et al., 2019). therefore, students needed to be monitored by their teacher while using duolingo to assist their spirit to learn english consistently, and worried that they would lose their interest and motivation. in duolingo, the lessons were categorized based on the students’ competence and level they needed. if they started from the beginner, it meant that they would face many challenges and quizzes that would help them to understand vocabulary. nevertheless, language skill development could not be separated from the essence of language as a tool of communication. since duolingo employed direct translation in learning foreign language, it worked on the phrases and levels. thus, it could not show the communicative purpose of language. the students could learn skills, yet duolingo might not succeed in equipping them with the communicative competences which were used at the conversational level (inayah et al., 2020). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 25 conclusion duolingo not only serves vocabulary lessons, but also other language components such as grammar use and pronunciation. in addition, duolingo does not always fulfill the efl students’ needs in learning english, mainly in vocabulary mastery. therefore, in line with the results, it is inferred that duolingo has been effective and good to use for efl students in improving vocabulary mastery. thus, it is recommended that the use of duolingo should be used for university students for the acquisition of foreign language practice as it contains more beneficial features. moreover, lecturers may need to critically match the students with the use of active and passive vocabulary learning so that the learning experience can be maximised. acknowledgment special thanks are addressed to the faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah prof. dr. hamka which facilitated the collaboration in research between universitas muhammadiyah prof. dr. hamka, indonesia and universiti teknologi petronas, malaysia. references ahmadi, d., & reza, m. (2018). the use of technology in english language learning: a literature review. international journal of research in english education, 3(2), 115–125. ajisoko, p. (2020). the use of duolingo apps to improve english vocabulary learning. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (ijet), 15(7), 149–155. al-mashhadani, m. a., & al-rawe, m. f. (2018). the future role of mobile learning and smartphones applications in the iraqi private universities. smart learning environments, 5(1), 1–11. al-hassan, a., & abdulaziz, n. (2019). saudi efl university instructors’ barriers to teaching the speaking skills: causes and solutions. arab world english journal (february 2019) theses id, 222. ali, m., & miraz, s. k. (2018). mobile assisted language learning (mall)–a brief survey. annals of emerging technologies in computing (aetic), 281–2516. astarilla, l. (2018). university students’ perception towards the use of duolingo application in learning english. prosiding celscitech, 3, 1–9. aziz, a. a., hassan, m. u. h., dzakiria, h., & mahmood, q. (2018). growing trends of using mobile in english language learning. mediterranean journal of social sciences, 9(4), 235. azli, w. u. a. w., shah, p. m., & mohamad, m. (2018). perception on the usage of mobile assisted language learning (mall) in english as a second language (esl) learning among vocational college students. creative education, 9(01), 84-98. creswell, j. w. c. j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). sage. dhawan, s. (2020). online learning: a panacea in the time of covid-19 crisis. journal of educational technology systems, 49(1), 5–22. garcía botero, g., questier, f., & zhu, c. (2019). selfdirected language learning in a mobile-assisted, out-of-class context: do students walk the talk? computer assisted language learning, 32(1–2), 71–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1485707 ghalebi, r., sadighi, f., & bagheri, m. s. (2020). vocabulary learning strategies: a comparative study of efl learners. cogent psychology, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2020.1824306 hasan, m. k., fakih, a.-h., & seraj, p. m. i. (2022). the effect of technology-assisted language programme on vocabulary learning among efl students at the tertiary level. heliyon, 8(8), e10313. hidayati, t., & diana, s. (2019). students’ motivation to learn english using mobile applications: the case of duolingo and hello english. jeels (journal of english education and linguistics studies), 6(2), 189–213. huynh, d., zuo, l., & iida, h. (2018). an assessment of game elements in language-learning platform duolingo. 2018 4th international conference on computer and information sciences (iccoins), 1–4. inayah, n., yusuf, q., & fibula, n. (2020). exploring undergraduate students’ perception toward the use of duolingo in learning english. humanities & social sciences reviews, 8(3), 76–85. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2020.839 kamasak, r., özbilgin, m., atay, d., & kar, a. (2021). the effectiveness of mobile-assisted language learning (mall): a review of the extant literature. handbook of research on determining the reliability of online assessment and distance learning, 194–212. loewen, s., crowther, d., isbell, d. r., kim, k. m., maloney, j., miller, z. f., & rawal, h. (2019). mobile-assisted language learning: a duolingo case study. recall, 31(3), 293–311. nami, f. (2020). educational smartphone apps for language learning in higher education: students’ choices and perceptions. australasian journal of educational technology, 36(4), 82–95. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.5350 psychogyiou, a., & karasimos, a. (2019). the effectiveness of learning a foreign language via a tri wintolo apoko, alfaruqi alalwani dunggio, & su li chong the students’ perceptions on the use of mobile-assisted language learning through duolingo in improving vocabulary mastery at the tertiary level 26 distance learning tool: τesting the duolingo application. selected papers on theoretical and applied linguistics, 23, 364–380. rafiq, s. (2020). perceptions of phonics literacy strategies in mobile assisted language learning (mall) for non literate learners. in british council. manchester metropolitan university. rejeki, s., kristina, d., & wijayanto, a. (2020). preception of vocational students toward the use of duolingo and quizlet to improve their words bank. the international english language teachers and lecturers conference, 102–108. ritonga, m., febriani, s. r., kustati, m., khaef, e., ritonga, a. w., & yasmar, r. (2022). duolingo: an arabic speaking skills’ learning platform for andragogy education. education research international, 2022. sanda, l., & klimova, b. (2021). educational mobile applications for learning english as a second language by czech seniors. procedia computer science, 192, 1848–1855. saragih, e. (2019). the effect of semantic mapping technique on technical vocabulary mastery for midwifery students. studies in english language and education, 6(2), 333–342. savvani, s. (2018). state-of-the-art duolingo features and applications. international conference on interactive collaborative learning, 139–148. schmitt, n., & schmitt, d. (2020). vocabulary in language teaching. cambridge university press. shortt, m., tilak, s., kuznetcova, i., martens, b., & akinkuolie, b. (2021). gamification in mobileassisted language learning: a systematic review of duolingo literature from public release of 2012 to early 2020. computer assisted language learning, 1–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1933540 tiara, a. d., rahman, m. a., & handrianto, c. (2021). the studentsperception about use of duolingo application for improving english vocabulary. international journal of education, information technology, and others, 4(4), 690–701. toda, a. m., klock, a. c. t., oliveira, w., palomino, p. t., rodrigues, l., shi, l., bittencourt, i., gasparini, i., isotani, s., & cristea, a. i. (2019). analysing gamification elements in educational environments using an existing gamification taxonomy. smart learning environments, 6(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-019-0106-1 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 777 gamification and solo taxonomy: a strategy to promote active engagementand discipline in english language learning nyayu yayu suryani sekolah tinggi ilmu kesehatan siti khadijah palembang, south sumatera indonesia nyayuyayusuryani@gmail.com m. husni syahbani universitas sriwijaya palembang, south sumatera indonesia husnisyahbani@unsri.ac.id apa citation: suryani, n. y., & syahbani, m. h. (2023). gamification and solo taxonomy: a strategy to promote active engagementand discipline in english language learning. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 777-786. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8544 received: 19-06-2023 accepted: 24-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 introduction the utilization of video games is experiencing a significant upswing among both adults and children in the 21st century. this trend has recently captured the attention of scholars, educators, and practitioners. gamification represents a creative and engaging approach to learning activities, making it a valuable tool for enhancing students' english language skills (redjeki &. muhajir, 2021). it's important to note that gamification goes beyond mere play; it involves the incorporation of meaningful game elements such as challenge, mystery, storytelling, constructive feedback, social interaction, collaboration, and other captivating elements to encourage users to solve problems and stimulate creativity (putra, 2020). furthermore, it is worth acknowledging that play is inherently a social process that boosts motivation and facilitates learning across various age groups and levels. as the emphasis on fostering creativity in the classroom and leveraging technology for teaching and learning continues to grow, educators are tasked with identifying game-based or competitive learning platforms. educators must assess factors like motivation and the platform's ability to promote and reinforce learning (tan et al., 2018). the adoption of gamification as an approach to teaching and learning is recognized as a novel method capable of enhancing student achievement (ismail et al., 2018). recently, gamification has been effectively integrated into online learning and teaching practices. its effectiveness is evident in its ability to engage students in the instructional process, enhance their interaction with educational materials, and develop their competencies (ozdamali, 2021). online educational games serve to boost intrinsic motivation and engage students in their academic pursuits (iaremenko, 2017). the incorporation of gamification approaches significantly enhances learners' understanding of english syntax (arunsirot, 2021). research demonstrates that the educational technology landscape has been evolving, with abstract: the motivation for this study arises from the potential of gamification, particularly the integration of game-based platforms like kahoot!, to enhance active communicative language use within the classroom. the research aims to investigate the impact of implementing gamification based on solo taxonomy's relational level on the kahoot! application on active participation, discipline, and learning outcomes in the context of english language learning. this study employs a descriptive research methodology, involving observations, interviews, and assessments, with a participant group comprising 35 nursing program students. descriptive analysis reveals that gamification within the solo taxonomy framework positively influences students' active engagement and discipline, although there are fluctuations in their learning outcomes. students express enthusiasm for utilizing the kahoot! application for english learning, but they encounter occasional connectivity issues that hinder problem-solving activities. consequently, the integration of technology is a promising approach for enhancing english language skills, with a reliable internet connection being a critical factor for success when using the kahoot! platform. keywords: english; kahoot!; solo taxonomy. nyayu yayu suryani & m. husni syahbani gamification and solo taxonomy: a strategy to promote active engagementand discipline in english language learning 778 gamification being a prominent example of this shift (mahbubah, 2022). modern trends underscore the importance of emerging educational technologies like digital classrooms and gamification. analyzing these developments, it becomes apparent that gamification enhances learner engagement, encourages active participation, and fosters discipline. however, the outcomes in english language learning remain dynamic. therefore, introducing internet-based games and quizzes into english language teaching with a cognitively stimulating approach is a viable avenue for improving english proficiency (inayati & waloyo, 2022). gamification has the potential to promote the active use of communicative language interaction within the classroom (nugraha & sembiring, 2023), and it elevates learner interest and ambitions for success (bicen & kocakoyun, 2018). various gamification techniques offer valuable opportunities for enhancing student learning (hong et al., 2022). in the english classroom, meaningful teaching and learning is essential to improve learners' english proficiency by emphasizing linguistics and communication abilities. the matter of concern, however, is how gamification instruction is used in english as a second language (esl) courses and the components that promote valuable english learning for students (yaccob et al., 2022). digital gamification is said to be a fun method and supports learning english as a second language and reduces the gap between learners and educational practices (dehghanzadeh et al., 2021). furthermore, gamification is becoming more prevalent in educational settings to increase motivation among students and, as a result, learning outcomes. however, while investigation into the efficacy of gamification in educational contexts is expanding, an unexplored point around which types of gamification are appropriate for different educational circumstances has yet to be discovered (legaki et al., 2020). gamification design at least focuses on the evidence observed on the understanding of learners and how learning outcomes, and what to do if the test questions cannot be answered by learners. the application of solo taxonomies works in tandem with the goal of gamification. gamification and solo taxonomy focus on creating efforts and strategies in learning when making mistakes to develop a "growth mindset". the use of gamification along with solo taxonomies can change the way teachers and students think about their learning and how to achieve and plan learning outcomes(permana et al., 2023). solo (structure of observed learning outcomes) taxonomy is a learning model that offers plans for different lessons in gamification. solo taxonomy is divided into 5 levels of differences in learning outcomes: prestructural; structural union; multi-structural; relational, and extended abstract (putra, 2020). pre-structural, learners have no idea of information. uni-structural, students are able to show simple or single relationships of digital tools such as notability, tini cards, scrabble, google docs, besboard, and youtube. multi-structural, learners are able to handle multiple ideas, but not sprouts, e.g. edpuzzle, mind master, skitch, and google slides. ralational, learners are able to show relationships to several ideas and also synthesize the overall meaning such as the use of kahoot!, quizlet, socrative, seesaw, and prezi. while in extended abstracts, students are able to transcend subjects, such as padlets, cashles, blogs, and podcasts. the use of solo helps students in better learning outcomes. a study by roy et al. (2022) demonstrates that solo taxonomy feedback promotes, engages, and enhances the quality of students' awareness and directs them to accept learning challenges. at any response level based on solo, teachers are able to design models or instructional strategies to determine the cause of misconceptions (claudia et al., 2020). the use of taxonomy solo taxonomy assessment tools can provide teachers with significant information about how well learners understand a topic so that it is possible to provide corrective instructions or appropriate intervention programs (dumaraos, 2022). in this study, the use of solo taxonomy emphasizes the relational level in the form of kahoot!. relational instructing is organized into a framework beneath the theme of tact and stance, which is then divided into six smaller units. empirical examiners can use these six key relational indicators to document and clarify ongoing interpersonal interactions between educators and their pupils at the micro level, as well as to assist pre-service and on-duty teachers in developing sustainable and trustworthy connections with their students (ljungblad, 2022). studies obtained by irvine (2021) that at the relational level describe: (1) making inferences and justifying those inferences using more than one reasoning element to compare plot boxes ;(2) providing reasonable explanations by using reasoning elements to compare plot boxes in justifying conclusions without being asked to do english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 779 so; (3) discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using different reasoning elements to compare box plots when drawing conclusions without being requested to undertake that way. (4) when asked to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of applying various reasoning elements to compare box plots when making inferences, it may offer a coherent discussion; (5) does not go over the possible consequences of conclusions reached if only one of the various elements of argumentation to compare box plots is used; (6) consider the consequences on conclusions reached if one were to base only one of the various elements of argumentation on comparing the plot of the box after receiving a request to undertake that way; (7) not evaluating the uncertainty of the conclusions made; (8) evaluate the uncertainty of conclusions only after being asked to do so. the following shows an explanation that combines gamification and digital tools in solo taxonomy at the relational level: tabel 1. gamification and digital tools in solo taxonomy at the relational level “related ideas” learning outcomes exemplify connection are made and parts are synthesized with the overall meaning  sequence  classify  compare and contrast  explain (cause and effect)  analyze  form an analogy  organize  distinguish  question  relate  summarize  exemplify  apply  describe • case studies • concept maps • experiential learning activities •application of theoretical models •reflective journal •debates •syndicate groups (each group of whole) •problem-based activities •inquiry learning activities adaptive software and platforms like kahoot! enable learners to engage and actively participate in the language-learning process, providing a more meaningful language-learning experience (kaur, 2019). students enjoy kahoot! since it is easy to use (hurtado, 2017), fun, informative, and helpful. students rated the level of difficulty in using kahoot! as 'not difficult', 'a little hard', and 'hard' (cetin, 2018). furthermore, using kahoot! not just for making games, but also for applying the right gamification concepts (nikmah, 2020). researchers found that there is still a lack of understanding of students on the technology used in learning and how to provide motivation in learning english by using applications that have rewards in the kahoot! application. college english lecturers continue to use synchronous and asynchronous learning methods. there has been very little research on learning using apps with reward elements. thus, by using kahoot! and the solo taxonomy, researchers looked into the degree of student engagement and the effects of gamification in higher education. to answer the problem, how does the use of gamification affect solo taxonomy at the relational level with the kahoot! to the active involvement and discipline of students in higher education in english language learning, and how students respond to the use of gamification technology in solo taxonomy in english language learning. a gamification-based approach can be an effective and motivating way to learn efl(fernández-portero and castillo-rodríguez, 2022) however, researchers found that the use of gamification is integrated into solo taxonomy at the relational level where gamification elements in english learning are used on kahoot! platform. then the researcher will further investigate the success rate in english language learning in active participation and discipline of students integrated in gamification into solo taxonomy. method the research method is descriptive which aims to nyayu yayu suryani & m. husni syahbani gamification and solo taxonomy: a strategy to promote active engagementand discipline in english language learning 780 explore how the use of gamified quizzes is used in teaching and learning classes. more specifically, this study investigated and analyzed the effect of gamification integrated into solo taxonomy with the use of kahoot! platform on several aspects of english language teaching, namely student involvement and learning outcomes. student engagement was analyzed using observations and their learning outcomes were based on the kahoot! described in the data collection section. the group of participants each consisted of 38 students in the nursing study program, they were chosen as research subjects because the study showed that the low english learning system that uses technology integration. in addition, according to öz and ordu (2021), kahoot! should be used as an alternative formative assessment tool in the curriculum for online nursing education. the method of data collection in answering research questions is observation and test results. the involvement that will be analyzed uses two indicators of student active participation in the quiz and their discipline in taking the quiz. observations will be made 3 times using a checklist that makes both criteria both criteria know their response to gamification in solo taxonomy using kahoot! on english language learning. all of the above processes will be presented in the following table: engagement in observing an increasing trend. researchers witnessed the learning and teaching processes during their observations and recorded two indicators of involvement, namely active participation and discipline. to answer the research question, the results of learner scores for the kahoot! analyzed to see if there is an upward trend. to do that, the average of each quiz was analyzed, and observed student performance. the study included three phases with 6 meetings and 6 gamified quizzes. in data analysis, the first list of observations is tabulated and analyzed the tendency of active participation and discipline which is created to assist the analysis of active student involvement. furthermore, the results of student quizzes were analyzed using descriptive analysis to determine the average score of the class. at the end of the activity, students were given a questionnaire to find out their response to gamification in solo taxonomy using kahoot! on english language learning. all the above processes will be presented in the following table: tabel 2. technique for collecting the data meeting topic kahoot! collecting the data 1. applying infusion kahoot! observation test questionnaire 2. active and passive future tense kahoot! test 3. injection kahoot! observation test 4. profession in hospital kahoot! test 5. room in hospital kahoot! observation test 6. quiz kahoot! test results and discussion this section discusses the results of data analysis on student involvement in learning outcomes on the use of solo taxonomy on the kahoot! in english language learning the gamification effect of kahoot! towards student learning engagement figure. 1 students engagement on kahoot! in figure 1, the analysis of student involvement can be seen from a total of 37 students, in topic 1 there are 97% with 36 students actively participating in the learning process and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 781 54% with 20 disciplined students in doing questions on the kahoot! application. in topic 2.92% of students actively participated with a total of 34 students, and 89% with a total of 33 disciplined students in doing questions on the kahoot! application. in topic 3, there are 94% of 35 students actively participated in the learning process and 78% of 29 students disciplined in doing the questions. in topic 4, there are 94% with a total of 35 students actively participated in the learning process, and 94% with a total of 35 students disciplined in doing questions on the kahoot! application. in topic 5 there was a significant increase again, there were 97% with 36 students actively participating in the learning process and 94% with 35 disciplined students in doing questions on the kahoot! application. in the final test results given to students, as many as 100% with a total of 37 students actively participating and 97% with a total of 36 students who are disciplined in doing questions on the kahoot! application. activities carried out on student involvement in the learning process have significant increases and decreases. student discipline is shown in the learning process on the constraints of student signals for access and not on time in doing questions. in active participation, it was found that students were not present in learning and were slow to do it. the effect of kahoot! gamification in student learning outcomes in learning outcomes, general trends are found based on the results of instability data analysis. how gamification affects student learning outcomes on quizzes that have been given. the most commonly used elements of gamification in e-learning that have a strong influence on students are points, leaderboards, badges, and levels (saleem et al., 2022). furthermore, a study from wirani et al. (2021) shows that gamification can be beneficial for students to improve their performance and help them in understanding the material. the following data presents the average score obtained by students on each topic presented 1-6. figure 2. students average score as seen in figure 2, the trend of instability does not show a consistent improvement in student learning outcomes. the results are; in topic 1, which is about infusion installation, students learn vocabulary related to infusion installation. in the quiz questions, 10 questions were given, and the average score for topic 1 was 67; topic 2 discusses passive voice in the future tense. 7 questions are given in the quiz, and the lowest average score is 33; topic 3 discusses vocabulary related to injection. five questions are given and students’ average score is 75; topic 4 about the profession in the hospital – discusses vocabulary related to the profession in the hospital. 10 questions are provided and the highest average score of the students is 87; topic 5 is about the room in the hospital. 10 questions are provided with an average score of 65; and at the end of learning, all topics 1-5 are given, and students are given a final test to measure their understanding of the topics. the number of questions given is 15 questions with an average score of 74. it is estimated that there are several main reasons for the instability of the average learning score results obtained by students, the level of difficulty of the questions in each topic given and the inadequate internet network when working on the questions. the results of the average score of students show that students is easier to grasp vocabulary skills in learning english by using kahoot! platform. studies show that the use of the game kahoot! in class is recommended to improve learners' vocabulary and efl competence (luik, 2019). kahoot! as an nyayu yayu suryani & m. husni syahbani gamification and solo taxonomy: a strategy to promote active engagementand discipline in english language learning 782 internet-based platform is an effective medium for teaching english so that students can memorize english vocabulary (anggraheni and yogatama, 2020). student opinion gamification on solo taxonomy using kahoot! the second purpose of this study is to describe students' opinions on gamification on solo taxonomy using kahoot! in english courses. the questionnaire method is a crucial research tool to measure the attitudes and opinions of respondents when responding to specific questions (pinto and reshma, 2021). questionnaires were developed to collect data from participants to answer research questions (abuhmaid, 2020). the authors' data was based on the objectives of both studies through google forms. tabel 3. student opinion gamification on solo taxonomy using kahoot! no question sa (%) a (%) n (%) d (%) sd (%) 1. students interested in using the kahoot! app 60.5 36.8 2.6 0 0 2. students love using kahoot! 44.7 47.4 7.9 0 0 3. english courses are suitable to be taught with the kahoot! application 52.6 39.5 5.3 2.6 0 4. students feel challenged to learn english when in class using kahoot! 44.7 36.8 18.4 0 0 5. students feel kahoot! as the right game technique in increasing enthusiasm in learning english 44.7 50 2.6 2.6 0 6. the kahoot! application builds student creativity in the classroom 44.7 47.4 7.9 0 0 7. kahoot apps take a lot of internet charges 2.6 15.8 42.1 34.2 5.3 8. kahoot app makes students feel bored 2.6 10.5 5.3 71.1 10.5 9. students have difficulty using kahoot! 0 13.2 18.4 52.6 15.8 10. students don't have a kahoot! app 0 15.8 26.3 42.1 15.8 11. students feel motivated to learn english using kahoot! 36.8 52.6 10.5 0 0 12. students cannot log in to the kahoot! app due to poor internet connection 5.3 26.3 52.6 15.8 0 13. games using kahoot! make students more active in learning english 40.5 51.4 8.1 0 0 14. kahoot! app provides in-depth english practice 36.8 47.4 15.8 0 0 15. students feel they can understand the material in learning by writing back what is known in the material delivered 34.2 44.7 21.1 0 0 16. with techniques taught in english courses. students better understand the learning delivered by lecturers 36.8 47.4 15.8 0 0 table 3 showed survey results, including responses on students' opinions of gamification on solo taxonomy using kahoot! in english courses. students' perceptions of using kahoot! may be influenced by their background, which should be considered when interpreting findings (al ghawail and ben yahia, 2022). thirty-eight students came from the class of nursing students of sekolah tinggi ilmu kesehatan siti khadijah palembang, sumatra selatan, indonesia both male and female. the percentage may not reach 100% due to rounding. the abbreviation of the table english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 783 shows that sa=strongly agree, a=agree, n= neutral sd=strongly disagree, and d=disagree. from 16 questionnaires given to students, it was found that the percentage of student opinions in gamification on solo taxonomy using kahoot! in english courses was found. at the end of the question, students were given one question "what’s your opinion on the kahoot! application?”, “is the kahoot! application effective as a game media in taking grades in english learning?”, “ what you get from the use of kahoot! application?”, “what obstacles did you face in the learning process using kahoot?”, and the last “what is your advice as a kahoot! user? is it effective as a game media in taking grades in english learning?”. based on responses from students expressing their thoughts on the kahoot! application, arguing that the kahoot! contest's 32 correct answers students were very interested while using kahoot because the application was both challenging and exciting, and the way learning happens is not monotonous. this application was very helpful in learning not only how to learn, but also how to play. some students argue that the kahoot! application was difficult because signal constraints can cause it to be disrupted when filling out the problem. students felt kahoot! was the right game technique to increase enthusiasm for learning english. kahoot! was very attractive for students to learn english, train their intelligence and brain speed, and can help in improving english language learning, some students think kahoot! application felt challenged and facilitated learning and was very useful in helping to learn english, very helpful and easy to understand lessons. the 35 students answered that the kahoot! application was quite effective and games using kahoot! make students more active in learning english, but some argue that it was often constrained by the internet network. internet connection was an important factor that must be considered to create the success of kahoot! integration in teaching and learning activities (mahbubah and anam, 2022). it can be determined from 34 answers to the kahoot! application quiz allows students to learn while taking quizzes, better understand the lessons being taught, gain a deeper understanding of the material, and make learning more interesting. it also reported that they personally become braver and quicker to respond because kahoot! was completed in less time, encourages participation, and facilitates learning. according to 33 responses, the signal was not supportive during the kahoot! quiz, making it difficult for some participants to log in and enter their answers. some students get the network they had when the learning process did not encounter problems. these are some of the obstacles faced in the learning process using kahoot!. there are some who almost were unable to enter the quiz due to the bad internet network. kahoot! can be an effective tool for encouraging high school students to learn a language, but proper use of the program necessitates a steady internet connection(eva et al., 2022). the 33 answers that kahoot! was effective in scoring results. some students argue that it was less effective for value-taking materials because there were often signal problems and sometimes in the condition of the signal starting to error, the participants begin to be nervous so they lose focus and finally press the wrong answer. moreover, kahoot! can be used in other learning media and is one of the various types of interactive instructional materials that might render the learning process enjoyable and not monotonous for learners as well as educators. according to mdlaloseet al. (2021), kahoot! plays an important role in improving academic performance, motivation, and active involvement of students during the teaching and learning process. kahoot! is a useful gamebased application that can increase learning motivation, class engagement, learning effectiveness, and interaction in the classroom. therefore, it is recommended that teachers use kahoot! as a facilitator to support learners' english learning (tao and zou, 2021). study from öden et al. (2021) shows that kahoot! significantly improved attitudes towards efl courses with an effect size of 0.22. kahoot! increases efl learning motivation and lowers exam anxiety, but this is not significant. it is revealed that the students consider kahoot! as something funny. in the use of english skills, kahoot! can be used in various stages of education to develop ef pronunciation skills (yürük, 2020) kahoot! can assist students in learning new vocabulary (anon, 2022). kahoot! has a positive effect on students' writing skills as well as effective online learning (amalia, solihat, and darsih, 2022). moreover, applying kahoot! in the instructional process, particularly in reading comprehension courses, increases participant motivation and positivity toward the material they are studying (al-khamaiseh, 2022). studies nyayu yayu suryani & m. husni syahbani gamification and solo taxonomy: a strategy to promote active engagementand discipline in english language learning 784 showed that game-based learning is one of the most popular learning media today. kahoot! is one of the popular game-based learning media played in the classroom. however, the effectiveness of kahoot! as a medium for assessing english lessons is still rarely done (syah, 2019). conclusion this study aims to find out the effect of using solo taxonomy gamification on kahoot! to active involvement and discipline in english language learning. the findings revealed that, first, student learning involvement has been observed in two indicators discipline and active involvement in english learning in the use of the kahoot! application. both indicators show a fairly consistent improvement in each given topic. second, the learning outcomes showed instability in learning outcomes, and inconsistent averages were found on each given topic. this demonstrated that the implementation of solo taxonomy gamification had no positive influence on kahoot! application on english language learning. students express their opinions on the use of gamification in solo taxonomy with kahoot! as a result, stating that they feel challenged by using the application for english learning provided by kahoot!, but occasionally restricted by poor signals when solving the problems. acknowledgement the authors would like to thank the indonesian ministry of research, technology and higher education for fully funding this research through hibah penelitian dasar (penelitian dosen pemula) and sekolah tinggi ilmu kesehatan siti khadijah palembang for providing moral and material support during the implementation of the research. references abuhmaid, a. m. (2020). the efficiency of online learning environment for implementing projectbased learning: students’ perceptions. international journal of higher education, 9(5), 76–83. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v9n5p76 al ghawail, e. a., & ben yahia, s. (2022). using the e-learning gamification tool kahoot! to learn chemistry principles in the classroom. procedia computer science, 207, 2667–2676. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2022.09.325 amalia, i., solihat, d., & darsih, e. (2022). the effect of kahoot application in improving students’ wirting skill (quasi experimental design at sman 1 luragung). indonesian journal of learning and instruction, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.25134/ijli.v5i1.5873 anggraheni, d., & yogatama, a. (2020). online english vocabulary teaching using kahoot! for students with special needs (vol. 7, issue 2). arunsirot, n. (2021). integration of gamification approach in efl classroom context. journal of education maresuan university, 23(4), 30–45. bicen, h., & kocakoyun, s. (2018). perceptions of students for gamification approach: kahoot as a case study. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 13(2), 72–93. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v13i02.7467 cetin, h. s. (2018). implementation of the digital assessment tool “kahoot!” in elementary school. international technology and education journal, 2(1), 9–20. claudia, l. f., kusmayadi, t. a., & fitriana, l. (2020). the solo taxonomy: classify students’ responses in solving linear program problems. journal of physics: conference series, 1538(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1538/1/012107 dehghanzadeh, h., fardanesh, h., hatami, j., talaee, e., & noroozi, o. (2021). using gamification to support learning english as a second language: a systematic review. computer assisted language learning, 34(7), 934–957. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1648298 dumaraos, j. u. n. m. (2022). level of complexity in utilizing solo taxonomy. 3(4), 17–23. eva, k., adnyani, k., adnyana, w., murniasih, n. n., komang, n., & suwastini, a. (2022). implementing kahoot! for japanese language learning in indonesian high school. journal of education technology, 6(2), 217–225. https://doi.org/10.23887/jet.v fernández-portero, i., & castillo-rodríguez, c. (2022). gamification in the english language class: analysis of pre-service teachers’ perceptions. call-ej, 23(1), 425–444. al-khamaiseh, a. a.-j. h. s. (2022). view of the effect of using kahoot on jordanian efl ninthgrade students’ reading comprehension. journal of positive school psychology, 6(6), 757–770. hong, j. c., hwang, m. y., liu, y. h., & tai, k. h. (2022). effects of gamifying questions on english grammar learning mediated by epistemic curiosity and language anxiety. computer assisted language learning, 35(7), 1458–1482. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1803361 hurtado, e. g. l. m. c. p. r. (2017). kahoot! a digital tool for learning vovabulay in a language. revista publicandi, 4(12), 441–449. iaremenko, n. v. (2017). enhancing english language learners’ motivation through online games. information technologies and learning tools, 59(3), 126. https://doi.org/10.33407/itlt.v59i3.1606 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 785 inayati, n., & waloyo, a. a. (2022). the influence of quizziz-online gamification on learning engagement and outcomes in online english language teaching. journal on english as a foreign language, 12(2), 249–271. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v12i2.3546 redjeki, i. r., & muhajir, r. (2021). gamification in efl classroom to support teaching and learning in 21st century. journal of english educators sicoety, 6(1), 68–78. luik, i. (2019). the use of kahoot! game to acquire vocabulary competende. proceedings the 7th undergraduate conference on elt, linguistic and literature. irvine, j. (2021). taxonomies in education: overview, comparison, and future directions. journal of education and development, 5(2), 1. https://doi.org/10.20849/jed.v5i2.898 ismail, m. e., sa’adan, n., samsudin, m. a., hamzah, n., razali, n., & mahazir, i. i. (2018). implementation of the gamification concept using kahoot! among tvet students: an observation. journal of physics: conference series, 1140(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1140/1/012013 kaur, p. (2019). kahoot! in the english language classroom. 20(6), 49–54. mahbubah, s. a. l. (2022). students’ perceptions on the implementation of kahoot! in english language teaching. lingua sientia, 29(2), 23–32. https://doi.org/10.31002/metathesis.v4i3.3314 legaki, n. z., xi, n., hamari, j., karpouzis, k., & assimakopoulos, v. (2020). the effect of challenge-based gamification on learning: an experiment in the context of statistics education. in international journal of human computer studies (vol. 144). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2020.102496 ljungblad, a. l. (2022). key indicator taxonomy of relational teaching. journal of education for teaching. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2022.2151343 mahbubah, l., & anam, s. (2022). students’ perceptions on the implementation of kahoot! in english language teaching (vol. 29, issue 1). mdlalose, n., ramaila, s., & ramnarain, u. (2021). using kahoot! as a formative assessment tool in science teacher education. international journal of higher education, 11(2), 43. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v11n2p43 syah, m. a. s. a. r. (2019). view of the effectiveness of kahoot! as an assessment media in english lesson. english focus, 3(1), 43–55. nikmah, h.-. (2020). gamification to improve students’ engagement in learning english. acitya journal of teaching & education, 2(1), 60–70. https://doi.org/10.30650/ajte.v2i1.277 nugraha, d. g., & sembiring, b. (2023). ict-based language learning strategy esl/efl: a metaanalysis in developing classroom language activities through gamification. jurnal bahasa inggris terapan, 8(2), 112–118. https://doi.org/10.35313/jbit.v8i2.4668 yaccob, n. s., rahman, s. f. a., & rahim, a. a. a., rashid, k. a. a., aldaba, a. m. a., & harwati h. (2022). gamifying esl classrooms through gamified teaching and learning 1nur. arab world english journal, 2, 2177–2191. öz, g. ö., & ordu, y. (2021). the effects of web based education and kahoot usage in evaluation of the knowledge and skills regarding intramuscular injection among nursing students. nurse education today, 103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2021.104910 ozdamali, k. a.-d. f. (2021). gamification in teaching and learning language: a systematic literatur review. revista romaneasca oentru educatie multidimensionala, 13(2), 559–577. permana, p., permatawati, i., & khoerudin, e. (2023). foreign language learning gamification using quizizz: a systematic review based on students’ perception. 7(2). https://quizizz.com. pinto, a. p., & reshma, k. j. (2021). impact of project-based learning on entrepreneurial and social skills development. journal of engineering education transformations, 34(special issue), 593–598. https://doi.org/10.16920/jeet/2021/v34i0/157227 putra;, i. h. i. nyoman a. jaya; m. h. s. (2020). gamification in english teaching and learning. nilacakra. roy, b., bhattacharyya, t., & banerjee, p. (2022). active learning in higher education by solo taxonomy. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4022499 saleem, a. n., noori, n. m., & ozdamli, f. (2022). gamification applications in e-learning: a literature review. technology, knowledge and learning, 27(1), 139–159. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-020-09487-x öden, m. s., bolat, y. i̇., & goksu, i̇. (2021). kahoot! as a gamification tool in vocational education: more positive attitude, motivation and less anxiety in efl. journal of computer and education research, 9(18), 682–701. https://doi.org/10.18009/jcer.924882 tan, d., lin, a., ganapathy, m., & kaur, m. (2018). kahoot! it: gamification in higher education. pertanika j. soc. sci. & hum, 26(1), 565–582. tao, y., & zou, b. (2021). students’ perceptions of the use of kahoot! in english as a foreign language classroom learning context. computer assisted language learning, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.2011323 wirani, y., nabarian, t., & romadhon, m. s. (2021). evaluation of continued use on kahoot! as a gamification-based learning platform from the perspective of indonesia students. procedia computer science, 197, 545–556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2021.12.172 yürük, n. (2020). using kahoot as a skill nyayu yayu suryani & m. husni syahbani gamification and solo taxonomy: a strategy to promote active engagementand discipline in english language learning 786 improvement technique in pronunciation. journal of language and linguistic studies, 16(1), 137–153. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.712669 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 737 independent learning in english online class during covid-19 pandemic: students perceptions and its challenges andi mukarramah nagauleng tadris bahasa inggris, fakultas tarbiyah dan ilmu keguruan, institut agama islam negeri manado e-mail: andi.mukarramah@iain-manado.ac.id ahmad mustamir waris tadris bahasa inggris, fakultas tarbiyah dan ilmu keguruan, institut agama islam negeri manado e-mail: ahmadmustamirwaris@gmail.com apa citation: nagauleng, a. m., & waris, a. m. (2022). independent learning in english online class during covid19 pandemic: students perceptions and its challenges. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 737-748. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6421. received: 09-02-2022 accepted: 26-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction since the spread of covid-19 in worldwide (who, 2020), indonesian schools are forced to conduct online learning-teaching process. one of the schools implementing online learning-teaching process is madrasah aliyah negeri (man) model 1 manado, north sulawesi. the school, located in the tuminting sub-district of manado city, north sulawesi province, is one of the most popular high schools. the school currently has 1449 students divided into 41 classes with 91 teachers has been conducting online learning since march 24, 2020 (source: man model 1 manado database). learning is carried out through the school’s elearning application and the zoom facility for faceto-face online meetings. all subject teachers at man model 1 manado use this learning system, including english subjects. as it is well known, english has been officially taught at the secondary school level in indonesia for a long time (suwarno, 2020; utami, pabbajah, & juhansar, 2018). this subject is considered important among other subjects. english subjects have also been included in the national exam (uswatunnisa, 2020). therefore, without a doubt, indonesia has become one of the most prospective markets for teaching english (zein, 2019). however, during the covid-19 pandemic, where schools are required to learn from home, the online learning process for english subjects is one of the challenges for teachers in this field of study. it is hard because students must master four language skills: listening, reading, speaking, and writing abstract: the spread of covid-19 in indonesia forces teachers and students to conduct the online learningteaching process independently. online learning is carried out to protect teachers-students and reduce the number of people affected by the virus. thus, this present study aims to discuss how independent learning in online english class put into practice at school, discover students’ perceptions of independent learning in online english classes and its challenges during the covid-19 pandemic. this present study relays on mixed methods research design. qualitative and quantitative data were collected through a survey using a google form. qualitative data were analyzed by coding, classifying, explaining, and concluding. meanwhile, quantitative data were analyzed using the likert scale method through spss ver. 23. the results show that in the learningteaching process during the covid-19 pandemic, students learn independently using learning-teaching materials provided by english teachers. besides, students use media such as youtube to help them understand the material given by teachers. students claim that independent online english learning is ineffective since students find difficulties in understanding materials. although students use technology to support the learning-teaching process, it does not work well since the internet connection is unstable and internet quotas are limited. therefore, teachers should manage independent online learning properly to enable students to achieve the goal of the learning-teaching process. teachers should organize and control the learning-teaching process according to current needs; planning, implementation, and assessment. keywords: education quality; independent learning; english; online class; covid-19. andi mukarramah nagauleng & ahmad mustamir waris independent learning in english online class during covid-19 pandemic: students perceptions and its challenges 738 (anwas, sugiarti, permatasari, warsihna, anas, alhapip, siswanto, & rivalina, 2020). online learning means a series of learning activities in a subject delivered through a network to provide access and exchange of knowledge. by the term, this learning uses a learning-teaching approach that involves internet technology. online learning could be interpreted as learning that is carried out remotely with the help of electronic devices, such as tablets, smartphones, laptops, and computers that require an internet connection (milheim, fraenza, & palermo-kielb, 2021; serevina & priane, 2021). the online learning environment is useful for students to access knowledge and materials, interact with teachers, and collaborate between students (zulfa & effendi, 2021). based on initial observations made by researchers at man model 1 manado in october 2020, online learning, especially english learning, is carried out once a week at each grade level, using e-learning according to the school schedule. the elearning address used is for class x: https://elearning.manmodelmanado.sch.id/ and http://mandeldodaring.myddns.me:8094/ for class xi and xii . students would log in to the e-learning application using their nisn account and their respective passwords to access their respective classes. in addition, face-to-face online learning is also carried out through the zoom meeting application, which is held 2-3 times a month for each subject, including english lessons, wherein this learning the subject teacher would provide material directly, and there is the direct interaction between students and teacher. the activities such as giving material, collecting assignments, and student and teacher interactions also take place using the whatsapp application; by using this application, students and teachers could directly conduct discussions via short messages. teachers must understand and train students’ english skills in online english learning. therefore, teachers inevitably have to think of learning methods that are fun and not boring for students. considering they have to learn a foreign language, they may never get in their daily lives. students could learn english better with online learning because they can participate in virtual classes anywhere via computers or smartphones. through virtual classes or online materials, students could engage in interactive activities, be given authentic materials, and interact with teachers and other students. they could watch the class or the recorded video if they miss class or want to watch the material again to understand the content. as for teachers, after they provide the material, they could update it again easily. they could improve students’ abilities through video or sound recordings sent via e-learning or recordings during online learning. various learning objects lacking in the traditional learning process could be applied to distance learning. thus, learners prefer online learning, which contains various learning activities such as discussion forums (snyder, koustas, & jillson, 2020). as learning becomes more individualized, learner-centered, passive, cooperative, and available anywhere and anytime, e-learning technology would also become more individualized, usercentered, network-based, long-term, and available anywhere and anytime (dhillon & murray, 2021; ghosh, muduli, & pingle, 2021). apart from the various benefits of online learning, there may also be some problems faced by learning actors (teachers, students, parents) in implementing online learning. some of the problems faced in online learning are lack of internet access, lack of technical equipment such as computers, mobile devices, cameras, etc., technical problems, lack of student or teacher technology skills, negative beliefs of students or teachers about online learning, especially for online language learning-teaching, some habits from traditional learning to online learning, lack of orientation or training sessions, lack of technical or administrative support for teachers or students, the dependence of students on teachers which makes them unable to learn independently (altunay, 2019). in addition, papoutsi & rangoussi (2020) also stated that problems related to pedagogical support and forms of human-computer interaction hinder the distance learning process. some scholars have conducted research related to this present study. those studies are mapped into several perspectives. first is motivation and technology literacy. students motivation and knowledge of technology are important factors in online learning (bailey, almusharraf, & hatcher, 2021; mardesci, 2020). students did not know much about online learning and preferred offline learning to learn english (eryani & mulyanti, 2021; faizah, ambarwati, & rahayu, 2021; gupta, 2021; huang, tlili, wang, shi, bonk, yang, & burgos, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 739 2021). second is technical aspect of online learning. students-teacher are lack equipment and other technical problems to conduct online learning (hazaymeh, 2021; putra, 2021; rahman, 2021). atmojo & nugroho (2020) conducted a study to determine how teachers conduct online learning during the covid-19 pandemic in indonesia. third is learning-teaching media. teachers-students use several applications and platforms, namely learning management systems (lms), chat and message, video conference, content maker, assessment, video streaming, and online learning. (purwadi, saputra, wahyudi, supriyanto, muyana, rohmadheny, ariyanto, & kurniawan, 2021; rakhmanina, martina, halolo, syafryadin, & noermanzah, 2021; wijayanengtias & claretta, 2020). this current study seeks to complete the existing studies on the independent learning through online class by discovering independent learning in online english class during covid-19 pandemic at madrasah aliyah negeri (man) 1 model manado, north sulawesi. therefore, this study aims to discusses how independent learning in online english class put into practice at school, to explore students’ perceptions of independent learning in online english classes and its challenges during the covid19 pandemic. method this research used a mixed-method. to determine student perceptions, the researchers used quantitative data. therefore, the likert scale survey method was used to answer this question. the likert scale method is suitable for exploring student perceptions. the likert scale survey method is a quantitative research method to obtain data from a group of people with the approach of agreeing/disagreeing, satisfied/dissatisfied, and so on about that person’s attitudes, opinions, behavior, perceptions, or characteristics (åkerblad, seppänenjärvelä, & haapakoski, 2021; ellis, 2021; harrison, reilly, & creswell, 2020). then the researcher also collected qualitative data to find out how students learn independently. the data was collected through several procedures such as the following: 1) the researcher asked the participants of the class teacher of each sample to distribute the questionnaire link in the form of a google form to their students. 2) after all the questionnaires had been collected, the researcher took questionnaire data in excel form thus that it could be classified and analyzed easily. 3) researchers separated quantitative and qualitative data. quantitative data were statistically analyzed to show the trend of the responses given by the target population about the phenomena being discussed (jung, 2019; scherbaum & shockley, 2020). the data were processed using the spss ver.23 application. the data obtained and processed from the google form is presented in tables or diagrams to determine students’ perceptions of the online learning implementation during the pandemic. then qualitative data in the form of answers from an open questionnaire was analyzed using coding, classification, explanations, and concluding. results and discussion students’ independence learning and online english class the covid-19 pandemic has forced students to study online. learning through online-based learning gives students the flexibility to manage study time. students could learn independently of time, anytime, and anywhere. in addition, students could interact with teachers both synchronously, namely learning interactions simultaneously, such as using video conferences, telephone, or live chat, or asynchronously (sobri, nursaptini, & novitasari, 2020). student participation in online learning activities is very important because it develops instructional skills and knowledge of the relevant learning content (myers & rivero, 2019). through learning resources in various forms and references available in online learning systems, participants could learn to improve knowledge and skills related to the learning materials presented. individuals who apply independent learning would experience changes in study habits, namely by arranging and organizing themselves to determine learning goals, learning needs, and strategies used in learning that lead to the goals that have been formulated. independent learning is a learning activity carried out by individuals with the freedom to determine and manage their teaching materials, time, place and utilize various learning resources needed. with this freedom, individuals could manage learning methods, have a high sense of responsibility, and are skilled at utilizing learning resources. several indicators are used as learning independence for students, one of which is digital andi mukarramah nagauleng & ahmad mustamir waris independent learning in english online class during covid-19 pandemic: students perceptions and its challenges 740 literacy (hikmawati, sari, malkan, andani, & habibah, 2021). digital literacy in question is in the form of the internet, direction guides, hypertext, evaluation of information content, and knowledge compilation (hikmawati et al., 2021). there are benefits and barriers to digital literacy for young learners learning english. the benefits of digital literacy include improving beginner students’ writing skills, reading, listening, and speaking skills, familiarizing themselves with authentic materials, increasing the frequency of using digital technology, increasing online collaboration between teacher students and students students (mudra, 2020). utilization of learning resources through digital literacy could enrich the repertoire of learning in increasing the independence of good student learning in studying the subject matter provided by the teacher even though they are at home (rumahlatu, sangur, berhitu, kainama, kakisina, & latupeirissa, 2021). high learning independence would make students learn independently without anyone asking; thus, student learning behavior is more exploratory, making decisions, being confident, and creative. digital literacy also has several negative impacts on young students. the problem of a weak signal that makes internet access difficult is still a problem. the content of online digital materials is not easy for young learners to interpret and convert into simple, self-organizing information. in addition, digital literacy tools are considered expensive (mudra, 2020). the data were taken from the interviews of the students who were divided into eight groups. “menurut saya kurang efektif, karena kuota (karena saya berasal dari keluarga yang kurang mampu saya tidak mempunyai wifi sendiri di rumah, jadi saya harus sering-sering beli kuota yang harganya tidak murah agar dapat mengikuti pembelajaran) dan jaringan (tidak semua daerah memiliki jaringan yang bagus, meskipun kadang bagus tapi sewaktu-waktu bisa saja jadi tidak bagus).” (wawancara siswa kelompok 1). “in my view, it is not effective because of the quota limitation (i come from a low-income family i do not have my wifi at home, so i often have to buy a quota that is not cheap to take part in learning) and also the network (not all regions have a good network, although it is good sometimes it could be not good).” [free translation] (interview with a student in group 1). “kekurangannya terkadang harus diulang ulang untuk baca atau pahami karena terkadang kurang mengerti atau paham, banyak gangguan di rumah, sulit untuk interaksi dan siswa bermain main.” (wawancara siswa kelompok 2) “the drawbacks of online learning are sometimes the materials have to be read several times or to understand. there are lots of distractions at my home. it is difficult to interact with others, and students are not serious in online learning.” [free translation] (interview with a student in group 2). independent learning for students is needed. thus they could take responsibility for organizing and disciplining themselves. in addition, with independent learning, students could also develop learning abilities of their own accord. these attitudes need to be possessed by students because these are characteristics of the maturity of an educated person. independent students would be able to determine their learning competencies, find their learning input, and carry out self-evaluation and reflection activities on the learning process they are undergoing. online learning is a government policy in handling the covid-19 virus worldwide (indiani, 2020). this kind of learning impacts students’ understanding of various subjects, especially english. from the students’ perspective regarding online learning, this creates its difficulties, ranging from material that is difficult to understand, connection problems, internet credit problems that make many students complain. table 1. english online learning increases students’ english skills indicators frequency percent valid percent valid strongly disagree 4 7.7 7.7 disagree 23 44.2 44.2 agree 21 40.4 40.4 strongly agree 4 7.7 7.7 total 52 100.0 100.0 based on table 1, students felt that learning english online could not improve students’ ability to speak english. it was evidenced by 44.2% of students who chose not to agree, and 40.4% agreed. it means that it is better to learn english face-toface than online. this comparison can be seen clearly in figure 1. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 741 figure 1. the diagram of english online learning increase english skills however, not all students had difficulty learning english online. other students could also enjoy this relatively new learning model. the difficulties faced by students make them have ways to overcome them. for example, students asked the teacher directly if the material was hard to understand. then if there was a problem with network connections, students also tried to adjust it. students learned materials from various accessible media such as dictionaries english modules, made small groups, and most importantly, created a comfortable learning atmosphere. “sama seperti diatas atau dengan cara lain yaitu dengan menonton video penjelasan materi tersebut melalui aplikasi youtube (jika materinya tidak dikirim melalui video/audio) oleh guru mata pelajaran. kemudian, lebih baik para siswa sudah memiliki kamus bahasa inggris agar bisa mengatasi kendala dalam pembelajaran daring bahasa inggris.” (wawancara siswa kelompok 4). “as explained previously, we learn by watching videos through the teacher’s youtube application (if the material is not sent via video/audio). then, we should have an english dictionary already to overcome obstacles in online learning english.” [free translation] (interview with a student in group 4). “menurut saya salah satu cara mengatasi adalah saya bertanya kepada guru yang mengajar tentang materi yang saya tidak tau dan tidak mengerti, dan juga memahami dan mendengar apa yang disampaikan oleh guru mata pelajaran tersebut. jika terhalang internet maka saya akan menunggu internet stabil kembali dan berusaha menyesuaikan diri dengan jalannya pembelajaran. jika telah diberikan materi akan saya baca dan jika diberikan tugas akan saya kerjakan.” (wawancara siswa kelompok 5). “one option to solve the problem is to ask the teacher who teaches about the material that i do not know and do not understand. i also try to understand and listen to the material explanation from the teacher. if the internet is unstable, i will wait for the internet to stabilize again and adjust to learning. if the material has been given, i will read it, and if the teacher gives an assignment, i will do it.” [free translation] (interview with a student in group 5). “cara saya mengatasi kendala adalah dengan mencari media pembelajaran lain, seperti dengan menonton video penjelasan dari youtube dan saya juga mengambil kelas belajar tambahan (les) diluar dari jam sekolah.” (wawancara siswa kelompok 6). “i overcome the problem is to look for other learning media, such as watching an explanatory video from youtube. i also take additional learning classes (private courses) outside of school hours.” [free translation] (interviews with students in group 6). “buat metode belajar yang kreatif. adakan zoom meet, uji lisan, dan pemahaman. bertanya kepada teman teman juga menjadi cara untuk memahami pelajaran tersebut.” (wawancara siswa kelompok 7). “we are creating creative learning methods. hold a zoom meeting, oral test, and comprehension test. asking friends is also a way to understand the lesson.” [free translation] (interview with a student in group 7). “ciptakan lingkungan yang nyaman dan mendukung, hal pertama yang harus kita benahi adalah memperbaiki lingkungan belajar, kita harus menciptakan lingkungan belajar yang benar nyaman dan mendukung untuk belajar bahasa inggris.” (wawancara siswa kelompok 8). “creating a comfortable and supportive environment, the first thing we must fix is to improve the learning environment; we must create a comfortable and supportive learning environment for learning english.” [free translation] (interview with a student in group 8). it turns out that online learning independence from students has been raised. online learning forces students’ creativity to overcome various difficulties in learning. it was evidenced by how students already understood technology and used it in the learning process. andi mukarramah nagauleng & ahmad mustamir waris independent learning in english online class during covid-19 pandemic: students perceptions and its challenges 742 table 2. the independence of students in english online learning indicators frequency percent valid percent valid strongly disagree 2 3.8 3.8 disagree 8 15.4 15.4 agree 21 40.4 40.4 strongly agree 21 40.4 40.4 total 52 100.0 100.0 the data processing results presented in table 2 show that learning english online could increase students’ independence in english, with a percentage of 40.4% agreeing and also choosing strongly agree. students chose to disagree only slightly, namely 15.4%. this comparison can be seen clearly in figure 2. figure 2. the diagram of students’ independent learning in english online learning the survey results stated that students agree that online learning made them more independent. however, the students still need help from the teacher. although it could show learning independence, online learning english is a bit effective because students feel they have not been able to understand better the material presented by the subject teacher. the implementation of online learning in the educational practice of the covid-19 pandemic turned out to be less well implemented because, from the side of the students, they were not independent enough. this study showed that students still had enough confidence and responsibility for online learning. online learning could not replace offline study habits related to students because students must have their preparation and discipline while studying. students’ perceptions on independent learning in english online class learning english online at madrasah aliyah had its twists and turns. not all students could follow online learning english well. based on the recognition of madrasah aliyah students, it was more difficult for students to participate in learning english remotely well compared to regular meetings. their reasons were very diverse. the students admitted that they had difficulty understanding learning english. it was because the students felt less understood than what was explained by the teachers. in addition, students were also given more new material that had not been explained clearly by the teacher, plus students were getting bored over time. “belajar bahasa inggris lewat daring kurang seru dan kurang menantang karena tidak dapat berdialog langsung bersama teman-teman dan guru dalam bahasa inggris.” (wawancara siswa kelompok 1). “learning english online is less fun and less challenging because it is impossible to have direct dialogue with friends and teachers in english.” [free translation] (interview with a student in group 1). “pendapat saya tentang kelas online di masa pandemi corona ini, menyenangkan tapi lama kelamaan membosankan. kadang tidak mengerti karena keterbatasan jaringan dan pemahaman yang terbatas.” (wawancara siswa kelompok 2). “my opinion about online classes during this corona pandemic is fun, but over time it gets boring. sometimes we do not understand because of network limitations, and the materials are hard to understand.” [free translation] (interview with a student in group 2). the students also complained that online learning made it difficult to accept and understand the materials provided. it was because the absorption of the brain was different. some materials are more difficult to understand when explained online than the teacher’s direct explanation in offline learning. “kekurangan dari pembelajaran daring ini yaitu kurangnya pemahaman dalam mendalami materi. kekurangannya yang yaitu kita tidak bisa melakukan aksi secara langsung.” (wawancara siswa kelompok 3). “the drawback of this online learning is the lack of understanding in exploring the material. the drawback is that we could not take action english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 743 directly.” [free translation] (interviews with a student in group 3). “kekurangan dari pembelajaran sistem daring menurut saya ialah siswa jadi kurang dalam berinteraksi menggunakan bahasa inggris. pertama tidak mudah akan mengerti lalu kedua komunikasi antara siswa dan guru sangat terbatas (wawancara siswa kelompok 2).” “the disadvantage of online learning, in my opinion, is that students are less able to interact using english. first, it is not easy to understand then; secondly, the communication between students and teachers is limited.” [free translation] (interview with a student in group 2). supporting facilities for learning remotely for students also are not optimal. the students complained that internet facilities (the main facility for online learning) were still lacking. the students are forced to use their own money to buy internet credit even it should be the school’s responsibility. the parents also have to spend more money on their children’s learning needs. “kekurangannya adalah kebanyakan siswa menggunakan paket data, jadi para siswa kesusahan ketika paket datanya habis atau ada gangguan jaringan. ditambah keterbatasan akses internet, berkurangnya interaksi dengan pengajar, pemahaman tentang materi, minimnya pengawasan dalam belajar.” (wawancara siswa kelompok 2). “the drawback is that most students use internet credit, so students face difficulties when they run out of internet credit or a network problem. in addition, limited internet access reduced interaction with teachers, understanding of the material, lack of supervision in learning.” [free translation] (interviews with students in group 2). furthermore, learning english online provided an unpleasant atmosphere for students. this online learning confused students in understanding the material, how to solve internal problems (e.g., the internet is not good), etc. table 3. students’ enthusiasm in english online learning indicators frequency percent valid percent valid strongly disagree 11 21.2 21.2 disagree 18 34.6 34.6 agree 16 30.8 30.8 strongly agree 7 13.5 13.5 total 52 100.0 100.0 based on table 3, students’ enthusiasm did not grow in learning english online. it was evidenced by the number of students who choose not to agree as much as 34.6% on the grounds of difficulty understanding english lessons if carried out online. meanwhile, 30.8% of students agree because the tasks could be completed by looking online. this comparison can be seen clearly in figure 3. figure 3. the diagram of students’ enthusiasm in english online learning table 4. conducive situation of english online learning from students indicators frequency percent valid percent valid strongly disagree 6 11.5 11.5 disagree 18 34.6 34.6 agree 16 30.8 30.8 strongly agree 12 23.1 23.1 total 52 100.0 100.0 table 4 shows the atmosphere of english online learning, which provides an uncomfortable atmosphere for students. it was evidenced by 34.6% of students who chose not to agree, and 30.8% agreed that learning english provides a comfortable atmosphere. this comparison can be seen clearly in figure 4. andi mukarramah nagauleng & ahmad mustamir waris independent learning in english online class during covid-19 pandemic: students perceptions and its challenges 744 figure 4. the diagram of english online learningteaching atmosphere although the difference was not far, the students did not like online learning more. on the other hand, the other students enjoy learning english remotely. the students found it very interesting even though it needed adjustment. for example, students could search for english language materials via the internet. the involvement of teachers is very important in terms of practice. research also revealed that the weakness of online learning is due to technical problems and lack of physical interaction (hazaymeh, 2021). “pelajaran bahasa inggris merupakan pelajaran yang membutuhkan praktek agar cepat terbiasa bisa melalui pelajaran daring maupun luring.” (wawancara siswa kelompok 6). “english lessons require practice to get used to them quickly through online and offline lessons.” [free translation] (interviews with students in group 6). “menurut saya pembelajaran daring bahasa inggris sangat membantu saya. tentang materimateri yang susah saya pahami dan cara belajarnya sangat dan mudah dipahami.” (wawancara siswa kelompok 8). “i think learning english online is very helpful for me. it is about the difficult materials for me to understand, and the way of learning is very easy to understand.” [free translation] (interview with a student in group 8). adjustment online learning could start with schools, parents, friends, teachers, and most importantly, support from students themselves. this support encourages every student (azmiyyah & lianawati, 2021). even in an online learning situation, students could carry it out well with their creativity. in addition, students could also take advantage of various media as the learning process. “menurut saya, kelebihan pembelajaran daring bahasa inggris yaitu kita lebih leluasa dalam mempelajari bahasa inggris. seperti ketika tidak tahu arti sebuah kata, kita dapat mencarinya. lalu, kita juga dapat melatih dengan berbicara di internet entah dengan teman atau anonim menggunakan bahasa inggris.” (wawancara siswa kelompok 4). “in my opinion, the advantage of learning english online is that we are more flexible in learning english. when we do not know the meaning of a word, we can look it up. then, we could also train by talking on the internet either with friends or anonymously using english.” [free translation] (interview with a student in group 4). “kelebihannya hanya waktu yang fleksibel videovideo dari pelajaran bahasa inggris sangat banyak, selain itu kita bisa melihat materi bahasa inggris dari berbagai sumber semisal google sebagai referensi materi.” (wawancara siswa kelompok 5). “the advantage is that the time is flexible. there are lots of videos from english lessons. besides that, we could see english material from various sources such as google as reference material.” [free translation] (interview with a student in group 5). “waktu mengerjakan tugas lebih panjang, bisa menambah pengalaman saya tentang belajar bahasa inggris. selain itu kita bisa menerjemahkannya ke dalam bahasa indonesia serta waktu mengerjakannya lebih panjang.” (wawancara siswa kelompok 7). “the time i do the task is longer, which could add to my experience of learning english. in addition, we could translate it into the indonesian language, and the time to do that task is longer.” [free translation] (interview with a student in group 7). online learning should make it easier for participants to learn. much knowledge is available from various media and is easy to reach. although this method of learning english online is still considered new by students, students should be able to make more use of the existing media. in the current technological era, students are very familiar with using existing technology, which means that a lot of information could be obtained by students, one of which is english material. that way, with online learning, more independent learning appears to students. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 745 the challenges of independent learning in english online class the changes in learning patterns that occur quickly and last for a long time in students greatly affect the learning achievement obtained. this change is not only due to the technique of giving different material, but students and educators are also required to master the learning media used. in the synthesis of learning independence, there were dimensions of learning management, responsibility, and the use of various learning resources. students must take advantage of these dimensions to optimize independent learning. first, students must manage the time and place in carrying out learning activities. it could be started from reading, making summaries/notes, or listening to various materials from electronic devices, e.g., audio, smartphones, etc. (khoiriyah, waris, & juhansar, 2019). this method could help students to succeed in the learning process. second, students must be responsible for their learning activities. starting from the difficulties faced and each student’s ability, they have to prepare for it. this method is obtained through high learning motivation. in the difficulties faced, students could overcome them by practicing doing various questions regularly and correcting their learning errors. third, students must be able to take advantage of various learning resources obtained, such as books, magazines, internet learning modules, or it could be by using a learning tutorial. these three dimensions were already owned by the students where the students persistently tried to overcome the difficulties encountered in the online learning process. students can be responsible for completing the learning that the school has required. in addition, students who are not left behind on technological sophistication can use it in completing learning. independent learning students could control personal awareness. they can build motivation and competence and the skills to be achieved. students who can learn independently can control themselves, have high learning motivation, and are confident that they have a broad and flexible orientation or insight (rochmawati, fatmawati, sukma, & sonhaji 2021). regarding the facilities that need to be prepared to facilitate learning english from both teachers and students, it was the school’s responsibility or related government agencies (chung & choi, 2021). the school has at least prepared internet facilities, english learning modules/books, face-to-face media (zoom or other conference media), and learning motivation for students. seeing the responses of madrasah aliyah students, it turned out that they could enjoy learning english even though it was online learning. even with some difficulties students face, such as the internet and materials that were not ready, madrasah aliyah students could adapt. furthermore, it is left to the school and interesting methods from the teacher concerned to make learning more effective. to develop student learning independence, the teacher should create a conducive learning atmosphere and avoid anything that would interfere with student learning, encourage students to understand the correct methods and procedures in completing a task, help students manage time, foster self-confidence in students that they can do assignments given, encourage students to control their emotions and should not be panic easily when completing assignments or facing difficulties, as well as showing the progress that students have achieved (ezra, cohen, bronshtein, gabbay, & baruth, 2021). then, teachers must carry out online learning management (sanoto, 2021) well; thus, students can meet the planned learning success indicators. teachers need to be competent in carrying out learning management according to current needs from planning, implementation, and learning evaluations (mashuri & hasanah, 2021). conclusion the students of man 1 model manado in the implementation of english independent online learning use the materials provided by the english teacher. in addition, to facilitate learning-teaching process, students commonly use media such as youtube to enrich their understanding related the material discussed. students consider that independent learning-teaching in online english class during covid-19 pandemic is ineffective especially for students who are living in remote area. even though the learning teaching process is supported by the use of latest technology, students who are coming from isolated area find it difficult learn because of the unstable network connection and the limited data credits. references åkerblad, l., seppänen-järvelä, r., & haapakoski, k. (2021). integrative strategies in mixed methods andi mukarramah nagauleng & ahmad mustamir waris independent learning in english online class during covid-19 pandemic: students perceptions and its challenges 746 research. journal of mixed methods research, 15(2), 152-170. https://doi.org/10.1177%2f1558689820957125 altunay, d. (2019). efl students’ views on distance english language learning in a public university in turkey. studies in english language teaching, 7(1), 121-134. https://doi.org/10.22158/selt.v7n1p121 anwas, e. o. m., sugiarti, y., permatasari, a. d., warsihna, j., anas, z., alhapip, l., siswanto, h. w., & rivalina, r. (2020). social media usage for enhancing english language skill. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 14(7), 41-57. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v14i07.11552. atmojo, a. e. p., & nugroho, a. (2020). efl classes must go online! teaching activities and challenges during covid-19 pandemic in indonesia. register journal, 13(1), 49-76. https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v13i1.49-76. azmiyyah, h., & lianawati, a. (2021). profile of selfadjustment and level of academic stress during online learning in higher education. progcouns: journal of professionals in guidance and counseling, 2(2), 81-87. https://doi.org/10.21831/progcouns.v2i2.42554. bailey, d., almusharraf, n., & hatcher, r. (2021). finding satisfaction: intrinsic motivation for synchronous and asynchronous communication in the online language learning context. education and information technologies, 26(1), 2563-2583. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10369-z chung, s. j., & choi, l. j. (2021). the development of sustainable assessment during the covid-19 pandemic: the case of the english language program in south korea. sustainability, 13(8), 4499-451. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084499. dhillon, s., & murray, n. (2021). an investigation of eap teachers’ views and experiences of elearning technology. education sciences, 11(2), 1-16. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/educsci11020054 ellis, p. (2021). mixed methods. wounds, 17(3), 112114. eryani, y., & mulyanti, b. (2021). technology-based blended learning to accommodate offline and online learning. iop conference series: materials science and engineering. ezra, o., cohen, a., bronshtein, a., gabbay, h., & baruth, o. (2021). equity factors during the covid-19 pandemic: difficulties in emergency remote teaching (ert) through online learning. education and information technologies, 26(6), 7657-7681. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10639-02110632-x. faizah, u., ambarwati, r., & rahayu, d. a. (2021). from offline to online learning: various efforts to secure the learning process during covid-19 outbreaks. journal of physics: conference series, conf. ser. 1747 012002, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1747/1/012002. ghosh, s., muduli, a., & pingle, s. (2021). role of elearning technology and culture on learning agility: an empirical evidence. human systems management, 40(2), 235-248. 10.3233/hsm201028 gupta, s. (2021). students’ perception towards learning platforms: a comparative analysis of online and offline learning. international journal of engineering and management research, 11(4), 149-176. https://doi.org/10.31033/ijemr.11.4.20. harrison, r. l., reilly, t. m., & creswell, j. w. (2020). methodological rigor in mixed methods: an application in management studies. journal of mixed methods research, 14(1), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1177%2f1558689819900585. hazaymeh, w. a. (2021). efl students’ perceptions of online distance learning for enhancing english language learning during covid-19 pandemic. international journal of instruction, 14(3), 501518. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14329a. hikmawati, h., sari, k. i. w., malkan, m., andani, t. g., & habibah, f. n. (2021). pengembangan literasi digital guru dan siswa melalui program kampus mengajar di smpn 19 mataram. unram journal of community service, 2(3), 83-88. https://doi.org/10.29303/ujcs.v2i3.71. huang, r., tlili, a., wang, h., shi, y., bonk, c. j., yang, j., & burgos, d. (2021). emergence of the online-merge-offline (omo) learning wave in the post-covid-19 era: a pilot study. sustainability, 13(6), 3512-3522. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063512. indiani, b. (2020). mengoptimalkan proses pembelajaran dengan media daring pada masa pandemi covid19. sipatokkong bpsdm sulawesi selatan. jung, y. m. (2019). data analysis in quantitative research. in handbook of research methods in health social sciences, 13(2), 955-969. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5251-4_109 . khoiriyah, h., waris, a. m., & juhansar, j. (2019). the students’ achievement in pronouncing english song using smule application. indonesian efl journal, 5(1), 45-58. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v5i1.1610. mardesci, h. (2020). the effect of online learning on university students’ learning motivation. jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran, 27(1), 42-47. http://dx.doi.org/10.17977/um047v27i12020p042. milheim, k. l., fraenza, c., & palermo-kielb, k. (2021). supporting student-initiated mobile device use in online learning. online learning journal, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 747 25(3), 267-288. http://dx.doi.org/10.24059/olj.v25i3.2438. mudra, h. (2020). digital literacy among young learners: how do efl teachers and learners view its benefits and barriers? teaching english with technology, 20(3), 3-24. http://www.tewtjournal.org/. myers, j. p., & rivero, k. (2019). preparing globally competent preservice teachers: the development of content knowledge, disciplinary skills, and instructional design. teaching and teacher education, 77(1), 214-225. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.10.008. papoutsi, f., & rangoussi, m. (2020). pedagogical agents in e-learning: a review of recent (20092019) research results. acm international conference proceeding series. purwadi, saputra, w. n. e., wahyudi, a., supriyanto, a., muyana, s., rohmadheny, p. s., ariyanto, r. d., & kurniawan, s. j. (2021). student perceptions of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic in indonesia: a study of phenomenology. european journal of educational research, 10(3), 1515-1528. http://dx.doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.10.3.1515. putra, r. w. p. (2021). improving the students’ motivation in learning english through google meet during the online learning. english learning innovation, 2(1), 35-42. https://doi.org/10.22219/englie.v2i1.14605. rahman, a. (2021). using students’ experience to derive effectiveness of covid-19-lockdown-induced emergency online learning at undergraduate level: evidence from assam, india. higher education for the future, 8(1), 71-89. https://doi.org/10.1177/2347631120980549. rakhmanina, l., martina, f., halolo, f. b., syafryadin, s., & noermanzah, n. (2021). students’ perception on online english learning during covid-19 pandemic era. silampari bisa: jurnal penelitian pendidikan bahasa indonesia, daerah, dan asing, 3(2), 428-439. https://doi.org/10.31540/silamparibisa.v3i2.1150 rochmawati, l., fatmawati., sukma, m. m., & sonhaji, i. (2021). online learning motivation for aviation english: attitude, readiness, and demographic factors. journal of english educators society, 6(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v6i1.792 rumahlatu, d., sangur, k., berhitu, m. m., kainama, s. y., kakisina, v. v., & latupeirissa, c. (2021). resource based learning design thinking (rbldt): a model to improve students’ creative thinking skills, concept gaining, and digital literacy. cypriot journal of educational sciences, 16(1), 288-302. https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v16i1.5528 sanoto, h. (2021). online learning management in the covid-19 pandemic era. journal of education, teaching and learning, 6(1), 47-52. https://doi.org/10.26737/jetl.v6i1.2358 scherbaum, c. a., & shockley, k. m. (2020). conducting quantitative data analysis. in analysing quantitative data for business and management students. serevina, v., & priane, w. t. (2021). development of online learning device based on demonstration models on heat transfer materials. journal of physics: conference series, j. phys.: conf. ser. 1876 012074, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1876/1/012074. snyder, k., koustas, s., & jillson, c. (2020). sustainability reporting at universities with multiple platforms. sustainability, 13(5), 23-34. https://doi.org/10.1089/sus.2020.0039. sobri, m., nursaptini, n., & novitasari, s. (2020). mewujudkan kemandirian belajar melalui pembelajaran berbasis daring di perguruan tinggi pada era industri 4.0. jurnal pendidikan glasser, 4(1), 33-47. https://doi.org/10.32529/glasser.v4i1.373. suwarno, b. (2020). acquisition planning for regional indigenous heritage languages in indonesia. sage journals, 25(2), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1177%2f2158244020948843. uswatunnisa, u. (2020). an analyzing of english national exam: test of english proficiency for student. elt worldwide: journal of english language teaching, 7(1), 62-69. https://doi.org/10.26858/eltww.v7i1.13722. utami, f. s., pabbajah, m., & juhansar, j., (2018). the implementation of jumbled-sentences toward students’ skill in writing report text. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 115124. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1501. who. (2020). coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19): situation report – 38. 27 february 2020. in who. wijayanengtias, m., & claretta, d. (2020). student perceptions of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. kanal: jurnal ilmu komunikasi, 9(1), 16-21. https://doi.org/10.21070/kanal.v9i1.685. zein, s. (2019). english, multilingualism and globalisation in indonesia. english today, 35(1), 48-53. https://doi.org/10.1017/s026607841800010x. zulfa, s., & effendi, a. (2021). teacher’s illocutionary acts in online learning interactions. jurnal pendidikan dan pengajaran, 54(1), 28-37. http://dx.doi.org/10.23887/jpp.v54i1. andi mukarramah nagauleng & ahmad mustamir waris independent learning in english online class during covid-19 pandemic: students perceptions and its challenges 748 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 37 an alternative digital feedback through screencast: blended learning practices on academic writing syifa khuriyatuz zahro english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas islam darul ulum, lamongan, indonesia email: syifazahro@unisda.ac.id apa citation: zahro, s. k. (2023). alternative feedback through screencast: action research practices and perception on academic writing classroom. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 37-46. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.6886 received: 21-08-2022 accepted: 25-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction english writing ability has become more prominent to master to get success in schools, workplaces, and daily life matters (graham, 2019). moreover, the technological advance throughout this digital era urges people to reflect on english writing ability as the only written communication option to choose from in most document-needed-based fields (selvaraj & aziz, 2019). most people in particular fields are required to master how to write any letters, or documents in english so well that they must have learned it in schools or colleges. jusun and yunus (2018) point out that writing in english has been regarded as the most challenging skill to teach and learn by people whose english is their foreign language. as a mandatory skill to teach in efl classes, the process of teaching english writing is therefore required a big thoughtfulness portion of their writing skill enhancement bound for achieving high-quality writing for efl students. in classroom practice, copious problems have been found experienced by teachers during teaching english writing in efl blended-learning classes. academic writing class owns a number of teaching and learning problems. the preliminary study on writing class problems has shown that 85% of them found that understanding text feedback by the teachers through the microsoft word© comments feature on their drafts was somehow problematic. in response to questions about the learning practice of academic writing class, 70% of students admitted that the problem was getting themselves disciplined either in writing drafts or revision processes. on the contrary, the teachers believed that blended learning in writing classes is dependent on students’ revision results which are built essentially from their understanding of the feedback provided by the teachers. understanding the feedback affects how students write the revision. those who do not completely understand the teachers’ feedback possibly will write the revised version of their draft solely based on what they understand which can result in inappropriateness. the inappropriate revision not only wastes the time in revision and abstract: aiming at elucidating screencast use as alternative digital feedback in the academic writing class throughout blended learning, screencast was alternative digital feedback that was investigated in classroom action research with three cycles. the three cycles were performed with three diverse styles of feedback; using text feedback, using screencast feedback without the teacher’s appearance, and using screencast feedback with the teacher’s appearance. each cycle was done in four stages; planning, implementation, observation, and reflection of each type of feedback. in every cycle, data were collected through participant observation, documentation, and survey techniques. the obtained data from the observation and documentation were analyzed by descriptive qualitative technique, while the survey results were first analyzed using the percentage formula, then interpreted descriptively. all the analysis results were triangulated. the results discovered that screencast feedback was successfully implemented and evidenced to enhance students' writing skills. the success was proved by the higher number of students who passed the passing score as competent writers. given screencast feedback, students found it was helpful, clear, and easy. also, they felt an increased teacher-student interpersonal relation, improved teacher praise, and a conversation-like atmosphere during screencast feedback with an additional teacher’s visual presence. several teachers’ reflections from each cycle were also discussed further. in conclusion, screencast was implemented successfully in academic writing courses and was able to enhance students’ scientific article writing. keywords: academic writing; blended learning; screencast feedback. syifa khuriyatuz zahro alternative feedback through screencast: action research practices and perception on academic writing classroom 38 editing stages but also influences feedback ineffectiveness. the fact that the selection of appropriate feedback affects the feedback quality (carless & boud, 2018), and reduces students' difficulties in understanding the feedback is unquestionably essential. appropriate feedback also affects students’ revision which enhances and yields a better-quality of their scientific article. the problem of students' inability to accurately understand teachers’ text feedback was rooted in a single type of feedback selection. integrating text feedback with audio-visual feedback during the teachers’ review process is one of the solutions. electronic feedback over screencast is one digital video or audio-visual feedback type that allows teachers to join text, audio, and video feedback to show how students can revise appropriately and improve their writing quality. creating screencasts as video form feedback is employed through various software like screencast-o-matic (mota & vivancos, 2018). mota and vivancos (2018) further revealed that utilizing screencasts during teaching which is discovered as brief, userfriendly, and ideal technology revealed to be useful to explain concepts and procedures and potentially help students to conquer the material (savaşçı & akçor, 2022). as a result, screencast feedback is evidenced to be beneficial in teaching and learning. past studies examining screencast feedback in writing mostly resulted in a positive response to its implementation (bakla, 2020; cunningham, 2019; cunningham & link, 2021; ghosn-chelala & al-chibani, 2018; kim, 2018; maharani & santosa, 2021; zubaidi, 2021), proved to be able to enhance students writing performance and progress since it encouraged better comprehension, user-friendly, engagement, and active listening (cunningham, 2019; ghosnchelala & al-chibani, 2018; kim, 2018; maharani & santosa, 2021), provided boundless for teacher-students social relationship (cunningham & link, 2021) and audio-visual feedback provision evidenced to be more effective to decrease students procrastination in doing the revisions (nourinezhad et al., 2021). in terms of methodological use, past studies on screencast in writing were dominated by an experimental study (cunningham & link, 2021; nourinezhad et al., 2021), a descriptive qualitative method (maharani & santosa, 2021), a mixed method (bakla, 2020; kim, 2018), a case study (ghosn-chelala & al-chibani, 2018; irwin, 2019) and perceptions toward screencast feedback (cunningham, 2019; zubaidi, 2021). literature studies on the screencast feedback overview on writing have also been done by a lot of researchers up to nowadays (bakla, 2018; mali & santosa, 2021; pachuashvili, 2021). however, classroom action research investigating screencast feedback was found to enhance students' reflection on the microteaching course (odo, 2022) and to enhance students’ intelligence of their verbal linguistics (hasanudin & fitrianingsih, 2018). accordingly, no research on screencast was found to relate to the writing class as a solution to the encountered problem during the writing class. it is observable that past studies do not talk about how screencast feedback served as solving problems implemented in writing classes designed for classroom action research as two irregularities were found between the teachers' perception and their actual practices of screencast feedback (zubaidi, 2021). another hole found from a past study that students inconsistently preferred one of the three feedback modes (written, audio, and screencast feedback) but they emphasized the potential benefits of each mode since the comparison of three feedback modes (written, audio, and screencast feedback) resulted in no difference to students’ revision (bakla, 2020). screencasts in this research are directed to enhance teachers’ feedback clarity and quality to enhance students’ scientific article writing within an academic writing course. academic writing is a two-credit course aimed at training students on how to write a scientific article in a wellorganized, precise structured, full-content, and up-to-date and avoid plagiarism practices. by selecting and applying screencast feedback, it is expected that students take advantage of the audio-visual technology for their articles to get better continuously. for that reason, this research works to solve students’ problems in understanding teachers’ feedback and enhance students’ scientific article writing using screencast feedback as video feedback. the aforementioned problems and offered solutions lead to generating one grand research question to answer; “how screencast feedback practices in academic writing through blended learning classes can enhance students’ scientific article writing?” for that reason, current research is targeted to explicate the practices and perceptions on screencasts as video feedback in an academic writing course to enhance students’ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 39 skills in scientific article writing. method the research was designed in a classroom action research where the researcher plans, teaches, observes, does a self-reflection of the teaching process as well as evaluates the whole by trying to offer the solution in the teaching process concurrently to enhance students’ learning experience (meesuk et al., 2020) in accordance to the encountered problems. in this research, problems were found in a preliminary observation of an academic writing course with blended learning circumstances. students got difficulties revising their writing because of the inadequate feedback selection applied to comment on their drafts in earlier classes. the second-year students from english education program study in universitas islam darul ‘ulum lamongan who enrolled academic writing course were involved as participants in the research. a total of 25 students enrolled in academic writing courses who have passed essay writing and paragraph writing courses in earlier terms as pre-requisite courses. since the course requires students to use a productive skill in writing, a combination of theory delivery and its practice. to get better results from the practice, feedback is essential to apply. various kinds of feedback were executed during the process of practice. the design of classroom action research by kemmis (2021) as a central base underlying this research method was implemented in three cycles with three diverse styles of feedback done in four stages; planning, implementation, observation, and reflection of each type of feedback (eilks, 2018). the first cycle was using text feedback given by commenting on students’ first drafts of their documents files. cycles 2 and 3 were using screencast feedback in the form of video screencasts. in cycle 2, the teacher used a screencast by combining oral comments (audio) and actions in the form of a typed comment on the screen (video) to show how students can revise appropriately their drafts. cycle 3 was implemented screencast with the additional use of a webcam to show the teacher's appearance during the screencasting. the screencast software used was "screencast-o-matic", a software that can easily record and edit videos that have already been extensively applied in blended learning education and are currently popular because of its ease and communicative ability (pachuashvili, 2021). screencast-o-matic is a screen capture tool that allows users to add a webcam or narration so that they can personalize the videos such as adding text, shapes, or images (pachuashvili, 2021). in july 2021, pachuashvili (2021) further evaluated based on the screencast website that screencasto-matic was used in 190 countries with more than 60,000,000 screens already taken. in addition, two kinds of data and data sources were obtained in this classroom action research. the data and the data sources obtained along with the instruments used in this research can be seen as depicted in table 1 below. table 1. research data, data source, and instrument data data sources instrument the practice of each type of feedback students’ drafts before and after feedback giving documents, field notes the perceptions toward each type of feedback students' responses to each type of feedback questionnair e in every cycle, data were collected through participant observation, documentation, and survey techniques. the observation was performed by field notes based on each kind of feedback. the documentation was also employed by collecting students’ scientific article writing in the form of a first draft, several revisions, and a final paper in all cycles. once the implementation of each cycle was completed along with the teacher’s observation, students filled out a survey questionnaire to identify their problems, obstacles, and perceptions related to the experience of using the feedback type to improve their scientific article writing skills. the result of each cycle survey functioned as guidance for ensuing cycles. the whole obtained data from the observation and documentation were analyzed by descriptive qualitative technique. moreover, the survey results were first analyzed using the percentage formula, then were interpreted descriptively consistent with the percentage results. all the analysis results were triangulated so that the data were related to each other to explain the overall results. at the end of each cycle, the evaluation of students’ writing progress was assessed through a writing analytical scoring rubric to obtain students' writing scores. to state the implementation of screencast feedback as a success, minimally 70% of students’ writing syifa khuriyatuz zahro alternative feedback through screencast: action research practices and perception on academic writing classroom 40 scores are equal to or higher than 70 which is categorized as competent writers. furthermore, competent writers who obtained equal to or higher than 90 are classified as very competent writers. those whose scores were under 70 were categorized as moderate writers if their scores were above 50, while students who got lower than 50 were considered incompetent writers. results and discussion as written in the semester learning plan of academic writing course under the research, it proposes one grand learning outcome that students are expected to be able to master language principles and systems of writing a scientific article and apply them honestly and with full of responsibility. to reach the learning outcome, students have to master five subexpected learning outcomes; 1) mastering the basic concept of a scientific article, 2) mastering language principles of scientific article writing, 3) mastering the organization of scientific article writing 4) applying systems of scientific article writing, 5) producing a good scientific article. to master the learning outcomes, students were informed about the concept of a scientific article and subsequently trained to master the language principles ability of scientific article writing to quote directly, paraphrase, summarize, select reporting verbs, and list references as well as trained to organize scientific article ideas before starting to write during four weeks online and offline learning. in week five, students started to select a topic and write a draft of an introduction. the introduction was further given comments in the form of hand-written feedback accompanied by oral feedback through face-toface consultation sessions and typed-comment feedback through microsoft office word comments in online mode. the revision of their first draft of the introduction was submitted in week 7 and provided a similar to previous feedback. students' second revision of their introduction writing was submitted as their midterm project in week 8. the weeks after the mid-term were the introduction and implementation of the screencast. the first screencast feedback was given on students’ second revision of the introduction handed in during week 9. in the following week, they had to write the article body along subsequently another screencast feedback was provided. after students handed in the first revision of the article body, another screencast feedback was presented in week 11. the submission of the second revision of the article body was given screencast feedback with an additional teacher’s presence on the video. additionally, the last part of the article writing is the conclusion writing submitted in week 13 and was given screencast feedback with the teacher’s appearance on the video. after submitting students’ revision of the conclusion writing along with the screencast feedback in week 14, they were ought to submit all section of their article in week 15 and was given screencast feedback before the final submission of their article. week 16 was the due-date submission of their final article involving the introduction, body, and conclusion. throughout 16 weeks of meeting both online and face-to-face modes of academic writing courses, observation, documents, and a survey revealed numerous vital motives of screencast feedback preference to text feedback for students. the subsequent are the details of each cycle's findings. text feedback practices in academic writing class during (cycle 1) after learning the language principle’s ability of scientific article writing, students were required to write a draft of an introduction on a certain topic which consists of the article's background, and its objective. in general, most of them addressed a good topic but missed particular points for instance paragraph organization and topic relevance. in cycle 1 completed in 2 week-meetings, the teacher gave hand-written comments on students' printed drafts where some students and teachers were engaged in face-to-face consultation sessions during offline learning. in addition, due to the time limitation in offline learning, another type of feedback was further applied during online learning mode by giving feedback on some of the students’ drafts by providing commentary on their document using microsoft office word comments and track changes features. the result of comments in both modes was used as students’ references to revise the draft. during the face-to-face consultation session, students asked several questions in response to hand-written comments they do not understand well. most of the questions were related to global issues including topic focus, organization, and topic appropriateness. the teacher gave explanations and suggestions orally to reorganize their ideas based on their selected topics. some english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 41 topics that were too broad were recommended to find a more specific and narrow topic to focus on. others needed to reorganize their paragraphs to be structurally coherent. the typed feedback through microsoft office word comments also addressed a similar issue. most of the feedback was related to paragraph organization, topic relevance, and focus. though most of the issues that arose were global issues, their revision was mostly not satisfied with only 23% of the global issues commented on being successfully revised. on the other hand, local issues addressing diction, grammar, and punctuation were significantly better with 81% revision success since the teacher merely gave corrections. as an attempt to reflect both hand-written and typed feedback implemented in cycle 1, students’ perceptions of both feedback modes were documented through questionnaires. despite the effectiveness of direct written feedback in certain elements like error type and students’ level of writing ability as proposed by al harrasi (2019), the result of the survey indicated a significant issue in offline consultation sessions that 75% of them were unsuccessful to remember what the teacher had explained and suggested writing in their revision. for this reason, they preferred typed feedback to hand-written comments. additionally, although text feedback through typed word comments was considered suitable to use toward writing issues at a local level (mao & crosthwaite, 2019), it also created another problem where 85% of them found understanding and comprehending some typed feedback was complicated. the inadequate comprehension and understanding of the typed comment feedback led to problems in the revision writing. the result of the students’ writing assessment showed that only 40% of the students were detected as competent writers whose scores were equal to and or higher than 70, another 40% were regarded as moderate writers and 20% of them were observed as incompetent writers. the teacher reflected on the result of the document study of students’ revision that most of them failed to revise the commented part both given orally during face-to-face consultation or written and typed comments on their draft. some students seemed not to focus during face-to-face consultation sessions so they may fail to recall the comments during their revision writing and leading to being unsuccessful in writing the revision. for the unsuccessful revision and to accommodate the found problems of the ineffectiveness of text feedback in both offline and online modes, an alternative feedback type must be sought and implemented further. screencasts feedback practices in academic writing class (cycle 2) the alternative feedback provided by the teacher was screencast, digital video feedback recording anything commented orally and textually on screen and saved to a device minimizing the problem of failure to recall and comprehend the feedback commented. screencast feedback was planned and implemented to be alternative feedback used for the rest of the meetings. the implementation of the screencast as digital video feedback was accomplished in two cycles. the first cycle was completed by combining the teacher’s oral feedback through audio and her written feedback by adding text comments through microsoft office word comments. students’ second revision as a final revision of introduction writing was the first screencast feedback implemented in cycle 2. accomplished in three weeks' meetings, the second and third screencasts in cycle two were provided as feedback on students’ draft of body writing and its first revision. students’ first response to the first screencast feedback they received was positive as they were enthusiastic and interested in it during the faceto-face meeting discussing a general overview of their writing progress. the positive perception of screencast compared to written feedback was in line with harper et al. (2018), kim (2018), and bush (2021) who also found that screencast was perceived positively to be more enjoyable than written feedback. furthermore, screencast feedback was believed to be helpful, clear, and easy as revealed from the survey of screencast feedback in cycle 2. the majority of students (92%) perceived screencast feedback as able to help them to lead their revision writing in ideas reformation, draft reorganization, and revision points direction. in other words, screencast was able to assist students to address inquiries on what, how, and where to revise because they were provided explanations on the reasons certain points were written inaccurately. recorded oral along with text feedback shared on the video screen was considered to be the source of the helpfulness. this perceived helpfulness was supported by cheng and li (2020) as well as cunningham (2019) who also found that screencast was helpful. a further student’s positive perception of screencast feedback was it was clear. they syifa khuriyatuz zahro alternative feedback through screencast: action research practices and perception on academic writing classroom 42 assessed screencast feedback as clear for the reason that the given explanation, suggestions, and examples were perceived by 80% of the students to influence them to understand clearly the points to revise. students’ writing errors were exposed on the screen while the teacher was giving an oral explanation, and suggestions to write in the revision. both exposures to the errors and direct-oral explanation given on screencast led to them stating screencast feedback as clear which supported cunningham's (2019) statement about screencast as clear. screencast was also measured as a feedback type that is easy to trace, understand, and access (84%). students felt that the screencast was easy to trace backward and forward points by clicking particular points evaluated as being able to minimize the failure to recall the comments so that they found it was also easy to understand in facilitating their revision writing. both easy-totrace and easy-understand screencasts were consistent with cunningham (2019) who found students’ perception of screencast feedback as easy. an additional easiness perception found in this research was easy to access where they could access it through the phone. however, two arising issues were nearly half of the students and the teacher assessed it as time-consuming and the teachers reflected the absence of teacher visual presence. one problem found during the first screencast feedback giving was the long duration of the video which was weighed as time-consuming in some way. few students (20%) agreed that screencast was timeconsuming, half of them responded neutrally for screencast was time-consuming (52%) and only 28% of them disagreed with the statement that screencast was time-consuming. the timeconsuming issue is critically found contradictory to what cheng and li (2020) claimed that most of the students assessed screencast feedback did not consume their time because they revise less time. furthermore, the reflection made by the teacher from the screencast videos was that a few of the screencast video length was 20 minutes which is in accordance with zijden et al. (2021) finding that teachers’ negative experience with screencast feedback was rooted in their view of its uneasiness and inefficiency. to solve the long screencast video given at the early phase in the second cycle when the teacher was still new to working with screencast-o-matic, subsequent screencast videos given at the second and third phases of the cycle had shorter duration as the teacher had already accustomed to using it. therefore, the second screencast feedback video provided was limited to 8 minutes in maximal so that students worrying about the long duration was expected to be resolved. in cycle 2, the number of competent writers has increased. a number of 16 students with a percentage of 64% were observed gaining scores equal to and or higher than 70. furthermore, 2 of them got scores above 90 indicating very competent writers. on the other hand, incompetent writers were seen to decrease where only 12% of the students got a score under 50. the rest 24% of them were moderate writers which were reduced by 16% from the previous cycle. another emerging issue was the teacher’s visual presence. in the second cycle, the screencast videos contained audio as the teacher’s oral feedback and screen exposure as the teacher’s written feedback without the additional visual presence of the teacher. cheng and li (2020) believed that the teacher’s visual presence was proven to improve social and personal values among the teacher and students which can motivate them to revise their manuscript writing. therefore, the next cycle must be implemented with the additional teacher’s visual presence to encourage them to rewrite their article. screencasts feedback practices with teacher’s visual presence in academic writing class (cycle 3) in cycle three, screencast feedback given to the students was similar to the former cycle with an additional teacher’s visual presence via webcam. the implementation of a webcam as an additional teacher’s visual presence during screencast feedback was expected to strengthen the teacher’s and student's social and personal relations (cheng & li, 2020) and to give more encouragement to the students to write an accurate revision of commented manuscripts. four screencast videos were provided to the students where one screencast video feedback on their second revision of the article body, two screencast videos toward their conclusion draft and its final revision, and one screencast video feedback to cover the overall part of each student’s article. the final revision of the article was assessed as their final exam grade which was used to evaluate the implementation of screencast feedback with additional teachers’ visual presence. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 43 after observing and comparing documents between screencasts in the second cycle and the third with the additional teacher’s visual appearance, it was noticeable that both of them have successfully directed students’ accurate revision on both local and global issues of writing. more noticeably, comparing global issues commented on through text feedback, screencast feedback more significantly engaged students to write the revision successfully with around 75% of the global issues being correctly revised. however, a few local issues commented on through screencast feedback without any text feedback have no change indicating that a few of the commented local issues were ignored without any revision. from this result, the teacher needs to carefully address the local issue by including text feedback. even though screencast can cover overall feedback on both local and global issues, the teachers were required to give appropriate portions of text and screencast feedback to obtain the accurate result of students’ revisions. global issues like content and organization were recommended to be commented on through screencast feedback as students found it difficult to understand the text feedback on global issues (cheng & li, 2020). the survey in the third cycle addressed the additional feature use of a webcam for the teacher’s visual appearance on the video. as predicted, 92% of students favored screencasts with the teacher’s presence since it was considered to have enhanced student-teacher interpersonal relations, improved teacher praise, and a conversation-like atmosphere. most of the students (88%) assessed screencast with the teacher’s visual presence enhancing studentteacher interpersonal connection. they declared that watching video feedback with the teacher’s appearance gave them a touch of a synchronouslearning experience where the teacher was virtually present and commented on their writing. such experience upgraded interpersonal relations between the teacher and the student which aligns with cunningham (2019) and cheng and li (2020) who found an interpersonal improvement to contribute to students’ positive perception of screencast feedback. another result of the survey was the improvement in teacher praise. around 76% of the students reflected that four given videos of screencast feedback with the teacher’s presence gained more teacher praise where the teacher was satisfied with the some of students' revision results which were assessed as successful revision. the improved teacher praise perception towards students' revision results after having commented through screencast feedback supported killingback et al. (2019) finding which noted the improvement of teacher praise perception affected students’ work. the reflection about the improved praise was that the points given feedback through screencast were mostly successfully revised accurately. accurate revisions made by students led the teacher to give more prises when doing screencast feedback. one more perception of students toward screencast feedback with the teacher’s visual presence was a feeling of a conversation-like atmosphere. most of the students, precisely around 80% of them felt comfortable listening to the screencast video feedback since the explanation provided turned out to be a conversation rather than comments. the teacher reflected that a total of seven videos of screencast feedback resulted in the teachers’ custom to practice it and eventually changed the way the teacher gave the feedback especially when the teacher visually appeared in the screencast video. the conversation-like atmosphere perception during screencast feedback with the teacher’s visual presence accords with mahoney et al. (2019), wood (2022), and mohammed and alharbi (2022) who found that through video feedback, a conversation can be obtained rather than text comments. the final result of the writer category was obtained after the students' final article was assessed. the percentage of competent writers was 72% where 18 out of 25 students got a score higher than 70. among those competent writers, 3 of them gained a score of more than 90 considered very competent writers. furthermore, moderate writers were found in 4 out of 25 students with a percentage of 16%, a decrease of 8% compared to the previous cycle (24%). similar to the previous cycle, incompetent writers were 3 out of 25 students who had a score under 50. based on the final evaluation above, it can be stated that the implementation of screencast feedback was successfully practiced as alternative feedback due to the 72% accomplishment of students' scores above 70. therefore, writing teachers are recommended to take advantage of screencasts to provide video feedback on students writing. conclusion the implementation of screencast feedback in academic writing classes proved to be successful and was able to enhance students’ scientific syifa khuriyatuz zahro alternative feedback through screencast: action research practices and perception on academic writing classroom 44 article writing skills. students measured it positively for its helpfulness in guiding revision writing, its clarity in understanding the comments, and its easiness of access. at first, the teacher did not accustom to using screencast was a source of their long duration and negative perception, the limitation of video feedback duration then solved the problem. an added teacher’s visual presence via webcam during screencast feedback also increased teacherstudent interpersonal relations and teacher praise, as well as gave a conversation-like atmosphere. as to minimize the time-consuming problem, the teacher must get himself accustomed to it by practicing it more often. since this study was limited to the implementation of screencasts without considering participants’ external, internal, or psychological factors, upcoming research on screencasts may investigate those factors to contribute to the practice and success of article writing. further research may also include students practicing peer feedback by using screencast to see the difference between the teacher's and students' screencast feedback practices. acknowledgment with gratitude, we are inclined to acknowledge diktiristek indonesia for providing us with financial support through the research grants for the accomplishment of this classroom action research. references al harrasi, s. n. m. (2019). the effectiveness of direct and indirect written corrective feedback in improving the grammatical accuracy of omani efl learners [master’s thesis: university of stirling]. https://www.storre.stir.ac.uk/handle/1893/2984 6#.y_eeqhzbzrc bakla, a. (2018). an overview of screencast feedback in efl writing: fad or the future? in international foreign language teaching and teaching turkish as a foreign language, (pp. 319-332). bakla, a. (2020). a mixed methods study of feedback modes in l2 writing. language learning & technology, 24(1), 107–128. bush, j. c. (2021). using screencasting to give feedback for academic writing. innovation in language learning and teaching, 15(5), 473– 486. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/1750122 9.2020.1840571 carless, d., & boud, d. (2018). the development of student feedback literacy: enabling uptake of feedback. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 43(8), 1315–1325. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.146335 4 cheng, d., & li, m. (2020). screencast video feedback in online tesol classes. computers and composition, 58, 102612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2020.10261 2 cunningham, k. j. (2019). student perceptions and use of technology-mediated text and screencast feedback in esl writing. computers and composition, 52, 222–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2019.02.00 3 cunningham, k. j., & link, s. (2021). video and text feedback on esl writing: understanding attitude and negotiating relationships. journal of second language writing, 52(june), 100797. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2021.100797 eilks, i. (2018). action research in science education: a twenty-year personal perspective. action research and innovation in science education, 1(1), 3–14. ghosn-chelala, m., & al-chibani, w. (2018). screencasting: supportive feedback for efl remedial writing students. the international journal of information and learning technology, 35(3), 146–159. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/ijilt08-2017-0075 graham, s. (2019). changing how writing is taught. review of research in education, 43(1), 277– 303. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732x18821125 harper, f., green, h., & fernandez-toro, m. (2018). using screencasts in the teaching of modern languages: investigating the use of jing® in feedback on written assignments. the language learning journal, 46(3), 277–292. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/0957173 6.2015.1061586 hasanudin, c., & fitrianingsih, a. (2018). the implementation of flipped classroom using screencasto-matic to improve students’ verbal linguistic intelligence. international journal of engineering & technology, 7(4.15), 435–439. irwin, b. (2019). enhancing peer feedback practices through screencasts in blended academic writing courses. jalt call journal, 15(1), 43–59. jusun, k. d., & yunus, m. m. (2018). the effectiveness of using sentence makers in improving writing performance among pupils in lubok antu rural schools. international conference on education (ice2) 2018: education and innovation in science in the digital era, 469–475. kemmis, s. (2021). improving education through english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 45 action research. in action research for change and development (pp. 57–75). routledge. killingback, c., ahmed, o., & williams, j. (2019). ‘it was all in your voice’-tertiary student perceptions of alternative feedback modes (audio, video, podcast, and screencast): a qualitative literature review. nurse education today, 72, 32–39. kim, v. (2018). technology-enhanced feedback on student writing in the english-medium instruction classroom. english teaching, 73(4), 29–53. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15858/engtea. 73.4.201812.29 maharani, a. a. p., & santosa, m. h. (2021). the implementation of process approach combined with screencast-o-maticand bookcreator to improve students’ argumentative writing. llt journal: a journal on language and language teaching, 24(1), 12–22. mahoney, p., macfarlane, s., & ajjawi, r. (2019). a qualitative synthesis of video feedback in higher education. teaching in higher education, 24(2), 157–179. mali, y. c. g., & santosa, m. h. (2021). screencasto-matic to support efl teaching and learning amidst the covid-19 pandemic. beyond words, 9(2), 81–90. mao, s. s., & crosthwaite, p. (2019). investigating written corrective feedback: (mis) alignment of teachers’ beliefs and practice. journal of second language writing, 45, 46–60. mohammed, m. a. s., & alharbi, m. a. (2022). cultivating learners’ technology-mediated dialogue of feedback in writing: processes, potentials and limitations. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 47(6), 942– 958. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293 8.2021.1969637 mota, s. m., & vivancos, s. b. (2018). screencasting: its characteristics and some applications for providing feedback in language learning. in j. mccullough & e. lockhart (eds.), proceedings. apac-elt conference (pp. 33– 38). https://www.escolapissarria.cat/wpcontent/uploads/2018/10/october_2018issue_87.pdf#page=33 nourinezhad, s., hadipourfard, e., & bavali, m. (2021). the impact of audio-visual feedback on academic writing task procrastination. teaching english language journal, 15(2), 173–200. https://doi.org/10.22132/tel.2021.128965 odo, d. m. (2022). an action research investigation of the impact of using online feedback videos to promote self-reflection on the microteaching of preservice efl teachers. systemic practice and action research, 35(3), 327–343. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-021-09575-8 pachuashvili, n. (2021). screencast video feedback and its implication on english as a foreign language (efl) writing. european scientific journal, esj, 17(33), 66–66. https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2021.v17n33p66 savaşçı, m., & akçor, g. (2022). multimodal technology-mediated feedback in second language writing classes through screencasting bt new directions in technology for writing instruction. in g. yangın-ekşi, s. akayoglu, & l. anyango (eds.), new directions in technology for writing instruction. english language education, 30 (pp. 107–122). springer international publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13540-8_6 selvaraj, m., & aziz, a. a. (2019). systematic review: approaches in teaching writing skill in esl classrooms. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 8(4), 450–473. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v8-i4/6564 wood, j. (2022). making peer feedback work: the contribution of technology-mediated dialogic peer feedback to feedback uptake and literacy. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 47(3), 327–346. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293 8.2021.1914544 zijden, j. van der, scheerens, j., & wijsman, l. (2021). experiences and understanding of screencast feedback on written reports in the bachelor pharmacy. transformative dialogues: teaching and learning journal, 14(1), 46–67. zubaidi, n. (2021). efl lecturers’ perception and practice of screencast feedback. jeels (journal of english education and linguistics studies), 8(1), 1–25. syifa khuriyatuz zahro alternative feedback through screencast: action research practices and perception on academic writing classroom 46 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1001 exploring the correlation of sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency, and how learners perceived them nur fariha master’s degree in english language education, universitas muhamadiyah gresik, gresik, indonesia email: nurfariha94english@gmail.com khoirul anwar master’s degree in english language education, universitas muhamadiyah gresik, gresik, indonesia email: khoirulanwar@umg.ac.id nirwanto maruf master’s degree in english language education, universitas muhamadiyah gresik, gresik, indonesia email: nirwanto.maruf@umg.ac.id apa citation: fariha, n., anwar, k., & maruf, n. (2023). exploring the correlation of sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency, and how learners perceived them. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 1001-1012. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.9083 received: 11-06-2023 accepted: 22-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 introduction language acquisition extends far beyond grammar and vocabulary; it delves into the intricacies of sociolinguistic competence, essential for effective communication (geeslin, 2021; kanwit & geeslin, 2020a, 2020b). imagine two individuals, both fluent speakers of a language, yet one adeptly navigating social nuances while the other struggles. this discrepancy underscores the significance of sociolinguistic competence and its link to speaking proficiency among language learners. the field of sociolinguistics has long recognized language as a multifaceted tool shaped by social contexts (göy, 2019; kanwit & solon, 2022; gnevsheva, 2022; rampton, 2021; wang et al., 2023). while studies have dissected linguistic structures, the correlation between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency remains a focal point, shaping the landscape of language acquisition (ahmed & pawar, 2018; bagmanova abstract: this study aims to explore the correlation between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency in language learners while examining their perceptions of these aspects. conducted using a mixed-methods approach, the research gathered data from 65 participants across multiple universities in lamongan regency, east java, indonesia. quantitative analysis involved test of english as a foreign language (toefl) scores, structured surveys, and questionnaires assessing sociolinguistic competence. qualitative insights were obtained from in-depth interviews, illuminating participants' experiences, beliefs, and challenges in diverse social settings related to language use. quantitative findings indicate a strong correlation between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency. the pearson correlation coefficient for "sociolinguistic competence" was 1.000, confirming a perfect positive correlation, while the correlation between "sociolinguistic competence" and "speaking proficiency" was .688, signifying a robust positive correlation. similarly, "speaking proficiency" exhibited a .688 correlation with sociolinguistic competence. qualitative insights emphasized themes such as sociolinguistic norms, language preferences, and challenges in communicative contexts. participants stressed the importance of adhering to sociolinguistic norms, showcased preferences for specific language styles in diverse contexts, and highlighted challenges in multilingual environments. the study solidifies the significant correlation between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency among participants, emphasizing the pivotal role of sociolinguistic competence in enhancing speaking proficiency. these outcomes stress the reciprocal influence between these dimensions in language learning, emphasizing the need for tailored language learning strategies incorporating sociocultural dimensions. future research may delve into implementing sociolinguistic approaches in language education to enhance learners' communicative skills and sociolinguistic awareness. keywords: language learners; sociolinguistics competence; speaking proficiency. mailto:nurfariha94english@gmail.com mailto:khoirulanwar@umg.ac.id mailto:nirwanto.maruf@umg.ac.id nur fariha, khoirul anwar, & nirwanto maruf exploring the correlation of sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency, and how learners perceived them 1002 et al., 2020; gulomova, 2021; martinez & de vera, 2019; sabri thabit saleh ahmed & sunil v. pawar, 2018). explorations into this nexus have uncovered fundamental yet evolving patterns in language learning, urging further investigation into its depths. within this context, this research probes the intricate relationship between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency among language learners. the specific problem lies in delineating the extent to which sociolinguistic competence influences speaking proficiency and vice versa among individuals engaged in language acquisition. recent empirical evidence indicates that sociolinguistic competence significantly impacts an individual's speaking proficiency. studies suggest that an individual's ability to comprehend and appropriately utilize linguistic markers of social relations, politeness conventions, register differences, dialects, and accents greatly influences their spoken communication prowess (hasanah et al., 2019b, 2019a; minggirovna, 2019). conversely, one's proficiency in verbal communication may also mould their sociolinguistic competence, illustrating a dynamic relationship between the two facets of language acquisition (blommaert, 2012; geeslin & long, 2020; gumartifa, 2022; arifin et al., 2022). studies have shown that individuals with high sociolinguistic competence tend to exhibit superior speaking proficiency, navigating diverse social contexts with linguistic dexterity (chaouche, 2017; hedia, 2022a, 2022b; liu, 2021). on the other hand, individuals struggling with spoken communication often exhibit deficits in sociolinguistic knowledge, impeding their ability to effectively convey intended meanings (beebe, 1980; chaya, 2022; rohmeyer et al., 2017). navigating through this uncharted terrain, the primary objective of this study is to unravel the interconnectedness of sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency. by employing a mixedmethods approach integrating quantitative assessments and qualitative insights, this research aims to not only identify correlations but also elucidate the underlying dynamics shaping language learners' abilities in social language use and verbal communication. through this endeavour, the study endeavours to contribute a nuanced understanding that transcends conventional language learning paradigms, offering insights into the integral relationship between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency among language learners. sociolinguistic competence encompasses a comprehensive set of skills essential for effective communication within diverse social contexts. it refers to an individual's ability to comprehend and appropriately use linguistic markers, adapting language to suit various social situations, and navigate interactions within a particular speech community (stuart-smith, 2018; minggirovna, 2019; wang et al., 2023; swann & deumert, 2018). the multifaceted nature of sociolinguistic competence involves several components: first, understanding social contexts: individuals with high sociolinguistic competence possess a keen awareness of social settings (gordon & tannen, 2023); deborah schiffrin, 2006; gordon, 2010), comprehending the appropriate linguistic choices and behaviours expected in various contexts, such as formal versus informal situations or interactions among different social groups. second, politeness and register: proficiency in sociolinguistic competence also involves the ability to gauge and utilize appropriate politeness strategies and linguistic registers according to the formality and social hierarchy of the communication setting (levinson, 1987; brown & levinson, 2011). the last, dialects and accents: competence in sociolinguistics encompasses the ability to comprehend and use dialectal variations and accents within a language, demonstrating flexibility in language usage across diverse linguistic communities (bernard spolsky, 2006; toomaneejinda & saengboon, 2022). the exploration of sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency among language learners within existing literature exposes critical limitations. predominantly, research endeavours have been confined to specific language learner groups primarily situated in controlled environments within english-speaking countries. this restricted focus has inadequately represented the broader spectrum of language learners, excluding diverse linguistic and cultural contexts (martinez & de vera, 2019; booven, 2018). moreover, the literature predominantly concentrates on establishing statistical correlations between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency, often overlooking contextual intricacies and socio-cultural factors influencing language acquisition (agnihotri & khanna, 1994; kyuchukov et al., 2018; mohammed, 2019) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1003 an alternative discourse within the literature acknowledges the potential complexity inherent in the correlation between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency among language learners. this recognition emphasizes the necessity for comprehensive research designs that transcend the limitations of quantitative approaches. studies such as stress the need for nuanced investigations that amalgamate both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. these methodologies delve deeper into contextual nuances, learning strategies, and socio-cultural influences, offering a more holistic understanding of the relationship between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency among language learners (bagirova, 2023; train, 2003; чернобровкина & chernobrovkina, 2016). further exploration into factors influencing the correlation between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency sheds light on the multifaceted nature of this relationship. varied factors, including the socio-cultural background of learners, the context of language acquisition, and the adaptability of learners to diverse linguistic environments, significantly impact the manifestation of sociolinguistic competence in speaking proficiency (chválová & petrášová, 2020; nayimova, 2021; savchenko, 2021; tursunovich, 2022). additionally, the exclusive emphasis on quantitative measurements fails to encompass the richness of qualitative insights into language learners' experiences, limiting the comprehensive understanding of sociolinguistic competence acquisition (maruf & helingo, 2022; чернобровкина & chernobrovkina, 2016; astifo, 2022). in conclusion, the existing literature on sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency among language learners is replete with limitations, largely stemming from the narrow scope of research methodologies and confined contexts. this lacuna necessitates a paradigm shift in research design, advocating for more inclusive approaches that amalgamate quantitative and qualitative methodologies. bridging this gap demands an exploration of sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency beyond statistical correlations, considering contextual nuances, socio-cultural influences, and qualitative insights. hence, this study endeavors to probe the intricate relationship between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency in language learners, aiming to offer a more holistic comprehension through a mixedmethods approach. method this research employed a mixed-methods research design, integrating both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to achieve a comprehensive exploration of sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency in language learners (schoonenboom & johnson 2017; cresswell et al. 2003). by combining these methodological approaches, diverse data sources and perspectives were gathered and analyzed, presenting a multifaceted understanding of the research topic (dagnino et al., 2020; baran, 2019). this inclusive approach facilitated data triangulation and the incorporation of varied viewpoints, enhancing the depth and robustness of the study's insights into the correlation between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency among language learners (armitage, 2007; baran, 2019). the study participants included 65 participants (45 males and 20 females) were recruited from various universities across lamongan regency, indonesia. the chosen sample aims to represent a diverse cross-section of language learners across different age brackets, linguistic backgrounds, and proficiency levels. considerable attention was paid to gender balance, socio-economic diversity, and cultural variations within the selected cohort to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive representation. criteria for participant inclusion were primarily based on language proficiency levels in the target language. prospective participants underwent assessments to ensure a certain level of competence in the designated language. additionally, participants were chosen to encompass a broad spectrum of sociolinguistic backgrounds and experiences, ensuring diverse perspectives and enriching the depth of the study's analysis. these inclusion criteria aimed to facilitate a comprehensive examination of the correlation between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency among language learners. the study employed a comprehensive array of instruments to evaluate participants' language proficiency and sociolinguistic competence. specifically, the test of english as a foreign language (toefl) was exclusively utilized as the standardized language proficiency assessment to objectively evaluate participants' speaking proficiency. toefl was meticulously chosen for its established credibility in measuring speaking skills, aiming to provide a rigorous and uniform assessment framework, ensuring a comprehensive nur fariha, khoirul anwar, & nirwanto maruf exploring the correlation of sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency, and how learners perceived them 1004 evaluation of language proficiency levels among the participants. additionally, structured surveys or questionnaires were designed to focus on sociolinguistic competence, allowing inquiries about language use in diverse social contexts, perceptions about dialects, and reactions to specific sociolinguistic scenarios. in addition to the toefl test, and questionnaires for quantitative data, qualitative data were gathered using semi-structured interviews. these interviews employed openended questions to delve into participants' experiences, beliefs, and attitudes toward language use across diverse social settings. by exploring sociolinguistic norms, preferences, and challenges encountered during communicative contexts, the interviews provided comprehensive insights into participants' sociolinguistic experiences. the research employed a diverse range of instruments to comprehensively evaluate participants' language proficiency and sociolinguistic competence. specifically, the test of english as a foreign language (toefl) served as the standardized assessment tool exclusively used to objectively evaluate participants' speaking proficiency. chosen for its established credibility in measuring speaking skills, the toefl test aimed to offer a rigorous and standardized assessment framework, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of language proficiency levels among the participants. this standardized assessment provided a reliable foundation for gauging participants' speaking proficiency within the research cohort. in parallel, structured surveys and questionnaires were meticulously designed to delve into participants' sociolinguistic competence. these instruments focused on various aspects, such as inquiries about language use in diverse social contexts, perceptions about dialects, and reactions to specific sociolinguistic scenarios. through these surveys and questionnaires, the research sought to capture and quantify participants' perceptions and experiences related to sociolinguistic norms, language preferences, and responses to diverse communicative situations. this quantitative data collection process facilitated a comprehensive understanding of participants' sociolinguistic attitudes and behaviors across varied linguistic contexts. in addition to the quantitative approach, the research also incorporated qualitative instruments, namely semi-structured interviews, to gather indepth insights into participants' sociolinguistic experiences. these interviews employed openended questions to explore participants' beliefs, experiences, and attitudes regarding language use across diverse social settings. by delving into sociolinguistic norms, preferences, and challenges encountered during communicative contexts, the qualitative interviews provided nuanced and comprehensive insights into participants' sociolinguistic experiences. this qualitative data collection process complemented the quantitative methods by offering rich, detailed narratives about participants' sociolinguistic encounters and perceptions, enriching the overall understanding of sociolinguistic competence among the research cohort. results and discussion the findings of this study were derived based on the research aims that were posed at the beginning of the study. these findings provide insight into the identify correlations between sociolinguistics competence with speaking proficiency of the participants, and exploring sociolinguistic norms, preferences, and challenges encountered during communicative contexts. table 1. statistical measures on the toefl scores statistical measures values mean 424.31 median 427 standard deviation 36.63 the statistical measures presented in table 1 offer a summary of the language proficiency levels assessed through toefl scores among the participants. the mean score, representing the average toefl score among the group, was calculated at 424.31. this value provides an indication of the typical performance in speaking proficiency within the cohort. the median score, which stands at 427, reflects the middle value of the toefl scores when arranged in ascending order. this statistic is particularly significant as it indicates that half of the participants achieved scores below 427 and the other half scored above this value. moreover, the standard deviation, calculated at 36.63, provides insight into the dispersion or variability of the toefl scores around the mean. a higher standard deviation indicates that the scores are more spread out from the mean, suggesting a wider range of proficiency levels within the group. overall, these statistical measures collectively depict the central tendency, distribution, and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1005 variability of language proficiency levels among the participants, offering a comprehensive overview of their speaking proficiency as assessed by the toefl examination. table 2. questionnaire results aspects of inquiry results language use in diverse social contexts formal language in academic settings. 78% informal language among peers. 62% mixture of language in multicultural settings. perceptions about dialects preference for native dialect in informal settings. regard of standardized dialect in formal situations. reactions to specific sociolinguistics scenarios adapting language use based on formality. discomfort with unfamiliar dialect. sociolinguistic norms and preferences valuing code-switching in multilingual interactions. importance of respecting diverse linguistic background. 43% 55% 27% 68% 72% 81% 86% table 2 presents the results obtained from the structured surveys or questionnaires that focused on diverse aspects of participants' sociolinguistic competence. the table encompasses participants' responses related to various aspects of language use, perceptions about dialects, and reactions to specific sociolinguistic scenarios. under the aspect of "language use in diverse social contexts," participants were queried about their language preferences in different settings. around 78% indicated a preference for formal language in academic settings, while 62% expressed a tendency towards using informal language among peers. additionally, a majority reported using a mixture of languages in multicultural settings. regarding "perceptions about dialects," participants' preferences for specific dialects in various contexts were explored. a significant percentage showed a preference for their native dialect in informal settings, while also acknowledging the regard for standardized dialects in formal situations. the section on "reactions to specific sociolinguistic scenarios" highlighted participants' responses to situations involving language formality and dialect familiarity. many respondents expressed comfort in adapting their language use based on formality, while a considerable percentage indicated discomfort with unfamiliar dialects. lastly, the aspects related to "sociolinguistic norms and preferences" revealed participants' attitudes toward multilingual interactions and diverse linguistic backgrounds. a substantial number of participants valued code-switching in multilingual interactions and emphasized the importance of respecting diverse linguistic backgrounds. these questionnaire results provide valuable insights into participants' perceptions, preferences, and behaviours concerning language use across various social contexts, offering a comprehensive understanding of their sociolinguistic attitudes and practices. table 3. summary table of participants’ speaking proficiency level. speaking proficiency level percentage advance 32% intermediate 45% basic 18% below basic 5% the table 3 displays the distribution of respondents based on their assessed speaking proficiency levels and the corresponding percentages within each category. the category "advanced" indicates that 32% of the participants exhibited a high level of speaking proficiency. the "intermediate" category comprises 45% of the respondents, signifying a moderate level of speaking proficiency among this group. participants categorized as "basic" constitute 18% of the total, representing individuals with a foundational level of speaking proficiency. lastly, the "below basic" category includes 5% of the participants, indicating a lower level of speaking proficiency among this smaller subset of respondents. this table provides an overview of the distribution of respondents across various speaking proficiency levels, offering insights into the diversity of speaking skills among the surveyed participants. table 4. correlations between sociolinguistics competence and speaking proficiency socio comp. speakin g socio c pearson correlation 1 .688** sig. (2-tailed) .001 n 65 65 speaking pearson .688** 1 nur fariha, khoirul anwar, & nirwanto maruf exploring the correlation of sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency, and how learners perceived them 1006 correlation sig. (2-tailed) .001 n 65 65 the results in table 4 show that for the variable "sociolinguistic competence," the pearson correlation coefficient was found to be 1.000, indicating a perfect positive correlation with itself, as expected. the correlation between "sociolinguistic competence" and "speaking proficiency" yielded a pearson correlation coefficient of .688, demonstrating a strong positive correlation between these variables. this suggests that as sociolinguistic competence increases, there tends to be a corresponding increase in speaking proficiency among the participants. similarly, for "speaking proficiency," the pearson correlation coefficient was .688, demonstrating the same strong positive correlation with sociolinguistic competence. both correlations were statistically significant at the .001 level, indicating that these results are unlikely to have occurred by chance. this implies a robust relationship between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency among the participants in this study. qualitative results themes identified in participants' experiences the qualitative exploration into participants' experiences illuminated several key themes, shedding light on their perspectives and challenges within diverse communicative contexts. the first theme is sociolinguistic norms. it refers to the unwritten rules or conventions governing language use within different social contexts. these norms dictate how individuals communicate, express themselves, and adapt their language based on the formality of the situation, the cultural diversity of the participants, or the setting. participants in the study emphasized the importance of these norms in shaping their communication. they highlighted the need to conform to established linguistic standards in formal settings to convey clarity, and adherence to conventional language structures. conversely, in more relaxed or informal social circles, participants noted a more fluid and flexible approach to language, often blending dialects or languages naturally depending on the social group's composition or familiarity. the following excerpts are representation of participants' narratives that illustrate the theme: excerpt 1(participant #2): “navigating different social environments demands adjusting my speech. at work, maintaining a professional tone with standardized language is key. but with my close-knit community, it's much more relaxed; we mix languages based on comfort." excerpt 2 (participant #6): “i've noticed that in social gatherings, especially among friends from diverse backgrounds, we tend to mix languages casually. it feels natural to switch between languages depending on who i'm speaking with." excerpt 3 (participant #21): "i've noticed the formality in educational settings, especially during lectures or presentations. i tend to use a more structured and standardized form of language. however, during informal gatherings, i embrace my native dialect, it feels more personal and genuine." the second theme is language preferences. it refers to the choices individuals make regarding the language or dialect they use in various social contexts. it involves selecting a particular language style based on comfort, identity, or appropriateness to the situation. this exploration aims to uncover participants' inclinations toward specific languages or dialects in formal versus informal settings, shedding light on the factors influencing their linguistic choices and expressions of identity. the following excerpts are representation of participants' narratives that illustrate this theme: excerpt 4 (participant #15): "my native dialect is deeply rooted in my identity. i feel a sense of comfort and authenticity when conversing in my mother tongue, especially in familial or casual gatherings. but when i'm in formal settings, i switch to a more standardized language to fit in." excerpt 5 (participant #17): “the choice of language depends on the situation. when i'm in a formal context, i prefer using the language i've been taught in school or learned through textbooks. but informally, i tend to switch to a blend of languages it feels more natural and relaxed." excerpt 6 (participant #23): "for me, it's not just about language; it's also about culture and identity. using my native dialect with my community fosters a sense of belonging and comfort. however, in academic english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1007 environments, i consciously opt for a more standard dialect to ensure clarity." the third theme is challenges in communicative contexts. participants shared experiences related to challenges faced in multilingual settings, addressing difficulties arising from diverse linguistic backgrounds and variations in communication styles. they highlighted the complexities encountered when navigating conversations among individuals speaking different languages, expressing concerns about misunderstandings due to varying interpretations of expressions or phrases. additionally, they emphasized the necessity of adapting speech to accommodate diverse audiences, especially in contexts where comprehension levels among listeners vary. these insights reflected the intricacies of communicating effectively within environments characterized by linguistic diversity. the following excerpts are representation of participants' narratives that illustrate this theme: excerpt 7 (participant #20): “the biggest challenge in multilingual settings is ensuring everyone understands. sometimes, what might seem clear to me in my language might be misconstrued by someone speaking another language. it's like finding common ground amidst a linguistic maze." excerpt 8 (participant #9): "in multilingual settings, adapting my speech becomes paramount. sometimes, it's challenging to strike a balance between clarity and expression, especially when catering to diverse language levels. ensuring effective communication can be quite a task." excerpt 9 (participant #11): "navigating conversations in multilingual environments demands constant vigilance. there's always the risk of misinterpretation, especially when idioms or cultural references don't translate well. it's a constant effort to ensure everyone is on the same page." the qualitative exploration into participants' experiences vividly illuminated various facets of language use, unveiling the intricacies embedded within sociolinguistic norms, language preferences, and challenges encountered in multilingual contexts. participants conveyed a profound understanding of the subtle yet influential nuances shaping their linguistic interactions across diverse social settings. these insights, encapsulated in their narratives, highlighted the adaptability in language use, the interplay between formal and informal language choices, and the complexities inherent in multilingual environments. the depth and richness of their experiences underscore the multifaceted nature of language, emphasizing its profound connection to identity, culture, and effective communication across diverse linguistic landscapes. the findings of this study shed light on the intricate relationship between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency among language learners. the research integrated a mixed-methods approach, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative instruments, to comprehensively explore these interconnected aspects. the quantitative analysis revealed a significant correlation between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency, as evidenced by the pearson correlation coefficient (r = 0.688, p < 0.001). these findings align with prior research emphasizing the strong association between sociolinguistic understanding and verbal communication abilities. participants' toefl scores provided valuable insights into their speaking proficiency, showcasing a mean score of 424.31 and a standard deviation of 36.63. this illustrates the overall performance and variability in language proficiency within the research cohort. the findings of this study significantly echo and bolster the established body of academic literature underscoring the profound importance of sociolinguistic competence in both language acquisition and proficient communication across diverse social environments. this resonance notably aligns with the seminal works of booven, (2018) and thaler, (2019) whose research prominently emphasized the indispensable role of sociolinguistic awareness in facilitating language learning and fostering effective communicative skills. furthermore, these outcomes fortify the assertions previously elucidated by minggirovna, (2019),whose comprehensive exploration highlighted the intricate correlation between language proficiency and sociocultural comprehension. additionally, the present findings are in congruence with prior research emphasizing the critical significance of sociolinguistic competence in language acquisition and successful communication (agnihotri & khanna, 1994; kyuchukov et al., 2018). the established correlations between sociolinguistic competence nur fariha, khoirul anwar, & nirwanto maruf exploring the correlation of sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency, and how learners perceived them 1008 and speaking proficiency underscore the intrinsic relationship between language proficiency and the understanding of sociocultural nuances (booven, 2018; rahman et al., 2022). this alignment significantly underscores the consistent importance of sociolinguistic competence in molding and shaping communicative capabilities among language learners moreover, the qualitative insights gleaned from this research resonate with earlier scholarly works that have explored sociolinguistic norms, language preferences, and challenges encountered in communicative contexts (toomaneejinda & saengboon, 2022). the narratives collected in this study echo existing literature, emphasizing the role of societal and cultural factors in shaping language use across various social settings. the nuanced depiction of language choices, adapting speech based on context, and challenges in multilingual environments resonates with the broader discourse on sociolinguistics. however, it is essential to note both consistencies and divergences between this study's findings and prior literature. while the correlations established between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency align with existing knowledge, the qualitative nuances in participants' experiences offer richer insights into how sociolinguistic norms and preferences manifest in real-life communicative situations. these qualitative dimensions might diverge from traditional linguistic research methodologies, offering more detailed narratives and personalized experiences that enhance our understanding of sociolinguistic interactions. in essence, this study's findings corroborate established notions while also contributing nuanced perspectives that enrich the broader discourse on sociolinguistic competence and language proficiency. the integration of qualitative data with quantitative correlations offers a comprehensive understanding of the intricate relationship between language learning, sociolinguistic competence, and communicative effectiveness, providing a valuable contribution to the existing body of literature in this field. conclusion the culmination of this research reveals critical insights into the interconnectedness of sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency among language learners. through a mixed-methods approach encompassing both quantitative and qualitative analyses, this study illuminated the significance of sociolinguistic factors in shaping communicative abilities. the quantitative analysis, marked by the pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, showcased a substantial correlation between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency, as evidenced by the toefl scores. moreover, qualitative narratives gleaned from semi-structured interviews unveiled multifaceted dimensions of sociolinguistic norms, language preferences, and challenges faced in diverse communicative contexts. this study integrates various key points, underscoring the pivotal role of sociolinguistic competence in language acquisition and communicative success. it solidifies existing literature highlighting the intricate relationship between language proficiency and sociocultural understanding, emphasizing the necessity of navigating sociolinguistic complexities within diverse social settings. the study's outcomes imply profound implications for language education and pedagogy, advocating for a more nuanced approach to teaching that integrates sociolinguistic elements into language programs. understanding sociolinguistic norms and preferences is crucial for learners to attain communicative efficacy in diverse social milieus. however, several questions persist, warranting further investigation. future research endeavours should delve deeper into the mechanisms linking sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency, exploring the role of culture, identity, and pedagogical approaches in language learning. in conclusion, this study contributes a comprehensive understanding of the intricate dynamics between sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency. it calls for a paradigm shift in language education, stressing the imperative role of sociolinguistic awareness in fostering effective communication. as we navigate the complexities of language learning, embracing sociolinguistic nuances becomes not just a necessity but a cornerstone in achieving communicative success and cultural integration. acknowledgement i would like to express my sincere gratitude to dr. nirwanto maruf, and prof. dr. khoirul anwar, m.pd. for their assistances to share their knowledges, experiences, and insights in completing this article. i would like to thank all of the individuals who provided support and assistance during the data collection and analysis english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1009 phases of this study. their contributions have been greatly appreciated. references agnihotri, r. k. [ed], & khanna, a. l. [ed]. (1994). second language acquisition: socio-cultural and linguistic aspects of english in india. in second language acquisition: socio-cultural and linguistic aspects of english in india. ahmed, s. t. s., & pawar, s. v. (2018). communicative competence in english as a foreign language: its meaning and the pedagogical considerations for its development the creative launcher. the creative launcher: an international, open access, peer reviewed, refereed, e-journal in english, 2(6). arifin, s., arifani, y., maruf, n., & helingo, a. (2022). a case study of efl teacher scaffolding of an asd learner’s shared reading with a storybook app. journal of asia tefl, 19(4). https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2022.19.4.6.123 4 armitage, a. (2007). mutual research designs: redefining mixed methods research design. british educational research association annual conference. astifo, a. m. (2022). implementing sociolinguistics competence teaching strategies in classroom settings and their impact on students’ reading behavior. journal of tikrit university for humanities, 29(6). https://doi.org/10.25130/jtuh.29.6.2022.23 bagirova, k. (2023). language cultivation: the theory and practice of european sociolinguistics. humanities of the south of russia, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.18522/2227-8656.2023.2.6 bagmanova, n. i., voronina, e. b., & shakirova, a. a. (2020). sociolinguistic competence & students communication. acm international conference proceeding series. https://doi.org/10.1145/3388984.3389059 baran, m. l. (2019). mixed methods research design. in applied social science approaches to mixed methods research. beebe, l. m. (1980). sociolinguistic variation and style shifting in second language acquisition. language learning, 30(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.14671770.1980.tb00327.x blommaert, j. (2012). sociolinguistics & english language studies. in urban language & literacies (vol. 22, issue june). booven, c. d. v. (2018). developing sociolinguistic and interactional competence. in the tesol encyclopedia of english language teaching. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0286 brown & levinson, s. (2011). politeness (brown and levinson 1987). reading. chaouche, m. (2017). incorporating intercultural communicative competence in efl classes. ssrn electronic journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2895538 chaya, p. (2022). movie exploratory study for appropriate cultural contents for enhancing thai efl students’ english-speaking skills and intercultural communicative competence. asian social science and humanities research journal (ashrej), 4(1). https://doi.org/10.37698/ashrej.v4i1.91 chválová, k., & petrášová, b. (2020). problems in developing language competence in a foreign language. iceri2020 proceedings, 1. https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2020.1072 cresswell, j. w., plano-clark, v. l., gutmann, m.l., and hanson, w.e. (2003). advanced mixed methods research designs. handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research. dagnino, f. m. (2020). the role of supporting technologies in a mixed methods research design. comunicar. deborah, s. (2006). studies in interactional sociolinguistics. in cambridge university press. geeslin, k. l. (2021). sociolinguistic competence in second languages. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3030-79143-8_151 geeslin, k. l., & long, a. y. (2020). integrating sociolinguistics into the second language classroom. in sociolinguistics and second language acquisition. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203117835-22 gnevsheva, k. (2022). experimental research methods in sociolinguistics. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 43(8). https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2021.1884940 gordon, c. (2010). gumperz and interactional sociolinguistics. in the sage handbook of sociolinguistics. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446200957.n5 gordon, c., & tannen, d. (2023). framing and related concepts in interactional sociolinguistics. discourse studies, 25(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/14614456231155073 göy, n. (2019). an investigation on the sociolinguistic competence of english language teacher trainees: a comparative study on native and non-native english speakers. international journal of languages’ education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.18298/ijlet.3179 gulomova, r. (2021). sociolinguistic competence of l2 students. ssrn electronic journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3760498 gumartifa, a. (2022). studies of sociolinguistics: theory of politeness in english as second language. journey: journal of english language and pedagogy, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.33503/journey.v5i1.1811 hasanah, l., pradina, s., hadita, a., & putri, w. c. (2019a). sociolinguistic influence in the use of english as a second language (esl) classroom: seeing from ogo’s perspective article history. nur fariha, khoirul anwar, & nirwanto maruf exploring the correlation of sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency, and how learners perceived them 1010 elsya: journal of english language studies, 1(1). hasanah, l., pradina, s., hadita, a., & putri, w. c. (2019b). sociolinguistic influence in the use of english as a second language (esl) classroom: seeing from onovughe’s (2012) perspective. elsya : journal of english language studies, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v1i1.2538 hedia, m. m. h. (2022a). the effectiveness of communicative language approach in enhancing english speaking skills of efl adult learners in egypt. insights into language, culture and communication, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.21622/466 hedia, m. m. h. (2022b). the effectiveness of communicative language approach in enhancing english speaking skills of efl adult learners in egypt. insights into language, culture and communication, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.21622/ilcc.2022.02.1.049 kanwit, m., & geeslin, k. l. (2020a). sociolinguistic competence and interpreting variable structures in a second language: a study of the copula contrast in native and second-language spanish. studies in second language acquisition, 42. kanwit, m., & geeslin, k. l. (2020b). sociolinguistic competence and interpreting variable structures in a second language. studies in second language acquisition, 42(4). https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263119000718 kanwit, m., & solon, m. (2022). communicative competence in a second language: theory, method, and applications. in communicative competence in a second language: theory, method, and applications. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003160779 kyuchukov, h., ushakova, o., & yashina, v. (2018). socio-cultural aspects of language acquisition through conversation. psycholinguistics, 23(1). levinson, b. (1987). politeness (brown and levinson 1987). reading. liu, y. (2021). on the cultivation of intercultural communicative competence in the english viewing-listening-speaking course. theory and practice in language studies, 11(8). https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1108.13 martinez, j. l., & de vera, p. v. (2019). sociolinguistic competence of foreign national college students. asian efl journal, 21(2). maruf, n., & helingo, a. (2022). assessment strategy to rectify efl students’ performance: a need analysis. jet adi buana, 7(02). https://doi.org/10.36456/jet.v7.n02.2022.6191 minggirovna, m. g. (2019). sociolinguistics in english language education. asian journal of multidimensional research (ajmr), 8(4). https://doi.org/10.5958/2278-4853.2019.00137.x mohammed, g. b. (2019). cognitive factors influencing second language learning. األثر. https://doi.org/10.35156/1174-000-031-016 nayimova, n. e. (2021). developing students’ intercultural competence in teaching english as a foreign language. academicia: an international multidisciplinary research journal, 11(6). https://doi.org/10.5958/22497137.2021.01578.0 rahman, s. n. a., razali, a. b., samad, a. a., jeyaraj, j. j., & abdullah, n. s. (2022). developing sociolinguistic competence in the esl classroom: a case study of esl instructors in a malaysian university. asian journal of university education, 18(4). https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v18i4.20038 rampton, m. b. h. (2021). scope for empowerment in sociolinguistics? in routledge library editions: sociolinguistics (vols. 1–7). https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429436246-2 rohmeyer, r., espejo, p. s., & sun, l. (2017). a human factors perspective on learning programming languages using a second language acquisition approach. american society for engineering education. savchenko, o. n. (2021). developing intercultural competence in teaching foreign languages to students of a customs university. вестник московского государственного лингвистического университета. образование и педагогические науки, 2. https://doi.org/10.52070/25003488_2021_2_839 _65. schoonenboom, j., and johnson, r. b. (2017). how to construct a mixed methods research design. kzfss kölner zeitschrift für soziologie und sozialpsychologie. spolsky, b. (2006). sociolinguitics. in the routledge companion to sociolinguistics. stuart-smith, j. (2018). sociolinguistic approaches. in the routledge handbook of language and media. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315673134-4 swann, j., & deumert, a. (2018). sociolinguistics and language creativity. in language sciences (vol. 65).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langsci.2017.06.002 thaler, i. s. (2019). can a sociolinguistic perspective of second language acquisition solve ‘the longstanding human curiosity’ of learning languages? training, language and culture, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.29366/2019tlc.3.3.3 toomaneejinda, a., & saengboon, s. (2022). interactional sociolinguistics: the theoretical framework and methodological approach to elf interaction research. learn journal: language education and acquisition research network, 15(1). train, r. (2003). sociolinguistics and language as cultural practice. journal of sociolinguistics, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9481.00234 tursunovich, r. i. (2022). teaching a foreign language and developing language competence. multidimensional research journal (mrj), 01(08). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1011 wang, j., jin, g., & li, w. (2023). changing perceptions of language in sociolinguistics. in humanities and social sciences communications (vol. 10, issue 1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01574-5 чернобровкина, & chernobrovkina, e. (2016). сombining quantitative and qualitative methodologies in sociolinguistic research. modern communication studies, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.12737/18967 nur fariha, khoirul anwar, & nirwanto maruf exploring the correlation of sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency, and how learners perceived them 1012 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 667 gender differences in writing anxiety among efl undergraduate students: a survey study at universitas jambi nunung fajaryani department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas jambi, jambi, indonesia email: nunung.fajaryani@unja.ac.id failasofah department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas jambi, jambi, indonesia email: failasofah.unja@gmail.com mukhlash abrar department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas jambi, jambi, indonesia email: mukhlash.abrar@unja.ac.id masbirorotni department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas jambi, jambi, indonesia email:eka_rotni@unja.ac.id lucy septi handayani department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas jambi, jambi, indonesia email: lucyseptihandayani@gmail.com apa scitation: fajaryani, n., failasofah., abrar, m., masbirorotni., & handayani, l .s. (2024). gender differences in writing anxiety among efl undergraduate students: a survey study at universitas jambi. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 667-674. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.8684 received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 21-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction writing is unquestionably one of the useful language abilities that students must acquire when learning foreign languages, particularly when learning english. writing proficiency is difficult for non-native language learners to acquire since it necessitates mastery of both linguistic and nonlinguistic components that are organized into writing (abrar et al., 2023; sabti et al., 2019). regular, complete sentences should also be used abstract: writing is a skill that is necessary for success in the academic world. writing is a necessary activity in education that fosters significant growth in both teaching and learning. however, good writing requires a variety of skills, including a wide vocabulary, the capacity for contextual understanding, analytical strength, the capacity for inference, the capacity for critical thought, and much more. this skill is unquestionably difficult to acquire, especially when writing in english, which naturally puts more pressure and anxiety on students. this study was designed to investigate the types and levels of writing anxiety experienced by efl undergraduate students taking an academic writing course at an english department at universitas jambi, regardless of their gender. there were 225 students who participated in the study. majority of them 82.2% (185 students) were female and only 17.8% (40 students) were male. the results showed that somatic anxiety was the most common type of writing anxiety among the students, followed by cognitive anxiety and avoidance behaviour. the findings showed that compared to their peers, female students experience higher levels of writing anxiety. the highest score of the two genders is in the somatic anxiety, women have a mean score of 3.36 and the other counterparts was 3.07. in this study, it was found that the third semester students felt more anxious than the other semesters, particularly in somatic anxiety. keywords: efl students; gender; types of writing anxiety; writing anxiety. nunung fajaryani,failasofah, mukhlash abrar, masbirorotni, & lucy septi handayani gender differences in writing anxiety among efl undergraduate students: a survey study at universitas jambi 668 in writing, and grammar and spelling should be carefully considered when expressing ideas. in addition to linguistic factors, other factors that contribute to difficulty learning foreign languages include the way society discourages learning english, learners' shyness, which keeps them from speaking the language out of fear of making mistakes, lack of motivation, and the impact of crowded and small class sizes (alsalihi, 2020). anxiety is one example of an affective element that can prevent learners from becoming more proficient english language learners (salamatkyzy, 2020). additionally, kucuk (2023) asserts that worry is likely to manifest itself in both productive (writing and speaking) and receptive (reading and listening) skills. foreign language anxiety is a psychological condition that affects people who have difficulty learning foreign languages and interferes with their ability to perform well in language classes. foreign language scholars and practitioners are increasingly concerned with anxiety when it comes to writing in foreign languages (kucuk, 2023; wern and rahmat, 2021; rasool et al., 2023; miri and joia, 2018; rabadi and rabadi, 2020). in addition to its cognitive aspects, writing is an emotionally charged activity. gender is one of the factors that determines the degree of anxiety, according to certain research findings on the fear of writing in a foreign language. as demonstrated by salikin's (2019) study, which involved 260 english majors at a university in east java and revealed a statistically significant relationship between gender and anxiety levels when writing compositions in english. his study's findings indicate that women are more anxious than males when writing in english. al-kubaisy, hummadi and turki (2019); geckin (2020); piniel, k., & zólyomi, a. (2022), who discovered that women did better than males in writing anxiety, also corroborated the findings of this study. in addition to gender, there are a number of other reasons why students frequently experience anxiety when writing in english. because they are unsure about grammar rules and the evaluation process for their work, students experience anxiety (kucuk, 2023; rohmah and muslim, 2021; rasool et al., 2023). other factors that contribute to writing anxiety include not having a negative attitude toward writing, feeling under pressure to produce flawless writing, lacking experience, having bad writing experiences, and not knowing enough about academic writing (handayani, et al., 2020; rohmah & muslim, 2021). based on the findings of the researcher's study (2021) on the difficulties faced by student teacher candidates when writing argumentative essays, sociocultural elements in our nation are to blame for students' hesitation to engage in dialogue or ask questions of their lecturers. discussing with their peers makes students feel more at ease (fajaryani et al., 2021). there are a number of studies on anxiety levels, gender, and variables influencing anxiety when writing in a foreign language in the literature (wahyuni et al. 2019; wern and rahmat, 2021; kucuk, 2023; kusumaningputri et al., 2018; miri and joia, 2018; salikin, 2019). the majority of the aforementioned studies have been content-focused, meeting the needs for academic research and literature on general anxiety in efl students as well as on particular abilities. although this inquiry, at glance, may not be really different from other previous studies, but the difference lies in the analysis. all previous studies tended to use descriptive statistics which identified the level and type of writing anxiety individually, this study used inferential statistics, manova, which measured the group level and type of writing anxiety. another distinction of this study is the level of study. most previous study examined writing anxiety of a particular year of efl students, the data of this study were taken from different year of efl learners (1st, 2nd, and 3rd year students). from this, we expected to get more comprehensive data to fill the gap in the study. the current study is intended to investigate the significance types of anxiety and the significance level writing anxiety across gender of efl students in efl academic writing course at english department of one university in jambi, given the importance of examining the differences in type and level of anxiety among efl students in academic writing courses at one university in jambi that have not been extensively explored in previous research. the following research questions served as the study's guidance in order to fulfil its objective: (1) does the type of writing anxiety experienced by efl students differ significantly from gender to gender? (2) does the degree of writing anxiety experienced by efl students change significantly from gender to gender? method the quantitative method is used in this study because it can provide, convey, and assist researchers in collecting and analyzing data. this english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 669 method is also consistent with the study's goal of assessing efl student writing anxiety. according to ghanad (2023), quantitative research involves quantifying things and asking questions such as "how long," "how many," and "the degree to which." quantitative research attempts to measure the information and extrapolate conclusions from a sample of research from several angles. quantitative research emphasizes objective measurement and statistical, mathematical, or numerical analysis of data gathered through polls, questionnaires, and surveys, as well as manipulating existing statistical data with computational techniques. it is concerned with gathering numerical data and generalizing it across populations or explaining specific phenomena. the researchers used a survey design to collect data. the purpose of this survey is to validate respondents' behavior and beliefs. because they simplify and measure respondents' attitudes or behaviors, most quantitative surveys use checklists and ranking scale question types. knowing that the sample size required for this study is quite large based on the wealth of data obtained. the reason for this is that in quantitative research, larger sample sizes are believed to yield more precise statistical computations compared to smaller sample sizes. as a result, this research sample includes english education students in the third, fifth, and seventh semesters who have taken or are pursuing academic writing courses. the following table shows the total population of the students from the academic year 2019/2020 to 2021/2022: table 1. total population of efl students in english education since 2019-2021 academic years gender total male female 2019/2020 (semester 3) 24 106 130 2020/2021 (semester 5) 19 60 79 2021/2022 (semester 7) 19 94 113 total 62 260 322 source: department of english education 2022 this is a form of purposive sampling where a researcher chooses to study an entire population that possesses a specified set of features. this approach is most effective when the overall population is easily controllable, such as in a certain subgroup of the wider population. this research was carried out in 2022 at the english education study program, part of the language and art department in the faculty of teacher training and education at a university in jambi. the research was conducted during the odd semesters when the students were enrolled. a questionnaire is necessary to gather data through the survey method. a questionnaire is a research instrument comprising a sequence of inquiries specifically formulated to get valuable information from participants. the instrument comprises a series of written or oral inquiries presented in the format of an interview. questionnaires can be categorized as either qualitative or quantitative, and they can be filled out through online platforms, over the phone, on physical paper, or in face-to-face interactions. it is not appropriate to ask questions directly to the current researchers. furthermore, questionnaires are an excellent choice for a specific method due to their ability to swiftly, effectively, and economically gather a substantial volume of data from a significant sample size. this tool is very effective for assessing the subject's behaviour, preferences, intentions, attitudes, and opinions. researchers can employ open-ended and closed-ended research questions to collect quantitative data, resulting in more comprehensive results. this study utilized cheng's second language writing concern inventory (slwai) questionnaire, which was published in 2004. the questionnaire has 22 closed items. each participant completes a closed questionnaire with 5 (five) likert scale items ``1-strongly disagree," "2-disagree," "3-unsure," "4-agree," and "5strongly agree." consequently, after compiling the questionnaire, the researchers distributed it to a predetermined sample. after successfully obtaining data from each of these samples, researchers collected in accordance with a predetermined pattern. data analysis is a crucial component of research as it enhances the ease and accuracy of research data. this facilitates researchers' effective interpretation of the data, ensuring that no valuable insights are overlooked. data analysis involves the systematic examination of numerical or quantifiable data or data that can be readily nunung fajaryani,failasofah, mukhlash abrar, masbirorotni, & lucy septi handayani gender differences in writing anxiety among efl undergraduate students: a survey study at universitas jambi 670 transformed into numerical form without compromising its meaning. to analyze the data, descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (manova) were used. descriptive statistics were employed to report the respondents' responses, while inferential statistics were used to investigate relationships and differences among various sample characteristics. in this research, analyzing data involved several steps. the first step in data analysis is to process the questionnaire responses. the information gathered from closed questionnaires was analyzed with microsoft excel and ibm spss 25. the researchers examined the questionnaire's item scores. the likert scale and converted score used to assess the student's foreign language anxiety are shown in table 2. table 2. the converted score of the frequency frequency the converted score strongly disagree 1 disagree 2 unsure 3 agree 4 strongly agree 5 the slwai questionnaire (cheng, 2004) consists of three categories: cognitive anxiety (1,3,7,9,14,17,20,21), somatic anxiety (2,6,8,11,13,15,19), and avoidance behavior (4,5,10,12,16,18,22). table 3. the mean level of writing anxiety mean score 1.00-1.80 = very low 1.81-2.60 = low 2.61-3.20 = medium 3.21-4.20 = high 4.21-5.00 = very high the researchers utilized the second language writing anxiety inventory (slwai) developed by cheng (2004) due to its strong internal consistency, reliable testing reliability, sufficient concentration, and validity associated with satisfactory criteria (cheng, 2004). the questions created by each have specifications that allow researchers to categorize the answers based on their location. this questionnaire is a reliable instrument for assessing efl writing anxiety. it was selected as a measure of writing anxiety because it has demonstrated high reliability and validity through correlation and factor analysis, making it a preferred choice among researchers. the internal consistency of the 22-item slwai was assessed using cronbach's coefficient, which yielded a reliability estimate of .91 for both administrations of the scale. furthermore, a series of coefficients were calculated by removing one item at a time from the scale. all these coefficients were around .91, indicating that removing any item would not improve the overall reliability of the slwai. the correlation between scores obtained from the two administrations of the slwai was also computed, resulting in a test-retest reliability estimate of .85. these findings suggest that the slwai is highly internally consistent and demonstrates respectable temporal stability. results and discussion researchers currently divide the anxiety associated with writing foreign languages by gender. in order to determine which gender experienced higher levels of anxiety and which type of anxiety the participant was more predominant in, researchers used the manova test to compare the types of anxiety associated with writing foreign language (cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, and avoidance behavior anxiety). table 4. gender and types of writing anxiety no characteristi cs aspect content mean f sig/p value 1 gender cognitive female 3.27 9.77 002 male 2.96 somatic female 3.36 5.93 016 male 3.07 avoidance behaviour female 2.54 0.66 416 male 2.46 manova sum of squares df mean square f sig. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 671 cognitive between groups 3.107 1 3.107 9.776 .002 within groups 70.871 223 .318 total 73.978 224 somatic between groups 2.678 1 2.678 5.927 .016 within groups 100.740 223 .452 total 103.417 224 avoidance between groups .186 1 .186 .664 .416 within groups 62.440 223 .280 total 62.625 224 the gender differences in each of the three domains—cognitive, somatic, and avoidance behaviour—are explained by the manova test (table 4) above. 1) the significance p-value of 0.002 is observed from the cognitive perspective. it can be concluded that there is a gender difference between males and females because the p-value is less than 0.05. 2) the table indicates that the somatic component's p-value is 0.015 < 0.05. this indicates that there are somatic differences between the sexes. thus, it can be concluded that the alternative hypothesis is accepted and the null hypothesis is rejected. 3) the p value for the avoidance behaviour component is 0.416 > 0.05. this computation leads to the following conclusion: there is no difference between male and female in the avoidance aspect. so, h0 is accepted and h1 is rejected.at this point, the researchers compared the levels of writing anxiety in each semester to look for variations. three semesters, namely semesters 3,5 and 7, are evaluated using samples collected by researchers. the manova test was used by researchers to determine their anxiety levels and the types of these three semesters. table 5. academic year and types of writing anxiety no characteristics types content mean f sig/p value 1 semester cognitive semester 3 3.30 1.97 142 semester 5 3.19 semester 7 3.12 somatic semester 3 3.40 3.65 028 semester 5 3.35 semester 7 3.12 avoidance semester 3 2.49 2.97 053 semester 5 2.66 semester 7 2.45 manova sum of squares df mean square f sig. cognitive between groups 1.289 2 .644 1.968 .142 within groups 72.689 222 .327 total 73.978 224 somatic between groups 3.290 2 1.645 3.647 .028 within groups 100.128 222 .451 total 103.417 224 avoidance between groups 1.633 2 .817 2.972 .053 within groups 60.992 222 .275 total 62.625 224 table 5. manova (above) describes the variations in cognitive, physical, and avoidance aspects according to the semester. the table shows that the p value for the cognitive component is 0.14 > 0.05. given that the pvalue exceeds the significance value, it can be said that there is no variation in the cognitive aspect of the students in any given semester. hence, the null hypothesis is accepted. for the second aspect of anxiety, which is the somatic aspect, it is seen that the p value is 0.03 < 0.05. this means that there are differences in the somatic aspect based on the semester where the students are in. so, h1 is accepted and h0 is rejected. on the other hand, since the p value for the avoidance aspect is 0.053 > 0.05, which is greater than 0.05, there is no difference in the avoidance aspect. this indicates that every semester is the same. hence, the null hypothesis is accepted. the sorts of writing anxiety that students experience most frequently were identified by the researchers through their study. all respondents nunung fajaryani,failasofah, mukhlash abrar, masbirorotni, & lucy septi handayani gender differences in writing anxiety among efl undergraduate students: a survey study at universitas jambi 672 reported experiencing one of the three types of writing anxiety related to academic writing; nevertheless, somatic anxiety was ranked highest, followed by cognitive anxiety and avoidance behaviour. several related research mostly found that cognitive anxiety was the predominant type students reported (leon et al., 2023), quvanch & si na (2022), biri (2022), aunurrahman (2019), and salikin (2019). the study's responses and circumstances may have contributed to the disparate results. the results of this study are consistent with those of gen c & yangli (2019) and arindra & ardi (2020), where students reported somatic anxiety as their most common kind of anxiety. on the other hand, a study by prasetyaningrum et al., (2021) found that the majority of students in academic writing classes engaged in avoidance behaviour. the current investigation found that there are cognitive differences between male and female students. compared to their male peers, female students were more anxious. in this study, male students scored 2.96, while female students scored 3.27 on average. the term "cognitive anxiety" describes the cerebral side of anxiety, which includes unfavourable expectations, mentally taxing performances, and worries about how other people see us. stated differently, cognitive anxiety is linked to the functions and operations of the human brain. when you're anxious, consider failures like "i won't solve it" and self-deprecating statements like "i am terrible at writing." here, female students in the research had a tendency to fear criticism from peers or lecturers. they also pretended to avoid negative evaluation of their writing performance. respondents in this study might be afraid of getting low grade in the academic writing course and affect their grade point average (gpa). the results are consistent with wern and rahmat's study (2021), which indicated that among chinese independent school writers, cognitive anxiety was the most common type of writing anxiety. a similar finding also found in quvanch & si na’s study (2022) that investigated 133 undergraduates afghan efl students. the results showed that there was a modest amount of writing anxiety, with cognitive anxiety predominating. similar results are also evident in salikin's (2019) study conducted in indonesia, involving 260 english department students at a public university in east java. his findings revealed, students continue to worry that their english composition is inferior to that of others. the findings of this study show that female students experience higher levels of writing anxiety than male students in the somatic anxiety category. the mean score of female students was 3.36, whilst the other counterparts were 3.07. somatic anxiety refers to an individual's experience of the physiological consequences of anxiety, manifested in the induction of uncomfortable and persistent emotions of autonomy, like tension and anxiety. the results of recent study indicates that the university's english education students in jambi frequently experience physical symptoms while writing in english, such as trembling, cold, and other physical symptoms. when students felt physically unwell, they developed somatic anxiety (arindra & ardi, 2020). as for the recent study, it was carried out in the post-pandemic transitional period between online and face-to-face learning, with the respondents answering a closed-ended questionnaire. this condition might influence students’ learning styles, in which they are required to complete their writing tasks in restricted provided time. in addition, students in this study could not perform well in doing their composition and correcting their work. this similar finding also supports the result of fajaryani’s study (2021) that shows undergraduate students felt not easy to finish their academic writing assignments, particularly they were required to write a timed essay. male and female students seemed to have similar attitudes when comparing the avoidance behaviour feature. the findings of the study show that there is no gender difference in this kind of anxiousness. both female and male students possess certain attitude or behavior when they are asked to complete their writing composition. the students tend to neglect to accomplish the task or get procrastination due to their lack of linguistic competence and knowledge about writing paragraphs and essays (arindra & ardi, 2020). the current study validates the findings of prasetyaningrum et al. (2021), which examined the causes and varieties of writing anxiety at hamzanwadi university's english education study program in nusa tenggara barat, indonesia. their research revealed that avoidance behaviour, which was the most common type among the other forms of writing anxiety that could be determined by the highest mean score, had the highest writing anxiety. additionally, their research showed that writing anxiety is mostly caused by four factors. they included a high frequency of writing assignments, a lack of writing confidence, time constraints, and difficulty selecting topics. it was discovered that female students exhibited the greatest levels of worry and anxiousness among all the forms of writing anxiety that efl undergraduate students in this study encountered. the mean score for male and female students both demonstrates this. the present findings are consistent with those of salikin (2019) and rasool et al. (2022), who report that females exhibit superior writing anxiety compared to males. both male and female students in salikin's 2019 study experienced high levels of cognitive anxiety; however, their cognitive responses to worry varied. anxiety is experienced by both genders for the same reasons. their inability to communicate in language causes them anxiety. while there was no variation in anxiety levels between genders, rasool et al.'s (2022) results were similar in that they showed a distinct pattern for the cognitive anxiety type. the current research found that no statistically significant distinction between male and female students experiencing different forms of writing anxiety. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 673 clearly, their lack of experience writing in english causes them to feel uneasy. this circumstance causes students to have some language issues, including vocabulary and grammar. besides, students also have to complete their english writing composition under time constraints. the results of this study align with those of aloardhi (2019), who determined the factors contributing to writing anxiety in women attending select saudi colleges. the findings of this study show that the third semester is the one with the most anxiety, and somatic anxiety is the most prevalent type. it can be assumed that the third semester students need to adjust their learning styles especially when they need to complete their writing assignments. the findings indicated that the students had more struggles physiologically in academic writing compared to the other semesters. the results of this study show that all students, regardless of semester, stated that they felt a great deal of anxiety when writing. this indicates that the semester has no bearing on a person's degree of writing anxiety. the results are consistent with biri's study (2022), which found that there are no genderor yearspecific differences in the kind, degree, or causes of writing anxiety. comparable findings were reported by wahyuni et al. (2019), demonstrating that students, irrespective of their academic year, suffer from a moderate degree of writing anxiety. in contrast to students who have a high or low level of writing anxiety, their data showed that there are more students at every academic level who are somewhat nervous. according to a recent study, there are no appreciable differences between semesters. every student in the third, fifth, and seventh semesters had a tendency to be terrified of receiving a poor grade or remark from the lecturers. in addition, they are afraid of facing writing test under time pressure. it is possible for writing anxiety to have a beneficial influence on students' english writing at specific times and in specific ways, rather than just having a negative one (alfarwan, 2021). applying collaborative work in pairs or small groups for concept generation and essay construction is one way to help students feel less anxious when writing (jawas, 2019). the findings of fajaryani et al. (2021) attest to the fact that male and female students employed distinct academic writing styles. while female students choose cognitive tactics over social strategies, male students favoured using social strategies. conclusion the results of the study indicated that male and female students have distinct anxiety experiences when writing english. this distinction is not immediately apparent, though. the different types of anxiety are reflected in the variance in mean scores for each gender. for both genders, the somatic anxiety type had the highest score (3.07 for males and 3.36 for females). this finding suggests that anxiety is a greater problem for female students than for male students. female students are more likely to have somatic anxiety when writing, which can manifest as a variety of bodily symptoms including trembling in the body, feeling cold, having trouble breathing, and many more. the results show that students encountered all forms of writing anxiety throughout every semester, indicating that there is no discernible variation in the categories of writing anxiety by semester. compared to the previous semester, students experienced a higher level of somatic anxiety throughout their third semester. it is advised that future research look at the causes or contributing variables to writing anxiety in efl students of both genders. acknowledgments we would like to thank the faculty of teacher training and education (pnbp fkip) universitas jambi for funding this research. references abrar, m., mukminin, a., fitriani, n., failasofah, f., fajaryani, n., hadiyanto, h., ... & ningsih, s. k. (2023). examining the cultural adjustment experiences of international students in writing dissertations in a uk campus. the qualitative report, 28(1), 33-48. alfarwan, s. (2022). is it all bad? saudi efl student perceptions of the role of anxiety when writing. saudi journal of language studies, 2(1), 1-16. aloairdhi, n. m. (2019). writing anxiety among saudi female learners at some saudi universities. english language teaching, 12(9), 55-65. alsalihi, h. d. (2020). main difficulties faced by efl students in language learning. journal of the college of education for women, 31(2), 19-34. al-kubaisy, a.a., hummadi, a.s., and turki, h.y., (2019). gender differences and the influence of writing anxiety factors in iraqi postgraduate’s attitudes. international conference on english language and culture (icelc 2019), pg. 9-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.14500/icelc2019 arindra, m. y., & ardi, p. (2020). the correlation between students’ writing anxiety and the use of writing assessment rubrics. learn journal: language education and acquisition research network, 13(1), 76-93. aunurrahman, a. (2019). exploring writing anxiety of the efl university students in pontianak indonesia. ijeltal (indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics), 4(1), 109-119. biri, a., & king, a. (2022). a quantitative study on writing anxiety among prospective english language teachers. international journal on integrated education, 5(3), 327-343. deleon, t. m., sarona, j., casimiro, a., lao, h., lao, k. a., pantaleon, c., & alieto, e. (2023, october). writing anxiety among prospective http://dx.doi.org/10.14500/icelc2019 nunung fajaryani,failasofah, mukhlash abrar, masbirorotni, & lucy septi handayani gender differences in writing anxiety among efl undergraduate students: a survey study at universitas jambi 674 nonlanguage teachers: a quantitative study of a nonmetropolitan state university. in forum for linguistic studies (vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 19331933). fajaryani, n., mukminin, a., hidayat, m., muhaimin, m., haryanto, e., nazurty, n., habibi, a., marzulina, l., & harto, k. (2021). cultural capital and argumentative writing in english: challenges and strategies used by efl student teachers. the qualitative report, 26(10), 30293045. https://doi.org/10.46743/21603715/2021.4784 fajaryani, n., abrar, m., gilsih, r., & arif, n. (2021). english student teachers’ academic writing strategies: a survey study. edukasi: jurnal pendidikan dan pengajaran, 8(1), 56-65. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.19109/ejpp.v8i 1.8173 geçkin, v. (2020). do gender differences affect foreign language anxiety and preferences for oral corrective feedback?. journal of theoretical educational science, 13(3), 591608. genç, e., & yaylı, d. (2019). the second language writing anxiety: the perceived sources and consequences. pamukkale üniversitesi eğitim fakültesi dergisi, 45(45), 235-251. ghanad, a. (2023). an overview of quantitative research method. international journal of multidisciplinary research and analysis, vol 06 (8) august 2023 pp. 3794-3803 http://10.47191/ijmra/v6-i8-52 hudayani, n., husein, r., & dirgeyasa, i. w. (2020, november). reasons of efl students’ anxiety in writing scientific paper. in the 5th annual international seminar on transformative education and educational leadership (aisteel 2020) (pp. 163-166). atlantis press. jawas, u. (2019). writing anxiety among indonesian efl students: factors and strategies. international journal of instruction, 12(4), 733-746. kucuk, k. (2023). factors leading to writing anxiety in efl class. international journal of social sciences and educational studiea, 10 (1), 1-12 kusumaningputri, r., ningsih, t.a., wisasongko. (2018). second language writing anxiety of indonesian efl students. lingua cultura, 12(4), pp. 357-362. https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v12i4.4268 miri, m.a., & joia, j. (2018). writing anxiety in an afghan efl setting: voices from five afghan students. journal of foreign language teaching and learning, 3(1), pp. 14-29. https://doi.org/10.18196/ftl.3125 piniel, k., & zólyomi, a. (2022). gender differences in foreign language classroom anxiety: results of a meta-analysis. studies in second language learning and teaching, 12(2), 173-203. prasetyaningrum, a., nazri, a., & asrobi, m. (2021). a study of learners’ writing anxiety in efl context. jo-elt (journal of english language teaching) fakultas pendidikan bahasa & seni prodi pendidikan bahasa inggris ikip, 8(1), 19-31. doi: https://doi.org/10.33394/joelt.v81l.3707 quvanch, z., & si na, k. (2022). evaluating afghanistan university students’ writing anxiety in english class: an empirical research. cogent education, 9(1), 2040697. rabadi, r., & rabadi, a. d. (2020). do medical students experience writing anxiety while learning english as a foreign language? psychology research and behavior management, 13, pp. 883-893. https://doi.org/10.2147%2fprbm.s276448 rasool, u., qian,j and aslam, m.z. (2023). an investigation of foreign language language writing anxiety and its reasons among preservice efl teachers in pakistan. frontiers in psychology, vol. 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.947867 sabti, a. a., md rashid, s., nimehchisalem, v., & darmi, r. (2019). the impact of writing anxiety, writing achievement motivation, and writing self-efficacy on writing performance: a correlational study of iraqi tertiary efl learners. sage open, 9(4), 2158244019894289. salamatkyzy, a. n. (2020). anxiety as an affective factor in foreign language learning. magyar tudományos journal, (39), 53-55. salikin, h., (2019). factors affecting male and female indonesia efl students’ writing anxiety. indonesian journal of applied lingustics. 9 (2), 316-323. doi: https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v9i2.20229 sulfiana, f., kurniawati, n., & nurwanti, d. i. (2022). indonesian efl students’writing anxiety in post-pandemic online classroom context: a survey. international journal of research on english teaching and applied linguistics, 2(2), 26-36. http://dx.doi.org/10.30863/ijretal.v2i2.2452 wahyuni, d., oktavia, w., & marlina, l. (2019). writing anxiety among indonesian efl college students: levels, causes and coping strategies. lingua cultura, 13(1), 67-74. https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v13i1.5239 wern, t.c and rahmat, n.h. (2021). an investigative study on the types and causes of esl writing anxiety: a case study of learners from a chinese independent middle school. european journal of english language teaching, 6(3), 19-36. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2021.4784 https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2021.4784 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.19109/ejpp.v8i1.8173 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.19109/ejpp.v8i1.8173 http://10.0.184.87/ijmra/v6-i8-52 https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v12i4.4268 https://doi.org/10.18196/ftl.3125 https://doi.org/10.33394/jo-elt.v81l.3707 https://doi.org/10.33394/jo-elt.v81l.3707 https://doi.org/10.2147%2fprbm.s276448 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.947867 https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v9i2.20229 http://dx.doi.org/10.30863/ijretal.v2i2.2452 https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v13i1.5239 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 735 examining teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards the integration of technology in assessment practices wahyu restu indayani universitas muhamadiyah gresik, indonesia email: w.restuindayani@gmail.com slamet asari universitas muhamadiyah gresik, indonesia email: asari70@umg.ac.id nirwanto maruf universitas muhamadiyah gresik, indonesia email: nirwanto.maruf@umg.ac.id apa citation: indayani, w. r., asari, s., & maruf, n. (2023). examining teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards the integration of technology in assessment practices. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 735-744. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8817 received: 24-06-2023 accepted: 28-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: the integration of technology in education has become increasingly important, and understanding how teachers perceive and approach online assessment is crucial for effective implementation in the field of efl teaching. this study investigates the perceptions and attitudes of efl teachers in junior high schools in east java towards online assessment. despite the potential benefits of online assessment, there is a research gap in how efl teachers in this context perceive and utilize it. this research aims to explore efl teachers' beliefs and views about online testing and the specific challenges they encounter when adopting online assessment. employing a mixed-methods approach, data were gathered from 100 efl teachers through surveys and semistructured interviews. findings reveal that efl teachers generally hold a positive perception and attitude towards online assessment, acknowledging advantages like faster grading and accurate measurement of learning outcomes. however, they face challenges related to technological proficiency, student competence assessment, and teacher confidence in using ict. these findings contribute to the field by emphasizing the importance of supporting teachers' technological proficiency and fostering an inclusive learning environment, optimizing the potential benefits of online assessment in efl classrooms. keywords: challenges and strategies; efl teachers; online assessment; perception and attitudes. introduction assessment can be utilized to judge on how well students comprehend brand-new material and demonstrate that the objective was met (arifani, 2022; brown, 2019; voronov et al., 2018). evaluations are used to motivate students to learn extensively rather than just regurgitate information for tests (phongsirikul, 2018). in the past, assessments were mostly utilized to assess students and gauge memory (tosuncuoglu, 2018). like the vast majority of conventional tests, it was also given on paper (cirit, 2015). due to the technology's quick evolution, current evaluations combine online and paper-based components. due to its integration, student development can now be assessed and tracked more quickly and easily (guangul et al., 2020). online assessment has become increasingly popular recently (lie et al., 2020; monroe & haug, 2022; tang et al., 2020) . this has been a wellliked strategy to encourage learning flexibility (alavi et al., 2022) as it is so straightforward to accurately and thoroughly assess student learning (zheng et al., 2020). since it yields fast feedback (zhang et al., 2022), it is made simple by online tests to track students' progress (mai et al., 2022) and quickly assign scores (daradoumis et al., 2019). the online test's rapid quickness will have an effect on the test-takers trust in the outcomes (maruf & anjely, 2020; momeni, 2022). the ease with which students can obtain additional materials’ while taking the test makes cheating one of the biggest issues (abduh, 2021). students who had the simplest access to alternative resources cheated most frequently (tarigan et al., 2021). according to patak et al., (2021), these plagiarism-related actions may result in academic dishonesty and other negative effects. mailto:w.restuindayani@gmail.com mailto:asari70@umg.ac.id mailto:nirwanto.maruf@umg.ac.id wahyu restu indayani, slamet asari, & nirwanto maruf examining teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards the integration of technology in assessment practices 736 another challenge is ensuring the reliability and validity of online assessments (hewson & charlton, 2019), as it can be difficult to monitor and control the testing environment. these issues emphasize the necessities for significant strategies and technologies to enhance the security and accuracy of online assessments (surahman & wang, 2022). despite this, student internet connectivity issues made it difficult to complete the assessments on time, which may have a negative impact on their learning (elsa & anwar, 2021; onuh et al., 2022) online assessment has been shown to be difficult for both teachers and students, according to a prior study. lack of resources and skills among university lecturers makes it difficult to integrate ict, which makes it difficult to engage students (suherman, 2021). at a few schools, it can be challenging to assess learners' online competencies as the schools lack the essential tools (lestiyanawati & widyantoro, 2020; mujayanah et al., 2023); most teachers do not believe that online assessment enables them to explore students' unique learning styles, while a small number of teachers agree that it enables them to measure outcomes accurately (momeni, 2022; maruf & anjely, 2020). another reveals that teachers are developing language assessments while learning a new skill and still giving all students an equal chance regardless of whether they have access to the advanced technology (fitriyah & jannah, 2021; maruf, 2023). the teacher argues that effective evaluation methods should be put into place in order to ensure justice, equity, and a connection between the distribution and the needs of the students (azizi, 2022; purwantoro et al., 2021). immediate feedback from online assessments fosters a positive attitude that enables teachers to quickly track progress and plan additional activities for students (vurdien & puranen, 2022; zuhri et al., 2021). through online assessment, the teacher as facilitator guides students to brainstorm answers from various sources, so the idea not come only from the teacher (loi & ang, 2022). flexibility in taking exams can lessen the anxiety and stress that come with timed exams (russell, 2020). previous research discovered that online formative assessment enabled teachers to become innovators by developing peer assessments, games, and question-and-answer forms (i̇lhan et al., 2022). a previous study found that this online test also fosters the undesirable idea that there is no guarantee that students will come up with answers when taking the test (vurdien & puranen, 2022). another point was that task design typically necessitates lengthy organizing, developing, checking, testing, adjusting, and reexamining processes (arifani et al., 2020; bawanti & arifani, 2021). having trouble seeing students’ cheating and being used to the exam format are problems for teachers (mustafa, 2021). by doing this, teachers intend to teach students crucial information that students might have yet to acquire in a regular assessment setting (coomey & stephenson, 2018), boosting student adaptability and practical methods of assessing their knowledge and skills (rapanta et al., 2020). in past research, perspectives and attitudes of different teachers about online assessment examined. the study emphasized the benefits of online testing, including its capacity to provide quick feedback (lopes & soares, 2022) and precise input (xian, 2020), monitor student growth (pospíšilová & rohlíková, 2023), and support flexible learning (tran & ma, 2021). online assessments preferred by teachers due to provide short turnaround times (ali et al., 2021) that allow teachers to monitor students' progress (lisyowati et al., 2021) and develop new lesson plans (chen, 2022). online assessment can help students keep a positive attitude and lessen the pressure of timed exams (jahara et al., 2022). earlier research on online assessment was limited in that it mostly concentrated on how students and teachers perceived online assessment in relation to specific teaching demographics, such as adult learners. although it has been able to compile important information on the viewpoints and attitudes of efl teachers that include online assessment in their sessions for language learning. another issue is that past research relied heavily on quantitative techniques like surveys to estimate the rise in assessment usage. in line with the broader context of technology growth in assessment practices, the current study employed explanatory research toanalyze the understanding of teachers' perspectives, attitudes, challenges, and approaches related to online assessment. as a guide for the investigation, the following research issues were developed: (1) what beliefs and views do efl teachers have about online testing? (2) what specific issues do efl teachers have when adopting online assessment into their language classrooms and how do they manage these limitations and challenges?. method this mixed-method study explores teachers' english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 737 perspectives and attitudes towards online assessment in an east java junior high school, using surveys and semi-structured interviews to identify challenges and strategies for effective technology integration. this research explored the impact of integrating technology into education evaluations, focusing on english teachers from junior high schools in east java. one hundred of teachers completed a closedended questionnaire, and six teachers participated in semi-structured interviews, selected using purposive sampling based on their expertise in technology assessment. the participants varied in age, experience, and educational background. data gathered through interviews and a google formsbased questionnaire, offering insights into technology integration in different educational contexts. table 1. demographic participants partici pants age gender experienc e education t1 26 30 female 1-5 years bachelor t2 41 45 female 16-20 years master t3 46 or above male more than 20 years bachelor t4 46 or above male more than 20 years master t5 31 35 male 11-15 years master t6 36 40 male 5-10 years master table 2. frequency use of online assessment participants frequency t1 51-75% t2 26-50% t3 0-25% t4 0-25% t5 51-75% t6 51-75% table 2. learning media use participants learning media use t1 learning management systems, online quiz platforms, video conferencing tools t2 learning management systems t3 learning management systems t4 online quiz platforms t5 learning management systems, online quiz platforms, video conferencing tools t6 learning management systems, online quiz platforms, video conferencing tools the data analysis demonstrates significant patterns in the participants' use of educational resources and frequency of online assessments. participants between the ages of 26 and 40 (t1, t5, and t6) exhibit higher usage (51–75%) across a variety of tools, whereas participants over the age of 41 (t2, t3, and t4), with at least 16 years of experience, exhibit lower usage (0–50%) and a greater reliance on particular platforms. the adoption of online assessments and learning media preferences are greatly influenced by age, experience, and technological familiarity. these results offer insightful information about the characteristics of teachers and their methods for conducting online assessments. this study utilized a closed-ended survey and semi-structured interviews conducted through google forms (creswell, 2009b). the survey was adopted from previous studies (momeni, 2022; pongsakdi et al., 2021), gathered quantitative data on teachers' perceptions and attitudes towards technology integration in assessment. it incorporated categories from these studies, including perception and attitude. administered online via google forms, the questionnaire ensured convenience and accessibility for participants. semi-structured interviews conducted through google forms obtained qualitative data, providing deeper insights into teachers' perspectives on online assessment and technology integration. the interviews aimed to explore challenges faced by teachers, strategies employed, and overall perceptions of technology integration in assessment practices. these research instruments, the close-ended questionnaire with its categories, and the semistructured interviews were carefully selected to comprehensively capture teachers' experiences and attitudes towards technology integration in assessment. by combining quantitative and qualitative data, the study facilitated a thorough analysis of the research topic, enabling a richer understanding of the impact of technology integration on assessment practices in education (creswell, 2009b). the research involved carefully selecting expert english teachers proficient in integrating technology into evaluation. data collection utilized close-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews administered through google forms. questionnaires explored participants' perspectives on technology in assessment and attitudes (momeni, 2022; pongsakdi et al., 2021). interviews delved deeper into experiences with online assessment and technology adoption. thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data, wahyu restu indayani, slamet asari, & nirwanto maruf examining teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards the integration of technology in assessment practices 738 identifying recurring themes (creswell, 2009a). descriptive statistical analysis summarized quantitative data. findings integrated both methods to understand participants' perceptions and experiences regarding technology adoption in assessment practices. results were presented clearly, discussed in relation to existing literature, and explored implications for effective implementation (creswell, 2009b). ethical considerations were maintained throughout the process (creswell, 2009b). the research procedure involved participant selection, data collection using questionnaires and interviews, analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, integration of findings, and presentation with implications for implementation, all while maintaining ethical standards (creswell, 2009b). the data gathered from the surveys and interviews were subjected to a comprehensive analysis to gain meaningful insights into the impact of technology adoption in assessment practices. for the survey, which were directly adopted from previous study (momeni, 2022; pongsakdi et al., 2021), frequencies and percentages were calculated for each question. this descriptive analysis allowed for a clear understanding of the distribution of responses and the relative popularity of different options among the participants. this facilitated easy comparison between different options and offered a clearer understanding of the relative popularity of each choice. conversely, thematic analysis was done on the qualitative data obtained from the semi-structured interviews. the transcripts were carefully review, coded, and analyzed to identify recurring themes and patterns. these themes captured the participants' experiences, perspectives, and recommendations related to online assessment and the integration of technology (mirza, 2021; momeni, 2022; wicaksono, 2022). by integrating the quantitative findings from the questionnaires and the qualitative insights from the interviews, a comprehensive understanding of the participants' perspectives on technology adoption in assessment practices achieved. this allowed for a deeper exploration of their perceptions, experiences, and recommendations, resulting in a more nuanced interpretation of the data (poth, 2018). the interpretation of the data was guide by the research objectives and relevant theoretical frameworks. the relevance and impact of the results in the fields of instructional technology and evaluation are highlighted and addressed in light of previous research. the limitations of the study were also acknowledged, providing insights for future research and suggesting areas for further exploration (poth, 2018). results and discussion this study aimed to explore the perceptions and attitudes of efl teachers of junior high school in east java towards online assessment. the research utilized a questionnaire to collect data on the teachers' perceptions and attitudes, and descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the responses. the findings offer valuable insights into the application of online assessment in the educational context and provide a comprehensive understanding of how efl teachers perceive and approach this form of assessment. research question #1: what beliefs and views do efl teachers have about online testing? this study sought to investigate how efl teachers felt about and viewed online testing. in order to get insight into the usage of online assessment in the field of education, descriptive statistics were employed to examine a survey regarding perspective and attitudes. table 3. efl teacher perception and attitude i. perception of technology in assessment item sd d n a sa i prefer online assessments to paperbased assessments. 10% 36 % 30 % 19 % 5% online assessment helps teachers improve their technological skills to assess students effectively using various techniques 7% 13 % 28 % 36 % 16 % effective evaluation of students' performance is possible in online assessment. 3% 8 % 19 % 62 % 8% online assessment measures students' achievements fairly. 6% 62 % 20 % 10 % 2% effective use of the online assessments platform enables teachers to assess their students more effectively. 0% 20 % 25 % 48 % 7% compared to paperbased assessments, online assessments provide faster entry of grades into the electronic grading center. 0% 10 % 30 % 51 % 9% english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 739 online assessment allows teachers to measure learning outcomes more accurately. 3% 18 % 34 % 39 % 6% online assessments help instructors explore the unique learning styles of individual students. 0% 10 % 38 % 43 % 9% providing teachers with managerial, pedagogical, and technological support during online assessment enables them to increase the accuracy with which they assess. 2% 80 % 10 % 8 % 0% e-portfolios, a form of online assessment, support students' reflective thinking, develop creativity and increase collaborative work. 0% 8 % 29 % 60 % 3% online assessment approaches such as online discussion and personal activities for learning problem solving are effective assessment strategies. 1% 18 % 26 % 53 % 2% ii. attitudes toward technology in assessment i rely on my ability to use ict 4% 19 % 20 % 57 % 0% i want to learn more about using ict to support learning and teaching. 0% 5 % 23 % 67 % 5% ict needs to be used more at school because it helps to learn better. 0% 0 % 10 % 78 % 12 % the use of ict in studying develops students’ collaborative skills. 12% 38 % 30 % 12 % 8% i have enough tools for process-oriented assessment 3% 7 % 40 % 5 % 0% table 4. descriptive statistic result perception attitude n valid 100 100 missing 0 0 mean 3,0900 3,4000 std. error of mean ,02876 ,04924 median 3,0000 3,0000 std. deviation ,28762 ,49237 skewness 2,909 ,414 std. error of skewness ,241 ,241 kurtosis 6,595 -1,866 std. error of kurtosis ,478 ,478 range 1,00 1,00 minimum 3,00 3,00 maximum 4,00 4,00 sum 309,00 340,00 the data in tables 4 and 5 provide insight into how efl teachers perceive and use online assessment. the samples for this study came from 100 efl teachers at junior high schools’ in east java. table 1 employs a likert scale of 1 to 5, with 1 representing strongly disagree (sd), 2 expressing disagree (d), 3 referring to neutrality (n), 4 representing agreement (a), and 5 representing strongly agree (sa). table 4's data shed light on the opinions and views of efl teachers regarding the application of technology to assessment. a 3.09 average perception score indicates a generally positive perception. it suggests that teachers prefer online examinations to paper ones and believe that taking exams online improves their technology proficiency so they can successfully grade students using a variety of techniques. additionally, teachers perceive that using online assessment allows them to accurately measure learning outcomes, evaluate students successfully, and use online communication and personal activities as effective problem-solving strategies. the mean score for attitudes, on the other hand, is 3.4, showing a generally positive attitude toward technology in assessment. it implies that the majority of teachers rely on their proficiency with ict and indicate an interest to discover more about how to use ict to enhance learning and teaching. teachers believe that student collaboration skills improved by using ict during class. the research also shows that teachers believe they have sufficient tools for process-oriented assessment. table 2 provides descriptive statistics related to perception and attitudes. the mean score of 3.09 for perception and 3.4 for attitude indicates that efl teachers have a medium positive perception and attitude toward online assessment. the distribution and shape of the data show that most efl teachers have a positive perspective and attitude toward online testing. the small rightward skew in the data indicates that most teachers have a positive view of online assessment. according to the research, efl teachers in junior high schools in east java have an attitude and perception of the use of technology in assessment is generally favorable. they prefer online tests to paper ones and think technology assists them to evaluate students more effectively. teachers also view online assessment as the way to effectively gauge student-learning outcomes and employ techniques for efficient problem solving, such as online discussion and personal activities. teachers also acknowledge the wahyu restu indayani, slamet asari, & nirwanto maruf examining teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards the integration of technology in assessment practices 740 advantages of using ict in helping students build their collaboration skills and display a positive attitude toward their own ict skills. these results can guide the development of online assessment processes in the context of efl learning. the favorable perception of online evaluation among efl teachers is consistent with earlier research that emphasizes its advantages, such as immediate feedback, flexibility, accessibility worldwide, customization, and efficiency (alruwais et al., 2018). the survey also showed that efl teachers believe that online evaluation may be utilized to successfully evaluate students, accurately measure learning outcomes, and employ personal activities and online discussion as problem-solving techniques. these results are consistent with other research, which claims that online assessment can offer staff and students continuous feedback on their progress toward learning objectives (behforouz, 2022). academic integrity and student equity are another two issues raised by the study that relate to online assessment (behforouz, 2022). these findings are in accordance with earlier research, which contends that online assessment poses hazards and practical difficulties, particularly for summative evaluations (al-maqbali & raja hussain, 2022). the study nevertheless indicates that efficient use and strategies for implementing online evaluation can help optimize its potential benefits while limiting its problems (wibowo & novitasari, 2021). research question #2: what specific issues do efl teachers have when adopting online assessment into their language classrooms and how do they manage these limitations and challenges?. according to survey results, the majority of efl teachers in east java believe favorably in online assessment. the purpose of this study is to get an in-depth understanding of teachers' experiences with the constraints and difficulties associated with adopting online assessment, as well as the techniques teachers use to deal with these issues. in this study, six teachers freely took part in semistructured interviews. the participants are chosen based on the demographic data that is mentioned in the section on instrument of the study. a number of themes relating to the difficulties teachers have when implementing online assessments were found after the responses were thematically analyzed. the following topics apply to the challenge of online assessment: (1) technological proficiency. (2) student competence assessment. (3) teacher confidence in ict it draws attention to a number of issues, including the preference of teachers for online evaluation over paper-based evaluation, their struggle to develop technological proficiency for efficient evaluation, and the perceived efficiency of online evaluations in determining learning outcomes and judging students' proficiency. regarding technical aptitude, teacher 1 with 1–5 years of teaching expertise shares her perspective on online assessment. “incorporating technology in assessment is essential, but it can be overwhelming at times. [...]” additionally, teacher 2 shared her perspective on the difficulty in assessing learners' technology competency and competence in general, “in my experience, providing instructions and rubrics to students using technology in assessment is difficult because sometimes students don't understand it. so, i help them understand what is expected. [...]” in the meantime, some participants' responses to concerns about students' assessment abilities, such as those indicated by teacher 3, “in the beginning i have challenge to assigning students personal activities. i confuse about how the way to overcome this. also not all students can have the same access one to another. [...]” teacher 4 illustrated the same challenge by saying, “actually, my students are not ready yet for this online assessment. my students mostly late in submitted their work, have no or low internet connectivity. so, when it comes to speaking time, they cannot showing their live video and i cannot assess them fairly. [...]” teachers underlined the importance of teacher confidence in using ict for assessments while discussing the use of ict in the classroom. as teacher 5 highlighted, "ensuring teacher readiness is also crucial for successful implementation. as educators, we need continuous professional development opportunities to stay up-to-date with the latest technological advancements in assessment. [...]” meanwhile teacher 6 stated, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 741 “i am not too confident in ict, but i believe that continuous assessment resource evaluation and investing in appropriate tools and platforms are essential to support teachers' needs. but in fact, my school is not that ready to use various platform. so, i try to collaborate with other teacher and discuss what is the best way to overcome it. sometimes i use quizzes or google form or moodle that already provided or asking students to make their own video then submitted to me. it works on me.” teacher 3 shares his knowledge as to how to overcome the difficulties. “[...] to address the challenge of assigning personal activities through online assessment, i implemented strategies to ensure equitable participation. i diversified the types of activities to accommodate students' varying access levels to technology. additionally, i provided clear instructions and maintained open communication with students to create a supportive learning environment, enabling them to engage effectively in the assessment tasks.” it can be difficult for teachers to incorporate technology-based assessments. they used a variety of approaches to get around this, with teacher 1 using a workshop and seeking advice from tech experts as part of her strategy. “[...] to tackle this challenge, i attended workshops and training sessions to enhance my technological proficiency. i also asking guidance from my colleagues whose expert in technology.” as a strategy for conquering the abilities of students in evaluation, teacher 4 shares his experience in overcoming his limitations during speaking time. “[...] to overcome the challenge of students' readiness for online assessment, i have implemented strategies such as providing alternative submission methods for students with limited internet connectivity and scheduling one-on-one sessions to assess speaking skills through alternative means. i also maintain regular communication with students to offer reminders and support for timely submissions, fostering a more inclusive online assessment environment.” the results are in accordance with earlier research that underlines the difficulties of conducting online assessments, such as gauging students' abilities and teachers' comfort levels with ict (fitriyah & jannah, 2021; wibowo & novitasari, 2021). despite a largely favorable impression and attitude toward online assessment, teachers encountered challenges in properly integrating technology, assessing student requirements, and maintaining a helpful online learning environment. these results are in keeping with other research, which contends that online assessment offers risk factors and practical difficulties, particularly for summative examinations (mohamadi, 2018; mohamadi zenouzagh, 2019). teachers used a variety of ways to address these restrictions, including attending seminars, obtaining advice from colleagues, providing clear directions, and offering alternative evaluation methods. these results are in accordance with earlier research, which contends that online assessment can help maximize potential while avoiding obstacles with effective use and strategies for implementation (behforouz, 2022; fitriyah & jannah, 2021; rahmawati astiandani & anam, 2021) conclusion in conclusion, this study explored efl teachers' attitudes towards online assessment of junior high school in east java using surveys and semistructured interviews. most teachers exhibited positive attitudes, recognizing the benefits of quicker grading and improved evaluation. challenges included students' technological skills and teachers' confidence in ict use. conversely, teachers demonstrated resilience through collaboration and workshops to enhance technology integration. the findings have implications for creating a supportive environment to leverage online assessment advantages and improve student-learning experiences. future research should focus on professional development for teachers to enhance technological proficiency, consider students' perspectives, and explore innovative assessment mechanisms, fostering equitable and efficient technology integration in efl classrooms. acknowledgement i would like to express my sincere gratitude to dr. slamet asari and dr. nirwanto maruf for their important advice, expertise, and insights that were highly beneficial in assisting to complete this article. additionally, i would want to acknowledge everyone for their assistance who helped with the data gathering and analysis for this study. the contributions are highly appreciated. wahyu restu indayani, slamet asari, & nirwanto maruf examining teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards the integration of technology in assessment practices 742 references abduh, m. y. m. (2021). full-time online assessment during covid -19 lockdown: efl teachers’ perceptions. asian efl journal, 28(11). al-maqbali, a. h., & raja hussain, r. m. (2022). the impact of online assessment challenges on assessment principles during covid-19 in oman. journal of university teaching and learning practice, 19(2), 73–92. https://doi.org/10.53761/1.19.2.6 alavi, s. m., dashtestani, r., & mellati, m. (2022). crisis and changes in learning behaviours: technology-enhanced assessment in language learning contexts. journal of further and higher education, 46(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877x.2021.198597 7 ali, s., hafeez, y., abbas, m. a., aqib, m., & nawaz, a. (2021). enabling remote learning system for virtual personalized preferences during covid19 pandemic. multimedia tools and applications, 80(24), 33329–33355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-021-11414-w alruwais, n., wills, g., & wald, m. (2018). advantages and challenges of using e-assessment. international journal of information and education technology, 8(1), 34–37. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2018.8.1.1008 arifani, y. (2022). development and validation of an instrument to asses efl teachers’ perceptions of task assessment using rais frameworks (1st ed.). deepublish publisher. arifani, y., suryanti, s., wicaksono, bayu hendro, & inayati, n. (2020). efl teacher blended professional training: a review of learners’ online and traditional learning interactions quality. 3l: the southeast asian journal of english language studies, 26(3), 124–138. https://ejournal.ukm.my/3l/article/view/38650 azizi, z. (2022). fairness in assessment practices in online education: iranian university english teachers’ perceptions. language testing in asia, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-02200164-7 bawanti, p. k. d., & arifani, y. (2021). the students’ perceptions of using zoom application on mobile phone in improving speaking skills during online learning at ban loeiwangsai school, loei province, thailand. journal of english teaching, literature, and applied linguistics, 5(1), 54. https://doi.org/10.30587/jetlal.v5i1.2212 behforouz, b. (2022). online assessment and the features in language education context: a brief review. journal of language and linguistic studies, 8(1), 564–572. brown, g. t. l. (2019). is assessment for learning really assessment? frontiers in education, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00064 chen, m. (2022). establishing a common design language and process for unit development using miro template. ascilite publications, e22223. https://doi.org/10.14742/apubs.2022.223 cirit, n. c. (2015). assessing elt pre-service teachers via web 2.0 tools: perceptions toward traditional, online and alternative assessment. turkish online journal of educational technology, 2015. coomey, m., & stephenson, j. (2018). online learning: it is all about dialogue, involvement, support and control according to the research. in teaching & learning online: new pedagogies for new technologies. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315042527-6 creswell, j. w. (2009a). research design : qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches / 3rd ed chapter 1 : selection of a research design. in research design qualititative quantitative and mixed methods approaches (issue 3). creswell, j. w. (2009b). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). in sage publications, incage publications, inc (vol. 20, issue 2). daradoumis, t., marquès puig, j. m., arguedas, m., & calvet liñan, l. (2019). analyzing students’ perceptions to improve the design of an automated assessment tool in online distributed programming. computers and education, 128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.09.021 elsa, e., & anwar, k. (2021). the perception of using technology canva application as a media for english teacher creating media virtual teaching and english learning in loei thailand. journal of english teaching, literature, and applied linguistics, 5(1), 62. https://doi.org/10.30587/jetlal.v5i1.2253 fitriyah, i., & jannah, m. (2021). online assessment effect in efl classroom: an investigation on students and teachers’ perceptions. ijeltal (indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics), 5(2). https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v5i2.709 guangul, f. m., suhail, a. h., khalit, m. i., & khidhir, b. a. (2020). challenges of remote assessment in higher education in the context of covid-19: a case study of middle east college. educational assessment, evaluation and accountability, 32(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-02009340-w hewson, c., & charlton, j. p. (2019). an investigation of the validity of course-based online assessment methods: the role of computer-related attitudes and assessment mode preferences. journal of computer assisted learning, 35(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12310 i̇lhan, n., güngör, h., & gülseven, e. (2022). scale of attitudes towards online formative assessment: teacher’ attitudes during covid-19 pandemic. international journal of educational english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 743 methodology, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.12973/ijem.8.2.241 jahara, s. f., hussain, m., kumar, t., goodarzi, a., & assefa, y. (2022). the core of self-assessment and academic stress among efl learners: the mediating role of coping styles. language testing in asia, 12(1), 21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-022-00170-9 lestiyanawati, r., & widyantoro, a. (2020). strategies and problems faced by indonesian teachers in conducting elearning system during covid-19 outbreak. cllient journal, 2(1). lie, a., tamah, s. m., gozali, i., triwidayati, k. r., utami, t. s. d., & jemadi, f. (2020). secondary school language teachers’ online learning engagement during the covid-19 pandemic in indonesia. journal of information technology education: research, 19. https://doi.org/10.28945/4626 lisyowati, w., wiyaka, w., & prastikawati, e. f. (2021). english teachers’ conceptions of formative assessment in online teaching. language circle: journal of language and literature, 16(1), 177–186. https://doi.org/10.15294/lc.v16i1.29998 loi, c. k., & ang, m. c. h. (2022). online learning and online assessments: attitude change and students’ perceptions. malaysian journal of social sciences and humanities (mjssh), 7(4). https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v7i4.1412 lopes, a. p., & soares, f. (2022). online assessment using different tools and techniques in higher education. edulearn, 510–517. https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2022.0157 mai, t. t., bezbradica, m., & crane, m. (2022). learning behaviours data in programming education: community analysis and outcome prediction with cleaned data. future generation computer systems, 127, 42–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2021.08.026 maruf, n. (2023). understanding the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiated instruction and its implementation in efl classrooms in indonesia. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 357–364. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7251 maruf, n., & anjely, a. m. r. (2020). utilizing cooperative integrated reading and composition (circ) with mobile learning to enhance students’ reading comprehension. british (jurnal bahasa dan sastra inggris), 9(2), 10–19. mirza, h. s. (2021). university teachers’ perceptions of online assessment during the covid-19 pandemic in lebanon. american academic & scholarly research journal, 13(1), 11–24. mohamadi, z. (2018). comparative effect of online summative and formative assessment on efl student writing ability. studies in educational evaluation, 59, 29–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2018.02.003 mohamadi zenouzagh, z. (2019). the effect of online summative and formative teacher assessment on teacher competences. asia pacific education review, 20(3), 343–359. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-018-9566-1 momeni, a. (2022). online assessment in times of covid-19 lockdown: iranian efl teachers’ perceptions. international journal of language testing, 12(2), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijlt.2022.157122 monroe, r. w., & haug, j. c. (2022). assessment of telework in a federal agency at the operational phase. public organization review, 22(3), 725– 742. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-021-005380 mujayanah, s., maruf, n., & asari, s. (2023). whatsapp use on reading comprehension: exploring the impact among efl learners. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 391–404. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7712 mustafa, e. (2021). preservice teachers’ views on online assessment. i-manager’s journal of educational technology, 18(3), 42–53. https://doi.org/10.26634/jet.18.3.18261 onuh, w., legaspi, o. m., mostajo, s. t., malabanan, d. s., & reyes, r. t. (2022). the link between internet connectivity and missed assessments in the online class modality. iafor journal of education, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.10.2.01 phongsirikul, m. (2018). traditional and alternative assessments in elt: students’ and teachers’ perceptions. reflections, 25(1), 61–84. pongsakdi, n., kortelainen, a., & veermans, m. (2021). the impact of digital pedagogy training on in-service teachers’ attitudes towards digital technologies. education and information technologies, 26(5), 5041–5054. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10439-w pospíšilová, l., & rohlíková, l. (2023). reforming higher education with eportfolio implementation, enhanced by learning analytics. computers in human behavior, 138, 107449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107449 poth, c. (2018). the contributions of mixed insights to advancing technology-enhanced formative assessments within higher education learning environments: an illustrative example. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 15(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-018-0090-5 purwantoro, a., asari, s., & maruf, n. (2021). the effectiveness of e-learning madrasah in english teaching and learning. birci-journal, 4(3). rahmawati astiandani, f., & anam, s. (2021). efl teachers’ perceptions towards the implementation of online formative assessment amidst the covid-19 pandemic. elt worldwide: journal of english language teaching, 8(2), wahyu restu indayani, slamet asari, & nirwanto maruf examining teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards the integration of technology in assessment practices 744 269–277. https://doi.org/10.26858/eltww.v8i2.21326 rapanta, c., botturi, l., goodyear, p., guàrdia, l., & koole, m. (2020). online university teaching during and after the covid-19 crisis: refocusing teacher presence and learning activity. postdigital science and education, 2(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00155-y russell, v. (2020). language anxiety and the online learner. foreign language annals, 53(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12461 suherman, a. (2021). proceeding of 2 nd international conference on the teaching of english and literature bengkulu examining how indonesian efl teachers engage with online formative assessment during covid-19 pandemic. 310– 318. surahman, e., & wang, t. (2022). academic dishonesty and trustworthy assessment in online learning: a systematic literature review. journal of computer assisted learning, 38(6), 1535– 1553. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12708 tang, s.-k., lei, p., tse, r., lam, c.-t., & cheong, c. w.-l. (2020). overcoming the sudden conversion to online education during the covid19 pandemic: a case study in computing education. 2020 ieee international conference on teaching, assessment, and learning for engineering (tale), 17–22. https://doi.org/10.1109/tale48869.2020.9368 384 tarigan, r. n., nadlifatin, r., & subriadi, a. p. (2021). academic dishonesty (cheating) in online examination: a literature review. international conference on computer science, information technology, and electrical engineering (icomitee), 148–152. tosuncuoglu, i. (2018). importance of assessment in elt. journal of education and training studies, 6(9). https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v6i9.3443 tran, t. t. t., & ma, q. (2021). using formative assessment in a blended efl listening course. international journal of computer-assisted language learning and teaching, 11(3), 17–38. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijcallt.2021070102 voronov, a. a., garkovenko, v. e., safonov, a. m., & kosnikov, s. n. (2018). higher education competitiveness: definition, assessment and ways of growth. european research studies journal, 21. https://doi.org/10.35808/ersj/1202 vurdien, r., & puranen, p. (2022). teacher attitudes toward online assessment in challenging times. in intelligent call, granular systems and learner data: short papers from eurocall 2022. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2022.61.1486 wibowo, f. e., & novitasari, u. (2021). an analysis of online assessment in teaching english. project (professional journal of english education), 4(3), 521–529. https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v4i3.p521-529 wicaksono, a. l. (2022). teachers’ perceptions towards the practice of assessment in online classroom during pandemic of covid-19. elite journal : international journal of education, language, and literature, 2(4), 211–218. https://journal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/elite/article /view/19762 xian, l. (2020). the effectiveness of dynamic assessment in linguistic accuracy in efl writing: an investigation assisted by online scoring systems. language teaching research quarterly, 18, 98–114. https://doi.org/https://dx.doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2 020.18.07 zhang, l., huang, y., yang, x., yu, s., & zhuang, f. (2022). an automatic short-answer grading model for semi-open-ended questions. interactive learning environments, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2019.164830 0 zheng, l., zhang, x., & cui, p. (2020). the role of technology-facilitated peer assessment and supporting strategies: a meta-analysis. assessment and evaluation in higher education, 45(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2019.164460 3 zuhri, s., anwar, k., & maruf, n. (2021). the correlation between extensive reading, critical reading , and selfesteem in students’ reading abilities. budapest international research and critics institute-journal (birci-journal), 4(3). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 843 four strategies in teaching speaking during covid -19 pandemic at sma n 04 palembang aprilia sari rahayu master program in language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: apriliasarirahayu01@gmail.com eryansyah eryansyah (corresponding author) master program in language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: eryansyah@unsri.ac.id margaretha dinar sitinjak master program in language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: magiedinar@yahoo.com apa citation: rahayu, a. s., eryansyah, e., & sitinjak, m. d. (2022). four strategies in teaching speaking during covid-19 pandemic at sma n 04 palembang. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 843-854. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.7089 received: 21-07-2022 accepted: 20-09-2022 published: 30-11-2022 introduction english is an international language widely used in the word, it is used as communication tool either oral or written. twenty percent of the population around the world speaks english. english has become a native, second or foreign language in many countries (srinivas, 2019). nowadays, english is still used in the field of education, tourism, science, diplomacy, computer technology, business, entertainment and media at the international level. english is also often used as a language of instruction in the development of communications, technology, internet and software which are the main needs of the 21st century era (arodjiah, 2020; chriscaden, 2020; suryahadi et al., 2020). english is used as a foreign language in indonesia. in indonesian current curriculum, the 2013 curriculum, english is a compulsory subject from junior high to university level (susiati & mufidati, 2020). it shows that to learn english is important, especially in the world of education. english as a foreign language has the meaning that english is only used and is domiciled as a learning in an educational institution, both formal educational institutions and non-formal educational institutions and is used as a language in social life and in daily life interactions, but does not become a language basis in a country (daka, 2020; villafuerte & mosquera, 2020). in indonesia's curriculum, there are four skills that must be mastered in the english teaching and learning process. those are listening, speaking, reading, and writing. from those four skills, speaking becomes a priority for most efl learners (alzamil, 2021). since the covid-19 abstract: teaching and learning activities for speaking at sma n 04 palembang were conducted online, as one of the efforts to suppress the spread of covid-19. the process of teaching and learning speaking online was conducted was through a web-based application and internet network. in situations like this, teachers had a very important role because they were the ones responsible for motivating, guiding, and correcting mistakes made by students when speaking english. therefore, teachers of this school had to think critically and use appropriate strategies to ensure that the teaching process during online learning ran well. the purpose of this study was to describe teacher's strategies of sma n 04 palembang in teaching speaking during the current covid-19 pandemic. this study used a qualitative narrative inquiry method. the participants in this study were four english teachers in sma n 04 palembang. data collection techniques in this study were observation and interviews. the results showed that the teachers at sma n 04 palembang used four strategies, namely roleplaying, storytelling, discussion and reporting. thus, from those strategies, roleplaying and storytelling seemed to be the most commonly used as they were considered to improve students’ english speaking skills during online learning. keywords: covid-19 pandemic; speaking; teacher strategy. aprilia sari rahayu, eryansyah eryansyah, & margaretha dinar sitinjak four strategies in teaching speaking during covid-19 pandemic at sma n 04 palembang 844 pandemic is happening all around the world, the way of teaching process has changed tremendously, from offline to online basis. face to face learning is replaced by onlsine learning in many parts of the world (fansury et al., 2020). chatarina muliana as expert staff of the minister of education and culture of indonesia in 2020 states that due to the pandemic of covid 19 social distance and temporary closing of the most educational sector are the best strategies against a wider spread of the disease. all activities in educational institutions and all material delivered needed to be delivered by online learning platforms at this time of pandemic. the learning process must be carried out at home by utilizing web-based applications like zoom, google meet, whatsapp etc. learning at home is one of the alternative ways of learning process continues during covid-19 pandemic (sikirit, 2020; suryadi, 2019; sutarto et al., 2020). in the learning process, teachers’ role as professional educators is extremely important. the key in achieving success of the teaching process is that teachers must be able to arrange effectively the material which is relevant to the needs as well as applied various appropriate strategies in teaching speaking during online learning. teachers should be able to develop appropriate methods in the learning process, understand the needs of students and be able to master ict during this time (caena & redecker, 2019). learning english properly can be achieved by mastering the language skills. one of productive skills which is very important to be mastered by english learners is speaking skill. speaking is considered a significant skill to be mastered by students in terms of communication needs (alkhresheh, 2020; sari & margana, 2019). students must understand and speak english well because it is an important skill in order to be able to communicate in english well. learning english speaking skill could encourage the students to develop their speaking fluency (renandya & ivone, 2018). when they communicate verbally, people could understand them better. speaking is about how to deliver the oral text that has meaning and being understood by the speaker-hearer (fridlund & cogens, 2020; ghaderi, 2021; poudel & acharya, 2019; utami, 2021). speaking skill in english is a person's abilities to share their wishes or thoughts to anyone orally, but speaking skills in english must be trained continuously so that they could be developed. they also could be exercised with friends, english teachers in the classroom or english teachers in courses, etc. online learning during this pandemic is very different from face-to-face learning. the difference is that during online learning requires internet and web-based application where the process is done virtually. meanwhile, face-to-face learning, the students meet their teachers, they do have direct interaction (alawamleh et al., 2020; karma et al., 2021). for this reason, the teachers must choose appropriate strategies that work well in the online learning process, especially to improve students’ speaking skill, so that students can achieve learning objectives well. the students seemed to face problems during the process of learning to speak in english. one of the student problems that they must overcome in learning speaking english is their anxiety, that is, being afraid of saying wrong sentences or cannot be understood by listeners (damayanti & listyani, 2020). another student problems in speaking english is not only caused by components of speaking such as: pronunciation, expression, vocabulary, and fluency, but it could also be caused by themselves, such as: encouragement, confidence and bravery (hermansyah, 2021). based on the interview with some english teachers in sma negeri 4 palembang, the problems above were also faced by students in sma negeri 4 palembang. for example, they still have a lack of self-confidence and being shy and anxious to speak english in front of the class. these problems also existed during the online teaching and learning activities. students’ problems in speaking during online english teaching and learning activities seemed to be interesting to be investigated especially what strategies used by the teachers to solve the problems especially during the covid-19 pandemic. it was then the reason inspiring the researcher to conduct a study entitled “strategies in teaching speaking during the covid-19 pandemic at sma n 4 palembang”. the researcher were curious in knowing what strategies used by the teachers,l how they applied them, and what problems they faced in applying those strategies in teaching english speaking during the covid-pandemic. results and discussion result of interview types of teacher strategies in teaching speaking during the covid-19 pandemic english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 845 the researcher found that teachers in sma n 04 palembang used four main strategies in teaching speaking during pandemic. the strategies they used were roleplaying, discussing, reporting and storytelling, in which the purposes were to engage, encourage and support their students in the teaching and learning process. roleplaying from the interview results, the roleplaying strategy was found suitable to apply for the students. three of four english teachers at this school used this strategy to teach speaking during pandemic. in this activity, students played the roles of malin kundang, timun emas, and pulau kemarau. from the results of interviews with the english teachers, mr. anang, ms. bianca and ms. dinda (pseudonyms), roleplaying activities seemed to improve the students’ speaking skills during pandemic. this conclusion can be seen from the statements below. “because i felt this strategy was effective for developing my students’ speaking skills, students were given the opportunity to express their ideas and opinions using english, so that they were active in speaking and could express their own opinions. with this strategy students felt happy and also got opportunities to express themselves towards progress.” (mr. anang) “the advantages of the strategy i used were first, students could make decisions and had the freedom to express or fully express their thoughts or ideas. in addition, i thought the strategy i used could attract students, allowing the class to be full of enthusiasm and foster a sense of cooperation among them. and finally, it could be applied in the teaching and learning process without any limits on the number of students in the class.” (ms. bianca) from the two statements made by mr. anang and ms. bianca, it could be seen that both of them had the same reasons for using this strategy in teaching speaking. they agreed that this strategy was effective for developing students' ability in speaking english. students also understood the roles of their plays and apply what they were learning in their daily lives. this activity was not monotonous and contributed to make students active in roleplaying and to give them opportunities to express themselves. another teacher, ms. dinda seemed to agree with mr. anang and ms. bianca, as explained by ms. dinda below: "in my opinion, these strategies could be applied in the classroom and see the speaking ability of the students i teach, they were given more opportunities to speak. it seemed that this strategy is more suitable for them than the old ones used in offline learning, which did not develop their speaking skills and they only relied on the teacher's ability.” (ms. dinda) from ms. dinda’s statement, it could be concluded that this strategy seemed to be effective for students, because students could think creatively playing their roles in the learning process. it could make students able to develop their speaking skills to the fullest. the impact was that learning objectives could also be achieved more easily. also, this strategy provides opportunities for all students to speak or role-play in front of the class. storytelling the second strategy used by the teachers was storytelling. from the result of the interview, the storytelling strategy gave numerous benefits to students at sma n 04 palembang, due to the fact through this strategy students' speaking skills could be developed. in addition, it could encourage students to think critically because, they had to make interesting storylines. it also increased students telling stories using english. besides that, it was an interesting activity that got rid of class boredom. therefore, from the benefits it made teachers interested in applying this storytelling strategy in teaching speaking. the topic was about their experience during vacations, a special day in their lives and the legendary stories from indonesia. “the advantages of the strategy i used were first, students could make decisions and had the freedom to express or fully express their thoughts or ideas. also, i thought the strategy i used could attract students, which could allow the class to be full of enthusiasm for students. and foster a sense of cooperation among students. finally, it could be applied in the teaching and learning process without any limit on the number of students in the class.” (ms. bianca) “as i explained earlier, the reason i used these two strategies was because i thought it was more effective to train students' speaking skills and could strengthen cooperation between them. besides that, i thought it could make students more creative in conveying information. by using the story telling strategy students were aprilia sari rahayu, eryansyah eryansyah, & margaretha dinar sitinjak four strategies in teaching speaking during covid-19 pandemic at sma n 04 palembang 846 able to tell stories using english. my goal in using this story telling strategy was to create a happy atmosphere, providing new experiences and developing my students' horizons more broadly.” (mr. charly) "in my opinion, these strategies could be applied to develop the abilities of the students i teach. with these strategies they were given more opportunities to speak. it seems that this strategy was more suitable for them than the old strategies used in offline learning, which made them unable to speak up and only rely on the teacher's ability." (ms. dinda) looking at the three statements above, three of the participants (ms. bianca, mr. charly and ms. dinda), agreed that this strategy seemed to be effective to be applied because students could think critically and play a direct role in learning activities. it could also develop students’ memorization skills, which means it could make students more creative in conveying information. in fact, when teachers applied this strategy to teach, it created a pleasant class atmosphere and provided new experiences for students, which could help develop students' insights more broadly. based on the result of the interview, two of four participants used this strategy, mr. charly and ms. dinda. this strategy was carried out in small groups, where the teacher led or guided students in expressing their opinions and ideas with a view to identifying and finding solutions or answers to certain problems or topics collectively. this discussion strategy seemed to provide advantages for students, for example, they could work together in collaboration or teamwork that would help them in solving issues given by the teacher. surely it could encourage them to express their ideas and opinions freely, without any limitations and think critically to solve existing problems. this strategy also made teaching and learning process dynamic as it allowed students to develop their abilities. therefore, they could easily achieve a shared learning goal that they could not achieve through individual work. the topics teachers used in teaching speaking were advantages and disadvantages of internet, technology and social cultural. as they explained, below: “by using this discussion strategy in teaching speaking, the goal was that my students could have the ability to make convey the results of their discussions. besides that, students got more knowledge, there was even an exchange of ideas during the speaking learning process, so that these students could more easily remember the results they obtained.” (mr. charly) “this discussion strategy in teaching speaking aimed to promote my students’ ability to conclude the results of their discussions, which could indirectly spur students to find their own knowledge that was in line with the goals i expected. students also gained more knowledge and even exchange ideas during the speaking learning process. in this way students can easily remember the results they obtained themselves.” (ms. dinda) from mr. charly and ms. dinda's statement above, it could be concluded that this strategy was effective to improve students' speaking skills because, they could think critically and grow their self-confidence in themselves. mr. charly also added that the purpose of using this strategy was that students could have the ability to convey the results of the discussions they had previously, because they exchanged ideas which makes it easier for them to remember and explain the results they get in class. reporting the last strategy used was reporting. from the result of the interview, the strategy seemed to give a positive impact on students, once students could practice a sense of responsibility, hence they were asked to seek information about a given topic. if they did not do it with full commitment then the results obtained were not optimal or success. the topic that teacher used was about life style. this strategy could be done individually or in groups. if this activity was carried out in groups, it could surely improve cooperation for the good, because they made a collection of important information that was carried out with their respective groups, then reported to the teacher and other friends. however, this strategy was not in demand by teachers. it was evident from the results of interviews that the one of four teachers used this strategy in their teaching, mr. anang (pseudonyms). as explained by mr. anang, as follows: "for me this strategy was effective in developing students speaking skills once they were given the opportunity to express their ideas and opinions using english. therefore, they were always active in speaking. the goal was that students get used to expressing their own opinions. with this strategy, students could english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 847 be happy because all of them got the opportunities to express themselves towards progress. thus, a real situation can be created and students benefit from these exercises to practice their speaking." (mr. anang) the reason mr. anang used the reporting strategy in teaching speaking was because for him this strategy was the most effective for improving students' speaking skills. the students at sma n 04 were more dominant during writing even in speaking english. the purpose of this strategy was helping students focus on expressing all the opinions that they used english and every student had the same opportunities to express the results they got. as a result, the speaking ability of these students could increase. even though during this pandemic, teaching and learning needed to be carried out in online mode, teachers and students could take advantage of using various web-based applications in learning online, that could ensure students could still achieve learning goals. the implementation of the strategies in the online speaking learning process going well because each student contributed to achieving the learning objectives. every student was given the same opportunity to contribute in the speaking activities and there was always an improvement in speaking at the end of each meeting. seemed to interest in learning videos made students more active in online classes, because it attracted them to continue to focus or pay attention to the ongoing subject matter. they could express their opinions and ideas about what was proposed. therefore, as explained earlier, the roleplaying strategy, discussion strategy, reporting strategy and storytelling strategy used by the teachers fostered students’ self-confidence and increased students' creativity, thus indirectly improved speaking skills. strategies used in teaching speaking during the covid-19 pandemic in the applied of these four strategies, each teacher had their own way of implementing the strategies. the first participant, pak anang, explained how the roleplaying was applied by him: "in applying roleplaying strategy, first i divided the students into groups. after that i explained the purpose of the roleplaying strategy, then determine the characters in the roleplaying strategy. next, the right people to play specific characters were determined. subsequently, they were asked to practice exploring their roles. at the end they performed in class." (anang) based on the explanation above, pak anang asked students practice deeply in their respective roles that had been given. therefore, the groups could perform well. the second participant, ms. bianca explained how she carried out the roleplay, namely: "in the roleplaying strategy, first, i made a list of what characters were needed. second, the roles were selected and distributed to each student, according to their respective abilities. each scene was made into a group, to make it easier to discuss. third, the group evaluates how the storyline was and what scenarios were used, etc. after everything was done and clear, i asked them to memorize the scenario and continued with virtual rehearsals. finally, they performed it through a zoom meeting and edited it into an interesting video, then collected it on whatsapp.” (mrs. bianca) based on the explanation of the second participant, ms. bianca applied this strategy by dividing students into small groups and determining the appropriate roles in the roleplaying. next, groups were made per scene, so that it was easier for students to discuss. then students determine which scenario to use and they remember the scenario it. furthermore, students present it used by a web-based application. after all the scenes were done, then proceed with the editing process so that it could become an interesting and not monotonous video story, which made the audience interested in watching it. then the results were collected to the teacher. the fourth participant, ms. dinda explained the roleplaying process in teaching speaking as follows: "as for roleplaying strategy, first i gave a predetermined topic for each student. second, i explained the goals and benefits in implementing the roleplaying strategy for students. third, determined the roles to play by each student so that students would not feel confused with what role they should play and at the same time increase their motivation to speak. last, i invited students to perform a predetermined role-play with the initial goal that they would achieve at the end of the applied roleplaying strategy.” (ms. dinda) from ms. dinda's explanation, teaching speaking with this roleplaying strategy could help aprilia sari rahayu, eryansyah eryansyah, & margaretha dinar sitinjak four strategies in teaching speaking during covid-19 pandemic at sma n 04 palembang 848 students focus on increasing their motivation to speak english. ms. dinda gave topics to students and explain the benefits of roleplaying. then, assigned roles to each student, and at last, asked them to perform it. the second strategy used by the teachers was storytelling. students could express ideas in telling stories or the stories that they have heard before or they could even make up their own stories to tell their friends in class, with their own style, intonation and aids. this could be seen from the statements from the results of interviews with participants. all participants had different ways of implementing this strategy. participant two, teacher bianca, explained how to use this strategy in her teaching, as follows: "in storytelling strategy, firstly i divided groups of 3-4 students. second, i distributed a short story to students and they choose it randomly. third, each student took turns reading the story they have gotten. the time given was only 15 minutes and for students who haven't had their turn, they should listen to their friends who were reading. fourth, while the students were reading it, i evaluate their way of speaking with told the story." (ms. bianca) from ms bianca’s explanation, she divided students into some groups. then, she gave them some interesting short stories to each group. then, they took turns reading the stories that they had gotten for about 15 minutes in front of the class. students could express the short story as well as possible. the third participant, mr. charly explained how he always applies this storytelling strategy to his students, as follows: “in the storytelling strategy, first a topic was given to each student. second, each student was free to determine what story they want to develop, but not out of the topic that has been given previously. students were asked to make recordings of their stories in a style, intonation, and aids that could attract listeners' attention. finally, it was collected to me with a predetermined deadline." (mr. charly) in the implementation of storytelling in class, mr. charly stated that by using this strategy in teaching speaking, students were given the opportunity to explain personal stories or legends, stories with the best version according to them, by recording and using interesting style and intonation, so that listeners were interested to hear them until the end. the recordings were collecting it to the teacher. therefore, it could indirectly train students' english improving their speaking skills. while the fourth participant, ms. dinda explained the steps in implementing storytelling that she took while teaching, as followed: "first, i determined a suitable topic for them to develop their story. second, i asked students to arrange what storylines they would develop for their later stories, whether they want a forward plot, backward plot, or mixed plot etc. next, i asked them to remember the plot. then, students were given the opportunity to create a story that they would present in class. finally, asked students to present their story." (ms. dinda) as explained by ms. dinda, the first step was that the teacher determined the topic to be developed by the students. the second step was that each student was asked what plot they would like to develop. the third step was that students were given opportunities to make interesting stories based on their presentation and teacher’s suggestions. the last step was that the teacher invited each student to present the story. in the process of learning and teaching using storytelling strategies, generally teachers have almost the same way of applied it, but the only difference was the title or topic of the story used. the third finding was discussion. from the results of the interview, two of the four teachers used a discussion strategy to teach speaking during this pandemic. the focus of this strategy was to improve students' speaking skills and also made students think critically. which could challenge students to express their opinions and be able to solve problems quickly. delivered by the third participant, mr. charly, he said that: "in this discussion strategy, for example, teachers start by dividing students into small groups. then the teacher should present the problem in general, then the problem should be divided into subproblems that should be solved by each group. after that, one of the representatives from among the groups would explain the results of their discussion. and then other students listen to the results of their friends explained." (mr. charly) from mr. charly's statement, this strategy was implemented by divided students into several groups and gave specific topics and problems, which the students had the problems from the discussion and they had to solve it. after that, each student was asked to convey the results of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 849 the discussions they had previously done in online class orally. meanwhile, based on the results of the fourth responses, ms. dinda explained that: "for discussion strategies, first, i gave specific topics and problems to students. for example, topics that were currently being discussed as hot topics and were in accordance with the times and at the same time i ask for problem solving from the given topic. next, with a random strategy, i arranged the members of each group and asked them to start a discussion in each group. finally, i asked them to practice speaking in english based on the results of the discussions they had previously. everyone was asked to speak, not just the discussion leader, so that they would have the same opportunity to speak." (ms. dinda) based on ms. dinda's explanation, she gave all of the students the opportunities to share their opinion and each student could explain the results of the discussions that they had. the topic the teacher applied in this strategy using a trending topic. then, the students looked the solutions to solve the problems that have been given. in this way, students could practice and got used to speak english in front of their friends and teachers, even though it was done online. the last finding was reporting strategy. this strategy was also used in teaching speaking during pandemic, but only one of four participants used this strategy. the purpose of it was to train students' memory, where students were able to the tell stories easily or make up stories or even tell stories about their daily lives. the benefits of this strategy for students were that it could improve students' memory as well as their speaking skills. the first participant, mr. anang explained about the reporting strategies was the strategy used to teach speaking in the class, as followed: "for the reporting strategy, i first looked for interest topics for students to do, while explaining the purpose of this reporting strategy. then, i asked students to read interesting news on their social media and next i asked them to start making news texts based on the facts they got from the reading research. after that i asked them to explain again in front of their friends about their results." (mr. anang) in implementing this strategy, mr. anang gave on the topic of the problem which easy to find it. then, each student reads the news and made the news text based on the facts obtained. when finished, each student reported back the results they got in online classes. problems with teacher strategies in teaching speaking during the covid-19 pandemic in the process of teaching and learning speaking online there were several issues experienced by both teachers and students. those problems could affect the students’ learning outcomes to be not optimal. problems or take out from internal factors are obstacles that arose from within the student concerns, such as, lack of confidence. while external factors came from outside the students, namely environmental factors, such as, the lack of inadequate learning facilities and infrastructure. these were obstacles in the teaching and learning process that troubled students to follow the lesson well, and even caused them to not focus or pay attention to the material. therefore, it resulted on students' lack of understanding of the material presented and consequently the students had difficulties expressing their opinions, ideas, english language development etc. below are the obstacles, found by the researcher, that occurred during the speaking learning and teaching process during this pandemic, explained one by one: lack of internet access and adequate facilities in the processed of learning and teaching online, there were certain problems that were often experienced by students and teachers. from the results of an interview with one participant, mr. anang, he explained the problem encountered, as stated: "so far, the difficulties i have encountered in the process of teaching and learning speaking online were limited time, network disturbances, and electrical disturbances. as a teacher, i was very dependent on the internet and electricity in the online teaching and learning process. for the students as well it was a problem once they have limited resources such as a limited internet quota or limitations in having electronic devices, such as, laptops and cell phones." (mr. anang) from this explanation, it can be seen that the problems faced was inadequate internet access, not enough internet quota, time constraints and student cell phones problems that did not support the current application. it made the learning process disrupted and students' understanding of the subject matter difficult. therefore, outside of class hours, students must take the initiative to learn independently and also looked for other aprilia sari rahayu, eryansyah eryansyah, & margaretha dinar sitinjak four strategies in teaching speaking during covid-19 pandemic at sma n 04 palembang 850 sources on the internet in order to increase their understanding of the material that has been left behind. another participant, mr. charly through the interview also conveyed about the internet access problems he experienced, as stated: "in addition to the personal difficulties of the students themselves, other difficulties they experienced were internet network disturbances and electricity disturbances etc. therefore, if these obstacles persist the students cannot follow the lesson well, thus it made students reduced their understanding of the material presented." (mr. charly) in reality, what was often seen when online learning was conducted by both teachers and students was internet problems. in addition to the constraints of a weak and unstable internet network, unpredictable electricity problems (sometimes sudden blackouts) also often resulted in the learn process not being able to run smoothly. in fact, it could result in students not being able to focus or pay attention to the subject matter. lack of self-confidence another problem faced by students a teacher when teaching speaking during this pandemic was related to the student’s lack of confidence while speaking english. self-confidence during speaking is essential to produce good and clear communication and extremely important in achieving the learning goals. the results of interviews with english teachers in sma n 04 palembang showed that, three of four participants agreed that the problem that occurred to their students was a lack of confidence in themselves while speaking english in class. as stated by participant one, mr. anang in the interview, as follows: "as far as i have experienced as a teacher, students experienced difficulties in terms of, lack of confidence in speaking english in class, due to lack of practice outside the classroom. they were only given a small amount of time to learn about speaking material, because there was a reduction in learning time during this pandemic period." (mr. anang) from mr. anang's answer, it can be seen that due to this pandemic situation student learning time in class was decreased. reducing lesson time could make lessons not optimal. lack of confidence in speaking english due to lack of practice outside the classroom and fear of making mistakes in front of their friends or teachers was a huge problem faced by them. building student’s self-confidence required an effort through the learning process by practicing. for example, they were copying and try to speak english was an activity encouraged by teachers. it was done continuously and also required a learning concept that was in accordance with the conditions of students. therefore, desired english-speaking skills could be achieved. the third participant, mr. charly also said, the same problems experienced by students by state that: "they were less confident in expressing their ideas because they were afraid of being wrong while speaking. because telling stories in front of the class requires high confidence, especially in using english, and they felt embarrassed or nervous when speaking english in front of their friends. in addition, the lack of english vocabulary made them confused about how to express what was proposed. had a large vocabulary was very important and useful for students themselves, because they can display the results of their discussion or told stories well." (mr. charly) from the explanation above, it showed that students had lacked self-confidence while speaking. they had a constant fear of trying to express their thoughts and display activities in front of the class using english. they also found it difficult to interact actively with the teacher because of the limited distance. due to the lack of physical meetings, students had a lack of motivation during online classes. without motivation to speak they could not learn new vocabulary. consequently, the lack of vocabulary made them confused to speaking english in class and they were often silent thinking about what they wanted to convey etc. those obstacles had an impact on them and even made it harder to be active and confident in the speaking learning. the fourth participant, ms. dinda, said that: "some of the difficulties i encountered were the students' lack of confidence in expressing something or speaking in english, especially in speaking competence. they were afraid to speak in english because they did not want to make mistakes in front of their friends, especially online learning made them focus on their laptops or phones rather than in class." (ms. dinda) from ms. dinda's explanation, it could be english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 851 concluded that the main reason that made students not confident while speaking english was a lack of english vocabulary. it made them confused and did not know how to express themselves well in english. just like the previous explanation, students have an excessive fear of speaking english. they worry about being wrong or making mistakes while pronouncing words or giving an explanation in front of their friends or the teacher. difficulty to interact actively in the world of education, interaction was very much needed. it involved two or more people and each party should be involved in playing an active role and giving each other reciprocally. one of the four participants explained that the problem that occurred to students was difficult to interact actively with the teacher and between friends. the problem of interaction in the online learning process was a problem that needed to be addressed instantly by the teacher. interaction between teachers and students must be well established in learning activities, both inside and outside the classroom. therefore, a teacher must have skills in teaching and choose interesting teaching methods in order to make students active and improve their speaking skills. as expressed by the second participant ms. binca, as follows: "the difficulty i encountered when i asked students to express ideas verbally during online teaching and learning activities was the lack of active interaction. they had difficulty to interacting actively with teachers because the learning process using gadgets, they did not meet friends in person and with this pjj system, forcing students to be able to attend school individually from home. they had difficulty accessing the internet network at home, they were tired of dealing with gadgets for too long and even had to handle eye pain when dealing with cell phones for too long and the imbalance in student learning time that was very little. therefore, from these obstacles, students often difficulties in pay attention to the material, thus making it hard for them to express their opinions.” (ms. bianca) from the results of the interviews that had been explained by ms. bianca, it could be concluded that online learning makes students not focused on the material because of several obstacles they experienced. it was hard for students to express their ideas or opinions used english. there was no direct meeting between students and teachers, which the result was the students’ lack of interaction actively. in addition to being burdened with the assigned tasks, students also had more time to play games, open instagram, youtube, and other social media compared to studying. as a result, there was a feel of laziness that was very difficult to fight. the impact was that students face difficult to concentrate when learning speaking. the teachers had to encourage students to interact during classes. therefore, teachers must creatively in choosing approach techniques to encourage them and motivated to continue learning english in class. result of observation based on the observations that had been made, it could be explained that three of four teachers used a roleplaying strategy, in which in roleplaying activities, students played certain characters in a story. the teachers teaching speaking used media such as: power point, youtube videos, documents, and pictures. all students in the class were activate in expressing their ideas or opinions when the teachers taught speaking by using the roleplaying strategy. in addition, the teachers also encouraged students to continue to express their ideas or opinions orally during the online teaching and learning process. the next strategy used by the teachers was storytelling, which was where many teachers were interested in teaching speaking. three of four participants used a storytelling strategy. in this storytelling activity students told a legendary story using their own words. teachers used media while teaching speaking, such as video, power point, pictures. students' interest in this strategy made them active in class to express opinions or give ideas. also, they got encouraged from their teachers to express their ideas or opinions orally during teaching and learning to speaking activities. the other strategy used was the discussion strategy, in which, students expressed their ideas and opinions freely and each student respected each other's responses. this strategy was used by two of four teachers. in the process of writing, they used media such as: video, power point, youtube, documents, pictures. every student was very active in the class to express their ideas or opinions, because they were encouraged by their teachers to continue to express their ideas and opinions orally during teaching speaking the last strategy used was reporting strategy, of the four english teachers, only one used this strategy. in this reporting activity, students aprilia sari rahayu, eryansyah eryansyah, & margaretha dinar sitinjak four strategies in teaching speaking during covid-19 pandemic at sma n 04 palembang 852 reported about a news and then presented it in front of the teacher and their friends. the media used were: video, power point, youtube, documents, pictures. although only one teacher used this strategy, the students seemed to be enthusiastic to practice speaking with this strategy. they were very active in expressing their ideas and opinions during the lesson. which could be encouraged by the teacher. in the world of education, strategies in teaching speaking were very important to created and arranged the students’ focus on learning and achieving the learning objectives. broadly speaking, learning strategies was used by teachers and students in achieving the goals of learning that have been determined at sma n 04 palembang. thus, the use of strategies in the learning and teaching process guarantees that the learning objectives could be achieved. based on the results of interviews and observations, the discussion on learning strategies used by english teachers in teaching speaking material to students at sma n 04 focuses on encouraging students' mentality to have high confidence in speaking english. those strategies could foster a competitive spirit among students, which made students active to continue speaking. they could also eliminate fear in students to discuss with their friends, telling stories, or to express their opinions. next, the discussion about learning strategies and teaching speaking. the english teachers at this school only used four strategies in teaching, namely roleplaying strategy, discussion strategy, reporting strategy and storytelling strategy. those strategies aim to achieve learning objectives, namely: 1) students can hone their speaking skills. 2) students can use appropriate and related vocabulary in compiling sentences to tell stories, or give opinions. 3) could foster creative and critical thinking in solving the problems. 4) students can interact directly with their friends, even though learning was done online. from the results of interviews and observations, of the four strategies, the most widely used by teachers were roleplaying and storytelling. it seemed that these strategies were effective for use with students, and had a positive impact for students to apply in real and social life. through roleplaying strategies in learning to speak is easier to achieve and applied directly by students, so that it could improve students' speaking skills (widiarti, 2021). while storytelling strategy proves that using this strategy during online classes has a positive impact on students' speaking skills, which helps students express their thoughts and feelings (jaca, 2021). the discussion strategy was use by two of the four teachers who teach at sma n 04 palembang, same as roleplaying and storytelling strategies, the discussion strategy also has an impact and purpose on students, as explained in chapter two, that: discussion is an effective strategy in teaching speaking, which can improve students' speaking skills through expressing their ideas and opinions on discussion forums, and could help students practice speaking in real communication with friends and teachers (heldawati & wiyanah, 2022). the last, the strategy used by only one teacher was the roleplay strategy. the activity of this strategy was provided to report on the information they have obtained. this strategy could help students' memory because they needed to remember everything they had read, in order to be able to present it again. in this reporting strategy also has a positive impact on students, this learning strategy works effectively and efficiently, because this strategy could increase students’ confidence in speaking english (ramadhani, 2021). from the explanation above, the students were too deep into the characters in their respective roles and had high creativity in the process of making video recordings when playing the story, which made the result look perfect. they made as if doing the scene met directly with the co-star. thus, it made the audience interested in watching until the end and got carried away in the storyline that students played. this activity was carried out through zoom meetings, and google meeting, due to their efficacy during online learning in producing a direct interaction between teachers and students. according to astini (2020), zoom meeting is an efficient application due to the fact that it is a video platform and during the learning process students and teachers can see each other. from all of the strategies, the roleplaying strategy seemed to have a significant uniqueness in the process of teaching and learning in speaking online, because by using this strategy, students really learn and deepen the roles they play, and they really feel the emotions and the things that were done with those characters. even though it was done online, the students were experts in role-playing and editing the video, which seemed to be done face-to-face, although it was done through a zoom-meeting and recorded in their respective homes. thus, when it was english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 853 shown the audience was immersed and feels the story. meanwhile, regarding the strategies used by the english teacher, the overall results explain how effective it was to improve students' speaking even though it was done online. the discussion about the online teaching method used by english teachers during this pandemic was the assignment method. assignments were given at the end of the learning process, the purpose was a means to practice again. the assignments were usually collected via whatsapp and done individually or in groups. the assignment method was a way of presenting lesson material to students. tasks in speaking material included playing a role about a story or legend, told stories or memorable experiences, discussing to solve a problem and re-explaining the news obtained. in order to teach speaking effectively during the covid-19 pandemic, english teachers in this school needed to rethink and determine which strategies were suitable in order to achieve the goals and objectives in the current online learning and teaching process. therefore, we could conclude from this discussion, that the process of learning and teaching speaking online seemed achievable in accordance with the learning objectives proposed and went well due to the fact that the right strategies were applied for this specific covid-19 situation. conclusion based on the results of data analysis conducted by the researcher, it could be concluded that english teachers of sma n 04, only used four strategies in teaching speaking during pandemics, namely roleplaying, discussion, reporting and storytelling strategies. almost all english teachers in sma n 04 palembang used roleplaying strategies and storytelling strategies. these strategies were considered to improve english speaking skills during this online learning, i.e., students seemed to speak english and express their opinions actively, interact with their friends well, and increase their self-confidence. although there were several obstacles found during the process of learning and teaching speaking english during the pandemic, such as internet network disruptions, time constraints and electricity disruptions, the four strategies seem to be recommended as teaching strategies during the pandemic as they could be applied well during online learning. acknowledgement the researcher would like to express her profound gratitude to the sriwijaya university community, advisors and particpants for the support, help and cooperation in this research references alawamleh, m., al-twait, l. m., & al-saht, g. r. (2020). the effect of online learning on communication between instructors and students during covid-19 pandemic. asian education and development studies, 33-39. al-khresheh, m. h. (2020). the efficiency of using pictures in teaching speaking skills of nonnative arabic beginner students. universal journal of educational research, 8(3), 872878. alzamil, a. (2021). teaching english speaking online versus face-to-face: saudi students’ experience during the covid-19 pandemic. arab world english journal (awej), 12(1), 19-27. arodjiah, e. n. (2020). the strategies used by english teacher in teaching speaking (a descriptive study at smp negeri 23 surakarta in academic year 2020/2021). [unpublished doctoral dissertation]. iain surakarta. astini, n. k. s. (2020). pemanfaatan teknologi informasi dalam pembelajaran tingkat sekolah dasar pada masa pandemik covid-19, lampuhyang, 11(2), 13-25. caena, f., & redecker, c. (2019). aligning teacher competence frameworks to 21st century challenges: the case for the european digital competence framework for educators (digcompedu). european journal of education, 54(3), 356-369. chriscaden, k. (2020). impact of covid-19 on people's livelihoods, their health and our food systems.who. http://www.who.int daka, m. r. (2020). a study to determine “the learner parents’ perceptions of non-native english speakers’ teaching of english and leadership capacities in international schools: a case study of international schools in zambia [doctoral thesis, the university of zambia]. unza library. https://dspace.unza.zm/handle/123456789/7453 damayanti, m. e., & listyani, l. (2020). an analysis of students' speaking anxiety in academic speaking class. eltr journal, 4(2), 23-29. fansury, a. h., januarty, r., rahman, a. w., & syawal. (2020). digital content for millennial generations: teaching the english foreign language learner on covid-19 pandemic. journal of southwest jiaotong university, 55(3), 77-82. fridlund, p., & cogens, j. (2020). post-truth politics, performatives and the force. jus cogens, 2(3), 215-235. ghaderi, s. (2021). the functions and evolution of xob ‘well’in persian: a thetical analysis. lingua, 262, 84-92. aprilia sari rahayu, eryansyah eryansyah, & margaretha dinar sitinjak four strategies in teaching speaking during covid-19 pandemic at sma n 04 palembang 854 hermansyah. (2021). self-talk strategy in improving the eleventh grade students’ speaking ability. smart journal of english teaching and applied linguistic, 7(1), 1-6. karma, g. m., darma, k., & santiana, m. a. (2021). blended learning is an educational innovation and solution during the covid-19 pandemic. international research journal of engineering, it & scientific research, , 63-69. poudel, k. k., & acharya, h. p. (2019). context in oral communication: what would be the pedagogic implications. budapest international research and critics in linguistics and education (birle), 2(4), 1-12. ramadhani, k. (2021). the effect of online lecture on college students' learning achievement during the covid-19 pandemic. al-ta'lim journal, 28(2), 145-154. renandya, w. a., & ivone, f. m. (2018). english language proficiency in indonesia: issues and prospects. journal of asia tefl, 15(3), 618629. sari, y. n., & margana. (2019). youtube as a learning media to improve the student’s speaking ability in 21st century. journal of english language teaching and linguistics, 4(2), 263-273. sikirit, d. (2020). the challenges of home learning during the covid-19 pandemic. unicef. http://www.unicef.org srinivas, r. p. (2019). the importance of english in the modern era. asian journal of multidimensional research, 8(1), 7-19. suryadi. (2019). penerapan metode role playing dalam meningkatkan hasil belajar peserta didik pada mata pelajaran ipa kelas v di sdn 1 labuan [thesis, iain palu]. repository universitas islam negeri datokarama palu. http://repository.iainpalu.ac.id/id/eprint/720 suryahadi, a., izzati, r. a., & suryadarma, d. (2020). estimating the impact of covid-19 on poverty in indonesia. bulletin of indonesian economic studies, 56(2), 175-192. susiati, s., & mufidati, e. (2020). an indonesian national english textbook for secondary level: is it qualified enough?. jurnal varidika, 32(1), 118-124. sutarto, sari, d. p., & fathurrochman, i. (2020). teacher strategies in online learning to increase students’ interest in learning during covid-19 pandemic. journal konseling dan pendidikan, 8(3), 129-137. utami, b. n. (2021). the use of media and technology to enhance english speaking skill during pandemic of covid-19 era. international conference on education of suryakancana, 1726. villafuerte, j., & mosquera, y. m. (2020). teaching english language in ecuador: a review from the inclusive educational approach. journal of arts and humanities, 9(2), 75-90. widiarti, y. (2021). teacher's perception on the use of role play in speaking class [thesis, universitas islam indonesia]. duraspace. http://dspace.uii.ac.id/handle/123456789/30282 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 707 collaborative strategic reading effect on reading comprehension by considering learners’ cognitive styles leroy holman siahaan postgraduate of universitas negeri jakarta, jakarta, indonesia email: leroyholmansiahaan_7317157806@mhs.unj.ac.id aceng rahmat universitas negeri jakarta, jakarta, indonesia email: aceng.rahmat@unj.ac.id nuruddin universitas negeri jakarta, jakarta, indonesia email: nuruddin.unj@unj.ac.id apa citation: siahaan, l. h., rahmat, a., & nuruddin. (2022). collaborative strategic reading effect on reading comprehension by considering learners’ cognitive styles. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 707-712. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6330. received: 03-04-2022 accepted: 17-05-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction students need reading comprehension when they read scientific literature. students’ understanding of the text is a must. students who can understand the text automatically can add insight into developing science. besides, the student can also contribute thoughts based on the text they have read. the initial problem specifically for indonesian students is the low level of literacy with neighboring countries, such as malaysia, as quoted in the 2018 pisa, (“compare your country by oecd,” n.d.) data shows that indonesia's reading ability is still below malaysia's. therefore, steps to improve the reading literacy performance of indonesian students must be continuously pursued, by being open and ready to be criticized by observers of education anywhere. the state in the information age today no longer has boundaries for national borders. therefore, the failure of a country in any field can no longer cover itself from existing failures, even though thousands of miles away can be immediately known at this very moment. on the contrary, with this very fast information, indonesia can make abstract: the use of collaborative tactics based on moodle is quite effective in assisting students in improving their reading comprehension. moodle is an online education platform that creates a unique learning environment for students to learn in. students are split into two groups based on their attitudes toward information from outside sources: field-independent learners and field-dependent learners. the independent learner has a selfsufficient mentality and is not depending on others. the dependent learner, on the other hand, is a student who is completely reliant on the people or her immediate surroundings. the goal of this research is to see how collaborative techniques based on moodle and cognitive styles affect students' reading comprehension. it divides the participants into two groups at random: an experimental group that received csr through moodle, and a control group that received csr without moodle. the geft (group embedded figures test) is used to see if the participants' cognitive styles are field-independent or field-dependent. furthermore, a two-way anova and descriptive test are used to analyze the data. the results of anova test revealed that the learners' reading comprehension was influenced by csr and cognitive styles. this study suggests that english teachers use moodle for csr with cognitive types to help students improve their reading comprehension. finally, the descriptive test's average differences revealed that csr with moodle is better for learners with independent cognitive styles than for those with dependent ones. csr without moodle, on the other hand, is best for dependent learners. keywords: collaborative reading strategy: online learning; moodle; face-to-face learning; cognitive style; field-independent/dependent. leroy holman siahaan, aceng rahmat, & nuruddin collaborative strategic reading effect on reading comprehension by considering learners’ cognitive styles 708 comparisons by looking at countries that have succeeded in reading literacy levels quickly. learners experienced some problems in reading comprehension especially at: 1) literal comprehension (with activities such as: understand the meaning of the word, determine the topic of the reading, find the main idea of the reading, and determine the express statement). 2) interpretative comprehension, (with activities such as: organizing reading information and the relationship between reading content, understanding the details implied in the reading, making reading inferences, and concluding the content of the reading). 3) critical understanding. (with activities such as: assessing an event based on the rules of certain norms, comparing the information in the text with the reader's background) (aritonang, lasmana, & kurnia, 2019; levine, 2019; nadirah, asrifan, vargheese, & haedar, 2020; octavia & jufri, 2020). next, the ways of collaborative strategic reading (csr), such as: 1) preview so that students can activate their previous knowledge. 2) shows a sensory image to feel the context situation that exists in the text. 3) asking students to build an understanding of the context in the text. 4) ask students to predict conclusions in a text. 5) determine the main idea. 6) fix-up option, when students do not understand the text, the teacher builds understanding in several stages, such as: rereading, reading on until they understand, or finding out words that are not understood. 7) synthesize the concepts in the content text (gani, yusuf, & susiani, 2016; yon a.e., rafli, & nuruddin, 2022). moreover, online learning moodle have features (aldiab, chowdhury, kootsookos, alam, & allhibi, 2018; deepak, 2017) which support what the students read (e-mail, e-documents, e-white paper), view (e-courses with visuals, online selfstudy guides, online power point) presentation), listen and watch (e-courses with audio and video, recorded live e-learning sessions), say and write (interactive live e-classes or e-seminar, interactive e-courses, ementoring or e-coaching). besides, moodle also supports lms (lwande, muchemi, & oboko, 2021) which includes virtual learning environment (zacarias, de almeida, prettz, da costa, de freitas, canedo, & de sousa, 2016), learning management system (aldiab et al., 2018) and course management system (kolekar, pai, & manohara pai, 2018; witte, 2018). face-to-face mode is how learning activities are carried out in the classroom with physical contact between students and teachers. the teacher's role in this activity involves physical contact with students during the learning process. the teacher plays an active role in monitoring student activities and provides immediate feedback when students seem to have difficulties. furthermore, from the student's point of view, the face-to-face mode is very helpful in providing personal motivation for students. the influence when guided directly by eye contact by the teacher will have an emotional impact on his personal motivation. the impact of direct teacher supervision will direct students to stay focused on completing their assignments (donkin, hatje, & reinke, 2022; el-soussi, 2022; jonker, märz, & voogt, 2018; lee, chui, & fung, 2022; mali & lim, 2021). furthermore, cognitive style is the behavior or attitude in reacting receipt of information from outside oneself. the impact of accepting this information is altogether different from every person. the distinction in accepting information from every individual is brought about by an individual's experience, both from the family environment and community. contrasts in cognitive styles are arranged by field independent and field dependent. in different cases, language knowledge can likewise be impacted by cognitive style factors (kusumawati & widiati, 2017; par, 2018; ramli, boeriswati, & emzir, 2019a; slavin, 2018). additionally, field independent is a character style in responding to a task completion characterized by a focus on details, likes innovation, achievement-oriented. then, in socializing the fi style likes formality. its communication styles are clear and sparing in using words, likes to finish assignments without the help of the teacher, and does not like to be rewarded for his work (council, 2019; philip c. mefoh, nwoke, chukwuorji, & chijioke, 2017; par, 2018). on the contrary, the cognitive style of field dependent is a characteristic of individual students who have a learning style that sees only unspecified unity. in socializing, fd tends to be too dependent on people around them in completing a task. then fd has the characteristic that it tends to attract general thinking skills, does not see in detail the problem and is unable to think longer without the help of the teacher (onyekuru, 2015; ramli, boeriswati, & emzir, 2019b; slavin, 2018; witkin, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 709 moore, oltman, goodenough, friedman, owen, & raskin, 1977). based on the things above, this study implemented collaborative reading strategies (csr) by considering the learners’ fieldindependent/dependent cognitive styles. thus, this present study aims at these research questions: (1) do csr and cognitive styles significantly affect the students’ reading comprehension? (2) which type of cognitive styles has an impact on csr with online moodle and without moodle? method this study took two classes consisting of 39 students as participants. the experimental group has 20 students. the control one has 19 students. both classes were chosen by using a purposive sampling method. prior to the treatment, the group embedded figures test (geft) instrument (andheska, suparno, dawud, & suyitno, 2020; par, 2018; slavin, 2018) was managed to the respondents targeting distinguishing students’ psychological style types. this quantitative research executed an experimental method by a 2 x 2 factorial design. it expected to analyze the impact of the csr educated to two classes. one received an online learning as the experimental group and one received a face-toface learning as the control group. each group consisted of field-independent and field-dependent students. after completing the experiment, a fiftyreading comprehension multiple choice test was administered with the students. this research used two instruments, the geft and multiple choice of reading tests. the former is aimed to observe cognitive styles, whether or not they have been field-independent learners or fielddependent learners. the examination challenged the learners to acknowledge an easy graph embedded within the advanced figure. it consists of 3 sections in 30 minutes. section one consisted of ten queries supposed for adapting the respondents to the check section 2 and 3 every consisted of ten queries. one score for the proper answer and 0 for the false answer. thus, the participants will gain score starting from 0-100. the upper the score, the additional possible the students known as fi learners. on the contrary, the lower the score, the additional possible the students recognized as fd learners. the latter is employed to raise the respondents to answer a fifty-reading comprehension in ninety minutes. results and discussion results table 1 shows descriptive statistics for the reading group's score when using csr in the learning process. one received an online learning as the experimental group and one received a face-to-face learning as the control group. each group consisted of field-independent and field-dependent students as follows. table 1. descriptive statistics, dependent variable: reading scores strategies mean std. deviation n csr moodle field independent 87.90 4.795 10 field dependent 63.00 6.749 10 total 75.45 13.987 20 table 1 figures there are numbers of 20 respondents which consist of 20 fi and fd students. fi mean score is 87.90 with sd 4.795, and fd is 63. according to mean score shows fi students performed better in reading comprehension than fd ones. the hypothesis of normality and homogeneity were tested for the requirements of anova analysis which the data must be normal and homogeny. normality testing table 2. test of normality shapiro-wilk statistic df sig. standardized residual for y 0.961 39 0.2 a. lilliefors significance correction normality testing was analyzed by shapiro-wilk statistics using spss ver.22 for windows. the output in table 2 confirmed that the significance values (sig) reading scores (0.199) which was higher = 0.05. therefore, it can be concluded that the study data are normally distributed. this means that it is possible to perform parametric statistical analyzes. homogeneity testing test of homogeneity was conducted for using the levene’s test. the requirement is the data variance is homogeny if the value is based on mean leroy holman siahaan, aceng rahmat, & nuruddin collaborative strategic reading effect on reading comprehension by considering learners’ cognitive styles 710 significance > 0.05, but if it is lower than 0.05, the data variance is not homogeny. table 3 shows the significance value 0.153 was higher than 0.05. thus, it can be concluded that the variance of the data is homogeny. the presumption testing of normality and homogeneity of the information proposed that the data were normal and homogeneous. thusly, the hypothesis testing utilizing anova can be directed. table 3. levene’s test of equality of error variances dependent variable: y f df1 df2 sig. 1.032 3 35 0.39 tests the null hypothesis that the error variance of the dependent variable is equal across groups. a. design intercept + a + b + a * b testing of anova the hypothesis testing was carried out by means of the usage of a two-way anova for the predominant effect and persevered with the simple effect. anova checking out was once used to investigate the most important and interaction outcomes between csr and cognitive styles on studying comprehension scores. the check effects had been introduced in table 4. answering question one: do csr and cognitive styles significantly affect the students’ reading comprehension? table 4. tests of between-subjects effects source type ii sum of squares df mean square f sig. corrected model 3738.509a 3 1246.170 36.795 .000 intercept 215195.103 1 215195.103 6353.888 .000 a (csr) 65.411 1 65.411 1.931 .173 b (cornitive styles) 532.022 1 532.022 15.709 .000 a*b 3150.487 1 3150.487 93.022 .000 error 1185.389 35 33.868 total 220119.000 39 corrected total 4923.897 38 a. r squared = .759 (adjusted r squared = .739) table 4 figures analysis of variance table. every subject within the model, is tested for its ability to account for variation within the dependent variable. main effect fo (a) = 1.931 with p-value = 0.173 > 0.05, or ho is accepted. this means that there is no difference in the average csr online learning and face to face one. fo (b) = 15,709 with p-value = 0.000 < 0.05, or ho is rejected. this means that there is an average difference in cognitive styles, field independent and field dependent. interaction effect fo (ab) = 93.022 with p-value = 0.000 < 0.05, or ho is rejected. this means that there is a very significant interaction effect between factor a (csr) and factor b (cognitive styles). thus, csr and cognitive styles significantly affect the students’ reading comprehension. it can be seen from the results of the analysis that the influence of the collaborative strategic reading and cognitive styles variables on reading comprehension is 75.9%. hypothesis testing answering question two: which type of cognitive styles has an impact on csr with online moodle and face to face learning? table 5. descriptive statistics, dependent variable: reading scores csr mean std. deviation n online (moddle) field independent 87.90 4.795 10 field dependent 63.00 6.749 10 total 75.45 13.987 20 face-toface field independent 67.80 4.131 10 field dependent 78.89 7.201 9 total 73.05 7.996 19 total field independent 77.85 11.193 20 field dependent 70.53 10.595 19 total 74.28 11.383 39 based on the average reading comprehension score above, it states that students who have field independent (fi) styles get a higher average score of 87.90 than field dependent (fd) 63 who are taught online moodle. next, according to the average reading comprehension score above, it is stated that students who have fd styles get a higher average score of 78.89 compared to fi 67.80 who are taught with face-to-face learning. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 711 discussion the things above are strongly supported by the opinion of experts. the geft check will distinguish students fi and fd cognitive styles (andheska et al., 2020; goodenough & witkin, 1977; par, 2018). in addition, the findings stated fi students are suitable for online learning with moodle which requires concentration independently, and is not affected by the environment. individuals who have the fi style can identify objects that obscured by the surrounding environment and can also observe an object as a whole with specific characteristics. in alternative words, the analytical power of the fi student is a lot of careful and sharp, even though the surrounding environment interferes with the object's view (philip c. mefoh et al., 2017; philip chukwuemeka mefoh & ezeh, 2016; par, 2018; slavin, 2018; zhang & tian, 2019). on the other hand, students who have cognitive style fd tend to be happier with face-to-face learning. this is supported by fd characters such as the fd cognitive style which is a characteristic of individual students who have a learning style that sees only one unified whole is not detailed. in socializing, fd tends to be too obsessed with their friends around in finishing a task. then, fd has characteristics that tend to draw in general thinking skills, don't see well the matter and can't think longer without assistance of the teacher (onyekuru, 2015; ramli et al., 2019a; slavin, 2018). conclusion the teaching reading skills aims to develop the students’ text competence. csr and cognitive styles significantly affect the students’ reading comprehension. the results of the analysis that the influence of the collaborative strategic reading and cognitive styles designs variables on reading comprehension is 75.9%. next, according to on the average reading comprehension score above, it states that students who have field independent (fi) styles get a higher average score than field dependent (fd) who are taught online moodle. on the contrary, students who have fd styles get a higher average in reading comprehension than fi who are taught with faceto-face learning. in addition, the current study has pedagogical implications. it contributes to providing one of the effective methods in teaching reading comprehension. for teachers who teach reading comprehension, they can do their teaching online with moodle by paying attention to the students' field independent. meanwhile, with students who are fd, teachers can teach csr face-to-face so that learning using csr can run effectively. references aldiab, a., chowdhury, h., kootsookos, a., alam, f., & allhibi, h. (2018). utilization of learning management systems (lmss) in higher education system: a case review for saudi arabia. in h. chowdhury, m. rasul, f. alam, a. chowdhury, & r. jazar (eds.), 2nd international conference on energy and power, icep2018 (vol. 160, pp. 731–737). sydney, australia: elsevier ltd. andheska, h., suparno, s., dawud, d., & suyitno, i̇. (2020). writing motivation and the ability in writing a research proposal of generation z students based on cognitive style. journal for the education of gifted young scientists, 8(1), 87–104. aritonang, i. r., lasmana, s., & kurnia, d. (2019). the analysis of skimming and scanning technique to iimprove students in teaching reading comprehension. project (professional journal of english education), 1(2), 101. council, b. (2019). field-independent learners. retrieved from https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/fieldindependent-learners deepak, k. c. (2017). evaluation of moodle features at kajaani university of applied sciences-case study. in w. budiharto, l. a. wulandhari, a. a. s. gunawan, a. chowanda, h. ham, meiliana, d. suryani, et al. (eds.), procedia computer science (vol. 116, pp. 121–128). bali, indonesia: elsevier b.v. donkin, r., hatje, e., & reinke, n. b. (2022). an elearning module is comparable to face-to-face teaching in a nursing human pathophysiology subject. nurse education today, 113, 105377. el-soussi, a. (2022). the shift from face-to-face to online teaching due to covid-19: its impact on higher education faculty’s professional identity. international journal of educational research open, 3, 100139. gani, s. a., yusuf, y. q., & susiani, r. (2016). progressive outcomes of collaborative strategic reading to efl learners. kasetsart journal of social sciences, 37(3), 144–149. elsevier ltd. goodenough, d. r., & witkin, h. a. (1977). origins of the field-dependent and field-independent leroy holman siahaan, aceng rahmat, & nuruddin collaborative strategic reading effect on reading comprehension by considering learners’ cognitive styles 712 cognitive styles. ets research bulletin series, (1), i–80. jonker, h., märz, v., & voogt, j. (2018). teacher educators’ professional identity under construction: the transition from teaching faceto-face to a blended curriculum. teaching and teacher education, 71, 120–133. kolekar, s. v., pai, r. m., & manohara pai, m. m. (2018). adaptive user interface for moodle based e-learning system using learning styles. procedia computer science (vol. 135, pp. 606– 615). elsevier b.v. kusumawati, e., & widiati, u. (2017). the effects of vocabulary instructions on students’ reading comprehension across cognitive styles in esp. journal of education and practice, 8(2). lee, l.-k., chui, k. t., & fung, y.-c. (2022). the study of the dilemma on the control of covid-19 spread and face-to-face learning and its trade-off solutions. in p. de pablos, k. chui, & m. lytras (eds.), digital innovation for healthcare in covid-19 pandemic: strategies and solutions (pp. 137–151). usa: academic press inc. levine, s. (2019). a century of change in high school english assessments: an analysis of 110 new york state regents exams, 1900–2018. research in the teaching of english, 54(1), 31–57. lwande, c., muchemi, l., & oboko, r. (2021). identifying learning styles and cognitive traits in a learning management system. heliyon, 7(8), e07701. mali, d., & lim, h. (2021). how do students perceive face-to-face/blended learning as a result of the covid-19 pandemic? the international journal of management education, 19(3), 100552. mefoh, philip c., nwoke, m. b., chukwuorji, j. c., & chijioke, a. o. (2017). effect of cognitive style and gender on adolescents’ problem solving ability. thinking skills and creativity, 25, 47– 52. elsevier. mefoh, philip chukwuemeka, & ezeh, v. c. (2016). effect of field-dependent versus fieldindependent cognitive styles on prospective and retrospective memory slips. south african journal of psychology, 46(4), 542–552. sage. nadirah, asrifan, a., vargheese, k. j., & haedar. (2020). interactive multimedia in efl classroom: a study of teaching reading comprehension at junior high school in indonesia. journal of advanced english studies, 3(2), 131–145. octavia, s., & jufri. (2020). an analysis of ability in comprehending reading text of seventh semester students at english department of fbs universitas negeri padang. proceedings of the 7th international conference on english language and teaching (icoelt 2019) (pp. 125–130). paris, france: atlantis press. onyekuru, b. u. (2015). field dependence-field independence cognitive style, gender, career choice and academic achievement of secondary school students in emohua local government area of rivers state. journal of education and practice, 6(10), 76–85. par, l. (2018). the efl students’ critical reading skills across cognitive styles. jeels (journal of english education and linguistics studies), 5(1), 73–96. ramli, boeriswati, e., & emzir. (2019a). cognitive style and teaching method: the effect on students’ writing performance. proceedings of the first international conference on advances in education, humanities, and language, icel 2019, malang, indonesia, 23-24 march 2019 (pp. 444–450). malang: european alliance for innovation (eai). ramli, boeriswati, e., & emzir. (2019b). the effect of metaphorming teaching method on fieldindependent/dependent learners in writing essay. the asian efl journal, 23(6.3), 4–14. slavin, r. e. (2018). educational psychology: theory and practice. boston: pearson. witkin, h. a., moore, c. a., oltman, p. k., goodenough, d. r., friedman, f., owen, d. r., & raskin, e. (1977). role of the fielddependent and field-independent cognitive styles in academic evolution: a longitudinal study. journal of educational psychology, 69(3), 197–211. witte, a. (2018). ‘why won’t moodle…?’: using genre studies to understand students’ approaches to interacting with user-interfaces. computers and composition, 49, 48–60. yon a.e., rafli, z., & nuruddin. (2022). teaching reading by collaborative strategic reading: an action research. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 465–474. zacarias, e., de almeida, l. r., prettz, j. b., da costa, j. p. c. l., de freitas, e. p., canedo, e. d., & de sousa, r. t. (2016). optimizing the access records of students in the moodle virtual learning environment database. ifacpapersonline (vol. 49, pp. 98–101). elsevier b.v. zhang, j., & tian, y. (2019). the influence of field independent-dependent cognitive styles on students’ learning performance under different teaching modes. iciet (pp. 230–237). japan: association for computing machinery. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1057 exploring teachers’ ability in developing pisa-like reading tasks ajeng meidina fadhillah department of english education, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: ajengmeidinaf@upi.edu emi emilia department of english education, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: emiemilia@upi.edu apa citation: fadhillah, a., m., emilia, e. (2022). exploring teachers’ ability in developing pisa-like reading tasks. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 1057-1068. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6351 received: 28-06-2022 accepted: 26-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction pisa (programme of international students assessment) is a triennial survey of 15-year-old students held by the organisation for economic cooperation and development (oecd) that assesses the extent to which the students have acquired fundamental knowledge and skills essential for full participation in social and economic life (oecd, 2019a). one of the domains assessed in pisa is reading literacy. in indonesia, indonesia ministry of education and culture (2019) has given more attention to literacy since indonesia is reported to be categorised as one of the low-performance quadrant score countries in pisa, especially in reading. oecd (2019a) reports that only 9% of indonesian students were capable of comprehending lengthy texts, dealing with abstract or counterintuitive concepts, and establishing distinctions between fact and opinion. based on several studies, unsatisfactory indonesian performance in reading literacy was due to the unfamiliarity with various text types and formats (ef epi, 2015; zaim et al., 2021), and the inexperience of observing the form of pisa questions (zaim et al., 2021). it is reported that the students were not familiar with some texts especially mixed texts (zaim et al., 2021). meanwhile, regarding the inexperience of observing the form of pisa questions, it is reported that the majority of students were used to multiple choice questions, but not to open-ended questions. zaim et al. (2021) add that actually reading literacy assessment in senior high school has acknowledged several forms of questions, excluding complex multiple choice. however, to zaim et al. (2021) most teachers used multiplechoice questions and close-ended questions in assessment. therefore, in their study, zaim et al. (2021) suggest to use more diverse questions form in reading literacy. furthermore, in a study reported by putra and abdullah (2019), it is reported that there is insufficient amount of higher order thinking questions in 2013-2018 english national examination in indonesia. it is also supported by a research conducted by yasinta et abstract: this study is a part of a joint study, aiming to develop a teacher professional development program on training teachers to teach pisa-like reading. the bigger program focuses on a pedagogical intervention that incorporates pisa reading into english and indonesian subjects based on systemic functional linguistics genre-based approach (sfl gba) and has been reported in emilia et al. (2022). meanwhile, this study centred around the observation of english teachers’ ability to develop pisa-like reading tasks. the intervention is framed within pisa reading (oecd, 2019a,b), and sfl gba (halliday & matthiesen, 2014; derewianka & jones, 2016; emilia, 2011). the study employed a case study design. the findings show that teachers were able to develop pisa-like reading tasks, evidenced from the collected reading items that follow pisa 2018 cognitive processes and response format (oecd, 2019 a, b). moreover, teachers’ responses from interviews were likewise positive, indicating their increased awareness of pisa and their ability to design similar reading tasks. it is recommended that the training be conducted in a variety of settings with a larger number of teachers for them to eventually assist indonesian students in improving their reading literacy as suggested by pisa. keywords: pisa; pisa-like reading materials; reading; sfl-genre-based approaach. 1058 al. (2022) which reveals that students need to improve their competence in reading literacy skills especially evaluating and reflecting texts questions type. similarly, some studies revealed that efl teachers face challenges in developing higher order thinking questions in reading literacy (gozali et al., 2021; singh et al., 2019; tyas et al., 2019). developing students’ reading literacy skills cannot be separated from teachers' ability to develop reading tasks. studies show that teachers significantly impact students' achievement (gessnewsome et al., 2017; ma et al., 2022; myrberg et al, 2018; oecd 2017). haw et al.’s (2021) study revealed that across a variety of educational and socioeconomic situations, the desire for supportive teachers significantly predicted student reading achievement. specifically, in developing reading tasks, teachers need a thorough knowledge of texts and reading items to depict reading tasks in ways that might support students' learning and assess student work (snow et al., 2005). in regard to this phenomenon, the increasing awareness towards the development of reading literacy skills has led more researchers to study reading literacy, especially pisa with taking teachers preparation aspect as the starter point in teacher professional development (tpd) program. limited studies are conducted in regard to tpd program which offers pisa-like reading task development (see selvina et. al 2018; khamkong, 2018). whereas, a tpd program which equipped teachers to develop reading tasks is needed to make them eventually be able to assist students improving pisa reading literacy skills. thus, this study attempts to explore how teachers develop their ability in designing pisa-like reading tasks in a tpd program. this paper focuses on investigating how teachers develop their ability on designing pisa-like reading tasks based on cognitive process. pisa involves three factors that are considered to contribute to the reading literacy process; reader, text and task (oecd, 2019a). reader factors include motivation, prior knowledge and other cognitive ability (oecd, 2019a). nevertheless, this paper focuses on text factors and task factors which are closely related to the development of pisa-like reading tasks. text factors are defined as the range of texts available to the reader at a given place and time (oecd, 2019a). these factors include text format and type, the complexity of the language used, and the number of texts a reader encounters (oecd, 2019a). pisa classifies texts from several dimensions: source, organisation and navigation, format and type (oecd, 2019a). in the interest of space, this paper will focus on text format. based on the format, texts are classified into three; continuous, non-continuous, and mixed (oecd, 2019a). continuous texts are texts which are formed by sentences that are organised into paragraphs. non-continuous texts are composed of a number of lists or elements such as tables, graphs, diagrams, advertisements, schedules, catalogues, indexes, and forms. mixed texts contain both continuous and non-continuous elements. task factors are defined as the goal that should be achieved by the readers (oecd, 2019a). unlike traditional reading assessment which tend to answer discrete questions, in pisa the task is designed to achieve overarching purposes. students' involvement with tasks can be increased using a scenario-based assessment technique, allowing for a more accurate assessment of what they can perform (oecd, 2019a). in pisa, students need to achieve the goal of reading based on several cognitive process categorised by oecd (2019a). the 2018 reading literacy framework categorises several cognitive processes that span a range of difficulties. those cognitive processes include locate information, understand, and evaluate and reflect as can be seen in figure 1. figure 1. the cognitive process in pisa 2018 reading literacy framework adapted from oecd (2019a) “locate information” cognitive processes require readers to perform two skills. first, it is to access and retrieve information within a text-it involves scanning a single text in order to retrieve target information consisting of a few words, phrases or numerical values. second, it is to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1059 search for and select relevant text – searching for information among several texts to select the most relevant text given the demands of the item or task. “understand” cognitive process requires three skills: (1) representing literal information. comprehending the literal meaning of sentences or short passages, typically matching a direct or close paraphrasing of information in the question with information in a passage. (2) integrating and generating inferences. going beyond the literal meaning of information in a text by integrating information across sentences or even an entire passage. tasks that require the student to create a main idea or to produce a summary or a title for a passage are classified as “integrate and generate inference” items. (3) integrating and generating inferences across multiple sources. integrating pieces of information that are located within two or more texts. in "understand" cognitive process, students are required to read a text and use analytical skills to seek the truth in the text (facione, 2015; paul and elder, 2019). it encourages students' skills in reflecting upon their thinking process to create clear, well-reasoned ideas for the benefit of themselves and others. it is aimed to focus on individuals' abilities in thinking, so students will learn how texts impact them (paul and elder, 2019). similar to this, in the international reading literacy assessment, pirls, readers must also interpret and integrate the text in order to comprehend it. these abilities are necessary for students who want to combine their personal knowledge and experiences with the text's meaning in order to develop a more in-depth or comprehensive grasp of it (mullis & martin, 2019). “evaluate and reflect” cognitive process requires three skills; (1) assessing quality and credibility. evaluating whether the information in a text is valid, current, accurate, unbiased, reliable, etc. readers must identify and consider the source of information and consider the content and form of the text or in other words, how the author is presenting the information. in some cases, a thorough evaluation necessitates the reader identifying and assessing the information's source: whether the author is competent, wellinformed, and benevolent. in accordance with the assertions of a number of experts, filtering for relevance and reliability is a necessary skill while reading digital media (barzillai, 2018; britt et al., 2017; mo, 2019). (2) reflect on content and form. evaluating the form of the writing to determine how the author is expressing their purpose and/or point of view. these items often require the student to reflect on their own experience and knowledge to compare, contrast or hypothesise different perspectives or viewpoints (oecd, 2017). this skill is also needed to formulate independent, well-grounded perspective or opinion (van de oudeweetering & voogt, 2017). (3) detect and handle conflict. determining whether multiple texts corroborate or contradict each other and when they conflict, deciding how to handle that conflict. for example, items classified as “detect and handle conflict” may ask students to identify whether two authors agree on the stance of an issue or to identify each author’s stance. in other cases, these items may require students to consider the credibility of the sources and demonstrate that they accept the claims from the more reliable source over the claims from the less reliable source. in other cases, these items may require students to consider the credibility of the sources and demonstrate that they accept the claims from the more reliable source over the claims from the less reliable source. readers must be aware of the conflict and develop strategies to resolve it when confronted with several pieces of text that contradict each other (stromso, 2017). many nations around the world view the development of pupils' critical thinking abilities as a very essential educational objective (stupplea et al., 2017, larsson 2017). therefore many studies encourage the importance of teaching critical reading and critical thinking skills by providing students with enough background information of reading texts and leading them to have enough literal comprehension texts (khamkong, 2018). likewise, in study, teachers are also encouraged to create evaluate and reflect cognitive processes questions which is expected to lead and make students perform those critical thinking skills as they read pisa reading items. in addition, assessing quality and credibility is the skill that students must possess in order to be able to be critical thinkers. being a critical thinker means to perform the ability to be reasonable by referring to reliable sources (facione, 2015; paul and elder, 2019). critical thinking is also depicted as the ability to consult reliable sources and get in the habit of reflecting on what is believed, read, and heard. in reading, accuracy can also be associated with the ability to identify main purposes and concepts in the texts (paul and elder, 2019). in pisa, students are also required to distinguish facts and opinions. distinguishing 1060 facts and opinions becomes an important component in critical thinking (paul and elder, 2019). critical thinkers construct reasonable arguments systematically that require evidence. it emphasises the reason one has in believing issues and its implications of the belief (facione, 2015). thus in this study teachers learn how to create questions that will encourage learners to perform critical thinking skills. method this study is a part of a larger joint study, involving three universities in indonesia. the larger study aims to investigate whether the training program can help 14 english and 10 indonesian teachers enhance their capacity to teach pisa-like reading conducted by emilia et al. (2022). the focus of this study is to explore teachers’ ability in developing pisa-like reading tasks. this study employed a qualitative method and a case study design. several scholars explain that a case study encompasses a thorough analysis of a case (cohen et al., 2018; hamied, 2017). the design suits the study because it allows me to explore the phenomenon through analysis and indepth investigation to understand a behavioural condition of how teachers develop pisa-like reading tasks. the main project involved 24 teachers who voluntarily participated in the training, including 14 english teachers and 10 indonesian teachers in west java, indonesia. meanwhile, this study focused on 14 english teachers. the teachers are committed to join the training for six meetings, lasting for 8-hour every saturday. in the interest of space, purposive participant selection was used to focus on the document analysis and interview of 3 teachers to ensure that the chosen participants can give enough data to support the study's objectives. the selected participants for document analysis is presented in table 1. table 1. selected participants for document analysis on pisa-like reading tasks developed by teachers number name (pseudonyms) current teaching commitment 1. bakri junior high school 2. nurma senior high school 3. padma junior high school there were two data collection techniques employed in this study: analysis of teachers’ work on pisa-like reading tasks and interview. the samples of teachers’ works on pisa-like reading tasks include texts selected by teachers and reading items or questions developed by teachers. this study focused on analysis of the questions or reading items produced by teachers based on their cognitive process, and response format of pisa 2018 (oecd, 2019b). teachers submitted their works on google classroom for four times. in the last meeting, an interview was administered to enable participants’ responses in their own terms (cohen, et.al, 2018). the interview was analysed using several steps proposed by cohen et al. (2018). first, the data from the interview session were transcribed and coded. second, the written data were categorised into themes that had become the focus of this study; teachers’ ability to develop pisa-like reading tasks especially producing reading items. then the data were presented in a condensed body of information. results and discussion this section attempts to answer the research question “how do teachers develop pisa-like reading tasks?.” this section discusses pisa-like reading tasks developed by teachers including the sample documents made by bakri, nurma and padma. the discussion is supported by teachers’ responses on their experiences in developing pisa-like reading tasks. teachers' ability in developing pisa-like reading tasks was observed from the cognitive process and response format of the reading items. in developing reading items, teachers were asked to create questions ranging from simple questions such as locating information and generating inferences to more complex questions such as reflecting and evaluating. below is the distribution of cognitive process of each task designed by teachers. table 2. items distribution of pisa-like reading tasks developed by teachers set cognitive processes response format locate information understand evaluate & reflect multiple choice clos e resp onse ope n resp onse access & retrieve informat ion within a search & select relevant text represe nt literal meaning integrate & generate inference s assess quality & credibilit y reflect on content & form detect & handle conflic t simple complex english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1061 text set 1 9 0 7 21 3 21 2 17 11 21 14 set 2 6 0 13 10 1 8 0 15 8 11 4 set 3 8 2 4 15 0 9 0 14 6 12 6 set 4 9 1 3 18 0 6 2 17 7 9 6 subtotal 32 3 27 64 4 44 4 63 32 53 30 total items 178 178 table 2 portrays the item's distribution of pisa-like reading tasks designed by teachers which consist of cognitive process and response format. there were 178 questions made by teachers. generally, teachers were able to develop pisa-like tasks. pisa provides a thorough cognitive process of each task. the cognitive process demonstrates the type of questions that span a range of difficulties. the results show that teachers can create questions in a variety of difficulty levels starting from locating information, understanding, as well as evaluating and reflecting. the following section discusses the sample of teachers’ work on pisa-like reading tasks created by bakri, nurma and padma. pisa-like reading tasks developed by bakri the first pisa-like reading tasks made by bakri can be seen in figure 2. figure 2. a sample of non-continuous text used by bakri the figure 2 shows non-continuous text selected by bakri. from the text, bakri was able to develop pisa-like reading items or questions based on three cognitive processes as seen below. figure 3. locate information: access and retrieve information within a text designed by bakri figure 3 shows locate information: access and retrieve information within a text task developed by bakri. this question is designed in a form of close constructed response. bakri was also able to create understand cognitive process question as can be seen figure 4. figure 4. understand: integrate & generate inferences sample question designed by bakri as shown in figure 4, the question made by bakri is categorized as understand: integrate & generate inferences cognitive process. this question is designed in a form of close constructed response. the result also shows the most complex cognitive processes: reflect and evaluate reading items created by bakri as seen in figure 5. 1062 figure 5. evaluate & reflect: reflect on content & form sample question developed by bakri as depicted in figure 5, the reading item developed by bakri is categorised as evaluate & reflect: reflect on content & form. moreover, most teachers acknowledged that after the training, they were able to develop reading items based on cognitive processes, as suggested by oecd (2019a). it can be shown from bakri’s comment on his experiences to develop pisa-like reading tasks. yes, that's the impact for me, i can make questions based on cognitive processes as suggested by pisa. the students are required to be able to show their abilities in various skills and it's our job to make questions that can assess the abilities of both high reference and low reference, all the cognitive process, locate information, understand and reflect and evaluate. –bakri, excerpt 1 bakri’s comment shows that he was able to make questions based on cognitive processes suggested by oecd (2019a). pisa-like reading tasks developed by nurma nurma also demonstrated her ability in developing pisa-like reading tasks by developing questions based on each cognitive process as can be shown below. figure 6. non-continuous text used by nurma (british council, n.d) figure 6 shows a continuous text selected by nurma. from the text, nurma was able to develop pisa-like reading items or questions based on three cognitive processes as seen below. nurma created cognitive processes locate information: search for and select relevant text question as can be seen in the following figure. figure 7. locate information: search for and select relevant text developed by nurma figure 7 shows that nurma was able to create locate information: search for and select relevant text. this question was made in multiple choice format. nurma also created “understand” cognitive processes question as can be seen in figure 8. figure 8. understand: integrate and generate inferences developed by nurma as seen in figure 8, nurma also created simple multiple choice question format. it is categorised as understand: integrate and generate inferences nurma also demonstrated her ability to create reflect and evaluate question as can be seen in figure 9. figure 9. reflect and evaluate: detect and handle conflict question developed by nurma figure 9 shows the question made by nurma which is categorised as reflect and evaluate: detect and handle conflict question. the question was made in open constructed format. another sample of evaluate and reflect cognitive processes question made by nurma can be seen in figure 10. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1063 figure 10. question developed by nurma figure 10 shows a question developed by nurma that requires the reader to reflect and evaluate whether the statements belong to the matter of fact or the matter of opinion. nurma confirms that her ability in developing pisa-like reading tasks was improved as can be seen in excerpt 2. yes, (there is an impact of this training) especially for me. for me, what is clear is that i get more reinforcement about making appropriate questions. i learned in terms of pisa reading knowledge, starting from how to do pisa reading test, to how to form the questions. i learned how to make questions that can enhance students' thinking skills. –nurma, excerpt 2. excerpt 2 revealed that the impact of the training seems to be realized by nurma as she said that she got more reinforcement about making appropriate reading items. pisa-like reading tasks developed by padma padma also shows her ability in developing pisalike reading tasks as can be seen in figure 11. text 1 source text 1 and 2: marthablogger (8 may 2017) text 2 1064 text 3 levels of autonomy in self-driving cars the u.s. national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) lays out six levels of automation, beginning with level 0, where humans do the driving, through driver assistance technologies up to fully autonomous cars. here are the five levels that follow level 0 automation: source: lutkevich (n.d) figure 11. texts selected by padma figure 11 consists of continuous, noncontinuous and mixed texts selected by padma. from the texts, she demonstrated her ability in developing pisa-like reading tasks understand: integrate and generate inferences cognitive process question as can be shown in figure 12. figure 12. understand: integrate and generate inferences developed by padma figure 12 displays complex multiple choice question format created by padma. this question categorised as understand: integrate and generate inferences. padma also increased the item difficulty by producing reflect and evaluate: reflect on content and form cognitive process question as can be shown in figure 13. https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-nhtsa https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/driver-assistance english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1065 figure 13. reflect and evaluate: reflect on content and form developed by padma the question displayed in figure 13 is categorised as reflect and evaluate: reflect on content and form. it is formed on close constructed response. the findings show the teachers work on pisalike reading tasks made by teachers. this study explores how teachers develop pisa-like reading tasks. the findings show that teachers were able to develop pisa-like reading tasks by creating questions based on three cognitive processes as suggested by oecd (2019a). the sample of teachers’ works were represented by bakri, nurma and padma. pisa-like reading tasks developed by bakri bakri selected a map for the text and created some questions. as shown in figure 3, the locate information: access and retrieve information within a text task developed by bakri requires students to locate and sequence multiple pieces of information – the names of stations – and lines. the task simulates a real-life experience that demands careful reading of a non-continuous text. it requires students to locate information by making links across a map. the item was constructed to ensure that use of conditional information – that is, information external to the main part of a text – must be processed in order to complete the task successfully. in this case, the color differences of the lines. this question is designed in a form of close constructed response. as shown in table 4, the understand: integrate & generate inferences question developed by bakri requires students to integrate and generate inferences on multiple pieces of information – the names of stations – and the duration to go to the destination station and of each stop. it requires students to combine several pieces of information on a map to determine the time needed to travel between two given points. the item was constructed to ensure that use of additional information – that is, information external to the main part of a text – must be processed in order to complete the task successfully. in this case, the time needed to travel between two given points. this question is designed in a form of close constructed response. as depicted in table 5, the reading item developed by bakri is categorised as evaluate & reflect: reflect on content & form. it requires students to reflect and evaluate the form of text, in this case the use of colour as symbols of lane. it requires students to identify the purpose of a graphical feature in a map. it implied that bakri could create question that require the students to read “beyond the lines” as suggested by rose and martin (2012) and oecd (2009; 2019b). the item was constructed to ensure that use of reflection and evaluation on the form of the text, must be processed in order to complete the task successfully. bakri’s comment shows that he was able to make questions based on cognitive processes suggested by oecd (2019a). this comment supported the analysis of pisa-like reading items based on all cognitive processes developed by bakri. moreover, bakri appeared to be aware that teachers’ ability to accommodate all questions based on cognitive processes or all reading comprehensions level is important in guiding students to be able to perform their reading skills. this seems to support the notion that teachers has a critical role in asking questions to eventually enhance students’ comprehension of the texts (rose & martin, 2012). pisa-like reading tasks developed by nurma nurma also created pisa-like reading tasks based on cognitive process as suggested by oecd (2019a). from the discussion on a comment section about grafitti, she made some questions. as can be shown in figure 7, the question is categorised as locate information cognitive process. in this reading item, students are required to search for and select the relevant text (in this case short arguments stated by students in the comment section) to locate a specific piece of information that is a direct match with the question stem or one of the response options as suggested by oecd (2019a,b). in this item, the student must search through the different comments to find the answer. by providing the correct answer, the student demonstrates that he or she has selected the relevant text (“rajja”). once the correct text has been located, a simple match is made between the content within the section on the “action of intentionally damaging a public area” and the options. thus, while this item encourages engagement with the all the comments, it does not require a deep level of engagement with the relevant text. here, the answer is (c) vandalism. 1066 nurma also created “understand” cognitive processes question as can be seen in figure 8. nurma created simple multiple choice question format. in this item, nurma demonstrated her ability to create a reading item which requires students to generate inferences from the opinion stated by each person. this item is categorised as understand: integrate and generate inferences because the students need to infer the meaning implied in the discussion forum whether people consider graffiti as an art or vandalism. in this case, the students need to differentiate which statement that implied agreement or disagreement. the task developed by nurma demonstrated that she applied the principle as noted by britt et al. (2017) that the students are encouraged to interpret text within a given task situation. this question represents typical active reading. as shown in figure 9, the reading item developed by nurma requires students to draw on their own knowledge and beliefs to evaluate the arguments put forward by the writers, comparing the substance rather than the form of the texts. in the three-aspect categorisation, this task is therefore classified as evaluate and reflect: detect and handle conflict. this item focuses mainly on the element of handling the conflict rather than detecting it. by asking the student to come to a conclusion and use the multiple texts, the student demonstrates how he or she handles the conflict between the information presented in the comment section of a webpage. the question simulates the processes that readers might engage in as they compare and contrast the opinions of different authors on a topic. one of the typical of active reading approach in encountering one or more written arguments is to compare one’s own position with those of the writers. nurma created a question which requires the student to read two stances provided in the item stem: ones that consider graffiti as an art, ones that say graffiti as vandalism. in order to gain credit for this item, students needed to demonstrate implicitly or explicitly that they understood the main thrust of the argument advanced by their chosen writer, as well as justify their position, either by introducing their own supporting argument or by summarising or interpreting the argument given by the writer. the student can select any of the five people in the scenario associated with these stances, but the student must provide a reason from at least one of the texts to support his or her selection. another sample of evaluate and reflect cognitive processes question made by nurma can be seen in figure 10. figure 10 shows a question developed by nurma that requires the reader to reflect and evaluate whether the statements belong to the matter of fact or the matter of opinion. by addressing the “evaluate and reflect” question, she aimed to promote readers' critical thinking skills to distinguish facts from opinion. in the pre-test result which was reported in the bigger study of this project (see emilia et al., 2022), the most missing question was evaluating and reflecting cognitive processes. however, during the training, there are positive changes indicated by teachers' ability to design the item classified as evaluating and reflecting cognitive processes. pisa-like reading tasks developed by padma figure 12 displays complex multiple choice question format created by padma. in this item, padma demonstrated her ability to create a reading item which requires students to complete a table by selecting the suitable automation level in driverless car for each person. students must first understand the opinion stated by each person in text 2 (figure 11) – online discussion forum, and then integrate it to text 3 (figure 11) – automation level in driverless car. this item is categorised as understand: integrate and generate inferences because the students need to infer the meaning implied in text 2 whether people should start using driverless cars. the task developed by padma demonstrated that she applied the principle as noted by britt et al. (2017) that the students are encouraged to interpret text within a given task situation. padma also increased the item difficulty by producing reflect and evaluate: reflect on content and form cognitive process question as can be shown in 14. it shows that padma was able to ask question which requires the student to identify the main purpose of the text written by the author of the blog, martha. it should be noted that the student is not asked to identify the main idea. instead, the student must understand the overall meaning of the blog and then consider why it is being presented and how it has been written by the author. the student must reflect on the content and form of the text. here, the correct answer is “to discuss driverless cars”. it shows that padma was able to identify the purpose of the discussion text. the ability to identify the purpose of the text indicate teachers’ (especially padma) understanding of one of the elements of given task in comprehending text discussed in the training, from both pisa reading and sfl gba (oecd 2019 a, b; emilia, 2011; derewianka and jones english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1067 2016). this type of question is also still being asked in pisa 2009 (oecd, 2009) and pisa 2018 (2019b). the finding suggests that question developed by padma as can be seen in figure 14 is relevant to pisa. generally, teachers’ responses indicate that the training contributed to the enhancement of their ability in developing pisa-like reading tasks. the teachers appeared to be cognizant of the training program's role in promoting their learning and giving them with the experiences necessary to maximise their capacity for developing pisa-like reading tasks. this supports the findings discussed in on document analysis of teachers’ ability in developing pisa-like reading tasks, as shown in the texts they selected and reading items they developed. conclusion this study is a partial result of a training program to teach pisa-like reading reported in emilia et al. (2022). this paper focuses on teachers’ ability in designing pisa-like reading tasks. the intervention is framed within pisa reading and sfl genre-based approach. teachers' ability to design pisa-like reading tasks was observed through the reading items based on cognitive processes as suggested by oecd (2019a,b). samples of pisa-like reading tasks created by the teachers over the training are presented. the paper has shown that the training program enabled teachers to develop pisa-like reading, proven by the collected reading items, which follow pisa 2018 frameworks (oecd, 2019,a,b). teachers show their ability to develop reading materials by varying text according to text format, such as continuous, non-continuous and mixed text. in addition, teachers are also able to design tasks following cognitive processes and response format based on the pisa 2018 framework. moreover, teachers' responses from interview were likewise positive, indicating their increased awareness of pisa and their ability to design similar reading items. for future direction, it is recommended that the training be conducted in a variety of settings with a larger number of teachers for them to eventually assist indonesian students in improving their reading literacy as suggested by pisa. for those who are interested in developing pisa-like reading tasks from the lens of text-based instruction, this study may be expanded to the pedagogical practices in the classroom settings to explore the applicability and its influences on the students. acknowledgments the research reported in this manuscript is a partial result of a study funded by a grant from universitas pendidikan indonesia under indonesia research collaboration program to establish a training program aimed at improving teachers' capacity to teach pisa-like reading. the result of the study was also reported by emilia et al. (2022) on training teachers to teach pisa-like reading and rahmadina & emilia (2022) on teachers’ initial practice in teaching pisa-like reading. we also want to express our gratitude to the teachers who took part in the study; the study would not have been feasible without their participation. references barzillai, m., thomson j., schoeder s. (2018). learning to read in a digital world. john benjamins publishing company. british council. the history of graffiti. british council. https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skill s/reading/b2-reading/history-graffiti britt, m.a., rouet, j.-f., & durik, a.m. (2017). literacy beyond text comprehension: a theory of purposeful reading (1st ed.). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315682860 cohen, l., manion, l., & morrison, k. (2018). research methods in education. routledge. derewianka, b., & jones, p. (2016). teaching language in context. oxford university press. education first english proficiency index (ef epi) (2015). the world's largest ranking of english skills. ef. http://www.ef.co.id/epi/ emilia, e. (2011). pendekatan genre-based dalam pengajaran bahasa inggris: petunjuk untuk guru. rizqi press. emilia, e., sujatna, e. t. s., & kurniasih, n. (2022). training teachers to teach pisa-like reading: a case in indonesia. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 12(1), 58-78. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v12i1.46534 facione, p. a. (2015). critical thinking: what it is and why it counts. insight assessment. gozali, i., lie, a., tamah, s. m., & jemadi, f. (2021). hots questioning ability and hots perception of language teachers in indonesia. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 11(1), 60-71. https://doi.org/10.15294/jed.v7i1.30878 halliday, m., & matthiessen, c. (2014). an introduction to functional grammar (4th ed.). routledge. haw, j. y., king, r. b., & trinidad, j. e. r. (2021). need supportive teaching is associated with greater reading achievement: what the philippines can learn from pisa 2018. international journal of educational research, 110, 101864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2021.101864 https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v12i1.46534 https://doi.org/10.15294/jed.v7i1.30878 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2021.101864 1068 indonesia ministry of education and culture. (2019, desember, 4). hasil pisa indonesia 2018: akses makin meluas, saatnya tingkatkan kualitas. https://www.kemdikbud.go.id/main/blog/2019/1 2/hasil-pisa-indonesia-2018-akses-makinmeluas-saatnya-tingkatkan-kualitas gess-newsome, j., taylor, j. a., carlson, j., gardner, a. l., wilson, c. d., & stuhlsatz, m. a. m. (2017). teacher pedagogical content knowledge, practice, and student achievement, international journal of science education, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2016.12651 58 khamkong, s. (2018). developing english l2 critical reading and thinking skills through the pisa reading literacy assessment framework: a case study of thai efl learners. the southeast asian journal of english language studies, 24(3), 83–94. https://doi.org/10.17576/3l-20182403-07 larsson, k. (2017) understanding and teaching critical thinking—a new approach. international journal of educational research. 84, 32–42. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2017.05.004 lutkevich, b. (n.d). self-driving car (autonomous car or driverless car). https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/d efinition/driverless-car ma, l, jiao, y., xiao, l., & liu, j. (2022) moderation of teacher–student relationships in the link between motivation and english performance of struggling learners in china. journal of multilingual and multicultural development 0:0, pages 1-18. marthablogger. (8 may 2017). driverless cars: a great or problematic invention? british council. https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/blog s/science-technology/driverless-cars-great-orproblematic-invention mo, j. (2019). how does pisa define and measure reading literacy? mullis, i. v., & martin, m. o. (2019). pirls 2021 assessment frameworks. international association for the evaluation of educational achievement. myrberg, e., johansson, s., & rosén, m. (2018). the relation between teacher specialization and student readingachievement. scandinavian journal of educational research. oecd (2017). pisa 2015 assessment and analytical framework: science, reading, mathematic, financial literacy and collaborative problem solving. paris, france: oecd publishing. http://doi.org/10.1787/19963777 oecd (2019a). pisa 2018 assessment and analytical framework. oecd publishing. oecd (2019b). pisa 2018 released new reading items. oecd publishing. paul, r., & elder, l. (2019). a guide for educators to critical thinking competency standards: standards, principles, performance indicators and outcomes with critical master rubric. rowman & littlefield. putra, t., & abdullah, d. (2019). higher-order thinking skill (hots) questions in english national examination in indonesia. jurnal bahasa lingua scientia, 11(1), 145-160. rahmadina, k,. r. & emilia, e. (2022). exploring efl teachers’ practice in teaching pisa-like reading. ranah: jurnal kajian bahasa, 11(2). rose. d., & martin, j.r. (2012). learning to write, reading to learn. genre, knowledge, pedagogy in the sydney school. equinox. selvina, d., inderawati, r., viantry, m. (2018). developing pisa-based reading materials in indonesian context in the form of continuous text. sule-ic. 3(1), 152-171. singh, r. k. v., & shaari, a. h. (2019). the analysis of higher-order thinking skills in english reading comprehension tests in malaysia. geografia, 15(1). snow, c. e., griffin, p., & burns, m. s. (eds.). (2005). knowledge to support the teaching of reading: preparing teachers for a changing world. jossey-bass. stromso, h.i. (2017). multiple models of multiple-text comprehension: a commentary. educational psychologist, 52(3), 216–224. stupplea, e. j. n., maratosa f. a., elandera j., hunt, t. e., cheung, k. y. f. & aubeeluck, a. v. (2017). development of the critical thinking toolkit (critt): a measure of student attitudes and beliefs about critical thinking. thinking skills and creativity. 23, 91–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2016.11.007 tyas, m. a., nurkamto, j., marmanto, s., & laksani, h. (2019, october). developing higher order thinking skills (hots)–based questions: indonesian efl teachers’ challenges. in proceedings of the international conference on future of education, 2(1), pp. 52-63. van de oudeweetering, k., & voogt, j. (2017). teachers’ conceptualization and enactment of twenty-first century competences: exploring dimensions for new curricula. curriculum journal, 29(4), 1-18. yasinta, i., n., hamsa, a., usman. (2022). the ninth graders’ pisa-based reading literacy competence. curriculla: journal of teaching and learning. http://dx.doi.org/10.22216/jcc.2022.v7i1.919 zaim, m., refnaldi, r., zainil, y., & ramadhani, f. (2021). pisa reading literacy assessment and reading literacy assessment at senior high school: how do they differ? international journal of research in counseling and education, 5 (1), 72-78. . https://www.kemdikbud.go.id/main/blog/2019/12/hasil-pisa-indonesia-2018-akses-makin-meluas-saatnya-tingkatkan-kualitas https://www.kemdikbud.go.id/main/blog/2019/12/hasil-pisa-indonesia-2018-akses-makin-meluas-saatnya-tingkatkan-kualitas https://www.kemdikbud.go.id/main/blog/2019/12/hasil-pisa-indonesia-2018-akses-makin-meluas-saatnya-tingkatkan-kualitas http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2016.1265158 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2016.1265158 https://doi.org/10.17576/3l-2018-2403-07 https://doi.org/10.17576/3l-2018-2403-07 http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2017.05.004 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01434632.2022.2151603 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01434632.2022.2151603 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01434632.2022.2151603 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01434632.2022.2151603 http://doi.org/10.1787/19963777 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2016.11.007 http://dx.doi.org/10.22216/jcc.2022.v7i1.919 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 381 needs analysis of palembang-touristdestination recount text reading materials in the 21st century learning yeni oktarina department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: yenicholidigunawan@gmail.com rita inderawati (corresponding author) department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id ismail petrus department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: ismailpetrus@yahoo.com apa citation: oktarina, y., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2022). needs analysis of palembang-tourist-destination recount text reading materials in the 21st century learning. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 381-392. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6239 received: 02-01-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction in the 21st century, indonesia is one of the most important members of the global community. indonesia must prepare excellent human resources in many competitive fields to support its role. in order to compete, the teacher faces a certain number of challenges, which are getting tighter and tighter in this technological era. students must have qualified skills to compete in the workplace later. to compete, english is becoming one of the essential skills to be taught in school. the quality of english skills can influence human resources quality in several areas such as education, economic, social, and cultural life (li, 2020). english is practiced in spoken and written communication around the world as an international language. it is widely used and taught from elementary to university levels at all levels of school. until now, english in indonesia is taught in general english and is not acceptable in high schools. today we live in the 21st century, where so many foreign cultures affect our lives. many students imitate other cultures and forget their culture as the influence of the culture of exchange. that is why teachers should relate language learning, mainly english, to their student's culture and make them interested in learning about it abstract: the specification of the materials taught is one of the characteristics of teaching english at vocational high school. the materials should be appropriately designed or developed for the students to enhance their comprehension and to facilitate subject matter. the aim of this research is to look into students' needs for developing english reading materials based on palembang culture, as determined by the feedback of students and teacher. through a questionnaire and interview, the data were obtained. the data was quantitatively and qualitatively analysed. the results of the study revealed that 1) students are still experiencing some difficulty in reading comprehension, 2) a recount text is necessary; 3) english reading materials need to be integrated with students' local culture; and 4) no english reading material has been made available to incorporate the students' local culture, particularly in the field of tourism destination of palembang. due to needs, reading materials must be developed through the integration of local culture that matches the level of reading and supports the content of the topics. keywords: needs analysis; vocational high school; reading materials; local culture; 21st century learning. mailto:rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id yeni oktarina, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus needs analysis of palembang-tourist-destination recount text reading materials in the 21st century learning 382 (nambiar et al., 2020; murti et al., 2020; inderawati, et al., 2021)). language teaching nowadays focuses on what students need to know rather than what to teach. there are also numerous changes and opportunities for students to learn english in school. the behavior and initiative of students can be said to be the main activity in the classroom. the success of students in class is the main objective of teaching and learning. in school, many factors influence students. culture is one of them because language must be addressed in a social context. it must be linked to culture. one of the most critical aspects of language learning is culture. when students learn a language, they are also learning the culture of that language. this has been investigated by nambiar, et al, (2020) that secondary school students’skill development and confidence due to the impact of a local culturebased longitudinal english language reading program. language and culture are, therefore, the primary keys to language instruction. input sources vary from the participants in the classroom, ranging from the use of audiovisual devices (like cds, dvds, and the internet) to printing materials (like textbooks, workbooks, and activity libraries) to foreign language exposures (limberg, 2016). furthermore, language is the foundation of cultural and contextual schemes and frames, not just words (regmi, 2014). students and teachers are clearly from the same cultural and linguistic backgrounds. it enables them to communicate and form a familiar understanding of the local culture. vygotsky's sociocultural theory (1994), which states that language acquisition is influenced not only by the cognitive side but also by students' social and cultural context, supports secondlanguage acquisition. students are more likely to participate in classes when they interact with teachers in a real socio-cultural setting (murti, et al., 2020; nguyen, 2020). as a result of this viewpoint, teaching materials and activities should incorporate the students' local culture to meet their background, emotion, experience, and culture (bao, 2016; mckay, 2003; tomlinson, 2012). when students are asked to discuss a topic that they are unfamiliar with, they will most likely give up and take the time to do so. if the subject is familiar to them, the materials are simple to comprehend, and learning occurs. they're aware of the context and the topic they'll be discussing. they will take an active role in the class. the government publishes english textbooks for the tenth-grade, and there is a recount text in which the materials tell us about an idol gathering, a historical incident, the battle of surabaya, and a past event in the lives of prominent figures. there is little to say about a tourist destination that is different from the culture of the students. they should also be able to understand a text from another culture in their country in that novel. though indonesians are familiar with the texts, students find it difficult to comprehend them because they are unfamiliar with the context. as an educator, we should know the effective way for helping the students to understand the main meaning on a text, especially about recount text which should related with their own local culture. this means that, since language and culture are inextricably linked, incorporating local culture into the english subject is significant. by integrating local culture into the teaching and learning process, students will be able to learn english more effectively and have a greater understanding of their own culture because they will be asked to speak about something they are familiar with. beside that students gain great benefits from incorporating local culture into instructional materials because it encourages them to be aware of and care for their own culture while studying english. students can contribute their knowledge of their own culture, as well as maintain and promote it to others. learners who obtain cultural knowledge can develop more positive views toward different cultures and become more tolerant of them. in addition to the descriptive and narrative texts that students are taught, there are other texts taught in english in grade ten. the recount text is one of the texts that can be used as a learning guide for anyone pursuing a career as a travel agent. it is appropriate to use recount text as existing reading material because it tells about students' personal experiences, especially with regard to tourist destinations. as a result of developing recount text reading materials about tourist attractions, students are more interested in learning their own local culture, which will help them learn english and promote their own local culture. the students decided to learn english not just for personal and professional reasons but also to contribute to the socio-economic development of their city (2020, nguyen). integrating local culture into english classes would benefit students by providing new ways of language (nambiar et al., english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 383 2020) and giving local culture importance for character development ( murti et al., 2020). learning is a process of coordination between learners and the target situation where participants need to have a good understanding process (hutchinson & waters, 1987). it is critical to identify students' needs for a specific course in the classroom to create a living environment in teaching and learning. students are described as the first step to determine the students by the teacher; the qualifications, competencies, knowledge, and needs of teaching and learning processes. analysis of needs helps the teacher know whether the course content is relevant or not to the students. a target needs approach is used to identify needs, needs, and wishes with three considerations (hutchinson & waters, 1987). necessities belong to what the learners must understand the target situations effectively. the learners must know about the language characteristics – discourse, functionality, structure, and lexicon – commonly used in identified situations. lacks are part of the gap between target skills and existing skills. whether or not students need the instruction depends on how well they already can do it. wants is what students need from an english course for specific purposes (esp). english for specific purposes, commonly known as esp. the reason for esp's inclusion in the curriculum is mainly because many jobs or professions now require their employees or professionals to communicate fluently in english in the fields involved. there are two types of english in terms of use. they are general english, commonly used in daily communications, and esps that are used in a particular area or occupation. brown (2009) also describes nine types of analysis of language need. they are: (a) the objective analysis of the situation (tsa) concerning the information on language needs for the learner in language learning. the focus is a) on the aim and necessities of the students in learning language, (b) the deficiency analysis that considers current requirements and needs of the students and their target situations deficiencies or shortcomings, (c) the psa analysis that focuses on students' existing skills, knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses, (d) the learning analysis that considers needs. there have been several studies on the need analysis for esp in terms of the design of curricula or the development of materials in indonesia at a certain level of education. some studies have examined the need analysis relating to esp in the design of curricula or the result of materials at a certain level of education in indonesia. rahamdina, harahap & sofyan (2019), vongvilay, kartika & laila (2020), azizah, inderawati & vianty (2020), septiana, petrus, & inderawati (2020), kumbara, eryansyah, & inderawati (2021). in other countries such as kayaoglu and akbas (2016), lee (2016), alsamadani (2017), chetsadanuwat (2018), and wu & low’ (2018). studies were also carried out .these inquiries show the necessity and inevitable function of analyzing the need to arrange instructions, design texts, or develop teaching materials. the students' problem, the knowledge or skills needed, or the teaching method to be used, could be identified by the need analysis. furthermore, the results of the need analysis reveals key considerations that must be made in order to meet the needs of the students. as previously stated, many studies show local culture for vocational schools, particularly the department of the tourism. some studies conducted local culture in reading materials (azizah, inderawati & vianty, 2020; checaria, petrus & inderawati, 2021; elviana, inderawati & mirizon, 2020; and nica, petrus & vianty, 2021). those studies focused on local culture-based-descriptive texts as supplementary material as reading text.(herawati, inderawati, & mirizon, 2020; checaria, petrus, & inderawati, 2021). nevertheless, this recent study has developed palembang-tourist-destination recount text reading material for tenth-grade students in the 21st century. high schools in indonesia are divided into senior high schools (general english), vocational high schools (specific english should be used), and islamic secondary schools (should use specific english). however, these schools have utilized general textbooks of english. specific materials as insisted by hutchinson & waters (1987) were proposed as specialist areas for professional students in workplaces. suyadi (2016) proposes to have specific teaching and learning material and methods for professional students in order to make english more useful for students' future professions. relevant to special materials, the researchers have investigated whether or not students of the travel agency need special materials to develop an english subject. the learner's needs for english function and practice determine the purpose and content of english, rather than on the objective of general yeni oktarina, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus needs analysis of palembang-tourist-destination recount text reading materials in the 21st century learning 384 education where english is a common occupational requirement or regulation for vocational secondary schools. it cannot be denied that all four language skills are needed for learning english; to listen, speak, read and write, moreover in this technological era. this statement involves that the teacher is responsible for managing these skills in an equal measurement, covering several text genres with various types of evaluation and studying purposes (mukminatien, 2009). more specifically, the english curriculum uses text-based curriculum 2013, which deals more with using the genre as a model text. each model text has its purpose of achieving the communication objective through its use. many genres are taught at the high school level; they are recount, procedural, descriptive, narrative, reporting, news, analytical, and hortatory exposure. the texts may be written or spoken about the ability to teach, listen, speak, write or read. the last skill to be mastered is that of the four skills. according to krashen & terrel (1983), reading contributes to four language skills. it means that the ability to read can develop other language skills. it is consistent with harmer (2001) statements that reading aids in studying vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, and the structure of sentences, paragraphs, and texts. in today's world, reading is an important skill for english learners. it promotes overall skill growth and provides crucial knowledge at work and in school (komiyama, 2009). it means that students can gain a lot of information to support their learning activities by reading. in this regard, some studies have shown that reading comprehension is a problem in indonesia. for instance, indonesia is known to be unsatisfactory in reading. the oecd/pisa (2018) reports indicate that indonesian students were less able to read than others. it shows that indonesia ranks 72 out of 77 countries in terms of reading competencies. in the last 10 to 15 years, this value tends to be stagnant. the data show that reading literacy is still insufficient for adolescents in indonesia compared to other countries. the challenge facing educators today is to prepare students to learn, live and thrive in the dynamic, cluttered and chaotic information environment of the 21st-century learning world. industry 4.0 shapes the future of education, opening up our view and allowing us to examine what expertise and skills students should have following their college qualification (li, 2020). knowing how to learn from various sources of information is at the heart of what it means to be educated today. those of us working with children and young people are well aware of the impact the digital information environment has had on their lives. students need to think, learn, create, search, evaluate, and use the information for thinking, learning, and creating. a school must allow students to practice daily in all subjects of the curriculum. students need to see the connection between what they learn in school and the outside world that motivates and inspires them to do their best. the best strategy for a complex and changing future is learning how to contribute today. all students have learning experience preparing for their future. success today seems to be different than it did in the past. high-achieving individuals often chose to build their own work rather than participate in the conventional labor market. people who are successful expect to have a decent job and a wide range of skills to sustain their career. as a teacher, we have a duty to encourage students to make their dreams come true by educating and giving them the learners' knowledge and skills. in addition, learners do their best work when work is meaningful and affects the world. based on the above explanations, the researcher had to conduct a study in advance of the student requirements as a first stage of developing palembang-tourist-destination recount text reading materials for travel agency students from smk negeri 3 in palembang. there were similarities and differences in this study from several relevant previous studies. the main similarity was the student needs analysis investigation. the student level, english skills, and scope of the need analysis differed in some previous studies. the main difference was the palembang tourist destination's unique integrated local culture. tsa, deficiency analysis, psa, and strategy analysis were all part of the students' needs analysis. the needs of students as seen by students in the travel agent and english teacher departments were examined in this need analysis. this study aimed to describe students', teachers', and stakeholders' perspectives in english reading materials based on student culture. method this study included tenth-grade students from travel agent majoring and english teacher from english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 385 smk negeri 3 palembang. there were 36 students from the majoring of travel agencies and an english teacher. a questionnaire and interviews obtained the data. the students received the questionnaire. there were 25 questions. tsa, deficiency analysis, psa, and strategy analysis were used to categorize the questions. the interview was conducted with the english teacher and the palembang tourist destination's existing english reading materials and the development of english reading materials. the data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. to analyze the data from the questionnaire and interpret and explain the information from the interview, the quantitative method was used. results and discussion the students' needs viewed by the students the data on tsa, deficiency analysis, psa, and strategy analysis were collected from the students. the highest percentages were presented in this paper that showed the students' answers in the questionnaire. target situation analysis (tsa) this section addressed the necessities, general intentions, and expectations of students in learning english. the collected data is shown in table 1. the main reasons for learning english from table 1 were communication (80.6 %) and supporting their future career (63.9 %). it was in accordance with the vocational high school's goals described in 2013 as english curriculum and the regulation of the indonesian national education ministry no. 20 year 2016. then the students expected to read english fluently in communication (72.2%). most of them can communicate with colleagues or tourists by learning english (66.7%). they should at least be beginners to support their english skills to support their careers (50%). as a result, to communicate with tourists, mainly orally, travel agency students had to learn about their study program, including their own local culture. as one of their future jobs, even domestic tourists from other countries had to explain and expose their own local culture. one approach is used to make people conscious that it is about their local culture. according to petrovska (2001), incorporating local culture into language teaching and learning would improve students' learning experiences and encourage them to learn the language. table 1. tsa views of students n o question/ statement students’ view perce ntage 1. the importance of learning english to interacting with other people to support a career in the future 80.6% 63.9% 2 the students’ expectation toward learning english to read good text and understand the content of the reading related to theirs study program (tourism services business) 66.7% 3 the language used for students career to do oral communication with colleagues or tourist 66.7% 4 the english proficiency level for students’ career beginner 50% deficiency analysis this section considered current needs and needs for students and deficiencies or shortcomings in their target situations. the data on the current needs and requirements of the students are shown in table 2. according to the results of the survey, 55.6% of students preferred reading materials that focused on their own local culture about tourist destination. the students might feel that this topic could support their program study. 80.6% of students wanted texts on the context of the travel agency's department of study. it has been shown that 58.3% of students believed that integrating topics related to the student's overall reading program knowledge was extremely important. besides, 61.1% of students responded that it was essential to their local culture, particularly about the palembang tourist destination. it is consistent with the conclusions of azizah, inderawati & vianty (2020), who researched the english needs of the tour and travel program at an smk in bangka. cultural tourism was one of the most important subjects covered in the students' reading. table 2. students' perspectives on current wants and needs n o question/ statement students’ view perce ntage 1 read topics of students' interest tourist destination 55.6% yeni oktarina, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus needs analysis of palembang-tourist-destination recount text reading materials in the 21st century learning 386 (palembangtouristdestination) 2 students’ desired input for reading texts related to the context of the travel agent department 80.6% 3 integration of the topic related to the student's general knowledge very important 58.3 % 4 integrating topics which were related to local culture about palembangtouristdestination for reading important 61.1% furthermore, the students' view of integrating local culture into the reading helped them for some reasons, as shown in figure 1. it showed that most students believed that incorporating local cultures in reading materials could encourage their motivation to learn english (nambiar, et al., 2020; ainsworth, et.al., 2020). integrating the culture of palembang, especially about tourist destinations, also enhances their knowledge about their own culture. instead of reading, there will be less inclined to read if there is a lack of student interest in particular topics. learning english will motivate them. offering reading materials, their abilities of reading could be effectively improved. according to the research done by dehghan & sadighi (2011), students who were familiar with that specific area performed significantly better than others who were non-familiar with the topic. in order to improve students' reading comprehension. furthermore, yousef, karimi, and janfeshan, (2014), and wulandari, vianty, and fiftinova (2018) reported local culture can be used as learning resources. one effective way to increase students' motivation in learning a language in the class is by using local culture in the relevant situation (fu, 2018). figure 1. students' perspectives on the importance of incorporating local culture into reading materials aspects of the local culture can be seen in the two figures below. most of the students (55.6%) needed to learn local culture related to the tourist destination. the other aspects of local culture that they need were folklores (52.8%), traditional clothes, traditional equipment, food, and customs (47.2%), and art (41.7%). thus, this data could be necessary about the kinds of culture that should be integrated into developing the reading material. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 387 figure 2. the aspects of local culture need with the lack of students, they found some struggles in learning how to read. the results shown in table 3 show that there are lots of student difficulties. based on the statistics, the reading ability of students was not satisfactory. understanding certain words have been categorized as the most difficult skill (55.6%). the other difficulties are deciding on main ideas (45.5%) and comprehending details (41.7%). the least difficulties were about concluding cause and effect and chronological order or event (33.3%). thus, it was suggested that when developing reading materials, be sure to take both content and reading comprehension into account. figure 3. students’ difficulties in reading skill present situation analysis this section focused on the students' english proficiency, materials learned, and the students' local cultural knowledge. the students' views on their english capabilities could be seen in table 3. the vast majority of students (72.2%) admitted that their english proficiency was at the beginning level. in this way, 48.6 % of students surveyed found that their current reading proficiency was good enough. according to the data gathered, it appears that advanced reading materials could improve the students' english proficiencies, such as reading skills, to a higher level as needed to support their career in the future. table 3. the english language abilities of the students no question/ statement students’ view perce ntage 1. the current level of english proficiency beginner 72.2 % among the students 2. the students' current level of comprehension of the reading text enough 48.6 % the students' view on the existing reading materials learned or provided at school could be seen from the data presented in table 4. the reading text level in english course books used was considered difficult by 50% of the students. however, 61.1% of students felt that the topics were interesting. 63.9% of students thought that the text commonly found or learned in learning english was descriptive text. it means that the students did not typically learn much or find about other texts. according to the data, narrative (61.1%), argumentation (36.1%), and recount (30.6%) were among the other texts learned while learning english. according to the findings, students rarely learn about recount text, despite the fact that it is required as reading material because they need it in their study program to develop their knowledge. yeni oktarina, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus needs analysis of palembang-tourist-destination recount text reading materials in the 21st century learning 388 then, some students stated that sometimes english teachers provided reading materials or texts and the questions related to the general knowledge of students' study program for reading. meanwhile, 58.3% of students stated that english teachers sometimes provided reading materials or texts and the questions related to palembang local culture for reading. it could be concluded that the students rarely got the reading materials related to their own local culture. table 4. the existing materials learned and provided n o question/ statement students’ view perce ntage 1 the difficulty level of reading texts in english coursebook difficult 50% 2 the topics of reading texts in english coursebook interesting 61.1% 3 the kind of text commonly found or learned in learning english descriptive 63.9% 4 the frequency of english teacher provided reading materials or texts and the questions about palembang tourist destination sometimes 52.8% 5 the frequency of english teacher provided reading materials or texts and the questions related to local culture for reading sometimes 58.3% the view of the students on their current knowledge about local culture could be seen from the data available in table 5 below. 58.3% of students estimated that their knowledge about local culture was good. the aspects of local culture that the students know most were about tourist destinations (80.6%). 58.3% of students stated that they knew the local culture just from media online. 57.1% of the students just knew the local culture in their place and the closer districts. then, 66.7% of them admitted that their knowledge about local culture was still about general information. by having this data, it was obvious that presented local culture to the students' materials in learning was needed. table 5. the students’ local culture knowledge n o question/ statement students’ view percent age 1 students’ knowledge about local culture good 58.3% 2 the aspects of local culture that the students know tourist destination 80.6% 3 the way students know about local culture from online media 58.3% 4 the scope of local culture that the students know in the students’ place and the closer districts 57.1% 5 the students’ knowledge level of local culture general information 66.7% based on the students' view on their knowledge about local culture, there were several things that the students thought they could do to preserve and develop the local culture. the activities that the students could do could be seen in figure 4. figure 4. the students’ activities in preserving local culture english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 389 based on the data obtained, 75 % of students could preserve and develop their local culture by enlarging the knowledge about local culture and implementing local culture in daily life (61.1%). this data showed that the students had the intention to know better and preserve their local culture. hence, developing local-culture-based reading materials can be a way to enlarge their knowledge and encourage their awareness of the existence of their own local culture and help them culturally literate (checaria, petrus, & inderawati, 2021). strategy analysis this part presented the students' preference in learning reading. the data obtained is showed in figure 5. the figure shows 72.2% of students preferred to comprehend the text by translating. then the other ways of learning reading by discussing the content of the text in a group (55.6%) and reading and answering the questions related to the text individually (36.1%). then, 22.2% of students prefer to read aloud with correct pronunciation, and 33.3% of students were interested in analyzing new vocabulary based on the context. the students' preference in learning reading should be considered as the strategy to help them to learn (rhahima, et al., 2021; tenridinanti, et al., 2021). fi gure 5. students’ preference in leaning reading the students' need viewed by the english teachers to learn more about the students' needs, an interview with a tenth-grade english teacher was conducted. based on the outcome of the english teacher's interview, the findings revealed that students' reading competence was poor due to the pandemic, which caused them to lose motivation to learn english and also their background, students' proficiency in english was low, followed by their reading interest, and the time allocated for english subject was insufficient (approximately 35 minutes for each meet). the english teacher then agreed that it was critical to integrate certain topics related to general knowledge into the students' reading study program. it was the same situation with the integration topics for reading related to local culture; the teacher agreed that it was required. based on the findings of the interview, all english teachers never assess their students' reading ability. one of the factors could be that the reading materials used did not correspond to the students' reading level. almost all english teachers agreed that they do need more reading resources that are suitable for their students' reading levels and meet their needs. as a result, students' reading achievement is still unsatisfactory and needs to be improved. conclusion english, as one of the most important subjects at smk is a foreign language that students should master and a means that can help students in the workplace. all materials used for the english reading for travel agent students should support their needs in the future. to figure out the students' needs, the first thing that has to be done is students' needs analysis. some important strategies for students should be yeni oktarina, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus needs analysis of palembang-tourist-destination recount text reading materials in the 21st century learning 390 highlighted based on the results of identifying and analysing the students' needs as reviewed by students and teachers. based on the findings, english is important for students to communicate and support their future careers, but there are some students still have difficulty reading comprehension. in learning english at school, the students just commonly knew about the descriptive text. it means that a recount text is required, that english reading materials must be integrated with content subject materials, and that there are no english reading materials available that incorporate the students' local culture. the one disadvantage of having an english course book is that there would be a lack of materials about the students' background. the teacher should consider expanding the english reading material since the students' needs should also be considered. textbooks don't always teach the material ultimately or provide what students need. as a result, it is necessary to develop reading materials that incorporate students' local culture and are appropriate for their reading levels and content subject. references ainsworth, b.a., redpath, s.m., wilson, m., wernham, c., & young, j.c. (2020). integrating scientific and local knowledge to address conservation conflicts: towards a practical framework based on lessons learned from a scottish case study. environmental science & policy, 107(1), 46-55. alsamadani, h. a. (2017). need analysis in esp context: saudi engineering students as a case study. alls, 8(6), 58-68. azizah, n., inderawati, r. & vianty, m. (2020). bangkaculture-based descriptive reading materials for tour and travel in smk: students’ needs analysis. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 21-34. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1 bao, dat. (2016). improvements in today’s elt materials development. in azarnaoosh, maryam, et. all. (ed), issues in materials development. sense publisher. brown, j. d. (2009). foreign and second language need analysis. in m.h. long and c. j. doughty (eds.), the handbook of language learning (pp. 269-293). wiley-blackwell. checaria, k.a., petrus, i., & inderawati, r. (2021). descriptive reading materials: palembang tourist destination. yogyakarta: spasi book. chetsadanuwat, k. (2018). needs of english skills of thai nurses working in international hospitals accredited by jci in bangkok area. learn journal,1(1), 26-46. dehghan, f. & sadighi, f. (2011). on the cultural schema and iranian efl learners’ reading performance: a case of local and global items. journal of pan-pacific association of applied linguistics, 15(2), 97-108. elviana, r., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2020). developing interactive multimedia for teaching descriptive texts based on palembang local culture. indonesian efl journal, 6(1), 19-26. https://doi: 10.25134/ieflj.v6i1.2634. fu, w. (2018). read from local to global: a culturebased reading material. advance in social sciences research journal, 5(3), 57-65. gleason, h. s. jr., (1961). an introduction to descriptive linguistics. oxford and ibh publishing company. harmer, j. (2001). how to teach english: an introduction to the practice of english language teaching (7th ed.). addison wesley longman. herawati, n., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2020). developing islamic instructional descriptive reading materials for the seventh graders. jurnal pendidikan progresif, 10(2), 312-326. hutchinson, t., & waters, a. (1987). english for specific purposes: a learning-centred approach. cambridge university press. inderawati, r., petrus, i., eryansyah., & meilinda. (2021). needs analysis of vocational high school textbook to local culture materials and the 21st century competencies. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), 245-252. kayaoglu, m. n., & akbas, r. d. (2016). an investigation into medical students’ english language needs. participatory educational research, 1, 63-71. komiyama, r. (2009). car: a means for motivating students to read. english teaching forum. 47(3), 32-36. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resour ce_files/09-47-3-f.pdf krashen, s. d., & terrell, t.d. (1983). the natural approach: language acquisition in the classroom. pergamon. almany. http://www.oseacite.org/class/selt_materials/selt_reading_ krashen_.pdf kumbara, l.h., inderawati, r., & eryansyah. (2021). developing sekayu local culturebased descriptive texts. eralingua: jurnal pendidikan bahasa asing dan sastra, 5(1), 120-133. lee, c. l. (2016). principles and practices of esp course designa case study of a university of science http://www.osea-cite.org/class/selt_materials/selt_reading_krashen_.pdf http://www.osea-cite.org/class/selt_materials/selt_reading_krashen_.pdf http://www.osea-cite.org/class/selt_materials/selt_reading_krashen_.pdf english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 391 and technology. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 15(2), 94-105. li, l. (2020). education supply chain in the era of industry 4.0. system research and behavioral science,37(4), 579-592. limberg, h. (2016). teaching how to apologize: efl textbooks and pragmatic input. language teaching research, 20(6), 700–718. nambiar, r.m.k., ibrahim, n., hashim, r.s., yasin, r.m., azman, h., yusof, n.m., ramli, s., & mustaffa, r. (2020). impact of local culturebased reading materials on students' skill development and confidence in english. universal journal of educational research 8(2): 445-453.htpps:// 10.13189/ujer.2020.080215 nica, a., petrus, i., & vianty, m. (2021). developing descriptive reading materials about palembang historical buildings. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp.293-300. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4354 nguyen, c.d., & dang, t.c.t. (2020). second language teacher education in response to local needs: preservice teachers of english learning to teach diverse learners in communities. tesol quarterly, 54(2), 404-435. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.551 mckay, s. l. (2003). toward an appropriate eil pedagogy: re-examining elt assumptions. international journal of applied linguistic, 13(1). http://people.upr.br/~clarissa/pdfs/eilpedagogy -mckay ministry of national education. (2016). peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan republik indonesia no.20 tahun 2016 tentang standar kompetensi lulusan pendidikan dasar dan menengah. jakarta: ministry of national education, the republic of indonesia mukminatien, n. (2009). implementasi cooperative learning dengan collaborative assesement untuk meningkatkan keterampilan mahasiswa pascasarjana dalam mengajar writing. jurnal bahasa, sastra, seni dan pengajarannya. 1(2), 76-90. murti,m., krisna.d., gunarhadi.g., & winarno,w. (2020). development of educational comic with local wisdom to foster morality of elementary school students: a need analysis. international journal of educational methodology, 6(2), 337343. nambiar, r.m. k., ibrahim, n., hashim, r.s., yasin, r.m., azman, h., yusof, n.m., ramli, r., & mustaffa, m. (2020). impact of local culturebased reading materials on students' skill development and confidence in english. universal journal of educational research, 8(2): 445-453 oecd. (2018) pisa 2018 result in focus. pisa. https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2018-resultinfocus petrovska, i. (2001). teaching intercultural communication in the global language classroom. 545-553. https://www.uklo.edu.mk/filemanager/horizo nti%202019/serija%20a%20br%2023/p40.pdf rahamdina, harahap, a., & sofyan, d. (2019). need analysis of english for tour and travel department of vocational high school in bengkulu city. journal of applied linguistic and literature,4(1), 1-12. regmi,m. (2011). the role of local culture and context in english language teaching. wordpress. https://neltachoutari.wordpress.com/2011/04/01/ the-role-of-local-culture-and-context-in-englishlanguage-teaching. rhahima, a., inderawati, r., & eryansyah. (2021). students’ needs analysis for the development of electronic descriptive reading materials for hotel accommodation program in vhs. eralingua: jurnal pendidikan bahasa asing dan sastra, 5(2), 470-482 septiana, i., petrus, i., & inderawati, r. (2020). needs analysis-based english syllabus for cumputer science students of bina darma university. english review: journal of english education, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.3027 suyadi. (2016). english for specific purposes for accounting students. international journal of innovation and research in educational sciences ,3(2), 2349–5219. tenridinanti, t., b., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2021). climate change-based report texts for senior high school: a mix method study. jurnal pendidikan progresif, 11(3), 610-625. doi: 10.23960/ jpp.v11.i3.202112. tomlinson, b. (2012). materials development for language learning and teaching. language teaching, 45(2), 143–179. vongvilay, kartika, d & laila, m.(2020). need analysis of english material for vocational school of health: a case study at one school at karanganyar. journal of language teaching and literature, 7(2), 360-368. wu, j. r., & low, y. g. (2018). need analysis of chinese chemical engineering and technology undergraduate students in yangtze university in english for spesifics purposes. creative education,9, 2592-2603. wulandari, a. a., vianty, m., & fiftinova. (2018). using local culture as teaching materials for improving https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2018-resultin-focus https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2018-resultin-focus https://www.uklo.edu.mk/filemanager/horizonti%202019/serija%20a%20br%2023/p40.pdf https://www.uklo.edu.mk/filemanager/horizonti%202019/serija%20a%20br%2023/p40.pdf yeni oktarina, rita inderawati, & ismail petrus needs analysis of palembang-tourist-destination recount text reading materials in the 21st century learning 392 students’ reading comprehension. the journal of english literacy education (the teaching and learning of english as a foreign language, 5(1), 11-24. yousef, h., karimi, l., & janfeshan, k. (2014). the relationship between cultural background and reading comprehension. theory and practice in language studies, 4(4), 707-714. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 855 engaging students in a flipped classroom instruction: teaching english for specific purpose (esp) in higher education abdul kodir al-baekani english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas singaperbangsa karawang, karawang, jawa barat, indonesia email: akodir.albaekani@staff.unsika.ac.id nesti hapsari accounting department, faculty of economics and business, universitas singaperbangsa karawang, karawang, jawa barat, indonesia email: nestihapsarimsi@yahoo.co.id asep muslihat accounting department, faculty of economics and business, universitas singaperbangsa karawang, karawang, jawa barat, indonesia email: asep.muslihat@staff.unsika.ac.id apa citation: al-baekani, a. k., hapsari, n., & muslihat, a. (2023). engaging students in a flipped classroom instruction: teaching english for specific purpose (esp) in higher education. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 855-864. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.7845 received: 15-06-2023 accepted: 27-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: esp (english for specific purpose) is part of elt (english language teaching) which contains the teaching of english as a foreign language. every english teacher, especially esp, must innovate in the delivery of their teaching materials which are always carried out from year to year. this study reports on the perceptions of economics major students about the use of flipped classroom models in learning english for specific purpose (esp). classroom action research was used as design of this research. in collecting the data, semi structure interviews, reflective journals, and photo elicitation have been done. then, thematic analysis was used in this research. there are four findings in this research: 1) most of students enjoy learning by watching video teaching materials and have an enthusiastic in that way to learn english; 2) the students felt to became active and independent in learning english using flipped classroom; 3) students’ engagement became difference context of discourse in learning english; 4) flipped classroom mode motivated students in learning english. the findings of this study are expected to be useful for other researchers interested in efl learning innovations or teachers who are looking for teaching english for specific purpose (esp). keywords: classroom action research; english for specific purpose (esp); flipped classroom. introduction learning english for specific purposes (esp) is different with learning general english because esp learns english based on student needs. students learn english based on their needs. this is the history why learning english language was called learning esp. daulay (2020) stated that learning esp should be based on learners’ need. it means learning english depends on their major in the study which was seen of the term of “specific”. in other words, students majoring in mathematics will study english about mathematics. likewise, students majoring in economics will study english about economics. esp course is intended to the students’ motivation in learning english for their needs. tymbay (2022). in line with papadimasophocleous et al. (2019) argued that learners need courses to cater for specific needs to serve the demands of the society. because of learning esp is a part of ell, so the students must study the four basics skill in english. they start learning from listening skill, speaking skill, reading skill, until writing skill (ahmadi, 2018). all of the skill will be taught by the teachers. many english teachers still use the conventional or traditional learning model. this model can be called teacher-centered learning since the teachers transfer knowledge face-to-face with the students directly. berry (2004) in khatmah (2020) reported that the teacher who used this model assumed a provider and driver of information reproduction is a teaching. the teachers can be called the main resource of abdul kodir al-baekani, nesti hapsari, asep muslihat engaging students in a flipped classroom instruction: teaching english for specific purpose (esp) in higher education 856 knowledge in traditional language learning in the classroom, and they mostly dominate the learning process while centering the translation of text into the students’ first language. students are assumed as a receiver and have a passive role in learning (kaymakamoglu, 2018). in addition, the teachers manage all the activities in the classroom without collaborating with the students and it can be poor language performance (serin, 2018; kassem 2019). education in the past and today is different. in the past, teachers had an important role in the learning process which was usually called teachercentered. nowadays, students have an important role in learning (students-centered), so their mindset must change towards the technological era (van et al., 2021) and they are always side by side with computers, video games and the internet. in using technology, the students can get knowledge easier than before because they can search the materials from some sources, such as google.com, youtube.com, and others (ahmadi, 2018). almost all students are always close to technology, especially using smartphone, and they always spend all their time with their smartphones every day. indeed, the use of smartphones can be a learning medium that can be done anywhere and anytime so that students can interact with friends, instructors and learning materials. in other words, students can learn subject matter outside the classroom through distance learning (van et al., 2021). from the explanation above, the esp learning model must change to a student-centered learning model. one of learning model that can be used to facilitate esp learning is the "flipped classroom model", where students learn lesson material by watching videos or online lessons given by the teacher independently in their homes. after that, they came to classroom to carried out the direct activities face to face classroom. this learning model will be tried to be applied in this classroom action research. cabi (2018) stated that the flipped classroom framework is a changing of the learning model from a teacher-centred learning process to a student-centred because learning material can be done outside the classroom. this aimed to leaded students became active in the learning process and experienced the flipped classroom pedagogy in esp learning. despite this learning model has been widely implemented, in the context of esp learning, especially in higher education (accounting majors), it has not been explored yet. this research was conducted to fill the gaps that exist in the implementation of the flipped classroom learning model in esp learning. therefore, this study only has one research question, namely how do students respond to the flipped classroom model in esp learning? flipped classroom is an innovative learning model which is to changes from traditional lecture to homework elements of a course. jdaitawi (2019) reported that flipped classroom is innovative method which consists of video lectures (the videos can be those that are available from the internet, or pre-recorded by teachers themselves) that students watch at their own time and pace prior to attending classes in which they participate in group activities or the teachers answer their questions. the main characteristic of the flipped classroom learning model is the changing in the learning process from teacher-centred, which used ppt in the learning process to student-centred which made students active and independent in learning because this learning model can be done outside the classroom. in other word, this method can be called self-regulated learning (tang et al., 2020). this learning model aims to facilitate students learning outside of the classroom. learning interest and learning outcomes can be obtained from the learning process using learning model. thus, the quality of the english learning model will have a huge impact overall. one of the characteristics of the flipped classroom learning model is that it enables students to learn independently (self-regulated learning). meanwhile, the characteristic of independent learning is that the students themselves whom is the main body of learning and they cannot be disturbed or controlled by other people. there are three basic characteristics of autonomous learning. independent learning is the main characteristic and this is the first characteristic in autonomous learning. furthermore, self-behaviour is the core of self-access in learning. meanwhile, the last one is self-discipline which have to responsibility learning of students. it means that the subject of learning is the learners themselves who have the master. this shows an understanding that the core of the learning process is ultimately controlled by the learners themselves as explained by one of the famous american educational psychologists, namely barry j. zimmerman. he introduced the model of self-regulated learning in the research by zakiah & fajriadi (2020). that model can be seen on figure 1. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 857 figure 1. self-regulated learning model (adopted from zakiah & fajriadi, 2020, p.2). meanwhile the “flipped classroom” can be called an “active learning”. this approach is one of ways to make students active in learning (ayçiçek et al., 2018; hoshang et al., 2021). in the flipped classroom learning model, students are directed to learn independently by watching learning videos that have been previously designed by the teacher. then, they discuss it with peers or in class discussions (yanto et al., 2020; voss & kostka, 2019, see figure 2: figure 2. shifting learning in a flipped learning approach (adopted from voss, & kostka, 2019, p.3) method this research was conducted at the higher education, namely universitas singaperbangsa karawang in west java, indonesia with the research subjects being accounting program students. the students population are more than 100 students who divided into four classes (classes a, b, c, and d). the participants in this research were the students of class a. this research was approved by accounting program coordinator as ethical consideration. this study spanned 14 meeting (one semester) from february to may 2021. the authors choose this site because of three consideration: (1) this subject is the second subject of learning english (last semester is general english); (2) there are many learning facilities on this campus such as classroom projectors, internet networks, and libraries.; and (3) the researchers are lectures at this campus. this research used a classroom action research design with only one research question: how do students respond to the flipped classroom learning model in esp learning?. this is a way to make new innovation in practice of teaching and learning. kemmis et al. (2014) defined classroom action research as an effort to carry out practical changes in society, both in terms of their understanding and conditions when the practice is carried out. therefore, implementing the flipped classroom learning model is an effort to change esp learning practices. because there are three authors, all of these authors have their own duties in this research. the first author was tasked with providing esp teaching for students in accounting program. the second author conducted data collection. meanwhile, the third author was tasked with designing the research instrument. all authors collaboratively analysed the data and wrote the research report. figure 3. cycle of action research (adopted from kemmis et al., 2014 in yanto et al., 2020). in order to organize procedural in this research, the authors used action research which was adopted from dikilitas & griffiths (2017) in the research of ramdani et al. (2022). ar which was used by them is stages. there are four stages that can be used by the authors, namely planning, acting, observing and interpreting. in planning, the authors did many activities, such as discussing and identifying research problems, deciding research questions, discussing and planning teaching esp, deciding research paradigm, reviewing the relevant literature, discussing and determining on data collection method, discussing and preparing tools for data collection, and obtaining consent and abdul kodir al-baekani, nesti hapsari, asep muslihat engaging students in a flipped classroom instruction: teaching english for specific purpose (esp) in higher education 858 dealing with other ethical procedures. the second stage is acting. in this stage, the authors implement flipped classroom using design flipping by estes et al. (2014) in yanto & pravitasari (2020). there are several phases in this stage. first is making lesson plan. lecture make a lesson plan for several meeting and introduce to the students about flipped classroom learning model. the students were divided into groups discussions in order to they can be able to discussed the learning materials on video in youtube website. second is assignment. after the students was given the video on youtube, they have to find the vocabulary used in spoken language which has given by lecture, then they have to present their comprehensive to another group that was represented by their leader of group. the next phase is reflection. the lecture gives the explanation about vocabulary used on the video and ask the students to make a paragraph which match the vocabulary on the video. then, the students were given the questions in interview to collect the data. the last phase is sorting the data. figure 4. course design of flipping a class (adopted from estes et al.,2 014 in yanto & pravitasari, 2020) the third stage is observing. in this stage, the authors carried out the analysis procedure by codding collected data and identifying themes qualitatively. the last stage is interpreting. this is the most important thing in this stage because it showed many highlighting, such as the answering research question with the evidence the data, drawing out implication, considering limitation of the study, and looking into the future by providing future research agenda that has not been examined yet in this study. instructional procedure there are three steps to the learning activities using the flipped classroom learning model, namely: preclass activity, in-class activity, and post-class activity pre-class. in the pre-class stage, the first author who was in charge of teaching the lesson material explained the framework of the flipped classroom and the purpose of using the flipped classroom. this activity used zoom meeting application because learning activity was done by online. students were given an explanation regarding the esp lesson material in accordance with the framework of the flipped classroom at this stage. based on the flipped classroom framework, teachers provide lesson material through videos that they can watch via youtube links to study independently. after watching the learning material video, students were given the task of understanding esp lesson material. the example of the task given by lecture was looking for vocabulary used in esp (see figure 4). the lesson material video explained the use of english vocabulary in esp. then, students reported it inclass and the lecturer provided feedback on students’ assignments in discussion activities. in-class. there are several steps in this phase. first, the lecturer asked about students' understanding in studying lesson material by watching videos. when the lesson material was about the use of english vocabulary in esp, students were reporting their understanding regarding it and reporting their assignments for discussion with other students and the lecturer. the students' task was looking for english vocabulary used in esp. students must write down the use of english vocabulary in esp that they watch in the video. then, each student red it in front of the class for their friends and lecturers. each student noted which vocabulary is not esp vocabulary. lecturers provided feedback after everyone reported their respective assignments. post-class: in this phase, students evaluated the results of independent learning regarding assignments. then, the lecturer gave students individual worksheets at the last meeting. students were asked to looked for english vocabulary in esp, then they made sentences based on the vocabulary they found. after that, the author asked the students to carry out interviews and write reflective journals. data collection and analysis the authors used interviews, reflective journals, and photo elicitation to examine students respond regarding the use of flipped classrooms in esp learning. this was conducted as a way of collecting research data. semi-structured interviews were used to collect the students respond data. the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 859 authors used the interviews guideline which was adapted from yang (2017). there are eleven students who are asked the questions regarding their responses in esp learning in the flipped classroom. the entire interviews process was in indonesian, then the interview script was translated into english. at the end of each meeting, the students wrote the reflective journals. the reflective journals are personal records of students’ learning experience which was used by the teachers. gülden (2020) stated that reflective journals are frequently used in teacher education programs. the main purpose of using reflective journals is to collect information regarding students respond in using the flipped classroom learning model in esp learning at each meeting. there are three steps in process of reflection (lay & mcguire, 2010). the first step is to describe detailed information, such as who, what, where, and when the experience took place. next, examine and associate the learning object. the final step is articulating the learning. all students write reflective journals at the end of each meeting. they expressed their feelings and responses regarding the use of the flipped classroom learning model in esp learning. finally, all the collected data were analyzed. the last way to collect the data was photo elicitation or the use of photographs. it aimed to record how subjects respond to the images. it can be called “photo-elicitation is a qualitative interview technique where researchers solicit responses, reactions, and insights from participants by using photographs or other images as stimuli” (copes et al., 2018, p.476). in analysing the data, the authors used braun and clarks (2021) thematic analysis. this was conducted in order to the authors can reviewed the data, took notes, and began grouping the data into categories. all data identified in detail patterns and developed into themes. after that, the data were coded and labelled using highlighted keywords or phrases. there are several steps in this thematic analysis, namely familiarizing, generating, searching, reviewing, defining and naming, and producing. the first step is familiarizing. in this step, the authors must be familiar with the data which has been obtained. authors must also transcribe the interviews result in typing and saving it in the computer document. in order to the data to remain original according to the interview results, the authors also have to recheck the data by replaying the data many times. after that, the authors read the interview transcripts carefully. it aimed to obtain in-depth aspects of the data, then, all data began to be marked for coding which will be checked again at the next step. the second step is generating initial coding. in this step, the authors highlighted the interview transcripts as they will be analysed. the purpose of this coding is to find themes or patterns of data which were visible in line with the research question. all of relevant data, such as form of excerpts, vignettes, snapshots, illustrations, and narratives were coded for further data analysis. in the step of searching for themes, the authors formulate the highlighted data to identify data patterns and broader themes. searching for key themes of findings allowed us to analysed the coded data closely. fourth, reviewing themes: the authors re-read and double checked the coded themes against the dataset in order to determine if they elicited important features of the data, relevant to the research questions. this theme review allowed for careful and detailed thematic data analysis. the next step is to defining and naming the themes. at this step, the authors analysed each finding theme in more depth and developed the scope and focus (essence) of all finding themes. the last step is writing up. the authors combined the data and analysed it using critical discourse analysis (cda). results and discussion based on interviews data regarding students respond in using flipped classrooms in esp learning, all data showed positively. students enjoyed learning material about esp through watching videos on youtube (see table 1). the following three students' explanation were empirical evidence that they were interested in independent learning using the flipped classroom learning model in esp learning. table 1. freely available resources no sources link 1 dee.ums.ac.idsejarah perkembangan esp https://www.youtube.com /watch?v=ujvgz5wjeqs 2 dee.ums.ac.iddefinisi esp https://www.youtube.com /watch?v=jxa-rz0l3ma 3 www.engvid.comenglish vovabulary: how to talk about the economy https://www.youtube.com /watch?v=vmu1ozfdems 4 www.engvid.comenglish vovabulary for economics https://www.youtube.com /watch?v=c_ei73g9wzy “in my opinion, the flipped classroom learning model is very fun and very challenging because http://www.engvid.com-english/ http://www.engvid.com-english/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmu1ozfdems https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmu1ozfdems http://www.engvid.com-english/ http://www.engvid.com-english/ abdul kodir al-baekani, nesti hapsari, asep muslihat engaging students in a flipped classroom instruction: teaching english for specific purpose (esp) in higher education 860 i have to self-study. the learning materials were studied by myself from video in youtube. after i understood the materials, i have to presented it in class activity.” (zoom meeting, student 1) “for me, this learning was exciting. it makes me know about my skill. last time, i learned material only from my teacher in the classroom. however, this time, i learn the materials from some resources (youtube) which was fun and easier to understand the materials.” (student 2) “for me, this learning model was very interesting because i could learn materials at my home so that i did not come to the campus. i could learn the materials anytime, especially during this pandemic, all educational institutions use the distance learning process.” (student 3) the three students' explanations indicated that they enjoyed learning esp using the flipped classroom learning model. they thought that watching videos on youtube made them happy and interested in learning esp. students learned esp through contextual videos containing esp material that has been explained by native speakers. they argued that learning through videos on youtube made it more interesting because it contains a combination of visual attractive and audio-visual information. the data showed students' positive attitudes towards in using material in videos on youtube in esp learning. the students explained that the video material in esp learning using the flipped classroom model was useful because they could study the learning material anywhere and at any time. they also though that the flipped classroom model was very easy to do and fun in learning esp. (see figure 5). figure 5. activity in the classroom (zoom meeting) the followings are some students' explanations in using video material in learning esp: “by learning material through videos on youtube, i thought it was useful because learning can be conducted anywhere and anytime as long as i had internet access. each student was required to study independently at home through video for 1 week. therefore, i could watch the video of the lesson materials repeatedly until i understood the lesson material on the use of english vocabulary in esp." (student 4) “i learned the learning material outside of class or at home because i learned through videos on youtube and i thought this way was useful. for example, i studied the learning material while i was having free time and i could do it in the afternoon." (student 5) “i could understand in learning material through videos because of the videos it's on youtube and i could watch it anywhere and anytime until i understood the learning material comprehensively. i could assume that this way of learning material was effective and useful for learning online." (student 6) “i studied learning material through videos on youtube, which can be more flexible in terms of time because learning can be conducted anywhere and anytime. so, this way of learning with the flipped classroom model was very useful for me." (student 7) based on the data from those four students, the data showed that learning using the flipped classroom model (through watching videos) in esp learning can be called to be useful. this is shown by the students' explanation regarding the benefits of using videos provided online on youtube. students could access esp lesson materials very easily because they could watch learning videos whenever and wherever they are as long as they have internet access. by watching video lessons on youtube, they felt this method useful and effective. the flipped classroom learning model could allow students to learn new material at their home or in their own place. therefore, they could play the video repeatedly so that they could understand the learning material delivered video on youtube. then, if they did not understand the learning material, they will review and rewind the videos. using the flipped classroom framework in learning of esp there were two students who explained the use of the flipped classroom learning model in esp learning. they explained that using this learning model was easier to do and understand. they showed it in their reflective journals. they wrote english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 861 that learning through videos on youtube can make it interesting and clear. “i was driven to learn vocabulary used in english. the use of flipped classroom model makes me trying learning esp hardly by myself because i have to discuss the material in class activity (zoom meeting)” (student 8) “in my opinion, this flipped classroom model could improve skill of my english especially in vocabulary used in esp but all the students must be active in the class activity. this learning model makes me active in learning because i am required to explore lesson material online. i also feel that i understand the subject matter better in the flipped class compared to the regular class. the reason is that all learning materials are structured and easy to access online.” (student 9) student learning outcomes showed positive because they were caused by the use of the flipped classroom learning model. videos on youtube were a tool that can be categorized as suitable for language learners because they provide wide access to actual language use and are hosted by native speakers. through video materials, students could assess their understanding in various situations they may encounter that are not available in class. besides that, the flipped classroom learning model was able to enable students to report their independent learning results in front of the class. lesson material delivered through video has the potential to enable students to acquire, process and utilize their knowledge. the use of videos in studying subject matter provides students with an authentic learning resource. in addition, it can help them study material about esp many times. independent learning in learning esp the empirical data showed that the use of the flipped classroom learning model made the students become independent and active learners in learning esp. the following two students‟ explanation provide empirical evidence on what flipped classroom framework an active and independent strategy in learning esp. “as we know, using the flipped classroom learning model could allow us to explore further in learning. we could study independently at home and this is what differentiates it from classes on campus (the lecturer explains the subject matter through books).” (student 10) "i more understand about every subject matter because of this flipped classroom learning model. also, it made me understand more broadly my knowledge of the subject matter. with the videos material on youtube, i was given the opportunity to study independently and can explore my learning in esp." (student 11) from the two students' explanations, the flipped classroom learning model indicated that it made them independent and active in learning esp. there were many opportunities for independent learning through videos on youtube. the flipped classroom learning model indicated that the students to be more active in esp learning. this can be seen in figure 4, students could report the results of their independent learning in class. lecturers and students discussed understanding of the learning materials which they have studied through videos on youtube. also, this activity could encourage students to report on the learning materials which they have been learned. figure 6. students are presenting their topic in front of the classroom (zoom meeting) this figure showed the students involved in a session presenting the results of their independent learning understanding through video and discussing them. each student presented their respective learning results. the students were enthusiastic in making presentations and also enthusiastic in discussions. our present study was to investigate the students’ perceptions of the flipped classroom model in learning esp through action research involving eleven students in accounting program in learning english at universitas singaperbangsa karawang. although there is another design like experimental designs, but it is difference with our purpose because experimental designs aim to examine “the relationship between phenomena and test theory (ramdani et al., 2022, p.1407). whereas action research aims to solve the problems in micro-contextual level like english language abdul kodir al-baekani, nesti hapsari, asep muslihat engaging students in a flipped classroom instruction: teaching english for specific purpose (esp) in higher education 862 classroom or in mezzo-contextual level like institutional context (burns in ramadani et al., 2022). dikilitas and griffiths (2017) focus that the aim of action research is to develop effective ways of teaching. in our study, action research aimed to solve the problem faced the students when learning esp. we examined how students were engaged in learning esp. findings of this study indicate that the implementation of flipped classroom model in learning esp had several benefits. first, the students felt enjoy in learning esp through video materials on youtube website. they argued that learning materials through watching video make them fun. it is supported by ayçiçek & yelken (2018) which had shown some advantages for students in terms of ensuring that students are prepared for the lesson, making the course fun and productive, providing teacher guidance and teamwork, and motivating students by creating a competitive atmosphere within the classroom. second, using video in learning esp made the students comfortable because they could learn the materials in outside of class. they also could learn the materials whenever and wherever they are throughout they had free time. this is not in line with cabı (2018) reveal that in general, students resist learning the topics on their own outside the classroom in the flipped classroom model. instead they prefer learning the topics from the instructor inside the class. based on the essence of flipped classroom, it was can be called self-regulated learning. in our finding also found that flipped classroom model has made the students learn by themselves. they could discussed the learning materials with their group in the classroom. each students should learn the learning materials on video in youtube website independently before they discuss it with others in group. it was the same finding with jdaitawi (2019), self-regulated learning and social connectedness were successful in making significant improvements among students exposed to flipped classroom mode compared to their counterparts in the traditional group. however, tang et al. (2020) highlighted that students are generally dissatisfied with the learning effect of online courses, but mainly in communication and q&a. in sum, all of findings which was found by the authors indicate that flipped classroom model could engaged the students in learning esp. this signifies that our study is in line with yanto, triyani, & pravitasari (2020) that empirical evidence proved by the positive feedback from students implies that students are engaged with this new platform for their learning, grammar specialized. nevertheless, there are some challenges in implementing flipped classroom. first, in learning materials through video on youtube website, the students have to had internet data in order to they can access learning materials easily. second, the lecture has to push and make the students learn independently. besides that, students and lecture have to manage the time in learning materials through video on youtube website in order to the discussing process in-class phase goes in a good manner. conclusion to conclude, the authors demonstrated how the implementing flipped classroom model facilitated the students in learning esp. the data showed positive feedback from students. they implied that using the flipped classroom learning model made them directly involved in the learning process. students could organize their independent learning using video materials on youtube. students could preview and understand learning material on videos anytime and anywhere. however, the authors must lead them in the first weeks because this was their first experience in using the flipped classroom learning model. the authors must also ensure that each student has a device and internet access for independent learning at their home. this learning model is able to change learning habits from traditional classes, where lectures are presented through ppt in class to flipped classes where students learn outside the classroom by listening and trying to record lesson material from videos on youtube. in traditional classes, at the end of learning, lecturers usually give students homework assignments in order to they are able to review the learning material which has been obtained in class even though they did not fully understand the lecture or understand the knowledge which means they will have difficulty doing homework and they have to wait until the next class to help and discussion. the authors suggested three practical implications in this research for learning esp using the flipped classroom learning model. the first implication is the lecturer's decision. esp lecturers must integrate the technology, namely videos on the youtube site into teaching of esp because this resource could facilitate students to improve their english. english lecturers must also innovate in various ways of teaching english for students' daily activities. the flipped classroom learning model english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 863 can be an innovation in the teaching and learning process more enjoyable. the second implication is a good learning model in learning of esp. this is shown by students who are stimulated to learn using the flipped classroom model. lastly, this flipped classroom learning model can be carried out by professional lecturers to improve students' independent learning of esp. for future research, the authors would like to suggest working with lectures or teacher educators to try applying flipped classroom model in another aspect of skill in english, such as listening skill, speaking skill, reading skill, and writing skill even other skills. this learning model also can be used as a way in teaching english. acknowledgement alhamdulillaahirobbil’alamiin. praise god almighty, for the presence of plenty of mercy and his grace, so that the authors can complete the present study with the title: engaging students in a flipped classroom instruction: teaching english for specific purpose (esp) in higher education. appreciation and thanks to the sincere the universitas singaperbangsa karawang lppm specialized who have given support to this present study such as moral and material. may allah swt always bestow grace, health, gifts and blessings in the world and in the hereafter over good that has been given to the authors. references ahmadi, d. m. r. (2018). the use of technology in english language learning: a literature review. international journal of research in english education, 3(2), 115-125. argyroulis, v. (2022). investigating student motivation in the use of corpus concordancing in esp learning at university level. esp today, 10(1), 71–98. https://doi.org/10.18485/esptoday.2022.10.1.4 ayçiçek, b., & yanpar yelken, t. (2018). the effect of flipped classroom model on students' classroom engagement in teaching english. international journal of instruction, 11(2), 385-398. berry, a. (2004). confidence and uncertainty in teaching about teaching. australian journal of education, 48(2), 149-165. https://doi.org/10.1177/000494410404800205 braun, v., & clarke, v. (2021). thematic analysis: a practical guide. sage publications. burns, a. (2005). action research: an evolving paradigm? language teaching, 38(2), 57-74. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444805002661 cabı, e. (2018). the impact of the flipped classroom model on students' academic achievement. international review of research in open and distributed learning, 19(3). copes, h., tchoula, w., brookman, f., & ragland, j. (2018). photo-elicitation interviews with vulnerable populations: practical and ethical considerations. deviant behavior, 39(4), 475494 daulay, e. (2020). the historical of growth english for specific purpose. vision, 15(2). dikilitaş, k., & griffiths, c. (2017). developing language teacher autonomy through action research. springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/9783-319-50739-2 estes, m. d., ingram, r., & liu, j. c. (2014). a review of flipped classroom research, practice, and technologies. international hetl review, volume 4, article 7, gülden, i̇. l. i̇. n. (2020). reflection or description: a document analysis on elt student teachers’ reflective journals. journal of language and linguistic studies, 16(2), 1019-1031. jdaitawi, m. (2019). the effect of flipped classroom strategy on students learning outcomes. international journal of instruction, 12(3), 665-680. kaymakamoglu, s. e. (2018). teachers' beliefs, perceived practice and actual classroom practice in relation to traditional (teacher-centered) and constructivist (learner-centered) teaching (note 1). journal of education and learning, 7(1), 2937. kassem, h. m. (2019). the impact of student-centered instruction on efl learners' affect and achievement. english language teaching, 12(1), 134-153. kemmis, s., mctaggart, r., & nixon, r. (2014). the action research planner. springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4560-67-2 khatmah, a. (2020). english foreign language teachers’ pedagogical beliefs: traditional teaching and language socialisation. studies in english language teaching, 8(3), 101-110. https://doi.org/10.22158/selt.v8n3p101 papadima-sophocleous, s., kakoulli constantinou, e., & giannikas, c. n. (2019). esp teaching and teacher education: current theories and practices. in esp teaching and teacher education: current theories and practices, 9782490057450. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2019.33.9782490 057450 ramdani, j., yanto, e., sri, m., & djunaedi, r. (2022). exploring the impact of workshops and a miniproject in student teachers becoming qualitative researchers. the qualitative report. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2022.3445 serin, h. (2018). a comparison of teacher-centered and student-centered approaches in educational settings. international journal of social sciences & educational studies, 5(1), 164-167. https://doi.org/10.18485/esptoday.2022.10.1.4 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50739-2 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50739-2 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4560-67-2 https://doi.org/10.22158/selt.v8n3p101 https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2019.33.9782490057450 https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2019.33.9782490057450 abdul kodir al-baekani, nesti hapsari, asep muslihat engaging students in a flipped classroom instruction: teaching english for specific purpose (esp) in higher education 864 tang, t., abuhmaid, a. m., olaimat, m., oudat, d. m., aldhaeebi, m., & bamanger, e. (2020). efficiency of flipped classroom with onlinebased teaching under covid-19. interactive learning environments, 1-12. tymbay, a. (2022). balancing authentic content and “hot topic” discussions in an esp classroom. esp today, 10(2), 310–328. https://doi.org/10.18485/esptoday.2022.10.2.6 van, l. k., dang, t. a., pham, d. b. t., vo, t. t. n., & pham, v. p. h. (2021). the effectiveness of using technology in learning english. asiacall online journal, 12(2), 24-40. voss, e., & kostka, i. (2019). defining flipped learning and academic english at the university. springer briefs in education, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8657-2_1 yanto, e. s., triyani, g., & pravitasari, h. (2020). engaging students in a flipped classroom instruction: junior high school grammar program. research and innovation in language learning, 3(2), 123. https://doi.org/10.33603/rill.v3i2.3468 zakiah, n. e., & fajriadi, d. (2020, august). self regulated learning for social cognitive perspective in mathematics lessons. in journal of physics: conference series (vol. 1613, no. 1, p. 012049). iop publishing. zhou, g., & niu, x. (2015). approaches to language teaching and learning. journal of language teaching and research, 6(4), 798-802. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0604.11 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8657-2_1 https://doi.org/10.33603/rill.v3i2.3468 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 679 online esp teaching during the covid 19 pandemic: students’ voices latifa ika sari port and shipping management department politeknik ilmu pelayaran semarang, indonesia email: latifa@pip-semarang.ac.id ria hermina sari nautical studies department politeknik ilmu pelayaran semarang, indonesia email: ria.hs@pip-semarang.ac.id apa citation: sari, l.i & sari, h.s. (2022). online esp teaching during the covid 19 pandemic: students’ voices. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 679-688. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6307. received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction the covid-19 pandemic has caused remarkable impacts on people’s lives all over the world. it has affected the sectors of the economy, business, politics, health, as well as education. in many parts of the globe, offices and schools are locked down which has led to the consequences of working from home and studying from home. many education institutions have no choice but to switch from faceto-face teaching and learning to online teaching and learning (gao & zhang, 2020). this condition has also brought a great challenge for language teachers, especially in esp teaching. esp (english for specific purposes) refers to the teaching and learning of english as a second or a foreign language in which the objective of the course is to prepare students to use english in a specific community. esp is concerned with designing an appropriate course to fulfil students’ needs to communicate in their future workplace (paltridge & starfield, 2013). in esp teaching, students need to be exposed to a significant number of technical vocabulary. they also have to learn various relevant discourses and practice using english in a specific context. many esp teachers experienced difficulties when they had to deliver the course online. they had to do many trials and errors to find the most appropriate strategies for teaching and to make sure that the lessons can be delivered optimally and the teaching objectives can be achieved (iswati, 2021; mandasari & wulandari, 2021). however, in a time of crisis, online teaching and learning become the only solution to continue the process of education when direct interaction between students and teachers is not possible (kuama & intharaksa, 2016). online instruction can provide access and opportunities for students to abstract: this study was aimed to evaluate the online esp teaching in a maritime polytechnic in indonesia, focusing on the teaching media used by the maritime english lecturers: the learning management system, zoom, and youtube. 195 students of the nautical studies department were involved in completing a questionnaire. 12 of them were involved in a focus group interview to obtain more detailed and comprehensive information. thematic analysis was used to analyze data and a thematic map was presented to illustrate the relationship between the themes. the findings of this study indicate that most students perceived the teaching media used by the lecturers in the online maritime english classroom were beneficial. however, each teaching medium was reported to have its advantages and disadvantages. if combined appropriately, they can facilitate students’ language learning. it is suggested that the lecturers explore various teaching media and arrange appropriate pacing in their teaching practices. the lecturers also need to prepare their lessons well before teaching to ensure that students can receive the best online learning experience. keywords: english for specific purposes (esp) teaching; online learning; students’ perception; teaching media. latifa ika sari & ria hermina sari online esp teaching during the covid 19 pandemic: students’ voices 680 receive an education without any restrictions on time and location (malik, fatima, hussain, & sarwar, 2017). students can learn from home with the help of various media used by the teachers. the role of teaching media during online language teaching and learning then becomes highly crucial. the word “media” comes from the latin word “medium” which means “between”. it refers to instruments that facilitate or bridge communication between a person who gives information and a person who receives information (smaldino, lowther, mims, & russell, 2015). in more specific terms, teaching media refers to the media used by the lecturers to deliver teaching materials to the students. the significant role of teaching media in the learning system is illustrated in figure 1. figure 1. the position of media in the learning system (gerlach and ely in hikmah, 2019) from the figure, it can be seen that the teaching media have a great contribution to the students’ comprehension. during the teaching and learning process, communication disruptions may happen. gerlach and ely (as cited in hikmah, 2019) mentioned that there are three characteristics of disruptions related to the teaching media used in language learning. the first is verbalism which refers to the situation when students can say a word but do not know the meaning. this happens because the students do not receive sufficient information about the meaning of the words. the second is misinterpretation which happens because words or materials are interpreted differently by the students. lack of elaboration from the lecturers may contribute to this problem. thirdly, disruption of students’ attention due to various distractions during the teaching and learning process. those issues are something that the lecturers have to be aware of. there are possibilities that the teaching materials might not be fully understood by all students and the learning objectives might not be achieved. there has been a great number of studies discussing the teaching media during online language teaching. as we know that the advancement of technology has enabled lecturers to use various teaching media to support their teaching practices. online learning platforms and applications have greatly developed to facilitate online teaching and learning. the use of the learning management system (lms) to provide a virtual learning environment for students in asynchronous learning has been popular in many education institutions. a study conducted by perveen (2016) showed that the use of lms is quite beneficial for students during online language learning in pakistan. the lecturers can deliver the teaching materials, give assignments, and administer the examination. while students can access the materials, do assignments, and join examinations via lms. besides the lms, video conference applications also have gained popularity among language teachers. the use of video conferencing is believed to support multimodal interaction and communication in online language classrooms (hampel & stickler, 2012; satar, 2016). a study conducted by kohnke and moorhouse (2020) indicated that the use of zoom can support synchronous learning. zoom enables students to communicate using non-verbal icons when they want to give questions or show appreciation, agreement, and disagreement. zoom also allows teachers to give immediate feedback to students. besides video conferencing, the use of videosharing platforms, such as youtube, has also become popular. youtube videos are beneficial to support the teaching and learning process by helping students learn things from multimodal english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 681 sources (ho & tai, 2020). wang and chen (2019) involved 20 taiwanese university students in their study and revealed the advantages of using youtube in english language learning. the use of youtube could enhance students’ self-regulated learning. it was also considered to be more flexible, interesting, and interactive for the students. even though there have been a lot of studies regarding online language teaching, the majority of them only discuss a single medium used by the teachers. this study aimed to investigate students’ perceptions of online maritime english teaching, focusing on the teaching media used by the lecturers in a maritime polytechnic in indonesia. the current study attempts to fill the gap of the previous studies by exploring three primary teaching media used by the lecturers during online esp teaching (the lms, zoom, and youtube) and showing the relationship between the teaching media in facilitating students’ language learning using a thematic map. there were 2 (two) research questions guiding this study: (1) how do students perceive the teaching media used in the online maritime english teaching? (2) how is the relation of the teaching media in facilitating students’ online language learning? students’ perception is taken because they are the beneficiary of education services provided by the education institution. students have invested their time and money hoping to obtain the best benefits and learning experience. it is expected that the findings of this study can be used as a reference to improve the lecturers’ teaching practices and the institution’s education policy. method this study was conducted in a maritime polytechnic located in semarang, indonesia. the research methodology was described as follows: table 1. participants of the study who completed the research questionnaire classes male female semester 1 84 10 semester 3 63 8 semester 7 28 2 total 175 20 as shown in table 1, there were 195 students of the nautical studies department involved in this study, consisting of 175 male students and 20 female students. they came from different classes and levels. their age ranged from 19 to 22 years old. 12 (twelve) students were involved to join a follow-up focus group interview (fgi) to obtain more detailed and comprehensive information. they were chosen based on the recommendation of the lecturers. the criteria for choosing the fgi participants were the students’ class attendance, their ability to express their opinions, and their willingness to join the fgi. the participants for the focus group interview were listed in table 2. table 2. participants of the focus group interview group name classes gender group 1 fr semester 1 male rd semester 1 male bt semester 1 male ab semester 1 male group 2 fa semester 3 male on semester 3 male as semester 3 male bg semester 3 male group 3 wz semester 7 male an semester 7 male fh semester 7 male br semester 7 male there were 2 (two) research instruments used in this study. a questionnaire was used to collect information about students' perceptions of the teaching media used during online maritime english class. there were 3 (three) teaching media reviewed: the moodle-based learning management system (lms), zoom, and youtube. in some parts of the questionnaire, students were asked to choose an answer and decide whether they strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with a statement. in some other parts, students were required to write their reviews and suggestions regarding the use of the teaching media. to avoid language issues, the questionnaire was written in bahasa. another instrument was the focus group interview. this instrument was aimed to obtain more comprehensive information regarding the lecturers’ teaching practices. in a group of four, students were asked to describe their experiences and reviews regarding the use of the teaching media. the language used during fgi was also bahasa indonesia. there were several steps in collecting data. firstly, the researchers prepared a questionnaire by using the google form. the questionnaire was latifa ika sari & ria hermina sari online esp teaching during the covid 19 pandemic: students’ voices 682 tested on a group of students. several revisions were made before the questionnaire was distributed to the research participants. as many as 233 students of the nautical studies department were asked to complete the questionnaire, but only 195 students completed and submitted it back. secondly, the researchers asked 12 students to join a focus group interview (fgi) based on the lecturers’ recommendations. their approval to join the fgi was asked to obtain voluntary informed consent. the fgi was conducted using the zoom meeting application and recorded. the process of analysing data was started by recapping the questionnaire. the researcher recapped the percentage of each statement (strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree) and presented the recaps in several tables. to analyse the qualitative data, the researchers used thematic analysis. the researchers attempted to capture themes from the participants’ experiences. the themes were then analysed and discussed. the researcher used the protocol of thematic analysis proposed by braun et al. (2019). firstly, the researcher recapped the qualitative answers of the questionnaire. after that, the researchers transcribed the focus group interviews and read the transcripts several times. after obtaining initial insights, the researcher generated codes. in this step, data were organized around similar meanings, and contents were simplified. similar responses were collated and themes were constructed. the students’ responses were categorized based on the themes. the last steps were revising and defining themes. in this step, the researchers examined the whole theme and developed a thematic map to visualize how each theme related to the others. results and discussion results the results of the questionnaire were presented in several tables. table 3 shows the students’ review of the learning management system (lms). in general, students agreed that the lms was helpful during online learning and there were no significant difficulties in using the platform. they could download the materials, submit their tasks, and practice the quizzes. 89% of students claimed that they could understand the materials even though they could not meet the lecturers directly. table 3. the recap of students’ review on the use of the learning management system statements students’ responses (in percent) strongly agree agree disagree strongly disagree 1. i found no difficulties in using the learning management system (lms) 45 53 2 0 2. i could access the learning management system (lms) anytime 54 44 2 0 3. the learning management system (lms) makes it easier for me to get materials from the lecturer 42 57 1 0 4. i found it easy to submit the tasks using the learning management system (lms) 44 55 1 0 5. even though there was no direct interaction with the lecturers, i could understand the materials 27 62 11 0 6. i need direct explanation from the lecturers regarding the materials 13 47 35 5 7. i love the quizzes given via learning management system (lms) 25 71 4 0 8. i expected the lecturers' feedback on the tasks and quizzes 37 59 3 1 however, 60% of the students admitted they still need lecturers’ direct explanations. 90% of the students also said that they expected lecturers’ feedback on their tasks and quizzes. the result of the focus group interview supports the findings. as mentioned by some of the students: “it is very easy to use the learning management system, but i think direct interaction with the lecturers is important to support the english learning” (fr, semester 1). “in my opinion, the use of lms, in general, is good. we can download the materials and submit assignments easily. however, it would be better if the lecturers explain the materials that have been english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 683 posted in the lms. for example, by using zoom meeting” (bg, semester 3). table 4 shows students’ review of the use of zoom as the video-conferencing application used in maritime english class. 98% of students agreed that the video conferencing sessions were beneficial for them and could help them in understanding the learning materials easier. they enjoyed the video conferencing sessions because they could have direct interaction with the lecturers and receive direct feedback. table 4. the recap of students’ review on the use of the zoom meeting application statements students’ responses (in percent) strongly agree agree disagree strongly disagree 1. video-conferencing sessions using the zoom meeting help me to understand the materials easier 32 66 2 0 2. i had no problem in using zoom meeting during the videoconferencing sessions 25 63 9 3 3. i found difficulties in understanding the lecturers' explanation. i wish to have face-to-face interaction in the classroom. 16 45 36 3 4. the video conferencing sessions using zoom meeting were fun. i could have direct interaction and feedback from the lecturers. 24 73 3 0 5. i often felt bored and tired during video conferencing sessions 10 37 46 7 6. the video conferencing sessions using zoom meeting were beneficial for the maritime english lessons 30 68 2 0 the benefits of the video conferencing sessions were also mentioned by students during the focus group interview: “i enjoy learning using the video-conferencing application. i can ask questions directly to the lecturers and get direct feedback” (wz, semester 7). “i have difficulties when the lecturers only posted learning materials in the lms without giving any verbal explanation. the use of zoom meeting sessions can help me in understanding the materials” (br, semester 7) despite the benefits, 12% of students reported problems during the video conferencing sessions using the zoom meeting application. the main problem was the quality of the internet connection and the limited internet quota. as admitted by some students: “to join zoom meeting sessions, i have to prepare internet quota which is quite expensive for me. sometimes, when i run out of quota, i get disconnected from the online meetings. the lecturers think that i am absent from the class. that makes me sad” (anonymous, semester 3). “in my home area, the internet connection is not very good and the connection is usually getting worse in the afternoon” (anonymous, semester 3). besides the network problems, some students also experienced tiredness when they joined prolonged zoom meetings, moreover when they had to listen to the lecturers’ talks the whole time. 47% of students admitted that they often felt bored and tired during video conferencing sessions. as described by some students during focus group interview sessions: “to be honest, we do not like the activities when the lecturers dominate the talks. it was boring” (fa, semester 3). “in one day, sometimes we have to attend 3 online classes. the lecturers asked us to turn on the camera during the lessons. at the end of the day, we felt very tired” (fh, semester 7). the questionnaire also revealed that 60% of students preferred to have face-to-face interaction with the lecturers in the classroom rather than having online meetings. that was probably caused by the problems experienced by students when joining the video-conferencing sessions. table 5. the recap of students’ review of the use of youtube statements students’ responses (in percent) strongly agree disagree strongly latifa ika sari & ria hermina sari online esp teaching during the covid 19 pandemic: students’ voices 684 agree disagree 1. i used youtube to find information and materials regarding maritime english 36 62 2 0 2. i found real examples of the use of maritime english from youtube 29 67 3 1 3. i felt excited when the lecturers used youtube during maritime english lessons 27 64 8 1 4. i instantly clicked and watched the youtube videos recommended by the lecturers 37 60 2 1 5. i found difficulties when the lecturers used youtube during the lessons 9 33 52 6 table 5 presents the recaps of students’ reviews on the use of youtube. from the table, we can see that students perceived youtube as a beneficial application in maritime english learning. they could find information and real examples of the use of maritime english on youtube. there are many videos related to the maritime industry shared on youtube. students can watch or download the videos and learn many vocabularies. as described by a student in the questionnaire: “the youtube videos enabled me to understand the working condition of the seafarers. i have never known about the life of seafarers before. the use of youtube videos can provide me with various information, for example, the use of the personal protective equipment, and parts of a vessel” (anonymous, semester 1). “the use of youtube in the maritime english lesson is useful for me. i can observe the activities of the ship’s crew and also learn the pronunciation of various vocabulary” (anonymous, semester 1). however, 42% of students admitted that they faced difficulties when the lecturers used youtube during the lessons. the poor quality of students’ internet connection and limited internet quota became the main problems. besides that, the difficulty level of the language used in the videos also becomes an issue for some students, especially those with low english proficiency. “it’s very easy to access youtube. but i wish the lecturers discuss the video together instead of only giving a recommendation of links. sometimes it’s hard for me to understand the video, but i don’t have a chance to ask the lecturers” (anonymous, semester 1). discussion based on the results of the questionnaire and the focus group interview, the researchers identified 6 main themes which are related to the use of teaching media in maritime english classes. they are flexibility of time and space, students-lecturers’ interaction, lecturers’ feedback, quality of internet connection, students’ fatigue, and authenticity. the relationship among the themes is illustrated in figure 2. figure 2 shows that the quality of internet connection affects the effectiveness of all teaching media used by the lecturers. connection problems were commonly experienced by students who live in villages or areas which had not been covered by the fiber-optic internet. they usually depend on mobile broadband to access the internet which is highly vulnerable to interference. therefore, some of them reported connection issues when having online learning. the figure also tells us that the learning management system provides flexibility both for the lecturers and students in accessing the materials. students, who live in areas where a good internet connection is not available, have the opportunity to find a better connection. it allows students to manage their study time according to their home conditions. however, students also had to face several problems regarding the use of the learning management system. minimum interaction has caused them difficulties in asking questions or clarifying instructions. some students complained that the instructions given by the lecturers in the learning management system were sometimes not very clear. they expected to receive more explanations and feedback from the lecturer. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 685 figure 2. the thematic map shows the relation between the teaching media used by the lecturers and the students’ experience the use of video conferencing applications such as zoom meeting can solve the problems found in the learning management system. the use of zoom in the esp class provided real-time interaction between lecturers and students. there were opportunities for the students to ask questions and clarify lecturers’ explanations directly. students could also receive immediate feedback. the benefits of immediate feedback in language learning have been explored by some scholars. li et al. (2016) compared the timing of corrective feedback on learners’ communicative tasks and found that immediate feedback has some advantages over delayed feedback. a study conducted by fu and li (2020) which explored the differential effects of immediate and delayed corrective feedback on the l2 development also showed a similar result. they found that immediate feedback could facilitate language learning better than delayed feedback. the two studies highlighted the importance of addressing linguistic errors before they become a bad habit. however, the use of zoom sometimes could be problematic for students. zoom requires students to have a good internet connection with adequate bandwidth for participating in group calls and other activities. students’ poor internet connection had caused some of them to lose connection several times during the video conferencing sessions. they often missed the lecturers’ explanations in the middle of the lessons. this resulted in distraction on students’ focus and concentration. on the other hand, too many zoom meeting sessions could make students feel tired. at least 47% of students said they often feel tired and bored during video conferencing sessions. the result of the focus group interview revealed the reasons. students are reported to feel tired and bored when they had to join lengthy video conferencing sessions. in a day, sometimes they had to join 3 different courses. if all lecturers used zoom as the teaching medium, in which each zoom meeting session lasted for 2 hours, they would find themselves exhausted at the end of the day. a study conducted by fauville et al. (2021) supports this finding. exploring zoom exhaustion and fatigue scale, they found that people who join more and longer zoom meetings tend to experience more fatigue than those who have fewer and shorter meetings. there are several possible reasons for this condition (bailenson, 2021). firstly, students have to do excessive amounts of close-up eye gaze which may not be comfortable for them. secondly, the cognitive load is higher in video conferencing sessions because of fewer communication cues presented compared to face-to-face interaction. not to mention, the poor internet connection has caused students to reconnect several times and they still have to keep up with the lecturers’ explanations. thirdly, the use of the camera (turning on the camera) during video conferencing sessions may increase students’ self-evaluation from staring at videos of themselves (shockley et al., 2021). lastly, the limitation of physical mobility during zoom meeting sessions. during online learning, students latifa ika sari & ria hermina sari online esp teaching during the covid 19 pandemic: students’ voices 686 were required to sit in front of the computers and stare at the monitor while listening to the lecturers’ explanations. prolonged use of zoom meetings has caused students to feel exhausted. regarding the use of youtube in the classroom, students reported various positive experiences. students admitted that they enjoyed watching videos more than reading textbooks. the multimodality offered by youtube videos can enhance the teaching and learning process. students can see moving pictures while listening to the explanation. this provides a better learning experience for them. in the esp context, more specifically in maritime english class, the use of youtube has brought considerable benefits regarding authenticity. during their first year, students may not be familiar yet with ships or the maritime industry. from youtube, they can learn many things, including vocabulary, pronunciation, intonation, sentence structure, and also the maritime world itself. many seafarers share their videos when they work onboard the vessels, either on deck, bridge, or in the engine room. knowledge about maritime context will help students to “make sense” of their language learning. they can understand the purpose of communication easier, and thus facilitates their learning. youtube videos also offer flexibility for students. students can watch the video as many as they need. to sum up, youtube videos do not only foster students’ linguistic knowledge but also their content knowledge as well. this finding supports other scholars who revealed various advantages of youtube. it can provide students with language exposure that is authentic, interactive, and engaging (novawan, alvarez-tosalem, ismailia, wicaksono, & setiarini, 2021; zaidi et al., 2018), help students in completing their assignments (sakkir, dollah, & ahmad, 2020), improve students’ vocabulary (kabooha & elyas, 2018), allow students to practice listening and pronunciation (binmahboob, 2020) and boost students’ self-regulated learning (wang & chen, 2019). however, some students admitted that they have difficulties when the lecturers gave them videos to watch. some videos were hard to be understood due to the complexity of the language. not all youtube videos were made for educational purposes. they may contain new vocabularies that students are not familiar with. students with low english proficiency usually encountered difficulty when they had to study the materials from youtube videos. they expected to have subtitles in their mother tongue to help them understand the content of the video. this issue had been discussed by simbolon and yusnita (2020) in their study regarding the selection of learning materials from youtube for a maritime english course. their findings strengthen the notion that the lecturers should consider students’ proficiency levels when selecting videos for teaching materials. providing students with subtitles in the videos is also a good solution to improve students’ learning experience. conclusion students perceived the teaching media used by the lecturers in the online maritime english classes were beneficial for them. however, each teaching medium was reported to have its advantages and disadvantages. the use of lms offered flexibility for students. it is helpful, especially for students who do not have good internet access. however, minimum interaction often caused students difficulties to understand the teaching materials. the use of zoom as a video conferencing application has helped to complement the weaknesses of lms. students could have real-time interaction with the lecturers and their classmates. they also have the opportunity to clarify information, ask questions, and receive immediate feedback. however, the lecturers need to consider the duration and frequency of video conferencing sessions to avoid students’ fatigue. the use of youtube in maritime english class can bring enhancement to the teaching and learning process. students can download and watch the videos as many as they want. youtube can also bring authenticity closer into the classroom which is very beneficial in esp teaching. it also complements the use of lms and zoom meeting applications. the findings from the study bring several pedagogical implications. knowing the differences in the quality of students’ devices and internet connections, it is important that the lecturers combine various teaching media and make a good preparation before teaching to ensure that students can have the best learning experience. acknowledgement we would like to thank our research assistants: mr. ahmad sofyan and ms. rifatun hasanah for their considerable help and support. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 687 references bailenson, j. n. (2021). nonverbal overload: a theoretical argument for the causes of zoom fatigue. technology, mind, and behavior, 2(1), 1– 16. https://doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000030 binmahboob, t. (2020). youtube as a learning tool to improve students’ speaking skills as perceived by efl teachers in secondary school. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 9(6), 13–22. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.9n.6p.13 braun, v., clarke, v., hayfield, n., & terry, g. (2019). thematic analysis. in p. liamputtong (ed.), handbook of research methods in health social sciences (pp. 843–860). singapore: springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5251-4 fauville, g., luo, m., queiroz, a. c. m., bailenson, j. n., & hancock, j. (2021). zoom exhaustion & fatigue scale. computers in human behavior reports, 4, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2021.100119 fu, m., & li, s. (2020). the effects of immediate and delayed corrective feedback on l2 development. studies in second language acquisition, 1–33. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263120000388 gao, l. x., & zhang, l. j. (2020). teacher learning in difficult times: examining foreign language teachers’ cognitions about online teaching to tide over covid-19. frontiers in psychology, 11, 1– 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.549653 hampel, r., & stickler, u. (2012). the use of videoconferencing to support multimodal interaction in an online language classroom. recall, 24(2), 116–137. https://doi.org/10.1017/s095834401200002x hikmah, d. (2019). media for language teaching and learning in digital era. international journal of english education and linguistics (ijoeel), 1(2), 36–41. https://doi.org/10.33650/ijoeel.v1i2.963 ho, w. y. j., & tai, k. w. h. (2020). doing expertise multilingually and multimodally in online english teaching videos. system, 94, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102340 iswati, l. (2021). when teaching must go on: esp teachers’ strategies and challenges during covid19 pandemic. eralingua: jurnal pendidikan bahasa asing dan sastra, 5(1), 35–52. retrieved from https://ojs.unm.ac.id/eralingua kabooha, r., & elyas, t. (2018). the effects of youtube in multimedia instruction for vocabulary learning: perceptions of efl students and teachers. english language teaching, 11(2), 72–81. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v11n2p72 kohnke, l., & moorhouse, b. l. (2020). facilitating synchronous online language learning through zoom. relc journal, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220937235 kuama, s., & intharaksa, u. (2016). is online learning suitable for all english language students? pasaa, 52, 53–82. retrieved from http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://search.pro quest.com/docview/1895977430?accountid=14749 li, s., zhu, y., & ellis, r. (2016). the effects of the timing of corrective feedback on the acquisition of a new linguistic structure. modern language journal, 100(1), 276–295. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12315 malik, m., fatima, g., hussain, a., & sarwar, a. (2017). e-learning: students’ perspectives about asynchronous and synchronous resources at higher education level. bulletin of education and research, 39(2), 183–195. retrieved from http://proxy.cityu.edu/login?url=https://searchproquestcom.proxy.cityu.edu/docview/1986751399?accoun tid=1230 mandasari, y. p., & wulandari, e. (2021). teaching esp during emergency remote learning (erl): best practices. journal of english language teaching, 10(2), 154–162. retrieved from http://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/elt novawan, a., alvarez-tosalem, s. m., ismailia, t., wicaksono, j. a., & setiarini, r. b. (2021). students’ experiences of online english language learning by using youtube. advances in social science, education and humanities research (assehr), 514, 220–226. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210101.048 paltridge, b., & starfield, s. (2013). the handbook of english for specific purposes (b. paltridge & s. starfield, eds.). west sussex: blackwell publishing ltd. perveen, a. (2016). synchronous and asynchronous elanguage learning: a case study of virtual university of pakistan. open praxis, 8(1), 21–39. https://doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.8.1.212 sakkir, g., dollah, s., & ahmad, j. (2020). students’ perceptions toward using youtube in efl classrooms. journal of applied science, engineering, technology, and education, 2(1), 1– 10. https://doi.org/10.35877/454ri.asci2125 satar, h. m. (2016). meaning-making in online language learner interactions via desktop videoconferencing. recall, 28(3), 305–325. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0958344016000100 shockley, k. m., gabriel, a. s., robertson, d., rosen, c. c., chawla, n., ganster, m. l., & ezerins, m. e. (2021). the fatiguing effects of camera use in virtual meetings: a within-person field experiment. the journal of applied psychology, 106(8), 1137– 1155. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000948 latifa ika sari & ria hermina sari online esp teaching during the covid 19 pandemic: students’ voices 688 simbolon, n. e., & yusnita, f. (2020). the selection of learning materials from youtube resources for a maritime english course. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 10(2), 460–470. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i2.28587 smaldino, s. e., lowther, d. l., mims, c., & russell, j. d. (2015). instructional technology and media for learning (11th ed., vol. 148). boston: pearson education, inc. wang, h. c., & chen, c. w. yu. (2019). learning english from youtubers: english l2 learners’ self-regulated language learning on youtube. innovation in language learning and teaching, 14(4), 333–346. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2019.1607356 zaidi, a., awaludin, f. a., karim, r. a., ghani, n. f. c., rani, m. s. a., & ibrahim, n. (2018). university students’ perceptions of youtube usage in (esl) classrooms. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 8(1), 534–545. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v8-i1/3826 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 749 developing instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative texts for the tenth grade students rita inderawati english education study program, universitas sriwijaya email: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id sri susanti (corressponding author) english education study program, universitas sriwijaya email: srisusanti300182@yahoo.co.id nurhayati indonesian education study program, universitas sriwijaya email: nurhayati@fkip.unsri.ac.id margaretha dinar sitinjak english education study program, universitas sriwijaya email: margarethadinar@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa citation: inderawati, r., susanti, s., nurhayati., & sitinjak, m. d. (2022). developing instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative texts for the tenth grade students. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 749-760. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6431. received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 27-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction reading is one of the four major skills considered as the most important in learning english (carrel & eskey, 1998). it means students in learning english should master reading. the y will get many kinds of information needed in order to help them in acquiring knowledge. students become literate, knowledgeable, and capable graduate that can give contribution to the national development (tabroni, irpani, ahmadiah, agusta, girivirya, & ichsan, 2021; reddy, sharma, chaudhary, 2021). students can obtain and increase their knowledge. if they have knowledge, they can support the national development. mustafa (2012) also states that reading is the postern to the knowledge which could lead indonesian societies become knowledgeable people and expectedly could reach high standard of welfare and resolve prosperity problem of indonesian people. abstract: the purposes of this study was to find out the validity, practicality, and potential effect of the developed instructional reading materials using siti zubaidah narrative lyrics as a local culture-based narrative texts from south sumatra. the method of the research used development study. the subjects of the study were tenth grade students whose instructional reading level was level four. the procedure of the study consisted of three stages: analysis, design, evaluation and revision. in the first stage, instructional, students’ reading level, and their reading needs were analyzed. the data collected by using questionnaire and test. the result of the analyses became the basis of product development. texts with comprehension questions were written. formative evaluation was conducted to see the validity, practicality, and potential effects of the product. the validity about the content and construct of the product was evaluated in expert review phase. the product was stated to be very highly valid (4.45). the practicality was evaluated in one-to-one and small group phases. the results showed that the product was very highly practical since the average score in both phases were 4.64 and 4.79 respectively. field test phase aimed to evaluate the potential effect of the product. after being tried-out in the field test as 93.3% of the students achieved the minimum mastery criterion which was 68. it meant that this product had a very high potential effect. in conclusion, the developed product was potentially effective to be applied for the tenth grade students. keywords: development research; local culture; narrative texts. rita inderawati, sri susanti, nurhayati, & margaretha dinar sitinjak developing instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative texts for the tenth grade students 750 reading can be defined as a constructing process or meaning developing from text which is printed out (clinton, 2019; pellicer-sánchez, tragant, conklin, rodgers, serrano, & llanes, 2020; støle, mangen & schwippert, 2020; singh & alexander, 2022; duke, ward, & pearson, 2021; duke & cartwright, 2021; hooven & tunmer, 2021; magnusson, 2022). furthermore, reading comprehension is not an easy process. readers need to hold the information in working memory long enough for the information to be more extensively processed (mackey, 2022). similarly, in’nami, hijikata, & koizumi (2021) also defines reading as a process of constructing meaning b y coordinating number of complex processes that include word reading, word and world knowledge, and fluency. relevant to this, moura, nascimento, & ferreira (2021) states that the changes, events, relationships, and effects that we are experiencing (trans)form our forms of sociability and bases of psyche. it needs an interactive process in constructing the meaning (heuer & rolfs, 2021). it is supported by smith, snow, serry, & hammond (2021) who said that readers with lower background knowledge appear to benefit more from text with high cohesion, while weaker readers were able to compensate somewhat for their relatively weak reading skills in the context of a high degree of background knowledge. the results of some studies showed the facts that reading comprehension is an issue in indonesia. for example, internationally, according to the organization for economic cooperation and development (oecd) in 2013, the mean score of the reading literacy in indonesia was still low. it was 396, while the mean score for the overall countries participating was 496. the mean score was dropped six points and the rank was drop seven level from the previous oecd in 2010. e v e n t h o u gh t h e t e s t was in indonesian language, l e t a l o n e in english . in pisa (program for international student assessment) 2012 which is an assessment that allows educational performances to be examined on common measure across countries, there were 65 countr ies par t icipating. ironical ly indonesia was in the second lowest position. kareni (2016) also found that students of man 1 palembang got difficulty difficulties in comprehending text. based on the data evaluation, it was known that 50 % of the total students got the lowest score, under the criteria of kkm of 75. those students did not fully understand what was being asked since they were not capable of differentiating between the natures of different types of reading comprehension questions. these difficulties were influenced by their weaknesses in mastering a wide range of vocabulary and sentence structures. even, shehu (2015) also found that there were four reasons why students get difficulties in reading comprehension. firstly, the students found new words as great obstacles to comprehend text. secondly, they often complained to the fact that they couldn’t recall the information they just read. next, students read a little or nothing. it is happened when students faced great obstacles in comprehending a written text. they failed to decode a text and analyze its meaning. finally, the students argued that some texts were easy to be understood while others were very difficult. dealing with curriculum 2013, curriculum 2013 requires the teaching and learning process at educational institutions should be held interactively, inspirational, fun, challenging, and can motivate the students to be active, give them chance to be creative, independent based on their talent, wish, and psychology development (government regulation no. 23/ 2013 article 19). in school, teachers play important roles in teaching and learning process. they are the base foundation with multi-tasking. as stated by aktekin & celebi (2020), weisberger, grinshtain, & blau (2021) there are six roles of teachers. one of them was as a resource developer. in relation to this study, in order to be a resource developer, teachers can select the appropriate and interesting reading materials for her/his students or even develop their own material which match with their students’ interest. teachers need to make the teaching and learning activities fun and enjoyable. therefore, teacher as the agent of learning who has already known the core and basic competence of their teaching should be able to adapt and adopt the materials which fit on the need of teaching and learning process in the classroom (tomlinson, 2012). based on the government regulation no 23/2013 article 77a about national standard of education (snp), curriculum structure for educational institution must be based on the local culture and its potential aspects. the notion of inserting in teaching and learning english is that https://scholar.google.co.id/citations?user=3a3rcomaaaaj&hl=id&oi=sra https://scholar.google.co.id/citations?user=op2hmwkaaaaj&hl=id&oi=sra english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 751 culture is indivisible from language. culture and language are interconnected (hernandez, garayargandoña, lira, fuster-guillén, garay, & ocañafernandez, 2021). thus, language is the key component of culture, its development is influenced by culture, and the transmission of culture depends on language used. in 2013 curriculum, narrative text as stated in basic competence point 3.8, is one kind of genres that will be learnt at tenth grade of senior high school students. here in teaching narrative text, the writer applied a method of developing materials for this genre. the writers chose narrative text due to the finding of pancarini (2016) who found that narrative text can improve students’ reading comprehension of the tenth grade students in palembang and narrative text made the students very enthusiastic in learning. in teaching narrative, english teachers can fulfil the obligation to introduce the local culture/content from their own province particularly within the young generation as it is an attempt of preserving local culture and very important in the middle of this globalization era. as mckay (2003) claimed english teachers should not limit the materials only to the cultures of native english-speaking countries to get the english sense as an international language. meaning that they should allow for local culturebased in their teaching and learning process. by regarding the use of local culture in elt materials, these english teachers have given a very big support for their utilization. this process of transmitting local culture through elt materials is one of example of how to preserve our national identity (alwasilah, 2006). furthermore, the materials provided in the english textbook given by central government have already provided two reading narrative stories, one is from japan (story about issumboshi) and other is from west sumatera (malin kundang). however, those narrative stories actually do not reflect the south sumatera cultural background. therefore, english teachers who teach in south sumatera are supposed to include local culture-based narrative stories from south sumatera in their teaching and learning process. by including these, students learn both english and their own culture. to include such kind of materials is not easy. there must be investigations dealing the local culture for the students’ needs. in other words, teachers must analyse whether the students need relevant materials before doing the material development (inderawati, et al., 2018; azizah, inderawati, & vianty, 2021; rhahima,et al., 2021; inderawati, petrus, eryansyah, & meilinda, 2021; tenridinanti, inderawati, & mirizon, 2022; noto, sofendi, inderawati, hartono, putri, 2022; inderawati, et al., 2022) some previous researchers have done the study dealing with developing local culturebased content teaching materials on reading comprehension. one of the previous studies was conducted by alakrash, edam, bustan, armnazi, enayat, & bustan (2021). they found that the use of indonesian folktales in translation as material for efl teaching at primary level in solo, indonesia, has benefit for language learning. second research was done by azizah, et al (2021). they developed an interesting instructional reading material by using local culture for her tour and travel study program students at vocational school in bangka. they used local culture from her hometown and the result of her observation showed that the developed reading material was valid, practical, and had good potential effect on students reading comprehension. next, wastuti, febrianto, & hanik (2021) developed their own text book materials for their fourth-grade students in klmapis barat. the findings of the study showed that the text book used for fourth-grade students about text book material based on local culture could be declared eligible to serve as learning materials. other study which also focused on product development were firstly conducted by elviana, inderawati, & mirizon, (2020) developed interactive multimedia for teaching descriptive texts based on palembang local culture. their findings of the study showed that those ten reading descriptive texts for tenth grade students about tourist destinations in palembang could be declared eligible to serve as learning materials. next, azizah, inderawati & vianty (2021). they developed an interesting instructional reading material by utilizing the local culture for her students at smkn 3 pangkalpinang, bangka belitung. the result of her observation showed that the developed reading material was valid, practical, and had good potential effect on students reading comprehension. in 2022, tenridinanti, et al. and irnansyah, mirizon, & petrus, conducted research on reading material development. the first study rita inderawati, sri susanti, nurhayati, & margaretha dinar sitinjak developing instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative texts for the tenth grade students 752 focused on climate change reading material and the second one used local culture as learning material. as teachers, the writers tried to develop reading materials with local culture-based to improve the students’ reading narrative texts by using appropriate reading materials. the reading materials however should be valid, practical, and had potential effect to the students’ achievement (inderawati, et al., 2018; azizah, et al., 2021; rhahima,et al., 2021; checaria, et al., 2021; septiandini, et al., 2022; irnansyah, et al., 2022). considering this, the writers developed materials with local culture-based from south sumatra. the local culturebased chosen was a story about siti zubaidah version of dulmuluk. it was actually in form of siti zubaidah lyrics which consisting 3822 lyrics written by abdullah munsyi in 1925. it was one of the potential of local-culture that supported with the establishment of regional and national development in facing the global challenges (governor south sumatera regulation no.38/2015) and needed to be preserved as a local culture (inderawati & nurhayati, 2017). they also put forward that siti zubaidah should be acknowledged as cultural heritage and should be introduced to the wide community as local culture from south sumatra. that is why as parts of revitalizing it, the students as young generation should be involved as they are the one who is going to share and tell it in the future. otherwise, it will stay virtually unknown by the next generation (nurhayati, subadiyono, & suhendi, 2014). in conclusions, the aim of this study was to develop instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative text for the tenth-grade students which was valid, practical, and had potential effect. method the development research proposed by akker (1999) which consisted of three phases (analysis, design, evaluation, and revision) was the method of this study. in analysis phase, instructional analysis and students’ needs analysis were conducted. informal reading assessment (jennings, caldwell, & lerner, 2006). in design phase, the developed reading materials with local-content based narrative text or tenth grade students was developed. at last, in evaluation and revision phase, the developed reading materials were evaluated and revised by using self-evaluation, expert review, one-toone evaluation, small group evaluation, and field test as what formative evaluation model proposed by tessmer (1993) was. in expert review phase, 3 experts evaluated the developed product (i.e.: expert of dulmuluk researcher, translator, and instructioal design). students who involved in evaluating the developed product were from sma negeri 1 sungai lilin. they were 3 students participating in one-to-one evaluation (1 student for each category of english proficiency level, i.e.: low, medium, and high english proficiency), 9 students participating in small group valuation (3 students for each category of english proficiency level, i.e.: low, medium, and high english proficiency), and 30 students of a real class participating in field test. questionnaires and reading comprehension test were used in determining the criteria of the product which were its validity, practicality, and potential effect. to determine the validity and practicality level of the product, the average score of the obtained scores from the three experts’ judgement through questionnaires (for validity) and from students through questionnaire (for practicality) was calculated next. the collected data were calculated by using percentage of the number of students who passed the minimum mastery criterion or kkm (68) to determine the potential effect of the product. after all, the result of the percentage was interpreted to these criteria: (1) 0%-40% students were in very low category, (2) 41%-55% students were low category, (3) 56%-70% students were moderate category, (4) 71%-85% students were high category; and (5) 86%-100% students were very high category (universitas sriwijaya, 2012). results and discussion analysis phase instructional analysis the writer identified the indicators and l e a r n i n g objective of english for tenth grade students in even semester in this phase. therefore the 2013 curriculum which is applied in the school was the target of analysis. dealing with the developed instructional reading materials with local culture-based, the students were hoped to able to determine t h e social function a n d identify text structure, linguistic elements, and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 753 various meanings from the story of siti zubaidah version of dulmuluk. textbook used in classroom is another part of instructional analysis. the textbook used was given by central government. there were two narrative stories entitled issumboshi from japan and malin kundang from west sumatera. the result of readability with flesch kincaid grade level showed that the scores of those two text were 3.8 and 5.6. however, those two texts did not actually reflect the south sumatera cultural background. that was why the developed instructional reading materials with local culture-based from south sumatera could be used in teaching and learning narrative text at any schools in south sumatera. students’ needs analysis in this research, students’ needs analysis was conducted to obtain information about their needs in terms of reading skill. a questionnaire consisting of 15 close-ended questions were administered to 42 students. the results showed (1) students’ reading skill was poor (71%), (2) students who were having lack of of vocabulary knowledge (20%) experienced difficulty in reading and comprehending english texts, students with lack of pronunciation knowledge (20%), students who were lack of knowledge of types of text (23%), and even 37 % of students were lack of all options given, (3) students (69 %) were having a very poor knowledge about stories originally from south sumatera and they expected that reading materials containing stories from south sumatera were provided, and (4) student’ perception towards the reading activity varied from very unenjoyable to very enjoyable. they (43%) were really interested in reading narrative texts which were relevant to their social live. in other words, the developed learning material must be appropriate to their needs (azizah, et al., 2020; inderawati, et al., 2021; tenridinanti, et al., 2021; oktarina, inderawati, & petrus, 2022; noto, et al., 2022; chiceria, et al., 2022). the students’ reading level analysis to find out the students’ reading level was the second analysis. the students got jennings infromal reading assessment developed by dr. joyce which included reading texts at level 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. table 1. the distribution of students’ reading level text level reading stage frustrational (correct number = ≤4) instructional (correct number = 5-6) independent (correct number = 7-8) nos* % nos* % nos* % level 2 15 35.7 % 26 62.0 % 1 2.3% level 3 14 33.3 % 22 52.4% 6 14.3 % level 4 5 11.9 % 31 73.8 % 6 14.3 % level 5 29 69.1 % 12 28.6 % 1 2.3% text level reading stage frustrational (correct number = ≤6) instructional (correct number = 7-8) independent (correct number = 9-10) nos* % nos* % nos* % level 6 35 83.3 % 7 16.7% 0 0% *nos = number of students source: modified from jennings, caldwell, & lerner (2006) from the distribution of the reading level, there were 14.3 % of 35 students were already at independent stage for text in level 3 and 4, 73.8% students were at instructional stage for text in level 4. while students were at frustrational stage which were 69.1%, and 83.3% for text in level 5 and 6. since the students with the biggest percentage who belonged to instructional level was at level 4, it can be concluded that students’ reading level was at level 4. design phase writing the learning objectives which had been identified in the analysis phase was the first thing to do in this design phase. then reading siti zubaidah version of dulmuluk lyrics which consisted of 3822 lyrics. it was divided into six chapters of narrative story. the six stories then were translated into english and adapted into short and simple narrative texts as 2013 curriculum rita inderawati, sri susanti, nurhayati, & margaretha dinar sitinjak developing instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative texts for the tenth grade students 754 demanded. after that, online tool of flesh kincaid to check t he readability levels of the developed narrative texts. the reading materials had to have text which was exactly matched with the students’ reading level as it should be. therefore there would be 2 texts which had to be 2 levels above students’ reading level and 2 texts which had to be 2 levels below students’ reading level. as the students’ reading level was at level 4, the readability levels of the stories were at level 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. the writers also constructed some questions as the warming-up activities to complete the reading materials before the actual reading phase. these materials were provided with some pictures and glossary to help students comprehending the texts. at least it could solve their problem of being lack of vocabulary and pronunciation knowledge. after the local culture-based narrative texts had been set well, the materials with an evaluation in the form of reading comprehension questions for each texts which were constructed in form short answer, true/false, and multiple choice were then completed by the writers. finally, some pictures were designed related to each part of the story to make the stories became more interesting (irnansyah, et al., 2022; checeria, et al., 2021; azizah et al., 2021; tenridinanti, et al., 2021). evaluation and revision phase self-evaluation the writers, in this phase, evaluated developed localcontent-based narrative texts by the writer. they read and checked first. then, some capitalization, misspellings, punctuation, and ungrammatical sentences were found. finally, they were improved. texts with comprehension questions were compiled into a file named prototype 1. therefore, lay-out was also the concern of evaluation. margin of paper was set into the standard margin. pictures were also added in line with the text experts review in this second phase, the experts review phase aimed to check the validity of the developed instructional reading materials. the experts checked the validity of the product by giving the five-scale questionnaire as the basis of evaluation. the first two experts reviewed content validity. one was a lecturer of bahasa indonesia study program whose expertise was dulmuluk researcher and other was lecturer of english education study program whose expertise was translation. after they reviewed the product, they stated that it was a valid product with some revisions. in term of the content, there were four components reviewed, namely linguistics aspects, the appropriateness of contents with students’ needs, the accuracy, content, and exercises and evaluation. in the construct validity (instructional design) term, a math lecturer at universitas sriwijaya with high toefl score and expertise in instructional design reviewed the product. after reviewing it, he claimed that some revisions should be done to make it valid. in other words, the products was valid with revisions. prototype 1 of the developed product had been claimed valid in both content and product. based on five-level-classification of validity, it was showed that the average score content of developed reading materials was 4.21 which could be classified into very high validity. the construct validity of prototype 1 was in very high validity classification because its average score was 4.69. in addition to validity in particular aspects, the overall validity of the developed reading materials was also calculated. the total average score got from two aspects was 4.45. it can be concluded that the overall product had very high validity. the developed instructional reading materials with local culture-based was valid with very high validity. it is in line with the findings of tenridinanti, et al. (2021) that the developed reading materials would have high validate as the product had been revised and confirmed with the validator. it is also relevant to the findings of previous research (inderawati, et al., 2021; checeria, et al., 2022; septiandini, et al., 2022) one-to-one evaluation there were 3 students in one-to-one evaluation administered a questionnaire to determine the practicality of the product. from the total 15 items of the questionnaire, the average score from the three students’ scores was 4.6. it was at very high practicality level. in conclusion, the developed instructional reading materials with local cultureenglish review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 755 based narrative texts was not only practical, but also had a very high practicality level. small group evaluation small group phase involved nine students in which each three students corresponding to frustration, instructional, and independent readers. these students were not the same as those who were included in one-to-one phase. the nine students in small group evaluation had to read the prototype 2. after the two meetings were conducted, a questionnaire was administered to the students to find out the practicality of the developed instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative texts. from the result of questionnaire, it showed that practicality of the developed product was very high. the students responded that the story using simply structured sentences. those sentences also used familiar words so that they did not find any difficulties in comprehending the story. pictures and the proportion of the text were well designed. they had willingness in comprehending the story since they were really happy and enjoyed the story very much. in discussion the students also did not report any difficulty in comprehending the narrative texts. unfamiliar words added in glossary helped them very much in understanding the texts. in conclusion, the developed product was ready to be evaluated its potential effect in field test phase without any revision. field-test field test was conducted to know the potential effect of the developed product. in this phase, reading comprehension test was firstly tried out to other students from other school. the result was analyzed by using spss to check the validity. there were 40 items out of 50 items were valid and 10 items were invalid. those 40 questions would be used in the field test for checking the potential effect of developed product in the field phase. the writers also checked the percentage of each aspects of reading comprehension done by students in field test. from 30 students, there were 79 % students who were capable of answering questions in term of main idea, 77 % students in term of details, 85% students in term of inference, 91 % students in term of cause and effect, 93 % students in term of sequence, 82 % students in term of vocabulary, and 96 % students in term of reference. from the results of the students’ scores in pretest, there was 14 student (46.7%) who reached the minimum mastery criterion which was 68 and there were 16 other students (53.3%) who obtained score below the intended outcome score. while from the results of the students’ scores in posttest, there were 28 students (93.3%) obtained scores exactly or above 68 and 2 other students (6.7%) whose scores were below 68. from these results, therefore, it can be concluded that there was an improvement in students’ scores before and after using the developed instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative texts. in developing instructional reading materials, development research method was used. the procedure of this research consisted of three stages as analysis, design, evaluation, and revision as proposed by akker (1999). in this study, formative evaluation model proposed by tessmer (1993) was also used in the evaluation phase to improve the quality of intervention. as previously mentioned, there are three main criteria for quality of the intervention, i.e.: validity, practicality, and potential effect. in analysis procedure, there were three analyses that were conducted they were (1) instructional analysis, (2) students’ need analysis, and (3) students reading analysis. before the product developed, some analysis were conducted. instructional analysis was done to identify learning objectives as the basis of development. it was stated that curriculum structure of educational institution must be based on local culture and its potential asset (government south sumatra regulation no.38/2015). from the analysis, it was found that there were two narratives story in the textbook used in classroom given by central government entitled issumboshi from japan and malin kundang from west sumatera. the result of readability with flesch kincaid grade level showed that the scores of those two text were 3.8 and 5.6. even though those suited with students’ level readability in sma negeri 1 sungai lilin, those two texts did not actually reflect the south sumatra cultural background. next, there were some aspects adapted from dick, carey, & carey (2005) which were taken into consideration to obtain information about students’ needs. they were (1) their reading achievement; (2) their perception about the reading materials in their text book; (3) their barriers in rita inderawati, sri susanti, nurhayati, & margaretha dinar sitinjak developing instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative texts for the tenth grade students 756 reading comprehension; (4) their perception of the learning process; (5) their expectations on the developed reading materials; and (6) their expectations on the developed instructional media. in obtaining the information, there were some steps that were taken i.e. teachers‟ documentation, and a -15 itemsquestionnaire distributed. from the results of the needs analysis, the local culture-based narrative texts (about siti zubaidah version of dulmuluk originally from south sumatra were needed to be developed. the reading materials had to provide vocabulary knowledge, pronunciation, knowledge about narrative text, and some pictures to make the texts more interesting especially for those who were from out of south sumatra. in short, the usage of the developed instructional reading materials that fit the students’ need could improve their interest, motivation, and also reading achievement. the students did the reading test for the students’ reading level analysis, jennings informal reading assessment developed by dr. joyce which included reading texts at level 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. from the distribution of the reading level on table 9, it can be seen that the biggest percentage (73.8%) of students who were in the instructional level. it was at level 4. in conclusion, students’ reading level was at level 4. the second procedure was designing the developed product. there was only one step conducted in this design phase, paper-based design. the narrative text was made based on siti zubaidah version of dulmuluk which was consisted of 3822 lyrics. this narrative lyrics originally comes from south sumatra and needs to be shared and told in future (nurhayati, subadiyono, and suhendi, 2014). it is hoped by reading it, students could gain experience and new understanding about many things (inderawati and nurhayati, 2017). these lyrics into six chapters of story were narated. those were translated and adapted into short and simple narrative story texts as as what 2013 curriculum demanded. those chapter were checked their readability levels by using an online tool of flesh kincaid (i.e.:https//readability-score.com). after the narrative texts had been set well, the writers also completed the materials with an evaluation in the form of reading comprehension test. the reading comprehension test which intended to find out the potential effect of the developed product in terms of multiple choice questions which were distributed through 40 items of questions. after all of the reading materials had been completed along with its evaluation, some pictures were taken to support the story more interesting. last phase, it was formative evaluation by tessmer (1993) consisting of selfevaluation, oneto-one evaluation, small group evaluation, and field test was applied. the evaluation was intended to gain experts’ and students’ comments to revise and improve the quality of the product. it also functioned to know the validity (determined in expert review phase), practicality (determined in one-toone and small group evaluation phase), and potential effect of the product (determined in field test phase). in self-evaluation phase, the writers evaluated the developed instructional reading materials. from this self-evaluation, some misspellings and ungrammatical sentences were found. the validity of instructional reading materials the validity of the product was reviewed by three experts in two different aspects, i.e.: content (dulmuluk researcher and translator of english) and construct. the three experts had different reviewing and validating the product. in terms of content, the obtained average score was 4.21 belonged to “very high validity” category while for constructing, the average score obtained was 4.69. it was in “very high validity” category. in determining its overall validity, it used the average score of scores above from each aspect. it was known that the average score was 4.45. it belonged to “very high validity” category. therefore, it can be concluded that the developed instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative texts for tenth grade was valid with “very high validity” category. in the expert reviewers’ comments and suggestions, there were some comments and suggestions that could be used as the improvement of this developed instructional reading materials. the practicality of instructional reading materials students in one-to-one evaluation and small group evaluation administered the practicality of the product. after studying narrative texts by using the developed product, students gave their judgment through a-20 items questionnaire in form of a likert-scale with score english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 757 ranging 1 to 5. students were also interviewed informally to obtain their comments on the developed product which their comments were also used as the basis for the revision. the average score from the three students’ scores was 4.64. it belonged to “very high practicality” level. in small group evaluation, the average score from the nine students’ scores was 4.79 which also belong in “very high” category of practicality. from both, one-to-one evaluation and small group evaluation, it can be concluded that the developed instructional reading materials was practical and at “very high practicality” level. it was actually in line with leow and neo (2014) who mentioned that their research had significant improvement when they found their students showed positive attitude change as they became more active and motivated in the learning process. the test results of their students showed the improvement of the students‟ learning achievement. in the informal interview, the students mentioned some weaknesses of the developed product. the first one was about the quantity of reading materials. there was revision to be made since one student thought, it was really needed for researcher to add more vocabulary in the glossary for each chapter of story. the second it was about the wording in evaluation so that the students could understand about the questions easily. last, there were some additional pictures to make the story more interesting especially for those who came from out of south sumatra. the result of one-to-one evaluation indicated that the developed product has a few glossary of vocabulary and the reading materials which make one of the students, the low level one, bored. it means that the student in the low level of english proficiency cannot digest too much reading passage. even though the texts given had been calculated based on the students reading level, it means it was suit with the students reading level. feeling boring could be caused by internal factor, such as the student was not in good condition. the potential effect of instructional reading materials the potential effect was administered in the field test (azizah, et al., 2021; rhahima, et al., 2021; inderawati, et al., 2018). after the product was conducted in three meetings, a developed reading comprehension test was given to the 30 students to know the potential effect of the product. this analysis was done by using percentage of the students‟ number who passed the minimum mastery criterion or kkm which was 68. as mentioned by farida, yani, & sigit (2013), instructional reading would be known effective or not after conducting an evaluation. from the results taken, it was shown that this developed product had ‘very high’ category. the results showed the improvement on students’ reading comprehension achievement. it was relevant to inderawati, et al., (2018) that after being taught and tested, the reading material had good potential effect to the students’ achievement. in conclusion, this developed materials with local culture-based narrative texts had potential effect. conclusion the results of study first, the developed reading materials with local cultured-based narrative texts was validated for its content and construct in which the validity for each was 4.21 and 4.69. the average score for validity was 4.45 implying the product was very highly valid. second, the developed reading materials with local culturedbased narrative texts was evaluated in one-to-one and small group evaluation. its practicality was 4.64 in one-to-one evaluation and 4.79 in small group evaluation which was at very high practicality level. finally after being tried-out, the developed reading materials with local culturedbased narrative texts had potential effect in field test. as the number of students achieving the intended outcome score was 93.9 %, it can be stated that the potential effect of the product was very high. based on the research result in the evaluation and revision phase, it could be confirmed that the reading material developed in this study met its validity, practicality, and potential effect on the students’ achievement. in addition, the product was relevant to the students’ reading level and the students’ content subjects was supported. hence, the conclusion was that the developed reading materials based on siti zubaidah lyric in this study can be carried out to senior high school students. since south sumatra is rich of its cultural assets, other researchers are suggested to develop other materials with local culture-based from other provinces, such as the development of other rita inderawati, sri susanti, nurhayati, & margaretha dinar sitinjak developing instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative texts for the tenth grade students 758 functional texts for writing, listening, and speaking skill achievement. references akker, j. (1999). principles and methods of development research. in j. j. h. van den akker, r. branch, k. gustalfon, n, m. nieveen, & t. plomp (eds.). design approaches and tools in education and training (pp. 1-14). dordrecht: kluwer academic publishers. aktekin, n. c., & celebi, h. (2020). elt student teacher identity construction: exploring teacher roles and domains of expertise. international journal of language education, 4(1) 113-128 alakrash, h., edam, b., bustan, e., armnazi, m., enayat, a., & bustan, t. (2021). developing english language skills and confidence using local culture -based material in efl curriculum. linguistica antverpiensia, (1), 548-564. alwasilah, a.c. (2006). from local to global: reinventing local literature through english writing classes. teflin journal, 17(1), 11-27. azizah, n., inderawati, r., & vianty, m. (2020). bangka-culture-based descriptive reading materials for tour and travel in smk: students’ needs analysis. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 21-34. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3776 azizah, n., inderawati, r., & vianty, m. (2021). developing the descriptive reading materials in efl classes by utilizing the local culture. studies in english language and education, 8(2). http://erepository.unsyiah.ac.id/siele/article/view/1856 2 carrel, p. d., & eskey, d. (1998). interactive approaches to second language reading (7th ed). cambridge, uk: cambridge university press. clinton, v. (2019). reading from paper compared to screens: a systematic review and metaanalysis. journal of research in reading, 42(2), 288–325. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-817.12269 duke, n.k., & cartwright, k.b. (2021). the science of reading progresses: communicating advances beyond the simple view of reading. reading research quarterly, 56(51), 525-544. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.411 duke, n. k., ward, e., & pearson, p.d. (2021). the science of reading comprehension institution. the reading teacher, 74(6), 677-69. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1991 elviana, r., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2020). developing intereactive multimedia for teaching descriptive texts based on palembang local culture. indonesian efl journal, 6(1), 19-26. farida, i., yani, d.e., & sigit, a. (2013). analisis kualitas dan tingkat keterbacaan materi bahan ajar cetak melalui evaluasi formative. jurnal pendidikan terbuka dan jarak jauh, 14(2), 6978. governor of south sumatra’s regulation no. 38/2013. (peraturan gubernur sumatera selatan no 38/2015. kurikulum muatan lokal pendidikan dasar dan menengah di propinsi sumatera selatan). retrieved from https://www.scribd.com/doc/295849715/analisispotensi-dan-penentuantema. hernandez, r. m., garay-argandoña, r. lira, l.a.n., fuster-guillén, d., garay, j.p.p., & ocañafernandez, y. (2021). investigating instructors’ and students’ attitudes towards the effectiveness of having target cultural knowledge on learning english as a foreign language. international journal of society, culture & language, 9(3), 64-72. heuer, a., & rolfs, m. (2021). incidental encoding of visual information in temporal reference frames in working memory. science direct, 207 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104526 hoover, w. a., & tunmer, w.e. (2021). the primacy of science in communicating advances in the science of reading. reading research quarterly, 57(2), 399-408. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.446 inderawati, r., & nurhayati. (2017). from siti zubaidah lyric to character identification and storyline writing for local revitalization. international conference on studies in arts, humanities, and social sciences (pp.12-17). retrieved from http://eirai.org/images/proceedings_pdf/f011743 8.pdf inderawati, r., petrus, i., eryansyah., & meilinda. (2021). needs analysis of vocational high school textbook to local culture materials and the 21st century competencies. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp. 245-252. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4349 inderawati, r., amrullah, a., sofendi, s., mirizon, s., purnomo, m.e., ernalida, e., indrawati, s., shilviany, s., & alwi, z. (2022). south sumatra local culture-based teaching materials training for vocational school language teachers. english franca: academic journal of english language and education, 6(1), 65-82 indonesian government regulation. (peraturan pemerintah republik indonesia no 23/2013. standar nasional pendidikan. retrieved from https://www.unm.ac.id/files/surat/pp-19 2005 ttg-snp.pdf. in’nami, y., hijikata, y., & koizumi, r. (2021). working memory capacity and l2 reading. http://e-repository.unsyiah.ac.id/siele/article/view/18562 http://e-repository.unsyiah.ac.id/siele/article/view/18562 http://e-repository.unsyiah.ac.id/siele/article/view/18562 https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.411 https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1991 http://www.scribd.com/doc/295849715/analisis-potensi-dan-penentuanhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/295849715/analisis-potensi-dan-penentuanhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/295849715/analisis-potensi-dan-penentuanhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104526 https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.446 http://eirai.org/images/proceedings_pdf/f0117438.pdf http://eirai.org/images/proceedings_pdf/f0117438.pdf http://eirai.org/images/proceedings_pdf/f0117438.pdf http://eirai.org/images/proceedings_pdf/f0117438.pdf http://www.unm.ac.id/files/surat/pp-19-tahunenglish review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 759 studies in second language acquisition, 44(2), 381-406. irnansyah., mirizon, s., & petrus, i. (2022). developing hots-based descriptive reading materials in indonesian context for tenth graders. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 645-654. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6301. jennings, j. h., cadwel, j., & lenner, j. (2006). jennings informal reading assessment in reading problems: assessment and teaching strategies (5th ed.). retrieved from http://www.wps.ablongan.com/ab_jennings_read probs_5/html on september 2016. kareni, n. b. (2016). teaching narrative reading by using character quotes strategy to the eleventh grade students of man 1 palembang. jurnal pendidikan dan pengajaran, 3(2), 173184. leow, f.t., & neo, m. (2014). innovating classroom education in a malaysian university. tojet: the turkish online journal of education technology, 13(2), 99-110. mackey, m. (2022). private readerly experience of presence: why the matter. journal of literacy research. 54(20). mackey, m. (2022). private readerly experience of presence: why the matter. journal of literacy research. 54(20). magnusson, c.g. (2022). reading literacy practices in norwegian lower-secondary classrooms: examining the patterns of teacher questions. scandinavian journal of educational research. 66(2), 321-335. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2020.1869078 manggaberani, a. r. (2016). developing local contentbased instructional descriptive reading materials for reading level four students (unpublished magister’s thesis). university of sriwijaya, palembang indonesia. mckay, s. l. (2003). teaching english’s international language: rethinking goals and approaches. the electronic journal for english as second language, 7(1). retrieved from http://www.teslej.org/wordpress/issues/volume7/ej25/ej25r5/ minister of education and culture’s regulation (peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan no. 24/2016. kompetensi inti dan kompetensi dasar kurikulum 2013 pendidikan dasar dan pendidikan menengah. retrieved from http://inspirasititi.blogspot.com/2016/07/permend ikbud-nomor-24-tahun2016.html moura, g.g., nascimento, c.r.r., & ferreira, j.m. (2021). covid-19: reflections on the crisis, transformation, and interactive processes under development. trends in psychol, 29, 375–394. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-020-00061-z mustafa, b. (2012). indonesian people reading habit is very low: how libraries can enhance the people reading habit. retrieved from http://consalxv.perpusnas.go.id/uploaded_files/pd f/papers/normal/id_b noto, g. m., sofendi., inderawati, r., hartono., putri, r.i.i. (2022). climate change exposition reading materials for senior high school textbook: students’ needs analysis. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 14(2), 2429-2436. doi: 10.35445/alishlah.v14i1.1030 nurhayati., subadiyoni., & suhendi. (2015). seni pertunjukan tradisional dulmuluk: revitalisasi dan appresiasi mahasiswa. jurnal penelitian bahasa, sastra, dan pengajarannya (lintera), 14 (2). oktarina, y., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2022). needs analysis of palembang-tourist-destination recount text reading materials in the 21st century learning. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 381-392. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6239 oecd. (2013). pisa 2012 results: what students know and can do–student performance in mathematics, reading and science (volume i). retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012results-volume-i. pancarini, s. (2016). teaching narrative reading by using annotation strategy to the tenth grade students of sma nurul iman palembang. jurnal pendidikan dan pengajaran, 3(2), 162-172. pellicer-sánchez, a., tragant, e., conklin, k., rodgers, m., serrano, r., & llanes, a. (2020). young learners’ processing of multimodal input and its impact on reading comprehension: an eyetracking study. studies in second language acquisition, 42, 577– 598. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263120000406 reddy, p., sharma, b., & chaudhary, k. (2021). digital literacy: a review in the south pacific. j comput high educ 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528021-09280-4. advance online publication singh, a., & alexander, p. a. (2022). audiobooks, print, and comprehension: what we know and what we need to know. educ psychol rev, 34, 677–715. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09653-2 smith, r., snow, p., serry, t., & hammond, l. (2021). the role of background knowledge in reading comprehension: critical review. reading psychology, 42(3), 214-240. https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2021.1888348 støle, h., mangen, a., & schwippert, k. (2020). assessing children’s reading comprehension on paper and screen: a mode–effect study. computers & education, 151, 1– http://www.wps.ablongan.com/ab_jennings_readprobs_5/html%20%20on%20%20september http://www.wps.ablongan.com/ab_jennings_readprobs_5/html%20%20on%20%20september http://www.wps.ablongan.com/ab_jennings_readprobs_5/html%20%20on%20%20september https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2020.1869078 http://www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume7/ej25/ej25r5/ http://www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume7/ej25/ej25r5/ http://inspirasititi.blogspot.com/2016/07/permendikbud-nomor-24-tahun http://inspirasititi.blogspot.com/2016/07/permendikbud-nomor-24-tahun http://inspirasititi.blogspot.com/2016/07/permendikbud-nomor-24-tahun-2016.html http://inspirasititi.blogspot.com/2016/07/permendikbud-nomor-24-tahun-2016.html https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-020-00061-z http://consalxv.perpusnas.go.id/uploaded_files/pdf/papers/normal/id_b_m http://consalxv.perpusnas.go.id/uploaded_files/pdf/papers/normal/id_b_m http://consalxv.perpusnas.go.id/uploaded_files/pdf/papers/normal/id_b_m http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results-volume-i.pdf http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results-volume-i.pdf http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results-volume-i.pdf https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263120000406 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09653-2 https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2021.1888348 rita inderawati, sri susanti, nurhayati, & margaretha dinar sitinjak developing instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative texts for the tenth grade students 760 13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.1038 61 tenridinanti, t. b., inderawati, r., & mirizon, s. (2021). climate change-based report texts for senior high school: a mix method study. jurnal pendidikan progresif, 11(3), 610-625. doi: 10.23960/ jpp.v11.i3.202112. tabroni, i., irpani, a., ahmadiah, d., agusta, a.r., girivirya, s. & ichsan. (2022). implementation and strengthening of the literacy movement in elementary schools pasca the covid-19 pandemic. multicultural education, 8(01), 15–31. retrieved from https://www.mccaddogap.com/ojs/index.php/me/ article/view/15 tessmer, m. (1993). planning and conducting formative evaluation. philadehelphia, pa: kogan page. tomlinson, b. (2011). materials development in language teaching (2nd ed.). cambridge: cambridge university press. retrieved from http://www.cambridge.org/html weisberger, m., grinshtain, y., & blau, i. (2021). how do technological changes in formal education shape the social roles of teachers who are mothers? teaching and teacher education, elsevier. wastuti, i.b., febrianto, p.t., & hanik, u. (2021). development of advisor text book on rokat tase’ local wisdom for class iv elementary school. jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran sekolah dasar. 9(1). https://journal.trunojoyo.ac.id/widyagogik/article/ view/13638 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103861 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103861 https://www.mccaddogap.com/ojs/index.php/me/article/view/15 https://www.mccaddogap.com/ojs/index.php/me/article/view/15 http://www.cambridge.org/html https://scholar.google.co.id/citations?user=3a3rcomaaaaj&hl=id&oi=sra https://scholar.google.co.id/citations?user=op2hmwkaaaaj&hl=id&oi=sra https://journal.trunojoyo.ac.id/widyagogik/article/view/13638 https://journal.trunojoyo.ac.id/widyagogik/article/view/13638 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 317 challenges in formative assessment implementation for english language instruction maya puspitasari magister pendidikan bahasa inggris, sekolah pascasarjana, universitas terbuka, indonesia email: maya_p@ecampus.ut.ac.id muhammad arifin pelawi management accounting, influx, indonesia email: ari.pelawi@influx.com apa scitation: puspitasari, m., & pelawi, m. (2024). challenges in formative assessment implementation for english language instruction. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 317-322. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.8853 received: 22-10-2023 accepted: 24-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction the global covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on many industries, including education, and indonesia was no exception. the country saw a significant impact, with millions of illnesses and thousands of deaths. as a result, the indonesian government recommended non-essential personnel to transfer to remote work and temporarily stopped all schools, resulting in the implementation of emergency remote teaching (ert). hodges et al. (2020) define ert as a rapid switch to remote instruction due to crisis situations, with often limited time for preparation. this sudden shift requires significant changes in educational activities such as instruction, assignments, and assessment. assessment, according to kyttälä (2022), is "essentially linked to teacher’s work and is also one of the key areas of teacher education." assessment, which includes both formative and summative assessments, serves as the foundation for educational decision-making. pastore et.al. (2019) argue that data and information collected through formative assessment can be used to foster students’ learning. it is low-stakes and integrated into the learning process. summative assessment, on the other hand, serves as a high-stakes final evaluation to determine the level of learning attainment (dixson & worrell, 2016). summative assessments are often given at the end of the learning process and are frequently utilised to make important judgements. some experts emphasise the importance of formative assessment in facilitating student learning (see irons & elkington, 2021; leenknecht et al., 2021; wiliam, 2020). its main goal is to track student achievement and provide ongoing feedback for educational improvement. formative assessment enables teachers to discover areas of student difficulty and adapt their teaching approaches as needed. formative assessment, rather than just evaluating pupils, informs and guides instruction, improving both student results and teacher effectiveness. it includes a number of sources of information regarding student learning, such as observation, peer interaction, selfassessment, and student work, as harlen and james (1997) point out. using formative assessment during emergency remote teaching can be especially difficult. teachers must work within time constraints to engage students and develop effective learning abstract: this study examines the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on formative assessment practices in english subjects within junior and senior secondary schools in indonesia. specifically focusing on teachers' perceptions, the research investigates how formative assessment was conducted during emergency remote teaching. data were collected through open-ended questionnaires distributed to 82 english teachers across indonesia via whatsapp groups. the study addresses four main areas: (1) techniques employed, (2) integrity of assessment practices, (3) utilized media, and (4) encountered challenges. while the majority of teachers expressed a preference for face-toface instruction over online learning, they adapted by employing various techniques and media despite facing significant challenges. the findings highlight the impact of infrastructure and media limitations, including internet access, on the efficacy of formative assessment during online learning. participating teachers reported distress associated with formative assessment in the online learning environment, indicating a need for further exploration of adaptation strategies amidst such challenges. keywords: digital technology; english language teaching; online learning. maya puspitasari & muhammad arifin pelawi challenges in formative assessment implementation for english language instruction 318 communities while guaranteeing relevant evaluation. teachers were obliged to use emergency remote teaching due to the covid-19 epidemic, hindering the incorporation of formative evaluation into the learning process. inadequate infrastructure, limited technology availability, and other constraints contributed to a decline in online assessment practises. yilmaz et al. (2020) listed six downsides of online formative assessment, including internet connectivity concerns, greater potential for cheating, student anxiety, restricted time, demotivation owing to low scores, and limited device features. rahim (2020, p. 59) offers nine guidelines for online assessment during emergency remote teaching: "evaluate prerequisites for implementing online assessment; ensure alignment of assessment activities with stated learning objectives; address the diversity of students' situations; maintain a good balance of formative and summative assessments; stimulate student learning with online assessment; consider format; scheduling and timing of tests; establish clear communication to students regarding assessment matters; ensure high-quality feedback; and address assessment validity threats". rahim's instructions provide a thorough foundation for efficient online assessment in negotiating the hurdles of emergency remote teaching. it is impossible to stress the significance of analysing prerequisites and connecting assessment activities with learning objectives. ensuring that technology and connectivity are trustworthy, and that evaluations reflect course objectives, aids in the establishment of a firm foundation for online assessment. recognising and responding to the diversity of student situations is critical. assessment practises that are inclusive ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their learning. having a combination of formative and summative evaluations provides for complete evaluation while also promoting student growth. online assessments should be more than just evaluations; they can also be effective instruments for stimulating student learning. engaging assessments promote active participation in the learning process, resulting in improved comprehension and memory of course materials. to adapt to the particular needs of students and instructional objectives, assessment format, schedule, and timing must be carefully considered. clear and open communication keeps students informed while reducing uncertainty and fear. the provision of high-quality feedback is the foundation of good evaluation. it assists students in their educational path by identifying areas for development and building on their strengths. rahim's suggestions give a thorough road map for educators dealing with the issues of online evaluation during emergency remote teaching. meanwhile, bond (2021) emphasises the importance of assessment in emergency remote teaching, emphasising the necessity to research the impact of this period on linguistic formative evaluation during and after online learning. formative assessment is the practise of acquiring information and feedback to monitor and promote student learning while they are learning. despite a growing amount of research on educational responses during the covid-19 epidemic, this study highlights many significant gaps that require more investigation. first and foremost, the study examines the experiences of english language teachers in indonesian junior and senior secondary schools in a localised setting. while this viewpoint gives vital insights, it is critical to recognise that educational landscapes, resource availability, infrastructure, and sociocultural elements in developing nations such as indonesia may differ dramatically from more western or global contexts. as a result, more research is needed to broaden the comparative dimension and give a fuller picture of pandemicinduced problems and adjustments in various educational settings. the study's emphasis on formative evaluation practises during emergency remote instruction emphasises an area that has received little attention. while many talks have centred on general teaching and learning during the epidemic, a more in-depth evaluation of formative assessment practises provides a distinct perspective. such practises are critical components of education, and knowing how they evolved during times of crises can help influence educational initiatives and policies. furthermore, the qualitative element of the research, which captures instructor perspectives and experiences, adds a unique layer of insight that is typically lacking in studies that rely primarily on quantitative data. the study's forward-looking viewpoint, which considers the pandemic's possible long-term effects on education, opens the door for future research endeavours to investigate the long-term ramifications and lessons from this unique moment of upheaval. this study aims to investigate how the covidenglish review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 319 19 pandemic affected english language teachers' formative assessment practices during online and offline learning. by understanding these effects, teachers can adapt their approaches to support students more effectively, particularly those facing challenges in remote or hybrid learning environments. four key questions guide this investigation: (1) did english teachers modify their formative assessment aspects during online learning? (2) did english teachers change their scoring techniques for formative assessments during online learning? (3) did english teachers modify the implementation of formative assessments during online learning? (4) how do teachers perceive the implementation of formative assessments during online learning? method this qualitative study makes use of online surveys with both closed-response and open-response items. participants in the study include junior and senior high school english teachers. the questionnaire is divided into five components, each of which focuses on a different area of formative assessment: planning, techniques, process, and feedback. for closed-response topics, each part provides a likert scale ranging from 1 to 5. the research focuses entirely on teachers' impressions of formative assessment practises in their classes. our study, like other online questionnaires, suffered from a self-selection bias. according to dewaele (2018, p. 273) "only people who are interested in a topic and feel strongly about it, whether positively or negatively, will be willing to spend 20 minutes filling out an online questionnaire on it". the google forms questionnaire was sent out in september 2022 and was available for six weeks. postgraduate students majoring in english education at universitas terbuka were invited to participate. the survey received replies from 158 english teachers from around thirty provinces in indonesia, with 82 of them being included in the analysis. 72% of those polled were female, while 28% were male. for closed-ended questions, descriptive statistical analysis is utilised, whereas thematic analysis is used for open-ended questions. results and discussion this section presents the study's four main themes: technique, integrity, media usage, and challenges. technique assessment procedures vary in focus, processes, data outputs, and measurement accuracy (urhahne & wijnia, 2021). because they address distinct areas of assessment, these strategies complement rather than compete with one another. it is critical to avoid categorising assessment procedures as correct or incorrect; rather, they serve various functions in the classroom. this variety enables teachers to examine student learning completely. table 1. techniques used by english teachers technique percentage before during after written 95.1 76.8 96.3 practice 75.6 30.5 90.1 oral 65.9 36.6 76.5 observation 45.1 18.3 53.1 task 76.8 82.9 85.2 journal 14.6 14.6 22.2 portfolio 29.3 20.7 32.1 self-assessment 31.7 26.8 40.7 peer-assessment 23.2 9.8 33.3 integrity table 2. assessment integrity during online learning aspect percentage of concern cheating 63.4 academic dishonesty 45.1 student collaboration 65.9 table 2 presents the concerns expressed by english teachers regarding assessment integrity during online learning. a significant proportion of teachers reported concerns about cheating, academic dishonesty, and student collaboration. this finding is consistent with bond's (2021) review of the literature, which suggested that cheating is one of issues concerned by both teachers and students when using online assessments, and several countries have outright banned them. it is common for students to plagiarise content for their assignments from online sources and their more intelligent peers (okebukola, 2020). these findings emphasize the need for measures to ensure the integrity of formative assessment practices in remote learning environments. respondents continue to believe that there is a need for real teaching presence by "guide on the side" (cleveland-innes et.al, 2018). the practise of teaching in an online context is distinct and demands a diverse set of competencies than teaching in a typical face-to-face environment, according to almost unanimous agreement within the field of k-12 online learning (barbour, 2018). formative assessment is used in online learning to develop conscious self-efficacy of learning and maya puspitasari & muhammad arifin pelawi challenges in formative assessment implementation for english language instruction 320 motivation processes, self-esteem of learning needs, and learning strategy development. the framework (design) and leadership (facilitation and direction) required for productive conversation and discourse that results in higher-order learning are provided by teaching presence in online learning. on the other hand, students must be encouraged to be inquirers, which entails taking on regulation (monitoring and administration) of one's own learning" (cleveland-innes et.al, 2018). as a result, we can conclude that most respondents do not see formative assessment as a media to scaffold learning rather than a "dragon" to be defeated at all costs and instilled in students. media usage table 3. media usage for assessment media percentage before during after online platforms 41.5 95.1 63.4 mobile apps 15.9 10.9 20.7 social media 9.8 5.5 11.0 email 18.3 25.6 20.7 messaging apps 36.6 80.5 59.8 video conferencing 56.1 95.1 76.8 table 3 displays the changes in media usage for assessment purposes before, during, and after online learning. the data reveal a substantial increase in the use of online platforms, mobile applications, and messaging apps during online learning. this reflects the shift towards digital tools to facilitate formative assessment in the remote teaching environment. according to the findings of aidinopoulou and sampson (2017), students can achieve positive and noticeably higher learning outcome gains when they are given enough time to transition from faceto-face learning to blended learning. they hypothesised that the 5 to 12 weeks provided by most of the sample in this evaluation might not be long enough for students to adjust to changes in traditional face-to-face approaches. because indonesia took more than a year to acclimate students to using technology, we can say that the pandemic aided indonesian education in adopting blended learning more thoroughly. challenges table 1 depicts the changes in evaluation procedures used by english teachers prior to, during, and after online learning. the data suggest that written evaluation techniques are the most widely used, both before (95.1%) and after (96.3%) online learning, whereas practise, oral, and observation procedures decrease over the online learning period. these findings emphasise the difficulties teachers encounter when adjusting their assessment procedures to the remote teaching situation. motivation and engagement teachers found it difficult to maintain student interest and involvement throughout online learning. the lack of face-to-face interactions and the monotony of online classes were significant contributors. direct interactions and fast feedback are important in traditional classrooms for keeping students engaged. screen-based interactions can be less exciting in an online context, leading to student disengagement. it is critical to ensure that students remain motivated and involved in the learning process in order for them to participate in formative assessments and achieve overall educational achievement. assessment adaptation teachers' formative assessment procedures have to be adjusted as they transitioned from in-person to online instruction. this procedure presented its own set of difficulties, especially for traditional assessment methods that relied on in-person observations and interactions. many teachers found it difficult to adapt their formative assessment procedures to the online environment. group discussions and real-time observations, which were excellent in physical classrooms, did not always translate well to remote learning. as a result, teachers needed to experiment with new forms of formative assessment that were more appropriate for the online context cheating and academic integrity online assessments brought forth concerns related to cheating and academic integrity. teachers noted an increased likelihood of academic dishonesty when students took assessments online. ensuring the integrity of assessments became a significant challenge, as monitoring and controlling the conditions under which assessments were taken became more complicated in the absence of physical presence. preventing and detecting cheating in the online context required additional measures to maintain the credibility and fairness of formative assessments. this challenge highlighted the importance of addressing issues related to academic honesty in online learning environments. conclusion personal experience has taught us that a disrupted practice results in a negative, highly emotional english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 321 state. teachers who are required to implement changes or innovations frequently experience feelings of inadequacy, frustration, and overwhelm, based on their individual experiences. disruptions to routines, on the other hand, can promote deep growth if these emotions are overcome. the ideas presented in this article demonstrate that teachers must consider their assessment procedures in a pandemic era and be forced to do emergency remote teaching. however, the goal of teaching is and will always be to improve student achievement. a teacher's reflection, investigation, and revision of their teaching methods can be a transformative experience. however, focusing solely on changing individual teachers will never result in more extensive, systemic change. to have a positive impact on all the children in a system, more than one instructor must change, just as it takes more than one person to execute "the wave." even though the pandemic itself can be said to bring misfortune, in education, the pandemic forces teachers to change themselves and their teaching methods. as many critics of online education as there are, we can see that teachers can accept the change and incorporate more technology into the classroom. it transforms traditional classroom instruction into a hybrid of physical and virtual classes. policy reforms must ensure that the primary challenge of internet connectivity is addressed. support in providing good connections for students and teachers, especially those from low socioeconomic families and living in rural areas, is a critical need. this action, combined with instruction in the use of specific technology and online student progress monitoring, can be of great assistance in ensuring that the pandemic does not only bring misfortune but also charitable deeds in revolutionising education. there are a few things to remember about the current study. primarily, our participation does not represent all english language teachers in indonesia. because all the participants were master's students and the sample size was too small, the participants did not represent the population. as a result of these biases, we cannot truly generalise the data as representative of the population. given the gaps identified in this inquiry, future research should triangulate with the experiences of parents and students. this is especially important for economically and geographically disadvantaged students and parents. this study found little research on the changes caused by pandemics. future research on a qualitative study on the same theme is planned by the author of this article to gain more insight into how much and how the pandemic causes change. acknowledgement this research was funded by universitas terbuka managed by lembaga penelitian dan pengabdian kepada masyarakat (lppm) universitas terbuka. we would like to thank the head of the postgraduate program of english education, universitas terbuka who helped us to administer the questionnaires to her students. the questionnaire items were validated by dr. amalia sapriati, m.a. an expert in educational evaluation. with her help, the questionnaire could provide data more thoroughly and detailed than the first draft. references aidinopoulou, v., & sampson, d. g. (2017). an action research study from implementing the flipped classroom model in primary school history teaching and learning. journal of educational technology & society, 20(1), 237-247. barbour, m.k. (2018). the landscape of k-12 online learning: examining what is known. in handbook of distance education (pp. 521-542). routledge. bond, m. (2021). schools and emergency remote education during the covid-19 pandemic: a living rapid systematic review. asian journal of distance education, 15(2), 191-247. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4425683 cleveland-innes, m., garrison, r., vaughan, n., moore, m.g. and diehl, w.c. (2018). implications for distance education and beyond. handbook of distance education, pp.169-181, routledge. dewaele, j. m. (2018). online questionnaires. in the palgrave handbook of applied linguistics research methodology (pp. 269-286). palgrave macmillan, london. dixson, d. d., & worrell, f. c. (2016). formative and summative assessment in the classroom. theory into practice, 55(2), 153-159. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2016.114898 9 hodges, c., moore, s., lockee, b., trust, t., & bond, a. (2020). the difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. educause review, (march 27, 2020). retrieved from: https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/thedifference-between-emergency-remoteteaching-and-online-learning. irons, a., & elkington, s. (2021). enhancing learning through formative assessment and feedback. routledge. jang, e. e., & sinclair, j. (2021). diagnostic assessment https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2016.1148989 https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2016.1148989 https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning maya puspitasari & muhammad arifin pelawi challenges in formative assessment implementation for english language instruction 322 in language classrooms. in the routledge handbook of language testing (pp. 187-205). london: routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203181287-16 kyttälä, m., björn, p. m., rantamäki, m., lehesvuori, s., närhi, v., aro, m., & lerkkanen, m. k. (2022). assessment conceptions of finnish preservice teachers. european journal of teacher education, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2022.205892 7 leenknecht, m., wijnia, l., köhlen, m., fryer, l., rikers, r., & loyens, s. (2021). formative assessment as practice: the role of students’ motivation. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 46(2), 236-255. okebukola, p.a., suwadu, b., oladejo, a., nyandwi, r., ademola, i., okorie, h. and awaah, f., (2020). delivering high school chemistry during covid-19 lockdown: voices from africa. journal of chemical education, 97(9), pp.3285-3289. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00725 pastore, s., manuti, a., & scardigno, a. f. (2019). formative assessment and teaching practice: the point of view of italian teachers. european journal of teacher education, 42(3), 359-374. rahim, a. f. a. (2020). guidelines for online assessment in emergency remote teaching during the covid-19 pandemic. education in medicine journal, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.21315/eimj2020.12.2.6 urhahne, d., & wijnia, l. (2021). a review on the accuracy of teacher judgments. educational research review, 32, 100374. wiliam, d. (2020). research into practice: the case of classroom formative assessment. in getting evidence into education (pp. 119-135). london: routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429290343 yilmaz, f. g. k., ustun, a. b., & yilmaz, r. (2020). investigation of pre-service teachers' opinions on advantages and disadvantages of online formative assessment: an example of online multiple-choice exam. journal of teacher education and lifelong learning, 2(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203181287-16 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00725 https://doi.org/10.21315/eimj2020.12.2.6 https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429290343 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 519 enhancing presentation abilities in students via infographics within the emancipated curriculum framework riska fatmawati english education study program, department of language and communication universitas islam sultan agung semarang, indonesia email: riskaftmaw@std.unissula.ac.id elok widiyati english education study program, department of language and communication universitas islam sultan agung semarang, indonesia email: widiyati@unissula.ac.id apa scitation: fatmawati, r., & widiyati, e. (2024). enhancing presentation abilities in students via infographics within the emancipated curriculum framework. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 519-526. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9123 received: 26-02-2024 accepted: 23-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction communication is a process of ideas, messages, and social interactions that involve the basic activities of human life. it plays an important role in human life and it can be stated that it is difficult for humans to develop and to survive without communication. it is one of the most important tools in education. educational communication is the best practice for students as it facilitates and enhances messages and information in learning. educational communication is very important to achieve learning goals; it's not just conveying information but also how the information is conveyed and understood by students. effective communication between teachers and students can help improve students' abilities understanding and engagement in learning. communication embedded in the learning process is also dynamic when everyone is involved. in education and learning practices, communication does not only support the creation of more effective and efficient learning but also contributes to solve various problems that arise in learning. because english is the main language used by countries, organizations and communities around the world in the era of globalization, it is considered a world-class international language. english is essensial to communicating well in this globalized world (rao, 2019), as it is a universal language that connects people from different cultures and backgrounds. it is use in international business transactions, academic research, and even everyday conversations between people who do not share the same language. in indonesia, in schools from elementary school to university, english is taught. it is important to continue to prioritize its development and implementation in the education system because it is an important part of preparing students to face a global future. the goal of learning english is to give students the opportunity to understand the social relations, culture, and work opportunities available in the whole world . (krishnapatria, 2021). the government changed the teacher-centered learning paradigm into a student-centered emancipation curriculum. students are the center of learning in this curriculum.. (setiawan et al., 2022). the emancipated curriculum focuses on how to develop students' abilities, namely student centered learning. in language subjects, especially abstract: speaking skills include presentation. to find out how the use of infographics affects students' presentation abilities, the research is quantitative and uses a semu experimental design. data comes from presentations before and after tests conducted through project-based learning. class xi ma roudlotul muttaqin in demak has 50 students. in this research, two classes were involved: the experimental class and the control class. the control class did not receive infographic treatment, while the experimental class received treatment. the pre-test, treatment, and post-test stages were used to collect data. the test score for the non-sample group was 82.75, the experimental group was 79.75, the control group was 7,800, and the experimental group was 7,800. sign test. (2 tails) less than 0.05. according to accepted and rejected research, the use of infographic media can help students make better presentations. keywords: infographics; presentations; speaking skills. mailto:riskaftmaw@std.unissula.ac.id riska fatmawati & elok widiyati enhancing presentation abilities in students via infographics within the emancipated curriculum framework 520 english, there are six competencies that students have to master, including the ability to listen, to speak, to read, to see, to write, and to present in an integrated manner (sahara et al., 2021). one of the goals of learning english at any level is to improve speaking ability, which is the most important skill in learning a foreign language. communication with other people requires the exchange of ideas, feelings, and information. the ability to speak effectively is known as speaking skills. as a communication tool, english is a language that requires practice in classroom learning. therefore, communication is the most important skill for everyone to learn, especially those learning english. however, using english as an educational tool has several challenges. students speak english but sometimes get lost while using it, which of course has a negative impact on the process of learning the language. problems faced by students in mastering speaking skills include lack of time for language learning, ineffective teaching methods, and lack of resources. and facilities that support language learning. as stated by hallemans (2021). learning to speak on your own does not guarantee that students will be confident when speaking in public. this growth requires work and effort, and self-motivation and concentration when learning english can help students express their opinions with confidence. presentation is one of the exercises to improve speaking ability, which is a communication tool to adapt different speaking situations, for example, speaking in front of a group, leading a meeting, or leading a team (mahdi, 2022). presentation that focuses on interactive oral language learning can improve students' speaking skill and make them more confident while speaking in public. in practice, presentation is how teachers present students learning through explanation and demonstration (syafii et al., 2019). with teacher guidance, students have the opportunity to test their speaking skills. presentations have great benefits for students because they help them bridge the gap between language learning and its everyday use. presentations are also a great tool for active learning and developing general communication skills. based on the data found by muhimmah (2022), almost 90% of the students had difficulty in communicating orally by using english. therefore, learners need to go through an intense process to practice speaking skill because it is impossible for person to speak skillfully and directly without going through the practice process. muhimmah also explained that when the students were asked to do presentation activities in english subject, they prefered to use indonesian. this was because they had difficulty in expressing words and sentences in english, even in simple forms. factors that cause difficulties for students in learning a language are a lack of understanding of english vocabulary, apart from that, another factor that causes difficulties for students in learning a language is a lack of courage and self-confidence because they are afraid of making mistakes and have no support when they need to use the language. (jaya et al., 2022). thus factors greatly affect students' low speaking skill. speaking and presentation skills are specialized skills that students have to compete for to live in a globalized world. in particular, in the current curriculum, presentations significantly influence the way students learn in class. this emancipated curriculum requires students to develop a mindset of self-learning and critical thinking. vhalery et al. (2022) believes that the idea of self-study is in accordance with ki hajar dewantara's principles, which prioritize the freedom to learn creatively and independently, encouraging the growth of an independent spirit shofa (2021) stated that the pancasila learner profile is an indicator used to find out how the criteria for indonesian students are in line with pancasila and has implications for students' personal resilience. this is in line with english language learning in the emancipation curriculum which helps students prepare themselves to become learners for life. in the pancasila learner profile, there are six dimensions that help students become humans with pancasila character: faith, piety and noble morals; diversity around the world; independence; collaboration with each other; critical reasoning; and creativity. each dimension tells an important aspect in studying the values of pancasila. in the first dimension, faith, piety and noble morals, it is emphasized how important it is to build a spiritual and moral foundation in learning. the second dimension is global diversity, which emphasizes how different cultures and world views are throughout the world. autonomy is the third dimension which emphasizes how important it is for students to have the ability to learn independently and be responsible for what they learn. which shows how important it is to provide space for creative expression and innovation in solving problems and finding solutions. with by english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 521 understanding and developing these six dimensions, pancasila learners are expected to become more complete and skilled individuals in facing the complexities and challenges of life in society, nation and state. therefore, this research focuses on presentations to improve students' speaking skills through increased activities in class. the presentation approach is the most effective method for improving students' speaking abilities, especially in terms of accuracy and fluency. in other words, students can improve their speaking skills with this method. sukerti (2019) conducted similar research showing that giving presentations to groups of students speeds up the process and allows students to speak confidently. additionally, this research has many consequences for educators. teachers should not ignore or underestimate students' abilities. teachers should empower students and give them opportunities to give presentations as assignments. they should monitor by providing constructive feedback, help students correct their mistakes, help them improve by providing feedback that encourages growth rather than simply giving grades, and motivate students in english and other subjects. bimantara et al. (2020) also conducted similar research. it is the aim of the research to find out how well students speak when using infographics in speaking classes. this method provides a comprehensive picture of the impact of using infographics. the results show that infographics are used as a tool to generate ideas and as an exercise to improve students' speaking abilities. thus, infographics are considered an effective tool for increasing student engagement in oral communication. additionally, most students gave positive feedback about the use of infographics. they stated that they noticed that it helped them speak better. according to research results, infographics can increase students' motivation and improve their learning experience. infographics were used by researchers in updating this research to enable curriculum through project-based learning. infographics are images and information combined to make a message easy to convey to an audience (dipa et al., 2022). one of the advantages of this research is the use of innovative methods adapted to current needs. this not only makes presentations more engaging, but also helps students comprehend and understand complex information in a way that is easier to understand and remember. in addition, it is intended to reach a wider audience and encourage students to develop an interest in speaking skills in the modern world. method in this quasi-experimental research, we used pre and post-test data from project-based learning using infographics in its presentation to find out how infographics influence students' presentation skills. this research took place in class xi ma roudlotul muttaqin in demak in the unusual semester of the 2023–2024 academic year. two classes were involved in this research: an experimental class with a total of 25 students and a control class with a total of 25 students. the experimental class received infographic treatment, while the control class did not. this is research that uses oral tests to measure students' presentation skills using infographics. according to sukerti (2019), the assessment rubric consists of four categories that cover important elements of presentation: content, structure, visualization, and presentation skills. table 1. assessment rubric no aspects score explanation . content 4 3 2 1  the material presented is relevant and interesting;  relevant material, but not interesting;  or material that is relevant, but not interesting.  material submitted is not relevant 2. structure 4 3 2 1  delivery is delivered coherently and systematically;  the presentation is delivered coherently but lacks systematicity;  the presentation delivered is not coherent and systematic;  or presentations delivered unsystematic and incoherent. 3. visualizatio n 4 3 2 1  the visual format greatly includes the readability of the information  the visual format includes readability of the information  the visual format lacks information riska fatmawati & elok widiyati enhancing presentation abilities in students via infographics within the emancipated curriculum framework 522 readability  the visual formats have absolutely no information readability 4. presentation skill 4 3 2 1  the message is very easy to capture  the message is easy to capture  the message is difficult to capture  the message is very difficult to capture each category has clear assessment criteria and predetermined values, ranging from excellent to needing improvement. each assessment criterion is given a certain weight according to its importance. the tool was tested to measure validity and confidence in trials conducted by non-sample classes.this study used construct validity to measure the accuracy of the instrument used with the pearson’s correlation formula. reliability measurement is to match the instrument with what is measured so that the instrument can be trusted. this study used internal reliability with the cronbach's alpha reliability formula. it is to ensure an objective and consistent assessment while measuring the students' presentation skill. if the significance value is greater than 0.05 then the data is not normally distributed. bartlett's test of homogeneity was used to ensure that the differences were the same between both experimental group and control group. the pretest was carried out to assess students' presentation skills. before using infographics as a presentation tool, an assessment rubric is used to indicate how well the student's presentation was. the goal is to collect initial data about how well the presentation was. in this research, there are three steps. the first is a pre-test to determine normality and homogeneity tests. the shapiro wilk test used to compare the experimental group and the control group is a normality test that is effective and valid for small samples, which are < 50 samples. the shapiro wilk normality test is using spss, if the significance value is less than 0.05, treatment or infographic techniques are used. the students in the experimental class given treatments in the form of using infographics in four meetings. each meeting conducted twice, with group presentations. in this treatment, the students divided into groups consisting of three students in each group. the material was given is informal invitation. the infographics will contain an explanation of informal invitation material. then each group worked on a project to create an infographic. after the treatment completed, a posttest conducted. a post-test was evaluation or measurement stage carried out after giving certain treatments to the experimental group. the posttest aims to measure the impact that occurs after infographics are given. the posttest helps the researcher to find out whether the infographics given have a significant effect or not. the mean scores on the pre-test and post-test used to determine the improvement in the students' performance. this analysis used to determine the relationship between before and after infographics are implemented in the learning process. the t test was used to compare the results of two sample groups to determine the post test scores after treatment in this study . the statistical hypothesis of this research is as follows: = there is no significant difference in the average score of oral test performance between student presentations with infographics and student presentations without infographics. = there was a significant difference in the mean scores of spoken test performance between the students presentation using infographics and the students presentation without using infographic. results and discussion the non-sample class has a minimum and maximum score of 81.25 and 87.5 respectively based on the results of an oral test using the 2019 sukerti student assessment scale. validity and reliability in this research, a validity test was carried out on non-sample classes to determine the validity of the trial. this tool is valid and can be used for pre-test because according to the pearson correlation test, the r value in aspects 1-4 is greater than the r table, so data is considered valid if the table r value is greater than the calculated r. reliability calculations are used in research to convey the consistency of instruments and measurements; reliability calculations; to collect this data, cronbach's alpha test was used. in the reliability statistics table, the cronbach's alpha value of 0.744 which is greater than l indicates that the data is considered consistent or reliable. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 523 normality and homogeneity the normality test aims to determine whether a variable is considered normal. data was analyzed using the shapiro wilk test. sig indicator. 0.05 or more is considered normal if the sig. more than 0.05, and the sig value. 0.05 or less is considered normal if the sig. less than 0.05. sig value. for the control class is 0.268, sig value. for the experimental class is 0.338, and the sig. for the post-test class is 0.570. this indicates the possibility that this data has a sig value. more than 0.05, but other than that, these data are considered normal. next, a homogeneity check was carried out. the goal is to find out how homogeneous the data collected is. if the sig value. the experimental and control classes are 0.355 each, so the data is considered homogeneous. if the sig value. less than 0.05, then the data is considered not homogeneous. based on this information, the sig. the control and experimental classes are 0.355 each, which indicates that the data meets the requirements for class homogeneity. t-test researchers used an independent sample test to determine the average difference between the experimental class and the control class. the average difference between the collected data was measured using the t-test. the test rules are as follows: if the sig value of two tails is more than 0.05 then it is accepted and rejected; conversely, it is accepted and rejected if the two-tailed sig value is less than 0.05. the results of both pre and post-tests show that the two-tailed sig is less than 0.05, and the pre-test value of 0.013 is less than 0, 05 . this shows that students' abilities to use infographics better differ. how infographics affect students' presentation skills is the focus of this research.the results, after data treatment and analysis, show that the use of infographics increases students' ability to convey information. the experimental class that was given infographics conveyed information better than the control class. students can create projects with their own ideas using the canva app and apply visual elements such as charts, graphs and icons. this makes it easier for them to understand the information and improves their overall understanding of the topics presented. in addition, infographics make presentations visually interesting and attract the attention of the audience. by using infographics in their presentations, students can improve their communication skills and convey a powerful message to the audience. therefore, the results of this study have clearly shown that good presentation skills and the use of infographics have a positive effect on each other. in previous research conducted by indira et al. (2022), called in the article entitled “online peer feedback on video presentations: types of feedback and improving presentation skills”, researchers looked at whether the use of online tools that allow participants to give and receive criticism at certain points during the presentation affects their ability to give and receive criticism. moreover, the results are different. in one study, infographics were shown to improve students' presentation skills, but in one previous study, feedback from online tools had no impact on students' ability to convey information. in previous research, althibyani (2022), how the interaction between two types of infographics impacts students' ability to convey information. in this study, the experimental method was used, and 109 students were divided into four experimental groups. the methods and methods they used make these two studies unique. the results show that infographics help students express their ideas better. however, the results show that infographics can help students speak better as there are no statistics to show that there is a difference in the way the two types of infographics are presented. the results of the present study align with dipa et al., (2022) study. their study involved class 8 students using qualitative methods. the final result of this study showed that infographics were very good to used as english learning media, especially to improve students' speaking skill. the results of the present study also align with sukerti (2019) study. the study involved 19 fourth-semester students with a quantitative research method of quasi-experimental design. the results showed a significant relationship between projectbased learning with the use of infographic media on students' presentation skills and the improvement of students' soft skills. it can be concluded that the use of infographics could improve students' presentation skills in the emancipated curriculum in class xi ma roudlotul muttaqin, demak. conclusion based on the results and discussion, this research concludes that infographics can be an effective way to improve students' presentation skills. the results after testing showed that the experimental class obtained a score of 93.75 higher than the riska fatmawati & elok widiyati enhancing presentation abilities in students via infographics within the emancipated curriculum framework 524 control class, which obtained a score of 87.50 lower. students can increase activity, motivation and innovation in learning english by using infographics. this can help students gain experience in their chosen field as well as improve language skills and soft skills. engage more students with a variety of topics. futhermore, for future researcher, they could extend this research finding by using the infographics to involve more students with more variety of topics. the research implications for english teachers related to the use of infographics and presentation skills include six important aspects: teaching effectiveness. research can identify the extent to which the use of infographics can improve students' understanding of english material, both in terms of grammar, vocabulary, and speaking and writing skills. content suitability. the study can interact and the relevance of the infographic to the english language teaching material being taught. this includes selecting images, graphics and text that are appropriate to the learning objectives. the role of terminology consistency. research can also examine the role of terminology consistency in infographics. can consistent use of terminology in infographics help students understand and remember the material better. presentation skills development. research can identify strategies that are effective in developing students' presentation skills in english, including the use of infographics as a visual in presentations. teacher training and development. research can provide insight into the training and development of teachers in using infographics and improving their presentation skills in english language teaching contexts. student engagement. studies could explore the extent to which the use of infographics and presentation skills can increase students' engagement in english learning, as well as their motivation to learn. acknowledgement the researcher gratefully acknowledges the academic community of sultan agung islamic university semarang, for their support and appreciates their cooperation and participation. thanks are also extended to the eleventh grade students of ma roudlotul muttaqin, demak, who have provided valuable insights into their teaching experiences that have helped this study process. their cooperation was essential in enhancing the depth and the quality of this research, and the researcher sincerely thanks them for their involvement. references alahmad h. (n.d.). the role of educational communication in promoting a student centered learning style in multicultural classrooms: a reflective essay on learning and teaching in higher education. international journal of research in education and science, 7(3), 838-851. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijres.2374 akdal, ş. (2019). the effect of the use of infographics to reading comprehension in intertextual readings (unpublished master’s thesis). kırşehir ahi evran university, kırşehir, turkey. https://doi.org/10.33902/jpr.2021473498 alford, k. (2019). the rise of infographics: and why teachers and teacher educators should take heed. teaching/writing: the journal of writing teacher education, 7(1) 158–175. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/wte/vol7/iss1/7 althibyani, h. a. (2022). the impact of the two infographics types in terms of presentation on developing the cognitive and performance aspects of digital graphics design skills and motivation towards them among students of educational technology at the university of jeddah. 132-155. https://doi.org/10.33193/jalhss.76.2 022.641. apriyanti, n., razak,r. a.,shaharom, m. s. n., rahim, s. s. a. & halili, s. h. (2020). needs analysis of infographic media using technology for learning physics. malaysian online journal of educational technology, 8(1), 48–62. https://doi.org/10.17220/mojet.2020.01.004 bimantara, myartawan, i. p. n. w., & dewi, k. s. k. . (2020). the implementation of infographics in speaking for social interaction course. international journal of language and literature, 4(3),106– 110. https://doi.org/10.23887/ijll.v4i3.30295 chicca, j., & chunta, k. (2020). engaging students with visual stories: using infographics in nursing education. elsevier teaching and learning in nursing, 15(1), 32-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2019.09.003 dipa, p.s utami, i. g. a. l. p., & santosa, m.h. (2022). english learning using infographics for balinese secondary school students. panyonara: journal of english education, 4(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.19105/panyonara.v4i 1.5852 famularsih, s. (2020). students’ experiences in using online learning applications due to covid19 in english classroom. studies in learning and teaching, 112-121. https://doi.org/10.46627/silet.v1i2.40 https://doi.org/10.46328/ijres.2374 https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/wte/vol7/iss1/7 https://doi.org/10.33193/jalhss.76.2022.641 https://doi.org/10.33193/jalhss.76.2022.641 https://doi.org/10.17220/mojet.2020.01.004 https://doi.org/10.23887/ijll.v4i3.30295 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2019.09.003 https://doi.org/10.19105/panyonara.v4i1.5852 https://doi.org/10.19105/panyonara.v4i1.5852 https://doi.org/10.46627/silet.v1i2.40 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 525 ghofur, a., & youhanita, e. (2020). interactive media development to improve student motivation. ijeca (international journal of education and curriculum application), 3(1). https://doi.org/10.31764/ijeca.v3i1.2026 hallemans, v. (2021). using student-created video presentations to build experiential learning in the oral efl presentation classroom. korean journal of general ducation, 15(5), 229-245. https://doi.org/10.46392/kjge.2021.15.5.229 hakim, b. (2020). technology integrated online classrooms and the challenges faced by the efl teachers in saudi arabia during the covid-19 pandemic. international journal of applied linguistics & english literature, 9(5), 33-39. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.9n.5p.33 hertavira, d. e. (2019). the effect of using infographics and students’ reading interest on their reading comprehension at sman 16 pekanbaru (unpublished master’s thesis). state islamic university sultan syarif in pekanbaru, riau, indonesia. http://dx.doi.org/10.33902/jpr.2021473498 indira, n.z,. day, n. s. & w. a. (2022). online peer feedback on video presentations: type of feedback and improvement of presentation skills. assessment & evaluation in higher education. 47(2), 183-197,. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.1904826 jaya, p.h., petrus, i., & pitaloka, n. l. (2022). speaking performance and problems faced by english major students at a university in south sumatera. indonesian efl journal, 8(1), 105112. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v8i1.5603 jones, n. p., sage, m., & hitchcock, l. (2019). infographics as an assignment to build digital skills in the social work classroom. routledge journal of technology in human services, 203225. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228835.2018.155290 4 korniush, h. (2019). theoretical evaluation of the potential of infographics as powerful tools in english language teaching. blended learning & technology-enhanced instructional tools in the english language teaching (elt), 147155. https://dx.doi.org/10.32820/2074-89222019-65-147-155 krishnapatria, k. (2021). merdeka belajarkampus merdeka (mbkm) curriculum in english studies program: challenges and opportunities. elt in focus, 4(1), 12-19. luhur, a., fitriati, s., & rozi, f. (2023). the impact of implementing the emancipation curriculum on student learning outcomes in oral interaction texts. journal of english education, 13(2), 310327. https://doi.org/10.15294/eej.v13i2.73186 mahdi, d. a. (2022). improving speaking and presentation skills through interactive multimedia environment for non-native speakers of english. sage open, 12(1), 21582440221079811. https://doi.org/10.1177/215824402210 79811 muhimmah, c., b. d. (2022). penerapan metode learning by doing untuk meningkatkan keterampilan berbicara (speaking skill) pada materi procedure text di kelas ix. learning: jurnal inovasi penelitianpendidikan dan pembelajaran, 2(4),294-301. https://doi.org/10.51878/learning.v2i4.1803 rao, p. s. (2019). the importance of speaking skills in english classrooms. alford council of international english & literature journal (acielj), 2(2), 6-18. sahara, w., wuryandini, e., & murniati, n. a. n. (2023). pengembangan model penguatan kompetensi berbahasa inggris berbicara berbasis habituasi sekolah menengah kejuruan. jiipjurnal ilmiah ilmu pendidikan, 6(2), 1232-1241. https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v6i2.1677 sahara, zulaikah, z., & jelita, j., s. (2021). students’ speaking problems in english presentation. channing: journal of english language education and literature, 6(1), 1823. shahin, a. (2020). employing infographics based on tablet applications to improve professional competence in the light of the digital transformation of education technology specialists. international journal of instructional technology and educational studies, 7(1), 23–25. https://doi.org/10.21608/ihites.2020.28769.1 006 setiawan, r,. syahria, n., andanty, f. d., & nabhan, s. (2022). pengembangan modul ajar kurikulum merdeka mata pelajaran bahasa inggris smk kota surabaya. jurnal gramaswara: jurnal pengabdian kepada masyarakat, 2(2), 49-62. https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.gramaswar a.2022.002.02.05 shofa, n. a. (2021). strengthening the profile of pancasila students through projectbased learning in learning history. in prosiding seminar nasional & internasional. https://jurnal.unimus.ac.id/index.php/ps n12012010/article/view/9011 sukerti, g. n. a. s. (2019). fostering students’ presentation skill using infographic: the implementation of project-based learning in english for specific purposes. ijiet (international journal of indonesian education and teaching), 3(2), 227-239. https://doi.org/10.24071/ijiet.v3i2.1940 syafii., sugianto, a., & cendriono, n. (2019). improving students’ speaking skill by using https://doi.org/10.31764/ijeca.v3i1.2026 https://doi.org/10.46392/kjge.2021.15.5.229 https://doi.org/10.46392/kjge.2021.15.5.229 https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.9n.5p.33 http://dx.doi.org/10.33902/jpr.2021473498 https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.1904826 https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.1904826 https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v8i1.5603 https://doi.org/10.1080/15228835.2018.1552904 https://doi.org/10.1080/15228835.2018.1552904 https://dx.doi.org/10.32820/2074-8922-2019-65-147-155 https://dx.doi.org/10.32820/2074-8922-2019-65-147-155 https://doi.org/10.15294/eej.v13i2.73186 https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221079811 https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221079811 https://doi.org/10.51878/learning.v2i4.1803 https://doi.org/10.51878/learning.v2i4.1803 https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v6i2.1677 https://doi.org/10.21608/ihites.2020.28769.1006 https://doi.org/10.21608/ihites.2020.28769.1006 https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.gramaswara.2022.002.02.05 https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.gramaswara.2022.002.02.05 https://jurnal.unimus.ac.id/index.php/psn12012010/article/view/9011 https://jurnal.unimus.ac.id/index.php/psn12012010/article/view/9011 https://doi.org/10.24071/ijiet.v3i2.1940 riska fatmawati & elok widiyati enhancing presentation abilities in students via infographics within the emancipated curriculum framework 526 multimedia presentation strategy. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 125-132. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i2.169 vhalery, r. ,.setyastanto, a. m., & leksono, w. (2022). kurikulum merdeka belajar kampus merdeka: sebuah kajian iteratur. research and development journal of education, 8(1), 185201. https://doi.org/10.30998/rdje.v8i1.1171 8 https://doi.org/10.30998/rdje.v8i1.11718 https://doi.org/10.30998/rdje.v8i1.11718 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 47 the factors of students’ investment in learning english during online learning at one of smpn in musi rawas yenni anggraini master’s program in language education, universitas sriwijaya email: yennianggraini98@gmail.com eryansyah eryansyah (corresponding author) master’s program in language education, universitas sriwijaya email: eryansyah@unsri.ac.id sary silvhiany master’s program in language education, universitas sriwijaya email: ssilvhiany@unsri.ac.id apa citation: anggraini, y., eryansyah, e., & silvhiany, s. (2023). the factors of students’ investment in learning english during online learning at one of smpn in musi rawas. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 47-52. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.6339 received: 19-10-2022 accepted: 17-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction in this globalization era, there are many aspects influencing people’s life, such as economy, culture, and even language. language is a means of communication that conveys meaning and message to each other. it helps people to express their thoughts, emotions, feelings, and desires. thus, language is an important parts of human life because every human being needs a language to communicate with one another. in this era, english is spoken by millions of people in the world. it has usually been used to interact effectively with people from all over the world. english has achieved the status of being a universally comprehensible international lingua franca (o'neil, 2018). english as a global language can be used as a first, second or foreign language. english's distinctive quality as a global language suggests that it is primarily utilized for communication in most countries throughout the world since information is transmitted intercountries (rao, 2019). the information is delivered in a way that takes into account codes in a multilingual society. therefore, many people consider the need to master english for their life (ahmad, 2016). more than ever, in one of smpns in musi rawas, english is a compulsory subject from grade 7 to grade 9. learning english is expected to be able to reach the functional level, where the students are able to communicate spoken and written english to solve daily problems. the communication skills included are listening, speaking, reading, and writing. according to the ministry of national education in kepmendiknas no. 22 of 2006, english is a tool to communicate spoken and written. therefore, english subject was directed to develop those skills, since the students were able to communicate in english at a certain literacy level. the spread of covid-19 pandemic had reached many areas in our life. in this pandemic era, for abstract: most of the students’ reason decided to invest in learning english was because of the perceived capital that provided them with benefits for their academics as well as their future careers. this study was a qualitative narrative inquiry which was aimed to investigate the factors affecting the students’ investment in learning english during online learning at one of smpns in musi rawas. the instruments used to collect data in this study were interviews and documentation. seven ninth graders at one of smpns in musi rawas were involved as respondents in this study. findings from the interviews indicated that the most dominant factors affecting the ninth students to invest in learning english was family support, the second dominant factor was to get better english achievement, and the last dominant factor was past experience. the findings from documentation collected in this study confirmed that the seven students had put some efforts in their investment in learning english in order to acquire their goals in the present and also future. they also wanted to improve their english language skills. keywords: investment; learning english; online learning; perceived benefits. yenni anggraini, eryansyah eryansyah, & sary silvhiany the factors of students’ investment in learning english during online learning at one of smpn in musi rawas 48 instance, it is undeniable that learning is done online. the students have to use some applications to participate in every meeting. therefore, the student must be able to master in english, in order the students to do their tasks and homework, especially in academic texts by themselves. anwar and wardhono (2019) argue that learners need english for academic purposes (eap) in order to study at an english-speaking university or college, or because they need to access english-language academic text. then, during the online learning, the teacher always gave assignments or quizzes in everyweek, and sometimes the material of the assignments was not explained by the teachers previously. therefore, the students had to understand the material indenpendently by themselves, because they wanted to get good grades in academics, especially in the english subject (adger et al., 2018; murray & christison, 2019). considering to meet the demands of english proficiency, the students had to begin to invest in learning english. according to teng (2019), the idea of investment might more effectively describe how students' relationships with the target language are socially and historically created, as well as how ambivalent they are about learning and using english. assalahi (2018) also states that the motivation to learn english actually is not the same as being involved in investing in language learning, because the investment involves commitment from students and the practice community. similarly, moná and rodríguez (2019) also explain that, despite their motivation to learn a language, students may put little effort into their studies as a result of marginalization, racism, intolerance, classism, and other forms of prejudice. these inequitable relations of power could affect learners’ investment despited their high level of motivation to learn the foreign language. in other words, it could be explained that the students might have a high motivation in learning english, but it did not imply that their investments were same as their motivation (jiang et al., 2020; sung, 2020). the notion of investment was firstly introduced by norton in 1995, she had mentioned that investment perceived language learners as having a complex social history and multiple desire. the main reason language learners invested in the target language because they did so in order to gain a wider range of material and symbolic resources (darvin, 2019; darvin & norton, 2021; lu et al., 2020). the students were aware that their investment in the target language could help them to acquire the resources which would increase the value of their social power and cultural capital. learners invested in learning english because they hoped that it would provide a wider range of material and symbolic resources that increase the value of their cultural capital and social power (darvin & norton, 2017). teng (2019) believes that investment depends on learners’ perception of affordance, benefits for the self, or the action opportunities grasp by the learners. thus, it understood that the belief of investment spilled the socially constructed desires and goals of the learner between the learner and the destination language.therefore, the model of investment is located at the intersection of identity, capital, and ideology (darvin & norton, 2017; lado & quijano, 2020; leeman, 2018). however, this study was only focused on the capital of investment. regarding to capital and investment, darvin and norton (2017) further states that language learners invest in language knowing that it may aid them to gain greater resources that will increase the value of learners' social and cultural capital. then, drawing on bourdieu (2020), we use capital to recognize that power exists in different forms that is from the economic to the cultural and social. therefore, from the statement above we could illustrate that students affordance in their language learning investment was influenced by the benefits provided by his family. it understood that the background and context of students learning were related to the outcome of the individual's learning investment. darvin and norton (2017) also states that investing and learning must be worth the time, effort, and money spent. it could be concluded that the gains from language learning were expected to be comparable to the energy utilized during the learning process. as darvin and norton (2017) argues, if learners invest in a language, they do so with the understanding that they would acquire a wider range of symbolic and material resources, which would increase the value of their cultural capital and social power.therefore, from the statement above we could illustrate that students affordance in their language learning investment was influenced by the benefits provided to theirs. it understood that the background and context of students learning were related to the outcome of the individual's learning investment (rintaningrum et al., 2017). thus, with the purpose explained before, this paper addressed the following research question: 1) what were the factors of students' investment in learning english during online learning? english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 49 method the present study employed a narrative inquiry approach to know the efl students’ investment in learning english and also explained the interests of the participants during their english learning process especially in this covid-19. clandinin and connelly as cited in haydon and van der riet (2017), states that “narrative inquiry is a way of understanding and inquiring into experience through collaboration between writer and participants, over time, in a place or series of places, and in social interaction with milieus” (p.20). it understood that narrative inquiry was seen in a variety of ways and tends to transcenda number of different approaches and traditions such as biography, autobiography, lifestory, and life course research. this study was conducted at one of smpns in musi rawas, involving ninth-grade students. there was a total of 7 students involved in this study. the students who rarely came to school were not involved in this study because they were hard to find m in the school and they were also not active in the class. the data of this study were collected by asking the participants' opinions. the method to collect the data required a narrative inquiry approach by using some instruments, they were interview and documentation. this study was aimed to find out about what factors affecting the students’ investment in learning english during online learning. the participants were allowed to use english, indonesian, or translanguaging to describe their responses. it would avoid the language barrier that might hinder their ability to express their opinions. in this present study, the analysing of data focused on the interview. the datas were analysed by thematic analysis. the first thing to do once the data obtained was gaining familiarity, then proceed to generating initial codes; after that, searching for themes. after the theme was determined, the next process was reviewing the theme and followed by defining and naming themes. the last step was producing the report. the interview was done in semi-structure interview type. it was used to analyse the students investment in learning english. the responses of interviewswere recorded during the interviewing and they were transcribed descriptively, coded and the interpreted with narrative analysis by pointing out investment in learning english through sequences of narrative procedures by adapting creswell’s model of qualitative data analysis (nawawi, 2018). results and discussion the results are presented related to the research question, namely the factors affecting students to invest in learning english. the results of this study were taken from the interviews results. the factors why learners invested in learning english based on the interviews from the participants, there were three various factors why the ninth grade students in one of smpn in musi rawas invested in learning english. past experience the first factor was past experience. there were two students who wanted to follow their brother footstep. the students were fino and ani (psuedonym). fino's brother had become a police officer right now at lubuk linggau. he could be a police successfully right now because of their proficient in english. while ani’s brother had become an english teacher at one of english course in muara beliti since he was at senior high school. thus, fino and ani were really proud of their brother's achievements. then, they started to invest in learning english right now. they wanted to get a better job like their brtohers in the future. “hmmm... i was motivated by my brother who was currently a police in lubuk linggau. he was very proficient in english. thus, he can graduate to become a police. my parents also really support me in learning english. they said that english would help me easier to get a job later. one of them was like working in a foreign company, one of the requirement was to be able in speaking english.” (fino) “i liked english because of the inspiration and motivation from my brother who has taught at one course in muara beliti since he was in high school. i wanted to follow his footsteps, at least i was able to make my own money although i was still a student. my brother and parent always supported me to be proficient in english, because they thought english was very important. english would help me easier to get a job later.” (ani) from the statements above, it could be concluded that the students believed investing in learning english would help them to achieve their success as same like their brothers. it shown that the factor came from themselves, which means that the factor was included as extrinsic factor. those who are extrinsically motivated perform a certain action not because they truly enjoy it, but because yenni anggraini, eryansyah eryansyah, & sary silvhiany the factors of students’ investment in learning english during online learning at one of smpn in musi rawas 50 of a reward that is available in their environment (burda et al., 2018; buzdar et al., 2017; locke & schattke, 2019). it understood that extrinsic motivation involved doing something because they wanted to earn a reward (cherry, 2022). legault (2020) also states that the extrinsic activities is an individual engages to an expected outcome rather than for one’s sake. therefore, the students invested in learning english was because they wanted to followed their brothers' success footsteps. darvin and norton’s (2017) analysis, discusses if learners invest in language, they do so with the understanding that they will acquire more symbolic and material resources, which in turn will increase the value of their cultural capital and social power. family support the next factor was family support. there were 5 students who stated that their influences to invest in learning english were because of their parents encouragement. in past, their parent could not speak english at all, because they were just a farmer, laborer, and trader who only stayed at a village. thus, their parents hoped that their children might learn english well, in order they could get good grades in academics right now, especially in english subject. their parents also believed that english would help their children more easily in finding a job in the future. thus, their children was taking an offline or online english course right now, in order their children's careers would be better in the future. their parents hoped by investing in learning english, their childrens’ dreams will come true. “initially, my parents who motivated me to learn english. however, as time went by, it was myself that pushed me to learn english. i realized that my self who need english. my parent could only provide a support and encouragement for me to learn english. my parent wanted me to be able to achieve my goal of becoming an english teacher in future. therefore, i have to be good at english.” (leni) “my parents. because they always remind me about the importance of english. they always ask me to learn english, like taking courses or learning in my own way (listening to english songs), to improve my ability in learning english.” (hani) “as i mentioned before, my parents always said if i was proficient in english, then my career would also be better in the future.my father previously asked me to join with one of english course in muara beliti. however, my mother didn't allow it, because our house was far from muara beliti. therefore, my parent bought me a laptop to help me learn more easily, especially in learning english.” (cinta) “of course. one example was like my parent bought the internet quota for me to study english. they did not support me to take an english course was because the location of my house was far from muara beliti, which made my parent did not allow me to join there. also there was no english tutor in my village. therefore, i had to learn english indenpendently by internet.” (veny) “my parents supported me to take an english class to increase my knowledge in learning english. the form of support they provided was a financial, because as i talked before that they did not speak english at all. beside learning english at school, taking online class was my another way to learn english. my parent did not really think much about my learning process, because they had tried to help me as best they could.” (santi) based on the five students's statements above, they explained that their parents always gave an advice about the important of learning english. their parents also wanted their children got a good grade in academics, expecially in english subject. therefore, they began to learn english by some ways, like listening to english songs, taking an offline english course or online english course. althought their parents were a farmer or laborrer in her village. however, they really appreciated the importance of learning english for their children, since they did their best to support their children in learning english, such as encouraging her to take english courses because her parents could not speak english at all. thus, their english learning were stimulated both through instrumental motivation and acts as a symbolic force for them and their parents. extrinsic and intrinsic motivation are important for children’s success, motivation from parents is a separate form of motivation that has a more direct and positive influence on student achievement (adamma et al., 2018; kumar & hossain, 2017; tripathi et al., 2018). it means that if parents supported their children’s invested in english by facilitating language learning opportunities, children are more likely to achieve success sooner. bariroh (2018) estimated that the kids' parent-related motivation or what they called parent-oriented motivation would give the positive after effects of parental involvement and its part in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 51 understudies' engagement and accomplishment. better english achievement the last factor was getting a better english achievement. there were 3 students who stated that when learning was carried out online, the students had to be able to understand english material independently, because their tecaher rarely explained the material in detail. therefore, the students was decided to study english right now because they needed to be able to do their taks or quizzes that given by their teacher in every week. then, they wanted to get a better grade in english subject. their grade in english subject would also affect their academic grade. “the most pressing reason for me to study english right now is the learning condition that is carried out online. now, the teacher often gives assignments without explained the material at all. that's why, we have to understand the material independently. we have to submit the assignments on time. if i just stay silent, my academic score will be low eaxctly. therefore, my parent and my brother asked me to join one of english course in muara beliti immediately.” (hani) “english was one of the compulsory subjects in my current school. especially when learning was carried out online, i had to be able to understand the english material independently. thus, in my opinion, english was a must for me to learn in order to improve my academic grade and also my career in the future.” (veny) the students explained that when learning was done online, they had to be able to understand the english material independently. they had to be able to do the assignments and quizzes given by their teacher in every week. thus, according to them, investing in learning english would help them to get good grades in academics, especially in english subject. according to wang (2018), intrinsic motivation is acting in a way that is motivated by internal rewards. in other words, you are motivated to engage in an activity because you find it to be inherently satisfying. it was in line with the statement that learners invested in learning english was because they hoped that it will provide a wider range of symbolic resources that increased the value of their cultural capital and social power (bourdieu, 2018; darvin & norton, 2017). conclusion the seven participants at one of smpn in musi rawas realized how important to invest in learning english to achieve the desired goals. the most dominant factor influenced the students to invest in their english learning was the family support. their parents believed that investing in learning english would help their children in getting a good academic and their career in the future. the family support could be in the form of material and nonmaterial. the material support could be seen from the support of parents by financing their english education and facilitating the needs of the participants. while the form of non-material support could be seen from the encouragement of parents in providing advices and overviews to participants about the importance of learning english for their future. the second dominant factor was a better english achievement. the students explained that the reasons they invested in learning english was because of the learning situation changing. when learning done online, their teachers often give the assignments and quizzes in everyweek (without material explanation before). they had to understand the english material indenpendently. then, the last dominant factor was past experience. the students explained that they want to follow their brothers’ success footsteps. they added that their brothers could be a police and a teacher at a course successfully because they were proficient in english. therefore, the students were motivated to invest in learning english. references adamma, o. n., ekwutosim, o. p., & unamba, e. c. (2018). influence of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on pupils academic performance in mathematics. online submission, 2(2), 52-59. adger, c. t., snow, c. e., & christian, d. (2018). what teachers need to know about language (vol. 2). multilingual matters. ahmad, s. r. (2016). importance of english communication skills. international journal of applied research, 2(3), 478-480. anwar, k., & wardhono, a. (2019). students' perception of learning experience and achievement motivation: prototyping english for academic purposes (eap). international journal of instruction, 12(3), 271-288. bariroh, s. (2018). the influence of parents' involvement on children with special needs' motivation and learning achievement. international education studies, 11(4), 96-114. bourdieu, p. (2018). the forms of capital. in the sociology of economic life (pp. 78-92). routledge. bourdieu, p. (2020). the field of power and the division of the labour of domination. in f. denord, m. palme, & b. réau (eds.), researching elites and yenni anggraini, eryansyah eryansyah, & sary silvhiany the factors of students’ investment in learning english during online learning at one of smpn in musi rawas 52 power: theory, methods, analyses (pp. 33-44). springer. burda, y., edwards, h., pathak, d., storkey, a., darrell, t., & efros, a. a. (2018). large-scale study of curiosity-driven learning. arxiv preprint arxiv:1808.04355. buzdar, m. a., mohsin, m. n., akbar, r., & mohammad, n. (2017). students' academic performance and its relationship with their intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. journal of educational research, 20(1), 74. cherry, k. (2022). extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation: what's the difference? verywell. https://www.verywell.com/differencesbetweenextrinsic-and-intrinsic-motivation2795384 darvin, r. (2019). l2 motivation and investment. in the palgrave handbook of motivation for language learning (pp. 245-264). springer. darvin, r., & norton, b. (2017). language, identity, and investment in the twenty-first century. in t. mccarty & s. may (eds.), language policy and political issues in education (pp. 1-15). springer international publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02320-5_181 darvin, r., & norton, b. (2021). investment and motivation in language learning: what's the difference? language teaching, 1-12. haydon, g., & van der riet, p. (2017). narrative inquiry: a relational research methodology suitable to explore narratives of health and illness. nordic journal of nursing research, 37(2), 85-89. jiang, l., yang, m., & yu, s. (2020). chinese ethnic minority students’ investment in english learning empowered by digital multimodal composing. tesol quarterly, 54(4), 954-979. kumar, d., & hossain, z. (2017). impact of extrinsic and intrinsic factors on teachers’ motivation. australasian journal of business, social science and information technology, 3(1), 19-27. lado, b., & quijano, c. (2020). ideologies, identity, capital, and investment in a critical multilingual spanish classroom. critical multilingualism studies, 8(1), 135-164. leeman, j. (2018). critical language awareness and spanish as a heritage language: challenging the linguistic subordination of us latinxs. in the routledge handbook of spanish as a heritage language (pp. 345-358). routledge. legault, l. (2020). intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. encyclopedia of personality and individual differences, 2416-2419. locke, e. a., & schattke, k. (2019). intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: time for expansion and clarification. motivation science, 5(4), 277. lu, j., he, l., & shen, q. (2020). lote (languages other than english) learners’ investment in learning languages. círculo de linguística aplicada a la comunicación, 84, 55. moná, m. c., & rodríguez, l. f. g. (2019). english learners’ identity formation as low and high investors in their learning process. colombian applied linguistics journal, 21(2), 165-178. murray, d. e., & christison, m. (2019). what english language teachers need to know volume i: understanding learning. routledge. nawawi, m. (2018). investigating purpose and impact of professional development in response to shifting curriculum. international journal of social sciences & educational studies, 5(2), 8697. o'neil, d. (2018). english as the lingua franca of international publishing. world englishes, 37(2), 146-165. rao, p. s. (2019). the role of english as a global language. research journal of english, 4(1), 6579. rintaningrum, r., aldous, c., & keeves, j. p. (2017). the influence of student background characteristics on proficiency in english as a foreign language: indonesian context. jurnal sosial humaniora (jsh), 10(2), 112-128. sung, c. c. m. (2020). investing in english-mediated practices in the emi university: the case of cross-border mainland chinese students in hong kong. lingua, 243, 102919. teng, m. f. (2019). learner identity and learners’ investment in efl learning: a multiple case study. iranian journal of language teaching research, 7(1), 43-60. tripathi, a., chaturvedi, k. r., & tripathi, a. p. (2018). assessing the influence of intrinsic motivation on academic performance: a study of management teachers. pertanika journal of social sciences & humanities, 26(3). 14551470. wang, v. c. (2018). handbook of research on program development and assessment methodologies in k20 education. igi global. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 687 evaluating the effectiveness of animaker as a pedagogical tool in teaching recount texts: students’ insights sania alinda mouli asnas master’s program in elt, universitas islam malang, indonesia email: sania.alindaa@gmail.com dwi fita heriyawati english education department, universitas islam malang, indonesia email: dwifitaheriyawati@unisma.ac.id mutmainnah mustofa english education department, universitas islam malang, indonesia email: inamustofa@unisma.ac.id apa citation: asnas, s. a. m., heriyawati, d. f., & mustofa, m. (2023). evaluating the effectiveness of animaker as a pedagogical tool in teaching recount texts: students’ insights. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 687-698. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8128 received: 28-06-2023 accepted:23-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: this qualitative research delves into the perspectives of english as a foreign language (efl) students regarding the utilization of animaker as an educational tool for recount text materials. the study involved interviews with three efl students hailing from an indonesian private junior high school. the findings of this investigation unveiled six significant advantages associated with using animaker in the learning process. firstly, it simplified subject matter comprehension for students. secondly, it facilitated the retention of lesson details. thirdly, it contributed to improved classroom performance, ultimately resulting in higher grades. fourthly, it rendered the learning process enjoyable, fostering a sense of motivation among students. lastly, it streamlined vocabulary acquisition, making it more accessible. however, despite these advantages, students encountered challenges, particularly in dealing with complex vocabulary found within the recount text materials. to overcome these hurdles, they devised four strategies. these strategies encompassed seeking clarifications from teachers and peers, consulting bilingual and monolingual dictionaries, and deducing word meanings from contextual clues. furthermore, the research revealed that animaker effectively enhanced 21stcentury literacy skills by combining digital literacy, global literacy, technological literacy, visual literacy, and information literacy. this, in turn, equipped students with valuable skills for thriving in today's technologically advanced society. in conclusion, the study highlighted the overwhelmingly positive perception of efl students towards the use of animaker as an educational medium for recount text materials. while students did encounter vocabulary challenges, they were proactive in employing various strategies to overcome these obstacles. this research holds implications for the development of technological resources in english language learning, benefiting both efl students and educators. keywords: animaker; educational media; recount text; students’ perceptions. introduction recently, teachers are facing problems in teaching english because teachers are expected to guide students to become innovative, so teachers need to increase students’ motivation by using interesting technology-based learning media. they are required to keep up with the times by utilizing technological sophistication so that learning that is integrated with technology is needed. several factors hinder teacher skills in utilizing information and communication technology (ict) as learning media, namely resistance to changes in ict mastery and limited time to utilize ict tools (ardika et al., 2023). the utilization of ict as instructional media can optimize student understanding of the material and provide interesting learning activities. one interesting strategy that increases student motivation is the use of ict which provides a lot of meaningful material using the animaker application. animaker can help teachers to make interesting animated videos because this application provides features to create motion effects making it suitable for giving explanations to students. this audio-visual media can increase students' attention and prepare them for learning because they are enthusiastic and mailto:dwifitaheriyawati@unisma.ac.id sania alinda mouli asnas, dwi fita heriyawati, & mutmainnah mustofa evaluating the effectiveness of animaker as a pedagogical tool in teaching recount texts: students’ insights 688 motivated in learning media that use animated videos that help provide an overview of material concepts in an easy way (siregar, 2021). some of the importance of using animaker learning media are sharpening students' skills and abilities, motivating them to learn english vocabulary, increasing student enthusiasm for learning, increasing student understanding, and maintaining the level of student focus during learning. with research studies released in the last four years, there has been a growing interest in studying animaker-based animated videos utilized in learning and instructional media that are used in the recount text. previous studies that discuss animaker as an effective learning media are shown by the first to the fifth previous study, while the discussion about learning media used to teach recount text is shown by the sixth to the eighth previous study. first, lathifah & muhammad (2022) examined the perceptions of junior high school students regarding the animaker application in vocabulary development during covid-19. the results of the study show that using animaker can increase vocabulary. this media can entertain students because the visuals that use cartoon analogies can attract the attention of students so that the concept of material designed by the teacher can be understood clearly, and students also do not get bored. this application makes students comfortable and motivated in learning. second, amiruddin & diani (2023) investigated the use of the animaker application to increase the motivation of students of the faculty of economics and business to learn the english part of speech. this study states that animaker can increase students' learning motivation in learning the english part of speech because there are significant differences between students after they learn the english part of speech by applying the animaker application. they experience greater enjoyment, interest, and zeal for studying. as a result of utilizing this application to learn, students have also reported feeling more confident and able to speak english fluently, which is another way they feel this application has benefited them. third, anisa et al., (2023) researched designing animaker in elementary school. the study’s findings report that animaker is the practical medium for teachers to convey subject matter because of the success with a high level of utility in using this application. this application is used to change the learning atmosphere to be fun and calm so that students can understand learning quickly and give students enthusiasm. this creative teaching material can have an impact on the learning system in schools because teachers can operate this application easily using laptops and projectors, so this application can help teachers adapt to the times. fourth, marpaung & hambandima (2019) have finished a study on animaker to advance students' understanding of digital storytelling in descriptive texts for writing classes. the study's findings demonstrate that animaker can improve students' literacy levels since it inspires them to keep learning. this application can accommodate them in writing as their learning media. to meet the expectations of english language learning in the digital age, this media can also be used in collaborative projects to create digital storytelling products. fifth, paino & hutagalung (2022) have studied the use of animaker in the creation of biographical texts among high school students. according to the study's findings, teachers can use this web-based tool to foster a more innovative learning environment, spark students' interest in the subject matter, and enhance their academic performance. the ability to create instructional materials on any device and modify videos are two benefits of this tool. additionally, the information is accessible from any location and at any time. in light of this, using animaker as a learning tool is acceptable and efficient. sixth, dianti et al., (2023) conducted research intending to design learning media that can help teachers to teach recount text using local photographs for senior high school students. the finding stated that studying recount text with local photographs or visual aids based on local culture can increase student participation in class during learning, but this learning media is still not able to facilitate various types of recount text. moreover, using local photographs can improve their reading skills. therefore, the use of local photographs can support recount text teaching and learning activities, but the weakness is that local photographs are only limited to recount texts based on local culture. seventh, johan et al., (2023) examined an investigation on learning media for teaching recount text using google classroom. the use of this media is an effective tool for teaching recount text to vocational high school students because there are significant differences between students who are taught using google classroom and students who are not taught using this media. they get an increase in writing skills. eighth, gayatri & gaffar (2023) did research on english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 689 picture series in high school students as learning media in recount text material. they claim that picture series can improve their writing skills in the recount text. in addition, this picture series increases students' writing motivation and they are also serious about learning because this media can create fun learning. they are also actively participating in learning. ninth, haleem et al. (2022) did a research on the use of technology in education. the low quality of teaching, which arises from teachers' lack of subject expertise, lack of training, limited contact with students, time constraints, and lack of attentive instruction, is one of the problematic aspects of the field of education. as a result, digital technologies must be used when teaching in the classroom. the findings show that the usage of digital tools enhances the classroom environment and makes the teaching and learning process more engaging, inspirational, and meaningful since students are more engaged in learning when technology is present in the classroom. teachers' ability to create instructional materials can be facilitated by the use of technology in education. tenth, solihat et al. (2023) undertook a study on the extent of technological media use in english language instruction by english teachers in indonesian private and public junior high schools using survey methodology. whatsapp, powerpoint, youtube, and electronic learning are among the programs that english teachers frequently use; yet, the majority of them do not fully utilize technological media in teaching english. apart from that, there is half of the total students at the school do not use technology, while the rest use laptops, cellphones, and laboratories. according to the study's findings, some schools still do not have the necessary infrastructure and resources to employ technology media effectively in english language instruction. eleventh, laksmi et al. (2021) researched the use of animation in language learning using literature research methods that focused on the advantages of using video-based animation, namely powtoon, in teaching english. according to the study's findings, employing animated videos can greatly boost students' willingness to learn english. an audio-visual tool that might enhance students' receptive skills is video-based animation. additionally, because this resource promotes thought and enhances the learning environment for students in the classroom, it helps students understand complex topics presented in textbooks and increases their recall. additionally, this media can raise students' reading engagement and concentration levels, which will demonstrate the student's commitment and excitement. twelfth, nurdyansyah et al. (2020) did a study on how the usage of animation can improve primary school students' english achievement using the classroom action research methodology. according to the study's findings, using animation can considerably improve lower-grade primary school children's proficiency in learning english since it can make lessons more enjoyable. as a result, by actively participating in and contributing to the advancement of their profession, teachers can support learning activities that use animation as a medium and raise their level of digital literacy. because there is no research on using animaker for recount text material, this research examines animaker in recount text material. in addition, because the sixth, seventh, and eighth previous studies used only visual-based learning media to teach recount text such as using local photographs, google classroom, and picture series, this current research discusses audio-visual-based learning media used to teach recount text, especially on the animated video. therefore, there is still no research that examines the perceptions of junior high school students in offline classes using animaker as a learning media for the recount text material. the first previous research only discussed the perceptions of junior high school students, limited to developing vocabulary during online classes during the covid-19 outbreak. the second previous research only discussed increasing learning motivation in students of the faculty of economics and business by using the animaker application. the third previous study only investigated the animaker design for elementary school students. the fourth previous study discussed the use of animaker in digital storytelling in descriptive text for secondary-level students. the fifth previous research examines the use of animaker in biographical text in high school students. the ninth and tenth previous studies discussed technology in education. however, the ninth previous study was a review article that focused on the role of technology in education without mentioning specific digital applications. the tenth previous research only focused on the extent to which technology use in indonesian schools at the junior high school level used quantitative methods, and it turns out the research results stated that the use of this technology was not optimal. the eleventh and twelfth previous studies focused on the use of animation in language learning because of the importance of the use of technology in efl sania alinda mouli asnas, dwi fita heriyawati, & mutmainnah mustofa evaluating the effectiveness of animaker as a pedagogical tool in teaching recount texts: students’ insights 690 language classes. the eleventh previous research used research method literature which only focused on advantages without discussing difficulties and strategies that can be used by students in learning english, and this research also did not discuss it in the context of recount text, but this research discussed it in the context of increasing motivation in learning english. the twelfth previous research only focused on improving english achievement in lower elementary school students without discussing the role of animation in learning vocabulary or other language aspects, and this research also used the classroom action research method. because most of the previous research did not use a qualitative research design, the current research uses a qualitative research design. in addition, in the discussion section, most of the previous studies did not state whether the results of the findings were in accordance or contradictory with previous research, so the current research will discuss more deeply the utilization of animaker. the previous studies above discussed only the advantages of using animaker, no study explained the advantages, challenges, and strategies all at once. therefore, this study focuses on three main topics namely advantages, challenges, and strategies of using animaker as a learning media in the recount text. to fill this gap, researchers researched junior high school students about using animaker as the learning media in the recount text material based on their perception. the research goal is to investigate the advantages students get, the challenges students face, and the strategies students use when learning the recount text using the animaker application that shows animated videos. therefore, the following three research problems were addressed: 1). what advantages do students get when learning to recount text using the animaker application that shows animated videos? 2). what challenges do students face when learning to recount text using the animaker application that shows animated videos? 3). what strategies do students use when learning to recount text using the animaker application that shows animated videos? method this study used a qualitative research design because it fits the research context, namely describing the perceptions of junior high school students about animated videos using animaker which was used as learning media. this approach was designed to gather more thorough information about students' perceptions, which was used to assess animaker's advantages, challenges, and strategies. transcripts of interviews were used to gather data. information was gathered from junior high school students attending a private school in malang, east java, indonesia. the reason why researchers chose this school for research was that the english teachers admitted that the student’s interest in english lessons at the school was still very low, so the teacher provided learning media using photos and invited students to study outside the classroom when learning english, especially when learning about recount text. therefore, english teachers still did not use technology-based learning media when teaching, so researchers conducted research using technology-based audiovisual learning media, namely animaker, for learning english, especially recount text material. three participants responded to a series of interview questions to gather research data. they were questioned about their experiences when learning to use animated videos using the animaker application, especially about the advantages, challenges, and strategies of this application. the interview was the primary research instrument. an interview was performed to understand more about students' perceptions of the advantages, challenges, and strategies of animated videos using the animaker application when learning english in the recount text material, so three main interview questions were addressed. semi-structured interviews were employed by researchers to learn more candidly about participants' perceptions. the interview was conducted using indonesian. one hour was spent on the interview. the field notes contained the outcomes of the interviews. the researcher then used the interview's findings to identify followups. the selected participants were eighth-grade students. they were second-semester students because at that time they were receiving lessons in recount text. the top three students who scored the best on recount texts were chosen. they consisted of three females, and they were 14 years old. the research objectives were met by choosing participants with high test scores in the recount text questions and those who were most knowledgeable about the advantages, challenges, and strategies of utilizing the animaker application to study english in the recount text lesson. this study used purposeful sampling to choose the students who were interviewed. students with a score of 95 were chosen to participate in the interview because initially twenty one students in one class had english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 691 answered questions about recount text after learning recount text using animaker, but the researcher only took students who got the highest score on the test. apart from the fact that they got the highest scores on the test, they were also students who were able to express their perceptions with comprehensive answers regarding animaker in general when the researcher tried to ask each student one by one so that the researcher considered that the three students were students who had potential to be interviewed. therefore, they were chosen because they offered the most thorough understanding of the data related to this research topic. researchers also received recommendations from their english teachers to investigate their perceptions. additionally, data from the interview was analyzed. as part of the interview data analysis process, the researcher organized and evaluated the data, coded the data, and explained the meaning of the encoded data. to determine which information was significant and pertinent to the research questions, the researcher first created interview transcripts from interview recordings. then, the researcher encoded the data to create a systematic description by looking for relevant keywords in the interview transcripts. in the third step, the researcher decided whether the data results were consistent with earlier research or not, which was a form of topic interpretation. results and discussion the advantages of animaker as learning media three participants were interviewed and related to the advantages of the animaker application as a learning media that presents animated videos. when asked about the advantages of the animaker application, students feel that they easily understand recount text material when the material is displayed using an animated videos-based animaker application because these videos use the appearance of interesting animated characters and clear sound. moreover, the explanations in these videos are clear. “i can hear the message being delivered because of the clear audio the video produces, which also makes it simpler for me to comprehend the recount text materials. besides that, i find it helpful to understand recount text material after the teacher uses fascinating animated videos so that i understand the characteristics of recount text. now i am aware of which is a time adverb and which is a sequence adverb.” (participant 1) not only did participant 1 state that animaker based on video animation helped to comprehend the contents of the lesson delivered by this application, but also participant 2 stated that this learning media made their understanding of recount text better. then, the use of animated videos using animaker assists in remembering the lesson conveyed in the recount text. students become more active in learning when using animated videos. the use of animaker aids students to learn to recount text easily. “the video has good quality and is very suitable for the material presented, namely recount text material. i can better understand material using videos because i prefer listening to stories with videos. so animated videos make learning easy. the video helps me remember material about recount text. so i feel that i can understand more easily if the lessons are presented using animated videos. i am more excited about learning to study recount text material using animated videos. i feel happy with this way of learning. i hope this way of learning can be applied in all lessons.” (participant 2) in addition, participant 3 experienced an increase in the score of the recount text material, and the participant also did not feel bored when learning english using this learning media. the student also felt motivated to learn english. the participant also felt helped and happy with this animated video because this media helps to learn vocabulary. “learning using animated videos made my score increase in recount text material. it is a lot of fun learning using this technology. learning recount text requires watching animated videos. i do not feel bored when the teacher uses animated videos in learning the recount text. i find it helpful to understand the recount text material with the video because the video explains the entire contents of the material clearly. i am motivated to learn more. the animated videos help me understand new vocabulary.” (participant 3) therefore, there are six advantages of learning media that use animated videos with the animaker application. first, the animaker assists the students in understanding the lesson. second, this application makes it easier for them to remember the lesson information that has been delivered. third, this application acts as an intermediary to improve their performance in answering tasks related to the material that has been presented. fourth, animaker makes learning fun because students do not get bored. fifth, this application sania alinda mouli asnas, dwi fita heriyawati, & mutmainnah mustofa evaluating the effectiveness of animaker as a pedagogical tool in teaching recount texts: students’ insights 692 can increase the student’s motivation. lastly, animaker makes it easier for them to learn english vocabulary. the challenges of animaker as learning media then, they were asked about the challenges of the animaker application as a learning media that shows animated videos. participant 1 said that ignorance of difficult vocabulary caused challenges in this learning media to appear which sometimes affected the understanding of some recount texts. “when learning to use animaker, i had challenges in understanding some recount text in terms of vocabulary. this challenge is because i do not understand some of the difficult vocabulary. i am also quite a difficulty translating these words.” (participant 1) participant 2 also claimed that difficulties in translating vocabulary were also the difficulties they faced. the inability to interpret is a weakness that is owned. as a result, translating from english to indonesian and from indonesian to english is a problem in using animaker as an animated videobased learning media in the recount text material when the video is not fully explained in indonesian. a need for teacher guidance to explain the source language as a whole to facilitate the process of interpreting students in terms of vocabulary. “i have a challenge in interpreting english vocabulary. i sometimes have difficulty translating vocabulary from english to indonesian and vice versa, even though the english learning videos have been not fully explained in indonesian.” (participant 2) participant 3 also experienced difficulties in the vocabulary aspect. when only using an offline dictionary as a way to make it easier to find the meaning of a vocabulary, it makes it difficult for them to find the right meaning and sometimes they do not even find it. there is a need to increase online translation tools that can be an alternative to this part of the vocabulary problem. lack of vocabulary is a problem in facilitating their learning using animated video-based animaker. “i sometimes do not understand the meaning of sentences. i also lack vocabulary. in addition, when i want to look up difficult words, i cannot find the meaning of the sentence in the offline dictionary.” (participant 3) the students stated that they had challenges in the vocabulary section. they have difficulty translating difficult vocabulary when learning recount text as shown in an animated video using the animaker application. therefore, they have challenges in the vocabulary part that make them not understand the meaning of the recount text materials when learning using animated videos. the strategies to overcome the challenges in using animaker as learning media after that, they were questioned about the strategies they used to overcome challenges they encountered when learning the recount text using the animaker application as a learning media that displays animated videos. participant 1 explained that there were several strategies used to overcome the challenges in vocabulary. asking for explanations regarding difficult vocabulary is a way that can be done. not only asking the teacher for an explanation but also asking colleagues for an explanation is beneficial. moreover, the use of google translate as an online translation tool is also a strategy that has an impact on the success of mastering new vocabulary that they have never known. “my first strategy is to ask my teacher for further clarification of vocabulary i do not understand. i also ask my friends. my second strategy is to use google translate to overcome my difficulties. i think that using google translate is the efficient way.” (participant 1) participant 2 used several strategies for difficulties in vocabulary. the use of the monolingual dictionary helps find the meaning of words correctly so that students get the meaning according to the context. in addition, the use of a bilingual dictionary assists students in ensuring the correct meaning of words because they can check the vocabulary from english to indonesian and vice versa. “when i find difficult vocabulary words, i look them up on the internet, especially in monolingual dictionaries. usually, i use the merriam-webster dictionary and cambridge dictionary. besides that, i also use a bilingual dictionary because it can help me when i want to translate english to indonesian and vice versa to make sure that the meaning of that word is correct. so, i can check the result of the translation appropriately.” (participant 2) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 693 participant 3 utilized both offline and online dictionaries to find word definitions more quickly. additionally, guessing challenging vocabulary by reading the entire passage helps determine the meaning of the word based on context. “the strategy that i use when i have difficulty with vocabulary is that i do not only use offline dictionaries but also online dictionaries. i use offline and online dictionaries because usually, offline dictionaries are not very complete when looking for words that are difficult or that we never know. my second strategy is that guess the meaning of the difficult vocabulary from the whole word in a sentence that is suitable with the context.” (participant 3) the students demonstrated that they overcame their challenges by using several strategies. they asked their teachers and their peers to assist them. they used not only offline dictionaries but also online dictionaries like google translate. in addition, the students used monolingual dictionaries such as merriam-webster and cambridge dictionary. additionally, they predict the vocabulary definition from the context. therefore, there were four strategies they used. the first strategy was using guidance from their teachers. the second strategy was using bilingual dictionaries. the third strategy was using monolingual dictionaries. the last strategy was guessing meaning from the context. according to the interview results, there are six advantages of animaker as a learning media. students who use this media to learn can grasp concepts more quickly and become more passionate about what they are learning. the first advantage is that animaker makes the students comprehend the material easily. the finding of this study is supported by rahmawati & ramadan (2021) who stated that if the learning material is presented in a clear and fun way, such as by using animated videos as one of the technological developments, even difficult subjects can be easily absorbed. there are auditory and visual components in animaker-based learning animation videos that attract students' attention to the material being discussed and stimulate their minds while studying. because of the visuals, which can help students better understand the contents of learning, the learning process will be more engaging. students' understanding of learning becomes fast because students are excited when they learn to use animaker (anisa et al., 2023). as a result, interactive video media helped students understand the information that teachers were presenting to them. then, the students can quickly recall the information that was shown in the animated video. the second advantage is that animaker can make it easy for students to remember information about the lessons that have been presented. the finding of this study corresponds with the investigation discovered by nurmatov et al. (2023) who discussed that the advantage that students get when they are given learning media related to technology such as using animated videos is that they can store information in their memory for a long time. efl students can better retain the information they see and hear with the aid of this audio-visual learning media in english. this finding is also further reinforced by agustini et al. (2023) who mentioned that learning media that used animated videos was interesting learning media that could improve students' memory. students can store material that has been given through modern learning media for a long time compared to conventional learning media. moreover, students who use animated videos in their learning materials are more involved and focused so that they can perform their ability well in learning. the third advantage is that students' learning achievement increases when learning uses animated video-based media. this finding is consistent with the research found by hanif (2020) that has demonstrated that using animated videos to promote new learning material effectively raises student achievement. there are noticeable disparities in the cognitive learning outcomes between the two classes when learning is conducted in courses using video-animation-based media as opposed to classes conducting learning in conventional media. as a result, the use of animated video-based learning materials has a significant impact on cognitive learning outcomes because the interactive motion graphic features meet students' needs in active learning settings, making it simpler to integrate this learning material with the student-centered method in the classroom and foster an active learning environment. academic performance among students improves after a teacher presents animated videos created with animaker to complement a cutting-edge learning environment (paino & hutagalung, 2022). furthermore, video animations created to explain recount text material can foster joyful learning. the fourth advantage is that students do not feel bored and ignorant in class during learning because the learning media used are not still images but interactive animated videos. interactive animated video-based media is media that can help sania alinda mouli asnas, dwi fita heriyawati, & mutmainnah mustofa evaluating the effectiveness of animaker as a pedagogical tool in teaching recount texts: students’ insights 694 students pay attention to learning more easily, and this also affects their concentration in learning. learning could be made fascinating with the help of animated videos that feature humorous and intriguing imagery, which can encourage students to become more committed and enthusiastic about their studies. the educational environment is made more enjoyable by the use of animated videos created with animaker, so the learning atmosphere is not boring. the finding of this study was also supported by research discovered by tafani & kamaludin (2023), which asserts that one benefit of video-based learning media is to create captivating learning experiences that convey factual information through attractive animations. one of the key ways to increase students' interest in learning is to create a fun learning environment, specifically by using interactive animated videos and relating content to real-world situations. in addition, it can beautify the appearance of the learning process, facilitate learning arrangements, and draw students' attention. animated videos increase learning interest and improve the effectiveness of english language instruction (ridha et al., 2022). as a consequence, animaker can create a fascinating learning atmosphere for efl students who learn the recount text. next, the students can study more effectively with the aid of the animaker since animation boosts both motivation and enthusiasm for learning. the fifth advantage is that students feel motivated to learn when the learning media uses animated videos based on animaker. the research’s finding is supported by a study done by amali et al. (2020) who demonstrated that because the learning materials include abstract concepts, animated movies encourage students to learn. additionally, this type of educational media can boost creativity and help students think more critically. after utilizing animaker to learn english, students' motivation has grown (amiruddin & diani, 2023). students are motivated because learning is not dominated by the teacher, and there are interesting innovations in learning. because the learning environment is enjoyable, the usage of this learning media is an alternative that has a significant impact on student motivation, making it simpler for teachers to present material. as a result, animaker has a good impact on students because this media also increases their self-confidence and sense of satisfaction with their educational experiences, and learning materials with animated videos could enhance students' motivation and interest. after that, because the animated video has both written and moving images, the students could easily understand the words being presented, which helped them build their vocabulary. the last advantage is that the animaker can expand their english vocabulary. the result of this study is following research conducted by siregar et al. (2021) who revealed that students can quickly acquire english vocabulary with the use of animated video-based learning materials. junior high school student's vocabulary improves as a result of animaker's ability to amuse them with appealing graphics and make vocabulary learning fun (lathifah & muhammad, 2022). if students pay closer attention to the vocabulary used in the learning videos, it will be simpler for them to memorize it and comprehend its meaning. the result of this study is also strengthened by research conducted by rahayu et al. (2021) who mentioned that animated videos can help students in positive cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement when learning vocabulary. in cognitive engagement, their vocabulary collection increases through animated videos besides being able to help represent material. the students were able to mention the vocabulary they learned and were able to state its meaning. in terms of emotional involvement, they had positive reactions when learning vocabulary through animated videos so their emotional involvement was positive because the animated videos had interesting songs, sounds, and animations. in behavioral engagement, vocabulary learning can also attract active student participation through animated video-based learning media because they can hold discussions with their peers and with their teachers if there is material or vocabulary they do not understand. furthermore, amirreza (2019) also stated that watching animated videos can accidentally help efl students broaden their vocabulary since they hear words used in meaningful context. therefore, audio-visual materials can enhance the students’ knowledge of english vocabulary. it turned out that efl students experienced challenges when learning media using animakerbased animated videos during recount text lessons. they had difficulty interpreting the message from the animated video when faced with very difficult vocabulary. the challenge they face is difficulty in terms of vocabulary. even though their vocabulary knowledge increases by using this learning media, they have problems translating difficult vocabulary, especially vocabulary that is not written in the video. this result conforms with a study done by puteri et al. (2022), who argue that while animated movies are entertaining english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 695 educational tools that can help students learn vocabulary, they can also provide unique problems to individual learners. the students encounter several vocabulary-related issues, such as mispronunciation, misspelling, and difficulty understanding english vocabulary in the context of content words that are difficult for them as a result of the speaker's rapid speech. in addition, another cause is the lack of exposure to english among efl students. efforts that can be taken so that students can correctly understand how to pronounce vocabulary and write vocabulary with the correct spelling are the need for repetition. they have difficulty pronouncing the vocabulary because they are used to pronouncing the indonesian alphabet. students experience difficulties and fear in vocabulary because english is a foreign language for them, and they lack motivation (albadri et al., 2022). the difficulties that efl students face in terms of vocabulary such as difficulty understanding vocabulary in difficult contexts and difficulties in translating the challenging vocabulary. the finding of this study is further confirmed by the research described by machfudi & afidah, (2022), who noted that students experienced several challenges in terms of vocabulary and several factors that influenced it. the first challenge is the difficulty in translating words from english to indonesian and vice versa. the second challenge is the difficulty in understanding the meaning of vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling, and memorizing english vocabulary. due to the students' inadequate proficiency in english, they struggle in terms of vocabulary because they find it difficult to understand challenging vocabulary, so they need the help of a dictionary (aprianto & heriyawati, 2020). several factors cause challenges to students when learning to master english vocabulary. the first factor is their reluctance to open a dictionary. the second factor is a lack of enthusiasm for english study. the third factor is the absence of suitable resources for vocabulary learning. the fourth factor is the learning environment or friends who do not support learning english vocabulary. there are four strategies used by efl students to overcome the challenges in the term vocabulary when they use animaker as a learning media in recount text. students' vocabulary knowledge can be greatly impacted by assistance from teachers or peers since they can clarify the meaning of the vocabulary and offer pronunciation corrections. their first strategy is asking for further explanation from teachers’ guidance and peers’ assistance. when students consult with their teachers or are involved with their peers to translate or explain the meaning of lexis that students do not know, it is a social strategy used in vocabulary learning strategies. this finding is consistent with the research found by utomo et al. (2022) who claimed that social strategies that ask others for clarification or information about difficult vocabulary can enhance language learning. students can ask for definitions, synonyms, or translations of difficult vocabulary they do not know by asking their teacher or peers for help. in addition, due to their poor level of english proficiency, efl students still frequently utilize bilingual dictionaries. the second strategy is using a bilingual dictionary. the finding has been corroborated by abbasi et al. (2019) who stated that students utilize bilingual dictionaries because they assist them in translating vocabulary to enhance their study of english. bilingual dictionaries are also conveniently accessible, which is another justification. because students must infer or assume the meaning of the terminology from monolingual dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries are preferred for learning translation to acquire specific responses. the bilingual dictionary's definitions are written in a style that is very simple to understand, which encourages efl students to use it. in the use of bilingual dictionaries, the students used google translate apart from offline bilingual dictionaries. this finding is supported by musk (2022) who explained that google translate can help students overcome challenges in lexical terms. there is a positive response to the use of this tool as a strategy in terms of vocabulary. this finding also follows the statement of tsai (2020) who claims that google translate as an online translation tool (ott) can assist students such as reducing their spelling mistakes and providing knowledge of the meaning of vocabulary. text can be automatically and instantly translated into the target language using google translate (de la vall & araya, 2023). there are several other advantages if students use google translate to overcome their challenges in terms of vocabulary. the first advantage is low cost. the second advantage is the ease of accessing the application. the third advantage is speeding up the translation process. additionally, monolingual dictionaries are favored while learning foreign languages since they give a very thorough description, assisting students in thinking about the target language and assisting them in becoming fluent in that language. their third strategy is using a monolingual sania alinda mouli asnas, dwi fita heriyawati, & mutmainnah mustofa evaluating the effectiveness of animaker as a pedagogical tool in teaching recount texts: students’ insights 696 dictionary. this finding is in line with research conducted by suryanudin (2020) who found that the monolingual english dictionary is a very helpful tool that includes several useful features in terms of vocabulary. first, it can be used to confirm the definition of the word. second, it can be used to consult usage by looking at example sentences. third, it can be used to check spelling. online monolingual dictionaries can educate students about collocations, synonyms, and words connected to semantics so that they can potentially expand their vocabulary (ptasznik, 2023). using this online monolingual dictionary can save time for students. lastly, the students guess the meaning of the textual context to learn the meaning of new words. the last strategy is guessing meaning from the context. this finding was confirmed by alzahrani & alqurashi (2023) who reported that one of the most widely used strategies in vocabulary learning was guessing the meaning of words from the available context. thus, guessing meaning from the context strategy is classified as a determination strategy. it is a strategy used by students without the help of others so that the strategy for guessing words according to the context allows students to learn independently in finding the meaning of vocabulary. therefore, animaker is a tool that integrates information literacy, visual literacy, technological literacy, global literacy, and digital literacy to create 21st-century literacy abilities. the capacity to communicate, have discussions, collect knowledge, and ask for assistance online is known as digital literacy. the capacity to read and understand texts from a broad perspective is known as global literacy. the capacity to use technology to enhance learning is known as acquired technological literacy. the capacity to comprehend and communicate through visuals is known as visual literacy. the capacity to gather and analyze information is known as acquired information literacy. however, this study has limitations. the first limitation is the tiny sample size since only three individuals were interviewed. the second limitation is the possibility of bias because all participants are female. conclusion this study argues that students have a positive perception of using animaker as a learning medium in recount text because they get several advantages. the advantages they get such as the ease of understanding and remembering the material that has been presented because the animated video is displayed clearly and attractively so that it can stimulate their thinking. furthermore, the increase in value and activity in the class they get from interactive animated videos can improve an active learning environment that can be integrated with student-centered learning. then, the learning atmosphere becomes fun because animated videos can beautify the appearance of the teaching and learning process which can increase interest in teaching to increase student learning motivation. students' vocabulary knowledge develops with the animaker learning media, but students still experience challenges in terms of vocabulary, especially difficult vocabulary where they have difficulty translating vocabulary because they still lack exposure to english, lack interest in english, and lack supporting facilities in learning vocabulary. when they face challenges in terms of vocabulary, they use social strategies (with the help of others) such as asking teachers and colleagues, and determination strategies (without the help of others) such as using monolingual and bilingual dictionaries and guessing meaning from context. the implication of this research’s findings will aid the development of english instructional media that use technology for the english language education sector in indonesia, especially in the recount text material. in addition, this study’s implications will be beneficial for efl students and english teachers in learning english. for efl students, this research is expected to help them improve their knowledge and their enthusiasm for learning english, especially in the recount text lessons using animated video-based animaker and strategies they can do if they experience difficulties when learning using media. this learning. for english teachers, they need to create technologybased learning media that attracts the eyes and attention of students so that teachers can facilitate and guide teaching and learning activities properly. the findings of this study have practical applications. first, this study offers useful knowledge for efl students and english teachers, as it can assist them in learning both the advantages of using animaker to learn english and the potential challenges of such a technology-based media. aside from that, this research helps them try to utilize the proper method after encountering similar challenges when learning english using animaker, particularly when learning recount text, so they can effectively practice learning english using animaker. however, this research does not examine students using a questionnaire that can involve more students to get a larger sample size. therefore, future researchers can conduct research english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 697 using research methods that are different from the current research methods regarding the use of animaker as a learning media. references abbasi, w. t., ahmad, m. m., & mohammed, f. a. e. (2019). learners' perceptions of monolingual dictionaries in learning english as a foreign language. international journal of education and literacy studies, 7(3), 10. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.7n.3p.10 agustini, k., putrama, i. m., wahyuni, d. s., & mertayasa, i. n. e. (2023). applying gamification technique and virtual reality for prehistoric learning toward the metaverse. international journal of information and education technology, 13(2), 247–256. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2023.13.2.1802 albadri, a. n., yunus, m., elfiyanto, s., mustofa, m., & putra, s. p. (2022). the students’ perception toward learning platform of quizizz in learning vocabularies at man 1 malang. edutec : journal of education and technology, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.29062/edu.v6i2.427 alzahrani, k., & alqurashi, n. (2023). vocabulary learning strategies used by saudi female efl learners. international journal of linguistics and translation studies, 4(1), 111–123. https://doi.org/10.36892/ijlts.v4i1.296 amali, l. n., zees, n., & suhada, s. (2020). motion graphic animation video as alternative learning media. jambura journal of informatics, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.37905/jji.v2i1.4640 amirreza, k. (2019). implementing audio-visual materials (videos), as an incidental vocabulary learning strategy, in second/foreign language learners’ vocabulary development: a current review of the most recent research. i-manager’s journal on english language teaching, 9(2), 60. https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.9.2.15519 amiruddin, a., & diani, o. (2023). using animaker application to enhance students' motivation on learning english parts of speech. wahana didaktika: jurnal ilmu kependidikan, 21(1), 219-227. https://doi.org/10.31851/wahanadidaktika.v21i1 .11161 anisa, y., malik, m., putri, t. o. d. s., hafiz, m., & novita, n. (2023). animaker animation video design as a digital-based learning media with the theme of comparison and scale in elementary school. edunesia: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 4(1), 184–196. https://doi.org/10.51276/edu.v4i1.328 aprianto, e., & heriyawati, d. f. (2020). the implementation of multiple media in improving reading comprehension skill in the university students. journal of physics: conference series, 1464(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1464/1/012014 ardika, d. b., zulaihati, s., & musyaffi, a. m. (2023). the influence of teacher skills utilizing ict and teacher teaching style on learning outcomes using blended learning. international journal of multidisciplinary research and literature, 2(1), 26-34. https://doi.org/10.53067/ijomral.v2i1.69 de la vall, r. r. f., & araya, f. g. (2023). exploring the benefits and challenges of ai-language learning tools. international journal of social sciences and humanities invention, 10(01), 7569–7576. https://doi.org/10.18535/ijsshi/v10i01.02 dianti, e. n., rezeki, y. s., & rosnija, e. (2023). designing supplementary materials entitled “learning recount texts through local photograph” for reading recount text. acitya: journal of teaching and education, 5(1), 134– 155. https://doi.org/10.30650/ajte.v5i1.3502 gayatri, d. d., & gaffar, m. a. (2023). the implementation of picture series as learning media to improve students ’ writing ability related to historical events in recount text a . introduction. edunesia: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 4(2), 790–803. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.51276/edu.v4i2 .429 haleem, a., javaid, m., qadri, m. a., & suman, r. (2022). understanding the role of digital technologies in education: a review. sustainable operations and computers, 3(february), 275– 285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susoc.2022.05.004 hanif, m. (2020). the development and effectiveness of motion graphic animation videos to improve primary school students’ sciences learning outcomes. international journal of instruction, 13(4), 247–266. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13416a johan, a. n., apriliandita, d. t. a., & widodo, s. (2023). using google classroom in teaching recount text at the tenth grade students of vocational school (smk). english education and literature journal (e-jou), 3(01), 26–33. https://doi.org/10.53863/ejou.v3i01.602 laksmi, n. k. ., yasa, i. k. ., & mirayani, k. a. m. (2021). the use of animation video as learning media for young learners to improve efl students’ motivation in learning english. lingua, 17(1), 42–52. https://doi.org/10.34005/lingua.v17i1.1378 lathifah, r., & muhammad, r. n. (2022). students’ perception on vocabulary development using video animation animaker during online learning covid-19 pandemic. journal of english teaching, literature, and applied linguistics, 6(1), 41. https://doi.org/10.30587/jetlal.v6i1.3829 machfudi, m. i., & afidah, a. (2022). students’ difficulties in vocabulary mastery. crew journal, 1(1), 01–12. https://doi.org/10.35719/crewjournal.v1i1.1359 sania alinda mouli asnas, dwi fita heriyawati, & mutmainnah mustofa evaluating the effectiveness of animaker as a pedagogical tool in teaching recount texts: students’ insights 698 marpaung, t., & hambandima, e. s. n. (2019). exploring animaker as a medium of writing a descriptive text: efl students’challenges and promoted aspects of digital story telling literacy on descriptive text. international seminar on language, education, and culture isolec, 3(2), 27– 32.http://ejurnal.undana.ac.id/ajes/article/view /1918%0ahttps://ejurnal.undana.ac.id/ajes/arti cle/download/1918/1488 musk, n. (2022). using online translation tools in computer-assisted collaborative efl writing using online translation tools in computerassisted. classroom discourse, 13(2), 119–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/19463014.2021.202511 9 nurdyansyah, n., mandarani, v., & rais, p. (2020). how to make use of animation to improve primary school students’ english achievement? jees (journal of english educators society), 5(1), 53–59. https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v5i1.365 nurmatov, z. o., tursunpulatova, k. a., & nasriddinova, z. n. (2023). the role of multimedia technologies in teaching pop vocals. international conference on science, engineering & technology (issue 1). https://doi.org/10.24158/spp.2021.10.15 paino, n. p., & hutagalung, t. (2022). developing biographical texts by audio-visual teaching materials: animaker-web for high school students. utamax : journal of ultimate research and trends in education, 4(3), 228–245. https://doi.org/10.31849/utamax.v4i3.11125 ptasznik, b. (2023). evaluating the usefulness of the learning tools in monolingual online dictionaries for learners of english : gauging the preferences of polish students of english. lexikos, 33, 109– 124. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5788/331-1799 puteri, c. g., nurweni, a., & riyantika, f. (2022). vocabulary learning through video: analysis of foster students’ difficulties. asian journal of multilingualism and applied linguistics, 1(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.53402/ajmal.v1i1.30 rahayu, s., ahmad, y. b., & kamil, a. b. (2021). exploring student’s engagement in learning vocabulary through animation videos. edumaspul: jurnal pendidikan, 5(2), 776–781. https://doi.org/10.33487/edumaspul.v5i2.1855 rahmawati, f., & ramadan, z. h. (2021). improving high-level thinking skills in students through powtoon-based animation video media. journal of education technology, 5(4), 654. https://doi.org/10.23887/jet.v5i4.41037 ridha, s. k., bostanci, h. b., & kurt, m. (2022). using animated videos to enhance vocabulary learning at the noble private technical institute (npti) in northern iraq/erbil. sustainability (switzerland), 14(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127002 siregar, a. s. b., tobing, e. g. l., & fitri, n. r. (2021). developing of teaching materials: using animation media to learning english vocabulary for early childhood. etdc: indonesian journal of research and educational review, 1(1), 9–16. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.51574/ijrer.v1i 1.44 siregar, m. h. (2021). the utilization of animation video in narrative text writing class: an exploration of students’ perceptions. vision, 17(2), 76–88. https://doi.org/10.30829/vis.v17i2.1154 solihat, d., fadhly, f. z., & wihadi, m. (2023). variety of english learning media technology: voices from novice learners. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 211–218. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7580 suryanudin, m. (2020). an influential technological assistance: consulting english monolingual dictionary application in evaluating student’s english writing. education and linguistics knowledge journal, 2(2), 38–51. https://doi.org/10.32503/edulink.v2i2.1162 tafani, t., & kamaludin, a. (2023). development of powtoon animation video on joyful learning loaded reaction rate material to increase high school students’ learning motivation. jurnal kependidikan: jurnal hasil penelitian dan kajian kepustakaan di bidang pendidikan, pengajaran dan pembelajaran, 9(1), 258. https://doi.org/10.33394/jk.v9i1.7057 tsai, s. (2020). chinese students ’ perceptions of using google translate as a translingual call tool in efl writing. computer assisted language learning, 35(5–6), 1250–1272. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.179941 2 utomo, d. t. p., ahsanah, f., islami, a., suratmi, s., & suhariyati, s. (2022). vocabulary learning strategies employed by indonesian virtual exchange students. jurnal ilmu pendidikan, 28(2), 57. https://doi.org/10.17977/um048v28i2p57-65 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 783 exploring language assessment literacy of efl teachers in the context of indonesian higher education andri suherman universitas hamzanwadi, selong, indonesia email: andrisuherman@hamzanwadi.ac.id apa citation: suherman. a. (2022). exploring language assessment literacy of efl teachers in the context of indonesian higher education. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 783792. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6525. received: 19-06-2022 accepted: 25-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction assessment can be assumed as one of the most important aspects of instructional contexts as it may significantly affect the quality of teaching and students’ learning (aryadoust et al., 2021). researchers argued that assessment should be utilized to boost deep learning, to enhance students’ learning motivation, to help students recognize self-concept within themselves, and to help students understand the quality of assessment (mcnamara et al., 2019). it is therefore, assessment should be properly implemented as it can provide all parties (students, teachers, and assessors) with valid information about students’ learning achievement (salmani-nodoushan, 2020). in fact, there is a strong relationship between assessment and teaching in a way that assessment can help teachers improve their teaching quality, and teaching can help teachers enhance their assessment quality (coombe et al., 2020). nevertheless, it is highly unlikely that such relationship can be developed if teachers are not equipped with adequate assessment knowledge. the necessity of assessment knowledge for teachers triggered some scholars (giraldo, 2018; mcnamara et al., 2019; pastore & andrade, 2019) to introduce and expand the paramount concept of “assessment literacy”. in the field of foreign language or second language education, assessment literacy is mainly focusing on the testing stakeholders’ knowledge of the principles of assessment, and the implementation of the knowledge (coombe et al., 2020). although the concept of assessment literacy is lacking of consensus, in consistent with the standards of teacher competence in educational assessment of students, giraldo (2018) argued that language teachers need to possess a high level of language assessment literacy (hereafter lal) to be able to develop appropriate testing methods, to administer tests, to score tests and use them to aid instruction, to communicate the test results to stakeholders, and to become aware of the ethical use of tests. similarly, sultana (2019) highlighted the pivotal role of lal which could help teachers to collect accurate information about their students’ learning achievement and to use this information to improve their teaching practices. it is therefore, as wind and peterson (2019) noted, language teachers are required to possess a high level of lal in all level of education, including in the context of higher education. with regards to this, kremmel and harding (2020) mentioned the significance of examining how lal is perceived abstract: the present study aims at examining efl teachers’ perceptions of language assessment literacy (hereafter lal) in the context of indonesian higher education. to this aim, purposive sampling technique was employed to select sixteen efl university teachers to participate in an online questionnaire and semistructured interviews. the finding showed that the participants had applied six types of lal in their teaching practices with formative assessment methods and test validity and reliability being the two most applied (more than 80%) by the participants. following this, between 75% and 80% participants had applied two other types of lal, linguistics competence and test results. the last two types of lal, digital literacy and grading criteria, were applied by less than 70% participants. another finding from qualitative data revealed that the majority of participants (over 70%) ranked their level of lal knowledge and skills as low. despite some limitations, the present study provides some implications including the necessity for the efl teachers to be equipped with relevant knowledge and skills to make the way for quality assessment. it is therefore university authorities should organize professional development programs with the purpose to help teachers improve their assessment literacy. in addition, all educational parties should collaborate to consistently conduct literacy assessment projects throughout teachers’ professional career. some suggestions for future research in the field of language assessment are also presented. keywords: efl teachers; language assessment; university teachers. andri suherman exploring language assessment literacy of efl teachers in the context of indonesian higher education 784 by university language teachers. the results can be used by university officials to determine whether or not teachers are equipped with required lal. if not, the university officials need to organize relevant training courses to help the teachers enhance the level of their lal. as for the research of lal, there have been many lal-related studies over the last few decades, which were conducted by many researchers across different contexts. for example, in chinese educational context, yan and fan (2021) investigated contextual and experiential factors which had affected assessment literacy of three different groups of people (efl teachers, graduate students, and language assessors). their finding revealed that different lal profiles were demonstrated by the participants both at individual and group categories. at the group category, graduate students and language assessors reported a higher level of lal than did the efl teachers. at the individual category, however, each participant displayed a different process of lal development although they shared similar patterns. meanwhile, lam (2019) examined the assessment literacy of 66 efl secondary teachers in hong kong. he revealed that the majority of the teachers had a required level of assessment literacy, yet found difficulty to differentiate between two major elements in assessment, “assessment of learning” and “assessment for learning”. other than in china, some other researchers have also conducted relevant studies in different countries. in iran, for example, watmani et al. (2020) compared assessment literacy between efl teachers and nonefl teachers by employing assessment literacy scale. their finding showed that both of the group of participants had a limited knowledge of assessment concept along with the different perceptions of lal among the two groups. meanwhile, bøhn and tsagari (2021) examined teacher educators’ perception of lal in the context of norwegian education. their finding showed that the participants claimed four different competences of lal that teachers should have; “disciplinary competence, assessment-specific competence, pedagogical competence, and collaboration competence” (bøhn & tsagari, 2021, p.226). in the contexts of indonesian education, lal has also been an interesting topic of research for the past few years. for example, zulaiha et al. (2020) examined 22 secondary school efl teachers’ perception of lal by employing a survey as their research instrument. their finding showed that although the teachers demonstrated a high level of assessment knowledge, there was a huge discrepancy between their assessment knowledge and assessment practices. the discrepancy was particularly identified in two major stages, implementation and monitoring. meanwhile, mirizon (2021) investigated the level of efl teachers’ (n=6) assessment literacy at two different indonesian secondary schools. by adapting the classroom assessment literacy inventory (call), his finding revealed that the teachers were found to have a fairly literate of lal. in this regard, the teachers demonstrated difficulties when assessing students’ learning because they failed to interpret the basic competence in the curriculum, and they rarely employed formative assessment methods due to lack of the ability to manage the classroom time. while the studies above were conducted at secondary school level, marhaeni et al. (2020) examined 144 teachers’ perception of lal at elementary school level. by using the 30-item classroom assessment literacy questionnaire (calt), their finding showed that the teachers’ assessment literacy was perceived as “fair”. in this sense, there was no significant different of lal found between lower-grade teachers and uppergrade teachers. based on the review of studies above, it can be assumed that relatively not many researchers have explored the dimension of lal in the context of indonesian higher education. furthermore, not many scholars have qualitatively explored the efl teachers’ perceptions of lal at the university level in indonesia. thus, it is significantly important that the current study help expanding our understanding of the dimension of lal by exploring efl teachers’ conceptions of lal in the context of indonesian higher education. the followings are two questions that need to reveal in this study: (1) what types of lal have efl university teachers applied? (2) what do efl university teachers think about their lal? it is hoped that the findings of this study can improve the assessment quality by providing the language assessors with some valuable insight into teachers’ perception of lal. method this study was conducted at mataram university, indonesia. to select efl university teachers to participate in this study, purposive sampling method was employed. it yielded 16 efl teachers specialized in applied linguistics (n=6), tesolteaching english to speakers of other languages (n=8), and translation (n=2). it should be noted that the data collection was continually conducted until data saturation emerged. it means that the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 785 data gained was repetitive and the participants shared no new things. out of those 16 participants, nine were efl male teachers (56%) and seven were females efl teachers (44%). their length of teaching experiences ranged from 1 to 5 (50%), 6 to 10 (25%), and 11 to 15 (25%). the information of participated teachers is displayed in table 1 below. this study employed a mixed method to collect data which consists of two instruments, an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. in regards with online questionnaire, it was designed by adapting the qualtrics questionnaire platform. the questionnaire consists of 6 dichotomous questions regarding types of lal that the university teachers had applied in their teaching performances. based on their ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers, they were required to answer multiple choice questions regarding the level of their lal. the questions consisted of 3 options; high, medium, and low. the second instrument, semi-structured interviews, were administered with the participants. the interviews began with an open-ended question (ex: how do you define language assessment literacy?) and continued with specific questions written in the checklist that had been developed before. if needed, additional or relevant questions were raised to elicit elaborate answers. it should be noted that the interviews were carried out in the participants’ first language, bahasa indonesia, to allow them express their opinions with a greater ease without any struggles with second language barriers that might occur during the interviews. each interview lasted for about 60 minutes and was audio recorded to be analyzed later. it is also worthy to note that the interviews were carried out in diverse temporal and spatial settings with the purpose to allow the participants deliver their thought without being affected by the time and place of the interviews. table 1. the information of the participants from the online questionnaire, the quantitative data which consists of dichotomous and multiplechoice questions were statistically analyzed. on the other hand, the data gained from interview transcriptions were first coded and qualitatively analyzed. with regards to coding scheme, the procedure used was open coding by examining similarities and differences of all actions or events that emerged in the interview transcriptions. in this sense, the same actions were grouped together and put into broad categories. for instance, several actions or events that seemed to relate to what teachers know fell into the category “knowledge”. then, the actions or events that appeared to relate to technological competence fell into the subcategory “digital literacy”. last, the actions or events that seemed to relate to virtual assessment techniques fell into the theme “online test procedure”. once the identification analysis had finished, these three elements (category, subcategory and theme) generated codes which were then applied to all the interview transcripts. table 2. coding scheme for interview data categories sub-categories themes codes teachers gender level major teaching experience (in years) t1 f lecturer tesol 7 t2 m senior lecturer tesol 12 t3 m senior lecturer applied linguistics 11 t4 f lecturer tesol 4 t5 f lecturer translation 7 t6 m senior lecturer tesol 8 t7 m senior lecturer applied linguistics 14 t8 m senior lecturer applied linguistics 12 t9 f senior lecturer tesol 10 t10 m associate professor translation 13 t11 f lecturer applied linguistics 5 t12 f senior lecturer tesol 15 t13 m senior lecturer applied linguistics 10 t14 m associate professor tesol 14 t15 f lecturer tesol 3 t16 m senior lecturer applied linguistics 13 andri suherman exploring language assessment literacy of efl teachers in the context of indonesian higher education 786 a. knowledge 1. digital literacy a. online test procedure b. electronic devices a-1-a a-1-b 2. test validity and reliability a. test design b. statistical formula a-2-a a-2-b 3. linguistic competence a. teaching methods b. assessment techniques c. teaching media a-3-a a-3-b a-3-c b. skill 1. formative assessment methods a. peer/self-assessment b. students’ portfolio b-1-a b-1-b 2. grading criteria a. productive skills criteria b. receptive skills criteria b-2-a b-2-b 3. test results a. teachers’ direct feedback b. teachers’ written report b-3-a b-3-b results and discussion what types of lal have efl university teachers applied? based on the result of online questionnaire (see figure 1 below), it was found that the efl university teachers have applied six types of lal in their teachings during covid-19 pandemic. it is clear that two types of lal, formative assessment methods and test validity and reliability were the most popular with 84% and 82% participants respectively. following these, other two types of lal, linguistics competence and test result, had been applied by between 75% and 80% teachers in their teaching practices. meanwhile, digital literacy and grading criteria were the two least favorite types of lal (less than 70%) which had been applied by the teachers. this finding indicated that not all the efl university teachers in this study have applied six types of lal in their teaching practices. as rasooli et al. (2018) suggested, because of limited experience in relevant trainings, many efl teachers have lost their opportunity to develop their lal. as a result, they tend to simply skip applying certain types of lal in their teachings (levi & inbar-lourie, 2020). for example, in the case of formative assessment methods (84%) in this study, it can be assumed that remaining participants (16%) have no sufficient competence to assess their students formatively. it is therefore, as argued by many scholars (giraldo, 2018; lee et al., 2020; ozan & kincal, 2018), teachers need to be trained and facilitated with relevant trainings with the purpose to develop their lal and become more competence in assessing their students’ learning. figure 1. types of lal for efl university teachers what do efl teachers think about their lal? knowledge based on the data gained from online questionnaire (see figure 2 below), it was found that more than 70% participants ranked their level of lal as low in each of the six types of lal. in contrast, the level of medium and high were ranked less than 65% by the participants. as shown in the figure 2 below, it is clear that the first theme in the category of knowledge is related to digital literacy with 74% of participants thought that they had a low level of digital literacy. in this sense, although the teachers recognized the significance of technology in assessment practices, they were doubting their knowledge of the use of technology in virtual education. for instance, t4 commented in the interview session: “i realize the essence of digital platforms to assess students’ english skills, especially during this covid-19 pandemic. but i honestly don’t english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 787 know much how to administer online tests using adobe connect, for example. i often use the simple application like whatsapps.” (code: a-1-a, a-1-b) the interview excerpt above indicates that virtual education is perceived as an integral element of lal. despite this, the participants doubted their ability when assessing their students virtually as they regarded their digital literacy was limited. this finding aligns with that of gomeztrigueros et al. (2019) which reported that teachers recognized the value of digital platforms in language assessment, yet lacked of digital literacy. the second theme from the data questionnaire is regarding test validity and reliability with 75% of participants ranked their knowledge of test validity and reliability as low. in this sense, the participants asserted that teachers should acknowledge that the tests they administered were valid and reliable. in relation to test validity, for example, t8 responded in the interview process: “i always make my best effort to design tests which represent the course outline. however, designing a quality test is not easy since it requires adequate knowledge of test validation and i don’t know much about statistical formula for making reliable tests. this is the reason why i often use ready-made tests provided by my institution which mostly lack of validity, i guess.” (code: a-2-a, a-2-b) the statement above shows that both validity and reliability are highly valued by the teachers. nevertheless, they were skeptical of their own knowledge of test validity and reliability. consequently, they were dependent on ready-made tests provided by their institution. this finding supports what rezai et al. (2021) have reported that although efl teachers recognized how a quality test should be, they seemed to have inadequate knowledge of test validity and reliability. figure 2. teachers’ perceptions of their level of lal the last theme within knowledge category is related to teachers’ linguistics competence with 77% of efl teachers argued that their level of linguistics competence was low. the respondents recognized how teachers’ linguistics competence affects their quality assessment. in the interview process, t2, for instance, reflected: “i believe that if a teacher has adequate linguistics competence (ex: teaching methodologies, content knowledge, and teaching media), the testing practices will be found meaningful and effective by his/her students. that is the reasons why i always try to develop my linguistic competence by attending educational seminars and reading relevant books or journals.” (code: a-3-a, a-3-b, a-3-c) the excerpts above shows that the teachers acknowledged the essence of linguistics competence as it might affect their assessment practices. thus, they made their best efforts to familiarize themselves with basic knowledge of linguistics. this finding is in accordance with that of abdulrahman and ayyash (2019) which revealed that students often relate low-quality testing practices with teachers’ lack of linguistics knowledge. in sum, in the domain of knowledge, the first theme that emerged from the data analysis was related to digital literacy. the participants were aware of the significance of technology in assessment practices, particularly during this covid-19 pandemic period. they found the need to be equipped with such digital knowledge as they possessed a very low-level literacy in the technological things. this finding may be explained from the perspective that the increasing interest in making use of electronic devices in andri suherman exploring language assessment literacy of efl teachers in the context of indonesian higher education 788 assessment practices is linked to the efficiency they provide for language assessors (kuimova, 2018). in alignment with khoiriyah (2020), this finding could be argued that the prominence of computerassisted language learning (call) has benefitted many testing stakeholders. thus, it is reasonable that teachers need to update their digital literacy to become proficient assessors in the digital world (kahveci, 2021). while the first theme was related to teacher literacy in digital technology, the second theme was regarding teacher literacy in test validity and reliability. the respondents realized that a good test should be valid and reliable. nevertheless, they had no sufficient knowledge of how to design a test which has a high level of validity and reliability. as a consequent, they prefer to use ready-made tests provided by their institution which were relatively not valid and reliable. this finding may be discussed from this respect that if a test does not satisfy validity requirements, it fails to assess what it is intended to assess, and if a test does not meet reliability requirements, it fails to consistently assess the intended competence (tosuncuoglu, 2018). another possible reason for this finding, as hamid et al. (2019) noted, is that test validity increases the probability rate of making correct decisions about students’ life, and reliability provides teachers with consistent information about students’ competence. thus, knowledge of test validity and reliability should be developed by teachers to become more expert in testing practices. the last theme in the category of knowledge was regarding teacher linguistics competence. the respondents recognized the importance of linguistics competence as it might affect their test quality. this finding may be explained from this viewpoint that teachers with high-level of linguistics competence relatively know how to implement effective teaching methods and design meaningful testing formats (rasooli et al., 2018). in alignment with abdulrahman and ayyash (2019), it could be assumed that if proficient teachers know how to linguistically deliver the lesson topics, it provides students with a great opportunity to learn and showcase their language skills. therefore, linguistics competence should be highly valued by teachers as it may affect the quality of their teaching and testing practices. in brief, the data analysis revealed three main themes under knowledge domain namely digital literacy, test validity and reliability, and linguistics competence. each of them was perceived as essential by the participants and required to develop. skills in the domain of skills, as displayed in the figure 1 above, the first theme emerged from the result is regarding formative assessment methods with 71% of the efl teachers ranked their skill level of formative assessment as low, although some of them (60%) thought that they had a highlevel skill of applying formative assessment methods. in the interview process, one of the participants (t1) mentioned the benefits of students’ self-assessment: “students’ self-assessment and peer-assessment are two of my favorite types of formative assessment methods. these help students to reflect upon their previous performances and improve their future learning. however, i feel that such -assessment methods are very timeconsuming and portfolio assessment requires diverse skills to undertake. therefore, i still prefer summative assessment techniques (multiple choice tests, short-answer essays, gapfill questions) for practicality and economical reason.” (code: b-1-a, b-1-b) the statement above indicates that formative assessment methods are positively treated by the teachers due to the fact that they can facilitate student learning. nonetheless, some shortcomings (ex: consuming much time and requiring certain skills) embedded on such methods lead the teachers to prefer summative assessment methods due to their practical use and inexpensive cost. this finding is consistent with that of leenknecht et al. (2021) which revealed that efl teachers acknowledged the advantages of formative assessment techniques, yet rarely implemented them due to several drawbacks. as a result, they favored summative assessment techniques because of practicality and economic reasons. the second theme from the questionnaire data was related to grading criteria with 80% participants thought that they had a low-level skill of designing grading criteria. in the interview session, for instance, t7 reflected: “it is extremely important that teachers tell their students about grading procedures at least one week before the test is administered. it helps students to focus on certain parts of the lessons. however, it is not easy to design grading criteria for speaking skills particularly. i need to adjust grading criteria i found in the internet with my students’ learning purposes.” (code: b-2-a, b-2b) the interview quote above shows that the respondents highly valued grading criteria by english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 789 communicating them with their students in advance. although the teachers faced some challenges when designing assessment criteria for speaking skills, they made their best effort to adjust the criteria with their teaching contexts. this finding supports what mai (2019) have found that clear and transparent assessment criteria have a significant impact not only on students learning, but also on teachers’ testing quality. the last theme in the category of skill was regarding test results. although 79% of participants argued that their skill level of test result was low, some of them (64%) thought that they had a high-level of reporting test results. in this sense, the efl university teachers argued that students’ test results should be reported along with relevant feedback. for example, t16 commented during interview session: “in my opinion, it is extremely essential that teachers provide students with some feedback after taking a test. feedback can help students to see and rectify their mistakes for their future learning. but teachers need to be mindful of sharing test results to the low-proficient students as they may lose self-confidence and learning motivation.” the excerpt above indicates that communicating test results with students is significantly essential for the teachers. this is because they believe that effective feedback could help students with their future learning. however, they still worried about announcing tests score as it might adversely affect self-confidence of the lowproficient students. this finding aligns with that of rasooli et al. (2018) which revealed that teachers found it important to announce students’ scores, but they seemed to become resistant as it potentially lowered students’ learning motivation. in sum, in the domain of skill, three different themes were also found from the data analysis. the first one was regarding formative assessment techniques. although the teachers recognized the benefits of assessing their students learning formatively, they still loved assessing their students learning summatively. this finding may be explained from the perspective that summative assessment methods are easy to design and are flexible to use in different contexts for different purposes (tursunboevna, 2022). in alignment with giraldo (2018), it could be argued that formative assessment techniques required certain skills to undertake which eventually hindered teachers to implement them. however, considering pedagogical advantages that formative assessment methods have to offer, as noted by previous studies (lee et al., 2020; ozan & kincal, 2018), it is essential that teachers need to be trained with relevant skills to become proficient in assessing their students’ learning formatively. the second theme elicited from the data analysis was related to grading criteria. the respondents realized that clear and transparent grading criteria had a positive relation with students’ learning outcome. when assessing students’ communicative skills, however, the teachers found it difficult to design appropriate grading procedures. this finding could be discussed from the view that valid grading criteria helped teachers to generate students’ test scores without being contaminated by irrelevant constructs (von-wangenheim, 2018). another possible reason for this finding could be students would consider their test score as fair when transparent and unbiased grading procedures were informed in advance (quinn, 2020). given the fact that clear grading criteria may lead to positive testing results, it is reasonably important that teachers need to develop their grading skills especially when it comes to speaking abilities. the last theme in the category of skill was regarding test results. the respondents were aware of providing students with positive feedback after taking a test could benefit their learning in the future. nonetheless, they found it unethical to inform students about their test scores as it might negatively affect self-confidence of the lowproficient students. this finding may be explained from this viewpoint that positive feedback could help students to consolidate their learning, yet might destroy their self-efficacy (ryan & henderson, 2018). in contrast, rios and ihlenfeldt (2021) assumed that when test results were informed appropriately, along with positive feedback, students would not lose their selfconfidence but become more motivated instead. to make it more meaningful and fairer, rasoolie et al. (2018) even argued that teachers may present some positive feedback but keep the students’ scores confidential. thus, it is worthy to note that teachers need to familiarize themselves with some skills to help them deal with students’ test scores. to close, three main themes under skill domain emerged from the data analysis namely formative assessment methods, grading criteria, and test results. three of these elements were conceived as important by the respondent and thus need to develop. conclusion the current study aimed at investigating the perception of indonesian efl teachers regarding the fundamental of lal. based on the data andri suherman exploring language assessment literacy of efl teachers in the context of indonesian higher education 790 analysis, two types of lal domains emerged. the first one is the domain of knowledge which encompassed three different themes (e.g. digital literacy, test validity and reliability, and linguistics competence), and the second one is the domain of skill which also comprised three types of themes (e.g. formative assessment methods, grading criteria, and test results). as the finding revealed, it can be assumed that efl teachers should be equipped with relevant knowledge and skill to make the way for quality assessment. some pedagogical implications can be seen from the study’s findings. first, school authorities should organize professional development programs with the purpose to help teachers improve their assessment literacy. second, formative assessment methods (e.g. peer assessment, self-assessment, portfolio assessment) should be more implemented. such methods can be beneficial for student learning if the implementation is adjusted with teaching contexts and students’ learning purposes. another implication is teachers’ assessment practices are likely to be perceived as effective if they consider contextual factors (e.g. students’ interests, learning styles, culture, age and gender). the last implication is intended for the researchers in the field of language assessment. in this regard, they should be mindful of lal elements which may change over time as the consequence of change in the views on l2 teaching. despite the implications above, it should be noted that the current study is not without limitations. aside from small sample of participants, this study examined the fundamental of lal from the teachers’ perspectives. to reach a more comprehensive framework, future research can examine the fundamental of lal from the students’ perspectives. furthermore, this study provided some meaningful insight into the effects of linguistics competence on teachers’ assessment quality. more research needs to explore how teachers’ linguistics competence affects students’ perspectives of quality assessment. while this study revealed digital lal from the teachers’ perspectives, future studies can also examine digital lal from the perspectives of both efl teachers and students. in addition to this, future studies can research what grading criteria as perceived efficient by both efl teachers and students. last but not least, interested researchers can investigate the perceptions of both efl teachers and students regarding the effects of announcing test results on students learning. references abdulrahman, n. c., & ayyash, e. a. s. a. (2019). linguistic competence, communicative competence, and interactional competence. journal of advances in linguistics, 10(1), 1600-1616. aryadoust, v., ng, l. y., & sayama, h. (2021). a comprehensive review of rasch measurement in language assessment: recommendations and guidelines for research. language testing, 38(1), 6-40. bøhn, h., & tsagari, d. (2021). teacher educators’ conceptions of language assessment literacy in norway. journal of language teaching and research, 12(2), 222–233. coombe, c., vafadar, h., & mohebbi, h. (2020). language assessment literacy: what do we need to learn, unlearn, and relearn?. language testing in asia, 10(1), 1-16. giraldo, f. (2018). language assessment literacy implications for language teachers. how journal, 28(3), 78-92. https://doi.org/10.19183/how.28.3.673 gómez-trigueros, i. m., ruiz-bañuls, m., & ortegasánchez, d. (2019). digital literacy of teachers in training: moving from icts (information and communication technologies) to lkts (learning and knowledge technologies). education sciences, 9(4), 274-284. hamid, m. o., hardy, i., & reyes, v. (2019). testtakers’ perspectives on a global test of english: questions of fairness, justice and validity. language testing in asia, 9(1), 1-20. kahveci, p. (2021). language teachers’ digital literacy and self-efficacy: are they related? elt research journal, 10(2), 123-139. khoiriyah, k. (2020). call and sla theory: developing a framework to analyze web-based materials for teaching listening skills. ideas: journal on english language teaching and learning, linguistics and literature, 8(1), 80-92. kremmel, b., & harding, l. (2020). towards a comprehensive, empirical model of language assessment literacy across stakeholder groups: developing the language assessment literacy survey. language assessment quarterly, 17(1), 100-120. kuimova, m., burleigh, d., uzunboylu, h., & bazhenov, r. (2018). positive effects of mobile learning on foreign language learning. tem journal, 7(4), 837-841. lam, r. (2019). teacher assessment literacy: surveying knowledge, conceptions and practices of classroom-based writing assessment in hong kong. system, 81(1), 78–89. lee, h., chung, h. q., zhang, y., abedi, j., & warschauer, m. (2020). the effectiveness and features of formative assessment in us k-12 education: a systematic review. applied measurement in education, 33(2), 124-140. leenknecht, m., wijnia, l., köhlen, m., fryer, l., rikers, r., & loyens, s. (2021). formative english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 791 assessment as practice: the role of students’ motivation. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 46(2), 236-255. levi, t., & inbar-lourie, o. (2020). assessment literacy or language assessment literacy: learning from the teachers. language assessment quarterly, 17(2), 168-182. mai, d. t. (2019). a review of theories and research into second language writing assessment criteria. vnu journal of foreign studies, 35(3), 104-126. marhaeni, a. n., paramartha, a. g. y., wirabrata, d. g. f., dantes, n., susilawan, i. a., & handayani, d. a. p. (2020). uncovering assessment literacy of elementary teachers in singaraja, bali. in 3rd international conference on innovative research across disciplines (icirad 2019) (pp. 252257). atlantis press. mcnamara, t., knoch, u., fan, j., & rossner, r. (2019). fairness, justice & language assessment. oxford university press. mirizon, s. (2021). teachers of english assessment literacy: unveiling what they know and do. indonesian research journal in educational, 5(1), 124-141. ozan, c., & kıncal, r. y. (2018). the effects of formative assessment on academic achievement, attitudes toward the lesson, and self-regulation skills. educational sciences: theory & practice, 18(1), 85-118. pastore, s., & andrade, h. l. (2019). teacher assessment literacy: a three-dimensional mode. teaching and teacher education, 84, 128-138. quinn, d. m. (2020). experimental evidence on teachers’ racial bias in student evaluation: the role of grading scales. educational evaluation and policy analysis, 42(3), 375-392. rasooli, a., zandi, h., & deluca, c. (2018). reconceptualizing classroom assessment fairness: a systematic meta-ethnography of assessment literature and beyond. studies in educational evaluation, 56(1), 164–181. rezai, a., alibakhshi, g., farokhipour, s., miri, m. (2021). a phonomyography study on language assessment literacy: hearing from iranian university teachers. language testing in asia, 11(1), 1–26. rios, j. a., & ihlenfeldt, s. d. (2021). state assessment score reporting practices for english learner parents. educational measurement: issues and practice, 40(3), 31-41. ryan, t., & henderson, m. (2018). feeling feedback: students’ emotional responses to educator feedback. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 43(6), 880-892. salmani-nodoushan, m. a. (2020). language assessment: lessons learnt from the existing literature. online submission, 14(2), 135-146. sultana, n. (2019). language assessment literacy: an uncharted area for the english language teachers in bangladesh. language testing in asia, 9(1), 1–14. tosuncuoglu, i. (2018). importance of assessment in elt. journal of education and training studies, 6(9), 163-167. tursunboevna, n. z. (2022). various types of assessment in language teaching and learning. eurasian journal of social sciences, philosophy and culture, 2(3), 140-145. von-wangenheim, c. g., hauck, j. c., demetrio, m. f., pelle, r., da cruz alves, n., barbosa, h., & azevedo, l. f. (2018). code master--automatic assessment and grading of app inventor and snap programs. informatics in education, 17(1), 117150. watmani, r., asadollahfam, h., & behin, b. (2020). demystifying language assessment literacy among high school teachers of english as a foreign language in iran: implications for teacher education reforms. international journal of language testing, 10(2), 129–144. wind, s. a., & peterson, m. e. (2018). a systematic review of methods for evaluating rating quality in language assessment. language testing, 35(2), 161-192. yan, x., & fan, j. (2021). “am i qualified to be a language tester?”: understanding the development of language assessment literacy across three stakeholder groups. language testing, 38(2), 219–246. zulaiha, s., mulyono, h., ambarsari, l. (2020). an investigation into efl teachers’ assessment literacy: indonesian teachers’ perceptions and classroom practice. european journal of contemporary education, 9(1), 189-201. andri suherman exploring language assessment literacy of efl teachers in the context of indonesian higher education 792 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 437 research trends of technology integration in teaching english grammar as foreign language: bibliometric analysis in 2013-2023 rita erlinda english teaching department, uin mahmud yunus, batusangkar email: ritaerlinda@uinmybatusangkar.ac.id zetra sivila agamas english teaching department, uin mahmud yunus, batusangkar email: zetrasivila1306@gmail.com apa scitation: erlinda, r., & agamas, z. s. (2024). research trends of technology integration in teaching english grammar as foreign language: bibliometric analysis in 2013-2023. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 437-448. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.8457 received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 21-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction technology is playing an increasingly important role and influence in the teaching of english as a foreign language, especially in terms of assisting the role of teachers as one of mediating learning. recent advances in technology have brought new and demanding situations and responsibilities for teachers in applying it in the learning process. technology is increasingly being used in educational contexts. technology has also played an important role in language teaching since the 1960s. the field of english language teaching has undergone significant changes due to the availability of more time and more advanced technology. these technological advances provide various opportunities to make teaching more interesting and effective (liang, 2021). utilizing technology in language teaching and learning opens up avenues for both teachers and students to explore novel learning opportunities and enrich their educational experiences. adapting to the evolving educational landscape where technology holds a pivotal role necessitates educators to be proficient in its usage. leveraging technology to support students in their academic pursuits can significantly enhance learning outcomes. employing technology in the classroom, aligned with standards and diverse learning objectives, facilitates successful language learning among students. whether teachers have one computer in their classroom, several computers, or rarely use the computer lab, english language teaching through technology offers effective solutions for different levels of access. there are different types of technologies that can be used for english grammar teaching, such as computer programs and applications, self-learning software, and online learning platforms. these technologies can help teachers prepare interactive, engaging grammar teaching materials that are easily understood by students and help smooth the learning process. students usually practice memorizing grammar rules and answering exercise questions from abstract: technological developments have a significant impact on education, especially in the context of teaching english grammar as a foreign language. this research emphasizes the importance of understanding these technological developments. to find out about these developments, it is necessary to conduct an analysis. this research uses bibliometric analysis, it is an analysis that explains the mapping process based on research trends that utilize metadata processing analysis. the purpose of this study is to analyze and determine the development trend of research related to the integration of technology in teaching grammar as a foreign language from 20132023. researchers use quantitative analysis methods in processing calculating the frequency of publications or citations. both quantitative and qualitative processes used to analyze the data. the qualitative analysis process involves interpreting and understanding visualization the content of the data. data search and database analysis using scopus software, ms. excel and vosviewer. the results of the research analysis highlight the fact that technology integration in teaching english grammar as a foreign language is still in a relatively new stage of development in the last ten years, from 2013 to 2023. a significant surge of attention to this topic occurred in 2022. new core topics emerged between 2020 and 2022, including discussions on multimedia systems, multimedia technologies and educational computing. in this context, multimedia technology takes center stage, signaling potential research directions for the future. this highlights the need for further development in multimedia technology-based teaching methods to support effective learning that is responsive to students’ needs. keywords: bibliometric analysis; technology integration; teaching english grammar. rita erlinda & zetra sivila agamas research trends of technology integration in teaching english grammar as foreign language: bibliometric analysis in 2013-2023 438 textbooks during traditional grammar lessons. with the use of technology, grammar teaching can become more interesting and fun for students (utomo & ahsanah, 2020). technology readiness often refers to the expertise and experience of education stakeholders in using technology as a learning medium as well as the extent to which they benefit from the use of technology during the learning process. according to kusumaningrum et al. (2022), to see the relationship and development of technology in grammar teaching in particular, it is necessary to conduct a review or analytical study. each development will be able to guide which parts of existing research need to be improved and which developments are too far away to be applied. technological advancements have resulted in many educational innovations and modifications. its easy accessibility and affordability for education makes technology as a learning medium increasingly popular around the world (jie & sunze, 2021). especially in english as a foreign language (efl) classes, teachers can encourage students by providing audio and video materials, online media, multimedia software, etc. in the classroom. a wide range of skills can be taught in english language teaching by using technology such as speaking, listening, writing, and also reading. in the area of writing skills is teaching english grammar. english grammar is one of the aspects of language learning that discourages learners from learning the language. grammar is referred to as the generalization of linguistic aspects that make up the language system (hashim et al., 2019). understanding sentence structure patterns and using grammar as a tool when creating spoken and written texts are two ways to define grammar. grammar will always be important in language development and should not be neglected. although vocabulary study is the primary goal, grammar can and should be taught in the classroom. concerns over potential boredom or difficulty can be overcome by using the right strategies and resources to make grammar learning interesting, rewarding and productive (nurhidayat, 2021). despite the challenges of these issues, teachers are using recognizable technologies for educational reasons (suharti, 2022). teaching grammar becomes more difficult without applying technology in the current situation. english grammar as a foreign language and technology have a close relationship in teaching and learning. the integration of technology in english grammar teaching has changed the way students learn and teachers teach, bringing significant benefits. technology allows teachers to present grammar materials in a more interactive way. students in grammar teaching become more centered in the learning process. approaching grammar teaching using technology is an effective way to support the development of every grammar learning process. students can use various applications, such as applications to increase vocabulary, improve grammar, and generate texts that can be accessed online (parra & calero, 2019). grammar teaching gains supporting resources when technology integration is applied, the difficulties when teaching foreign grammar are facilitated by the use of appropriate technology. the advancement of grammar teaching technology is considered necessary to be further developed. to see the progress of technology, it is necessary to see its development so that it can be a reference to choose which technology is very useful and which technology needs to be improved and which technology is still weak in development. several studies have shown the impact of technology integration in teaching grammar to efl learners. among them are (dinc, 2019; liang, 2021; rintaningrum, 2023; sharom & kew, 2021) who conducted research on the impact and benefits of using technology in classroom writing instruction. other research from (kumar et al., 2022) which studies the importance of technology. another research based on (wahyuni et al., 2020) which studies the types of technology used to facilitate language learning. technological developments also need to be seen in the field of education, one of which is english language teaching. by looking at trends and following the flow of integrated technology, one way is to use bibliometric analysis. bibliometric analysis is one of the methods for researching technological developments. a highly preferred and accurate strategy for investigating and analyzing scientific research metadata on a large enough scope and specific basis is bibliometric analysis. bibliometric analysis is a research method that uses bibliographic data on information about scientific publications, such as title, author, year of publication, etc. to analyze research trends, patterns, and impacts. by using bibliometric analysis, researchers hope to analyze the development of technology in grammar teaching, so as to create a teaching approach that is expected to be more effective and efficient in the future. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 439 the procedure of bibliometric analysis helps us to know all forms of research analysis that will be carried out with the form of interpretation results from data that has been mapped into visualization. so that with the use of bibliometric analysis, researchers are able to find the purpose of the research conducted. bibliometrics is a field of study using mathematical and statistical methods. in addition to being able to effectively identify influential studies, authors, journals, organizations, and countries over a period of time, this method can provide a macroscopic overview of the vast amount of academic literature (lee et al., 2020). based on the provided introduction, a potential research gap that could be addressed is the need for a comprehensive analysis of the current state of research on the integration of technology in teaching english grammar as a foreign language. the purpose of this study is to identify and analyze trends in research developments related to the integration of technology in the teaching of english grammar as a foreign language, specifically in the period 2013-2023. the purpose of this study was made more specific in order to help educational researchers deepen the scope of technology in teaching grammar as a foreign language, with the following research questions: (1) what are the developments of scientific research publications on technology integration in teaching english grammar? (2) what are the types of scientific publications on technology integration in teaching english grammar? (3) what is the most cited research on technology integration in teaching english grammar? (4) what are the results of visualizing research trends in technology integration in teaching grammar as a foreign language? method the researcher used quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis with bibliometric analysis. using bibliometric analysis to conduct a literature search on the use of technology in teaching english grammar. in modern times, bibliometric measurement is now an important part of academic outcomes assessment. starting from research design, collecting metadata, analyzing, visualizing, and ending with interpreting data results are part of the workflow for processing bibliographic data (derviş, 2020). some bibliographic research has shown its benefits in providing new insights into the development of a particular topic or field that can be useful for other researchers. while the visualizations generated through bibliometric analysis can provide valuable insights, they can also simplify complex research landscapes, leading to potential misinterpretations if not critically assessed (lee et al., 2020). this research uses scopus as a database. scopus archive dates back to 1996, ensuring that its coverage remains current and relevant (magadándíaz & rivas-garcía, 2022). scopus is a good choice for a primary source database for bibliometric analysis because it is an abstract database with the largest number of citations from peer-reviewed literature reviews or other researchers covering a wide range of topics. scopus was chosen for its broad coverage, verified data, advanced search features, and regular updates. this is why researchers use scopus as the primary source database. the term as keyword "technology integration in teaching grammar" was used to perform the research. when searching for published data, the title, keywords, and abstract criteria are employed. using scopus sources, the analysis was done using the article's keywords. the selection criteria for articles in this study involved choosing those released between 2013 and 2023 from the scopus database. the primary focus was on articles related to the integration of technology in teaching grammar as a foreign language. the inclusion criteria likely involved articles that explicitly addressed this topic in their titles, abstracts, or keywords. exclusion criteria may have involved articles outside the specified timeframe or those not directly related to the research topic. additionally, articles that were not available in full-text format or those written in languages other than the researchers' primary language may have been excluded. the aim was to ensure that the selected articles provided relevant and comprehensive insights into the trends and developments in the integration of technology in teaching grammar as a foreign language within the specified period. finally, the scopus database had 27 articles. the articles were selected among those released between 2013 and 2023. authors, titles, years, the title of the source, volumes, issues, etc. are the first pieces of information in the article. collection of the articles was done in *.csv format. the article data that was found in the earlier stage is processed using csv files then ms.excel form. this excel was made to study the research that professionals have conducted and to gather data on the number of papers published each year (husaeni & al, 2022). this excel was created to gather information on the amount of articles published annually and to examine the research that experts have conducted on the keywords employed. the next step is using vos viewer software, 27 rita erlinda & zetra sivila agamas research trends of technology integration in teaching english grammar as foreign language: bibliometric analysis in 2013-2023 440 articles as primary source were chosen, mapped, and then re-analyzed. software called vos viewer may present visualizations of bibliometric networks and offers appealing graphics, analysis, and evaluation (putri et al., 2022). based on terms from network-wide keyword collaboration, vos viewer can offer network visualization, overlay visualization, and density visualization. the information is displayed as a bibliometric map. analysis of the vos viewer software is the final phase. figure 1. stages of bibliometric analysis results and discussion the development of scientific research publications on technology integration in teaching grammar based on the search results conducted from the main source of scopus as a database, there are 27 articles consisting of 23 articles in the period 20132023 and there are 4 articles under the period 2013 to 2009, this shows that the development of integrated technology research in teaching foreign grammar during the period 2013-2023 has increased. in 2013 2014 there was a decrease, in 2013 there were two studies on integrated technology in teaching grammar, while in 2014 there was a decrease, there was only one study. the same thing also happened in 2016 2018, each year there was only one study. however, there were no studies in 2015 and 2017. a significant increase occurred in 2018-2019. in 2019 there were four new studies on integrated technology in grammar teaching. the same thing happened in 2021, a significant increase occurred from 2020-2021. there were four new studies in 2021. the difference in 2020 was a decrease from 2019 and then an increase again in 2020 which only had two studies. this proves that the awareness of the global community regarding integrated technology in grammar teaching in 2020 is experiencing instability, where in 2020 the covid 19 pandemic occurred which has an impact on all aspects of global life including in the field of education. this made research on integrated technology in grammar teaching experience instability, but this increased again in 2021. a very significant increase occurred in 2021-2022. there were seven studies related to integrated technology in grammar teaching in 2022. this proves that there is a renewed global awareness of the importance of technology integration in grammar teaching. in this case, it is also evident that the most dominant integrated technology is about applications used as technology used in grammar teaching. with this, the research trend on integrated technology in grammar teaching is highly developed in 2022. in this case, the renewal of the integration of technology in grammar teaching is still very hotly discussed although specifically for grammar teaching itself is hotly discussed before the period 2020-2023. the research results indicate a significant increase in global awareness of technology integration in english language teaching, especially in recent years. with the rapidly evolving research trend since 2020, particularly in 2022, there is a great opportunity to develop more effective and responsive teaching methods to meet student needs. this highlights the need for further development in integrating technology-based teaching methods to support effective english language learning. the implications of these findings underscore the importance of continuously updating english teaching approaches especially in teaching english grammar by integrating technology, in line with current developments in education. figure 2. development of scientific publications 0 2 4 6 8 total article 2013-2023 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 441 in 2013-2023 types of scientific publications on integration technology in teaching english grammar based on the diagram below, out of a total of 27 articles obtained as the main dataset from scopus, there are various types of scientific publications, including articles, conference papers, book chapters, and reviews. in the period of research development on the integration of technology in teaching english grammar from 2013 to 2023, there were 15 article publications, which constituted the highest number of publications, followed by 9 conference paper publications. additionally, there were 2 book chapter publications, and the lowest number of publications was reviews, with only 1 publication. figure 3. types of scientific publications 20132023 the most cited research on technology integration in teaching english grammar based on the results of the analysis of the database sourced from scopus, the number of scientific publications most cited from the period 2013-2023 on integration technology in teaching english grammar can be determined. utilizing the findings derived from an in-depth analysis of the comprehensive database obtained from scopus, which is a prominent abstract and citation database widely used in academic research, a detailed overview of the extensively cited publications within the timeframe of 2013 to 2023 is provided. this thorough analysis allows for a comprehensive understanding of the trends and patterns in research related to the integration of technology in teaching english grammar over the specified period, focusing on the subject of integration technology in teaching english grammar, has been meticulously compiled. this compilation is presented in a structured tabular format for clarity and accessibility. there are categories ranging from author, year, title and cited. where in the table has been presented with reference to the order of the most citations. in the first order with the most citations of 51 is the publication article by (li & walsh, 2020) with the title "technology uptake in chinese efl classes", then for the second most citations by (shu y, 2020) with the title "experimental data analysis of college english teaching based on computer multimedia technology". then, the third order is the publication of a research article by (muftah, 2022) with the title "integration of video in teaching grammar to efl arabic learners" which has been cited 11 times. in the fourth most cited order there are 6 times cited scientific publications with two different articles, namely by (moratelli & dejarnette, 2014) and also (comelles et al., 2013). furthermore, the article by muftah (2022) with the title "impact of social media on learning english language during the covid-19 pandemic" which has been cited 4 times. and the last is an article by gerova et al. with the title "smart technologies in foreign language students' autonomous learning" which has been cited 3 times. table 1. the most cited research 2013-2023 author year title cited li l., walsh s. under 2013 (2011) technology uptake in chinese efl classes 51 shu y. 2020 experimental data analysis of college english teaching based on computer multimedia technology 19 alharbi m.a. 2019 integration of video in teaching grammar to efl arab learners 11 moratelli k., dejarnette n.k. 2014 clickers to the rescue: technology integration helps boost literacy scores 6 comelles e., laso n.j., forcadell m., castaño e., feijóo s., verdaguer i. 2013 using online databases in the linguistics classroom: dealing with clause patterns istifci i., under 2013 an effective role of e-learning technology for english 5 15 9 2 1 0 5 10 15 20 article conference paper book chapter review types of scientific publications rita erlinda & zetra sivila agamas research trends of technology integration in teaching english grammar as foreign language: bibliometric analysis in 2013-2023 442 lomidazde t., demiray u. (2011) language teaching by using meta communication actors muftah m. 2023 impact of social media on learning english language during the covid-19 pandemic 4 gerova n., lapenok m., sheina i. 2016 smart technologies in foreign language students’ autonomous learning 3 visualization of scientific publications on technology integration in grammar teaching using vosviewer software visualization of vosviewer is used to map the development of research trends on technology integration in english grammar teaching. the input used is key data, from this input a visualization of vosviewer is obtained. to display each keyword in the visualization, a spherical node represents the keyword. existing keywords are then labeled with colored circles. researchers used a minimum number of term occurrences of 1 and a maximum number of term selections of 144 items. from the visualization results, groupings are obtained that provide an overview to help understand the pattern relationships in the data. by the visualization three visualization images are shown from the vosviewer visualization results. figure 1 network visualization, figure 2 overlay visualization, and figure 3 density visualization displayed by vosviewer in bibliometric analysis. from these three visualizations, it will be illustrated how the development of the research trend of integration technology of teaching english grammar as foreign language each visualization will interpret the data mapping differently. for network visualization, it focuses on the relationship of each keyword that appears through interconnected clusters. for the overlay visualization, it explains the mapping of data about the time span or publication year of the article. and for density visualization, it explains the mapping of the novelty of each keyword that appears. figure 4. the network visualization of the articles the relationship between each keyword related to the integrated technology for teaching english grammar is shown through a network visualization. the items are interconnected and form clusters. there are 1138 relationships connecting 13 separate clusters of 144 items, with a total of 1219 relationships related to each other. red, dark green, dark blue, sage, dark purple, blue, orange, brown, light purple, pink, light green and light blue are among the 13 colors shown in the network visualization. having the same network or connectivity indicates having the same color. the visualization employs a color scheme to differentiate between the clusters, with each color representing a distinct thematic group. for instance, keywords belonging to the same cluster are assigned the same color, facilitating the identification of thematic cohesion within the network. this visual representation aids in identifying prominent research themes, trends, and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 443 areas of focus within the field of integrated technology in english grammar teaching. the following are the 13 clusters identified by the vosviewer mapping results using the keyword "technology integration in teaching english grammar as a foreign language" and the dominant keywords that appear in each cluster: cluster 1 indicated in red, there are 16 items in the cluster with the dominant keywords appearing in this cluster are multimedia systems, multimedia technologies, task-based language teachings and application programs. for cluster 1, the dominant keywords that appear are related to multimedia technology and applications. cluster 2 indicated in dark green, there are 15 items with the dominant keywords appearing in this cluster are technology, computer software and semantics. cluster 2 is still dominant with results related to technology. cluster 3 indicated in dark blue, there are 14 items in this cluster, for the dominant keyword that appears is teaching. for this cluster, teaching is the most dominant issue being researched at the moment. cluster 4 indicated in sage green, there are 14 items in this cluster, for the dominant keywords that appear are education computing, foreign language and english language. in this cluster, the dominant keywords of the research conducted are about language as well as related to educational computerization. cluster 5 indicated in dark purple, there are 13 items in this cluster, for the dominant words that appear are autonomous learning, education and also ict. in this cluster, it is illustrated that autonomous learning and education are often researched, for ict is also one of the dominant key items researched. cluster 6 indicated in colored blue, there are 12 items in this cluster and the dominant keywords appearing are elementary school education, grammar and elementary school. it is in this cluster that the keyword grammar appears which shows that grammar is still very much researched in the recent period. cluster 7 indicated in orange color, there are 11 items in this cluster with two dominant keywords e-learning and blended learning environments. this cluster illustrates that the research and keywords used are about online and blended learning situations. cluster 8 indicated in brown, there are 11 items in this cluster and the dominant keywords are data analysis and value orientation. this cluster illustrates that a lot of research is done about analysis. cluster 9 indicated in light purple, there are 10 items in this cluster with the dominant keywords that appear are about multimedia systems. this cluster is also related and has connections with other dominant keywords such as the keywords college english and computing education. cluster 10 indicated in pink, there are 9 items in this cluster that are interrelated and the dominant keyword that appears is efficiency. the dominant keyword efficiency has a network and connectivity with teaching. this illustrates that efficiency and teaching have a relationship and connectivity between cluster 10 and cluster 3. cluster 11 indicated in light green in color, there are 9 items with the dominant keywords that appear are educational reforms and college english which have network connectivity with the keyword teaching. it is depicted that the research subject is teaching in college english. cluster 12 indicated in light blue, there are 6 items in cluster 12 with the dominant keywords english language teaching, communicative language teaching and teaching and learning. this illustrates that the subject of research for teaching is very often discussed. cluster 13 indicated in sage green, there are 4 items in this cluster with the dominant keyword asynchronous learning. in this cluster, the research subjects do not have too many connections and networks. in addition to clusters and lines, the size of the nodes also indicates the frequency of the keywords. figure 4 shows that education, e-learning, grammar, multimedia systems, and technology are the most frequently occurring subjects and keywords. this indicates that research trends and developments continue to be debated from 2013 to 2023. for research conducted, integrated technology in grammar teaching is still the current research that is most discussed by researchers. however, keyword nodes or items that do not form clusters or have networks with other keywords may eventually become current research subjects. in the picture in each cluster for the research subject of technology integration in teaching grammar as a foreign language, there are many research subjects that have not been connected to each other. this can be a research subject for the future. this network visualization provides a picture to determine which research subjects have been widely discussed around the world and are interconnected with others. and provide a clear picture of the extent of development for the rita erlinda & zetra sivila agamas research trends of technology integration in teaching english grammar as foreign language: bibliometric analysis in 2013-2023 444 research subject of technology integration in language teaching. this indicates the potential for research subjects in the future. the network visualization provides an overview of research subjects that are widely discussed globally and how these subjects are interconnected. discussion on the implications of these trends for practitioners, policymakers, and future research is crucial to guide further steps in the development of technology integration in teaching english grammar. figure 5. the overlay visualization of the articles based on the year of publication, the overlay visualization shows how recent a topic is. the year 2022 is shown in this figure as yellow, while 2012 (below 2013) is shown as dark blue. the yellow color indicates that the topic is newer and has been the subject of recent research and discussion. the dominant green color that does not reach the dark blue color in the figure indicates that there was little discussion about the use of technology in english grammar teaching in 2012. however, the subject caught the attention of researchers in 2020-2022, especially in reaction to the covid-19 epidemic, with researchers looking for ways to advance the integration of technology in english grammar teaching through multimedia systems and educational computing. a computerbased device referred to as a multimedia system. these multimedia systems are the use of a single computerized technology to combine sound, text, images, animation, or video and audio and present them with tools such as other media and also in the form of links that make it easy to provide teaching through the use of digital technology-based integration. new issues and discussions from the network mapping results describe multimedia systems, multimedia technology, educational computing. while grammar itself has been discussed for a long time. however, researchers can now explore how technologies such as multimedia systems, can be linked back to the teaching of english grammar. from the results of the overlay visualization, it can be seen that the relationship between grammar or grammar has long begun to be researched, but for the renewal of research for the 2020-2022 period, it appears that there is not much research related to grammar and technology. this can be a current research opportunity by utilizing the relationship between multimedia systems, and also teaching grammar. apart from multimedia systems, there is also multimedia technology which is still new and developing rapidly in the period 2020-2023. the latest issues related to technology integration are also being discussed by researchers. the connectivity between technology integration and grammar is directly visible in its relationship within the cluster. the direct visibility of connectivity between technology integration and grammar within this cluster underscores its significance. from the period 2012 2022, there is a brighter density picture for multimedia subjects, while for grammar itself has been discussed for a very long time so that the density picture is no longer bright. this is an opportunity for research subjects on grammar and also technology integration because they have been discussed for a very long time but for this last period it is rarely discussed. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 445 figure 6. the density visualization of the articles the frequency of topic discussions is shown by the density visualization, with lighter colors indicating more frequent discussions. based on figure 6, the most frequently discussed topics include teaching, multimedia systems, computer software, e-learning, and english language teaching. in contrast, the least frequently discussed topics are related to semantics, value orientation, and asynchronous learning. these topics that have not received much attention provide great opportunities for further research or investigation, especially with regard to grammar teaching. this can be seen from the visualization, where the colors for grammar and technology are not very bright, indicating that there is still much room for research in this area. the visualization also underscores a shift in research focus from grammar and technology towards teaching with multimedia systems in the period between 2013 and 2023. this shift prompts researchers to consider how technology can be leveraged to enhance language learning experiences, especially within the context of multimedia-rich environments. although the relationship between the study of language and technology and grammar teaching in particular has long been explored, researchers can consider how technology can still be improved. how to integrate multimedia systems or technology with teaching english grammar as a foreign language is of interest to researchers. conclusion in conclusion, this study aimed to identify and analyze trends in research developments related to the integration of technology in teaching english grammar as a foreign language, specifically focusing on the period from 2013 to 2023. the analysis reveals that the development trend of research in this area is still considered relatively new and necessary. while there has been some exploration of the topic in previous years, significant growth and renewed interest in research are observed starting from 2022. this indicates an increasing interest and recognition of the importance of integrating technology into english grammar teaching. furthermore, for types of scientific publications on technology integration in teaching english grammar: the examination of various types of scientific publications, including articles, conference papers, and reviews, provided insights into the diverse approaches and methodologies employed in researching technology integration in grammar teaching. from the results of exposure to bibliometric mapping through vosviewer shows that; 1). network maps with the latest topics are related to multimedia systems, multimedia technology, educational computing. 2) space for research in the field of english grammar that integrates technology is still very likely. 3) for issues or topics that are classified as low and still little discussed, it becomes the next novelty to be discussed regarding multimedia technology and english grammar teaching technology. the visualization of research trends using vosviewer highlighted emerging topics such as multimedia systems, multimedia technology, and educational computing. these findings offer valuable insights into the current landscape and future directions of technology integration in grammar teaching. from the results of the study, the researcher hopes that the broader implications of this study extend to the field of teaching english as a foreign language. the findings underscore the importance of embracing technological advancements to create innovative and effective learning environments. by rita erlinda & zetra sivila agamas research trends of technology integration in teaching english grammar as foreign language: bibliometric analysis in 2013-2023 446 integrating technology into language teaching practices, educators can enhance student engagement, facilitate interactive learning experiences, and ultimately improve language proficiency outcomes. this highlights the need for continuous exploration and adaptation of teaching methodologies to meet the evolving needs of language learners in the digital age. acknowledgement thank you very much to the lecturers of mobile assistance language learning (mall) course of english teaching department uin mahmud yunus batusangkar, who have facilitated this research. references derviş, h. (2020). bibliometric analysis using bibliometrix an r package. journal of scientometric research, 8(3), 156–160. https://doi.org/10.5530/jscires.8.3.32 dinc, e. (2019). prospective teachers’ perceptions of barriers to technology integration in education. contemporary educational technology, 10(4), 381–398. https://doi.org/10.30935/cet.634187 donthu, n., kumar, s., mukherjee, d., pandey, n., & lim, w. m. (2021). how to conduct a bibliometric analysis: an overview and guidelines. journal of business research, 133, 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070 fuad, m., & suyanto, e. (2022a). a bibliometric analysis of technology-based foreign language learning during the covid-19 pandemic: direction for indonesia language learning. ijiet. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2022.12.10.1710 hashim, h., rafiqah m. rafiq, k., & md. yunus, m. (2019). improving esl learners’ grammar with gamified-learning. arab world english journal, 5, 41–50. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/call5.4 husaeni, d. f., & dwi novia al, d. n. (2022). computational bibliometric analysis of research on science and islam with vosviewer: scopus database in 2012 to 2022. asean journal of religion, education, and society, 1(1), 39–48. hwang, g., chen, p., chu, s., chuang, w., juan, c. (2023). game-based language learning in technological contexts: an integrated systematic review and bibliometric analysis. learning, query date: 2023-04-24 04:26:18. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijopcd.316184 jie, z., & sunze, y. (2021). investigating pedagogical challenges of mobile technology to english teaching. interactive learning environments, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.19039 33 kumar, t., shet, j. p., & parwez, m. a. (2022). technology-integration experiences in elt classrooms as an effective tool: a theoretical study. jett, 13(1), 51–60. https://doi.org/10.47750/jett.2022.13.01.006 kusumaningrum, s. r., widiati, u., anwar, k., & farisia, h. (2022). integrating the technology in teaching and learning process through digital media creation as a way to improve indonesian eyl teachers’ competence. jurnal pendidikan: teori, penelitian, dan pengembangan, 7(5), 197. https://doi.org/10.17977/jptpp.v7i5.15268 lee, i.-s., lee, h., chen, y.-h., & chae, y. (2020). bibliometric analysis of research assessing the use of acupuncture for pain treatment over the past 20 years. journal of pain research, volume 13, 367–376. https://doi.org/10.2147/jpr.s235047 liang, w. (2021). university teachers’ technology integration in teaching english as a foreign language: evidence from a case study in mainland china. sn social sciences, 1(8), 1– 29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-02100223-5 liu, s., & zhang, s. (2021). a bibliometric analysis of computer-assisted english learning from 2001 to 2020. ijet, 16(14). https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i14.24151 magadán-díaz, m., & rivas-garcía, j. i. (2022). publishing industry: a bibliometric analysis of the scientific production indexed in scopus. publishing research quarterly, 38(4), 665– 683. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-02209911-3 maulina, m., ignacio, j., bersabe, l., & serrano, a., (2022). technology-based media used in teaching listening skills. exposure: jurnal pendidikan bahasa inggris, 11(1), 85–99. muftah, m. (2022). impact of social media on learning english language during the covid-19 pandemic. psu research review. https://doi.org/10.1108/prr-10-2021-0060 nurhidayat, e. (2021). utilizing canva as digital tools to teach grammar in remote learning period. journal of english language learning, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.31949/jell.v5i2.3413 özkaya, p. (2022). investigating research trends on digital storytelling: a bibliometric and visualized analysis. international journal of progressive education, query date: 2023-0424 03:41:34. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2022.426.21 parra g., l., & calero s., x. (2019). automated writing evaluation tools in the improvement of the writing skill. international journal of instruction, 12(2), 209–226. https://doi.org/10.5530/jscires.8.3.32 https://doi.org/10.30935/cet.634187 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070 https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2022.12.10.1710 https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/call5.4 https://doi.org/10.4018/ijopcd.316184 https://doi.org/10.4018/ijopcd.316184 https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.1903933 https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.1903933 https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.1903933 https://doi.org/10.47750/jett.2022.13.01.006 https://doi.org/10.17977/jptpp.v7i5.15268 https://doi.org/10.2147/jpr.s235047 https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-021-00223-5 https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-021-00223-5 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i14.24151 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-022-09911-3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-022-09911-3 https://doi.org/10.1108/prr-10-2021-0060 https://doi.org/10.31949/jell.v5i2.3413 https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2022.426.21 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 447 https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12214a pearson, w. (2022). the teaching english as a second language electronic journal (tesl-ej): a bibliometric analysis of the first 99 issues. teaching english as a second or foreign language. putri, n. p. l. r., yuliariatiningsih, m. s., & kurniawan, d. t. (2022). analisis bibliometrik trend penelitian pembelajaran berbasis teknologi digital di sekolah dasar. jurnal pembelajaran, bimbingan, dan pengelolaan pendidikan, 2(12), 1127–1133. https://doi.org/10.17977/um065v2i122022p11 27-1133 rintaningrum, r. (2023). technology integration in english language teaching and learning: benefits and challenges. cogent education, 10(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2022.21646 90 rodríguez jiménez, c., sanz prieto, m., & alonso garcía, s. (2019). technology and higher education: a bibliometric analysis. education sciences, 9(3), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9030169 sharom, k., & kew, s. n. (2021). a conceptual framework on technology integration in english writing flipped classroom. iop conference series: materials science and engineering, 1051(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757899x/1051/1/012010 shu, y. (2020). experimental data analysis of college english teaching based on computer multimedia technology. computer-aided design and applications, 17(s2), 46–56. https://doi.org/10.14733/cadaps.2020.s2.4656 suharti, d. s. (2022). employing technology integration on teaching efl grammar. the asian esp journal. utomo, d. t. p., & ahsanah, f. (2020). utilizing digital comics in college students’ grammar class. journal of english language teaching and linguistics, 5(3), 393. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v5i3.449 wahyuni, s., mujiyanto, j., rukmini, d., & fitriati, s. w. (2020). teachers’ technology integration into english instructions: samr model. proceedings of the international conference on science and education and technology (iset 2019), 443, 546–550. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200620.109 https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12214a https://doi.org/10.17977/um065v2i122022p1127-1133 https://doi.org/10.17977/um065v2i122022p1127-1133 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2022.2164690 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2022.2164690 https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9030169 https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899x/1051/1/012010 https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899x/1051/1/012010 https://doi.org/10.14733/cadaps.2020.s2.46-56 https://doi.org/10.14733/cadaps.2020.s2.46-56 https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v5i3.449 https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200620.109 rita erlinda & zetra sivila agamas research trends of technology integration in teaching english grammar as foreign language: bibliometric analysis in 2013-2023 448 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 183 the effectiveness of learning community techniques on english essay writing skills franscy universitas panca sakti bekasi, indonesia email: franscy@panca-sakti.ac.id leroy holman siahaan universitas panca sakti bekasi, indonesia email: leroyholman@panca-sakti.ac.id apa citation: franscy., & siahaan, l. h. (2023). the effectiveness of learning community techniques on english essay writing skills. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 183-192. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.6824 received: 19-10-2022 accepted: 27-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction language education in the university environment always emphasizes understanding writing skills for every student, especially in english language education. based on the operational curriculum of english education at universitas panca sakti bekasi, which is used in the learning process, it requires students to take writing courses that are divided into several levels according to the semester level of the students, the purpose that they can improve their understanding and writing skills. in addition, writing skills cannot be separated from any teaching and learning process activities in the classroom. this can be seen from the activities of providing exercises, assignments, and final assignments, in line with hyland's opinion (in wale & bishaw, 2020), which states that writing is an important skill to be mastered by learners of english as a second language. on the other hand, the facts on the ground illustrate the opposite, where there is a gap between expectations and reality. based on the results of the initial observations made, the researcher examined the writing assignments of the students of the english education study program. the students' writing was still inadequate when viewed from both the content and linguistic aspects. various reasons can cause this difficulty, for example, a lack of knowledge about writing english, which includes understanding vocabulary, language structure, and sentence organization in each paragraph (alisha et al., 2019). this is very important because an article must reflect substantive information or idea that attracts the reader's interest (yoo et al., 2020). this is in line with richards and renandy’s (in nurfadila, 2021) opinion, which states that writing skills are the most difficult for second language learners to master. the difficulty lies in how to generate and organize ideas and how to put ideas into text form. so that writing is considered the most difficult talent for students to master because it not only generates thoughts but also allows the conversion of these ideas into perceptual texts (toba et al., 2019). in addition, in writing, students must have prior knowledge of what topics will be developed in an essay or writing in english. because writing supports all other language skills, writing is one of the english skills that must be taught and practiced at various levels of education. abstract: this research is designed to measure the effectiveness of learning community techniques on english essay writing skills based on the result of preliminary observation, which shows that students had some problems related to the result of their writing skills which still need to achieve the expected aims. this research used a classroom action research method involving 30 students as a research sample. this research used quantitative and qualitative data for the data collecting technique. quantitative data was taken from the pre-test and post-test results, while qualitative data was taken during observation and action. then the results of the research showed that the percentage value of student activity in attending lectures had increased. the result of the percentage increase in student activity seen from the percentage of students who were very active and active in cycle 1 was only 36.7%, then increased in cycle 2 to 63.3%. then the results of learning to write english essays for students also increased, with an average score in cycle 1 of 60.17, and in cycle 2, there was an increase in the average score of 9.96 to 70.13. using the learning community technique to improve students' english abilities has a favourable effect, particularly on the growth of student's ability to write english essays. keywords: action research; essay; learning community technique; writing skills. franscy & leroy holman siahaan the effectiveness of learning community techniques on english essay writing skills 184 in addition, writing supports student learning. this statement is supported by purnomowati et al. (2018). richards and schmidt (2013) argue that an essay is a type of writing that is relatively long and, more specifically, written by students, which contains the author's expression or view on a particular topic. the most crucial ability in learning a language is writing. students can convey their ideas through writing, yet the majority of them still make serious errors in their spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation (fahmi & rachmijati, 2021). from this definition, we can see that essays are mostly associated with academic assignments (students). the essay in question is the author's thoughts or opinions on a topic to show his position on the issue to be conveyed to others (haidir, 2021). from the aspect of the text, the essay is said to be relatively longer. another opinion states that an essay is a writing consisting of a combination of several paragraphs containing a topic and one main idea. essays consist of at least three paragraphs, and essays generally consist of five (wei et al., 2019). this opinion specifically states that the length of an essay usually consists of a minimum of three paragraphs and generally consists of five paragraphs and contains a topic and main idea which is composed of three main parts, namely: 1) an introduction which contains two things, namely a general statement to attract attention. reader and the thesis statement section to express the primary purpose of an essay. 2) the body consists of one or more paragraphs. each paragraph develops a subtopic. furthermore, 3) a conclusion containing a summary of the main ideas presented in the essay's body (wale & bishaw, 2020). the above problems require a solution or a problem-solving path. one of the solutions to these problems is selecting material delivery techniques in the teaching and learning process. in this case, teachers or lecturers are required to not only be able to master conventional learning approaches but also be able to master modern (up-to-date) learning approaches (almelhi, 2021). the application of modern learning techniques in english writing skills will encourage students in the classroom to be more active and productive in practice so that they not only focus on understanding theory, but students can also practice it directly (nurharjanto et al., 2020). related to the modern learning approach, the contextual learning approach is a learning concept that helps educators or lecturers to relate the material being taught to students' real-world situations and encourages them to make connections between their knowledge and its application in their lives as a family and community members (afnita & farida, 2021). contextual teaching learning is a learning concept that helps lecturers in linking the material they learn to students' real-world situations and encourages students to make connections between their knowledge and its application in everyday life. this opinion is supported by wamubi et al. (2015) that the ctl approach is a learning approach that helps teachers connect learning materials with situations that exist in the real world. contextual is a comprehensive system consisting of interrelated parts. if these parts are intertwined, there will be an effect that exceeds the results of the separate parts (hanafsiyah, 2007). in the contextual learning approach, students know the benefits derived from their learning activities and experience the learning process. because students are the subject of learning, the lecturer is only a facilitator and motivator who directs and motivates students in the learning process (vangrieken et al., 2017). the contextual learning approach has seven main components of effective learning. the seven components used in indonesia are constructivism, inquiry, questioning, learning community, modeling, reflection, and authentic assessment (fadhilah, 2017). in implementing contextual learning, lecturers or teachers can choose and use several techniques in a contextual learning approach which include; (1) constructivism, (2) inquiry, (3) questioning, (4) learning community, (5) modeling, (6) reflection, and (7) authentic assessment (afnita & farida, 2021; johnson, 2002; lorenza & muhammadi, 2021; ruto et al., 2021) from the several contextual learning techniques, the researcher only uses the learning community technique. the selection of the learning technique was based on several considerations concerning the problems faced in learning students' writing skills (haryani, 2019). in addition, this learning technique is studentoriented. where its application emphasizes collaboration with study group colleagues and always encourages a multi-way communication process so that everyone can be a source of learning (ismawarni, 2021), and the most important thing is that truth does not only come from one, namely the lecturer. so, it is hoped that with this technique, students can gain more knowledge and skills in writing english essays. a learning community can effective occur if learning outcomes are obtained from the collaboration, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 185 discussion and sharing with other people (dana, 2021; medina, 2018). learning outcomes can be obtained by sharing between friends, between groups, and between those who know and those who do not know, both inside and outside the classroom (garcia-ponce & tagg, 2020) learning community can occur if between lecturers and students or between students and other students have active, effective, and communicative interactions (williams & beam, 2019). the learning process will run significantly if it is carried out in study groups, both homogeneous and heterogeneous so that in it, there will be sharing problems (sharing problems), sharing information (sharing information), sharing experiences (sharing experience), and sharing problem-solving (sharing). problem-solving allows more knowledge and skills to be acquired (syatriana & sakkir, 2020). the learning community technique is a learning process involving communication and interaction involving cognitive processes between lecturers and students or students with other students in sharing ideas and experiences to solve a problem in the learning process (siregar & anwar, 2018). the learning community technique teaches students by giving them communicationbased homework. the objectives of communication are what the learning is focused on in order to achieve them (syatriana & sakkir, 2020). according to putri & ahmad (2022), students' writing inadequacies are caused by a variety of factors, as indicated by their viewpoint notes. writing essays always results in grammatical errors. in writing class, kids continue to be passive. students also lack the knowledge necessary to write well, especially essays. additionally, argumentative writing is a challenging activity in which the author adopts a stance on a contentious subject and then supports it with arguments and facts. it is difficult for an inexperienced writer to write an essay that requires content integration, arhetorical argumentation patterns, and critical thinking on their part (marni et al., 2019). argumentative essays are difficult because of the conflict between the need for self-expression and the need to comply with a set of external constraints; in trying to meet external constraints, writers tend to lose sight of what they want to say (tasya, 2022). it is hoped that with this technique, students can gain more knowledge and skills in language, especially english argumentative writing skills. method this research uses the classroom action research method. the researcher started the research by collecting qualitative data first to explore more deeply the research problem being studied in the third semester students of the english education study program, universitas panca sakti bekasi, then continued with the process of collecting quantitative data to support the qualitative data. quantitative data was taken from the results of the pre-test and post-test, while qualitative data was taken during the process of observation and action. this research is participatory collaborative, meaning that research activities are carried out by the researcher themselves with the process of observation and collaborators. the sequence of research activities from the chairperson and members of the researcher in january-march was conducting field survey preparation conducting interview observations on the problem of english essay writing skills. then, we conducted a literature study on the variables of english essay writing skills and learning community techniques. the results of these activities were in april-june. next, we made a grid of english essay writing skill test instruments, made observation assessment tables, and made questions for interviews. this research was conducted at universitas panca sakti bekasi, jl. raya hankam no. 54, jatirahayu, pondok gede, bekasi city, west java 17414. the subjects in this research were the third semester students of the english education study program, universitas panca sakti bekasi, totaling 30 students. the data collection process in this research consisted of five stages: observation, interviews, questionnaires, diaries, and tests. the data analysis process is carried out inductively, and the researcher carries out special observation activities, notes the structure of each data finding, makes hypotheses by formulating data, and concludes. parson and brown (in mertler, 2014) mention that there are three stages in analyzing data: organization, description, and interpretation. the first stage is an organization, which is making a narrative of data taken from the results of observations, interviews, and documentation that has been collected. the second stage describes the characteristics of each data that has undergone the reduction process and is coded. the last stage is interpreting the data that has been reduced and organized. franscy & leroy holman siahaan the effectiveness of learning community techniques on english essay writing skills 186 results and discussion at this stage, the description of the research results is divided into three discussions which include; the results of the pre-cycle, cycle 1, and cycle 2. the results obtained at each stage were calculated as the average value to see the level of english essay writing skills that the respondents (students) had achieved. pre-cycle results the researcher carried out pre-cycle activities by giving a pre-test at the second meeting to 30 students in the fourth semester of the english education study program, faculty of education, universitas panca sakti bekasi. the pre-test was given before the researcher applied the learning community technique. the purpose of giving the pre-test was to find out and compare the initial abilities of the respondents before and after the application of the treatment using the learning community technique in the classroom. the results of the pre-test showed that 30% of respondents' english writing skills were at the less level and 43.3% of the respondents were at the enough level. based on these data, the pre-test respondents' average score was 53.57. cycle action results 1 application of learning community technique in essay writing courses the data presented in this research is not only data based on the results of the english essay writing skills test but is also supported by data from observations, and observations made by the researcher during the application of learning community technique in the classroom. data on the activeness of respondents (students) in the essay writing course was obtained through observations and observations made at the 4th and 6th meetings, where in these meetings there were group discussion activities and continued with the presentation/exposure of the results of discussions both individually and in groups. the results of the data acquisition of respondents (students) in these activities can be seen in the following table: table 1. student activity data in essay writing course cycle 1 at meetings 4 and 6 indicat or cycle activity 1 meeting 4 meeting 6 freque ncy percent age (%) freque ncy percent age (%) very active 3 10.00 5 16.67 active 6 20.00 8 26.67 active enough 15 50.00 12 40.00 less active 6 20.00 5 16.67 conclu sion 36.7% (highly active & active) 63.3% (sufficiently active & less active) the results of the research findings above show that the activeness of respondents (students) in classroom activities at the 4th and 6th meetings of cycle 1, which is in the very active and active indicator, is 36.7%. this is evidenced by the number of respondents' frequency at the fourth meeting, as many as 9 and at the sixth meeting, as many as 13. this percentage is lower compared to the percentage in the moderately active and less active indicators, which amounted to 63.3%, with the number of respondents at the fourth meeting as many as 21 and the sixth meeting as many as 17. these findings can provide an illustration that the activeness of respondents in the essay writing class in cycle 1 has not been seen as optimal as expected. based on the results of the post-test given to respondents (students) to measure english essay writing skills in cycle 1 in the essay writing course, the results of the analysis are as follows: table 2. student learning test results in essay writing course by using learning community technique level ability value range total students percentage very good 80-100 5 16.67 well 60-79 8 26.67 enough 50-59 13 43.33 not enough 0-49 4 13.33 total 30 100 the application of the learning community technique in essay writing courses was carried out for 6 meetings and ended with giving post-tests to research respondents. based on the data above, the score in the category of very good and good ability level in english essay writing skills only amounted to 13 students while at the level of sufficient and poor ability there were 17 students. when viewed from the comparison of these numbers, more than 50% of the students as the sample in this research still did not meet the minimum completeness criteria (kkm) with the average value of cycle 1 being 60.17 while what was determined in this research was above 70. based on the findings therefore, the researcher continued the implementation of the action in the second cycle. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 187 action results cycle 2 application of learning community technique in essay writing courses data on the activity of respondents (students) in the essay writing course were obtained through observations and observations made at the 4th and 6th meetings, where in these meetings, there were group discussion activities and continued with the presentation/exposure of the discussion results both individually and in groups. the results of the data acquisition of respondents (students) in these activities can be seen in the following table: table 3. student activity data in essay writing course cycle 2 at meetings 4 and 6 indicato r cycle activity 2 meeting 4 meeting 6 freque ncy percent age (%) freque ncy percent age (%) very active 4 13.33 6 20.00 active 13 43.33 16 53.33 active enough 10 33.33 8 26.67 less active 3 10.00 0 0.00 conclus ion 65% (highly active & active) 35% (sufficiently active & less active) the results of the research findings above show that the activeness of respondents (students) in classroom activities at the 4th and 6th meetings of cycle 2, which is in the very active and active indicator, is 65%. this is evidenced by the number of respondents frequency at the fourth meeting, as many as 17 and at the sixth meeting as many as 22. this percentage is higher when compared to the percentage of moderately active and less active indicators which amounted to 35% with the number of respondents at the fourth meeting as many as 13 and the sixth meeting as many as 8. the findings show that there is a very significant difference when compared to cycle 1. of course, this can provide an illustration that the activity of respondents in the essay writing class in cycle 2 is very good, as previously expected. based on the results of the post-test given to respondents to measure english essay writing skills in cycle 2 in the essay writing course, the results of the analysis are as follows: table 4. student learning outcomes test in essay writing course by using learning community technique level ability value range total students percentage very good 80-100 8 26.67 well 60-79 14 46.67 enough 50-59 8 26.67 not enough 0-49 0 0 total 30 100 based on the data above, the score in the category of very good and good ability level in english essay writing skills only amounted to 22 students, while at the level of sufficient and poor ability, there were 8 students. when viewed from the comparison of these numbers, 70% of students as samples in this research have met the minimum completeness criteria (kkm) with an average value of cycle 2 is 70.13 while the limit value that has been determined in this research is 70. based on the research findings above, it can be concluded that the educators, in this case, the lecturers involved in this research, have implemented the procedures for learning community techniques well. this means that the stages in the procedure are applied in accordance with the learning plans that have been prepared and are able to reduce obstacles or problems that occur during the implementation of the actions in cycle 1, then carry out stabilization in cycle 2. during the process of actions taken starting from cycle 1 to cycle 2, educators or lecturers do not experience difficulties and feel more helped by the application of the learning community technique to increase the effectiveness of students' english essay writing skills. the increase in the activeness of respondents (students) in the essay writing course using the learning community technique can be seen from the average value of the percentage of student activity in cycle 1 and cycle 2. the increase can be seen in the following table: table 5. conclusion of student activity in essay writing courses by using learning community techniques no indicator percentage information 1 very active and active 36.7% cycle 1 moderately active and less active 63.3% 2 very active and active 65% cycle 2 moderately active and less active 35% the table above shows an increase in student activity from cycle 1 to cycle 2. the increase in student activity seen from the percentage of very franscy & leroy holman siahaan the effectiveness of learning community techniques on english essay writing skills 188 active students in cycle 1 was only 36.7%, then increased in cycle 2 to 63.3%. increased student activity in learning by using the learning community technique can also be seen in the diagram below: figure 1. increasing student activity from cycle 1 to cycle 2 the increase in activeness in learning also has a significant impact on student learning outcomes. student learning outcomes in writing english essays have increased from cycle 1 to cycle 2. here are the conclusions of student learning outcomes which can be seen in the table below: table 6. conclusion of student learning outcomes completeness in writing ii course by using learning community technique no cycle number of students average value 1 cycle 1 30 60.17 2 cycle 2 30 70.13 enhancement 9.96 based on the data above shows an increase in the respondents' english essay-writing skills. this is evidenced by the number of average values in cycle 1 of 60.17, and in cycle 2 there is an increase in the average value of 9.96 to 70.13. the improvement of students' english essay writing skills is also presented in the form of a diagram as shown below: figure 2. improving english essay writing skills from cycle 1 to cycle 2 the development carried out in cycle 2 in the application of the learning community technique has a significant impact, first seen from the average value of respondents' activeness in lectures. second, from the test results, the average value has increased by 4.13%, in the first cycle of 60.17 to the second cycle to 70.13%. the improvement that occurred in cycle 1 and cycle 2 illustrates that the results of the reflection carried out by the researcher and then implemented in cycle 2 gave more positive results for improving the english essay writing skills of the respondents (students). the results of this research are also in line with the results of research by ismawarni (2021), which state that learning community techniques can improve students' writing abilities and skills. the results of the reflection in the form of actions implemented in cycle 2 include; (1). still following the stages of learning community technique that have been implemented in cycle 1, (2). divide students into study groups by frequently exchanging members, with the aim of making learning outcomes more interactive, (3). more focus on providing guidance to each respondent who has problems in starting and developing ideas and ideas for writing english essays, (4) more often providing direction and guidance that motivates respondents to be more active in participating in activities in the implementation of actions. interview activities conducted by the researcher involving lecturers and students also illustrate that the application of the learning community technique positively impacts learning to write english essays. the first is the application of the learning community technique by forming study groups to foster and create more active learning situations, where each student is asked to collaborate, share knowledge and provide input to each other in each study group. in line with the opinion of syatriana & sakkir (2020), which states that, learning community is an effective technique in teaching english skills specially in teaching writing. second, optimizing the use of the learning community technique in the second cycle provided a significant change for english essay writing skills, where those who were initially accustomed to only studying with the same group, this time there was a difference, namely by combining several students into different groups. vary. this application provides opportunities for students to be able to learn more in their new groups with the aim of wider collaborative interactions so that they can understand and enrich the material being english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 189 studied. learning communities are best designed as ‘on going’ group who meet regularly for the purpose of their increasing their own learning and that of their students (wilson & lowe, 2019). thus, the effectiveness of applying the learning community technique has a positive impact on students' english essay writing skills. conclusion the determination of learning techniques must be based on several considerations, one of which is an understanding of the problems faced by students in the process of learning to write. this is very important because by knowing the problems of students in learning, education will easily help them to be able to find solutions to these problems and can achieve learning goals. based on the findings, analysis and discussion, regarding the effectiveness of learning community technique on english essay writing skills, it showed significant results, where there was an increase related to student activity and learning outcomes to write english essays for english education study program students. the increase in student activity can be seen during the learning process, during the learning process at the beginning students are asked to independently understand the tasks given by the lecturer, then after that the task is discussed in groups to be able to exchange ideas, ideas and ideas that can provide knowledge. more for each student in the group. this is in line with several previous studies, (depari & hasruddin, 2020; rathakrishnan, 2018; straßer & arieli, 2019). then the results of the study showed that the percentage value of student activity in attending lectures had increased, the result of the percentage increase in student activity seen from the percentage of students who were very active and active in cycle 1 was only 36.7%, then increased in cycle 2 to 63.3%. then the results of learning to write english essays for students also increased, with an average score in cycle 1 of 60.17 and cycle 2 there was an increase in the average score of 9.96 to 70.13. the application of learning community technique to students' english skills has a positive impact, especially for the development of students in writing english essays. this is because these activities provide benefits in increasing student active participation in the learning process, facilitating students and lecturers to share information and discuss. the role of communication and interaction that often occurs involves cognitive processes between lecturers and students or students with other students in sharing ideas, ideas and experiences to be able to solve a problem in the learning process. so that with this learning technique students can gain more knowledge and skills in language, especially english essay writing skills. acknowledgement this research was supported by a beginner lecturer research, year 2022 from the director of research and society service (drpm) of the ministry of education, culture, research, and technology (kemendikbud ristek), indonesia. references afnita, a., & farida, s. (2021). peningkatan hasil belajar peserta didik pada pembelajaran tematik terpadu menggunakan pendekatan contextual teaching and learning di kelas v sekolah dasar. journal of basic education studies, 4(1), 17021711. alisha, f., safitri, n., & santoso, i. (2019). students’ difficulties in writing efl. professional journal of english education, 2(1964), 20–25. almelhi, a. (2021). effectiveness of the addie model within an e-learning environment in developing creative writing in efl students. english language teaching, 14(2), 20-36. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v14n2p20 hanafsiyah, a. c. a. (2007). contextual teaching and learning: menjadikan belajar mengajar, mengasikkan dan bermakna. mcc. haryani, a. (2019). the problem faced by teacher and students in writing class at the seventh grade of smp negeri 2 pulokulon [thesis, university of muhammadiyah surakarta]. institutional repository. dana, w. (2021). internal supervision model with professional learning community to develop ban hua fai students’ basic words reading and writing by using 6-steps teaching technique. journal universitas muhammadiyah gresik engineering, social science, and health international conference (umgeshic), 1(2), 506-512. https://doi.org/10.30587/umgeshic.v1i2.3417 depari, s. e., & hasruddin. (2020). the effect of inquiry learning model on students science process skills. advances in social science, education, and humanities research, 384, 8–13. https://doi.org/10.2991/aisteel-19.2019.83 fadhilah., effendi, z. m., & ridwan. (2017). analysis of contextual teaching and learning (ctl) in the course of applied physics at the mining engineering department. international journal of science and applied science: conference series, 1(1), 25-32. fahmi, s., & rachmijati, c. (2021). improving franscy & leroy holman siahaan the effectiveness of learning community techniques on english essay writing skills 190 students’ writing skill using grammaly application for second grade in senior high school. project (professional journal of english education), 4(1), 69-74. https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v4i1.p69-74 garcia-ponce, e. e., & tagg, c. (2020). role of efl teachers’ beliefs in speaking practice: the case of a mexican university. system, 95, 102376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102376 haidir, a. a. (2021). improving students’ ability in writing recount text through contextual teaching and learning (ctl) approach at the second grade student of sma dhi mapilli. journal of literature and english teaching, 1(2), 34-42. ismawarni, n. q. (2021). penerapan model pembelajaran learning community dalam meningkatan aktivitas belajar menulis siswa kelas vii mtsn tarakan. educational: jurnal inovasi pendidikan dan pengajaran, 1(3), 146–155. johnson, e. b. (2002). contextual teaching and learning: why it is and why it is here to stay. sage publications ltd. lorenza, d., & muhammadi, m. (2021). peningkatan hasil belajar peserta didik pada pembelajaran tematik terpadu menggunakan model contextual teaching and learning di kelas iv sdn 09 bandar. journal of basic education studie, 4(1), 3974-3985. marni, s., suyono, roekhan, & harsiati, t. (2019). critical thinking patterns of first-year students in argumentative essay. journal for the education of gifted young scientists, 7(3), 683–697. https://doi.org/10.17478/jegys.605324 medina, l. c. (2018). blended learning: deficits and prospects in higher education. australasian journal of educational technology, 34(1), 42– 56. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.3100 mertler, c. a. (2014). action research: improving schools and empowering educators (4th ed). sage publications. nurfadila, a. (2021). empowering reading and writing skills of primary students with contextual teaching learning approach. ladu: journal of languages and education, 1(2), 89-95. nurharjanto, a., nurharjanto, a. a., & widyantoro, a. (2020). the effect of language learning strategy and technology toward students’ writing skills. jurnal kependidikan penelitian inovasi pembelajaran, 4(2), 213–225. https://doi.org/10.21831/jk.v4i2.34103 purnomowati, b., martono, & handayani, e. i. p. (2018). the use of guided writing technique to enhance the students’ writing skill. journal of chemical information and modeling, 7(1), 8-17. putri, d. r., & ahmad, a. (2022). an analysis of students’ argumentative essay writing skill of third semester of english language educationuir. 1(1), 87-96. rathakrishnan, m. (2018). the effectiveness of pedagogical role online teachers’ on students with difference learning style in their critical thinking using pbwiki on-line learning. international journal of engineering & technology, 7(3), 296-298. richards, j. c., & schmidt, r. (2013). longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics (4th ed.). person educational limited. ruto, r., mema, a., nduru, m. p., & ota, m. k. (2021). contextual teaching and learning approach in social science: its role to encourage pupils’ cognitive learning achievement. journal of research in instructional, 1(1), 43-52. siregar, n. a., & anwar, d. (2018). implementing learning community strategy to improve students speaking ability in junior high school. journal of english language teaching, 7(3), 393–398. https://doi.org/10.24036/jelt.v7i3.100475 straßer, c., & arieli, o. (2019). normative reasoning by sequent-based argumentation. journal of logic and computation, 29(3), 387-415. syatriana, e., & sakkir, g. (2020). implementing learning model based on interactive learning community for efl students of muhammadiyah university. elt worldwide: journal of english language teaching, 7(1), 23-30. https://doi.org/10.26858/eltww.v7i1.12518 tasya, m. a. (2022). students ’ difficulties in writing an argumentative essay [thesis, uin jakarta]. dspace. https://repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/handle/123 456789/59169 toba, r., noor, w. n., & sanu, l. o. (2019). the current issues of indonesian efl students’ writing skills: ability, problem, and reason in writing comparison and contrast essay. dinamika ilmu, 19(1), 57–73. https://doi.org/10.21093/di.v19i1.1506 vangrieken, k., meredith, c., & kyndt, e. (2017). teacher communities as a context for professional development: a systematic review. teaching and teacher education, 61, 47–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.10.001 wale, b. d., & bishaw, k. s. (2020). effects of using inquiry-based learning on efl students’ critical thinking skills. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 5(1), 24-30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-020-00090-2 wamubi, o. t., simala., inyani, k., mshiriki, p., ipara., & odeo, i. i. (2015). evaluation of contextual teaching of kiswahili proverbs in secondary schools in kenya. journal of literature, language and linguistics, 16, 66-79. wei, l., firetto, c. m., murphy, p. k., li, m., & greene, j. a., & croninger, r. m. v. (2019). facilitating fourth-grade students’ written argumentation: the use of an argumentation graphic organizer. the journal of educational research, 112(5), 627-639. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 191 https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2019.165442 8 williams, c., & beam, s. (2019). technology and writing: review of research. computers & education, 128, 227–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.09.0 24 wilson, l., & lowe, d. t. (2019). the learning communities handbook. newscastle university. yoo, b., kwak, y., & park, w. m. (2020). analysis of argumentation structure in students’ writing on socio-scientific issues (ssi): focusing on the unit of climate change in high school earth science i. journal of the korean earth science society, 41(4), 405-414. franscy & leroy holman siahaan the effectiveness of learning community techniques on english essay writing skills 192 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 357 the interplay of teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and the implementation of differentiated instruction in indonesian efl contexts nirwanto maruf english language education department, universitas muhammadiyah gresik, gresik, indonesia email: nirwanto.maruf@umg.ac.id apa citation: maruf, n. (2023). the interplay of teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and the implementation of differentiated instruction in indonesian efl contexts. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 357-364. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7251 received: 13-02-2023 accepted: 23-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction english language education has a long history in indonesia, with the first english language school established in the late 19th century ( rahim 2019; suwastini 2021; tanjung & ashadi, 2019) today, english is a mandatory subject in indonesia schools at all levels, and is taught by a diverse group of teachers with varying levels of proficiency and training (tanjung & ashadi, 2019; sarosa et al., 2020; barianty et al., 2022). the current status and structure of english language programs in indonesia varies widely, with a mix of private and public schools and a range of curricula and teaching approaches (zuwanda et al., 2021; zein et al., 2020; rahim, 2019). the sociocultural context of indonesia efl classrooms is complex and diverse, with students and teachers coming from a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds (purwantoro et al., 2021; rahim, 2019; milawati et al., 2021; maruf & anjely, 2020). english language proficiency levels among indonesia efl learners are often low (babo & suhonen, 2018). cultural and educational policies and practices in indonesia also play a role in shaping efl teaching and learning, with a focus on rote memorization and test-taking skills rather than communicative competence (rosmaladewi & abduh, 2019; sutaryo et al., 2021; mantiri & chen, 2019). there is a growing body of research on efl teaching and learning in indonesia, covering topics such as english language proficiency (zein et al., 2020; maruf & helingo, 2022), teaching methods (vonkova et al., 2021; zein et al., 2020; deehan et al., 2020), and student attitudes and motivation (clark et al., 2021; vonkova et al., 2021; zuhri et al., 2021). however, much of this research has focused on traditional approaches to language teaching and learning, and there is a need for more research on innovative and evidence-based approaches to curriculum design and teaching in abstract: the aims of this study were to investigate the relationship between teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and professional development on the implementation of differentiated instruction and student outcomes in efl classroom in indonesia. the study also aimed to examine the impact of these practices on student engagement and motivation. a total of 100 teachers from several different schools participated in the study which were scattered from the major islands in indonesia, and the data were collected using a self-report questionnaire that was administered online by provided with link. correlations analysis were conducted to examine the relationships between the variables. the results showed that teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation had a strong positive correlation with the implementation of this approach in their classrooms (r = 0.75, p < 0.001). in addition, professional development in differentiation was positively correlated with teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about this approach (r = 0.65, p < 0.001). the results also indicated a strong positive relationship between teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation and student achievement in efl classrooms with a person’s r correlation coefficient of 0.80, p < 0.001. this finding suggests that teachers who have received professional development in differentiation are more likely to have positive beliefs and attitudes about this approach, and also suggest that teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation play a significant role in their implementation of this approach in the classroom, and that differentiated instruction has the potential to improve student achievement and engagement in efl classroom. the study also sheds light on the importance of professional development and experience with differentiation in shaping teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about this approach in indonesia context. keywords: affecting their digital literacy readiness; differentiated instructions, efl classrooms; teachers’ beliefs and attitudes. nirwanto maruf the interplay of teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and the implementation of differentiated instruction in indonesian efl contexts 358 indonesia efl classroom (hakim, 2021; lei & marešová, 2018; maruf et al., 2021). the research question for this study is particularly relevant and significant in the indonesia context, as it addresses a gap in the current research on efl teaching and learning in indonesia. while much of the existing research on efl teaching and learning in indonesia has focused on traditional approaches (darra & kanellopoulou, 2019), there is a need for more research on innovative and evidence-based approaches to curriculum design and teaching. differentiated instruction is a teaching approach that involves adapting instruction to meet the diverse needs of individual students in classroom (cholsakorn & piamsai, 2022; magableh & abdullah, 2020; muhammad & iqbal, 2020; clark et al., 2021). this approach has been shown to be effective in improving students’ achievement and engagement in a variety of educational contexts (magableh & abdullah, 2020; lavania & nor, 2020; charles, 2018). however, the implementation of differentiated instruction can be challenge, particularly in english as a foreign language (efl) classrooms where students may have different levels of language proficiency and cultural background (shareefa et al., 2021; klepsch & seufert, 2020). one factor that can impact the implementation of differentiated instruction in efl classrooms is teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about this approach (al-shaboul et al., 2021; haelermans, 2022). research has shown that teachers who have positive beliefs and attitudes about differentiation are more likely to implement it successfully (hsiang et al., 2020; yu & cho, 2022; magableh & abdullah, 2020; klepsch & seufert, 2020). on the other hand, teachers who are uncertain or skeptical about differentiation may be less likely to use this approach in their teaching (klepsch & seufert, 2020; hsiang et al., 2020). previous researches have consistently shown that teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiated instruction play significant role in their implementation this approach in the classroom (yu & cho, 2022; shareefa et al., 2021). for example, a study found that teachers who had positive beliefs and attitudes about differentiation were more likely to use a variety of instructional strategies and materials to meet the needs of their students (yu & cho, 2022; lei & marešová, 2018). other studies have also highlighted the impact of the school context on teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation. haelermans (2022) found that teacher who received support from school and district leaders were more likely to have positive beliefs and attitudes about this approach. this highlights the importance of providing teachers with the resources and support they need to successfully implement differentiated instruction in their classrooms. in indonesia efl classrooms, studies have found that teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation are influenced by a variety of factors, including their training and experience (milawati et al., 2021; rahim, 2019). some teachers may be hesitant to implement differentiated instruction due to a lack of confidence in their ability to adapt their teaching to meet the needs of individual students (iqbal & muhammad, 2020; ninković et al., 2022; wilkinson, 2018). others may be unaware of the benefits of differentiation or may perceive it as an additional burden on their already limited time and resources. it is also important to consider the impact of the sociocultural context on the implementation of differentiated instruction in indonesia efl classrooms (iqbal & muhammad, 2020; van geel et al., 2019). for example, the demographics and linguistic background of students and teachers may influence the types of differentiation strategies that are most effective (darra & kanellopoulou, 2019; neuvirthova & gadusova, 2021). cultural and educational policies and practices may also impact the extent to which differentiation is used in indonesia efl classroom (budirahayu & saud, 2021). despite these challenges, researchers have shown that differentiated instruction can be successfully implemented in indonesia efl classroom, resulting in improved student engagement and motivation (babo & suhonen, 2018; budirahayu & saud, 2021). one key factor in the success of differentiated instruction in this context is teacher professional development, which can help teachers develop the knowledge and skills needed to implement this approach effectively (haelermans, 2022; onyishi & sefotho, 2020). other strategies that have been shown to be effective in indonesia efl classroom include the use of authentic materials, multimedia, and taskbased language teaching (choudhary & kumar, 2021; khouja & alqahtani, 2022; lee & kim, 2020). english proficiency level among indonesia efl learners are often low, and the teaching of english in indonesia faces several challenges (charles, 2018; smets & struyven, 2018). one promising approach to address these challenges is differentiated instruction, a teaching approach that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 359 involves adapting instruction to meet the diverse needs of individual students in the classroom (bal et al., 2022; iqbal et al., 2020; suprayogi et al., 2022). however, implementing differentiated instruction in an efl classroom can be challenging, particularly when teachers have varying levels of knowledge and confidence in this approach. this study aims to investigate the impact of teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and professional development on the implementation of differentiated instruction and student outcomes in efl classroom in indonesia. specifically, the study explores the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and attitude about differentiation and their implementation on this approach in the classroom, as well as the impact of differentiated instruction on student engagement and motivation. by examining these factors, the study seeks to contribute to the research gap in this area and provide insights into the implementation of differentiated instruction in the context of efl classroom in indonesia. method to investigate the relationship between teachers’ beliefs, attitudes and professional development on the implementation of differentiated instruction and student outcomes in efl classroom, a questionnaire was administered to 100 samples of teachers from several different schools in indonesia which are scattered from the four major islands such as java, sulawesi, kalimantan, and sumatera. the questionnaire consisted of closedended questions and was designed to gather information about the teachers’ beliefs, attitudes and professional development about differentiation, their implementation of this approach in their classrooms, and the factors that influence their beliefs, attitudes and professional development. the questionnaire was administered online through a secure survey platform. participants were provided with a link to the survey and were given a deadline to complete it. to ensure the reliability and validity of the questionnaire, the items were pilot-tested with a small group of teachers and refined based on their feedback. the data collected through the questionnaire was analyzed using quantitative method. quantitative data, including responses to closed-ended questions, was analyzed using descriptive statistics. the research procedures for this study were as follows: (1) sample selection; a purposive sample of teachers who had experience teaching efl in a variety of context, including both public and private schools in indonesia, were selected for this study. the sample size was determined based on the availability of participants and the need to ensure a diverse representation of teaching experiences and backgrounds; (2) instrument development: a questionnaire consisted closedended questions was developed to gather information about the lecturers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation, their implementation of this approach in their classrooms, and the factors that influence their beliefs and attitudes. the questionnaire was pilottested with a small group of teachers and refined based on their feedback to ensure its reliability and validity; (3) data collection: the questionnaire was administered online through a secure survey platform. participants were provided with a link to the survey and were given a deadline to complete it; (4) data analysis the data collected through the questionnaire were analyzed using quantitative method. quantitative data which including responses to closed-ended questions, were analyzed using descriptive statistics. these research procedures were designed to ensure the reliability and validity of the data collected and to provide a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and the professional development on the implementation of differentiated instruction and student outcomes in efl classroom in indonesia. results and discussion the results of this study indicate a strong positive relationship between teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation and the implementation of this approach in their classroom. specifically, a person’s r correlation coefficient of 0.75 (p<0.001) was found between these two variables. this suggests that teachers who have more positive beliefs and attitudes about differentiation are more likely to implement this approach in the classroom. this is consistent with previous research that has shown that teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiated instruction play a significant role in their implementation of this approach in the classroom (shareefa et al., 2021; yu & cho, 2022; yu & cho, 2022). the results also revealed a significant positive relationship between teachers’ professional development in differentiation and their beliefs and attitudes about this approach. a person’s r correlation coefficient of 0.65 (p<0.001) was found between these two variables. this finding nirwanto maruf the interplay of teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and the implementation of differentiated instruction in indonesian efl contexts 360 suggests that teachers who have received professional development in differentiation are more likely to have positive beliefs and attitudes about this approach. this is consistent with previous research that has shown that teachers who have received professional development in differentiation or who have more experience with this approach are more likely to have positive beliefs and attitudes about it (magableh & abdullah, 2020; shareefa et al., 2021; yu & cho, 2022). it also indicated a strong positive relationship between teachers' beliefs and attitudes about differentiation and student achievement in efl classrooms. a pearson's r correlation coefficient of 0.80 (p < 0.001) was found between these two variables. this finding suggests that teachers who have more positive beliefs and attitudes about differentiation may be more successful in improving student achievement in their classrooms. this is consistent with previous research that has shown that differentiated instruction is effective in improving student achievement in a variety of educational contexts (magableh & abdullah, 2021). finally, the results revealed a strong positive relationship between the implementation of differentiated instruction and student engagement in efl classrooms. a pearson's r correlation coefficient of 0.75 (p < 0.001) was found between these two variables. this finding suggests that the implementation of differentiated instruction is associated with improved student engagement in efl classrooms. the results of this study support the idea that teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation play a significant role in their implementation of this approach in the classroom, as has been found in previous research (haelermans, 2022; onyishi & sefotho, 2020; shareefa et al., 2021; yu & cho, 2022). however, the results of this study also suggest that there may be additional factors at play in the indonesia context. specifically, the results indicate that professional development and experience with differentiation are also associated with more positive beliefs and attitudes about this approach. these findings add to our understanding of the factors that may influence teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation in the indonesian context, and highlight the importance of considering these factors when examining the implementation of this approach in this context. the results of this study also insight into the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation and students’ outcomes in indonesia efl classrooms. previous research has shown that differentiated instruction is effective in improving students’ achievement in a variety of educational contexts (shareefa et al., 2021; yu & cho, 2022). however, this study is the first to examine this relationship in the indonesia context, and the results suggest that teacher who have more positive beliefs and attitudes about differentiation may be more successful in improving student achievement in their classrooms. thus, these results highlight the potential benefits of considering teachers’ believes and attitudes about differentiation when examining the impact of this approach on student outcomes in indonesia efl classrooms. overall, this study contributes to our understanding of the relationship between teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and professional development about differentiation and the implementation of this approach in efl classrooms in indonesia. it highlights the importance of considering both individual and contextual factors when examining this relationship, and adds to our knowledge of the potential benefits of differentiation for students’ outcomes in this context. the main aims of this study were to examine the relationship between teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and professional development about differentiation and the implementation of this approach in efl classrooms in indonesia, and to explore the impact of these practices on students’ engagement and motivation. the results of this study provide important insights into these relationships in the indonesia context. one of the key findings of this study was the strong positive relationship between teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation and their implementation of this approach in the classroom. this finding is consistent with previous research that has shown that teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation play a significant role in their implementation of this approach in the classroom (abdelmoula et al., 2019; magableh & abdullah, 2021; vonkova et al., 2021; zein et al., 2020). this relationship may be explained by the influence of teachers’ beliefs on their instructional practices, as research has shown that teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning can shape the way they teach (caleon et al., 2018 ; şentürk & baş, 2021; vale et al., 2020). additionally, teachers’ attitudes towards differentiation may be influenced by their prior experiences with this approach, as research has found that teachers’ attitudes towards an instructional approach can be shaped by their english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 361 experiences with it (leung, 2022; şentürk & baş, 2021). another important finding of this study was the significant positive relationship between teachers’ professional development in differentiation and their beliefs and attitudes about this approach. the finding has shown that teachers who have received professional development in differentiation or who have more experience with this approach are more likely to have positive beliefs and attitudes about it (abdelmoula et al., 2019; darra & kanellopoulou, 2019; deehan et al., 2020). this relationship may be explained by the influence of professional development on teachers’ knowledge and understanding of differentiation, as research has shown that professional development can enhance teachers’ knowledge and skills in instructional practices (haelermans, 2022; onyishi & sefotho, 2020; shareefa et al., 2021; yu & cho, 2022). furthermore, the relationship between professional development and teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation may be influenced by teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of this approach, as research has found that teachers’ beliefs about an instructional approach can be shaped by their perceptions of its effectiveness (meşe & mede, 2022; yatim et al., 2022) the results of this study also showed a strong positive relationship between teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation and student achievement in efl classroom. moreover, the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation and student achievement may be influenced by the way in which teachers implement this approach, as research has found that quality of implementation is a key factor in the effectiveness of differentiation (neuvirthova & gadusova, 2021; vonkova et al., 2021). the results also revealed a strong positive relationship between the implementation of differentiated instruction and student engagement in efl classrooms. this finding has shown that student engagement is a key predictor of academic success (beck & beasley, 2021; maulana et al., 2020). this relationship may be explained by the way in which differentiated instruction can enhance student motivation and interest in learning by providing students with task that are tailored to their individual needs and abilities. in addition, the relationship between the implementation of differentiated instruction and student engagement may influenced by the way in which teachers create a positive and inclusive classroom climate, as research has shown that a positive and inclusive classroom climate can enhance student engagement (yatim et al., 2022). in addition, the results of this study have implication for the design and implementation of professional development programs for efl teachers in indonesia. the finding that teachers’ professional development in differentiation is associated with more positive beliefs and attitudes about his approach suggests that professional development programs that focus on differentiation may be effective in promoting the adoption of this approach development programs can be effective in supporting teachers’ adoption of new instructional practice (klepsch & seufert, 2020). conclusion in conclusion, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and professional development about differentiation and the implementation of this approach in efl classroom in indonesia, and to examine the impact of these practices on student engagement and motivation. the results of the study indicate that teachers who have more positive beliefs and attitudes about differentiation are more likely to implement this approach in their classroom. in additional, professional development in differentiation in their classrooms. in addition, professional development in differentiation and experience with this approach were found to be associated with more positive beliefs and attitudes about differentiation. the results also suggest that the implementation of differentiated instruction is linked to improved student achievement and engagement in efl classrooms in indonesia. these findings have important implications for teacher education and professional development programs, as well as for efl curriculum design and instruction in the indonesian context. however, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of this study. firstly, the samples in this study were relatively small and consisted of teachers from a limited number of schools. this may limit the generalizability of the findings to the wider population of efl teachers in indonesia. it is therefore important to replicate this study with a larger and more diverse samples to further understand the relationship between these variables in the indonesian context. secondly, the study used a self-report questionnaire as the primary data collection tool. this may be introduced some bias into the results, as participants may have responded in a way that they believed was socially desirable rather than nirwanto maruf the interplay of teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and the implementation of differentiated instruction in indonesian efl contexts 362 accurately reflecting their beliefs and attitudes. future research could use multiple data collection methods, such as observation or interviews, to triangulate the findings and enhance the validity and results. in spite of these limitations, the results of this study provide valuable insights into the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation and the implementation of this approach in efl classrooms in indonesia. future research could explore other factors that may influence teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about differentiation, such as teachers’ demographics, school context, and student characteristics. understanding these factors can help to inform the development of effective teacher education and professional development programs that support the implementation on differentiated instruction in efl classrooms in indonesia. acknowledgement i would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of teachers who participated in this research study. their willingness to share experiences and insights was invaluable in helping me to understand the teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and professional development about differentiated instruction and its implementation in efl classrooms in indonesia context. i would like to thank all of the individuals who provided support and assistance during the data collection and analysis phases of this study. their contributions have been greatly appreciated. references abdelmoula, e. k., samira, r., & abdelmajid, b. (2019). a case study of differentiated instruction in the efl reading classroom in one high school in morocco. international journal of english literature and social sciences. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijels.46.38 al-shaboul, y., al-azaizeh, m., & al-dosari, n. (2021). differentiated instruction between application and constraints: teachers’ perspective. european journal of educational research, 10(1), 101127. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.10.1.127 babo, r., & suhonen, j. (2018). e-assessment with multiple choice questions: a qualitative study of teachers’ opinions and experience regarding the new assessment strategy. international journal of learning technology, 13(3), 220–248. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijlt.2018.095964 bal, a. p., yilmaz, r., & atas, v. (2022). development of self-efficacy scale of differentiated instruction for teachers. jramathedu (journal of research and advances in mathematics education), 7(2), 16204. https://doi.org/10.23917/jramathedu.v7i2.16204 barianty, t. n., arifani, y., ma'ruf, n., & setiawan, s. (2022). l2 asd learners’ scaffolding development after long interaction with the mobile story-sharing application. (3)13 ,زبانی جستارهای, 87-110. beck, d., & beasley, j. (2021). identifying the differentiation practices of virtual school teachers. education and information technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10332-y budirahayu, t., & saud, m. (2021). proposing an integrated multiculturalism learning system: a study from indonesian schools. asia-pacific education researcher. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-020-00521-1 caleon, i. s., tan, y. s. m., & cho, y. h. (2018). does teaching experience matter? the beliefs and practices of beginning and experienced physics teachers. research in science education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-016-9562-6 cholsakorn, p., & piamsai, c. (2022). the effects of differentiated reading instruction on reading comprehension and self-efficacy of thai undergraduate students. kasetsart journal of social sciences, 43(3), 24-32. https://doi.org/10.34044/j.kjss.2022.43.3.24 clark, k. f., evans, k. s., reinders, c. m., & o’dell, k. a. (2021). primary grade students’ achievement given differentiated process writing instruction in a summer learning program. early childhood education journal, 01278. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01278-y darra, m., & kanellopoulou, e.-m. (2019). the implementation of the differentiated instruction in higher education: a research review. international journal of education, 11(3). 5307. https://doi.org/10.5296/ije.v11i3.15307 deehan, j., danaia, l., & mckinnon, d. h. (2020). from students to teachers: investigating the science teaching efficacy beliefs and experiences of graduate primary teachers. research in science education, 9716. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165018-9716-9 fitzgerald charles sr., l. (2018). middle school teachers’ perception of differentiated instruction on lower third student achievement. teacher education and curriculum studies, 3(3), 30311. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.tecs.20180303.11 haelermans, c. (2022). the effects of group differentiation by students’ learning strategies. instructional science, 09575. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-021-09575-0 hakim, b. (2021). role of ict in the process of efl teaching and learning in an arab context. humanities and social sciences letters. 5871. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.73.2021.91. 58.71 hsiang, t. p., graham, s., & yang, y. m. (2020). teachers’ practices and beliefs about teaching writing: a comprehensive survey of grades 1 to 3 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 363 teachers. reading and writing, 10050. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-020-10050-4 ibrahim magableh, i. s., & abdullah, a. (2020). effectiveness of differentiated instruction on primary school students’ english reading comprehension achievement. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 1932. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.3.2 iqbal, j., khan, a. m., & nisar, m. (2020). impact of differentiated instruction on student learning: perception of students and teachers. global regional review, 5(1), e40. https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2020(v-i).40 iqbal, t., & muhammad, y. (2020). using differentiated instruction in inclusive schools: a qualitative analysis of prospective teachers’ self-efficacy. in journal of inclusive education, 4. klepsch, m., & seufert, t. (2020). understanding instructional design effects by differentiated measurement of intrinsic, extraneous, and germane cognitive load. instructional science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-020-09502-9 klonari, a., & koutaleli, e. (2017). primary education teachers’ attitudes towards and views on differentiated instruction on geography. international journal of education, 9(3), 11893. https://doi.org/10.5296/ije.v9i3.11893 komang arie suwastini, n. (2021). differentiated instruction for efl classroom. tell-us journal. 7(1), 4719. https://doi.org/10.22202/tus.2021.v7i1.4719 lavania, m., & nor, f. b. m. (2020). barriers in differentiated instruction: a systematic review of the literature. journal of critical reviews (vol. 7, issue 6). https://doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.06.51 lei, y., & marešová, h. (2018). the use of qq in efl teaching and learning: a literature review. trends in education. https://doi.org/10.5507/tvv.2018.021 leung, j. s. c. (2022). shifting the teaching beliefs of preservice science teachers about socioscientific issues in a teacher education course. international journal of science and mathematics education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-021-10177-y magableh, i., & abdullah, a. (2020). the effect of differentiated instruction on efl learners: teachers’ perspective. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 10(5). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v10-i5/7235 magableh, i. s. i., & abdullah, a. (2021). the impact of differentiated instruction on students’ reading comprehension attainment in mixed-ability classrooms. interchange. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-021-09427-3 mantiri, o., & chen, s. (2019). efl teaching in indonesia: globalization, localization and the “third place.” ssrn electronic journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3438060 maruf, n., & anjely, a. m. r. (2020). utilizing cooperative integrated reading and composition (circ) with mobile learning to enhance students’ reading comprehension. british (jurnal bahasa dan sastra inggris), 9(2), 10–19. maruf, n., & helingo, a. (2022). assessment strategy to rectify efl students’ performance: a need analysis. jet adi buana, 7(02). https://doi.org/10.36456/jet.v7.n02.2022.6191 maruf, n., husain, d., & rahmiati, n. (2021). pendampingan penerapan aplikasi pembelajaran bahasa inggris berbasis it bagi guru bahasa inggris. jurnal solma, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.22236/solma.v10i3.7869 maulana, r., smale-jacobse, a., helms-lorenz, m., chun, s., & lee, o. (2020). measuring differentiated instruction in the netherlands and south korea: factor structure equivalence, correlates, and complexity level. european journal of psychology of education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-019-00446-4 meşe, e., & mede, e. (2022). using digital differentiation to improve efl achievement and self-regulation of tertiary learners: the turkish context. innovation in language learning and teaching. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2022.2043872 milawati, saukah, a., suharmanto, & suryati, n. (2021). characterizing indonesian efl teachers’ questioning as informal formative assessment strategy. pegem egitim ve ogretim dergisi, 11(3), 112–124. https://doi.org/10.14527/pegegog.2021.00 muhammad, y., & iqbal, t. (2020). using differentiated instruction in inclusive schools: a qualitative analysis of prospective teachers’ self-efficacy. journal of inclusive education. neuvirthova, d., & gadusova, z. (2021). differentiated instruction strategies in efl classroom: case study. edulearn21 proceedings. https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2021.1624 ninković, s., knežević-florić, o., & đorđić, d. (2022). transformational leadership and teachers’ use of differentiated instruction in serbian schools: investigating the mediating effects of teacher collaboration and self-efficacy. educational studies, 2081787. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2022.2081787 onyishi, c. n., & sefotho, m. m. (2020). teachers’ perspectives on the use of differentiated instruction in inclusive classrooms: implication for teacher education. international journal of higher education, 9(6). https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v9n6p136 patahuddin, p., syawal, s., & bin-tahir, s. z. (2017). investigating indonesian efl learners’ learning and acquiring english vocabulary. international journal of english linguistics, 7(4), 128-136. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v7n4p128 purwantoro, a., asari, s., & maruf, n. (2021). the nirwanto maruf the interplay of teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and the implementation of differentiated instruction in indonesian efl contexts 364 effectiveness of e-learning madrasah in english teaching and learning. birci-journal, 4(3), 2128. rahim, m. n. (2019). the use of blended learning approach in efl education. international journal of engineering and advanced technology, 0585c19. https://doi.org/10.35940/ijeat.e1163.0585c19 rosmaladewi, r., & abduh, a. (2019). the impact of information technology on efl teaching in indonesia. elt worldwide: journal of english language teaching, 6(1), 9802. https://doi.org/10.26858/eltww.v6i1.9802 sarosa, m., kusumawardani, m., suyono, a., & wijaya, m. h. (2020). developing a social media-based chatbot for english learning. iop conference series: materials science and engineering, 732(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1757899x/732/1/012074 şentürk, c., & baş, g. (2021). investigating the relationship between teachers’ teaching beliefs and their affinity for lifelong learning: the mediating role of change tendencies. international review of education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-021-09917-7 shareefa, m., moosa, v., matzin, r., abdulla, n. z. m., & jawawi, r. (2021). facilitating differentiated instruction in a multi-grade setting: the case of a small school. sn social sciences. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-021-00116-7 smets, w., & struyven, k. (2018). aligning with complexity: system-theoretical principles for research on differentiated instruction. frontline learning research, 6(2), 340-346. https://doi.org/10.14786/flr.v6i2.340 suprayogi, m. n., sulaeman, b., & baydhowi, b. (2022). differentiated instruction implementation: a survey study among elementary school teachers. proceedings of the 3rd tarumanagara international conference on the applications of social sciences and humanities (ticash 2021), 655. assehr. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220404.273 sutaryo, komari, & hasan, n. (2021). globalization and english language teaching in indonesia. jurnal ilmiah prodi pendidikan bahasa inggris, 10(2). tanjung, p. a., & ashadi, a. (2019). differentiated instruction in accommodating individual differences of efl students. celtic: a journal of culture, english language teaching, literature, & linguistics. https://doi.org/10.22219/celticumm.vol6.no2.6372 vale, c., campbell, c., speldewinde, c., & white, p. (2020). teaching across subject boundaries in stem: continuities in beliefs about learning and teaching. international journal of science and mathematics education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-019-09983-2 van geel, m., keuning, t., frèrejean, j., dolmans, d., van merriënboer, j., & visscher, a. j. (2019). capturing the complexity of differentiated instruction. school effectiveness and school improvement, 30(1), 1539013. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2018.1539013 vonkova, h., jones, j., moore, a., altinkalp, i., & selcuk, h. (2021). a review of recent research in efl motivation: research trends, emerging methodologies, and diversity of researched populations. in system. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102622 wilkinson, j. (2018). journal of learning development in higher education engagement in higher education. who’s not engaging? journal of learnidevelopment in higher education. yatim, s. s. k. m., saleh, s., zulnaidi, h., yew, w. t., & yatim, s. a. m. (2022). effects of brain-based teaching approach integrated with geogebra (bgeo module) on students conceptual understanding. international journal of instruction. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2022.15119a yu, s. y., & cho, e. (2022). preservice teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion in early childhood classrooms: a review of the literature. in early childhood education journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01187-0 zein, s., sukyadi, d., hamied, f. a., & lengkanawati, n. s. (2020). english language education in indonesia: a review of research (2011-2019). language teaching. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444820000208 zuhri, s., anwar, k., & maruf, n. (2021). the correlation between extensive reading, critical reading , and selfesteem in students’ reading abilities. budapest international research and critics institute-journal (birci-journal), 4(3). zuwanda, m. e., sumarni, s., & sulistyaningrum, s. d. (2021). designing life and career skills-integrated speaking syllabuses for english language education study program. saga: journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.21460/saga.2021.22.84 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 929 students’ perceptions of implementing problem-based learning with blended learning in efl academic reading hijril ismail english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah mataram, indonesia email: hijrilismail@yahoo.com edi english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah mataram, indonesia e-mail: edi.dompu.80@gmail.com apa citation: ismail, h., & edi. (2022). students’ perceptions of implementing problem-based learning with blended learning in efl academic reading. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 929-936. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6807 received: 14-06-2022 accepted: 25-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction reading is one of the essential skills in learning english as a foreign language that connects the knowledge of previous readers (prior knowledge) with the information the author wants to convey in certain situations to build meaning (ismail et al., 2020). meanwhile, according to horn et al. (2021), reading is also defined as recognizing text and word symbols in the daily environment. reading is also defined as a fundamental skill that students must possess to achieve academic success. with it, they can obtain information and increase their knowledge to fulfill their learning objectives (hassan et al., 2017). reading has several types, one of which is academic reading. academic reading is critical reading (groen et al., 2020; padagas & hajan, 2020) of long texts to study certain subjects (padagas & hajan, 2020), which is considered an important ability for students because they are always required to read in order to complete the tasks given by educators (liu & read, 2020), and is also considered a job that students cannot avoid to achieve educational success in higher education (yulia et al., 2020). furthermore, schwabe et al. (2022) state that academic reading is vital for many aspects of our daily lives. academic reading is also considered an important skill (liu & read, 2020; yulia et al., 2020) in higher education because students are generally required to deal with various kinds of reading tasks (liu & read, 2020), which are unavoidable by students for successful study in higher education (yulia et al., 2020). academic reading problems in higher education are still often found in various types of researches (monje & macasieb, 2020), such as using a very formal vocabulary and having a high content complexity which can make it difficult for students to understand the reading text they are reading if they do not have adequate knowledge (hartshorn et al., 2017; muñoz & valenzuela, 2020). another problem found is that many activities in academic reading learning emphasize the search for information in reading texts, whereas to get the benefits of reading is to implement critical reading as an essential skill for abstract: the study aimed at exploring students’ perception of implementing problem-based learning with blended learning in efl academic reading. quantitative and qualitative data were gained by applying a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. the study occurred at the english education program at muhammadiyah university of mataram. the respondents involved in this research were thirty-four english foreign language (efl) students who are joining an academic reading course. the result showed that students have positive perceptions of the use of problem-based learning with blended learning in teaching efl academic reading. at the same time, the respondents found barriers preventing them from utilizing problem-based learning in teaching efl academic reading such as requiring sufficient time to complete a topic or find out the solution to a problem, needing additional fees to buy internet quota, and needing prior knowledge in applying problem-based learning. finally, the finding gained from two types of instruments recommended that pbl with blended learning can be applied in efl academic reading. keywords: academic reading; blended learning; perception; problem-based learning. hijril ismail & edi students’ perceptions of implementing problem-based learning with blended learning in efl academic reading 930 college students (groen et al., 2020). furthermore, liu & read (2020) found the problem in academic reading are comprehension in general, understanding implied meaning, understanding the main idea, local comprehension, integrating information within the text, reading speed, expeditious reading (e.g., skimming and searching), evaluating or critiquing information, integrating information from multiple texts, summarizing in one’s own words, applying the knowledge to one’s own writing, paraphrasing in one’s own words, attention or focus, motivation or attitude toward reading, information retention, and amount of reading. many researchers have researched academic reading, including singh (2019), who investigated the academic reading challenges faced by international english as a foreign language master’s students at a malaysian university. the finding indicates that the students faced difficulties regarding interpreting the text in english instructional settings. padagas and hajan (2020) researched the academic reading needs of undergraduate students. the finding states that students need to organize the literature items reviewed and synthesize general concepts to generate a new idea. liu & read (2020) surveyed general skills and challenges in university academic reading. they generally found that the academic reading challenges are the length or amount of reading material, a large amount of time spent on reading, the failure to finish reading within the time frame, loss of concentration or focus on reading, as well as demotivation for reading. the study is concentrated on teaching academic reading via problem-based learning to overcome the problems in academic reading learning. pbl is a student-centered learning process that involves small groups and educators act as facilitators during the learning process to address real problems that are the focus and to provide incentives for students to learn (nagarajan & overton, 2019). in pbl, a problem is considered a problem situation (shuhailo & derkach, 2021). pbl is implemented in the learning process to solve real problems scientifically through a series of investigations to get any problem solving (amin et al., 2020). problems occurring around students are used as a stimulus to start learning using the pbl model. by facing real problems, students become more enthusiastic about gathering information, investigating problems, and solving problems well (amin et al., 2020). pbl is also defined as a student-centered learning model that encourages critical and creative thinking for real problem-solving (kardoyo et al., 2020). pbl is one of the learning strategies that can be chosen to enhance the quality of learning (kardoyo et al., 2020). table 1. stages of pbl stages educator activities stage 1 delivering student orientation on the problem educators inform learning objectives, propose reading texts to raise problems, and motivate students to be involved in solving selected problems. stage 2 organizing students to study educators assist students in defining and organizing tasks related to selected problems. stage 3 guiding individual or group investigations educators encourage students to collect appropriate information and conduct experiments to obtain explanations for problem-solving. stage 4 developing and presenting the work educators help students plan and prepare experimental results such as reports, videos, and models to be shared with others. stage 5 analyzing and evaluating the problem solving process educators help students to reflect and evaluate the investigations and processes that have been carried out. many types of research data show that pbl can improve learning outcomes (amin et al., 2020; kardoyo et al., 2020; i. s. sari et al., 2021; suhirman et al., 2020; suryanti & nurhuda, 2021), enhance motivation in continue learning (silva et al., 2018), develop critical thinking (saputro et al., 2020; silva et al., 2018; ulger, 2018), enrich creative thinking (ulger, 2018 and silva et al., 2018), assist the students in taking the lead and becoming responsible for their learning process, enriching students’ ability to improve independence as learners, provide an opportunity to work collaboratively under their direction, and encourage students to apply their background knowledge to make decisions with a focus on problem-solving (silva et al., 2018), become an affective complementary method because it can expose students to real problems (tortorella & cauchick-miguel, 2018). pbl in this study was applied through blended learning. blended learning (bl) is a learning process that combines face-to-face learning with online learning by utilizing technology (sun & qiu, 2017). supported by heilporn et al. (heilporn et al., 2021) who points out that bl is a learning process that combines synchronous and asynchronous activities. while lakhal et al. (2020) state that bl is a continuum of face-toface and online learning. bl is also considered english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 931 very interesting because it has the potential to optimize student engagement in learning (halverson & graham, 2019; manwaring et al., 2017), and educators have a central role in facilitating interaction, providing support in the learning process, and designing learning (boelens et al., 2018). if blended learning is designed properly, it will affect learning outcomes. in the era of technological innovation, blended learning utilizes technology to create a learning environment that is more efficient, interesting, and student-centered (yu & du, 2019). therefore, the research is focused on students’ perception of pbl model with bl in efl academic reading. perception is how students think or feel about the model applied in teaching and learning. many researchers have investigated perception of problem-based learning, such as abdalla and eladl, (2019) performed research on student perception of the effect of problem familiarity on group discussion quality in a problem-based learning environment, azeem et al. (2018) undertook a study about perception of problembased learning in orthodontic medical education, sari et al. (2018) about perception and career interest in a problem-based learning environment and student opinions, kusmiati et al. (2021) about perception of problem-based learning on medical course, victor-ishikaku & ukpai (2021) about perception on the challenges of utilizing problembased learning in teaching computer science in public senior secondary schools in port harcourt metropolis, and mpalanyi et al. (2020) about the perception of radiography students toward problem-based learning almost two decades after its indirection at makerere university, uganda. this research aims to explore and identify the students’ perception of implementing problembased learning with blended learning in efl academic reading. method the research design was utilized in this research is qualitative to analyze the data from the questionnaire and the exploratory qualitative method employed for interview data because the authors considered a suitable method to explore students’ perceptions of the usage of pbl via blended learning in teaching and learning academic reading. the research was carried out in the third semester of the english education program muhammadiyah university of mataram. the number of participants was 34 who were taken through disproportionate stratified random sampling because the population is stratified and not proportional (sugiyono, 2009). the data was collected through questionnaires and interviews to identify students’ responses after utilizing pbl via blended learning in academic reading. before the writers distributed questionnaires and interviewed the participants, they joined the teaching and learning process for five weeks by applying pbl via blended learning. after completing the learning process, the 30 questionnaires are distributed to them. to strengthen the data obtained from the questionnaires, the researchers utilized the triangulation technique by distributing interview question instruments to the participants through direct questions to ten students who were used as samples in the interview. the data analysis was undertaken statistically for data from the questionnaire instrument results to find an average score and the data from the interview was analyzed descriptively. results and discussion the research explores students’ perception of implementing problem-based learning with blended learning in efl academic reading. in the result and discussion described the motivational variable, learning process variable, learning impact variable, and accompaniment impact variable. motivational variable the result of a survey on students’ perception of the usage model of pbl through blended learning showed that the majority of respondents agree that the model can motivate students to learn. table 2. motivational variable no statements score category 1. this model increases learning motivation because students are directly involved in finding solutions in learning. 4.81 strongly agree 2. this model encourages students to collect information according to the problem. 4.4 agree 3. this model increases students' curiosity. 4.5 agree table 2 shows that all statements in the motivational variable are strongly agree and agree. one category strongly agrees, namely this model increases learning motivation because hijril ismail & edi students’ perceptions of implementing problem-based learning with blended learning in efl academic reading 932 students are directly involved in finding solutions in learning (average score 4.81). then two categories agree, namely this model encourages students to collect information according to the problem (average score 4.4) and this model increases students' curiosity (mean score 4.5). the findings of students’ perceptions on motivational variables revealed that the pbl model through blended learning could increase students' motivation in the efl academic reading course. this is similar to silva et al. (2018), who found that the pbl model can enhance students motivation to learn. furthermore, the students’ agreeable response to the second statement of the motivational variable on the model encourages students to collect information according to the problem. this is congruent with the finding of tortorella & cauchick-miguel (2018) and amin et al. (2020), who revealed that pbl effective complementary method for learning, especially to gather literature, better learning experience to overcome actual problems, provide a more fertile environment to learn, and collect information to solve real problems. then, the last statement about the model can increase students’ curiosity, also responded with agree. learning process variable table 3. learning process variable no statements score category 1. emphasize student-centered learning. 4.7 strongly agree 2. lecturers act as facilitators in the learning process. 4.6 strongly agree 3. encourage students to interact directly with lecturers through discussion and question and answer. 4.2 agree 4 encourage collaboration between students and between students and lecturers. 4.3 agree 5. utilizing blended learning encourages students to complete the tasks given because they have sufficient opportunities to find solutions to the problems being discussed. 4.2 agree 6. this learning model directs students to understand the concept of academic reading. 4.1 agree 7. this learning model directs students to improve vocabulary mastery. 4.7 strongly agree 8. this learning model directs students to improve critical reading skills. 4.2 agree 9. this learning model directs students to actively discuss about the topic being studied. 4.1 agree 10. this learning model prioritizes the value of the process in each assessment. 4.7 strongly agree 11. assignments are given according to the topic being studied. 4.6 strongly agree 12. the time duration to complete the task is sufficient. 4.1 agree table 3 shows the variables of the learning process, five statements strongly agree such as emphasizing student-centered learning (mean score 4.7), lecturers act as facilitators in the learning process (mean score 4.6), this learning model directs students to improve vocabulary mastery (mean score 4.7), the learning model prioritizes the value of the process in each assessment (mean score 4.7), and assignments are given according to the topic being studied (mean score 4.6). whereas seven statements agree namely encourage students to interact directly with lecturers through discussion and question and answer (mean score 4.2), encourage collaboration between students and between students and lecturers (mean score 4.3), utilizing blended learning encourages students to complete the tasks given because they have sufficient opportunities to find solutions to the problems being discussed (mean score 4.2), this learning model directs students to understand the concept of academic reading (mean score 4.1), this learning model directs students to improve critical reading skills (mean score 4.2), this learning model directs students to actively discuss the topic being studied (mean score 4.1), and the time duration to complete the task is sufficient (mean score 4.1). the finding of students’ perception on variable learning process pointed out that respondents strongly agree with five statements, the first, learning process emphasizes studentscenter learning. this is in line with nagarajan and overton (2019), who put forward that studentcenter learning is the implementation of pbl which offer educators the opportunity to engage students in solving complex real-world problems. the second, an educator acts as a facilitator in teaching and learning process, to provide more opportunities for students, such as undertake investigation, have a discussion, and explore their opinion. the third, the learning model directs students to improve vocabulary mastery, because they are asked to read several reading texts that have been prepared to be applied in efl academic reading learning process, the form of reading text used is argumentative text. the fourth, this learning model prioritizes the value of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 933 the process in each assessment, and the fifth, assignments are given according to the topic being studied. whereas, respondents agree with seven statement agree namely encourage students to interact directly with lecturers through discussion and question and answer both face to face (offline) or online learning, encourage collaboration between students and between students and lecturers, by utilizing blended learning, it encourages students to complete the tasks given because they have sufficient opportunities to find solutions to the problems being discussed, this learning model directs students to understand the concept of academic reading, this learning model directs students to improve critical reading skills, this learning model directs students to actively discuss about the topic being studied, and the time duration to complete the task is sufficient. learning impact variable table 4. learning impact variable no statements scores category 1. improve students' understanding of academic reading concepts. 4.1 agree 2. improve students' vocabulary mastery. 4.6 strongly agree 3. this learning model can improve student learning outcomes. 4.1 agree 4. improve students' critical reading skills. 4.2 agree 5. this model has been properly implemented in academic reading learning. 4.7 strongly agree 6. improve students’ understanding of the pbl model steps. 4.8 strongly agree table 4 shows that three statements of learning impact variable strongly agree likes improving students' vocabulary mastery (mean score 4.6), this model has been properly implemented in academic reading learning (mean score 4.7), and improve students’ understanding of the pbl model steps (main score 4.8). then, three statements were responded with agree, they improve students' understanding of academic reading concepts (mean score 4.1), this learning model can improve student learning outcomes (mean score 4.1), and improve students' critical reading skills (mean score 4.2). the findings of students' perceptions of the learning impact variable confirm that academic reading learning using the pbl model via blended learning can improve students' vocabulary mastery, students' understanding of the steps of the pbl model, students' understanding of academic reading concepts, student learning outcomes, and students' critical reading skills. these students’ perception supported by many researchers, who have undertaken many investigations about pbl model (e.g. ulger, 2018 and silva et al., 2018). accompaniment impact variable table 5. accompaniment impact variable no statements scores category 1. learning is more interesting. 4.7 strongly agree 2. improve students' selfconfidence by presenting the results of the investigation. 4.6 strongly agree 3. improve students' collaboration skills. 4.1 agree 4. improve students' problemsolving skills. 4.3 agree 5. improve students' critical thinking skills. 4.1 agree 6. improve students' communication skills 4.2 agree 7. improve students' leadership skills. 4.1 agree 8. improve students' creativity skills. 4.1 agree 9. improve the ability to use technology by utilizing the learning management system (lms) in learning. 4.0 agree 10. increase student tolerance to accept different opinions. 4.6 strongly agree table 5 shows that three statements of accompaniment impact variable strongly agree, such as learning more interesting (mean score 4.7), improving students' self-confidence by presenting the results of the investigation (mean score 4.6), and increasing student tolerance to accept different opinions (mean score 4.6). while seven statements were responded with agree. they are improve students' collaboration skills (mean score 4.1), improve students' problemsolving skills (mean score 4.3), improving students' critical thinking skills (mean score 4.1), improve students' communication skills (mean score 4.2), improve students leadership skills (mean score 4.1), improve students' creativity skills (mean score 4.3), and improve the ability to use technology by utilizing the learning management system (lms) in learning (mean score 4.3). the finding of students’ perception on accompaniment impact variable addresses that learning using the pbl model via blended learning in academic reading learning can make a positive contribution in increasing trust, students' tolerance for accepting different opinions, students' collaboration skills, students' problem solving skills, students' critical thinking skills, hijril ismail & edi students’ perceptions of implementing problem-based learning with blended learning in efl academic reading 934 student communication skills, student leadership skills, enhance student creativity, and ability to use technology because learning process undertaking via blended learning (e.g. saputro et al., 2020; silva et al., 2018; ulger, 2018),. the average score on each variable can be seen in figure 1 below. figure 1. the average score of each variable the average score of each questionnaire variable distributed to find out the data on student responses to the use of the pbl model through blended learning in academic reading learning can be shown that the motivation variable has an average score of 4.2, the learning process variable is 4.3, the learning effect variable is 4.2, and the accompanying impact variable 4.5. the results of interviews with ten students asking six questions can be explained: (1) the students are motivated and more active to learn efl academic reading by applying the pbl model because they are directly involved in providing solutions to real problems that are happening. (2) the pbl model can help students to understand academic reading material because they are asked to think critically and creatively not only to understand reading texts. (3) the pbl model through blended learning can help students comprehend deeply about efl academic reading because they gain additional time to discuss the topic studied with friends. (4) the pbl model can track academic reading skills in each group because they are asked to present the solutions offered to problems in the topic being discussed. (5) the pbl model can make a positive contribution to learning outcomes because the assessment is not only carried out in the midsemester and final semesters but also process assessments undertaken by both educators and group friends. (6) the students found barriers preventing them to use problem-based learning in teaching efl academic reading such as requiring sufficient time to complete a topic or find out the solution to a problem, needing additional fees to buy internet quota, and needing prior knowledge in applying problem-based learning. regarding the interview result about students’ perceptions pointed out that the pbl model via blended learning in efl academic reading can make students more active and motivated to learn because they are directly involved to obtain many solutions to the problems discussed. this is in line with silva et al. (2018), who put forward that pbl can improve students’ motivation. furthermore, the pbl model contributes positively to learning outcomes such as some of the results of research conducted by many researchers (e.g. amin et al., 2020; kardoyo et al., 2020; sari et al., 2021; suhirman et al., 2020; suryanti & nurhuda, 2021). then, the tbl model can also enhance students’ deep understanding, critical thinking, and creativity because they will gain additional time by learning via blending learning, investigating the problem by collecting information, and presenting the result of the solution who has gained. conclusion the research finding showed that students have positive perceptions of the usage pbl model via blended learning in efl academic reading courses in the motivational variable, learning process variable, learning impact variable, and accompaniment impact variable. the pbl model through blended learning can improve motivation, curiosity, efl vocabulary mastery, and critical efl reading because students are the center of learning and education as facilitators. the pbl model can also develop collaborative skills, problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, and leadership by conducting investigations to find solutions to the problems to be solved. whereas, the pbl can increase self-confidence, tolerance, and communication skills by presenting the results of an investigation. furthermore, students will be able to utilize technology because the learning process is blended via a learning management system, namely zoom meeting, whatsapp groups, and google classroom. pbl models through blended learning can be implemented in learning efl academic reading courses and other subjects that aim to improve learning outcomes. acknowledgements we would like to thank the ministry of research, technology and higher education indonesia for supporting this research. references abdalla, m. e., & eladl, m. a. (2019). student english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 935 perception of the effect of problem familiarity on group discussion quality in a problem-based learning environment. gms journal for medical education, 36(3), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3205/zma001237 amin, s., utaya, s., bachri, s., sumarmi, & susilo, s. (2020). effect of problem-based learning on critical thinking skills and environmental attitude. journal for the education of gifted young scientists, 8(2), 743–755. https://doi.org/10.17478/jegys.650344 azeem, m., awaisi, z. h., anwar, y., & azeem, a. (2018). problem based learning; dental interns’ perception of problem based learning in orthodontic medical education on case planning. the professional medical journal, 25(11), 1780–1784. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39546.716053.80 boelens, r., voet, m., & wever, b. de. (2018). the design of blended learning in response to student diversity in higher education: instructors’ views and use of differentiated instruction in blended learning. computers & education, 120, 197–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.02.009 groen, l., keijzer, m., michel, m., & lowie, w. (2020). an english academic reading course for dutch pre-university students. dutch journal of applied linguistics, 9(1–2), 207–214. https://doi.org/10.1075/dujal.19042.gro halverson, l. r., & graham, c. r. (2019). learner engagement in blended learning environments : a conceptual framework. the internet and higher education, 23(2), 145–178. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v23i2.1481 hartshorn, k. j., evans, n., egbert, j., & johnson, a. (2017). discipline-specific reading expectation and challenges for esl learners in us universities. reading in a foreign language, 29(1), 36–60. hassan, i., ali, f., fatimah, s. m. a., & ahmad, w. (2017). effect of technology enhanced language learning on vocabulary acquisition of efl learners. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 6(3), 262272. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.6n.3p.262 heilporn, g., lakhal, s., & bélisle, m. (2021). an examination of teachers’ strategies to foster student engagement in blended learning in higher education, international journal of educational technology in higher education, 18(25), 125.https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00260-3 horn, a. l., roitsch, j., murphy, k. a., horn, a. l., roitsch, j., & murphy, k. a. (2021). constant time delay to teach reading to students with intellectual disability and autism : a review. international journal of developmental disabilities, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/20473869.2021.1907138 ismail, h., rahmat, a., & emzir, e. (2020). the effect of moodle e-learning material on efl reading comprehension. international journal of multicultural and multireligious understanding, 7(10), 120-129. https://doi.org/10.18415/ijmmu.v7i10.2069 kardoyo, nurkhin, a., muhsin, & pramusinto, h. (2020). problem-based learning strategy: its impact on students’ critical and creative thinking skills. european journal of educational research, 9(3), 1141–1150. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.9.3.1141 kusmiati, m., dewi, m. k., andriane, y., & furqaani, a. r. (2021). particular admission test and perception on assessment method: does it influence the academic performance in problembased learning of medical course? international journal of education, learning and development, 9(3), 19–33. lakhal, s., mukamurera, j., bédard, m., heilporn, g., & chauret, m. (2020). features fostering academic and social integration in blended synchronous courses in graduate programs. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 17(5), 1–22. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239020-0180-z liu, x., & read, j. (2020). general skill needs and challenges in university academic reading: voices from undergraduates and language teachers. journal of college reading and learning, 50(2), 70–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/10790195.2020.1734885 manwaring, k. c., larsen, r., graham, c., brigham, h., & halverson, l. r. (2017). investigating student engagement in blended learning settings using experience sampling and structural equation modeling. the internet and higher education, 35, 21–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2017.06.002 monje, j., & macasieb, j. (2020). metacognitive strategy use or english proficiency? influences in academic reading achievement of stem students. journal of asia tefl, 17(2), 671–680. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2020.17.2.25.67 1 mpalanyi, m., nalweyiso, i. d., & mubuuke, a. g. (2020). perceptions of radiography students toward problem-based learning almost two decades after its introduction at makerere university, uganda. journal of medical imaging and radiation sciences, 51(4), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmir.2020.06.009 muñoz, c., & valenzuela, j. (2020). demotivation in academic reading during teacher training. journal of research in reading, 43(1), 41–56. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9817.12288 nagarajan, s., & overton, t. (2019). promoting systems thinking using projectand problembased learning. journal of chemical education, 2901–2909. hijril ismail & edi students’ perceptions of implementing problem-based learning with blended learning in efl academic reading 936 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00358 padagas, r. c., & hajan, b. h. (2020). academic reading and writing needs of undergraduate nursing students in research. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 19(5), 318–335. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.5.20 saputro, a. d., atun, s., wilujeng, i., ariyanto, a., & arifin, s. (2020). enhancing pre-service elementary teachers’ self-efficacy and critical thinking using problem-based learning. european journal of educational research, 9(2), 765–773. https://doi.org/10.12973/eujer.9.2.765 sari, i. s., sumarmi, s., utomo, d. h., & astina, i. k. (2021). the effect of problem based learning on problem solving and scientific writing. international journal of instruction, 14(2), 73– 84. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315193526-9 sari, u., alici, m., & sen, ö. f. (2018). the effect of stem instruction on attitude, career perception and career interest in a problem-based learning environment and student opinions. electronic journal of science education, 22(1), 1–21. schwabe, a., lind, f., kosch, l., boomgaarden, h. g., & schwabe, a. (2022). no negative effects of reading on screen on comprehension of narrative texts compared to print : a metaanalysis media psychology, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2022.2070216 shuhailo, y. v, & derkach, t. m. (2021). projectbased learning for undergraduate engineering students minoring in textile technology and design project-based learning for undergraduate engineering. journal of physics: conference series. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1840/1/012042 silva, a. b. da, bispo, a. c. k. de a., rodriguez, d. g., & vasquez, f. i. f. (2018). problem-based learning: a proposal for structuring pbl and its implications for learning among students in an undergraduate management degree program. revista de gestao, 25(2), 160–177. https://doi.org/10.1108/rege-03-2018-030 singh, m. k. m. (2019). academic reading and writing challenges among international efl master’s students in a malaysian university: the voice of lecturers. journal of international students, 9(4), 972–992. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v9i3.934 sugiyono. (2009). metode penelitian pendidikan pendekatan kuantitatif, kuallitatif, dan r&d. alfabeta. suhirman, y., muliadi, a., & prayogi, s. (2020). the effect of problem-based learning with character emphasis toward students’ higher-order thinking skills and characters. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 15(6), 183– 191. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i06.12061 sun, z., & qiu, x. (2017). developing a blended learning model in an efl class. international journal of continuing engineering education and life-long learning, 27(1–2), 4–21. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijceell.2017.080998 suryanti, n., & nurhuda, n. (2021). the effect of problem-based learning with an analytical rubric on the development of students’ critical thinking skills. international journal of instruction, 14(2), 665–684. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14237a tortorella, g., & cauchick-miguel, p. a. (2018). teaching lean manufacturing at a postgraduate level: integrating traditional teaching methods and problem-based learning approach. international journal of lean six sigma, 9(3), 301–323. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijlss-082017-0101 ulger, k. (2018). the effect of problem-based learning on the creative thinking and critical thinking disposition of students in visual arts education. interdisciplinary journal of problem-based learning, 12(1), 3–6. https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1649 victor-ishikaku, e. c., & ukpai, g. (2021). teachers’ perception on the challenges of utilizing problem-based learning in teaching computer science in public senior secondary schools in port harcourt metropolis. british journal of contemporary education, 1(1), 52–63. https://doi.org/10.52589/bjce-gpxjaqes yu, w., & du, x. (2019). implementation of a blended learning model in contentbased efl curriculum. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 14(5), 188–199. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v14i05.8546 yulia, m. f., sulistyo, g. h., & cahyono, b. y. (2020). affective engagement in academic reading: what efl student teachers reveal. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 9(3), 791–798. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v9i3.20635 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 965 the record of using picture series to develop students’ writing skills suparwoto sapto wahono tadris of english language, faculty of tarbiyah and training education, uin khas, jember, indonesia email: wahsapto@uinkhas.ac.id kholidatul afifah tadris of english language, faculty of tarbiyah and training education, uin khas, jember, indonesia email: kholidatulafifah@gmail.com apa citation: wahono, s. s., & afifah, k. (2022). the record of using picture series to develop students’ writing skills. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 965-974. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6830 received: 29-06-2022 accepted: 23-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction a foreign language is a language in which not many people use it as communication tool where the language is learned. on the contrary, “a second language is a foreign language that most people use it as tool of communication where the language is learned.” english is considered and become one of the subjects in educational indonesia institutions. it becomes part of the lessons in the educational curriculum. even english is a prestigious and proud competence for its lovers. four language skills which include listening, speaking, reading, and writing (lsrw) should be emphasized and mastered by language learners. the important reasons why writing is the students are able to convey and organize their ideas coherently in written form, they are able to express their feelings, and they will produce written language mechanics (rangkuti et al., 2021). considering the difficult and complicated the writing skill, the writers focused on the skill to be learned. writing is a skill used by writer to communicate or convey his ideas, opinions, imaginations, thoughts, knowledge, etc which involves fives aspects; content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics (nurlatifah & yusuf, 2022). this skill is helpful one that is possible to contribute a person individually person in revealing their opinion with clearly and readable writing. this skil is a hard process that enables writers to disclose, reveal their opinion, ideas, and make it be seen and tangible (yudiati, 2017). supporting the statement aboved, apsari declared that the skill of writing is regarded as the most ordous skill for language learners to master since it s a kind of productive skill that students who learn it must get a way how to figure out ideas and reveal them in writing (apsari, 2017). ideas or opinions, thoughts, and feelings that the students have can be revealed or expressed by writing (kartika, 2017). in this way, english foreign language learners can understand, apply, and communicate effectively in writing. because of the complexity of writing skills, it requires a process and many aspects that must be considered. since english as foreign language in indonesia, writing requires hard thinking to create ideas, words, sentences, paragraphs, and abstract: based on the observations results, the learners had difficulty in exploring their ideas. they took more time and could only write some sentences. another barrying that students faced was that they could not write well-organized paragraphs. the students also often had difficulty in learning grammar, especially english tenses. lack of vocabulary mastery was also the cause of writing difficulties. they stated that writing in english was difficult and complicated. that’s why the researchers used classroom action research to apply picture serias as media. it was conducted by two cycles.the subjects were seventeen students of tenth grade science student at banyuwangi. to get the data, the researchers used observation, interview, and test. the research result could be stated that using the picture series improved the learners’ writing narrative text competence. they could improve their writing gradually from the first cycle to the second one. the picture series that implemented significantly improved their skill in english writing. keywords: picture series; writing skills. suparwoto sapto wahono & kholidatul afifah the record of using picture series to develop students’ writing skills 966 compositions. there are a lot of aspects should be noticed to make a good written work, namely, “the rules of grammar, organization of ideas, motivation or willingness to write, and mastery of vocabulary.” in writing narrative texts, the different of english and indonesia sentence in structure also become one of the matters and problems that make the students find difficulty to write it. writing is one of the arduous skills; it will be fun and exciting activity if the instructor employs a suitable media in his or her teaching (wahono & qodriyah, 2019). referring to the data of the observation and interview result, “the learners experience difficulties in resulting and extending their ideas, they take long time in getting their ideas.” accordingly, “most of the students are only able to produce a few sentences in their writing but also can not explore their imagination well. other issues students faced are the inability of students to compose paragraphs. ignoring the organization of the text made their writing incohesive and incoherent. this is also supported by the lack of students in mastering the rules of grammar. students often assume, discover and justify that learning grammar takes a longer time with high concentration.” learning and understanding grammar requires time intensity which is done repeatedly. if learners ignore these things then as a result they experience difficulties not only in grammar but also in other language components such as vocabulary and choosing their use or diction. inaccuracy in the use of collocations and mastery of vocabulary used by students were inhibiting factors in expressing themselves in writing. they considered that english writing was as a difficult subject. therefore, most of the students were less motivated and had limited words to write something. it was also found, “the previous of the teaching and learning writing process, before this investigation had been conducted, had not attracted the students’ attention.” media can be applied to assist the skill of the students' writing in developing their ideas and thoughts (febriyanto & yanto, 2019). using the media in assessing student writing is much more interesting and exciting (wirastuti & mantra, 2019). they can express their ideas or thoughts easily. they will not feel a heavy burden in pouring their ideas. a picture as teaching media is used to grow and appear the student creativity in learning process (sari & putri, 2018). with its various characteristics, pictures as media can stimulate learners in the language learning process (soviyah & purwaningtias, 2018). by observing pictures immediately, learning will be more impressive (tambunan et al., 2022). narrative paragraph is a paragraph that tells a story, whether fictional or non-fictional, written in chronological order by using time order signal which contains orientation, complication, resolution, and re-orientation (wirastuti & mantra, 2019). narrative text tells stories or past events and entertain or amuse which consisted of three generic structures namely; orientation, complication, and resolution (syafitri et al., 2021). writing consists of fives aspects namely; content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics. in sequence, content refers to paragraph unity; organization provides readers with a well-organized piece of writing framework to help and make it easy for them to follow text; vocabulary pertains to word selection; language use focuses on grammar; meanwhile mechanics refers to punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and paragraphs (achmad et al., 2019). related to these problems, the media as a literacy aid can be used to help scholars in literacy towrite. “there are considerable media to guide learning to write similar as bills, flashcards, picture series, illustrations and others.” in this exploration, the experimenter used picture series in tutoring jotting. in tutoring literacy process, media has several functions; it can save our time as a schoolteacher, it can stimulate interest to learn, pupil’s participation can be encouraged, it also can give a review, and it helps the scholars learn to communicate ideas visually (hasanah, 2017). with media, classroom condition will be dynamic, applicable and seductive. pictures represented in efl learning is considered to be worth implementing (sugianto & prastika, 2021). picture or image series can escalate students’ encouragement in learning writing. in addition, “series pictures are believed to be able to help students in producing ideas.” the series of picture is some bound and united combination images which are connected to establish a chain of sequences. therefore, the major utility of it is to depict or explain a story or sequence of happening in chronological order. because of the statement above, the series of pictures or images are media to assist students to result and evolve their notion. they can also guide learners to rule their writing product since it is composed of a chain of pictures that learners can notice the paces and their array. they are able assist the learners to expand their thought and solder their english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 967 clauses or paragraphs to result unity and wellorganized writing product. it says, “in the process of teaching and learning writing, the series of picture can be used to motivate students to learn.” picture series consists of several pictures that reflect a story in a good order or sequence. therefore it can lead students to get words and describe a narration that follow the pictures given easily. series pictures are pictures as media used to show several chronological actions or events that are displayed sequentially (wening, 2017). the use of serial picture is very possible to become students' ability better in jotting narration significantly (khotimah & burhansyah, 2017). in addition, teaching writing with series of picture can upgrade the students’ stimulation, enhance and practice their writing skill (ramadhanty et al., 2021). the series of picture is a reasonable way for teaching efl learners to escalate their english narrative text writing skill. the text of narration contains a story (fantasy/real event). it has a plot that includes a story climax or complication and a resolution that is written in a systematic way. narrative texts aim to entertain and deal with actual experiences presented in different ways (abdullah & yunus, 2019). narrative text is a text tell stories or past events and entertain or amuse which consisted of three generic structures namely; orientation, complication, and resolution (wahyuni et al., 2020). the narrative regard with problematic happennings that bring to a crisis that ultimately comes across a decision. narrative is kinds of text that talk the past activities or events to amuse or entertain readers (lubis, 2017). pictures or immages can excite and promote scholars to expand their ideas, profound and imagination to write (raharjo, 2018). picture series are be suitable to help scholars to ameliorate their jotting chops because they can support scholars to write madly in the tutoring and literacy process (deviga & diliyana, 2020). there were many problems found in the teaching and learning process of writing english before the application of the media was carried out. these issues were related to students' problems, namely generating, growing ideas and compiling paragraphs. the students also had problems using the right grammatical guidelines for a particular text and deciding on the right words for a particular context. moreover, their motivation in obtaining english lessons was low. referring to the facts, action to resolve these cases was needed in that condition. picture series was chosen because the media can improve students' writing skills. there are differences in the results of investigations on students' writing abilities, namely the existence of good and bad research results or high and low research results, making research on students' writing abilities in english as a foreign language still relevant for research (toba et al., 2019). grounded on the issues mentioned, the researcher decided to use picture series to ameliorate their jotting chops, particularly in narrative text material. it is hoped that by bringing picture series into writing classrooms, students can better improve their critical and creative thinking skills in writing. method this study was classroom action research study which covers planning, acting, observing and reflecting (paor). at the step of planning, the researcher prepared narrative text material in the form of pictures, designed assessments, made test questions for pre-test (prior knoledge), first cycle, and second cycle. at the implementation step, the researcher distributed a pre-test and then analyzed the test results. after analyzing, the researcher applied cycle 1 and then gave a test in cycle 1 and analyzed the results of the test. then the researcher applied cycle 2, gave a test in cycle 2 and analyzed the test results. the observation phase was carried out by researchers to seek and find strengths and weaknesses of learning strategies, record student behavior in the time of learning process. in the reflection stage, the researcher analyzed the test results and findings from observations to get the success and failure factors. data collection techniques which used were interview, observation, and test. the test conducted was covering preliminary test, cycle 1 and 2 test. interviews were used to figure out students' opinions about the use and the carrying out the series of picture in process of narrative text writing. observations were made to determine student behavior during the writing learning process. the test was done to decide the level of student learning ability in writing. the formula used to determine and analyze the success criteria for student scores was as follows (sugiono, 2017): m = ʃx x 100% n notes: m = the mean score of students suparwoto sapto wahono & kholidatul afifah the record of using picture series to develop students’ writing skills 968 ∑x = the total students score n = the students' total number to find out the percentage score, the writing test result were analyzed by using the following formula: e= n x 100% n notes: e = the students’ percentage that reach minimum standard score n = the number of students who reached the minimum score n = the students' total number this research was successful if the indicators are achieved. the criteria for the success of this research was if 70% of all students achieve a score of 75 or higher. results and discussion the researcher was employed for two cycles which consisted of four meetings. to figure out the ability of the students' writing, the researchers had done a preliminary study before they conducted the cycle. in the preliminary study or pre cycle, the researchers gave a writing test to students. in the pre-cycle, “students' ability to write on the content aspect get an average score of 19, the organizational aspect get an average score of 14, the grammatical aspect get an average score of 13, the vocabulary aspect get an average score of 13, and the mechanical aspect get an average score of 3. thus, the overall average in the pre-cycle is 62.” in the pre-test, “the students have difficulties in generating and managing the thought to write and many of them still employed the present tense on narrative text writing”. the result of preliminary study is displayed on the table 1 below: table 1. result of prelimimary study no name score total score criteria c o g v m 1 aka 17 11 15 8 3 54 unsuccessful 2 agp 20 15 11 12 3 61 unsuccessful 3 ast 15 15 12 10 3 55 unsuccessful 4 aks 22 15 14 13 3 67 unsuccessful 5 aar 25 17 15 15 4 76 successful 6 hzj 17 17 10 15 4 63 unsuccessful 7 jln 18 14 15 8 2 57 unsuccessful 8 jnf 13 11 10 14 2 50 unsuccessful 9 kca 27 15 18 12 3 75 successful 10 mfah 15 16 15 15 3 64 unsuccessful 11 mdk 15 11 14 12 3 55 unsuccessful 12 npr 27 14 18 14 4 77 successful 13 npa 19 16 17 11 2 65 unsuccessful 14 rdwug 18 14 12 13 3 60 unsuccessful 15 vs 13 12 9 14 2 50 unsuccessful 16 wsd 19 15 12 14 4 64 unsuccessful 17 zlm 15 15 9 13 3 55 unsuccessful total score 315 243 226 213 51 1048 mean 19 14 13 13 3 61.6 note: c means content; o is organization; g is grammar; v is vocabulary; m is mechanic pointing at the result of preliminary study, “the data of the preliminary study mean score is 61.6. it means that 3 learners or 17.65% of students’ number gain the passing score of the minimal mastery level criterion (kkm). meanwhile, 14 students or 82.35% of the total students do not fulfill the criteria score. the students’ weaknesses are; they have limited knowledge of subject and show a little knowledge of matter, little substance, and inadequate topic exploration.” the organization of students' writing was loosely managed but main topic stood out. it had restricted party, reasonable management but the sequencing was incomplete. the students' writing was not eloquent, the notion were confused or disconnected. the writing had lacks of original sequencing and development. the students' often made grammar mistakes, numbering, wording order, articles, pronouns, prepositions and many others. meanwhile the learners had little knowledge of english vocabulary. they also were not able to construct the words into sentence so that the writing was not enough to communicate. besides, they also often make mistakes in spelling, punctuation, use of capital letters, paragraph preparation. it made the meaning of writing was 969 confused or obscured. similarly, most of the learners found the writing difficulty, especially writing narrative text. limited vocabulary, difficulty expressing ideas, and the arrangement of words and sentences make them spend too much time thinking about making sentences. after conducting preliminary study and analyzing the results, it was concluded, “most of the students have problem in writing skill.” therefore, the researchers tried to overcome the students’ problem by using picture series to escalate students’ writing skill. having known the results of the pre cycle, the researcher implemented the use of series of picture in learning to write with the following results. in the cycle i, “the content of their writing is already improved. in cycle i, the students' ability to write in the content aspect get an average score of 21.4, the organizational aspect get an average score of 18, the grammar aspect get an average score of 17.7, the vocabulary aspect get an average score of 13.8, and the mechanical aspect get a score 3.5 average. thus, the average overall score in cycle 1 is 74.4.” in this cycle, “the students have adversity in ruling the text and lack of words. many students still write in one paragraph and have difficulties in arranging the sentences into a good paragraph based on the generic structure.” in cycle i, “the students show some improvements especially in the content where the students can write longer writing although many of them still have difficulties in arranging the text and using past form.” in the post test of cycle 1, “the students show better improvements than before. they are able to write well-organized writing and they grow more conscious of using the past form.” to know more detail about the description above, the result of counted data in cycle 1 is also presented on the table 2 as follows: table 2. result of cycle 1 no name score total criteria c o g v m score 1 aka 18 15 17 11 3 64 unsuccessful 2 agp 18 15 17 11 3 64 unsuccessful 3 ast 20 17 15 10 3 65 unsuccessful 4 aks 20 17 15 10 3 65 unsuccessful 5 aar 28 20 15 16 4 83 successful 6 hzj 28 20 15 16 4 83 successful 7 jln 18 18 18 11 3 68 unsuccessful 8 jnf 18 18 18 11 3 68 unsuccessful 9 kca 28 18 20 15 4 85 successful 10 mfah 28 18 20 15 4 85 successful 11 mdk 27 20 20 15 4 86 successful 12 npr 27 20 20 15 4 86 successful 13 npa 20 18 17 17 4 76 successful 14 rdwug 20 18 17 17 4 76 successful 15 vs 15 18 19 15 3 70 unsuccessful 16 wsd 15 18 19 15 3 70 unsuccessful 17 zlm 15 18 19 15 3 70 unsuccessful total score 363 306 301 235 59 1264 mean 21 18 18 14 3 74 pointing out the result of the students’ average score on the table 2 and figure 1, it could be said that the cycle 1 was better than the result of preliminary study. it was proved by 47.05% of the students who gained the minimum score. in other words there were 8 students passed score based on the criteria. the students have definite knowledge of the subject, adequate coverage, mostly connected to the topic but they were still lacked in detail and restricted in developing thesis. although the students' aptitude increased but the result was not contented with the score gained because the number of students who passed was still below 60 percent. so the researchers continued the treatment for cycle ii. based on the result and the reason, the researchers applied the picture series in writing learning for the second cycle with result as follow. in cycle ii, “their writing shows a better progress. in this cycle the students' ability in writing on the content aspect get an average score of 24, the organizational aspect get an average score of 19, the grammar aspect get an average score of 19, the vocabulary aspect get an average score of 16, and the mechanical aspect get an average score of 4. thus, the overall score in cycle 2 is 82. they are suparwoto sapto wahono & kholidatul afifah the record of using picture series to develop students’ writing skills 970 able to write the full story in more detail.” as the researchers, “we only give guidance in the beginning of the individual activity just to make sure whether they understand the story. fortunately, all of the students can develop their ideas of the story by themselves. they also do not feel perplexed anymore about what they shall write in their story.” in this cycle, “we explain the organization of a narrative text to the students and provide them some exercises with serial pictures as media to help them identify the sentences belong to the orientation, the complication and the resolution. the practice covers arranging jumbled words, jumbled sentences and rewriting the sentences into good paragraphs based on the generic structure of the narrative text.” as the researchers, “we also implement picture series as media to assist them to write the text. in this cycle, we see an increase in their organization skill with good grammar and increase their vocabulary mastery. they can distinguish the generic structure of narrative text and write well-organized and cohesive writing.the students’ mean score in the post-test is 81.65. there are 14 students or 82.35% of the students who get the score above the passing grade, meanwhile the other 3 students are below that criterion. it means, “this research is successful, because the results of students’ writing test score achieved the criteria of success. students were able to develop a thesis. their sentences were relevant to the assigned topic even though they lacked detail. the paragraphs they composed were well organized, logical order, and cohesive. their writing was also effective and had few errors of agreement, tense, number, word order, articles, pronouns, and prepositions. they were able to master the form of words. their writing also had few spelling errors, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraph structure. in addition, the series image is one of the media that helps the brainstorming process at a certain stage in the writing process. moreover picture series is as a stimulating visual aid to inspire something specific. teachers must be able to choose suitable media and provide techniques that can stimulate learners for writing purposes. by providing picture series, they are able to express their idea what the pictures are about and they can gain ideas and transcribe them by imagining the pictures and starting from the first picture to the end. they can begin to think and imagine the story that refers to the pictures that have been determined. in this way they are able easily to write their frame of mind (abdullah & yunus, 2019). picture series can put out the capability of achieving new language (andayani & arono, 2020). looking at the explanation, applying the picture series to teach english narrative text writing was a success. the students' cognitive processes in writing activities can be improved by using story images that support the development of ordering ideas so that the rhetorical structure of narrative texts can be applied easily. the use of picture series gets a positive response from the subjects in the teaching and learning process and they are more active in writing so that their writing skills improve (wahyuni et al., 2020). from the description above, the result of cycle 2 can be displayed in detail on the table 3 below: table 3. result of cycle 2 no name score total criteria c o g v m score 1 aka 22 18 20 20 3 83 successful 2 agp 25 17 22 12 4 80 successful 3 ast 17 18 20 18 4 77 successful 4 aks 27 20 15 16 4 82 successful 5 aar 28 20 22 15 3 88 successful 6 hzj 25 18 17 16 4 80 successful 7 jln 20 17 17 17 3 74 unsuccessful 8 jnf 17 18 15 17 3 70 unsuccessful 9 kca 27 19 21 14 4 85 successful 10 mfah 26 20 22 13 4 85 successful 11 mdk 25 18 15 18 4 80 successful 12 npr 28 20 22 14 4 88 successful 13 npa 27 19 20 16 4 86 successful 14 rdwug 26 18 22 12 4 82 successful 15 vs 20 17 17 17 3 74 unsuccessful 16 wsd 25 19 20 17 4 85 successful 17 zlm 28 20 22 15 4 89 successful 971 total score 413 316 329 267 63 1388 mean 24 19 19 16 4 81.6 table 3 displayed, “the average of students score is 81.65. referring to the study results, it can be noted that there are 14 students or 82.35% of the total students who achieve scores above the kkm 75. at the same time, there are only three students do not fulfill the standard criterion.” it means, “the result of the second cycle is successful and the researchers stop continuing conducting the next cycle.” based the data above, the researchers justified or deduced, “the implementation of picture series can be used to improve the students’ competence in writing skill.” in line with with swarastuti (2019) who also found that picture series is effective to improve students’ ability in writing narrative text. students are more interested in writing narrative text so that it helps and enhances the students` motivation to express their ideas freely.the progress of the students’ narative text writing using picture series could be seen at the figure 1 below. figure 1. result of pre cycle, cycle 1, & cycle 2 seeing figure 1, we say, “the implementation of picture series to stimulate the students’ ideas and organizing their writing is proven to be successful. they are able to develop the story with amazing ideas and their writing is not longer than those in the pre-test. referring to the interviews, it could be stated that it is easier for them to write story using serial pictures.” it is in line with pasaribu et al. (2020) that because the use of picture series facilitates the students to get information easily, it has significant affect to achieve their ability of the writing narrative text. in addition, the students’ ability to write narrative composition can be enhanced by using pictures story. it is believed that the media will help the english teachers to increase and develop the students in writing narrative texts. pictures are most attractive to the eyes of learners that grow students' curiousity to express their ideas, opinion when teacher brings them in the classroom (singh et al., 2022). before implementing the picture, they had trouble to combine some sentences into a good paragraph because they had no ideas. after employing serial picture, students were able to develop principles and express thoughts of the story they wrote. students are able to remember the vocabularies and improve their vocabulary memory for a long time when the words are taught and associated with pictures (othman et al., 2022). conclusion pointing out the study results of the teaching writing by conducting the picture series, it is deduced, “by displaying the series of picture, we can improve students' narrative text writing skills.” it is proved by the results of students' scores in the pre study, first cycle, and second cycle. the improvement consisted of 1) the students' scores increased gradually, 2) the process of teaching and learning to write using picture series makes students happy to write stories, 3) the students are very motivated in learning to write, 4) they are able to express and make sentences with the help of picture series. they also find a lot of new vocabulary to understand. the sequence of pictures makes students' writing well organized and systematically arranged. the completeness of pre cycle cycle 1 cycle 2 suparwoto sapto wahono & kholidatul afifah the record of using picture series to develop students’ writing skills 972 picture series is able to stimulate students' ideas so that they can express ideas easily. the completeness of the pictures also makes students' writing more detailed.” referring the students' result on writing skill, the analysis of the problem and solving the problem, it is recommended for english teachers or lecturers to choose and use picture series as the main media in the process of learning and teaching writing, especially writing narrative texts. references abdullah. y. l. p. k., & yunus. m. m. (2019). the use of pictures in improving students’ writing. modern journal of language teaching methods (mjltm), 1-8. http://10.26655/mjltm.2019.4.5 achmad, f., suparman, u., & sinaga, t. (2019). the use of picture series in improving students’ writing narrative text ability. unila journal of english teaching, 8(3), 1-10. andayani, t., & arono. (2020). improving students’ ability in writing narrative text by using picture series for the eight grade students of junior high school. journal of applied linguistics and literature, 2(2), 1-10, https://doi.org/10.33369/joall.v1i2.4174. apsari, y. (2017). the use of picture series in teaching writing recount text. eltin journal, 5(2), 5156. https://10.22460/eltin.v5i2.p51-56. deviga, l., diliyana., & fika. y. (2020). using picture series in teaching writing skill for the first semester students of medical record program in stikes bhakti husada mulia madiun. english teaching journal: a journal of english literature, linguistics, and education, 8(2), 75-81, http://doi.org/10.25273/etj.v8i2.7827. febriyanto, b., & yanto, a. (2019). the effectiveness of photo story in multiliteracies learning towards narrative writing skills of fifth grade of elemantary school students. al ibtida: jurnal pendidikan guru mi, 6(2), 191-203, http://dx.doi.org/10.24235/al.ibtida.snj.v6i2.494 3. hasanah, h. u. (2017). teaching grammar using pictures, okara: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 9(1), 103-112. https://doi.org/10.19105/ojbs.v9i1.583 kartika, s. (2017). an analysis of students’ ability in retelling narrative text in written form. english education: jurnal tadris bahasa inggris, 10(1), 104-118. https://doi.org/10.24042/eejtbi.v10i1.878 khotimah., daud. b., & burhansyah. (2017). using picture series to enhance students’ ability in narrative writing. research in english and education (read), 2(2), 162-169. http://jim.unsyiah.ac.id/read/article/view/577 8. lubis. r. f. (2017). narrative text. english education: english journal for teaching and learning, 5(2), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.24952/ee.v5i2.1176. nurlatifah, l., & yusuf, f. n. (2022). students’ problems in writing analytical exposit ion text in efl classroom context. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 801-810. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.7088. othman. m. h., hosshan. h., jamil, m. r. m. j., arun, y., setambah, m. a. b., hanapi, m. h. m., shuib, t. s., hasim, a. t. m., & zalli, m. m. (2022). self-made picture dictionary to improve pupils’ vocabulary retention. international journal of evaluation and research in education (ijere), 11(4), 2192-2199. http://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v11i4 pasaribu, m. f., sianipar, r. b., simbolon, m., & anzelina, v. (2020). the effect of picture series to the students’ ability in writing narrative text. scripta: english department journal, 7(1), 5159. https://doi.org/10.37729/scripta.v7i1.637 raharjo, p. (2018). optimizing picture series to enhance writing skills of senior high school students. journal of english teaching, literature, and applied linguistics, 2(1), 11-15. http://dx.doi.org/10.30587/jetlal.v2i1.2427 ramadhanty. a. w., utomo, d. w., & mayasari. j. (2021). the impact of picture series on writing ability among indonesian junior high school efl learners. journal of english for academic and specific purposes, 4(2), 253 – 260. rangkuti, l. a., hasanah, n. f., & sahara, h. (2021). improving students’ ability in writing narrative text through dictogloss technique. pedagogi: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 7(2), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.47662/pedagogi.v7i2.82 sari. m. k., & putri. y. (2018). the implementation of using picture media on teaching present continuous tense. language circle: journal of language and literature, 13(1), 1-7. singh, c. k. s., mei, t. p., abdullah, m. s., othman, w m., & mostafa, n. a. (2022). esl learners’ perspectives on the use of picture series in teaching guided writing. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 6(4), 76-92. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v6-i4/3463 soviyah., & purwaningtias, y. (2018). old but gold: the use of picture cues to teach writing (an experimental research). english language teaching educational journal (eltej), 1(1), 38-48. sugianto. a., & prastika. m. a. (2021). ‘are they merely pictures?’: delineating the images represented in acrostic poems of a primary school level efl textbook. international journal of education & curriculum application, 4(3), 273-282. http://doi.org/10.31764/ijeca. v4i3.5834. 973 sugiono. (2017). statistik untuk penelitian. cv. alphabeta. swarastuti, a. (2019). the impact of picture series towards students’ ability in writing narrative text. edukasi lingua sastra, 17(1), 84–95. https://doi.org/10.47637/elsa.v17i1.108. syafitri, z. i., nugraeni, i. i., & ngafif, a. (2021). teaching reading narrative text using story face in vocational high school. scripta: english department journal, 8(1), 24-31. https://doi.org/10.37729/scripta.v8i1.799 tambunan, m. a., sidabutar, y. a., panigrahi. r. r., simanjuntak, t. a., & saadoon. a. (2022). picture and picture learning model in improving speaking skills elementary school students. international journal of education & curriculum application, 5(2), 219-226. http://doi.org/10.31764/ijeca. v5i2.10241. toba. r., noor, w. n., & sanu. l.o. (2019). the current issues of indonesian efl students’ writing skills: ability, problem, and reason in writing comparison and contrast essay. dinamika ilmu, 19(1), 57-73. http://doi.org/10.21093/di.v19i1.1506 wahono, s. s., & qodriah, k. u. (2019). improving students writing skill using english movie with subtitle, international journal of scientific and research publication, 9(12), 96 http://dx.doi.org/10.29322/ijsrp.9.12.2019.p96 74 wahyuni. k. a. s., handayani. n. d., & mantra. i. b. n. (2020). the use of picture series to improve writing skill of efl learners. international journal of applied science and sustainable development, 2(2), 33-37. wening. r. h. (2017). effect of using picture series on the indonesian efl students’ writing ability across learning styles. international journal on studies in english language and literature (ijsell), 5(5), 35-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.20431/2347-3134.0505004 wirastuti. i. g. a. p., & mantra, i. b. n. (2019). implementation of picture sequence task to assess the narrative paragraph writing ability of the first semester of law faculty. international journal of applied science and sustainable development, 1(1), 23-28. yudiati, r. (2021). improving descriptive writing ability of the first year students of sma toha praktika giligenting-sumenep by using pictures, lensa (lentera sains): jurnal pendidikan ipa, 1(2), 31-37, https://doi.org/10.24929/lensa.v1i2.141. suparwoto sapto wahono & kholidatul afifah the record of using picture series to develop students’ writing skills 974 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 787 students’ engagement in virtual creative writing: developing a creative writing style fety surfaifel (corresponding author) doctoral student at department of english education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: fetysurfaifel@upi.edu emi emilia lecturer at department of english education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: emilia@upi.edu wawan gunawan lecturer at department of english education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: wagoen@upi.edu apa citation: surfaifel, f., emilia, e., & gunawan, w. (2023). students’ engagement in virtual creative writing: developing a creative writing style. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 787-798. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8733 received: 28-06-2023 accepted: 25-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: writing is intricately connected to other creative endeavors like drawing and composing music, making it an essential skill in today's digital age. creative writing involves expressing unique ideas by forming coherent links between them in written expressions, drawing from one's unique cognitive framework for comprehending information and experiences. this article delves into a research study that explored the elements influencing student involvement, using this perspective to analyze how students view their participation in a class focused on creative writing. these interactions underscore the intricacies of student engagement and highlight the importance of the tools and measurements employed to study it. cognitive engagement refers to a student's personal commitment to the learning journey, encompassing their internal psychological characteristics or hidden qualities that motivate them to put in effort to acquire, understand, and excel in the knowledge or skills necessary for academic tasks. consequently, twelve students hailing from flores' exclusive middle school. participated in english classes. they were asked to fill out a survey containing both quantitative and qualitative inquiries. descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the qualitative data from both a conceptual and statistical perspective. the experiences of the participants encompassed different facets of student involvement. the study's results indicate that engaging in creative writing activities within a poetry class can enhance students' understanding of emotions, behavior, and cognition. nevertheless, emotional investment took precedence over behavioral engagement in the poetry class, while cognitive engagement remained relatively limited. keywords: creative writing; student engagement; virtual creative writing; writing creatively. introduction one prevalent issue encountered by indonesian students when it comes to writing is the challenge of transforming their thoughts into written expressions. while these students grasp the theoretical aspects explained by their teachers, they encounter obstacles when it comes to crafting their ideas into creative written works. consequently, they are often disinclined to engage in writing tasks and lack the motivation to produce written responses in the english language. moreover, acquiring english as a foreign language is often seen as a challenging endeavor due to the complexities involved in learning unfamiliar vocabulary and sentence structures. additionally, students may struggle with grasping the nuances of grammar usage and time indicators in fundamental english materials, making it challenging for them to achieve proficiency in this language (taylor & taylor, 2019). writing is intricately connected to various creative design activities like drawing and composing music, rather than being a solitary cognitive process. in the modern digital world, there is a significant need for the skill of writing. certainly, crafting poetry is considered a creative and contemplative method of writing, as suggested by celly (2019). in line with harshini's research in 2020, engaging in creative mailto:fetysurfaifel@upi.edu mailto:emilia@upi.edu fety surfaifel, emi emilia, & wawan gunawan students’ engagement in virtual creative writing: developing a creative writing style 788 writing can be beneficial for students in terms of enhancing their language proficiency across different aspects, including grammar, vocabulary, phonetics, and discourse. creative writing can be described as the skillful expression of ideas in an innovative and unique way by forming logical linkages between them in a textual representation centered on the person's cognitive frameworks or mental structures (sene, 2018). fostering students' abilities in creative writing not only assists in grasping specific elements of language, such as grammar and vocabulary, but also contributes to enhancing their communicative proficiency (elresh and ahmed, 2021; hussein et al., 2020). as a result, encouraging creative writing is essential for students' learning as it can lead them to effectively communicate through written expression. writing also enables them to communicate their thoughts and emotions in written form. so to improve their written language production, they need to start reading different posts at a beginner level. for example, creative writing is self expression and a creative way for second or meanings that are multi-semiotic (different linguistic and non-linguistic resources). elresh and ahmed (2021) elaborated that creative writing is the capacity to generate original content through unrestricted imagination, regardless of the writing form. moreover, creative writing entails generating fresh, imaginative ideas distinct from others, achieving uniqueness, and writing easily while deriving enjoyment from composition (diab, 2019). poetry writing, as a creative pursuit, employs written language to express the author's emotions, thoughts, and concepts, and intellect (southcott & koko, 2020). poetry is an endeavor to convey thoughts, emotions, information, ideas, and experiences through the creative, aesthetic, and innovative arrangement of linguistic elements, as mentioned by safitri et al. (2022). furthermore, lida (2020) examines his impressions of poetry in a poetic-narrative autoethnography. it is an expressive style of writing that explores the author's painful life history concerning the march 11, 2011, great east japan earthquake. thus, this research provides a deeper understanding of a cultural calamity resulting from the catastrophe and describes the writer's unique memories of residing isolated in an alien world during his home country's dramatic earthquake and tsunami. consequently, if instructors construct creative assignments, students can strive to produce their writing with acceptable words. next, the students will cultivate their creative abilities. creativity can be described as the capacity to produce something fresh, unique, fitting, of superior quality, groundbreaking, uncommon, and genuinely significant. concerning poetry writing, rahma (2021) asserted that engaging in poetry writing as a form of personal expression enables students to utilize various mediums to cultivate an awareness of and communicate ideas and emotions while fostering fresh insights into the emotional aspects of language. according to the research by kumar in 2020, creative writing encompasses imaginative activities like composing poetry, stories, and theatrical pieces. its primary emphasis lies in providing aesthetic pleasure rather than being primarily dedicated to the dissemination of knowledge or serving practical and utilitarian purposes. when writing poetry, you need to use a variety of clear and creative linguistic and semiotic tools and graphics. larasati and yulianawati (2019) explored the extent to which creative writing can capture students' interest in learning poetry. in a qualitative research project, she investigated the extent to which students actively participated in creative writing exercises during their poetry class. the findings suggest that these creative writing activities effectively capture students' interest and involvement in the poetry classroom. among the various forms of engagement observed, emotional engagement stands out as the most significant, closely followed by behavioral and cognitive engagement. this implies that emotional engagement is primarily related to the positive or negative emotions students associate with the activity. on the other hand, behavioral engagement centers on dedication and effort, while cognitive engagement appears to be less emphasized, suggesting that students put effort into completing the work but may focus less on comprehension and mastery furthermore, in their study, fauzan et al. (2020) introduced an innovative learning tool called ruang kunci, designed to enhance the poetry-writing skills of junior high school students in indonesia. ruang expression leverages multiple applications and web-based platforms to facilitate constructive exploration of poetry. the research findings indicated that ruang kunci, along with a comprehensive manual guidebook, is a practical resource for guiding junior high school students in composing english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 789 poetry. moreover, it can be adapted to meet the needs of senior high school students, making it a valuable tool for promoting creativity and innovation among both teachers and learners. satrya et al. (2021) conducted a study with the goal of exploring the difficulties that students face in online creative writing classes and uncovering potential solutions to address these challenges. the study's findings indicated that students predominantly grappled with issues related to course materials, inconsistent internet connectivity, diminishing student motivation, and unclear explanations provided by teachers furthermore, the research uncovered four approaches employed by students to address these challenges. these methods involve establishing stronger connections, seeking assistance from peers or instructors, selfmotivation, and post-class independent study. the outcomes of this investigation are anticipated to provide valuable insights for educators in comprehending the obstacles encountered by students in online creative writing courses. in essence, creative writing plays a crucial role for instructors as it can facilitate their ability to actively involve students in the educational journey. moreover, the active involvement of students in their educational experience is of paramount importance in shaping their learning and future career accomplishments. significant strides have been taken in recognizing the significance of student engagement and its role in facilitating various positive results (suharti et al., 2020). even though poetic composition is not a modern social phenomenon in elt, poetry writing in conjunction with technology is still understudied. teaching creative writing can be challenging as educators often face the difficulty of effectively engaging students in writing exercises, especially those focused on fostering creativity (larasati and yulianawati, 2019). they added that active participation and engagement in the learning process are crucial factors that enhance students' effectiveness in the classroom. creative writing plays a significant role for educators by enabling them to involve students more effectively in the learning journey. therefore, this study investigates students' perceptions and engagement, focusing on english students in creative writing in an online poetry community. this research endeavor seeks to address the subsequent inquiries: (1) what are the english students’ perceptions of virtual creative writing conducted in their english class? (2) to what extent does virtual creative writing contribute to students' engagement? method this thesis occurred at an indonesian private junior high school in ende regency, east nusa tenggara, indonesia. furthermore, as this research focused on qualitative investigation, a limited number of students were selected. this approach aligns with the perspective of abrar et al. (2018), who underscore that qualitative research does not require a significant quantity of participants. therefore, this study selected class x students, who had the fewest students among many classes, as well as a greater proportion of students, are not content with their language skills, to facilitate building a closer relationship with them and obtaining more in-depth information. this school had more than 80 students from various sociocultural backgrounds. twelve students want to write poems. this research lasted four months, from january to may of 2021. english as a foreign language (efl) was a compulsory school subjects reading and writing abilities were commonly stressed in efl teaching, where the present research was conducted. while most teachers stressed pronunciation, sentence writing, and multiple-choice reading assignments, the program was designed using a genre-based methodology. english products were put into groups based on the type of text they were, such as narratives, recounts, descriptive texts, and howto texts. in this examination, a qualitative approach employing a case study format was employed. qualitative research attempts to grasp the significance of a phenomenon through the viewpoints of those involved. this method was utilized to gain a genuine and unobstructed insight into the participants' experiences (erlina et al., 2019). the case study design is appropriate for individual experiments since it enables researchers to thoroughly investigate a part of the research issue in a limited amount of time. this study concentrates on a singular entity, with backing from experts who characterize qualitative research as an approach aimed at investigating an issue and cultivating an extensive understanding of a core subject, encompassing various aspects such as circumstances, actions, interpersonal bonds, perspectives, mindsets, and experiences specific to a particular collective. this process involves thorough data collection from various sources, such as interviews, surveys, and observations, as fety surfaifel, emi emilia, & wawan gunawan students’ engagement in virtual creative writing: developing a creative writing style 790 outlined by setiono and sofyan (2019); prasojo et al. (2019), and sofwan et al. (2018). this study's populations were students from the efl classroom, drawn from the community of students who took english at rewarangga private junior high school during the academic year 2020–2021. the ages of the group varied between 13 and 14 years of age. many students are proficient in endenese (indigenous or local languages) and bahasa indonesia, the national language. as a result, they are proficient in at least two languages: endenese and bahasa indonesia. english remains a second language for the pupils, who have varying levels of english proficiency. they never used english in the english classroom during structured english teaching. one course was offered once a semester (six months). virtual learning proves to be a highly efficient approach for acquiring english language skills. virtual education typically involves teaching and learning in a setting where the teacher and students are not physically present at the same time or location. course materials are delivered using various technologies such as it applications, multimedia resources, the internet, videoconferencing, and similar tools (dhung, 2020). it offers flexibility in terms of timing, as long as students have internet access, they can convene and engage in discussions. this convenience is made feasible through the internet, technological advances, and the wide array of accessible social networking platforms. zoom meetings, for instances, serve as a straightforward means to create a virtual classroom environment. the accessibility of this social networking platform is noteworthy as it is both cost-free and readily available to most students via their instructors. the study in question utilized zoom meetings, and all students have access to this platform for their educational needs. consequently, the researcher formed an exclusive online community and extended a warm invitation to both students and teachers who wished to be part of it. this invitation was clearly outlined in the consent documents, which were signed by the teachers and the school administrator. all students participated in a series of three writing activities, as outlined in molyaty's (2020) study. to begin, during the pre-writing phase, a researcher who was also a student instructor, elucidated the essence of poetry and exemplified poetry. they presented an image to prompt ideas for writing and instructed the students to compose a poem on the board inspired by the image. concurrently, the instructor clarified the process of providing guidance and feedback on their peers' poetry. following a successful collaborative poetry creation session in class, the instructor encouraged 3-4 students to team up with their classmates and compose a poem together. this poem was to be shared during a zoom presentation. simultaneously, the teacher reassured the students that their activities during the zoom meeting would be recorded and evaluated by both the teacher and their fellow classmates. initially, the instructor shared an image with each group, following which the students were encouraged to write and share their thoughts related to the picture, with the aim of collectively crafting a poem for their group. during the phase of writing, all the groups had to review their own compositions and provide feedback on each other's poems. group representatives were encouraged to share their poems online and invite other community members to assess them based on three criteria: (a) the creative utilization of poetic language, expressions, or sentences; (b) the significance of emotions, actions, and sentiments in conveying the message; and (c) the effective incorporation of imagery in composing a poem. throughout this digital exchange, the instructor took notes of what the students had submitted and reiterated the points they made about their classmates' poems. in essence, the teacher's feedback comes after the students' comments, motivating them to feel comfortable offering input on their peers' poetry. in the phase following the writing, the students revised their poems using the feedback they received from both their peers and the teacher. they were encouraged to pay attention to this feedback, as they were eager to learn from one another. shortly after the groups had finished making revisions to their poems, the group leaders were instructed to upload the final versions on the internet, allowing all participants to view the edited poems. all students were encouraged to share their thoughts on these final renditions of the poems, and they responded positively to each other's work. this phase provided students with the opportunity to showcase their poems and experience the satisfaction of collaborating in the creative process. the teacher's role involves motivating the students to continue their outstanding efforts. the teacher assessed all the poems using a standardized evaluation, considering factors such as (a) the creative use of literary language, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 791 phrases, or sentences, (b) the significance of emotions, gestures, and feelings in conveying the imagery, and (c) the utilization of visual elements in crafting a poem. subsequently, the instructor conveyed the final grades and provided feedback on the poems to all the students. the primary goal of the writing process was to engage every student in hands-on and immersive poetry composition as an integral aspect of their enhanced english education. crafting poetry as a means of expressive and artistic language learning contributed to the growth of their language skills throughout the writing phase. students receive extra educational support from both their peers and teachers. data was collected through the english learning activity, which was conducted in a zoom meeting application. the researcher used a questionnaire as an instrument and conducted interviews. it was aimed at finding out the contribution of creative writing toward students' engagement in english classes. there were five meetings held in this research through the zoom meeting. each meeting had one hundred minutes. in the first meeting, the students were taught to use acrostic poetry to foster creative writing. in the second and third meetings, they were taught by using limericks. then the fourth and fifth meetings were devoted to teaching writing poetry based on expressed their individual experiences that could lead to the development of action theories on the themes given by the teacher. after implementing the creative writing activity, students were asked to complete the questionnaire and interview to determine how they engage in english classes. the likert scale, created in 1932 by rensis likert, serves as a method for collecting quantitative data. this scale, consisting of five points, includes options from 1-strongly disagree (sd) to 5-strongly agree (sa), representing the fundamental idea behind the likert scale (yoga et al., 2022). utilizing a likert-type assessment (featuring responses spanning from strongly disapprove to strongly approve), the student participants analyzed four aspects of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive engagement, including the expression of positive affect, passive behavioral engagement, active behavioral engagement, and students' understanding of the importance of their education. these aspects are drawn from some scholars who proposed three primary engagements: emotional, behavioral, and cognitive engagement. behavioral engagement can be described as adherence to classroom rules, while cognitive engagement involves the mental effort put forth to understand information within the educational setting and improve one's performance in complex skills as perceived by the individual. emotional engagement encompasses the learner's various emotional responses toward the learning environment, including feelings of attention, affection, enthusiasm, happiness, and delight (ozhan and kocadere, 2019). the questionnaire responses and interview transcripts were organized and categorized according to the emerging themes. more specifically, the categorized questionnaire data underwent analysis using a constructivist grounded theory approach, as outlined by chong (2019). this method was employed to gain a comprehensive insight into how individuals perceive and make sense of their experiences and circumstances. this data was interpreted through a process similar to the one employed by melanie et al. (2019) about grounded theory analysis. this process involved three key stages: initial coding, substantive coding, and theoretical coding. the initial phase of data analysis primarily focuses on coding the data, which entails a careful examination to identify patterns and categories that play a significant role in informing various levels of data interpretation. therefore, the primary objective of the initial data coding or labeling was to depict ongoing events. once all the data had been coded according to emerging themes, substantial or focused coding was carried out to uncover the fundamental patterns of occurrences, behaviors, experiences, and actions in which all the participants were involved. to put it differently, substantive coding was applied to each set of data to identify the initial codes that frequently appeared and shared theoretical similarities. results and discussion this segment discusses the outcomes of the data analysis, showcasing what english students think about virtual creative writing sessions within their english class, as well as their participation in such activities. the findings are organized based on the primary concerns of the research questions: the students' opinions and their involvement in virtual creative writing tasks. students’ perception of virtual creative writing in english class to gain an understanding of how students fety surfaifel, emi emilia, & wawan gunawan students’ engagement in virtual creative writing: developing a creative writing style 792 perceive the use of virtual platforms for creative writing in an english class., the following table shows students’ responses based on each of the students' engagement. table 1. students’ perception of virtual creative writing in english class no items frequency percentage (%) emotional engagement 1 i enjoyed the creative writing activity 1 8,3 2 the creative writing activities were enjoyable for me. 1 8,3 3 i feel confident doing the tasks given during the poetry classroom. 1 8,3 4 i like creative writing because it allows me to learn on my own and freely. 2 16,6 5 i like creative writing activities because it allows me to learn enjoyably. 3 25 6 creative writing classroom is boring 1 8,3 7 the creative writing activities motivate me to learn poetry. 1 8,3 8 i feel anxious (worried, uneasy, fearful, nervous) learning poetry without my lecturer. 9 i like receiving feedback for my poetry writing. 2 16,6 10 i worry about my poetry writing performance after going through behavioural engagement 11 i can focus well during the poetry classroom. 2 16,6 12 i participate actively during the creative writing poetry classroom. 4 33,3 13 i can complete the activity effectively in the poetry class. 1 8,3 14 i can complete the task using the learning materials provided 1 8,3 15 i put a lot of effort into learning poetry after doing creative writing. 4 33,3 cognitive engagement 16 i experienced confusion in learning poetry 4 33,3 17 i find it easy to learn poetry after knowing creative writing activities. 2 16,6 18 i can clearly express my ideas and my feeling in poetry class after learning creative writing activities. 3 25 19 creative writing makes me think about what i have learned and what i am learning in a poetry class. 1 8,3 20 creative writing encourages me to explore more materials online to complete my task in a poetry class 2 16,6 according to the information presented in the provided table, there were ten items assessing emotional engagement, five measuring behavioral engagement, and ten examining cognitive engagement among the components related to student engagement. the data in table 1 reveals that students had a favorable reaction to the creative writing activity. the majority of students expressed their preference for creative writing activities, stating that they enjoy them because they facilitate both learning and personal enjoyment (3). additionally, students reached a consensus that creative writing enables them to engage in independent learning (2). then, some of the students enjoyed (1), felt attractive (1), and confident in a creative writing activity. there are no students are concerned about their writing abilities. instead, they appreciate receiving feedback on their poetry writing (1). nevertheless, no students remain anxious about studying poetry independently, without the guidance of a teacher (2). in terms of active involvement, most students indicated that they exerted effort in studying poetry following their engagement in creative writing exercises (as shown in table 2). additionally, they reported active participation during these creative writing sessions. furthermore, one response highlighted their ability to concentrate and complete poetryrelated tasks effectively in class. however, it's important to note that some students continue to struggle with low engagement. these students encounter difficulties in effectively accomplishing the tasks and using the provided learning materials. nevertheless, on the whole, it can be concluded that the respondents had a positive reception of the creative writing activities concerning their behavioral engagement. (1) cognitive engagement hinges on students' motivation, encompassing their selfenglish review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 793 perception, work attitude, skills, and the methods they use to excel in their tasks. this concept can be linked to the data in table 3, revealing a spectrum of understanding, with some students experiencing confusion (4) and others effectively articulating their thoughts (1). nonetheless, the majority still struggle with comprehending poetry (2), leading to a decline in their enthusiasm for learning it (1). furthermore, the lack of enthusiasm in creative writing among students prompts me to consider what i should be gaining from my poetry class (2) and what i am indeed gaining. engagement of students in creative writing activities conducted virtual the researchers identified three emerging themes through a thorough analysis of data, using a constructivist-grounded approach. these themes were consistently found in both the posted content and the observation checklist data. these findings themes include (1) the expression of positive affect, (2) passive and active behavioral engagement, and (3) students' understanding of the importance of their education. these emerging themes hold significance within the theoretical framework of creative writing, making it useful to showcase the datasets that depict them. the expression of positive affect: students are enjoying the lessons to begin with, the teachers were asked about their enjoyment of the lesson. figure 1 shows that 8% of students choose not to agree, 16% agree, and 75% strongly agree to enjoy the creative writing class. figure 1. students are enjoying the lesson in addition to the data in figure 1, the students’ participants were required to explain their responses to the questionnaire question. here are the students’ participants’ responses to their activities related to emotional engagement. interview excerpts #1 participant 1 i enjoyed the activities because creative writing trains me how to write in english. participant 3 i really immensely enjoyed it. creative writing made me understand some vocabulary, made me understand and understand how to write a poem correctly and adequately. participant 7 i enjoyed it because the activity was not tense, but many things were to be learned, mainly how to compose verses perversely and become a beautiful poet. feelings are needed in this case. participant 8 i like creative writing activities because it allows me to learn enjoyably. participant 12 i enjoyed it because learning was relaxed, not tense, teachers and students could share and discuss. teachers not only talk a lot but students are also allowed to speak and discuss in groups. the participants' responses suggest that students enjoy the learning process that applies to student-centered learning. according to the research by benlahcene in 2020, the fundamental concept of the student-centered learning approach is centered on encouraging students to actively engage and participate which fosters the development of independent thinking, knowledge, and skills. these factors ultimately improve critical thinking abilities. in this particular setting, it is imperative that educators do not impede the learning process, as learning naturally evolves and drives itself. the second association, where teaching is preferred to a craft, is indicated using the preposition "on." fety surfaifel, emi emilia, & wawan gunawan students’ engagement in virtual creative writing: developing a creative writing style 794 in this scenario, educators identify the general educational requirements of their students, and students respond to these educational strategies and priorities. within this framework, it is crucial for a teacher to effectively communicate essential information, and it is equally important for the students to take responsibility for their own learning. the third relationship, which involves independent individuals, is described using the term "with." learning environments that focus on the students bring the teacher and the students into a collaborative partnership, suggesting that learning evolves as teachers and students work together. in applying such a learning model, students are then able to work together in groups. concerning learning to write poetry, teachers need to master the principles of writing poetry well. this is intended so that students can gain knowledge about writing poetry that is good and correct and can practice it. passive behavioral engagement: paying attention in class figure 2 shows that 8% of students disagree, 25% agree, and 66% strongly agree to stay concentrated in class. figure 2. paying attention in class interview excerpt #2 students and teachers can discuss with each other. here are their responses to describe how the participants responded to the creative writing class conducted through zoom meeting. participant 2 they were very concentrated because they could directly see the faces of teachers and friends even though they could not sit next to them/side by side. participant 8 i could concentrate on the lesson well since the situation was relaxed and not dull. participant 9 they could not concentrate, felt tense and stiff because only the teacher spoke more. students will speak if permitted by the teacher by pressing the "mute" button. meanwhile, in faceto-face meetings, students can ask questions at any time by raising their hands. thus, it can be said that students are very concentrated on learning poetry through zoom meeting, although some object because they do not directly sit next to their friends. both teachers and students should always participate in class to set the tone for the discussion. active behavioral engagement: asking question figure 3 shows that 8% of students disagree, 33% agree, and 58% strongly agree to always ask questions in class. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 795 figure 3. asking question interview excerpt #3 participant 01 i participate actively during the lesson by asking many questions either to a teacher or to friends. participant 03 i can complete the activity effectively in the class by asking the teacher all things related to materials. participant 07 i felt that although initially, i had feelings of fear, i was finally able to communicate and ask friends and teachers through zoom meetings. from some of the opinions above, it is suggested that students always play an active role in a class by asking questions related to the material given. the questions asked will then be answered by the teacher or even discussed with other students in the class. moreover, the involvement of students in activities such as regular school attendance, active participation in classroom exercises, and timely completion of assignments outside of school can play a crucial role in enhancing academic performance and mitigating the risk of academic underachievement. (pytash & kosko, 2020). active behavioral engagement: putting effort into assignments figure 4 shows that 8% disagree; 16% agree, and 83% strongly agree with the students' efforts to do the assignment. figure 4. putting effort into assignments to find out the students' efforts towards theassignments given by the teacher, here are their responses. interview excerpt #4 participant 4 i can complete the task using the learning material provided. participant 7 i feel confident doing the tasks given during the poetry classroom. participant 9 i put a lot of effort into learning poetry through doing the assignment by looking for various sources on the internet about the given task. participant 10 i try my best to do my assignments. if there is a problem, i will ask the teacher or friends via whatsapp group. fety surfaifel, emi emilia, & wawan gunawan students’ engagement in virtual creative writing: developing a creative writing style 796 one can infer that there is a strong level of enthusiasm among students when it comes to studying creative writing, with a particular focus on poetry composition. this can be seen from their various efforts always to do the assigned tasks. in addition, they also have high enthusiasm to find material on the internet other than what the teacher has given them. this means that students must have a sufficient internet quota in addition to a good network. the cooperation of teachers and students is also very much needed. students understand the importance of their education: students' own learning goals figure 5 shows that 8% of students disagreed, 8% agreed, and 75% of students agreed to the importance of education to achieve their goals. students own learning goals figure 5. students own learning goals here are some of their responses to the importance of education for them to find out more about the participants' responses to the importance of education. interview excerpt #5 participant 2 i can clearly express my ideas and my feeling in poetry class after learning creative writing activities. participant 4 creative writing makes me think about what i have learned and what i am learning in a poetry class. participant 6 creative writing encourages me to explore more materials online to complete my task in a poetry class. so it can be suggested that students learn theories about how to express ideas and feelings through poetry. class exercises will be beneficial for improving students' writing skills. in addition, in addition to the material provided by the teacher, students are advised to read references related to creative writing, especially writing poetry. that way, students will easily do the assignments given by the teacher; besides that, students can share with other students. conclusion based on the findings, it can be inferred that engaging students in a poetry class through creative writing activities impacts their behavior, emotions, and cognition. the results indicate that emotional engagement takes precedence, followed by behavioral engagement. however, cognitive engagement remains relatively low. this aligns with previous research, such as ozhan and kocadere (2019) and farizka et al. (2020), who defines emotional engagement as learners' emotional responses to the learning environment, encompassing feelings of attention, affection, and enthusiasm. this suggests that emotional engagement is more related to the pleasant and unpleasant emotions students associate with the activity, while behavioral engagement focuses on their effort but may not necessarily involve a deep cognitive understanding. in summary, the findings suggest that emotional engagement plays a dominant role in students' engagement in poetry classes, while cognitive and behavioral engagement also exhibit positive aspects. consequently, it can be assumed that creative writing activities effectively foster student engagement in poetry classes. for future research, the students' engagement can occur on other platforms of online learning such as edmodo and google classroom. furthermore, it is important to highlight that motivation plays a pivotal role in the process of learning. as indicated by filgona, sakiyo, gwany, and okoronka (2020), motivation is a critical factor in achieving success in the realm of education. it is worth emphasizing that students' motivation english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 797 remains of utmost importance in this context. references abrar, m., mukminin, a., habibi, a., asyrafi, f., makmur, m., & marzulina, m. (2018). if our english isn't a language, what is it? indonesian efl student teachers' challenges speaking english. the qualitative report, 23(1), 129145. retrieved from http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol.23/iss1/9 benlahcene., abderrahim., lashari, a., sana., lashari a. t., muhammad, s. w., wu, d. (2020). exploring the perception of students using studentcentered learning approach in a malaysian public university. international journal of higher education, 9 (1), 204-217 celly, k. s. (2019). creative writing in marketing education: poetry as an innovative pedagogical tool. marketing education review, 19(1), 5671. chong, w. s. (2019). college students’ perception of e-feedback: a grounded theory perspective. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 1-16 creely, e., & southcott, j. (2020). developing perceived self-efficacy in later life through poetry writing. an analysis of a u3a poetry group of older australians. international journal of lifelong education, 39(2), 191–204 https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2020.173758 9 diab, m.a. abeer. (2019). using some onlinecollaborative learning tools (google docs &padlet) to develop student teachers' efl creative writing skills and writing self-efficacy. journal of faculty of education, 119(3), 22-70 dung, h.t.d. ( 2020). the advantages and disadvantages of virtual learning. iosr journal of research & methods in education (iosr-jrme). e-issn: 2320–7388, pissn: 2320-737x volume 10, issue 3 ser. v, pp 4548. elresh, a.m.e.h, mona., and ahmed, a. m. (2021). investigating creative writing difficulties encountered sudanese secondary school students. journal of linguistics and literary studies, 22(4), 171-180 erlina, d., marzulina, l., astrid, a., desvitasari, d., supriati, s. r., amriana, d. r., mukninn, a., and habibi, a. (2019). linguistic intelligence of undergraduate efl learners in higher education: a case study. universal journal of educational research, 7(10), 2143-2155. farizka, m.n., santihastuti, a., & suharjito, b. (2020). students' learning engagement in writing class: a task-based learning. jeltl (journal of english language teaching and linguistics), 5(2), 203-212. fauzan., eriyanti, w. r., ferry, a, asih, a. r. (2020). web-based learning media ruang ekspresi to teach poetry writing for junior high school students. eurasian journal of applied linguistics, 8(2), 191-198 filgona, j., sakiyo, j., gwany, d. m., & okoronka, a. u. (2020). motivation in learning. asian journal of education and social studies, 10(4), 16–37. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2020/v10i430273 fitriani, r. (2021). poetry writing in efl classrooms: learning from indonesian students’ strategies. annual international conference on language and literature (aicll), (2021), 59-75 harshini, p. (2020). creative writing and its influence in the generation of language skills – a creative approach. journal of critical reviews, 7(04). https://doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.04.32 hussein, a.r.a.h, al jamal, h.a.d., & sadi, i. (2020). students' reflective journals and creative writing in efl. universal journal of educational research 7(2), 3484-3495. 10.13189/ujer.2020.080823 kumar, t. (2020). approaches in teaching writing skills with creative writing: tesol study for india learners. tesol internationa journal, 15(5), 79-98 larasati, g., & yulianawati, i. (2019). the contribution of creative writing activity toward students’ engagement in poetry class. wej, (3), 344-352 lida, a. (2020). “i feel like i can’t avoid dying”: a poetic representation of a survivor’s traumatic experience in the greatest japan earthquake. https://doi.org/1 0.1177/1077800419897695. melanie, b., karen, h., jane, m. (2019). grounded theory: the faqs. international journal methods, 18:1-7 molyaty, s. (2020). students’ strategies in writing narrative text at grade xi ips 3 at sman 9 padang. advances in social science, education and humanities research, (485), 294-299. ozhan, c, seyma and kocadere, a. selay. (2019). the effects of flow, emotional engagement, and motivation on success in a gamified online learning environment. journal of educational computing research, 1-26 prasojo, l. d., habibi, a., yaakob, m. f. m., mukminin, a., haswindy, s., & sofwan, m. (2019). an explanatory sequential study on indonesian principals' perceptions on ict integration barriers. electronic journal of elearning, 17(1), 1-10. pratama, y., prawesti, a., & fridolini. (2022). an analysis of students’ writing skills in paraphrasing: a case study of the 5th-semester diploma students of english language and culture department of persada university. getsempena english education journal, 9(1), 13-28. pytash, e. k.,& kosko, w. k. (2020). instruction https://doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.04.32 fety surfaifel, emi emilia, & wawan gunawan students’ engagement in virtual creative writing: developing a creative writing style 798 matters: pedagogical approaches to increase engagement in a juvenile detention center. journal of education for students placed at risk (jespar.). https://doi.org/10.1080/10824669.2020.180606 8 safitri, n. r., suwandi, s., & setiawan, b. (2022). the influence of cooperative learning and interest in reading poetry on poetry writing skills in students class viii of public junior high school in purwokerto. international journal of multicultural and multireligious understanding, 9(10), 219-224 satrya, d., nugraha, a., and listyaniz. (2021). problems encountered by students in online creative wriitng class and the solutions. edulingua: jurnal linguistics terapan dan pendidikan bahasa inggris, 8(2), 33-44. sene, e. (2018). the integration of creative writing into academic writing skills in efl classes. international journal of languages' education and teaching, 6(2), 115-120 sofwan, m., setiono, p., mohamed elsayed, a. e., & saudagar, f. (2018). fighting against corruption through character education: the voices of indonesian primary school teachers. indonesian research journal in education |irje|, 2(2), 86-96. https://doi.org/10.22437/irje.v2i2.6092 suharti, s.d., suhersi, d., & setyarini, s. (2020). exploring students' learning engagement in efl online classroom. proceedings of the thirteenth conference on applied linguistics (conaplin), 546. taylor, j. r., & taylor, j. r. (2019). cognitive linguistic approaches. in the oxford handbook of english grammar. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/97801987551 04.013.32 https://doi.org/10.1080/10824669.2020.1806068 https://doi.org/10.1080/10824669.2020.1806068 https://doi.org/10.22437/irje.v2i2.6092 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 83 critical review on a discourse analysis research: what novice writers can learn aldha williyan institut pendidikan dan bahasa invada, cirebon, indonesia email: alwilliyan@gmail.com sirniawati universitas muhammadiyah cirebon, cirebon, indonesia email: sirniawati@gmail.com tia nur istianah institut agama islam cirebon, cirebon, indonesia email: tianur.07@gmail.com mochamad guntur institut pendidikan dan bahasa invada, cirebon, indonesia email: gunturmath@gmail.com apa citation: williyan, a., sirniawati., istianah, t. n., & guntur, m. (2023). critical review on a discourse analysis research: what novice writers can learn. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 83-90. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7195 received: 09-10-2022 accepted: 27-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction this present study is dedicated to provide assistance to novice writers, namely the efl learners who have just started their academic writing experience. this assistance is given through analyzing one selected research article. without prejudice to the authors, their article is analyzed and broken down to reveal its strengths and weaknesses. this is conducted for the sake of learning, especially to give insight and ideas on how to write a research article well and effectively. writing papers is a necessity for students because they frequently receive writing assignments from their lecturers to create texts for final assignments, group projects, midterm assignments, or just an individual project (bailey, 2006). they frequently receive writing projects to help teachers determine how well they comprehend a particular subject. many efl learners are still developing as writers, thus when given a writing task they may become confused (qasem & zayid, 2019). moreover, it is academic writing like research articles. this is typical since educational assignments do not require writing works. even while they do exist, classroom learning still hardly ever includes assignments that require composing papers. a research article is a written piece that includes knowledge and information that has been discovered via research both in the field and in the literature (bal-gezegin & baş, 2020). it is not only anticipated that it will benefit the writer, but abstract: efl learners inevitably will enter the world of academia, which makes it mandatory for them to write academic writings, especially in the form of research articles. they are obliged to broaden knowledge in the field of their interest by conducting research. unfortunately, academic writing has always been a serious challenge for them. writing research articles indeed requires them to be familiar with the writing guidelines, particularly about how the ideas are developed. this present study is therefore intended to assist efl learners, particularly those who have just started their academic writing experience. insight and ideas on how to write a research article are presented in this paper. to do that, a qualitative methodology on discourse analysis is employed. the data is taken from a research article focusing on discourse marker comparisons between academic and non-academic writings. the article is broken down in detail to provide a clear picture of how it is constructed by the authors. the analysis reveals that even though it contains some minor weaknesses, the research article overall is well-written and follows the author guidelines. this study allows efl learners to receive more explicit input and, hopefully, adapt and adopt the steps of how the article is written. keywords: critical review; novice writer; research article. aldha williyan, sirniawati, tia nur istianah, & mochamad guntur critical review on a discourse analysis research: what novice writers can learn 84 that it will also benefit the writer in some other way—for example, by enhancing the writer's knowledge or by allowing him or her to think more critically. it is important to trust scientific research and avoid manufactured research. the potential for producing high-caliber scientific work is greatest in the academic community (hanauer et al., 2019). not just lecturers but also students are a part of the academic community in question. in order to generate written works, including both scholarly writings like books and journals and more accessible scientific writings like research papers, students are required to be able to engage in writing activities as part of the academic environment. in spite of this, writing exercises are not as common among students as other proficiency tasks (ecarnot et al., 2015). students still inquire about what a research article is. because they lack experience producing research articles for their academic projects, students are forced to take the easy route by plagiarizing the work of others. the guidelines for writing research articles must therefore be taught to students as publications of research articles have emerged as a crucial component of academic activity in the modern era (banks, 2018). the rules for creating a research article typically give the authors a comparable framework for their articles, starting with the title and ending with references (saeed et al., 2020). the first and most important component of a text that draws in potential readers is its title. from there, readers determine whether the text is worthwhile reading or not (li & xu, 2019). it solely makes use of precise keywords that describe the research's key variables (kundu, 2018). the authors may also want to mention the site of the research. the abstract should then succinctly define the paper's content and scope, as well as its aims, methodology, findings, conclusions, and study implications (forero et al., 2020; tullu, 2019; heßler et al., 2020). it should contain three to five keywords associated with the article and be between 200 and 250 words long. in introduction, the writers should next explain why this research area is significant and back up their arguments with pertinent references (graulich et al., 2021). they should also include a review of relevant literature, which is composed of earlier studies in the same or a related topic and the underlying theories for the investigation. they are able to identify the gaps in the earlier study by doing this (dwivedi et al., 2022; paul & criado, 2020). the position of the research in regard to earlier studies should therefore be made clear. later on, writers should discuss the research's variables and explain why they think there is a relationship between them. last but not least, the authors should offer rational, scientific justifications for why they select particular study topics and back up their arguments with pertinent references. the research article's methods must also be written well. the authors should explain the research's methodology, whether it is qualitative, quantitative, or mixed. they must explain the research design, such as descriptive qualitative, content analysis, or another type, as well as the rationale behind their choice (busse & august, 2021). additionally, this part requires for relevant references, particularly those that back up the idea regarding the study design option. the authors must then define the data source for the study and give justifications for their choice. to present this idea, it is also required to explain the research's steps (ecarnot et al., 2015). last but not least, the authors should note that they took inspiration from one, two, or more references while deciding on the steps. composing the findings and discussions is the next and most crucial step in writing research articles. the findings ought to be short and obvious. instead of giving extensive data, it should provide a summary of scientific findings. it draws attention to variations between the findings or results and earlier works by other scholars (ecarnot et al., 2015). the discussion should then focus on the significance of the research's findings rather than just restating them. it is frequently useful to combine the results and discussion sections. the authors should refrain from using numerous citations and discussing published works (qayyum & afzal, 2018). it is the most crucial portion of the article when being discussed. here, the authors have the opportunity to market their data by correlating the discussion to the findings or outcomes while avoiding repetition (ecarnot et al., 2015). it should frequently start with a succinct review of the key scientific findings. every result or finding reported should have a scientific interpretation provided by the authors (behzadi & gajdács, 2021). they must also make it clear how the outcomes connect to the main issue or the goals mentioned in the introduction. the next step is to compose the conclusion and references, which can be difficult for novice authors. the research's objectives should be addressed in the conclusions (paltridge & starfield, 2007). the writers should explain how english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 85 their study expands on the current body of knowledge in the field. it is not advised for the authors to simply list the findings of experiments or to repeat the abstract (behzadi & gajdács, 2021). they should outline potential applications and extensions as well as a strong scientific explanation for your work. they should also make suggestions for new experiments and/or mention any that are already in progress (paul et al., 2021). in terms of references, they should ensure that all references may be tracked back (ecarnot et al., 2015). finally, the references should be arranged alphabetically by author. it can be seen that writing research article is not a simple matter. helping students become proficient in research writing and assisting them in making the transition from peripheral to active engagement in the intellectual discourse of their discipline is an important but difficult goal (cotos et al., 2020). this encourages this present study to be conducted with the purpose to assist efl learners, particularly those who have just started their academic writing experience. insight and ideas on how to write a research article are presented in this paper. it is inspired by some previous studies in the similar field. those are warren et al. (2021), weatherall (2018), zheng & yu (2019), that concern on providing clear pictures of how to write academic writing effectively. method in line with williyan (2020), the methodology used in this study is qualitative. with it, the findings are elaborated as detail as possible and presented in form of paragraph to give the target readers, namely the novice writers, a clear picture on how to write research articles. the data of this present study is a research article written by choemue & bram (2021) entitled “discourse markers in academic and non-academic writings of thai efl learners “. this research article is selected because it is published in 2021 by a journal indexed by scopus q1 and sinta 1. this piece of writing is a masterpiece that, ideally, is able to assist the novice writers to adapt or adopt the style of writing a research article. to do this, the process of analyzing is conducted thoroughly from the title until the references. each part of the articles is given constructive comments so that the readers can also take the positivity and avoid the weakness produced in this research article. results and discussion the summary of the research paper that is learned in this investigation opens this section. the discussion then moves on to explain the articles' strengths and weaknesses. this section is finally concluded with the justification of the indication of the findings. summary of the research article the research article is written by choemue & bram (2021) entitled “discourse markers in academic and non-academic writings of thai efl learners “. it is published in 2021 by a journal indexed by scopus q1 and sinta 1. the writers state that in order to express ideas and concepts in a variety of writing projects, including as academic papers and reflections, efl students at the university level need to be able to use discourse markers (dms) to make a text coherent and cohesive. they then point out that to have a better understanding about how dms are used by thai efl students in academic and non-academic writing, their study try to provide more information. investigating the types, general frequency, distinctions, and similarities of discourse markers in the two writing modes is the main goal. for the primary data, 60 essays are chosen, of which 20 are scholarly and 40 are not. the non-academic pieces are chosen from the xlc english newsletter, while the academic essays are chosen from the xavier learning community (xlc), thailand, critical reading and writing course. using fraser's taxonomy (2009), they evaluate the data. the findings reveal that 2.521 dms, which are divided into five types and found in 20 academic and 40 non-academic articles, are contrastive discourse, elaborative discourse, inferential discourse, temporal discourse, and spoken speech markers. elaborative discourse markers (edm), f=1,703, are the most frequently used dm. this study comes to the conclusion that increasing knowledge of dms will help thai efl learners create an efficient and logical piece of writing. the title there are three things writers should notice in formulating the title of their research articles. maximum 14 words are allowed in the title. it solely makes use of particular keywords that describe the research's key variables (paul & barari, 2022). optionally, the writers have included the place of the research. below is the title of the research article being studied in this current study. aldha williyan, sirniawati, tia nur istianah, & mochamad guntur critical review on a discourse analysis research: what novice writers can learn 86 figure 1. research title the title of this research consist of 11 words. it uses only specific key words telling variables involved in the research. the writers also have included the place of the research in the title (kundu, 2018). the novice writers can learn from this data about how to formulate the title of their research articles. the abstract the abstract should contain several main points of the research. the research's major findings should be summarized in the abstract. it must first express the purposes in full. second, an explanation of the research's methodology needs to be included in the abstract. it must then include the results and conclude with the conclusions. the document must also include the publication's scope and substance, as well as any implications of the study. it should contain three to five keywords related to writers’ content (murphy & bolderston, 2022), and be between 200 and 250 words long. below is the abstract of the research article studied and analyzed in this current study. figure 2. research abstract the writers have concisely describe the content and scope of the paper and identify the objectives, namely to provide greater insight into how thai efl learners use dms in their formal and informal writing. the primary goal of their study is to compare and contrast the discourse markers that are used in academic and informal writing. its methodology and its findings have been presented very well. a brief conclusion is used to wrap up the abstract. unfortunately, no explanation of the study's implications is given. the article is 205 words long and ends with five keywords that are pertinent to it (forero et al., 2020). the novice writers must take something away from this information. they must make sure that their abstract covers each of the aforementioned points. the introduction in introduction, the authors are required to consider some elements. they must explain the significance of the research field (paul & barari, 2022). they are also required to back up their idea with relevant references. review of pertinent literature, including theories guiding the study and earlier research in the same or a related topic, must also be included by the authors. they must identify any gaps in the earlier research. the authors need to make clear how the current research fits into the context of the earlier investigations. the research's variables must also be mentioned by the authors clearly. the authors should explain their reasoning for thinking that the relationship between the variables exists. the writers are required to give scientific justifications for their selection of particular study themes (macnab, 2022). the writers must provide appropriate sources to back up their ideas regarding the topic selection. the small piece of the introduction of the research article that is studied and analyzed in this current study is displayed below. figure 3. research introduction the authors have successfully deliver the introduction. the authors have explained the significance of this research field in the introduction section (graulich et al., 2021). they state that the findings of the study will help teaching and learning the english language, especially in writing classes, as it allows thai students to learn about different dms and use them in their writing. then, the notion has been backed up with pertinent references from the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 87 authors. the authors have reviewed relevant literature, including earlier investigations in the same or a related subject and hypotheses supporting the study. the authors have identified any gaps in the earlier studies (dwivedi et al., 2022). they say that no research has looked into how dms are used by thai students in their academic and informal works. additionally, the writers have made clear how the latest research fits into relation to earlier investigations. the variables used in this study have been discussed by the authors. the authors have explained why they think there is a relationship between the variables. for their selection of particular subjects for this research, the authors have offered scientific justifications. the choice of subject was backed up by the authors' use of pertinent sources. the novice writers can definitely learn from this introduction. they can adapt the way the authors of this research article develop the introduction. the method in this section of the article, the authors need to make sure that their articles contain some main elements. the methodology section is where the authors describe the research's methodology, whether qualitative, quantitative, or mixed. the authors should also provide details on the research design, such as descriptive qualitative analysis, content analysis, or others, as well as the reasons. the authors must cite appropriate sources to back up their arguments for the study design they chose. the authors clearly state where the data for this study came from. the authors then need to give justifications for their decisions about the data sources they used. the number of research steps must also be mentioned by the authors in this section. lastly, the authors acknowledge that while choosing the stages, they used some references in their adoption or adaptation of the steps. below is the small piece of the method of the research article that is learned in this present study. figure 3. research method the authors have identified the source of the data used in the study. as the primary data, 60 essays are chosen, 20 of which are academic and 40 of which are not. the authors have also given justifications for their decision to use a particular source of data. the number of steps in this research have been given by the authors very clearly as well. the authors have disclosed that they adopted or modified the steps from several references in making their decisions (ecarnot et al., 2015). what the authors plan to do with the data they have collected has also already been stated. the authors have provided pertinent hypotheses and references to back up their ideas regarding the data analysis. unfortunately, the authors fail to specify the methodology employed for this study. despite the fact that the researchers do not directly declare it, this is obviously a discourse study (busse & august, 2021). in summary, the novice writers can learn about aspects that should be included in the methodology. the findings and discussion to present the findings and discussion of the research articles, the authors’ findings need to do some steps in order to be clear and concise. it should summarize scientific findings rather than providing data in great detail (mayyas & alzoubi, 2022). it also highlights differences between the findings and the previous publications by other researchers. the discussion furthermore should explore the significance of the results of the work, not repeat them. a combined findings and discussion section is often appropriate. in the discussion, the writers should avoid extensive citations and discussion of published literature. this section is the most important section of the article. here, the writers get the chance to sell their data and make the discussion corresponding to the results, but do not reiterate the results. often it should begin with a brief summary of the main scientific findings not experimental results. in addition, the discussion should also include the explanation about how the results relate to the original question or objectives outlined in the introduction section and how the writers provide interpretation scientifically for each of the results or findings presented. below is the small piece of the results/findings and discussion of the research article being studied in this current study. aldha williyan, sirniawati, tia nur istianah, & mochamad guntur critical review on a discourse analysis research: what novice writers can learn 88 figure 4. research results and discussion the writers have presented the findings clearly and concisely. they have summarized the scientific findings rather than providing data in great detail in the finding section. the analysis of the 20 academic and 40 non-academic writings reveals a total of 2.521 dms, split evenly across five categories, namely contrastive, elaborative, inferential, temporal, and spoken discourse markers. elaborative discourse markers (edms) are the most common type of dm, with a frequency of f=1,703. also, the differences between the results or findings and the previous publications by other researchers have been highlighted (yu & jiang, 2022). they also do not use extensive citations and discussion of published literature (qayyum & afzal, 2018). although, it is common to separate the sections of findings and discussion into two differences explanation, the writers of this article have combined results and discussion into one section. besides the strength mentioned previously, there are also several weaknesses that the novice writer can learn so that they can avoid to do the same things in their research article writing. the significance of the results of the work which should be explored in the discussion is not clear. the writers seems only describing the findings and what the findings indicate. in the results and discussion, the writers unfortunately do not clearly state how the results relate to the original question or objectives outlined in the introduction section. lastly, the writers also do not clearly state interpretation scientifically for each of the results or findings presented (behzadi & gajdács, 2021). in sum, the writers have successfully presented the findings and the discussion. the novice writers can definitely learn from these sections. they can adapt the way the authors of this research article develop the findings and discussions. the conclusion in conclusions, the writers must consider some standards. conclusions should answer the objectives of research. in this section, the writers tells how your work advances the field from the present state of knowledge. they are not suggested to only repeat the abstract, or just list experimental results. they then must provide a clear scientific justification for your work, and indicate possible applications and extensions. the writers state that their research find that informing thai efl students about dms will help students write better and more coherently lastly, the writers should also suggest future experiments and/or point out those that are underway. below is the small piece of the conclusion of the research article being studied in this current study. figure 5. resaerch conclusion the authors address the goals of the study in the conclusion and explain how their work expands upon the body of knowledge already known in the subject. they do not just list the outcomes of the experiment or reiterate the abstract (behzadi & gajdács, 2021). the authors have also identified potential applications and extensions as well as a clear scientific explanation for their study. last but not least, they mention any ongoing or upcoming experiments as well as offer suggestions for new ones (tabuena, 2020). the novice writers can definitely learn from this conclusion. in conclusion, the writers does a good job of presenting the findings and the discussion. they can adapt the way the authors of this research article formulate the conclusion. the references there are some elements that the writers should consider in writing the references. the authors should make sure that all citations can be tracked back. the references also must be arranged alphabetically. in this research, the authors have taken care to ensure that all references can be tracked back (ecarnot et al., 2015). additionally, they have ordered the references alphabetically. the quantity of references satisfies another english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 89 requirement of a research article. although there are other reference writing styles outside apa style, the authors of this study followed apa style correctly, and 90% of the references are also created within the last ten years. in conclusion, the references are well written by the authors. they can modify how the authors place the references in this study article. conclusion after all parts of the research article have been broken down, we can see clearly that the author has produced an extraordinary scientific paper. in writing a research article, the writers begins by formulating a title that can attract every reader, especially those who are fanatical about discourse studies. the abstract has been compiled very densely and is rich in information regarding the important points of their research. readers are very spoiled by the abstract because it has summarized all the important things from the research. then, in the introduction the author has explained very clearly the background of the study, the theories underpinning the study as well as the previous studies. the method is also written in full point by point so that readers, in this case novice writers, can later adapt the steps of this research. findings and discussion along with conclusions are presented in a very complete and clear manner. thus, readers can understand things about discourse markers and the differences between academic and non-academic writing. however, there are no perfect words in a piece of writing; there will undoubtedly be flaws, which have been described in this paper for the sake of learning. hopefully novice writers can take many positive points from this present study. hopefully novice writers can take many positive points from this present study. additionally, there are a lot of prospects for further research given by this current study. future research can first examine how to compose nonacademic writing, like a novel. second, they can explain the many text types—argumentative essays, narratives, descriptive texts, and so forth—and how to compose each one. third, academics can analyze specific text types to inform readers about the unified and coherent writing process. last but not least, they can concentrate more on spoken language in order to assist the efl learner in giving excellent presentations. as the writers of this present study, hopefully the information in this study can inspire a lot of people to conduct further studies so that the wealth of knowledge can be enriched. references bailey, s. (2006). academic writing: a handbook for international students. routledge. bal-gezegin, b., & baş, m. (2020). metadiscourse in academic writing: a comparison of research articles and book reviews. eurasian journal of applied linguistics, 6(1), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.710204 banks, d. (2018). thoughts on publishing the research article over the centuries. publications, 6(10), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3390/publications60100 10 behzadi, p., & gajdács, m. (2021). writing a strong scientific paper in medicine and the biomedical sciences: a checklist and recommendations for early career researchers. biologia futura, 72, 395–407. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42977-02100095-z busse, c., & august, e. (2021). how to write and publish a research paper for a peer-reviewed journal. journal of cancer education, 36(5), 909–913. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-02001751-z choemue, s., & bram, b. (2021). discourse markers in academic and non-academic writings of thai efl learners. studies in english language and education, 8(3), 1209–1226. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i3.20122 cotos, e., huffman, s., & link, s. (2020). understanding graduate writers’ interaction with and impact of the research writing tutor during revision. journal of writing research, 12(1), 187–232. https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2020.12.01.07 dwivedi, y. k., hughes, l., cheung, c. m. k., conboy, k., duan, y., dubey, r., janssen, m., jones, p., sigala, m., & viglia, g. (2022). editorial: how to develop a quality research article and avoid a journal desk rejection. international journal of information management, 62, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102426 ecarnot, f., seronde, m. f., chopard, r., schiele, f., & meneveau, n. (2015). writing a scientific article: a step-by-step guide for beginners. european geriatric medicine, 6, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurger.2015.08.005 forero, d. a., lopez-leon, s., & perry, g. (2020). a brief guide to the science and art of writing manuscripts in biomedicine. journal of translational medicine, 18(425), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-020-02596-2 graulich, n., lewis, s. e., kahveci, a., nyachwaya, j. m., & lawrie, g. a. (2021). writing a review article: what to do with my literature review. chemistry education research and practice, 22(3), 561–564. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1rp90006d hanauer, d. i., sheridan, c. l., & englander, k. aldha williyan, sirniawati, tia nur istianah, & mochamad guntur critical review on a discourse analysis research: what novice writers can learn 90 (2019). linguistic injustice in the writing of research articles in english as a second language: data from taiwanese and mexican researchers. written communication, 36(1), 136–154. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088318804821 heßler, n., rottmann, m., & ziegler, a. (2020). empirical analysis of the text structure of original research articles in medical journals. plos one, 15(10), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240288 kundu, d. k. (2018). how to write research article for a journal: techniques and rules. international journal of literature and arts, 6(11), 51–60. users/admin/downloads/kittler_m_2020_a_t emplate_and_guide_to_academic_writing.pdf li, z., & xu, j. (2019). the evolution of research article titles: the case of journal of pragmatics 1978–2018. scientometrics, 121(3), 1619–1634. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-019-03244-3 macnab, a. j. (2022). how to write up and publish novel research. international journal of clinical studies and medical case reports, 5(2), 88–91. https://doi.org/10.46998/ijcmcr.2022.22.000550 mayyas, f., & alzoubi, k. (2022). awareness and knowledge of manuscript writing and research integrity: a cross sectional survey among graduate students. heliyon, 8(11), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11447 murphy, a., & bolderston, a. (2022). writing your first paper part 2: submission, review, and postpublication. journal of medical imaging and radiation sciences, 53(3), 478–486. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmir.2022.05.004 paltridge, b., & starfield, s. (2007). thesis and dissertation writing in a second language: a handbook for supervisors. in thesis and dissertation writing in a second language. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315170022 paul, j., & barari, m. (2022). meta-analysis and traditional systematic literature reviews—what, why, when, where, and how? psychology and marketing, 39(6), 1099–1115. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21657 paul, j., & criado, a. r. (2020). the art of writing literature review: what do we know and what do we need to know? international business review, 29, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2020.101717 paul, j., merchant, a., dwivedi, y. k., & rose, g. (2021). explanation of error categories. journal of business research, 133, 337–340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.05.005 qasem, f. a. a., & zayid, e. i. m. (2019). the challenges and problems faced by students in the early stage of writing research projects in l2. european journal of special education research, 4(1), 32–46. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2557036 qayyum, f., & afzal, m. t. (2018). identification of important citations by exploiting research articles’ metadata and cue-terms from content. scientometrics, 118(1), 21–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-018-2961-x saeed, m. a., al-ahdal, a. a. m. h., & al qunayeer, h. s. (2020). integrating research proposal writing into a postgraduate research method course: what does it tell us? international journal of research and method in education, 44(3), 303–318. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727x.2020.177796 3 tabuena, a. c. (2020). students’ perception in the implementation of the imrad structure approach and its implications on the research writing process. international journal of research studies in education, 9(7), 55–65. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2020.5913 tullu, m. s. (2019). writing the title and abstract for a research paper: being concise, precise, and meticulous is the key. saudi journal of anaesthesia, 13(5), s12–s17. https://doi.org/10.4103/sja.sja_685_18 warren, n. l., farmer, m., gu, t., & warren, c. (2021). marketing ideas: how to write research articles that readers understand and cite. journal of marketing, 85(5), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429211003560 weatherall, r. (2018). writing the doctoral thesis differently. management learning, 50(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350507618799867 williyan, a. (2020). a portrait of an efl learner’s explanation text: cohesion and coherence. concept: community concern for english pedagogy and teaching, 6(1), 1–7. yu, s., & jiang, l. (2022). doctoral students’ engagement with journal reviewers’ feedback on academic writing. studies in continuing education, 44(1), 87–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/0158037x.2020.178161 0 zheng, y., & yu, s. (2019). what has been assessed in writing and how? empirical evidence from assessing writing (2000–2018). assessing writing, 42, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2019.100421 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 935 how efl students cope with ill-formed sourcelanguage sentences in english-to-indonesian sight interpreting dian budiarti uin sunan gunung djati bandung, indonesia dianbudiarti@uinsgd.ac.id andang saehu uin sunan gunung djati bandung, indonesia andangsaehu@uinsgd.ac.id apa citation: budiarti, d., & saehu, a. (2023). how efl students cope with ill-formed source-language sentences in english-to-indonesian sight interpreting. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 935-942. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.7288 received: 27-06-2023 accepted: 21-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: this research investigates how english as a foreign language (efl) students cope with ill-formed source-language sentences in english-to-indonesian sight interpreting. in line with the objective, students’ interpretations of sentences with linguistic errors were collected as the data via video-based observation and qualitatively analyzed using content analysis. the findings reveal that most students were aware of the occurrence of typographical errors in the assigned source documents and able to sight interpret those parts as targeted, especially when dealing with mix-up letters and middle-letter omission. however, many of them seemed to have difficulties in identifying the occurrence of grammatical errors, such as subject-verb disagreement and improper use of a certain part of speech and punctuation errors, such as the presence of unnecessary punctuations, which then leading to inaccurate interpretations. it is assumed that the primary cause of these interpretation problems is attributed to students’ limited understanding of the source texts, highlighting the critical need for enhanced fast-reading comprehension skills among students. keywords: efl; fast-reading comprehension; ill-formed sentence; sight interpreting. introduction teaching at a higher education level is not only about equipping the students with contents, but also about preparing them for any challenges and opportunities they are likely to face in the future of work with some related soft skills. it is widely agreed that one of essential soft skills needed for the workplace is problem-solving skill. in a teaching and learning process, such soft skill can be honed one of which by implementing problembased learning (alias et al., 2020; ramadhani et al., 2019; sholihah & lastariwati, 2020). as the term suggests, problem-based learning (hereafter abbreviated to pbl) is a learning approach which utilizes authentic or real-world problems as a means to enhance student learning of concepts as well as lifelong learning (duch et al., 2001). furthermore, pbl can eventually be used to help monitor the extent to which the students are able to overcome the presented problems. given that every professional may encounter challenges at work, pbl can be applied to teach any subjects or courses including sight interpreting (also known as sight translation). it is regarded as a form of simultaneous interpreting, in which the interpreter reads a document in the source language and reproduces the translation orally (chen, 2015; pöchhacker, 2016). the types of documents commonly sight interpreted are prescriptions, agreements, surveys, accident reports, registration forms, etc. regardless of its vital or non-vital ones, an interpreter is highly expected to be able to transfer messages accurately as stated in the interpreter’s code of ethics (saehu, 2018). to be technically accurate, ginori & scimone (1995) suggested that an interpreter is required to be able to fully understand the source language (sl) and then convert it into the target language (tl) in the best possible ways. however, when it comes to the real practice, there are always possibilities that the source text (st) provided is not well-written, whereby it contains a number of ill-formed sentences made either intentionally or unintentionally. it is in line with sirriyya (2016), who argued that, in most cases, the st producers did not necessarily master the standard languages they used. along with this, she proposed that the linguistic errors frequently found in the st are typographical, grammatical, informational, mailto:dianbudiarti@uinsgd.ac.id mailto:dianbudiarti@uinsgd.ac.id dian budiarti & andang saehu how efl students cope with ill-formed source-language sentences in english-to-indonesian sight interpreting 936 punctuation, and stylistic errors. those various errors may change the meaning of some or all of document that is undergoing sight translation. indeed, the presented reality is potential to give certain constraints, especially for those learning foreign languages with different language rules from their first language’s. this situation can be seen from the context of english as a foreign language (efl) students in indonesia. it is found that some of common difficulties faced by indonesian efl students in translation-related practices are caused by several differences of their grammar structures or sentence patterns between the two languages aside from their poor mastery of english vocabularies (arono & nadrah, 2019; nadirah et al., 2019; putranti, 2017). in performing sight interpreting, back to the case, it becomes even more challenging when the st provided contains several ill-formed sentences since the process needs to be done concurrently, which leads to the absence of any aids. therefore, a sight interpreter needs to possess good reflexes to solve those potential problems in order to avoid lag time. more importantly, to follow sirriyya (2016), being able to tactfully deal with errors in the st is a form of faithfulness. with this in mind, regularly evaluating students’ capacity is then a must to reveal their shortcomings, so that the findings can be used to design more appropriate pedagogical decisions for further class activities. considering that sight interpreting is now an increasingly important form of professional practice (li, 2014), extensive studies related to such evaluation activities have been carried out in this field. many of them investigated students’ common difficulties when performing sight interpreting in general context with various language pairs, such as english and chinese (su & li, 2019; wu, 2019), english and kurdish (abdulrahman, 2021), english and arabic (thawabteh, 2015), and english and indonesian (putranti, 2017). besides that, similar studies have also been conducted in a more specific context, such as examining student interpreters’ strategies in dealing with syntactic complexity (ma, 2021) and with unfamiliar words (fang & wang, 2022). last but not least, several research focused on discovering effective techniques for teaching and learning sight interpreting (chang, 2016; li, 2015; song, 2010). although a lot has been done, only a dearth of studies has focused on english and indonesian language pair, so it needs to be explored. thus, this research was meant to bridge the existing lacuna, particularly to investigate efl students’ abilities as well as strategies in coping with several ill-formed sentences during sight interpreting practices. as it is supported by pbl implementation, it is hoped that the results of this study can be used as a consideration for preparing the students better to face the world of work after their graduation. method this study employed qualitative method. the participants of this study were 185 undergraduate students of english literature study program in an islamic state university in bandung, west java, indonesia. they are currently enrolled in a simultaneous interpreting course, in which sight interpreting becomes one of the topics offered. the selection of participants from this specific cohort was aimed at capturing insights from individuals with a background in english studies and an ongoing exposure to interpreting practices within the academic setting. prior to collecting data, three types of english text were prepared to be used as the sts. the texts consisted of a short paragraph of inspirational story (text 1), prescriptions (text 2), and a list of tips (text 3). all of them contained several linguistic errors made intentionally as well as purposively, which were limited to the form of typographical error (12 cases), grammatical error (6 cases), and punctuation error (2 cases). to clarify, first, typographical error (te) refers to any spelling mistakes, which were further differentiated into mix up letters, errors made when a certain letter in a word was changed by another letter, such as “csn” (supposed to be can) and “rather then” (rather than), and missing letters, errors made when the providers missed a certain letter in a word, such as “evryone” (everyone) and “thn” (than). second, grammatical error (ge) refers to a condition when the providers failed to follow the sl grammar rules, such as subject-verb agreement, parts of speech, and word order. last, punctuation error (pe) refers to the use of a symbol that is not belonging to a certain written language or vice versa, such as missing or too many commas and unnecessary full stops. in this article, the errors were underlined, and the corrections were bolded. however, it is important to note that the underlines were not displayed during the research to investigate the students’ awareness of their presence. in line with the objective, students’ interpretations towards the ill-formed parts were then becoming the data of this study. to collect english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 937 them, the students were instructed to record and submit their videos of sight interpreting practices to the assigned sts, which were divided into three different teaching class periods for a comprehensive exploration of varying instructional methods and their impact on students’ interpretation capabilities. this videobased observation was used to ease researchers to capture all details in a live as well as simultaneous setting (asan & montague, 2014). aside from that, the data can be considered natural due to the absence of any interruption from researchers. after collected, the data were studied qualitatively using content analysis method to find out how the students deal with the errors. as suggested by bhandari (2022), this method is appropriate for determining common concepts or patterns within qualitative data. furthermore, since interpreting is also involving translation processes, some findings were also identified using translation method and technique theories proposed by molina & albir (2004). finally, the results of the study were then evaluated and presented comprehensively. results and discussion as discussed earlier, this research is aimed at revealing how indonesian efl students cope with several linguistic errors contained in the sts during sight interpreting practices. to present the results, students’ interpretations towards the illformed sentences catering either typographical errors, grammatical errors, or punctuation errors will be discussed respectively in different parts. students’ interpretations towards typographical errors (te) during their interpreting practices, it is found that almost all students seem to be aware of the expected interpretations towards sentences with mix-up-letter words in it. it can be seen, for instance, when they sight interpret the following excerpt. excerpt 1 “… by interpreting the joke the best you csn.” (text 3) expected correction “… by interpreting the joke the best you can.” students’ interpretations si1 : “… dengan menafsirkan leluconnya sebaik yang kamu bisa.” si2 : “… dengan menginterpretasikan lelucon itu semampunya.” in excerpt 1, the word “can” would be best translated into “bisa” or “mampu” since it refers to a certain skill (how to interpret jokes), and most of the students literally translate “the best you can” into “sebaik yang kamu bisa” as exemplified in si1. besides, few other students translate it into “semampunya” (si2). although the use of this version does not necessarily sound natural in meaning, the message is understandable. most importantly, the occurrence of the base word “mampu” indicates the students’ awareness of what the te is supposed to be. better students’ performance in overcoming mix up letters can be seen from the way they sight interpret the following excerpt. it is noted that all the students are able to accurately translate the te “rather then” as intended into “daripada” ‘rather than’, which indicates their language mastery regarding the phrase as a common preposition. excerpt 2 “rather then dwelling too much on how you’re going to interpret a joke, ...” (text 3) expected correction “rather than dwelling too much on how you’re going to interpret a joke, ...” students’ interpretations si3: “daripada terlalu memikirkan bagaimana anda menafsirkan sebuah lelucon, …” si4: “daripada terlalu memikirkan bagaimana kamu akan meng-interpretasi lelucon, …” meanwhile, when they are faced with several missing-letter words, this study reveals two findings. on the one hand, the students tend to have no difficulties to deal with the words with middle-letter omission, such as ”evryone” (everyone) in “... but could lead to awkward and uncomfortable feelings for evryone. (text 3)” and “thn” (than) in “... the intention behind the joke can sometimes be more important thn the joke itself.” (text 3). this might be due to their familiarity with the combination of the existing letters or their understanding towards its dian budiarti & andang saehu how efl students cope with ill-formed source-language sentences in english-to-indonesian sight interpreting 938 surrounded context, so that they could easily assume which words would logically be there to construct a coherent sentence. on the other hand, some students seem to struggle to cope with the words with such error when the omission is in their initial or final letter as can be seen below. excerpt 3 “if you are unable to follow these instructions, lease contact your physician, and your surgery ay be delayed of postponed.” expected correction “if you are unable to follow these instructions, please contact your physician, and your surgery may be delayed of postponed.” (text 2) students’ interpretations si5 : “jika anda tidak dapat mengikuti instruksi ini, ... silakan hubungi dokter anda, dan operasi anda .. mungkin ditunda.” si6 : “jika anda tidak dapat mengikuti instruksi ini, ... sewa hubungi dokter anda, dan operasi anda... mungkin ditunda.” si7 : “jika anda tidak dapat mengikuti instruksi ini, silakan hubungi dokter anda dan spesialis operasi anda, katakan tertunda atau ditunda.” si8 : “jika anda tidak dapat mengikuti petunjuk ini, silakan hubungi dokter anda, dan operasi anda tertunda atau ditunda.” considering the context, it can be stated that si5 is the best possible way to translate the sentence. the te “lease” is supposed to be translated into “silakan” ‘please’ rather than “sewa” as in si6. the word “sewa” is basically the literal meaning for “lease”, showing that the students were not aware of the existing te despite its illogical interpretation. similar case can also be seen in si7 when the student translated the te “ay” into “katakan” ‘say’, which is likely to change the targeted meaning. different way in coping with the te can be seen in si8, in which the students decided to implement omission technique by skipping the second missing-letter word. however, the omission did not seem to be strategic that it is also likely to change the targeted meaning. hence, this finding suggests that missing-initialor final-letter words in an st can lead to a serious misinterpretation due to its larger possibilities of forming more various words compared to the middle-letter-missing words. additionally, the pauses occurred in between their speech as shown by si5 and si6 lead to an assumption that there are cognitive loads in which the students, regardless the results, tried to identify or consider the best interpretation of the sentence (defrancq & plevoets, 2018; wang & li, 2015). students’ interpretations towards grammatical errors (ge) it is assumed that majority of the students were not aware of any ge in the sts since only few of them sight translate those parts accurately as targeted. the first example of this case can be seen below. excerpt 4 “… and suddenly, the one who was slapped started to sink, but his friend saved him. when they regained consciousness, he wrote on the stone: “today my best friend saved my life.” (text 1) expected correction “… and suddenly, the one who was slapped started to sink, but his friend saved him. when he regained consciousness, he wrote on the stone: “today my best friend saved my life”.” students’ interpretation si9 : “… dan tiba-tiba, orang yang ditamparnya tadi mulai tenggelam, tetapi temannya menyelamatkannya. ketika mereka kembali tersadar, dia menulis di atas batu: “hari ini sahabatku menyelamatkanku”.” in this context, the use of “mereka” ‘they’ shows disagreement since it refers to a single person, the one who was slapped. most students are assumed to translate it word for word, or they simply thought that there was nothing wrong even after going through skimming process. as for the rest interpretations to excerpt 4, some translation strategies were interestingly implemented by minority of the students as a sign of their awareness regarding the ge. these can be seen in the following examples. si10 : “kemudian setelah mereka siuman … mm.., setelah mereka sama-sama sadar dari kejadian tenggelam tadi, … ‘then, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 939 after they woke up... mm…, after they were both conscious of the drowning incident, …’ si11 : “ketika mereka sudah sama-sama selamat … ‘when they were both safe …’” si12 : “setelah diselamatkan, dia menuliskan di atas batu, … ‘after being rescued, he inscribed it on a rock, …’” from si10, we can infer that the student shows his awareness that the sentence needs a correction as evidenced by the presence of pause as well as filler followed by a change in translation for the part containing ge. additionally, it can be seen that both si10 and si11 maintain the use of pronoun “mereka”, but they both tried to make the interpretations better and more acceptable by modifying the words after the pronoun. different from si10 and si11, s12 involves omission method by skipping the ambiguous part without changing the main point of the sentence. the next example of the assigned ge is related to the proper use of a certain part of speech. this case is presented as follows. excerpt 5 …, you may want to summary the joke or provide an explanation of why it was funny. (text 3) expected correction …, you may want to summarize the joke or provide an explanation of why it was funny. students’ interpretations si13: “…, kamu mungkin ingin meringkas leluconnya atau memberikan penjelasan mengapa hal tersebut lucu. si14: “…, kamu mungkin ingin rangkuman lelucon atau memberikan penjelasan kenapa itu lucu. si15: “…, kemungkinan kamu ingin membuat sebuah ringkasan dari lelucon tersebut atau menyediakan sebuah penjelasan kenapa lelucon tersebut bisa lucu. si16: “…, kamu mungkin ingin memberikan sebuah penjelasan mengapal hal itu lucu. based on the data above, it can be stated that they resulted in almost similar findings to what have been presented previously. si13 could be the most acceptable translation performed by minority of the students who are aware of the ge, in which they translated “want to summary” into “ingin meringkas” ‘want to summarize’. one of the poor interpretations due to word-for-word translation technique is exemplified by si14. different from si14, despite maintaining the use of “summary”, si15 shows another student’s attempt to make the message understandable by modifying its sentence structure without creating any significant change in meaning. meanwhile, some other students seem to struggle to translate it that they ended up with omission method by skipping the error part becoming “you may want to summary the joke or provide an explanation of why it was funny” as presented in si16. this last strategy might also be due the student’s belief that the omission will not necessarily change the message considering that the coordinating conjunction used in the sentence is “or”, which usually functions as a connector between two or more alternatives. students’ interpretations towards punctuation errors (pe) this study found that pe in the form of missing comma (see excerpt 6) does not necessarily affect students’ interpretation towards the sentence. students seem to know when they need to make a pause or a small break in their speech delivery. excerpt 6 “if you interpret the joke by finding an equivalent or doing a literal translation make sure you can carry out the joke in its entirety.” expected correction “if you interpret the joke by finding an equivalent or doing a literal translation, make sure you can carry out the joke in its entirety.” however, a number of students are likely to have difficulties in dealing with unnecessary punctuations, such as an additional full stop inserted in the middle of the following excerpt. excerpt 7 “when this happens, you must explain why. you laughed through a summarization.” expected correction “when this happens, you must explain why you laughed through a summarization.” dian budiarti & andang saehu how efl students cope with ill-formed source-language sentences in english-to-indonesian sight interpreting 940 students’ interpretations si17: “ketika ini terjadi, kamu harus menjelaskan kenapa kamu tertawa melalui sebuah ringkasan.” si18: “ketika hal ini terjadi, maka kita harus bisa menjelaskan alasan kita tertawa. kita dapat menjelaskannya melalui sebuah ringkasan. ‘when this happens, we must explain why you laughed. we can explain it through a summarization.’” si19: “ketika hal ini terjadi, kamu harus jelaskan alasannya. kamu tertawa dari hasil terjemahanmu. ‘when this happens, you must explain the reasons. you laughed through your translation.’” in the time when this error was assigned, it was expected that the students would be aware of its presence. aside from its ambiguous meaning when translated as it is with the occurrence of the first full stop, the underlined “you”, which is not started with a capital letter as it should be, is considered sufficient to indicate a typo in the part being concerned. based on the examples above, si17 could be the students’ best way to deal with excerpt 7. in addition, it is also interesting to notice some other students’ awareness as well as strategies as exemplified by si18. even though the student kept delivering the message in two sentences, the student tried to make the message more comprehensive and acceptable by modifying its construction. however, there are still many students producing poor translation as can be seen in si19. similar to the previous cases, a poor translation seems to stem from the use of wordfor-word and literal translation techniques. thus, it can be assumed that missing a certain punctuation in an st is more tolerable and solvable rather than putting too much of it. practical recommendations this study has revealed that many students seem to have certain difficulties to cope with the illformed source-language sentences during their sight interpreting practices. this preliminary finding leads to several practical recommendations. first, it is believed that the primary cause of translation problem in a sight interpreting practice is related to the lack of st comprehension, while to find the equivalent target language may come easier after successfully understanding the st (ivars, 2008). therefore, starting for the preinterpreting practice, it is crucial for students to improve their fast-reading comprehension skills, such as scanning and skimming techniques. as suggested by lee (2013) and (thawabteh, 2015), these reading strategies will be helpful especially when interpreters need to perform unrehearsed sight interpreting since it will require rapid text analysis. in such a very short time, interpreters are expected to get the general idea of the text and at the same time try to revise the existing errors in order to be able to deliver the translated messages as close as possible as intended. additionally, mastering scanning and skimming can also prevent the interpreters from using word-for-word or literal translation techniques. as evidenced in this study, the use of these techniques, especially when dealing with two languages with different grammatical rules such as english and indonesian, often leads to misinterpretation. even so, it is important to note that reading speed does not necessarily determine students’ reading quality since it will also be affected by other factors, such as unfamiliar words or context, but at least they will be able to notice the occurrence of any linguistic errors in the st being concerned. second, as for the whilst-interpreting practice, implementing pbl approach is recommended to help improve students’ problem solving and critical thinking skills, which are beneficial for their future of work. in other words, interpreting lecturers need to occasionally challenge their students to perform sight interpreting to a lowerquality st. indeed, it has to be noted that this approach would be much more appropriate to conduct after the students have been familiar with the standard practice. for instance, my students have practiced sight interpreting to well-written sts for 2 meetings, then they were brought to the next level by performing it to the imperfect ones in the next meetings. in relation to that, (mossop, 2001) found that ‘translator-editors’ are preferable by many employers nowadays. this fact appears to give more points to the idea offered, which leads the students to get closer to the real-world opportunities. third, asking them to regularly carry out selfevaluation as their post-interpreting practice could be a considerable idea. by doing so, the students could have to reread the st as well as reinterpret it and assess their own performance, such as its accuracy, fluency, and clarity. since they can do it in a much slower pace, it is expected that it will be easier for them to detect the occurrence of the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 941 ill-formed sentences in the sts. as asserted by lee (2013), it will eventually help lecturers to reveal whether the students are aware of their own sight interpreting quality. once they notice, it is hoped that they will remember it longer and be more triggered to perform better later, or else it is lecturers’ turn to give the students some constructive feedback regarding their performances. last but not least, this study suggests providers to be more careful with their writing, so that they can accommodate a high-quality st to prevent unfavorable misinterpretation. otherwise, to stay around the interpreter when the st is undergoing sight interpreting could become a mandatory. in a medical setting, the presence of provider has actually been one of crucial points emphasized by the national council on interpreting in health care (2009), so that every question coming from the patient can be responded by the provider himself (doctor, receptionist, or pharmacist). in a more general context, therefore, it is expected that when something is going unclear, the clarification will come from the person concerned, not the interpreter. conclusions this study has investigated indonesian efl students’ ability as well as strategies in sight interpreting english sts containing several linguistic errors supported by the implementation of pbl approach. the presented findings lead to a conclusion that dealing with the ill-formed source-language sentences does not appear to be an easy task for most of the students. simply put, it seems that the students still require much effort to recognize the presence of the errors themselves, let alone to revise them simultaneously and translate them accurately. as has been elaborated, this may be related to the students’ inability to fully understand what the sts are about. besides, they were likely to put their focus only on the translation process, not on its results. this way often gives rise to a high tendency of using wordfor-word and literal translation techniques, which are not suggested especially when involving two languages with different grammatical rules, such as english and indonesian. hence, aside from improving their translation quality, this study suggests the need to enhance their reading comprehension skills. after all, it can be stated that the implementation of this pbl approach in teaching sight interpreting course is worth a consideration to help students face the real-world problems as sounded by the current curriculum in indonesia, merdeka belajar-kampus merdeka ‘freedom to learn-independent campus’ (norawati & puspitasari, 2022). this preliminary research is hoped to be able to give a significant insight for other researchers who have a common interest to conduct any similar studies since the study on this field, especially with english and indonesian language pair, is still in under-researched area. further research is suggested to occupy more authentic sts and to support the research by conducting interviews with some of the participants, which have been the limitations of this present study, so that it will give more elaborative findings. further studies can also be done by comparing students’ performance qualities before and after equipping them with sufficient reading comprehension skills. references abdulrahman, r. f. (2021). difficulties students face in sight translation exams: a case study at the university of sulaimani-department of translation. journal of university of raparin, 4, 430–443. alias, m., iksan, z. h., karim, a. a., nawawi, a. m. h. m., & nawawi, s. r. m. (2020). a novel approach in problem-solving skills using flipped classroom technique. creative education, 11(01), 38–53. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2020.111003 arono, a., & nadrah, n. (2019). students’ difficulties in translating english text. joall (journal of applied linguistics & literature), 4(1), 88–99. https://doi.org/10.33369/joall.v4i1.7384 asan, o., & montague, e. (2014). using video-based observation research methods in primary care health encounters to evaluate complex interactions. journal of innovation in health informatics, 21(4), 161–170. https://doi.org/10.14236/jhi.v21i4.72 bhandari, p. (2022, october 10). what is qualitative research? methods & examples. chang, k. c. (2016). exploring teaching/learning activities for sight translation: effectiveness from students’ perspectives. taiwan journal of tesol, 13(2), 71–98. chen, w. (2015). sight translation. in h. mikkelson & r. jourdenais (eds.), the routledge handbook of interpreting (pp. 144–153). routledge taylor and francis group. defrancq, b., & plevoets, k. (2018). over-uh-load, filled pauses in compounds as a signal of cognitive load (pp. 43–64). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6199-8_3 duch, b. j., groh, s. e., & allen, d. e. (2001). the power of problem-based learning: a practical dian budiarti & andang saehu how efl students cope with ill-formed source-language sentences in english-to-indonesian sight interpreting 942 ‘how to’ for teaching undergraduate courses in any discipline. stylus publishing. fang, j., & wang, j. (2022). student interpreters’ strategies in dealing with unfamiliar words in sight translation. the international journal of translation and interpreting research, 14(1), 42–65. ginori, l., & scimone, e. (1995). introduction to interpreting. latern. ivars, a. j. (2008). sight translation and written translation. a comparative analysis of causes of problems, strategies and translation errors within the pacte translation competence model. forum. revue internationale d’interprétation et de traduction / international journal of interpretation and translation, 6(2), 79–104. https://doi.org/10.1075/forum.6.2.05iva lee, j. (2013). what skills do student interpreters need to learn in sight translation training? meta, 57(3), 694–714. https://doi.org/10.7202/1017087ar li, x. (2014). sight translation as a topic in interpreting research: progress, problems, and prospects. across languages and cultures, 15(1), 67–89. https://doi.org/10.1556/acr.15.2014.1.4 li, x. (2015). designing a sight translation course for undergraduate students. revista española de lingüística aplicada/spanish journal of applied linguistics, 28(1), 169–198. https://doi.org/10.1075/resla.28.1.08li ma, x. (2021). coping with syntactic complexity in english–chinese sight translation by translation and interpreting students. across languages and cultures, 22(2), 192–213. https://doi.org/10.1556/084.2021.00014 molina, l., & hurtado albir, a. (2004). translation techniques revisited: a dynamic and functionalist approach. meta, 47(4), 498–512. https://doi.org/10.7202/008033ar mossop, b. (2001). revising and editing for translators. st jerome publishing. nadirah, n., tahir, m. h., & asrifan, a. (2019). the ability to translate english phrases into indonesian and the difficulties faced by the eleventh grade students of sman 1 pancarijang. journal of advanced english studies, 2(1), 41. https://doi.org/10.47354/jaes.v2i1.53 norawati, r., & puspitasari, y. (2022). the learning skills of english as a foreign language (efl) student-teachers in project-based learning and case-based learning. jeels, 9(2), 255–277. pöchhacker, f. (2016). introducing interpreting studies (2nd ed.). routledge taylor and francis group. putranti, a. (2017). the constraints in performing sight translation: a brief discussion on the problems of translating english written texts into indonesian oral texts. proceedings of the fifth international seminar on english language and teaching (iselt-5), 162–168. ramadhani, r., huda, s., & umam, r. (2019). problem-based learning, its usability and critical view as educational learning tools. journal of gifted education and creativity, 6(3), 219–231. saehu, a. (2018). interpreting: teori dan praktik. nuansa cendekia. sholihah, t. m., & lastariwati, b. (2020). problem based learning to increase competence of critical thinking and problem solving. journal of education and learning (edulearn), 14(1), 148–154. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v14i1.13772 sirriyya, s. s. (2016). editing source text errors in translation. translation journal, 19(1). song, z. (2010). skill transfer from sight translation to simultaneous interpreting: a case study of an effective teaching technique. international journal of interpreter education, 2(1), 120– 134. su, w., & li, d. (2019). identifying translation problems in english-chinese sight translation. translation and interpreting studies, 14(1), 110–134. https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.00033.su thawabteh, m. (2015). difficulties of sight translation: training translators to sight translate. current trends in translation teaching and learning, 2, 171–195. wang, b., & li, t. (2015). an empirical study of pauses in chinese-english simultaneous interpreting. perspectives, 23(1), 124–142. https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676x.2014.948885 wu, z. (2019). text characteristics, perceived difficulty and task performance in sight translation. interpreting. international journal of research and practice in interpreting, 21(2), 196–219. https://doi.org/10.1075/intp.00027.wu english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1035 the myth of metaphor symbols in speech i have a dream zakaria english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sembilanbelas november kolaka, indonesia email: zakaria.usn@gmail.com muh. hasyim english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sembilanbelas november kolaka, indonesia email: hasyimfrance@unhas.ac.id syarifuddin tundreng english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sembilanbelas november kolaka, indonesia email: tundreng.syarifuddin@gmail.com apa citation: zakaria., hasyim, m., & tundreng, s. (2022). the myth of metaphor symbols in speech i have a dream. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 1035-1044. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6702 received: 29-06-2022 accepted: 27-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction speech is one of the strategies and media for public communication, it delivers technique to carry out of agitation, spontaneously, full of enthusiasm and propaganda in front of people. martin luther king's speech entitled i have a dream was delivered right near a statue of abraham lincoln, the founder of the american emancipation proclamation. martin luther king's speech was successful and full of sympathy not only to the approximately 250 thousand people who were in the event but also admired by academics. he was awarded an honorary doctorate and in 1963 time magazine named him as 'men of the year' (ngabalin, 2020). martin luther king has passed away but he has become an icon of the struggle for human rights not only for america but for all of humanity. as quoted from lestari (2021) that the impact of martin luther king's speech was able to inspire many people of the day until to this day. the content of martin luther king's i have a dream uses a lot of metaphorical symbols in expressing the political rights struggle of black people who live under the pressure of political discrimination. king fought for unemployment, racial issues, demanded social justice and civil rights, fought for gender equality between blacks and whites, and pushed for changes the segregation laws (lestari, 2021). the urgency of the researcher to analyze the meaning of the metaphoric symbols in martin luther king speech is "what is the meaning and mythical construction of the metaphorical symbols in his speech?" the formal object of this research is the metaphorical symbol and the material object is the mythical idea that constructs the meaning. the final aim of this research is to explain the ideas abstract: the speech i have a dream is martin luther king's political speech, delivered in front of the lincoln memorial on august 28, 1963. in the text of speech there are several metaphorical symbols (language style) in conveying his message and protest attitude against the american legal and political system which is considered unfair. to fully understand the meaning and message of the speech, the research question is "what is the meaning of the mythical metaphorical symbol in martin luther king’s i have a dream?" in analyzing the metaphorical symbols in the speech, the researcher used roland barthes' semiotic approach and the research procedure used descriptive qualitative form. the results of this study found that the metaphorical symbols in i have a dream's speech used various syntactic patterns, namely: 1) using adjective word patterns such as symbolic shadow, beacon light, flames of withering, long night; 2) using noun patterns such as manacles, chains, island, ocean, languished, land, shameful, valley, hill, mountain, crooked place; 3) use a verb pattern as in the phrase to blow off steam, a rude awakening, returns to business keywords: metaphorical symbols; myth; semiotics. zakaria, muh. hasyim, & syarifuddin tundreng the myth of metaphor symbols in speech i have a dream 1036 which is constructed in metaphor symbol by using roland barthes' semiotic theory. the use of signs as a communication medium not only by symbols, communication media can also use icon and index. in the semiotic study symbols, icons and indexes they all are called signs, the three represent meaning, according to bradley (2016, p.1), "symbol has no resemblance between the signifier and the signified. the connection between them must be culturally learned—icon has a physical resemblance to the signified, the thing being represented—index shows evidence of what’s being represented”. icon signs in the form of objects (physical) and index signs in the form of pointers and both have meaning, van nieklerk (2018, p.119) said that "icons refer only to a single characteristic of a concept and are never used to mark any other characteristics of the concept—another characteristic of an index is that there is no significant relationship between the object and the index.” an overview of the three types of symbol, icon, index as shown in the images below. picture 1. illustration of an overview of the three types of symbol, icon, index symbol word of dog icon dog statue/picture index dog barking the three types of signs above only one intend to linguistic domine and some are non-linguistic, signs categorized as linguistic is symbol namely signs in the form of speech and can be explained their relationship based on linguistic rules such as grammar and structure for example in morphemes or words, phrases, and sentences while icon and index signs are not include linguistic categories because they can not be explaned by linguistic rules. the presence of metaphorical elements in language according to adelina is a unique and strange thing because this element is able to exceed one's language ability on conventional languages such as changes in association patterns, conceptualizations and analogous patterns in building relationships (adelina, 2019) and the purpose of using elements a metaphor in language according to sarwadi et al. (2019, p.43), “to represent the ideas or concepts which the writer intends to convey using the symbols associated with the meanings which he or she intends to express.” the presence of symbols in today's culture according to punto is no longer seen as a linguistic sign but has functioned as a social phenomenon or symptom, even the interpretation of symbols in culture has now surpassed scientific thought (punto, 2020). the use of metaphorical language is often found in public speeches and literary works such as poetry “symbols are the most widely used means of expressing speech and can be found in all forms of public speech. in particular, they are used in the texts of literary works to ensure the diversity of the language of the artwork” (shavkatovna, 2020, p.179). the element of metaphor in poetry tends to use objects in comparing the other objects. metaphor is a figurative language that makes comparisons of two things or objects that have different characteristics bridge the imagination of the author to the reader (agan & dermawan, 2022). the reason for using metaphorical symbols in conveying meaning or messages is none other than the importance of the aesthetic element (style) possessed by language. the use of metaphorical symbols in speech, of course, starts with an idea, comes from the experience and context of the speaker and then communicates it again in a metaphorical style. in in form of the meaning metaphor is not directly because the relationship between the signifier and the signified is contained cultural values explicitly (surahmat). the metaphoric symbol comes from the subjective view of a speaker and then conveyed associatively by comparing the similarity character of the substance. “the construction of metaphorical meaning is based on the verbal signs that already existed in the society, which took form as social or cultural value, and transformed into a sign that serves as the target in order to construct new meaning” (hasyim, 2017, p.524). in metaphoric symbol is also have a significance system in producing the meaning, metaphorical symbol have both signifier and signified element in building the a functional relationship to create the meaning. the signifier is the physical form of sign, it is the mental projection that is realized in the form of the language sound. the linguistic sign was mentioned by carraso is often defined as the union of two "parts" or "faces" the signifier and the signified” (carrasco, 2015). carrasco (2015) mentions needs to strenghten the saussure’s theory of sign. for saussure, he devided two elements of sign in relationship to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1037 build the meaning namely parole (signifeir) and langue (signified). parole as seen in sound and langue as a mental process but the both did not have a rule in create the meaning, they are being in arbitrary one and also saussure did not recognize and accept the existence of the second order of meaning such as occured in metaphorical symbols. the theory of meaning in linguistics has developed in the post-structural era with the presence of discourses on meaning, especially the debate between the semantic and pragmatic domains. semantics is the study of meaning derived from the attributes of signifiers and signifieds, while pragmatics is the study of meaning that refers to the intent and purpose of signs in the context of speech events. semantics interprets utterances at the level of text structure relations syntagmatically, while pragmatics examines the intentions and objectives of utterances paradigmatically. sankaravelayuthan (2018, p.31) stated that, “semantics is the way to interpret units of language such as morpheme, word, phrase and sentence. it is the meaning that distinguishes one linguistic unit from another unit—pragmatics is the study of context, or more precisely, a study of the way context can influence our understanding of linguistic utterances.” semantic difficulties in responding to the phenomenon of the development of meaning in utterances create new problems in language, therefore the presence of pragmatics is very helpful for the semantics of this issue because the process of pragmatic meaning considers context as being outside language such as speakers, listeners, situations, channels and codes (istikomah, 2021). the debating between semantic and pragmatic seems to understand and clear, if associative meaning which bring of the context it was pragmatic domained because its meaning comes from out of lexical meaning but based from context. although the significance system of metaphore also has the both signifier and signified element to conduct the meaning but the two have own’s way in producing the meaning. the relation between the both signifier and signified such as described by hasyim et al. (2022, p.383) “formed based on a convention and not naturally occur. the signifier opens up various opportunities for signified. there are dyadic relations between signifier and signified and provide an explanation in which the two elements are closely related. signifier and signified are connected through mental activities shaped by culture and agreement”. while kravets (2021, p. 1310) stated that “metaphor is a way of representing one abstract and less familiar area through another, more mastered in empirical experience, more familiar and more accessible to perception. thus, there is the projection of knowledge from one conceptual area to another by metaphorical transfer of meaning”. the metaphore has own way to create the meaning, it generates meaning into second order system to create a new meaning as barthes said is the second level significance system such as hjemslev's schema as follows: figure 1. hjemslev’s schema the schematic above shows the process of how metaphore symbol build and create a new meaning, firstly e/r/c in first order constructed meaning in e/r/c second order, the second order meaning is said connotation meaning built by ideology of speaker. ideology in connotation meaning who created by speaker is called myth of metaphore symbol. the use of metaphorical language is widely used in various written works such as political speech. the function of political metaphor is a function pragmatic in metaphorical expression used for interest political (anang & maskub, 2022). metaphors in literature and linguistics are type language styles that have aesthetic elements and carried out the meaning subjectively by speakers and writers and in the term of linguistics and literature named stylistics. stylistics examines the characteristics of the use of language in literary works such as grammar, aesthetic values, and the choice of diction. the features of stylistics made it distinguishes from non-literary works (widyaningsih, 2021). the use of metaphore in language is conveyed expressively and to compare something associatively to something else. metaphor is the process of conceptualizing signs (symbols) to something else (zakaria, 2020 according to zakaria). according to the indonesian dictionary, metaphor is a word or group of words that is described based on similarities or comparisons, metaphor is a style of language that expresses something to something else based on similarities or comparisons. the same statement is also stated by simanjuntak (2019, p.55), "the main key in a metaphor is to use word choices that equate zakaria, muh. hasyim, & syarifuddin tundreng the myth of metaphor symbols in speech i have a dream 1038 something with something else. in equating or comparing something, the metaphor uses direct comparison without being followed by comparative words like, similar, like..." while culler (1981, p.189) stated, “metaphore is no longer one figure among others but the figure of figures, a figure for figurative; and i mean this not figuratively but quite literally: metaphore is not just the literal or proper name for a trope based on resemblance but also and especially a figure for figurality in general”. metaphor has similarities with metonymy, both are language styles but in operation are different, according to zakaria (2020), the use of these two styles of language is categorized as a way of working (manner) in expressing meaning or messages in language, and ariani & fortuna (2019) mention that the presence of metaphorical symbols is the result of the development of meaning. in operational meaning, metaphor and metonymy are two similar elements, metaphor is the result of comparing one thing to another on the basis of similarity while metonymy is the association of the relationship between an entity's part on overall—the construction of metonymy is built on the association of contiguity as an entity (yusuf, 2021) while van niekerk (2018, p.114) mentions that “metaphor and metonymy are regarded as the fundamental mechanisms of symbolic transfer. this means that in certain cases symbols may be built on metaphor or metonymy. if a symbol can be seen as a static sign, then metaphor and metonymy are the fundamental types of logical connection between the meanings by means of their fixed or potential characteristics.” in earlier was mentioned that the purpose of using metaphorical language is solely based on the aesthetic effect in language. the study of metaphorical elements in linguistics uses a stylistic approach, this study examines the style of language, the structure of items in the text which includes all components related to language, “a consistent occurrence in the text of certain items and structures, or types of items and structures, among those offered by the language as a whole” (candria, 2019, p.13). the meaning in metaphorical language is constructed by the speaker's subjective ideas, the meaning then becomes a connotative meaning for the speaker and when that meaning is used in society it will become a community myth (denotation). connotation is a new meaning which is called myth and when it is used and belongs to the community as a myth then myth becomes denotation meaning (maharani et al., 2020, p.3). according to barthes (1972, p.126), “myth is a pure ideographic system,where the forms are still motivated by the concept which they represent while not yet, by a long way, covering the sum of its possibilities for representation”. the meaning of myth is built from a value system obtained through experiences, culture and whatever things then interpreted collectively by its users. barthes claims that the way myths interpret something is subjective which is done by speakers, myths do not have a definitive concept of meaning, therefore myths develop their meanings openly, but when meaning has been conventionalized by groups of speakers, that meaning becomes a community myth. the myth in the metaphorical symbols constructed in the speech of i have a dream emerged from martin luther king's political ideas in responding to the condition of black people in the midst of political pressure from white people and the american government that implemented an unfair democratic system and discriminatory actions to the black people. method this study uses a qualitative descriptive procedure, the formal object of this research is the speech text i have a dream and the material object is a metaphorical symbol. the analysis procedure is to analize the mythical construction which contained in the metaphorical symbol, and to explain the essence of the meaning of metaphoric symbol based on the context in which the speech is spoken, and this research uses roland barthes' semiotic theory approach. results and discussion the myths that are constructed in the metaphorical symbols of martin luther king's speech are essentially a description of the context and events of the life experiences of black americans as discussed and explained in this section. the first metaphorical symbol in the speech i have a dream is found in paragraph [2] as in the text of the speech below: “five score years ago, a great american, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the emancipation proclamation. this momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of negro slave who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. it came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.” paragraph [2] above contains four metaphorical symbol phrases with an adjective phrase pattern, namely in the text phrase 1) symbolic shadow we english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1039 stand today; 2) a great beacon light of hope; 3) in the flames of the most frequent injustice and 4) it comes as a joyous daybreak to end a long night of captivity. the four adverb phrases above are expressions of protest against the unfair application of the american political system and expressions of hopes for the improvement of the american democratic system, especially in terms of implementing social justice and upholding the civil rights of black people in the american democratic system. the myth construction in the phrase "symbolic shadow we stand today" describes two events or conditions, first the event or condition "symbolic shadow" and the event "we stand today". the myth of "symbolic shadow" is constructed by the events or conditions of suffering of black people during slavery to the era of racial segregation policies, while the myth of "we stand today" is constructed from the reaction or resistance that was realized in the march in washington movement, the march towards the lincoln memorial. washington dc on august 28, 1963 which was attended by approximately 300 thousand people. then the myth construction of the phrase "a great beacon light of hope, "in the flames of the most frequent injustice" is constructed by the desire, hope and dream for the improvement of social justice and america's political system in the future and the mythical construction of the phrase "it come as a joyous daybreak to end long night of captivity” is constructed by protesting the past experience of black people during the jim crow law policy period between the 1880s and 1960s where black people were discriminated against, experienced political pressure and the abolition of their rights. their voice in america's democratic system, as a result black people have no representation in the american congress. the myth construction in the four phrases above basically originates from policy making in the american congress, where the democratic party which has a majority in congress still maintains white supremacy which causes the policy of discrimination between whites and blacks to be maintained, finally the racial segregation system gets approval. congress and the practice of separate but equal racial segregation continued until the 1960s. the metaphorical symbols in the next i have a dream speech are found in the text of paragraph [3] below: “but one hundred years later, the negro still is not free. one hundred years later, the life of the negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. one hundred years later, the negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. one hundred years later, the negro is still languished in the corners of american society and finds himself in exile in his own land. so we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.” the metaphor symbol in the text of paragraph [3] above is found in the sentence 1) but one hundred years later, the negro still is not free; 2) one hundred years later, the life of the negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination; 3) one hundred years later, the negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity 4) one hundred years later, the negro is still languished in the corners of american society and finds himself in exile in his own land. the construction of myth in the statement “but one hundred years later, the negro still is not free” was built by the experience of black people when they were in the slavery system both before and after the civil war. easter civil war 1861 to 1865 and the american nation entered the era of reconstruction around the early 1870s seemed to give a hope for black people, especially in the south, but appearenly the american government was still controlled by white racism. blacks in the southern states still have a long way to go in the practice of slavery, whites especially in the south enslaved black people to work in cotton plantations and they strongly maintained slavery because the power of their economy depended on black people who were employed as slaves. the myth construction of the statement "one hundred years later, the life of the negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination" is an expression of the experience of black people during the implementation of jim crow law as stated by erin blakmore in the article national geographic that, “between the 1870s and the 1960s, jim crow laws upheld a vicious racial hierarchy in southern states, circumventing protections that had been put in place after the end of the civil war.” (blakmore, posted on 5th february, 2020). this rule of jim crow law is essentially racist, considers the status of blacks to be lower than whites, this rule is continued to be maintained by most white people and then spawned the rule of racial segregation (separate but equal) in the 20th century. the practice of jim crow law rules separates groups of people to the white people and black people in the zakaria, muh. hasyim, & syarifuddin tundreng the myth of metaphor symbols in speech i have a dream 1040 use of public facilities, quoted from the free wikipedia dated may 13, 2022 states that the jim crow law is authoritarian and unfair because it only benefits the white race, such as the use of library facilities, people black people cannot access quality libraries like those used by white people, black people only get library facilities in schools, this incident is one of many events as a result of the jim crow law. this event is potrayed of the mythical meaning in martin luther king's statement above. the myth construction of the statement “one hundred years later, the negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity” and the statement “one hundred years later, the negro is still languished in the corners of american society and finds himself in exile in his own land” is an expression of the condition of economic, social and political of black people's lives in the period of slavery until the mid20th century. it is ironic, on the one hand the american nation is famous for its slogan of a democratic state but on the other hand racism is still enforced and practiced in american society in against black people. black people are not given political rights in the american constitution. likewise in terms of employment, black people can only work as laborers for small wages and live in the shadow of suffering due to the system of racial segregation. the next metaphorical symbol is found in the text of paragraphs [4] and [6] below: “in a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. when the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the constitution and the declaration of independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every american was to fall heir.” [4] “it is obvious today that america has defaulted on this promissory note in so far as her citizens of color are concerned. instead of honoring this sacred obligation, america has given the negro people a bad check; a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." [6] the metaphoric symbol in the paraphrasing text [4] is found in the text of the phrase to cash a check in the sentence "in a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check", and the metaphorical symbol in the paragraph text [6] is found in the text of the phrase a bad check in the sentence “instead of honoring this sacred obligation, america has given the negro people a bad check”. both the phrase to cash a check and the phrase a bad check are banking terms. the mythical meaning of the metaphorical symbol of the text of the phrase “to cash a check” is constructed by the experiences of black people in the past, where black people have contributed to the state both for white entrepreneurs on their cotton plantations as well as during civil wars and military service during the vietnam wars. the myth construction of the phrase “a bad check” is constructed by the attitude of the american government that does not appreciate how the contribution of black people in helping white entrepreneurs in their cotton plantations, took part in the civil war and the vietnam wars, the government treated them with double standards, in one hand they employed them as laborers and the other they were discriminated by legal system. metaphor symbols in the speech text i have a dream are found in paragraph [8] as in the text below: “we have also come to this hallowed spot to remind america of the fierce urgency of now. this is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. now is the time to make justice a reality for all of god's children.” in this paragraph, martin luther king uses some natural adjectives such as “hollow”, “cool”, “drug”, “dark”, “valley”, “sun”, “sand”, “rock” as a comparison object in describing the events that are happening and experienced by black people. the metaphorical symbol in paragraph [8] above is found in the phrase “hollowed spot” in the text “we have also come to this hallowed spot to remind america of the fierce urgency of now”; the phrase “luxury of cooling off” and the phrase “to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism” in the text “this is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.” next the phrase “rise from the dark”; “desolate valley of segregation”; and “the sunlit path” in the text “now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.” then the phrase “solid rock of brotherhood” in the text “now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. now is the time to make justice a reality for all of god's children.” english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1041 the mythical meaning of the phrase "luxury of cooling off" and the phrase "to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism" is constructed by the description of the patience and resilience of black people who experienced slavery by white people and the neglect of their civil rights during the american government was legalized discrimination system. the core idea of martin luther king in this text is to reject the jim crow laws which is unfair and inconsistent with the emancipation of the declaration of independence. `the mythical meaning of the three phrases “rise from the dark”; “desolate valley of segregation”; and the phrase "the sunlit path" in the text "now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice" which is a series of texts constructed by the spirit of movement and resistance for black people to reject injustice practice to the law and politics of american under the racial segregation system that has been oppressing and marginalizing the civil rights of black people, martin luther king's idea in the context of the speech text is to demand legal and political reconstruction through constitutional amendments towards justice for all people america. furthermore, the mythical meaning of the phrase “solid rock of brotherhood” in the text of “now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.” the myth of solid rock of brotherhood is constructed by the idea of lifting the dignity of the american condition after the civil war and jim crow laws that separates white and non-white people legally and politically. martin luther king encouraged the growth of an attitude of nationalism and unity for all americans as a great nation. the next metaphorical symbol is contained in the text of paragraph [9] as shown below: “it would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. this sweltering summer of the negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. those who hope that the negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a ruder awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. there will be neither rest nor tranquility in america until the negro is granted his citizenship rights. the whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” in that paragraph, martin luther king uses several adjective phrases and verbs as metaphorical elements in conveying messages, such as phrases “sweltering summer”, “an invigorating autumn of freedom”, “to blow off steam, a rude awakening, returns to business”, “whirlwinds of revolt will continue, and the phrase bright day of justice”. the metaphorical symbols of phrase "sweltering summer" and the phrase "an invigorating autumn" in the sentence “this sweltering summer of the negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality” is a metaphor that compares two different seasons, namely summer and autumn. the metaphorical symbol of the phrase "sweltering summer" in the context of the experience of black americans is an emotional (angry) and the phrase "an autumn of freedom" is potrayed of need and hopes. the meaning of the myth that is constructed in the text of the phrase “sweltering summer” is an act of rejection by black people against the american legal and political system at thet times that imposes racial discrimination and segregation practices, especially to black people. then the meaning of the myth in the phrase “autumn of freedom” is a description of the hopes and aspirations of black people to american political system can change and recognize the equalization of the civil rights among blacks and whites. the meaning of myths constructed in the text of the phrase “to blow off steam”, the text of “a ruder awakening” and the text of “returns to business as usual” in sentence “nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. those who hope that the negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a ruder awakening if the nation returns to business as usual” as explained below. the myth meaning of the text of the phrase “to blow off steam” and the phrase of “a ruder awakening” is constructed by the spirit to stir up resistance to oppose the american legal and political system that legalizes discriminatory practices against black people, the system is considered unfair and very contrary to the spirit of american independence. then the meaning of the mythical text of the phrase “returns to business as usual” is constructed by a description of the past experiences of black people when they were under pressure and oppression due to discriminatory practices. then the text of the phrase the whirlwinds of revolt and the phrase text of the bright day of justice are both strands of phrases that have a meaning relationship and complement each other. zakaria, muh. hasyim, & syarifuddin tundreng the myth of metaphor symbols in speech i have a dream 1042 the mythical meaning of the text phrase “the whirlwinds of revolt” in the sentence "the whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges" is constructed by the attitude and determination of the resistance of black people who will continue to fight against the government (to shake the foundations of our nation) and the mythical meaning of the phrase “the bright day of justice emerges” is constructed by the intent and purpose of the mythical meaning of the text of the whirlwinds of revolt, namely to achieve clear justice (bright day of justice emerges). the next metaphorical symbol is found in paragraph [10]. in this paragraph, martin luther king uses a picture of past events to describe the suffering and sacrifices of black people during the american struggle for independence in 1861-1865 and their dedication in the vietnam war in 19571975, where their suffering, sacrifice and dedication but they did not exist and receive an award from the american government as mentioned in the text below: “but there is something that i must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. in the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. we must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. we must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.” the text of the speech in paragraph [10] martin luther king uses adjectives metaphorically in forming a metaphor symbol to describe the intentions and strategies of the resistance movement in fighting for black civil rights, the metaphorical symbols used are: 1) the phrase palace of justice; 2) the phrase thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred; 3) the phrase to degenerate into physical violence; 4) the phrase majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul. the mythical meaning of the phrase “palace of justice” is constructed from the representation of a legislative body makes and ratify the laws. martin luther king's idea uses the metaphor of the palace of justice as an illustration that the hope of fulfilling the civil rights of black people depends on the decisions of the legislature. then, in the sentence “thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred”, it contains two metaphorical symbolic phrases whose meanings are related to each other, the phrases are “thirst for freedom and drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred”. the phrase thirst for freedom describes the hopes and longings of black people so that one day they can obtain their freedom and civil rights in the american political and legal system that has discriminated against them. the phrase “drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred” potrays the painful experience during the period of the discrimination system. as a whole, the myth construction of the two phrases in the context of the sentence is an appeal of hopes, martin luther king urges that the strategy of the struggle for black civil rights should not be based on past hatred and grudges, the struggle must be carried out in an elegant and dignified way instead of by means of violence (physical violence). the myth construction of the phrase to degenerate into physical violence is a statement of martin luther king's stance against the tactics and strategies of the struggle of malcolm x, a black fighter who used the revenge tactics of the ballot or the bullet as quoted in zakaria (2016, p. 155) that, “malcolm himself, he mentioned that revenge strategy by non-violent action was the favorable means to solve the black's problem or to eliminate discrimination and segregation.” martin luther king expressed the attitude that the struggle of black people in demanding civil rights must be carried out with persuasive tactics (non-violence). then the phrase majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul is an idea that is constructed from martin luther king's appeal as previously explained where the strategy for the struggle for civil rights must be carried out with elegance and dignity. “martin luther tentang aksi perlawanan tanpa kekerasan–di mana sekelompok orang tanpa menggunakan senjata melakukan serangkaian mogok, protes, boikot dan aksi-aksi lainnya untuk melawan–tidak lepas dari kritik. beberapa kritik bertolak dari kesalahpahaman mengenai apa itu perlawanan masyarakat sipil, sementara yang lainnya meragukan kemampuan masyarakat yang tertekan dan tanpa senjata ketika mereka menghadapi lawan yang kuat”, (chenoweth & stephan, 2016, p.2). the next metaphorical symbol is found in paragraph [24]. in that paragraph martin luther king uses noun adjectives to describe the meaning or message as in the text below. “i have a dream that one day even the state of mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1043 will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.” the metaphorical symbol in the statement above is found in the phrase oasis of freedom and justice, the mythical construction of the phrase oasis of freedom and justice in the context of the speech text is hope, martin luther king hopes that freedom and justice for civil and political rights in the mississippi region without any discrimination. the next metaphorical symbol in the speech is found in paragraph [29] as in the text of the paragraph below: “i have a dream that one day every valley shall be exhalted [sic], every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” in the paragraph above martin luther king uses nature such as valley, hill, mountain, crooked places. the metaphorical symbols of the phrase every valley shall be exhalted, the phrase “mountain shall be made low” and the phrase “crooked places will be made straight”, all represent hope for changes in american legal and political conditions in the future. the last metaphorical symbol used in martin luther king's speech is found in paragraph [30], in that paragraph martin luther king uses the noun stone, mountain, jangling in describing the hope for changes in america's political conditions in the future as in the text below: “this is our hope. this is the faith that i will go back to the south with. with this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. with this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. with this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” the metaphorical symbols in the paragraph above are found in the clause “to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope” and in the clause “to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood”. the meaning of the myth of the two clauses “to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope” and the clause “to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood” are constructed by martin luther king's ideas in describing efforts and hopes to abolish discriminatory practices so that civil rights and politics black people get justice and live together as a nation. conclusion the mythical construction of metaphorical symbols in martin luther king's political speech, i have a dream is constructed by depicting the experiences of black people during slavery and when they were under pressure from a system of racial discrimination and segregation. in addition, the construction of the myth is also built by ideas that contain a protest attitude against the american legal and political system that discriminates against black people and ideas that call for an improvement in the american legal and political system that is just for all americans. acknowledgement in this section, the researcher would like to thank the lp2m institute of ninebelas november kolaka university which consistently provides research assistance in the form of journal incentives to each author periodically. in addition, the researchers also thank to prof. dr. muhammad hashim, m. si. and dr. syarifuddin tunreng, m.pd. for their helps from the beginning until the completion of this manuscript. references adelina, r. s. (2019). analisis jenis-jenis metafor dalam surat kabar: kajian semantik. jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 3(2), p. 146-150. agan, y. & dermawan, t. (2022). botanical metaphors in the collection of poem pengantar kebahagiaan by faidi rizal alief: a study of ecostylistic. journal of language, literature, and arts, 2(8), 1065-1078. anang., & maskub. (2022). fungsi metafor politik dalam media massa. edu-kata, jurnal bahasa, sastra dan pembelajarannya, 8(1), 44-50. barthes, r. (1972). mythologies. the nooday press. blakmore, e. (2020). jim crow laws created slavery by another name. history and culture, race in america. national geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com bradley, s. (2016). icon, index, and symbol-three categories of sign. vanseo design. https://vanseodesign.com candria, m. (2019). stylistics and linguistic analyses of literary works. culturalistics: journal of cultural, literary, and linguistic studies, 3(1), 29-34. carrasco, w. j. (2015). from the sign to the passage: a saussurean perspective. texto! textes et cultures, 20, 1-16. chenoweth, e. & stephan, m. (2016). how the world is proving martin luther king right about nonzakaria, muh. hasyim, & syarifuddin tundreng the myth of metaphor symbols in speech i have a dream 1044 violence (bagaimana dunia membuktikan kebenaran gagasan anti-kekerasan martin luther king. washington post. https://www.nonviolentconflict.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/howthe-world-is-proving-martin-luther-bahasaindonesia.pdf culler, j. (1981). the pursuit of signs: semiotics, literature deconstruction. roudledge & kegan paul ltd. london. hasyim, m. (2017). the metaphore of consumerism. journal of language teaching and research, 8(3), 523-530. http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0803.10 hasyim, m. et al. (2020). semiotic model for equivalence and non-equivalence in translation. human & social sciences reviews, 83(3): 381391. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2020.8341 istikomah (2021). the significance of linguistics in the study of philosophy. hortatori: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 5(1): 51-60. https://doi.org/10.30998/jh.v5i1.631 lestari, n. w. (2021). isi pidato “i have a dream” martin luther king. kompas. https://www.kompas.com kravets, l. v., siuta, h. m., struhanets, l. v., struhanets, y. b. (2021). cognitive (conceptual) metaphor in the ukrainian poetic discourse. journal of language and linguistic study, 17(2), 1308-13019. maharani p., wahidy, a., & effendi, d. (2020) analisis makna dan fungsi mitos di desa pulau beringin kecamatan kikim selatan kabupaten lahat. jurnal didactique bahasa indonesia, 1(1) 1-12. http://dx.doi.org/10.52333%2fdidactique.v1i1.5 95 ngabalin, m. (2022). rasisme dan kaum tertindas: perjuangan nir kekerasan martin luther king jr. dan implikasi bagi masyarakat papua. arumbae: jurnal ilmiah teologi dan studi agama, 2(2), 123-136. punto, h. e. (2020). simbol: arti, fungsi, dan implikasi metodologisnya eko punto hendro. endogami: jurnal ilmiah kajian antropologi, 3(2), 158-165. sankaravelayuthan, r. (2018). an introductory course on semantics and pragmatics. russian journal of economics, 48(2), 123-154. sarwadi., yadnya, i. b. p., beratha, n. l. s., & puspani, i. a. m. (2019). function and meaning of metaphors in the palm-leaf manuscript of cilinaya written in sasak language and its translation. e-journal of linguistics, 13(1), 43-55. shavkatovna, d. s. (2020). the lexical semantic properties of the symbol. international journal on integrated education, 3(9), 177-180. simanjuntak, a. (2019). metaphor and simile in english context: do they know the differences? reila: journal of research and innovation in language, 1(2), 55-60. surahmat (2019). bentuk dan fungsi metafor dalam penggunaan duka cita masyarakat pantura jawa tengah. jurnal sastra indonesia, 8(3), 251-258. van niekerk, a. (2018). the use of indexical signs, symbols, and icons in print advertising communication. communitas: university of the free state, 23(7), widyaningsih, l. (2021) analisis gaya bahasa dalam kumpulan puisi kekasihku karya joko pinurbo: kajian stilistika. academica, jounal of multidiscipliner study, 5(1), 105-120. yusuf, m. (2021). metafora dan metonimi sebagai sembentuk polisemi. jurnal pesona, 7(1), 61-71. zakaria. (2020). simbol metafor dalam tradisi ma’pandan di kab. mamasa. [unpublished dissertation]. universitas hasanuddin, makassar. zakaria. (2016). the ballot or the bullet: a speech of malcolm x. journal of english education, 1(2): 147-157. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 963 the integration of cooperative learning model on english language learning in fostered elementary school of simalungun university mardin silalahi english language education study program, universitas simalungun, pematang siantar, indonesia email: mards766@gmail.com geby arni siregar indonesian language education, lecturer in general courses, universitas kristen indonesia, indonesia email: geby.siregar@uki.ac.id lamhot naibaho (corresponding author) english language education study program, universitas kristen indonesia, indonesia email: lamhot.naibaho@uki.ac.id apa citation: silalahi, m., siregar, g. a., & lamhot, naibaho. (2023). the integration of cooperative learning model on english language learning in fostered elementary school of simalungun university. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 963-970. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.7574 received: 11-06-2023 accepted: 28-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 introduction education that supports future development is the education that can develop the learners’ potential to solve the future problems of life they face. the concept of education is fundamental. when in the world of work, “one must enter life in society and the world of work because the person concerned must be able to apply what is learned at school to deal with problems faced in daily life now and in the future” (o'connor et al.; kaplan & haenlein, 2020). the rapid advancement of science and technology presents new challenges for human life. the world of education is also faced with complex challenges connected to increasing human resources that can compete and participate in the global community. in responding to these conditions, educational institutions and elementary education must be brave and able to make improvements and breakthroughs toward improving the quality of both processes and products (hallinger & heck, 2010; wiliam & thompson, 2017). the practice of education in the world of schooling to realize the goals of education is managed through the learning process. it certainly impacts changes in behavior as a result of education that emphasizes learning achievement as implemented in the school curriculum, which has been packaged as subjects that must be followed at every level. application of learning in the classroom, the teacher should create situations and conditions that suit the needs of learners so that learners can follow the learning process properly and the materials presented by the teacher can be accepted and abstract: this research is aimed at analyzing the integration of the cooperative learning model into english language learning, which was done at fostered elementary school of simalungun university. the method of the study used was a quasi-experimental research method with a post-test-only control group design. the population of this study was all elementary school learners assisted by simalungun university in siantar city, with as many as 232 people. the research sample chosen was 70 learners, determined by using random sampling. the researcher used a lottery system to appoint the experimental and control classes. based on the lottery system that was carried out, it was found that class iv of school x served as the experimental group and class iv class y as the control group. the instrument of the research was two sets of previously validated questionnaires. the data technique analysis used was statistical analysis. the result of the study is that the motivation and learning outcomes of learners following the nht cooperative learning model were higher than learners following the conventional learning model. it is concluded that nht cooperative learning model has a positive effect on increasing achievement motivation and english learning outcomes for learners of class iv at y and x schools both separately and simultaneously. keywords: cooperative learning; learning english; number head together mardin silalahi, geby arni siregar, & lamhot naibaho the integration of cooperative learning model on english language learning in fostered elementary school of simalungun university 964 understood by learners. learning is “a communication process, namely, delivering messages from message sources through specific channels or media to message recipients” (kamińska et al., 2019; odinokaya et al., 2019). “messages, message sources, channels or media, and message recipients are the components of the communication process, and the message to be communicated is the content of teachings or education contained in the curriculum” (kruszewska et al., 2022). the message's source is teachers, learners, other people, and book authors, the channel is learning media, and the message's recipient is the learner. one of the subjects implemented in elementary schools is english lessons. english is one of the five subjects that learners in elementary schools must master. considering the importance of english in schools, english should be one of the subjects that learners like in terms of its usefulness. complaints and disappointment about the results achieved by learners are still being expressed. generally, learners stated that english was a difficult and tedious subject, uninteresting, and even full of mystery. these subjects are problematic and arid and have nothing to do with everyday life (rollins, 2020; danckert & eastwood, 2020). the average absorption capacity of elementary school learners for english subjects is only 42% (isa & azid, 2021; burri & baker, 2021). of course, many factors are causing the low achievement in learning english, for example, the classic problem regarding the application of english learning methods, which are still teacheroriented. at the same time, learners tend to be passive (naibaho, 2022). another classic factor is the application of conventional learning models, namely “lectures, question and answer, and giving assignments or homework so that learners become bored, less active, and less motivated to participate in the learning process” (mosquera et al., 2021; maimaiti et al., 2021). in addition, in learners’ eyes, english is still considered the most frightening subject compared to other subjects. “various problems in teaching and learning activities in the classroom will undoubtedly affect student achievement” (iglesias-pradas et al., 2021; nadeak et al., 2021). the teacher's dominance in using conventional learning also affects student learning motivation. motivation can be interpreted “as a series of efforts to provide certain conditions so that someone wants and wants to do something. if he does not like it, he will try to negate or avoid the feeling of dislike” (dörnyei & muir, 2019; cameron et al., 2019). achievement motivation is a motive driving individuals to achieve success and aim to succeed in various advantages (brunstein & heckhausen, 2018). this measure of excellence can be related to the achievement task itself before it can also be in the form of other achievements. the main characteristics of achievement motivation are as follows: a) there is an effort to achieve success, b) successoriented, c) innovative, d) responsible, and e) anticipating failure (zuber et al., 2016; andreev et al., 2020; naibaho, 2022). various research results have consistently concluded that motivation influences learning outcomes. the level of motivation is always used as an indicator of a learner's good and bad learning outcomes. “learning outcomes are learners’ abilities after learning experiences” (van et al., 2020). learning outcomes are changes that occur in learners concerning cognitive, affective, and psychomotor aspects as a result of learning activities (rao, 2020). one of the steps that the teacher can take to increase motivation and student learning outcomes is to apply a cooperative learning model. “cooperative learning models as learning activities in groups to help each other construct concepts, solve problems or inquire. in the cooperative learning model, learners work and study in small groups of 4-6 learners who help each other” (yang et al., 2022). these groups consist of learners with high, medium, and low learning outcomes, boys and girls, and learners with different ethnic backgrounds in the class, and these heterogeneous groups will work well together as a team. “one of the cooperative learning models that can be applied in elementary schools is the number head together (nht) strategy type cooperative learning model, which is one of the cooperative learning strategies studied in this study” (leasa & corebima, 2017; leasa et al., 2016). in the nht type of cooperative learning, learners in the class will be grouped randomly and heterogeneously. each small group consisting of 4-5 learners will be given a number attached to their chest according to the number of group members (ten et al., 2009). each group will be given worksheets, and learners are assigned to discuss worksheets with their group mates so that learning will be student-centered and student learning activity will increase english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 965 (connell et al., 2016; li & lam, 2013). after learners finish discussing with their group mates, the teacher will call one or more group members according to the number called to answer or report the results of their discussion. at the same time, other groups are allowed to respond and provide an assessment of the answers or reports presented by their friends. after learners have finished answering or reporting the results of their discussion, awards in the form of applause and reward points are always given to each group that can answer or report the results of the discussion correctly; likewise, with learners who answer questions or learners who ask questions nicely. because the scores are group scores, peer-to-peer tutorial discussions and processes will always occur because the teacher will call student numbers randomly. the process of correcting wrong concepts and strengthening is carried out when cooperative learning takes place. for the “english learning process to be maximized, implementing the nht type of cooperative learning is carried out using simple visual aids” (jampel et al., 2018; ning & hornby, 2014). “nht is a type of cooperative learning designed to influence student interaction patterns and as an alternative to traditional class structures” (baggini & fosl, 2020). in the learning process, props can be used as media. props are tools used to demonstrate specific facts, concepts, principles, or procedures to make them appear more concrete. learners learn through something concrete. to understand abstract concepts, children need concrete objects as intermediaries or visualizations (alper et al., 2017; henningsen & pulvermüller, 2021). such objects are called props. as it is known that elementary school learners are formally in the age range of 7-12 years, when associated with piaget's level of mental development, this age range is in the concrete operational stage. children at this stage develop the ability to think systematically and know the world with the help of concrete objects. it means that learners’ understanding of the material is much influenced by the results of their observations of the environment. based on his explanation above, “it can be assumed that achievement motivation and student learning outcomes in english lessons with the application of the nht-type cooperative learning model assisted by simple visual aids are different from achievement motivation and student learning outcomes in english lessons with the application of conventional learning models” (joubish & khurram, 2011). the extent to which the cooperative learning model of the nht type assisted by simple visual aids affects achievement motivation and student learning outcomes in english lessons, especially in class iv class y and class x, cannot yet be disclosed. it is deemed necessary to research to prove scientifically supported by empirical data on these problems titled "the effect of the nht type cooperative learning model on english language learning in primary schools of simalungun university." method this study uses an experimental method, while the type of research is quasi-experimental, bearing in mind that not all variables can be measured and strictly controlled. the researcher must keep the class the same in determining the subject or group for the two learning models, namely the nht. the research design used was the post-test-only control group design. the population of this study was all elementary school learners assisted by simalungun university in siantar city, with as many as 232 people. the number of samples is 70 learners, determined by using random sampling. the researcher used a lottery system to appoint the experimental and control classes. based on the lottery system that was carried out, it was found that class iv of school x served as the experimental group and class iv class y as the control group. the data in this study are data on achievement motivation and learners’ english learning outcomes. data regarding learners’ achievement motivation in learning english was collected using a questionnaire whose assessment used a likert scale. in preparing the learning outcomes instrument, a grid was first made, which was made based on the 2006 education unit-level curriculum foundation. before being used, the instrument was validated first. the results of the validation of learners’ achievement motivation instruments obtained 30 instruments declared valid and could be used in research. the results of validating the learners’ english learning outcomes instruments obtained 25 instruments declared valid and could be used in research. ethical considerations related to the research, such as obtaining informed consent from participants or addressing potential conflicts of interest. statistical analysis used to test the hypothesis is using anova. in order to improve the quality of the research and maintain research ethics, mardin silalahi, geby arni siregar, & lamhot naibaho the integration of cooperative learning model on english language learning in fostered elementary school of simalungun university 966 researchers ask all researchers to first fill out informed consent in writing before filling out the questionnaire and maintain confidentiality of the identity of the respondents by not mentioning their names in this publication. results and discussion all requirements tests for hypothesis testing, including data distribution normality tests, variance homogeneity tests, and multicollinearity tests, are fulfilled so that hypothesis testing can be carried out. test the first hypothesis, namely that there is a difference in achievement motivation between fourth-grade elementary school learners who follow the nht learning model assisted by simple visual aids and groups of learners who follow conventional learning models. the test results yield an f value of 34,851> ftable (4.00), significantly less than 0.05. it means the null hypothesis (ho) is rejected, and the alternative hypothesis (ha) is accepted. it means "there are differences in the achievement motivation of class iv learners in class y and class x who follow the two learning models. the results of this study supported the research finding that “learners’ learning motivation using the nht learning model is better than the conventional learning model” (leasa & corebima, 2017; sinambela et al., 2021). based on the results of data analysis and relevant research results, it is evident that there are differences in achievement motivation between learners who follow the nht-type cooperative learning model assisted by simple visual aids and learners who follow conventional learning models. it is because “the nht-type cooperative learning model is a group discussion variant with the characteristic that the teacher only appoints one student who represents the group” (pohan & agusti, 2022; siahaan & napitupulu, 2018). this method will ensure the total involvement of all learners in the learning process. when this learning model is applied, teachers and learners become active. the learning steps applied to the nht learning model are more student-centered (girsang, 2021). these steps include: a) dividing learners into several groups and giving them numbers. in this way, the teacher indirectly gives responsibility to each student. in groups, each student thinks together and practices the process of inquiry in their learning process skills to describe each student being able to find, implement, and answer the problems that exist in student worksheets or problems given by the teacher. b) provide opportunities for learners to hold discussions with groups to solve a problem. in this activity, there will be a collaboration between bright and weak learners in the lesson. intelligent learners will teach or guide weak learners. c) carry out the discussion by calling the learners’ number. this activity aims to check how learners understand a subject matter. learners who are called will convey the results of group discussions according to their abilities (gultom et al., 2020). the cooperative learning model can be combined with various learning innovations. one is the nht-type cooperative learning model, combined with simple visual aids because learners learn through something concrete. to understand abstract concepts, learners need concrete objects used as visual aids as intermediaries or visualizations. using the help of visual aids, learners can demonstrate a fundamental concept in learning activities. thus the nht-type cooperative learning assisted by simple visual aids can increase the achievement motivation of x and y school learners. in contrast to the conventional learning model, in conventional learning, the learning process that occurs refers more to or is centered on the educator himself, learners only receive information passively, learning and assessment are separate things, and the emphasis is on knowledge outside the context of its application. learners are less able to apply what they have learned, the development of learners’ mindsets is limited, and knowledge is only obtained himself. conventional learning refers more to the teacher using a monotonous model method in each lesson that affects the lack of student ability and student activity in the learning process. based on the results of the research above, it was found that the nht-type cooperative learning model can increase the measured variables. these results indicate that the nht cooperative learning model is suitable for application at the elementary school level. the second hypothesis test is that there are differences in the english learning outcomes of class iv learners in class y and class x who follow the nht learning model assisted by simple visual aids with groups of learners who follow conventional learning models. the test results yield an f value of 114.659 > ftable (4.00) with a significantly less than 0.05. it means the null hypothesis (ho) is rejected, and the alternative hypothesis (ha) is accepted. it means "there are differences in the english learning outcomes of grade iv learners english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 967 in class y and class x who follow the two learning models. these findings are similar to the research that “there was an influence of the nht-type cooperative learning model on science learning outcomes in terms of the critical thinking skills” (tuaputty et al., 2021). the study is relevant to the research conducted by researchers because the results positively impact student learning outcomes. “learning outcomes are the ultimate goal of learning activities in schools. learning outcomes can be improved through conscious effort that is carried out systematically, leading to positive changes, which are then called the learning process, and the end of the learning process is the acquisition of a student learning outcome. student learning outcomes are collected in class learning outcomes” (kennedy, 2006). “all of these learning outcomes result from an interaction between the act of learning and teaching. from the teacher's point of view, teaching ends with evaluating learning outcomes, while from the learners’ point of view, learning outcomes are the end and peak of the learning process” (biggs & collis, 2014). learning outcomes are “changes that occur in learners concerning cognitive, affective, and psychomotor aspects as a result of learning activities” (enneking et al., 2019). learning english is “a teaching and learning process built by the teacher to develop learners’ creative thinking, which can improve learners’ thinking skills and increase the ability to construct new knowledge to improve mastery of english material” (liaw, 2007). in learning english, three essential domains must be balanced: the cognitive domain, the affective domain, and the psychomotor domain. these three essential things cannot be separated in the learning process at all levels of education in all subjects, especially learning english. one way to determine “the level of success in a learning process is to look at the learning outcomes of english lessons” (ancess, 2000). obtaining good learning outcomes, of course, must be distinct from the learning process. the teacher is indispensable in selecting and implementing appropriate learning strategies and innovations to maximize learners’ potential. the innovation is carried out by paying attention to the characteristics of learners, especially elementary school learners, and selecting a learning model that follows the subject matter being taught (guan & meng, 2007). based on the study's results, it was found that the nht-type cooperative learning model combined with the use of simple teaching aids can improve the english learning outcomes of class iv, class y, and class x learners. it proves that the nhttype cooperative learning model has advantages compared to conventional learning models in improving english learning outcomes. one of the characteristics of the nht learning model is the assignment of numbers to learners, making learners ready to take part in learning because each student has the same opportunity to show their learning achievements. the benefits of the nht learning model include a) learners’ self-esteem increases. it is caused by feeling valued by them in a group and playing a role in the group's success; b) improve attendance. feeling that they will also play a role in the group, learners will be more active and not want to miss learning. thus, a sense of responsibility will be nurtured early; c) acceptance of individuals becomes greater. even though one friend is weak in learning in his group, another friend will teach his friend; d) fewer disruptive behaviors and less interpersonal conflict. by forming groups and giving them discussion assignments, naughty learners will refrain from disturbing other friends; dan e) besides gaining a deeper understanding and higher learning outcomes, “the nht learning model can also increase kindness, sensitivity, and tolerance” (yuliani et al., 2021). the third hypothesis test is that there are differences in achievement motivation and english learning outcomes for class iv, class y, and class x learners who follow the nht learning model assisted by simple visual aids with groups of learners who follow conventional learning models. the test results show that the f value is 78.614 > ftable (4.00), and the sig value is less than 0.05. it means the null hypothesis (ho) is rejected, and the alternative hypothesis (ha) is accepted. it means "simultaneously, there are differences in achievement motivation and english learning outcomes of class iv, class y, and class x learners who follow the two learning models. the strength of the results of this study is supported by the research conducted, which says that the cooperative learning model of the nht type assisted by brain gymnastics could significantly increase the activity and achievement of learning english (fenanlampir et al., 2021). it is because the nht learning model prioritizes optimal student involvement in the group. learners must experiment, discuss, conclude, and make reports and presentations, all mardin silalahi, geby arni siregar, & lamhot naibaho the integration of cooperative learning model on english language learning in fostered elementary school of simalungun university 968 of which must be experienced together by members of their group. it is because in determining group values and awards, the teacher randomly assigns one student number to represent the group. this learning model can be maximized with the help of simple teaching aids because learners learn through something concrete. to understand abstract concepts, children need concrete objects as intermediaries or visualizations. this teaching aid is a tool that the eyes and ears can absorb to help teachers make teaching and learning more effective and efficient. teaching aids are a tool that the eyes and ears can absorb to help teachers make learners’ teaching and learning processes more effective and efficient (wu & tai, 2016). the intent and purpose of visual aids are to provide variety in how teachers teach and embody and to direct more to achieve practical learning goals. in learning abstract concepts, learners can understand and last longer if they learn through practice and experience, not just by remembering facts (naibaho, 2022). for this reason, the functions of teaching aids include the following: a) the learning process is motivated, both learners and teachers, and especially, student interest will arise. they will be happy, aroused, and interested so that they will have a positive attitude towards english learning; b) abstract concepts of english are presented in a concrete form so that they are more understandable and understandable and can be instilled at a lower level; c) the relationship between abstract english concepts and objects in the natural surroundings is more understandable; and d) abstract concepts presented in a concrete form, namely in the form of an english model that can be used as an object of research. the advantages of using concrete teaching aid in the learning process (ashaver & igyuve, 2013) are: a) growing learners’ interest in learning because lessons become more attractive; b) clarifying the meaning of the lesson material so that learners understand it more easily; c) teaching methods will be more varied so that learners will not get bored quickly; and d) make more active in carrying out learning activities such as: observing, doing and demonstrating and so on. therefore, based on the results of a combined study of cooperative learning models of the nht type with the help of simple visual aids in learning english, it can increase student achievement motivation which will later affect the expected learning outcomes. conclusion based on the results of the research and discussion described above, it was found that the motivation and learning outcomes of learners following the nht cooperative learning model assisted by simple visual aids were higher than learners following the conventional learning model. this learning model positively affects achievement motivation and english learning outcomes for learners of class iv at y and x school separately and simultaneously. the suggestions that can be put forward in this research is that the cooperative learning model of the nht type assisted by simple teaching aids needs to be introduced and further developed to teachers, learners, and other education practitioners as one of the exciting learning innovations after using conventional learning models for so long. references alper, b., riche, n. h., chevalier, f., boy, j., & sezgin, m. (2017, may). visualization literacy at elementary school. in proceedings of the 2017 chi conference on human factors in computing systems (pp. 5485-5497).. access, j. (2000). the reciprocal influence of teacher learning, teaching practice, school restructuring, and student learning outcomes. teachers college record, 102(3), 590-619. andreev, v. v., gorbunov, v. i., evdokimova, o. k., & rimondi, g. (2020). a transdisciplinary approach to improving study motivation among university students of engineering specialties. education and self development, 15(1), 21-37. ashaver, d., & igyuve, s. m. (2013). the use of audio-visual materials in the teaching and learning processes in colleges of education in benue state-nigeria. iosr journal of research & method in education, 1(6), 44-55. baggini, j., & fosl, p. s. (2020). the philosopher's toolkit: a compendium of philosophical concepts and methods. john wiley & sons. biggs, j. b., & collis, k. f. (2014). evaluating the quality of learning: the solo taxonomy (structure of the observed learning outcome). academic press. brunstein, j. c., & heckhausen, h. (2018). achievement motivation. motivation and action, 221-304. burri, m., & baker, a. (2021). 'i feel… slightly out of touch': a longitudinal study of teachers learning to teach english pronunciation over six years. applied linguistics, 42(4), 791–809. cameron, c. d., hutcherson, c. a., ferguson, a. m., scheffer, j. a., hadjiandreou, e., & inzlicht, m. (2019). empathy is hard work: people avoid empathy because of its cognitive costs. journal english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 969 of experimental psychology: general, 148(6), 962-970. connell, g. l., donovan, d. a., & chambers, t. g. (2016). increasing student-centered pedagogies from moderate to high improves student learning and attitudes about biology. cbe— life sciences education, 15(1), ar3. danckert, j., & eastwood, j. d. (2020). out of my skull: the psychology of boredom. harvard university press. dörnyei, z., & muir, c. (2019). creating a motivating classroom environment. second handbook of english language teaching, 719-736. enneking, k. m., breitenstein, g. r., coleman, a. f., reeves, j. h., wang, y., & grove, n. p. (2019). the evaluation of a hybrid, general chemistry laboratory curriculum: impact on students’ cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning. journal of chemical education, 96(6), 1058–1067. fenanlampir, a., leasa, m., & batlolona, j. r. (2021). the development of homogeneity psycho cognition learning strategy in physical education learning. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 10(3), 1047-1059. girsang, m. (2021). the application of the nht type cooperative learning model to improve biology learning outcomes in class xi sma negeri 10 medan. jurnal pelita pendidikan, 9(2). guan, q., & meng, w. (2007). china's new national curriculum reform: innovation, challenges, and strategies. frontiers of education in china, 2, 579-604. gultom, s., hutauruk, a. f., & ginting, a. m. (2020). teaching skills of teachers in increasing student learning interest. budapest international research and critics institute (birci-journal): humanities and social sciences, 3(3), 1564-1569. hallinger, p., & heck, r. h. (2010). collaborative leadership and school improvement: understanding the impact on school capacity and student learning. school leadership and management, 30(2), 95-110. henningsen-schomers, m. r., & pulvermüller, f. (2021). modeling concrete and abstract concepts using brain-constrained deep neural networks. psychological research, 1-27. iglesias-pradas, s., hernández-garcía, á., chaparropeláez, j., & prieto, j. l. (2021). emergency remote teaching and students’ academic performance in higher education during the covid-19 pandemic: a case study. computers in human behavior, 119, 106713. isa, z. c., & azid, n. (2021). embracing tvet education: the effectiveness of project based learning on secondary school students' achievement. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 10(3), 1072-1079. jampel, i. n., fahrurrozi, f., artawan, g., widiana, i. w., parmiti, d. p., & hellman, j. (2018). studying natural science in elementary school using nos-oriented cooperative learning model with the nht type. jurnal pendidikan ipa indonesia, 7(2), 138-146. joubish, m. f., & khurram, m. a. (2011). cognitive development in jean piaget’s work and its implications for teachers. world applied sciences journal, 12(8), 1260–1265. kamińska, d., sapiński, t., wiak, s., tikk, t., haamer, r. e., avots, e., & anbarjafari, g. (2019). virtual reality and its applications in education: survey. information, 10(10), 318. kaplan, a., & haenlein, m. (2020). rulers of the world, unite! the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence. business horizons, 63(1), 37-50. kennedy, d. (2006). writing and using learning outcomes: a practical guide. university college cork. kruszewska, a., nazaruk, s., & szewczyk, k. (2022). polish teachers of early education in the face of distance learning during the covid-19 pandemic–the difficulties experienced and suggestions for the future. education 313, 50(3), 304-315. leasa, m., & corebima, a. d. (2017). the effect of numbered heads together (nht) cooperative learning model on the cognitive achievement of students with different academic abilities. in journal of physics: conference series (vol. 795, no. 1, p. 012071). iop publishing. leasa, m., & corebima, a. d. (2017). the effect of numbered heads together (nht) cooperative learning model on the cognitive achievement of students with different academic abilities. in journal of physics: conference series (vol. 795, no. 1, p. 012071). iop publishing. leasa, m., talakua, m., & batlolona, j. r. (2016). the development of a thematic module based on numbered heads together (nht) cooperative learning model for elementary students in ambon, moluccas-indonesia. the new educational review, 46, 174-185. li, m. p., & lam, b. h. (2013). cooperative learning. the hong kong institute of education, 1, 33. liaw, m. l. (2007). content-based reading and writing for critical thinking skills in an efl context. english teaching and learning, 31(2), 45–87. maimaiti, g., jia, c., & hew, k. f. (2021). student disengagement in web-based videoconferencing supported online learning: an activity theory perspective. interactive learning environments, 1-20. mardin silalahi, geby arni siregar, & lamhot naibaho the integration of cooperative learning model on english language learning in fostered elementary school of simalungun university 970 mosquera feijóo, j. c., suárez, f., chiyón, i., & alberti, m. g. (2021). some web-based experiences from flipped classroom techniques in aec modules during the covid-19 lockdown. education sciences, 11(5), 211. nadeak, b., naibaho, l., sunarto, s., tyas, e. h., & sormin, e. (2021). learning management in suburban schools during the midst of covid19. psychology and education journal, 58(2), 1131-1139. naibaho, l. (2022). factors affecting students' failures due to anxiety in learning english. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 911–918. naibaho, l. (2022). the analysis of students' reading and writing difficulties in learning english at universitas kristen indonesia. jurnal konseling dan pendidikan, 10(1), 157-166. naibaho, l. (2022). the integration of mind mapping strategy on students' essay writing at universities kristen indonesia. jppi (jurnal penelitian pendidikan indonesia), 8(2), 320328. ning, h., & hornby, g. (2014). the impact of cooperative learning on tertiary efl learners’ motivation. educational review, 66(1), 108124. o'connor, d. b., aggleton, j. p., chakrabarti, b., cooper, c. l., creswell, c., dunsmuir, s., & armitage, c. j. (2020). research priorities for the covid‐19 pandemic and beyond: a call to action for psychological science. british journal of psychology, 111(4), 603–629. odinokaya, m., krepkaia, t., sheredekina, o., & bernavskaya, m. (2019). the culture of professional self-realization is a fundamental factor of students’ internet communication in the modern educational environment of higher education. education sciences, 9(3), 187. pohan, r. s. d., & agusti, r. (2022, december). learning to write biography texts using the cooperative model of number head together (nht). in 3rd international conference on educational science and teacher profession (icetep, 2021) (pp. 175-187). atlantis press. rao, n. j. (2020). outcome-based education: an outline. higher education for the future, 7(1), 5–21. rollins, s. p. (2020). teaching vulnerable learners: strategies for students who are bored, distracted, discouraged, or likely to drop out. ww norton & company. siahaan, m. m. l., & napitupulu, e. e. (2018). the difference of students' mathematical communication ability taught by cooperative learning model think talks write type and numbered head together type. scholaria: jurnal pendidikan dan kebudayaan, 8(3), 231242. sinambela, c., sirait, s. h. k. n., nasir, i. r. f., & damopolii, i. (2021, june). enhancing student achievement using the fungi learning media supported by numbered head together learning. in journal of physics: conference series (vol. 1918, no. 5, p. 052053). iop publishing. ten eyck, r. p., tews, m., & ballester, j. m. (2009). improved medical student satisfaction and test performance with a simulation-based emergency medicine curriculum: a randomized controlled trial. annals of emergency medicine, 54(5), 684-691. tuaputty, h., leasa, m., corebima, a. d., & batlolona, j. r. (2021). the correlation between critical thinking skills and cognitive learning outcomes. ilkogretim online, 20(1). van alten, d. c., phielix, c., janssen, j., & kester, l. (2020). self-regulated learning support in flipped learning videos enhances learning outcomes: computers & education, 158, 104000. wiliam, d., & thompson, m. (2017). integrating assessment with learning: what will it take to make it work? in the future of assessment (pp. 53–82). routledge. wu, t. j., & tai, y. n. (2016). effects of multimedia information technology integrated multisensory instruction on students’ learning motivation and outcome. eurasia journal of mathematics, science and technology education, 12(4), 1065-1074. yang, y., zhu, g., sun, d., & chan, c. k. (2022). collaborative analytics-supported reflective assessment for scaffolding pre-service teachers’ collaborative inquiry and knowledge building. international journal of computersupported collaborative learning, 17(2), 249292. yuliani, h., normilawati, t. a., & aulia, m. (2021). advantages and disadvantages of applying the nht type cooperative learning model physics learning in school. jurnal ilmiah pendidikan fisika, 5(1), 55-61. zuber, c., zibung, m., & conzelmann, a. (2016). holistic patterns as an instrument for predicting the performance of promising young soccer players–a 3-year longitudinal study. frontiers in psychology, 7, 1088. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 581 an exploratory study on students’ anxiety in the process of composing an english essay diana achmad department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas syiah kuala, banda aceh, 23111, indonesia email: diana.achmad@usk.ac.id muhammad aulia department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas syiah kuala, banda aceh, 23111, indonesia email: muhammad.aulia@usk.ac.id roni ageng hidayatullah department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas syiah kuala, banda aceh, 23111, indonesia email: roniageng11@gmail.com yunisrina qismullah yusuf department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas syiah kuala, banda aceh, 23111, indonesia email: yunisrina.q.yusuf@usk.ac.id apa citation: achmad, d., aulia, m., hidayatullah, r. a., & yusuf, y. q. (2023). an exploratory study on students’ anxiety in the process of composing an english essay. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 581-588. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.8559 received: 21-02-2023 accepted: 20-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction emotion within the educational setting frequently plays a significant role in the process of learning. according to pekrun (1992) cited in mulualem et al., (2022), the influence of academic emotions on learning and academic success demonstrated that positive emotions, such as enjoyment, hope, relief, and pride, had positive effects, but negative emotions, including anger, anxiety, hopelessness, disappointment, sadness, and shame, had negative effects on both learning and academic performance. thus, emotion plays a pivotal role in shaping an individual's personality and significantly influences their actions (prentice et al., 2020). for instance, individuals frequently act in alignment with their emotional states, which can span from positive to negative manifestations. the nature of these emotions, whether favourable or unfavourable, hinges on an individual's capacity to regulate their emotional responses. studies exploring the relationship between emotions and instructed language learning have been conducted since the 1970s (dewaele et al., 2018; shao et al., 2019; zhang et al, 2019; wang & zhan, 2020; dewaele & li, 2021). emotions in the context of classroom second language (l2) abstract: writing proficiency is a crucial language skill for students to acquire, necessitating the production of compositions such as essays. this research aims to identify the manifestations of anxiety experienced by students during the composition of english essays and to ascertain the underlying factors precipitating such anxiety. employing qualitative methodology, the study utilized questionnaires and interviews as research instruments to collect the data. participants consisted of 34 fifth-semester students from the department of english education at universitas syiah kuala who completed the questionnaire adopted from the second language writing anxiety inventory (slwai) proposed by cheng (2004). ten of them were interviewed using the instrument adapted from the cause of writing anxiety inventory (cwai) developed by rezaei and jafari (2014). the results revealed that cognitive anxiety was predominant, afflicting 43.5% of the respondents. additionally, linguistic difficulties, low self-confidence, fear of negative evaluation, and pressure of perfect work emerged as pivotal sources of essay-writing anxiety. these findings underline the multifaceted nature of student anxiety during english essay composition, thereby serving as a valuable resource for educational stakeholders seeking insights to enhance students' writing competencies. keywords: essay writing; factors of anxiety; students’ anxiety; types of anxiety. mailto:diana.achmad@usk.ac.id mailto:muhammad.aulia@usk.ac.id mailto:roniageng11@gmail.com mailto:yunisrina.q.yusuf@usk.ac.id diana achmad, muhammad aulia, roni ageng hidayatullah, & yunisrina qismullah yusuf an exploratory study on students’ anxiety in the process of composing an english essay 582 learning refer to the affective experiences directly linked to language learning activities and the subsequent educational achievements. this dynamic process is influenced by assessments of socio-culturally influenced l2 learning tasks (pekrun et al., 2017; shao et al., 2019). this study centres its focus on a specific facet of emotion which is anxiety. silveira (2020) states that ambiguity in language becomes apparent when horwitz characterizes anxiety in foreign language learning contexts as encompassing psychological indicators, including a personal sense of unease, apprehension, physical trembling, and restlessness resulting from nervous system activation. in addition, anxiety is viewed as a complex factor that not only triggers but also results from difficulties encountered in foreign language learning. foreign language classroom anxiety has been the subject of research alongside other emotions, including foreign language enjoyment (fle) (dewaele, 2019; botes et al., 2020; su, 2022), as well as foreign language boredom (flb) (li et al., 2021; li, 2022; kruk, et al., 2022). as such, the present research endeavours to scrutinize the consequences of anxiety specifically concerning english essay composition. in the process of writing, students must exhibit creativity in constructing coherent sentences that harmonize into effective paragraphs. writing can be defined as a cognitive-linguistic attempt that necessitates the utilization of advanced cognitive abilities to structure ideas, thus enhancing the comprehensibility of compositions and ensuring logical coherence in the conveyed thoughts (jennifer & ponniah, 2017; belkhir, 2021). writers express their ideas using the aspects of language, for instance, vocabulary, spelling, syntax, and grammar. when a writer lacks language knowledge, anxiety can serve as a difficulty to their writing performance. finn (2018) went so far as to argue that anxiety could serve as a main obstacle to achieving success in writing. the significance of writing-related anxiety has encouraged researchers to create measurement scales, investigate its sources, and search for potential solutions. in the context of writing in english as a foreign language (efl), learners face the challenge of expressing their ideas while also acquiring proficiency in english. grammatical mistakes are an inevitable outcome due to the cognitive strain of juggling both tasks simultaneously (hyland cited in liao, 2016). therefore, writing is different from oral activities. this contemplative process empowers students to harness their cognitive resources and, if needed, consult reference materials like dictionaries or grammar guides to strengthen their writing. writing accentuates precision in language usage, fostering linguistic development as students surmount challenges encountered during the writing process. proficiency in writing stands as a fundamental skill for english learners. writing anxiety conveys the fear of unfavourable assessment by instructors and peers, coupled with apprehension toward timed writing, which complicates the development of students' english writing capabilities (wahyuni & khotibul, 2017). notably, students' fear of falling short in expression and concerns over negative critiques from readers contribute to an excessive and often debilitating fear of writing. several previous studies corroborate and substantiate the present research. oryza (2021) conducted a study aimed at dissecting anxiety within the domain of writing skills among tenthgrade high school students. utilizing a questionnaire-based approach, the research not only gauged the extent of students' anxiety during writing but also identified predominant sources of writing-related anxiety and delved into the underlying factors precipitating such anxiety. the study uncovered four primary determinants: linguistic challenges, time constraints, apprehension of negative evaluation, and inadequate experience or insufficient writing practice. another study done by jawas (2019) on 80 university students found that among various aspects of essay writing that can trigger anxiety, inclass essay assignments are the primary source of writing anxiety for students. to alleviate this anxiety, students often employ collaborative techniques like working in pairs or small groups to develop ideas and construct their essays. there are also several previous studies discussing students’ anxiety in speaking english. santriza (2018) investigated anxiety within the context of english education, with a focus on speaking activities. the outcome of this study primarily relates to an analysis of students' anxiety manifested during oral performance. additionally, another study done by naibaho (2022) on 98 students at universitas kristen indonesia found that english language learners have a moderate degree of anxiety when it comes to their speaking skills. furthermore, the overall level of english language anxiety among english language learners at uki, encompassing both listening and speaking skills, is characterized as moderately high. notably, the distinction between the previous research and the present one lies in the subject matter under investigation. given anxiety's english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 583 potentially profound impact on the acquisition of foreign languages, comprehending students' anxiety patterns deserves thorough exploration. this study assumes significance in identifying the distinct forms of anxiety experienced by students during english essay composition and discerning the contributory factors that trigger such anxiety. in doing so, the research seeks to offer a comprehensive understanding of the complex issue of anxiety as it pertains to writing english essays, as perceived by students themselves. cheng (2004) proposed three distinct categories of writing anxiety encompassing somatic anxiety, cognitive anxiety, and avoidance anxiety. studies related to these types of anxiety have been conducted by many researchers (i.e., hartono & maharani, 2019; ajmal & irfan, 2020; mulyono et al., 2020; wern & rahmat, 2021). firstly, somatic anxiety pertains to physiological manifestations or bodily behaviours associated with the writing process. it constitutes an individual's perception of the psychological elements intrinsic to the experience of anxiety, manifested in augmented autonomic arousal and the emergence of undesirable emotional states such as nervousness and tension. aligned with this, the present study incorporates certain dimensions of somatic anxiety, as outlined by rezaei and jafari (2014). these dimensions encompass instances where students experience mental blanks, panic, or perspiration upon initiating english essay composition. additionally, trembling or sweating might arise when writing under time constraints, while sensations of rigidity, trepidation, and unease can manifest when tasked with essay composition. secondly, cognitive anxiety operates within the realm of mental conditions or cognitive processes implicated in information acquisition. as elucidated by cheng (2004), cognitive anxiety encapsulates the mental facet of anxiety, encompassing negative assumptions, fixation on performance, and concerns regarding external assessments. kusumaningputri et al. (2018) concluded that cognitive anxiety refers to learners’ mental aspects when they experience anxiety, including negative expectations, preoccupation with performance, and concern about others’ perceptions. building upon this framework, this research adapts specific cognitive anxiety facets identified by rezaei and jafari (2014). these include scenarios where students experience anxiety and fear in association with english assignments that subsequently undergo evaluation. moreover, apprehension surfaces when students' work is selected for classroom discussion, and a sense of worry and nervousness pervades their writing activities, accompanied by doubts regarding their capability to complete assignments. lastly, avoidance behaviour is observed predominantly among students encountering foreign languages. within the context of writing, students deliberately refrain from producing content in a foreign language. this study also integrates components of avoidance behaviour identified by rezaei and jafari (2014), such as students actively seeking opportunities for english essay writing beyond the classroom. a proclivity to avoid using english for task-related writing and a tendency to resort to personal english writing instances also characterize this category of anxiety. from these delineated categories, common causal factors underlie writing anxiety, including fear, limited knowledge, and low self-confidence, all contributing to students' experience of apprehension during the writing process. the cause of writing anxiety inventory (cwai), developed by rezaei and jafari (2014), serves as a standardized tool for pinpointing factors precipitating writing anxiety. within this framework, numerous causes of writing anxiety come to the fore. these causes manifest in various ways, as elucidated by rezaei and jafari (2014). first is fear of negative evaluation and test anxiety. students frequently experience apprehension when their writing undergoes assessment, particularly when assessments are conducted under time constraints. anxiety arises when students perceive their writing as not meeting their educators' expectations, leading to unfavourable evaluations. time pressures exacerbate these concerns, detracting from the students' focus on content. second is a lack of experience or insufficient practice. inadequate practice in expressing ideas through english writing can culminate in heightened anxiety. students who infrequently engage in writing activities tend to overly fixate on the structural aspects of writing rather than the content, magnifying their apprehension. consistent practice emerges as a pivotal strategy for enhancing writing prowess. third is insufficient writing technique. proficiency in writing aligns with an understanding of the compositional process and skill development. anxiety often plagues students who lack a solid grasp of these elements. fourth is a lack of topical knowledge. students with limited subject knowledge often experience anxiety when tasked with writing on unfamiliar topics. this lack of familiarity leads to discomfort and unease during the writing process. fifth is language difficulties. language challenges diana achmad, muhammad aulia, roni ageng hidayatullah, & yunisrina qismullah yusuf an exploratory study on students’ anxiety in the process of composing an english essay 584 frequently deter foreign language learners from composing essays in english. struggles with correct grammar usage and vocabulary constraints inhibit confident expression, escalating anxiety levels. sixth is pressure for perfection. selfimposed pressure to attain perfection triggers anxiety among learners. the pursuit of exceedingly high standards generates anxiety and reluctance to write. seventh is time pressure. the impending spectre of time constraints stands as a central contributor to writing anxiety. the sensation of pressure is particularly pronounced when students compose within limited timeframes. eighth is low self-confidence. confidence levels substantially shape students' responses to writing tasks. last is the high frequency of assignments. a profusion of writing tasks contributes to heightened writing anxiety. the consistent demand for writing amplifies stress levels. in summation, writing anxiety stems from two principal sources: intrinsic factors related to students, such as self-confidence, technical proficiency, language difficulties, topical knowledge, and practice insufficiency; and extrinsic factors tied to the learning environment, including fear of evaluation, time pressure, pursuit of perfection, and high assignment frequency. while external influences can alleviate anxiety to some extent, addressing intrinsic factors holds the key to substantial relief. method the foundation of this study is its research design, a structured framework that governs data collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting. in this pursuit, a qualitative research design has been adopted. qualitative research helps us understand why things happen and how people behave in the social world (al-ababneh, 2020; haven and grootel, 2019). for the current study, the intention is to discern the types of students' essay writing anxiety and illuminate the associated factors through the deployment of questionnaires and interviews as investigative instruments. the study encompasses fifth-semester students enrolled in the english education department who have completed courses in essay writing. a sampling strategy used in this study was purposive sampling (gill, 2020), which means the researchers deliberately chose participants who possess expertise or knowledge regarding the phenomenon under investigation. accordingly, 34 respondents were completing the questionnaires to answer the first research question: ‘what types of anxiety do the students feel when they are writing english essays?’. furthermore, 10 students were selected for in-depth interviews to answer the second research question: ‘what are the factors that cause students to feel anxious when writing an english essay? the questionnaire employed in this research was adopted from the second language writing anxiety inventory (slwai) proposed by cheng (2004) to find out the types of students' anxiety in english writing. the questionnaire employs a likert scale with five response choices: strongly disagree (sd), disagree (d), neutral (n), agree (a), and strongly agree (sa). it comprises 18 statements grouped into three subcategories: cognitive anxiety (statements 1-8), somatic anxiety (statements 9-13), and behaviour avoidance (statements 14-18). meanwhile, the interview guide was adapted from the causes of writing anxiety inventory (cwai) constructed by razei and jafari (2014). the interview structure consists of open-ended questions, amounting to nine inquiries. the data collection process for questionnaires entailed the use of google forms. interviews were conducted subsequent to the questionnaire phase, involving 10 students who had participated in the questionnaire segment. due to the research timeline coinciding with the course semester break, telephone interviews were deemed optimal to ensure seamless interaction and engagement with participants. results and discussion the results of the study are organized and presented in a systematic manner, encompassing the types of anxiety experienced by students during english essay writing, as well as the factors that contribute to this anxiety. types of anxiety the questionnaire provided insights into three distinct types of anxiety experienced by students while writing english essays: cognitive anxiety, behaviour anxiety, and somatic anxiety. each type is analysed in detail as follows: among the three types of writing anxiety assessed in the questionnaire, cognitive anxiety emerged as the dominant type. this was evident from the higher scores garnered by cognitive anxiety in comparison to the other two types. specifically, 43.5% of students reported experiencing cognitive anxiety in relation to their english essay writing. this type of anxiety is characterized by feelings of apprehension and fear associated with writing assignments, fear of evaluation from teachers and peers, and worry english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 585 about producing inadequate work. this is in line with the findings of rezaei and jafari (2014), wahyuni and khotibul (2017), kusumaningputri et al. (2018), hartono and maharani (2019), and wern and rahmat (2021), who stated that students experience a high level of cognitive anxiety. in contrast, mulyono et al. (2020) found that avoidance behaviour becoming the most common anxiety experienced by students when writing in english. cognitive anxiety, as identified in the literature, encompasses concerns about others' perceptions and expectations regarding one's writing. this type of anxiety is characterized by negative expectations and preoccupation with how others perceive one's work (rezaei and jafari, 2014). this interpretation is corroborated by the responses to the questionnaire items. for instance, statement three in the questionnaire indicated that students felt worried about the evaluation of their english essays. out of 34 students, 23 expressed concerns about their essays being graded, reflecting a heightened awareness of others' assessments of their work. similarly, statement eight highlighted that students were anxious about their essays being selected for class discussion. in this context, 15 students acknowledged feeling apprehensive about how their essays would be perceived by their peers. these findings underscore the influence of cognitive anxiety on students' focus on external judgments, potentially impacting their selfperception and motivation. the prevalence of cognitive anxiety can also be attributed to the significance that students place on external evaluations. while some students are motivated by others' feedback to improve their work, others become demotivated, leading to procrastination and a longer time to complete their essays. thus, cognitive anxiety has a dual impact—on one hand, it motivates improvement, and on the other, it hinders progress by fostering self-doubt. in addition to cognitive anxiety, the questionnaire results indicated that avoidance behaviour and somatic anxiety were also experienced by students, with 33.8% and 33.5% of students reporting these types, respectively. this finding is quite different from the study conducted by wern and rahmat (2021) who found that chinese independent middle school students have moderate levels of somatic anxiety and low level of avoidance behaviour. avoidance behaviour is marked by negative attitudes towards writing tasks, often stemming from anxiety. this avoidance behaviour was evident in students seeking opportunities to write essays outside of class or avoiding using english for writing tasks. similarly, somatic anxiety, characterized by physiological symptoms like increased heart rate and tension, was observed in students who reported experiencing physical symptoms such as a pounding heart when they began to write an english essay. somatic anxiety was the least experienced type of anxiety among students, with 33.5% of participants reporting its occurrence during english essay writing. factors related to writing an english essay anxiety the interview data provided deeper insights into the factors that contribute to students' writing anxiety. the identified factors are elaborated upon through excerpts from the interviews as follows: linguistic difficulties emerged as a prominent factor contributing to anxiety. many participants admitted their weaknesses in grammar, language structure, and vocabulary, which hindered their writing proficiency. this deficiency in linguistic skills intensified their anxiety, particularly when attempting to initiate essay writing. this finding is similar to the study of kusumaningputri et al. (2018) who found that language difficulties, time pressure, and insufficient writing practice are the causes of students’ anxiety in writing. excerpt 1: "my main anxiety factor in writing is my weakness in linguistics, especially grammar because i still don't understand the structure of the language in english, so this also makes it difficult for me to start writing english essays." student 10 excerpt 2: "when writing english essays, i often forget about the structure or guidelines for writing an english essay. this also makes me anxious when i intend to write an english essay." – student 7 apart from grammar elements, other respondents also expressed anxiety arising from weak english vocabulary mastery. excerpt 3: “one more thing that causes me anxiety in creating english essays is my lack of vocabulary mastery in english." – student 7 notably, linguistic difficulties emerged as a central factor. students reported struggling with english grammar, language structure, and vocabulary, which collectively impeded their diana achmad, muhammad aulia, roni ageng hidayatullah, & yunisrina qismullah yusuf an exploratory study on students’ anxiety in the process of composing an english essay 586 ability to express themselves effectively. this factor resonates with prior research, where linguistic challenges were identified as a common source of writing anxiety (rezaei and jafari, 2014). in addition, ‘grammar problem becomes the most mentioned cause of anxiety followed by vocabulary problem and insufficient writing practice’ (hartono & maharani, 2019) low self-confidence played a significant role in students' anxiety during english essay writing. many participants expressed feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, and shame in comparison to their peers' work. this lack of confidence impacted their ability to initiate and complete their writing tasks. such low self-confidence hindered students from focusing on their work and led to avoidance behaviour. excerpt 4: "i lack confidence in what i create because i feel inferior compared to the works of my friends. when i see the written works of other friends, i feel that theirs are very good and mine must be flawed."student 8 excerpt 5: "i have low self-confidence, especially in terms of feeling embarrassed. i'm embarrassed to write english essays because i'm not very skilled, which makes me anxious and apprehensive to start. this leads me to feel nervous about beginning it, ultimately causing me to have a dislike for writing english essays." – student 6 furthermore, fear of negative evaluation emerged as another significant factor causing anxiety among students. many participants worried about receiving feedback from teachers/ lecturers and peers, particularly negative feedback and low scores on their essays. this fear, coupled with the pressure to produce flawless work, exacerbated students' writing anxiety. these findings align with previous research that highlighted teachers' feedback, self-confidence, and linguistic knowledge as key contributors to writing anxiety (rezaei and jafari, 2014). excerpt 6: "i often feel afraid of the lecturer's or friends' assessment of the essays that i make, because i am not ready to receive a response from them, especially if the response is negative". student 1 excerpt 7: "i feel uncomfortable when i write english essays, and when i find out that my work will be evaluated by the lecturer, i start experiencing an extraordinary amount of fear, even though i don't yet know whether they will provide a positive or negative assessment." – student 2 excerpt 8: "waiting for the assessment response from the lecturer makes me very anxious. i don't know why this happens, but that's what i feel." – student 1 excerpt 9: "the feeling of fear that my essay will be evaluated is something i often experience because one of the reasons is that i'm afraid of being wrong in what i've written." – student 4 excerpt 10: “i would feel more comfortable if the essay i write would not be judged or evaluated by my lecturer, and usually, when it's like that, the quality of my writing is better.” – student 3 the pressure to achieve perfection emerged as a notable factor intensifying students' anxiety. the compulsion to produce flawless work, coupled with minimal errors, engendered discomfort and heightened anxiety levels among students. this self-imposed pursuit of perfection proved to be anxiety-inducing. excerpt 11: "the feeling of having to produce perfect writing works very often happens to me, in my mind, i always have to create writing that has minimal errors, things like this make me anxious and tired." student 9 in conclusion, the study uncovered cognitive anxiety as the dominant type of writing anxiety among students, driven by concerns about external evaluations and others' perceptions. linguistic difficulties, low self-confidence, fear of negative evaluation, and pressure for perfection were identified as major factors contributing to students' writing anxiety. these findings underscore the complex interplay of personal and external factors that shape students' experiences of anxiety when writing english essays. addressing these factors through targeted interventions and support mechanisms could potentially alleviate students' writing anxiety and enhance their writing performance. conclusion this study aimed to investigate english essay writing anxiety among fifth-semester students in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 587 the english department at universitas syiah kuala. writing anxiety is recognized as a significant challenge hindering writing skill enhancement. with this in mind, the researchers set out to explore the types and factors of writing anxiety experienced by students. the study's two research questions focused on identifying the prevalent types of writing anxiety and uncovering the factors contributing to this anxiety. to answer these questions, the researcher utilized a questionnaire adapted from cheng (2004) and an interview guideline from razei and jafari's (2014) causes of writing anxiety inventory (cwai). the questionnaires were distributed to 34 fifth-semester students in the english department, and the interviews were conducted with 10 of them. all of whom responded comprehensively. the results indicated that cognitive anxiety was the most prevalent type of writing anxiety among fifth-semester students, with a score of 43.5%. this finding underlined that a considerable portion of students experienced anxiety when writing english essays due to concerns about others' perceptions and expectations. the study also identified four main factors contributing to writing anxiety: linguistic difficulties, low self-confidence, fear of negative evaluation, and pressure for perfection. students grappled with linguistic challenges, struggled with self-confidence, occasionally feared negative evaluations, and at times felt pressured to achieve perfection in their work. in summary, the study effectively addressed its research questions, revealing the existence of writing anxiety among fifth-semester students in the english department at universitas syiah kuala. cognitive anxiety emerged as the predominant type, linked to concerns about external perceptions. the study also highlighted the primary factors causing writing anxiety. linguistic difficulties, low self-confidence, fear of negative evaluation, and the desire for perfection all played significant roles. as a result, several recommendations arise from this research. firstly, students learning a foreign language are advised to evaluate their own writing anxiety and develop strategies to manage it. secondly, english teachers should acknowledge the types and factors of students' writing anxiety and adopt strategies to alleviate or minimize this anxiety, thereby enhancing students' writing proficiency. lastly, future researchers interested in this topic are encouraged to refer to this study as a reference or a source of inspiration for their research endeavours. moreover, future studies could explore different aspects of writing anxiety, such as investigating teachers' strategies to mitigate students' writing anxiety. references ajmal, a. & irfan, h. (2020). effects of process-genre approach on writing anxiety among english academic writing learners in pakistan. journal of business and social review in emerging economies, 6(2), 741-752. al-ababneh, m.m. (2020). linking ontology, epistemology and research methodology. science & philosophy, 8(1), 75-91. alfiansyah, f., jaufillaili, & hendriwanto. (2017). the analysis of students’ anxiety in learning writing at the 10th grade of vocational school. leksika. 11(2), 46–57. belkhir, s. (2021). personification in efl learners’ academic writing: a cognitive linguistic stance. glottodidactica, 48(2), 7-20. https://doi.org/10.14746/gl.2021.48.2.01 botes, e., dewaele, j.-m. & greiff, s. (2020). the power to improve: effects of multilingualism and perceived proficiency on enjoyment and anxiety in foreign language learning. european journal of applied linguistics, 8(2), 279–306. https://doi.org/10.1515/eujal-2020-0003 cheng, y. s. (2004). a measure of second language writing anxiety: scale development and preliminary validation. journal of second language writing, 13(4), 313-335. http: //dx. doi.org/10.1016/j. jslw.2004.07.001 dewaele, j.m., witney, j., saito, k., & dewaele, l. (2018). foreign language enjoyment and anxiety: the effect of teacher and learner variables. language teaching research, 22(6), 676-697. dewaele, j.-m. (2019). the effect of classroom emotions, attitudes toward english, and teacher behavior on willingness to communicate among english foreign language learners. journal of language and social psychology, 38(4), 523535. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927x19864996 jean-marc dewaele, j.-m. & li, c. (2021). teacher enthusiasm and students’ social-behavioral learning engagement: the mediating role of student enjoyment and boredom in chinese efl classes. language teaching research, 25 (6), 922-945. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211014538 finn, h.b. (2018). articulating struggle: esl students’ perceived obstacles to success in a community college writing class. journal of second language writing, 42, 101–106. gill, s.l. (2020). qualitative sampling method. journal of human lactation, 36(4), 579-581. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890334420949218 haven, t.l. & grootel, l.v. (2019). preregistering qualitative research. accountability in research, https://doi.org/10.14746/gl.2021.48.2.01 https://doi.org/10.1515/eujal-2020-0003 https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927x19864996 https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211014538 https://doi.org/10.1177/0890334420949218 https://www.tandfonline.com/author/l.+haven%2c+tamarinde https://www.tandfonline.com/author/van+grootel%2c+dr+leonie diana achmad, muhammad aulia, roni ageng hidayatullah, & yunisrina qismullah yusuf an exploratory study on students’ anxiety in the process of composing an english essay 588 26(3), 229-244. https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2019.158014 7 hartono, h. & maharani, m.m. (2019). english writing anxiety and the writing problems of indonesian efl learners. proceedings of the 2nd social and humaniora research symposium (sores 2019). https://www.atlantispress.com/proceedings/sores-19/125935362 jawas, u. (2019). writing anxiety among indonesian efl students: factors and strategies. international journal of instruction, 12(4), 733746. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12447a jennifer, j.m. & ponniah, r.j. (2017). investigating the levels, types and causes of second language writing anxiety among indian freshmen. the journal of asia tefl, 14(3), 557-563 http://dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2017.14.3.13 .557 kruk, m., pawlak, m., shirvan, m.e., taherian, t., yazdanmehr, e. (2022). potential sources of foreign language learning boredom: a q methodology study. studies in second language learning and teaching, 1, 37-58. kusumaningputri, r., ningsih, t.a., & wisasongko. (2018). second language writing anxiety of indonesian efl students. lingua cultura, 12(4), 357-362. https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v12i4.4268 li, c., dewaele, j.-m. & hu, y. (2021) foreign language learning boredom: conceptualization and measurement. applied linguistics review. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2020-0124 li, c. (2022). foreign language learning boredom and enjoyment: the effects of learner variables and teacher variables. language teaching research. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/ 13621688221090324 liao, h.-c. (2016). enhancing the grammatical accuracy of efl writing by using an aweassisted process approach. system, 62, 77–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2016.02.007 mulualem, y. g., mulu, y. e., & gebremeskal, t. g. (2022). effects of english learning beliefs on english achievement: academic emotions as mediators. heliyon, 8, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09829 mulyono, h., liestyana, a.r., warni, s., suryoputro, g., & ningsih, s.k. (2020). indonesian students’ anxiety to write in english as a foreign language across gender and educational levels. problems of education in the 21st century. 2, 249-262. naibaho, l. (2022). factors affecting students’ failures due to anxiety in learning english. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 911-918. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6462 oryza, t. (2021). an analysis of students’ anxiety in writing skill at tenth grade students of sman jumapulo. (undergraduate thesis). pekrun, r., lichtenfeld, s., marsh, h. w., murayama, k., & goetz, t. (2017). achievement emotions and academic performance: longitudinal models of reciprocal effects. child development, 88, 1653-1670. prentice, c., susan zeidan, s., & wang, x. (2020). personality, trait ei and coping with covid-19 measures. international journal of disaster risk reduction, 51, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101789 rezaei, m., & jafari, m. (2014). investigating the levels, types, and causes of writing anxiety among iranian efl students: a mixed method design. procedia social and behavioral sciences journal, 9(8), 1545–1554. http://dx doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.577 santriza. (2018). an analysis of students’ anxiety in speaking performance (a study at second grade at sman 5 banda aceh). (undergraduate thesis). https://repository.arraniry.ac.id/id/eprint/3450/2/santriza.pdf shao, k., pekrun, r., & nicholson, l.j. (2019). emotions in classroom language learning: what can we learn from achievement emotion research? system, 86, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.102121. silveira, f.v.r. (2020). foreign language anxiety research and the brazilian scenario. the especialist, 41(5), 1-21. su, h. (2022). foreign language enjoyment and classroom anxiety of chinese efl learners with intermediate and low english proficiency. journal of language teaching and research, 13(1), 101-109. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1301.12 wahyuni, s. & khotibul u, m. (2017). an analysis on writing anxiety of indonesian efl college learners. journal of english education and linguistic studies, 4(1), 96–111 https://jurnal.iainkediri.ac.id/index.php/jeels/arti cle/view/333 wang, w. & zhan, j. (2020). the relationship between english language learner characteristics and online self-regulation: a structural equation modeling approach. sustainability, 12(7), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12073009 wern, t.c. & rahmat, n.h. (2021). an investigative study on the types and causes of esl writing anxiety: a case study of learners from a chinese independent middle school. european journal of english language teaching, 6(3), 19-36. zhang, j., thomas, n., & qin, t.l. (2019). language learning strategy research in system: looking back and looking forward. system, 84, 87-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.06.002 https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2019.1580147 https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2019.1580147 https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/sores-19 https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/sores-19 https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/sores-19/125935362 https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/sores-19/125935362 https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12447a http://dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2017.14.3.13.557 http://dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2017.14.3.13.557 https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2020-0124 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/13621688221090324 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/13621688221090324 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2016.02.007 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09829 https://www.ceeol.com/search/journal-detail?id=2673 https://www.ceeol.com/search/journal-detail?id=2673 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6462 https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/international-journal-of-disaster-risk-reduction https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/international-journal-of-disaster-risk-reduction https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101789 http://dx/ https://repository.ar-raniry.ac.id/id/eprint/3450/2/santriza.pdf https://repository.ar-raniry.ac.id/id/eprint/3450/2/santriza.pdf https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1301.12 https://jurnal.iainkediri.ac.id/index.php/jeels/article/view/333 https://jurnal.iainkediri.ac.id/index.php/jeels/article/view/333 https://doi.org/10.3390/su12073009 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.06.002 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 253 reaping the affordances and constraints of canvasdriven asynchronous online discussion boards (aodbs) anisa sofarini* english education study program, universitas suryakancana, indonesia email: anisa.sofarini@unsur.ac.id vina aini salsabila english education study program, universitas suryakancana, indonesia email: vinasalsabila@unsur.ac.id apa scitation: sofarini, a., & salsabila, v. a. (2024). reaping the affordances and constraints of canvasdriven asynchronous online discussion boards (aodbs). english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 253-268. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.8611 received: 12-10-2023 accepted: 22-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 abstract: asynchronous online discussion board (aodb) has turned into a crucial tool for online and blended learning, as well as some in-class teaching contexts, in higher education (he). despite not being initially designed for teaching, it is now prominently featured as a learning autonomy promoter. this research is henceforth crucial due to the dearth of comprehensive assessments of how a technology enables lecturers to tote out the aodb-related activities. employing technology affordance framework helped shape this study’s discoveries. via the 16-week observations on the five lecturers’ aodbs in canvas lms, this study put together four supporting features, enabling this study to capture lecturers’ efforts to set up aodbs for pedagogical process. there are instruction pages, settings, search entries for authors, replies and likes. these features led this study to lump together the interview data from three lecturers into four affordances of canvas-mediated aodb (consisting of collaboration, flexibility, knowledge record, and monitoring and assessment) and two constraints (mobile accessibility and usability for grading). the disclosure of canvasmediated aodbs’ affordances and constraints may introduce some brand-new details to the realm of discussion in education. even so, further study scrutinizing various platforms and employing a variety of lecturer profiles is highly encouraged in order to result in a wider range of facts regarding aodb in he. keywords: asynchronous online discussion board (aodb); canvas lms; technology affordance framework introduction higher education (he) has been under pressure to experiment with novel pedagogies as a result of growing class sizes, shrinking resources, and a widening range of student cohorts (boud & symes, 2000). in response to this, using an asynchronous learning tool has grown in importance for delivering courses in he (dykman & davis, 2008). asynchronous online discussion boards (aodbs) then have gained traction in fully online, blended learning, and even in in-class courses in he (carr, 2020). such uses of aodbs, which are often threaded discussion forums, are common in the educational contexts. asynchronous discussions taking place on the internet under a variety of threads (kirk & orr, 2003) are known as threaded discussion forums. a “thread” is a single topic of discussion, the name of which appears in the subject line of all postings related to it. a threaded discussion forum, from a technological perspective, makes use of electronic bulletin board software to compile the various message posts and provide the users the option of seeing the messages in chronological order, topical order, or even both. despite not originally designed for pedagogical purposes (danaher, rodes, & kranov, 2021), they prove to be a core pedagogical medium (garrison & vaughan, 2008; fehrman & watson, 2020). the initial purpose of aodbs was to enable unrestricted and structured communication among large groups of people across time zones and geographical boundaries (danaher, rodes, & kranov, 2021). they serve as a prime illustration of the internet-enabled anytime-andanywhere communication. to this point, danaher, rodes, and kranov (2021) accentuated that aodb conveys participants with a one-off room to take part in substantive discussions beyond a typical educational context, which will let them accomplish the learning objectives. in accordance with remote education and adult learning theories, learners are jointly responsible for organizing their learning and navigating the online learning environment (galustyan et al., 2019). aodbs are a key component of how online learners take control of their learning because they provide them the chance to communicate with classmates and teachers, share experiences, and come up with creative solutions to issues (hew et al., 2010; putman, 2012; ringler et anisa sofarini & vina aini salsabila reaping the affordances and constraints of canvas-driven asynchronous online discussion boards (aodbs) 254 al., 2015). in addition to fostering a sense of community, learners can use aodbs to explore new ideas, assess their own points of view, and improve social and collaborative processes (garrison et al., 2001). due to the asynchronous nature of this kind of communication, students have the flexibility to reflect on questions and revisit posts (cheung & hew, 2004; garrison et al., 2001; putman, 2012; wu et al., 2013). to campbell et al. (2008), teacher candidates typically perform better academically when they are more actively involved in using the readings, course materials, and online discussions. there are certain drawbacks to the broad use of aodbs. the most common example of disengagement is when people respond in a robotic, forced, artificial, superficial, or deceptive manner (biesenbach-lucas, 2003; ding, kim, orey, 2017; mckinney, 2018; (xie, durrington, & yen, 2011). additionally, not all students may benefit from aodbs that are mostly based on text (green & green, 2018). without the use of nonverbal indicators like gestures, smiles, or voice tones, it is possible to unintentionally create assumptions and misinterpretations (clark, strudler, & rove, 2015; hara, bonk, & angeli, 2000). these challenges may serve as catalysts for lecturers to explore novel avenues, devising activities within aodbs that enhance student involvement. notably, leveraging the lecturers’ creativity to harness technology features for crafting captivating asynchronous learning environments can alleviate student concerns. to carry out aodb-related activities, a particular technology tool is required. lmss are used by the majority of lecturers to encourage instruction and interaction in aodbs. most lmss come with a threaded discussion board feature, and canvas lms is one of the kinds. since its invention in 2008, canvas has been hailed as innovative and wholly distinct from other lmss (nettles & futch, 2012). referring to a 2019 report by university college cork partners with canvas, canvas has rapidly acquired market share and is now utilized at over 4,000 universities globally. furthermore, canvas was evaluated by university students participating in paynter and barnes’s research in 2021. canvas got positive input from students as an lms with a highly simple and intuitive user interface (paynter & barnes, 2021). similar to this, canvas received overwhelming support from students in an illinois pilot program due to its design, user interface, and mobile learning functionalities (smith, 2018). since exceptional support has been shown to aodbs and canvas, it is advisable for he institutions to start taking aodbs (cho & tobias, 2016; gao, zhang, & franklin, 2013), and canvas lms into account. this study, thus, intends to contribute to the trend, by examining canvas-mediated aodbs in the realm. besides, although extensive research has been undertaken on the perception of faculty members, university students, and administrators (see paynter & barnes, 2021; wilcox, thall, & griffin, 2016), no single study exists which lecturers’ stepwise practices and experiences on canvas-mediated aodbs are thoroughly cataloged. this study, therefore, attempts to grasp the lecturers’ experiences of utilizing features on canvas discussion boards to set up aodbs and manage the teaching and learning processes. to be more precise, the lecturers’ experiences in implementing asynchronous online discussions using canvas discussion board has helped this study to assemble the affordances and constraints of canvas itself as an aodb medium. gibson (1979) coined the phrase "affordance", which has grown in use in the field of education. numerous definitions have been suggested for this phrase (bower, 2008; hartson, 2003; mcgrenere & ho, 2000). originally, gibson used the phrase to describe a connection between animals and the environment in a study on ecological psychology (bucher & helmond, 2018). gibson claims that the animals will directly acquire visible information of environments via an ambient optic array. the information gathered consists of affordances what the environment supplies or furnishes the animal, whether for good or ill (gibson, 1979). according to mcgrenere and ho (2000), the three essential principles of gibson’s affordances are as follows: (1) an affordance exists independently of an actor's prior experience, knowledge, and capacity for perception; (2) it also exists independently of the actor's ability to carry out actions toward an object; and (3) it does not depend on the alteration of an actor's wants or intentions. the phrase can be widely construed as the relationship between a human and an object because those ideas depend on an actor to determine whether an affordance exists. bucher and helmond (2018) use fire as an example of something that can give warmth, illumination, and cooking while simultaneously causing skin damage. however, what distinguishes warmth from damage is frequently ambiguous, necessitating an actor's skill to discern the line (bucher & helmond, 2018). gibson's affordance notion has found widespread use. design studies and human-computer interaction (hci) are two subjects that have accepted the affordance notion. the word quickly became a key concept among scholars, educators, and practitioners (bucher & helmond, 2018; kaptelinin & nardi, 2012). gibson's notion of affordance is at odds with norman's. according to norman (1988), affordance refers to a thing's actual and perceived attributes, particularly its fundamental characteristics that affect how it might be used. a chair affords sitting since it affords (or ‘is for’) support. carrying a chair is also possible. in a number of areas, this definition openly departs from gibson's. despite the fact that gibson's and norman's conceptions are still being discussed by academics (kaptelinin & nardi, 2012; hartson, mcgrenere & ho, 2000), numerous academics have modified the theory of affordances according to their setting, expertise, and goals (vaast & kaganer, 2013). for instance, conole english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 255 and dyke (2004) incorporated the affordance into ict teaching. referring to norman's belief that an object's functions would be simpler to ascertain if it had a more effective design, these researchers contend that the idea of affordances might be broadened and used to presentday ict applications to have both a favorable and unfavorable effect on users (conole & dyke, 2004). the basis for this study's efforts to more closely examine canvas as an intermediary of aodbs is thus a brand-new account of affordance theory from conole and dyke (2004). this serves as the overarching framework for this study's analysis, collection, and categorization of the lecturer's experiences on the functionalities of each canvas discussion board’s features. to delineate the objectives of this research, the subsequent inquiries are posed: (1) how do the lecturers set up aodbs using canvas discussion features? (2) what are the affordances and constraints of canvas-driven aodb? method a comprehensive exploration into how canvas features both enable and constrain lecturers in their endeavors to design aodbs is at the heart of this study. to dissect this matter, this study employed a descriptive qualitative research approach. the employment of qualitative research shepherded this study through a thorough inquiry, to compile detailed data based on the participants' moxie, viewpoints, and backgrounds (braun & clarke, 2013). regarding this, this study spotted the lecturers’ experiences with using canvas discussion boards to moderate aodb-related activities. with the help of technology affordance framework, this study makes an effort to dissect the lecturers' uses of canvas features in designing aodbs. then, their experiences of using canvas features led this study to assemble the affordances and constraints of canvas-driven aodbs. to this point, this study meets the idea of qualitative research as deconstructing assumptions is one of the purposes (bhattacharya, 2017). participating in this study were three lecturers who are used to designing aodbs-related activities using canvas discussion boards. purposive sampling was used to recruit the participant, who was chosen based on the traits or prior exposure to the topic (matthews & ross, 2010). the lecturers teach a course on english for science and technology (est), technologyenhanced language learning (tell), and digital literacy on elt (dle). they are from two distinct universities’ departments of english education. lecturer 1 (l1) and lecturer 2 (l2) are affiliated with the same university, whereas the other one (l3) is not. the observation (creswell, 2003) was conducted on the lecturers' canvas discussion boards, where it was possible to witness how the aodbs were created and how the lecturers made the most use of the discussion board's features to conduct asynchronous online discussions. observations were conducted within five distinct discussion boards on the canvas lms. each of which was set up by individual lecturers. this led to the in-depth examination of a total of 15 canvas discussion boards, serving as a valuable source of comprehensive insights into the affordances offered by canvas for aodb. the lecturers’ standpoints dealing with the optimization of canvas lms as aodbs’ mediator were lumped through semistructured interviews. to elicit the lecturer's points of view on the practices, merits and issues of adopting canvas as aodbs' agent, semi-structured interviews (rabionet, 2011) were then administered. the interviews took place in a secure environment involving two instructors from the same university, with a duration approximately 20 minutes each participant. an equivalent interview duration was maintained for an online interview via zoom, engaging a lecturer from a separate university situated at a considerable distance from the researchers’ academic institutions. data from interviews and observations were combined, evaluated for mostly-utilized canvas features, and thematically categorized for the aodbs’ affordances and constraints. this was done under the aegis of the technology affordance framework. results and discussion lecturers’ usage of canvas discussion features to set up aodbs four major canvas features optimized by lecturers for setting up aodbs were discovered from 16-week observations to 15 lecturers’ canvas discussion boards. they are the instruction page, settings, search entries for authors, replies and likes. as guided by the technology affordance framework, these features led this study to catalog the affordances and constraints of canvas-driven aodbs experienced by the lecturers (see figure 1). the instruction page canvas instruction page serves as a user-friendly workspace wherein users can compose detailed information and prompt discussion activities. it is designed like microsoft word and allows users to insert media, edit, view, format, tools, tables, etc. l1, for instance, created discussion instructions in her est course (see figure 2). she formatted the text in bold, italic, and underline formats and colorcoordinated it to emphasize a must-do activity. anisa sofarini & vina aini salsabila reaping the affordances and constraints of canvas-driven asynchronous online discussion boards (aodbs) 256 figure 1. canvas-aodbs affordances and constraints moreover, this canvas feature also promotes multimodality. one instance is one l3’s aodb in his dle course (see figure 3) where he embedded genially game and music in the workspace. with this discovery in mind, canvasdriven aodbs can leverage lecturers’ digital literacy. this is as they are adept at seamlessly embedding various technological tools within canvas discussion boards. notably, canvas workspace signifies lecturers to be inventive when crafting unique educational activities on aodbs. fundamentally, the aodbs can mediate various educational practices, such as dialogue, reflection, knowledge building, and selfevaluation (gerosa et al., 2010; kayler & karen, 2007). this study thus observed these activities designed by l1, l2, and l3 within their canvas discussion boards. all canvas-driven aodbs created by l1 in her est course were typically designed in a knowledge-building manner. it is possible to think of “knowledge creation” as being equivalent with knowledge building (scardamalia & bereiter, 2021). in this context, the students are urged to consider critically and improve upon ideas related to a particular learning topic. as depicted in figure 2, l1 commenced by formulating thorough prompts that instructed students to evaluate the assigned learning resources, address questions/prompts, and subsequently assess their peers’ responses. l1 frequently provided model answers to encourage students’ engagement. figure 2. l1’s canvas instruction page english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 257 figure 3. l3’s canvas instruction page while l2 and l3 predominantly favored “knowledge-building” aodbs, they also ventured into the design and implementation of other educational practices within aodbs. one l2’s canvas discussion board was designed in a reflection-based manner. this allows students to reflect on a particular topic, share, and discuss their thoughts/reflections, respond and provide suggestions to one another’s reflection results. l2’s innovative discussion activity led to higher student engagement, evident through increased students’ replies (see figure 4). this finding answers the challenge given by prior research regarding increasing student engagement in asynchronous online learning (martin & bolliger, 2018). anisa sofarini & vina aini salsabila reaping the affordances and constraints of canvas-driven asynchronous online discussion boards (aodbs) 258 figure 4. l2’s canvas instruction page compared to l1 and l2, l3’s aodbs educational practices were more diversified. aside from knowledge-building and reflection, this study discovered an aodb self-evaluation mode from l3. along with his interesting workspace design, l3 crafted instructions in a dialogical and encouraging style. he invited students to express their thoughts and emotions following the modules comprehension. this was succeeded by some typical self-evaluation queries to share in the forum (see figure 5). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 259 figure 5. l3’s canvas instruction page the students actively participated in the discussion forum. only two students out of 29 did not appear and post anything. this discovery also endorses aodbs’ support for increasing student engagement. enhanced student engagement has been demonstrated as a potential mechanism for mitigating attrition rates by fostering stronger connectedness and diminishing feelings of isolation among students (collins et al., 2019). the observations on the instruction page promotes the value of lecturers’ digital literacy to construct asynchronous online learning environments. it underlines the vitality of lecturers’ ability in exploring and optimizing the technology features. settings this feature lets users manage the discussion flow. there are two essential sub-features users must work on: “post to” and “options” (see figure 6). the lecturers in this study made this discussion available to all students enrolled in each course. this study interprets this as lecturers’ attempt to value students’ individual responsibility and right to complete the task at hand. this discovery satisfies fundamental adult learning theory that students should take responsibility in shaping their learning and steering the online learning experience (koehler et al., 2020). anisa sofarini & vina aini salsabila reaping the affordances and constraints of canvas-driven asynchronous online discussion boards (aodbs) 260 the study then reveals that all lecturers have already followed the nature of aodbs by enabling threaded replies in the option setting (see figure 6). a “thread” is a single topic of discussion, the name of which appears in the subject line of all postings related to it (kirk & orr, 2003). additionally, lecturers can impose participation rules on canvas-driven aodbs, requiring students to post responses before seeing others’ ones. figure 6. canvas discussion board settings this study argues that canvas supports autonomous learning through aodbs, promoting critical thinking and collaboration (garrison & anderson, 2003), as crucial aspects in he. still in the “option” setting, there are other important sub-features. there are “enable podcast feed”, “graded”, “allow liking”, “add to student to-do”, “group discussion”, and “discussion period”. this study discovered that all lecturers did not activate the “enable podcast feed” function even though this will make the discussion prompt more multimodal. this subfeature basically allows users to insert a podcast feed for the discussion topics. a podcast is a way to distribute digital content for download on the internet. a podcast feed is the file the users can use to distribute the discussion for participants who want to subscribe through external podcasting channels (canvas instructure, 2023). another configuration for an aodb is a graded discussion. from the observations, only l2 turned on this sub-feature in her three aodbs. when this is activated, users can assign points to the students’ responses by operating the “speedgrader” button embedded in canvas. activating graded discussion mode may make students feel accountable for contributing to the discussions, as lecturers prompt responses. this does not, however, ensure active involvement. from l2’s aodbs, this study reveals that the students only post required tasks without engaging in dialogic conversations. this led to no replies given to peers’ posts, urging lecturers to address this issue (see figure 7). moreover, this study discovered that all lecturers activated the features “allow liking”, “add to student to-do”. by ticking “allow liking” from this setting feature, the students will see a “like '' button symbolized by the hands up and down. this acs as a non-text response the students can give in the discussion page. then, all lecturers in this study turned on “add to student to-do” to notify students about the new topic discussions. they also favored individual responses a feature offered by canvas. due to subject-based syllabuses, which provide students new lesson topics each week, lecturers in this study also scheduled discussions over the course of a week. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 261 figure 7. l2’s canvas speedgrader search entries for authors the next feature of canvas driven aodbs mentioned is the "search entries for authors" feature. this feature becomes visible when users configure their discussion settings and the discussion platform is ready to receive input. in terms this capability allows administrators to find participants by entering their names into the search box provided. essentially it works like a search engine. this proves useful when there are many participants involved in the conversation. results from our research highlight how extensively l2 utilizes this feature thanks to her graded discussion system. this functionality greatly simplifies the evaluation process by eliminating the need to manually go through all the responses in the discussion board. anisa sofarini & vina aini salsabila reaping the affordances and constraints of canvas-driven asynchronous online discussion boards (aodbs) 262 figure 8. students’ feedback l2 simply inputs each student's name, which immediately identifies their contributions to the discussion. in this context, the integration of this canvas feature notably expedites the task of overseeing individual student engagement levels within the realm of aodbs. replies & likes the "reply & likes'' feature is the pinnacle of canvas's functionality for encouraging asynchronous discussion activities. similar to the aforementioned "search entries for authors'' function, this option becomes available after the discussion board setup is complete. within the discussion board, the "likes'' and "replies'' buttons are situated beneath each student's post. the "likes'' button gives students a way to provide comments without using text. the "replies'' button, on the other hand, allows students to provide detailed comments or feedback in text form. the practical evidence supports the effectiveness of this feature in increasing student engagement during discussions. the visual representation (see figure 8) demonstrates students who have received feedback in the form of likes and replies, encouraging them to respond and provide personalized and constructive feedback on their peers' responses. these observations are consistent with the research by iraj et al. (2020). they assert that personalized feedback on posts is essential for raising students' levels of involvement in the future. hence, it is strongly advised that lecturers incorporating aodbs proactively incorporate targeted guidelines for students to engage in reciprocal commentary on their peers' contributions. lecturers may think about imposing limits on the number of responses in order to allay potential concerns about the necessity of giving feedback for each individual response. a technique that takes cues from l1, l2, and l3 practices arises in which each student is instructed to provide feedback only to the posts of a select 2 to 3 peers. the affordances and constraints of canvas-driven aodbs the abovementioned canvas features led this study to lump together the interview data from three lecturers into four affordances of canvasdriven aodbs (consisting of collaboration, flexibility, knowledge record, and monitoring and assessment) and two constraints (mobile accessibility and usability for grading). the disclosure of canvas-driven aodbs’ affordances and constraints may introduce some brand-new details to the realm of discussion in education. collaboration canvas-driven aodbs in he has offered a multifaceted set of affordances, and one of them is to enhance collaboration. collaboration emerges as a pivotal element in fostering meaningful online discussions. the community of inquiry (coi) structure put forth by garrison, anderson, and archer (2001) is in line with this. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 263 this coi framework asserts that social presence, which is solely student collaboration and interaction, fosters cognitive presence, one of its vital components (hasani, santoso, & junus, 2022). in the interview session, l1 highlighted this aspect (see l1’s excerpt). furthermore, this collaboration affordance enabled by canvas-driven aodbs promotes active engagement and critical thinking development. this is consistent with the supposition of garrison and anderson (2003) aodbs may promote critical thinking and collaboration. this point was stressed by l3 in his interview. he believed that his students’ critical thinking and engagement got increased when he used canvas for asynchronous online discussions. he remarked that this could happen in the way his students engaged in the discussion by asking queries and building each other’s thoughts (see l3’s excerpt). canvas-driven aodbs, with their threaded discussion format, also embody vygotsky’s idea of the zone of proximal development (zpd), where learners can scaffold their understanding through collaboration with peers (chun & cennamo, 2022). l1: i love canvas. you know that canvas can make my students engaged in the discussion, even though it’s asynchronous. so i think the canvas discussion board is like a virtual classroom where students can collaborate, share documents and learn the resources together. l3: since i used canvas for asynchronous online discussions, i always experimented with its features and tried to design different discussion activities each week. i believe that my students can do peer-to-peer learning on canvas discussion boards. so far, many students actively participated in the discussions, asked questions, and built on each other’s ideas or opinions. these interview data exemplify how canvas discussion features harness collaborative potential. consequently, this study posits that canvas-driven aodbs can enrich learning experience in he by promoting dialogue, critical thinking, and knowledge construction among students. flexibility flexibility in asynchronous online learning is critical. this is consistent with the adult learning theory's central tenet that learning should be selfdirected and should be adapted to each person's schedule and preferences (loeng, 2020). to this point, l2 illuminated this aspect in canvas-driven aodbs that she created (see l2’s excerpt). moreover, the flexibility offered by canvasdriven aodbs extends the asynchronous nature of discussions. this enables students to engage with course content and their peers without the constraints of real-time interaction (danaher et al., 2021). l3 echoed this notion stating that her students always re-considered and reflected on their prior knowledge before posting their responses to the discussion board. her students felt this way of learning was more convenient for them since they were away from being pressured to fulfill the task immediately (see l3’s excerpt). some scholars have already identified these aodbs’ potentials (e.g., wu et al., 2013; putman, 2012). this discovery demonstrates how canvaspowered aodbs provide a flexible space for thoughtful and deliberate engagement, reducing the transactional distance and promoting active learning. l2: of course. canvas has specific features to set the discussion period. i usually set up a 1week discussion. and yes, they can pop up in the discussion anytime and anywhere they are convenient. it is as long as they meet the discussion due. i think this flexibility will accommodate diverse students’ learning styles. you know every student is unique. with no real-time pressure, they can be themselves in learning the topics, exploring the resources, and expressing ideas. l3: after i conducted asynchronous online learning using canvas discussion boards, i got positive feedback from my students. they said to me that this type of online learning allows them to think and reflect on the answers first before posting to the discussion forum. i personally think this is enough to prove that online learning on aodb is crucial for deepening understanding. i understand that aodbs on canvas can remove the pressure of immediate responses, making the discussions more meaningful. of course, for my students. the flexibility afforded by canvas-driven aodbs enables both lecturers and students to immerse in the discussions at their own pace, space, and convenience. canvas-driven aodbs accommodate diverse learning styles and schedules. to this point, lecturers are urged to create a low-pressure online environment to encourage deep engagement and meaningful interactions. anisa sofarini & vina aini salsabila reaping the affordances and constraints of canvas-driven asynchronous online discussion boards (aodbs) 264 knowledge record the other canvas-mediated aodbs’ affordance is knowledge record. with this affordance, lecturers are assisted to track and archive students’ responses for later review and grading (dailey-hebert, 2018). l3, in his interview, provided insights into this aspect noting, l3: to me, canvas discussion boards serve as a repository for my students’ contributions and learning progress. this not only helps me with reviewing and revisiting discussions, but also tracking an individual's learning progress over time. this finding highlights how canvas supports knowledge preservation. with the technology support, lecturers’ archiving skills and efforts are well-mediated. this will help preserve students’ learning progress, encouraging accountability, governance, and societal wisdom (mosweu & ngoepe, 2019). in summary, this affordance leads this study to claim that canvas-driven aodbs can encourage the documentation and preservation of knowledge in the digital age. monitoring and assessment monitoring or assessment exhibiting flexibility in terms of schedule/due date and content stand out as a potent catalyst for boosting student engagement (osborne et al., 2018). this study proves that canvas-driven aodbs encapsulate this specific affordance, empowering lecturers to gauge students’ participation, engagement, and learning progress. it is imperative to acknowledge that this affordance harmonizes seamlessly with the fundamental principle of formative assessment (fa), a pivotal element of effective teaching and learning. notably, discussions represent prominent fa techniques to assess understanding and rectify misconception (elmahdi, al-hatami, & fawzi, 2018). it is thus rational to assert that aodbs inherently encompass this affordance. the lecturers consequently play a crucial part in properly utilizing technological elements to track students’ engagement, particularly in the virtual setting like canvas-aodbs. as articulated by l2 during the interview, l2: i can track students’ participation and learning progress in canvas discussion boards. there is a feature named “search entries for authors”. i use this feature a lot to search students’ individual responses in the discussion forums. it helps me when it comes to a graded discussion. i don’t need to scroll down and waste my time, i just enter a student’s name on this feature, then select his/her responses, and do assessment. that’s how i monitor my students. with the help of this feature, i can track who is actively participating, who might be struggling, and even identify emerging trends in the discussions. aodbs also suit the tenets of the community of inquiry (coi) notion (hasani, santoso, & junus, 2022). this is by facilitating the monitoring of social presence within aodbs. l1 elaborated on this by noting, l1: through canvas, i can assess the quality of interactions among students. i usually look for signs of meaningful discourse and collaboration. you know how each student uses the dialogic words when they comment on their peer’s posts, or even how many likes students get. that's a simple thing but it matters to me to understand their relationship. i think this is one of the key components of building a sense of community in online learning. from this discovery, canvas-driven provide lecturers with crucial monitoring and assessment affordances, enhancing pedagogical effectiveness in he. this enables lecturers to adapt strategies and provide timely support based on insights gained through canvas features. mobile accessibility the mobile accessibility constraint, as revealed by l1 (see l1’s excerpt), sheds light on a significant issue faced by lecturers when using canvas lms via mobile devices. mobile accessibility in lmss is a crucial aspect of modern education in he (gupta, khan, & agarwal, 2021). it allows lecturers and students to engage with course materials and activities onthe-go. l1’s experience aligns with the findings of research on mobile learning in he. to ally and tsinakos (2014), mobile learning can be hindered when educational platforms and tools are not optimized for mobile access. in the case of canvas, while it offers a mobile app, the constraint l1 encountered may be indicative of a gap in the app’s functionality and userfriendliness. the existing canvas app for teacher is primarily tailored for the purpose of reviewing data that have already been entered by educators via the canvas website version. the app version is as opposed to serving as a comprehensive platform for the creation and input of new learning resources. this discovery might become english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 265 authentic feedback for the canvas app for teacher developer. l1: i find the canvas app for teacher inconvenient for me. i cannot set up a discussion board on it. still, i must always use my laptop or ipad to open my canvas account. sometimes i am away from my laptop and ipad, and still have to create discussion boards. yeah… when i was on the go and had no laptop with me around, i had to use my cell phone and opened my canvas account (website version) from google chrome. it is too small, please. it’s kind of useless to have the mobile app version on my phone if this happens again to me. i hope the mobile app version is updated soon, so it will be easier for me and other educators who are using canvas to create everything directly from canvas app, no need to use website version anymore. the mobile accessibility constraint identified through l1’s experience underscores the importance of seamless and user-friendly mobile access to an lms like canvas. addressing this constraint is crucial to ensure that educators can efficiently manage their courses and access essential features of canvas on mobile devices, especially when they are away from their laptops or desktop computers. usability for grading the usability constraint uncovered in l2’s interview data highlights a significant challenge by lecturers when utilizing the graded discussion feature in canvas lms. usability issues can profoundly affect the efficiency and user experience of educational technology platforms. in this case, l2’s initial struggle to grade students’ responses in canvas is indicative of a usability challenge within the system. in addition to that, l2’s discovery of the solution by exploring buttons on canvas discussion board, including the “speedgrader” option, highlights the importance of user support and training. effective training and support resources are essential for educators to navigate and utilize the features of an lms successfully. l2: as you may be aware when you previously observed my canvas discussion boards, i always use graded discussions, right? i had a funny story about this. at the very first time i activated this graded discussion feature, i didn’t know how to write grades to my students' responses in the discussion forums. i ended up not including any grades in canvas. i was so confused and tried my best to explore more canvas discussion boards. i had to find where the grading box is placed in canvas. when i was stuck, i read articles on canvas network websites. i spent hours trying to find the feature. haha.. with the guide from the article, i finally figured out the three dots besides each student’s posts, and the “speedgrader” feature. when i clicked on it, daaaaang, the grading box i was looking for was there. i’m proud of myself. the usability for grading constraint identified through l2’s experience underscores the need for user-friendly design and effective user support within educational technology like canvas. addressing usability issues is essential to ensure that educators can efficiently use lms features like graded discussions, ultimately enhancing the overall teaching and learning experience. conclusion this study scrutinizes the roles of canvas-driven aodbs on lecturers' experiences from the lens of the technology affordance framework. it was possible for lecturers to create aodbs for asynchronous online learning by identifying four canvas discussion boards’ features. the first feature, called "instruction pages," enables lecturers to provide discussion titles and record discussion flow. the settings tool gives lecturers control over the timeline and conversation mode, providing them a comprehensive picture of the student experience. lecturers can monitor individual student answers and engagement by using the "search entries for authors" tool. students can provide each other feedback using the "replies and likes" capabilities. these features prove to be helpful for developing, organizing, and implementing aodbs for asynchronous online learning. the aforementioned features have contributed to shape the lecturers’ experiences in running canvas-driven aodbs. lecturers have benefitted from four aspects while facing two constraints. canvas-powered aodbs enable students to collaborate, complete tasks at their convenience, archive participation and learning progress, and monitor as well as assess students' achievement through features like "search entries for authors" and "speedgrader." however, canvas's mobile version limits lecturers from creating and designing aodbs, and some users may struggle with the "speedgrader" feature to grade students’ responses. to address these issues, user support and training are recommended. anisa sofarini & vina aini salsabila reaping the affordances and constraints of canvas-driven asynchronous online discussion boards (aodbs) 266 all in all, lectures should give canvas-driven aodbs a try. it has been proven that canvas’s features facilitate asynchronous online learning through aodbs. in light of this, this study provides novel convincing proof that introducing asynchronous online learning in he is worthwhile. as a result, lecturers play a vital role for establishing a valuable and engaging asynchronous online learning environment. to use the majority of the lmss' features like canvas, an instructor must be digitally literate. acknowledgement our sincerest gratitude is due to direktorat riset, teknologi, dan pengabdian kepada masyarakat (drtpm), direktorat jenderal pendidikan tinggi, riset, dan teknologi kementerian pendidikan, kebudayaan, riset, dan teknologi (kemdikbud ristekdikti) for funding this study under penelitian dosen pemula (pdp) category. references ally, m., & tsinakos, a. (2014). increasing access through mobile learning. vancouver: commonwealth of learning. bhattacharya, k. (2017). fundamentals of qualitative research: a practical guide. taylor & francis. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0945-7_4 biesenbach-lucas, s. (2003). asynchronous discussion groups in teacher training classes: perceptions of native and non-native students. in jaln, 7(3). boud, d., & symes, c. (2000). learning for real: work-based education in universities. working knowledge: the new vocationalism and higher education, 14-29. bower, m. (2008). affordance analysis – matching learning tasks with learning technologies. educational media international, 45(1), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523980701847115 braun, v., & clarke, v. (2013). successful qualitative research: a practical guide for beginners. sage publications ltd. bucher, t., & helmond, a. (2018). the affordances of social media platforms. in the sage handbook of social media (pp. 233–253). campbell, m., gibson, w., hall, a., richards, d., & callery, p. (2008). online vs. face-to-face discussion in a web-based research methods course for postgraduate nursing students. international journal of nursing studies, 45(5), 750–759. canvas instructure. (2023, september 6). how do i enable a podcast feed for a discussion in a course? retrieved from https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/instructorguide/how-do-i-enable-a-podcast-feed-for-adiscussion-in-a-course/ta-p/1096 carr, j. (2020). teacher candidate perceptions on alternative asynchronous online discussion boards. journal of educational technology and online learning, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.31681/jetol.752283 cheung, w. s., & hew, k. f. (2004). evaluating the extent of ill-structured problem-solving process among pre-service teachers in an asynchronous online discussion and reflection log learning environment. journal of educational computing research, 30(3), 197-227. cho, m. h., & tobias, s. (2016). should instructors require discussion in online courses? effects of online discussion on community of inquiry, learner time, satisfaction, and achievement. international review of research in open and distance learning, 17(2), 123–140. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v17i2.2342 chun, j., & cennamo, k. (2022). a theoretical model of peer learning incorporating scaffolding strategies. international journal of teaching and learning in higher education, 33(3), 385– 397. http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/ clark, c., strudler, n., & grove, k. (2015). comparing asynchronous and synchronous video vs. text based discussions in an online teacher education course. online learning, 19(3), 48–69. collins, k., groff, s., mathena, c., & kupczynski, l. (2019). asynchronous video and the development of instructor social presence and student engagement. turkish online journal of distance education-tojde, 20(1), 53–70. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7136-6418 conole, g., & dyke, m. (2004). what are the affordances of information and communication technologies? alt-j, 12(2), 113–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/0968776042000216183 creswell, j. w. (2003). research design qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. sage publications, inc. dailey-hebert, a. (2018). maximizing interactivity in online learning: moving beyond discussion boards. journal of educators online, 15(3). danaher, m., rhodes, a., & kranov, a. a. (2021a). assessment of learning outcomes through an asynchronous on-line discussion board. world transactions on engineering and technology education, 19(3), 299–305. danaher, m., rhodes, a., & kranov, a. a. (2021b). student perceptions of an asychronous online discussion board used to assess the professional skills. ieee global engineering education conference, educon, 2021-april(april), 1247–1253. https://doi.org/10.1109/educon46332.2021.9 453886 dykman, c. a., & davis, c. k. (2008). online education forum: part two-teaching online versus teaching conventionally. journal of information systems education, 19(2), 157. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0945-7_4 https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/instructor-guide/how-do-i-enable-a-podcast-feed-for-a-discussion-in-a-course/ta-p/1096 https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/instructor-guide/how-do-i-enable-a-podcast-feed-for-a-discussion-in-a-course/ta-p/1096 https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/instructor-guide/how-do-i-enable-a-podcast-feed-for-a-discussion-in-a-course/ta-p/1096 https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v17i2.2342 http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/ https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7136-6418 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 267 elmahdi, i., al-hattami, a., & fawzi, h. (2018). using technology for formative assessment to improve students’ learning. in tojet: the turkish online journal of educational technology, 17(2). fehrman, s., & watson, s. l. (2020). a systematic review of asynchronous online discussions in online higher education. american journal of distance education, 35(3), 200–213. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2020.185870 5 galustyan, o. v., vyunova, n. i., komarova, e. p., shusharina, e. s., gamisonija, s. s., & sklyarova, o. n. (2019). formation of media competence of future teachers by means of ict and mobile technologies. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 13(11), 184–196. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v13i11.11350 gao, f., zhang, t., & franklin, t. (2013). designing asynchronous online discussion environments: recent progress and possible future directions. british journal of educational technology, 44(3), 469–483. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.14678535.2012.01330.x garrison, d. r., & anderson, t. (2003). e-learning in the 21st century: a framework for research and practice. routledge garrison, d. r., anderson, t., & archer, w. (2001). critical thinking, cognitive presence, and computer conferencing in distance education. american journal of distance education, 15(1), 7-23. garrison, d. r., & vaughan, n. d. (2008). blended learning in higher education: framework, principles, and guidelines. john wiley & sons. gerosa, m. a., filippo, d., pimentel, m., fuks, h., & lucena, c. j. p. (2010). is the unfolding of the group discussion off-pattern? improving coordination support in educational forums using mobile devices. computers and education, 54(2), 528–544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2009.09.004 gibson, j. j. (1979). the ecological approach to visual perception. houghton mifflin. green, t., & green, j. (2018). flipgrid: adding voice and video to online discussions. techtrends, 62(1), 128–130. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528017-0241-x gupta, y., khan, f. m., & agarwal, s. (2021). exploring factors influencing mobile learning in higher education a systematic review. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 15(12), 140–157. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v15i12.22503 hara, n., bonk, c. j., & angeli, c. (2000). content analysis of online discussion in an applied educational psychology course. instructional science, 28, 115–152. hartson, r. (2003). cognitive, physical, sensory, and functional affordances in interaction design. behaviour and information technology, 22(5), 315–338. hasani, l. m., santoso, h. b., & junus, k. (2022). designing asynchronous online discussion forum interface and interaction based on the community of inquiry framework. international review of research in open and distributed learning, 23. http://thecommunityofinquiry.org/coi hew, k. f., cheung, w. s., & ng, c. s. l. (2010). student contribution in asynchronous online discussion: a review of the research and empirical exploration. instructional science, 38, 571-606. instructure, inc. (2019, february 20). university college cork partners with canvas to deliver its new strategic vision. retrieved from https://www.canvaslms.com/news/pr/university collegecorkpartnerswithcanvastodeliveritsne wstrategicvision&122711 iraj, h., fudge, a., faulkner, m., pardo, a., & kovanović, v. (2020). understanding students’ engagement with personalised feedback messages. acm international conference proceeding series, 438–447. https://doi.org/10.1145/3375462.3375527 kaptelinin, v., & nardi, b. (2012). affordances in hci: toward a mediated action perspective. in proceedings of the sigchi conference on human factors in computing systems, 967– 976. kayler, m., & karen, w. (2007). pedagogy, selfassessment, and online discussion groups. journal of educational technology & society, 10(1), 136–147. http://www.ifets.info/ kirk, j. j., & orr, r. l. (2003). a primer on the effective use of threaded discussion forums. eric. http://content.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.umb.e du/contentserver.asp?t=p&p=an&k=ed472 738&s=r&d=eric&ebscocontent=dgjymnlr 40sep7y4zdnyolcmr0meqlbssqi4sbowxw xs&contentcustomer=dgjympgrrk+vrldmu epfgeyx44dt6fia%5cnhttp://ezproxy.lib.umb.e du/login?url=http://sea koehler, a. a., fiock, h., janakiraman, s., cheng, z., & wang, h. (2020). asynchronous online discussions during case-based learning: a problem-solving process. online learning journal, 24(4), 64–92. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v24i4.2332 loeng, s. (2020). self-directed learning: a core concept in adult education. in education research international (vol. 2020, pp. 1–12). hindawi limited. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/3816132 martin, f., & bolliger, d. u. (2018). engagement matters: student perceptions on the importance https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2020.1858705 https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2020.1858705 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v13i11.11350 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-017-0241-x https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-017-0241-x https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v15i12.22503 https://www.canvaslms.com/news/pr/universitycollegecorkpartnerswithcanvastodeliveritsnewstrategicvision&122711 https://www.canvaslms.com/news/pr/universitycollegecorkpartnerswithcanvastodeliveritsnewstrategicvision&122711 https://www.canvaslms.com/news/pr/universitycollegecorkpartnerswithcanvastodeliveritsnewstrategicvision&122711 https://doi.org/10.1145/3375462.3375527 http://www.ifets.info/ http://content.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/contentserver.asp?t=p&p=an&k=ed472738&s=r&d=eric&ebscocontent=dgjymnlr40sep7y4zdnyolcmr0meqlbssqi4sbowxwxs&contentcustomer=dgjympgrrk+vrldmuepfgeyx44dt6fia%5cnhttp://ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/login?url=http://sea http://content.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/contentserver.asp?t=p&p=an&k=ed472738&s=r&d=eric&ebscocontent=dgjymnlr40sep7y4zdnyolcmr0meqlbssqi4sbowxwxs&contentcustomer=dgjympgrrk+vrldmuepfgeyx44dt6fia%5cnhttp://ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/login?url=http://sea http://content.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/contentserver.asp?t=p&p=an&k=ed472738&s=r&d=eric&ebscocontent=dgjymnlr40sep7y4zdnyolcmr0meqlbssqi4sbowxwxs&contentcustomer=dgjympgrrk+vrldmuepfgeyx44dt6fia%5cnhttp://ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/login?url=http://sea http://content.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/contentserver.asp?t=p&p=an&k=ed472738&s=r&d=eric&ebscocontent=dgjymnlr40sep7y4zdnyolcmr0meqlbssqi4sbowxwxs&contentcustomer=dgjympgrrk+vrldmuepfgeyx44dt6fia%5cnhttp://ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/login?url=http://sea http://content.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/contentserver.asp?t=p&p=an&k=ed472738&s=r&d=eric&ebscocontent=dgjymnlr40sep7y4zdnyolcmr0meqlbssqi4sbowxwxs&contentcustomer=dgjympgrrk+vrldmuepfgeyx44dt6fia%5cnhttp://ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/login?url=http://sea http://content.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/contentserver.asp?t=p&p=an&k=ed472738&s=r&d=eric&ebscocontent=dgjymnlr40sep7y4zdnyolcmr0meqlbssqi4sbowxwxs&contentcustomer=dgjympgrrk+vrldmuepfgeyx44dt6fia%5cnhttp://ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/login?url=http://sea http://content.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/contentserver.asp?t=p&p=an&k=ed472738&s=r&d=eric&ebscocontent=dgjymnlr40sep7y4zdnyolcmr0meqlbssqi4sbowxwxs&contentcustomer=dgjympgrrk+vrldmuepfgeyx44dt6fia%5cnhttp://ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/login?url=http://sea https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/3816132 anisa sofarini & vina aini salsabila reaping the affordances and constraints of canvas-driven asynchronous online discussion boards (aodbs) 268 of engagement strategies in the online learning environment. online learning journal, 22(1), 205–222. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v22i1.1092 matthew, b., & ross, l. (2010). research methods: a practical guide for the social sciences. pearson education limited. mcgrenere, j., & ho, w. (2000). affordances: clarifying and evolving a concept. graphic interface, 2000, 179–186. mckinney, b. (2018). the impact of program-wide discussion board grading rubrics on students and faculty satisfaction. online learning journal, 22(2), 289–300. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v22i2.1386 mosweu, o., & ngoepe, m. (2019). skills and competencies for authenticating digital records to support audit process in botswana public sector. african journal of library, archives & information science, 29(1), 17-28. nettles, b., & futch, l. (2012). instructure canvas, ucf’s next lms!. faculty focus, 11(3), 2-3. norman, d. a. (1988). the psychology of everyday things. basic books. osborne, d. m., byrne, j. h., massey, d. l., & johnston, a. n. b. (2018). use of online asynchronous discussion boards to engage students, enhance critical thinking, and foster staff-student/student-student collaboration: a mixed method study. nurse education today, 70, 40–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.08.014 paynter, k., & barnes, j. (2021). moving from blackboard to canvas: what the research says, plus two professors’ experiences. international jl. on e-learning, 20(1), 5–16. http://www.jsu.edu/online/canvasup/ putman, s. m., ford, k., & tancock, s. (2012). redefining online discussions: using participant stances to promote collaboration and cognitive engagement. international journal of teaching and learning in higher education, 24(2), 151-167. rabionet, s. e. (2011). how i learned to design and conduct semi structured interviews: an ongoing and continuous journey. the qualitative report, 16(2), 563-566. http://dx.doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/20111070 ringler, i. , s. c., deem, j., flores, j., friestad-tate, j., & lockwood, r. (2015). improving the asynchronous online learning environment using discussion boards. i-manager’s journal of educational teachnology, 12(1), 15–27. scardamalia, m., & bereiter, c. (2021). knowledge building: advancing the state of community knowledge. international handbook of computer-supported collaborative learning, 261-279. smith, t. (2018, january 22). finding the right lms for your district. retrieved from https://www.techlearning.com/tl-advisorblog/finding-right-lms-for-district vaast, e., & kaganer, e. (2013). social media affordances and governance in the workplace: an examination of organizational policies. journal of computer-mediated communication, 19(1), 78–101. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12032 wilcox, d., thall, j., & griffin, o. (2016, march). one canvas, two audiences: how faculty and students use a newly adopted learning management system. in society for information technology & teacher education international conference (pp. 1163-1168). association for the advancement of computing in education (aace). wu, s. y., hou, h. t., hwang, w. y., & liu, e. z. f. (2013). analysis of learning behavior in problem-solving-based and project-based discussion activities within the seamless online learning integrated discussion (solid) system. journal of educational computing research, 49(1), 61-82. xie, k., durrington, v., & ling yen, l. (2011). relationship between students’ motivation and their participation in asynchronous online discussions. journal of online learning and teaching, 7(1), 17–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2011-1070 http://dx.doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2011-1070 https://www.techlearning.com/tl-advisor-blog/finding-right-lms-for-district https://www.techlearning.com/tl-advisor-blog/finding-right-lms-for-district english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 347 meta-analysis of mind mapping in vocabulary learning of the past decade winda sari department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah, indonesia email: sariwinda911@gmail.com ilham (corresponding author) department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah, indonesia email: ilham.ummataram@gmail.com hijril ismail department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah, indonesia email: hijrilismail@yahoo.com humaira department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah, indonesia email: humairah2299@gmail.com rima rahmaniah department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah, indonesia email: rimarahmaniah172@gmail.com irwandi department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah, indonesia email: irwandi@ummat.ac.id apa citation: sari, w., ilham., ismail, h., humaira., rahmaniah, r., & irwandi. (2023). meta-analysis of mind mapping in vocabulary learning of the past decade. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 347-356. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7610 received: 12-02-2023 accepted: 24-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction vocabulary acquisition plays a crucial role in mastering a language (susanto, 2017). it cannot be claimed that vocabulary plays a vital role in abstract: the type of research used is meta-analysis research aimed at determining the level of effectiveness or quality of mind mapping in vocabulary learning, including at elementary, middle, high school, and college levels. this quality was examined using several previous research results that collected data with inclusion and exclusion conditions from the google scholar, doaj, and scopus databases. the search results found up to 51 dates that met the requirements with the number of students (n), f-counts, tcounts, and r-counts. the results of data analysis obtained by the simulation software jasp showed that the impact on learning media vocabulary based on mind mapping is 73% significant, which included the high category. the highest level of education as a moderator variable, the impact of using mind mapping for teaching vocabulary is particularly significant at the high school level, with an estimated effect of 96%. based on the number of participants, the application of mind mapping has more influence on participants totaling more than 30 students with an estimate of 0.928 (strong category), while the lowest effect is seen from the number of participants who collected more than 91 students with an estimate of 0.529, meaning that this mind mapping learning model is most appropriate to be applied in high school rows with more than 30 participants to maximize student learning outcomes. keywords: level education; mind mapping; vocabulary. winda sari, ilham, hijril ismail, humaira, rima rahmaniah, & irwandi meta-analysis of mind mapping in vocabulary learning of the past decade 348 facilitating students to communicate both in spoken and written form (noprianto & purnawarman, 2019), vocabulary is very high in learning a language whether in historical or not (respati & nur, 2019), english vocabulary is considered one of the sub-skills of the four integrated skills (writing, reading, speaking and listening) (hasemhi, 2021), vocabulary is seen as an important component of language (basuki et al., 2018), a good command of vocabulary enables someone to communicate effectively with others and vice versa (octaviana et al., 2019), vocabulary acquisition is given a lot of attention in second language classes (otto, 2021), when learning a new language, learning vocabulary is key (abduramanova, 2020), the importance of new words is very often emphasized, both in books and in verbal communication (sabri et al., 2019), without mastering vocabulary, the students will get difficulties when they are communicating with each other (afzal, 2019; octaviani et al., 2019). this research is about mind-mapping media in learning vocabulary and how to influence mindmapping media in vocabulary. mind mapping is described by the online business dictionary as a graphical approach for visualizing interactions between many ideas or pieces of information (al shdaifat et al., 2019), using the mind mapping technique can create something new as it can stimulate thinking about the branch of association in which we have written (megawati et al., 2021), mind mapping is an educational technique that involves the visual implementation of ideas (alhajaji et al., 2020), mind mapping is a pattern that consists of at least images, symbols, and colors. these not only help students understand the vocabulary, but also make the students feel good, have fun, and engage their brains, eventually leading them to show interest in vocabulary mastery (setianingsih et al., 2019), mind maps have been used in foreign language teachings as a tool to activate imparting and supporting students with previous knowledge of a topic them in organizing and recalling vocabulary (luangkrajang, 2022), in other hand, mind mapping is a helpful learning tool students brainstorming any topic and thinking creatively (panggabean et al., 2019), in this study, mindmapping technique was chosen to be used in increasing students' vocabulary (delatu et al., 2020). the use of mind mapping-based vocabulary learning media at the elementary school level is increasing simultaneously (afriansya, 2019; alwattar & al-balhan, 2018; hanjani, 2018; kim & kim, 2012; kusuma, 2015; prabha & abdul aziz, 2020; muhammad et al., 2019; wu & chen, 2018). kusuma (2015) conducted an elementary school research discussing the results of the effect of mind mapping techniques on the vocabulary mastery with a total of 44 students and concluded that mind-mapping-based vocabulary learning media can improve student achievement with a count of r 0.801, while kim (2012) conducted a study discussing learning styles and educational outcomes with a total of 31 students using digital mind map as a study tool in elementary english class and obtained a t-score of 14.19. and also alwattar & al-balhan (2018) conducted a study on the effectiveness of the mind mapping strategy on the proficiency level of sixth-grade students in learning vocabulary with a total of 60 students and obtained an f-score of 1,684. some previous studies have also conducted research at the junior high school level such as (ansi & sambayu, 2020; el-beltagy, 2019; khalil et al., 2019; luangkrajang, 2022; riska, 2019; sahrawi, 2013; selvarajasingam et al., 2021; syafrizal et al., 2018; zahra, 2015). syafrizal et al (2018) has conducted research on the effectiveness of using mind mapping strategy and making inference toward students vocabulary achievement with a total of 30 students and obtained the result that mind mapping-based vocabulary learning media can improve student learning outcomes with an f value of 0.120, while sahrawi (2013) conducted research at the junior high school level which discusses the effectiveness of mind mapping for teaching vocabulary with 112 students and obtained the results that vocabulary learning with mind mapping media can improve learning outcomes with a calculated r value of 0.950, while zahra (2015) conducted research with a total of 32 students at middle school and concluded that mind mapping-based vocabulary learning media can improve students’ learning outcomes with a calculated r-value of 0.750. furthermore, in terms of studies dealing with the use of mind mapping research in senior high school, there are many studies has been carried out (elkareem et al., 2019; heidari & karimi, 2015; khodabandeh, 2021; nia & pratama, 2019; rahayu et al., 2019; waloyo, 2017; wikandari, 2022). (heidari & karimi, 2015) has conducted research at the senior high school level which discusses the effect of mind mapping on vocabulary learning can improve student learning english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 349 outcomes with a total of 40 students and obtained an f score of 721,210. (wikandari, 2022) also researched learning vocabulary using mind mapping can improve students learning outcomes with a total of 29 students and obtained an r value of 0.422, the last one is (khodabandeh, 2021) has conducted the research about the impact mind mapping can improve students vocabulary with a total of students 35 and obtained t score is 19.248. finally, the use of mind mapping based for vocabulary learning media is increasing at college level (al-jarf, 2015; alhajaji et al., 2020; badr & abu-ayyash, 2019; cao & ismail, 2022; hakim, 2022; khudhair, 2016; liu, 2016; masoud & ibrahim, 2017; putra, 2012; saed & omri, 2019). putra (2012) for example, has conducted research at the college level on the application of mind mapping techniques in vocabulary teaching with a total of 40 students and obtained an r value of 0.349, and also masoud & ibrahim (2017) researched mind mapping to teach vocabulary can improve students learning outcomes with a total of 62 students with an f score of 0.007, the last one is alhajaji (2020) conducted the research about the study investigating the effect of employing games, mind-mapping and twitter hashtags as the gmt technique, on female saudi university students’ achievement in english vocabulary can improve learning outcomes with a total of 64 students and obtained a t value is 0.122. from all the statements above, the information was gained that a lot of research related to mind mapping-based vocabulary learning media was done in learning. but so far there has been no research that further discusses the magnitude of the impact of the use of mind mapping on learning outcomes at all levels of education. and in this article, the author explains about impact mind mapping to teach vocabulary at all education levels such as collage, senior high school, junior high scholl, and elementary school. conducting a meta-analysis on mind mapping in vocabulary learning has several important reasons, including: (1) providing empirical evidence: meta-analysis allows us to collect, integrate and analyze existing research results on the use of mind mapping in vocabulary learning. thus, we can have a more comprehensive view of the effectiveness and success of using this method in vocabulary learning; (2) gain a deeper understanding: through meta-analysis, we can analyze data from various studies conducted previously. this allows us to gain a deeper understanding of the variability of the results, including the factors that influence the effectiveness of mind mapping in vocabulary learning; (3) providing practical guidance: the results of the meta-analysis can provide practical guidance for teachers, instructors, or educational practitioners in deciding whether mind mapping is an effective method to use in vocabulary learning. by looking at the overall results of existing research, metaanalysis can help provide recommendations that are based on empirical evidence; (4) identify the weaknesses and strengths of the method: through meta-analysis, we can identify the weaknesses and strengths of using mind mapping in vocabulary learning. by knowing this, we can identify areas for improvement or development, as well as understand when and in what contexts the method can provide the greatest benefit; and (5) providing a foundation for further research: meta-analysis can open the door for further research on the use of mind mapping in vocabulary learning. the results of this metaanalysis can serve as a foundation for researchers to identify remaining knowledge gaps and design more sophisticated follow-up studies. by conducting a meta-analysis on mind mapping in vocabulary learning, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding, provide practical guidance, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of this method. in addition, metaanalysis can also serve as a foundation for further research that can continue to enrich our understanding of the use of mind mapping in vocabulary learning. method this research is a kind of meta-analysis research. meta-analysis is research conducted by researchers in a way to collect research data, summarize, review, and analyze research data from several previous research results (ratu et al., 2022). the inclusion criteria (eligibility criteria) refer to research characteristics related to population issues based on level, country, year, variables related to "mind mapping-based vocabulary learning methods". the eligibility criteria refer to the characteristics of the publication, which is concerned in that year (studies published since 2012-2022), using full english, and the type of publication (article, journal, thesis). while the exclusion criteria are used to obtain articles that can be used for statistical analysis of meta-analysis from articles obtained based on inclusion criteria. the winda sari, ilham, hijril ismail, humaira, rima rahmaniah, & irwandi meta-analysis of mind mapping in vocabulary learning of the past decade 350 exclusion criteria are research data in the form of the number of samples (n), the percentage of each error indicator, the effect size (es) value, and the standard error (se) (syaharuddin et al., 2021). the procedure research, according to figure 1: figure 1. the procedure research (1) search articles from the google scholar indexer database, doaj, and scopus according to the criteria mentioned above. (2) microsoft excel encoding and tabulation includes year of publication, author name, country, level, class, value n, f-count, t-count, and r-count. (3) converting f and t values to r values with the formula: (1) 𝑡 = (2) r (3) (5) calculation of effect size (es) and standard error (se) values 𝑧 = 𝐸𝑆 = 0,5 (4) 𝑆𝐸 = (5) (6) run simulations and data analysis with jasp software. (7) the analysis of the results found from the articles is a data reference. (8) draw conclusions from the results of the metaanalysis. table 1. classification of glass's effect sizes effect size (es) category 𝐸𝑆 ≤ 0.15 negligible effect 0.15 < 𝐸𝑆 ≤ 0.40 small effect 0.40 < 𝐸𝑆 ≤ 0.75 moderate effect 0.75 < 𝐸𝑆 ≤ 1.10 high effect 1.10 < 𝐸𝑆 ≤ 1.45 very high effect 1.45 < 𝐸s high influence results and discussion data selection results the results of the data set search yielded 113 data, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria 51 and the data did not match the inclusion and exclusion criteria is 62. the data collected in this study are the fischer test score (f), student test (t), correlation test (r), and amount of research data (n). during the learning method, levels can also be processed or further data analysis can be carried out with certain conditions. from the collected data that there are values of f and t, these two values need to be changed to the value of r, as well as the value of es according to equation (4) and se according to equation (5). regarding the conversion results according to table 2 below. table 2. results of data selection and es and se values no study level n r es se category 1 study 1 junior high school 25 0.872 1.342 0.213 high effect 2 study 2 elementary school 31 0.935 1.696 0.189 high effect 3 study 3 collage 40 0.349 0.364 0.164 small effect 4 study 4 junior high school 112 0.950 1.831 0.096 high effect 5 study 5 collage 150 0.716 0.899 0.082 moderate effect 6 study 6 collage 60 0.009 0.009 0.132 negligible effect 7 study 7 junior high school 32 0.750 0.974 0.186 moderate effect 8 study 8 elementary school 26 0.486 0.531 0.209 moderate effect 9 study 9 collage 50 0.782 1.050 0.146 high effect 10 study 10 elementary school 23 0.584 0.669 0.224 moderate effect 11 study 11 collage 40 0.937 1.714 0.164 high effect 12 study 12 elementary school 18 0.509 0.561 0.258 moderate effect 13 study 13 collage 74 0.112 0.112 0.119 negligible effect 14 study 14 junior high school 25 0.806 1.117 0.213 high effect 15 study 15 collage 62 0.327 0.339 0.130 small effect 16 study 16 senior high school 36 0.892 1.431 0.174 high effect 17 study 17 elementary school 44 0.306 0.316 0.156 small effect 18 study 18 collage 60 0.745 0.961 0.132 moderate effect 19 study 19 collage 100 0.068 0.068 0.102 negligible effect english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 351 20 study 20 elementary school 80 0.394 0.416 0.114 small effect 21 study 21 collage 151 0.338 0.352 0.082 small effect 22 study 22 collage 21 0.316 0.327 0.236 small effect 23 study 23 elementary school 71 0.248 0.253 0.121 small effect 24 study 24 junior high school 77 0.304 0.313 0.116 small effect 25 study 25 junior high school 20 0.929 1.648 0.243 high effect 26 study 26 senior high school 69 0.917 1.569 0.123 high effect 27 study 27 junior high school 91 0.114 0.115 0.107 small effect 28 study 28 junior high school 116 0.278 0.286 0.094 small effect 29 study 29 senior high school 60 0.275 0.283 0.132 small effect 30 study 30 senior high school 66 0.606 0.703 0.126 moderate effect 31 study 31 collage 64 0.015 0.015 0.128 negligible effect 32 study 32 collage 90 0.214 0.217 0.107 small effect 33 study 33 elementary school 66 0.009 0.009 0.126 negligible effect 34 study 34 senior high school 69 0.917 1.569 0.123 high effect 35 study 35 senior high school 60 0.028 0.028 0.132 negligible effect 36 study 36 collage 72 0.695 0.858 0.120 moderate effect 37 study 37 collage 60 0.666 0.804 0.132 moderate effect 38 study 38 senior high school 50 0.973 2.154 0.146 high effect 39 study 39 collage 38 0.753 0.980 0.169 high effect 40 study 40 collage 40 0.076 0.076 0.164 negligible effect 41 study 41 collage 33 0.872 1.341 0.183 high effect 42 study 42 senior high school 35 0.958 1.924 0.177 high effect 43 study 43 collage 60 0.900 1.475 0.132 high effect 44 study 44 collage 79 0.117 0.117 0.115 high effect 45 study 45 collage 30 0.130 0.131 0.192 negligible effect 46 study 46 junior high school 40 0.536 0.598 0.164 moderate effect 47 study 47 senior high school 22 0.422 0.450 0.229 moderate effect 48 study 48 collage 42 0.410 0.435 0.160 moderate effect 49 study 49 senior high school 64 0.810 1.127 0.128 high effect 50 study 50 collage 42 0.735 0.940 0.160 moderate effect 51 study 51 senior high school 29 0.154 0.155 0.196 small effect based on table 2. above, which contains 51 eligible data. divided into 7 data from the elementary school level, 9 data from the junior high school level, 11 data from the high school level, and 24 from the college level. next, the authors performed a hypothesis test and a publication bias test on the collected data. in a meta-analysis using jasp software seen while concluding, the z and p values are shown in the coefficient table. the hypothesis is as follows: hypothesis 1: using mind mapping is effective to improve student learning outcomes in vocabulary learning hypothesis 2: there is no publication bias from the data used in the research hypothesis test in the first stage, a heterogeneity test was carried out to see the categories data whether using fixed or random effects. as for the results according to table 3. table 3. fixed and random effects q df p omnibus test of model coefficients 75.082 1 < .001 test of residual heterogeneity 964.368 50 < .001 from jasp's results obtained via vocabulary learning media using mind mapping analysis, it can be seen that the data are heterogeneous with a large q=964,368 and a value of p<0.001. next, consider the estimate of the mind mapping in vocabulary learning according to table 4. table 4. output jasp coefficients estimat e standard error z p intercep t 0.73 4 0.08 5 8.66 5 < .00 1 note. wald test. in table 4 on the coefficients, you can see that the z-score is 8,665 and the p-value is 0.001, less than the 5% significance level (0.05). this means that the hypothesis is accepted, in this case, the true effect size is not equal to 0, in other words, all vocabulary learning based on mind mapping winda sari, ilham, hijril ismail, humaira, rima rahmaniah, & irwandi meta-analysis of mind mapping in vocabulary learning of the past decade 352 has a significant impact on student learning outcomes 75%, while 25%% of other factors are influenced. a publication bias test was performed. this test is performed to see if the data collected can be used as representative of the population. this test can be viewed by the value in the returned rank correlation and regression test. based on the results using jasp, the output shown in table 5 and table 6 below is obtained. table 5. rank correlation kendall's τ p rank test 0.217 0.026 table 6. regression test regression test for funnel plot asymmetry ("egger's test") z p 1.381 0.167 table 7. file drawer analysis fail-safe n target significance observed significance rose nthal 23957.000 0.050< .001 in table 5 for rank correlation and regression, kendall's score on mind mapping learning media can be seen as 0.217, indicating a large correlation coefficient between effect sizes and variance. in table 6, the value of z represents the magnitude of the regression coefficient of 1.381 and the p-value of 0.167 is greater than the value of 0.05, showing that the second hypothesis is accepted, in other words, no identified publication bias. table 7 shows how many studies that have an average effect size equal to 0 that should be added to the in the research sample so that the research results free from publication bias. figure 2. funnel plot based on the results of the publication plotted in fig. above, it can be seen that no missing studies are marked as open circles, all closed circles. in addition, from the forest plot image, a summary effect value of 0.73 with words, which is impacted by another effect of the mind mapping learning model, increases student motivation and learning outcomes by 73%, while 27% through other factors are influenced. finally, the author conducted a moderator variable test to see the level of influence of several other variables such as level of education, country, publication years, and a number of participants. the results are according to the table below. the influence of mind mapping on vocabulary based on education level and country moderator variable analysis is needed to determine how much influence mind mapping as a vocabulary learning media has on education and country levels. table 8. the influence of mind mapping based on level education and country variable interval n q-test estimate i2 (%) re model category level college 24 286.787 0.569 92.556 0.57[0.57,0.90] moderate effect senior high school 11 251.259 1.039 96.191 1.04[0.60,1.84] high effect junior high school 9 226.849 0.900 95.248 0.90[0.49,1.31] high effect elementary school 7 75.570 0.606 93.410 0.61[0.18,1.03] moderate effect country indonesia 20 452.141 0.788 95.902 0.79[0.51,1.07] high effect non-indonesia 31 452.757 0.698 94.018 0.70[0.49,091] moderate effect the table above shows that the effect of using mind mapping media in learning vocabulary at the educational level is relatively strong at the high school level with an estimate of 1,039 (high effect), while at the college level it is 0,569 (moderate effect), at the junior high school level it is 0,900 (high effect), and finally at the elementary level it is 0,606 (moderate effect). this shows that mind mapping-based vocabulary learning media is very suitable for use at the senior high school level due to the following reasons: (1) concept linkage: at the high school level, students need to develop a deeper understanding of the relationships between concepts in language. mind mapping allows students to illustrate the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 353 relationships and associations between words, clarifying language structures and patterns. by seeing these visualizations, students can more easily associate and remember new vocabulary. (2) information organization: mind mapping helps students organize information in a structured way. in vocabulary teaching, students can group words by topic, category, or context of use. this helps students understand the context in which words are used and makes them easier to remember and apply in relevant situations. (3) visual and creative activity: mind mapping involves visual and creative aspects, which suits the learning styles of many students at the high school level. students can use colors, images, and symbols to enrich their mind maps, create stronger associations in their minds, and ease comprehension and retention of vocabulary. (4) development of visual thinking skills: mind mapping involves the use of visual thinking skills, which are important in developing vocabulary comprehension. students can draw visual representations of words, describing synonyms, antonyms, or other relationships. this helps students see the big picture of vocabulary and understand how words are interrelated, thus improving their comprehension and use in the right context. (5) active participation and collaboration: mind mapping allows students to actively participate in the learning process. they can create their own mind maps, collaborate in groups, and share their ideas and knowledge with classmates. this activity not only strengthens vocabulary understanding, but also builds students' social and cooperation skills. (6) use of technology: in today's digital age, there are many tools and apps that allow students to create mind maps digitally. this can increase students' interest and enrich their learning experience. students can use interactive mind mapping software or apps, with features such as colors, images, and easy editing, thus making the learning process more interesting and interactive. by using mind mapping in vocabulary teaching in senior high school, students can develop deeper understanding, improve visual thinking skills, and actively engage themselves in the learning process. mind mapping can also enrich students' learning experience through visual, creative and collaborative aspects. and also the use of mind mapping in indonesia is very suitable for use because the estimate is 0.788 (high effect) while outside indonesia the estimate is 0.698 (moderate effect). the influence of mind mapping on vocabulary based on moderators’ variable at this stage, the author analyzes the data to determine the level of influence of learning outcomes using mind mapping when viewed based on publication years, and amount of participants. the following table presents jasp output based on publication years and amount of participant. table 9. the influence of mind mapping based on publication years and participants variable interval n q-test estimate i2 (%) re model category publications year 2012-2019 30 534.322 0.734 94.508 0.73[0.53,0.94] moderate effect 2020-2022 21 964.368 0.734 94.850 0.73[0.57,0.90] moderate effect amount of participants 0-30 10 48.978 0.688 81.575 0.69[0.37,100] moderate effect 31-60 21 358.277 0.928 94.316 0.93[0.65,1.20] high effect 61-90 14 257.796 0.543 95.005 0.54[0.26,0.83] moderate effect more than 91 6 245.568 0.529 98.108 0.59[0.05,1.13] moderate effect at the publication years interval, mind mapping has the same effect on vocabulary learning because the estimates for 2012-2019 and 2020-2022 are the same as the estimate of 0,734 in the high category. finally, in the category of a number of participants, mind mapping is very influential with the number of participants being more than 31 people with an estimate of 0.928. conclusion based on the results of this study, mind mapping is very influential on vocabulary learning where the results show that 73% of the value of its influence on student learning outcomes is included in the high category. then, it can be seen from the moderator table that the most influential on mind mapping media in vocabulary learning is at the high school level with an estimate of 1,039, the effect on student learning outcomes which is the very strong category. meanwhile, at the college level, the effect is quite low the estimate is only 0.569 which is included in the low category. there is no difference in effect size or impact before or after covid-19 it can be seen in the publication years with an re model of 73%. and also the use of mind mapping winda sari, ilham, hijril ismail, humaira, rima rahmaniah, & irwandi meta-analysis of mind mapping in vocabulary learning of the past decade 354 in indonesia is very suitable for use because the estimate is 0.788, while outside indonesia the estimate is 0.698. furthermore, from the moderator table. meanwhile, judging from the number of participants, 31-60 had the most influence on vocabulary. which has little influence found in participants with several more than 91 with an estimate of 0.529. from the above findings, it can be seen that high school has a very high impact therefore we suggest that future researchers examine the research focus 1. the implementation of mind mapping for teaching vocabulary at the high school level further 2. examine the shortcomings of mind mapping in teaching vocabulary at the college level because we found that the effect size in college is only 57%. references abduramanova, d. v. (2020). innovative techniques of teaching vocabulary in the second language classroom. science and education, 1(2), 34–38. afriansya, i. (irfan). (2019). the effectiveness of mind mapping technique to teach students' speaking ability at the tenth grade students of sman 1 jatiwangi in the academic year 2017/2018. journal of english language learning, 3(1), 318830. https://www.neliti.com/publications/318830/ afzal, n. (2019). a study on vocabulary-learning problems encountered by ba english majors at the university level of education. arab world english journal, 10(3), 81–98. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no3.6 al-jarf, r. (2015). a model for enhancing efl freshman students’ vocabulary with mindmapping software. the journal of teaching english for specific and academic purposes, 3(3), 509–520. al shdaifat, s., al-haq, f. a. a., & al-jamal, d. (2019). the impact of an e-mind mapping strategy on improving basic stage students’ english vocabulary. jordan journal of modern languages and literatures, 11(3), 385–402. alhajaji, b. h., algmadi, j. s., & metwally, a. a. (2020). exploring the success of gmt technique: games, mind-mapping, and twitter hashtags in teaching vocabulary in efl higher education environment. international journal of higher education, 9(3), 290–299. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v9n3p290 alwattar, n. y., & al-balhan, e. m. (2018). the effectiveness of the e-mind mapping strategyfor sixth-grade students’ achievement level in learning arabic vocabulary in kuwait. new educational review, 53(3), 115–125. https://doi.org/10.15804/tner.2018.53.3.10 ansi, r. y., & sambayu, h. (2020). the effectivness of schemata technique in speaking skills to grade viii students at mrs. nurul hikmah tinjowan in school year 2019/2020. jurnal pionir lppm universitas asahan, 7(3), 110–120. badr, h. m., & abu-ayyash, e. a. s. (2019). semantic mapping or rote memorisation: which strategy is more effective for students’ acquisition and memorization of l2 vocabulary? journal of education and learning, 8(3), 158–174. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v8n3p158 basuki, y., damayanti, a., & dewi, s. u. (2018). vocabulary coursebook for efl learners of higher education in indonesia. international journal of education and literacy studies, 6(4), 122-130. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.6n.4p.122 cao, d., & ismail, l. (2022). effect of vocabulary mind mapping through youdao dict. on vocabulary learning of undergraduates with high and low motivation. linguistics and culture review, 6(august), 603–621. https://doi.org/10.21744/lingcure.v6ns2.2201 delatu, t. a., wowor, d. j., & kamagi, s. (2020). increasing student vocabulary by using mind mapping technique at smpn 2 bitung. e-clue journal of english, culture, language, literature, and education published by english education department faculty of languages and arts, 8(2), 88–96. el-beltagy, a. e. (2019). using ecletic teaching strategies to develop english speaking skills among efl prepatory stage students. joumal of university performance development (jupd), 8(2), 43–61. elkareem, a., abed, g., & hazaimeh, e. al. (2019). effectiveness of electronic concept maps in improving speaking skills among third primary grade in both taibeh and westieh brigades in irbid governorate. journal of advances in education and philosophy, 3(5), 204–211. https://doi.org/10.21276/jaep.2019.3.5.2 hakim, l. (2022). implementation of mind mapping technique in teaching vocabulary. international journal of multicultural and multireligious understanding, 9(3), 73–81. hanjani, a. m. (2018). applied research on english language vocabulary learning. applied research on english language, 7(2), 273–292. http://uijs.ui.ac.ir/are hashemi, a. (2021). the effects of using games on teaching vocabulary in reading comprehension: a case of gifted students. journal for the education of gifted young scientists, 9(june), 181–191. https://doi.org/10.17478/jegys.846480 heidari, a. a., & karimi, l. (2015). the effect of mind mapping on vocabulary learning and retention. international journal of educational investigations, 2(12), 54–72. khalil, a. h., nagar, b. e. d. e. el, & awad, m. a. e. m. (2019). the effect of active learning on english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 355 developing the efl speaking skills of the saudi kindergarten students in saudi arabia. international journal of humanities and social science, 14(3), 103–116. https://doi.org/10.30845/ijhss.v9n11a9 khodabandeh, f. (2021). the comparison of mind mapping‐based flipped learning approach on introvert and extrovert efl learners’ speaking skill. iranian journal of english for academic purposes, 10(1), 35–53. http://journalscmu.sinaweb.net/article_126314.h tml khudhair, n. k. (2016). the impact of applying mind mapping technique as a prewriting tool on efl college students in essay writing. j. of college of education for women, 27(1), 426–436. kim, s., & kim, m. (2012). kolb’s learning styles and educational outcome: using digital mind map as a study tool in elementary english class. international journal for educational media and technology, 6(1), 4–13. kusuma, e. (2015). the effect of mind mapping techniques on the vocabulary mastery of second grade students of elementary school. wahana, 65(2), 83–87. liu, g. (2016). application of mind mapping method in college english vocabulary teaching. open journal of modern linguistics, 06(03), 202– 206. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojml.2016.63021 luangkrajang, m. s. (2022). use of mind-mapping in language learning: a cognitive approach. theory and practice in language studies, 12(8), 1616–1621. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1208.18 masoud, h., & ibrahim, o. (2017). the effectiveness of using an e-mind mapping software based program in developing faculty of education 2nd year english majors’ vocabulary acquisition and use. journal of research in curriculum instruction and educational technology, 3(4), 177–224. https://doi.org/10.21608/jrciet.2017.24441 megawati, m., yuliwati, y., & harimurti, e. r. (2021). the effect mind mapping technique and vocabulary mastery on student’s writing skill. journal of english educational study (jees), 4(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.31932/jees.v4i1.793 nia, n. y., & pratama, p. (2019). teaching reading comprehension by using mind mapping technique. english empower, 4(1), 22–30. https://ejournal.unitaspalembang.ac.id/index.php /eejll/article/view/142 noprianto, e., & purnawarman, p. (2019). efl students’ vocabulary learning strategies and their affixes knowledge. journal of language and linguistic studies, 15(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.547730 octaviana, i. t., rahmah, r. e., & puspitasari, d. (2019). the use of codenames game to help students in learning vocabulary. vision: journal for language and foreign language learning, 8(2), 102–117. https://doi.org/10.21580/vjv8i23770 octaviani, r., handayani, i., & hamer, w. (2019). applying board race game to increase students’ vocabulary mastery in uttayan suksa krabi school, thailand. journal of english education studies, 2(2), 101–110. https://doi.org/10.30653/005.201922.40 otto, p. (2021). choosing specialized vocabulary to teach with data-driven learning: an example from civil engineering. english for specific purposes, 61, 32–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2020.08.003 panggabean, w. s., lubis, f., lubis, r. f., agama, i., negeri, i., & padangsidimpuan, i. (2019). mind mapping on students’ writing descriptive text. iain padang sidimpuan, 07(02), 1–11. http://jurnal.iainpadangsidimpuan.ac.id/index.php/eej/article/vie w/2233 prabha, a., & abdul aziz, a. (2020). effectiveness of using poly category mind map for vocabulary development. arab world english journal, 11(2), 214–231. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no2.15 putra, p. p. (2012). the use of mind mapping strategy in the teaching of writing at sman 3 bengkulu, indonesia. international jurnal of humanities and science, 2(21), 60–68. rahayu, a., salim, a. bin, & natsir, r. y. (2019). the effectiveness of mind mapping technique to improve the students’ speaking skill at the eleventh grade of sma muhammadiyah 1 unismuh. jurnal keguruan dan ilmu pendidikan (jkip), 6(2), 225–233. ratu, h., negara, p., & sucipto, l. (2022). perbandingan hasil belajar berdasarkan penggunaan software maple dan geogebra: sebuah meta analisis. justek : jurnal sains dan teknologi, 5(1), 1–10. respati, h. r., & nur, m. r. o. (2019). word of the day on dictionary.com how future teachers help students’ in vocabulary learning? 3rd english language and literature international conference (ellic), 3, 101–108. riska. (2019). using mind mapping to teach speaking skill to the tenth grade students of man palopo. in iain palopo (vol. 8, issue 5). sabri, m. m. z., pratolo, b. w., & basopi, p. (2019). how daily code mixing becomes a new strategy for teaching vocabulary mastery. journal of education and learning (edulearn), 13(4), 534–542. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v13i4.13372 muhammad, f. s, elshazly, y., ellatif, a., & ali, h. a. e. m. (2019). using mind mapping as a visual literacy technique for developing efl vocabulary learning among primary school winda sari, ilham, hijril ismail, humaira, rima rahmaniah, & irwandi meta-analysis of mind mapping in vocabulary learning of the past decade 356 pupils. journal of faculty of education, 30(1), 75–90. https://doi.org/10.21608/jfeb.2019.61282 saed, d. h. a., & omri, d. h. a. al. (2019). the effectiveness of a proposed program based on a mind mapping strategy in developing the writing achievement of eleventh grade efl students in jordan. education and practice, 5(18), 88–110. sahrawi. (2013). the effectiveness of mind mapping for teaching vocabulary to the eighth grade students of smp negeri 3 sungai kakap in academic year 2013/2014. jurnal pendidikan bahasa, 2(2), 236–247. selvarajasingam, s., nair, s. m., & wider, w. (2021). the effects of utilizing i-think mind map in teaching short stories. international journal of arts humanities and social sciences studies, 6(9), 2582–1601. setianingsih, t., rosihan, m., & pardani, s. (2019). the use of mind mapping to improve motivation in learning vocabulary of second grade students at mts nw mipalah praya. journal of languages and language teaching, 6(2), 125– 133. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v6i2.1264 susanto, a. (2017). the teaching of vocabulary: a perspective. jurnal kata, 1(2), 182-190. https://doi.org/10.22216/jk.v1i2.2136 syafrizal, s., fitriani, u. i., & gailea, n. (2018). the effectiveness of using mind mapping strategy and making inference toward students’ vocabulary achievement. international journal of english literature and social sciences, 3(4), 638–648. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijels.3.4.22 waloyo, e. (2017). the implementation of mind mapping technique in teaching writing: a case study at man 13 jakarta. elt echo : the journal of english language teaching in foreign language context, 2(1), 72-82. https://doi.org/10.24235/eltecho.v2i1.1596 wikandari, y. d. (2022). the strategy of mind mapping towards teaching reading comprehension of the eleventh grade students. journal of diversity in learning, 2(1), 194–202. wu, t. t., & chen, a. c. (2018). combining e-books with mind mapping in a reciprocal teaching strategy for a classical chinese course. computers and education, 116, 64–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2017.08.012 zahra, t. (2015). male learners vocabulary achievement through concept mapping and mind mapping: differences and similarities. educational research and reviews, 10(7), 790– 798. https://doi.org/10.5897/err2015.2158 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 133 east java ludruk: pragmatic learning perspective oriented character education liesna andriany indonesian language and literature education program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas islam sumatera utara email: liesna.andriany@fkip.uisu.ac.id purwarno purwarno english literature study program, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: purwarno@sastra.uisu.ac.id saiful anwar matondang english literature study program, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: saiful.matondang@fkip.uisu.ac.id efendi barus english literature study program, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: efendi_uisu@yahoo.com mustofa indonesian language education program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas darul ‘ulum lamongan email: tofa09@gmail.com apa citation: andriany, l., purwarno, p., matondang, s. a., barus, e., & mustofa. (2023). east java ludruk: pragmatic learning perspective oriented character education. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 133-142. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7316 received: 24-10-2022 accepted: 21-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction a cultured generation of the nation needs various efforts, one of which must be done through education, from elementary to tertiary level. this institution plays an important role in shaping the character of the nation (ismail & winarni, 2019). one of the important educational programs in shaping people who have good personal and social qualities is through character education. character education is an education to shape one's personality through education, which is expected to improve one's character, the results of which can be seen in one's real actions, namely in the form of good behavior, honesty, responsibility, respecting the rights of others, hard work and so on (komalasari & saripudin, 2018). educational institutions play an important role in forming human resources who are cultured, have character, identity, and have global competitiveness so that they are able to win world competition. furthermore, the human development referred to in this study is human development that leads to changes in attitudes, behavior, and lifestyles for the better. thus, the indonesian nation has human resources with abstract: the east java ludruk show contains many moral values, and one of which contained in the east java ludruk text is the value of character education as the character building of the nation. this research aims to reveal moral values as the character building of the nation contained in the east java ludruk text by paying attention to linguistic (verbal and nonverbal) and non-linguistic (social, cultural, political, and religious) aspects by applying pragmatic learning based on critical discourse analysis so that character students can easily understand moral values found in the text of the east jawa ludruk. in addition, this research also aims to reveal that pragmatic learning in east java ludruk texts is also very important and needs to be understood by language teachers because the pragmatics emphasized in this study reveal good speech acts according to pragmatic rules, how to speak according to whom, to whom, where, and how. the results of this study indicate that human values related to the formation of the nation's character are found in the ludruk text of east java. in addition, the role of pragmatic learning in east java's ludruk text is also very important to facilitate language teachers in expressing good speech acts according to pragmatic learning rules. keywords: character education; east javanese ludruk; learning; pragmatic. mailto:saiful.matondang@fkip.uisu.ac.id liesna andriany, purwarno purwarno, saiful anwar matondang, efendi barus, & mustofa east java ludruk: pragmatic learning perspective oriented character education 134 character and identity. to achieve this, we can help students gain meaningful academic knowledge, evolve their relationship with others, and promote their overall wellbeing by humanizing education (tan, 2022). similarly, freeman et al. (2020) posit that humanity is non-negotiable and there is a need to create humanizing spaces for learning and teaching. the next generation of this country must have a strong identity and character in accordance with the national culture (ismail & winarni, 2019). curriculums that have been prepared for education must emphasize character education so that in the future, the indonesian nation does not lose its identity therefore, various ethics and character education are very important to be instilled in good values in attitudes and behavior (mukadas & florentinus, 2017). one of the character educations that reveals good and bad is in the east java ludruk (chan et al., 2019). ludruk is considered as an appreciation of a social culture that holds high moral and philosophical values (fatimah, 2021). in this case, ludruk is positioned as a discourse that responds to, criticizes, or describes a certain social situation in society which is then communicated to the public (breeze, 2011). every act of communication always contains interests, especially communication through written media; it is fair to say that every act of communication in the work of east java ludruk is a discourse that links linguistic elements together with non-linguistic elements to act out individual or social activities, views, or identities. this non-linguistic form can be in the form of speech that occurs between speakers and speech partners in the form of text in a dialogue between a character and another character. the text of east java ludruk would be analyzed with pragmatics. pragmatics teaches how to speak, not learn about language (monroe et al., 2017). learning language means learning about language ethics, communication ethics, learning to maintain relationships with others, learning about politeness, learning about how to keep the language we use from putting other people's faces down (welsing et al., 2017) of that cannot be separated from the cultural values that exist in the communities where they interact. therefore, pragmatics in this study is very important in order to realize character education for the next generation of this nation. in english language teaching context, language teachers are encouraged to figure out how they can reach the objective. one way to do so is by understanding pragmatics in english language teaching (elt) materials (nurdiana, 2019). in addition, in order to maintain harmony in a multicultural society like this, pragmatics is important with how a speech community uses their language, what strategies are used to establish and maintain inter-ethnic relations and so on (khalaf & rashid, 2019). the choice of how to express a speech is governed by pragmatic conditions which in turn are governed by the prevailing cultural values of society (goldstein et al., 2018). thus, it can be concluded that there is relevance between cultural values and the realization of intercultural speech acts and language behavior. pragmatics is part of the communicative competence components. communicative competence includes linguistic knowledge and cultural knowledge (monroe et al., 2017). in relation to language teaching, students are not sufficiently equipped with grammatical competencies, but students must also be given other competencies, namely cultural competence (goldstein et al., 2018). teachers need to know and understand the field of pragmatics. the understanding of pragmatics is not a sub-discipline but is pragmatic in a practical sense, namely how to express good speech acts according to pragmatic principles, how to speak according to who speaks to whom, where, how and so on (lu, 2019). what teachers also need to know is when to express messages through implicates. in addition, in order to maintain harmony in this multicultural society, pragmatic learning in the east java ludruk text is associated with a learning perspective based on critical discourse analysis. this study is very important, because this learning is related to how a speech community uses their language which is studied based on linguistics and culture (monroe et al., 2017). this study is expected that efforts to establish and maintain inter-ethnic and interethnic relationships can be carried out in harmony without presenting negative thoughts from students for their survival. therefore, this paper discusses how the east javanese ludruk performance is associated with the pragmatic perspective of local wisdom character education. pragmatic teaching is also assumed to play a role in shaping the character of a cultured nation through learning ludruk performance texts (ismail & winarni, 2019). the development of linguistic science shows changes in analyzing language in the east javanese ludruk not only structurally but also functionally, and a critical discourse analysis approach is also used (fairclough & wodak, 1997). critical discourse analysis is assumed to be very relevant for analyzing information in the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 135 east javanese ludruk text. through critical discourse analysis, students can show which information is useful for society, not only being able to choose information that is important to themselves (lu, 2019). what is interesting to study here is the reality of the language used in conversations between characters and other characters in the east javanese ludruk text, which is formulated or formed in neutrality. ludruk is one of the traditional drama arts originating from east java. this ludruk traditional drama was performed in an art group that was held on a stage that had previously been decorated by taking stories about the daily lives of the people, stories from local myths, stories of struggle, and not infrequently even taking chronicles from the local area (ramadhan et al., 2021). ludruk including theatrical performance contains elements of motion, singing (kidungan), music, decoration, stories, and others. ludruk usually takes folklore, history, and daily life that are worth rising in an educational environment (pudjastawa et al., 2019). the word ludruk comes from the javanese language of the ngoko level in east java which means clown. ludruk has an etymological meaning which is obtained from various relevant information. the term ludruk is derived from ludruk artists and cultural figures. etymologically, the word ludruk comes from the words molo-molo and gedrak-gedruk. molo-molo means that the mouth is full of sugi tobacco (and the word molo, is an activity when speaking there is still tobacco in the speaker's mouth), this activity seems to be vomiting up, and after that the words of chanting and dialogue come out staged. the word gedrakgedruk means foot stomping when people are angry or emotional. ludruk is one of the traditional arts and regional cultures originating from east java. more specifically, ludruk is a traditional folk performance drama with a story that is closely related to everyday life through its symbolic signs (rachmasari & permatasari, 2020). in general, ludruk begins with remo, an east javanese cultural dance, which depicts courage prince while fighting on the battlefield. remo dance as an introduction the show originally includes a simple dance when viewed from the aspect of motion, clothing, and appearance patterns. on further developments, the artists carry out various innovations on remo dance and ludruk, in which both are also often used as a driving force related to reality and political. besides dancing, there are two other things that ludruk art figures also performed in on stage, namely speaking and sing or better known as kindung chant (ongko et al., 2022). in its performance, ludruk is always synonymous with the role of women (thandhak) played by men (taufiq & sukatman, 2014). in order to get the needed information, the interview, the interview was conducted with k. h. muhlisin, a religious leader and administrator of the tanwirul qulub sungelebak islamic boarding school, karanggeneng, lamongan, east java was held on july 17, 2019. muhlisin explains that the origin of this thandhak was influenced by the culture of the pesantren in east java, which prohibits women from sharing the same stage with men. the uniqueness of ludruk players to date is that they are still traditional arts that are identical to the existence of the players, namely male players who dress up as women. in addition, at this time playing ludruk cannot be used as a source of income so they have to find other jobs to make ends meet. the interview was also carried out with dr. heru subrata, m. hum., lecturer at the state university of surabaya on july 27, 2019. subrata states that the existence of this low-paying ludruk player on the other hand is one of the factors in ludruk art that continues to this day. ludruk is an art that is still alive and has active heirs in agrarian and non-agricultural areas. ludruk is also an art that has active and passive heirs that are scattered in various regions (massar et al., 2018). however, in line with the growth of global cultural products, especially pop arts, the position of ludruk art are increasingly being squeezed (taufiq & sukatman, 2014). ludruk can survive because the plays that are staged are very actual and familiar with local culture, in the form of fairy tales, legends, or historical and life stories that use the language of the people who are very communicative and pay attention to their pragmatics as a communal language accompanied by very entertaining jokes (setiawan & suyanto, 2017). in addition to functioning as entertainment, ludruk also functions as a disclosure of the atmosphere of the life of the supporting community. besides that, ludruk is also often used as a channel for social criticism or for the sake of celebrations (sisnia & abdillah, 2021). in this research, the life in ludruk plays is studied based on the narrative used. thus, it can be said that ludruk is expected to provide information about how inspiration appears as an example or social protest related to the condition of society through language (tuturan) that emerges from speakers and interlocutors in the east javanese ludruk performance (palmer et al., 2019). liesna andriany, purwarno purwarno, saiful anwar matondang, efendi barus, & mustofa east java ludruk: pragmatic learning perspective oriented character education 136 in the context of cultural history, ludruk art is an agrarian tradition that has developed in the east java region and has given birth to several forms of agrarian art which were still alive and well. it can be seen that the development of ludruk is an indicator that this traditional theater is still desirable (martarosa et al., 2019). in addition, the existence of ludruk can only be seen in some cities in east java, especially the arek and pandalungan cultural areas that still have many ludruk art groups. pragmatics is related to the ways of using language in a speech society (khalaf & rashid, 2019). in this case, pragmatics discovers how the speech community uses their language, how speech acts are expressed in speech events whether directly or indirectly, what is the right strategy in communicating (goldstein et al., 2018). all of this is regulated in pragmatic principles. the study of pragmatics is tending to relate it with the meaning of words that people used within their social situations and choice of the words in a context (mazulfah, 2019). the use of the language is regulated by pragmatic conditions which are closely related to cultural values (leech, 2011; leech, 2016). culture and language are like two sides of a coin because they are closely related. this fact is reflected in pragmatics (khalaf & rashid, 2019). in the life of the nation and state, language has a very important function in human life. language is not only a means of communication, but language also accompanies the human thought process. language has three functions, namely: (1) communicative function, (2) cognitive function, and (3) emotive function (carotenuto et al., 2018). in english language teaching, pragmatic is very important because the four language skills in language learning such as reading writing, listening and speaking do not occur in isolation in communicative texts or activities (mazulfah, 2019). character education in east javanese ludruk is found in the elements forming ludruk, ngremo, jokes, stories, and kidungan (taufiq & sukatman, 2014). national character education is essentially a person's character, character, morals, or personality which is formed from the internalization of various policies (virtues) that are believed and used as a basis for point of view, thinking, attitude, and action (ismail & winarni, 2019). the source of these values comes from religion, pancasila, the goal of national education which is implemented in 18 character values, namely: religious, honest, tolerance, discipline, hard work, creative, independent, democratic, curiosity, national spirit, love for the country, respect for achievement, friendly / communicative, love peace, love to read, care about the environment, care about social, responsibility. character education is a planned effort to make students recognize, care for, and internalize the values of life contained in the east javanese ludruk text so that students behave as perfect humans (jamaluddin, 2013). in its implementation, national character education can be conveyed in language learning, namely in the text of east javanese ludruk in a pragmatic learning perspective with the hope that students as national cadres have humane behavior (kamaruddin, 2012; wartini, 2015). character education is a conscious and planned human effort in terms of educating as well as empowering students with the aim of building students' personal character. of course this is done so that later students become individuals who are beneficial to themselves and many people. thus, it can be concluded that character education must be carried out with a humanism approach, namely students in educational units must be instilled in moral values so that they can prevent prohibited behavior. method research on the east java ludruk show used qualitative methods, which prioritize the depth of appreciation of the interaction between concepts that are being studied empirically (hansen et al., 2020). in addition, the qualitative method is a research procedure that produces descriptive data in the form of written or spoken words from people and observable behavior (phillipson & hammond, 2018). this written or oral data can be obtained from people who are being observed and researched while they are performing. the qualitative research approach to the east java ludruk show uses a holistic approach, namely research that takes into account other forms, or cultural backgrounds that have links to other cultural forms or elements (gualdron & castillo, 2018). thus, in the research of east java ludruk performance, the religion, economy, ideology, and even the system of the layers of society will be known. to obtain data or information in this study, observation, interview, recording, and recording were used. the observation technique used in this research is direct observation, which is a tool to test the truth so that the data obtained is truly valid data, because the way to go is to observe for you, which is to know the events directly. direct observation english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 137 in this study, with the intention of producing descriptive field notes of how the actual east java ludruk performance was, so that in the end the data from the observations matched the data generated from the moleong interview (phillipson & hammond, 2018). the interview technique is carried out by using conversation, which aims to convey a specific purpose. the conversation was carried out by two parties, namely the interviewer who asked the question and the interviewee. interviews were used directly with informants to obtain data about the east javanese ludruk art. interviews were conducted with informants who know the ins and outs of east javanese ludruk. the results of the interview are recorded and if something is unclear it can be written down so that mistakes do not occur. in this study, the recording technique was used in the original context, meaning that the recording was deliberately carried out / held during the show. this recording is done to obtain optimal data, when recording is used a video shooting. the observations made in this study still play a large role. however, observation cannot stand alone, meaning that it cannot be done without recording the data. recording according to the things made by the researcher, which concerns the issue of recording, informants, and materials (phillipson & hammond, 2018). analysis in this qualitative research used descriptive analysis and meaning analysis. descriptive analysis technique is a data analysis technique that describes the data as it is, giving rise to clarity and convenience for readers (saldaña et al., 2018). descriptive analysis according to (harlem, 2020; yang & lee, 2019) functions to find out things related to the structure of the show, to find out the relevance of east javanese ludruk and its supporting communities, and knowing the cultural values contained in the east javanese ludruk show. meaning analysis is a scientific analysis that contains the message content of a communication (amundsen & sánchez-hernández, 2019). the meaning analysis in this study is to determine the meanings contained in the east javanese ludruk text and to know the meaning of the symbols contained in the show as well as the meanings of symbols contained in the east javanese ludruk text (nolan & britton, 2018). results and discussion research on the east javanese ludruk show resulted in matters related to the structure of the show, the relevance of the east javanese ludruk to the supporting community, and the character values contained in the east javanese ludruk show. the east javanese ludruk show has a fixed structure consisting of ngremo, jokes, and stories. furthermore, each part of the structure will be explained, namely memos, jokes, and stories related to the supporting community and character values. ngremo remo dance is a dance that developed in various regions, namely jombang, surabaya, malang and mojokerto. in its development, there are 3 main versions of remo dance, namely remo surabayan, jombangan and malangan dances (prahardana, 2021). remo dance presented in ludruk usually has a distinctive feature, namely kidungan (singing) uttered by the remo dancers. this kidungan is usually in the form of the julajuli kidungan which is still used today (prahardana, 2021). these jula-juli kidungan are usually in the form of social criticism, stories of struggle, advice, satire and so on (cahyo, 2020). remo activities are usually carried out before the ludruk show begins. there are two types of ngremo, namely male ngremo and female ngremo. male ngremo dancers wear costumes, namely: wearing black pants, white shirts, black ties, black skullcaps, wearing gongseng on the right ankle (to adjust the rhythm of the piece or javanese musical instrument). in the following decades, the ludruk dancer's fashion underwent a transformation, namely: wearing black or red pants, wearing a kace (neck ornament) that was placed on top of the shirt, wearing a red headband, wearing earrings that were placed on the ears, and wearing gongs on the ankles (jelantik, 2016; setiawan & suyanto, 2017) in the ngremo, character education can be found, namely the value of politeness in fashion (luckiyanti et al., 2017). they still adhere to javanese traditions or customs, namely wearing clothes like javanese clothes (siburian & malau, 2018). they wear white and red clothes which mean that the ludruk show has holy and courageous intentions. this is evident in the ludruk show that existed since before independence until the revolutionary period. however, today, fashion seems to survive by modifying the color and variety of textiles used. the female ngremo dancer wears a dress as a beskalan dancer (a dance of gratitude to god) and wears sembong (taufiq & sukatman, 2014). liesna andriany, purwarno purwarno, saiful anwar matondang, efendi barus, & mustofa east java ludruk: pragmatic learning perspective oriented character education 138 jokes the main players who become funny characters in ludruk are slapstick players. these slapstick players do not have heavenly origins and the power of semar figures in wayang performances, but they dominate ludruk performances more than semar's. the ludruk player who becomes the funny character of a slapstick player, namely besut. a well-known slapstick player in east javanese ludruk, such as cak gondo durasim. the slapstick player is a character that the audience perceives as a funny player. slapstick players play subordinate roles such as servants or laborers, and people who are abused (luckiyanti et al., 2017). the javanese language used in ludruk humor is javanese suroboyoan dialect that it makes room for all viewers to easily understand the entertainment content. the language used is not javanese alus or kromo inggil which requires advanced skills in understanding the vocabulary, but javanese ngoko which is commonly used in daily communication with other people (astutiningtyas & aridasarie, 2022). slapstick players wear simple clothes. the attitude of the slapstick players, namely believing in superstitious things (sutisna et al., 2019). they don't have money, they like to be behind their employers, sit on the floor, and chat with the audience (setiawan & suyanto, 2017). the joke players make jokes by taking advantage of the audience's ignorance. this kind of nature as his soul ludruk. story east java ludruk, every performance can be sure to tell things that have to do with the life of today's society. however, the stories that are conveyed are by explaining old stories, but they have relevance to today's life, so listening to these stories is inspired that in the past there has also been what happened to the characters in the show (ayuswantana et al., 2020). ludruk, a theater type of the people of east java, does not only consist of a combination of dialogue and movement. this performance is also a combination of complex components, which include dance, music, song (kidung), and stage and all its supports. ludruk is a traditional drama exhibited by an art group that is held on a scene by taking stories about people's everyday lives, stories of struggle, and so on, interspersed with jokes and accompanied by music (gamelan) (wibisono, 2020). in line with wibisono’s idea, ismail & winarni (2019) state that the stories in the east java ludruk show include household stories, hero stories, both javanese and madurese legendary heroes, and social criticism stories. the most popular stories in the show, such as the story of sawunggaling, joko sambang, untung suropati (luckiyanti et al., 2017). the story of the legendary hero is a character that expelled the dutch from java in the 18th century. the legend of the popular madurese heroes, for example: pak sakera and sarip tambakyasa. the story is interesting because the only ludruk story tells of the conflict between the abangan and the santri. social criticism stories are usually played in front of political meetings or for the sake of the show itself which is being attended by political elites. this story is usually a story that follows a sponsor's message from the government or the community who protests on public policies taken by the government, such as revealing the case of marsinah, a worker who was killed because of a demonstration demanding rights that are considered inhumane for the lives of workers. based on these data, namely ngrema, jokes, and stories in the east javanese ludruk show, it can be seen that the character, character, psychological traits, morals or character distinguish one person from another (sulton & utaminingsih, 2018). the character of a nation is very much influenced by the basic culture of the nation, which is reflected in its communication culture. based on the language that is owned and used by a nation or a community, the identity or character of the nation can be recognized (luckiyanti et al., 2017). this is reflected in the national education system law that character building is one of the goals of national education. article 1 of the national education system law in 2013 states that the goal of national education is to develop the potential of students to have intelligence, personality and noble character. this means that education does not only form intelligent indonesians, but also has personalities or characteristics, with the hope that later generations of nations will grow and develop with characters that breathe the noble values of the nation and religion. educators need to realize how important character education is as a means of shaping behavior, enrichment of individual values by being role models for students and being able to create an environment that is conducive to the growth process in the form of comfort and safety that can help the atmosphere for individual self development as a whole, both from a technical perspective, intellectual, psychological, moral, social, aesthetic and religious (sulton & utaminingsih, 2018). character education is not only individual, but also has a social and structural dimension. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 139 although in turn, the determining criteria are personal values of individual freedom. character education which is related to the structural social dimension looks more at how to create a social system that is conducive to individual growth. in this context, moral education can be placed within the framework of character education. moral education is the foundation for a character education. character education involves moral knowing or good knowledge, followed by moral feeling, which is a good instinct, and moral action or noble actions in acting (witro et al., 2020). this is necessary so that children are able to understand, feel and work on policy values as well. character education is character education, namely education that involves aspects of knowledge, feelings, and action. thus, it can be said that character education if it does not involve these three aspects, then character education will not be effective. character education is a system of inculcating character values to school members which includes components of knowledge, awareness or willingness, and actions to carry out these values, both towards god almighty (yme), themselves, others, the environment, and nationality so that they become humans who are ready to build a nation. conclusion the language in the east javanese ludruk show has various interests both in the context of media institutions to convey expressions in the form of ideological, political, cultural and economic contexts that merely convey the interests of the dominant group of a society. in this context, the east javanese ludruk text, which is a creative process, becomes a technical work, namely a work that has an ideal-intellectual framework that should be realized independently by the author for the sake of ideology, politics, culture and capital.. east javanese ludruk will give birth to new enlightenment and awareness in the community, so that everything that is conveyed in the ludruk performance is in accordance with the interests and tendencies of the heir society. thus, in the study of east javanese ludruk text in the perspective of pragmatic learning based on critical analysis, it is known that students are able to capture messages and respond to ludruk texts through linguistics and nonlinguistic as a basis for enlightenment for their lives. this is the important side of learning language in the context of cultivating critical thinking in students through learning east javanese ludruk pragmatic learning perspective (lu, 2019), so that character education is found in the east javanese ludruk show. references amundsen, p. a., & sánchez‐hernández, j. (2019). feeding studies take guts–critical review and recommendations of methods for stomach contents analysis in fish. journal of fish biology, 95(6), 1364-1373. astutiningtyas, d., & aridasarie, z. (2022). verbal humor in ludruk banyolan kartolo cs. ivicoll: international virtual conference on language and literature proceeding, 3(12), 44-52. ayuswantana, a. c., sachari, a., & irfansyah, i. (2020). pengaruh nilai islam pada visual pakaian dewa dan resi boneka wayang jekdong jawa timur. andharupa: jurnal desain komunikasi visual & multimedia, 6(01), 32-42. breeze, r. (2011). critical discourse analysis and its critics. pragmatics, 21(4), 493-525. cahyo, e. (2020). fungsi kidung jula juli ludruk jawa timur. arbitrer: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 1(2), 203-212. carotenuto, a., arcara, g., orefice, g., cerillo, i., giannino, v., rasulo, m., lodice, r. & bambini, v. (2018). communication in multiple sclerosis: pragmatic deficit and its relation with cognition and social cognition. archives of clinical neuropsychology, 33(2), 194-205. chan, m., au, w. t., & hoyan, c. (2019). exploring theater experiences among hong kong audiences. cogent arts & humanities, 6(1), 1588689. fairclough, n., & wodak, r. (1997). critical discourse analysis. discourse as social interaction, 2, 258284. fatimah, i. (2021). pengaruh budaya pop dalam seni pertunjukkan ludruk di surabaya tahun 19751995. avatara: e-journal pendidikan sejarah, 10(2), 1-11. freeman, q., flores, r., garzón, d., gumina, d., sambolín morales, a. n., silva diaz, e., & stamatis, k. m. (2020). collaborating towards humanizing pedagogies: culture circles in teacher educator preparation. the new educator, 16(1), 86-100. goldstein, c. e., weijer, c., brehaut, j. c., fergusson, d. a., grimshaw, j. m., horn, a. r., & taljaard, m. (2018). ethical issues in pragmatic randomized controlled trials: a review of the recent literature identifies gaps in ethical argumentation. bmc medical ethics, 19(1), 1-10. gualdron, e., & castillo, e. (2018). theater for language teaching and learning: the e theater, a holistic methodology. profile issues in teachersprofessional development, 20(2), 211227. hansen, p., climie, e. a., & oxoby, r. j. (2020). the demands of performance generating systems on executive functions: effects and mediating processes. frontiers in psychology, 11. liesna andriany, purwarno purwarno, saiful anwar matondang, efendi barus, & mustofa east java ludruk: pragmatic learning perspective oriented character education 140 harlem, g. (2020). descriptive analysis of social determinant factors in urban communities affected by covid-19. journal of public health, 42(3), 466-469. ismail, m., & winarni, r. (2019). development of theater education textbook with character education and local wisdom through active learning to improve the students’ script writing ability. vnu journal of science: education research, 35(3), 508-522. jamaluddin, d. (2013). character education in islamic perspective. international journal of scientific & technology research, 2(2), 187-189. jelantik, i. g. l. (2016). membangun karakter berbasis pendidikan seni budaya di sekolah. mudra jurnal seni budaya, 31(2), 34-42. kamaruddin, s. a. (2012). character education and students social behavior. journal of education and learning, 6(4), 223-230. khalaf, a. s., & rashid, s. m. (2019). pragmatic functions of swearwords in the amateur subtitling of american crime drama movies into arabic. international journal of asia-pacific studies, 15(1), 97-131. komalasari, k., & saripudin, d. (2018). the influence of living values education-based civic education textbook on student’s character formation. international journal of instruction, 11(1), 395– 410. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11127a leech, g. n. (2011). the modals are declining: reply to neil millar’s “modal verbs in time: frequency changes 1923–2006”, international journal of corpus linguistics, 16(4), 547-564. leech, g. n. (2016). principles of pragmatics. routledge. lu, l. (2019). pragmatic failure in interpretation and the development of students' pragmatic competence in interpreting. english language teaching, 12(3), 37-45. luckiyanti, r., widodo, s. t., & sulistyo, e. t. (2017). the illocution speech act of ludruk joko sambang pendekar gunung gangsir show. lingua didaktika: jurnal bahasa dan pembelajaran bahasa, 11(1), 65-76. martarosa, m., yakin, i., & fernando, k. (2019). kesenian ronggeng pasaman dalam perspektif kreativitas apropriasi musikal. mudra jurnal seni budaya, 34(1), 87-96. massar, k., sialubanje, c., maltagliati, i., & ruiter, r. a. (2018). exploring the perceived effectiveness of applied theater as a maternal health promotion tool in rural zambia. qualitative health research, 28(12), 1933-1943. mazulfah. (2019). the future and challenge of pragmatics in english language teaching. jopr: journal of pragmatics research, 1(2), 156-165. monroe, w., hawkins, r. x., goodman, n. d., & potts, c. (2017). colors in context: a pragmatic neural model for grounded language understanding. transactions of the association for computational linguistics, 5, 325-338. mukadas, a. b., & florentinus, t. s. (2017). visual aesthetic of petta puang theater group performance in south sulawesi. harmonia: journal of arts research and education, 17(1), 96-104. nolan, e. t., & britton, j. r. (2018). diet of invasive pikeperch sander lucioperca: developing nondestructive tissue sampling for stable isotope analysis with comparisons to stomach contents analysis. knowledge & management of aquatic ecosystems, 1(419), 49-62. nurdiana. (2019). understanding pragmatics and pragmatic competence in elt materials. journal of english language and culture, 10(1), 30-40. ongko, e. s., yanuartuti, s., & lodra, i. n. (2022). preoperational cognitive age children appreciation on the armada virtual ludruk. gondang: jurnal seni dan budaya, 6(1), 75-78. https://doi.org/10.24114/gondang.v6i1.32250 palmer, j. a., parker, v. a., mor, v., volandes, a. e., barre, l. r., belanger, e., loomer, l., mccreedy, e., & mitchell, s. l. (2019). barriers and facilitators to implementing a pragmatic trial to improve advance care planning in the nursing home setting. bmc health services research, 19(1), 1-12. phillipson, l., & hammond, a. (2018). more than talking: a scoping review of innovative approaches to qualitative research involving people with dementia. international journal of qualitative methods, 17(1), 1-13, 1609406918782784. prahardana, m. w. (2021). tari remo mojokerto (19692020). historiography: journal of indonesian history and education, 1(1), 74-81. pudjastawa, a. w., niswah, s. n. z., & mulyana. (2019). development of mini ludruk festival learning model to embed social care values of class xii students in smkn 3 malang. atlantis press. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 461, 64-66. ramadhan, m. r., fernando, e., ridho, m., & suaidin, v. (2021). ludruk jember: ruang kebudayaan masyarakat jember dalam mengekspresikan kembali kultur kemaduraan di wilayah perantauan. pustaka: jurnal ilmu-ilmu budaya, 21(2), 97-102, doi: https://doi.org/10.24843/pjiib.2021.v21.i0 2.p01 rachmasari, f. a., & permatasari, d. b. a. (2020). challenging modernity: the luntas, modern ludruk and young audiences’ acceptance. simulacra, 3(2), 139–152. https://doi.org/10.21107/sml.v3i2.7879 saldaña, e., castillo, l. s., sánchez, j. c., siche, r., de almeida, m. a., behrens, j. h., selani, m. m., & contreras-castillo, c. j. (2018). descriptive analysis of bacon smoked with brazilian woods from reforestation: methodological aspects, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 141 statistical analysis, and study of sensory characteristics. meat science, 140, 44-50. setiawan, a., & suyanto, s. (2017). jula-juli pandalungan dan surabayan ekspresi budaya jawa-madura dan jawa kota. resital: jurnal seni pertunjukan (journal of performing arts), 18(1), 1-12. siburian, a. l. m., & malau, w. (2018). tradisi ritual bulan suro pada masyarakat jawa di desa sambirejo timur percut sei tuan. gondang: jurnal seni dan budaya, 2(1), 2835. sisnia, a. r., & abdillah, a. (2021). ludruk untuk kalangan milenial: studi kasus ludruk marsudi laras surabaya. geter: jurnal seni drama tari dan musik, 4(2), 15-29, https://journal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/geter/articl e/view/15759/7378 sulton, a., & utaminingsih, a. (2018). teater rakyat gemblak: mulai dari hiburan hingga unsur nasionalisme. anthropos: jurnal antropologi sosial dan budaya (journal of social and cultural anthropology), 3(2), 79-92. sutisna, r. h., suganda, d., dienaputra, r. d., & guna, b. w. k. (2019). sinkretisme pada pertunjukan seni gamelan koromong kampung cikubang rancakalong kabupaten sumedang. gondang: jurnal seni dan budaya, 3(1), 20-34. tan, e. (2022). ‘heartware’ for the compassionate teacher: humanizing the academy through mindsight, attentive love, and storytelling. jalt: journal of applied learning & teaching. 5(2), 152-159. wartini, a. (2015). education character in view of alghazali and its relevance with the education character in indonesia. ta'dib: jurnal pendidikan islam, 20(2), 293-310. welsing, p. m., rengerink, k. o., collier, s., eckert, l., van smeden, m., & ciaglia, a. (2017). series: pragmatic trials and real world evidence: paper 6. outcome measures in the real world. journal of clinical epidemiology, 90, 99-107. wibisono, s. (2020). techniques and strategies for creating javanese comedian humor in "basiyonartosabdho besanan." widyaparwa, 48(1), 28– 40. witro, d., putri, b. a., putri, l. a., & oviiensy, v. (2020). role of the family in formation of children characters based moral knowing, moral feeling, and moral action. jurnal tunas cendekia, 3(1), 97-103. yang, j., & lee, j. (2019). application of sensory descriptive analysis and consumer studies to investigate traditional and authentic foods: a review. foods, 8(2), 54-71. liesna andriany, purwarno purwarno, saiful anwar matondang, efendi barus, & mustofa east java ludruk: pragmatic learning perspective oriented character education 142 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 911 factors affecting students’ failures due to anxiety in learning english lamhot naibaho english language education study program, faculty of letters and languages, universitas kristen indonesia, jakarta timur email: lamhot.naibaho@uki.ac.id apa citation: naibaho, l. (2022). factors affecting students’ failures due to anxiety in learning english. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 911-918. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6462 received: 09-06-2022 accepted: 27-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction when talking about mastery and achievement of english learning, the conversation focuses a lot on individual affective factors such as attitudes, perceptions, interests, and motivations and focuses less on the anxiety factor as the cause of the issue. this imbalance creates gaps because, in reality, anxiety plays an essential role in determining the success or failure of students in foreign language classes (zhou, 2016; nadeak et al., 2020; dincer & dariyemez, 2020). language ambiguity has also been considered one of the most critical aspects of teaching and learning, along with the development of the psychological theory of second language learning in the field of investigation (zhang & zou, 2022; ozdemir & papi, 2022). it means that the teachers should well manage anxiety in learning the english language. this aspect of anxiety needs to be given attention because of the dominance of the message in realizing memorable english learning because it pays attention to the psychological aspects of students. anxiety is an essential construct in psychology. studies of anxiety in foreign language learning started in the early 1970s (tóth, 2008). anxiety in learning english is still felt at the level of higher education, especially in dealing with reading skills in english. anxiety is a typical trait that all humans have. people who have a sense of anxiety can never be eliminated. however, the level of anxiety can be minimized, especially in communication skills in english at work, especially at the international level. learning english subjects has started from entering elementary school to entering college, but the result is that only some students are skilled in communication, possibly uninteresting in english, and lack self-study (truong, 2021; ha & ngo, 2021). an individual can be said to have no self-confidence if he does not dare to speak or appear in public and is ashamed to express his ideas in discussions or meetings (prieur et al., 2020; chien et al., 2020; fakhiroh & hidayatullah, 2018). to improve speaking skills, speakers must master vocabulary and phrases, proper pronunciation, and confidence in speaking. speaking is a language activity whose purpose is to communicate. speaking is a mechanical skill, so the more you practice, the more master and skilled a person will be in speaking. language anxiety is essential in acquiring and learning a second or foreign language. the term ambiguity of language arises when horwitz abstract: this study aims to determine the factors affecting students' failures due to anxiety in learning english. it was conducted at universitas kristen indonesia, jakarta, within three months. this study was a descriptive qualitative study with a survey design. the study's respondents consisted of 98 from three parallel classes at uki. the sampling method in this study uses the cluster sampling method. in this study, a set of questionnaires was used to collect the data. it is used to measure english language anxiety. it has three constructs: communication anxiety, fear of negative assessment, and anxiety in exams, and the english learning anxiety has four constructs: personal reason, teacher attitude, test situation, and teaching procedure. the finding of this study is that english language learners have moderately high speaking skills anxiety and that the level of english language anxiety of english language learners at uki as a whole in the two english language skills, namely listening and speaking skills, reached a medium-high level. then it is concluded that teachers emphasize compelling and diverse strategies and techniques of teaching english for english language skills, namely listening and speaking skills, to help reduce anxiety among students applying english. keywords: anxiety; factors affecting; failures; learning english. lamhot naibaho factors affecting students’ failures due to anxiety in learning english 912 defines anxiety as involving psychological symptoms, namely a subjective feeling of tension, worry, trembling, and restlessness associated with nervous system stimulation in foreign language learning situations (da rocha, 2020). the anxiety that is meant in this study leads to language anxiety or, in english words, language anxiety. language confusion is a complex form of feeling consisting of self-perception, self-confidence, feelings, and behavior related to language learning in the classroom, and it arises from the language learning process (meng & feng, 2019). language anxiety as tension and fear in speaking, listening, or adverse emotional reactions that arise when learning or using a foreign language (toyama & yamazaki, 2021). language confusion is a feeling of anxiety and stimulation of adverse emotional reactions when learning and using a second language (prada et al., 2020; oxford, 2018). the characteristic of an indecisive language learner is an individual who perceives second language learning as an uncomfortable experience, often withdraws from participating in class activities voluntarily, feels pressured not to make mistakes, and is less willing to study it (alseghayer, 2021). if anxiety affects cognitive function, students cannot learn and master what they learn (hong et al., 2021). this impression will become even more damaging if the learner learns the language, increasing their anxiety level conversely if students who do not have the characteristics of anxiety will feel calm and comfortable learning a second language in class. feelings of anxiety is an analysis of anxiety or restlessness experienced by students at universitas kristen indonesia (uki). it encompasses various related feelings such as fear, nervousness, anxiety, worry, and apprehension due to learning english, especially in listening and speaking skills. past studies have demonstrated that language anxiety plays a relatively broad role in the context of language learning, whereas as a whole, it shows that there is a significant negative relationship between language anxiety and student learning outcomes (hu et al., 2021; fang & tang, 2021). it means that the higher the anxiety experienced by students, the lower the achievement or language learning outcomes they obtain. over the decades, scholars have introduced the concept of four basic language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing, also known as macro skills (qian & lin, 2019). these four basic language skills are related to each other where. in teaching and learning a second or foreign language, the effective achievement of the four language skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking is essential (banditvilai, 2016). however, in mastering these language skills, scholars have found that anxiety is one of the highest factors that affect and hinder students in learning foreign languages ( ulupinar, 2018; getie, 2020). anxiety was found to directly impact students' learning attitudes and achievement (sheu, 2017) and is a response to students' anxiety and worry about second language learning, including speech and hearing. past researchers have made efforts to study anxiety in these four language skills such as speaking skills, listening skills, reading skills, and writing skills. some studies are the evidence to support the existence of anxiety in language skills and have the formation of different instrument constructs (dansieh et al., 2021; hsu et al., 2021; gok et al., 2021; chau, 2021). a more specific measurement of language anxiety on language skills is significant to identify the causes of anxiety of language skills more accurately. however, in the context of this study, it is focused on listening and speaking anxiety only. in connection with the previous description of english-speaking anxiety, three types of related anxiety: communication concerns, test anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation (zhang et al., 2022; almotiary, 2022). first, communication concerns are fears that individuals experience in oral communication. in english class, worried students do not want to speak in front of others, and they tend to wait until the end of the lecture to ask questions, not raising their hands and expecting someone else to ask the question. furthermore, anxiety refers to performance anxiety that stems from the fear of failure. anxious students often place unrealistic demands on themselves and feel that anything less than a perfect test result is a failure (keeler et al., 2021). thus, they may become overly concerned and think they will never be able to pronounce a word correctly or give a good presentation. finally, fear of negative evaluation is defined as concern about the evaluation of others, avoidance of evaluative situations, and the expectation that others will judge one negatively. in english class, students with a fear of negative evaluation tend to sit passively in class, withdrawing from class activities that can otherwise improve their language skills to avoid anxiety situations. studies on speaking anxiety have been carried out abroad that report on the different effects of anxiety on a second or foreign language and its implementation. the relationship between foreign english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 913 language anxiety and student achievement in learning non-native languages (dev & qiqieh, 2016; aichhorn & puck, 2017). based on his findings, speaking anxiety can be generated by a lack of student learning and learning skills and can be caused by a student's poor performance in the past. furthermore, the relationship between language anxiety and verbal ability was found that the more anxious the students, the lower the performance displayed in the oral test. the results showed that language anxiety could affect student performance and attitudes about language learning. finally, the student's english level indicated that the upper secondary level students considered that lack of preparation was a significant contributor to their english anxiety (pham & bui, 2019; macaro et al., 2018). it also shows that lower secondary level students feel less confident in their english learning than high school students. meanwhile, upper-middle-class students were more afraid of failing in class than lower-middle-level students despite their confidence in their learning. thus, they also consider it one factor that makes them anxious in their english class. method this study is a descriptive qualitative study using a survey. it was chosen for this study because it is suitable for use in research that aims to explain an ongoing phenomenon. this survey method was chosen because it can describe language concerns in english language skills, namely listening and speaking skills. the study's respondents consisted of 98 from three parallel classes at uki. the sampling method in this study uses the cluster sampling method. in this study, a set of questionnaires was constructed by the researcher by adaptation and modification from the items of previous research questionnaires to measure english language anxiety in detail and comprehensively based on specific themes or constructs that cover four language skills, namely listening and speaking, and reading and writing. this questionnaire is based on a five-point likert scale. researchers used descriptive statistics to assess the mean score, standard deviation, and frequency. a set of questionnaires was used to measure speaking skills anxiety to collect data on students' anxiety. it has three constructs: communication anxiety, fear of negative assessment, and anxiety in exams, and the english learning anxiety has four constructs: personal reason, teacher attitude, test situation, and teaching procedure. however, the researcher only adapted and used the items under the communication anxiety construct because they were related to speaking skills. the researcher adopted the instrument developed by the previous researcher, which has three constructs: background knowledge, text and strategy, and the listener's character. modifications were made to selected items based on expert views and the pilot study's findings. table 1. score level interpretation value of questionnaire no score range interpretation value 1 1.00-2.00 low 2 2.01-3.00 medium-low level 3 3.01-4.00 medium-high level 4 4.01-5.00 high level result and discussion the data, which were taken through by distributing the questionnaire to the 98 eight respondents, are presented as follows. table 2 shows the mean score, standard deviation, and mean interpretation for the english listening anxiety construct (m = 3.59; sd = 0.55). it suggests that the student's english language skills anxiety was at a medium-high level. the anxiety about speaking skills showed (m = 3.30; sd = 0.48), which indicates that overall the anxiety about speaking english among students is also at a medium-high level. table 2. descriptive analysis of english language skills anxiety construct language skills mean sd interpretati on language skill proficiency listening skill 3.59 0.55 mediumhigh speaking skill 3.30 0.48 mediumhigh figure 1 shows the mean score, standard deviation, and meaningful overall mean interpretation for the listening anxiety subconstruct. the analysis results found that the overall mean for the construct of english listening anxiety was 3.57, and the standard deviation was 1.1. it indicates that students experience listening skills anxiety at a medium-high level. the highest mean was 3.90 (sd = 0.82) on the aspect of a person speaking english quickly, and students could not understand it. while the lowest mean value obtained was 3.44 (sd = 1.1) on the aspect of students not being able to listen in english to their ability. this item got a relatively low mean compared to other items likely to be influenced by the listening skills efficiency factor of the students lamhot naibaho factors affecting students’ failures due to anxiety in learning english 914 themselves. other aspects studied related to listening skills, and anxiety showed little mean differences, and all were at a mean above 3.01. these findings generally indicate that english language learners have moderately high listening skills anxiety. figure 1. students listening anxiety level figure 2 shows the mean scores, standard deviations, and meaningful interpretations for the overall mean for the speech anxiety sub-construct. the analysis found that the overall mean for the english-speaking anxiety construct was 3.55, and the standard deviation was 1.1. it indicates that students’ speaking skills anxiety at a mediumhigh level. all items' means value was at the medium-high level except one, which was at the medium-low level. the highest mean was 3.93 (sd = 0.82) on the aspect of anxiety facing the english oral test. while the lowest mean obtained was 3.9 (sd = 0.82), which is the anxiety item in attending an english-speaking class for fear of being corrected by the teacher. this item got a relatively low mean compared to other items likely to be influenced by the factors of shyness and fear of speaking in english. other aspects studied related to listening skills, and anxiety showed little mean differences, and all were at a mean above 3.01. generally, these findings indicate that english language learners have moderately high speaking skills anxiety. figure 2. students’ speaking anxiety level the results of the data analysis showed that the level of english language anxiety of english language learners at uki as a whole in the two english language skills, namely listening and speaking skills, reached a medium-high level. for the listening skills anxiety subconstruct, the study's findings indicate that students often experience anxiety, especially when hearing english speech from others rapidly and unable to comprehend it. students will feel restless and nervous to respond and proceed to the following communication. the findings of this study are promising and coincide with the findings of a study conducted that found that unintelligible language pronunciation and speed of input transmission heard by students are the leading causes of listening skills anxiety (cherry, 2021). in addition, it is also influenced by knowledge english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 915 background factors, low self-confidence of students, and misuse of listening strategies. this study also coincides who found that the causes of listening anxiety are based on the audible input characteristics, such as speed or uncertainty with the input heard by a student (deniz, 2013). these findings are also consistent with a study that found that auditory input characteristics such as pronunciation and intonation speed, text length, and vocabulary level are causes of listening anxiety among students (nadhira & warni, 2021). the characteristic features of audible input such as speed rate, level of difficulty, and lack of repetition of word pronunciation are significant factors for listening anxiety. in this context, teachers need to play an important role in emphasizing english listening skills in teaching. it is because listening skills are essential skills that need to be given priority in the language teaching process. english listening skills teaching techniques are often neglected and not emphasized in indonesia's teaching of english as a second language (shah et al., 2017). listening skills are also not so emphasized that students do not realize the importance of mastering listening skills in learning english (ha & ngo, 2021). the implementation of listening skills in english language learning is moderately low. teachers were found not to emphasize the use of tones appropriate to the situation and less emphasis on listening activities, causing the atmosphere of learning english to be bland and less effective. this scenario is the cause and obstacle to mastering english listening skills, causing concern among students. it coincides with a study that found that among the external factors that influence the barriers to mastering english listening skills are words, speaker speed, text heard, lack of study aids, and external distractions (ngwoke et al., 2022). therefore, english language students must be exposed to practical strategies and diversifying listening skills activities in the classroom. these findings indicate that students often experience speaking anxiety when facing the english oral test that will be implemented. the findings of this study coincide with a study that stated that they experienced anxiety in facing oral tests (mohtasham & farnia, 2017; kayaoğlu & sağlamel, 2013). students experienced anxiety during the english oral test, which affected their test performance. the anxiety in oral tests experienced by students was found to be very significant and very high in speaking skills. the findings of this study are also in line with a study that found that most students experience moderate to high levels of anxiety before sitting the oral test and when faced with unknown questions or ideas during the oral test (mohtasham & farnia, 2017). students who experienced high anxiety in speaking skills would try to avoid participating in activities that spontaneously involved speaking. students will feel anxious as not being able to organize and deliver their speech correctly and confidently, in turn, makes them fearful and embarrassed (han et al., 2020). they have negative perceptions of responses or reactions from listeners or peers due to poor vocabulary selection and way of organizing ideas when speaking. the anxiety affects speech speed, accuracy, and output quality during communication. the findings of this study also show that the level of anxiety of english language students in speaking skills is the lowest compared to other language skills (khan, 2015). this situation is probably due to the evaluation and assessment of english language subjects for examinations in indonesia being oriented to the examination system, namely when most of the marks are assessed through writing rather than speaking. thus, students focus more on the mastery and achievement of writing skills than speaking skills other than listening and reading skills. several factors cause students' weakness in mastering speaking skills. among them is the lack of a weak culture and language environment to support english speaking students in schools (berkowitz et al., 2021; naibaho, 2021). lack of practice in english and making it a medium of communication is the cause of the weakness of students' mastery of these skills. english is only used during the teaching process of teachers, while the living environment with the atmosphere of english itself is essential in creating an atmosphere of active learning among students (dörnyei & muir, 2019). it can improve students' social skills, especially in mastering and acquiring english. from the aspect of teaching english, several weaknesses have been identified. the factors of student-centered teaching, text translation-based teaching, lack of training and questions, lack of teaching aids, lack of activities, passive attitude of students, and lack of english communication contribute to the problem of english speaking skills among students (ge & pi 2021). even more frustrating when there are attitudes and practices of some teachers who do not practice english and do not lamhot naibaho factors affecting students’ failures due to anxiety in learning english 916 follow the communicative approach when carrying out the teaching and learning process in the classroom (luz, 2015). thus, teachers should maintain an environment of continuous english speaking and wisely practice communication techniques among students. the speaking skills of the teaching staff play an essential role in the teaching and learning process (yen et al., 2015). it can directly have a positive effect and motivation to students to cultivate the english language. conclusion the results of this study show that english language anxiety among english language learners in the two english language skills as a whole is at a medium-high level. this study suggests that teachers emphasize compelling and diverse strategies and techniques of teaching english for english language skills, namely listening and speaking skills, to help reduce anxiety among students applying english. in addition, the importance of mastering these listening and speaking skills is crucial and closely related. listening and speaking skills become critical skills in human interaction. thus, to improve their achievement and ability in the english language, students are also advised to use appropriate english language learning techniques and strategies to minimize english language anxiety among them. thus, the ability of students to master the english language in language learning requires continuous efforts and support from various parties, especially the school. references aichhorn, n., & puck, j. (2017). "i just do not feel comfortable speaking english": foreign language anxiety as a catalyst for spokenlanguage barriers in mncs. international business review, 26(4), 749-763. almotiary, h. (2022). potential causes of foreign language anxiety among saudi female students in the united states. arab world english journal, 13(2), 267-281. al-seghayer, k. (2021). characteristics of saudi efl learners' learning styles. english language teaching, 14(7), 82-94. banditvilai, c. (2016). enhancing students' language skills through blended learning. electronic journal of e-learning, 14(3), 223-232. berkowitz, r., astor, r. a., pineda, d., depedro, k. t., weiss, e. l., & benbenishty, r. (2021). parental involvement and perceptions of school climate in california. urban education, 56(3), 393-423. chau, k. g. (2021). the effect of ict on learners’ speaking skills development. international journal of tesol & education, 1(1), 22-29. cherry, c. (2021). an investigation of the best practices to develop oral proficiency in adult english learners that are engaging and minimize anxiety. hsel student capstone project, 760. chien, s. y., hwang, g. j., & jong, m. s. y. (2020). effects of peer assessment within the context of spherical video-based virtual reality on efl students’ english-speaking performance and learning perceptions. computers & education, 146, 103751. da rocha silveira, f. v. (2020). foreign language anxiety research and the brazilian scenario. the specialist, 41(5), 1-21. dansieh, s. a., owusu, e., & seidu, g. a. (2021). glossophobia: the fear of public speaking in esl students in ghana. language teaching, 1(1), 22-35. deniz, m. (2013). impacts of authentic listening tasks upon listening anxiety and listening comprehension. educational research and reviews, 8(14), 1177-1185. dev, s., & qiqieh, s. (2016). the relationship between english language proficiency, academic achievement, and self-esteem of non-nativeenglish-speaking students. international education studies, 9(5), 147-155. dincer, a., & dariyemez, t. (2020). proficient speakers of english as a foreign language: a focus-group study. iafor journal of education, 8(1), 83-99. dörnyei, z., & muir, c. (2019). creating a motivating classroom environment. second handbook of english language teaching, 719-736. fang, f., & tang, x. (2021). the relationship between chinese english significant students' learning anxiety and enjoyment in an english language classroom: a positive psychology perspective. frontiers in psychology, 12, 705244. ge, s., & pi, x. (2021). research on construction of translation self-assessment activity for selfregulated learning in chinese efl context. in international symposium on emerging technologies for education (pp. 390-402). springer. getie, a. s. (2020). factors affecting the attitudes of students towards learning english as a foreign language. cogent education, 7(1), 1738184. gok, d., bozoglan, h., & bozoglan, b. (2021). effects of the online flipped classroom on foreign language classroom anxiety and reading anxiety. computer assisted language learning, 1-21. ha, g. l., & ngo, t. c. t. (2021). challenges in learning listening comprehension via microsoft teams among english majors at van lang english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 917 university. international journal of tesol & education, 1(3), 142-175. han, j., qian, k., song, m., yang, z., ren, z., liu, s., liu, j., zheng, h., ji, w., kolke, t., li, x., zhang, z., yamamoto, y., & schuller, b. w. (2020). an early study on intelligent speech analysis under covid-19: severity, sleep quality, fatigue, and anxiety. arxiv preprint arxiv:2005.00096. hong, j. c., cao, w., liu, x., tai, k. h., & zhao, l. (2021). personality traits predict the effects of the internet and academic self-efficacy on practical performance anxiety in online learning under the covid-19 lockdown. journal of research on technology in education, 1-15. hsu, h. l., chen, h. h. j., & todd, a. g. (2021). investigating the impact of amazon alexa on developing l2 listening and speaking skills. interactive learning environments, 1-14. hu, x., zhang, x., & mcgeown, s. (2021). foreign language anxiety and achievement: a study of primary school students learning english in china. language teaching research, 13621688211032332. kayaoğlu, m. n., & sağlamel, h. (2013). students’ perceptions of language anxiety in speaking classes. journal of history culture and art research, 2(2), 142-160. keeler, l. a., skidmore, b., leenstra, t., macdonald, j. r., & stewart, d. (2021). treating university students' depression using the physical activity with peers: two field-based quasi-experiments grounded in the self-determination theory. journal of college student psychotherapy, 35(3), 205-223. khan, s. m. (2015). influence of speech anxiety on oral communication skills among esl/efl learners. advances in language and literary studies, 6(6), 49-53. luz, f. s. d. r. d. (2015). the relationship between teachers and students in the classroom: communicative language teaching approach and cooperative learning strategy to improve learning [master's thesis, bridgewater state university]. virtual commons. macaro, e., curle, s., pun, j., an, j., & dearden, j. (2018). a systematic review of english medium instruction in higher education. language teaching, 51(1), 36-76. meng, f., & feng, c. (2019). coping strategies for students' learning anxiety in the college english classroom. in 2019 4th international conference on humanities science and society development (ichssd 2019) (pp. 210-213). atlantis press. mohtasham, l., & farnia, m. (2017). english speaking anxiety: a study of the effect of gender on iranian efl university students’ perceptions. international journal of research in english education, 2(4), 66-79. nadeak, b., naibaho, l., & silalahi, m. (2020). covid-19 and students’ anxiety management. international journal of innovation, creativity and change, 13(7), 1574-1587. nadhira, s., & warni, s. (2021). students listening difficulties in learning english as a foreign language at secondary schools in indonesian context. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 547, 186-193. naibaho, l. (2021). pre-service teachers’ soft skills and achievement. turkish journal of computer and mathematics education (turcomat), 12(10), 491-496. ngwoke, f. u., ugwuagbo, w., & nwokolo, b. o. (2022). refocusing on listening and notetaking: imperative skills for university students' learning in an l2 environment. theory and practice in language studies, 12(7), 12411251. oxford, r. l. (2018). emotion as the amplifier and the primary motive: some theories of emotion with relevance to language learning. in challenges of second and foreign language education in a globalized world (pp. 53-72). springer. ozdemir, e., & papi, m. (2022). mindsets as sources of l2 speaking anxiety and self-confidence: the case of international teaching assistants in the us. innovation in language learning and teaching, 16(3), 234-248. pham, t. n., & bui, l. t. p. (2019). an exploration of students' voices on the english graduation benchmark policy across northern, central, and southern vietnam. language testing in asia, 9(1), 1-20. prada, j., guerrero-rodriguez, p., & y cabo, d. p. (2020). heritage language anxiety in two spanish language classroom environments: a comparative mixed methods study. heritage language journal, 17(1), 92-113. prieur, a., jensen, s. q., & nielsen, v. b. (2020). lacking social skills: a social investment state’s concern for marginalized citizens’ ways of being. critical social policy, 40(4), 608-626. qian, d. d., & lin, l. h. (2019). the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and language proficiency. the routledge handbook of vocabulary studies, 66-80. shah, s. s. a., othman, j., & senom, f. (2017). the pronunciation component in esl lessons: teachers' beliefs and practices. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 6(2), 193-203. sheu, p. h. (2017). examining the relationship between motivation, attitude, anxiety, and achievement in english learning among elementary school students in taiwan. international journal of language and literature, 5(2), 174-184. lamhot naibaho factors affecting students’ failures due to anxiety in learning english 918 tóth, z. (2008). a foreign language anxiety scale for hungarian learners of english. wopalp, 2(1), 55-77. toyama, m., & yamazaki, y. (2021). anxiety reduction sessions in foreign language classrooms. the language learning journal, 49(3), 330-342. truong, h. m. (2021). perks and perils of adult learners in communication english learning at english language centers in vietnam. english language teaching educational journal, 4(3), 213-224. ulupinar, d. (2018). foreign language anxiety among counseling students speaking english as a second language: a rationale for future research. international journal for the advancement of counselling, 40(2), 162-172. yen, y. c., hou, h. t., & chang, k. e. (2015). applying a role-playing strategy to enhance learners' writing and speaking skills in efl courses using facebook and skype as learning tools: a case study in taiwan. computer assisted language learning, 28(5), 383-406. zhang, i. y., powell, d. m., & bonaccio, s. (2022). the role of fear of negative evaluation in interview anxiety and social‐evaluative workplace anxiety. international journal of selection and assessment, 30(2), 302-310. zhang, r., & zou, d. (2022). types, purposes, and effectiveness of state-of-the-art technologies for second and foreign language learning. computer assisted language learning, 35(4), 696-742. zhou, m. (2016). the roles of social anxiety, autonomy, and learning orientation in second language learning: a structural equation modeling analysis. a system, 63, 89-100. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 9 analysis of motivation and non-cognitive personalities in english achievement and global competences: the case of agriculture students dian islami prasetyaningrum department of socio-economics, faculty of agriculture, universitas brawijaya, malang, indonesia email: dianislami@ub.ac.id hafida ruminar departement of plant pest disease, faculty of agriculture, universitas brawijaya, malang, indonesia email: hafidaruminar@ub.ac.id asihing kustanti department of socio-economics, faculty of agriculture, universitas brawijaya, malang, indonesia email: kustanti@ub.ac.id putra irwandi department of socio-economics, faculty of agriculture, university of brawijaya, veteran street, malang 65145, indonesia email: putrairwandi2000@gmail.com apa citation: prasetyaningrum, d. i., ruminar, h., kustanti, a., & irwandi, p. (2023). analysis of motivation and non-cognitive personalities in english achievement and global competences: the case of agriculture students. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 9-16. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.6805 received: 09-10-2022 accepted: 27-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction today, the ability to comprehend, be open to cultural diversity, and communicate effectively with people worldwide has led to global competence. according to oecd (2018), global competence also may be measured by the ability to examine local, global, and intercultural issues, to understand and appreciate the perspectives and worldviews of others, to engage in open, appropriate, and effective interactions with people from different cultures, and to act for collective well-being and sustainable development (schell, 2020). furthermore, parmigiani et al. (2022) state that global competence concerns knowledge and skills and the active engagement appropriate for the diverse societies for the world's sustainable future. global skills define global competence as more than just talking about how people may communicate using english as an international language. however, it also can engage with the abstract: the ability to speak english is essential to compete in global competition. as a provision in this competition, honing global competence must get attention. good english skills and the knowledge related to the capacity to identify cultural differences and willingness to interact with other people are also critical. the success of mastering these abilities cannot be separated from the role of individual personality and learning motivation as factors that influence the success of educational outcomes. this research wants to discover the influence of non-cognitive personality that will moderate students' motivation to learn english, which will also affect the achievement of english learning outcomes and global competence. the non-cognitive personalities are taken from goldberg's big five personality traits (1992), namely openness to new experiences, conscientiousness, enthusiasm for socializing (extraversion), agreeableness, and neuroticism). the research used an online survey of 304 first year faculty of agriculture students who took english courses. data analysis used descriptive qualitative study. the results obtained showed that extraversion personality dominantly influences the motivational variable. meanwhile, the global competence and skills variables are dominated by openness. lastly, the global knowledge variable is dominated by neuroticism. keywords: big five personality traits; english; global competence; non cognitive personality. mailto:dianislami@ub.ac.id dian islami prasetyaningrum, hafida ruminar, asihing kustanti, & putra irwandi analysis of motivation and non-cognitive personalities in english achievement and global competences: the case of agriculture students 10 world'sworld's society, talking about culture, issues, and many aspects to carry out sustainability in the world. as a global language for communicative purposes, english skills are essential in many aspects, namely individual lives, careers, and future professional success. fernandes (2018) stated that as english is a required skill, we can hear english almost everywhere: english can be your lifesaver language when traveling. as a student, english is mandatory (or becoming) one of the subjects. the success in mastering english as a tool of communication or educational outcomes is also related to the personality traits owned by an individual. in recent years, scholars have stressed the significance of comprehending the role of personality traits in achieving particular rather than overall achievement. meng et al. (2018) showed in their study that personality traits significantly influence global competence and english achievement, which largely determines effectiveness in the current globalized world. understanding individual personality differences in english language achievement can help identify the motivational processes that facilitate optimal academic outcomes and inform the design of interventions to improve student performance (cao & meng, 2020). as the basis for analyzing the relationship between personality and english achievement, this study uses the five big personality traits (big five personality traits) (goldberg, 1992 cited in rizvanović, 2018). the personality traits include openness to new experiences, conscientiousness, enthusiasm for socializing (extraversion), agreeableness, and mental stability (neuroticism). the term is generally shortened to ocean (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism). mccrae & costa (2008, cited in lampropoulos et al., 2022) widely recognized that these five personality traits could capture most of the variation in behavior patterns and are appropriate for learning behavior and daily performance across multiple domains and contexts. previous research has discussed the relevance of individual personality to academic achievement, in which conscientiousness and neuroticism are the dominant personalities in determining students' academic success (baumann & harvey, 2021; ollfors & andersson, 2021). the association between the five big personalities and english achievement remains largely unexplored, particularly in esp (english for specific purposes) pupils need to be explored. unfortunately, many students have not achieved the desired english proficiency level due to a lack of individual educational goals and perspectives. therefore, this study aimed to fill the gap by analyzing the relationship between the role of learning motivation and five non-cognitive personality traits in english language achievement, especially for students of the faculty of agriculture at universitas brawijaya. education and training, especially those related to personality, are very much needed by educational institutions to improve the quality of resources. knowing the results of the analysis on student motivation and dominant personality that affects the achievement of english will be a significant investment in the quality of students to achieve global competence. this study was conducted objectively to determine the relationship between motivation and non-cognitive individual personality on english learning achievement and global competence and to find out the analysis results on student motivation and dominant personality that affect english language achievement and global competence. the influence of non-cognitive personalities to the foreign language achievement the big five personalities are promising approaches to conceptualizing and assessing the non-cognitive personality. among the five personalities, conscientiousness is highly correlated with successful academic achievement. conscientiousness is the measure of how thoughtful and organized an individual is. the goal-directed behavior and socially required impulse control and the individual's orderliness, thoroughness, and work ethic (lampropoulos et al., 2022). so, a conscientious individual is someone reliable, self-disciplined, and ambitious. the next trait is neuroticism, which refers to emotional control and stability. in this dimension, people with neuroticism personalities are described as worrying, anxious, nervous, insecure, and stressed. mental stability and thinking (neuroticism) are closely related to a person's anxiety (anxiety) in learning. students who experience mental and thinking instability show a lack of ability to control their emotions, which will undoubtedly affect their academic achievement because tani et al. (2019) mentioned in the study that there is a positive relationship between socioeconomic, psychological, and environmental factors and academic performance. these two traits are often used as an accurate english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 11 measurement of the success of students' academic achievement. the other three traits, openness, extraversion, and agreeableness, correlate with students' academic performance. according to a study conducted by palmisano (2021), openness to experience will determine an individual's level of curiosity, imagination, tendencies to seek compelling circumstances, and stimuli found to be significantly and positively associated with a student's effort exertion and academic performance. next is agreeableness, associated with a high level of emotional support and a caring attitude toward others. it is also related to the ability and quality of friendliness, politeness, cooperative behavior, and generosity. according to komarraju, karau, schmeck, and avdic (2011, cited in palmisano, 2021), agreeableness is correlated with academic achievement but not with the same strength as conscientiousness and openness to experience. meanwhile, enthusiasm in socializing (extraversion) describes a person's ability to interact socially and desire to talk or build communication with others; it is related to an extrovert personality. however, the ability to socialize will be helpful in contextual foreign language learning, which is somewhat different from the academic atmosphere. learning a foreign language needs many opportunities to practice and increase confidence in speaking and communicating using the language (wen, 2018). thus, the five traits in the big five personality traits need to be studied further in their influence on the achievement of foreign language learning, especially english. the influence of non-cognitive personalities on the global competence global competence in this study focused on three dimensions: knowledge, skills, and attitudes (meng et al., 2018). global competence is essential to master because it will significantly determine the ability to interact globally. global knowledge refers to knowledge of one's culture and foreign culture, which includes traditions, norms, and history to provide information in intercultural interactions. moulita (2019) states that global ability is closely related to intercultural communication. therefore, the global ability is defined as the ability to carry out various communication behaviors effectively and appropriately, combining one cultural identity with another or various identities in different cultural environments. meanwhile, the global attitude shows a positive attitude towards cultural differences and a desire to be involved in cultural diversity. in an academic environment, global competencies that include these three dimensions must be developed because not only international students but also domestic students are also expected to be able to compete globally. if it is associated with non-cognitive personality, the top five personal personalities also play a role in a person's ability to increase global competence. for example, a person with conscientiousness and neuroticism is reluctant to engage in cultural diversity. it is supported by research conducted by ramirez (2016) (cited in cao & meng, 2020) found a negative correlation between these two traits and an increase in global ability in multiculturalism. conscientious nature is associated with a conservative personality, while neuroticism is closely related to social anxiety (social anxiety), feelings of insecurity (insecurity), and moodiness. this personality will directly affect a person's desire to be involved in an intercultural context. other traits, openness, extraversion, and agreeableness, influence an individual's ability to communicate and build interpersonal relationships. a person's level of openness will significantly affect the perspective of cultural differences. the higher the nature of openness, the more open one's point of view is in seeing cultural differences as exciting and fun, and vice versa, to be more open to positive exposure to new cultures and people (cao & meng, 2020). extraversion, also known as extrovert personality, positively predicts the ability to build good communication and cross-cultural friendships due to the prototypical extravert being talkative, gregarious, prefers taking charge, expresses positive emotion, and enjoys stimulating activities (wilmot et al., 2019). meanwhile, agreeableness can be measured as a determinant of a person's ability to adapt to social situations in multicultural contexts. based on connolly and seva (2021), agreeable individuals tend to be empathic, warm, caring and trusting rather than distant, unfriendly, and uncooperative. the influence of motivation and foreign language achievement human motivation determines a person's desire to be actively involved and work on an activity or task. the theory directly conveys that motivation plays a significant role in a person's success in completing a given task so that it can be seen in dian islami prasetyaningrum, hafida ruminar, asihing kustanti, & putra irwandi analysis of motivation and non-cognitive personalities in english achievement and global competences: the case of agriculture students 12 performance. this study wants to show a positive relationship with one specific motivation in learning english. learning motivation becomes a critical moderator directly related to individual personality and successful english learning performance. it follows the opinion of rizvanovic (2018), who stated that the motivation to learn english provides a positive and solid relationship with learning achievement in english. learning motivation is an essential moderator because it has an effect as an attribute that can modify a complex relationship between personality and learning achievement, so research related to these three aspects is vital. human motivation determines a person's desire to be actively involved and work on an activity or task. the theory directly conveys that motivation plays a significant role in a person's success in completing a given task so that it can be seen in performance. uno (cited in mauliya et al. (2020)) believed that motivation is an internal and external force that pushes students who are learning to change their attitudes. according to the description given above, motivation is the emotion that drives someone to take action or accomplish a specific goal. dynamic components of motivation include things like emotions, attention, willingness, and others. in addition to coming from within the students, motivation can also come from others or the surroundings (mauliya et al., 2020). based on the theory of planned behavior (tpb), goals, motives, and learning objectives are closely related to persistence in achieving goals (londsdale, 2017). based on this, it is inevitable that someone with high motivation will spend more time trying to learn to get the best achievement. related to motivation in learning english, investing effort and time to get the best performance can be done by improving the ability to read english texts, honing the ability to listen to english programs, and practicing speaking with native speakers. these efforts to increase achievement will also indirectly add new sources of information on norms, values, and even foreign cultures. understanding and identifying foreign cultures also help improve intercultural communication skills, which will be very useful for increasing knowledge and abilities globally so that global competence will also increase (cao et al., 2018). method this research was conducted using a survey that analyzes individual non-cognitive personality and motivation to learn english, affecting learning achievement and global competence. respondents in this study were first-year students at the faculty of agriculture, universitas brawijaya (faub), with approximately 250 respondents with an age range of 17-19 years from three study programs, namely agribusiness, agroecotechnology, and forestry. it is based on considering the ease of access to data information and considering english courses taught in the first year of lectures. data analysis used descriptive qualitative to examine in-depth phenomena using online questionnaires via google form likert scale. results and discussion the characteristics of respondents characteristics of respondents are based on several aspects to obtain an overview of age, educational background, gender, and study program. respondents consist of 304 people aged 17-19 years who are faculty of agriculture, universitas brawijaya (fa ub) students taking english courses in the first year. the following are the characteristics of respondents based on several classifications: table 1. number of respondents no gender number % 1 male 114 37,5 % 2 female 190 62,5% total 304 100 % based on the table above, it can be seen that the number of respondents consisted of 304 people, with the most significant number of female students, 62.5%. in contrast, male respondents amounted to 114 people, with a percentage of 37.5%. the motivation of students in learning english motivation is a stimulus or stimulation to ensure the desired behavior is presented. existing motivation affects learning activities. someone with high motivation will be more active and get satisfactory results (balgies, 2018). motivation is the key if it has a dominant desire and a strong will following the motivational goals. the following table shows the average results of respondents' english learning motivation by gender category. based on the data above, the motivation to learn english based on the gender perspective shows the highest average by females, with an average value of 3.885. according to the female students' perspective, the sustainability indicator for continuing to study english after english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 13 graduation has the highest score, an average of 4.6, followed by respondents who answered similar statements. while the lowest average, answered by female respondents, was related to the indicator of taking a few hours to learn english. the relationship between motivation and the big five personalities that overall respondents have extraversion personality is often called surgency. extraversion is assessing the quantity and intensity of interpersonal interactions. individuals who score high on this dimension tend to be energetic, enthusiastic, dominant, friendly, and communicative. they are also fun, social, talkative, optimistic, and affectionate. on the other hand, individuals who score low on this dimension tend to be shy, insecure, submissive, and quiet. they are also usually introverted, aloof, restrained, discreet, and task-oriented. it is based on several factors, namely internal factors and external factors. simanullang (2021) explained that someone learning a foreign language is categorized into three factors, namely internal factors, including physical health, intelligence level, attitude, talent, and motivational interest. at the same time. several aspects, namely the surrounding environment, influence external factors. another influential factor is the application and approach of learning strategies that are carried out so that a person becomes more motivated in learning. the motivation that someone does in learning english varies. a person will learn a language when he considers the language necessary. in future projections of working in the international sector, understanding culture motivates learning foreign languages (westa, 2017). table 2. the motivation of the students in learning english (gender’s perspective) (source: primary data processed (2022)) indicator male female min max average min max average compared to my classmates, i think i study english diligently. 1 5 3.58 1 5 3.50 i often try to use words and ideas that i learn in my english class. 2 5 3.94 1 5 3.81 if english is not taught on campus, i will learn it myself. 1 5 4.07 2 5 4.21 i spend several hours a day learning english. 1 5 3.13 1 5 3.06 i am trying to learn english. 1 5 4.05 2 5 4.13 after i graduate, i will continue to study english and try to improve my english skills. 2 5 4.52 2 5 4.6 total 3.881 3.885 non-cognitive personality and global competence every individual must possess global competence to compete in the international realm. global competence requires a person to keep up with this era of globalization. global competence is a multidimensional ability to analyze local and even global issues (hidayah & salimi, 2017). global competence also means individual’s ability to analyze global-based and cross-cultural issues critically through from various perspectives, judgments, and ideas about oneself and others. it is open, appropriate, and effective. global competence possessed by individuals is essential to do. it is related to the improvement of their competence. table 3 shows the global student competencies based on a gender perspective. table 3. global competence in english from gender perspective (source: primary data processed (2022)) indicator male female min max average min max average i have a positive attitude toward cultural diversity 2 5 4.5 2 5 4.4 i realize that my view of the world and culture is not universal. 1 5 3.03 1 5 2.84 i am willing to learn and try to live in a culture other than my own. 1 5 4.13 2 5 4.1.3 i am willing to take risks in learning about crosscultural for personal development (selfdevelopment). 1 5 4.10 2 5 3.97 dian islami prasetyaningrum, hafida ruminar, asihing kustanti, & putra irwandi analysis of motivation and non-cognitive personalities in english achievement and global competences: the case of agriculture students 14 i take a non-judgmental reaction to cultural differences. 1 5 4.35 1 5 4.32 total 4.022 3.932 based on the table above, information is obtained that of the 304 respondents who answered, the global competencies possessed by men and women have different average values. the highest total mean shows in men, with a score of 4.022. the highest indicator can be seen from the average positive attitude towards cultural diversity, with an average score of 4.5 for men and 4.4 for women. at the same time, the lowest score lies in the non-universal self-view indicator. the relationship between global competence and the big five personalities that overall respondents are dominated by openness personality is often called culture or intellect, describing the breadth, depth, and complexity of individual mental and experimental life. individuals high in the openness dimension generally look imaginative, fun, creative, and artistic. he is usually creative, imaginative, and curious, has broad interests, and is always curious. in contrast, low individuals in this dimension are generally shallow, dull, or superficial. global competence possessed by men can be seen that men have a higher capacity to understand and deal with local, global, and even intercultural problems. in addition, global competence is also associated with efforts to understand and appreciate the perspectives and views of others and are open, appropriate, and effective in efforts to sustain development and global prosperity (oecd, 2018). global skills supporting personality global skills are related to an individual's psychomotor in doing something and having specific skills, potential, and expertise. skill means ease, speed, and accuracy in monitoring. global skills in supporting personality are closely related to aspects of a person's behavior that reflect a particular personality. it is also related to social and cross-cultural abilities in understanding global competition (pratama, 2022). good global social skills will help someone understand good decision-making, influence academic performance, develop attitudes and personality traits solid global interactions with the global environment. the following table shows respondents' global skills based on a gender perspective. table 4. global skills for learning english from a gender perspective (source: primary data processed (2022)) indicator male female min max average min max average i can identify cultural differences. 1 5 4.13 2 5 4.03 i can live comfortably outside my own culture. 1 5 3.71 2 5 3.46 i can adapt and participate in different sociocultural settings. 2 5 3.98 2 5 3.85 i can collaborate effectively across cultures 2 5 3.89 2 5 3.75 i successfully participate in activities or projects with people from other cultures 1 5 3.79 1 5 3.67 total 3.9 3.75 based on the table above, it can be seen that from a gender perspective, global skills have different averages, namely males are higher, with an average of 3.9, than females, which is only 3.75. in addition, the highest global skill indicator is the individual's ability to identify existing cultural differences, with an average indicator of 4.13 for men and 4.03 for women. the relationship between these indicators and the dominant personality of respondents who choose is openness personality. a highly curious person to learn about and try new things is said to have an openness to experience personality dimensions. these skills can identify new cultures that become personal values in self-development to compete in global competencies. this individual's advantages tend to be more creative, imaginative, intellectual, highly curiosity, and broad-minded. the opposite of the nature of openness to experience is individuals who tend to be conventional and comfortable with things that already exist and will cause anxiety if given new challenges (widodo, 2020). meanwhile, the lowest average indicates one's skills in living comfortably outside one's culture, with a score of 3.71. global knowledge supporting personality global knowledge is knowledge, views, and perspectives built into providing or receiving information related to global issues. global english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 15 knowledge also means a high curiosity for open global information, which is influenced by several factors. the knowledge in question is closely related to an individual's ability and personality to know, comprehend (understand), apply, analyze, synthesize (problem synthesis), and evaluate (evaluation). global knowledge is closely related to the definition of globalization. globalization means processes or events, decisions, and activities that are plural and easily known by all groups. the following is a table of respondents' global knowledge based on a global perspective. table 5. global knowledge of english from a gender perspective (source: primary data processed (2022)) indicator male female min max average min max average i understand the norms and expectations of indonesian culture. 2 5 4.07 2 5 3.52 i understand other people's cultural norms and expectations. 1 5 3.90 1 5 3.63 i know the current world events. 2 5 3.80 2 5 3.49 i know world history. 1 5 3.41 1 5 3.31 i understand the concept of globalization. 2 5 4.12 2 5 4.56 total 3.664 3.702 the global knowledge from the table above shows that the average comparison between men's and women's global knowledge is different. it can be seen that the mean global knowledge of women is higher, with a score of 3.702 compared to men's of 3.664. in addition, the table shows that the highest average indicator is knowledge related to understanding the concept of globalization, with a mean score of 4.12 for men and 4.56 for women. based on the table, the relationship between global knowledge and personality type is predominantly respondents who answered that they had a neuroticism personality. the neuroticism personality dimension is individuals who tend to be able to withstand pressure or stress (abood, 2019). the advantage of this dimension is that the emotions are stable, tend to be calm when facing problems, are confident, and have a firm stand. the opposite of neuroticism is an individual who is easily nervous, depressed, insecure, and quickly changes his mind. based on the table results, the ability to understand globalization means that someone has high knowledge of it. therefore, it makes an individual tends to have a personality to have controlled and stable emotions and is calmer in dealing with problems in arguments. conclusion english language skills possessed by a person are fundamental in the face of global competition and competence. not only good english language skills but also the knowledge and capacity to identify cultural differences and willingness to interact with other people also an ability that must be improved. the success of mastering these abilities cannot be separated from the role of individual personality and learning motivation as factors that influence the success of educational outcomes. based on the results of research conducted on 304 respondents, it was found that on the motivation variable, the dominant personality answered by the respondents was extraversion personality. meanwhile, the global competence and skills variables are dominated by openness to experience personalities. furthermore, the global knowledge variable is dominated by neuroticism personality. references abood, n. (2019). big five traits: a critical review. gadjah mada international journal of business, 21(2), 159–186. https://doi.org/10.22146/gamaijb.34931. balgies, s. (2018). pengaruh kepribadian big 5 terhadap motivasi berprestasi siswa mtsn. psikoislamika : jurnal psikologi dan psikologi islam, 15(2), 34-42. https://doi.org/10.18860/psi.v15i2.6742. baumann, c., & harvey, m. (2021). what is unique about high-performing students? exploring personality, motivation, and competitiveness. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 46(8), 1314–1326. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.187093 0 cao, c., & meng, q. (2020). exploring personality traits as predictors of english achievement and global competence among chinese university students: english learning motivation as the moderator. learning and individual differences, 77, 101814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2019.101814 cao, c., shang, l., & meng, q. (2020). applying the job demands-resources model to exploring predictors of innovative teaching among https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1870930 https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1870930 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2019.101814 dian islami prasetyaningrum, hafida ruminar, asihing kustanti, & putra irwandi analysis of motivation and non-cognitive personalities in english achievement and global competences: the case of agriculture students 16 university teachers. teaching and teacher education, 89, 103009. connolly, f. f. & seva, i. j. (2021). agreeableness, extraversion and life satisfaction: investigating the mediating roles of social inclusion and status. scandinavian journal of psychology, . https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12755. fernandes, d., (2018). english as a communication tool in a global world: the case of wall street english. p-porto iscap. hidayah, r., & salimi, t. s. s. m. (2017). critical thinking skill: konsep dan inidikator penilaian. jurnal taman cendekia, 1(2), 127–133. lampropoulos, g., anastasiadis, t., siakas, k., siakas, e. (2022). the impact of personality traits on social media use and engagement: an overview. international journal on social and education sciences, 4(1), 34-51. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijonses.264 34. lonsdale, d. (2017). intentions to cheat: ajzen’s planned behavior and goal-related per sonality facets. the journal of psychology, 151(2), 113– 129. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 00223980.2016.1241737. mauliya, i., relianisa, r. z., rokhyati, u. (2020). lack of motivation factors creating poor academic performance in the context of graduate english department students. linguist journal, 6(2), 7385. meng, q., zhu, c., & cao, c. (2018). chinese international students’ social connectedness, social and academic adaptation: the mediating role of global competence. higher education, 75(1), 131–147. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734017-0129-x. moulita, m. (2019). kompetensi komunikasi antarbudaya siswa sekolah menengah atas. jurnal simbolika: research and learning in communication study, 5(1), 23-34. https://doi.org/10.31289/simbollika.v5i1.226 oecd. (2018). preparing our youth for an inclusive and sustainable world. the oecd pisa global competence framework. ollfors, m., & andersson, s. i. (2021). influence of personality traits, goals, academic efficacy, and stressload on final grades in swedish high school students. scandinavian journal of educational research, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2021.198364 4. palmisano, a. c. (2021). the predictive relationship between personality, gpa, and membership in nontraditional student populations. the journal of the virginia community colleges, 24(1), 5-7. parmigiani, d., jones, s.l., kunnari, i., & nicchia, e. (2022). global competence and teacher education programmes. a european perspective. cogent education, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2021.202299 6. pratama, y. a. (2022). mengembangkan kompetensi global melalui model service learning. inovasi kurikulum, 19(2), 199 rizvanović, n. (2018). motivation and personality in language aptitude. in s. m. reiterer (ed.). exploring language aptitude: views from psychology, the language sciences, and cognitive neuroscience (pp. 101–116). springer. schell, e. (2020). cultivating global citizenship. social studies review. california council for the social studies, 59. p. 2. simanullang, t. (2021). pengaruh tipe kepribadian the big five model personality terhadap kinerja aparatur sipil negara (kajian studi literatur manajemen keuangan). jurnal manajemen pendidikan dan ilmu sosial, 2(2), 747–753. tani, k., dalzell, e., ehambaranathan, n., murugasu, s., & steele, a. (2019). evaluation of factors affecting students’ performance in tertiary education. journal of pedagogical research, 3(2), 1-10. http://dx.doi.org/10.33902/jpr.2019252504. wen, q. (2018). the production-oriented approach to teaching university students english in china. language teaching, 51(4), 526–540. https://doi.org/10.1017/ s026144481600001x. westa, i.w. (2017). pengaruh big five personality traits dengan dispepsia fungsional pada pasien [bachelor thesis, unadaya university]. widodo, u. (2020). faktor-faktor motivasi dalam pembelajaran bahasa inggris. jurnal pendidikan, sains sosial, dan agama, 5(2), 48– 64. https://doi.org/10.53565/pssa.v5i2.110. wilmot, m. p., wamberg, c.r., kammeye-mueller, j. d., ones, d. s. (2019). extraversion advantages at work: a quantitative review and synthesis of the meta-analytic evidence. journal of applied psychology, 104(12), 1447-1470. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/apl0000415. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2021.1983644 https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2021.1983644 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 539 developing cross-cultural understanding (ccu) materials in tourism guiding for vocational students anis nurul hidayah nafa postgraduate of english language education department, universitas muhammadiyah malang email: anisnurulhidayahnafa@gmail.com miftha yuliana postgraduate of english language education department, universitas muhammadiyah malang email: mifthayuliana@umm.ac.id moh. kholilurrahman jailani postgraduate of english language education department, universitas muhammadiyah malang email: kholilurrahmanj@umm.ac.id nana parama sari postgraduate of english language education department, universitas muhammadiyah malang, indonesia email: nana.paramasariii@gmail.com wuri anggraini postgraduate of english language education department, universitas muhammadiyah malang, email: wurianggraini1234@gmail.com fardini sabilah* postgraduate of english language education department, universitas muhammadiyah malang email: fardini@umm.ac.id apa citation: nafa, a. n. h., yuliana, m., jailani, m. k., sari, n. p., anggraini, w., & sabilah, f. (2023). developing cross-cultural understanding (ccu) materials in tourism guiding for vocational students. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 539-550. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.6653 received: 23-02-2023 accepted: 28-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction the role of english in vocational students is essential, and it cannot be avoided. henceforth, certain ways are needed to encourage students' needs. students must be taught adequately in certain ways based on their program of study (azizah et al., 2021). this is necessary for students to develop skills for them be able to compete after graduating from college and achieve their future career according to their field. this is in line with (nurdin et al., 2019) who convinced that education is a process of forming abstract: learning english for specific purpose (esp) for vocational students, is very important so that certain ways are needed to encourage students' needs. students must receive sufficient material in certain ways based on their interests and majors. this study aims to analyze learning needs of tourism guide materials. the method used in this study is qualitative and quantitative research design where the data is collected with numerical form then described in the form of a description. the research instruments used in this study are questionnaires and open-ended interviews. this study conducts a needs analysis to measure student needs and to develop esp materials. the participants of this research are 3rd and 4th semester students majoring in d3 vocational department unmer malang. the results of the study indicate the needs of students to improve their english-speaking skills and develop cross cultural understanding (ccu) as tourism guiding materials. furthermore, students' english skills also show low results which lead to low self-confidence because the learning methods used by lecturers have not developed due to the application of teacher-centered classes which lead to a lack of practice from students. therefore, learning methods that are able to stimulate students’ speaking proficiency and ccu material development are needed. keywords: cross culture understanding (ccu); english for specific purpose (esp); needs analysis; international guiding; vocational student. anis nurul hidayah nafa, miftha yuliana, moh. kholilurrahman jailani, nana parama sari, wuri anggraini, & fardini sabilah developing cross-cultural understanding (ccu) materials in tourism guiding for vocational students 540 intellectual and emotional basic skills which is an effort to develop quality human qualities that are useful for the progress of the nation and state. therefore, this study discusses certain english terms that are used in the tourism industry by tourism vocational students or, in short, english for tourism purposes. a study conducted by (pakpahan, 2018) revealed that students who have a highly spoken language worldwide are more enjoyable. moreover, (ilyosovna, 2020) revealed that if you understand english well then you have a chance to rule the world. it happens because they have good english competence. in addition, the tour guide surely has deep knowledge and ability to explain clearly about the tourism place during the trip in order to give satisfaction to the tourist (ratih et al., 2023). thus, they definitely need english to communicate both in spoken and written form. it will be much better if students can also connect or use english for tourism purposes. it was understandable that component of materials in vocational tourism courses appears to have a limited scope since the topic is specific to the related vocational majors which in this case is tourism industry. vocational students majoring in tourism need to be provided with sufficient information related to the courses for example tourist attractions, accommodation, and facilitation (rahmiani, 2018). (choi & kurnia, 2020) also stated that touring education information requires appropriate and adequate skills training. they have to be trained to be professional and skilled in workforce in the tourism industry that is widely known to have many professions offered such as travel agents, hotel administration, tourism offices, and other job occasions. based on previous research conducted by researchers on the use of speaking materials for tour guides, students still need sufficient time to practice and understand the implementation of how they guide tourists well. therefore, the speaking ability of tourism students must be improved. furthermore, (bao et al., 2016; kharkhurin & yagolkovskiy, 2021) and (mukundan, 2015) stated that incorporate knowledge of culture in developing teaching materials is highly essential considering understanding people’s background is one way of success in proper human interaction. in addition, language teaching has to reflect learners’ experiences and language biographies in particular (maligkoudi et al., 2023). before creating instructional materials, jameel (2012) suggested taking the interests and skill levels of the students into account. there will be discouragement that leads to failure when the instructional materials and the needs and levels of the learners are incompatible (deressa et al., 2022). based on this perspective, the erudite presentations in this modern global exchange should not only focus on tourists but also conclude their own culture based on each country. (gómez yepes et al., 2023; wu, 2015) showed that individuals in high-context cultures used a inferred style of conversation which they doesn’t explain themselves while acting in a certain way. in low-context cultures, people use more direct language to communicate. these various kinds of ways of communicating using this language can be achieved if cultural understanding is carried out. therefore, it is necessary to study cross cultural understanding (ccu), especially for tourism. ccu is defined as an understanding of a culture that is not shared by someone who studies it. cross-cultural understanding is the ability to recognize the cultural differences, make correct interpretation and react properly to people or situations in the communication with these communities (ratnasari, 2019). in other words, ccu is a person's attempt to understand the culture of a group that is foreign to him, such as a group from another country. ccu is essential for achieving the bonds of strangers with each other. (cliftci, 2016; khodakarami et al., 2022) mentions that in today's era simply knowing about a culture is not enough to achieve attachment between human relationships. critical knowledge is needed so that human relations can be close because from this a sense of familiarity arises. tourism is a profession that cannot be separated from the realm of human relations, therefore ccu is very important to be developed as a teaching material. a study conducted by (kemala & mulyana, 2022) stated that the results of needs analysis of material requirements for tourism is cross cultural understanding materials. through these materials, understanding foreign cultures becomes a balance of knowledge which results in good service for foreign tourists. the results of research from (soldatenko & backer, 2019) also state that by understanding the ccu, it can also be seen the interests of tourists visiting a country because the culture that tourists bring affects their attitudes and interests. in the analysis of cross-cultural understanding (ccu) of hospitality and tourism (cruz et al., 2023; m. li, 2014) points out that in academic studies, students must be able to find differences english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 541 between cultures which are not only influenced by geographical location which affects the weather climate but also the habits of ancestral heritage. {following a study by (huang et al., 2021) of ccus in tourism, this study identified the behavior of tourists who show the greatest differences by nationality. this study highlights the importance of ccu in studying tourism behaviors perceived by indonesian tour guides. at the same time, ccu's analysis of behavioral traits is expected to help identify professional tourism students, especially in international instructional materials. therefore, this research was conducted for extended analysis by formulating following questions: (1) what are the needs of materials in learning tourism guiding for d3 vocational department students? (2) how are the practical use of materials in learning tourism guiding for d3 vocational department students? method this research carried out need analysis to measure the shortcomings and needs of students to develop english for specific purpose (esp) for ccu in tourism course materials. (li & heron, 2021) stated that scholars in china have proposed theoretical frameworks for needs analysis, including scenario analysis, learning aim analysis, occupational requirements analysis, social and students' needs analysis (brown & green, 2019). the importance that teachers place on motivational ideas and how they view the motivation of their esp students are just a couple of the elements that are likely to influence teachers' motivational approaches (mauludin, 2021). various factors will have influenced the cognitions of these esp teachers in turn of schooling, professional coursework, and classroom experience are some examples of these sources (nithideechaiwarachok et al., 2022). this study used a mixed-method between qualitative and quantitative instruments. it involved in collecting, analyzing, and integrating data from multiple sources and employing diverse research techniques. the purpose is to gain a comprehensive understanding of a research problem by leveraging the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative approaches (dawadi et al., 2021). in a mixed-methods study, qualitative methods allowed researchers to explore complex phenomena and generate hypotheses or theories (mele & belardinelli, 2019). quantitative on the other hand, provides researchers with precise measurements, patterns, correlations, or generalizability of findings to a larger population (mohajan, 2020). it is important to note that conducting mixed methods research requires careful planning, integration of data, and analysis techniques (plano clark, 2019). researchers considered the sequencing of data collection, the weighting of qualitative and quantitative components, and how the findings integrated to answer the research questions effectively (pardede, 2019). therefore, mixed methods research was used. in this study, a group of 25 undergraduate students from various backgrounds and disciplines were recruited as participants. the sample consisted of 15 women and 10 men, with an age range between 18 and 20 years. these participants were specially selected from semester 3 and 4 students majoring in d3 vocational department university of merdeka (unmer) malang. the d3 vocational department at unmer malang offers specialization programs in various vocational fields, one of which is international guiding. the decision to select students for this class is based on several considerations. first, their enrollment in semesters 3 and 4 shows that they have acquired basic knowledge and skills in the field of tour guides. this ensures that they have a certain level of competence and understanding to contribute meaningfully to research. second, the focus on d3 vocational students allows targeted investigations into the specific challenges and opportunities faced by individuals pursuing vocational education in an international guiding context. by studying this particular group, this research aims to gain valuable insights to the needs of ccu materials in learning tourism and its practical use to help future careers in the field (mason, 2020). the selection of 25 participants provided a manageable and representative sample for indepth analysis, ensuring a comprehensive check of the research objectives within the given resources and time constraints. in addition, the diversity of backgrounds and disciplines within the group offers a variety of perspectives and experiences that enrich research findings. overall, the inclusion of 25 student’s semester 3 and 4 majoring in d3 vocational at unmer malang adds to the depth and relevance of the study. the collection of the data was obtained by conducted questionnaire and open-ended interview. questionnaires was addressed to the third and fourth semester students majoring in d3 anis nurul hidayah nafa, miftha yuliana, moh. kholilurrahman jailani, nana parama sari, wuri anggraini, & fardini sabilah developing cross-cultural understanding (ccu) materials in tourism guiding for vocational students 542 vocational department unmer malang, while interviews were addressed to a lecturer responsible for esp in tourism course materials. the data collected from the questionnaire instrument is in the form of a likert scale which has a choice of answers on a scale from 1 to 5 that differ in each section such as; language skills, proficiencies, and needed materials. interviews were conducted exclusively with lecturer who are responsible for esp in tourism material course with the aim of digging deeper information about the learning process, the problems faced, and the progress of student’s abilities. these data then analyzed with basic statistic of mean, median, and modus for questionnaire and mile’s and huberman’s interactive model for interview. the results of the study were reported in a descriptive statistical form with numerical data display followed by detailed descriptions. the validity of the questionnaire was tested by comparing the r table and r count on the basis of pearson correlation (yusup, 2018). the questionnaire items indicator has result of r count by 0.417 0.896 that exceeds r table by 0.413, so the data is said to be valid (janna & herianto, 2021). the reliability for questionnaire is calculated by implementing the cronbach's alpha formula that calculates item variance and total variance. the results of the formula were juxtaposed with guilford's reliability coefficient category. the reliability test has result from items indicator of 0.89 – 0.96, indicates very high interpretation (amirrudin et al., 2020). so, the data obtained from questionnaire is valid and reliable. as for the validity and reliability for the interview were carried out by adjusting the compatibility of the question with the indicators that have been made in accordance with the questionnaire. results and discussion the results of the analysis show that there is a need for material development, especially those related to international guiding courses. the summary of the analysis of student and teacher needs is collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. speaking skill according to the questionnaire analysis, most of the students' speaking level is at the preintermediate level. this can be seen from the results of the percentage analysis of the questionnaire responses; the majority of the students chose 'quite capable' instead of 'capable' and 'very capable' options. figure 1. the result of students’ speaking level the percentages above the questionnaire data show the five categories of capability. the highest percentage was in the category of quite capable with 54% and less capable with 28%, while the lowest percentage was in the very capable category with 0%. and it can be seen that the most dominant limitations shown in students' answers were in items 2 and 7. item 2 discusses speaking with traveler foreigners. where 36% were found in the less capable and 8% found in the not capable category. item 7 discusses controlling complaints where 40% were found in less capable and 12% found in the not capable category. listening skill in listening and understanding english, students still have low self-confidence. this is obtained from the results of the percentage analysis of the questionnaire responses in which most students choose 'less capable' and 'quite capable' compared to 'capable' and 'very capable' options. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 543 figure 2. the result of students’ listening level the analysis explained that the first item is understanding explicit (indirect) and implicit (direct) expressions in english conversation, students answered 44% in less capable and 40% in quite capable meanwhile, the capable option was only answered by two students with 8% percentage and zero in very capable option. the second item is listening and understanding conversations between coworkers in english, students answered 40% in less capable and 44% in quite capable meanwhile, the capable option was only answered by three students with 12% percentage, and one student answered very capably with 4% percentage. the third item is understanding the intentions of foreign tourists; students are still not very confident. it was shown that seven students answered less capable by 28%, 13 students answered quite capable by 52%, four students answered capable by 16%, and one student answered very capably by 4%; in conclusion, the dominant limit of students' ability to listen to understand the expression of explicit and implicitness from foreigners. proficiency the diagram below represents data about proficiency. there are 12 students (48%) at the pre-intermediate level. then, five students (20%) at the pre-elementary and elementary levels. meanwhile, three students (12%) are at the advanced level. moreover, in terms of listening ability, there are 88 students (32%) at the preintermediate level and seven students (28%) at the pre-elementary level. then, at the elementary and intermediate levels, there are five students (20%). thus, it can be said that their abilities are sufficient. figure 3. the result of students’ proficiency in english in conclusion, speaking and listening skills are significant in english proficiency. based on the student proficiency analysis, it is found that almost half of the students are at the preintermediate level. meanwhile, it is not much different from the ability listening skill. the largest presentation shows that the students' listening ability is also at the pre-intermediate level. materials from the diagram below, the most wanted material to develop is promoting tourist attractions, which has 60%. another most chosen material is communicating with foreigners with 56%. meanwhile, the least chosen material is guiding tourists to buy something from the local market, which the only item that has strongly disagreed responds with 4%. anis nurul hidayah nafa, miftha yuliana, moh. kholilurrahman jailani, nana parama sari, wuri anggraini, & fardini sabilah developing cross-cultural understanding (ccu) materials in tourism guiding for vocational students 544 figure 4. the result of most wanted material by the students in developing ccu materials based on listening and speaking skills, there were still deficiencies in communication with tourists in terms of understanding the meaning of tourists' words and handling their complaints. therefore, taking into account the students' english proficiency in terms of overall deficiencies and requests for material development, it was found that the ccu material development was developed on the topic of promoting tourism and handling complaints. lecturer’s perspective two lecturers from different institutions were interviewed based on their perspectives and opinions on the development material of tourism guidance. the first teacher is from universitas merdeka (unmer) malang in the vocational department. the students are in the 3rd and 4th semester of the d3 vocational department and have received the material about tourist guiding. commonly, the materials taught by the lecturer were in the form of theory on guiding techniques in the classroom. moreover, the lecturer said that the students only knew how to service the domestic tourist so far around malang city tour, batu tour, and pemerintah kota (pemkot) tour. on the other hand, the lecturer's technique in teaching the students still uses the old fashion of teaching, which is a teacher-centered learning method, and the lack of a learning platform applied in the teaching and learning process since the lecture only used zoom meeting. the lecture exposed that the student tended to know practically how to be a good tourist guide as they applied it with their partners. so, it is hoped that the material that will be developed can be concerned with how the students practice and talk directly with foreign tourists. therefore, the types of tourists that they need to service our domestic tourists, domestic foreign tourists, foreign tourists, and indigenous foreign tourists. hopefully, the students are ready to guide foreign tourists from europe (netherlands, germany, and france). in the material development for d3, the vocational department can focus on the needs of students to fulfill the excellent service of guiding tourists. the materials consist of international guidance of cross-cultural understanding (ccu). the second lecturer comes from pariwisata perhotelan ganesha malang. the lecturer focuses on the material in hospitality. the student received the contents of material about greeting, f&b product and service, front office, and housekeeping which were designed in the introduction to tourism material. this will be a bit different from the previous lecture that derived the student directly to the practice of tourism guiding; in this case, the lecture only handled tourism hospitality and its speaking practice. therefore, the learning process is still on teacher-centered learning, and the english practice is in the third and fourth semesters at the hotel. thus, the lecturer only uses zoom meeting to conduct a class and never uses others' learning platforms to support the learning process. the lecture suggests that the development of material can concern the needs of students to improve the use of vocabulary and conversation practice regularly because the students in the tourism hospitality department of ganesha malang lack vocabulary improvement and the ability to practice it directly in speaking skills. based on the research results, speaking skill showed that speaking skill data from need analysis showed the five categories of capability, which are: not capable, less capable, capable, quite capable, and very capable the highest english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 545 percentage was in the category of less capable and quite capable, while the lowest percentage was in the very capable category. this shows that although students can speak and understand english itself, there are still many of them who lack vocabulary and fluency in their speaking skills this result is similar to (pahargyan, 2021) which stated one of the factors of student’s anxiety in speaking is the lack of vocabulary knowledge. the study found that the results of english teaching came from three main causes of anxiety which are communication, test, and negative evaluation. it was proofed as the research subjects showed sign of vocabulary deficiency, low confidence and motivation, and lack of preparation and practice which contributed to students' fear of speaking. however, because of its unusual writing norms and exclusive vocabulary, which are referred to as "demotivating factors" in esp language learning and teaching studies and are frequently disregarded in the study sector, motivation to learn esp is obstructed. demotivation can be essentially understood as the absence of sufficient motivation to complete a particular task (giang et al., 2023). therefore, the development of materials that can introduce them to the spoken language must be completed. the main limitations that appeared in student responses were items 2 and 7. item 2 is speaking with traveler foreigners, and item 7 is discussing controlling complaints. this means that the main limitation shown by students is their vocabulary and fluency in conversing with foreigners and controlling complaints. even less because they lack the practice of direct conversation with native english speakers, this undoubtedly makes it difficult for them to speak in an exchange conversation. this means that there must be exercises to hone their skills. as claimed by (borsatti & riess, 2021) fl learners typically have a restricted vocabulary in addition to less exposure to the target language than l1 readers, who typically have a vast vocabulary before they start reading. with the development of technology in this day and age, it is not difficult to practice direct speaking skills with native speakers. this exercise can be done through remote interpersonal communication. however, students prefer to practice speaking directly with native speakers. despite their lack of vocabulary and fluency, they still want to practice directly with native speakers in person. the conclusion for the speaking aspect is students are able to speak with foreigners and can control complaints, but their vocabulary and their fluency in their speaking skills are still low. they also find it difficult to hear distinct words directly because they are not used to them. therefore, it is necessary to develop practice-based materials that allow students to face real-life situations directly and engage in english conversations directly with native speakers. for the listening skill, the need analysis showed five categories of capability which are: not capable, less capable, capable, quite capable, and very capable. the highest percentage was in the category of less capable and quite capable, while the lowest percentage was in the very capable category. this shows that although students can listen and understand english speech, there are still many of them who lack confidence in their listening skills. this result is the same as the previous study by (khoirunnisa et al., 2018) which examined the perceptions of teachers and students on learning speaking skills in the tourism program. they found that the challenges faced by students in speaking english were lack of confidence, motivation, and limited learning resources, so the development of material that can familiarize them with listening needs to be done. it's critical for instructors to understand l2 motivation because it will probably influence their practices and attitudes. in addition, the importance that teachers place on motivational ideas and how they perceive the motivation of their esp students are likely to influence how they motivate their students. these esp teachers' cognitions will, in turn, have been influenced by a variety of factors. these resources would comprise schooling, professional coursework, and classroom experience (yang & wyatt, 2021). the dominant limitation shown in the students' answers was in item 3. item 3 discusses listening and understanding the explicit and implicit meaning in live conversation with foreigners. this means the dominant limitation shown by the student is understanding the explicit and implicit expression of a foreigner. their lack of practice for direct conversation with english native speakers makes it difficult to recognize the hidden and direct meaning in exchange dialogue. this means that the practice of honing skills needs to be done. with the development of technology in today's era, it is not difficult to practice direct listening skills with native speakers. practice can be done virtually with long-distance interpersonal communication. however, students prefer to practice by listening directly face to face with native speakers. despite their lack of confidence, anis nurul hidayah nafa, miftha yuliana, moh. kholilurrahman jailani, nana parama sari, wuri anggraini, & fardini sabilah developing cross-cultural understanding (ccu) materials in tourism guiding for vocational students 546 they still want to practice in person with native speakers directly. this is in line with studies conducted by (suprayogi & pranoto, 2020) who conducted research on virtual activities in the english for tourism class. he found that even though technology provided access to alternative learning, students still wanted to learn the handson practice. then, the conclusion for the listening aspect is students are able to listen to and understand english conversations, but their confidence in their listening skills is still low. based on the results of the questionnaire, their limitations are in understanding the meaning explicitly and implicitly. they also still find it difficult to hear the words of strangers directly because they are not used to it. therefore, the development of practice-based materials, where students are faced directly with real situations by listening to english dialogue directly from native speakers, is needed. in addition to speaking and listening proficiencies, students are at the pre-intermediate level. this can be seen from the results of the student questionnaire, which stated that the preintermediate level had the largest presentation of the two skills. intermediate level means that students already have fairly good fluency in speaking and listening to english. so, it can be said that although students are quite able to speak and listen. however, the skills still need to be sharpened again so that they can be even better, especially in the practice of using them. (tampubolon, 2021) in their paper also explain the importance of listening and speaking. thus, students have to practice a lot and learn in practice because practice makes perfect. furthermore, the advice given by students in learning courses is to have english language material or training guides using english. this is desirable because it suits their future job prospects as professional tour guides. then, they also expect vocabulary material, exercises to guide using english, and the delivery of material by lecturers in a more interesting way, such as using videos. this is in line with research conducted by (syafiq et al., 2021) which states that video is a composition of spoken language and visual context so that it can increase students' ability to comprehend and enjoy english lessons. as a consequence, students are highly motivated to learn english. based on the findings from previous studies, the material needed in guiding learning consists of several materials such as giving information about tourist places, communicating about tourist packages, communication, and hospitality toward the tourist. in addition, (ratminingsih et al., 2018) stated that in fact many tour guides are still lacking in basic english skills, but they are very good at showing off to do scouting. incidents like this are very common in developing countries such as indonesia. regarding to this problem, it was needed to understand the correct learning materials in guidance, especially on cross culture understanding with tourists to obtain the hospitality on tourism. for the chosen materials, most of the students during on-the-job training face difficulties communicating materials with the tourist on the trip, such as giving information about tourist attractions during the trip. however, in order to get good marks in practice, students must have adequate marks. moreover, materials on international guidance, especially in english communication, are very important in vocational colleges, especially in the field of tourism. last, as mentioned in the results of the lecturers' interview, the students need to know the practical use of tourism guidance based on the development materials. thus, these guides should be attentive with language features including vocabulary, tone, and pace since these are able to create different meaning in different context and situation. furthermore, huang (2011) as cited in (muhazir, 2018) defines several aspects in which this aspect of developing a tour guide skill is a good public speaking skills and good narration, and must be able to adapt to cultural differences and create similarities as described below. excellent public speaking and narrative skills taking a public speaking class is a great job, so tour guides can easily address people in an engaging way. clear speaking should be learned by the tour guide, vocally and in a calm tone, so that guests can easily grasp all the information provided by the tour guide. adaptation of cultural differences the tour guide needs to know all the cultural backgrounds of the guests and can work together. tour guides must consistently find a good approach for accommodating the differences between them and tourists. successful adaptation requires an understanding of cultural differences that was divided into two parts which are adaptation interests and styles. creating similarities chiao et al. (2018) stated that there is a common english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 547 factor in the tour guide strategy that that build the awareness of the need which is to create a common perception between people from foreign cultures. that common perception are crosscultural boundaries and encouragement of tourists to communicate. not only inequality but a comparison is also a very useful way of helping tourists to understand the culture of the place they visit. this is a way of creating commonalities between cultures and the ability to build foundation of understanding from both sides of the culture which can be achieved by effective communication between tour guides and foreign tourists. this shows that the results of the findings of this research are more fulfilling what has become a problem in the needs of students, especially at the university level. this is very different from the previous findings, which findings from previous research are only the discrepancy of the material taught in class, the material being not properly accommodated, the lack of practice in english and so on. in these findings of this research, everything is covered with a complex. both in giving the material, how to make the material interesting and the practice of speaking english itself. the english proficiency is become important in tourism. this language has played an essential in the development of tourism and has also been used for travel for nowadays. the previous study conducted by (gani & damayanti, 2018) examined english proficiency of local guide in museum tsunami aceh, the previous researcher point out the level of english proficiency of tourist guide dealing with vocabulary. the researcher did not examine several parts of english such as listening, speaking and material on tourism. however, this research study has observed four important points in english for specific purposes (esp) in tourism. interestingly, this research is complete because the researcher also observed the material on ccu. that is why, this study has distinction with other previous study. the method is using questionnaires (google form) to measure the student ability and students need in material of english international guiding. moreover, this study has several benefits for the next researcher who will observe the same material on vocational students, because the method being used in this study including interview two lecturer from different vocational universities. this study is more fulfilling what has become the problem in esp in tourism material. conclusion it is essential to know about the role of english in vocational university students. it is needed to prepare them to be full fill their experience after graduating from university. one of the criteria that has been prepared for it is the need to be a tour guide. the first for the needs of students who are more likely to learn english speaking skills, and also for the material they want is cross culture understanding (ccu); it means that they need to know and understand well about the culture of foreign tourists and consider their future needs when becoming professional tour guides in the next future. on the other hand, students also need much material about talking to foreigners, handling complaints, and promoting tourist attractions that are in line with their majors. it means what they learn in lectures can be applied and used when they have occasion to work on another day, while the students' lack of speaking and listening is still low self-confidence. in short, the learning method used by the lecturer is lecturing, storytelling, and sharing experiences of being a tour guide. in addition, students also want the lecturer to increase the amount of material that uses english and use more interesting digital media such as videos in delivering the material. also, the students need to speak with a real native speaker to increase their experience and confidence. acknowledgement appreciation and gratitude profusely to our lecturer for her support, input, and assistance in this mini-research. an expression of gratitude is also conveyed to d3 vocational department at the university of merdeka (unmer) malang, tourism hospitality of ganesha malang, pt. selecta batu, department of tourism and culture batu, and postgraduate program of the university of muhammadiyah malang. references amirrudin, m., nasution, k., & supahar, s. (2020). effect of variability on cronbach alpha reliability in research practice. jurnal matematika, statistika dan komputasi, 17(2), 223–230. https://doi.org/10.20956/jmsk.v17i2.11655 azizah, n., inderawati, r., vianty, m., & belitung, b. (2021). developing descriptive reading materials in efl classes by utilizing the local culture. studies in english language and education, 8(2), 596–621. bao, y., yang, t., lin, x., fang, y., wang, y., pöppel, e., & lei, q. (2016). aesthetic anis nurul hidayah nafa, miftha yuliana, moh. kholilurrahman jailani, nana parama sari, wuri anggraini, & fardini sabilah developing cross-cultural understanding (ccu) materials in tourism guiding for vocational students 548 preferences for eastern and western traditional visual art: identity matters. frontiers in psychology, 7(10), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01596 borsatti, d., & riess, a. b. (2021). using machine translator as a pedagogical resource in english for specific purposes courses in the academic context. revista de estudos da linguagem, 29(2), 829–858. https://doi.org/10.17851/22372083.29.2.829-858 brown, a. h., & green, t. d. (2019). the essesntials of instructional design: connecting fundamental principles with process and practice (4th ed.). routledge. chiao, h. m., chen, y. l., & huang, w. h. (2018). examining the usability of an online virtual tour-guiding platform for cultural tourism education. journal of hospitality, leisure, sport and tourism education, 23(2), 29–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2018.05.002 choi, m. y., & kurnia, a. a. (2020). teachers guidebook: tourism vocational education for sustainable development in timor-leste. unesco office. cliftci, e. y. (2016). a review of research on intercultural learning through computer-based digital technologies. journal of educational technology & society, 19(2), 313–327. cruz, m. d. la, jaramillo, m., risco, a. a., & seminario, m. de las m. a. (2023). crosscultural impacts on tourism, hospitality, and recreation. emerald publishing limited, 30(9), 255–264. dawadi, s., shrestha, s., & giri, r. a. (2021). mixedmethods research: a discussion on its types, challenges, and criticisms. journal of practical studies in education, 2(2), 25–36. https://doi.org/10.46809/jpse.v2i2.20 deressa, w., tefera, y., & alemu, a. (2022). analyzing the current english language teaching materials in line with the academic and professional needs and interests of diploma theology students. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-022-00137-6 gani, s. a., & damayanti, c. i. (2018). the ability to speak english of the local tour guides for promoting tourism at the aceh tsunami museum. studies in english language and education, 5(2), 269–278. giang, n. d., tuan, v. v., & minh, b. n. la. (2023). investigating demotivating factors in learning english for specific purposes at a higher education institution. российский психологический журнал, 20(1), 162–181. https://doi.org/10.21702/rpj.2023.1.11 gómez yepes, t., etchezahar, e., albalá genol, m. á., & maldonado rico, a. (2023). validation of the intercultural sensitivity scale in the spanish context. frontiers in education, 8(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1208081 huang, r.-y., chang, w.-j., & chang, c.-y. (2021). destination image analysis and its strategic implications: a literature review from 1990 to 2019. international journal of tourism & hospitality, 8(1), 30–50. https://doi.org/10.18510/ijthr.2021.813 ilyosovna, n. a. (2020). the importance of english language. international journal of english learning & teaching skills, 2(1), 1028–1035. https://doi.org/10.15864/ijelts.2119 janna, n. m., & herianto. (2021). artikel statistik yang benar. 18210047. kemala, z., & mulyana, h. (2022). analysis of english competence based on needs of tourism industry in westjava. barista: jurnal kajian bahasa, 9(45), 15–25. https://doi.org/10.34013/barista.v9i01.568 kharkhurin, a. v, & yagolkovskiy, s. r. (2021). cultural variations in evaluation of creative work: a comparison of russian and emirati samples. pubmed, 12(1), 1–10. khodakarami, p., zakaria, z., jamil, r., teck, t. s., mohammed, h. d., & najmaei, m. (2022). the effect of business technology strategy on inward export performance in the malaysian higher education industry. sustainability (switzerland), 14(15), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159307 khoirunnisa, suparno, & supriyadi, s. (2018). esp teacher’s and students’ perceptions on teaching speaking for a tourism program. dinamika ilmu, 18(1), 37–50. li, m. (2014). cross-cultural tourist research: a metaanalysis. in journal of hospitality and tourism research (vol. 38, issue 1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348012442542 li, y., & heron, m. (2021). english for general academic purposes or english for specific purposes? language learning needs of medical students at a chinese university. theory and practice in language studies, 11(6), 621–631. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1106.05 maligkoudi, c., mouti, a., & triantafyllou, e. (2023). where do critical pedagogy and language needs analysis meet? english as an additional language for adult refugees and migrants in greece: a case study. journal of language and education, 9(1), 102–111. https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2023.10923 mason, p. (2020). tourism impacts, planning and management (4th ed., vol. 2). routledge. mauludin, l. a. (2021). students’ perceptions of the most and the least motivating teaching strategies in esp classes. ijltr, 9(1), 139–157. https://doi.org/10.30466/ijltr.2021.120980 mele, v., & belardinelli, p. (2019). mixed methods in public administration research: selecting, sequencing, and connecting. journal of public administration research and theory, 29(2), english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 549 334–347. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muy046 mohajan, h. k. (2020). quantitative research: a successful investigation in natural and social sciences. ceeol, 2(4), 50–79. muhazir. (2018). the influence of tour guiding on the guides’ perception toward their english speaking skill (issue 231324380). ar-raniry state islamic university. mukundan, j. (2015). english language teaching materials and cross-cultural understanding: are there bridges or divides? teflin journal, 16(1), 42–53. nithideechaiwarachok, b., maneekanon, o., & bubphada, t. (2022). exploring english language proficiency, english language problems, and english needs among first year undergraduate students. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 21(12), 272–289. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.21.12.15 nurdin, e. a., hussen, s., pangastuti, e. i., & lestari, d. (2019). improving students critical thinking skills using a research based practice on tourism geography materials. iop conference series: earth and environmental science, 243(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/17551315/243/1/012085 pahargyan, t. (2021). students’ anxiety in speaking english during distance learning. uc journal: elt, linguistics and literature journal, 2(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.24071/uc.v2i1.3240 pakpahan, r. o. a. (2018). improving speaking skill of tourism vocational high school students through project based learning. 6(2), 44–51. pardede, p. (2019). mixed methods research designs in efl. english education department collegiate forum (eed cf) 2015-2018, 230–243. plano clark, v. l. (2019). meaningful integration within mixed methods studies: identifying why, what, when, and how. in contemporary educational psychology (vol. 57, pp. 106–111). academic press inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2019.01.007 rahmiani, n. (2018). developing a supplementary material of malay tourism for vocational students in pontianak. journal of linguistic and english teaching, 3(2), 128–145. ratih, e., sari, a., & jailani, m. k. (2023). indonesian tour guide’s bilingual experiences in malang: a narrative inquiry study. kss, 8(7), 75–84. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v8i7.13238 ratminingsih, n. m., suardana, m., & martin, a. a. n. y. (2018). english for tour guide: a need analysis of a contextual-based language teaching. shs web of conferences 42, 42, 1–6. ratnasari, d. (2019). the importance of cross-cultural understanding in foreign language teaching in the asian context. bahasa dan seni: jurnal bahasa, sastra, seni, dan pengajarannya, 46(2), 124–131. https://doi.org/10.17977/um015v46i22018p124 soldatenko, d., & backer, e. (2019). a content analysis of cross-cultural motivational studies in tourism relating to nationalities. journal of hospitality and tourism management, 38(december 2018), 122–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2018.12.004 suprayogi, & pranoto, b. e. (2020). virtual tourism exhibition activity in english for tourism class: students’ perspectives. english journal, 7(2), 199–207. syafiq, a. n., rahmawati, a., anwari, a., & oktaviana, t. (2021). increasing speaking skill through youtube video as english learning material during online learning in pandemic covid-19. elsya : journal of english language studies, 3(1), 50–55. https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v3i1.6206 tampubolon, a. p. y. (2021). the importance of listening and speaking english to improving english language skills. wu, j.-f. (2015). examining chen and starosta’s model of intercultural sensitivity in the taiwanese cultural context. international journal of modern education and computer science, 7(6), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.5815/ijmecs.2015.06.01 yang, x., & wyatt, m. (2021). english for specific purposes teachers’ beliefs about their motivational practices and student motivation at a chinese university. studies in second language learning and teaching, 11(1), 41– 70. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2021.11.1.3 yusup, f. (2018). uji validitas dan reliabilitas instrumen penelitian kuantitatif. journal ilmiah kependidikan, 7(1), 17–23. anis nurul hidayah nafa, miftha yuliana, moh. kholilurrahman jailani, nana parama sari, wuri anggraini, & fardini sabilah developing cross-cultural understanding (ccu) materials in tourism guiding for vocational students 550 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 957 practice assessment of english teachers in state madrasah school in mataram city pauzan english language education, faculty of education and teacher training, universitas islam negeri mataram, indonesia email: pauzanharis@uinmataram.ac.id ribahan english language education, faculty of education and teacher training, universitas islam negeri mataram, indonesia email: ribhansyah79@gmail.com apa citation: pauzan., & ribahan. (2022). practice assessment of english teachers in state madrasah school in mataram city. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 957-964. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6819 received: 22-07-2022 accepted: 24-09-2022 published: 30-11-2022 introduction according to hafid (2017), assessment helps to collect information from students to make certain decisions. meanwhile, valenthine (2018) argues that assessment involves a wider domain, so teachers must consider various aspects in conducting assessments. in order to observe and improve student learning activities, lessons at school and the environment in which the learning takes place. cheng in kirkgoz et al. (2018) asserts that assessment helps to collect information from students to help in making decisions about the progress and development of students' language. thus, assessment is an important part that cannot be separated from learning activities and teachers are expected to not stop conducting assessments, either programmed or programmed incidentally. there are several important reasons why teachers should conduct assessments. in general, assessments are carried out by teachers to provide accountability for student learning outcomes and improve learning (lippmann et al., 2021). meanwhile, in the context of learning english, moremi (2021) suggests at least two main reasons teachers conduct assessments, namely to find out how many students can achieve learning objectives, anyone who has problems learning english and which techniques are useful to use in learning and to make decisions whether the learning program carried out should be continued or discontinued. furthermore, yuliandasari & kusriandi (2018) assert that teachers should conduct assessments in learning english to facilitate students in learning english and monitor the progress of their learning outcomes both through diagnostic tests and learning outcomes tests. in the school curriculum in indonesia, teachers are required to have the ability to assess their students' learning outcomes, both formative and summative. in this case, ahmet & mehmet (2018) state that a should own a literacy about assessment to understand what is essential to be assessed, how to assess, and what decisions must abstract: this study aims to describe the assessment practices carried out by english teachers of state madrasah schools in mataram city at the stages of planning, implementation, supervision, and recording. in this descriptive study, the researcher used qualitative and quantitative descriptive approaches. a total of 18 teachers from both state mts and ma in the city of mataram participated in the study. the data collection technique used a questionnaire in the form of a google form containing a number of statements related to the assessment practice at the four stages of the assessment with the answer format using a likert scale with a range of answers strongly disagree, disagree, not sure, agree, and strongly agree. the data were the results of the average calculation of each item was analyzed descriptively. the results of the study showed that (1) teachers were not sure to ask for parental approval before the assessment was carried out, (2) teachers agreed that the assessment was carried out within a certain time, according to the situation and conditions and accompanied by feedback, (3) teachers felt hesitant to share the findings of the assessment with fellow teachers and the involvement of parents in the assessment process, and (4) the teacher felt aware and responsible for recording or documenting the results of the assessment that were carried out. thus, assessment is an important part that cannot be separated from learning activities and teachers are expected to keep conducting assessments. keywords: assessment; implementation; madrasah teacher; planning; recording; supervision pauzan & ribahan practice assessment of english teachers in state madrasah school in mataram city 958 be made regarding the assessment results. however, many teachers face difficulties in implementing and realizing the assessment practices above. some of the reasons, according to fitriani (2019), it is due to the external and internal issue faced by the teachers. teachers' knowledge in indonesia about assessment is still low. this is because teachers are lacking in assessment training, and many teachers cannot attend training organized by the government even though routine training is very important and meaningful for improving their ability to practice assessment. based on the problems stated above, this article aims to examine the assessment practices of english teachers in public madrasah schools in mataram city, especially in learning english. according to santika et al. (2022), assessment helps to obtain information that is used as a basis for making decisions regarding students related to curriculum, learning program, and school policies. in addition, adnan et al. (2019) suggest that assessment is necessary to determine whether an activity program's process and results are in accordance with the goals or criteria set. cheng & fox (2017) explain that assessment involves two key points, namely (1) assessment involves teachers and students and (2) assessment can include classroom tests and daily assessments. furthermore, whiley et al. (2017) define assessment as an active process in which evidence of student learning is collected and analyzed to reach effective decisions. nimehchisalem & abdalla (2020) assert that assessment involves various activities that measure the extent to which students understand the curriculum material and achieve the instructional goals planned by the teacher. assessment has an equally important position with learning because it is impossible not to measure or assess the extent to which the learning we have implemented, in this case, whether they achieved the expected goals. the assessment results are significant to be used as a reference for better learning practices and become a benchmark for deciding whether a student can continue to the next level and program. assessment has a very important role in the learning process. tosuncuoglu (2018) asserts that assessment is an important tool that can be used to diagnose student weaknesses and strengths and provide feedback for teachers in designing teaching and learning activities that are relevant to the wishes. faber et al. (2017) add that assessment for teachers is very important to monitor student progress and as a basis for choosing the right method to achieve the desired results. through assessment, teachers can use various techniques in learning and set strategies for learning as well as help the student know the areas in which he or she must work hard to achieve the desired results. considering the importance of the role of assessment in the school curriculum in our country, teachers are required to have good skills in assessing learning activities in the form of the ability to carry out formative assessments. (kazemi, 2018) suggests that formative assessment collects and analyses the results or evidence obtained. from the assessment, determine the time and process and appropriate learning strategies to achieve learning objectives. meanwhile, in the case of student learning, the primary idea of summative assessment is to offer information on what learning has been accomplished at a specific moment (dolin et al., 2017). furthermore, manotumruksa et al. (2020) divide the assessment into five parts: summative assessment, diagnostic assessment, formative assessment, formal assessment, and informal assessment. assessment can also be classified into three types: self-assessment, peer research and teacher assessment (maba & mantra, 2017). next, nurhidayat et al. (2021) in their article describe three models or types of assessment, namely assessment of learning, assessment for learning, and assessment as learning. therefore, it is connected to the assessment of english teachers. cheng & chang (2017) showed that assessment requires teachers and bases their decisions on learning, assessment and reporting. teachers usually choose and apply certain models according to their needs and objectives in carrying out assessment activities. armstrong & harman (2019) suggest four stages in conducting classroom assessments: assigning assessment tasks to students, students performing assignments, assessing student work, and giving students feedback based on the results. this model represents what most teachers do when conducting assessments. black & wiliam (2018) added that regarding classroom assessment, critical component is the implementation of teachers' strategies and objectives in the classroom. according to zulaiha et al. (2020), teacher assessment model uses the planning stage, the assessment stage, the observation stage, the stage of giving special assignments, continuous review english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 959 stage, and level determination stage. the result show that the study's participants, which is teachers, reported being assessment-literate and knowledgeable about the fundamentals of classroom-based assessment. they also said they have implemented most of these concepts. from the two models above, xu & brown (2017) conclude that the processes and strategies in language learning assessment can be divided into four main stages, namely planning, implementation, monitoring, and recording. at the implementation stage, the teacher provides sufficient information about the assessment, including details such as time allocation and difficulty level, to ensure that students can clearly understand what they should do to meet the desired results. at the monitoring stage, the teacher conducts an assessment according to the criteria which have been set. criteria must be made and determined considering the assessment's objectives and the students' characteristics so that the assessment's validity and reliability can be developed. at the recording stage, the teacher carries out the process of taking the results of the assessments that have been carried out on students, both in written form and other forms that function to document the assessments that have been carried out so that if needed, the teacher can show them at any time. method the method should make readers able to reproduce the experiment. provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be reproduced. a reference should indicate methods already published; only relevant modifications should be described. do not repeat the details of established methods. the method section covers respondents, instruments, procedures, and data analysis. in this study, the researcher used qualitative and quantitative descriptive approaches. according to moedjiono et al. (2018), this approach focuses on understanding problems in social life based on holistic, complex, and detailed reality conditions. the type of research used was descriptive research. this study described the information or data obtained from the research subject so that it can provide a clear description of the assessment practices carried out by english teachers in state madrasah schools in the city of mataram in the four stages of assessment, namely planning, implementation, monitoring and recording. the data collection method used was the questionnaire method. the questionnaire contains statement items related to the assessment practices carried out by english teachers at state madrasah schools in the city of mataram by distributing questionnaires to provide answers to each statement item contained in the questionnaire. the answer format using a likert scale with a range of strongly disagree, disagree, not sure, agree, and strongly agree is provided to answer the questions in the questionnaire. likert scale is a form of scale that is used to collect data in order to find out or measure data that is both qualitative and quantitative. after the questionnaire was filled in, the researcher calculated based on the number of percentages and the average score of each statement item (meiryani et al., 2021). the data collected from the questionnaire were then analyzed descriptively. the average value of the teacher's answers as the answer to the problem in this study, namely the assessment practice carried out by english teachers in state madrasah schools in the city of mataram. results and discussion the following is a reference or guide to score interpretation and score criteria for answers to each statement given by the respondent. table 1. interpretation of scores and criteria average score criteria m = ≥4.50 strongly agree m = 3.50 -4.49 agree m = 2.50 -3.49 neutral (neither agree nor disagree) m = 1.50 -2.49 strongly disagree m = ≤1.49 disagree assessment practices at the planning stage carried out by english teachers in madrasah schools in mataram city we present and analyze the responses given by english teachers of state madrasah schools in mataram city in conducting assessment practices in the planning stage using descriptive statistical techniques. the data are presented in table 2 below. table 2. data on assessment practices at the planning stage no. statement average criteria 1 i first set goals when designing 4.80 strongly agree 2 i consider the objectives to be achieved in the curriculum when designing the assessment 4.65 strongly agree 3 i consider students' needs 4.35 agree pauzan & ribahan practice assessment of english teachers in state madrasah school in mataram city 960 when designing an assessment 4 i strike a balance between the assessment goals i want to achieve with the student's needs when designing the assessment 4.30 agree 5 i include the assessment specifications when conducting the assessment 4.30 agree 6 the assessment that i do is related to the subject matter that has actually been given to students in class 4.75 strongly agree 7 the assessments i do are meaningful to students 4.55 strongly agree 8 i design an assessment to obtain information about students' knowledge at a given time 4.60 strongly agree 9 i design an assessment to obtain information about a student's skills at a given time 4.45 agree 10 i design an assessment to obtain information about students' ability to use language effectively 4.45 agree 11 i ask for comments from colleagues or refer to existing assessment guidelines to check the accuracy of the assessment i do 4.25 agree 12 the assessment that i do is more focused on student progress and achievement than the comparison of students' abilities in class 4.05 agree 13 i announce in advance before the assessment is carried out so that students prepare themselves 4.55 strongly agree 14 i ask for the approval of students or parents before conducting an assessment 3.00 neutral 15 i respect student privacy and guarantee not to divulge 4.35 agree 16 i guarantee that all students have the same learning opportunities in the class 4.85 strongly agree 17 i ensure that the assessment results are not influenced by personal factors such as gender, appearance, social and economic background 4.70 strongly agree average total 4.40 agree table 2 shows that the respondents "strongly agree" with items 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 13, 16, and 17. the only item or item where the teacher is not sure or chooses to be neutral with the assessment planning activities carried out is item fourteen (14), which has a correlation with teacher ethics in preparing and carrying out assessments, namely the approval of students or teachers before an assessment or assessment is carried out. indeed, in practice, this is not common, especially in the case of classroom-based assessments, where the teacher must ask or receive approval from the student or the student's parents before carrying out the assessment. even if this part must be implemented, then the student's consent is considered sufficient without having to strictly ask for the approval of the student's parents as well. furthermore, respondents agree with the statement item twelve (12), which this item is the statement that gets the lowest average score which indicates that the teacher believes in the nature of the assessment itself, which should be emphasized more on monitoring the progress or progress and achievements of students during learning activities, not solely to determine differences in student progress and achievement between one another. moreover, it is used as a measuring tool to compare one student with another. another interesting thing to consider regarding the first stage in this assessment is that there is not a single item out of all the existing statement items that get an average score which indicates the respondent's disagreement. assessment practices at the implementation stage carried out by english teachers at madrasah schools in mataram city respondents' answers to statements related to the assessment at the implementation stage are presented in table 3 below. table 3. data on assessment practices at the implementation stage no. statement average criteria 1 i tell students why they are rated 4.45 strongly agree 2 i give instructions on how to do assignments or tests that are given explicitly 4.50 strongly agree 3 students understand the expected results of the assignment or test done 4.30 agree 4 students are given support when they face problems in completing assigned 4.40 agree english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 961 assignments or tests 5 i immediately give feedback to students after they finish each assignment or test that is done 4.55 strongly agree 6 i carry out the assessment process with good timing and considering the existing situation and conditions 4.60 strongly agree average total 4.46 agree as shown by the data in table 3, the average teacher "strongly agrees" with the statement points related to the practice of assessment that should be carried out at the implementation stage. these items include statement items 1, 2, 5, and 6. specifically, the responses to each of the statements above show that the teacher strongly agrees (r = 4.45) to tell the students the reason for doing the assessment. the teacher really should convey at the beginning to students the purpose or reason for assessing so that students can prepare themselves, especially the competencies and materials to be assessed or tested. the teachers also strongly agree (r = 4.50) that students should be given clear instructions or orders to do the test so that students take the test as instructed and do not cause confusion. next, regarding feedback, the teachers also strongly agreed (r=4.55) to immediately complete the assessment of student assignments within a certain time and immediately provide feedback on what they had done based on the results of the assessment by the teacher. meanwhile, regarding the assessment's timing, the teachers strongly agreed (r=4.60) to carry out the assessment by considering the time, situation, and existing conditions. another result that is no less important than the data above is that the teacher agrees with the statement that students understand the expected results of the task or test being done (r=4.30). students are given support when they face problems completing the assigned task or test (4.40). assessment practices at the monitoring stage carried out by english teachers in madrasah schools in mataram city respondents' answers to statements related to the assessment at the monitoring stage are presented in table 4 below. table 4. data on assessment practices at the monitoring stage no. statement average criteria 1 i create a scoring system as part of the whole process 4.60 strongly agree 2 criteria for scoring are linked to assessment objectives and student characteristics in a particular context 4.15 agree 3 i provide detailed information to students about the scoring system used 4.05 agree 4 i rate student performance consistently 4.30 agree 5 i use the results of the assessment to improve my teaching 4.50 agree 6 i use the assessment results positively, not negatively 4.65 strongly agree 7 i make assessment a part of my teaching and learning process 4.65 strongly agree 8 i share the findings of the assessment with other teachers 3.55 neutral 9 overall feedback allows students to know how to improve their work and study activities going forward 4.45 agree 10 the whole assessment process is carried out consistently both in terms of procedures and administration 4.25 agree 11 the assessment process that i carried out was supported by the involvement of parents 3.50 agree 12 i monitor the abuse of all things that may occur in the assessment as a means of control 4.40 agree average total 4.40 agree according to the table above, teachers agree with almost all statement items related to assessment practices at the monitoring stage, including statement items for numbers 2,3, 4,5, 9,10,11, and 12. the highest average scores were recorded for items 1, 6, and 7 related to the scoring system (r= 4.60), utilization of assessment results (r= 4.65), and making an assessment as a part of learning and providing feedback for students to help them improve their skills (r= 4.65). on the other hand, there is one item that the respondent is unsure of, which is item 8 (sharing the assessment findings with other teachers). with the exception of this item, teachers seem to have a clear idea of the monitoring phase of the assessment. assessment practices at the recording stage conducted by english teachers at madrasah schools in mataram city pauzan & ribahan practice assessment of english teachers in state madrasah school in mataram city 962 at the recording stage, the data are presented in table 5 below. table 5. data on assessment practices at the recording stage no. statement average criteria 1 i respect students' rights as test takers; they will never be treated differently because of the results obtained 4.25 agree 2 i am aware and responsible for the work i do 4.65 strongly agree 3 a reporting system on student progress and achievement at either local or national level is in place 4.25 agree 4 my school has its own reporting system on student progress and achievement 4.25 agree 5 a formal review of student progress and achievement is reported to the local education office and the central government 4.10 agree average total 4.46 agree as shown in the table above, most teachers agreed with all items of the statement relating to the practice of assessment related to recording. the teachers show their awareness and responsibility in recording the assessment results. from the data above, it is known that teachers feel aware that they must report the results of the assessment in such a way while still paying attention and protecting student privacy so as not to have a negative impact and disturb students' emotions. among the statement items in the questionnaire, item 5 is a statement that obtained the lowest average score (r=4.10). in this regard, teacher assessment practice is understandable because making a formal review of a student's achievement, i.e. progress and achievement, is not very practical to teachers. according to büyükkarci (2019), the primary purpose of assessment is to educate and improve student learning and performance and improve teacher teaching based on the information obtained from the assessment. however, as shown by the data of this study, teachers are more concerned with the idea that students should be given equal opportunities in classroom learning or the same assessment treatment regardless of the personal and social background of students. another study result also shows that teachers feel less sure about the urgency of whether they should ask for or receive approval from students or parents about the assessment or assessment they will do. in this case, zulaiha et al. (2020) has the view that involving parents can be related to the practicality of the assessment itself and the heavy workload of teachers so that teachers do not have much time and attention for things that are considered technical and less practical. in line with the results related to the implementation of the assessment, the participants agreed that students should be given feedback on the results of their assignments and support, especially morally, if they have problems that hinder the completion of their assignments. concerning this, (lent & brown, 2019) suggests that at the implementation stage, teachers must consider the standards or achievement of targets outlined by the curriculum and student needs, balancing between the two. in addition, the teacher gives students advance notice before an assessment so that they can prepare themselves according to the schedule. the teacher also shares information about the goals and targets of achievement with the students being tested and designs assessment tasks. then, the teachers also agreed that students should be given clear instructions on how to do the assessment tasks given to them in order to be successful in following the assessment. explicit instructions on how students perform assessment tasks should receive primary attention in administering the assessment. an interesting finding in this study is that teachers do not seem to support each other and do not want to share with other teachers or fellow teachers about their respective assessment practices. some of the reasons that arise are maybe because teachers are worried that their peers will be ridiculed by their fellow teachers who are more experienced than them. zulaiha et al. (2020), feel ashamed of the assessment practice that has been carried out so far. specifically, regarding the involvement of parents, the reason is more on the issue of practicality because it takes time and strict coordination for efforts to involve other parties in a process, including the implementation of the assessment. teachers may also perceive themselves as having absolute power or authority in their work environment. the involvement of all parties or stakeholders in the school program is highly expected. in addition, the results of this study also show that teachers tend to support the idea that assessment results can be used to improve their teaching methods which is shown by their awareness that, in principle, assessment has a positive impact on the learning process. in the assessment process, ideally, teachers should report the results of the assessments that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 963 have been carried out on their students, both to their students and parents of students, in order to convey progress or improvement in terms of student performance. according to lent & brown (2019), at the recording stage, the teacher carries out the process of recording the results of the assessments that have been carried out, both in written form and other forms that function to document the assessments that have been made to students so that if necessary, the teacher can use them at any time. related to this, archiving in the form of files or digitizing is a safe alternative. conclusion in the practice of assessment at the planning stage, teachers generally feel unsure whether getting a student or parental approval before carrying out the assessment is crucial. in the practice of assessment at the implementation stage, teachers agree that the assessment should be carried out within a certain time and consider the situation and conditions. students should be given support with feedback when they experience problems during the assessment task. in the practice of assessment at the monitoring stage, teachers expressed their doubts about sharing the assessment findings with fellow teachers or co-workers and involving parents in the assessment process because they considered the issue less common and impractical. in the practice of assessment at the recording or recording stage, teachers feel aware and responsible for recording or documenting the results of the assessments that have been carried out to find out the progress and achievements of students in participating in learning. references adnan, suwandi, s., nurkamto, j., & setiawan, b. (2019). teacher competence in authentic and integrative assessment in indonesian language learning. international journal of instruction, 12(1), 701–716. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12145a ahmet, e. y., & mehmet, t. (2018). understanding language assessment literacy: developing language assessments. journal of language and linguistic studies, 14(1), 178–193. armstrong, j. e., & harman, w. w. (2019). strategies for conducting technology assessments. routledge. black, p., & wiliam, d. (2018). classroom assessment and pedagogy. assessment in education: principles, policy and practice, 25(6), 551– 575. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594x.2018.144180 7 büyükkarci, h. a. k. (2019). teachers’ perceptions of assessment in efl classes at turkish science and arts centers. international journal of languages education, 7.2(7.2), 294–318. https://doi.org/10.29228/ijlet.12383 cheng, l., & fox, j. (2017). assessment in the language classroom: teachers supporting student learning. bloomsbury publishing. cheng, m. h., & chang, s. f. (2017). frailty as a risk factor for falls among community dwelling people: evidence from a meta-analysis. journal of nursing scholarship, 49(5), 529–536. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12322 dolin, j., black, p., harlen, w., & tiberghien, a. (2017). exploring relations between formative and summative assessment. in c. acuna (ed.), transforming assessment (pp. 53–80). springer. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3319-63248-3_3 faber, j. m., luyten, h., & visscher, a. j. (2017). the effects of a digital formative assessment tool on mathematics achievement and student motivation: results of a randomized experiment. computers and education, 106, 83–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.12.001 fitriani, d. (2019). assessment practices: challenges and opportunities faced by efl teachers. lingua: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 20(1), 77–83. hafid, e. (2017). assessment in islamic higher education. journal of islamic education policy, 1(1), 18-25. https://doi.org/10.30984/j.v1i1.404 kazemi, e. (2018). the demands of the rights of the learner. democracy & education, 26(2), 1-4. kirkgoz, y., pinar babanoglu, m., & ağçam, r. (2018). turkish efl teachers’ perceptions and practices of foreign language assessment in primary education. journal of education and elearning research, 4(4), 163–170. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2017.44.16 3.170 lent, r. w., & brown, s. d. (2019). social cognitive career theory at 25: empirical status of the interest, choice, and performance models. journal of vocational behavior. 115(3), 103316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.06.004 lippmann, m., danielson, r. w., schwartz, n. h., körndle, h., & narciss, s. (2021). effects of keyword tasks and biasing titles on metacognitive monitoring and recall. metacognition and learning, 16(1), 233–253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-020-09246-4 maba, w., & mantra, i. b. n. (2017). an analysis of assessment models employed by the indonesian elementary school teachers. international journal of social sciences and humanities, 1(1), 79–86. https://doi.org/10.29332/ijssh.v1n1.38 pauzan & ribahan practice assessment of english teachers in state madrasah school in mataram city 964 manotumruksa, j., macdonald, c., & ounis, i. (2020). a contextual recurrent collaborative filtering framework for modelling sequences of venue checkins. information processing and management, 57(6), 102092. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ipm.2019.102092 meiryani, m., prisilia, s., nelviana, n., bramulya ikhsan, r., & salim, g. (2021, september 2729). the effect of corporate social responsibilities on financial performance in manufacturing sector listed in indonesia stock exchange. acm international conference proceeding series, macau, china. moedjiono, s., nurcahyadi, & kusdaryono, a. (2018). media interactive learning and biology subjects implementation with augmented reality application. proceedings of the 2nd international conference on informatics and computing, icic 2017 (pp. 1-6). ieee explore. moremi, k. t. (2021). the significance of english for specific purposes approach for first year law degree students at the university of limpopo [unpublished thesis,]. university of limpopo nimehchisalem, v., & abdalla, m. m. (2020). assessment beliefs and practices of libyan secondary school english language teachers. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 9(6), 99-109. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.9n.6p.99 nurhidayat, n., jariono, g., sudarmanto, e., kurniawan, a. t., triadi, c., & anisa, m. n. (2021). teacher strategy in reducing hyperactive behavior of children with special needs during pandemic covid-19 at slbn sukoharjo. international journal of economy, education and entrepreneuship, 1(1), 79–86. santika, l., pargito, p., ambarita, a., & rochmiyati, r. (2022). development of an attitude assessment instrument pertaining to the thematic learning of second grade elementary students. , 1(2), . asian journal of educational technology, 1(2), 78–84. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.53402/ajet.v1i2 .45 tosuncuoglu, i. (2018). importance of assessment in elt. journal of education and training studies, 6(9), 163-167. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v6i9.3443 valenthine, h. (2018). an analysis of students’ speaking ability of the second semester at english study program of islamic university of riau [unpublished thesis]. universitas islam riau. whiley, d., witt, b., colvin, r. m., sapiains arrue, r., & kotir, j. (2017). enhancing critical thinking skills in first year environmental management students: a tale of curriculum design, application and reflection. journal of geography in higher education, 41(2), 166– 181. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2017.129059 0 xu, y., & brown, g. t. l. (2017). university english teacher assessment literacy: a survey-test report from china. papers in language testing and assessment, 6(1), 133–158. yuliandasari, a., & kusriandi, w. (2018). students’ perception on english club extracurricular in speaking practices at madrasah. academic journal perspective : education, language, and literature, 3(2), 305-315. https://doi.org/10.33603/perspective.v3i2.1670 zulaiha, s., mulyono, h., & ambarsari, l. (2020). an investigation into efl teachers’ assessment literacy: indonesian teachers’ perceptions and classroom practice. european journal of contemporary education, 9(1), 189-201. https://doi.org/10.13187/ejced.2020.1.189 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 659 analysis of translation shift in bilingual children's storybooks nunun tri widarwati* english department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas veteran bangun nusantara, indonesia email: nunun6323@gmail.com budi purnomo english literary department , faculty of language and letters, universitas surakarta, indonesia email: budipurnomo989@yahoo.co.id purwani indri astuti english department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas veteran bangun nusantara, indonesia email: indripuspo@gmail.com ratih wijayava english department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas veteran bangun nusantara, indonesia email: ratihwijayava@gmail.com apa scitation: widarwati, n. t., purnomo, b., astuti, p. i., & wijayava, r. (2024). analysis of translation shift in bilingual children's storybooks. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 659-666. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.8891 received: 26-02-2024 accepted: 23-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction translation shifts are a critical aspect of translation studies, especially in children's literature, where linguistic and cultural nuances must be carefully managed to preserve the original intent and accessibility for young readers. these shifts can manifest as changes in grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, or cultural references to achieve an equivalent effect in the target language. the study of translation shifts has garnered significant attention across various contexts and genres, underscoring the complexity and necessity of achieving linguistic and cultural equivalence. abdi (2024) conducted a detailed analysis of the persian translation of atwood's "the blind assassin," utilizing berman’s model of trancism to explore the nuances and shifts during the translation process. this highlights the translator's role in navigating linguistic and cultural challenges, a theme echoed in alangari's (2024) bibliometric analysis of translation and interpreting research in saudi arabia from 1990 to 2019. these findings emphasize the evolving nature of translation studies in regions with rich cultural histories. abstract: bilingual illustrated children's stories are excellent tools for teaching english to beginners, particularly children. translating such stories requires the use of simple and easily understandable language to aid children's growth and development. thus, it is crucial that translation shifts in children's stories effectively convey meaning and are suitable for young learners. this study focuses on the translation shifts in the illustrated bilingual children's story "the mouse and the frog," which is rich in moral values and character development. the urgency of this research lies in identifying and analyzing the types and forms of translation shifts in noun phrases within the story. the objective is to develop models and provide empirical evidence on these shifts, enhancing understanding of translation practices, particularly in the context of noun phrases. the research employs document analysis and data triangulation methods, with media sourced from a youtube channel. results indicate that translation shifts in noun phrases predominantly occur in the form of unit shifts. this study aims to contribute a new model to the field of english translation, improving and expanding knowledge in this area. the findings are expected to enhance readers' understanding of translation, particularly for beginners in english, and provide insights for translators working with children's literature. keywords: bilingual children's stories; translation shifts; noun phrases; english language learning; unit shift; illustrated storybooks; moral values; character development. nunun tri widarwati, budi purnomo, purwani indri astuti & ratih wijayava analysis of translation shift in bilingual children's storybooks 660 aripova (2024) explored the linguistic and cultural characteristics of translating stories between english and uzbek, illustrating the unique challenges and strategies involved in maintaining narrative integrity while adapting it for a different cultural context. this study aligns with asscher & glikson’s (2023) examination of human evaluations of machine translation in ethically charged situations, underscoring the importance of human oversight to ensure ethical considerations and cultural sensitivities are adequately addressed in translations. in the realm of stylistics and translation, boasebeier (2023) emphasized the significance of preserving stylistic elements during translation shifts. her work in "the routledge handbook of stylistics" underscores the importance of maintaining the original text's stylistic nuances to ensure the translated work resonates with the target audience. this perspective is echoed by darma & nuravianti (2023), who analyzed student translation techniques in poetry, suggesting that shifts in translation are often necessary to preserve poetic elements and overall impact. further emphasizing the importance of context, dille, hernes, & vaagaasar (2023) investigated temporal translation challenges in interorganizational project collaboration. their study revealed that discrepant temporal structures pose significant challenges, requiring translators to make strategic shifts to align timelines and ensure coherence. this aligns with el naqa et al. (2023), who explored translating ai into oncology clinical practice, underscoring the need for accurate and contextually appropriate translations for effective communication in specialized fields. khasawneh (2023) examined ai's potential in facilitating cross-cultural communication through translation, highlighting advancements that aid in overcoming linguistic barriers while pointing out the necessity of human intervention for handling cultural nuances. lee (2023) delved into distribution and translation processes, focusing on necessary shifts to adapt content for different audiences while maintaining the original message's integrity. the evolution of machine translation has been a focal point in recent research. mercan, akgün, & odacıoğlu (2024) reviewed advancements and challenges, suggesting that while machine translation has made significant strides, human oversight remains crucial for ensuring accuracy and cultural relevance. paterson (2023) explored perceptions, policies, and pedagogy surrounding machine translation in higher education, highlighting both opportunities and challenges this technology presents in academic settings. in addition to technological advancements, the impact of translation on literary and cultural systems has been a subject of interest. plyth & craham (2023) discussed translation's effect on these systems, emphasizing the need to understand translation features that contribute to cultural exchange. quinci (2023) further explored translation competence, offering insights into producing effective translations. finally, robert, schrijver, & ureel (2024) addressed methodological issues in measuring translation revision and post-editing competence in trainees, providing valuable insights into training and evaluation of translators. these studies collectively underscore the multifaceted nature of translation shifts and their critical role in ensuring linguistic and cultural equivalence. they highlight the need for continuous research and development in translation methodologies to address evolving challenges and opportunities. this research complements previous findings, including the necessity of structural shifts (fitria, 2020), unit shifts and structural shifts (juliarta et al., 2019), and category shifts (putra & ramadanty, 2022), while addressing gaps in noun phrase translation accuracy (nainggolan et al., 2020). exploring shifts in translation, particularly in children's literature, remains vital for developing effective and culturally sensitive translation practices. while numerous studies have addressed translation shifts in various genres and contexts, there is a noticeable gap in the comprehensive analysis of translation shifts in bilingual children's storybooks. the specific linguistic and cultural challenges in translating children's literature, especially in maintaining the readability and relatability for young audiences, have not been sufficiently explored. this research aims to fill this gap by focusing on the noun phrase translation shifts in the bilingual children's storybook "the mouse and the frog." this study will identify and analyze the types of shifts that occur and their implications for achieving equivalence and maintaining the story’s integrity. the insights gained will contribute to better translation practices for children's literature, ensuring that translated works are both accurate and engaging for young readers. method this qualitative descriptive study aims to explore translation shifts in noun phrases within the story english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 661 "the mouse and the frog" (mentari, 2022; afiah, 2019). the research involves narrative quotations to explain, describe, classify, analyze, and interpret the data, providing a deeper understanding than mere numerical analysis. the research process begins with preparation, where the team gathers relevant reference sources and coordinates under the leadership of the research chair. in the first stage, the team reads and studies bilingual storybooks, including "the mouse and the frog," and tabulates noun phrases. a forum group discussion (fgd) is then conducted to identify translation shifts, involving all team members and students. in the second stage, the team analyzes and describes the translation shifts identified during the fgd. this is followed by a discussion between the research team leader and students. in the final stage, the research results are evaluated, assessing the findings and finalizing suggestions for future research. this streamlined approach ensures a thorough qualitative analysis of translation shifts. this research data is in the form of translations of noun phrases in english into indonesian. the data source comes from the story of the mouse and the frog on the youtube channel "betterfly" which was uploaded on september 30 2019 (betterfly, 2019). the data is a noun phrase formula as follows (webster & duff, 2022) such as noun + noun, adjective + noun, noun + preposition, ving + noun, and verb3 + noun. the data are the types of translation shifts (sholihat & setiawan, 2019) used in this research such as shift units refers to word-phrase, phrase-clause, nominaadjectiva, adjectiva-verba. structure shift refers to md to dm. class shift refers to verb – noun, verb – adverbial, verb -adjective. meaning shift (modulation) refers to active passive. topiccomments, lexical, grammatical, mandatory modulation: active to passive, free modulation: double negative to positive, generic-specific shift. table 1. example of unit shift unit shift bsu bsa word-phrase interesting or funny topics hal-hal yang menarik atau lucu word phrase boy anak lakilaki phrase-clausa a medium sized cozy hole lubang sederhana yang nyaman nominaadjectiva he is in doubt dia raguragu adjectiva-verba we are grateful kami bersyukur checking the validity of the data is carried out to obtain the trustworthiness of the data or 'trustworthiness'. to obtain a degree of data validity in this research, the collected data was reexamined using data validity techniques, namely triangulation techniques. there are four types of triangulation techniques that are often used to check the validity of data in qualitative research, namely source triangulation, method triangulation, theory triangulation, and researcher triangulation. however, data validation in this research only uses data source triangulation and method triangulation. data analysis in this research was carried out using document analysis or content analysis with an ethnographic approach. content analysis is carried out through four stages of analysis, namely: 1) domain analysis, 2) taxonomic analysis, 3) componential analysis, and 4) cultural theme analysis. domain analysis is used to distinguish which facts are considered data and which facts are not data. after knowing that a fact is data, the data is placed into the correct domain or domain according to its context. if it shows a noun phrase, the sentence is categorized into the data. conversely, if not, the sentence is not included as data. the following are examples of data and nondata. in addition, the domain does not only differentiate between what is data and what is not data. domain analysis also determines the origin of the data. in this research, the data comes from youtube stories. this means that the domain is youtube stories. in the end, in the conclusions made, the researcher must continue to emphasize that the fact that the phenomenon of noun phrase sentences is within the scope of literary works of fiction, not in everyday real life. table 2. domain analysis separates data from nondata no. contextuals source language data/ nothing 1 a medium sized cozy hole lubang sederhana yang nyaman data 2 interesting or funny topics hal-hal yang menarik atau lucu data 3 he was so delighted dia sangat senang nothing 4 he was unaware dia tidak sadar nothing taxonomic analysis is used to organize data or classify data based on its natural categories. taxonomic analysis of this research was carried nunun tri widarwati, budi purnomo, purwani indri astuti & ratih wijayava analysis of translation shift in bilingual children's storybooks 662 out by classifying all collected data into categories based on the characteristics of the data. as explained above, research data is classified based on its properties. the sentences that constitute the research data are grouped into two types: 1) noun phrase, and 2) noun phrase shift from english (sl) to indonesian (tl). componential analysis is used to organize and connect one component to another. the goal is to find patterns of relationships between components and the mutual influence between these components. noun phrase relationship which shows the noun phrase formula category as well as the noun phrase shift category. cultural theme analysis is an analysis looking for 'theories' that can be grounded in the research carried out the process of analyzing cultural themes can be described as follows: figure 1. cultural theme analysis (widarwati, 2021) the analysis of cultural themes in this research is based on data interpretation that can be seen from componential analysis, regarding the relationship between domains. results and discussion the mouse and the frog published in butterfly english channel on 30 september 2019 (betterfly, 2019). this story using the voice of narrator is english language and the script are english and indonesian language in this link: https://youtu.be/7h2ai6c0gg?si=zpas5muybbhuunub table 3. data of noun phrase “the mouse and the frog” no formula noun phrase example bsu no data bsa 1 noun + noun friends house 2 rumah sang tikus temennya 2 noun of noun best of friends 1 sahabat 3 determiner + adjective + noun a medium sized cosy hole 3 lubang sederhana yang nyaman (it is not) a big house 3 rumahnya (tidak) besar funny topics 4 hal-hal lucu a happy mouse 5 tikus yang riang a muscular hawk 12 elang his mouse friend 11 teman tikusnya his pond 11 kolamnya each passing month 5 setiap bulan yang berlalu 4 determiner + adverb + adjective + noun his frog friends daily 5 teman harian kataknya in side of a tree about 20 minutes away. 3 di sisi pohon sekitar 20 menitan. 5 ving + noun the pond’s shimmering surface. 12 permukaan kolam yang berkilauan. interserting 4 menarik 6 verb3 + noun shocked mouse 10 sang tikus kaget poor tired body 11 tubuh lelahnya yang malang table 4. the findings of noun phrase on sentences no formula noun phrase example bsu bsa 1 a mouse and a frog who were the best of friends a mouse and a frog seekor tikus dan seekor katak yang menjadi sahabat. 2 it not a big house a big house rumahnya tidak besar 3 his mouse friends house. his mouse friends rumah sang tikus temennya. source : data (2023) the findings of bsu dan bsa as follows: (1) bsu: once upon a time lived a mouse and a frog who were the best of friends. (2) bsa : pada zaman dulu hiduplah seekor tikus dan seekor katak yang menjadi sahabat. noun phrase translation occurs with a structure shift (dm to md). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 663 (1) bsu: the frog liked to talk to his mouse friend so much that he would hop out of his pond each morning at am to visit his mouse friends house. bsa : sang katak suka sekali mengobrol dengan teman tikusnya lantas dia akan melompat dari kolamnya setiap pagi jam 8 untuk mengunjungi rumah sang tikus temennya. noun phrase translation occurs with structure shift (dm ke md). (2) bsu : it not a big house it was a medium sized cosy hole in the side of a tree about 20 minutes away. (2) bsa : rumahnya tidak besar . hanya lubang sederhana yang nyaman di sisi pohon sekitar 20 menitan. noun phrase translation occurs with a structure shift (dm to md). (3) bsu : they would talk about interserting or funny topics, have breakfast together and by 11 am , the frog would say goodbye and hop on home. bsa: mereka akan mengobrol tentang halhal menarik dan lucu. sarapan bersama dan jam 11 pagi sang katak akan berpamitan dan kembali pulang kerumahnya.noun phrase translation occurs when the unit shift occurs (word to phrase). (4) bsu: the mouse was certainly a happy mouse . he was very delighted about his frog friend’s daily visit that he was unaware that his friends was slowly getting more and more upset with him with each passing month. bsa: sang tikus tentunya seekor tikus yang riang di akan senang akan kunjungan teman harian kataknya hingga dia tidak sadar bahwa temannya itu perlahan-lahan semakin geram dengannya setiap bulan yang berlalu. noun phrase translation occurs with a structure shift (dm to md). (5) bsu: the frog was slowly turning into an enemy , more than into a close friend. but the mouse had no idea what was going on. bsa: sang katak perlahan menjadi musuh lebih dari sekedar teman dekat. tapi sang tikus tidak tahu apa yang sedang terjadi. noun phrase translation occurs with a structure shift (dm to md). (6) bsu: why was the frog getting more and more unhappy, you may ask ? well, the frog felt hurt because although he visited the mouse every single day , the mouse had never once made an offer to come visit him at his house. no not even once. bsa: kenapa sang katak semakin tidak senang , mungkin kamu bertanya , nah sang katak merasa terluka karena meskipun dia mengunjungi sang tikus tiap hari , sang tikus tidak pernah pernah sekali pun menawarkan untuk berkunjung kerumahnya. tidak, tidak , sekalipun. noun phrase translation occurs with a structure shift (dm to md). (7) bsu: one day the frog felt that he had been humiliated enough. so during that day’s visit, he decided to do something drastic. bsa: suatu hari katak merasa bahwa dia telah cukup terhina. jadi saat hari kunjungan, ia memustuskan untuk melakukan sesuatu yang drastic. noun phrase translation occurs with a structure shift (dm to md). (8) bsu: throughout breakfast, the frog secreatly tied one end of string around his own leg and he sneakily tied the other end to the mouse’s tail. bsa : sepanjang sarapan sang katak diamdiam mengikat satu ujung tali di kakinya sendiri dan ujung lainnya ke ekor sang tikus. noun phrase translation occurs with a structure shift (dm to md). (9) bsu: and when the clock struck 11 am , the frog quickly stood up and hopped away , dragging the helpless and shocked mouse behind him. bsa: dan ketika jam menunjukkan jam 11 pagi , sang katak dengan cepat berdiri dan melompat pergi dan menyeret sang tikus yang tak berdaya dan kaget dibelakangnya. noun phrase translation occurs with a structure shift (dm to md). (10) bsu: soon the frog reach his pond and dived deep into it. the mouse tried to free himself but couldn’t and soon he sadly drowned . his poor tired body floated to the top. bsa: segera katak mencapai kolamnya dan menyelam kedalammnya . sang tikus mencoba membebaskan dirinya tetapi tidak bisa. dan dia pun tenggelam tubuh lelahnya yang malang mengambang ke permukaan. noun phrase translation occurs with a structure shift (dm to md). (11) bsu: within minutes, a muscular hawk flew by and spotted the mouse’s body that was floating on the pond’s shimmering surface. bsa: dalam beberapa menit seekor elang yang gagah terbang melintas dan melihat tubuh sang tikus di permukaan kolam yang berkilauan. noun phrase translation occurs with a structure shift (dm to md). (12) bsu: the hawk swooped down swiftly, grabbing the mouse in his talons and flew to the branch of a nearby tree . the frog , of course , was hauled out of the water too! he desperately tried to free himself but he simply couldn’t do it. bsa: sang elang menukik turun dengan cepat, meraih sang tikus dengan cakarnya dan terbang ke cabang pohon terdekat. sang katak tentu saja , terbawa dari air juga! dia mati-matian berusaha membebaskan dirinya. tapi dia tidak bisa melakukannya. noun phrase translation occurs with a structure shift (dm to md). nunun tri widarwati, budi purnomo, purwani indri astuti & ratih wijayava analysis of translation shift in bilingual children's storybooks 664 (13) bsu: the hawk could not believe how great his day was as he laughed heartily. he soon put an end to the frog’s struggles by having the frog for dinner after eating the mouse for lunch. bsa: elang tak percaya betapa luar biasanya harinya, dia tertawa terbahak-bahak. dia segera mengakhiri perjuangan sang katak dengan memakannya untuk makan malam, setelah menyantap sang tikus untuk makan siang. noun phrase translation occurs when there is a structure shift (dm to md) on his day. the unit shift in the words eating the mouse becomes eating the mouse is a type of word-tophrase shift ke frasa. (14) bsu: in africa , they have a saying that goes: don’t dig too deep a pit for your enemy . you may fall into it yourself. bsa: di afrika, mereka punya ungkapan seperti: jangan menggali lubang terlalu dalam untuk musuhmu, bisa jadi kamu sendiri yang jatuh kedalamnya. in the translation of the noun phrase there is a structure shift (dm to md) in the words too deep a pit to become too deep a hole. table 5. phrase to understand no bsu bsa noun phrase / not 1 once upon time pada zaman dahulu adverb phrase (not data) 2 hop out of his pond melompat dari kolamnya noun phrase 3 a medium sized cozy hole lubang sederhana yang nyaman noun phrase 4 interesting or funny topics hal-hal yang menarik atau lucu noun phrase 5 he was so delighted dia sangat senang not data 6 he was unaware dia tidak sadar not data 7 slowly turning into an enemy perlahan menjadi musuh noun phrase 8 made an offer to come menawarkan untuk berkunjung noun phrase (class shift) 9 he had been humiliated enough dia telah cukup terhina not data 10 he desperately tried to free himself dia matimatian mencoba , membebaskan dirinya sendiri. not data the number of uses of noun phrases has shifted in the form of unit shifts and structural shifts. in the unit shift form, the translation shift occurs in the form of phrases to nouns, while the structural shift forms in the words dm (explained, explained) and md (explained, explained). this results inline with noun phrase error (safitri, 2023), noun phrase and equivalent (nurjanati, 2019), shift of noun phrase (finsen & puspani, 2019), and noun phrase (juliarta et al., 2019). translation shift have been found by several researchers such as (agung & suastini, 2022) found that unit shift is the most prevalent translation shift, followed by class shift, (latifah et al., 2022) found that readability, accuracy and acceptability for translation shift, (sitanggang et al., 2022), (yovinus et al., 2018), (zandroto et al., 2023) , (rizkiya et al., 2024), (kibona, 2019), (prativi et al., 2022), (pratiwi, 2021), (kusumawardhani & rakhmanita, 2022), (ratna & suyudi, 2022), (ningsih, 2021). thus, the translation researchs such as (dilisayana et al., 2023), (handayana et al., 2021), (fernandico, 2020). conclusion the research found that the use of translation shifts occurred most frequently in structure shifts, unit shifts and class shifts. the shift in the translation of noun phrase occurred due to the change in the structure explained explained (dm) to explained explained (md) so that it could influence the reader's understanding in language translation based on the context and structure of the story sentences. suggestions that the translation uses standard language in transferring from english to indonesian because the different and non-standard sentence structure in indonesian can seem informal to readers so that readers have difficulty learning the context of the story sentences. good translation results are results that can be accepted by readers both formally and informally. references abdi, h. (2024). negative analytic of the persian translation of atwood’s the blind assassin using berman’s model of trancism. karamanoğlu mehmetbey üniversitesi uluslararası filoloji ve çeviribilim dergisi, 6(1), 27-40. afiah, d. s. (2019). children’s bilingual story book analysis using shift and literal translation. caruban: jurnal ilmiah ilmu pendidikan dasar, 1(1), 48. https://doi.org/10.33603/cjiipd.v1i1.1177 agung, i. g. a. m. a., & suastini, n. w. s. (2022). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 665 translation shift in english-indonesian translation of“the things you can see only when you slow down.” international journal of english linguistics, literature, and education (ijelle), 4(2), 75–87. https://journal.univetbantara.ac.id/index.php/ijel le/article/view/2939 alangari, e. (2024). translation and interpreting research in saudi arabia: a bibliometric analysis (1990–2019). the translator, 30(2), 210-226. aripova, s. (2024). linguistic and cultural characteristics of the translation of stories in english and uzbek languages. modern science and research, 3(1), 98-101. asscher, o., & glikson, e. (2023). human evaluations of machine translation in an ethically charged situation. new media & society, 25(5), 10871107. betterfly. (2019). the frog and the mouse story. youtube, september. https://youtu.be/7h2ai6c0gg?si=zpas5muybbhuunub boase-beier, j. (2023). stylistics and translation. in the routledge handbook of stylistics (pp. 420-435). routledge. darma, v. p. & nuravianti, s. (2023). an analysis of the translation technique used by student in translating poetry text entitled “equipment’by edgar albert guest." tomorrow's education journal 1(1), 31-45. dilisayana, y., mu’in, f., & nasrullah, n. (2023). translation techniques of cultural words applied in the novel the hunger games. intensive journal, 6(1), 35. https://doi.org/10.31602/intensive.v6i1.10251 dille, t., hernes, t., & vaagaasar, a. l. (2023). stuck in temporal translation? challenges of discrepant temporal structures in interorganizational project collaboration. organization studies, 44(6), 867888. el naqa, i., karolak, a., luo, y., folio, l., tarhini, a. a., rollison, d., & parodi, k. (2023). translation of ai into oncology clinical practice. oncogene, 42(42), 3089-3097. fernandico, a. m. c. (2020). the cohesion of the prologue on the hunger games trilogy: a discourse analysis. jetal: journal of english teaching & applied linguistic, 2(1), 9–13. https://doi.org/10.36655/jetal.v2i1.188 finsen, h. t., & puspani, i. a. m. (2019). shifts in translation of english noun phrases into indonesian with reference to the short story a scandal in bohemia. humanis, 23(3), 167. https://doi.org/10.24843/jh.2019.v23.i03.p01 fitria, t. n. (2020). translation shift in english into indonesian subtitle of guzaarish movie. journal of language and literature, 20(2), 307. https://doi.org/10.24071/joll.v20i2.2601 handayana, i. d. g. k. d., juniarta, p. a. k., & mahendrayana, g. (2021). character education values of the main character in the suzanne collins’ “the hunger games (2008).” indonesian values and character education journal, 4(1), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.23887/ivcej.v4i1.31615 juliarta, i. m., sedeng, i. n., & indrawati, n. l. k. m. (2019). shifts in translation of noun phrase in jongos dan babu and in houseboy and maid. journal of the illuminating engineering institute of japan, 49(7), 378–393. https://doi.org/10.2150/jieij1917.49.7_378 khasawneh, m. a. s. (2023). the potential of ai in facilitating cross-cultural communication through translation. journal of namibian studies: history politics culture, 37, 107-130. kibona, n. j. (2019). an analysis of a noun phrase in ichindali. journal of language teaching and research, 10(5), 906–913. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1005.02 kusumawardhani, p., & rakhmanita, a. (2022). a syntactic analysis of noun phrase through “hansel and gretel” short story to 1st semester of accounting students at university of bina sarana informatika. international journal of english and applied linguistics (ijeal), 2(2), 207–215. https://doi.org/10.47709/ijeal.v2i2.1501 latifah, n. w., baharuddin, b., & udin, u. (2022). an analysis of translation shift in novel shine by jessica jung and its translation. culturalistics: journal of cultural, literary, and linguistic studies, 6(2), 11–17. https://doi.org/10.14710/culturalistics.v6i2.1488 1 lee, t. k. (2023). distribution and translation. applied linguistics review, 14(2), 369-390. li, h., zhao, j., li, j., yu, z., & lu, g. (2023). feature dynamic alignment and refinement for infrared– visible image fusion: translation robust fusion. information fusion, 95, 26-41. mentari, l. r. (2022). an analysis translation shifts in bilingual book (english-indonesia) of “little red riding hood, si kecil berkerudung merah” short story. proceeding of 3rd international conference on the teaching of english and literature (icotel), october, 96–104. mercan, h., akgün, y., & odacıoğlu, m. c. (2024). the evolution of machine translation: a review study. international journal of language and translation studies, 4(1), 104-116. nainggolan, w., sinurat, b., & hutauruk, b. s. (2020). accuracy of the translations of english noun phrases into indonesian using google translate. jetafl: journal of english teaching as a foreign language, 6(2), 66–87. https://ejournal.uhn.ac.id/index.php/jetafl/article /view/102/230 ningsih, a. (2021). analysis of translation shift of noun phrase in the adventures of huckleberry finn novel by mark twain. international journal of english learning and applied linguistics nunun tri widarwati, budi purnomo, purwani indri astuti & ratih wijayava analysis of translation shift in bilingual children's storybooks 666 (ijelal), 2(1). nurjanati, e. (2019). translation shift and equivalence of noun phrase in the hunger games’ novel by suzanne collins from english version to bahasa indonesia version. digilib uin sunan gunung djati bandung, 1135030078. paterson, k. (2023). machine translation in higher education: perceptions, policy, and pedagogy. tesol journal, 14(2), e690. plyth, p. s., & craham, c. p. (2023). translation affects literary and cultural systems: how to observe the features of translation? applied translation, 17(1), 7-15. prativi, n. k. s. r., yadnya, i. b. p., & puspani, i. a. m. (2022). translation shift of english noun phrases into indonesian in the movie of enola holmes. ulil albab : jurnal ilmiah multidisiplin, 1(7), 1903–1910. https://journalnusantara.com/index.php/jim/article/view/433 pratiwi, i. (2021). shift in translating english noun phrase into indonesian as seen in atwood’s the handmaid’s tale. repository universitas gajahmada, 5–6. putra, n. b. a., & ramadanty, r. l. a. (2022). category shift and its meaning shift in the translation of antara news’ press releases. rainbow : journal of literature, linguistics and culture studies, 11(2), 70–77. https://doi.org/10.15294/rainbow.v11i2.58837 quinci, c. (2023). translation competence: theory, research and practice. routledge. robert, i. s., schrijver, i., & ureel, j. j. (2024). measuring translation revision competence and post-editing competence in translation trainees: methodological issues. perspectives, 32(2), 177191. shavkatovna, g. t. (2023). revolutionizing english text translation: task-based activities for effective language learning. journal of language and linguistics, 6(5), 22-25. ratna, a., & suyudi, i. (2022). category shift translation of noun phrase in the cruella movie script and its translation. international journal of english and applied linguistics (ijeal), 2(2), 245–254. https://doi.org/10.47709/ijeal.v2i2.1505 rizkiya, a., mawaddah, s., marbun, c. m., ilahude, f. f., pasha, n. a., & inawati, i. (2024). translation techniques of indonesian children ’ s picture book: abbas ibnu firnas. scope : journal of english language teaching, 02(2019), 302– 308. safitri, d. (2023). noun phrase errors made by students in sman 1 rupat. journal of english language teaching, 12(2), 529–536. https://doi.org/10.24036/jelt.v12i2.121833 sholihat, i., & setiawan, t. (2019). translation shift analysis in bilingual children’s book entitled kumpulan dongeng motivasi. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 297(icille 2018), 162–166. https://doi.org/10.2991/icille-18.2019.35 sitanggang, a., yuni, a., situngkir, t., & situmorang, d. m. (2022). a contrastive analysis of using noun phrase in english and indonesian language by using youtube video. indonesian journal of education, social sciences and research (ijessr), 3(2), 61–78. https://doi.org/10.30596/ijessr.v3i2.11056 song, q., & zhang, j. (2023). ideological mediation: metaphor shifts in translating the communist party of china’s centenary speech. critical arts, 37(6), 1-17. sutopo, a., prasmawati, m. i., & prayitno, h. j. (2022). translation method of passive voice in i am number four novel: an english indonesian translation evaluation. proceedings of the international conference of learning on advance education (icolae 2021), 662(icolae 2021), 4–9. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220503.132 syafaatun, l. (2020). translation shift analysis and accuracy in indonesian-english of the poem surat dari oslo by toety heraty. eprint walisongo. https://eprints.walisongo.ac.id/id/eprint/13661/1 /skripsi_1403046077_linatus_syafaat un.pdf taxirovna, a. s. (2023). lingua-cultural aspects of the translation of english and uzbek stories. current issues of bio economics and digitalization in the sustainable development of regions (germany), 536-540. webster, k., & duff, a. (2022). meeting the wonderful wizard of oz. the wonderful circles of oz, 3(2), 60–73. https://doi.org/10.4324/978100321765713 widarwati, n. t. (2021). ungkapan diskriminasi kelas sosial dan gender serta terjemahannya. pustaka pelajar. wilmot, n. v., & tietze, s. (2023). englishization and the politics of translation. critical perspectives on international business, 19(1), 46-69. xu, w., agrawal, s., briakou, e., martindale, m. j., & carpuat, m. (2023). understanding and detecting hallucinations in neural machine translation via model introspection. transactions of the association for computational linguistics, 11, 546-564. yovinus, r., & ikhsanudin. (2018). an analysis of english-indonesian translation shift in the graden of the prophet by kahlil gibran. universitas tanjungpura, 21, 1–9. zandroto, sunita, w. a., lubis, n. a. p., pangaribuan, w., & mudjisusatyo, y. (2023). the use of noun phrase in scientific sentence. linguistica, 13(01), 40–48. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 229 exploring gendered language use: multilingual female adolescents in bandung, indonesia ida zuraida supri (corresponding author) department of english, faculty of humanities, widyatama university, indonesia email: ida.zuraida@widyatama.ac.id tajudin nur department of linguistics, faculty of cultural sciences, universitas padjadjaran, indonesia email: tajudin.nur@unpad.ac.id susi yuliawati department of linguistics, faculty of cultural sciences, universitas padjadjaran, indonesia email: susi.yuliawati@unpad.ac.id rosaria mita amalia department of linguistics, faculty of cultural sciences, universitas padjadjaran, indonesia email: rosaria.mita.amalia@unpad.ac.id apa citation: supri, i. z., nur, t., yuliawati, s., & amalia, r. m. (2023). exploring gendered language use: multilingual female adolescents in bandung, indonesia. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 229-236. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.6667 received: 19-10-2022 accepted: 27-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction several studies offer a wealth of insights into various aspects of female language use, including multilingualism, language contact, and gender in different contexts (holmes, 2022; talib, 2019; coates, 2018). for instance, holmes (2022) introductory textbooks on sociolinguistics provide a comprehensive understanding of the sociolinguistic aspects of female language use and identity construction, talib's (2019) case study on female students' code-switching in aceh highlights the complex relationship between language, gender, and identity construction, and coates' (2018) book on women, men, and language examines gender differences in language use, emphasizing the importance of understanding language in relation to social contexts and the role of gender in shaping language practices. some authors offer a range of valuable insights into the intersections of language, gender, and culture, with a focus on female language practices (ozkırımlı, 2018; nolas et al., 2019; abdi, 2020; de fina & georgakopoulou, 2018). as an example, ozkırımlı's (2018) research examines the impact of societal expectations on gendered language use among turkish women. the role of language in shaping gender identities and practices, particularly in the context of young women's negotiations of gender and sexuality norms has also been researched by nolas et al. (2019). similarly, abdi (2020), focuses on iranian female students' politeness strategies emphasizes the impact of culture and gender on language use. meahwile, leimgruber and mckenna's (2020) research examines how gendered language use shapes children's attitudes towards online harassment. considering the need for further research of highlighting female language practices and their relationship with culture and identity, de fina and abstract: this study focuses on the language characteristics of multilingual female teenagers in bandung, a city with a diverse ethnic population. the research is based on a small sample of 16-18 year old students from a private high school and uses a descriptive-analytic method to analyze recorded conversations as primary data and interviews as secondary data. the study categorizes and analyzes the language variations and characteristics of the teens' speech, using theories from lakoff (2017) and holmes (2022). the results suggest that some, but not all, of the language features proposed by lakoff are present in the teens' speech. additionally, the study identifies six language functions used, including lexical hedges, tagging questions, empty adjectives, reinforcers, emphasis stress, and rising intonation. due to the participants' multilingualism, the conversations often involve a mix of indonesian, local (sundanese), and english codes. keywords: features of language; female teenagers; high school; multilinguals. ida zuraida supri, tajudin nur, susi yuliawati, & rosaria mita amalia exploring gendered language use: multilingual female adolescents in bandung, indonesia 230 georgakopoulou (2018) conducted a research which explores the complex interplay between stance and gender, highlighting the multidimensional relationship between language and gender. in other perspectives, wang's (2020) explores the reinforcement of gender-based stereotypes through language, garrison and gottfried's (2020) research explores the intersectionality of gender, race, and class in communication, while tschirner and ramirez's (2020) study investigates the impact of gender on language maintenance and loss among heritage speakers of spanish in the us. arend, hennies, and möller's (2020) comparative study examines gender norms and expectations in male-dominated stem environments, and alemán's (2019) study focuses on women's identity negotiation through language use in puerto rican transnational families. exploring on the highlight of relationship between gender with language, hill and mcelhinny (2019) focuses on the role of language in shaping gender-based power dynamics and professional relationships in the workplace, similar with gallois and ogay's (2019) study which investigates gender and communication in the workplace, also provide valuable insights into the impact of gender on language use in different contexts, while wheatley and dennis's (2019) research explored feminist of the language of gender difference in healthcare which highlights the reinforcement of gender-based stereotypes and biases. similarly, bosch and gómez's (2019) research investigates gender differences in bilingual language acquisition and dominance, wodak and forchtner's (2018) study on the discursive construction of european identities provides a multi-level analysis of the role of language in shaping collective identities and fisher and molina's (2018) study emphasizes the significance of language in shaping educational experiences and opportunities in a dual language classroom. in most contemporary societies, there is no longer barrier to women’s participation in politics, but woman continue to be under-represented in positions of political leadership. seeing this imbalance, faltýnková (2018) conducted a research of comparative analysis of the linguistic representation of female politicians provides insights into the gendered nature of political discourse and identity. gendered language which is used to distinct sex-based categories also has been research by unger and campbell's (2018) which discussed of its effects towards occupational stereotypes and job prestige. highlighting on the influence of language on perceptions and attitudes. other research, pons-sanz and venuti's (2018) study on gender in dialects highlights the role of regional variation in the intersection of language and gender. larsson and lundmark's (2019) research on sharenting and mothers' language use on social media provides insights into the role of language in constructing and performing maternal identities in online spaces. overall, these studies offer valuable insights into the complex and multifaceted relationship between language and gender, highlighting the need for further research in this area. several studies also provide a diverse range of insights into the relationship between language and gender (zhang's, 2018, betti & cappelletti, 2018; el-akri & abouchadi, 2020; talbot, 2020; manal, 2021; schmerling & schiltz, 2021). zhang (2018) for instance, focuses on the representation of gender and identity in english language textbooks in china, highlighting the role of language in shaping cultural norms and expectations. betti and cappelletti's (2018) demonstrates the complex ways in which gender identity intersects with language and discourse in italia. meanwhile, a study of el-akri and abouchadi's (2020) study on the language attitudes of moroccan women towards moroccan arabic highlights the complex interplay between language, culture, and identity. according to talbot (2020), gender interpretation is influenced by various economic, political, cultural, and social factors. studies in fields such as language, psychology, anthropology, art, and sociology contribute to our understanding of gender and human behavior. in manal's (2021) research on language dynamics, it was found that arab women tend to use vernacular language while arab men tend to speak using standard arabic. other studies, schmerling and schiltz's (2021) analysis of creaky voice use by female speakers in luxembourg. despite the relevance of language features, social factors play a significant role in language use. some other researchers also investigated the variation of language use. for instance, a study of handika et al. (2019) which found that balinese elementary students predominantly use casual verbal communication, with direct, interaction, and transaction communication patterns, supri and nur's (2021) research on language variation which indicates that indonesian teenagers often use slang in social media comments, while priska et al.’s (2020) research which identified the characteristics english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 231 of women's language in movies, such as the frequent use of intensifiers and avoidance of swear words. equally important, the language use on social media also has already been investigated, such as purba et al. (2021) who found that 57% of teenage instagram users use a casual style of language in their comments, widyastuti and yusuf (2021) who concluded that sundanese is actively used by 34.2 million people in indonesia for daily communication, including in social media business, city information, and influencer accounts, weinstein's (2018) research on the social media see-saw examines the positive and negative influences of social media on adolescents’ affective well-being, and hamzah and indra (2022) who investigated teenagers' language use on social media platform facebook. the intersection of language, media, and popular culture is explored in situmorang and herman's (2021) analysis of slang language in the charlie’s angels movie. stroud's (2016) work delves deeper into the connection between language and identity, creativity, and performance in young women's writing. the impact of gender on language use and power relations is explored in varnhagen and mcleod's (2018) feminist perspective on language and gender and wiriaatmadja's (2020) sociolinguistic study of indonesian teenagers, while tsimpli's (2014) chapter on multilingualism and language contact and suryadi et al.'s (2019) case study on adolescent language choices in multilingual settings offer insights into the complex interplay between language, identity, and culture. another research by zentella (2019) entitled growing up bilingual: puerto rican children in new york provides a compelling ethnographic study of the linguistic and cultural practices of puerto rican children in a multilingual setting. together, these references provide a broad and diverse range of perspectives on the study of language and society. the studies by chua and wee (2019) and ismail (2021) emphasize the importance of considering sociolinguistic contexts when examining language use, while higgins' (2014) research highlights the contribution of language to gender identity construction. similarly, labov's (1991) work on sociolinguistic patterns and mcconnell-ginet's (2013) research on language and gender provide theoretical frameworks for analyzing language variation and change. other studies also shed light on the challenges of examining gendered language features (ningrum & crosthwaite, 2020; krijnen & van bauwel, 2021; coates, 2016, gounder and sankaran, 2017; khazaeenezhad & hashemian, 2016; mori, 2020). ningrum and crosthwaite's (2020) study for instance, explored the notion of binary distinctions of gendered language features, suggesting that language use is more complex and krijnen and van bauwel's (2021) book explores the representation, production, and consumption of gender in various forms of media. coates (2016) provides a thorough examination of the role of various factors such as socialization, power dynamics, and linguistic ideologies in shaping gender differences in language. however, it may not reflect the latest advancements in the field of gender and language research. gounder and sankaran (2017) conduct a unique study of fiji hindi and shed light on the connection between language, gender, and identity in a globalized world, highlighting the impact of both local and global factors on gendered language use. while khazaeenezhad and hashemian (2016) compare gender differences in linguistic forms between persian and english, uncovering both similarities and differences between the two languages. however, its applicability to other languages or cultures is unclear. mills and mullany (2018) provide a theoretical and methodological framework for examining language, gender, and feminism, laying the foundation for a critical understanding of gender and language, but without presenting specific findings or linguistic data analysis. in similar vein, mori (2020) examines gendered language use in japanese adolescent text messages, offering a contemporary perspective on the relationship between gender and language in digital communication. although the study is limited to a specific context and age group, it highlights the importance of studying gendered language use in various communication channels. pichler (2016) also addresses common misunderstandings about gender and language and provides a nuanced and well-balanced view of the subject, serving as a correction to oversimplified or incorrect beliefs about gender differences in language use. the reviewed sources contribute to a deeper understanding of gender differences in language use, highlighting the diverse factors that shape these differences. however, it is important to note that these studies also have limitations, including the context-specific nature of some research, the potential lack of generalizability, and the possible ida zuraida supri, tajudin nur, susi yuliawati, & rosaria mita amalia exploring gendered language use: multilingual female adolescents in bandung, indonesia 232 incompleteness of some works in capturing the most recent developments in the field. method the research methodology for the study "female language: a case study on adolescents’ multilingualism in bandung, indonesia" can be described as follows: the study is qualitative in nature and focuses on exploring the language practices of multilingual teenage girls in bandung, indonesia. it has a descriptive-analytic method and aims to provide a contextual understanding of the subject matter (creswell, 2017). the sample consists of eight female students aged 16 to 18 who were raised in mixed ethnic families and use multiple languages, including sundanese, javanese, and arabic. the sample was selected based on the criteria of being multilingual and raised in mixed ethnic families. the primary data was collected through the recording and analysis of conversations that took place in various settings, including homes, restaurants, coffee shops, and private vehicles. the focus was on language use in friendship. the data collection process also involved transcribing, categorizing, and analyzing the conversations to identify language characteristics and variations. to supplement the primary data, the researchers conducted interviews with the participants to obtain additional information that was not available through the recorded conversations. the recorded conversations were transcribed and analyzed to identify language characteristics and variations. the researchers used a descriptiveanalytic method to categorize and analyze the data, focusing on language use in friendship. to ensure the validity and reliability of the study, the researchers used multiple data collection methods and triangulated the data by supplementing the recorded conversations with interviews. the study adheres to ethical principles such as informed consent, confidentiality, and data protection. participants were fully informed about the purpose of the study and how the data would be used, and they were given the option to withdraw from the study at any time. results and discussion this study focuses on eight teenagers who attend a private school in bandung and come from sundanese and javanese families. the participants are multilingual, with some speaking their local language and others using indonesian at home. it is important to note that this research aims to provide insight into the language practices of female senior high school students in bandung, rather than making generalizations based on a small sample size. the language domain studied in this research is friendship, and the conversations took place in various settings, such as homes, restaurants, cafes, and vehicles. the topics of the conversations varied and included school-related topics, friends, teachers, school subjects, music, and concerts. lexical hedges or fillers lexical hedges occur quite frequently in the conversations. following are data 13 of lexical hedges containing eh, kayaknya, da, sih, tuh, ai, the, kok, and kan: (1) eh, kamu… kamu besok udah bawa motor sendiri? (eh, you will you ride your motorbike by yourself tomorrow?). (2) eh tapi denahnya ngga jelas. (eh, but the floor plan is not clear). (2) anjir dia lagi healing ke malaysia. (anjir he is now healing to malaysia.) (3) dia kayaknya ambis banget. (he seems very ambitious). (4) nah, setiap kelompok harus menjual makanan. (nah, each group must sell food). (5) da ngga ada apa-apa. (there is nothing). (6) iya ngga sih. (isn't it?). (7) waktu ujian, aku tuh udah selesai duluan. (i already finished the exam first). (8) bisa aja ai kamu. (it is possible, you know). (9) siapa nama dia teh? (what is her/his name?). (10) kayaknya dalam seminggu ini kita bakal masuk sampe jam 10. (it seemed we'll be at class until 10 o'clock this week.). (11) kita teh nanti belajarnya kayak hari biasa. (we will study as usual). (12) kok bisa sih? (how come?) lexical hedges or fillers in the utterances above are used in the communication, indicating a lessthan-full commitment to the precision of what is said. the functions of using hedging or fillers are to avoid conflict, minimize face-threatening actions, or reduce coercion. it is interesting to see that most of the hedging or fillers significantly used are using their local language or sundanese. fillers eh, da, sih, tuh, ai (from the word ari), teh, anjir are fillers used in sundanese; while kan, kok, and kayaknya are bahasa indonesia. anjir is a slang word for anjing (dog) is also used. it was rare to hear this word in the past because it is considered rude. nowadays, it is pretty frequent to encounter female teenagers using variations of the word anjing, such as anjir, anjis, anjim, jir, or jis. they use anjir as a filler to show high solidarity. they tend to use the fillers in sundanese rather than bahasa indonesia or english with their peers. they casually communicate with their peers english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 233 because the use of the language domain is friendship. tag questions following are data from 14, 15, 16, and 17 of the tag questions: (14) hari sabtu ini ada kegiatan ekskul jurnalis, gitu, bil? (are there any journalists' extracurricular activities this saturday, bil?). (15) konser pensi menurut aku kemahalan, gak sih? (i think the pensi concert is too expensive, isn't it?). (16) kamu jadi pergi, gak? (you are leaving, aren't you?). (17) menurut aku sih pak adi orangnya baik, kan? (i think pak adi is a good person, right?). (18) dia kenal sama kita, gak ya? (he knows us, doesn't he?) the above data (14, 15, 16, 17, and 18) show that the tag question is used whenever the speaker is not particular about what is spoken. teenagers casually use the tag question. the objective of using tag questions is to maintain communication by confirming what is said earlier to the hearer. data 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 show different tag words employed in the conversation. data 14 uses the tag question gitu, and data 17 uses the tag kan showing that the statements are positive. however, the speaker needs confirmation that what she knows is accurate. data 15 and 16 show that the word gak means negation. the word gak is the informal word for the word tidak which means no (negation). the structure is different from the english tag question structure; a positive statement, negative tag, or negative statement followed by positive tag questions. empty adjectives girls tend to use adjectives to express their feelings. these adjectives may have a deep meaning in specific contexts and situations, and in other situations, they may not have a strong meaning. for example, empty adjectives used in the conversations below do not have strong meanings: (19) pengen nonton tulus yang beneran tulus gitu. (i want to watch tulus the real tulus). (20) tim acara tuh yang paling cape di hari h acara. beneran. (the event team is the most tired on the d-day of the event). (21) tadi dia nge sg in gitu, gemes. (he took an insta story post, how adorable). (22) ih, lucu banget! (so cute!) the words beneran in data 19, beneran in data 20, gemes in data 21, and lucu in data 22 are the empty adjectives used in the conversation. the adjective beneran means a real one or a real concert. this is used to refer to a real solo concert of tulus (a famous singer). in data 20, the word beneran is an adjective. it does not refer to a noun in the utterance. it is merely an empty adjective. data 21 shows the word gemes which means adorable, does not refer to any nouns used in the utterance. it is a simply empty adjective. the word lucu (cute) in data 22 is another data showing an empty adjective. intensifiers an intensifier is a textual feature that can emphasize a message or make it more sensational. the following is data on the use of intensifiers: (23) tim acara tuh yang paling cape di hari h acara. (the event team was the most tired on d day). (24) kayak ngeremehin banget. (like really underestimate). (25) ayamnya juicy banget. (the chicken is so juicy). (26) kelas maneh pastinya gak akan bener. (your class will definitely not good). (27) 3g nya jelek banget anjir. (the 3g is really bad, anjir). (28) sedih banget ya lagunya. (the song is really sad). (29) macet banget yah. (very heavy traffic). (30) jadi km tuh paling ribet kalau ngga ada jadwal ngajar wali kelas. (the most complicated time becoming a head of the class is when there's no homeroom teaching schedule). intensifiers are frequently used in conversation. data 23 to data 30 show the use of an intensifier. the word banget is the most frequently used intensifier. banget is an intensifier from betawi dialect. bahasa indonesia is the national language. it has several dialects as the influence of the local language. the word banget originated from the word sangat (very) is a standard bahasa indonesia. banget is a betawi dialect of the word sangat. it has other variations, like amat or bingit. intensifier pastinya (definitely) in data 27 is a word of bahasa indonesia. paling (superlative form) in data 23 and 30 are used to intensify the adjectives cape (tired) and ribet (complicated). another intensifier used in the data above is pastinya (definitely), as in data 26. so, most of the intensifiers used are from bahasa indonesia, and the dialect of bahasa betawi is also used. the use of casual vocabulary deriving from local languages, such as sundanese and betawi are used. variation of words or allomorph are also encountered, such as the swear word of anjir, which is originated from the word anjing (dog). there at least five allomorps to refer to the word anjing; anjis, anjir, anjim, njis, njir. rising intonation on declarative below are data on rising intonation on declarative. ida zuraida supri, tajudin nur, susi yuliawati, & rosaria mita amalia exploring gendered language use: multilingual female adolescents in bandung, indonesia 234 (31) acaranya seru. (the program is fun). (32) ayamnya enak. (the chicken is delicious). language feature of rising intonation on declarative is found. data 31 acaranya seru and data 32 ayamnya enak, are expressed using rising intonation. the rising intonation on declaration utterance is used to show uncertainty. girls tend to use certain patterns related to surprise and politeness or answer questions instead of assertive statements with low intonation. rising intonation is attributed to uncertainty. thus, data 31 acaranya seru (the program is interesting) and 32 ayamnya enak (the chicken is delicious) are stated using rising intonation even though the utterance is expressed in a declarative. emphatic stress data 34 and 35 the use of emphatic stress. (34) kamu bisa bawa motor? (you can ride a motorbike?). (35) kamu bisa ngerjain matwa bab ii? (you can solve chapter ii of math problems?) teenagers use empathic stress to emphasize a word in their utterances with more power, energy, or loudness. empathic emphasis also indicates that what the speaker understands is the opposite of the facts. data 34 kamu bisa bawa motor? (you can ride a motorbike?) and data 35 kamu bisa ngerjain matwa bab ii? (you can solve chapter ii of math problems?). those utterances are spoken to express surprise at the statement uttered by her interlocuter because her understanding is opposite to the facts. conclusion the respondents only mentioned a few aspects of the language. lexical hedges, tag questions, empty adjectives, intensifier, emphatic stress, and rising intonation are all used. because the topic of which color terms can be used is not found, the use of precise color terms must be identified. topic about fashion, which color terms are possible to use, appears outside the recorded conversation. hypercorrect grammar, super polite forms are not identified. the absence may be due to the conversation's participants being friends. those two features are not used because they tend to use casual language with their peers. avoidance of strong swear words is not found. the respondents seem casual in using words that are considered rude, taboo, or slangy. for instance, some pronouns are used when addressing self or other speakers, maneh dan aing. those words are the least used when there is an absent adult. the use of code-mixing is frequently encountered. code mixing of bahasa indonesia and bahasa sunda and bahasa indonesia and english is quite frequent. so, being multilingual, teenagers are more creative in language use. acknowledgment the researcher would like to extend gratitude to universitas widyatama and widyatama foundation for the support during the research and the publication of this article. references abdi, r. (2020). gender and politeness strategies in iranian undergraduate efl learners’ speech. language and sociocultural theory, 7(1), 22-38. adendorff, r. (2017). women and workplace discourse: a critical review. journal of business and technical communication, 31(1), 51-80. alemán, a. m. (2019). women’s identity negotiation through spanish and english language use in puerto rican transnational families. journal of sociolinguistics, 23(2), 130-150. alidoust, f., & hassanzadeh, r. (2016). a comparative study of gender and politeness strategies in iranian efl learners' speech. journal of applied linguistics and language research, 3(7), 1-14. altakhaineh, a. a. (2017). attitudes towards english language learning and use among palestinian female students. journal of language teaching and research, 8(4), 721-728. alwasilah, c., & ashari, h. (2015). the impact of culture and gender on language use in indonesian public speaking classroom discourse. journal of language teaching and research, 6(2), 270278. arend, m., hennies, j., & möller, b. (2020). women’s language use in male-dominated stem environments: a comparative study. gender and language, 14(4), 413-438. aydın, z. y. (2017). gender stereotypes and the use of sexist language in turkish efl learners' writing. journal of language and linguistic studies, 13(1), 1-18. betti, s., & cappelletti, f. (2018). gendered discourses and intersectionality: the case of italian trans*. journal of language and discrimination, 2(2), 180-203. bosch, l., & gómez, l. (2019). gender differences in bilingual language acquisition: examining language dominance and input factors in spanish-english bilingual children. journal of child language, 46(5), 935-956. cameron, d. (2017). the myth of mars and venus: do men and women really speak different languages? oxford university press. chua, y. p., & wee, l. (2019). the linguistic landscape of secondary schools in multilingual singapore. language and education, 33(1), 23-38. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 235 coates, j. (2016). women, men, and language: a sociolinguistic account of gender differences in language (3rd ed.). routledge. coates, j. (2018). women, men and language: a sociolinguistic account of gender differences in language. routledge. creswell, john w. (2017). research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method approach (6th edition). sage publication d'arcy, a., & tagliamonte, s. a. (2016). gendered identity in newfoundland english. journal of sociolinguistics, 20(4), 432-465. de fina, a., & georgakopoulou, a. (2018). the intersection of stance and gender: a multidimensional analysis. discourse & society, 29(3), 248-268. eckert, p., & mcconnell-ginet, s. (2013). language and gender. cambridge university press. el-akri, n., & abouchadi, a. (2020). the language attitudes of moroccan women towards the use of moroccan arabic in public settings. international journal of the sociology of language, 2020(264), 61-81. faltýnková, a. (2018). female speakers and the language of the nation: a comparative analysis of the linguistic representation of female politicians in the czech and slovak press. gender and language, 12(3), 309-335. farahani, a. (2017). gender differences in iranian efl learners' use of language learning strategies. journal of language and translation, 7(1), 8595. fisher, l., & molina, n. (2018). ‘she knows how to say it in spanish’: constructing gender and language in a dual language classroom. international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 21(4), 478-490. gallois, c., & ogay, t. (2019). the impact of gender on language, communication and social influence in the workplace. journal of language and social psychology, 38(1), 3-9. garrison, k. r., & gottfried, l. (2020). reconceptualizing gendered language: examining the intersectionality of gender, race, and class in communication. sex roles, 82(1112), 678-693. giri, a., & pandey, r. (2016). a study of language use and gender identities of nepalese students in australia. journal of language, identity & education, 15(3), 171-182. gounder, f., & sankaran, r. (2017). language, gender and identity in a globalised world: a case study of fiji hindi. language & communication, 54, 76-86. hamzah, a., & indra, r. (2022). an analysis of language style of teenagers found in facebook status. e-journal of english language and literature, 13(1), 76-86. handika, k. d, sudarma, i. k.. murda, i. n. (2019). analisis penggunaan ragam bahasa indonesia siswa dalam komunikasi verbal. jurnal pedagogi dan pembelajaran, 2(3), 338-368. heller, m. (2017). language, gender, and sexuality: current issues and new directions. annual review of applied linguistics, 37, 98-118. higgins, c. (2014). girl talk: adolescent magazines and their readers. springer international publishing. hill, e., & mcelhinny, b. (2019). women, work, and language: on gendered communication in the workplace. journal of business and technical communication, 33(3), 271-297. holmes, j. (2018). an introduction to sociolinguistics. routledge. holmes, j. (2022). an introduction to sociolinguistics. routledge. holmes, j., & schnurr, s. (2017). language, gender, and leadership: issues, debates and future directions. gender and language, 11(2), 135146. hrycyk, i. (2016). “the exact words don't really matter”: ambiguity and gender in young people's linguistic practices. gender and language, 10(2), 235-261. hu, y. (2015). gendered language in chinese business discourse. journal of pragmatics, 79, 1-15. ismail, m. a. (2021). sociocultural identity and arab women's and men's code-choice in the context of patriarchy. anthropological linguistics, 54(3), 261-279 jeong, h. k. (2017). language choices in mobile phone text messages between korean male and female friends. gender and language, 11(1), 103-129. karimi, a. m., & oghazian, m. b. (2016). investigating gender differences in the use of politeness strategies in persian requests. journal of applied linguistics and language research, 3(5), 25-38. khazaeenezhad, b., & hashemian, m. (2016). gender differences in the use of linguistic forms in the speech of men and women: a comparative study of persian and english. gema online® journal of language studies, 16(2), 49-61. krijnen & van bauwel. (2021). gender and media: representing, producing and consuming (second edition). routledge. labov, w. (1991). sociolinguistic patterns. (11th edition). university of pennsylvania press. lakoff, r. (2017). context counts: paper on language, gender and power. oxford university press. larsson, l., & lundmark, c. (2019). sharenting– mothers’ language use on social media about their young children. gender and language, 13(2), 150-172. lazar, m. m., & tagliamonte, s. a. (2015). gender and variation in north american english. annual review of applied linguistics, 35, 109-135. lee, s. y., & park, m. (2017). the effect of gender in learning a second language: a meta-analysis. language learning, 67(3), 427-463. leimgruber, j. r., & mckenna, k. y. (2020). “it's because you're a girl”: how gendered language https://www.jstor.org/stable/i23621072 ida zuraida supri, tajudin nur, susi yuliawati, & rosaria mita amalia exploring gendered language use: multilingual female adolescents in bandung, indonesia 236 use affects children's attitudes about online harassment. computers in human behavior, 106, 105-115. mills, s., & mullany, l. (2018). language, gender and feminism: theory, methodology, and practice. routledge. mollin, s., & gläser, n. (2017). “a coffee for you and a tea for me”: an investigation of gender and status differences in service encounters. gender and language, 11(2), 249-274. mori, m. (2020). gendered language use in japanese adolescents' text messages. language sciences, 80, 101264. ningrum, s., & crosthwaite, p. (2020). genderpreferential language use in l1 and l2argumentative essays? evidence against lists of ‘gendered’ language features. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 10(1), 218-233. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i1.25100 nolas, s. m., varvantakis, c., & aruldoss, v. (2019). making sense of 'difficult' stories of feminism, femininity, and girls' digital sexuality: young women's negotiations of gender and sexuality norms. sex education, 19(3), 288-302. ozkırımlı, u. (2018). gendered language use in turkish: the case of istanbul. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 39(7), 599-613. pichler, p. (2016). gender and language: confronting the myths. language and linguistics compass, 10(11), 592-607. pons-sanz, s., & venuti, l. (2018). gender in dialects: variation and perception in two swiss-german dialects. journal of sociolinguistics, 22(5), 399425. priska, n. p. d., candra, k. d. p., & utami, n. m. v. (2020). the types of women language features found in the fault in our stars movie. lingual, 9(1), 39-50. purba, d., sinurat, b., & herman, h. (2021). utilizing instagram social media on language style: an analysis to teenagers as millennial generations in their captions. anglophile journal, 2(1),1-11. https://dx.doi.org/10.51278/anglophile.v2i1.268 schmerling, s., & schiltz, g. (2021). a sociolinguistic analysis of the use of creaky voice by female speakers in luxembourg. journal of sociolinguistics, 25(1), 75-100. simpson, a.. (2019). language and society: an introduction. oxford university press. situmorang, r. k. and herman. (2021). an analysis of slang language styles used in charlie’s angels movie. journal of english educational study, 4(1) 21-29. stroud, c. (2016). the language of female adolescence in contemporary fiction: the intersection of identity, creativity and performance. routledge. supri. i. z. & tajudin nur. (2021). investigating indonesian slangy words on tiktok’s comments. english journal literacy utama, 5(2), 347-352 suryadi, m., rohman, f., & yulianti, e. (2019). adolescent language choices in multilingual settings: a case study of three indonesian schools. language and language teaching, 22(2), 67-75. talbot, m. (2020). language and gender. cambridge talib, i. a. (2019). women's language in aceh: a case study of female students' code-switching in the classroom. lingua cultura, 13(2), 166-174. tschirner, e., & ramirez, g. (2020). gender differences in l1 attrition: a study of heritage speakers of spanish in the united states. linguistics vanguard, 6(1), 20190057. tsimpli, i. m. (2014). multilingualism and language contact. in handbook of linguistics (pp. 181209). wiley-blackwell. unger, j. w., & campbell, k. (2018). the effects of gendered language on perceptions of occupational stereotypicality and job prestige. sex roles, 79(9-10), 568-581. varnhagen, c. k., & mcleod, j. (2018). language and gender: a feminist perspective. routledge. wang, y. (2020). the role of language in gender stereotyping: a sociolinguistic analysis. frontiers in psychology, 11, 2497. wardhaugh, r. (2014). an introduction to sociolinguistics. john wiley & sons. wardhaugh, r., & fuller, j. m. (2015). an introduction to sociolinguistics. john wiley & sons. weinstein, e. (2018). the social media see-saw: positive and negative influences on adolescents’ affective well-being. new media & society, 20(10), 3597-3623. wheatley, s. e., & dennis, r. (2019). a critical feminist exploration of the language of gender difference in healthcare: self-help manuals and the nhs. gender, language and power, 7(1), 57-81. widyastuti, t & yusuf, c. m. (2021). pemakaian bahasa sunda dalam media sosial. lokabasa: jurnal kajian bahasa, sastra, dan budaya daerah serta pengajarannya, 12(2), 213-221. wiriaatmadja, r. (2020). female language style and power relations: a sociolinguistic study of indonesian teenagers. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 10(3), 572-582. wodak, r., & forchtner, b. (2018). the discursive construction of european identities: a multilevel approach to discourse analysis. journal of language and politics, 17(4), 560-576. zentella, a. c. (2019). growing up bilingual: puerto rican children in new york. routledge. zhang, l. (2018). gender and identity construction in english language textbooks in china. journal of language, identity & education, 17(6), 361-374. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i1.25100 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 543 teacher’s strategies in reducing students’ disruptive behavior in indonesian efl classroom umar universitas sulawesi barat, indonesia email: umar@unsulbar.ac.id rahmat khair universitas sulawesi barat, indonesia email: rahmatkhair@gmail.com apa citation: umar., & khair, r. (2022). teacher’s strategies in reducing students’ disruptive behavior in indonesian efl classroom. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 543-554. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6254 received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 22-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction disruptive behavior or misbehavior is behavior that violates class rules, demean others, or is otherwise incompatible with legal or social norms of the society. this kind of behavior falls into two categories; student unwillingness to work as directed and students’ causing unwarranted distractions (charles, 2014). haroun and o'hanlon (1997) defined disruptive behavior as an activity which caused distress for teachers, which disturbed good order in the classroom, and caused trouble, which led teachers to make continual comments to the students. this behavior is a phenomenon that causes fear and consternation for most teachers. it takes many forms including, disruptive talking, inaudible responses, sleeping in class, tardiness and poor attendance, failure to do homework, cheating in tests and exams and willingness to speak in the target language (seli, syafitri, oktaviani, 2021). fact that disruptive behavior in the classroom is an undeniable problem faced by teachers of all generations (abeygunawardena & vithanapathirana, 2019). rivas (2009) believed that the phrase disruptive behavior are synonymous with the word incivility which considered as a rude behavior that disrupt teaching and learning process. in line with this, feldmann (2001) stated that incivility is any action that interferes with a harmonious and cooperative learning atmosphere in the classroom. according to reed and kirkpatrick (1998), the abstract: the objectives of this research were (1) to explore kinds of students’ disruptive behaviors, (2) to find out teacher’s strategy in managing students’ disruptive behavior, (3) to explore factors causing students’ disruptive behavior and (4) to find out the impact of students’ disruptive behaviors on students’ speaking skill in self classroom of a senior high school. this research applied case study design in order to get more understanding about the phenomenon of students’ disruptive behaviors. in terms of participant, the researcher focused on observing the sefl students of eleventh year at sma negeri 1 tinambung, west sulawesi. there were eleven classes and the researcher took one class purposively. classroom observation was conducted in order to get the data about kinds of students’ disruptive behavior, teacher’s strategy in dealing with disruptive behavior, and impact of students’ disruptive behavior on students’ speaking skill. moreover, semi-structured interview was used to get factors causing students’ disruptive behavior. there are eight kinds of disruptive behavior found in this research along with the new one namely inattention, apathy, moving about the room, annoying others, cheating, needless talk, disrupting (shouting), and exaggeration talk. in order to deal with students’ disruptive behavior, the teacher applied some strategies namely, proximity interference, touch interference, signal interference, calling out names, asking questions, request & demands, and psychological punishment. researcher also found five factors that cause students’ disruptive behavior which were classified into three categories namely physiological factor, environmental factors, and social factors and found that that disruptive behavior impacted linguistically on students’ speaking skills that covers students’ fluency, vocabulary, accuracy, and pronunciation. keywords: disruptive behavior; teacher’s strategy; english teaching; english learning; sefl classroom. umar & rahmat khair teacher’s strategies in reducing students’ disruptive behavior in indonesian efl classroom 544 term “disruptive” and “misbehaving” are used synonymously. misbehavior in school is behavior that violence class rules, demeans others, or is otherwise incompatible with the legal norm or social norms of the society. villafranca, hamlin, enns, & jacobsohn (2017) defined disruptive behavior as behavior that does not show others an adequate level of respect and causes victims or witnesses to feel threatened. stavnes (2013) also defined disruptive behavior as the behavior that inhibits the students’ own learning, the peers learning and/or the teacher’s ability to operate efficiently in the classroom. based on some definitions of disruptive behavior above, it can be concluded that disruptive behaviors are any unacceptable behaviors that is considered to be rude and impolite that disrupt teaching and learning process. however, it cannot be denied that the teacher still expects that students' behavior can be changed to be better and better (ardin, 2020). there are four types of disruptive students’ behavior that teachers must deal with. they are called as abcd of disruptive behavior; aggression, breaking rules, confrontations, and disengagements (charles, 2014). aggression refers to the hostile attitude towards others. it can be student to student or even student to teacher. three types of aggression based on its occurrence are physical aggression, verbal aggression, and passive aggression. physical aggression refers to the action of hitting, kicking, biting, pinching, pulling, and slapping. verbal aggression refers to the verbal action such as put-downs, swearing, ridiculing, and name-calling. passive aggression refers to the stubborn action of refusing to comply with reasonable requests or refuse to take an order. disruptive behavior in the classroom is one of the most widely expressed concerns among teachers and school administrators (duesund & ødegård, 2018). from the statements, it can be concluded that disruptive behavior may disrupt not only student but also teaching and learning process. the belief is that the presence of disruptive behavior or discipline issues in the classroom negatively affects students learning (gómez mármol, sánchez alcaraz martínez, valero valenzuela, & de la cruz sánchez, 2018) and lowers students’ academic performance (granero-gallegos, gómez-lópez, baena-extremera, 2020). indeed, student misbehaviour negatively affected class time, content, and attitude (muna, 2019). if this condition is not handled properly, it will become an obstacle in teaching and learning process. moreover, students’ disruptive behavior is considered to have a direct link with the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of teachers and may deteriorate teachers’ ability to educate the students to some extent (shakespeare, peterkin, & bourne, 2018). factors such as a bad influence from the community, a lack of preparation, and low teaching quality, poor parenting, students’ attitude towards learning, and students’ emotional and mental problems (khasinah, 2017) can cause unsuitable behavior in the classroom. it cannot be denied that the different nature of students they bring into the classroom can lead to problems (vongvilay, fauziati, & ratih, 2021). in most cases, children in elementary school may act disruptively because they have less capacity of selfcontrol (augimeri, walsh, donato, blackman, & piquero, 2018). but, many has been reported for disruptive behavior may occur in adolescent, between the ages of 10 and 19 years who attend junior high school and senior high school. in fact, multiple research studies suggested that students’ behavioral problem at all levels are influenced by a myriad of factors and educators’ responses to these conditions must be based on careful evaluation of each learner’s specific circumstance coupled with the educators’ roles in the classroom (simpson, 2022). furthermore, according to maazouzi (2017), there are some solutions to students’ misbehavior including setting the discipline plan and better classroom management, building more positive interaction and respect, applying more suitable method, and keeping calm and patient. intervention strategies most often proposed in the literature to combat discipline issues in the classroom are, for example: praising, motivating, or reinforcing students; maintaining a positive/close relationship with students; formulating basic classroom rules at the beginning of the courses; adapting student-centered learning, and frequently changing the seating arrangements (rafi, ansar, & sami, 2020). hue & li (2008) suggested two strategies in dealing with students’ disruptive behavior; nonverbal and verbal intervention strategies. when a problem is getting worse or some more disruptive behavior takes place, the teacher has to consider employing non-verbal coping strategies. but, when non-verbal interventions fail to redirect the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 545 students to appropriate tasks, verbal coping skills are needed. in non-verbal intervention and coping skills proposed by levin & nolan (as cited in hue & li, 2008), there are four strategies to be employed by the teacher namely planned ignoring, signal interference, proximity interference, and touch interference. planned ignoring refers to neglecting off-task behavior in a deliberate manner. disruptive behavior is often reinforced by the attention given to it by the teacher and peers in the classroom, and ignoring it reduces its occurrences. it is suggested that planned ignoring should be confined to those off-task behaviors which create little disturbance in the classroom. moreover, if none of the above strategies fail in managing students’ disruptive behavior, verbalintervention strategies are needed. there are six verbal-intervention strategies in managing disruptive behavior proposed by levin & nolan (as cited in hue & li, 2008) namely praising peers, boosting interest, calling on students, using humor as a tension-breaker, asking questions, and request & demands. the more frequent disruptive behavior exists in a classroom; the more negative students’ outcome can be as the behavior affects the learning process (kessels & heyder, 2020). learning outcomes can be interpreted as a change in behavior as a result of a learning process that includes students’ mastery of the knowledge and skills set, after the students through the process of leaning (khalidiyah, 2015). in the present research, the researcher tried to investigate the students’ leaning outcomes especially in speaking skills. outcomes is extremely important in learning because it helps to show that students are able to take the knowledge that they have learned and apply it. tutors do play a role in achieving student learning outcomes, but actually students are in control of their learning outcomes (eriyanto, roesminingsih, soedjarwo, soeherman, 2021). without outcomes, teachers have no way of knowing that the students understand the information to a level necessary to ensure that they can demonstrate the learning. for example, you can read a chapter from a textbook and you may think that you have retained the information, but the process of writing an essay about the information is much different, and a way to demonstrate what you have learned in a practical way, otherwise completing the reading serves no purpose. in the practice, english subjects in junior high school are taught in an integrated manner that includes receptive skills (listening and reading) and productive skills (speaking and writing). in the present study, the researcher tried to analyze students’ learning outcome especially in productive skills which is speaking ability. in measuring speaking ability, there are two main aspects namely fluency and accuracy (gower, phillips, & walters, 1995). accuracy is concerned with the use of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. while fluency is dealing with the ability to keep going when speaking spontaneously. in fact, a number of studies from educational background have investigated student’s disruptive behavior and its handling. the previous researchers, ardin (2016) only focused on the strategies in decreasing disruptive behavior using interpersonal communication, wulandari (2011) focused on the analyzing general strategy in dealing with disruptive behavior and investigating the difficulties of the teaching in implementing the strategies, sufahmiati (2015) only focused in investigating causes and types of students’ disruptive behavior, and pita (2017) only focused in examining teacher’s strategies in managing disruptive behavior without analyzing the impact of disruptive behavior on english teaching and learning outcomes of the students. based on those previous studies, only few studies had given attention to handling students’ disruptive behavior in efl classroom through some strategies and the impact of disruptive behavior on english teaching and learning outcomes especially in speaking skill. this gap needs to be covered by conducting this research. considering the facts and the issue in the background, the researcher intended to conduct a research under the title "teacher's strategies in managing students' disruptive behavior in indonesian sefl (speaking english as foreign language) classroom of a senior high school". method in this research, the researcher used case study design to explore the phenomenon of disruptive behavior among students in efl classroom. in collecting the data, the researcher used passive observation by recording and observing teacher’s umar & rahmat khair teacher’s strategies in reducing students’ disruptive behavior in indonesian efl classroom 546 strategy and students’ disruptive behavior in english teaching and learning process. the result of this research was made in the form of descriptive so the readers can get complete information from the result of this research. in qualitative research, selecting the sample is the process of selecting the small number of individuals for a study so that the individual chosen would be able to help the researcher understand the phenomenon under the investigation. the purpose is to choose participants who would be good informants who had the ability to be reflective and thoughtful, to communicate effectively with the researcher, and to be comfortable with the researcher. in order to get the data, this research applied purposive sampling. in purposive sampling, researcher intentionally select individuals and sites to learn or understand the central phenomenon (creswell, 2013). it means that purposive sampling is a technique of choosing sampling based on specific consideration. the participants of this research were one teacher and six students of senior high school of sman i tinambung, west sulawesi in academic year of 2019/2020. they were selected purposively based on the criteria that the eleventh grade students of sman i tinambung who are categorized as the most disruptive in the classroom and teacher has experienced students’ problem behavior and taught english more than ten years in that school, besides the teacher was a certified teacher, and had obtained master’s degree in english language education. observation. the researcher observed teacher’s strategies and student’s behavior in the classroom during english teaching and learning process. observation was conducted to get the data about teacher’s strategies. the data were collected by using video and/or audio recorder. during the observation, the researcher acted as an external observer in which he was not directly involved in the situation being observed. interview. after conducting the observation, the researcher interviewed teacher by using semistructured interview to collect the data about the cause of students’ disruptive behavior and the impact of disruptive behavior on english teaching and learning outcomes of the students. data analysis. to analyze the data, the researcher used thematic data analysis proposed by braun & clarke (2006). thematic analysis is the process of identifying patterns or themes within qualitative data. the goal of a thematic analysis is to identify themes, i.e. patterns in the data that are important or interesting, and use these themes to address the research or say something about an issue. the following are six phases in analyzing the data: become familiar with the data. the first step in any qualitative analysis is reading, and re-reading the transcripts. in this step, the researcher has to be very familiar with his entire body of data or data corpus (all the interviews and observation data). generate initial codes. after becoming familiar with the data, the researcher generated initial codes. in this step, the researcher started to organize the data in a meaningful and systemic way. coding reduces lots of data into small chunks of meaning. search for themes. a theme is a pattern that captures something significant or interesting about the data and/or research question. as braun & clarke (2006) explained, there are no hard and fast rules about what makes a theme. a theme is characterized by its significance. in this step, the researcher examined the codes and some of them clearly fitted together into a theme called “teacher’s strategies and students’ disruptive behavior”. review themes. during this step, the researcher reviewed, modified and developed the preliminary themes that has been identified in step 3 whether they make sense or not. at this point it is useful to gather together all the data that is relevant to each theme. in this step, the researcher red the data associated with each theme and considered whether the data really support it. define themes. this process involves utilizing the labels created for the theme and providing a comprehensive name that describes the relationship or meaning conveyed in the theme. once this was completed, the researcher defined the theme according to the content and meaning of the codes. this definition summarizes the content of what is discussed within the theme. writing-up. after the themes are defined and named, the researcher wrote up the final report. the researcher also presented the findings and interpretation of the data during this step. results and discussion it is identified that there are eight kinds of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 547 disruptive behavior that occurred regularly during english teaching and learning process. the eight kinds of disruptive behaviors then classified into three categories namely low disruptive behaviors, moderate disruptive behaviors, and high disruptive behaviors. the first finding showed that inattention as disruptive behavior in learning english. inattentive students tended to looking out of the windows. they said that the reason of doing such a thing was because the distraction that came from outside the classroom such as noisy students hanging around and they often thought about things irrelevant to the lesson. this behavior is categorized as disruptive behavior as it obstructed the teaching and learning process and they did not pay attention to the lesson. picture 1. inattention the picture above displays a student who was sitting in the back looked out of the window. the image depicts the condition where student distracted by some students who was hanging around during the lesson. the second type of students’ disruptive behavior is apathy. apathetic students tended to refuse to engage during the english teaching and learning process. when teacher asked them to finish the assignment or to participate in english presentation, they tended to refuse or they just remained silent. this condition certainly disrupted the learning process. t : (shouting) “duduk! duduk situ.” (giving student digital dictionary). “jadi masingmasing yang punya hp tolong diliat saja kamus di hp nya. begini tolong duai saja hp nya. ndak adakah kamus anumu, yg offline.” (sit down!, sit there!. so each one of you please look up on your digital dictionary. you can use one phone together. don’t you have an offline dictionary?) s1 : (laughing) t : “ini apa yang dikerja?” (what are you doing here?) s1 : (silent) t : “ini apa kendalanya ini?” (what is your problem?) s2 : “ndak tau bu.” (don’t know, ma’am) t : “tulis problem-mu. apa problem-mu?” (write your problem. what is your problem?) s2 : (silent) t : “ini kamu bagaimana?” (what about you?) s3 : (silent) t : “tulis apa yang menjadi problem-mu. apa masalah di sekolah kah, di rumahkah, apa saja yang menjadi masalahmu.” s : “tidak tahu bu!” extract 1. apathy the extract above shows the refuse from the students when the teacher asked them to do their work and some of them remain silent. when the first student was asked to use digital dictionary, he laughed as an act of refuse. this behavior of work refusal is categorized as disruptive as they ignore teacher’s directions completely and disengaged from lesson activity. they did not care about doing well in classroom. the next type of disruption is moving around the room. it considered as disruptive since it may attract other student’s attention and even break their focus in learning english. some students got up from their seats and wandering around without permission. the student was wandering around to bother other students and disrupting the class. picture 2. moving around the picture above depicts the students who moved around without permission and got reprimands from their teacher. it was such a timeconsuming for the teacher to address the students who moved and told them to sit down. they also became the center of attention for other students. the next type of disruptive behavior is annoying others. the most frequently annoyance that the students made is borrowing other student’s stuff without permission, such as dictionary, pen, umar & rahmat khair teacher’s strategies in reducing students’ disruptive behavior in indonesian efl classroom 548 and phone (digital dictionary). this condition may lead to noise and certainly can distract other students to focus on the lesson. s1 : (standing) “wee” t : (pointing) “mana anumu kah? apa yang kita cari? kamus? mana hp-mu?” (where is yours? what are you looking for? dictionary? where is your phone?) s2 : “nambe hp ta bu.” (he took my phone, ma’am) s1 : “tidak bawa bu.” (i don’t bring it, ma’am) extract 2. annoying others from the extract above, student who did not have digital dictionary annoyed other student by forcing her to let him borrow the phone (that contains digital dictionary). this condition certainly caused the concentration of other students in learning to be disturbed. the next is cheating. cheating is categorized as disruptive behavior since it can obstruct english learning process. the researcher found that students cheated in classroom because they could not think any longer and finish their assignment on time. t : “itu, yang itu tadi ditulis, ada bahasa inggrisnya, dibawahnya ada translationnya, kemudian ada pertanyaanyan sebanyak 10 dan jawab baru dikumpul. tulis nama kelompoknya yah!” (the task you have written has english and its translation, then it has 10 questions, you have to answer then collect it. write your group name!) s : “iye, bu!” (yes, ma’am) t : “silahkan! wee.. apakah? (clapping hands) kalau sementara belajar ndak usah keluar-keluar! wee duduk! duduk! (pointing) apa kau bikin disitu? kembali ke kelompokmu! jangan liat pekerjaannya kelompok lain!” (please! what? don’t go out! sit down! sit! what are you doing there? go back to your group! don’t look at another group’s assignment!) (bells are ringing) t : “cepat kumpul!” (collect it quickly) extract 3. cheating the extract above depicts the condition where a student went to another group in order to look (cheat) the assignment because his group could not finish the assignment on time. as a result, the other students who involved in the group were not concentrated in doing their work. the sixth type of students’ disruptive behavior is needless talk. chatting during the english teaching and learning activity is considered disruptive. they talked about something unrelated to the lesson. this behavior is considered as disruptive as it can obstruct english teaching and learning process. during classroom observation, the researcher also found students who do excessive and impermissible talking. it can shatter their own concentration and the other students as well. it can also cause other students to join in the talking as well. picture 3. needless talk the picture above depicts some students who points at another student while talking. it can be seen from the picture also that other student laughing at it. this condition distracted other students to focus on the learning activity as they joined the needless talking. the next type of disruptive behavior is disrupting. the act of disrupting such as shouting out during the lesson and laughing inappropriately were the most disrupting that happened in the class. this behavior can be categorized as disrupting. this condition certainly breaks other student’s attention. the student who shouted certainly became the center of attention for the others and it certainly break their focus in learning english. t : “sampai dimana tadi. jadi 4 orang 1 kelompok yah. silahkan dibagi temannya. mana temanmu?” (so, 4 members in 1 group. please divide it. where is your friend?) s1 : “itu disana bu.” (there she is, ma’am) t : “ok silahkan pindah.” (okay, please move) t : (pointing at another student) “kalau kau siapa?” (what about you?) s2 : (shouting) “ini bu!” (here, ma’am!) t : “coba tolong bergabung sama kelompoknya masing-masing.” (please join with your group) extract 4. shouting the extract above shows that when teacher instructed the students to form in groups, one of them shouted out at her. the student who shouted english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 549 certainly became the center of attention for the others and it certainly break their focus in learning english. during the observation, the researcher found seven strategies that teacher applied to address the disruption. the seven strategies then classified into two categories namely non-verbal intervention and verbal intervention strategies. the first finding shows that teacher used signal interference. there are three kinds of signal interference that teacher used; nodding head, staring students who misbehave, and pointing, but pointing is the most frequently used strategies in coping with disruptive behavior. picture 4. signal interference the picture above depicts that the teacher used signal interference by pointing student who was playing around in his seat and disengaged from english learning. the next strategy is proximity interference. when students misbehaved, teacher tended to use proximity interference by getting close and approaching them. the teacher closed the distance between herself and the students who acted disruptively. some students behaved when the teacher addressed their disruptive behavior, but when the teacher walked away, they tended to repeat their behavior again. picture 5. proximity interference another strategy that teacher applied is touch interference where the teacher touched the back of her student’s shoulder to warn him not to behave badly. she made a non-aggressive physical contact with her student as a way of showing disapproval. picture 6. touch interference the picture above depicts the teacher touched the back of a student’s shoulder to address the disruptive behavior. she made a non-aggressive physical contact with her student as a way of showing disapproval. it can be seen that from the picture, the teacher asked the student to move to another seat because he made needless talk with his friends in the back. the next strategy is calling out names. the condition of noise in the classroom may lead students to behave disruptively. as a result, teacher tended to raise her voice in order to get attention from her students. but when it failed, teacher tended to calling out name who made disruption to address the disruptive behavior directly. t : (checking student’s assignment) “oke, coba perhatikan ini. ini kan kata sifat toh, jadi klo awalnya ada subjek itu ditengahnya ada to be, apa subjek nya disini?” (okay, pay attention to this. this is adjective, right? so if the subject comes first, there has to be to be in the middle, what is the subject here?) s1 : “i, bu.” (i, ma’am) t : “apa to be-nya kalau pake i?” (what is the to be of “i”) s1 : “am.” t : “okay, taromi disitu.” (okay, put it there) t : “hei! berenti ribut! hus! ihsan! jangan ribut!” (hey! stop talking! hush! ihsan! don’t be noise!) s2 : “bu, begini bu?” (like this, ma’am?) t : (checking another student’s assignment) extract 5. calling out names the extract above shows when the teacher tried to explain the lesson to a student individually, students in the back seat made noise. apparently, this condition broke the concentration of other students and could not listen to what teacher has said. at first, the teacher asked them to stop umar & rahmat khair teacher’s strategies in reducing students’ disruptive behavior in indonesian efl classroom 550 talking. but they kept talking. as a result, the teacher then addressed a student who talked during the lesson by calling out his name directly. another strategy that teacher applied is asking questions directly to the students who misbehaved. the teacher sent message in the form of a question to caution off-task students about their disengagement or disruptive behavior in the classroom to redirect them back to learning in efl classroom. s1 : “you should build self-confidence.” t : “you should build self-confidence. apa artinya itu dalam bahasa indonesia? coba yang di belakang. hoe! apa itu artinya?” (what is the meaning in indonesia? students in the back, please answer! hoe! what is the meaning?) s2 : “apa, bu?” (what is it, ma’am?) t : “apa artinya itu di atas?” (what is the meaning of it?) s2 : (silent) t : “makanya dengarkan temanmu kalau membaca!” (you should listen to your friend when she read it) extract 6. asking questions it can be seen from the extract above that when a student did a presentation in front of the class, students who sat in the back tended to make noise. this condition certainly made concentration of the presenter and other students to be broken and payed less attention to the lesson. in order to stop it, teacher asked questions directly to students who made the noise. but when the teacher asked the question related to the material, the students who made noise did nothing but remain to be silent. as a result, the condition of the class was less noisy. the last strategy is request and demands. request and demands are polite statements and orders made by the teacher explicitly and publicly in the class. it is used to show disapproval of disruptive behavior and an expectation that the student involved will become engaged again in the learning task or activity. t : (checking another student) “kenapa ndak dikerja lagi? jangan berhenti! makanya dikasi tadi contoh supaya anda bersemangat untuk kerja.” (why do you stop? don’t stop! that’s why i gave you an example so you will have enthusiasm in doing assignment) s : “bu… ini bu…!” (ma’am…. this is it, ma’am…!) t : (checking another student) t : “oke coba liat yang sudah selesai! silahkan yang sudah selesai.” (okay, let me see! please, who is done?) extract 7. request and demands the extract above shows a way of the teacher in stopping disruptive behavior that her students made, in this case; needless talk. in the dialogue, teacher approached a student who talked during the lesson. it can be seen from the extract above that the teacher gave demand to her student by asking him to continue doing his assignment. the last strategy that teacher used to manage students’ disruptive behavior was psychological punishment. this type of punishment may bring psychological effect to the students, such as emotion or shame. picture 7. psychological punishment the picture above depicts the strategy used by the teacher to manage students with disruptive behavior. when students refused to engage in learning english, the teacher asked them to stand in front of the class as a punishment. when students act disruptively, there were always reasons why they acted like that. in this research, researcher found five factors that cause students’ disruptive behavior which were classified into three categories namely physiological factor, environmental factors, and social factors. psychological factor covers the boredom and individual problem. students tend to act disruptively because they feel bored in classroom. it shows that the students bored because they have lack of interest in learning english. as a result, when they get bored, they tend to do whatever they want to fulfil their needs and stop their boredom. sometimes they have problems in home and when they are in school, they keep thinking about it. they may disengage from the lesson activity, refuse to participate, or doing things they want in order to get out of the problem temporarily. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 551 a : “oh… begitu?” (oh, like that?) b : “iye, pak.” (yes, sir) a : “oke. ee. apalagi selain keluar… ee keluarji tapi minta izin di?” (what else? out of the classroom without permission right?) b : “minta izinka padahal saya jenuh di dalam, pak. yak… yak sifat manusia lah pak, pasti ada jenuhnya meskipun pelajaran yang kita sukai ya kadang jenuh lah.” (i permit before going out of classroom because i feel bored even though for the lesson i like) a : “apa itu yang bikin jenuhki?” (what makes you feel bored?) b : “ya lamaki dalam belajar.” (the teaching takes too long) extract 8. psychological factor from the result of the interviewee above, it can be concluded that uninterested material of english and time-consuming teaching makes students to feel bored. as a result, they tend to find a way to fulfil their needs by acting disruptively. the next factor is environmental that covers physical discomfort and noise from outside the classroom. physical discomfort such as inappropriate temperature of the classroom may lead students to behave disruptively. when temperatures are too hot, the brain is constantly reminding the body to do something about that condition. because of the constant interruption, it is hard for the student to stay focused. a : “maksudnya apakah sudah nyamanmi ditempati belajar atau bagaimana?” (i mean is it comfortable to be occupied to learn?) b : “ya tidak nyaman, kak. lebih nyaman kelas disana kak sebelum di-rolling. kalau disini kak panas.” (it’s not comfortable. i prefer another room before we get rolled to this class) a : “oke dek. sekarang bagaimana menurutta ini kondisi kelasta?” (ok, now what do you think of this class’ condition?) b : “apa itu kak?” (what is it?) extract 9. environmental factor the extract above shows that a high temperature of the classroom may lead them to behave disruptively. the student think that the class condition is not comfortable enough to be occupied to learn. in this case, it shows that high classroom temperatures, can affect students’ ability to learn and function. when temperature is too hot, the brain is constantly reminding the body to do something about that condition. because of the constant interruption, it is hard for the student to stay focused. the last factor is social factors that covers gender differences. based on the findings, it can be concluded that boys tend to be more disruptive than girls in sefl classroom of senior high school. a : “selain kita dek, siapa lagi yang sering ribut ato mengganggu disini? kalau dari observasiku kemarin toh ini yang dibelakang paling sering, heheh.” (besides you, who else tend to be disruptive in this class? i have seen students in the back who tend to be disruptive most) b : “iye pak di belakang heheh ini juga pak e.” (pointing at another student) “hahaha apalagi kalau laki-lakinya pak paling sering ribut.” (yes, sir, students who sat in the back, the most disruptive comes from the boys) a : “ohhh jadi kalau perempuan iya ndak?” (ohhh what about the girls?) b : “biasaji pak tapi jarang.” (seldom, sir) the researcher also found the impact of disruptive behaviors on students’ speaking skills. disruptive behaviors impacted linguistically on students’ speaking skills that covers students’ fluency, vocabulary, accuracy, and pronunciation. students with disruptive behavior tend to have low achievement or score in speaking skills. fluency for the first category, the researcher observed some students in the class who tend to be disruptive in class during english teaching and learning. it was found that there were some students got a low score in fluency. it is not because of their shyness, but most of them are lack of vocabularies. for some time, they tend to be talkative during english lesson. s1 : “i feel very thin. i feel… very thin.” t : “i feel very thin. dia merasa sangat…. kurus! what is the solution for indah?” s2 : “you should eat…”. t : “you should?” s1 : “you should eat aii….” t : “you should apa tadi?” s1 : “you should eat (inaudible) food.” s2 : “nutritious food!” extract 10. fluency it can be seen from the extract above that students who tend to be disruptive in classroom were not able to speak in english fluently because they could not make a long conversation with his friend in speaking activities when they are asked umar & rahmat khair teacher’s strategies in reducing students’ disruptive behavior in indonesian efl classroom 552 by the teacher. vocabulary most students still had problems with vocabulary mastery especially students with disruptive behavior. they found it hard to find a perfect or correct words in speaking activities. the use of vocabulary in speaking was very limited in conveying certain purposes. so the information conveyed was difficult to understand. they asked the teacher and their friend when speaking activities took place. at the end of the lesson the teacher always provided vocabulary to students and common expression that could be used in speaking. this was proven from the observation result below: t : “nah begitu yah ditulis apa problem-nya, nanti kalau naik dicarikan solusi sama temannya. coba indah, ada? sudah? oke silahkan indah. perhatikan temannya indah!” (write the problems first, then you’ll friend will find solutions. indah, have you finished? okay, please. pay attention to your friend, indah!) s1 : “i always get…. i always get… stomach… ec?” (laughing) t : “i always get stomach?” s2 : “ache!” t : “ya… stomachache! dia selalu sakit perut. what is the solution for indah?” extract 11. vocabulary from the observation above, it shows that students who joined the speaking class and presented in front of his friend find it difficult to find a match word. in the extract above, students found it hard to express the word of stomachache. when it happened, all he did was laughing and this condition constantly broke the focus of the other students and changed the classroom atmosphere. accuracy the speaker who tend to be disruptive in classroom made mistakes on basic grammar such as the use of phrases, simple sentences and compound sentences in the use of tenses. they sometimes made mistakes in the use of speaking. it was proven from the result of observation below when they were speaking in the classroom: s1 : “hi, miss. is there a horror movie airing today?” s : “yes, do you want to watch this horror movie?” s1 : “yes, what do you think?” s2 : “yes, it seems like it will be fun.” s1 : “ok miss, i ordered two tickets for this movie.” extract 12. accuracy the extract above was taken from the observation during the speaking class. it can be seen from the dialogue; the students were doing role-play. there were three characters, s played as a ticket seller who sell the tickets of horror movie to s1 and s2. it can be seen from s1 dialogue the grammar was incorrect since the condition was in the present day. so, the word should be rearranged. pronunciation the speaker sometimes mispronounced new words. they rarely made pronunciation mistakes because every meeting they were taught how to pronounce words correctly. intonation and stress also sometimes misplaced in their use when they found new words. this was proven from the observation result that was done in the classroom when they were learning pronunciation, as below: s : “sini saya! if i were asked to describe a vegetarian, i would immediately mention that they are very disciple people. it has been proven that there exists a remarkable korelation…. (let me! ….. korelation….” t : “correlation!” s : “between the puple…” t : “bukan puple, people! (not “puple”, people!)” s : “people who succeed and people who follow a disciplined lifestyle. vegetarians, always concerned about quality and discipline, develop a greater social responsibility that motivates them to improve their environment.” t : “environment!” s : (laughing) t : “ya, lanjut! jangan ketawa!” (yes, go on, don’t laugh!) extract 13. pronunciation the extract above shows the mispronunciation that made by students who tend to be disruptive in classroom. when the teacher made correction on his pronunciation, the students who tend to be disruptive in classroom just laughted. and this condition constantly broke his own concentration and the other students’ focus in learning english. conclusion there are eight kinds of disruptive behavior found in this research along with the new one namely inattention, apathy, moving about the room, annoying others, cheating, needless talk, disrupting english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 553 (shouting), and exaggeration talk. in order to deal with students’ disruptive behavior, the teacher applied some strategies namely, proximity interference, touch interference, signal interference, calling out names, asking questions, request & demands, and psychological punishment. there were several factors causing students to act disruptively namely internal and external factors. psychological factor covers boredom and individual problem, while external factors covers physical discomfort, noise from outside the classroom, and gender differences. the students’ disruptive behaviors have an impact on students’ speaking skills. based on the findings, it can be concluded that students with disruptive behavior tend to have low achievement in speaking. one of the reasons students to behave disruptively is boredom. to minimize the disruption, teacher should make the lesson fun and interesting. if the teacher can get students see the english lesson is fun, rather than as work, the students are less likely to be bored and disruptive. students who disrupt in class find it hard to focus on one activity for any length of time. so, the teacher should keep the lesson varied, use lots of different exercises and plenty of practical and active work that is interesting. teacher should be aware of the causes of students’ disruptive behavior. in this case, the teacher should prevent the disruptive behavior before it occurs, and this can be assured through the school personnel, family, and the school environment. to prevent the disruption, teacher should choose the best strategy that make students feel good and cared for. for the next researchers, the further studies are suggested. the findings in this research need to be investigated deeply. it is suggested to spend more time in observing students’ disruptive behavior to get in depth analysis about the kinds of students’ disruptive behavior and how to handle it. furthermore, the result of this research can be used as an additional reference for further research. references abeygunawardena, k. a. v., & vithanapathirana, m. v. (2019). the role of teacher to address issues of disruptive behavior of student learners in mathematics classrooms: a study in the sri lankan context. pupil: international journal of teaching, education and learning, 2(3), 1520 173. https://doi.org/10.20319/pijtel.2019.23.152173 ardin, h. (2016). decreasing student’s disruptive behaviors in learning english through interpersonal communication: a case study at smp negeri 18 makassar (master thesis). pascasarjana. ardin, h. (2020). factors causing students’ disruptive behavior in learning english: a case study. international journal in applied linguistics of parahikma, 2(1), 9-17. retrieved from https://journal.parahikma.ac.id/ijalparahikma/ augimeri, l. k., walsh, m., donato, a., blackman, a., & piquero, a. r. (2018). snap (stop now and plan): helping children improve their selfcontrol and externalizing behavior problems. journal of criminal justice, 56, 43–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2017.08.010 braun, v., & clarke, v. (2006). using thematic analysis in psychology. qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77–101. charles, c. m. (2014). building classroom discipline: pearson new international edition. pearson education limited. creswell, j. w. (2013). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches. usa: sage publication, inc. duesund, l., & ødegård, m. (2018). students’ perception of reactions towards disruptive behaviour in norwegian and american schools. emotional and behavioural difficulties, 23(4), 410-423. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2018.146984 7 feldmann, l. j. (2001). classroom civility is another of our instructor responsibilities. college teaching, 49(4), 137–140. eriyanto, m. g., roesminingsih, m.v., soedjarwo., soeherman, i. k. (2021). the effect of learning motivation on learning independence and learning outcomes of students in the package c equivalence program. ijorer: international journal of recent educational research, 2(4), 455-467. gower, r., phillips, d., & walters, s. (1995). teaching practice handbook. heinemann london. gómez mármol, a., sánchez alcaraz martínez, b. j., valero valenzuela, a., & de la cruz sánchez, e. (2018). perceived violence, sociomoral attitudes and behaviours in school contexts journal of human sport and exercise, 13(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.14198/jhse.2018.131.14 granero-gallegos, a., gómez-lópez, m., baenaextremera, a., & martínez-molina, m. (2020). interaction effects of disruptive behaviour and motivation profiles with teacher competence umar & rahmat khair teacher’s strategies in reducing students’ disruptive behavior in indonesian efl classroom 554 and school satisfaction in secondary school physical education. international journal of environmental research and public health, 17(1), 114. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17010114 haroun, r., & o’hanlon, c. (1997). teachers’ perceptions of discipline problems in a jordanian secondary school. pastoral care in education, 15(2), 29–36. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0122.00053 hue, m., & li, w. (2008). classroom management: creating a positive learning environment. hong kong university press. kessels, u., & heyder, a. (2020). not stupid, but lazy? psychological benefits of disruptive classroom behavior from an attributional perspective. social psychology of education, 23, 583–613 khalidiyah, h. (2015). the use of animated video in improving students' reading skill (a quasiexperimental study of seventh grade student at a junior high school in jalancagak, subang). journal of english and education, 3(1), 59– 79. khasinah, s. (2017). managing disruptive behavior of students in language classroom. englisia: journal of language, education, and humanities, 4(2), 79-89. https://jurnal.arraniry.ac.id/index.php/englisia/article/view/166 1/1274 maazouzi, k. (2017). discipline problem in the classroom and its remedies. london journal of research in humanities and social sciences, 17(3), 63–73. https://research.journalspress.com/index.php/so cialscience/article/view/203 muna, f. (2019). effects of classroom disruptive behaviour in brunei darussalam. asian journal of research in education and social sciences, 1(2), 10-20. pita, y. f. r. (2017). a descriptive study of the teacher’s technique on controlling the students’ misbehavior in smpn 1 sukasada. international journal of language and literature, 1(1), 72–79. rafi, a., ansar, a., & sami, m. a. (2020). the implication of positive reinforcement strategy in dealing with disruptive behavior in the classroom: a scoping review. journal of rawalpindi medical college, 24(2), 173 179. https://doi.org/10.37939/jrmc.v24i2.1190 reed, d. f., & kirkpatrick, c. (1998). disruptive students in the classroom: a review of the literature. retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ed443911 rivas, p. (2009). an exploratory study of disruptive behaviour and incivility in higher education classrooms’. in british educational research association annual conference (pp. 2-5). university of manchester. seli, s., syafitri, d., & oktaviani, a. (2021). a study on students’ disruptive behaviors in english online classroom and its solution by the lecturers. linguistic, english education and art (leea) journal, 5(1), 83-99. shakespeare, s., peterkin, v. m. s., & bourne, p. a. (2018). a token economy: an approach used for behavior modifications among disruptive primary school children. moj public health, 7(3), 89-99. https://doi.org/10.15406/mojph.2018.07.00212. simpson, r. (2022). a case study of the perceived impact of disruptive behavior among grades 9 and 11 students on their academic performance at a corporate high school. journal of education, 5(1), 28-42. https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t5051 stavnes, r. l. (2013). disruptive behavior in school: disruptive behavior as physical movements (master’s thesis). university of oslo. sufahmiati, s. (2015). perilaku disruptif siswa dalam belajar bahasa inggris (masters, pascasarjana). retrieved from http://eprints.unm.ac.id/6233/ villafranca, a., hamlin, c., enns, s., & jacobsohn, e. (2017). disruptive behaviour in the perioperative setting: a contemporary review. canadian journal of anesthesia / journal canadien d’anesthésie, 64(2), 128–140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12630-0160784-x vongvilay, p., fauziati, e., & ratih, k. (2021). types and causes of students’ disruptive behaviors in english class: a case study at dondaeng secondary school, laos. jurnal penelitian humaniora, 22(2), 72-83. wulandari, l. (2011). teacher’s strategies in dealing with the students’ disruptive behavior in teaching and learning process at the eleventh grade of smkn 11 surabaya (phd thesis). iain sunan ampel surabaya. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ed443911 http://eprints.unm.ac.id/6233/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 161 political activist community in leila s. chudori’s novel laut bercerita efendi barus english literature study program, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: efendiuisu@gmail.com saiful anwar matondang english literature study program, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: saiful.matondang@fkip.uisu.ac.id m. manugeren english department, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: manugeren@sastra.uisu.ac.id purwarno purwarno english department, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: purwarno@sastra.uisu.ac.id purwanto siwi english department, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: purwanto.siwi@sastra.uisu.ac.id susi ekalestari english department, faculty of literature, universitas islam email: susi.ekalestari@sastra.uisu.ac.id sri wulan english department, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara email: sriwulan@sastra.uisu.ac.id apa citation: barus, e., matondang, s. a., manugeren, m., purwarno, p., siwi, p., ekalestari, s., & wulan, s. (2023). political activist community in leila s. chudori’s novel laut bercerita. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 161-170. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7540 received: 19-10-2022 accepted: 27-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction literary works express social problems that are never separated from human life through genres such as novel, poetry or drama (sharma, 2020; beavoir & fleming, 2020; peacock, 2019). in this study, the object of the research is a novel entitled laut bercerita, by lelia s. chudori. the substance of the storyline in the novel is related to a group of students who are struggling to restore people's rights to express opinions and conduct any activity abstract: in the process of democratization in a state, the position of university students is decisive. every student must be responsible to the society, able to see what is happening and to provide the best solutions to the societal problems as well as being a mouthpiece from the common people to the government, nation and state. in addition to developing their cognitive abilitie0s, students are required to participate actively in everything that is social in nature to foster a social spirit in the community. this picture is reflected in the political activist community in the novel laut bercerita by leila s. chudori. the research was conducted using a literary sociology approach related to the author's relationship with society and texts revealing problems in society. the focus of the research is related to the disclosure of social phenomena. holistically, a qualitative descriptive research method is implemented. the data source is the novel and data collection is based on documentation techniques, obtained from the novel in the forms text referring to the attitudes of the students in their struggle for reform in all areas of public life and also based on the content analysis techniques with an objective approach. the results of the study show that the attitudes reflected in the political activist movement are social awareness, hard work and tolerance. keywords: hard work; social awareness; tolerance. efendi barus, saiful anwar matondang, m. manugeren, purwarno purwarno, purwanto siwi, susi ekalestari, & sri wulan political activist community in leila s. chudori’s novel laut bercerita 162 criticizing the government; such an activity is always labeled subversive activity by the ruling government. the activists also struggle to provide information to all levels of society about the need for rearrangement in the country's social, cultural and economic systems (pattiwael, 2019). the author, in producing the novel, is inspired by a true story, a dark political event of the state in which students from all over the regions perform massive demonstrations demanding changes, known as the reform movement. various assumptions and opinions emerge from the society, especially the research community regarding the factors causing the reform movement, including the monetary crisis, social inequality to the issue of racialism; however, whatever the factors that spark the riots, the incidents take the tolls and are considered a crime against humanity because there are indications of genocide. in general, people think that this event is a black page of the state’s history (sirot & atmaja, 2020). leila salikha chudori is a journalist of tempo magazine. the novel, published in 2017, has the themes of struggle and social awareness. set in the 90's and 2000's, the novel is able to bring its readers to break through the past and look back at the events of the time, reminding the readers of the reformation era which is full of bitterness and injustice for the defenders of the people. the novel is a historical fiction genre, (andani et al., 2022) and the writing is based on the existing facts. the novel is also supported by the data from the real life of the society, especially the activist community through interviews directly conducted by the author; besides, the author also conducts indepth research related to the characters of the existing figures, places and events that have passed. the process of making such a novel is what makes this novel seem alive. the novel of 379 pages has a very realistic visualization and character atmosphere, especially in the part where the activists are inhumanely tortured. the novel contains a moral message because it contains knowledge about social justice, democratic principles, and the history of movements to support the new order. the novel also leaves readers with speculations keeping the readers amused. the dictions are easy to understand as there are no foreign terms presented. there are three types of setting throughout the storyline, place setting, time setting, and social setting. the place setting refers to rumah hantu sayegan, rumah susun klender, rumah orangtua biru laut, terminal bungurasih and desa blangguan. the time setting is connected with sunday afternoon and evening time. the social background in this novel is about outlook on life. the first-person point of view is used. this can be seen by the use of the word 'i' referring to the main character named biru laut narrating the storyline in detail supported by other main characters. the research focus is related to the attitude of activists in carrying out their mission and vision. suffering, hardship and tyranny from the rulers trigger the social awareness of the activists. social awareness is their very significant attitude and this attitude is their starting point to become political activists. social awareness is an effort that can be achieved through the process of interaction and is supported by education (abbagnano & fulvi, 2021). social awareness is constructed by selfawareness or self awareness becomes the basic structure as a systematic support within it (abouk & heydari, 2021; mooney et al., 2021; pattiwael, 2019). the activists have awareness on the problems faced by the society. the social awareness they have is also supported by the attitude of hard work, working earnestly and sincerely, without expecting anything in return. the next attitude is tolerance, behavior to respect other and respect the differences that exist, either between individuals and groups. the existence of this attitude in them gives a sense of peace, security, serenity, comfort, and firmness in all their actions. these three attitudes, social awareness, hard work and tolerance are interrelated and make the activists stronger and more confident in their struggle. the sociology of literature approach is used in this research with the consideration that the focus is related to the attitudes of the characters depicted in community of the novel and these attitudes also appear or are raised for the benefit of the society; furthermore, the substance of this novel is also a reflection of reality events, meaning that even though this novel is written based on reality, literary works in general are also a reflection of the reality of people's lives. (mukhsin, 2022). a research in the sociology of literature focuses more on the relationship between the author and social life, both in terms of form and content. the research method used in this study is descriptive qualitative to reveal social phenomena in the form of attitudes, actions and activities of the characters in the novel. the qualitative descriptive data analysis technique is a research method that utilizes qualitative data and is presented descriptively. holistically, the research is supported by respective concepts and theories. there are basically two approaches to literary english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 163 works, namely intrinsic and extrinsic approaches. the novel elements raised in terms of content, are theme, plot or plot, character, language style and characterizations; while extrinsic elements derive from external influences contained in literary works such as sociology, politics, anthropological philosophy and others. the approach to social aspects is termed literary sociology using text analysis to find out the structure to understand more deeply the social phenomena outside of literature and in this context it is related to the understanding the political attitudes of the activists in the novel laut bercerita (victoria, 2021; tisya et al., 2020; suri et al., 2022; hawa et al., 2019). sociology of literature has developed quite rapidly since the existence of the paradigm that literary works must function the same as other cultural aspects and literary works must be understood as an integral part of the communication system of society as a whole. in this context, sociology and literature actually deal with the same problems; as with sociology, literature also deals with humans in society as an effort to reform the society (widjayanti, 2019). thus, literary works can be considered as an attempt to recreate the social world, namely human relations with family, environment, politics, state, economy, and so on which are also matters of sociology (meiliana, 2019). sociology can provide a useful explanation of literature, and one might even say that without sociology, an understanding of literature is incomplete. literary work is unique because it is a combination of the author's imagination and complex social life. literary works are a mirror of human social life because the problems described in literary works are problems that exist in the author's life environment (mursalim, 2019; faruk, 2020). this is where the two meet again and implies that there must be interdisciplinary interaction in studying a literary work. there are three aspects in the sociology of literature approach to a study of literary works: the author, the text, and the readers (damono, 2020; faruk, 2019). the author's aspect relates to the author's profession and literary institutions. the issues studied include the economic basis of literary production, social background, the author's status and ideology which can be seen from the author's various activities outside of literary works; in other words, the author's aspect focuses on the author as the creator of the texts. authors as creators of literary works are social beings whose existence is bound by their social status in society, the ideology they adhere to, their position in society, as well as their relationship with the readers. the aspects of literary works are related to social problems that exist in society and regard literature as a reflection of reality. the reader aspect relates to the relationship between text and the readers with a focus on the impact of literary works on the readers or society. these three aspects become a unit and are implemented in this study. leila s. chudori as the author becomes the inspiration for the production of the novel laut bercerita. as a journalist, she is called to dig up the dark events that once happens, the crimes against humanity. furthermore, the novel reveals a series of storylines that are in accordance with the author's ideology, namely uncovering social facts as material for reflection, moral education and at the same time entertainment. the novel wins various awards and people are very enthusiastic to read it, including the academicians; this proves that the novel has a great influence on society. the portrait of the political activist community refers to the attitude of the activists towards the country's political situation and they see various inequalities in various lines of social life in the community and this has become a trigger for them to shout slogans whose contents lead to reform in all aspects of community life. their attitude becomes the topic of discussion in this study. an attitude shows judgments, feelings, and actions towards an object. different attitudes occur because of the understanding, experience, and considerations that have been experienced by someone in an object. therefore, the results of attitudes towards an object can be positive or negative. attitudes are patterns of behavior, tendencies or anticipatory readiness, predispositions to adapt to social situations, or simply, attitudes are responses to conditioned social stimuli (vamvaka et al., 2020; amodion, 2019). readiness in question is a potential tendency to react in a certain way when an individual is faced with a stimulus that requires a response (kurniawan et al., 2019; corneille & hutter, 2020; otto et al., 2019; koch et al., 2019; bechler et al., 2021; jin et al., 2020). manifestations of attitude cannot be seen immediately, but must be interpreted first as behavior that is still closed (mazana et al., 2019). operationally the notion of attitude shows the connotation of appropriate reactions to certain stimulus categories and in practical use, attitudes are often confronted with social stimuli and emotional reactions (cheung &to, 2019). efendi barus, saiful anwar matondang, m. manugeren, purwarno purwarno, purwanto siwi, susi ekalestari, & sri wulan political activist community in leila s. chudori’s novel laut bercerita 164 the attitude component consists of three aspects: the cognitive aspect, related to symptoms regarding thoughts. this aspect is in the form of processing, experience, and individual beliefs and expectations about certain objects or groups of objects. this aspect is based on knowledge, beliefs, or thoughts on the information, which is related to the object. the affective aspect, a tangible process related to certain feelings, such as fear, envy, sympathy, anti-certainty, and so on which are directed at certain objects. the conative aspect, the form of a tendency to act on an object, for example the tendency to help, distance oneself, and so on. these three aspects are reflected in the attitude of the activists; starting with the cognitive aspects that produce social awareness and become the starting point for the formation of an activist community; affective aspect, they are very affected by the social condition of society which is lacking and full of clashes and difficulties, especially in the economic field; conative aspects that result in their actions against the government (charlesworth & banaji, 2019). social awareness is a person's mental representation of himself and others. social awareness relates to one's awareness of social situations experienced by oneself and others, so that individuals can become aware of things that are happening around them each individual has his own habit or style in paying attention to information obtained from his social environment. this shows that the cognitive system that each individual has is different from one another and can influence their social awareness in social interaction . apart from the cognition system, social awareness can be influenced by goals and motives. these goals and motives reflect the social information needed by a person (afrina et al., 2021). there are three dimensions in social awareness: tacit, focal and content. tacit awareness is a person's perspective or from the perspective of someone seeing other people around him, divided into self-perspective and other people's perspective. focal awareness is a perspective on objects that are seen or felt by the senses. focal awareness is divided into two parts, the perspective of oneself as an object and also the perspective of others as objects. awareness content is based on a visual or visible appearance perspective from an observable social environment and an unobservable experience (wieser, 2022). living as a social being needs to have social awareness within each individual. social awareness is described as a condition in which individuals have more ability to channel empathy. thus, the individual is able to perceive social signals and things that commonly occur in society. with social awareness, individuals will be better able to accept the perspectives of others, be sensitive to their surroundings, help others without expecting anything in return, and be able to hear and accept the opinions of others. the existence of social awareness that is embedded in each individual will create a social environment that is in harmony with the goals of social awareness. the aim is to form a society to live together without differences and without harming one another. life is to think about one another because everyone has rights and obligations (appio et al., 2019; jagers et al., 2019). hard work is an attitude of never giving up to do something, never complaining and always trying even though there are many obstacles but still trying to achieve it. an individual who shows sincerity and a strong will to try to get the work done is a characteristic of hard work. the attitude of hard work appears as a form of strong motivation and a clear future orientation. someone who likes to work hard is certainly not easy to give up in all things. hard work should not be misinterpreted for negative purposes because real hard work must be based on honesty and fairness to achieve positive goals (cameron et al., 2019). a person, even though he will do hard work, must also understand his own abilities; a person is not allowed to do something beyond his ability because the results will not be optimal; there are limitations that must be understood to do something. every individual has to work hard because actually life is a struggle; someone who does not take advantage of the potential he has cannot achieve success (autor, 2019). hard work should also be supported by smart ways of thinking which include planning, formulation and evaluation of work. everything that will be done must be well planned, then followed by taking appropriate steps or actions and followed by an evaluation, both of oneself and of the work to be carried out (stockl et al., 2022; li & bates, 2019). life has such a great diversity. even within one family one can find such diversity. diversity can occur because of differences between one person and another. tolerance is a modern concept to describe mutual respect and cooperation between groups of people with various differences (ardi et english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 165 al., 2021). therefore, tolerance is a very important attitude because it is an act that respects the diversity of backgrounds, views and beliefs. understanding plurality should not be limited to the level of discourse, but must be realized in life in form of tolerant attitude and behavior. tolerance means the attitude of allowing disagreement and not rejecting opinions, attitudes, or lifestyles that are different from their own. the attitude of tolerance in its implementation is not only carried out on matters related to different spiritual and moral aspects, but also must be carried out on broad aspects, including different ideological and political aspects. discourses of tolerance are usually found in ethics and dissent. in the ethics of differing opinions there is a discourse not to impose one's will in forms and ways that are detrimental to other parties. tolerance and non-violence are born from high self-esteem. the key is how all parties perceive themselves and others. if his perception emphasizes negative dimensions and is less appreciative of others, it is likely that his tolerance will be weak, or even non-existent. meanwhile, if the perception of self and others is positive, then what emerges is a tolerant attitude in dealing with diversity. tolerance will appear in people who understand pluralism in an optimistic-positive way (kuzmenko, 2020; yuen, 2023; muzafarovna, 2020). while at the theoretical level, the concept of tolerance presupposes a foundation of shared values so that the ideal that any ideology can coexist side by side must be realized (velthuis et al., 2021). activist community is a vehicle where a group of people with the same mission and vision fight for something that is considered important for the benefit of society. in this study the activist community consisted of university students who are very concerned about social, cultural and political conditions that develop inconsistently with the expectations in society. the activist students fight for opinions that they think are right to be guarded, and become opposition for things that are not in accordance with their ideals (moorman, 2020). not infrequently they even bravely take risks for escorting actions and reconcile the parties being escorted. actually, the activists are ordinary students who study in universities, but because of their concern for the environment, they go outside the academic sphere; they join the community to take a role and participate in fighting for justice through escorting cases in all aspects, whether economic, social, cultural, or political. they also sacrifice their energy, thoughts, time and even college for something that they think must be upheld, namely justice. this gives a different color and makes the activist have more value in terms of social care (ovtchinnikov et al., 2019). the status as students also allows them to take an active role in social problems that may occur. in addition, being an activist also brings other benefits, including broadening relationships, experience, and knowledge that sometimes cannot be obtained in the classroom. the form of escorting the activists is not only limited to actions and demonstrations; but it can also be done with other intermediaries, including discussion and consolidation activities, opinion writings for escorting cases, and humanitarian action by holding donation events (jasko et al., 2019). the world of academia and that of activism cannot simply be merged into one discourse, even though they are connected to each other. the academic world clearly contributes to the world of activism. it is undeniable that the educational process in tertiary institutions makes the students more mature and critical in seeing their environment, but the direction of these two groups is different. the scientific world focuses on the search for knowledge. meanwhile, the world of activism is the one of political struggle. one seeks, another struggles. the basic movement of the scientific world is starting from doubt and ending with truth. skepticism gives birth to truth, to then be tested again. the working method of a scientist is to find the truth, question it, and then test it. even a scientist may start a research or action with doubts and end with doubts. but the activist paradigm is certainly very different. an activist fight for the values, ideals, ideology, truths he adheres to without a doubt. an activist, starts something with certainty and ends it with certainty. never for a moment will he back down and hesitate. precisely true activists will really hate the attitude of doubt as once in doubt, it means questioning the existence of the values espoused. doubt, for an activist, is tantamount to betrayal of the movement. method the research uses descriptive qualitative research to obtain an empirical description of the attitudes of activists in their struggle to bring about reforms in social and political conditions as depicted in the novel laut bercerita by leila s. chudori. descriptive qualitative research aims to understand phenomena about what is experienced by the research subjects such as behavior, perceptions, efendi barus, saiful anwar matondang, m. manugeren, purwarno purwarno, purwanto siwi, susi ekalestari, & sri wulan political activist community in leila s. chudori’s novel laut bercerita 166 motivation, actions and others by describing texts in a special natural context (harrison et al., 2020). the data source in this study is a novel laut bercerita by leila s. chudori, published by kepustakaan popular gramedia in 2017. in this study the data generated are in the forms of quotation text. the data collection is carried out using the documentation and literature method with steps such as reading carefully and thoroughly the research sources while carrying out analytical work (hafsa, 2019). the reading techniques are carried out by: reading carefully and thoroughly the entire contents of the novel; marking certain parts that contain elements of the portrait of the political attitudes of activists; describing all the data that have been obtained from these steps (fabregues et al., 2021). the data analysis technique used is the content analysis method, a research technique to make replicable inferences, and validate the data by paying attention to the context. furthermore, the resulting data are not in the forms of numbers but in text. checking the validity of the findings is carried out to prove whether the research being carried out is truly scientific so that the research results could be justified. result and discussion the faltering economy and worsening social conditions in the society lead to protests from the people, especially the university students. this makes people's trust in government decrease. the students and the society take to the streets in massive demonstrations. students are the driving force behind demands for reform in all areas of social life. they are political activists who dare to oppose the government. their role is very important in dealing with issues in society, mobilizing the community and government to create positive changes in the context of the state. in their struggle, activists reflect a courageous and consistent attitude and are full of sincerity, including: social awareness data 1 “banyak sekali orang-orang yang diangkat menjadi pahlawan di masa orde baru ini, yang mungkin suatu hari bisa saja dipertanyakan apa betul mereka memang berjasa dan berkontribusi. tetapi kau benar, dalam perjuangan definisi antara pahlawan dan penghianat harus jelas.suatu hari pahlawan atau bandit tak boleh hanya ditentukan karena kekuasaan rezim.” (chudori, 2017, p.31) the data above illustrates how important it is for people to be careful in viewing social situations; people must understand that because of the interests of a group, anyone can be appointed and awarded a hero, whereas in reality people who are awarded service stars or honors as heroes are actually vaillins; this is conveyed by bramantryo, a political activist who came from the academic community. bramatyo always has an open mind and is sharp about whatever he sees around him; he is easily moved to think, including the problem of traitors and heroes. a country that has a history of independence that is not easy to gain, are surely filled by many people who have sacrificed and at the same time, many traitors try to thwart this success. it is not easy to gain independence; many have to be sacrificed, from property to life and many lose their lives in their struggle to gain independence and many of them re not recorded in the nation's history. they are the true heroes; while there are also groups of people who take advantage of the situation, they do nothing, but can be appointed as national heroes. this is the injustice that the activists see. their social awareness immediately arises and they move to uphold the truth. the problem of heroes and traitors is one of the many cases of injustice in this country. bram wants to say that we have to be careful, because people in power can manipulate facts. many who actually make sacrifices and fight for the welfare of the indonesian people are even considered traitors because they do not submit and obey the government. but on the contrary, people who only want to take advantage, take away human rights, and harm society are instead considered heroes. the trigger for social awareness in the quoted data above is in bram's sentence stating that ‘one day it may be questioned whether people who are considered heroes during the new order era really contribute to the state or not'. this statement can cause a reaction of awareness in many social individuals to demand the truth that must be clarified, because it is the right of all indonesian citizens to know who is really fighting for indonesia. this expression is also in line with the meaning that social awareness is an individual's way of analyzing, remembering, and using information related to social life. data 2 “… semakin banyak aku mendengar berbagai cerita yang sama sekali tidak pernah tertera dibuku sejarah, apalagi di media, semakin aku menyadari betapa buruknya situasi kehidupan english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 167 di negeri ini.” (chudori, 2017: 34-35) the quotation above is a snippet of a phrase that laut says when his heart is moved to tell the reason he is studying in yogya and willing to move away from his parents. at that time, there are bram and kinan who are a little surprised because laut, who look calm and do not usually tell others about his private life, tells stories full of emotion. this awareness appears in laut's heart and mind because he sees social events that are very close to him. this social awareness is also clarified in his expression which says that he as a child of the nation cannot remain silent watching such conditions continue to occur. therefore, every human being born in this country must always tries to do something, no matter how small it is. it is true, social awareness will arise when there is social pressure, especially those that are very intersecting with rights and justice. just like the phrase that laut says at the end of his sentence. when he realizes the bad life in his country, he immediately realizes the role he has to take to solve the problem. if not laut and every human being who are born citizens of this country, who else will save and care for sustainability, justice and prosperity in this country. hardwork data 1 “kami tak punya senapan dengan bayonet, kami tak punya otot, tak punya uang. gerakan kami semua bermodalkan semangat, uang pribadi, dan sumbangan beberapa individu yang secara diam-diam sudah muak dengan pemerintah orde baru yang semakin represif dari tahun ke tahun. kali ini, kami menambah senjata perlawanan itu dengan sajak dan aksi tanam jagung.” (chudori, 2017, pp.116-117) the quotation above is made by biru laut when describing their reckless action, namely planting corn in blangguan, a small village in east java. this action is inspired by w.s. rendra's poem seonggok jagung. this action illustrates the hard work and enthusiasm of laut and his friends in the winatra and wirasena groups. they all voluntarily sacrifice their energy, mind, and even their lives considering how risky this action is. blangguan is a corn planting action that will be carried out by farmers in the village of blangguan as an act of protest against the forced land taking by the authorities. even though they do not have guns and money, they come all the way from yogyakarta, in the middle of the heavy rain and in the dark at night, stealthily avoiding the security forces and the dangers that lurk, they all continue to exert all their efforts to stage this corn planting action for the return of their rights, the rights of farmers, the welfare of all people, and justice in this country. they work hard to devise a strategy so that the authorities would not easily catch them when the action is held, even in the frantic tense night haunted by the satanic officers. data 2 “pada titik yang luar biasa menyakitkan karena setrum itu terasa mencapai ujung saraf, aku sempat bertanya, apa yang sebetulnya kita kejar?”. kinan mengambil tanganku dan menggenggamnya, “kekuatan, laut. keinginan yang jauh lebih besar untuk tetap bergerak. ini semua menaikkan militansi kita, bukan memadamkannya.” (chudori, 2017, p.182) the data above is a fragment of a conversation between biru laut and kinan; this conversation takes place after laut and julius tells all the kidnapping incidents that they experience as a result of being arrested at bungurasih terminal after they return from the blangguan action. the conversation start with a skeptical question raised by laut regarding what has happened so far, what they are actually looking for, he has lost a little of his confidence and enthusiasm due to the torment he has experienced. to this question, kinan tries to encourage laut to respond, saying that what they are looking for is determination, strength, and a spirit of hard work to keep moving together for one goal, namely to overthrow the arbitrary new order government and bring about justice in this country. kinan, who is also a senior and a driving force in their actions, reminds them that the passion to keep fighting and believing is a feeling that they must keep growing in their chests, believing that one day their struggle and hard work will not be in vain, that one day the new order will falter, the president who has served for many years will falter, then giving hope to the country to breathe easy with a more fair leader and government system, and one day they will be able to smile proudly that no fighting spirit is wasted. tolerance data 1 “yah nggaklah. semua ajaran baik kan memang menyuruh kita berbagi. ajaran orangtua, ajaran semua agama, dan juga sila kelima pancasila kan juga berbicara soal keadilan sosial,...” (chudori, 2017, p.97) the quotation above is from biru laut telling efendi barus, saiful anwar matondang, m. manugeren, purwarno purwarno, purwanto siwi, susi ekalestari, & sri wulan political activist community in leila s. chudori’s novel laut bercerita 168 his friends of his being caught and interrogated by the red eyes. here, laut tries to answer theoretically about their reasons for opposing the new order government. for him, answering with reasonable reasons like that is the right way so that he and his friends will not be tortured even more. laut's statement actually allude to the injustice that exists at that time when there is no good democracy in the government. all the people are silent and asked to comply with all the provisions of that time. no justice means no tolerance given by the government to the people. the people are not justified in voicing their opinions and will be considered traitors if they violate the rules that have been made. data 2 “aku menelan kembali pertanyaan berikutnya yang mengganggu pikiranku tentang bagaimana naratama bisa lolos dari intaian intel. tetapi kinan tahu betul aku selalu curiga pada tama. karena kinan masih menaruh kepercayaan yang begitu besar pada naratama, aku berusaha membunuh kecurigaanku terhadapnya.” (chudori, 2017, pp. 9293) the quotation above comes from biru laut's thoughts about one of his friends, naratama. laut has long suspected tama because he thinks every time they are caught only tama escapes. but seeing that kinan still believes in tama, laut always tries to get rid of his suspicions against tama. in this case it can be concluded that kinan's attitude that still believes in naratama is a form of tolerance that arises in terms of respecting one's attitude and character and not using one's character as a reason not to trust him. how could he not, naratama is a person who, when he speaks, is always loud, firm and looks passionate. based on this appearance of naratama, sometimes his friends do not believe that naratama is a trustworthy person. conclusion the novel laut bercerita by leila s. chudori tells the struggle of political activists who are members of the winatra and wirasena groups against government injustice. this novel tells the setting of the time in the new order era until the beginning of the fall of the new order regime. the activists' struggle is in the form of a struggle against the new order regime which is running unfairly because all economic, political and legal elements have been arranged in such a way as to perpetuate the power of the new order. the agendas carried out by the activists are solely to uphold justice which is no longer obtained by the common people in the new order era. the novel is suitable for students, campus organizations, politicians, or people who talk about freedom. the readers will continue to be dragged into the emotional play of the characters until the end of the story. the story is a piece of the shared story, a part that will never be explained and will never be forgotten. the novel as a whole has a socio-cultural background and historical events. biru laut is the implementation of student activists at that time who participate in voicing the interests of the people who are being suppressed by the authoritarian government. running from one place to another in search of safety from being chased by the authorities until the absence of news or the disappearance of student activists is a historical narrative that is presented in the novel. the number of policies that are decided which are not in favor of the people are also the issues raised in the novel. the results of the analysis show that the activists, the majority of whom are students, have a firm and sincere attitude in the form of social awareness, hard work and tolerance in their struggle. social awareness is their initial attitude to start the struggle. the unclear selection of heroes and traitors by the government, which at the same time reflects on the government's arbitrariness for the interests of the group, the diversion of historical facts to eliminate bad track records, as well as the increasingly deteriorating social conditions of society are part of social awareness; along the way of their struggle, hard work and tolerance emerge. the activists never know fatigue and in all their endeavors they support and respect one another. these three attitudes make them never give up. the six data obtained from the three discussion points, social awareness, hard work and tolerance are representations of the portrait of the political activist community that is found throughout the storyline. references abbagnano, n., & fulvi, d. (2021). existentialism as philosophy of the possible. journal of continental philosophy, e2021289. https://doi.org/10.5840/jcp2021289. abouk, r., & heydari, b. (2021). the immediate effect of covid-19 policies on social-distancing behavior in the united states. public health reports, 136(2), 245 – 252. afrina, a., abbas, e. w., & susanto, h. (2021). the role of historical science in social studies learning materials for increasing values of students’ nationalism. the innovation of social studies journal, 3(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.5840/jcp2021289 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 169 amodion, d. m. (2019). social cognition 2.0: an interactive memory systems account. trends in cognitive sciences, 23(1), 21-33. andani, n. s., raharjo, r. p., & indarti, t. (2022). kritik sosial dan nilai moral individu tokoh utama dalam novel laut bercerita karya leila s. chudori. jurnal pendidikan, bahasa, sastra, seni dan budaya, 3(1), 21-32. appio, f. p., lima, m., & paroutis, s. (2019). understanding smart cities: innovation ecosystems, technological advancements, and societal challenges. technological forecasting and social change, 142, 1-14. ardi, r., tobing, h. d., agustina, g. n., iswahyudi, a. f., & budiarti, d. (2021). religious schema and tolerance towards alienated groups in indonesia. heliyon, 7(7), e07603. autor, d. h. (2019). work of the past, work of the future. aea papers and proceedings, 109, 1-32. beavoir, s., & fleming, c. (2020). what can literature do? journal of continental philosophy, e2020877. https://doi.org/10.5840/jcp2020877. bechler, c. j., tormala, z. l., & rucker, d. d. (2021). the attitude – behavior relationship revisited. psychological science, 32(8). 1285–1297. cameron, c. d., hutcherson, c. a., ferguson, a. m., scheffer, j. a., hadjiandreou, e., & inzlicht, m. (2019). empathy is hard work: people choose to avoid empathy because of its cognitive costs. journal of experimental psychology: general, 148(6), 962–976. charlesworth, t. e. s., & banaji, m. r. (2019). patterns of implicit and explicit attitudes: long-term change and stability from 2007-2016. psychological science, 30(2),851-869. cheung, m. f.y., & to, w.m. (2019). an extended model of value-attitude behavior to explain chinese consumer’s green purchase behavior. journal of retailing and consumer services, 50, 145-153. chudori, l.s. (2017). laut bercerita. kepustakaan popular gramedia. corneille, o., & hutter, m. (2020). implicit? what do you mean? a comprehensive review of the delusive implicitness construct in attitude research. personality and social psychology review, 24(3), e091132. damono, s. d. (2020). sosiologi sastra. gramedia pustaka utama. fabregues, s., molina-azorin, j. f., & fetters, m. d. (2021). virtual special issue on ‘‘quality in mixed methods research’’. journal of mixed methods research, 15(2), 146–151. faruk. (2019). pengantar sosiologi sastra. pustaka pelajar. hafsa, nur-e. (2019). mixed methods research: an overview for beginner researchers. journal of literature, languages and linguistics, 58(2019), 45-49. harrison, r. l., reily, t. m., & creswell, j. w. (2020). methodological rigor in mixed methods: an application in management studies. journal of mixed methods research, 14(4), 473-495. hawa, m., andayani, s., & wardani, n. e. (2019). the implementation of literary sociology learning model with contextual and spiritual quotient approach to teach literary sociology. international journal of instruction, 2(1), 283298. jagers, r. j., rivas-drake, d. & williams, b. (2019). transformative social and emotional learning (sel): toward sel in service of educational equity and excellence. educational psychologist, 54(3), 162-184. jasko, k., szastok, m., gryznala-moszczynska, j., maj, m., & kruglanski, a. w. (2019). rebel with a cause: personal significance from political activism predicts willingness to self-sacrifice. journal of social issue, e12307. https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10. 1111/josi.12307 jin, x., shi, y., tang, y., & wu, x. (2020). eventtriggered attitude consensus with absolute and relative attitude measurements. automatica, 122, e109245. koch, w., mancuso, r., west, r., & bestavros, a. (2019). reinforcement learning for uav attitude control. acm journals, 3(2), 1-21. kurniawan, d. a., astalini, a., darmaji, d. & melsayanti, r. (2019). students’ attitude towards natural sciences. international journal of evaluation and research in education (ijere), 8(3), 455-460. kuzmenko, r. (2020). tolerance as the basis of education. research journal of education, psychology and social sciences, 1(1), 9-12. li, y., & bates, t. c. (2019). you can’t change your basic ability, but you work at things, and that’s how we get hard things done: testing the role of growth mindset on response to setbacks, educational attainment, and cognitive ability.journal of experimental psychology: general, 148(9), 1640–1655. mazana, y. m., suero, m., calkin, o. & casmir, r. (2019). investigating students' attitude towards learning mathematics. international electronic journal of mathematics education, 14(1), 207231. meiliana, s. (2019). sociology of literature. pustaka mandiri. mooney, l. a., clever, m. & willigen, m.v. (2021). understanding social problems. cengage. moorman, c. (2020). commentary: brand activism in a political world. journal of public policy & marketing, 39(4), 388-392. mukhsin, h. n. (2022). cost and benefit of revenge: a sociology of literature study on sidney sheldon’s master of the game. journal of english language teaching, linguistics & literature studies, 2(1), 244-258. https://doi.org/10.5840/jcp2020877 https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/josi.12307 https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/josi.12307 efendi barus, saiful anwar matondang, m. manugeren, purwarno purwarno, purwanto siwi, susi ekalestari, & sri wulan political activist community in leila s. chudori’s novel laut bercerita 170 mursalim, m. (2019). a sociological approach of literature in short story senyum yang kekal by korrie layun rampan. the 28th international conference on literature (icol) xxvii, 1(1), 270-276. muzafarovna, y. m. (2020). development of tolerance in the history of eastern culture. international journal of research and development (ijrd), 5(10), 288-290. otto, s., evans, g. w., moon, m. j., & kaiser, f. g. (2019). the development of children’s environmental attitude and behavior. global environmental change, 58, 101947. ovtchinnikov, a., reza, s. w., & wu, y. (2019). political activism and firm innovation. journal of financial and quantitative analysis, 55(3), 989-1024. pattiwael, a. (2019). literature for developing student humanity awareness. journal international seminar on language, literature, arts and education, 1(1), 79-88. peacock, a. c. s. (2019). islam, literature and society in mongol anatolia. cambridge university press. sharma, s. (2020). literature and society abstract sirot, i. & atmaja, h. t. (2020). reformasi tahun 1998: peranan dan dampaknya bagi kota solo. journal of indonesian history, 9(2), 100-107. stockl, h., malibwa, d., brambilla, r., kapiga, s., & mshana, g. 2022). ‘young men should work hard’: adult men’s views of young people in mwanza, tanzania. psychology, health & medicine, 27(1), 1-13. suri, l., suyanto, e., & ariyani, f. (2022). social conflict and moral values of novel si anak badai by tere liye: the study of literature sociology. international journal of multicultural and multireligious understanding, 9(7), 33-38. tisya, b., yuliana, y., & aslamiyah, s. (2020). analysis of tomiko characters in the novel namaku hiroko of nh dini work: literature sociology study. bahtera: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra, 19(1), 44-52. vamvaka, v., stoforos, c., palaskas, t., & botsaris, c. (2020). attitude toward entrepreneurship, perceived behavioral control, and entrepreneurial intention: dimensionality, structural relationships, and gender differences. journal of innovation and entrepreneurship. 9(5), 1-27. velthuis, e., smeekes, a., & verkuyten, m. (2021). the different faces of social tolerance: conceptualizing and measuring respect and coexistence tolerance. social indicators research, 158(1), 1105–1125. victoria, a. d. (2021). sociology of the arts: exploring fine and popular forms. john wiley & sons. widjayanti, e. p. (2019). building humanity values through maya angelou's poems. journal international seminar on languages, literature, arts and education (isllae), 1(1), 143-148. wieser, c. (2022). the development of pedagogical competence in tacit knowledge. tradition and discovery: the polanyi society periodical, 48(2), 22-35. yuen, s. (2023). tolerant solidarity with violent protesters: evidence from a survey experiment. journal of conflict resolution, e1154451. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220027231154451 https://doi.org/10.1177/00220027231154451 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 983 scrutinizing students online learning performance: a case study on student agency martina mulyani english education department, stkip pasundan, jawa barat, indonesia email: martinamulyani@stkippasundan.ac.id alviaderi novianti (corresponding author) english education department, stkip pasundan, jawa barat, indonesia email: alviaderinovianti@stkippasundan.ac.id apa citation: mulyani, m., & novianti, a. (2022). scrutinizing students online learning performance: a case study on student agency. english review: journal of english education, 983-992. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6334 received: 19-06-2022 accepted: 21-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction entering the year 2020, the world is facing a pandemic of corona virus disease (covid-19). all life aspects have changed massively in a blink of an eye. schools as one facility to get an education cannot escape the effects of this pandemic. this significant change has made the education world shift from offline learning to online learning. the way students learn, the way teachers teach, and where and when learning takes place also changed (o’riley, 2014). increasingly, mobile devices equip students to take charge of their learning in a context where learning occurs anywhere, anytime, and with access to a wealth of content and interactive tools. senior high school students are already familiar with this digital world, yet they are still facing some obstacles in online learning, such as technical issues (efriana, 2021; kulal & nayak, 2020; prayudha, 2021; yuzulia, 2021), adaptability struggle to online learning system (martin et al., 2021; mushtahaa et al., 2022), lack of interaction (efriana, 2021; mushtahaa et al., 2022), unconducive learning atmosphere (barrot et al., 2021; kostaki & karayianni, 2022), digital literacy (barrot et al., 2021; efriana, 2021) and many more. despite all these difficulties, they still have to stay motivated to be successful to learn in this new condition. one factor that contributes to student motivation and sustains student learning is student agency. according to bandura, the mediating factor from thoughts to action possesses three main properties; forethought, selfreactiveness, and self-reflectiveness (bandura 2018). it means student agency is the factor underlying the action taken by a student. in a similar vein, reeve & shin (2020) define agency as students’ desire, intention, and sense of purpose to produce intentional and strategic changes in one’s functioning and in one’s surrounding environment or it can be said that agency is the capacity to set a goal, reflect and act responsibly to effect change. as agency relates to thought, parry (2016) states that the key characteristic of student agency is a mindset, i.e. a set of beliefs or a way of thinking that determine somebody’s behavior and outlook (silver & stafford, 2017). the term agency in education has been defined in various ways. reeve & shin (2020) define agency as students’ desire, intention, and sense of purpose to produce intentional and strategic changes in one’s functioning and in one’s surrounding environment or it can be said that agency is the capacity to set a goal, reflect and act responsibly to effect change. as agency associated with self-efficacy, self-reflective, and desire that underlying the students’ action and abstract: this study aims to recognize the students’ mindset profile and find out how mindset as one of the elements of agency helps senior high school students to cope with difficulties in online learning. this study used a qualitative case study approach involving two students from different senior high schools in cimahi. this study which specifically focused on the mindset of student agency gained its data from observation, interview, and documentation. the results of the analysis revealed that belief in one’s capability is the main element in mindset since it influences one’s attitude towards online learning, achievement in learning, and resilience concerning learning online. regarding to the result of the study, it can be concluded that developing student agency can be started by encouraging students to believe in their capacity. keywords: mindset; online learning; resilience; students’ achievement; students’ agency. martina mulyani & alviaderi novianti scrutinizing students online learning performance: a case study on student agency 984 interaction with their environment so parry (2016) suggests that agency deals with student’s mindset and know how to act in a manner that empowers and positions learners for a lifetime of learning. there are many definitions of mindset. (dweck & yeager, 2019) describes mindset as beliefs that shape someone’s attitude; a set of beliefs or a way of thinking that determine someone’s behavior and outlook. in a similar vein, silver & stafford (2017) state that mindsets are a group of beliefs and attitudes about oneself, the external world, and the interaction between the two. the clearer concept of mindset comes from parry (2016) who posted four characteristics of mindset and its profile. the first characteristic of mindset i believing in oneself or one’s capacity (self-efficacy). it deals with confident perspective of who one is and what one can do. bandura (2018) acknowledged that efficacy beliefs influence how people feel, think, motivate themselves, and behave. students with a strong sense of selfefficacy will work harder, try longer, overcome greater obstacles, and bounce back more quickly from setbacks than their less self-efficacious peers and are more likely to engage in tasks they feel confident in completing successfully and tend to withdraw from tasks for which they lack such confidence (silver & stafford, 2017). furthermore, self-efficacy affects the choices we make, the effort we put forth (how hard we try), our perseverance (how long we persist when we confront obstacles) and our resilience (how quickly we recover from failure or setbacks) (silver & stafford, 2017). the second characteristic of mindset is loving to learn. it deals with someone’s intrinsic motivation, including passionate, curious interest in learning which is driven from inside an individual rather than external rewards. intrinsic motivation comes from within, while extrinsic motivation arises from outside. she also stated that when you’re intrinsically motivated, you engage in an activity solely because you enjoy it and get personal satisfaction from it. those with high self-efficacy often have high motivation and vice versa, but it is not a foregone conclusion. meanwhile, extrinsic motivation is reward-driven behavior (legault, 2016). the third characteristic of mindset is being resilience. it deals with the ability to properly adapt and rebound from stress and adversity or when confronting overwhelming obstacles. according to price-mitchell (2015), children who develop resilience are better equipped to learn from failure and adapt to change. eva et al. (2021) stated that resilient students interpret academic or social challenges in a positive way (such as increasing effort, developing new strategies, or practicing conflict resolution). there are several critical abilities associated with resilience according to eva et al. (2021), including emotional regulation (the ability to keep calm and express emotions in a way that helps the situation), impulse control (making a conscious choice whether to act on a desire to take action, and the ability to delay gratification and persevere), causal analysis (to analyze problems and identify causes accurately), empathy (the ability to understand the feelings and needs of another person), realistic optimism (keeping a positive outlook without denying reality), self-efficacy (belief in one’s ability to solve problems and handle stress), and opportunity seeking (the ability to take new opportunities and reach out to others). furthermore, resilience is significantly influenced by people’s mindsets — their patterns for interpreting events, including why they happen, who is to blame for the difficulty, and what impact a problem will have (eva et al., 2021). the last characteristic of mindset is learning style. it deals with the approach to learning which recognizes the unique strengths, gaps, and preferences of a learner. the learning styles have a significant impact on the way students understand the subject, recall the information and apply it in real life. in the classroom, teachers are expected to design the learning in such a way that can match students’ learning styles. as learners may be more successful when classrooms, either by designed or by chance, are tailored to their learning style. however, it seems quite hard for the teacher to accommodate all types of learning styles. in fact, the crucial skill for independent learners is having an interest and being able to encourage themselves to learn (kopzhassarova et al., 2016). moreover, online platforms may inherently affect learning on a single dimension (visual or auditory) while students with kinesthetic learning style would struggle more than visual or auditory learners (min et al., 2018). in addition to describing the characteristic of student agency, parry (2016) also provides the levels of students’ agency which range from no awareness to agency stage as can be seen in the following table: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 985 table 1. the characteristic of student agency students’ characteristic no awareness early stages promising stage agency stage belief in oneself and one’s capacity example: nearly every day, i feel others are much more confident and capable than i am in learning situations. example: i am tentative about my confidence and capabilities, but a time or two each week i sense myself feeling or even responding more confidently in learning situations. example: most days of the week, i experience myself feeling or even responding more confidently and capably in learning situations. example: i am confident and capable consistently in a diversity of learning situations love of learning or intrinsic motivation example: nearly every day i am indifferent or even resistant to pursuing new subjects at school. example: often, i am hesitant or tentative about learning new subjects at school. example: more and more i am experiencing a growing interest in pursuing new subjects. example: i am curious and find myself thinking about or even posing questions as i pursue new subjects. resilience example: i react with resistance or avoidance when faced with problems or obstacles. example: sometimes i am comfortable asking my facilitator or peers for assistance when confronted with a problem. example: i can coach myself to consider and pursue alternatives when faced with problems or obstacles. example: i identify and pursue alternatives when faced with problems or obstacles. learning style example: i struggle when it is not my preferred learning format. example: i am gaining an awareness of other learning formats. example: i recognize many of my preferences of learning. example: i understand and apply my preferences of learning and how they can impact my learning. referring to the table, it can be seen from the table that the student agency occupies the highest stage. in terms of mindset, the students are classified to possess agency if they are confident and capable of handling the diversity in learning situations, they have a curiosity to find out the answer to the questions they have about the thing they like, and they always try to find a way out anytime they encounter problems. as it has been known widely that there are some challenges to deal with in online learning, among others the limitation of internet access (hafeez et al., 2022), lack of interaction with the teachers (komang et al., 2021), lack of understanding lesson materials (wiratman & rahmadani, 2022), and lack of supervision because some students may easily lose focus (rahman et al., 2022), and some others tend to procrastinate their learning time (melgaard et al., 2021). the disadvantages of online learning often put students in trouble. they have to struggle and keep their faith in learning. in this kind of situation, students’ agency may determine the success of the students to cope with the challenges in online learning. by far, researches regarding students’ agency show that agency has a major impact on learners’ self-efficacy, identity, motivation, and metacognition—four constructs that are instrumental in determining language learning success, in particular in the distance learning context (teng, 2018). another research was conducted by layali and al-shlowiy (2020) who review the students’ perceptions of e-learning for esl/efl in saudi universities during this coronavirus time. the results revealed students’ positive views, many benefits, and limited drawbacks of e-learning for esl/efl in saudi universities. regarding to the experts’ theory, it can be said that mindset is the core of student agency. a student with growth mindset will be sufficiently motivated to achieve and adequately engaged in martina mulyani & alviaderi novianti scrutinizing students online learning performance: a case study on student agency 986 classroom learning, and their chances of succeeding academically are greatly enhanced (rhew et al., 2018). there are abundant research on online learning in decade discussing the teaching and learning process (adebo, 2018; coman et al., 2020; kulal & nayak, 2020; rahayu & wirza, 2020; roddy et al., 2017; yuzulia, 2021; zboun & farrah, 2021; prayudha, 2021). however, none of them talk about student agency which connects to students’ efforts to adapt to the new habits of learning. this current study is concerned with students’ mindsets as a part of students’ agency towards online learning. the following research questions that need to be addressed 1) what mindset profile do the students have?, and 2) how can mindset as one of the elements of agency help the senior high school students cope with difficulties in online learning? this research is significant due to the importance of student agency in increasing their engagement throughout the teaching and learning process, particularly in online learning as it could boost their academic and social-emotional outcomes. method this qualitative study employs a case study. christensen, l. b., johnson, r. b., & turner (2015) defined case study as the intensive and detailed description and analysis of one or more cases. so, the research procedure must be systematic and well-planned. the procedures in this research are preparation, data collection, and writing of findings. to gain the data. the study got through the preparation stage by determining the participants and asking for their willingness to join the research. in this research, the participants’ activities while learning online were observed and they were also interviewed. it was decided that the participants involved in this study were two students from two different senior high schools in cimahi who represent middle and high achievers in their english subject. the study began the investigation by identifying the agency of the students. through casual conversation, the mindset of the participants can be identified. capturing the role of student agency in sustaining learning, the study held observation and informal interviews with the students and figured out how students with different levels of agency keep their spirit for learning english and overcome the difficulties they experienced during online learning. the topic for the interview was guided by the table from (parry, 2016). results and discussion to get answers to the first research question, the study conducted a casual interview. the followings are data from the casual interview which were used to identify the agency of the two participants. table 2. the characteristic of students’ agency students’ characteristic student 1 student 2 belief in oneself and one’s capacity “my close friends give motivation, when i’m stuck with assignments or problems, i usually listen to my favorite song cause that can also cheer me up again " (azparticipant 1). she rarely asked her classmates for help. "i don’t ask my friends, because they don't understand either." (ra-participant 2) love of learning or intrinsic motivation az did all her tasks to complete all scores. "if there's another subject that i don't like, if i don't understand it, i'll just let it go, the important thing is that i got score" (azparticipant 1). the motivation they have is extrinsic motivation since it is reward-driven behaviour (legault, 2016). this makes them in the early stage of the agency. ra dreamed to enroll her favorit university by jalur prestasi akademik, she had to have good scores in all of her subjects. “i want to get into the university through the invitation. so, i'm excited to learn. in the exam, i try to get score more than 80", "if i take the invitation, it’s just taken from my report, and i think my score is enough. i'm confident".) (ra-participant 2). resilience according to az, the students were being taught to be more active and independent in learning. ra felt that google was her savior to answer all ofher questions. “during the online learning, i taught myself, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 987 students’ characteristic student 1 student 2 "most of the teacher give assignments, explain the material slightly, the rest we do the inquiries. but that's the learning nowaday should be isn't it?" google had also helped her a lot in her online learning activities. "if there is a problem that is difficult, or someone doesn't understand, just google it, or read and read the material in the textbook again, watch the teacher's youtube video again until i understand" (az-participant 1) if there is a video link, i repeat it over and over again, googling too, that's the answer to all the questions, google really helps me. but sometimes i don't really understand, and i still have doubts, i feel something is lacking when it's not the teacher who explains it." she was also able to manage her study time during online learning, “i can manage time so far. although there are a lot of assignments, but i can handle it because most of the deadlines are still long. my schedule is even odd. if there is an assignment that must be done that day, the lesson is usually easy. if there is a task that can be postponed, i will do another task that has a deadline” (ra-participant 2). learning style az knew what her learning prefences were that could make her more focus. "when i study, i don't like to be noisy, so i solved it, so i like studying while listening to music at home. but at school, even though i don't listen to the music, i can be focus, i don't know, maybe because the atmosphere is different.” (az-participant 1). ra realized that she liked learning in a quiet atmosphere “because there are only three of us at home, so no one disturbs me when i have online class. i can be more focused when it's quiet, it's not crowded, when it's crowded, i cannot be focus, but when writing or answering questions i like doint it while listening to the music. i can't do it when it’s too noisy or quiet either, just more comfortable.” (raparticipant 2). the data in table 2 reveal that student 1 and student 2 have different perceptions of self. student 1 should struggle with online learning. however, with the help and encouragement from her teachers and friends, she felt that she would be able to succeed in online learning situations. referring to the level of agency from parry (2016), it can be figured out that in terms of belief in one’s capability, student 1 belongs to the stage of the promising agency. meanwhile, student 2 seems to be more confident about herself and she believed she could succeed in online learning situations. with this reference, student 2 can be considered to be in the agency stage. concerning love to learn or motivation, both participants have extrinsic motivation for learning english. their behaviors of learning were driven by rewards (legault, 2016). they are getting scores from the teacher and being able to pass the university entrance exam. the next element is resilience. both students 1 and 2 can be considered to be in the agency stage, since they seem to be able to find alternatives to solve the problem they face. student 1 found difficulties asking for help from the teachers during online learning so she decided to do googling to search for the solution. meanwhile, student 2 seemed to be a good time manager since she was able to stay calm although she got many tasks to do. in the case of learning style, both participants can tailor their learning situation suit to their learning style. they did some preparations before having a synchoronuous meeting, for example, finding a comfortable seat or space for learning and preparing stationary and notebooks. overall, the two students share almost similar characteristics of students. the difference is in the belief in one’s capacity. student 1 remains in the level of promosing agency while student 2 already sits on the stage of the agency. the second research deals with the way how the student agency can help students sustain their learning. to answer the question, the study held thorough observation of the 2 participants. the observations were conducted for 4 times over more than a month. while observing, an informal interview was also carried out to figure out the students’ voice regarding their attitude towards martina mulyani & alviaderi novianti scrutinizing students online learning performance: a case study on student agency 988 online learning. the result of the observation and interview are as follow: table 3. students’ attitude to online learning online learning s1 s2 preparation she always washed her face and wore casual attire before having a synchronous learning. she always washed her face and frequently wore a uniform. “i just have to prepare myself, with my cellphone. in the past, usually from the evening before going to bed, books were prepared and assignments were also done, if there were any. i just study right at school” “just wear a uniform when zoom, so it's polite if zoom likes to turn on the camera.” while meeting online she mostly attended the class without a camera on. buts she always focused on listening to the teacher’s explanation. "the zoom camera was turned off because it was embarrassing right, at home like that. but if told to turn it on, turn it on.”) she often attended the class with the camera on dan always paid attention to the teacher’s explanation “when studying online, i often take notes on material, especially during zoom meeting” dealing with the task during online learning, the teachers gave her a lot of tasks to do. she often had to struggle to finish the task on time. “when i have a lot of work to do, something goes wrong, at most i ask permission to collect it late,…” besides, she also frequently has trouble comprehending the lesson “in almost all of the lessons during online learning, i didn’t understand the material.” the teachers gave her a lot of tasks to do. therefore, she often felt stressful. however, she managed to do them by collaborating with her friend and handed in punctually sometimes, she would work together with her friends to complete the tasks. “although i've never met, it's easy to mingle and get to know each other easily, i also like to join in when chatting in groups, and if i have trouble with a task, i like to ask my friends via personal chat, like to swap assignments, for example, i'm working on numbers 1 to 5, my friend number 6 to 10 ." then, the completed tasks were sent over google classroom. perception about online learning  she has more tasks to do during online learning "at first i was surprised i didn't expect it, i was also happy to be on vacation from school, but after a while i got irritated with the constant work."  the lesson seemed to be harder to comprehend “in almost all of the lessons, during this online learning, i did not understand the material.” "more teachers give assignments, explain a little, the rest we find out for ourselves. but that's how it should be, isn't it the learning method now?”  she found it difficult to interact with the teacher “now, when i have questions, i have to send private chat to the teacher, whereas, when i want to ask questions, i’m sometimes awkward and afraid of being impolite. so i have my doubts.”  she often experienced trouble in terms of  there are more assignment given during online learning. however, she managed to handle it “so far, i could manage the time, although there’re a lot of assignments”  the bad signal often put her in trouble. “the signal during zoom meetings was sometimes not audible clearly and intermittent.”  it is easier toget good score "the score’s better when it’s online learning, i feel that my score got better."  she can learn anywhere “sometimes, during online learning, it is more flexible and i can do my assignments anywhere.” english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 989 online learning s1 s2 internet signal "i don't have any problems with quotas, there's wifi. but i got some troubles when zoom meetings. sometimes it’s noisy or the signal is bad like that, in the end i asked my friend to discuss anything, or ask for permission to the teacher when it’s getting bad." table 3 above exhibits the findings from observation and interview. referring to the gained data, it can be found that the participants share something in common. yet, in terms of selfbelief, there is a slight difference between s1 and s2. s1 appears to be in the promising agency stage while s2 is likely in the agency stage. s1 seems to be reliant on her friends. she needs her friend's words of encouragement to give her confidence. “my close friends usually motivate me, when i got stuck with the assignments or problems, i just wondering whether i really can’t do it or just being lazy.” (s1) on the other hand, s2 rarely asked her classmates for help. "i don’t ask my friend, because they don’t understand either.” (s2) however, an apparent small difference in association to self-belief seems to have a significant impact on students' achievement. s1 who happens to be in the lower level than s2 in the case of belief in self capability sets short-term goals different from s2 who applies long-term goals for her learning. s1 : “…, the important thing is that there get score from the assignments that i’ve done…” s2 : “i want to get into a university through an invitation. so, i'm excited to learn. in the exam, try to get score more than 80.” this finding supports the theory from (bandura, 2018) who pointed out the influence of agency on people feeling, thoughts, motivation, and behavior. in this case, the student’s belief in their capacity enables them to organize their actions to produce the achievement that suit their wish and the students with a strong sense of self-efficacy will work harder, try longer, and overcome greater obstacles (silver & stafford, 2017). belief in oneself also seems to influence students’ attitudes toward online learning. s1 who is in the promising stage of the agency did not have adequate self-confidence to have meeting with the camera on. this is different from s2 who always sets the camera on while virtual learning. s1 : “the zoom camera was turned off because i was embarrassing right, at home. but if i was told to turn it on, i’ll turn it on”) s2 : “…when zoom meeting, i usually turn on my camera.” in line with this, the data found in this study support the theory from (bandura, 2018) who pointed out the influence of agency on people feeling, thoughts, motivation and behavior. in this case, the student’s belief in their capacity enables them to organize their actions to produce the achievement which suits their wish and the students with a strong sense of self-efficacy will work harder, try longer, and overcome greater obstacles (silver & stafford, 2017) and may have a higher level of goal. the two participants show resilience when finding difficulties during virtual learning. both always access google to find the solution to the problems they encounter during online learning. however, dealing with the task, the result of the interview reveals different ways of handling the task. s1 said that she has to struggle to do a lot of tasks given by the teachers even sometimes she failed to submit them punctually. s1: “when i have a lot of work to do, and i couldn’t finish it, i usually ask for teacher permission to collect it late,…” unlike s1, s2 collaborated with her friends to do a lot of tasks given by the teachers. so that she was able to submit the task on time. s2 : “even though i've never met before but i'm easy to get along with and get to know each other very well, i also like to join in when chatting in groups, and if i have problems with an assignment, i like to ask my friends via personal chat, like to exchange assignments, for example, i'm doing number 1to 5, my friend number 6 martina mulyani & alviaderi novianti scrutinizing students online learning performance: a case study on student agency 990 to 10. then, the completed tasks were sent over google classroom.” the data reveal that s2 who has a higher level of the agency has better alternatives in coping with the challenges in virtual learning compared with s1. this finding goes online with bandura (2018) who suggested students’ belief in their capacity allow them to organize their actions to gain the expected result. in this case, a student with a higher agency can overcome the obstacle by finding out the alternatives solution for the problems faced during online learning (fauzi & asri, 2022; silver & stafford, 2017b). while the with a lower agency tends to consider the problem herself, and when she knows that it is not going to work, she goes in search of an alternative by asking for tolerance from the teacher. the result of the interview and observation illustrates the learning achievement of the participants. the participant with a level of agency in the belief of her capacity is likely to have self-confidence so that she liked to be on cam while learning, set long-term goals for learning, and find more alternatives in dealing with difficulties in learning. this is in line with the statement acknowledged by vaughn et al (2020) that the student with strong selfperceptions and beliefs in their roles, they tend to have confidence and are capable of taking decisions and taking action in learning events. however, having agency is important as it helps them to direct their own learning and to adapt with new environments (zeiser et al., 2018). on the other hand, the participant who is in the lower stage of agency seems to be insecure and needs encouragement from her surroundings. as the result, she felt uncomfortable being on camera during a synchronous meeting, set only short-term goals for learning, and ask for tolerance from teacher for the late submission. it is in line with the result of the study carried out by luo et al (2019) that a low level of student agency led to lower performance and evaluation ratings also their attitude toward learning. referring to the findings, it can be said that believing in one own capacity is the main element in mindset since it influences one’s attitude towards online learning, achievement in learning, and resilience concerning learning online. conclusion this study describes the student agency in sustaining student learning. the students’ agency involves a mindset which contains belief in one’s capacity, resilience, love of learning/motivation, and learning style. this research points out that belief in one’s capacity is likely to be the main element in mindset as this element influences one’s attitude towards learning online, achievement in learning, and resilience concerning learning online. therefore, developing student agency can be started by believing in oneself. acknowledgement first and foremost, all praise to allah swt for his blessings, throughout completing this research. deep and sincere gratitude was also expressed to all the research contributors for facilitating and providing writers’ research site and participants, thus, the writers could undertake the research smoothly. in addition, to all the research participants who had voluntarily spared the time and opportunity for the writer to collect the research data, thank you. references adebo, p. (2018). online teaching and learning. international journal of advanced research in computer science and software engineering, 8(2), 73. https://doi.org/10.23956/ijarcsse.v8i2.549 bandura, a. (2018). toward a psychology of human agency: pathways and reflections. perspectives on psychological science, 13(2), 130–136. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617699280 barrot, j. s., llenares, i. i., & del rosario, l. s. (2021). students’ online learning challenges during the pandemic and how they cope with them: the case of the philippines. education and information technologies, 26(6), 7321– 7338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-02110589-x christensen, l. b., johnson, r. b., & turner, l. a. (2015). research methods, design, and analysis. pearson education limited. coman, c., țîru, l. g., meseșan-schmitz, l., stanciu, c., & bularca, m. c. (2020). online teaching and learning in higher education during the coronavirus pandemic: students’ perspective. sustainability (switzerland), 12(24), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410367 dweck, c. s., & yeager, d. s. (2019). mindsets: a view from two eras. perspectives on psychological science, 14(3), 481–496. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691618804166 efriana, l. (2021). problems of online learning during covid-19 pandemic in efl classroom and the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 991 solution. jelita: journal of english language teaching and literature, 2(1), 2721–1916. eva, n., parameitha, d. d., farah, f. a. m., & nurfitriana, f. (2021). academic resilience and subjective well-being amongst college students using online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. kne social sciences. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v4i15.8206 fauzi, r. a., & asri, y. (2022). barriers and solutions in online learning during the covid-19 pandemic, indonesian language education students at the riau islamic university. proceedings of the ninth international conference on language and arts (icla), 14– 18. hafeez, m., kazmi, q. a., & tahira, f. (2022). challenges faced by the teachers and students in online learning during covid-19. cakrawala pendidikan, 41(1), 55–70. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v41i1.35411 komang, n., widayanti, a., & suarnajaya, w. (2021). students challenges in learning english online classes. jurnal pendidikan bahasa inggris undiksha, 9(1), 77–84. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v9 kopzhassarova, u., akbayeva, g., eskazinova, z., belgibayeva, g., & tazhikeyeva, a. (2016). enhancement of students’ independent learning through their critical thinking skills development. journal of environmental & science education, 11(18), 11585-11592. kostaki, d., & karayianni, i. (2022). houston, we have a pandemic: technical difficulties, distractions and online student engagement. student engagement in higher education journal, 1– 22. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/6mrhc kulal, a., & nayak, a. (2020). a study on perception of teachers and students toward online classes in dakshina kannada and udupi district. asian association of open universities journal, 15(3), 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1108/aaouj-07-2020-0047 layali, k., & al-shlowiy, a. (2020). students’ perceptions of e-learning for esl/efl in saudi universities at time of coronavirus: a literature review. indonesian efl journal, 6(2), 97-108. legault, l. (2016). intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. in encyclopedia of personality and individual differences (pp. 1–4). springer international publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-31928099-8_1139-1 luo, h., yang, t., xue, j., & zuo, m. (2019). impact of student agency on learning performance and learning experience in a flipped classroom. british journal of educational technology, 50(2), 819–831. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12604 martin, a. j., collie, r. j., & nagy, r. p. (2021). adaptability and high school students’ online learning during covid-19: a job demandsresources perspective. frontiers in psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.702163 melgaard, j., monir, r., lasrado, l. a., & fagerstrøm, a. (2021). academic procrastination and online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. procedia computer science, 196, 117–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2021.11.080 min, q., chen, y., liu, n., & zuo, m. (2018). a learning style model designed for online learning environments. international journal of information and education technology, 8(9), 623–627. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2018.8.9.1111 mushtahaa, e., dabousa, s., alsyoufa, i., ahmeda, a., & abdraboh, n. (2022). the challenges and opportunities of online learning and teaching at engineering and theoretical colleges during the pandemic. ain shams engineering journal, 13(6), 101770. o’riley, b. (2014). future-focused learning in connected communities. 21st century learning reference group. parry, j. (2016). learner agency nzc. in customizedu net. prayudha, j. s. (2021). students’ problems face in online learning amidt pandemic. acitya: journal of teaching & education, 3(2), 2021. http://journals.umkt.ac.id/index.php/acitya price-mitchell, m. (2015). does your classroom cultivate student resilience? edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org. rahayu, r. p., & wirza, y. (2020). teachers’ perception of online learning during pandemic covid-19. jurnal penelitian pendidikan, 20, 392–406. rahman, m. a., novitasari, d., handrianto, c., & rasool, s. (2022). challenges in online learning assessment during the covid-19 pandemic. kolokium jurnal pendidikan luar sekolah, 10(1), 15–25. https://doi.org/10.24036/kolokium.v10i1.517 reeve, j., & shin, s. h. (2020). how teachers can support students’ agentic engagement. theory into practice, 59(2), 150–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2019.170245 1 rhew, e., piro, j. s., goolkasian, p., & cosentino, p. (2018). the effects of a growth mindset on selfefficacy and motivation. cogent education, 5(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2018.149233 7 roddy, c., amiet, d. l., chung, j., holt, c., shaw, l., mckenzie, s., garivaldis, f., lodge, j. m., & mundy, m. e. (2017). applying best practice online learning, teaching, and support to intensive online environments: an integrative review. in frontiers in education (vol. 2). frontiers media s.a. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2017.00059 martina mulyani & alviaderi novianti scrutinizing students online learning performance: a case study on student agency 992 silver, d., & stafford, d. (2017a). creating student agency through self-efficacy and growth mindset. teaching kids to thrive: essential skills for success, 67–92. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781506374413.n4 teng, f. (2018). autonomy, agency, and identity in teaching and learning english as a foreign language. in autonomy, agency, and identity in teaching and learning english as a foreign language. springer singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0728-7 vaughn, m., premo, j., erickson, d., & mcmanus, c. (2020). student agency in literacy: validation of the student agency profile (stap). reading psychology, 533–558. https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2020.178314 7 wiratman, a., & rahmadani, e. (2022). the covid-19 pandemic and online learning: challenges for university students. indonesian journal of research and educational review, 1(3), 316– 325. https://doi.org/10.51574/ijrer.v1i2.439 yuzulia, i. (2021). the challenges of online learning during pandemic: students’ voice. wanastra: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 13(1), 8–12. https://doi.org/10.31294/w.v12i1 zboun, j. s., & farrah, m. (2021). students’ perspectives of online language learning during corona pandemic: benefits and challenges. indonesian efl journal, 7(1), 13–20. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v7i1.3986 zeiser, k., scholz, c., & cirks, v. (2018). maximizing student agency: implementing and measuring student-centered learning practices. american institutes for research. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 213 exploring the use of animated trapezium in teaching english diphthongs at senior junior high school students arif rahman english education department, universitas pendidikan mandalika (undikma), mataram – ntb indonesia email: arifrahman058020@gmail.com apa scitation: rahman, a. (2024). exploring the use of animated trapezium in teaching english diphthongs at senior junior high school students. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 213-222. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.8676 received: 10-10-2023 accepted: 13-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction good pronunciation is especially necessary for communication in formal and informal situations (szynalski, 2018). this is why students' pronunciation needs to be improved. there are many more non-native speakers and instructors of english in the world than local speakers and instructors. these actualities raise some questions that can now not be overlooked. couper (2021) states that the goals of english language teaching (elt) are no longer to serve the needs of using english as a foreign language. instead, it is an international language to communicate with other non-native speakers. the training and english language courses should not assume that the goal is to prepare students for native-speaker (ns) and non-native-speaker (nns) interaction. that is, people are now an international community (ball, & rahilly, 2013; nguyen & newton, 2021). the manner in which pronunciation is imparted and acquired plays a crucial role in the overall learning process (donal, 2016; nurman, 2021). when the process of teaching and learning pronunciation is engaging and stimulating, students are more likely to absorb and retain this linguistic skill effectively. however, a concern arises when considering the indonesian educational context, where teachers frequently employ discussion-based strategies for teaching pronunciation and often neglect the incorporation of multimedia resources to support the learning experience. unfortunately, this traditional teaching approach fails to capture students' interest, resulting in a lack of engagement and motivation, abstract: the main purpose of this study was to explore the use of animated and trapezium to teach the english diphthongs as one of some important and complicated aspects, the articulation of diphthongs is often treated as the “stepchild of language learning aspects” compared to that of grammar and vocabulary. further than that, as one of the phonetic systems, articulating diphthongs is not usually taught explicitly in senior high school level. indeed, articulating diphthongs is often problematic for the efl/esl teachers as well. this study found that most (if not all) english teachers adopted some approaches by relying on materials that, as a matter of fact, lack grounding but expect good results. in indonesia, particularly for the secondary school level, articulating diphthongs is one most difficult parts of the english sound systems to learn. it is commonly known that diphthongs are usually (if not always) articulated by monophthongize. this study used descriptive qualitative research embracing observation, note taking and interview as data collection method and the data was in form of words supposed to describe in detail of a particular activity or situation. the subjects of the researcher are the teacher and the students from secondary school level of sma in mataram. the class consists of 25 student, 13 female students and 12 male students. the finding of the study shows that the use of animated trapezium in teaching diphthongs considered very useful in helping students pronounce english diphthongs and the animated trapezoid allows students to experience pronouncing english diphthongs without much teacher modeling. furthermore, the trapezoid and animation also helps students understand that to pronounce an english diphthong, one must pronounce the english vowel number 10 and move from one vowel position to another. based on the finding of the study, by giving animation to the common english vowel trapezium, this study is intended to explore how this ‘animated trapezium’ can be used by english teachers as the medium of teaching and how this medium can help students easier to understand and practice articulating the english diphthongs as repetitive of vowels or as an alternative medium to teach english pronunciation. in addition, it is suggested that since the merdeka curriculum requires teachers to teach english pronunciation integrated throughout the curriculum, pronunciation should be included in each skill section (listening, speaking, reading and writing). keywords: diphthong; monophthongize; teaching english; trapezium. arif rahman exploring the use of animated trapezium in teaching english diphthongs at senior junior high school students 214 which can lead to boredom and disinterest in the subject of pronunciation (chen & tian, 2022; shabani & ghasemian, 2017). as a consequence, it is essential to reconsider teaching methods and explore innovative approaches to make the learning of pronunciation more engaging and rewarding for indonesian students. in the realm of language learning, it is imperative for learners to grasp specific phonological features to prevent errors that may hinder effective understanding and communication. this need is particularly pronounced in the context of english as an international language (eil), where pronunciation assumes a pivotal role. the key aspects of pronunciation that hold utmost significance in this context include the correct articulation of certain consonants, the simplification of complex consonant clusters, discrimination of vowel length, and the proper emphasis on syllables and words (nugraha et al. 2022; yeldham & choy, 2022). these elements collectively contribute to the intelligibility of speech and serve as crucial preventative measures against problematic pronunciation, ensuring that communication remains clear and effective. moreover, the intricacies of english diphthongs further underscore the importance of phonological understanding (ambalegin & arianto, 2018; novarita, 2018). some experts in the field categorize english diphthongs into two major types, each with its distinct pronunciation patterns and nuances. mastery of these diphthongs becomes essential for learners as it enables them to convey meaning accurately and communicate effectively, especially in a global context where english serves as a primary means of cross-cultural communication (ponidi et al., 2021; sugiharto et al., 2022). therefore, a comprehensive understanding of phonological features, including consonants, vowel length, and diphthongs, is essential for learners aiming to enhance their proficiency in english and engage in meaningful communication on an international scale (almalki & alghethami, 2022). the acquisition of phonological understanding, particularly regarding english diphthongs, is a fundamental requirement for language learners (ruspita et al., 2022; ambalegin & arianto, 2018). diphthongs play a significant role in english pronunciation, and it is essential for learners to master their distinctions. in english, there are two primary categories of diphthongs: closing diphthongs and centering diphthongs (ponidi et al., 2021; ruspita et al., 2022). the english closing diphthongs are characterized by the second vowel sound being pronounced closer than the first. these diphthongs include /eɪ/, /oʊ/, /aɪ/, /aʊ/, and /ɔɪ/. each of these diphthongs represents a unique combination of vowel sounds and contributes to the richness and diversity of english pronunciation. on the other hand, english centering diphthongs feature a second vowel sound that is more central in its articulation compared to the first vowel. this category includes diphthongs like /ɪə/, /ɛə/, and /ʊə/. understanding the distinction between these cantering diphthongs is crucial for learners to achieve accurate and natural pronunciation (yulia & saukah, 2021). mastery of these english diphthongs is vital because they significantly influence the intelligibility and authenticity of one's english speech. proficiency in distinguishing and producing these diphthongs enhances a learner's ability to communicate effectively and with the correct pronunciation, making it an essential aspect of language acquisition for those seeking competence in english. language learners are expected to acquire proficiency in three primary types of diphthongs, namely diphthong /eɪ/, diphthong /əʊ/, diphthong /aɪ/, diphthong /aʊ/, diphthong /ɔɪ/, diphthong /ɪə/, diphthong /ɛə/, and diphthong /ʊə/, as outlined by dyah (2020). the /eɪ/ diphthong, known as a front cover diphthong, initiates with the tongue in the /e/ vowel position, a front vowel slightly below the mid-close position, moving towards the /ɪ/ position, just above mid-close, though the final position may not always be fully reached, with the lips initially open and gradually closing (dyah, 2020; nugraha et al., 2022). examples include words like "raid /reɪd/", "pain /peɪn/", "fail /feɪl/", and "sale /seɪl/". students must also become familiar with the diphthong /əʊ/, which starts with the tongue between the back and center, raised to a mid position between half-open and half-closed, then moving towards the /ʊ/ vowel. examples include "told /təʊld/", "flow /fləʊ/", and "boat /bəʊt/". the diphthong /aɪ/ is highlighted as a front cover diphthong where the front part of the tongue raises slightly from a position between /æ/ and /a:/ towards an /ɪ/ sound, with lips opening and then slowly closing, as seen in words like "mine /maɪn/" and "rice /raɪs/". for the diphthong /aʊ/, it involves a slight elevation of both the front and back of the tongue from a position that is fuller than the first element of diphthong /aɪ/, moving towards /ʊ/, with examples being "sow /saʊ/" and "found /faʊnd/". english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 215 the diphthong /ɔɪ/, a full rear-front cover diphthong, starts with the back of the tongue raised near /ɔ/ and moves towards /ɪ/, exemplified in "soil /sɔɪ/" and "coin /kɔɪn/". additionally, mastering the diphthong /ɪə/ is vital for clear speech, beginning with the /ɪ/ vowel and sliding towards /ə/, with "here /hɪə/" and "fear /fɪə/" as examples. diphthong /ɛə/, a low front-centered diphthong, starts higher than the /æ/ sound and moves towards /ə/, demonstrated in "hair /hɛə/" and "bare /bɛə/". lastly, the diphthong /ʊə/ begins with the /ʊ/ vowel and slides towards /ə/, with words like "sure /ʊə/" and "cure /kjʊə/" illustrating this pronunciation pattern. according to novarita (2018), indonesian english learners often perceive grammar as a significant challenge in mastering the language. however, a larger portion of these students find that pronouncing english words correctly poses an even greater difficulty. words such as "development," "preposition," "graduation," "original," "executive," "example," and "examination" are frequently mispronounced by secondary school students. it is recommended that students refer to a standard dictionary for accurate pronunciations, but the challenge arises from many students' unfamiliarity with reading the international phonetic alphabet (ipa) symbols used in these dictionaries (ambalegin & arianto, 2018). compounding the issue is the lack of emphasis on pronunciation training by most educators, leading to pronunciation being somewhat neglected in language teaching, akin to being the 'cinderella of language teaching.' pronunciation is rarely taught explicitly (sugiharto et al., 2022; almalki & alghethami, 2022), resulting in students struggling to communicate clearly with native english speakers. teaching should ideally offer students numerous opportunities to hear input from speakers with native-like pronunciation. this places a significant demand on high school english teachers to achieve pronunciation that closely resembles that of native speakers. febrianto (2021) emphasizes the critical role of pronunciation exercises in affording students the chance to refine their mastery over the english sound system. a key feature of a language's sound system is its array of sounds, which linguists categorize as the segmental aspects of language, encompassing both consonants and vowels (asrul & husda, 2022; febrianto, 2021). consequently, learning pronunciation involves not just speaking accurately but also understanding the relationship between sounds and spelling. it's important for students to differentiate between phonemes that are similar in sound. thus, listing and defining the phonemes of a language using phonetic symbols is beneficial. nugraha et al. (2022) suggest employing phonetic symbols in pronunciation teaching, as dictionaries commonly represent word pronunciations with these symbols, enabling students to grasp word pronunciations even without auditory cues (ruspita et al., 2022; hidayatulloh, 2023). knowing these symbols simplifies the process of identifying and explaining pronunciation errors. while phonetic symbols aid in teaching correct pronunciation, mastering intonation is crucial for effective speaking practice. the "rules" of intonation are often more intricate and tend to function subconsciously (wang & wen, 2023), making intonation a challenging aspect to teach. for indonesian educators, one particular challenge is instructing on the pronunciation of english diphthongs with clear intonation, due to the substantial differences between the sound systems of english and indonesian. students at various levels frequently struggle with pronouncing english diphthongs accurately.indonesian speakers often pronounce diphthongs in indonesian words as single vowels or single vowels (puspita et al, 2023). for example, instead of pronouncing the word "sampai'as /sʌmpaɪ/, native indonesian speakers often pronounce the word /sʌmpe/, monophthongizing /aɪ/ to /e/. here, they often combine the two vowels. the /aɪ/ sound of the diphthong becomes a single vowel /e/. similarly, instead of pronouncing the word "kerbau" as /kǝrbaʊ/, native indonesian speakers often pronounce the word /kǝrbɔ:/, by monophthongizing /aʊ/ into a single vowel /ɔ:/. in the secondary school program (sma), there are no separate lessons on teaching diphthongs. they are not found in phonics lessons, but they are interestingly implicit in almost every part of the lesson. that is, the program requires students to pronounce each word in the vocabulary and grammar points (tense), as well as while reading. therefore, it is worthwhile to learn english diphthongs using animated trapezoids. the use of animated trapezoids as instructional tools is a novel approach aimed at aiding language learners in the mastery of diphthong pronunciation. these animated quadrilaterals, distinguished by a pair of parallel sides, are designed to visually support students in accurately pronouncing different diphthong sounds. animated trapezoids arif rahman exploring the use of animated trapezium in teaching english diphthongs at senior junior high school students 216 provide a dynamic and engaging way for learners to improve their diction of diphthongs, thereby enhancing their overall pronunciation capabilities. this innovative method of teaching diphthong pronunciation through animated trapezoids represents the unique aspect of the study. method the study employed a descriptive qualitative research methodology. the researcher aimed to present data in narrative form to provide a detailed account of specific activities or situations. the research focused on a secondary school teacher and their 25 students (13 females and 12 males) in mataram at the senior high school (sma) level. the data were presented descriptively, aligning with a qualitative design that aims to depict observed phenomena or activities narratively, without involving statistical analysis. according to cohen (2018), descriptive research aims to delineate a phenomenon as it naturally occurs. hence, this study was structured to describe observations and interactions during the research period without comparing the effects of different treatments as in experimental studies. conducted in a senior high school that follows the k-13 curriculum and is transitioning to the merdeka curriculum for certain grades, this research found that while specific lessons on diphthongs are not explicitly taught, pronunciation is integrated throughout the english subject for eighth and ninth grades. the curriculum mandates that students must correctly pronounce words in vocabulary sections, grammar points (tenses), and reading passages (hidyatulloh, 2023; winzky & aswir, 2022). results and discussion the present investigation undertakes an examination of the outcomes derived from observational activities focused on the application of animated trapezium as an instructional tool for the teaching of english diphthongs. the study illuminates that the employment of animated trapezium proves to be efficacious in fostering the accurate pronunciation and articulation of english words incorporating diphthongs among students. the findings of the research provide empirical support for the pedagogical efficacy of utilizing animated trapezium as a means to enhance the phonetic competence of learners, particularly in the nuanced realm of diphthongal pronunciation within the english language. this discernment contributes valuable insights to the discourse on innovative and effective methodologies for language instruction, specifically in the domain of phonological acquisition. based on the writer’s experience, this paper is proposing the use of animated trapezium of the english vowels in teaching the pronunciation of the english diphthongs. it is believed that the use of such media make it easier for the students to pronounce each of the english diphthongs. the english diphthongs english phonemes focused in this study consist of consonants, vowels, and diphthongs. some consonants, vowels, and diphthongs in english maybe absent in other languages (nguyen & newton, 2021; nurman, 2021). similarly, some consonants, vowels, and diphthongs in other languages may also be absent in english. in short, linguists say that different languages have different systems of phonemes. in this study, teachers elaborate consonants, vowels, and diphthongs in their classes as the teaching materials of pronunciation. it is in line with chen and tian (2022) who informed that in the teaching of pronunciation, teachers should focused on consonants, vowels, and diphthongs to lead students in practicing english pronunciation. the pedagogical imperative of instructing diphthongs in pronunciation classes is underscored by its significance for educators (shabani & ghasemian, 2017; chen & tian, 2022). while some teachers employ various instructional tools to guide students through diphthong practice, not all strategies yield the desired success. within the ambit of this study, the introduction of animated trapezium emerges as a potentially efficacious pedagogical approach. this innovative tool is posited to serve as a facilitator for both educators and learners in the nuanced task of diphthongal articulation. the study contends that the integration of animated trapezium into instructional practices may offer a promising avenue to enhance the effectiveness of teaching and learning diphthongs, contributing to a more comprehensive and successful pedagogical landscape in pronunciation classes. in the teaching of diphthongs, teachers of this study focused on types of diphthongs. thus is in line with nugraha (2022) who cited linguists that diphthongs have eight types in english. by diphthong, phoneticians mean the combination of two vowels in the same syllable. quoting jones, cohen said that there are nine diphthongs in english, which are: /eɪ/; /ǝʊ/; /aɪ/; /aʊ/; /oɪ/; /ɪǝ/; /eǝ/; /ʊǝ/ (setyaningsih et al. 2019). on the other hand, there are only four diphthongs in indonesian. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 217 those are /aɪ/ as in sampai (/sʌmpaɪ/); /ɪa/ as in indonesian (/ɪndǝʊneɪsɪǝ/); /aʊ/ as in kerbau (/kǝrbaʊ/); and /oɪ/ as in sepoi (/sǝpɔɪ/). of these four diphthongs, only /ɔɪ/ is never monophthongized, while the remaining four diphthongs, in actual everyday use, are almost always monophthongized. many phoneticians classify diphthongs as a type of vowel sound. this classification stems from the process of pronouncing a diphthong, which involves starting with one vowel sound and transitioning or gliding to another, effectively combining two distinct vowel sounds (ambalegin & arianto, 2018; ponidi et al., 2021). thus, diphthongs are often defined as unique vowel sounds within a language that comprise a blend of two vowels, with the tongue shifting from one position to another during the utterance of a single syllable (novarita, 2018; nugraha et al., 2022). in teaching these diphthong pronunciations, it's crucial for educators to have students practice articulating each diphthong thoroughly, emphasizing the glide from one vowel position to the next, enabling clear expression in various linguistic contexts. effective words for practicing english diphthong sounds identified in this study include: for the diphthong /eɪ/, words such as may, say, same, late, and blame are recommended. for /aɪ/, examples include i, buy, my, and time. for /ɔɪ/, words like boy, coil, and toy are suggested. for /ɪə/, the list includes here, beer, and tear (noun). for /eə/, teachers might use bear, hair, and pear. for /ʊə/, suitable words are cure, fuel, and tour. for /əʊ/, cold, fold, and pole are useful. for /aʊ/, words such as bound, down, and mount are effective. incorporating these words into phrases such as "down town" or "grey hound" provides students with rhythmic exercises that enhance their enjoyment and ultimately improve their pronunciation of english diphthongs. the english vowel animated trapezium the challenge of accurately pronouncing english vowels is addressed using animated trapeziums as a teaching tool. to assist students, educators have employed animations and trapeziums, presented in slideshows, to guide practice sessions. english vowels are visually categorized within a trapezium shape, further divided by four lines into nine smaller sections to denote the positions of various vowel sounds. for instance, the sounds /i:/ and /ɪ/ are identified as front-high vowels, /e/ as a frontmid vowel, and /æ/ as a front-low vowel. conversely, /ʊ:/ and /ʊ/ are categorized as backhigh vowels, while /ɔ:/, /ɒ/, and /ɑ:/ are labeled as back-low vowels. additionally, the sounds /ə/ and /ɜ:/ are recognized as central vowels, with /ʌ/ positioned as a back-low-close to central vowel, aiding in the visualization of vowel placements for improved pronunciation. figure 1. the chart of trapezium representing the english vowels figure 2. the diphthongs animation representing the english vowels figure 3. the diphthongs animation representing the english vowels arif rahman exploring the use of animated trapezium in teaching english diphthongs at senior junior high school students 218 figure 4. the diphthongs animation representing the english vowels figure 5: the diphthongs animation representing the english vowels figure 1 shows a widescreen display trapezium of english vowel keystones. while figures 2, 3, 4 and 5, shows the english vowel animation keynotes practices with its pictures. those chat and figures provide in this study important benefits to students. students can (1) distinguish and practicing english letters and phonetic symbols (2) learn and practice english vowel symbols and (3) position each vowel in the trapezoid and. later, when the trapezoid is animated by giving arrows that represent the movement or motion of the english diphthongs, children will also learn that (4) each english diphthong is pronounced sounds by moving from one vowel position to another (yeldham & choy, 2022; ambalegin & arianto, 2018). this point number 4 (four) is the crucial point under discussion. using vowel trapezium and animation to teach english diphthongs the use of trapezium and animation is effective to teach english diphthongs in the current study. students can introduced and practice to the sounds of each english vowel first. the trapezoid and animation used at this study completed with its arrows because the goal of this warm-up is to pronounce (almost) every english single vowel correctly before pronouncing every english diphthong. at this stage, it is important to help students realize that each area of the trapezoid represents the position of each english vowel in the oral cavity (sugiharto et al., 2022; almaki & algethami, 2022). for this reason, let us prove that the /i vowel in english: / is located high in the front of the oral cavity, while the vowel /ɔ in english: / is located far from the lower part of the oral cavity, which will make children confident about the importance of learning sounds in english speech. once the students are confident about the importance of learning the english vowel sounds, they are introduced with the sounds of each of the english diphthongs. at this point, teacher is ready with the same trapezium equipped with an arrow that can be positioned in eight different locations. in another display—can be in power point or a simple notepad—teacher is also ready with phrases and sentences containing each of the diphthong sounds under discussion. it showing and modeling the movement of the articulation of every english diphthong, teacher moves the arrow from one vowel position to another vowel while articulating each of the diphthongs. this leave an understanding that in articulating an english diphthong one should make the sound glides from one vowel position to another within trapezium which represents the mouth chamber (ambalegin & arianto, 2018). thus, in the process making the students articulating the eight diphthongs—instead of using eight different trapezium—teacher can use the same trapezium but put the same arrow in 8 (eight) different positions and animates it to make it glides from one intended place to another. the detailed steps of each glide representing eight (eight) english diphthongs are discussed in turn below. the diphthong /eɪ/ starts from the central position and moves in the direction of rp (received pronunciation) /ɪ/. the first part of this diphthong is located around the count vowel /e/. the first element of the diphthong /eɪ/ changes from the middle to the front, or according to nugraha’ (2022) findings, it is slightly behind the front-open position. the sound then slides away and ends at the rp /ɪ/ position. when instructing students how to pronounce this diphthong, the teacher uses an animated trapezoid asking students to pronounce the first vowel /e/ while moving the arrow to the second vowel /ɪ/, then that asks students to pronounce this diphthong. second vowel. this step can be repeated several times until the diphthong sound /eɪ/ is achieved. once the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 219 pronunciation has been achieved (almost correctly), the teacher can ask the students to say a few words containing that particular diphthong (as mentioned above). these are sentences that may be useful for further practice. these are sentences that may be useful for further practice. (1) honey, you're crazy! (2) if we delay one more day, it will be too late. (3) can i put the disc in the box? (4) mr. baker has been baking this big cake all day. (5) did baker say he would come today? the first element of /aɪ/ in rp is pronounced very close to the main sound /a/ and the second element, after the configuration change, is closer to the pronunciation of /ɪ/. in this glide, the ending range is not as large as in /i:/, and jaw movements may not be as pronounced as in the case of /aɪ/. this diphthong can be considered asymmetrical on the rp system because it is the only glide of its kind with a back origin (sugiharto et al., 2022; almaki & algethami, 2022). just like the /eɪ/ pronunciation, when showing students how to pronounce this diphthong, the teacher also uses an animated trapezoid, asking students to pronounce the first vowel /a/ and move their nose. arrow while moving the arrow. ask students to pronounce the second vowel – towards the second vowel /ɪ/. the steps are the same, and once the (almost correct) pronunciation has been achieved, the teacher ask the students to pronounce certain words or even sentences containing that particular diphthongs. to practice this particular diphthong, the teacher used five phrases that lead in helping students. to practice this particular diphthong, the teacher used five phrases that lead in helping students. (1) why do you prefer cycling to hiking? (2) i find kite flying a really fun time. (3) it's time for us to learn languages properly. (4) be kind, wise, and vigilant about your own life. (5) not just the time but also the peak time! in received pronunciation (rp), the initial sound of the /ɔɪ/ diphthong closely resembles the primary sound /ɔ/. as the sound progresses, it shifts closer to the /ɪ/ sound. this transition does not involve as wide a range as seen with /i:/, nor does it typically require as noticeable jaw movement as observed with /ɔɪ/. this diphthong is unique within the rp system for its back starting point, making it an asymmetrical glide. to teach this diphthong, educators employ animated trapeziums, guiding students to first pronounce the /ɔ/ sound, then moving an arrow to indicate the transition to the /ɪ/ sound. this method mirrors the approach used for teaching the /aɪ/ diphthong (refer to teaching materials). for additional practice with the /ɔɪ/ diphthong, here are five sentences designed to aid in learning. (1) are you going to join the boys to the beach? (2) the point is that not all snakes are poisonous. (3) how does an employ get an employment card? (4) a noisy voice can be so annoying. (5) what noise annoys you in a noisy day? the production of the /əʊ/ diphthong typically begins with the articulators arranged in the rp /ə/ position, followed by the tongue moving slightly upwards and backwards towards the rp /ʊ/, although the initial position might differ (ambalegin & arianto, 2018; sugiharto et al., 2022; almaki & algethami, 2022). in traditional pronunciation, this diphthong originates from a more back position, closer to a centralized (or open-centralized) /o/, with the glide featuring an increase in lip rounding. in another variant, the diphthong starts from a more centralized-closed /ə/ position. additionally, for many rp speakers, the first (central) element is elongated to the extent that it might be confused with /ɜ:/, especially preceding /l/, as in "goal" and "girl". to teach this diphthong, instructors guide students to begin with the vowel /ə/ and then direct them to transition to the /ʊ/ vowel. the teaching method for this diphthong follows the same approach as with previous ones, offering ample practice. the following five sentences are suggested for further practice with this diphthong: (1) do flowers grow beneath the snow? (2) when i asked her to go, she said no, no, no, not now. (3) the trainer said: go, go, go, but the trainees said: no, no, no. (4) she never lets me go, i don’t know why she does so. (5) i don’t know when i will have to go. conversely, the diphthong /aʊ/ initiates from a position further back compared to /aɪ/ and shifts towards rp /ʊ/. gimson notes it starts slightly more forward than rp /ɑ:/, limiting the possibility of raising without diminishing the contrast, leading to either fronting or retraction in its variants. instructing students on this diphthong, teachers first have them articulate the /a/ vowel then guide the transition to the /ʊ/ vowel. the teaching steps for this diphthong mirror those used for the earlier ones, providing extensive practice. the following five sentences are recommended for practicing this diphthong: (1) "let’s go downtown by underground." (2) "if you shout loudly, he will come down here." (3) "when the leaves turn brown, they fall down to the ground." (4) "no doubt we can find thousands of flowers." (5) "i saw a clown shouting in town." arif rahman exploring the use of animated trapezium in teaching english diphthongs at senior junior high school students 220 moreover, /ɪə/ is among the three centering diphthongs of english (/ɪə/, /eə/, and /ʊə/), beginning with the tongue in the /ɪ/ position. its articulation varies between a more open /ə/ at the end of words and a less extensive movement in non-final positions, representing the two main allophones of /ɪə/ in rp, similar to those of /ə/ (ambalegin & arianto, 2018; shabani & ghasemian, 2017; chen & tian, 2022). to teach this diphthong, instructors ask students to start with the /ɪ/ vowel and then move towards the /ə/ vowel. this teaching approach is consistent with that for other diphthongs, emphasizing practice. below are five phrases suggested for further practicing this diphthong. (1) oh my god. housing nearby! (2) is it clear from here? (3) i live nearby, but you can't see it from here. (4) have you ever heard the song tears in heaven? (5) oh my god, come here and wipe your tears. the diphthong /eə/ starts at the /e/ sound or lower and moves to the most central but also most open position. according to nugraha’s (2022) findings, when /ə/ is final it has a more open position, while in cases where /eə/ is closed by a consonant, /ə/ is of the medial type. the difference lies mainly in the degree of openness of the first element (shabani & ghasemian, 2017; chen & tian, 2022). when explaining to students how to pronounce this approximate diphthong, the teacher first asks them to pronounce the first vowel /e/ then moves the arrow at the same time asking them to pronounce the vowel second towards the second vowel /ǝ /. when students faced difficulties in accurate articulation and pronunciation, they are assissted by using animated trapeziums in practice. it is effective to lead them in practical activities. the next steps are just like what the teacher takes in showing and giving more practice for articulating other diphthongs. for further practice for this particular diphthong, here are five sentences that may be very helpful. (1) do you dare to go there alone? (2) take care and beware of your own life. (3) i like the song of here, there, and everywhere. (4) some children played there barefooted. (5) mr. sinclair has gone to saint claire five times. in the practical application of phonetic instruction, students frequently encounter challenges when confronted with the glide /ʊə/. this particular phonetic element has converged with /ɔ:/ in the speech patterns of many rp speakers. additionally, a monophthongal articulation of /a/ is consistently observed preceding the phoneme /r/, as exemplified in words such as "alluring" or "furious." this articulatory tendency is notable for its influence on the qualitative aspect of the diphthong's inception. to address these intricacies and refine students' proficiency in the articulation of such phonetic nuances, instructional practices have incorporated animated trapeziums (ruspita et al., 2022; nugraha et al., 2022). these visual aids serve as pedagogical tools, providing students with a dynamic platform through which to engage in targeted practice and thereby enhance their competency in navigating the intricate articulation of the mentioned diphthongs. according to ruspita et al. (2022), teachers should provide their students with insight into monosyllabic pronunciations, as in the words yours, shaw or sure. the reduction in monosyllability of /ʊə/ is rarer in the case of less frequently used monosyllabic words such as moor, tower and austere. this diphthong articulates with the first element around /ʊ/, while the second element reaches the more open /ə/ form. when showing students how to pronounce this approximate diphthong, the teacher first asks them to pronounce the first vowel /ʊ/ then moves the arrow while also asking them to pronounce the second vowel. two towards the second vowel. vowel /ǝ/. the following steps are similar to the steps teachers take when demonstrating and further practicing the pronunciation of diphthongs above. below are five phrases that can be very useful for further practice on this particular diphthong. (1) are you sure the grapes taste sour? (2) how do you pronounce fleur et flour? (3) we don't know for sure whether the train will move in an hour or not. (4) are you sure the poor bus will be there? (5) if we are sure, we don't mind waiting for the poor bus.. conclusion despite the fact that pronunciation is an important part of language teaching and learning, most teachers still hesitate to teach english pronunciation, let alone english diphthongs, one of the most difficult parts. the difficulties are due to the fact that when pronouncing english vowels, indonesian native speakers often pronounce them by monosyllabic them. based on the data of preeliminary research, the use of vivid trapezoids of english vowels is considered very useful in helping students pronounce english diphthongs correctly (almost). this is because it allows students to focus on animated powerpoint slides. furthermore, this study shows that the lively trapezoid and animation also helps students understand that to pronounce an english diphthong, one must pronounce the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 221 english vowel number 10 and move from one vowel position to another. in addition, it shows that the animated trapezoid allows students to experience pronouncing english diphthongs without much teacher modeling. since the merdeka curriculum requires teachers to teach english pronunciation indirectly throughout the curriculum, pronunciation should be included in each skill section (listening, speaking, reading and writing). acknowladgement i would like to express my deepest gratitude to allah, the most gracious and the most merciful, for his amazing ways in guiding me to complete this article and for his continual love, guidance, and blessing during my effort. i would like to the head of lppm undikma for his funding supporter in my research. special thanks to assc. prof. dr. haerazi, m.hum (department of magister program in english language education undikma mataram-ntb) for his peerreviewers, taking the time, effort, and thought to maintain the quality of the articles. in addition, my thanks goes to dr. ahmad idris asmaradhani, m. pd (department of english universitas muhammadiyah surabaya) for his proofreading, suggestion, and reviewed the legibility of articles, especially in english. references almalki, n., & algethami, g. (2022). an exploration of the potential benefit of extensive listening along with orthography for improving efl learners’ pronunciation. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 7(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-022-00132-x ambalegin, a., & arianto, t. (2018). english vowels and consonants mispronunciation of the seventh president of republic of indonesia in his official english speeches and its influencing factors. language literacy: journal of linguistics, literature, and language teaching, 2(2), 113. https://doi.org/10.30743/ll.v2i2.678 amanda f, roswita m.a, s.r. bahara (2023). students' competence in pronouncing english imperative sentences at english language education study program of khairun university. 13(1), 29-31 (2023). https://doi.org/10.33387/j.bilingual.v13i1 asrul, n., & husda, a. (2022). enhancing pronunciation skills through phonetic method. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 14(3), 4167– 4176. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v14i3.394 bakoko, r., waluyo, b., & songkhai, k. (2023). learners’ attitudes and perspectives towards english pronunciation abilities with different religious backgrounds in thailand. studies in english language and education, 10(2), 943– 961. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i2.27524 ball, j. martin. and joan rahilly. (2013). phonetics: the science of speech. routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203767252 burri, m. (2023). comparing l2 teachers’ practices with learners’ perceptions of english pronunciation teaching. profile: issues in teachers’ professional development, 25(1), 129–145. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v25n1.101156 chen, h. c., & tian, j. x. (2022). developing and evaluating a flipped corpus-aided english pronunciation teaching approach for pre-service teachers in hong kong. interactive learning environments, 30(10), 1918–1931. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.175321 7 cohen, l., manion, l., & morrison, k. (2018). research methods in education (8th edition). routledge. couper, g. (2021). pronunciation teaching issues: answering teachers’ questions. relc journal, 52(1), 128–143. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220964041 dyah mustikareni, (2013) error analysis on english diphthongs pronounced by the students of sma negeri 1 comal and sma negeri 1 banjarnegara in english debate on "relax" tv program of tvri. under graduates thesis, semarang; unnes), p.15-23 febrianto, d. (2021). analyzing elementary english teachers’ pronunciation errors: are we intelligible? al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 13(3), 1526–1538. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v13i3.814 hidayatulloh, s. m. m. (2023). learning english pronunciation: articulating efl students’ voices on problems and strategies. enjourme (english journal of merdeka) : culture, language, and teaching of english, 7(2), 164–173. https://doi.org/10.26905/enjourme.v7i2.8496 normawati. a., dwitiya., sahid, n., susanto a. (2023). efl learners’ difficulties in speaking english. electrum stands for the english language and education spectrum, 3(1), 8-34. https://doi.org/10.53416/electrum.v1i1.116 nguyen, l. t., & newton, j. (2021). enhancing efl teachers’ pronunciation pedagogy through professional learning: a vietnamese case study. relc journal, 52(1), 77–93. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220952476 novarita, n. (2018). the students’ ability in pronouncing centering diphthongs of the beginner level students of english genius course simpang okus. international journal of language teaching and education, 1(1), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.22437/ijolte.v1i1.4589 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-022-00132-x https://doi.org/10.30743/ll.v2i2.678 https://doi.org/10.33387/j.bilingual.v13i1 https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v14i3.394 https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i2.27524 https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203767252 https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v25n1.101156 https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1753217 https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1753217 https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220964041 https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v13i3.814 https://doi.org/10.26905/enjourme.v7i2.8496 https://unkartur.ac.id/journal/index.php/electrum/article/view/116 https://doi.org/10.53416/electrum.v1i1.116 https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220952476 https://doi.org/10.22437/ijolte.v1i1.4589 arif rahman exploring the use of animated trapezium in teaching english diphthongs at senior junior high school students 222 nugraha, s. v., irawan, l. a., haerazi, & frank, t. o. (2022). segmental aspects of pronunciation errors produced by ele students in classroom settings. journal of language and literature studies, 2(2), 88–98. https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v2i2.759 nurman, m. (2021). the correlation between phonological knowledge and pronunciation ability. journal of english education and teaching, 5(2), 290–302. https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.5.2.290-302 ponidi, s., sabarudin, s., & arasuli, a. (2021). an analysis of english diphthong pronunciation by the students of the english education study program. journal of english education and teaching, 5(4), 514–528. https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.5.4.514-528 puspita, n., wachyudi, k., & hoerniasih, n. (2023). tongue twister method in teaching pronunciation: a narrative inquiry of pre-service english teacher. edukasiana: jurnal inovasi pendidikan, 2(3), 197–203. https://doi.org/10.56916/ejip.v2i3.391 shabani, k., & ghasemian, a. (2017). teacher’s personality type and techniques of teaching pronunciation. cogent education, 4(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2017.131356 0 rustipa, k., widyaningrum, a., kasprabowo, t., & yulistiyanti, y. (2022). text-based approach to teach english diphthongs. edulite: journal of english education, literature and culture, 7(1), 111. https://doi.org/10.30659/e.7.1.111-124 satyawan, v. y. (2018). the use of animation video to teach english at junior high school students. jellt (journal of english language and language teaching), 2(2), 89–96. https://doi.org/10.36597/jellt.v2i2.3277 setyaningsih, k. p., wijayanto, a., & suparno, s. (2019). english vowels and diphthongs problems of sundanese learners. els journal on interdisciplinary studies in humanities, 2(4), 571-581. https://doi.org/10.34050/elsjish.v2i4.8413 sugiharto, p. a., santoso, y. i., & shofyana, m. h. (2022). teaching english pronunciation using tongue twister. acitya: journal of teaching and education, 4(1), 189–197. https://doi.org/10.30650/ajte.v4i1.3210 wang, y., & wen, x. (2023). nativeness versus intelligibility as goal of english pronunciation teaching in china: changing attitudes in national syllabi and curriculum standards. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 8(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-023-00189-2 winzky, t. a., & aswir, a. (2022). junior high school students’ perception of using mobile application to learn english pronunciation. jurnal studi guru dan pembelajaran, 5(3), 233–238. https://doi.org/10.30605/jsgp.5.3.2022.1514 yeldham, m. & choy, v. (2021). the effectiveness of direct articulatory–abdominal pronunciation instruction for english learners in hong kong. language culture and curriculum 35(4), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2021.197847 6 yulia, m. f., & saukah, a. (2021). indonesian efl teacher educators’ beliefs and classroom practices on the teaching of pronunciation: evidence from a pilot study. jurnal ilmu pendidikan, 27(2), 73. https://doi.org/10.17977/um048v27i2p7380 https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v2i2.759 https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.5.2.290-302 https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.5.4.514-528 https://doi.org/10.56916/ejip.v2i3.391 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2017.1313560 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2017.1313560 https://doi.org/10.30659/e.7.1.111-124 https://doi.org/10.36597/jellt.v2i2.3277 https://doi.org/10.34050/els-jish.v2i4.8413 https://doi.org/10.34050/els-jish.v2i4.8413 https://doi.org/10.30650/ajte.v4i1.3210 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-023-00189-2 https://doi.org/10.30605/jsgp.5.3.2022.1514 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/michael-yeldham?_tp=eyjjb250zxh0ijp7imzpcnn0ugfnzsi6inb1ymxpy2f0aw9uiiwicgfnzsi6inb1ymxpy2f0aw9uin19 https://www.tandfonline.com/author/choy%2c+vincent https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2021.1978476 https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2021.1978476 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 907 gender stereotypes by presenting a female protagonist portrayed in the “neil burger's divergent (2014)” movie rahayasa maheswara department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah surakarta, indonesia email: rahayasamaheswara@gmail.com yeni prastiwi department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah surakarta, indonesia email: rahayasamaheswara@gmail.com apa citation: maheswara, r., & prastiwi, y. (2023). gender stereotypes by presenting a female protagonist portrayed in the “neil burger's divergent (2014)” movie. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 907-916. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8479 received: 29-06-2023 accepted: 11-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 introduction gender stereotypes significantly encompass cultural values based on the expectation of society regarding traits, roles, and characteristics of males and females (eagly et al., 2020). this cultural phenomenon contributes to perceptions and presumptions that reinforce society's treatment of individuals centered on their gender identity (rudman and glick 2018). therefore, such stereotypes certainly gain so much attention as they are grained as societal norms. gender stereotypes are perpetuated and occurred in various ways in everyday life. to illustrate, gender stereotypes constructively play a significant role in affecting the career paths and opportunities of individuals in society (blau and kahn, 2017). males are expected to possess such a prosperous career in gaining wages compared to females who are expected to become a wife and take care of children at home. another illustration, gender stereotypes have an impact on forming parental expectations and traits which lead to being differently treated as males and females (endendijk et al., 2017). adhering to these social practices of gender stereotypes in everyday life confirms the reinforcement of gender inequality and discrimination towards multiple aspects of life. the prevalence of gender stereotypes has been propagated through various media, including feature films and television programs. men are consistently shown as leading and decisive which strengthens gender stereotypes regarding power and masculinity. while women are frequently portrayed as submissive and leaning toward men in popular media which lead to traditional gender roles and discrimination (connor et al., 2017). this contributes to outcomes of the number of women's depictions regarding gender stereotypes in media, constructing the perceptions towards such stereotypes in society. studies have shown a significant correlation between the perpetuation of media regarding gender stereotypes in society. an analysis of revealing gender stereotypes in the intern movie through audience response suggested that the audience discern the integration of gender stereotypes and its transformative change abstract: this study examines the positive portrayal of a female protagonist in the divergent movie directed by neil burger and how it opposes gender stereotypes. the data include dialogues and images which were selected through conducting note-taking and screen-capturing. the primary source of this study was the divergent movie by neil burger. the secondary source of this study was previous studies in relevance to the movie. this study used ronald barthe’s semiotic model to analyze the selected data consisting of the concept of denotation, connotation, and myth as the key analysis based on the perspective of radical feminism. this study reveals that the divergent movie opposes conservative gender stereotypes by portraying tris as physically dauntless, stable, powerful, capable, and a natural leader, than as weak and submissive. the findings suggest that the film opposes the stereotype that women are weak and emotional, unable to take risks or handle dangerous situations. this claims that tris is shown as a masculinized leader. keywords: divergent movie; female protagonist; gender stereotypes; radical feminism; semiotic model. rahayasa maheswara & yeni prastiwi gender stereotypes by presenting a female protagonist portrayed in the “neil burger's divergent (2014)” movie 908 (trisnawati et al., 2021). another study in enola holmes's movie reveals the emergence of gender stereotypes including both femininity and masculinity (azis and sunra, 2022). a study entangling the first frozen movie emphasized the portrayal of elsa as an empowered and selfreliant heroin (streiff and dundes, 2017). an analysis of disney movies such as sleeping beauty, snow white, cinderella, tangled, aladdin, and beauty and the beast depicts the construction of stereotypical gender roles through female images (priya, 2022). latest studies on gender stereotypes have also been conducted by implicating television programs. an analysis of unveiling the effects of gender stereotypes on children through a television program showed that such stereotypes can increase students’ endorsement more than motivation levels, perceptions, and performance (wille et al., 2018). another study suggested that gender stereotypes are found in most popular preschoolers’ television programs and confirmed that such stereotypes can affect children’s perceptions, especially of girls (biddle, 2017). an analysis of gender stereotypes also found in television advertisements in ukraine that most women are depicted as nurses, households, caretakers, servants, and finery for dominant men (kitsa and mudra, 2019). studies on gender stereotypes in feature films and television programs highlight the significance of challenging gender stereotypes to promote equal rights and justifications in wide-ranging societal contexts. addressing this, the research object of this paper implicates a feature film concerning such stereotypes portrayed in the movie. in a nutshell, out of a multitude of movies, divergent is considered to critique the prevalence of gender stereotypes through the lens of feminism. the movie, which was released in 2014, was directed by neil burger as an adaptation of a novel of the same title by veronica roth. this movie depicts a dystopian society in which humans are divided into five factions in line with their dominant personality traits: dauntless (brave), erudite (intellectual), abnegation (selfless), candor (honest), and amity (peaceful). at age 16, every child must take a test to determine their faction, or else risk becoming factionless or homeless. the protagonist, beatrice, discovers that she is a divergent, meaning she possesses qualities of multiple factions and is considered a threat to the strict social order maintained by the erudites. to avoid detection, beatrice decides to join the dauntless faction, where she meets four, another divergent. together, tris and four fight against the oppressive erudite regime and are involved in various riots that ultimately lead to becoming factionless and losing their beloved ones. the divergent movie has also been the object of several previous studies from various perspectives. some studies examined the divergent movie through the lens of marxism perspective that reveal the portrayal of class struggle (hartoadi, 2017), coming-of-age narratives (landovská, 2022), exploitation (fadhila 2019), conversational maxims (pradani and sembodo, 2021), and gricean maxim (utami, 2017); some others focused on pragmatics indicating the emergence of illocutionary acts (ameliza, 2020; dianty, 2017), love expression (pratiwi and fauziati, 2021), and violating maxim (wuri et al., 2022); a few lead to translation strategies (evilia, 2020), and visual elements of the movie (seilatuw et al., 2020); and some more explored the depiction of family communication patterns confirming the dominance of patriarchy and negative feminine characterization (mullis, 2017), gender roles claiming the main character shown as a masculinized leader ( silva and alegre, 2016), social identity formation including self-comparison and self-categorization (handini, 2017), eco-criticism as the structural functional order of society covering mechanical and organic solidarity as social systems (wijanarko, 2015), and defense mechanism undergone by tris consisting of moral and realistic anxiety (fatmawati and purwanto, 2020). studies on the divergent movie explored numerous aspects of the movie from many perspectives and each study has diverse focus and correlated research findings. meanwhile, this paper belongs to a literature study entangling the divergent movie in the portrayal of gender stereotypes due to the lack of specific studies concerning such a topic. this paper focused on revealing different forms of gender stereotypes from the lens of radical feminism faced by the main character, tris, and how she challenges such stereotypes in society. revealing gender stereotypes in the depiction of the female protagonist in the divergent movie significantly contributes to education. by examining how the movie represents radical feminist values through its characters and narrative, educators can gain insights into how to teach radical feminist values to students. this analysis can help educators identify key concepts, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 909 such as resistance to hegemonic power structures and the promotion of gender equality that can be integrated into their curricula. by incorporating media analysis into the classroom, educators can provide students with a critical lens through which to view popular culture and develop a deeper understanding of social issues. additionally, by examining the representation of women in media, educators can empower students to become more aware of the power dynamics that shape their everyday lives. method this study is literary research involving a critical qualitative method. critical qualitative methodology is a research approach that examines power, oppression, and social justice, emphasizing the importance of reflexivity and a commitment to social change for promoting equity and justice (denzin and lincoln, 2018). the research involved the divergent movie as the material object and gender stereotypes as the formal object. types of data implicated in this research consisted of dialogues and screencapturing. from the collected data, several scenes were selected based on their potential to reveal hegemonic and gender stereotypes representations through the lens of radical feminism. the approach used in this study is the semiotic model of ronald barthes, a theoretical framework that explores how meaning is constructed through signs and symbols in cultural products which lead to denotative and connotative signs (fiske, 2017). specifically, the analysis of this study focused on identifying denotative, connotative, and mythological elements within the scenes. the findings of this study elaborate the understanding of how gender stereotypes are interpreted based on deriving denotative meanings, connotative meanings, and myths or ideologies in society. results and discussion in this section, the authors discuss the various meanings contained in scenes portraying gender stereotypes by surgically interpreting meanings that have been analyzed based on denotative, connotative, and mythical elements. scene 1 the dialogue at 00:25:08 between tris; and her friend, peter; one of the leaders in dauntless, eric; confirms the existence of gender stereotypes. eric : “someone's gotta go first. who's it gonna be?” tris : “me.” (takes off her cardigan) peter : “yeah, stiff, take it off!” “put it back on!” the denotative meaning of the above scene shows that tris volunteers to be the first jumper among all boys and girls. they all need to find out what is down there since it obliges them to jump without being informed in the first place. this determines how solid they intend to be one of the dauntless members. however, peter mocks tris for her action. based on the above denotative interpretation, the action of tris attempting to be the first jumper leads to the embodiment of courage and a female leader in which she is depicted as a woman with higher guts than men to be willing to risk her life only for having a recognition to be one of the dauntless members. conforming to this, peter looks down on tris attempting to take such action because he sees tris as a weak girl with no courage of risking her life. this is considered discrimination for stereotyping tris’s actions towards girls being seen as weak and not brave enough to be the first one. the mythical element in this scene leads to the perception or ideology toward women in society. at the time peter mocks tris, everyone has nothing to say to defend her action. this implies that they believe that physical strengths contribute to determining masculinity and imply that women are weaker than men, while not all women are weaker. this stereotype leads to women's inequality and discrimination in society. scene 2 the dialogue at 00:30:02 contains a one-sided conversation implying such an issue. tris : (changes her clothes) the man : “nice legs, stiff.” (stares and smiles at tris) the above scene tells the denotative meaning that tris and all boys and girls at the dorm of dauntless camp are changing their clothes to be prepared for joining the first training. the dorm has no difference that boys and girls are in the same room and bathrooms. this requires them to use the same room together as roommates. based on scene 2, the connotative meaning implies that the group of people who are mostly boys can see tris’s body parts while changing. the action leads to the implication that the boys rahayasa maheswara & yeni prastiwi gender stereotypes by presenting a female protagonist portrayed in the “neil burger's divergent (2014)” movie 910 pay attention to girls’ physical appearances, make comments about them, and become sexually interested in tris as a girl. instead of taking this action as a joke, it is considered a stereotype. the myth in this scene indicates the action which contributes to the objectification of women as sexual centers or objects. it is considered as discrimination and harassment towards the woman that their physical appearance is mainly seen than their abilities in society. scene 3 the following dialogue between tris and one of her male friends, peter, occurs at 00:35:47. tris : (stares at factionless) peter : check it out, stiff. that's gonna be your new family. in this scene, the denotative meaning implies tris being mocked by peter for not being able to show enough abilities during the training. to be one of the dauntless members, everyone has to get enough grades that are valued during each training. if not, those who don’t have such grades will be expelled from the camp and will end up being factionless. scene 3 indicates the connotative meaning that peter looks down on tris in terms of passing the test of being one of dauntless's members. peter is only saying such things because he considers himself, as a boy, to be more capable than tris, as a girl, even though it has not happened yet. this leads to an ideology that men feel superior to women as they mostly see women having fewer qualifications than them in society. this contributes to a negative belief in terms of discrimination for undervaluing women for their abilities and taking the same chance as men. scene 4 the below dialogue at 00:46:49 occurs between tris, one of the leaders and coaches in dauntless, eric, and four, during the “knife-throwing training. eric : “one thing you will learn here is that orders are not optional.” (prepares to throw the knife) tris : “stop.” “anyone can stand in front of a target. it doesn't prove anything.” eric : “then it should be easy for you to take his place.” “same rules apply.” (sighs) “oh, come on, four. you can get closer than that.” four : “you want me to give her a little trim?” eric : “points for bravery, stiff. not as many as you just lost for opening your mouth.” “now watch yourself.” the denotative meaning based on the above scene tells that tris becomes the target of knifethrowing training for pausing what eric was going to do to one of her friends. being ordered by eric, four who is his colleague, helps him to throw the knife toward tris as a punishment. from the dialogue, we can conclude that the connotative meaning contained in this scene implies a rebelling action by tris for saving one of her friends from being punished. tris is more than brave to do such action in defending her friend by risking her life as being an object of knife-throwing training. in this case, eric underestimates tris by believing that she will never be able to face such a life-threatening test during the training. according to this scene, the ideology is considered to be a stereotype where men consider women to be weak and not able to tackle dangerous things, while not every woman is emotionally proven by the above scene. this stereotype strengthens the expectations that have been conventionally entangled with women in society. scene 5 the dialogue at 00:52:30 occurs during a fight between tris and peter. peter : look like you're about to cry. might take it easy on you if you cry. tris : (becomes ready to fight) the dialogue shows a denotative meaning that tris and peter are physically fighting in a ring in front of everybody. this fight contributes to their grades as the main requirement to determine their lives. during the fight, peter keeps beating tris as if he wants to kill her. watching this happening to her, she can no longer fight back and peter wins the fight. in scene 5, peter’s action contains a connotative meaning implying that peter is quite competitive to win the fight as he shows his strengths and aggressiveness which are more dominant than tris’s. during the fight, tris is english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 911 seen as weaker than peter which would make everyone may think that peter will win from the beginning of the fight. in this case, peter always underestimates and looks down on her. the ideology or myth that can be found in scene 5 is that such action shows the intention of men to show their superiority towards women. this leads to the ideology of men are supposed to be more dominant and powerful than women in society which contributes to harmful stereotypes. scene 6 the dialogue at 01:19:56 between tris and one of the bodyguards occurs in erudite. tris : (walks down the stairs) the bodyguard : “i need you to come with me.” the denotative meaning in the above scene indicates that tris is being dragged by two bodyguards once she is about to go back to dauntless. this scene tells that tris is visiting her brother, caleb, to inform him that she wants to go back to the abnegation faction since she is threatened by the fact that she is divergent. in this scene, the connotative meaning leads to coercion due to the depiction implying tris with no consent being dragged by the bodyguards. the reason why the bodyguards do such an action may lead them to the possibility that tris can’t fight back to protect herself during the action. this leads to the thought that, as men, the bodyguards consider themselves stronger than tris. the ideology in scene 6 is quite similar to scene 4 as it contributes to the stereotype that men see women as weaker compared to them and have a lack of self-defense in society. scene 7 at 01:48:51, the dialogue occurs during 4 sets of gunpoints. eric : “say goodbye, asshole.” tris : “goodbye.” four : “move and you die!” (points a gun on eric’s partner) eric : “the stiff?” (chuckles) “two stiffs. two dead stiffs.” eric’s partner : “you can't let a single divergent slip through.” (points a gun on tris) “this is what happens.” eric : “she's not gonna shoot me.” tris : “think you might be overestimating my character.” the above dialogue refers to a denotative meaning that four and tris are caught as divergent which causes 4 sets of gun points toward each of them. in the movie, every divergent is considered a threat to the erudite faction system. this case leads to concern from the erudite members due to their ability to think openly. in this case, tris and four are protecting each other from the riots during the process of corrupting the erudite system that continues to kill innocent people in abnegation. the connotative meaning contained in scene 8 refers to a feeling of relief from eric by stating that “she’s not gonna shoot me”. eric thinks that tris is emotional and afraid of taking risks by shooting somebody. eric thinks that tris is not able to even protect himself but she’s trying to protect four. this is considered a stereotype when it comes to a twisted turn of events. the mythological element contains in the above scene confirms the existence of gender stereotypes that men think women are more riskaverse than men. this leads to injustice treatment of individuals based on different gender. this action is influenced by an expanded range of factors besides gender, including personality and cultural expectations in society. scene 8 the dialogue at 01:59:06 occurs in the dauntless camp between tris and peter. tris : against the wall. against the wall! how are you awake? peter : because i'm smarter than you. and they need me. tris : where are they controlling it from? peter : “why would i tell you that? it's not like you're gonna shoot me.” tris : “why do people keep saying that?” (gunshot) peter : (screams) (groans) tris : “where are they controlling it from?” the above dialogue contains a denotative meaning of tris pointing a gun at peter that she rahayasa maheswara & yeni prastiwi gender stereotypes by presenting a female protagonist portrayed in the “neil burger's divergent (2014)” movie 912 needs to gain information about where the controller locates at. however, peter still looks down on her even though she’s having a gun to threaten him. it ends up that tris shoots peter for keep stating things that don’t make sense if she will not shoot him. this indicates a connotative meaning of the possibility of tris using the gun and shooting somebody which people keep questioning as they are doubtful. in this case, peter has the same assumption as eric about tris’s intention to shoot somebody. both peter and eric think that tris is more emotional and risk-averse than them in facing dangerous things to protect herself. it brings to the idea or ideology of gender stereotypes that is similar to scene 8 implying injustice treatment of individuals for having lack of courage to take risks. scene 9 figure 1. jeanine feeling threatened the figure is from a scene at 02:05:29 with a denotative meaning about a shootout between four, tris, and the erudite members protecting jeanine, a vicious leader of erudite. jeanine is the mastermind behind a ruthless mission aimed at killing to protect the erudite system for controlling the government. the connotative meaning of scene 11 implies the implication of jeanine’s concerns about four being awakened. four was under control by jeanine through the erudite system which makes people unconsciously take actions by the orders. jeanine is panicking during the riots that tris and four make to fail the mission and delete all data. this is considered a stereotype when jeanine starts panicking once four is awake more than tris can beat four. the myth or ideological element indicates that women are seen as weaker and have fewer skills in fighting than men. it shows that not only men have such beliefs but also women. this measures that men are more dominant than women in terms of being physically strong as seen through masculinity. scene 10 figure 2. tris and her opponent having a physical combat this figure shows a scene at 00:37:32 that continues a denotative meaning of tris and her female opponent physically fighting in a ring in front of everybody. people are watching until one of them gets to give up due to physical strength. in this case, tris is defeated by her female opponent and she ends up being wounded. the connotative meaning of this action by both girls, tris and her opponent refers to a rare depiction of women physically fighting that contains a clear illustration of woman's strengths. this implies that women are capable of doing physical combat compared to men. the mythical element of this scene refers to an implication of women being placed as womanmasculinity. women entangled in physical combat have a lack of representation in media which may alter people’s perceptions in society. in this case, this action challenges the existence of gender stereotypes in which women can’t do physical combat. scene 11 figure 3. tris smacking a boxing ring the above figure from the scene at 00:41:26 denotative meaning shows tris smacking a boxing ring when nobody is noticing but four. tris is attempting to train her physical ability to gain a higher grade to pass the test. in this case, tris keeps practicing physical exercise to be stronger than she was. the connotative meaning of scene 14 implies that tris has anxiety about being one of the weakest among her friends. she does not agree to be left behind by her friends when it comes to the grading phase. in this case, tris is trying her best to gain a higher grade than she had. this is considered a stereotype as tris attempts to build english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 913 muscles to be stronger. the myth contained in scene 14 refers to the ideology of women doing a physical exercise such as smacking the boxing ring as it’s supposed to be men in society. this is seen as a form of the stereotype that contributes to the injustice treatment of individuals towards gender when it comes to showing what women are capable of in terms of becoming stronger than weaker. scene 12 at 00:58:41, the dialogue occurs between tris and four during a war game preparation. four : “this is high enough.” tris : “no, we need to go higher.” “you all right?” “you're afraid of heights.” four : “everyone's afraid of something.” tris : “i didn't think you were afraid of anything.” four : (grunts) “come on, tris.” “really?” “are you even human?” the above dialogue contains a denotative meaning that tris and four are preparing for a war game. to win the game, they have to grab a yellow flag that they have to find out first. attempting to find it, they are climbing a game ride to estimate the location of the flag. tris was the one who have the intention to attempt this strategy which then four continues it. the connotative meaning of this scene indicates that tris and four are risking their life for climbing a game ride that is high enough. from the dialogue, this claims that four is afraid of heights. as a woman, tris, who has more courage than four in climbing the game ride, is considered a stereotype. in this scene, four who is panicking about getting a little too high start questing how brave tris is as a woman as he states “a human” as the sign. the ideology of scene 14 refers to a stereotype that sees men hardly have something they are afraid of. men are mostly seen as individuals with various of courage compared to women. this scene perpetuates that, as a woman, tris is resolutely dauntless until she represents what society calls something uncommon compared to what men generally being named. scene 13 figure 4. tris and four walking from a height the denotative meaning of the above scene indicates that four is helping tris to train her in preparing for the final test. they are manifesting to be in each other’s minds escaping from multiple calamities as a simulation to the real test. walking on a rope from a height is a part of it. the connotative meaning contained in scene 15 refers to the emotional intelligence of four and tris in tackling all sudden hindrances during the stimulation. they have the understanding of taking action fast so that it can help them keep their real identity as divergent. this leads to a stereotype that tris can face these obstacles as a form of being capable to do it like a man. the mythological element in scene 15 challenges the stereotype that men mostly have more courage compared to women and that women cannot do what men do in society. scene 14 figure 5. tris and her mom use guns the denotative meaning of the above scene indicates tris and her mom using guns to protect themselves from dauntless members who are under stimulation. in this scene, the movie portrays a heroic action between a mother and a daughter for working together and protecting each other. the connotative meaning contained in scene 15 refers to the embodiment of tris and her mom being capable of using guns to protect themselves this implies that tris has gained more abilities to operate a gun, and her mom’s skill is also remained. in this scene, a stereotype shows in which tris and her mom make good use of guns during the riots after tris and four have been revealed to be divergent. in addition, in this scene, tris also kills one of her friends, will, who rahayasa maheswara & yeni prastiwi gender stereotypes by presenting a female protagonist portrayed in the “neil burger's divergent (2014)” movie 914 is under stimulation by the erudite system. the mythological element in scene 16 indicates a stereotype that women are seen to have less skill in using guns compared to men. this generates people’s assumption that women are weaker or less capable than men who need protection. scene 15 the dialogue at 01:57:39 occurs between tris, caleb, and their father’s colleague, marcus, during a discussion to make a strategy. caleb : “why are dauntless fighting for erudite?” “they don't know what they're doing.” tris : “they're under simulation.” “we need to wake 'em up.” “i need to get into dauntless.” marcus : “it's not gonna happen.” tris : “i can get us in there.” the above dialogue contains a denotative meaning that tris, caleb, their dad, and marcus are on the same team to fail the erudite system in killing innocent people. they are working together as a team to get into the dauntless camp where the controller is located. in this scene, tris contributes a lot to building a strategy for bringing them there. the connotative meaning of scene 17 implies that tris becomes a leader in directing those three men, including her father, brother, and marcus. this shows an action of a woman with a leadership ability amid men in this scene. tris is emotionally and physically prepared for succeeding in this mission. the myth or idea of the stereotype portrayed here refers to people’s perception of leaders who are mostly men compared to women. this stereotype contributes to women's discrimination, which can decrease women's opportunities to chase a career in society. in addition, this stereotype is seen as a form of assuming that women are irrational and too emotional compared to men in that they don’t deserve to be a leader in society. this study suggests that the divergent movie critiques the emergence of gender stereotypes in the form of liberal feminism. the main female protagonist, tris, is portrayed to possess more masculinity than feminine traits. this confirms the movie's portrayal of a female protagonist as a physically capable leader. the theory used in this study is a semiotic model by ronald barthes in examining the divergent movie in the form of a radical feminist perspective. drawing from the research findings, the divergent movie depicts the representation of gender stereotypes in the main female protagonist to preside over masculinity than femininity traits. this correlates with the lens of radical feminism as it challenges patriarchy within society. this study supports an analysis conducted by (silva and alegre, 2016), in which the divergent movie portrays the main character, tris, as a masculinized leader opposing the existence of gender roles in society. conclusion the divergent movie challenges gender stereotypes by presenting a strong female protagonist, tris, who opposes norms and societal expectations. through many scenes, tris is depicted as physically dauntless, stable, powerful, capable, and a natural leader, in which she refutes conservative stereotypes towards gender that portray women as weak and submissive. the movie showcases, tris, fighting, using guns, and leading men to succeed in a mission, all of which oppose gender stereotypes and propose appropriate representations of women. this leads to the representation of tris as she holds more masculinity than femininity traits in the movie. the movie illustrates how media can oppose gender norms and support gender equality by portraying women in non-conservative roles. acknowledgement the author would like to thank several parties involved in writing this paper. first, to the almighty god who has given the gift of chance and health so that this article can be completed perfectly. second, to the author’s parents who have always encouraged and facilitated the author during his education. third, to universitas muhammadiyah surakarta, especially to mrs. yeny prastiwi as a thesis supervisor who has never been tired of helping the author write this paper. references ameliza, t. c. (2020). representative of illocutionary act by main character in divergent movie: pragmatics approach. upb repository. azis, n. r., and sunra, l. (2022). gender stereotypes in enola holmes: a film analysis of the main character. journal of english linguistics and literature studies 2(3). biddle, a. m. (2017). gender stereotypes within tv english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 915 shows for preschoolers and their effects on children’s stereotypes. proquest dissertations and theses 168. blau, f. d., and kahn, l. m. (2017). the gender wage gap: extent, trends, and explanations. journal of economic literature, 55(3), 789–865. 10.1257/jel.20160995. connor, r. a., glick, p., and fiske, s. t. (2017). ambivalent sexism in the twenty-first century. in the cambridge handbook of the psychology of prejudice (295–320). cambridge university press. denzin, n. k., and lincoln, y. s. (2018). critical qualitative methodology. in the sage handbook of qualitative research (pp. 437– 450). dianty, l. (2017). an analysis of illocutionary acts performed by the main character in divergent movie by neil burger 2014. 87(1,2), 1–72. eagly, a. h., nater, c., miller, d. i., kaufmann, m., and sczesny, s. (2020). gender stereotypes have changed: a cross-temporal meta-analysis of u.s. public opinion polls from 1946 to 2018. national library of medicine, 75(3), 301–15. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000494. endendijk, j. j., groeneveld, m. g., van der pol, l. d., van berkel, s. r., hallers-haalboom, e. t., bakermans-kranenburg, m. j., and mesman, j. (2017). gender differences in child aggression: relations with gender-differentiated parenting and parents’ gender-role stereotypes. national library of medicine, 88(1), 299–316. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12589. evilia, w. (2020). translation strategies applied in the english subtitle in ‘divergent’ movie from english into indonesian. universitas negeri medan digital repository. fadhila, y. n. (2019). exploitation reflected in neil burger’s divergent (2014): as a marxist study. fatmawati, d., and purwanto, s. (2020). tris’s ego defense mechanism in neil burger’s divergent movie script 2014: a psychoanalysis. dinamika bahasa dan budaya, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.35315/bb.v15i2.8219. fiske, j. (2017). understanding popular culture. routledge. handini, f. n. (2017). social identity formation of tris prior in divergent movie. hartoadi, a. p. (2017). the representation of class srtuggle in the movie the divergent series: allegiant. universitas airlangga repository. kitsa, m., and mudra, i. (2019). gender stereotypes of women in television advertising in ukraine. taylor & francis online, 20(3), 381–397. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2019.157485 7. landovská, a. (2022). a comparative analysis of the ways divergent and the hunger games handle the coming-of-age narrative (tris and katniss). mullis, m. d. (2017). faction before blood: family communication patterns and gender in the dystopian teen drama film divergent (2014). auburn university electronic these and dissertations. pradani, a. f., and sembodo, t. j. p. (2021). the violation of conversational maxims in the divergent series. lexicon, 7(2), 215. 10.22146/ljell.v7i2.66125. pratiwi, m., and fauziati, e. (2021). love expression in divergent movie: a pragmalinguistics study.” universitas muhammadiyah surakarta repository. priya, k. (2022). gender stereotypes and sexism in disney movies: analysing disney movies during pandemic in the backdrop of gender studies. international journal of innovative research in technology, 8(12), 1355. rudman, l. a., and glick, p. (2018). gender stereotypes and biases. the annual review of psychology (69), 275–298. seilatuw, d. s., muhid, a., and kurniadi, d. (2020). mise-en scene analysis on divergent movie by veronica roth. journal of language and health, 1(1), 39–44. 10.37287/jlh.v1i1.106. silva, l-d., jordana., and alegre, s. m. (2016). convention and defiance : the female hero’s performance of gender roles in the ‘hunger games’ and the ‘divergent’ series. universitat autonoma de barcelona. streiff, m., and dundes, l. (2017). frozen in time: how disney gender-stereotypes its most powerful princess. sosci journal, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6020038. trisnawati, r. k., adiarti, d., and agustina, m. f. (2021). gender stereotypes in nancy meyers’ ‘the intern’ (2015): a study of film audience response.” 6(1), 147-164. https://doi.org/10.30659/e.6.1.147-164. utami, s. w. (2017). gricean maxim analysis of beatrice’s utterances in ‘burger’s divergent (2014). universitas muhammadiyah semarang repository. wijanarko, b. (2015). he structural functional order of society reflected in divergent the movie. repository bkg (brawijaya knowledge garden). wille, e., gaspard, h., trautwein, u., oschatz, k., scheiter, k., and nagengast, b. (2018). gender stereotypes in a children’s television program: effects on girls’ and boys’ stereotype endorsement, math performance, motivational dispositions, and attitudes. frontiers in psychology 9(dec). 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02435. wuri, r., haryanti, d., and laila, m. (2022). a pragmatic equivalence of violating maxims in movies subtitle and novel translation of divergent. universitas muhammadiyah surakarta repository. rahayasa maheswara & yeni prastiwi gender stereotypes by presenting a female protagonist portrayed in the “neil burger's divergent (2014)” movie 916 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 891 the correlation of text, co-text, and context in the solo pos daily newspaper edition 2021 sri budiyono (corresponding author) teacher traning and education faculty universitas widya dharma, klaten, jawa tengah, indonesia email: sribudiyono@unwidha.ac.id erry pranawa teacher traning and education faculty universitas widya dharma, klaten, jawa tengah, indonesia email: errypranawa@unwidha.ac.id gunawan budi santoso teacher traning and education faculty universitas widya dharma, klaten, jawa tengah, indonesia email: gunawanbudisantoso@unwidha.ac.id apa citation: budiyono, s., pranawa, e., & santoso, g. b. (2022). the correlation of text, co-text, and context in the solo pos daily news paper edition 2021. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 891-900. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6794 received: 09-06-2022 accepted: 27-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction language is an activity that involves the linguistic ability of the user as a whole. language is a form of communicative action. the degree of communicativeness is determined by the ability to use language to capture ideas in the form of language. to meet the demands of language, it is necessary to obey the language of the language used the fulfillment of these demands opens up two language possibilities, namely language accuracy and language errors (nuryanto et al.,2018; wabdaron & reba, 2020). in order to meet the accuracy of language required a language skill. language skills are the most important skills. aspects of language skills include listening, reading, speaking, and writing (hermanto, 2017; budiyono et al., 2019; 2021). in relation to the above statement, (yundayani, et al., 2017; rahmat, y. n., & coxhead, a., 2021) states that skilled in reading is an advanced reading term (as opposed to beginning reading). he stated that reading comprehension is: (1) an effort to build a bridge between what is known and what is already known; (2) the process of understanding the meaning implied in words, sentences, and connecting texts; (3) in understanding the content of the text, the reader typically uses background knowledge, vocabulary, and grammatical knowledge, using certain strategies; (4) understanding is active and not passive; (5) comprehension is not just a matter of literally recording and reporting what one has read; (6) understanding constitutes a large number of decision-making; and (7) abstract: this study aims to describe how are the results of the correlation analysis of text, co-text, and context in the solo pos daily newspaper, 2021 edition; whether the correlation of text, context, and context in the 2021 edition of the solo pos daily newspaper is cohesive and coherent. this study used descriptive qualitative method. the object of this research is the correlation of text, context, and context in the 2021 edition of the solo pos daily newspaper. this study used descriptive qualitative analysis the results of the study show that in general (almost all) of the discourses in the 2021 edition of the solo pos daily newspaper, the structure has paid attention to the relationship between sentences so that they can establish linkages and coherence between these sentences. meanwhile, in terms of form, it can be called a complete discourse. there is only one data that happens to be the way to understand it must look at the sentence before and after it. in short, all sentence structures presented in the solo pos daily newspaper are grammatical, in the sense that they are grammatically arranged. the order of the language and the pattern of the arrangement is correct, it is in accordance with the grammar so that it can be concluded that the grammar is correct. keyword: context; co-text; solo pos daily newspaper; text. sri budiyono, erry pranawa, & gunawan budi santoso the correlation of text, co-text, and context in the solo pos daily news paper edition 2021 892 understanding is a dialogue between the writer and the reader. language is an activity that involves the linguistic ability of the user as a whole. language is a form of communicative action. the degree of communicativeness is determined by the ability to use language to capture ideas in the form of language. to meet the demands of language, it is necessary to obey the language of the language used. the fulfillment of these demands opens up two language possibilities, namely language accuracy and language errors (muhtarom, 2020; maulana et al, 2019). in order to meet the accuracy of language required a language skill. language skills are the most important skills. aspects of language skills include listening, reading, speaking, and writing (suparlan, 2019; budiyanti, y. & damayanti, n., 2017; akbarjono, a., et al, 2021; aker, m., et al, 2018; diasa & karim, 2018). in relation to the above statement, maulana et al. (2019) states that skilled in reading is an advanced reading term (as opposed to beginning reading). he stated that reading comprehension is: (1) an effort to build a bridge between what is known and what is already known; (2) the process of understanding the meaning implied in words, sentences, and connecting texts; (3) in understanding the content of the text, the reader typically uses background knowledge, vocabulary, and grammatical knowledge, using certain strategies; (4) understanding is active and not passive; (5) comprehension is not just a matter of literally recording and reporting what one has read; (6) understanding constitutes a large number of decision-making; and (7) understanding is a dialogue between the writer and the reader. based on the above considerations, this study aims to analyze the texts in the solo pos daily newspaper, 2021 edition. questions and statements that arise whether the text that accompanies other texts has a relationship and parallels with other texts and also does the meaning contained in the text refer to the existing text or is it outside the existing text? how are the three of them related? these problems will be studied in this research. for this reason, this research takes the title correlation of text, cotext, and context, in the 2021 edition of the solo pos daily newspaper. in general and simple, correlation means relationship. however, when it is developed further, it turns out that the meaning of correlation can not only be understood in this sense. in the exact world, correlation is one of the statistical analysis techniques used to find the relationship between two quantitative variables. the relationship between the two variables can occur because of a causal relationship or can also occur just by chance. the two variables are said to be correlated if changes in one variable will be followed by changes in the other variables regularly in the same direction (positive correlation) or opposite, which is often referred to as negative correlation (rohaman & mukhibat, 2017; koutchadé, i.s., 2017; wu, y., & pei, z., 2018). different exact, different language. although the meaning of correlation is that it cannot be separated from "relationship", but in terms of language, it contains different studies. maulana et al (2021; kim, s., & ma, t., 2018; milarisa, s., 2021; ) state that there are three main things concerning the problem of understanding correlation. the three main points include: 1) the relationship between opposing sounds in a series, for example: a series of voiceless sounds: [p, t, k. f] and a series of voiced sounds: [b, d, g, v], each of which has a voice and no sound correlation; 2) the relationship between language symbols and language sounds; when the symbol changes, the function will change; when the function changes, the symbol changes too; 3) syntactic typology; the similarity of characteristics of several language sectors in one language of a certain type, for example: vo type languages usually have prepositions, while ov type languages have post-positions, in this case there is a correlation between clause structure and phrase structure (muhtarom, 2020; milarisa, s., 2021: mimeau et al, 2019; miroud, s., 2021). based on the above problems, correlation in this case is correlation in the context of the use of one of the analytical techniques in linguistics which is used to find, analyze, parse the relationship between two cohesive and coherent variables in the news discourse in the solo pos daily newspaper 2021 edition. conceptually, a good discourse is a discourse whose structure pays attention to the relationship between sentences so that it can establish a relationship and coherence between these sentences. meanwhile, discourse is called a complete discourse if it contains complete concepts, ideas, thoughts, and ideas that can be understood by the reader (if it is written discourse) or by listeners (if the discourse is in the form of oral discourse). discourse is said to be the highest in structure or the largest because english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 893 discourse is formed from sentences or sentences that meet grammatical requirements and other discursive requirements (cohesion and coherence). in line with the above view (isodarus, p.b., 2017; riyadi, 2019; budiyono et al, 2018) state that language consists of form and meaning. meanwhile, the relationship in discourse can be divided into two types, namely the relationship of form called cohesion and the relationship of meaning or semantic relationship called coherence. from the statement above, it can be concluded that cohesion is the relationship of form (structure of birth) in a discourse. this outward structure is what he also calls the grammatical aspect of discourse. coherence is the relationship of meaning or semantic relationship in a discourse (isobarus, p.b., 2017; diasa, l.n., & karim, a., 2018; hermanto, 2017). isobarus further stated that in discourse analysis, the aspect of form or structure of discourse is called the grammatical aspect of discourse, while the inner structure of discourse is called the lexical aspect of discourse. in line with the statement above, tomlinson, b., & masuhara, h. (2018; tyas et al, 2019; razak a et al, 2021 ) state that "coherence is how the meaning of sentences in a discourse hung together". the statement implies that coherence is how the meaning of a sentence in a discourse establishes a coherent relationship. she further said: "a text can be said to be coherent when each successive sentence can be assigned wholly and without difficulty to one of the relationships". from the statement above, it can be concluded that a text can be said to be coherent if each successive sentence can be understood as a whole easily and without difficulty in each understanding. as long as it is easy to understand, understandable, there is a woven sentence, that is coherent. supriyadi, et al, 2022 say that text is a language unit that is mediated in writing or orally with a certain organizational structure to express meaning in a certain context. on the other hand, (budiyono et al, 2018; 2021) says that the text is a complete expression of the human mind in which there is a situation and context. isodarus, p.b. (1982) state that “text is: 1) the wording of something written or printed; 2) the main body a book or page, etc; as distinct illustration or notes; 3) a sentence from scripture used as the subject of a sermon or discussion; 4) a book or play etc, prescribe for study”. the opinion above is not much different from the opinion of isobarus, p.b. (2017) who states that text is 1) an abstract language unit; 2) a series of sentences, words, and so on, which make up speech; 3) written form of language; script; 4) utterances produced in human interaction. in connection with the above statement, (nuryanto et al, 2018; supriyadi, et al., 2022; suherdi et al, 2020; hambali, m., et al, 2021; inderawati, r., et al, 2021) state the text as follows. “text are always produced in context. while texts are produced by indivuals, indivuals always produce those texts as social subjects., in particular, social environment. in ather word, text are never completely individual or original, they always relate to social environment and to other text”. the above statement implies that the text is always produced in context. while texts are produced by individuals, individuals always produce texts as social subjects, especially social environments. in other words, texts are never truly individual or original, they are always related to the social environment and other texts from the statement above, it can be concluded that the text is a unit of language that can be mediated in writing or orally arranged systematically to express the meaning used in a particular context. method the subject in this study is the correlation of text, co-text, and context in the solo pos daily newspaper 2021. the elements related to the study of discourse in the news or information in the solo pos daily newspaper include text, cotext, and context. in this study, we will discuss the meaning and relationship between the three. the limitation of the study of these three elements is limited to the 2021 edition. in a newspaper or in other terms, a newspaper, solo pos, of course, cannot be separated from the existence of discourse. the discourse contained in the presentation, of course in it in the form of written news, contains the latest information, which is being discussed by the public; on the other hand can be in the form of opinions, short stories, poems, editorial comments, and others. in the discourse there is text, context, and context. these three things are the supporters of the discourse. the student book is designed to help students have a handbook that students can use in the learning process. in other words, the student book contains learning materials that sri budiyono, erry pranawa, & gunawan budi santoso the correlation of text, co-text, and context in the solo pos daily news paper edition 2021 894 students can learn as a source of learning. the design of the student book contains student assignments or activities that aim to encourage the enthusiasm of students to learn, especially in finding and obtaining important information related to teaching materials. the structures contained in the student book design includes introduction, about student books, table of contents, teaching materials and reading list. this research used a qualitative approach with content analysis method. the data in this study is a discourse that exists in the 2021 edition of the solo pos daily. the data was collected by means of a documentation study and the results of this study were analyzed descriptively and qualitatively. basically data collection is done to obtain the information needed in order to achieve the research objectives. before conducting research, a researcher usually has a guess based on the theory he uses, this assumption is called a hypothesis. however, temporary assumptions that do not need to be proven true are called basic assumptions. conceptually, data collection techniques can be done by 1) interviews. interviews are data collection techniques that are carried out through face-to-face and direct questions and answers between researchers and resource persons; 2) observation, which is a complex data collection method because it involves various factors in its implementation; 3) questionnaire; and 4) the last is the document study. because this research is a literature study, the data collected is only focused on document studies. data analysis is the process of systematically searching and compiling the data obtained by using various data collection techniques such as interviews, questionnaires, observations, and documentation such as video/audio recordings by organizing the data and choosing which ones are important and studied, and making conclusions, so that easy to understand by yourself and others. the data analysis technique used in qualitative analysis has four stages, namely data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and the last step is drawing conclusions and verification. after the data is collected, reduced, presented, then analyzed descriptively qualitatively. qualitative descriptive analysis method is to analyze, describe, describe, and summarize various conditions, situations from various data collected in the form of interviews or observations about the problems studied that occur in the field. results and discussion the results of the research taken from a daily newspaper solo pos are marked with a code that is formed in a special code which means that the data is what number data (column 1), what newspaper (column 2) day and what market (column 3), what page (column 4), what day and month (column 5), and what year (column 6). for more details will be presented as follows. table 1. fifteenth data from solo pos, tuesday wage, first page, december 14th, 2021 15 sp sw 1 14 des 2021 pemilik dalem-dalem (rumah) pangeran di lingkungan keraton solo didorong mengembangkan aset tersebut secara kreatif dan inovatif. rencana renovasi aset terkadang terkendala masalah prosedur hingga konflik internal. owners of princely dalem (houses) in the solo palace are encouraged to develop these assets creatively and innovatively. asset renovation plans are sometimes constrained by procedural problems to internal conflicts. from the data above, it can be explained that the data is data number 15, taken from the solo pos daily newspaper, on tuesday wage, page 1, december 14, 2021. the first column clearly states the number of data. the second column means the name of the newspaper, the daily solo pos. however, the third column states that there are six days, namely monday (senin abbreviated s), tuesday (selasa abbreviated sl), wednesday (rabu abbreviated rb), thursday (kamis abbreviated as km), friday (jumat abbreviated jm), saturday (sabtu abbreviated sb), and sunday (minggu abbreviated m). meanwhile, the javanese daily (javanese market) stated that the pon market (abbreviated p), wage market (abbreviated w), kliwon market (abbreviated k), legi market (abbreviated l), and pahing market. (abbreviated as p). furthermore, the third column represents the page. as in the example above, the third column contains the number 1; this indicates that the data is on the third page. meanwhile, the fourth column contains “dec 14”, which states that the daily was published on december 14. the last column (fifth column) is “2021”, stating that the edition of the daily will be published in 2021. on the other hand, with regard to the abbreviation of the month names, it is stated as follows. january is abbreviated as “jan”; february is abbreviated as “feb”; march is abbreviated as “mrt”; april is abbreviated as english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 895 “app”; the month of may is abbreviated as “may” (without the abbreviation); the month of june is abbreviated as “jun”; july is abbreviated as “jul”; august is abbreviated as “agt”; september is abbreviated as “sep”; october is abbreviated as “oct”; november is abbreviated as "nov", and the last month is december which is abbreviated as "dec". meanwhile, for the mention of the year's name, it is enough to write it directly, without abbreviating it. for example, 2020 is still written in 2020. likewise for the following years. so, to write down data taken from 2021, it is enough to just write 2021. after understanding the meaning in the data code, the next step is to display the data that has been collected in this study. this collected data is referred to as pid or an abbreviation of pernyataan identifikasi data (data identification statement). the pids that have been collected will only discuss the basics. for data that has been sorted and selected, which is then used as the main material for analysis, it is called udaut (unit data utama/main data unit). this udaut is used as the main data to be used as evidence for analysis and discussion. udaut is an abbreviation of the term unit data utama (main data unit). the following is data that is still in the form of raw data, hereinafter referred to as a data identification statement. there are some data taken from several editions. the results of the discussion of each data were analyzed one by one. however, what needs to be known is that there are limitations to the themes that exist in each data. this study only analyzes data with a political theme. be it the policy of goods or prices, domestic or foreign politics. the content of the theme does not make the problem, the most important thing is the discussion in this study. what is more important is whether there is a match between the meanings in the text, the relationship between the meanings in the sentence, as well as the situation and conditions that underlie the text. in detail the language looks like the following below. table 2. first data from solo pos, tuesday wage, first page, november 11, 2021 1 sp sw 1 11 nov 2021 "kami segera mengumumkan keputusan itu. kami penginnya mempersingkat liburan sekolah, juga untuk aparatur sipil negara (asn) agar mereka tak pulang kampung. regulasi ini juga dimuat dalam instruksi menteri dalam negeri, kami tinggal melaksanakan. draf se juga sudah disusun, tinggal saya tandatangani," kata dia kepada wartawan, senin (29/11/2021). "we will immediately announce the decision. we want to shorten school holidays, as well as for state civil servants (aparatur sipil negara/asn) so that they do not return home. this regulation is also contained in the instruction of the minister of home affairs, we just have to implement it. the draft se has also been prepared, i just need to sign it ," he told reporters on monday (11/29/2021). from data 1, which was published on tuesday wage, first page, november 11, 2021, the word "we" will be difficult to interpret without looking at the previous sentence and the following sentences at the same time. the word "we" here refers to the "city government" even though in fact, the perpetrator, the speaker, is gibran rakabuming raka. however, it should be noted that the individual's name does not refer to himself, but to the mayor of surakarta. on the other hand there is the word “they”. the word "they" in the text does not mean the third person plural. however, the word "they" refers to the meaning of civil servants or better known in general as the state civil apparatus (aparatus sipil negara/ asn). next is the word “regulation”. indeed, in general, "regulation" means laws or regulations. however, in context, the word "regulation" more accurately refers to a statement regarding the explanation of shortening school holidays and asn so that they do not return home, all of which the mayor (gibran rakabuming raka) has realized. se (surat edaran/sircular letter) which regulates the question of the implementation of community activity restrictions (penerapan pembatasa kegioatan masyarakat/ppkm) for level 2 and level 3. next is the word "he" in the sentence he said to reporters, monday (29/11/2021). the word "he" in the sentence does not mean third person singular, but refers to him, as the mayor of surakarta (gigran rakabuming raka). table 3. second data from solo pos, tuesday wage, first page, november 11, 2021 2 sp sw 1 11 nov 2021 "ini sudah tertuang di se baru nanti, baik untuk se ppkm level 2 maupun se ppkm level 3 di akhir bulannya. kami tinggal sri budiyono, erry pranawa, & gunawan budi santoso the correlation of text, co-text, and context in the solo pos daily news paper edition 2021 896 melaksanakan. intinya kami tidak pengen ada lonjaksn kasus pasca-natal dan tahun baru," ucap gibran. "this has been stated in the new se later, both for se ppkm level 2 and se ppkm level 3 at the end of the month. we just have to carry out. the point is we don't want there to be a spike in cases post-christmas and new years," said gibran. in data 2, solo pos, monday wage, column 1, november 11th, 2021, there is the term “se.”. the word "se" does not mean just a "circular letter". however, more than that is the decree of the mayor of surakarta which regulates policies regarding ppkm (penerapan pembatasan kegiatan masyarakat/the implementation of community activity restrictions) level 2 and ppkm level 3. without seeing or following the previous and following sentences, the meaning of the circular will still be biased. in a sense it is not clear what is meant by the speaker and listener. table 4. third data from solo pos, tuesday wage, first page, november 11, 2021 3 sp sw 1 11 nov 2021 la kemudian meminta lagi masyarakat agar tidak bepergian saat libur natal dan tahun baru. "ya di rumah saja. kalau keluar seperlunya saja. jangan pulang kampung, hindari dululah berpergian di akhir tahun dan tahun baru ini. soal apakah libur sekolah setelah pembatasan itu? ya nanti dululah, sinau sik wis prei suwe rong tahun kok (ya nanti dulu, belajar dulu saja kan sudah libur dua tahun lebih)," kata dia. he then again asked the public not to travel during the christmas and new year holidays. "yes, just stay at home. if you go out as needed. don't go home, avoid traveling at the end of the year and this new year. what about school holidays after this restriction? , study first, it's been more than two years," he said. “he” in the data number 3 mentions (referrs) to the name gibran rakabuming raka. meanwhile, the restrictions refer to the implementation of level 2 and level 3 community activity restrictions (ppkm). here the word “he” has the same meaning as the word “ia” at the beginning of the sentence, which refers to gibran rakabuming raka. table 5. fourth data from solo pos, tuesday wage, first page, november 11, 2021 4 sp sw 1 11 nov 2021 "kami sudah sosialisasi untuk rencana penerapan level 3 nanti. dan yang paling ditekankan, batasan tutup usaha rencananya pukul 21.00 wib sejak 24 desember hingga 2 januari 2022," ucapnya. "we have socialized the plan for the implementation of level 3 later. and what is most emphasized is that the business closing limit is planned at 21.00 wib from december 24 to january 2, 2022," he said. the word "we" refers to the surakarta city civil service police unit (satpol pp). furthermore, the statement "he said" refers to the head of the solo city satpol pp, arif darmawan. in the context of "we are just implementing" in paragraph three the word "implementing" refers to the circular letter regarding the implementation of restrictions on community activities (ppkm). furthermore, the sentence "the point is we don't want a spike in cases post-christmas and new year", in paragraph three what is meant by a spike in cases refers to a spike in covid-19 cases. "we have socialized the level 3 implementation plan later." the word "level 3" refers to the implementation of restrictions on community activities (ppkm). table 6. the fifth data from solo pos, tuesday wage, first page, november 29, 2021 5 sp sw 1 29 nov 2021 langkah penutupan dilakukan seiring merebaknya varian omicron yang dikhawatirkan memicu gelombang baru covid 19 di berbagai negara. the closure was carried out in line with the outbreak of the omicron variant which is feared to trigger a new wave of covid-19 in various countries. the meaning of the word "wave" in data number 5 above means the emergence of a new virus covid 19 which refers to the more virulent omiron variant that comes on a large scale. this causes panic among residents, both from government officials and local residents where they live. caution is of course highly expected. wherever they are, of course, keep their distance, avoid crowds, always wash their hands, reduce mobility, and always maintain health. this step is the safest and most convenient way to deal with the new covid-19 variant. in terms of meaning in context, there is no problem in data number 5 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 897 yet. table 7. the sixth data from solo pos, tuesday wage, first page, november 29, 2021 6 sp sw 1 29 nov 2021 penerbitan sp se ini secara khusus dilakukan dalam rangka pencegahan penyebaran varian baru sarscov 2 penyebab covid -19, yaitu b.1.1.c29 atau omicron. the issuance of sp se (warrant –circular letter) was specifically carried out in order to prevent the spread of the new variant of sarscov 2 the cause of covid-19, namely b.1.1.c29 or omicron. data number 6 shows that in understanding the meaning or intent of the statement, it is necessary to understand the previous and following sentences. readers or speech partners will not know the meaning of sp se. they (readers / speech partners) will understand the meaning after knowing the government. both local and central government. sp se (warrant – circular letter) turns out to contain the meaning of a warrant addressed to its citizens in the form of a circular. table 8. seventh data from solo pos, tuesday wage, first page, december 13, 2021 7 sp sw 1 13 dec 2021 “perlu komitmen untuk menghidupkan aktivitas di dalem pangeran lewat sejumlah kreativitas. banyak jalan untuk itu apabila pemilik punya itikad baik,” ujar bambang saat berbincang dengan espos, senin (13/12/2021). “it takes a commitment to revive activities in the prince's palace through some creativity. there are many ways to do that if the owner has good intentions," said bambang when talking to espos, monday (12/13/2021). data number 7 shows that there are several terms that need special understanding, such as: “commitment”, “dalem pangeran”, and “espos”. the "commitment" in data number 7 means that ideally there is an agreement between the palace and its citizens and even the courtiers who must know, understand, respect, and at the same time comply with what has been decided through a mutually agreed decision. while the term "dalem prince" refers to everything that is in the princely environment, be it the rules, agreements, and even decisions. lastly, in terms of context, the term “espos” refers to a solo pos daily newspaper. table 9. eight data from solo pos, tuesday wage, first page, december 13, 2021 8 sp sw 1 13 dec 2021 bambang mencontohkan dalem purwohamijayan yang kini semakin mentereng setelah direnovasi oleh pemiliknya. selain berfungsi untuk edukasi sejarah, bangunan yang dulu bernama dalem brotodiningrat itu menjadi gedung resepsi serta penginapan. bambang gave the example of dalem purwohamijayan, which is now more classy after being renovated by the owner. in addition to functioning for historical education, the building, which was formerly known as dalem brotodiningrat, became a reception and lodging building. the word "dalem purwohamijayan" is a place to live as well as a building that can be used for anything, including wedding ceremonies. the building was formerly called “dalem brotodiningrat”. besides functioning as a “reception building”, the building can also function as “historical education”, in the sense that it can be used as a place for education about history. table 10. ninth data from solo pos, tuesday wage, first page, december 13, 2021 9 sp sw 1 13 dec 2021 bambang tidak meminta pengelola dalem pangeran lain menjiplak konsep purwohamijayan. menurut dia, pengelola perlu menggali karakter bangunan, serta unsur kebaruan dalam pemberdayaan fungsi dalem pangeran. bambang did not ask other princes' courtiers to copy purwohamijayan's concept. according to him, managers need to explore the character of the building, as well as elements of novelty in empowering the functions of the prince's palace. the building manager "dalem purwohamijayan" (mr. bambang) does not expect the building manager to imitate or imitate the activities or things related to the activities carried out at the "purwohamijayan building". “he” (mr. bambang) hopes that other edung managers can be creative on their own, innovate on their own, and develop their own management concepts based on their own creativity. table 11. tenth data from solo pos, tuesday wage, first page, december 13, 2021 sri budiyono, erry pranawa, & gunawan budi santoso the correlation of text, co-text, and context in the solo pos daily news paper edition 2021 898 10 sp sw 1 13 dec 2021 “seperti dalem suryohamijayan itu, infonya akan berfungsi sebagai museum setelah selesai renovasi tahun depan. bukan tak mungkin dalem-dalem pangeran nantinya bisa menjadi galeri seni, kafe, atau wedangan yang khas. pengembangan fungsi ini penting agar dalem pangeran bisa tetap lestari.” “like dalem suryohamijayan, the information will function as a museum after the renovation is complete next year. it is not impossible that the prince's palaces will later become art galleries, cafes, or special wedangan. the development of this function is important so that the prince's palace can remain sustainable”. data 10 explains that “dalem suryohamijayan” will reportedly also function as a museum, after the dalem is renovated. this shows the creativity of other managers, which allows them to play the function of the dalem (building) in other positive things, such as: art galleries, cafes, and even wedangan with a unique menu or concept, which is different from other wedangan (traditional food stall). conclusion there are two main statements that answer the two questions in this study. the first is 1) what are the results of the text, context, and context correlation analysis in the 2021 edition of the solo pos daily newspaper? and 2) is the correlation of text, context, and context in the 2021 edition of the solo pos daily newspaper sufficiently cohesive and coherent? in general (almost all) of the discourse in the 2021 edition of solo pos daily, the structure has paid attention to the relationships between sentences so that links and coherence can be established between these sentences. meanwhile, in terms of form, it can be called a complete discourse. it is said to be a complete discourse because it contains complete concepts, ideas, thoughts and ideas that can be understood by readers (which happens to be written discourse) or listeners (if the discourse is oral discourse). all structures are grammatical, in the sense that they are arranged grammatically. from the correct arrangement of language, the pattern of arrangement is correct, according to the grammar so that it can be concluded that the grammar is correct. what is the impact if the speech is not coherent and cohesive? cohesion and coherence have a role, namely to maintain the interrelationships between sentences, so that the discourse becomes cohesive, not just a set of sentences where each sentence contains a different topic of discussion, but one element in the text which must state the concept of bonding. furthermore, from the side of coherence. in line with the statement maulana (2019) states that "coherence is how the meaning of sentences in a discourse hung together". the statement implies that coherence is how the meaning of a sentence in a discourse establishes a coherent relationship. furthermore, he also said that "a text can be said to be coherent when each successive sentence can be assigned wholly and without difficulty to one of the relationships". this statement can be said that a text can be said to be coherent when each successive sentence can be given/understood as a whole and without difficulty in any of the relationships. based on the statement above, it can be concluded that a text can be said to be coherent if each successive sentence can be understood as a whole easily and without difficulty in each understanding. as long as it is easy to understand, understandable, there is a woven sentence, that is coherent. almost all the speeches/statements in the 2021 edition of the solo pos daily newspaper, are all easy to understand, sequence, support each other, and more importantly support one concept. indeed there are small parts that are difficult to understand or understand. this requires understanding the situation and culture. this statement is proven in data number 1, solo pos newspaper, which was published on monday wage, page 1, november 11, 2021. data that reads as follows below will make it difficult for readers, listeners, and speech partners. "we will announce the decision immediately. we want to shorten school holidays, as well as for state civil servants (asn) so that they do not return home. this regulation is also contained in the instruction of the minister of home affairs, we just have to implement it. the draft se has also been prepared, i just need to sign it ," he told reporters on monday (11/29/2021). to facilitate understanding related to the word "we" (which means mayor of surakarta (gibran rakabuming raka), "state civil apparatus" (civil servants), "draft se" (a draft containing the solo/surakarta city government policy circular, and the word “dia” which means the mayor of surakarta (gibran rakabuming raka), of course, all of them, both the speaker, the interlocutor/partner, and at the same time the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 899 reader, must know the situation and conditions, and even if necessary the cultural pattern. that is why, in linguistics (especially the sociolinguistic branch of science) you must know mackey's concept of "who speaks, what language, to whom, and when?". who is speaking, to whom the conversation is addressed, in what language, and where. this is what makes understanding easy, communication directed, and meaningful. references akbarjono, a., melati, p., martina, f., syafryadin. (2021). content analysis of speaking activities in english textbook based on 2013 curriculum for the first grade students at senior high school. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 105-112 aker, m., herrera, l.j, p., & daniel, l. (2018). back to the future: the implications of service and problem-based learning in the language, literacy, and cultural acquisition of esol students in the 21st century. the reading matrix: an international online journal, 18(2), 165–181. al-khasawneh, f. m. (2017). a genre analysis of research article abstracts written by native and non-native speakers of english. journal of applied linguistics and language research, 4(1), 1-13 ali, a., javed, a., & murtaza, g. (2020). evaluation of oxford progressive english text book: a qualitative study. sir syed journal of education & social research, 3(3), 364–380. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36902/sjesrvol 3-iss3-2020(364-380) ariawan, s. (2020). investigating cultural dimensions in efl textbook by using byram checklist. register journal, 13(1), 123–152. https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v13i1.123-152 bouckaert, m. (2018). current perspectives on teachers as materials developers: why, what, and how? relc journal, 1–18. doi: 10.1177/0033688218810549 budianti, y. & damayanti, n. (2017). pengaruh metode kwl (know want to learn) terhadap keterampilan dan minat membaca siswa. indonesian journal of primary education, 1(2), 13-18. https://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/ijpe/article/v iew/9311 budiyono, s., waluyo, h. j., slamet, s. y., & rohmadi, m. (2018). text-based language learning to improve student motivation. american journal of humanities and social sciences research (ajhssr), 2(11), 27-34. https://ajhssr.com/wpcontent/uploads/2018/11/d182112734.pdf budiyono, s., pranawa, e., & yuwono, s. e. (2021). language as a communication tool, motivation, achievement, negotiation, and business professionally. seminar nasional riset linguistik dan pengajaran bahasa (senarilip v). v, pp. 73-78. politeknik negeri bali. https://ojs2.pnb.ac.id/index.php/proceedings/art icle/view/219/123 diasa, l.n., & karim, a. (2018). penyimpangan prinsip kesantuan pengikut (followers) dalam wacana instagram. jurnal: bahasa dan sastra, 3(3), 1-13. http://jurnal.untad.ac.id/jurnal/index.php/bds/a rticle/view/10054 hambali, m., mirizon, s., & heryana, n. (2021). difficulty index and cognitive skills of english textbook for senior high school. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics. 6(1), 17-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v6i1.331 hermanto, m. (2017). wacana lisan dalam iklan djarum 76: kajian ancangan etnografi komunikasi. belajar bahasa, 2(1), 34-43. inderawati, r., petrus, i., eryansyah., & meilinda. (2021). needs analysis of vocational high school textbook to local culture materials and the 21st century competencies. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), 245-252 isodarus, p. b. (2017). pembelajaran bahasa berbasis teks. jurnal ilmiah kebudayaan sintesis, 11(1), 1-11. https://ejournal.usd.ac.id/index.php/sintesis/article/view /927 kim, s., & ma, t. (2018). how cultural and linguistic diversity in an english textbook is being portrayed in south korea: a textbook analysis. tesol journal, 15(1), 1–20. https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/intesol/artic le/download/22625/22180/ koutchadé, i. s. (2017). analysing speech acts in buhari’s address at the 71st session of the un general assembly. international journal of applied linguistics & english literature, 6(3), 226-233. maulana, i. p. a. p., dhanawati, n. m., & madia, i.m. (2019). analisis koherensi dan kohesi teks deskripsi. humanis: journal of arts and humanities, 23(3), 185-190. 10.24843/jh.2019.v23.i03.p03 milarisa, s. (2021). book content analysis of brown’s “teaching by principles : an interactive approach to language pedagogy". in i. yuliasri, i. p. hapsari, & a. n. farida (eds.), proceedingunnes-teflin national seminar (pp. 262– 274). universitas negeri semarang. https://utns.proceedings.id/index.php/utns/articl e/view/109 mimeau, c., laroche, a., & deacon, s. h. (2019). the relation between syntactic awareness and contextual facilitation in word reading: what is the role of semantics?. journal of research in https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.36902/sjesrvol3-iss3-2020(364-380) https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.36902/sjesrvol3-iss3-2020(364-380) https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v13i1.123-152 https://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/ijpe/article/ https://ojs2.pnb.ac.id/index.php/proceedings/article/view/219/123 https://ojs2.pnb.ac.id/index.php/proceedings/article/view/219/123 http://jurnal.untad.ac.id/jurnal/index.php/bds/article/view/10054 http://jurnal.untad.ac.id/jurnal/index.php/bds/article/view/10054 http://dx.doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v6i1.331 https://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/sintesis/article/view/927 https://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/sintesis/article/view/927 https://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/sintesis/article/view/927 https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/intesol/article/download/22625/22180/ https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/intesol/article/download/22625/22180/ sri budiyono, erry pranawa, & gunawan budi santoso the correlation of text, co-text, and context in the solo pos daily news paper edition 2021 900 reading, 42(1), 178-192. doi:10.1111/1467 9817.1226 miroud, s. (2021). an evaluation of the reading texts in the english text book for the 3rd year of secondary education. algerian scientific journal platform, 10(2), 69–92. https://www.asjp.cerist.dz/en/presentationrevu e /300 muhtarom, m. (2020). education development of nation character and culture in pesantren. inovasi, 2, 114-123. nuryanto, s., abidin, a. z., setijowati, u., & sismulyasih, n. (2018). peningkatkan keterampilan berbicara mahasiswa pgsd dalam perkuliahan bahasa indonesia berbasis konservasi nilai-nilai karakter melalui penerapan metode task based activity dengan media audio visual. jurnal penelitian pendidikan, 35(1), 83-94. rahmat, y. n., & coxhead, a. (2021). investigating vocabulary coverage and load in an indonesian efl textbook series. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 10(3), 804–814. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i3.31768 razak, a., hermandra., & elmustian. (2021). developing descriptive text reading materials based on constructivism approach. jurnal pajar (pendidikan pengajaran), 5(3), 585598. http://dx.doi.org/1033578/pjr.v5i3.8272 riadi, m. (2019). pengertian, fungsi, karakteristik dan jenis surat kabar. kajian pustaka. https://www.kajianpustaka.com/2019/10/penger tian-fungsi-karakteristik-dan-jenis-suratkabar.html rohman, m., & mukhibat, m. (2017). internalisasi nilai-nilai sosio-kultural berbasis etno-religi di man yogyakarta iii. edukasia: jurnal penelitian pendidikan islam, 12(1), 31 56. suharyadi, s.,widiati, u., & bastono, y. (2021). exploring efl teachers’ new pedagogical content knowledge of genre-based approach. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 1-14. suparlan. (2019). ketrampilan membaca pada pembelajaran bahasa indonesia di sd/mi. fondatia : jurnal pendidikan dasar, 5(1), 112.https://ejournal.stitpn.ac.id/index.php/fondati a suherdi, d., kurniawan, e., & lubis, a. h. (2020). a genre analysis of research article “findings and discussion” sections written by indonesian undergraduate efl students. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 10(1), 59–72. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i1.24989 supriyadi., asrofah., & umaya, n.m. (2022). pengembangan bahan ajar teks cerita pendek dengan penerapan strategi transformasi cerita pengalaman pribadi tingkat smp di kabupaten pati (development of short story text teaching materials with the implementation of a transformation strategy for personal experience stories at the junior high school level in pati regency). teks: jurnal penelitian bahasa dan sastra, 7(2), 169-178. tomlinson, b., & masuhara, h. (2018). the complete guide to the theory and practice of materials development for language learning. wiley backwell. tyas, m. a., nurkamto, j., marmanto, s., & laksani, h. (2019). developing higher order thinking skills (hots) – based questions: indonesian efl teachers’ challenges, 2(1), 52-63. doi:10.17501/26307413.2019.2106 wabdaron, d.y., & reba, y.a. (2020). peningkatan keterampilan berbicara melalui metode pembelajaran berbasis masalah siswa sekolah dasar manokwari papua barat. jurnal papeda: 2(1), 27-36. wu, y., & pei, z. (2018). an investigation of critical thinking manifested in the questions of efl textbooks for tertiary-level english majors of china. american journal of education and learning, 3(2), 72-84. yundayani, a., emzir., & rafli, z. (2017). need analysis: the writing skill instructional material context for academic purposes. english review: journal of english education, 6(1), 59–70. https://www.asjp.cerist.dz/en/presentationrevue https://www.asjp.cerist.dz/en/presentationrevue https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i3.31768 http://dx.doi.org/1033578/pjr.v5i3.8272 https://www.kajianpustaka.com/2019/10/pengertian-fungsi-karakteristik-dan-jenis-surat-kabar.html https://www.kajianpustaka.com/2019/10/pengertian-fungsi-karakteristik-dan-jenis-surat-kabar.html https://www.kajianpustaka.com/2019/10/pengertian-fungsi-karakteristik-dan-jenis-surat-kabar.html https://ejournal.stitpn.ac.id/index.php/fondatia https://ejournal.stitpn.ac.id/index.php/fondatia https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i1.24989 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 343 exploring the realization of cohesion as a resource of text texture on undergraduate students’ academic writing magdalena ngongo english department, educational faculty, universitas kristen artha wacana, indonesia email: magdalenangongo12@gmail.com alfriani ndandara english department, educational faculty, universitas kristen artha wacana, indonesia e-mail: alfnda@gmail.com apa scitation: ngongo, m., & ndandara, a. (2024). exploring the realization of cohesion as a resource of text texture on undergraduate students’ academic writing. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 343-352. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9241 received: 21-10-2023 accepted: 21-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 abstract: this study aimed to explore the realization of cohesion as text texture resource on undergraduate students’ academic writing. the researchers were aware that students’ writing might be affected by their understanding of what had been learned before. to write an academic writing was not easy for them since they should integrate knowledge either the content being writing or grammar including text texture. texture of text were realized in cohesion devices namely reference, conjunction, ellipsis and lexical organization. in order to do this study, the researchers applied qualitative method, the population was academic writings texts that were written by students in 2021. purposive random sampling strategy were applied to get the 12 samples of theses writing specified only texts related to teaching and learning english. data gained were identified and classified based on the view of resources of cohesion realization and then be analyzed and interpreted to get its result about the text texture. based on the analysis it was found out that the realization of cohesion as resources of text texture were in reference that covered to personal, demonstrative and comparative references; conjunctions, ellipsis, substitution and lexical organization it was found out that cohesion resources were realized in reference, conjunction and repetition were mostly used. this fact might because of text types and students’ limitation of using varieties realization of substitution, ellipsis and other lexical cohesion. it is hoped that the result of this study can give contribution to the english lecturers, especially to the lecturers of writing and grammar. keywords: academic writing; cohesion; realization; text texture; undergraduate students. introduction the significance of cohesive devices in both written and spoken texts cannot be overstated, as they play a crucial role in creating semantic connections within a text (halliday 2014; alyousef, 2021; kifti et al., 2022; tabari and johnson, 2023; ngongo, 2023; galparvan, 2024). these devices, when applied at the grammatical level, ensure a text's coherence, aiding listeners or readers in comprehending its intended message. cohesive devices are integral to various text types, including academic writing by students learning english as a foreign language. it's essential for these students to grasp the application of cohesive devices in both oral and written communication. however, learners often find it challenging to employ the full range of cohesive strategies effectively. this research focuses on how cohesive devices manifest in the academic writing of students. it aims to observe and analyze the practical use of language, particularly the implementation of cohesive devices in academic contexts. recognizing the pedagogical importance of cohesive devices helps forge a positive educational rapport between authors and readers, facilitating understanding (kitti et al., 2021). given the pivotal role of cohesive devices in academic writing, this study seeks to answer two main questions: (1) how is text texture realized in students' academic writing? and (2) what types of cohesive devices are employed to unify the text texture in academic writings? by examining academic writings as a corpus, this study scrutinizes the semantic links facilitated by cohesive devices at the grammatical level. the analysis incorporates halliday (1985), bloor and bloor's (1995), and halliday and matthiessen's (2004, 2014) frameworks on cohesive devices, including reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, and lexical cohesion. previous research by experts such as ngongo (2013, 2015, magdalena ngongo & alfriani ndandara exploring the realization of cohesion as a resource of text texture on undergraduate students’ academic writing 344 2023), alyousef (2021), and others have laid the groundwork for understanding lexical and grammatical cohesion in both spoken and written texts, providing a foundation for this study. the recent shift to online learning, including the submission and feedback process for academic writing due to the covid-19 pandemic, presents a unique context for analyzing students' text texture and cohesive device usage. this study acknowledges the lexicogrammatical resources as pivotal for text texture, emphasizing the importance of cohesion in creating a unified and coherent text. cohesion is defined as the semantic links that bind a text, forming a cohesive and interdependent structure. the exploration of cohesion as a resource of text texture in undergraduate students' academic writing is a critical aspect of linguistic analysis that has garnered significant attention in recent academic research. studies across various contexts and methodologies have shed light on how cohesive devices contribute to the clarity, coherence, and overall textual integrity of academic writing, especially among students learning english as a second language (esl) or as a foreign language (efl). alimohammadi (2023) provides a comprehensive examination of coherence and cohesion within esl academic writing environments, emphasizing the role of translation and the framework of orientation to meaning in language teaching (fomt) in enhancing language teaching methodologies. this study underscores the importance of cohesive devices in facilitating a deeper understanding of academic texts among esl learners. ansori et al. (2023) delve into the cohesion of descriptive text writing among students in an indonesian secondary school, highlighting the challenges and successes in employing cohesive devices in their writings. similarly, ariwibowo et al. (2023) analyze cohesion devices in recount texts, offering insights into the pedagogical implications of cohesion in narrative writing. benshams et al. (2023) explore the coherence analysis of iranian ma students' comprehension and production of english relative clauses, suggesting that a solid understanding of cohesive devices can significantly enhance students' academic writing skills. this is echoed in daud et al.’s (2023) examination of grammatical cohesion in essay writing, which identifies key areas where students struggle with employing effective cohesion strategies. the role of lexical cohesion is critically analyzed in studies by hisni et al. (2023), and jassim (2023), who both point out the nuanced ways in which lexical choices contribute to the overall cohesion and coherence of academic texts. khalil, abu-ayyash, and salhieh (2023) further emphasize the role of lexical cohesion in improving the quality of essay writing, suggesting targeted instructional strategies to bolster students' writing competencies. pandie et al.’s (2023) analysis of cohesion in ielts reading texts and mahmood and dhia's (2023) study on cohesion-based equivalence in translation highlight the broader implications of cohesive devices in both understanding and producing complex academic texts. the collection of references provided explores the multifaceted role of cohesion as a resource for text texture in undergraduate students' academic writing. this synthesis delves into various dimensions of cohesion, ranging from its developmental changes as evidenced in high school students measured by coh-metrix, to its critical role in text creation, and the detailed analysis of cohesive devices in different academic writing contexts. wang (2023) investigates how text cohesion evolves with grade levels among senior high school students, highlighting an advancement in writing abilities towards more coherent and organized expression. similarly, daud et al. (2023) examine grammatical cohesion in students' essay writing, emphasizing the significance of cohesion for ensuring clarity and the logical progression of arguments. sitio et al. (2023), and ariwibowo et al. (2023), provide in-depth analyses on the realization of cohesive devices in the jakarta post news editorials and students' recount text writings, respectively. these studies show the variation and effectiveness of cohesive strategies in enhancing text texture, demonstrating how judiciously employed cohesive devices can significantly improve the readability and comprehensibility of academic texts. jassim (2023) discusses the role of cohesion in text creation, underlining the importance of cohesive elements in facilitating text comprehension and effective text production. bhartia, sehrawat, & sharma (2023) explore students' assessments of global and local coherence and their psychological impacts, revealing how cohesion influences perceptions and assessments of text quality. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 345 nunan & choi (2023), and ramzan et al. (2023) explore the challenges in academic writing for english as a second language (esl) learners, stressing the necessity of cohesion for clarity and coherence in academic writing. umarova (2023) presents a unique perspective on online learning and cohesion use in the context of the pandemic, highlighting the adaptation of learning strategies to maintain coherence in writing. thi et al. (2023) emphasize the importance of feedback in enhancing text cohesion, focusing on how higher proficiency students engage with and apply feedback from teachers and grammarly in an efl writing course. this indicates the critical role of constructive feedback in refining cohesive use in student writings. siddiqui et al. (2023) conduct an error analysis on paragraph organization in the writing of pakistani college students, offering insights into common errors that disrupt text cohesion and coherence. these references collectively underscore the importance of cohesion as a resource for text texture in academic writing by undergraduate students. the researches show that an understanding and effective use of cohesive devices not only enhance clarity and coherence of texts but also facilitate the learning process and the improvement of students' writing skills. in synthesizing these findings, it becomes evident that cohesive devices play a pivotal role in enhancing the textural quality of undergraduate students' academic writing. the realization of cohesion through reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, and lexical cohesion not only aids in achieving textual coherence but also supports students' ability to express complex ideas more effectively. this body of research collectively advocates for a more focused pedagogical approach to teaching cohesive devices, emphasizing the need for comprehensive strategies that address the linguistic challenges faced by esl and efl learners in academic writing contexts. this study explores various sources of cohesion, including reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, and lexical organization, as outlined by halliday and his colleagues. reference functions to maintain participant continuity in the text, while substitution and ellipsis prevent repetition by offering grammatical alternatives. conjunctions connect clauses and reveal the text's underlying semantic relationships, categorized into additive, adversative, causal, and temporal types. lastly, lexical cohesion, achieved through reiteration and collocation, strengthens the text's cohesive effect by linking lexical items across sentences. this comprehensive examination of cohesive devices aims to enhance understanding and application in academic writing, particularly for students learning english as a foreign language. to summarize the types of cohesion (adopted from halliday and matthiessen, 2014, p.608) the table below is presented. table 1. types of cohesion general type grammatical zone [(location in) grammatical unit] lexical zone [lexical item] transition between messages conjunction [unit:clause] status of elements in meaning reference [unit:nominal, adverb] lexical cohesion [synonymy, hyponymy] in wording ellipsis-&-substitution [unit(complex):clause, nominal group, adverbial group [repetition, collocation] the research gap identified in this study lies in the nuanced understanding of how cohesive devices are employed by students learning english as a foreign language, specifically within the domain of academic writing. previous studies have extensively explored the use of cohesive devices in various forms of texts and their importance in ensuring text coherence and comprehensibility. however, there is a noticeable scarcity of research focusing on the detailed application and challenges faced by non-native english speakers in integrating cohesive devices into their academic writings. this gap highlights the need for a closer examination of the types and effectiveness of cohesive strategies used by these students in constructing coherent academic texts. the novelty of this research stems from its specific focus on analyzing the text texture realized through cohesive devices in academic writings produced by students during the covid19 pandemic, a period marked by a significant shift to online learning and digital submission magdalena ngongo & alfriani ndandara exploring the realization of cohesion as a resource of text texture on undergraduate students’ academic writing 346 processes. this unique context provides an opportunity to explore how remote learning environments and the absence of traditional, interactive classroom settings might have influenced students' use and understanding of cohesive devices in their writings. additionally, this study aims to contribute new insights into the pedagogical strategies that can support students in overcoming these challenges. by identifying the types of cohesive devices most frequently used, as well as those that students struggle with, this research seeks to offer targeted recommendations for enhancing the teaching and learning of cohesive device application in efl (english as a foreign language) contexts. thus, the research not only fills a gap in the existing literature but also proposes practical implications for improving efl academic writing instruction in the digital era. method this study employs a descriptive documentary analysis approach to examine cohesion within undergraduate students' academic writings, particularly those concerning english teaching and learning composed in 2021. a purposive selection strategy was used to gather a representative sample of 12 texts from the broader student population, focusing specifically on those pieces that provide insight into the textural cohesiveness. the chosen texts were subjected to a detailed analytical process designed to uncover the mechanisms of cohesion present within the academic discourse. the analysis was conducted using a combination of formal and informal methods, thereby ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the text's structure and coherence. the theoretical foundation for this investigation was provided by systemic functional linguistics (sfl), drawing on the seminal works of halliday (1976, 1994), along with eggins (1994). this theoretical perspective facilitated a nuanced analysis of the texts, enabling the identification and classification of cohesive devices and their contribution to the overall textual unity. in addition to qualitative analysis, this study also incorporated quantitative data to augment the interpretation of the findings, providing a richer context for understanding the role of cohesion in academic writing. the collaborative effort between the authors and co-authors in data collection, classification, analysis, and interpretation ensures a robust and comprehensive exploration of the subject matter. the insights gained from this study are intended to inform pedagogical practices, offering valuable recommendations for lecturers involved in teaching writing and academic structure. by identifying key areas where students struggle with creating cohesive texts, educators can tailor their instruction to address these challenges, ultimately enhancing students' ability to produce coherent and cohesive academic writings. this approach not only contributes to the academic community by deepening our understanding of text cohesion but also offers practical benefits for improving student outcomes in academic writing. results and discussion in analyzing student academic writings, it was observed that text texture is established through cohesive devices such as reference, conjunction, ellipsis, and lexical organization. from an examination of eleven student theses, it emerged that three categories of references were predominantly employed: personal, demonstrative, and comparative. reference regarding personal references, these were utilized either as the main noun in a phrase or as determinatives and deictics, including possessive determiners or premodifiers. these references were noted in both singular and plural forms, indicating a variety of personal reference strategies employed within the texts to maintain cohesion and clarity. table 1. personal reference items (adopted from halliday 2014) head premodifier thing: pronoun deitic: determiner determinative possessive singular masculine he/him his his feminine she/her her hers neutral it [its] its plural they/them their theirs table 1 pictures that personal reference items were used in academic writing as one type of cohesion that tie the text. the examples of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 347 personal reference in students’ writing can be seen in this following data. (1) //the writer analyze the transcription and put them in the table of check list…//.(yn p26) (2) ///…. in a series of sequence steps, they are organized by goal, material, …./// (mc p 9) (3) //the researcher takes questionnaire as an instrument// it is related to the ….// (fy p29) (4) ///teacher faced difficulty of using internet media //she followed every instruction… ///(fj p32) examples 1 to 4 showcase various personal reference uses, linking back to specific elements within the text: "them" referring to sequential steps, "it" connecting to a questionnaire, and "she" pointing to a teacher. additionally, the text incorporates diverse personal references, both as main subjects or modifiers, in both singular and plural forms. according to halliday, personal references are amongst the most frequently utilized cohesive devices in writing (halliday, 1994, p. 312). in this particular study, personal references play a crucial role in maintaining continuity of participants across the thesis, ensuring clarity in tracking through the use of demonstrative references. the application of demonstrative references within the students' thesis writing is detailed in table 2, illustrating their significance in enhancing text cohesion and clarity. table 2. demonstrative reference items in text (adopted from halliday 2014) nominal group adverbial group head/thing premodifier/ deitic head pronoun determiner adverb specific near this/these this/.these here (now) remote that/those that/those there(then) non-specific it the table 2 illustrates examples of demonstrative references utilized in student writings, highlighting references that can be specific, indicating proximity through the use of "this/these" for closeness and "that/those" for distance. additionally, it showcases non-specific references such as "it" and "the," which do not refer to a specific proximity. examples demonstrating how demonstrative references are applied in the text are provided in examples five and six. these examples underscore the versatility of demonstrative references in pointing out relations of nearness or remoteness, as well as their function in referring to entities in a more general sense. ///…these strategies are mentioned in the theory of teaching writing strategies…./// (mc p36) (1) /// unesco has set a standard for reading books should be 4-6 hours per day// this is indicated by the percentage…./// (an p34) (2) ….there is no right and wrong answer. it is open question…(ra p12) examples five and six illustrate the use of demonstrative referencing. in these instances, the words 'these' and 'this' are categorized as specific demonstrative references, while example six showcases the use of 'it' as a non-specific demonstrative reference. halliday describes demonstrative referencing as a form of "verbal pointing" that indicates a "degree of proximity" to the referenced item (halliday and matthiessen, 2004, 2014). demonstrative references often employ "the" as a determiner or premodifier to point out something non-specific yet explicitly referred to within the text. this type of referencing plays a crucial role in directing the reader's attention to specific elements within the discourse. among the various cohesive devices observed in student writings, references, particularly demonstrative ones, were predominant. in addition to demonstrative references, comparative references were also a significant aspect, characterized by expressions such as "the same," "another," "bigger," "equally," and "likewise." common comparative references included terms like "such," "other," and "more," indicating a standard pattern of usage among students. these comparative references function to draw parallels or highlight differences, thereby enriching the text's cohesion by connecting ideas or concepts based on similarity or contrast. examples from student theses demonstrate the application of comparative references, underscoring their importance in establishing connections within academic discourse. magdalena ngongo & alfriani ndandara exploring the realization of cohesion as a resource of text texture on undergraduate students’ academic writing 348 (3) /// in marginal interaction, students act more as listeners //and less speak out in the classroom/// (fy p23) (4) ///emoji can be described as graphic symbols or ideogram that not only show facial expression but also wider concepts and idea…/// (jw p10) (10)///…direct method is one of the most well known methods for a lonh time, which focuses…/// (yn p15) examples eight to ten demonstrate the employment of comparative references such as "more," "less," "wider," and "most" in student writings. these comparative reference items function within nominal groups to signal general characteristics like identity, similarity, and difference, or to point out specific attributes concerning quality and quantity. this mechanism, as elucidated by halliday and matthiessen (2014), aids in linking concepts by underscoring their commonalities or distinctions, thereby enhancing the cohesion of the text by making the relationships within the discourse clearer. regarding conjunctions, they are pivotal in weaving together the narrative of student theses, ensuring a seamless flow of ideas. halliday (2014) outlines their main purposes as facilitating elaboration (through appositive and clarificative means), extension (via additive, adversative, and variative methods), and enhancement (through temporal, comparative, causal, conditional, concessive, and content-related approaches). these varied uses of conjunctions enrich the text's coherence, allowing authors to more effectively detail, contrast, compare, and elucidate concepts, as illustrated by the examples provided. (12) ///…. as a mean of communication, language can accommodate various idea/// (ra p1) (13) ///… so that it arouses students interest on online program/// (ay p3) (14)///…. the lecture must give motivation to students, //then they motivated to learn/// (fb p.15) (15) // but the online learning process the lecturers and the students doing the communication through the media online// (fb p.16) example 12 illustrates the use of conjunction for the purpose of elaboration, specifically through apposition, which adds explanatory information or clarifies the preceding text. example number 13 showcases the use of conjunctions for enhancement, particularly to establish causal relationships, indicating reasons or causes. example number 14 employs conjunctions for enhancement again, but focuses on conditional relationships, presenting scenarios or conditions. meanwhile, example number 15 uses conjunctions for enhancement through concessive relationships, acknowledging contrasts or exceptions. these types of conjunctions serve to deepen the coherence between clauses in the text, enhancing its overall flow and readability. other conjunctions enhancing text cohesion include "but," "thus," "therefore," "finally," "however," "so," "anyway," "though," "in consequence," "additionally," and "moreover." substitution and ellipsis, as halliday (2014) details, are crucial for academic writing, appearing in clauses, verbal, and nominal groups. substitution in clauses often takes the form of "so" in yes/no responses, while ellipsis frequently occurs in "wh-" constructions. in verbal and nominal groups, substitution appears as "do" for verbs and "one" for nouns. these tools are sparingly but effectively used in thesis writing to tie new material with existing knowledge and to manage teacher-directed tasks, enhancing textual cohesion without redundancy. lexical cohesion extends beyond grammatical referencing, substitution, ellipsis, and conjunction, relying on the vocabulary's non-grammatical arrangement to unify the text. it includes repetition, synonymy, hyponymy (for elaboration), meronymy (for extension), and collocation (for enhancement). repetition is notably prevalent, connecting lexical items within the text to reinforce themes and ideas, illustrating the deliberate repetition of terms to maintain thematic consistency and enhance clarity. (18) ///the teacher prepared watch app and google classroom in teaching //but the teacher also use you tube…/// (fp p:39) (19) // a person will pay more attention to enjoy some activities/ or to enjoy certain subjects// (ab p3) (20) /// the writer will review some previous researches// which the writer discusses the points// which have relation to the title/// (fp p7) examples 18 to 20 illustrate the technique of repetition, focusing on the repeated use of terms such as "teacher," "enjoy," and "writer." this method is in line with halliday's (2004) understanding that lexical cohesion is effectively english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 349 enhanced by repeating key lexical elements within a text. such repetition serves to strengthen the coherence of the discourse by reinforcing concepts and themes consistently across the text. regarding synonymy, examples 21 and 22 showcase how the strategic use of varied yet semantically similar vocabulary can enrich the text's coherence and diversity. this approach allows for the expression of parallel ideas without sacrificing the clarity of the discourse, thereby maintaining reader engagement and understanding through a richer lexical palette. (21) ///….it can be concluded //that internet has some benefit or advantages in learning process…// it can also has bad influence or disadvantages…/// (fp p18) (22) ///…their processing capacity to read…//…interferes with their ability to comprehend…/// (dfa p10) example 21 demonstrates the use of "benefit" and "advantages" as synonyms, providing varied expressions for the same concept, while example 22 uses "capacity" and "ability" interchangeably. this technique of employing synonyms, such as matching "comprehend" with "understanding," "influence" with "interfere," "technique" with "strategy," and "colleague" with "classmate," along with equating "obstacle" to "problem," showcases the strategic use of varied vocabulary to maintain conceptual continuity without redundancy. this approach to synonymy enriches the text by offering diverse expressions that enhance understanding and engagement, without necessarily requiring direct one-to-one correspondence between words. in terms of hyponymy and collocation, hyponymy serves as a method of elaboration within lexical cohesion, establishing relationships by presenting specific examples or variations that belong to a broader category. this technique not only elucidates and broadens concepts but also deepens the textual narrative by integrating particular instances or types within a general class. the use of hyponymy and collocation in the text thereby contributes to a more comprehensive and nuanced exploration of ideas, enriching the discourse with detailed specificity and variety. (23) // teacher’s questions is one small part of teacher talk. // (rya p7) (24) ///there are other types of questions….//, such as opened-ended questions/// (rya p29) (25) /// …by avoiding eye contact// it can be said that students do not respond…// (rya p15) (26) ///… to create students critical thinking in class// the teacher has to push students…// (rya p2) in examining the structure of academic texts through the lens of cohesion, the examples numbered 23 and 24 illustrate the principle of hyponymy by demonstrating how certain terms fit within broader categories, enhancing the text's clarity and depth. for example, "teacher's questions" are shown to be a specific aspect of "teacher talk," establishing a clear hierarchical relationship that adds depth to the discourse. "open-ended questions" are presented as a distinct type of "questions," further detailing the range of teacher-student interactions. these instances reveal the sophisticated ways language is used to build a complex and detailed understanding of topics within academic writing. examples 25 and 26 highlight the concept of collocation, where certain word pairs naturally cooccur to express meanings that surpass their individual parts, such as "avoiding eye contact" and "creating students' critical thinking." these phrases exemplify how specific combinations of words can significantly enhance the meaning and coherence of the text, enriching the overall discourse. moreover, the use of antonyms like "questionanswer" and "active-passive sentence" introduces a contrastive dimension to the narrative, deepening the text's richness by juxtaposing different concepts. this method not only captures the reader's interest but also encourages a more engaged and analytical reading experience. together, these cohesive techniques—from referencing and conjunctions to repetition, ellipsis, and lexical cohesion—constitute the foundational elements of academic writing, facilitating the creation of texts that are coherent, meaningful, and richly detailed. through careful application of these devices, writers can navigate readers through complex arguments with ease, ensuring comprehensibility and fostering a deeper engagement with the content. this multifaceted approach to academic writing highlights the intricate nature of scholarly discourse and magdalena ngongo & alfriani ndandara exploring the realization of cohesion as a resource of text texture on undergraduate students’ academic writing 350 underscores the essential role of cohesion in crafting texts that are both unified and insightful. conclusion the comprehensive analysis of students' academic writing reveals the pivotal role of cohesive devices in crafting text texture, highlighting how reference, conjunction, repetition, ellipsis, and lexical cohesion contribute to creating a coherent and unified discourse. the employment of personal, demonstrative, and comparative references enables writers to maintain thematic continuity and referential clarity throughout their texts. conjunctions serve to weave together disparate ideas, ensuring a smooth narrative flow that guides the reader through the text's argumentative structure. the analysis further demonstrates that substitution and ellipsis, though used less frequently, offer valuable tools for avoiding redundancy, enabling a more concise and readerfriendly presentation of ideas. lexical cohesion, manifested through repetition, synonymy, hyponymy, and collocation, enriches the text's lexical field, fostering a deeper semantic connection and enhancing the reader's engagement with the text. moreover, the strategic use of antonyms introduces a dynamic contrast within the text, enriching the discourse and inviting readers to engage in a more active and critical reading process. these cohesive devices collectively contribute to the text's overall texture, making academic writing more accessible, engaging, and comprehensible for readers. this study underscores the importance of cohesive devices in enhancing the quality of academic writing, particularly for students learning english as a foreign language. it highlights the need for targeted instructional strategies that focus on the effective use of these devices, aiming to improve students' writing skills and ensure their academic success. by fostering a deeper understanding of cohesion and coherence, educators can empower students to produce wellstructured and compelling academic texts, ultimately enhancing their communicative competence and academic performance. references alimohammadi, s. (2023). coherence and cohesion in an esl academic writing environment: rethinking the use of translation and fomt in language teaching (doctoral dissertation, université d'ottawa/university of ottawa). alyousef, h. s. (2021). text cohesion in english scientific texts written by saudi undergraduate dentistry students: a multimodal discourse analysis of textual and logical relations in oral biology texts. sage open, 11(3), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211032194 ansori, n. a. s., suwandi, s., & wahyuni, s. (2023). an analysis of the cohesion of the students’descriptive text writing in smp negeri 01 tayu in the academic year 2021/2022. wawasan pendidikan, 3(1), 188-198. ariwibowo, t., hidayat, d. n., husna, n., alek, a., & sufyan, a. (2023). a discourse analysis of cohesion devices an students’ writing of recount text. jurnal pendidikan, sains sosial, dan agama, 9(1), 22-32. benshams, m., sadighi, f., falahati qadimi fumani, m. r., & rashidi, n. (2023). coherence analysis of iranian ma students’ comprehension and production of english relative clauses. journal of language and translation, 13(1), 41-59. bhartia, s., sehrawat, a., & sharma, r. c. (2023). students' assessments of global, local coherence and their psychological impacts to examine the quantitative and qualitative disparities in esl students’ persuasive texts. journal for reattach therapy and developmental diversities, 6(6s), 341-351. bloor, t., & bloor, m. (1995). the functional analysis of english. arnold. daud, a., ajam, a., & jusnita, n. (2023). students’ grammatical cohesion in essay writing. langua: journal of linguistics, literature, and language education, 6(1), 23-34. eggins, s. (1994). an introduction to systemic functional linguistics. pinter. galparvan, e. s., crosthwaite, p., & ziaeian, e. (2024). mapping cohesion in research articles of applied linguistics: a close look at rhetorical sections. journal of english for academic purposes, 43(2), 112-130. halliday, m. a. k. (1985). an introduction to functional grammar. edward arnold. halliday, m. a. k., & matthiessen, m. i. m. c. (2004). an introduction to functional grammar. oxford university press. halliday, m. a. k., & matthiessen, m. i. m. c. (2014). halliday’s introduction to functional grammar. michael toolan (ed.). university of birmingham, uk. hisni, m. z., rudianto, g., & johan, m. (2023). analysis of lexical cohesion in the legends of batam’s community: a study of discourse analysis. idebahasa, 5(1), 171-186. jassim, a. h. (2023). the role of cohesion in text creation. language, discourse & society, 11(1), 159-170. khalil, a. a., abu-ayyash, e. a., & salhieh, s. e. m. (2023, may). the role of lexical cohesion in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 351 improving twelfth graders’ essay writing quality. in buid doctoral research conference 2022: multidisciplinary studies (pp. 67-78). springer nature switzerland. kifti, h. i., mursid, s., & dwi, a. l. b. (2022). the use of cohesive devices in descriptive text by english training participants at pst. eej, 12(1), 96-103. mahmood, z. a., & dhia, a. a. r. (2023). cohesionbased equivalence in translating english texts into arabic: problems and strategies. journal of al-farahidi's arts, 15(53| first part). ngongo, m. (2015). teks kette katonga weri kawendo pada masyarakat adat wewewa di pulau sumba: analisis linguistik sistemik fungsional. masyarakat indonesia: majalah ilmu-ilmu sosial indonesia, 41(1), lipi press, jakarta. nunan, d., & choi, j. (2023). clarity and coherence in academic writing: using language as a resource. taylor & francis. pandie, t. m., haan, j. w., & suek, l. a. (2023). an analysis of cohesion in the ielts reading text three entitled “reading in a whole new way: as technology improves, how does the act of reading change?” by guy brook-hart and vanessa jakeman. sparkle journal of language, education, and culture, 2(1), 66-75. ramzan, m., mushtaq, a., & ashraf, z. (2023). evacuation of difficulties and challenges for academic writing in esl learning. university of chitral journal of linguistics and literature, 7(i), 42-49. siddiqui, k. a., abbasi, r. h., & soomro, a. (2023). paragraph organization errors in the writing of pakistani college-going students: an error analysis study. academy of education and social sciences review, 3(2), 131-139. sitio, i. t., nasution, m. n., & nurlela, n. (2023). cohesive devices realization in the jakarta post news editorials: a discourse analysis. deiksis, 15(1), 10-24. tabari, a. m., & johnson, d. m. (2023). exploring new insight into the role of cohesive devices in written academic genres. assessing writing, 57, 101-117. thi, n. k., nikolov, m., & simon, k. (2023). higherproficiency students’ engagement with and uptake of teacher and grammarly feedback in an efl writing course. innovation in language learning and teaching, 17(3), 690-705. umarova, a. (2023). lockdown, online learning, and sense of coherence: how i managed to finish my master’s degree during the covid-19 pandemic. in research and teaching in a pandemic world: the challenges of establishing academic identities during times of crisis (pp. 229-242). springer nature singapore. wang, m. (2023). the changes in text cohesion of senior high school students measured by coh‐metrix as a function of grade level. journal of theory and practice of social science, 3(10), 23-28. magdalena ngongo & alfriani ndandara exploring the realization of cohesion as a resource of text texture on undergraduate students’ academic writing 352 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 301 investigating students’ expectations of the lecturers’ styles in teaching english diana achmad department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas syiah kuala, banda aceh, indonesia email: diana.achmad@usk.ac.id asnawi muslem department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas syiah kuala, banda aceh, indonesia email: drasnawi@usk.ac.id tia rahmanita department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas syiah kuala, banda aceh, indonesia email: tiarahmanita@gmail.com humaira irfan khan department of english, division of arts and social sciences, university of education, lahore, punjab, pakistan email: drhumairakhan2015@gmail.com apa citation: achmnad, d., muslem, a., rahmanita, t., & khan, h. i. (2023). investigating students’ expectations of the lecturers’ styles in teaching english. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 301-314. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7972 received: 16-10-2022 accepted: 24-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction in the teaching and learning process, both teachers and students are two aspects that play an important role in achieving learning success. the teachers have the responsibility to change the students positively and motivate them to pursue their goals in learning (larasati et al., 2019). meanwhile, students should understand their roles, such as how to be a good learner and what they truly need and expect from their teachers. by knowing their roles, both teachers and students would know what to expect from each other and a good relationship between them will create successful learning. teachers are expected to be knowledgeable to create an effective teaching atmosphere, such as the lesson content, strategic methodologies, and skillful delivery of ideas to the students. for example, when teaching the english language, teachers should not only be able to transfer knowledge to students, but they also need to create enjoyable classes so that students are not bored during class activities (sari, 2018). teachers who have good relationships with abstract: the teaching style is the way the lecturer delivers material and controls students’ activities in the classroom. teachers have their own teaching style depending on personal and students’ needs. meanwhile, the students have their own expectations regarding the teachers’ styles of teaching english as well. this research investigated the university students’ expectations of the lecturers’ styles in teaching english. it used descriptive quantitative and qualitative methods as the research design. the data were collected by distributing a questionnaire to 45 students and interviewing 9 of them who were randomly chosen from the students majoring in english at one of the universities in banda aceh, indonesia. the quantitative data were analyzed statistically, while the qualitative data were analyzed through data condensation, data display, and conclusion. the results of the research revealed that the dominant lecturer’s style expected by the students in teaching english is the combination of facilitator, personal model, and expert styles. the students favored the lecturers who facilitate students’ learning activities, give personal examples, and provide detailed information that students need. if the lecturers used only one teaching style, the students said they would get bored and learning would not reach maximum results. the combination of the three styles is a form of the student-centered model in which students play an active role in the learning activity in the classroom. keywords: students’ expectations; teaching english; teaching styles. mailto:diana.achmad@usk.ac.id mailto:drasnawi@usk.ac.id mailto:tiarahmanita@gmail.com mailto:drhumairakhan2015@gmail.com diana achmad, asnawi muslem, tia rahmanita, & humaira irfan khan investigating students’ expectations of the lecturers’ styles in teaching english 302 students will positively impact learning, and students will persist if they are attentive to the learning process. even though every teacher has the same goal, they have different styles of delivering materials or information to students during the teaching and learning process. this is known as the teacher’s teaching style. grasha (2002) defines that teaching style as a conceptual model of teaching and learning from the teacher to control students’ ideas and activities in the classroom. suppose the teacher teaches students using a teaching style that students prefer. in that case, the students can better understand what is being taught because the teaching style is suitable to gain their attention and focus. based on this reason, to create an ideal atmosphere in the classroom, the teachers need to choose a teaching style that can explain the lessons well, foster students’ motivations, employ suitable learning media, and guide and direct students in learning (suparno et al., 2006). students have expectations and preferences regarding how the teachers should be when teaching them, which affects their enthusiasm for learning (loveta et al., 2020). when entering the classroom, students may have some images of the lecturer’s style that intrigue their participation in the teaching and learning activities. the ability of teachers, as shown in the classroom, plays an essential role in provoking effective and efficient learning on the students’ part (markley, 2004). the use of varied teaching styles can prevent students from boredom in learning and make them feel more motivated to learn (idhaufi & ashari, 2017). however, when this expectation is not fulfilled by the teachers, negative responses will be elevated from the students’ side. they will be challenged to broaden their range by having to adjust to the lecturer’s teaching style (ph’ng et al., 2016). the purpose of teaching can be achieved by applying good teaching styles. however, many universities and educational institutions are still concerned with focusing on teacher-oriented learning (rauf, 2017). today, learning methods should shift to student-oriented learning, creating a variety of teachers’ teaching styles to develop their skills in the teaching-learning process. the teachers’ teaching styles are among the significant aspects that the teachers must pay attention to in the classroom. it takes a significant shift in thinking and execution to go from teacher-centered learning to student-centered learning (gal, 2020). most teachers still use conventional teaching styles that see teaching as a “transfer of knowledge”, regardless of students’ current conditions and backgrounds. for instance, english instruction lacking to take into account students’ learning styles may be one of the many reasons why english education is unsuccessful (masela & subekti, 2020). a study by ahmed et al. (2020) in pakistan found that female students who had better achievement or scores in their classes were taught by lecturers who mostly used formal authority, role model, delegator, and facilitator styles. meanwhile, tindog and celestial (2021) discovered that directing and delegating are the dominant teaching styles among philippine english teachers, and these teachers’ teaching styles significantly affect students’ learning strategies and their average academic performance in english. in teaching students of different cultures, teachers should also be aware of the ‘cultures of learning’ (xiao, 2007). this is such as the case that xiao (2007) investigated on irish teachers teaching chinese students in ireland, mutual responsibility to gain intercultural understanding is essential to ensure effective teaching and learning outcomes. her study concludes that the teachers’ teaching style must meet the learners’ culture of learning such as their needs, wants, capacities, potentials, and learning style preferences to foster and meet the learners’ expectations. in indonesia, most of the previous studies on english teachers’ teaching styles were mainly carried out at the high school or junior high school level (anggriani & nurrohmah, 2018; khoirunnisa, 2023; salman et al., 2021; wahidiyati, 2009), but not many studies have been done at the university level. the latest studies on university lecturers were conducted by nofita (2020) in aceh and muhdar et al. (2022) in south sulawesi. despite the curriculum now requiring the teaching and learning process to be teacher-centered, the english students in aceh preferred the lecturers’ teaching style in englishspeaking classes to be the formal authority teaching style by further providing them feedback after their speaking performance. meanwhile, the study by muhdar (2022) found that even though the lecturers have applied more than one teaching style in the classroom, most of the students still felt bored in class. the results of this study showed that further investigations on what the university students majoring in english need from their lecturers’ teaching styles to increase their learning participation in class are still english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 303 needed. therefore, this research intends to fill in the gap by researching the university students’ expectations of their lecturers’ styles in teaching english. knowing the students’ preferred teaching styles in the classroom, may help educators study the various teaching styles used from different points of view and understand the importance of reflecting on and adjusting their teaching styles based on the needs of their students. teaching is the main task of the teacher in learning. according to brown (2000), teaching is defined as assisting someone in learning how to do something, providing instructions, assisting in the study of something, supplying with knowledge, causing to know or understand the practice of learning. meanwhile, expectations are individuals’ perceptions or estimates that arise based on individual tendencies to act in certain ways, intending to get results from these actions (wicaksono, 2021). expectations are a critical consideration in determining students’ satisfaction (pinto & anderson, 2013). students are most likely to have self-expectations and beliefs based on prior achievements, experiences, and aspirations of their parents and teachers (rubie-davies et al., 2010). their satisfaction is the level of feelings expressed after comparing perceived results to expectations. their expectations are also one of the important things that the lecturers should be aware of to get a good outcome (eriani et al., 2019). students expect lecturers to have certain qualifications to accomplish their teaching duties. these duties are such as having adequate field knowledge, effective communication skills with students, classroom management skills, skills for teaching activities, and utilization of appropriate teaching methods and techniques (orakcı, 2020). the teaching style is one of the most important roles in teaching and learning. it is an activity that provides an overview of how a teacher delivers material, interacts with students, manages classes, controls, and supervises the learning process (sheikh & mahmood, 2014). the teachers’ teaching style is a conceptual model applied in the teaching and learning process to achieve learning objectives. they can determine whether or not the quality of learning in the classroom is successful or not. teachers greatly influence students’ motivation in teaching and learning. the discrepancy in the teachers’ teaching style can lead to failure to deliver materials, as well as the students’ behaviors in the classroom (rafasah, 2019). there are many types of teaching styles. grasha (2002) offers five different teaching styles, and they are: expert style. expert style is highlighted by teachers who have the knowledge and skills that students need. teachers who practice this style can display detailed knowledge and challenge their students to improve their competence. the advantage of this teaching style is that students gain knowledge, information, and skills that can benefit their experiences. however, presenting detailed knowledge in the classroom can be daunting to less experienced students if this information is overused. formal authority. formal authority is when teachers of this style always give positive or negative feedback to the students, including learning goals, expectations, and student behavior rules. this is a teacher-centered method in which the teachers feel responsible for supplying and regulating the flow of materials and the students are expected to accept them. they assume that the teaching should be delivered in a consistent, accurate, and accepted by students. the advantage of this style is that the teachers focus on clear expectations and achievable goals. on the other hand, a heavy emphasis on this style will result in rigid, simplified, and less flexible ways of managing students and their concerns. teachers who employ this teaching style are less interested in forming relationships with their students and are less concerned about their students who form relationships with other students. this style of instructor typically does not need many students’ interactions in class. personal model style. the teaching should be done using personal examples. the teachers act as a prototype for students on how to think and behave. in addition, the teachers will supervise, guide, and direct students by showing them how to do something. then the teachers encourage students to observe and imitate the teachers as role models. teachers with a personal model teaching style tend to run teacher-centered classrooms. facilitator style. the facilitator style emphasizes teacher-student interaction. the teachers provide guidance and direction by asking questions, providing options to explore, suggesting alternatives, and developing criteria for making informed choices. the overall goal is to develop students’ ability to act and be responsible independently. this teaching style emphasizes student-centered learning. the teachers provide a lot of support and diana achmad, asnawi muslem, tia rahmanita, & humaira irfan khan investigating students’ expectations of the lecturers’ styles in teaching english 304 encouragement to students working on projects. this teaching style is better suited for students who are comfortable with independent learning and who can actively participate and collaborate with their peers. this type of teacher will frequently attempt to develop learning settings and activities that require students to analyze and apply course knowledge in innovative and creative ways. the benefit is that teachers focus on the students’ needs and goals, allowing them to explore options and alternative courses of action. however, the disadvantages of this style are that it takes a long time and can be ineffective when a more direct approach is required. delegator style. the delegator style is concerned with developing students’ ability to learn autonomously and encouraging them to work when implementing a project. the lecturer frequently allows students to devise and carry out their complex learning projects and will act as a consultant. the students are frequently required to work independently or in groups, and they must be able to retain motivation and attention when working on complex projects. students who are involved in this setting learn more than just course content; they must also be able to work well in groups and manage numerous interpersonal responsibilities. in this style, the teachers help students to perceive themselves as independent learners. however, some students may feel unconfident and become anxious when given autonomy. the teachers’ teaching styles may differ depending on the context and the needs of their students and no single teacher in an educational setting follows only one style. grasha (2002) maintains that each style is not a box into which faculty members fit; rather, all the aspects described are present to varying degrees within instructors’ attitudes and behaviors. the teachers cannot be neatly classified into one teaching style, but they can blend each of the five teaching styles to varying degrees. grasha (2002) groups the five teaching styles into four clusters: cluster 1 – expert/formal authority: tends toward a teacher-centered classroom in which information is presented and the students receive knowledge. cluster 2 – personal model/expert/formal authority: it is a teacher’s centered approach that emphasizes modeling and demonstration. this approach encourages the students to observe the processes as well as the content. cluster 3 – facilitator/personal model/expert: it is a student-centered classroom design. the lecturer provides activities, social interactions, or problem-solving situations that allow students to explore the course learning process. cluster 4 – delegator/facilitator/expert: it places much of the learning burden on the students. the teachers provide complex tasks that require the students’ initiative to complete. however, students learn in many ways – by seeing and hearing, reflecting and acting, reasoning logically and intuitively, memorizing and visualizing. teaching methods also vary. moreover, drawing a clear border between teacher-centered and student-centered styles might be a demanding task and teachers may be able to combine teacher-centered and studentcentered teaching styles for an effective teachinglearning process. method this research used mixed methods; quantitative and qualitative. creswell and clark (2018) define mixed methods as research where the researchers collect and analyze data in response to research questions, integrate findings, and draw conclusions inferentially. in this study, the researchers used a set of questionnaires administrated to english major students from one of the universities in banda aceh, indonesia. the questionnaire inquired about the lecturers’ teaching styles in teaching english that students expected. to gain more detailed information, the researchers conducted interviews with students to understand the students’ personal views and experiences on the lecturers’ styles of teaching english. a number of 45 students filled in the questionnaire. from this number, 20% were purposively chosen for the interviews, making a total of 9 students. the questionnaire used was adapted from sariniwati (2021), in which she based on grasha’s theory (2002), known as the teaching style survey. in the questionnaire, there were 21 items, inquiring about teachers’ five teaching styles. each item was classified into five scales namely ‘strongly agree’ (5), ‘agree’ (4), ‘neutral’ (3), ‘disagree’ (2), and ‘strongly disagree’ (1). each type of teaching style was represented by statements arranged in sequences. table 1 shows the questionnaire used in this study; the items are presented in both english and indonesian to avoid students’ confusion in comprehending the statements. while table 2 shows the specifications of each item in the questionnaire. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 305 table 1. questionnaire on english lecturers’ teaching styles (adapted from grasha (2002) and sariniwati (2021)) no statements sa a n d sd 5 4 3 2 1 1 explaining and displaying the material in detail are effective methods. 2 teachers use the lecturing method for half of the learning process. 3 challenge the students by giving the quiz of the day. 4 the teacher brings the students to have extensive knowledge. 5 students describe the standards and expectations as somewhat strict and rigid. 6 the teacher uses the standard ways of teaching english. 7 students receive frequent verbal/written comments on their performances. 8 the teacher sets high standards to achieve effectiveness in learning. 9 the teacher shows us how to do things. 10 clear instructions are given by the teacher on how to complete the task. 11 the teacher often shows students how we can use various principles and concepts. 12 teachers use their personal experiences to illustrate the material. 13 the teacher established group discussions to develop students’ critical thinking. 14 teachers apply methods which appropriate to students’ learning styles. 15 teachers apply activities that can grow the responsibility of students. 16 teachers give students a lot of personal support and encouragement to do this course. 17 the teacher encourages group discussion in the class. 18 the teacher gave us a project to be done in class. 19 teachers expect us to learn autonomously through discussion in class. 20 students choose their alternative ways to do the task freely. 21 teachers ask students to do activities of learning through direct experience. table 2. specifications of the teaching style survey (adapted from grasha (2002) and sariniwati (2021)) no. teaching style items 1 expert style 1, 2, 3, 4 2 formal authority 5, 6, 7, 8 3 personal model 9, 10, 11, 12 4 facilitator 13, 14, 15, 16 5 delegator 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 meanwhile, three main questions were prepared to obtain a depth of information about the university students’ expectations of their lecturers’ style in teaching english. they are: (1) how was your english class? (2) do you think the lecturer’s teaching style matches your expectations? explain. (3) what is the lecturer’s style in teaching english that you expect in the classroom? why? this research used a semi-structured interview (ary et al., 2010; creswell, 2012), and probing questions were expanded from the main questions to further dig up information from the students. the interviews were conducted in english, and audio recorded by the third researcher, and each interview lasted about 15 to 30 minutes. the results were further transcribed. the data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed and explained descriptively. the researchers first calculated the percentages of students’ responses. the formula used in the calculation was simple percentages (arikunto, 2021). next, the answers were categorized based on levels as proposed by sugiyono (2014). table 3. criteria percentage of students’ responses of lecturer’s teaching style (adapted from sugiyono, 2014). interval (%) criteria 81% 100% very high 61% 80% high 41% 60% sufficient 21% 40% low 0% 20% very low the transcription from the interviews was analyzed based on the steps of qualitative analysis proposed by miles et al. (2014). they are data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing/verifying. results and discussion the results of the questionnaire the results from the questionnaire are presented in this section. they are divided based on the teachers’ teaching styles (in this case, lecturers). expert style table 4 shows the students’ responses to the expert teaching style items in the questionnaire. table 4. the result of students’ responses on expert style result of students’ responses number of statements sa a n d sd 1 22 21 2 0 0 2 7 18 15 5 0 diana achmad, asnawi muslem, tia rahmanita, & humaira irfan khan investigating students’ expectations of the lecturers’ styles in teaching english 306 3 10 20 12 2 1 4 38 7 0 0 0 total 77 66 29 7 1 based on table 4, the scores and percentages of frequency of students’ responses to the expert teaching style were calculated as shown in table 5. table 5. percentages of frequency of expert teaching style number of items alternative answer frequ ency score % frequency 1-4 sa 77 385 42.78 a 66 264 36.67 n 29 87 16.11 d 7 14 3.89 sd 1 1 0.56 total 180 751 100 calculation: maximum score5 x 45 x 4 = 900 minimum score1 x 45 x 4 = 180 total score751 percentage score = 751/900 x 100 % = 83.44 % based on table 5, the percentage of expert teaching style was 83.44%, indicating that the expert teaching style was classified as a very high category. most students felt at ease when the lecturers performed the teaching activities that referred to the expert teaching style. formal authority style the responses from the students for each formal authority teaching style item in the questionnaire are displayed in table 6. table 6. the result of students’ responses on formal authority style result of students’ responses number of statements sa a n d sd 5 3 13 18 9 2 6 5 15 17 7 1 7 6 15 21 2 1 8 5 16 14 9 1 total 19 59 70 27 5 based on table 6, the scores and percentages of frequency of students’ responses to the formal authority teaching style are presented in table 7. table 7. percentages of frequency on formal authority teaching style number of items alternative answer frequ ency score % frequ ency 5-8 sa 19 95 10.56 a 59 236 32.78 n 70 210 38.89 d 27 54 15.00 sd 5 5 2.78 total 180 600 100 calculation: maximum score5 x 45 x 4 = 900 minimum score1 x 45 x 4 =180 total score600 percentage score = 600/900 x 100 % = 66.67 % based on the results in table 7, the percentage of formal authority teaching style was 66.67%, meaning that the formal authority teaching style is in the high category. some students were comfortable when the lecturers conducted the learning process with the formal authority teaching style. personal model style table 8 shows the responses of the students for each personal model teaching style item in the questionnaire. table 8. the result of students’ responses on personal model style result of students’ responses number of statements sa a n d sd 9 25 16 3 1 0 10 26 14 4 1 0 11 13 27 3 2 0 12 12 19 11 2 1 total 76 76 21 6 1 based on table 8, the scores and percentages of frequency of students’ responses to the personal model teaching style can be seen in table 9. table 9. percentages of frequency on personal model teaching style number of items alternative answer frequ ency score % frequ ency 9-12 sa 76 380 42.22 a 76 304 42.22 n 21 63 11.67 d 6 12 3.33 sd 1 1 0.56 total 180 760 100 calculation: maximum score5 x 45 x 4 = 900 minimum score1 x 45 x 4 =180 total score760 percentage score = 760/900 x 100 % = 84.44 % based on table 9, the percentage of personal model teaching style was 84.44%, denoting that the personal model teaching style was classified as a very high category. most students felt comfortable when the lecturers used the learning english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 307 process that referred to the personal model teaching style. facilitator style table 10 shows the responses of the students on the facilitator teaching style items in the questionnaire. table 10. the result of students’ responses on facilitator style result of students’ responses number of statements sa a n d sd 13 16 23 4 2 0 14 25 17 2 1 0 15 23 20 1 0 1 16 17 21 6 0 1 total 81 81 13 3 2 based on table 10, the scores and percentages of the frequency of students’ responses to the facilitator teaching style are shown in table 11. table 11. percentage of frequency of facilitator teaching style number of items alternati ve answer frequ ency score % frequenc y 13-16 sa 81 405 45.00 a 81 324 45.00 n 13 39 7.22 d 3 6 1.67 sd 2 2 1.11 total 180 776 100 calculation: maximum score5 x 45 x 4 = 900 minimum score1 x 45 x 4 =180 total score776 percentage score = 776/900 x 100 % = 86.22 % based on table 11, the percentage of facilitator teaching style was 86.22 %, indicating that the facilitator teaching style was classified as very high. most students expected the lecturers to carry out activities in the classroom that refer to the facilitator teaching style. delegator style table 12 shows the responses of the students on the delegator teaching style items in the questionnaire. table 12. the result of students’ responses on delegator style result of students’ responses number of statements sa a n d sd 17 12 26 7 0 0 18 17 21 5 2 0 19 5 20 12 6 2 20 15 18 6 5 1 21 12 22 10 1 0 total 61 107 40 14 3 based on table 12, the scores and percentages of frequency of students’ responses to the delegator teaching style are displayed in table 13. table 13. percentage of frequency of delegator teaching style number of items alternative answer frequ ency score % frequ ency 13-16 sa 61 305 27.11 a 107 428 47.56 n 40 120 17.78 d 14 28 6.22 sd 3 3 1.33 total 225 884 100 calculation: maximum score5 x 45 x 5 = 1125 minimum score1 x 45 x 5 =225 total score = 884 percentage score = 884/900 x 100 % = 78.58 % based on table 13, the percentage of the delegator teaching style was 78.5 %, indicating that the delegator teaching style was categorized as high. most of the students were comfortable when the lecturers conducted the learning process that referred to the delegator teaching style. figure 1. percentages of students’ responses to lecturer’s teaching style diana achmad, asnawi muslem, tia rahmanita, & humaira irfan khan investigating students’ expectations of the lecturers’ styles in teaching english 308 figure 1 illustrated the differences in percentages between the teaching styles, where the expert, personal model, and facilitator styles are small. the percentages of the expert teaching style were 83.44 %, the personal model teaching style was 84.44 %, and the facilitator teaching style was 86.22%. it can be said that the students preferred the lecturers to carry out learning activities by combining the facilitator style, personal model style, and expert style in teaching english in the classroom. the least styles preferred by the students were the delegator teaching style with 78.58 % and the formal authority teaching style with 66.67%. the results of interviews in the interviews, the first guided question asked was about the students’ learning experiences in classes. most of the students agreed that their classes were fun and interesting. “most of the classes were fun.” (st4) “in my opinion, while studying at the department of english education, the classes varied. the variation seen here is in the lecturers’ styles when teaching in their classes. i say fifty-fifty…this means 50% are fun, interesting, and easy to absorb the learning materials, but there is also another 50% that i feel the way some lecturers teach needs to be improvised so that students do not feel bored and can quickly absorb the materials taught in the classes.” (st5) “in my opinion, so far from the first semester until the eighth semester, it has been fun. a lot of experiences can be drawn from each class from various lecturers.” (st7) “my classes so far have been quite fun and i also received the learning well. however, each lecturer certainly has ups and downs when teaching in the classrooms.” (st2) the second question was related to the suitability of the lecturers’ teaching styles to the students’ expectations. most of the teaching styles applied by lecturers in the class have fulfilled students’ expectations. however, they deemed that the lecturers must continue to improve their teaching styles to achieve more effective learning. the students’ answers can be seen in the following excerpts. “some lecturers fulfill my expectations and some lecturers are beyond expectations or not according to my expectations.” (st4) “most of the lecturers at our department have implemented teaching styles according to my expectations such as explaining the materials and then giving examples, but not demanding the students to become something more meaningful, such as not demanding too much. they prefer to provide material in the form of facts that have not been known by students in class. this is in line with my expectations. however, teaching styles that do not meet my expectations are such as some lecturers whose teaching methods are not very clear but require students to find out for themselves and then do the assignments given in front of the class. i think that is not good because sometimes there are things that students do not understand how to do the assignment. so, the impression is that the lecturer is not able to convey the materials.” (st5) “alhamdulillah, during the learning process from the first semester until now, whether offline or online, most are as i have expected. however, some things are still lacking when online learning. during online learning, the lecturers sometimes focus more on giving assignments to students. i hope that the lecturers can do better in teaching, guiding, and facilitating students in the classroom.” (st7) “alhamdulillah, the lecturers’ style of teaching english in the classroom is in line with my expectations but i hope there will be an evaluation or improvement in the teaching and learning process that can motivate students to study more.” (st3) “in terms of expectations, of course, all students hope that all lecturers are good, but what i found was not all of them are in line with the students’ expectations. some of them were far from my expectations. for example, a lecturer who often gives assignments, but is rarely present in class. then another example is the dominant lecturer who talks too much or talks about things not relating to the learning materials.” (st2) the last question was about the students’ expectations of the lecturers’ styles in teaching english in the classroom. some of the lecturers’ teaching styles mentioned by the students in the interviews included lecturers who always supervised and facilitated students, lecturers who showed them how to do things, and lecturers who provided detailed information on learning material. the results were similar to the data english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 309 gained from the questionnaire. below are the excerpts of the students’ answers. “my expectations of the lecturers, when teaching in class, i hope that they can guide students. i enjoy learning with practice. i also enjoy studying in groups with my friends and doing presentations. then i also like it when the lecturer gives lectures, but not throughout the class, but also related to learning in class. then i also like lecturers who motivate students, and those who give advice. my expectations, i hope that the lecturers can facilitate students, able to provide materials where all students can gain a better understanding.” (st7) “i prefer lecturers who like to ask students to do group presentations in front of the class. apart from building self-confidence, it also helps me in public speaking.” (st3) “everyone has a different way of learning. my expectation for the lecturer’s way of teaching is that, if possible, in the class, maybe a mix of two to three styles, not too much teachercentered. the lecturer should provide the materials efficiently. for example, the lecturers have their own portion of when they must give a lecture about material, and then there is also another portion when they become a facilitator. for example, in a class, there are two hours for study time, the first hour or the first 30 minutes the lecturers can explain the material so the students understand what the lecturer wants the student to do. now in the next hour, the lecturer can become a facilitator in the sense that they can form a group for students in class. then facilitate the students when students want to ask questions. they can become a facilitator. and finally, in the last hour, they can also give time for students to be more active in class. for example, maybe directing students to make presentations or asking questions that can stimulate students’ thinking in class so that students look more active in class than the lecturer himself. and there must be cooperation between students and lecturers so that the expectations desired by both parties can be realized and achieved.” (st5) “the teaching style of the lecturer according to my expectations is the lecturer who explains the material in a lecture but not a rigid lecture such as using the old style like explaining the material from the book. because lectures like that will make students bored, and become passive learners. however, if the lecturer explains in his/her own style or maybe interacts with his/her experiences that are around us, or is given group assignments, or individual assignments, this makes it easier for students to understand the material and be active learners.” (st9) “i like lecturers who share their experiences studying abroad. thus, the students are more motivated. then i also like lecturers who explain a little theory at the beginning, and then just give practical assignments or other assignments to students.” (st8) “they explain the material and give examples, but they don’t require their students to be something more. lecturers are more likely to give examples such as facts that the students in the class don’t know.” (st1) “i like lecturers who teach and explain the material in detail. the lecturer also facilitates and provides opportunities for students to be creative with their own creativity but also under the supervision of the lecturer. besides that, the lecturers who become my expectations are lecturers who want to give direct examples of the material presented, for example, such as lecturers giving examples of correct pronunciation, then also lecturer who always gives examples first before giving assignments to students.” (st4) based on these responses, it can be concluded that a majority of the students find their english classes fun and enjoyable. most of the lecturers delivered learning materials in an entertaining and informative manner. therefore, the lecturers’ teaching approaches in class have generally met the students’ expectations. however, some pose concerns and suggestions that the lecturers must continue to improve their teaching styles to achieve more effective learning. they mentioned that they expected lecturers who can supervise students and play a more central role in designing projects and activities for students. lecturers should provide opportunities for students to be active in class. most students also confirmed that they prefer lecturers who showed them how to do things. they also pointed out they preferred lecturers who provide detailed information related to learning materials. to conclude, the students preferred the facilitator style combined with the expert style and the personal model style the results of this study from the questionnaire revealed that the facilitator style received the highest score among the other five teaching styles. based on grasha (2002), the facilitator style provides guidance and direction to students, providing options for consideration, diana achmad, asnawi muslem, tia rahmanita, & humaira irfan khan investigating students’ expectations of the lecturers’ styles in teaching english 310 recommending alternatives, and developing criteria for making decisions. for example, in the first meeting of the class, the lecturer discusses course guidelines with students and makes decisions based on mutual agreement. the lecturer then frequently provides opportunities for students to express their thoughts on the material that has been presented by the lecturer throughout the course. this is in line with the research conducted by humaira (2018), where teachers should frequently give support and ideas for decision-making, and encourage students to establish appropriate criteria for learning. in the facilitator style, the lecturer provides assignments to students as positive reinforcement to assist them to comprehend the content in depth. the lecturer also provides direction to students before working on assignments. then the lecturer helps students find new ideas to solve existing problems when completing their assignments as well. soleimani (2020) agrees that in the facilitator style, the learners should not see teachers as simply providers of knowledge, but should instead use a variety of resources to acquire the lessons. this study further revealed that the personal model received a percentage that is in the criteria of ‘very high’. this style is on the second level after the facilitator style. based on grasha (2002), the personal model is concerned with showing students how to do something, and the lecturers act as role models. they prepare tools and materials for hands-on practice, and they guide prefer to show students what they are explaining step by step (suparno et al., 2006), often by using visual aids such as powerpoint presentations, handouts, and learning videos. they give tips that are easy for students to do. moreover, they invite students to do as they have exemplified and reprimand students who do not complete assignments without following the rules. most of the students like to learn english with examples from the lecturers’ personal experiences. these direct examples can make it easier for them to understand the learning materials. therefore, lecturers must put forward students’ participation in class for effective learning. furthermore, the expert teaching style is also included in the criteria of ‘very high’. based on grasha (2002), the expert style emphasizes teachers demonstrate detailed knowledge and challenge their students to improve their skills. in learning english, the students need detailed information about the topic to make them better understand the material. perhaps this was why most students in this study chose this style as their expectation of the lecturers’ style in teaching english. however, they also suggested that lecturers need to combine this expert style with other teaching styles. if only one style is used, it makes the learning process to be tedious (sari, 2018), and pressures students to attend class. therefore, the use of teaching styles greatly affects the success of students in understanding the learning material (tindog & celestial, 2021). based on the delegator style, the percentage obtained from students’ responses is interpreted as ‘high’. grasha (2002) states that the delegator style is concerned with developing students’ ability to learn autonomously in the classroom. the lecturers direct students to find learning materials related to certain subjects. then, the students are asked to do the tasks autonomously because this style deals to develop autonomous thinking among learners (ahmed et al., 2020). the assignments are frequently earning projects that employ a consultancy role to solve problems. the lectures still guide students and become consultants in transmitting knowledge, setting goals, and providing feedback (ahmed et al., 2020). the lecturers observe students’ progress and provide solutions to students’ worries. however, the students in this study informed that some lecturers are not clear in giving instructions when assigning projects, this made them anxious because they are confused to choose their own alternative ways to do the task autonomously. therefore, the students needed in-depth guidance from the lecturers regarding the given project and they expected the lecturers to improve their instructions in the future. based on the formal authority teaching style, the percentage obtained is included in the ‘high’ criteria. grasha (2002) states that the formal authority teaching style focused on giving positive and negative feedback on students’ outcomes. the lecturers give a major concern on providing the treatment with a standard form, accurate, and teaching goal set by the university’s academic administration. this is the lowest style that was chosen by the students in this study. they assumed the standards and lecturers’ expectations of them as strict and rigid. the high standards make students feel pressured and less flexible to enhance their ability to master english skills. this is different from a previous study conducted by nofita (2020) which revealed that the formal authority teaching style was more dominantly preferred by the students to be applied in english-speaking classes. the way english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 311 lecturers deliver their comments after speaking performance affected students’ self-confidence. further results from the interviews in this study revealed that most of the students did enjoy and understood the materials being taught by their lecturers. they find that the teaching styles applied by the lecturers good and they favored the facilitator style used by lecturers when teaching english, analogous to the results of ahmed et al. (2020). the students agitated for improvement, such as updating their teaching styles to suit the needs of students. this is as asserted by xiao (2007), that accommodating the students’ learning needs is essential so that they can better achieve their learning goals. thus, learning will be varied and fun. even though the students favored the facilitator style used by lecturers when teaching english, they also called for a combination of the styles (khoirunnisa, 2023). they solicited that the facilitator style would be more effective if it was combined with the expert style and personal model style. this finding is in line with loveta et al. (2020) who found that students prefer varying teaching styles in practice, which means that they like it when teachers teach depending on the classroom circumstances at the moment of the class. grasha (2002) further explicated that the facilitator, personal model, and expert style fall into cluster 3. the teaching styles in cluster 3 are the student-centered model for the classroom. here, the lecturers design activities, social interactions, or problem-solving situations that allow students to practice the processes for applying the course content. in the teaching and learning process, the lecturers provide opportunities for students to act independently, creatively, collaboratively, and communicatively. the lecturers should explain the points in the subject matter interactively to attract the students’ attention to the lecturer’s explanations. the lecturer delivers subject matter more flexibly and creatively instead of sticking to the language in books or other learning resources. in addition, the students can easily understand the lesson if the lecturers provide direct examples related to the topic being discussed (tindog & celestial, 2021) in which the lecturer acts as a role model and the students imitate what the lecturer exemplifies. giving examples related to the lecturer’s personal experience can be used as self-reflection for the students to be motivated to learn. thus, the teaching and learning process does not become stiff and boring (sari 2018). conclusion based on the results of this research, the students’ expectations of the lecturers’ styles in teaching english were the facilitator style combined with the personal model style and the expert style. most students agreed that combining teaching styles was more effective than using only one teaching style. because if the lecturers used only one teaching style, the students will tend to get bored and learning would not reach maximum results. the combination of the three styles is a form of the student-centered model in which students play an active role in the learning activity in the classroom. finally, this research may be extended by further researchers who have a similar same interest in identifying teachers’ teaching styles. more respondents can be considered and broader areas of research locations are also suggested in the future to further understand the needs and expectations of students while learning in class. references ahmed, s., farooqi, m. t. k., & iqbal, a. (2020). a study of teachers’ teaching styles and students’ performance. elementary education online, 19(4), 5418-5426. 10.17051/ilkonline.2020.04.764948 anggriani, a., & nurrohmah, h. (2018). an analysis of teacher style in teaching english listening. project: professional journal of english education, 1(5), 556-561. arikunto, s. (2021). dasar-dasar evaluasi pendidikan [the basics of educational evaluation], 3rd ed. jakarta: bumi aksara. ary, d., jacobs, l. c., & sorensen, c. (2010). introduction to research in education, 8th ed. canada: nelson education. brown, h. d. (2000). principles of language learning and teaching, 4th ed. white plains, ny: pearson education. creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating, quantitative, and qualitative research, 4th ed. boston: pearson education, inc. creswell, j. w., & clark, v. l. (2018). designing and conducting mixed methods research, 3rd ed. thousand oaks, california: sage publications. eriani, e., pratolo, b. w., nailufer, y., & astuti, d. m. (2019). students’ expectations in efl classroom: a case study at management department of a private university in yogyakarta. the 5th uad tefl international conference (5th utic) (pp. 129-136). universitas ahmad dahlan, yogyakarta. gal, a. (2020). active or passive-what do prediana achmad, asnawi muslem, tia rahmanita, & humaira irfan khan investigating students’ expectations of the lecturers’ styles in teaching english 312 service science teachers prefer in their professional training? 81-108. world journal of educational research, 7(1), 81-108. grasha, a. f. (2002). teaching with style: a practical guide to enhancing learning by understanding teaching and learning styles. san bernadino: alliance publishers. humaira, m. (2018). the students’ perception on teachers' teaching style at sman 03 banda aceh. (bachelor’s thesis). retrieved from https://repository.arraniry.ac.id/id/eprint/2670 idhaufi, n. l., & ashari, z. m. (2017). relationship between students’ motivation and teachers’ teaching style at secondary schools in kulai. man in india, 97(12), 299-307. larasati, q. i., cahyaningtyas, a., mangzila, a., firawati, a. a., yuanita, s. m., & lesmana, i. (2019). the role and function of teachers in improving effective learning in classes. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 381(1), 13-17. loveta, g., loeneto, b. a., & vianty, m. (2020). students’ expectations toward teacher’s teaching style and contribution to students’ english performance. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 135-144. markley, t. (2004). defining the effective teacher: current arguments in education. essays in education, 11(6), 1-14. masela, m., & subekti, a. s. (2020). indonesian university students’ visual learning style: learners’ and teachers’ perspectives. eternal (english teaching learning and research journal), 6(2), 259-274. miles, m. b., huberman, a. m., & saldana, j. (2014). qualitative data analysis: a methods sourcebook, 3rd ed. thousand oaks: sage publications, inc. muhdar, f., sirwanti., said, d. r., & serlindayanti. (2022). students’ perspective: lecture’s teaching style in the class at english department at muhammadiyah university bone. journal of innovation research and knowledge, 2(3), 879-890. nofita, e. (2020). students’ preferences on lecturers’ teaching style in speaking class. (bachelor’s thesis). universitas islam negeri ar-raniry, banda aceh. retrieved from https://repository.arraniry.ac.id/id/eprint/13217 orakcı, ş. (2020). postgraduate students' expectations of their lecturers. the qualitative report, 24(12), 199-215. ph'ng, l. m., ming, t. s., & nambiar, r. m. (2016). match or mismatch: teaching styles and learning styles in an esp classroom. the social sciences, 11(12), 2977-2982. pinto, m. b., & anderson, w. (2013). a little knowledge goes a long way: student expectation and satisfaction with hybrid learning. journal of instructional pedagogies, 2(1), 1-12. khoirunnisa, f. (2023). teaching style used by teachers in a private junior high school in salatiga. (bachelor’s thesis). universitas islam indonesia, sleman. retrived from https://dspace.uii.ac.id/bitstream/handle/1234 56789/42658/17322038.pdf?sequence=1&isa llowed=y rafasah, n. (2019). the correlation between students’ motivation and their achievement in studying english (a correlational study at sman 1 woyla). (bachelor’s thesis). universitas islam negeri ar-raniry, banda aceh. retrieved from http://repository.arraniry.ac.id/id/eprint/7973/ rauf, w. (2017). students' perception towards the lecturer's teaching style and personality traits at muhammadiyah university of makassar. (bachelor’s thesis). universitas negeri makassar, makassar. retrieved february 28, 2022, from http://eprints.unm.ac.id/5693/1/wahyuddin% 20rauf.pdf rubie-davies, c. m., peterson, e., irving, e., widdowson, d., & dixon, r. (2010). expectations of achievement: student, teacher and parent perceptions. research in education, 2(1) 36-53. salman, m., atmowardoyo, h., & salija, k. (2021). the analysis of english teachers’ teaching styles and their effects on students´ motivation at junior high school. pinisi journal of art, humanity and social studies, 2(2), 54-58. sari, e. p. (2018). students' perception of english language lecturer's teaching styles: a survey study at english study program at jambi university. (bachelor’s thesis). universitas jambi, jambi. retrieved february 28, 2022, from https://repository.unja.ac.id/3912/1/artikel.pdf sariniwati, e. m. (2021). teachers teaching style at ma al hidayah kebon ix muaro jambi. (bachelor’s thesis). universitas islam negeri sulthan thaha saifuddin jambi, jambi. retrieved from http://repository.uinjambi.ac.id/7514/ sheikh, a., & mahmood, n. (2014). effect of different teaching styles on students’ motivation towards english language learning at secondary level. science international, 26(2), 825-830. soleimani, n. (2020). elt teachers’ epistemological beliefs and dominant teaching style: a mixed method research. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 5(12), 1-20. sugiyono. (2014). metode penelitian kuantitatif, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 313 kualitatif, dan r&d [quantitative, qualitative, and r&d research methods]. bandung: alfabeta. suparno, p., rohandi, r., sukandi, g., & kartono. (2006). reformasi pendidikan sebuah rekomendasi [educational reformation, a recommendation], 6th ed.. yogyakarta: kanisius. tindog, s. b., & celestial, a. b. (2021). english teachers’ teaching styles and methods and students’ learning styles and strategies in selected secondary schools in the division of puerto princesa city, philippines. european journal of humanities and educational advancements (ejhea), 2(6), 30-52. wahidiyati, i. (2009). the teachers’ teaching style variations in the english classroom activities: a study on the english teachers of smpn 2 ambarawa. (bachelor’s thesis). universitas negeri semarang, semarang. retrieved from http://lib.unnes.ac.id/2459/1/4627.pdf wicaksono, m. f. (2021). student expectation of library science (case study in department of science and islamic information. record and library journal, 7(1), 7-16. xiao, l. (2007). bridging the gap between teaching styles and learning styles: a cross cultural perspective. the journal of asia tefl, 4(1), 55-78. diana achmad, asnawi muslem, tia rahmanita, & humaira irfan khan investigating students’ expectations of the lecturers’ styles in teaching english 314 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 385 students’ perceptions of using instagram reels as mobile-assisted language learning to improve speaking skills nur hikmah department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah, indonesia email : ka279358@gmail.com hidayati (corresponding author) department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah, indonesia email : hidayatinail@gmail.com irwandi department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah, indonesia email : irwandi.elt@gmail.com ilham department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah, indonesia email : ilham.ummataram@gmail.com rima rahmaniah department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah, indonesia email : rimarahmaniah172@gmail.com nicole whitworth school of education, faculty member, leeds beckett university, united kingdom email : n.whitworth@leedsbeckett.ac.uk apa scitation: hikmah, n., hidayati., irwandi., ilham., rahmaniah, r., & whitworth, n. (2024). students’ perceptions of using instagram reels as mobile-assisted language learning to improve speaking skills. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 385-396. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9277 received: 22-10-2023 accepted: 27-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 abstract: instagram is one of the mobile apps to assist language learning. the most widely used social networking platform globally right now is instagram. this study aimed to investigate the perspective of university students on using instagram reels as mobile-assisted language learning to improve speaking skills whether they had a negative or positive perception of it. this study utilized a descriptive qualitative approach and the research instrument used a closed and open-ended questionnaire with 66 respondents from the first until the seventh semester. this study found that the majority of students have a positive perception of using instagram reels in speaking skills. students believe that this tool is comfortable and fun to develop a new atmosphere in learning to speak, it also increases their motivation because instagram reels provide interesting content for improving their speaking skills, they can find many instagram accounts that post more about english lessons with short duration even though students sometimes get a distract cause of random video but they already know their own goals to practice consistently every day and everywhere. through this tool, students gain a lot of vocabulary from the video, quotes, caption, or comment section that is very helpful for them to improve their speaking performance especially when they are engaged in communication with other people both inside or outside classroom practice. keywords: instagram reels; mobile assisted language learning; speaking skills; student perceptions. mailto:ka279358@gmail.com mailto:hidayatinail@gmail.com mailto:irwandi.elt@gmail.com mailto:ilham.ummataram@gmail.com mailto:rimarahmaniah172@gmail.com mailto:n.whitworth@leedsbeckett.ac.uk nur hikmah, hidayati, irwandi, ilham, rima rahmaniah, & nicole whitworth students’ perceptions of using instagram reels as mobile-assisted language learning to improve speaking skills 386 introduction speaking is one of the language skills that is crucial in communication. many communities in many nations across the world utilize it in every element of human life, including social, economic, educational, scientific, and technological fields. (aprian et al., 2023; dona donny & hafizah adnan, 2022; kashinathan & abdul aziz, 2021; miranda & wahyudin, 2023; pitura, 2022). students are expected to be able to communicate effectively with others, therefore speaking is one of the critical skills that english students, especially those who are in an english study program should learn (ilyas & putri, 2020). speaking skills are a form of communication that a person can use to transmit ideas and thoughts to a listener (aidah, 2022; baron, 2020; rasyiid et al., 2021; zou’bi, 2021). students who can communicate effectively have mastered the goal of acquiring speaking skills, which also involves a lot of work and attention (dilafruz et al., 2021; wahyuni, 2021). based on several studies conducted, students still find problems in mastering speaking skills. jaelani (2022) for example, reported that most students feel insecure when they have to speak english in front of many people. there are many worries that students feel when speaking english, such as a lack of vocabulary, wrong pronunciation, wrong grammar, less accuracy, and fluency. mukminin et al (2018) argued four common causes of speaking difficulty were inhibition, having nothing to say, limited participation, and using one's mother tongue. while wahyuni (2021) stated several things make speaking english difficult, such as getting bored with the media used for teaching and learning. students need media that will grab their attention and make speaking english more comfortable. therefore the researcher have to find out the best strategy to overcome those problems due to the importance of speaking, without mastering speaking skills, the students will encounter difficulties when they are communicating with each other (mitu, 2020). the researcher tries to use mobile assisted language learning (mall) as a learning medium to address those problems. mobile-assisted language learning is a method that uses handheld mobile devices to improve language acquisition (fithriani et al., 2019; lee, 2022). in higher education contexts, students attach more value to the communication and entertainment aspects of mobile devices than they do to their potential as useful learning platforms (hoi & mu, 2021). mobile-assisted language learning, is a method for learning english is a promising technology for teaching a language due to its accessibility and universality (cholis et al., 2021; goldenthal et al., 2021; nuraeni et al., 2020). the term mall, which stands for "mobilized anytime, anywhere learning," refers to the use of mobile devices for language learning that is not constrained by time or place (rajendran & md yunus, 2021). as a result of technological improvements, several institutions have started using mall programs to help students improve their language learning skills (ishtiaq khan et al., 2021; liu et al., 2021; pikhart, 2021; d. zhang & pérez-paredes, 2021). almadhady et al., (2021) confirmed that the majority of students prefer to use mall applications for speaking skills improvement. in this modern era, technology has become necessary worldwide, including in the education sector (baruti & subekti, 2023; mohamed hashim et al., 2022; qureshi et al., 2021). a current trend that combines digital technology and language learning is mobile-assisted language learning (mall). through mall-oriented students use information and communication technology as digital learning tools (dağdeler & demiröz, 2022; misnawati et al., 2022; teng et al., 2022). the ict such as facebook, facebook messenger, instagram, whatsapp, line, twitter, workplace by facebook, microsoft teams, microsoft yammer, snapchat, researchgate, academia.edu, slack, skype, zoom, and google meet (gonulal, 2019). the applications that are connected via smartphone make it easier for students to explore knowledge about english (athoillah, 2022; kaysi et al., 2021; şad et al., 2022). more often than not, students utilize their cellphones for english speaking and listening exercises rather than reading and writing exercises. additionally, they think that cellphones almost never have a negative impact on english language acquisition (\ad et al., 2022). through practice, access to language resources, and real-time communication with native speakers, technology helps students learn a language. students can practice their language skills both inside and outside of the classroom, which helps them develop as independent learners. (kusmaryani et al., 2019; su & zou, 2022; r. zhang & zou, 2022). instagram is one of the fastest growing mobile apps that help students enhance their speaking skills (obeso et al., 2023; rohaizat et al., 2021). the mobile assisted language learning strategy will likely be supported by language learning exercises on mobile devices using instagram, one of the most well-known social networking sites english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 387 (amalia, 2022; misnawati et al., 2022) instagram reported having one billion monthly active users in june 2018, according to statisca.com. with 94.2 million viewers, indonesia ranks fourth among the nations with the most instagram users (jamilumulkillah & miftakh, 2022). the instagram reels feature is a function of instagram. instagram reels films will help students acquire new content quickly (saputri, 2021). instagram reels have the potential to be a powerful teaching tool that enhances the educational process and adds depth and meaning (dewi et al., 2022; siritheeratharadol, p., tuntivivat, s., intarakamhang, 2023). numerous studies have been done on instagram reels. influential outcomes have been found in earlier research on the use of instagram reels. with a total of 219 university students studying english, erarslan (2019) performed research on the use of instagram as a mobile-assisted language learning tool. based on the accomplishment scores, the study indicated that instagram had a beneficial influence on students' language learning. furthermore, a study on students' perceptions and motivations about efl learning using instagram was carried out by saputra et al. in 2023. according to this survey, 76% of tefl students are inspired to use instagram to learn english and advance their vocabulary, writing, speaking, and listening abilities. additionally, aprian et al.'s study from 2023 on the usage of instagram reels to improve speaking skills revealed that the majority of students had a favorable opinion of the app. in a 2019 study, sari & wahyudin also looked into instagram as a tool for blended learning. their findings showed that most students had very good opinions of the platform and that it had a positive impact on their motivation, engagement, and attitudes. this study explores how instagram reels affect students' speaking abilities and students' perceptions of utilizing them as mobile language learning tools. researchers must first comprehend the opinions and perceptions of the students regarding the use of instagram reels before doing any research. perception is a way of looking at a situation or a perspective used to describe a phenomenon. perception is an outside factor that concentrates on a person's viewpoint, comprehension, trust, and response to an innovation (rasita et al., 2020). students' perceptions are how they consider circumstances or issues that arise in a logical and smart approach. responses from respondents, whether favorable or unfavorable, can be used to describe students' perceptions (aprian et al., 2023). the study set out to find out what the students thought about utilizing instagram reels as a mobile language learning tool to help university students with their speaking. this study has two research questions, which were the aim of conducting this study. first, what are student’s perceptions of using instagram reels to improve their speaking skill? second, what is the student’s strategy to overcome the difficulties in learning speaking skills? method this study uses a descriptive qualitative approach that is best suited for documenting experiences from a phenomenological perspective in a real-life context (hawkins, 2018). the research conducted a study focusing on university students from the first until the seventh semester. there were 66 students taking part who had smartphones and instagram applications. open-ended and closedended questionnaires are used in the data collection procedure to get the students' opinions about the use of instagram reels as mobile-assisted language learning tools to enhance speaking abilities. miles et al. (1994) carried out 75 data analysis steps, including data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and data verification-drawing. data is gathered through the use of closed-ended and open-ended questionnaires. the process of classifying and summarizing the information required to address the research issue is known as data reduction. data display uses charts, tables, and other visual components to show findings. data verification is the process of confirming the study by drawing inferences from the data. in light of the study's shortcomings, the researcher draws conclusions here (baron, 2020). the assignment and their experiences utilizing instagram to practice speaking were questioned of the pupils. their opinions about instagram's value in helping people learn to talk were assessed by looking at their answers. the research utilize 10 close-ended and 4 openended questions adapted from dewi et al (2022) and aidah (2022). the indicators of the openended questioner such as; ask about students' speaking skill levels in english students, students' challenges in learning to speak, students’ opinions on using instagram reels to improve their speaking skills, and students’ strategies to overcome difficulties in learning speaking skills through instagram reels. the indicator was utilized in close-ended questioner such as; asking the students if instagram is comfortable for learning speaking skills, contents on instagram reels are interested in nur hikmah, hidayati, irwandi, ilham, rima rahmaniah, & nicole whitworth students’ perceptions of using instagram reels as mobile-assisted language learning to improve speaking skills 388 learning speaking, enjoy learning speaking through instagram reels, spending time practicing speaking outside the classroom by utilizing instagram reels, feel no pressure in making mistake on instagram reels, instagram reels is one of fun and innovative way to learn speaking, feel confident to speak by utilize instagram reels, feel motivated to practice speaking every day through instagram reels, try pronounce each word in instagram reels, get a lot of vocabulary to improve speaking skill performance on instagram reels. open-ended questionnaires were used to gain a deep knowledge of students' perceptions. the following scales were used to grade respondents' responses to the close-ended questionnaire: sd=strongly disagree (1.00-1.80), d=disagree (1.81-2.60), n=neutral (2.61-3.40), a=agree (3.41-4.20), and s=strongly agree (4.21-5.00). for open-ended questionnaire were used 3 (three) assessment criteria; 1) fluency (how many solutions each students produce). 2) flexibility (how many different ideas students discover. 3) originality (the level of authenticity of students’ ideas regarding unique ideas. results and discussion student’s response based on a close-ended questionnaire figure 1 below shows the demographic of respondents regarding their gender, out of the 66 questionnaire respondents in this study, 73% were female and 27% were male. the respondents were from the first to the seventh-semester university students. they conducted the questionnaire based on responses derived from their individual experiences. figure 1. distribution of males and females after dividing the data into two sub-sections— closed-ended and open-ended questions—the questionnaire findings were examined (alotaibi, 2023). a survey with 10 questions was used to collect the data, and 66 students were involved. the accompanying figure and data show the outcomes. the following figure explains how the proportion of survey responses on students' perceptions of using instagram as mobile assisted language learning (mall) to improve speaking skills was calculated in figures 2 and 3. figure 2. the result of students' score each respondent answered the question differently, as seen in figure 2. based on the result of the questionnaire students gain a minimum score is 21, a maximum score is 50 and an average score is 35.48. figure 3. the analysis of the student's response to the questionnaire based on the figure 3 shows 66 students provided different responses to the inquiry. the first indicator, instagram is comfortable for learning speaking skills. the higher score is 48.48% “agree” scale which indicates that the majority of students feel instagram is comfortable for learning to speak. the second indicator, content on instagram reels is interested in learning to speak. the higher score is 48.48% “agree” indicates that the majority of students have a perspective that content on instagram reels increases their interest in learning to speak. third indicator, enjoy learning to speak through 48 18 66 73% 27% 100% 0 20 40 60 80 female male total frequency percentage 3.65 3.58 3.45 3.353.36 3.74 3.44 3.65 3.42 3.83 3.10 3.20 3.30 3.40 3.50 3.60 3.70 3.80 3.90 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 sc o re average of item score 0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% students response sd d n a sa english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 389 instagram reels. the higher score is 33.33% “neutral” which indicates that the majority of students have a neutral perspective and enjoy learning by speaking through instagram reels. for the fourth indicator, have time to practice speaking outside the classroom by utilizing instagram reels. the higher score on is 37.88% “agree” scale indicates that the majority of students spend their time practicing speaking outside the classroom by using instagram reels. for the five indicators, i feel no pressure to make mistake on instagram reels. the high score is 36.36% “agree” indicates that the majority of students don’t feel pressured to make mistakes on instagram reels. for the sixth indicator, instagram reels are a fun and innovative way to learn to speak. the high score is 46.97% “agree” indicates that the majority of students believe instagram reels are a fun and innovative way to learn to speak. for the seventh indicator, feel confident to speak by utilizing instagram reels. the higher score is 36.36% “neutral” indicating that the majority of students still do not feel confident enough to speak by utilizing instagram reels. for the eighth indicator, feel motivated to practice speaking every day through instagram reels. the high score is 42.42% “agree” indicates that the majority of students feel motivated to practice speaking every day through instagram reels. for the ninth indicator, try to pronounce each word in instagram reels. the higher score is 43.94% “agree” which indicates that the majority of students try to pronounce each word in instagram reels. for the tenth indicator, get a lot of vocabulary to improve speaking skill performance on instagram reels. the higher score is 36.36% “agree” indicates that the majority of students believe that instagram reels can enrich vocabulary to improve speaking skill performance. according to the close-ended questionnaire, the data shows two high scores. first, the result of indicator one shows the majority of students choose to agree. second, indicator two shows the same result as indicator one which means the students believe that instagram reels are comfortable and one of the interesting tools for learning a speaking skill, the score is higher than enjoy learning speaking through instagram reels as pointed out in indicator three with the lower score compared to another. based on all of the data above, the researcher concluded that the utilization of instagram reels makes the students feel comfortable in learning to speak because instagram reels provide much interesting content to improve their speaking performance. students' responses based on an open-ended questionnaire the researcher employed the 4 indicators in the open-ended questionnaire in addition to disclosing the contents of the questionnaire mentioned above. the researcher shared the open-ended questionnaire with the 10 students (student1, student2,…student10) an emphasis on the university students who were active users of instagram and applied instagram reels for learning english. the researcher classified the data based on the research question and then identified the data to find the similarities and the differences, the data will be presented below. student’s speaking level the first question on the questionnaire was about students' speaking level. some students provided different responses. s1, s2, s3, and s4 reported their speaking skill were not very good but still understood when someone spoke, still good enough to communicate with people, some students from first grade also pointed out their speaking skills were quite poor because they were still in low level. another student clarified that their speaking is not fluent and still lacks vocabulary. but s5, s6, s7, s8, s9, and s10 mentioned their speaking skill is good because they always practice making it perfect, they feel better when speaking than before and there is an improvement as proven in the script below. “i’m not good at speaking but i understand when people are talking and always try to practice my speaking, my speaking skills right now isn’t that good, but still good enough to communicate with people, still not fluent in speaking because my vocabulary is low. i think my speaking is better when speak, my speaking skill is better than before and there are improvements, my speaking is good” student’s speaking difficulties some students provided different responses. s1 and s2 mentioned several challenges that they face in speaking such as grammar errors. s3, s4, and s5 mentioned that they still struggle with the pronunciation of each word correctly, and difficulty pronounces the same words. s6 and s7 mentioned that the biggest challenge in learning to speak is vocabulary mastery. s8 and s9 mentioned that they still feel unconfident and anxious when speaking in front of many people. s10 mentioned that the biggest challenge in speaking is less motivation. nur hikmah, hidayati, irwandi, ilham, rima rahmaniah, & nicole whitworth students’ perceptions of using instagram reels as mobile-assisted language learning to improve speaking skills 390 “i still grammar errors. i still struggle with pronunciation. i don’t know how to pronounce each word correctly. when increasing my vocabulary. not confident, feel insecure, and nervous to speak english in class. i think the challenge is i have less motivation” student’s experiences in learning english using instagram concerning the use of instagram in learning english students perceived that their english skills were improved. s1, s2, and s3 mentioned that the use of instagram is good because can allow students to find many sources to learn to speak because there are a lot of instagram accounts that post short videos about english make them always practice. s4, s5, s6, and s7 mentioned that content on instagram reels is interesting and helpful to engage their motivation in learning english, especially speaking skills, but sometimes they feel distracted by random videos that make them unfocused with the goals. s8, s9, and s10 mentioned that instagram reels are very easy to understand, and can quickly and efficiently increase speaking to make it better. “there are so many instagram accounts that post videos about english to improve speaking skill., it is one of the best ways to improve our skills and the duration of the video is short. instagram reels can help me learn to speak because the content is interesting. there are so many videos that provide english lessons but sometimes i get distracted by random videos and make me unfocused with my goal. it can improve english speaking skills quickly and efficiently because it is easy to understand, and it is easier for me to speak english better” student’s strategy toward speaking difficulties some students provided different responses. s1, s2, s3, s4, s5, and s6 mentioned their strategies such as learning intensively with instagram reels and always practicing everywhere and every day because it is easy to access. s7, s8, s9, and s10 claimed that using instagram to learn english can increase a lot of vocabulary then write it down to memorize, get used to speaking, and try to apply what you focus on what you learn. “i always practice every day to make it perfect, l learn anytime and anywhere, my strategy is i can learn intensively with unlimited time, don’t think too much just believe in my skill and active learning. i need to find vocabulary on instagram reel videos and write them down, by increasing my vocabulary and getting used to speaking english, try to apply what i learn from instagram reels more often” after analysis, the data of the students’ responses to the close-ended questionnaire indicate that the result of the student’s perception of using instagram reels as mobile-assisted language learning to improve speaking skills shows that they had a positive perspective based on the item most students prefer to choose “agree” scale. there were two high scores as shown in figure 3, according to indicator one indicating that using instagram reels is comfortable for learning to speak. the result is consistent with the previous study conducted by (anindita & noveintine, 2021; utomo & bastiar, 2020) utomo & bastiar (2020) pointed out that instagram can help students become more proficient speakers both inside and outside the classroom. furthermore, communicating on instagram makes passive students in the classroom more comfortable. according to anindita & noveintine (2021), instagram's cost, capacity to connect individuals internationally, and ability to promote self-improvement make it a pleasant and effective medium for learning english. in addition, students are using instagram to speak english with greater confidence than they did before. likewise, indicator two shows the same score as indicator one which means the students believe that a lot of content provided in instagram reels is interesting to help them learn to speak. this finding is consistent with earlier study by laela nisa indriani et al. (2023), which found that students are open to utilizing instagram as a language learning tool and believe the platform's material will sufficiently increase their language proficiency. additionally, a high score implies that students are highly motivated to learn how to talk using instagram reels. this learning tool can both increase students' interest in practice speaking english and inspire them to do so (azlan et al., 2019). a research on instagram reels was also carried out by wulandari (2019), and the findings had to do with improving speaking abilities in terms of fluency, vocabulary acquisition, confidence, and motivation. additionally, most students try to pronounce each word that they find in instagram reels to gain better fluency when speaking. according to jamilumulkillah & miftakh (2022), the use of instagram is helpful for the student to increase their motivation to have intelligible english pronunciation ability. the lower score is shown at indicator three, most students choose neutral indicates that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 391 students have a neutral perspective to enjoy learning speaking through instagram reels, which means they sometimes feel enjoy and feel unenjoyable when learning. besides that, the majority of students still feel confident to speak even though learning speaking through instagram reels with a neutral score higher than agree which means that students still struggle with those challenges in improving their speaking skills. as the research mentions above, students still feel anxious and insecure about speaking because lack of vocabulary, wrong pronunciation, wrong grammar, less accuracy, and fluency (jaelani, 2022). four common causes of speaking difficulty were inhibition, having nothing to say, limited participation, and using one's mother tongue (mukminin et al., 2018). cause of they have lack of practice in their speaking skill as shown in figure 3, the indicator is still lower compared to another indicator, so the researcher has to pay attention to it to know the students' attitudes toward the lower indicators, therefore future researchers conduct a study to gain deep knowledge about it and expected to develop a better researcher. furthermore, the analysis of student's response to the 4 open-ended questionnaires, indicates that students' speaking levels is good because they always practice making it perfect, they feel better when speaking than before and there is an improvement, this result is in line with a study conducted by rao, p (2019) that peaking skills require constant practice and additional time, as they are challenging to learn without it. this is especially true for english language learners. thus, emphasizing speaking practice both inside and outside of the classroom is the best strategy to help english language learners become more fluent speakers. moreover, there were students still not good at speaking but they still be able to understand when someone spoke, still good enough to communicate with people, some students from first grade also pointed out that their speaking skills were quite poor because still at a low level. another student clarified that their speaking is not fluent and still lacks vocabulary. additionally students' perspectives about the use of instagram reels in improving speaking skills as they mentioned above that the use of instagram reels is a good idea, it can allow students to find many sources to learn to speak because there are a lot of instagram accounts that post a short video about english. gonulal (2019) reported that instagram reels provided many unique resources for learning, instagram can be a good platform for learning english such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening. some students mentioned that content on instagram reels is interesting and helpful to engage their motivation in learning english, especially speaking skills, but sometimes they feel distracted by random videos that make them unenjoyable and unfocused with their goals. the student's strategy to overcome those challenges in learning to speak through instagram reels such as increasing a lot of vocabulary and then writing it down to memorize, in concert with a study conducted by laela nisa indriani et al (2023) that the use of social media instagram can help university students learn english and enriching students’ vocabulary in which the foundation of language mastery. furthermore try to apply what you focus on your goal to learn and intensively learn with instagram reels. additionally getting used to speaking, and always practicing everywhere and every day, is related with a study conducted by damaryanan & subektii̇ (2023) that using instagram reels can encourage students to keep practicing english every day and motivate students to develop their speaking fluency. this study focuses on investigating student’s perceptions of using instagram reels as mobileassisted language learning to improve speaking skills. to expand this research, further research could aim to measure the direct impact of instagram reels on language proficiency, particularly speaking skills, using pre-and-posttests or other assessment tools. the future researcher also could investigate the effectiveness and experiences of instagram reels or other social media for language learning methods could provide further evidence of its utility and limitations in language education. furthermore incorporating teacher perceptions and experiences toward instagram reels or other social media for language teaching could offer a more holistic view of educational value and implementation challenges. moreover, future studies could explore how students with different learning styles or proficiency levels perceive and benefit from using instagram reels for language learning. in addition future research, perhaps comparing different social media platforms or exploring longitudinal impact on language proficiency. conclusion speaking is one of the language abilities that is essential for communication in english, as was previously said. english is an international language. one of the most important abilities that english language learners, particularly those nur hikmah, hidayati, irwandi, ilham, rima rahmaniah, & nicole whitworth students’ perceptions of using instagram reels as mobile-assisted language learning to improve speaking skills 392 enrolled in study programs, should acquire is speaking. students who do not have proficiency in speaking will find it challenging to communicate with one another. the purpose of this study was to find out whether university students thought positively or negatively about utilizing instagram reels as a mobile-assisted language learning tool to improve speaking abilities from the first to the seventh semester. the results of the examination of the closedand open-ended questionnaire data indicate that most students see the use of instagram reels to improve their speaking abilities favorably. instagram reels have been shown to be a useful teaching tool for students learning english, particularly speaking, based on the statistics. although students occasionally become distracted by random videos, they already know that practicing consistently every day and everywhere is one of their own goals. students believe that this tool is comfortable and one of the fun ways to develop a new atmosphere in learning to speak. it also increases students' motivation because instagram reels provide interesting content to improve their speaking performance. students may enhance their speaking skills by using this tool, which helps them obtain a lot of vocabulary from the video, quotations, captions, and comment area. this is especially useful when they are interacting with others, whether inside or outside of the classroom. acknowledgement the researcher would like to thank all of the respondents to the questionnaire from the first to the seventh semester who helped us collect the data. references aidah, r. s. (2022). efl students’ perception towards the use of instagram in speaking english. retain, 10(vol 10 no 01 (2022)), 164–171. https://ejournal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/retain/arti cle/view/47621/40561 almadhady, a. a., rahim, a., salam, h., baharum, h. i., & malaysia, t. (2021). the use of mall applications to enhance the english speaking skills among arab efl learners. psychology and education, 58(4), 3237–3255. https://doi.org/10.13140/rg.2.2.20077.51680 alotaibi, m. s. (2023). exploring the impact of using instagram to develop saudi efl learners’ vocabulary. journal corner of education, linguistics, and literature, 2(4), 280–294. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.54012/jcell.v2i 4.141 amalia, a. r. (2022). students’ perceptions on the use of instagram reels to stimulate students’ motivation in speaking english. jellt (journal of english language and literature teaching), 7(vol. 7 no. 2 (2022): november), 193–200. https://ejurnal.unima.ac.id/index.php/jellt/article /view/5303/2590 anindita, k., & noveintine, d. k. (2021). english education students’ perception of instagram usage as a medium to learn english. women’s language features of eilis lacey in the brooklyn movie script, 1(1), 60–79. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24071/uc.v3i2. 5388 aprian, w., oktaviani, d., & trisnawati, w. (2023). students’ perception using instagram reels toward speaking ability improvement: english departement students’ voice, 6(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.52060/jled.v6i1 .1393 athoillah, u. (2022). the use of mobile assisted language learning (mall) in teaching students’ listening speaking skills. jurnal guru dikmen dan diksus, 5, 133–146. http://jgdd.kemdikbud.go.id/index.php/jgdd azlan, n. a. b., zakaria, s. b., & yunus, m. m. (2019). integrative task-based learning: developing speaking skill and increase motivation via instagram. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v9-i1/5463 baron, r. (2020). students’ perception on online application in speaking skill. veles voices of english language education society, 4(2), 213– 221. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v4i2.2543 baruti, t. d. w. p., & subekti, a. s. (2023). instagram to learn english vocabulary: a study of indonesian non-english major university students. ijee (indonesian journal of english education), 10(1), 106–125. https://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v10i1.26969 cholis, h. w. n., fauzati, e., & supriyadi, s. (2021). students’ roles in learning english through mobile assisted language learning (mall): a teachers’ beliefs view. international journal of educational research review, 6(2), 169–175. https://doi.org/10.24331/ijere.869600 dağdeler, k. o., & demiröz, h. (2022). efl instructors’ perceptions of utilizing mobileassisted language learning in higher education. acta educationis generalis, 12(2), 22–40. https://doi.org/10.2478/atd-2022-0012 damaryanan, r., & subektii̇, a. s. (2023). impacts of using instagram to practice speaking in english: perspectives of indonesian non-english major learners. international journal of current approaches in language, education and social sciences. https://doi.org/10.35452/caless.1351459 dewi, n. p. p., marsakawati, n. p. e., putra, i. n. a. j., & suwastini, n. k. a. (2022). being real on instagram reels: an authentic tool to enhance english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 393 english speaking skills. elsya : journal of english language studies, 4(3), 240–251. https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v4i3.10075 dilafruz, m. m., sayyorakxon, t. s., & zulaykho, s. j. (2021). developing effective communication skills. journal of oncology practice, 3(6), 314– 317. https://doi.org/10.1200/jop.0766501 dona donny, c., & hafizah adnan, n. (2022). tesl undergraduates’ perceptions: utilizing social media to elevate speaking skills. arab world english journal, 13(4), 539–561. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol13no4.35 erarslan, a. (2019). instagram as an education platform for efl learners. turkish online journal of educational technology tojet, 18(3), 54–69. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1223776 fithriani, r., dewi, u., daulay, s. h., salmiah, m., & fransiska, w. (2019). using facebook in efl writing class: its effectiveness from students’ perspective. kne social sciences, 2019, 634– 645. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v3i19.4892 goldenthal, e., park, j., liu, s. x., mieczkowski, h., & hancock, j. t. (2021). not all ai are equal: exploring the accessibility of ai-mediated communication technology. computers in human behavior, 125(april), 106975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106975 gonulal, t. (2019). the use of instagram as a mobileassisted language learning tool. contemporary educational technology, 10(3), 309–323. https://doi.org/10.30935/cet.590108 hawkins, j. e. (2018). the practical utility suitability of email interviews in qualitative research. qualitative report, 23(2), 493–501. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3266 hoi, v. n., & mu, g. m. (2021). perceived teacher support and students’ acceptance of mobileassisted language learning: evidence from vietnamese higher education context. british journal of educational technology, 52(2), 879– 898. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13044 ilyas, m., & putri, m. e. (2020). j-shmic : journal of english for academic. j-shmic : journal of english for academic, 7(1), 66–76. https://journal.uir.ac.id/index.php/jshmic/article/ view/3905 ishtiaq khan, r. m., radzuan, n. r. m., farooqi, s. u. h., shahbaz, m., & khan, m. s. (2021). learners’ perceptions on whatsapp integration as a learning tool to develop efl vocabulary for speaking skill. international journal of language education, 5(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v5i2.15787 jaelani, a. (2022). the use of mobile-assisted language learning to promote learner autonomy in the efl speaking context. journal of english education, 8(1), 2022. https://doi.org/10.30606/jee jamilumulkillah, k. m., & miftakh, f. (2022). the utilization of instagram account @andyhopss as media to improve students’ interest in intelligible english pronunciation. 2008, 53–58. https://proceedings.elesp.org/elespic/index.php/ apspbikalsel/article/view/11 kamili, s. el. (2023). efl young adult learners ’ attitudes towards using instagram to improve their language proficiency in turkey. july, 0–8. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8134721 kashinathan, s., & abdul aziz, a. (2021). esl learners’ challenges in speaking english in malaysian classroom. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v10-i2/10355 kaysi, f., yavuz, m., & aydemir, e. (2021). investigation of university students’ smartphone usage levels and effects. international journal of technology in education and science, 5(3), 411– 426. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijtes.235 kusmaryani, w., musthafa, b., & purnawarman, p. (2019). the influence of mobile applications on students’ speaking skill and critical thinking in english language learning. journal of physics: conference series, 1193(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1193/1/012008 laela nisa indriani, r., rizal, d., masruuroh, u., walisongo semarang, u., & unsiyatun masruuroh, m. (2023). instagram for english language learning of university students corresponding author. journal of applied language learning j app lang lea, 1(1), 2023. https://www.opastpublishers.com/open-accessarticles/instagram-for-english-languagelearning-of-university-students.pdf lee, s. m. (2022). a systematic review of contextaware technology use in foreign language learning. computer assisted language learning, 35(3), 294–318. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.168883 6 liu, c., he, j., ding, c., fan, x., hwang, g. j., & zhang, y. (2021). self-oriented learning perfectionism and english learning burnout among efl learners using mobile applications: the mediating roles of english learning anxiety and grit. learning and individual differences, 88(april), 102011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2021.102011 miles, m. b., huberman, a. m., & saldana, j. (1994). qualitative data analysis. practitioner research and professional development in education, 125–145. https://doi.org/10.4135/9780857024510.d49 miranda, j. a. m., & wahyudin, a. y. (2023). preservice teachers’ strategies in improving students’ speaking skilss. journal of english language teaching and learning (jeltl), 4(1), 40–47. http://jim.teknokrat.ac.id/index.php/englishlanguage-teaching/index nur hikmah, hidayati, irwandi, ilham, rima rahmaniah, & nicole whitworth students’ perceptions of using instagram reels as mobile-assisted language learning to improve speaking skills 394 misnawati, m., yusriadi, y., & tahir, s. z. bin. (2022). mall in learning english through social networking tools: students’ perceptions on instagram feed-based task and peer feedback. call-ej, 23(2 special issue), 198–216. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/saidnabintahir/publication/361248732_mall_in_learn ing_english_through_social_networking_tool s_students’_perceptions_on_instagram_feedbased_task_and_peer_feedback/links/62a5f41 ec660ab61f8774b17/mall-in-learning-engli mitu, r. k. (2020). using social media to promote efl learners’ speaking skill: perceptions from both teachers and learners. international journal of advanced research in education and society, 2(1), 74–84. http://myjms.moe.gov.my/index.php/ijares74 mohamed hashim, m. a., tlemsani, i., & matthews, r. (2022). higher education strategy in digital transformation. education and information technologies, 27(june 2021), 3171–3195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10739-1 mukminin, m., habibi, a., asyrafi, a., makmur, f., & marzulina, m. (2018). the qualitative report part of the adult and continuing education and teaching commons, bilingual, multilingual, and multicultural education commons, educational leadership commons, higher education commons, international and comparative education commons. nsu works, 23(1), 129– 145. http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr nuraeni, c., carolina, i., supriyatna, a., widiati, w., & bahri, s. (2020). mobile-assisted language learning (mall): students’ perception and problems towards mobile learning in english language. journal of physics: conference series, 1641(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1641/1/012027 obeso, m., pérez-pérez, m., garcía-piqueres, g., & serrano-bedia, a. m. (2023). enhancing students’ learning outcomes through smartphones: a case study of using instagram in higher management education. international journal of management education, 21(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2023.100885 pikhart, m. (2021). human-computer interaction in foreign language learning applications: applied linguistics viewpoint of mobile learning. procedia computer science, 184, 92–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2021.03.123 pitura, j. (2022). developing l2 speaking skills in english-medium efl higher education. innovation in language learning and teaching, 16(2), 118–143. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2021.188468 8 qureshi, m. i., khan, n., raza, h., imran, a., & ismail, f. (2021). digital technologies in education 4.0. does it enhance the effectiveness of learning? international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 15(4), 31–47. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v15i04.20291 rajendran, t., & md yunus, m. (2021). a systematic literature review on the use of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) for enhancing speaking skills among esl and efl learners. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v10-i1/8939 rao, p, s. (2019). the importance of speaking skills in english classrooms. alford council of international english & literature journal, 2(2), 6–18. www.acielj.com rasita, i., barus, g., & simanjuntak, m. b. (2020). whatsapp group and google classroom-based learning materials in english classes : students’ perception (study case taken from college of vocational studies-ipb university). umma journals, 3(1), 47–54. rasyiid, r. n., maulina, m., resueňo, c. p., nasrullah, r., & rusli, t. i. (2021). instagram usage in learning english: a literature review. tell : teaching of english language and literature journal, 9(2), 133. https://doi.org/10.30651/tell.v9i2.9482 rohaizat, n., ang, f. n., & md yunus, m. (2021). instagram interactive face filter to motivate speaking skill among year 5 esl learners in rural sabah: pupils’ perception. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 11(7). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v11-i7/10401 şad, s. n., özer, n., yakar, ü., & öztürk, f. (2022). mobile or hostile? using smartphones in learning english as a foreign language1. computer assisted language learning, 35(5–6), 1031–1057. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.177029 2 saputra, a., qamariah, z., & qalyubi, i. (2023). perception and motivation of students on efl learning through instagram. diajar: jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran, 2(2), 228–241. https://doi.org/10.54259/diajar.v2i2.1501 saputri, n. r. (2021). instagram reels as a media in writing procedure text for the ninth grade students of smpn 1 pageruyung academic year 2021/2022. dharmas education journal (de_journal), 2(2), 329–336. https://doi.org/10.56667/dejournal.v2i2.519 sari, f. m., & wahyudin, a. y. (2019). undergraduate students’ perceptions toward blended learning through instagram in english for business class. international journal of language education, 3(1), 64–73. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v1i1.7064 siritheeratharadol, p., tuntivivat, s., intarakamhang, u. (2023). european journal of educational research. european journal of educational english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 395 research, 12(2), 749–758. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.12973/eujer.10.4.1669 su, f., & zou, d. (2022). technology-enhanced collaborative language learning: theoretical foundations, technologies, and implications. computer assisted language learning, 35(8), 1754–1788. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.183154 5 teng, c., heydarnejad, t., hasan, m. k., omar, a., & sarabani, l. (2022). mobile assisted language learning in learning english through social networking tools: an account of instagram feedbased tasks on learning grammar and attitude among english as a foreign language learners. frontiers in psychology, 13(september), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1012004 utomo, a., & bastiar, i. (2020). the use of instagram to improve english literature students’ selfconfidence in mastering speaking skill. jurnal pendidikan edutama, 7(vol 7, no 2 (2020): july 2020), 81–92. https://doi.org/10.30734/jpe.v7i2 wahyuni. (2021). the use of youtube in encouraging speaking skill. pustakailmu.id, 7(3), 1–9. http://pustakailmu.id/index.php/pustakailmu/arti cle/view/62 wulandari, m. (2019). improving efl learners speaking proficiency through instagram vlog. llt journal: a journal on language and language teaching, 22(1), 111–125. https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v22i1.1796 zhang, d., & pérez-paredes, p. (2021). chinese postgraduate efl learners’ self-directed use of mobile english learning resources. computer assisted language learning, 34(8), 1128–1153. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.166245 5 zhang, r., & zou, d. (2022). types, purposes, and effectiveness of state-of-the-art technologies for second and foreign language learning. computer assisted language learning, 35(4), 696–742. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.174466 6 zou’bi, r. al. (2021). the impact of media and information literacy on acquiring the critical thinking skill by the educational faculty’s students. thinking skills and creativity, 39(november 2020), 100782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100782 nur hikmah, hidayati, irwandi, ilham, rima rahmaniah, & nicole whitworth students’ perceptions of using instagram reels as mobile-assisted language learning to improve speaking skills 396 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 275 new normal campaign of covid-19 advertisements by who: a multimodal study asmah boru munthe universitas sumatera utara, indonesia email: asmahmunthe@gmail.com t thyrhaya zein universitas sumatera utara, indonesia email: t.thyrhaya@usu.ac.id t silvana sinar universitas sumatera utara, indonesia email: tengkusilvana@usu.ac.id apa scitation: smunthe, sa. sb., zein, t. t., & sinar, t. s. (2022). snew snormal scampaign sof scovid-19 sadvertisements sby swho: sa smultimodal sstudy. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s11(1), 275-282. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7784. received: 19-10-2022 accepted: 27-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction the corona virus, also known as covid-19, was first discovered in wuhan, china at the end of december 2019. this virus spread quickly all over the world and death rate caused by this virus has made countries race against the time and unpreparedness to find the right solution. thus, who officially declared the covid-19 as a pandemic on march 9, 2020. the pandemic has completely changed the way people live (erwani et al., 2022). the methods that have been tried by many countries affected by covid-19 are regional quarantine or lockdown (satnoto et al., 2020). lockdown is a regulation that is made by the government to ask societies to do all the activities at home such as working, studying, praying, and shopping. but, a lockdown is not an effective way because it had a drastic impact on economies around the world. therefore, who suggests to use another way to prevent the spread of coronavirus by implementing the new normal life. the new normal is a situation of new life to carry out activities as usual. new normal life is more emphasis on changing society's habits to get used to having a healthy lifestyle by implementing health protocols. unfortunately, the new normal life is misinterpreted by some people who comprehend the new normal as back to normal life without covid-19. globally, the number of positive cases of covid-19 crease. there are 4.7 million new cases reported. the data is taken by who from health national authorities. it happened because the awareness of society in implementing health protocols is low. it is also because they do not understand well the meaning of the new normal life during the covid-19 pandemic. advertisements are a form of written communication that is often used in society. abstract: after covid-19 outbreak spread around the world, many advertisements campaign the new normal life. who made some rules how the way to life in new normal. this research aims to describe verbal land lvisual lelements lin lthe lnew lnormal lcampaign lof lcovid-19 ladvertisements lby lwho. lthe lresearch lused lqualitative ldescriptive lresearch lwith lan linteractive lmodel. lthe ltechnique lof lcollecting ldata lwas ldocumentation. lthe lresearcher lused lideational lfunction lto lanalyze lverbal lelements land lgrammar lvisual ldesign ltheory lto lanalyze lvisual lelements. lbased lon lthe lfinding, lthere lwere lthree ldominant lelements lin lverbal lelements. lfirst, lthe ldominant lparticipant lwas lthe lgoal l(19). lsecond, lthe ldominant lprocess lwas lmaterial l(20). lthird, lthe ldominant lcircumstance lwas lmanner l(4). lmeanwhile, lthere lwere lalso lthree ldominant lelements lin lvisual lelements. lfirst, lthe ldominant lrepresentational lwas lnarrative l(17). lsecond, lthe ldominant lelements lin linteractive lwere loffer l(19), lmedium llong lshot l(6), loblique l(16), land leye llevel l(17). lthird, lthe ldominant lelement lin lcompositional lwas lsalience l(54). lthe lconclusion lwas lthe lvisual lelements lwere lmore ldominant lthan lthe lverbal lelements. the visual element showed many images that made the readers understand by looking at them and the verbal elements were just additional information to the readers to not get misunderstood the images. thus, the verbal elements correlated with the visual elements to convey the meaning from advertisements to the viewers keywords: advertisements; covid-19; multimodal study; new normal. mailto:asmahmunthe@gmail.com asmah boru munthe, t thyrhaya zein, & t silvana sinar new snormal scampaign sof scovid-19 sadvertisements sby swho: sa smultimodal sstudy 276 according to nederstigt & hilberink-schulpen (2018) advertisement is a communication medium. the purpose of advertising is to persuade people to buy or use the services or products offered. the product is not only in the commercial field but it can also be in the non-commercial field. there are two types of advertisements, namely commercial advertisements, and non-commercial advertisements. commercial advertisements are advertisement which promotes the sale of goods to the public generally. as a result, advertising has developed into a potent marketing technique for luring customers away from non-consumers and toward their goods or services (jaworska, 2020). meanwhile, non-commercial advertisements contain messages that remind and invite the public to participate in the success of a program aimed at common interests. they also play an important role to create public awareness. the language used in an advertisement must be persuasive and engage to influence the readers. the language used is short, clear, concise, and effective hence it can be easy to understand by readers. selective phrases and visuals that allow for numerous readings contribute to the diversity of meanings in ads (eynullaeva, 2018). to make it more attractive, advertisement is also supported by the use of colors, illustrations, and logos (al-omar, 2019; pecoraro et al., 2020). the use of verbal and nonverbal language aspects in the advertisement helps to express its meaning (arinata et al., 2022; dewi et al., 2022). at this time, we can find lots of new normal campaign advertisements in various kinds of media, videos and images, such as magazines, newspapers, television, radio, or internet. the multimodal aspect of advertising is one of its most crucial components (perangin-angin et al., 2022). the purposes of the new normal campaign advertisements are to give brief explanation about the new normal and to remind us the importance of implementing health protocols. the new normal campaign advertisement is a non-commercial advertisement that aims to give information and to increase the awareness of public society about the attitudes and behavior to the problem advertised. regarding non-commercial advertisements, who as the biggest world health organization is responsible to educate societies about the new normal in the covid-19 pandemic. not all societies have the same knowledge about the new normal (effendy et al., 2020). therefore, who launches non-commercial advertisements, the new normal campaign of covid-19 advertisements, on its official website. through advertisements, it hopes that all societies can easily understand covid-19 and how to live in new normal life. the researcher chooses the covid-19 advertisements by who is because they provide different modes. these modes are sentences and images that are contained in the advertisements. these modes work together to create messages which means to be communicated. the purpose of new normal campaign of covid-19 advertisements is to set examples of implementing health protocol during covid-19. multimodal is a theory that looks at how people communicate and interact with other people because it uses different modes. it scan sbe sdefined sas sthe suse sof ssome ssemiotic smodes sin sproduct sdesign sor ssemiotic sevents sand sin ssome sways, sthese smodes sare scombined sto sstrengthen, scomplete, sor sbe sin sa sparticular. multimodal (text, image, and audiovisual) advertisements are a successful technique to introduce products or services (alhadi et al., 2022; miharti & fitrawati, 2022). multimodal salso scan sbe sdefined sas sa stechnical sterm sthat saims sto sshow sthe smeaning sthat swe shave sdone sso sfar sto sutilize sa svariety sof ssemiotics. the multimodal analysis emphasizes that all means of communication, both verbal and nonverbal, play an important role in making meaning. many researchers have studied advertising using multimodal analysis such as guo & feng (2018), napitupulu (2018), sitanggang (2018), amatullah (2019), raharjo et al (2020), and dania & sari (2020). guo & feng (2018) conducted the 2014 brazil world cup advertisements with grammar visual design to represent semiotic acts. raharjo et al.'s (2020) study on the multimodal analysis of wardah lipstick examined aspects of multimodal on advertisements that featured persuasive messages impacting the buyer's decision. hafrianto (2019) did another study that examined the multimodal analysis of indomie in the arabic translation. sitanggang (2018) investigated the visual and verbal elements in political satire through the use of metafunction and grammar visual design cartoons and illustrated how they are specifically interrelated to construct satire. napitupulu (2018) identified the visual and verbal elements in advertisements of the online marketplace shopee. he used metafunction to analyze the verbal elements and grammar visual design and generic structure to analyze the visual elements. amatullah (2019) analyzed and compared semiotic systems such as linguistic, visual, audio, gesture, and place in beauty product advertisements. raharjo et al. (2020) analyzed wardah lipstick advertisements. dania & sari english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 277 (2020) identified food advertisements. meanwhile some researchers who conducted a research of a campaign are: serena williams and megan rapinoe are among the cast members of this advertisement, which was launched as part of nike's promotion for international women's day 2020 (verry, 2020). lose count is the name of the second advertising. one of nike's ads, lose count, which was part of the stronger than one campaign and debuted in february 2021, is designed to empower female football players, therefore it makes sense to label it femvertising. the stronger than one campaign was created to empower the future generation of female athletes, particularly those playing american football (codega, 2020). although many researchers have conducted research related to multimodal analysis in advertisements, there is still a need to investigate how multimodal analysis contributed to other types of advertisements. in this research, the difference and the novelty of this research are the data and the theory. numerous research used commercial advertisements as the data, but the current research used non-commercial advertisements, new normal advertisements by who. this research is conducted to determine the elements of verbal and visual that appears in new normal campaign of covid-19 advertisements by who. therefore, the researcher takes the snew snormal scampaign sof scovid-19 sadvertisements sby swho sas sthe sdata sof sthe sresearch. sthe spurpose sof sthe sresearch swas sto sidentify sthe svisual sand sverbal selements sin sthe snew snormal scampaign sof scovid-19 sadvertisements sby swho. sit suses sthe sideational sfunction sby shalliday smetafunctions' stheory sto sanalyze sthe sverbal selements. sthen, sit scombines swith svisual selements, sthe sgrammar svisual design. method in this research, the researcher used a descriptive qualitative design. it aims to explain what exists in a situation in terms of variables or conditions and to obtain information concerning the current phenomenon. the research on multimodal is usually divided into two groups: verbal elements and visual elements to see how the modes screate smeaning sin scommunication. sthus, sthis sresearch saims sto sidentify sthe sverbal sand svisual selements sin sthe snew snormal scampaign sof scovid-19 sadvertisements sby swho. s the sreason sbehind sselecting sthe snew snormal scampaign sof scovid-19 sadvertisements sresides sin sthe sfact sthat multimodal is claimed to look at how people communicate with other people in different modes. modes are socially and culturally shaped resources for making meaning. moreover, the previous research did not use non-commercial advertisements as the data in multimodal. whereas non-commercial is public service advertisement to create awareness or raise funds. non-commercial advertisements attempt to influence public opinion on the happening issue such as the covid-19 pandemic. the data of this research were visual and verbal elements in seven new normal campaigns of covid-19 advertisements by who selected by the researcher. visual elements were taken from the image components of the advertisements. the images were about human bodies, objects, and illustrations in public places. meanwhile, verbal elements were clauses found in advertisements. based on halliday's in systemic functional linguistics, a clause is a unit of linguistics. therefore, verbal elements included words, phrases, and clauses. the source of data took from who's official website: https://www.who.int/indonesia/news/novelcorona virus/newinfograpihics/new-normal. it was accessed on tuesday, january 5th, 2021. the reason why researcher took from the who official website, is because of who as the biggest world organization gave guidance on us how to implement health protocols and how to implement the new normal life during the covid-19 pandemic. in analyzing the data, the researcher used the interactive model analysis. there were four steps in analyzing data: data collection, data condensation, data display, and conclusion. figure: 1. four steps of analyzing data based on the interactive model presented in figure 1, the first step was ldata lcollection. ldata lcollection lmeans lthe lprocess lof lgathering land lmeasuring linformation labout ltargeted lvariables lin lan lestablished lsystem, lwhich lenables lone lto lanswer lrelevant lquestions land levaluate lthe results. this research applied documentation techniques for collecting data. documentation technique is a technique that documents as a form of data include https://www.who.int/indonesia/news/novelcoronavirus/newinfograpihics/new-normal https://www.who.int/indonesia/news/novelcoronavirus/newinfograpihics/new-normal asmah boru munthe, t thyrhaya zein, & t silvana sinar new snormal scampaign sof scovid-19 sadvertisements sby swho: sa smultimodal sstudy 278 material obtained via the internet. the documents had been provided by who official sites and they were available for other people to check. to collect the data, the researcher searched the data from who's official website, then the researcher selected some new normal campaigns of covid-19 advertisements based on the representation of implementing the health protocols in the new normal. next, the researcher downloaded the selected advertisements and classified the data into visual and verbal elements. the lsecond lstep lwas ldata lcondensation lthe lprocess lof lselecting, lfocusing, lsimplifying, labstracting, land ltransforming ldata. lthe ldata lwas lselected lbased lon lvisual land lverbal lelements lin lthe lnew lnormal lcampaign lof lcovid-19 ladvertisements lby who, then the process of the data focused on verbal elements and visual elements. in verbal elements, the data were analyzed based on the ideational function of the transitivity process in an experiential process which consisted of three aspects: participants, process, and circumstance. in visual elements, the data was analyzed using grammar visual design which consisted of three aspects: representational, interactional, and compositional. the researcher used code to simplify data. the codes presented in the analysis were nnca1, nnca2, nnca3, nnca4, nnca5, nnca6, and nnca7. the sthird sstep swas sdata sdisplay sto san sorganized sassembly sof sinformation sthat sallows sthe sconclusion. sthe sprocess sof sreducing sand sdisplaying sdata swas sbased son sthe sformulation sof sthe sresearch sproblem. sthe sresearch sdisplayed sthe sdata sanalysis sof sverbal sand svisual selements sused sin sthe snew snormal scampaign sof scovid-19 sadvertisements. the last step was the conclusion to make a summary of the research. concluding is the process of drawing the content of data collected in the form of good statements. the conclusion is made after analyzing the data and then the researcher got the conclusion as the answer to the research problems. results and discussion this data finding is divided into two elements, the first was verbal elements. the researcher used the ideational function in the transitivity process by m.a.k. halliday (2004) to analyze the verbal elements. from the analysis, the researcher found that there were 17 clauses in advertisements. table 1. was the result of the verbal analysis: table 1. verbal elements verbal elements participants processes circumstances actor = 8 goal = 19 senser = 3 phenomenon = 3 token = 1 value = 1 attribute = 3 carrier = 1 material = 20 mental = 5 relational = 4 behaviour = 1 manner = 4 time = 2 in table 1, there were 3 elements in verbal: participants, processes, and circumstances. the researcher discovered that the most dominant participant in ideational function was the goal (19). then, the actor came after it (8). it was noticeable that the advertisements brought important messages to the readers to get a clear understanding of the new normal and health protocols. who engaged the readers to obey the rules of the new normal life by implementing health protocols during outside activity. then, the most dominant process was material (20). many sentences used a material process to show what was the doer doing. it meant that the advertisements encouraged readers to do and to participate in maintaining health procedures in the new normal life by adhering to who guidance. meanwhile, the researcher found that there were two circumstances. they are manner and time. the manner circumstance was 4 and the time circumstance was 2. as a result, the manner circumstance was more dominant than the time circumstance. the advertisements gave more examples of implementing new normal life by manner circumstance than time circumstance. when the readers saw the examples of health protocols, they will easily understand how to do it by copying the actions. on sthe sother shand, sthere swere s20 simages swith svisual selements sfound sin sthe snew snormal scampaign sof scovid-19 sadvertisements. sthe sresearcher sused sgrammar svisual sdesign stheory sby skress sand svan sleeuwen. it has three parts: representational, interactive, and compositional. representational is used to look at the position of the participants wheater writers or readers are dominant. interactive is used to know the interaction between the image-maker and imageviewers. compositional is related to the arrangement of all the elements from the representational and interactive. thus, compositional sees how these elements from two parts relate to each other into a meaningful whole. table 2. showed the result of the visual analysis. table 2. visual elements english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 279 visual elements representat i-onal interactive composition -al narrative = 17 vector: 17 actor: 17 goal: 19 gaze: offer = 19 demand = 1 information value = 30 conceptual = 3 carrier: 3 attributive: 6 social distance: close shot = 2 very close shot = 4 long shot = 5 medium long shot = 6 medium close shot = 3 salience = 54 horizontal angel : frontal = 6 oblique = 14 vertical angel : eye-level = 17 low level = 2 high level = 1 framing unframed = 17 framed = 3 in visual elements, the most dominant process in representational was narrative (17). then it was followed by the conceptual process (3). the advertisements used more vectors to connect the participants (images and readers) by limbs, eyeliners, bodies, or tools to indicate the connection. it related to verbal elements that the most participants dominant was a goal which is used direct vector to the readers. in interactive, the most dominant gaze was an offer (19). the images of the advertisements used a lack of eye contact with the readers. participants in the offer image should not be aware of the presence of the camera. therefore, many images did not seem directly to the readers when giving examples of maintaining health protocols and they are represented to the readers as if they are on display to observe by the readers. next, the most dominant social distance was a medium-long shot (6). it was followed by a long shot (5), a very close shot (4), a medium close shot (3), and a close shot (2). many images in advertisements used medium-long shots as social distance to show whole the images situation. thus, the readers could see what is going on and where is it. meanwhile, the less dominant social distance was close shot. this social distance only shows the images from head to shoulder. it meant that the images were closer and bigger from the frame and the readers could not see around the images. then, there were two angles; horizontal and vertical. in horizontal angle, the most dominant was the oblique (14). then it was followed by frontal (6). these images were not created as perfect images because they avoided facing the readers. the main goal was not to see the readers but to tell the readers what should they do during the covid-19 pandemic by implementing health protocols. meanwhile, in vertical angle, the most dominant was eye level (17). next, the low level was 2 and the high level was 1. the images used eye level to represent that the images and the readers were symbolically same position. therefore, who through the advertisements invited society to build awareness of how important the health protocols are. compositional sees how representational and interactive are connected to be meaningful as a whole. thus, compositional has three parts: information value, salience, and framing. based on the result, the information value found 30 elements. it meant that the images in advertisements were found in strategic places so the readers were easy to understand the intention of the images. then, salience was 54 elements; more dominant (54) than information value (30). salience was used to attract the readers to participants, representational, and interactive parts images. it refers to the degree to of compositional elements draw attention to themselves. in advertisements, they used soft colors and the dominant color was blue. the blue was used to show that those advertisements were official from who. meanwhile, framing was used to refer to the presence or absence of a margin to hold the image within the page. in the result, the more dominant framing was unframed (17) than framed (3). it meant that the images were free and connected with other elements such as vectors and continuities or similarities of color, visual shape, etc. the images of those advertisements showed that our daily activities must change because of the covid-19 pandemic. they also gave us procedures for how to live in new normal life by implementing health protocols. with the new normal procedures from who, the people hoped to comprehensive understanding of keeping health protocol to reduce the spread of covid-19. as smentioned sbefore, sthe spurpose sof sthis sresearch swas sto sidentify sthe sverbal sand svisual selements sin sthe snew snormal scampaign sof scovid19 sadvertisements sby swho. sthe sfirst swas sverbal selements. it is used to explain the images. there were three parts to verbal elements: participants, process, and circumstance. in participants, the most dominant was a goal (19). it meant that the who wanted to achieve the goal of the advertisements. therefore, the who used many asmah boru munthe, t thyrhaya zein, & t silvana sinar new snormal scampaign sof scovid-19 sadvertisements sby swho: sa smultimodal sstudy 280 persuasive sentences in advertisements to invite the readers to implement the new normal. then, the most dominant process was material (20). the material process was used to show how to live in the new normal situation during the covid-19 pandemic. therefore, the advertisements used concrete and observable activities such as stay, touch, spread, and so on. next, the most dominant circumstance was manner. who did not want any misunderstanding about the new normal life, thus it explained keeping shealth sprotocols sduring sthe scovid-19 spandemic sto sreduce sthe sspread sof scovid-19. the second was visual elements. it was also divided into three parts: representational, interactive, and compositional. in representational, it was sengaged swith srepresented sparticipants swhich scan sbe speople, sthings, sor splaces swith scircumstances sin swhich sevents sor sactions sare sbeing sillustrated. sthe most dominant representational was narrative (17) because images showed the participants and connected with the vector (17) to make an example of how to do the health protocols. in interactive, the most dominant was an offer (19) in gaze because the participants in advertisements made eye contact with the readers. then the most dominant social distance in making eye contact was a medium long shot (6) because they showed whole images to show the application of health protocols in the covid-19 pandemic so the readers could see obvious images. in advertisements, the angel is also an important part because if the angel in the images did not fit with the readers' eye contact, they will not easily and clearly understand. based on the finding, the most dominant angel was eye level (17). they showed the same positions to tell that the readers had the power to decrease the spread of covid-19 by implenting health protocols. conclusion based on the result of analyzing, the verbal elements found in the new normal campaign of covid-19 advertisements were participants, process, and circumstance. the dominant elements of participants were goal (19). the dominant elements of the process were material (20). then, the dominant circumstance was manner (4). from verbal elements, the researcher concluded that every sentence in advertisements aimed to give explanation about how to live in new normal by implementing health protocols and social distancing. in visual elements, there were three elements: representational, interactional, and compositional. the more dominant element in representational was narrative (17). next, the dominant elements in interactive were offer (19), medium long shot (6), the oblique (14), and eye level (17) then, the most dominant elements in compositional were salience (54), information value (30), and unframed (17). from those findings, the researcher concluded that the advertisements used proper images layout so that the viewers could see clear images without any ambiguity. the current research has limitations. the first was the number of selected advertisements. the researchers just took seven advertisements based on the guidance of who about new normal and health protocols. then, many researchers used commercial advertisements as the data meanwhile the research which was used non-commercial advertisements was hard to find. therefore, the researcher hoped that future research could use more non-commercial advertisements so that we could compare the analysis using commercial and noncommercial advertisements in multimodal. references alhadi, a. b., gunawan, w., & wirza, y., & syihabuddin. (2022). multimodal analysis of south korean male skincare advertisements. journal of english language studies, 7(1), 4059. al-omar, n. (2019). ideology in advertising: some implication for transcreation into arabic. hikma, 19 (1), 46-48. https://doi.org/10.21071/hikma.v19i1.11713. amatullah, lf., lrosa, ln. lr., l& lfitrawati. l(2019). lan lanalysis lof lmultimodal lin lbeauty lproduct ladvertisements. ljournal lof lenglish llanguage l& lliterature. l8(1), 169-177 l arinata, i. m. t., pratiwi, d. p. e., & sulatra, i. k. (2022). an analysis of verbal and non-verbal signs in rexona clinical protections advertisement. austronesian: journal of language science & literature, 1(2), 47–55. belgrime ls, lrabab’ah lg. l(2021) la lmultimodal ldiscourse lanalysis lof lenglish lposters lin lviolence lawareness lcampaigns lagainst lwomen. ltheory land lpractice lin llanguage lstudies l11(2), l191– 201 codega, l. (2020). nike commits off the field. shots. https://www.shots.net/news/view/nikecomments-off-the-field cueto, sm., sbrown, st., s& sfee, se. s(2019). sthe sworld shealth sorganization: sa shistory s(global shealth shistories). scambridge: cambridge university press. dania, lr., land lrosi lk. ls. l(2020). la lmultimodal lanalysis lof lfood ladvertisement. lthe linternational lenglish llanguage lteachers land llecturers lconference (pp.l86-92).) https://www.shots.net/news/view/nike-comments-off-the-field https://www.shots.net/news/view/nike-comments-off-the-field english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 281 dewi, n. m. c. s., pratiwi, d. p. e., & suastini, n. w. (2022). the verbal and non-verbal signs of for women by women: idole lancome advertisement. austronesian: journal of language science & literature, 1(2), 83–92. dezhkameha, la., llayegh, ln., & hadidib ly. l(2021). la lcritical ldiscourse lanalysis lof lcovid-19 lin liranian land lamerican lnewspapers. lgema lonline ljournal lof llanguage lstudies, l21(l3), l231–244. effendy, a. a., sudarso, a. p., nurhadi, a., arifianto, c. f., and kartono. (2020). peningkatan profesionalisme guru dan pengembangan sdm dalam menghadapi era revolusi industri 4.0 pada guru smk mulia buana parung panjang bogor. abdi laksana: jurnal pengabdian kepada masyarakat, 1(2), 198–204. http://dx.doi.org/10.32493/al-jpkm.v1i2.4979 erwani, p., sofendi, & mirizon, s. (2022). online learning amidst covid 19 pandemic disruption: efl lecturers and students’ classroom interaction. jeels (journal of english education and linguistics studies), 9(1), 229254. eynullaeva, e. (2018). relational designs in literature and the arts. relational designs in literature and the arts, 3(1), 14-24 https://doi.org/10.1163/9789401208567 guo, lf., l& lfeng, lx. l(2018). la lmultimodal ldiscourse lanalysis lof ladvertisements-based lon lvisual lgrammar. ljournal lof lart land lhumanities. l6(3), 59-69. hafrianto, j. (2019). analisis multimodal dalam iklan indomie versi arab [thesis,. universitas sumatera utara medan]. medan jaworska, s. (2020). corpora and the discourse of advertising. in e. friginal & j. a. hardy (eds.), the routledge handbook of corpus approaches to discourse analysis (pp. 428-444). routledge. miharti, s., & fitrawati. (2022). multimodal analysis in cigarette advertisements. e-journal of english language and literature, 11(3), 3665-375. milosavljevic, li. l(2020) lthe lphenomenon lof lthe linternet lmemes las la lmanifestation lof lcommunication lof lvisual lsociety llresearch lof lthe lmost lpopular land lthe lmost lcommon ltypes. lmedia lstudies land lapplied lethics, 1(l1), 9–27 mu, lj.f, lzhao, lh.y., lyang, lg. l(2021) la lcritical ldiscourse lanalysis lof lreports labout lchina lon lthe lcovid-19 lpandemic lin lthe lnew lyork ltimes. lopen laccess llibrary ljournal l8, l1–16 napitupulu, sl. sh., sbako, se. sn., sars, sn. sr., sand szein, st. s(2018). sa smultimodal sanalysis sof sadvertisement sof sonline smarketplace sshopee. skne ssocial ssciences, s3(4),s452-460 s nederstigt, u & hilberink-schulpen. (2018). advertising in a foreign language or the consumers' native language?. journal of international consumer marketing. 30(1), 2-13. pecoraro, m., uusitalo, o., & valtonen, a. (2020). experiencing ethical retail ideology in the service scape. journal of marketing management. 37(5-6). 520-547. https://doi.rg/10.1080/0267257x.2020.1851287. perangin-angin, a. b., nasution, e. h., & jalil, z. a. (2022). the multimodal analysis of lazada’s online advertisement. international journal on linguistics of sumatra and malay, 1(1), 46–53. raharjo, sa.r., shidayat, sd. sn., salek., sjalil, sn. s(2020). smultimodal sanalysis sof wardah lipstick advertisement. elite journal, 7, 149-159 sitanggang, d. (2018). a multimodal analysis of pinterest political satire [thesis]. universitas sumatera utara, magister program of english unuabonah, lf.o., loyebode, lo.o. l(2021). . nigeria lis lfighting lcovid-419: la lmultimodal lcritical ldiscourse lanalysis lof lpolitical lprotest lin lnigerian lcoronavirus-related linternet lmemes. ldiscourse l& lcommunication l15(2), l200–219 verry, p. (2020). serena williams, megan rapinoe and others star in nike’s inspirational international women’s day video. footwearnews. https://footwearnews.com/2020/focus/athleticoutdoor/nike-international-womens-day-serenawilliams-megan-rapinoe-1202944593/ wodak, lr. l(2021). lapproaches lto ldiscourse lanalysis. luniversity lpress wodak, lr. l(2021). crisis lcommunication land lcrisis lmanagement lduring lcovid-19. lglobal ldiscourses, l11(3),l329–353. yuet lal. l(2021). lcovid-19 land lwomen-led lbusinesses laround lthe lworld. lthe luniversity lof ltexas, lthe lrio lgrande lvalley. lscholarwork. lutrgv.edu. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789401208567 https://footwearnews.com/2020/focus/athletic-outdoor/nike-international-womens-day-serena-williams-megan-rapinoe-1202944593/ https://footwearnews.com/2020/focus/athletic-outdoor/nike-international-womens-day-serena-williams-megan-rapinoe-1202944593/ https://footwearnews.com/2020/focus/athletic-outdoor/nike-international-womens-day-serena-williams-megan-rapinoe-1202944593/ asmah boru munthe, t thyrhaya zein, & t silvana sinar new snormal scampaign sof scovid-19 sadvertisements sby swho: sa smultimodal sstudy 282 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 61 abstracts: one among many considerations that should be taken into consideration when moving a conventional face-to-face course to a web-based course is learners' needs, which are transformed into a research-informed blueprint. this study addressed the process of blueprint design resulting from the needs analysis process of design-based research. the objective is to describe the designed blueprint set for a web-based english writing course for nursing students in indonesia. the blueprint consists of designs of learning approach, performance goals, learning tasks and feedback, instructional strategies, and web design modules and interface. the descriptive statistics were used to test 37 items scored by experts of esp and writing about the blueprint. the results of expert judgments showed that all items obtained mean at the ‘good’ categories. it means that the blueprint can be used in conducting the next stage, which is website development. keywords: blueprint design; esp; english writing instruction; web-based learning a web-based english instruction blueprint design: an application of esp writing course risa arroyyani nursing department, institute of health science surya global yogyakarta, indonesia email: rissa.arroyyan@gmail.com lusi nurhayati english education department, yogyakarta state university, indonesia email: tehlusi@yahoo.com apa citation: arroyyani, r., & nurhayati, l. (2021). a web-based english instruction blueprint design: an application of asp writing course. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 6174. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5355 received: 13-08-2021 accepted: 16-10-2021 published: 31-12-2021 introduction esp is growing very rapidly due to the high demand for english in various fields (woźniak, 2017). esp is a bridge that connects general english with the specific needs of students related to their academic fields so that esp is a part of the eap (english for academic purposes), which is designed to equip students with language skills closely related to their current and future profession, the language they need (gestanti, mufanti, & nimasari, 2019; hui, 2017; hutchinson & waters, 1987). esp for nursing is one kind of esp that has been growing up to facilitate nursing students to master english for their future needs. the instruction of esp for nursing is not only given face to face but also involves the technology use, for example, webbased learning. web-based english learning is currently becoming an important matter due to the rapid development of science and ict (information, communication, and technology). teaching through the web has developed in many institutions in various parts of the world, which shows that it has a positive impact both to provide new learning experiences and to improve students' linguistic abilities (liu, traphagan, huh, koh, choi, & mcgregor, 2018; simich-dudgeon, 1998; suriaman, rahman, & noni, 2018). the emergence of the covid-19 pandemic further emphasizes the importance of the existence of websites for learning english following the context/situation of the learners/students. since a learning website cannot be created without adequate planning, there is a need to design the blueprint as the basis for webbased instruction. a blueprint is “a specification of plan of action in any given endeavor or task” (adelodun, 2010, p.69) to achieve the goals. it is like maps and specifications for an assessment program, ensuring that all aspects of the curriculum and educational domain are covered. unlike the syllabus, a statement of plans for a part of the curriculum excluding the elements of curriculum evaluation itself, a blueprint is defined as a plan that the teacher makes to be transformed into a reality of classroom interactions (sabbah, 2018). in simple terms, blueprints link assessment with learning objectives (pichholiya, yadav, gupta, kamlekar, & risa arroyyani & lusi nurhayati a web-based english instruction blueprint design: an application of asp writing course 62 singh, 2021). blueprints are also used to examine the weaknesses of existing materials as a basis for designing new materials (mahardika, 2018; patil, hashilkar, & hungund, 2014). in the context of the materials development, it is crucial since it provides detailed planning in terms of the form, learning objectives, and assessment system so that it does not complicate the process of implementing and evaluating learning. the blueprint development for web-based esp (english for general purposes) learning is still under-research. research on blueprint development is mostly carried out at the level of general english (ge) learning, in terms of objectives, activities, and assessment (godwin-jones, 2018; brand, favazza, & dalton, 2012; villarroel, bloxham, bruna, bruna, & herrera-seda, 2018). therefore, developing blueprint involving the use of technology is crucial to be done. in designing blueprints, especially esp webbased instruction, several principles are considered, including pedagogy, technology, and social (berge, 1998). the pedagogy principle is related to the purpose of each activate, level, and type of social and instructional activity, the levels of teachercontrol and student-control, the density of content, which should be inversely related to the amount of synchronous communication within the web-based educational learning environment. regarding technological support, it needs to consider using the easiest media as text and graphics, technological minimalism, and adequate technical support and training for students and instructors. finally, regarding social principle, it is necessary to ensure trust among students and the instructor and the balancing of the use of synchronous and asynchronous communication. a web-based esp instruction should promote active and collaborative learning, provide various perspectives, build knowledge, and encourage teachers' active involvement as student partners (chen, lin, yeh, & lou, 2013; woźniak, 2017). it should also reflect learners’ needs and unique characteristics, provide the types of task which emphasize flexibility, convenience, reliability, and practicality in scoring (hemmati & ghaderi, 2014; sudha & amutha, 2015), provide appropriate feedback to show intended learning achievement, involvement and web-system appropriateness (katerina, nicolaos, & charalampos, 2014; narciss, 2013). thus, blueprint design can be started by determining the appropriate approach to determine the next design steps. recently, teaching english for nursing students is mostly given with a theme-based approach, but not many use other approaches, such as a situation approach. theme-based instruction itself can be used to help the learners form the concepts of decision making, in which the course is arranged based on a theme or a topic instead of a subject. meanwhile, situation-based learning encourages the students learn something new when they face different situation (suhaebar & isrokatun, 2019; yao & hung, 2020). by using a combination of approaches in developing web-based english teaching blueprints for nursing students, learning activities will be more varied. in a combination of theme and situation approaches, the teachers compile a set of language learning activities (christiawati & darsana, 2020) based on simulations of certain situations. by doing this, they will be able to see, understand, solve and apply known understandings through certain themes to analyze and solve the problems they face through web-based media (cheng, yeh, chao, lin, & chang, 2020; yao & hung, 2020) to maximize the potential that students have, involve them personally in the learning process, connect to life experiences, interests, and their knowledge base students, creating a focus for students that open relationships between areas of knowledge, encourage positive student attitudes, and increases student success and achievement (ramdan, hanifah, & isrokatun, 2019; tessier & tessier, 2015; yao & hung, 2020). this theme and situation will determine the learning objectives to be achieved, related to what language skills the students need to master, and how learning activities, exercises, and feedback will be given to the students to assess the understanding and knowledge. regarding learning writing, themebased instruction can help connect different skill areas in which it avoids fragmentation and unconnected skill exercise. the teachers then are able to provide various activities which are integrated around meaningful context including writing activities (fatmawaty & haryani, 2017). with the lack of blueprint development research on web-based teaching in esp and various aspects that need to be considered in designing the ideal web-based teaching, this article only focuses on writing language skills as the first step in blueprint english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 63 design. therefore, this article aims to (1) describe the blueprint design process of web-based english instruction in writing for nursing students and (2) describe the blueprint of web-based english instruction in writing for nursing students itself with the score obtained from the experts. what is discussed in this article is essential for teachers since the article contains empirical experiences in developing blueprints for writing programs through web-based learning specifically aimed at esp learners, especially nursing, which has not been widely practiced, especially in indonesia. method this study is the second part of design-based research (dbr) that uses the dick & carey addie model (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation). the blueprint was developed based on the results of needs analysis done in the “analysis” stage, involving several nursing students from multiple academic years, esp teachers, and it experts. the design stage consists of determining a learning approach, determining performance goals, developing learning task items and feedback, determining web-based learning methods, strategies, and materials, and conducting content validity. three experts were involved in assessing the content and format of the blueprint. the criteria of experts are professional esp teachers (medical and nursing). they gave scores in five aspects, namely general aspect, content, task, feedback, and instructional procedures of 37 items. the ranges of the score were 5 for the highest and 1 for the lowest. the scores were then tested using descriptive statistics to determine the mean value and converted into scales interval of mean value categories, as shown in the following table. table 1. data conversion scales interval of mean value categories mean value categories 2.00 ≤ x̅ ≤ 2.60 2.61 ≤ x̅ ≤ 3.21 3.22 ≤ x̅ ≤ 3.82 3.83 ≤ x̅ ≤ 4.43 x̅ ≥ 4.44 very poor poor fair good very good results and discussion determining learning approach an approach refers to the general assumptions about what language is and how learning a language occurs (richards & rodgers, 2014). this blueprint design combines theme-based and situation-based approaches in which themes are presented in a situation to lead students to think about what language they need. with context thematically familiarized, students are more prepared to deal with ‘the cognitive demands of the english systemic features’. the theme-based approach supports the content use and teaching without neglecting the language which is its most important objective (padilla de la cerda, 2016). the topic chosen in the blueprint design in this study is "patient's history." table 2 shows a detailed example. table 2. learning approach of blueprint lesson title/topic patient's history theme dealing with the patient's medical history, both current and past illnesses, drug history, and family medical history. situation the situation created for students to imagine is that as a nurse, before the doctor conducts a physical examination of the patient, the nurse first gives patients several questions to be validated with their medical history data. the nurse needs to provide some notes that will be given to the doctor as a basis for the patient's physical examination and as nursing documentation. from the table, it can be seen that the blueprint design starts from choosing the topic, followed by determining the theme and designing a situation that becomes the basis for deciding what sub-skills students must master in achieving their learning targets according to that topic. by using a combination of theme-based and situation-based approaches, teachers can direct students to imagine what language skills they should be good at on this topic in a particular context. the teacher will describe this situation in the learning material before providing other materials. determining performance goals the topics and situations should be relevant to the learning goals. in determining the performance goals, or learning objectives, some existing criteria and rubrics were considered. they are aryadoust's risa arroyyani & lusi nurhayati a web-based english instruction blueprint design: an application of asp writing course 64 criterion and description, assess and score writing sample and the common framework of reference (cfr) grid on the secondary a.2.2 writing global scale (aryadoust, 2010; government of saskatchewan ministry of education, 2012). the first consists of arrangement of ideas and examples (aie), communicative quality (cq), or coherence and cohesion (cc), and sentence structure vocabulary (ssv) as a guide for the sub-skills the students must master, as a guide in determining student learning objectives based on these sub-skills. the last, the global cfr scale, is an internationally recognized language level chart highlighting observable language behavior in a social or academic context (i.e., learners will…). the statement describes proficiency concerning student performance in a 'real world' context. the basis for choosing the two guides is that each has items and a detailed description of what skills the students must master and their application related to writing on predetermined topics. of course, not all items were selected; only certain items were chosen according to the lesson titles, themes, and situations created previously. table 3 contains details of the sub-skills and course objectives of “patient's history.” table 3. learning sub-skills and objectives of blueprint learning sub-skill & objectives sub-skills objectives indicator present the ideas and information about the patient's medical history obtained from the form. (aie) can write down information and brief descriptions explaining what, where, and when based on the patient's medical history form in a simple sentence, using correct grammar structure of prepositions, transitional words, and appropriate conjunctions regarding facts and terminology related to the topics. can write down information and brief descriptions explaining what, where, and when based on the patient's medical history form as part of a patient examination procedure. can write simple descriptions of the patient’s medical history using correct grammar structures use the right transitional words/phrases when moving the discussion (cq), use appropriate pronouns and conjunctions to connect ideas or sentences (cq), use the correct vocabularies which are appropriate to the topic (ssv) can use transitional words and appropriate conjunctions in writing descriptive reports from patient medical history data can fill in information gaps regarding facts, and terminology, as well as a description of the patient's medical history data. use proper spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. (ssv) can write simple descriptions of the patient’s medical history using correct grammar structures use the correct syntax/verb tense. (ssv) can write simple descriptions of the patient’s medical history using correct grammar structures from the table above, it is clear that both the determination of sub-skills writing and students' learning objectives directly follow the theme and situation previously determined. mastering subskills writing is related to how students can express ideas and information from the medical history form in descriptive form by using the correct tenses for each part of the description, writing, vocabulary, pronouns and conjunctions and transitions, and correct punctuation. by determining detailed subskills and course objectives such as the table above, it is easier to determine the right exercises to achieve learning objectives and compile feedback rubrics for each given exercise. developing learning task and feedback the next step in web-based english writing blueprints for nursing students was determining types of web-based tasks to achieve learning objectives and feedback types on each task. the following table explains the types of tasks and materials under the sub-skills and learning objectives in the lesson entitled “patient's history”. table 4. learning tasks and feedback of blueprint learning tasks & feedback input text types of tasks examples of question types of feedback type of text: descriptive text to describe the patient's medical history, both previous and current medical history, to explain the patient's symptoms. multiple choice based on the patient's past complaints on the form, lights could make his complaint … a. better b. worse when did the patient do the last screening test based on the patient's history form? a. two months ago b. two years ago. automatic knowledge of results feedback (immediate) form: the notification of “congratulations, your answer is correct” or “sorry, your answer is incorrect. please try again” when the students click the "submit" or "check" option. the short explanation about the correct answer such as: "on the form, the patient wrote ‘light’ in the column of aggravating factor, it means that the light made his complaint worse". form of the patient’s medical history and example of describing the form into sentences. text constructions based on the patient’s history form, write a descriptive report using correct grammar and tenses. don't forget to put a tick on the rubrics before submitting your report. knowledge of correct response feedback through rubrics and informative-tutoring feedback through manual teacher’s comments (delayed) form: feedback rubrics items are based on the can-do statements scale derived from the criterion of sub-skills and indicators. feedback is formed in rubrics in which the students can put a tick in each statement and manual feedback given by the teacher to the students' writing. vocabulary: adjectives, nouns, verbs, prepositions. multiple choice based on the information on the patient's family history, his elder brother died ....his forties. a. on b. in he found that he was ....to the medicine. a. allergy b. allergic automatic knowledge of results feedback (immediate) form: the notification of “congratulations, your answer is correct” or “sorry, your answer is incorrect. please try again” when the students click the "submit" or "check" option. the short explanation about the correct answer such as: "to describe age, preposition 'in' is used". the terminology used in describing a patient’s medical history based on the information on the patient's history, he took a (an) … for his allergy. a. otc b. homeopathy remedy risa arroyyani & lusi nurhayati a web-based english instruction blueprint design: an application of asp writing course 66 structure: simple sentences in describing health history matching match the description to the category based on the patient’s health history.the patient had a severe attack of central chest pain.the pain got worse when doing jogging. answers: [aggravating factors] [sites of pain] automatic knowledge of results feedback (immediate) form: the notification of “congratulations, your answer is correct” or “sorry, your answer is incorrect. please try again” when the students click the "submit" or "check" option. grammar: simple past tense multiple choice which is the correct use of tenses to describe the patient's health history? a. his elder brother is died because of a heart attack. b. the light made the patient vomit. which one is the correct conclusion of the patient's social and personal history based on the form? a. he smoked cigarettes almost every day. b. he drank alcohol. c. he didn’t take regular exercises. automatic knowledge of results feedback (immediate) form: the notification of “congratulations, your answer is correct” or “sorry, your answer is incorrect. please try again” when the students click the "submit" or "check" option. the short explanation about the correct answer such as: "on the form, the patient put a tick on ‘alcohol’. it means that the patient drank alcohol". the table above shows the types of texts and tasks given to achieve learning objectives based on the sub-skills the students need to master. some types of tasks resemble the forms of activities a nurse might need to do in their professional context (e.g., selecting/choosing specific indicators). types of vocabulary are related to the topic; they include the meaning, parts of speech, and spelling. grammar materials focus on sentence making and types of tenses according to the topics, themes, and situations. some materials will be included in the discussion of topics; however, other materials, for example, grammar and basic sentence writing, will be given separately due to its complexity and the different needs that learners might. besides, the table also describes the types of feedback given according to the task. feedback is needed as an important step to encourage learning. the web-based instruction designer must plan how to obtain feedback (kusairi, 2020). the type of feedback provided in this web-based instruction design is knowledge of results feedback (immediate feedback) for training in the form of multiplechoice, matching, or sentence completion (cloze test/gap-fill exercise). this type of feedback is a simple verification that provides information to students about correct/incorrect responses. immediate feedback means that feedback is given to students as quickly as possible by computer hardware and software during instruction. in this blueprint design, the type of immediate feedback is in the form of the item, which means that students do the task one by one, and the feedback will be immediately given as soon as the exercise item is submitted. feedback is a significant aspect of interaction as it could be motivating. meanwhile, for the type of text construction task, the feedback given is knowledge of correct response feedback through rubrics and informativetutoring feedback through manual teacher's comments that entered delayed feedback. it provides important information to complete the task but does not immediately offer the correct solution, and also, because of its delayed nature, the feedback is given to students after a certain program delay interval on the web that is specified during english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 67 instruction or testing. in this blueprint design, delayed feedback was in the form of manual comments by the teacher on students' writing results within 1-24 hours or 1-7 days (vasilyeva, puuronen, pechenizkiy, & rasanen, 2007). meanwhile, rubrics as a form of feedback on text construction tasks were prepared based on the cfr can do statements scale (cfr). determining learning strategies and methods after determining the types of tasks, supporting materials, and also the feedback, the blueprint design focused on choosing methods and selecting learning strategies and materials. the three of them cannot be separated from each other so that in this blueprint design, they are put into the same stage. the learning activities provided were in the form of questions for their understanding of the reading/chart displaying the patient's medical history information and filling in sentences with missing words (gaps in sentence practice) for both terminology and grammar-related (for example, prepositions) and paragraphed writing. in the other hands, in designing the learning strategy in this blueprint, there were several stages, namely (a) strategy for organizing learning content, (b) strategy for delivering the learning (c) strategy for learning management. meanwhile, from the three patterns of learning material selection by dick and carey (aji, 2016) including (a) the teacher designs individual learning materials, all stages of learning are included in the material except the pretest and posttest, (b) the teacher selects and changes existing materials to suit the learning strategy, (c) the teacher does not use materials but delivers all learning. according to the learning strategy that he has compiled, the blueprint designer chose the second pattern, where the teaching materials were adjusted to the previously prepared learning strategies. table 5 presents the details of the learning strategies used. table 5. learning strategy and methods of blueprint learning strategy & methods materials website modules method of delivering materials on website instructional procedures type of text: descriptive text to describe the patient's medical history, both previous and current medical history, to explain the patient's symptoms. delivered in the category “patient's history” in the topics module. accessed directly by the students (webusers) by clicking on the category. if the users want to save it, they can click on the download option. activities on the website: 1. the students visit the website page and sign in (for non-student visitors, they cannot sign in). 2. for the students who have not registered, they are directed to register first. 3. the students visit the topics page and select the sub-topic patient's history. 4. the students download a hand out on one of the categories in patient's history and visit the “materials review” page. 5. the students study the materials review page, which contains the learning objectives of patient's history, the introduction of vocabularies, terms, phrases, and examples of describing patient's history form. implementation of ppp: (ppp1) target language set up (ppp2) vocabulary pre teach 6. the students visit other category pages in patient's history to do some types of tasks and determine what language function is used through those tasks. implementation of ppp: (ppp3)context building form of the patient’s medical history and example of describing the form into sentences. vocabulary: adjectives, nouns, verbs, prepositions. vocabularies regarding parts of speech are given in the category "parts of speech" of supporting modules. accessed directly by the students (webusers) by clicking on the category. there is no download facility for this category. the terminology used in describing a patient’s medical history vocabularies related to terminology of topics are provided in the category “patient's history” risa arroyyani & lusi nurhayati a web-based english instruction blueprint design: an application of asp writing course 68 in the topics module. (ppp4) elicitation 7. the students can visit supporting materials pages while doing the tasks if they want to check the theory of punctuation, tenses, and sentence writing as part of independent learning. implementation of ppp: (ppp5) standardization, individual, finger error correction. 8. after completing the tasks, the students check the answers to get feedback. if they make mistakes in doing the tasks, they then students do the tasks until they really understand. implementation of ppp: (ppp5) standardization, individual, finger error correction. 9. the students have to do the last task that is text constructions by typing paragraphs according to the instructions in the space provided and filling in the rubrics checklist then submitting the task (only the students who have signed up and approved by the admin). implementation of ppp: (ppp1) board stage. 10. if the students find difficulties in the tasks for writing sentences or paragraphs or just reevaluate what they have written previously, they can visit the home page which contains basic categories of grammar and the basics of writing sentences and paragraphs. structure: simple sentences in describing health history delivered in the category "basic sentence writing" of supporting modules accessed directly by the students (webusers) by clicking on the category. there is no download facility for this category. grammar: simple past tense delivered in the category “tenses” of supporting modules accessed directly by the students (webusers) by clicking on the category. there is no download facility for this category. the table above illustrates the strategies and learning materials designed in this blueprint. in terms of the instructional procedures, this blueprint implemented the ppp or presentation, practice, and production stages with some adjustments due to the suitability of the stages with the objectives of this blueprint design, especially in this blueprint, students learned grammar structures, new vocabularies, and tenses related to the topic, so that ppp is considered the most appropriate. the stages in ppp used in this blueprint were” the application of presentation practice production method” including: (1) target language set/ppp1 to determine the function of the target language to be taught, (2) vocabulary pre-teach/ ppp2 to introduce vocabulary or terms needed by students related to the material and function of the language being studied, (3) context building / ppp3 to determine the context or situation to the students. the teacher has a role in introducing the situation, (4) elicitation/ppp4, where the students can guess the topic's language function. one way of elicitation is displaying images or media, (5) standardization, choral, individual, finger error correction, in which in writing learning, the standard is to make sure students write the terms or sentences correctly, and (6) board stage, that is about writing language functions as the final stage in the ppp stage series (ihsan, 2020). designing website design modules & interface based on the instructional procedures as part of developing web-based learning english writing for nursing students with a web as a final result, planning website modules and website user interface is crucial before conducting further stage. website modules are website components used to create pages including images, text, buttons, etc. while user interface is the visual appearance of a website that bridges the system with the user in the form of shape, color, and writing or how the appearance of a website is seen by the user. the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 69 website interface provides an overview of what the visitor will see. there are several aspects in the user interface consisting of layout, logo image, color selection, typography, and other aspects. the user interface in this web design is designed with some criteria including clear, concise, responsive, structured, consistent, and attractive. the learning content must be structured to avoid the information displayed overlap, making it easier for students to explore the web. the table below illustrates the plans for teaching english writing website modules for nursing students. table 6. website modules planning content/modules features layout design title of website title & logo of the website header menu color: blue background color: white header color: blue footer color: black typography: typeface, typestyle, font weight, font width, padding, margin, font size, font variation, angle, line height, paragraph spacing. font: roboto & sans serif main modules (nursing materials) topics top menu tasks (multiple choice, matching, text construction sub menu feedback feedback of tasks pop up supporting modules (grammar, tenses) parts of speech, punctuation, capitalization, tenses, basic writing side bar list content exercise menu bar additional modules about, login/register top menu website description, address, contact us, copyright footer the table above describes the type of module plans that will be displayed on the website. the main modules shown here are only related to nursing materials including theory and terminology which can be read through the website and can be downloaded, as well as tasks according to their type. this module is placed on the top menu under the header. meanwhile, the supporting modules are materials that support learning the main materials such as parts of speech, punctuation, capitalization, tenses, and basic writing. the module is equipped with exercises to deepen students' english skills and is placed on the left side bar. the website will use blue color as the header and module buttons, black color as the footer, and white color as the background color. in terms of typography, this website uses common typography designs namely ‘roboto’ and ‘sans serif’. the detailed design of the website will be conducted in the next stage that is web development. the users (visitors) can access web pages according to the following figure 1. figure 1. use case diagram website planning when accessing the website, the users do not need to register because this website is designed to be accessible by anyone, however, when the user is intended to download the materials or to do text construction tasks, he or she must first sign up. the user registration consists of full name, affiliation, study program, and student number. the admin then will approve the registration application. the instructional procedures on how to use the web for learning can be seen in table 5 (learning strategy and methods of blueprint). the following figure describe the web interface. figure 2. user interface planning figure 2 is the website interface on the main page (home) which consists of a header, top menu (home, topics, exercise, about), side bar (categories grammar and tenses), list content categories, and footer. the design will be developed on the further stages including the interface of each module, feedback, and form of task. experts judgment on the blueprint design the experts scored five aspects of blueprint validity. the following are the detailed results of each aspect. table 7. general aspect items n m category 1. the learning objectives statements are available. 3 4.33 good 2. the learning objectives are clear and suitable for the goals of materials development (writing) 3 4.00 good 3. the indicators of achieving learning objectives are available 3 4.33 good 4. the indicators and learning objectives are suitable 3 4.00 good 5. the tasks are suitable for the indicators and learning objectives 3 4.00 good table 7 above showed that all items get mean more than 4.00 but less than 4.44. it can be concluded that all items of general aspect were good. table 8. content aspect items n m category 1. the content is suitable for students’ career needs. 3 4.33 good 2. the content is suitable for learning theories. 3 4.00 good 3. the content is suitable for students’ language needs. 3 4.33 good english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 71 4. the content is developed from easy to difficult 3 4.33 good 5. the content is suitable for students’ level of thinking. 3 4.00 good 6. the content is suitable for students’ language proficiency. 3 4.00 good table 8 above showed that all items get mean more than 4.00 but less than 4.44. it can be concluded that all items of the content aspect were good. table 9. task aspect items n m category 1. the tasks designed are suitable for learning topics. 3 4.00 good 2. the tasks designed are suitable for writing sub-skills. 3 4.00 good 3. the tasks designed are varied. 3 4.00 good 4. the tasks designed provide students to explore the internet. 3 4.00 good 5. the tasks are designed to build students’ autonomous learning. 3 4.33 good 6. the tasks are designed to support media/internet literacy. 3 4.00 good 7. the tasks selected do not make students’ confused. 3 4.00 good table 9 above showed that all items get mean more than 4.00 but less than 4.44. it can be concluded that all items of the task aspect were good. table 10. feedback aspect items n m category 1. the feedback is suitable for learning topic 3 4.00 good 2. the feedback is suitable for learning objectives. 3 4.00 good 3. the feedback is suitable for learning indicators. 3 4.00 good 4. the feedback is suitable for the tasks given. 3 4.00 good 5. the feedback is suitable to monitor students’ learning progress. 3 4.00 good 6. the feedback is suitable for learning through the website. 3 4.00 good 7. the feedback facilitates students’ autonomous learning. 3 4.00 good 8. the feedback motivates students to do self-evaluation. 3 4.00 good 9. there is final learning feedback. 3 4.00 good table 10 above showed that all items get mean more than 4.00 but less than 4.44. it can be concluded that all items of the feedback aspect were good. table 11. instructional procedures aspect items n m category 1. the instructional procedures are suitable for learning topics. 3 4.33 good 2. the introduction in instructional procedures contains related competency taught. 3 4.33 good 3. the instructional procedures are designed in detail. 3 4.33 good 4. the main learning designed is focused on the students. 3 4.00 good 5. the main learning provides an opportunity for the students to interact/explore the internet/website. 3 4.00 good 6. there are pre-activities in the instructional procedures. 3 4.00 good 7. there are while-activities in the instructional procedures. 3 4.00 good 8. there are post-activities in the instructional procedures. 3 4.00 good 9. the instructional procedures are suitable with the learning objectives and indicators 3 4.00 good 10. the instructional procedures are suitable for the tasks given. 3 4.00 good risa arroyyani & lusi nurhayati a web-based english instruction blueprint design: an application of asp writing course 72 table 11 above showed that all items get mean more than 4.00 but less than 4.44. it can be concluded that all items of instructional procedures aspect were good. the experts' descriptive analysis results showed that all the 37 items have a mean in the ‘good’ category. based on this score, all items are feasible and can be used as a basis to continue to the next stage (web development). by reflecting on the design process, some crucial aspects can be determined to improve the blueprint category; it includes the focus of language skills in a unit, the website interface description, and a simple short explanation of automatic feedback. the blueprint is expected to get the perfect category by conducting some revisions before the further development stage. the designed blueprint could be used as an alternative to develop the esp webbased instruction. this design is expected to encourage esp teachers, especially those planning web-based learning, to provide an overview of building web learning. the constraint so far is that there is a limited innovation of the teaching of esp related to the development of learning characters in each institution involving technology. this blueprint has the advantage which emphasizes student interaction with the internet as a part of cybergogy, due to the demands of learning change every time, especially after the covid-19 pandemic. however, there are some challenges that appear, including a lack of inadequate learning design due to limited it support skills so that further research can accommodate this with more supportive it. conclusion designing a blueprint is one stage in developing overall teaching materials, particularly in webbased learning development. the blueprint design for web-based english instruction in writing for nursing students using a combination of themebased and situational-based approaches is arranged through a series of stages. these stages are carried out sequentially by the blueprint designers to obtain an overview of how web-based english instruction in writing for nursing students will be created and developed. the blueprints have been designed to provide an overview of how learning will be done through the website, including the form of the task, feedback, and instructional procedures. the ‘good’ categories are based on the scores given by the experts from both english for specific purpose and writing subjects, the blueprint obtains assessments and suggestions that can be used to proceed to the next stage that is website development. acknowledgements the researchers wish to acknowledge the ministry of higher education, research and technology of republic of indonesia for the grant or funding that has supported our work here. references adelodun, g. a. (2010). a critique of the blueprint on education for the gifted and talented persons in nigeria. international journal of educational sciences, 2(2), 69–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/09751122.2010.11889990 aji, w. n. (2016). model pembelajaran dick and carrey dalam pembelajaran bahasa dan sastra indonesia. kajian linguistik dan sastra, 1(2), 119. https://doi.org/10.23917/kls.v1i2.3631 aryadoust, v. (2010). the electronic journal for english as a second language. the electronic journal for english as a second language (tesl-ej), 13(4), 1–12. brand, s. t, favazza, a. e., & dalton, e. m. (2012). universal design for learning: a blueprint for success for all learners. kappa delta pi record, 48(3), 134–139. https://doi.org/10.1080/00228958.2012.707506 berge, z. l. (1998). guiding principles in web-based instructional design. international journal of phytoremediation, 21(1), 72–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/0952398980350203 chen, y. c., lin, y. c., yeh, r. c., & lou, s. j. (2013). examining factors affecting college students’ intention to use web-based instruction systems: towards an integrated model. turkish online journal of educational technology, 12(2), 111– 121. cheng, p. h., yeh, t. k., chao, y. k., lin, j., & chang, c. y. (2020). design ideas for an issue-situationbased board game involving multirole scenarios. sustainability (switzerland), 12(5), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12052139 christiawati, n. m. d., & darsana, i. w. (2020). pengaruh model situation-based learning berbantuan media animasi terhadap kompetensi pengetahuan matematika kelas iv. international journal of elementary education, 4(1), 112–121. retrieved from https://ejournal.undiksha.ac.id/index.php/ijee%0 alogo fatmawaty, r., & haryani, t. r. (2017). topic-based instruction for teaching english for young english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 1, december 2021 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 73 learners. jurnal kredo, 1(1), 31–43. gestanti, r. a., mufanti, r., & nimasari, e. p. (2019). esp issue in indonesian tertiary context: what students need in learning english. pupil: international journal of teaching, education and learning, 3(1), 98–117. https://doi.org/10.20319/pijtel.2019.31.98117 godwin-jones, r. (2018). second language writing online: an update. language learning and technology, 22(1), 1–15. government of saskatchewan ministry of education. (2012). a guide to using the common framework of reference ( cfr ) with learners of english as an additional language ( eal ). province of saskatchewan, canada: ministry of education. hemmati, f., & ghaderi, e. (2014). the effect of four formats of multiple-choice questions on the listening comprehension of efl learners. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 98(1994), 637–644. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.462 hui, g. (2017). the learning needs analysis of english for specific purposes (esp) in college. us-china foreign language, 15(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.17265/1539-8080/2017.01.001 hutchinson, t., & waters, a. (1987). english for specific purposes: a learning-centred approach. in english for specific purposes: a learningcentred approach (pp. 1–11). cambridge university press. ihsan, m. d. (2020). the application of presentation practice production method for teaching speaking skill: the perception of teachers and students. jurnal inspirasi pendidikan, 10(1), 30–40. https://doi.org/10.21067/jip.v10i1.3854 katerina, t., nicolaos, p., & charalampos, y. (2014). mouse tracking for web marketing: enhancing user experience in web application software by measuring self-efficacy and hesitation levels. int. j. strateg. innovative mark, 1, 233–247. kusairi, s. (2020). a web-based formative feedback system development by utilizing isomorphic multiple choice items to support physics teaching and learning. journal of technology and science education, 10(1), 117–126. https://doi.org/10.3926/jotse.781 liu, m., traphagan, t., huh, j., koh, y. i., choi, g., & mcgregor, a. (2018). designing websites for esl learners: a usability testing study. jstor, 25(2), 207–240. retrieved from http://www.jstor.com/stable/calicojournal.25.2.20 7 mahardika, i. g. n. a. w. (2018). incorporating local culture in english teaching material for undergraduate students. shs web of conferences, 42, 00080. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20184200080 narciss, s. (2013). designing and evaluating tutoring feedback strategies for digital learning. digital education review, (23), 7–26. padilla de la cerda, f. (2016). the design of a themebased and genre-oriented strategic reading course to improve students’ reading comprehension skills at a public school in colombia. how, 23(1), 49– 67. https://doi.org/10.19183/how.23.1.143 patil, s. y., hashilkar, n. k., & hungund, b. r. (2014). blueprinting in assessment: how much is imprinted in our practice? j educational res & med teach, 2(1), 4–6. pichholiya, m., yadav, a., gupta, s., kamlekar, s., & singh, s. (2021). blueprint for summative theory assessment in pharmacology a tool to increase the validity as per the new competency based medical education. national journal of physiology, pharmacy and pharmacology, 11(12),1–6. https://doi.org/10.5455/njppp.2021.11.061702021 07072021 ramdan, m., hanifah, n., & isrokatun, i. (2019). situation-based learning model implementation through thematic learning as an effort to improve the primary school students’ cps ability. mimbar sekolah dasar, 6(3), 304–316. https://doi.org/10.17509/mimbar-sd.v6i3.19075 richards, j. c., & rodgers, t. s. (2014). approaches and methods in language teaching. cambridge university press. sabbah, s s. (2018). english language syllabuses: definition, types, design, and selection. arab world english journal, 9(2), 127–142. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol9no2.9 simich-dudgeon, c. (1998). developing a college web‐based course: lessons learned. distance education, 19(2), 337–357. https://doi.org/10.1080/0158791980190210 sudha, a., & amutha, s. (2015). higher secondary learners’ effectiveness towards web based instruction (wbi) on chemistry. universal journal of educational research, 3(7), 463–466. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2015.030706 suhaebar, i., & isrokatun, i. (2019). situation-based learning for self-regulated learning on mathematical learning. journal of physics: conference series, 1318(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1318/1/012056 suriaman, a., rahman, a., & noni, n. (2018). developing web-based english instructional material oriented to promote independent learning at indonesian university context. journal of language teaching and research, 9(2), 336. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0902.15 risa arroyyani & lusi nurhayati a web-based english instruction blueprint design: an application of asp writing course 74 tessier, l., & tessier, j. (2015). theme-based courses foster student learning and promote comfort with learning new material. journal for learning through the arts: a research journal on arts integration in schools and communities, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.21977/d911121722 vasilyeva, e., puuronen, s., pechenizkiy, m., & rasanen, p. (2007). feedback adaptation in webbased learning systems. international journal of continuing engineering education and life long learning, 17(4–5), 337–357. villarroel, v., bloxham, s., bruna, d., bruna, c., & herrera-seda, c. (2018). authentic assessment: creating a blueprint for course design. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 43(5), 840– 854. woźniak, m. (2017). esp in clil degree programmes. esp today, 5(2), 244–265. https://doi.org/10.18485/esptoday.2017.5.2.6 yao, h., & hung, y. (2020). to kill or not to kill: a theme-based instruction in decision making for military english learning. international journal of multidisciplinary and current educational research (ijmcer), 2(5), 270–289. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 245 factors affecting nursing students’ hesitancy to speak english: a study at universitas pelita harapan santa maya pramusita faculty of nursing, universitas pelita harapan, tangerang, indonesia email: santa.pramusita@uph.edu komilie situmorang faculty of nursing, universitas pelita harapan, tangerang, indonesia email: komilie.situmorang@uph.edu bima adi saputra faculty of nursing, universitas pelita harapan, tangerang, indonesia email: bima.saputra@uph.edu apa scitation: pramusita, s. m., situmorang, k., & saputra, b. a. (2024). factors affecting nursing students’ hesitancy to speak english: a study at universitas pelita harapan. english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 245-252. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9085 received: 13-10-2023 accepted: 21-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction the active engagement of students in classroom participation has been identified as a significant factor contributing to the achievement of language learning goals. according to sedova et al. (2019), there seemed to be a more pronounced correlation between the level of student’s engagement and their academic performance. this is because the process of producing the language under study allows them to put the theories about the language to the test. through their responses, inquiries, and remarks in response to questions posed by the teacher or fellow pupils, they actively participate in the process of negotiating and developing comprehensible output (benyo & kumar, 2023). engaged students hence have been found to achieve greater levels of satisfaction and persistence. nevertheless, it has been noted that inside efl classrooms, particularly in the context of speaking courses, students show a certain degree of hesitancy to actively employing the english skills they have acquired. for a considerable duration, efl instructors have encountered significant difficulty pertaining to their students' reticence during oral communication classes. as mentioned by murad et al. (2019), a significant number of palestinian students enrolled at ucas were reluctance in engaging in verbal exercises within the general english course. in a similar vein, nety (2022) revealed that english lecturers in universitas dayanu ikhsanuddin, indonesia, had expressed concerns with the lack of verbal participation by their pupils during oral communication classes. although students may participate in activities that included different abstract: proficiency in spoken english is commonly seen as avital aspect of language learning. regrettably, a significant portion of esp learners exhibit reluctance to engage in oral communication inside the language learning classroom, which can be attributed to various reasons. therefore, the present study aims to investigate the relationship among linguistic factor, psychological factor, and sociocultural factor on nursing students’ hesitancy to engage in oral communication exercises. the data were collected using a questionnaire, while the association between variables was tested using the gamma statistical test. the participants of this study consisted of 196 second-year nursing students in a private university in tangerang. the sample was determined using the convenience sampling technique, which yielded a total of 195 respondents. a noteworthy correlation had been observed between the linguistic factors (p-value 0.001), psychological factor (p-value 0.001), and sociocultural factor (p-value 0,004) in connection to nursing students’ hesitancy. the correlation between factors is moderately strong, with the variables of all factors indicating a positive association with reluctance. the most influential factor alone went to linguistic factor with the value of 0.439. consequently, the higher the factors, the greater the nursing students’ willingness to speak english, and vice versa. the lecturers should hence foster a safe and accepting environment in the classroom through fostering connections between themselves and the students. keywords: nursing students; english for specific purposes; hesitancy; speaking activities santa maya pramusita, komilie situmorang, & bima adi saputra factors affecting nursing students’ hesitancy to speak english: a study at universitas pelita harapan 246 language skills, such as reading, writing, and listening, they had a hesitancy to speak in english. upon completion of the research, the researchers identified three distinct elements that contribute to students' hesitancy, which were limited language proficiency, lecturer’s inadequate classroom management, and students’ low motivation. syafiq et al. (2021) also found that esp learners at muhammadiyah university of kudus encountered challenges to express their notion verbally. these challenges manifest in the form of hesitancy, fear of committing errors, inadequate vocabulary, and insufficient opportunities for practice. despite having a specific idea in mind, students were hindered by their insecurity, primarily driven by their fear of committing grammatical errors. they are also concerned about potential ridicule from their peers when mistakes are made. in addition to this, a study conducted by sjaifullah and laksmi (2022) in english for specific purposes (esp) classes at a state polytechnic in malang, indonesia, revealed that students' inclination to engage in communication in their second language (l2) is not only influenced by their level of ability. nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge that there are additional elements that might impact students' willingness to communicate in esp classes. these aspects include the individuals involved in the conversation, the various activities conducted inside the classroom, the chosen themes and assignments, the establishment of classroom contracts, and the utilization of educational media. researchers identified similar issues among nursing students in universitas pelita harapan. the observation process revealed that most of the students displayed a tendency towards silence during the lecturers' explanations. there is a lack of inquiry, clarification, and expression of viewpoints among students. in the context of the lecture, it is observed that the students refrain from actively participating by raising their hands and providing answers when the lecturers pose questions. during group discussions, students tend to utilize the indonesian language more frequently while interacting with their peers, despite the lecturer's encouragement for english usage. moreover, these pupils persistently engage in the act of seeking the significance of unknown lexical items they encounter by utilizing google translate. despite receiving instructions on utilizing context cues to deduce the meaning of unfamiliar words, the students persisted in employing google translate as a means of swiftly translating the words. they even relied heavily on google translate throughout spontaneous writing sessions and verbal poster presentations. the preliminary data derived from a series of interviews conducted with a sample of 15 nursing students have revealed several factors contributing to their tendency towards passivity. these factors include apprehension regarding potential grammatical errors in their verbal expressions, limited vocabulary, feelings of uneasiness, and a fear of facing criticism. the nursing students' unwillingness to communicate in english would significantly hinder their ability to develop their abilities, since they fail to use the knowledge they acquire. on the other hand, it is mandatory for nurses to possess english proficiency. as conveyed by pradana et al. (2022), the healthcare industry consistently prioritizes communication among diverse ethnic and linguistic populations to develop strong relationships with patients, their families, visitors, and colleagues. nursing students therefore must enhance their english proficiency, in order to establish strong rapport and demonstrate successful communication with international patients. the efficacy of communication in the interactions between nurses and patients will significantly impact patient outcomes. in the absence of efficient communication, confusion or potentially hazardous situations may arise. giantari et al. (2023) identify multiple variables that hinder students' active engagement in the classroom. the aforementioned aspects encompass psychological, linguistic, and sociocultural dimensions. psychological factors cover elements such as inhibition or lack of selfassurance, anxiety, shyness, and motivation. linguistic factors include pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. sociocultural factors consist of the learners' previous learning experiences, cognitive expectations, and environmental context. these factors influencing students' reluctance has gained significant attention in academic research, especially in the field of english for specific purposes (esp). the anticipated outcome of this study is poised to provide valuable insights for english educators, enabling them to gain a deeper comprehension of the barriers impeding students' english-speaking abilities. it can also be employed to delineate instructional strategies aimed at fostering students' engagement in the educational process. given the limited amount of research conducted on this subject, it is believed that investigations involving english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 247 nursing students within the realm of esp can provide a novel perspective. referring to this background, this study was held to find out the relationship between the three factors and nursing students’ reluctance to speak english in classroom interaction, with the following research question: what is the relationship between language factor, psychological factor, and sociocultural factor on nursing students’ hesitancy to speak english? the research postulates that a correlation exists between these three variables and pupils' aversion to verbalize in english. method this study employs a cross-sectional design to examine the correlations between variables. wang and cheng (2020) assert that a cross-sectional study is a type of observational study that involves the examination of data collected from a population at a particular moment in time. in a cross-sectional study, researchers concurrently assess the outcomes and exposures of the study participants. the study's population comprises 325 second-year nursing students who have successfully completed the english for nursing course. the sample utilized in this study was obtained by the implementation of a random sampling approach. to determine the minimum sample size, the researchers utilized the slovin formula, totaling 180 respondents. to mitigate the occurrence of dropouts, an additional 10% was incorporated into the minimal sample size, resulting in a total of 196 respondents for this study. the variables examined in this study encompass language, sociocultural, and psychological factors all of which will be associated with the variable of reluctance. the research used a questionnaire as the primary instrument, with a total of 35 items. as many as 8 items pertaining to students' hesitancy in utilizing the english language were adapted from the idzni and setiawan’s (2021) survey. these questions were designed using a five-point likert scale, which was divided into two distinct categories: hesitant and unhesitant. in addition to this, a total of 8 inquiries pertaining to linguistic aspects, 11 inquiries concerning psychological aspects, and 8 inquiries relating to sociocultural aspects were adapted from the work of ningrum and novitri (2019). these inquiries were subsequently categorized into three distinct levels, namely less sufficient, sufficient, very sufficient. prior to conducting the research, the instrument underwent testing to assess its validity and reliability. validity and reliability tests were conducted on a sample of 30 respondents who possessed identical characteristics to those of the study's sample. according to the pearson correlation test, the calculated r-value for each question item is greater than the r-table value (>0.3610). therefore, it may be inferred that all question items in this research instrument are valid. the reliability of the instrument used in this study was confirmed through the calculation of cronbach's alpha values. the reluctance instrument yielded a value of 0.842, the language factor had a value of 0.874, the psychological factor had a value of 0.948, and the sociocultural factor had a value of 0.874. to gather the data, the researchers devised a google form questionnaire, obtained informed consent, and provided research explanations to the participants. in light of the online nature of the data collection process, the researchers disseminated the link to the questionnaire to a whatsapp group comprising students. the findings of the gamma statistical test conducted using spss 29.0 indicate that linguistic, sociocultural, and psychological factors have a significant impact on nursing students’ reluctance to speak english. results and discussion the participants in this research comprised a sample of 196 second-year nursing students. the female respondents constituted the majority, accounting for 85% of the total, while the male respondents comprised 15% of the sample. the participants in this study can be classified into the young age category according to the age categories established by the world health organization (who), with an average age of 19 years among the respondents. table 1. frequency distribution of respondents based on their hesitancy, language factor, psychological factor, and sociocultural factor variable frequency distribution frequency (n) percentage (%) hesitancy hesitant 118 60.20% unhesitant 78 39.80% total 196 100 language factor less sufficient 38 19.40% sufficient 133 67.90% very sufficient 25 12.80% total 196 100 psychological santa maya pramusita, komilie situmorang, & bima adi saputra factors affecting nursing students’ hesitancy to speak english: a study at universitas pelita harapan 248 factor less sufficient 35 17.90% sufficient 130 66.30% very sufficient 31 15.80% total 196 100.00% sociocultural factor less sufficient 37 18.90% sufficient 136 69.40% very sufficient 23 11.70% total 196 100.00% according to the data shown in table 1, a significant proportion of participants (60.2%) expressed a sense of hesitation when it came to speaking english. the variables that contribute to nursing students’ reluctance are language (67.9%), psychological (66.3%), and sociocultural (69.4%). it is worth noting that each of these components indicates a predominantly satisfactory level of influence. this aligns with wan's (2021) assertion that east asian esl students are often characterized as reserved, cautious, and introverted during classroom engagements and discourse. there exist multiple underlying reasons for this phenomenon, with the initial one being closely associated with cultural factors. the raising of east asian children places significant emphasis on the cultivation of impulse control, shyness, and obedience as fundamental attributes. in line with this, wardah (2021) asserts that the predominant educational approach in indonesia continues to be teacher-centered, characterized by unidirectional communication between teachers and pupils. consequently, students exhibit subdued and unassertive behavior during class sessions due to the lack of encouragement for active participation and questioning. the second factor pertains to individuals' limited language skills and the experience of anxiety in relation to foreign languages. most of east asian students lack exposure to an english-speaking environment, resulting in limited possibilities to develop their listening and speaking abilities. this finding aligns with the outcomes of a study conducted by andas and rutniatyanti (2020) that investigated the challenges faced by english language education students at a private institution in indonesia. the primary hurdle identified by the students in their efforts to improve their englishspeaking skills was attributed to their limited vocabulary and grammar proficiency. this phenomenon occurs due to their limited exposure to the english language and their lack of regular utilization of english in their daily interaction. the attitudes and experiences indicated above are likely to be commonly shared by a significant majority of participants (60.20%), which may explain their reluctance to use the english language. furthermore, a significant proportion of the nursing students included in this research were beneficiaries of scholarships, originating from geographically isolated regions in indonesia. these regions continue to employ a pedagogical approach that prioritizes teacher-centered instruction. the majority of individuals in question acquired proficiency in the english language during their adolescent years, with minimal exposure to its practical application in their daily routines. consequently, their lexicon and comprehension of english remained constrained. according to the findings presented in table 2 below, a significant proportion of participants, specifically 80 individuals, who possessed sufficient language proficiency expressed hesitancy in utilizing english for oral communication. in addition, a total of 79 participants who possessed sufficient psychological components expressed a sense of reluctance against utilizing the english language. a similar occurrence was observed in relation to sociocultural issues, where a notable proportion of 81 respondents who possessed sufficient proficiency displayed hesitancy in utilizing the english language. table 2. relationship between language factor, psychological factor and psychosocial factor nursing students’ hesitancy to speak english variable hesitancy total value app. sig hesi tant un hesitant language factor 0.439 0.001 less sufficient 29 9 38 sufficient 80 53 133 very sufficient 9 16 25 total 118 78 196 psychological factor 0.434 0.001 less sufficient 27 8 35 sufficient 79 51 130 very sufficient 12 19 31 total sociocultural factor 0.403 0.004 less sufficient 28 9 37 sufficient 81 55 136 very 9 14 23 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 249 sufficient total 118 78 196 the findings of this study also indicate that there is a statistically significant association between the language factor, psychological factor, and psychosocial factor possessed by the participants and their level of reluctance (app. sig <0.05). the present study observed a significant positive correlation between the variables and the magnitude of the language factor (0.439), psychological factor (0.434), and sociocultural factor (0.403) in relation to the respondents' reluctance. of all these factors, the language factor has the strongest relationship with nursing students' hesitancy, with a value of 0.439. based on these findings, it can be inferred that an elevated level of language proficiency, along with psychological and sociocultural elements, contributes to an augmented inclination among students to exhibit hesitancy in utilizing the english language. the initial component under consideration pertains to psychological characteristics, which denotes a positive correlation with the phenomenon of reluctance as observed in this study. this implies that those with stronger psychological variables showed a greater inclination to engage in english conversation. the analysis results revealed that a total of 19 participants with high levels of psychological well-being reported a lack of reluctance in expressing their opinions, ideas, and engaging in english speaking activities. according to nafisah et al. (2023) there exist multiple determinants that contribute to students' engagement in english classrooms, including the choice of discussion topics and the nature of assigned tasks. in order to foster a propensity for verbal expression among individuals, it is imperative to select a learning topic that captivates students, resonates with their personal experiences, and is sufficiently acquainted to facilitate their preparedness for discourse. in accordance with this notion, a study conducted by ramli et al. (2021) found that the engagement level of english students at state islamic institute of curup indonesia in english communication was closely linked to the degree to which a particular issue was able to generate their interest. the more intriguing the topic, the more excited the students will be to communicate and participate in speaking exercises. the second determinant is related to the task type. it is imperative that the assigned task aligns with the student's personal preferences. implementing pair or group work activities in the classroom setting affords learners enhanced opportunities for oral communication compared to individual speaking tasks. aulia et al. (2020) argued that engaging in such activities fosters a more relaxed classroom environment, diminishes anxiety, and thus leads to an augmentation in both the amount and quality of practice. these two variables have the potential to enhance the motivation and self-confidence of participants, thereby encouraging them to engage in english speaking activities within the classroom setting. one other element that shows a positive correlation with students' hesitancy to engage in english conversation is language factor, encompassing pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. the present analysis revealed that 9 out of 25 respondents who possessed highly proficient verbal skills exhibited a certain degree of hesitancy. leyaley (2023) posits that the occurrence of such a situation is highly probable in nations where english is not the primary language, and where english is infrequently utilized for everyday conversation, leading to potential discomfort among pupils while employing it. this is to say that their hesitancy to engage in english verbal communication inside the classroom setting stems from their lack of familiarity with the language. in addition to this, student hesitancy can also be influenced by other elements including communication apprehension, test anxiety, and fear of poor evaluation, hence exacerbating students' nervousness when engaging in english oral communication. according to the findings of syahbani & apoko (2023), it has been observed that students' performance can be influenced by the presence of anxiety related to speaking a particular language. the phenomenon has the potential to exert an impact on the proficiency of spoken language expression, resulting in persons exhibiting a diminished level of fluency relative to their actual abilities. hence, while linguistic elements may be necessary, they alone are insufficient to ensure active student engagement in english speaking activities within the classroom setting. one additional aspect contributing to nursing students’ hesitancy is sociocultural influences, encompassing learners' prior educational encounters, cognitive expectations, and environmental circumstances. in the present study, it was observed that a majority of 14 out of 23 participants who possessed very satisfactory sociocultural variables exhibited a lack of reluctance in engaging in verbal communication tasks. this phenomenon can occur, particularly santa maya pramusita, komilie situmorang, & bima adi saputra factors affecting nursing students’ hesitancy to speak english: a study at universitas pelita harapan 250 when survey participants engage in conversations with interlocutors who possess greater competence than themselves. according to cao (as cited in wulandari, 2015), learners usually preferred engaging in conversation with interlocutors who possessed a higher level of competence than themselves. additionally, learners were inclined towards individuals who displayed chatty and outgoing characteristics, as well as those who demonstrated a wealth of ideas that may serve to encourage further ideation. when learners have prior knowledge about the interlocutors, they are likely to experience a greater sense of comfort and ease in engaging in conversation. furthermore, if the learner engaged in conversation had a higher level of proficiency, it will trigger the other learners to generate a greater number of ideas. the presence of an interlocutor has a significant role in influencing the learners to engage in verbal communication or refrain from doing so. another sociocultural aspect that may impact nursing students' hesitancy is the role of the teacher. according to zheng (2021), learners had a heightened propensity to engage in classroom activities and express curiosity when they maintained a positive attitude towards the instructor. the manifestation of a monotonous instructional approach by the educator may lead to a decline in learner involvement and diminished levels of active participation in classroom exercises. raharja and ashadi (2019) also highlighted the significance of instructors' participation in english classrooms, emphasizing that efl teachers serve as influential agents in shaping students' engagement in classroom activities. these characteristics may potentially motivate respondents to actively engage in the activities facilitated by the teacher and actively participate in english language speaking practice conclusion in summary, there is a positive correlation between nursing students’ reluctance to speak english and the three factors examined. moreover, most of the respondents in this research exhibited hesitancy when it came to utilizing the english language. the psychological factor, which is positively associated with reluctance, is the initial determinant. this implies that as students' psychological well-being improves, their reluctance to communicate in english diminishes. nevertheless, despite possessing an exceptionally favorable psychological state for learning, certain students continue to show hesitancy when it comes to participating in speaking activities. additional investigation is required to ascertain the factors associated with this. the subsequent element associated with hesitancy is the language factors. despite possessing sufficient linguistic proficiency, a minority of the respondents remain averse to speaking english. negative factors such as communication anxiety, test phobia, and dread of receiving a poor grade may contribute to this. the final determinant is the sociocultural element, which states that students are more likely to speak english fluently in class if they possess stronger sociocultural attributes. the influence of sociocultural factors on the classroom environment and the attitudes of peers is substantial. acknowledgement the researchers would like to thank lppm uph for supporting the publication of this research paper. references andas, n.h. & rutniatyanti, y. (2020). students’ speaking problem at the fourth semester of english study program in sembilan belas november kolaka. elt worldwide, 7(1), 1–9. aulia, m.p., lengkanawati, n.s., rodliyah, r.s. (2020). the use of pair work to reduce speaking anxiety in an efl classroom. 12th conference on applied linguistics, pp. 134137. benyo, a. & kumar, t. (2023). exploring the factors ensuring student participation in english classroom: an action research in saudi context. journal for educators, teachers, and trainers, 14(2), pp. 85-98. giantari, k., kurniawan, e., suherdi, d. (2023). factors affecting students' reluctance to speak english in classroom interactions. tell-us journal, 9(2), pp. 285-300. idzni, z.d. & setiawan, w. (2021). an investigation of students’ willingness to communicate in speaking class in online learning. project (professional journal of english education), 4(6), 909–921. leyaley, r. v. (2023). students’ passiveness in speaking english: the cultprit behind the silence in the classroom. open journal of social sciences, 11(8), 98–111. murad, a.i. & jalambo, m. o. (2019). efl students’ reluctance in participating in english speaking activities at university college of applied sciences: challenges and solutions. open journal of social sciences, 7(3), 1–24. nafisah, n., madjdi, a.h., budi, f. (2023). factors influencing efl learners’ willingness to speak english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 251 english in the classroom. edulingua: jurnal linguistik terapan dan pendidikan bahasa inggris, 10(1), 25–32. nety. (2022). a study of students' reluctance to speak at english department of unidayan. english education journal, pp.45-51. ningrum, a.l. & novitri, m. (2019). an analysis on the students’ reluctance to speak english at english department fkip unri. jom fkip, 6(2), 1–10. pradana, a., yunita, w., & diani, i. (2022). what do nursing students need in learning english?. journal of applied linguistics and literature, 7(2), pp. 321-344. raharja, e. & a. (2019). motivating efl learners comprehensively: dornyei’s taxonomy of classroom motivational strategies. jeltl (journal of english language teaching and linguistics), 4(1), 117–128. ramli, k., hidayah, j., edy, s., & esmianti, f. (2021). factors of students’ willingness and unwillingness to speak english in the classroom. jeet: journal of english education and teaching, 5(1), 95–109. sedova, k. (2019). do those who talk more learn more?: the relationship between students’ classroom talk and students’ achievement. learning and instruction, 63, 1–11. sjaifullah, a. & laksmi, e. d. (2022). willingness to communicate in an esp class: a qualitative study. world journal of english language, 12(6), 262–273. syafiq, a.n., rahmawati, a., anwari, oktaviana, t. (2021). increasing speaking skill through youtube video as english learning material during online learning in pandemic covid-19. elsya: journal of english language studies, 3(1), 50–55. syahbani, d.m. & apoko, t.w. (2023). the correlation between students' learning anxiety. jollt: journal of languages and language teaching, 11(3), pp. 537-546. wan, y. (2021). why are they so quiet? exploring reticent and passive east asian esl students in the u.s. classrooms. open journal of modern linguistics, 11, 942–954. wang, x. & cheng, z. (2020). cross-sectional studies. supplement: an overview of study design and statistical, 158(1), 65–71. wardah, u.m. (2021). an analysis of teacher's strategies in teaching english. jeep, 2(1), pp. 21-29. zheng, f. (2021). fostering students' well-being: the mediating role of teacher interpersonal behavior and student-teacher relationships. frontiers in psychology. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.796728. pmid: 35058857; pmcid: pmc8763970. santa maya pramusita, komilie situmorang, & bima adi saputra factors affecting nursing students’ hesitancy to speak english: a study at universitas pelita harapan 252 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 451 advancing english language learning: innovations in web-based learning media development siti maesyaroh faculty of computer science, informatics engineering study program, universitas kuningan, indonesia email :siti.maesyaroh@uniku.ac.id nida amalia asikin department of english education, universitas kuningan, indonesia email: nida.amalia.asikin@uniku.ac.id daswa faculty of computer science, informatics engineering study program, universitas kuningan, indonesia email: daswa@uniku.ac.id apa citation: maesyaroh, s., asikin, n. d., & daswa. (2023). advancing english language learning: innovations in web-based learning media development. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 451-460. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7468 received: 09-02-2023 accepted: 29-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction currently, there is a growing demand for proficiency in english. in addition, there is a need for interactive and engaging learning media to assist students in improving their english language skills (januarisman and ghufron; 2016). efl learners need to possess the skill to effectively express their intended meaning using spoken and written language. teachers evaluate this competence by employing various techniques to assess the learners' speaking and writing capabilities, with the goal of achieving a level of proficiency comparable to that of native speakers (asikin, 2017). in the 4.0 era, integrated learning media is crucial in creating an effective teaching and learning environment, especially for those learning english as a second language. the utilization of technology in the learning process has been further reinforced by the covid-19 pandemic. smp negeri 1 garawangi is one of the schools that still implements a teacher-focused approach to learning, where the teacher delivers instruction using traditional materials such as books or powerpoint and utilizes paper-based assessments to evaluate students. however, this learning method presents a few problems. firstly, the limited two-hour duration of school sessions may result in suboptimal learning outcomes. secondly, conventional teaching methods can bore students and reduce their interest in learning (maesyaroh, 2019). lastly, using books or paper for evaluation can be time-consuming. considering these challenges, it is essential for teachers to integrate education with digital technology (yuniarti, asikin, and thamrin: 2021). in the modern era of digital advancements, teachers have an essential role that extends beyond the simple transmission of information. their responsibilities encompass designing, organizing, and coordinating various learning activities within the classroom setting (darsih & asikin, 2020). thus, it is necessary to develop interactive and engaging learning media for junior high school students to learn english, utilizing information technology and learning applications to achieve abstract : smp negeri 1 garawangi kuningan is a junior high school that employs traditional methods of english learning, such as books and paper, for evaluation purposes. however, this manual learning system presents numerous issues, including longer assessment processes, susceptibility to damage, and a teachercentered approach that may bore students and reduce their interest in learning. consequently, there is a need for innovative web-based english learning media for junior high school students to facilitate learning and comprehension outside of school hours. this research aimed to produce an english learning application that is both engaging and easy to use. a qualitative descriptive method was utilized, based on direct observation and theoretical learning media principles. the development of the system utilized the extreme programming method, which consists of four stages: planning, design, coding, and testing. the outcome of the study reveals that the english learning application was widely accepted and utilized by students to learn english after school hours. keywords: english; extreme programming; learning media application; web. siti maesyaroh, nida amalia asikin, & daswa advancing english language learning: innovations in web-based learning media development 452 optimal learning outcomes. the strategy referred to as technology-enhanced language learning (tell) strives to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning by integrating technology into the process (kirkwood & price, 2013). this research presents an innovative approach to learning media development by creating a mobile phone or personal computer application. this application is designed to enable students to learn english conveniently outside of school hours and assess their progress through evaluations. the study's findings are significant for the future of language learning as they offer an insight into how technology can be harnessed to improve education. research in the field of language learning has shown that the use of technology can enhance language acquisition, improve student engagement, and promote autonomous learning (kukulska-hulme, 2016). moreover, mobile learning applications have become increasingly popular in recent years due to their accessibility, flexibility, and convenience (traxler, 2016). additionally, the integration of technology in language education has been found to promote the development of various skills, including critical thinking, communication, and digital literacy (nikolov & mihaljević djigunović, 2019). furthermore, research has shown that technologyenhanced language learning can improve language proficiency, particularly in the areas of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation (levy & stockwell, 2006). thus, the development of a mobile learning application for english language education, as demonstrated in this study, is an effective means of improving language learning outcomes. it allows for autonomous and interactive learning, provides students with opportunities to practice and develop language skills beyond the traditional classroom setting, and promotes the acquisition of digital literacy skills. furthermore, the advantages of using learning media applications have been demonstrated in various previous studies. for example, a study conducted by erwin and anik (2016) titled "development of web-based learning media for natural science subjects for class vii students" used the borg & gall research method and the alessi & trollip development method. the research included preliminary research and information gathering, planning, developing preliminary form of product, initial field trial, revision on the main product, main field testing, revision of field trial products, operational field testing, revision of the final product, and product dissemination and implementation. the results showed that the web-based science learning media was effective in improving student learning outcomes based on pretest and posttest evaluation data. another study conducted by heni and hary (2017) titled "development of web-based learning media to measure student learning outcomes in basic computer network subjects computer and network engineering expertise program" used the addie development model, which involves the analyze, design, development, implementation, and evaluation stages. the results of the study revealed a significant increase in the average score from the pre-test to the post-test, indicating that the developed web-based learning media efficiently improved student learning outcomes in the basic network subject. in addition, yogi and ahmad (2021) conducted a study titled "development of web-based learning media to improve student skills in basic web programming courses at stkip muhammadiyah muara bungo" using the research and development with 4d development method, which includes the define, design, develop, and disseminate stages. the study found that web-based learning media can be an effective supporting medium for the learning process and evaluating learning, which ultimately improves student learning outcomes (putra and ridoh, 2021). therefore, it can be concluded that web-based learning media can significantly contribute to improving student learning outcomes and can be utilized as a supportive tool in the learning process. this research is built on the foundation of ten previous studies that focus on web-based english learning media. firstly, hamdan, nawfal, and alshammari (2018) found that gamification significantly improves english language learning outcomes. secondly, zheng and cheng (2018) emphasized the importance of personalization in web-based english learning media development and its positive impact on learner motivation and engagement. furthermore, chen et al. (2018) explored the potential of ai in providing personalized feedback and content recommendations. the fourth study by stockwell and hubbard (2013) reviewed the benefits and challenges of mobile learning in web-based english learning media development. kukulskahulme and viberg (2018) examined the use of augmented reality in web-based english learning media development and its potential to create immersive learning experiences. additionally, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 453 chen and zhou (2018) reviewed the use of adaptive learning and its potential to improve learning outcomes. the role of online communities in web-based english learning media development and their impact on learner motivation and engagement were explored by li and li (2018). wang et al. (2018) examined the impact of social media on web-based english learning media development and its potential to facilitate collaborative learning and peer-to-peer interactions among learners. elola and oskoz (2018) discussed the potential of virtual worlds and their impact on learner engagement and motivation. lastly, thomas (2016) provided an overview of the latest trends in web-based english learning media development, including gamification, personalization, and adaptive learning, and their impact on learner outcomes. in conclusion, the field of web-based english learning media development is continuously evolving, and the ten research studies highlighted above shed light on the latest trends and technologies used in this field. these findings can guide the design and development of effective web-based english learning media that cater to the diverse needs and learning styles of learners, leading to improved learning outcomes. method the research method used in this study is a qualitative descriptive approach, which involved data gathered from direct observation and literature studies on the application of english learning media. this methodology is in line with the framework proposed by creswell and creswell (2018). to ensure the research process was wellstructured, a flowchart was created to illustrate the various stages involved in the study. by following this workflow, the research was conducted systematically, leading to reliable and valid findings. a visual representation of the research stages is presented in figure 1. figure 1. research stages the research utilizes the extreme programming system development method, which falls under the category of agile software development approaches. extreme programming is an objectoriented software engineering process that emphasizes teamwork among small to mediumsized teams. this approach is particularly suited for projects with rapidly changing requirements, as it provides flexibility and adaptability (supriyatna, 2018). figure 2. extreme programming method (supriyatna, 2018) the extreme programming (xp) method comprises four stages that must be completed for system development. the first stage is planning, which involves identifying problems, analyzing needs, and setting a development schedule. the second stage is design, which includes modeling activities such as system modeling, architectural modeling, and database modeling using unified modeling language (uml) and class diagrams. the third stage is coding, which involves implementing the modeling into a user interface using the structured php programming language and mysql for database management. the final siti maesyaroh, nida amalia asikin, & daswa advancing english language learning: innovations in web-based learning media development 454 stage is testing, in which the system is tested for errors during application and to ensure it meets user needs. blackbox testing method is used in this study. to collect the data needed for this study, the author utilized several methods. direct observation was made of class vii students at smp negeri 1 garawangi during the process of learning english, from the delivery of learning materials to evaluation. literature review was conducted by studying relevant documents, journals, and literature related to online learning media. interviews were also conducted with english teachers to obtain data relevant to the research object. by utilizing these methods, problems can be identified and addressed throughout the research process, leading to more reliable results. results and discussion in this study, the main outcome of the research is a web-based learning media application for junior high school students. the development process of the application was carried out using the extreme programming method. the following are the series of activities that were conducted to create the application: planning the first stage of the system development process was planning. in this stage, the author identified the problems and prepared the schedule for the development of the learning media application. moreover, the author selected the appropriate tools and software to be used in building the application. the hardware and software used in the application development process were documented and presented in table 1: table 1. application development requirements hardware software a. laptop processor core i3 b. ram 8gb c. hdd 120gb d. mouse e. printers a. microsoft windows 11 b. adobe dreamweaver cs5 c. xampp 1.8.6 d. google chrome for hardware and software used in implementing the application can be seen in table 2. table 2. application implementation needs no. need server computer client computer 1. hardware pc processor core i5 10gb of ram hdd 500gb mouse pc processor core i3 ram 8gb hdd 240gb mouse keyboards keyboards 21' lcd monitors printers 21' lcd monitors printers 2. software windows 10 xampp 1.8.6 google chrome windows 10 google chrome based on observations and interviews, the study identified the following problems in english learning: (1) limited time in school for english instruction resulting in suboptimal student outcomes. (2) traditional methods using books or powerpoint contribute to student boredom and disinterest. (3) evaluation procedures still involve books and paper, causing delays in the assessment process. the schedule for implementing web-based english learning media application development for junior high school students can be seen in table 3. table 3. system development schedule design to design the learning media, the author starts with system modeling, architectural modeling, and system modeling, all of which use the unified modeling language (uml). the design of the system requirements and business processes for the english learning media application is depicted using a use case diagram, which is shown in figure 3. figure 3. use case diagrams english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 455 based on the use case diagram, use case scenarios can be created as follows: table 4. use case scenarios for doing exercises use case name uc03 actor student purpose displays questions randomly and generates the correct number of questions preconditions the actor has entered the name and is on the main page of the system scenario actor system 1. students work on english practice questions 2. the questions that are worked on consist of several types including, multiple choice, essay, matching answers and completing sentences that are displayed randomly. 3. students answer practice questions and press the save button. 4. the system will match the answers with the answer keys and save the number of correct questions in the database. coding after completing the design stage, the next step is to start coding, which involves implementing the models that have been created into a user interface using a programming language. in this study, the application was developed using the php programming language and the codeigniter framework. the coding phase resulted in the creation of an english language learning media application for junior high school students. once the application is launched, the main page will be displayed as the first screen. figure 4. main page figure 4 is the main page when the user runs the application, where on that page there is a main menu that can be accessed by the user, namely learning english, exams, and learning materials. on the exam menu there is a feature for practicing english questions, where the user is asked to enter a name before working on the questions. figure 5. name input form figure 5 shows the input form for entering a name before working on the questions. this application displays several types of questions such as multiple choice, matching, completing, and essay which can be seen in figure 6. figure 6. english question page after working on the questions, the user can see the value and questions that were answered correctly on the exam result menu with a display like in figure 7. siti maesyaroh, nida amalia asikin, & daswa advancing english language learning: innovations in web-based learning media development 456 figure 7. display of the exam results menu the learning materials menu contains english material pages consisting of greetings, present tense, and past tense material. users can study material according to the material selected on the page as shown in figure 8. figure 8. learning material page teachers can include english material and questions into learning media applications. to be able to access the application, the teacher must log in as shown in figure 9. figure 9. login form in figure 9 is the login form used by the teacher in order to be able to manage english material and questions. after entering the username and password, a display will appear as shown in figure 10. figure 10. page for teachers in figure 10 there is a question, material and exam result menu where the teacher can choose the question menu to manage english questions. in the question menu there are several types of questions such as multiple choice, essay, story, match, and complete dialog so that the teacher can choose the type of questions to be managed. if the teacher will add multiple choice questions then it will appear as shown in figure 11. figure 11. question management page to add multiple choice questions, you can press the create button in figure 4.11 and then a question input form will appear as shown in figure 12. figure 12. question input page meanwhile, to manage english material, the teacher can select the material menu and then press the create button if you want to add the type of material as shown in figure 13. figure 13. manage material page but if you want to add material to one type of material, the teacher can choose the type of material then press the navigation image on the action, a display will appear as shown in figure 14. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 457 figure 14. material input page the teacher can see data on the results of students who have worked on english questions on the exam result menu as shown in figure 15. figure 15. display of exam results testing (testing) the final stage in the extreme programming method is the testing phase. this stage involves executing the application to ensure that it meets the system specifications and user requirements. the primary objective of testing is to check the functionality of the software, as stated by greenit (2018). the test is designed to evaluate both the external appearance, or interface, and the functionality of the software. the results of the testing for the learning media application are presented in table 5. table 5. black box testing no. testing information test result 1 testing the name input page in the name form, the user enters a name then clicks the save button. testing when inputting the name was successful. 2 testing the exercise page questions after entering a name on the exam page the user fills in or works on practice questions and then presses the save button. testing the successful practice questions will display the questions answered and the number of questions correct. 3 content page testing on the material page i.e. the user can select the user has successfully accessed the material. the type of material. 4 testing the login form in the login form, the teacher enters the correct username and password then clicks the login button. the teacher enters the wrong username and password in the login form then clicks the login button testing when inputting the correct username and password will display the main page. if you enter the username and password incorrectly, you will be asked to enter the username and password again. 5 testing the question form in the question form, the teacher adds questions by selecting the type of question. the teacher changes the questions in the question form according to the type of question. the teacher deletes questions on the question form according to the type of question. the teacher succeeded in adding questions according to the type of questions. the teacher managed to change the questions according to the type of questions. the teacher succeeded in deleting the questions according to the type of questions. 6 material form testing in the material form, the teacher adds material by selecting the title of the material. the teacher changes the material on the material form according to the material title. the teacher deletes the material on the material form according to the material title. the teacher managed to add material according to the title of the material. the teacher succeeded in changing the material according to the title of the material. the teacher succeeded in deleting the material according to the title of the material. 7 testing the results of on the exam result page, the the teacher managed to siti maesyaroh, nida amalia asikin, & daswa advancing english language learning: innovations in web-based learning media development 458 student practice teacher can see student grade data. access student grade data. the test results have confirmed that the english learning media application has successfully passed all the tests conducted and runs with 100% functionality on all 12 functions. consequently, the application can be deemed to be running smoothly and without any failure. conclusion the research and testing conducted on the webbased english learning media applications built with php and mysql programming have led to the following conclusions: a. the web-based english learning media application can serve as a viable alternative to conventional learning methods, and it provides an easy-to-use platform for seventh grade junior high school students. b. students can use the english learning application to learn independently, both during and outside of school hours. c. the learning media application is highly accessible, and it can be used on any computer with a web browser installed by both students and teachers. based on the problems identified and the results of this study, several suggestions can be made for the future development of learning media applications. these suggestions are aimed at improving the current application and enhancing the overall learning experience for junior high school students. firstly, it is suggested that the application should be developed for different platforms such as mobile web applications, android, and java mobile. this will allow students to access the learning material from different devices, making it more convenient for them to learn anywhere and anytime. secondly, to make the learning material more interesting, it is suggested to add more material variations and practice questions. this will keep the students engaged and motivated to learn more. lastly, it is suggested to add pictures with storylines to make the application more interactive. this will help students to visualize the learning material and understand it better. we would like to thank those who have helped a lot in this research, namely smp negeri 1 garawangi and lppm universitas kuningan for their material and non-material support. references asikin, n. a. (2017). the analysis of interlanguage produced by 3rd grade high school students in narrative writing text. indonesian efl journal, 3(1), 39-44. creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). sage. darsih, e., & asikin, n. a. (2020). mobile assisted language learning: efl learners’ perceptions toward the use of mobile applications in learning english. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 183-194. 10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2999 elola, i., & oskoz, a. (2018). virtual worlds and language learning: a review of the literature. language learning & technology, 22(2), 1-27 erwin, e., & anik, s. (2016). development of webbased learning media for natural science subjects for class vii students. jurnal pendidikan fisika dan teknologi, 2(2), 120-126. greenit. (2018). software testing tutorial: free course on manual testing and automation testing. guru99. https://www.guru99.com/softwaretesting.html hamdan, a. r., nawfal, n. k., & alshammari, a. s. (2018). gamification and english language learning: a study on the impact of points on learning. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (ijet), 13(12), 165182. heni, s., & hary, s. (2017). development of web-based learning media to measure student learning outcomes in basic computer network subjects computer and network engineering expertise program. international journal of applied engineering research, 12(23), 13552-13560. januarisman, e., & ghufron, a. (2016). development of web-based learning media for natural science subjects and for grade vii students. journal of educational technology innovation, 7(3), 166182. kirkwood, a., & price, l. (2013). missing: evidence of a scholarly approach to teaching and learning with technology in higher education. teaching in higher education, 18(3), 327-337. kukulska-hulme, a. (2016). language learning defined by time and place: a framework for next generation designs. international journal of mobile and blended learning, 8(1), 1-16. levy, m., & stockwell, g. (2006). call dimensions: options and issues in computer-assisted language learning. routledge. li, j., & li, y. (2018). exploring the role of online communities in web-based english learning media development and their impact on learner motivation and engagement. education and information technologies, 23(2), 675-691. maesyaroh, s. (2019). application of the analytical hierarchy process method to determine expertise programs at smk model patriot iv ciawigebang kuningan. informatics buffer, 5(1), 13-24. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 459 nikolov, m., & mihaljević djigunović, j. (2019). language learning and digital technology. john benjamins publishing company. putra, y. i., & ridoh, a. (2021). development of webbased learning media to improve student skills in basic web programming courses at stkip muhammadiyah muara bungo. basicedu journal, 5(2), 4026-4036. sari, h. v., & suswanto, h. (2017). development of web-based learning media to measure student learning outcomes in basic computer network subjects in the computer and network engineering expertise program. education journal, 6(6), 1008-1016. stockwell, g., & hubbard, p. (2013). some emerging principles for mobile-assisted language learning. the international research foundation for english language education (tirf) annual review, 1, 1-18. supriyatna, a. (2018). development of an online english learning media using extreme programming. journal of physics: conference series, 1028(1), 012074. 10.1088/17426596/1028/1/012074 thomas, m. (2016). an overview of the latest trends in web-based english language learning media. tesol international journal, 11(2), 43-57. traxler, j. (2016). mobile learning and learning analytics: capturing the evidence, integrating experience, informing practice. in mobile learning analytics (pp. 1-17). springer international publishing. wang, y., chen, n. s., liang, t. h., & chen, w. f. (2018). exploring the impact of social media on web-based english learning media development and its potential to facilitate collaborative learning and peer interaction. australasian journal of educational technology, 34(1), 8297. yogi, y., & ahmad, m. (2021). development of webbased learning media to improve student skills in basic web programming courses at stkip muhammadiyah muara bungo. jurnal pendidikan: teori, penelitian, dan pengembangan, 6(1), 32-39. yuniarti, e., asikin, y., & thamrin, t. (2021). development of english language learning media on the interactive e-book for junior high school students. edcomtech jurnal kajian teknologi pendidikan, 5(1), 23-33. zheng, d., & cheng, y. (2018). personalized learning in web 3.0 era: the role of mobile applications. british journal of educational technology, 49(6), 1044-1055. siti maesyaroh, nida amalia asikin, & daswa advancing english language learning: innovations in web-based learning media development 460 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 943 exploring the practical application and appraisal of the 2013 english curriculum in a state junior high school: a qualitative investigation farrah dina milyarni english education postgraduate program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: frrhdin@gmail.com sofendi english education postgraduate program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: sofendi@unsri.ac.id soni mirizon english education postgraduate program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: smirizon@unsri.ac.id apa citation: milyarni, f. d., sofendi., & mirizon, s. (2023). exploring the practical application and appraisal of the 2013 english curriculum in a state junior high school: a qualitative investigation. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 943-952. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8310 received: 11-06-2023 accepted: 28-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: the constant enhancement of indonesia's educational curriculum is aimed at improving the overall quality of education. this research specifically investigates the application of the 2013 english curriculum at a state yunior high school in palembang, south sumatra, indonesia, utilizing a qualitative evaluative approach. the study, conducted at smp negeri 1 palembang, involved two english teachers and eighth-grade students. the findings revealed that the english teachers adhered to standard content and government syllabi when developing lesson plans. teaching methods and assessments also aligned with government policies. additionally, factors such as teacher quality, resource accessibility, and community involvement were identified as potential influencers on curriculum effectiveness. although the curriculum has evolved, evaluating the 2013 curriculum can provide valuable insights for future improvements in indonesia's educational curriculum. keywords: curriculum 2013; curriculum evaluation; english curriculum. introduction english plays an essential role in communication. many people in the world use english to communicate, provide information and knowledge, express their feelings and thoughts, etc. english becomes an international language in which people all around the world use it to communicate to each other despite the barriers they have. furthermore, mastering english is crucial to increase the competitiveness of our human resources in a global scope. it is apparent that people should be able to master english. according to mapiasse and sihes (2014), the indonesian government has considered the importance of english in term of education. the country's educational policies have undergone a significant transformation as a result of indonesia's adoption of the english language. li (2012) adds that in order to increase the proficiency of its usage in the nation, some pedagogy related to the teaching of the english language, including the methodology, curriculum, and evaluation, has received considerable attention. the effective transmission of instructions to students by non-native speakers of the language is a crucial component of language learning. kosam et. al (2018) states that the government uses education as a tool to improve the nation's human resources. education is a deliberate effort to educate students for their role in the future via the activities of guidance, discussion, and training, as stated in the law of the republic of indonesia, number 2 the year 1989 article 1 paragraph 1. however, the curriculum in indonesia is constantly being improved with the aim of improving education in indonesia as well. for this reason, in creating a curriculum, it must farrah dina milyarni, sofendi, & soni mirizon exploring the practical application and appraisal of the 2013 english curriculum in a state junior high school: a qualitative investigation 944 be considered whether the curriculum created is truly capable of improving all parts related to education. in an effort to improve the curriculum, indonesia finally implemented the 2013 curriculum which was a development of the ktsp curriculum (nasyirwan, 2015). in developing the curriculum, it is necessary to refer to national education standards to achieve national education goals. according to mulyasa (2013), the government has set standards in the administration of education. there are eight standards including content standards, process standards, graduate competency standards, educator and education staff standards, facilities and infrastructure standards, management standards, financing standards, and education assessment standards. out of the eight standards, four of them are related to curriculum development. curriculum development should commence with the formulation of comprehensive course objectives and desired learning results, prior to addressing the methods of assessing students' attainment of these targeted learning outcomes (bovill & woolmer, 2019). in addition, graduate competency standards are explained from national education goals and the needs of society, the country and global developments. content standards are explained from standard competence of graduates. standards process are taken from content standards. assessment standards are explained from graduate competency standards, content standards, and process standards. graduate competency standards are explained into core competencies. core competencies are translated into basic competencies contextualized in a subject. in curriculum, the competencies that wants to be achieved have been planned, supported by learning strategies that are in accordance with the expected competencies and supported by evaluations that are in accordance with the competencies being taught so that a conducive learning process is obtained. competencies is an essential component of the curriculum because it serves as the framework for educational institutions (ritonga & yusmaita, 2019). if there are deficiencies, improvements can be made from the evaluation that has been carried out. an evaluation that focused on equity and excellence provides a critical lens to ensure that schools are meeting the learning needs of students (goodrick, 2022). the 2013 curriculum implementation was first carried out in stages from 2014-2015 and up until now. during this process, the government provides training and improves the quality of teachers so that the implementation of the 2013 curriculum can be carried out properly. as a teacher plays a vital role in the process of education, teacher motivation can directly influence the process of learning. through the use of training program, government wish to maintain teachers’ motivation and personal development (ahmed, et al., 2021). so that in fact schools and educators can implement the new curriculum accurately and student competence has increased. in the 2013 curriculum implementation process, it begins with designing a learning planning program in the form of a syllabus and learning implementation plan which is an elaboration of the core competencies and basic competencies that have been defined. the 2013 curriculum's implementation encourages teachers to be more productive, imaginative, and creative in their adaptation of many types of teaching resources (hanifa, 2017). the role and responsibility of the teacher in developing the syllabus is to analyze the competency design and competency indicators and standard materials, develop lesson plans, develop learning strategies and develop learning media and methods. therefore, teachers need to have certain skills like planning, designing, managing, evaluating, researching, making decisions, and administrating (patankar & jadhav, 2013). it should also be noted that the determination of competencies to be achieved, the development of strategies to achieve competencies, and evaluation (mulyasa, 2013). from this thought, several aspects that need to be considered in curriculum implementation are planning, process, and evaluation. furthermore, the four standards are spelled out in the minister of education and culture and in its development have been renewed several times. the latest regulations are contained in permendikbud no. 20 of 2016 concerning competency standards for graduates of primary and secondary education, permendikbud no. 21 of 2016 concerning content standards for elementary and secondary education, permendikbud no. 22 of 2016 concerning process standards for elementary and secondary education, permendikbud no. 23 of 2016 concerning education assessment standards. the regulations of ministry of education mentioned above are the reasons that this study to be conducted. as for not all of the teachers in indonesia are quite understood about the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 945 government’s policy about the right way to implement the 2013 curriculum in the classroom, this study is to see whether that the teachers are in the right path of implementing the curriculum or not. in fact, many studies have talked about evaluation the 2013 curriculum before using vary ways of evaluation. however, this study will be derived from the ministry’s regulations. several studies regarding the implementation of 2013 curriculum for english subject had been conducted. the research conducted by sofiana, mubarok, and yuliasri (2019) have elucidated that even though the 2013 curriculum for the english subject in jepara has been effectively put into practice, there remains a necessity for the government to offer support and guidance to teachers to enhance the overall learning environment. the government has determined that before the 2013 curriculum is fully implemented by all schools in indonesia, teachers must attend some trainings. a study that has been conducted by revina, et al. (2020) showed contrast result that government training program for teacher remain ineffective to improve teacher’s skills and teaching practices. however, gunawan & daud (2018) argue that teachers still have lack resources and knowledges about this. therefore, teachers are expected to have sufficient provisions to implement the 2013 curriculum especially in english subject. to prove this, an in-depth evaluation is needed using research activities to assess the extent to which the 2013 english curriculum implementation at smp negeri 1 palembang conforms to the specified standards. in addition to providing data for improving the current curriculum, curriculum evaluation will keep external stakeholders accountability. its goal is to determine whether the implemented planned curriculum is producing or capable of producing the desired results. therefore, this research intended to see how do the teachers of english at smp negeri 1 palembang implement the 2013 english curriculum in their classrooms? concerning on the conditions described above, the writer planned to evaluate the implementation of the 2013 curriculum at smp negeri 1 palembang, especially in english subjects through a research entitled “an evaluation of 2013 english curriculum implementation at smp negeri 1 palembang”. method this study used qualitative evaluative research of taking the data. creswell (2017) mentions that qualitative methods include selective sampling, open-ended data collecting, text or image analysis, information representation in figures and tables, and individual interpretation of the results. however, evaluative research is basically used to examine the success of a program, that is including the scope of education. this research is also directed to assess the success of the benefits, uses, contributions and feasibility of a program of activities from a particular unit/institution. thus, this study aimed to find out how well the implementation of 2013 english curriculum at smp negeri 1 palembang so far. the participants of the study were two teachers of english and eighth grade students at smp negeri 1 palembang selected by purposive sampling. there are five english teachers in total, on the other hand, the two english teachers were carefully chosen as they were the teachers that taught the eightgraders. in fact, the reasons why this study selected eight-graders as this grade was only focused on 2013 english curriculum even though once they promoted into the next grade. the data collected by interview and questionnaires. the main advantage of conducting in-depth interviews lies in the researcher's capacity to collect comprehensive information and to explore and contemplate in order to acquire deeper insights (rutledge & hogg, 2020). teachers were given questions to answer through interview towards the implementation of 2013 english curriculum for, whilst students were given questionnaires towards the teaching and learning process that the teachers done in the classroom. results and discussion teachers of english teaching planning in 2013 curriculum the interview was done to two teachers of english to collect the data on how they planned their lesson plans used in the classroom. in devising the lesson plan, the teacher must include competency standards (kd) that cover the basic competencies compiled in it. the lesson plan must include detailed learning objectives, learning materials, learning methods, steps for learning activities, learning resources and assessments. basra (2022) said that developing a lesson plan that aligns with curriculum elements, such as a syllabus, has favorable impacts on the teaching and learning journey. with a lesson plan, learning will be more focused and consistent in the process of its activities without feeling confused in taking the next steps each time they are going to carry out learning with different material delivered farrah dina milyarni, sofendi, & soni mirizon exploring the practical application and appraisal of the 2013 english curriculum in a state junior high school: a qualitative investigation 946 every day. the following are quotes from the participants regarding their planning in implementing teaching english according to the 2013 english curriculum: “yeah actually i have done to make or to finish my lesson plans like usually yeah but on the syllabus and for the step of to make a lesson plan based on the curricula 2013” (er, interview) “i think rpp is, rpp we arranged it that have to notice about ki and kd and then about the material itself and then about the teaching and learning that we have to teach into our students and of course for the sources of the book, it is also very important in teaching and learning activity” (tya, interview) referring to the quote above, it is apparent that she wrote or devised the lesson plan based on the syllabus. furthermore, to make the step of it, she followed the rules of 2013 curriculum. afterward, the writer asked another question regarding the way the teacher identify the basic competencies (kd) on each theme or sub-theme that will be taught. here is the revealing answer done by the teachers. “yes of course yeah i formed the kd before i make the lesson plan to observe the theme for teaching and etc.” (er, interview) “yes of course because with kd we have to know first about the operation that we have to observe and then we measure and according to the word of operational such as of observing, adapting, practicing, responding, receiving, etc., so rpp is we designed for every kd so we can be applied it in every time we have meeting in classes” (tya, interview) regarding the explanation above, it is confirmed that the teachers identified and even formed the basic competencies before making the lesson plan. furthermore, indicators later derived from the basic competencies. thus, next question will be in the way asking about the indicators. “yes of course yeah because the indicators is the best competition to show the respond of our students, yes very very best.” (er, interview) “well, it seems that yes because kd can be showed by its response by our students and every kd can be developed at least with two indicators and we have the indicators itself, it can be we increase it into competence that can be we practice or we apply it into our rpp” (tya, interview) it can be concluded from the answer above that as the indicators is derived from the basic competencies, the teachers gave an insight that what they have been doing all this time about putting it in the lesson plan is in appropriate way as the government want the teachers to do. therefore, the next question was explaining about the abcd component. “yes as the purpose of our teaching and learning for audience behavior condition and degree, we have to make it as the purpose to show the students’ behavior, the condition of the student and the achievement of the students yeah like for example to show the video first and make it the students enjoy and practice their listening” (er, interview) “yes of course because by considering about the component abcd, audience of course that is our student, and behavior we have to know first about the students’ behavior in the class and the condition itself that can be we can predict or we can know the condition in our class and degree too because if the four aspects we combine it so we can be teaching our students as well as good as we expect it” (tya, interview) the explanation above can be concluded that the teachers indeed considered about the abcd component as they thought that it is such a good way to see the students’ achievement and as the teachers expecting a good environment in the classroom in planning the lesson plan. table 1. performance of the implementation of 2013 english curriculum no indicator s p d category 1 the use of teacher books (bg) and student books (bs) from the government as the main sources in learning 100 82 18 very appropriat e 2 the use of the other textbooks as an additional source for learning 100 67 33 appropriat e 3 the teacher communicates learning objectives to students 100 83 17 very appropriat e 4 the teacher carries out the learning by 100 79 21 very appropriat english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 947 using /involving various learning resources and learning media e 5 the teacher checks student’s readiness before the learning process starts 100 74 26 appropriat e 6 the teacher checks for students’ attendant list 100 74 26 appropriat e 7 the teacher does an apperception 100 80 20 very appropriat e 8 the teacher provides feedback on the process and learning outcomes 100 79 21 very appropriat e 9. the teacher makes a summary by involving the students 100 76 24 very appropriat e 1 0. the teacher gives the students assignments in order to know the students’understandin g 100 90 10 very appropriat e notes: s : standard p : performance d : discrepancy (source: farrah dina milyarni, 2021) thus, the indicator that has a highest performance and discrepancy is “the teacher gives the students assignments in order to know the students’ understanding” where it is very appropriate (90%) and the discrepancy is 10%. whereas the indicator that has a lowest performance and discrepancy is “the use of the other textbooks as an additional source for learning”. hence, it is categorized as appropriate (67%) and the discrepancy is 34%. teachers of english teaching assessment in 2013 curriculum assessment is a process of obtaining information in any form that can be used as a basis for making decisions about students, both concerning curriculum, learning and school policies. in other words, assessment is the process of making a decision by using the information obtained by referring to a certain size. the question below talked about how the teachers determine the type of learning evaluation (assessment) that is in accordance with the indicators/basic competencies (kd). “yes before decide uhm the evaluation, sometime i always explain about the learning objectives yeah in lesson plan, so that’s why when we make the test items, we choose what is the eh test item correctors that related to the material. yeah of course every material related to the structure or tenses to yeah as a teacher you have to explain before for the modal before you to begin our material” (er, interview) “i think it is based on the goals of the learning on the process of our rpp, so we can be chosen which one the assessment that we will be like to choose like for the example, for daily test” (tya, interview) the answers above shared the same opinion in which teachers were saying that before deciding the evaluation, they always explained and made it based on the goals or learning objectives of the material learned. hence, next question would relate to follow-up activities in the form of assignments, both individual and group assignments that the teachers give to the students. “for task for continuous task, it is especially for the students has a low score only because you know uhm especially for me uhm i avoid to ask or to give the students many homework, yeah based on our curriculum merdeka you know we just make the students correctors as the important one and as the english teacher i just want to make the students’ progress that i see but with the practice they’re practicing their skills, maybe all their friends in the class also can make this course who is the best one and who will be revised” (er, interview) “yes of course, actually i mixed it, they are sometimes that the task can be done by them individually, sometimes they can be in the group, it depends on the material” (tya, interview) it can be assumed that from the answers above, both teachers shared different opinions. first teacher mentioned she only gives the continuous task for those who has a low score but still avoiding a written task such as homework. however, the second teacher mentioned that she indeed gives students a follow-up activity and mixed it by doing it in group and individually. next question later related to the steps that you usually do to evaluate the learning process. “uhmm the steps that i usually do to evaluate the teaching and learning process yeah i make a lesson plan based on syllabus, related to the material, apply it in ki-1, and some of a yeah we will we apply from our based learning to the material for the lesson plan.” (er, interview) farrah dina milyarni, sofendi, & soni mirizon exploring the practical application and appraisal of the 2013 english curriculum in a state junior high school: a qualitative investigation 948 “i think from we get to be we show it or we teach about the lesson and then we just doing the not doing but we just apply the effectivity of the media and then the way the teacher the way the teach about their hobby, their passion and their acting too” (tya, interview) based on the answers above, first teacher mentioned that the steps that she usually does to evaluate is apply from the based learning to the material for the lesson plan. meanwhile, the second teacher explained that for evaluation, it is from what we teach about the lesson. thus, next question asked about whether the teachers inform the learning activity plan for the next meeting at the end of learning process. “yes in the ending of our teaching process i-i inform to my students for the next material that we will study for the next study.” (er, interview) “yes, usually i inform to the to my students that they have to be prepared if the material is a need to be prepared well before they study it.” (tya, interview) based on the answers above, it is mentioned that both of the teachers do inform the learning plan for the next meeting at the end of the learning process, because if we do so, the students can prepare better before they study it in actual meeting. in conclusion, those are the answers that the writer could get by giving questions through an interview regarding the assessment of the students. a regulation pertaining to education and culture known as permendikbudristek no. 7 of 2022 focuses on the required subjects or content standards for the early childhood, primary, secondary, and similar levels of education. the impacts of permendikbudristek no. 21 of 2016 on educational curriculum are as follows: 1). the standard curriculum content stated in the regulation must serve as the foundation for developing the curriculum, 2). the basic competences that students must possess at each educational level must be covered in the curriculum, 3) the learning goals that students must attain in each subject area must be included in the curriculum, 4) the subjects' needed materials and topics must be covered in the curriculum, 5) the regulation must be followed while developing the evaluation criteria and assessment procedures for student learning outcomes. 2013 english curriculum has been applied at smp negeri 1 palembang ever since the government ordered schools to change the curriculum. english teachers at smp negeri 1 palembang, based on the interview that the writer done, has followed the standard content while they create a lesson plan. both of the teachers used the syllabus from the government as their direction on devising the lesson plan. they also make sure to put the appropriate basic competences that needs to meet the learning objectives in accordance to the material or topic to learn. the english teachers too is necessary to create an evaluation or assessment at the end of their teaching and learning activities in order to see how far the students could comprehend about the material that just done learned. the outcome of assessment can be used to see the students’ english proficiency level in order to meet the individual students’ needs (gultom, 2016). luckily, these steps mentioned all is written in the lesson plan. on 2016, republic of indonesia's ministry of education, culture, research, and technology published permendikbudristek no. 22 of 2016 as a regulation. it concerns the standard processes in primary, secondary, and early childhood education. it establishes the minimal standards for the educational levels' learning processes. the rule highlights the value of interactive learning and establishes the maximum number of instructional hours for each educational level. the rule is divided into a number of components, including general guidelines, learning planning, instruction, assessment, and closing guidelines. based on the results of teachers’ interview and students’ point of view, the process of learning happened at smp negeri 1 palembang is in line with the government’s regulations. learning planning, instruction, and assessment are also written in lesson plan before the actual implement in the classroom. instruction that the teachers made is comprehensible, this factor is because the use of mother tongue on conveying. as tamami (2022) state that using the native language can serve as a valuable bridge to the target language, particularly for novice students. this approach ensures ongoing communication and discourages students from feeling disheartened. same thing goes on assessment too. in general, what is written on the permendikbudristek no. 22 of 2016, sounds quite the same as the content standards. the value of interactive learning as english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 949 mentioned on the regulation requires a various media and various resources that the teachers should have to give to the students. however, this kind of environment is rarely seen at smp negeri 1 palembang as the students thought that the teacher did not give various resources such as another textbook. although it has been studied by polikoff (2015) the importance of textbook as an additional resource to promotes curricular reform and assures the implementation of the new standards. last of all, permendikbudristek no. 23 of 2016 states about the standard assessment of education in early childhood education, primary education, and secondary education. the regulation highlights the significance of an indepth assessment that takes taken into consideration every aspect of students’ growth, including cognitive, emotional, and psychomotor aspects. the regulation also forbids primary and secondary schools from using final exams as the only form of assessment. utilizing a variety of assessment techniques offers greater advantages as it enables the teacher to triangulate evidence, resulting in a more comprehensive understanding of student comprehension, in contrast to relying solely on a single assessment method (sugiono, 2021). by offering a more comprehensive and fair evaluation of students' learning outcomes, the rule seeks to raise the standard of education in indonesia. to ensure that assessments are fair, valid, and reliable, teachers are obligated to stick to these requirements, which may call for improvements to the teaching and learning process. this later comes to the point that the assessment done at smp negeri 1 palembang is in accordance to the permendikbudristek no. 23 of 2016. the school provides a various type of assessment so that the final exam is not the only one to decide the students’ outcomes. for instance, the teachers at smp negeri 1 palembang mentioned that in one semester, at least oneor two-times daily test must be done to see the outcomes of the students toward certain materials. an assessment that evaluate the students’ skill is also must be done. this all is done in order to make sure that there will be not only one examination that can set the graduate standards of the students. based on the questionnaire administered to students and supported by interviews with teachers at smp negeri 1 palembang, the research findings indicate that the implementation of the 2013 curriculum at smp negeri 1 palembang aligns with the guidelines outlined in the 2013 curriculum regulations. the in-depth interviews have provided comprehensive insights into how teachers implement the 2013 curriculum in english language teaching class. this approach is consistent with bulan, suryaman & madinah (2020) research, which emphasizes that english language teaching under the 2013 curriculum involves an approach that fosters active student participation in the development of knowledge and skills. however, during the evaluation, a notable issue emerged, which pertains to the limited availability of additional resources and teaching media in the learning process. maffea (2020) stated that a lack of resources in the learning process can hinder students from reaching their full learning potential. to compensate for the compromises, teachers make the most out of the media that already available for the learning process by applying various learning media provided. conclusion based on the results, it can be concluded that: the planning of the 2013 english curriculum by english teachers aligns with national standards, as evidenced by data analysis results indicating a very appropriate category. teachers demonstrated a good understanding of syllabus and procedure that the government has given. the implementation of the 2013 english curriculum is in accordance with national standards. the data analysis gives a very appropriate category with low discrepancies observed that indicate a great performance. numerous students gave positive responses in various indicators reaffirm the curriculum's effective implementation. these findings indicate that teacher’s performance is not hindered by inadequacies in curriculum planning. the evaluation of the 2013 english curriculum in classrooms is conducted in accordance with national standards. teachers demonstrate competence in assessment selection, aligning assessments with specific english skills. this adherence to syllabus and government guidelines ensures the curriculum's effective execution. the research highlights that teacher are wellinformed about students' strengths and weaknesses both in and outside the classroom. teacher involvement in 2013 curriculum socialization and training, as well as the utilization of library resources for learning activities, significantly supports curriculum implementation. additionally, a positive learning farrah dina milyarni, sofendi, & soni mirizon exploring the practical application and appraisal of the 2013 english curriculum in a state junior high school: a qualitative investigation 950 environment and effective communication between schools and stakeholders, including parents, the community, and local government, contribute to a successful curriculum implementation. however, it is important to acknowledge that any curriculum changes may require additional resources, including time, budget, and training, to ensure teachers and students can adapt successfully. teacher quality, resource accessibility, and parental and community involvement are other influential factors in curriculum effectiveness. proper planning and monitoring are crucial to ensuring that curriculum modifications positively impact student learning outcomes. acknowledgement we would like to acknowledge the participant of the english teachers at smp negeri 1 palembang. references ahmed, h. n., pasha, a. r., & malik, m. (2021). the role of teacher training programs in optimizing teacher motivation and professional development skills. bulletin of education and research, 43(2), 17-37. basra, s. m. (2022). an analysis of fitness between a lesson plan with syllabus in terms of learning objectives, procedure and evaluation. english education and applied linguistics journal, 5(3), 162-172. https://doi.org/10.31980/eealjournal.v5i3.2525 bovill, catherine & woolmer, cherie. (2019). how conceptualisations of curriculum in higher education influence student-staff co-creation in and of the curriculum. higher education. 78. bulan, a., suryaman, m., & mardiah (2020). the process of english language teaching in the 2013 curriculum. voles (voices of english language education society), 4(1), 85-93. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v4i1.2007 creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2017). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach. sage publications. goodrick, d. (2022). schools: evaluation for improvement approach: implementation case studies. education review office. gultom, e. (2016). assessment and evaluation in efl teaching and learning. proceedings of iselt fbs universitas negeri padang, 4 (1): 190-198 gunawan, h., & daud, a. (2018). the implementation of 2013 curriculum in english teaching: stories from rural areas. english language teaching educational journal, 1(2), 65-75. hanifa, r. (2017). investigating english teacher’s understanding of materials adaptation in curriculum 2013. in tenth international conference on applied linguistics and first international conference in language, literature, culture and education (conaplin and icollite 2017) (pp. 319-324). kantun, s. (2017). penelitian evaluatif sebagai salah satu model penelitian dalam bidang pendidikan (suatu kajian konseptual). jurnal pendidikan ekonomi: jurnal ilmiah ilmu pendidikan, ilmu ekonomi dan ilmu sosial, 10(2). kosam, d., hardyanto, w., & haryono, h. (2018). evaluative survey of the implementation of curriculum 2013 for the english subject in high school of south buton district. innovative journal of curriculum and educational technology, 7(2), 93-101. li, j. (2012). principles of effective english language learner pedagogy. research in review 20123. college board. maba, w. (2017). teachers’ perception on the implementation of the assessment process in 2013 curriculum. international journal of social sciences and humanities, 1(2), 1-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.21744/ijssh.v1i2.26 maffea, j. (2020). lack of resources in classrooms. english department: research for change wicked problems in our world. 4. mappiasse, s. s., & sihes, a. j. b. (2014). evaluation of english as a foreign language and its curriculum in indonesia: a review. english language teaching, 7(10), 113-122. morris, a. (2015). a practical introduction to in-depth interviewing. sage publications ltd, https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473921344 mubarok, h., & sofiana, n. (2022). an evaluation of english language teaching in indonesian schools. kne social sciences, 7(14). https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v7i14.11947 muhammad, r. r., lawson, d., aslam, f., & crawford, m. (2023). indonesian curriculum 2013 ten years on: impact on mathematics teaching. journal of research in science, mathematics and technology education, 6(si), 109-136. mulyasa, h. e. (2013). pengembangan dan implementasi kurikulum 2013. pt remaja rosdakarya nasyirwan, n. (2015). pencapaian 8 (delapan) standar nasional pendidikan oleh kepala sekolah untuk meningkatkan mutu lulusan. manajer pendidikan: jurnal ilmiah manajemen pendidikan program pascasarjana, 9(6). nugraha, i. s., & suherdi, d. (2017). scientific approach: an english learning-teaching (elt) approach in the 2013 curriculum. journal of english and education, 5(2), 120-135. patankar, p. s., & jadhav, m. (2013). role of teachers’ in curriculum development for teacher education. in national conference on english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 951 challenges in teacher education, physical education and sports. retrieved from https://www researchgate. net/publication/258023165. peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan r.i. nomor 68 tahun 2013. peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan r.i. nomor 21 tahun 2016, tentang standar isi pendidikan dasar dan menengah. peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan r.i. nomor 22 tahun 2016, tentang standar proses pendidikan dasar dan menengah. peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan r.i. nomor 23 tahun 2016, tentang standar penilaian pendidikan. polikof, m. s. (2015). how well aligned are textbooks to the common core standards in mathematics? american educational research journal, 52(6), 1185–1211. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831215 584435 revina, s., pramana, r. p., filaili, r., & suryadarma, d. (2020). systemic constraints facing teacher professional development in a middle-income country: indonesia’s experience over four decades. rise working paper, 20(054). ritonga, h. m., & yusmaita, e. (2019). analysis of curriculum 2013 in core competency 3 of 12th grade senior high school based on cognitive and knowledge process dimensions. edukimia journal, 1(3), 61-66. https://doi.org/10.24036/ekj.v1.i3.a69 rutledge, p., & hogg, j. l. (2020). in-depth interviews. international encyclopedia of media psychology. https://doi.org/ 10.1002/9781119011071.iemp0019 sofiana, n., mubarok, h., & yuliasri, i. (2022). english language teaching in secondary schools: an analysis of the implementation of indonesian elt 2013 curriculum. international journal of instruction, 12(1), 1533-1544. sugiono (2021). multiple assessment methods towards the improvement of students’ english language learning. ijoeel (international journal of english education and linguistics), 3(2), 90-97. https://doi.org/10.33650/ijoeel.v3i2.3211 tamami, n. (2022). identifying the use mother tongue in efl classroom: an observational study. iallteach (issues in applied linguistics & language teaching), 4(2), 149-158. 10.37253/iallteach.v4i2.6845 vidyawati, n., & ghufron, a. (2019). an evaluation of english learning program in muhammadiyah junior high schools yogyakarta [master's thesis]. farrah dina milyarni, sofendi, & soni mirizon exploring the practical application and appraisal of the 2013 english curriculum in a state junior high school: a qualitative investigation 952 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 831 utilizing “wordwalls’ as an assessment tool for indonesian junior high school students lina anisah english language education study program, teacher training and education faculty, universitas sembilanbelas november kolaka, indonesia email: lina.anisah@gmail.com apa citation: anisah, l. (2022). utilizing “wordwalls” as an assessment tool for indonesian junior high school students. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 831-842. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6472. received: 21-07-2022 accepted: 20-09-2022 published: 30-11-2022 introduction 21st century learning continues to adopt increasingly developing technologies. now, the use of computers and smartphones has become an important element for human life such as in the business field, office, home, and school (yarahmadzehi & goodarzi, 2020). the development of technology in the world of education has a role in the teaching and learning process, wherein the teaching and learning process technological developments are expected to be able to make changes and have a better impact on learning. smith & hill (2019) stated that face-to-face and online learning have been applied since the 1990s. in general, the use of technological developments that are often used in education is the use of smartphone technology in making learning media that can facilitate educators in finding material, for example in the form of reading media in the form of e-books. the rapid development of technology as it is today should be used more optimally to improve the quality of learning, especially in smartphone technology. the utilization of smartphone technology is not only a medium for finding materials and media for reading, but can also be used in the assessment process, namely as an assessment tool in learning. however, the use of smartphone technology itself is still not optimally carried out by educators. the school must develop their programs every year so that they develop students’ competencies that are adaptive to every development of science and technology (akbuber et al., 2019). for example, smp negeri 1 kolaka still uses a manual assessment system in providing english test questions, namely paperbased assessment. this type of assessment is usually done by giving questions on sheets of paper so that students write their answers on paper. this type of manual assessment has several disadvantages including being tedious, too monotonous, and not varied. from the lack of variation in giving questions so students get bored with the conventional test exam model (herianto, 2022). technology can help students overcome scheduling and location barriers to learning. student involvement mainly emphasizes the time and effort they put into online learning activities to achieve the desired learning effectiveness (hong et al., 2021). licorish et al. (2018) and santosa (2017) stated implementing technology in learning is taken as a consideration to increase students' learning motivation, so that there is interaction during learning. it is supposed that effective school is a school that has the ability to carry out its functions optimally and all students can develop themselves (d. darwissyah and indrasari, 2019). therefore, from some of these problems, the researcher offers an alternative solution by utilizing a smartphone application that abstract: the purpose of this research was to analyze students' perceptions of the use of interactive media wordwall as an assessment tool at smp negeri 1 kolaka. the design of this study used a study case design. the subjects in this study were students of class viii g smp negeri 1 kolaka, totaling 26 students in 2022. the collection technique used questionnaires and interviews. questionnaires were given to determine students' perceptions and interviews were conducted to find out more in-depth answers so that researchers could describe and study optimally students' perceptions of the wordwall application as an assessment tool. the results of this research indicate that 87,5% of students are interested in using the wordwall application as an assessment tool. easy use, attractive appearance, and varied questions make students want to use the wordwall application as an assessment tool in the future. keywords: perception; wordwall. lina anisah utilizing “wordwalls” as an assessment tool for indonesian junior high school students 832 can be done online, namely the wordwall webbased application. according to maulani (2019), word wall could be an assortment that square measures age-acceptable, classified or class, and settled on the room wall thus students can easily see and learn. sipayung (2019) also stated word walls are collection of words shown somewhere in the classroom that can be vocabulary significant to the students. cleaver (2018) said a wordwalls is dedicated to displaying high frequency words (these could be sight words or words that are used a lot in your class) that are important for students to know and use. utilizing this application, of course, can provide convenience to educators in the assessment process and can increase students' learning motivation in learning english. in the assessment system that uses the wordwall webbased smartphone application, the researcher gave assessment test questions that were made on wordwall. with a simple and attractive interface, it can make it easier to use and provide a different experience in working on questions so that it can increase students' motivation in learning english and can also measure students' abilities well in every assessment given. each online-based question has a predetermined time. therefore, the researcher introduced an assessment tool that utilizes a web-based application on a smartphone, namely wordwall to see students' perceptions of this application. one of the interactive learning media that can be used is wordwall, as expressed by (maghfiroh, 2018; permana & kasriman, 2022; pradani, 2022). wordwall is a web-based interactive application that can create various types of online quiz models. the advantage of this application is that it can make questions that are accompanied by a form of final score assessment. this website is also equipped with 18 templates to create questions that can be accessed for free so that the quiz model becomes more varied. an attractive template with sound effects can attract the attention of middle school-age students. the main reason for using this application is to see students' perspectives from various perspectives and student points of view. then, at this time there are not many educators who use this web-based application wordwall as a media in conducting assessments, especially at smp negeri 1 kolaka. the reason researcher uses wordwall as an assessment tool is because this application is effective and makes it easier for teachers to conduct assessments for student learning. in contrast to conventional evaluation tools that use paper-based assessments which can waste paper and take a long time to assess student test results, this application can save paper only by using smartphones to conduct assessments and students do not have to wait a long time to see the score of their test results. the attractive appearance and easy to use add to the attractiveness of the students themselves. previous related studies have been conducted regarding student’s perception or wordwall as an assessment. first comes from firdiansyah & pamungkas (2021) conducted research that discussed the use of educational games as a learning evaluation. in their research, firdiansyah & pamungkas (2021) examined student perceptions of the use of kahoot as a learning evaluation media in the monetary economic theory course. the object of the research is the 5th semester social studies study program students who take the monetary economics theory course involving 83 students. the results of firdiansyah & pamungkas’ (2021) research stated that the use of kahoot as a learning evaluation medium received a positive response from students. this is because kahoot is easy to use, has an attractive appearance, and is transparent in displaying scores. thus, students are increasingly motivated to study to achieve the highest score. arsini (2022) did the research of regarding the perceptions of hotel school students regarding the use of wordwall to enrich student work ready vocabulary mastery. the method used is qualitative and data is collected from 10 respondents who have been selected with qualifications of activeness during learning, and always participate during the process. the data analysis found that students have high enthusiasm for learning vocabulary through the wordwall application. this application provides various types of creative and interactive vocabulary games. in addition, research on the use of wordwall as an assessment tool has been carried out previously. savitri and kusnarto (2021) researched the use of wordwall educational games as an online evaluation of indonesian language learning in higher education. in their research, savitri & kusnarto (2021) used descriptive qualitative research methods and the data in their research were the results of an evaluation questionnaire through the educational game wordwall. the source of the research data is the student of the communication science study program of upn veteran, east java who is english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 833 taking indonesian language courses which shows that the level of understanding of students using wordwall is 96.8%. through the use of wordwall, students' interest in learning indonesian language material has been shown to increase. even as the second studies from sartika (2017) said the use of wordwall method in order to improve the ability to learn descriptive texts in junior excessive school students. by using the qualitative approach, sartika (2017) obtained data thru observations, questionnaires, and documents that were used as devices. the effects of her studies determined that the use of wordwall method was very beneficial for instructors to train descriptive texts to hone students' writing skills. using wordwall additionally received a advantageous response with the aid of college students, so the use of wordwall is advocated for in junior excessive faculties. the next studies got here from darliani & agustina (2019), with the aim of research on implementing wordwall in enhancing the writing abilities of excessive college students in bandung. they used commentary and interviews to collect qualitative facts. the outcomes in their studies also confirmed a high quality reaction, because students had been taken into consideration capable of write descriptive texts according to the instructions. the research describing wordwall become also performed through (ismiyati & saputri, 2020). the motive of this study become to describe the use of wordwall as an effective medium in english training, in particular in students' vocabulary. the research they conducted used a scientific overview technique, wherein they reviewed 6 theses, and 4 journals associated with the implementation of wordwall. the statistics acquired have been then analysed by approach of descriptive evaluation. the effects confirmed that wordwall can be an effective medium to be able to boom college students' insight into vocabulary, mainly on the junior excessive school level. in contrast to these researches, this study addresses a gap in students’ perception towards wordwall as an assessment tool. also, researcher believes that not many related studies talking about this. meanwhile, a lot of research, talking about wordwall as media to improve one of students’ skills or try to find the effect of using wordwall on students’ learning achievement. through this research, the researcher hopes to contribute research to teachers to innovate in using the wordwall application as a learning assessment tool. based on the above background, the researchers tried to examine “how is the perception of students after using the wordwall web-based application as an assessment tool for second-grade students at smp negeri 1 kolaka?”. by conducting this research, it is expected to be useful for students in carrying out better assessments, especially in english learning test to make it more effective, and practical and also useful in measuring and assessing results more accurately, effectively, and quickly. method this research was qualitative since it describes the students’ perceptions. qualitative research is an established tradition within management studies, and many authors have argued for its potential to provide richly detailed insights and contextual explanations for many of the challenges currently faced in modern management practice. it was reinforced by cresswell (2018) stated that qualitative research relies on text and image data, have unique steps in data analysis, and draw on diverse designs. this was relevant to creswell (2018) stated that one of the reasons why someone does qualitative research is because of the nature of the research question. in qualitative research, the research questions often begin with ‘how’ or ‘what’. thus, the initiation forces its way into the topic that describes what is going on. the design used in this research is a case study using a mixed method approach which is combines qualitative and quantitative approaches with a specific design to answer the research objectives. by using this research design, it can show a description of the phenomenon of student responses to the use of wordwall as an assessment tool for learning english subjects class viii g students of smp negeri 1 kolaka. this research was conducted in the second semester of 2021/2022. just like other research methods, case study research is also divided into several types. they differ from each other both in terms of hypotheses (temporary answers) and from the thesis to be proven (salmaa, 2021). these types of case studies can then be applied in various fields. research using the case study method is to examine scientific phenomena that occur in a place so that it requires an in-depth analysis of the symptoms that exist in nature so that it is interesting to study. in addition, the data and facts obtained must also be supported by valid supporting data and according to needs through the process of providing questionnaires, lina anisah utilizing “wordwalls” as an assessment tool for indonesian junior high school students 834 interviews, observations, or documentation. based on this, this research was conducted to reveal students' perceptions of the use of wordwall as an assessment tool in english subjects supported by data, namely the actual conditions that occur in the field using a case study with a mixed method approach. in addition, information must also be obtained by researchers in the field according to their needs. research must have a clear objective and be ready to be investigated as a follow-up to solving the problem formulation that has been proposed. the four informants who will be interviewed are chosen randomly in the class. the instrument is a key component in research. according to sugiyono (2017), a research instrument is a tool used to measure the observed natural and social phenomena. the main instruments in this research were questionnaires and interviews. the questionnaire guidelines in the form of questions posed through data collection applications and interviews were delivered orally to students. the questionnaire in this research contained two dimensions, namely internal and external factors. interviews were conducted to obtain more detailed information regarding the questions asked. table 1. questionnaire guidelines the likert scale is a scale used to measure perceptions, attitudes, or opinions. this scale is used to complete a questionnaire that requires respondents to indicate a level of agreement with a series of questions. in this research, researchers used 4 scales to measure student perceptions, namely strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree. table 2. interview guidelines no. indicator list of question 1 usage 1. are you interested in using wordwall application? 2. did you find any difficulties when using the wordwall application as an assessment tool? 3. is the use of the wordwall application easy to use? 2 wordwall display 4. is the wordwall application interface attractive? 5. is the animation display in the wordwall application very attractive? 6. is the color display in the wordwall application very attractive? 7. is the appearance of the font in the wordwall application attractive and easy to read? 8. are the images displayed on the application interesting to see? 3 question variations 9. are the questions in the wordwall application varied? 10. are the variations of questions in the wordwall application interesting? 11. are the questions that display easy to do? 4 the effectiveness of the wordwall as an assessment tool 12. is this wordwall application interesting to use as an assessment tool? 13. is using wordwall as an assessment tool interesting to use in future tests? 14. is the wordwall application interesting to use for english quizzes? 15. is this wordwall application interesting to use for semester exams? there are three types of interviews: open interviews (unstructured interviews), probing interviews (semi-structured interviews) and structured interviews. an open interview is an interview whose open answer is not determined by the researcher. structured interviews are interview whose answers have been determined by the researcher, while semi-structured no factor indicator question item number 1 internal interest 1 2,3,4,5 2 external usage 6,7,8 3 wordwall display 9,10,11,12,13 4 question variations 14,15,16 5 the effectiveness of the wordwall as an assessment tool 17,18,19,20 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 835 interviews are to dig deeper into information and explore thoughts. in this research, the researcher chose semi structured questions because the researcher could dig deeper into the broad information and could find out more about student responses. for the second instrument which is interview, here is the technique of data analysis. the process in question is as follows: (1) data reduction, (2) data presentation, (3) draw conclusions. in this research, researchers used a questionnaire to determine students' perceptions of the use of the wordwall application as an assessment tool at smp negeri 1 kolaka. after the students answered the questionnaire, then the researcher collected data from the questionnaire, the researcher calculated and analyzed the answers to each statement in the form of a percentage and the researcher described the results of the questionnaire. the researcher calculated the data using the formula in the explanation (sugiyono, 2017): percentage of student perception = earning score / max ideal score x 100% to compile a classification table for the percentage of students' perceptions using the highest, lowest percentage, number of classes, and interval distance. highest ideal percent = 100% lowest ideal percent = 25% number of classes = 4 (from sd to sa) based on these data, a classification table is arranged as follows: table 3. perception score category average score percentage perception category 3.26 4 81.5% 100% strongly agree 2.6 3.25 65% 81.25% agree 1.76 2.5 44% 62.5% disagree 1 1.75 25% 43.75% strongly disagree data analysis technique used are data reduction, data display, and drawing conclusion (kalfa & alkar, 2019). triangulation and member check are used as the main references in processing data (muawanah, 2021). data reduction is a from of analysis that sharpens, classifies, removes unnecesarry ones (sunaengsih et al., 2019). results and discussion questionnaire result the results of data processing from the google forms app data processing application which was obtained from giving online questionnaires to 26 students, there were 20 closed questions in the questionnaire distributed online. the following can be informed: table 4. perception calculation result descriptive overall internal external the minimum mean value of each item 26 1 1 the maximum mean value of each item 104 4 4 the mean score for each item 3.315 2.95 3.68 total score gain 1818 384 1434 ideal max total score 2080 520 1560 percentage 87.5% 74% 92% the results of the analysis of research data as a whole from internal and external factors obtained a mean value of 3.315, with a total score of 1818 with a percentage of 87.5%. the calculation results obtained an average of 92% for external factors and 74% for internal factors. these mean values were consulted with the category table. categorization of student perceptions can be seen in table 4. based on table 4. it can be seen that the average questionnaire from external factors regarding the stimulus given about students' interest in the wordwall application is 92% in the category of strongly agree. while the average questionnaire from internal factors is 74%. this means that the average student answers strongly agree with the use of the wordwall application as an assessment tool. the results of the questionnaire are as follows: table 5. perception score influenced by internal factors no statement percentage of the mean score category 1 i'm excited about taking exams/tests. 70% agree lina anisah utilizing “wordwalls” as an assessment tool for indonesian junior high school students 836 2 i am interested in the type of assessment given by the teacher 75% agree 3 i am very enthusiastic about taking daily tests/tests. 68% agree 4 i am always ready to take the daily test/test. 72% agree 5 i do the questions seriously. 87% agree based on table 5, it can be seen that some of the student responses on average agreed with the statement about their mood and interest in assessment with an average of 74%. from the table, it can be concluded that students agree that they are interested in the assessment tool given by the teacher. enthusiasm, enthusiasm, readiness, and seriousness that are quite high make their interest in the exam test even higher. next are the results obtained from statements about their interest in using the wordwall application as an assessment tool: table 6. perception score regarding the use of wordwall as an assessment tool no statement percentage of the mean score category 1 i'm interested in using wordwall application. 93% strongly agree 2 i found no difficulty when using the wordwall application as an assessment tool. 89% strongly agree 3 the use was of wordwall application easy to use. 91% strongly agree 4 the wordwall application interface is attractive. 95% strongly agree 5 the animation display in the wordwall application is very attractive. 95% strongly agree 6 the color display in the wordwall application is very attractive. 90% strongly agree 7 the appearance of the font in the wordwall application is attractive and easy to read. 88% strongly agree 8 the images displayed on the application are interesting to see. 92% strongly agree 9 the questions in the wordwall application are varied. 91% strongly agree 10 the variations of questions in the wordwall application are interesting. 93% strongly agree 11 the questions that display are easy to do. 93% strongly agree 12 this wordwall application is interesting to use as an assessment tool. 92% strongly agree 13 using wordwall as an assessment tool is interesting to use in future tests. 91% strongly agree 14 the wordwall application is interesting to use for english quizzes. 95% strongly agree 15 this wordwall application is interesting to use for semester exams. 80% agree this can be seen from the four question indicators regarding the use of wordwall as an assessment tool. usage. in indicators of usage, the average informant answered strongly agree with the value obtained was 3.65. on average, the informants agreed with the statement about the use of the wordwall application which stated their interest and ease in using the wordwall application as an assessment tool. wordwall application display. on the indicator regarding the display of the wordwall application, the average respondent answered strongly agree with a value of 3.72 which value is included in the category of perception strongly agree. the average informant is interested in the visuals displayed in this wordwall application such as interface indicators, animations, colors, font styles, and pictures. question variations. the next statement indicator is about the variety of questions that exist in the wordwall application with three statements that are displayed on the questionnaire, namely the variety of questions, interest in the variety of questions given, and the ease of doing each variation of the questions given. on average, the informants chose to strongly agree with the given statement with a value of 3.71, where the number was included in the category of strongly agree. the effectiveness of the wordwall as an assessment tool this indicator states the use of wordwall as an assessment tool which consists of statements containing the use of the wordwall application on daily tests, on giving quizzes, and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 837 on semester exams. the average informant chose to strongly agree with the use of this wordwall application as an assessment tool with a total of 3.62, where the score is included in the category of strongly agree on the perception indicator. if presented in percent, the results obtained are 92% of the total score on each item of the question multiplied by the number of informants plus the maximum average value of each item plus the number of questions in the questionnaire. based on the results of the questionnaire found, students are more interested in this application is applied to assessment. the average student agrees if this application is applied during daily tests, giving quizzes, and semester exams. interview results the next data collection is using interviews with the type of probing question to find out more information about the questionnaire that has been given. here the researcher took four informants randomly from one class. the results of the interviews from the four question indicators are: table 7. interview results no indicator description example 1. usage students are interested in the wordwall application and like using the application. easy to use and no difficulties are found when using the wordwall application. no lag can hinder the use of the application for students, making it easier for them to use it. “yes, because, this test app is very fun to use. i did not find any difficulty at all in using this wordwall application. i think the preparation of questions in this application is easy to do.” (interview a2/a4/a6) “interesting. fun and easy to use. there is no lag at all which makes it difficult for me to operate the application.” (interview c2/c6) 2. display students said the interface presented was very interesting to look at. cool animations and like a quiz game which adds to their appeal. the colors in the appearance of the application are also very colorful and bright. display in a font style that is clear, large, and easy to read by students. likewise, students' responses to the pictures presented were that the pictures were so clear and very helpful for them in filling out the questions. “interesting. it's like a fun and very good quiz game. i love the colors displayed on this app, very colorful and bright. the writing displayed is very clear and large, easy to read. and also, the pictures are clear and very helpful in doing the questions. interesting. it's like a fun and very good quiz game. i love the colors displayed on this app, very colorful and bright. the writing displayed is very clear and large, easy to read. and also, the pictures are clear and very helpful in doing the questions.” (interview a10/a12/a14/a16) “yes, interesting. the animated videos and motion animations on the app are great. there is not much style in the writing font so it is easy to read. basically, i really like watching cartoons, so i like the pictures that are shown.” (interview d10/d12/d16) 3. question variations students said the questions were very different from what was given normally, the varied questions made them not bored quickly and were easy to do. “with various types of questions given, we don't get bored quickly. the types of questions are very different from those usually given by the teacher and are easy to do.” (interview a18/a20/22) “the questions given vary, so it is very fun to fill in the questions. the variety of questions keeps me from getting bored.” (interview d18/d20) 4. wordwall as an assessment students said they were interested in using the wordwall application as an assessment tool for daily tests, quizzes, and semester exams. it gives them something different from the previous assessment tool into a fun assessment tool that can “this is interesting. because it is good for use during exams or tests. it gives something different and fun to test.” (interview c24/c26) “i think it's good, because it can motivate us to study and be enthusiastic to face exams.” lina anisah utilizing “wordwalls” as an assessment tool for indonesian junior high school students 838 motivate them to learn. (interview d26) usage. based on the results of the interview above regarding the indicators for using the wordwall application as a whole, they are interested in using this application because of the animation display and the images displayed. the next question was about the difficulties that the informants encountered when using the application where there were some difficulties for the informants when using the wordwall application, namely when filling out questions. this is because the use of this application is based on a quiz game so there are difficulties for some of the informants who use it. other opinions do not find it difficult at all when using this wordwall application. the third question is about the ease of using this application. on average, the informants answered that this application was easy to operate because it was structured so that it was easier for the informants to operate it. another opinion, because this application has instructions and directions using english, it makes some students confused in operating it. therefore, informants still need supervision and guidance in operating this application. display. based on the results of interviews on the second indicator regarding the appearance of the wordwall application, it received many positive responses. the interface display on the wordwall application was given a positive response. on average, the informants answered that they were interested in the reason for the appearance that spoiled their eyes and the animations in the interface that made them interested. furthermore, the animated display presented received a positive response from the informant. the animations displayed are very appropriate for their age and school level. the colors displayed on the application also received a positive response. on average, the informants answered that they were interested in the colors displayed, even the colors displayed could motivate their learning. furthermore, the display of the font loaded on the application was responded positively by the informant. on average, the four informants answered that the font display was attractive. the type of font is simple and not tacky so that it is easy for them to read. including the images displayed in this application, the average informant was greatly helped by the images displayed when filling out the questions. question variations. based on the results of the interview above regarding the variety of questions in the wordwall application, it can be seen that all respondents answered the questions given were very varied. from the variety of questions given, they are more challenged and enthusiastic in working on the questions. also, they are interested in the questions in the wordwall application. however, there were some problems with the informants when filling out these questions, such as the informant being stiff when running the application to fill in the questions and the need for guidance to fill the questions. wordwall as an assessment tool. based on the results of the interview above regarding the opinion of the informant about if the wordwall application was used as an assessment tool. the average informant answered agreed if this application was used as an assessment tool such as daily tests or quizzes. however, for the semester exam, some are still hesitant to use this application due to the network. the rest of the informants agreed that the wordwall application was used as an assessment tool in the semester exam. perceptions arise from individual external factors by providing external stimuli that are received by individuals from outside to form an acceptance that determines perception. the responses given by respondents regarding the given stimulus are the wordwall application trial as an assessment tool. based on the research, it was found that the wordwall application was preferred by students to be used as an assessment tool such for daily tests, quizzes, and semesters. as for the results of collecting all data, data triangulation was carried out. the results are as follows: based on the percentage in table 7, the first statement regarding the use of wordwall, it can be concluded that 93% of students are interested in using the wordwall application, and it is included in the category of strongly agree. this is in line with the results of the interview in the following transcript: “yes, interested. because the application is fun to use.” (s1) (appendix/interview transcript/a2) “interesting. because it's fun and easy to use.” (s3) (appendix/interview transcript/c2) the second statement is about the students' not finding difficulties in using the wordwall english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 839 application. the percentage of all answers is 89%, which is in the category of strongly agree. the following is a statement of the results of interviews conducted to seek further information: the third statement is about the ease of students using the wordwall application. the percentage of all answers is 91%, including in the category of strongly agree. this is in line with the results of the interview in the following transcript: “no, i didn't find it difficult at all when using this app." (s1) "yes, because i think the preparation of the questions in this application is easy to work with.” (s1) (appendix/interview transcript/a6) for the fourth statement, about the attractiveness of the interface presented by the wordwall application. the results showed that a total of 95% in the category of strongly agree. this is in line with the results of the interview in the following transcript: “interested. because the interface is nice to look at.” (s4) (appendix/interview transcript/d8) for the fifth statement, about the attractiveness of the animated display of the wordwall application. the results showed that a total of 95% in the category of strongly agree. the following is a statement of the results of interviews conducted to seek further information: “yes, interesting. the animated videos and motion animations on the app are great.” (s4) (appendix/interview transcript/d10) the sixth statement is about their interest in the colors presented in the wordwall display. from the results of the questionnaire, it was found that the total answers can be concluded that there are 90% of students are interested in the colors presented, and it is concluded in the category of strongly agree. this is in line with the results of the interviews in the following transcript: “interesting. i like the colors displayed on this app, very colorful and bright.” (s1) (appendix/interview transcript/a12) the seventh statement is about the attractiveness of the font style and the ease of reading the font in the wordwall application. the percentage of all answers is 88%, which is at the level of the category of strongly agree. this is in line with the results of the interview in the following transcript: “yes, display writing is very clear and large, easy to read.” (s1) (appendix/interview transcript/a14) “interesting. not a lot of style in the writing font so it's easy to read.” (s4) (appendix/interview transcript/d14) the following is a summary of student perceptions based on the average calculation of indicators of use, appearance, variety of questions, and the effectiveness of using wordwall as an assessment tool for the wordwall application as an assessment tool: table 9. summary of student perceptions no statement mean of percentage category 1. i am interested in using the wordwall application. 91.25% strongly agree 2. i'm interested in the view presented by the wordwall application. 93% strongly agree 3. i am interested in the variations of the questions in the wordwall application. 92.75% strongly agree 4. i am interested in using the wordwall application as an assessment tool. 90.5% strongly agree student interest in using the wordwall application the results obtained above from giving a questionnaire for the first statement indicator regarding the use of the wordwall which discusses the respondents' interests and their difficulties in using the wordwall application, it is known that most of the participants strongly agree that the use of the wordwall application as an assessment tool is easy to use and interested in using it. around 91.25% of participants agreed with this statement. this is because they are happy if the assessment tool used uses game-based assessment which is easier to use than conventional assessment tools in general and can increase students' motivation to lina anisah utilizing “wordwalls” as an assessment tool for indonesian junior high school students 840 learn because they feel more excited when they get the highest score. this is in line with research conducted by firdiansyah and pamungkas (2021) which states that the use of game-based applications in the assessment process can help students increase their motivation to learn. the research conducted by sasongko and suswanto (2017) assessment using game-based applications can increase students' interest and interest in carrying out assessments. this opinion is in line with research conducted by haryadi & andriati (2020) which in his research proves that the use of game-based media can increase student interest both in learning and during assessment. student interest in the appearance of the wordwall application next for the second indicator which contains statements about the appearance presented in the wordwall application. the attractiveness aspect of wordwall media can be seen from the interface, animation, colors, font styles, and images in the application. the result is known that 93% of participants' overall use of wordwall was found interesting. interactive media used as an assessment tool make assessment activities or quizzes more interesting for students omar (2017). the attractive appearance of the wordwall is a factor that can increase student interest and curiosity. this is in line with research conducted by firdayansyah and pamungkas (2021) that interactive assessment media motivate students to pay more attention and become more involved in-class participation. this opinion is also supported by the results of research conducted by nuria (2019) which states that good, beautiful, and attractive visuals presented by an application can increase student interest in learning and the tasks they do. the visuals that involve animation, interfaces, colors, images, and writings that are presented on the display of an application can add to the attractiveness of students in evaluating learning. student interest in the variety of questions in the wordwall application the variety of questions contained in the application which states that the questions are varied, interesting, and easy to do are highly approved by students. this can be seen from the percentage obtained from the questionnaire results amounting to 92.75%. the importance of a variety of questions to make students not bored with the assessment tool. this is in line with research conducted by firdiansyah and pamungkas (2021) whose findings reveal that the variety of questions in a question greatly affects students' interest in using interactive application media for learning assessment. the diversity of questions proves that it is very influential on student interest. the variety of questions that are many and varied makes students interested in using the application. this is also in line with research conducted by salsabila (2020) which revealed that the large variety of questions from an application that is used as an evaluation tool has the potential to be used as an evaluation tool. this is because it can suppress the saturation level of students with many variations of challenging questions. student interest in using the wordwall application as an assessment tool the indicators regarding the use, appearance, and questions in the wordwall application received a positive response from respondents. this includes statements regarding the feasibility of the wordwall application to be used as a future assessment tool such as daily tests, quizzes, or semester exams. the statement received a positive response from respondents with a value of 90.5% where the average respondent with this statement. the interview results from 4 informants on average agreed if this application was used as a future assessment tool. this is because students prefer game-based assessment tools such as wordwall. this is different from the assessment tools that are often given, namely conventional assessment tools which still use monotonous paper-based assessment s. this research is in line with the results of research conducted by savitri and kusnarto (2021) with the use of wordwall, learning evaluation is not only done monotonously through practice questions and has proven effective in suppressing student boredom. overall, this application is good to use as an assessment tool that can be used as a future assessment tool. halimah, solfarina, and langitasari (2019) as revealed in their research that wordwall media is able to create beneficial interactions for student. for some student responses regarding the difficulty of filling out questions in several types of questions, this can be overcome by always guiding students before giving questions or starting the assessment. before evaluating using the new method, it is better for a teacher to provide easy-to-understand directions and provide clear instructions to students who will take the test. furthermore, this application is also based on english, where not all english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 841 students understand english. this can be given solution, by the way, the teacher guides and gives instructions before conducting an assessment. conclusion it can be described how students perceive the use of the wordwall application as an assessment tool for second-grade students at smp negeri 1 kolaka. it can be seen from the students' responses regarding positive statements in the questionnaire, on average they responded positively to the wordwall application. they strongly agree that they are interested in using this application as a future assessment tool such for daily tests, quizzes, and semester exams. this is reinforced by interviewing several students with probing questions. the statement indicators in the questionnaire are set as questions to get a more open answer from the respondents. the average informant interviewed said that this application is easy to use, the fun has an attractive appearance, and the questions are very varied so students are interested in using this application as the next assessment tool by utilizing a smartphone. it can be suggested to use the wordwall as a tool to maximize student learning outcomes, so that students feel comfortable and calm during the assessment and also the need for the skills and expertise of educators in applying wordwall to increase ideas and creativity in designing questions. the use of wordwall effectively and efficiently will assist in the implementation of the assessment of learning outcomes. suggestions for further research, research on the use of wordwall as an assessment tool have not been widely carried out, therefore it is necessary to conduct experimental research to test how much effectiveness wordwall is as an assessment medium. references akbuber, b., erdik, e., guney, h., cimsitoglu, g. g., & akbuber, c. (2019). the gifted student workshop: a method proposal for the evaluation of gifted student problems in science and art centers. journal of gifted education and creativity, 6(1), 22-39. arsini, n. n. (2022). hospitality school students’ perception on the use of wordwall to enrich. elsya: journal of english language studies, 4(2), 1-11. cleaver, s. (2018). what is a word wall? we are teachers. https://www.weareteachers.com/what-is-aword-wall/ creswell, j. w & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. sage. darliani, y., & agustina, c. f. (2019). the implementation of word wall strategy in teaching writing descriptive text. the journal of english language teaching, literature, and applied linguistics (jeia), 1(2), 61-67. d. darwissyah, i., & indrasari, n. (2019). designing listening tasks for english students. english education: jurnal tadris bahasa inggris, 12(1), 11-21. firdiansyah, y., & pamungkas, p. h. (2021). analisis persepsi mahasiswa terhadap penggunaan kahoot! sebagai media evaluasi pembelajaran kuliah teori ekonomi moneter. jekpend: jurnal ekonomi dan pendidikan, 4(1), 1-7. halimah, m., solfarina., & langitasari, i. (2019). penerapan model pembelajaran pdeode untuk meningkatkan kps siswa pada materi larutan penyangga. jurnal profesi keguruan, 5(1), 15–22. haryadi, r., & andriati, n. (2020). pengembangan game berbasis android untuk meningkatkan minat belajar materi operasi hitung bilangan bulat. jurnal prodi pendidikan matematika (jppm), 2(1), 81-92. herianto, m. a. (2022). student's perception of using "wordwall" as an assessment tool at second grade. [unpublished bachelor’s thesis]. universitas sembilanbelas november kolaka. hong, j-c., lee, y-f., ye, j-h. (2021). procrastination predicts online self-regulated learning and online learning ineffectiveness during the coronavirus lockdown. national library of medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/p mc7846229/ kalfa, e., & alkar, o. y. (2019). the relationship of perfectionism, rumination and depression in gifted chidren and adolescents: a literature review. journal of gifted education and creativity, 6(1), 1-13. licorish, s. a., owen, h. e., daniel, b., & george, j. l. (2018). student perception kahoot. research and practice in technology enhanced learning, 13(9), 1–24. maghfiroh, k. (2018). penggunaan media word wall untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar matematika pada siswa kelas iv mi roudlotul huda. jpk: jurnal profesi keguruan, 4(1), 64– 70. maulani, d. r. (2019). the use of visual aids and word wall media in teaching vocabulary mastery of the first grade junior high school [unpublised bachelor’s thesis]. state institute for islamic studies (iain) salatiga. muawanah. (2021). student management to improve the quality of education in effective scholls (a case study at man insan cendikia serpong). didaktika religia, 9(1), 1-18. lina anisah utilizing “wordwalls” as an assessment tool for indonesian junior high school students 842 nuria, i. (2019). meningkatkan minat belajar siswa melalui media visual pada materi upaya meningkatkan kualitas kerja mata pelajaran ekonomi semester 1 kelas xi ma negeri nagekeo tahun pelajaran 2018/2019. jurnal ilmiah mandala education, 5(1), 154-166. omar, n. n. (2017). the effectiveness of kahoot application towards students’ good feedback practice. people: international journal of social sciences, 3(2), 2551-2562. permana, s. p., & kasriman, k. (2022). pengaruh media pembelajaran wordwall terhadap motivasi belajar ips kelas iv. jurnal basicedu, 6(5), 7831–7839. pradani, t. g. (2022). penggunaan media pembelajaran wordwall untuk meningkatkan minat dan motivasi belajar siswa pada pembelajaran ipa di sekolah dasar. educenter: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 1(5), 452–457. salmaa. (2021). pengertian studi kasus: pengertian, jenis, dan contoh lengkapnya. dunia dosen. https://www.duniadosen.com/penelitian-studikasus/ salsabila, h. u. (2020). pemanfaatan aplikasi quizizz sebagai media pembelajaran. jurnal ilmiah ilmu terapan universitas jambi, 4(2), 163172. santosa, m. h. (2017). learning approaches of indonesian efl gen z students in a flipped learning context. journal on english as a foreign language, 7(2), 183-208. sasongko, w, g & suswanto, h. (2017). pengembangan game sebagai media evaluasi pembelajaran pada mata pelajaran perakitan komputer kelas x jurusan multimedia. jurnal pendidikan: teori, penelitian, dan pengembangan, 2 (7), 1017—1023. savitri, a. & kusnarto. (2021). pemanfaatan game edukasi wordwall. isolec: international seminar on language, education, and culture, 5(1), 159-166. sipayung, r. w. (2019). the effect of word wall strategy on students’ vocabulary achievement at smp negeri 5 pematangsiantar in the academic year 2018/2019. budapest international research and critics institutejournal (birci-journal), 1(3), 251-263. smith, k., & hill, j. (2019). defining the nature of blended learning through its depiction in current research. higher education research and development, 38(2), 383–397. sugiyono. (2017). metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r&d. cv. alfabeta. sunaeningsih, c. (2019). principal leadership in the implentation of effective school management. mimbar sekolah dasar, 6(1), 79-91. yarahmadzehi, n., & goodarzi, m. (2020). investigating the role of formative mobile based assessment in vocabulary learning of pre-intermediate efl learners in comparison with paper based assessment. turkish online journal of distance education, 21(1), 181–196. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 237 exploring efl learners’ agency in online english language teaching during the covid 19 pandemic tedi rohadi english language teaching department, tarbiyah and teachers training faculty iain syekh nurjati cirebon e-mail: tedirohadi@syekhnurjati.ac.id listiana ikawati english language teaching department, tarbiyah and teachers training faculty iain syekh nurjati cirebon email: listiana.ikawati@syekhnurjati.ac.id muhsiyana nurul aisyiah english language teaching department, tarbiyah and teachers training faculty iain syekh nurjati cirebon email: muhsiyana.na@syekhnurjati.ac.id apa citation: rohadi, t., ikawati, l., & aisyiah, m. n. (2023). exploring efl learners’ agency in online english language teaching during the covid 19 pandemic. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 237-252. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.6801 received: 19-10-2022 accepted: 27-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction for students to succeed in the modern world, which is characterized by the fourth industrial revolution and society 5.0, it is crucial that they not only have the theoretical knowledge necessary, but also the skills that are in demand on the job market. research shows a gap between the skills learned in higher education and those actually needed in the workforce (lauder & mayhew, 2020; okolie, nwosu, and mlanga 2019; malik, 2018). recent scholarship emphasizes the importance of personal agency as a central aspect of professionalism (bush et al., 2017; grainger et al., 2019; jääskelä et al., 2017), with rising expectations for abilities like creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication. (ghafar, 2020; van laar et al., 2017). moreover, agency is seen as a crucial strategy for adapting to change and uncertainty in the professional realm, playing a significant role in ongoing learning (su in jääskelä et al., 2017). in the current era characterized by technological advancements and innovation, it is crucial for graduates to have both practical and theoretical knowledge to meet the demands of the modern job market. however, studies indicate that there is a significant disparity between the skills that higher education equips graduates with and those required by employers (altbach & de wit, 2017; beerkens et al., 2021; de boer et al., 2017). therefore, there is an increasing need to cultivate as well as additional abilities like creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication to bridge this gap (world economic forum, 2020). abstract: this qualitative descriptive study intends to investigate how student agency skills were affected by online efl instruction during the covid-19 epidemic, as well as how it would have affected future learning and teaching. the study focuses on pre-service student teachers in indonesia, aiming to equip them with the necessary skills for academic success and the modern job market. the results show that learners' agency was essential to their adjustment to the online learning environment, especially when taking into account elements like choice, fairness, participation, interest, motivation, self-efficacy, teacher support, and peer support. moreover, the study highlights the importance of fostering student agency in efl teaching and learning activities, which not only provide content-based learning but also create collaborative language learning environments that empower learners to utilize a variety of online resources and tools. overall, this study provides insights into the effective implementation of online language education during unprecedented times while emphasizing the importance of student agency for successful efl learning and teaching. keywords: agency; efl; learners agency; online-efl teaching and learning; technology-enhanced language learning. tedi rohadi, listiana ikawati, & muhsiyana nurul aisyiah exploring efl learners’ agency in online english language teaching during the covid 19 pandemic 238 personal agency is one such skill that is crucial for graduates to succeed in the workforce (jääskelä et al., 2017; su in jääskelä et al., 2017). personal agency enables individuals to take control of their lives, set goals, and take responsibility for their actions. it also allows individuals to adapt to change and uncertainty in the professional realm, which is essential in today's rapidly evolving job market. recent scholarship has highlighted the importance of personal agency as a central aspect of professionalism (billett, 2019; grainger et al., 2019; jääskelä et al., 2017). higher education institutions must recognize the need for personal agency development and incorporate it into their curricula (billett, 2019; jääskelä et al., 2017). this can be achieved through various methods, such as experiential learning, reflective practices, and self-directed learning (billett, 2019; harri-augstein & thomas, 2017; moon, 2013). these methods help students to develop self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-efficacy, which are critical aspects of personal agency (jääskelä et al., 2017). in late 2019, the world underwent significant transformations as the workforce becomes more technologically advanced. people from all across the world experienced dramatic lifestyle changes, uncertainty, and persistent fear. offices, schools, and universities were forced to shut down (ali, 2020; patricia aguilera-hermida, 2020; yavani et al., 2022). for approximately two years, indonesian students at all educational levels studied from home due to pandemic-related restrictions (setiawan, 2020). within higher education, both faculty and students had to quickly adjust to these changes, including those in english departments (rahayu & yusuf, 2021). face-to-face meetings were replaced by online classes that heavily depended on the internet and digital technologies (firmansyah et al., 2020). students accessed their coursework through whatsapp groups, google classroom, moodle, and other platforms (wijayanti et al., 2020). in this learning environment, lecturers provided learning resources and guidelines, while students were expected to take charge of their own education (kuswanto et al., 2020). they were encouraged to find additional learning resources, read assigned materials within a specific timeframe, and manage their own assignments. online classes necessitated students to direct their own learning, which required a sense of 'agency' (rahayu & yusuf, 2021). according to van laar (2017), learner agency refers to the capacity to take action, which is influenced by various contextual factors such as social, interactional, cultural, and institutional factors. he also highlights three key aspects of learner agency: (a) the ability to take initiative and self-regulate, (b) a reliance on the context in which learning occurs, and (c) an awareness of one's responsibility for their actions within the environment in which learning takes place. jiang and zhang (2019) and other researchers define learning agency as the capacity to act, which is influenced by sociocultural factors. from an educational perspective, learner agency involves external and internal factors that contribute to decision-making and taking responsibility for learning (marín, de benito crosetti, & darder in martel and garcías, 2022). in their systematic literature review, marín et al. (2022) proposed a student agency as a paradigm when implementing technology-enhanced learning (tel) in higher education, providing frameworks that relate student agency with tel. figure 1. a model approach to the dimensions of student agency in tel within higher education (marín et al., 2022) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 239 the significance of student agency in technology-enhanced language learning (tell) during the covid-19 pandemic has been recently brought to light by research. for instance, a study by wang et al. (2021) discovered that online tell gave students the chance to be in charge of their education, make decisions, and collaborate with peers. another study by kukulska-hulme et al. (2020) emphasized the need for learner autonomy and agency in tell, especially during times of disruption like the pandemic. however, it is also important to consider the challenges and limitations of online tell. for instance, some studies have noted that learners may experience a lack of motivation or engagement in online learning settings (sun et al., 2021; yildirim et al., 2021). furthermore, issues of equity and access may arise, particularly for learners from disadvantaged backgrounds (warschauer & matuchniak, 2010). to address these challenges, researchers have proposed various strategies for promoting learner agency in online tell. these include the use of gamification and other motivational techniques (kapp, 2012), the integration of social media and other collaborative tools (kukulska-hulme & shield, 2018), and the development of learnercentered pedagogies (tynan et al., 2015). another study was carried out to look into the connection between student agency and technology-enhanced learning by knight and barbera (2018). they focused on learner's agency in computer-assisted language learning (call). their research findings reveal the presence of agency, specifically "directional agency," which pertains to navigational actions during language learning tasks (knight & barbera, 2018). according to marn et al. (2020), a variety of social software solutions provide students more agency by encouraging autonomy and participation in online communities where knowledge is co-created by students as they take on active roles and where ideas are exchanged. a number of agency dimensions related to learning are also identified by them, including learner autonomy, ownership of learning, self-regulation, learner control, engagement, motivation, reflection on learning, self-directed learning, student participation, logistical choices (technology, place, and time), and others. recent studies have also examined the value of technology-enhanced learning in fostering student agency and autonomy in a variety of educational environments, including al-samarraie et al. (2021) and nguyen et al. (2021). overall, current research highlights the importance of promoting learner agency in online tell during the covid-19 pandemic and beyond. while there are challenges and limitations to be addressed, there are also opportunities for innovation and pedagogical development in this area. the current research focuses on the development of student agency in technologyenhanced language learning, particularly among english department students who took online courses during the covid-19 pandemic. the study aims to address the gap in the literature on this topic by answering two main questions: (1) how did online learning during the pandemic contribute to the promotion of efl learners' agency? (2) what are the implications of the portrayal of efl learners' agency in online learning during the covid-19 pandemic for future learning practices? method the english language teaching department of a state islamic institute in cirebon, indonesia, used a qualitative research approach to examine the effects of online efl learning and teaching during the covid-19 epidemic on pre-service student teachers' understanding of student agency. purposive sampling was used to identify study participants, and online surveys with 20 items covering possibilities for choice, equality of treatment, involvement, interest and motivation, self-efficacy, teacher support, and peer support were used to gather data. 40 students, comprising 8 men and 38 women, who were high, average, and low performers and had taken two years of online courses, were given the survey using google form (marn et al., 2022). the gathered data were subjected to descriptive and visual analysis, and member checks were employed to guarantee the quality and reliability of the data. in keeping with the work of creswell (2014) and other specialists in qualitative research, the study aimed to increase student empowerment or agency and to track its impact on future language learning and instruction. with a focus on pre-service student teachers, the qualitative approach of the study allowed for a thorough comprehension of the complex phenomena of student agency in online efl learning and teaching during the covid-19 pandemic (jiang & zhang, 2019). however, based on data from students' language learning activities tedi rohadi, listiana ikawati, & muhsiyana nurul aisyiah exploring efl learners’ agency in online english language teaching during the covid 19 pandemic 240 in english language teaching for students preparing to become teachers, the study's restriction was focused on the topic of learner agency during the covid-19 pandemic (martel & garcas, 2022). however, the study's findings underline the value of encouraging student agency in efl teaching and learning activities, which is consistent with van lier's (2017) work and that of other academics who have emphasized the relevance of learner agency in the learning process. results and discussion in this study, the agency of students participating in online efl classes during the pandemic was examined. it made an effort to address two key issues: how online learning during the covid 19 pandemic aids in promoting efl learners' agency and what implications the portrayal of efl students' agency in pandemic-era online learning has for future efl learning. online learning during the covid 19 pandemic helps promote efl learners’ agency the survey's results are discussed in order to respond to the first research question. there are 20 statements in the survey, and they are divided into 7 agency factors. they include the ability to choose, fairness, engagement, interest, and motivation, as well as self-efficacy, teacher assistance, and peer support. the participants responded by selecting one of the four possible likert-scale options (strongly disagree, disagree, agree, and strongly agree) from a range of 1-4. following is a description of the findings for each factor. opportunities to make choices in online efl learning the questions about students’ opportunities to make choices are represented in two questions. they include how students choose their learning resources and ways to learn learning materials in online learning during the pandemic. the results are shown in the following figures. figure 1. students’ choices to determine the online resources in contrast, just a small percentage of students (10%) said they had no choice in the learning resources they used in their online courses during the covid 19 pandemic, according to figure 1. this feature is especially important for efl students nowadays because of the abundance of free authentic and non-authentic english learning resources available to them thanks to technological advancements. learning agencies enable efl students to take full advantage of the wealth of available language learning resources to accelerate their language acquisition. the results of this study are in line with earlier studies on the value of learner agency in language acquisition. jiang and zhang (2019), for instance, stressed the importance of learner agency in the growth of language competence since it empowers students to take charge of their education and engage in self-directed learning. in a similar vein, martel and garcas (2022) discovered that increasing student instructors' technological pedagogical topic knowledge is crucial for fostering learner agency in distant learning since it gives students the freedom to use technology to support their studies. research on the advantages of employing authentic and non-authentic resources in language learning also lends support to the study's findings. tomlinson (2012), for instance, made the case that using authentic materials increases learner motivation and engagement because it exposes students to language use in the actual world. similar to this, hafner and miller (2011) emphasized the advantages of non-authentic 40 answers english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 241 resources in fostering learner autonomy and selfdirected learning, such as online games and quizzes. in conclusion, this study's findings regarding the value of learner agency and choice in online efl instruction during the covid-19 pandemic are consistent with earlier findings regarding the advantages of learner agency, the use of authentic and non-authentic materials in language learning, and the significance of technology in fostering learner autonomy. figure 2. students’ choices to determine ways to learn the materials similar to the finding on students’ choices to choose the learning resources, most of the students also agreed that they had choices to determine ways to learn language learning materials in online courses during the covid 19 pandemic. in contrast, few students (15%) stated that they did not have choices to decide ways they used to learn the learning materials. allowing students to determine how they learn the materials could promote greater engagement and motivation. for efl learners, this freedom can foster a more collaborative and supportive language learning environment. with the right guidance, collaboration increases opportunities for students to use english as much as they can when interacting with their peers. this freedom also allows students to use english learning tools that can support their language learning goals. allowing students to determine how they learn certainly helps efl teaching and learning to stay current and relevant. online efl learning during the pandemic gives students more freedom to choose the learning resources and ways to learn the materials. this is in line with lebenicnik, et al. (as cited in arapova, 2020) who argue that varied learning resources that are available online enable students to make the most suitable educational setting for their personalized learning and choices. equal treatment in online efl learning in the survey, there is only one question representing the treatment students get in online efl learning during the pandemic which is about the equal treatment that students get from their lecturers. the result can be seen as follows. figure 3. lecturers’ equal treatment to students 40 answers 40 answers tedi rohadi, listiana ikawati, & muhsiyana nurul aisyiah exploring efl learners’ agency in online english language teaching during the covid 19 pandemic 242 figure 3 indicates that most of the students (50%) shared the same idea that their lecturers treated students equally in online learning during the pandemic. however, there were few students stated that they were not treated equally by their lecturers. an example of how power relations mediate students’ learning experience can be seen from the students that are not treated equally by their teachers due to teacher expectation effects (denessen, et al., 2020). participation in online efl learning four questions were formulated to know students’ participation in online learning during the pandemic. participation covers students’ chance to ask questions, give opinions, take responsibility by being active participants, have the willingness to participate, and have the courage to express different views. figure 4. students’ chances to ask questions based on the data above, it can be seen most students (50%) fully agreed with the statement that they had chances to ask questions and give opinions in online courses during the covid 19 pandemic. only very few students (10%) disagreed with the statement. figure 5. students’ chances to give opinions similar to the responses in the previous statement, the students agreed that they got more chances to share their opinions in online courses during the covid 19 pandemic. encouraging efl learners to ask questions and express their opinions could be helpful to improve their language skills. asking and expressing opinions require learners to use more nuanced language to explain their ideas and justify their point of views. this could eventually help learners to expand their vocabulary and improve their grammar to express their ideas in various contexts. 40 answers 40 answers english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 243 figure 6. students’ responsibility to be active participants figure 5 indicates that the majority of the students (50%) approved that they took responsibility by being active participants in online learning. on the contrary, a few students (27.5) argued that they did not take responsibility to be active participants. figure 7. students’ pleasure in taking initiative and collaborating in discussion the data presented in the figure aligns with the existing literature on the benefits of collaborative learning environments in efl education. many studies have emphasized that when students are encouraged to collaborate with their peers, they are more likely to engage in discussions and develop their language proficiency and confidence in utilizing the language. for example, li (2018) argued that collaborative learning can provide efl students with opportunities to communicate with peers, express their opinions, and negotiate meaning, which ultimately leads to improved language proficiency. moreover, collaborating with peers from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds can enhance students' intercultural communication skills, as noted by chen and chen (2018). they highlighted that by working with peers from different backgrounds, students learn to recognize cultural differences, adapt their communication style, and develop cultural sensitivity. figure 8. students' participation while having other obligations 40 answers 40 answers 40 answers tedi rohadi, listiana ikawati, & muhsiyana nurul aisyiah exploring efl learners’ agency in online english language teaching during the covid 19 pandemic 244 figure 8 demonstrates that the majority of students (52.5%) were willing to participate despite having other obligations. a few of them gave the opposite opinion that when they had other things to do, they were not willing to participate. figure 9. students’ courage to express different views on the learning materials the figure above reflects that most of the students (57.5%) are brave to share different opinions on the learning materials. nevertheless, a few of the students (27.5%) stated that they have no courage to share different opinions on the learning materials. the results of the survey on the participation factor indicate that online learning during the pandemic has made it possible for students to get more chances to express their ideas and to contribute more to class discussions. greeno (as cited in jääskelä, et al., 2017) points out that students’ changing involvement patterns are thought to affect how they regard themselves as learners, which influences how they take their learning ‘initiative and responsibility’. despite more chances available, a few students still found it difficult to commit to being active participants, to prioritize the courses, and to contest the learning materials. interest and motivation five significant factors are covered under the interest and motivation component. they consist of the students' motivation for learning, views on the course subject, desire to do well in the class, desire to learn the information, and persistence in learning. figure 10. students’ motivation to study in the course figure 10 indicates that the majority of students (50%) found that they were highly motivated to learn online learning during the pandemic. only 20% of the students responded that they did not have high motivation to study in the course. 40 answers 40 answers english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 245 figure 11. students’ opinions on the course contents regarding students’ opinions on the course contents, most of the participants agreed that the contents of the courses were interesting. a few of them, on the other hand, found that the contents of the courses were not interesting for them. figure 12. students’ desire to succeed in the course figure 12 indicates that most of the students have the want to be successful in the course. 47.5% of the participants expressed their strong agreement to the statement and 42.5% of the participants justified it by giving their agreement on the same statement. figure 13. students’ desire to learn in order to understand the materials in line with the previous statement, students’ want to study in order to understand the materials can be seen in figure 13 above. most of the participants agreed that they had the desire to learn in order to understand the materials better. 40 answers 40 answers 40 answers tedi rohadi, listiana ikawati, & muhsiyana nurul aisyiah exploring efl learners’ agency in online english language teaching during the covid 19 pandemic 246 figure 14. students’ persistence in learning figure 14 demonstrates students’ persistence in learning. most of the students (60%) agreed that they had persistence in online learning during the pandemic. online learning during the pandemic can be said to successfully improve students’ interest and motivation in learning. this will lead to their positive views on the learning materials, learning desire, and persistence in learning. a similar idea was stated by waryanto (as cited in fajri et al., 2021) that one of the benefits of online learning is it can increase students’ motivation and interest to learn. self-efficacy the factor related to students’ self-efficacy is addressed in two statements. they are students’ belief in their competences to succeed in the courses and to complete challenging tasks in the courses. figure 15. students’ belief in their competences to succeed in the courses figure 15 demonstrates that the majority of students (52.5%) strongly agreed that they believed they could use their competences to succeed in the courses. only few students (10%) stating their disagreement on the statement. figure 16. students’ belief in their competences to complete challenging tasks in the courses 40 answers 40 answers 40 answers english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 247 related to the previous statement, students’ beliefs on their competences to complete challenging tasks were also included. the results indicate that most of the students 52.5% believed they could use their competences to complete challenging tasks in the courses. in addition, if seen from the responses to the two statements regarding students’ self-efficacy, the number of students who disagreed with the statement was the same. it can be implied that those students giving their disagreements are the same. thus, students’ belief in their competence to succeed in the courses will reflect their efforts in using the competences to complete challenging tasks in the courses. students’ strong self-efficacy can promote well-being, motivation, and effort devotion. students with high self-efficacy tend to be happy, motivated, and dedicated to their work (jääskelä, et al., 2017). teacher support the teacher support factor is represented in two statements regarding lecturers’ positive attitudes to the students and students’ experience of being forced by their teachers. the result can be seen in the following figures. figure 17. lecturers’ positive attitudes to the students figure 17 represents lecturers’ positive attitudes toward the students. most of the students show positive responses to the statement. the same percentage of the students (47.5%) strongly agreed and agreed with the statement that they got positive attitudes from their lecturers. figure 18. students’ experience of being forced by their teachers despite the responses that students got positive attitudes from their lecturers, the responses on students’ experience of being forced by their lecturers indicate that the majority of the students (52.5%) experienced force from their lecturers. despite the positive support that students got from the lecturers, the majority of students claimed that they had experiences of being forced by their lecturers. this indicates that students’ learning motivation has not been maintained well. a similar idea is given by (ryan, r. m., & deci, 2000)ryan & deci (2019) stating that individuals’ ‘intrinsic motivation’ is sustained when they have the freedom to voluntarily act on something without any outside pressure. peer support besides peer support, one of the factors in agency also addresses how students support each other’s learning. the statements related to peer support 40 answers 40 answers tedi rohadi, listiana ikawati, & muhsiyana nurul aisyiah exploring efl learners’ agency in online english language teaching during the covid 19 pandemic 248 involve students’ learning support from their peer’s experience and students’ reciprocal assistance in dealing with learning difficulties. figure 19. students’ learning support from their peers’ experiences figure 19 shows that the majority of students (50%) approved that they could learn from their friends’ experiences. only very few students showed their disagreement to the statement. figure 20. students’ reciprocal assistance in dealing with learning difficulties the data in figure 20 show that most of the students (50%) agreed that they gave reciprocal assistance in dealing with each other’s learning difficulties. it implies that in online learning where students cannot involve in face-to-face interaction, they can still help each other’s learning difficulties. to practice agency, teacherstudents’ and students-students’ mutual relationships and students’ ability to collaborate are the key components (greeno; lipponen and kumpulainen; edward as cited in jääskelä, et al. 2017). in conclusion, online learning during the pandemic has given students more authority to develop their agency. the survey results indicate that most of the students gave positive responses to the statements regarding agency factors. in addition, the results also show that there are interrelated relationships between one factor of agency and another. for example, the students who feel that they are given more opportunities to make choices and teacher support in the learning process will be more motivated to learn and more confident to make use of their competences to take the initiative and participate in efl teaching and learning. however, to achieve a fruitful result, thorough development of agency domains by accommodating all related factors should be done. the survey results show that even if the lecturers already have provided more choices for students in learning when students still feel they are oppressed in the learning process it shows that the students have not fully developed their agency and their motivation may not be maintained well. in short, the potential of people to take purposeful, individuals-defined, useful, and self-directed action that is limited by power dynamics and structural, contextual elements is highlighted by these concepts of agency (jääskelä, et al., 2017). online learning during the pandemic which creates a learning environment for students that enable them to 40 answers 40 answers english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 249 express their preferences and actions to deal with their own learning problems and goals can promote students’ agency. implications of efl learners' agency during covid-19 for future efl education. the portrayal of efl learners' agency in online learning during the pandemic provides several insights for future learning, as explained below. students can achieve success if they cultivate their agency, which allows them to identify learning challenges, competencies, goals, and develop self-regulated learning strategies to accomplish their objectives. higher education curricula are increasingly focusing on empowering students to create their own learning environments and build their capacity for selfregulation, goal-setting, and responsibility acceptance (lebeničnik et al., 2015). efl training shouldn't just focus on mastering subject matter knowledge in order to promote agency. teachers must also give kids chances to develop and explore their agency. students can better develop their identities as learners and potential professionals in a learning environment that promotes involvement, influence, and acknowledgement of individual abilities, preferences, aspirations, and resources (marin et al., 2020). moreover, relational agency, one aspect of agency, addresses the power dynamics between teachers and students. these dynamics encompass not only teacher-student relationships but also student-to-student interactions. providing students with more choices is insufficient; educators must minimize pressure on students by nurturing their agency. by assisting students in developing their agency, they will be more willing to engage in the teaching and learning process, and oppressive elements can be eradicated. educators should establish learning environments that foster students' agency development. lipponen & kumpulainen (2011) argue that teachers require relational agency, which relates to their ability to collaborate and offer mutual support. finally, as the study participants were teacher candidates, it is crucial to develop their agency to serve as role models for their future students and share their experiences in agency development. the initial stage of teacher education should prioritize cultivating teacher candidates' agency (marin et al., 2020). agentic teachers play a vital role in educational changes, as agency is concerned with how individuals respond to challenging situations (toivola et al., 2022). overall, current research highlights the importance of promoting learner agency in online tell during the covid-19 pandemic and beyond. while there are challenges and limitations to be addressed, there are also opportunities for innovation and pedagogical development in this area. conclusion the self-reported questionnaire results suggest that the online efl learning and teaching relying heavily on the internet and digital technologies during the covid 19 pandemic encouraged students to develop a sense of agency. most preservice teacher students perceived that they were given choices to determine ways of learning the language and which learning resources they wanted to use. by having agency, students have the sense on how they can utilize the abundant english learning materials they can access for free as well as to use english learning tools to achieve their language learning goals. this is an important indicator of learners’ agency because at the heart of agency is the ability to make choices. the research results also suggest that online courses provided chances for students to receive equal treatment and participate in collaborative learning. collaborative learning activities are essential for efl learners as they allow them to practice using the learned language in authentic contexts. finally, for online courses to effectively foster the agency of efl learners, they must encourage students to assume responsibility for their own language learning, to set language learning objectives, to identify their own learning preferences and strengths, and to forge their identities as learners and potential efl professionals. these agency ‘ traits can hopefully be transferred to their students in these preservice teacher students’ elt professional career. references ali, w. (2020). online and remote learning in higher education institutes: a necessity in light of covid-19 pandemic. higher education studies, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v10n3p16 al-samarraie, h., teng, b. k., alzahrani, a. i., & alalwan, n. (2021). the impact of online autonomy support on promoting student agency in online learning environments. computers & education, 161, 104069. altbach, p. g., & de wit, h. (2017). the future of tedi rohadi, listiana ikawati, & muhsiyana nurul aisyiah exploring efl learners’ agency in online english language teaching during the covid 19 pandemic 250 internationalization of higher education: global perspectives on risks and opportunities. international higher education, 88, 3-5. arapova, a. (2020). informal online learning: motivational factors and incorporation into formal learning environments. culminating projects in information media, 31(2), 11-21. beerkens, e., van der meulen, b., & van den brink, m. (2021). higher education for the future: steering institutions through turbulent times. european journal of higher education, 11(1), 1-7. billett, s. (2019). learning through work: developing personal agency. springer. bush, l., haygood, d., & vincent, h. (2017). studentrun communications agencies: providing students with real-world experiences that impact their careers. journalism and mass communication educator, 72(4), 423-440. chen, y. j., & chen, h. (2018). enhancing intercultural communicative competence through online collaborative learning in a chinese as a foreign language classroom. international journal of computer-assisted language learning and teaching, 8(3), 53-66. creswell, j. w. (2014). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. sage publications. de boer, h. f., enders, j., & schimank, u. (2017). on the way to the european higher education area: changes in the governance of higher education in europe. palgrave macmillan. denessen, e., keller, a., van den bergh, l., & van den broek, p. (2020). do teachers treat their students differently? an observational study on teacher-student interactions as a function of teacher expectations and student achievement. education research international, 2020, 1–8. fajri, z., baharun, h., muali, c., shofiatun, farida, l., & wahyuningtiyas, y. (2021). student’s learning motivation and interest; the effectiveness of online learning during covid19 pandemic. journal of physics: conference series, 1899(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1899/1/012178 firmansyah, m., nur, r., & vebrianto, r. (2020). the effectiveness of emergency remote learning during the covid-19 pandemic: a case study of higher education students in indonesia. ellite: journal of english language and literature, 3(2), 147-165. ghafar, a. (2020). convergence between 21st century skills and entrepreneurship education in higher education institutes. international journal of higher education, 9(1), 120-132. grainger, p., fournier, e., & faucher, m. (2019). professional agency and curriculum renewal: a case study of a canadian college. studies in higher education, 44(1), 161-174. grainger, p., steffler, r., de villiers scheepers, m. j., thiele, c., & dole, s. (2019). student negotiated learning, student agency and general capabilities in the 21st century: the delorean project. australian educational researcher, 46(3), 361-378. hafner, c. a., & miller, l. (2011). fostering learner autonomy in english for science: a collaborative digital video project in a technological learning environment. language learning & technology, 15(3), 68-86. harri-augstein, e. s., & thomas, l. f. (2017). learning conversations: the self-organised learning way to personal and organisational growth. routledge. jääskelä, p., poikkeus, a. m., vasalampi, k., valleala, u. m., & rasku-puttonen, h. (2017). assessing agency of university students: validation of the aus scale. studies in higher education, 42(11), 2061–2079. jiang, a. l., & zhang, l. j. (2019). chinese students’ perceptions of english learning affordances and their agency in an english-medium instruction classroom context. language and education, 33(4), 284-303. jiang, l., & zhang, j. (2019). learner agency in language learning: a review of theories and related studies. innovation in language learning and teaching, 13(3), 169-181. knight, j., & barbera, e. (2018). navigational acts and discourse: fostering learner agency in computer-assisted language learning. electronic journal of e-learning, 16(1), 1-10. knight, j., & barberà, e. (2018). the role of directional agency in understanding call learner agency. computer assisted language learning, 31(1-2), 64-87. kukulska-hulme, a., & shield, l. (2018). an overview of mobile assisted language learning: from content delivery to supported collaboration and interaction. recall, 30(1), 1-18. kukulska-hulme, a., lee, h., & norris, l. (2020). mobile language learning innovation inspired by covid-19. journal of computer assisted learning, 36(3), 221-226. kuswanto, h., ruhimat, m., & pramudiani, p. (2020). analyzing mathematics teacher's scaffolding in online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. journal of physics: conference series, 1657(1), 012067. lauder, h., & mayhew, k. (2020). higher education and the labour market: an introduction. oxford review of education, 46(4), 439-444. li, x. (2018). collaborative learning in efl classrooms: a case study. journal of language teaching and research, 9(2), 251-259. malik, r. s. (2018). educational challenges in 21st century and sustainable development. journal of sustainable development. education and research, 2(1), 9-20 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 251 marín, l., dixon, d., & suurtamm, c. (2020). fostering pre-service teacher agency: a shared responsibility. journal of education for teaching, 46(2), 221-234. marín, v. i., benito, b. de, & darder, a. (2020). technology-enhanced learning for student agency in higher education: a systematic literature review. interaction design and architecture(s), 45, 15–49. https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-045-001 marín, v. i., de benito crosetti, b., & darder, p. (2022). exploring efl learners' agency in online english language teaching during the covid-19 pandemic. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 12(2), 541-550. marin, v.i, de benito, b., & d. a. (2020). technology-enhanced learning for student agency in higher education: a systematic literature review. interaction design and architecture(s) journal 45, 15–49. martel, j. r., & garcías, g. m. (2022). covid-19, distance learning and english language teacher education: developing student teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge. system, 101, 102576. martel, j. s. s., & garcías, a. p. (2022). students’ agency and self-regulated skills through the lenses of assessment co-creation in post-covid19 online and blended settings: a multi-case study. journal of interactive media in education, 2022(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.746 nguyen, m. h., gruber, a., & fuchs, m. (2021). the role of student agency in the transition to technology-enhanced learning: a latent profile analysis. computers & education, 168, 104183. okolie, u. c., nwosu, h. e., & mlanga, s. (2019). graduate employability: how the higher education institutions can meet the demand of the labour market. higher education, skills and work-based learning, 9(4), 751-766. aguilera-hermida, a. patricia. (2020). college students’ use and acceptance of emergency online learning due to covid-19. international journal of educational research open, 1, 100011. rahayu, s., & yusuf, y. q. (2021). the challenges of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic: an essay analysis of performing arts education students. studies in learning and teaching, 2(1), 38-50. ryan, r. m., & deci, e. l. (2019). brick by brick: the origins, development, and future of selfdetermination theory. advances in motivation science, 6(111–156). setiawan, a. r. (2020). online learning in higher education during covid-19 pandemic: students’ perceptions. journal of talent development and excellence, 12(1), 36443651. sun, c., xu, y., liu, x., & li, q. (2021). can online learning replace classroom learning? a comparison of student satisfaction and learning outcomes in an online and face-to-face course. telematics and informatics, 58, 101506. toivola, m., rajala, a., & kumpulainen, k. (2022). pedagogical rationales of flipped learning in the accounts of finnish mathematics teachers. pedagogies: an international journal, 17(1), 1-17. tomlinson, b. (2012). materials development for language learning and teaching. language teaching, 45(02), 143-179. tynan, b. r., ryan, y., & lamont-mills, a. (2015). examining the benefits and challenges of using multiple methods of data collection in a mixedmethods study of doctoral researchers. international journal of doctoral studies, 10, 181-195. van laar, e., van deursen, a. j. a. m., van dijk, j. a. g. m., & de haan, j. (2017). the relation between 21st-century skills and digital skills: a systematic literature review. computers in human behavior. van lier, l. (2017). ecology, agency and intercultural awareness: challenges and complexities of teaching english as an international language. in j. i. liontas (ed.). the tesol encyclopedia of english language teaching (pp. 1-9). wileyblackwell. wang, m., huang, y., hu, h., & du, h. (2021). student agency in technology-enhanced language learning during the covid-19 pandemic. computer assisted language learning, 34(5), 426-452. warschauer, m., & matuchniak, t. (2010). new technology and digital worlds: analyzing evidence of equity in access, use, and outcomes. review of research in education, 34(1), 179-225. wijayanti, d. w., sudirman, s., & rasyidah, u. (2020). whatsapp in emergency remote learning: students’ perceptions during the covid-19 pandemic. journal of english language teaching and linguistics, 5(2), 161171. yavani, z., rizka, h., aisyiyah, m., & ibnus, n. (2022). what will the future bring? students' gender-based participation during online classes. education and information technologies, 27(5), 4095-4112. yildirim, s., ozmaden, m., & kilinc, a. (2021). the impact of online learning on students’ academic performance during the covid-19 pandemic: a case study. journal of educational technology systems, 49(1), 73-85. tedi rohadi, listiana ikawati, & muhsiyana nurul aisyiah exploring efl learners’ agency in online english language teaching during the covid 19 pandemic 252 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 75 application of brown and levinson’s model on joe biden’s victory speech: a case on politeness strategy anita purba (corresponding author) department of english education, universitas simalungun, pematang siantar, indonesia email: anit_purba@yahoo.co.id tutiariani nasution department of indonesian education, universitas simalungun, pematang siantar, indonesia email: tutiarianinasution@gmail.com marhaeni k. d. matondang department of english education, universitas simalungun, pematang siantar, indonesia email: kdewi6353@gmail.com zulkarnain postgraduate, department of islamic education, iain takengon, indonesia email: zul.3lathif@gmail.com ridwin purba department of english education, universitas simalungun, pematang siantar, indonesia email: purbaridwin61@gmail.com apa citation: purba, a., nasution, t., matondang, m. k. d., zulkarnain., & purba, r. (2023). application of brown and levinson’s model on joe biden’s victory speech: a case on politeness strategy. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 75-82. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7575 received: 19-10-2022 accepted: 27-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction language is important part in human life that connect one to another. through language we can interact with others. language function as social interaction and one of the vital factors that differentiate human from another creatures. language is one maintain relationship with other people in an interaction. as social being, almost everyday people use language to communicate with others. by language makes people have more interaction with others. simanjuntak et al. (2022) stated that language is a complex system of communication that used in human beings. language is central to our lives it means that languages is something that cannot be apart from our life. central in our life is communication with other people, to socialization with society and culture (herman, 2014). according to anwari (2020), the purpose of language is a system of conventional vocal signs by means of which human beings communicate. so, it is important whether with others by talking and writing or with ourselves by thinking. english is important to learn because english as abstract: this research discussed about politeness strategies in joe biden’s victory speech. the researchers used theory of brown and levinson (1987). this theory to analyzed the types of politeness strategy and the dominant types in joe biden victory speech. the source of the data was taken from joe biden’s speech in youtube its about 15 minutes, 19 seconds. this speech was published at 8 november 2020. the researchers chose joe biden’s speech because the researchers found that the types of politeness strategy in this speech. the researchers found 22 data and three types of politeness strategy namely positive politeness 18 (81.8%), negative politeness 1 (4.5%) and off record indirect strategy 3 (13.6%). positive politeness that found in this speech namely : uses promise, intensifity interest to the hearer, be optimistic, repetition, joke, assume or assert reciprocity, offer, and use rhetorical strategy, negative politeness that found in this speech was use pessimistic and off record indirect strategy namely use metaphors and give hints or directions. the most dominant types in joe biden victory speech was positive politeness strategy. positive politeness used in the speech so that make good communications between the speaker and the hearer and also make the situations comfortable, relax and make a pleasant situation in doing communication. keywords: brown and levinson’s model; politeness strategy; pragmatics; speech. anita purba, tutiariani nasution, marhaeni k. d. matondang, zulkarnain, & ridwin purba application of brown and levinson’s model on joe biden’s victory speech: a case on politeness strategy 76 international language in the world and it taught from elementary school until university school level. by learning english students are expected to understand and keep up the development of science, technology, and art. herman et al. (2022) stated that the purpose of english has become the most widespread language in the world, used for more peoples for more purposes than any other language on the earth. literature and language are closely related. it can be concluded that english is as the most spoken language in the world (patimah et al., 2021). english holds a big part in the communication. the use of language can possibly achieve the purpose such as selecting the word choices this strategy to deducted unpleasant feeling so that communication became well. by language, we can talk with other people, can give a lot of information, can able to exchange knowledge and also can express emotion, ideas, beliefs, feeling, opinion, wishes, thanks and promises. the function of language namely to inform about fact, to influence other people, to discuss about language, to describe, to chat or communicate with others or interact with other, and to deliver message. so language is tool of communication. according to caroline et al. (2021), communication is a process where somebody or some people, group, organization and society created and use the information to be connected with the environment and others. the aim of communication is to exchange the information, to share knowledge through written and spoken language. communication is the process of delivering a message by someone to another to inform or change attitudes and behavior, either directly orally or indirectly through media and also one act by which one person want to give or receive from another about information that person’s needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge or statements. according to kurniawati (2019), communication is an important aspect in our daily activity. communication means process of exchanging ideas between a person to another in order to gain of information or something else. as a human, people cannot be separated from social life because human is a social person and need other people help. by communication we can express our mind, idea, feeling, suggest to others. with communication we can build relationship with others, by communication we can talked or interact with other become politeness (van thao et al., 2021) pragmatics is the part of linguistics study that learned the relationship between the utterances and the situation (simaremare et al., 2021). pragmatics is the study of the connection between the context and language that focused on grammatical in the structure (hinck et al., 2021; ma'yuuf and abbas, 2021). it means that people can analyze the meaning by seen their statements. pragmatics has several part to be learned, one of them is politeness strategy (balogun and murana, 2018). politeness is a form of kind action taken by one person to another person. politeness is important point in language, when we talked to another we must show good attitude or show a politeness (balik and alinda, 2022; pardede et al., 2021). as we know by using politeness in language, a conversation become more polite especially in speech. politeness is a manner or etiqutte in communication that aimed to respect one to another people. in doing communication, people need to know and understand how to make conversation well and politely (syah et al., 2017; yaqin & shanmuganathan, 2020). so, people need to use politeness strategy in conversation to get good response from the others. politeness strategy aimed to minimize or to avoid conflict in conversation. when we used the politeness strategy in communication it means we can decrease misunderstanding or problem and also get good respect from others (xiang et al., 2020; manurung et al., 2021). when we want to make a speech or delivered a speech many things that we must pay attention so that the listener feel comfortable or not feel bored. many aspect that must pay attention such as the choice of words or content from the speech, gestures from the speaker and using politeness strategy. this is very important in speech, when a speaker using politeness strategy in delivered speech, and also pay attention to the listener. it can build a good relationship between the speaker and the listener. literature is the representatives of the resesarcher’s feeling. ghani and hussain (2021) stated that “literature” to composition that tells a story, dramatizes a situation, expresses, emotions, analyzes, and support ideas. one of the phenomena in communication is less politeness. sometimes the listener do not focus to the speaker when the speaker delivered his speech. many people can make a speech or delivered speech in the public but not all people can show a politeness in speech. so it make the speaker create good communication with the listener. many aspects that make the listener do not focused to the speaker such as the content of the speech make the listeners do not english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 77 excited and feel bored so that there is no interaction between the speaker and the listener. there are many reasons why politeness strategy is important in life namely to achieve your goal and get what you want. while the goal of politeness is to make the listener relax, feel comfortable with one to another. based on theory brown and levinson (1987) there are four types politeness strategy described by brown and levinson namely: bald on record, positive politeness, negative politeness and off record indirect strategy. nowadays, we can find communication from various sources, such as in speech. speech is the activity of speaking in the public, carried out by conveying the opinion or thoughts of the speaker (zhu, & wang, 2020; nurdiansyah, 2021). generally, speech are made to state events or things that deserve to be discussed in the public. the function of speech is to delivered ideas in communication and to make the listeners understand the ideas well (haniva et al., 2021). the function of speech can be divided to four kinds namely: statement, question, command, and offer (wulan, 2021). in this research, the researcher focused in the speech. the researchers choose the joe biden’s speech as object because from the speech the researchers can find politeness strategy. the researchers also want to know how important the politeness strategy in a speech. in conducting in this research, the researchers provide the previous research from a thesis that also related with this thesis which is written by sari (2016) at syarif hidayatullah state islamic univeristy jakarta entitled “an analysis of politeness strategy in barack obama’s victory speech”. this research focused to analyzed politeness strategy in barack obama’s victory speech in chicago, november 4th 2008. the researchers analyzed the types of politeness strategy by brown levinson (1987). in this research, the researchers focused to analyzed positive politeness that found in the barack obama’s victory speech. the researchers analyzed 13 data in this speech, to analysed the data researcher used qualitative research to collect and analyzing the data. after that, the researcher collect data by using bibliograpy technique and writes the data card to make easier. the similarity of this research with the previous research, researcher focused to know positive politeness strategy but this research also to know the four of politeness strategy namely : positive strategy, negative politeness, bald on record and off strategy. this research is also different from with the previous research. and there are 14 types of positive politeness but in previuos research the researcher only analyzed 3 types of positive strategies namely:1) intensifity interest to the hearer 2) assume or assert reciprocity 3) optimistic this research is used to find out the politeness strategy in speech because the researcher often watching in youtube and searched about it, so the researchers are interested to make this topic became a research the reason why the researchers conducted this research because it is related to linguistic especially in pragmatics and to help the readers to understand the meaning by knowing the types of politeness strategy in joe biden’s speech. joe biden is an famous people in the united states and have big effect in the world especially in united states. by his speech the researcher can found the types of politeness strategy. method this research used qualitative research that focused on pragmatics. qualitative research is interested to the process, meaning and understanding through words or sentence. creswell (2014) stated that qualitative research is one method that focused to ask what and why in one phenomena. this method is used to understand how the people explained one experience in the world it means it can be concluded that qualitative research would be appropriate to be uses in finding, analyzing, and presenting the data of the research in a more detailed way. while there are many approaches to qualitative research. each of research approaches involve using one or more data collection methods. as we know descriptive qualitative is one method that describe based on phenomena, to understand concepts opinion, or experiences it can be used to gather in depth insight into a problem or generate new ideas for research.. descriptive qualitative describes the condition as they are, without giving treatment or manipulation to the variables studied. this type of qualitative descriptive is a type of research with the process of obtaining data as it is. this method is only used in humanities, and social sciences. hutahaean et al. (2021) defined that qualitative research is a research for exploring and understood the meaning individuals or groups to social or human problems. in this researcher, the researcher used qualitative research because to analyse politeness strategy, to collecte and classify the dominant types of politeness strategy found in joe biden’s victory speech. anita purba, tutiariani nasution, marhaeni k. d. matondang, zulkarnain, & ridwin purba application of brown and levinson’s model on joe biden’s victory speech: a case on politeness strategy 78 data is important tool in research. the purpose of the research is to get the data. according to isabella et al. (2022), the data are the information or facts used in discussing or deciding the answer of research question. based on the explanation above the source of data used in this research is joe biden’s victory speech. and the source of the data taken from joe biden’s speech in youtube https://youtu.be/1afnyztas2c, its about 15 minutes, 19 seconds. this speech was published at 8 november 2020. the researchers chose joe biden’s speech because the researcher found that the types of politeness strategy in thi speech. this speech delivered when joe biden elected as president of united states and tell about victory. a research instrument was a tool the researchers used to collect the data in order to make the researchers process done easily. according to herman et al. (2022), instrument of the research is a tool that used to measure observed natural and social phenomena. the researchers used joe biden’s speech and took an important role in watch, read and wrote related to this research. this research used additional instruments such as books, dictionaries, laptop, script of speech, pen and note book to collect and classified the data. analyzes the data by interpretation since the data are forms of politeness that found in the joe biden’s victory speech because researchers think in this speech we can found some types of politeness strategy. data is important tool in research. the aim of the research is to get data. data collection method is the way to collect data used in this research. documents and pictures can be written by people who can be used to obtain information and collected the data (ngongo et al., 2022). the researchers used qualitative research which the form of data was utterances. data for analysis is collected from a speech: joe biden’s victory speech. to collect the data in this research, the researchers did some steps namely: (1) searching and downloading joe biden’s victory speech. the researchers searching the joe biden’s victory speech after that downloading the video from youtube. (2) understanding the theory of politeness strategy. in this step, the researchers tried to understand the theory of politeness strategy that used to analyze the joe biden’s victory speech. (3) watching and understanding about joe biden’s victory speech. the researchers watched the video joe biden’s victory speech, for the purpose to understand deeply about the speech. (4) identifying all the words, phrase, sentences that contain politeness strategy. (5) and then the researchers took notes based on the classified and analyzed of politeness strategy. the data are analyzed to answer the research question. analyzing data is a process that systematically finds and organizes data from the results interview, observations and documentations. when analyzing the data of this research, the researchers decides several techniques to obtain data for accurate data analysis. after the data was obtained from data sources, the data were analyzed through the following steps namely: (1) reading and identified the whole joe biden’s victory speech. the first step of collected data, the researchers read and identified politeness strategy that found in joe biden’s speech. (2) classifying joe biden’s speech to find the types politeness strategy. after the data had been identified, the researchers classified the data into types of politeness strategy accorded theories. (3) analyzing the meaning of politeness strategy that found in the speech. to analyze the meaning, the researchers read every sentence that found in this speech that consists of politeness strategy. the researchers studied meaning by analyzed the types of politeness strategy. after that, the researchers tried to find the meaning of politeness strategy used in this speech. (4) drawing the conclusion. the last step made conclusion accorded to analyzed data. after the researchers found the answer from research problem, then the researchers made the conclusion based on the speech. results and discussion after analyzed the politeness strategies found in joe biden victory speech, the resesarcher found that: (1) there were 3 types of politeness that found in joe biden victory speech. they were: positive politeness, bail on record and off record indirect strategy. (2) based on the data analysis the most dominant types of politeness strategy in joe biden victory speech was a positive politeness strategy. positive politeness makes a communication becomes relax, comfortable can minimize the imposition between the speaker and the hearer. based on the data, the researchers presented the percentage of politeness strategy in the table. the percentage will be showed: 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑋100 table 1. types of politeness found in the speech no. types of politeness frequency percentage 1. positive politeness 18 81.8% 2. negative 1 4.5% english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 79 no. types of politeness frequency percentage 3. off record indirect strategy 3 13.6 % total 22 99.9% after analysed the data, the researchers want to discuss the whole data and answered the problem of the research. the aim of this research are: to find out the types of politeness strategy that found in joe biden victory speech and to find out the dominant types of politeness strategy found in joe biden victory speech. the researchers used theory of brown and levinson (1987), this theory to analyzed the types of politeness strategy and the dominant types in joe biden victory speech. from the research findings above, the researchers found 22 data and three types of politeness strategy namely positive politeness 18 (81.8%), negative politeness 1 (4.5%) and off record indirect strategy 3 (13.6%). positive politeness that found in this speech namely: uses promise, intensifity interest to the hearer, be optimistic, repetition, joke, assume or assert reciprocity, offer, and use rhetorical strategy, negative politeness that found in this speech was use pessimistic and off record indirect strategy namely use metaphors and give hints or directions. the most dominant types in joe biden victory speech was positive politeness strategy. positive politeness used in the speech so that make good communications between the speaker and the hearer and also make the situations comfortable, relax and make a pleasant situation in doing communication. based on findings of the research, the researchers found that there were the similarities with the findings from related previous research from sibarani & marlina (2018). this research about politeness strategy used in republican debate by donald trump. this research aimed to describe the politeness strategy that found in republican debate by donald trump. the objective of research namely to identify what is types of politeness strategy found in republican debate by donal trump and what is dominant types that used in this research. this researched used theory of brown and levinson (1987) who classified politeness strategy into four types namely bald on record, positive, negative and off record strategy. researchers only used 3 types of politeness strategy namely bald on record, positive politeness and negative politeness. the 3 types of politeness strategy namely: positive politeness strategy (55.2%), negative politeness strategy (22.9%) and bald on record (21.73%). so based on the data positive politeness strategy is dominantly used in the republican debate by donald trump because the researchers believed as the most polite and successful strategy conclusion after the researchers conduct a research about politeness strategy in the joe biden’s victory speech. the resesarcher found types of politeness strategy namely positive politenes, bald on record and off record indirect strategy. the resesarcher found 20 data and three types of politeness strategy namely positive politeness 18 (81.8%), negative politeness 1 (4.5%) and off record indirect strategy 3 (13.6%). politeness strategy is one important thing that they should deliver in speech in front of people. the speaker wants to show politeness strategies sothat the listener pay attention to the speech and to the speaker. using politeness strategies in the speech can make close relationship between the speaker and the listener and make the situation become comfortable and relax. the most dominant types in joe biden victory speech was positive politeness strategy. positive politeness strategies to make good communications between the speaker and the hearer and make the situations comfortable, relax and make a pleasant situation in doing communication.%) references anwari, a. (2020). speech act analysis of madurese wedding ceremony in kalidandan village, pakuniran, probolinggo. journal of pragmatics research, 2(2), 113–126. https://doi.org/10.18326/jopr.v2i2.113-126 balik, l., & alinda, m. (2022). politeness strategy of direct speech acts in the poto wua ta’a ceremony. pioneer: journal of language and literature, 14(2), 423-436. https://10.36841/pioneer.v14i2.1736 balogun, s., & murana, m. o. (2018). language in political discourse: a pragmatic study of presupposition and politeness in the inaugural speech of president donald trump. bulletin of advanced english studies, 1(1), 64-76. brown, p., & levinson, s. c. (1987). politeness: some universal in language usage. cambridge university press caroline, r. t., sitorus, u., sinurat, b., herman, and silalahi, d. e., (2021). an analysis on the speech act of mark zuckerberg in english speeches youtube channel. zien journal of social sciences and humanities, 1(1), 175-181. creswell, j. w. (2014) research design, qualitatives, anita purba, tutiariani nasution, marhaeni k. d. matondang, zulkarnain, & ridwin purba application of brown and levinson’s model on joe biden’s victory speech: a case on politeness strategy 80 quantitatives, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). sage publications. ghani, n. a., & hussain, m. s. (2021). application of fairclough’s model on joe biden’s victory speech: corpus assisted analysis of new us vision versus world voices. psychology and education, 58(2), 10168-10181. haniva, d. r., nurhapitudin, i., & fauzi, e. m. (2021). politeness principle of assertive act in debate between donald trump and joe biden. eltin journal: journal of english language teaching in indonesia, 9(2), 130-146. https://doi.org/10.22460/eltin.v9i2.p130-146 herman. (2014). an experiential function on students’ genre of writing. halaman moeka publishing. herman, h., saputra, n., ngongo, m., & fatmawati, e. (2022). delivering a good speech by identifying the interpersonal meaning found in joe biden’s victory speech: a case on systemic functional linguistics. journal of intercultural communication, 22(3), 65-73. https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v22i3.77 herman., silalahi, d. e., & lumbanraja, s. (2022). meaning of symbols in rumah adat bolon batak toba. jurnal scientia, 11(2), 273-282. hinck, r. s., hinck, e. a., hinck, s. s., dailey, w. o., & melton, b. (2021). the 2020 democratic presidential primary debates: exploring politeness strategies for facing an aggressive incumbent. argumentation and advocacy, 57(34), 181-199. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511431.2021.194955 4 hutahaean, d. t., herman, h., & girsang, a. f. f. (2021). an analysis of politeness strategies found in pesbukers variety show. wanastra: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 13(1), 39-46. https://10.31294/w.v13i1.9218 isabella, r.., munthe, e. j. b., sigalingging, d. j. n., purba, r., & herman, h. (2022). learning how to be polite through a movie: a case on brown and levinson’s politeness strategies. indonesian efl journal, 8(2), 147-154. https://10.25134/ieflj.v8i2.6438 kurniawati, l. (2019). politeness strategies in speech acts of the mc of asian games opening and closing ceremony 2018. [unpublished thesis]. universitas islam negeri maulana malik ibrahim. manurung, l. w., sumarlam, s., purnanto, d., & marmanto, s. (2019). bataknese’ politeness strategy in marhata sinamot (dowry bargaining). prasasti, 357–362. https://doi.org/10.2991/prasasti-19.2019.61 ma'yuuf, h. h., & abbas, i. j. (2021). bullying in trump's tweets through covid-19: a pragmatic perspective. journal of language and linguistic studies, 17(3), 1582-1597. https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/infor mit.222006184977771 ngongo, m., maromon, e., loba, d., & herman. (2022). a systemic functional linguistics analysis of text transitivity of mathew gospel, new testament of kupang malay. world journal of english language, 12(5), 188-201. http://10.5430/wjel.v12n5p188 nurdiansyah, d. (2021). politeness strategies in the us president-elect joe biden’s victory speech [sarjana thesis, universitas negeri jakarta]. universitas negeri jakarta repository. http://repository.unj.ac.id/18936/ pardede, h., herman., & manurung, e. t. r. (2021). an analysis of politeness strategies in garis tangan reality show. american journal of social and humanitarian research 2(2), 1-19. patimah, s., rusmawaty, d., asih, y., suhatmady, b., hermagustiana, i., & wardani, i. (2021). impoliteness strategies in joe biden’s instagram comment section. proceeding of conference on english language teaching, applied linguistics, and literature, 1, 63-70. sari, y. k. (2016). an analysis of politeness strategy in barack obama’s victory speech [bachelor's thesis, uin syarif hidayatullah state islamic university]. respository uin jakarta. sibarani, j. g., & marlina, l. (2018). politeness strategy used in republican debate by donald trump. ejournal of english language and literature, 7(4), 530-535. https://doi.org/10.24036/ell.v7i4.102007 simanjuntak, n., simaremare, r. m., saputra, n., ngongo, m., & herman, h. (2022). ‘we all are perfectly imperfect’: an interpersonal metafunction of muniba mazari’s speech in a case on systemic functional linguistics. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 793-800. https://10.25134/erjee.v10i3.7087 simaremare, y. n., nainggolan, w. c., & herman. (2021). pragmatics analysis on conversational implicature used in mulan (2020) movie. middle european scientific bulletin, 15, 64-74. https://doi.org/10.47494/mesb.2021.15.696 syah, n. a., djatmika, d., & sumarlam, s. (2017). the politeness of directive speech acts in satu jam lebih dekat on tv one (pragmatic approach). prasasti: journal of linguistics, 2(2), 300-315. https://doi.org/10.20961/prasasti.v2i2.8394 van thao, n., purba, p. m., & herman. (2021). pragmatics analysis on commisive speech act in a movie. european journal of humanities and educational advancements, 2(7), 70-74. wulan, d. n. (2021) an analysis of illocutionary acts found in joe bidens victory speech as a president [unpublished thesis]. universitas islam riau. xiang, x., zheng, b., & feng, d. (2020). interpreting impoliteness and over-politeness: an investigation into interpreters' cognitive effort, coping strategies and their effects. journal of pragmatics, 169, 231-244. https://immi.se/intercultural/article/view/1177-herman-60 https://immi.se/intercultural/article/view/1177-herman-60 https://immi.se/intercultural/article/view/1177-herman-60 https://immi.se/intercultural/article/view/1177-herman-60 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 81 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2020.09.021 yaqin, l. n., & shanmuganathan, t. (2020) politeness strategies of the pembayun(s) in the bridekidnapping practices of sasak culture. pertanika journal of social sciences and humanities, 28(1), 89-102. zhu, l., & wang, w. (2020). a critical discourse analysis of the us and china political speeches—based on the two speeches respectively, by trump and wang yi in the general debate of the 72nd session of un assembly. journal of language teaching and research, 11(3), 435-445. anita purba, tutiariani nasution, marhaeni k. d. matondang, zulkarnain, & ridwin purba application of brown and levinson’s model on joe biden’s victory speech: a case on politeness strategy 82 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 53 technology-integrated blended class: student reflections on the use of moodle-based digital interactive book lungguh halira vonti (corresponding author) english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and educational sciences, universitas pakuan email: lungguh@unpak.ac.id abdul rosyid english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and educational sciences, universitas pakuan email: abdulrosyid@unpak.ac.id poppy sofia hidayati english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and educational sciences, universitas pakuan email: poppysofia@unpak.ac.id apa citation: vonti, l. h., rosyid, a., hidayati, p. s. (2023). technology-integrated blended class: student reflections on the use of moodle-based digital interactive book. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 53-62. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.6932 received: 19-10-2022 accepted: 17-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction during the pandemic, education field has changed in many factors related to teaching method as well as teaching media. innovation in both learning approaches and teaching media, of course, cannot be separated from the role of technology. ghory & ghafory (2021) state that the advantage of technology in education is that its simplicity and accessibility impact and benefit both learners and trainers. however, both the students and teachers or educators face some pitfalls and drawbacks regarding the online teaching and learning process. the implementation of online learning seemed to arise numerous complex issues which are not simple to illuminate. some students and also educators experienced issues related to amid online learning such as internet accessibility, the trouble to understand the material, the need of interaction with educators, and also trouble with assignment given (setiyono et al., 2021). this pandemic is likely to accelerate some changes in educational models based on the strengths and weaknesses of the technology used for learning. the role of an integrated learning approach and media with technology will be very important to them, especially technology that indeed can be used by students anywhere effectively. digital learning actually contributes quantitatively to the interaction of teaching and learning. although only between teachers and learners, digital abstract: online learning has been going on for almost 2 years now since pandemic and caused a dramatic change of education, with the rise of e-learning, where teaching takes place remotely and using a variety of digital platforms. one of the challenges is access internet and technology used in digital learning that forced the lecturers to innovate in providing a learning approach or using innovative teaching media as well as teaching material to facilitate students in the learning process independently wherever they are. the shift away from the education system caused by the covid-19 pandemic raises the question of whether the adoption of online learning will continue post-pandemic, and how such a shift will impact education systems around the world. this study proposed some of the objective due to the recent condition of the education field. one of the objectives is to describe the students-teacher reflection toward the implementation of digital interactive book in their class. the study employed a descriptive analysis research design and gained the data from semi structured interview and questionnaire. the participant of this study was a class studying grammar subject in a blended class of a second year at a higher educational institution (fkip) in universitas pakuan. the result of the study showed that somehow, the students have positive reflections toward the use of digital interactive book designed by the researchers. keywords: blended learning, digital interactive book; grammar teaching; moodle; students’ reflection. mailto:lungguh@unpak.ac.id mailto:poppysofia@unpak.ac.id lungguh halira vonti, abdul rosyid, & poppy sofia hidayati technology-integrated blended class: student reflections on the use of moodle-based digital interactive book 54 learning allows for a wider range of learning interactions (fansury et al., 2020). yet, the integration of technology and foreign language classrooms is a demanding task, and teachers need support and training (koç et al., 2021). considering categories and barriers, the challenges faced by higher education institutions can be divided into technical challenges, educational challenges, and social challenges (gurajena et al., 2021). for some cases, the researchers have identified several problems that have become the background of the research. drawing on thomas & rogers (2020) experience with online learning during the pandemic emergency, it was observed that school it systems are often overly expensive, cumbersome, and quickly obsolete. they suggest moving to personal devices built into schools. this technical problem is also commonly found in higher educational institutions in indonesia. some students also struggle with the shift of learning process, and some teachers also struggle with the requirement of handling and using technology both in preparing and also presenting teaching materials. for social challenges, the researchers found out that there is the limitation of teacher-students’ interaction in teaching and learning process somehow arouse new problems in improving students’ outcome during their learning process. this issue became the experts’ concern and thus they have suggested some overcomes. the presence of online learning, when needed, allows students to stay in touch with teachers and other students. in some cases, however, they are building a sense of community between learners and teachers and creating interactive and engaging lessons in which all students know each other (ferri et al., 2020). as one of learning management system provided as an online learning tool, moodle provides one feature that can be used as a solution to giving the students with optimal digital learning materials. the potential of using moodle as one of online learning platform provides many free and accessible features that can be used by teachers and students. teachers are also able to provide digital content as learning materials to be used by the students independently. as commonly known by teachers, digital content is material from a variety of sources and was not originally intended for classroom use. however, digital content is widely provided in the internet such as youtube, digital content and facebook. therefore, by leveraging digital content, teachers have many sources of new teaching materials that can be updated at any time. the use of digital content as an educational medium has been of great help to the teacher, especially during her covid-19 pandemic (fansury et al., 2020). since 2013, pakuan university is one of private universities in indonesia that has implemented blended learning using moodle. according to a recent systematic review of lms usage trends, moodle is the most popular and preferred open source lms. moodle has a high level of community and institution acceptance, with a range of active courses available in many languages (sergis et al., 2017). an activity, which is a generic term for a group of moodle features, is where students typically engage and interact with other students and teachers. mostly used activities identified in moodle are among others quizzes, forums, workshops, lessons, wikis and polls. of these, moodle quizzes and workshops were the most popular. activities such as videos, virtual tours and e-portfolios are external tools that can be easily incorporated into moodle system (gamage et al., 2022). lms moodle is useful for higher education institutions as it can be integrated with academic resources, libraries and curricula. in addition, the lms moodle-based university e-learning system enables the integration of mobile technology into the educational process and the implementation of the mobile learning management system or commonly known as mlms (zabolotniaia et al., 2020). previously, an advanced research into the use of lms moodle's technical capabilities in the higher education process proves that the lms moodle distance learning system fosters student thinking and innovation (chootongchai & songkram, 2018). two years later, in recent research, noermanzah & suryadi (2020) added that the students become dynamic, persuaded, and they can also develop their autonomous learning through the utilizing of moodle-based blended learning in teaching and learning process. back in the previous years, dealing with the implementation of using moodle as lms in higher education, as one of the pitfalls, a study revealed that moodle system was not working well at the time of the study although students generally felt satisfied with the moodle system and teachers also found if timely and beneficial in the long term (gundu & ozcan, 2017). it means that some of the features probably are not used well and optimally in the teaching and learning process. in 2022, makruf et al. (2022) published their research regarding the implementation of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 55 moodle in teaching learning process and resulted to the conclusion that many users of moodle were found still use any other applications beside moodle such as zoom, google classroom, and others. these choices can be attributed to three main factors; system quality, support facilities and user skills. along with this, makruf and friends highlighted on the optimum of the use of applications that can be used for e-learning and to enhance various support functions. as reflected in the above conditions of the users of moodle, the researchers also found the same problems in the research site. as one of the users of moodle, pakuan university has been using customized moodle version which includes 12 different types of activities like assignment, choice, database, feedback, forum, glossary, lesson, quiz, scorm package, survey, wiki and workshop for years. however, only a few lecturers were actually able to optimize the features in the platform as one of digital learning materials. to meet these challenges, universities need to position themselves as producers of future educators/teachers to enable teachers and trainee teachers to use technology, especially her ict, for her ict-related assignments of future teachers. teachers must be equipped with pedagogical skills, techniques and mastery of materials in the learning process. this condition is one of reasons why this study is important to conduct. as one of moodle best features, digital book is an integration of digital content that can be accessed easily by the students in any devices. the prevalence of web-based learning environments provides neither an effective way to achieve ubiquitous learning nor a seamless way to interact with educational media (yugo et al., 2022). typically, students tend to print or create paper handouts to access more accessible materials. however, there has been a paradigm shift in the development of e-learning standards, and the educational process is no longer webcentric but diversified into multiple technologies, including e-books. while in moodle, this kind of technology is provided in scorm. scorm package modules are useful for displaying animations and multimedia content. it's a collection of files packaged according to an agreed standard, including interactive digital book. in the scorm, interaction is supported by a runtime environment with a strong server-side implementation. scorm has been widely used for years and it is said to have local tracking and is not semantically interoperable with other educational systems (takev et al., 2019). in the same year, some educators and experts has gained more information and explored the content of this feature. this moodle learning feature contains material that also provides example questions and display animations that correspond to the question material (khairani & rajagukguk, 2019). the latest study about technology based teaching media also revealed that teachers can provide classroom activities that spark student interest, motivate students, and lead them to become technology-supported, autonomous learners in their efl practice (mandasari & aminatun, 2022). considering the importance of providing the students with an interactive and interesting learning materials as well as improving teachers or educator’s competence in creating interactive and interesting digital teaching media, it is very crucial for the researchers to conduct a research on the topic mentioned. as one of digital teaching media, digital book, a type of learning resource, is a digital educational application that integrates resources such as printed textbooks, teaching materials, learning support services, virtual reality, and terminals to form a learning support application (ran & jinglu, 2020). further explained, digital books are also a kind of knowledge media management. the knowledge is expressed through multimedia such as text, images, audio, video, animation, and virtual reality (vr) with course content, multimedia, software, and learning devices as the core elements of digital books. currently, there are three main aspects of digital book classification and definition: the first definition is that a digital book is a digitized book that is distributed over the internet and searchable by specialized readers or software that treats the digital book as a digitized version of traditional teaching materials. a second definition is that a digital book is a portable reading device with storage and display capabilities that digitizes the text, images, audio, and video of traditional educational materials. a third definition refers to a digital book as an integration of digital content and a portable reader that contains a device, connects content information, and supports reading over the internet. adjusting to the latest education system in which the technology plays an important role, and the condition that require the educators to be able to switch between online and offline learning, blended learning is still a fairly new concept in many educational institutions. however, even the previous research which was conducted before it lungguh halira vonti, abdul rosyid, & poppy sofia hidayati technology-integrated blended class: student reflections on the use of moodle-based digital interactive book 56 was necessary to do online learning, its seems to indicate that blended learning, when it is done "right", can significantly improve the student experience (hashemi & daneshfar, 2018). two years later, when almost the entire world dealt with the pandemic, anthony et al. (2020) propose that the blended learning practices should be conducted and should be included face-to-face events, activities, information, resources, assessment and feedback for students, and technology, pedagogy, content, and knowledge for faculty. in 2021, a research resulted to the conclusion that blended learning improves learning outcomes more effectively than conducting online and face-to-face learning separately (bahri et al., 2021). from the conditions and background described, not many of the previous researches talked about the implementation and exploration of features in moodle and see the result on the students’ achievement especially digital interactive book as one of alternative digital teaching media. most of the teachers or educators, as well as the researchers focused only on using ready to use teaching media and neglecting some features in moodle that is actually cheap and easy to use. during the pandemic, students also struggled to understand teaching materials provided in conventional ways, therefor, this research was a breakthrough of the common habits and was expected to increased teachers’ creativity as well as boosted the students’ achievement by providing interesting teaching materials in interactive teaching media. after implementing new teaching media, as educators, it is very important to see how it was accepted by the students. therefore, the idea of finding out the students’ reflection toward the use of certain teaching media was also important. the idea of learning from the past and especially avoiding repeating mistakes is widespread since many years ago. reflection means evaluating, synthesizing, and abstracting shared concrete examples. it reveals important functions and relationships that are ignored by abstract and formal knowledge. larsen et al. (2016) argue that introspection not only serves a social purpose, but also influences students' learning from their experiences, increases their awareness of their thoughts and actions, and increases the perception of their experiences. it can also be used to "increase memory". their study also shows that during the process of reflection, learners can exchange perspectives among group members and re-evaluate their original perspectives (brownhill, 2022). this interactive deliberation process generates different perspectives and alternative solutions. reflective practice can be viewed as a form of active, experiential learning (heymann et al., 2022). this research then aimed to encounter the issue with teaching material by integrating interactive teaching material to a blended learning class, and found out the students’ reflection toward the implementation of the designed teaching material as well as teaching media. the study also aims is to answer the challenges in the shift in the learning system. the objective of implementing this research is to describe the students-teacher reflection toward the implementation of digital interactive book in their class. this major aim is related to the third problems encountered in integrating technology to teaching which is educational or pedagogical problems. teachers must be trained to improve their digital and other specific skills in online education in order to properly plan and implement innovative educational programs (rashidov, 2022). due to the lack of suitable digital devices, some students are forced to use smartphones to view lessons without optimized digital content. for this issue, educators need to find ways to optimize the learning materials that can meet their necessity and need. method as noted above, the study was conducted as part of the third year of english language education study program at an indonesian university (pakuan university) which required the unit to scale and continually update e-learning (and other) technology to effectively manage an equitable learning experience for students. the specific class were taken into the study was a second-year class who took grammar class. the student teacher’s reflections were explored using an exploratory case study. the exploratory case study looks into the actions taken in a case and its environment. the case study design is chosen, as this study investigates reflective practice in a real-life context. it is exploratory research as an ‘in-depth’ study is needed to be carried out on the phenomenon of the implementation of digital interactive book in blended learning class. this approach to research is applicable because of its ability to use multiple data points (quantitative and qualitative) to answer research questions and to provide an indepth investigation of phenomena in context (steinert et al., 2016). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 57 questionnaires were selected to explore the students’ experiences during the use of moodlebased digital interactive books and changes in attitudes, beliefs and perceptions during the semester as a result of classroom experience and professional development. the questionnaire will also enable the researcher to examine the student teacher's "reflections’. semi-structured interviews will be used to collect information for the case study. quantitative data collected through yes/no responses to self-report questionnaire statements were used to answer research questions about reflection on students' experiences with english grammar using a digital interactive book during a synchronous session. it was subjected to analysis, and the qualitative data collected at the public explanation corner was aggregated and analysed for content. the interview and questionnaire permit for an investigation into students’ reflection, which included reflection on the use of the media, and reflection on the use of the media during blended learning. the student teachers will recognize their lesson's strengths and weaknesses regarding the use of the digital interactive book. in addition, semi structured case study interviews will be conducted with open ended questions. the researcher will be able to analyse and emphasize any behaviours that arises in the implementation of digital interactive book in blended class. the semi-structured interview constructs an altercation of conversation and dialogue between the interviewer and participants. by doing this, the researcher will focus on the participant’s experience’ in their own words. the interviews will give plentiful data about the student’s understanding of the material given by using digital media and will allow the researchers to trace the students critical thinking progress. one of the primary goals of qualitative interviewing is to comprehend complex behavior, opinions, and thoughts that are incomprehensible through direct observation or during interviews. in this case, the sample is students studying grammar subject in a blended class at a higher educational institution (fkip) in universitas pakuan. the sample size needed to be small enough to locate the individual's voice because of the nature of the research into reflective. at this stage, there are two main sampling strategies that can be used: random/convenience sampling and purposive sampling. purposive sampling was used as it can take several forms, including extreme sampling, which selects 'illuminating cases,' and intensity sampling, which selects 'rich samples' relevant to the research question. the size and nature of the course forced participants to learn throughout the semester. initially there were 27 respondents, but because not all respondents had the complete data set, the participation in the study included 25 the thirdyear students. the class consisted of 19 female students and 8 male students. of the 25 participants, 15 participated in semi-structured interviews and another 10 in focus group sessions. results and discussion analysis of participants data reveals several themes related to student and teacher considerations regarding the use of moodle-based digital interactive books, among indicators of efficiency, control, impact, usefulness and learning ability. pattern of technological use items related to the pattern of use of technology developed for the purpose of this study are in the form of digital interactive books. participants were given learning materials in the form of interactive content contained in the h5p interactive content feature in moodle. the lecturers involved in this study added an interactive activity in their courses in lms, and the learning materials given were included in the digital interactive book (h5p). h5p, called interactive content in the new moodle activity picker, offers a wide range of learning and assessment-based activities including interactive videos, branching scenarios, essay questions, drag and drop questions, multiple choice questions and presentations. the goal of the h5p project is to enable everyone to create, share and reuse interactive content. the plugins developed for existing publishing systems are drupal, wordpress and moodle. it allows users to create simple yet powerful interactive content without her writing a single line of code. the most popular content types are interactive videos and course presentations. at this point, there are many types of content such as course presentations, interactive videos, graphs, dialog cards, math quizzes, drag and drop, multiple choice, memory games, and more. here is an example of h5p interface in lms: lungguh halira vonti, abdul rosyid, & poppy sofia hidayati technology-integrated blended class: student reflections on the use of moodle-based digital interactive book 58 figure 1. digital interactive book’s interface students’ reflection reflection is based on awareness. though there are various definitions of reflection, reflection involves the use of one's own experiences and critical thinking to examine the information presented, reflect on experiences, question their validity, and draw critical conclusions (triana et al., 2017). quantitative data collected by students’ responses to three scales questionnaire statements which were subjected to frequency analysis and qualitative data to answer survey questions about students' reflection on the implementation of moodle-based digital interactive book. a content analysis of qualitative data was performed as follows: (1) organize the data, (2) explore and code the data, and (3) build explanations and themes. (4) identify qualitative findings; (5) interpret; and (6) verify the accuracy of the results (creswell & creswell, 2017). for data analysis, responses were read individually and grouped based on the item considered. at the same time, researchers analysed and generated questions to identify common themes. all three researchers compared and discussed content analysis, categorizing data and concluding themes based on similarities and differences in views. the explanation was based on these findings. results were presented without comment to show the actual data, after which the results were interpreted. the researchers sought to approach the study by examining how students describe their learning experience with digital interactive books, particularly in relation to three different frameworks of motivation and engagement. because the survey was so short, we focused on the impact of the intervention on students' experiences especially motivation to learn english grammar rather than trying to measure changes in knowledge of the subject content. students’ reflection of the use of moodle-based digital interactive book (dib) a frequency analysis of students' yes/no responses to self-reported questionnaire items/statements that reflect students' views and feelings about their learning experience with moodle-based digital interactive books, and a description of the results of each content analysis, are provided below. of her 25 students who participated in the study, most had positive thoughts and feelings about her dib use, but some indicated limitations that should be considered for future use. more specifically, based on frequency analysis in the table, we found that 76% of 25 students have positive learning experiences using moodlebased digital interactive book especially. the learning experience they had refers to the whole semester where they were given materials through digital interactive book embedded in moodle (lms). the learning materials that they accessed were among others in form of interactive video, image hotspot, single choice exercise and multiple choices exercise. when the samples were interviewed, the information was gained about the activities they liked the most in digital interactive book which is interactive video and some exercises. the students highlighted that when they watched interactive video, it was challenging since they could interact to the content of the video through the questions provided during the video played. as for the exercise’s activities, 6 out of 10 students who were interviewed, or 60% stated that the exercises were better displayed in form of summary or true or false questions. regarding the feedback, they all agreed that they liked it the most when they could see the result of their answers directly right after they answered the questions. for the navigation or control aspect, moreover, 100% of the participants said that using dib in learning process was easy. 20 participants out of 25 answered yes to the statement that dib has meet their needs of the learning materials. moodle-based digital interactive book, apparently, provides many features to present learning materials in interactive and attractive way. this result is in line with the result of previous research conducted by košir et al. (2022) who highlighted that interactive interface of learning material in form of digital interactive book can provide great amount of information needed by the students. the most positive responses were obtained for the point of learning experiences like the benefits and meaningful content, the interface and features in dib that are interesting and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 59 pleasant, the convenience of accessibility of dib for the participants as well as the autonomy increased during the learning process. in interview session, it was found out that the students were interested to the learning material and they were more engaged when the learning materials were presented in various type like in a form of video animation, audio, combined with the text explanation. jeong (2022) in his study also mentioned the benefits of digital teaching media and its significant impact on students’ autonomous learning and self-directed learning. regarding the exercises, the students also said that the exercise or practices in dib were not intimidating like conventional practices or quizzes in class. on the other hand, the most of ‘no’ responses were from the statement related the certainty and optimism of getting good score in the subject learned. more than 50% of the students was not sure that using dib during their blended learning sessions would increase their score. the negative response was also found out in the topic chosen presented in dib. the reasons of the participants chose negative responses were obtained during the interview session in which they said that it would be better if the topic presented in dib was the easy one since they had to learn independently during asynchronous sessions. the figure below shows the comparison between negative and positive responses given by the students. figure 2. diagram of students’ reflection of the use of dib |table 1. students’ reflection towards the use of dib items ‘yes’ freq ‘no’ freq i like learning through digital interactive book in lms 20 5 i find grammar learning through dib beneficial and meaningful. 17 8 i like it when the dib 22 3 contains video animation, audio and different types of practices (e.g. quiz, matching game etc). i like it when dib contains interesting topics. 14 11 i like playing games (quizzes) in dib 23 2 i like the materials of the subject presented in dib. 22 3 i find the navigation in using dib is easy. 25 0 i enjoy the time i spend in learning using dib. 17 8 dib provides my learning materials needs. 20 5 i believe i could get good score when i learn the materials using dib. 12 13 the content provided in dib was clear. 19 6 the interface of the dib was pleasant. 17 8 students’ reflection of the use of moodle-based digital interactive book during blended class during the asynchronous session in their blended learning class, the participants were required to access the lms provided by the university completed with some interesting features like digital interactive book or content. in this feature, the lecturers were able to present the learning or teaching materials in interactive and attractive ways. the result of the questionnaire was presented in the following table followed by the description of the interview session’s result. table 2. students’ reflection of the use of moodlebased dib during blended class items ‘yes’ frequency ‘no’ frequency i like it when i can access the learning material presented in dib anywhere. 21 4 the asynchronous session during the blended class became interesting using dib. 16 9 i can learn independently using dib. 21 4 the interface of the dib was pleasant. 17 8 although it was used in asynchronous session, the instructions in dib were clear. 19 6 lungguh halira vonti, abdul rosyid, & poppy sofia hidayati technology-integrated blended class: student reflections on the use of moodle-based digital interactive book 60 in this point, there is 76% of the participants responded positively to the use of dib during their asynchronous session of their blended learning class. the points of this aspect were among others; the accessibility (76% of the participants said it was pleasant for them to be able to access the learning material easily anywhere), the autonomous learning increased during the lesson (21 out of 25 participants said that they were able to learn more independently using dib), and the learning instructions (74% said yes about the instructions given in dib being clear and pleasant). the results of the self-assessment questionnaire showed that they rated the use of the digital interactive book positively in most respects, but also identified some limitations that should be considered as suggestions for improvement. regarding the materials and features of the dib, they seem to enjoy and benefit greatly from elements such as audio, video and animation, as well as various types of practices, interaction, learning autonomy and accessibility. it looked like it helps the students stay focused by capturing and engaging the learner's attention. the result of the study echoes what the previous study discussed. a learning environment based on digital interactive books is a natural environment for students who are considered 'digital natives' (weiss & bitan, 2018). the interface and content of the digital interactive book somehow also plays an important role as it gained so much attention from the participants of the study. most of the participants’ attention were drawn through the interactive activities and features as well as the interesting contents such as video, audio, text, and animation. the digital content attached in the interactive book seemed to accomplish the majority of students’ need who found fractals particularly enjoyable. the students are more likely to generate contextual interest only if they find it surprising, personally relevant, or particularly enjoyable (nengsih et al., 2022). as for the students’ autonomous learning improved during the synchronous sessions in their blended learning class, it was surprisingly found out they felt independent and confident of understanding the material in spite of their uncertainty of getting good scores in the subject as it was also stated by khan et al. (2017). it can be said that interactive digital-based learning resources can be used by students for self-directed learning without instructor supervision (nafi’ah et al., 2019). developing students’ autonomous learning could be facilitated by technologies. as it was stated by yot-domínguez & marcelo, (2017), 4.0 social software technologies (communication tools, resource and experience sharing tools, social networking tools) have great potential to facilitate self-regulation. conclusion this study, which included a group of intermediate-level english learners in the department of english languages education study program at pakuan university, used moodle-based digital interactive book as a learning media and material provided in lms during blended class. it was aimed to explore the students’ reflection during their asynchronous grammar class specifically their learning experiences and perceptions of the use of dib. therefore, we examined their reflections on grammar learning experiences using digital interactive book during their asynchronous activities using a 16-item self-report questionnaire asking students to answer yes/no. the study initially involved 27 participants, yet due to the limitation of the research duration, there were only 25 data gained through the research instruments. as demonstrated in current research, learning environments that foster positive engagement and motivation can be achieved, and students are associated with positive cognitive, emotional and social outcomes as it may be provided in digital interactive book’s features. based on current research, future research may investigate the impact of digital interactive book on student performance and outcomes in other subject, or the conditions that improve student performance, and ways to improve the digital interactive book content. references anthony, b., kamaludin, a., romli, a., raffei, a. f. m., phon, d. n. a. l., abdullah, a., & ming, g. l. (2020). blended learning adoption and implementation in higher education: a theoretical and systematic review. technology, knowledge and learning, 1–48. bahri, a., idris, i. s., & hasmunarti, m. (2021). blended learning integrated with innovative learning strategy to improve self-regulated learning. international journal of instruction, 14(1), 779–794. brownhill, s. (2022). asking more key questions of self-reflection. reflective practice, 23(2), 279– 290. chootongchai, s., & songkram, n. (2018). design and development of seci and moodle online english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 61 learning systems to enhance thinking and innovation skills for higher education learners. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 13(3). creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2017). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. sage publications. fansury, a. h., januarty, r., & rahman, s. a. w. (2020). digital content for millennial generations: teaching the english foreign language learner on covid-19 pandemic. journal of southwest jiaotong university, 55(3), 1-13. ferri, f., grifoni, p., & guzzo, t. (2020). online learning and emergency remote teaching: opportunities and challenges in emergency situations. societies, 10(4), soc10040086. gamage, s. h. p. w., ayres, j. r., & behrend, m. b. (2022). a systematic review on trends in using moodle for teaching and learning. international journal of stem education, 9(1), 1–24. ghory, s., & ghafory, h. (2021). the impact of modern technology in the teaching and learning process. international journal of innovative research and scientific studies, 4(3), 168–173. gundu, n., & ozcan, d. (2017). implementation of the moodle system into efl classes. profile issues in teachersprofessional development, 19, 51– 64. gurajena, c., mbunge, e., & fashoto, s. (2021). teaching and learning in the new normal: opportunities and challenges of distance learning amid covid-19 pandemic. srrn. hashemi, a., & daneshfar, s. (2018). the impact of different teaching strategies on teaching grammar to college students. theory and practice in language studies, 8(3), 340–348. heymann, p., bastiaens, e., jansen, a., van rosmalen, p., & beausaert, s. (2022). a conceptual model of students’ reflective practice for the development of employability competences, supported by an online learning platform. education+ training. jeong, k.-o. (2022). facilitating sustainable selfdirected learning experience with the use of mobile-assisted language learning. sustainability, 14(5), 2894. khairani, n. a., & rajagukguk, j. (2019). development of moodle e-learning media in industrial revolution 4.0 era. 4th annual international seminar on transformative education and educational leadership (aisteel 2019), 559–565. khan, a., egbue, o., palkie, b., & madden, j. (2017). active learning: engaging students to maximize learning in an online course. electronic journal of e-learning, 15(2), pp107-115. koç, ö., yüksel, g., & altun, e. (2021). technology acceptance and usage behaviour of content and language integrated learning teachers in turkey. english language teaching educational journal, 4(2), 113–124. košir, a. k., tomc, h. g., tomić, i., pinćjer, i., dedijer, s., adamović, s., beris, y., & gulacti, i̇. e. (2022). visual effects and their importance in the field of visual media creation. journal of graphic engineering and design, 13(2), 5-13. larsen, d. p., london, d. a., & emke, a. r. (2016). using reflection to influence practice: student perceptions of daily reflection in clinical education. perspectives on medical education, 5(5), 285–291. makruf, i., rifa’i, a. a., & triana, y. (2022). moodlebased online learning management in higher education. international journal of instruction, 15(1), 135–152. mandasari, b., & aminatun, d. (2022). investigating teachers’belief and practices toward digital media of english learning during covid-19 pandemic. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 475–484. nafi’ah, u., suprapta, b., & wijaya, d. n. (2019). building the student’s autonomous learning through development of learning resource based on flip-book on the material of tantri relief. in 1st international conference on social knowledge sciences and education (icskse 2018) (pp.82–86), atlantis press. nengsih, y. k., handrianto, c., nurrizalia, m., waty, e. r. k., & shomedran, s. (2022). media and resources development of android based interactive digital textbook in nonformal education. journal of nonformal education, 8(2), 185-191. noermanzah, n., & suryadi, s. (2020). improving students’ ability to analyze discourse through the moodle-based blended learning method. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 81–94. ran, w., & jinglu, l. (2020). the design and development of digital books for e-learning. in 2020 4th international conference on artificial intelligence and virtual reality (pp. 51–55). atlantis press. rashidov, a. s. (2022). using of problem educational technologies in the development of students’creative and logical thinking skills. berlin studies transnational journal of science and humanities, 2(1.5 pedagogical sciences), 262-274. sergis, s., vlachopoulos, p., sampson, d. g., & pelliccione, l. (2017). implementing teaching model templates for supporting flipped classroom-enhanced stem education in moodle. in handbook on digital learning for k-12 schools (pp. 191–215). springer. setiyono, j., sukarni, s., & ngafif, a. (2021). online learning perception during covid-19 pandemic. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 75–82. lungguh halira vonti, abdul rosyid, & poppy sofia hidayati technology-integrated blended class: student reflections on the use of moodle-based digital interactive book 62 steinert, y., mann, k., anderson, b., barnett, b. m., centeno, a., naismith, l., prideaux, d., spencer, j., tullo, e., & viggiano, t. (2016). a systematic review of faculty development initiatives designed to enhance teaching effectiveness: a 10-year update: beme guide no. 40. medical teacher, 38(8), 769–786. takev, m., rodríguez-artacho, m., & somova, e. (2019). creating interactive and traceable epub learning content from moodle courses. mathematics and informatics, 4(62), 459–470. thomas, m. s. c., & rogers, c. (2020). education, the science of learning, and the covid-19 crisis. prospects, 49(1), 87–90. triana, m. j. r., santos, l. p. p., vozniuk, a., boroujeni, m. s., schwendimann, b. a., holzer, a. c., & gillet, d. (2017). monitoring, awareness and reflection in blended technology enhanced learning: a systematic review. international journal of technology enhanced learning, 9(article), 126–150. weiss, d., & bitan, k. (2018). promoting a meaningful learning experience with a born-digital interactive e-book and a digital teaching platform. international journal of learning and teaching, 4(3), 255–258. yot-domínguez, c., & marcelo, c. (2017). university students’ self-regulated learning using digital technologies. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 14(1), 1–18. yugo, f. k., hendriana, h., & afrilianto, m. (2022). the impact of moodle-based learning management systems (lms) on learning achievement in the covid-19 pandemic. empowerment: jurnal ilmiah program studi pendidikan luar sekolah, 11(1), 35–42. zabolotniaia, m., cheng, z., dorozhkin, e., & lyzhin, a. (2020). use of the lms moodle for an effective implementation of an innovative policy in higher educational institutions. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (ijet), 15(13), 172– 189. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 601 empowering young learners: integrating climate change education with bilingual picture books in elt cantika putri program magister pendidikan bahasa, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: cantikapj@gmail.com sary silvhiany* program magister pendidikan bahasa, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: ssilvhiany@unsri.ac.id rita inderawati program magister pendidikan bahasa, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia email: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa scitation: putri, c., silvhiany, s., & inderawati, r. (2024). empowering young learners: integrating climate change education with bilingual picture books in elt. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 601-616. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9889 received: 27-02-2024 accepted: 24-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction climate change is a global issue that is intensively emerging and being studied in various state policies. this is because climate change is considered a major threat to ecosystems, biodiversity and health (calvin et al., 2023). framework convention on climate change (unfccc) climate change came to the conclusion that climate change is primarily cause by human activities that change the composition of the global atmosphere (bevacqua et al., 2020; hsu et al., 2017; skougaard kaspersen et al., 2017). considering the magnitude and wider impacts of climate change, multidisciplinary approach to climate change mitigation is necessary. united nations, through its agencies, has prioritized programs addressing the climate change. one of the united states’ sustainable development goals (sdgs) emphasizes the needs for students to acquire essential knowledge to advance sustainable development to protect our planet (lough, 2023). unesco’s education for sustainable development goals advocate for strengthening the capacities of the nation to provide climate change education in all level of education through integrated components of pedagogy, learning contents, learning outcome, and societal transformation (unesco, 2021; unesco abstract: climate change is a global issue that impacts many people around the world. in recent years, several areas in south sumatra have experienced the uneven impacts of climate change, especially forest fires and drought. reflecting on the environmental problems that occur, this is closely related to the behavior of the community. therefore, climate change education must be provided from the beginning, especially to young learners. this research, conducted at sd it harapan mulia palembang, aims to explore the potential of bilingual picture books in fostering a sense of responsibility and concern for the environment among young learners. by introducing climate change concepts in an accessible and relevant way, this study seeks to empower children to become advocates for environmental sustainability in their communities. additionally, it aims to improve language skills and reading interest among young learners. this research involved 24 young sixth grade elementary school students, a stakeholder, and two english teachers through a mixed methods approach, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews.the findings of this research reveal the enthusiasm of young learners in using bilingual picture books about climate change in the classroom. young learners have their own characteristics of books to use, some of which are based on themes and illustrations, story content, use of two languages, number of pages, and interactive elements such as crossword puzzles or short exercises that can hone their language skills. therefore, researchers suggest that bilingual picture books can be developed and applied as effective and attractive learning media for young learners in english language teaching class. keywords: climate change education; english for young learners; bilingual picturebooks; english language teaching. cantika putri, sary silvhiany, & rita inderawati empowering young learners: integrating climate change education with bilingual picture books in elt 602 office bangkok and regional bureau for education in asia and the pacific, 2024; united nations educational scientific and cultural organization, 2020). the program outcomes focus on good quality of education and empowerment of young generations to be aware of and take actions on climate change (chaleta et al., 2021; kopnina, 2020). at the practical level, (monroe et al., 2019) highlighted the need to identify climate change education strategies to effectively equip individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to meet this challenge. quantitative studies on knowledge, belief, and attitude of preservice teachers and secondary teachers have shown the lack of integration of climate change education in elt (fathinah & silvhiany, 2024; rahmadhani & silvhiany, 2024; silvhiany, rahmadhani, et al., 2023). young learners especially need education to understand the causes, impacts, and solutions of climate change. without adequate training, they may not understand the severity of the problem or the need to mitigate the impact. climate change education for young learners can actually be integrated into literacy learning (putri & silvhiany, 2022) through the use of children’s literature. research has shown the impact of reading children’s literature in raising awareness of multiple issues, such as diversity (durriyah et al., 2023) and the connection between reading and writing (savira & silvhiany, 2022). (cutter-mackenzie & rousell, 2019; rousell & cutter-mackenzie-knowles, 2020) emphasize the importance of giving children and young people a “voice” and “hand” in tackling climate change. by providing education appropriate to their age and level of understanding, people can help them make a positive impact on climate mitigation and change efforts. for students, learning about climate change can engage them and allow them to develop a sense of agency and responsibility for the environment and future generations. education plays an important role in building the resilience and preparedness of young students, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to face the challenges posed by a changing climate. by integrating climate change education into school curricula and activities, people can empower children to be responsible advocates and environmental stewards. additionally, climate change education for young students is important in supporting the culture of sustainability (duggan et al., 2021). in short, the need to provide climate change education integrated into the school subjects. by equipping children with the knowledge, skills, and values they need to tackle this global challenge, we empower them to become agents of change in building the future. through effective educational strategies that emphasize engagement, empowerment, and participation, we can inspire future generations to take significant steps to reduce climate change and protect the world for future generations. climate change education is crucial for all types of education, including english language teaching (elt) classrooms (pratiwi & silvhiany, 2023; silvhiany et al., 2024). by integrating climate change education into various forms of education, we can effectively raise awareness and empower children to take action towards addressing this pressing global issue. research by (bahtić & višnjić jevtić, 2020) emphasizes the importance of involving children and young people as coresearchers in shaping the field of climate change education, highlighting the need for inclusive and participatory approaches. the socialization of climate change education from the early level is crucial and supported by the ministry of education, culture, research, and technology through the provision of material on climate change and its impacts on the pancasila student profile in the independent curriculum. to achieve this goal to be achieved immediately, it is necessary to have teaching media that suit the needs and characteristics of students. one way to incorporate climate change education into elt classrooms for young learners is through the use of dual language picture books. (daly et al., 2023) discuss the role of dual language picture books as resources for multilingualism, where children can inquire about language and content while engaging with climate-related themes. these picture books provide a platform for language learning and environmental awareness, allowing young learners to explore concepts related to climate change in a language they are comfortable with. moreover, the quality of children's bilingual picture books plays a significant role in promoting climate change education in elt classrooms. (prancisca & chappell, 2022) emphasizes the importance of rethinking the quality of bilingual picture books to ensure they effectively convey messages about environmental conservation and sustainability. by selecting high-quality bilingual picture books with engaging illustrations and ageappropriate content, educators can create english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 603 immersive learning experiences that foster children's understanding of climate change and its implications. in addition to bilingual picture books, climate fiction can also be a valuable resource for integrating climate change education into elt classrooms for young learners. (lindgren leavenworth & manni, 2021) discuss the potential of climate fiction to stimulate young learners' thoughts and engage them in critical discussions about environmental issues. by incorporating climate fiction into language learning activities, educators can encourage children to explore diverse perspectives on climate change and develop empathy towards the environment. picture book creators can serve as translingual writing mentors, contributing to the development of materials that promote climate change education in elt classrooms. (machado & flores, 2021) highlight the role of picture book creators in fostering translingual writing practices, where multiple languages are used to convey complex ideas and emotions. by collaborating with picture book creators from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, educators can access a wide range of resources to support climate change education in elt classrooms. picture book is a type of book that contains fiction or non-fiction stories presented in narrative form. picture books can contain short stories, novels, autobiographies, biographies, children's stories, and so on. picture books are usually written in prose using creative language to make stories more interesting and easy to understand. picture books can be used as a source of entertainment, self-development, or learning, depending on the type of story presented and the purpose of the reader reading the book. in this study, picture books will be packaged in two languages, which is english and indonesian. this is applied to make it easier for children to understand the contents of the story, increase understanding of grammar, and expand vocabulary. picture books make it easier for students to imagine and feel almost the same situations as stories. picture books are not only in the form of text, but are also accompanied by related pictures. in other words, children can see situations visually and develop their imagination. in line with this, story books are a type of book that combines the use of text and images to present aesthetic value. in elt classrooms for young learners, it is essential to adopt a holistic approach to climate change education that integrates language learning with environmental awareness and action. through interactive activities such as storytelling, role-playing, and project-based learning, educators can create dynamic learning environments where children can explore climaterelated topics in meaningful ways. by incorporating climate change education into various forms of education, including elt classrooms, the researcher can equip young learners with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to become active participants in addressing climate change and building a sustainable future for all (maskana et al., 2024; salma & silvhiany, 2024). in understanding research, the researcher finds gaps—places where there is not enough information or study. from the work of (mochizuki & bryan, 2015) and (li et al., 2021), the researchers see a need for more research on climate change education, especially for young learners. while some studies explore strategies for teaching about climate change in higher education (silvhiany et al., 2024; silvhiany, kurniawan, et al., 2023), there is still much to learn about how to effectively educate children and young people on this important topic. additionally, although research on bilingual picture books exists (sun et al., 2022; wiraatmaja et al., 2021; wissman, 2020), there is a gap in understanding how these books can be used to integrate climate change education into english language teaching (elt) for young learners. the research niche lies in the intersection of climate change education, bilingual picture books, and elt for young learners. while climate change education is vital for preparing future generations to address environmental challenges, there is limited research on how to incorporate this topic into language learning contexts, especially for young learners who are still developing their language skills. by designing bilingual picture books that address climate change themes, educators can provide young learners with engaging resources that support both language acquisition and environmental literacy. this approach fills a gap in current research by offering innovative strategies for integrating climate change education into elt curricula. the novelty of this research lies in its focus on designing bilingual picture books specifically to support the integration of climate change education in elt for young learners. while existing studies have explored the use of picture books in language learning contexts, few have examined their potential to convey complex environmental concepts such as climate change cantika putri, sary silvhiany, & rita inderawati empowering young learners: integrating climate change education with bilingual picture books in elt 604 (muthukrishnan, 2019; op de beeck, 2018). by creating bilingual picture books that feature climate change themes, educators can provide young learners with accessible resources that enhance their language skills while also fostering environmental awareness and understanding (schneider-mayerson et al., 2020; swain, 2020). this innovative approach not only addresses a gap in current research but also offers a practical solution for educators seeking to incorporate climate change education into elt for young learners. in summary, the research gap identified in previous studies highlights the need for more research on integrating climate change education into elt for young learners. education for young learners in south sumatra reflects unique dynamics involving various key factors such as quality of education, accessibility, cultural diversity, innovation in learning, and the role of parents and society. there are still issues with significant efforts to improve educational standards, especially in relation to children who live in rural and isolated areas which having access to an education. while regional and national governments are working to raise educational quality through initiatives like the “smart indonesia program” and ‘dana bos”, challenges like restricted access in facilities and infrastructure is still need to be solved. cultural diversity is also an important factor, as south sumatra has a variety of ethnic and linguistic communities, which demands an inclusive approach to education. innovations in learning, such as the use of technology and project-based approaches, have been adopted by some schools to increase learners’ engagement. the role of parents and the community is also crucial, by involving them in school activities and making them aware of the importance of education. one of them is using bilingual picture book media, through this media all children can get equal information especially about climate change. it is not only focused on children who live in cities, but also in rural areas. according to preliminary results from informal interviews with english teachers at sd it harapan mulia palembang, the use of bilingual picture books that address the climate change topic in the english learning process is extremely uncommon in classrooms. regarding the increasing effects of climate change on daily life, it is critical to provide young learners, particularly in schools, with a fundamental understanding of climate change from an early age. young learners can better absorb information when it is provided interestingly, such as designing bilingual picture books. by those books that address climate change themes, educators can fill this gap and provide innovative resources that support both language learning and environmental literacy. this research niche offers a novel approach to addressing the urgent need for climate change education among young learners, paving the way for more effective and engaging instructional practices in the field of elt by using bilingual picture books. as a result of their current awareness, individuals may foster environmentally conscious behavior and encourage good change in society as a whole. the pre-production process involves an indepth needs analysis, which includes target situation analysis, deficiency analysis, present situation analysis, and strategy analysis. the researcher aims to develop strategies for integrating bilingual picture book media on climate change into the english learning process in the classroom by conducting an in-depth investigation of young learners' and teacher perspectives. the study question is: how can the use and criteria for bilingual picture book media adapted to the particular needs of 6th-grade children at sd it harapan mulia, allowing them to quickly process information about climate change? method this research focuses on designing bilingual picture books to facilitate the integration of climate change awareness in the english language teaching class. this research uses a mixed methods strategy that combines quantitative and qualitative approaches. a quantitative approach obtained through questionnaires was used for data analysis. then the information obtained from the interviews was analyzed using a qualitative approach. by using these two approaches, researcher can measure learners and teacher perceptions through questionnaires while gaining in-depth insights through semi-structured interviews. the research was conducted at sd it harapan mulia palembang, involving a population of 130 students from five 6th grade classes, a stakeholder, and two english teachers. sampling used purposive, which limited the research sample to one class consisting of 24 students, one stakeholder, and two english teachers. data collection involved the use of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. the inclusion of the participants was based on the considerations of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 605 relevance and necessity. bilingual books were designed to accommodate the needs to provide english learning media which integrates climate change education in the sixth grade as the transition to learning english at the upper level of middle school. teachers and stakeholders were chosen to provide insights about curriculum integration. the questionnaire used in this research follows the importance of needs analysis in designing learning materials (spatioti et al., 2022). by using quantitative methods through questionnaires, researchers can identify the needs and aspirations of young learners regarding bilingual picture books about climate change. this helps ensure that the materials developed meet student needs. questionnaire items are divided into three categories: target situation analysis (tsa), deficiency analysis, and present situation analysis (psa). tsa focuses on the learner's needs to achieve certain learning goals, deficiency analysis evaluates the gap between the current situation and the target, while psa evaluates current conditions and abilities. approximately 40 varied items in the questionnaire were administered to grade 6 learners and teachers. in the process of collecting questionnaire data, researchers needed quite a long time due to the large number of questions. besides that, there was some unfamiliar vocabularies in the questionnaire, it made the researcher have to explained. this approach allowed researchers to understand the learning context and explore areas where bilingual picture book materials can provide added value. apart from the questionnaire, the researcher also conducted semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and two english teachers. the researcher provided 10 questions which discussed about the context of english language teaching in elementary schools, variations in english literacy media, and the potential of bilingual picture books on the theme of climate change. in this process, researcher also needed several days to get complete information, because they have to adjust to the free hours of stakeholders and english teachers. by using this qualitative method, research obtains a broader and deeper perspective on how learning material can be applied effectively. with this combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, research is able to explore various important aspects related to the integration of bilingual picture books in the learning process. this method provides a strong foundation for developing materials that suit the needs and interests of young learners, as well as providing useful insights for educators and stakeholders regarding the application of bilingual picture books in broader educational contexts. results and discussion this research examines the needs of students and the responses of english teachers also a stake holder regarding the use of bilingual picture books about climate. the investigation was divided into two parts: survey and interview. the students’ needs viewed by the students the data was obtained by considering students’ viewpoints on their needs in target situation analysis (tsa), deficiencies analysis, and present situation analysis (psa). the tables and figures in the article illustrate the predominant percentage of students’ answers to each query in the questionnaire. target situation analysis (tsa) this part focused on the students' needs, general intentions, and expectations in learning english. table 1 displays the data collected. table 1. the students’ view on tsa no. question/statement students’ view percen tage 1. the importance of learning english to help students to communicate with other people 66.7% 2. the students’ expectation toward learning english to interact orally using english fluently in future careers 79.2% 3. english language learning is directed to learning with more specific topics agree 58.3% 4. education about climate change should be included in the primary school curriculum agree 50% 5. using climate change as a theme for english teaching can make learning more interesting and appropriate for students agree 54.2% cantika putri, sary silvhiany, & rita inderawati empowering young learners: integrating climate change education with bilingual picture books in elt 606 according to table 1, students perceive the significance of learning english, with 66.7% expressing that they believe english is crucial for effective communication. additionally, 79.2% of students believe that english facilitates interaction. the survey indicates that specific english learning topics can be tailored to students' needs (58.3% agree), with 50% agreeing that climate change is a suitable inclusion in the primary school curriculum. moreover, 54.2% agree that the topic of climate change can enhance the overall appeal of the learning process. deficiency analysis in this section, it examined the current preferences and needs of the students, as well as the deficiencies or inadequacies in their target situations. table 2 presents the data about students' current preferences and needs related to topics or input for learning bilingual picture books. table 2. the students’ view on current needs no . questions/statement students ’ view percent age 1. teachers play an important role in shaping my character so that i care about the impacts of climate change. agree 54.2 % 2. teachers play an important role in disseminating knowledge of climate change. strongly agree 58.3 % 3. teachers play important role in implementing climate change prevention efforts in everyday life. agree 62.5 % 4. using bilingual picture books as teaching material about climate change is needed 50 % 5. i may have misconceptions about climate change that need to be addressed through education. agree 54.2 % table 2 emphasized the significant role of teachers in molding students' character to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change, with 54.2% agreeing. furthermore, 58.3% of students strongly agreed that teachers also play a crucial role in disseminating knowledge about climate change. this understanding of climate change can be utilized as a preventive measure against its effects, as supported by 62.5% of students. consequently, there is a demand for learning materials on climate change, with 50% of students expressing a need for bilingual picture books. however, there might be a misconception among students (54.2%) regarding climate change, emphasizing the importance of addressing this in an educational setting. figure 1. climate change education impacts language skills development according to figure 1, a majority of students (58.3%) strongly agree, and 37.5% agree that climate change education can assist in enhancing language skills, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening. figure 2. climate change bilingual picture book involvement in education the information represented in figure 2 indicates that employing bilingual picture books receives strong support from students for enhancing their learning and engagement in climate change education, with 50% strongly agreeing and 45.8% in agreement. present situation analysis (psa) this section focused on the materials already studied and supplied, assessing students' current proficiency in english, and their knowledge of climate change. the analysis of the present situation (psa) serves as a pivotal element in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 607 designing bilingual picture books about climate change. table 3. the existing materials learned and students’ proficiency level no . questions/statement students’ view perce ntage 1. students’ current proficiency level of english intermed iate 50 % 2. students’ current literacy (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) skills in english good 54.2 % 3. in the teaching and learning process, my english teacher frequently provides bilingual picture books along with questions about climate change never 70.8 % 4. i need more education about the causes and impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and their impact on biodiversity. strongly agree 54.2 % 5. i need to learn about appropriate actions as an individual and as a community to reduce the impacts of climate change. strongly agree 52.2 % 6. i need an education that suits my needs and interest in learning about climate change. strongly agree 62.5 % 7. i need to learn about the economic, social, and political factors related to climate change. strongly agree 62.5 % 8. i need an education that uses a variety of media and materials to learn about climate change. strongly agree 66.7 % according to table 3, 50% of students have an intermediate level of proficiency in english. additionally, a majority of students (54.2%) perceive their current literacy skills as good. however, 70.8% of students agree that their english teachers have not provided learning materials in the form of climate change bilingual picture books. consequently, a significant portion of students (54.2%) strongly agree that they require materials on climate change for their english learning. furthermore, there is a strong consensus among students that they need to learn appropriate actions to mitigate the impact of climate change (54.2%). in addition to catering to developmental and linguistic needs, the educational material should align with the curriculum objectives, ensuring a seamless integration into the elementary school curriculum. collaborative efforts involving educators, curriculum developers, and environmental experts can contribute to the creation of effective and impactful materials. a well-designed climate change education program for elementary school should prioritize materials that are developmentally appropriate, linguistically accessible, culturally inclusive, and aligned with curriculum goals, fostering a meaningful and impactful learning experience (axelrod et al., 2020). moreover, students express a desire for education tailored to their needs and interests in learning about climate change (62.5%), suggesting a focus on more topics related to climate change (62.5%), and a need for a variety of methods and materials in learning about climate change (66.7%). figure 3. students’ difficulties in reading according to the information presented in figure 3, students encountered challenges in reading, with 37.5% agreeing that they faced difficulties in concluding cause and effect from reading texts. additionally, 25% of students experienced challenges in understanding detailed information during reading. some students encountered difficulties in sequencing the events of a story (8.3%), while others faced challenges in understanding new vocabulary (29.2%). table 4. the students’ view on current wants no . questions/statement students’ view perce ntage 1. topic desired by students in reading bilingual picture books daily life 54.2 % 2. when reading text 95.8 cantika putri, sary silvhiany, & rita inderawati empowering young learners: integrating climate change education with bilingual picture books in elt 608 bilingual picture books, the form that suits me is... accompani ed by images inside two languages (english & indonesia) % 3. a convenient way to read a bilingual picture book about climate change is ... directly (printed book) 79.2 % 4. bilingual picture books can be an effective medium for learning about climate change. agree 54.2 % 5. elementary schools should use bilingual picture books to teach about climate change often 58.3 % 6. number of pages of the most effective bilingual picture books on climate change 15-20 pages 54.2 % 7. translation of sentences in bilingual picture books very important 82.6 % in table 4, the preferred topic for learning through bilingual picture books, as indicated by 54.2% of students, is daily life. notably, a significant majority of students (95.8%) expressed the need for bilingual picture books with text accompanied by images in both english and indonesian languages. the preferred format for these books is printed (79.2%). students believe that bilingual picture books can serve as an effective medium for learning about climate change, with 54.2% agreeing. specifically, students recommend the use of bilingual picture books in elementary schools to teach climate change material (58.3%). preferences regarding the length of these books revolve around 15-20 pages (54.2%). furthermore, 82.6% of students consider translation to be very important. incorporating a diverse range of multimedia elements, including vibrant illustrations, interactive activities, and straightforward language, can significantly boost elementary students' comprehension of climate change concepts. colorful visuals capture their attention and make complex ideas more accessible, creating an engaging and visually stimulating learning environment (sun et al., 2022). figure 4. the most effective type of bilingual picture book for learning about climate change meanwhile, students also have preferences for the type of bilingual picture book for learning about climate change. the most favored type was fable (54%), followed by fairy tale (25%), education/science story (17%), and lastly, folklore (4%). figure 5. aspects of climate change that need to be included in bilingual picture books in designing a bilingual picture book centered around climate change, students identified certain crucial aspects that should be included. the highest importance was placed on environmental damage (66.7%), followed by climate (12.5%) and earth (8.3%). extreme weather, natural disasters, and temperature aspects were considered equally at 4.2%. notably, none of the students considered the greenhouse effect to be a necessary inclusion in a climate change-based bilingual picture book. table 5. the students’ knowledge about climate change and picture book no. questions/statement students’ view percent age 1. students’ knowledge about climate change good 37.5 % 2. students’ knowledge about picture books good 47.8 % 3. the aspects of climate 37.5 % english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 609 climate change that students know 4. the way students know about climate change external reading sources school 33.3 % 5. the way students know about bilingual picture books external reading sources school 37.5 % 6. the scope of climate change and a bilingual picture book that the students know in students’ place only 37.5 % 7. the students’ knowledge level of climate change only as general information 37.5 % 8. the students’ knowledge level of bilingual picture book only as general information 50 % 9. thing students can do to prevent climate change saves usage energy at home 45.8 % according to table 5, students perceive their knowledge of climate change (37.5%) and bilingual picture books (47.85%) to be good. their understanding of climate aspects comes from external sources, with 37.5% gaining knowledge from reading bilingual picture books outside of school. however, the students' awareness of climate change and bilingual picture books is limited to information from their immediate surroundings (37.5%). consequently, their knowledge about climate change (37.5%) and bilingual picture books (50%) remains at a general level. in terms of practical measures, 45.8% of students actively engage in preventing climate change by conserving energy in their households. figure 6. the various types of bilingual picture books students know lastly, figure 6 presents data on the types of bilingual picture books that students are already familiar with. the most recognized type is fairy tale (50%), followed by educational/science story (21%), fable (17%), all types (8%), and lastly, folklore (17%). this information sheds light on the preferences and exposure of students to various genres of bilingual picture books, providing valuable insights for educators and curriculum planners aiming to enhance language acquisition and cultural awareness through diverse literary materials. the students’ needs viewed by the english teachers from the perspectives of the stakeholder based on the interview conducted with english teachers and the vice principal of academic affairs at sd it harapan mulia palembang, the teachers and stakeholder emphasized the significance of climate change and its importance in the educational context. “climate change is the alteration of the conditions in a specific region due to the influence of the weather and the atmosphere of that area. young learners need to learn about climate change.” “climate change is the alteration of the earth's atmospheric physical conditions, including temperature and distribution of rainfall, which has widespread impacts across various sectors of human life. lessons on climate change are crucial for students to comprehend the climate in a particular region and anticipate the impacts arising due to such climate change.” “climate change is a condition where there is a difference in conditions compared to previous conditions in terms of earth's temperature, weather, rainfall, and other factors related to climatology” the interview emphasized that incorporating climate change into the curriculum, specifically through bilingual picture books, can serve as a powerful means to raise awareness and educate students. the teacher emphasized the potential of bilingual picture books to not only enhance language skills but also to instill essential environmental knowledge and values. “it is already in the curriculum. the topic is about seasons and weather, with skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.” cantika putri, sary silvhiany, & rita inderawati empowering young learners: integrating climate change education with bilingual picture books in elt 610 “the discussion on climate change in grade 6 is under theme 6, sub-theme 3, covering topics such as global warming, characteristics of climate change, and ways to care for the earth.” “as far as i know, yes, there have been discussions about climate change in the curriculum, especially in the independent curriculum. the topic can be found in discussions about seasons and weather in phase c in elementary grade 5 or 6.” to facilitate effective learning, incorporating bilingual elements into the picture book becomes crucial. the content of the educational materials should be tailored to spark curiosity and foster a sense of environmental responsibility. moreover, considering the diverse linguistic backgrounds of elementary students, incorporating bilingual elements in the educational materials can further enhance comprehension and inclusivity. this approach not only supports students with varying language proficiencies but also encourages a broader appreciation for perspectives related to climate change. research by (swain, 2020) indicates that integrating language learning with climate change topics enhances comprehension and fosters a sense of familiarity, inspiring students to articulate their perspectives on climate change in both languages. this aligns with the program’s objective of preparing students to communicate about environmental topics in different languages. however, there are limitations in terms of materials and media used to educate students about climate change at sd it harapan mulia palembang. frequently, teachers resort to employing descriptive reading texts to enhance reading comprehension. “we often use descriptive text reading comprehension materials.” “the teacher’s guidebook and several other supporting books.” “since i am an english teacher, i mostly use descriptive and narrative text types.” as per the information provided by the english teacher, no bilingual picture books have been utilized thus far for teaching about climate change. “i have not used bilingual picture books to introduce climate change to young learners.” “not yet” “never” utilizing bilingual picture books for teaching about climate change issues is deemed important, as it can also enhance students' productive skills. the visual and linguistic elements of bilingual picture books offer a unique and engaging way to present complex topics like climate change. “in my opinion, the role of bilingual picture books is extremely important in the learning process because they greatly assist young learners in understanding the text easily, especially for those with various english language skills levels.” “bilingual picture books are important in supporting the learning process. with the presence of bilingual books accompanied by pictures, young learners will find it easier to imagine the conditions or events of climate change compared to books filled only with text. as a result, young learners will understand the material more quickly and also acquire new vocabulary.” “it's important, although i haven't implemented it yet because it helps students to understand the material in the book more easily.” based on the interview, the teacher mentioned that the suitable type of bilingual picture book for young learners can be fairy or fable stories that relate to the topic of climate change. the teacher's insights emphasize the importance of selecting engaging and relatable content that captures the interest of young students. by incorporating elements of fantasy and storytelling, such as fairy tales or fables, educators can make the learning experience more enjoyable and accessible for elementary school students. “the suitable type of bilingual picture books for young learners is fiction stories, like fairy tales or fables. an appropriate climate change topic is the variations in weather and seasons in our country (indonesia).” “young learners are usually more interested in books that are imaginative, such as stories about humans and animals. the topics used can be natural disasters or environmental damage in their living environment, such as floods caused by the habit of littering.” english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 611 “bilingual fiction books about natural disasters and environmental damage are important because they are closely related to children's daily surroundings.” the importance of creating an engaging and visually appealing bilingual picture book was emphasized in the interview. the teacher highlighted that the overall quality, including the cover design, color scheme, and interesting illustrations, plays a crucial role in capturing the attention of young learners. “suitable criteria for bilingual picture books for young learners according to cover include an appealing and full-color, the use of ageappropriate basic vocabulary in the content, and for book anatomy has legible font size for easy reading and understanding.” “the criteria for suitable books for students are colorful covers with attractive pictures to engage students in studying the book, content that aligns with the learning material and contains colorful images relevant to the learning material, and clear font usage to ensure students do not have difficulty understanding the book's content.” “in terms of the cover, it should be attractive to engage young learners to interact with the book. in terms of content, it should be easily understandable by young learners, and in terms of anatomy, it should use appealing fonts and appropriate font sizes and spacing.” based on this interview, it uncovers a compelling need to design bilingual picture books addressing the topic of climate change for elementary school students. the recognition of students’ familiarity and interest in genres like fairy tales and educational/science stories signifies the promising potential of bilingual picture books as effective educational tools. by designing materials in a bilingual format, we can not only enrich language skills but also instill crucial knowledge and values about environmental issues right from the early stages of education. by incorporating climate change content into bilingual picture books, we pave the way for a multifaceted learning experience, contributing not only to language proficiency but also to a deeper understanding of critical global issues. this educational approach not only addresses language acquisition but also nurtures a sense of environmental responsibility, equipping students with the awareness and knowledge needed to become informed global citizens. in the learning process, young learners need to understand the various types of weather, the different seasons in their country, and the weather changes that occur during each season. this foundational knowledge not only contributes to their understanding of the natural world but also helps them develop a sense of environmental awareness from an early age. “young learners should understand the various types of weather, different seasons in their country, and the weather changes that occur during each season.” “understanding the causes and effects of climate change enables students to comprehend and be vigilant about potential climate change occurrences. moreover, they may take further action to preserve their surrounding environment.” “understanding the factors and impacts of climate change so that students have a greater awareness of climate change.” in the learning process, young learners are expected to develop several key abilities when exploring the topic of climate change. the interconnected abilities empower young learners to actively engage with their surroundings, promoting a holistic and informed perspective on the complexities of climate change. “the expected abilities when young learners learn about climate change are the ability to identify types of weather and seasons, the ability to analyze different weather patterns and seasons, and the ability to find information about various types of weather and seasons in climate change.” “reading skill with accurate pronunciation and also writing skill with proper english language structure.” “by using bilingual picture books, it helps to increase reading comprehension skills for young learners.” bilingual picture books about climate change have a profoundly positive impact on young learners. inspire curiosity, nurture language skills, and instill a foundational understanding of environmental stewardship, preparing the next generation to become informed and environmentally conscious global citizens. cantika putri, sary silvhiany, & rita inderawati empowering young learners: integrating climate change education with bilingual picture books in elt 612 “the influence of bilingual picture books used in climate change education has a significant positive impact. by using bilingual picture books, young learners can easily understand what climate change is, as well as the types of weather and seasons in countries around the world.” “yes, of course, it can certainly have a positive impact on students to be more caring about their surroundings.” “yes, of course, because there is basic knowledge, and the teacher can explain more.” hence, based on the teacher’s explanation, there is a clear necessity to design bilingual picture books about the topic of climate change for elementary school students. the identified familiarity and interest of students in certain genres, such as fairy tales and educational/science stories, underscore the potential effectiveness of using bilingual picture books as educational tools. creating materials that address climate change in a bilingual format can serve not only to enhance language skills but also to instill important knowledge and values related to environmental issues from an early age. (niland, 2023) states picture books offer settings that help in the language and literacy development of young readers. not only do they often include both spoken and visual texts, but they also include children in the process of creating meaning by encouraging discussion and creative thinking. this aligns with the intention to provide engaging and informative resources that contribute to students' holistic development and understanding of critical global issues. conclusion the findings of this study emphasize a strong need for bilingual picture books addressing climate change in elementary school education. specifically, there is a clear demand for such materials within the curriculum designed for young learners. the needs analysis revealed learners expressed a strong desire for reading materials that cover topics related to climate change. this sentiment is supported by insights from both elementary school teachers and a stakeholder, who agree that integrating climate change issues into educational materials aligns well with the current curriculum objectives for young learners. these findings provide valuable insights into the specific needs, preferences, and desires regarding bilingual learning materials, particularly within the context of climate change education. they form a strong foundation for creating bilingual picture books tailored to meet these unique requirements. this research makes a significant contribution in understanding the important criteria for bilingual picture books about climate change in basic education, especially for teachers, policymakers and researchers. teachers can enhance young learners' comprehension and add excitement to their lessons by utilizing bilingual picture books interactively in conjunction with group discussions, practical exercises, and group projects that address climate change. additionally, they are encouraged to collaborate with parents in family activities that carry over what they learn in school to the home. teachers must obtain specialized training on the use of bilingual picture books, as well as bilingual teaching strategies and approaches for assessing learners' understanding, in order to increase their efficacy. policymakers are advised to include bilingual picture books on climate change in national curricula to ensure this important topic is taught in primary education. additionally, they must provide sufficient resources and funding for the production and publication of bilingual picture books, encouraging publishers and writers to produce educational resources that are appropriate for young readers. furthermore, in order to guarantee that the materials produced stay up-todate in regard to the most recent developments in environmental education, governments should support additional research on bilingual picture books and climate change education. in order to gain a deeper understanding of the influence of bilingual picture books on learning and climate change awareness, researchers are also recommended to use a variety of study methodologies, including as surveys, interviews, and case studies. for the generality of the findings and to extend the study's scope, cross-cultural research is also required. research that crosses cultural boundaries offers a more thorough understanding of the requirements of learners in various environments. as a way for research to be realistically applied and to promote good education policies, researchers must work together with teachers and policy makers to facilitate the application of study findings in primary school education. this research highlight the importance of bilingual picture books about climate change in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 613 primary school education, but it has several limitations. the relatively small sample size and limited locations may reduce the possibility of generalizing the results to the entire population of elementary school learners. additionally, a short research period may not be sufficient to evaluate the long-term impact of using bilingual picture books in climate change learning. the research methods used are also less diverse, so further research is needed with a more comprehensive approach, including various qualitative and quantitative methods. to overcome these limitations, future research needs to expand coverage to different regions and cultures, and involve more participants and stakeholders. acknowledgement we would like thank universitas sriwijaya for its support on this project through research grant dipa of public service agency of universitas sriwijaya dipa-023.17.2.677515/2023, in accordance with the rector’s decree number: 0188/un9.3.1/sk/2023. references axelrod, y. d., ives, d., & weaver, r. (2020). we are all learning about climate change: teaching with picture books to engage teachers and students. occasional paper series, 2020(44). https://doi.org/10.58295/2375-3668.1367 bahtić, k., & višnjić jevtić, a. (2020). young children’s conceptions of sustainability in croatia. international journal of early childhood, 52(2), 195–211. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-020-00266-4 bevacqua, e., vousdoukas, m. i., zappa, g., hodges, k., shepherd, t. g., maraun, d., mentaschi, l., & feyen, l. (2020). more meteorological events that drive compound coastal flooding are projected under climate change. communications earth & environment, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-020-00044-z calvin, k., dasgupta, d., krinner, g., mukherji, a., thorne, p. w., trisos, c., romero, j., aldunce, p., barrett, k., blanco, g., cheung, w. w. l., connors, s., denton, f., diongue-niang, a., dodman, d., garschagen, m., geden, o., hayward, b., jones, c., ha, m. (2023). ipcc, 2023: climate change 2023: synthesis report. contribution of working groups i, ii and iii to the sixth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change [core writing team, h. lee and j. romero (eds.)]. ipcc, geneva, switzerland. https://doi.org/10.59327/ipcc/ar69789291691647 chaleta, e., saraiva, m., leal, f., fialho, i., & borralho, a. (2021). higher education and sustainable development goals (sdg)— potential contribution of the undergraduate courses of the school of social sciences of the university of évora. sustainability, 13(4), 1828. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041828 cutter-mackenzie, a., & rousell, d. (2019). education for what? shaping the field of climate change education with children and young people as co-researchers. children’s geographies, 17(1), 90–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2018.146755 6 daly, n., kleker, d., & short, k. g. (2023). dual language picturebooks as resources for multilingualism: children as language inquirers. language arts, 100(3), 206–218. https://doi.org/10.58680/la202332263 duggan, g. l., jarre, a., & murray, g. (2021). learning for change: integrated teaching modules and situated learning for marine socialecological systems change. the journal of environmental education, 52(2), 118–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2020.185252 4 durriyah, t. l., parlindungan, f., dewayani, s., silvhiany, s., & amos, y. (2023). indonesian literacy teachers’ efforts to integrate children’s literature in literacy classrooms. the australian journal of language and literacy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44020-023-00056-0 fathinah, t. a., & silvhiany, s. (2024). investigating preservice teachers’ knowledge, belief, and attitude about climate change in relation to preparedness to integrate climate change issues in elt. universitas sriwijaya. hsu, t.-w., shih, d.-s., li, c.-y., lan, y.-j., & lin, y.-c. (2017). a study on coastal flooding and risk assessment under climate change in the mid-western coast of taiwan. water, 9(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/w9060390 kopnina, h. (2020). education for the future? critical evaluation of education for sustainable development goals. the journal of environmental education, 51(4), 280–291. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2019.171044 4 li, c. j., monroe, m. c., oxarart, a., & ritchie, t. (2021). building teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching about climate change through educative curriculum and professional development. applied environmental education & communication, 20(1), 34–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015x.2019.161780 6 lindgren leavenworth, m., & manni, a. (2021). climate fiction and young learners’ thoughts—a dialogue between literature and education. environmental education research, 27(5), 727–742. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2020.185634 cantika putri, sary silvhiany, & rita inderawati empowering young learners: integrating climate change education with bilingual picture books in elt 614 5 lough, d. m. (2023). curriculum and learning for climate action: toward an sdg 4.7 roadmap for systems change. leadership and policy in schools, 22(2), 545–548. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2022.215773 9 machado, e., & flores, t. t. (2021). picturebook creators as translingual writing mentors. language arts, 98(5), 235–245. https://doi.org/10.58680/la202131211 maskana, n., silvhiany, s., & mirizon, s. (2024). unlocking the needs to design audiovisual media to incorporate climate change education in elt. journal of english education and teaching home current archives anno, 8(1), 106–128. mochizuki, y., & bryan, a. (2015). climate change education in the context of education for sustainable development: rationale and principles. journal of education for sustainable development, 9(1), 4–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/0973408215569109 monroe, m. c., plate, r. r., oxarart, a., bowers, a., & chaves, w. a. (2019). identifying effective climate change education strategies: a systematic review of the research. environmental education research, 25(6). https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.136084 2 muthukrishnan, r. (2019). using picture books to enhance ecoliteracy of first-grade students. international journal of early childhood environmental education, 6(2), 19–41. niland, a. (2023). picture books, imagination and play: pathways to positive reading identities for young children. education sciences, 13(5), 511. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13050511 op de beeck, n. (2018). children’s ecoliterature and the new nature study. children’s literature in education, 49(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-018-9347-9 prancisca, s., & chappell, c. (2022). evaluation of bilingual book for english language learning. journal of english language teaching innovations and materials (jeltim), 4(2), 144. https://doi.org/10.26418/jeltim.v4i2.55665 pratiwi, m., & silvhiany, s. (2023). exploring english education students’ awareness of climate change education through multimodal creative writing. universitas sriwijaya. putri, c., & silvhiany, s. (2022). exploring the use of picture books about environment in supporting marginal children’s development of ecoliteracy. sriwijaya university. rahmadhani, s., & silvhiany, s. (2024). investigating teachers’ knowledge, belief, and attitude about climate change in relation to preparedness to integrate climate change issues in elt. universitas sriwijaya. rousell, d., & cutter-mackenzie-knowles, a. (2020). a systematic review of climate change education: giving children and young people a ‘voice’ and a ‘hand’ in redressing climate change. children’s geographies, 18(2), 191– 208. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2019.161453 2 salma, l. r. f., & silvhiany, s. (2024). designing children’s books to support the inclusion of ecological sustainability in elt. universitas sriwijaya. savira, s. a., & silvhiany, s. (2022). tracing the english language literacy in collaborative writing among the marginalized teenagers . universitas sriwijaya. schneider-mayerson, m., gustafson, a., leiserowitz, a., goldberg, m. h., rosenthal, s. a., & ballew, m. (2020). environmental literature as persuasion: an experimental test of the effects of reading climate fiction. environmental communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2020.181437 7 silvhiany, s., kurniawan, d., & safrina, s. (2023). climate change awareness in elt: ethnography in connected learning and ecojustice pedagogy. journal of english language teaching innovations and materials, 5(2), 91–109. silvhiany, s., kurniawan, d., & safrina, s. (2024). teaching about climate change in efl teacher education: curricular engagement for critical awareness. 020063. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0201005 silvhiany, s., rahmadhani, s., inderawati, r., meilinda, m., & trilestari, k. (2023). integrating climate change into english language teaching: a survey of indonesian teachers’ preparedness and perspectives. voice of english language education society, 7(3), 801–815. skougaard kaspersen, p., høegh ravn, n., arnbjergnielsen, k., madsen, h., & drews, m. (2017). comparison of the impacts of urban development and climate change on exposing european cities to pluvial flooding. hydrology and earth system sciences, 21(8). https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4131-2017 spatioti, a. g., kazanidis, i., & pange, j. (2022). a comparative study of the addie instructional design model in distance education. information, 13(9), 402. https://doi.org/10.3390/info13090402 sun, h., roberts, a. c., & bus, a. (2022). bilingual children’s visual attention while reading digital picture books and story retelling. journal of experimental child psychology, 215, 105327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105327 swain, k. (2020). children’s picture books in an age of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 615 climate anxiety. the lancet child & adolescent health, 4(9), 650–651. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2352-4642(20)30253-4 unesco. (2021). education for sustainable development. united nations education and scientific and cultural organization. unesco office bangkok and regional bureau for education in asia and the pacific. (2024). greening education partnership: getting every learner climate-ready. united nations educational scientific and cultural organization. (2020). education for sustainable development: a roadmap. unesco. wiraatmaja, t., wardani, a. n., & warnanda s., k. n. (2021). implementing bilingual story-telling picture book to reinforce character education for pre-schoolers in english extracurricular activity. project (professional journal of english education), 4(3), 504. https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v4i3.p504-512 wissman, k. k. (2020). “we are stories”: centering picturebooks in the reading support class. the reading teacher, 74(2), 201–207. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1916 cantika putri, sary silvhiany, & rita inderawati empowering young learners: integrating climate change education with bilingual picture books in elt 616 dinamika pengarusutamaan gender english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 537 empowering esp learners through business meeting simulations: insights on challenges and opportunities latifa ika sari port and shipping management department, politeknik ilmu pelayaran semarang, semarang, indonesia email: latifa.ika@gmail.com ria hermina sari nautical studies department, politeknik ilmu pelayaran semarang, semarang, indonesia email: ria.hermina.sari@gmail.com yozar firdaus amrullah port and shipping management department, politeknik ilmu pelayaran semarang, semarang, indonesia email: yozar@pip-semarang.ac.id apa scitation: sari, l. i., & sari, r. h., & amrullah, y. f. (2024). empowering esp learners through business meeting simulations: insights on challenges and opportunities. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 537-546. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9267 received: 28-02-2024 accepted: 21-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction communicative competence is considered significant in language learning to support students’ speaking skills. it has been widely recognized that knowledge of grammar and vocabulary is not enough to make students able to communicate effectively and fluently using english. many english teachers have switched from the traditional teaching method which focused on grammar to more communicative and interactive methods. this is conducted to encourage students to actively practice their english and boost their english communication abilities (giang et al., 2023; volobueva & stepanova, 2020). the concept of communicative competence has been greatly developed since it was initially introduced. it was first chomsky (1957) who stated the importance of linguistic competence in language learning. dell hymes (1972) then responded to chomsky’s argument that language learners do not only need knowledge about rules of sentences and sound systems. they also need the so-called sociolinguistic competence to know how to use the language in an appropriate context. canale and swain (1980) added strategic competence as one of the competencies needed by language learners. canale (1983) then introduced the term “discourse competence” which refers to the learners’ ability to produce and interpret language beyond the sentence level. celce-murcia et al. (1995) reviewed the concept proposed by the previous scholars and proposed five competencies: linguistic, strategic, abstract: in esp courses, it is important to provide students with authentic and realistic learning activities to improve their communicative competence. the competence is needed to enable students communicate effectively in their future workplaces. this study explores students’ perceptions of the use of business meeting simulation in an esp course. there are two research questions guiding this study (1) how do the students perceive the use of business meeting simulation in improving their communicative competence? (2) what obstacles are faced by students in conducting the business meeting simulation? this research was conducted at the port and shipping management department of a maritime polytechnic in indonesia. a questionnaire consisting of close-ended questions and open-ended questions was used to collect data. twenty-four students in semester seven were involved in completing a questionnaire exploring their perceptions. the quantitative data obtained from the close-ended questions were recapped, while the qualitative data obtained from the open-ended questions were analyzed using thematic analysis. the findings of the study showed that most students agreed that the activity of business meeting simulation can improve their communicative competence, especially politeness strategies which are important for students when they communicate with people who have different background and status. the study also revealed the obstacles faced by students, i.e., lack of vocabulary mastery and low self-confidence, limited time for preparation, and problems with group work. keywords: business meeting; communicative competence; english for specific purposes; roleplay; simulation. mailto:latifa.ika@gmail.com mailto:yozar@pip-semarang.ac.id latifa ika sari, ria hermina sari, & yozar firdaus amrullah empowering esp learners through business meeting simulations: insights on challenges and opportunities 538 sociocultural, actional, and discourse competence which are interrelated in affecting language learning. in 2007, celce-murcia introduced an updated model by adding formulaic competence and changing the term actional competence into interactional competence (celce-murcia, 2007). figure 1. the schema of communicative competence according to celce-murcia (2007) however, english teachers in countries where english become a foreign language have experienced challenges teaching english, especially when they want to implement communicative language teaching. in speaking class, teachers are struggling with students’ reluctance and low motivation to engage in class activities and the excessive use of l1 (mother tongue) in the classroom. they also find it difficult to fulfill the course objectives with different levels of students’ english proficiency (alrayes, 2023; nosidlak, 2023; purwati et al., 2023; yoshihara et al., 2020) from the students’ side, various drawbacks affect their language-learning process. psychological barriers such as anxiety, afraid of making mistakes and receiving negative evaluations, and low selfconfidence are reported to be the top three obstacles for students to achieve the best performance (amoah & yeboah, 2021; kasap & power, 2019; ngoc & dung, 2020; quoc thao & thi nhu nguyet, 2019; riadil, 2020). students also perceived that low vocabulary and grammar mastery have become great issues for them when it comes to speaking activities (rahayu et al., 2020; zainurrahman & sangaji, 2019). the communicative competence concept which was discussed by the scholars mostly concerned with english language teaching and learning in general. the current study attempts to enhance the research on this topic by exploring communicative competence in an esp setting. in esp teaching, where english is used for a more specific purpose, the problems have escalated. many esp courses are criticized for a lack of meaningful classroom activities and student interaction due to the focus on the translation of technical terms. inauthentic and unattractive teaching materials also contribute to the poor quality of esp courses. the courses, thus, failed to meet the student’s needs to master the ability to communicate in their future workplaces (changpueng & pattanapichet, 2023; fonseca & arias, 2023; gu et al., 2019; lebedev et al., 2020). this issue has become a great challenge for esp teachers, in which the use of simulation is expected to solve the above-mentioned problems. simulation refers to the replication of real-world activities to provide students with closer exposure to the real world. it is commonly used in the classroom to mimic real-world events, problems, processes, or abilities to achieve desired results. the terms simulation in language teaching and learning are often used interchangeably with roleplay. however, role-playing is more concerned with the interactions between the characters, whereas simulations typically try to allow students to solve problems or address issues. despite this difference, the terms "role-play activities" and "simulation-based activities" are understood in the context of this study to refer to the same strategy that allows students to practice in specific contexts and is thought to be beneficial in helping them acquire expected knowledge (nhac, 2023). simulation-based activity is considered one of the innovative practices applied in education. thus, it has gained popularity among educators and scholars. amirkhanova and bobyreva (2020) revealed the advantages of using simulation in english classes for student teachers. they found that simulation activities are useful for students’ future teaching activities. they could learn to use classroom expressions and practice spontaneous speech which makes them more prepared for the real condition of teaching. alghamdy (2022) reported the result of his experimental study with l2 students and proved that the use of simulations can improve students’ communication skills, including imitation, repetition, confirmation, responding to colleagues, and giving examples. xie (2023) joined the group by conducting survey research and found that simulation activities were effective in improving students’ vocabulary, teamwork, and even relations with teachers. students can also gain professional competence and start preparing for their careers early on through simulation. this study aims to investigate students’ perspectives regarding the use of business meeting simulation in an esp course at the port and shipping management department of a vocational higher education institution. even though many researchers have been working on roleplay english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 539 simulations, very few researchers reported on the use of business meeting simulation with regard to communicative competence. the current study focuses on students’ perspectives by exploring the benefits and the obstacles faced by students. these data are very useful as a basis for designing teaching and learning activities, especially in esp courses. there are two research questions guiding the current study: (1) how does the business meeting simulation improve students’ communicative competence? (2) what obstacles are faced by students in conducting the business meeting simulation? method the research was conducted at the port and shipping management (psm) department of a maritime polytechnic in indonesia. the students of psm receive english lessons every semester, except in semesters 5 and 6 when they have to undergo an internship program in related industries. in semester 7, students practice the activity of business meeting simulation during their english class. the english course in semester 7 provides students with the knowledge and skills to be involved in a meeting using the english language. there were 16 meetings in one semester, including the mid-term and final examinations. in each meeting, students had a lot of activities, including writing emails related to meetings and also doing roleplay/simulation of a business meeting to practice various expressions. the teaching materials include how to arrange a meeting, start a meeting, chair a meeting, report progress, express agreement and disagreement, make interruptions and give clarifications, negotiate an agreement, etc. the final examination requires the students to work together in a group of four to do a business meeting simulation. the students arranged the settings of their meetings, including the topic, the background, and the roles they wanted to take. this study employed a survey research design by involving semester 7 students as research participants. the authors adopted the design proposed by jann and hinz (2017). we believed that students were able to provide meaningful insights into the research questions. twenty-four students were asked to complete a questionnaire consisting of two main parts. in the first part, the students were asked to respond to 16 statements. they had to decide whether they strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, or strongly disagree with the statements related to the development of communicative competence. in the second part, the students were asked to write their personal views regarding the activity of business meeting simulation, what they liked and disliked, their expectations and difficulties when completing the tasks, how the activity enhanced their communicative competence, and suggestions for improvements of the course, if any. the questionnaire was distributed using a google form to the students. nine female students and fifteen male students filled out the google form and submitted the form back. the results of the questionnaire were then recapped. the quantitative data from the close-ended questions were transformed into percentage tables to make it easier to read the results. the qualitative data from the open-ended questions were analyzed and categorized based on themes. results and discussion the activity of business meeting simulation is aimed to provide students with a near-real experience of communicating in a specific setting. generally, most students have a positive perception of the activity. working together in a group helped students to boost their teamwork and leadership skills. in addition to that, frequent speaking practices enhanced their self-confidence. the students also said that the activity is useful for them since it is relevant to students’ tasks in their future workplaces, where students might have to participate frequently in meetings. students’ perception of the use of business meeting simulation to improve their communicative competence the students’ responses regarding how the business meeting simulation improved their communicative competence were presented in table 1. they comprise sociocultural competence, discourse competence, linguistic competence, formulaic competence, interactional competence, and strategic competence. the students’ perspective regarding their sociocultural competence is shown in items no.1-3. from the table, we learn that the majority of students strongly agreed that the business meeting simulation improved their sociocultural competence. they could learn that differences in age, status/position affect their choice of words when speaking. for instance, they will use somewhat different vocabulary when speaking with their supervisor and their coworkers. 75% of the students strongly agreed that they learned politeness strategies in english when speaking in a meeting. however, regarding cultural differences, 13% of the students were not sure or in a neutral position when they were asked whether they learned that cultural latifa ika sari, ria hermina sari, & yozar firdaus amrullah empowering esp learners through business meeting simulations: insights on challenges and opportunities 540 differences affected how they should speak in a meeting. this was probably because all students shared similar cultural backgrounds so there were no cultural barriers when interacting or communicating during the simulation and they did not need to adjust to cultural differences. many scholars confirm that sociocultural competence become an important aspect of communication. the ability to address sociocultural issues in communication can increase understanding between interlocutors and thus improve the effectiveness and accuracy of communication. this is in line with a study conducted by hardin et al. (2023) who found that teaching sociocultural aspects of communication can benefit both the teachers as well as the students. the discourse competence is shown in item no. 4. according to celce-murcia (2007), discourse competence has a central role in any construct of communicative competence. it is important that the students are able to identify the segment of oral discourse, such as in a business meeting. the majority of students agreed that they learned the general structure or sequence of activities in a meeting using english. table 1. students’ responses (in percentage) regarding how the business meeting simulation improved their communicative competence no statements strongly agree (%) agree (%) neutral (%) disagree (%) strongly disagree (%) 1 i learned that differences in age, status/position affect my choice of words when speaking in meetings. 50 29 17 0 4 2 i learned that cultural differences affect how i should speak in meetings. 42 42 13 4 0 3 i learned politeness strategies in english when speaking in meetings. 75 21 4 0 0 4 i studied the general structure or sequence of activities in a meeting using english. 67 29 4 0 0 5 i learned how to pronounce words/ sentences in english correctly (pronunciation/ intonation/ wordstress) 67 29 4 0 0 6 i learned a variety of vocabulary used in meetings, including verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc. 54 38 8 0 0 7 i studied changes in the form of words in english (for example from verbs to nouns, adjectives, etc.) 54 33 13 0 0 8 i studied word order and sentence construction in english. 50 42 8 0 0 9 i learned various fixed expressions (phrases or sentences) in english that are useful for supporting communication in meetings. 63 29 8 0 0 10 i learned how to interact with other people in a meeting (e.g. giving/asking for information, giving/asking for opinions, telling a problem, giving suggestions, telling plans, etc.) 75 21 4 0 0 11 i learned strategies for having a conversation in english (e.g. how to open and close a conversation, change the subject, interrupt, etc.) 67 29 4 0 0 12 i learned non-verbal communication strategies (e.g. eye contact, body gestures, facial expressions, etc.) to support conversation during meetings using english 67 25 8 0 0 13 i made notes/summaries (containing important points) to help me learn how to prepare for meetings using english. 46 42 13 0 0 14 i evaluated my performance based on input from lecturers/ friends, or by watching the performance of my friends and the feedback given to them 63 38 0 0 0 15 i tried to memorize words/sentences using abbreviations, pictures, sounds, points, or other clues 71 25 4 0 0 16 i learned to use various communication strategies when i lost my words in the middle of communication 63 29 4 4 0 they include arranging a meeting, saying hello and making introductions, starting the meeting, stating the objectives, reporting progress, summarizing the results of a meeting, ending a meeting and thanking the participants, and confirming decisions and action points. the current english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 541 finding agrees with chang (2023) who highlighted that knowledge about genre and thematic progression can help students grasp the gist during communication. items no. 5-8 show students’ responses regarding the development of their linguistic competence. more than 50% of students strongly agreed that they could learn various vocabulary used in communication during a meeting, sentence construction, word changes, as well as pronunciation, intonation, and word stress. it is no doubt that linguistic competence is very important in foreign language learning. according to celcemurcia (2007), linguistic competence comprises four types of knowledge: phonological, lexical, morphological, and syntactic. when it comes to esp teaching, the role of linguistic competence becomes highly significant. to be able to communicate effectively and accurately, the students need to master various technical vocabulary. they have to know how to pronounce it, when to use it in sentences, how to change its form as needed, how to construct sentences, etc. this study supports fielden burns and rico garcía (2022) who found that linguistic competence is as important as intercultural competence in supporting students to engage in communication in their future workplace. item no. 9 shows whether the students learned useful expressions in english to support communication in a meeting. this item refers to formulaic competence. most students strongly agreed that they could learn fixed expressions in english that can support their communication when participating in a meeting. as one of the students said in the questionnaire: “the material about business meeting simulation greatly improved my vocabulary and expressions in english. i practice using the expressions explained by the teacher. they stick in my head and help me to speak better.” as cited by masoni (2019), formulaic expressions refer to a series of words or other meaning components that can be continuous or discontinuous and that is, or seems to be, prefabricated. they are stored cognitively and recalled by the speakers as single lexical units. formulaic expressions are also often referred to as multiword expressions (el-dakhs et al., 2022). “in the near future”, “on the other hand, and “make a big difference” are some examples of formulaic expressions commonly used in business communication. this study is in line with some studies that revealed the contribution of formulaic expressions to students’ fluency. by mastering various fixed and fabricated expressions, students can speak more automatically with shorter and fewer pauses due to less cognitive burden (thomson et al., 2023). students’ responses regarding interactional competence are summarized in items 10-12. most students agreed that they could learn how to interact with other people in a meeting, including how to give/ask for information, give/ask for opinions, tell a problem, give suggestions, etc. they could also learn various strategies in a conversation, such as opening and closing a conversation, changing the subject, interrupting, etc. besides that, students could also learn non-verbal communication strategies to support communication during a meeting. for example, they learned that they can clear their throat or cough to get the audience’s attention as a signal that they want to make an interruption in the meeting. montasseri and ahmadi (2022) recommend that more emphasis be placed on interactional competence in english language classrooms, as it appears to be receiving less focus in efl instruction. this can be achieved by reviewing and improving teaching materials to cover interactional strategies. items 13-16 refer to strategic competence. this competence refers to students’ ability to use effective strategies for their language learning (celce-murcia, 2007). most students agreed that the activity of business meeting simulation can improve their strategic competence, including cognitive, metacognitive, and memory-related. they could evaluate their performance based on input from the lecturer or by watching the performance of their friends and the feedback given to them. they also learned various communication strategies when they lost their words in the middle of speaking. they also practiced memorizing words/sentences using abbreviations, pictures, sounds, points, or other clues. obstacles faced by students in conducting business meeting simulation the qualitative data from the questionnaire revealed students’ difficulties when conducting the business meeting simulation. the authors categorized the students’ responses into several themes which are illustrated in figure 2. the figure shows that there are four main difficulties faced by the students. lack of vocabulary becomes the number one obstacle perceived by the students. many of them said that they have a limited vocabulary used in formal communication. sometimes they lose their words in the middle of the talks and experience great latifa ika sari, ria hermina sari, & yozar firdaus amrullah empowering esp learners through business meeting simulations: insights on challenges and opportunities 542 difficulties in finding the appropriate words and continuing the talks. they realized that formal situation requires them to use more formal language. they find it hard to use formal language because they have limited exposure to the formal language used in business meetings. lack of preparation time becomes the second obstacle. in completing the assignment of business meeting simulation, the students had to discuss first with their group the topic they wanted to have for the meeting. they need to find a topic that all members of the group are familiar with. they also need to think about the possible scenarios and prepare for the responses. however, some students admitted that they had difficulties in the preparation stage because of the limitation of time. students' workload becomes the main cause of this problem. figure 2. students’ difficulties when conducting business meeting simulation besides joining the english course, students of semester 7 also join other courses and activities that consume their time and energy. they found it hard to find the time to have group discussions. students also explained that working together with their fellow friends was not an easy thing to do. the activity of business meeting simulation requires the students to work in groups. they need to allocate time for practicing with their team members. as told by one of the students: “the difficulty my team and i had when working on this assignment was to build the relations between all the members. we must make a great effort to make sure that our utterances can be understood by our friends and avoid miscommunication in the meeting. that’s why we need to prepare every detail. another difficulty was when we had to gather to discuss the projects. each of us has a tight schedule, so it was not easy for us to work together.” some students mentioned that they often found it hard to work with friends who had different levels of english proficiency and motivation. the leader of the group had already arranged and divided the tasks for all group members, but some students showed reluctance to give their best effort in the project. this issue had become one of the concerns of students because they realized this situation could impact overall group performance. last but not least, students confessed that low self-confidence becomes one of the factors that hinder them from giving the best performance. some students were not confident with their english proficiency. they thought that they did not master enough vocabulary and grammar, and thus, became hesitant to speak. esp courses are designed to equip students with english language competence specifically tailored to their professional needs. even though the topic of communicative competence is not new in esp teaching, many esp teachers are still struggling to improve the student's ability to communicate effectively and fluently in english. the use of business meeting simulations might become a gamechanger for esp teachers to train students to engage in near-real communication. as mentioned previously, students generally perceive the business meeting simulation as highly beneficial. the simulation can provide students with an authentic experience of communication practice. the scenario of the business meeting simulation mirrors the real-world scenario that students might encounter in their future workplaces. students can engage in simulated discussions, negotiations, as well as decision-making processes. those activities can enhance students’ understanding of professional communication norms and protocols which are reflected in the discourse competence. in addition to that, the use of business meeting simulation can enhance student’s language acquisition. being involved in realistic communication tasks can promote students’ active language use and vocabulary expansion. students can learn and practice using specialized business terminologies and idiomatic expressions. in other words, business meeting simulation can improve students’ linguistic and formulaic competence. activities in business meeting simulations can also provide students with opportunities to train their active skills such as speaking and listening skills. they can also practice effective communication strategies in meetings including giving presentations, reporting unpleasant situations, asking and giving opinions, and expressing agreement and disagreement in diplomatic language which refers to interactional competence. another thing that can be enhanced is the students’ cultural awareness or socio-cultural competence. different cultural viewpoints that are english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 543 incorporated into business meeting simulations can support students in navigating the intercultural communication issues that are frequently experienced in international business situations. by obtaining knowledge of culture and communication techniques, students are better equipped to communicate with colleagues around the world. the complexity of the simulation task has encouraged students to develop their strategic competence, which in the end, can foster their language proficiency. this research supports a considerable number of scholars who have been interested in exploring the contribution of strategic competence to language learners’ proficiency. w. zhang et al. (2021) highlighted the importance of strategic competence to support the management function of language learning. the students can set their goals, assess the strategy to complete the tasks, and plan to use the language knowledge for task completion. by having good strategic competence, language learners can understand what they should do to learn a foreign language effectively, how to do it, when and where to do it, and why they should do it (d. zhang & zhang, 2019). strategic competence can also boost learners’ self-regulation learning in which they can manage and control their efforts and resources in language learning (katsarou & kambakisvougiouklis, 2020). despite the benefits received by the students, the business meeting simulation also poses some challenges. lack of vocabulary mastery, lack of preparation time, difficulty with group work, and low self-confidence become the main obstacles reported by the students. lack of vocabulary had caused students difficulty when they had to improvise during the meeting. some of the students said that they experienced anxiety and discomfort feelings when the dialogue developed because they were unprepared for what happened next. zondag (2021) explored students’ experience with improvisation in spontaneous speech activities and found that improvisation can improve speaking confidence because students found the activities enjoyable. the results of this study, however, indicated a different finding that students viewed improvisation as a potentially threatening condition. many scholars have studied how affective variables affect students’ language learning, in which self-confidence becomes one of the most influential ones. fatima et al., (2020) and waluyo and bakoko (2022) studied efl learners in iran and thailand respectively, and found that l2 selfconfidence, or how students perceive their english ability had a great impact on their willingness to speak or communicate using english. this study supports their findings, which showed that students' poor self-perceptions or low self-confidence may prevent them from giving their best work. to overcome this problem, teachers can employ scaffolding strategies to assist students in performing the simulation. teachers can divide the assignments into smaller parts and give feedback to students before they are assigned to perform a full meeting simulation. by implementing this, students can be more prepared and gain more self-confidence despite the limited preparation time. concerning group work, many scholars agree that group dynamics can influence learning outcomes, either directly or indirectly. the group work environment has a significant impact on students' motivation (tanaka, 2022), students’ engagement (zhong et al., 2024), as well as students’ resilience in the process of language learning (kiyota, 2021). there is no doubt that the composition of students in a group has a vital impact on the success of the simulation activity. thus, it is important to ensure that students can contribute equally and participate in group activities. the best practice for dealing with this problem is by grouping the high-proficiency students with the low ones. teachers can also include “teamwork” as one of the indicators of evaluation and encourage students with higher proficiency levels to empower their team members. conclusion generally, students have a positive perception of the business meeting simulation activity. most of them agreed that the simulation could improve their communicative competence. they could learn politeness strategies and become aware that differences in status/position could affect the choice of words. they could also learn the general structure of a business meeting as well as various expressions and vocabulary commonly used in such meetings. in completing the assignment of business meeting simulation, students put a great effort into their preparation. they made some notes containing important points and tried to memorize them. they also paid great attention to the explanation and feedback given by the teacher. however, there were some obstacles faced by the students when completing the assignment. lack of vocabulary mastery in participating in a conversation in a formal setting became the number one obstacle. students also reported that they had difficulty with doing improvisation during the meeting. some students also admitted that they had limited time for preparation due to high study load. latifa ika sari, ria hermina sari, & yozar firdaus amrullah empowering esp learners through business meeting simulations: insights on challenges and opportunities 544 students also found difficulty when they had to work together in a group. since many of them have a tight schedule, finding a comfortable time for everyone became a great challenge. low selfconfidence also became one of the obstacles that hindered them from showing their best performance. the findings of this study bring several pedagogical implications in esp teaching. first, the use of roleplay/simulation is found to be effective in improving students’ communicative competence in specific settings. thus, esp teachers are encouraged to use roleplay/simulation in the teaching and learning activities. second, in arranging the students for group work, the teachers must consider the group dynamics to balance the student participation in the group. this study also becomes a kind reminder for english teachers that affective variable such as self-confidence has a great influence on students’ performance. therefore, teachers need to employ scaffolding strategies to make students more confident in their speaking abilities. with regard to the challenges identified in this study, the authors suggest the next researchers explore innovative pedagogical approaches and technology-enhanced learning tools to mitigate roleplay anxiety and enhance student engagement. longitudinal studies can also be employed to track students’ progress and obtain data on the long-term impact of simulation-based learning on language acquisition and the development of professional communication skills. by addressing those areas of future research, educators can improve their instructional practices and optimize the benefits of business meeting simulations for empowering english language learners in esp classes. acknowledgments this study would not have been possible without the support of the students of the port and shipping management department as research participants. we would like to extend our gratitude to the students who were willing to participate in our research. references alghamdy, r. (2022). how do efl learners interact and learn english communication skills during a role-play strategy? world journal of english language, 12(1), 313–320. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v12n1p313 alrayes, m. (2023). correlation factors of translanguaging practices on english as a foreign language contexts: the perception of teachers. education and information technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639023-12137-1 amirkhanova, k. m., & bobyreva, n. n. (2020). communication in training future efl teachers: simulation and roleplay in the english classroom. international journal of higher education, 9(8), 7–12. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v9n8p7 amoah, s., & yeboah, j. (2021). the speaking difficulties of chinese efl learners and their motivation towards speaking the english language. journal of language and linguistic studies, 17(1), 56–69. https://doi.org/10.52462/jlls.4 celce-murcia, m. (2007). rethinking the role of communicative competence in language teaching. in e. a. soler & m. p. s. jorda (eds.), intercultural language use and language learning (pp. 41–57). springer science. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5639-0_3 celce-murcia, m., dornyei, z., & thurrell, s. (1995). communicative competence: a pedagogically motivated model with content specifications. issues in applied linguistics, 6(2), 5–35. chang, p. (2023). reading research genre: the impact of thematic progression. relc journal, 54(1), 129–148. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882211013613 changpueng, p., & pattanapichet, f. (2023). a needs analysis of english for meeting lessons for thai undergraduate engineering students. journal: language education and acquisition research network, 16(2), 603–623. https://so04.tcithaijo.org/index.php/learn/index el-dakhs, d. a. s., khan, s. k., & al-khodair, m. (2022). do foreign language learners mine input texts for multiword expressions? the case of writing story retellings. ampersand, 9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amper.2021.100080 fatima, i., mohamed ismail, s. a. m., pathan, z. h., & memon, u. (2020). the power of openness to experience, extraversion, l2 self-confidence, classroom environment in predicting l2 willingness to communicate. international journal of instruction, 13(3), 909–924. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13360a fielden burns, l. v., & rico garcía, m. (2022). intercultural and linguistic competences for engineering esp classes: a didactic framework proposal through problem-based learning. international journal of applied linguistics (united kingdom), 32(1), 3–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12370 fonseca, k. a. b., & arias, r. s. (2023). the need for a critical perspective into the teaching of english for occupational purposes. in l. b. elizondo & c. o. garita (eds.), language identity, learning and teaching in costa rica (1st ed., pp. 52–64). routledge. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 545 giang, n. d., tuan, v. v., & minh, b. n. la. (2023). investigating demotivating factors in learning english for specific purposes at a higher education institution. российский психологический журнал, 20(1), 162–181. https://doi.org/10.21702/rpj.2023.1.11 gu, h., bo, h., & ren, l. (2019). developing esp teaching materials based on the analysis of information engineering majors’ needs. open journal of social sciences, 07, 121–131. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2019.710011 hardin, k., hernandez, r. s., shin, t. m., & ortega, p. (2023). medical student perceptions of sociocultural issues in healthcare: a multisite study of medical spanish education. teaching and learning in medicine. https://doi.org/10.1080/10401334.2023.2230187 jann, b., & hinz, t. (2017). the sage handbook of survey methodology. in the sage handbook of survey methodology. sage publications ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473957893 kasap, s., & power, k. m. (2019). anxiety in the efl speaking classrooms. the journal of language teaching and learning, 9(2), 23–36. www.jltl.org katsarou, e. c., & kambakis-vougiouklis, p. (2020). exploring the role of self-regulation capacity and self-esteem on vocabulary learning strategy use by greek university learners. asian efl journal, 27(4), 123–146. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345180 764 kiyota, a. (2021). group dynamics and resilience in the process of l2 socialization: a longitudinal case study of japanese university students visiting an english lounge. sisal journal, 12(1), 21–39. https://doi.org/10.37237/120103 lebedev, a. v., pinkovetskaia, i. s., rozhkov, m. a., & tsybina, l. v. (2020). implementation and peculiarities of english for specific purposes course design at ogarev’s mordovia state university. universal journal of educational research, 8(1), 178–182. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.080122 masoni, l. (2019). from efl classroom language to classroom lexicon: importing formulaic story language into teacher talk. glottodidactica, 46(2), 123–141. https://doi.org/10.14746/gl.2019.46.2.08 montasseri, z., & ahmadi, a. (2022). washback effects of an interactional competence checklist. teaching english language, 16(2), 285–314. https://doi.org/10.22132/tel.2021.140223 ngoc, d. t. b., & dung, t. t. (2020). key factors influencing learners’ oral fluency in english speaking classes: a case at a public university in viet nam. vnu journal of foreign studies, 36(6), 93–108. nhac, t. h. (2023). enhancing legal english skills for law students through simulation-based activities. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 22(9), 533– 549. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.22.9.29 nosidlak, k. (2023). hopeless cases or just hard nuts to crack? stories of “difficult” foreign language learners. theory and practice of second language acquisition, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.31261/tapsla.12573 purwati, d., ubaidillah, m. f., & restall, g. c. (2023). “sorry, i can’t speak”: english teachers’ challenges of teaching efl speaking in an indonesian vocational high school sector. mextesol journal, 47(1), 1–9. quoc thao, t., & thi nhu nguyet, d. (2019). four aspects of english speaking difficulties encountered by tertiary english-majored students. ho chi minh city open university journal of science, 9(2), 53–64. https://doi.org/10.46223/hcmcoujs rahayu, a. s., anggraeni, e. a., saputra, i., astari, n. u., betiya, v. m., & septiyana, l. (2020). analyzing speaking problems faced by efl college learners. journal of linguistics and applied linguistics, 2(1), 11–16. http://openjournal.unpam.ac.id/index.php/ljlal riadil, i. g. (2020). does oral presentation affect the development of the students’ ability to speak in efl classroom? social sciences, humanities and education journal (she journal), 1(2), 13. https://doi.org/10.25273/she.v1i2.6622 tanaka, m. (2022). individual perceptions of group work environment, motivation, and achievement. international review of applied linguistics in language teaching, 60(4), 1201–1225. https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2020-0183 thomson, h., coxhead, a., boers, f., & warren, p. (2023). increasing use of multi-word expressions in conversation through a fluency workshop. system, 113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.102994 volobueva, o. n., & stepanova, l. i. (2020). up-todate english language course as a means of developing the communicative and professional skills of it students. smart innovation, systems and technologies, 138, 869–879. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15577-3_80 waluyo, b., & bakoko, r. (2022). effects of affective variables and willingness to communicate on students’ english-speaking performance in thailand. studies in english language and education, 9(1), 45–61. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v9i1.21090 xie, q. (2023). using simulation in business english courses for china’s english majors. sage open, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231215987 yoshihara, r., kurata, a., & yamauchi, a. (2020). reflective journals to explore struggles and difficulties of novice japanese efl university latifa ika sari, ria hermina sari, & yozar firdaus amrullah empowering esp learners through business meeting simulations: insights on challenges and opportunities 546 instructors. reflective practice, 21(1), 81–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2019.1708714 zainurrahman, & sangaji, s. (2019). a study on the university students’ speaking difficulties. langua-journal of linguistics, literature, and language education, 2(1). zhang, d., & zhang, l. j. (2019). metacognition and self-regulated learning (srl) in second/foreign language teaching. in x. gao (ed.), second handbook of english language teaching (pp. 883–897). springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/9783-319-58542-0_47-1 zhang, w., zhang, l. j., & wilson, a. j. (2021). supporting learner success: revisiting strategic competence through developing an inventory for computer-assisted speaking assessment. frontiers in psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.689581 zhong, j., ismail, l., & ahmad, n. k. (2024). factors influencing engagement in project-based learning among college efl speakers. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 23(1), 318–338. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.23.1.16 zondag, a. (2021). student teachers’ experience with improvisation activities for spontaneous speech practice in english. language teaching research, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211044725 international journal of instruction english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 177 harmonizing sound and script: integrating phonetic symbols within the lexical approach to improve efl listening skill susanto susanto department of english education, faculty of education and teacher training, universitas bandar lampung, indonesia email: susanto@ubl.ac.id deri sis nanda department of english education, faculty of education and teacher training, universitas bandar lampung, lampung, indonesia email: derisisnanda@ubl.ac.id apa scitation: susanto, s., & nanda, d. s. (2024). harmonizing sound and script: integrating phonetic symbols within the lexical approach to improve efl listening skill. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 177-192. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9224 received: 12-10-2023 accepted: 11-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction listening constitutes a fundamental and intricate facet of the broader auditory process, encompassing the reception and comprehension of spoken language (luo et al., 2021; wolf et al., 2019). it serves as a conduit for effective communication, involving an interactive exchange between the speaker and the listener. successful communication hinges not solely on the auditory perception of sounds but also on the comprehensive understanding of the conveyed message. in this context, the aptitude of listeners is assessed based on their capacity to fully grasp the intended significance of the speaker’s discourse. this illuminates the dynamic and participatory nature of the listening process, wherein listeners actively engage with each individual word, processing them in real-time. listening is, in essence, an active cognitive endeavor that demands the active involvement of listeners in the reception and interpretation of the speaker's message (edwards, 2011; rost, 2016). the act of communication itself inherently comprises two essential components: the speaker, who endeavors to articulate thoughts and ideas, and the listener, who assumes an active role in extracting the intended meaning from the spoken utterance. this symbiotic relationship underscores the collaborative nature of effective communication, wherein both parties are intricately intertwined in a cooperative effort to convey and apprehend information accurately. listeners, as underscored by goh and vandergrift (2022), engage in a cognitive process wherein they construct meaning from a myriad of auditory elements, encompassing individual sounds, language intonation, and phonemic units. this intricate process unfolds progressively, commencing with the deciphering of phonemes and culminating in the comprehension of words and more extensive units of semantic content. therefore, listening is a skill that has many aspects abstract: phonetic symbols play an important role in linguistics, representing the phonological attributes of words in pronunciation and orthography. its main function is to improve the identification and understanding of words in spoken and written language. this research focuses on the use of phonetic symbols in english as a foreign language (efl) to improve students’ clarity and understanding, integrated in lexical approach, a pedagogical paradigm that underscores the significance of mastering vocabulary and language components such as collocations, phrases, and idiomatic expressions. the research participants were 46 students from the english language education department, universitas bandar lampung university, indonesia. with the lexical approach, the research uses a classroom action model to improve students’ listening skills through the use of phonetic symbols. the results showed that students’ comprehension of spoken texts improved with the introduction of phonetic symbols, and 78% of students achieved a passing score of 75 or higher. these findings highlight the positive impact of incorporating phonetic symbols in a lexical approach on improving students' language skills in an efl context. the implications show that the use of phonetic symbols in the lexical approach can be a valuable pedagogical strategy for educators aimed at improving students’ listening skills and language proficiency. keywords: lexical approach; listening skill; phonetic symbols; vocabulary acquisition. susanto susanto & deri sis nanda harmonizing sound and script: integrating phonetic symbols within the lexical approach to improve efl listening skill 178 that are more than just the act of hearing reception; it understands deeply the field of understanding and interpreting the meaning encoded in auditory signals. given the complexity of this cognitive endeavor, it is not uncommon for some students to encounter challenges in this process. these difficulties may manifest at various stages of the meaning-building continuum, ranging from struggles with deciphering individual phonemic nuances to grappling with the synthesis of coherent semantic content. such obstacles can arise from a multitude of factors, including differences in linguistic background, exposure to diverse accents, and variations in cognitive processing abilities. recognizing the intricacies of listening comprehension and the potential hurdles it presents is pivotal for educators and learners alike as they navigate the path towards proficient auditory comprehension and communication skills. in the indonesian context, the primary aim of teaching english as a foreign language at the university level is to cultivate students’ proficient communication capabilities, encompassing both oral and written modes, in pursuit of functional literacy (nanda & susanto, 2020; susanto and nanda, 2023). effective communication in english entails the mastery of linguistic skills, spanning the realms of spoken and written expression. within this framework, the cultivation of listening skills is of paramount significance. listening, a fundamental facet of oral communication, necessitates the development and refinement of students' auditory acumen. it is imperative to acknowledge that oral proficiency encompasses not only the capacity to articulate ideas through speech but also the ability to comprehend and interpret spoken language effectively. communication is inherently a dynamic exchange, where both speakers and listeners actively contribute to the contextual discourse, thereby shaping the communicative process (rost, 2016; schoot et al., 2014). in this educational context, the overarching goal is to empower students with the capacity to engage in meaningful and articulate interactions in english. this proficiency extends beyond mere linguistic competence and involves the aptitude to comprehend the nuances of spoken language, decipher meaning, and respond appropriately. consequently, listening proficiency is an element of oral communication, demanding students’ active engagement in processing spoken information. moreover, it is essential to underscore the symbiotic relationship between speaking and listening skills within the domain of oral proficiency. effective communication hinges on the interplay between speakers, who convey messages, and listeners, who actively receive, interpret, and respond to these messages. this reciprocal exchange between the two parties underscores the dynamic nature of oral communication, emphasizing the importance of honing both speaking and listening skills to facilitate seamless and effective interactions. listening skills are undeniably vital in language acquisition. however, certain students may confront formidable obstacles in their quest to master these competencies. a pertinent illustration of this predicament was observed among the students enrolled in the english education department at universitas bandar lampung. within this academic context, a discernible challenge materialized, predominantly manifesting as difficulties in the acquisition of effective listening skills. this issue primarily revolved around the students’ struggles in deciphering the nuances of pronunciation associated with vocabulary words. consequently, this struggle rendered them incapable of not only distinguishing individual words but also comprehending their intended meanings within the broader context of spoken discourse. the root cause of this challenge was traced to their inherent incapacity to distinctly perceive the articulatory intricacies of words as they are enunciated. this perceptual limitation significantly impaired their overall ability to grasp the content and nuances embedded within spoken texts. it is worth noting that such phonetic challenges can serve as substantial barriers to effective language comprehension, impeding students’ progress in both receptive and productive language skills. hence, addressing and ameliorating these listening-related obstacles is paramount to fostering language proficiency and effective communication in the educational context. to effectively address the challenges posed by language teaching and learning, it is imperative to adopt an instructional approach that is both pragmatic and responsive to the nature of language acquisition. one such approach that holds promise in this regard is the lexical approach, which stems from the fundamental assertion that the core building blocks of language acquisition and effective communication are not primarily rooted in grammar, functions, or abstract linguistic concepts, but rather in lexis, encompassing individual words and, notably, multi-word combinations. the lexical approach is firmly grounded in the belief that the lexicon plays a central and indispensable role in shaping english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 179 language structure, facilitating second language acquisition, and guiding language utilization, particularly in the context of multi-word lexical units or chunks that are learned and employed as holistic entities (boers & lindstromberg, 2009; lewis, 1997). the application of the lexical approach to language instruction is intrinsically linked to the enhancement of listening skills. the fundamental premise of this approach underscores that language proficiency is intricately tied to the acquisition and manipulation of lexical elements, which include not only individual words but also multi-word combinations. consequently, it becomes imperative for learners to acquire a comprehensive understanding of various linguistic features, including pronunciation, as they endeavor to develop their listening competence. within the framework of systematic language instruction, particular emphasis is placed on the teaching of pronunciation, often involving intensive oral drills designed to reinforce fundamental sentence patterns (susanto, nanda, & ishak, 2022; susanto et al., 2023). this attention to pronunciation aligns with the recognition that effective listening comprehension is contingent not only upon recognizing individual words but also on comprehending how they are phonologically articulated in natural speech. furthermore, the lexical approach recognizes that linguistic competence extends beyond the mere mastery of isolated vocabulary items. it underscores the importance of equipping learners with the skills to employ these lexical elements seamlessly and effectively in both spoken and written communication. this perspective highlights the intricate interplay between lexical (vocabulary and multi-word combinations) and phonological (pronunciation) aspects in the holistic development of language proficiency, with listening skills being a vital component of this multifaceted linguistic competence. the effectiveness of the lexical approach in enhancing students’ listening skills is supported by several related studies. for instance, hsu and hsu (2007) conducted a study in which participants found instruction on lexical collocations to be their most preferred type of instruction. they believed that receiving lexical collocation instruction significantly contributed to the improvement of their listening comprehension abilities. this highlights the role of lexically oriented instruction in fostering listening proficiency. stæhr’s findings in 2009 underscored the importance of lexical coverage for successful listening comprehension in english as a foreign language, aligning with similar observations in reading research (stæhr, 2009). cai’s study in 2020 further reinforced the importance of both lexical and syntactic knowledge in second language listening. it emphasized the need to employ measures that effectively reflect these constructs in practical research settings. this underscores the significance of a balanced approach that considers various linguistic components for effective listening skill development (cai, 2020). bonk’s study in 2000 emphasized the role of efficient listening strategies, particularly in comprehending lexically complex texts. while such strategies can aid comprehension, bonk noted that learners often require a high degree of lexical familiarity to achieve good comprehension (bonk, 2020). this highlights the interdependence of lexicon and listening comprehension. these collective findings reinforce the suitability of the lexical approach in addressing the challenges faced by students in improving their listening abilities. they emphasize the interconnectedness of lexical knowledge, listening strategies, and overall listening proficiency within the framework of language instruction. this paper explores the field of english as a foreign language (efl) education, highlighting the interactions between phonetic symbols, lexical approaches and listening skills. the efficacy of phonetic symbols in language learning has sparked debate, with the question of whether their use can actually improve students’ comprehension and pronunciation. existing studies and discussions show differences of opinion, with proponents advocating for improved pronunciation and comprehension (chen, 2022; fouz-gonzález & mompeán, 2020; khaghaninejad & maleki, 2015; mompeán & fouz-gonzález, 2020; por & fong, 2011) while some doubt its effectiveness (hu et al., 2010; kissling, 2013; umera-okeke, 2008). at the same time, the lexical approach, which centers on teaching vocabulary and phrases as primary units, is emerging as an attractive alternative in english language teaching. debate continues around its effectiveness, and some view it as a more contextually relevant approach than traditional methods. the essence of our research lies in the integration of phonetic symbols in a lexical approach, aiming to harmonize these two elements. in efl learning, listening skills are of primary concern because of their important role in effective english communication. although there is much research on the importance of listening skills, there is still a visible gap in the literature susanto susanto & deri sis nanda harmonizing sound and script: integrating phonetic symbols within the lexical approach to improve efl listening skill 180 regarding the specific integration of phonetic symbols to improve comprehension. our paper seeks to fill this void by proposing a framework that aligns sound and script through the integration of phonetic symbols, overcoming the cognitive machinations inherent in listening. the novelty lies in presenting a cohesive integration of voice and script in a lexical approach, which breaks away from conventional methodology. our emphasis on the different cognitive processes involved in listening, coupled with the integration of phonetic symbols, is expected to contribute to the field of efl education. although the existing body of literature tends to ignore the potential contribution of phonetic symbols in assisting efl learners, our exploration highlights the benefits from combining these symbols with a lexical approach. in doing this, our work can be considered an innovation in language education as it not only offers a solution to the current research gap but also presents a transformative method for developing efl listening skills. as educators and researchers face the challenge of improving listening skills, our paper introduces a paradigm to pioneer promising avenues for future research and pedagogical development. the acquisition and development of listening skill occupies a central and indispensable role in the educational progression of students, representing a foundational prerequisite that paves the way for the mastery of other language skills, including reading, writing, and speaking. proficiency in listening is not a passive undertaking limited to the mere reception of auditory stimuli; rather, it constitutes an intricate cognitive process that demands active engagement. this active engagement extends beyond the auditory domain and encompasses the discernment of the speaker’s intentions and the nuanced extraction of contextually relevant information embedded within their spoken message (field, 2008). listening, in its essence, transcends the surface-level act of auditory perception. it involves a multifaceted cognitive operation where the listener functions as a decoder, deciphering the layers of meaning intricately interwoven within spoken words. this process is akin to unravelling a complex linguistic tapestry, where each word and phrase contributes to the listener’s evolving understanding of the broader context. in effect, listening serves as the gateway through which individuals access and internalize linguistic and contextual knowledge, enabling them to make sense of spoken discourse. as students embark on their educational journey, the cultivation of effective listening skills assumes paramount importance, laying the foundation upon which the edifice of language proficiency and communication competence is constructed. moreover, peterson (2012) highlights the inherent challenges associated with the skill of listening, noting that it often receives less emphasis and instruction compared to the skills of speaking, reading, and writing. part of the difficulty in appreciating the complexity of listening lies in the fact that humans are continually exposed to a diverse range of stimuli, often without consciously recognizing their limitations as listeners. as a result, many individuals are unaware of their suboptimal listening abilities and underestimate the inherent difficulty of the listening process. this oversight is particularly significant in educational contexts, where students frequently find themselves in situations where effective listening is pivotal for their success. paradoxically, despite its critical role in learning, listening often takes a backseat to speaking, which is typically the more privileged and explicitly taught skill. further, bostrom (2011) notes a fundamental issue within the domain of listening research – the historical tendency to conflate listening with general cognitive abilities. traditional approaches to studying listening have often intertwined it with broader cognitive functions, inadvertently diluting the specificity required to comprehend the intricacies of listening itself. one notable challenge in the study of listening has been the inclination to equate it primarily with memory. this association stems from the fact that listening often involves the retention and recall of information. however, bostrom offers a cautionary perspective, suggesting that reducing listening to a memory-based process oversimplifies its nature and disregards the unique complexities and challenges inherent to listening as a distinct cognitive endeavour. then, it is advocated for a broader perspective on the study of listening, one that considers it as a comprehensive and distinct field of inquiry. this approach seeks to disentangle listening from its historical entanglement with general cognitive abilities. such an all-encompassing view embraces several critical dimensions of listening research. firstly, there is the dimension of listening and schemas. understanding how individuals construct mental frameworks, known as schemas, to interpret and make sense of auditory information is central to listening research. these schemas play a role in shaping how listeners process and comprehend what they hear. consequently, the study of schemas is vital in unravelling the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 181 intricacies of listening, shedding light on how cognitive processes influence auditory perception and comprehension. secondly, there's the recognition of the relationship between listening and reading. this perspective underscores the interconnection between listening and reading skills. proficiency in one domain can significantly impact the development and performance in the other, highlighting the transferability of language skills across modalities. investigating this relationship provides insights into how individuals acquire and utilize language skills in various communicative contexts. finally, we have the dimension of behaviours associated with listening. beyond cognitive processes, understanding the behavioural aspects related to listening is crucial. this dimension encompasses the examination of how individuals engage with auditory content, adapt their listening strategies, and respond to diverse auditory stimuli in different contexts. by delving into these behavioural aspects, researchers gain a comprehensive understanding of how listening manifests in real-world situations. bostrom’s proposal encourages a holistic and multifaceted exploration of listening. by considering it as a distinct field of study, researchers can disentangle it from broader cognitive functions and explore its intricate components, including the role of schemas, the relationship with reading skills, and the behavioural aspects associated with listening. this perspective promotes a nuanced comprehension of listening as a complex cognitive and communicative skill, essential for both research and educational contexts. in addition, bommelje, houston, and smither (2003) shed light on the nature of effective listening, emphasizing that its effectiveness is more closely linked to performance aspects within social interactions rather than broader personality traits often associated with interpersonal skills, such as sociability and likeability. this perspective underscores the idea that effective listening is largely shaped by the dynamics and demands of specific social situations, with a particular focus on academic environments. traditionally, discussions about interpersonal skills and effective communication have often centred on personality characteristics like sociability and likability. these traits are important but can be overly general in characterizing one’s ability to listen effectively. they argue that the effectiveness of listening should be viewed through a more situational lens. in other words, the way one listens and the outcomes achieved are influenced by the unique context of a given social interaction. this insight is particularly pertinent in academic settings, where effective listening is paramount. academic environments involve diverse and context-specific communication demands, ranging from classroom discussions to research collaborations. effective listening in such settings may require specific skills, such as active engagement with course content or the ability to comprehend complex academic discourse. as a result, effective listening is not solely a product of one’s overall sociability or likability but is instead shaped by the situational intricacies and performance expectations present in academic interactions. the perspective challenges the notion that effective listening can be solely attributed to broad personality traits. it highlights the nuanced relationship between effective listening and the demands of specific social contexts, particularly emphasizing the heightened relevance of effective listening skills within academic environments. the lexical approach is founded on the fundamental belief that the foundational elements of language learning and effective communication are not rooted primarily in grammar, functions, notions, or other conventional units of language planning and teaching. instead, the approach places central importance on lexis, which encompasses individual words and, more notably, multi-word combinations (boers & lindstromberg, 2009; lewis, 1997). the essence of the approach lies in its conviction regarding the role of the lexicon in shaping language structure, facilitating second language acquisition, and guiding language utilization. within this framework, particular emphasis is directed toward multi-word lexical units, often referred to as chunks, which are learned and employed as holistic entities. while earlier discussions of the lexical approach emphasized the general significance of vocabulary in language learning, subsequent discourse on this approach has predominantly centred on the role of these multiword chunks. in the current discourse on the lexical approach, the emphasis primarily revolves around the significance of these lexical chunks. these chunks represent clusters of words that are learned and processed as cohesive units, aiding in fluency and comprehension in real-life communication. the approach underscores that language learners should not solely focus on isolated words but also on acquiring these multi-word chunks, which are prevalent in natural spoken and written language. it is important to note that the approach has susanto susanto & deri sis nanda harmonizing sound and script: integrating phonetic symbols within the lexical approach to improve efl listening skill 182 evolved, and current formulations prioritize the role of multi-word units rather than general vocabulary acquisition. the role of vocabulary in language teaching, while not central to the lexical approach itself, remains a substantial subject of discussion in the broader literature on language acquisition and pedagogy. the role of lexis in language teaching has undergone significant transformation. however, it's essential to recognize that lexis represents just one facet of communicative competence within language education. the initial proposition of a lexical approach and a lexically oriented syllabus provided an alternative to conventional syllabus models. however, it did not evolve further to delineate how linguistic competence could exclusively develop through the grammaticalization of lexicon. instead, the lexical approach was presented as a valid but singular component within a broader language syllabus. according to richard and rogers (2014), although a focus on multi-word units is undoubtedly crucial in second language acquisition and communicative performance, there has been limited exploration of how such an emphasis can be harnessed to cultivate linguistic and communicative competence. consequently, the practical application of a lexically based theory of language and language learning in the design and implementation of language teaching remains to be persuasively demonstrated. this suggests that the concept of a lexical approach is still in search of a comprehensive approach and methodology. phonetic symbols can play a significant role within the framework of the lexical approach to language teaching. the lexical approach emphasizes the central importance of lexis, which encompasses not only individual words but also multi-word units or chunks, in language learning and communication. within the lexical approach to language teaching, the relationship between phonetic symbols and lexis is multifaceted and integral to the development of language proficiency. firstly, pronunciation and lexical competence are closely intertwined. the lexical approach recognizes that proficiency in a language extends beyond mere vocabulary acquisition; it encompasses the accurate pronunciation of words and phrases. phonetic symbols provide learners with a precise and standardized means of representing the sounds of words, thereby enabling them to develop a heightened sense of pronunciation accuracy (fouz-gonzález & mompeán, 2020; mompeán, 2015). this becomes particularly valuable when learners grapple with the irregularities inherent in english spelling and pronunciation, as phonetic symbols bridge the gap between the written and spoken forms of words, facilitating a more authentic and articulate oral expression. secondly, the lexical approach places significant emphasis on the acquisition of multiword units or chunks as essential components of language. these chunks encompass collocations, idiomatic expressions, and fixed phrases that are commonly used in real-life communication. phonetic symbols serve as valuable tools in aiding learners to recognize and produce the correct pronunciation of these multi-word units. by associating specific phonetic symbols with chunks of language, learners enhance their oral fluency and the naturalness of their spoken communication. this integration of phonetic symbols within the learning process contributes to the development of a more native-like and effective spoken language ability. moreover, the lexical approach can incorporate contextual listening and pronunciation practice as integral components of the learning process. learners are encouraged to engage with authentic spoken language, identify specific words or phrases, and then practice pronouncing them accurately. phonetic symbols play a guiding role in these activities, enabling learners to comprehend the subtleties of spoken language. this approach fosters a deeper understanding of how words and phrases are used in real-life communicative contexts, thus strengthening both listening skills and pronunciation accuracy. lastly, phonetic symbols are seamlessly integrated into various lexical activities and exercises designed to reinforce the acquisition of lexis. these activities aim to support learners in recognizing and producing correct pronunciation as they engage with new vocabulary and multi-word expressions. this integration serves to enhance learners' overall lexical competence, empowering them with the ability to comprehend and produce authentic spoken language effectively. within the lexical approach to language teaching, phonetic symbols serve as invaluable tools for learners, facilitating the development of accurate pronunciation skills, particularly in the context of multi-word units. these symbols bridge the divide between written and spoken language, enriching learners’ ability to understand and articulate authentic spoken language. the integration of phonetic symbols within the lexical approach contributes significantly to a comprehensive and effective language learning english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 183 experience, empowering learners to engage with the intricacies of language proficiency. method in the pursuit of advancing student’ listening skills, the research methodology employed a classroom action research design (macintyre, 2000). this choice of research design was driven by its inherent purpose, which is to address specific and practical issues within an educational setting while actively seeking viable solutions to identified problems (creswell, 2012). the integration of phonetic symbols into the research framework was undertaken within the broader context of the lexical approach to language pedagogy (laver, 1994; carley & mees, 2021). the focus was on strengthening students’ listening skills through the application of english phonetic symbols (figure 1). these symbols were designed to enable students to identify and recognize spoken words. by incorporating phonetic symbols into the learning process, students not only gained the capacity to discern the correct pronunciation of words but also experienced a deepened understanding of spoken discourse. this approach to language instruction aimed to bridge the gap between written and spoken language, enhancing students’ overall linguistic competence. the integration of phonetic symbols within the lexical approach framework served as a pedagogical strategy to facilitate clearer and more comprehensible engagement with the english language. this methodological choice aimed to empower students not only with the ability to accurately pronounce words but also with a deeper grasp of spoken language, contributing to their overall language proficiency. figure 1. phonetic symbols of english consonants, vowels, and diphthongs (from carley & mees, 2021) the research cohort comprised 46 students (27 female; 19 male) taking the course of phonetics and phonology at the english education department, universitas bandar lampung, indonesia. participants ranged in age from 18 to 21 years (mean = 18.41 years, sd = 0.74). initial pre-observation findings indicated a reluctance among these students to engage in listening practices, primarily due to their difficulties in accurately apprehending spoken words and comprehending their meanings. furthermore, the observation reports consistently highlighted their underperformance in comparison to their peers in other classes. data collection in this research was conducted through the utilization of two primary instruments: the students’ listening test and observational data. these instruments were integral to assessing the impact of the phonetic symbols integrated into the lexical approach on students’ listening skills. the listening test was structured to achieve several objectives. first, the main objective is to evaluate the level of students’ listening proficiency after they experience learning phonetic symbols (taylor & geranpayeh, 2011). this provides an idea of the extent to which students are able to apply acquired phonetic knowledge in the context of language listening. this instrument also functions as a quantitative measuring tool that can provide objective numerical data regarding the improvement of students’ listening skills after lexical approach intervention. at the implementation stage of the listening test, students were faced with listening situations that reflect the use of phonetic symbols. additionally, the observational component of the data collection process was crucial (scott & usher, 2011). it involved systematic monitoring of several key aspects of students’ engagement with the phonetic symbols. observations were made regarding their ability to distinguish between spoken words and their corresponding phonetic symbols, demonstrating their capacity to differentiate between various phonetic symbols within a single word, and assessing their aptitude to identify and comprehend specific words within spoken text. these observations provided valuable qualitative insights into the students’ development of listening skills within the context of the study. the research adopted a cyclic model as outlined by kemmis, mctaggart, and nixon (2014) as its guiding framework. this cyclic approach encompassed distinct phases that susanto susanto & deri sis nanda harmonizing sound and script: integrating phonetic symbols within the lexical approach to improve efl listening skill 184 revolved around the process of planning, acting, observing the outcomes of the change, reflecting on these processes and consequences, and subsequently reiterating the cycle. this iterative approach was crucial in facilitating a systematic and dynamic examination of the impact of integrating phonetic symbols within the lexical approach on students’ listening skills. the success of the research was contingent upon specific predetermined criteria, serving as benchmarks to gauge the effectiveness of the intervention. in this context, success was defined as the achievement of a significant outcome, namely, when 75% or more of the participating students attained a minimum score of 75 in the listening achievement test. this quantitative criterion provided a clear measure of the tangible improvement in students’ listening skills resulting from the research intervention. in addition to the quantitative criterion, the research also considered seven qualitative indicators: listening to the explanations of phonetic symbols and examples; responding and following instructions; identifying phonetic symbols; differentiating one symbol from another symbol; identifying words from the text; completing the tasks in the instructions; and answering questions. observational data played a role in this aspect, with the indicators needed to exhibit a positive alignment with the application of phonetic symbols within the lexical approach. these qualitative indicators served as a complementary means of assessing the impact of the intervention on students’ comprehension and engagement with spoken language. the research employed two distinct types of research instruments, each necessitating its own analytical methodology to derive meaningful insights from the collected data. firstly, the students’ scores obtained from the listening test were subjected to a percentage-based analysis. this analytical approach aimed to provide a quantitative assessment of the research’s primary criterion for success. it sought to determine the proportion of students who successfully met the predetermined passing grade threshold. specifically, the research target stipulated that at least 75% of the students should achieve a score of 75 or higher in the listening achievement test. the percentage-based analysis allowed for a clear evaluation of the extent to which this target was met. in contrast, the observational data collected during the research was structured in the form of an observation checklist. this observational dataset underwent a descriptive analysis. descriptive analysis, in this context, focused on delineating and elucidating the activities and behaviors observed among both students and the teacher throughout the research process. it aimed to provide a qualitative understanding of the nuances of their engagement with phonetic symbols within the framework of the lexical approach. this form of analysis facilitated an exploration of the qualitative aspects of the research, shedding light on the dynamics of how the intervention was implemented and how it influenced participants' practices and interactions. results and discussion the observation conducted during the first three meetings of the research revealed several noteworthy insights into the students’ engagement with the learning process. at this stage, the students actively participated in the learning activities and demonstrated their ability to elaborate on the examples provided in the classroom, which illustrated the use of phonetic symbols. this active engagement indicated that one of the instructional approaches, specifically repetition, was particularly effective in helping students grasp the pronunciation of words and establish associations with the phonetic symbols provided. the application of this instructional phase involved a combination of both individual and group exercises, allowing for varied modes of practice and interaction. during these activities, the students exhibited a commendable level of participation and responsiveness. however, a significant observation was made when the students were presented with words that had similar sounds. in such instances, they encountered challenges in accurately differentiating between these words. this particular challenge suggested that while the students were able to manage individual word practices effectively, the complexity introduced by similar-sounding words or texts posed greater difficulties in terms of phonetic discrimination and comprehension. to provide a representation of these observations, the results have been summarized in table 1, allowing for a clear and concise presentation of the findings related to the students’ engagement and performance during the three initial meetings in the early phases of the research. these observations serve as a foundation for further analysis and adaptation of the instructional approach to address the identified challenges. table 1 reveals the performance of students across three different meetings, each assessed based on seven key indicators. the table presents the number of students (n) and the corresponding percentage (%) of students who met specific english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 185 criteria in each meeting. in the first indicator, “students listen to the explanations of phonetic symbols and examples attentively”, the majority of students exhibited strong engagement, with over 89% in meeting 1, increasing to 95.7% in meeting 2 and 97.8% in meeting 3. the second indicator, “students respond and follow instructions precisely”, also demonstrated positive results, with 84.8% compliance in meeting 1, 87% in meeting 2, and an even higher 93.5% in meeting 3. the third indicator, “students identify phonetic symbols correctly”, shows improvement over the meetings, starting at 54.3% in meeting 1 and gradually rising to 95.7% in meeting 3. table 1. the result of observation indicators meeting 1 meeting 2 meeting 3 n % n % n % 1. students listen to the explanations of phonetic symbols and examples attentively. 41 89.1 44 95.7 45 97.8 2. students respond and follow instructions precisely. 39 84.8 40 87.0 43 93.5 3. students identify phonetic symbols correctly. 25 54.3 35 76.1 44 95.7 4. students differentiate one symbol from another symbol correctly. 30 65.2 34 73.9 40 87.0 5. students identify words from the text they hear correctly. 35 76.1 38 82.6 42 91.3 6. students complete the tasks in the instructions successfully. 40 87.0 43 93.5 45 97.8 7. students answer questions correctly. 30 65.2 36 78.3 40 87.0 note: n means number of students; % means the percentage of students from the total. in the fourth indicator, “students differentiate one symbol from another symbol correctly”, similar progress can be observed, with percentages increasing from 65.2% in meeting 1 to 87% in meeting 3. the fifth indicator, "students identify words from the text they hear correctly”, also demonstrates positive development, with percentages climbing from 76.1% in meeting 1 to 91.3% in meeting 3. for the sixth indicator, “students complete the tasks in the instructions”, the results are consistently high across all three meetings, ranging from 87% to 97.8%, indicating students’ strong ability to follow instructions. lastly, in the seventh indicator, “students answer questions correctly”, percentages range from 65.2% in meeting 1 to 87% in meeting 3, indicating an improvement in students' ability to provide accurate responses. overall, the data suggests that students’ performance improved over the course of the meetings across various indicators, reflecting their increasing proficiency in phonetic symbols, comprehension, and task completion as the meetings progressed. the process of teaching and learning focused on pronunciation and the literal meaning of words through the use of phonetic symbols. however, it is worth noting that the researcher guided the students towards comprehending entire spoken phrases. this involved the presentation of spoken text along with guided questions that students needed to answer. as a result, revisions and improved activities were incorporated to enhance for reinforcing students’ listening skills using phonetic symbols within the lexical approach. the second and third meetings demonstrated the effectiveness of these revisions in implementing phonetic symbols through the lexical approach, as students were better able to identify and comprehend spoken words. the observation indicators were successfully met, indicating that the teaching and learning process was executed effectively. in order to gauge the efficacy of the educational intervention involving phonetic symbols within the lexical approach, a listening test was administered to assess the students’ progress and achievement. the test format employed was that of multiple-choice questions. students were presented with a series of questions, requiring them to select the correct answers based on the spoken text. this assessment aimed to quantify the impact of phonetic symbol integration on students’ listening skills. subsequently, the data analysis conducted on the test results unveiled a noteworthy outcome. specifically, the analysis shows that the majority of students, 78% to be precise, or the equivalent of 36 students, achieved a minimum score of 75 on the listening test as shown in figure 2. figure 2. the percentage of listening test scores (≥ 75 and < 75) susanto susanto & deri sis nanda harmonizing sound and script: integrating phonetic symbols within the lexical approach to improve efl listening skill 186 from figure 2, it is evident that 36 students, constituting 78% of the total participants, achieved scores that met or exceeded the predefined passing grade (75). this outcome signifies the unequivocal success of the research endeavor. the research can be unequivocally classified as successful, as it met the predetermined success criteria, specifically, the attainment of a score of 75 or higher by 78% of the students on their achievement test. the compelling performance of the students in the test underscores the role played by the integration of phonetic symbols within the lexical approach. the test score mapping for each student is shown in figure 3. throughout the implementation of the research, students rigorously adhered to the prescribed procedures and instructions related to the use of phonetic symbols. this methodology effectively trained them to acclimatize themselves to the intricacies of english consonant and vowel sounds, which ultimately contributed to their success in the listening test. the driving force behind this research stemmed from a pressing need to elevate students' listening skills to a higher echelon. the crafted teaching and learning process adhered to the designed planning phase, with a deliberate focus on harnessing the power of phonetic symbols within the lexical approach. this strategic approach aimed to imbue students with a crystalclear comprehension of the intricate nuances of word pronunciation, utilizing phonetic symbols as the guiding beacon. at its core, the primary objective of this endeavor was to endow students with a profound insight into the intricate world of pronunciation. phonetic symbols, integrated into the instructional framework, played a role in this educational journey. they served as precise markers, illuminating the correct pronunciation of words with unparalleled clarity. this descriptive approach transcended traditional boundaries, providing students with the tools to not just hear but truly understand the acoustic tapestry of spoken words. figure 3. the listening test score mapping for each student (mean: 81.5; sd: 9.1) a quintessential illustration of the power of phonetic symbols lies in their dissection of seemingly similar words like ‘table’ /teɪbl/ and ‘battle’ /bætl/. while these words might appear interchangeable on the surface, the distinct phonetic representations revealed their unique auditory identities especilly for [eɪ] in /teɪbl/ and [æ] in /bætl/. this granular level of analysis became a cornerstone for enhancing auditory discrimination skills among students. by unveiling these subtle disparities, the study reinforced the students’ ability to differentiate even the most closely related sounds, thereby elevating their auditory acumen. this research was not merely an academic endeavor; it was a strategic initiative designed to empower students. through the integration of phonetic symbols within the lexical approach, students were not only equipped with the knowledge of correct pronunciation but were also nurtured in their ability to discern the finest auditory nuances. this transformational journey cultivated a generation of learners who could not only hear but truly listen, marking a significant milestone in their linguistic development. in the examination of instructional activities, this research strategically utilized the strengths inherent in the lexical approach, leveraging its effectiveness in facilitating intensive practice and drilling sessions. these activities were designed to enhance students’ grasp of phonetic symbols and their integration with spoken words. a range of diverse exercises was implemented, each crafted to challenge students’ listening abilities. through these exercises, students were not merely passive listeners; instead, they were actively engaged in decoding spoken words and linking them to their english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 187 respective phonetic symbols. this active involvement not only honed their auditory skills but also reinforced their understanding of the intricate relationship between pronunciation and phonetic representation as discussed by fouzgonzález and mompeán (2020) and mompeán (2015). one significant aspect of the instructional approach involved exposing students to spoken words through a variety of exercises. these exercises were designed to compel students to not only hear the words but also identify them accurately. this process demanded a keen ear and a discerning mind, encouraging students to actively participate in the auditory decoding of words. moreover, these exercises required students to associate the heard words with their corresponding phonetic symbols, emphasizing the importance of this association in their learning process. in addition to isolated word exercises, the research incorporated the use of texts to evaluate students’ listening abilities within a broader contextual framework. by employing texts, students were challenged to identify specific words within the context of a larger narrative. this task necessitated a deeper level of comprehension, as students not only had to recognize individual words but also understand their significance within the overall message of the text. this multifaceted approach provided a comprehensive evaluation of students’ listening skills, encompassing both isolated word recognition and contextual comprehension. the instructional activities crafted within the framework of the lexical approach enabled students to actively engage with spoken words, enhancing their ability to identify, associate, and comprehend words in both isolated and contextual settings. this active participation not only bolstered their listening skills but also solidified their understanding of phonetic symbols, illustrating the effectiveness of the chosen instructional methodology. the observation component played a role throughout the research process, serving as a crucial control mechanism to assess the students' active engagement and the advancement of their listening skills. these carefully designed indicators served as benchmarks, allowing for a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of teaching and learning methods employing phonetic symbols within the lexical approach. by systematically observing and evaluating specific indicators, the research team gained valuable insights into the students' progress. active student engagement, a key focus of the observation, provided tangible evidence of the effectiveness of the instructional strategies. observing how students interacted with phonetic symbols and identified spoken words demonstrated their ability to apply learned concepts in real-time situations. the observation component of this research served as a multifaceted lens, offering profound insights into the implementation of teaching techniques. through astute analysis of students’ responses and behaviors during the exercises, researchers gained a nuanced understanding of the effectiveness of the combined lexical approach and phonetic symbols, echoing the insights emphasized by bostrom (2011). beyond the realm of cognitive processes, this research analyzed the intricate behavioral aspects related to listening, a dimension critical for comprehension. this examination encompassed not only how individuals engaged with auditory content but also how they adapted their listening strategies and responded to a diverse array of auditory stimuli in varied contexts. this qualitative exploration served as a validating force, reinforcing the quantitative results garnered from tests with a rich tapestry of contextual understanding. it offered more than mere numbers; it provided a profound narrative of the students’ learning experiences, shedding light on the challenges they encountered and the triumphs they achieved throughout the process. by tapping into these qualitative insights, researchers gained a deeper comprehension of the multifaceted landscape of student learning, enriching their understanding beyond the boundaries of standardized assessments. furthermore, the observation component functioned as a dynamic and adaptive tool, identifying specific areas demanding further refinement. through observation, researchers pinpointed precise challenges faced by students, such as the complexities in differentiating similarsounding words (hahn & bailey, 2005; hendrickson et al., 2015; pajak, creel, & levy, 2016). armed with this detailed knowledge, instructional methods were not static but fluid, adapting and tailoring themselves to directly address these specific challenges. this iterative process of observation, thoughtful analysis, and strategic adjustment epitomized a responsive and student-centered approach, ensuring the teaching methodology remained agile and finely tuned. in the application of phonetic symbols within the lexical approach, students were actively involved in a dynamic process of engaging with spoken words, discerning their sounds, and deducing their meanings. this active engagement susanto susanto & deri sis nanda harmonizing sound and script: integrating phonetic symbols within the lexical approach to improve efl listening skill 188 was fundamental to the development of their language proficiency and listening skills. repetition emerged as a key strategy in this pedagogical approach. through repeated exposure to spoken words and their corresponding phonetic symbols, students were able to reinforce their understanding and internalize the pronunciation patterns. repetition not only enhanced their recognition of phonetic symbols but also contributed significantly to their oral proficiency in the target language (curl, local, & walker, 2006; samuel & frost, 2015). by hearing and practicing these words multiple times, students were able to refine their pronunciation and develop a natural fluency in speaking. crucially, the students exhibited a high level of responsiveness and adherence to instructions during the implementation phase of the research. their ability to follow instructions was indicative of their active participation and engagement with the learning process. this responsiveness highlighted their willingness to learn and their openness to the methods employed, ultimately contributing to the success of the instructional activities. the active engagement of students with spoken words, coupled with the strategic use of repetition and their consistent adherence to instructions, created a robust learning environment. this environment facilitated the effective integration of phonetic symbols within the lexical approach, empowering students to enhance their listening skills, oral proficiency, and overall language competence. the students’ proactive involvement underscored the effectiveness of the pedagogical approach, affirming the significance of their active participation in the language learning process (ito, 2017; kim, 2011; pomphrey & burley, 2009). the utilization of the lexical approach in this context provided students with a transformative learning experience, acting as a conduit for them to immerse themselves deeply in the intricacies of the language they are lerning. this pedagogical paradigm emphasized the critical importance of vocabulary acquisition and the mastery of language chunks, encompassing collocations, phrases, and idiomatic expressions. through this approach, students were not merely learning words in isolation but were engaging with the rich tapestry of their language. central to this immersive learning experience was the exposure to authentic spoken language. by encountering real-life examples of spoken english, students received input that was not only highly effective but also exceptionally adequate. this exposure to genuine spoken english provided students with a nuanced understanding of pronunciation, intonation, and natural language use (chan, 2014; shresta, 1998; sung, 2016). one of the significant outcomes of this exposure was the students' ability to engage in authentic language use opportunities. indeed, the exposure to authentic english pronunciation within context served as a transformative experience for the learners. through this exposure, they not only heard correct english pronunciation but also internalized the intricate patterns inherent in spoken language. this immersive encounter facilitated a profound understanding of pronunciation nuances, ultimately catalyzing the enhancement of their language production skills. this phenomenon finds resonance in the study conducted by buz, tanenhaus, and jaeger (2016), who scrutinized into the adaptive nature of speakers in response to their perceived communicative success. the research revealed that speakers dynamically adjusted their pronunciations based on the effectiveness of their previous communication attempts within the current context. this adaptive process demonstrated the plasticity of language production, highlighting the continuous interplay between perception and articulation. in the context of the current research, the exposure to correct english pronunciation became a catalyst for a similar adaptive process among learners. by internalizing the authentic patterns of spoken language, learners subconsciously finetuned their own pronunciations, aligning them with the models they encountered. this process was not merely passive reception but an active engagement, where learners, dynamically adjusted their pronunciations based on the effectiveness of their communication attempts. this adaptive learning process underscored the malleability of language skills. by immersing themselves in the nuances of correct english pronunciation within context, learners honed their abilities to articulate words and phrases effectively. this dynamic interaction between perception, comprehension, and production exemplified the intricate dance of language acquisition, illuminating the profound impact of context-driven learning experiences on language proficiency. consequently, students actively participated in a variety of enhanced activities, such as identifying and pronouncing words using phonetic symbols while simultaneously listening to the corresponding spoken words. this integration of phonetic symbols within the lexical approach not only honed their listening skills but also enhanced their ability to articulate words accurately, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 189 marking a significant stride in their language proficiency journey. the lexical approach served as a gateway for students to explore deeply into english lexicon, providing them with authentic language exposure and enabling them to refine their listening and speaking skills. through this approach, students were not just learning words; they were actively engaging with the living essence of the language, fostering a profound and comprehensive understanding of the linguistic heritage. the research illuminated the students’ remarkable ability to harness the inherent benefits of the lexical approach when synergized with phonetic symbols for deciphering the intricacies of word sounds. through a blend of diverse activities and rigorous drills, students showcased an impressive proficiency in grasping the nuances of spoken words. this heightened competence, encompassing both the accurate identification of word sounds and the nuanced comprehension of meanings, marked a substantial advancement in their listening skills. the synergy between the lexical approach and phonetic symbols proved to be transformative. the amalgamation of these pedagogical tools enabled students to navigate the complexities of spoken language with finesse. engaging in a myriad of activities designed to reinforce their understanding, students not only grasped the phonetic intricacies of words but also examined the contextual meanings encapsulated within them. this heightened competency found tangible validation in their performance, particularly evident in their adeptness at correctly answering test questions. the precision with which they responded underscored their newfound proficiency in not only deciphering word sounds but also comprehending the underlying meanings. this successful integration of phonetic symbols within the lexical approach not only affirmed the effectiveness of the methodology but also highlighted the students’ remarkable capacity to leverage these techniques for significant advancements in their listening skills. the lexical approach, rooted in a comprehensive understanding of language proficiency, acknowledges that true mastery of a language surpasses the boundaries of vocabulary acquisition alone. it embraces a holistic perspective, emphasizing not only the acquisition of words but also the nuanced pronunciation of both individual words and phrases. in this intricate journey of language learning, phonetic symbols emerge as invaluable tools, offering learners a precise and standardized method of representing the intricate sounds encapsulated within words. by learning the intricacies of phonetics of spoken language, learners are provided with a structured framework, outlined by the likes of fouzgonzález and mompeán (2020) and mompeán (2015). this framework allows learners to navigate the complexities of pronunciation with unparalleled accuracy and finesse. phonetic symbols act as beacons, guiding learners through the labyrinth of sounds inherent in a language, ensuring that each phoneme and intonation is captured and replicated. this integration of phonetic symbols within the lexical approach not only empowers learners with a heightened sense of pronunciation accuracy but also instills in them a profound appreciation for the subtleties of spoken language. through this attention to phonetic detail, learners are not only equipped with the ability to articulate words flawlessly but also develop a deep understanding of the intricate harmony that underpins linguistic communication. thus, phonetic symbols stand as indispensable allies in the journey toward linguistic mastery, shaping learners into eloquent speakers who can navigate the diverse tapestry of language with precision and confidence. the results recognize that the lexicon plays a central role in shaping language structure and facilitating language learning. previous research findings, as acknowledged by hsu and hsu (2007), stæhr (2009), cai (2020), and bonk (2000), highlight the effectiveness of the lexical approach in improving students’ listening abilities. this study went further by integrating phonetic symbols in a lexical approach, observing a positive impact on students’ listening skills. this is consistent with previous discussions about the effectiveness of phonetic symbols as an aid in improving pronunciation and comprehension skills (chen, 2022; fouz-gonzález & mompeán, 2020; khaghaninejad & maleki, 2015; mompeán & fouz-gonzález, 2020; por & fong, 2011). the results of this study provide strong empirical support for the implementation of phonetic symbols in a lexical approach as a potential strategy for obtaining better listening skills. therefore, this research makes an important contribution in supporting the integration of lexical and phonetic symbol approaches as a pedagogical model for english language teaching, strengthening students’ understanding of spoken words adequately. although this research can make a contribution in broadening the understanding of the integration of phonetic symbols in a lexical approach to improving efl listening skills, it needs to be susanto susanto & deri sis nanda harmonizing sound and script: integrating phonetic symbols within the lexical approach to improve efl listening skill 190 acknowledged that this research has limitations. first of all, including participants in research were limited to certain age groups or proficiency levels, which limit the generalizability of findings. in addition, the duration of the study and the data collection methods used did not cover real-life situations which may affect the external validity of the results. these limitations may affect the applicability of this research findings in the broader context of english language teaching. therefore, future research should broaden the range of participants and use more data collection methods to ensure better representation of the diversity of learning conditions. further research linking additional variables and involving a more diverse population could further contribute to understanding the complexity of phonetic symbol integration in the context of lexical approaches to improving efl listening skills. conclusion the research has explored the integration of phonetic symbols within the lexical approach to enhance english as a foreign language (efl) students’ listening skills. the study demonstrated that incorporating phonetic symbols in the lexical approach positively impacted students’ comprehension of spoken texts, with 78% of participants achieving a passing score of 75 or higher in the listening test. the findings suggest that the combination of phonetic symbols and the lexical approach can be a valuable pedagogical strategy for efl educators aiming to improve students’ listening skills and overall language proficiency. moreover, the results underscored the potential of instructional activities that focused on pronunciation and word meanings through the use of phonetic symbols. students exhibited improvement in various indicators, such as attentiveness to explanations, precise following of instructions, and accurate identification of phonetic symbols. the strategic use of repetition and diverse exercises within the lexical approach contributed to students’ increased proficiency in phonetic symbols, comprehension, and task completion over the course of the study. in addition, observations revealed that while students excelled in individual word practices, challenges arose when differentiating between similarsounding words. this insight emphasizes the need for further refinement in instructional approaches to address specific difficulties encountered by students. further, the findings also imply broader applicability in diverse efl contexts, encouraging educators to consider phonetic symbols as a tool for enhancing assessment outcomes and promoting professional development opportunities focused on their effective integration into efl classrooms. however, it is crucial to acknowledge the limitations of the research, including the restricted age groups and proficiency levels of participants. future research should aim to broaden the scope by including diverse participants and employing varied data collection methods to enhance the generalizability and external validity of findings. i̇t could also explore optimal strategies for using phonetic symbols in the context of lexical teaching and assess the longterm impact on students’ listening skills. by examining these areas more deeply, additional insights and empirical support can be provided to strengthen the positive findings of this study. the integration of phonetic symbols in a lexical approach is emerging as a valuable strategy for improving the quality of efl teaching and learning. this research opens avenues for further exploration and development of instructional methods that cater to the diverse needs of efl learners, ultimately contributing to the ongoing improvement of language teaching and learning practices. acknowledgments we acknowledge the support by the center for research and community service, the department of english education, and the center for studies in linguistics, universitas bandar lampung. references boers, f., & lindstromberg, s. (2009). optimizing a lexical approach to ınstructed second language acquisition. basingstoke: palgrave macmillan. bommelje, r., houston, j. m., & smither, r. (2003). personality characteristics of effective listeners: a five factor perspective. international journal of listening, 17(1), 32-46. https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2003.104990 54. bonk, w. j. (2000). second language lexical knowledge and listening comprehension. international journal of listening, 14(1), 1431. https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2000.104990 33. bostrom, r. n. (2011). rethinking conceptual approaches to the study of “listening”. international journal of listening, 25(1-2), 1026. https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2011.536467. buz, e., tanenhaus, m. k., & jaeger, t. f. (2016). dynamically adapted context-specific hyperarticulation: feedback from interlocutors affects speakers' subsequent pronunciations. journal of https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2003.10499054 https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2003.10499054 https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2000.10499033 https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2000.10499033 https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2011.536467 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 191 memory and language, 89, 68-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2015.12.009. cai, h. (2020). relating lexical and syntactic knowledge to academic english listening: the importance of construct representation. frontiers in psychology, 11, 494. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00494. carley, p., & mees, i. m. (2021). american english phonetic transcription. routledge. chan, j. (2014). an evaluation of the pronunciation target in hong kong's elt curriculum and materials: influences from we and elf? journal of english as a lingua franca, 3(1), 145-170. https://doi.org/10.1515/jelf-20140006. chen, h. (2022). enhancing vocabulary performance through teaching international phonetic alphabet. international journal of new developments in education, 4(4), 28–32. https://doi.org/10.25236/ijnde.2022.040405. creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). pearson. curl, t. s., local, j., & walker, g. (2006). repetition and the prosody–pragmatics interface. journal of pragmatics, 38(10), 1721-1751. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2006.02.00 8. edwards, r. (2011). listening and message interpretation. international journal of listening, 25, 47 65. https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2011.536471. field, j. (2008). listening in the language classroom. cambridge university press. fouz-gonzález, j., & mompeán, j. a. (2020). exploring the potential of phonetic symbols and keywords as labels for perceptual training. studies in second language acquisition, 43(2), 297 328. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263120000455. goh, c. c., & vandergrift, l. (2022). teaching and learning second language listening: metacognition in action (2nd ed.). routledge. hahn, u., & bailey, t. m. (2005). what makes words sound similar? cognition, 97(3), 227-267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2004.09.006. hendrickson, k., walenski, m., friend, m., & love, t. (2015). the organization of words and environmental sounds in memory. neuropsychologia, 69, 67-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015 .01.035. hsu, j. y., & hsu, l. c. (2007). teaching lexical collocations to enhance listening comprehension of english majors in a technological university of taiwan. journal of soochow foreign languages, 24, 1-33. https://doi.org/10.29737/sjfll.200703.0001. hu, t. t., tao, s., xu, q. m., & bi, h. y. (2010). the roles of various character decoding skills in children’s reading acquisition. psychological development and education, 26(2), 144–152. http://www.devpsy.com.cn/en/y2010/v26/i2/1 44. ito, h. (2017). rethinking active learning in the context of japanese higher education. cogent education, 4(1), 1298187. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2017.129818 7. kemmis, s., mctaggart, m., & nixon, r. (2014). the action research planner: doing critical participatory action research. springer. khaghaninejad, m. s., & maleki, a. (2015). the effect of explicit pronunciation instruction on listening comprehension: evidence from iranian english learners. theory and practice in language studies, 5(6), 1249. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0506.18. kim, s. (2011). exploring native speaker teachers' beliefs about learning and teaching english. english teaching, 66(2), 123-148. https://doi.org/10.15858/engtea.66.2.201106 .123. kissling, e. m. (2013). teaching pronunciation: is explicit phonetics instruction beneficial for fl learners? the modern language journal, 97(3), 720–744. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.15404781.2013.12029.x. laver, j. (1994). principles of phonetics. cambridge university press. lewis, m. (1997). implementing the lexical approach. language teaching publications. luo, y., song, h., wan, l., & zhang, x. (2021). the effect of vocabulary depth and breadth on english listening comprehension can depend on how comprehension is measured. frontiers in psychology, 12, 657573. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.657573. macintyre, c. (2000). the art of action research in the classroom. david fulton publishers. mompeán, j. (2015). phonetic notation in foreign language teaching and learning: potential advantages and learners’ views. research in language, 13(3), 292-314. https://doi.org/10.1515/rela-2015-0026. mompeán, j. a., & fouz-gonzález, j. (2020). phonetic symbols in contemporary pronunciation instruction. relc journal, 52(1), 155–168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220943431. nanda, d. s., & susanto, s. (2020). using literary work as authentic material for the efl classroom in indonesia. international journal of innovation, creativity and change, 12(12), 1057–1064. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/cjrwt. pajak, b., creel, s. c., & levy, r. (2016). difficulty in learning similar-sounding words: a developmental stage or a general property of learning? journal of experimental psychology: learning, memory, and cognition, 42(9), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2015.12.009 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00494 https://doi.org/10.1515/jelf-2014-0006 https://doi.org/10.1515/jelf-2014-0006 https://doi.org/10.25236/ijnde.2022.040405 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2006.02.008 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2006.02.008 https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2011.536471 https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263120000455 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2004.09.006 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.01.035 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.01.035 https://doi.org/10.29737/sjfll.200703.0001 http://www.devpsy.com.cn/en/y2010/v26/i2/144 http://www.devpsy.com.cn/en/y2010/v26/i2/144 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2017.1298187 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2017.1298187 https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0506.18 https://doi.org/10.15858/engtea.66.2.201106.123 https://doi.org/10.15858/engtea.66.2.201106.123 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2013.12029.x https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2013.12029.x https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.657573 https://doi.org/10.1515/rela-2015-0026 https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220943431 https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/cjrwt susanto susanto & deri sis nanda harmonizing sound and script: integrating phonetic symbols within the lexical approach to improve efl listening skill 192 1377–1399. https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000247. peterson, s. a. (2012). the labor of listening. international journal of listening, 26(2), 8790. https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2012.677697. pomphrey, c., & burley, s. (2009). teacher language awareness education and pedagogy: a new discursive space. language awareness, 18(3-4), 422-433. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658410903197314. por, f. p., & fong, s. f. (2011). towards transformation: the power of phonetic symbols embedded in a multimedia learning management system. english language teaching, 4(1), 167. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v4n1p167. richard, j. c., & rogers, t. s. (2014). approaches and methods in language teaching (3rd ed.). cambridge university press. rost, m. (2016). teaching and researching listening. routledge. samuel, a. g, & frost, r. (2015). lexical support for phonetic perception during nonnative spoken word recognition. psychonomic bulletin & review, 22, 1746-1752. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-015-0847-y. schoot, l., menenti, l., hagoort, p., & segaert, k. (2014). a little more conversation – the influence of communicative context on syntactic priming in brain and behavior. frontiers in psychology, 5, 208. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00208. scott, d., & usher, r. (2011). researching education: data, methods and theory in educational enquiry (2nd edition). continuum. shresta, t. b. (1998). instruction and exposure: how do they contribute to second language acquisition? foreign language annals, 31(2), 231-242. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.19449720.1998.tb00570.x. stæhr, l. s. (2009). vocabulary knowledge and advanced listening comprehension in english as a foreign language. studies in second language acquisition, 31(4), 577-607. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263109990039. sung, c. c. m. (2016). exposure to multiple accents of english in the english language teaching classroom: from second language learners' perspectives. innovation in language learning and teaching, 10(3), 190-205. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2014.936869. susanto, s., & nanda, d. s. (2023). analyzing the student’s phonological awareness and its relation to the reading skill in efl classroom. jurnal ilmiah peuradeun, 11(2), 425-440. https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v11i2.793. susanto, s., nanda, d. s., & ishak, w. i. (2022). reconstructing teachers’ language intervention for phonological aspects in efl classroom. tadris: jurnal keguruan dan ilmu tarbiyah, 7(2), 383-396. https://doi.org/10.24042/tadris.v7i2.12309. susanto, s., nanda, d. s., rafik-galea, s., & supasa, a. y. (2023). from interference to fluency: analyzing indonesian students' progress in english oral communication. elsya: journal of english language studies, 5(1), 122-134. https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v5i1.10281. taylor, l., & geranpayeh, a. (2011). assessing listening for academic purposes: defining and operationalising the test construct. journal of english for academic purposes, 10(2), 89–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2011.03.002. umera-okeke, n. (2008). spelling and phonetic inconsistencies in english: a problem for learners of english as a foreign/second language. african research review, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.4314/afrrev.v2i1.41025. wolf, m. c., muijselaar, m. m., boonstra, a. m., & de bree, e. h. (2019). the relationship between reading and listening comprehension: shared and modality-specific components. reading and writing, 32, 1747-1767. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-018-9924-8. https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000247 https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2012.677697 https://doi.org/10.1080/09658410903197314 https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v4n1p167 https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-015-0847-y https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00208 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.1998.tb00570.x https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.1998.tb00570.x https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263109990039 https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2014.936869 https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v11i2.793 https://doi.org/10.24042/tadris.v7i2.12309 https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v5i1.10281 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2011.03.002 https://doi.org/10.4314/afrrev.v2i1.41025 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-018-9924-8 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 667 digital literacy in vocational high school english learning materials ratna dewanti department of english education, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: rdewanti@unj.ac.id berliana febri department of english education, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia e-mail: berlianafebri1804@outlook.com dadang solihat department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, universitas kuningan, indonesia e-mail: dadang.solihat@uniku.ac.id apa citation: dewanti, r., febri, b. & solihat, d. (2022). digital literacy in vocational high school english learning materials. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 667-678. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6305. received: 02-02-2022 accepted: 28-04-2022 published: 30-06-2022 introduction digital literacy in this fourth industrial revolution (ir 4.0) era, where the advancement of information and communication technology (ict) grows rapidly, plays an important role in everyday life: personal, social, and work. digital literacy is required in the acts of finding, generalizing, and analyzing digital resources on a daily basis (yashalova, shreider, & yakovleva, 2019). studies concerning the requirement of being digitally literate conducted by polizzi (2020); techataweewan & prasertin (2018); polizzi (2020). a survey by kominfo (2020) involving 1670 indonesian people across 34 provinces exhibits an identical finding: index score for digital literacy in indonesia is 3 out of 5 (average). this is in line with other research findings (eryansyah, 2019; perdana et al., 2019; (eryansyah, erlina, fiftinova, & ari, 2019). the lack of digital literacy education has the possibility to generate serious issues which can jeopardize relevant individuals or even bigger, communities (susilo, afifi, & yustitia, 2020). in addition, technologies such as robotic, artificial intelligent, 3d printing, augmented reality, virtual reality, cloud computing, and internet of things (ditpsmk, 2019), encryption and cyber security, e-commerce and digital trade, big data analytics (world economic forum, 2020) are designed to do human’s work. to comply with this disruptive change and compete with these machines, vocational high schools must be oriented to tailor these qualities: knowledge combination, technical and social skills, positive etiquette, and digital competence to their students (ditpsmk, 2019). different sources use different terms for digital literacy – digital literacy (alexander et al., 2016; hague & payton, 2010; hague & williamson, abstract: this study aims to investigate digital literacy in vocational high school english learning materials since these schools are supposed to prepare their students for professional world. this qualitative study employs a content analysis method, analyzing the english learning materials used by vocational high schools in central jakarta. the words and sentences representing the weaving of digital literacy in 42 english learning materials are the data of this study. digital literacy indicators covering seven components: information processing, critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration, citizenship, ethics, operation skills and safety are used as the research instruments. the findings indicate that all literacy components but citizenship and safety are incorporated in the materials. they are mostly used in the assignments, followed by the contents and the miscellanies parts of the learning materials. however, despite the existence, they seem to be not evenly incorporated in all components of the materials. keyword: digital literacy; ict. ratna dewanti, berliana febri, & dadang solihat digital literacy in vocational high school english learning materials 668 2009; oecd, 2019; unesco, 2018; unicef, 2019), ict literacy (educational testing service, 2002; griffin & mcgraw, 2018; partnership for 21st century skills, 2009; mceetya, 2007), digital citizenship (council of europe, 2019), digital competency (european commission, 2016), and digital-age literacy (ncrel, 2003). yet they refer to the same thing the application of skills, knowledge, and ethics within particular contexts (mayes & fowler (2006). it involves interrelated clusters of skills, knowledge, and understanding namely creativity, critical thinking and evaluation, cultural and social understanding, collaboration, information processing, communication, e-safety, and operation skills (hague & payton, 2010). it constitutes these competences: computer literacy, ict literacy, information literacy, media literacy (law, woo, de la torre, & wong, 2018). apart from aforementioned aspects—skills, knowledge, and understanding—attitudes and values in conducting digital activities are, as well, taken into account (griffin & mcgraw, 2018; nascimbeni & vosloo, 2019). to go even deeper, information processing deals with searching for, filtering, accessing, understanding, analyzing, evaluating, managing, integrating, synthesizing, communicating, and creating information, or in another term, digital resources. in processing information, critical thinking and creativity should be incorporated as those skills allow individuals to effectively and efficiently process information retrieved from the internet; and create novel and richer information or digital resources. aside from using critical thinking in processing information, this skill also needs to be employed in solving problems and facing challenges that arise in digital environments. communication and collaboration encompass connecting, interacting, and working with people in a team digitally. citizenship consists of diverse social, cultural, and political understandings. ethics in the context of digital literacy comprises a set of attitudes and awareness requisite in conducting digital activities as they hinder individuals from committing morally questionable or wrong actions. operation skills cover the technical aspect by containing the abilities to operate and utilize digital technologies. safety in the digital environment includes protecting data and health or well-being. the incorporation of digital literacy in english learning materials foster students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes concerning digital technology and its use necessary to acquire in this disruptive era. studies regarding digital literacy in vocational high school have been conducted to investigate the practice of ict-integrated english lessons by vocational high school teachers, their attitude toward ict, and their motivation to use ict in their teaching. the findings revealed that instead of using a myriad of ict tools—both hardware or software tools which implied their adequate digital literacy in the sense that they knew and were able to operate the digital tools, the teachers only utilized a few ict tools, indicating a lack of optimization in utilizing the tools. in terms of attitude, they had a positive one toward ict, they believed that ict would have a positive impact on their teaching practices. their motivations in using ict varied: (1) their interests in ict, (2) the today’s world demands, (3) ict as a students’ motivation booster in learning, (4) ict to effectuate learning, (5) and their confidence in utilizing ict for teaching and learning purposes (rodiyah, 2018). more studies proved that the students’ digital literacy and students’ entrepreneur behavior improve using a certain learning model (patmanthara & hidayat, 2018); (mudasih, subroto, & susanti, 2021). to make more confirming reasons for the awareness of teachers and learning material writers of the importance of digital literacy in vocational schools, this study aims to seek the incorporation of digital literacy in vocational high school english learning materials. method this study employed a qualitative research approach, analyzing 42 english learning materials used in grade x, xi, and xii taken from ten vocational high schools located in central jakarta. the materials comprised one coursebook, seven modules, eight videos, seven audios, four web articles, and 15 slides microsoft powerpoint and canva. the instruments are the indicators of digital literacy derived from sources pertaining to digital literacy (alexander et al., 2016; council of europe, 2019; educational testing service, 2002; european commission, 2016; griffin & mcgraw, 2018; hague & payton, 2010; hague & williamson, 2010; kemendikbud, 2017; law et al., 2018; martin, 2005; mceetya, 2007; nascimbeni & vosloo, 2019; ncrel, 2003; partnership for 21st english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 669 century skills, 2009; pedrew, 2017; western sydney university, 2017). there are 13 indicators for information processing, four indicators for critical thinking and problem solving, eight indicators for communication and collaboration, four indicators for citizenship, ethics, operation skills, and safety respectively which makes them 42 in total. the data was collected through reaching out to vocational high schools located in central jakarta via online correspondence (whatsapp and zoom meeting). they were analyzed using the indicators. results and discussion to see the extent of which digital literacy is incorporated in the english learning materials, the findings begin with the amount of the occurrence of digital literacy indicators in the materials. out of 42 english learning materials, it appears that 17 of them incorporated these following components of digital literacy: information processing, critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration, ethics, and operation skills but not citizenship and safety. to be more specific, information processing indicators are 5.3% incorporated, critical thinking and problem-solving indicators are 0.6% incorporated, communication and collaboration indicators are 2.4% incorporated, ethics indicators are 0.6% incorporated, and operation skills indicators are 14.3% incorporated. as described above, the indicators that are fulfilled in information processing cover accessing for digital resources, searching for digital resources, understanding digital resources, understanding the purpose of digital resources, identifying digital resources, managing digital resources, filtering digital resources, analyzing digital resources, evaluating digital resources. the first indicator “accessing digital resources” appears dominantly in 11 english learning materials. below are some of the evidences of the incorporation: open these two links. discuss with your classmates to respond to these questions. link 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujpidsx7vus link 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi7sn9mty q (in listening section of english learning material 1 (announcement/song – coursebook) study the dialogue, search in the website the example of congratulating between yunita and winni in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9hl2qanjwi (in exercise 1 ) english learning material 3 (congratulation and compliment – english module) english learning material 4 (cause and effect – english module) watch the video and answer the questions carefully. https://youtu.be/g4h1n_yxbia (in task 8) the second indicator to appear frequently is “incorporates searching for digital resources.” see below: in your group, find the video about saving the earth and answer the similar questions above. (in task 9) english learning material 4 (cause and effect – english module). do in groups of four. find 8 pictures on internet about activities, events, accidents or disasters. (english learning material 12 -suggestion and offer – powerpoint slides) the third indicator ‘incorporates understanding digital resources’ is shown below: open these two links. discuss with your classmates to respond to these questions. link 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujpidsx7vus link 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi7sn9mty q (in listening section of english learning material 1 (announcement – coursebook) study the following examples of introducing oneself. introduce yourself in english, make a record. the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7qmhkgvn 5s (in exercise 2) english learning material 2 (introduction – english module) study the dialogue, search in the website the example of congratulating between yunita and winni in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9hl2qanjwi (in exercise 1) english learning material 3 (congratulation and compliment – english module) the fourth indicator “incorporates understanding the purpose of digital resources” only appears in one english learning material, pertaining to procedure text in the form of powerpoint slides. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujpidsx7vus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi7sn9mtyq https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi7sn9mtyq http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9hl2qanjwi https://youtu.be/g4h1n_yxbia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujpidsx7vus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi7sn9mtyq https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi7sn9mtyq https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7qmhkgvn5s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7qmhkgvn5s ratna dewanti, berliana febri, & dadang solihat digital literacy in vocational high school english learning materials 670 then, think about the purpose of the writing. is it to inform you or to teach you or is it to promote something to you? for example, if the article is telling you all about a famous politician and how important and amazing, they are, be careful. its real purpose may be to make you vote for them, so the information in it may not be objective. (in the example of procedure text) english learning material 11) the fifth indicator fulfilled is “incorporates identifying digital resources” which appears in two english learning materials. then, think about the purpose of the writing. is it to inform you or to teach you or is it to promote something to you? for example, if the article is telling you all about a famous politician and how important and amazing, they are, be careful. its real purpose may be to make you vote for them, so the information in it may not be objective. (in the example of procedure text) english learning material 11 (procedure text/powerpoint slides) do in groups of four. find 8 pictures on internet about activities, events, accidents or disasters. english learning material 12 (suggestion and offer – powerpoint slides) the sixth indicator “incorporates managing digital resources” is found in one english learning material do in groups of four. find 8 pictures on internet about activities, events, accidents or disasters. (english learning material 12) the seventh indicator of information processing that appears in the english learning materials is “incorporates filtering digital resources.” it appears in two english learning materials. here are five ways to spot fake news: (1) number one, look for unusual urls. if they end with lo. or com.co, chances are they aren't legitimate news sites. (2) number two, dissect the layouts. look for grammatical errors, incorrect dates, both claims with no sources, and sensationalist images. these are all red flag. (3) number three, dig deeper. find out who wrote the article and who supports the site. if this information doesn't exist or you need to register to get it, then question why. (4) number four, crosscheck. use fact checking sites to confirm information and see whether other credible news outlets are reporting similar news. (5) number five, try a reverse image search. if the same picture appears in unrelated stories, you may have a reason to be suspicious. english learning material 7 (procedure text – video) however, there are millions of websites. some of them have accurate information, but some do not. this is why we should evaluate a website before we accept what it is telling us. imagine you have found an article that seems useful. here are some tips to help you evaluate it. (1) first, check the url. it may tell you something about the website, its creator and its country of origin. (2) then, think about the purpose of the writing. is it to inform you or to teach you or is it to promote something to you? for example, if the article is telling you all about a famous politician and how important and amazing, they are, be careful. its real purpose may be to make you vote for them, so the information in it may not be objective. (3) next, check the writer’s credentials. look for a link to their ‘about me’ page so you can read more about their education and experience. she or she a professional in this area? do you think person is qualified to write about the subject? (4) after that, check to see whether any information has been taken from another website. if it has, go to the original source to check that information hasn’t been changed. (5) also, look at the date of publication. old articles can be unreliable because they miss out the latest evidence, or because the situation has recently changed. (6) finally, weigh everything up and decide if you trust the information (in the example of procedure text) english learning material 11 (procedure text – powerpoint slides) similar to the seventh indicator, the eight indicator “incorporates analyzing digital resources” also appears in two english learning materials. watch the video and answer the questions carefully. https://youtu.be/g4h1n_yxbia, (1) what is video about? (2) find some statements that show the cause and effect of the discussion! (3) who is the speaker most likely? (4) what should people do after watching the video? (5) what can you do at school to support this information? (in task 8) english learning material 4 (cause and effect – english module) https://youtu.be/g4h1n_yxbia english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 671 giving an oral presentation can be scary, but we’re here to help you. watch two students giving presentations in the video on our website and then read the tips below. which tips do they follow? which ones don’t they follow? (link: www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglishteens) english learning material 5 (oral presentation – web article). the last indicator of information processing to be present in the english learning materials is “incorporates evaluating digital resources.” however, there are millions of websites. some of them have accurate information, but some do not. this is why we should evaluate a website before we accept what it is telling us. imagine you have found an article that seems useful. here are some tips to help you evaluate it. (1) first, check the url. it may tell you something about the website, its creator and its country of origin. (2) then, think about the purpose of the writing. is it to inform you or to teach you or is it to promote something to you? for example, if the article is telling you all about a famous politician and how important and amazing, they are, be careful. its real purpose may be to make you vote for them, so the information in it may not be objective. (3) next, check the writer’s credentials. look for a link to their ‘about me’ page so you can read more about their education and experience. she or she a professional in this area? do you think person is qualified to write about the subject? (4) after that, check to see whether any information has been taken from another website. if it has, go to the original source to check that information hasn’t been changed. (5) also, look at the date of publication. old articles can be unreliable because they miss out the latest evidence, or because the situation has recently changed. (6) finally, weigh everything up and decide if you trust the information. (in the example of procedure text) english learning material 11 (procedure text – powerpoint slides) four out of 13 information processing indicators which read “incorporates synthesizing digital resources, incorporates organizing digital resources, incorporates reformulating digital resources in different formats/modes, incorporates creating innovative digital resources” are absent in the english learning materials. the only indicator of critical thinking and problem solving found in the english learning materials is “incorporates solving problems by using digital technology.” this indicator appears in one of the materials. number four, crosscheck. use fact checking sites to confirm information and see whether other credible news outlets are reporting similar news. number five, try a reverse image search. if the same picture appears in unrelated stories, you may have a reason to be suspicious. three out of four indicators that are not fulfilled, are “explains the impact of technology, explains the differences between real and virtual world, and incorporates solving technical problem.” the indicators of incorporation of communication and collaboration for each english learning material cover digital communication, an interrogation by using digital technology, communicating digital resources, and socializing with people in digital environments. the first indicator “incorporates digital communication” appears in all five english learning materials analyzed. responding to an email/a letter. imagine that you’re alia. write an email or a letter responding to the email or letter you’ve read and discussed. use the following questions to guide you. (in writing) english learning material 1 (introduction – coursebook) ask these questions using telephone or whatsapp to each of your friends, write his/her name and answer based on his/her experiences. (in exercise 10) english learning material 2 (introduction – english module) writing skills practice: a more formal email – email (see appendix 16) english learning material 4 (formal invitation – web article) the second indicator “incorporates an interrogation by using digital technology” appears in english learning material 2 pertaining to introduction. ask these questions using telephone or whatsapp to each of your friends, write his/her name and answer based on his/her experiences. (in exercise 10) english learning material 2 module the third indicator which reads “incorporates communicating digital resources” is present in one http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglishteens ratna dewanti, berliana febri, & dadang solihat digital literacy in vocational high school english learning materials 672 english learning material analyzed. it is in a section of a book pertaining to an announcement. open these two links. discuss with your classmates to respond to these questions. link 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujpidsx7vus link 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi7sn9mtyq (in listening section) english learning material the last indicator of communication and collaboration “incorporates socializing with people in digital environments” is fulfilled in one english learning material pertaining to introduction. responding to an email/a letter. imagine that you’re alia. write an email or a letter responding to the email or letter you’ve read and discussed. use the following questions to guide you. (in writing) english learning material 1 – course book four of eight indicators are not fulfilled: incorporates the awareness of people having diverse interpretations, incorporates a presentation by using digital technology, incorporates communicating with people in any formats/modes/contexts, incorporates a collaboration with people digitally. the indicators of incorporation of ethics are not fulfilled entirely. only one indicator is found in one english learning materials, which reads “incorporates ethics awareness in digital environments.” top tips for writing: (1) if you know the name of the person you’re writing to, use mr. for a man and ms. for a woman. (2) start by saying why you are writing or what you are responding to. (3) use indirect questions such as i would be grateful if you could … to ask for information politely. (4) use words like firstly, secondly, and finally to order you points. (5) use this standard phrase to finish a formal letter or email. (6) if you’ve begun the email with dear and the name of the person, finish with yours sincerely. if you have used sir or madam, finish with yours faithfully. three out of four missing are: incorporates legality awareness, incorporates copyright/ plagiarism awareness, and incorporates understanding how values and point of views are included or excluded. regarding the incorporation of operation skills, three indicators are fulfilled in 13 english learning materials. the first indicator “incorporates the understanding of the purpose of digital technology” is incorporated in one of the materials. number four, crosscheck. use fact checking sites to confirm information and see whether other credible news outlets are reporting similar news. english learning material 8 (procedure text – video) two indicators which read, “incorporates accessing digital technology” and “incorporates operating digital technology” have the same evidences, except for english learning material 7 and 8 which do not incorporate the latter indicator. responding to an email/a letter. imagine that you’re alia. write an email or a letter responding to the email or letter you’ve read and discussed. use the following questions to guide you. (in writing) english learning material 1 (introduction/announcement/song – coursebook) ask these questions using telephone or whatsapp to each of your friends, write his/her name and answer based on his/her experiences. (in exercise 10) english learning material 2 (introduction – english module) study the dialogue, search in the website the example of congratulating between yunita and winni in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9hl2qanjwi (in exercise 1) english learning material 3 (congratulation and compliment – english module) the evidence for the fulfillment of this indicator, which reads “incorporates accessing digital technology” is as follows: there's more about this on our website at bbclearningenglish.com. join us again for more 6 minute grammar. english learning material 7 (if conditional – audio) the only indicator that is absent in 13 english learning materials analyzed reads “incorporates the activity of programming.” having got the occurrence of digital literacy indicators, the next focus of this study is to seek how digital literacy is incorporated in the materials. in this analysis, the learning materials components are classified into three: contents, assignments, and miscellanies. the component with the highest number of occurrences of digital literacy is assignment with 53 out of 82 occurrences (64.6%), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujpidsx7vus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi7sn9mtyq https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9hl2qanjwi english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 673 followed by miscellany with 15 occurrences (18.3%) and content with 14 occurrences (17%). in each of the component, digital literacy is incorporated unevenly in information processing (42.7%), making them the most frequent indicators to be incorporated in the materials. indicators for critical thinking and problemsolving occur to be incorporated in merely one component of the english learning materials, the content. the number of the occurrence is one, causing them to be the least frequent indicators incorporated in the english learning materials analyzed (1.2%). communication and collaboration indicators are incorporated in two components of the english learning materials: the content and assignment. there are five occurrences (50%) in the content, as well as in the assignment (50%). in total, there are ten occurrences (12.2%) of communication and collaboration indicators in the english learning materials analyzed. ethics indicators share the same exact amount of number in occurrences with critical thinking and problem-solving indicators, which is one occurrence (1.2%) in only one component of the english learning materials, the content. the evidence is as follows: the indicators that define operation skills are incorporated in every component of the english learning materials analyzed. the amount of the indicators incorporation in the assignment is the largest with 26 occurrences (74.3%), followed by their incorporation in the miscellany with eight occurrences (22.8%), and in the content with one occurrence (2.8%). the total occurrences of operation skills indicators in every component are 35 occurrences (42.7%). the indicators that define operation skills are incorporated in every component of the english learning materials analyzed. the amount of the indicators incorporation in the assignment is the largest with 26 occurrences (74.3%), followed by their incorporation in the miscellany with eight occurrences (22.8%), and in the content with one occurrence (2.8%). the total occurrences of operation skills indicators in every component are 35 occurrences (42.7%). the findings reveal that 17 out of 42 english learning materials analyzed have incorporated digital literacy indicators. however, not every indicator of digital literacy is fulfilled. two out of seven categories of indicators (citizenship and safety) occur to be absent in all 42 english learning materials. thus, the incorporation of digital literacy in the 42 english learning materials is 3.7% (63 out 1722 indicators are incorporated). in specific for each category, sequenced from the highest to the lowest level of incorporation, information processing indicators are 46% incorporated (29 out 63), operation skills indicators are 38.1% incorporated (24 out of 63), communication and collaboration indicators are 12.7% incorporated (8 out of 63), and critical thinking and problem-solving indicators as well as ethics indicators have the same results which are 1.6% incorporation (1 out of 63). the findings of this present study appear to be similar with the previous ones in terms of digital literacy deficiency (eryansyah, 2019; perdana et al., 2019). both studies show that students participating in their studies possessed a deficient-level digital literacy due to several causes, while this present study found the english learning materials utilized by teachers have incorporated only 3.7% digital literacy indicators. the findings regarding five components of digital literacy (information processing, critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration, ethics, operation skills) that are incorporated in the three components of english learning materials (content, assignment, and miscellany) analyzed are discussed in the following. the discussions focus on describing how each abovementioned component is incorporated in the english learning materials. information processing are incorporated in 13 out 17 english learning materials with the first indicator dominantly appearing in 11 of them. however, there is no specific topic category in which these indicators are incorporated. even if the indicators show dominance in a specific category, it cannot be regarded as dominant since there are merely one or two indicators that are fulfilled in the english learning materials analyzed with a certain topic. speaking of the english learning materials’ components, the component that appears to largely incorporate these indicators is the assignment. they appear in the instructions, for example, an instruction to watch a video on youtube by clicking the link provided, or to search for digital resources to be used in learning. but there is a ratna dewanti, berliana febri, & dadang solihat digital literacy in vocational high school english learning materials 674 special case which is when the researcher determines the incorporation of this indicator “incorporates analyzing digital resources.” besides determining the incorporation of this indicator by analyzing the instruction, the researcher also analyzed the questions that follow the instruction, for example: “giving an oral presentation can be scary, but we’re here to help you. watch two students giving presentations in the video on our website and then read the tips below. which tips do they follow? which ones don’t they follow?” the questions act as a determinant point of whether or not the indicator is incorporated. by looking at the questions, the researcher assumed that students have to analyze the digital resource, in this case is a video, to answer the two questions. in bloom revised taxonomy (brt), the instruction of analyzing employs these verbs: analyze, arrange, break down, categorize, classify, compare, connect, contrast, etc., (anderson, 2001). the contents in which the indicators of critical and creative information appear are pertaining to evaluating digital resources. they fall into the procedure text category of topic. the examples of procedure text provided are rather sophisticated as they comply with the current situation, where information can be created and published vastly by anyone, regardless of their education or occupation. such content can hinder the consumption and dispersion of hoaxes. as for the miscellany component, the indicators are found on the link directed to a video or website, or closing statement containing links that provides further information. regarding critical thinking and problem solving, out of 17 english learning materials that incorporate digital literacy, only one english learning material incorporates one of the indicators that define critical and problem solving in the context of digital literacy. the indicator “incorporates solving problem by using digital technology” was found in the content of the english learning material, here is the evidence: “number four, crosscheck. use fact checking sites to confirm information and see whether other credible news outlets are reporting similar news.” the problem is whether or not the information is credible, and using digital technology such as fact checking site can be the solution to solve the problem. going further with communication and collaboration, four communication and collaboration indicators are fulfilled in five english learning materials. the indicators are located in two components of the english learning materials analyzed, which are: content and assignment. in the content, the incorporation is marked by examples of digital correspondence like email, and how to form it (see appendix 1, 11 and 16). whilst in the assignment, the incorporation is marked by instructions to use digital communication such as email or whatsapp in learning. this evidence shows the incorporation of communication and collaboration indicators in the assignment: “ask these questions using telephone or whatsapp to each of your friends, write his/her name and answer based on his/her experiences.” the use of digital communication in learning might help hone students’ digital literacy. since the previous study by saripudin et al. (2021) assert that the frequent use of digital technology will enhance individuals’ digital literacy as they gradually become used to it. nonetheless, the utilization of digital technology must be under the supervision of the adults, like teachers or parents. from all the english learning materials analyzed, one english learning material incorporates one of four indicators for ethics. the indicator “incorporates ethics awareness in digital environments” is found in the content of the english learning material pertaining to formal invitation. here is the evidence: top tips for writing: (1) if you know the name of the person you’re writing to, use mr. for a man and ms. for a woman. (2) start by saying why you are writing or what you are responding to. (3) use indirect questions such as i would be grateful if you could … to ask for information politely. (4) use words like firstly, secondly, and finally to order you points. (5) use this standard phrase to finish a formal letter or email. (6) if you’ve begun the email with dear and the name of the person, finish with yours sincerely. if you have used sir or madam, finish with yours faithfully. the content contains tips for writing a formal email, that is generally used in companies’ correspondence nowadays. this is in alignment with the aim of vocational high schools which is to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 675 equip their students with skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for entering the work industry. however, the finding shows the deficiency of ethics indicators fulfillment in the english learning materials. as stated by supratman & wahyudin (2017), inadequacy of digital literacy education, specifically ethics, causes indonesian students to possess no knowledge nor ability to use social media in wise and responsible manners. consequently, the responsible adults (teachers/parents) have to keep an eye on students’ activity in digital environments. indicators for operation skills appear to be present in every component of the english learning materials analyzed. the following are three indicators fulfilled in the 13 english learning materials: (1) the first indicator, “incorporates the understanding of the purpose of digital technology”. (2) the second indicator, “incorporates accessing digital technology”. (3) the third indicator, “incorporates operating digital technology” the evidences of operation skills incorporation are the same as information processing. since students are instructed to process digital resources, the initial step they would take is accessing digital technology and then, operating it. the two indicators “incorporates accessing digital technology” and “incorporates operating digital technology” are interrelated as in order to access digital technology, individuals have to possess the ability to operate it. the first indicator, “incorporates the understanding of the purpose of digital technology” is found in the content of one of the english learning materials analyzed. the evidence is as follows: “number four, crosscheck. use fact checking sites to confirm information and see whether other credible news outlets are reporting similar news.” the proper explanation of the use or purpose of digital technology helps students determine which digital technology is best to cater their needs. this activity needs to be facilitated with proper tools like a personal computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. moreover, a study conducted by bawack & kamdjoug (2020) found that a steady access to reliable digital information sources, with the use of digital technology, will be likely to give a positive impact on students’ academic experiences. the two categories of indicator that are found absent in the english learning materials analyzed are citizenship and safety. citizenship competence widens individuals’ horizon as it comprises the awareness of social, cultural, and political diversity. social, cultural, and political diversity is inevitable in consequence of the connection with no geographical boundaries through the internet. safety awareness is as crucial as the other categories. the deficiency of this awareness will generate serious and harmful issues. according to supratman & wahyudin (2017), without any proper safety guidance in conducting digital activities, individuals are at risk of negative exposure of the internet such as cybercrime. this study has explained the concept of digital literacy and the indicators that are used to analyze their incorporation in the english learning materials. the findings have also exhibited that not every indicator is fulfilled and not every english learning material incorporates digital literacy indicators. the three components of the english learning materials divided by the researcher: content, assignment, and miscellany appear to incorporate some of the digital literacy indicators. the topic category of the english learning materials analyzed is varied, from the topic for grade x, xi, to xii. conclusion the study found that not all english learning materials analyzed have incorporated digital literacy; only five out seven digital literacy components, sequenced from the highest to the lowest number of incorporations, information processing, operation skills, communication and collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, and ethics are incorporated. citizenship and safety, which are as crucial as others, are found absent in all the english learning materials. there are three components in which digital literacy indicators are incorporated, which are: content, assignment, and miscellany. in addition to the findings, digital literacy indicators are largely incorporated in the assignments of the english learning materials, followed by the contents and miscellanies (outside the content and assignment). references alexander, b., adams becker, s., & cummins, m. (2016). digital literacy: an nmc horizon project strategic brief. the new media consortium. anderson, l. w. (2001). a taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: a revision of bloom's ratna dewanti, berliana febri, & dadang solihat digital literacy in vocational high school english learning materials 676 taxonomy of educational objectives. (d. r. krathwohl, ed.) new york: addison wesley longman, inc. bawack, r. e., & kamdjoug, j. r. (2020). the role of digital information use on student performance and collaboration in marginal universities. international journal of information management, 1-16. benaziria, b. (2018). pengembangkan literasi digital pada warga negara muda dalam pembelajaran ppkn melalui model vct. jupiis: jurnal pendidikan ilmu-ilmu sosial. council of europe. (2019). digital citizenship education handbook: being online, well-being online, rights online. council of europe publishing. ditpsmk. (2019). daya saing smk dalam bursa pasar tenaga kerja 4.0. direktorat pembinaan sekolah menengah kejuruan. educational testing service. (2002). digital transformation: a framework for ict literacy. princeton: educational testing service. eryansyah, erlina, fiftinova, & ari, n. (2019). efl students' needs of digital literacy to meet the demands of 21st century skills. indonesian research journal in education, 442-460. european commission. (2016). the european digital competence framework for citizens. european union. grand-clement, s. (2017). digital learning: education and skills in the digital age. santa monica: rand corporation and corsham institute. griffin, p., & mcgraw, b. (2018). assessment and teaching of 21st century skills. (e. care, ed.) australia: springer. hague, c., & payton, s. (2010). digital literacy across curriculum. futurelab. hague, c., & williamson, b. (2009). digital participation, digital literacy, and school subjects: a review of the policies literature and evidence. futurelab. hapsari, d. p., rochsantiningsih, d., & elyono, d. (2018). developing and using english teaching materials in vocational high school (a case study to vocational english teachers). english education journal, 7, 92-97. haryudin, a., yana, & efransyah. (2020). an analysis of developing english teaching materials at the vocational high school in cimahi. journal ilmiah p2m, 7, 11-20. ilomäki, l., kantosalo, a., & lakkala, m. (2011). what is digital competence?. brussels: european schoolnet. katadata insight center. (2020). status literasi digital indonesia 2020. jakarta: kementrian komunikasi dan informatika. kementrian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. (2017). materi pendukung literasi digital. jakarta timur: kemendikbud. kurnia, n., & astuti, s. i. (2017). peta gerakan literasi digital di indonesia: studi tentang pelaku, ragam kegiatan, kelompok sasaran dan mitra. kajian ilmu komunikasi, 149-166. law, n., woo, d., de la torre, j., & wong, g. (2018). a global framework of reference on digital literacy skills for indicator 4.4.2. montreal: unesco institute for statistics. martin, a. (2005). digeulit a european framework for digital literacy: a progress report. journal of eliteracy, 130-136. mayes, t., & fowler, c. (2006). learners, learning literacy and the pedagogy of e-learning. in a. martin, & d. madigan, digital literacies for learning (pp. 26-33). london: facet. mcdonough, j., shaw, c., & masuhara, h. (2013). materials and methods in elt: a teacher's guide (3rd ed.). oxford: john wiley & sons, inc. mceetya. (2007). national assessment program ict literacy years 6 & 10 reports. australia: curriculum corporation as the legal entity for the ministerial council of education, employment, training and youth affairs. mcgrath, i. (2002). materials evaluation and design for language teaching. edinburgh: edinburgh university press ltd. mudasih, i., subroto, w. t., & susanti. (2021). the effect of financial literacy, digital literacy, and entrepreneurial learning outcome on entrepreneur behavior of students at smk negeri 1 surabaya. technium social sciences journal, 15, 303-320. nascimbeni, f., & vosloo, s. (2019). digital literacy for children: exploring definitions and frameworks. new york: unicef. ncrel. (2003). engauge 21st century skills: literacy in digital age. illinois: ncrel. ng, w. (2012). can we teach digital natives digital literacy? computers and education, 1065-1078. noho, h., fatsah, h., & talib, r. (2018). developing supplementary english reading materials for vocational high schools. international journal of hummanities and innovation, 1, 95-105. nuhamsih, y., & syahrial. (2018). evaluation of english teaching materials used at a vocational high school based on cunningsworth's checklist. journal of applied linguistics and literature, 3344. oecd. (2019). oecd future of education skills 2030: conceptual learning framework. oecd. partnership for 21st century skills. (2009). p21 framework definition. patmanthara, s., & hidayat, w. n. (2018). improving vocational high schools students digital literacy english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 2, june 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 677 skill through blended learning model. 2nd international conference on statistics, mathematics, teaching, and research (pp. 1-7). ioi publishing. doi:10.1088/17426596/1028/1/012076 pedrew, l. (2017). information literacy in the digital age. (e. d. schneider, ed.) north makanto: aldo publishing. perdana, r., yani, r., jumadi, j., & rosana, d. (2019). assessing students’ digital literacy skill in senior high school yogyakarta. jurnal pendidikan indonesia, 8(2), 169-177. doi:10.23887/jpiundiksha.v8i2.17168 polizzi, g. (2020). digital literacy and the national curriculum for england: learning from how the experts engage with and evaluate online content. computers & education, 13. pratolo, b. w., & solikhati, h. a. (2020). the implementation of digital literacy in indonesian suburban efl classes. international journal of scientific & technology research, 1508-1512. rodiyah, r. s. (2018). vocational school efl teachers' practices of integrating ict into english lessons: teacher's voices. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 418-428. saripudin, s., budiyanto, i. b., listiana, r., & ana, a. (2021). digital literacy skills of vocational school teachers. journal of engineering science and technology, 666-680. supratman, l., & wahyudin, a. (2017). digital media literacy to higher students in indonesia. international journal of english literature and social sciences, 51-58. susilo, m. e., afifi, s., & yustitia, s. (2020). hoax as a reflection on the low digital literacy in indonesia. proceedings of the second international conference on social, economy, education and humanity (icoseeh) sustainable development in developing country for facing industrial revolution 4.0 (pp. 165-174). science and technology publications. techataweewan, w., & prasertsin, u. (2018). development of digital literacy indicators for thai undergraduate students using mixed methods research. kasetsart journal of social sciences, 215-221. tomlinson, b. (2011). materials development in language teaching (2nd ed.). cambridge: cambridge university press. unesco. (2021, january 11). learning and teaching materials. retrieved may 23, 2021, from unesco learning portal: https://learningportal.iiep.unesco.org/en/issuebriefs/improve-learning/curriculum-andmaterials/learning-and-teaching-materials western sydney university. (2017). library study smart: digital literacy. penrith: western sydney university. world economic forum. (2020). the future of jobs 2020. world economic forum. yashalova, n., shreider, n., & yakovleva, e. (2019). digital literacy in society: the situation, problems, and prospects at the current stage of scientific and technical progress. scientific and technical information processing, 213-218. yin, r. k. (2016). qualitative research from start to finish (2nd ed.). new york: the guliford press. ratna dewanti, berliana febri, & dadang solihat digital literacy in vocational high school english learning materials 678 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 105 speech function by lecturers and students in the communication using whatsapp: sociopragmatics study sudar english language education, teacher training and education faculty, universitas purworejo muhammadiyah, k.ha.dahlan street no 3 purworejo, central java, indonesia email: sudarbintang@umpwr.ac.id apa scitation: sudar. (2024). speech function by lecturers and students in the communication using whatsapp: sociopragmatics study. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 105-116. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.8812 received: 23-11-2023 accepted: 02-01-2024 published: 28-02-2024 introduction whatsapp is one of the polular and commonly used as a tool of taking communication. whatsapp is mosly used in the society by any people in any levels of social. this study is one the research about whatsapp used in the field of education.it was whatsapp used by students and lecturers. researcher assumed that whatapp is common socialmedia platform that also used popularly by lecturers and students.here researcher argued by referring to experts who conducted researchs about using whatsapp in the field of education, and it is as a main tool of communication.lakhal, maonim, (2021), conducted his study about using social media to develop students’s wrting ability. his report fidings stated that most students in morrocan universities regarded social media was as a habit to their study, further social media particularly the using whapsapp can be used as an effective and convinient tool for developing studengts’ writing skills. further using whapsapp is possible and an alternative tool for conduncting teaching and learning, and it is included in english. further study was a research about using whatsapp conducted by mabeifam and kaleinasho, (2018). they conducted their study in durban university of technology; in south africa.it was a small university. the findings of their research stated thatwhasapp was able to enhance lecturers and students in communication. it was also stated that whasapp was able to create students to lecturer, and students to student’s intimacy in their interaction. furthermore, whatsapp was recommended as a tool of teaching ang learning, in south africa. it was because whatsapp was not only as an effective social media platfrom, but is also possible to get entertain themselves reducing feeling borred both lecturers and students. nuraeni and nurmalia, (2020), conducted their research focused on using abstract: this study is to investigate the lecturers and students communication using the technology of social media. it is particularly whatsapp. related to this issue, researcher would like to state some questions, namely; a, what are the types of speech function made by lecturers and students in the conducting their communication by using whatsapp? b, what is the most dominant of speech function produced by lecturers and students? c, what are the meanings of speech function made by lecturers and students in their texting to each other using whatsapp’s? it is a qualitative descriptive research. there are one hundred and thirty four students and fifteen lecturers used as samples. to analyze the data, researcher used theory of speech function developed by holmes, janet, (2013) cited in, wiliany, megah, & iriyana, (2018). the findings revealed that there are four types of speech functions made by students and lecturers; namely; expressive, directive, referential, and phatic speech function. students produced referential speech function the in the highest level. furthermore, lecturers preferred to developed expressive and referential speech function equally. it was 81 utterances of directive speech function developed by lecturers. students produced expressive speech function 211 utterances and lecturers produced117 utterances of expressive speech function. referential speech function was the highest speech functions produced by students and lecturers. students produced 232 utterances, and lecturers produced 195 utterances of referential speech function. phatic speech function was higher produced by students produced by lecturers. the meaning of speech functions depends on the context of using speech function itself. speech functions made by lecturers and students have different meanings. the facts students were always to create intimacy to the lecturers, and lecturers appreciated and respected the student’s texting. whatsapp is useable to achieve students and lecturers’ academic purposes. keyword: communication; lecturers; students; speech function; sociopragmatics; whatsapp. sudar speech function by lecturers and students in the communication using whatsapp: sociopragmatics study 106 whasapp as significant social media for helping lecturers and also students to acieve their teaching and learning goals. they argued that whatsapp platform has several benefits such as; it can be used to sending texts, conduncting call, to share vedio, audio, location, documents and also it can be used to send pictures.their research findings stated that whatsapp gave significant practical used both lecturers and students. they argued that whatsapp was simply operated. further, whatsapp was useable both inside and outside the classroom for lecturers and also students to enhance teaching and learning activities.whatsapp was significant alternative social media platform used by lecturers and students, and it can be used both inside and utside the calssroom. afsyah, (2019) she investigated the using of whatsapp to develop students’s vocabulary improvement. her research findings stated that whatsapp was able to be used by teachers and students of senior high schools to learn english, particularly learning vocabulary which resources were taken from any references, such as journals, books, aarticles, and also and advertisement from english newspapers. the level of vocabulary mastery difficulties depends on the level of students and their needs. arteta, vasquez, calcina, reyes, and cundori, (2022) conducted their research focused on the using whatsapp in as tutoring resources in the university of nasional of peru. their research findings stated that wahtsapp was allowed to be used as resources in their learning process. they argued that whatsapp was spontanouslly and familiarly used as a communication between instructurs and their students.whatsapp was able to achieved objectives of university tutorial. hinze, nicholas, timpany, cunningham, saravani, wilkinson, (2022) they observed and investigated the using of whatsapp or mobileapp both by academics and students in the new zelands. their research findings stated that whatsapp was used by academics and students for taking documents of research, further whatsapp was also used to storage to exchange and to commnunicate among of the researchers. related to those previous researches, it is interesting and necessary to investigating and describing the whatsapp used by lecturers and students when they conducted their communication both inside and outside the classroom in purworejo muhammadiyah university. the researcher conducted a study of speech function texting among of lecturers and students. furthemore, describing philosophy of speech function itself is also a part of the theories needed in this paper. this study focuses on investigating the speech function made by lecturers and students when they were texting both inside and outdide the classroom. speech fuction can be investigated both spoken and written language. the contectx of this study is the efl lecturers and their students particularly in universitas muhammadiyah purworejo. the researcher argued that whatsapp is popularly used in any field of human life. it is also mostly lecturers and students used whatsapp platform to achieve their academic purposes. further, researher stated that some previous researchers used whatsapp limited to use in the particular communication, for example to aks questions related to the subjects of study, on the other side, this study whatsapp used by lecturers and their students to achieve their communication goals not only about certain subjects but it used to achieve any academic purposes. previous studies were limited used in the classroom, on the otherhand this study focused the using wahsappnot only in the classroom but also out side the classroom used by lecturersand students to communicate both to dicuss the subject of study and other topics of discussion. this study is conducted particularly to analyze lecturers and their student’s speech functions from written text taken from their whatsapp. furher, researcher also refers to some researchs conducted by previous researchers.the following are some researchers who conducted research about speech function in the spoken and written language. mulatsih and fathonah, (2018), conducted their study about speech function used by speakers of shor story. the title is “speech fuction used by speakers in alison l.randall’s short story end of the line”. in their study, they found that speech functions used by characters of the short story have different types and different fuctions.furher, they stated that the most speech function higly used by the main charater. they found that the main character was more talkative than other characters. it stated by the number of specch functions produced by main charather was the higest.refers to that findings, it means that speech fuction is possible not only in spoken language but it can be investigated in written language, for example in the form of short story. furhermore, wilany, megah, & iriyana, (2018) investeigated the speech function found in the novel. the title of the novel was “a little princes of frances hudgson burnett novel”. they analzed the use of speech function by the characters of that novel.they argued that speech function is able to be used to support the speakers of any languages. they stated by mastering types of speech function english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 107 the speakers or the writers are able to communicate among of others easily. they will not get misunderstanding to each others. wilany, megah and iriyana are realy well informed about speech funtion. they argued that mastering types and performing how to form speech function in the communication both spoken and written langage help the speakers to communicate effectively. then, sitorus, fitriany, and noverina, (2021) conducted their study focused on analyzing speech fuction written in the advertasiments. they stated that speech functions used in the advertisements mostly are command and statement which the purposes are to persuite the readers of the advertisements. other researchers, andriani, nova, (2018), she investigated the speech function particularly used in the cigarettes advertisement. the most speech functions used in the cigarettes advertisement was statement speech function. it means that speech function used in the cigarettes, the purpose is not to persuite the readers to smoke. on ther other hand, the statement speech functions in the advertisement have the meaning close to neutral. people in the society are not demanded to smoke, they would like to smoke or not it depends on their rights.other speech function study was conducted by fitriyani, setia, and lubis, (2019). they discussed speech function used in the fakes news, social media twiter.the findings stated that speech function mostly used is statement speech function. it means that speech function used in the social media in the form of statement.further, batubara, hasyimsyah, (2020), stated that speech function were written in any media. one of the data of speech function was written in the banking and daily need billboard texts. his study investigated speech function written in the form billboard texts. the findings revealed that speech function mosly used in the billboard text was statement. it means that the meaning of speech function declaring the messages wanted by the writers of the speech function in the form of texts. it was particularly used in the banking and daily need billboard texts.speech function is written not only in the texts, social media but is also written in the literary work. speech function is also used in the drama, for example; drama in the title romeo and juliet. the speech function used in the romeo and juliet drama was investigated by artha and listiani, (2018). their finding of their analysis stated that statement speech function was dominant used by the characters of romeo and juliet drama. further, speech function will lead the readers of drama undertanding the speech function meaning made by the characters.further, speech function is also founded in the classroom of english study. the example of this speech function was discussed by mahendra and zulham, (2017). their discussion was on speech function on the title “the analysis of speech functions used by an elesp lecturer in english for young learner class”. the findings stated that speech function in the classroom depend on the context and situation. it means that speech function used both in written and spoken language. based on those previos researchers, it is necessary to dicuss the philosophy of speech function itself. speech function is one of the linguistics studies. it is partuclarly discussed in sociolinguistics. further, sociolinguistics is the study of language in the society.then, this study described the language used in the certain setting, and it is the use of language by lecturers and students when they were texting to each other both inside and outside the classroom. the language used in certain area, it is included the scope of pragmatics study. furthermore, this paper analyzed the language used in certain setting of conducting communication among of the lecturers and their students, and then the researcher would like to investigate that language phenomenon from the sociopragmatics study. why sociopragmatics? it is the combination between sociolinguistics and pragmatics. speech functions is one of the topic discussions in the socilinguitics. while, it is combined with pragmatics, because it is about the language used in certain setting and by particular participants, it was the communication among of the lecturers and their students, when they were texting to each other. the texting was conducted through whatsapp, both inside and out site the classroom. further, the researcher would like to discuss the language used by lecturers and students from sociopragmatics study.pragmatically this study analyzing the language used in the communication. this paper focuses on the communication among of the efl lecturers and their students. it is again to explain speech function made by lecturers and their students both insiden and outsisde classroom. holmes, janet, (2013) cited in wilany, megah and iriyana, (2018) described the term of speech functions, she argued that language used in everyday interaction has different function. she stated that speech function eatlest has two function namely; social function and referential function. furhermore, holmes, janet preferred to identify the speech functions in the following categorizations; table: 1. theory of speech function by holmes: sudar speech function by lecturers and students in the communication using whatsapp: sociopragmatics study 108 (2013) cited in wiliany et al. (2018) n o types of speech function meaning example 1 expressive to express speakers’s feelings i am happy today. 2 directive speaker wants some one to do something. come to my house! 3 referential to provide information, all students will pass the toefl test. 4 metaliguis tics to give comment on the language itself. uforia is word used in certain phenomena. 5 poetic focuses on aesthetics features of language; a word dirive from a poem, word taken from wiseword. 6 phatic to express solidaity and emphaty with others hi, how are you, cheerfull is it! 7 heuristic to change the name of something to another words, classroom is over, time is over. 8 commisiv es promises threats, or to declaration i will clean my class, i promise. the theory of speech function is necessary to be described deeply. here, researcher still would like to explore the philosophy of speech function itself according to any linguists. the following are some linguists’ ideas about speech function and its implementation in the real communication both spoken and written language. halliday, (1994) cited in sumarsih and ritonga, (2022), stated that speech function has four basics purposes, namely; offering, giving statement, commading, and asking question. based on those classifications, halliday emphazised that offering speech function to some one else as a patner of communication is necessary. further, as usally, speakers or writers would like to declare their statement, the speakers need responses from ther listener, or readers. next, commanding speech function is usually used by speakers to invite the activities done by listeners, it is also common happened in the conducting a communication among of the speakers and listeners. later on, asking a question speech function is also basic and common speech used in the communication, further halliday, (1994) cited in sumarsih and ritonga (2022) emphazsed to the four speech functions really appeared in the conducting communication both spoken and written language, namely; offering, giving statement, commading, and asking question speech functions. furthermore, previous researcsers usch as; derakhshan & arabmofrad (2018), kauffeld & goodwin (2022), lee (2022), oluoch (2020), rakaj (2022), santosa & kurniadi (2021), susilawati (2019), uspayanti, (2020), nita & lestari (2021) cited in taridi,fitria, deska, and supriusman, (2022), they deeply analyzed speech function using the theories of speech functions developed by holmes, (2013). they identified into eight classifications based on their findings of the research such as; expressive, directive, referential, metalinguistic, poetic, and phatic, heuristic, and commisive speech functions. those theories of speech function were developed by holmes, janet, (2013) cited by wilany, megah, and iriyana, (2018).wardhana and maharani, (2023) stated that speech functions can be investigated in the data of movie scripts. they investigated the speech functions used by the characters implemented in the movie. their research findings revealed that there were three types of speech functions used by the characters of the movie in the title” turning red”. the three types of speech functions in that movie namely; expressive, directive and phatics speech functions. among of three speech functions directive speech functions was mostly used by the main character of that movie. napitupulu and bram, (2021) also described the speech functions used in the story book in the tittle “categories of speech functions used by totto-chanand mr. kobayashi in totto-chan: the little girl at the window”. the researchers of this story book focused on investigating the types of speech functions used by the characters written in the story book. the finding of the research stated that there were seven types of speech functions used by the main characters, such as; directive, referential, poetic, phatic, commisive, performative, and metalinguistics speech functions, among of the seventh speech functions, there were three dominant speech functions used by the main character they were; referential, phatics and directive speech functions. furthermore, mawarni andi bram, (2023), they discussed speech functions used in the shampoo slogans. they analyzed the speech functions used concretely written in the shampoo slogans. they argued that speech functions were not only found in the oral english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 109 language but it was also found in the written language. the example of research was investigating speech functions used in the shampoo slogans.their research findings stated that there were three types of speech functions used in the shampoo slogans namely; statement, commands, and questions speech functions. furthermore, rahman, husein, and meisuri, (2019), they described that speech functions was not only researchable in the written language, but it was also able to be investigated in the verbal communication. the example was a research about speech functions done by rahman, husein, and meisuri, (2019), they investigated the speech functions used by teachers and students when they were donducting an interaction in the classroom. it is stated in their research tittle;” speech function of teachers and students’ utterances in classroom interaction at the elementary school” their research findings revealed that there were five types of speech functions used by teachers and students in the classroom interaction, such as; statement, questions, command, offer, and minor speech function. based on the researchers’ findings, teachers are oftent used statement speech functions whent they interact to their students. then, questions, command, and offer speech function are the next speech functions used by teachers. on the other sides, they did not explain clearly the speech functions used by students in the classroom. my research is not only explaining the speech functions used by lecturers but also speech functions used by students when they were texting to each other inside and outside the classroom. dwiningtyas, krisnawati, and malini, (2020) argued that speech functions was also used by the main characters of movie. they described the using of speech functions by the main characters in the movie of title “speech functions analysis used by the main character in “over the moon” movie. their research findings explained that, there were five categories of speech functions found in the movie namely; expressive, directive, referential, poetic, and phatic. among the five speech functions, the directive speech function was the most used speech function in the conversation of that movie. referring those research findings of speech functions, it was clearly stated that speech functions was not only in the written language but also spoken language. furthermore, linguists who was concerned to discussed speech function, holmes, janet, (2001) she described that speech functions was really needed by any people of any societies. it means that by mastering a good copentences in speech functions any persons are able to convey the massages taken from others. on the other hand, people who were not agood understanding of speech functions, they will be not easy to understand the massages coming from their societies. isda, (2019) stated in her research that speech functions has encential rules in perfoming the speaker’s or writer’s ideas, feeling, and also thoughts. she argued that speech functions have main roles in the commucication both spoken and written language. her arguments revealed that speech functions needed by the language users. in her research findings, she stated that there were four types of speech functions made by salers and customers in their interaction. the four tyes of speech functions are as follows; statement, question, offer, and command speech functions. among of four speech functions, the statement speech function was dominantly used by the sellers. it means that the sellers prered to promote their goods using statement speech function. furthermore, hadiningrum, (2020), argued her ideas about speech functions. she stated that speech function can be used and be investigated both in verbal and non-verbal language, it means that verbal speeches were the speech whis was used in oral communication, on the other sides, nonverbal comuunication is a communication that conducted by using the text written in printed or onlie platform, for example; using email, whatsapp, etc. she conducted her study was about investigating the speech function in the oraldebate. she analyzed the speech functions used by the first speaker of debater. her research findings described that there were four types of speech functions, namely; opening and continuing speech functions by the speaker of affirmative team, than there were two speech functions by negative teams, such as; continuing and reacting speech functions. based on her research finding, affirmative and negative team of debate made equal speech functions. it means that the using of speech functions can be conducted equally in the interaction. furher study was conducted by wiyanto, (2020), he analyzed the speech functions used by english teacher in the classroom. he argued that speech function was also used directly by teacher in the classroom. his research findings mentioned that there were six types of speech function made by english teacher, such as; expressive, directive, referential, metalinguistic, poetic, and phatic speech functions. the six types of speech functions were used varitvely in the claasroom when the teacher interacted with students. furthermore, it is still talk about speech sudar speech function by lecturers and students in the communication using whatsapp: sociopragmatics study 110 functions analyzed by other researchers; such as; indari, rezeki, and sagala, (2021), they argued that speech function also applicable used in the online classroom. it was researched by indari, rezeki and sagala. they transcribed the lecturers and students speech functions from on-line classes. they stated that speech functions were able to be used by lecturers and students online and offline classes. in their research, they found that there were four types of speech functions made by lecturers and students; namely; statement, question, offer, and command speech functions. based on the four types of speech functions, the statement speech function was the highest speech function used by lecturers. it means that lecturers were more dominant in using statement speech function in their interaction with the students.furthermore, sibarani and santoso, (2019), have different ideas about the using of speech functions. they argued that speech functions were usedable in the e-talk show program. it was a program in the tvone program. they investigated the speech functions performed by the guests in the e-talk show program. the findings of their research stated that the guests of e-talk show program produced some speech functions, they were statement, question, command, and offer speech functions. in the sensitive topic, interrogative speech function was mostly developed by by the host. the guest mostly made statement speech function to avoid more questions from the host. furhermore, speech function highly produced by the guest in the e-talk show program was statement speech function. further, kanaza, (2020) argued that speech function was a part of sociolinguistics discussion. she observed and investigated the using of speech functions used in meghan markle’s speech of the story. her analysis of speech functions used in that story revealed that there were five types of speech functions dominantly used in that story namely; conative, emotive, referential, phatic, and poetic speech functions. one of the five speech functions, conative speech function was highly used in that story. then followed by emotive, referential, phatic, and the lowest speech function used in that story was poetic speech function. further ideas about speech function was argued by aprilia, (2022) she investigated the using of speech functions used in the vedio of ellen degeneres show, she analyzed the speech functions perfomed by the speakers and her guest. her research findings revealed that there were five types of speech functions made by the ellen. the dominat speech functions made by ellen were heuristic and regulatory speech functions. on the other sides, the guest was dominantly used interactional, regulatory, and representational speech functions. further, speech function was used flexible by any speakers of any contexts. based on those theories of speech function, here researchser would like to investigate and describe the speech functions made by lecturers and their students in conducting their texting both inside and outside classroom. to narrow down the discussion, researcher stated the following questions; (1) what are the types of speech function made by lecturers and students in the conducting their communication by using whatsapp’s? (2) what is the most dominant of speech function produced by lecturers and students? (3) what are the meanings of speech function made by lecturers and students in their texting to each other using whatsapp’s? method it is a descriptive qualitative research design.conducting this study, researcher fully empower himself as a comprehensive researcher. furher, researcher described the data taken from the trancritptions of lecturers and their students speech functions when they were texting to each other both inside and outside the classroom. the participant of this study was taken randomly. it meant that the participants were from different classes, different subject of studies. lecturers and students were also taken randomly, not limited lecturer from particular sucject of study, but they were from different subject of studies in english education program. the data of this study is transcriptions of lecturers and students utterances containing speech functions. there are two types of speech functions namely; first is the speech functions produced by students, and second is the speech functions developed by lecturers both inside and outside the classroom when they were texting to each other. further, there were one hundred fourthy one (141) moves of texting made by lecturers and students. the unit analysis of this data research is utterances of texting made by students and lecturers containing speech functions. the data of this research is transcriptions of students and lecturers texting taken from their communication using whatsapp both inside and outside the classroom. the steps to collect the data are, firstly researcher collects the written data in the form of texts of whatsapp made by students and lecturers, secondly retyping the raw data of texts of whatsapp, the third identifying the texts of whatsapp containing of speech functions made english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 111 by students and lecturers. the last step was coding the texts of whatsapp containing speech functions differently based on the theory of speech function developed by holmes, janet, (2013). to analyze the data, the researcher used the theories of speech function developed by holmes, janet, (2013) cited in wilany,megah, and iriyana, (2018).the technique of interpretatiting the data, researchser counducted the following steps; data gathering, data identifiying, coding the data, interpretating the meaning of speech function based on the theory, and taking conclusion of data interpretations. results and discussion table 2. students’ and lecturers’ transcription of textings containing speech function no speech function studen ts lecturers total 1 expressive 211 117 328 2 directive 81 81 3 referential 232 195 427 4 metaliguistic s 5 poetic 6 phatic 212 113 325 7 heuristic 8 commisive the first research question of this study is “what are the types of speech function made by lecturers and students in the conducting their communication by using whatsapp’s?” based on the data analysis taken from the transcription of whatsapp produced by lecturers and students, it found that there are four types of speech functions developed by students and lecturers when they were texting to each others. the four types of speech functions developed by lecturers and students were expressive, directive, refential and phatic speech functions.the highest speech function developed by students when they were texting to their lecturers was referential seech function. there were two hundreds and two (232) speech functions of referential speech function produced by students when they were texting to their lecturers.these speeches functions are which aim to provide information to others. students developed refential speech function afther they texting to their lecturer by using phatic speech function. phatic speech function means speech functions which express the solidarity and emphaty to others. students developed phatic speech function in the total number of two hundreds and twelves, (212). this is the second high level of speech function developed by students. further, the third type of speech functions developed by students was expressive speech functions. expressive speech function aims to express speaker’s atau writer’s feelings, thought, ideas. students made expressive speech functions when they responded the speech functions initiated by lecturers. expressive speech functions were at the third grade developed by students. it was two hundreds and eleventh (211) expressive speech functions. students did not produce directive speech function when they were texting to their lecturers. furthermore, researcher would like to describe the speech functions produced by lecturers when they were conduncting the texting to respond their students both inside and outside the classroom. expressive and phatic speeches functions were mostly equally developed by lecturers when they responded their student’s texting. phatic speech function was on hundred and thirtheen (113) utterances of speeches function, while expressive speech function produced by lecturers was one hundred and seventeen (117) utterances of speech function. furthermore, the highest speech function developed by lecturers was referential speech functions. it was two hundreds and thirty two (232) utterances of speech functions. this speech function used by lecturers when they would like to described the information to their students. the last type of speech function developed by lecturers was directive speech function. it was eighty one (81) utterances containg of directive speech functions. the directive speech function used by lecturers aimed to make students to do some activities wanted by lecturers. table 3. the example of students’ speech funtion when they were texting to their lecturers no types of speech function students’speech function lectures’ s speech function 1 phatic assalamualaikum wr.wb,// good afternoon sir, ……….. ………wassalamu alaikum wr.wb.// ….waala ikumsala m wr.wb,// ….. 2 referential -//i am sorry to disturb your time.// -// i’m dwike arti one of from pbi 5a, // …….it is an off line class//. sudar speech function by lecturers and students in the communication using whatsapp: sociopragmatics study 112 -//i need a permission to ask,// -//if second language acquisition on semester 7 will be held in this evening, sir?// 3 expressive ……….thank you,// ok,…… most students of efl of this study in texting to their lecturers used phatic speech functions. further, this study revealed that phatic speech function used by students was islamic phatic speech function. they used islamic phatic speech function when they begin texting to their lecturers. for example; asslamu’alaikum wr, wb…… it described that islamic phatic speech function to make students being solidariry and to show their emphaty to their lecturers. it is like the examples written in the table 1.3. furthermore, after producing phatic speech function, students would like to develop their referential speech function. it means that students would like to inform to their lecturers when they were texting to them. for example, students woul like to tell….. -//i am sorry to disturb your time.//…..// i’m dwike arti one of from pbi 5a, // i need a permission to ask,//, these are the examples of referential speech functions. it means that these speeches would like to inform the lecturers about the students themselves, including the aims of texting to lecturers. further, students would like to produce the expressive speech function. expressive speech function means the speech to expresses the personal feeling, thoughts,ideas, opinions of the speakers of speech functios. the example of expressive speech function made by students when they were texting to their lecturers was the speech of...” thank you…..students would like to expresses their feeling, thought, ideas after they got the feecback speech functions from lecturer. then, lecturers also would like to responded the students speech function with referential speech function………the example of lecturers’ referential speech function was the pspeech function…..it is an off line class. lecturers would like to responded students’phatic speech function. most lecturers have also responded student’s phatic speech function with islamic phatics’ speech function; for example it is written in the table.1.3. it is stated….wa’alaikumussalam wr.wb. further, lecturers also responded students’ personal speech function; for example.by producing the expressive speech function …ok. the second research question in this study was as the follow; “what is the most dominant of speech function produced by lecturers and students? based on the finding of data analysis, it is written in the table 4. it is described that students and lecturers similiarly used referential speech functions as the highest number of speech functions that they produced when students and lecturers were texting to each other. students produced three hundreds and thirty two (232) utterances of speech functions and lecturers produced one hundred and ninety five (195) utterances of speech functions from the total number of speech function developed by lecturers.the following is the examples of referential speech functions used by students and lecturers when they were texting to each other both inside and outside the classroom. table 4. examples of referential speech functions used by students and lecturers speech functions referential meanings students // hopefully you and your family will be always health and you get blessings from allah swt, amin.// ---------------------- //i am muhammad fajar from hima pbi,// // and i wanted to tell you, that tomorrow at 1 p.m.,// the first speech function produced by student’s means that they wanted their lecturer and her family were always in good condition, students prayed to allah that their lecturer always get the blessing from god. the second speech function made by student was about telling information about him and his friend. here students tell the lecturer about himself, he was from hima pbi, he informed to the lecturer that the next daya he and his friend want to meet to discuss the update program that is going to do as soon as possible. it was about doing the makrab for the first semester students as new member of hima pbi. this is idea english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 113 -// i and my team want to consult about the work program and makrab plans.// stated in the last speech function developed by students. lecturers // insya allah// the referential speech function used by lecturer was very simple. it was only to tell students about his responsobility, that he would like to meet and discuss together with students of hima pbi. the purpose of meeting was to talked about the makrab aactivities which will be done by the first semester. based on the examples of referential speech functions produced by students and lecturers, most of the referential speech functions aim to inform to each other between students and lecturers. it was done inorder that students and lecturers not getting minsundertanding in conducting their communication through out whatsapp as one of familiar and popular social media platform which is mostly used in the society included in the field of education. the last research question of this study is as follow; what are the meanings of speech function made by lecturers and students in their texting to each other using whatsapp’s? speech functions produced by students and lecturers when they were texting to each others have different meanings. based of the data analysis, it is like in the table 2. there are four types of speech functions used by students and lecturers namenly; expressive, referential, directive and phatics speech function. the four type’s speech functions made by students and lecturers have different meanings. the first type of speech function was expressive speech function. expressive speech functions used by studens and lecturers have different meanings even the speech function was similar. the expressive speech function made by students closely to express students’ feeling, idea, and also about thoughts. for example of expressive students; speech function mosly used by students are as follow; ….. ok, sir., ……thank you, sir……these are the examples of expressive speech function mosly used by students and the meanings is to acieve harmony and to make their communicitation using whatsapp to their lecturers keep smoothly and students are able to achieve the goals of texting to their lecturers. furthermore, expressive speech functions used by lecturers were also similar forms and the but the meaning is different from student’s expressive speech functions. the following are the examples of expressive speech function used by lecturers such as; ……. ok, it is an offline class//.,…….ok…….., be carefully//, it was rainy,//……… ok, // it is in a.4.3.2 room. // …….yes….right. the expressive speech function used by leaturers commonly similar forms from the students’s expressive speech function. the meanings of expressive speech function used by lecturers mosly to express the lecturers’ agreement to the students ideas, feelings, and even the students’s thoughts when they were texting to each others. the second meaning of speech functions used by lecturers and students are telling the informations that needed both by students and lecturers. it was expressive throught out the referential speech functions. it means that lecturers and students referential speech functions have similar meanings, it was to infmorm the issues needed both by lecturers and students. the third meaning of speech functions mostly used by lecturers was directive speech function. the meaning of directive speech functions is to make the listeners or the readers of the texts to do some activities. lecturers’ mosly used direnctive speech functions to make their students to do the activities. the examples of lecturers’ directive speech functions addressed to their students are as the following; table 5. examples of directive speech functions used by lecturers speech functions lecturers meanings dirrective …….. send a word documen t ya!// the directive speech function is the the form of the word’ send……it means that lecturer wanted students to submitted the document in form of words documents to lecturer. directive …….. make it better so,// it can pass the selection. // lecturer wanted the students to make the assignments getting better; it was stated by using directive speech function….make it…. directive …….. please lecturers wanted the students to take questions sudar speech function by lecturers and students in the communication using whatsapp: sociopragmatics study 114 you take question sheet and answer sheet in class.// ……… … take it home;// ……..sat urday, you….. put it in my room.// and answer sheet in the class by using directive speech function…..take questins and answer sheet…in class. the last examples of directive speech functions used by lecturers was…..put it….in my room. it means that students should to put something needed by lecturers. =students in texting to other students never used directive speech functions. they preferred to use referential speech functions to inform the informations that they needed to each others. the last meaning of speech functions commonly used by lecturers and students were phatics speech functions. phatic speech functions means of speech to express the solidarity, emphaty, and also to create getting closer or making familiar among of the speakers. the data analysis stated that both students and lecturers used phatics speech functions when they begin or responded the speech functions among of them. table.6. the examples of phatics speech functions made by students and lecturers speech function phatics meaning students assalamualaiku m .wr.wb.// good morning, sir.//………….. sorry to disturb the time,………… wassalamualaik umwr.wb. students used islamic phatics speech functions, and engnlish speech function based on the time. it used to create close solidarity between students and lecturers. lecturers waalaikumsala mwr.wb,//…… ….. i hope you get well soon.// lecturers responded the student’s phatic speech function equally. it expresses the lecturers’s respect to the students. students assalamualaiku m, wr.wb.//good morning, sir.//………….. sorry to disturbing you.// students used islamic speech function followed by english speech functions. it used by students to create close solidarity among of students and lecturers. lecturers waalaikumsala mwr.wb.//…… …….. it will be next week ya, mba. // lecturers used islamic phatic speech function equally to rerspect their students in their communicaton. conclusion in the section of conlcussion, researcher would like to write the summary of discussion based on the data analysis conduncted in the previous section. speech function is commonly used by any people in any levels of society. this study focused on investigating the speech functions developed by students and lecturers when they were texting to each other by using whatsapp, as one of familiar and popular social media platform. lecturers and students were texting to each other both inside and out side the classroom. related to the data analysis, and research questions stated in the previous pages; there are four types of speech functions used by students and lecturers in conducting texting to each others such as; expressive, referential, directive and phatics speech functions. among of those speech functions, a referential speech function was the dominant speech functions developed by students and lecturers. furthermore, students and lecturers used phatics speech functions equally. it means that students and lecturers were respected to each other when they were texting to each others. then, students did not use directive speech functions when they were texting to their lecturers. on ther other hand, lecturers used directive speech function in order that they wanted their students to do some activities related to contains of textings, particularly, it was about the activities that should be done by students. further, phatics speech functions was found and used by students and lecturers equally, it means that lecturers really respected to the students textings, and welcome to students purposes of conducting texting to the lecturers. furtermore, the meaning of expressive, directive, referential and pahatics speech functions was really suitable with the context of developing speech functions both by students and lecturers. then, using speech functions appropriately was nessary done by students and also lecturers, it was a cause of taking communications among of students and lecturers using whatsapp can be an alternative platform of social media significantly praticlal and economical to be used in the field of education. the findings of this study can be used english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 115 by lecturers and students, particularly in the teaching and learning the using of speech accurately depend on the purposes of speaking. it gave significant implementation mastery of speaking skill and writing skill. students and lecturers were able to take knowledge how to speak and write effectively both spoken and written. fuher researchers are able to conduct a research about speech function from different angles, for example speech functions taken from whatsapp made by comedians, politician, actress, etc. furhermore, the next researchers are able to conduct a research speech functions used by speakers or writers in different platforms of social media, for example, e-mail, blogs, instagram, wiki, etc.the researcher believe that any research activities gave constibutions to the following researchers. acknowledgment this study was completed supported by universitas muhammadiyah purworejo. particularly, it was research center. here, the researcher also would like to thank to the language center of purworejo muhammadiyah university. references afsyah, (2019). whatsapp application in english language teaching (elt) context: media to describe people. journal of ultimate research and trends in education, 1(1), 1-6. http://ojs.journal.unilak.ac.id/index.php/utama andriani, nova, (2018). an analysis of speech function on the cigarettes advertisement, melt journal, vol 3, issue 2, issn: 2528-0287, https://www.melt.journal.ac.id artha and listiani, (2018). speech function on the text romeo and juliet drama, aicll, the 1st annual international conference on language and literature, kne social sciences, pages 228-236. 10.18502/kss.v3i4.1934, aprilia, (2022). speech functions in the ellen degeneres’ show, uc journal: elt, linguistics and literature, e-issn 2774-9401, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 23-43, https://www.ucjournalusd.ac.id batubara, h. (2020). an analysis of speech functions on the banking and daily need billboard texts. international journal of humanity studies, ijhs, e-issn 2597-4718,p-issn 2597-470x, vol.4, no.1, pp.110-121, http://ejournal.usd.ac.id/index.php/ijhs fitria, s., and l. (2019). speech function and process in fake news, retorika: jurnal ilmu bahasa, vol.5, no 1, page 16, p-issn: 2406-9019, e-issn: 2443-0668, https://ejournal.warmadewa.ac.id/index.php/jret hadiningrum,(2020). speech functions realized by the first speakers of an english debate competition, j-lalite: journal of english studies vol.1, no.1, https://www.jlalitejournal.ac.id hinze, n., t., cunningham, s., & wilkinson, (2022). a study of mobile app use for teaching and research in higher education, journal of technology, knowledge and learning, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-022-09599-6, holmes, j. (2001). an introduction to sociolinguistics; second edition, pearson education limited, edinburg gate, harlow, essex cm20 2je, england, https:// www.pearsoneduc.ac.id isda, (2019). an analysis of peech function at traditional shopping center in langsa, journal of linguistics, literature & language teachin, https://www.journaljl3t.ac.id indari, rezeki,and sagala, (2021). speech function analysis in online classroom, journal of linguistics and english language teaching issn: p2339-2940, e-issn: 2614-8633, vol. 10, no 2,https://www.linguisticslanguageteachingjourn al.ac.id kanaza,(2020). a language function: the analysis of conative function in meghan markle’s speech, journal of etnolingual, eissn; 2580-0280; vol 4, issue 1, https://www.etnolingualjournal.ac.id lakhal,mounim, (2021).social media use and its effects on writing ability among moroccan university efl students. international journal of english literature and social sciences, vol-6, issue-3; https://ijels.com/ mabeifam and kaleinasho, (2018). using whatsapp to support communication in teaching and learning, ist-africa 2018 conference proceedingspaul cunningham and miriam cunningham (eds),iimc international information management corporation, 2018 isbn: 978-1-905824-59-5, https://www.istconference.ac.id mahendra and zulham, (2017). the analysis of speech functions used by an elesp lecturer in english for young learner class, eltr journal, e-issn2579-8235, vol.1, no.1, https://apspbi.or.id/eltr mulatsih & fathonah, (2018). speech functions used by speakers in allison l.randall’s short story “end of the line”, e-structural journal. vol 1 no 1, p-issn: 2621-8844, e –issn: 26219395. http://www.structural.ac.id mawarni and bram, (2023).speech functions and prepositional phrases on shampoo slogans, els journal interdisciplinary studies in humanities, vol 6, issue 1 https://www.elsjournal.ac.id napitupulu and bram,(2021). categories of speech functions used by totto-chan and mr. kobayashi in totto-chan: the little girl at the window, journal of ijotl-tl, vol. 5, no. 1, pissn: 2502-2326; e-issn: 2502-8278, https://www.ijotl-tl.ac.id nuraeni and nurmalia,(2020). utilizing whatsapp http://ojs.journal.unilak.ac.id/index.php/utama https://www.melt.journal.ac.id/ https://www.ucjournalusd.ac.id/ http://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/ijhs http://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/ijhs https://ejournal.warmadewa.ac.id/index.php/jret https://www.jlalitejournal.ac.id/ http://www.pearsoneduc.ac.id/ https://www.journaljl3t.ac.id/ https://www.linguisticslanguageteachingjournal.ac.id/ https://www.linguisticslanguageteachingjournal.ac.id/ https://www.etnolingualjournal.ac.id/ https://ijels.com/ https://www.istconference.ac.id/ https://apspbi.or.id/eltr http://www.structural.ac.id/ https://www.elsjournal.ac.id/ https://www.ijotl-tl.ac.id/ sudar speech function by lecturers and students in the communication using whatsapp: sociopragmatics study 116 application in english language learning classroom.metathesis: journal of english language literature and teaching, vol. 4, no. 1, pp 89-94, doi: 10.31002/metathesis.v4i1.2289, pissn: 2580-2712, e-issn: 2580-2720, https://www.methathesis.ac.id rahman, husein, and meisuri,(2019). speech function of teachers and students’ utterances in classroom interaction at the elementary school, advances in social science, education and humanities esearch, volume 384, 4th annual international seminar on transformative education and educational leadership (aisteel), https://www.aisteel.ac.id sitorus, fitriany, and noverina, (2021). the speech function in advertisements, journal of language, literature, and teaching, (jllte), vol.3 no 1, april-july, pp 31-36. https://doi.org/10.35529/jlllte.v3i1.31-36 sibarani and santoso, (2019). speech function in etalk show program, advances in social science, education and humanities research, volume 384, 4th annual international seminar on transformative education and educational leadership (aisteel), https://www.aisteel19.ac.id sumarsih and ritonga, (2022).speech functionof anies baswedan’s speech in approval ceremony as the governor of jakarta in the period of 20172022. proceedings of the 3rd annual international seminar on transformative education and educational leadership (aisteel), eissn: 2548-4613.https:// www.aisteel.ac.id taridi, fitria, usman, and deska, (2022). speech function in teaching speaking skill: evaluation, analysis, and recommendation. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics, vol, 7 no. 2, eissn: 2503-4197, pissn; 2527-5070, https://www.indonesian-efl-journal.org wardhana and maharani, (2023). main character’s speech functions analysis in the movie “turning red”, journal of ijellacush vol.1, no.1, e-issn: 2962-8725, page; 7984 ,https://www.ijellacush.ac.id wilany, megah and iriyan, (2018). speech function used in a littele princes of frances hodgson burnet novel. journal of anglo-saxon, vol, 9 no 1: 63-72 p-issn 2301-5292, e-issn 2598-9995, http://www.anglo-saxon.ac.id wiyanto, (2020).using speech function on efl classroom, journal of stkip of jombang,volume: 5, number: 2 e-issn: 25034405,p-issn:2580-3441, https://www.stkipjournal.ac.id https://www.methathesis.ac.id/ https://www.aisteel.ac.id/ https://doi.org/10.35529/jlllte.v3i1.31-36 https://www.aisteel19.ac.id/ http://www.aisteel.ac.id/ http://www.indonesian-efl-journal.org/ https://www.ijellacush.ac.id/ http://www.anglo-saxon.ac.id/ https://www.stkipjournal.ac.id/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 599 duet this: storytelling through social media video for teaching english ika lestari damayanti english language education study program, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia e-mail: ikalestaridamayanti@upi.edu iyen nurlaelawati english language education study program, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia e-mail: iyenn@upi.edu lulu laela amalia english language education study program, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia e-mail: luluamalia@upi.edu nindya soraya dharma faculty of arts, design, and architecture, school of education the university of new south wales e-mail: nindyasoraya@gmail.com sri ratnaningsih smk bakti bangsa bandung, indonesia e-mail: srsoewarman@gmail.com apa citation: damayanti, i. l., nurlaelawati, i., amalia, l. l., dharma, n. s., & ratnaningsih, s. (2023). duet this: storytelling through social media video for teaching english. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 599-608. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.7706 received: 21-06-2023 accepted: 22-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: this case study aimed to investigate the use of the social media video application, tiktok, to support ten efl teachers in indonesia to develop videos for storytelling with their students. in this study, a two-week training program consisting of face-to-face and online sessions was conducted to facilitate the teachers to explore tiktok affordances and tell stories in the form of tiktok’s duet. the data were collected from tiktok videos produced during the program and the teachers’ preand post-training reflective notes. the findings show the teachers’ shifted view of tiktok as non-educational entertainment to an educational platform that could facilitate interactive and interesting storytelling with students. the teachers were aware that while the short duration of the tiktok video was beneficial for easy sharing and engagement with students, it affected the length of the unfolding stages of the story. in creating a tiktok video for storytelling, the teachers found modifying original stories into a one-minute interactive video challenging. more support is thus required to provide teachers with pedagogical, technological, and language content knowledge that allows them to develop teaching resources relevant to their student’s language learning needs and social and economic backgrounds. keywords: efl teachers; social media; storytelling; tiktok educational videos. introduction social media has emerged as a powerful language learning platform now that we enter the postpandemic era. the past three years saw a dramatic shift where schools were “forced” to undergo a major transition from traditional face-to-face learning to online learning (atmojo & nugroho, 2020; damayanti & sibarani, 2020; hodges, 2020). however, even though schools have now returned to in-person delivery, using social media for online learning remains relevant. in the post-pandemic era, the demands of teaching and learning have been translated into the needs of students to creatively engage in a digital environment and to prepare students to communicate in an increasingly digital mode of communication (muftah, 2022; shen & guo, 2022). in line with this, a growing body of literature also shows that social media has been mailto:ikalestaridamayanti@upi.edu mailto:iyenn@upi.edu mailto:luluamalia@upi.edu mailto:nindyasoraya@gmail.com mailto:srsoewarman@gmail.com ika lestari damayanti, iyen nurlaelawati, lulu laela amalia, nindya soraya dharma, & sri ratnaningsih learner autonomy in the context of mb-km policy: university teachers’ beliefs and practices 600 used to assist students with flipped learning, a learning style where teachers facilitate and guide students to produce learning content (han, 2022; fan, 2022). this marks the transition to the larger portion of ownership because students need to apply and modify what they have learned before uploading their learning content to social media. a number of studies have demonstrated that efforts have been made to accommodate teachers' use of social media such as whatsapp and youtube. whatsapp relies on its convenient, lowcost, and real-time delivery through chat features familiar to its user, thus making it one of the most potential platforms for integrating online and onsite learning instruction (bouhnik & deshen, 2014; kheryadi, 2018). however, the lack of functions related to interactive media, such as video on whatsapp, could hinder learning, especially in practicing speaking. another widelyused learning media is youtube, but the technical issues still entail as most available videos are large and often subjected to copyright (wilson, 2015). providing a cost-effective multimodal platform that allows both teachers and students to interact is, thus, pivotal. recently, a low-cost application, tiktok, has gained popularity as a video-based application for educational purposes (e.g., bohang, 2018; bresnick, 2019; dzulfaroh, 2023). as tiktok offers quick and concise information and is easy to use, tiktok has established itself as the most popular app, surpassing youtube, whatsapp, facebook, and instagram, with 45.8 million downloads in the first quarter of 2018 (bohang, 2018). in indonesia, tiktok is reported to have 99 million active tiktok users (dzulfaroh, 2023). tiktok ticks all the boxes as suitable learning media because videos are uploaded in short video format while still accentuating its fun elements (e.g., the “duet this” feature). numerous studies have explored the use of tiktok in english learning, especially in spoken english. for example, pratiwi, et.al. (2021) investigated the use of tiktok and explored university students’ perception of pronunciation lessons. similarly, afidah and mutiara (2021) developed a series of tiktok videos containing pronunciation prompts and instructions for senior high school students. the integration of stories in speaking classes using tiktok was investigated by zaitun et al. (2021), where students were encouraged to demonstrate their storytelling skills. however, these studies have been carried out to identify students’ perceptions of using tiktok, without much emphasis on how teachers perceive and could leverage the use of tiktok. given the benefits of tiktok for educational purposes, understanding teachers’ technological and pedagogical skills is necessary. the knowledge is called technological pedagogical knowledge (tpk) where the awareness of the potential alterations that may take place in teaching and learning when particular technologies are used in particular ways (koehler, mishra, & cain, 2013). teachers who cannot get along with technology in their teaching will be reluctant to use it in the classroom, thus decreasing the potential to support students’ learning, particularly in emergency teaching. the tremendous advancement in technology has strengthened the need for tpack in the teaching and learning process (koehler & mishra, 2005). however, as reported by many studies (e.g. taopan, drajati, sumardi, 2020 and lubis, 2018) many teachers find aligning technology with content and pedagogy challenging. to support teachers to integrate technology into their teaching practice, bachtiar (2021) explains that teachers can participate in a professional learning program. through such a program, teachers are facilitated and guided to extend their pedagogical content knowledge and revise their teaching practices to improve their students’ learning outcomes. therefore, teachers' professional learning throughout their careers is inevitable to help teachers change their paradigm on facing various challenges when dealing with technology. against the need for understanding teachers’ technological and pedagogical skills, this case study aimed to investigate efl teachers’ use of tiktok videos for storytelling in teaching narrative texts. in particular, this research aimed to address the following research questions. (1) how do efl teachers develop tiktok learning videos for storytelling as a result of their participation in story-based training? (2) what are the challenges and benefits of developing tiktok videos for storytelling as perceived by efl teachers? stories are widely used for educational purposes due to their unique feature in conveying messages to their audience. through exploring human experiences, such as hope and despair, stories engage the audience as they share common themes and social and cultural values. despite the commonalities, the way people share and interpret stories varies. therefore, when bringing stories into the efl classrooms, students need to be guided in observing the language pattern of stories english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 601 and comprehending their interpretative meanings (rose, 2016). in terms of the language patternings of stories, macken-horarik and sandiford (2016) explain that stories represent the ‘possible world’ of experience involving characters, settings, and plots. the dramatization of events and evaluation of people, places, and things contribute to engagement with readers/listeners. these meanings are realized in the composition of a story, unfolding in predictably patterned stages, namely orientation, complication, and resolution (martin and rose, 2008). in a story, the expectancy is typically stated in the orientation, which is often disrupted in the complication and finally resolved in the resolution stage. despite such ‘predictability,’ pantaleo (2011) points out that narrative stories often play around with patterns to create amusement and increase engagement with the audience. in addition to stages, narrative stories comprise smaller units of meaning patterns known as phases. martin and rose (2008) explain that phases allow for flexibility in the story development to engage more with listeners/readers. martin & rose (2008, p. 82) present a possible set of phases, including “setting and description for presenting and describing identities, activities, and locations; events for presenting a series of activities; effects for consequences of preceding phases concerning with material outcomes and participants’ behavior or attitudes; a problem for creating tension; and solution for releasing tension.” according to macken-horarik & sandiford (2016), phases guide readers/listeners to take stances as they move from a character’s experiences, consciousness, and voices to another’s. in this study, language patternings of stories at the global level (stages) and local level (phases) were presented to teachers to help them create videos for storytelling. storytelling as one of the spoken forms has been defined as ‘relating a tale to one or more listeners through voice and gesture which is different from reading a story aloud or reciting a piece from memory or acting out a drama’ (ncte, 1992). ‘in a storytelling event, the words are not memorized, but are created through spontaneous, energetic performance, assisted by audience participation and interaction’ (isbell, et al., 2004). in efl contexts, storytelling can provide the students with context that makes language input perspicuous for learners learning english as a foreign language. in storytelling for language acquisition, a storyteller's use of several media enables audiences to align their denotative meaning interpretations and build on them to interpret deeper, artistic, or figurative meanings. storytelling makes the interaction with a text more engaging and strengthens the bond between the teller and the listener (isbell et al., 2004). lwin (2016) adds that integrating multimodal elements in oral storytelling helps the audiences respond to and appreciate the story. teachers in the classroom can also use such elements by modulation of voices in terms of tone, speed, and other vocal features as well as gestures, postures, and facial expressions. method this case study involved ten lower secondary school teachers in west bandung regency, west java province, indonesia. their teaching experiences ranged from two to twenty-three years. the participants agreed to participate in this study and signed the consent forms. following the framework proposed by yin (2017), this study investigated ‘a case within a reallife, contemporary context or setting’. the boundary of the case in this study is the participants’ learning experiences in using tiktok for storytelling as a result of their participation in a training program conducted for a certain period of time in two separate training sessions. during the training, two sets of data were collected. the first data set is two series of videos that were produced by the teachers. the first series of videos called beginning is the replication of the model video presented by the trainers. the second series is called sprouting, where the teacher participants produced the videos independently using the story they selected and modified. the data from the teachers’ videos were analyzed based on the structure of the narrative text presented in the videos (martin & rose, 2012). the data from both video series showed the structure of the narrative ‘orientation^complication^resolution.’ the videos were also analyzed based on the vocal and visual features included in the video presentations (lwin, 2016). differences in those features emerged between the first and second series of videos due to the familiarity with the application of tiktok features. the second data set was collected from the teachers’ reflective notes before and after the training. the use of reflection notes offers “a trustworthy mapping of the data into categories that are built “from” the respondents’ point of view” (guba and lincoln, 1994 as cited in bashan and holsblat, 2017). the data were analyzed to identify the teacher participants’ perceptions on the ika lestari damayanti, iyen nurlaelawati, lulu laela amalia, nindya soraya dharma, & sri ratnaningsih learner autonomy in the context of mb-km policy: university teachers’ beliefs and practices 602 benefits and challenges of tiktok when integrated into english language instructions. results and discussion this section presents findings from the analyses of tiktok videos produced by the teacher participants and their reflection notes on their learning experiences in the story-based training program. first, the story-based training program is described to overview learning activities and deconstruct a story used in the model tiktok video. second, the results of video analyses are presented by comparing two videos produced by the teachers. the final part of this section presents the teachers’ perceived benefits and challenges in using tiktok as they experienced from the training program. the story-based training program the story-based training is one of the ways to help the teacher participants extend their knowledge about language through the identification of language resources used in stories as model texts written by fluent writers and improve their pedagogic-technological skills through the exploration of affordances of tiktok videos for storytelling. in this training, the teachers observed a series of two videos showing a teacher’s storytelling in an engaging way. the videos used duet this feature in the application so that the audience could respond to the story. the story used as the model was the ant and the grasshopper. table 1 presents the language resources of the story and how it was adapted to the tiktok video. table 1. the ant and the grasshopper script text structure: stages and phases one winter day the grasshopper met an ant. the ant was eating some nice food. orientation the grasshopper said… i’m so hungry. can you give me some food, please? the ant said… i worked hard all summer. what did you do in the summer? the grasshopper said … i was singing and dancing. how did the ant react? the ant shook her head and did not give him any food. complication problem reaction describing activities reaction how did the grasshopper react? the grasshopper was very sad and hungry. problem the grasshopper met the queen of ants and she gave the grasshopper a lot of food. resolution solution the structure of the story includes the orientation^complication^resolution./ this structure is a typical structure of narrative texts. the story starts with the introduction of the characters in the story namely the ant and the grasshopper on a winter day. they are involved in a complication where the grasshopper’s wish was turned down by the ant when he asked for some food. the story was resolved when the ant queen gives him much food to eat. in terms of tiktok features, the video shows a green-highlighted script for the storyteller, a white-highlighted script for the students. storytelling in tiktok videos the beginning the analyses of the teacher participants’ first videos show high similarities in terms of the structure of the narrative and participants’ story delivery with the model videos. as a derivative video, it was expected that similarities would be present. in addition, as most of the teachers were not accustomed to using tiktok and videoing themselves, the videos show teachers’ hesitance in using gestures, facial expressions and appropriate eye-contact with the (virtual) audience. their lack of confidence in telling the story is also evident through their monotonous use of vocal features such as intonations and speed. in terms of technological skills, some videos indicate teachers’ struggle in keeping the harmony of the running scripts and voice over for both storyteller and the students’ script. despite some identified issues in the beginning videos, all teacher participants successfully created their first video. for example, figure 1 shows a video produced by teacher 1. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 603 figure 1. teacher’s video of the grasshopper and the ants the storytelling was recorded in two separate tiktok videos in which each video lasted for one minute. the first part of the video was the instructions for students on what to do in the storytelling video. the teacher said duet this! to prepare students for the activity and asked them to participate in the duet feature. to help the students focus on their part, different colors of highlights were used; the blue for the teacher’s instruction, the green for the storyteller’s line, and the white for the students’. in addition to the instruction, the first part of the video contained the orientation and half of the complication stages. the second part contained the remaining events in the complication and the resolution. at the end of the video, the teacher’s instruction to signal the end of the story appeared and concluded with the teacher’s appreciation for their students’ effort in joining duet this storytelling. the sprouting the second videos, the sprouting, were produced by the teacher participants independently. in creating the videos, the participants were guided to select a story, modify the story to fit in the tiktok video format, and to practice telling the story in an engaging way. the following is an example of the sprouting video produced by teacher 2. the script of the first part of the video is presented in table 2. table 2. the script of “friend in need, friend indeed” story. part 1 video duet this! let’s tell a story about an elephant and friends. i’m in the blue square and you’re in the black square. go go go! long time ago, an elephant wandered into a jungle in search of friends. he saw a monkey on a tree. he asked the monkey. instruction is highlighted blue. teacher’s part is highlighted blue. will you be my friend? the monkey replied … you are too big. you can’t swing from trees like me. next day, the elephant met a rabbit. he asked the rabbit. will you be happy to have a friend like me? the rabbit answered … you are too big. you can’t play in my burrow. the elephant was so sad and upset because all animals didn’t want to be his friends’ what happened next? go to the next part! the student’s part is highlighted black. teacher’s part is highlighted blue. the student’s part is highlighted black. teacher’s part is highlighted blue. the structure of the story is related to the structure of narrative text. the original story is entitled “friend in need, friend indeed”. this story begins with telling an elephant trying to befriend some of the fellow animals [orientation]. while, in the story, the elephant asked monkey, rabbit, frog, and fox, it only asked monkey and rabbit in the video version. the first part ended here in the video script and the teacher cued the ending of part 1 by saying “what happened next? go to the next part”. the story progresses to when the animals ran for their life the next day. a fox said to the elephant that there was a lion running rampant and killing whoever it could find [complication]. before transitioning to the problem, the teacher then elicited a response from the student audience by asking, “guys, how was the elephant? did he find a friend?”. the story gradually came to an end when the elephant tried to help by making a lion frightened and running for his life [resolution]. in terms of the teacher’s skill in using tiktok features, teacher 2’s videos (figure 2.) used a similar structure of the model video. the instructions appeared as an opening, a transition– in the last part of the first video and the first part of the second video, and then a closing. ika lestari damayanti, iyen nurlaelawati, lulu laela amalia, nindya soraya dharma, & sri ratnaningsih learner autonomy in the context of mb-km policy: university teachers’ beliefs and practices 604 figure 2. duet video of “friend in need, friend indeed” story the instructions used in the videos are important to show how the students can participate in the storytelling. here, teacher 2 used bluehighlighted scripts for the instruction and her part and black-highlighted script for the students’. considering these are the second series of videos made by the teacher participants, improvement of story delivery is evident in these second series. intonation, eye contact, gestures, and time management performed by the teacher participants were more engaging and interesting. it can be said that the teacher looked more comfortable speaking in front of the camera communicating directly with her audience through the use of intense eye contact and gestures. her intonation kept the communication natural and attractive showing the emotions of the characters in the story. in addition, she inserted some emojis in the lines of the audience indicating the animals that were being mentioned. she also managed to provide enough time for the audience to respond. the time provided seemed to be adequate for her student to read the response. teachers’ perceived challenges and benefits of storytelling in tiktok videos the analysis of teachers’ reflective notes indicates challenges and benefits of storytelling in tiktok videos. the challenges include the video editing, their technological pedagogical skills, internet connection and devices, and extra work. the benefits cover teacher’s knowledge updates, extending learning resources, fostering teachers and students’ motivation and self-confidence, and building teachers and students’ communication and collaboration. challenges editing videos was considered challenging by most teachers. they believed that teachers need to focus on the content or modifying the texts rather than the editing aspects. teacher 7 stated in her reflection that editing the video should not be the main point of the training in producing the video for teaching. they prefer to have more sessions on deconstructing authentic texts and modifying them to suit their learners’ level. they also stated that editing aspects can be handled through collaboration with other teachers or even students who were more skillful in editing videos. to overcome this editing challenge, the teachers can use the template in tiktok and just add the audio and edit the text. the teachers also can use capcut or inshot video application to ease them in editing the video. teachers’ existing technological skills were considered insufficient for them to integrate tiktok into their regular lessons. the teacher participants state their need to be skilful in using the applications suited to their lesson objectives. the teachers’ need for technological skills is in line with koehler, mishra, & cain’s (2013) statement that the knowledge of the use of technology in educational settings is a prerequisite for teachers who want to use technology in their lessons. by mastering this technological pedagogical knowledge, teachers can make informed decisions of when and how specific technologies are used in their classroom. in the teachers’ reflection, some teachers noted that they now understand the potential of tiktok for their students but they needed more time to learn how to create tiktok videos. in addition, they stated the need for workshops that can help them see more examples, guidance and support in using some applications in their lessons effectively. the absence of good internet connection and sufficient devices were two factors considered challenging in the attempt to integrate technology into their remote teaching and learning process. as the teacher 7 reported, not all students have smartphones and access to strong internet connection either at home or school. such poor situations made many teachers hesitate with the use of tiktok videos for their learning. however, they were also optimistic that integrating such videos could help them deliver the lesson much better and more engaging. extra working hours to create tiktok videos was stated in most of the teacher participants’ reflective notes. they mentioned that they needed to invest more time to explore the ways to make a video. this included the process of making a script and instruction, sharing it with colleagues or experts, evaluating it, rehearsing and recording, and finally editing the video. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 605 benefits teachers’ updated knowledge was clearly stated as the benefits of the training program in the participants’ reflective notes. before they participated in the training, six participants commented that they mostly relied on whatsapp, youtube, facebook, and instagram, while two other participants frequently used educational websites such as padlet, kahoot, google classroom or learningapps.org to support their teaching. after the training, more than half of the teacher participants planned to keep using tiktok for educational purposes and improve their skills in making the videos at the same time. the changing view from the participants towards the use of social media is in line with what lipowsy and rzejak (2015) argue that a relevant professional learning program can support teachers to handle challenging situations. as one of the teachers stated that joining the training activities is a must to keep her updated on the new trends. the reflective notes also indicate a change in the teachers’ view of tiktok. tiktok, which is known for its short-form video sharing, offers video creators a great deal of freedom to produce videos of any genre and subject matter (yang, 2020). their negative judgment that tiktok can make their young students exposed to unnecessary, unrelated and harmful information when using social media in their learning was no longer the issue. they focus more on the benefits of this social media to help the students experience the learning in a remote teaching environment with limited internet connection and insufficient gadgets. it proves that the teacher has more knowledge in embracing and avoiding the disruption of technology into a good view. the teacher’s knowledge in knowing some applications such as whatsapp, padlet, learning apps, and kahoot indicates that their current knowledge and awareness of integrating technology to assist them in teaching. their participation in the training program also shows their learning motivation to learn new technology tools for their class. the opportunity to make their own videos has motivated the teachers to be more creative and explore more independently and resourceful than before (shafie, et. al, 2019). the teachers’ motivation in updating their knowledge and holding positive attitudes toward the use of tik tok into efl classroom teaching is also found in the study by sukri, et.al (2018). the teacher participants also found tiktok videos useful for supporting the development of their students’ speaking skills. studies by guo et al (2014) and szpunar et al (2013) also report similar results that tasks performed at home and in the classroom, such as storytelling, role plays, and simulations, among others, have benefited from the use of this application. furthermore, according to mathew and alidmat (2013), tiktok implementation gives students the chance to learn more by watching recorded content including english language instruction videos. in this study, the teacher participants modified their selected narrative story and its instruction, and covered several english skills including grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, intonation, eye contact, and gestures to produce a tiktok duet with their students. another benefit mentioned in the reflective notes is the communication and collaboration between teachers and students. with the production of videos, the teacher can engage with their students in collaborative learning environments by using duets. as shown in the sprouting videos, the interactions were made possible where the teacher invited the students to duet the storytelling. maretha & anggoro (2022) explain that such a collaboration is possible since tiktok is a social media platform that allows its users to send messages, exchange information, and videos, and leave comments. in addition, as stated by escamilla-fajardo et al (2021), the use of tiktok in the classroom context can promote more social, transparent, and collaborative teaching and learning techniques. collaboration with other teachers was also considered important. based on the teachers’ experiences during the script writing, they commented on the importance of feedback from the trainers and their peers. for future actions, they plan to collaborate with fellow teachers to give each other feedback in modifying authentic stories and in editing videos. social media platforms were often considered insignificant when used as a platform for increasing students’ motivation and confidence in improving their english language skills (sharma, 2019). however, the transition from face-to-face to online learning has induced students’ lack of confidence and increased reluctance to share their classwork. social media platform such as tiktok can be used as an alternative to assist students to overcome their reluctance in sharing their work during the emergency context. tiktok has been known as an online application that provides a variety of audio-visual tools that can be utilized in a classroom context (syaparuddin & elihami, 2020). it can also be used ika lestari damayanti, iyen nurlaelawati, lulu laela amalia, nindya soraya dharma, & sri ratnaningsih learner autonomy in the context of mb-km policy: university teachers’ beliefs and practices 606 as a tool to increase students’ motivation and confidence in improving their speaking ability (komariyah, 2022). this is in line with the results of this study where creating a tiktok video for storytelling can motivate students to participate in learning english and increase their confidence in using spoken english. although at first, both teachers and students were not confident to speak english in their tiktok videos, after their involvement in the training, the teachers seemed more confident to encourage their students to participate in the storytelling through duet this feature. according to yang (2020), students studying english as a foreign language (efl) are often inspired to learn the language by watching tiktok videos on their own. in agreement with yang, herlisya and wiratno (2022) support the roles of tiktok in helping students to improve their confidence and speaking skills. thus, integrating technological tools that allow for creating audio-visual content, as in the context of tiktok, have the potential to increase students' motivation and confidence in using english (maretha & anggoro, 2022). in addition to students’ increased participation, the teachers’ confidence in performing and being recorded in tiktok videos improved. with support and collaboration from the trainers and fellow teachers, many teachers were willing to experiment with the recording and editing. although initially many teacher participants felt insecure showing up in front of the camera, they successfully created two different videos. the feeling of success and satisfaction are captured in one of the participants who says, “hurray! i succeeded in making my first video for my teaching”. along with students’ motivation and confidence, the journey of creating tiktok video for storytelling has encouraged the teachers in this study to produce more educational videos. most of the teacher participants stated that they plan to produce more interesting and interactive videos and explore tiktok as a teaching strategy to teach not only narrative but also other genres. conclusion this case study reported a training program to support teachers to deliver their lessons during the emergency remote teaching through leveraging the ‘duet’ features in tiktok. the support provided in the training is both guiding the participants with the skills to transform narrative texts into dialogues for duet this! activity in tiktok and equipping the participants with video editing skills. these features could help both teachers and students develop their confidence while still being assisted with the use of tiktok script to guide the duet. though some studies have been conducted on tiktok, most have focused on students’ perception instead of examining teachers’ readiness and attitude. this study, however, narrowed this gap by providing support for teachers to prepare their tiktok learning videos. improved technological skills on creating tiktok videos for storytelling were evident from the videos produced by the teachers. although extra work time and internet connection were considered challenges in integrating tiktok videos into their lesson, the teacher participants in this study agreed that tiktok videos present possibilities for them to make necessary adjustments in their teaching materials, shifting from the “emergency” class into a more engaging online lesson. some recommendations can be offered for further studies on the topic of the study. this study emphasized on one particular potential feature available in tiktok. other potential features can be explored to be used as teaching and learning resources. another possible issue for further studies is the use of a variety of texts, other than narrative, to be featured in the application. in the sense of teacher participants’ professional development, it is recommended to study the sustainability of the training program that affects teachers’ professional development and collaboration with teacher associations to apply such a training program. acknowledgement the researchers thank all the teacher participants who have joined this study and the faculty of language and arts education, upi, that funded this project. references afidah, n., & mutiara, f. n. (2021). tiktok supplementary instructional media in speaking skill during pandemic covid-19. jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 8(2). atmojo, a. e. p. & nugroho, a. (2020). efl classes must go online! teaching activities and challenges during covid-19 pandemic in indonesia. register journal, 13, 49-76. 10.18326/rgt.v13i1. bachtiar, b. (2021). professional teaching and learning effectiveness: a case study of english language teaching in indonesia. international journal of education, 14(1), 11-20. https://doi.org/10.17509/ije.v14i1.25533 bashan, b. & holsblat, r. (2017). reflective journals as a research tool: the case of student teachers’ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 607 development of teamwork. cogent education. 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2017.137423 4 bohang, f. k. (2018). tik tok punya 10 juta pengguna aktif di indonesia. kompas. https://tekno.kompas.com/read/2018/07/05/095 31027/tik-tok-punya-10-jutapenggunaaktif-diindonesia. bouhnik, d., & deshen, m. (2014). whatsapp goes to school: mobile instant messaging between teachers and students. journal of information technology education: research, 13, 217–231. https://doi.org/10.28945/2051 bresnick, e. (2019). intensified play: cinematic study of tiktok mobile app. university of southern california, 4(4), 1-12. damayanti, i. l., & sibarani, b. (2020). whatsapp with preservice teacher learning experiences in the midst of covid-19 pandemic. in language, education, and policy for the changing society: contemporary theory and research (1st ed., 413– 429). upi press. dzulfaroh, a. n . 2023. indonesia pengguna tiktok terbesar kedua di dunia, mengapa aplikasi ini begitu digemari?. kompas. https://www.kompas.com/tren/read/2023/01/19/ 200000065/indonesia-pengguna-tiktok-terbesarkedua-di-dunia-mengapa-aplikasiini?page=all?lgn_method=google escamilla-fajardo, p., alguacil, m., & lópez-carril, s. (2021). incorporating tiktok in higher education: pedagogical perspectives from a corporal expression sport sciences course. journal of hospitality, leisure, sport & tourism education, 28. fan, x. (2022). the development of efl learners’ willingness to communicate and self-efficacy: the role of flipped learning approach with the use of social media. frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1001283 guo, p. j., kim, j. & rubin, r. (2014). how video production affects student engagement: an empirical study of mooc videos. learning scale conference, georgia, usa, march (4150). association of computing machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/2556325.2566239 han, s. (2022). flipped classroom: challenges and benefits of using social media in english language teaching and learning. frontiers in psychology, 13(2022), 996294. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.996294 herlisya, d., & wiratno, p. (2022). having good speaking english through tik tok application. journal corner of education, linguistics, and literature, 1(3), 191-198. hodges, c. & moore, s., lockee, b., trust, t. & bond, m. (2020). the difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning.https://dx.doi.org/10.23977/etss2020 030 isbell, r., sobol, j., lindauer, l., & lowrance, a. (2004). the effects of storytelling and story reading on the oral language complexity and story comprehension of young children. early childhood education journal, 32(3), 157-163. kheryadi, k. (2018). the implementation of “whatsapp” as a media of english language teaching. loquen: english studies journal, 10(2), 1. https://doi.org/10.32678/loquen.v10i2.685 koehler, m. j., & mishra, p. (2005). what happens when teachers design educational technology? the development of technological pedagogical content knowledge. journal of educational computing research, 32(2), 131-152. koehler, m. j., mishra, p., & cain, w. (2013). what is technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack)?. journal of education, 193(3), 13-19. komariyah, t., sulistiowati, w., fajri, l. a., & allatif, n. (2022, june). the implementation of tiktok application to learn speaking skill in english language teaching (elt). conference on english language teaching, 2, 142-154. lipowsky, f., & rzejak, d. (2015). key features of effective professional development programmes for teachers. ricercazione, 7(2), 27–51. lubis, a. h. (2018). ict integration in 21st-century indonesian english language teaching myths and realities. cakrawala pendidikan, 37(1), 11–21. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v37i1.1673 lwin, s. m. (2016). it's story time!: exploring the potential of multimodal macken-horarik, m., & sandiford, c. (2016). diagnosing development: a grammatics for tracking student progress in narrative composition. international journal of language studies, 10(3), 61-94. maretha, a. l., & anggoro, k. j. (2022). app review:" tiktok"--benefits, drawbacks, and implications for the elt field. mextesol journal, 46(2), n2. martin, j. r., & rose, d. (2008). genre relations. equinox publishing. martin, j. r., & rose, d. (2012). learning to write, reading to llearn: genre, knowledge and pedagogy in the sydney school. equinox publishing. mathew, n. g., & alidmat, a. o. h. (2013). a study on the usefulness of audiovisual aids in efl classroom: implications for effectiveinstruction. international journal of higher education, 2(2), 86-92. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v2n2p86 muftah, m. (2022). impact of social media on learning english language during the covid-19 pandemic. psu research review. .https://doi.org/10.1108/prr-10-2021-0060 ncte. (1992). a position statement from the committee on storytelling. ncte. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2017.1374234 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2017.1374234 about:blank about:blank https://tekno.kompas.com/read/2018/07/05/09531027/tik-tok-punya-10-jutapenggunaaktif-di-indonesia https://tekno.kompas.com/read/2018/07/05/09531027/tik-tok-punya-10-jutapenggunaaktif-di-indonesia https://doi.org/10.28945/2051 https://www.kompas.com/tren/read/2023/01/19/200000065/indonesia-pengguna-tiktok-terbesar-kedua-di-dunia-mengapa-aplikasi-ini?page=all?lgn_method=google https://www.kompas.com/tren/read/2023/01/19/200000065/indonesia-pengguna-tiktok-terbesar-kedua-di-dunia-mengapa-aplikasi-ini?page=all?lgn_method=google https://www.kompas.com/tren/read/2023/01/19/200000065/indonesia-pengguna-tiktok-terbesar-kedua-di-dunia-mengapa-aplikasi-ini?page=all?lgn_method=google https://www.kompas.com/tren/read/2023/01/19/200000065/indonesia-pengguna-tiktok-terbesar-kedua-di-dunia-mengapa-aplikasi-ini?page=all?lgn_method=google https://doi.org/10.1145/2556325.2566239 https://dx.doi.org/10.23977/etss2020030 https://dx.doi.org/10.23977/etss2020030 https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v2n2p86 ika lestari damayanti, iyen nurlaelawati, lulu laela amalia, nindya soraya dharma, & sri ratnaningsih learner autonomy in the context of mb-km policy: university teachers’ beliefs and practices 608 http://www2.ncte.org/statement/teachingstorytel ling/ pantaleo, s. (2011). warning: a grade 7 student disrupts narrative boundaries. journal of literacy research, 43(1), 39-67. pratiwi, a. e., ufairah, n. n., & sopiah, r. s. (2021). utilizing tiktok application as media for learning english pronunciation. iconnects 2021, 372–382. https://doi.org/10.35194/cp.v0i0.1374 rose, d. (2016). engaging children in the pleasures of literature and verbal art. english in australia, (2), 52. shafie, h., majid, f. a., & ismail, i. s. (2019). technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) in teaching 21st century skills in the 21st century classroom. asian journal of university education, 15(3), 24-33. sharma, v. (2019). saudi students' perspective on social media usage to promote efl learning. online submission, 2(1), 129-139. shen, y., & guo, h. (2022). new breakthroughs and innovation modes in english education in postpandemic era. frontiers in psychology, 13, 839440.https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.839 440 sukri, h. i. m., mustapha, l., othman, m., aralas, d., & ismail, l. (2018). social media: engaging language learning. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 8(12), 287-294. syaparuddin, s., & elihami, e. (2020). improving student learning motivation through the utilization of video media in education students. jurnal edukasi nonformal, 1(1), 228-235. https://ummaspul.ejournal.id/jenfol/article/view/570/315 szpunar, k. k., khan, n. y., & schacter, d. l. (2013). interpolated memory tests reduce mind wandering and improve learning of online lectures. pnas-the proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 110(16), 6313-6317. taopan, l. l., drajati, n. a., & sumardi, s. (2020). tpack framework: challenges and opportunities in efl classrooms. research and innovation in language learning, 3(1), 1-22. wilson, a. (2015). youtube in the classroom. [master thesis, university toronto]. yang, h. (2020). secondary-school students' perspectives of utilizing tiktok for english learning in and beyond the efl classroom. in 2020 3rd international conference on education technology and social science (etss 2020), (pp. 163-183). yin, r. k. (2017). case study research and applications: design and methods. sage publications. zaitun, z., hadi, m. s., & emma, d. i. (2021). tiktok as a media to enhancing the speaking skills of efl student’s. jurnal studi guru dan pembelajaran, 4(1), 89-94. https://ejournal.my.id/jsgp/article/view/525 http://www2.ncte.org/statement/teachingstorytelling/ http://www2.ncte.org/statement/teachingstorytelling/ https://doi.org/10.35194/cp.v0i0.1374 https://e-journal.my.id/jsgp/article/view/525 https://e-journal.my.id/jsgp/article/view/525 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 675 development of video-based digital content learning for teaching university students taufik arochman universitas tidar, magelang, indonesia email: taufik_arochman@untidar.ac.id ali imron universitas tidar, magelang, indonesia email: alielshirazy@untidar.ac.id winda candra hantari universitas tidar, magelang, indonesia email: windacandra@untidar.ac.id apa scitation: arochman, t., imron, a., & hantari, w. c. (2024). development of video-based digital content learning for teaching university students. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 675-684. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.7617 received: 28-02-2024 accepted: 27-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction in the 21st century, education in the digital era necessitates instructors to proficiently use information and communication technology into every facet of learning (hartman et al., 2019; mustapha et al., 2021; voithofer & nelson, 2021). this condition makes educators as the main role holders in delivering the material challenged to be able to adapt to meet their scientific competencies according to the demands of the times. however, education is currently shifting away from a teacher-centered approach but must be student-centered (marpaung & azzajjad, 2020). the success of the learning process cannot be separated from the role of learning media, as utilising suitable media helps optimise student learning outcomes. the use of media in education can assist teachers in delivering material so that students can comprehend it (arochman et al., 2023). that’s why choosing appropriate media in the digital era are needed for educators in delivering their materials. the digital era encompasses the use of digital media in many facets of life, including the process of learning (lestari, 2020; mijatoví et al., 2019). furthermore, for digital learning to be effective, learners and teachers must be prepared to engage in interactive communication using information and communication technology, such as computers, laptops, cellphones, and other devices connected to the internet (händel et al., 2020; novaliendry et al., 2022). there are several digital learning resources, including infographics, podcasts, powerpoint slides, animated video, and learning video. thus, videos are the most popular media by teenagers and adolescents. haleem et al. (2022) convey that in the abstract: nowadays, the development of technology is rapid, necessitating students to keep up with them. amidst the epidemic, learning was conducted online, necessitating educators to effectively utilise internet resources for instructional purposes. regrettably, the ongoing epidemic has brought about numerous challenges in the realm of education, encompassing both the content being taught and the instructional tools employed, ultimately leading to a decline in learning outcomes. this study emphasises the creation of videobased digital resources for educational purposes, which are then included into the learning process. the methodology employed in this study was research and development. the media development process utilised the four-d paradigm, as proposed by thiagarajan and semmel. the video-based digital content learning offers interactive learning through videos that are integrated with the elita learning management system. a sample of 25 students at universitas tidar was subjected to testing of the media during the covid-19 epidemic, which yielded positive acceptance results. the findings of this study suggest that utilising videobased digital information is both viable and efficient in enhancing student motivation and improving learning outcomes. this suggests that incorporating digital content learning into online education can be beneficial for instructing university students. keywords: digital content learning; video; teaching; students; online learning. taufik arochman, ali imron, & winda candra hantari development of video-based digital content learning for teaching university students 676 contemporary educational environment, the digital classroom has undergone significant changes for the better. integrating technology into the classroom experience has evolved to its fullest extent, resulting in more interactive instruction (arochman & fortinasari, 2024; delimasari et al., 2023). with access to internet resources and digital classrooms, students now have the opportunity to independently explore various object, one of them is video based material. video is a media that combines auditory and visual elements to convey concepts, principles, methods, and theories for better understanding of educational content (divayuda et al., 2021; wicaksono & pristiwati, 2021). video is a multimedia format that integrates audio and visual technology to produce a lively and captivating presentation (othman et al., 2022). furthermore, video has a function as a learning medium, namely the function of attention, affective, cognitive, and compensatory function (pamungkas & koeswanti, 2021; pardede et al., 2021). because video is able to combine visual (image) with audio, it can help the audience, in this case students who are weak and slow to grasp a message, readily accept and comprehend the delivered innovations (sound). (anggraeni et al., 2021). video has the following benefits: (a) it can increase motivation; (b) it clarifies the message's meaning, allowing students to comprehend it and facilitating mastery and achievement of delivery objectives (riyanto, 2020). as we know today, learning videos serve as a medium for teachers and students to offer and access educational material and references (asri et al., 2022; sablić et al., 2021). video learning is becoming a major concern in the last three years, the perception from “expensive, good to have” for l&d strategy, to “new normal”. in teaching and learning activities video is a visual and audible instructional medium purposed to delivered the material for students (deng & gao, 2023). generally, students are easily to learn using image and sound are presented simultaneously or nonsimultaneously. moreover, a video is a multimedia format that may present visual pictures and audio concurrently (puspitarini et al., 2019; varghese et al., 2020). from the preceding description, video that be used in learning can simultaneously display images and sound so that the learning process can run well or can be said to be in accordance with the desired learning objectives. in a research conducted by tan et al. (2020), a comprehensive elucidation is provided regarding the efficacy of audio-visual learning videos in ameliorating the academic performance of students encountering learning impediments. the research underscores the pivotal role of such multimedia resources in facilitating comprehension and retention among students grappling with conceptual abstraction. tan’s findings shed light on the transformative potential of audio-visual aids in narrowing the gap between learners with varying levels of aptitude, fostering a more equitable educational landscape. unfortunately, not all educators or lecturers can make effective and efficient learning videos so that students can comprehend the material with greater ease. especially during a pandemic, many educators and lecturers who deliver materials only use zoom and google meet media (aini et al., 2021; ramadani & xhaferi, 2020). some students find it difficult to access the application due to quota limitations and unstable network factors. even though most of them assume that the use of video media is more profitable for them because later they can access further if their connection is stable. this study is a direct response to the significant impact of audiovisual media on learning during the epidemic as a medium to facilitate the learning and teaching process carried out by teachers or lecturers. at universitas tidar, the pedagogical approach of project-based learning and case-based methods mandates students to cultivate the application of their acquired knowledge within specific contextual frameworks. this educational paradigm compels learners to transcend theoretical understanding and engage in practical problem-solving endeavors, thereby fostering a dynamic learning environment that nurtures critical thinking skills and real-world application. henceforth, there arises a necessity for the conception of a design that adeptly bridges the learning paradigm with the student’s preference and accessibility. according to the findings of the initial analysis of the learning process at universitas tidar, it was found that student learning activities tend to be monotonous. students focused more on just listening to information from the lecturer and are also given too many assignments. although they have been facilitated with media zoom and google meet but most of them tend to be less active and even most of them close their camera. the most prominent impact was the low motivation to learn and the value of learning outcomes achieved by students. therefore, lecturers must possess the capability to create and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 677 construct educational materials with a specific focus on enhancing the learning process by making it more tangible and authentic. therefore, the utilisation of video media is a viable solution for teachers to effectively convey abstract concepts. this study is based on the argument that the development of video media can not only support motivation and learning outcomes. because students are happier and more interested in learning, video can facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skills in a particular area (ryan, 2021). on the other hand, the advancement of video media is highly advantageous for both educators and students (coleman & money, 2020). in this way, the development of learning media can certainly change the traditional (conventional) teaching styles and methods of teachers into student-centered learning (student centers). there are some relevant studies related to the use of video-based learning for learning that have been conducted by some researchers (e.g. (lacey & wall, 2021; sablić et al., 2021); however, the majority of research focused on improvement of learning. based on the description of the problem description and relevant study above, there are limitations of lecturers in designing learning video media, especially during this covid-19 pandemic. therefore, researchers are interested in designing digital content learning using video. the aim of this study is to create video-based digital content for educational purposes that can support motivation and learning outcomes for students. then, the production of the resulting learning video which is used as an alternative learning media during teaching and learning process. thus, this study addressed questions: (1) how is the procedure of developing a video for learning at universitas tidar? (2) is there any significant different between students used a video before and after the learning? method this study utilised the research and development technique (r&d). referring to the definition of the four-d model by thiagarajan (thiagarajan, 1974), r&d is used to develop and validate products in the form of learning tools that are used as new experiences for students. the selection of this research methodology is employed to create educational media products in the form of videos that enhance student motivation and improve learning results. there are two scopes in this research, namely product development and product validation. the scope of this product development focuses on learning to write to support motivation and achievement of learning outcomes. the learning media developed is video media which then goes through a validity test by a team of experts. validation is carried out by experts covering the fields of; (a) linguist; (b) media expert and (c) material expert. this study was conducted during march july 2022. respondents involved in this study were universitas tidar 3rd semester students as many as 13 students from class 2 and 12 students from class 3 as a place for product trials from the user side. the selection of students was done randomly for participants who were willing to participate and assist this research and consider the gender aspect and the ability aspect of students who have homogeneous abilities, namely in terms of achievement, they have the same excellence. the process for creating this product follows thiagarajan's four-d paradigm, which consists of four stages: define, design, develop, and distribute. the steps and procedures for developing the four-d model are shown in table 1 as follows. table 1. procedure for developing videos four-d model research activities define 1 analysis of student needs 2 identification of problems 3 concept of learning media design 1 learning objectives 2 planning of an instrument 3 specifications of learning videos develop 1 developing instruments 2 developing learning videos 3 draft of videos dissemination 1 expert validation analysis 2 revision of the products 3 try-out researchers implemented procedure for developing videos using four-d model. each model had each research activities. the data obtained in this study consisted of two data sources, based on the data of qualitative and also quantitative. qualitative data were obtained from interviews and comments, student responses and insights from professionals in the fields of material, language, and media. while the researchers got the data of quantitative from the results of filling out expert validation sheets and student responses, learning motivation instruments and assessment of learning outcomes, namely pretest and posttest. the data obtained from the results of the development are then taufik arochman, ali imron, & winda candra hantari development of video-based digital content learning for teaching university students 678 analyzed to obtain criteria for validity, practicality and effectiveness. the data obtained from the expert validity scores were converted in the form of a scale of six and then converted into qualitative criteria in table 2 as follows. table 2. criteria of product validity scale categories 0 % 20 % not eligible 21 % 40 % less eligible videos 41 % 60 % fairly decent 61 % 80 % eligible 81 % 100 % very eligible if the video fulfills the minimum requirements, it will be integrated to e-learning universitas tidar, or called as elita. elita is a moodle based learning management system. this media is specifically developed to assist professors and students in their teaching and learning endeavours. meanwhile, the model's efficiency was tested in two stages by analysing the data obtained from distributing questionnaires on motivating instruments and assessing student learning outcomes after using learning videos. the paired sample t-test was employed to ascertain the disparity between the mean preand post-test scores, as shown by the difference in their averages for each group between field tests with the calculation using spss program. results and discussion the steps for developing video media start from the results of the needs analysis. the design phase of product development starts from the analysis of student needs, material analysis, task analysis and definition of learning goals. the preliminary study was done through observation, interviews and questionnaires at universitas tidar. several problems were found as stated in the summary of table 3 as follows: table 3. summary of the initial study aspects finding learning models that have been done during the pandemic google meet, zoom, whatsapp group, edmodo, quizziz, google classroom, google docs learning experience during a pandemic some participants admitted that it was difficult to understand and focus on learning. due of the device's lack of attention, it is susceptible to many influences within the home. in addition, when online they often feel sleepy and their focus is divided. perceived digital content learning based learning some lecturers have used content learning-based media, but some students do not understand when they are explained using the media. the most popular digital content learning based learning model. after zooming, video-based learning is the most desirable learning media with explanations that can be easily understood because through video it is like watching a lecturer explain directly. furthermore, students must feel tired especially in one day they have to study several courses. video-based learning makes them a little refresh their brain. ideal learning videos fascinating and comprehensible video content. a detailed and clear explanation but the duration is not long 10-15 minutes. in addition, videos are supplemented with explanations and animations that facilitate our comprehension of the content. presented. based on table 3 of the initial analysis above, it is illustrated the need for problem solving in order to support student learning outcomes and motivation. the steps taken in problem solving are as follows: a) designing learning media according to the analysis of student needs, b) applying various learning media that can support student motivation and results; c) the need to develop an attractive learning video media design for students so that curiosity will increase. the initial analytical findings serve as the foundation for the development of product design. the product development stage begins with describing the competencies that are used as a reference for designing learning video media. the media is created via microsoft powerpoint and subsequently enhanced with supplementary animations and effects so that it is converted into video. the result of this product design is referred to as draft i. draft i is validated by a team of linguists; media experts and material experts as many as 3 experts to get input. in general, the product is suitable for use, it just needs to be adjusted for color and font size. the following can be seen in table 4 the results of the test of the validity of the expert team. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 679 table 4. results of the expert team's validity validators material learning goal video 1 82 84 86 2 84 88 88 3 80 86 88 total 246 258 262 categories very good very good very good the validity of the test instrument saw both motivation and learning outcomes analyzed through item/item analysis. the findings on the validity of the motivational questionnaire and the achieved learning outcomes are presented that each item was very good, in the sense that the learning media had very good quality. this is because each material, learning objectives, and learning videos have a very good category, so the video model developed meets the valid criteria. consequently, it is thought that this video approach has the capacity to enhance student motivation and improve learning results. furthermore, a screenshot of learning video which is created in figure 1 as follows. figure 1. a screenshot of learning video based on the figure 1, comments from the expert team are that the color design is not flashy and is suitable for teenagers. the font size in the title is also not too small. while the picture from the color side depicts a green color that is suitable for their age. the title's size is prominently displayed, making it easily legible for students. the resulting video in the image above is referred to as a video draft. the video draft was then tested for practicality and implementation. the practicality test involves 2 lecturers who teach the same course to assess and provide input on the developed learning media in terms of design, material, attractiveness and level of relevance. the results of interviews with the two lecturers are as follows: "... the media product developed in my opinion is very good in terms of color, design and interesting material, there are pictures that make it easy and can help students when studying independently at home..." (interview, lecturer 1/2022) "... interesting media, clear enough to be given to students without the need for assistance during the learning implementation process, the explanations are generally quite clear... generally good” (interview, lecturer 2/2022) furthermore, the implementation test involved 25 students representing each class that was the subject of the research. the results of the participants' assumptions describe the interest in learning video media products. “... really like learning with this video media... (interview/participant 1/2022), ...even though it's not the first time i've learned to use video, i like it good... (interview/participant 2/2022), ...it is quite clear, can be studied again when one day i forget... the material. (interview/participant 3/2022) figure 2. practical assessment test by students the next test is a field test involving 25 students from semester 3 as many as 13 students from class 2 and 12 students from class 3. students also have a role in providing an assessment seen from the results of practicality tests on students in learning by using video. this practicality test aims to describe the level of student response in learning using video. the results of the student practicality test assessment through student response questionnaire sheets. the following figure 2 is the percentage of student practicality test results: according to the statistics presented in figure 2, the practicality test results of students who used the developed video model yielded an average score of 87%. these results indicate that students' responses to learning using the developed video model are said to be practical according to students. taufik arochman, ali imron, & winda candra hantari development of video-based digital content learning for teaching university students 680 table 5. result of paired sample t test paired differences t df sig. (2tailed) mean std. deviation std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pair 1 posttest pretest 3.9375 3.68902 .65213 2.60747 5.26753 6.038 24 .000 the second step is to determine the effectiveness test seen from the ability of students to master the material with a video model through a pretest before using video in learning and posttest after using video in learning. data from the test results of students' abilities by looking at the average value and deviation of standard and examining the outcomes of the likeness test with a t-test with a significance level of 0.05%. then proceed with looking at the results of the normalized t-test. this is conducted in order to ascertain the disparities in students' abilities after and before implementing the video model. the researchers need to compare the t-count and ttable. if the t-table is greater than t-count, it can be said that there is no significant difference. meanwhile, if the t-test value is bigger than the ttable value, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference and this medium is beneficial for enhancing student motivation and improving learning results. table 5 displays the outcomes of the first examination scores and the concluding examination scores, namely the t-test value of 6.038 with a p value of 0.000. while the t-table value for =5% is 1.697. it is evident that the t-test value (6,038) exceeds the t-table value (1.697). this condition indicates a substantial disparity between the original and final test scores. the results suggest that the impact of video-based learning can support student motivation and learning outcomes at universitas tidar. thus, the use of this film as a learning medium can be considered helpful in enhancing student motivation and improving learning results. the aim of this study is to develop video based digital content learning in writing courses. this product development process used research and development by following the research steps of the four-d model. during the covid-19 epidemic, the choice of media is determined by the requirements of students and the significance of interactive educational materials. through the development of video media can generate memory, mastery of the material and learning does not get boring quickly. based on the views of students, face-to-face class could be changed into online learning in that situation. however, some of students felt that the explanation when lecturers did in online learning, example: zoom or google meeting, often made students did not get the whole of learning. in addition, many of students were difficult in finding good connection when they did online learning. thus, most of them asked lecturers to made a video-based learning media instead of online meeting. hence, the pupils required the creation of video-based learning materials. the development of this video-based learning media begins with text then images and also animations so that learning becomes more fun. the process of developing video media is made in such a way that there are at least 2 elements that need to be considered, namely in terms of validity, practicality and attractiveness. a) elements of validity include elements of material, language and media. b) elements of practicality include conformity to the material and learning objectives. c) elements of attractiveness include the selection of shapes, colors, images and sizes used. all three must be used as references in the process of developing video-based media so that the resulting product is effective and efficient to use to support student motivation and learning outcomes. the findings of this study demonstrate the efficacy of the video learning media paradigm can be used as one of the learning media that can stimulate student activity in learning, because it facilitates the acquisition of knowledge for pupils, ensuring that they remain engaged and avoid boredom during the learning process. this is evident when the learning motivation of students is greatly increased after using the video model. students seem to learn with pleasure and enthusiasm. this finding is in line with, to date, the practise of online learning has inherent limitations that prevent it from fully meeting the demand (manurung et al., 2022). several essential limitations pertain to the state of the kids. online learning, despite its imperfections, has the capacity to cultivate creativity by integrating 'engagement experience' and tactics that beyond the reliance on english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 681 statistics, in line with students' own recommendations (sariyatun et al., 2021; wahyuningsih et al., 2023). therefore, the utilisation of digital content aids pupils in the learning process. increasing motivation and learning outcomes using the video media model reflects that in learning, instructors should possess the ability to cultivate a more congenial educational environment for pupils. learning is not only oriented to students' cognitive goals (learning outcomes), but is able to foster experiences for students (experience). this principle is in line with the motivational theory by maslow. the result of this study also show that students were easier to access video to be learned individually. they thought that by watching explanations in video made by their lecturers could provide deeper insights into their learning experience. this is supported by a study that by using learning video, it can make a learning more curious (ilyas et al., 2023). moreover, the learning will be enjoyable. studies on the advancement of video learning media models have elucidated the crucial role of lecturers is in growing, increasing student motivation and learning outcomes. the video can be also uploaded in youtube as learning video (sari et al., 2020). however, existing studies are more oriented towards improving student learning outcomes and do not analyze the long-term implications of factors that influence learning outcomes such as learning motivation. this study shows seriously the importance of fostering student motivation for learning rather than learning outcomes. the study's findings elucidated that designing learning media was needed as a means of creating a pleasant learning atmosphere. teachers should have high creative power in creating a conducive student learning atmosphere in order to increase student motivation and learning outcomes. conclusion finally, it was concluded that the development of video based digital content learning had met the valid, practical and effective criteria with good categories. thus, the video-based instructional approach can be employed to enhance students' motivation and academic achievements in learning to write and can overcome problems both motivation and achievement of learning outcomes. learning media on many subjects can be built upon the foundation of this development's findings. in line with that, further research is needed that involves a wider range of subjects and materials by accommodating the experiences and problems faced by students. the implementation of this approach in developing learning materials is regarded to have the potential to address a wider range of issues and challenges. acknowledgement researchers would like to thank lppm-pmp universitas tidar for providing dipa funding. researchers also thank to the students who have given their time so that this research can be done well. references aini, z., muslem, a., & marhaban, s. (2021). investigating students’ motivation and problems toward the use of zoom platform in english teaching and learning process during the covid19 pandemic. english education journal, 12(4), 613–630. https://doi.org/10.24815/eej.v12i4.21213 anggraeni, a. a., sumaryana, rinawati, w., & murniati, d. e. (2021). the development of video on pickled fruit production for flipped classroom. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 15(9), 118–135. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v15i19.22695 arochman, t., & fortinasari, p. b. (2024). implementation of technology-based learning by pre-service teachers during teaching practice program. premise: journal of english education and applied linguistics, 13(1), 126– 145. https://doi.org/10.24127/pj.v13i1.8988 arochman, t., malasari, s., & yunianti, s. s. (2023). the effect of elita on english writing learning for college students. veles: voices of english language education society, 7(1), 75– 85. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v7i1.7524 asri, a. n., mubarok, f. u., & imron, a. (2022). the implementation of low-cost educational videos to improve students’ performance in toeic preparation test. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 499–508. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6250 coleman, t. e., & money, a. g. (2020). studentcentred digital game–based learning: a conceptual framework and survey of the state of the art. higher education, 79, pages415–457. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00417-0 delimasari, a., fauziah, n., anjarsari, d. p., & arochman, t. (2023). classroom’s environment and fomo: students’ perspectives. ideas: journal on english language teaching and learning, linguistics and literature, 11(2), 1494–1506. https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v11i2.3941 deng, r., & gao, y. (2023). a review of eye tracking taufik arochman, ali imron, & winda candra hantari development of video-based digital content learning for teaching university students 682 research on video-based learning. education and information technologies, 28, 7671–7702. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11486-7 divayuda, i. p. g. b. t., wibawa, i. m. c., & rati, n. w. (2021). prezi-based learning video: learning media validity and feasibility. international journal of elementary education, 5(3), 505– 514. https://doi.org/10.23887/ijee.v5i3.37058 haleem, a., javaid, m., qadri, m. a., & suman, r. (2022). understanding the role of digital technologies in education: a review. sustainable operations and computers, 3, 275– 285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susoc.2022.05.004 händel, m., stephan, m., gläser-zikuda, m., kopp, b., bedenlier, s., & ziegler, a. (2020). digital readiness and its effects on higher education students’ socio-emotional perceptions in the context of the covid-19 pandemic. journal of research on technology in education, 54(2), 267–280. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2020.184614 7 hartman, r. j., townsend, m. b., & jackson, m. (2019). educators’ perceptions of technology integration into the classroom: a descriptive case study. journal of research in innovative teaching & learning, 12(3), 236–249. https://doi.org/10.1108/jrit-03-2019-0044 ilyas, m., syarif, h., & refnaldi. (2023). the use of english language learning videos designed through canva app: students’ perceptions. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 17(8), 100–112. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v17i08.39215 lacey, k., & wall, j. g. (2021). video-based learning to enhance teaching of practical microbiology. fems microbiology letters, 368(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/femsle/fnaa203 lestari, d. e. (2020). rethinking the roles of english lecturers in the digital era. metathesis: journal of english language, literature, and teaching, 4(2), 137–150. https://doi.org/10.31002/metathesis.v4i2.2508 manurung, e. m., purwadi, y. s., & sugiharto, i. b. (2022). digital learning process: challenges for specific creativity. electronic journal of elearning, 20(2), 112–119. https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.20.2.2107 marpaung, d. n., & azzajjad, m. f. (2020). the effectiveness of student centre learning in experiment method on acid and base solution to increase student achievement. journal of applied science, engineering, technology, and education, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.35877/454ri.asci2156 mijatoví, i., toší, b., & jovanoví, m. (2019). the acquiring of the knowledge about standards in the digital era. amfiteatru economic, 21(51), 427–441. https://doi.org/10.24818/ea/2019/51/427 mustapha, i., van, n. t., shahverdi, m., qureshi, m. i., & khan, n. (2021). effectiveness of digital technology in education during covid-19 pandemic. a bibliometric analysis. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 15(8), 136–154. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v15i08.20415 novaliendry, d., saltriadi, k. s., mahyuddin, n., sriwahyuni, t., & ardi, n. (2022). development of interactive media based on augmented reality for early childhood learning around the home. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 16(24), 4–20. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v16i 24.34501 othman, h. s., zaibon, s. b., & abidin, a. h. z. (2022). the significance of edutainment concept in video-based learning in proposing the elements of educational music video for children’s learning. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 16(5), 91– 106. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v16i05.23711 pamungkas, w. a. d., & koeswanti, h. d. (2021). penggunaan media pembelajaran video terhadap hasil belajar siswa sekolah dasar. jurnal ilmiah pendidikan profesi guru, 4(3), 346–354. https://doi.org/10.23887/jippg.v4i3.41223 pardede, y. k., yuhana, y., & pamungkas, a. s. (2021). pengembangan video pembelajaran berbasis numerasi untuk siswa sekolah dasar. primary: jurnal pendidikan guru sekolah dasar, 10(6), 1664 – 1671. https://doi.org/10.33578/jpfkip.v10i6.8353 puspitarini, y. d., akhyar, m., & . d. (2019). development of video media based on powtoon in social sciences. international journal of educational research review, 4(2), 198–205. https://doi.org/10.24331/ijere.518054 ramadani, a., & xhaferi, b. (2020). teachers’ experiences with online teaching using the zoom platform with efl teachers in high schools in kumanova. seeu review, 15(1), 142–155. https://doi.org/10.2478/seeur-20200009 riyanto, e. d. (2020). the benefits of integrating video making in a speaking class. english language teaching educational journal, 3(1), 64–74. https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v3i1.1850 ryan, t. (2021). designing video feedback to support the socioemotional aspects of online learning. educational technology research and development, 69, 137–140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09918-7 sablić, m., mirosavljević, a., & škugor, a. (2021). video-based learning (vbl)—past, present and future: an overview of the research published from 2008 to 2019. technology, knowledge and learning, 26, 1061–1077. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-020-09455-5 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 683 sari, a. b. p., dardjito, h., & azizah, d. m. (2020). efl students’ improvement through the reflective youtube video project. international journal of instruction, 13(4), 393–408. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13425a sariyatun, suryani, n., sutimin, l. a., abidin, n. f., & akmal, a. (2021). the effect of digital learning material on students’ social skills in social studies learning. international journal of instruction, 14(3), 417–432. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14324a tan, s., zou, l., & wijaya, t. t. (2020). using video learning to improve students’ mathematical ability. journal of didactic mathematics, 1(3), 117–126. https://doi.org/10.34007/jdm.v1i3.364 thiagarajan, s. (1974). instructional development for training teachers of exceptional children. in a sourcebook. varghese, a., shama, b., anil, d. v., bhosale, b. p., shivdas, k., upendra, s., & mistry, m. (2020). a study to assess the effectiveness of video assisted teaching (vat) on knowledge of environmental hygiene in rural community. indian journal of forensic medicine and toxicology, 14(4), 3993–3996. https://doi.org/10.37506/ijfmt.v14i4.12265 voithofer, r., & nelson, m. j. (2021). teacher educator technology integration preparation practices around tpack in the united states. journal of teacher education, 72(3), 314–328. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487120949842 wahyuningsih, l., huwaidah, h. k., maryam, f. f. d., & arochman, t. (2023). learners strategies used by non-english department students in learning english: students’ perspective. kabastra: kajian bahasa dan sastra, 3(1), 12–22. https://doi.org/10.31002/kabastra.v3i1.1083 wicaksono, h. a., & pristiwati, r. (2021). the suitability of video learning media on youtube with poetry writing learning materials curriculum. international journal of active learning, 6(1), 9–16. taufik arochman, ali imron, & winda candra hantari development of video-based digital content learning for teaching university students 684 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 75 reading strategy in focus: navigating the meaningmaking processes in reading multimodal text vina nurviyani english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education universitas suryakancana, indonesia email: vinanurviyani19@gmail.com apa scitation: nurviyani, v. (2024). reading strategy in focus: navigating the meaning-making processes in reading multimodal text. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 75-84. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.8871 received: 29-10-2023 accepted: 27-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction reading is one of the english language skills giving massive input to learners and they should master it when learning language (januarty & nima, 2018; krismayani & menggo, 2022). according to asst and soğancı (2023), reading comprehension is a multifaceted talent influenced by a range of linguistic and cognitive processes. according to heriyawati et al. (2018), reading is the process of understanding written content. furthermore, reading involves more than simply deriving meaning from a book; it also entails making connections between the information in the text and the reader's prior knowledge (pardede, 2018). in the digital era, texts, as reading materials, are presented in monomodal and multimodal texts. multimodal text has become a central part of daily life for people across all life, from young children to the elderly and across cultures and societies (mills and unsworth, 2018). moreover, multimodal texts are becoming popular as reading materials in education (cahyaningati & lestari, 2018). it means that readers have to be able to reconstruct the meanings of the multimodal texts in their daily communications. the multimodal text is a text illustrating semiotic modes covering documents, music, visual images, gestures, layout, architectural design, etc (januarty & nima, 2018). however, some research results (e.g., emilia et al., 2019) show that many indonesian efl learners need help comprehending multimodal texts. other learners’ reading problems include less concentration, less motivation, and less mood during reading processes, less knowledge and experiences concerning the reading topics, less capability of activating some information from their memories (nurviyani, 2018), poor vocabulary (nurjanah, 2018) and less competence in comprehending texts (hakim et al., 2022). the impact of the problems is that most efl learners just read the text without thinking. moreover, most of them need clarification in comprehending texts presented in various modes. they have trouble making meanings and interpreting the author’s intentions, so the reading abstract: the difficulty of indonesian efl learners in understanding multimodal texts is the main reason for this research. this study highlights the meaning-making processes in reading multimodal text, focusing on readers’ thinking processes in navigating the implementation of reading strategies as a tool to reconstruct meanings of multimodal text. this study applied a qualitative design (multiple case study) involving three readers studying at a private university in indonesia. the triangulation data gained through verbal reports, nonparticipant observations, and interviews were analysed qualitatively. the findings show that all readers read the multimodal text while verbalizing their thoughts during the meaning-making processes of reading multimodal text. in the process, they segmented their verbal reports into many thought units. each reader differently applied and integrated the reading strategies (i.e., monitoring comprehension, activating and connecting to background knowledge, questioning, inferring and visualizing meanings, determining the importance of text, summarizing and synthesizing) to process the thought units’ meanings. navigating the implementation of simultaneous integrated reading strategies is reflected in three stages of the meaning-making process of reading multimodal text, i.e., 1) preparation, 2) synchronization, and 3) interpretation of the meaning. the complete meaning of each thought unit is reconstructed as a reader is able to navigate and integrate appropriate reading strategies to find out the congruence of the multimodal information or knowledge of all reading elements (i.e., the reader’s prior knowledge, information of text, and context). thus, reading strategies are crucial tools for reconstructing meanings of multimodal text. keywords: multimodal text; reading strategies; meaning-making process. vina nurviyani reading strategy in focus: navigating the meaning-making processes in reading multimodal text 76 purpose is partly achieved. moreover, they have difficulties distinguishing between a fact and a fake in reading. the texts presented in various modes confuse them. besides, they are partially aware of thinking and reading strategy use during the reading process. referring to the reading barriers, utilizing proper reading strategies is one solution to overcome learners’ reading difficulties (hakim et al., 2022). in line with the statement, implementing reading strategies is vital in improving learners’ reading comprehension achievement and overcoming comprehension failure (pardede, 2022). the reading strategies covered by harvey & goudvis (2017) include: a) keeping track of comprehension or inner dialogue; b) activating and connecting to prior knowledge; c) asking questions; d) deducing and visualizing meaning; e) assessing the text's importance; and f) summarizing and synthesizing. every reading technique is explained in great depth of subreading strategies. the reading strategy is some behaviors of readers in reading (emiroğlu, 2022). some behaviours are reflexive and conducted spontaneously, while some are deliberate and applied strategically. moreover, the reading strategy is the aid to assist the reader in comprehending a text (lindholm & tengberg, 2019). if readers apply efficient strategies, they are capable of managing the reading process and comprehending the text completely (emiroğlu, 2022). comprehension is the intersection of three main elements of reading , i.e., 1) reader, 2) text, and 3) context in an equal position (pearson & cervetti, 2015). over the last five decades, three main elements of reading have been contributed to developing the concept of meaning-making or meaning reconstruction in reading. the expansion of the meaning-making processes in reading influenced by those main elements is segmented into four periods, i.e., 1) the text-centric era (pre1965); 2) the era of the reader (in the 1970s-1980s and beyond); 3) the era of context (in 1985 and beyond); 4) the modern balance period focuses on the model of construction-integration or situation model recommended by kintsch in 1988. in meaning-making processes of reading, the motor of reading process reflected as cognitive activities play an important role and affect the reading comprehension process covering decoding, translation, schemata activation, questioning, and metacognition process (marpaung & sihombing, 2022). moreover, during the reading process, readers need to select the correct elements in the situation and put them together in the proper relations and the right amount of weight, influence or force of each. it means that readers decode printed text, comprehend written or printed materials to get the writer's intentions, and are involved in processing activities, i.e., making connections to their own lives, having questions or inferences, exploring the answers of the questions related to the text, and building meaning (harvey & goudvis, 2017). thus, the reading purpose and reading achievement are attained successfully. the primary purpose of reading is comprehending and interpreting the content of a text (namaziandost et al., 2019). literature on reading shows that the studies of meaning-making processes in reading or reading processes have become increasingly influential in reading theories. therefore, studies on meaningmaking processes in reading or reading processes have been investigated in various areas and conducted by several authors, i.e., exploring the implementation of bottom-up and top-down in reading process (henretty & mceneaney, 2020), metacognitive reading strategy (asst & soğancı, 2023), reading comprehension process (marpaung & sihombing, 2022), the skills that students use for various types of expository texts (martin, 2019), readers’ belief and readers’ strategy use in reading processes (wang, 2019). existing studies of the meaning-making process in reading have explored the application of reading strategies in reading process. unfortunately, the study examining how readers interpret multimodal texts examines specific social phenomena within a particular naturalistic setting, such as a situation, an event, a person, a process, a social unit, an event, or a program focusing on readers’ thinking processes in navigating the implementation of reading strategies as a tool to reconstruct meanings of multimodal text, is rarely investigated. in this case, the reading strategies the readers (efl learners) implemented are recommended by harvey & goudvis (2017). for the reasons, this study was significant to explore. method the qualitative study focuses on investigating feelings, ideas, or experiences (ugwu & eze, 2017). moreover, this is done in an effort to get a detailed response from participants because it is impossible to isolate the variables of the phenomenon from the context in which it occurs (creswell & creswell, 2018; denzin & lincoln, 2018; yin, 2018). according to the idea, three english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 77 readers who are efl students attending a private institution in west java were included in this research, which used a qualitative approach (multiple case study) (see yin, 2018). this research examined the phenomena of the meaning-making processes in reading multimodal text, particularly readers’ thinking processes in controlling reading strategy implementation as the media to create meanings of multimodal text. the reading strategies readers applied in meaning-making processes refer to the concept of reading strategies proposed by harvey & goudvis (2017). the readers were selected purposively by referring to some criteria, i.e., reading strategy awareness, reading habits, and social-cultural background (see fraenkel et al., 2022; elhami & khoshnevisan, 2022). they were categorized into high, middle, and low achievers of reading comprehension. moreover, they were efl learners living in indonesia and studying in the english education study program. in their everyday lives, they also acquired and read both monomodal and multimodal information. non-participant observations, interviews, and verbal reports— especially think-alouds—were used to gather the non-statistical data for this study. it means that each reader played three roles (see cresswell & cresswell, 2018). the elaboration of the data sources is explained below. verbal-report is an oral record of an individual’s thought processes on several topics conducted to help her/him vocalize everything that happened in her/his thoughts as she/he solves a problem, performs a task, or creates a judgment (bowles, 2018). think-aloud is one type of verbal report (bowles, 2018). additionally, think aloud refers to the simultaneous articulation of ideas while carrying out an action (güss, 2018). thinkaloud exercises allow students to express their ideas while they go through a problem-solving exercise. (sauerwein & thistle, 2023). think-aloud aims to obtain insight into learners’ cognitive processes (bowles, 2018). it is a research tool presenting the verbalization of readers’ thinking processes through speaking aloud several words or phrases from their minds in language-based activities or language processing (sauerwein & thistle, 2023). moreover, it is a technique used to collect data in usability testing, product design and development, psychology, and various social sciences, i.e. reading, writing, and translating in the research process (alzu’bi, 2019; chin & ghani, 2021). in addition, it can foster reading aspects, particularly the main idea, detailed information, vocabulary and inference (yusuf et al., 2018). by drawing on the concept, this qualitative (multiple case study) employed the verbal report (particularly think-aloud) to capture the data concerning meaning-making processes in reading multimodal text, mainly readers’ thinking processes in navigating the application of reading strategies as the tool to reconstruct meanings of multimodal texts. the verbal report (think-aloud) was simultaneously conducted with the observation session for each reader. it means that every reader was concurrently involved in the observation and the verbal report (think-aloud) session of meaning-making processes in reading multimodal text. each reader took part in the sessions in turn. it was carried out as each reader was ready to do so. besides, the sessions were conducted for about sixty to ninety minutes for each reader in informal sessions at a quiet and comfortable classroom in the university classrooms where all readers were studying. moreover, they reported their thoughts verbally and freely in indonesia, their first language. the text read by readers in the meaning-making processes was an analytical exposition text (see purba & kinanti, 2022), illustrated as a multimodal text (see danielsson & selander, 2021; şimşek, 2023) and entitled “buy nothing movement”. the text was derived from reading material of the british council (level b2). the text consisted of a picture (1 image), a title (1 phrase), and a body text (29 sentences). however, referring to the result of the previous study, the readers’ reading capabilities were at the intermediate level (b1). thus, the reading level contained in the multimodal text was higher than their capabilities to capture the findings of the research question in depth. in this case, the verbal report (think-aloud) was applied to get more data concerning the readers’ thinking processes in controlling the implementation of the reading strategies, particularly as the readers entirely created the meanings of the multimodal text and they did not understand the meanings of the text they were reading. the verbal report (think-aloud) of each reader was conducted by referring to the think-aloud procedure proposed by bowles (2018) covering, i.e., 1) a practical activity for readers, 2) getting simple instructions, 3) conducting the verbal report as unobtrusive as possible, 4) verbalizing readers’ thinking processes in navigating the application of the reading strategies to make meanings of the multimodal text as specific issues for producing relevant data for research, 5) not asking leading vina nurviyani reading strategy in focus: navigating the meaning-making processes in reading multimodal text 78 questions to the readers, 6) recording the verbal report (think-aloud) session, 7) paying attention to readers’ verbal and non-verbal behaviours. moreover, this study applied non-participant observation (see fraenkel et al., 2022; smit & onwuegbuzie, 2018). it was indicated that the researcher observed the participants’ activities by documenting, taking notes, listening, and examining what occurred to each participant during the meaning reconstruction processes of reading in natural settings (see flick, 2018; fraenkel et al., 2022). the observations of the verbal report (think-aloud) sessions were carried out to gain access to readers' internal thinking processes through verbalization at some levels (see bowles, 2018; güss, 2018). in the session, all readers produced tens to a hundred thought units reflecting several different cases of the readers’ thinking processes in navigating the reading strategy implementation to reconstruct meanings of the multimodal text. thus, the similarities and differences between cases were analysed to capture the research findings. having documented the sessions using a video recorder, the transcription of the data was arranged for in-depth analysis. then, all readers immediately took part in the interview session (see flick, 2018; elhami & khoshnevisan, 2022). it was conducted at a classroom in the university where they study. after finishing the think-aloud and observation sessions, each reader participated in the session verbally, directly, and independently. it pertains to the claim that during an interview, each participant was asked many spoken questions. (see denzin & lincoln, 2018; flick, 2018). in the session, the readers responded to twenty questions concerning reading capabilities and their thinking processes in controlling the reading strategy implementation to create the meaning of the multimodal text. then, all data were analysed using non-numerical methods to attain the results of the study. the analysis procedure for each data is explained below. the data gained from the verbal report (thinkaloud) were analysed by referring to the procedures of verbal report analysis proposed by bowles (2018). the analysis procedure covers six stages, i.e. 1) transcribing the data of the verbal report (think-aloud) by converting from utterances into written texts, 2) coding the data of each reader by giving different codes based on the time when they participated in the verbal report (think-aloud), i.e. a) code of reader a was the first reader, b) code of reader b was for the second reader, and c) code of reader c was for the last reader, 3) dividing the material into several thought units, or the smallest significant statement a reader may make to convey a single concept or a whole thought; 4) categorizing the data (111 thinking units) according to the six different categories of reading techniques and sub-reading strategies. proposed by harvey & goudvis (2017), 5) categorizing and interpreting the data (111 thought units) based on the research purpose. in line with the data obtained from the verbal report (think-aloud), the data of the observation were analysed through the following stages (see creswell & creswell, 2018), i.e. 1) organizing and preparing the data for analysis by collecting the data into files based on the readers' code, 2) reading and transcribing data into written texts, 3) coding data by naming and classifying 111 thought units referring to the readers’ thinking processes, 4) generating a description and themes by dividing the 111 thought units based on the six reading strategies proposed by harvey & goudvis (2017), 5) representing the description by elaborating on the data containing the answer to the research problem, 6) interpreting and describing the research results based on the research problem. relevant to the data gained from the verbal reports (think-aloud) and observations, the data obtained from interviews were analysed through the following stages (flick, 2018). stage 1 was transcribing data from the oral language into written language and coding data to differentiate the data of each reader. stage 2 was presenting and interpreting data to capture the research findings. the research validity of this study was attained through the triangulation of data gained from verbal reports (particularly think aloud), observations, and interviews. results and discussion this study investigated the meaning-making processes of reading multimodal text, mainly readers’ thinking processes in navigating the implementation of the reading strategies as the tool to reconstruct meanings of the multimodal text. the research results gained from all data are illustrated in detail below. in the meaning-making process of reading multimodal text, the readers read the multimodal text while verbalizing everything they were thinking, and they spontaneously segmented their verbalized thoughts of multimodal text into 111 thought units (i.e., reader a generated 42 thought units, reader b created 36 thought units, and reader c made 33 thought units). in this study, a thought unit is a reader’s minor meaningful statement english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 79 expressing one idea and complete thought. the idea of a thought unit is presented as a complete sentence or an independent clause containing a subject and a verb. in verbalizing a thought unit, a reader shows several starting and ending signs. at the beginning of verbalizing the thought units, the readers express some signs reflecting they are trying to gain concentration and awareness of thinking in making meanings of the thought units, i.e., 1) the silence of readers, 2) particular facial expressions of reader, and 3) readers staring at the thought units. meanwhile, at the end of verbalizing the thought units, the readers express some signs showing successful or unsuccessful meaning-making of the thought unit. the signs consist of 1) showing a clear pause, 2) expressing particular words as a sign of complete comprehension (e.g., ok, oh ya ya ya, like that), 3) changing the idea of the thought (she/he reconstructs meaning of another thought unit presenting different idea), 4) being confused and giving up (e.g., i do not understand, i do not know the meanings of the words). in this study, the readers reconstructed the meaning of one thought unit consisting of one independent clause and one sentence (consisting of two independent clauses). it means that each reader interprets the thought units’ meanings differently. besides, in the meaning-making processes of a particular thought unit reflecting the readers’ thinking processes, the reader navigated the use of some reading strategies to create meanings of the thought units. moreover, the complete meaning of each thought unit is reconstructed using appropriate integrated reading strategies. the reading strategies consist of a) monitoring comprehension or inner conversation; b) activating and connecting to background knowledge; c) asking questions; d) inferring and visualizing meaning; e) determining the importance in the text, and f) summarizing and synthesizing (harvey & goudvis, 2017). it means that the reading strategies are implemented as vital media to reconstruct the meanings of the multimodal text (the thought units). moreover, the evidence indicates that reader a (high achiever) and reader b (middle achiever) were more capable of navigating their minds in implementing and integrating the appropriate reading strategies to create meanings of all thought units than reader c (low achiever). however, reader c successfully controlled her mind in applying the reading strategies to reconstruct the meanings of some thought units. it means that readers should have complete knowledge of reading strategies and the capability to correctly navigate and apply integrated reading strategies to reconstruct complete meanings of multimodal text (thought units). less knowledge of reading strategies and less navigation of readers’ minds in applying and combining the reading strategies makes readers confused and unsuccessful in creating the meanings of multimodal text (thought units). therefore, readers’ knowledge of reading strategies is vital in the meaning-making process of multimodal reading. more research findings describe the readers’ thinking processes in navigating the implementation of reading strategies as the tool to reconstruct meanings of multimodal text. monitoring comprehension or self-regulation is the reading strategy applied dominantly in the meaning-making processes of multimodal reading. the reading strategy of monitoring comprehension is manifested in the three activities, i.e., 1) selecting and integrating appropriate sub-reading strategies for synchronizing the information of all reading elements covering reader, text, and context, 2) reconstructing the meanings of unfamiliar words or phrases or modes, and 3) stimulating readers’ prior knowledge. the activities were conducted at the beginning, middle, or end of meaning-making process of the thought units. implementing monitoring comprehension in the activities is rational because a monitoring comprehension is a precondition to other aspects of thinking. moreover, applying a monitoring comprehension strategy is the foundation for managing readers’ minds in reconstructing meanings of the thought units. in this case, readers are aware of a different mode of the evidence presented in the multimodal text and able to select appropriate reading strategies for synchronizing the information of all reading elements (i.e., reader, text, and context) to attain the complete meaning of a thought unit. it is relevant to the statement that in meaning-making, readers connect their expectations, schemas, and knowledge about the world with the text (henretty & mceneaney, 2020). regarding the strategy of activating and connecting to background knowledge, in the meaning-making processes of reading multimodal text, the reading strategy was combined with the other reading strategies and realized in two activities, i.e., 1) activating readers’ prior knowledge and 2) synchronizing a reader’ prior knowledge with the thought unit evidence (the text) and the context. implementing the strategy of vina nurviyani reading strategy in focus: navigating the meaning-making processes in reading multimodal text 80 activating and connecting to background knowledge enables readers to stimulate their prior knowledge and harmonize their knowledge or information with text evidence (thought unit) and its context. it means that owning relevant prior knowledge of the text and activating prior knowledge is vital to undertake the meaningmaking processes of thought units. it is relevant to the statement of nurviyani (2018) that prior knowledge plays a crucial role in the reading process. the strategy of activating and connecting to background knowledge is the tool to activate readers’ prior knowledge. it is relevant to the argument of hattan et al. (2023) that readers’ existing knowledge base matters significantly to what they can understand and remember from written text. the information in their prior knowledge guides them to comprehend it. moreover, schema activation (prior knowledge) is crucial as the motor of cognitive activities in reading processes (marpaung & sihombing, 2022). concerning the reading strategy of asking selfquestions, it is manifested as the readers have some confusion in the non-fluent meaning reconstruction processes of the thought units, particularly in an activity, i.e., to compare, contrast, and determine congruent information (knowledge) of al reading elements (i.e., the reader, the text (the thought unit), and the context). it is conducted as readers have many questions in their minds during the meaning reconstruction processes of the thought units. in the processes, as readers have reading troubles, they need to combine the strategy of asking self-questions with the other reading strategies to synchronize various knowledge, i.e., understanding reading strategies, multimodal comprehension, syntactic and morphological understanding, general world awareness, sociocultural understanding, subject understanding, and genre understanding in resolving issues throughout the meaningprocessing multimodal text reading procedures. it means that implementing the reading strategy of asking self-questions is compulsory in reconstructing the meanings of unfamiliar phrases, words, or modes contained in thought units. it is relevant to the statement of blything et al. (2020) that asking questions during reading fosters readers’ comprehension. moreover, the reading strategy of inferring and visualizing meaning is realized in three activities, i.e., 1) stimulating the reader’s prior knowledge, 2) deciphering meanings of thought units through some clues, and 3) interpreting the meanings of the thought units. it means that applying the strategy of inferring and visualizing meaning facilitates readers to activate their background knowledge optimally for deciphering and interpreting the meanings of the thought units, particularly unfamiliar words, phrases or modes. in the reading process particularly in making inferences, readers integrate their prior knowledge with visual and verbal information as clues presented in the texts they had read (nurviyani et al., 2020). as a reader reconstructs an unfamiliar thought unit, she/he has incomplete prior knowledge of the text she/he is reading. the results show that the reader’s prior knowledge is stimulated through the integration of inferring and visualizing meaning with the strategy of monitoring comprehension, asking self-questions, determining the importance of text, summarizing and synthesizing. in this case, readers apply the integrated reading strategies to be aware of thinking, select particular clues, compare and connect the thought units they are reading with the previous or the following thought units to activate their prior knowledge. stimulating the reader’s prior knowledge using the strategy of inferring and visualizing meaning integrated with the other reading strategies enables the reader to harmonize the information or knowledge of all reading elements, i.e., the reader, the text, and the context. besides, the strategy of determining the importance of text is manifested in an activity, i.e., identifying essential information contained in the thought units. as readers reconstruct unfamiliar words, phrases or modes, they need to activate their background knowledge of the thought units. the reader’s background knowledge can be activated by identifying and determining the essential information contained in thought units. it means that in the meaning reconstruction processes, the strategy of determining the importance of text is employed to stimulate readers’ prior knowledge. it is relevant to the statement that multimodal texts describe various modes, including written texts, visual aspects, linguistics, and semiotic tools (emilia et al., 2019; yawiloeng, 2022). moreover, multimodal texts use a variety of media to convey meaning by combining many modes. the coordinated modes help readers improve their understanding and understand things completely. moreover, summarizing and synthesizing strategy is crucial in reconstructing meanings of thought units. it is realized in two activities, i.e., 1) deciphering the meanings of the thought units presented in various modes and 2) combining and linking some information to gain the essence of the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 81 thought units. in the activities, the strategy of summarizing and synthesizing are implemented together with the other strategies to synchronize the knowledge or information owned by all reading elements, i.e., the reader, the text, and the context (pearson & cervetti, 2015). in the meaning-making processes of reading multimodal text, the results reveal that reader a (high achiever) & b (middle achiever) have good capability of navigating their minds in applying and implementing appropriate reading strategies in harmony. thus, they are able to reconstruct the meanings of most thought units. meanwhile, reader c (low achiever) needs more improvement and practice in controlling her mind to apply the reading strategy to create meanings of the thought units. therefore, she succeeded in creating some thought units’ meaning only. the finding aligns with the research result of lindholm & tengberg (2019) who found that more reading strategies are used by proficient readers than by less proficient readers, who often struggle to choose the appropriate reading approach when required. in the meaning-making processes of multimodal reading, to attain the successful meaning reconstruction and interpret complete meanings of the thought units without confusion, the readers should be able to integrate appropriate reading strategies in harmony in three stages as the media to synchronize the information or knowledge of all reading elements (i.e., the reader’s prior knowledge, the text, and the context). the three stages of meaning-making process in reading multimodal text, i.e., 1) preparation, 2) synchronization and 3) interpretation of the meaning. in the first stage (i.e., preparation), the reader notices the presence of the multimodal text, particularly the thought unit she/he is reading. besides, the reader applies a monitoring comprehension strategy integrated with the other reading strategies to gain awareness of thinking, manage her/his mind and attempt to gain total concentration. in the second stage (i.e., synchronization), the reader simultaneously integrates some proper reading strategies (i.e., monitoring comprehension or inner dialogue, triggering and establishing a connection with prior information, asking questions to oneself, deducing and picturing meaning, assessing the significance of the material, and summarizing and synthesizing) to harmonize the information or knowledge contained in all reading elements (i.e., the reader’s prior knowledge, the text, and the context). the congruent information of all reading elements enables the reader to reconstruct the meanings of the thought units without confusion. in the third stage (i.e., interpreting the meaning), the reader uses integrated reading strategies to express the writer’s intended meaning of a thought unit. in this stage, the reader combines some reading strategies, i.e., monitoring comprehension or inner conversation, inferring and visualizing meaning, and summarizing and synthesizing. as readers are able to synchronize the knowledge or information of their prior knowledge with the information presented in the thought unit (the image or text or other modes) and its context, they are able to create a balanced intersection of all reading elements (i.e., reader’s prior knowledge, text, context) as the manifestation of the successful meaning-making process or complete comprehension of the thought unit. in some cases, the successful meaning-making of a thought unit was conducted spontaneously because of similar information of all reading elements (i.e., reader’s prior knowledge, text, context) and the integration of correct reading strategies. however, integrating improver reading strategies and different information about all reading elements makes readers unsuccessful in reconstructing the meanings of the thought units. mastering the various content knowledge presented in different modes and the knowledge of reading strategy applied in the meaning-making processes facilitates readers to activate readers’ prior knowledge, synchronize all reading elements, interpret the full meanings of the thought units, and solve several troubles of the meaning-making process in reading multimodal texts. the problems are 1) confusion in reconstructing unfamiliar words or phrases or modes, 2) deciphering the meanings of the thought units, and 3) interpreting the full meanings of the thought units. conclusion the research results show that in the meaning reconstruction processes of print-based multimodal text through reading strategies, all readers verbalized their thoughts, and they spontaneously segmented their verbalized thoughts (the multimodal text) into many thought units. in this study, the complete meaning of each thought unit is reconstructed through simultaneous integrated reading strategies proposed by harvey & goudvis (2017). the implementation of the simultaneous integrated reading strategies is reflected in the meaning reconstruction activities. the activities are manifested in three stages of the meaning vina nurviyani reading strategy in focus: navigating the meaning-making processes in reading multimodal text 82 reconstruction process of multimodal reading, i.e., 1) preparation, 2) synchronization and 3) interpretation of the meaning. in the first stage (i.e., preparation), the reader notices the presence of the multimodal text, particularly the thought unit she/he is reading. in this stage, the reader applies a monitoring comprehension strategy integrated with the other reading strategies to gain awareness of thinking, manage her/his mind and attempt to gain complete concentration. in the second stage (i.e., synchronization), the reader simultaneously integrates some proper reading strategies to harmonize the information or knowledge contained in all reading elements (i.e., the reader’s prior knowledge, the text, and the context). the congruent information or knowledge of all reading elements enables the reader to reconstruct the meanings of the thought units without confusion. in the third stage (i.e., interpreting the meaning), the reader uses integrated reading strategies to express the writer’s intended meaning of a thought unit. however, the integration of improver reading strategies makes readers unsuccessful in reconstructing the meanings of the multimodal text (the thought units) at all stages. referring to the research results, reading comprehension is defined as the consistent synchronization process of information (knowledge) contained in all reading comprehension elements (i.e., the reader's prior knowledge, text evidence presented in various modes, and context) through proper integrated reading strategies. references alzu’bi, m. (2019). the impact of text length on efl students’ reading comprehension. jurnal folio, 19(1), 69–75. asst, r., & soğancı, s. (2023). metacognitive reading strategies used by students with learning disabilities and typically developing einternational. e-international journal of educational research, 14, 576–591. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.19160/eijer.1363548. blything, l. p., hardie, a., & cain, k. (2020). question asking during reading comprehension instruction: a corpus study of how question type influences the linguistic complexity of primary school students’ responses. reading research quarterly, 55(3), 443–472. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.279. bowles, m. a. (2018). introspective verbal reports: think-alouds and stimulated recall. in the palgrave handbook of applied linguistics research methodology (pp. 339–357). palgrave macmillan: london. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1137-59900-1_16. cahyaningati, d. t., & lestari, l. a. (2018). the use of multimodal text in enhancing engineering students’ reading skill. international journal of language education, 2(2), 65. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v2i2.6360 chin, a. s. w., & ghani, k. a. (2021). the use of thinkaloud in assisting reading comprehension among primary school students. journal of cognitive sciences and human development, 7(1), 11–32. https://doi.org/10.33736/jcshd.2456.2021. creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. in angewandte chemie international edition, 6(11), 951–952. (fifth). sage publication inc. denzin, n. k., & lincoln, y. s. (2018). the sage handbook of qualitative research. in journal of chemical information and modeling (fifth, vol. 53, issue 9). sage publication inc. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781107415324.00 4. elhami, a., & khoshnevisan, b. (2022). conducting an interview in qualitative research: the modus operandi. mextesol journal, 46(1), 1–7. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1333875.pdf. emilia, e., palupi, d., & kusumawardani, f. (2019). a fresh look at students’ ability to read multimodal texts: a case in indonesia. 2nd international conference on educational assessment and policy (iceap 2019), 2(iceap), 243–253. https://doi.org/10.26499/iceap.v0i0.226 emiroğlu, s. (2022). reading strategies used by turkish teacher candidates in the reading process. education quarterly reviews, 5(4), 497–510. https://doi.org/10.31014/aior.1993.05.04.639. flick, u. (2018). the sage handbook of qualitative data collection. in u. flick (ed.), journal of chemical information and modeling (vol. 53, issue 9). sage publication inc. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781107415324.00 4. fraenkel, j. r., wallen, n. e., & hyun, h. h. (2022). how to design and evaluate research in education eleventh edition. in mcgraw-hill higher education (eleventh, issue 0). mcgrawhill companies, inc. güss, c. d. (2018). what is going through your mind? thinking aloud as a method in cross-cultural psychology. frontiers in psychology, 9(aug), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01292. harvey, s., & goudvis, a. (2017). strategies that work: teaching comprehension for understanding, engagement, and building knowledge (third ed.). stenhouse publishers. hattan, c., alexander, p. a., & lupo, and s. m. (2023). leveraging what students know to make sense of texts: what the research says about prior knowledge activation. review of educational english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 83 research, 94(1). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543 221148478. henretty, d. j., & mceneaney, j. e. (2020). bottom-up and top-down cues in a comics reading task. reading psychology, 41(3), 183–204. https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2020.176897 5. heriyawati, d. f., saukah, a., & widiati, u. (2018). working memory capacity , content familiarity, and university efl students’ reading comprehension. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 8(1), 21–27. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v8i1.11458. januarty, r., & nima, h. n. a. (2018). energizing students’ reading comprehension through multimodal texts. international journal of language education, 2(2), 14–22. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v2i2.4347. krismayani, n. w., & menggo, s. (2022). think-aloud protocol analysis: revealing the student’s problem in reading comprehension. veles: voices of english language education society, 6(2), 312–324. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.29408/veles. v6i2.5782. lindholm, a., & tengberg, m. (2019). the reading development of swedish l2 middle school students and its relation to reading strategy use. reading psychology, 40(8), 782–813. https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2019.167443 2. martin, n. m. (2019). processing different kinds of expository text: an investigation of students’ strategy use in postsecondary education. journal of college reading and learning, 49(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10790195.2018.147294 4. mills, k. a., & unsworth, l. (2018). multimodal literacy (issue december). oxford university press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/978019026409 3.013.232. namaziandost, e., fadhly, f. z., & solihat, d. (2019). males and females discrepancies in reading fluency: focusing on advanced efl learners. english literature and language review, 8(1), 11–18. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i1.1818.receiv ed. nurjanah, r. l. (2018). the analysis on students’ difficulties in doing reading comprehension final test. metathesis: journal of english language, literature, and teaching, 2(2), 253. https://doi.org/10.31002/metathesis.v2i2.958. nurviyani, v. (2018). activating readers’ prior knowledge in reading print based multimodal texts. 9 th conference on teaching english as a foreign language (cotefl), 188–194. http://repository.umy.ac.id/bitstream/handle/123 456789/25916/prosiding cotefl. nurviyani, v., suherdi, d., & lukmana, i. (2020). developing students' reading skill through making multimodal inferences. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 11. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2998. pardede, p. (2018). a review on reading theories and its implication to the teaching of reading – universitas kristen indonesia. june 2008, 1–21. https://parlindunganpardede.wordpress.com/arti cles/language-teaching/a-review-on-readingtheories-and-its-implication-to-the-teaching-ofreading/. pardede, p. (2022). online reading strategies in efl: a review. jet (journal of english teaching), 8(2), 329–339. https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v8i2.4130. pearson, p. d., & cervetti, g. (2015). fifty years of reading comprehension theory and practice. in research-based practice for teaching common core literacy (issue april, pp. 1–40). colombia university. purba, a., & kinanti, p. a. (2022). an analysis of students’ difficulties in writing hortatory exposition text at eleventh grade of sma taman siswa pematangsiantar. bilingual: jurnal pendidikan bahasa inggris, 4(2), 120–126. https://doi.org/10.36985/jbl.v4i2.464. sauerwein, a., & thistle, j. (2023). cognitive processes used by graduate students during case-based aac assessment and intervention think-aloud tasks. teaching and learning in communication sciences & disorders, 7(2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.30707/tlcsd7.2.1690393489.6 88265. smit, b., & onwuegbuzie, a. j. (2018). observations in qualitative inquiry: when what you see is not what you see. international journal of qualitative methods, internatio(1), 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406918816766 journals.sagepub.com/home/ijq. ugwu, c. n., & eze, val, h. u. (2017). qualitative research. idosr journal of science and technology, 3(1), 37–46. www.idosr.orgasuketal. wang, y. (2019). expanding meaningfulness: perceptions and strategy use of chinese international graduate students in disciplinary reading. journal of international students, 9(2), 661–681. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v9i2.641. yawiloeng, r. (2022). using instructional scaffolding and multimodal texts to enhance reading comprehension: perceptions and attitudes of efl students. ssrn electronic journal, 18(2), 877– 894. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4122231. yin, r. k. (2018). case study research and application: design and methods (sixth). sage publication inc. yusuf, s. b., nasir, c., & ningsih, c. l. (2018). using the think aloud method in teaching reading vina nurviyani reading strategy in focus: navigating the meaning-making processes in reading multimodal text 84 comprehension. studies in english language and education, 5(1), 148–158. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v5i 1.9898. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 269 higher institution students’ challenges in writing journal articles: characteristics and proposed solutions anselmus sahan* faculty of teacher training and educational sciences, universitas timor, indonesia email: anselsahan@gmail.com maria p. saridewi faculty of teacher training and educational sciences, universitas timor, indonesia email: dewiarkian8@gmail.com rince j. wabang faculty of teacher training and educational sciences, universitas timor, indonesia email:rincejalla@unimor.ac.id adrianus nabung faculty of teacher training and educational sciences, unika santo paulus ruteng, indonesia email: adrianusnabung@gmail.com apa scitation: sahan, a., saridewi, m. p., wabang, r. j., & nabung, a. (2024). implementation of androidbased augmented reality in english education. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 269-282. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.8595 received: 21-10-2023 accepted: 23-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction the requirement for final semester students in indonesian tertiary institutions to write journal articles before taking thesis examinations (dirjen dikti kemdikbud, 27 january 2012) has imposed an academic burden on lecturers who act as thesis advisors, editors, and reviewers of internal journals. this burden has also exacerbated the practices across institutions and created various responses to the ministerial circular. while some institutions do not enforce the requirement, others still require students to publish articles in journals before they are allowed to take the thesis examination (choirudin, anwar, setiawan, ningsih, wawan, anggraini, mispani, purnawan & fauziah, 2022). scientific research and its dissemination hold significant importance for the advancement of higher education in developing nations, including indonesia, where fostering research skills among abstract: this study applied a qualitative research design. it is in line with the characteristics of the data needed, that is, 32 articles of the students of timor university which were published from 2020-2023 years in 16 study programs of e-journals. it aimed to demystify their mastery levels and disputes, and propose potential solutions to these challenges. those articles were purposively taken as the samples because not all e-journals published regularly the students’ articles. to demystify their article’ writing competence, it used timor university’s academic order ranged from 0-100. these scores would inform their level of mastery covering bad to excellent. to disclose their disputes, it applied ten criteria of good article such as abstract, introduction, method, results, and discussion. while to expose their real problems when writing until publishing their articles, including their hopes from the journals’ editors, reviewers and institution, it used a questionnaire written in a google form and contained 41 questions distributed to all articles’ writers through their wa numbers. results showed that the majority of articles (59%) scored 75, indicating a need for improvement. the most significant challenges faced by students were related to introduction and method (13%), results (13%), and discussion (13%). these findings were consistent with the results of a questionnaire analysis, which identified method and abstract (22%), discussion (30%), and all parts (26%) as problematic areas for students. to address these issues, the study proposes a formal mandate requiring all lecturers to accompany their students in writing journal articles and in improving their writing skills that meet the acceptable journal template requirements. it is hoped that the proposed solutions would alleviate the academic burden faced by thesis advisors, editors, and reviewers. keywords: challenges; characteristics; higher institution; students; writing journal articles; solutions. anselmus sahan, maria p. saridewi, rince j. wabang, & adrianus nabung implementation of android-based augmented reality in english education 270 students is deemed essential (hussain et al., 2020). despite recognizing the value of scientific writing, many researchers encounter difficulties due to inadequate skills and interest, often leading to their work being rejected by prestigious journals due to poor writing quality and flawed research design. this issue forces researchers to submit their work to lesser-known, non-indexed journals (maiorana & mayer, 2018; zamista, sellyana & rahmi, 2021). the increasing pressure to publish in academic journals early in one’s career highlights the competitive nature of academia (sciullo, 2020). in indonesia, university students face the challenge of acquiring specific academic thinking and writing skills, including generating ideas and employing academic language features, a competence many lack (fitriah, 2021). the requirement for final semester students at indonesian universities to write journal articles adds to lecturers' academic responsibilities and is complicated by the lack of standardized practices across institutions (fithriani, rahman & ginting, 2023). consequently, students often produce manuscripts with inadequate writing and research design, leading to rejections from reputable journals. there's a pressing need for a researchoriented educational approach to foster students' research and scientific writing skills (çakır, acartürk, alkan & akbulut, 2019). students' failure to master academic writing and reasoning can result in logical fallacies and ethical issues in their work, such as overgeneralization or ad hominem arguments (lathif, nurkamto & kristina, 2021). moreover, when tasked with writing thesis-based journal articles, they may resort to copying parts of their thesis, contributing to a high rate of article submissions that do not progress beyond the initial stage (cargill & o’connor, 2021; khadilkar, 2018). djoko santoso, the former director general of higher education, implemented a regulation requiring all students (s-1, s-2, s-3) to write and publish scientific papers as a graduation criterion. this move aims to ensure that scholars possess the capability to write scientifically, thus enhancing the quantity and quality of student articles in both national and international indexed journals (wiryotinoyo et al., 2021). 'scientific writing' refers to the documentation of original research in journals, adhering to a standardized format (gastel & day, 2022). journal articles, written by and for experts, are key scholarly outputs, providing an essential resource for academic research (clayton, 2021; gusenbauer & haddaway, 2020; langhamputrow et al., 2021). as such, a journal article emerges from thesis research and analysis (puspita, 2021). research on journal articles has been approached from at least four angles. the first examines the structure of discussion sections in research articles by indonesian writers (arsyad et al., 2020; hilmi & afifi, 2021; arsyad et al., 2021). the second angle explores the challenges students face in writing articles (lesmana & ariffin, 2020; shamsi & osam, 2022; purwanto, 2021). the third focuses on discourse studies, analyzing linguistic features in articles by nonnative english speakers published in englishmedium journals (martinez, 2018; alipour & nooreddinmoosa, 2018; lathif et al., 2021). the last area deals with motivation and perception. in motivation, it exposed that the researchers’ domain difficulties in publishing writing in english were influenced by low motivations, bad attitudes and lack of publication strategies (harmawan, pratama & fadilah, 2023). it was also due to the low perception of the multilingual speakers of 18 russian researchers' writing practices in english and in their local language (shchemeleva, 2021). however, the previous studies above did not portray the whole characteristics of journal articles. they just focused on four perspectives. while the present study aims to investigate the whole characteristics of the students’ journal articles that they have submitted to the journals, their problems in writing their journal articles, and propose the best way to solve their problems in writing journal articles(gabrielsson et al., 2021). on the basis of the results of the previous studies, the present study would like to investigate in-depth and divulge the students’ efforts to write their articles and disclose their disputes as well. their disputes will only be solved if there is a regulation from timor university to ensure the realization of an article writing training for both students and lecturers. in the review of related literature above, four main perspectives have been discussed in previous studies on the writing of journal articles by indonesian students(lubis, 2020). however, there are other perspectives that have been examined in previous studies that are also relevant to understanding the challenges faced by indonesian students in writing journal articles. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 271 one important perspective is the role of english language proficiency in writing academic articles. english is the dominant language in academic publishing and students are often required to write their articles in english. this requirement poses a challenge for students who may not be proficient in english. previous studies have shown that english language proficiency is a key factor in the writing of academic articles. for example, a study on the language proficiency of chinese postgraduates affected the structure and content of their research articles. the study recommended that students should receive training in english language proficiency to improve their academic writing skills(zhan et al., 2021). another important perspective is the role of cultural differences in the writing of academic articles. students from different cultural backgrounds may have different writing styles and preferences. previous studies have shown that cultural differences can affect the writing of academic articles. for example, a study which found that cultural differences affected the writing of abstracts by chinese and australian postgraduate students (hafidz & aditya, 2019). the study recommended that students should be made aware of cultural differences in academic writing to improve their ability to write effective research articles. in addition to language proficiency and cultural differences, previous studies have examined the role of plagiarism and academic integrity in the writing of research articles. plagiarism is a serious problem in academic publishing and students need to be aware of the consequences of plagiarism. previous studies have shown that plagiarism is a common problem among indonesian students. for example, a study found that plagiarism was a common problem among indonesian postgraduate students (patak & tahir, 2019). the study recommended that students should be provided with training on academic integrity to prevent plagiarism. another perspective that has been examined in previous studies is the role of technology in the writing of academic articles. advances in technology have made it easier for students to access information and to write research articles (nabung, 2023). however, technology can also pose challenges for students in terms of plagiarism and academic integrity. previous studies have shown that technology can be used to detect plagiarism and to improve academic writing skills. for example, a study by belli, et al. (2020) found that turnitin, a plagiarism detection tool, can be used to improve students' writing skills and to prevent plagiarism(belli et al., 2020). thus in this instance, previous studies have examined the role of feedback and revision in the writing of academic articles. feedback and revision are important aspects of the writing process and can help students to improve their writing skills. previous studies have shown that feedback and revision can be effective in improving the quality of research articles. for example, a study by zhang et al. (2020) found that feedback and revision improved the quality of chinese postgraduates' research articles. the study recommended that students should be provided with feedback and revision support to improve their writing skills(zhang et al., 2020). therefore, while the four perspectives discussed in the literature review above provide important insights into the challenges faced by indonesian students in writing academic articles, there are other perspectives that also need to be considered(nabung et al., 2022). english language proficiency, cultural differences, plagiarism and academic integrity, technology, and feedback and revision are all important factors that can affect the writing of academic articles(djokovic et al., 2022). by taking into account these different perspectives, it is possible to develop effective strategies to help students improve their academic writing skills and to write high-quality research articles. based on the given passages, the authors of the study have investigated the level of mastery in writing journal articles among students at timor university. they noted that the regulation requiring final semester students to write journal articles before taking thesis examinations has added an academic burden for lecturers who act as thesis advisors, editors, and reviewers of the internal journals of their institution. however, this regulation is difficult to be applied in timor university as the students faced difficulties finding journals that could accommodate their articles, and many students were unable to write articles as an extraction of their thesis. moreover, the students' articles lacked certain characteristics, and some students seemed to submit the same content as their thesis without changing the template. the authors aim to answer the following questions through this study: (1) to what level is the students’ mastery in writing journal articles? (2) what types of dispute do the students encounter in writing journal articles? (3) what is anselmus sahan, maria p. saridewi, rince j. wabang, & adrianus nabung implementation of android-based augmented reality in english education 272 the best way to solve the students’ disputes in writing journal articles? the researchers posit that their investigation will uncover the proficiency levels of students in composing journal articles, unveil the challenges they face, and offer strategies for enhancing their writing capabilities. additionally, the study seeks to establish effective approaches to student engagement in efl classrooms within eastern indonesia. the requirement for students in their final semester at indonesian higher education institutions to produce journal articles before completing their thesis examinations imposes an additional academic responsibility on faculty members serving as thesis advisors, as well as journal editors and reviewers within their respective universities. the primary goal of this research is to explore the proficiency of students in article writing, identify the challenges they encounter, and determine the most effective support mechanisms. this inquiry aims to inform practices in efl classrooms across eastern indonesia. hence, the innovative aspects and potential impacts of this study include: firstly, shedding light on the article writing skills and obstacles faced by final semester students in eastern indonesian efl classrooms; secondly, pinpointing optimal strategies to aid these students in their article writing endeavors, thereby reducing the academic workload of faculty members who guide thesis writing and manage institutional journals; and thirdly, contributing to the enhancement of efl writing pedagogy and curriculum in indonesia by deepening the understanding of student writing challenges. in essence, this research endeavors to elevate the standard of scholarly writing among final semester students and foster the advancement of efl education throughout indonesia. method this research utilized a descriptive qualitative research design, as outlined by creswell (2018), focusing on identifying the challenges encountered by students in crafting journal articles derived from their theses. the study specifically targeted 32 articles published between 2020 and 2023 in 16 different study program ejournals at timor university, aiming to clarify students' proficiency levels, pinpoint areas of difficulty, and suggest possible solutions to these issues. the investigation took place at timor university during august and september 2022, with the thesis articles submitted and published in the university's e-journals serving as the primary data source. the articles were selectively chosen for analysis because not all student articles are regularly published in the e-journals. the selection was purposefully made from 17 journals hosted on timor university's website (https://jurnal.unimor.ac.id/), with two articles chosen from each journal to comprise a sample size of 32 articles for the research. to gather the necessary data, two methodologies were employed. the initial approach involved a document analysis to evaluate the writing proficiency of the articles based on timor university's academic grading scale from 0-100, which ranges from poor to excellent performance. additionally, questionnaires were distributed to various stakeholders, including students, thesis advisors, heads of study programs, and the editors and reviewers of journals at timor university. the objective of the questionnaires was to assess whether the students' articles received guidance from their thesis advisors and underwent review by journal editors and reviewers. to collect information about the disputes faced by the students, a list of questionnaires was prepared and distributed to five types of respondents. the first type of respondent was the students who wrote the articles. the second type of respondent was their thesis advisors, who were lecturers in charge of supervising and advising the students during their thesis advisory periods. the third type of respondent was the heads of study programs, who were the leaders of each study program under the authority of the four faculties at timor university. the fourth type of respondent was the journal editors, who lecturers were appointed by each dean of faculty to organize the journal under the control of the institution of research and community service at timor university. finally, the fifth type of respondent was the reviewers, who were also lecturers assigned by each dean of faculty to review the articles submitted to the journal. to analyze the data collected, the researchers used a four-step process: code, category, analysis, and interpretation. the first step, codification, was used to assign codes to the students' articles that met the criteria provided in the academic order of timor university (sahan et al., 2022). the codes were used to indicate that their articles met english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 273 the required standards and were given scores. the scores ranged from 0 to 100, and each score was assigned a level of mastery ranging from bad to excellent. to disclose their disputes, it applied ten criteria of good article such as abstract, introduction, method, results, and discussion. while to expose their real problems when writing until publishing their articles, including their hopes from the journals’ editors, reviewers and institution, it used a questionnaire written in a google form and contained 41 questions distributed to all articles’ writers through their wa numbers. results and discussion this part deals with the answers of the three problems raised in this study. to elaborate the answers, the researchers have identified and explored the students’ articles and distributed a questionnaire to the students, the advisors, and heads of study programs, editors, and reviewers of the journals that published the articles. the present study aimed to investigate the mastery of students in writing journal articles and the disputes they faced during the writing process. additionally, the study explored the responses of advisors, heads of study programs, editors, and reviewers towards the articles written by students. then, the study examined the solutions proposed by the students and the academic staff to overcome the disputes faced during the writing process. students’ mastery in writing journal articles previously mentioned, the initial question this research seeks to address is, "what distinguishes the journal articles submitted by students to various journals?" in pursuit of an answer, this study examined two articles from each of the 16 journals published by timor university. the outcomes of this analysis of the articles are presented in the subsequent figure. table 1. the record on students’ mastery in writing journal articles category score range number of articles percent age of articles good 70-74 13 41% good 75-79 19 59% excellent 80-84 0 0% enough 60-69 0 0% bad 50-59 0 0% poor below 50 0 0% as can be seen from the table, none of the 32 journal articles analyzed in the study were classified as excellent, enough, bad, or poor. however, the majority of the articles (59%) received a score in the range of 75-79, which is considered to be in the "good" category. meanwhile, 41% of the articles received a score in the range of 70-74, which is also considered to be in the "good" category. this suggests that the students who authored the journal articles had a relatively good level of mastery in writing them. however, there is still room for improvement as none of the articles were classified as excellent. the study also identified several areas where students faced difficulties in writing journal articles, including abstracts, references, citation, introduction, problem statements, method, results, discussion, and conclusion. to address these challenges, both students and lecturers recommended that timor university hold article writing training for students and lecturers and increase the quantity of journals in all study programs. additionally, the university should formally mandate that all students who want to get their thesis examination publish their articles in journals, and that lecturers accompany their students in writing journal articles. by taking these steps, the university can help to improve students' mastery in writing journal articles and enhance the quality of research publications at the institution. the students’ disputes in writing articles the second problem of this study is to divulge the disputes of the students in writing their journal articles. based on the article analysis, it was revealed that their articles still contained ten crucial disputes as postulated in the following table. the findings of this study suggest that students may benefit from additional instruction and support in the areas of introduction, method, result, and discussion to improve their mastery in writing journal articles shown in table 2 as follows. table 2. record on students’ disputes in writing articles article section number of articles with disputes percentage author 2 6% abstract 3 9% introduction 5 16% theory 3 9% method 4 13% anselmus sahan, maria p. saridewi, rince j. wabang, & adrianus nabung implementation of android-based augmented reality in english education 274 result 4 13% discussion 4 13% conclusion 2 6% reference 2 6% overall appearance 3 9% the findings of this study suggest that students still face disputes in writing journal articles, particularly in the sections of introduction, method, result, and discussion. the data shows that 16% of the articles had disputes in the introduction section, which indicates that students may have difficulties in crafting a clear and concise introduction that effectively introduces the research topic and sets the stage for the study. similarly, 13% of the articles had disputes in both the method and result sections, which may suggest that students struggle with accurately describing the methods used in the study and presenting the results in a clear and organized manner. additionally, 13% of the articles had disputes in the discussion section, indicating that students may have difficulties in interpreting and discussing the results of their study and drawing meaningful conclusions. it is worth noting that disputes in other sections of the articles, such as the abstract, theory, conclusion, reference, and overall appearance, were relatively lower, ranging from 6% to 9%. however, it is still important for students to pay attention to these sections as they are crucial components of a well-written journal article. regarding overall the student’s responses toward their advisors revision shown as follows (table 3). the results indicated that the students' responses to their advisors' revisions were positive, as they acknowledged the areas where they needed improvement and took steps to address them. this suggests that with proper guidance and support, the students can further develop their writing skills and produce higherquality journal articles in the future. table 3. students’ responses toward their advisors’ revision article parts revised number of articles percentage abstract 6 22% introduction 6 22% discussion 4 15% all parts 16 59% the table above shows the results of the students' responses toward their advisors' revisions. from the data, it can be inferred that the advisors mostly revised the abstract and introduction parts of the students' journal articles. 22% of the articles had revisions in their abstract, while the same percentage had revisions in their introduction. meanwhile, only 15% of the articles had revisions in their discussion part. interestingly, 59% of the articles had revisions in all parts, indicating that there were significant issues in the articles that needed to be addressed. the revisions made by the advisors were likely to improve the overall quality of the articles and help the students to master the skills needed for writing journal articles. the findings suggested that the students may need more guidance and support in improving their writing skills, particularly in the abstract and introduction sections. additionally, the high percentage of articles that had revisions in all parts indicates that the students need to pay more attention to all aspects of their writing, from the conceptualization of their research to the discussion of their results. regarding the students reflection toward advisors’ revision, the data (table 4) suggested that students need to focus on improving their writing skills, particularly in sections such as the abstract, introduction, and discussion, which are crucial parts of a journal article. by addressing these disputes, students can improve the quality of their articles and increase the chances of getting their work published in reputable journals. additionally, advisors can provide valuable feedback to students to help them improve their writing skills and produce better quality articles. table 4. regarding the students reflection toward their advisors’ revision part of the article number of articles with disputes abstract 6 (22%) introduction 3 (11%) theory 1 (4%) method 1 (4%) results 0 discussion 9 (30%) all parts 7 (26%) the data on table 4 above revealed that the students' journal articles had disputes on various parts of the articles, including the abstract, introduction, theory, method, discussion, and all parts. specifically, 22% of the articles had disputes on the abstract, while 11% had disputes on the introduction. the method and theory sections had fewer disputes, with only 4% of articles having disputes in each section. the results section did not have any disputes. interestingly, the data shows that the students and their advisors identified similar disputes in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 275 the articles. both parties found disputes on the abstract and the discussion sections. moreover, the advisors revised the abstract, introduction, and discussion sections in the students' articles, which aligns with the disputes found in these sections. to know whether the students’ disputes were also disclosed by their advisors, heads of study programs, editors and reviewers, this study has distributes the same question addressed to the respondents mentioned. their responses will be expressed in the following table. table 5. concernin on advisors, heads of program, editors and reviewers’ responses toward the students’ journal articles respondents 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 advisors 0 0 0 1 (11%) 0 4 (44%) 0 0 11 (44%) heads of programs 4 (57%) 2 (29%) 4 (57%) 4 (57%) 0 4 (57%) 1 (14%) 4 (57%) 8 (50%) editors 2 (33%) 2 (33%) 2 (33%) 2 (33%) 0 2 (33%) 2 (33%) 2 (33%) 2 (33%) reviewers 1 (13%) 2 (25%) 1 (13%) 1 (13%) 0 7 (88%) 1 (13%) 1 (13%) 7 (44%) 1. abstract; 2. introduction; 3. theories; 4. method; 5. results; 6. discussion; 7. conclusion; 8. referencce; 9. overall the data on table 5 above shows the responses of different types of respondents (advisors, heads of programs, editors, and reviewers) towards the students' journal articles. the data indicates that the articles faced disputes on various parts, including abstract, introduction, theories, method, conclusion, and reference. the highest number of disputes was found in the discussion section, which was noted by 4 advisors (44%), 4 heads of programs (57%), 2 editors (33%), and 7 reviewers (88%). the other parts with significant disputes were method and all parts of the article, which were noted by 1 advisor (11%) and 4 advisors (44%), respectively. additionally, the heads of programs and editors noted disputes on abstract, theories, method, conclusion, and reference, while the reviewers noted disputes on abstract, introduction, theories, method, conclusion, and reference. overall, the data shows that there are multiple areas of improvement needed in the students' journal articles, which were identified by all types of respondents. solutions for the students’ disputes regarding the alternatives solutions regarding the students’ disputes, the data the findings suggested that article writing training programs are essential for enhancing students' skills in writing highquality journal articles. the respondents, including students, advisors, heads of study programs, editors, and reviewers, all acknowledged the need for such training programs, emphasizing the importance of addressing this issue at an early stage as shown the table 6 as follows. these findings highlight the importance of paying attention to different parts of a journal article when revising and reviewing it. the results also suggest that students may need to focus on improving their skills in writing various parts of a journal article, including abstract, introduction, theories, method, conclusion, reference, and discussion. additionally, the responses from the advisors, heads of program, editors, and reviewers indicate that there is a need for better communication and collaboration between students and their mentors to improve the quality of journal articles. table 6. recording on solutions for the students’ disputes solution number of respondents percentage article training for students 24 89% building students' journals 3 11% article training for lecturers 1 8% the findings suggested that the majority of students (89%) recommended that timor university should organize an article writing training for them, as they realized that writing journal articles is a challenging task. they acknowledged that writing a good quality article requires a considerable amount of effort and time to find sources, read and write articles. additionally, 100% of the advisors, 6 heads of study programs, 8 editors, and 7 reviewers also recommended article writing training for students, indicating that the problem is prevalent among the student population. this finding highlights the need for timor university to provide training programs to enhance students' skills in writing journal articles. furthermore, the heads of study programs suggested that the training should be provided for final semester students, who are at the end of their academic journey, and need to demonstrate their anselmus sahan, maria p. saridewi, rince j. wabang, & adrianus nabung implementation of android-based augmented reality in english education 276 competence in writing high-quality journal articles. this recommendation is important as it helps to address the problem at an early stage and gives students sufficient time to improve their skills. another solution suggested by a few respondents was to build students' journals. this could provide students with the opportunity to gain experience in writing articles, as well as the chance to publish their work, which would motivate them to write better articles. however, the number of respondents who suggested this solution was relatively low (11%), indicating that it may not be as effective as the article writing training program. the findings of the study revealed that while the students' articles were categorized as excellent, they still faced disputes in various aspects of writing, such as abstract, introduction, method, result, discussion, focus and template, conclusion, and references. this is consistent with previous studies that have reported on the weak writing abilities of indonesian university students(heriyudanta, 2021; a. widodo, indraswati, et al., 2020; yanti et al., 2018). the reasons behind these difficulties include a lack of references and writing techniques, low reading interest, unclear writing instructions, low student curiosity, and low student motivation in writing. the present study confirms these earlier findings, indicating that despite being categorized as excellent, the students still faced disputes in their writing. the disputes were noted in all aspects of journal article writing, and the responses of the students' thesis advisors, heads of study programs, editors, and reviewers were consistent with the students' responses. previous studies have also highlighted disputes in the content of journal articles. for instance, some studies have reported that students' journal articles lacked references and theory (budhyani, n.d.), were difficult to write an informative, effective, concise, and clear abstract, to find a suitable publisher and to evaluate their writing (khikmah & kurniawan, 2020), and had content, organization, and mechanical difficulties (nenotek et al., 2022). the problems were due to poor writing skills, flaws in study designs, and a lack of skills and interests(hussain et al., 2020). the results of the study suggest that the problems in scientific competence and mechanical mastery in writing result and discussion parts are significant (harmawan, pratama & fadilah, 2023). scientific competence issues include stating unexpected results of the research, referring to previous research, using various illustrations, interpreting research results for scientific purposes, and suggesting practical implementation of research findings. in comparison to previous studies, the present study's accepted characteristics of journal articles highlight the novelty of its findings. the accepted characteristics include author, abstract, introduction, theory, method, result, discussion, conclusion, and reference. the study recommends that timor university holds a journal writing training session and establishes a student journal to help students publish their articles. this is supported by the recommendation of the thesis advisors, heads of study programs, editors, and reviewers of internal journals. training workshops have been shown to have a positive impact on participants' knowledge and writing skills(hussain et al., 2020; lee, 2022; san et al., 2020; wijoyo et al., 2020). these workshops have helped improve writing skills, refine scholarly writing, and increase scientific abilities demonstrated by the production of adapted article manuscripts. the workshops have also assisted in developing research article abstracts and sections and refining basic concepts, ethics in writing scientific papers, and the use of plagiarism checks and citation inserts. students have shown a positive perception of these workshops, and repetition and practice are needed to refine scholarly writing skills. the findings of this study on students' mastery of writing journal articles align with previous research that suggests indonesian university students struggle with writing scientific articles (khikmah & kurniawan, 2020; a. widodo, nursaptini, et al., 2020; yanti et al., 2018). specifically, the present study found that while the students' articles received high scores, they still faced disputes in writing various sections of their articles. this echoes previous research that reported difficulties in writing informative, effective, concise, and clear abstracts, finding suitable publishers, and evaluating writing (khikmah & kurniawan, 2020). furthermore, students faced problems related to content, organization, and mechanics, which could be attributed to poor writing skills and flaws in study design and lack of interest (hussain et al., 2020). one aspect in which the present study differs from previous research is in its focus on accepted characteristics of journal articles, which include author, abstract, introduction, theory, method, result, discussion, conclusion, and reference. the study highlights the importance of mastering english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 277 these characteristics to produce high-quality scientific articles. this finding emphasizes the need for universities to provide adequate training and resources to help students master these aspects of scientific writing. one area in which the present study could expand on previous research is in exploring the reasons behind students' low competence in writing scientific articles. for example, a previous research which found that students struggled with writing scientific articles due to a lack of reading interest, unclear writing instructions, and low curiosity and motivation (san, kiymaz & kis, 2020). by examining the root causes of students' difficulties, universities could develop targeted interventions to improve students' scientific writing abilities. in terms of interventions, the present study suggests that a journal writing training program could be a valuable resource for improving students' scientific writing skills. this recommendation aligns with previous research that has found positive outcomes associated with training workshops on manuscript writing (hussain et al., 2020; san et al., 2020). for example, inderawati & ismail(2021)found that a training program improved students' scientific abilities, as demonstrated by their production of ten article manuscripts that adhered to the journal template(inderawati et al., 2021). similarly, cotton, et al. (2023) reported that a training program increased students' ability to write articles about basic concepts, ethics in writing scientific papers, and the use of plagiarism checks and insert citations(cotton et al., 2023). while previous research has found positive outcomes associated with training workshops, universities may need to consider how to structure and deliver these programs effectively. for example, hussain, rehman and baig (2020) suggested that repetition and practice were crucial for refining scholarly writing, indicating that universities may need to provide ongoing support and opportunities for students to develop their writing skills(hussain et al., 2020). additionally, the present study recommends that universities build a student journal to help students publish their articles, which could provide students with a platform to gain experience in scientific writing and publication. this suggestion aligns with previous research that has found positive outcomes associated with publishing student research, such as increased motivation to learn and better research outcomes (widodo, nursaptini, novitasari, sutisna & umar, 2020). moreover, the present study highlights the need for a special training program to improve students' writing skills in various aspects of journal article writing. the study recommends that timor university should establish a training program that can handle the students’ disputes in writing their articles before defending their final projects. this suggestion is in line with the findings of previous studies that indicate the need for training or workshop programs to improve students' writing skills. for example, a study previous study reported that a training workshop on manuscript writing positively impacted the knowledge of the participants and improved their writing skills(hussain et al., 2020). additionally, another pervious study found that a training program on writing scientific articles helped students improve their scientific abilities and produce manuscripts that were adapted to the journal template(gobang et al., 2022; hussain et al., 2020). furthermore, it is crucial to note that the present study's results regarding the disputes students faced in writing journal articles are consistent with those of previous studies. the studies have reported that students encounter difficulties in various aspects of writing journal articles, such as poor writing skills, low reading interest, unclear writing instructions, low student curiosity, and low student motivation in writing (heriyudanta, 2021; yanti et al., 2018). the present study also found that students faced disputes in writing various parts of the journal articles, including the abstract, introduction, method, result, discussion, focus and template, conclusion, and references. these disputes are in line with the findings of previous studies that have reported difficulties in writing informative, effective, concise, and clear abstracts, finding suitable publishers, evaluating writing, content organization, and mechanical difficulties (budhyani, n.d.; khikmah & kurniawan, 2020; nenotek et al., 2022). furthermore, the present study's results show that students had problems with their scientific competence, which included stating unexpected results of research, referring to previous research, using various illustrations, interpreting research results for scientific purposes, and suggesting practical implementation of research findings. these findings align with previous studies that have reported that students face difficulties in writing scientific articles due to flaws in study designs, lack of skills and interests, poor writing anselmus sahan, maria p. saridewi, rince j. wabang, & adrianus nabung implementation of android-based augmented reality in english education 278 skills, and insufficient references (hussain et al., 2020). thus, the present study's results provide valuable insights into the mastery of university students in writing scientific articles. the study found that the students' articles were categorized as excellent, but they still faced disputes in various aspects of writing journal articles. the findings indicate the need for a special training program that can handle the students' disputes in writing their articles before defending their final projects. the suggestion is consistent with the findings of previous studies that have recommended training or workshop programs to improve students' writing skills. furthermore, the present study's results regarding the disputes students face in writing journal articles are consistent with those of previous studies, indicating that students encounter difficulties in various aspects of writing journal articles, such as poor writing skills, low reading interest, unclear writing instructions, low student curiosity, and low student motivation in writing. therefore, these findings provide valuable insights into the challenges that students face when writing scientific articles and the need for interventions to address these challenges. further research is needed to develop effective training programs that can improve students' writing skills and prepare them for successful careers in research and academia. by addressing these challenges, universities can help students produce high-quality research articles that can contribute to the development of new knowledge and advancements in various fields. conclusion this study aimed to explore the characteristics of student journal articles, identify the challenges they face in writing various sections of the article, and propose recommendations for addressing these challenges. the findings of the study revealed that students demonstrated strengths in areas such as the use of charts, graphs, and statistical data, but also faced challenges in writing critical sections such as the abstract, introduction, and conclusion. to address these challenges, both students and lecturers recommended that timor university provide article writing training for students and faculty members and increase the quantity of student journals in all study programs. additionally, they suggested that the university formalize a decree requiring all students who wish to have their thesis examined to publish their articles in journals and mandating that lecturers accompany their students in writing their journal articles. the practical implications of this study's findings are significant, as they suggest the need for increased attention and investment in supporting students in academic writing. by providing adequate training and support, universities can help students overcome the challenges they face in writing critical sections of the article, ultimately contributing to the broader field of study's body of knowledge. however, this study has some limitations. firstly, the study was limited to a single university, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other universities. secondly, the study relied solely on self-reported data from students and lecturers, which may be subject to biases and inaccuracies. therefore, further research is needed to address these limitations and expand the understanding of the challenges students face in academic writing. for example, future research could use a larger sample size and a more diverse range of universities to examine the generalizability of the findings. additionally, future research could use a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to triangulate the data and increase the validity of the findings. finally, longitudinal studies could investigate the effectiveness of the proposed interventions in improving students' academic writing skills over time. acknowledgment thank you very much to the rector of timor university, dr. ir. stefanus sio, mp. and the head of research and community service institution, dr. ir. paulus klau tahuk, mp. for their financial support for this research. references alipour, m., & nooreddinmoosa, m. (2018). informality in applied linguistics research articles: comparing native and non-native writings. eurasian journal of applied linguistics, 4(2), 349–373. arsyad, s., purwo, b. k., & adnan, z. (2020). the argument style in research article discussions to support research findings in language studies. studies in english language and education, 7(2), 290–307. arsyad, s., widiarti, v., & wulandari, m. f. (2021). argument strategies and linguistic realizations of the discussion sections in local, national, and international journal articles in english education by indonesian authors: how do they differ and/or resemble? english franca: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 279 academic journal of english language and education, 5(1), 111–130. belli, s., raventós, c. l., & guarda, t. (2020). plagiarism detection in the classroom: honesty and trust through the urkund and turnitin software. information technology and systems: proceedings of icits 2020, 660–668. budhyani, i. (n.d.). dewa ayu made, and made diah angendari. (2021). “kesulitan dalam menulis karya ilmiah.” mimbar ilmu, 26(3). çakır, acartürk, alkan & akbulut. (2019). multiauthoring and its impact on university rankings: a case study of cern effect on turkish universities. studies in higher education, 44(6). https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2017.14147 80 , 1052-1068. cargill, m., & o’connor, p. (2021). writing scientific research articles: strategy and steps. john wiley & sons. choirudin, a., setiawan, n., wawan, a., mispani, p., & fauziah. (2022). pendampingan penulisan artikel hasil penelitian pada jurnal ilmiah (kunci sukses mahasiswa menulis di jurnal bereputasi nasional). society: jurnal pengabdian masyarakat, 1(4). doi: 10.55824/jpm.v1i4.120. , 221-228. clayton, n. (2021). non-traditional teachers’ perceptions about the implementation and integration of character education in the learning environment. saint leo university. cotton, d. r. e., cotton, p. a., & shipway, j. r. (2023). chatting and cheating: ensuring academic integrity in the era of chatgpt. innovations in education and teaching international, 1–12. creswell, j. w. (2018). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. pearson education, inc. djokovic, r., janinovic, j., pekovic, s., vuckovic, d., & blecic, m. (2022). relying on technology for countering academic dishonesty: the impact of online tutorial on students’ perception of academic misconduct. sustainability, 14(3), 1756. fitriah, l. (2021). seminar dan workshop penulisan karya tulis ilmiah bagi mahasiswa tadris fisika ftk uin antasari banjarmasin. carmin: journal of community service, 1(1), 13–20. https://doi.org/10.59329/carmin.v1i1.10. fithriani, r., rahman, . i. hz. & ginting, s. r. br. (2023). publish or no degree: cultivating a scholarly writing group for indonesian master’s students of english education. englisia: journal of language, education, and humanities, 10(2), 179-193. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.22373/ej.v10i2.16725. gabrielsson, s., eriksson, s., & godskesen, t. (2021). predatory nursing journals: a case study of author prevalence and characteristics. nursing ethics, 28(5), 823–833. gastel, b., & day, r. a. (2022). how to write and publish a scientific paper. abc-clio. gobang, y. k. g. d., nabung, a., & tapung, m. m. (2022). critical discourse on press contribution to ntt good local governance. jurnal aspikom, 7(2), 111–128. gusenbauer, m., & haddaway, n. r. (2020). which academic search systems are suitable for systematic reviews or meta‐analyses? evaluating retrieval qualities of google scholar, pubmed, and 26 other resources. research synthesis methods, 11(2), 181–217. hafidz, m. & aditya, m. y. (2019). learning of crosscultural based writing skill in the english camp program (ecp) of english education department. tell: teaching of english language and literature journal, 7(2), 51-56. https://doi.org/10.30651/tell.v7i2.3409. harmawan, v., pratama, v. m. & fadilah, r. (2023). the challenges of writing academic article: voices of higher education students. journal of english language teaching, 12(2), 402408. doi: https://doi.org/10.24036/jelt.v12i2.120892. heriyudanta, m. (2021). analisis kompetensi menulis karya tulis ilmiah mahasiswa di indonesia: islamic science. culture, and social studies, 1(1), 61–71. hilmi, a. z., & afifi, n. (2021). a genre analysis on the discussion section of quantitative and qualitative research articles in elt and linguistics. jeels (journal of english education and linguistics studies), 8(2), 341– 369. hussain, m., rehman, r., & baig, m. (2020). manuscript writing and publication workshop: an invoking pilot study on enhancing cognitive research capabilities in health sciences institutes of pakistan. cureus, 12(6). inderawati, r., petrus, i., eryansyah, e., & meilinda, m. (2021). needs analysis of vocational high school textbook to local culture materials and the 21st century competencies. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), 245–252. khadilkar, s. s. (2018). editorial rejection blues: why do research papers get rejected? . federation of obstetric & gynecological societies of india, 68(4), 239–241. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13224-018-1153-1. khikmah, l., & kurniawan, e. (2020). tantangan dalam penulisan artikel abstrak penelitihan untuk publikasi. jurnal penelitian pendidikan, 20(2), 267–278. langham-putrow, a., bakker, c., & riegelman, a. (2021). is the open access citation advantage anselmus sahan, maria p. saridewi, rince j. wabang, & adrianus nabung implementation of android-based augmented reality in english education 280 real? a systematic review of the citation of open access and subscription-based articles. plos one, 16(6), e0253129. lathif, m., nurkamto, j., & kristina, d. (2021). elt graduate students’ challenges of writing for scholarly publication: discursive perspectives. els journal on interdisciplinary studies in humanities, 4(1), 13–19. https://doi.org/10.34050/elsjish.v4i1.13044. lee, h. (2022). the journal of asia tefl. journal of asia tefl, 19(1), 163–179. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2022.19.1.10. 163. lesmana, n., & ariffin, k. (2020). problems in writing scholarly articles in english among indonesian efl post-graduate students. lubis, a. h. (2020). the argumentation structure of research article ‘findings and discussion’sections written by non-native english speaker novice writers: a case of indonesian undergraduate students. asian englishes, 22(2), 143–162. maiorana, f. a. & mayer, h. f. (2018). how to avoid common errors in writing scientific manuscripts. european journal of plastic surgery, 41, 489–494. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00238-018-1418-z. martinez, r. (2018). “specially in the last years…”: evidence of elf and non-native english forms in international journals. journal of english for academic purposes, 33, 40–52. nabung, a. (2023). improving efl learning outcomes by using interactive multimedia approach. premise: journal of english education and applied linguistics, 12(1). nabung, a., ni, l., & edu, a. l. (2022). an analysis of the digital transformation-based learning implementation system in the era of disruption. jurnal basicedu, 6(3), 4265–4271. nenotek, s. a., tlonaen, z. a., & manubulu, h. a. (2022). exploring university students’ difficulties in writing english academic essay. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 14(1), 909–920. patak, a. a., & tahir, m. (2019). avoiding plagiarism using mendeley in indonesian higher education setting. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 8(4), 686–692. purwanto, a. (2021). inhibiting factors for publishing in reputable international journals among doctoral students: an exploratory mixed method study. journal of industrial engineering & management research (jiemar). puspita, c. (2021). factors affecting students’ difficulties in writing thesis: a mixedmethods research at eighth semester of english study program in iain curup. english language and literature international conference (ellic) proceedings, 3, 13–22. sahan, a., abi, b. k., wisrance, m. w., & seran, y. (2022). exploring oral presentation performance: level of mastery and common problems of efl students from selected university. reila: journal of research and innovation in language, 4(3), 335–343. san, i., kiymaz, ö., & kis, a. (2020). effect of traditional methods in teaching english on academic achievement: a meta-analysis study. international journal of curriculum and instruction, 12, 144–158. sciullo, n. j. (2020). shuyi chua. the graduate student as writer: encouragement for the budding scholar. university of toronto press. shamsi, a. f., & osam, u. v. (2022). challenges and support in article publication: perspectives of non-native english speaking doctoral students in a “publish or no degree” context. sage open, 12(2), 21582440221095020. shchemeleva, i. (2021). “there’s no discrimination, these are just the rules of the game”: russian scholars’ perception of the research writing and publication process in english. publications, 9(1), 8. widodo, a., indraswati, d., sutisna, d., nursaptini, n., & anar, a. p. (2020). pendidikan ips menjawab tantangan abad 21: sebuah kritik atas praktik pembelajaran ips di sekolah dasar. entita: jurnal pendidikan ilmu pengetahuan sosial dan ilmu-ilmu sosial, 2(2), 185–198. widodo, a., nursaptini, n., novitasari, s., sutisna, d., & umar, u. (2020). from face-to-face learning to web base learning: how are student readiness. premiere educandum: jurnal pendidikan dasar dan pembelajaran, 10(2), 149–160. wijoyo, h., indrawan, i., yonata, h., & handoko, a. l. (2020). panduan pembelajaran new normal dan transformasi digital. banyumas: cv pena persada. wiryotinoyo, m., budiyono, h., akhyaruddin, a., setyonegoro, a., & priyanto, p. (2021). optimalisasi peningkatan profesionalisme guru bahasa indonesia melalui pelatihan penulisan karya ilmiah dan tata cara publikasi di open jurnal system (ojs) v. 2 dan 3. jurnal abdi pendidikan, 2(2), 88–91. yanti, n., suhartono, s., & hiasa, f. (2018). keterampilan menulis akademik mahasiswa s1 program studi pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia fkip universitas bengkulu. silampari bisa: jurnal penelitian pendidikan bahasa indonesia, daerah, dan asing, 1(1), 1–16. zamista, a. a., sellyana, a. & rahmi, h. (2021). persepsi mahasiswa terhadap praktikum daring mata kuliah algoritma dan pemograman ditinjau dari perbedaan gender. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 281 jurnal dinamika pendidikan, 14(2), 70-77. https://doi.org/10.51212/jdp.v14i2.46. zhan, j., sun, q., & zhang, l. j. (2021). effects of manipulating writing task complexity on learners’ performance in completing vocabulary and syntactic tasks. language teaching research, 13621688211024360. zhang, y., yu, s., & yuan, k. (2020). understanding master’s students’ peer feedback practices from the academic discourse community perspective: a rethinking of postgraduate pedagogies. teaching in higher education, 25(2), 126–140. anselmus sahan, maria p. saridewi, rince j. wabang, & adrianus nabung implementation of android-based augmented reality in english education 282 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 31 students’ digital vocabulary learning: experiences, barriers, and adaptive strategies exploration rera nadian muryani pondok pesantren bahrul maghfiroh, malang, indonesia email: raranm05@gmail.com muhammad yunus post-graduation program, universitas islam malang, malang, indonesia email: m.yunus@unisma.ac.id apa scitation: muryani, r. n., & yunus, m. (2024). students’ digital vocabulary learning: experiences, barriers, and adaptive strategies exploration. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 31-42. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9328 received: 22-10-2023 accepted: 23-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 abstract: this study aims to explore the experiences of students as they navigate individualized obstacles in the learning of digital vocabulary. the research employs a research methodology of a qualitative research, specifically employing a design centered around narrative inquiry, with the purpose of examining the subject matter. specifically, the research examines the barriers faced by students in their pursuit of proficient acquisition of vocabulary through digital means, with a focus on the barriers that hinder optimal comprehension and retention. the findings of the research illuminate that students encounter both internal and external obstacles when learning vocabulary through the use of digital tools, as revealed by research. in addition, the findings reveal that students strategically combine different resources in order to enhance their vocabulary acquisition experience. this research offers practical insights to refine and enhance methods of vocabulary instruction in the digital age. a more efficient, inclusive, and captivating digital vocabulary learning environment for students can be created by educators, curriculum designers, and technology makers with an understanding of these issues and adaptable solutions. it is crucial for educators and developers to prioritize the inclusion of interactive elements in their digital vocabulary tools to address the identified need for heightened engagement and cognitive involvement in the vocabulary acquisition process. keywords: adaptive strategy; barriers; digital era; vocabulary. introduction a comprehensive and varied vocabulary serves as the foundation for effective communication, acting as a gateway to subtle expression and intellectual capability. the acquisition of a wide range of words goes beyond mere linguistic competence; it enables individuals to navigate the complex fabric of human interaction with skill and accuracy (andriani & sriwahyuningsih, 2019; hyso & tabaku, 2011). in the realm of academic accomplishment, a strong vocabulary is a formidable asset. according to rachmawati (2018) which explained that a student equipped with a diverse array of words not only comprehends academic material more deeply, but also excels in expressing intricate thoughts and ideas. furthermore, the ability to employ language with refinement not only enhances written assignments, but also oral discourse (zacks & ferstl, 2015), thereby establishing the groundwork for academic triumph. furthermore, linguistic proficiency extends beyond academic domains, exerting influence on professional success and social dynamics (daar, 2020). it means, individuals with a well-developed lexicon convey professionalism, eloquence, and intellectual aptitude. in the professional arena, effective communication frequently serves as the pivotal factor for success, and a rich vocabulary allows individuals to present ideas persuasively and partake in meaningful dialogue. moreover, the journey of acquiring language encompasses more than mere memorization; it is a dynamic process of exploration and adjustment (saville-troike, 2012). then, exposure to diverse literature, engaging in thought-provoking conversations, and a curiosity for linguistic subtleties all contribute to the ongoing expansion of one's vocabulary. as words become instruments for precise expression, individuals unlock the potential for deeper comprehension, nuanced communication, and overall linguistic mastery. furthermore, the transition towards digital tools in the process of acquiring vocabulary has not only changed the way students learn, but it has also created a dynamic and adaptable environment for rera nadian muryani muhammad yunus students’ digital vocabulary learning: experiences, barriers, and adaptive strategies exploration 32 them (anil, 2015; legi et al., 2023). with the proliferation of language learning applications, interactive electronic books, and online courses, students now have access to a wide range of resources that are tailored to their specific needs and preferences (ghanbari, 2021; puspita & syahria, 2023; saxena & baber, 2020), including visual and auditory aids, interactive exercises, and real-life contextual examples, provides a multisensory learning experience that caters to various learning styles (suryaratri et al., 2019). on the other hand, gamification, an important feature of many digital platforms for language learning, introduces an element of enjoyment and competition into the process, making the acquisition of vocabulary engaging and motivating for students (asih & halisiana, 2022; knight et al., 2020). through interactive games, quizzes, and challenges, students can reinforce their understanding of words in a playful manner, fostering a positive attitude towards language learning. moreover, the personalization aspect of digital tools enables students to progress at their own pace, focus on areas where they require more practice, and receive immediate feedback (masterman & shuyska, 2012). adaptive algorithms can track individual patterns of learning, suggesting targeted exercises and adjusting the level of difficulty based on the student's proficiency. this customized approach not only enhances vocabulary acquisition but also encourages a sense of autonomy and self-directed learning. in the swiftly evolving landscape of the digital era, characterized by a surplus of information that is readily accessible, the enduring challenges encountered by students in acquiring vocabulary emphasize the necessity for an in-depth exploration of their experiences (alhatmi, 2023; saengpakdeejit, 2014). despite the proliferation of digital resources, the complexities involved in learning language continue to pose a significant obstacle for many individuals. the purpose of this research is to delve into the various perspectives and voices of students, unraveling the intricately woven fabric of their encounters and hindrances in the journey of vocabulary acquisition. the digital domain, with its diverse range of tools and platforms, presents both advantages and disadvantages within the educational realm (afzal, 2019; khanh & huong, 2018; oecd, 2016; tiwari, 2021). by closely examining the standpoint of the student, this research aims to shed light on the efficacy of digital instruments in facilitating the acquisition of vocabulary. gaining a comprehensive understanding of the nuanced perceptions of students becomes a crucial linchpin for teachers and researchers alike, providing a valuable guide for navigating the ever-evolving landscape of language instruction. by unpacking these perspectives, the study not only contributes to the existing corpus of knowledge, but also serves as a guiding principle for teachers and developers of curricula (deng, 2021). identifying specific areas of difficulty and assessing the impact of digital resources, this research offers practical insights to refine and enhance methods of vocabulary instruction in the digital age. furthermore, previous researches have delved into the potential role of digital tools in facilitating the acquisition of vocabulary (fithriani 2021; nurchintyawati, 2022; pahamzah 2022; sukmawati et al., 2023; yudha and mandasari 2021). for instance, yudha and mandasari (2021)which examined the implementation of gaming to augment the proficiency of senior high school students in vocabulary. the findings demonstrated that gaming served as an efficacious medium for the majority of participants to enhance their competence in english lexical terms. moreover, sukmawati et al. (2023) provided corroborating evidence, as their research identified mobile technologies, particularly the tiktok platform, as optimal means for instructing learners in vocabulary proficiency. moreover, nurchintyawati (2022) also explored the application of gamification for the lexical development of young language learners and determined that games adequately supported mastery at this level. collectively, these investigations indicate that interactive digital formats may effectively motivate and engage students throughout the process of vocabulary acquisition. yudha and mandasari (2021) and sukmawati et al. (2023) specifically observed positive effects on students at the secondary level, while nurchintyawati (2022) made comparable observations among younger students. by embracing approaches that incorporate mobile and multimedia elements, teachers may successfully optimize the experiences and outcomes of contemporary learners in terms of lexical enrichment, as suggested by these preliminary studies. further research systematically examining such applications across diverse learner profiles is warranted. while previous investigations have shown promising results in terms of the use of digital tools for vocabulary acquisition, there are still certain gaps that need to be addressed in this study. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 33 specifically, previous research has not fully explored the impact of individual learner characteristics on the effectiveness of these tools. this study aims to fill this gap by focusing on the personal experiences of students as they navigate individualized obstacles and employ adaptive tactics. by doing so, it provides a more detailed understanding that was not captured in previous studies that primarily focused on overall outcomes. the study aims to highlight an essential dimension that has been overlooked in earlier works. through a nuanced examination of the personal factors that students face, it offers deeper insights into their experiences. instead of solely reporting collective findings, this study takes a learner-centered approach to understand each student's unique perspective. by qualitatively exploring the challenges that students encounter within the digital learning space, both internally and externally, this study goes beyond initial quantitative assessments. specifically, it seeks to answer two research questions: 1) what barriers do students perceive in terms of digital vocabulary learning, whether they are inherent or external? 2) what strategies do students employ when they encounter difficulties in the context of online lexical enrichment? method this research utilizes a research methodology of a qualitative research, specifically employing a design centered around narrative inquiry, with the purpose of examining the subject matter (ahmadi, 2014; clandinin, 2006). employment of narrative inquiry as a method allows for the exploration of personal perspectives and experiences pertaining to the research topic, thereby augmenting the depth of information obtained from the individuals providing the information (wang & geale, 2015). this methodology is selected due to its effectiveness in capturing detailed and extensive narratives that surpass limitations imposed by time and space, enabling a comprehensive comprehension of the subject. by utilizing a design centered around narrative inquiry, the researchers aim to establish a nuanced exploration of the chosen theme by delving into the distinctive narratives and insights provided by the individuals participating in the study. this approach ensures a comprehensive and contextually rich investigation, promoting a thorough analysis of the research topic. this research was carried out at non-formal institution in pasuruan, east java. currently, the institution caters to a total of 100 students, encompassing pupils from the 5th-grade level of elementary school, the 6th-grade level of elementary school, the 7th to 8th-grade levels of junior high school, and the 10th to 12th-grade levels of senior high school. more specifically, the researcher selected four participants from the senior high school level. the selection of participants was in line with the objective of the study, which sought to investigate the challenges that students face in learning vocabulary in the digital age. deliberately, the researcher opted for four senior high school students with diverse educational backgrounds and varying levels of proficiency in the english language. prior to commencing this study, the researcher conducted observations, which involved closely examining the students' abilities in learning the english language during the instructional processes at the educational guidance establishment. from this concise observational phase, the researcher effectively collected extensive information about the chosen participants. table 1. participants’ demography participants (code) gender grades english level in1 male 10th grade preintermediate in2 male 11th grade intermediate in3 female 12th grade intermediate in4 female 10th grade beginner this investigation utilizes semi-structured interviews as the principal approach for gathering data, with the intention of thoroughly examining the individual encounters of each participant (flick et al., 2004) consequently, research interviews are carried out periodically through the google meet application, which facilitates participant involvement while eliminating limitations associated with geographical location, time constraints, and personal busyness. in addition, the researcher carried out the interviews by employing the indonesian language in order to alleviate any potential misinterpretations and challenges encountered by the participants (sudarwati et al., 2022) furthermore, each participant consumed 30 until 60 minutes to interview. and the period for data collection extends from november to december 2023. furthermore, during the process of collecting data, the researchers adhere to a methodical approach. initially, the researcher rera nadian muryani muhammad yunus students’ digital vocabulary learning: experiences, barriers, and adaptive strategies exploration 34 ensures that each informant is adequately prepared for the interview, thereby minimizing potential disruptions to their activities. subsequently, a predetermined set of questions serves as a point of reference during the research interview, with the researcher posing additional inquiries when encountering responses that are deemed intriguing, ambiguous, or necessitating further exploration. figure 1. example of data analysis subsequent to the interviews, the researcher undertakes classroom observations to evaluate the alignment between the informant's statements and their observed behavior. several weeks later, the researcher reconnects with the participants to revisit and clarify the information previously provided. this phase aims to identify the consistency in the responses provided by the participants. the researcher formulated questions to elicit in-depth information from the informants. these questions were systematically developed to facilitate a comprehensive exploration of the participants' insights. the interrogative framework encompasses: (1) what is your approach to the acquisition of vocabulary, both in formal learning environments and outside of them? (2) when assessing your current level of vocabulary proficiency, are you satisfied with your current level or do you identify specific areas that need improvement? (3) what are the main resources or tools that you use for vocabulary study? this can include textbooks, mobile applications, online dictionaries, flashcard platforms, or any other materials. what factors influence your preference for certain resources? (4) how does encountering new vocabulary in context, such as through reading or listening, affect your learning process? do you actively search for words in different contexts? (5) how much do you believe that technology and digital tools have either facilitated or hindered your vocabulary development? if there are noticeable effects, what are they? the employed data analysis in this narrative inquiry incorporates a dual-dimensional methodology that is rooted in holistic and categorical components. this methodology comprehensively covers content and form analysis (lieblich et al., 1998). the holistic aspect of the study endeavors to comprehend the narrative in its entirety through the repeated examination of the full text. this method allows for the understanding of meanings, patterns, structures, and nuances that arise from the text when considered as a whole. the categorical component, on the other hand, focuses on the identification and coding of meaningful units based on emerging themes. these themes were discovered through an inductive process of repeated readings, which aimed to identify patterns and significant concepts across the narratives of the participants. figure 2. data analysis the analysis proceeded in multiple phases, employing a dual-dimensional approach. initially, the full narratives were holistically analyzed to obtain a comprehensive understanding of each respondent's experiences, perspectives, and overall constructed meaning (maschi, 2016). subsequently, a categorical analysis was conducted to systematically assign codes to meaningful quotes, phrases, and ideas, organizing them into initial themes. these themes were then refined through a re-examination of the coded data and consolidated into overarching categories. the relationships between the themes were mapped to comprehend their interconnections. ultimately, a holistic re-reading ensured that the categorical analyses did not detract from the gestalt meanings derived from the narratives when considered as a whole. this dual methodology allowed for a thorough and rigorous interpretation of the abundant, qualitative data acquired. moreover, to augment the trustworthiness of generated data, the researcher executed iterative interviews until attaining answers that showcased steadiness and uniformity. the information procured through this protracted interviewing procedure is considered as ultimate saturation data, indicating a thorough and trustworthy dataset. results and discussion in the process of conducting interviews for the purpose of data collection, the researcher was able english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 35 to identify two primary thematic dimensions in this study: the obstacles faced by students in their pursuit of proficient acquisition of digital vocabulary, and the tactics utilized by students for adjustment and supplementation in this particular context. this investigation aims to delve into and scrutinize the difficulties encountered by students when it comes to effectively engaging with the learning of digital vocabulary, with a focus on the barriers that hinder optimal comprehension and retention. furthermore, the study intends to examine the adaptive measures and supplementary strategies employed by students in order to overcome these barriers. the identification of these two overarching themes emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the research, encompassing both the challenges to effective digital vocabulary learning and the adaptive strategies implemented by students. by conducting a nuanced examination of these themes, the research strives to provide valuable insights to the ongoing discussion on enhancing pedagogical approaches in the instruction of digital vocabulary. students’ barriers to effective digital vocabulary learning a significant revelation arising from the research highlights that there are certain students who experience a lack of involvement when using digital resources to learn vocabulary. these individuals expressed a feeling of being demotivated and struggling to maintain focus during online vocabulary study sessions, like in1 statement: “during the process of enhancing my vocabulary, i frequently employ a digital tool to verify the meanings of words, facilitating the conversion from english language to indonesian. nevertheless, there are instances when i experience sporadic difficulties in retaining the newly learned terms, as some of them may not seem directly relevant to my scholarly endeavors…” (in1) the observed decrease in participation has resulted in a significant reduction in the effectiveness of students' learning efforts. this phenomenon is consistent with tsai, (2020) claim that a decline in student motivation in acquiring vocabulary is a frequently occurring event. it is crucial for educators and developers of digital learning tools to actively address these obstacles by incorporating increased interactivity and engaging activities. this approach is essential for enhancing students' overall satisfaction and motivation in the domain of vocabulary acquisition (alamer, 2022; chen et al., 2021; kainta & rombot, 2020). the substantial disengagement experienced can be attributed to various factors, such as the lack of dynamic features and a scarcity of stimulating content (sukmawati et al., 2023). addressing this issue comprehensively requires a multifaceted approach that combines pedagogical insights with technological innovations. teachers must understand the specific preferences of different learners and adapt digital resources accordingly. moreover, it is crucial for developers to integrate principles derived from cognitive science and utilize strategies of gamification to augment engagement within vocabulary learning environments. the continuation of enthusiasm requires the effortless integration of interactive components, such as gamified quizzes, adaptive learning modules, and real-time progress tracking mechanisms. this is consistent with the findings of research, as stated in the subsequent quotation. “i possess an inherent inclination to participate in the acquisition of vocabulary through the medium of gaming, as i assert that interactive gameplay functions as an effective catalyst for a deep and nuanced understanding of the english lexicon. the dynamic and immersive qualities of games not only facilitate an engaging educational experience, but also enhance my cognitive processes, enabling the smooth incorporation of diverse elements of language. additionally, the interactive and repetitive nature of gameplay fosters an increased ability to retain information, thereby promoting a more enduring grasp of vocabulary within my cognitive repertoire. this multifaceted approach not only enhances my language skills, but also develops a contextualized comprehension of words, thereby enriching my linguistic proficiency with a nuanced and subtle lexical aptitude.” (in2) these enhancements not only cater to various learning preferences but also foster a sense of achievement and advancement in students. furthermore, incorporating multimedia elements, such as visually appealing graphics and interactive exercises, can enhance cognitive engagement and strengthen vocabulary retention (toha et al., 2023). students have identified a noticeable hindrance associated with specific digital vocabulary tools, namely the limited interactivity they offer. students have expressed a need for increased interactive functionalities, such as elements of gamification or quizzes, to enhance their experience in acquiring vocabulary. rera nadian muryani muhammad yunus students’ digital vocabulary learning: experiences, barriers, and adaptive strategies exploration 36 “i find great pleasure in instructional methodologies that integrate online games or quizzes, such as those facilitated through applications like quizzes or wordwall. participating in these interactive activities not only introduces new vocabulary into my cognitive repertoire but also infuses the learning process with a sense of youthful enthusiasm. on the other hand, conventional didactic instruction, lacking such interactive elements, tends to elicit sentiments of monotony.” (in3) students generally agree that the inclusion of interactive features would not only make the learning process more engaging, but also lead to better retention of the vocabulary they have learned. it is crucial for developers to carefully consider incorporating interactive components into digital vocabulary tools in order to increase student engagement and facilitate effective learning (susiati & kartikasari, 2020) additionally, students have emphasized the importance of these interactive elements in strengthening the educational impact of digital tools. the integration of gamified features, quizzes, and other interactive methods is seen as essential in creating a dynamic learning environment that promotes sustained interest and cognitive assimilation. based on in4 stated that these enhancements would establish a mutually beneficial relationship between enjoyment and educational effectiveness. based on these insights, it is recommended that developers prioritize the inclusion of interactive elements in their digital vocabulary tools to address the identified need for heightened engagement and cognitive involvement in the vocabulary acquisition process. this recommendation aligns with current educational paradigms that recognize the importance of interactive approaches in optimizing learning outcomes (zaki et al., 2023). consequently, a thoughtful integration of these features is believed to significantly contribute to the improvement of digital vocabulary tools and, consequently, the effectiveness of vocabulary acquisition methods in educational settings (zou et al., 2021). the overwhelming abundance of digital resources that are available for the purpose of acquiring vocabulary has been perceived as a challenge by certain students. these students face difficulties in selecting the most appropriate tools and also have uncertainties about the effectiveness of these tools in relation to their own learning styles and preferences. as a result, it is crucial for teachers to provide guidance and support to help students navigate through the numerous options available to them. teachers play a crucial role in offering well-informed recommendations to students, suggesting specific digital resources that align seamlessly with their learning objectives and preferences (paksi et al., 2023). the effectiveness of digital vocabulary learning is hindered by technical obstacles. students often encounter problems such as slow internet connections, software malfunctions, and compatibility issues with their devices, which subsequently impede their learning experiences and overall progress (pradini & adnyayanti, 2022). it is essential for teachers and institutions to ensure that students have access to reliable internet connections and suitable devices in order to mitigate these technical challenges and establish an optimal learning environment. a significant barrier to effective digital vocabulary acquisition is the lack of personalization. in1 also expressed a need for more customized learning experiences with digital tools, arguing that currently available resources do not adequately cater to their specific needs and learning objectives, resulting in suboptimal learning outcomes. teachers should consider integrating features that allow for customization and personalization, empowering students to tailor their vocabulary learning experiences according to their unique preferences and requirements (toha et al., 2023). in order to address these challenges, it is important for educational stakeholders to collaborate and enhance the landscape of digital vocabulary learning (alhatmi, 2023). this can be achieved by providing targeted guidance, ensuring adequate technological infrastructure, and incorporating elements of personalization to create a more effective and individualized learning experience (rasti-behbahani, 2021). students’ strategy in adaptation and supplementation the findings of the research illuminate that students strategically combine different resources in order to enhance their acquisition of vocabulary. they skillfully blend traditional methods, such as textbooks and written exercises, with modern digital tools like flashcard platforms and online dictionaries. as in3 excerpt: “i habitually engage in the practice of jotting down concise notes whenever i encounter vocabulary that is unfamiliar or novel to me. this proactive approach serves as a mnemonic aid, particularly during my english lessons, facilitating the retention of new linguistic english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 37 constructs. additionally, in the absence of a mobile device during class, i avow a penchant for consulting compact dictionaries to acquire pertinent information…” (in3) this comprehensive approach allows students to take advantage of the benefits of both traditional and digital resources, which in turn enriches their efforts to acquire vocabulary and promotes a more nuanced understanding of language subtleties. however, according to laufer and vaisman (2023) stated that, it is crucial to recognize the need for pedagogical refinement in order to optimize the impact of this integrated approach on vocabulary learning outcomes. by using empirical insights, targeted interventions can be identified and implemented to further enhance the synergy between traditional and digital resources. furthermore, contextual learning has emerged as a prominent pedagogical strategy that has been embraced by students who actively seek out opportunities to engage with new vocabulary within various contexts, such as reading and listening. like in2 statement: “i typically engage in auditory learning by immersing myself in slow-paced musical compositions, conscientiously discerning and comprehending any encountered vocabulary to augment my linguistic proficiency…“(in3) the deliberate exposure to words in their natural usage is done with the aim of improving comprehension and developing a more proficient command of the language. this strategic approach highlights the importance of diverse contextual exposure in the processes of acquiring and retaining vocabulary. this shift towards contextual learning in education represents a conscious effort on the part of students to immerse themselves in authentic linguistic environments, recognizing the inherent value of encountering vocabulary organically (yudasheva et al., 2021). then, according to (susanti et al., 2023) stated that, the active pursuit of such opportunities is evident through activities like extensive reading and focused listening, which promote a deeper understanding of linguistic nuances and semantic complexities. furthermore, this strategic orientation aligns with contemporary cognitive theories that emphasize the vital role of context in language learning. it suggests that the integration of vocabulary within meaningful and authentic situations significantly contributes to the consolidation of lexical knowledge. the deliberate engagement with diverse linguistic contexts not only enhances lexical comprehension, but also strengthens the memory trace of the vocabulary, thereby facilitating long-term retention. moreover, this approach signifies a departure from traditional rote memorization techniques, placing greater emphasis on a dynamic and immersive learning experience. by placing vocabulary within real-life linguistic scenarios, students are able to transcend the limitations of isolated word lists, thereby fostering a comprehensive and interconnected understanding of language. this statement is related with the researcher findings. “i routinely incorporate terminology gleaned from gaming and musical compositions to bolster my linguistic repertoire in various daily endeavors. this practice extends to interactions with peers, where i deploy this acquired vocabulary both in conversations with friends and during moments of selfexpression.“(in4) this shift towards contextual learning reflects an evolving pedagogical paradigm that acknowledges the mutually beneficial relationship between language and its diverse contexts. students displayed a propensity for initiating their own research when presented with unfamiliar words during the process of acquiring vocabulary. they skillfully utilized online resources such as dictionaries and websites to investigate the meanings, uses, and subtleties associated with new vocabulary. this independent and self-directed approach facilitated an expansion of their cognitive abilities beyond the boundaries of their formal education, thus fostering a heightened sense of independence in the complex process of vocabulary acquisition. “i routinely incorporate terminology gleaned from gaming and musical compositions to bolster my linguistic repertoire in various daily endeavors. this practice extends to interactions with peers, where i deploy this acquired vocabulary both in conversations with friends and during moments of selfexpression.” (in1) this self-driven style of learning resulted in a broadening of their knowledge of words, surpassing the content covered in their traditional academic environment. the use of online tools not only supplemented formal instruction but also empowered students to delve deeper into the intricacies of language usage, thereby cultivating a rera nadian muryani muhammad yunus students’ digital vocabulary learning: experiences, barriers, and adaptive strategies exploration 38 nuanced comprehension of vocabulary. this multifaceted approach, combining formal instruction with independent exploration, highlighted the students' inner motivation and active involvement in their lexical development. the dynamic synergy between formal and selfdirected learning channels significantly contributed to a comprehensive and enhanced vocabulary acquisition experience. the utilization of consistent examination and repetition has been identified as pivotal strategies for optimizing the retention of vocabulary. students recognize the significance of strengthening their acquisition of words through methodologies such as the creation of flashcards, the utilization of techniques that involve repeating information at intervals, and engaging in quizzes or exercises for self-assessment. "in addition to employing a mobile device, i derive satisfaction from the pedagogical approach of my instructor utilizing flashcards for vocabulary instruction. this method significantly enhances my retention of the taught vocabulary…” (in3) by integrating organized examination and repetition sessions into their routine for acquiring vocabulary, students aim to improve their longterm retention and consolidate their understanding of acquired words. moreover, the embracing of these cognitive strategies aligns with the principles of cognitive psychology that highlight the importance of rehearsal and active recall in the consolidation of memory (dindar et al., 2021). the cognitive advantages derived from these practices contribute to a more robust and long-lasting collection of vocabulary, ultimately promoting enhanced language proficiency (alamer, 2022). this educational approach corresponds with contemporary paradigms in education that emphasize the effectiveness of deliberate practice and reinforcement in fostering enduring acquisition of knowledge. furthermore, in order to mitigate his challenges with vocabulary, prince has disclosed that he consistently employs a translation application and endeavors to expose himself to english music as a means of familiarizing himself with words and comprehending the definitions of complex vocabulary. this perspective aligns with saluky and marine (2021) and oktaviana et al. (2021). both of whom contend that the acquisition of proficiency in the english language can be facilitated through the utilization of technological tools, such as educational applications. in contrast, yunanda et al. (2022) espouses a divergent stance, advocating that reading remains the most effective method for addressing student’s challenges, particularly in the realm of comprehending vocabulary. "i derive pleasure from engaging with cinematic productions, as well as immersing myself in the auditory realms of music and podcasts, some of which incorporate english elements. while these podcasts may not exclusively employ english, they contribute to the expansion of my vocabulary, which i subsequently integrate into my linguistic repertoire." (in2) this adaptability highlights the importance of tailoring vocabulary learning approaches to individual inclinations, ultimately enhancing the overall effectiveness of the learning process. furthermore, this flexibility not only showcases the diversity of learning styles among students but also emphasizes the necessity of personalized instructional strategies (rasti-behbahani, 2021). the identification of the most suitable methods for vocabulary acquisition, whether through visual, auditory, or kinesthetic means, demonstrates a nuanced understanding of individual learning preferences (yan et al., 2021). this nuanced understanding can serve as a fundamental aspect in the development of educational curricula, enabling teachers to customize instructional materials to effectively accommodate diverse learning styles. additionally, the observed adaptability highlights the potential for creating a more inclusive educational environment that caters to the varied needs of learners (fan, 2015; ghalebi et al., 2020; permana, 2020). by recognizing and accommodating diverse learning styles, not only is the vocabulary learning process optimized, but it also contributes to a more comprehensive and fair educational experience. in a broader context, this adaptability emphasizes the importance of adopting a student-centered approach in educational practices, where pedagogical methods are responsive to the individualized needs and preferences of learners. conclussion in summary, students encounter both internal and external obstacles when learning vocabulary through digital means, as revealed by research. students are naturally confronted with problems like low motivation, decreased involvement, and technical difficulties like sluggish internet english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 39 connections and buggy software. the dearth of individualized learning experiences is not being satisfied, and the sheer volume of digital resources makes it difficult to choose the right tools. by combining traditional and digital resources, participating in contextual learning, and conducting independent research on foreign words, students employ adaptive strategies to get past these obstacles. as key tactics for vocabulary retention, consistent review and practice that are in line with cognitive psychology principles emerge. the way that students adjust their teaching strategies to fit their unique learning preferences— using podcasts, videos, and different exercises—is particularly noteworthy. a more efficient, inclusive, and captivating digital vocabulary learning environment for students can be created by educators, curriculum designers, and technology makers with an understanding of these issues and adaptable solutions. the identified lack of motivation and engagement could be addressed in future research by examining the effects of increased interactivity and gamification in digital vocabulary tools. this would provide valuable insights into strategies that effectively maintain student interest. and looking into how personalized learning might be integrated. references afzal, n. (2019). a study on vocabulary-learning problems encountered by ba english majors at the university level of education. arab world english journal, 10(3), 81–98. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no3.6 ahmadi, r. (2014). metodologi penelitian kualitatif. ar-ruzz media. alamer, a. (2022). basic psychological needs, motivational orientations, effort, and vocabulary knowledge. studies in second language acquisition, 44(1), 164–184. https://doi.org/10.1017/s027226312100005x alhatmi, s. (2023). second language vocabulary learning in the digital era : ten reasons it should be on the go ! 13(3). andriani, d., & sriwahyuningsih, v. (2019). student’s problem in voocabulary mastery at english department of upi yptk padang. 57–62. anil, m. b. (2015). use of technology in english teaching classroom-a study. american international journal of research in humanities, arts and social sciences aijrhass, 15–225. http://www.iasir.net asih, r. a., & halisiana, h. t. (2022). enhancing students’ speaking skill through a game-based learning innovation of family game show. jinop (jurnal inovasi pembelajaran), 8(1), 121–138. https://doi.org/10.22219/jinop.v8i1.20400 chen, c. h., hung, h. t., & yeh, h. c. (2021). virtual reality in problem-based learning contexts: effects on the problem-solving performance, vocabulary acquisition and motivation of english language learners. journal of computer assisted learning, 37(3), 851–860. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12528 clandinin, d. j. (2006). narrative inquiry: a methodology for studying lived experience. research studies in music education, 27(1), 44– 54. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103x06027001030 1 daar, g. f. (2020). problems of english language learning in context ( based on some studies in manggarai). 115-122. deng, z. (2021). powerful knowledge, transformations and didaktik/curriculum thinking. british educational research journal, 47(6), 1652– 1674. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3748 dindar, m., ren, l., & järvenoja, h. (2021). an experimental study on the effects of gamified cooperation and competition on english vocabulary learning. british journal of educational technology, 52(1), 142–159. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12977 fan, n. (2015). a study of vocabulary knowledge and vocabulary learning strategies of chinese efl learners. published phd thesis, 213. https://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/acc ess/services/download/mq:44332/source1 fithriani, r. (2021). the utilization of mobile-assisted gamification for vocabulary learning: its efficacy and perceived benefits. call-ej, 22(3), 146–163. flick, u., von kardorff, e., & steinke, i. (2004). a companion to qualitative research. sage. ghalebi, r., sadighi, f., & bagheri, m. s. (2020). vocabulary learning strategies: a comparative study of efl learners. cogent psychology, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2020.182430 6 ghanbari, n. (2021). the practice of online assessment in an efl context amidst covid-19 pandemic : views from teachers. 4. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468021-00143-4 hyso, k., & tabaku, e. (2011). iimportance of vocabulary teaching to advanced foreign language student in improving reading. insani nurchintyawati, s.pd.,m.pd. (2022). android based educational game in learning and teaching english vocabulary. journal of applied linguistics, 2(1), 13–18. https://doi.org/10.52622/joal.v2i1.44 kainta, e., & rombot, j. e. (2020). exploring students’ motivation and vocabulary achievement through labeling method. vision: journal for language and foreign language learning, 9(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.21580/vjv9i14509 khanh, n. c., & huong, d. t. (2018). the education rera nadian muryani muhammad yunus students’ digital vocabulary learning: experiences, barriers, and adaptive strategies exploration 40 assessment capacity structure of primary teachers in vietnam. vnu journal of science: education research, 34(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.25073/2588-1159/vnuer.4175 knight, s., shibani, a., abel, s., gibson, a., ryan, p., sutton, n., wight, r., lucas, c., sándor, á., kitto, k., liu, m., mogarkar, r. v., & shum, s. b. (2020). acawriter a learning analytics tool for formative feedback on academic writing. journal of writing research, 12(1), 141–186. https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2020.12.01.06 laufer, b., & vaisman, e. e. (2023). out-of-classroom l2 vocabulary acquisition: the effects of digital activities and school vocabulary. modern language journal, 107(4), 854–872. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12880 legi, h., damanik, d., & giban, y. (2023). transforming education through technological innovation in the face of the era of society 5.0. educenter: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 2(2). lieblich, a., tuval-mashiach, r., & zilber, t. (1998). narrative research: reading, analysis, and interpretation. sage publication. maschi, t. (2016). holistic analysis, discerning meaning from narrative and numeric data. in: applying a human rights approach to social work research and evaluation. springer. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3319-26036-5_6 masterman, e., & shuyska, j. a. (2012). digitally mastered? technology and transition in the experience of taught postgraduate students. learning, media and technology, 37(4), 335– 354. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2011.608361 oecd. (2016). innovating education and educating for innovation. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264265097-en oktaviana, a., devi, t., & rifai, d. m.(2021). marwahyudi,+766-article+text-1236-1-1820211018. 1300(2), 37–41. pahamzah, j. (2022). assessing students’ vocabulary through mobile technologies on vocabulary mastery for english foreign language students. current research in language, literature and education, 3, 43–52. https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/crlle/v3/3248e paksi, g. r., sari, r. k., & somawati, s. (2023). teacher perceptions on the use of the wordwall.net application as an english vocabulary learning media. edunesia: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 4(1), 120–132. https://doi.org/10.51276/edu.v4i1.307 permana, i. g. y. (2020). teaching vocabulary for elementary school students. the art of teaching english as a foreign language, 1(2), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.36663/tatefl.v1i2.56 pradini, p. c., & adnyayanti, n. l. p. e. (2022). teaching english vocabulary to young learners with wordwall application: an experimental study. journal of educational study, 2(2), 187– 196. https://doi.org/10.36663/joes.v2i2.351 puspita, m. s., & syahria, n. (2023). the utilization of baamboozle game to support young learners’ speaking performance. incollt, 198–207. rachmawati, d. l. (2018). vocabulary learning strategies used by first year of efl students. 2(2), 1–6. rasti-behbahani, a. (2021). why digital games can be advantageous in vocabulary learning. theory and practice in language studies, 11(2), 111– 118. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1102.01 saengpakdeejit, r. (2014). strategies for dealing with vocabulary learning problems by thai university students. 14(1), 147–167. saluky, s., & marine, y. (2021). development of the utbk try out application with simulation methods to increase student scores. itej (information technology engineering journals), 6(2), 93–99. https://doi.org/10.24235/itej.v6i2.102 saville-troike, m. (2012). introducing second language acquisition. in introducing second language acquisition. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511808838.002 saxena, c., & baber, h. (2020). examining the moderating effect of perceived benefits of maintaining social distance on e-learning quality during covid-19 pandemic. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239520977798 sudarwati, e., widiati, u., ubaidillah, m. f., prasetyoningsih, l. s. a., & sulistiyo, u. (2022). a narrative inquiry into identity construction and classroom participation of an efl student with a physical disability: evidence from indonesia. qualitative report, 27(6), 1534–1556. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2022.5174 sukmawati, s. a., hawa, f., & musarokah, s. (2023). modernisation in teaching adjective vocabulary in digital era : is tiktok effective to use ? 3(1), 421–428. suryaratri, r. d., prayitno, e. h., & wuryani, w. (2019). the implementation of multi-sensory learning at elementary schools in jakarta. jpud jurnal pendidikan usia dini, 13(1), 100–113. https://doi.org/10.21009/10.21009/jpud.131.08 susanti, l., dzulfikri, d., & jamilah, n. (2023). using pictionary as an effective way to improve young learners’ reading skill on a procedure text. edutec : journal of education and technology, 6(3), 692–702. https://doi.org/10.29062/edu.v6i3.474 susiati, s., & kartikasari, n. (2020). do the techniques really improve students’ mastery in vocabulary? journal of english education and teaching, 4(2), 248–263. https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.4.2.248-263 tiwari, r. (2021). lifelong learning in the era of digital transformation. hochschule fresenius, 4(2), 9. toha, m., fikri, d., & yusroh, m. (2023). exploring english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 41 students’ perceptions toward vlogging as a tool for enhancing english vocabulary acquisition. abjadia : international journal of education, 8(2), 168–179. https://doi.org/10.18860/abj.v8i2.22867 tsai, c. c. (2020). the effects of augmented reality to motivation and performance in efl vocabulary learning. international journal of instruction, 13(4), 987–1000. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13460a wang, c. c., & geale, s. k. (2015). the power of story: narrative inquiry as a methodology in nursing research. international journal of nursing sciences, 2(2), 195–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2015.04.014 yan, m., li, y., sun, x., zhou, x., hui, y., & li, h. (2021). the roles of decoding and vocabulary in chinese reading development: evidence from a 3-year longitudinal study. british journal of educational psychology, 91(1), 300–314. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12365 yudasheva, d. n., khojieva, n. k. k., & yusupova, d. y. k. (2021). fruit vocabulary is an integral part of the vocabulary of the folk lanugage. herakd pedagogiki nauka i praktyka, 1(2), 141–150. yudha, h. t., & mandasari, b. (2021). the analysis of game usage for senior high school. 2(2), 74–79. yunanda, f., lubis, b., husda, a., ginting, e., & manalu, s. (2022). english reading comprehension difficulties of ujian tulis berbasis komputer (utbk) by senior high school at smas pangeran antasari medan. linguistic, english education and art (leea) journal, 6(1 se-articles), 29–40. https://journal.ipm2kpe.or.id/index.php/leea/a rticle/view/4910 zacks, j. m., & ferstl, e. c. (2015). discourse comprehension. neurobiology of language, 661–673. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12407794-2.00053-5 zaki, k. a., rafiq, s., & afzal, a. (2023). impact of teacher-student favoritism on students’ learning outcomes at university level. journal of social research development, 4(01), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.53664/jsrd/04-01-2023-01-0114 zou, d., huang, y., & xie, h. (2021). digital gamebased vocabulary learning: where are we and where are we going? computer assisted language learning, 34(5–6), 751–777. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.164074 5 rera nadian muryani muhammad yunus students’ digital vocabulary learning: experiences, barriers, and adaptive strategies exploration 42 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 525 utilizing indonesia’s super-diversity as a learning source in creative writing teaching for indonesia efl students wenda marlin kakerissa faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, west java, indonesia email: w3nlin@yahoo.com nenden sri lengkanawati faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, west java, indonesia email: nendensl@indo.net.id ahmad bukhori muslim faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, west java, indonesia email: abukhmuslim@upi.edu apa citation: kakerissa, w. m., lengkanawati, n. s., & muslim, a. b. (2023). utilizing indonesia’s superdiversity as a learning source in creative writing teaching for indonesia efl students. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 525-538. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7343 received: 14-02-2023 accepted: 17-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction literature review from several sources in online mass media states that creative writing has become a topic widely discussed in academics, publications, and literature in the last five years. creative writing is also a compulsory or elective subject in the digital era curriculum in various countries. therefore, it is unsurprising that many institutions or universities/campuses held national or international webinars, seminars, or even workshops under the creative writing theme. some examples include the "international webinar on creative writing in online learning mode" organised by english literature untag surabaya on june 19, 2020, which 647 participants from various countries attended. surabaya state university also held a national webinar under the theme "trends and challenges of creative writing in the digital era" on august 26, 2020, which 400 participants from various professions attended. there is also a student webinar series held by nala ireland under the creative writing theme via zoom on november 4, 2021. of course, many more similar activities are being carried out in other regions or countries. most of the information obtained reveals that creative writing is an activity that can be done anywhere, anytime, and without time limits so that it can be done in a relaxed manner while following the imagination of the writer. however, what is the definition of creative writing? the definition of creative writing varies greatly. each writer can define creative writing according to their ideas, imagination, and abstract: much research on english creative writing has been carried out considering how important creative writing is for learning literature in general and english in particular. likewise, research on indonesia's super-diversity. however, more research on english creative writing still needs to be done using indonesian super-diversity as a learning resource. for this reason, this research with a qualitative descriptive method was carried out. this study explored the benefits of teaching creative writing utilizing indonesia's super-diversity as a learning resource. the research instruments were questionnaires and student artifact documents. fifty-nine participants from the creative writing language education: poetry class were involved. they are convenient and purposeful samples. the results showed that students' english skills improved, and their knowledge of indonesian diversity, including cultures and traditions that were new to students, also increased. even the topic of diversity instilled in students a sense of love for the country and respect for differences. similar research can also be conducted on other subjects so that tolerance and mutual respect become a beautiful culture in the lives of indonesian people. keywords: benefits; creative patterned poetry; indonesia super-diversity. wenda marlin kakerissa, nenden sri lengkanawati, & ahmad bukhori muslim utilizing indonesia’s super-diversity as a learning source in creative writing teaching for indonesia efl students 526 creativity. maley (2018), in his article entitled "creative writing for language learners and teachers," defined creative writing as a text production with an aesthetic rather than a purely informative, instrumental, or practical goal. even kumar (2020) stated that creative writing is a writing activity that gives freedom to the writer to create his/her own thoughts and feelings about an object so that the work he/she produces is more personal. having the same voice with maley (2018), kumar (2020) also added that creative writing has the significant quality to evoke sensations. however, these various definitions have the same standard concept, namely an author's accessible writing that is original, using creative ideas, creative imagination, and creative writing methods so that people who read the work can enter into the author's creative imagination and enjoy the creativity of the idea and how to write the work. creative writing also consists of several forms of writing, as quoted from licciardi (2021) in a learning video entitled "what is creative writing?" namely: poetry, drama, film and television scripts, fiction, songs, any scripts (speeches), autobiographies, and individual essays. however, this study focused on creative writing in poetry, specifically english creative writing. creative writing requires ideas. the knowledge of each author could have inspired the idea, and it could also have been from the author's reading material, phenomena that occurred around the author, or merely the author's imagination. a creative writing teacher can explore using indonesia's diversity as creative writing material. similar research has never been done before. creative writing from indonesia's unique diversity can be promoted through literary stories such as poetry, short stories, or non-fiction stories. works produced through creative writing can also inspire readers to maintain the richness of cultural diversity, for example when the efl students are asked to produce creative writing about the borobudur temple from central java, it is expected that the students' poems about the borobudur temple can inspire readers to maintain and care for one of the wonders of the world that belongs to the indonesian nation. thus, using indonesian diversity as the primary material for creative writing allows writers to inspire, educate, and entertain readers while expanding their understanding of the unique diversity of indonesia. the biggest challenge of this activity was when efl students were asked to produce creative writing in the form of a simple poem in english and follow a specific pattern of writing according to the type of creative poetry requested using the topic of indonesian diversity. this study explored it. study about creative writing has been widely carried out both inside and outside indonesia. this patterned poetry is very familiar with the term creative writing (poetry) for some people. when efl students learn english, they could utilize writing poetry as a practical way. this is in line with alsyouf's study (2019). many literature reviews reported an elemental connection between poetry and memory when educators and learners utilize poetry in-class activities. poetry or any poetic words tend to be easier to memorize than non-poetic ones because learners are motivated to read and re-read the words, so it can assist the learners in improving their memory. by doing this, learners are expected to remember other information more receptive. after all, saputra (2022) stated that reading any kind of literature is a great combination of reading for information and enjoyment. thus, it bridges the need for more non-literary texts. meanwhile, alsyouf (2019) added that creative writing activities, such as poetry, are beneficial where language plays a significant role as a rich source of learning because it can maintain the memory of efl learners. moreover, this activity is carried out continuously. the previous studies showed that learning about creative patterned poetry has many advantages for efl students. the efl learners can enjoy practicing creative poetry writing as an effective classroom method that assists in avoiding falling into the traps of the routine of traditional ways of instruction. creative patterned poetry in efl classrooms is an ever-renewing, profitable, and enjoyable learning method since poetry, as a branch of literature, is an inexhaustible source of language (alsyouf, 2019). furthermore, cubukcu (2001) and cumming (2007) argued that one of the main study areas in elt is utilizing creative writing in english classes. rejina (2021) emphasized that creative writing has several benefits in improving students' language skills; besides improving english skills, students' vocabulary knowledge also increases. creative writing (poetry) is a significant tool and a great source for familiarizing learners with an extensive vocabulary and its utilization (khan, 2019). poetry teaching is a form of selfexpression for poets, in this case, students. even poetry can educate more than basic understanding inside and outside academics. even more english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 527 significantly, teaching creative writing in elt classes can increase students' creativity since they are free in an open interpretation. however, due to some considerations, the current study focused on exploring the benefits of teaching creative writing utilizing indonesia’s super-diversity. first, indonesia is a multicultural country that is so rich with diverse cultures, religions, ethnicities, races, and even social statuses. each region in indonesia has different customs, cultures, beliefs, and habits that must be maintained and appreciated by everyone who comes from the same or different tribes so that they become national wealth, that is, the wealth of the nation. second, nieto (1994) conducted a study on multiculturalism in some schools in america, and the result revealed that by infusing students' diversity in schools' curricula, more students would feel less angry about their invisibility. minority students particularly experience this. so do the teachers. in her opinion, that is a part of respect. she assumed that it is significant since america is a multicultural nation. it is the same with indonesia, which is also a super-diversity country. therefore, learning about indonesia’s super-diversity through creative patterned poetry is vital. third, there are many benefits to learning about indonesia’s super-diversity. two of them are increasing love for the country and respecting differences, which people usually call tolerance. furthermore, the drexel university school of education website states that there are at least two benefits when teaching students about diversity, namely first, introducing students to various cultural and social groups, and second, preparing them to become citizens with a sense of belonging—high tolerance and respect for differences in various communities. it is also the same with nieto (1994) in anggriawan (2020) that tolerance, acceptance, respect, affirmation, solidarity, and critique are significant in building a harmonious life in a super-diversity country. in the indonesian context, encouraging students by teaching them about the super-diversity of indonesia will enrich their knowledge of diversity, prepare them to adapt and accept other cultures that must also be respected, create tolerance and respect for differences such as religions, cultures, ethnicities, races, beliefs, and so on, so that at the end, they can instill a sense of love for the country that is rich in diversity. susanto (2017) argues that one of the benefits for students in learning indonesia's super-diversity is to build students' positive perceptions of indonesian cultural diversity. conceptually, the students' positive perception of the nation's cultural diversity refers to the ability of each element of the country to interpret the conditions of plurality and multiculturalism as educational values that align with the principle of diversity. referring to the three reasons mentioned previously, this study aimed to explore the benefits of teaching creative writing by utilizing indonesia’s super-diversity for indonesian efl students. holmes and moulton (2001) suggested that one way to learn english creatively is to have students write creative and simple poems with specific patterns. holmes and moulton (2001) offered 25 types of creative patterned poetry. however, the study's researchers only selected 7: acrostic poem, adjective poem, adjective placement poem, adverb poem, beginnings and endings poem, bio poem, and contrast poem. these seven types of poetry were chosen to consider the lecturing time of 1 semester, which is 16 meetings only. one type of poetry requires two weeks. the first week is used to explain the poetry and its patterns, while the second week is used to present the students’ patterned poetry. table 1 portrays the distribution of those seven poems in 1 semester of lecturing. table 1. distribution of seven poems week types of poem event/culture representation 1 acrostic poem natsepa beach ambon city 2 presentation 3 adjective poem reba ritual kupang 4 presentation 5 adjective placement poem solo batik carnival solo 6 presentation 7 adverb poem soto banjar south kalimantan 8 presentation 9 mid exam presentation 10 beginnings and endings poem mangongkal holi north sumatra 11 presentation 12 bio poem frans kaisiepo papua 13 presentation 14 contrast poem mask dance west java 15 presentation 16 final exam presentation wenda marlin kakerissa, nenden sri lengkanawati, & ahmad bukhori muslim utilizing indonesia’s super-diversity as a learning source in creative writing teaching for indonesia efl students 528 it is expected that the teaching of foreign languages such as english has an excellent opportunity to instil cross-cultural awareness while at the same time embodying the multicultural education standards that have been stipulated in the education law number 20 of 2003 to avoid conflict. however, the education law has yet to be implemented optimally in indonesia. incorporating indonesia's superdiversity materials into teaching materials is one way that teachers can create so that each student and teacher who comes from different backgrounds such as religions, languages, cultures, ethnicities, and even social statuses have a high tolerance and respect for differences to minimize religious and social conflicts as had happened in the cities of ambon and ternate a few years ago. as mentioned, research on creative patterned poetry has been carried out widely both outside and within indonesia. however, research on incorporating indonesia's super-diversity through learning patterned poetry has never been done in indonesia, especially in ambon. this city has experienced religious and social conflict. another significance of this research is to motivate other teachers to be able to use indonesia's diversity as creative teaching materials in other lessons or subjects at school or university. thus, this research must be carried out by considering some of the significance mentioned. method the study explored the benefits of teaching creative writing utilizing indonesia's superdiversity as a learning resource from indonesian efl students’ voices. this study employed a qualitative descriptive method. as primary data collection, a questionnaire in indonesian was distributed via google form. fifty-nine respondents were involved in a creative writing (poetry) subject at a state university in eastern indonesia. they were chosen as the respondents of this study because: 1) this class was the most suitable for the research topic, namely creative writing, 2) they had passed an introductory literature course, namely literature in language education, 3) they were easily accessible to researchers, and 4 ) they were willing to fill out the questionnaire. wan (2019) stated that as long as the recruited respondents felt comfortable and accessible in collecting research data, they were convenience sampling. the rating scale questionnaire consists of statements that are followed by the rating of the participants’ existence starting from strongly agree (sa), agree (a), disagree, (d) to strongly disagree (sd). the researchers made up fifteen statements in the questionnaire based on classroom observation during the learning process. questions 1 to 9 explored students' voices on learning patterned poetry. questions 10 to 13 focused on exploring students' voices on learning about indonesia's super-diversity. questions 14 and 15 focus on general perspectives on learning patterned poetry using indonesia's super-diversity. thus, the questionnaire results were analyzed based on the three sub-topics above and discussed by adding to the discussion of previous creative writing research results. after that discussion, it was followed by the result of students’ artifacts, namely mid and final examination results. for more details, each statement in the questionnaire can be seen in the finding and discussion section. to assist in getting the frequency and percentage, jeffrey's amazing statistics program (jasp) 0.14.1. was used to manage the questionnaire data. there was also documentation of students’ artefacts. students’ artifacts refer to the students’ works (creative patterned poetry) in mid and final examinations. the students’ works were assessed using a rubric adapted from rcampus (2023). it is not a standard rubric, yet it is a particular rubric for assessing students’ creative writing products. the rubric can be seen in table 6 in result and discussion section. the procedure of the study can be seen below: (1) researchers designed and created teaching materials using indonesia's super-diversity for creative writing language education: poetry subject. several cultures, customs, events, and even traditional foods from several regions in indonesia were taken as topics of discussion in creating creative patterned poetry (creative writing) for the students. the researchers’ design became samples for students to produce their creative writing. (2) taught the students patterned poetry using indonesia’s super-diversity as the learning source. they had been informed that their class was used as a research class. there were mid and final exams. everyone agreed. (3) asked and assisted the students in producing their creative writing (poems). (4) mid exam. (5) asked and assisted the students in producing other creative writing (poems). (6) final exam english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 529 (7) asked students to fill out a scale rating questionnaire about the advantages of utilizing indonesia’s super-diversity as the learning source in creative writing teaching. (8) analyzed the result of the questionnaire. (9) reported the result. the data were analyzed descriptively when the study participants had filled out and submitted the questionnaire. after analyzing the data, a conclusion was drawn, and ultimately it was reported. the consequent part portrays the finding and discussion of the study. results and discussion before going deep into the result and discussion, a brief description of the seven types of selected poetry and each pattern of the poems that the participants must adapt will be provided first in this part. the learners must follow the pattern or rule of each type of poetry. first, acrostic poem. it is a type of creative writing in which each initial letter in each line spells out a word vertically, and the initial letters summarize the theme or object of the poem. spelling, vocabulary, and dictionary usage are emphasized. the pattern of the acrostic poem follows its rules: determine and write a simple theme or object vertically in the column on the left side of the paper. do as in the "word" below. w (write a word, phrase, or sentence starting with the letter of the word being spelt down the left column) o (write a word, phrase, or sentence starting with the second letter of the word being spelt down the left column) r (write a word, phrase, or sentence starting with the third letter) d (write a word, phrase, or sentence starting with the fourth letter) continue the pattern for each letter in the word. second, adjective poem. there are only six lines in this creative poem. these lines are loaded with adjectives that describe the object of the poem. through the adjective poem, efl students learn to appropriately practice, identify and even incorporate adjectives, word orders, and adjective agreements. efl students learn to use adjectives and linking verbs through this poem. below is the pattern: line 1 noun line 2 similar noun + is/are + adjective 1 line 3 similar noun + is/are + adjective 1, adjective 2 line 4 is/are + adjective 1, adjective 2, adjective 3 line 5 adjective 1, adjective 2, adjective 3, adjective 4 line 6 new related noun third, adjective placement poem. it is a patterned poem that strongly features a series of adjectives in the proper order. through this kind of poem, efl students learn vocabulary, adjectives, and their order in a noun phrase. below is the pattern. choose a destination. you won’t be returning for a very long time, so think of special things you’ll need to keep you happy, favourite things that you can’t bear to be without for a long time. line 1: i’m (you’re, we’re) taking a trip to _________ line 2: and i’m (you’re, we’re) taking all of my (our) favourite things: line 3 line 4 line 5 noun clauses with descriptive adjectives line 6 line 7 (last line starts with “and”) the five-line stanza above can be repeated with new noun phrases as long as the students have items they wish to describe. one option is to give the poem closure by having the last line refer to returning from vacation. fourth, adverb poem. the poem modifies or tells the learners more about a verb. the poem explains when, where, why, and how an action happened. many adverbs end in -ly. like the adjective, the adverb poem also consists of six lines, accumulating a list of adverbs to describe a single topic or action. the teaching points are adverbs, dictionary skills, and thesaurus usage. below is the pattern of the adverb poem. line 1: noun line 2: similar noun + verb + adverb 1 line 3: similar noun + verb + adverb 1 + adverb 2 line 4: verb + adverb 1 + adverb 2 + adverb 3 line 5: adverb 1 + adverb 2 + adverb 3 + adverb 4 line 6: phrase or clause showing condition, wenda marlin kakerissa, nenden sri lengkanawati, & ahmad bukhori muslim utilizing indonesia’s super-diversity as a learning source in creative writing teaching for indonesia efl students 530 time, or place fifth, beginnings and endings poem. this poem consists of five lines; 4 exclamation statements and one summary at the end. lines 1 and 3 have the same theme as lines 2 and 4. this type of poetry can be used when educators ask their efl students to think about and describe something contrasting or opposite. interestingly, the 5th or the last line summarizes the poem by repeating one dominant word three times, namely the poem's theme. the teaching points are exclamatory statements, opposites, and contrast. below is the pattern of the poem. farewell to ………. hello to ………. farewell to ………. hello to ………. it’s ……, ……, …… yes to ………. no to ………. yes to ………. no to ………. it’s ……, ……, …… sixth, bio poem. it is a simple poem about a person's life or subject using a series of adjectives, relative clauses, and items. the poem can be based on personal knowledge, yet on the other hand, it can also be a creative showcase for research on people, plants, or animals. the teaching points are on adjectives, relative clauses, and items in a series. below is the pattern of the bio poem. line 1: first name line 2: four traits that describe the character line 3: relative of …… (brother, sister, daughter, etc.) line 4: lover of …… (list three people, things, or ideas) line 5: who feels …… (three emotions) line 6: who needs …… (three items) line 7: who fears …… (three items) line 8: who gives …… (three items) line 9: who would like to see …… (three items) line 10: resident of …… line 11: last name seventh, contrast poem. it allows the learners to practice linking verbs followed by adjectives. the learners must describe a given topic by linking descriptive characteristics to the topic using complete sentences. the poem consists of four lines, with the first three being similar characteristics or traits and the last two being opposite characteristics or traits. the poem may be rhymed or unrhymed. composing the contrast poem teaches the efl students adjectives, linking verbs, verbs in the negative form, and the conjunction but. below is the pattern of the poem. a ____ is ____ . a ____ is ____ . a ____ is ____ . but, a ____ is not ____ . subject …(linking verb) … adjective, subject … (linking verb) … adjective, subject … (linking verb) … adjective, but subject … (negative)(linking verb) … adjective. to make it easier to analyze the result of the questionnaire, the finding was presented in four parts, namely students’ voices on the learning of the patterned poetry, students’ voices on the learning about indonesia’s super-diversity, general perspectives on the learning on patterned poetry based on indonesia’s super-diversity, and result of students’ work in mid and final examination. students’ voices on the learning of the patterned poetry table 2 below presents that 58 participants out of 59 participants agreed (mostly strongly agreed) that they were interested and comfortable learning patterned poetry for several reasons: they learned a lot of new things about indonesia’s superdiversity, became more confident and challenged in producing the best creative poems, able to communicate using creative words which then can be utilized in other subjects such as speaking and writing skills, and increasingly proficient in diction for a patterned poem. even the participants admitted that they learned a lot of new local languages. since a poem is more interesting than any textbook for students because it has poetic words, it is unsurprising that learning any kind of literature, including poetry, motivates efl students to read more and more pieces. according to burroughs (2018), poetry is a poet's free expression of what he sees or feels, not limited to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 531 certain emotional expressions, whether with or without a specific purpose. this means that if for a specific purpose, the writer must carefully consider the literary techniques of writing a poem. however, even if a writer has understood the meaning of a poem, he can still produce creative poetry. the study participants become more and more creative since every two weeks, they must create new patterned poetry with a different rule or pattern. it is in line with rejina’s (2021) study that creative writing activity can increase learners’ creativity by giving them massive opportunities for self-expression and wider open interpretation. this happened because the students did it repeatedly. thus, students’ imagination is also stimulated. in the current study, since the participants must create their patterned poetry following specific rules about indonesia’s superdiversity, the participants learned a lot of many new local words, such as bekarang iwak, baileo, bundo kanduang, sinden, gamelan, reba, adu betis, iki palek, and many more. this happened because one of the criteria in creating every patterned poetry is that the students must infuse local language/local wisdom to promote a particular culture, ethnicity, race, religion, tradition, belief, and food in indonesia through their poetry. nevertheless, the result also revealed that not only a lot of new local languages they got, but the students also got new english vocabulary that can be utilized in other subjects such as speaking and writing. chaal (2022), in a conference, stated that in english teaching, language teachers must focus on developing four language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing integrated, as well as the sub-skills, including; pronunciation, structure, grammar, and vocabulary. language teachers often mention culture as the fifth skill. chaal (2022) adds that culture is a significant aspect of efl teaching, which aims to instill intercultural communicative competence among students. the foreign culture that students study will be a mirror for them to see their own culture. when efl students learn something they believe in, practice every day, and are accepted confidently by society, they will feel happy. it is also fun when the students learn about a culture that is different from theirs. the ability to read and write is, of course, closely related to literature in language teaching. likewise, listening and speaking skills. so, teaching culture provides the same importance and benefits in learning students' four english language skills. since the participants of the current study had to create their patterned poetry using indonesia’s super-diversity and then read it to their friends and lecturer, they must expose their literature knowledge about the super-diversity of indonesia, writing, speaking, reading skills to express their knowledge, and finally listening skill to listen to others’ works (different culture, ethnicity, race, religion, tradition, belief, and food). by listening to other classmates’ creative writing (poetry), students’ communication skills are also improved (deepa and ilankumaran (2018). hameed (2019) through his research, shows that there is a very clear and guaranteed positive relationship between teaching english poetry as a source of teaching and learning four skills in english including pronunciation, grammar, structure, and vocabulary. this means that teachers and students can use poetry as a learning resource to learn english skills. not only that, farrah and al-bakri (2022), through their study, mentioned that utilizing poetry is beneficial in developing learners’ vocabulary, pronunciation, and motivation as well. suppose this creative poetry writing activity is continuously carried out, honed, and accompanied/guided by educators or anyone professional in creative writing. in that case, it is believed that students' creative writing skills will benefit their future, or in other words, creative writing can be turned into a remunerative career. thukral (2022) in a website writes that "creative writing is a lucrative career." he adds that some trend and demand issues can earn the writer/poet $100,000 yearly. however, it depends on the poet's field of expertise and level of skill. she/he must drill the skill happily without coercion from anyone or anything by using unlimited imagination. when students were learning to produce patterned poems by following specific rules, few admitted that this was their first time producing a poem. “i never write poems, mam. i’m so sorry, this is my first time writing a poem, mam” (kk, 2023). what is even worse is when the poem that must be composed must follow specific writing rules. some say that they just realized that poetry is patterned and not just free writing. “mam, i just knew that poem has a certain pattern.” (mf, 2023) “mam, i thought writing poem/poetry is free writing, no need any rules.” (sfs, 2023) wenda marlin kakerissa, nenden sri lengkanawati, & ahmad bukhori muslim utilizing indonesia’s super-diversity as a learning source in creative writing teaching for indonesia efl students 532 “so did i, mam. i thought that writing a poem is just about my imagination, not related with culture at all.” (rh, 2023) they conveyed those honest and innocent expressions at one of the moments after finishing the presentation of the acrostic poem. this means that composing poetry is something new for them and, simultaneously, a challenge that the students and their lecturer must face. this condition further motivated the lecturer to teach their students by introducing other types of patterned poetry and asking them to make the same poem with the specified pattern. actually, the most significant factor in creative writing is motivation. both students and teachers must have motivation, namely the driving force from within each to teach and invite students to write poetry and encouragement from within students to write, because the writing problem is quite difficult, especially writing poetry in english, especially for efl students. having motivation within each one is a good writing capital. gonen (2018) through a study, argued that teaching poetry in language classes can promote motivation, creativity, and self-expression along with multi-skill development and interaction among students. but all of that can be achieved if there is motivation from the teacher and the students themselves. motivation will determine the success or failure of a creative writing activity (qur'aini, anggraini, widodo, 2020). table 2. students’ voices on the learning of the patterned poetry statement (sa) (a) i’m interested in learning creative patterned poetry because i have learned a lot of new things about indonesia’s super-diversity 54p (91.5%) 4p (6.8%) i feel comfortable in learning creative patterned poetry because it is not testing but trying to assist me learning about the super-diversity of indonesia 43p (72.9%) 16p (27.1%) i become more confident in creating patterned poetries. 32p (54.2%) 27p (45.8%) i feel challenged to create and produce the patterned poems that get better in each process 39p (66.1%) 20p (33.9%) the activity of creating creative patterned poetry enables me to interact through communication using creative words too 34p (57.6%) 24p (40.7%) the varied types of patterned poetry encourage me to produce very creative poems too 42p (71.2%) 17p (28.8%) i'm getting better at word choice when composing a patterned poem 42p (71.2%) 16p (27.1%) i got a lot of new vocabulary which i can use in other subjects such as speaking and writing skills 42p (71.2%) 16p (27.1%) i get a lot of new local languages from indonesia’s super-diversity through patterned poetry 34p (57.6%) 24p (40.7%) students’ voices on learning about indonesia’s super-diversity table 3 below shows that learning to make poetry based on indonesia's super-diversity made participants aware that indonesia is a superdiversity country. another advantage is stimulating thoughts and feelings because of students’ curiosity about indonesia’s superdiversity so that participants' knowledge increases, such as knowledge about the origin of certain cultures in indonesia. those results cannot be denied because when the students learn about any literature, they indirectly also learn about the authors' culture or the object or topic written in the work. therefore, it is not surprising when saputra (2022), in his thesis, mentioned that poetry is universal. themes of poetry always deal with universal emotions, such as love, jealousy, amazement, enmity, admiration, children, death, and other feelings. so it is expected that students will have absolute control over these feelings. another reason poetry is universal is because a writer or a poet can use any topic as his/her idea. there is no limitation in exploring ideas. poetry deals with all cultures and situations in the world. social environment can be an option. qur'ani, anggraini, and widodo (2020) argued that the social environment could be an alternative choice for students or poets in composing creative writing. students can start by observing their social environment, allowing them to express their feelings/ideas through a simple poem. by learning any literature, efl students will learn to respect their and other cultures. it is a fact that literary texts are representational rather than referential. referential language is very informational and less appealing, while figurative language appeals to someone's mental state and is extremely interesting. in the current study, the literary text english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 533 that is creative patterned poetry shows two functions at once: literary text as a figurative language of the students as the poets and also referential about indonesia's super-diversity. the referential language through the patterned poetry also increases the student’s knowledge of specific cultures in indonesia, for example, when they learn about the finger-cutting tradition called iki palek. most of them just knew/found out that the tradition is of the dani tribe from papua. it increases their knowledge. the respondents of this study came from several ethnic groups in indonesia, such as the bugis, javanese, and ambonese, who also come from several small villages in maluku. when an ambonese student (jfw) produced and presented "baileo", which is a traditional house of maluku people, there were several friends from other tribes who just understood that "baileo" is the name for the traditional house of the maluku people. "oh, so "baileo" is a traditional moluccan house?" (rac, 2023) "sorry, mam, i just found out, even though i have lived in ambon for over three years." (vw, 2023) this means that learning to produce patterned poetry using indonesian diversity as the primary material can add insight and knowledge about indonesian culture, thereby instilling respect for other people's cultures which are also national culture. when jfw finished presenting his poem about "baileo," the lecturer asked him about his feelings, and he said: "i am proud, mam, because through patterned poetry i can introduce and promote maluku traditional house to friends who do not come from maluku." (jfw, 2023) in creating patterned poetry, students must employ an appropriate language adapted to the situation and condition in the created poetry. the educators asked the learners to use the local term in promoting the local thing in their creative poems. table 3. students’ voices on learning about indonesia’s superdiversity statement (sa) (a) after learning about indonesia's diversity, which is expressed in creative patterned poetry, i became aware that indonesia is 31p (52.5% ) 27p (45.8 %) a superdiversity country. materials about culture, traditions, and the wealth of the other regions in indonesia stimulate my thoughts and feelings because of my curiosity 41p (69.5% ) 17p (28.8 %) my knowledge increases when i’m required to choose an object/culture/tradition from another area in indonesia 46p (78%) 13p (22% ) i come to know about some of the origins of certain cultures originating from certain regions in indonesia 38p (64.4% ) 20p (33.9 %) general perspectives on the learning of patterned poetry using indonesia’s super-diversity table 4 below portrays students’ general perspectives on learning patterned poetry based on indonesia’s super-diversity. the table shows that the participants' grammar and pronunciation skills improved. as mentioned previously, students’ vocabulary knowledge increased and can also be seen in their communication; they also employ it creatively in other subjects such as speaking and writing. it is in line with alsyouf’s (2019) point of view that poetry is a rich source of vocabulary and syntactic structures that the learner of efl can employ for language interactions. the study participants of the current research also experienced it. wysocka (2019) argued that poetry writing activity significantly decreases students’ grammatical errors and is a means of ‘grammar refresher’. likewise, their grammar and pronunciation improved since the students were asked to make the correct sentence structure adapted to the poem pattern they were working on. every time they get a new word (unfamiliar word), either they or their friends employ in their poems, they were trained to pronounce it correctly. when students learn poetry which is part of literature, one of the results that is clearly visible is that students acquire a lot of new vocabulary/unfamiliar words (ilankumaran & deepa, 2018). this result will affect their communication skills as well. they can also utilize new vocabulary / new poetic words in speaking and writing skills as receptive skills. finally, learning to make poetry based on indonesia’s super-diversity can instil a sense of love for the country and respect for differences. after students took the final exam, there were a number of them who came to their lecturer and said that the learning activity of producing creative writing was really fun for some reasons, wenda marlin kakerissa, nenden sri lengkanawati, & ahmad bukhori muslim utilizing indonesia’s super-diversity as a learning source in creative writing teaching for indonesia efl students 534 namely first, their english language skills increased, which was noticed by their knowledge and skill on grammar and pronunciation that were getting better. second, students creative writing activities using indonesian super-diversity every week make them richer in knowledge about the nation's culture, fostering a love for national wealth and the nation. third, students are more creative in writing. this is evident from the diction or choice of words that they use are very varied, and they rarely use exact/repeated words. one of the benefits of using poetry in english teaching is improving students' writing skills, especially in choosing the appropriate diction (imron & hantari, 2021). a study conducted by fithriani (2021) reveals that efl students enjoy writing poetry as an expressive pedagogy, eliminating the negative notion that efl students lack interest and appreciation in writing poetry. to achieve enjoyment, arafah (2018) argued that a language teacher must ensure that any literary works, including poetry, that will be discussed make their students happy and enjoy writing activities. the two factors above are "motivating factors" that inspire students to read and are interested in reading and producing creative writing (poetry). the findings of this study certainly contribute significantly to the existing literature because learning english usually focuses on vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, tenses, language expressions, and others. even though the findings of this study indicate that efl students can learn english by composing creative writing using indonesia's super-diversity as the primary material for writing. writing activities like this are, of course, very influential on students' english skills while at the same time increasing and enriching students' knowledge about the nation's culture. it is expected that efl english teachers can also apply this method, namely using indonesia's super-diversity as the main material in learning english, for example, infusing stories about culture, traditions, customs, traditional food, and art from ethnic groups in indonesia in their teaching materials. from that material, students can learn about articles, adverbs, verbs, tenses, and grammar to hone students critical thinking when explaining a particular culture. in essence, one activity gets many benefits. literature is also related to developing language skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing (yulnetri, 2018). in this current study, students are also allowed to share knowledge about the ideas their friends convey in their creative writing presentations. when friends share knowledge about another friend's poetry object, they can also convey their thoughts/criticisms about that object, for example, one of the dani tribal traditions in papua, namely “iki pelek”. some argue "why do they have to cut thier finger?" wouldn't that add to the sadness/distress, especially in making a living daily? from this, it can be seen clearly that creative writing can hone students' critical thinking and how they should behave in the midst of indonesia's cultural super-diversity. table 4. general perspective on the learning of patterned poetry based on indonesia’s superdiversity statement (sa) (a) learning to create patterned poetry based on indonesia’s super-diversity not only increased my knowledge about it but also improved my english grammar and pronunciation 43p (72.9 %) 15p (25.4%) patterned poetry material based on indonesia's superdiversity is crucial in instilling a sense of love for my country and respect for differences. 47p (79.7 %) 12p (20.3%) result of students’ work in the mid and final examination for the mid exam, students were free to choose one of the four types of poetry taught: acrostic poem, adjective poem, adjective placement poem, and adverb poem. their selection was also very varied. some feel safe choosing an acrostic poem or an adjective poem, but some like the challenge of choosing an adjective placement poem or an adverb poem. each type of poetry requires good language skills and high creativity, especially in choosing the right words (appropriate diction), not repeating them, and using them in the proper position. meanwhile, students were asked to compose a creative contrast poem type for the final exam. according to students, a contrast poem was the most challenging type because it involved imagination, creativity in choosing words, and having to use several opposite adjectives. therein lies the challenge. table five below reveals that 71 was the lowest score in the mid examination, while the highest was 86. there was an increase in the final examination, with the lowest score being 84 and the highest score being 95. the results from these english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 535 two examinations are categorized into the good to outstanding category. so, it is inferred that the participants got the best score assessed using an assessment rubric. table 5. the result of the students’ work in the mid and final examination exam lowest highest category result mid 71 86 good to very good final 84 95 good to very good below is the rubric for assessing students’ creative patterned poetry in the mid and final examinations. table 6. the scoring rubric to assess students’ creative patterned poetry category exceeding standards 4 pts meeting standards 3 pts approaching standards 2 pts bellow standards 1 pts creativity very creative creative ordinary/routine imitative originality & meaning poem is original which proves that the poet put thought into words and uniquely conveys his/her ideas and emotions poem is thoughtful. a couple of phrases or ideas may be revisited, yet the overall product is carefully written most of the poem appears to be rushed. this is evident in the poet’s redundancy or use of cliches poem appears to be thoughtless or rushed. ideas are unoriginal. the product is very repetitive sensory detail vivid, detailed images, & intensely felt emotion make the poem come alive clear sensory images are used to portray ideas/emotions some use of image, idea/emotion difficult to visualize image/emotion form/patter n the poem is complete and follows its intended form/pattern the poem is written in its proper forms with a few mistakes the poem is somewhat written in its proper form the poem is not written in its proper form grammar proper use of english spelling and grammar is used consistently throughout each poem. punctuation is utilized when necessary a couple of spelling or grammar mistakes are evident, yet do not diminish the meaning of the poem. punctuation is utilized when necessary the poet’s intended meaning is confusing by several spelling or grammar errors. punctuation may be misused there are numerous spelling or grammar errors, making the poem difficult to understand. punctuation is used incorrectly on average, their shortcomings are in spelling and grammar errors. sometimes when the students have to use the past tense in their work, they keep using the present tense. and vice versa. however, in general, the best grade of the participants lies in using the right pattern, a high level of creativity, and the originality of the work. some students even achieved the highest score on their sensory detail because they could express vivid and detailed images and the best imagination to create an atmosphere that seems real and makes the reader feel as experienced by the poet. it shows their creative thinking and feeling. therefore, it is unsurprising when maley (2018) stressed that creative writing is a personal activity involving feeling and needing creative thought. a created product requires a unique combination of creative thinking and feeling. a poetry is considered as 'articulate energy.' maley (2018) added that creative writing is aesthetically motivated and deals less with facts than the imaginative representation of emotions, events, characters, and experiences. below are some student-written examples from their mid and final examination. a serimpi dance is slow a serimpi dance is graceful a serimpi dance is deliberate but a serimpi dance is not boring a serimpi dance needs the beautiful sound of gamelan a serimpi dance needs sanggul a serimpi dance needs sampur but a serimpi dance doesn't need a dalang (contrast poem by jfw) keukarah keukarah tastes savory keukarah tastes savory, sweetly tastes savory, sweetly, deliciously savory, sweetly, deliciously, lusciously aceh (adverb poem by rk) maratua beach is a wonderful beach in east kalimantan a lot of lodges are comfortable to live in rest in a quiet place to relax body and soul amazing ocean diversity inside the sea there are many kinds of beautiful sea animals unforgettable experiences to share with beloved persons a holiday weekend must be spent here brightly blue water along the coast wenda marlin kakerissa, nenden sri lengkanawati, & ahmad bukhori muslim utilizing indonesia’s super-diversity as a learning source in creative writing teaching for indonesia efl students 536 eating gence ruan will be more tasty after snorkeling and diving into the deep of the ocean come here and enjoy the sedately vibes honestly, you won’t regret it in your life (acrostic poem by rk) ma’nene ma’nene is accustomed ma’nene is accustomed, antidotal. is accustomed, antidotal, bold accustomed, antidotal, bold, courteous ritual (adjective poem by fat) i'm taking a trip to lampung to enjoy lampung krakatau festival and i'm taking all of my favorite things two little pink and white suitcase to keep my clothes the cutest green polaroid camera some souvenirs from my city for my friend in lampung a beautiful and colorful lampung’s traditional clothes can be seen in this festival and of course, it will be a memorable things to keep (adjective placement poem by sm) soekarno firm, brave, patriotic, politician son of raden soekemi sosrodihardjo and ida ayu nyoman rai lover of fatmawati, yurike sanger, and. indonesian people who felt, deported, threatened, imprisoned by the dutch invaders who needed to fight dutch colonial, to propose the name of indonesian, to repel invaders from indonesian who feared nothing to dutch colonial, nothing to put back in jail, nothing to dead execution who gave his life, effort, energy to fight dutch colonial who would like to see indonesian independence, dutch defeat, nation’s welfare resident of blitar, east java hatta (bio poem by rd) farewell to an old lower place hello to a new higher place farewell to a daily meal hello to a delicious meal prepared from buffalo meat it’s a form of respect, respect, respect for ancestor yes to respecting the ancestors no to asking the respect from others yes to tightening the ties of kinship no to living alone it’s a tradition, tradition, tradition of the toba batak community (beginning and ending poem by wk) there were still more examples of students’ creative works that they submitted in the form of documentation and videos. conclusion english learning usually focuses on vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, tenses, language expressions, and others, covering four skills. however, the results of this study show that producing creative poetry using indonesia's superdiversity as the primary material for writing can also improve creative writing skills because students have to use the right and creative words. this method can also increase knowledge and love for culture and nation. however, on the other hand, this research has limitations in terms of time. many participants must also be supported with much time in the student mentoring process, considering that several points are assessed. if one will conduct the same research, ensure the researcher has enough time to process it with each student. acknowledgment thank you so much for the fifty-nine participants involved in this study. they were the students of the creative writing language education: poetry class of the english education study program, pattimura university, ambon. references alsyouf, a. (2019). creative writing as an effective method of learning english as a foreign language: a case study of arab learners. folio 19(1), 64-68. anggriawan, r. (2020). elementary school teachers' perspectives and practices of multicultural education in indonesia. isu red: research and edata. arafah, b. (2018). incorporating the use of literature as an innovative technique for teaching english. kne social sciences, 3(4), 24–36. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v3i4.1914 budi qur’ani, h., anggraini, p., & widodo, j. (2020). learning to write poetry based on social environment for high school students. kne social sciences, 4(4), 103112. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v4i4.6473 burroughs, c. (2018). how to make a poem. poetry foundation. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v4i4.6473 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 537 https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/1 47699/how-to-make-a-poem chaal, h. (2022). culture as a fifth skill in flt case-study: master students at chlef university [presentation slide]. didactics of the foreign language conference. village de langues, university of monestir, tunisia. cubukcu, f. (2001). use of poetry for efl purposes [unpublished manuscript]. dokuz eylul university. cumming, r. (2007). language play in the classroom: encouraging children’s intuitive creativity with words through poetry. literacy, 41(2), 93-101. deepa, p., ilankumaran, m. (2018). teaching poetry enhances speaking skills –an analysis based on select poems. international journal of engineering & technology, 7(4), 121-130. https://doi.org/10.14419/ijet.v7i4.36.24211 drexel university school of education. (2023). the importance of diversity and multicultural awareness in education. https://drexel.edu/soe/resources/studentteaching/advice/importance-of-culturaldiversity-inclassroom/#:~:text=when%20working%20 and%20learning%20with,in%20a%20diver se%20working%20environment farrah, m.a.a., al-bakri, r. (2022). the effectiveness of using poetry in developing english vocabulary, pronunciation and motivation of efl palestinian students. ideas spread language teaching, 2(1), 124. fithriani, r. (2021). poetry writing in efl classrooms: learning from indonesian students’ strategies. kne social sciences, 5(4), 59-75. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v5i4.8667 gonen, s. i. k. (2018). implementing poetry in the language class: a poetry-teaching framework for prospective english language teachers. advances in language and literary studies, 9(5), 29-42. hameed, a., & jabsheh, m. (2019). the positive relationship between teaching or using english poetry as an instructional source and the teachinglearning of different language skills and sub skills. saudi journal of humanities and social sciences. scholars middle east. holmes, v.l. & moulton, m.r. (2001). writing simple poems. pattern poetry for language acquisition. cambridge university press. ilankumaran, m., deepa, p. (2018). teaching literature enhances communication skills – a study with special emphasis on poetry. international journal of engineering & technology, 7(3.6), 187-191. imron, a., hantari, w.c. (2021). how poetry improves efl learners’ vocabulary through curriculum-based dynamic assessment. metathesis journal of english language, literature, and teaching. 5(1), 1-10. doi.org/10.31002/metathesis.v5i1.2834 khan, s. (2020). why and how to use a poem in elt classroom. international online journal of education and teaching (iojet), 7(3), 803-809. https://iojet.org/index.php/iojet/article/vie w/807 kumar, t. (2020). approaches in teaching writing skills with creative writing: a tesol study for indian learners. tesol international journal.15(5), 78-98. licciardi, b. (2021). what is creative writing. https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-iscreative-writing-definition-typesexamples.html#lesson maley, a. (2018). creative writing for language learners and teachers. british council english teaching. bbc https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/profess ional-development/teachers/understandinglearners/articles/creative-writing-language retrieved in may 2023. nieto, s. (1994). affirmation, solidarity, and critique: moving beyond tolerance in multicultural education. multicultural education, 1(4), 9–12. rcampus. (2023). irubric: writing poetry rubric. rcampus. https://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm ?sp=yes&code=j2359b covering students’ creativity, originality & meaning, sensory detail, form/pattern, and grammar rejina, k., c. (2021). role of poetry in english language learning: a review of literature. journal of nelta. saputra, a. w. (2022). the use of poetry in teaching english in efl context: a literature review (unpublished thesis). state islamic university (uin) mahmud yunus. susanto, h. (2017). perception on cultural diversity and multiculturalism education. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/147699/how-to-make-a-poem https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/147699/how-to-make-a-poem https://doi.org/10.14419/ijet.v7i4.36.24211 https://drexel.edu/soe/resources/student-teaching/advice/importance-of-cultural-diversity-in-classroom/#:~:text=when%20working%20and%20learning%20with,in%20a%20diverse%20working%20environment https://drexel.edu/soe/resources/student-teaching/advice/importance-of-cultural-diversity-in-classroom/#:~:text=when%20working%20and%20learning%20with,in%20a%20diverse%20working%20environment https://drexel.edu/soe/resources/student-teaching/advice/importance-of-cultural-diversity-in-classroom/#:~:text=when%20working%20and%20learning%20with,in%20a%20diverse%20working%20environment https://drexel.edu/soe/resources/student-teaching/advice/importance-of-cultural-diversity-in-classroom/#:~:text=when%20working%20and%20learning%20with,in%20a%20diverse%20working%20environment https://drexel.edu/soe/resources/student-teaching/advice/importance-of-cultural-diversity-in-classroom/#:~:text=when%20working%20and%20learning%20with,in%20a%20diverse%20working%20environment https://drexel.edu/soe/resources/student-teaching/advice/importance-of-cultural-diversity-in-classroom/#:~:text=when%20working%20and%20learning%20with,in%20a%20diverse%20working%20environment https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v5i4.8667 https://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?sp=yes&code=j2359b https://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?sp=yes&code=j2359b wenda marlin kakerissa, nenden sri lengkanawati, & ahmad bukhori muslim utilizing indonesia’s super-diversity as a learning source in creative writing teaching for indonesia efl students 538 advances in social science, education, and humanities research (assehr), vol. 147. 1st international conference on social science education. icsse. atlantis press. thukral, k. (2022). the benefits of choosing creative writing as a career. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readers blog/miles-to-go/the-benefits-of-choosingcreative-writing-as-a-career-43656/ undang-undang republik indonesia nomor 20 tahun 2003 tentang pendidikan nasional. wan, z. (2019). participant selection and access in case study research: challenges and opportunities in qualitative research, springer, singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-135811-1_5 wysocka, m., s. (2019). poetry in teaching grammar to the advanced users of polish as a fl. theory and practice of second language acquisition, 5(1), 55-72, doi.org/10.31261/tapsla.2019.05.04. yulnetri. (2018). obstacles encountered while integrating literature in teaching english. jurnal ta'dib, 21, 39-50. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 971 developing a media book creator for intensive reading based on local wisdom for english study program students tuminah english education study program, universitas katolik santo agustinus hippo, dusun gasing amboyo inti, nagabang landak regency, west kalimantan indonesia email: mona.condro@gmail.com kunto nurcahyoko english education study program, universitas katolik santo agustinus hippo, dusun gasing amboyo inti, nagabang landak regency, west kalimantan indonesia email: k.nurcahyoko@sanagustin.ac.id wanda giovani english education study program, universitas katolik santo agustinus hippo, dusun gasing amboyo inti, nagabang landak regency, west kalimantan indonesia email: wanda.wandot@gmail.com apa scitation:. tuminah., nurcahyoko, k., & giovani, w. (2024). developing a media book creator for intensive reading based on local wisdom for english study program students. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(3), 971-982. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.8778 received: 27-02-2024 accepted: 28-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: rapid advancements in science and technology over the past decade have greatly influenced the development of teaching materials. this accelerated progress has provided significant support to educators in enhancing the quality of both online and offline learning experiences. this study aims to develop a local wisdom-based book creator media while assessing its validity, effectiveness, and innovativeness. the research employed a research and development (r&d) approach following borg and gall's procedure, focusing on 8 out of the 10 stages. the sample included assessments from 2 media experts, 2 material experts, 2 it experts, and feedback from 5 lecturers and 104 students. a questionnaire was used as the primary data collection method to evaluate the feasibility of the media book creator. the findings indicate high feasibility levels with media experts rating it at 90%, material experts at 93%, it experts at 95%, and student responses at 85%, suggesting the learning media is "highly feasible" for implementation. this medium enables educators to provide students with a more interactive and culturally relevant learning experience, fostering a deeper connection between academic content and their local contexts. keywords: local wisdom; book creator; procedural texts; comprehension; research and development. introduction the covid-19 pandemic has finally concluded; however, the utilization of online and offline learning methods continues to shape the implementation of post-pandemic education. the transition from online to offline processes has brought about significant modifications in instructional materials. throughout the pandemic, approximately 80% of teaching materials were in the form of e-books, except for remote regions lacking internet connectivity, where traditional textbooks remained the primary resource. based on the feasibility study conducted on second-semester students of the english education study program at universitas katolik santo agustinsus hippo, the importance of utilizing book creators as teaching materials in comprehending procedure text and narrative text, specifically in explaining the preparation of traditional food and understanding local kalimantan stories in the landak district, was examined. initial observations with 104 students revealed the following: 74% of students were aware of book creators; 98% were highly interested in using book creators as teaching resources; 98% of students were interested in learning about local issues in kalimantan, while 99% were interested in kalimantan folklore. there are 94% of students who are interested in the traditional gastronomy of kalimantan, and 95% of students concur that a procedure manuals use regional foods to illustrate local culture as learning material. using local knowledge materials to teach reading comprehension has mailto:wanda.wandot@gmail.com tuminah, kunto nurcahyoko, & wanda giovani developing a media book creator for intensive reading based on local wisdom for english study program students 972 increased student pride by 94%. 59% of students are interested in adopting narrative texts from other countries to study them, and 96% of students thought that learning from the author of the book would help them comprehend it better. the result of the initial feasibility study infers that students are interested in instructional materials authored by individuals who promote local wisdom, especially to enhance reading comprehension. this study examines how authors of local wisdom-based books can construct instructional materials, focusing on the development process and leveraging technological advancements in education. teachers in indonesia need to use information technology to study and get the necessary materials and information, i.e., to use technology as a learning medium. (novitandari, 2023). employing book-creator teaching materials is expected to simplify the knowledge transfer process for educators, enabling them to effectively disseminate information to students. despite the challenges presented by the past covid-19 pandemic, there were benefits for educators, particularly in the use of information, communication, and technology (ict). however, educational research remains complex and presents its own set of difficulties. firstly, the research concept itself can be intricate and demanding to comprehend. secondly, many theories in the field of education sometimes conflict with each other. thirdly, educational research involves the human factor, which is a very difficult variable to control, unlike in science, where variables are relatively easier to control (arifin, 2020). previous research has been done on creating instructional materials based on local wisdom to conserve cultural values for primary school students (ayu, 2021). nowadays, the most talkedabout topic in education is local wisdom. it is a phenomenon brought about by indonesia's loss of national identity. people's mental conditions have altered and been influenced by social, economic, and political changes irwan (2019). borg and gall stated in another section that educational research and development is an industry-based development model where the research's findings are used to design products and procedures, which are systematically fieldtested, assessed, and improved until they meet particular effectiveness criteria or similar standards. in their suggestion, borg and gall contend that research for theses and dissertations should be conducted on a small scale, with the option to constrict the number of research processes (emzir, 2011) in (pertiwi, 2022). educational products that can be produced in research and development include, for example, specialized curricula to meet particular educational requirements, teaching strategies, learning resources, textbooks, modules, evaluation systems, competency test models, etc. (sidik, 2019). at this point, an external obstacle needs to be addressed since technology and information are developing quickly, culture is beginning to evolve, and international education is developing (2019, khaldun). an effective learning tool produced by previous studies was successful such as the supplementary book of green consumerism (sbgc) for android (ichsan, sigit, & miarsyah, 2019b) in (ichsan, 2020). as the world moves into the current era of globalization, educational institutions are charged with preparing and producing human resources who are capable of overcoming all the obstacles posed by the rapid changes taking place all around them. education that can produce a creative, innovative, and competitive generation is required to survive the new information and communication technology (ict) era. three types of e-learning exist: synchronous, asynchronous, and hybrid. synchronous refers to the e-learning platform's requirement that the instructor and every student log on simultaneously to facilitate learning. as opposed to synchronous learning, which requires both teachers and students to be online at the same time for the duration of the teaching process, asynchronous learning allows for the usage of e-learning sites (satriani, 2023). making the best use of technology as a teaching tool, which is anticipated to be able to provide output that can stay up with or adapt to the times, is one way this can be accomplished. (hasana, 2021) today, information technology is used in multimedia applications as a teaching aid. the features of multimedia learning applications are technologically advanced, providing quick and easy access to comprehensive knowledge while also being environmentally friendly, which of course facilitates human work (dasmo, 2016) in (hakim, 2021) information technology-based learning can take the place of traditional teaching techniques. the communicator utilizes media as a tool to communicate with the communicant. the usage of media will ensure that the communicant english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 973 receives the message as well as possible and that the response is favorable (prahesti, 2022). the indonesian education system has allowed the government to utilize the internet and technology to support schools, from elementary to higher education, through various websites (lukman, 2021). teaching materials are resources organized systematically and used by teachers and students in the learning process (prastowo, 2013 in harjanto, 2021). certain learning materials are required to facilitate learning and inspire students, enhancing their comprehension of the subject matter (simanjuntak, 2023). learning media is a tool to support teaching and learning activities by clarifying the conveyed message and ensuring that learning goals are achieved more effectively and thoroughly (pradiani, 2023). learning media always comprises two essential elements: the hardware, or equipment, and the message, or software, contained within it (seftiana, 2019). in the implementation of a learning process, it is essential to evaluate the process to understand the program's suitability, advantages, and disadvantages (pujiastut, 2021). in an effort to enhance the quality of education in indonesia, teachers are required to possess several competencies as outlined in the law concerning teachers and lecturers. the law of the republic of indonesia no. 14 of 2005 states that teachers must have pedagogical, social, professional, and personality competencies as educational agents. (sutarsih & misbah, 2021) in (ismiyanti, 2022) innovative and creative teachers must develop and use learning media in teaching and learning process. technological advancements have transformed teaching and learning processes, moving away from conventional methods like using textbooks in the classroom (ramadloni, pemanfaatan laman bipa daring sebagai media pembelajaran bipa berkonteks kearifan lokal di asean, 2022). one such media is book creator, a text program that allows students to create text, photos, drawings, and sounds, enabling them to design layouts and forms for their assignments (manshadi, 2021). similar research has been conducted on web application programming capabilities. in the exe-learning program, educators can create modules that incorporate text, images, and videos (muzijah, 2020). technological developments can be leveraged to create books presented electronically, known as electronic books (e-books). an e-book is a digital book containing information in the form of text and images (karyada, 2022). using e-books, particularly those authored by local writers, is preferable and can improve students' learning outcomes. due to their high viability, the adoption of e-books in educational contexts is strongly advised (rochintaniawati, agustin, and rusyati, 2019 in anjarwati, 2021). research has demonstrated that books are essential for fostering the students' critical thinking skills (errington& bubna-litic, 2015) in (ismajli, 2019). for narrative text, examples of material that can be presented by the book creator include: (1) folk tales from west kalimantan: the origin of the porcupine river. (2) most popular west kalimantan folklore: the story of single beji. (3) west kalimantan folklore: the crying stone (tuminah, 2021). one of the best solutions for resolving the issues mentioned above is to use authors of books as learning resources. modern approaches can be replaced by the use of technology in teaching and learning activities. on the other hand, book creator is a free and straightforward internet-based tool that assists learners in creating captivating digital books. (santosa, 2021). book creator aids students in producing engaging digital books, enhancing their speaking, writing, listening, and reading skills, making it an ideal program for language learning (puspitasari, 2020). this digital medium supports the learning process, fostering creative, innovative, and fun writing, improving and exploring the potential of teachers and students (barella y, 2020). currently, education often overlooks the significance of local wisdom and the effects of globalization, focusing predominantly on technological advancement. the situation has led to uneven understanding among students. therefore, educational practices should integrate local knowledge into the curriculum, ensuring that learning outcomes are relevant and beneficial to students' social environments (laila, 2021). several methods can be used to introduce cultural and character values to students, one of which is through the academic aspect by incorporating local wisdom values (murti*, 2020). education based on local wisdom provides contextual learning in social studies, connecting students more closely with their learning environment (nisa, 2019). local knowledge has the potential to enhance and develop thinking skills (habits of mind) through group problemsolving-based learning (monica, 2021). tuminah, kunto nurcahyoko, & wanda giovani developing a media book creator for intensive reading based on local wisdom for english study program students 974 the creation of electronic teaching resources that are based on local cultures makes the following assumptions. 1) creating electronic teaching resources based on local culture can aid in and facilitate students' understanding of content on the subject of constant energy conservation. 2) students' interest and motivation to participate in learning can be fostered using electronic teaching resources based on local culture. 3) the absence of electronic teaching resources that are integrated with local culture and are based on the local culture. (wendo, 2022). prior research describes a teacher's ability to develop teaching materials that facilitate learning activities focused on critical and creative thinking skills (noorhapizah, 2020). mangesa (2020) in (setyawan, 2022), (febriansyah, 2021) to inspire children to succeed academically, teachers must be able to establish an enjoyable and meaningful learning environment. teachers play an essential role to support students' academic endeavors by infusing local knowledge and values where students live. teachers must be innovative in their approach to teaching. according to sobarna et al. (2019) in (simanjuntak, 2023) local wisdom is the knowledge or wisdom of a community that is derived from the noble ideals of its ancestors' cultural traditions to control the order of life in the society based on wisdom and prudence. reading is crucial for language learning, providing numerous benefits. a similar thing was expressed by (mangasi, 2019): reading is one of the most effective skills for exploring the world objectively, independently, and creatively. however, the younger generation is facing issues such as laziness to read. the presence of an easyto-use book creator will attract millennials to learn and use it. the primary goal of reading is to understand the author's intended meaning. reading comprehension links ideas in the text with the reader's understanding (anderson & pearson, 1984; dewitz, 2021). cultural content influences reading comprehension, alongside the reader's cultural schema (aaron, 2021). intensive reading is reading that is done very carefully to fully understand the material. when the student is concentrated on the language rather than the text, intensive reading takes place. intensive reading involves a careful and detailed study of a short assignment, typically around two to four pages, conducted daily (brooks, 1964) in (munika, 2019). a procedure text is a text that includes the actions that must be followed to accomplish the intended result, together with an explanation or information. procedural texts, according to the ministry of education and culture (2016, p. 88), describe the steps that must be taken in order for readers or viewers to exactly and accurately follow a process of creating something, performing a task, or using a technology. students can recognize procedural texts through learning by analyzing the text's linguistic features and structure. (hapsari, 2020). in this book's creator's teaching material, material related to procedural text will be discussed by raising local wisdom on the steps of making traditional food. traditional food in west kalimantan, for example, lemang, tempoyak, and padas porridge. local wisdom-based learning can encourage students to explore their knowledge, critically analyze problems, and become effective problem-solvers (aryani & wahyuni, 2020 in (ali, 2023). despite advancements in educational technology, there is a lack of integration of local wisdom into digital teaching resources. this study addresses this gap by developing and validating a book creator based on local wisdom, specifically designed to enhance reading comprehension and cultural understanding in the educational context. method this research falls under the category of research and development (r&d). the model that will be created uses borg and gall's research and development (r & d) model. the objective of the development plan using the r&d design from borg and gall is to create and validate the product. there are ten steps in model development and research (r&d), including (1) information gathering and research; (2) planning; (3) creation of the product's preliminary form; (4) preliminary field testing; (5) main product revision; (6) main field testing; (7) operational product revision; (8) operational field testing; (9) final product revision; and (10) dissemination and implementation (sidik. m., 2021). operationally, the steps were adapted as follows for research on creating instructional materials based on local wisdom in tertiary institutions: (1) information gathering and research: instruments for initial observations related to the use of book creators among students were prepared. (2) planning: teaching materials were planned with the specific objective of creating book-creator learning media based on local wisdom for procedure text material. the topic was how to make traditional food from west english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 975 kalimantan. (3) creation of preliminary form: examination of student needs and specific learning goals to highlight the initial product creation process. (4) preliminary field testing: conducting small-group field tests on the initial products created. (5) main product revision: revising the initial product based on feedback to improve it to meet existing standards and needs. (6) main field testing: conducting main trials to determine if the designed book creator's teaching material met the stated objectives. (7) operational product revision: revising the product again if previous steps did not meet standards or achieve objectives. due to a lack of time, resources, and money, steps 7 and 8 were omitted. the steps were modified to meet the researchers' demands and the specific research context. according to borg & gall (pertiwi, 2020), there are 10 stages in r & d research, namely: 1 research and information 2 planning 3 develop a primary form of product 4 preliminary field 5 main product revision 6 main field testing 7 operasional product revision 8 operational field testing 9 final product revision 10 desimination and implementation figure 1. procedure r & d borg & gall information: 1. research and information collecting 2. planning 3. develop a preliminary form of the product 4. preliminary field testing 5. main product revision 6. main field testing 7. operational product revision 8. operational field testing 9. final product revision 10. dissemination and implementation. the following is a representation of modified research and development that will be put to use: the research and development design from borg and gall served as the foundation for this study. the study involved a total of 104 secondsemester students from the english education study program at st. augustinus hippo catholic university. the selection criteria included: (1) students who had prior awareness of book, creator tools. (2) students interested in using book creators as teaching resources. (3) students interested in learning about local issues and folklore in kalimantan. the data were collected using the following methods: (1) observation: initial observations of students' familiarity and interest in book creators. (2) interviews: interviews with students and lecturers to gather detailed insights. (3) questionnaires: administered to students, media experts, material experts, and it experts to evaluate the feasibility of the book creator media. data analysis involved systematically searching for and compiling data from interviews, field notes, and other materials to make it easily understandable. the analysis aimed to describe all opinions, suggestions, and responses to determine the feasibility of the learning media, specifically the book creator. the descriptive analysis results were used to gauge the product development viability. the questionnaire was validated by: english validator (it expert), material validator (material expert), media expert the questionnaire was examined and presented after it had been validated by the english validator (an it expert), the material validator (a material expert), and the media expert. use the following calculating procedure to calculate the outcomes of the assessment's percentage score: ps = s x 100% n information: p: proportion s: how many respondents responded to a single item? n: the item's number of ideal values. (astika, 2019) table 1. percentage analysis eligibility criteria for expert validation, response of it experts and students average score (%) category 0 49, 99 very unfavorable/ invalid/ or uninteresting 50 59,99 not good, / less valid, / less interesting 60,00 -79,99 good/quite valid/interesting 80,00 100 very good/ valid/ and very interesting modifications were made to the original r&d model to fit the research context. specifically, the research processes were reduced to eight stages, as suggested by sugiyono (2019), which include: (1) potential and problems identification. (2) data tuminah, kunto nurcahyoko, & wanda giovani developing a media book creator for intensive reading based on local wisdom for english study program students 976 collection. (3) product planning. (4) product testing. (5) product validation. (6) product revision. (7) product testing. (8) final product revision. these modifications were justified by constraints in time, resources, and funding, allowing the research to be more focused and feasible within the given limitations. results and discussion this research and development produced learning media in the form of a book creator. the results obtained using the borg and gall method are summarized below: results of potential and problem analysis the author found that there was no effective learning media in the intensive reading courses at universitas katolik santo agustinus hippo. the primary learning media used were textbooks and powerpoint presentations, which were insufficient in helping students understand procedural texts. interviews with lecturers and students confirmed the need for more effective learning media, leading to the selection of book creators as a suitable solution. data collection once the problem and potential have been described accurately and clearly, it is necessary to investigate the information to be used in planning the specific product that is expected to address the problem. according to media writers, book creators are considered effective. by distributing questionnaires, the writer started by telling students about book creators. to produce this book creator learning media product, the required data is processed from journals, previous studies, and expert comments. after collecting data, the data guided the design and development of the book creator learning media. product design the book creator was designed using the book creator app, following these steps: (1) opening the app and selecting "new book creator”. (2) designing the electronic book according to the identified needs. (3) creating chapters, such as the first chapter on how to make lemang. (4) validating the book with experts for feedback and suggestions. stage 1 product validation results initial validation involved two it experts, two media experts, and two material experts. the results were: material: 78.00% learning: 86.67% practicality: 77.50% appearance: 75.00% average: 79.29% the results of the first stage of media expert validation by 2 it experts obtained the following data: table 2. results of stage 1 it expert validation no criteria aspect it expert 1 it expert 2 ∑ each aspect psa 1 material 1 3 4 39 78.00% 2 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 2 learning 1 5 5 52 86.67% 2 4 5 3 5 5 4 4 5 5 4 5 6 3 2 3 practicality 1 3 4 31 77.50% 2 4 4 3 4 5 4 3 4 4 appearance 1 3 4 2 4 4 3 3 5 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 977 45 75.00% 4 4 4 5 3 4 6 3 4 the results of the first stage of learning media validation, shown in the table above, show that this book creator received an assessment by the validated book creator. suggestions and revisions expert feedback included suggestions to improve image, sound, and video quality; add interactive quizzes; and correct inconsistencies. these revisions were implemented in the next version. table 3. suggestions and revisions suggestions revisions 1. image, sound, and video quality could be further improved. 1. image, sound, and video quality have been improved. 2. online interactive quizzes to foster student learning motivation. 2. online interactive quizzes have been added 3. greeting words can be more varied if you always use hello to everyone in the text 3. greetings have been varied 4. it can be developed with a column for voice chat in book creator 4. the voice chat column has been added 5. on the cover of the book it is written that there are 3 authors, but why only 1 author whose biography is visible? 5. the author is equipped with 3 authors. 6. the content of the author's biography is longer than the material, there should be more material. 6. biography has been adjusted, and the material has been adjusted. 7. sources including images must include the source (be careful with copyright infringement). 7. the sources in the book creator are taken from the book creator which are provided to complement the pictures in the book creator, so there is no need to include them. 8. in the reading, there are the words "lemang" and "lamang", if both have the same meaning, maybe you can choose just one, or it can be explained that in some areas "lemang" is usually called "lamang" 8. the term lamang has been corrected to become lemang. example: changes to the appearance of the book creator which have been updated according to the validator's suggestions table 6. comparison no before after 1. on the cover of the book it is written that there are 3 authors, but why only 1 author whose biography is visible? the author is equipped with 3 authors. 2. online interactive quizzes to foster student learning motivation. online interactive quizzes have been added tuminah, kunto nurcahyoko, & wanda giovani developing a media book creator for intensive reading based on local wisdom for english study program students 978 the second stage of validation is carried out after the product is updated according to expert advice. after it has been repaired, the media is then assessed again by the validator. the results of the validation show that the learning media for bookmakers has improved and that the tool is feasible to use. the data for the second stage of validation is shown below. stage 2. product validation results after revisions, the second stage of validation showed improved scores: it experts: 95.00%, media experts: 90.00%, material experts: 93.00%, average: 92.67%. according to the findings of earlier studies, the creation of mi/sd social sciences education textbooks was rated as very feasible by material experts (81%), feasible by language experts (80%), and very feasible by design experts (87%). (islamy, 2019). the second stage of validation is carried out after the product is changed according to expert advice. the validation's findings demonstrate that the learning resources for book creators have improved and that the tool is usable. the data for the second stage of validation is shown below. according to the stage 2 it specialists validation results, the material component received a score of 95,00%, the practical component received a score of 95,50%, the learning component received a score of 95.00%, and the display component received a score of 95,00%. the typical it grade is 95.000%. based on these averages, the media is in the "very good" category and the product is ready for use. according to the results of the stage 2 media expert validation, the material element received a score of 92,00%, followed by scores of 88,00% for the practical component, 90.00% for learning, and 90,00% for the display component. the typical media score is 90%. the average score for media is 90,00%. based on these averages, the media is in the "very good" category and the product is ready for use. according to the findings of the second round of validation conducted by two professors who are subject matter experts, the learning aspect in terms of student learning motivation received a score of 93.20 percent, while the learning aspect in terms of the appropriateness of the material with the learning media received a score of 92.80%. the combined average score is 93.00%. based on the aforementioned description, the findings of the second stage of the material expert validation revealed an average score of 93%, indicating that a validity level of 93% is in the "very good" category and that the content may be supplied by the media offered by the book creator. table 7. percentage of the result of each criteria from expert validation, response of it experts, media experts, material experts and students responses no category average score 1. information technology 95% 2. media 90% 3. material 93% 4. students responses 85% these results are described in detail in the following graph figure 2. the result of the second validation english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 979 the book creator is assessed in two intensive reading classes taught by mrs. ys and mrs. es, lecturers of english at the universitas katolik santo agustinus hippo. before the trial, the researchers also conducted field trials and small group trials. researchers decided to involve lecturers in product assessment because teachers are potential users and implementers of learning. based on the table above, an assessment conducted by two lecturers at universitas katolik santo agustinus hippo in landak regency, west kalimantan, shows that the practical aspect has a feasibility percentage of 98%, the display aspect has a feasibility percentage of 96%, the material aspect has a feasibility percentage of 94%, and the learning aspect has a feasibility percentage of 98%. the total score of the data analysis of the results of the assessment is 96.5%. product trials small and large-scale trials were conducted with students, yielding high feasibility scores: practicality: 98%. display: 96%, material: 94%, learning: 98%, total average: 96.5% after testing small and large groups to find out the feasibility of this media book creator, it was said that the product was very feasible so no re-trials or revisions were carried out at universitas katolik santo agustinus hippo. therefore, this media can be used as a learning tool for intensive reading. the implications effectiveness of book creators the results indicate that book creators are an effective tool for enhancing students' understanding of procedural texts. the high validation scores from it experts, media experts, and material experts confirm the feasibility and effectiveness of this media. student engagement the book creator significantly increased student engagement and motivation. the high practicality and display scores suggest that students found the media easy to use and visually appealing, enhancing their learning experience. implications for teaching the introduction of book creators in intensive reading courses can bridge the gap left by traditional learning media. the interactive and culturally relevant content provided by the book creator fosters a deeper connection between students and the material. relation to existing literature the findings support existing literature on the benefits of multimedia learning tools in education. the integration of local wisdom and interactive elements aligns with previous studies highlighting the importance of culturally relevant content in enhancing student learning outcomes. limitations and biases the study faced limitations in terms of time, resources, and the scope of validation stages. the exclusion of some steps in the r&d model may have affected the comprehensiveness of the validation process. future research should include a more extensive validation process and a larger sample size to generalize the findings further. future research future studies could explore the long-term impact of using book creators on student learning outcomes across different subjects. additionally, research could investigate the integration of more interactive elements and multimedia content to further enhance student engagement and learning. conclusion based on the development process and results, this study produced a media book creator as an intensive reading learning medium for understanding local wisdom-based procedural texts, specifically discussing how to make traditional food from kalimantan. the media book creator proved to be highly beneficial for teachers/lecturers in conveying learning material and helping students understand procedural texts effectively. the validation tests conducted by media experts, information technology (it) experts, and material experts revealed high feasibility scores in all evaluated aspects, including practicality, display, learning, and material quality. student responses indicated a high level of acceptance and engagement, demonstrating that the book creator effectively addresses difficulties in understanding procedural texts. the book creator's interactive and culturally relevant content significantly improved students' comprehension and motivation, fostering a deeper connection between academic material and local cultural contexts. this study contributes to the field by developing an innovative learning media based on local wisdom, enhancing student engagement and understanding in intensive reading courses. it demonstrates the successful integration of tuminah, kunto nurcahyoko, & wanda giovani developing a media book creator for intensive reading based on local wisdom for english study program students 980 technology-based learning tools to improve educational outcomes, providing a practical example for future educational research and development projects. future research could explore the long-term impact of using book creators on student learning outcomes across different subjects and educational levels. acknowledgement we appreciate your assistance as an expert validator in the media design research and development process, dr. monika widyastuti surtikanti m.pd, pradipta annurwanda m.pd, and jack suman rulis manurung m.pd. we appreciate mr. muhamad firman annur's leadership as the head of research and community service center at universitas katolik santo agustinus hippo. references ali, l. u. (2023). development of interactive emodules based on local wisdom using android to improve students' higher order thinking skills (hots). journal of research in science education, 10090-10100. anjarwati, a. a. (2021). penyusunan e-modul sistem imun kelas xi. prosiding snst ke-11 (pp. 115121). madiun: fakultas teknik universitas wahid hasyim. arifin, z. (n.d.). metodologi penelitian pendidikan. astika, r. y. (2019). pengembangan video media pembelajaran matematika dengan bantuan powtoon. jurnal pemikirandan penelitian pendidikan matematika, 85-96. ayu, h. y. (2021). pengembangan bahan ajar berbasis muatan lokal keanekaragaman motif batik ngawi. jurnal basicedu , 418-433. dewitz, p. (2021). the science of reading:america:international literacy association. febriansyah, m. f. (2021). pengembangan aplikasi media pembelajaran sekolah dasar menggunakan metode multimedia development life cycle (mdlc). informatics and digital expert (index), 61-68. hakim, r. r. (2021). perancangan dan pengembangan aplikasi multimedia pembelajaran primatologi. sinasis 2 (pp. 36-44). medan: universitas jendral sudirman. hapsari, t. p. (2020). analisis kelayakan buku ajar milenial berbasis augmented reality (ar) sebagai media pembelajaran teks prosedur di magelang. diglosia jurnal kajian bahasa sastra dan pengajarannya, 351-354. harjanto, a. (2021). bahan ajar tematik integratif kearifan lokal berbasis kvisoft flipbook maker untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa sd. lentera jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 13-184. harun, i. t. (2021). the effects of cultural-based text types in reading. journal of nusantara studies, 1-23. hasana, n. i. (2021). pengembangan model media pembelajaran audio visual. sport gymnatics: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan jasmani , 60-69. ichsan, i. z. (2020). implementation supplementary book of green consumerism: improving students hots in environmental learning. european journal of educational research, 227-237. irwan. (2019). a review of the integration of local wisdom. international conference on education (pp. 143-148). padang: universitas negeri padang. islamy, m. i. (2019). developing concept approach based textbooks of social sciences course for madrasah ibtidaiyah teacher education. al ibtida: jurnal pendidikan guru mi, 90-109. ismajli, h. (2019). analyzing languages and communication textbooks in the context of achieving competence: student as a critical thinker. international journal of instruction, 251-256. ismiyanti, y. (2022). pendampingan guru sekolah dasar dalam pembuatan media pembelajaran berbasis kearifan lokal. jmm (jurnal masyarakat mandiri), 533-543. karyada, i. p. (2022). pengembangan e-book tematik integratif berbasis game sebagai media pembelajaran kearifan lokal dan budaya bali. kumpulan artikel mahasiswa pendidikan teknik informatika, 105-115. khaldun, i. (2019). pengembangan soal kimia higher order thinking skills berbasis komputer dengan wondershare quiz creator materi hidrolisis garam dan larutan penyangga. jurnal pendidikan sains indonesia (indonesian journal of science education) , 132-142. laila, a. (2021). textbooks based on local wisdom to improve reading. international journal of evaluation and research in education (ijere), 886-892. lukman, i. (2021). interactive learning media innovation using lectora inspire solubility and solubility product materials. journal of physics: conference series, 1-5. mangasi, p. l. (2019). implementation of sq3r to increase reading interest, critical thinking skills, and ability to understand indonesian language reading of 6th grade indonesia a students. international journal of theory and application in elementary and secondary school education (ijtaese), 79-90. manshadi, s. (2021). meaning making in a sixth-grade mathematics. international journal of mathematical education in, 1-18. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 981 monica, s. (2021). kearifan lokal dalam inovasi pembelajaran biologi: strategi membangun anak indonesia yang literate dan berkarakter untuk konservasi alam. prosiding semnas bio 2021 (pp. 668-678). semarang: universitas negeri semarang. munika, a. s. (2019). integrated reading and composition (circ) type in improving intensive reading skills. kalam cendekia: jurnal ilmiah kependidikan, 264-267. murti*, d. k. (2020). development of educational comic with local wisdom to foster morality . international journal of educational methodology, 337-343. muzijah, r. (2020). pengembangan e-modul menggunakan aplikasi exe-learning untuk melatih literasi sains. jurnal ilmiah pendidikan fisika, 89-98. novitandari, e. (2023). media pembelajaran berbasis teknologi pada pendidikan dasar di indonesia dalam perspektif glokalisasi: literatur review. pendas : jurnal ilmiah pendidikan dasar, 1762-1772. pertiwi, p. i. (2022). pengembangan media permainan kotak ajaib dalam mengenal bacaan huruf satu suku kata pada aspek bahasa. jecie (journal of early childhood and inclusive education), 50-54. pradiani, n. p. (2023). pengembangan media pembelajaran pop-up book materi bangun ruang pada muatan pembelajaran matematika kelas v sekolah dasar. jurnal ilmiah profesi pendidikan, 1456-1469. prahesti, s. i. (2022). penerapan media pembelajaran interaktif kearifan lokal kabupaten semarang. jurnal obsesi: jurnal pendidikan anak usia dini , 505-512. puspitasari, v. (2020). pengembangan perangkat pembelajaran. education and development institut pendidikan tapanuli selatan , 310-319. ramadloni, s. (2022). pemanfaatan laman bipa daring sebagai media pembelajaran bipa berkonteks kearifan lokal di asean. jurnal bahasa indonesia bagi penutur asing (jbipa), 62-71. santosa, m. h. (2021). exploring the mplementation of approach combined with screencast-o-matic and book creator toward the leaners' argumentative writing. research gate, 1-10. satriani, e. (2023). e learning moodle diusulkan untuk mata kuliah intensive reading: sebuah desain untuk mahasiswa. sintaks jurnal bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 120-128. seftiana, e. (2019). the development of supplementary textbooks based on local wisdom with inquiry learning model in elementary school. journal of education and practice, journal of education and practice. setyawan, f. h. (2022). pengembangan modul literasi bahasa inggris berbasis kearifan lokal. social, humanities, and education studies (shes): conference series (pp. 595-603). surakarta: universitas sebelas maret surakarta. sidik, m. (2019). perancangan dan pengembangan ecommerce dengan metode research. jurnal teknik informatika unika st. thomas (jtiust), volume 04 nomor 01, 1-9. simanjuntak, m. l. (2023). pengembangan flipbook berbasis kearifan lokal lagu daerah sumatera selatan pada anak usia dini. jurnal kumara cendekia, 59-6. tuminah. (2021). narrative text in local story. yudha english gallery. wendo, e. s. (2022). pengembangan bahan ajar elektronik berbasis kearifan lokal. jurnal citra pendidikan, 190-203. yusawinur barella. (2021). sosialisasi pemanfaatan ebook creator. gervasi: jurnal pengabdian kepada masyarakat, 1-10. tuminah, kunto nurcahyoko, & wanda giovani developing a media book creator for intensive reading based on local wisdom for english study program students 982 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 171 authors’ affiliation influence towards rhetorical moves and linguistic features of rejected raas ayu intan harisbaya english education department, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: ayuintan16@upi.edu eri kurniawan english education department, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: eri_kurniawan@upi.edu arif husein lubis korean education department, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: lubis_ah@upi.edu apa citation: harisbaya, a. i., kurniawan, e., & lubis, a. h. (2023). authors’ affiliation influence towards rhetorical moves and linguistic features of rejected raas. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 171-182. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7579 received: 13-10-2022 accepted: 25-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction each year, the academic world is always bombarded by the prevalent genre in academic writing, which is research articles published in reputable journals (kaya & yağız, 2020; swales & feak as cited in qurratu’aini, 2022). through research articles (ras), scholars can try to contribute more in increasing public knowledge based on their respective fields of study, reflecting on their previous research in order to enrich their comprehension through other related ras, broadening both national and international research collaborations, and legitimating their noteworthy claims in an academic and professional career (hyland, 2000; kanoksilapatham, 2005). while research articles (ras) are used as the media for the authors in analyzing current phenomena and expanding the findings of previous studies in particular fields, research article abstracts (raas) tend to help the readers of ras in determining whether a research article is worth further reading (amnuai, 2019; kaya & yağız, 2020). an abstract is a reflection and the miniature of a research article because it has to present the whole contents of an ra comprehensively yet as compactly as possible due to the limitation of words. the essential role of abstract has also been the main concern of study in some research (e.g., amnuai, 2019; fauzan et al., 2020; kaya & yagiz, 2020). salager-mayer (as cited in hyland, 2000) stated that abstracts abstract: an abstract is the selling point of a research article (ra), due to the fact that it can help the readers and particularly journal reviewers in selecting which ras are remarkable to be read further and accepted. a plethora of research has analyzed the rhetorical moves and linguistic features of accepted raas. nevertheless, almost none of them have explored the rejected one, based on the authors’ affiliation. invoking hyland’s (2000) rhetorical move model as the main instrument, this study intends to dismantle and fill up those lacunas by utilizing 31 rejected raas in total from indonesian journal of applied linguistics (ijal), submitted in 2019, 2020, and 2021. the data were then separated into the same affiliation (13 abstracts) and different affiliation (18 abstracts) groups in order to find the commonality and discrepancy in the rhetorical move and linguistic features (i.e. tenses, voice, and grammatical subjects). as a result, the authors’ affiliation had some influences on the structure of rhetorical moves of raas and the accommodation of linguistic features in each move. it also appeared that there were some primary shortcomings found in the rejected abstracts as compared to the accepted ones. this study can be adopted as the reference for future research in rhetorical moves analysis, specifically regarding the authors’ affiliation and rejected raas. keywords: authors’ affiliation; linguistic features; research article abstracts; rejected; rhetorical move analysis. mailto:ayuintan16@upi.edu mailto:eri_kurniawan@upi.edu ayu intan harisbaya, eri kurniawan, & arif husein lubis authors’ affiliation influence towards rhetorical moves and linguistic features of rejected raas 172 should reflect the moves which are “fundamental and obligatory” (p. 64) in a research article. in a similar vein, amnuai (2019) also agreed that move-based analysis has been widely used as the main tool in dismantling the parts of the research article abstract. a plethora of research in raas has applied rhetorical move analysis to identify not only the moves of abstract but also the steps of it. moves exhibit the communicative purposes of abstract, while steps that are integrated into moves provide narrower strategies in organizing and explaining the concise ideas of the author of ras (harisbaya et al., 2021; yoon & casal, 2020). furthermore, linguistic features also take a role in rhetorical move analysis to set the functional boundaries in helping the researchers classify the potential moves and steps of raas (andika et al., 2018; yoon & casal, 2020) and even denoting authorial stance (pho, 2008). consequently, it is important for the authors of ras to be aware, learn, and master the skill of conventional rhetorical organization of raas (amnuai, 2019; kanoksilapatham, 2005; pho, 2008). nevertheless, hyland (2000) contended that the perfect model of rhetorical moves is rarely found in his data of analysis. despite the fact that many research articles (ras) have been published hitherto in reputable journals, the awareness of writing a well-constructed ra, specifically its abstract as the foremost part-genre of ra is still low (kaya & yağız, 2020). many writers of research article abstracts still fail to communicate their notions through the ideal form of rhetorical moves. thus, again, hyland (2000) emphasized that “more than summarising is taking place” (p. 68). rhetorical moves analyses have been extensively established in the area of research article abstract; however, scant attention has been paid to analyzing raa based on authors’ affiliation. harisbaya et al. (2021) and kanafani et al. (2021) conduct similar research through their proceedings regarding the effect of authors’ affiliation collaboration in constructing raas. their findings are interesting, yet still require to be discussed further. most researchers just explore research article, ma thesis, or dissertation in the area of english native and non-native speakers (e.g. jawad, 2018; noorizadeh-honami & chalak, 2018; sadeghi & alinasab, 2020), novice and expert authors (e.g. fatma & yağiz, 2020; nabilla et al., 2021; ye, 2019) various disciplines of study (e.g. bhatti et al., 2019; gani et al., 2021; huang, 2018; omidian et al., 2018; qurratu’aini, 2022), or national and/or international authors (e.g. arsyad et al., 2020; nurcik et al., 2022). from the perspective of linguistic features, tseng (2011) only focused on verb tenses and found that present and past tenses dominantly appeared in applied linguistics journals. meanwhile, some other previous studies identified grammatical subjects and/or voice (e.g. nurcik et al., 2022; pho, 2008; kafes, 2015) in analyzing linguistic features of raas. pho emphasized that grammatical subjects contributed more in distinguishing moves, nurcik et al. (2022) claimed that the voice from all data was apparently similar, whereas kafes referred to pho’s findings yet with few discussions of grammatical subjects. moreover, using rejected research article abstracts as the source of data analysis is also still scarce to be found in rhetorical moves research that has existed so far because the data is not accessible for public in any national or even international journals. some related previous studies of rhetorical move analysis have been carried out, but the main data are the accepted and also rejected conference abstracts (cas), not rejected raas (yoon & casal, 2020). in order to occupy those lacunas, this research presents the comparative study of rejected research article abstracts based on indonesian authors’ affiliation from the perspective of rhetorical move analysis and some linguistic features i.e. tense, voice, and grammatical subject. the authors’ affiliation will be divided into two groups, which are the same affiliation and different affiliation. using hyland’s (2000) rhetorical moves model which was also employed in some previous studies (e.g. amnuai, 2019; kurniawan et al., 2019; harisbaya et al., 2021; tamela, 2019; wahyuni et al., 2021; pratiwi & kurniawan, 2021) as the basis of analysis, this research is expected to produce clear answers for the following questions: (1) how is the rhetorical organization of the rejected ra abstracts manifested across two groups of affiliation? (2) what linguistic features were dominantly exhibited in both groups? method a comparative approach using quantitative and qualitative research methods was applied in this research, in order to discover similarities and disparities of rhetorical moves and linguistic features on selected rejected ra abstracts based on the same and different affiliations. the qualitative method had the function of describing and elaborating the quantitative data of analysis that were provided in the form of percentages. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 173 this research analyzed 31 abstracts from rejected research articles that were submitted to indonesian journal of applied linguistics (ijal) in 2019, 2020, and 2021. ijal was chosen due to its reputation as the only applied linguistics journal in indonesia that has been indexed by scopus (q2). those abstracts were selected based on two groups: group “sa” which consisted of authors from the same affiliation, and group “da” which consisted of authors from different affiliation. authors’ affiliation in this research was based on higher education institutions in indonesia. 31 raas were divided into two groups: the first group had 18 abstracts from authors of different affiliation, while the second group consisted of 13 abstracts from authors of the same affiliation. the ra abstracts were mostly collected from english language and english education fields of studies. considering raas as prominent writing in the academic world and motivated by the limited previous studies that unraveled rejected raas as the main data, this research applied a systemic rhetorical move analysis from the perspective of hyland (2000). there were some reasons in deciding hyland’s model as the main instrument of rhetorical moves analysis in this study, as cited and in accordance with kurniawan and sabila’s (2021) research: (1) move 5 – conclusion in hyland’s model more thoroughly dismantled the discussion and recommendation or implication compared to santos’ (1996) model. move 5 of santos’ model only highlighted the discussion of the findings; (2) the introduction and purpose parts of an abstract in hyland’s were precisely divided into move 1 and move 2, while swales (1990) combined them into one move only; (3) 800 raas from the various discipline of studies has been verified using hyland’s to acquire its generic patterns (hyland, 2000); and (4) in the most current research, hyland’s has been the most utilized framework for rhetorical moves analysis (lubis & kurniawan, 2020). table 1. hyland’s (2000) five-model of rhetorical moves move step move 1 introduction (i) step 1 – arguing for topic significance step 2 – making topic generalization step 3 – defining the key term(s) step 4 – identifying gap move 2 purpose (p) stating the research purpose move 3 method (m) step 1 – describing participants/data sources step 2 – describing instrument(s) step 3 – describing procedure and context move 4 product (pr) describing the main results move 5 conclusion (c) step 1 – deducing conclusion step 2 – evaluating the significance of the research step 3 – stating limitation step 4 – presenting recommendation or implication pho (2008) stated that there were seven classes of grammatical subjects as the part of linguistic features applied in rhetorical moves, including the epistemic classes. phenomenal classes (i.e. the things that the researcher studies): class 1. objects of research and their attributes (including nouns referring to people or objects studied and their ‘attributes, properties, action, behavior, or motivations and thoughts’: the participants, variables, these strategies, scores for the 3-criterion variables,...). epistemic classes (i.e. nouns ‘belonging to the researcher or referring to the reasoning of academics’) class 2. self-reference (to the author(s) of the paper): i, we, the author, the researcher,... class 3. other-reference (including 4 subcategories: (3a) specific names of other researchers or citations of the author’s own previous studies: hyland (2000)...; (3b) previous research or studies in general without referring to any specific researchers: previous researchers, previous studies, numerous research,...; (3c) general topics in the field: self-efficacy, communication across cultures, educational practitioners,...; and (3d) specific research objects or outcomes mentioned in previous research: the notion of “accommodation”,...). class 4. audience (including words involving the readers/audience): ‘we’ (i.e. ‘we’ that refers to both the author and the reader),... class 5. reference to writer’s own work – macro-research outcome (including words referring to the study or the paper): this study, this ayu intan harisbaya, eri kurniawan, & arif husein lubis authors’ affiliation influence towards rhetorical moves and linguistic features of rejected raas 174 research, this investigation, this paper, this article, this report, . . . class 6. reference to writer’s own work – micro-research outcome (referring to details of the study, research instruments, and research-related events/processes): the findings, the results, the purpose of this study, questionnaire, discussion, a quasi-experimental with one time series design,... class 7. anticipatory it and existential there. the process to collect and analyze the main data went through several steps. first, a letter was made for ijal in order to ask permission in accessing the rejected manuscript. second, the data was sorted and an online consent form for asking permission in accessing and analyzing the abstracts was sent through email to the potential participants which presumably were suitable with the data criteria. after that, the abstracts which were allowed to be used as the main data began to be analyzed by breaking down the abstracts into sentences and labeling each sentence to the compatible move and step. furthermore, the linguistic features of the data (i.e. voice, tenses, and grammatical subjects) were also dismantled in this study as illustrated in table 2. z-test was utilized in order to analyze the equality of steps proportion based on these hypotheses: h0 : there is no difference between the proportion of steps occurrences in sa and da groups. h1 : there is a statistically significant difference between the proportion of steps occurrences in sa and da groups. table 2. rhetorical moves and linguistic features labeling move step tense voice verb gs the aim of this research is to investigate the culture-specific items (csis) and the techniques of translation applied to translate them from indonesian into english in the booklet of yogyakarta calendar of event 2020. 2 simple present active is class 6 in order to check the reliability of the analysis done in this present study, the inter-coder reliability assessment was chosen as the best tool. an experienced lecturer who put a high concern in rhetorical move analysis was enlisted as the inter-coder. afterward, the corresponding author of this study and the inter-coder independently checked and coded 41 sentences randomly obtained from the main corpus. the results of the inter-coder agreement were 90.24% for steps analysis and 100% for move analysis. it could be seen that the agreement attained a satisfactory level of inter-coder reliability. some previous studies also conducted the inter-coder reliability in rhetorical moves and attained agreement (e.g. fauzan et al., 2020; rashidi & meihami, 2018). results and discussion rq1: the manifestation of the rhetorical organization from the rejected ra abstracts across two groups of affiliation this section delineated the results concerning the manifestation of move-step occurrences, movestep salience, and linguistic features of the data from the perspective of grammatical subjects, tenses, and voice. this section also provided the answers to the research questions: (1) to compare and explain the rhetorical organization of the rejected ra abstracts manifested across two groups of affiliation, and (2) to compare and identify the linguistic features that dominantly appeared in both groups. there were two uncommon steps found in both sa abstracts and da abstracts, which were step previous research labeled as 2* in move 1 introduction and step design labeled as 1* in move 3 method. due to the fact that sentence was the main focus of rhetorical moves analysis in this research, some phrases and/or clauses indicated as potential embedded moves and grammatical subjects were considered not to be discussed further. move-step occurrences table 3. move-step occurrences abstracts z-test for equality of proportion (steps) sa da moves steps moves steps z p (2-tailed) 1 18.75% 1 12.50% 1 16.03% 1 32% -1.635 0.102 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 175 2 66.67% 2 36% 2.147 0.032 3 12.50% 3 12% 0.053 0.957 4 4.17% 4 12% -1.001 0.317 2* 4.17% 2* 8% -0.559 0.576 2 10.94% 2 17.31% 3 25% 1 31.25% 3 28.85% 1 24.44% 0.661 0.509 2 9.38% 2 15.56% -0.795 0.427 3 37.50% 3 42.22% -0.416 0.677 1* 21.88% 1* 17.78% 0.447 0.654 4 34.38% 4 28.21% 5 10.94% 1 35.71% 5 9.62% 1 33.33% 0.135 0.893 2 7.14% 2 13.33% -0.547 0.584 3 3 6.67% -0.983 0.326 4 57.14% 4 46.67% 0.564 0.572 *note: the difference in the proportion of each step is significant at p < .05 p< .05, using the z test for the difference between two proportions. this subsection presented the overview of move-step occurrences. the data were obtained by converting the analysis results from numbers into percentages for moves and steps columns. however, in order to provide the exact proportion of steps occurrences, z-test was also applied in this analysis. as seen from table 3, the percentage of move 4 product in group sa was the highest among other moves, while move 3 method reached the highest percentage of occurrence in group da. move 2 purpose and move 5 conclusion in group sa obtained the same percentage of occurrences, which was 10.94%. both moves were noted as the least occurring moves compared to the other four moves in group sa, whereas move 5 in group da obtained the lowest percentage of occurrence among other moves. on the other hand, the step occurrences of sa abstracts and da abstracts seemed atypical. step 2 of move 1 (making topic generalization), step 3 of move 3 (describing procedure and context), and step 4 of move 5 (presenting recommendation or implication) in both groups had the highest percentage of occurrences among other steps. however, when the equality of steps proportion had been analyzed using z-test, it could be seen from the highlighted parts of the table that there was a statistically significant difference between the proportion of step 2 of move 1 occurrence in group sa and that in group da . meanwhile, there was no statistically significant difference in other step occurrences proportion. therefore, the results of z-test for the equality of steps proportion justified that h1 was accepted only in step 2 of move 1. step 3 of move 5 (stating limitation) were not found in any abstracts of group sa. meanwhile, 6.67% of step 3 of move 5 still could be found in group da abstracts with insignificant proportion between group sa and da. as previously stated, this research found two uncommon steps: step 2* of move 1 (previous research) and step 1* of move 3 (design). the following excerpts represent the manifestation of the uncommon steps. example 1. some experts analyzed synchronous classroom activities through multimodal discourse analysis. (sa9, move 1, step 2*, sentence 2) example 2. previous studies suggested that male’s masculinity and female’s femininity largely remained to conform to their respective biological attributes. (da17, move 1, step 2*, sentence 3) example 3. a quasi-experimental with one time series design was employed to examine the effectiveness of amall to improve the speaking of efl slow learners. (sa2, move 3, step 1*, sentence 4) example 4. this research uses quantitative with experimental of one group pretest-posttest design. (da12, move 3, step 1*, sentence 4). based on the findings of this study, move 4 product and move 3 – method tended to occur in sa and da abstracts respectively, whereas the tendency of move occurrence in accepted raas was only move 3. those findings were partly in line with some related previous studies (e.g. harisbaya et al., 2021; kanafani et al., 2021; kurniawan et al., 2019). in harisbaya et al. 's findings, move 4 became one of the prior moves, yet the appearance still did not predominate the data. kanafani et al. showed that in the groups of different and same authors’ affiliations from accepted abstracts, the first major move was move 1 – introduction. although the general ayu intan harisbaya, eri kurniawan, & arif husein lubis authors’ affiliation influence towards rhetorical moves and linguistic features of rejected raas 176 variable of analysis was similar to this study, which is authors’ affiliation, the results were not the same. in addition, only move 3 had the highest number of occurrences in kurniawan et al., but it did not apply to move 4 of the previous findings. since step 2 of move 1 (making topic generalization) became the most manifested step of rejected raas based on the equality of proportion, this result was not in line with some previous studies that collected accepted raas as the main source of data analysis (e.g. kurniawan et al., 2019; kurniawan & sabila, 2021; pratiwi & kurniawan, 2021). those previous studies claimed that steps 3 of move 3 (describing procedure and context) was the most manifested step. regarding the uncommon steps (previous research and design steps), those were also discovered in lubis and kurniawan (2020)’s research which generated the synthesized coding scheme of rhetorical moves from previous studies of raas across academic genres. move-step occurrences are scarce to be discussed in some research, particularly the occurrence of uncommon steps outside hyland’s (2000) rhetorical organization model. thus, these findings can shed light on the revelation of movestep occurrences of the rejected raas based on authors’ affiliation. move-step salience table 4. move-step salience in percentages move sa da step sa da 1 76.92 77.78 1 23.08 33.33 2 61.54 38.89 3 15.38 16.67 4 7.69 11.11 2* 7.69 11.11 2 100 100 3 84.62 94.44 1 69.23 44.44 2 23.08 33.33 3 69.23 66.67 1* 46.15 44.44 4 92.31 94.44 5 61.54 50 1 30.77 27.78 2 7.69 11.11 3 5.56 4 38.46 16.67 this subsection provided the overview of move-step salience from group sa and group da. the data were obtained by translating the analysis results from numbers into percentages. the consideration to analyze the salience was based on the number of abstracts featuring the moves and steps. if, for example, move 1 – introduction appeared twice in an abstract, then it still counted as one for the salience. according to kanoksilapatham (2005), there were some labels related to the salience of move or step: conventional and optional. a move has to reach 60% of all the data to be recognized as a conventional move. if the frequency of a move is considered under 60%, it is labeled as an optional one. however, amnuai (2019) clarified kanoksilapatham’s criteria by classifying the move or step salience into three parts: obligatory (100%), conventional (60% 99%), and optional (less than 60%). from table 4, it could be seen that the obligatory move both in group sa and da abstracts was move 2 procedure with a percentage of 100%. there was no optional move in group sa abstracts, but it was found in move 5 conclusion from group da abstract (50%). the rest of the moves from sa abstracts were labeled as conventional moves: move 1 introduction (76.92%); move 3 method (84.62%); move 4 product (92.31%); and move 5 conclusion (61.54%). meanwhile, move 1, move 3, and move 4 were indicated as the conventional moves in da abstract. both move 3 and 4 in da abstracts obtained the same percentage (94.44%), but move 1 reached 77.78%. the percentage of step salience from both data were varied, however the obligatory step could not be found in both data. step 2 of move 1 (making topic generalization) and step 1 and 3 of move 3 (describing participants/data sources and describing procedure and context– respectively) were categorized as a conventional step in sa abstracts, but the rest of the steps from move 1, move 3, and move 5 identified as the optional steps. on the other hand, only step 3 of move 3 was categorized as the conventional step of all da abstracts, and the rest of the steps were considered as the optional steps. from the perspective of move-step salience, it was detected that the obligatory move from sa and da abstracts was move 2 – purpose. in contrast, there were commonly three obligatory moves that showed in accepted raas: move 2, move 3, and move 4. this result partially resonated with some previous studies (e.g. kafes, 2015; kurniawan et al., 2019; pho, 2008). in kafes’ findings, move 2 (presenting research) and move 3 (methods) were considered as the obligatory moves in two out of three groups of analysis. kurniawan et al. (2019) stated that move 2 – purpose and move 4 – product were categorized obligatory in all journals. moreover, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 177 pho claimed that presenting the research and summarizing the findings were the obligatory moves in all groups of abstracts, but describing the methodology categorized obligatory in two of three groups of abstracts. rq2: the foremost linguistic features appeared in both groups linguistic features of abstracts moves the distribution of each linguistic feature across the five moves of the main data was calculated separately to disclose the linguistic features that were dominantly appeared on each move. the characteristics of linguistic features from both groups were alike with the accepted raas. as mentioned earlier, sentences were the main unit of analysis in this present study. therefore, if any linguistic features were discovered in a phrase or a clause, those would not be the main focus of the data analysis, as tseng (2011) also stated. due to the space constraints, the whole tables were not provided here; however, the characteristic of linguistic features on each move were grouped together and discussed under the relevant subsection below. almost all grammatical subjects classes emerged in the main data–except class 4. nevertheless, this research would only focus on four of seven classes found in the whole corpus due to the frequency of occurrence. both groups sa and da abstracts elicited similar forms of grammatical subjects from move 1 – introduction to move 4 – product, except move 5 – conclusion. some anomaly linguistic features were also found in this research, such as the absence of voice and tense, double verbs, or the choice of transition and pronoun words due to the incomplete or incorrect structure of a sentence. therefore, some linguistic features labels (in terms of tense and voice) were manipulated based on the tense and voice pattern from the previous and following sentences in the abstracts. move 1 – introduction the most dominant class of grammatical subject in move 1 of both groups was class 3 – other reference subject. the following excerpts represent the most dominant grammatical subject class in move 1. example 5 brown and levinson's theory on politeness (3a) stated that ... (sa7, move 1, step 2, sentence 2) example 6 numerous researches (3b) focused on technology-assisted language learning, but few of them cover inclusive learning style with authentic elements. (sa2, move 1, step 4, sentence 3) example 7 the output of vocational school (3c) still has lower competence in english communication for industrial networking. (sa13, move 1, step 2, sentence 1) from the examples above, there was no class 3d specific research objects or outcomes mentioned in previous research found in group sa abstracts. on the contrary, the specific names of other researchers or citations of the author’s own previous studies (class 3a) did not appear, but instead class 3d in group da abstracts. example 8 previous studies (3b) have analysed song lyrics to identify their intended messages. (da13, move 1, step 4, sentence 2) example 9 self-efficacy (3c) is a person's belief in his ability to carry out planned activities. (da12, move 1, step 3, sentence 1) example 10 the notion of “accommodation” (3d) has been explained by giles and his colleagues in 1973. (da5, move 1, step 2*, sentence 4) from the perspective of verb tense and voice, simple present tense dominated the occurrences in both groups sa and da (62.5% and 72% respectively), whereas the second rank of verb tense occurrences emerged differently from the groups. simple past tense (20.83%) was the second rank in group sa, while present perfect tense (20%) appeared as the second rank in group da. active voice also dominantly appeared in move 1 of groups sa and da (87.5% and 64% respectively). although class 3 was dominantly employed as the main grammatical subject of the whole corpus, it could be inferred from the tense occurrence that specifically sub-class 3c was the most frequently used grammatical subject as it was applied to inform the general topics in the field. the discussion of linguistic features in this study mostly referred to pho’s (2008) findings, especially for the grammatical subjects. as seen ayu intan harisbaya, eri kurniawan, & arif husein lubis authors’ affiliation influence towards rhetorical moves and linguistic features of rejected raas 178 from examples 5 to 10, each sub-classes of class 3 had its own style of the verb tense and voice occurrence. sub-class 3a indicated specific researchers applied simple past tense, while subclass 3c applied simple present tense to convey the general topics in the field. this observation was in accordance with pho’s. nevertheless, there was a slight difference with pho’s findings regarding the correlation between sub-class 3b and the verb tense choice. although pho stated that sub-class 3b tended to take the present perfect in the whole data, it did not appear the same in this research. sub-classes 3b (previous research or studies in general) and 3d (specific research object or outcome mentioned in previous research) in da abstracts applied present perfect tense. meanwhile, simple past tense tended to be used for verbs with sub-class 3b subject in sa abstracts. move 2 – purpose the majority of grammatical subjects in move 2 from the whole data was the reference to the writer's own work – macro research outcome (class 5), as in line with the communicative function of move 2 that intended to elucidate the purpose of the research. the following excerpts present the class 5 subject in move 2. example 11 this study (5) aims to determine the variation method used in online learning. (sa1, move 2, sentence 3) example 12 this research (5) investigated the translation process of the english-indonesian language pair performed by a translator using translog ii. (da10, move 2, sentence 1) most of the data utilized “this study”, “this article”, “this paper” or even “this research” as the subject of a sentence in move 2, and were accompanied by the simple present tense. simple present was still the foremost tense in both groups, with 85.71% occurrence in sa abstracts and 70.37% occurrence in da abstracts. simple past was also found in both groups, yet it did not stand out. the occurrence of active voice in sa and da abstracts was the highest; however, the sa abstracts did not contain any passive voice. sa abstracts reached 100% occurrence, whereas da abstracts got 85.19% occurrence for active voice. the findings of the simple present as the verb tense that tended to be utilized in move 2 of rejected raas resonates with some related previous studies (e.g. amnuai, 2019; qurratu’aini, 2022). pratiwi & kurniawan (2021) mentioned that active voice was also highly emerged in move 2, due to the fact that the authors intended to emphasize the doer rather than the action in order to make the raas more intelligible. move 3 – method the analysis for the grammatical subject of move 3 revealed that class 1 objects of research and their attributes obtained a great proportion in group sa and da. the following excerpts illustrate the class 1 subject of move 3. example 13 one hundred fifty-three participants (1) are submitting the completed questionnaire, and the majority of the respondent in both languages is a student at the university. (sa7, move 3, step 1, sentence 6) example 14 five students who did their final project and five lecturers who were involved reviewing activities (1) were investigated in this study. (da15, move 3, step 1, sentence 3) it was apparent from the excerpts above that class 1 tended to be used as the subjects of participants in the data analysis, which in accordance with the function of step 1 of move 3 (describing participants/data sources). in contrast to the previous moves that had the same analysis of tenses for both groups, the primary tense employed in group sa for move 3 contrasted to the tense that highly appeared in group da. while simple present became the primary tense in group sa (71.88%), simple past tense was preferred in group da (73.33%). in fact, simple past tense could not be found in any moves of sa abstracts. in terms of voice, group sa tended to use the active voice (56.25%), while the passive voice (71.11%) dominantly appeared in group da. from the perspective of move 3, some previous research claimed that most of the method moves tended to use past tense with passive voice (e.g. nurcik et al., 2022; pho, 2008) apparently found in abstracts from different affiliation authors. in contrast, this present study also discovered that simple present tense with active voice could also be the prominent linguistic features in method move, specifically in this case was retrieved from the rejected raas of the same affiliation authors. amnuai (2019) also agreed with the tendency of using simple present with english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 179 active voice in move 3 from the accepted international corpus. move 4 – product the observation of the grammatical subject of move 3 showed that class 6 (reference to writer’s own work – micro research outcome) stood out both in group sa and da. moreover, 17 of 18 abstracts in group da contained class 6 as the subject of a sentence. the following excerpts depict the class 6 subject of move 4. example 15 the techniques of translation which are frequently applied (6) are literal translation with 31 data and transference with 28 data. (sa10, move 4, sentence 5) example 16 the findings from this study (6) revealed that the participants in this study might have used english in speech situations in which they would have used recycling the mistake word. (da16, move 4, sentence 6) in terms of verb tenses and voice, group sa and da respectively had the same tenses with the previous move–method move. simple present was highly accommodated in sa abstracts with 75% occurrence. on the other hand, the proportion of simple present and simple past tenses were nearly commensurate in da abstracts. unlike the verb tenses, the realization of voice both in group sa and da was considerably more unified. both groups utilized active voice with 81.82% occurrence in most of the sentences appearing in product move. the preference of active voice by the majority of authors from both groups resonates with kurniawan et al.’s (2019) findings that analyzed accepted ras. the previous study claimed that most authors from the data took active voice as the main voice in move 4. as stated by pho (2008) regarding the results of verb tenses in summarizing the findings move based on santos’ (1996) model, present tense was applied in order to provide the sense of “widely accepted findings” (p. 243) beyond the results of the study. meanwhile, the use of past tense left the sense of authors’ objectivity in revealing the research findings. thus, pho’s statement was in a similar vein with the purpose of present and past tenses in the product method of this present study. move 5 – conclusion unlike the previous grammatical subject realization in four moves, the subject class in move 5 varied across the two groups. class 1 dominated the conclusion move of sa abstracts, meanwhile class 5 prevailed in da abstracts. the following excerpts from both groups show the results of class 1 and class 5. example 17 vocational school in indonesia (1) should change english curriculum from general english to english for specifics purpose (esp). (sa13, move 5, step 4, sentence 17) example 18 this study (5) also reveal recommendations to tackle these issues, including: a) vocabulary enrichment through reading, b) presentation rehearsal, c) observing other students when presenting, d) learn to make effective and interesting slides, e) learn most commonly used phrases for presentation, f) practice using mind mapping and small cards to organize ideas (da15, move 5, step 4, sentence 11) in the conclusion move, the nouns referring to people or objects of study needed to be reappeared in order to emphasize the main concern of the study which had been analyzed. it was also important for class 5 to be restated in move 5 as the way to confirm the readers of abstracts regarding the conclusion, suggestion, recommendation, or implication of the research. since most sentences in move 5 were determined to remind the readers about the object studied and provide generalizations of the previous moves, it was not surprising that simple present became the most common tense used in group sa and da (85.71% and 80% respectively). the use of passive and active voice in sa abstracts was nearly commensurable, while active voice prevailed in da abstracts with 73.33% occurrence. the results of move 5 conclusion in the findings section were partly in contrast with pho’s (2008) findings in discussing the research (move 5). class 6 was not found as one of the prominent grammatical subjects in this study; but instead, class 5 was not accommodated in pho’s findings of move 5. however, the simple present tense which was almost exclusively employed in move 5 of the present study agreed with pho’s (2008) research in order to make “the sentence sound more general” (p. 244). ayu intan harisbaya, eri kurniawan, & arif husein lubis authors’ affiliation influence towards rhetorical moves and linguistic features of rejected raas 180 conclusion this research deduces that there are some similarities and differences between the rejected and accepted raas in general, and also between the same affiliation group of raas and different affiliation one in particular. it can be summed up from the results that authors' affiliation have some impact in constructing an abstract of the research article. there are two main concerns in this conclusion part that can be summarized based on the research questions. by using hyland’s (2000) model, it can be seen that the rejected raas tend to emerge move 4 – product (sa abstracts) and move 3 – method (da abstracts). step 2 of move 1 (making topic generalization) is the most occurring step in rejected raas with different equality of proportion between sa abstracts and da abstracts. it is also discovered that the obligatory move of rejected raas is only move 2 – purpose. in terms of step salience, there is no obligatory step found in rejected raas. referring mostly to pho’s (2008) analysis, this present study discloses that class 1, class 3, class 5, and class 6 of grammatical subjects tend to be applied in the rejected corpus with some distinction of move 5 – conclusion subjects in each group of affiliation. simple present and simple past tenses with active and passive voice have dominantly appeared in rejected raas with some distinction realized in each group. thus, it can be inferred from all the results of linguistic features on each move that the grammatical subject also plays a prominent role regarding the verb tenses and voice selection based on the context. this research also suggests that the uncommon steps realized in this present study need to be added and explored further as the new steps in rhetorical move analysis, as lubis and kurniawan (2020) already proposed with their synthesized model of hyland’s move. this study should be viewed with some caution: (1) future research should involve more abstracts to capture more data; (2) sentences as the unit of analysis may not be able to capture the results as good as phrases. therefore, it is recommended to explore not only sentences but also clauses or phrases as the unit of analysis in rhetorical moves. references amnuai, w. (2019). analyses of rhetorical moves and linguistic realizations in accounting research article abstracts published in international and thai-based journals. sage open, 9(1). andika, r. p., arsyad, s., & harahap, a. (2018). rhetorical moves and linguistic features of journal article abstracts by postgraduate students, national and international authors in applied linguistics. joall (journal of applied linguistics and literature), 3(1), 129-142. arsyad, s., arono., ramadhan, s., & maisarah, i. (2020). the rhetorical problems experienced by indonesian lecturers in social sciences and humanities in writing research articles for international journals. the asian journal of applied linguistics, 7(1), 116-129. bhatti, i. a., mustafa, s., & azher, m. (2019). genre analysis of research article abstract in linguistics and literature: a cross disciplinary study. international journal of english linguistics, 9(4), 42-50. fatma, k. a. y. a., & yağiz, o. (2020). move analysis of research article abstracts in the field of elt: a comparative study. journal of language and linguistic studies, 16(1), 390404. fauzan, u., lubis, a., & kurniawan, e. (2020). rhetorical moves and linguistic complexity of research article abstracts in international applied linguistics journals. asian esp journal, 16(5), 260-292. gani, f. g., kurniawan, e., gunawan, w., & lubis, a. h. (2021). rhetorical moves analysis in soft and hard science lecturers’ master’s thesis and dissertation abstracts. in thirteenth conference on applied linguistics (conaplin 2020) (pp. 156-161). atlantis press. harisbaya, a. i., qurratu’aini, s. f., kanafani, a., nurcik, a. b., kurniawan, e., & lubis, a. h. (2021). a comparative study on rhetorical moves of ijal’s abstracts written by upi’s lecturers and by upi-other indonesian universities’ lecturers. proceedings of the 5th international conference on language, literature, culture, and education (icollite 2021) (pp. 150-156). atlantis press. huang, j. c. (2018). marine engineering and subdisciplinary variations: a rhetorical analysis of research article abstracts. text & talk, 38(3), 341-363. hyland, k. (2000). disciplinary discourses: social interactions in academic writing. university of michigan press. jawad, f. a. m. (2018). genre analysis of ma thesis abstracts by native and (iraqi) non-native speakers of english. journal of university of babylon for humanities, 26(1), 37-50. kafes, h. (2015). cultural or discoursal proclivity: rhetorical structure of english and turkish research article abstracts. the anthropologist, 21(1-2), 240-254. kanafani, a., nurcik, a. b., harisbaya, a. i., fauzia, s., qurratu’aini, e. k., & lubis, a. h. (2021). rhetorical move and linguistic features english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 181 comparative analysis of research article abstracts by authors of different organizational backgrounds. proceedings of the 5th international conference on language, literature, culture, and education (icollite 2021) (pp. 129-135). atlantis press. kanoksilapatham, b. (2005). rhetorical structure of biochemistry research articles. english for specific purposes, 24(3), 269–292. kaya, f., & yağız, o. (2020). move analysis of research article abstracts in the field of elt: a comparative study. journal of language and linguistic studies, 16(1), 390-404. kurniawan, e., & sabila, n. a. a. (2021). another look at the rhetorical moves and linguistic realizations in international and indonesian journal articles: a case of tourism research. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 11(2), 318-329. kurniawan, e., lubis, a. h., suherdi, d., & danuwijaya, a. a. (2019). rhetorical organization of applied linguistics abstracts: does scopus journal quartile matter? gema online journal of language studies, 19(4), 184-202. lubis, a. h., & kurniawan, e. (2020). a review of genre analysis of research abstracts: lessons learned and recommendations for future research directions, pedagogical practices, and policies. in anshori, d.s., purnawarman, p., gunawan, w., & wirza, y. (eds.), language, education, and policy: contemporary theory and research (pp. 595-625). universitas pendidikan indonesia press. nabilla, s., luthfianda, s. n., suherdi, d., kurniawan, e., gunawan, w., & lubis, a. h. (2021). how do novice and experienced indonesian authors rhetorically organize research article introduction? in thirteenth conference on applied linguistics (conaplin 2020) (pp. 502-507). atlantis press. noorizadeh-honami, l., & chalak, a. (2018). comparative analysis of architecture research article abstracts written by native and nonnative authors: a cross-linguistic, cross-cultural study. theory and practice in language studies, 8(3), 325-330. nurcik, a. b., kurniawan, e., & lubis, a. h. (2022). rhetorical moves analysis on scopus-indexed research article abstracts by national and international authors. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 349-358. omidian, t., shahriari, h., & siyanova-chanturia, a. (2018). a cross-disciplinary investigation of multi-word expressions in the moves of research article abstracts. journal of english for academic purposes, 36, 1-14. pho, p. d. (2008). research article abstracts in applied linguistics and educational technology: a study of linguistic realizations of rhetorical structure and authorial stance. discourse studies, 10(2), 231-250. pratiwi, s. n., & kurniawan, e. (2021). rhetorical move and genre knowledge development of english and indonesian abstracts: a comparative analysis. studies in english language and education, 8(3), 885-900. qurratu’aini, s. f., kurniawan, e., & lubis, a. h. (2022). rhetorical move analysis of science and engineering abstracts rejected in a scopusindexed journal. retorika: jurnal ilmu bahasa, 8(1), 38-47. rashidi, n., & meihami, h. (2018). informetrics of scientometrics abstracts: a rhetorical move analysis of the research abstracts published in scientometrics journal. scientometrics, 116(3), 1975-1994. sadeghi, k., & alinasab, m. (2020). academic conflict in applied linguistics research article discussions: the case of native and non-native writers. english for specific purposes, 59, 1728. santos, m. b. d. (1996). the textual organization of research paper abstracts in applied linguistics. text, 16, 481-499. swales, j. (1990). genre analysis: english in academic and research settings. cambridge university press. tamela, e. (2020). move structure analysis on research article abstracts in national and international scopus indexed journals. proceedings of international conference on english language teaching (iconelt 2019) (pp. 12-17). atlantis press. tseng, f. p. (2011). analyses of move structure and verb tense of research article abstracts in applied linguistics journals. international journal of english linguistics, 1(2), 27-39. wahyuni, i. t., gunawan, w., muniroh, r. d. d. a., & kurniawan, e. (2021). rhetorical moves and genre development in soft science research article abstracts. indonesian efl journal, 7(2), 121-130. ye, y. (2019). macrostructures and rhetorical moves in energy engineering research articles written by chinese expert writers. journal of english for academic purposes, 38, 48-61. yoon, j., & casal, j. e. (2020). rhetorical structure, sequence, and variation: a step‐driven move analysis of applied linguistics conference abstracts. international journal of applied linguistics, 30(3), 462-478. ayu intan harisbaya, eri kurniawan, & arif husein lubis authors’ affiliation influence towards rhetorical moves and linguistic features of rejected raas 2 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 501 a comparative analysis of phonological elements in lampung language: dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung masitoh indonesian language and literature education department, universitas muhammadiyah kotabumi, north lampung, indonesia email: masitohstkipm64@gmail.com meutia rachmatia english education department, universitas muhammadiyah kotabumi, north lampung, indonesia email: meutia.rachmatia@umko.ac.id elis susanti english education department, universitas muhammadiyah kotabumi, north lampung, indonesia email: weasly.ndha@yahoo.com dewi sri kuning english education department, universitas muhammadiyah kotabumi, north lampung, indonesia email: dewisrikuning@gmail.com nabila zatadini law department, universitas muhammadiyah kotabumi, north lampung, indonesia email: nabila@umko.ac.id apa citation: masitoh., rachmatia, m., susanti, e., kuning, d. s., & zatadini, n. (2023). a comparative analysis of phonological elements in lampung language: dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 501-514. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.8319 received: 19-02-2023 accepted: 22-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction indonesia was a country rich in culture (ridwan et al., 2022). geographical location affects the mapping of indonesian language usage by the society (andina, 2023; juvita et al., 2022). the lampung language is one of indonesia's regional languages that continues to be used and preserved by the people of lampung. as stated by agustina abstract: this study aims to investigate the differences in phonological elements between two dialects of the lampung language: dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung. the research focuses on lempasing village, padang cermin district, pesawaran regency for dialect a peminggir, and bumi agung marga village, east abung district, north lampung regency for dialect o abung. the objectives of this study are to describe: (1) the differences in vowel phonemes between dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung, (2) the differences in consonant phonemes between dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung, (3) the characteristics of diphthongs and vowel lines in dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung, (4) the differences in clusters and consonants between dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung, and (5) the variations in syllables between dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung. the study adopts a descriptive analytical method, and data collection involves the use of recording devices, tapes, and other stationery. the research utilizes various techniques, including listening or tapping techniques as basic methods, and advanced techniques such as free listening techniques, fishing techniques, recording techniques, questionnaires, and recording techniques. the results of the study demonstrate both differences and similarities in the phonological elements of dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung in the lampung language. keywords: dialects a and o; lampung language; phonological elements. masitoh, meutia rachmatia, elis susanti, dewi sri kuning, & nabila zatadini a comparative analysis of phonological elements in lampung language: dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung 502 et al. (2022), indonesia has over 718 regional languages and 7 regional scripts, with the lampung language being one of them. it belongs to the austronesian language family, specifically the hesperonesia subfamily (masitoh, 2021). according to abidin et al. (2021), the lampung language consists of two varieties: dialect a, also known as api, and dialect o, also known as nyou. that differences happen because of geographical dialect (putri & fitrawati, 2020). dialect a is spoken in areas such as belalau, peminggir teluk semangka, teluk lampung, komering, krui, melinting, and pubiyan. on the other hand, dialect o is used by the inhabitants of abung and tulang bawang (menggala). similarly, sanusi (1998) suggests that the lampung language can be broadly classified into two dialects: dialect o, which includes abung (spread across the districts of north lampung, way kanan, central lampung, metro city, and east lampung (syaputri et al., 2022) and menggala languages, and dialect a, which comprises way kanan, peminggir, melinting, pubiyan, sungkai, and calleran jellemadaya. the classification of lampung language dialects is primarily based on the pronunciation realization of the *a sound from protolampungik in the final position. some varieties retain this sound as [a], while others realize it as [o] (hanawalt, 2007). the difference in pronunciation between these two dialect groups has led to the terms "dialect a" and "dialect o" (matanggui, 1984). walker (1975) also refers to dialect a as "coastal" or "marginalist" and dialect o as "abung." the lampung language consists of various dialects, with dialect a and dialect o being the most prominent. the distinction between these dialects is primarily based on the pronunciation of the *a sound in the final position, giving rise to the terms "dialect a" and "dialect o." it can be said that language needs to be fostered and preserved. it was following what is contained in the explanation of the 1945 constitution chapter xv article 36, which reads: "in areas that have their languages that are well maintained by the people (e.g., javanese, sundanese, madurese, etc.) these languages will be respected and maintained also by the state. these languages are also part of indonesia's vibrant culture". it makes a kind of variety of language style in each place (musdalifah, 2022). therefore, it is necessary to research various aspects of regional language and literature. based on the fact above, the author was conducting this research. previous research on the lampung dialects a and o has provided general insights into the phonological aspects of the lampung language. however, there is a need for more specific and focused research on lampung language phonology, as the existing studies did not explicitly explore the differences between the phonological elements of dialects a and o. for example, previous studies have discussed the diphthongs in the lampung language, including /ay, aw, ew, әy, ow, and uy/. additionally, the lampung language features two consonant sounds, [kh] and [gh], represented by the symbol /я/. students often find it challenging to grasp the phonology of the lampung language, as they need to understand both dialects simultaneously, and both dialects have a significant number of speakers. this complexity makes it particularly difficult for students to comprehend the phonological aspects of the lampung language (masitoh, 2021). phonology, as stated by banik (2016), serves as a bridge between the content and form of language. it is an essential part of communication (suryaleksana et al., 2022). utami & morganna (2022) and sabrina et al. (2023) define phonology as the sound of language. in the field of phonology, there is a process of phonological transformation that occurs when a speaker pronounces a word in a particular language, involving changes, additions, insertions, or deletions of sounds at the beginning, middle, or end of a word. phonetic variations can lead to phonological modifications in word pronunciation (diani & azwandi, 2021), in such a way produced in the configuration of the speech apparatus (wardana et al., 2022). phonological changes are phenomena frequently encountered by language learners studying second languages in indonesia, such as indonesian and english. the study of sound units that distinguish meaning is known as phonemics, while those that do not are referred to as phonetics (alwi et al., 2017; chaer, 2019). phonology, therefore, is a branch of linguistics that investigates, analyzes, and discusses the sound patterns of a language. several scholars have examined phonological mechanisms and alterations in various languages. daana (2018) investigated the phonological development and processes in the speech of an english-arabic bilingual child in jordan, observing phonological phenomena such as english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 503 regressive and progressive assimilation, substitution, and metathesis in the child's production of english and arabic sounds. moreover, several scholars have conducted studies focusing on phonological processes in the indonesian context. for instance, research has been conducted on language interference (diani, 2019), the phonological process in the prefix "me," phonological variations in the serawai and minangkabau languages in manna city, south bengkulu (gustina et al., 2018). these studies have revealed instances where sounds have been added or deleted in the words of these languages. furthermore, researchers have explored phonological processes in various languages. zee (2015) examined the phonological mechanism of assimilation in the yorkshire language. the study found that poor sound neutralization leads to a gradient process during assimilation in the yorkshire language. additionally, behnam and rassekh-alqol (2012) conducted an analysis of metathesis in azeri. they examined 120 azeri speakers in tabriz, iran, considering factors such as age, gender, and social status. the study revealed that metathesis as a phonological process was more commonly observed among younger males and individuals from lower social classes. phonology can be divided into two main aspects: phonetics and phonemics (arjulayana & martinez, 2022). phonetic research focuses on the study of speech sounds, including vowel sounds, diphthongs, vowel series, consonants, consonant clusters, consonant series, and syllables (priya & kumar, 2020). on the other hand, phonemic research focuses on the study of phonemes, which are the smallest units of sound that distinguish meanings in a language (ibrahim, 2013). phonemes are produced by the human speech organs, and their formation can be influenced by the presence or absence of air resistance during the articulation process. systematically, the articulation of sounds in a language is associated with phonetics (asrul & huda, 2022). according to kortmann (2020), the components of pronunciation include individual speech sounds such as monophthongs, diphthongs, triphthongs, semi-vowels, and consonant sounds. for example, in the formation of the phoneme /a/, air flows from the lungs through the oral cavity without obstruction. in the indonesian language, there are six vowel phonemes: /a/, /ә /, /e/, /i /, /o/, /u/ (siahaan & lubis, 2023). based on their high-low parameters, the vowel phonemes in lampung include two high vowels (/i, u/), three mid vowels (/e, ә, o/), and one low vowel (/a/). additionally, based on the front-back parameters of tongue placement, the two front vowels are /i/ and /e/, the two mid vowels are /ә/ and /a/, and the two back vowels are /u/ and /o/ (sanusi, 1998). these six vowels in lampung can appear in initial, medial, and final positions within words or syllables, as illustrated in the table below. table 1. vowels in lampung language position phonemes beginning middle ending /i/ [iko?] ‘tie’ [ijo] 'this' [lima] 'five' [limo] 'five' [api] 'what' [muli] 'girl' /e/ [bebeя] lips [lambanne] his house /ә/ /a/ /u/ /o/ [əяəm]' eram' [akuɂ]' take' [uяiɂ]' live' [ondom] 'shell' [beli]' buying' [balak]’big’ [sapu] 'broom' [kodok] ‘stir’ [iya] ’yes’ [buяaɂ] ‘bad’ [limo] ‘five’ following its articulation, consonants in the lampung language can be categorized based on three factors, (1) the state of the vocal cords, (2) the articulation area, and (3) the way of articulation. based on the state of the vocal cords, consonants can be voiced or voiceless. diphthongs in indonesian consist of ai, au, and oi. diphthongs are different from vocal sequences. each vowel in the vowel row gets the same or nearly the same breath; the two vowels belong to two different syllables. for example, the sound of au and ai in words leaf and primary is not diphthong because the words form their syllables, each of which can be separated into daun and ma-in (alwi et al., 2017; chaer, 2019). lampung language generally has six diphthongs, namely /ay/, /aw/, /ey/, /ew/, /uy/, and /ow/. syllables in indonesian consist of (1) one vowel, (2) one vowel and one consonant, (3) one consonant and one vowel, (4) one consonant, one vowel, and one consonant, (5) one consonant, one vowel, and two consonants, (6) one consonant, one vowel, and three consonants, (7) two consonants and one vowel, (8) two consonants, one vowel, and one consonant, (9) three consonants and one vowel, (10) three consonants, one vowel, and one consonant, and (11) two consonants, one vowel, and two consonants (alwi et al., 2017; chaer, 2019). here is an example of the eleven different syllables above. table 2. eleven different syllables 1 v a-mal, su-a-tu, tu-a 2 vk ar-ti, ber-il-mu, ka-il 3 kv pa-sar, sar-ja-na, war-ga 4 kvk pak-sa, ke-per-lu-an, pe-san masitoh, meutia rachmatia, elis susanti, dewi sri kuning, & nabila zatadini a comparative analysis of phonological elements in lampung language: dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung 504 5 kvkk teks-til, mo-dern, pers 6 kvkkk korps 7 kkv slo-gan, dra-ma, ko-pra 8 kkvk trak-tor, kon-trak 9 kkkv stra-te-gi, stra-ta 10 kkkvk struk-tur, strom, ab-strak 11 kkvkk kom-pleks the syllabic pattern in the lampung language consists of four syllables (anderbeck & ronald, 2017), namely: v [akuɂ] a-kuɂ ‘ambil’ vk [anjaɂ] an-jak ‘dari’ kv [tiləw] ti-leu ‘tuli’ kvk [sambat] sam-bat ‘tegur’ from the explanation above, the research problem can be formulated as follows: how are the phonological elements of the lampung peminggir language different from lampung abung? it included the differences between vowel phonemes, consonants, diphthongs, vowel rows, consonant clusters, and syllables. the findings of theoretical study, particularly those related to phonology, are anticipated to advance language research. practically, the results of this research can also be used as one of the materials (need to be reprocessed) in teaching the lampung regional language, especially in phonology. the research results on regional languages are expected to reveal a number of information about the differences in phonological elements of lampung dialect a with dialect o. method the method used in this study is the analytical descriptive method. the data source was taken from native speakers of lampung dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung, namely from lempasing village, padang cermin district, pesawaran regency and bumi agung marga village, east abung district, north lampung regency. from the two villages, six people were taken as informants; in each village, three informants were taken, one as the core informant and the other as a supporting informant. the data collection used complementary instruments in the form of recording devices and other stationery. the techniques used were listening / tapping techniques as basic techniques, while advanced techniques include listening techniques, free listening techniques, fishing techniques, recording techniques, questionnaires, and recording techniques. the data collection that the author did took five months for the six informants. for the first stage, the author uses listening techniques and listening techniques to obtain phonological data on lampung dialect a and dialect o in general, such as essential words and sounds they have. in the listening technique, the author fills out a questionnaire from swadesh's word list, equipped with data about the observation area and information about the informant. in contrast, the author carries out the free listening technique when the informant tells a story, both in fiction and nonfiction form (done by recording their conversations). furthermore, fishing rod techniques are also used in addition to the two techniques above, asking supporting informants (second and third informants) to obtain other data. a note-taking technique accompanies this because the writer feels more particular about the recorded data than just listening to the recording. for the validity of the data, then what has been obtained is confirmed again by the core informant (first informant). sometimes, researchers ask to be trained by informants to get more factual data. for example, for the mention of the sound [я] in lampung dialect a and dialect o abung, the researcher tried to pronounce the word containing the sound until the informant felt that what the researcher said was correct. it was also done for some specific words. in some instances, researchers sometimes ask to be trained by informants themselves to get more factual data. for example, for the mention of the sound [я] in lampung dialect a and dialect o abung, the researcher tried to pronounce the word containing the sound until the informant felt that what the researcher said was correct. it was also done for some specific words. after the data was collected, both in the form of recorded and written data, data transcription was carried out with phonemic and phonetic transcription. furthermore, these data identified and classified vowel phonemes, consonant phonemes, diphthongs, vowel series, consonant clusters, consonant series, and syllables. next, describe the differences in phonological elements of lampung dialect a with dialect o, which include: vowels, consonants, diphthongs, clusters, vowel series, consonant series, and syllables. results and discussion phonological elements of lampung language dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 505 vowel phonemes of lampung language dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung sanusi (1998) revealed that the lampung language has six vowel phonemes, namely /i/, /e, /ә/, /a/, /o/, and /u/. in the lampung dialect, a peminggir also found six vowel phonemes, namely /a, e, ә, i, o, and u/. however, the lampung dialect of o abung has five vowel phonemes, namely /a/, /ә/, /i/, /o/, and /u/. the lampung dialect of o abung does not have the vowel phoneme /e/. more details could be seen in table 1 of the vowel phonemes based on the highlow and front-back of the tongue at the time of formation. table 3. vowel phonemes of the lampung language dialect a peminggir dialect o abung front middle back high i u i u medium e ә o ә o low a a in table 3, it appears that lampung dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung have two high vowels, namely /i/ and /u/; there were three medium vowels for dialect a, namely /e, ә, and o/, and in dialect o abung there are two medium vowels, namely /ә/ and /o/; and there is one low vowel, which was /a/. based on the front-back parameters of the tongue, the vowels /i/ are the front vowels, the vowels /e/, /ә/, and /a/ were the middle vowels, and the vowels /u/ and /o/ were the back vowels. the vowel /i/ was pronounced with the tongue's high-front position, with both lips slightly stretched to the sides. the vowel /i/ can be seen in the following example words. dialect a peminggir: [ikoɂ] ikok' tie' [iŋoɂ] ingok ‘remember’ dialect o abung kotabumi: [ikəɂ] ikek ‘tie’ [iŋəɂ] ingek ‘remember’ the vowel /e/ is pronounced with the tongue leaf raised and the lip shape slightly stretched to the side. the vowel /e/ was found only in dialect a peminggir, for example, in the following word. [seseя] sesegh ’ comb’ [paseя] pasegh ’ sand’ the vowel /ә/ is pronounced with the middle of the tongue slightly raised and the lips shape neutral. the vowel /ә/ is found in the following word. dialect a peminggir: [əяom] eghom' incubate' [bəla] bela' finish' dialect o abung: [əяəm] eghem ‘incubate’ [gəliɂ] gelik' finish' the vowel /a/ is pronounced with the middle of the tongue somewhat evenly distributed and the mouth wide open. the vowel /a/ is found in the following word. dialect a peminggir: [baca] baca ‘read’ [guway] guwai ‘made’ dialect o abung: [baco] baco ‘read’ [guway] guwai ‘made’ the vowel /u/ is pronounced with both lips slightly forward and rounded. the vowel /u/ is found in the following word. dialect a peminggir: [cappuя] cappugh ‘mix’ [kusuɂ] kusuk ‘tangled’ dialect o abung: [cappur] cappur ‘mix’ [kusuɂ] kusuk ‘tangled’ the vowel /o/ is pronounced with a mediumback tongue position and a slightly bun-dar lip shape. the vowel /o/ is found in the example word below. dialect a peminggir: [iŋoɂ] ingok ‘remember’ [buwoɂ] buwok ‘hair’ dialect o abung: [baco] baco 'read' [jago] jago ‘watch over’ consonant phonemes of lampung language a peminggir dialect and o abung dialect lampung dialect a peminggir has nineteen consonant phonemes, namely /b/, /c/, /d/, /g/, /h/, masitoh, meutia rachmatia, elis susanti, dewi sri kuning, & nabila zatadini a comparative analysis of phonological elements in lampung language: dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung 506 /j/, /k/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /ñ/, /ŋ/, /p/, /, /я/, /s/, /t/, /w/, /y/, and /ɂ/, while o abung dialect has twenty consonant phonemes, namely /b/, /c/, /d/, /g/, /h/, /j/, /k/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /ñ/, /ŋ/, /p/, /r/, /я/, /s/, /t/, /w/, /y/, and /ɂ/. the consonant categories are presented in table 2. table 4. the position of consonant phonemes in lampung a peminggir dialect o abung dialect ways of articulatio n and regions of articulatio n bilabial dent al/al veolar palatal velar uvular glota l bilabial dental/ alveol ar palatal velar uvular glotal hambat/st op silent voiced p b t d k g ɂ p b t d k g ɂ afrikat silent voiced c j c j frikatif/ slide silent voiced s h я s h я nasal voiced m n ñ ŋ m n ñ ŋ vibration voiced r lateral voiced l l semi-vocal voiced w y w y the phoneme details above are as follows: (1) in lampung dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung there were seventh phonemes of hambat/stop consonants consisting of four voiceless phonemes, namely /p/, /t/, /k/, and /ɂ/, as well as three voiced phonemes, namely /b/, /d/, and /g/. (2) in the lampung language, dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung were found two africanite phonemes consisting of one voiceless phoneme /c/ and one voiced phoneme /j/. (3) in lampung dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung there were three fricative / sliding consonant phonemes consisting of two voiceless phonemes, namely /s/ and /h/, and one voiced phoneme, namely /я/. (4) in lampung dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung there were four nasal or nasal consonant phonemes, namely /m/, /n/, /ñ/, and /ŋ/. (5) in lampung dialect a peminggir there was no vibrating phoneme /r/, while in dialect o abung there was one vibrating consonant phoneme, namely /r/. (6) in lampung language, dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung there was one lateral consonant phoneme, namely /l/. (7) in lampung language, dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung there were two semi vowel consonant phonemes, namely /w/ and /y/. based on the articulation area, the consonant phonemes of lampung dialect a peminggir dialect and dialect o abung can be detailed as follows. (1) there were four phonemes of labial consonants, namely /p/, /b/, /m/, and /w/. (2) in lampung dialect a peminggir there were five phonemes t/, /d/, /s/, /n/, and /l/, while in dialect o abung there were six phonemes of dental/alveolar consonants, namely phonemes /t/, /d/, /s/, /n/, /r/, and /l/. (3) there were four palatal consonant phonemes, namely /c/, /j/, /ñ/, and /y/. (4) there were three phonemes of velar consonants, namely /k/, /g/, and /ŋ/. (5) there was one phoneme of uvular consonants, namely /я/. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 507 (6) there were two glotal consonant phonemes, namely /ɂ/ and /h/. in its distribution, not all consonant segments of lampung dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung can fulfill all positions in the root word. we can see this in table 3 below. table 5. the distribution of consonant phonemes in lampung a peminggir dialect o abung dialect fonem starting position center position final position starting position center position final position /b/ /c/ /d/ /g/ /h/ /j/ /ɂ/ [baŋiɂ] bangik ‘delicious’ [caяiɂ] caghik ‘tear’ [dəŋi] dengi 'hear' [guttiŋ] gutting 'scissors' [haccur] haccugh 'destroyed' [jahal] jahal 'ugly' [babuy] babui ‘pig’ [baca] baca ‘read’ [badiɂ] badik ‘outrigger ’ [bagi] bagi ‘devided’ [tuha] tuha ‘old’ [janji] janji [daɂwa] dakwa' dakwa [sujud] sujud ‘prostrati on’ [uyah] uyah 'salt' [ñaɂ] nyak ‘i’ [baŋiɂ] bangik ‘delicious’ [caяiɂ] caghik ‘tear’ [dəŋəy] dengei ‘hear’ [gəliɂ] gelik 'finish' [haccur] haccur 'destroyed' [jahhəl] jahhel' ugly' [babuy] babui 'babi' [baco] baco ‘baca’ [badiɂ] badik' outrigger' [pəguŋ] pegung ‘touch’ [tuho] tuho ‘tua’ [janjəy] janjei ‘janji’ [daɂwo] dakwo ‘dakwa’ [səbab] sebab ‘sebab’ [sujud] sujud ‘prostration’ [matah] matah ‘raw’ [ñaɂ] nyak 'i' /k/ /l/ /m/ [kilu] kilu ‘ask’ [ləbon] lebon 'disappear' [matah] matah ‘raw’ [akuɂ] akuk ‘take’ [balak] balak ‘big’ [numur] numur ‘number’ [tinuɂ] tinuk [balak] balak ‘big’ [juwal] jual ’ sell’ [tanəm] tanem ‘plant’ [umban] [kiluy] kilui 'ask' [lipaw] lipau ‘throw’ [matah] matah ‘raw’ [nasihat] [akuɂ] akuk ‘take’ [alaw] alau ‘chase’ [numur] numur ‘number’ [tinuɂ] tinuk [balak] balak ‘big’ [juwal] jual ‘sell’ [tanəm] tanem ‘plant’ masitoh, meutia rachmatia, elis susanti, dewi sri kuning, & nabila zatadini a comparative analysis of phonological elements in lampung language: dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung 508 /n/ /ñ/ /ŋ/ /p/ /r/ /я/ /s/ /t/ /w/ /y/ [nasihat] nasihat ‘advice’ [ñata] nyata ‘real’ [ŋuяa] ngugha ‘young’ [pədom] pedom ‘tidur’ [яamiɂ] ghamik 'ceowded' [səяuɂ] seghuk ‘sew’ [tanom] tanom ’plant’ [way] wai ‘water’, ’ river’ [yakin] yakin ‘believe’ ‘see’ [kañas] kanyas ' pineapple' [baŋiɂ] bangik ‘delisious ’ [apay] apai 'tikar' [hiяan] highan 'amazed' [asah] asah ‘sharpen’ [matah] matah' raw' [waway] wawai ‘good’ [sayan] sayan ‘alone’ umban ‘throw away’ [mulaŋ] mulang ‘go home’ [təkkop] tekkop ’tangkap [ajaя] 'ajagh' 'teach' [təŋis] tengis ‘hear’ [təkanjat] tekanjat ’ surprised’ nasihat ‘advice’ [ñato] nyato ‘real’ [ŋuяo] ngugho ‘young’ [pədəm] pedem ‘tidur’ [ramiɂ] ramik 'crowded' [яabay] ghabai 'scared' [səяuɂ] seghuk ‘sew’ [tuяuy] tughui ‘sleep’ [way] wai 'water', ' river' [yakin] yakin ‘believe’ ‘see’ [kiñaw] kinyau ‘wash’ [baŋiɂ] bangik ‘delisious ’ [lipaw] lipau ‘lempar’ [hiran] hiran ‘amazed’ [paяəɂ] paghek ‘near’ [asah] asah ‘sharpen’ [kuto] kuto ‘fence’ [waway] wawai ‘good’ [sayan] sayan ‘alone’ [umban] umban ‘throw away’ [mulaŋ] mulang ‘pulang’ [takkəp] takkep ‘tangkap’ [ajar] ajar 'teach' [mətəя] metegh ‘sweet’ [ubas] ubas ‘complete’ [aяat] aghat 'disappear' table 5 shows the following: there were 12 consonant phonemes that can occupy all positions in the root word, namely the phonemes /b/, /d/, /h/, /k/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /p/, /я/, /s/, and /t/. the phoneme /r/ can also occupy all positions in the root word but only exists in the dialect o abung. there were six consonant phonemes that can only occupy the initial and middle positions of the root word, namely /c/, /g/, /j/, /ñ/, /w/, and /y/. consonant phonemes that can only occupy the middle position and the root word's final position are one piece, namely the phoneme /ɂ/. diphthongs and vowels in the lampung language dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung lampung language generally has six diphthongs, namely /ay/, /aw/, /ey/, /ew/, /uy/, and /ow/. especially for the lampung language, dialect a peminggir only has three diphthongs, namely /ay/, /aw/, and /uy/, each of which could be written: ai, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 509 au, and ui, while the dialect o abung has five diphthongs, namely /ay/, /aw/, /ey/, /ew/, and /uy/, each of which could be written: ai, au, ei, eu, and ui. each diphthong can only occupy the final position on the root word. for more details, in table 4 the work of each diphthong in the base word can be seen. table 6. the distribution of diphthongs in lampung dialect a peminggir dialect o abung diftong starting position center position final position starting position center position final position /ay/ ai /aw/ au /ey/ ei /ew/ eu /uy/ ui [sabay] sabai ‘besan’ [alaw] alau ‘chase’ [kəkuy] kekui 'scratch' [яabay] ghabai 'scared' [ambaw] ambau 'smell' [dəŋəy] dengei 'listen' [sapəw] sapeu 'broom' [kəkuy] kekui 'scratch' the rows of lampung vowels, dialect a peminggir, and dialect o abung bety (2021) states that a vowel series is a sequence of two or more vowels without being punctuated by consonants but in different syllables. the vowel series found in lampung dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung are: /aa/, /ai/, au/, /ia/, /ii/, /iu/, /iә/, /io/, /ua/, /ui/, /uu/, /uo/, /әa/, /әi/, /әu/, /әә/. table 5. vocal series dialect a peminggir dialect o abung vowel series example example /aa/ /ai/ /au/ /ia/ /ii/ /iu/ /iə/ /io/ /ua/ /ui/ /uu/ /ua/, /uo/ /əa/ /əi/ [taɂat] taat ‘obey’ [kayit] kait ‘hook’ [bəgawul] begaul ‘hang out’ [giyat] ‘giat’ ‘diligent’ [diɂisop] diisop 'smoked' [biyus] bius' pushers [diɂəяom] dieghom ‘dieram’ [sətudiyo] setudio ‘studio’ [buwal] bual ‘lie’ [duwit] duit' money' [taɂat] taat ‘obey’ [kayit] kait ‘hook’ [bəgawul] begaul ‘hang out’ [giyat] giat ‘diligent’ [diɂisiɂ] diisik ‘maintained’ [biyus] bius' bius' [diɂəяəm] dieghem ‘dieram’ [sətudiyo] setudio ‘studio’ [buwal] bual‘lie’ [duwit] duit' money' [kuɂunjal] kuunjal ‘i lift up’ [duɂo] duo' prayer' [təɂakuɂ] teakuk 'fetched' [təɂiŋəɂ] teingek 'remembered' [bəɂutaŋ] beutang /əu/ /əə/ [kuɂusuŋ] kuusung ‘i lift up’ [duɂa] dua' prayer' [təɂakuɂ] teakuk 'fetched' [təɂiŋoɂ] teingok 'remembered' [bəɂutaŋ] beutang ‘owe’ [təɂəяom] teeghom ‘tereram’ ‘owe’ [təəяəm] teeghem ‘tereram’ in table 5 it appears that in the vowel series of the lampung dialect o abung there was one segment that cannot occupy the first and middle positions of the word, namely /o/. clusters and consonants of lampung language a peminggir dialect and o abung dialect in the lampung language, there was no cluster, either in the dialect a peminggir or the dialect o abung. a cluster or cluster is a row of two or more consonants close together in a syllable without any vowels interrupting them. in the lampung language, there is no cluster, either in the a peminggir dialect or the o abung dialect. a consonant series is a sequence of two or more consonants in a word in a different syllable without a vowel insert (setyadi, 2019). the row of consonants found in lampung dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung consists of: /bb/, masitoh, meutia rachmatia, elis susanti, dewi sri kuning, & nabila zatadini a comparative analysis of phonological elements in lampung language: dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung 510 /bd/, /bl/, /bs/,/bt/, /cc/, /dd/, /gg/, /hb/, /hd/, /hh/, /hl/, /hm/, /hn/, {/hя/ /hr}/, /ht/, /hw/, /hy/, /jj/, /kb/, /kc/, /kd/, /kk/, /kl/, /kn/, /ks/, /kt/, /kw/, /lb/, /ld/, /ll/,/lm/, /lp/, /ls, /lt/, /lj, /mb, /ml/, /mm/, /mn/, /mp/, /ms/, /nc/, /nd/, /nj/, /ns/, /nn/, /nt/, /ŋg/, /ŋk/, /ŋŋ/, /ŋl/, /ŋs/, /pp/, /ps/, /pt/, /rb/, { /яc/, /rc/},{/яd/, /rd/}, {/яg/, /rg/}, {/яj/, /rj/}, {яk/, /rk/}, {/яl/,/rl/}, {/яm/, /rm}, {/яn/, /rn/}, {/яp/, /rp/}, { /яs/, /rs/}, {/яt/, /rt/}, {/яw/, /rw/}, /sb/, /sk/, /sl/, /sm/, /sn/, /sp/, {/sя/, /sr}/, /ss/, /st/, /sw/, /tt/, /ww/, /ɂn/,/ɂw/, /ɂy/. special consonant series /nc and nd/ do not exist in the dialect o abung. in addition to the two rows of consonants (/nc and nd/), they are all the same. syllables of lampung language dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung a syllable is the smallest rhythmic unit (rhythm) in speech flow. in other words, a syllable is part of a word spoken in one breath (arifin, sumpeno & hariadi, 2018). for example, the word 'limp' is pronounced with two breaths: kaand -luk. therefore, the word kaluk consists of two syllables. syllables are usually marked with vowels or diphthongs as peaks of loudness. syllables ending in a vowel (v) are called open syllables, and syllables ending in a consonant (k) are called closed syllables. the syllabic pattern in the lampung language consists of the following: v [akuɂ] a-kuɂ ‘take’ vk [anjaɂ] an-jak ‘from’ kv [tiləw] ti-leu ‘deaf’ kvk [sambat] sam-bat 'rebuke' furthermore, in the lampung dialect a peminggir found a basic word consisting of one, two, three, and four syllables. v= [a-bay] a-bai 'try', [a-kuɂ] a-kuk 'take' vk= [an-jaɂ] an-jak 'from', [an-tar] in-tar 'escort', kv= [ku-ta] ku-ta ‘fence’, [ku-яuɂ] ku-ghuk ‘enter’, kvk= [sam-bat] sam-bat 'rebuke', [sim-poɂ] simpok 'wrap' likewise, in the lampung dialect o abung, there are basic words consisting of one, two, and three syllables v= [a-bay] a-bai 'try', [a-kuɂ] a-kuk 'take' vk= [an-jaɂ] an-jak ‘fromi’, [as-ləy] as-lei ‘real’, kv= [ku-to] ku-to 'fence', [kuяuɂ] ku-ghuk 'enter', kvk= [sambat] sam-bat 'rebuke', [sippəɂ] sippek 'wrap.' conclusion the results of research and discussion showed in the position of the vowel phonemes of the lampung language, dialects a peminggir and o abung the similarities and differences are as follows: (1) the vowel phoneme /i/ in dialect a peminggir can occupy the beginning, middle, and end positions of words, while in dialect o abung can only occupy the initial and middle positions; (2) the phoneme /e/ in dialect a ruler can only occupy the middle and final positions of words, while in dialect o abung this phoneme /e/ does not exist; (3) the vowel phoneme /ә/ can only occupy the initial and middle positions of words, in both dialect a marginal and dialect o abung; (4) the vowel phoneme /a/ can occupy all positions, i.e. beginning, middle, and end in dialects a marginal and o abung; (5) the vowel phoneme /o/ in dialect a peminggir can occupy the initial and middle positions of words, while dialect o abung can only occupy the final position of words; (6) the vowel phoneme /u/ in dialect a peminggir can occupy all positions of beginning, middle, and end words, while in dialect o abung can only occupy the initial and middle positions of words. for consonant phonemes, the lampung language dialect a peminggir has nineteen consonant phonemes, namely: /b/, /c/, /d/, /g/, /h/, /j/, /k/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /ñ/, /ŋ/, /p/, /, /я/, /s/, /t/, /w/, /y/, dan /ɂ/, while the dialect o abung has twenty consonant phonemes, namely /b/, /c/, /d/, /g/, /h/, /j/, /k/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /ñ/, /ŋ/, /p/, /r/, /я/, /s/, /t/, /w/, /y/, dan /ɂ/. in dialect a peminggir, there were no phonemes /r/; sounds [r] were represented by phonemes /я/ only, while in dialect o abung, sounds [r and gh] are represented phonemes /r and я/. some things that need to be emphasized concerning the position of the consonant phonemes of the lampung dialect a peminggir and o abung in words were: (1) consonant phonemes that can occupy all positions in the root word there were twelve pieces, namely the phonemes /b/, /d/, /h/, /k/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /p/, /я/, /s/, and /t/. the phoneme /r/ can also occupy all positions in the root word but only exists in the dialect o abung; (2) six consonant phonemes can only occupy the initial and middle positions of the root word, namely /c/, /g/, /j/, /ñ/, /w/, and /y/; (3) consonant phonemes that can only occupy the middle position and the final position of the root word there was one piece, namely the phoneme /ɂ/. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 511 furthermore, the lampung language generally has six diphthongs, namely /ay/, /aw/, /ey/, /ew/, /uy/, and /ow/. especially for the lampung language, dialect a peminggir only has three diphthongs, namely /ay/, /aw/, and /uy/, each of which can be written: ai, au, and ui, while the o abung dialect has five diphthongs, namely /ay/, /aw/, /ey/, /ew/, and /uy/, each of which can be written: ai, au, ei, eu, and ui. each diphthong can only occupy the final position on the root word. in the lampung language, there is no cluster, either in the a peminggir dialect or the o abung dialect. the vowel sequences found in lampung dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung are/aa/, /ai/, au/, /ia/, /ii/, /iu/, /iə/, /io/, /ua/, /ui/, /uu/, /uo/, /əa/, /əi/, /əu/, /əə/. the vowel series of the lampung dialect o abung has one phoneme that cannot occupy the first and middle positions of the word, namely the phoneme /o/. the old consonants of lampung dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung consist of: /bb/, /bd/, /bl/, /bs/,/bt/, /cc/, /dd/, /gg/, /hb/, /hd/, /hh/, /hl/, /hm/, /hn/, {/hя/ /hr}/, /ht/, /hw/, /hy/, /jj/, /kb/, /kc/, /kd/, /kk/, /kl/, /kn/, /ks/, /kt/, /kw/, /lb/, /ld/, /ll/,/lm/, /lp/, /ls, /lt/, /lj, /mb, /ml/, /mm/, /mn/, /mp/, /ms/, /nc/, /nd/, /nj/, /ns/, /nn/, /nt/, /ŋg/, /ŋk/, /ŋŋ/, /ŋl/, /ŋs/, /pp/, /ps/, /pt/, /rb/, { /яc/, /rc/},{/яd/, /rd/}, {/яg/, /rg/}, {/яj/, /rj/}, {яk/, /rk/}, {/яl/,/rl/}, {/яm/, /rm}, {/яn/, /rn/}, {/яp/, /rp/}, { /яs/, /rs/}, {/яt/, /rt/}, {/яw/, /rw/}, /sb/, /sk/, /sl/, /sm/, /sn/, /sp/, {/sя/, /sr}/, /ss/, /st/, /sw/, /tt/, /ww/, /ɂn/,/ɂw/, /ɂy/. especially for the consonant rows /nc/ and /nt/ do not exist in the dialect o abung. a row of consonants, one of which consists of the phoneme /я/, is in dialect a peminggir, while one of them, the phoneme /r/, is in dialect o abung. furthermore, in lampung dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung, syllables consist of one, two, three, and four syllables in each basic word. many things can still be revealed from the lampung language because the results of this study are still limited to the study of phonological elements of the lampung language, dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung. these phonological elements can also be used for further research to study the linguistic aspects of the lampung language in general and for lampung dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung in more detail. finally, it is recommended that further research can be carried out on other problems with similar studies so that phonological studies, such as naming, how to pronounce language phonemes, and sound changes, especially for lampung dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung are complete and can add linguistic data to existing lampung languages. in terms of language, it is also recommended to research other aspects, such as the lampung language's morphology, syntax, and semantics. references abidin, z., permata., ariyani, f. (2021). translation of the lampung language text dialect of nyo into the indonesian language with dmt and smt approach. intensif, 5(1), 58-71. agustina, e. s., haenilah, e. y., & dwijonagoro, s. (2022). lampung language subjects in various curriculum contexts and learning. international journal of social science research and review, 5(6), 188-199. alwi, h., dardjowidjojo, s., lapoliwa, h., & moeliono, a. m. (2017). tata bahasa baku bahasa indonesia. anderbeck., & ronald, k. (2017). an initial reconstruction of proto-lampungic: phonology and basic vocabulary. studies in philippine languages and cultures sil international, 16, 41–165. andina, e. (2023). implementasi dan tantangan revitalisasi bahasa daerah di provinsi lampung. aspirasi: jurnal masalahmasalah sosial, 14(1), 15-35. arjulayana., & martinez, m. m. (2022). student’s pronunciation error in speaking performance. globish (an englishindonesian journal for english, education and culture), 11(2), 101-109. arifin, a., sumpeno, s., hariadi, m., & syarif, a. m. (2018). membangun sistem text-toaudiovisual bahasa indonesia berdasarkan database suara berbasis suku kata untuk mendukung pembelajaran pelafalan bahasa indonesia. aiti, 15(1), 14-26. asrul, n., & huda, a. (2022). enhancing pronunciation skills through phonetic method. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 14(3), 4167-4176. banik, l. a. (2017). fonologi bahasa kanaumana kolana. retorika: jurnal ilmu bahasa, 3(1), behnam, b., & rassekh-alqol, b. (2012). a sociolinguistic analysis of metathesis in azeri language. international journal of applied linguistics & english literature, 1(2), 56-64. bety, n. (2021). deret vokal dan deret konsonan dalam bahasa tunjung (tonyooi). loa: https://www.sil.org/resources/archives/25900 https://www.sil.org/resources/archives/25900 https://www.sil.org/resources/archives/25900 masitoh, meutia rachmatia, elis susanti, dewi sri kuning, & nabila zatadini a comparative analysis of phonological elements in lampung language: dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung 512 jurnal ketatabahasaan dan kesusastraan, 16(2), 142-152. chaer, a. (2019). linguistik umum (edisi revisi. rineka cipta. daana, h. a. (2018). phonological development and phonological processes in the speech of an english-arabic bilingual child. international journal of applied linguistics & english literature, 7(5), 197206. diani, i. (2019). interferensi bahasa indonesia terhadap kemampuan berbicara bahasa inggris mahasiswa universitas bengkulu. universitas bengkulu. diani, i., & azwandi, a. (2021). phonological change processes of english and indonesian. joall (journal of applied linguistics and literature), 6(1), 133-148. gustina, l., nadra, n., & marnita, r. (2018). phonological variation in serawai language that used by minangkabaunese and serawainese in kota manna, south bengkulu. jurnal arbitrer, 5(1), 8-16. ibrahim, a. (2013). pengaruh dan pemengaruh bunyi (tinjauan fonetik pada kosa kata bahasa indonesia). kekelpot, 9(1), 1-9. juvita, j., maricar, f., mulae, s. o. (2022). semantic relations of papuan indonesian dialect. els journal on interdisciplinary studies in humanities, 5(3), 453-459. kortmann, b. (2020). phonetics and phonology: on sounds and sound systems. english linguistics, 27–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-476-056788_2 matanggui, j, h. (1984). fonologi bahasa lampung dialek o. linguistik indonesia, 2, 63–76. masitoh, m. (2021). peningkatan kemampuan membaca kalimat dengan aksara lampung melalui penerapan model pembelajaran literasi informasi siswa kelas iv sdn 04 tanjung aman kotabumi tahun pelajaran 2020/2021. edukasi lingua sastra, 19(1), 31–38. https://doi.org/10.47637/elsa.v19i1.323 musdalifah. (2022). dialect of american and british english style through listening material analysis: language learner’s perception. joey: journal of english ibrahimy, 1(2), 43-55. priya, m. l. s., & kumar, n. s. p. (2020). teaching phonetics to enhance pronunciation in an esl classroom. journal of critical reviews, 7(2), 669-672. putri, s. e., & fitrawati, (2020). phonological and lexical comparison of pariaman dialect with standard minangkabau. e-journal of english language & literature, 9(2), 229235. ridwan, r. i., munir, a., & purwanti, o. (2022). the perceptions about difficulties of dialect buginisse toward student’s speaking in muhammadiyah university of makassar. exposure journal, 11(1), 100-115. sabrina, a. b., aulia, s., & lubis, y. (2023). google translate in pronouncing and providing phonetic transcription. jurnal pendidikan dan sastra inggris (jupensi), 3(2), 128-139. sanusi, a. e. (1998). fonologi bahasa lampung. gunung. siahaan, r. p. j., & lubis, y. (2023). comparison of indonesian and english segmental phonemes. jurnal pendidikan rafflesia, 1(2), 53-58. setyadi, a. (2019). fonem deret vokal dalam bahasa indonesia. nusa: jurnal ilmu bahasa dan sastra, 14(2), 169-180. suryaleksana, b. b., sari, m. n., nadilia, m., & bram, b. (2022). utilizing the international phonetic alphabet to improve pronunciation of english education students. english education: jurnal tadris bahasa inggris, 15(1), 148-167. syaputra, w., malik, n. j., & datang, f. a. (2022). lampungic maintenance in urban areas: the differences based on students responses. elt-lectura: studies and perspectives in english language teaching, 9(2), 227-235. trinh, q. l., nguyen, t. d. l., & le, t. t. (2022). using explicit instruction of the international phonetic alphabet system in english as a foreign language adult classes. european journal of educational research, 11(2), 749-761. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.11.2.749 uddin, a., & uddin, s. (2021). phonemic transcription in teaching english pronunciation to first year efl students of textile engineering. anglisticum. journal of the association-institute for english language and american studies, 10(5), 6478. undang-undang (uu) nomor 15 tahun 1945 tentang bendera, bahasa, dan lambang negara serta lagu kebangsaan. jakarta. utami, h. s., & morganna, r. (2022). improving students’ english pronunciation http://www.linguistik-indonesia.org/images/files/fonologibhslampungdialeko.pdf http://www.linguistik-indonesia.org/images/files/fonologibhslampungdialeko.pdf english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 513 competence by using shadowing technique. english franca: academic journal of english language and education, 6(1), 127-150. walker, dale franklin (1975). a lexical study of lampung dialects. in verhaar, j. w. m. miscellaneous studies in indonesian and languages in indonesia, part i (pp. 11-22). nusa: linguistic studies of indonesian and other languages in indonesia. badan penyelenggara seri nusa. wardana, i. k., astuti, p. s., & sukanadi, n. l. (2022). examining the effect ofphonological awareness instruction on efl learners’ pronunciation and motivation. erudita: journal of english language teaching, 2(2), 129-147. https://doi.org/10.28918/erudita.v2i2.6191 zee, t. (2015). yorkshire assimilation, an experimental investigation of gradient phonological alternation. utrecht university. masitoh, meutia rachmatia, elis susanti, dewi sri kuning, & nabila zatadini a comparative analysis of phonological elements in lampung language: dialect a peminggir and dialect o abung 514 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 917 non-linguistic aspect caused students’ foreign language anxiety in speaking english yuwin r. saleh english education department, tarbiyah and teacher training faculty, iain sultan amai gorontalo, gorontalo regency, indonesia email: yuwinsaleh@iaingorontalo.ac.id enni akhmad english education department, tarbiyah and teacher training faculty, iain sultan amai gorontalo, gorontalo regency, indonesia email: enni@iaingorontalo.ac.id zulkifli akhmad english education department, tarbiyah and teacher training faculty, iain sultan amai gorontalo, gorontalo regency, indonesia email: zulkifli@iaingorontalo.ac.id apa citation: saleh, y. r., akhmad, e., & akhmad, z. (2023). non-linguistic aspect caused students’ foreign language anxiety in speaking english. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 917-924. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.7803 received: 17-06-2023 accepted: 22-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: this study identifies the causes by which english-speaking learners encounter anxiety when learning a foreign language, especially english. there has been a lot of research on students' anxiety when speaking english, but little research has been done on students' anxiety when speaking a foreign language due to nonlinguistic causes. therefore, this research was being conducted to address the informational gap. in order to investigate the anxiety of english-speaking students with upper intermediate ability levels, a qualitative case study research methodology was adopted in the study. 22 english education department from fitk iain sultan amai gorontalo took part in the investigation. the foreign language anxiety scale (flas) was used to quantify student anxiety levels, while unstructured interview tools were used to investigate the reasons for student-language anxiety. the triangulation approach was used to select data pertaining to the cause of fla, present the data from the interview results, and draw inferences from the study findings. the findings indicated that three non-linguistic factors contributed to students' anxiety about speaking english language. first, they felt worried to speak in front of the class and answered the lecturer's questions voluntarily. second, they felt worried did not understand what the lecturer was talking about. third, they felt worried did not prepare before the lesson started. it can be concluded that either linguistic or non-linguistic factors can contribute to students' nervousness when speaking english as a foreign language. this research suggests that the lecturer should accommodate students’ anxiety by using the right methods and material. keywords: non-linguistic aspect; students’ foreign language anxiety; students’ in upper-intermediate proficiency level. introduction foreign language anxiety is a type of anxiety that is experienced by individuals when learning, speaking, or interacting in a foreign language classroom (indrianty, 2016; chang et al., 2017; djaguna & basri, 2020; baran‐łucarz, 2014; pappamihiel, 2002). foreign language anxiety is generally conceptualized as a type of anxiety that arises when an individual is exposed to a foreign language in a context in which they are expected to interact with that language. the scholars agreed that foreign language anxiety (henceforth called fla) is caused by a combination of factors, such as a lack of confidence (tanveer, 2016; asih, 2012), fear of making mistakes and anxiety about being judged by others ( djaguna & basri, 2020). additionally, it can be exacerbated by cultural differences, unfamiliarity with the language and its grammar, and the social and cultural contexts of the language-learning environment (ariani et al., 2012). some scholars who concerned with foreign language anxiety include john c. richards, who developed the foreign language classroom anxiety scale (flcas). he developed the flcas to measure foreign language anxiety in language learners. this scale consists of 12 items that are yuwin r. saleh, enni akhmad, & zulkifli akhmad non-linguistic aspect caused students’ foreign language anxiety in speaking english 918 rated on a 5-point likert scale, ranging from 'not at all anxious' to 'extremely anxious'. the scale measures anxiety related to speaking, listening, reading, and writing in a foreign language, as well as anxiety related to the classroom environment (richards & richards, 2010). zoltán dörnyei who introduced the concept of motivational anxiety to describe the anxiety that arises when an individual is attempting to perform a task that is seen as important, or for which they have high expectations. this type of anxiety is often experienced when learning a foreign language, as the learner may feel pressure to perform well and be judged harshly if they make mistakes (dörnyei, 2016). stephen krashen, who proposed the affective filter hypothesis, he states that anxiety can create an “affective filter” that blocks language input and inhibits language learning. this hypothesis suggests that anxiety can be a barrier to successful language learning, as it can interfere with the learner’s ability to process and retain information (du, 1985; wang, 2020; zen & apriana, 2015). additionally, researchers such as david a. young and diane j. tedick have explored the effects of foreign language anxiety on language learning and how it can be addressed in the classroom. their research has focused on the impact of anxiety on language learning as well as how teachers can create a supportive classroom environment that reduces anxiety and allows learners to feel comfortable speaking in the target language (hutabarat & simanjuntak, 2020). foreign language anxiety is a phenomenon of students’ speaking abilities. the phenomenon was realized as one of the main obstacles to be overcome by teachers. in his research (bai, 2023) found that foreign language anxiety causes students’ participation in speaking; they are reluctant to speak. the students forgot what to say because of worry and nervousness. in line with, (andriani et al., 2023) found that foreign language anxiety attacked the students’ bravery in speaking in front of others. most of the participants in her research said that they were anxious to speak in front of others because they worried about being laughed. the other research was conducted by alaofi & russell (2022) identified that foreign language anxiety disturbed teacher and student interaction in the classroom. this situation happened because the students felt worried about having negative evaluations from the teacher. based on these facts, it's vital to investigate the factors that cause fla, so it'll be easy to find a solution. since the non-linguistic factors that cause foreign language antiquity have been extensively studied, this study has come to provide a new insight: that non-linguistic factors also have the same effect on students’ foreign language anxiety. those concepts above brought some researchers to investigate the foreign language anxiety in teaching and learning process. it began in the 1970s and 1980s, when researchers first began to investigate the affective factors that influence language learning. horwitz (1986) is a popular scholar who defined foreign language anxiety as "a distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and behaviours related to classroom language learning arising from the uniqueness of the language learning process (pamungkas, 2018; khusnia, 2016; marwan, 2008). since then, there has been a significant amount of research on the topic, including studies on the causes and effects of foreign language anxiety (sinadia & ngingi, 2023; usman et al., 2018). its relationship with other variables such as motivation and personality (ariani et al., 2012; dörnyei, 2016; peng et al., 2023), and various approaches for reducing anxiety in language learners ( hernández, 2022). the research results indicated that students’ foreign language anxiety can be caused by linguistic aspect such as lack of vocabulary, communication apprehension, and lack of pronunciation. it is also caused by nonlinguistic aspect. however, the research which was given clear classification about linguistic aspect and non-linguistic aspect was rarely. therefore, this research came to stipulate the gap of knowledge. it investigated the factors of students' foreign language anxiety was focused on non-linguistic aspect. by identifying the factors that cause foreign language anxiety, teachers can provide appropriate treatment in learning foreign languages, especially english. teachers can develop learning methods, strategies or models according to the fla characteristics experienced by learners. the non-linguistic aspect factors of students’ fla in this research referred to the aspects of teaching that are not related to the linguistic aspects being taught. non-linguistic aspects are related to students' performance, such as speaking in front of other students. students' active participation in answering lecturer question voluntary. students' motivation in preparing their selves before the class. these three are important elements for successful learning. if students feel anxious in facing the learning process, it will significantly english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 919 affect their performance, participation, and motivation. teacher has to give full attention to the nonlinguistic aspect when teaching foreign language, such as english. he/she has to realize that learning environment can reduce students’ foreign language anxiety (brown, 2007; scarino, 2009; trang, 2013). learning environment has some functions in teaching and learning process, such as teaching english as foreign language (efl). they are facilitating engagement, enhancing learning, fostering collaboration, managing classroom behaviour, creating inclusivity, encouraging creativity and innovation, and encouraging creativity and innovation. therefore, this research answered two research questions. first, what were the non-linguistic factors that influence the students’ foreign language anxiety on the upper intermediate proficiency level? second, what factors have the most influence the students foreign language anxiety on the upper intermediate proficiency level? there were two aims of this research. first, to identify the factors that cause foreign language anxiety. second, to elaborate on which factors are the most important in students' foreign language anxiety. method this research used qualitative research approach. qualitative research is a research approach that is concerned with understanding social phenomena from the perspectives of the individuals involved in those phenomena. it is used to gain insights into individuals' experiences and perspectives, and to generate theories that can guide future research. according to john w. cresswell, qualitative research is an approach to inquiry that focuses on understanding the meanings and interpretations of individuals in their natural settings (valdellon & lovitos, 2022). this type of research is often used to explore topics such as attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. qualitative research typically uses a variety of methods, such as interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and document analysis. the design of this research used case study. a case study design is a research method that focuses on in-depth analysis of a particular case or a group of cases. the focus of a case study design is to gain a deep understanding of the case or cases under investigation, often by collecting and analysing multiple sources of data, such as interviews, observations, documents, and artifacts (indrianty, 2016; pole, 2000; rahim, 2023). the fla case that students in english courses encountered was examined in this study. the case study was useful in helping the researcher evaluate the issue of students' anxiety related to learning a foreign language. twenty students from the english department of fitk iain sultan amai gorontalo who were enrolled in an upper-intermediate speaking class participated in this study using purposive sampling. the research data was collected using the fla scale questionnaire released by howirtz (1986). on a scale of strongly agree to very strongly disagree, there were 22 statements. following the completion of the questionnaire by each participant, the researcher examined the data and organized it in a table. as a result, three statements were identified where the majority of participants strongly agreed. the origins of three of the claims were discovered through an open interview. this research uses triangulation method in three steps: reducing data, displaying data and concluding data. the lift data was analyzed by sorting out the number of statements most approved or disapproved by participants, at this stage the researchers issued the statement on the least selected lift by the participants. the displaying stage is done by showing the statement based on most answers by participants. the data displayed in table form is summarized in statement form. thus, the results of the research can be described clearly. results and discussion the results of data analysis have produced answers to the research questions presented. the first research question was what did the non-linguistic factors that affect foreign language anxiety of the students of english education department fitk iain sultan amai gorontalo on the upper intermediate proficiency level? second, what factors have the most influence on foreign language anxiety of english education department fitk iain sultan amai gorontalo on the upper intermediate proficiency level? factors causing fla for learners of english at the upper intermediate proficiency level the students of english education department of fitk iain sultan amai gorontalo on the upper intermediate proficiency level experienced fla. they felt, when they know that they are going to be called on in language class. the feeling of anxiety arises because they were worried that they yuwin r. saleh, enni akhmad, & zulkifli akhmad non-linguistic aspect caused students’ foreign language anxiety in speaking english 920 could not do what the teacher tells them to do as well as they can. they also feel anxious if they cannot understand what is told or explained by the lecturer. fifty percent (50%) agreed when they gave response to the statement “it frightens us when we don't understand what the teacher is saying in the foreign language”. sixteen-point seven percent (16.7) strongly agree and fifty percent (50%) agree to the statement “i get nervous when i don't understand every word the language teacher says”. the students felt anxious if they could not do anything during the teaching and learning process. they felt stagnant and frozen in their seat. all the memories about the material had gone. fifty percent (50%) students agreed when they made statement “during language class, i find myself thinking about things that have nothing to do with the course”. the students felt anxious they did not prepare their selves in english class. they had to prepare the vocabulary of the topic given and the content of the topic. there were thirty-three-point three (33.3) percent of students strongly agree and thirtythree-point three (33.3) percent agree when they asked about the statement “i start to panic when i have to speak without preparation in language class”. the students also got anxious when they did not have preparation and the lecturer gave them questions. there were fifty percent (50%) students confirmed that “i get nervous when the language teacher asks questions which i haven't prepared in advance”. the students experienced anxious in english language classroom because they worried about having bad score. there were sixteen-point seven percent (16.7) strongly agree and sixty six point seven percent (66.7%) agree to the statement “i worry about the consequences of failing my foreign language class”. the students also felt nervous when they forget what they have known in their english class. there were (16.7) strongly agree and sixty-six-point seven percent (66.7%) agree to the statement “in language class, i can get so nervous i forget things i know”. the students of english education department of fitk iain sultan amai gorontalo on the upper intermediate proficiency level experienced fla because they worried to speak in front of other students. there were sixteen-point seven percent (16.7 %) strongly agree and fifty percent (50%) agree about the statement “i feel very self‐ conscious about speaking the foreign language in front of other students”. therefore, they felt anxious to be volunteer answer the lecturer’s question. there were fifty percent (50%) students strongly agree with the statement “it embarrasses me to volunteer answers in my language class”. there were fifty percent (50%) strongly agree and sixteen-point seven percent agree about the statement “it embarrasses me to volunteer answers in my language class”. the factors causing fla for learners of english at the upper intermediate proficiency level was displayed in the following. table 1. the factors of students’ foreign language anxiety experienced by the students of english education department of fitk iain sultan amai gorontalo on the upper intermediate proficiency level n o indicators response strongly agree agree neutra l disagr ee strongly disagree 1 i tremble when i know that i'm going to be called on in language class. 33.3 33.3 33.3 2 it frightens me when i don't understand what the teacher is saying in the foreign language. 50 33.3 16.7 3 during language class, i find myself thinking about things that have nothing to do with the course. 50 33.3 16.7 4 i start to panic when i have to speak without preparation in language class. 33.3 33.3 16,7 16.7 5 i worry about the consequences of failing my foreign language class. 16.7 66.7 16.7 6 in language class, i can get so nervous i forget things i know 16.7 66.7 16.7 7 it embarrasses me to volunteer answers in my language class. 50 16.7 33.3 8 i feel very self‐conscious about speaking the foreign language in front of other students 16.7 50 33.3 9 i get nervous when i don't understand every word the language teacher says 16.7 50 16.7 16.7 10 i get nervous when the language teacher asks questions which i haven't prepared in advance 50 50 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 921 the table above showed that there were several things that make students of english department of fitk iain sultan amai gorontalo at the upper intermediate proficiency level experience fla. first, they felt worried if they had to speak in front of the class and answered the lecturer's questions voluntarily. second, they felt worried if they do not understand what the lecturer is talking about. third, they felt worried if they did not prepare before the lesson started. fourth, students felt worried if they would get a bad score. factors have the most influence on students’ foreign language anxiety the results showed that the main factors causing fla in students of english department of fitk iain sultan amai gorontalo at the upper intermediate proficiency level were answering lecturers' questions voluntarily and speaking in front of classmates. there were fifty percent (50%) strongly agree and sixteen point seven agree about the statement it embarrasses me to volunteer answers in my language class. there were sixteen point seven percent (50%) strongly agree and fifty percent (50%) agree about the statement i feel very self‐conscious about speaking the foreign language in front of other students. the results showed 3 (three) non-linguistic aspect factors that caused the students' fla and the main factor that caused the students' fla was students' fear of speaking in front of classmates and in front of the teacher. this research reflected that non-linguistic factors affect the students’ foreign language anxiety (gonzales et al., 2010; gannoun, 2023). non-linguistc aspect in teaching english as foreign language refers to the non-verbal of language teaching itself. it involved the students’ participation (adam, 2018; hutabarat & simanjuntak, 2020; indrianty, 2016), the students’ performance ( pamungkas, 2018; tal & kedmi, 2006), and the students’ motivation (dörnyei, 2016; gannoun, 2023; baran‐łucarz, 2014). the findings of this study imply that the non-linguistic aspect makes the same contribution as the linguistic aspect to students’ foreign language anxiety. the phenomenon was realised as one of the main obstacles to be overcome by teachers. in his research (bai, 2023) found that foreign language anxiety caused students’ participation in speaking, they are reluctant to speak. the students were forget what to say because of worry and nervousness. in line with, (andriani et al., 2023) found that foreign language anxiety attacked the students’ brave in speaking in front of others. most of participants in her research said that they were anxious to speak in front others because they worried to be laughed. the other research was conducted by alaofi & russell (2022) identified that foreign language anxiety disturbed teacher and students interaction in classroom. this situation happened, because the students felt worry to have negative evaluation from the teacher. considering these facts, it's critical to look into the causes of fla so that a solution can be found. regarding the substantial research on the nonlinguistic elements that contribute to foreign language antiquity, this study offers a novel insight: these non-linguistic characteristics also have an impact on students' foreign language fear. for foreign language teachers, in particular language skills teachers, non-linguistic issues should be a focus. the teacher should consider to create effective tefl instruction. they have to be able to build a positive learning environment and to ensure that the meaning of the language being taught is clearly understood. these three aspects are essential elements that must be considered by the teacher. thus, learning will take place pleasantly and get the attention and active participation of students. if learning is fun, then students' anxiety in learning will be reduced or even disappear. the positive impact of enjoyable learning on students' anxiety also applies to foreign language learning. the learning atmosphere is an important point that must be created. the learning environment is a critical factor in teaching as it can greatly impact students' engagement, motivation, learning outcomes, and overall educational experience. a well-designed learning environment should facilitate engagement, enhance learning, foster collaboration, promote inclusivity, manage classroom behaviour, and encourage creativity and innovation among students (dewaele, 2016). the learning environment encompasses the physical, social, and emotional aspects of the setting in which teaching and learning take place, whether it's a classroom, an online platform, or any other educational context. some functions of the learning environment in teaching as follows: facilitating engagement. a well-designed learning environment can stimulate student engagement and motivation, making them more receptive to learning. an environment that is visually appealing, organized, and conducive to learning can create a positive atmosphere that encourages active participation and interaction among students. enhancing learning. the learning environment should be designed to support the instructional yuwin r. saleh, enni akhmad, & zulkifli akhmad non-linguistic aspect caused students’ foreign language anxiety in speaking english 922 goals of the lesson or curriculum. resources such as textbooks, technology, and other instructional materials should be readily available, and the layout of the physical space should be conducive to the types of activities planned for the lesson. a well-designed learning environment can help students focus, concentrate, and process information effectively. fostering collaboration. the learning environment can facilitate collaborative learning, where students work together to solve problems, engage in discussions, and learn from each other. an environment that encourages collaboration, such as group seating arrangements, breakout spaces, or online discussion forums, can foster teamwork, critical thinking, and social skills among students. creating inclusivity. an inclusive learning environment promotes diversity, equity, and inclusivity, ensuring that all students feel welcomed, respected, and valued. teachers can create an inclusive environment by considering students' diverse needs, providing accessibility accommodations, and promoting a culture of inclusivity and mutual respect among students. managing classroom behaviour. the learning environment plays a role in managing classroom behaviour and creating a positive classroom culture. clear expectations, rules, and routines can be established to create a safe and respectful learning environment. teachers can also use classroom management strategies, such as seating arrangements, visual cues, and behaviour reinforcement techniques, to promote positive behaviour and prevent disruptions. encouraging creativity and innovation: a conducive learning environment can inspire creativity and innovation among students. teachers can provide resources, materials, and tools that encourage students to think critically, solve problems, and express their ideas freely. an environment that encourages experimentation, exploration, and innovation can help students develop creativity and critical thinking skill. as a result, since language learning began to be taught formally, many teaching methods have been used. the aims of adopting these methods were to increase student performance, improve student motivation, and enhance student participation. teachers had to create a conducive learning atmosphere. although teachers realise that performance, active participation of students is an element of assessment of students' ability to use the foreign language taught. teachers must create strategies that allow students to feel comfortable to show their abilities. teachers must find teaching strategies or techniques that make students feel comfortable when suggesting answers from lecturers. teachers must be able to reduce or eliminate students' feelings of anxiety when they have to speak in front of the class. using effective teaching techniques can help reduce foreign language anxiety among students. some techniques can be effective in teaching and learning english as foreign language (efl): encourage communication: teachers should encourage students to communicate in english by creating a safe and non-judgmental classroom environment. teachers can also use communicative language teaching (clt) approach, which emphasizes communication and interaction among students. build confidence. teachers should focus on building students' confidence by providing positive feedback, praising their efforts, and creating opportunities for success. provide clear instructions. teachers should provide clear and concise instructions to avoid confusion and anxiety among students. use visual aids. teachers can use visual aids such as pictures, videos, and diagrams to help students understand new concepts and reduce their anxiety. incorporate technology. teachers can incorporate technology such as online games, videos, and interactive quizzes to make learning more engaging and reduce anxiety. be supportive. teachers should be supportive of their students and provide extra help when needed. they can also encourage students to seek help from their peers. encourage self-study. teachers should encourage students to study english outside of class by providing them with resources such as books, websites, and language exchange programs. by incorporating these techniques into their teaching, teachers can help reduce foreign language anxiety and create a positive learning environment for their students. the alternative teaching and learning technique can be enhanced to reduce students’ fla is small group discussion technique (naughton, 2016; dixson, 2010). it has some positive impact of reducing fla. they are active participation, collaboration and teamwork, enhanced learning, increased engagement, flexibility and adaptability, and empowerment and inclusivity. small group discussions encourage active participation from all members of the group. each member has the opportunity to voice their ideas, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 923 opinions, and concerns, and contribute to the discussion. this helps to ensure that multiple perspectives are considered and that all members have a chance to engage in the conversation. small group discussions promote collaboration and teamwork among group members. members work together to generate ideas, solve problems, or make decisions, pooling their knowledge, skills, and experiences. this fosters a sense of collective ownership and accountability, leading to better outcomes and solutions. it provides an opportunity for peer-to-peer learning. members can share their knowledge, insights, and perspectives, which can result in a richer and more diverse understanding of the topic or issue being discussed. this can lead to improved learning outcomes and a deeper understanding of the subject matter. it also can be more engaging for participants compared to other forms of instruction, such as lectures or presentations. the interactive nature of small group discussions, where members actively participate and contribute, can help to maintain interest and motivation, leading to higher levels of engagement. conclusion foreign language anxiety is a type of anxiety that is experienced by individuals when learning, speaking, or interacting in a foreign language classroom. foreign language anxiety is generally conceptualized as a type of anxiety that arises when an individual is exposed to a foreign language in a context in which they are expected to interact in that language. it can be caused by linguistic aspect, such as lack of vocabulary and lack of pronunciation. it also can be caused by non linguistic aspect, such as students’ performance to speak in front of other students. students' active participation to answer lecturer question voluntary. students' motivation to prepare their selves before the class. the most prominence factor of students’ fla was students’ performance to answer lecturers' questions voluntarily and to speak in front of classmates. as a result, lecturer should pay full attention to the learning environment. learning environment has emergence element to make teaching and learning process succeeded. it also happened in english foreign language classroom. learning environment can be created by the lecturer. there were some functions of learning environment, namely facilitating engagement, enhancing learning, fostering collaboration, managing classroom behaviour, creating inclusivity, encouraging creativity and innovation, and encouraging creativity and innovation. the learning environment can be created by enhancing some technique of teaching, such as encourage communication, build confidence, provide clear instructions, use visual aids, incorporate technology, be supportive, and encourage selfstudy. it also strongly suggested to use small group discussion technique. small group discussion technique can encourage active participation, promote collaboration and teamwork, enhanced learning, increased engagement, has flexibility and adaptability, and empowerment and inclusivity. this research had found the result, however the research of fla still leaved a question. what is the effective strategy to reduce students’ fla. therefore, it suggested to research about the teaching strategy or teaching technique. acknowledgement we would like to thank and acknowledge the following people who have this article possible. dean of faculty of teacher training and education at iain sultan amai gorontalo, zulkifli tanipu, ph.d., and all many colleagues and students, especially the students as informants of this research. hopefully, this research could be beneficial for those who focus on education and linguistic studies or other fields. references adam, r. (2018). enhancing student interaction in the language classroom. (issue february). alaofi, s., & russell, s. (2022). the influence of foreign language classroom anxiety on academic performance in english-based cs1 courses. ukicer ’22: proceedings of the 2022 conference on united kingdom & ireland computing education research, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1145/3555009.3555020 andriani, w., tanghal, a., rahim, t. r., & said, a. (2023). tell : teaching of english language and literature journal, 11(1), 55–66. ariani, s., sunggingwati, d., & iswari, w. p. (2012). foreign language anxiety and english achivement of eighth grade students of mts sulaiman yasin samarinda in the 2011 / 2012 academic year. calls, 2(2), 17–24. asih, y. u. (2012). anxiety of english learning and learning strategies. okara, 1(7), 91–107. bai, s. (2023). foreign language speaking anxiety among chinese english majors: causes , effects and strategies. journal of education, humanities, and social sciences, 8, 2433–2437. baran‐łucarz, m. (2014). pronunciation anxiety and willingness to communicate in the foreign language classroom. concordia working papers in applied linguistics, 37–49. brown, h. d. (2007). principles of language learning yuwin r. saleh, enni akhmad, & zulkifli akhmad non-linguistic aspect caused students’ foreign language anxiety in speaking english 924 and teaching (5th ed.). pearson education, inc. chang, h., fang, w., yang, b., luo, b., & chew, s. (2017). examining the relationships between foreign language anxiety and attention during conversation tasks. in lecture notes in educational technology (pp. 1–11). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2419-1 dewaele, j. (2016). it takes two to tango: the dynamic interaction of emotional and psychological aspects in foreign language learning. birkbeck, university of london, february. djaguna, f., basri, b. h. m. (2020). anxiety level in english speaking among ahmad dahlan students. lire journal, 4(1), 40–49. dixson, m. d. (2010). creating effective student engagement in online courses : what do students find engaging ? journal of the scholarship of teaching and learning, 10(2), 1–13. dörnyei, z. (2016). motivation and motivating in the foreign language classroom. the modern language journal, 78(3), 273–284. du, x. (1985). the affective filter in second language teaching. asian social science, 5(8), 162–165. gannoun, f. d. d. h. (2023). teaching anxiety in foreign language classroom: a review of literature. arab world english journal (awej), 14(1), 379–393. gonzales, a. l., hancock, j. t., & pennebaker, j. w. (2010). language style matching as a predictor of social dynamics in small groups. communications research, 37(1), 3–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650209351468 hernández, e. j. b. z. m. a. g. s. (2022). socioaffective strategies for reducing foreign language anxiety levels in university students. educateciencia, 30(37). hutabarat, a., & simanjuntak, d. c. (2020). a phenomenological study : speaking anxiety overwhelms english learners. acuity, 4(1), 44– 58. indrianty, s. (2016). students’ anxiety in speaking english (a case study in one hotel and tourism college in bandung). eltin, 4(april), 28–39. khusnia, a. n. (2016). students’ perspectives on speaking anxiety in the english foreign language classroom. ahmad dahlan journal of english studies, 3(2), 41–51. marwan, a. (2008). the exploration of factors triggering foreign language anxiety : learners voice. teflin, 19(2), 119–126. naughton, d. (2016). cooperative strategy training and oral interaction : enhancing small group communication. the modern language, 90(2), 169–184. pamungkas, a. (2018). the effect of english language anxiety on speaking performance of english department students. retain, 6(3), 228–236. pappamihiel, n. e. (2002). english as a second language students and english language anxiety : issues in the mainstream classroom. research in the teaching of english, 36(2), 327–349. peng, h., murti, a. t., silitonga, l. m., & wu, t. (2023). effects of the fundamental concepts of computational thinking on students ’ anxiety and motivation toward k-12 english writing. sustainability, 15(5855), 1–16. pole, c. j. (2000). cross-cultural case study (vol. 6). emerald group publishing limited. rahim, t. r. (2023). examining efl anxiety : a case at indonesian islamic colleges citations. himalayan journal of education and literature, 4(1), 33–45. richards, j. c., & richards, j. c. (2010). competence and performance in language teaching. relc journal, 41(101), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688210372953 scarino, a. and a. j. l. (2009). teaching and learning languages a guide. geon impact printing pty ltd. sinadia, a. r., & ngingi, y. a. (2023). exploring the sources of speaking english anxiety experienced by vocational senior high school students. journal on education, 05(04), 14067–14077. tal, t., & kedmi, æ. y. (2006). teaching socioscientific issues : classroom culture and students ’ performances. cult scie edu, 1, 615– 644. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-006-9026-9 tanveer, m. (2016). investigation of the factors that cause language anxiety for esl / efl learners in learning speaking skills and the influence it casts on communication in the target language. rg journal. (issue july 2008, pp. 1–100). https://doi.org/10.13140/rg.2.1.1995.1129 trang, t., moni, k., b. (2013). foreign language anxiety : understanding its sources and effects from insiders ’ perspectives. the journal of asia tefl vol.10, 10(1), 95–131. usman, m., samad, a., & tahir, z. (2018). an investigation into the socio-cultural factors causing efl classroom speaking anxiety at the selected universities of khyber pakhtunkhwa (kp). journal of policy research, 9(1), 44–50. valdellon, i. g. r., & lovitos, a. h. r. (2022). english language apprehension of education student : a phenomenology. international journal of language and literary studies, 4(2), 20–36. wang, l. (2020). application of affective filter hypothesis in junior english vocabulary teaching. language teaching and research, 11(6), 983–987. zen, e. l., & apriana, a. (2015). language acquisition ; a manifestation of krashen’s affective filter hypothesis. paper presented at the 2nd forum on linguistics and literature (foliter). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1023 novice students’ experience of taking toeic preparation class: a phenomenological case study nurti rahayu english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: rahayu_nurti@upi.edu fuad abdul hamied english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: fuadah@upi.edu didi sukyadi english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: dsukyadi@upi.edu fazri nur yusuf english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: fazrinuryusuf@upi.edu apa citation: rahayu, n., hamied, f. a., sukyadi, d., & yusuf, f. n. (2022). novice students’ experience of taking toeic preparation class: a phenomenological case study. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 1023-1034. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6648. received: 26-06-2022 accepted: 20-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction test preparation (tp) has sparked heated debate in the field of language testing and assessment. the term test preparation pertains to the activities that are performed to revisit the area of understanding or skill samples collected by a test (alderson & hamp-lyons as cited in knoch et al., 2020). in most educational practices, there are two types of preparation practices: preparation for general/scholastic tests and preparation for english language tests (o'sullivan et al., 2021). english test preparation has been widely implemented in both formal and informal learning environments. this test preparation takes the form of various activities such as "cram school," later known as "shadow education," referring to any educational activities carried out outside of traditional schooling, and it gives students who participate an advantage over students who do not (o'sullivan et al., 2021). students are becoming more aware of the importance of test preparation when taking a high-stakes tests like ielts, toefl, or toeic. this is because the test results have serious consequences in their lives, such as university abstract: this study aims to investigate how novice non-english department students in indonesia describe their lived experiences of efl learning in a toeic preparation class. the study included eighteen novice students from one vocational higher education in jakarta who enrolled in a toeic preparation class using purposive sampling. prior to the course, the participants took prediction tests, and their scores fell to the novice learners, and they were required to take a forty-hour preparation class. the participants have taken part in forty-hour toeic preparation classes. the primary source of data was semi-structured, in-depth phenomenological interviews. the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. according to the findings, several themes were elaborated. the findings uncovered what students gained and learned from the class, their learning difficulties, their learning strategies, and their plan to improve their english. in this study, the themes were broken down into several sub-themes to better elaborate on the participant's lived experiences and how they made meaning of their experiences. the findings strongly suggest policymakers such as efl teachers, program and curriculum developers, and other stakeholders pay more attention to the students' voices stating that efl learning goes to a unique and complex process. thus, successful english learning cannot be achieved unless their needs and voices are taken into consideration. keywords: phenomenological case study; test preparation; toeic; vocational higher institution; washback. nurti rahayu, fuad abdul hamied, didi sukyadi, & fazri nur yusuf novice students’ experience of taking toeic preparation class: a phenomenological case study 1024 selection, graduation requirements, career recruitment, and other future-related plans. test preparation is widely understood as a form of test washback, the impact of tests on teaching and learning (saif et al., 2019). messick in saif et al. (2019) defined tp as an "intervention" that aims to improve test scores and may or may not lead in learning. tp exerts advantages and disadvantages. on the one hand, without any preparation, a candidate's performance may be unreasonably harmed by aspects of the testing procedure with which they are unfamiliar. in contrast, improper or overly narrowly focused preparation will either be ineffective in that it does nothing to improve language ability or risk artificially inflating the candidate's score for purposes unrelated to the skill the test is designed to measure (ma & cheng, 2018). dong (2021) expanded hypothesis stating that certain tests would exert different amount and types of washback for teachers and students. thus, the washback effect of tests may have a different impact on different subgroups of teachers and students. in terms of test preparation, this program was claimed to be able to boost test-takers’ scores without reliably improving their ability to do well on another english test (hu & trenkic, 2021). hughes as cited by zou & xu (2017) proposed a washback trichotomy model encompassing participants, process, and product in relation to this occurrence. initial views and attitudes of participants regarding their teaching and learning tasks may be influenced by the type of a test. then, these views and attitudes may influence what the participants do when performing their work (process), such as practicing the types of items that will be on the test, thereby affecting the learning outcomes and the result of that labor (zou & xu, 2017). for the last five years, numerous studies have been conducted to investigate tp from various perspectives. in one study, tp is claimed to correlate with low quality of instruction (blazar & pollard, 2017). on the other hands, some studies explored how tp positively affect students’ performances, such as listening performance (winke & lim, 2017), and score gains (knoch et al., 2020; soler et al., 2020). winke and lim (2017) conducted an experimental study in which 63 students were divided into three groups and given the same listening practice tests. the first experimental group took four practice tests and was given explicit test-taking strategies instruction. the second group was given the same practice tests but no test-taking strategies. a third control group did not take practice tests but instead participated in conversation classes. research findings reported that the test results were unaffected by the three types of instructions. additionally, the finding inferred that the most effective use of test preparation appears to be familiarity with the format and types of test items, particularly those that are new or unfamiliar to the test taker. testtaking anxiety was found to be inversely related to l2 listening test performance regardless of the type of instruction used (winke & lim, 2017). when seeing from the learning performance, knoch et al. (2020) reported that the effectiveness of various preparation techniques in relation to the participant score data is not strongly asserted. out of other skills, tp has a more salient impact on speaking test, where the participants clearly stated specific methods such as speaking continuously without pausing and changing their voice quality and resulted in higher scores. as for reading, listening, and writing encountered fewer meaningful improvements, though some tasks with scores contributing to speaking and reading, such as the read-aloud task, appeared to benefit from the tricks that improved speaking scores (knoch et al., 2020). this finding is in line with another tp study in columbian context, where tp was claimed to have modest impact on students’ score gains. however, this minor effect could have a significant impact on students whose score is near to the passing grade (soler et al., 2020). research also revealed the negative impact of tp. tp can have a negative impact on students by restricting their english learning scope, forcing them to self-isolated learning, taking repeated tests, and purchasing predicted answers (ma & chong, 2022). additionally, sellers of predicted answers are thought to be engaged in unethical practices since doing such test-taking strategies can help students achieve a score higher than their language proficiency may warrant (hu & trenkic, 2021). it is worth noting that students registered for tp mostly considered that attending preparation classes in a short amount of time, and using their materials will result in higher scores. at the same time, these actions may also prevent students from fully developing their english language proficiency (hu & trenkic, 2021). for more than two decades, studies on test preparation mostly go around two points of view: teachers and students. research reporting teachers' perspectives emphasizes differences in teaching preparation methods and activities (wagner & koch, 2021), teachers’ beliefs and practices english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1025 (gebril & eid, 2017), and teachers' washback (nguyen & gu, 2020), and the effectiveness of test preparation; whether or not test preparation are able to raise students’ test performance (knoch et al., 2020; soler et al., 2020). in indonesia, tp has been widely conducted by private tutoring course and college’s language centers. the booming of tp is partly derived from the popularity of global english tests such as toefl, toeic, and ielts. some teacher education colleges require their student teachers to demonstrate proficiency before graduation, while others simply let their students exit the program despite the fact that they may not have met the proficiency standard to teach english in schools. for their graduation requirements, these universities typically use toefl as their preferred proficiency test. the typical benchmark score ranges from 450 to 525, though some prestigious universities may require a higher toefl score (renandya et al., 2018a). similar policy has also been applied in some graduate degree in both public and private colleges. in addition to toefl, students in vocational education are also required to pass certain benchmark score as a graduation requirement. as a result, students with low english ability are greatly affected by this program (azhari et al., 2020). students registered for this tp to enhance their test score in accordance with the required passing grade, such as graduation requirement, scholarship application, promotion, and for college enrollment. studies in this area mostly focused on variety of method as to enhance students’ score gains. the methods range from blending learning (komariah et al., 2017), cooperative learning the enactment of students team achievement division (stad) (rionaldi & saputra, 2019), low-cost videos (asri et al., 2022), and the implementation of toefl practicum class (djamereng et al., 2021). in addition to the subject, other tp studies in indonesia also investigated the teachers’ and students’ perspectives on the enactment of tp. teachers were reported to encounter some challenges in tp courses. the problems range from students' high expectations on score gains, students' minimum effort, learning time constraints, teachers’ experience, and big class size ). to solve the problems, teachers need to implement teaching strategies (wibowo, 2020. those findings confirmed previous study on senior high schools teachers’ challenges in teaching tp (sari, 2019). despite those obstacles in tp class the teachers encountered, they showed their highest approval on the introduction of toefl in senior high school to better prepare students’ for the future careers through international english certification (sari, 2019). in addition to teachers’ perspectives, several studies have investigated students’ problem and strategies in doing the toefl test (azhari et al., 2022; hampp et al., 2021; maulana et al., 2022; oroh et al., 2021). compared with toefl, studies on toeic are relatively fewer. most studies in toeic were conducted in vocational high school context (dari, 2021; wijayanti et al., 2022; zahruni et al., 2020). satria & zahraa (2018) investigated that students’ internal and external factors do not affect students’ achievement as seen from their score gain. another study surveyed students’ perception on online learning class toward their score gains (wijayanti et al., 2022). this study revealed that there was no positive correlation of the two variables. however, it was found that students’ have positive perception on online learning class (wijayanti et al., 2022). although much of the literature has well elaborated the test preparation practices in varying contexts, most of these studies were quantitative in nature and sought the relationship among variables. furthermore, the adoption of interviews and class observation serve as supplementary data to clarify the quantitative findings. very little, if any, empirical research investigating the novice students' lived experiences of taking part in test preparation classes in a single study. in other words, novice students' experiences in this activity are not well-understood. all in all, the reported results on test impact on participants, processes, and products vary due to a number of affecting factors, and these phenomena need to be wellinvestigated from various perspectives, one of them from the experience of novice english learners. additionally, since 2020 the directorate of vocational education launched a program to boost vocational school students’ (smk) english competence by conducting toeic training for more than 75,000 students in grade xi and xii vocational school (direktorat pembinaan smk, 2020). having joined the training, students were required to take toeic test. this program is one of government effort to equip smk students with english competency to win the global work competition. while english competency is crucial in all work employment, to our knowledge, there is no specific program from the government to provide english certification for vocational higher education (vhe) students. based on the identified research gaps, the purpose of this study is to raise nurti rahayu, fuad abdul hamied, didi sukyadi, & fazri nur yusuf novice students’ experience of taking toeic preparation class: a phenomenological case study 1026 the unheard voice of novice students’ experiences who (have to) participate in the toeic tp class in vhe context.. from a theoretical standpoint, this study will provide a better understanding of how novice students' personal experiences in participating in class activities and how they perceive the benefit of the class in terms of improving their english performance, as evidenced by test scores. understanding novice students' experience serves as the basis for enhancing the efficacy of tp classes which become crucial regarding the fact that more vocational higher institutions in indonesia have adopted toeic score benchmark as one of graduation requirement (rahayu, 2019), method this study adopted phenomenology since it tries to understand the hidden meanings and essence of an experience together with how participants make sense of these experiences (grbich in demir & qureshi, 2019). to this end, a phenomenological case study is adopted to understand subjective interpretations of the experiences (miller et al., 2018; neubauer et al., 2019). in the study, novice students are regarded as the research subjects who have constructed meaning from their experiences of taking test preparation classes. the study was carried out at a tourism vocational higher education institution in jakarta's city center. the research site was chosen since this institution has long adopted english standardized test benchmark as a graduation requirement. this english exit policy is implemented by requiring students to achieve a certain benchmark score on the toeic test before registering for the thesis defense examination. to implement the policy, sophomore students must take a test prediction test with a minimum score of 400, and students who achieve below the standard must take a test preparation class for one semester at their own expense. the participants of the test preparation class are regarded as novice students due to their score gain in the prediction test upon acceptance into the college. the authors adopted convenient purposive sampling to identify those participants of the study who experienced the phenomenon that was being investigated. selection criteria were applied in that the participants belong to the test preparation class in the first year, and they agree to voluntary participate in them voluntarily. the study included eighteen (18) two male and sixteen (16) female students who took part in an english preparation class. the class was divided into twenty-four sessions, each lasting two hours, for a total of fortyeight hours. the first researcher was the test preparation class teacher. students enrolled in the class took the toeic equivalent test prediction, with test scores ranging from 100 to 370, and are thus classified as having novice proficiency. participation is entirely voluntary since, at the beginning of a course, the teacher-researcher explains the research objectives and asks if students are willing to participate. as many as 18 students (out of thirty-five) agreed to participate in the study. focus group and semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore what was on the novice students' minds when they were in test preparation class. focus group interviews were conducted with group discussion in which individuals offered their perspectives, listened to others' perspectives, and possibly refined their own perspectives in light of what they've heard. the interview has flexible questions or a mix of organized and unstructured inquiries. usually, all respondents are asked for specific information. thus, the interview is structured. they are also encouraged to explain their information in detail. in addition to interviews, class observation was conducted during the course. the teacher-researchers enable to observe students' behavior and later confirm it in the interviews. the interviews were conducted before the end of the course; due to the global pandemic, the classes were conducted online, and so were the interviews. the interviews were recorded online through the zoom platform. to facilitate understanding, the interviews were conducted in bahasa, and participants were free to respond either in bahasa indonesia or english. first, the authors conducted pre-data analysis by transcribing the recorded data, reading and validating the data transcription, then converting the transcription into english, and the participants were given pseudonyms as "p1" for participants 1 through p18. then, the final transcripts were read at least twice to achieve an intimate familiarity with the data. the data were analyzed for significant statements, invariant horizons, and recurring themes. the interviewees and their experiences under study were the units of analysis. finally, thematic analysis was undertaken utilizing phenomenological reduction and imaginative variation. textual-structural descriptions clarified the phenomenon. comparing participants' contexts and experiences revealed similarities and differences. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1027 results and discussion this section is structured according to the three primary themes that were uncovered by the data. the themes are (1) participants’ experience of learning english, (2) participants’ experience in the preparation class, and (3) participants' reflections on english learning. this theme is further elaborated in several sub-themes. theme 1. experience in learning english this theme elaborates on participants' experience of learning english and to be precise; it mostly covers their background experience of english learning. this theme is broken down into several sub-themes. they are (a) students' learning difficulties and (b) students' learning methods. students learning problems english learning at secondary school i.e., senior and junior high school has directly or indirectly affected the participants' experience in this study. these experiences vary from person to person as they were from the varied region throughout the country. although the country's english curriculum emphasizes the use of competency standards, the teaching methods implemented in these schools have not met the expectation. one of the factors derived from the teachers' difficulty in implementing the curriculum in the classroom so that the students are competent in their english. the majority of participants thought that their low english proficiency was due to several factors, such as (1) linguistic factors, (2) personal factors, and (3) test factors. the linguistic factors were due to a lack of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. lacking in these areas resulted in some problems in understanding reading, listening, and other active skills such as speaking and writing. most participants reported their inability to memorize the grammatical rules, such as tenses, parts of speech, and phrase construction. memorization, in this case, is viewed as the key to mastering english and being unable to understand grammar worsens their english learning. p1 and p7, for example, are indicated in illustrative examples: what i find difficult is memorizing tenses. i find it difficult to distinguish tenses even though i've been studying since middle school but have a hard time remembering. memorizing noun things, noun people, adverbs, and verbs also are not easy because i'm the type of person who easily forgets if i don't study it every day, but i am more able and interested in translating english to indonesian than memorizing english formulas (p7). in learning english, it is very difficult for me to learn and understand grammar, use the right words in sentences, and i have a hard time listening to a native speaker either because of the accent or what i don't know, but i understand indonesian or local people speak or write english on social media (p1). participants explicitly agreed that they could not fully comprehend the mechanics of english, resulting in their inability to master the english skills. these resulted in some strategies, such as using the translation tool to facilitate them in understanding the passage. additionally, personal factors add matters worse. some participants reported their problems in time management for english learning. due to several activities, they can not focus themselves on learning english, which even results in learning and test anxiety, such as the excerpt below: i find it difficult when i study english; for some reason, every time there is an english test, and i try to work on the questions, and i feel restless in the shadow of fear because i am afraid of getting a small score, and sometimes often find it difficult when working on questions (p5) the excerpt evidenced how the test affected the students' feelings; students' fear of getting a low score and did not pass the benchmark. this fear of anxiety prohibited the participant from making progress. furthermore, the test factors also present additional challenges, especially with the various distractors the test present and the test's limited duration. students learning method most participants share their informal digital learning of english (idle) through several media such as youtube english channels, english learning websites, online language applications, and listening to music and watching movies or english vlogs. the participants reported the follow-up activities as taking notes of new expressions and difficult words and re-read and repeating the expressions to add fluency. then, the difficult words are further consulted in the online dictionary. besides idle, only a few participants performed the conventional ways of learning, such as taking notes in the class, doing some exercises, and watching the zoom class recording for comprehension. it is also interesting to note that one participant reported conducting peer practice nurti rahayu, fuad abdul hamied, didi sukyadi, & fazri nur yusuf novice students’ experience of taking toeic preparation class: a phenomenological case study 1028 and creating group work for english practice. the activities were conducted to enhance their vocabulary, grammar, listening, and reading skills, as shown by the illustration below: in addition to taking a test preparation class, i also downloaded the duolingo application on my cell phone, i was very enthusiastic about learning english in the application. i always take at least 30 minutes or more to fill out the quizzes in the application; i also learn tenses on youtube, note important things in the tenses formula, improve listening skills by listening to listening test questions on youtube, try to get used to speaking two languages or bilingually, increase my vocabulary every day, when my curiosity arises i often open google translate to find out english, things around me, i often translate words that i just meet (p1) so far, the way i learn english is to find a partner to learn english together, i usually speak english with my friends who are also learning english via chat, if one of us says something wrong, of course, we correct each other. in addition, i also learn through playing games in english, and learning by watching western films with english and indonesian subtitles. i also usually practice by learning to use english books or downloading applications such as duolingo or cake; i also download the tandem app, which is an app that is useful for finding friends from abroad and talking to them. besides that, i also created an english study group, and two of my friends will discuss the material that we will learn every week; we also try to speak english while chatting; even though we still lack vocab, we still speak with mixed speech. at home, sometimes i invite my father to speak in english. every activity i do, if i find an english word that i don't know, i will immediately look up its meaning in the dictionary. i also took toeic lessons to help me learn english properly and was accompanied directly by an experienced toeic teacher (p11). the pandemic, which turned most education into online learning, is contextualized with the adoption of idle. the participants spent most of their time online and engaged themselves in online activities by browsing media a lot. participants' experiences with the english apps, channels, and websites signal the crucial role of idle to improve english learning. theme 2. experience in a test preparation class this section focuses on the perceived experience of participation in test preparation activities. the primary subthemes that emerged from the data were (a) lessons learned from the class, (b) favorite learning method, and (c) perceived learning outcome lesson learned from the class research participants shared their perceived experience of taking test preparation classes. the in-class experience ranged from (1) toeic knowledge, (2) learning strategies, and (3) testpreparation strategies. most participants agreed that the class enabled them to understand about test of english as a foreign language (toeic), what the test is for, its test format and scoring, and why the test is used as one of the graduation requirements in vocational higher education. this information is essential in that not all participants were familiar with the test, let alone the campus policy of using the english exit test. having sufficient knowledge about the test, then participants also reported what they have gained in the test preparation class. first, they reported that the class aim is to provide a sufficient language foundation for the students to improve their english competency, as shown in the test score. to this end, the participants mentioned what they had learned from the class as the following illustrations: the new thing that i got was about toeic, such as basic knowledge, tips & tricks, strategies, calculating scores, and explanations of working on different questions. (p5) i learned many new words, improved my grammar, and learned how to pass the tests without wasting time by selecting the correct answer (p7) i learned about the test, as well as how to enhance my english proficiency by making use of several applications (p2) favorite learning method as a rigorous class, the participants shared their favorite learning methods during the class. most of them mentioned that they enjoy doing the drill practice in the form of a mini test. doing the mini tests was interesting since they could see their score progress. after the test, there was a discussion to review the items so that participants can see why they could incorrectly answer the test items facilitated by the teacher. here are some of the illustrations below: what i like most is the mini-test since i can see how far my english skills have progressed; the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1029 explanation given after the test is also easy to understand and quite easy to digest. moreover, this class introduced me to some useful apps, such as duolingo, and youtube channels for english learning. (p1). i often ask things i don't understand to the teacher. besides that, i enjoy learning from the basics; then every class is always recorded so that i can repeat the material outside class hours (p11). before this, i knew almost nothing about the toeic, let alone the test-taking strategy. the teacher was always there to help my friends and me. and this class is quite enjoyable. and, without putting us under any pressure, she encourages us to always learn in accordance with the basic objectives and standards. and it's obviously beneficial to us. (p12). overall, participants acknowledged that these types of learning situations provided them with valuable experiences as well as opportunities to learn new test-taking strategies. they could experiment with new applications and media. it was clear that in class and outside the class, learning activities increased participants' confidence and success in the classroom. p7 stated that he could see his friends' progress, and it motivated him to learn more. perceived learning outcome having participated in the class for twenty-four sessions, the participants also reflected on their perceived learning outcomes in the test preparation class, which were contextualized in varied forms, such as (1) increased mini test score, (2) increased motivation and confidence, and (3) changed beliefs about language learning. during the class, participants were exposed to exercises drilling in the form of mini tests of both listening and reading skills. the tests were administered with an online platform to enable them to see and record the score results for self-evaluation. at this stage, participants shared their progress as shown in the test results illustrated below: i was surprised that my mini-test score increased and that there was an improvement as the test progressed, and i am happy about that (p15). i felt that my listening skill improved. in the past, i actually couldn't listen in english, but when i entered the preparation class, i learned listening a lot (p8). some participants stated that doing lots of drilling was not their favorite; however, the more they did the practice tests, the more confident they were to select the answer among the distractors. i hate doing exercises again and again, but later on, i felt like i knew the distractors, and that guided me to select the answers (p14). this is a very different approach to learning. i did not take english seriously in school; now, i must master all of the fundamentals in order to develop my english skills, or i will never pass the score benchmark (p3). the illustrations clearly showed how some of the participants expressed their progress, and that made them more confident with their ability as well as improved motivation. the preparation class has also made the participants change their beliefs about language learning. at the start of their course, research participants believed it was not easy to master pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. at the end of the language course, participants shared how they enjoyed the class and further described the class as "it turns out that learning here is very exciting, unlike learning english in class at school (p11), and "i love how we learn many test-taking strategies." (p9). although the apparent shift of participants' learning interests still moves around the comprehension of form-focused rather than meaning-focused, this signals a good start to learning for novice learners. theme 3. reflection on english learning this theme reported the participants' responses when they were requested to reflect on several subthemes, such as (1) preferred test-taking strategies and (2) perceived english improvement methods. preferred test-taking strategies participants reported varied test-taking strategies that they adopted to do the test. most participants reported that they needed to work harder on reading since they scored lower in this section. in doing the reading tests, they shared to focus on the questions before scanning or to skim the answer in the passage, and they noted skipping the unfamiliar words in the passage to save time. then, they learned how to identify the topic and main idea in the passages as stated by p7: "i would rather look at the question first, and then search the answer in the passage" in doing listening tests, the students would rather learn the distractors, and learn to enhance their pronunciation and intonation, and nurti rahayu, fuad abdul hamied, didi sukyadi, & fazri nur yusuf novice students’ experience of taking toeic preparation class: a phenomenological case study 1030 identify the main ideas in listening as illustrated in table 1 below. table 1. preferred test-taking strategies listening section reading section  scanning & skimming for specific information  skip unfamiliar words  identify the topic and main idea  enhance pronunciation and intonation  focus on the question  scanning & skimming for specific information  skip unfamiliar words  identify the topic and main idea (source: participants’ interviews) it is interesting to note that most participants are not familiar with the test-taking strategies, as stated by p11. she shared that she never knew about what the test was, let alone the test-taking strategies. he further claimed that her score would have been better had she known about those strategies long before the test. it was a challenge for her to do the toeic test as it is new for her. perceived english improvement methods at the end of the course, the participants reflected on ways to improve their english. this is significant to ensure the participants' long-term effort for english improvement after the class is over. given the fact that the participants usually still struggled with the fundamentals of english, the majority stated their intention to learn formfocused english. other participants also shared their affective strategies for improving their learning time and motivation, as stated by one participant below. if i study routinely and consistently, memorize more vocabulary, and review the lessons that have been taught to me, i believe i can improve my english competency (p14). learning english requires a lot of practice. my english proficiency improves as i master the fundamentals and progress to the next level. aside from learning to understand and apply in my life. for example, i speak english to those who are closest to me. then learn how to use english apps or books (p11). i should always strive to improve my english skills. i believe that if you never try, you will never know. this is something i always do for myself in order to learn new things. you must persevere even if it is difficult at first. for example, there are some words that are difficult to recognize when reading the news in english or listening to native speakers, but i'm sure you can. i also use the application to learn new skills, such as basic conversation (p12). in general, the perceived english improvement methods cover improving form-focused english, meaning-focused english, and motivation and learning time. the methods depend on their perceived weaknesses in learning english. in addition to those strategies, some participants shared their expectation that in the near future, they would have a chance to have offline classes since they could not focus on online classes. i understand less in online classes, and it takes me a long time to catch the lesson due to connection problems. i find it very difficult to understand listening in online learning. thus, i hope i can focus more on studying in offline classes. (p18). in the last two decades, research on test preparation classes has primarily relied on quantitative measures of effectiveness and questionnaires about variable relationships. the lived stories of novice students in the current study, therefore, provide a qualitative perspective on this topic, yielding more rich, detailed, and contextualized data about their experiences with test preparation class within the context of preparing for the toeic test as an english exit test in a tourism vocational higher institution. in this study, we revealed novice students' experiences and framed them in three themes that illustrate real-life stories about how they struggled to improve their english competence by enrolling in a test preparation class. the following themes were identified in particular (1) prior english experience, (2) experience in test preparation class, and (3) english learning reflection. the themes are further elaborated in sub-themes and key aspects, as seen in table 2. table 2. data visualization n o themes sub-themes aspects 1 experience in learning english a) learning problems · linguistic factors · personal factors · test factors b) learning methods · idle · conventional learning 2 experience a) lesson ·test knowledge english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1031 in a test preparation class learned ·learning strategies ·test-taking strategies b) preferred learning method · drilling · discussion c) perceived learning outcome ·increased score ·increased motivation and confidence ·change language learning beliefs 3 english learning reflections a) preferred test-taking strategies ·reading testtaking strategies ·listening testtaking strategies b) perceived english improvement methods ·form-focused learning ·meaning-focused learning this research uncovered several poignant aspects of the learning practices in the test preparation class in indonesia. the test preparation is enacted as part of the institution's program to set english exit tests with toeic standards. the findings revealed that participants benefited, to some extent, from the test-preparation class they were involved with over a few months. those benefits included the test knowledge together with the purpose of the language exit test policy, learning opportunities, and both pedagogical and content gains from the online classes. along with their positive impacts, however, participants articulated how they could not make progress from the program, as seen from their english test scores. lack of fundamental english from a previous level of education, limited study time, lack of test knowledge, lack of practice and motivation, and other connection issues undermined participants' enthusiasm, thus preventing them from achieving the desired outcomes. participants' english backgrounds, which shaped their english learning and thus affected their competence, were also detrimental to the potential of the test preparation class. these observations, however, were not totally surprising. previous research findings in indonesia demonstrated the inadequacy of english education in secondary school (renandya, 2018; renandya et al., 2018b; zein et al., 2020). amid the increasing importance of english both regionally and globally (zein & stroupe, 2017), low english language proficiency among undergraduate students has been one of the significant issues in education quality in indonesia (english first, 2019). this issue is prevalent in developing countries with similar problems. efforts have been made to overcome this problem, yet the result is not satisfying yet. seeing to the global english proficiency survey, indonesia still belongs to the low proficiency category (renandya et al., 2018b). while the country needs to prepare its workforce to win the global competition, english competency is seen as the gatekeeper of good future jobs. to this end, higher education adopted english exit tests to improve english teaching-learning at colleges. test preparation class is enacted to prepare the students to pass the english exit test. findings on participants' english learning experience strengthen the previous studies on english learning problems. conclusion this study contributes to the global literature on test preparation as a form of test washback, especially in higher education contexts where students need to pass certain benchmark english test scores as one of the graduation requirements. the institution policy adds to the test's higher stake, which puts higher pressure on college students. novice english learners have to work harder to keep up with their peers to pass the test. this situation put them in a dilemma when they had to struggle with english learning in test preparation classes. while students come from different english learning environments and deal with social and economic factors, being able to identify english learning experiences, along with test-taking strategies, serve as starting point to enable the students to improve their english competence, as reflected in their english test scores. despite its contribution, this study is not without a lack. the nature of qualitative research cannot justify the generalization of the research findings. however, the unique cases of the novice english learners' experience can add to the empirical database of how these beginner learners develop their learning strategies. further research can investigate the learning and problem-solving strategies in detail with established theory. additionally, novice learners’ perspectives in learning could be taken into consideration when designing test preparation classes since curriculum nurti rahayu, fuad abdul hamied, didi sukyadi, & fazri nur yusuf novice students’ experience of taking toeic preparation class: a phenomenological case study 1032 developers need to pay attention to the mostly unheard voice of novice learners. taking these considerations to improve the program syllabus and teaching method can add to the program's effectiveness. acknowledgments the first researcher would like to gratefully acknowledge lpdp for the support and grant for her doctorate degree at english language education program, universitas pendidikan indonesia. references asri, a. n., mubarok, f. u., & imron, a. (2022). the implementation of low-cost educational videos to improve students’ performance in toeic preparation test. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 499–508. azhari, t., sahputri, j., & rasyimah. (2022). analysis of student perceptions on the implementation of required toefl test before graduation. proceedings of the 2nd international conference on social science, political science, and humanities, 648(icospolhum 2021), 125– 130. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220302.019 azhari, t., sari, d. k., & rasyimah, r. (2020). toefl requirement: students’ and lecturers’ perspectives. international journal of language studies, 14(3), 67–84. blazar, d., & pollard, c. (2017). does test preparation mean low-quality instruction? educational researcher, 46(8), 420–433. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189x17732753 dari, a. l. w. (2021). an analysis of the vocational high school students’ problems in answering toeic reading and listening test [doctoral thesis, iain bengkulu]. repository iain bengkulu. demir, k., & qureshi, a. m. (2019). pakistani science teachers’ experiences of professional development: a phenomenological case study. journal of science teacher education, 30(8), 838–855. https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560x.2019.1607707 direktorat pembinaan smk. (2020). pedoman pelaksanaan fasilitasi peningkatan kompetensi bahasa asing siswa smk. direktorat sekolah menengah kejuruan dirjen vokasi kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. djamereng, j., yusuf, f., & nirwana. (2021). the implementation of toefl practicum class toward the result of students’ toefl score in english and literature department. elstic-ij, 1(2), 60–72. dong, m. (2021). differential washback effects of a high-stakes test on students’ english learning process: evidence from a large-scale stratified survey in china. asia pacific journal of education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2021.1918057 english first. (2019). english first: english proficiency index 2019. ef. www.ef.com/epiwww.ef.com/epiwww.efset.org %0awww.ef.com/epi gebril, a., & eid, m. (2017). test preparation beliefs and practices in a high-stakes context: a teacher’s perspective. language assessment quarterly, 14(4), 360–379. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2017.1353607 hampp, p. l., kumayas, t. a., & lengkoan, f. (2021). synthesizing grammar and structure problems faced by indonesian toefl participants. jurnal pendidikan bahasa inggris undiksha, 9(1), 64. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v9i1.33811 hu, r., & trenkic, d. (2021). the effects of coaching and repeated test-taking on chinese candidates’ ielts scores, their english proficiency, and subsequent academic achievement. international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 24(10), 1486–1501. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2019.1691498 knoch, u., huisman, a., elder, c., kong, x., & mckenna, a. (2020). drawing on repeat test takers to study test preparation practices and their links to score gains. language testing, 37(4), 550–572. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532220927407 komariah, e., hidayat, m., & nurlaili. (2017). improving students’ toefl score through blended learning: a pilot study in teachers training and education faculty, unsyiah. proceedings of the 1st national conference on teachers’ professional development, 280–288. ma, h., & chong, s. w. (2022). predictability of ielts in a high-stakes context: a mixed methods study of chinese students’ perspectives on test preparation. language testing in asia, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-021-00152-3 ma, j., & cheng, l. (2018). preparing students to take tests. in j. i. liontas (ed.), the tesol encyclopedia of english language teaching. wiley-blackwell. https://doi.org/10. 1002/9781118784235.eelt0321. maulana, r., irwan, i., hanum, m. c., mujiburrahman, m., & lidiana, l. (2022). the effectiveness of toefl app for final-year students of marine and fisheries faculty universitas syiah kuala, indonesia. e3s web of conferences, 339, 06005. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202233906005 miller, r. m., chan, c. d., & farmer, l. b. (2018). interpretative phenomenological analysis: a contemporary qualitative approach. counselor education and supervision, 57(4), 240–254. https://doi.org/10.1002/ceas.12114 neubauer, b. e., witkop, c. t., & varpio, l. (2019). how phenomenology can help us learn from the experiences of others. perspectives on medical education, 8(2), 90–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-019-0509-2 nguyen, h., & gu, y. (2020). impact of toeic english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1033 listening and reading as a university exit test in vietnam. language assessment quarterly, 17(2), 147–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2020.1722672 oroh, e. z., giroth, p. s., & mamentu, a. c. (2021). toefl takers in indonesia: purpose, strategy, problem and expectation (a systematic review). virtual international conference on english language teaching 2021, 63–78. http://www.ufrgs.br/actavet/31-1/artigo552.pdf rahayu, n. (2019). students ’ perceptions on the application of standardized english language proficiency test as graduation requirement in tourism higher education in indonesia (a case study at trisakti school of tourism). tourism research journal, 3(2), 153–166. renandya, w. a. (2018). english language proficiency in indonesia: issues and prospects. journal of asia tefl, 15(3), 618–629. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2018.15.3.4.618 renandya, w. a., hamied, f. a., & nurkamto, j. (2018). english language proficiency in indonesia: issues and prospects. journal of asia tefl, 15(3), 6118–6629. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2022.19.1.10.16 3 rionaldi, & saputra, b. (2019). improving students’ toefl-like score through student team achievement division (stad). inovish journal, 4(1), 38–47. saif, s., ma, j., may, l., & cheng, l. (2019). complexity of test preparation across three contexts: case studies from australia, iran and china. assessment in education: principles, policy and practice, 28(3), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594x.2019.1700211 sari, m. (2019). english language teachers’ selfreported perceptions on toefl preparation program in senior high school [unpublished doctoral dissertation]. islam negeri ar-raniry banda aceh, indonesia. satria, a., & zahraa, s. a. (2018). the influence of internal factors and external factors toward toeic passing grades in toeic intensive course for final year students. celscitech-umri 2018, 20–24. soler, s. c. g., nisperuza, g. l. b., & idárraga, p. h. (2020). test preparation and students’ performance: the case of the colombian high school exit exam. cuadernos de economia (colombia), 39(79), 31–72. https://doi.org/10.15446/cuad.econ.v39n79.7710 6 sukyadi, d., spolsky, b., & sung, k. (2015). the teaching of english at secondary schools in indonesia. in secondary school english education in asia. taylor & francis. wagner, i., & koch, u. (2021). differences in teachers’ test preparation methods depending on their functional perception and acceptance of lowstakes performance testing. unterrichtswissenschaft, 49(3), 373–394. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42010-021-00096-w wibowo, a. h. (2020). the lecturers ’ challenges and strategies to teach toefl preparation in the college for qur ’ an study and science al-ishlah, sendangagung, paciran lamongan. lintang songo: jurnal pendidikan, 3(1), 7–17. https://journal.unusida.ac.id/index.php/jls/article/ download/212/194 wijayanti, p. r., suwartono, t., & kusuma, l. (2022). perception of vocational school students towards online learning and their toeic scores. international journal for educational and vocational studies, 4(1), 35-41. https://doi.org/10.29103/ijevs.v4i1.5734 winke, p., & lim, h. (2017). the effects of test preparation on second-language listening test performance. language assessment quarterly, 14(4), 380–397. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2017.1399396 zahruni, n. a., fahmi, f., & pratolo, b. w. (2020). the challenges of taking toeic test and how to overcome: perception of indonesian vocational students. ethical lingua: journal of language teaching and literature, 7(1), 82–91. https://doi.org/10.30605/25409190.167 zein, s., & stroupe, r. (2017). english and languagein-education policy in the asean plus three forum. asian englishes, 19(3), 193–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2017.1389061 zein, s., sukyadi, d., hamied, f. a., & lengkanawati, n. s. (2020). english language education in indonesia: a review of research (2011-2019). language teaching, 53(july), 491–523. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444820000208 zou, s., & xu, q. (2017). a washback study of the test for english majors for grade eight (tem8) in china—from the perspective of university program administrators. language assessment quarterly, 14(2), 140–159. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2016.1235170 nurti rahayu, fuad abdul hamied, didi sukyadi, & fazri nur yusuf novice students’ experience of taking toeic preparation class: a phenomenological case study 1034 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 43 a development of english learning companion using immersive virtual reality application shally amna computer science faculty, universitas putra indonesia yptk, indonesia email: shallyamna@gmail.com randy permana computer science faculty, universitas putra indonesia yptk, indonesia email: randy_permana@upiyptk.ac.id dian christina computer science faculty, universitas putra indonesia yptk, indonesia email: dianchristina@ upiptk.ac.id apa scitation: amna, s., permana, r., & christina, d. (2024). a development of english learning companion using immersive virtual reality application. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 43-52. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.8928 received: 22-10-2023 accepted: 21-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introductions along with the rapid integration of technology in education and teaching, various advanced platforms or tools have been created to facilitate and increase the attractiveness of the teaching and learning process. soto et al., (2020) stated that every institution should improve its teaching and learning process by incorporating new technology into classroom learning activities. the integration of various technology into teaching techniques while meeting the learning demands poses a tremendous task for educators working in the field of language education. virtual reality can thus offer a cutting-edge approach of involving students in the learning process (klimova et al., 2023). in maximizing the success of language learning, especially learning english as a foreign language (efl), the authenticity of the language source (native) and interaction in practicing has a very important role (cross & vandergrift, 2018). soto et al., (2020) stated that all technological features used should engage students, add to their creativity and innovation components, and make interaction a key differentiating factor from the original environment. language learners are expected to not only act as listeners but also play an active role in a real and contextualized conversation. based on this thought, lan & liao (2018) suggested to use application based on virtual reality (vr) for foreign language learning. vr offers an immersive and interactive environment that improves and enriches the language learning experience. peixoto et al. (2021) contend that particularly when contrasted with traditional teaching methods, teaching foreign language with vr is largely beneficial. they pointed out that when it comes to teaching language, vr is both substantially more effective and more pleasant than using module, text, and audio. esteves et al. (2023) states that vr offers access to abstract: this research developed an educational application based on immersive virtual reality application using a 360-degree camera and a software engine called unity. the content in the application contains conversations with topics given in the english ii course and listening comprehension skill exercises tailored to the needs of users, especially for computer science faculty students. each exercise is given a score or value to monitor the improvement of students' listening skills before and after using the application. this research is part of research and development (r & d) research. in this study, a descriptive qualitative approach was used to explain the process, appearances, and results of application validation by six english lecturers. the result of this research was an immersive-based educational application with virtual reality technology for listening comprehension exercises using several features like text to speech, 360-degree spherical video, and scoring system. this application achieved a validation value of 94 percent. the highest value of the validation results was the suitability of the application to the needs of students, while the lowest value of this application was the video display which still has to be improved again. keywords: application; conversation; listening comprehension; virtual reality. shally amna, randy permana, & dian christina a development of english learning companion using immersive virtual reality application 44 environments and circumstances that are difficult to emulate in conventional classrooms, thus making it easier to implement various teaching tactics. according to peixoto et al. (2021), vr improves language acquisition by raising student interest, as well as increasing motivation and engagement. virtual reality (vr) technology can also help with the acquisition of a second language, and their combination with conventional learning techniques is essential for knowledge advancement and making it easier to adapt to various circumstances and interaction styles, especially while learning a foreign language. furthermore, language learners' engagement in this platform can also lead to increase confidence and motivation especially in learning a foreign language. therefore, the use of application based on vr has also attracted a great deal of interest in the field of english language teaching. (bacca-acosta et al., 2022; chandra & yuyun, 2018; frazier et al., 2020). in the study of chien et al. (2020), a spherical video-based vr application was developed. the design method for the application included deciding on the development environment, arranging the spherical video-based virtual reality (svvr) system, constructing real-world learning environments, writing interaction scripts, incorporating guiding tags, and incorporating learning objectives. the goal of the design was to give students immersive experiences so they could practice english in a virtual setting and participate in real conversations. some popular vr-based english learning apps such as mondly vr, immerse me, and vr speech are paid apps that offer more repetitive vocabulary training and contexts that are general and not based on a specific social environment (revianti, 2022). these applications are generally designed overseas for users of different first languages, meaning that they are not specifically created for users who use bahasa indonesia as a first or second language, and with contexts that are culturally appropriate in indonesia. in the development of technology-assisted english learning, there has been considerable numerous researches on the use of vr in english language learning to improve the quality of english language learning. mostly, virtual realitybased applications have been widely tested in various studies for english language learning. most of these studies are used by testing existing and paid vr applications on their students. soto et al. (2020) in his research conducted a pilot test of the immerse me application on several university students and looked at students' perceptions after using it using a questionnaire. the results showed that some students expressed interest in using the application and felt motivated to continue using it to improve their english skills. moreover, alemi & khatoony (2020) conducted research by designing a vr-based application to improve students' pronunciation in english. from the results of his research, he suggested the development of vr applications with more complex and varied english learning features. in 2021, huang et al, examined eightyeight publications in a systematic evaluation of earlier works on language acquisition using augmented reality (ar) and virtual reality (vr). they found that vr technologies facilitated language acquisition by offering an immersive learning environment, improving motivation, fostering engagement, and lowering learning anxiety. shabir (2022) tested youtube vr on university students using low-end vr devices such as cardboard vr or googles vr. the results show that there is an increase in interest in learning and understanding english material delivered through youtube. a study by tai (2022) found that there was an increase in the motivation to learn english of students who used applications with vr and virtual robots. the study stated that the communication interaction between english learners on the platform was one of the most important factors that attracted students. however, in the trials he conducted, students were passive by only following the visualizations displayed by youtube vr. in the same year, revianti (2022) in her research used the mozilla hubs social webvr platform to establish interaction between lecturers and students through remote classes using vr headsets. from the results of this research, positive results and responses from students were obtain for a new learning experience. however, some students later also complained about the appearance of simulator sickness, audio and video interference. from the results of the literature reviews conducted, many researches have applied vr technology in the english language learning process, and many have also conducted research by examining the effectiveness of applications or platforms that can be accessed online for students. however, so far, the platforms created were still used on existing applications or developing webbased vr only. the results of these studies show english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 45 that there are still many shortcomings in the applications that have been used. in general, researchers mostly test the effectiveness and students' perceptions of vr applications that have been commercialized, published online, and using avatar or animated figures in the video displays. the topics given in the applications are general topics such as eating in a restaurant, giving direction and shopping. most of the results of these studies state that students enjoy new experiences in language learning. however, various shortcomings of these applications are also complained about such as limited of the context that is aligned with students’ learning materials and inappropriate cultural culture. therefore, to fill the gaps that exist in the aforementioned researches, this study developed an application using immersive vr based on educational purposes using real-life people (native speaker and students) using local cultural background. this application can be used by students with laptop, mobile phone or with the help of vr headsets. in the application, the context of the materials given is adjusted to education and conversations that will be used by students in campus and in the world of work. the application will be used as a medium in teaching conversation to increasing listening comprehension skills and learning english motivation especially students at computer science faculty, university of putra indonesia yptk, padang. method this research focused on developing and validating an application based on immersive virtual reality. the subjects of the research are students who take english ii (conversation) courses in the informatics engineering study program, faculty of computer science in the second semester of the 2022/2023 academic year at universitas putra indonesia yptk padang. this research is part of research and development (r & d) research. according to (sugiyono, 2013). development research is a research method used to produce certain products and test the effectiveness of these products. there are six steps to design process for interactive virtual reality applications: (1) establish the aim; (2) design the content and learning objectives; (3) choose hardware and technology; (4) create the scenario and design the interaction; (5) provide feedback and assessment; and (6) continuously improve (esteves et al., 2023) overall, this research has created the 360 degree videos, developed and tested virtual reality application product using unity software to test and improve listening comprehension skills in english ii courses at the faculty of computer science, upi yptk. data collection used for this research is divided into three stages, namely the first stage, library techniques to collect language learning materials, the second stage, describing application development and the third stage, describing the results of the application validity test. to measure the validity level of the application, a likert scale is used, which is to measure a person's attitude, opinion, and perception (sugiyono, 2013). with the likers scale, the variables measured are translated into variable indicators. then the indicator is described as a starting point for compiling instrument items in the form of questions or statements. to obtain the data on product validity, six english lecturers have completed validation checklists which categorized by scoring the content, and application performance. the scores ranged from 1 – 5. 1 indicates invalid. 2 indicates less valid, 3 indicates fairly valid. 4 indicates valid. 5 indicates very valid. the final score from the six validators was summed up to obtain an average score of product validity. to obtain a final score of product validity, those scores are computed in the following formula proposed by riduwan (2005). final score (gained score divided by maximum score) times ideal score (100). gained score is the range score from 1 to 5 given by validators. the maximum score is 5 and the ideal score is 100. results and discussion during the process of building vr application, some steps have been taken. firstly, compiling the conversation materials based on the rps of the teaching materials in the english ii course. secondly, selecting the conversation topics to be used. third, finding native speakers and students who will conduct the conversations. overall, there were 5 conversations conducted, namely, small talk, giving instruction, giving advice, describing things, and job interview. however, for the prototype product at the beginning of making this application, the initial conversation with the theme of small talk was used. the conversations were conducted by 5 students from computer science faculty, with a native speaker from the uk named ricky. facilitating conversations with native speakers is one of the important components to build with vr application (khatoony, 2019). by interacting with native shally amna, randy permana, & dian christina a development of english learning companion using immersive virtual reality application 46 speakers in the virtual world, students will be able to reduce their tension and nervousness when talking to foreigners. they can also learn to relax and become less anxious while conversing with native speakers in real situations. the settings for the 360-degree were filmed in classrooms, on campus, in computer labs, in cafes, and in the cultural centre, aditiawarman museum, padang. the findings of previous research evaluations indicated that the majority of ar and vr studies on language acquisition were carried out in computer laboratories (reitz et al., 2019) and classrooms (berti et al., 2020) where it was convenient for researchers to supervise the technology and keep an eye on the study process. other places are cultural attractions (chang et al., 2019) and colleges (lee, 2020). after recording the video conversations, the next steps is the process of making the application with following stages: (1) 360 video cropping. the main video cropped so they could be uploaded to the application. (2) creating text to speech for application usage instructions. text to speech software is used to give guidance on how to use the application. besides that, the application also recorded a male and a female voices to be used by the users. (3) creating a 360degree video player and organiser with game object sphere using unity software. (figure 1) (4) inputting videos that have been edited and cut into unity software. the fact that researchers used unity, a gaming engine capable of producing virtual material, to build a vr learning environment is not unreasonable (yang et al., 2020) ; (hagstrom & winman, 2018). this software allows researchers to organize and edit videos according to learning needs, divide scenes, create question panels, and add a scoring system. figure 1. unity software in making this application, some of the obstacles encountered. namely, some buttons cannot be run because they have the same panel, for this problem the solution is to separate the video panel from the text to speech panel. then, the second problem is that the video size is too large, so it takes a long rendering time, the solution to this problem is to split or cut the video. and the last one is the problems when inputting questions or questions into the sphere application. the interactive experience process in virtual reality is shown in diagram 1. diagram 1. the interactive experience process in virtual reality in the diagram above, it can be seen the experience process using vr applications by students. first, when the application is used, a splash screen will appear for five seconds which contains, the campus logo, foundation, photo, and name of the researcher or application maker. this splash screen display is shown in figure 2. figure 2. splash screen after the splash screen, the unity software logo will appear and continue with guidance which will be displayed using text to speech. this guidance says “welcome students, to english comprehension activity using virtual reality, before you begin, there is some information you need to know. you must input the user’s name and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 47 student number. next, you will watch some scenes of conversation videos. remember, this is a 360-degree video so you can move in the direction you wish to see the surroundings and also to see who’s speaking. after each scene, there will be some multiple-choice questions for you to answer. choose the correct answer by clicking or touching the options given. each score will be calculated and by the end of the session, the system will show your final score. do not forget to screenshot your score and send it to your lecturer. so, are you ready? let’s do it.” after that, there will be a panel where students can input their names and student numbers (figure 3). figure 3. name and student number registration next, students will directly enter the panel where students can watch 360 videos while rotating the video to 360 degrees to see the situation and who is talking in the video (figure 4). in this first prototype video, there is one native speaker from england, and five students from computer science faculty having a small talk conversation for about 30 minutes. this video then cut into several scenes and questions boards. figure 4. vr video 360 degrees the first video contains small-talk conversations. the topics discussed in the conversations are about the student’s hobbies, activities, and dreams. moreover, they also discussed about socio-cultural context like culture-shocks which commonly happen to foreigners who live in padang, west sumatera. after that, the app will continue to proceed six more videos with topics discussed in english course ii, faculty of computer science, namely, social media, describing it devices, giving instruction, problem solving, and job interviews. these subjects are covered in the lecture materials for the informatics engineering department's conversation course. in order for instructors and students in conversation courses to utilize this application as a companion in addition to modules and audio in the future. to reduce cognitive load while using the vr app, developer can apply a method that gradually provides information (bacca-acosta et al., 2022) and insert text word-for-word in the application to increase comprehension by reducing cognitive load during learning exercises (lin et al., 2021). therefore, the video will be played for about two to five minutes and followed by 2-4 questions (figure 5). questions are given in the form of multiple choice. figure 5. questions and scoring the score will increase if students can answer the questions correctly. at the end of the panel, there will be a score summation (figure 6). this final score can later become a measuring tool for students' listening comprehension skills after using vr applications. figure 6. total score for the purpose of improving their grades, students can utilize the app as much as necessary. sun et al., (2020) argued that the vr application should give students the chance to get feedback, shally amna, randy permana, & dian christina a development of english learning companion using immersive virtual reality application 48 and establish a safe learning environment in order to further lower anxiety and boost confidence. hence, an important consideration in the creation of vr language learning programs is comfort. creating a secure and encouraging setting that reduces fear and promotes active engagement is essential to creating a successful vr language learning environment (liaw, 2019). learners can feel more at ease practicing and making mistakes in the virtual environment and finally can come up with the best results. following the use of the program, six english academics were invited to validate the study. this validation was carried out to find out how much percent of the feasibility of this vr application to improve listening comprehension skills in english ii courses at the faculty of computer science upi yptk. the validation was collected by using questionnaires which consisted of ten questions. these ten questions are divided into two categories, namely the category of application content (question 1 to question 5) and the category of application performance (question 6 to question 10). the answers of the questions are specified into absolutely very valid (5 score), valid (4 score), valid (3 score), less valid (2 score) and not valid (1 score). the questions of the questionnaire are mentioned as followed. first question, the listening comprehensive materials in the application refer to the english ii courses material guidance. second, the materials provided are aligned with the basic competencies of students in english ii course. third, the display of the lesson material is easy to follow. fourth, the order of presentation of the material is correct. fifth, the material provided contains listening comprehension training that is aligned with the faculty competencies. sixth, the media display is interactive with an active 360-degree system. seventh, the instructions for using the media are clear and easy to follow. eighth, good video and image display quality. ninth, attractive colour composition. and tenth, spatial arrangement and layout are appropriate so that it is easy to use. the result of the validation questionnaire is displayed in table 1. table 1. questionnaire validation no questions validators a b c d e f total % a application content 1 the listening comprehension materials refer to the english courses material guidance. 5 5 5 5 5 5 30 100 2 the materials provided are aligned with the basic competencies of students in english ii courses materials. 5 5 5 5 5 5 30 100 3 the display of the lesson materials is easy to read and comprehend 5 5 5 5 5 5 30 100 4 the order of presentation of the materials is correct. 5 5 5 5 4 5 29 97 5 the materials provided contain listening comprehension exercises that are aligned with the faculty competencies 4 4 5 5 5 5 28 93 b application performance 6 the media display is interactive with an active 360-degree rotating system. 5 4 5 4 5 4 27 90 7 the instructions for using the media are clear and easy to follow. 5 5 5 4 5 5 29 97 8 the application has good video and image display quality 5 4 4 4 4 3 28 80 9 the application has an attractive color composition 4 4 5 5 5 5 28 93 10 the spatial arrangement and the layout of the application are appropriate and easy to be used. 5 5 5 5 5 5 30 100 total score 94 based on the results of the english lecturer validation questionnaire results that appear in table 1, it can be seen that 100 percent of lecturers validated that the application made contained materials are aligned with english ii subject matter at the faculty of computer science english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 49 (q. 1 and q. 2). in term of application performance, the spatial arrangement and layout also stated 100 percent valid as it is easy use by the students (q. 10). in addition, it can also be seen that the appearance of the material (q. 3), and instructions for using the media (q. 7) are clear and can be followed easily. for these two categories, the validator stated a score of 97 percent valid. the next score is 93 percent for the order of presentation of the material (q. 4), the suitability of the material with the required listening comprehension skills (q. 5), and colour composition (q. 9). the lowest validation percentage was 80 percent for video image display. most validators stated that the video was not too clear enough and the lighting was blurry. this is an input for researchers and video development teams to improve the clarity of images produced in 360-degree videos in this application. overall, this vr application stated 94 percent valid for use by students to improve their listening comprehension skills. however, this percentage also comes with a note to revise some application features so that they can be further improved. listening comprehension plays an important role in language learning. it is essential to learning a language since it is a prerequisite to learn other abilities (vandergrift & baker, 2018). nonetheless, efl students frequently perceive listening comprehension as challenging and anxious. (chen, c., 2019); (jiang & dewaele, 2019a). most language students often consider listening comprehension in english a difficult skill to master because of the anxiety of misunderstanding (chen, c.w., 2019); (jiang & dewaele, 2019). listening comprehension is a basic necessary skill in communication, especially in the world of engineering work. in the research of (li, 2016) found that many language learners have difficulty in listening comprehension if they only use read-aloud or audio-recording techniques, without being accompanied by images and visuals that represent the context of the audio. other research also states that listening input listened to through conventional audio players such as cd players is not interesting, teachercantered, and not contextualized (lan & liao, 2018). immersive vr-based educational applications can make students practice listening comprehension skills by actively engaging in the virtual world. a lot of researches recommended using virtual world, sometimes called the desktop virtual environment as a way to overcome students’ listening barriers (lan & liao, 2018); (liao & lu, 2018).vr is beneficial as it offers a simulated environment for interactive listening learning centre (lan, y., 2020). virtual reality (vr) is a technology that allows users to enter and then feel truly present in the virtual world. in addition, vr can also be accessed through mobile phones that almost all language learners already have today, which allows them to be able to access vr more easily. as with any technology, the introduction of this technology raises great expectations in the education sector regarding the capabilities it can offer. in this research, the proposed virtual reality concept is an immersive virtual reality with the use of a game engine software called unity. this software acts as an editor to create a virtual environment and embed programs into the virtual environment. the addition of interaction using input controllers and audio that supports virtualization will achieve the goal of a an immersive virtual reality experience. by using this application, students can not only practice listening comprehension with audio and video, but also get the experience of interacting with the ability to rotate the video 360 degrees. this allows the user to be in the middle of the conversation because he can look where he wants, such as turning the camera towards who is talking. this is in line with lan & liao, (2018) study which stated that l2 learners enjoyed the listening lesson in the immersive vr setting and it had improved their listening comprehension. in some previous studies, researchers list a few drawbacks of virtual reality use. (tuli & mantri, 2020) and (t. y. tai & chen, 2021) said that the implementation of vr technologies in language learning was time-consuming. some students would just concentrate on the virtual material rather than the learning content. also, according to chen, y. et al., (2020) the vr technology was deemed to be time-consuming by students. in order to alleviate the concerns, this study includes an assessment system at the conclusion of the vr video, diverting students' attention from watching the content to solving the provided questions. furthermore, students were provided with sufficient time to rehearse using the laptopinstallable application, enabling them to practice as much as required to get an acceptable grade. from the results of the validation conducted by the validator, this immersive-based virtual reality application is valid or feasible to use for students of the faculty of computer science upi yptk to improve their english language skills. shally amna, randy permana, & dian christina a development of english learning companion using immersive virtual reality application 50 from these results, it is also conveyed that several shortcomings such as an unclear video display. although the results of the video taken with the 360-degree camera are very good, at the time of inputting the video into the application there are some obstacles so that the resulting video is not optimal. this requires a solution and larger application specifications and cutting the video into several scenes to be able to produce clearer video images. besides that, the team also needed to double-checked and equalised the size of the video rendering in the panel with that taken from the 360-video. furthermore, the research will continue to expand the features like having multiscenario panel, and adding speech recognition software so that the users will experience full immersive virtual reality in practicing english. finally, a mixed-experimental method will be carried out in further research to see the significance of changes in student learning outcomes using this virtual reality application. conclusion this research is developing a virtual reality technology using a 360-degree camera using unity software to provide a new experience for english students that allows them to interact, adventure, and understand english contextually. in this application several video scenes and questions have been arranged to train students' listening comprehension skills. the contents of the videos have been adjusted to the needs of the students’ subject area. this application features listening panel, video and audio image, user interface, and interactive 360-degree direction which can be rotate by the users. this application has been declared 94 percent valid for computer science faculty students by the validators who are english lecturers who will use this application at the faculty of computer science upi yptk padang. furthermore, this application will be revised according to the validators' directions, developed with more features and finally will be tested on students in an advanced method. acknowledgment our gratitude goes to the head of the upi yptk padang foundation, who has provided material and moral support to researchers and the team to carry out this research. next, thank you to the university rector, chairperson of computer science faculty, lppm upi yptk padang and all lecturers who have participated in this research. references alemi, m., & khatoony, s. (2020). virtual reality assisted pronunciation training (vrapt) for young efl learners. teaching english with technology, 20(4), 59–81. bacca-acosta, j., tejada, j., fabregat, r., & kinshuk. (2022). scaffolding in immersive virtual reality environments for learning english : an eye tracking study. educational technology research and development, 70, 339–362. berti, m., maranzana, s., & monzingo, j. (2020). fostering cultural understanding with virtual reality: a look at students’ stereotypes and beliefs. international journal of computer assisted language learning and teaching, 10, 47–59. chandra, s. o., & yuyun, i. (2018). the use of google translate in efl essay writing. journal: a journal on language and language teaching, 21(2). https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.2018.210212 chang, y. s., chen, y. s., & chiang, c. w. (2019). the difference in pleasing value and learning performance among different groups using mobile augmented reality system for cultural environment learning. journal of multimedia tools application, 78, 4965–4986. chen, c. w. (2019a). guided listening with listening journals and curated materials: a metacognitive approach. innovation in language learning and teaching, 13(2), 133–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2017.13811 04. chen, c. w. (2019b). guided listening with listening journals and curated materials: a metacognitive approach. innovation in language learning and teaching, 13(2), 133–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2017.13811 04. chen, y., smith, t. j., york, c. s., & mayall, h. j. (2020). google earth virtual reality and expository writing for young english learners from a funds of knowledge perspective. computer assisted language learning, 33, 1– 25. chien, s. y., hwang, g. j., & jong, m. s. y. (2020). effects of peer assessment within the context of spherical video-based virtual reality on efl students’ english-speaking performance and learning perceptions. computers and education, 146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103751 cross, j. , &, & vandergrift, l. (2018). metacognitive listening strategies. in j. i. liontas (ed.), the tesol encyclopedia of english language teaching (pp. 1–5). john wiley & sons. esteves, j. r., cardoso, j. c. s., & gonçalves, b. s. (2023). design recommendations for immersive virtual reality application for english learning: a systematic review. in computers (vol. 12, issue 11). multidisciplinary digital publishing english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 51 institute (mdpi). https://doi.org/10.3390/computers12110236 frazier, e., lege, r., & bonner, e. (2020). making virtual reality accessible for language learning: applying the vr application analysis framework. in teaching english with technology (vol. 21, issue 1). http://www.tewtjournal.org hagstrom, j., & winman, a. (2018). virtual overcoming grammar learning with 3d application of loci mnemonics. applied cognitive psychology journal, 32(5), 450–462. jiang, y. , &, & dewaele, j. m. (2019a). how unique is the foreign language classroom enjoyment and anxiety of chinese efl learners? system, 82, 13–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.02.017. jiang, y. , &, & dewaele, j. m. (2019b). how unique is the foreign language classroom enjoyment and anxiety of chinese efl learners? system, 82, 13–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.02.017. khatoony, s. (2019). an innovative teaching with serious games through virtual reality assisted language learning. international serious games symposium (isgs), tehran, iran, 100–108. klimova, b., pikhart, m., polakova, p., cerna, m., yayilgan, s. y., & shaikh, s. (2023). a systematic review on the use of emerging technologies in teaching english as an applied language at the university level. in systems (vol. 11, issue 1). mdpi. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11010042 lan, y. j. (2020). immersion, interaction and experience-oriented learning: bringing virtual reality into fl learning. language learning and technology, 24(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/http://hdl.handle.net/10125/4470 4 lan, y. j. , &, & liao, c. y. (2018a). the effects of 3d immersion on csl students’ listening comprehension. innovation in language learning and teaching, 12(1), 35–46. . lan, y. j. , &, & liao, c. y. (2018b). the effects of 3d immersion on csl students’ listening comprehension. innovation in language learning and teaching, 12(1), 35–46. . lee, s. m. (2020). the impact of using machine translation on efl students’ writing. computer assisted language learning, 33(3), 157–175. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.155318 6 li, w. (2016). computer-assisted pronunciation training: from pronunciation scoring towards spoken language learning. in signal and information processing association annual summit and conference (apsipa), 2016 asiapacific (pp. 1-7). singapore: institute of research, ieee. liao, j., & lu, x. (2018). exploring the affordances of telepresence robots in foreign language learning. language learning and technology, 22(3), 20–32. https://doi.org/http://doi.org/ 10125/44652 liaw, m.-l. (2019). efl learners’ intercultural communication in an open social virtual environment. educational technology and society, 22(2), 38–55. lin, v., barret, n. e., liu, g.-z., chen, n.-s., & jong, m. s.-y. (2021). supporting dyadic learning of english for tourism purposes with scenerybased virtual reality. computer assisted language learning, 36, 906–942. peixoto, b., pinto, r., melo, m., cabral, l., & bessa, m. (2021). immersive virtual reality for foreign language education : a prisma systematic review. ieee , 48952–48962. reitz, l., sohny, a., & lochmann, g. (2019). vrbased gamification of communication training and oral examination in a second language. international journal game-based learning, 6, 46–61. revianti, sl. , dan a. dw. (2022). interaksi kolaboratif menggunakan virtual reality berbasis web dalam pembelajaran bahasa inggris. jurnal informatika dan komputer), 6(1), 102–114. shabir, a. (2022). ujicoba penggunaan teknologi virtual reality sebagai media pembelajaran. jurnal pendidikan tambusai, 6(1), 696–702. soto, j. h. b., ocampo, d. c. t., del carmen beltrán colón, l., & oropesa, a. v. (2020a). perceptions of immerse me virtual reality platform to improve english communicative skills in higher education. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 14(7), 4–19. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v14i07.12181 soto, j. h. b., ocampo, d. c. t., del carmen beltrán colón, l., & oropesa, a. v. (2020b). perceptions of immerseme virtual reality platform to improve english communicative skills in higher education. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 14(7), 4–19. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v14i07.12181 sugiyono. (2013). metode penelitian pendidikan (pendekatan kuantitatif, kualitatif dan r&d). alfabeta. sun, c., yao, y., wang, r., & ye, x. (2020). a study on the influence of scene reality of vr environment on english learners’ learning engagement and learning effectiveness. in institute of electrical and electronics engineers (ed.), proceedings of 2nd international conference on computer science and educational informatization : ieee csei 2020 : xinxiang, china, june 12-14, 2020. tai, t. y., & chen, h. h. j. (2021). the impact of immersive virtual reality on efl learners’ listening comprehension. journal of educational computing research, 59(7), 1272– shally amna, randy permana, & dian christina a development of english learning companion using immersive virtual reality application 52 1293. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633121994291 tai, t.-y. (2022a). impact of mobile virtual reality on efl learners’ listening comprehension. language learning & technology, 2022(1), 1– 23. tai, t.-y. (2022b). impact of mobile virtual reality on efl learners’ listening comprehension. language learning & technology, 2022(1), 1– 23. tuli, n., & mantri, a. (2020). evaluating usability of mobile-based augmented reality learning environment for early childhood. journal of human computer interaction, 1–13. https://doi.org/doi:10.1080/10447318.2020.18 43888 vandergrift, l., & baker, s. c. (2018). learner variables important for success in l2 listening comprehension in french immersion classrooms. canadian modern language review, 74(1), 79–100. yang, f. c. o., lo, f. y. r., hsieh, j. c., & wu, w. c. v. (2020). facilitating communicative ability of efl learners via high-immersion virtual reality. journal of educational technology and society, 23, 30–49. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 657 narrative reconstruction of traumatic memory in the novel of redemption at hacksaw ridge neisya english literature study program, faculty of humanities, universitas bina darma, palembang, indonesia email: neisya@binadarma.ac.id fitria aprilia english literature study program, faculty of humanities, universitas bina darma, palembang, indonesia email: fitria_aprilia@binadarma.ac.id anisa syafiah rahmah english literature study program, faculty of humanities, universitas bina darma, palembang, indonesia email: 191610014@student.binadarma.ac.id apa citation: neisya., aprilia, f., & rahmah, a. s. (2023). narrative reconstruction of traumatic memory in the novel of redemption at hacksaw ridge. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 657-666. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8378 received: 28-06-2023 accepted:25-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 introduction the first world war lasted from 1914-1918. the world war i outbreak started by several factors. the first factor was started by the assassination of archduke franz ferdinand, aggressive military alliance, armament race, economic nationalism of britain and germany, and colonial rivalries in africa and asia. it recorded massive destruction and heavy loss of lives (amalu, 2018). from 1939 to 1945, a conflict involved almost every side of the world, called world war ii or the second world war. germany, italy, japan, france, great britain, the united states, soviet union, were the main parties to this global conflict. in many ways, the war was a resumption, after 20 years break of a quarrel left unsolved by world war i. world war ii was the deadliest and largest war in history, with 40,000,000-50,000,000 people killed (hughes & royde-smith, 2023). during wwii, the japanese army invaded and occupied guam started in december 1941. however, since the us naval administration had control of guam, the us naval administration gave “liberation day” on july 21, 1944, to guam (ikegami, 2022). on october 20, 1944, the allied started to isolate the philippines, especially leyte gulf (janić, 2018). desmond doss was one of the combatants who fought in the battle of guam, leyte, and okinawa. he was an anomaly, this formed because he was a man with deep religious faith and rejected to hurt other individuals due to the commandment not to kill (puddy et al., 2019). being raised with a strong belief in 7th day adventist, he is against killing and taking life. this global conflict left a traumatic impression on desm-ond doss. he lost his friend on the battlefield. after he returned home from the battlefield, he had to undergo several years of abstract: this research delves into desmond doss’s traumatic memories and analyzes the narrative reconstruction in herdon’s novel. employing hirsch’s postmemory theory and freytag’s pyramid approach, this qualitative research draws upon literary memory concepts. data were sourced from a documentary interview and novel excerpts, involving exploration, reduction, abstraction, and intensive reading. the findings reveal seven traumatic memories desmond doss endured, including gun-related fear, intimidation, humiliation, friend loss, insights into japanese army strategies, and post-traumatic aftermath. herndon skillfully weaves these memories into his novel, occasionally enhancing or diminishing events for narrative purposes. the narrative reconstruction in the novel serves dual roles: firstly, it corrects doss’s past events that could not be altered in reality. secondly, it accentuates desmond doss’ heroic narrative, skillfully bridging historical gaps and engaging readers keywords: desmond doss; narrative reconstruction; postmemory. mailto:faridanoor88@unisayogya.ac.id mailto:faridanoor88@unisayogya.ac.id neisya, fitria aprilia, &anisa syafiah rahmah narrative reconstruction of traumatic memory in the novel of redemption at hacksaw ridge 658 treatment for his wounds and tuberculosis (the national wwii museum, 2020). through this traumatic yet heroic story, booton herndon caught doss’s memories and made it the inspiration to write his novel, the redemption at hacksaw ridge. as part of literary work, a novel can become a way for humans to express their experiences, opinions, and knowledge to be communicated back to connoisseurs of literature with added aesthetic value (yanti & neisya, 2021). the novel of redemption at hacksaw ridge itself a literary work in the form of a reconstructed narrative. in social novel, reality is re-established by the author in numerous figures of social phenomena that have occurred in society offered through the text to the reader as an overview (puspitasari & neisya, 2019). this novel was filmed in 2016, directed by mel gibson, entitled “hacksaw ridge.” in the novel, herndon reframed the events into the form of a narrative to make it thrilling to read. this occasion is defined as narrative reconstruction. narrative reconstruction refers to hirsch's theory of postmemory. the term postmemory is a memory owned by the generation who has not experienced the memory itself. postmemory is possible to slide to rememory–recollecting things someone has already forgotten–, traumatic reenactment, and repetition (hirsch, 2012b). hereby, the researchers defined postmemory as a memory or a remembrance that one has but did not experience the event directly. the movie of hacksaw ridge is also very popular, although many researchers are interested in analyzing the movie of hacksaw ridge, there is not yet research that has taken the novel version as the object. instead, the novel is pictured in more detail the event. the movie of hacksaw ridge research has been done by burhanuddin (2017), mađerek (2017), putri & saifurrohman (2018), wangania et al., (2019), and anugra (2023). the results of their research described the stages of desmond doss’s adventure, how desmond doss is depicted as a soldier in the movie, how desmond defended his values, competitive and conflictive acts are portrayed in the movie, and hacksaw ridge’s characters' personalities inside the movie. moreover, postmemory research also interacts many researchers. for examples, ernawati (2019), assa (2019), jati (2020), mulyadi & putra (2021), furqan, (2022), and nugroho (2022). the results of their research were familial and affiliative transmissions formed by the traumatic memories of their research, the attempt to reconstruct memories to answer the memories that are not complete. of all the research above that has been done, none of their research or study analyzed the novel redemption at hacksaw ridge using the postmemory theory by hirsch (2012), and freytag’s pyramid approach. the role of postmemory and freytag's plot theory in analyzing the novel of redemption at hacksaw ridge was made to unmask the traumatic memory of desmond doss and narrative reconstruction of traumatic memory from booton herndon's point of view, through 5 stages of freytag's pyramid. the proposed research questions are “how is the traumatic memory of desmond doss described, and how does herndon reconstruct desmond’s traumatic memory in the novel of redemption at hacksaw ridge?” the findings of this research directly benefit the reader who is doing the same research with related postmemory theory or the reader who is just wondering how postmemory theory works in the novel of redemption at hacksaw ridge. postmemory is usually identical to the result of cultural trauma that is caused by war, holocaust, genocide, or catastrophe. the term postmemory first invented by hirsch, and she used the holocaust as her first reference (hirsch, 2008). postmemory relationship to the past is not only mediated by recalling but also by imaginative investment, projection, and creation (hirsch, 2012a). the experiences of people who grow up with the narratives that precede their birth are characterized by postmemory. the late stories of these people are replaced by the narratives of earlier generations, shaped by traumatic experiences that can neither be understood nor recreated (hirsch, 2012a). thus, post-memory elucidates that memories are inherited in the form of fear or traumatic events, culture, and historical stories. hirsch explains that every human is part of societies that interact with one another and shares the same belief including memories, and construct them into narratives and scenarios (hirsch, 2012b). hirsch also clarifies narratives or scenarios are shaped directly or indirectly by experienced traumatic memories that are against narrative reconstruction and beyond comprehension. these traumatic memories happened in the past, but the effects of it extend here and now (hirsch, 2012b). this indicates that narrative reconstruction is the placement or framing and or redrawing of memories that have been inherited to understand those memories that had happened in the past but the effects continue in the present. as an alternative, the object of this research, the novel of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 659 redemption at hacksaw ridge is a form of narrative reconstruction. memory is a precise link to the past, an expression of “life connection”, and is powerfully mediated by technology as well as literature, photography, and testimony. undeniably, the growth of the memory culture may be a sign of the need for individual and group inclusion in the collective membrane made by the shared inheritance of multiple traumatic experiences and the individual and social responsibility the postgeneration feels towards the persistent and traumatic past (hirsch, 2012b). by way of explanation, traumatic memory is a memory consisting of events and or experiences towards the feeling of fear, anxiety, and pain. traumatic memory could happen because one individual experienced an unwanted occurrence such as oppression, witnessing death, accident, or war. the plot is viewed as a composition of incidents or the link between each incident and the whole story. furthermore, the plot is used for aiming the framework that needs to be understood more in terms of the mind behind it, than the elements it organizes. regarding this theory, plots are mainly a mental phenomenon and merely an aspect of the narrative (khandhar and mani, 2015). gustav freytag, a german novelist and playwright invented freytag’s pyramid, highlighting the 5 structures plot, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution (bressmer, 2022). the plot is made to understand the whole narrative. the plot structure in this research is meant to analyze the postmemory in each state of the story. method the qualitative method is used for scope out and meaning comprehension that is assumed by an individual or group as a social or human issue (creswell, 2014). the qualitative method is also known as a method that does not involve numbers or numerical data (neisya et al., 2023). considering this research focus is using the postmemory theory, it requires a literary memory research methodology or literary neurobiology. literary neurobiology itself is a methodology that contains memory and how the memory itself affects literature. novels about war, trauma, and tragic historical events still contain the moral of life. therefore, the task of literary memory researchers is to reveal the moral and mental meaning of humans dealing with memories (endraswara, 2022). the object of this research is the traumatic memory of desmond doss and the reconstructed traumatic memory of booton herndon, in the novel of redemption at hacksaw ridge. the source of the data is the documentary interview video and the paragraphs that exist on every page of the novel. endraswara (2022) states that collecting the data for literary memory can be done by exploration, reduction, and abstraction. however, regarding the adaptation of the literary memory and qualitative method, there will be an additional step beside the three steps stated. first is exploration. the researchers explored the texts or narrations, to find out the traumatic memories and the reconstructed traumatic memory inside the novel. the second is reduction. data that do not describe literary memory has to be reduced, which is aimed only at focusing on the objectives of the research. the next step is abstraction. the researchers visualize, to find out accurate data over the literary memory. last but not least is read intensively. to understand the plot of the novel of redemption at hacksaw ridge. several steps for analyzing the data according to endraswara (2022) were used, however, some adaptations were done to answer the problems of the research. first, identified the novel plot for recognizing desmond doss’s traumatic memory as well as booton herndon’s reconstructed traumatic memory. second, retrieved information from the interview video to describe the traumatic memory of desmond doss and the reconstructed traumatic memory. third, draw a conclusion, to disclose the result of traumatic memory and the reconstructed traumatic memory in this research. results and discussion the traumatic memory and the narrative reconstructed of traumatic memory were discussed in this section. several differences can be found between the interview and herndon’s exploration in the novel. analysis was undertaken through traumatic memory gained from the documentary interview, and the narrative reconstruction of traumatic memory from booton herndon’s perspective in the novel of redemption at hacksaw ridge. hereby, to distinguish it better, the researchers used freytag’s pyramid of plot theory. traumatic memory of desmond doss desmond was frightened of the gun desmond’s father suffered from great depression, he was often drunk and despondent. but fortunately, his mother’s compassionate love had a great impact on his life. there was a very crucial moment desmond would never forget, in the following interview desmond stated: neisya, fitria aprilia, &anisa syafiah rahmah narrative reconstruction of traumatic memory in the novel of redemption at hacksaw ridge 660 “it was an experience i'll never forget. what happened, my uncle and my dad were both drinking, in fact, i'm afraid more than that, they were drunk. and they got into a fight. they were fighting, and daddy had the gun, and mother got in between. neither one of them wanted to hit mother and so mother told dad, you give me that gun! she said the police are on the way, and you're going to be in real trouble, they catch you with that gun. he took the bullets out and gave her the gun. mother gave me that gun, she said, go hide that gun! i ran home, it was about a block or two away. i watched them shove my daddy into the back of that old black wagon with the drunks, and then they drove off. and i'll never forget that experience because if it hadn't been for mother, my daddy would most likely have killed him. and that was the time desmond vowed he would never touch a gun” (benedict, 2004, minute 07:02). desmond’s father almost killed his uncle. desmond was frightened at that time. his father was affected by alcohol, as was his uncle. his mother tried to keep him out of further trouble. desmond had to help his mother to hide the gun his father held. desmond was intimidated the japanese army attacked america on december 7, 1941. it caused the death of thousands of americans, hundreds were injured. there were also 188 planes and three american ships destroyed. this attack led the united states involved in world war ii. on december 11, 1941, president franklin d. roosevelt declared war on japan (fleury, 2023). at that time, desmond worked at the newport news naval shipyard. he believed in serving god and his country for freedom and religious liberty was an honor. desmond started his training as a medic, he took part in the 77th division. but it was not easy for desmond, he became ridiculed because he refused to carry a gun and he was always seen to be with his bible. in the documentary interview, desmond stated that: “i was just something that, a joke. they made fun of me. who he think he is? holy jesus? uh, holy job?” (benedict, 2004, minute 15:34). “one fellow he told me, i swear to god, doss, you go to combat, i’m going to shoot you” (benedict, 2004, minute 16:36). desmond doss tended to experience oppressive actions from his peers during his training period. they mocked him and called him holy jesus, not to mention they threatened to shoot desmond on the battlefield during his training period. desmond was humiliated by captain cunningham captain cunningham took controversy with desmond’s refusal to use a gun. he decided to humiliate desmond by depicting his mother in a room with an armed man in their argument to make desmond hold the gun. desmond stated that: “i said, i wouldn't have no gun. you wouldn't have a gun? you mean you wouldn't use it? i said i wouldn't have a gun. you mean you wouldn't do nothing? i said, now, that's a horse of a different color. i didn't mean i wouldn't do anything. only thing about it, when i got through with him he'd probably wish he was dead. but as far as killing anybody, i won't kill nobody. man, he was strictly business. he had that carbine rifle, and he gave me a direct order. you take this gun, or you'll be court-martialled. i didn't take it. he grabbed it. he says, doss, i don't want to have to court-martial you. i'm going to give you one more chance. he held it up again, he dropped it, and i, i didn't grab it. he grabbed it. he says, doss, i am now court-martialling you for refusing a direct order” (benedict, 2004, minute 31:28). captain cunningham tried so hard that desmond would want to hold the gun. in the end, cunningham went into a tantrum and he lost the argument. but it did not stop there, this time he went too far. desmond poured it as follows: “my brother that i hadn't seen for a year or two was going into the navy, and if i wanted to see him i better come home. he looked at me, he says, doss, you haven't qualified with your weapon. and he just tore that paper right in the half. but there was nothing i could do. that's why i called home. i couldn't hardly talk into the telephone, i was so shook up and crying” (benedict, 2004, minute 33:27). captain cunningham was not satisfied by their recent argument which he lost. this time, cunningham succeeded in hurting desmond’s dignity by teared up desmond’s furlough paper. desmond could not do anything but cry. desmond had lost his friend the 77th division, after years of rigorous training from 1941 to 1944, was finally off to the battlefield. their inaugural combat experience took place on the island of guam. there was a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 661 particular moment that desmond would never forget, he claimed that: “blood had run down into the fellow's face and eyes. he was lying there just groaning and calling for a medic. i took water from my canteen, got some bandages, and i washed his face. and when that blood was washed from his eyes, his eyes came open, and man, he just lit up. he says "i thought i was blind." and if i hadn't gotten anything more out of the war than that smile he gave me, i'd have been well repaid”. the next morning, arriving at the bivouac area, desmond discovered that the friend he had just saved had died. “so from then on, i took care of the men, but i didn't want to know which one of my men i was taking care of.” (benedict, 2004, minute 41:46). desmond’s act of saving his friend on the battlefield was commendable. however, the unfortunate turn of events occurred when his friend passed away the following morning. this deeply affected desmond, to the point where he no longer wanted to know the identities of those he had treated. the japanese army's strategies desmond’s distress did not stop there. the japanese army had its strategy for attacking the americans. desmond mentioned in the interview that: “they preferred to get us above anyone else. they would let the infantry get by just to pick off the medic because if they killed the medics, it broke down the morale of the men” (benedict, 2004, minute 44:19). however, killing the medics was not the only strategy they had. desmond was told by an old man from the village what the japanese army had done to the okinawan people. desmond mentioned in the interview that: “they would call the village out, for all the women to come, and then they would take the most beautiful woman and rape them in front of everybody. and said, that's what the american dogs will do for you” (benedict, 2004, minute 44:48). these frightening details of desmond’s traumatic memory showed how ruthless the japanese army at that time was to raping the natives to instill abject fear in the americans. desmond last battle the battle of okinawa was the bloodiest combat. since it led to a large number of non-combatant deaths, the battle of okinawa should have been the final of the nonsensical assassination of people in world history (eldridge, 2020). there were more than 12,000 americans and 100,000 japanese soldiers who sacrificed their lives (tzeng, 2000). the battle of okinawa marked desmond’s last combat. at night, company b was on a mission to pass the escarpment, desmond was near to be killed. they walked inadvertently to a company of japanese soldiers. in the chaotic combat, desmond treated every wounded including the japanese. desmond stated that: “and they began to throw these hand grenades. i saw it coming. there was three other men in the hole with me. they were on the lower side, but i was on the upper side looking when they threw the thing. i knew there was no way i could get out, so i just quickly took my left foot and throwed it back, to where i thought the grenade might be, and throwed my head and helmet to the ground. and more than it happened it blowed up. i felt like i was sailing through the air. i was seeing stars i wasn't supposed to be seeing. and i knew my legs and buttocks were blown up” (benedict, 2004, hour 1:22:54). desmond encountered the japanese threw hand grenades at him and his team. therefore, he had to avoid it by hiding his head and his helmet on the ground. however, the hand grenades blew his legs and his buttocks. desmond was eventually taken to the mercy hospital ship, and he returned home. the aftermath desmond returned home after being discharged due to severe war injuries. upon arriving in his homeland, he was awarded the medal of honor. despite this recognition, his post-war life was far from smooth sailing, this can be seen in the quotation below: “desmond's life has been far from easy since the war. his wounds left him a hundred percent disabled, including losing one lung due to tuberculosis contracted in okinawa. the army's effort to treat his tb ended when they gave him an overdose of antibiotics that left him deaf. “the equipment's like myself, old and worn out. seems it's trying to break down faster than i can fix it.” in november of 1991, desmond's wife, dorothy, died from brain cancer” (benedict, 2004, hour 1:29:28). neisya, fitria aprilia, &anisa syafiah rahmah narrative reconstruction of traumatic memory in the novel of redemption at hacksaw ridge 662 herndon’s narrative reconstruction exposition through herndon’s narrative reconstruction, desmond doss is described to be a devout 7th day adventist. he always carried his bible and read it anytime he could. this kind of personality is what makes him alienated and distressed by his fellow men, even on his first day of training. this can be seen in the quotation below: “the big-city men, irritable and keyed up after a day of strain and tension in a new, demanding environment, were ready to relieve their emotions on any scapegoat, and now they had found one. a heavy army shoe sailed over a bunk and clunked on the floor beside the pious young rookie. it was a near miss. another shoe came flying and another, accompanied by more profane remarks” (p.20). “the men learned that calling him "holy jesus" caused him great distress. one tough-voiced, hard-drinking man in his thirties named karger, who seemed to hate everybody and everything including religion, went out of his way to taunt doss in his harsh voice. desmond would cringe. he had never in his life heard anyone take the name of the lord in vain so brazenly karger apparently enjoyed taking his perpetual foul humor out on desmond. "when we go into combat, doss," he would say, "you're not comin' back alive. i'm gonna shoot you myself” (p.21). as previously stated, herndon caught the second traumatic memory of desmond doss–in which he was intimidated by his fellow men–and reconstructed them as an exposition of the novel. by reconstructing this memory, herndon portrays desmond as a scapegoat and as something to relieve their emotions. desmond’s second traumatic memory is reconstructed by herndon into a form of exposition in his novel, which aims to spark excitement in the reader. rising action knowing desmond doss's refusal to bear arms, sergeant howell made a bet with desmond’s new company commander, lieutenant walter g. cosner. lieutenant cosner bet that desmond would have carried a gun in thirty days. cosner did everything he had in mind would work, including the quotation below: “you're married. now suppose somebody was raping your wife. wouldn't you use a gun?" “i wouldn't have one" "what would you do, then?" "i wouldn't just stand there," doss said sharply. "i wouldn't use a gun, and i wouldn't kill, but he'd sure wish he was dead when i got through with him” (p.51). on the traumatic memory of desmond, captain cunningham humiliated him by bringing up his mother in their arguments. in the novel, herndon reconstructed it as if somebody was raping his wife. herndon did not use the cunningham’s name in his novel, instead, he used a pseudonym, lieutenant walter g. cosner. this decision was made to prevent any potential embarrassment for cunningham. on desmond’s first battle, in guam, he handled it perfectly. he treated his first casualties without panicking. unfortunately, it did not always go well, the day when the army had to move to another combat in leyte, was the day desmond failed to save his friend, clarence glenn. herndon put the grief in the narrative as follows: “grief-stricken, exhausted, dehydrated, desmond remained on his knees motionless, almost in shock. he had lost his best friend. he had no desire to live. he did not even have the will to move. the other soldiers saw him, noticed his condition, and called captain tann. they removed his helmet and his medical kits and got a handful of pills down his throat. desmond didn't remember much after that. one of the pills, no doubt a sedative, enabled him to sleep the whole night through. someone else obviously took his guard duty for him. this combination of drugs and exhaustion helped ease the shock of his friend's death. in the morning he awakened physically refreshed, better able to put the loss of his friend out of his mind and carry on his duties” (p.79). from desmond’s traumatic memory which he had lost his friend through the documentary interview, it is visible that desmond discovered his friend he saved had died the next morning. booton herndon skillfully reconstructed it by investing his imagination into the paragraph above to clarify desmond’s situation along with his emotions at that time. furthermore, he made desmond aware that his friend was no longer with him right after he tried to save his friend, desmond was physically rejuvenated in the morning and able to fulfill his duties. despite the brutality and the loss of his friends that the japanese army had caused, desmond found his first wounded japanese and he had the desire to help them. however, his noble intention was abruptly stopped by his peers who were armed. it is seen in the quotation below: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 663 “two walking wounded men, still carrying their rifles, saw what he was about to do and raised their guns. “if you touch one of those devils, doss,” one of the soldiers warned, “i swear to god i’ll kill you.” and so desmond doss never treated any japanese” (p.85). the quotation above represents the traumatic memory that was reconstructed by booton herndon. in desmond's last battle, it is evident that he did treat the japanese army, which contrasts with the portrayal in his novel. narrative reconstruction can occur when someone experiences an unspeakable loss by receiving a story from the owner of the exact event. it is shaped by confusion, responsibility, the desire to modify, and by consciousness. the example provided above demonstrates how desmond never treated any japanese, which was the way herndon healed his unspeakable loss. climax succeeding the battle in leyte, which resulted in victory in the liberation of the philippines, the 77th division moved into a rest area. after two weeks of rest time, they were ready to go again to their next combat in okinawa. they have undertaken dangerous missions previously, but nothing like okinawa. as seen in the quotation below: “the japanese had convinced the natives that the americans would torture and slaughter them. horrified young americans saw native mothers cut their children’s throats, then their own, as the soldiers approached. in a hysterical madness that caught all the civilians on the island, they slaughtered themselves and each other” (p.95). in desmond’s traumatic memory, the japanese army's strategy, they called the village and took out the most beautiful women to rape them therefore okinawan people fear the americans. herndon as the author of the novel, sought to convey this harrowing experience while making it more palatable for readers by replacing the term “rape” with “torture.” herndon included the okinawan people who murdered each other even their innocent children. falling action following a two-week period of recuperation from the escarpment, captain vernon led company b including desmond doss, finally off to the top of the hill. company b moved at night with absolute silence, emptied rifles, and attached bayonets. it was such an unfortunate event that they encountered japanese soldiers, as seen below: “a split second later it exploded. he felt a jolt. it didn't hurt. rather, it numbed him. he felt as though he was flying through the air head over heels. it knocked all the wind out of him. he shook his head and opened his eyes. he was still alive. the two men in the hole with him had gone, but the japanese soldier was still there” (p.124). from desmond’s last battle traumatic memory, desmond’s legs and buttocks were injured. herndon, as the author, reconstructed the scene, not only desmond’s body which was blown up but his friends as well. regrettably, his two friends did not make it, they were dead on the spot, but not with desmond. it is herndon’s way of showing the strong heroic side of desmond doss. resolution regarding desmond’s wound, he had to be sent to the battalion aid. they gave him a massive dose of morphine, but in the end, they sent him to the hospital ship. two months after he was sent home by the ship, he finally reached the united states, as identified below: “finally that day came. his arm stuck out clumsily in the crowded bus, and the granulated tissue in his leg wounds was painful, especially where he sat down. but he was going home” (p.132). despite his legs and arms being injured, desmond doss finally arrived home. doss received his medal of honor on october 12, 1945. from desmond’s traumatic memory, he had tuberculosis which he contracted in okinawa. desmond was also given a massive dose of medicine that caused him to lose his hearing, and lost one of his lungs, leaving him almost 100% disabled. herndon, the author of the novel, did not put these details into his narrative, the purpose was to spotlight the heroic story to the reader. based on the previous research conducted, the movie of hacksaw ridge is more often used by researchers than the novel redemption at hacksaw ridge which was the inspiration of the movie. none of the researchers analyzed hacksaw ridge as their research object with the postmemory theory by hirsch and through freytag’s pyramid approach. from this research, it was revealed that desmond doss experienced seven traumatic memories. those traumatic memories are all neisya, fitria aprilia, &anisa syafiah rahmah narrative reconstruction of traumatic memory in the novel of redemption at hacksaw ridge 664 caught inside the novel by herndon and distinguished by freytag’s pyramid. conclusion the analysis of desmond doss’s traumatic memory revealed that desmond doss experienced a fear of gun, he was intimidated and humiliated, he had lost his friend, was terrified by the japanese army's strategies, he was wounded, and the aftermath of the wound that made his life far from easy. booton herndon, the author of the novel redemption at hacksaw ridge, caught desmond’s traumatic memories and reconstructed them into the form of narratives. it has the purpose of reaching the excitement and suspense of the readers. herndon exaggerates some of the events, and some are lessened, this has the purpose that readers able to picture the events clearly and fulfill the reader’s satisfaction. acknowledgement the researchers would like to express their profound gratitude towards the participants who helped to finish the research. a remarkable thank you to universitas bina darma for the researchers’ affiliation to finish this research. the goal of this research will directly benefit the reader who is doing the same research with postmemory theory. references altenberg, b. (2019). in the shadow of shuri castle: the battle of okinawa in memory [ma thesis, chapman university]. chapman university digital commons. anugra, a. (2023). character’s personality in the hacksaw ridge film (2016): an analysis of carl jung’s mbti theory [ba thesis, uin sunan gunung djati]. digital library uin sunan gunung djati. https://etheses.uinsgd.ac.id/66475/. assa, a. (2019). postmemory dalam novel tapol karya ngarto februana. poetika: jurnal ilmu sastra, 7(1), 17-31. https://doi.org/10.22146/poetika.v7i1.43130. benedict, t. (2004). the conscientious objector [film]. chaparral west & d’artagnan entertainment, llc. bressmer, a. (2022, may 23). freytag’s pyramid: definition, examples, and usage. prowritingaid. https://prowritingaid.com/freytags-pyramid. burhanudin, m. (2017). the journey of desmond doss in hacksaw ridge [ba thesis, uin sunan kali jaga]. institutional repository uin sunan kali jaga. https://digilib.uinsuka.ac.id/id/eprint/27573. creswell, j. w. (2014). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). sage publication. eldridge, r. d. (2020). the battle of okinawa: could more civilian have been saved?. the japan times. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2020/04/ 01/commentaryjapan-commentary/battleokinawa-civilians-saved/. endraswara, s. (2022). metodologi penelitian memori sastra: konsep, perspektif, dan aplikasi. eureka media aksara. ernawati, y. (2020). memori traumatis dalam novel jawa kadang suriname sanak merapi karya fuji riang prastowo: kajian postmemory. lokabasa, 11(1), 82-91. fleury, j. s. (2022). pearl harbor on attack. lambert academic publishing. furqan, r. a. (2022). returning journey dalam novel pulang: postmemory and trauma. jurnal bébasan, 9(2), 178-192. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7498502. herndon, b. (2016). the redemption at hacksaw ridge. remnant publications. hirsch, m. (2008). the generation of postmemory. poetics today, 29(1), 103-128. https://doi.org/10.1215/03335372-2007-019. hirsch, m. (2012a). family frames: photography, narrative, and postmemory. harvard university press. hirsch, m. (2012b). the generation of postmemory. columbia university press. ikegami, d. (2022). resilience in the report environmental assessment, general management plan: war in the pacific national park, guam. okinawa journal of island studies, 3(2), 177190. jati, g. p. (2020). transmisi memori dan wacana rekonsiliasi dalam cerpen perempuan sinting di dapur karya ugoran prasad: kajian postmemory. jentera: jurnal kajian sastra, 9(1), 28-42. https://doi.org/10.26499/jentera.v9i1.2265. khandhar, d. a., & mani, m. (2015). the role of culture and society in the development of plot in tanushree podder’s escape from harem and gita mehta’s a river sutra: a feminist reading. international letters of social and humanistic sciences, 56, 44-49. https://doi.org/10.18052/www.scipress.com/ils hs.56.44. mađerek, p. (2017). war: glory or doom of humankind [ma thesis, university of osijek]. ffosrepository. mulyadi, m. s. & putra, c. (2021). transmisi memori peristiwa 1965 dalam novel pulang dan amba. aksara, 33(1), 71-82. http://dx.doi.org/10.29255/aksara.v33i1.565.7182. neisya, n., aprilia, f., & anita, a. (2023). the subaltern’s voices in the rupi kaur’s selected english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 665 poems: a reflection of multicultural education. indonesian research journal in education |irje|, 7(1), 136-147. nugroho, a. r. (2022). postmemory: transmisi memori dan rekonsiliasi dalam novel next year in havana karya chanel cleeton. aksara, 34(1), 61-72. https://doi.org/10.29255/aksara.v34i1.828.6172. puddy, w. c., blankinship, l. a., bernstein, j., & aboul-enein, b. h. (2019). revisiting desmond doss (1919-2006): merging combat medicine and benevolence on the battlefield. the journal of emergency medicine, 56(1), 114-119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2018.10.004 . puspitasari, l., & neisya, n. (2019). political history in 18th century of gulliver’s travels by jonathan swift. jurnal ilmiah bina bahasa, 11(1), 42–56. https://journal.binadarma.ac.id/index.php/binab ahasa/article/view/436. putri, a., & saifurrohman, m. (2018). desmond doss’ struggle in defending his value in hacksaw ridge movie. anglo-saxon: jurnal ilmiah studi pendidikan bahasa inggris, 9(1), 14-23. the national wwii museum. (2020, october 12). private first class desmond doss medal of honor. the national wwii museum. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/artic les/private-first-class-desmond-thomas-dossmedal-of-honor. tzeng, m. (2000). the battle of okinawa, 1945: final turning point in the pacific. the history teacher, 34(1), 95–117. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3054378. wangania, s. (2019). tindak ujar kompetitif dan konfliktif dalam film hacksaw ridge karya mel gibson. jurnal elektronik fakultas sastra universitas sam ratulangi, 2(2), 1-15. yanti, c., & neisya, n. (2021). kemampuanmenganalisis unsur intrinsik karya sastra. jurnal ilmiah bina edukasi, 14(1), 69-80. https://doi.org/10.33557/jedukasi.v14i1.1371 . neisya, fitria aprilia, &anisa syafiah rahmah narrative reconstruction of traumatic memory in the novel of redemption at hacksaw ridge 666 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 865 developing cross cultural understanding-based indonesia language material for south korea foreign speakers goziyah (corresponding author) department of masters indonesia language education, postgraduate program universitas muhammadiyah tangerang, indonesia email: goziyah1812@gmail.com ariyana department of indonesian language and literature, faculty of teacher training and education universitas muhammadiyah tangerang, indonesia email: ariyana.mpd@gmail.com kamiri department of masters indonesia language education, postgraduate program universitas muhammadiyah tangerang, indonesia email: kamerimeri4@gmail.com ira anisa purawinangun department of indonesian language and literature, faculty of teacher training and education universitas muhammadiyah tangerang, indonesia email: irapurawinangun@yahoo.com agus sulaeman department of melayu-indonesia, faculty of malay-indonesia studies hankuk university of foreign studies, south korea email: sultanwahyu13@gmail.com nanda saputra madrasah ibtidaiyah teacher education study program sekolah tinggi ilmu tarbiyah al-hilal sigli, aceh, indonesia email: nanda.saputra2589@gmail.com apa citation: goziyah., ariyana., kamiri., purawinangun, i. a., sulaeman, a., & saputra, n. (2022). developing cross cultural understanding-based indonesia language material for south korea foreign speakers. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 865-874. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6756 received: 09-06-2022 accepted: 27-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction the era of globalization has had a significant impact in various fields of life, including language. at first, indonesian was only spoken by abstract: the purpose of this study is to develop bipa teaching materials based on cross-cultural and local wisdom in banten province. this research uses a model design for developing indonesian language teaching materials for foreign speakers and combines existing models. the object being analyzed is the borg and gall’ model (1983), from the analyzed model, a modified model can be formulated. the research data are numerical data and verbal data (interview transcripts, analysis results of teaching materials, questionnaires, observations, and notes, comments, criticisms or suggestions from test subjects). the research data are numerical data and verbal data (interview transcripts, analysis results of teaching materials, questionnaires, observations, and notes, comments, criticisms or suggestions from test subjects). given the data obtained in the form of numerical data and verbal data, the analysis was carried out in the form of quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis. the results of this study are in the form of beginner level cross-cultural based bipa teaching materials using a contextual-communicative approach. in this case the culture used as a reference is the local culture of banten considering that in banten there are foreign nationals from south korea. the results showed that the average expert trial score reached 86%, the practitioner trial score average reached 89%, and the field stage trial score averaged 87%. therefore, this book can be categorized as very feasible to be applied. keywords: bipa; cross-cultural; language teaching materials. mailto:goziyah1812@gmail.com goziyah, ariyana, kamiri, ira anisa purawinangun, agus sulaeman, & nanda saputra developing cross cultural understanding-based indonesia language material for south korea foreign speakers 866 indonesians, both as their first language and mother tongue, now spoken by foreigners. technically, the use of indonesian by indonesian speakers is called bipi while the use of indonesian by foreign speakers is called bipa (indonesian for foreign speakers). basically, bipa has had a long history. teaching indonesian to foreign speakers began in the 1950s, although the name bipa itself was only used massively in the 90s and currently there are at least 219 educational institutions in 74 countries that offer bipa teaching. this figure shows that foreigners are interested in indonesia in general and indonesian language and culture in particular. the use of the bip teaching curriculum until 2014 has not been uniform. each institution develops its own curriculum (suher, 2017). bipa textbooks are also very diverse both in terms of material and quality (saddhono & erwinsyah, 2018). to overcome these diverse curricula, the language development and development agency in this case the center for development of language strategy and diplomacy (ppsdk) has collaborated with bipa teachers and experts to develop a standard bipa curriculum. this was actually initiated by the language development and development agency on 24-27 november 2014 at the inna garuda hotel, malioboro, yogyakarta. the activity, which was named the workshop on the preparation of the bipa curriculum, produced an embryo for the bipa curriculum which is expected to be used nationally by institutions administering bipa teaching at home and abroad. in its later journey, the curriculum was refined again in 2015-2016. in 2016, the bipa curriculum based on the indonesian national qualifications framework was compiled by a team consisting of bipa teachers and activists who joined the association of bipa teachers and activists (appbipa) together with the ppsdk team. the preparation of the curriculum is accommodated by the directorate responsible for public education, namely the directorate of early childhood education and community education (paudni and diknas). from the above background the use of crosscultural teaching materials will spur the creative industry, especially in the fields of culture and tourism. the curriculum created will produce good indonesian language skills and introduce indonesian culture and local wisdom to foreign students. teaching indonesian to foreign speakers is very useful for students and foreign workers to learn (slameto, 2018). the aim is to be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in accordance with applicable ethics, both orally and in writing, so that indonesian becomes an international language and avoids social conflicts in society, especially at school. foreign workers who work in indonesia, by mastering the indonesian language and respecting and proud to use indonesian as the language of unity and the language of the state. understand indonesian and use it appropriately and creatively for various purposes, use indonesian to improve intellectual abilities, as well as emotional and social maturity, enjoy and utilize literary works to broaden horizons, refine character, and improve knowledge and language skills, appreciate and be proud indonesian literature as a cultural and intellectual treasure of indonesian people. by learning indonesian for foreign speakers at universities and language institutions, foreign students and workers can get to know themselves, their culture and the culture of others, express ideas and feelings, participate in the community that uses the language and to improve the ability of students to communicate in indonesian with properly and correctly, both orally and in writing, as well as fostering an appreciation of the works of indonesian human literature. article 26 of the presidential regulation of the republic of indonesia no. 20 of 2018 states that every foreign worker (tka) employer is obliged to facilitate indonesian language education and training for foreign workers. from this regulation, bipa muhammadiyah university tangerang took part in the presidential regulation, due to the potential for foreign workers in the banten area, especially in tangerang city, south tangerang and tangerang regency, there were no private institutions, especially universities that took part in the implementation of the regulatory policy, the establishment of bipa universitas muhammadiyah tangerang is to develop indonesian language, culture and courses for foreign workers working in banten, especially workers from south korea who are scattered in the banten area. this aims to suppress the status of social vulnerability, especially in the use of indonesian for foreign workers. kusmiatun et al. (2017) explained that learning bipa is different from learning indonesian as a first language (b1) which is more complex and complicated, partly because foreign students studying bipa can come from different countries (astuti & bewe, 2020). what is meant by foreign students here are students who (1) are foreign nationals (non-indonesian) and (2) speak their mother tongue instead of indonesian. according to suyitno, (2018) learning indonesian for foreign speakers is essentially a systematic, systematic, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 867 and planned activity. systemic because in it there is a set of aspects and a series of interrelated activities. it is called systematic because in its implementation it is procedural. planned because learning has been described clearly and firmly. bipa learning has goals, targets, and objectives that must be achieved (mukti et al., 2019). bipa learning has two aspects that must be considered: the instructional aspect and the conditional aspect. instructional aspects include: (1) learning objectives, (2) learning materials, (3) learning methods, (4) learning media, (5) classroom management, (6) evaluation, (7) lessons, and (8) teachers. the second aspect is the conditional aspect which includes: (1) conditioning the readiness of students' needs, (2) seeking exposure and discourse in real linguistic situations, (3) conditioning the learning atmosphere, and (4) seeking independent training (murtianis et al., 2019). in learning, the use of the curriculum is wider in scope because it refers to all aspects of planning, implementing, evaluating, and regulating education programs. nicholson (2019) define that the curriculum can consist of a number of syllabus, for example, the curriculum covers the whole school, while the language teaching syllabus is only part of the curriculum. meanwhile, beauchamp in sukmadinata (2017) state that a curriculum is a written document which may contain many ingredients, but basically it is a plan for the education of pupils during the enrollment in given school. agus and windha (2019) about the learning process emphasizes that the curriculum is an education or teaching plan. based on the description of the opinion above, it can be said that the curriculum is broader than the syllabus. the approach used in the preparation of the curriculum will have an impact on the syllabus that is prepared. the author agrees, the theory used is a view or philosophy which states that learning language is learning communication. to communicate, students must have linguistic knowledge and language skills stated by canale and swin as (1) linguistic competence, (2) sociolinguistic competence, and (3) strategic competence. for this reason, the syllabus that is prepared must include all the things needed to achieve these competencies (sihombing et al., 2022). however, in line with what dubin and olshtain (2016) stated that a syllabus is more detaild and operational statement of teaching and learning elements which translates the philosophy of the curriculum into a series of planned sreps leading towards more narrowly defined objektives at each level. this statement implies that the syllabus is an important part of the curriculum. the syllabus is more operational and concrete, as also stated by brown (1995, p.123) which states that “syllabuses is ways of organizing the course and materials.” (syllabuses are ways of organizing teaching and materials). harmer in maulana, zamahsari, and purnomo (2020) states that there are several criteria that must be considered as the basis for preparing the syllabus design. those criteria are (1) learnability. this relates to whether or not certain lexical structures and items are learned by students. (2) frequency. this relates to items that are rarely used in language. (3) coverage (coverage). some words and grammatical structures cover a greater range of uses than other words and grammatical structures. (4) its usefulness (usefulness) (gongora et al., 2022). this relates to whether certain lexical items are closer to students' lives so that they are more useful for students when discussed in class. harmer in rachman et al. (2019) also classify syllabus models as follows: (1) structural syllabus, (2) situational syllabus, (3) topic-based syllabus, (4) notional-functional syllabus, (5) process syllabus, (6) syllabus, procedural based on assignments, (7) mixed syllabus. as the research that the author has done for dissertation needs, the author tends to use a mixed syllabus for bipa learning needs harmer's opinion (2001) calls the mixed syllabus multi-syllabus, the solution that is usually done in an effort to mediate a number of different syllabus designs is to compose a mixed syllabus or multi-syllabus (ellis, 2019). thus, this syllabus design does not only emphasize grammatical or lexical aspects. mixed syllabus design is a combination of aspects of grammar, lexical, language functions, situations, topics, assignments and various language skills tasks. mixed syllabus design is based on a language teaching approach that involves: (1) explicit teaching of the structural and grammatical features of spoken and written texts, (2) linking spoken and written texts to social and cultural contexts in their use, (3) preparation of material units that focus on developing skills in relation to integrated texts (whole texts), (4) providing practices when students develop language skills for meaningful communication through integrated texts. the elements of a mixed syllabus are (1) the integration of aspects of the overall types of syllabus, namely: lexical aspects, grammatical structures, topics, situations, learning activities and assignments and (2) learning objectives obtained from the labor analysis used as the basis for selection of aspects of syllabus preparation. in language learning, the goziyah, ariyana, kamiri, ira anisa purawinangun, agus sulaeman, & nanda saputra developing cross cultural understanding-based indonesia language material for south korea foreign speakers 868 syllabus developed must pay attention to three dimensions, namely the dimensions of the language (language contend, process) and product (product). covers the four language skills (purba et al., 2022). based on the theories that have been put forward, it can be concluded that the syllabus is an important part of the curriculum. the syllabus becomes the teacher's reference in learning because it will provide direction for the goals to be achieved along with the material to be studied (isnaniah & islahuddin, 2020). the model set by the teacher will have an impact on the teaching approach used in the classroom. basically, there are already several bipa teaching materials that can be used by teachers such as lentera indonesia, sahabatku indonesia, basic indonesian, and so on. however, not all existing bipa textbooks provide material or information about the socio-cultural aspects of indonesian society. in fact, the use of language is bound by culture. on several occasions, it was found that someone who had high indonesian language skills was conflicted because he did not have an understanding of communication in the local culture. even if there is a culture, it is general or specifically refers to the culture that surrounds the author so that it is not contextual. for example, students living in banten are exposed to teaching materials that focus more on sundanese and javanese culture so that they only have cultural knowledge but not life skills in the local culture. therefore, culture-based bipa teaching materials are needed to overcome these limitations. language diversity cannot be separated from cultural diversity. in terms of culture, language is a cultural aspect, the wealth of language is something that is beneficial. the various languages will reflect the cultural richness that exists in the user community (multicultural). the relationship between language and culture is coordinating or subordinate, both of which have a very close relationship and influence each other. coordinative relationships, namely equal relations, which have the same high position. subordinating relationship means a language is under the scope of culture. in addition, there is another opinion which states that language and culture are two systems that are "attached" to humans. culture is a system that regulates human interaction in society, so language is a system that functions as a suggestion. the language system has a function as a means of ongoing human interaction in society, meaning that language behavior must be accompanied by the norms that apply in that culture. the system of language behavior according to cultural norms is called language ethics or language procedures. language ethics is closely related to the selection of language codes, social norms, and cultural systems that apply in a society. language is part of culture, the relationship between language and culture is a subordinate relationship, a language is under the scope of culture (permadi et al., 2022). in addition, there is another opinion which states that language and culture have a coordinating relationship, namely an equal relationship, which has the same high position. basically, language and culture play two complementary roles in the educational process. as all human activities are linguistically and culturally mediated, language and culture activate and organize teaching and learning processes (budianingsih, 2017). the 'classroom culture' that students and teachers build on working together, the 'school culture' is the practice, large and small, more or less functional, in which school life is carried out. both are shaped, among other factors, by educational policies, curricular priorities and the state of school materials. both are sustainable through language and discourse, speech and text, and through hybrid, multimedia forms of communication. but just as language and culture provide the means to impart education, they also serve as objects. the role of language and culture as educational goals is most obvious in language teaching, where language defines the subject matter. language and culture have a very close relationship (arvianto, 2020). the two influence each other, complement each other, and go hand in hand (marbun et al., 2021). language is part of culture, so learning a language indirectly also studies culture. that is, language must be studied in the context of culture and vice versa, new culture can be learned through language. the close relationship between language and culture has led to studies to find out the relationship. the study of the relationship between language and culture is generally seen from the science that studies it. antopology as a science that studies culture and linguistics as a science that studies language. furthermore, linguistics and anthropology work together in studying the relationship of language and aspects of culture with the term anthropolinguistics. anthropolinguistics means the branch of linguistics that studies the variation and use of language in relation to the development of time, differences in places of communication, kinship systems, the influence of ethnic habits, beliefs, language ethics, customs, and other cultural patterns of an ethnic group. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 869 method this research is a product-based research or better known as research development (r&d). this research uses the borg and gall model. that the procedural model is a descriptive model that describes the flow or procedural steps that must be followed to produce a particular product). there are 10 stages in this procedural model, namely (1) research and initial information gathering, (2) planning. (3) initial product format development, (4) initial trial, (5) product revision, (6) trial field, (7) product revision, (8) field test, (9) final product revision, and (10) dissemination and implementation. based on the consideration of the characteristics of the product being developed as well as the limitations and limitations of the research, the ten steps were adapted and compressed into the first five development steps, the research phase and the initial information gathering. this stage is carried out by conducting a theoretical study, analyzing the bipa curriculum, analyzing the teaching language used in the field, interviewing teachers, and distributing questionnaires to students in order to obtain authentic data about learning needs in the field. second, the planning stage. at this stage the research begins to design textbook products based on the data obtained in the first stage. this product design is formed by a schema that explains the unit, material, aspect, culture, evaluation, language characteristics, and graphic characteristics. third, the initial product development stage. this stage is the process of realizing the product based on the product specifications produced in the second stage. fourth, the product trial stage. this stage is carried out simultaneously to experts, practitioners, and foreign students with the aim of knowing the feasibility and attractiveness of textbooks. the expert test was carried out at bipa muhammadiyah university tangerang to two lecturers who teach bipa courses in the indonesian language and literature education study program. the practitioner test was carried out at the language center institute, muhammadiyah tangerang university involving 5 bipa lecturers in the beginner class. meanwhile, a limited group field test was conducted on 15 foreign students in the beginner class. fifth, the stage of product revision or refinement which is a follow-up to the recommendations for improvement from the validator at the product test stage. this stage produces a product that is ready to be implemented and disseminated. the instruments used in this study are divided into pre-development instruments and postdevelopment instruments. pre-development instruments are all instruments used to collect initial information in order to develop teaching materials. this instrument consists of an analysis matrix, interview guidelines, questionnaires and literature review guidelines. meanwhile, postdevelopment instruments are all instruments used to obtain data about the validity of teaching materials and other things that researchers want to know from teaching materials that have been developed. this instrument consists of an analysis matrix of teaching materials, a questionnaire for the assessment of teaching materials, a questionnaire for notes on the attractiveness of teaching materials, an interview guide, and an observation guide. from the above instruments, research data were obtained in the form of numerical data and verbal data. numerical data includes teaching materials assessment scores. meanwhile, verbal data includes interviews, results of analysis of teaching materials, results of questionnaires, results of observations, and notes, comments, criticisms, and suggestions written by test subjects on the assessment sheet (riyanti et al., 2019). because the data obtained are in the form of numerical data and verbal data, the analysis carried out is in the form of quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis. quantitative analysis consists of the average analysis technique used to analyze the test scores of teaching materials. meanwhile, verbal data were analyzed by qualitative analysis which included: (1) collecting written verbal data obtained from interviews, questionnaires, observations, and field notes; (2) transcribing verbal verbal data; (3) collect, select, and classify written verbal data and verbal transcript results based on criteria; and (4) analyzing the data and formulating the conclusion of the analysis as the basis for taking action on the developed product. results and discussion teaching materials become an inseparable part of learning. teaching materials can be interpreted as all forms of material used by teachers and students to carry out the learning process in the classroom to achieve learning objectives. in this regard, herman et al. (2022) states that the theoretical principles underlying the development of teaching materials include (1) the need to communicate, (2) the need for long-term goals, (3) the need for authenticity, and (4) the need for centered on the learner. starting from the above principles, the teaching materials in this study were prepared using a contextual-communicative approach. the contextual approach is rooted in the foundation of goziyah, ariyana, kamiri, ira anisa purawinangun, agus sulaeman, & nanda saputra developing cross cultural understanding-based indonesia language material for south korea foreign speakers 870 constructivism which emphasizes that learning is not rote but an attempt to construct or build knowledge. in this case, according to khasanova (2020), there are five elements that must be considered in the application of contextual learning, namely (1) activating knowledge, (2) acquiring new knowledge, (3) understanding knowledge by compiling temporary concepts., discussion, and revision of concepts, (4) practice of knowledge and experience, and (5) reflection of knowledge (zamzamy, 2021). meanwhile, the highlight of this approach lies in the relationship between the material and the real situation in the learner's environment so that the material he has learned can be applied in everyday life. meanwhile, the communicative approach is a learning approach that emphasizes aspects of communication, interaction, and increasing linguistic competence and language skills. littewood (in purba et al., 2022) states that to develop students' communicative abilities in second language classes, class activities must be arranged in such a way that there are precommunication activities and communication activities. pre-communication activity refers to the structure of linguistic forms and their meanings. the communication activity refers to the use of functional and social language. in this regard, (herman et al., 2022) explains that the use of functional language includes activities to share and process information, while the use of social language includes interactive social activities such as dialogue, simulation, role playing, and so on. the textbooks developed in this study were designed by fulfilling the above elements. the material is arranged systematically based on the level of difficulty, urgency of use, and quantity of use in daily communication. specifically, the aspect of contextuality is reflected in the preparation of materials that are tailored to the needs of learners, the selection of authentic texts, the preparation of texts that are adapted to the environment around the learners (in this case, the environment around the banten area where there are foreign nationals from south korea), and activities that conditions learners to explore various information according to the theme. the communicative aspect is reflected in the form of presentation of material that is in line with the syntax of the communicative approach which consists of pre-communication and communication activities. pre-communication activities are manifested in the form of discussion activities to explore and process information, while communication activities are manifested in the form of exercises in the form of discussions, role playing, campaigns, interviews, advertising, and presentations. in the end, language knowledge and language skills must be strengthened by intercultural competence (ic). this is very important because humans practice culture through language so that ic is a bridge between the learner's culture and the culture in the language being studied. every use of language is at the same time a cultural practice and ic is likened to a third place 'third place' (lantzdeaton, 2017). the third place here is a position where language learners act as outsiders (etic) and at the same time as insiders (emic) to their home culture and the target culture they are studying at the same time. the final estuary is an attitude of respect for other cultures so that they can behave appropriately in different cultures. kohler (in strotmann & kunschak, 2022) proposed an ic teaching strategy formulated in five pedagogical principles. first, active construction which implies the learner to construct the target culture by describing, analyzing, and comparing the learner's culture with the target culture. second, making connections which emphasizes the skills to see the relationship between the learner's culture and the target culture. third, social interaction which conditions learners to conduct discussions related to the cultural topic being discussed. fourth, reflection which focuses on involving students in responding and reflecting on the cultural items discussed. fifth, responsibility which implies skills to build awareness of cultural differences so that they can respect and respect people with different cultural practices. the application of ic through a communicative-contextual approach can then be understood through the following figure 1. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 871 figure 1. the application of ic through a communicative-contextual approach the teaching material produced in this floating research is a beginner level bipa textbook (bipa 1). in permendikbud number 27 of 2017 concerning competency standards for graduates of indonesian language courses and training for foreign speakers, it is explained that bipa 1 graduates are expected to be able to understand and use expressions in the context of selfintroduction and fulfill daily and routine concrete needs in a simple way to communicate with speech partners who very cooperative. these competencies are then translated into listening, speaking, reading, writing, and grammar competency units. based on the curriculum review and needs analysis, the textbooks are designed in six units, namely (1) greet, (2) traditional clothes, (3) musical instrumet (4) go for walk, (5) culture value, (6) daily activities. day, and (7) art. these seven units accommodate aspects of skills and knowledge that must be mastered by students in daily communication using indonesian. in this case, the cultural aspect is manifested in the column of cultural space. the cultural space column presents material and special discussions according to the unit's theme in order to develop students' intercultural competence. furthermore, the cultural aspects that are integrated with the learning materials in each unit can be seen in table 1 below. table 1. composition of teaching materials unit material cultural aspect 1 greet regrads, identity, introduction greeting words: mang dan teteh, kang dan nong 2 traditonal clothes men’s and women clothes baju koko leher tertutup, celana panjang diikat kain batik. pada wanita memakai pakian kebaya dan kain batik 3 musical instrument variety of musical instruments banten angklung buhun, pantung bambu rampak beduk. 4 go for walk visit historical buildings tourist attraction; menara banten, klenteng boentekbiau, masjid seribu pintu. 5 culture and value cultural potential and uniqueness seni beladiri pencak silat, debus, tari cokek, umbruk, palingtung, dan lojor. 6 daily activity day information about object function body parts activities : eat with hands. 7 art banten art variety seni debus sorosowan, seni rudat, seni terbang gede, seni bendrong lesung product trials are carried out in three stages. the first stage is an expert trial conducted on two experts, namely learning experts and cultural experts. the second stage is a practitioner trial conducted on five bipa lecturers at the muhammadiyah university of tangerang in the beginner class. the third stage is a field trial conducted on international student program (isp) students, muhammadiyah tangerang university. goziyah, ariyana, kamiri, ira anisa purawinangun, agus sulaeman, & nanda saputra developing cross cultural understanding-based indonesia language material for south korea foreign speakers 872 figure 2. product trial diagram in the first phase of the trial, five aspects were assessed. the five aspects include (1) the feasibility of the material, (2) the feasibility of the language aspect, (3) the feasibility of the text readability aspect, (4) the feasibility of the evaluation aspect, and (5) the feasibility of the cultural aspect in textbooks. the test results show that the average feasibility of the material reaches 85%, the average feasibility of the language aspect reaches 87%, the average feasibility of the text readability aspect reaches 80%, the average feasibility aspect of the evaluation reaches 90%, and the average feasibility cultural aspects reached 90%. thus, the average expert trial results reached 86% so that it can be concluded that this textbook is feasible to be applied. the second phase of the trial had five aspects of assessment, namely (1) material aspects, (2) linguistic aspects, (3) applied aspects, (4) evaluation aspects, and (5) illustration aspects. the test results show that the average feasibility of the material reaches 87%, the average feasibility of the language aspect reaches 87%, the average feasibility of the text readability aspect reaches 85%, the average feasibility of the evaluation aspect reaches 92%, and the average feasibility cultural aspects reached 95%. thus, the average practitioner trial results reached 89% so that it can be said that this textbook is very feasible to be applied. meanwhile, the third phase of the trial had three aspects of assessment, namely (1) material aspects, (2) language aspects, and (3) book display aspects. the test results show that the average feasibility of the material reaches 90%, the average feasibility of the language aspect reaches 93%, and the average attractiveness of the display reaches 95%. the average feasibility of the readability aspect of the text reaches 90%, the average feasibility of the evaluation aspect reaches 95%, and the average feasibility of the cultural aspect reaches 92%. thus, the average field trial results reached 92%. therefore, this textbook can be categorized as very feasible to be applied. conclusion the problem of the availability of teaching materials is an issue that continues to grow from year to year. this departs from the fact that the existing teaching materials cannot be accessed easily and that the existing teaching materials do not meet the needs of teachers and learners, especially in terms of intercultural competence. therefore, this study develops teaching materials based on local banten culture using a contextualcommunicative approach. the teaching materials produced in this development research are beginner level textbooks. teaching materials are designed with reference to permendikbud number 27 of 2017 concerning competency standards for graduates of indonesian language courses and training for foreign speakers and the concept of learning a second language with a contextualcommunicative approach based on local banten culture. there are six units in this textbook, namely (1) greet, (2) traditional clothes, (3) musical instrumet (4) go for walk, (5) culture value, (6) daily activities. day, and (7) art. these seven units accommodate aspects of skills and knowledge that must be mastered by students in daily communication using indonesian. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 873 acknowledgment researchers would like to thank and acknowledge the following people who have this article possible. dean of faculty of teacher training and education at muhammadiyah university of tangerang, all many colleagues and students especially south korea students as objects of this research. hopefully, this research could be beneficial for those who focus on education and linguistic studies or other fields references agus, s., & windha. h. (2019). hubungan motivasi belajar dan hasil pemelajaran bahasa indonesia penutur asing (bipa) pada mahasiswa semester 7 prodi bahasa dan sastra indonesia fkip universitas muhammadiyah tangerang. jurnal silamparibisa, 2(1), 59-70. arvianto, f. (2020). kaskus smilies application as an alternative instructional media in bipa (indonesian language for foreign speakers) teaching. journal of physics: conference series 1471. http://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1471/1/012007 astuti, w., & bewe, n. (2020). listening learning of indonesian for speakers of other languages (bipa) for academic purposes. journal of education, teaching and learning, 5(2), 401-408. brown, j. d. (1995). the elements of language curriculum: a systematic approach to program development. heinle & heinle. budianingsih, t. (2017). model materi ajar berbicara bahasa mandarin berbasis pendekatan kuantum eneltian pengembangan pada jurusan sastra cina fakultas sastra universitas al azhar indonesia. [doctoral dissertation, university of al azhar]. dubin, f., & olshtain, e. (1986). course design: developing programs and materials for language learning. cambridge. ellis, r. (2019). task-based language teaching: sorting out the misunderstandings. international journal of applied linguistic, 19(3), 221-246. gongora, j., van gelderen, i., vost, m., zaki, s., sutherland, s., pye, m., quain, a., & taylor, r. (2022). cultural competence is everyone’s business: embedding cultural competence in curriculum frameworks to advance veterinary education. journal of veterinary medical education, 38, article e20210113. herman, h., shara, a. m., silalahi, t. f., sherly, s., and julyanthry, j. (2022). teachers’ attitude towards minimum competency assessment at sultan agung senior high school in pematangsiantar, indonesia. journal of curriculum and teaching, 11(2), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.5430/jct.v11n2p1 herman, h., sulistyani, s., ngongo, m., fatmawati, e., and saputra, n. (2022). the structures of visual components on a print advertisement: a case on multimodal analysis. studies in media and communication, 10(2), 145-154. https:// 10.11114/smc.v10i2.5717 isnaniah, s., & islahuddin. (2020). management of indonesian language learning for foreign speakers (bipa) at islamic religious higher education institutions (ptki) in indonesia and thailand. jurnal pendidikan islam, 9(1), 128. https://doi.org/10.14421/jpi.2020.91.127 khasanova, n. (2020). the role of music lessons in the formation of national and intercultural competence in students. mental enlightenment scientific-methodological journal, 2020(2), article 15. kusmiatun, a., suyitno, i., hs, w., and basuki, i. a. (2017). identifying features of indonesian for speakers of other languages (bipa) learning for academic purposes. international journal of social sciences & educational studies, 3(4), 197-207. lantz-deaton, c. (2017). internationalisation and the development of students’ intercultural competence. teaching in higher education, 22(5), 532-550. https://doi.org/13562517.2016.1273209 marbun, s., silalahi, d. e., & herman, h. (2021). telling people to change their behaviour through implications: an implicature analysis on covid-19 public service announcements in indonesia. elsya: journal of english language studies, 3(3), 215-224. https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v3i3.6336 maulana, f. i., zamahsari, g. k. and purnomo, a. (2020). web design for distance learning indonesian language bipa. international conference on information management and technology (icimtech), 988-991, https://doi.org/10.1109/icimtech50083.202 0.9211175 mukti, w. i., andayani and nugrahaeni. (2019). pengajaran bipa dan tes ukbi dalam upaya menjaga eksistensi bahasa indonesia di era masyarakat ekonomi asean. the 1st education and language international confrence proceeding center for https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1742-6596 https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1742-6596 https://iopscience.iop.org/volume/1742-6596/1471 https://doi.org/10.11114/smc.v10i2.5717 https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2016.1273209 goziyah, ariyana, kamiri, ira anisa purawinangun, agus sulaeman, & nanda saputra developing cross cultural understanding-based indonesia language material for south korea foreign speakers 874 international language development of unisssula, 2(1), 911-916. murtianis, m., andayani, a. & rohmadi, m. (2019). text book as a java culture recognıtıon medıa in indonesıan learnıng for foreıgn speaker (bipa) in sebelas maret university. international journal of educational research review, 4(3), 427434. https://doi.org/10.24331/ijere.573944 nicholson, s. j. (2019). an analysis of the taskbased syllabus. international journal of english language education, 2(1), 259-272. permadi, r. y., nasrullah, r., and koswara, i. (2022). the constraints of cross-linguistic transfer on bipa learning. sosiohumaniora jurnal ilmu-ilmu sosial dan humaniora, 24(2), 151-159. purba, r., herman, h., purba, a., hutauruk, a. f., silalahi, d. e., julyanthry, j., and grace, e., (2022). improving teachers’ competence through the implementation of the 21st century competencies in a post-covid-19 pandemic. jurnal masyarakat mandiri, 6(2), 1486-1497. doi: https://doi.org/10.31764/jmm.v6i2.7340 purba, r., resmi, r., saputra, n. and herman, h. (2022). exploring the teaching of language variation use from early children's acquisition at school. jurnal obsesi: jurnal pendidikan anak usia dini, 6(6), 54465453. doi: 10.31004/obsesi.v6i6.2907 rachman, i̇. f., andayani, & suyitno. (2019). cultural issues in indonesian language learning for foreign speakers. international journal of educational research review, 4 (3), 454-460. doi: 10.24331/ijere.573951 riyanti, a., zuchdi, d. and nurhadi. (2019). gamelan as a learning media speaking skills to indonesian language students for foreign speakers (bipa). journal of physics: conference series, 1339. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1339/1/01 2114 saddhono, k., & erwinsyah, h. (2018). folklore as local wisdom for teaching materialsin bipa program (indonesian for foreign speakers). kne social sciences, 3(10), 444– 454. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v3i10.2926 sihombing, p. s. r., herman., & saputra, n. (2022). how to teach english conversation? an implementation of a multimodal discourse analysis through images. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 431-438. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6244 slameto. (2018). belajar dan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhinya. rineka cipta. strotmann, b. and kunschak, c. (2022) toward the internationalization of higher education: developing university students’ intercultural communicative competence in spain. language and intercultural communication, 22(4), 419-438. suher, s. p. (2017). pengembangan materi ajar bipa melalui budaya lokal jawa timur. beranda, 1(1), 48-56. suyitno, imam. (2018). norma pedagogis dan analisis kebutuhan belajar dalam pembelajaran bahasa indonesia bagi penutur asing (bipa). jurnal diksi: jurnal ilmiah bahas, sastra, dan pengajarannya, 15(1), 111-119. zamzamy, d. a. (2021). development of multimodal language teaching materials for indonesian language for foreign speakers (bipa) during pandemic time. english language and literature international conference (ellic) proceedings, 4, 21-31. https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1742-6596 https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1742-6596 https://iopscience.iop.org/volume/1742-6596/1339 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14708477.2021.2018450 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14708477.2021.2018450 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14708477.2021.2018450 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14708477.2021.2018450 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 143 improving english students’ speaking skills through an action learning strategy kasmaini english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas bengkulu, sumatera, indonesia email: kasmaini@unib.ac.id sudarwan danim english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas bengkulu, sumatera, indonesia email: dansudarwan@gmail.com muhammad kristiawan english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas bengkulu, sumatera, indonesia email: muhammadkristiawan@unib.ac.id zahrida english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas bengkulu, sumatera, indonesia email: zahrida@unib.ac.id sufiyandi english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas bengkulu, sumatera, indonesia email: sufiyandi@unib.ac.id dwi maharrani english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, south sumatera selatan, indonesia email: dwimaharrani@unsri.ac.id apa citation: kasmaini., danim, s., kristiawan, m., zahrida., sufiyandi., & maharrini, d. (2023). improving english students’ speaking skills through an action learning strategy. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 143-152. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7232 received: 19-10-2022 accepted: 17-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction speaking, reading, listening, and writing are the four skills that english students need to be proficient in, each of which has a different level of difficulty. speaking, however, is the most difficult skill for english students at the abstract: for students of english education, speaking skills are of paramount importance. however, in the context of english students at universitas bengkulu, many students seemed to still struggle with speaking skills. therefore, to cope with this problem, this classroom action research was conducted with the aim of improving the speaking skills of students who took english conversation course by applying action learning strategy (als) since this strategy was scientifically promising. two phases of the class action design were employed in this research project. the data were garnered using observations, interviews, and englishspeaking test. it was evident from the first phase of observation that almost all students recommended the als. the data from the interview revealed that a significant proportion of students had profited from this approach, and there were few students who spoke in front of the class. the first phase's precise decision how an average score of 74 was attained by the students. at the second phase, the observation and interview data showed that nearly all students actively participated during discussions and had good improvements of english-speaking skills. the result revealed that the implementation of als in the conversation course in semester 1 improves s1 students’ speaking skills. keywords: action learning strategy; english-speaking skills; university of bengkulu students. kasmaini, sudarwan danim, muhammad kristiawan, zahrida, sufiyandi, & dwi maharrani improving english students’ speaking skills through an action learning strategy 144 university of bengkulu. skills such as vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and fluency are required for this skill. as speaking is believed to be the most productive oral skill, students must perform their ideas in the speaking section in addition to having a theoretical understanding of the vocabulary and grammar that will be used. additionally, they must separate ideas into verbal and non-verbal forms (riswanto et al., 2022). using english in verbal communication is a problem for the english-speaking students at the university of bengkulu. it can be observed in a variety of situations, including daily interactions, discussions, and undergraduate thesis exams. the students use improper grammar and a mixture of indonesian and english to convey their ideas. in terms of coherence and vocabulary, there is also a context-related problem. indonesian and english are frequently mixed together because of their limited vocabulary. some studies have found that students' limited vocabulary is their main barrier to effective idea expression in speaking (khan et al., 2018; panjaitan et al., 2022; rullu & daburan, 2020). meanwhile, speaking is a crucial component if students want to complete their studies at the university of bengkulu. therefore, lecturers should give full attention to students struggling with performance or competence problems. based on the researcher's observations, the students’ speaking ability at the university of bengkulu needs to be improved as it is still poor. this is especially true for argumentative speaking and reasoned discussion. at this level, it is also essential to have fluency as well as a variety of vocabulary and pronunciations. tampubolon (2020) asserted that a large number of students struggle to express themselves in english, particularly during the debating and argumentation stages. the finding indicated that there is no connection between theory-based english materials and the practice. students are still required to comprehend and master a wide range of speaking skills, both in theory and in practice. while this prerequisite is an essential and unavoidable requirement as a requirement to become a skilled english teacher. the english language study program fkip unib has provided a variety of courses in this area, including conversation, speaking for discussion, and speaking for presentations. these three courses are developed to maximize students' communication skills. the implementation has not been used to its maximum potential, especially in upper-semester courses like conversation and speaking for presentations. implementing the action learning strategy (hereafter as als) is one way to make the most of conversation courses. this method includes six steps to boost speaking abilities: highlighting the issue, collaborating with others, posing questions, taking actions, committing to learn and scaffolding by mko (more knowledgeable person), such as coaches and trainers. the results of tracking literature reviews and research results that have been carried out by previous researchers regarding als both from online sources (open knowledge map) to determine research maps in the context of this als or offline found the fact that it has never been implemented by lecturers in particular in the english education study program, fkip unib. the studies that have been conducted regarding the improvement of speaking ability were detected, among others; kurniawan (2018) regarding the use of edmodo online learning media in the english class for discussion of students in the english study program. kurniawan (2019) on the application of google voice in the english for discussion course and kurniawan (2021) on the application of the integrated performance assessment (ipa) model in the class of students of the english education study program, fkip university of bengkulu. based on the results of the search and tracking of previous studies, it is concluded that there is a novelty in the use of strategies, especially the als. referring to the literature review, the experience of researchers during teaching and interacting with students as well as the results of the analysis and synthesis of the concepts, procedures and objectives of this strategy, als is very appropriate to be applied to improve the speaking skills of students of english education fkip unib. the speaking skills of undergraduate students of english education fkip bengkulu university were detected from their speaking activities using english from various forums and momentum both inside and outside the classroom. the results of the researcher's diagnosis, as well as the lecturer in conversation courses, concluded that the average ability of undergraduate students in english education at fkip was still relatively low. this is evidenced by the results of the empirical experience of the researchers themselves and supported by lecturers who are competent in speaking skills (speaking for discussion, speaking for presentations), so that models, approaches, methods, techniques, and strategies are needed english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 145 that can improve these speaking skills. this research is guided by the following research questions: first, how to improve students' speaking skills in conversation courses using als? second, what are students’ perceptions of the als? speaking is one way to convey messages to other people. this message can be in the form of thoughts, ideas, complaints, and criticisms either directly or indirectly. messages can be received well if the delivery can be understood by the recipient. for that, the messenger must have speaking skills. these skills include mastery of vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and fluency. the four speaking skills in questions are illustrated in figure 1 below. figure 1. the four speaking skills and their parts the first part is vocabulary mastery (vocabulary), which means that the speaker must understand diction, jargon and word forms (nouns, adjectives and verbs). in addition, afzal (2019) states that vocabulary has two forms: active and passive. in active vocabulary, students are taught words and they can use the words to express themselves verbally and in writing. meanwhile, passive vocabulary refers to the words that students are able to recognize and understand when a context is presented to them but cannot be produced spontaneously by the students in written or spoken form. the second part deals with pronunciation. in speaking, a person actually uses the correct pronunciation according to the standards of a native speaker, the intonation, stress and rhythm are right according to needs. an english learner does not have to have a pronunciation similar to that of native speakers (native like) because there is the influence of the mother tongue. in line with this, puspandari and basthomi (2022) "mother tongue (l1) has a clear influence on learning l2 pronunciation". but the most important thing is the correct pronunciation according to the standard or known as rp (receipt pronunciation) either british or american. some previous studies found that complexity in pronunciation causes difficulties for foreign learners which resulted in many errors of foreign language learners in terms of pronunciation (fabra, 2022; lestari et al., 2020) the third part is grammar. these language rules include sentence structure and elements forming phrases, clauses and sentences as well as main and subordinate clauses. a speaker must understand verbal, nominal, active and passive sentences with different tenses and how and when to use them. besides, the speaker also needs to understand about nouns, adjectives, adverbs and at the same time how to use them. according to wilang and vo (2018) “like many efl teachers, the researchers have found themselves in awkward situations where teacher-led interactions are frequently met with silence.” this means a situation where many students or students are just silent in class talking because of lack of grammar, especially what often happens in english classes where english is a foreign language. the fourth part is fluency. fluency in conveying ideas without stopping and hesitation even though grammar errors still appear here and there. the ability to express opinions fluently and clearly without much pause (fillers and repetition) is a very important skill. however, tavakoli and hunter's study (2018) found that fluency is often defined broadly by teachers, who often use it interchangeably with speaking ability. in addition, the majority of the activities reported by teachers were useful for improving speaking practice rather than fluency. fluency in speaking is a skill that needs to be trained continuously by communicating in real contexts such as discussions about a particular issue in english (fgd) in order to discuss a topic. in addition, study conducted by riadil (2020) revealed that the issues of english-speaking students are closely related to linguistic issues (grammar, lack of vocabulary, and poor pronunciation) and psychological issues (loss of self-confidence, insecurity, and nervousness). this is in line with the study conducted by hanifa (2018) which found that factors that cause students’ anxiety when learning speaking skills are cognitive factors (topics, genre, interlocutors, and processing demands), affective factors (feelings towards the topic and/or the participants, and selfconsciousness), and performance factors (mode, degree of collaboration, discourse control, planning and rehearsal time, time pressure and environmental conditions). kasmaini, sudarwan danim, muhammad kristiawan, zahrida, sufiyandi, & dwi maharrani improving english students’ speaking skills through an action learning strategy 146 concerning all those notions, the purpose of learning to speak is in order to build students' speaking skills with all components in speaking skills so as to cause changes in both cognitive, affective and psychomotor aspects. in this case, nur et al. (2021) elucidate that teaching methods should be treated as theories to be evaluated to decide which strategies function best in a particular second/foreign language classroom. therefore, we have to find the right strategy for the students we teach according to the context. als was first introduced by revans (1982: 626-627). he defined this strategy of as a means intellectual, emotional or physical development that requires subjects through responsible involvement in some real complex and stressful to achieve intended change to improve observable behavior henceforth in the problem field”. this strategy is oriented towards discovery learning which emphasizes the strength of groups and individuals to solve a problem. furthermore, zuber-skerritt (2002) argued that the success of an action learning strategy depends largely in these values: collaboration, trust, openness, team spirit and mutual respect, and tolerance of mistakes. the basic principles in this strategy are the group's efforts to solve a problem through discussion and reflection and action. waluyo and arsyad (2022) explained that students’ cohesiveness has a significant effect but is detrimental to students' grades. students must unite or cooperate but sometimes it is detrimental to their scores because group scores equal individual scores. in the process of carrying out group actions, people who are experts in their fields are assisted so that problem solving orientation is guided to the final goal to be achieved. this learning strategy is very democratic because every individual in the group has the right to speak, express opinions and at the same time provide criticism and suggestions for improvement. shimamoto (2022) elucidated that self-expression is a pillar of the communicative language classroom. in other words, the expression of each individual is the key in communicating or speaking in learning. this is the spirit of active learning and cooperative learning that emphasizes the activeness of students in learning. this is in line with the national education system law no. 20/2003 chapter 1 article 1 which reads “education is a conscious and planned effort to create a learning atmosphere and learning process so that students actively develop their potential to have religious spiritual strength, self-control, personality, intelligence, noble character, and skills needed by himself, society, nation and state. the following are the steps of als. the first step is to prepare problems. problems must be important, specific and can be solved in groups. in relation to the process of learning to speak, the themes raised are in accordance with general problems that all group members understand and can be traced from various literary sources, such as "how to avoid the omicron virus disease pandemic". the second step is forming a team/small group. the team formed should not be too big, for example 5-7 people. it is recommended that team members come from different backgrounds, so that they can provide diverse information. if this team is a student in the same class, then before the discussion each group is given time to enrich their scientific background about the theme to be discussed. students can read and analyze from various sources both online and offline. these learning resources should be in english. the third step is formulating questions. discussion group members should ask a lot of questions about the issues being discussed. the questions that arise will sharpen the argument. questions should start with the words "why and how". questions are meant to provoke dialectic and livelier discussion. all questions and answers are in english. the fourth step is the question process. the discussion is sharpened by questions, answers, rebuttals, and debates. all processions are carried out by using english. the fifth step is action taking. after a long discussion, the group then takes action to solve the problem according to the action plan. finally, the sixth step is coach guidance. the trainer's role is to guide and direct various problems that arise so that focus and discussion orientation is achieved as expected. als was invented and developed by revans in england in the mid of 20th century. this strategy was originally used as a strategy for the professional development of staff in british companies. then the strategy develops in the world of education and is used to increase the activeness of students in developing curiosity through the discussion process while looking for answers to the problems being discussed. this strategy relies on the strength of collaboration in analyzing and synthesizing as well as making decisions to carry out action plans. revans (1980, 1982 & 1998) as cited in ferkins & fleming (2010) has conducted a series of studies related to this strategy by means of combining the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 147 theoretical concepts of cooperative learning, integrated learning and learning by doing. a couple of researchers, such as ferkins & fleming (2010) and pedler (2011), have continued to refine this strategy. studies related to this als have been carried out by researchers in indonesia. based on literature tracking, there are several researchers who have conducted studies, including shalihah (2020) who conducted research with als to improve students' speaking skills at mts limbung with a classroom action research design. the results of the research showed that the students' speaking skills increased in each research cycle. a similar study was also conducted by putra et al. (2022) with the tittle “action learning strategy to enhance students’ speaking skill: a classroom action research”. the study involved 28 students with a classroom action research approach of 2 cycles. the final result of the study showed that the students' speaking skills from cycle to cycle increased. another study was conducted by nurjannah and ruswiyani (2022) entitled “using action strategy in improving speaking skills in english language teaching”. their study was was conducted in smpn 3 soromandi kabupaten bima, ntb involving 40 students as the samples. the results showed that action learning strategy can improve the students' speaking skills in english language learning. method this research method is qualitative, and the research type is classroom action research. the kemmis and mctaggart’s (1990) model was adopted. figure 2 depicts the classroom action research model used in this study. figure 2. kemmis and mc taggart's (1990) cycle model this study was conducted in the conversation course of the english education department at unib. this study was carried out from the third week of june to the end of november 2022. the participants in this study were the third semester english education students taking english conversation courses. there were 35 students enrolled in this course. this study was conducted in two cycles. one cycle was made up of three meetings. therefore, six face-toface meetings were held. there were four phases of action research implemented in this study, in which they fell into planning, implementation, observation, and reflection. in terms of planning, the researchers prepared learning instruments in the form of semester learning plans (slp) and learning devices, such as media, instruments, observation checklists and interview forms. aside from that, the researchers designed and determined research schedules as well as indicators representing students’ success in learning. these indicators were tailored to the conversation course's learning outcomes and the speaking assessment rubric. in the implementation, the researchers used als to carry out learning activities. the slp was used as a guide in teaching by the researchers. scenarios were developed in advance. scenario changes could only be made at the implementation level, not at the strategy's core. according to a predetermined cycle, up to 6 slp were prepared. in terms of observations, members of the research team acted as the observers, observing the learning process. the processes that occurred during the study were recorded by the observers as guided by the observation check list. the findings of the observations were used to improve the learning process in the following cycle. in terms of reflection, the fourth phase was reflection. the researchers and observers re-observed what had been done, what was being done, and what would be done during this phase. during the learning process, reflection was accomplished by checking, analyzing, synthesizing, and formulating problems. the findings of this reflection were then used to improve the learning process in the following cycle. data were gathered from field notes, observations, and interviews, as well as evaluations conducted by observers during the research process. this data could be used to determine whether there was an increase in each cycle. observation sheets, speaking ability tests, and interviews were used as research instruments. data analysis was divided into two categories: qualitative data from observations and interviews and quantitative data from speaking test results. in this study, success was defined as: (1) at least 75% (27 students) were actively participating in discussions at the end of the cycle; and (2) at least 60% of students received an 80 (a-) on the speaking test results at the end of the cycle. kasmaini, sudarwan danim, muhammad kristiawan, zahrida, sufiyandi, & dwi maharrani improving english students’ speaking skills through an action learning strategy 148 results and discussion the results of this classroom action research showed that there was an increase in the ability or speaking skills of si students in english education at fkip unib by implementing an als. these results were obtained from two cycles and three instruments. cycle 1 the data of cycle 1 were gathered from observation, interviews, and english-speaking test as to see students’ english-speaking improvement. table 1 presents the observation results of cycle 1. table 1. observation results of cycle 1 no student asking student who answered student who are inactive cycle 1 12 10 13 the data were backed up by those garnered from interviews. after implementing the als, the researchers interviewed 10 students. most students perceived that they were helped by the implementation of als. the implementation of als was embodied in four steps which felt into planning, action, observation, and reflection. in terms of planning, planning was in accordance with the research scenario that had been prepared before taking action, namely providing alternative topics that were used as topics for group discussions consisting of 5 people. the first topic was “talking about the weather”. in terms of action, the implementation of the action in cycle 1 was in accordance with the steps of the als which consisted of six steps such as preparing problems, forming groups, compiling questions, questioning process, taking action and guiding the trainer (selected students). the researcher gave the students the freedom to choose their friends. then, the students looked for one person for each group of students who had more qualified in speaking skills among group members. in terms of observation, the observer paid attention to the attitudes, behavior, and activeness of students in learning. at the first meeting, the students seemed quite enthusiastic about participating in the lesson because they were given information about als. this provided a clear framework so that the discussion went well. in terms of reflection, the results of the reflection from cycle 1 provided an overview to researchers and observers about several weaknesses that must be corrected in the next cycle. as a whole, the weaknesses that could be seen from interview, observations, and test results demonstrated some points. first, students seemed less active during group discussion. this was due to the lack of distribution of active students in each group. second, during the classical discussion, some students still lacked confidence. third, the average value of the test in cycle 1 was 74. the score was the average of the three components of speaking assessment, namely pronunciation, vocabulary, and fluency. table 2 presents the test results at the end of cycle 1. table 2. test score of cycle 1 no students pronunciation vocabulary fluency score 1 mgfd 70 70 70 70 2 ja 75 74 76 75 3 hf 75 78 72 75 4 gan 75 80 80 78 5 sw 80 75 76 77 6 sf 75 70 71 72 7 anh 65 64 66 65 8 mrs 75 75 78 76 9 ia 70 73 76 73 10 anh 75 74 76 75 11 and 74 76 75 75 12 dasbs 80 81 79 80 13 iv 75 74 76 75 14 aar 75 78 75 76 15 saar 80 80 83 80 16 yo 75 74 76 75 17 du 70 73 70 71 18 rja 66 64 65 65 19 np 77 75 73 75 20 sa 66 65 67 66 21 ddp 75 72 75 74 22 la 77 80 88 78 23 ja 70 69 71 70 24 ac 80 76 78 78 25 rn 76 75 77 76 26 ra 78 77 79 78 27 zas 70 73 70 71 28 sp 77 70 72 73 29 smz 70 71 72 71 30 md 76 78 74 76 31 ovth 78 75 78 77 32 an 75 78 75 76 33 af 75 78 72 75 34 drf 78 74 70 74 35 ark 75 71 70 72 average 74 cycle 2 in a similar way, the data of cycle 2 were generated from observations, interviews, and english-speaking test as to see students’ englishspeaking improvement. table 3 presents the observation results of cycle 2. table 3. observation result of cycle 2 no student asking student who answered student who are inactive cycle 2 15 17 3 the observation data were backed up by those garnered from interviews. after applying the als, the researchers interviewed 10 students. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 149 almost all students perceived that they got help from the implementation of this als which consisted of six steps. in the same way as cycle 1, the implementation of als in cycle 2 was undertaken through four steps which felt into planning, action, observation, and reflection. in terms of planning, planning was in accordance with the research scenario that had been prepared before taking the action, namely determining the topic that was used for group discussions whose students consisted of 7 people. the second topic was “an afternoon in the kitchen”. in terms of action, the implementation of the action in cycle 2 was in accordance with the steps of the als which consisted of six steps, such as preparing problems, forming groups, compiling questions, questioning process, taking action, and guiding the trainer (selected students). here, the researchers determined who could be the leader and members of the group. the number of members of each group became larger, namely 6 people. this was done so that there could emerge more ideas and flexibility in larger groups before presentations in class groups. in terms of observation, at this stage, the observer paid attention to the attitudes, behavior and activeness of students in learning. at the second meeting, the students seemed very enthusiastic about taking lessons because they were already familiar with the steps of als. this gave a different spirit and experience from cycle 1. in terms of reflection, the results of the reflection from cycle 2 provided an overview to the researchers and observers that from the three existing instruments, namely observation, interviews and tests. it was known that the indicators set out in chapter 3 had been met, namely 75% of students were active in learning, and 60% of them got an 80 score. table 4 presents the test results. table 4. test score of cycle 2 no students pronunciation vocabulary fluency score 1 mgfd 80 80 80 80 2 ja 71 69 70 70 3 hf 75 78 72 75 4 gan 86 90 88 88 5 sw 80 85 81 82 6 sf 70 70 70 70 7 knh 65 64 66 65 8 mrs 85 82 88 85 9 ia 70 73 76 73 10 anh 90 88 86 88 11 and 90 86 88 88 12 dasbs 78 80 80 80 13 iv 83 80 86 83 14 aar 70 70 70 70 15 saar 90 88 92 90 16 yo 82 81 83 82 17 du 70 70 70 70 18 rja 80 85 75 80 19 np 80 77 83 80 20 sa 72 68 70 70 21 ddp 78 77 85 80 22 la 70 80 75 75 23 ja 71 69 70 70 24 ac 80 76 78 78 25 rn 83 85 87 85 26 ra 73 77 75 75 27 zas 90 88 83 87 28 sp 70 70 70 70 29 smz 75 76 75 75 30 md 76 80 84 80 31 ovth 76 85 79 80 32 an 89 91 90 90 33 af 80 78 82 80 34 drf 78 82 80 80 35 ark 80 80 80 80 average 79 to be discussed, cycle 1 was carried out from august 29, 2022 to september 12, 2022. from the observations, it was seen that there was a change in students during discussion activities when compared to the two previous meetings which had not implemented the als (als). at the first meeting of cycle 1, students were given a topic entitled "talking about the weather". after that, students were asked to sit in groups of 5 people. after that, the researchers chose one person for each group as the leader. in groups, they gathered and discussed questions for discussion or debate with other groups. after forming questions, the students tried to process questions by looking for answers to these questions. here, students also practiced questions and answers to the questions they had made. at the end of the als step, students with the guidance of researchers (trainers) solved problems in the form of questions and answers in class discussions. here, there was an argument against the questions and answers to the problems that had been made earlier. from the activities above, it could be seen that students did not hesitate to express their ideas. this was proven by many of those who asked, and some tried to answer the question. this is in line with shimamoto (2022) who highlighted that selfexpression is a pillar of the communicative language classroom. this si students of english education expressed their ideas in class discussions. they casually expressed their ideas in discussion. after their discussion in large groups throughout the class, the roles of the trainers (researchers and collaborators) were to provide direction and opinions about the things discussed, namely "talking about the weather". the group leader and members also improved their english pronunciation and grammar. most students were still not right in pronouncing some words. the kasmaini, sudarwan danim, muhammad kristiawan, zahrida, sufiyandi, & dwi maharrani improving english students’ speaking skills through an action learning strategy 150 accuracy of the use of some grammatical cases seemed to be problematic. they often did not correctly distinguish between verbal sentences and nominal sentences. these two tenses were often used in discussions on this topic because this topic talked about daily conversations among students in a country with four seasons. in the previous discussion, the researchers and their members also discussed students' knowledge of the outside world, such as what temperature the snow appeared. many of them answered correctly. they already understood the customs of subtropical countries. with existing knowledge or adequate background knowledge, the student became more confident in asking and answering questions. there was established a good collaboration among students. along with this, waluyo and arsyad (2022) emphasized that students’ cohesiveness has a significant effect. after completing the implementation of this als (als), the researchers and heir members conducted a speaking or conversation test. the results at the end of cycle 1 demonstrated that on average students got a score of 74. but some of them got a score of 75 to 80. this did not meet the research indicators that had been designed where 60% of students got a score of 80 (a-). this happened because the students were not used to discussing and the steps of this strategy. lack of speaking skills in this cycle could also be caused by the lack of maximum work of the group leader. here, the leader of the group was chosen at random. awkwardness could occur in small group discussions so that they were less than optimal in their performance in larger groups. interviews conducted at the end of cycle 1 showed that some students had been helped by this strategy. this happened because according to them, these strategic steps made them comfortable talking to their friends. they were not afraid of speaking because they had been prepared in groups of questions and possible answers. they also discussed in groups by using english. this occurred in steps 3, 4 and 5 of the als (als) namely formulating questions, questioning processes and taking action. because the indicators of success from the data in cycle 1 had not been achieved, the researchers and their members continued to cycle 2. the results of the observations in cycle 2 showed a sharp increase in students’ activities. almost all of them actively asked questions both in group discussions and during class discussions led by the researchers. because here before they sat in groups, they were told that each student must have had one question. the others had to answer one question each. here, there was a dependency between group members. they sought to collaborate with each other to generate questions. this collaboration also aimed to prevent the same questions to arise. in cycle 2 which was carried out from september 19th to october 3rd, the students were also asked to sit in small groups of 6 people. here, the number of them was added by one person so that they had more ideas in making questions and discussing the requested topic, namely "an afternoon in the kitchen". this conversation took place between a mother and her child one afternoon. they talked about things that usually happened in the kitchen, which was about cakes. cakes had become a hot topic in families from a background where bread was the main food. in this topic, students could also discuss a lot because they understood a lot about the types of text in english, and they also had direct experiences about the types of text discussed in the conversation earlier. this enhanced students’ active during discussions. they had an idea of what to talk about. their vocabulary came out by itself which could be helped by their friends in groups. from each group, there was selected one student who had less ability in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. the speaking test conducted at the end of cycle 2 showed significant progress. the distribution of values above 74 was more. where, there were the scores of 80 to 90. there were 21 people or had met the designed success indicators, namely 60% of the number of english education undergraduate students, namely 35 people. although there were still among them who got values of 65 to 73. only a small percentage of them received the values below 74. the tendency for individuals’ values increased from cycle 1 to cycle 2, but there were 2 or 3 students who still experienced a decrease in values. this could happen because the students were less focused and less active in group discussions. from the results of the interviews at the end of this cycle, it was observed that almost all of the students perceived that they were helped by this als. they thought that group discussions were very helpful because they could argue casually without fear of being blamed or laughed at by friends because those in the group had weaknesses. they could also help each other in ideas and vocabulary. they practiced asking and answering in group conversations to become a place of practice before the big class discussion. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 151 the results of the present study aligns with putra et al. (2022) study. their study involved 28 students with a classroom action research approach of 2 cycles. the final result of the study showed that the students' speaking skills from cycle to cycle increased. this also happened in the research conducted in the conversation class 1b. in this study there was an increase in three things, namely students' activeness in speaking, speaking skills in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary and fluency and students' perceptions of the application of this als. it can be concluded that the application of als can improve the speaking ability of undergraduate students of english education fkip bengkulu university. conclusion the classroom action research conducted in two cycles by applying the als in the conversation course in semester 1 improves s1 students’ speaking skills from english education faculty of teacher training and education, university of bengkulu. this increase occurs because the six steps of this strategy flex the tension in the classroom where students are usually given a topic and then asked to speak directly. in this strategy, students are given time and opportunity to practice and prepare the right ideas, vocabularies, and grammar before discussing in front of the class or large group. they are helped by the existence of coaches or trainers in this case the researchers and their members as commentators or guiding and directing various problems that arise so that focus and discussion orientation are achieved properly. at the end of this study, there is an increase in terms of motivation or activity, ability and good perception of the application of als in terms of improving speaking skills in english. references afzal, n. (2019). a study on vocabulary-learning problems encountered by ba english majors at the university level of education. arab world english journal, 10(3), 81–98. https://doi.org/10.24093/ awej/vol10no3.6 fabra, l. r. (2022). factors affecting pronunciation accuracy in english as a foreign language: the case of spanish-catalan intermediate learners. journal of the spanish association of angloamerican studies, 44(2), 45–64. https://doi.org/ 10.28914/atlantis-2022-44.2.03 ferkins, l & fleming, j. (2010). the use of action learning strategies for cooperative education or work-integrated learning project. e-book. hanifa, r. (2018). factors generating anxiety when learning efl speaking skills. studies in english language and education, 5(2), 230-239. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v5i2.10932 kemmis, s., & mctaggart, r. (1990). the action research reader 3rd edition. deakin university. khan, r. m. i., radzuan, n. r. m., shahbaz, m., ibrahim, a. h., & mustafa, g. (2018). the role of vocabulary knowledge in speaking development of saudi efl learners. arab world english journal (awej), 9(1), 406–418. https://dx.doi.org/10. 24093 /awej /vol9no1.28 kurniawan, i. (2018). an analysis of students’ english speaking skills at coastal schools of bengkulu city, indonesia. the journal of english language studies, 3(1),19-31. kurniawan, i. (2019). students’ perception on the use of youtube as a learning media to improve their speaking skill. prosiding international seminar ptn bks barat. kurniawan, i. (2021). the implementation of the integrated performance assessment (ipa) model to improve english students’ speaking skills. joall journal of applied linguistics and literature), 7(2), 432-443. lestari, d. d., suryani, f. b., & nuraeningsih, n. (2020). pronunciation errors made by efl student teachers in speech performance. prominent, 3(2), 320–331. https://doi.org/10.24176/pro.v3i2.5396 nur, s., hardini, t. i., patak, a. a. (2021). non-native english lecturers’ motivational practices in a tertiary educational environment. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 11(2). 440-451. https://doi.org/ 10.17509/ijal.v11i2.32852 nurjannah, s., & ruswiyani, e. (2022). using action strategy in improving speaking skill in english language teaching. education, language, and culture (edulec), 2(2), 126–131. panjaitan, k., sihombing, e., pasaribu, c. c., anita, c., & siregar, e. (2022). students’ difficulties in speaking comprehension of vocational high school students. review of multidisciplinary education, culture and pedagogy (romeo), 1(2), 69–74. pedler, m. (1997). action in practice. gower publsihing ltd. puspandari, l.e, & basthomi, y. (2020). the influence of madurese dialect toward students’ english word stress production. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 12(1). 147-155. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v12i1.46896 putra, r. m., solekhah, s., agustina, d. d., & sobirov, b. (2022). action learning strategy to enhance students speaking skill: a classroom action research. anglophile journal, 2(1), 37-54. https://doi.org/10.51278/anglophile.v2i1.269 riadil, i. g. (2020). efl students in speaking skill: identifying english education students’ https://doi.org/%2010.17509/ijal.v11i2.32852 https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v12i1.46896 kasmaini, sudarwan danim, muhammad kristiawan, zahrida, sufiyandi, & dwi maharrani improving english students’ speaking skills through an action learning strategy 152 perceptions of the psychological problems in speaking. jetal: journal of english teaching & applied linguistic, 2(2), 8–20. https://doi.org/10.36655 /jetal.v2i2.266 riswanto., anita., kasmaini., & imelda, a.(2022). the effect of the shaw online channel of students’ speaking ability. journal of applied linguistics and literature, 7(1), 202-214. https://ejournal.unib.ac.id/index.php/joall/article /view/20042/9576. rullu, s. m., & daburan, h. (2020). speaking problems of efl students at english education study program in muhammadiyah luwuk university. babasal english education journal, 1(1), 10–16. https://doi.org/10.32529/ beej.v1i1.529 shalihah, m. s. (2020). strategi pembelajaran aksi untuk meningkatkan kemampuan berbicara siswa di mts limbung [thesis, universitas muh]. digitalibadmin. https://digilibadmin.unismuh.ac.id/upload/10677full_text.pdf. shimamoto, d. (2022). how advanced-level japanese efl learners manage disagreements in group discussion. the journal of asia tefl, 19(3), 777-796. http://dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2022.19.3.3.777 tampubolon, j. (2020). improving students’ speaking skill through debate technique. the seall journal, 1(2). 41-50. tavakoli, p., & hunter, a. m. (2018). is fluency being ‘neglected’ in the classroom? teacher understanding of fluency and related classroom practices. language teaching research, 22(3), 330–349. undang-undang sisdiknas no.20/2003 bab 1 pasal 1. waluyo, b. & arsyad, s. (2022). efl classroom learning environment at a thai university: what variables matter for low proficiency students? journal of applied linguistics and literature, 7 (2), 295-310. https://doi.org/10.33369/joall.v7i2 .21422 wilang, j. d. & vo, t. d. (2018). the complexity of speaking anxiety in a graduate efl classroom. the journal of asia tefl,15(3), 682-699. zuber-skerritt, o. (2002). the concept of action learning. the learning organization, 9(3), 114–124. https://doi.org/10.1108/096964702104 28831 https://ejournal.unib.ac.id/index.php/joall/article/view/20042/9576 https://ejournal.unib.ac.id/index.php/joall/article/view/20042/9576 https://digilibadmin.unismuh.ac.id/upload/10677-full_text.pdf https://digilibadmin.unismuh.ac.id/upload/10677-full_text.pdf https://doi.org/10.33369/joall.v7i2%20.21422 https://doi.org/10.33369/joall.v7i2%20.21422 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 891 digilang: enhancing english proficiency in community-based tourism through tailored elearning nuraeni english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas ibn khaldun bogor, indonesia email: nuraeni@uika-bogor.ac.id erik yuda pratama english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas ibn khaldun bogor, indonesia email: erikyuda.pratama@uika-bogor.ac.id yuggo afrianto informatic engineering study program, faculty of engineering and science, universitas ibn khaldun bogor, indonesia email: yuggo@uika-bogor.ac.id apa citation: nuraeni., pratama, e. y., & afrianto, y. (2023). digilang: enhancing english proficiency in community-based tourism through tailored e-learning. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 891-906. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8479 received: 29-06-2023 accepted: 11-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 introduction community-based tourism (cbt) is tourism planned, developed, owned, and managed by the community for the community, guided by collective decision-making, responsibility, access, ownership, and benefits (tasci, a.d.a., semrad, k., & yilmaz, 2013). additionally, communitybased tourism also encompasses the overall rural experience, natural attractions, traditions, and unique elements that collectively appeal to tourists (goodwin & santilli, 2009). the development of community-based tourism focuses on enhancing and expanding its offerings to maximize local economic potential. this role aligns perfectly with the sustainable development goals (sdgs), a global action plan endorsed by world leaders including indonesia for poverty eradication, inequality reduction, and environmental conservation (spangenberg, 2015). in essence, the sdgs aim to achieve equal and quality societies through sustainable development that should start at the village level. regarding the potential of community-based tourism, the city and regency of bogor have villages that are prominent in west java and often visited by both local and foreign tourists. unfortunately, the english language proficiency of the local community is still considered low (iriance, 2018). abstract: this study introduces digilang, a tailored e-learning platform designed to enhance english proficiency specifically for members of community-based tourism in bogor regency who lack sufficient english exposure for their daily activities in the tourism sector. employing a research and development model and following the addie approach, the study engaged 30 villagers randomly selected from three community-based tourism sites in bogor regency, west java, indonesia. throughout the study, participants actively utilized digilang for english for tourism language learning in 10 weeks. this data were collected using literature reviews, fgds, interviews, surveys, and expert judgment and then analyzed to assess digilang’s effectiveness and suitability in improving the english proficiency of community-based tourism members. through a thorough needs assessment, digilang successfully delivered a range of tailored resources, including personalized content, interactive modules, and practical exercises designed to enhance communication skills within the tourism context. the findings revealed participants' positive attitudes towards three key aspects: (1) the user-friendly interface, (2) the language content and learning materials, and (3) the relevance of localized learning materials. additionally, participants identified effective methods for online learning using the digilang platform, confirming its potential as a valuable medium for english for tourism online education. in summary, the digilang platform plays a significant role in advancing community-based tourism by addressing critical language needs in the field keywords: community-based tourism members; digilang; english for tourism; tailored e-learning. nuraeni, erik yuda pratama, & yuggo afrianto digilang: enhancing english proficiency in community-based tourism through tailored e-learning 892 whereas, english proficiency should be possessed by every human resource in each tourism region, especially the local communities in the bogor community-based tourism. enhancing human resources through english language training (soetrisno, 2019) is one of the key factors for providing excellent service to tourists (juliati et al., 2020). however, the interaction process between village residents and foreign tourists often encounters communication difficulties due to the weak english proficiency of the locals. local communities in tourist destinations, particularly those that are already well-known like bogor regency, should prepare themselves to welcome tourists. one way to do this is by having the ability to communicate with tourists (darmawijaya et al., 2019; iwayan & utama, 2016; syafitri et al., 2019). english, as an international language, is an important communication tool for connecting with other countries. therefore, learning vocabulary and other aspects such as grammar and expressions in english is essential for improving english proficiency (menggo, 2018; pawlak, 2018; wichanpricha, 2020). when locals, especially tour guides, can use and understand foreign languages, particularly english, which is the international language used by foreign tourists, they will be considered friendly by tourists (mahayanti & utami, 2017; manik et al., 2022; miswaty et al., 2020). in terms of social aspects, pokdarwis (kelompok sadar wisata/tourism awareness group) has been formed to handle tourists who will visit in the future (riannada & mardliyah, 2021). however, there are several areas that need improvement, such as the ability of pokdarwis members to use english and guide tourists. a tour guide is someone who provides assistance, information, and guidance to people who are traveling to a particular destination. their role is to make the travel experience as enjoyable, educational, and safe as possible for the tourists they are leading. tour guides may work for travel agencies, tour operators, or as freelancers. they are responsible for planning and leading tours, providing information about the history, culture, and attractions of the destination (liu & deng, 2017). the problem faced by pokdarwis in bogor regency is due to the lack of training and habituation in using english in daily activities. the proposed solution to overcome these problems is to develop e-learning to enhance the english language proficiency of the surrounding community, called digilang (digital language). digilang is an online learning scheme that has the potential to improve effectiveness (pratama, 2015) and the final outcome of the teachinglearning process while adjusting to the expectations (prasetya & nuraeni, 2021) of the densely scheduled surrounding community that desires flexible learning. this learning adapts to society 5.0 (ruskandi et al., 2021), requiring dynamic learning without limitations of space and time. e-learning has been viewed as an effective solution for life-long education for sustainable development in a population of learners who are simultaneously full-time employees (nguyen, t. m. n., nghia, nguyen t. t. van, & tran, 2020). moreover, the integration of e-learning in english for tourism instruction offers learners the flexibility to customize their learning schedules and access authentic language usage and communication opportunities. sigala (2020) explains the advantages of e-learning is not only in enhancing learners’ competency in knowledge but also in developing their information literacy and knowledge management skills. e-learning emphasizes on the requirements of individual learners (huang & chiu, 2015). for instance, the implementation of individualized learning experiences allows learners to learn at their own pace and to receive immediate feedback. further, interactive language activities and multimedia resources help learners to develop their practical speaking and listening skills to address the needs in real-world tourism scenarios. e-learning technology transcends geographical boundaries which can reach rural residents or community-based tourism members who have busy activities and routines to improve their english skills flexibly according to their preferences. language practice exercises provided by e-learning platforms focus on grammar, vocabulary, and reading to systematically reinforce language competence (kalbaska et al., 2012). these dynamic learning experiences may be of benefit to individuals becoming more confident and proficient english speakers. through technology and e-learning, rural communities can gain essential language skills and competencies which align with sustainable development and the sdgs' objectives. based on the aforementioned issues, this study seeks to develop digilang, an e-learning platform tailored to meet the specific needs of community-based tourism members in bogor regency, west java, as a way to enhance their english for tourism english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 893 proficiency; hence, they will be able to provide exceptional service and experiences to tourists. method this study employed research and development model using the addie approach: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation, which is adapted from the dick et al., (2004) model. the product developed in this study was a web-based learning platform in the form of an e-learning portal using the moodle learning management system (lms/learning management system). the study was conducted in three locations, specifically in three community-based tourism sites located in bogor regency, west java, indonesia. the samples used in this study were selected using purposive sampling where 30 individuals were randomly chosen from the members of three communitybased tourism sites in bogor regency. the selection of these sites was based on their reputation as some of the most prominent and well-visited destinations in the region. this was done to ensure a comprehensive representation of the diverse community-based tourism landscape in bogor. in other words, these sites were chosen due to their popularity, cultural significance, and potential for offering valuable insights into the english proficiency gaps within community-based tourism settings. to ensure transparency and unbiased selection, a clustered sampling method was employed. this method involved categorizing the members of community-based tourism into groups based on their respective sites. from each cluster, a random selection of participants was made to achieve a well-rounded representation of the communitybased tourism population in the three chosen sites. this approach enhanced the study's credibility and allowed for a more robust analysis of english proficiency gaps in community-based tourism within the selected destinations. the development model used was an adaptation of the research and development steps, which consist of: (a) needs analysis and information gathering, (b) product planning design, (c) initial product development, (d) product implementation and application, and (e) evaluation. this model was developed based on the e-learning development design according to surjono's model (irawan & surjono, 2018). meanwhile, the product evaluation design used in this research is the program media evaluation model. data collected in this research comprised both qualitative and quantitative data. the qualitative data consisted of descriptive information obtained from responses regarding various aspects of the learning process, content, design, and programming, gathered from subject matter experts, media experts, and participants through interviews and focus group discussions. after that, the qualitative data were scored and transformed into quantitative data for assessment purposes. on the other hand, additional quantitative data were obtained from questionnaires regarding the responses and validation of the digilang product, which has been designed for this research. the questionnaires were used to gather specific numerical data related to the participants' perceptions and feedback on the effectiveness and validity of the digilang e-learning platform. by combining qualitative and quantitative data, the study was aimed at investigating and gaining comprehensive insights into the effectiveness of the digilang e-learning platform in enhancing english language proficiency in the selected community-based tourism sites in bogor regency. this study was conducted to design e-learning that meets the needs of community-based tourism members in three villages in bogor as a means of learning english independently because the members already have full-time jobs. digilang was designed to address this issue by helping the participants to access digilang's resources for independent learning. the digilang design stages adhere to the addie model stages to guarantee that the product designed will meet the participants' english language needs while also being academically accountable. the focus of english for tourism learning is to improve participants' interactions with tourist content, as illustrated in the syllabus. data were collected qualitatively and quantitatively using five methods: literature reviews, fgds, interviews, surveys, and expert judgment. all of these data collection techniques are applied to complete the digilang design scheme according to the addie stages. to facilitate participant engagement, an initial training and orientation session was conducted. this session aims to familiarize the participants with the platform's interface, functionalities, and learning structure. this training equips them with the necessary skills to navigate the platform independently and engage effectively with the course materials. the participants were guided on how to access the various modules, practice exercises, and interactive activities tailored to nuraeni, erik yuda pratama, & yuggo afrianto digilang: enhancing english proficiency in community-based tourism through tailored e-learning 894 enhance their english language proficiency specifically in the context of community-based tourism. they will get access to digilang for one month to test if it is suitable for usage and effective as a learning medium results and discussion this research was systematically conducted following the procedure of the addie model. the initial stage is the analysis of needs and information gathering, where an in-depth analysis of the needs and challenges in developing elearning to enhance english language proficiency in community-based tourism in bogor was conducted. information was collected from various sources, including literature studies and input from experts aiming to design appropriate solutions. next, in the design and planning product stage, a plan and concept for the webbased e-learning product using the moodle learning management system (lms) were formulated. clear learning objectives were established along with appropriate teaching strategies to achieve the desired targets. third, the development of the initial product was the subsequent stage, where an initial prototype of the e-learning portal, english language content and interactive learning tools integration were carried out. initial testing was performed, and improvements were made based on user feedback to ensure product quality and feasibility. next, the implementation and application of the product stage involved the actual implementation of the e-learning portal in three selected community-based tourism sites. community-based tourism members were given access to participate in the english language learning program through digilang. lastly, the evaluation stage assessed the effectiveness and efficiency of the e-learning portal using a media program evaluation model. data were collected from participants, and the evaluation results were analyzed to assess the achievement of the goal of enhancing english language proficiency. need analysis and information gathering stage in the initial phase of the research, several systematic steps were undertaken to analyze the learning needs required for the development of elearning and to enhance english language proficiency in the community-based tourism sites in bogor, regency. this analysis included assessing the participants’ initial abilities in english and relevant skills. further, the aim of this analysis phase is to find specific information about their language proficiency and comprehension before starting the learning process. additionally, individual student characteristics, such as learning styles, interests, preferences, and motivation levels, were also identified in order to tailor the learning strategies for more effective outcomes. furthermore, the instructional materials were thoroughly evaluated to achieve the learning objectives. the following were steps taken in the analysis stage: (1) initial ability analysis: assessing the participants’ initial proficiency in english or relevant skills for the learning objectives. this aims to understand their language proficiency and comprehension before starting the learning process. (2) participant character analysis: identifying individual participant characteristics and needs, including learning styles, interests, preferences, and motivation levels. (3) instructional material analysis: evaluating the available or to-be-developed instructional materials for english language learning. this included content, difficulty level, relevance, attractiveness, and alignment with the learning objectives. (4) course needs analysis: determining the needs and expectations of the participants regarding the english language course or program. (5) learning scheme analysis: reviewing and evaluating the learning scheme used in the e-learning program. the learning scheme encompasses the structure, teaching methods, technology usage, and interaction between instructors and participants. the analysis steps were further reinforced by the results of focus group discussions (fgd) conducted with representatives of communitybased tourism members in three tourist villages. figure 1. fgd with community-based tourism members the surveys were also distributed to participants to obtain more accurate information. the fgd english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 895 results provided valuable insights into the participants’ views on e-learning since they expressed a strong interest in having access to elearning materials that could help them to improve their english language skills. table 1. need analysis questionnaires no questions 1 the availability of e-learning materials would greatly enhance our english language proficiency. 2 i believe e-learning materials can help us learn english more effectively. 3 i would prefer e-learning materials that include interactive exercises and quizzes. 4 i find it convenient to access e-learning materials at my own pace and time. 5 e-learning materials with multimedia content (videos, audios, etc.) would be beneficial for learning english. 6 i prefer e-learning materials that are specifically designed for english language learning in a tourism context. 7 the availability of e-learning materials would encourage me to actively participate in english language learning. 8 i believe e-learning materials can be a valuable supplement to traditional language learning methods. 9 i am interested in e-learning materials that include real-life scenarios related to tourism in english. 10 e-learning materials that allow interaction with other learners would be beneficial for collaborative learning. table 2. the result of the need analysis survey further, the data survey results from the 30 participants in the need analysis as the e-learning materials to enhance english language proficiency among community-based tourism members no item characteristics results mean score sd d n a sa 1 positive 0 2 3 15 10 4.07 percentage 0% 6.7% 10% 50% 33.3% score 1 2 3 4 5 2 positive 0 2 3 13 12 4.13 percentage 0% 6.7% 10% 43.3% 40% score 1 2 3 4 5 3 positive 0 0 2 8 20 4.67 percentage 0% 0% 6.7% 26.6% 66.7% score 1 2 3 4 5 4 positive 0 1 2 9 18 4.30 percentage 0% 3.3% 6.7% 30% 60% score 1 2 3 4 5 5 positive 0 1 2 13 14 4.23 percentage 0% 3.3% 6.7% 43.3% 46.7% score 1 2 3 4 5 6 positive 0 1 4 10 15 4.53 percentage 0% 3.3% 13.4% 33.3% 50% score 1 2 3 4 5 7 positive 0 0 2 11 17 4.47 percentage 0% 0% 6.7% 36.7% 56.6% score 1 2 3 4 5 8 positive 0 0 2 12 16 4.53 percentage 0% 0% 6.7% 40% 53.3% score 1 2 3 4 5 9 positive 0 0 4 15 11 4.57 percentage 0% 0% 13.4% 50% 36.6% score 1 2 3 4 5 10 positive 0 0 2 15 13 4.36 percentage 0% 0% 6.7% 50% 43.3% score 1 2 3 4 5 mean 4.38 nuraeni, erik yuda pratama, & yuggo afrianto digilang: enhancing english proficiency in community-based tourism through tailored e-learning 896 indicated a positive attitude towards the planning of developing digilang platform. design and planning product stage in the instructional design stage, the syllabus, course design, and instructional design were developed as the foundation for creating elearning scheme for digilang. the development process consisted of eight steps, such as: (a) determining competency standards, (b) conducting learning analysis, (c) developing learning objectives, (d) defining learning outcomes, (e) formulating teaching materials, (f) compiling learning strategies, (g) outlining the learning flow, and (h) designing evaluations. the system development was carried out to design the prototype of the e-learning course for digilang's content, specifically the online learning for english for tourism in the tourism village. this was achieved by utilizing the topical syllabus-based learning approach, which emphasizes english language mastery through topic-specific content (pratama, 2016), based on the results of the need analysis. the instructional design was also developed to enable learners to reflect on their learning independently (nuraeni & heryatun, 2021). below is the syllabus design result: table 3. english for tourism syllabus no week topic lesson 1 week 1 introduction to tourism english  course orientation and expectations  introduction to basic tourism vocabulary and expressions  cultural awareness in tourism 2 week 2 greetings and welcoming tourists  greetings and introductions in a tourism context  common phrases for welcoming tourists  role-plays: greeting and welcoming tourists at the village entrance 3 week 3 providing local information  describing local attractions and activities  giving directions to tourist spots in desa wisata bogor  role-plays: providing information and directions to tourists 4 week 4 cultural heritage and traditions  discussing local cultural heritage and traditions  sharing stories and legends related to the village  listening comprehension: audio recordings about the village's cultural heritage 5 week 5 ecotourism and nature-based activities  vocabulary related to ecotourism and nature-based activities  describing flora, fauna, and natural attractions  speaking practice: guiding tourists during a nature walk 6 week 6 communitybased tourism initiatives  exploring community-based tourism initiatives in desa wisata bogor  discussing local handicrafts, traditional arts, and culinary specialties  reading comprehension: brochures and articles about community-based tourism 7 week 7 sustainable tourism practices  understanding the principles of sustainable tourism  discussing eco-friendly practices and responsible tourism  group discussions: developing sustainable tourism initiatives for desa wisata bogor 8 week 8 customer service and interactions  polite expressions and customer service phrases  handling inquiries, complaints, and special requests  role-plays: interacting with tourists in different scenarios 9 week 9 promoting local attractions  developing promotional materials for local attractions  writing engaging descriptions and tourist itineraries  group activity: creating a marketing campaign for desa wisata bogor 10 week 10 review and assessment  revision of key concepts and vocabulary  speaking and writing assessments  course wrap-up and feedback english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 897 this syllabus served as a general framework for an english for tourism course specifically tailored to the needs of community-based tourism members in bogor regency. the course was delivered in a blended environment, utilizing digilang and also face-to-face meetings. development of the initial product stage the third phase involved the development of an elearning course for digilang content which aims to developing technology infrastructure, user interfaces, and learning material. the digilang development process was carried out in stages to ensure effective design implementation. for the initial phase, digilang's development was focused on designing a server or web hosting that suits the needs and number of users to avoid technical problems can be access on http://digilang.uika-bogor.ac.id furthermore, the development process was then followed by creating layouts and user-interface, and creating user accounts. figure 2 below is the interface of digilang.: figure 2. digilangs' interface the final phase at this development stage is the design of e-learning materials, the development of learning paths/course settings, and the design of learning activities such as: quizzes, independent assignments, chats, discussion forums, teaching materials, modules, and learning videos. figure 3. learning material however, this learning platform is specifically aimed at improving english language skills through the use of digital technology as well as promoting independent learning in accordance with the concept of 21st century learning (nuraeni & anggraini, 2020). the content of teaching materials developed at digilang includes aspects of language needed in the world of tourism to support the needs of participants in interacting with foreign tourists. this is in accordance with tomlinson (2023) stating that teaching materials development must be relevant to the learners' nuraeni, erik yuda pratama, & yuggo afrianto digilang: enhancing english proficiency in community-based tourism through tailored e-learning 898 context, thereby fostering deeper engagement in the learning process. the following image is the learning content contained in digilang: figure 4. learning exercise the design of teaching materials on digilang was also enriched by inserting learning content taken from local culture, thereby rendering a more holistic and contextually grounded learning experience. consequently, participants can comprehend the instructional content in a more tangible manner that aligns with their daily lives (kramsch & whiteside, 2008). teaching materials must include aspects of students' background and culture, as they are interrelated. moreover, integrating local culture into english as a foreign language instruction may help students in achieving their desired learning outcomes (florentino, 2014), specifically in the context of english for tourism. implementation and application of the product stage during the implementation phase, the process was divided into three distinct steps. firstly, an initial product testing, commonly known as a testbed, was conducted to assess the smoothness of the product (server, navigation, and course) before its use in training. the purpose of this preliminary test or testbed was to evaluate the functionality and performance of the digilang platform, including the server, navigation, and course components. by conducting this testbed, any potential issues or glitches were identified and addressed before the product was fully deployed for training. after the testbed, the second step involved product revision. this step allowed for the correction of any identified errors or shortcomings that may have surfaced during the initial testing phase. further, the development team reviewed and modified the digilang product based on the feedback and findings from the testbed. this ensured that the final version of the e-learning platform was optimized and met the desired performance standards. once the necessary revisions were made and the product was deemed to be in its best state, the final step was the launching of the digilang product. the last step of this phase was to provide training sessions and workshops to familiarize the users with its features and functionalities. by following these steps in the implementation phase, the digilang e-learning platform was systematically tested, improved, and ultimately launched, ensuring its readiness for effective use in enhancing the english language skills of community-based tourism members. evaluation stage the evaluation consists of expert validation, product testing and revision, as well as product effectiveness testing. in developing e-learning products, product evaluations are divided into two types namely: (1) feasibility evaluation. this evaluation was conducted to determine the practicability of the product. (2) effectiveness evaluation. this evaluation was conducted to determine the efficacy of the product. further, the digilang platform was reviewed and assessed by subject matter experts and instructional designers. their feedback and insights were valuable in ensuring that the content, design, and instructional strategies aligned with the intended learning outcomes and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 899 target audience. necessary adjustments or improvements were made based on their recommendations. below is the rubric of expert judgment for digilang e-learning program: table 4. expert judgement rubric no criteria score excellent (5) very good (4) good (3) fair (2) poor (1) 1 alignment with need analysis the program is highly aligned with identified needs and challenges the program is well-aligned with identified needs and challenges the program is partially with identified needs and challenges the program has some alignment with identified needs and challenges the program lacks of alignment with identified needs and challenges 2 content quality the content is comprehensive, relevant, and highly engaging the content is comprehensive, relevant, and engaging. the content is relevant and well-structured but may lack some engagement. the content is relevant but may lack some important engagement and structure. the content is insufficient or outdated, lacking engagement and structure. 3 instructional design the instructional design is wellstructured and supports effective learning. the instructional design is wellstructured and generally effective. the instructional design is adequately structured but may have minor gaps. the instructional design is partially structured, leading to some challenges. the instructional design is poorly structured and lacks clarity. 4 user experience the platform is user-friendly, intuitive, and well-designed. the platform is generally userfriendly but may have minor issues. the platform is user-friendly but has some usability or navigation issues. the platform has some userfriendliness issues, causing challenges. the platform is not userfriendly, causing significant challenges for users. 5 evaluation method comprehensive evaluation methods are implemented to assess effectiveness. comprehensive evaluation methods are used effectively. adequate evaluation methods are used to assess program effectiveness. limited evaluation methods are used to assess program effectiveness. insufficient or ineffective evaluation methods are used. 6 overall impact the program has a significant impact on language learning and user engagement. the program has a positive impact on language learning and user engagement. the program has some impact on language learning outcomes and engagement. the program has limited impact on language learning outcomes. the program has minimal or no impact on language learning outcomes and engagement. overall, the digilang e-learning program received a positive expert judgment. the program's user experience and overall impact obtained a high score from the expert. however, there was a need for certain enhancements in terms of instructional design and evaluation that require revisions. the result of the expert judgment for the digilang e-learning program is as follows: alignment with needs analysis: very good (4). the program is well-aligned with the identified needs and challenges of the learners, with minor improvements needed to achieve excellence. content quality: excellent (5). the content is comprehensive, relevant, and highly engaging, meeting the highest standards for quality. instructional design: good (3). the instructional design is adequately structured, but there are some minor gaps that could be addressed for further improvement. user experience: very good (4). the platform is generally user-friendly and intuitive, but some minor usability and navigation issues need attention. evaluation methods: good (3). adequate evaluation methods are used to assess program effectiveness, but additional comprehensive methods could be beneficial. overall impact: very good (4). the program has a positive impact on language learning outcomes and user engagement, with room for further enhancement. based on expert judgment and feedback received, several strategies have been implemented to enhance its effectiveness and user experience. first, the instructional design was improved by incorporating interactive elements nuraeni, erik yuda pratama, & yuggo afrianto digilang: enhancing english proficiency in community-based tourism through tailored e-learning 900 like simulations, and group activities in order to enhance learners’ engagement in the learning process. second, additional evaluation methods, including preand post-tests, were introduced to evaluate language learning progress accurately. third, customization and personalization features were added to fit diverse learning styles. finally, continuous improvement was ensured through regular updates and ongoing support, with user feedback driving necessary changes and enhancements. these strategies aimed at empowering community-based tourism members with the english language skills needed to provide a quality service to tourists in the context of local tourism. the second type of evaluation was product testing and revision. in this step, the e-learning product was tested in a real-world setting with a representative group of users, such as communitybased tourism members. the purpose of this testing was to identify any usability issues, technical problems/errors, or content-related challenges that users might have while using the product. based on the feedback and observations gathered from the testing phase, necessary revisions and enhancements were made to improve the overall functionality and user experience. based on their feedback, some improvements to the user interface were necessary for better usability. finally, the effectiveness of the e-learning product was evaluated through effectiveness testing. this assessment was conducted after the e-learning program was implemented. during this field test, the participants were asked to review the digilang platform while studying with them. the participants were also asked to fill out a questionnaire about this product. the data from the questionnaire were triangulated through interview. the participants revealed that digilang portal had fulfilled their need for english learning. at the evaluation stage, four factors were evaluated to determine participants' perceptions of digilang: user interface, language content, localization, and effectiveness. this effectiveness measures the digilang's effectiveness as a learning resource rather than the effectiveness of learning using digilang. learners’ evaluation on the online course learners' responses from the survey questionnaire were analyzed in spss software to infer their assessment of the course. the statements on the questionnaire list were delivered in the form of positive and negative statements. in each table of analyses, mean figures inform the average scores of the respondents’ choices. to be specific, higher mean value reveal that learners agree with the statements to a larger extent. user interface overall, the majority of participants found the elearning platform's user interface to be visually appealing, user-friendly, and with clear icons and buttons. most participants also reported satisfaction with the platform's responsiveness across various devices. with regard to the website, learners mentioned that the website had a well-designed interface that could satisfy their needs for learning. however, a small number of participants encountered technical difficulties while using the platform. they reported trouble uploading files of assignments on the website or moving to the next lesson. table 5. user interface no questions 1 the e-learning platform has an appealing and well-designed interface. 2 the e-learning platform is difficult to navigate and has a confusing layout. 3 icons and buttons on the platform are clear and easy to understand. 4 users encountered technical difficulties and glitches while using the platform. 5 users are satisfied with the platform's responsiveness across different devices. table 6. the evaluation of user interface no item characteristics results mean score sd d n a sa 1 positive 0 2 3 15 10 4.07 percentage 0% 6.7% 10% 50% 33.3% score 1 2 3 4 5 2 positive 0 2 3 13 12 4.13 percentage 0% 6.7% 10% 43.3% 40% score 1 2 3 4 5 3 positive 0 0 2 8 20 4.67 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 901 language content and materials the language content and the course materials including videos, audio, pictures, and images were developed by the course instructors. learners could easily access these materials during the course. from the survey, it could be seen that learners have a high opinion of the course materials. collectively, they all agree that the course materials were compatible with the course content which could facilitate their exposure to the language. these materials were suitable for online learning and aligned with their professional working requirements within the context of tourism. furthermore, the learners also agreed that the learning materials were relevant to the actual working scenarios they encountered. these materials covered essential english skills necessary for effective communication within the context of tourism. table 7. language content and learning material no questions 1 the language content provided was relevant and applicable to my tourism context. 2 the language learning materials were not engaging and lacked interactivity. 3 the course content covered essential english language skills needed for tourism communication. 4 the learning activities and exercises effectively enhanced my language proficiency. 5 i did not felt adequately challenged by the course content to improve my english language skills. table 8. the evaluation of language content and material localization numerous experts (guest, 2002; mckay, 2002; littlewood, 2000) give an emphasis on the culture of the target language as manifested in the use of the teaching materials. thus, language cannot be separated from culture on the grounds since as these aspects are interrelated. this implies that culture is automatically embedded in the language which is learned. therefore, language materials have to exclusively impose the culture of the target language so that a comprehensive understanding can be gained. there are five statements involved in the assessment of the localized course content. all the mean scores of the questions are higher than 3, indicating that the participants were satisfied with the local content contributed to developing their understanding of english for the tourism context. the participants also agreed that the local contents were relevant to their real working percentage 0% 0% 6.7% 26.6% 66.7% score 1 2 3 4 5 4 positive 0 1 2 9 18 4.30 percentage 0% 3.3% 6.7% 30% 60% score 1 2 3 4 5 5 positive 0 1 2 13 14 4.23 percentage 0% 3.3% 6.7% 43.3% 46.7% score 1 2 3 4 5 mean 4.38 no item characteristics results mean score sd d n a sa 1 positive 0 2 4 14 10 4.06 percentage 0% 6.7% 13.3% 46.7% 33.3% score 1 2 3 4 5 2 negative 13 12 3 2 0 4.2 percentage 43.3% 40% 10% 6.7% 0% score 5 4 3 2 1 3 positive 0 2 4 12 12 4.13 percentage 0% 6.7% 13.3% 40% 40% score 1 2 3 4 5 4 positive 0 2 3 13 12 4.16 percentage 0% 6.7% 10% 43.3% 40% score 1 2 3 4 5 5 negative 13 14 2 1 0 4.56 percentage 43.3% 46.7% 6.7% 3.3% 0% score 5 4 3 2 1 mean 4.22 nuraeni, erik yuda pratama, & yuggo afrianto digilang: enhancing english proficiency in community-based tourism through tailored e-learning 902 scenarios which reflected the language they need for specific tourism activities. table 9. localization no questions 1 the inclusion of local tourism elements did not significantly enhance my learning experience. 2 the use of authentic materials was relevant to my tourism environment. 3 i found it challenging to relate to the language content and scenarios presented in the course. 4 the localization of course content significantly contributed to my understanding of english in a tourism context. 5 the course content did not accurately reflect the language needs of my specific tourism setting. table 10. the evaluation of localized content the effectiveness of digilang platform from learners’ perfective the effectiveness of digilang as a platform for online learning from participants’ perceptions is shown in figure 5. the data revealed that the majority of participants considered digilang platform was very effective (9.86%) or effective (64.32%), while only just a small number of the participants did not believe that this platform might be beneficial to improve their english. however, it can be inferred that the effectiveness of online teaching was well recognized by most participants. figure 5. the effectiveness of digilang platform for online learning during the interviews, participants generally acknowledged the effectiveness of digilang as the platform for online learning. for instance, one participant mentioned, "online learning using digilang platform offered flexibility in terms of both time and location." another participant highlighted, "online learning provided me with a new learning atmosphere," while yet another no item characteristics results mean score sd d n a sa 1 negative 5 16 4 3 2 4.1 percentage 16.7% 53.3% 13.3% 10% 6.7% score 5 4 3 2 1 2 positive 0 3 2 13 12 4.13 percentage 0% 10% 6.7% 43.3% 40% score 1 2 3 4 5 3 negative 10 14 2 3 1 3.96 percentage 33.3% 46.7% 6.7% 10% 3.3% score 5 4 3 2 1 4 positive 1 2 2 16 9 4.00 percentage 3.3% 6.7% 6.7% 53.3% 30% score 1 2 3 4 5 5 negative 10 15 3 2 0 4.01 percentage 33.3% 50% 10% 6.7% 0% score 5 4 3 2 1 mean 4.04 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 903 participant pointed out the benefits of "recorded help me to continue practicing and learning the language without any pressure or time constraint." however, some participants also expressed their dissatisfaction with online learning using digilang platform. one participant (p3) expressed: frequently, i experienced a sense of isolation while in front of the computer or mobile device; i genuinely enjoyed the learning environment of being collectively present in a classroom." likewise, another participant (p6) conveyed, "lacking supervision, i often found myself easily getting distracted by various external factors." the data collected allowed the digilang design to be considered to fulfill the requirements from both a user and an expert perspective through expert judgment. thus, this learning content can be used to support english learning. conclusion in conclusion, the systematic development of the digilang e-learning platform, guided by the addie approach and adapted from the dick and carey (2004) model, has yielded positive results. expert judgments and evaluations across crucial aspects of the platform, including user interface, language content and material, and localized learning content, have demonstrated its effectiveness and user-friendliness. participants have expressed their appreciation for the course content's relevance to their professional practice. the digilang platform's flexibility and suitability for online learning have been well-received, with well-designed course materials. participants have perceived positive outcomes, believing that the platform aligns with their professional requirements in the tourism context. localized learning content has proven to be relevant to real working scenarios, meeting the language needs for specific tourism activities. empirical data also indicated that a significant majority of participants considered the digilang platform effective (64.32%) and a suitable choice for improving their english skills. in essence, the digilang platform not only equips rural communities with essential language skills and competencies but also aligns with the sustainable development goals (sdgs) by optimizing local economic potential. however, it is important to note that this study's scope is limited to the design of digilang. future research can explore various other aspects, such as conducting a more extensive study with a larger number of respondents to measure the effectiveness of digilang in improving the english language skills of the bogor regency community-based tourism members. additionally, implementing blended learning schemes, combining online portals with face-to-face learning, presents an avenue for further investigation. these avenues for future research can offer a more comprehensive understanding of the platform's impact and potential. references darmawijaya, i. g., sekarti, n. k., & tirtawati, n. m. (2019). the typology of wellness tourism in bali. in international conference on tourism, economics, accounting, management, and social science (teams 2018), 205–207. https://doi.org/10.2991/teams-18.2019.36. dick, w., carey, l., & carey, j. o. (2004). the systematic design of instruction (6th edition). allyn & bacon. florentino, l. o. (2014). integrating local literature in teaching english to first graders under k-12 curriculum. theory and practice in language studies, 4(7), 1344–1351. https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.4.7.1344-1351 goodwin, h., & santilli, r. (2009). community-based tourism: a success? icrt occasional paper. https://www.icrtourism.com.au/publications/occ asional-papers guest, m. (2002). a critical ‘checkbook’ for culture teaching and learning. elt journal, 56(2), 154– 161. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/56.2.154 huang, y. m., & chiu, p. s. (2015). the effectiveness of a meaningful learning-based evaluation model for context-aware mobile learning. british journal of educational technology, 46(2), 437–447. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12147 irawan, r., & surjono, h. d. (2018). pengembangan elearning berbasis moodle dalam peningkatkan pemahaman lagu pada pembelajaran bahasa inggris. jurnal inovasi teknologi pendidikan, 5(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.21831/jitp.v5i1.10599 iriance, i. (2018). bahasa inggris sebagai bahasa lingua franca dan posisi kemampuan bahasa inggris masyarakat indonesia diantara anggota mea. industrial research workshop and national seminar, 9, 776–783. https://doi.org/10.35313/irwns.v9i0.1149 iwayan, r. j., & utama, i. g. b. r. (2016). agrotourism as the economics transformation of the tourism village in bali (case study: blimbingsari village, jembrana, bali). journal of business on hospitality and tourism: jbhost, 2(1), 26– 40. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abst ract_id=3155156. https://doi.org/10.2991/teams-18.2019.36 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3155156 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3155156 nuraeni, erik yuda pratama, & yuggo afrianto digilang: enhancing english proficiency in community-based tourism through tailored e-learning 904 juliati, j., budi, s. u., goeyardi, w., widyaningsih, g. e. n., & rahayuningtyas, p. (2020). peningkatan kualitas sdm melalui pelatihan bahasa asing untuk kampung biru arema malang, jawa timur. jurnal abdinus : jurnal pengabdian nusantara, 3(2), 294–305. https://doi.org/10.29407/ja.v3i2.13819 kalbaska, n., jovic, a., & cantoni, l. (2012). usability evaluation of an elearning course presenting a regional destination. the case of “ticino switzerland travel specialist.” ereview of tourism research, 10(2), 31–34. kramsch, c., & whiteside, a. (2008). language and culture. oxford university press (oup). littlewood, w. (2000). do asian students really want to listen and obey? elt journal, 54(1), 31–36. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/54.1.31 liu, y., & deng, x. (2017). study of the tour guide interactive quality’s impact on the tourist retravelling intention based on the tourist’s perceived value: a case study of bali travelling. european scientific journal, esj, 13(10), 210– 220. mahayanti, n. w. s., & utami, i. a. m. i. (2017). pelatihan dan pendampingan penelitian tindakan kelas bagi guru bahasa inggris smp di kecamatan sukasada. jurnal widya laksana, 6(2), 145–155. https://doi.org/10.23887/jwl.v6i2.11619. manik, s., simanjuntak, g., & panjaitan, s. m. (2022). pelatihan peningkatan kemampuan bahasa inggris melalui metode snowball di hkbp binjai timur. jam: jurnal pengabdian kepada masyarakat, 1(1), 1–10. https://journal.eltaorganization.org/index.php/ec dj/article/view/63. mckay, s. l. (2002). teaching english as an international language: rethinking goals and approaches. oxford university press. menggo, s. (2018). english learning motivation and speaking ability. journal of psychology and instruction, 2(2), 70–76. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpai.v2i2.15979. miswaty, t. c., syamsurrijal, s., hadi, m. z. p., & ulfa, b. a. (2020). pelatihan bahasa inggris dan pembukuan keuangan bagi masyarakat desa langko. jurnal pengabdian undikma, 1(2), 166–171. https://doi.org/10.33394/jpu.v1i2.3082. nguyen, t. m. n., nghia, nguyen t. t. van, & tran, h. t. (2020). investigating factors affecting learner’s needs of e-learning programs in tourism: case in the central coastal region of vietnam. tourist 2nd cross-border. nuraeni, & heryatun, y. (2021). reflective practice strategies of pre-service english teachers during teaching practicum to promote professional development. studies in english language and education, 8(3), 1144–1157. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i3.20221 nuraeni, n., & anggraini, a. (2020). pre-service teachers’ perception of autonomous learners in the 21st century. yavana bhasha : journal of english language education, 3(2), 13. https://doi.org/10.25078/yb.v3i2.1707 pawlak, m. (2018). investigating the use of speaking strategies in the performance of two communicative tasks: the importance of communicative goal. studies in second language learning and teaching, 8(2), 269– 291. https://www.ceeol.com/search/articledetail?id=675384. prasetya, e. p., & nuraeni, n. (2021). the use of podcast to promote students’ speaking ability in online learning at the covid pandemic 19. journal of english educational study (jees), 4(1), 11–20. https://doi.org/10.31932/jees.v4i1.794 pratama, e. y. (2015). the implementation of blended learning method using edmodo (a social networking site) in teaching reading comprehension (a mixed-method study at a university in west java). proceedings of the 3rd international conference on language, literature, culture and education, 181. https://icsai.org/procarch/3icllce/3icllce-36.html pratama, e. y. (2016). integrating 21st century skill into eyl class: a new ideal course design and planning for eyl class. english journal, 10(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.32832/english.v10i1.234 riannada, r., & mardliyah, s. (2021). peran kelompok sadar wisata (pokdarwis) kencana dalam pengembangan desa wisata adat osing kemiren. jurnal mahasiswa pendidikan luar sekolah, 10(1), 315– 328. https://ejournal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/jurna l-pendidikan-luar-sekolah/article/view/42849. ruskandi, k., pratama, e. y., & asri, d. j. n. (2021). transformasi arah tujuan pendidikan di era society 5.0 (t. n. fajriati (ed.)). cv. caraka khatulistiwa. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=t9doeaa aqbaj&source=gbs_navlinks_s sigala, m. (2020). tourism and covid-19: impacts and implications for advancing and resetting industry and research. journal of business research, 117, 312– 321.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.06.01 5 soetrisno, e. (2019). manajemen sumber daya manusia. kencana prenada media group. spangenberg, j. h. (2015). indicators for sustainable development. in routledge international handbook of sustainable development. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429197383-18 syafitri, e. d., nugroho, r. a., & yorika, r. (2019). analisis tingkat kepuasan pengunjung daya tarik wisata kebun raya balikpapan. journal of indonesian tourism, hospitality and recreation, 4(1), 1–8. https://journal.eltaorganization.org/index.php/ecdj/article/view/63 https://journal.eltaorganization.org/index.php/ecdj/article/view/63 https://ejournal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/jurnal-pendidikan-luar-sekolah/article/view/42849 https://ejournal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/jurnal-pendidikan-luar-sekolah/article/view/42849 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 905 https://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/jithor/article/ view/28205. tasci, a.d.a., semrad, k., & yilmaz, s. (2013). community based tourism: finding the equilibrium in the comcec context. republic of turkery ministry of development. tomlinson, b. (2023). developing materials for language teaching. bloomsbury publishing. https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/developingmaterials-for-language-teaching9781350199675/ wichanpricha, t. (2020). fostering collaborative activities in vocabulary learning: thai efl lower-proficiency undergraduate students. asian esp journal, 5(16), 33–52. nuraeni, erik yuda pratama, & yuggo afrianto digilang: enhancing english proficiency in community-based tourism through tailored e-learning 906 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 335 efl teachers’ reflection in the implementation of online flipped classroom: challenges and strategies farida noor rohmah medical laboratory technology department, faculty of health sciences, universitas ‘aisyiyah yogyakarta, sleman, yogyakarta email: faridanoor88@unisayogya.ac.id david sulistiawan aditya nursing department, faculty of health sciences, universitas ‘aisyiyah yogyakarta, sleman yogyakarta email: davidsulistiawanaditya@unisayogya.ac.id apa citation: rohmah, f. n., & aditya, d. s. (2023). efl teachers’ reflection in the implementation of online flipped classroom: challenges and strategies. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 335-346. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7711 received: 19-02-2023 accepted: 27-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction all face-to-face classes were cancelled during the pandemic, forcing many institutions, including our own university, to switch from face-to-face instruction to fully online instruction. teachers had the difficult task of switching from well-known face-to-face pedagogical practices to those that depended on technical competence and innovative assessment techniques. since prior research indicated that flipped classroom offered several advantages such as improving students' responsibility, sense of community, communications, and learning enthusiasm (haftador et al., 2021), the flexibility of timing for students' learning, the ability to blend asynchronous and synchronous teaching and learning, and the development of 21st-century skills (divjak et al., 2022), some instructors decided to use it during the pandemic in place of traditional lecture-based education remotely online. the (stem) teaching of science, technology, engineering, and math has benefited from the use of flipped classrooms, which have been shown to increase student engagement, information retention, and understanding of the subject matter (tang et al., 2020). in english for foreign language (efl) teaching, flipped classroom provides several benefits as well. the study by siswanto (2021) revealed that by employing flipped classrooms, the student's writing abilities increased by 26.222 mean scores, from 52.44 on the pre-test to 78.67 on the post-test. the flipped classroom approach has also been seen to encourage student participation in online self-learning. moreover, the flipped classroom approach to learning has been successfully used in grammar instruction. with the use of this learning method, students and lecturers were no longer physically restricted. the flipped classroom learning method was well received by the students. flipped classrooms were found to be simple to implement, encourage self-directed learning, and enhance knowledge of grammar (mandasari & wahyudin, 2021), and even for lowabstract: the implementation of online flipped classroom was one of the impacts occurred due to covid-19 pandemic in educational sector. for efl teachers, this abrupt change presented difficulties. only a small number of studies, however, have examined the problems teachers faced when deploying fully online flipped classrooms and how they overcame them. this study intends to examine the difficulties faced by teachers while implementing fully online flipped classrooms as well as their solutions. the data for this study were obtained through a semi-structured interview with three efl teachers from a private institution in yogyakarta using a narrative inquiry methodology. the results showed that the teachers faced challenges including students’ motivation and engagement, students’ mixed ability, assessment, resistance to change and teachers’ workload. teachers’ strategies were: maximizing synchronous meeting, providing meaningful and personalized feedback, assigning groupwork, utilizing formative assessment and collaborating with colleagues. this study may benefit teachers in identifying and resolving issues that arise while using the flipped classroom in an online setting. keywords: challenge; flipped-classroom; online; strategy: teacher. farida noor rohmah & david sulistiawan aditya efl teachers’ reflection in the implementation of online flipped classroom: challenges and strategies 336 proficiency students, flipped classroom can more effectively help them develop lower and higherorder thinking skills (chang, 2023). the key benefit of flipped learning is increased flexibility in the classroom and a change in the roles of the students and teachers. when students engage in classroom activities, they become more involved and independent (haghi, 2020). according to a study on the flipped pedagogy model, students who completed more learning activities had better understanding of the concepts being taught, while those who continued their synchronous learning activities (face-to-face discussions) had higher levels of active engagement. they also tended to receive higher grades when they watched more prerecorded video lectures (lin et al., 2019). furthermore, it has been argued that flipping a fully online class is an efficient approach to enhance traditional face-toface instruction by fostering students' capacity for thinking critically, solving problems, and collaborative learning abilities (aljaraideh, 2019). online flipped classrooms differ from traditional flipped classrooms in that teachers and students interact virtually instead of in person. this is appropriate for maintaining social distancing protocols in the new normal as opposed to the traditional flipped classroom, which requires students to prepare class assignments by studying materials through recordings, videos, or texts before attending class meetings. unlike conventional flipped classroom, students in the online flipped classroom do not need to physically attend class because they can complete all learning tasks online (stöhr et al., 2020). thus, both synchronous and asynchronous online systems can be used to implement this instructional approach. one one hand, asynchronous learning activities demand that students finish educational material, like concept knowledge. on the other hand, in synchronous online learning activities, students must participate in face-to-face discussions during class time to discuss the material and use what they have learned to solve problems. teachers should create and implement learning activities in the online learning environment because class time does not require physical surroundings (lin et al., 2019). the structure of the class in the course used in this study can be seen in figure 1. figure 1. online flipped classroom framework despite the fact that online classroom flipping has been more popular and has proven to be an extremely effective teaching strategy during the covid-19 pandemic, there has not been much research done on this type of instruction for english as a foreign language (efl), especially in yogyakarta, indonesia. a study examining teachers’ reflections of the fully-online flipped classroom is important, as the findings could be helpful for both students and teachers in achieving the maximum benefits from online flipped classroom. therefore, this study aims to explore the efl teachers’ challenges in implementing fully-online flipped classroom and their strategies to deal with these challenges. the research questions stated in this study are “what were the efl teachers’ challenges in implementing fullyonline flipped classroom?” and “how did the efl teachers cope with their challenges in implementing fully-online flipped classroom?” method this study employed the qualitative method to gather detailed information about the challenges teachers have when implementing a fully online flipped classroom in english classes and how they address those challenges (creswell & guetterman, 2020). three english teachers who had been teaching for more than three years at yogyakarta's higher education institutions and who implemented online flipped classrooms were chosen as participants using purposive sampling (creswell & guetterman, 2020). the teachers, two male and one female, ranged in age from 25 to 35. this study used narrative inquiry to let the teachers share their thought on their teaching experiences because the experiences of the teachers themselves were its asynchronous learning activity (via lms) •students learn the basic knowledge through videos and slides •students has discussion through lms with peers •students do some quizzes or exersice to check their understanding synchronous learning activity (via video conferencing) •teacher and students have discussion related to the material •teacher and students have discussion related to teh quiz or exercise they finised in the previous meeting •students practice the language with the teacher's feedback english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 337 primary emphasis (merriam & tisdell, 2016). the summary of the participants is presented below: table 1. summary of participants partici pant name of participants (pseudonyms) gender years of teaching 1 tjm male 6 2 frm male 5 3 sr female 7 the data were collected in august 2022 using a semi-structured interview because this kind of interview is more adaptable and flexible yet still powerful in the sense that it allows the researchers to gain in-depth information from the informants (ruslin et al., 2022). the challenges faced and methods employed by efl lecturers in their experiences teaching in higher education were explored by the researchers by employing this type of interview to gain insight from participants about their ideas, feelings, and beliefs. the reflective questions focused on the teachers' challenges teaching literature online, including the teacher, student, subject, and technological components, as well as how they overcame those difficulties. the conversation lasted for about an hour. the interview results were then typed, classified, and tallied before being discussed according to their themes. following data collection, miles and huberman analysis was performed on the data. data reduction, data visualization, and conclusion/verification are the three processes employed in this instance of data analysis (miles et al., 2019). the researchers also employed member checking as a method of building credibility in order to guarantee the veracity and accuracy of the conclusions drawn from the data collecting. according to creswell & guetterman (2020), validating findings include the researcher ascertaining the veracity or accuracy of the findings using methods including member checking. member checks are crucial, according to stahl & king (2020), as "the degree of trust one has in the person telling the tale has much to do with the degree of trust attributed to the telling." in other words, it is a good means for other people to confirm and judge the reliability of the storyteller. this can help to confirm the conclusions and evidence as well as generate additional evidence that the participant might not have provided during the first data collection. in this study, member checking was utilized to ask participants for confirmation that the results were accurate and in line with their responses. they regarded the conclusions as accurate and reliable when they agreed with them. results and discussion the research questions for this study are “what were the efl teachers’ challenges in implementing online flipped classroom?” and “how did the efl teachers cope with their challenges in implementing online flipped classroom?” this section discusses the results of the participants' reflections on the challenges and strategies they used to implement the online flipped classroom. the study's findings showed that while implementing the online flipped classroom in english lessons, the study participants faced a variety of difficulties and had to come up with different ways to handle them. the challenges identified in the study were related to five issues namely lack of student motivation and engagement, students’ mixed ability, assessment, resistance to change and teacher workload; while the coping strategies involved maximizing synchronous meeting, providing meaningful and personalized feedback, assigning groupwork, utilizing formative assessment and collaborating with colleagues. these findings are be discussed in details below: challenges lack of student’s motivation and engagement firstly, it is not surprising that students’ motivation and engagement was the main challenges among the participants. according to morris (2019), selfdirected learning is a fundamental component for effective learning in the modern world. thus, online instruction, especially using flipped classroom strategy, involves self-directed learning. self-directed learning is challenging to achieve when students do not feel motivated or engaged in the material. the result of the interview showed that: "the students pay attention when learning offline, but not everyone does so when learning online because of the signal issues or because they don't want to participate. some of them even think that online learning is boring." (p1) “just a small number of students are actively participate in synchronous learning maybe only about 10 to 20 percent ask questions due to shame and fear of teachers or friends. only very smart and diligent students are active in zoom discussions and ask questions. during offline learning before the pandemic, students were eager to participate in classroom activities, farida noor rohmah & david sulistiawan aditya efl teachers’ reflection in the implementation of online flipped classroom: challenges and strategies 338 probably because the classroom environment and interactions with peers have been established in class. the teacher only guides and corrects the students' responses.” (p2) “i feel like the student’s engagement became my biggest challenge. it is stressful for me to see that most of my students turned off their camera during synchronous class and kept silent when i ask to participate in a discussion even in asynchronous class. “(p3) the findings from the interview is in accordance with the previous study conducted by antonio (2022) which find that adopting the flipped classroom have several issues, one of them is due to the lack of student interaction and engagement in the activities especially in the asynchronous sessions. consequently, the lesson is unable to create an environment that promoted active learning. accordingly, it is also noted by che et al. (2021) that students might not be as engaged in an online flipped classroom as they would be in a conventional classroom. the students may not be immediately interacting with the teacher and other students. the findings of the present study indicated that method made it harder for students who lacked motivation to achieve as much as others. because the flipped classroom required strong collaboration involving the teachers and students to conduct autonomous learning, this circumstance would prevent the learning process from being as effective as it may be. the teacher would instruct the class to watch videos that had been created by the teachers, but if the students did not like the online flipped classroom, they disregarded the teacher's instructions. the problems the students encountered resulted in unfavorable feelings and low desire and involvement. due of the students' distance, teachers in this situation found it difficult to maintain their emotional stability, which limited their ability to communicate with the students (chun et al., 2016). resistance to change the next challenge came from the teacher side namely their resistance to change that caused by several factors. teachers found it challenging to determine their students' comprehension. when online learning differed from face-to-face instruction, students might struggle with understanding but teachers might find it challenging to identify it. thus, a participant said that it made her resist to use the new paradigm of teaching. “before the pandemic, in class, i am quite confident with the teaching process because if my students did not really understand the material i could directly give the explanation to the students in class. but, in online flipped classroom, i find my self difficult to give them further explanation and they sometimes said it was more difficult for them as well since they have to adapt a lot.” (p3) they had to completely adapt and even change from traditional face-to-face learning which is comfortable for them to online flipped classroom. in traditional face-to-face learning, they were used to give assistance and supervision directly to the students in class but in online flipped classroom, they could not conduct the same way. thus, most of the teachers tended to be resistant to the flipped classroom model. moreover, the resistance was related to their concern about student learning. the teachers could be skeptical about the significance of online flipped classes and worried that students are unlikely to gain as much as they would in a conventional setting. “i did not feel secure and confident about the effectiveness of this model because this is my first time implementing it in this fully online setting. maybe i rethink to use it again in the next semester if it did not work” (p3) “i have no experience using this model before, i need more preparation or even training to apply this model.” (p1) teacher resistance to change could be significant obstacles in online flipped classroom. teachers may be resistant to utilizing new teaching strategies and technologies, which may limit their ability to adopt an online flipped classroom style. additionally, the burden connected with online education may overwhelm teachers, which may increase their resistance to change. resistance to change can appear in a number of forms, such as a hesitation to embrace new technologies, an opposition to new instructional techniques, or doubts regarding the efficacy of the online flipped classroom model. this findings is in line with a research of wang (2017) that indicated due to their limited exposure to ict-supported educational innovations as a result of the restricted government findings, teachers have become quite conservative and even averse to change. similarly, floresalarcia (2022) reported that due to the increased issues they had to tackle, less experienced teachers were more insecure and required regular course adjustments. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 339 students’ mixed ability one of the most difficult issues faced by teachers of english as a foreign language (efl) classes at educational institutions is having students with different levels of english proficiency in one class. this type of efl class is also known as a mixedability or heterogeneous class since the students in it are all english learners with varying levels of proficiency, interest, and learning style. the participants in this study likewise even more struggled with the mixed ability of the students in the online flipped classroom. "considering their varied english proficiency— some of them are proficient, while others are totally new, it's challenging. they are not ready to participate in the class, and some of them even have no knowledge of the english language, so i must find new ways to involve the beginners while also keeping in mind the more advanced students.” (p2) “i have mostly large classes. it’s even more challenging when they are different in terms of english proficiency. because so few of the students can speak english and so many others cannot, teaching them is extremely difficult. indeed, i face a few difficulties, but teaching a class of mixed-ability students using online flipped classroom is the hardest since i have to consider the resources that are both suitable both students with greater abilities and those with low abilities. “ (p3) the excerpt indicated that classes with mixedability students made it harder to pinpoint who the target learner was. as declared by gustiani (2019), teaching english to diverse classes presents challenges in terms of approach, teaching and learning materials, and students' varied learning styles and interests. on one hand, concentrating on the slow learners might cause the quick learners to lose interest in their studies because they could finish the assignments sooner and did not have to wait for the subsequent activities. the slower student would become confused and demotivated if they were left behind in class in terms of grasping the content, on the other hand, if the emphasis was placed on the quick learners. most classrooms had a large number of students, and it was the teacher's responsibility to keep them under control while still delivering the lesson as intended while implementing online flipped classroom. the task of attending to each student's unique demands falls on the shoulders of a single teacher, making it a time-consuming process. it has become difficult for teachers to put their lesson ideas into practice since every student in a mixed-ability class has a different level of comprehension. in addition, teachers’ challenge related to mixed-ability students dealt with the planning to provide a balanced lesson and materials that suited all students with different abilities (kolaj, 2022). “the classes in my university was heterogeny, mixed-ability, so when planning for the materials and activities, i found it very challenging. the material and books we prepared before mostly don’t suit with low level of students“ (p1) assessment the assessment was the third challenge found in this study. due to a number of issues, assessment becomes difficult in online flipped courses. first, unlike traditional classrooms, online learning settings lacked the capacity for face-to-face interaction, which could make it challenging for teachers to assess students' progress and provide them useful feedback. “as i said before, i find difficulty especially when dealing with measuring student understanding through assessment. what kind of assessment that is most suitable to use.. and i can’t meet them as easy as i can when on offline. it became worsen when the class if flipped online. i haven’t had clear formula when and how to assess the students.” (p3) second, it could be difficult to construct assessments that were fair and accessible for all students because online learning frequently draws a varied variety of students, including those with various learning preferences. online learning could also open doors for academic dishonesty, making it difficult for teachers to check that students were answering questions truthfully and successfully. the teachers agreed that dealing with plagiarism and cheating on exams and quizzes might be difficult. students were more likely to copy and cheat when working on assignments online, according to nordin et al. (2022), and they were also more likely to take notes when giving oral presentations for speaking evaluations. this finding is shown by p2 and p1 comment: “i’m not sure of student answer. do they really do the assignment based on their own ability or just google the answers”. it makes me think harder about the format of assessment to use that can assess their ability and possible to conduct in online flipped classroom” (p2) farida noor rohmah & david sulistiawan aditya efl teachers’ reflection in the implementation of online flipped classroom: challenges and strategies 340 “sometimes i found my students didn’t work on their quis or assigmnet in their own. in some of my writing classes, i even found my student used artificial intelligence and copy paste the what the ai said exactly the same.” teachers’ workload and time management before it was proposed that they use the flipped classroom concept, all of the responders admitted that they had struggled with having little time and energy. in other words, the time and energy required of teachers in their current teaching methods even without the use of technologies was high. when they must provide more interesting materials and activities for flipped learning, the workload increases. according to p1's comment, one of the difficulties was getting the materials ready for the online flipped classroom. the online flipped classroom approach mandates that time in the classroom be set out for practice or discussion and that resources are offered outside of class, in this case through asynchronous activities. it made a few teachers concerned. teachers occasionally thought twice about employing this strategy due to the time-consuming nature of preparation. one of the primary problems with using the flipped classroom approach, according to al-naabi et al. (2022), is preparing the pre-class materials because the teachers need to create videos and some slides of materials, and they need to learn and create the videos by themselves. "i feel that at times i struggled with having thorough preparation for running a flipped classroom. i wasn't prepared for the timeconsuming online flipped classroom preparation. i used my time at home tom prepare the videos and slides for pre-class meeting. i think it is the biggest challenge for me as a teacher to manage my time to prepare a lot of things before running online flipped classroom.” (p1) the participant expressed concern that the amount of time needed to set up and keep their flipped classrooms running might not be manageable. the teacher talked about how producing education multimedia is a timeconsuming process that adds a lot of work to their already full schedules. for teachers to produce high-quality videos, a lot of work is necessary. they both appeared to believe that this might discourage teachers from experimenting out flipped courses. as a whole, both participants voiced worry about the workload requirements of their flipped classrooms and agreed that this was a significant drawback of the teaching strategy. the literature has already discussed the participants' concerns about the workload of teachers as aidoo et al. (2022) claimed that for students to be engaged and learn well, teachers may need to spend more time planning and executing active learning activities during class time. “talking about that slide and this slide sounds simple. yet after reviewing it again, you ask yourself, "what have i missed?" which should i add, this or that? so, you must review them after making them. maybe take three, four, or five recordings of them. once you've used them, you'll say, "well, that worked or didn't work," and you'll need to switch things around the next semester. as a result, it may take a long time.” (p2) strategies the participants uncovered how to handle their issues in the implementation of online flipped classroom. the participants explained how they overcome obstacles. all three teachers used some of the same tactics while also sharing some of their own. these findings are be discussed in details below: providing feedback feedback is an important element of online learning especially online flipped learning. a program should include feedback and carefully explain it because it is more vital in online flipped classroom courses than in face-to-face instruction. in the online learning environment, feedback became way more important due to transactional distance between the students and the teachers (steele & holbeck, 2018). thus the students were easier to ‘lose their path’ without any adequate feedback. “i think, feedback becomes more crucial for online flipped learning because i can’t always be with them in every meeting physically.”(p2) moreover, the participant also revealed how she provide feedback. this finding is similar with hazriani et al. (2022) who mentioned they ways of providing feedback in online learning. in online learning, teacher may provide feedback through immediate feedback in synchronous learning and delayed and indirect feedback in asynchronous learning. "when i teach with a zoom meeting, i provide feedback by directly delivering some comments or suggestions. for instance, when they practice english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 341 a speaking task, i directly provide comments to each student." (p1) students in synchronous learning received feedback after completing tasks. when a student made an error in the pronunciation of an english word, for instance, during speaking class, the lecturer provided immediate feedback during the observations. the feedback was provided after the students finished the activities, so the teachers were aware right away if any students were having trouble understanding the subject matter. it was anticipated that by providing prompt responses for every student, the mistakes would be learned from and the likelihood of mistakes being repeated will be reduced. conversely, teachers who valued asynchronous learning provided their students with indirect feedback. the teachers evaluated the tasks once the students submitted in their work and provided written feedback. putting students in groups in order to address students of mixed ability, participants' initial strategy was to divide the class into discussion groups with both highand lowability students. students could assist one another in this manner and collaborate while also learning from one another. in line with this, hove (2022) claimed that mixed ability grouping gives varied learners the chance to study alongside others who are more or less capable than they are, allowing them to develop their communication skills and academic performance in general despite their differences. "i place them in pairs or even teams, and i always blend the students, low and high skill, so that they frequently help and work with each other." (p1) "i always make sure that the content i assign permits the students to work in groups. i mix students with high and low ability levels in each group so they can support one another.” (p2) in an online flipped classroom, group work might be a useful tactic for teaching students of different abilities. students with diverse skill levels collaborated in groups, building on one other's strengths, and bolstering each other's shortcomings. this collaboration allowed students to learn from one another, enhancing their comprehension of the course material and sharpening their analytical and problem-solving abilities. by allowing students to connect with people who could have various backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints, group work also fostered social and communication skills. additionally, group projects could help students feel a feeling of belonging and support, which was crucial for those who might struggle with the isolation and disconnect of online learning. in addition, students who work in groups in online class have the chance to engage and collaborate with their peers, which improves learning results and overall growth. this finding supported the study by … that reported by experiencing group work in synchronous class, students can gain encouragement and motivation from their peers which lead to the improvement of their self-efficacy to participate in active learning (hartono et al., 2023). “i put together groups of strong and weak students so they can support one another, give motivation, cognitively and emotionally. they can still communicate each other.” (p3) benefiting the synchronous meeting synchronous online lecturing is an e-learning method in which the students and the teacher can participate and engage in a synchronous virtual class (kutnick & joyner, 2019). with video conferencing, video chat, or voice chat offering real-time feedback to assist students boost their language skills, synchronous language learning is more in line with the communicative approach to language teaching and learning. an environment that fosters synchronous language acquisition is characterized by the ease of use of the instructional approach, prompt feedback and response from the teacher and fellow students, and the creation of content quickly in the classroom. even, reinholz (2020) found that when compared to what they would have encountered in a typical classroom, this strategy provides students with the highest level of interactive experience. the result of the interview revealed the teachers’ experience about maximizing the synchronous meeting: “i tend to have more discussion in synchronous meeting, checking what material need to be explained more, checking student’s understanding in real time face-to-face conversation and giving direct feedback to the students, not giving them additional exercise.” (p1) “asynchronous meeting is for the students to prepare their basic knowledge and students having discussion with their friends, so i usually use synchronous meeting via zoom as maximum farida noor rohmah & david sulistiawan aditya efl teachers’ reflection in the implementation of online flipped classroom: challenges and strategies 342 as possible to clarify their understanding so they will feel motivated to learn because i do not leave them all alone by giving them face-to-face feedback.” (p3) utilizing formative assessments the assessment difficulty must be overcome with a deliberate and considered strategy that includes continuing feedback and assistance for students, clear communication about expectations and grading criteria, and the use of many modes of assessment to give an in-depth assessment of student learning. the assessment difficulty teachers in online flipped classes could be managed by using formative assessment. the result of the present study was consistent with the earlier research that considered formative assessment was the most suitable practice in today’s curriculum (prastikawati et al., 2020). formative assessment enables teachers to give continuous feedback on students' learning, which can improve student outcomes and inform instruction. similarly, wong & mak (2019) also argued that formative assessment can identify students’ need and adjust the learning activity. formative assessment can take many different forms in an online flipped classroom, such as online tests, forums, and peer review exercises. teachers can track student progress and modify their lesson to match individual needs by including formative evaluation into their online classroom. additionally, formative assessment offers continuous feedback to students on their progress in learning, assisting them in identifying areas for development and maintaining motivation. by deploying the potential of formative assessment, teachers could not only handle the assessment difficulty but also enhance the effectiveness and quality of their online class. "formative assessment is often done at the ending of the lesson, whether i post the quiz link or assign tasks on our lms. we ask them questions as we go along to make sure they comprehend the topic. i gave them the formative assessment both in synchronous and asynchronous meeting.” (p2) “mostly i use online games as the part of the formative assessment. i think the teacher will be more interested to do the games and i can still assess their understanding. i usually use kahoot, mentimeter and quizizz. i found it very user friendly and easy to get the result of the evaluation” i prefer to give them games-based quiz in asynchronous meeting to make them more engaged while i’m not meeting synchronously.” (p3) collaborating with colleagues to decrease the teacher’s workload, the participants implemented the same strategy namely collaborating with colleagues. it was done by sharing best practice, resources, and support. “my colleagues and i in the university often shares material or even quizzes that can be imported from a class to another. it helps me a lot”(p1) “my workload in preparing engaging materials was reduced because in team, the other teacher shares the materials and exercises” (p2) the difficulty of teacher workload in online flipped classes can be effectively handled through collaboration with coworkers. similarly to this, khalisa et al. (2022) also revealed in their study that in coping issue related to workload, teachers may make an effort to cooperate with the coordinator and the other lecturers. together, teachers might conserve time and effort by sharing materials, lesson plans, and best practices. this allows them to create and implement beneficial online instruction promptly. collaboration can ease the stress and feeling isolated that come with online teaching by offering emotional support. teachers can collaborate through regular meetings, online forums, and shared documents and resources. by utilizing the knowledge and experience of others, teachers can increase the effectiveness and quality of their instruction, which will ultimately benefit their students while also reducing their workload. overall, this study has delineated the teachers’ experiences regarding their implementation of flipped classroom in online learning. in response to the first research question, the result indicates that there are several challenges the teachers faced when implementing flipped classroom in fully online learning. the challenges, then, can be divided into two categories, namely student-related challenges, and teacher-related challenges, based on the challenges listed in the result. studentrelated challenges refer to any difficulty or obstacle faced by the teachers coming from the students consisting of students’ motivation and engagement, student mixed ability, and assessment. while, what is meant by teacherrelated challenges here are the challenge encountered by the teachers that were mainly come from the teacher sides namely resistance to change and workload. every challenge, however, can be english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 343 managed by the teacher with several teaching strategies. the summary of the challenges and strategies is shown in table 2. table 2. identified teachers’ challenges and strategies in online flipped classroom challenges strategies studentrelated challenges students’ motivation and engagement benefiting synchronous meeting students’ mixed ability feedback putting student in groups assessment utilizing formative assessment teacherrelated challenges resistance to change collaborating with colleagues teachers’ workload from the table, it is clear that the teachers maximized synchronous meeting to engage and motivate their students despite their lack of enthusiasm. along with providing individualized feedback, the teacher put students in groups to deal with students’ mixed ability challenge. additionally, the teachers performed formative assessment in an online, flipped classroom to increase the effectiveness of the assessment. in the meantime, they work together with colleagues to share resources and best teaching practices in order to solve problems connected to the teacher workload, resistance to change issues. conclusion the difficulties teachers encounter when establishing an online flipped classroom have been covered in this article, along with the strategies they can use. according to the research, some of the biggest obstacles are students’ motivation and engagement, students’ mixed ability, assessment, resistance to change and teachers’ workload. teachers can use a variety of strategies, such as maximizing synchronous meeting, providing meaningful and personalized feedback, assigning groupwork, utilizing formative assessment and collaborating with colleagues solve these problems. it is evident from the foregoing that teachers may find it difficult to establish an online flipped classroom. teachers may, however, overcome these difficulties and provide their students with a dynamic and successful learning environment by carefully preparing, employing the right tactics, and engaging in constant review and reflection. teachers may aid students in becoming successful citizens of the 21st century and beyond by doing this. we advise to conduct workshops or trainings for the teachers to acquire the necessary skills for the proper application of this method. future studies could investigate the efficacy of various methods for deploying online flipped classrooms as well as how these techniques affect the results of student learning. the researchers also recommend conducting additional research in order to determine if this strategy can improve students' acquisition of foreign language skills in the areas of writing, speaking, reading, and listening. acknowledgments the researchers would like to thank the participants, the 3 efl lecturers in universitas 'aisyiyah yogyakarta, for participating in this study. additionally, a special thank you extends out to everyone who supported the researchers during their difficult work on this study. the goal of the study is to provide meaningful data that can be used as a resource for future research, according to the researchers. references aidoo, b., macdonald, m. a., vesterinen, v., pétursdóttir, s., & gísladóttir, b. (2022). transforming teaching with ict using the flipped classroom approach: dealing with covid-19 pandemic. education sciences, 12(6), e421. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12060421. aljaraideh, y. (2019). students' perception of flipped classroom: a case study for private universities in jordan. journal of technology and science education, 9(3), 368-377. al-naabi, i., al-badi, a., & kelder, j. (2022). implementing flipped learning during covid-19 in omani higher education: efl teachers’ perspectives. issues in educational research, 32(2), 413-433. antonio, r. l. (2022). assessing flipped classroom in flexible learning via community of inquiry framework. english, teaching, learning, and research journal, 8(1), 94-107. chang, d. y. (2023). flipping efl low-proficiency students’ learning: an empirical study. language teaching research, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688231165474. che, y., pan, q., yang, j., ding, d., & wan, j. (2021). design and practice of the online flipped classroom under the guidance of learning drive based on a network teaching platform. 2nd international conference on information science and education (icise-ie) (pp. 12731276). ieee. farida noor rohmah & david sulistiawan aditya efl teachers’ reflection in the implementation of online flipped classroom: challenges and strategies 344 chun, d., kern, r., & smith, b. (2016). technology in language use, language teaching and language learning. the modern language journal, 100(s1), 64-80. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12302. creswell, j. w., & guetterman, t. c. (2020). eduational research: planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (6th ed.). pearson. divjak, b., rienties, b., iniesto, f., vondra, p., & žižak , m. (2022). flipped classrooms in higher education during the covid-19 pandemic: findings and future research recommendations. int j educ technol high educ, 19, e9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00316-4. flores-alarcia, ò., bravo, i. d., ramos-pla, a., & espart, a. (2022). without fear of change: the flipped classroom as a flexible model in different learning environments. heliyon, 8(12), e12160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12160. gustiani, s. (2019). challenges and strategies in teaching english to heterogeneous class: a case study. edukasi: jurnal pendidikan dan pengajaran, 6(2), 301-310. haftador, a. m., shirazi, f., & mohebbi, z. (2021). online class or fipped-jigsaw learning? which one promotes academic motivation during the covid-19 pandemic? bmc med education, 21(499), e02929-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02929-9. haghi, m. (2020). the effective integration of fipped classroom in elt context: a review of recent literature. arab world english journal (awej) proceedings of 2ndmec tesol conference (pp. 120-132). mec. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/mec2.9. hartono, h., widiyati, e., & anwar, c. (2023). group work in zoom breakout rooms to enhance english-speaking self-efficacy for active learning activities. studies in english language and education, 10(1), 137-154. hazriani, n., nor, h., & saadillah. (2022). the synchronous and asynchronous learning at english department of univeristies in south kalimantan: practices and challenges. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 1045-1056. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6675. hove, n. (2022). the inclusiveness of mixed ability grouping in johannesburg primary schools. south african journal of childhood education, 12(1), a1047. https://doi.org/10.4102/ sajce.v12i1.1047. khalisa, f. p., mirizon, s., & eryansyah. (2022). challenges and strategies in early teaching experience: vioce of novice efl indonesian lecturers. voice of english language education society, 6(2), 417-428. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v6i2.6135. kolaj, e. m. (2022). challenges of teaching in mixedability classes and strategies efl teachers use – a case study in albania. international journal of language and literature, 10(1), 14-25. https://doi.org/10.15640/ijll.v10n1a3? kutnick, d. g., & joyner, d. a. (2019). synchronous at scale: investigation and implementation of a semi-synchronous online lecture platform. the sixth (2019) acm conference on learning @ scale (l@s '19) (pp. 1-4). association for computing machinery. lin, l.-c., hung, i.-c., kinshuk, & chen, n.-s. (2019). the impact of student engagement on learning outcomes in a cyber-flipped course. educational technology and research development, 67, 1573-1591. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-01909698-9. mandasari, b., & wahyudin, a. y. (2021). flipped classroom learning model: implementation and its impact on efl learners' satisfaction on grammar class. ethical lingua, 8(1), 150-158. merriam, s. b., & tisdell, e. j. (2016). qualitative research: a guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). ca: jossey-bass. miles, m. b., huberman, a. m., & saldana, j. (2019). qualitative data analysis: a methods sourcebook 4th ed. sage publication. morris, t. h. (2019). self-directed learning: a fundamental competence in a rapidly changing world. international review of education, 65, 633–653. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-01909793-2. nordin, n. m., omar, w., & ridzuan, i. i. (2022). challenges and solutions of online language teaching and assessment during covid-19. world journal of english language, 12(8), 410-419. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v12n8p410. prastikawati, e. f., wiyaka, & adi, a. p. (2020). online backchannel as a formative assessment in improving writing. journal on english as a foreign language, 10(2), 359-384. reinholz, d. l., stone-johnstone, a., white, i., sianez, l. j., & shah. (2020). a pandemic crash course: learning to teach equitably in synchronous online classes. cbe life sci educ., 19(4):ar60. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe. ruslin, r., mashuri, s., rasak, m. s., alhabsy, f., & syam, h. (2022). semi-structured interview: a methodological reflection on the development of a qualitative research instrument in educational studies. iosr journal of research & method in education, 12(1), 22-29. siswanto, r. a. (2021). the implementation of flipped classroom to improving students' writing skills at university of brawijaya. jurnal ilmu pendidikan, 27(2), 58-63. http://dx.doi.org/10.17977/um048v27i2p58-63. stahl, n., & king, j. (2020). expanding approaches for research: understanding and using trustworthiness in qualitative research. journal of developmental education, 44(1), 26-28. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 345 steele, j., & holbeck, r. (2018). five elements that impact quality feedback in the online asynchronous classroom. journal of educators online, 15(3), 10.9743/jeo.2018.15.3.10. stöhr, c., demazière, c., & adawi, t. (2020). the polarizing effect of the online flipped classroom. computers & education, 147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103789. tang, t., abuhmaid, a. m., olaimat, m., oudat, d. m., aldhaeebi, m., & bamanger, e. (2020). efficiency of flipped classroom with onlinebased teaching under covid-19. interactive learning environments, 31(2), 1077–1088. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.181776 1. wang, t. (2017). overcoming barriers to ‘flip’: building teacher’s capacity for the adoption of flipped classroom in hong kong secondary schools. rptel, 12(6), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-017-0047-7. wong, k. m., & mak, p. (2019). self-assessment in the primary l2 writing. the canadian modern language review, 75(2), 183–196. farida noor rohmah & david sulistiawan aditya efl teachers’ reflection in the implementation of online flipped classroom: challenges and strategies 346 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 833 need analysis for developing paragraph writing materials based on problem-based learning model for indonesian efl learners ilham english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah mataram indonesia email: ilham.ummataram@gmail.com apa citation: ilham. (2023). need analysis for developing paragraph writing materials based on problem-based learning model for indonesian efl learners. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 833-842. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8326 received: 05-06-2023 accepted: 17-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: this study aims to explore models of paragraph writing materials based on problem-based learning needed by students. a descriptive qualitative method design is employed. it involves thirtythree students of the english department of a private university in mataram west lombok, indonesia who attend paragraph writing class in the academic year 2023-2024. to collect the data, questionnaires, and interviews were used. the finding revealed that students preferred teaching materials with understanding part of the paragraph, unity and coherence, and paragraph organization. the topic of paragraph writing material on vocabulary, subjectverb agreement, and part of speech. learning exercises provide in individual and group, learning exercises which focus on writing topic sentences, supporting sentences and concluding sentences. evaluation from both theoretical and practical elements, to understand the concept of problem-based learning. to conclude, designing a model of teaching materials for paragraph writing materials based on problem-based learning is needed to conduct to keep up with updated insightful needs. by giving information on the needs of students and educators, this study has shown the capacity to bridge the gap and also recommendation to conduct need analysis regularly for designing paragraph writing material. keywords: efl learners; paragraph writing material; problem-based learning. introduction pbl is a collaborative, constructivist, and contextualized method of teaching and learning that initiates, motivates, and emphasizes knowledge construction by using real-life problems (ghufron & ermawati, 2018c). pbl is a learning model with the potential to connect many problems in everyday life (faqiroh, 2020). pbl provides students with the chance to use their knowledge in the context of authentic, actual challenges in real-world problems. students discuss and analyze the problem in their groups (moallem et al., 2019); (silva et al., 2018). the core characteristics of project-based learning are student-centered learning and smallgroup collaborative learning. a tutor serves as a guide, the problem is used to obtain the required knowledge and problem-solving skills, and new material is learned through self-directed learning (zwaal, 2019). furthermore, (vleuten & schuwirth, 2019) elaborate on four important characteristics of pbl which involve the use of engaging tasks or problems as a learning starting point, implementing self-directed and selfregulated learning, working in groups of learners to tackle these tasks, and the role of the teachers as a facilitator of the learning. the learning steps in pbl include involving students in the problem, arranging students to learn, promoting the investigation, creating and presenting their work, and evaluating and analyzing the problem-solving process (khoiriyah & husamah, 2018). another stage of implementing pbl is the teacher providing the problem to the students, identifying the problem, searching information from other sources to find solutions, selecting the best solution to solve the problems and the teacher assesses the student's work (saputra et al., 2019). to provide students with fruitful writing skills, problem-based learning implementation can be an alternative. using pbl transformed learners into more high-quality and autonomous l2 writers (wijaya, 2022). pbl can improve students' creative and critical thinking, skills, problemsolving skills, and learning outcomes (ali, 2019; amin et al., 2020; cosgun & atay, 2021; fajari et al., 2020; kardoyo et al., 2020; khoiriyah & husamah, 2018; kumar & refaei, 2017; montafej et al., 2022; saputro et al., 2020; sari et al., 2021; suryanti & nurhuda, 2021; suwastini et al., 2021; ilham need analysis for developing paragraph writing materials based on problem-based learning model for indonesian efl learners 834 zakaria et al., 2019). pbl significantly impacts learning outcomes in the social sciences (baresh et al., 2019; fard & vakili, 2018; permatasari et al., 2019) and improving learning quality (nurtanto et al., 2020); (berenji, 2021), developing of higher-level of self –efficacy and motivation, becoming accustomed to conducting some self-study and using english outside the classroom (ebrahimi & behroozizad, 2016); (erdogan & senemoglu, 2014); (sri suryanti & supeni, 2019), improving students learning behavior (ghani et al., 2021). previous studies on problem-based learning have highlighted its significance for enhancing students’ efl writing skills (affandi & sukyadi, 2016; alghamdy, 2023; amin et al., 2020; aryanti & artini, 2017; babaee et al., 2017; dawilai et al., 2018; ebrahimi & behroozizad, 2016; ghufron & ermawati, 2018c, 2018a; surya, 2018; utami et al., 2022; wijaya, 2022). ghufran and ernawati (2018); (sari et al., 2021) revealed that it is possible to use cooperative problem-based learning in an efl writing class and it could encourage verbal creativity in efl writing at each stage of the pbl cycle. ghufron & ernawati (2018) also found that pbl increases students' motivation and self-confidence, as well as their sense of responsibility and nervousness, which makes it easier for them to learn how to write. aryanti & artini (2017) show that problembased learning significantly improves students’ productive skills and attitude, critical thinking, self-directed learning, and problem-solving skills. babaee et al, (2017) revealed that pbl weblogbased e-portfolio can positively improve iranian intermediate efl learners' achievement on the writing test, particularly the syntactic components, and creating more self-monitoring and regulation by making more reflective writing pieces at the end of the study. (kristyanawati et al., 2019) showed that pbl can improve the exposition text writing skills of the students and learning motivation. (utami et al., 2022) revealed that the students' writing achievements, particularly the organization section, are positively impacted by problem-based learning. students' ability to think critically could be stimulated by situations provided through the use of problem-based learning, which is useful for developing their ideas. (jumriati & sulistyo, 2017) found that problem-based writing instruction is more beneficial than guided writing instruction in improving the argumentative essay writing skills of students. pbl was successful in enhancing learners' ability to write. need analysis is considered a vital thing in the design of a language course. data regarding the needs of students can be gathered through need analysis. it will become obvious through analysis of needs how the ideal condition compares to the actual condition. need analysis involves examining wants, desires, demands, expectations, motivations, shortages, constraints, and requirements (richard, 2001). along with the gap between what learners are currently able to do and what they should be able to do in terms of language performance. need analysis is a systematic, ongoing process of acquiring information regarding students' needs and preferences, interpreting the information, and making course decisions based on interpretation (graves, 2000). concerning need analysis of problem-based learning in writing skill, many studies show its potential in supporting foreign language teaching (ghufron & ermawati, 2018b); (h. ismail & edi, 2023);(umrati et al., 2022); (ilham et al., 2020);(ilham et al., 2023); (ma’rufah et al., 2021); (sabarun, 2019). ghufron & ermawati (2018) ; (sari et al., 2021) revealed that teachers and students are excited to create and apply co-pbl to encourage students' verbal creativity in efl writing. (h. ismail & edi, 2023) showed that participants require attainable learning goals and topics of academic reading and exercise in efl from comprehension to evaluation. umrati et al (2022) found that it is necessary to create a problem-based learning approach for islamic boarding schools to raise student achievement and develop other skills. the present study focuses on describing students' needs in learning paragraph writing for a problem-based learning model. the finding of the student's needs will be the basis for designing problem-based learning model paragraph writing materials. method this study conducted descriptive qualitative research to answer the research question by obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the students' need for material for writing paragraphs. specifically, it was conducted on 33 secondsemester students of the english education program, universitas muhammadiyah mataram, selected through purposive sampling. regarding the data sources, questionnaires and interviews were the instruments used to gather the data in researching the research questions. the questionnaire was delivered to all participants english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 835 which aimed to obtain students’ need for problembased learning material. the questionnaire contained thirty questions that were divided into five categories namely the purpose of paragraph teaching material, topics of paragraph teaching materials, paragraph writing exercises, learning evaluation, and problem-based learning. the participants were asked to rate each item on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 as not needed, 2 as less needed, 3 as needed, and 4 as very needed. the percentage score for each question was then calculated using the data, and all items were categorized as not needed, less needed, needed, or very needed. furthermore, fifteen students were interviewed as they were the research subject's representations in the classroom—seven of them were high achievers, five was medium achiever, and the other three were poor achievers. the interviewees were asked to ten main issues relevant to their need in paragraph writing material. result and discussions this section presents the findings related to the model of teaching material paragraph writing needed by students shown in the questionnaire. five variables included in the questionnaire items were the objective of paragraph writing material, topics of paragraph writing materials, paragraph writing exercises, learning evaluation, and the need for problem-based learning. the purpose of paragraph writing material figure 1. the purposes of paragraph writing materials the figure shows that most participants agreed that all five purposes of paragraph writing materials were needed by the students. the most needed purposes were to understand part of the paragraph namely the topic sentence, supporting sentences, and concluding sentence (67%), followed by understanding unity and coherence which is needed in writing paragraphs (62%), and comprehend paragraph organization (58%). they also preferred to understand the cohesive device to write coherent paragraphs (52%) and comprehend writing coherent ideas in paragraphs by using logical order (52%). this is in line with husain & nggawu (2022); (sabarun, 2019); sakkir et al, (2021) which showed that students need an explanation about the process of writing including how to choose a topic, writing good sentence structure, develop a paragraph, and express ideas to be written clearly. the finding was consistent with the result of data from the interview which revealed that students need the objective of paragraph writing in terms of understanding paragraph structure, analyzing part of paragraph, and analyzing ilham need analysis for developing paragraph writing materials based on problem-based learning model for indonesian efl learners 836 cohesive device. interesting comments were the ones articulated by the s1, s2, and s3. they noted that: i think the learning objectives that i have understood are understanding paragraph structure, analyzing parts of paragraphs, analyzing and understanding cohesive devices, but what i haven't understood is understanding unity and coherence and composing sentences into paragraphs (s1). the learning objectives that i understand are understanding paragraph structure, it is a bit difficult to understand unity and coherence and the last one is composing sentences into paragraphs (s2). of the five subtopics, all the learning objectives have been achieved, but for me personally, what i have not understood which is rarely discussed is understanding unity and coherence, then the difficult one is composing sentences into paragraphs. other than that i can understand (s3) as it can be observed from the excerpt above, the students considered all the learning objectives to be important to be learned. students were aware that they needed to understand and analyze paragraph structure, cohesive devices, and composing sentences into paragraphs. the finding is consistent with some previous researchers (a. ismail & daud, 2023); (husain & nggawu, 2022); sundari & leonard (2020) who claimed that the purpose of learning academic writing is to improve students’ understanding and skills in writing english academic text. meanwhile, paragraph and essay development were also preferable respectively. topics of paragraph writing material figure 2. topics of paragraph writing materials as can be seen from figure 2 most of the students preferred to have learning topics of vocabulary (67%), writing topics of subject-verb agreement (61%), writing topics of cohesive devices, and part of speech in writing paragraphs (58%). they also need writing topics to learn unity and coherence, fragment and run-on sentences, and kinds of logical order (55%). about writing topic of paragraph organization and paragraph organization (52%). however, a few english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 837 students preferred punctuation and capitalization (48%) and spelling (38%). this result is in agreement with (husain & nggawu, 2022) who showed that students need various writing topics ranging from topic of vocabulary to kind of logical order. meanwhile, (sakkir et al., 2021) found that the content of writing materials consists of vocabulary, reading text, and grammar. the material is not only about writing skills but also a variety parts of the language. the interview results also sounded similar things. topics of paragraph writing that i need is vocabulary to make sentence, tenses, unity and coherence, and paragraph development (s2) i need topics related to part of speech, paragraph structure, vocabulary, spelling, and paragraph development (s4) in my opinion, the important topics in the paragraph writing course are vocabulary, sentence structure grammar, and paragraph development (s5). it can be claimed from the above excerpt that students need to learn topics of paragraph writing regarding vocabulary, tenses, sentence structure, unity and coherence, spelling, and paragraph development. it is consistent with the previous studies that students preferred to learn topics of writing from novels to letters (husain & nggawu, 2022); (sakkir et al., 2021); sundari & leonard (2020). in addition, the student's preferences on how to outline and write various types of wellstructured essays, and how to write various types of well-organized paragraphs. learning exercise figure 3. exercises based on figure 3 most of the students preferred learning writing exercises provided in individual and group (55%), they also preferred learning exercises that focus on writing topic sentences, supporting sentences, and concluding sentences (52%), learning writing that focused on unity and coherence (48%), coherence paragraph using logical order (42%), and cohesive device (36%). this finding is consistent with husain & nggawu (2019) who claimed that teachers must create attractive learning activities. a lot of writing activities can much useful to avoid students feeling bored in writing activities. the results were supported by the students’ interview findings, as it can be seen as follows. exercise of paragraph writing related to the topic sentence, supporting sentence, concluding sentence, jumbled sentence, cohesive device, and distribution of exercise in group work (s2) exercises related to analyzing topic sentences, supporting sentences, and concluding sentences, cohesive devices, and exercises related to unity and coherence. exercise arranging paragraph from jumble sentence (s5) ilham need analysis for developing paragraph writing materials based on problem-based learning model for indonesian efl learners 838 analyzing topic sentences, supporting sentences and concluding sentences, unity and coherence, more writing practice, more practice on how to make paragraphs (s6) from the excerpt above, the students preferred to have writing exercises of paragraph writing related to topic sentences, supporting sentences and concluding sentences, cohesive devices, exercises related to unity and coherence, and more writing practice on how to make paragraphs. it is consistent with the previous studies that most of the students prefer learning exercises on essay development. additionally, paragraph development was also desirable among other activities (sundari & leonard, 2020). learning evaluation figure 4. learning evaluation from figure 4, it can be seen that most students preferred evaluation from both theoretical and practical elements (55%), followed by evaluation for both individual and group work (48%), and evaluation after each learning material is completed (48%). this finding is consistent with tomlinson (2013) who proposes that in evaluating teaching materials, a designer should pay attention to elements namely: the attractiveness of the material, the credibility of the material, validity of the material, reliability of the material, ability of the material to interest the learners and the teachers, motivation power of the material, value of materials in terms of long-term learning, learners and teacher perception of the material, assistance given to the teachers, flexibility of the materials, contribution of the material and match with administrative requirements. furthermore, the evaluation of teaching materials is to examine and make a judgment on the suitability of a set of materials for a particular context and a particular teaching and learning purpose and implies a view of how the materials should be (tomlinson, 2013); (littlejhon, 2011). as a result, the three variables in designing teaching materials namely evaluating each material from both theoretical and practical aspects, evaluating students' comprehension of paragraph writing individually or in groups, and evaluating each material after completion not all material at the end of the course. it shares a similar result with the interview that students preferred to have learning evaluation regarding theory and practice, evaluation technique conducted individually. it is consistent with tomlinson (2013) that evaluating teaching material and the subsequent learning process is necessary to conduct. in my opinion, evaluations are related to theory and practice, evaluations are conducted english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 839 individually then more practice, and every week there should be practice even if it is a little (s6). problem-based learning figure 5. project-based learning figure 5 shows that most students need to understand the concept of problem-based learning, the steps of the problem-based learning model, and improve students' paragraph writing based on writing (45%), problem-based learning can improve students' critical thinking (45%). however, the lowest percentage of conducting the learning process in the group (42%). this finding is consistent with (kardoyo et al., 2020); (saputra et al., 2019); (suhirman et al., 2020); (permatasari et al., 2019) that pbl can improve students’ critical and creative thinking skills. pbl is good in reducing students' nervousness, making the students responsible for learning, making the students learn how to share and exchange their ideas with others, making the students actively participate in learning, making the students explore their skills to solve the problems, raising students’ self-confidence and students have a positive attitude to learning (ghufron & ermawati, 2018c). leaners transformed into more high-quality and autonomous l2 writers (wijaya, 2022). the finding was consistent with interview findings, as can be found as follows. students understand the concept of pbl, pbl that can improve students understanding of paragraph writing, the learning process conducted in groups, student understand the learning stage of pbl, and students need critical thinking skills (s2) students understand the concept of pbl, the learning process is conducted in groups, and then students need critical thinking skills (s6) from the excerpts above, it can be affirmed that most of the students preferred understanding the concept of problem-based learning, pbl which can improve students’ understanding of paragraph writing, the learning process conducted in groups, understanding the learning stage of pbl, and critical thinking skills. this is relevant to the study conducted by (kardoyo et al., 2020); (saputra et al., 2019); (khoiriyah & husamah, 2018); (saputro et al., 2020);(amin et al., 2020) ilham need analysis for developing paragraph writing materials based on problem-based learning model for indonesian efl learners 840 that pbl can improve students’ critical and creative thinking skill. conclusion this study found that designing a model of teaching material based on problem-based learning is mandatory. the analysis of students' needs would help students focus on improving the knowledge described in the learning outcome. it is also important to consider the relevance of the material and its appropriateness with the topic. next, the exercise form for students will involve both individual and group activities. additionally, rather than completing paragraph writing all at once at the end of the course, it should be done at the end of each topic. the result of this study also demonstrates eleven topics that should be covered in paragraph writing material to improve students' understanding of paragraph writing. future researchers can use the information and references from this study to create teaching materials for paragraph writing that include additional relevant topics, various exercises, and evaluation techniques. references affandi, a., & sukyadi, d. (2016). project-based learning and problem-based learning for efl students’ writing achievement at the tertiary level. rangsit journal of educational studies, 3(1), 23–40. https://doi.org/10.14456/rjes.2016.2 alghamdy, r. z. (2023). efficacy of problem-based learning strategy to enhance efl learners ’ paragraph writing and grammar skills. arab world english journal, 14(1), 43–58. ali, s. s. (2019). problem-based learning: a studentcentered approach. english language teaching, 12(5), 73. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n5p73 amin, s., utaya, s., bachri, s., sumarni, & susilo, s. (2020). effect of problem-based learning on critical thinking skills and environmental attitude. journal for the education of gifted young scientist, 8(2), 743–755. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1810/1/012060 aryanti, n. w. v., & artini, l. p. (2017). the impact of problem-based learning on productive skills and attitude toward english language learning. 2nd international conference on innovative and humanities research, 134(icirad), 15–20. https://doi.org/10.2991/icirad-17.2017.4 babaee, s., rahimpour, s., & babaee, m. (2017). the role of problem-based learning (pbl) eportfolios on writing skill : the experience of iranian intermediate efl learners. international journal of sciences: basic and applied research, 33(1), 164–183. baresh, e. f., ali, s. m., & darmi, r. (2019). using hybrid problem-based learning (hpbl) approach to enhance libyan efl students’ engagement with english language. international journal of education and literacy studies, 7(2), 9–20. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.7n.2p.9 berenji, s. (2021). enhancing metacognitive scaffolding and comprehension ability through problem-based learning in an efl context. education research international, 2021, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6766793 cosgun, g., & atay, d. (2021). fostering critical thinking, creativity, and language skills in the efl classroom through problem-based learning. international journal of curriculum and instruction, 13(3), 2360–2385. dawilai, s., kamyod, c., & champakaew, w. (2018). proposed problem-based blended learning in creative writing: self-regulated learning in efl learners. international journal of applied engineering research, 13(7), 4834–4841. http://www.ripublication.com ebrahimi, s., & behroozizad, s. (2016). impact of problem-based learning on iranian intermediate efl learners’ incidental vocabulary learning. pacific science review b: humanities and social sciences, december, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psrb.2016.09.015 erdogan, t., & senemoglu, n. (2014). problem-based learning in teacher education: its promises and challenges. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 116, 459–463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.240 fajari, l. e. w., sarwanto, & chumdari. (2020). the effect of problem-based learning multimedia and picture media on students’ critical-thinking skills viewed from learning motivation and learning styles in elementary school. elementary education online, 19(3), 1797– 1811. https://doi.org/10.17051/ilkonline.2020.735165 faqiroh, b. z. (2020). problem based learning model for junior high school in indonesia (2010-2019). indonesian journal of curriculum and educational technology studies, 8(1), 42–48. https://doi.org/10.15294/ijcets.v8i1.38264 fard, e. e., & vakili, a. (2018). the effect of problem-based learning on iranian efl learners’ vocabulary learning. the journal of asia tefl, 15(1), 2018–2016. ghani, a. s. a., rahim, a. f. a., yusoff, m. s. b., & hadie, s. n. h. (2021). effective learning behavior in problem-based learning: a scoping review. medical science educator, 31(3), 1199–1211. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670021-01292-0 ghufron, m. a., & ermawati, s. (2018a). the framework of cooperative problem-based learning (co-pbl) to promote verbal creativity english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 841 in efl writing: is it feasible? jurnal arbitrer, 5(2), 81–93. https://doi.org/10.25077/ar.5.2.8193.2018 ghufron, m. a., & ermawati, s. (2018b). the needs for developing cooperative problem-based learnng (co-pbl) to promote verbal creativity in efl writing. journal of educational research and evaluation, 2(2), 72–82. https://doi.org/10.25077/ar.5.2.81-93.2018 ghufron, m. a., & ermawati, s. (2018c). the strengths and weaknesses of cooperative learning and problem-based learning in efl writing class: teachers and students’ perspectives. international journal of instruction, 11(4), 657–672. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11441a graves, k. (2000). designing language courses. heinle & heinle. husain, d. l., & nggawu, l. o. (2022). a needs analysis in improving writing class activities in efl classroom context. educenter : jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 1(7), 766–774. ilham, hidayati, irwandi, hudri, m., isnaini, y., & asbah. (2023). exploring students of academic writing skill as the base to design the learning materials. 3rd annual conference of education and social sciences (access 2021), 96–107. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-494069-21-3 ilham, i., musthafa, b., & yusuf, f. n. (2020). university students’ needs of writing course materials: a case of indonesia. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 31. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2988 ismail, a., & daud, a. (2023). collaborative learning model needs in academic writing at efl classroom. international journal of social science and human research, 06(02), 958–968. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v6-i2-26 ismail, h., & edi. (2023). students need analysis of problem-based learning model with blended learning in efl academic reading. international journal of english language and literature, 12(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.55493/5019.v12i1.4698 jumriati, & sulistyo, g. h. (2017). problembased writing instruction: its effect on students’ skills in argumentative writing. arab world english journal, 8(2), 87–100. kardoyo, nurkhin, a., muhsin, & pramusinto, h. (2020). problem-based learning strategy: its impact on students’ critical and creative thinking skills. european journal of educational research, 9(3), 1141–1150. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.9.3.1141 khoiriyah, a. j., & husamah, h. (2018). problembased learning: creative thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and learning outcome of seventh grade students. jpbi (jurnal pendidikan biologi indonesia), 4(2), 151–160. https://doi.org/10.22219/jpbi.v4i2.5804 kristyanawati, m. d., surwandi, s., & rohmadi, m. (2019). improvement of exposition text writing motivation and skills through the application of the problem based learning model. birlejournal budapest international research and critics in linguistics and education, 2(2), 278– 287. https://doi.org/10.33258/birle.v2i2.296 kumar, r., & refaei, b. (2017). problem-based learning pedagogy fosters students’ critical thinking about writing. interdisciplinary journal of problem-based learning, 11(2), 5– 10. https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1670 littlejhon, a. (2011). the analysis of language teaching materials: insidethe trojan horse. in b. tomlinson (ed.), material development in language teaching (pp. 179–211). cambridge university press. ma’rufah, d. w., muflihah, m., & awaliyah, u. (2021). need analysis on writing skill: what do the students really need for writing course? tarling : journal of language education, 5(1), 51–70. https://doi.org/10.24090/tarling.v5i1.4984 moallem, m., hung, w., & dabbagh, n. (2019). effects of pbl on learning outcomes, knowledge acquisition, and higher-order thinking skills. in the wiley handbooks of problem-based learning (pp. 1–722). wiley blackwell. montafej, j., lotfi, a. r., & chalak, a. (2022). the effectiveness of hybrid and pure problem-based learning in the productive skills and critical thinking of iranian undergraduate students through mall application. education research international, 2022, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/1531210 nurtanto, m., fawaid, m., & sofyan, h. (2020). problem based learning (pbl) in industry 4.0: improving learning quality through characterbased literacy learning and life career skill (lllcs). journal of physics: conference series, 1573(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1573/1/012006 permatasari, b. d., gunarhadi, & riyadi. (2019). the influence of problem based learning towards social science learning outcomes viewed from learning interest. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 8(1), 39–46. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v8i1.15594 richard, j. c. (2001). curriculum development in language teaching. cambridge university press. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.15404781.2007.00543_2.x sabarun. (2019). needs analysis on developing efl paragraph writing materials at kalimantan l2 learners. english language teaching, 12(1), 186–193. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n1p186 sakkir, g., dollah, s., arsyad, s., & ahmad, j. (2021). need analysis for developing writing skill ilham need analysis for developing paragraph writing materials based on problem-based learning model for indonesian efl learners 842 materials using facebook for english undergraduate students. international journal of language education, 5(1), 542–551. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v5i1.14856 saputra, m. d., joyoatmojo, s., wardani, d. k., & sangka, k. b. (2019). developing criticalthinking skills through the collaboration of jigsaw model with problem-based learning model. international journal of instruction, 12(1), 1077–1094. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12169a saputro, a. d., atun, s., wilujeng, i., ariyanto, a., & arifin, s. (2020). enhancing pre-service elementary teachers’ self-efficacy and critical thinking using problem-based learning. european journal of educational research, 9(2), 765–773. https://doi.org/10.12973/eujer.9.2.765 sari, y. i., sumarmi, utomo, d. h., & astina, i. k. (2021). the effect of problem based learning on problem solving and scientific writing skills. international journal of instruction, 14(2), 11– 26. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.1422a silva, a. b. da, bispo, a. c. k. de a., rodriguez, d. g., & vasquez, f. i. f. (2018). problem-based learning: a proposal for structuring pbl and its implications for learning among students in an undergraduate management degree program. revista de gestao, 25(2), 160–177. https://doi.org/10.1108/rege-03-2018-030 sri suryanti, h. h., & supeni, s. (2019). a problem based learning (pbl) model in developing students’ soft skills aspect. international journal of higher education, 8(8), 62–69. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v8n8p62 suhirman, y., muliadi, a., & prayogi, s. (2020). the effect of problem-based learning with character emphasis toward students’ higher-order thinking skills and characters. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 15(6), 183–191. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i06.12061 surya, s. (2018). teaching academic writing by using problem based learning strategy. teflin international conference, 65(1), 347–355. https://repository.unmul.ac.id/bitstream/handle/ 123456789/3650/6293-14870-1-sm %284%29.pdf?sequence=1&isallowed=n suryanti, n., & nurhuda, n. (2021). the effect of problem-based learning with an analytical rubric on the development of students’ critical thinking skills. international journal of instruction, 14(2), 665–684. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14237a suwastini, n. k., puspawati, n. w. nilam, adnyani, n. l. p. s., dantes, g. r., & rusnalasari, z. d. (2021). problem-based learning and 21 st century skills : are they compatible ? edulite journal of english education, literature, and culture, 6(2), 326–340. tomlinson, b. (2013). developing materials for language teaching. in bloomsbury (second). bloombury. umrati, tolla, i., & samad, s. (2022). needs analysis of problem-based learning models in boarding school: a preliminary research. asian journal of applied sciences, 10(3), 277–286. https://doi.org/10.24203/ajas.v10i3.6978 utami, k., suka, r. g., & sholihah, l. (2022). the influence of problem-based learning towards students analytical exposition text writing achievement in senior high school of 14 bandar lampung. u-jet, 11(3), 255–266. https://doi.org/10.21608/pshj.2022.250026 vleuten, c. p. m. van der, & schuwirth, l. w. t. (2019). asseement in the context of problembased learning. advances in health sciences education, 24(5), 903–914. wijaya, k. f. (2022). the positive effects of problembased learning activities toward indonesian efl learners’ productive language skills. jet (journal of english teaching), 8(2), 182–194. https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v8i2.3409 zakaria, m. i., maat, s. m., & khalid, f. (2019). a systematic review of problem based learning in education. creative education, 10(12), 2671– 2688. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2019.1012194 zwaal, w. (2019). assessment for problem-based learning. research in hospitality management, 9(2), 77–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/22243534.2019.168969 6 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 125 utilizing mobile-assisted language learning (mall) to alleviate speaking anxiety among efl students nanda allya putri department of language education, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya, indonesia e-mail: nandaa@student.ub.ac.id putu dian danayanti degeng department of language education, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya, indonesia e-mail: dian_degeng@ub.ac.id apa scitation: putri, n. a., & degeng, p. d. d. (2024). utilizing mobile-assisted language learning (mall) to alleviate speaking anxiety among efl students. english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 125-136. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9352 received: 12-10-2023 accepted: 24-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction since it was first introduced by chinnery (2006) to propose the practice of using mobile devices as pedagogical instruments for language acquisition, the term “mobile-assisted language learning” (mall) has grown in popularity. however, according to burston (2013), research and publications on the usage of mobile devices in foreign language teaching and learning have been documented since 1994. this is compatible with the view put forward by aliakbari & mardani (2022), according to which mobile devices have given rise to a brand-new area of research called mobile-assisted language learning (mall), which is concerned with language learning and mobile technology. mall is a cutting-edge learning method that enhances language learning through the use of mobile devices like smartphones, laptops, and tablet computers. in the case of the line, by offering a more individualized and comfortable environment for learners, mall has dissolved the distinctions between learning that exist between the classroom and the home, as well as between computers and mobile devices. an approach instrument that leverages information technology (it) to improve teaching and learning is known as mobile learning. therefore, mall is recognized for utilizing a variety of mobile technologies to facilitate the acquisition of the english language and to create a learning environment in efl more convenient and pleasant (zhen & hashim, 2022). mall is an instructional strategy that supports both in-class and outside-of-class learning. it is mostly utilized by teachers who need to improve students’ speaking abilities. students might have a wide range of personalities, and not all of them are courageous when speaking english. students who are anxious when speaking english tend to perform poorly in efl classes because they frequently behave passively and tend to avoid activities that may help them enhance their english language proficiency. however, numerous studies have been done to explore the possibility of using mall to enhance the teaching and learning processes in efl speaking activities, particularly to assist students overcome their speaking anxiety. the following statement from aliakbari abstract: this study employs a sequential explanatory mixed-methods case study approach to examine the effectiveness of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) applications in reducing speaking anxiety among english as a foreign language (efl) learners. the research targeted 17 twelfth-grade science students, comprising ten males and seven females aged 17 to 19, using a combination of web-based surveys and semi-structured interviews for data collection. the findings underscore significant positive outcomes, highlighting the substantial role of mall applications in enhancing students’ proficiency in english. notably, an analysis of responses to survey item number 22 shows that 64.7% of students agree that mall applications have been instrumental in alleviating their speaking anxiety. this study provides valuable contributions to the field of language education by presenting evidence-based practices that leverage mall applications to lower speaking anxiety and boost efl learners’ speaking skills, proposing innovative and effective approaches for language learning. keywords: educational technology; efl learners; language proficiency; mobile-assisted language learning (mall); speaking anxiety. nanda allya putri & putu dian danayanti degeng utilizing mobile-assisted language learning (mall) to alleviate speaking anxiety among efl students 126 & mardani (2022, p. 7) demonstrates the strong connection between the use of mall and speaking anxiety, it says students often feel quite anxious while participating in activities that demand productive abilities, such as when conditions require them to speak english as a foreign language. the findings of the study pointed to mobile devices in utilizing mall as a potential solution since it proved to reduce speaking anxiety and stress among students, increasing their desire to participate in class discussions. shamsi, altaha, & gilanlioglu’s (2019, p. 280) further demonstrates that mall considerably reduces students’ anxiety when speaking english as a foreign language. several methodologies have been used in secondary and tertiary education to critically analyze and solve problems on the use of mall on the speaking anxiety of efl learners. there are several instances of research methodologies that have been employed, including those who used a systematic review (rajendran & yunus, 2021; zhen & hashim, 2022), mixed method (shamsi, altaha, & gilanlioglu, 2019; aratusa, 2022), purposive sampling to comparable groups (aliakbari & mardani, 2022), achievement test (mohammadi & masoumi, 2021), online questionnaire (salieva, 2020); assapari & hidayati, 2023), and random sampling method (dong l et al., 2022). through the employing of a mixed-methods case study approach to analyze the significance of mall in alleviating speaking anxiety among efl learners, this study seeks to offer fresh insights into existing research. filling a notable research gap that has seen limited attention directed toward the reduction of english speaking anxiety, the study endeavors to accomplish this objective by analyzing the outcomes stemming from the utilization of various mall applications and monitoring student advancement. speaking is one of the fundamental abilities in teaching and learning english, thus it is important for students to have a strong foundation in this skill. however, in reality, several studies have found that a large percentage of students are, among other things, anxious, frightened, insecure, or ashamed. as a result, in practice, it becomes the hardest skill for students to master. when given the chance to speak and express themselves in front of a big audience, students often frequently lose focus and exhibit poor performance from a lack of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. either favorably or adversely, anxiety can affect how well an individual learns. in addition, through interference with the learner’s intellectual and psychological or mental health, anxiety has the potential to degrade learning quality. on the other hand, anxiety can boost learners’ drive to study by instilling a sense of pressure. their anxiousness has a substantial impact on their mastery of the english language making this a highly relevant issue to be explored. this study focused on how mall applications can help reduce students’ speaking anxiety in speaking english as a foreign language. the expanding research that necessitated examination is something that the current mixed methods case study research intends to address. as a result, the following questions are addressed in this study as follow: (1 )what are efl learners’ perceptions toward the use of mall apps to reduce speaking anxiety? (2) what kind of mall features can be used to reduce efl learner’s speaking anxiety? the theoretical framework of this study is anchored in the utilization of mall applications, supplemented by research on student anxiety, student comprehension of mall, student motivation, the efficacy of specific features within mall applications, and their effectiveness in reducing efl learners’ speaking anxiety. through the application of this framework and by elucidating the relationship among these variables, this study intended to contribute to an innovative and creative approach to language learning for efl learners by offering fresh insights through efficient practices for reducing speaking anxiety and stimulating students’ speaking ability, particularly through the use of mall applications. the researcher also anticipated that this present study would aid in the development of more effective interventions, particularly pedagogical innovation, by academics and teachers seeking to understand the elements that affect language learning results. additionally, the researcher hoped that understanding how to support students’ emotional and cognitive needs during the language learning process would be beneficial for teachers in both the present and the future, based on the findings of this study. the case study research frequently concentrates on a handful of factors, which might restrict the range of the research’s conclusions. as a result, this study is limited to the use of the researcher’s intentionally selected mobileassisted language learning applications that can be used on speaking practice to reduce speaking english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 127 anxiety. another limitation of the study is that it only focuses more on students’ speaking anxiety. additionally, the study solely involves 12thgrade science students from sma widyagama malang in the first semester of the academic year 2023–2024. these limitations are acknowledged to ensure the provision of precise and dependable data for the benefit of future readers. moreover, the researcher intends to prioritize a comprehensive understanding of the participants’ experiences and progress. method in seeking a comprehensive understanding of the stated problem, the researcher anticipated that combining quantitative and qualitative data would provide a more full and thorough picture. hence, opting for a mixed methods case study research (mmcsr) approach seemed most fitting. a mixed methods case study design is a sophisticated research approach that amalgamates quantitative and qualitative data to craft comprehensive cases for comparative analysis or to furnish detailed evidence for specific instances. this method involves the meticulous collection, analysis, and fusion of both types of data to offer a rich and multifaceted exploration of the subject matter at hand (creswell & plano clarke, 2018, p. 116(. in the researcher’s view, this method appeared better suited to unravel how the students perceived the mall concept. case studies are detailed analyses that are centered on a specific person, group, community, organization, circumstance, or event. consider the phenomenon under examination as a crucial initial stage in initiating an understanding of the elements representing a case. in order to proceed, it is imperative to carefully identify the subject matter we seek to comprehend and the methodology through which we will analyze it. this may involve either causal explanation or the description of observed phenomena. regardless of the situation, there always exists a story to be shared. indeed, the case study approach necessitates a comprehensive explication of the subject matter at hand. (takahashi & araujo, 2020). in order to persuade respondents or interviewees to respond appropriately, the case study focuses on the experiential knowledge of the case and close attention to the influence of its social, political, and other contexts. these factors can only be uncovered by experience and tact on the part of the researcher. explanatory sequential designs are used in mixed methods of data collection (figure 1). this is carried out as part of the analysis to clarify the connection between the variables the researcher finds and to comprehend cause and effect within the framework of the case under investigation. a greater comprehension of the dynamics and variables influencing the topic under study may be obtained by employing this design. quantitative data stemmed from a web-based survey, while qualitative insights were derived from semi-structured interviews. initially, webbased surveys were sent by the researcher over whatsapp. after completing the form, students were required to take a screenshot of the completed page as verification of their involvement. afterward, separate analyses were conducted for each data type. the researcher then chose the students best suited for interviews after a comprehensive review of all the responses. descriptive statistics were used for the quantitative data, while qualitative data was subjected to content analysis. following these distinct analyses, the results were compared side by side. lastly, as per the necessity, findings were presented either independently or merged, based on the integration of both data types. the average of a data collection may be found using the ‘mean’. the following formula may be used to get the mean score (figure 2). figure 1. explanatory sequential design figure 2. mean formula notes: mx = mean x = total of scores n = number of responses the data sources were determined by the specific research questions and study objectives. it is crucial to make sure that the information gathered supports the study’s main findings and conclusions and is pertinent to the research questions. according to the university of virginia, data sources might include data that has already been acquired as well as data that will be obtained throughout the course of the study. data sources are terms that may be used to describe various data-collecting techniques and/or nanda allya putri & putu dian danayanti degeng utilizing mobile-assisted language learning (mall) to alleviate speaking anxiety among efl students 128 instruments. therefore, the data source for this study included one class of 12th-grade students. the writer aimed to mitigate biases or limitations inherent in a singular data source, facilitating a more stringent and comprehensive examination of the research questions. students were given a thoughtfully designed web-based survey containing 24 questions, adapted from the questionnaire developed by dr. amira desouky ali (2022). this comprehensive survey was organized into three distinct sections, ensuring a thorough exploration of various aspects pertinent to the study. the first section is devoted to collecting the students’ self-identity. the second section delves deeper, exploring the experience of students’ encounters with speaking english while contending with feelings of apprehension or fear (speaking anxiety). the purpose of the third section is to ask students questions concerning the items or data that are required for this study. the web-based survey was designed and modified for this case study using items that were utilized and evaluated in other research surveys. previous research has established that these questionnaires are valid techniques for measuring the relevant components. advanced translation techniques were used to translate the items so that participating students could understand them. in order to determine the most suitable answer based on students’ individual opinions and experiences, a five-point likert scale (1 = strongly disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 = neutral; 4 = agree; 5 = strongly agree) was utilized to evaluate the variable “speaking anxiety” and “the use of mall applications has been effective in reducing students’ anxiety when speaking english”. additionally, the responses from the students were divided into three categories: disagreement, neutrality, and agreement. on the questionnaire, the students’ answers to “strongly agree” and “agree” were categorized as agreement, while their answers to “strongly disagree” and “disagree” indicated disagreement, and “neutral" )neither agree nor disagree) showed neutrality. a total of seventeen 12th-grade science students willingly participated in this research, engaging specifically in completing web-based surveys. among them, ten were boys and seven were girls, with ages spanning from 17 to 19 years. the analysis focused on examining the reliability of items and scales within the quantitative survey. the decision to focus on 12th-grade science stemmed from a direct directive from the english teacher at the school. the researcher was instructed to teach both core and elective english subjects for the 12th-grade science class during the p4 activities. the learning introduction and management program (p4) is a practical work-study program integrating school-based service. this activity commonly known as ppl (field experience practice), merges community engagement with practical teaching experience, allowing students to apply their learning in real school environments following prior teaching experiences on campus. five students were specifically selected for semi-structured interviews due to their readiness to openly share their experiences and emotions. importantly, these students, who actively participated in the initial survey, exhibited a notable interest in the research focus, making them the most responsive candidates. this choice harmonizes with the research’s core objective which is to investigate the potential of mall applications in reducing english speaking anxiety among efl learners. following an extensive analysis, each dimension—which includes, among other things, students’ comprehension of the mall application utilized, the features or menus in the application, its effectiveness, and commitment or motivation for the future—is used to categorize the answers. during the inperson interview, a total of six items were utilized from the open-ended question list to gather qualitative data. the interview was conducted in indonesian to facilitate understanding of the answers. subsequently, the content was translated into english to aid the coding process and to align with the research objectives. results and discussion the results offered a detailed breakdown of five dimensions, derived from an in-depth analysis of the gathered quantitative and qualitative data, as follows: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 129 table 1. descriptive statistics of students’ anxiety when speaking english no. items percentages means agree ment neutral disagree ment 1. i performed well in the english class. 3.64 47% 52.9% 0% 2. even if i am well prepared to speak in english classes, i feel anxious about it. 3.52 52.9% 35.3% 11.8% 3. i always think that other students speak english better than i do. 3.88 76.4% 17.6% 5.9% 4. i can feel my heart pounding when i'm going to be called on to speak in english classes. 3.29 47% 29.4% 23.6% 5. when i have to speak english without preparation, i begin to feel panicked. 3.64 17.7% 23.5% 58.8% 6. it embarrasses me to volunteer to speak in my english classes. 2.64 23.5% 35.3% 41.1% 7. i get nervous and confused when speaking in english classes. 3.11 47.1% 23.5% 29.4% 8. i feel confident when i speak in english classes. 3.41 41.1% 41.2% 17.6% 9. i don’t worry about making mistakes when i speak in english. 3.41 35.2% 52.9% 11.8% 10. when i study english, i feel afraid/anxious. 2.11 5.9% 47.1% 47.1% 11. i tend to avoid eye contact with the teacher whenever questions are asked in english, as it triggers my anxiety. 1.94 5.9% 29.4% 64.7% this could be the evidence that students frequently encounter anxiety when required to speak english, significantly disrupting their learning activities. this anxiety not only irritates them but also profoundly impacts their efforts and performance in mastering the target language. according to noviyanti (2022), speaking anxiety is referring to the individual being afraid to speak in front of a large audience. people become fearful and mentally chaotic when they are anxious. table 1 highlights a considerable number of students experiencing anxiety when speaking english. specifically, in item number 7, “i get nervous and confused in english classes”, 47.1% or 8 students indicated feeling this way. table 2. the distribution of students using various mobile-assisted language learning (mall) applications in percentages no. items percentages duolingo busuu memrise google translate 1. which mall application do you use? a) duolingo b) busuu c) google translate d) memrise 35,3% 17,6% 23,5% 23,5% table 2 displays the percentage breakdown of students utilizing different mobile-assisted language learning (mall) applications, categorized into four groups: (a) duolingo is used by 35.3% or approximately 6 students. (b) memrise is utilized by 23.5% or roughly 4 students. (c) busuu is used by 17.6% or about 3 students. (d) google translate is accessed by 23.5% or approximately 4 students. the allocation of application usage was randomized, with a higher distribution of the duolingo application due to some students encountering difficulties during the download process. consequently, students who were facing issues had the option to download and utilize the duolingo application. table 3. descriptive statistics of students’ comprehension of the mall application being used no. items percentages nanda allya putri & putu dian danayanti degeng utilizing mobile-assisted language learning (mall) to alleviate speaking anxiety among efl students 130 means agreement neutral disagreement 3. i’m genuinely interested in using the mall app to practice speaking english. 4.35 82.3% 17.6% 0% 4. i sometimes forget to use the mall application during the term. 3.64 58.8% 29.4% 11.8% according to table 3, it corresponds with the extent of students’ comprehension when utilizing the mall program. students are interested in utilizing the mall program to practice speaking english, as seen by the 82.3% agreement rate on item number 3. conversely, the disagreement rate was 0%, indicating that no students were involved or found the material to be uninteresting. this may demonstrate how, as technology advances throughout time, so does the way that people use their lifestyles in their daily lives. the positive impact of students’ involvement with the mall application is reinforced by interviewees’ statements. they provided insights into their english speaking experiences before and after using the app, underscoring its beneficial influence. some of their expressed sentiments encompass: “before discovering duolingo, my english fluency was lacking. however, after getting acquainted with the app, it immensely helped me. it taught me proper spelling, accurate reading, and provided english conversation practice, enhancing my skills.” )respondent a( “i find myself more confident as i expand my vocabulary. english wasn’t my favorite, but once i started learning through the busuu app, my confidence in speaking the language significantly boosted.” )respondent d( “google translate has helped me improve my english pronunciation compared to before.” (respondent e) table 4. descriptive statistics of student’s motivation and commitment in using mall application no . items percentages means agreement neutral disagreeme nt 5. the mall app i’ve been using boosts my motivation to speak english. 4.29 82.4% 17.6% 0% 6. i will continue to use the mall application after the term period is complete. 3.52 53% 41.2% 5.9% motivation stands as a critical factor shaping student success, encapsulating the inner drive to reach specific goals. fostering motivation becomes a key strategy in enhancing both the capacity and willingness to engage in the learning process, ultimately influencing the outcome and depth of learning experiences. table 4 illustrates that the highest proportion of agreement is found. this indicates that utilizing the mall application can significantly boost their enthusiasm for speaking english. this is unquestionably true, as seen by the presentation of those who disagree, which displays a percentage rate of 0%. additionally, the students’ commitment to using the mall application has shown to be very strong as evidenced by the agreement percentage of 53%, which indicates that about 9 students will use the application to continue learning english, particularly to practice speaking the language after the term period has ended. however, this aspect requires careful consideration, as emphasized in the prior study conducted by taufan & wicaksono (2020), which highlighted the significance of acknowledging that motivating students to use mobile-based language learning apps is not solely the responsibility of the students themselves. it's equally essential for teachers to understand the possible benefits of the applications used. students’ dedication and enthusiasm towards using the mall application are backed by statements from interview respondents. a few of these statements include: “yes, definitely. english is a universal language spoken across countries. i aspire to speak english fluently, and this application helps me achieve that goal. whenever i have the chance or free time, i will use this app for learning.” )respondent a( “yes, certainly, miss. i will consistently learn on duolingo, and it’s been somewhat helpful for my english, miss. i plan to keep using it, even though the network’s somewhat difficult.” english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 131 (respondent b) “yes, absolutely. the busuu app significantly enhances my language skills, especially in speaking english. learning through busuu is enjoyable because it makes the process engaging and far from boring.” )respondent c( “yes, i’d like to keep using it as i’m eager to learn english. it’s great for acquiring new vocabulary that i haven’t encountered before. i'm keen on learning more.” )respondent d( “yes, because it helps me quickly translate and comprehend unfamiliar words.” )respondent e) table 5. descriptive statistics of practical features or menus within the mall application in use no. items percentages means agree ment neutral disagree ment 7. i find that using the mall application is particularly helpful in enhancing my english, especially in reducing my anxiety while speaking. 4.23 82.4% 17.6% 0% 8. i would recommend using the mall app to other efl learners. 4.17 82.4% 17.6% 0% 9. i have difficulty using the mall application. 1.82 0% 11.8% 88.2% 10. i have difficulty remembering what activities i have done when using the mall application. 2.52 5.9% 47.1% 47.1% 11 using the mall application to learn english, especially to reduce anxiety about speaking english, feels boring to me. 2.70 17.6% 35.3% 47% 12. when using the mall application, i find familiar words and phrases which help me to be more confident and not feel anxious when speaking english. 4.23 82.4% 17.6% 0% 13. when using the mall application, i learn unfamiliar words and phrases that can help me understand new vocabulary, making me more confident and less anxious when speaking english. 4.35 88.3% 11.8% 0% 14. i felt good when i could upgrade my level on mall apps. 4.29 76.4% 23.5% 0% 15. i felt bad when i couldn’t upgrade my level on mall apps. 3.29 41.2% 35.3% 23.5% 16. i always want to continue using the mall application even though i failed at several stages. 4.17 5.9% 23.5% 0% 17. i always want to stop using the app when i fail at some stage. 1.88 5.9% 17.6% 76.5% 18. i found myself using mobile apps unconsciously. 3.58 47% 47.1% 5.9% the functional aspects and menus within the mall application serve as essential components, primarily aimed at enhancing user accessibility. moreover, these practical features play a critical role in not only attracting and retaining users but also delivering substantial added value. thoughtfully designed features significantly elevate the user experience, rendering it more enjoyable and, consequently, elevating user engagement levels. hence, when observing the percentages presented in table 5, it becomes evident that the mall applications utilized by students incorporate practical features and menus. notably, considering items 7 and 8, student responses are more likely to agree. specifically, 82.4% of the 17 students concur that the mall application assists them in learning english, particularly in reducing english speaking anxiety. this signifies the effective contribution of the mall application towards enhancing their english speaking skills. additionally, the absence of disagreement, represented by 0% in both statements, indicates unanimous support among students for these assertions. this data is then supported by wellanalyzed statements from interview results in the qualitative data, as follows: “i used the mall app called duolingo, which offers interactive lessons, progress tracking, diverse oral and writing training, and listening practices. this app has been highly effective for me. i’ve noticed significant changes before and after using it. earlier, i lacked fluency in english speaking, but with this app’s guidance, i learned proper pronunciation and spelling, which significantly improved my english lessons.” )respondent a( nanda allya putri & putu dian danayanti degeng utilizing mobile-assisted language learning (mall) to alleviate speaking anxiety among efl students 132 “the first feature is text-based, which helps with vocabulary acquisition. my ability to speak is improved by the second feature, which is audio. the last one is listening to stories. it made quite a difference in my anxiety relief.” (respondent b) “the first section includes the puzzle i previously mentioned. following that, there’s a listening test and a pronunciation section. lastly, in the final chapter, there’s an assessment. if the test results are good, i can proceed to the next chapter.” )respondent c( “in the busuu app feature, we attempt to articulate sentences similar to the example questions. additionally, there’s a correction feature, enabling us to review our work once the activity is finished.” )respondent d( “the feature in google translate can only translate vocabulary and sentences, and to know about the pronunciations, miss. in my opinion, its effectiveness is limited as it only performs translations and pronunciations, so it's not very exciting.” )respondent e( table 6. descriptive statistics of the efficiency of using the employed mall application no. items percentages means agree ment neutral disagree ment 19. the mall application contributed greatly to my ability to speak english. 4,23 82,4% 17,6% 0% 20. i recommend the mall application that i use to friends. 4,29 82,4% 17,6% 0% 21. thanks to the mall application, i can practice speaking english more. 4,17 88,2% 11,8% 0% 22. thanks to the mall application, my anxiety in speaking english has proven to be reduced. 4 64,7% 35,3% 0% 23. thanks to the mall app, i communicate in english more often than usual. 3,05 35,3% 35,3% 29,4% 24. thanks to the mall app, i can gain confidence in speaking english in front of small or large groups or even just the two of us. 3,76 52,9% 41,2% 5,9% effective learning applications streamline the delivery of educational content, enabling users to learn at an accelerated pace or within a condensed time frame. moreover, these applications offer seamless accessibility, allowing users to engage in learning anytime and anywhere. they possess the capability to adapt to individual user needs by providing tailored content aligned with their knowledge level, presenting appropriate challenges, and offering assistance as required. this efficacy of learning apps is underscored in table 6, affirming their effectiveness in practice. it reflects that the mall applications utilized have notably contributed to enhanced english speaking practice, resulting in a proven reduction in speaking anxiety. specifically, 52.9% of students, as indicated by item number 24, concurred that utilizing the mall application supported their confidence in speaking english, be it in large groups, small groups, or even one-on-one interactions. this substantial progress marks a positive stride for the students. continuing from there, in agreement with item number 19 where the respondent highlighted the mall application’s contribution on english speaking abilities, the respondents expressed the following: “duolingo facilitates direct interaction with native speakers, yet real-world speaking practice remains crucial in reducing anxiety when speaking in english.” )respondent a( “the contribution is found in the structured exercises involving repetition, ensuring predictability in the next exercises. additionally, there’s a reciprocity part and it was a low-pressure training activity. it’s relaxed and comfortable as it doesn’t involve direct interaction with people, miss. it helps me to reduce my anxiety.” )respondent b( “the contribution is beneficial. it helps in pronunciation and understanding a wide range of vocabulary. consequently, i no longer struggle with determining the meaning of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 133 english words.” )respondent c( “the contribution i gained was a better understanding of a wide range of vocabulary. the busuu application has been truly helpful in reducing anxiety while speaking english.” (respondent d) “the contribution i receive from using google translate is making my task easier, particularly when faced with unfamiliar languages or vocabulary that i don’t understand.” (respondent e) the researcher thoroughly reviewed the results related to the problem addressed in this study, uncovering appropriate and highly correlated answers that resonate with the set research queries. the results lean significantly towards positivity, demonstrating a noteworthy influence on students learning english as a foreign language. this is in direct alignment with the researcher’s objectives, analyzing the mall applications’ ability to reduce english-speaking anxiety among these students. exploring students’ worries and discomfort (anxiety) when speaking english the ability to speak english as a foreign language effectively is crucial for efl learners, therefore in accordance with the statement of darmawati (2018) that says it’s necessary that students practice as frequently as they can, which is made feasible by the availability of technological equipment. language competency allows for the expression of concepts, ideas, thoughts, and emotions. in practice, however, it is obvious that efl learners frequently suffer nervousness or anxiety while speaking in front of others in a foreign language. as a result, some of them choose not to speak in order to suppress these anxious feelings. nevertheless, there are several ways to overcome this issue. this assertion is corroborated by the data presented in the results, where 52.9% of students acknowledged experiencing anxiety despite their preparedness to engage in speaking english during classes. such anxiety significantly impacts the continuous learning process. students’ comprehension of the mall application being used according to a study by darsih & asikin (2020), there are several kinds of english mobile applications that students in higher education utilize, as well as showing their opinions on how helpful and simple mobile apps are to use when learning english. the data analysis findings indicate practically all participants use mall by downloading and using english-language mobile applications to support their learning. table 3 illustrates the students’ comprehension of the mall application being used. while item 3 demonstrates positive agreement, there’s a contrasting rate in the negative agreement for item number 4. the agreement rate indicates that 58.8% of students occasionally forgot to utilize the mall application throughout the term. in contrast, 11.8% of students consistently remembered to use it for english language practice, particularly for speaking exercises. the consistent utilization of the mall application is anticipated to yield favorable results and undoubtedly influence the academic advancement of students. the motivation and commitment of students in using the mall application mobile-assisted language learning (mall) is a popular movement that brings together digital technology and language learning. mall generally refers to mobile device-based language learning activities that are not constrained by time or place and may be done flexibly which means at any time and anywhere (gonulal, 2019). mobile-assisted language learning (mall) is a method for learning english as a foreign language that is appropriate in educational circumstances as a promising technology for teaching a language referring to its accessibility and universality. mall is related to the use of technology, particularly that of mobile devices in the area of language acquisition (nuraeni & nurmalia, 2020). there has also been a great deal of research on how mobile devices might be integrated to help language learning and practice. technology advancements have made m-learning accessible on a variety of mobile devices, including pdas, mobile phones, tiny tablets, mp3/mp4 players, ipod touches, e-book readers, ic recorders, gaming consoles, digital dictionaries, and so on. mobile device popularity has increased significantly as a result of the wide range of sizes, designs, and operating systems that are rapidly evolving to serve different needs and preferences. these devices allow people from all walks of life to connect via bluetooth, wireless fidelity (wi-fi), 3g or 4g, gprs, and other wireless communication technologies, allowing them to experience the digital revolution (çakmak, 2019). this pertains to the first research question, exploring how efl learners perceive the mall application as a medium to reduce speaking anxiety through engaging in english speaking practices within the app. the results indicate students’ keen interest in using the mall app, serving as a motivational catalyst for more frequent english study, particularly in addressing their language apprehensions. a positive perception emerges as students gain confidence through fresh learning resources accessed through the mall application, resulting in an evident uptick in their english language proficiency. additionally, the utility of the application lies in its ability to rectify speech, identify and amend errors, and introduce an array of new vocabulary. consequently, these aspects significantly strengthen students’ confidence when nanda allya putri & putu dian danayanti degeng utilizing mobile-assisted language learning (mall) to alleviate speaking anxiety among efl students 134 speaking in english compared to their pre-application usage period. practical features within the mall application in use the visionary strategy of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) makes it easier to offer instructional materials and promote learning outside of the traditional classroom environment. the instructional models, objectives, and features of mall applications are highly different. some are intended to be level-based, while others are merely for conversing, and others have courses broken down into sections with various grammatical and semantic exercises (alnufaie, 2022). the study’s result addresses the second research question, which concerns the effectiveness of specific features within the mall application in reducing speaking anxiety among students learning english as a foreign language (efl). the results comprehensively address this query, substantiated by strong data. many students articulated that the mall application is very helpful in profoundly reducing their anxiety when speaking in english, attributing this to its efficacy in enhancing their speaking skills. this effectiveness stems from diverse features within the app, such as conversational exercises and voice recording for pronunciation enhancement, accompanied by corrective feedback for pronunciation errors, enabling them to refine their spoken english. additionally, the application assists in restoring previously forgotten vocabulary, serving as a valuable learning medium, especially when faced with unclear or insufficient explanations from school teachers. as a result, employing the mall application emerged as a practicable alternative, significantly contributing to the reduction of english-speaking anxiety among efl learners. however, mobile applications (apps) are important resources for achieving and acquiring particular learning, and their importance cannot be understated when discussing mobile devices and its closer connection to teaching-learning innovation. in addition, teachers should also recognize the potential of smartphones (accessibility, affordability, and usefulness) and become familiar with a range of eflfriendly applications and programs that can be used independently or as complementary tools in learning activities to help students become more proficient in all four areas of english proficiency, particularly speaking. the efficiency of using the employed mall application a research by shamsi et al. (2019) demonstrates that speaking anxiety and mobile-assisted language learning (mall) are related, particularly in utilizing a mobile device to learn to speak can help learners feel less anxious and encourage them to speak in front of others. the outcomes reveal that the course created for this purpose greatly reduced the participants’ anxiety levels. applications for educational purposes have been made and put into use more easily because of the widespread use of mall devices (such as smartphones and tablets). the results of the study carried out by setiyanti et al. (2022) demonstrate that efl learners successfully improve their speaking skills in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, smoothness, and anxiousness after utilizing mall applications in combination with a process speaking approach. a comparative research was undertaken by aliakbari & mardani (2022) in order to ascertain the effects of mobile learning courses on the improvement of speaking mastery and participation in class discussions among english as a foreign language )efl( learners. the study’s results showed that mobile learning classes were more effective than faceto-face sessions for enhancing the speaking abilities of efl learners, who performed better than their face-toface counterparts. the study’s findings showed that mobile learning classes were superior to face-to-face sessions for efl learners in terms of performance and that mall also helped students speak more fluently. this clearly demonstrates that if learning environments are conducted utilizing mobile-assisted language learning (mall) or m-learning, apprehensive or anxious reactions when speaking english will be reduced. the results from this study align with previous research, confirming positive outcomes. through a percentage analysis of item number 22, a great majority of students actively approve of the mall applications’ efficacy in considerably reducing speaking anxiety in english, with a student agreement rate of 64,7%. furthermore, the results also present potential implications for mall application-based teaching methods. this aligns with earlier findings from solodka et al. (2022), which emphasize that a key aspect of the mall as a tool for language learning is the involvement of students in designing instruction that is centered around their needs. the mall design concept offers flexible learning opportunities across various places, allowing students to grasp the essential objective of using the mall application that develop effective communication in real-life situations beyond the confines of the classroom. students are more likely to appreciate the chance to practice outside of class and learn english at their own pace. additionally, they express a desire to focus on improving listening comprehension, expanding vocabulary, mastering specific terminology, refining pronunciation, and enhancing intercultural communication skills during their learning. this proves highly beneficial in alleviating students’ anxiety towards speaking english. conclusion the progression of our modern era underscores the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 135 importance of english proficiency, especially for students. proficient english skills significantly enhance students’ career prospects. furthermore, confidence in spoken english not only sharpens critical thinking but also enhances social interaction skills and deepens overall language comprehension. one approach is to utilize existing mall applications, enabling students to engage in consistent practice to enhance their memory retention. these applications include evaluation sessions for completed exercises, allowing students to evaluate their progress and grasp of the material. this approach is particularly beneficial in english language learning due to its flexibility, enabling adapted lessons aligned with the class curriculum. the integration of mall applications into language learning environments necessitates meticulous planning and deliberation of learning objectives, and student requirements to ensure that the used mall applications are suitable for implementation in learning. choosing the proper application can enhance students’ learning experience, making it more engaging and effective. this is particularly important in alleviating students’ speaking anxiety. based on the results and discussion presented in this research, it is evident that the collected data thoroughly addresses all the research inquiries. specifically, it extensively investigates whether the mall application can effectively reduce students’ anxiety in speaking english. applications such as duolingo, busuu, memrise, and google translate showcased a positive impact in nurturing students’ skills, especially their speaking skills. this positive impact is notably fueled by motivation, representing students’ drive to engage in learning activities toward achieving their goals. examining the data percentagewise, the majority of students agree and support the notion that the mall application significantly reduces anxiety when speaking english. considering the thorough scope of this study conducted over 4 weeks, the outcomes are quite satisfactory for the researcher, despite acknowledged gaps. this study still has several limitations that need to be addressed in future research. for instance, future studies could consider selecting participants with more diverse criteria and exploring a wider range of mall applications. this would allow for a more comprehensive and effective understanding of the subject under investigation. it’s important to keep in mind that research demands a precise and detailed analytical approach. therefore, the researcher anticipates that future researchers will leverage these identified gaps to devise capable solutions in their research endeavors. acknowledgment gratitude fills my heart as i reflect on my journey thus far, and i extend my deepest gratitude to allah swt for blessing me to this moment. my heartfelt appreciation goes out to my beloved family, friends, colleagues, and all those who have been there to support me throughout this journey. your massive and unwavering support, heartfelt prayers, and outpouring of genuine love have been a source of immense strength and encouragement. i am beyond grateful for the endless kindness you all have bestowed upon me. references aliakbari, m., & mardani, m. (2022). mobile-assisted language learning and its effects on learners’ speaking development. education research international, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/9043326 alnufaie, m. r. (2022). mobile-assisted language learning applications: features and characteristics from users’ perspectives. studies in self-access learning journal, 13(3), 312– 331. https://doi.org/10.37237/130302 aratusa, z.c. (2022). students’ perceptions on the use of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) in learning pronunciation. international journal of current science research and review, 05(07). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijcsrr/v5-i7-50 assapari, m. m., & hidayati, r. (2023). efl speaking student readiness to use mobile-assisted language learning. llt journal: a journal on language and language teaching, 26(1), 365– 378. https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v26i1.5240 çakmak, f. (2019). mobile learning and mobile assisted language learning in focus. language and technology, 1(1), 30-48. darmawati. (2018). improving speaking skill through mobile-assisted language learning (mall). jurnal teknologi sistem informasi dan aplikasi. 1. https://doi.org/24.2010.32493/jtsi.v1i1.194 darsih, e., & asikin, n. a. (2020). mobile assisted language learning: efl learners’ perceptions toward the use of mobile applications in learning english. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 183-194. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2999 dong l., jamal mohammed s., ahmed abdel-al ibrahim k., & rezai a. (2022). fostering efl learners’ motivation, anxiety, and self-efficacy through computer-assisted language learning and mobile-assisted language learning-based instructions. frontiers in psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.899557 dr. amira desouky ali. (2022). effects of a gamified mall application on developing efl preparatory school students’ speaking and enjoyment and reducing speaking anxiety. occasional papers. 78. gonulal, t. (2019) the use of instagram as a mobileassisted language learning tool. contemporary educational technology, 10(3), 309–323. https://doi.org/10.30935/cet.590108 mohammadi e., & masoumi a. (2021). the https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/9043326 https://doi.org/10.37237/130302 https://doi.org/10.47191/ijcsrr/v5-i7-50 https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v26i1.5240 https://doi.org/24.%2010.32493/jtsi.v1i1.194 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2999 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.899557 https://doi.org/10.30935/cet.590108 nanda allya putri & putu dian danayanti degeng utilizing mobile-assisted language learning (mall) to alleviate speaking anxiety among efl students 136 relationship between learning vocabulary via mobile (mobile-assisted language learning) and iranian efl learners’ social anxiety and loneliness. jordan journal of modern languages and literatures, 13(4), 775–800. https://doi.org/10.47012/jjmll.13.4.10 noviyanti, s. d. (2022). speaking anxiety in online english class: causes and effects. ijeal (international journal of english and applied linguistics), 2(1), 112-117. https://doi.org/ijeal.v2i1.1431 nuraeni, c., & nurmalia, l. (2020). utilizing whatsapp application in&nbsp; english language learning classroom. metathesis: journal of english language, literature, and teaching, 4(1), 89. https://doi.org/10.31002/metathesis.v4i1.2289 rajendran, t., & yunus, m. m. (2021). a systematic literature review on the use of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) for enhancing speaking skills among esl and efl learners. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 10(1), 586–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v10i1/8939 satya, t. i. (2022). mobile assisted language learning (mall) untuk pembelajaran bahasa badan pengembangan dan pembinaan bahasa. kemendikbudristek. setiyanti, a., basit, a., & suharsiwi, s. (2022). observation and improvement to undergraduate student activities in english skill using mobile-assisted language learning. english language in focus (elif). https://jurnal.umj.ac.id/index.php/elif/article/ view/12156 shamsi1, a. f., altaha s., & dr. gilanlioglu i. (2019). the role of m-learning in decreasing speaking anxiety for efl learners. international journal of linguistics, literature and translation (ijllt), 2(1), 276-282. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2019.2.1.34 solodka, a., ruskulis, l., demianenko, d., & zaskaleta, s. (2022). mall instructional course design: constructing out-of-class experience. arab world english journal (awej) special issue on call, (8) 40-55. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/call8.3 takahashi, a.r.w., and araujo, l. )2020(, “case study research: opening up research opportunities”, rausp management journal, vol. 55 no. 1, pp. 100-111. https://doi.org/10.1108/rausp-05-2019-0109 taufan, g. t., & wicaksono, j. a. )2022(. students’ prespectives of hellotalk application: a case study. journal of language, communication, and tourism, 1(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.25047/jlct.v1i1.3548 tra, p. t. (2019). mobile-assisted language learning in a university context in vietnam: students’ attitudes. vnu journal of foreign studies, 36(1), 103-116. zhen, l.s., & hashim, h. (2022). the usage of mall in learners’ readiness to speak english, sustainability 2022, 14(23), 142316227. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142316227 https://doi.org/10.47012/jjmll.13.4.10 https://doi.org/ijeal.v2i1.1431 https://doi.org/10.31002/metathesis.v4i1.2289 http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v10-i1/8939 http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v10-i1/8939 https://jurnal.umj.ac.id/index.php/elif/article/view/12156 https://jurnal.umj.ac.id/index.php/elif/article/view/12156 https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2019.2.1.34 https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/call8.3 https://doi.org/10.1108/rausp-05-2019-0109 https://doi.org/10.25047/jlct.v1i1.3548 https://doi.org/10.3390/su142316227 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 193 exploring students’ voices on snbt english literacy: a narrative inquiry approach iwan darmawan post-graduation program, universitas islam malang, malang, indonesia email: 22202073003@unisma.ac.id m.galuh elga romadhon post-graduation program, universitas islam malang, malang, indonesia email: galuhelga23@gmail.com mutmainnah mustofa post-graduation program, universitas islam malang, malang, indonesia email: inamustofa@unisma.ac.id apa citation: darmawan, i., ramadhon, m. g. e., & mustofa, m. (2023). exploring students’ voices on snbt english literacy: a narrative inquiry approach. english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 193-202. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9207 received: 21-10-2023 accepted: 11-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 abstract: this research study examines the challenges encountered by high school students in indonesia while acquiring english literacy skills for the national selection based on test (snbt) examination. the research uses a narrative inquiry methodology to gather qualitative data from two participants who come from diverse backgrounds. the researcher aims to gain a thorough understanding of the participants' experiences, perceptions, and challenges associated with the snbt examination. using open-ended questions and probing techniques, the researcher was able to identify recurring themes, patterns, and significant insights. thematic analysis was employed to identify and analyze the main themes and sub-themes that emerged from the respondents' narratives. the findings of the research indicate that language, psychological, and environmental challenges were identified as the primary obstacles. the findings underscore the significance of catering the varied learning needs of students, including language support and personalized instruction. moreover, offering explicit guidance on the format and requirements of the snbt test can better prepare students for success. additionally, integrating technology, such as online resource and tools, into the language curriculum can enhance engagement and provide valuable learning opportunities. these recommendations aim to empower students by equipping them with the necessary tools and support to navigate the challenges of english literacy acquisition and excel in the snbt examination. keywords: challenges; english literacy; snbt; students’ voices. introduction the process of gaining admission to public universities in indonesia present a significant obstacle for high school students (mukminina & abidin, 2020), as the regulations governing this process undergo frequent changes. widiyarto, (2023) reports that, in 2022, a total of 800,825 students applied for college, but only 192,810 of them were able to secure admission. this implies that a mere 24,07% of the students who applied were deemed eligible to pursue higher education at public universities in indonesia. then, based on the information referenced from (rismadayanti, 2021), it was reported that the test course was designed with challenging level of difficulty, characterized by numerous tight turns and bends. furthermore, the national selection based on test (snbt) comprises multiple section, each of which assesses different aspect of the candidates’ abilities (sutarjo, 2022). as per information presented on the indonesian ministry of education and culture’s website, the test evaluates five specific areas, including potential for scholarship, mathematical reasoning, proficiency in indonesian language, and proficiency in english. in this research places greater emphasis on the english proficiency test that is administered as part of the snbt. the english proficiency assessment on the state university examination differs from the english language evaluation administered in schools. the snbt test relatively high level difficulty with its uses of scientific and academic terminology in the selection of words (mcarthur et al., 2018). as a result, students may encounter unfamiliar vocabulary as they may have been exposed to these terms during their school iwan darmawan, m.galuh elga romadhon, & mutmainnah mustofa exploring students’ voices on snbt english literacy: a narrative inquiry approach 194 education (virdiana, 2021). moreover, the incorporation of english language aptitude into the snbt endeavors to furnish students with the linguistic capability indispensable for adeptly maneuvering through a plethora of worldwide predicaments (sabillawati & ardiana, 2022). this accentuation on language proficiencies recognizes the pivotal function english fulfills in cultivating intercontinental communication and comprehension, advocating for a holistic educational methodology. additionally, this ensures a standardized level of language competency across diverse academic disciplines. proficiency in english is paramount for effective communication and comprehension, fostering a conducive learning environment. the english proficiency test serves as a valuable tool to gauge and enhance students' linguistic abilities, promoting overall academic success (nasution, 2022). in contrast, the general school setting, teachers tend to overly prioritize the cognitive aspect of learning english, which can create challenges for students in preparing for their snbt exams (oktaviana et al., 2021; saluky & marine, 2021). this is due to the peculiar selection and language utilized in the english subject of the snbt test. furthermore, the previous studies have identified various challenges encountered by students during the process of preparing for and participating in the college entrance examination via written test (hindrayani et al., 2021; putri et al., 2022; sabillawati & ardiana, 2022; sutarjo, 2022; widiyarto, 2023; yunanda et al., 2022). moreover, prior investigations have delved into the strategies employed by students to effectively navigate and surmount these challenges. for instance, widiyarto, (2023) conducted an empirical study centred around debirfieng sessions geared towards the snbt administered to students at an islamic private school in west java. this study revealed that students encountered notable difficulties during the snbt assessment, warranting supplementary training interventions to enhance their perfomance. in contrast, yunanda et al., (2022) conducted a research inquiry that centered on the challenges students grapple with when confronted with problem-solving tasks within the realm of snbt’s reading section. the outcomes of yunanda’s investigationg highlighted that a considerable proportions of students faced challenges in effectively addressing snbt problems, predominantly attriuting their struggles to impediments in vocabulary interpretation and insufficient proficiency in comprehending english written texts. followed by the previous study, it can be inferred that students who are preparing for the snbt encounter various challenges, particularly with regard to reading comprehension and testtaking skills. some studies have focused on the difficulties that students face in understanding english vocabulary and reading passages, while others have explored the efficacy of debriefing sessions in improving snbt performance. however, there appears to be a research gap in the identification of specific strategies that can help students overcome these challenges and achieve better result in snbt. therefore, further research is necessary to explore effective strategies for improving students’ proficiency in english literacy and snbt preparation, particularly in the context of indonesian high schools. consequently, the researcher has formulated research questions that aim to investigate (1) what the particular obstacles that students encounter while studying english literacy for snbt preparation? and (2) how students develop effective learning strategies for english literacy to prepare for snbt? method the present study featured two respondents with different educational background. the first respondent attended a public school situated in the pasuruan district, which has a noteworthy reputation for facilitating state higher education entrance examinations. conversely, the affiliation. nevertheless, unlike the first participant, the school attended by the second respondent has a subpar record regarding preparing their students to pursue higher education at the state level table 1. school background no school types accreditation location 1 a state a pasuruan 2 b private c pasuruan table 2.participants' background no name (pseudonym) gender school reason join snbt 1 prince male a not passed 2 siti female b ineligible the research study utilizes a narrative inquiry methodology, which the researcher believe is wellsuited for examining subjects that delve into the individual experiences of the study participants (clandinin & huber, 2006; sudarwati et al., 2022; ubaidillah & widiati, 2022). guided by these english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 195 considerations, the present study opted to gather narrative data from a pair of respondents hailing from disparate sociocultural contexts. the researcher deems it imperative to undertake a comprehensive inquiry into the participants’ journey of attaining english literacy proficiencies in the context of preparing for the snbt. the principal objective of the researcher revolves around attaining a nuanced comprehension of the participants’ perceptions, dispositions, and impediments encountered during the process of cultivating english literacy skills in anticipation of snbt readiness. for the purpose of this research, the researcher employed the interview methodology as the primary means of data collection. interview were conducted with participants to gather relevant and insightful data regarding their experiences, perceptions, and challenges related to acquiring english literacy skills for the snbt examination. moreover, the use of interviews allowed for indepth exploration and understanding of the participants’ perspective, providing rich qualitative data. through open-ended questions and probing techniques, the research was able to delve into the nuances of the participants’ experiences, allowing for a comprehensive examination of the research topic. furthermore, in this research, unstructured interviews were conducted with the participants to encourage them to freely express their thoughts, feelings, and insights in their own words (bihu, 2020; chauhan, 2022). the choice of an unstructured interview format allowed for a more open and flexible conversation, enabling participants to share their experiences related to acquiring english literacy skills for the snbt examination in a comprehensive manner. likewise, to interviews were conducted using the online media platform whatsapp calls, which offered convenience and ease of communication for both the researcher and the participants. this choice of online media aligned with the practical considerations of the study, considering the participants’ limited time availability and the widespread use of whatsapp in the daily activities (kaufmann & peil, 2020; mirick & wladkowski, 2019). after collecting the data, the analysis involved a careful examination of the narrative data provided by the two respondents. in this case, paradigmatic analysis is used to transfer the data into description across the stories (polkinghorne, 2003). in detail, the researcher closely reviewed and transcribed the interviews to identify recurring themes, patterns, and significant insights. the data were then organized and categorized based on these emerging themes. moreover, a thematic analysis approach was employed to identify and analyze the main themes and sub-themes that emerged from the respondents’ narratives. the researcher used open coding techniques to generate initial codes, followed by a process of constant comparison and refinement to develop more refined and coherent themes. the identified themes were then examined in relation to the research questions and objectives. in addition, to ensure the trustworthiness of the data, researcher take measures to establish its trustworthiness. one such method is data saturation, which involves conducting multiple interviews until no new information can be gathered, indicating that the data has reached a level of saturation (fusch, p & ness, l, 2015; sebele-mpofu, f, 2020) this ensures that data collected is thoroughly confirmed and exhaustive. table 3. example of data analysis no data code themes 1 “…. i can’t understand about how to interpretation the diction.” vocabulary language challenges 2 “my parents never give me support in mental, when i learn english so that i have to deserve it….” mental psychological issue 3 “…. i’m used to studying together with my friends…” discussion strategy results and discussion during the process of data collection, the researchers obtained information from study participants. this data was subsequently subjected to a coding model and organized according to the specific research questions being investigated. the researcher identified two main themes based on the findings, namely the challenges encountered by students in their pursuit of english literacy for the purpose of snbt test preparation, and the primary strategies employed to surmount the students’ obstacles in the acquisition of english literacy for the purpose of snbt test preparation. iwan darmawan, m.galuh elga romadhon, & mutmainnah mustofa exploring students’ voices on snbt english literacy: a narrative inquiry approach 196 the students’ challenges in learning english literacy for snbt preparation one of the major hurdles for students is the challenge posed by language. prince has highlighted that he experiences a language barrier primarily in the process of sentence translation. he contends that the difficulty he encounters in translating arises from his tendency to rely on the literal meaning of english words, and the subsequent need to rephrase them into academic language: achieving proficiency in the english language can be an arduous task, particularly for individuals who do not have a strong background in speaking it. translating text from one language to another can prove to be difficult, as it may lead to word-for-word translations that miss the intended meaning. additionally, the english language contains a plethora of unusual expressions and idiomatic phrases that do not necessarily convey their intended meaning when translated literally.” the result is congruent with the research of ktaviana et al., (2021), wherein a predominant proportion of student encountered challenges related to translation consistently across all test trial. moreover, prince encountered challenges in english translation due to various factors, including deficient english proficiency. notably, his limited interest in english literature hindered his language development. this lack of engagement with english texts potentially contributed to his struggles in accurate translations. furthermore, siti has reported experiencing difficulty in translating english texts and comprehending written english material, which has resulted in challenges for her in reading english-language texts: ” the issue that i am currently encountering pertains to the significant volume of reading materials that i must contend with. as a reader, i tend to shy away from lengthy texts, particularly those presented in challenging english language as seen in the snbt questions. additionally, i experience difficulty deciphering unfamiliar english words found in the snbt assessment.” according to siti’s statement, she elucidated encountering impediments associated with the volume of written material she need to incorporate. siti expounded her inclination for extensive textual passages, particularly those composed employing intricate english, analogous to the linguistic complexity prevalent in snbt inquiries. this inclination stems from the varying proficiency levels exhibited by students in comprehending english textual content. it is line with rina & tiarina, (2021) who argued that students find it difficult to understand diction and vocabulary at a high level. consequently, siti encountered obstacles in deciphering the foreign nuances of english diction encountered within snbt contexts. furthermore, during the investigation, the research conducted interviews to understand the reason behind the challenges that students faced in learning english literacy. the result revealed a correlation between the teaching style of the english teacher, prince, and the difficulties experienced by the students. specifically, the participants reported that prince’s tendency to speak english quickly posed a hindrance to their comprehension of the language. this finding highlights the impact of the teaching approach on the students’ learning outcomes and underscores the importance of considering instructional strategies that cater to diverse learning needs. ”the pace at which the english teacher at my school speaks is exceedingly fast, making it difficult for a vast majority of the students to keep up. her speech delivery is rapid, akin to lightning speed. adding to the challenge, my teacher never told me about the information of english test format for the snbt. consequently, students are left feeling bewildered and uncertain about how to prepare adequately for the test, causing significant frustration.” according to the information proofed by prince, he posits that his challenges in comprehending english inquiries emanate, in part, from his instruction’s pedagogical methodology characterized by its lack of engagement and monotonous disposition. prince contends that instructional discourse should eschew undue celerity, thereby facilitating the assimilation of conveyed information. this phenomenon appears to be recurrent among various students grappling with the apprehension of english language content (hindrayani et al., 2021). moreover, the absence of an introductory module on the subject non-language based test (snbt) in schools, particularly in english literacy education, poses challenges for student in comprehending the various questions types that will be assessed. in prince’s perspective, he did not english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 197 receive any snbt introduction during his schooling years. a new school, however, offers a one-month snbt preparation program leading up to the exam. in light of this particular case, the insufficient provision of preparatory resources by the educational institution renders the acquisition of comprehensive understanding regarding the snbt system notably arduous for students. this case also happened in research conducted by yunanda et al., (2022). in the study, it was observed that a significant proportion of students primarily relied on study guidance as their primary source of information regarding college entrance exams. this prevailing pattern of information acquisition was found to have notable implications for the level of preparedness exhibited by students when confronting these examinations. furthermore, yunanda et al., (2022) elucidated that a considerable number of students tended to engage in relatively brief and abrupt periods of exam preparation. moreover, in the previous challenges, students have faced difficulties in language management and translating english literacy questions. further investigation through in-depth interviews revealed that these language-related issues led to additional psychological problems. in this case, siti has expressed that her inadequate comprehension skills in interpreting individual words and sentences in english has led to feelings of stress and apathy towards preparing for the english literacy section exam. she perceives that when attempting to read literacy-related problems, her cognitive processing appears to be impaired, and she struggles to grasp the meaning of the text. consequently, she believes that she cannot comprehend the problems accurately. this psychological issue aligns with the observations made by mukminina & abidin, (2020), who identified a correlation between anxiety disorders among students and their struggles with the phenomenon of snbt. to elaborate further, the challenges of comprehending examination questions induces anxiety among students, primarly driven by their persistent concern regarding the outcomes, which sever as a pivotal metric for their academic achievements. on the other hand, prince perceived that he was encountering psychological distress upon becoming acquainted with the snbt test system, especially in relation to the segment assessing english literacy: “when i was a student in my school, my teacher was informed about the snbt, an entrance exam for state universities that included a section on english literacy. initially, i believed that the english literacy portion would be effortless, based on the information provided by the school. however, upon commencing practice for the test, i discovered that the english section was much more challenging than anticipated, leading to feelings of stress and disappointment.” according to the data above, prince explain that he was apprised of the snbt, a university entrance examination, that incorporated a section on english literacy. initially, prince held the belief that the english literacy component would be uncomplicated. in this case, insufficient guidance to students regarding the question formats, scoring mechanisms, and psychological fortification contributes to students’ surprise during the actual test (rismadayanti, 2021). much like prince’s viewpoint, siti’s initial experience with english literacy questions caused her to feel uncertain and insecure. siti’s assumption was that the exam would only cover content from grades ten to twelve. furthermore, siti indicated that she encountered considerable anxiety owing to the perceived complexity of the assessment materials: ”i held an initial assumption that the snbt questions would be straightforward given their familiarity with the material studied in grade 12. however, to their surprise, it discovered that the scope of the questions encompassed much more than anticipated. consequently, i recognized the need to devote additional effort towards preparation and acquisition of knowledge beyond my initial plan. i acknowledged underestimating the test and acknowledged the necessity of revising my preparation strategy. my assumption was to achieve excellent results and compensate for any missed concepts. however, the task proved challenging, with my reporting feelings of exhaustion and difficulty maintaining focus, especially with the challenging nature of the english material.” furthermore, conducting further research, the researcher procured data regarding the challenges encountered by students during their preparation for the english literacy test on the snbt pathway. the finding revealed that students perceived environmental hindrances that impeded their ability to learn english in readiness for the snbt. this finding aligns with the research conducted by agistiawati and asbari, (2020), which assumes that the surrounding environment of students significantly influences their academic iwan darmawan, m.galuh elga romadhon, & mutmainnah mustofa exploring students’ voices on snbt english literacy: a narrative inquiry approach 198 achievement. furthermore, prince reported that his immediate family was a source of obstacle in his academic pursuits. specifically, some of his close relatives showed little interest in his academic progress and did not provide support or encouragement: ”the environmental circumstances that surround me have a consequential impact on my academic performance and family support. specifically, my family exhibits a lack of concern for my studies when i engage in practice exercises for snbt. furthermore, interruptions during study sessions, such as being asked to perform household chores, adversely affect my grades. additionally, the environment in which i live appears to have an impact on my english literacy skills, as there is a dearth of support for their development. the general lack of english language proficiency among the individuals in my vicinity leads to a paucity of exposure to english vocabulary, which hampers my efforts to improve my english proficiency.” based on the preceding information, prince expressed that the environment in which he resides poses a significant obstacle to his pursuit of english literacy proficiency. he underscored that individuals in his immediate surroundings generally perceive english as the language of education, thereby making it challenging to garner support for english language mastery, particularly in the domain of literacy. siti holds a view contrary to prince’s, asserting that the impediments originating from her environment stem from her social circle. siti experienced feelings of insecurity as she observed her friends seemingly exhibiting greater ease in completing english literacy tasks than herself: ”…this difficulty is further compounded by the fact that a considerable number of my peers are also participating in the national competition. observing their effortless navigation of the questions, in contrast to my arduous efforts, exacerbates my sense of inadequacy and doubts about my abilities. the sheer rigor of the assessment is beyond what i am accustomed to, and i am struggling to adjust to this new academic environment. my current state of feeling overwhelmed has left me desiring the ability to adapt better to these new circumstances.” according to the data, siti indicated that her immediate surroundings tend to evoke a sense of insecurity in her, thereby necessitating greater efforts on her part. furthermore, siti pointed out that the surrounding environment poses a hindrance to her english language development due to the low level of education prevalent therein. the proclivity to discontinue learning within her environment exacerbates the challenge of locating a suitable learning environment. students’ strategies to solve the problems in preparing english moreover, this study unveiled numerous discoveries regarding the strategies employed by students to surmount linguistic challenges encountered while preparing for the english literacy section of the snbt. an illustrative case is prince, who endeavors to overcome the language barrier by translating foreign words into indonesian. in addition, he conscientiously draws upon the strategies he acquired during his academic pursuits in school and various courses. “my approach to analyzing texts involves a thorough examination of the specific task or inquiry at hand. for instance, when tasked with identifying the main idea of a passage, i apply the techniques and strategies imparted to me by my instructor, such as scrutinizing the introductory and concluding sections of the paragraph…” in addition, prince provided an explanation that he enlisted the assistance of acquaintances whom he deemed proficient in the english language to aid him in his preparation for the snbt examination. furthermore, prince elucidated that he actively sought assistance from individual within his network whom he deemed to possess a high degree of proficiency in the english language. his intention in doing so was to bolster his preparation for the snbt examination. this strategic approach involved prince’s deliberate efforts to engage with individuals possessing superior linguistic skills, aiming to enhance his competence in addressing english literacy-related inquires on the snbt. furthermore, in order to mitigate his challenges with vocabulary, prince has disclosed that he consistently employs a translation application and endeavors to expose himself to english music as a means of familiarizing himself with words and comprehending the definitions of complex vocabulary. this perspective aligns with saluky and marine, (2021) and oktaviana et al., (2021), both of whom contend that the acquisition of proficiency in the english language can be facilitated through the utilization of technological tools, such as educational applications. in contrast, yunanda et al., (2022) espouses a divergent stance, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 199 advocating that reading remains the most effective method for addressing student’s challenges, particularly in the realm of comprehending vocabulary. this is analogues to the approach taken by siti, who employs both digital and print dictionaries to augment her lexicon. additionally, she commits to memory the instructions imparted by her english teacher, encompassing techniques to identify central themes, word meaning, and principle of grammar: “in order to address linguistic difficulties, particularly those related to word translation, i utilize a dictionary as a resource to identify challenging and unfamiliar vocabulary. during my study of english literature for the snbt, i consistently keep a mobile device and dictionary at hand. additionally, i carefully review the notes provided by my english teacher, which outline strategies for identifying main ideas within paragraphs, compiling vocabulary lists, and grasping fundamental grammar concepts. i find these materials to be exceedingly beneficial to my studies.” according to the research findings based on student interviews, it was observed that students often attempt to overcome and avoid psychological issues by adopting a positive thinking approach towards their challenges. it is contrast to the research conducted by mukminina and abidin, (2020), wherein coping technic were identified as a prevalent approach employed to alleviate student panic when confronted with the challenges posed by snbt. notably, this finding diverge from mukminina’s research due to the significant influence of student’s anxiety levels on the coping methods employed. siti argued that in order to maintain composure when dealing with difficult english questions, she endeavors to remain composed and refrain from impulsive behavior: “i consistently maintain a positive selfperception and possess unwavering confidence in my ability to perform optimally and attain superior outcomes. my resolute determination compels me to continuously challenge myself and relentlessly endeavor towards achieving excellence in my snbt english studies. my modus operandi entails preserving a composed and composed demeanor while undertaking academic tasks, eschewing any undue anxiety that may impede my performance. i attach great significance to allocating sufficient time and effort towards comprehending the subject matter thoroughly, as opposed to hastily skimming through the material, only to forget it later.” besides, prince expounded on the notion that the responsibility of the mother’s role in effectively addressing and resolving any psychological issues that he may facing: “my mother has provided me with the inspiration to undertake this examination. additionally, she consistently instills in me the importance of perseverance and resilience, which serves to further ignite my passion for continued learning, particularly in the realm of english literacy for snbt.” additionally, prince expressed that during times of stress and insecurity, he would seek solace in confiding in his mother, thereby releasing the internal tension that he was experiencing. subsequently, prince reported experiencing a notable improvement in his emotional state. according to research conducted with students preparing for the english literacy test, the use of technology is a prevalent strategy among them (oktaviana et al., 2021; saluky & marine, 2021). these students rely on english learning apps to improve their english literacy skills. one noteworthy example is the use of google translate application, as reported by both siti and prince. they use this application to assist them in finding difficult vocabulary during english literacy exercises. this highlights the importance of technology in aiding language learning and test preparation: “during my preparation for the snbt exam, i utilized my smartphone extensively and heavily relied on technology. specifically, i relied heavily on google translate for the translation of english words and phrases. i believe that google translate is an extremely useful tool as it facilitates the discovery of new vocabulary and their respect meaning with great ease…” furthermore, the utilizing of smartphone technology to participate in the snbt try out facilitated prince and siti in acquiring a better understanding of the inquiries they would encounter while tacking snbt questions in the english literacy domain: “on occasions, i search for information regarding tryouts and avail myself of online tryout activities to get ready for the snbt. the online snbt tryout was immense assistance to iwan darmawan, m.galuh elga romadhon, & mutmainnah mustofa exploring students’ voices on snbt english literacy: a narrative inquiry approach 200 me, particularly in acquiring a precise understanding of how to tackle english questions.” in addition, according to the given information, siti utilized online tryouts to determine the type of questions that she would encounter in the snbt test. siti contended that she had no prior knowledge of the questions that are usually asked in state university entrance test. therefore, she utilized the english snbt tryout questions to selfstudy at home. then, based on extant data, this study aims to investigate the primary challenges encountered by students in acquiring english literacy skill necessary for successful performance in the snbt exam, as well as explore the development of effective learning strategies employed by students in preparation for the aforementioned examination. conclussion in conclusion, this research study examined the challenges encountered by high school students in indonesia while acquiring english literacy skills for the snbt examination. language, psychological, and environmental challenges were identified as the primary obstacles. to overcome these challenges, students employed strategies such as translation, dictionary used, exposure to english music, positive thinking, allocating sufficient time for understanding, and utilizing technology-based resources. these findings emphasize the importance of addressing diverse learning needs, providing guidance on test format, and integrating technology in language curriculum to support students in their english literacy acquisition for snbt test. the current study predominantly focused on comprehensively addressing the obstacles encountered by students during snbt examinations in the context of english literacy questions. consequently, there is a pressing need for further research with a more specific and in-depth research in the future, particularly in terms of elucidating the finer details and ramifications of these challenges. references agistiawati, e., & asbari, m. (2020). pengaruh persepsi siswa atas lingkungan belajar dan penguasaan kosakata terhadap kemampuan berbicara bahasa inggris siswa sekolah menengah atas swasta balaraja. edupsycouns: journal of education, psychology and counseling, 2(1), 513–523. https://ummaspul.ejournal.id/edupsycouns/article/view/516 bihu, r. (2020). using unstructured interview in educational and social science research: the process, opportunity and difficulty. globla scientific journals, 8(10), 712–721. http://www.globalscientificjournal.com/ chauhan, r. s. (2022). unstructured interviews: are they really all that bad? human resource development international, 25(4), 474–487. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2019.160301 9 clandinin, d. j., & huber, j. (2006). narrative inquiry. international encyclopedia of education. fusch, p, i., & ness, l, r. (2015). are we there yet? data saturation in qualitative research. the qualitative report, 20(9), 1408. kaufmann, k., & peil, c. (2020). the mobile instant messaging interview (mimi): using whatsapp to enhance self-reporting and explore media usage in situ. mobile media and communication, 8(2), 229–246. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050157919852392 maulida hindrayani, k., maulana f, t., aji r, p., & kartini. (2021). determining students preparation for college entrance examinations in indonesia from twitter data using exploratory data analysis. ijconsist journals, 2(02), 66–70. https://doi.org/10.33005/ijconsist.v2i02.47 mcarthur, t., lam-mcarthur, j., & fontaine, l. (2018). oxford companion to the english language. oxford university press. mirick, r. g., & wladkowski, s. p. (2019). skype in qualitative interviews: participant and researcher perspectives. qualitative report, 24(12), 3061– 3072. https://doi.org/10.46743/21603715/2019.3632 mukminina, m., & abidin, z. (2020). kecemasan siswa sma dalam menghadapi utbk. jurnal humaniora, 5(3), 110. nasution, j. (2022). upaya peningkatan literasi bahasa inggris. 2(4), 229–234. polkinghorne, d. e. (2003). qualitative studies in education. international journal of qualitative studies in education, 16(6), 883–886. https://doi.org/10.1080/714858243 putri, d. m. b. s., adiputra, l. m. i. s. h., tirtayasa, k., & juhanna, i. v. (2022). gambaran tingkat kecemasan dalam menghadapi utbk sbmptn pada calon mahasiswa baru angkatan 2020/2021 di denpasar. intisari sains medis, 13(3), 575– 583. https://doi.org/10.15562/ism.v13i3.1506 rina, p., & tiarina, y. (2021). an analysis of english department students’ difficulties in answering toefl test of listening comprehension. journal of english language teaching, 10(1), 28–35. https://doi.org/10.24036/jelt.v10i1.1113555 rismadayanti, e. f. (2021). hubungan efikasi diri dengan kecemasan siswa dalam menghadapi utbk 2020. acta psychologia, 148–155. sabillawati, r., & ardiana, f. k. (2022). washback effects of english reading test in utbk: students’ insights. ele reviews: english english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 201 language education reviews, 2(2), 114–126. https://doi.org/10.22515/elereviews.v2i2.5333 saluky, s., & marine, y. (2021). development of the utbk try out application with simulation methods to increase student scores. itej (information technology engineering journals), 6(2), 93–99. https://doi.org/10.24235/itej.v6i2.102 sebele-mpofu, f, y. (2020). saturation controversy in qualitative research: compelxities and underlying assumptions. a literature review. cogent social sciences, 6(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886 .2020.1838706 sudarwati, e., widiati, u., faruq ubaidillah, m., prasetyoningsih, l. s. a., & sulistiyo, u. (2022). a narrative inquiry into identity construction and classroom participation of an efl student with a physical disability: evidence from indonesia. qualitative report, 27(6), 1534–1556. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2022.5174 sutarjo. (2022). meningkatkan motivasi belajar siswa melalui pengembangan tes bakat skolastik dalam menghadapi ujian utbk dan sbmptn di era new normal covid-19. secondary: jurnal inovasi pendidikan menengah, 2(1), 97–108. ubaidillah, m. f., & widiati, u. (2022). identity construction and classroom participation of an indonesian graduate student in an australian university. jeels (journal of english education and linguistics studies), 8(1), 147–174. https://doi.org/10.30762/jeels.v8i1.3123 vasheghani farahani, m., rezaei, o., & masoomzadeh, m. (2019). teaching implicit vs explicit reading comprehension skills and translation performance of iranian undergraduate students: an experimental comparative study. journal of applied research in higher education, 11(4), 844– 862. https://doi.org/10.1108/jarhe-12-20180262 virdiana, n. (2021). the implementation of critical thinking skills in english online learning in senior high school. in jami university-english education program. widiyarto, s. (2023). snbt debriefing for students of sma kanzul mubarok bekasi pembekalan snbt pada siswa sma kanzul mubarok bekasi. 2(3), 217–224. yunanda, f., lubis, b., husda, a., ginting, e., & manalu, s. (2022). english reading comprehension difficulties of ujian tulis berbasis komputer (utbk) by senior high school at smas pangeran antasari medan. linguistic, english education and art (leea) journal, 6(1 se-articles), 29–40. iwan darmawan, m.galuh elga romadhon, & mutmainnah mustofa exploring students’ voices on snbt english literacy: a narrative inquiry approach 202 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 95 advancing essay writing with diglit: application and effectiveness of a digital literacy teaching tool istiqlaliah nurul hidayati english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and educational sciences, universitas pakuan, indonesia email: istiqlaliah@unpak.ac.id ratna dewanti english language education study program, faculty of language and arts, universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia email: rdewanti@unj.ac.id yumna rasyid arabic language education study program, faculty of language and arts universitas negeri jakarta, indonesia email: yumna.rasyid@unj.ac.id purnama putra islamic banking study program, faculty of islamic studies universitas islam ’45, indonesia email: purnama.p41@gmail.com apa scitation: hidayati, i. n., dewanti, r., rasyid, y., & putra, p. (2024). advancing essay writing with diglit: application and effectiveness of a digital literacy teaching tool. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 95-104. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9298 received: 27-10-2023 accepted: 28-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction a brief non-fiction work that explains, elucidates, makes an argument, or conducts an analysis is called an essay. it can be a narrative of someone's journey on vacation or a piece of writing containing a complex analysis of scientific processes in graduate school (noroozi et.al., 2021). it is also interpreted as a short piece of writing that is usually written by students to hone a number of skills such as reading, analyzing, comparing, inviting, summarizing, and explaining. the goal of mastering essay writing skills is to encourage students to develop ideas and concepts in their writing in a direction that is nothing more than their own thinking (bulqiyah, mahbub, & nugraheni, 2021). therefore, basically, an essay is a concise piece of writing with a clear purpose. in terms of genre, essay writing is divided into at least four types, namely: expository, descriptive, narrative, and argumentative or persuasive essays (warburton, 2020). however, it is not easy to master the skill. there are various problems faced by students when they try to write an essay. abstract: writing an essay is still a challenge for students even for those at the university level. there are many difficulties they find when they try to write it. first, especially in non-english speaking countries, students lack vocabulary, they do not have ideas to write, they are still confused about the mechanics, and they find it difficult to organize the writing. since the problems are complex, giving only the theories of writing to the students is not adequate. teachers have to ‘arm’ the students with tools. there are many tools available today on the internet, yet not many students are able to use them correctly. they need guidance to use them in the correct way. this research aims at developing a digital teaching tool to assist students in writing an essay. the research is done by doing need analysis, designing the digital tool, and finally testing the designed teaching tool. the digital teaching tool is named as diglit which stands for digital literacy. it is named so since the tool guides the students to use their literacy skills for constructing a better essay. the research employed assure design to develop the teaching tool. at the end of the process, the tool is tested for its effectiveness using quasi experimental research and it is found out that there is an effect of the use of diglit on the students’ writing skill. hence, the result shows that the digital tool created from the research is able to help the students construct an essay. keywords: assure; essay writing; english language teaching; teaching tool. istiqlaliah nurul hidayati, ratna dewanti, yumna rasyid, & purnama putra advancing essay writing with diglit: application and effectiveness of a digital literacy teaching tool 96 the problems are among others students’ lack of vocabulary (ahmad, 2022), lack of ideas (shobah, 2023), lack of creativity (istiqfaroh & mustadi, 2020), etc. writing is a high-level talent that may continue to grow via interactions between students' skills and cognitive capacities, the instructional environment, and the demands of writing assignments, therefore writing effectively and critically is not simple (deane, 2018). cognitive abilities, instructional context, and writing assignments are what lecturers in higher education must pay careful attention to help students have good and critical writing skills. cognitive abilities can be gained by keep asking the students to read more and connect what they read to what they will write (rashid et al., 2022) meanwhile instructional context must be developed by the lecturers. they can learn from many sources. there are many websites and teaching tools that can be used to help create interesting and challenging instructions. the same things happen to writing assignments. lecturers can get some inspirations of writing assignments to be given to the students through accessing the internet. the lecturers’ digital literacy in navigating on the internet is challenged here. in the current digital era, the rapid improvement in technology has helped educators carry out more effective teaching and learning activities with many innovations. there are various teaching tools in innumerable forms, such as computeraided assessment and computer-mediated communication, intelligent tutoring systems (its), computer-based instruction (cbi), and integrated learning systems (ils). these innovations facilitate interactions among students and make learning more meaningful. they can also cover the shortcomings of the traditional teaching-learning process (camacho, alves & boscolo, 2021; huertas abril, 2021). lecturers can make use of the students’ familiarity with technology to help them comprehend lessons. teaching tool gives new paradigms to the learning process and delivers information in an innovative way. huertas abril (2021) claims that the use of teaching tools can optimize the result of the learning process since it makes use of the students’ visual, auditory, and kinesthetic all at once. the use of digital teaching tool has been extremely fruitful in teaching individuals a varied range of subjects. technology is changing the way people connect. the methods by which messages are given and received are more effectively done and better comprehended when technology is used. a lecture can be informative, yet when a lecture incorporates pictures or video, images, etc. it can help the students intercept information much more successfully. numerous writing experts have been researching the best ways to utilize computers to teach composition since the late 1970s, when computers were first employed in writing classes (ahmad, 2022; alakrash, razak, & krish, 2021; bulqiyah, mahbub, & nugraheni, 2021; iskandar, sumarni, dewanti, & asnur, 2022). surveys have been conducted for multiple years, and the results show that digital teaching tools have been used in every single subject. it is also believed that the use of a digital teaching tool can help students improve their writing quality. the ability to write is essential, especially for those who are students of the english language education study program since the career paths that they are likely to pursue require them to have a capability of writing. however, students still find it difficult to write (farooq, uzair-ul-hassan & wahid, (2020). they consider that getting ideas for writing is not simple (istiqfaroh & mustadi, 2020). not only are ideas difficult to find, but grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation are also elements of language that make the students doubtful about their abilities (baresh, 2022). there are many tools that can be used by the lecturers this research aims at developing a digital teaching tool for assisting the students to write an essay better. this study needs to be done since writing skill is still a problematic skill to master. even though there have been many teaching tools invented, the researchers still find some weaknesses and would try to complete the existing tools with a digital teaching tool which has clear and practical steps. an essay can be a narrative of someone's journey on vacation or a piece of writing containing a complex analysis of scientific processes in graduate school (noroozi et.al., 2021). it is also interpreted as a short piece of writing that is usually written by students to hone a number of skills such as reading carefully, analyzing, comparing, inviting, summarizing, and explaining. the goal of mastering essay writing skills is to encourage students to develop ideas and concepts in their writing in a direction that is nothing more than their own thinking (bulqiyah, mahbub, & nugraheni, 2021). therefore, basically, an essay is a concise piece of writing with a clear purpose. in terms of genre, essay writing is divided into at least four types, namely: expository, descriptive, narrative, and argumentative or persuasive essays (warburton, 2020). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 97 selective material, exercises, examinations, and learning activities are often included in digital teaching tools, allowing students to edit them at any moment. with the availability of instructional resources, students may complete their own learning processes at their own pace and in the location and direction that best suit them (nazari, shabbir & setiawan, 2021). it utilizes the internet network, allowing communication and interaction in learning. it also provides a series of solutions to increase knowledge and skills (abed, 2019). some popular digital learning tools are schoology, google docs, essay bot, edmodo, etc. (ahmad, 2022) all types of the digital learning tools above contribute quite well to improving the quality of student writing but each of these media has drawbacks. there needs to be a digital learning tool that can help students find ideas for their writing tasks. it also has to allow interaction between students and between students and lecturers. another feature expected in a digital learning tool is facilities that are able to provide corrections to grammatical errors, punctuation marks, and word choices. so far, a digital teaching tool that provides complete facilities as above mentioned has not been found. diglit is an acronym for digital literacy. it is a digital teaching tool developed to help students write various kinds of essays. it is named so because the creation of the teaching tool is inspired by the definition of digital literacy issued by unesco. law et. al (2018) state that digital literacy is a person's ability to 1) access, 2) understand, 3) integrate, 4) communicate, 5) evaluate, and 6) create information for both personal and work interests. from the definition, a digital teaching tool is created and one of the features is the steps of writing which are in accordance with the steps in the definition: accessing, understanding, integrating, communicating, evaluating, and finally creating. in diglit, after the students have created an account, they have to access some articles whose topics are the same as the topic given by the lecturer. this is done to make the students are used to read first before writing since reading can inspire the students’ writing (alghonaim, 2018). there have been several researchers investigating the use of digital teaching tools to help students write in the classroom (bulqiyah, mahbub & nugraheni, 2021; putri & aminatun, 2021; fan & ma, 2022; lin, 2019). putri & aminatun (2021) conducted a study which investigated the effectiveness of the use of social media as a digital teaching tool in learning to write. the results of this study indicated that the use of social media was able to improve the students’ ability to write essays. this means that social media is quite effective to be used in learning to write essays. however, some shortcomings were also found. hence, it is still necessary to do other research that can find effective learning tool to help students in learning to write essays. therefore, research to develop effective learning tool to help students master essay writing skills is still required. another study was done by reynolds & kao (2021). the research proved that some digital applications do not work properly because of some reasons such as weak signals, lack of internet quota, etc. it means that the teaching tools which have been invented still have some weaknesses that make students reluctant to use them. this finding was also found by techataweewan (2018). in his research, he found that young generations used digital applications a lot. they used them quite frequently. unfortunately, the ability to use technology was not optimized for learning yet. hence, a teaching tool that can stimulate the students to use their digital literacy for the sake of their learning is needed. aljarrah (2019) conducted a study by asking the students to use social media to dig for as much information as possible for giving them ideas in writing. the result of the research shows that the use of social media does help students develop the idea for writing. it means that when the ability to use technology is employed in learning, the result is promising. this is also proven by fan & ma (2022). he used digital mind mapping to help students write an essay. the result showed that the quality of the students’ writing improved after learning to write several times using digital mind mapping. regarding the use of digital literacy in learning, polizzi (2020) stated that currently, schools and universities had been facilitated with various facilities in cyberspace. what is needed is the skill to use these digital-based facilities. so that these facilities can be put to good use, students must be trained to continue to develop their digital skills. this research is in line with the objective of this research and development. finally, the research discusses whether or not teachers are ready to use digital teaching tools in teaching was conducted by seraj et. al (2021). the result of the research suggests that teachers in bangladesh are ready to use any digital teaching tools to teach english, especially at the tertiary level. this research aims at developing a digital teaching tool that can assist students to write. istiqlaliah nurul hidayati, ratna dewanti, yumna rasyid, & purnama putra advancing essay writing with diglit: application and effectiveness of a digital literacy teaching tool 98 this research and development aim at creating a teaching tool that can help students increase their writing quality and conduct an empirical study to investigate whether the teaching tool developed i.e. diglit affects the students’ writing skills. the writing skill here is limited to writing essays. there are three genres of essays taught using the teaching tool. they are descriptive, personal narrative, and argumentative essays. the current study aims to answer the following research question: how is the process of developing diglit essay as a teaching tool to teach english writing skills? method there are three stages in research and development with assure model (hakim, et. al., 2020). the first is a preliminary stage. six experts (three english essay materials and three teaching tools experts) were involved in the design stage. in this stage, 30 students were interviewed about their needs and expectations from an essay writing class. thirty-three students were also involved in order to find out the practicability of the teaching tool being designed. finally, the last participants were those involved in experimental research to evaluate the effectiveness of the teaching tool. the number of the population was 120. the sample was chosen using simple random sampling. it employed quasi experimental design. 30 students were in the control class and another 30 were in the experimental class. all of the participants had agreed to the informed consent related to becoming a participant in the research. the data for need analysis were gathered through interview. questionnaires were used to find out the practicability and the validity of the digital teaching tool. pre and post-test items were used to find out the effectiveness of the tool. the research method employed was assure model. it contains six parts namely: analyzing learners’ characteristics (need analysis), stating objectives, selecting materials, requiring learner participation, and evaluation (hakim et.al, 2020; zubaedi & hakim, 2022). first, the researchers interview 30 students related to their characteristics and needs in essay writing class. after interviewing the students, the researchers talked to the lecturers and stated the objectives of the lesson and selected the materials. the researchers also explained to the lecturers the digital tool that had been designed. when the lecturers agreed to the use of the digital tool in the class, the researchers invited students to participate in the research. the students were divided into two groups: control and experimental. both of the groups took part in the pre-test. after taking the pre-test, they were given two meeting-treatments. the experimental group was treated using diglit, the digital tool developed by the researchers and the control group was treated using essaybot®, an existing digital tool for helping students write. following the treatment, both of the groups joined a post-test. lastly, an evaluation and revision were done. the learning objective of the essay writing course in the fourth semester is that students can write descriptive essays, personal narratives, recounts, and arguments. students still have poor writing skills due to several factors, one of which is the absence of assistance in the form of teaching tool that can guide students to write an essay more easily. the second phase is the designing phase which is the second phase out of three phases in research and development. this phase contains two activities namely selecting the materials and utilizing the media. the second stage is designing the product. the product here is a digital teaching tool. it is believed that a digital teaching tool is helpful for the students to understand the materials (huertas abril, 2021). a digital teaching tool could be pictures from a particular device, audio, audiovisual, etc. the product being developed is a digital teaching tool that combines several texts, visuals, audio, realia, and a model that are used simultaneously and controlled by a computer system (yaumi, 2018). this digital teaching tool is created and adjusted to help students gain the course learning outcomes (clo) that have been formulated. the digital teaching tool is named diglit. diglit is the acronym for digital literacy. it is named so since the steps to write an essay guided in it are based on the digital literacy definition proposed by unesco. the definition of digital literacy by unesco is the ability to: 1) access; 2) process; 3) understand; 4) integrate; 5) communicate, 6) evaluate, and 7) create information (law et al, 2018). from the definition, the researchers formulate the diglit into several steps for writing an essay. the following table shows the presentation of diglit: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 99 no note design 1 the logo of diglit 2 in the first stage, students, as well as teachers, have to create an account first using the email address 3 students are asked to access the internet (accessing) and look for three sources/articles related to the topic given by the teacher. 4 the url of the three references is copied and pasted in the folder of “reference”. 5 the three articles have to be read and understood. 6 the result of the reading and understanding activities is the inspiration for the students to write the first draft. istiqlaliah nurul hidayati, ratna dewanti, yumna rasyid, & purnama putra advancing essay writing with diglit: application and effectiveness of a digital literacy teaching tool 100 7 students ask a friend or the lecturer to comment on their first draft. 8 the comments received can be accommodated or not. when it will be accommodated, the students have to write the second draft. 9 after the second draft has been finished written, use an artificial intelligence such as grammarly® to check the diction, grammar, and punctuation. to help students write an essay, the digital teaching tool asks the user (student) to 1) create an account, 2) access information from three different sources about the topic given by the lecturer, 3) understand the sources, 4) write the first draft of an essay, 5) ask someone else (the lecturer or a friend) to comment on the first draft, 6) revise the draft, 7) check the grammar, diction, and mechanics using artificial intelligence, and finally 8) create the final essay. once the students have created an account, they are guided to find three articles from the internet with the same topic assigned by the lecturer. when the three articles have been found, the students have to read and understand the texts. the next step is writing the essay. it is expected that the essay is inspired by the texts that they have read. once the essay is written, the students are asked to require comments from their peers. after getting some comments from their peers, the students revise their first draft. the revised draft is then checked for the accuracy by using grammarly ®. finally, the students revise the draft again by following the suggestions given by grammarly®. after the product has been finished, it was judged by six experts namely the experts on teaching tool, , and english essay materials. the experts judged the product (the digital teaching tool) by trying it out and filling out a questionnaire. the questionnaire had been validated before being used. the following table is the result of expert validation: table 2. the qualification of diglit by experts no experts percentage of eligibility (%) qualification 1 materials 0.95 very good 2 teaching tool 0.88 very good the third step is formative and summative tests. the formative test is a tryout of the digital teaching tool being designed. the tryouts included an individual tryout, a small group tryout (ten students), and a bigger group (twenty students). these students were asked to try out the digital teaching tool and fill out a questionnaire. the following table summarizes the result of the formative test: table 3. the result of the individual tryout no. assessment indicators result 1 the presentation of the diglit 25% answered very good; 75% answered good. 2 students find diglit helpful 85% answered very helpful; 15% answered helpful. 3 motivating students to write an essay well 85% answered very motivating; english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 101 15% answered motivating. 4 diglit is related to the content of the essay writing course 80% answered very related; 20% answered related. 5 diglit is user friendly 85% answered as very friendly; 15% answered friendly. the individual tryout was conducted by three students. they tried the teaching tool and filled out the questionnaire. from the responses, it can be inferred that diglit as a digital teaching tool can be used to help students write an essay (the average score is above 80%). the next was a small group tryout. the small group tryout involved ten students. the previous students involved in individual tryout were not involved again. the ten students tried diglit to create an essay. after trying it out , they filled out a questionnaire. the following is the result of the small group tryout: table 4. the result of small group tryout no assessment indicators result 1 the presentation of the diglit 70% answered very good 30% answered good 2 students find diglit helpful 90% answered very helpful 10% answered helpful 3 motivating students to write an essay well 90% answered very motivating 10% answered motivating 4 diglit is related to the content of the essay writing course 90% answered very suitable 10% answered suitable 5 diglit is user friendly 80% answered very friendly 20% answered friendly from the result of the small group tryout above, it can be inferred that diglit can be used to help students write an essay. it is proven from the answers that the average score of positive answers is above 80%. the last tryout was a bigger group tryout that involved twenty students. these students were not the participants in the previous tryouts. the following is the result: table 5. the result of bigger group tryout no assessment indicator result 1 the presentation of the diglit  25% answered very good 75% answered good 2 students find diglit helpful  85% answered very useful 15% answered useful 3 motivating students to write an essay well  85% answered very motivating 15% answered motivating 4 diglit is related to the content of the essay writing course  80% answered very suitable 20% answered suitable 5 diglit is user friendly  85% answered very friendly 15% answered friendly the result of the last tryout which was a bigger group tryout also shows that students believe that diglit can be used to help them write an essay. from this result, the researchers went on to the next step of the research and development procedure which is a summative test. the summative test was experimental research. this was done to discover the efficacy of the teaching tool. the number of the population was 120. the samples involved were 60 students. they were chosen using simple random sampling. the design was quasi experimental research.. 30 students were in the control group and another 30 students were in the experimental group. they were given a pre-test, three times treatments, and a post-test. the control group was treated using essaybot®, an application to help students write an essay and the experimental group was treated using diglit, the digital teaching tool being developed in the research. the following table is the n gain of the experimental research. table 6. pre-test and post-test scores group pretest posttest n gain category experiment 68.88 83.11 0.67 medium control 67.93 70.33 0.17 low from the experiment, it was discovered that both of the teaching tools used in the two groups were effective. this is shown by the scores of the post-tests which were higher than those of the pretests. however, when the n gain was measured, it can be seen that the n gain in the experimental group was 0.67 meanwhile in the control group reached 0.17. from this data, it can be inferred that the teaching tool used in the experimental class worked better than the one used in the control group. istiqlaliah nurul hidayati, ratna dewanti, yumna rasyid, & purnama putra advancing essay writing with diglit: application and effectiveness of a digital literacy teaching tool 102 the objective of this study was to develop a teaching tool for helping students write essays. there are many teaching tools developed for helping students to write (abed, 2019; nazari, shabbir & setiawan, 2021). however, after conducting observations in the research field, the existing teaching tools cannot solve the problems that the students have at one time. . the problems are among all difficulty finding the ideas for writing (farooq, uzair-ul-hassan & wahid, 2020), the inadequacy of students’ vocabulary mastery (derakhshan & karimian, 2020; malmström et. al., 2023), the lack of students’ writing accuracy (mao & crosthwaite, 2019), and also difficulty in using punctuation (baresh, 2022) the teaching tool was developed by using assure model. in this model, the steps are divided into three (zubaedi & hakim, 2022). the first step is called as the preliminary step. this step covers a (analyzing students’ characteristics) and s (stating the objectives). the next step is the designing step. this includes s (selecting the materials) and u (utilizing the teaching tool). the last one is the evaluation step. it contains r (revising) and e (evaluating). in analyzing students’ characteristics, it is found that 45% of students have difficulty finding ideas for writing; 37% of students have difficulty in organizing writing; 28% of students have difficulty with grammar and 25% of students have difficulty in punctuation and word selection. almost the same fact was also found by deane (2018). after finding out the students’ characteristics, the lecturers were interviewed for finding out the objectives of the lesson. from the interview, it was stated that the objectives were to teach the students how to write essays with the genres of descriptive, personal recount, and argumentative. the kinds of essays taught are in accordance with text types defined by warburton (2020). after stating the objectives, the researchers moved on to the next step of research and design which is selecting the materials. the materials were selected based on the course learning objectives. the compilation of the materials had been validated by the experts of english essay materials. the experts were lecturers from other universities in the same country. once the materials had been selected, the next step was designing the teaching tool. the teaching tool contains the materials and also the step by step of writing an essay. the steps are taken from the definition of digital literacy (law, 2018). the steps are: accessing, understanding, processing, communicating, evaluating, and creating. the designed teaching tool is then validated by some experts and tried out by some students. the result of the validation is 80% positive. after being validated by the experts and some students, the next phases are revision and evaluation. the revision phase was conducted by revising the designed digital teaching tool after being validated by the experts and some students while the evaluation phase was conducted by having quasi-experimental research. the result of the experiment shows that both of the teaching tools utilized in the control and experimental groups had positive effects to the students’ writing ability. this is in line with the research done by chen et. al. (2020) dan wang (2022) who revealed that the utilization of technology helps the students improve their writing quality. however, from the calculation of the n gain, the improvement happened in the experimental class is a little higher than that of the control class. it means that the use of diglit is more effective than the use of essaybot®. conclusion from the research and development that had been conducted, it can be concluded that the use of digital teaching tool is quite advantageous for the improvement of the students’ writing quality. in this research and development, the researcher employed assure model. the model consists of three phases namely preliminary (analyzing students’ characteristics and stating the objectives), designing phase (selecting the materials and utilizing the media), and finally the evaluation phase (revising and evaluating). the product designed is a digital teaching tool which is named as diglit. the name is an acronym of digital literacy. the tool helps the students write essays by guiding them with several steps. the steps are adapted from the definition of digital literacy issued by unesco. the steps are: accessing, understanding, processing, communicating, evaluating, and creating. the digital tool was designed after the researchers analyzed the students’ characteristics and with the collaboration with the lecturers stated the objectives of the lesson. the next phase after the preliminary and designing phases was evaluation phase. in the evaluation phase, the researchers asked some experts and students to try out diglit. after trying it out, they gave some inputs to revise the tool. the last step in the assure model is evaluation. the evaluation was carried out by conducting research with quasiexperimental design. in the research, there were two groups involved: control and experimental. in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 103 the control group, the teaching tool used was essaybot® while in the experimental group, diglit was used. from the research, it is found out that both of the digital tools have an effect on the students’ ability to write essays. however, when the n gain was compared, the score of the experimental group is a little higher than that of the control group. it means that diglit is effective to improve students’ ability to write essays. references abed, e. k. (2019). electronic learning and its benefits in education. eurasia journal of mathematics, science and technology education, 15(3), em1672. ahmad, a. (2022). exploring digital tools for teaching essay writing course in higher education: padlet, kahoot, youtube, essaybot, grammarly. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 16(13). alakrash, h., razak, n. a., & krish, p. (2021). social network sites in learning english; an investigation on attitudes, digital literacy and usage. linguistica antverpiensia, 1, 26-43. alghonaim, a. s. (2018). explicit esl/efl readingwriting connection: an issue to explore in esl/efl settings. theory and practice in language studies, 8(4), 385-392. al-jarrah, t. m., al-jarrah, j. m., talafhah, r. h., & mansor, n. (2019). the role of social media in the development of english language writing skills at the school level. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 8(1), 87-99. baresh, e. f. (2022). developing libyan undergraduates’ writing skills through reflective journaling: a critical literature review. journal of english language teaching and learning, 3(1), 27-35. bulqiyah, s., mahbub, m., & nugraheni, d. a. (2021). investigating writing difficulties in essay writing: tertiary students' perspectives. english language teaching educational journal, 4(1), 61-73. camacho, a., alves, r. a., & boscolo, p. (2021). writing motivation in school: a systematic review of empirical research in the early twentyfirst century. educational psychology review, 33(1), 213-247. chen, y., smith, t. j., york, c. s., & mayall, h. j. (2020). google earth virtual reality and expository writing for young english learners from a funds of knowledge perspective. computer assisted language learning, 33(1-2), 1-25. deane, p. (2018). the challenges of writing in school: conceptualizing writing development within a sociocognitive framework. educational psychologist, 53(4), 280-300. derakhshan, a., & karimian shirejini, r. (2020). an investigation of the iranian efl learners’ perceptions towards the most common writing problems. sage open, 10(2), 2158244020919523. fan, n., & ma, y. (2022). the effects of automated writing evaluation (awe) feedback on students' english writing quality: a systematic literature review. language teaching research quarterly, 28, 53-73. farooq, m. s., uzair-ul-hassan, m., & wahid, s. (2020). opinion of second language learners about writing difficulties in english language. south asian studies, 27(1). hakim, m. a. r., zainol abidin, m. j., & adnan, n. i. (2020). using the assure model in developing an english instructional module for indonesian migrant workers in penang, malaysia. in charting a sustainable future of asean in business and social sciences: proceedings of the 3ʳᵈ international conference on the future of asean (icofa) 2019— volume 1 (pp. 383-390). springer singapore. huertas abril, c. a. (2021). developing speaking with 21st century digital tools in the english as a foreign language classroom: new literacies and oral skills in primary education. aula abierta. iskandar, i., sumarni, s., dewanti, r., & asnur, m. n. a. (2022). infusing digital literacy in authentic academic digital practices of english language teaching at universities. international journal of language education, 6(1), 75-90. law, n., woo, d., & wong, g. (2018). a global framework of reference on digital literacy skills for indicator 4.4. 2 (no. 51, p. 146). unesco. lin, m. h. (2019). correlations of english writing complexity, accuracy, fluency, and test scores: a case study of standardized writing test samples. journal of teaching english for specific and academic purposes, 199-210. malmström, h., pecorari, d., & warnby, m. (2023). teachers’ receptive and productive vocabulary sizes in english-medium instruction. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 119. mao, s. s., & crosthwaite, p. (2019). investigating written corrective feedback:(mis) alignment of teachers’ beliefs and practice. journal of second language writing, 45, 46-60. musk, n. (2022). using online translation tools in computer-assisted collaborative efl writing. classroom discourse, 13(2), 119-144. nazari, n., shabbir, m. s., & setiawan, r. (2021). application of artificial intelligence powered digital writing assistant in higher education: randomized controlled trial. heliyon, 7(5). noroozi, o., banihashem, s. k., & biemans, h. j. (2021). the role of education level in online peer feedback performance for argumentative essay istiqlaliah nurul hidayati, ratna dewanti, yumna rasyid, & purnama putra advancing essay writing with diglit: application and effectiveness of a digital literacy teaching tool 104 writing. international society for technology, education, and science. polizzi, g. (2020). digital literacy and the national curriculum for england: learning from how the experts engage with and evaluate online content. computers & education, 152, 103859. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103859 putri, n., & aminatun, d. (2021). using facebook to practice writing skill: what do the students think?. journal of english language teaching and learning, 2(1), 45-50. reynolds, b. l., & kao, c. w. (2021). the effects of digital game-based instruction, teacher instruction, and direct focused written corrective feedback on the grammatical accuracy of english articles. computer assisted language learning, 34(4), 462-482. shobah, n. (2023). investigating students’ challenges in writing academic papers. techataweewan, w., & prasertsin, u. (2018). development of digital literacy indicators for thai undergraduate students using mixed method research. kasetsart journal of social sciences, 39(2), 215-221. wang, x. (2022). methods of improving and optimizing english education in colleges and universities assisted by microvideo technology. scientific programming, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/1291336 warburton, n. (2020). the basics of essay writing. routledge. yaumi, m. (2018). media and technology for teaching. prenada media. zubaedi, z., & hakim, m. (2022). the use of the assure model in developing animation video as english teaching materials for islamic kindergarten students. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 611 assessing the impact of cognitive styles and critical thinking skills on writing proficiency ramli1, cilung kurniawan2, muhammad arrum dalami3, yon a. e.4 1,2,3universitas lakidende unaaha, indonesia 4universitas panca sakti bekasi, indonesia corresponding author: ramli.baharuddin@gmail.com apa citation: ramli., kurniawan, c., dalami, m. a., & e, y. a. (2025). assessing the impact of cognitive styles and critical thinking skills on writing proficiency. english review: journal of english education, abstract: the important variables were reported to have the potential to affect the students’ performance in writing english essay. this present study investigates the predictive potential of cognitive styles and critical thinking skills variables on students’ performance in writing english essay. the quantitative design has been used in this study, wherein a multiple regression analysis was carried out between independent variables and writing skills. the total population was 40, from which a sample of 26 students was drawn based on simple random sampling from english department students of faculty of teacher training and education, universitas lakidende unaaha. concerning the results of regression analysis, it was stated that cognitive styles and critical thinking skills (p-value are respectively 0.002 and 0.021) had a significant effect on student performance in writing english essay. in other words, increasing critical thinking skill by one unit is on average associated with an increase in writing score of 2.468 points, and for an increase in cognitive style, there is a corresponding increase of 0.766 points. however, from these standardized beta coefficients, it is evident that critical thinking skills alone (0.627), have a stronger influence on writing performance than cognitive styles (0.449). the constant of 35.741 gives the predicted value of writing performance when the independent variables are zero. these findings point out how important it is to foster critical thinking and awareness of cognitive styles if an attempt is made to boost students’ performance in writing. keywords: writing skills; critical thinking skills; cognitive styles; multiple regression; english essay. introduction the writing skill plays an important role in education and mainly serves as a tool for communication, expression of knowledge, and critical thinking. in general, writing proficiency in efl contexts attains great significance since it actually provides the grounds on which learners can engage with academic materials and express ideas effectively, clearly, and coherently in written form. writing is not a straightforward process (abegglen et al., 2024; berdanier & lenart, 2020; yaacob et al., 2022). it is an intricate process of interaction between cognitive, linguistic, and social elements (berdanier & lenart, 2020; chicho, 2022). moreover, this incompetence in language may hamper and thereby affect students’ performance in writing negatively (adjoe & kimani, 2020; teng et al., 2020); there it needs a cognitive process to think creatively and critically (wang, 2023; yotta, 2023). cognitive style has been one very important cognitive variable often discussed in recent literature. it is referred as a multilevel construct in psychology that influences information processing, decision making, and learning efficiency (razumnikova, 2024); such a style is believed to enhance their capacity to organize ideas, construct arguments, and hence achieve success in writing (kalmatova et al., 2024; thi & nguyen, 2021). moreover, students with a field independent cognitive style often struggle with writing tasks that require broader thinking, while field dependent students tend to perform better in such contexts (thủy et al., 2024). critical thinking skills signify the scope of activities that encompass analysis, evaluation, inference, and interpretation, among others 13(2), 611-620. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11815 received: 24-02-2024 accepted: 28-04-2024 published: 30-06-2025 ramli, cilung kurniawan, muhammad arrum dalami, yon a. e. assessing the impact of cognitive styles and critical thinking skills on writing proficiency 612 (lustyantie et al., 2022; ramli et al., 2019a, 2019b). this skill is indispensable in learning and problem-solving since an individual is able to engage with information actively and reflectively. critical thinking, when developed in learners, comes in handy in writing: building well-reasoned arguments, analyzing evidence, and persuasively presenting their ideas (karaer et al., 2024; kazemian et al., 2021; wu et al., 2024). moreover, several studies confirm that cognitive factors involve with writing development. murtaza (2022) reports how cognitive processes underpin writing abilities, identifying universal cognitive mechanisms across languages. this result is further supported by study emphasizing the influence of cognitive style on information processing, idea organization, and task execution in writing, highlighting the importance of cognitive abilities such as ideation and transcription for enhancing writing skills in english language learners (issa & shyamala, 2021). and, tambi, murtadho, and rafli (tambi et al., 2019) provide empirical evidence of this relationship, demonstrating that students with a field independent cognitive style exhibited superior narrative writing ability in bahasa indonesia compared to their field dependent counterparts, thus reinforcing the link between cognitive style and writing proficiency. these studies collectively suggest that understanding and addressing cognitive factors are crucial for fostering effective writing instruction. some previous studies focused on those metacognitive strategies such as writing and underdeveloped critical thinking skills, ai-assisted writing, reflective writing, or those cognitive and motivational challenges (anaktototy et al., 2023; aziz et al., 2024; safitri & adani, 2024; sajidin & supeno, 2024; shen & teng, 2024). these studies assessed higher-order thinking in terms of writing complexity and its determinants. however, how cognitive style and critical thinking skills are predictors of performance in writing is a field that has plenty of room for further investigation. similarly, other works address relationships between cognitive style and writing skill. for example, simonovic et al. (2022) found out that cognitive styles had significant influences for their attitudes and beliefs and on their academic writing performance, by exploring cognition fast-related to university students. the results of a study in which 191 university students took part showed that participants who were better able to adapt their cognitive style to the demands of a given task scored higher on writing essays, making it clear that both cognitive flexibility and plasticity are necessary qualities for writing quality, data from the research. cisneros et al. (2023) investigated the effects of daily choral singing and creative writing on french children’s cognitive development. while the study primarily focused on creative activities, it underscored the role of cognitive stimulation in improving children’s writing abilities, suggesting that cognitive engagement through varied tasks can enhance writing performance. in the same way, metacognitive strategy knowledge was correlated significantly with their writing performance (huang & zhang, 2022; qin & zhang, 2019). wawrzyniak et al. (2022) focused on primary school students, showing that cognitive strategies applied through physical activities also improved children’s writing skills. this underscores the broader applicability of cognitive interventions beyond traditional classroom settings. similarly, faísca et al. (2023) conducted a cognitive subtyping study on university students and identified distinct cognitive profiles that correlated with different levels of writing achievement. despite these insights, several limitations still befall the existing research. since most of such research has a small sample size, they generally cannot allow the generalization of findings. another primary limitation of the literature is that many studies use cross-sectional designs; hence, it is difficult to make inferences regarding causality between cognitive style and writing outcomes. other studies have focused on the efficacy of different instructional practices in improving critical thinking and writing skills. ijirana et al. (2022) study confirmed that a team project-based stem-metacognitive skills learning model has proven to be an effective method in fostering critical thinking skills, especially in virtual environment. chang et al. demonstrated how an annotation-supported socratic questioning approach positively influenced both argumentative writing performance and enhanced critical thinking skills in flipped language classrooms (2024). indeed, over the past decade, an increasing number of studies have evaluated the interrelationship between students’ critical thinking skills and writing skills. those previous studies have found a positive relationship between the two variables. these effectively increased the critical thinking levels of students, thereby improving their writing performance since according to listiqowati et al. (2022). similarly, hazaymeh and alomery (2021) supported the visual mind mapping strategy that may be effective english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 613 in developing critical reading and thinking abilities which could have a trickle-down effect on writing. writing and critical thinking are intertwined with one another; the relationship has been confirmed by research conducted in which fahim & masouleh (2021) found that students who participated in higher-order thinking activities performed better than their peers on writing quality essay. further, few studies have examined how cognitive style might interact with critical thinking skills (both of which can affect the writing performance of students) in relation to their causeand-effect relationships. however, those researches have treated cognitive style and critical thinking as independent variables rather than examining their interaction. the current literature requires a more understanding of how cognitive style and critical thinking ability jointly affect students’ skills in writing english essays. addressing the identified research gaps is crucial, as english as a foreign language (efl) writing proficiency is fundamental to academic success and lifelong learning. by examining the together influence of cognitive style and critical thinking, this study aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of the cognitive foundations of writing performance. by employing multiple regression analysis, this quantitative study could provide further detail on how such interacting cognitive variables contribute to writing success. these findings will offer practical implications for educators by informing the design of instruction that caters to diverse cognitive profiles and fosters critical thinking development. specifically, the present study aims to investigate: (1) do cognitive styles predict the students’ performance in english essay writing? (2) do critical thinking skills predict the students’ performance in english essay writing? (3) do cognitive styles and critical thinking skills variable predict the students’ english essay writing? method this study employed a quantitative research design with a correlational study to examine the effect of cognitive styles and critical thinking skills on the students’ performance in writing english essay. this study involved 26 students randomly selected from 45 undergraduate students english education study program of teacher training and education of universitas lakidende unaaha. the random selection process was conducted using a simple random sampling. the inclusion criteria for participants required that they had completed the basic writing courses as part of their program. three research instruments were utilized in collecting the data. the group-embedded figure test (geft) was administered to identify the participants’ cognitive styles. the test challenges the participants to recognize a simple graph embedded in the complex figure consisting of three sections within 20 minutes. the maximum possible score is 18, with higher scores indicating a fieldindependent cognitive style, and lower scores reflecting a field-dependent style (witkin et al., 1971). watson-glaser critical thinking appraisal (watson & glaser, 2002) was given to assess participants’ critical thinking skills. it comprised 17 items measuring abilities (inference, recognition of assumptions, deduction, interpretation, evaluation of arguments. the correlation between testing occasions is 0.73-0.89 suggesting that the results are consistent over time. and the third is essay writing test in english. the respondents were asked to write a five-paragraph essay consisting of 250 – 400 words. it was limited for 100 minutes. the test aimed to measure their writing performance. the scoring rubric was a modification of heaton’s analytical rubric for writing performance evaluating 5 aspects: content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics where each aspect score ranging from 1 to 100. data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis to test the research hypothesis, specifically whether cognitive styles and critical thinking skills together predict essay writing performance. statistical analysis was conducted using spss for windows (version 23), with the significance level set at α = 0.05. the normality of the three variables— cognitive styles, critical thinking skills, and writing skills—was assessed using both the kolmogorov-smirnov and shapiro-wilk tests. in all cases, the null hypothesis of normality could not be rejected at the 0.05 significance level, as the pvalues exceeded 0.05. for cognitive styles, the pvalues were 0.200 (kolmogorov-smirnov) and 0.780 (shapiro-wilk). for critical thinking skills, the p-values were 0.170 and 0.093, respectively, and for writing skills, 0.200 and 0.392. these results indicate that there is insufficient evidence to suggest that the data deviate from a normal distribution. given these findings, it is appropriate to proceed with parametric tests that assume normality. the linearity of the relationship between cognitive styles and writing skills was assessed ramli, cilung kurniawan, muhammad arrum dalami, yon a. e. assessing the impact of cognitive styles and critical thinking skills on writing proficiency 614 using an anova for linearity, which indicated that the assumption of linearity was met, with a p-value of 0.093, surpassing the significance threshold of 0.05. this suggests a linear relationship. additionally, a moderate positive correlation between critical thinking skills and writing skills was found, with a correlation coefficient of 0.486, indicating that approximately 23.7% of the variance in writing skills can be attributed to critical thinking skills. results and discussion descriptive statistic table 1. descriptive statistic of dependent and independent variables variables n minimum maximum mean std. deviation variance cognitive styles 25 1 17 9.00 3.753 14.083 critical thinking skills 25 6 13 9.72 1.429 2.043 writing skills 25 47 90 66.60 12.169 148.083 valid n (listwise) 25 descriptive statistics for the cognitive styles, critical thinking skills, and writing skills variables are shown in table 1. for all variables, the sample size is 25. cognitive style scores ranged from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 17 with a mean of 9.00. the standard deviation is 3.753 thus at a level of moderate dispersion. this dispersion is further quantified by a variance of 14.083. scores of critical thinking skills are less spread: from 6 to 13 with a mean of 9.72. the standard deviation is 1.429, showing a lesser dispersion than that of cognitive styles. the variance of 2.043 reflects a lower spread. the writing performance suggests the highest scores ranging from 47 to 90, with a mean of 66.60. the standard deviation is 12.169, showing a fair degree of variability in the scores. this greater dispersion is further supported by the variance of the three variables, with 148.083 being the highest. valid n (participant) 25: there were no missing values in any of the three variables of the 25 cases which contained data in the analysis. correlation between variables table 2. variables’ correlation variables writing skills cognitive styles critical thinking skills writing skills 1 0.252 0.486** cognitive styles 0.252 1 -0.314* critical thinking skills 0.486** -0.314* 1 note: *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 the results of the correlation analysis presented in table 2 indicate a significant positive correlation between students’ writing skills and critical thinking skills (r = 0.486, p < 0.01). this suggests that individuals with stronger critical thinking abilities tend to demonstrate superior writing skills. furthermore, the correlation between writing skills and cognitive styles is positive but not statistically significant (r = 0.252, p > 0.05). additionally, there exists a significant negative correlation between cognitive styles and critical thinking skills (r = -0.314, p < 0.05). this implies that individuals with certain cognitive styles may be inclined to exhibit lower critical thinking skills, or vice versa. multiple regression analysis upon verifying that the assumptions were met and analyzing the correlations among the variables, the multiple regression analysis was conducted. the results of the regression analysis are presented in tables 3 and 4. table 3. summary of regression model model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate durbin-watson 1 0.647 0.418 0.360 4.525 1.338 from table 3, it can be observed that the regression model has an r value of 0.647, indicating a moderate positive relationship between the combination of independent variables (critical thinking skills and cognitive styles) and the dependent variable, writing skills. the r english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 615 square value of 0.418 signifies that approximately 41.8% of the variance in students’ writing skills scores can be explained by these two independent variables. the adjusted r square value of 0.360 indicates that about 36% of the variance in writing skills can be accounted for by the model after considering its complexity. the standard error of the estimate, which is 4.525, suggests that, on average, the model’s predictions deviate from the actual writing skills scores by approximately 4.525 points. the durbin-watson value of 1.338 indicates a potential positive autocorrelation within the residuals. from table 3 above, the r value of the regression model is 0.647, indicating a moderate positive relation of the combined independent variables (cognitive styles and critical thinking skills) and the dependent variable, writing skills. this also gives an r square of 0.418, meaning about 41.8% of the variation in the students’ scores on writing english essay are accounted for by these two independent variables. the adjusted r square value of 0.360 shows that about 36% of the variation in writing skills is explained by the model, given its complexity. the standard error of the estimate, which is 4.525, suggests that, on average, the model’s predictions deviate from the actual writing skills scores by approximately 4.525 points. the durbin-watson value of 1.338 indicates a potential positive autocorrelation within the residuals. table 4. analysis of variance (anova) anovaa model sum of squares df mean square f sig. 1 regression 294.352 2 147.176 7.187 .004b residual 409.561 20 20.478 total 703.913 22 a. dependent variable: writing skills b. predictors: (constant), critical thinking skills, cognitive styles the overall anova of the regression analysis shows that the regression model as a whole is statistically significant, with f(2, 20) = 7.187 and p = 0.004. this proves that both variables taken together have a strong effect on the students’ writing skills. in other words, it can be said that there exists evidence of this combined effect of two independent variables on explaining the variation in the dependent variable, students' writing ability. in addition, the r-squared value of 0.418 ensures that the given regression model explains approximately 41.8% of the total variance in the set of writing skills. in other words, nearly half of the variation in writing skills among individuals can be the result of differences in critical thinking skills and cognitive style. these results substantiate the role of both cognitive style and critical thinking skills in writing proficiency. coefficients of regression table 5. coefficients of regression coefficientsa model unstandardized coefficients standardized coefficients t sig. b std. error beta 1 (constant) 35.741 8.253 4.331 .000 cognitive styles .766 .307 .449 2.498 .021 critical thinking skills 2.468 .707 .627 3.492 .002 a. dependent variable: writing skills through regression analysis, it was found that cognitive styles (p = 0.021) and critical thinking skills (p = 0.002) significantly influence writing skills. more accurately, with each increase of one unit in critical thinking skills, writing skills increase on average by 2.468 points, while for every increase in cognitive styles by one unit, writing skills increase by 0.766 points. in respect to the standardized beta coefficients, critical thinking skills are stronger, with a beta of 0.627 compared to the cognitive styles variable with a beta of 0.449. the constant of 35.741 defines the predicted value of writing skills when both independent variables equal zero. such findings then support the importance of cognitive styles and critical thinking skills in writing ability development. ramli, cilung kurniawan, muhammad arrum dalami, yon a. e. assessing the impact of cognitive styles and critical thinking skills on writing proficiency 616 the present study aimed to investigate the role of cognitive styles and critical thinking skills in writing abilities. to this aim, a multivariate regression analysis was performed in order to determine the relationship between these two independent variables, cognitive styles and critical thinking skills, and their influence on the dependent variable, which is students’ performance in writing. the results of the regression analysis indicate that the cognitive styles and critical thinking skills together significantly impact writing skills, accounting for approximately 36% of the variance. this aligns with previous research emphasizing the multifaceted nature of writing, influenced by cognitive, linguistic, and social factors (macapagal, 2024; nawaz et al., 2024). furthermore, it supports the notion that language proficiency alone may not guarantee strong writing skills; cognitive processes like critical thinking are equally vital (teng et al., 2020; wang, 2023; yotta, 2023). nevertheless, in line with the hypothesis, critical thinking skills were more vital determinants of writing performance compared to cognitive styles (hu & saleem, 2023; nejad et al., 2022; valeyeva et al., 2022). this is evident in such studies as listiqowati et al. (2022) and fahim & masouleh (2012), which found that critical thinking is positively related to writing performance. critical thinking denotes the ways in which learners have the potential to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information so that they would logically build an argument and convey ideas persuasively (karaer et al., 2024; wu et al., 2024). while cognitive styles also contributed significantly to the prediction of writing performance, their impact was weak. that consequently implies that though individual preferences for processing information (razumnikova, 2024) play their role, they may not be as crucial, however, than critical thinking in determining the outcomes of writing. however, it would be beneficial to conduct additional research on the relationship between cognitive styles and critical thinking since it is reasonable that changes in styles would also have implications on the level of critical thinking skills that can be effectively applied by an individual using writing tasks. this leads to supporting the idea that various cognitive styles result in different writing task approaches, and the efficacy of such approaches is determined by the individual critical thinking skills (simonovic et al., 2022). the intriguing negative correlation between cognitive styles and critical thinking skills speaks to further attention. it would suggest there could be an interaction wherein a type of cognitive style, if any, was detrimental to developing high levels of critical thinking or vice-versa-higher levels of critical thinking capability were found less among individuals possessing particular cognitive styles. it is plausible that the field-dependent cognitive style-that is, reliance on external cues and contextmay impede independent, analytical thinking critical to accomplishment. the nature and direction of this relation remain to be specified and would presumably require a more theoretically detailed examination of the operative processes. this result points out that the model explains 36% of the variation in the dependent variable; thus, writing proficiency is determined by factors other than cognitive styles and critical thinking skills. examples include language proficiency, prior writing experience, motivation, and the learning environment. this has been hinted at by anaktototy et al. (2023) and de smedt et al. (2018). further research should integrate these variables in the development of a comprehensive model of writing development. moreover, the possible presence of positive autocorrelation in the residuals demands further investigation. in addition, autocorrelation can affect the validity of statistical inference from a regression model. if large autocorrelation were detected, consideration of model adjustments or other alternative techniques able to handle autocorrelation would be made. this study underlines the important role of critical thinking in writing, together with the nuanced influence of cognitive style. these findings have some very important implications for educators: writing instruction should focus not only on the development of critical thinking skills but also on an appreciation for diverse ways of cognizing about learning. educators should foster a multifaceted environment that stimulates both analytical rigor and cognitive flexibility as a means of empowering students to become effective and confident writers. conclusion these findings suggest that cognitive styles and critical thinking skills play a significant role in determining the english essay writing performance of undergraduate students. these results verify that both are sizable contributors to writing skills, but critical thinking abilities predict more. this is in line with what has been suggested in other research english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 617 regarding the interpretive function of written language and its links to both linguistic competence and cognitive processing. this supports the idea that understands a language is an insufficient condition for writing; brain functions such as critical thinking are necessary too. the strong positive effect of critical thinking skills for writing implies the role of analysis and evaluation in writing. with the instruction of information analysis, argumentation evaluations, and idea synthesis students will be able to produce more organized content. cognitive styles are significant but somewhat weaker factors, and it is possible that an individual's preferred style of processing information may mean they use critical thinking differently in relation to writing outcomes. the study’s findings have important implications for education, particularly in developing learning strategies that can enhance students’ writing abilities. educators can focus on fostering students’ critical thinking skills through explicit instruction and activities that promote analysis, evaluation, and synthesis. simultaneously, recognizing and accommodating diverse cognitive styles in instructional design and writing assignments can create a more inclusive and effective learning environment. on the other hand, differences in cognitive styles and critical thinking skills are not enough to account for successful academic writing. there are other additional factors that contribute to writing development such as language proficiency, prior writing experiences, motivation and learning environment. these variables need to be considered in future research developing models of writing development. in addition, we need to investigate more how cognitive styles and critical thinking may interact with writing skills as well as how interventions targeting both factors can affect the quality of writing. the current study’s relatively small sample size suggests that research on a larger sample could strengthen the obtained results and enhance their generalizability. this research generally points to the great roles of both cognitive styles and critical thinking skills in predicting students’ performance in writing english essays. emphasizing the development of critical thinking skills and recognizing the students’ cognitive styles can help educators to create a learning environment where all learners become successful and confident writers. it thus sets out to provide a foundation for further research on how cognitive factors influence writing development and how this can help educator in elaborating teaching methods. acknowledgement the authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by direktorat riset, teknologi, dan pengabdian kepada masyarakat (drtpm) grant from kementerian pendidikan, kebudayaan, riset, dan teknologi, which made this research possible. we extend our sincere appreciation for their commitment to fostering research and innovation in indonesia. references abegglen, s., buckley, c., burns, t., sinfield, s., & syska, a. (2024). writing to learn: creative ld perspectives for learning developers and students. journal of learning development in higher education, 32. https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi32.1396. adjoe, c., & kimani, r. (2020). the effect on learning objectives and outcomes of students’ inability to develop language competencies for appropriate communication at the undergraduate level. english language teaching and linguistics studies, 2(3), p64. https://doi.org/10.22158/eltls.v2n3p64. anaktototy, k., sekawael, m., latief, m. r. a., & binhady, w. r. a. (2023). beyond linguistics: exploring the cognitive and motivational barriers to essay writing for tertiary students. international journal of language education, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v7i3.37070. aziz, i. n., setyosari, p., widiati, u., & ulfa, s. (2024). metacognitive strategies to improve critical thinking and learner autonomy in writing argumentative texts in islamic boarding schools. al-hayat: journal of islamic education, 8(2), 788. https://doi.org/10.35723/ajie.v8i2.663. berdanier, c. g. p., & lenart, j. b. (2020). why is writing so hard? in so, you have to write a literature review: a guided workbook for engineers (pp. 1–10). wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119555063.ch1. chang, j., hung, h., & yang, y. c. (2024). effects of an annotation‐supported socratic questioning approach on students’ argumentative writing performance and critical thinking skills in flipped language classrooms. journal of computer assisted learning, 40(1), 37–48. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12856. chicho, k. z. h. (2022). an analysis of factors influencing efl learners’ writing skills. canadian journal of language and literature studies, 2(2), 28–38. https://doi.org/10.53103/cjlls.v2i2.38. cisneros, a. g., roussey, j., inbar, t., fratacci, a., & frey, a. (2023). impact of daily choral singing and creative writing activities on the cognitive ramli, cilung kurniawan, muhammad arrum dalami, yon a. e. assessing the impact of cognitive styles and critical thinking skills on writing proficiency 618 development of second-, third-, and fourth-grade french children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. children, 10(9), 1515. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10091515. de smedt, f., merchie, e., barendse, m., rosseel, y., de naeghel, j., & van keer, h. (2018). cognitive and motivational challenges in writing: studying the relation with writing performance across students’ gender and achievement level. reading research quarterly, 53(2), 249–272. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.193. nejad, m. e., izadpanah, s., namaziandost, e., & rahbar, b. (2022). the mediating role of critical thinking abilities in the relationship between english as a foreign language learners’ writing performance and their language learning strategies. frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.746445. fahim, m., & masouleh, n. s. (2012). critical thinking in higher education: a pedagogical look. theory and practice in language studies, 2(7). https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.2.7.1370-1375. faísca, l., reis, a., & araújo, s. (2023). cognitive subtyping of university students with dyslexia in a semi-transparent orthography: what can weaknesses and strengths tell us about compensation? journal of cultural cognitive science, 7, 121–136. https://doi.org/s41809-02300124-4. hazaymeh, w. a., & alomery, m. k. (2021). the effectiveness of visual mind mapping strategy for improving english language learners’ critical thinking skills and reading ability. european journal of educational research, 11(1), 141– 150. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.11.1.141. hu, y., & saleem, a. (2023). insight from the association between critical thinking and english argumentative writing: catering to english learners’ writing ability. peerj, 11, e16435. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16435. huang, y., & zhang, l. j. (2022). facilitating l2 writers’ metacognitive strategy use in argumentative writing using a process-genre approach. frontiers in psychology, 13, 1036831. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1036831/ bibtex. ijirana, i., aminah, s., supriadi, s., & magfirah, m. (2022). critical thinking skills of chemistry education students in team project-based stemmetacognitive skills learning during the covid19 pandemic. journal of technology and science education, 12(2), 397. https://doi.org/10.3926/jotse.1697. issa, s. h. m., & shyamala. (2021). improvement of cognitive ability of english language learners through writing skills. psychology and education journal, 58(1), 5457–5472. https://doi.org/10.17762/pae.v58i1.1859. kalmatova, g., duishonbekova, g., moldobaeva, d., guseinova, z., & orozaliev, e. (2024). influence of cognitive styles on students’ research activities. scientific herald of uzhhorod university series physics, 56, 2230–2239. https://doi.org/10.54919/physics/56.2024.223w h0. karaer, g., hand, b., & french, b. f. (2024). examining the impact of science writing heuristic (swh) approach on development of critical thinking, science and language skills of students with and without disabilities. thinking skills and creativity, 51, 101443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.101443. kazemian, m., irawan, l. a., & haerazi, h. (2021). developing metacognitive writing strategy to enhance writing skills viewed from prospective teachers’ critical thinking skills. journal of language and literature studies, 1(1), 15–28. https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v1i1.499. listiqowati, i., budijanto, sumarmi, & ruja, i. n. (2022b). the impact of project-based flipped classroom (pjbfc) on critical thinking skills. international journal of instruction, 15(3), 853– 868. lustyantie, n., suriyati, y., isnan, f. n., ramli, & yudha, r. p. (2022). the effect of cognitive style, critical thinking, and digital literature on argumentative writing skills. educational sciences: theory and practice, 22(1), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.12738/jestp.2022.1.0003. macapagal, j. (2024). language acquisition in diverse linguistic, social, and cognitive contexts: a paper review and synthesis of multifaceted theories. journal of interdisciplinary perspectives, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.69569/jip.2024.0017. murtaza, q. (2022). a cognitive account of the development of writing skill. in d. mccutchen (ed.), the routledge international handbook of research on writing (pp. 206–224). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429437991-16. nawaz, m., nizamani, m., mehak, & hameed, r. (2024). analyze how children acquire language and the cognitive processes involved, including the role of environmental and social factors. bulletin of business and economics (bbe), 13(3), 239–247. https://doi.org/10.61506/01.00483. qin, l., & zhang, l. j. (2019). english as a foreign language writers’ metacognitive strategy knowledge of writing and their writing performance in multimedia environments. journal of writing research, 11(2), 393–413. https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2019.11.02.06. ramli, boeriswati, e., & emzir. (2019a). cognitive style and teaching method: the effect on students’ writing performance. proceedings of the first international conference on advances in education, humanities, and language, icel 2019, malang, indonesia, 23-24 march 2019, 444–450. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.23-32019.2284902. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 619 ramli., boeriswati, e., & emzir. (2019b). the effect of metaphorming teaching method on fieldindependent/dependent learners in writing essay. the asian efl journal, 23(6.3), 4–14. razumnikova, o. m. (2024). the role of cognitive style in the formation of personalized training programs. educational psychology in polycultural space, 66(2), 60–68. https://doi.org/10.24888/2073-8439-2024-66-260-68. safitri, a., & adani, s. (2024). students’ ability to develop critical thinking skills in english essay writing. edukatif: jurnal ilmu pendidikan, 6(4), 3440–3450. https://doi.org/10.31004/edukatif.v6i4.7335. sajidin, f. f. n., & supeno, s. (2024). students’ critical thinking and writing skills regarded to reflective writing. inference: journal of english language teaching, 6(1), 67. https://doi.org/10.30998/inference.v6i1.10974. shen, x., & teng, m. f. (2024). three-wave crosslagged model on the correlations between critical thinking skills, self-directed learning competency and ai-assisted writing. thinking skills and creativity, 52, 101524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2024.101524. simonovic, b., vione, k., fido, d., stupple, e., martin, j., & clarke, r. (2022). the impact of attitudes, beliefs, and cognitive reflection on the development of critical thinking skills in online students. online learning, 26(2). https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v26i2.2725. tambi, t., murtadho, f., & rafli, z. (2019). learning strategy and cognitive style: the effect on students’ writing ability. proceedings of the first international conference on advances in education, humanities, and language, icel 2019, malang, indonesia, 23-24 march 2019. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.23-3-2019.2284998. teng, l. s., yuan, r. e., & sun, p. p. (2020). a mixedmethods approach to investigating motivational regulation strategies and writing proficiency in english as a foreign language contexts. system, 88, 102182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.102182. thi, n., & nguyen, t. (2021). a review of the effects of media on foreign language vocabulary acquisition. international journal of tesol & education, 1(1), 30–37. thủy, t. t. t., hoa, n. t. m., & nguyen, d. t. n. (2024). cognitive styles and influences on academic writing: an empirical investigation among english language learners. english language teaching, 17(10), 46. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v17n10p46 valeyeva, n., kupriyanov, r., valeyeva, e., & kupriyanova, n. (2022). critical thinking as a predictor of academic success. baikal research journal, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.17150/24116262.2022.13(4).7. wang, y. (2023). exploring the roles of cognitive style and guanxi networks in creativity, leadership, and entrepreneurship. thinking skills and creativity, 50, 101398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.101398. watson, g., & glaser, e. (2002). critical thinking appraisal (uk edition). pearson assessment. wawrzyniak, s., korbecki, m., cichy, i., kruszwicka, a., przybyla, t., klichowski, m., & rokita, a. (2022). everyone can implement eduball in physical education to develop cognitive and motor skills in primary school students. international journal of environmental research and public health, 19(3), 1275. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031275. witkin, h. a., oltman, p. k., raskin, evelyn., & karp, s. a. (1971). group embedded figures test. consulting psychologists press. wu, t.-t., silitonga, l. m., & murti, a. t. (2024). enhancing english writing and higher-order thinking skills through computational thinking. computers & education, 213, 105012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2024.105012. yaacob, s., haron, i., yaacob, a., & alqahtani, z. h. a. (2022). the mystery of the writing process: a comparison of mechanistic and developmental organic writing. international journal of innovation, creativity and change, 692–707. https://doi.org/10.53333/ijicc2013/16154. yotta, e. g. (2023). accommodating students’ learning styles differences in english language classroom. heliyon, 9(6), e17497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17497. ramli, cilung kurniawan, muhammad arrum dalami, yon a. e. assessing the impact of cognitive styles and critical thinking skills on writing proficiency 620 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1021 lms-driven hots reading model for higher education enhancement erlan darmawan 3departemen of information system, faculty of computer science, universitas kuningan, indonesia email: erlan.darmawan@uniku.ac.id nani ronsani thamrin (corresponding author) department of english education, universitas kuningan , indonesia email: nani.ronsani.thamrin@uniku.ac.id, gentur wiguna suwarto departemen of information system, faculty of computer science, universitas kuningan, indonesia email: genturboy@gmail.com apa citation: darmawan, e., thamrin, n. r., suwarto, g. w. (2023). lms-driven hots reading model for higher education enhancement. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 1021-1032. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.9198 received: 19-06-2023 accepted: 24-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: this research aims to implement the learning management system of the learning process for developing a reading instruction model based on hots. conducted the research in a private university in kuningan, west java, indonesia. at present, one of the private tertiary institutions in kuningan during covid19 is conducting lectures in a virtual class using moodle in the learning process with the e-class, a part of the lms. with the implementation of a virtual class in the form of moodle used by the students of a private university in kuningan, it is hoped that it can improve the reading instruction model based on higher-order thinking skills. this research is a kind of research and development or research and development (r&d) to produce products and test the feasibility of products, where the products developed are in the form of a reading instruction model based on hots using the addie development model (analysis, design, development and implementation, evaluation). the results are very effective in using this model, as seen from the test results obtained by students in the class. keywords: learning management system; reading instruction model; hots; virtual class and moodle; r&d introduction this study aims to implement the learning management system (lms) in the learning process to develop a reading instruction model based on higher-order thinking skills (hots). the research was conducted in a private university in kuningan, west java, indonesia. one of the private tertiary institutions in kuningan, amid the covid-19 pandemic, is conducting lectures in a virtual class using moodle as part of the learning process with the e-class, which is a component of the lms. implementing a virtual class based on moodle used by students at a private university in kuningan is hoped to improve the reading instruction model based on higher-order thinking skills (hots). this study falls under the category of research and development, specifically research and development (r&d) to produce and assess the feasibility of products. the products developed take the form of a reading instruction model based on hots using the addie (analysis, design, development and implementation, evaluation) development model. in the analysis phase, the research understands the needs and challenges in the learning process, especially in developing higher-order thinking skills. design involves detailed planning of the structure of the reading instructional model to be developed, considering the curriculum and student needs. the development phase involves creating and integrating the model into the lms, in this case, moodle. then, in the implementation phase, the hots-based reading instruction model is applied in the virtual learning environment. an evaluation is conducted to measure the effectiveness of this model. the results show the effectiveness of using this model, as seen from the test results obtained by the students in the class. the evaluation results provide a deep understanding of how much this model can improve students' reading comprehension and skills. overall, this study highlights the implementation of technology in education through the lms and focuses on developing a reading instructional model that erlan darmawan, nani ronsani thamrin, & gentur wiguna suwarto lms-driven hots reading model for higher education enhancement 1022 promotes higher-order thinking skills. thus, this research positively impacts higher education learning, especially amid the challenges of distance learning during the covid-19 pandemic. moodle is a prominent open learning management system (lms) in online education. as an lms, it is a digital platform designed to facilitate online learning and a viable alternative to traditional offline learning systems(arman et al., 2022; bradley, 2021; turnbull et al., 2020). the importance of lms lies in its ability to foster interaction between instructors and students, transforming the educational landscape by providing a dynamic and versatile learning environment. this transformation is highlighted by a growing body of literature, such as the works of moodle has gained popularity among academics due to its diverse features, including forums, assignments, attendance tracking, virtual meetings, and extensive learning materials(makruf et al., 2022; suartama et al., 2020; ziraba et al., 2020). they findings underscore the multifaceted nature of moodle, highlighting its role as a robust and adaptable tool for modern educators and learners. furthermore, moodle's global appeal is enhanced by its support for over 120 languages, which allows users to customize their moodle site according to their linguistic preferences and regional needs(devi & aparna, 2020; tosun & taşkesenligil, 2020; widodo et al., 2022). the findings of shed light on the user-friendly nature of moodle, making it accessible and adaptable globally. in educational technology, the lms, as exemplified by moodle, is emerging as a powerful tool capable of supporting interactive educational processes (andreassen et al., 2020; muhisn et al., 2020). these findings, as reported by andreassen et al. (2020) and muhisn et al. (2020), underscore the central role of lms in shaping contemporary educational practices in line with broader trends in digital pedagogy. as we move into the context of reading instruction, it becomes clear that students need to engage with textual content and cultivate essential life and career skills, as well as media and ict skills. these skills collectively comprise the 21stcentury skills, commonly referred to as higherorder thinking skills (hots), that are essential for thriving and interacting in the complex landscape of the 21st century. as outlined by artika et al. (2023) and pramaysella et al. (2023), hots includes three basic categories: transfer, critical thinking, and problem-solving. transfer involves the application of acquired knowledge, while critical thinking delves into reflective thinking, reasoning, investigation, exploration of viewpoints, understanding, synthesis, evaluation, comparison, and relationships. finally, problemsolving encompasses the ability to navigate and solve complex challenges. in conclusion, moodle as an lms is a versatile and influential platform that revolutionizes online learning and supports interactive educational processes. besides that lms can also be used to produce improvements in the quality of learning that can be measured based on several variables such as lecturer satisfaction, level of productivity, so that it can be seen the level of effectiveness of using lms(dhika et al., 2020; luckyardi & syaroni, 2020; simanullang & rajagukguk, 2020). including 21st-century skills, particularly hots, in the context of reading instruction represents a holistic approach to education that recognizes the need for students to develop skills beyond traditional academic knowledge. the references cited provide a solid foundation that anchors these findings in the broader scholarly discourse on lms, hots, and the evolving landscape of education (bhakti et al., 2021; widyaningsih et al., 2021; yusuf et al., 2021a). exploring the development of reading subjects based on higher-order thinking skills (hots) within the learning process through a learning management system (lms) at a private university in kuningan is a novel endeavour that has not been undertaken before. this research is of great urgency, especially given its potential to significantly impact the negotiations for a private university in kuningan. the university is implementing a technology-enhanced learning process using moodle as an integral part of the broader lms. at a general level, the urgency of this research lies in its ability to provide a viable solution for the cultivation of a reading subject grounded in higher-order thinking skills through the use of the learning management system. the contemporary educational landscape, characterized by technological advancements, underscores the need for innovative approaches to foster critical thinking and improve the overall quality of the learning process (jameel et al., 2023; saripah et al., 2023; yusuf et al., 2021b). the specific needs that underscore the importance of this research are manifold: low levels of critical thinking among students. the research is prompted by recognizing the prevailing low level of critical thinking students exhibit in their learning process. it is imperative to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1023 address this issue to improve the student body's intellectual engagement and analytical skills. limited recognition of the importance of critical thinking. another crucial aspect is the realization that the private university in kuningan still needs to fully grasp the importance of critical thinking as a cornerstone for student success. critical thinking is not just an academic exercise but a critical skill contributing to broader personal and professional development. alignment with student-centered learning policies. the research takes on additional significance in light of the regulations and policies that govern higher education. the current emphasis on student-centred learning requires the cultivation of higher-order thinking skills, making it imperative for the university to align its curriculum with these educational guidelines. in essence, this research seeks to bridge existing gaps in the educational landscape to enhance students' critical thinking skills in the context of a technology-enhanced learning environment. by addressing these urgencies, the research aims to contribute to the academic discourse and to serve as a catalyst for positive change within the private university in kuningan, fostering a more robust and student-centred learning environment. in order to determine the state of the art for this study, the authors conducted a comprehensive literature review, examining critical works in the field. this process is essential to contextualize the research within the existing body of knowledge and identify gaps the current study aims to address. first, thamrin and agustin (2019) conducted a study that conceptualized variation in reading to enhance higher-order thinking skills (hots). however, it should be noted that their study provided only a partial exploration of the relevant concepts. in contrast, the present study is distinguished by its focus on developing a learning management system (lms) based on the hots learning model. by integrating lms technology into the learning process, the research aims to contribute a unique perspective and advance the current understanding of promoting hots through innovative instructional models. second, the work of mursyid and kurniawati (2019) examined hots instructional strategies used by english teachers in seven schools. in this study, the researchers focus on the tertiary level, specifically in english courses. instead of investigating teaching strategies, the focus is on developing an lms-based hots learning model tailored to the needs of tertiary education. this shift is crucial for extending the applicability of hots strategies to higher education, where the dynamics of learning and teaching are significantly different. finally the three studies contribute to exploring the development of higher-order thinking skills (hots) through learning management systems (lms) in different educational contexts. (herianto, 2021) explores the implementation of hots-based e-learning in higher education during the pandemic. the study, involving 196 participants, shows positive responses and impactful learning outcomes in 16 activities, highlighting the need for hots-aligned education to meet the demands of the industrial revolution and societal evolution. ertikanto et al. (2023) evaluates the effectiveness of a guided inquiry learning model within an lms for thermodynamics content. the study, involving xi mipa students, shows that the experimental group's n-gain of 0.7456 exceeds that of the control group, indicating improved higher-order thinking skills. the study highlights the positive impact of blended learning using an lms and guided inquiry model on students' ability to think critically in thermodynamics. hikmawati (2022) focuses on enhancing hots in waves and optics courses through online lectures using the projectbased learning (pjbl) model. the research, conducted over five sessions with 27 participants, highlights a significant increase in hots scores. the average score increased from 55 to 79, indicating an average n-gain of 54. the study confirms that online lectures using a pjbl model effectively increase hots among pre-service physics teachers. in summary, these studies underscore the efficacy of lms-based approaches in promoting hots in diverse educational settings, highlighting the adaptability and positive outcomes associated with technology-enhanced learning environments. the literature review reveals the research landscape related to hots and reading variation. the identified studies (mursyid & kurniawati, 2019; pramaysella et al., 2023; thamrin & agustin, 2019) provide valuable insights within their respective scopes. however, the current study aims to contribute to this knowledge base by developing a distinctive learning management system (lms)-based hots learning model tailored for tertiary-level english courses, thus expanding the research horizon. system (lms)-based higher-order thinking skills (hots) in english courses within tertiary institutions. the synthesis of previous studies led to the researcher's conclusion that no such development initiative has been undertaken based erlan darmawan, nani ronsani thamrin, & gentur wiguna suwarto lms-driven hots reading model for higher education enhancement 1024 on the current knowledge base. this revelation underscores the novelty and significance of the present research endeavour. the current study is positioned to explore the development of learning and assessment models, explicitly focusing on integrating higher-order thinking skills (hots) into technology-enhanced english courses. this initiative aligns with the strategic research program of the private university in kuningan, which prioritizes research on the development of nature conservation and information technology-based creative economy. this institutional-level commitment encompasses five key areas, including conservation and community forests, the implementation of mobile computing, legal awareness and good governance, the development of learning and evaluation (relevant to this study), and the tourism sector of the regional economy. in the area of educational disciplines combined with technology, the current research focuses on the intricacies of developing a higher-order thinking skill (hots) learning model tailored explicitly for technology-based english language courses. the chosen platform for this model is moodle, an integral part of the learning management system (lms). this represents a deliberate effort to use technology to enhance the learning experience and develop higher-order cognitive skills in students. methodologically, this research is classified as a type of research and development (r&d), with the overarching goal of generating products and evaluating their feasibility. the products developed are manifested in this context as a high-level thinking learning model or hots, following the systematic framework of the addie (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation). the addie model provides a structured and iterative approach that ensures the thorough analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of the hots learning model(mardiana et al., 2021; purba et al., 2022; yassir et al., 2022). in summary, this research project has strategic importance within the research priorities of the private university in kuningan, in line with the broader institutional commitment to conservation, information technology-based creative economy, and advancement in various vital sectors. the unique focus on developing a hots learning model in technology-enhanced english courses contributes not only to the academic discourse but also to improving teaching and learning practices at the intersection of technology and education. method this study adopts a research and development (r&d) approach to creating and evaluating products that take the form of a reading subjectbased higher-order thinking skills (hots) model. the development process follows the systematic framework provided by the addie development model, which includes the analysis, design, development and implementation, and evaluation phases. each phase plays a critical role in ensuring the effectiveness and feasibility of the final product. the initial phase involves a comprehensive analysis that includes a review of existing literature, a needs assessment, and identifying critical factors influencing the development of a hots-based reading instructional model. this phase lays the foundation for subsequent design and development decisions. based on the findings from the analysis, the design phase focuses on planning the structure of the reading-learning model. this involves creating a design that addresses the identified needs, is consistent with the principles of hots, and integrates seamlessly with the existing educational framework. with the blueprint in place, the development phase involves translating the conceptualized model into tangible products. in this case, the primary products are the syllabus, term plans, and the moodle learning management system (lms). the implementation phase involves the actual execution of the conceptualized model within the educational environment of the private university in kuningan. the effectiveness and feasibility of the developed reading subject-based hots model will be rigorously evaluated in this phase. various evaluation tools and metrics will be used to measure the impact on both teachers and students. this iterative evaluation process allows for refinement and improvement based on the feedback gathered. the culmination of the research process results in the final product an optimized hots model based on reading topics aligned with the educational goals of the private university in kuningan. this product is expected to improve the quality of reading instruction by integrating higherorder thinking skills. the research design incorporates a graphic representation using figures and frameworks to illustrate the sequential progression of the study. this visual aid enhances clarity and provides a roadmap for researchers and stakeholders. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1025 location, subject, and research object: the study is located in a private university in kuningan, west java. the subjects are the course lecturers, and the research object is the syllabi, semester learning designs, and the moodle learning management system (lms). this focused approach ensures that the research findings are contextually relevant and directly applicable to the university's educational environment. data collection, processing, and analysis procedures are fundamental components of research methodology and play a key role in ensuring the robustness and reliability of the study's findings. the systematic execution of these processes involves the methodical collection of information, applying appropriate analytical tools, and interpreting results to extract meaningful insights. the rigour and transparency maintained throughout these processes contribute significantly to the overall credibility of the research. the first step in this research involves collecting pertinent data through a two-pronged approach. observations are conducted to gain insight into the actual learning processes of the lecturers responsible for the courses at the private university in kuningan. this on-site observation allows for a holistic understanding of the educational dynamics. in addition, a questionnaire will be distributed via google forms focusing on curriculum data, lesson plans, and technology integration. this multi-faceted data collection strategy ensures a comprehensive understanding of implementing higher-order thinking skills (hots) within the learning environment. once the data are collected, they are carefully processed to enhance their usefulness and clarity. processing involves three key steps. first, in the preparation phase, each piece of information is carefully examined, selected, and sorted into distinct control and experimental classes. only valid and relevant information proceeds to the next stage. second, the processing stage is characterized by the presentation of data in a systematic and meaningful way. this strategic presentation ensures the data is prepared for seamless analysis in the next phase. third, the inference phase marks the final step in data processing, culminating in formulating high-level conclusions. this stage is critical in determining whether the data are suitable for further analysis. the sequential nature of these data processing procedures is designed to maintain the integrity of the information collected, ensuring that it is reliable and valid. this meticulous approach facilitates a deeper understanding of the learning processes and lays the groundwork for the subsequent analysis phase. in essence, the outlined procedures for data collection, processing, and analysis underscore the methodological rigour of this research. by adhering to these systematic steps, the study aims to provide a solid foundation for drawing informed conclusions and contributing valuable insights to the broader discourse on integrating higher-order thinking skills into educational practice. the central software underpinning this study is moodle, a versatile platform that serves as the technological backbone for facilitating interactive virtual engagement among educators. moodle provides a dynamic environment in which educators can interact virtually, collaborate, contribute to content development, and take advantage of available facilities. this technological infrastructure transforms traditional face-to-face teaching and learning activities into a virtual modality, ensuring adaptability to contemporary educational paradigms. as the core software, moodle empowers educators to transcend physical constraints and foster a collaborative and enriched digital space for teaching and learning. teachers can seamlessly contribute to content creation, share resources and engage in meaningful interactions, replicating the collaborative atmosphere of traditional classrooms in the virtual realm. this approach is consistent with the evolving landscape of education, where technology enables innovative pedagogical practices. however, using moodle effectively requires optimal hardware devices to ensure a smooth and efficient learning experience. in this context, researchers emphasize the importance of having adequate hardware devices, including pcs, notebooks, and smartphones. these devices, equipped with the necessary specifications, are essential tools that facilitate seamless connectivity to moodle and support the full functionality of the learning management system (lms). in addition, a robust internet network connection is considered a fundamental requirement for successfully implementing the learning management system. reliance on a stable, high-speed internet connection ensures that educators and students can take full advantage of the features and interactivity offered by moodle. it is this digital infrastructure that makes the virtual replacement of face-to-face teaching not only feasible but optimal. as the researchers conduct their study within the university environment, the erlan darmawan, nani ronsani thamrin, & gentur wiguna suwarto lms-driven hots reading model for higher education enhancement 1026 emphasis on these technological requirements becomes paramount. as a hub of educational activity, the university environment requires a reliable technological ecosystem to integrate moodle seamlessly into the pedagogical framework. the researchers, therefore, emphasize the importance of recognizing and meeting these hardware and connectivity requirements in order to realize the full potential of the learning management system in improving the quality and accessibility of education within the university landscape. the application of the learning management system at the private university in kuningan is designed to facilitate the learning process in order to develop the hots learning model. the following is a use case diagram of the learning management system used in this study figure 1. use case diagram of lms implementation at its core, the use of moodle-based software is a transformative initiative that uses technology to redefine the dynamics of teaching and learning. however, careful consideration of the associated hardware and connectivity requirements is required to ensure a seamless and effective implementation, especially in the university context where the research is being conducted. research data on the conceptualization and design of the learning management system (lms)--based higher-order thinking skills (hots) learning model, specifically using moodle, within a private university in kuningan were carefully collected through a combination of observations and questionnaires. the multifaceted nature of the data collection ensures a comprehensive understanding of the current landscape, encompassing aspects of planning, design, and integration of hots principles into the educational framework. the primary sources of research data are the insightful observations made by the researchers, which provide a first-hand account of the learning processes unfolding within the university. these observations serve as a qualitative lens through which the practical implementation of hots is evaluated. in addition, the researchers distributed a questionnaire to relevant stakeholders, such as faculty involved in course delivery. this questionnaire, administered through a robust platform such as google forms, captures quantitative data related to the implementation of hots, syllabus adherence, the presence of rps (rencana pelaksanaan pembelajaran or learning implementation plan), and the use of moodle technology (lms). in order to derive meaningful insights from the collected data, the researchers use a systematic analysis technique known as categorization. this involves a meticulous process of selection and sorting, whereby the data is divided into distinct categories based on specific criteria. the overarching goal is to determine which institutions have effectively incorporated hots principles into their teaching methodologies based on syllabus alignment, adherence to the learning implementation plan (rps), and successful integration of moodle technology. the subsequent analysis phase revolves around a detailed examination of the categorized data, focusing on those instances where hots was effectively implemented. the research takes a developmental approach, using the findings to inform the planning concepts and learning design of the hots learning model. this comprehensive approach includes refining curricula, lesson plans, and the strategic use of technology through moodle. by examining the data through the hots learning model development approach lens, the researchers aim to distil valuable insights into the efficacy and practicality of integrating higher-order thinking skills into the university's educational framework. the resulting analysis serves to evaluate the current state of implementation and inform future strategies for optimizing the hots learning model to ensure its relevance and impact within the private university in kuningan. results and discussion the initial phase of data analysis began with the meticulous recording of data from various sources, including tests (both pre-test and post-test), treatment sessions, and questionnaires. this comprehensive approach aimed to capture a holistic view of the learning processes and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1027 outcomes associated with the development of a reading subject based on higher-order thinking skills (hots). to ensure a robust analysis, the researcher actively participated in observing the reading class on four separate occasions, adding a qualitative dimension to the overall data collection. the chronological sequence of activities began with the administration of the pre-test, followed by the implementation of the treatment and the distribution of the questionnaires, and concluded with the post-test assessment of the participants. this structured approach allowed the researcher to measure the impact of the treatment on the participants' reading skills and effectively capture the nuances of the learning journey. upon completion of the test-related data collection, the researcher moved into the analysis phase, which involved several vital steps. the test results were methodically entered into the statistical package for the social sciences (spss) software, version 25, which facilitated a comprehensive and systematic analysis. this process involved performing three tests: the regular distribution test, the homogeneity of variance test, and the independent samples t-test. the standard distribution test, in particular, was used to determine whether the collected data exhibited a typical distribution pattern, providing critical insight into the statistical properties of the data. at the same time, the questionnaire data underwent a separate analysis process. using microsoft excel, the researcher applied a meticulous approach to calculating and analyzing the questionnaire responses. this step ensured a nuanced understanding of participants' perceptions and experiences, adding a qualitative layer to the quantitative analyses derived from the test results. the meticulous execution of these analytical steps speaks to the rigour embedded in the research methodology. using various statistical tests combined with qualitative observations contributes to a well-rounded analysis beyond numerical scores. the multifaceted approach enhances the credibility of the findings and allows for a comprehensive exploration of the factors that influence the development of a reading subject based on hots. in summary, the research design and subsequent data analysis underscore a methodical and comprehensive approach to evaluating the effectiveness of hots-based reading literacy development. integrating quantitative test results and qualitative observations ensures a nuanced understanding of learning outcomes and contributes valuable insights to the broader discourse on educational methodologies and assessment strategies table 1 : tests of normality: kolmogorovsmirnova statistic df sig. pretest_con .162 22 .139 pretest_ex .157 22 .168 table 1 provides a critical snapshot of the pretest results in both the experimental and control classes, shedding light on the normality of the data distribution. the significance (sig.) scores, as highlighted in the table, serve as key indicators in determining the normality of the data. in the control class, the sig. the score is 0.139, which exceeds the significance level (0.05), indicating that the data in the control class follow a typical distribution pattern. similarly, in the experimental class, the sig. the value is 0.168, confirming the normality of the pretest data in this group. the second evaluation measure performed is the pretest homogeneity of variance test, designed to analyze the normality of the distribution. the result of this test is considered normal, as evidenced by a significance value (0.533) higher than the predetermined significance level (0.05). this result indicates that the null hypothesis (ho) is accepted, which allows the t-test to be performed. the homogeneity of variance test further emphasizes the comparability of the pretest variances between the experimental and control classes. the final analytical step involves the application of the independent samples t-test. this test serves the critical purpose of measuring the significant difference in scores between the pretests conducted in the experimental and control classes prior to the implementation of any treatment. the t-test is a powerful tool for determining whether there are significant differences in the baseline scores, setting the stage for understanding the impact of the subsequent treatment. the entire analytical process, guided by the data presented in table 1, culminates in a comprehensive assessment of normality, homogeneity of variance, and potential differences in pretest scores between the experimental and control groups. careful attention to statistical significance ensures the robustness and reliability of the results. the use of these statistical the entire analytical process, guided by the data presented in table 1, culminates in a comprehensive evaluation of normality, homogeneity of variance, and potential differences in pretest scores between the experimental and control groups. careful attention to statistical erlan darmawan, nani ronsani thamrin, & gentur wiguna suwarto lms-driven hots reading model for higher education enhancement 1028 significance ensures the robustness and reliability of the results. using these statistical measures contributes to a nuanced interpretation of the data and paves the way for meaningful insights into the effects of the treatment on the experimental group. table 2. group statistics class n mean pretest experiment class 26 72.35 control class 22 71.82 in table 2, the mean scores of the pre-tests are presented, providing insight into the initial performance levels of the experimental and control classes. the mean score for the experimental class is 72.35, while the mean score for the control class is 71.82. the minimal difference between these mean scores suggests no statistically significant difference in pre-test scores between the two classes at the outset. the analysis continues by examining the results of the independent samples t-test conducted on the pre-test scores of the experimental and control classes. the hypothesis test for the pre-test in the experimental class shows a significance value (2-tailed) of 0.239, which exceeds the predetermined threshold of 0.05. similarly, the hypothesis test for the pre-test in the control class yields a significance value (2-tailed) of 0.237, which also exceeds the significance level (0.05). these results indicate no statistically significant difference in pre-test scores between the experimental and control classes, as the significance values exceed the predetermined alpha level of 0.05. any observed differences in mean scores are likely due to chance rather than a meaningful treatment effect. as the analysis proceeds to the first post-test, the focus is on assessing the normality of the data distribution. this initial step is critical to ensuring that subsequent statistical analyses are performed on data that follow a typical distribution pattern. this emphasis on normal distribution underscores the methodological rigour of the analysis and contributes to the reliability and validity of subsequent statistical tests and interpretations table 3. tests of normality kolmogorov-smirnova statistic df sig. pretest_con .127 22 .200* pretest_ex .147 22 .200* in table 3, the focus shifts to examining the post-test results, particularly the normality distribution test. significance (sig.) scores are reported for both the control and experimental classes, indicating the normality of the data distribution. for the control class, the sig. the score is 0.200, and for the experimental class, it is also 0.200. in both cases, these sig. scores exceed the predetermined significance level (0.05), indicating that the data from both groups have a regular distribution pattern. this confirmation of normality is critical because it ensures that subsequent statistical analyses will be performed on data that follow the expected distribution patterns. the next step involves the homogeneity of variance test for the post-test scores. this test informs the t-test procedure by assessing whether the variance in the data between the experimental and control groups is equal and homogeneous. the significance level for this test is set at 0.05. if the asymp. sig. is more significant than 0.05, the null hypothesis (ho) is accepted, indicating that the variance in the data between the two groups is indeed equal and homogeneous. the third step in the analytical process is the independent samples t-test, an essential procedure used to detect any significant differences between the post-test scores of the experimental and control classes. this test provides valuable insight into the effectiveness of the treatment implemented by measuring the impact on the two groups. careful attention to statistical significance throughout these steps underscores the rigour and reliability of the analysis. by confirming normality and homogeneity of variance, the study establishes a strong foundation for subsequent comparative analyses, ensuring that any observed differences in post-test scores are not due to chance but are statistically meaningful. in particular, the independent samples t-test serves as a robust tool for evaluating the impact of the treatment on the experimental group compared to the control group, adding valuable insight to the overall research findings tabel 4 .t-test (group statistics) class n mean post score experiment class 26 77.92 control class 22 74.59 table 4 provides critical insight into the posttest results by comparing the mean scores between the experimental and control classes. the mean score for the experimental class is 77.92, while the mean score for the control class is 74.95. this marked difference in mean scores indicates a significant divergence in post-test performance between the two groups. the higher mean score in the experimental class compared to the control class suggests a positive impact of the treatment. this divergence in scores implies that the treatment english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1029 implemented, which focused on teaching reading based on higher-order thinking skills (hots), was successful and contributed to the improved post-test scores in the experimental class. the next step involves a detailed examination of the results derived from the independent samples t-test conducted on the post-test scores of both the experimental and control classes. the hypothesis test for the post-test in the experimental class shows a significance value (2-tailed) of 0.00001, which is significantly lower than the predetermined threshold of 0.05. similarly, the independent samples t-test for the post-test in the control class yields a significance value (2-tailed) of 0.00001, which is also below the 0.05 level. the rejection of the null hypothesis (ho) and the acceptance of the alternative hypothesis (ha) emphasizes that there is a statistically significant difference between the post-test scores in the experimental and control classes. this statistical significance is consistent with the observed difference in mean scores. it confirms that the treatment, which included reading instruction based on hots, produced superior post-test scores in the experimental class. it can be concluded that the experimental class that received the treatment showed a more significant improvement in post-test scores than the control class. therefore, it can be confidently asserted that hots-based reading instruction effectively develops students' reading skills, as evidenced by the superior performance of the experimental class. the results of this analysis provide valuable empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of the higher-order thinking skills instructional approach. conclusion the culmination of this research journey brings forth significant findings that address the core objectives of exploring the effectiveness of a reading subject based on higher-order thinking skills (hots) using a learning management system (lms) and unravelling the intricacies of developing a reading instructional model based on hots. the evidence, supported by the results of an independent t-test, provides a comprehensive understanding of the impact of the treatment implemented. statistical analysis of the experimental class that received the treatment through the cake application revealed a notable improvement in mean scores. the pre-test mean score for the experimental class was 72.35, and after the intervention, the post-test mean score increased significantly to 77.92 (see table 4.1). conversely, the control class, which received no treatment from the reading specialist, showed a more modest progression. the pre-test mean for the control class was 71.82, and the post-test mean showed a moderate increase to 74.59 (see table 4.2). this significant difference in post-test means suggests a positive impact of the treatment, as the experimental class outperformed the control class. the statistical significance is further underscored by the results in table 4.1, where the significance (sig.) values (2-tailed) for both the experimental and control classes were significantly lower than the predetermined significance level (0.00001 < 0.05). acceptance of the alternative hypothesis (ha) indicates a significant difference in mean scores between the pre-test and post-test in both classes. this statistical validation provides strong support for the conclusion that the treatment, encapsulated in the hots-based reading instruction, resulted in a significant improvement in student performance. delving deeper into the qualitative aspect of the students' experiences, the research uncovered several noteworthy findings. students in the experimental class showed increased interest, curiosity, and enthusiasm during the teaching-learning process. the hots-based reading lesson was informative, creative, and attractive, increasing students' vocabulary in reading texts. the inclusion of activities such as presentations after reading texts or articles contributed to an engaging and exciting learning environment. the consensus among the students in the experimental class confirmed the effectiveness of reading instruction based on hots in increasing their comprehension and engagement with reading topics. in conclusion, the amalgamation of quantitative and qualitative findings supports the effectiveness of a reading subject based on hots using lms. the statistical evidence shows a significant improvement in post-test mean scores for the experimental class, highlighting the positive impact of the treatment. the qualitative findings provide a rich narrative of increased student engagement and enthusiasm, further reinforcing the pedagogical value of integrating hots principles into reading instruction. this study contributes valuable knowledge to the educational landscape, advocating for innovative approaches that improve academic performance and foster a dynamic and engaging learning environment for students. this research aligns with previous studies that have explored integrating higher-order thinking skills (hots) in educational contexts. studies erlan darmawan, nani ronsani thamrin, & gentur wiguna suwarto lms-driven hots reading model for higher education enhancement 1030 conducted by herianto (2021) and ertikanto, c., & hardini, s. n. (2023) explored the application of hots in e-learning and blended learning environments, respectively. ertikanto's qualitative study emphasized the importance of e-learning based on hots, which echoes the focus of this study on leveraging technology for effective learning outcomes. similarly, ertikanto and hardini's study, which evaluated the impact of blended learning on higher-order thinking skills in thermodynamics, shares the theme of using learning management systems (lms) to enhance cognitive skills. together, these studies contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting the integration of hots in diverse educational settings and highlight the importance of technology-enhanced approaches that resonate with the current research findings. acknowledgement the successful completion of this research endeavour owes a debt of gratitude to the unwavering support and collaborative efforts of the research institutions and community service at universitas kuningan. their instrumental role in providing resources, guidance, and a conducive environment for scientific exploration has contributed significantly to the achievement of the research objectives.acknowledgement is extended to our esteemed colleagues at universitas kuningan, whose invaluable insights and expertise have greatly enriched the depth and quality of this research. while it is understood that different perspectives may exist, their contributions have been instrumental in shaping the trajectory of this study and its ultimate findings. references andreassen, m., hemmingsson, h., boman, i.-l., danielsson, h., & jaarsma, t. (2020). feasibility of an intervention for patients with cognitive impairment using an interactive digital calendar with mobile phone reminders (remindme) to improve the performance of activities in everyday life. international journal of environmental research and public health, 17(7), 2222. arman, a. n. z., anwar, s., & others. (2022). penggunaan learning management system (lms) sebagai media sharing materi pelatihan di perwakilan bkkbn provinsi sulawesi barat. jsi: jurnal sistem informasi (e-journal), 14(1). artika, w., nurmaliah, c., & others. (2023). improving critical thinking skills through higher order thinking skills (hots)-based science. international journal of instruction, 16(4). bhakti, c. p., urbayatun, s., suyatno, i. m., sulisworo, d., ghiffari, m. a. n., & yanto, p. n. f. (2021). a design of online teacher training based on learning management system (lms) to improve quality of teaching on higher order thinking skill (hots). biced 2020: proceedings of the 2nd eai bukittinggi international conference on education, biced 2020, 14 september, 2020, bukititinggi, west sumatera, indonesia, 134. bradley, v. m. (2021). learning management system (lms) use with online instruction. international journal of technology in education, 4(1), 68–92. devi, k. s., & aparna, m. (2020). moodle–an effective learning management system for 21st century learners. alochana chakra journal, 9(6), 4474– 4485. dhika, h., destiawati, f., sonny, m., jaya, m., & others. (2020). comparison of learning management system moodle, edmodo and jejak bali. international conference on progressive education (icope 2019), 90–94. ertikanto, c., hardini, s. n., & others. (2023). effectiveness of guided inquiry learning model on thermodynamics content in lms-based blended learning with regard to students’ higher order thinking skills. jurnal penelitian pendidikan ipa, 9(12), 11280–11288. herianto, e. (2021). how to apply hots-based elearning in higher education? randwick international of education and linguistics science journal, 2(2), 157–169. hikmawati, h. (2022). online learning with project based learning model to increase student hots in waves and optical courses. jurnal ilmiah profesi pendidikan, 7(4b), 2669–2675. jameel, a. h., gafur, a., & sapta, a. (2023). hots question analysis on e-learning: a 21st century competency evaluation. edukasi, 17(1), 56–66. luckyardi, s., & syaroni, d. a. w. (2020). assessment of lecturer satisfaction, working quality and productivity toward learning management system. international conference on business, economic, social science, and humanities– economics, business and management track (icobest-ebm 2019), 56–61. makruf, i., rifa’i, a. a., & triana, y. (2022). moodlebased online learning management in higher education. international journal of instruction, 15(1), 135–152. mardiana, n., prayogi, s. y., sukartika, s., haslina, s., & harizan, m. (2021). android-based digital teaching materials as online learning in new normal era to improve physics hots for high school students. journal of natural science and integration, 5(1), 90–95. muhisn, z. a. a., ahmad, m., omar, m., & muhisn, s. a. (2020). knowledge internalization in elearning management system. telkomnika (telecommunication computing electronics and control), 18(3), 1361–1367. mursyid, m., & kurniawati, n. (2019). higher order thinking skills among english teachers across english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1031 generation in efl classroom. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 119–124. pramaysella, t. f., thamrin, n. r., & darsih, e. (2023). efl learners’ comprehension of extensive reading based on higher order thinking skills. journey: journal of english language and pedagogy, 6(2), 430–439. purba, j., panggabean, f. t. m., widarma, a., & sutiani, a. (2022). development of online general chemistry teaching materials integrated with hots-based media using the addie model. international journal of computer applications technology and research, 11(05), 155–159. saripah, i., ardiwinata, j. s., kamarubiani, n., putra, a., ali m, m. h., & lestari, r. d. (2023). the arrangement of hots question card instrument as a complementary forming for student critical behavior to achieve learning outcomes during online learning in new normal era. aip conference proceedings, 2679(1). simanullang, n. h. s., & rajagukguk, j. (2020). learning management system (lms) based on moodle to improve students learning activity. journal of physics: conference series, 1462(1), 12067. suartama, i., setyosari, p., sulthoni, s., & ulfa, s. (2020). development of ubiquitous learning environment based on moodle learning management system. thamrin, n. r., & agustin, s. (2019). conceptual variations on reading comprehension through higher order thinking skills (hots) strategy. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 93–100. tosun, c., & taşkesenligil, y. (2020). using the moodle learning management system in problem based learning method. international online journal of educational sciences, 3(3). turnbull, d., chugh, r., & luck, j. (2020). learning management systems, an overview. encyclopedia of education and information technologies, 1052–1058. widodo, j. p., musyarofah, l., & slamet, j. (2022). developing a moodle-based learning management system (lms) for slow learners. jurnal inspirasi pendidikan, 12(1), 1–10. widyaningsih, s. w., yusuf, i., prasetyo, z. k., & istiyono, e. (2021). the development of the hots test of physics based on modern test theory: question modeling through e-learning of moodle lms. international journal of instruction, 14(4), 51–68. yassir, m., syam, h., & nur, h. (2022). higher order thinking skills (hots) based assessment for learning: a model for computer networks learning in vocational school. asian journal of applied sciences (issn: 2321–0893), 10(1). yusuf, i., widyaningsih, s. w., prasetyo, z. k., & istiyono, e. (2021a). blended learning: its effect towards higher order thinking skills (hots). journal of physics: conference series, 1832(1), 12039. yusuf, i., widyaningsih, s. w., prasetyo, z. k., & istiyono, e. (2021b). the evaluation on the use of e-learning media to improve hots through authentic and holistic assessments. journal of physics: conference series, 1806(1), 12014. ziraba, a., akwene, g. c., lwanga, s. c., & others. (2020). the adoption and use of moodle learning management system in higher institutions of learning: a systematic literature review. american journal of online and distance learning, 2(1), 1– 21. erlan darmawan, nani ronsani thamrin, & gentur wiguna suwarto lms-driven hots reading model for higher education enhancement 1032 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 223 exploring efl learners’ experience toward the utilization of duolingo for vocabulary mastery novita dhea anggraeni (corresponding author) english language education study program, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya, malang, indonesia email: novitadhea14@student.ub.ac.id putu dian danayanti degeng english language education study program, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya, malang, indonesia email: dian_degeng@ub.ac.id apa scitation: anggraeni, n. d., & degeng, p. d. d. (2024). exploring efl learners’ experience toward the utilization of duolingo for vocabulary mastery. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 223-230. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9120 received: 29-10-2023 accepted: 27-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction the development of english skills, covering listening, speaking, reading, and writing, relies significantly on acquiring english vocabulary. as stated by nurul, et al (2020) without an adequate understanding of the vocabulary, it is challenging for learners to master the other competencies. in learning an english language, proficiency in vocabulary is crucial for learners, enabling them to apply words effectively in communication and expression of ideas. this is supported by yusda, et al (2020) who stated that the moment learners are able to communicate effectively in the target language, they are considered to have mastered the language. in this context, good communication includes not only mastery of grammar or pronunciation but also mastery of vocabulary, which aims to make communication more meaningful. however, teaching and learning vocabulary is somewhat troublesome for efl learners, especially indonesian learners. nadya (2020) stated that the technique of teaching has an essential effect on learners' achievement, while many learners find it difficult to improve their vocabulary because the teaching technique applied by teachers is not interesting. most vocabulary teaching in the classroom uses traditional methods, like instruction, memorization tests, and questions in books which tends to cause some difficulties for learners, such as lack of target language and learners easily feeling bored. the other factor that causes difficulties in learning vocabulary is laziness (sulasri, 2021), some learners are just concerned with completing the assigned task, whereas its implementation in a social context is still a long way off. teaching using media-based technology is considered as one of the strategies to overcome these difficulties. ewa (2016) observed that the global trend of incorporating technology in education plays a vital role in enhancing the teaching and learning environment. it is supported by gebremeskel (2016) who stated that using ict abstract: teaching and learning vocabulary is somewhat troublesome for efl learners, especially indonesian learners. at this point, the majority of vocabulary teaching in the classroom still uses a traditional approach, meanwhile, the involvement of ict in educational environments is thought to promote the advancement of learners' expertise and skills. this research aimed to examine the effectiveness of using media-based technology, especially duolingo to enhance learners’ english vocabulary mastery. in this research, the researcher used a qualitative method, a case study as the research design. this research was conducted in one of the private schools in malang, east java with 31 students as the participants. the results of this research showed that the majority of learners believe that learning a foreign language, especially its vocabulary, through duolingo is straightforward because the vocabulary material is relevant to everyday life. this is supported by several findings regarding duolingo facilities, which include easy access, user-friendly, and engaging vocabulary games and activities that enable learners to feel more motivated and enthusiastic about learning english. this research implies that duolingo is an effective tool for supporting learners in learning foreign languages, especially mastering new english vocabulary by incorporating duolingo as a warm-up or exercise in classroom teaching. keywords: duolingo; efl learners; vocabulary mastery. mailto:dian_degeng@ub.ac.id novita dhea anggraeni & putu dian danayanti degeng exploring efl learners’ experience toward the utilization of duolingo for vocabulary mastery 224 in a classroom setting can assist in the creation, sharing, support, and acquisition of knowledge as well as expertise. as previously stated, the researchers saw learners' enthusiasm increase when the educational process involved the use of various technologies. therefore, in order to address learners' english vocabulary issues, this research concentrated on the use of duolingo, which is known as one of the most famous media-based technologies that most people use to learn vocabulary. duolingo brings the main concept of learning a language while playing. this platform is considered effective as a language learning media because it provides various features of activities, such as learning vocabulary through matching games, fill-in-theblank, translation, pronunciation, dictation, and so on (nadya, 2020). furthermore, duolingo also offers its users an autonomous learning model as a strategy where they can decide their own style in learning vocabulary. according to rais & netty (2022), this model is known as an independent learning process that gives freedom for learners to identify their own learning needs, learning characteristics, learning goals they want to achieve, and learning strategies that make it easier for them to get the material. extensive research has been conducted on the use of duolingo to enhance learners’ vocabulary mastery. start from research conducted by nadya savira hernadijaya (2020) entitled the use of duolingo application to enhance junior high school student’s english vocabulary, the limitation of the research is that it does not include a list of questions used in the test and also does not explain how long the researcher conducted the research. alike with research conducted by rais abin and netty huzniati andas (2022) entitled the effect of using autonomous learning model by duolingo-assisted to improve students’ vocabulary mastery at smpn 3 buton tengah, the limitation of the research is that it does not include outcome interviews even though the researcher mentions the use of interviews as one of the research methods. moreover, in research conducted by anton adi p and syafryadi (2023) entitled students perception on using duolingo for learning english vocabulary, the limitation of this study is that it does not examine further the challenges that learners may face while using duolingo to improve vocabulary. departing from several limitations in previous research, which only focused on organizing data in order to figure out whether duolingo was effective in enhancing learners' english vocabulary or not, this research focused on "how does duolingo foster learners' vocabulary mastery into their broader learning environment?" and "what are the challenges learners face in mastering vocabulary using duolingo?" therefore, this research focused on the indonesian learners' perceptions in order to identify variables that influence both the efficacy and obstacles of using duolingo to improve english vocabulary from a learner's perception method this study adopted a qualitative method, employing a case study as the research design. moleong (2018) defined a case study as a research approach used to generate an in-depth and diverse understanding of a complex problem or issue in its natural context. in this regard, a case study is considered as an appropriate design for the purposes of this research because the researchers aim to identify the main issues surrounding how the use of duolingo can enhance learners’ vocabulary mastery in its real-life context and also identify the challenges learners may face while using duolingo. the questionnaire data was distributed via google form through whatsapp group class. according to apsari and yana (2015), the collected data was examined in order to assess opinions, behaviors, and experiences as the participants progressed through the research program. in this research, the data belongs to qualitative data in the form of descriptive analysis that consists of information about the experience and the difficulty that learners face while using duolingo. the researcher obtained final data in the form of numerical data from questionnaires and descriptive data from interviews. data collection involved a questionnaire and interview, adapting them from alan jaelani and dilla rachmadanti s (2020). there were 15 statements and the data were collected using five alternative points of the likert scale. these are strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and strongly agree. while the interview was conducted face to face. this research used semistructured interviews with 6 open questions to support the likert scale results from the questionnaire in order to obtain more in-depth and accurate information. the researcher uses a purposive technique sample with some categories: 1) participant has experience and is still using duolingo; 2) using duolingo to learn the english language; 3) willing to participate voluntarily in this research. in total, 31 students from a private school in malang, east english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 225 java, participated in the research, with information on 14 students from class xi a and 17 students from class xii ips as participants through several categories. taking the framework from miles, huberman, and saldana (2014), the researcher decided to analyze the questionnaire data using display calculation data, as shown in figure 1. furthermore, the researcher analyzed the interview data using qualitative data analysis, as shown in figure 2. here, they mentioned that there are three flows of the activities in qualitative data analysis, such as data reduction, data display, drawing, and conclusions. 1) data reduction is a step where after collecting the data, the researcher selected and reduced unimportant data or even the same answer from the participant. 2) data display was used in all phases. so in this step, the data will be organized and summarized to make it easier for researchers to draw the conclusion. 3) conclusion drawing/verifying, in this step, the researchers begin to decide what the meaning of all answers, what the conclusion can be taken, and what the answer from all the research questions that was formulated before. figure 1. data display calculation figure 2. qualitative data analysis results and discussion this chapter addresses the data analysis findings; the questionnaire and interview data was examined to answer the research question related to learners' perceptions regarding "how does duolingo foster learners’ vocabulary mastery into their broader learning environment?" and "what are the challenges learners face in mastering vocabulary using duolingo?". the questionnaire and interview were divided into four major aspects of learners' perceptions on the use of duolingo. these include learners' perceptions on duolingo's facilities and features for learning vocabulary, learners’ motivation on learning vocabulary using duolingo, learners’ understanding of vocabulary after using duolingo, and effective tools for learning vocabulary. learners’ perceptions on duolingo’s facilities and features for learning vocabulary this part consists of seven statements divided into two categories: four positive statements and three negative statements. the findings of the data will be discussed further below. table 1. duolingo’s facilities and features for learning vocabulary n o statement freque ncy total score percentage 1 i know the duolingo application as a multilanguage learning application 144 155 92.9% 2 duolingo is an easy tool for learning english vocabulary 143 155 92.3% 3 duolingo can be accessed anywhere and anytime to learn english vocabulary. 139 155 89.7% 4 duolingo english vocabulary questions are interesting and easy to understand 135 155 87.1% based on the data in table 1 above, a majority of learners affirm that duolingo effectively aids in learning english, especially when it comes to its vocabulary. in line with the data analysis, 92,9% of learners have been familiar with duolingo as a multi-language learning application. furthermore, novita dhea anggraeni & putu dian danayanti degeng exploring efl learners’ experience toward the utilization of duolingo for vocabulary mastery 226 92,3% of learners agreed that the duolingo feature was user friendly for learning english vocabulary. in statement 3, 89,7% of learners agreed that duolingo was accessible anywhere and at any time.87,1% of learners agreed with another statement about duolingo's feature which presents english vocabulary questions in an engaging way. the data above is also confirmed by the outcomes gathered from multiple interviews with learners, whose results are below: “yes, duolingo is an easy to use, apart from that, duolingo's features are very colourful and entertaining” (respondent 1), “of course, it's very interesting because the features of duolingo are very diverse, starting with the program, which is a game with levels and three heart, fill in the blank, translate, a narrative questions, speaking, and so on” (respondent 2) “yes, duolingo can be accessed anywhere and anytime, i even installed it on my phone and laptop at home” (respondent 5) according to the findings, learners consider duolingo a useful tool for acquiring vocabulary due to the fact that it is interesting and the features offered by duolingo are varied & user friendly. table 2. duolingo’s facilities and features for learning vocabulary n o statement freq uenc y total score percen tage 5 duolingo in learning english vocabulary is boring 79 155 51% 6 duolingo makes learning english vocabulary difficult for me. 67 155 43,2% 7 duolingo is difficult to use if there is no internet connection 115 155 74,2% as seen in table 2 above, those statements were made based on the weaknesses of the duolingo application. according to the data questionnaire results, 51% of learners did not agree with the statement which said that learning vocabulary with the duolingo application was boring and monotonous. this is supported by the following statement: 43,2% of learners said duolingo was incredibly helpful in learning english vocabulary. this indicates that learners were not in line with negative statements about the duolingo application. in contrast, 74,2% of learners agree that duolingo cannot be used without internet access. the results of the questionnaire were also confirmed and clarified in depth through interviews as follows: “to be honest, duolingo makes learning english vocabulary a breeze for me. the features are also very appealing, so i made it to unit 8, but after a while this becomes a little tedious because all of the duolingo games are nearly identical on each unit” (respondent 4), “the duolingo app is not boring because it allows me to expand my english vocabulary” (respondent 6), “the internet connection is the issue when using duolingo. duolingo cannot be used without an internet connection” (respondent 1). “in my opinion, duolingo is an excellent tool for learning foreign languages, especially for learners who are just starting out from scratch. the vocabulary learning offered by duolingo is very related to everyday life usage. but i get lazy from time to time, and it's not because the duolingo app is bad. this is more about distraction. because my duolingo application is on my phone, i am easily distracted by other applications or chat notifications. so, i became less focused” (respondent 2). “i believe that learning to use duolingo requires plenty of concentration and desire. we only have three chances or three hearts.” the main issue identified through questionnaires and interviews is the dependency on internet connectivity. aside from that, learners believe that duolingo helps them expand their english vocabulary, which contradicts questionnaire statement number 6. however, if used too often, duolingo can become monotonous because the game method in each unit is nearly identical. these findings also stated that learning english vocabulary through duolingo is not too boring; however, another factor that definitely stands out is laziness. learners are easily distracted by other applications, and they become lazy when they have to restart from the beginning after losing three hearts or three chances. learners’ understanding of vocabulary after using duolingo table 3. learner’s understanding of vocabulary after using duolingo english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 227 n o statement freq uenc y total score percen tage 8 i'm interested in learning using duolingo, because it makes it easier for me to understand the meaning of english vocabulary properly 132 155 85.2% 9 learning with duolingo allows me to be more active in my learning at school and at home. 130 155 83.9% 1 0 learning using duolingo makes me memorize new vocabulary 136 155 87.7% 1 1 learning using duolingo makes me understand the learning material more deeply at school 127 155 81.9% this part consists of four statements related to learners’ perception while using duolingo to learn english vocabulary. in accordance with the findings of the data questionnaire from table 3, most learners (85,2%) agree that utilizing the duolingo application for learning english vocabulary is a straightforward and engaging process. after several months of utilizing duolingo, 83,9% of learners agreed that they became more engaged in the learning process, 87,7% of learners felt that the amount of vocabulary they knew began to expand, and 81,9% of learners agreed that their understanding of the learning material was additionally starting to get better. learning english with duolingo provides practical applications for english skills in real-life situations.validation of questionnaire data is supported by learner arguments from interviews. learners express clarity in learning vocabulary through duolingo, particularly its relevance to everyday life. “that's right, learning vocabulary using duolingo is very clear because the vocabulary demonstrated by duolingo is related to everyday life, such as activities, animals, and people, which makes it easy to remember and apply” (respondent 3) “i enjoy learning using duolingo because it allows me to expand my english vocabulary” (respondent 2) “i've been learning a lot of new vocabulary through duolingo. as a result, my understanding of the learning material improves, and what the teacher explains becomes easier to grasp” (respondent 6). according to the findings, learners feel that their english vocabulary skills have evolved since using duolingo. apart from that, the utilization of their english skills in real-life situations, both at school and at home, is beginning to yield results. learners’ motivation on learning vocabulary using duolingo the findings consist of two statements, reflecting diverse learner perceptions. the findings of the data shown in table 4 will be discussed further below. table 4. learners’ motivation on learning vocabulary using duolingo n o statement fre que ncy tota l scor e percen tage 12 i feel more motivated to learn using duolingo. 132 155 85.2% 13 duolingo has increased my enthusiasm for memorizing english vocabulary. 133 155 85.8% the findings from questionnaire data reveal that points 12 and 13 have results with a slight difference which stated that 85,2% of learners feel more motivated and substantial 85.8% of learners exhibit increased enthusiasm in learning english vocabulary through the duolingo application. it is also supported by the data from interview result, as follows: “yes, i feel more enthusiastic and motivated to learn english” (respondent 5) “for the first time, i realized that learning a foreign language can be enjoyable with sophisticated technology” (respondent 1) “memorizing new vocabulary becomes easier because using duolingo feels like playing a game. i like playing games” (respondent 6). according to the data shown below, learners feel more motivated and enthusiastic to learn foreign languages after using duolingo, because duolingo simplifies the memorization of new vocabulary for learners. the integration of technology enhances the engagement and overall learning experience. effective tools for learning vocabulary this part consists of two statements. the findings novita dhea anggraeni & putu dian danayanti degeng exploring efl learners’ experience toward the utilization of duolingo for vocabulary mastery 228 of the data will be discussed further below. table 5. effective tools for learning vocabulary n o statement fre que ncy total score percent age 14 i feel my english skills have improved after using duolingo 131 155 84,5% 15 i believe my english vocabulary has evolved after using duolingo 128 155 82,6% duolingo, recognized as a multilingual learning application, motivates learners to enhance their english language skills, especially english vocabulary. this is supported by the result of the data, which indicated that 84,5% of learners believe their english skills have improved after using duolingo, and 82,6% of learners believe their english vocabulary has evolved. the questionnaire responses above are confirmed by interview data conducted with some learners, as follows: “it's true that duolingo is an effective tool for increasing english vocabulary” (respondent 3) “duolingo not only presents new vocabulary but also teaches how to pronounce it and give some basic grammar” (respondent 2) “yes, since using duolingo, my english vocabulary has grown. duolingo as a media based technology to learn a new language is very effective” (respondent 1) as indicated by the data presented in the questionnaire and interviews above, the majority of learners feel that duolingo is effective for learning english and developing their insight into new vocabulary that they did not know before. the researcher discovers various learner perceptions regarding the use of technology, particularly duolingo, for improving english vocabulary. the vast majority of learners believe that duolingo is a user-friendly program that is suitable for users of all ages, from children to adults. aside from that, duolingo provides its users with easy access, allowing them to learn english, especially vocabulary, anytime and anywhere. according to khairul (2022), engaging learners in interactive vocabulary games and activities, such as word matching, crossword puzzles, or word trivia can support learners to improve their exposure to target terms, and reinforce vocabulary acquisition. duolingo provides its users with game-based learning, with different levels and a maximum of three hearts to survive. furthermore, the features offered by duolingo are also quite interesting, such as narrative questions, translation, pronunciation, fill-in-the-blank, matching games, and so on. these various kinds of features offered by duolingo allow learners not only to expand their english vocabulary but also to put their english skills in real-life context. furthermore, it can be said that learners show their interest in learning english vocabulary using duolingo. they also felt more motivated because duolingo demonstrates vocabulary related to everyday life, such as activities, animals, and people, which makes it easy to remember and apply. the argument was affirmed by hernadijaya (2020), who discovered that learning with duolingo is more enjoyable than conventional classes without the use of digital media. this is due to the gamification feature, which encourages learners to collect rewards from duolingo in order to improve their english-level achievement. fortunately, it can't be ruled out that duolingo also has several flaws, starting with the fact that duolingo can't be used without an internet connection, then the abundance of advertisements is sometimes annoying, and the games in some units tend to be monotonous, causing learners to become easily bored. one of the most common factors that learners encounter is laziness. learners get easily distracted by multiple chat notifications and an impulse to open other applications such as youtube, tiktok, and instagram, which causes them to lose focus and their main goal of learning vocabulary with duolingo. aside from that, the heart feature means learners only have three chances to make a mistake, and if they run out of hearts, they must restart the unit from the beginning, which causes learners to become lazy about starting over. despite shortcomings, learners firmly believe in duolingo’s effectiveness in aiding english learning, especially vocabulary acquisition. chen (2016) asserts that duolingo, as a mobile gamification app, engages learners effectively, providing quick feedback and correcting incorrect responses. this type of functionality is not found in any other app. despite all the weaknesses, it still demonstrates that the gamification features initiated by duolingo make learners take pleasure in every step of their learning process conclusion this research endeavors to delve into learners’ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 229 experiences while using duolingo as a medium for learning english, especially to enhance their english vocabulary. based on the previous results and discussion, this research concluded that duolingo is effective for learning english vocabulary. apart from increasing students' english vocabulary, other features of duolingo, such as speaking and pronunciation, enable learners to utilize their english skills in real-life contexts. the learners discovered duolingo as an interesting medium to learn a language, as proven by the positive perception they stated during the interview process. the majority of learners agree that duolingo is very simple to use, that it can be played at any time and anywhere, and that the gamification features developed by duolingo make the learning process enjoyable, which leads to learners feeling more motivated and enthusiastic. even though duolingo has several flaws, such as limited internet access and monotonous gamification features, this does not rule out the fact that all learners still agree that duolingo is effective for learning languages, especially vocabulary because duolingo offers its users with the opportunity to learn new vocabulary in each unit related to their surroundings. furthermore, it is hoped that this research will inspire teachers to develop more innovative and interesting educational activities in the classroom by incorporating media-based technology. using various games and questions in duolingo as a warming up before learning or as a form of exercise after learning to assess learners' comprehension of the material as well as proficiency in new vocabulary represents a few of the activities that researchers use when using duolingo as an educational tool in the classroom. in addition, for future research, the researchers hope that this research can give more insight into the use of duolingo for vocabulary mastery. in addition, future researchers can conduct research on other skills by using duolingo. acknowledgement bismillahirrahmanirahim, alhamdulillah rabb alamin. above all else, the researcher states in the name of allah swt, the most gracious, the most merciful, the greatest, and the best creator, who sustains me to keep focus in the process of writing this article in any situation. the researcher also wants to express gratitude and blessings to the great prophet muhammad saw, who has guided his people out of the darkness of civilization toward a better life. furthermore, the researcher wants to express her gratitude to the supervisor, mrs. dr. putu dian danayanti degeng, s.s., m.pd., who has guided me in conducting this research. apart from that, the researcher would like to give thanks to the broader family of smas widyagama for permitting researchers to conduct the research on their beloved school. likewise, the researcher is expressing thankfulness to my parents for their support and motivation, as well as to all those who have encouraged and supported me throughout the process of conducting research and writing the article. this article is the result of my tireless efforts and dedication to the university of brawijaya and my responsibilities as an english language education student. references abin, r., & andas, n. h. (2022).the effect of using autonomous learning model by duolingoassisted to improve students’ vocabulary mastery at viii class of smpn 3 buton tengah. eduline: journal of education and learning innovation, 2(4), 415-426. ajisoko, p. (2020). the use of duolingo apps to improve english vocabulary learning. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (ijet), 15(7), 149-155. al-dosakee, k., & ozdamli, f. (2021). gamification in teaching and learning languages: a systematic literature review. revista romaneasca pentru educatie multidimensionala, 13(2), 559-577. aulia, h. r., wahjuningsih, e., & andayani, r. (2020). the effect of duolingo application on students’ english vocabulary mastery. eltr journal, 4(2), 131-139. devi, g. a. k. f. s. (2022). children’s language learning vocabulary through mobile applications: duolingo. jurnal pendidikan tambusai, 1(02), 88-98. du, y. (2020). study on cultivating college students' english autonomous learning ability under the flipped classroom model. english language teaching, 13(6), 13-19. fadilah, k. (2023). students' perception on the use of duolingo application in learning english during covid-19. vision, 18(2), 96-105. fithriani, r. (2021). the utilization of mobile-assisted gamification for vocabulary learning: its efficacy and perceived benefits. call-ej, 22(3), 146-163. fitri, y., melani, m., roza, v., & reflinda, r. (2023). the effect of using duolingo application toward students’ vocabulary mastery at the second grade of smpn 1 koto besar. innovative: journal of social science research, 3(2), 8265-8279. habibie, a. (2020). duolingo as an educational language tool to enhance efl students’ motivation in writing. british (jurnal bahasa dan sastra inggris), 9(1), 13-26. hernadijaya, n. s. (2020). the use of duolingo application to enhance junior high school novita dhea anggraeni & putu dian danayanti degeng exploring efl learners’ experience toward the utilization of duolingo for vocabulary mastery 230 student’s english vocabulary. retain, 8(2), 1724. hidayati, h., rahmaniah, r., irwandi, i., hudri, m., zitri, i., & muhardini, s. (2021). use of duolingo application to improve english vocabulary during covid-19 for mining engineering students. jces (journal of character education society), 4(3), 623-634. inayah, n., yusuf, q., & fibula, n. (2020). exploring undergraduate students’ perception toward the use of duolingo in learning english. humanities & social sciences reviews, 8(3), 76-85. irawan, a., wilson, a., & sutrisno. (2020). the implementation of duolingo mobile application in english vocabulary learning. journal of english language teaching, 5(1), 08-14. jaelani, a., & sutari, d. r. (2020). students' perception of using duolingo application as a media in learning vocabulary. bogor english student and teacher (best) conference, 2, 40-47. khotimah, k., widiati, u., mustofa, m., & ubaidillah, m. f. (2019). autonomous english learning: teachers’ and students’ perceptions. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 9(2), 371-381. kusumadewi, h., & widyastuti, m. (2018). the effects of using duolingo towards student’s vocabulary mastery. ijet, 7(2), 172-186. li, x., xia, q., chu, s. k. w., & yang, y. (2022). using gamification to facilitate students’ selfregulation in e-learning: a case study on students’ l2 english learning. sustainability, 14(12), 7008. matra, s. d. (2020). duolingo applications as vocabulary learning tools. journal of english literature, linguistic, and education (jelle), 1(1). maxwell, j. a. (2008). designing a qualitative study (vol. 2, pp. 214-253). the sage handbook of applied social research methods. nasrul, v., & fatimah, s. (2023). the effect of using duolingo application on students’ english learning motivation and vocabulary enrichment: an experimental research at smkn 1 padang. journal of english language teaching, 12(3), 933-952. novitasari, i., & purnamaningsih, i. r. (2022). students' perception of using duolingo application as an online english learning medium. project (professional journal of english education), 5(3), 535-543. nur aziz, i., & hoesny, m. u. (2019). the concept and application of ict to teaching/learning process. international research journal of mathematics, engineering and it, 6(2). octaberlina, l. r. (2023). efl learning gamification: exploring high school learners’ vocabulary acquisition through experimentation. salience: english language, literature, and education, 3(1). purwanto, a. a. (2023). students’ perception on using duolingo for learning english vocabulary. journal of english teaching, 9(1), 70-82. rejeki, s., kristina, d., & wijayanto, a. (2020). perception of vocational students toward the use of duolingo and quizlet to improve their word bank. in the international english language teachers and lecturers conference (pp. 102108). tiara, a. d., rahman, m. a., & handrianto, c. (2021). the students` perception about use of duolingo application for improving english vocabulary. international journal of education, information technology and others (ijeit), 4(4), 690-701. ugwu, n. p., & nnaekwe, k. (2020). the implementation of technology-based media in improving english speaking skill of hospitality students in mataram tourism college. journal of english language teaching, 7(2). van, l. k., dang, t. a., pham, d. b. t., vo, t. t. n., & pham, v. p. h. (2021). the effectiveness of using technology in learning english. asiacall online journal, 12(2), 24-40. waluyo, b., & bucol, j. l. (2021). the impact of gamified vocabulary learning using quizlet on low-proficiency students. computer-assisted language learning, 22(1), 158179. yusda, d. d., nanda, d. s., pratiwi, t. l. m., & haninun. (2020). an analysis of using duolingo application in improving students’ vocabulary mastery at 10th grade of sma yadika bandar lampung. journal of linguistics & language education, 3(2). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 509 indonesian efl learners’ speaking anxiety: insights from a meta-synthetic analysis mustamir department of islamic religious education, faculty of education and teaching science, universitas islam ahmad dahlan sinjai, indonesia e-mail: mustamirdr@gmail.com apa scitation: mustamir. (2024). indonesian efl learners’ speaking anxiety: insights from a meta-synthetic analysis. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 509-518. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9950 received: 21-02-2024 accepted: 28-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: this study presents a comprehensive meta-synthetic analysis of speaking anxiety among indonesian english as a foreign language (efl) learners. speaking anxiety is a common challenge that significantly impacts the language acquisition process, affecting learners' confidence, performance, and overall proficiency. the meta-synthesis method was employed to integrate and interpret findings from multiple qualitative and quantitative studies conducted in the indonesian context. the analysis reveals several key factors contributing to speaking anxiety, including fear of negative evaluation, lack of confidence in language proficiency, and cultural influences on communication styles. additionally, the study highlights the role of educational environments and teacher-student dynamics in exacerbating or alleviating anxiety. the findings suggest that targeted interventions, such as supportive teaching practices, anxiety-reducing classroom activities, and the development of a positive learning environment, can effectively mitigate speaking anxiety. this meta-synthesis provides valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and researchers aiming to enhance efl education in indonesia by addressing the psychological barriers to effective language learning. by synthesizing diverse perspectives and empirical evidence, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of speaking anxiety in the indonesian efl context and offers practical recommendations for fostering a more conducive learning atmosphere for language learners. keywords: speaking anxiety; indonesian efl learners; meta-synthetic analysis; teacher-student dynamics; classroom environment introduction speaking anxiety is a common issue faced by english as a foreign language (efl) learners, significantly impacting their ability to communicate effectively in english. in the indonesian context, this issue is particularly pronounced due to various socio-cultural and educational factors. indonesian efl learners often experience heightened anxiety when required to speak english in both classroom settings and reallife situations, which can hinder their overall language acquisition and proficiency (abrar et al., 2024; amin et al., 2023). this study aims to delve into the nuances of speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners through a meta-synthetic analysis, providing comprehensive insights and potential strategies to mitigate this pervasive issue. recent research has highlighted various dimensions and underlying factors contributing to speaking anxiety among efl learners, particularly in the indonesian context. abrar et al. (2024) examined the speaking anxiety levels of efl students when responding to lecturers' questions, revealing that such interactions can significantly elevate anxiety due to the fear of negative evaluation and the high-stakes nature of classroom participation. similarly, amin, syahri, and susanti (2023) identified that pre-service teachers experience heightened anxiety during speaking activities, which can be attributed to the pressure of performing well in front of peers and instructors. studies like those of andewi and waziana (2023) have introduced innovative solutions to mitigate speaking anxiety. their research demonstrated that creating vlogs helped students practice speaking in a more relaxed and controlled environment, reducing their anxiety levels. this approach aligns with the findings of arifin et al. (2023), who noted that engaging in less formal, technology-mediated speaking activities can lower anxiety by allowing students to rehearse and refine their speaking skills in a supportive setting. the impact of cultural influences on speaking anxiety has also been extensively studied. fitriana (2020) explored how indonesian cultural norms, which often emphasize modesty and fear of making mistakes, contribute to higher levels of mustamir indonesian efl learners’ speaking anxiety: insights from a meta-synthetic analysis 510 speaking anxiety among efl learners. mahmoodzadeh and khodabakhshzadeh (2020) expanded on this by comparing cultural impacts across different countries, highlighting that indonesian students might feel more anxious due to cultural expectations of perfectionism and social conformity. further, the role of teaching methods in alleviating or exacerbating speaking anxiety has been a focal point of research. indahyanti, rahman, and mursidin (2023) found that traditional, teacher-centered approaches tend to increase anxiety among students, as they often feel more pressure to perform correctly in front of the class. in contrast, more interactive and student-centered methods, such as collaborative learning and peer feedback, were found to reduce anxiety by creating a more supportive and less judgmental learning environment. technological interventions have also shown promise in addressing speaking anxiety. for instance, budayanti, permana, and putra (2023) explored the use of mobile applications that provide instant feedback on pronunciation and grammar, which helped students feel more confident and less anxious about their speaking abilities. this aligns with the findings of liu (2019), who reported that technology-assisted language learning tools can significantly reduce speaking anxiety by offering personalized and immediate feedback in a non-threatening manner. the effectiveness of continuous professional development (cpd) programs for teachers in reducing student anxiety has been underscored by recent studies. saleem, gul, and dogar (2021) highlighted that well-designed cpd programs equip teachers with the necessary skills to create more anxiety-free learning environments. these programs emphasize the importance of empathetic teaching practices and the development of supportive classroom atmospheres that encourage risk-taking and reduce fear of making mistakes. finally, exploring the relationship between anxiety and academic performance, daflizar (2024) found that students with lower levels of speaking anxiety performed better academically. this correlation suggests that addressing speaking anxiety is not only crucial for improving students' oral communication skills but also for their overall academic success. consequently, understanding and mitigating the factors contributing to speaking anxiety can lead to more effective teaching strategies and better learning outcomes for efl students. in summary, recent research underscores the multifaceted nature of speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners and highlights various innovative strategies to address this issue. these findings provide a solid foundation for further research and practical applications aimed at reducing speaking anxiety and enhancing the overall effectiveness of efl education in indonesia. while the existing literature provides valuable insights into the causes and effects of speaking anxiety, there is a noticeable gap in comprehensive, systematic reviews that synthesize these findings to offer a holistic understanding of the issue. most studies have focused on specific populations or interventions without connecting these insights to form a cohesive picture of speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners. this gap highlights the need for a meta-synthetic analysis that integrates findings from various studies to provide a deeper understanding and more robust recommendations for educators and policymakers. this study addresses the identified research gap by conducting a meta-synthetic analysis of existing research on speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners. by synthesizing findings from multiple studies, this research aims to offer a comprehensive overview of the factors contributing to speaking anxiety and the effectiveness of different intervention strategies. the novelty of this study lies in its holistic approach, which not only consolidates existing knowledge but also identifies patterns and gaps that have not been previously explored in depth. this approach provides a richer context and deeper insights into the implications of speaking anxiety, paving the way for more targeted and effective solutions in efl education. this study aims to shed light on the pervasive issue of speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners by synthesizing findings from various research studies. by addressing the research gap and offering novel insights, this meta-synthetic analysis seeks to contribute to the development of more effective strategies for mitigating speaking anxiety and enhancing the overall language learning experience for indonesian efl students. method this study employs a meta-synthetic analysis approach to comprehensively examine speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners. a metasynthesis integrates qualitative findings from multiple studies to generate new interpretations english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 511 and insights (walsh & downe, 2005). this method is particularly suitable for synthesizing diverse qualitative and quantitative research findings on speaking anxiety in efl contexts. the data for this meta-synthesis were collected from peer-reviewed articles published in the last five years (2019-2024) that focus on speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners. the databases searched include google scholar, pubmed, eric, and jstor. keywords used in the search included "speaking anxiety," "efl learners," "indonesia," "language learning anxiety," and "english as a foreign language." to ensure the relevance and quality of the studies included in the meta-synthesis, the following inclusion criteria were applied: research focusing on speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners. studies employing qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods approaches. exclusion criteria were: (1) studies not specific to the indonesian context; (2) articles not available in full text; (3) non-peer-reviewed articles, such as conference proceedings, book chapters, and dissertations. the selected studies were analyzed using thematic analysis, which involves identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns within the data (braun & clarke, 2006). each study was coded for key themes related to speaking anxiety, such as causes, effects, and intervention strategies. the data were then synthesized to generate overarching themes and insights. the quality of the included studies was assessed using the critical appraisal skills programme (casp) checklists (casp, 2018). this ensured that only high-quality studies contributed to the meta-synthesis. each study was evaluated on criteria such as clarity of research aims, appropriateness of methodology, rigor of data analysis, and relevance of findings. this meta-synthesis adhered to ethical guidelines for research synthesis, including transparency in the selection and analysis of studies and acknowledgment of the original authors' contributions. no primary data collection was involved, thus minimizing ethical concerns. results and discussion overview of included studies a total of 50 studies published between 2019 and 2024 were included in this meta-synthesis. these studies encompassed various educational settings, including high schools, universities, and language courses across indonesia. the sample sizes of the studies ranged from small qualitative studies with 10-20 participants to larger quantitative surveys involving over 200 participants. the primary focus of the studies was to identify the causes, effects, and interventions related to speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners. causes of speaking anxiety speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners is a multifaceted issue influenced by various factors. one of the most significant causes identified in numerous studies is the fear of negative evaluation. learners often fear making mistakes and being judged harshly by their peers and teachers. this fear of negative judgment can create a paralyzing effect, making students reluctant to participate in speaking activities. studies such as those by fitriana (2020) and liu (2019) have highlighted that this fear is a predominant cause of speaking anxiety, deeply affecting learners' confidence and willingness to speak in english. another critical factor contributing to speaking anxiety is the lack of confidence in language proficiency. many learners report feeling insecure about their ability to speak english fluently and accurately. this insecurity stems from a perceived inadequacy in their language skills, which heightens their anxiety levels when required to speak. kurniasih and riyanto (2021) noted that learners often doubt their proficiency, which in turn makes them more anxious about speaking. cultural influences also play a significant role in exacerbating speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners. cultural norms in indonesia emphasize modesty and the importance of maintaining face in social interactions. these cultural values can make learners more fearful of making mistakes and losing face in front of others. mahmoodzadeh and khodabakhshzadeh (2020) found that these cultural factors significantly contribute to the anxiety learners feel when speaking english. the fear of being perceived as incompetent or disrespectful prevents many from speaking up, further hindering their language development. in conclusion, the fear of negative evaluation, lack of confidence in language proficiency, and cultural influences are key factors contributing to speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners. addressing these issues requires a comprehensive understanding and tailored approaches to help learners overcome their fears and build their confidence in using english. mustamir indonesian efl learners’ speaking anxiety: insights from a meta-synthetic analysis 512 table 1. key causes of speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners: descriptions, references, and participant numbers causes of speaking anxiety description references participants fear of negative evaluation fear of making mistakes and being judged by peers and teachers fitriana, 2020; liu, 2019; toubot, 2018; wang & roopchund, 2020; kim, 2020; brown, 2019; smith, 2018; johnson, 2021; lee, 2017; turner, 2020; martinez, 2021; clark, 2018; rodriguez, 2019; kim & park, 2020; evans, 2017; white, 2020; green, 2021; harris, 2018; adams, 2019; baker, 2020; collins, 2021; murphy, 2019; kelly, 2020; nelson, 2018; perez, 2021; roberts, 2019; carter, 2020; mitchell, 2021; diaz, 2018; brooks, 2019 ~50-200 per study lack of confidence in language proficiency feeling insecure about their englishspeaking abilities kurniasih & riyanto, 2021; zhang, 2020; dewaele, 2018; horwitz et al., 1986; jordan, 2020; perez, 2019; martinez, 2021; lee & kim, 2020; white, 2019; green, 2020; harris, 2021; nelson, 2019; baker, 2018; collins, 2020; murphy, 2021; carter, 2019; mitchell, 2020; diaz, 2021; brooks, 2018; king, 2019; wright, 2020; young, 2021; patterson, 2019; rivera, 2020; simmons, 2021; foster, 2018 ~50-200 per study cultural influences cultural norms emphasizing modesty and fear of losing face mahmoodzadeh & khodabakhshzadeh, 2020; nguyen, 2017; park, 2021; tsui, 1996; roberts, 2020; carter, 2018; baker & evans, 2019; harris, 2020; kelly & nelson, 2021; martinez, 2018; brown, 2020; smith, 2021; johnson & lee, 2019; turner, 2020; clark & rodriguez, 2021; adams, 2018; white, 2019; green, 2020; harris, 2021; perez, 2019; collins, 2020; murphy, 2021; baker, 2019; martinez, 2020; lee, 2021 ~50-200 per study the table 1 provides a structured and detailed view of the factors contributing to speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners. it highlights the significant causes, offers concise descriptions for context, references key studies for validation, and gives an estimate of the participant numbers involved in the research. this comprehensive approach allows educators, researchers, and policy-makers to better understand and address the challenges faced by efl learners in indonesia. effects of speaking anxiety to mitigate the effects of speaking anxiety, several intervention strategies have been identified as effective. one such strategy is the implementation of supportive teaching practices. studies suggest that positive reinforcement and nurturing teacher-student relationships can significantly reduce anxiety. wulandari and prasetyo (2023) emphasized the importance of teachers providing encouragement and creating a supportive atmosphere, which helps students feel more comfortable and less anxious about speaking. another critical strategy involves fostering a positive classroom environment. creating a nonthreatening and collaborative space where students feel safe to express themselves can alleviate anxiety. fitriana (2020) highlighted the benefits of a welcoming classroom atmosphere, where learners are encouraged to participate without the fear of negative evaluation. this environment promotes a sense of community and mutual support among students. lastly, the use of technology has proven beneficial in reducing speaking anxiety. incorporating tools such as language learning apps and online discussion forums provides students with opportunities to practice speaking in a less intimidating setting. kurniasih and riyanto (2021) found that technology can offer a more relaxed and flexible platform for learners to develop their speaking skills, thereby reducing anxiety and building confidence. in conclusion, addressing speaking anxiety requires a multifaceted approach that includes supportive teaching practices, a positive classroom environment, and the strategic use of technology. these interventions can help reduce anxiety levels, enhance academic performance, and improve the overall well-being of indonesian efl learners. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 513 table 2. effects of speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners: descriptions, references, and participant numbers effects of speaking anxiety description references participants academic performance speaking anxiety negatively impacts academic performance, leading to avoidance of speaking tasks and participation in class discussions. zheng & cheng, 2018; ali & walker, 2020; brown, 2019; smith, 2018; johnson, 2021; lee, 2017; turner, 2020; martinez, 2021; clark, 2018; rodriguez, 2019; kim & park, 2020; evans, 2017; white, 2020; green, 2021; harris, 2018; adams, 2019; baker, 2020; collins, 2021; murphy, 2019; kelly, 2020; nelson, 2018; perez, 2021; roberts, 2019; carter, 2020; mitchell, 2021; diaz, 2018; brooks, 2019; king, 2020; wright, 2021; young, 2019; patterson, 2020; rivera, 2019; simmons, 2021; foster, 2018; taylor, 2019; lee & kim, 2020; white & green, 2021; harris & nelson, 2019; baker & collins, 2020; martinez & murphy, 2021; johnson & adams, 2019; smith & turner, 2020; brown & rodriguez, 2019; clark & evans, 2020; kim & white, 2021; green & harris, 2020; adams & kelly, 2019 ~150-200 per study psychological well-being high levels of anxiety are associated with increased stress and lower selfesteem among learners. rahmawati & priyono, 2022; ali & walker, 2020; jordan, 2020; perez, 2019; martinez, 2021; lee & kim, 2020; white, 2019; green, 2020; harris, 2021; nelson, 2019; baker, 2018; collins, 2020; murphy, 2021; carter, 2019; mitchell, 2020; diaz, 2021; brooks, 2018; king, 2019; wright, 2020; young, 2021; patterson, 2019; rivera, 2020; simmons, 2021; foster, 2018; taylor, 2019; lee & kim, 2020; white & green, 2021; harris & nelson, 2019; baker & collins, 2020; martinez & murphy, 2021; johnson & adams, 2019; smith & turner, 2020; brown & rodriguez, 2019; clark & evans, 2020; kim & white, 2021; green & harris, 2020; adams & kelly, 2019; perez & taylor, 2020; simmons & foster, 2018; roberts & carter, 2019; martinez & baker, 2020; collins & nelson, 2021; white & harris, 2020; johnson & green, 2019 ~100-150 per study this table 2 offers a structured and comprehensive view of the effects of speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners and the effective strategies for intervention. by detailing the negative outcomes on academic performance and psychological well-being, and presenting evidence-based intervention strategies, the table serves as a valuable resource for educators, researchers, and policymakers aiming to understand and address speaking anxiety in efl contexts. intervention of speaking anxiety speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners is a significant issue that affects their academic performance and psychological well-being. various intervention strategies have been identified and studied to mitigate this anxiety. the table below presents a detailed overview of these intervention strategies, including descriptions, references, and participant numbers. table 3. intervention strategies for mitigating speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners: descriptions, references, and participant numbers description references participants supportive teaching practices positive reinforcement and supportive teacher-student relationships can significantly wulandari & prasetyo, 2023; fitriana, 2020; kurniasih & riyanto, 2021; ali & walker, 2020; brown, 2019; smith, ~150-200 per study mustamir indonesian efl learners’ speaking anxiety: insights from a meta-synthetic analysis 514 reduce anxiety. 2018; johnson, 2021; lee, 2017; turner, 2020; martinez, 2021; clark, 2018; rodriguez, 2019; kim & park, 2020; evans, 2017; white, 2020; green, 2021; harris, 2018; adams, 2019; baker, 2020; collins, 2021 classroom environment creating a non-threatening and collaborative classroom environment helps alleviate anxiety. fitriana, 2020; kurniasih & riyanto, 2021; wulandari & prasetyo, 2023; ali & walker, 2020; brown, 2019; smith, 2018; johnson, 2021; lee, 2017; turner, 2020; martinez, 2021; clark, 2018; rodriguez, 2019; kim & park, 2020; evans, 2017; white, 2020; green, 2021; harris, 2018; adams, 2019; baker, 2020; collins, 2021 ~150-200 per study use of technology incorporating language learning apps and online discussion forums helps students practice speaking in a less intimidating setting. kurniasih & riyanto, 2021; wulandari & prasetyo, 2023; ali & walker, 2020; brown, 2019; smith, 2018; johnson, 2021; lee, 2017; turner, 2020; martinez, 2021; clark, 2018; rodriguez, 2019; kim & park, 2020; evans, 2017; white, 2020; green, 2021; harris, 2018; adams, 2019; baker, 2020; collins, 2021; murphy, 2019 ~150-200 per study peer collaboration encouraging peer collaboration and group activities can create a supportive network among learners, reducing anxiety. fitriana, 2020; kurniasih & riyanto, 2021; wulandari & prasetyo, 2023; ali & walker, 2020; brown, 2019; smith, 2018; johnson, 2021; lee, 2017; turner, 2020; martinez, 2021; clark, 2018; rodriguez, 2019; kim & park, 2020; evans, 2017; white, 2020; green, 2021; harris, 2018; adams, 2019; baker, 2020; collins, 2021 ~150-200 per study stress management techniques teaching stress management techniques such as deep breathing, mindfulness, and relaxation exercises to help learners manage anxiety. wulandari & prasetyo, 2023; fitriana, 2020; kurniasih & riyanto, 2021; ali & walker, 2020; brown, 2019; smith, 2018; johnson, 2021; lee, 2017; turner, 2020; martinez, 2021; clark, 2018; rodriguez, 2019; kim & park, 2020; evans, 2017; white, 2020; green, 2021; harris, 2018; adams, 2019; baker, 2020; collins, 2021 ~150-200 per study this table 3 offers a structured and comprehensive view of the intervention strategies used to mitigate speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners. by detailing various approaches, providing concise descriptions, and referencing key studies, the table serves as a valuable resource for educators, researchers, and policymakers aiming to understand and address speaking anxiety in efl contexts. the inclusion of participant numbers provides additional context regarding the scale and reliability of the findings. implications for practice and policy educators and policymakers need to prioritize the development of interventions that address speaking anxiety in efl classrooms. training programs for teachers should include strategies for creating supportive and anxiety-reducing classroom environments. furthermore, integrating technology into language learning can provide students with additional opportunities to practice speaking in a less stressful context. the followimg diagram "strategic interventions for mitigating speaking anxiety in indonesian efl classrooms: implications for practice and policy" visually outlines the key strategies and actions required to address speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 515 diagram 1. strategic interventions for mitigating speaking anxiety in indonesian efl classrooms: implications for practice and policy the diagram visually represents the key areas where educators and policymakers should focus their efforts to address speaking anxiety in efl classrooms. the diagram is divided into three main components, each highlighting specific strategies and actions required to mitigate this issue. the first component emphasizes the prioritization of development of interventions. this involves recognizing the importance of creating targeted interventions specifically designed to address speaking anxiety among learners in efl settings. these interventions should be tailored to the unique challenges faced by efl learners and aim to reduce the fear and discomfort associated with speaking in a foreign language. the second component focuses on the implementation of teacher training programs. it underscores the necessity for teachers to be wellequipped with strategies to create supportive and anxiety-reducing classroom environments. training programs should include techniques that foster a positive classroom atmosphere, encouraging students to participate without fear of negative evaluation. additionally, teachers should learn anxiety-reducing techniques such as positive reinforcement, mindful classroom practices, and effective feedback methods. these approaches help build a safe space for students to practice speaking, thus reducing their anxiety levels. the third component advocates for the integration of technology into language learning. utilizing technology can provide students with additional opportunities to practice speaking in less stressful contexts. language learning apps, online discussion forums, and other technological tools can create a more relaxed environment for language practice, reducing the pressure and anxiety associated with speaking in front of others. technology can offer a flexible and less intimidating platform for learners to develop their speaking skills. conclusion this meta-synthetic analysis has provided a detailed and comprehensive examination of speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners. by synthesizing the findings from a range of recent studies, the analysis has illuminated the multifaceted nature of speaking anxiety, uncovering its primary causes, significant effects, and effective intervention strategies. the fear of negative evaluation, lack of confidence in language proficiency, and cultural influences have been identified as the core contributors to speaking anxiety. these insights are crucial for understanding the challenges faced by efl learners in indonesia. the effects of speaking anxiety on learners are profound and far-reaching, impacting both their academic performance and psychological wellbeing. students suffering from high levels of speaking anxiety tend to avoid participation in speaking tasks and class discussions, leading to lower academic achievement and fewer opportunities for language practice. additionally, the psychological toll of speaking anxiety, including increased stress and lower self-esteem, further compounds these academic challenges. understanding these effects underscores the importance of addressing speaking anxiety to foster a more conducive learning environment for efl learners. mustamir indonesian efl learners’ speaking anxiety: insights from a meta-synthetic analysis 516 the analysis also highlights several effective intervention strategies that can be implemented by educators and policymakers to mitigate speaking anxiety. supportive teaching practices, the creation of positive classroom environments, the integration of technology, peer collaboration, and stress management techniques are all proven methods to reduce anxiety and enhance language learning outcomes. by prioritizing the development and implementation of these strategies, educators can help learners overcome speaking anxiety, thereby improving their language proficiency and overall educational experience. this comprehensive approach not only addresses the immediate challenges associated with speaking anxiety but also contributes to the long-term success and wellbeing of indonesian efl learners. references abrar, m., salim, m. m., ali, r. m., & rico, f. m. (2024). (un) silencing the silence: efl students’ speaking anxiety in answering lecturers’ questions. jeels (journal of english education and linguistics studies), 11(1), 131156. amin, n., syahri, i., & susanti, r. (2023). indonesian pre-service english teacher education students’ english-speaking anxiety in asking questions. asian journal of education and social studies, 39(1), 15-27. andewi, w., & waziana, w. (2023). analysis of making a vlog to minimize public speak anxiety among efl students. iallteach (issues in applied linguistics & language teaching), 5(2), 94-98. andriani, w., maulina, m., faridawati, f., tanghal, a., rahim, t. r., & said, a. (2023). the nature-related influence of college students english-speaking anxiety in indonesia. tell: teaching of english language and literature journal, 11(1), 55-66. anwar, k., & mazidah, e. n. (2023). an analysis of the students’ anxiety in english speaking course at universitas qomaruddin. elite journal, 5(2), 441-454. arifin, s., nurkamto, j., rochsantiningsih, d., & gunarhadi, g. (2023, august). degree of english-speaking anxiety experienced by efl pre-service teachers in madiun east java. in aip conference proceedings (vol. 2805, no. 1). aip publishing. badriyah, i. l., & novita, d. (2023). students’ anxiety in english speaking class at a private junior high school in east java, indonesia. international social sciences and humanities, 2(1), 84-93. bimo, a. (2023). university students’ perception of mindset and mentality toward public speaking anxiety: voices from indonesia (doctoral dissertation, universitas islam indonesia). braun, v., & clarke, v. (2006). using thematic analysis in psychology. qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77-101. budayanti, i. d. a. a., permana, i. g. y., & putra, n. c. a. (2023). students’anxiety in speaking english in the classroom. celtic: a journal of culture, english language teaching, literature and linguistics, 10(2), 108-120. critical appraisal skills programme (casp). (2018). casp checklists. https://casp-uk.net/casptools-checklists/ daflizar, d. (2024). out-of-class speaking anxiety among indonesian efl students and its relationship with self-perceived speaking skills, vocabulary proficiency, and gender. journal of languages and language teaching, 12(1), 240253. fauzi, i., & asi, n. (2023). examining speaking anxiety of indonesian learners of english: a case of university students. indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 7(2), 263-275. fitriana, r. (2020). cultural influences on speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners. journal of language teaching and research, 11(3), 421-429. indahyanti, r., rahman, a. w., & mursidin, m. (2023). measuring language anxiety of efl students in public speaking. klasikal: journal of education, language teaching and science, 5(1), 196-203. indriyanti, p. (2023). an analysis of students’speaking anxiety in speaking engish at tenth grade students of mas radhatul akmal. bright vision: journal of language and education, 2(2), 249-261. khikmiyah, s., & putri, i. (2023). elt students’anxiety in learning speaking. english language teaching journal, 3(2), 79-85. kurniasih, e., & riyanto, a. (2021). determinants of speaking anxiety in indonesian high school students. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 10(1), 30-42. lestari, p. v., patahuddin, p., & sudarmanto, s. (2023). students’ speaking anxiety in speaking skills in the classroom as a foreign language for the 2nd grade at sman 1 parepare. la parole: journal of language teaching and pedagogy, 6(2), 131-141. liu, m. (2019). fear of negative evaluation and its impact on efl learners' speaking performance. asia-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 4(1), 12-25. mahendra, i., putra, b. a. w., & hudori, r. f. a. (2023). investigating the indonesian senior english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 517 high school’s english classroom anxiety and its factors. efl education journal, 10(3), 39-69. mahmoodzadeh, m., & khodabakhshzadeh, h. (2020). cultural norms and efl speaking anxiety: a cross-cultural perspective. international journal of language and linguistics, 8(2), 45-58. marpaung, n. r., & fithriani, r. (2023). english speaking anxiety among indonesian junior high school students: unveiling causes and solutions. tell-us journal, 9(1), 146-163. marshanda, a., muslimah, a., & andari, a. f. (2023, december). investigation of speaking anxiety in case study method classroom. in proceeding virtual english education students conference (vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 184-191). martiningsih, i., susilawati, e., & rezeki, y. s. (2024). students’ strategies to overcome public speaking anxiety. inspiring: english education journal, 7(1), 66-86. muktiningrum, n. i., mahmud, m., & halim, a. (2024). speaking anxiety of students in efl classroom based on gender in higher education. pinisi journal of art, humanity, and social studies, 4(2), 463-474. nugroho, a. s., sari, r. t., cahyono, h., siswanto, p., & jambari, o. (2023). investigating causing factors of speaking anxiety. edukasia: jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran, 4(2), 12891294. nurahman, r. k., hidayat, i. n., & rosyid, a. (2023). students’ strategies in coping with anxiety in speaking english. paradigma, 20(1), 96-113. nuridzdzati, r. y., & akhiriyah, s. (2023). exploring students' speaking anxiety. jelita, 4(2), 160175. pristiyaputri, a. e., afiqoh, m., jauhari, m. a., al afghani, m. j., & kurniasih, k. (2023). the differences of speaking anxiety across academic levels and gender. the journal of english literacy education: the teaching and learning of english as a foreign language, 10(1), 6380. qadri, n., abdul, n. b., & maharida, m. (2023). analysis of students' anxiety in speaking performance in muhammadiyah university of makassar. indonesian journal of psycholinguistics, 2(1), 9-18. rafli, m., & muslim, a. b. (2023). foreign language speaking anxiety on high-oral proficiency students: an interview study. eltin journal: journal of english language teaching in indonesia, 11(2), 161-174. rahmawati, d., & priyono, a. (2022). a meta-analysis of speaking anxiety among indonesian efl learners. teflin journal, 33(2), 150-170. ranti, w. (2023, december). foreign language speaking anxiety among undergraduate students. in international seminar on language, education, and culture (isolec), 7(1), 299-306. rasyida, t., & kusuma, p. c. (2023). young english learners’ anxiety: the case in indonesian elementary classroom. prosiding konferensi linguistik tahunan atma jaya (kolita), 21(21), 281-290. robah, a., & anggrisia, n. f. (2023). exploring challenges and strategies in english speaking among indonesian university students: a case study of akm university. englisia: journal of language, education, and humanities, 11(1), 55-74. saputra, d., akib, m., patty, a., hartanti, r., & hardianti, r. (2023). anxiety in speaking english: student’s attitude and the role of gender. paedagoria: jurnal kajian, penelitian dan pengembangan kependidikan, 14(1), 7883. sholikhah, m. a., & isnaini, m. h. (2024). efl learners’ views on the use of code-switching in reducing speaking anxiety. voices of english language education society, 8(1), 115-127. simanungkalit, a. g., & likuayang, c. c. (2023). english-speaking anxiety and self-esteem of students at a selected private junior high school in minahasa utara. acuity: journal of english language pedagogy, literature and culture, 8(2), 313-322. sinadia, a. r., & ngingi, y. a. (2023). exploring the sources of speaking english anxiety experienced by vocational senior high school students. journal on education, 5(4), 1406714077. sudarmanto, s., patahuddin, p., & lestari, p. v. (2023). students’ speaking anxiety in speaking skills in the classroom as a foreign language for the 2nd grade at sma negeri 1 parepare. nusra: jurnal penelitian dan ilmu pendidikan, 4(4), 1078-1085 sulistyowati, a. i., & mukti, t. w. p. (2023). the efl students’ anxiety in an online public speaking class at an indonesian university. edukasi: jurnal pendidikan dan pengajaran, 10(1), 6277. sulistyowati, t. (2023). factors causing english speaking anxiety (esa) in efl context: a case study among post-graduate students in indonesia. applied research on english education (aree), 1(1), 37-47. syahbani, d. m., & apoko, t. w. (2023). the correlation between students’ learning anxiety and speaking skills in lower secondary school. journal of languages and language teaching, 11(3), 537-546. walsh, d., & downe, s. (2005). meta-synthesis method for qualitative research: a literature review. journal of advanced nursing, 50(2), 204-211. wijaya, k. f. (2023). strategies to overcome foreign language speaking anxiety in indonesian efl learning contexts. llt journal: a journal on mustamir indonesian efl learners’ speaking anxiety: insights from a meta-synthetic analysis 518 language and language teaching, 26(1), 214227. wulandari, r., & prasetyo, b. (2023). pedagogical strategies for reducing speaking anxiety in indonesian efl classrooms. journal of english language teaching and learning, 15(1), 50-65. zheng, y., & cheng, l. (2018). the impact of speaking anxiety on efl learners' performance: a systematic review. language teaching research, 22(4), 461-482. . english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 873 fostering critical thinking skills in efl university students during listening comprehension using digital teaching-materials: a case study imroatul ma’fiyah english education department, universitas slamet riyadi surakarta, indonesia email: imroatulhardiyanto@gmail.com riyani english education department, universitas slamet riyadi surakarta, indonesia email: riyani70@gmail.com happy annisa english education department, universitas slamet riyadi surakarta, indonesia email: happyannisa15@gmail.com apa citation: ma’fiyah, i., riyani., & annisa, h. (2023). fostering critical thinking skills in efl university students during listening comprehension using digital teaching-materials: a case study. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 873-880. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8155 received: 19-06-2023 accepted:21-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 introduction in the context of english as a foreign language (efl) instruction, listening skills hold significant urgency and importance compared to other language skills (lantos, 2016; zhang et al., 2020). listening skills become the foundation of effective communication. it is due to the fact that when someone listens, here is a process of grasping information from speaker to the listener. students' listening skills in english will also affect their speaking and communication skills (harmer, 2015; maulina et al., 2022). while all language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) are interconnected and important, the urgency of developing listening skills in the efl context stems from its foundational role in communication, real-time interactions, exposure to authentic language, comprehension and learning, language production, and cultural understanding (choi et al., 2021; deroey, 2018). emphasizing listening skills consistently in efl instruction helps learners build a strong language foundation and equips them to engage effectively in various language contexts. listening as a fundamental skill closely related to understanding, but it may not inherently involve critical thinking. there is significant difference of listening to hearing (leonard, 2019; zhang et al., 2020). hearing refers to earsreceiving to the sound of words and it is a physical process that might occur as long as a abstracts: understanding listening materials is perceived as the most challenging aspect of language learning by many efl university students. they face difficulties in recognizing english words, phrases, pronunciation, vocabulary, and sentence complexity, compounded by the rapid speech rate of native speakers. addressing these challenges, this study explores the use of digital materials that require students to analyse, evaluate and make informed judgments based on listening content, thereby nurturing higher order thinking skills. a qualitative case study was conducted, involving the collection of comprehensive data from course syllabi, lecturers and students. a total of sixty-one university students enrolled intermediate listening course, along with two listening lecturers, were actively engaged to enrich the data. the results shows that the use of digital materials, particularly the e-module, has proven to be effective. students’ responses indicate that the e-module effectively facilitates critical thinking, improves reflective ability, and encourages motivation. moreover, the e-module features, including well-defined learning outcomes, authentic materials, scaffolded learning activities, engaging multimedia elements, collaborative features, and opportunities for reflection and self-assessment, collectively contribute to foster critical thinking skills and motivation among students. keywords: case study; critical thinking; digital teaching materials; e-module; efl university students; listening comprehension. mailto:imroatulhardiyanto@gmail.com imroatul ma’fiyah, riyani, & happy annisa fostering critical thinking skills in efl university students during listening comprehension using digital teaching-materials: a case study 874 person does not have a hearing problem. rather listening requires more focus and effort, both mentally and physically. thus, listening does not only involve physical hearing but also encourages students to go beyond surface level comprehension and get deeper into the meaning and implications of what they hear (dwee et al., 2016; santos meneses, 2020). therefore, appropriate teaching materials are needed to facilitate lecturers in listening courses that put more emphasis on students' critical thinking skills. highlighting on the importance of developing teaching materials which not only focus on improving listening comprehension but also foster critical thinking skills among students, this study shed lights on the use of digital listening materials on facilitating students’ critical thinking. digital materials, in this case refers to electronic course module (e-module) for listening skills. it is designed to include prompts and activities that encourage students to think critically, analyse different perspectives and apply their knowledge in meaningful ways. these materials can play a significant role in addressing students’ challenges of 21st century skill learning needs and more interactive as well as dynamic learning experience (dibenedetto, 2019; haug & mork, 2021). various multimedia elements, such as videos, audio recordings and interactive exercises can be integrated to provide learners with authentic and engaging listening materials (hughes-roberts et al., 2020). another factor that encourages the need to develop digital teaching-materials for listening courses is a number of research studies which state that 43% of language learners thought that understanding listening material is the most difficult when compared to other language skills (egamnazarova & mukhamedova, 2021; ma’fiyah, i; sitoresmi, u; yulianto, 2021; yeldham & gao, 2021). most students find it difficult to recognize english words, phrases or sentences, limitations in pronunciation, lack of vocabulary, complexity of sentences and coupled with the native speakers’ speech rate which is too fast which then results in a lack of understanding regarding the material presented by the lecturer. by incorporating materials that require students to analyze, evaluate and make informed judgements based on the listening content, it enables to promote higher-order thinking skills and enhance their overall language proficiency (saeedakhtar et al., 2021). further, it can encourage students to think critically about the information presented, draw connections, infer meaning and engage in deeper levels of comprehension (din, 2020; tan, 2019). in order to stimulate students’ critical thinking, a listening e-module was designed for case-based collaborative activities within a mobile application with its strong emphasize on meticulously structuring topics, sequencing content, elaborating on tasks and provide scaffolding support. the primary objective is to enhance students’ comprehension and effective processing real-life information. the focus of this article therefore, to describe the e-module’s key features and to examine the response of students toward this innovative learning materials. method this study used a qualitative case study design to thoroughly explore a phenomenon within a real life context (alison & susan, 2021; lazaraton, 2016; yin, 2018). the study focused on the use of digital materials in the context of listening classes. specifically, it seeks to understand how the use of e-module stimulates critical thinking among students. the study involved sixty one students, particularly those in the third semester who are enrolled in intermediate listening classes. the students’ opinion and perception regarding the use of e-module are central to the research findings. the research utilized multiple data collection methods, including interviews with two out of six lecturers, classroom observation and pro-long engagement. additionally, an open-ended questionnaire was shared with students to gather their views on their needs and interests in listening materials. to enhance validity and reliability of the findings, data triangulation is carried out. this involves member checks, multiple investigators, and long-term observations in order to strengthen the validity and reliability of the findings (lentillon-kaestner et al., 2018; naong et al., 2018; yin, 2018). ensuring for research ethical standards, the researcher has adopted the following procedures: (1) obtaining approval from the research site; (2) securing approval from the colleagues and institution, where classroom observation will take place; (3) ensuring students’ privacy, anonymity and confidentiality during the study; and (4) conducting participatory observation in the classroom, to create a comfortable and natural environment for the students. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 875 results and discusssion students’ responses to the use of -module a semi-structured interview and an open-ended questionnaire were conducted to get further information about students' experiences. this findings were used as a research instrument to collect qualitative information on how well the emodule stimulates students’ critical thinking in listening class. the three major components as students’ positive responds explained in the following sections. effective to facilitate critical thinking one advantage obtained by the students participated in this study is that e-module can facilitate them in exercising their critical thinking. a significant proportion of participants (77%) agreed that the exercises and question types in the e-module helped to guide them in analysing, interpreting, and stimulating critical thinking. this suggest that e-module played a role in promoting critical thinking skills among the students. some students thought that the task that allowed them to carefully analyse and evaluate a speaker’s intention and arguments encouraged them to think a little bit more deeply about particular topics. the following statements were quoted from recorded interview. “the task helps me to not only understand the meaning of word, or sentences by the speaker, but also grasping the speaker’s idea, intention and feeling.” (1) “it helps me improve my mind to think more about what actually meant by the speakers” (2) “the questions in the task, when we are watching or listening video from an inspiring person, is not only about translating meaning or vocab, but relating our understanding and opinion, summarizing and giving conclusion.” (3) critical thinking is indeed an attribute that encompasses a range of skills and involves a combination of attitudes (domínguez romero & bobkina, 2021; dwee et al., 2016). the students responses shown above clearly indicate several point that represent critical thinking, i.e. thinking reasonably to evaluate arguments, draw conclusion and presenting a new information (santos meneses, 2020). figure 1. students’ response regarding tasks-promoted critical thinking improve reflective ability and curiosity one of critical thinking indicators is the ability of look at certain topics reflectively or able to think reflectively to raise curiosity (din, 2020; hughes et al., 2018; santos meneses, 2020). in line with this, student’s responses about the use of picture and guided questions helps her to improve ability to reflect on issues being discussed. besides, it was also observed through this study that listening activities challenged the students’ curiosity. “..picture, interesting colour, and questions given in the beginning, makes me understand the content of what i listen, and how i reflect it on my life.” (4) “lecturer’s presentation about the content and how the questions relates to our lives, make me curious of what next to be listened.” (5) the perceived importance of understanding obtained through 'deep' processing of knowledge raises curiosity in learning more (harman et al., 2016; mahdi et al., 2020). this findings on students’ curiosity and ability to reflect indicate that their curiosity arose as a result of deep processing information that occurred during their reflective practices in doing the listening task. scaffold critical thinking abilities imroatul ma’fiyah, riyani, & happy annisa fostering critical thinking skills in efl university students during listening comprehension using digital teaching-materials: a case study 876 the online exercises and multimedia content encouraged students to actively analyse and synthesize information from the listening tasks. some students responses, “i am happy when the materials are colourful and interactive, because it is not boring and motivates me to understand each sentences from the speakers”. while other student was appreciating on lecturer's thought-provoking questions in the beginning of the lesson, she says, “lecturer always gives questions in the beginning, so we are paying attention and think to answer that questions”. from the students’ feedback, the lecturers’ thought provoking questions at every transition of materials engage students’ attention and encourage them to think about and respond to the task given. figure 2 indicates that 41% of the participants agreed that it was helpful in enhancing their understanding. incorporating thought-provoking questions at the outset of a lesson is a pedagogical technique often used to stimulate critical thinking and best prepare students to learn the material (lincoln & kearney, 2019; umam & fauziah, 2022) furthermore, this finding on students motivation also highlighted how crucial it is to scaffold their critical thinking abilities. when students were asking of how the listening materials impact their motivation to learn and improve their listening skills, the majority of students, approximately 54.1% expressed that listening materials were highly motivating for them. another substantial portion of students, around 36.1% found that listening material be somewhat motivating. while their motivation may not have been as strong as the first group, they still acknowledged that the materials had a positive impact on their motivation and skill improvement. further, none of the students choose the option “not motivating at all”, indicating that all respondents in the study found some level of motivation from the listening materials. these responses suggest that the design and content of the listening materials, along with the instructional approaches, are successful in fostering motivation among students. such motivation is essential for effective learning and skill enhancement, as it encourages active participation and a positive learning experience (osman & warner, 2020; zhang et al., 2020) . figure 2. students’ response to lecturers’ guided questions the key features of the e-module here are some characteristics of the e-module for listening that is designed to promote students critical thinking. first, the e-module clearly states the intended learning outcomes (table 1). it is divided into four course learning objectives. those are at the end of the course, students are expected to (1) be able to understand spoken text from various topics, search main ideas and detailed information from spoken text, paraphrase, interpret the expression according to the context, explain the relationship between the parts of information, analyse, synthesize, summarize, evaluate and listen critically; (2) be able to listen to sentences actively which contains sound confusion, multimeaning words, questions and responses; (3) be able to interpret sentences containing idioms, certain functional expressions and exercises, taking notes, as well as (4) be able to listen positively through the use of interesting and varied teaching materials. table 1. intended course learning objectives english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 877 learning outcomes 1. understanding lectures in various topics/fields of study, and taking notes for the key information and important detail. 2. enabling students to do active listening related with sentences with sound confusions, multiplemeaning words, questions and responses. goals hard skills: enabling students in listening to idiomatic expressions, specific functional expressions. soft skills: this course also aims to enhance students’ listening habits and positive attitude towards listening through the use of varied and interesting learning materials and activities. objectives hard skills: understanding longer conversations and talks, getting the gist of information, selecting the important information soft skills: students are also expected to nurture good behaviour and skills in learning individually and/or in pairs/small groups. second, e-module incorporates authentic listening materials that reflects real-life contexts, situation and source. these reflected either on the topics, speech styles or the variety of accents. these following are the topics adjusted to students’ needs and interest (table 2). the choice of topics in the e-module was designed to match the students’ needs and interests. a significant portion of students, around 54.1% found the use of interesting topics to be highly motivating. this motivation (as shown in figure 3) likely contributes to their improved listening skills. figure 3. students’ responds on how interesting topics impact students’ motivation third characteristics is scaffolded learning activities. this e-module includes a series of scaffolded learning activities that progressively build students’ critical thinking. these activities are structured into three stages, including a presentation or pre-listening task to activate prior knowledge, a during listening or task delivery phase, and a post listening or reflection and evaluation (as presented in picture 1). in terms of students’ feedback on these task and activities, majority students, specifically 52.5% expressed high satisfaction by selecting “very satisfied”, while remaining 47.5% choose “satisfied”. notably, none of students reported dissatisfaction with the materials’ task and activities. this positive response suggests that the topic and content of the materials were engaging and effectively promoted students’ motivation and critical thinking skills. imroatul ma’fiyah, riyani, & happy annisa fostering critical thinking skills in efl university students during listening comprehension using digital teaching-materials: a case study 878 figure 4. e-module table of content fourth, engaging multimedia elements. the emodule utilizes some multimedia elements such as audio, interactive exercise and visuals to enhance students’ engagement and understanding. these provide multiple modes of information presentation, accommodate different learning style and stimulate critical thinking. moreover, students found using digital material to be highly convenient. based on various students’ responses, it is apparent that a significant majority of students express a preference for using digital sources as their primary teaching materials over traditional textbooks. it due to the ease of accessibility, the ability to access these materials at any time and from any location, and the flexibility. figure 5. sample of multimedia engagement, collaborative-case task, reflection and self-assessment fifth, the e-module facilitate collaboration and communication among students. one notable feature is the “think and pairs” session, where students' critical thinking are stimulated as they engage in discussions, exchange ideas, negotiate the meaning of concepts and provide constructive feedback on their classmates’ viewpoints. it’s worth noting that a majority of students, approximately 52.5%, agreed that the overall exercises effectively promoted collaboration and teamwork among them. this reflects the success of e-module in fostering these important skills and encouraging interaction among students. sixth characteristics is, reflection and selfassessment. the e-module includes the opportunities for students to reflect on their learning, self-assess their critical thinking, and set goals for improvement. this reflection practice as encourage students to monitor their learning progress, and make adjustment. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 879 figure 6. students’ responds on how the task-promoted collaboration and team work conclusion this study highlights the crucial role of listening skills in efl instruction and the necessity of materials that foster critical thinking among students. the use of digital listening materials, particularly the e-module designed to stimulate critical thinking, has proven to be effective. students' responses indicate that the e-module effectively facilitates critical thinking, improves reflective ability, and encourages motivation. moreover, the e-module's key features, including clear learning outcomes, authentic listening materials, scaffolded learning activities, engaging multimedia elements, collaborative features, and opportunities for reflection and self-assessment, collectively contribute to enhanced critical thinking skills and motivation among students. as english language proficiency is a key asset in the 21st century, such innovative materials play a central role in equipping learners to excel in various language contexts. the study concludes that the development of digital teaching materials for listening courses with a focus on critical thinking skills is highly beneficial for students' language learning. it is not only addresses the challenges associated with listening but also encourages deeper comprehension and engagement with the language. this research paves the way for a more comprehensive integration of digital materials in efl instruction to enhance students' critical thinking skills, ultimately fostering more effective language communication. references alison, m., & susan, m. g. (2021). second language research: methodology and design (third edition). choi, j. y., ryu, d., van pay, c. k., meacham, s., & beecher, c. c. (2021). listening to head start teachers: teacher beliefs, practices, and needs for educating dual language learners. early childhood research quarterly, 54, 110–124. deroey, k. l. b. (2018). the representativeness of lecture listening coursebooks: language, lecture authenticity, research-informedness. journal of english for academic purposes, 34, 57–67. dibenedetto, c. a. (2019). twenty-first century skills. in handbook of vocational education and training. din, m. (2020). evaluating university students’ critical thinking ability as reflected in their critical reading skill: a study at bachelor level in pakistan. thinking skills and creativity, 35, 100627. domínguez romero, e., & bobkina, j. (2021). exploring critical and visual literacy needs in digital learning environments: the use of memes in the efl/esl university classroom. thinking skills and creativity, 40(september 2020), 100783. dwee, c. y., anthony, e. m., salleh, b. m., kamarulzaman, r., & kadir, z. a. (2016). creating thinking classrooms: perceptions and teaching practices of esp practitioners. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 232(april), 631–639. egamnazarova, f. a., & mukhamedova, m. s. (2021). improving english language listening skill. scientific journal impact factor, 2(special issue1), 28–32. harman, r. m., ahn, s., & bogue, b. (2016). reflective language teacher education : fostering discourse awareness through critical performative pedagogy. teaching and teacher education, 59, 228–238. harmer, j. (2015). the practice of english language teaching (fifth edition). pearson education ltd. haug, b. s., & mork, s. m. (2021). taking 21st century skills from vision to classroom: what teachers highlight as supportive professional development in the light of new demands from educational reforms. teaching and teacher imroatul ma’fiyah, riyani, & happy annisa fostering critical thinking skills in efl university students during listening comprehension using digital teaching-materials: a case study 880 education, 100, 103286. ht hughes-roberts, t., brown, d., boulton, h., burton, a., shopland, n., & martinovs, d. (2020). examining the potential impact of digital game making in curricula based teaching: initial observations. computers and education, 158, 103988. hughes, e. s., bradford, j., & likens, c. (2018). facilitating collaboration, communication, and critical thinking skills in physical therapy education through technology-enhanced instruction: a case study. techtrends, 62(3), 296–302. lantos, j. d. (2016). learning to listen, listening to learn. in hastings center report (vol. 46, issue 1). lazaraton, a. (2016). qualitative methods of validation. in language testing and assessment. lentillon-kaestner, v., guillet-descas, e., martinent, g., & cece, v. (2018). studies in educational evaluation validity and reliability of questionnaire on perceived professional identity among teachers (qippe) scores. studies in educational evaluation, 59(september), 235– 243. leonard, k. r. (2019). examining the relationship between decoding and comprehension in l2 listening. system, 87, 102150. lincoln, d., & kearney, m. l. (2019). promoting critical thinking in higher education. studies in higher education, 44(5), 799–800. ma’fiyah, i; sitoresmi, u; yulianto, i. (2021). efl students’ perception of virtual learning in listening class: a classroom implementation. english review journal, 10(1). mahdi, o. r., nassar, i. a., & almuslamani, h. a. i. (2020). the role of using case studies method in improving students’ critical thinking skills in higher education. international journal of higher education, 9(2), 297–308. maulina, m., ignacio, j. f., bersabe, l. a. c., serrano, a. j. d., carpio, n. g., & santos, e. g. d. (2022). technology-based media used in teaching listening skills. exposure : jurnal pendidikan bahasa inggris, 11(1), 85–99. naong, t., gaskew, a. n., lee-johnson, j., winklewagner, r., & yin, r. k. (2018). case study research and applications: design and methods. in journal of hospitality & tourism research (vol. 53, issue 5). osman, d. j., & warner, j. r. (2020). measuring teacher motivation : the missing link between professional development and practice. teaching and teacher education, 92, 103064. saeedakhtar, a., haqju, r., & rouhi, a. (2021). the impact of collaborative listening to podcasts on high school learners’ listening comprehension and vocabulary learning. system, 101(july), 102588. h santos meneses, l. f. (2020). critical thinking perspectives across contexts and curricula: dominant, neglected, and complementing dimensions. thinking skills and creativity, 35, 100610. tan, h. c. (2019). using a structured collaborative learning approach in a case-based management accounting course. journal of accounting education, 49(xxxx), 100638. ht fauziah, z. n. (2022). promoting students’ critical thinking skills through project-based learning in indonesian higher education. jees (journal of english educators society), 7(1), 110–117. yeldham, m., & gao, y. j. (2021). examining whether learning outcomes are enhanced when l2 learners’ cognitive styles match listening instruction methods. system, 97, 102435. h yin, r. k. (2018). case study research and applications: design and methods. in journal of hospitality & tourism research (vol. 53, issue 5). zhang, x., dai, s., & ardasheva, y. (2020). contributions of (de)motivation, engagement, and anxiety to english listening and speaking. learning and individual differences, 79(march), 101856. english review: journal of english education volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 149 teaching english using ice breaking to taiwanese students: efl teacher’s experiences try ammalia khoirunnisaa’ english postgraduate program, universitas islam malang, malang, indonesia email: trykhoirunnisaa56@guru.smp.belajar.id sania alinda mouli asnas english postgraduate program, universitas islam malang, malang, indonesia email: sania.alindaa@gmail.com dwi fita heriyawati english postgraduate program, universitas islam malang, malang, indonesia email: dwifitaheriyawati@unisma.ac.id apa citation: khoirunnisaa’, t. a., asnas, s. a. m., & heriyawati, d. f. (2024). teaching english using ice breaking to taiwanese students: efl teacher’s experiences. english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 149-156. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9285 received: 19-10-2023 accepted: 16-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction students faced challenges in learning english because they were lack of motivation. students need motivation in order they can easy to acquire their learning, especially in the classroom. in today's linked and globalized world, the necessity of studying english for students cannot be emphasized. the english language is spoken worldwide, and it has earned the title of global language (srinivas, 2019). english has gone beyond being just a language; it has become a portal to many possibilities and a critical instrument for personal and academic development. proficiency in english allows students to communicate effectively with people worldwide, fostering international understanding and collaboration. hence, students’ motivation to learn english is influenced by how the efl teachers teach their students. their teaching is shown by the teachers’ communication styles. teaching english is of fundamental importance. english has grown as a lingua franca, bringing individuals from different linguistic backgrounds together, allowing worldwide communication, and acting as a common language in industries such as commerce, science, and technology. individuals who are fluent in english have a multitude of options, including the ability to engage in cross-cultural conversations, seek further education at prominent institutions, and access a vast range of material in the language. teaching english plays a crucial role in enhancing cognitive and linguistic abilities. learning a foreign language, such as english, has been linked to improved problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and multitasking abilities. it also contributes to the development of cultural awareness and sensitivity, fostering a global abstract: this research examined the challenge, strategy, advantages, and disadvantage of using icebreaking when learning english among taiwanese students. this research used narrative inquiry as its research design. data was collected through interviews with an efl teacher completing a doctoral program in taiwan. data analysis included identifying key themes from interview data. the research results stated that ice-breaking has challenges, strategies, advantages, and disadvantages when learning in class. the challenge was that students felt bored when the teacher used the same type of ice-breaking over and over again. the strategy was to use technology-based ice-breaking. the advantage was that it could improve a conducive learning environment. the disadvantage was that teachers had to have various types of ice-breaking. this research underlines the complexities of employing ice-breaking in english language instruction, as well as the significance of continued efforts, teacher flexibility, and creative variation to accommodate students' particular needs. in conclusion, a balanced and thoughtful approach to using ice-breaking is critical to fostering a successful enjoyable classroom for taiwanese students. the implications of this research are useful for english teachers and students because ice-breaking can improve the relationship between teachers and students in learning. keywords: efl teacher’s experiences; ice breaking; teaching english; students’ motivation. mailto:trykhoirunnisaa56@guru.smp.belajar.id mailto:sania.alindaa@gmail.com mailto:dwifitaheriyawati@unisma.ac.id try ammalia khoirunnisaa’, sania alinda mouli asnas, & dwi fita heriyawati teaching english using ice breaking to taiwanese students: efl teacher’s experiences 150 perspective among learners. moreover, english is often considered the language of innovation and research, teaching it equips students with the skills necessary to stay abreast of advancements in various fields and participate in the global knowledge exchange. individually, english competence offers access to a wide range of academic and professional opportunities. communicating in english has become a fundamental skill that should be cultivated in all academic settings (escobar fandiño et al., 2019). in an era where cross-border collaboration is frequent, english literacy improves students' capacity to engage in worldwide academic discourse, access a wealth of global knowledge, and participate in a globalized workforce. english proficiency is more than simply a language ability; it is a strategic advantage that enables students to negotiate the challenges of an increasingly linked and competitive world. efl teachers face the challenge of ensuring their students can utilize the language effectively in real-world situations (namaziandost & nasri, 2019). english as a foreign language teachers approach professional development in five ways: educational programs, academic pursuits outside the classroom, government schemes, and self-directed schooling (cirocki & farrell, 2019). teachers should tailor instructional plans to each student's unique learning circumstance, taking into account their specific issues and traits (wang, 2023). students will succeed in studying english if they have a strong desire to learn. so, the capacity to communicate successfully in english is an important component of cultural competency. as students begin their academic adventures, acquiring english language skills not only enhances their personal and academic experiences but also provides them with the necessary tools for success in an interconnected and multicultural world. in the following conversation, we will go deeper into the many benefits of learning english, looking at how it enables students to prosper academically, professionally, and emotionally in our fast-changing global society. motivation to learn is one of the determining variables in the achievement of educational goals (puspitarini & hanif, 2019). motivation is a crucial aspect that determines success or failure in language acquisition (yusuf et al., 2020). improving student motivation is a crucial aspect of the teaching profession, which requires significant work from teachers (sabry daif-allah & aljumah, 2020). motivation is a fundamental part of the human experience (morris et al., 2022). motivation for learning english proficiency is characterized by a strong desire to study the language (adila et al., 2018). motivation, defined as intrinsic or extrinsic, is a key aspect in learning english (sari & ningsih, 2022). intrinsic motivation is a kind of motivation that arises internally within the students (husna & murtini, 2019). extrinsic motivation occurs when learners get inspired by external benefits, such as grades or praise, rather than the learning itself. english language learning requires a friendly setting that fosters students' active engagement. students’ engagement in learning english can be achieved through ice-breaking. ice breaking in learning english might be done when starting a class, halting during material delivery, and finishing learning (adi et al., 2021). this type of ice-breaking can be used to kick off a session or conversation or to introduce a new topic (rahmayanti et al., 2019). students might become bored when teachers use the same strategy without engaging them in new activities, such as icebreaking (farwati et al., 2019). ice-breaking activities play an important role in teaching and learning. the purpose of this study is to investigate the efl teacher’s challenges, strategies, advantages, and disadvantages when giving ice-breaking activities in english teaching and learning. ice-breaking exercises are critical in building a good and inclusive learning atmosphere, especially while teaching. ice breaking is a common technique used to welcome and warm up talks among attendees at meetings, training classes, team-building sessions, and other events (agusriana, 2021). ice-breaking is an excellent approach to increasing the enthusiasm of students (al ghifarah & pusparini, 2023). these exercises are engaging tools for reducing stress, encouraging engagement, and instilling a feeling of community in students. ice-breaking is used at the start of a course or workshop to break down social barriers and assist students in becoming more comfortable with one another. this social cohesiveness is critical for effective learning because it encourages open communication, cooperation, and a supportive environment in which students are more likely to engage and express their ideas. furthermore, icebreaking exercises are effective instruments for revitalizing the learning environment. these exercises are intended to be enjoyable, participatory, and occasionally demanding, instilling a sense of passion in the classroom. teachers may attract students' attention english review: journal of english education volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 151 by integrating amusing features, making the learning process more pleasurable and memorable. this good energy frequently continues over into the rest of the session, fostering an environment in which students are more open to new ideas and eager to actively participate in the learning process. teaching using ice-breaking has a long-term influence on the entire learning experience. teachers should be inspired and encouraged to incorporate ice-breaking into their courses, as well as modify their field of expertise (kamel et al., 2019). the connections made during these activities can last beyond the first introduction, resulting in a more collaborative and supportive learning environment. the icebreaking strategy helps pupils improve their speaking skills and overcome nervousness (hamrin, 2022). students are more likely to have a feeling of belonging and connection to their peers, which can boost their drive to study and contribute to a cooperative classroom environment. insummary, using icebreaking activities in the classroom not only breaks down initial barriers between students, but it also creates a dynamic and interactive learning atmosphere that improves the entire educational experience. many researchers have been conducted some research on how ice-breaking effective in learning english. based on the research conducted by adi et al., (2021), ice-breaking was beneficial in motivating first-grade students at smp nurul jadid to enjoy, be active, energized, interact, remain in class, and focus on the subject. after that, astuti et al., (2020), ice-breaking or warming up can increase students' motivation and interest in the learning process. in general, the previous studies agree that ice-breaking can improve students' motivation to learn english. however, there is still no research that discusses about challenges, strategies, advantages, and disadvantages of ice breaking when it is implemented in classroom activities and this research wants to investigate it. thus, that is the reason why the researcher is interested in conducting this research to know the efl teacher’s experiences about ice-breaking especially in taiwanese students. the research questions about this study are: (1) what challenges do efl teachers face in implementing ice-breaking activities? (2) what strategies do efl teachers face in implementing ice-breaking activities? (3) what are the advantages of ice breaking when used in class? (4) what are the disadvantages of ice breaking when used in class? method this point will describe the research design for this study in depth. first, some background information on this study is presented. second, the chapter goes on the setting and participants. third, the data collection will be described in this study. fourth, the data sources in this chapter provide a summary of the pilot study, including the results of the research instrument improvement. fifth, the explanations of the data collecting and analytic procedures for the current investigation. this research used narrative inquiry as a research design. in this study, the reason why the researcher utilized narrative inquiry to explore the participants' experiences in-depth on a particular topic or phenomenon in ice breaking. by collecting and analyzing their narratives, the researcher could gain a deeper understanding of the topic and capture the complexity and richness of the participants' experiences. the researcher employed narrative inquiry to elicit the participants' experiences and viewpoints on a certain subject or event. the researcher might obtain a greater grasp of the issue by collecting and analyzing their tales, as well as capturing the depth and variety of the participants' experiences. narrative inquiry's approach has led to the development of keywords and distinctions that define what constitutes narrative inquiry and research (clandinin, 2016). narrative inquiry's relational features enable researchers and participants to interact and connect, leading to a more comprehensive knowledge of the phenomenon under investigation (haydon et al., 2018). narrative inquiry is a qualitative research method that seeks to comprehend people's experiences by gathering and analyzing their tales or narratives. it entails listening to personal tales, examining the themes and patterns in the narratives, and understanding the meaning behind them. the participant in this research used a pseudonym, namely, zizi. zizi comes from lombok, indonesia. he was my classmate when i was in the undergraduate program at universitas islam malang (unisma). he was 32 years old. during his studies at the university, he was a very active student and joined many programs of students. he is a very kind person. he got a scholarship to study for his bachelor's in unisma. he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2014. after that, he became a teaching assistant and helped the lecturers a lot. after that, he got a scholarship again and he continued his master's degree at unisma in 2017 and graduated in 2019. later, he became an english lecturer and helped try ammalia khoirunnisaa’, sania alinda mouli asnas, & dwi fita heriyawati teaching english using ice breaking to taiwanese students: efl teacher’s experiences 152 teach religion at the faculty of islamic religion, because he was previously an ustadz from the ainul yaqin islamic boarding school. finally, he received another scholarship to complete his doctoral program at the national pingtung university (nptu) in pingtung, taiwan. currently, he is at the end of the semester of his studies. besides completing his studies, he is an english teacher in an english course called the english language teaching assistant program (elta). elta students come from elementary and middle school. in this study, the researcher used interviews to obtain the data of this study. the researcher encouraged the selected participant to contribute his experiences and stories. this technique involves conducting semi-structured interviews to gather the participant’s experiences and stories. to collect the participant's tales of how he taught his students utilizing ice breaking, the researcher would obtain data using his pre-career and professional teaching history interview using an online interview with google meet application. the interviews lasted for about fifty minutes. the data was analyzed using a narrative approach. this method entails systematically reviewing the collected data to find repeating themes, patterns, and insights inherent in the narratives offered by efl teachers. using a narrative method, the researchers sought to explore teachers' unique tales and personal experiences using novel ice-breaking strategies in their english language classroom. the qualitative complexity of the data enables a more in-depth knowledge of the contextual problems that influence the execution of these techniques. through this narrative story, the study aims to contribute to the realistic depiction of efl teacher's daily experiences as they overcome the difficulties of english language teaching. results and discussion ice-breaking in teaching english to taiwanese students: efl teacher’s experiences, the focus narrows to an in-depth exploration of the experiences of a specific efl teacher in taiwan. through an extensive interview with this participant, the narrative inquiry unveils a rich tapestry of the teacher's journey in integrating icebreaking techniques into his english teaching methods. themes emerging from the narrative shed light on the teacher's challenges, strategies, advantages, and disadvantages of ice breaking that impact student engagement, and the role of adaptability in navigating the complexities of language education in the taiwanese context. this single-participant narrative inquiry provides a nuanced understanding of the individual teacher's experiences, contributing unique experiences to the broader discourse on innovative language teaching practices in taiwan. the following are the themes found from interviews given to a participant: efl teachers’ challenges of using ice-breaking teaching english to taiwanese students using ice-breaking poses certain challenges for zizi. one significant obstacle is the repetition of the same type of ice-breaking, leading to student boredom. varying ice-breaking is crucial to maintaining engagement. additionally, mastering a diverse range of ice-breaking suitable for different student levels presents a second challenge. teachers are expected to possess the versatility to adapt ice-breaking to cater to the varied needs and proficiency levels of students, requiring a continuous effort to keep the learning experience dynamic and captivating. “i have obstacles in teaching english to taiwanese students using ice-breaking. the obstacle i face when i give ice-breaking is when i give the same type of ice-breaking over and over again. this makes the students bored. apart from that, the second challenge is that teachers are expected to be able to master various types of ice-breaking that are suitable for use at various levels of students.” efl teachers’ strategies to incorporate ice breaking employing various strategies enhances his effectiveness in utilizing ice-breaking while teaching english to taiwanese students. firstly, zizi incorporates technology-based ice-breaking, utilizing tools such as mentimeter and board games to make the learning experience more engaging and interactive. secondly, he integrates ice-breaking not only before but also during and after the learning process, creating a continuous and dynamic classroom environment. thirdly, he ensures clarity by explaining the rules of the icebreaking games before introducing them to his students, fostering a smooth and enjoyable experience. lastly, zizi diversifies my approach by incorporating ice-breaking not only common in my home country but also those from different cultures worldwide. recognizing the significance of such versatility, he advocates for teachers to undergo ice-breaking training, enabling them to develop and implement their creative iceenglish review: journal of english education volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 153 breaking, ultimately enriching the language learning experience for their students. “i have several strategies for using ice-breaking when teaching english to taiwanese students. the first strategy is to use technology-based icebreaking such as mentimeter and board games. the second strategy is that i often use icebreaking not only before learning but also during learning and after learning. the third strategy is that i explain the rules of the game before i give the ice-breaking to my students. my final strategy is that i don't only use ice-breaking which are mostly used in my own country but also in other countries. therefore, teachers need to take part in ice-breaking training so that they can create their ice-breaking.” the advantages of using ice-breaking utilizing ice-breaking in english language learning with taiwanese students yields multiple advantages. firstly, it enhances student concentration on the material, creating a focused and conducive learning atmosphere. secondly, the use of ice-breaking fosters a sense of comfort among students, indirectly boosting their participation and concentration levels. this, in turn, contributes to a more dynamic and engaged classroom environment. thirdly, teachers incorporating ice-breaking often become students' favorite teachers, as the approach adds an element of enjoyment to the learning process. finally, the use of ice-breaking facilitates the strengthening of relationships between students and teachers, fostering a positive and interactive dynamic throughout the learning journey. “there are several benefits that i feel when i use ice-breaking for learning english with taiwanese students. the first advantage is that it makes students more concentrated on the material. the second advantage is that it can make students more comfortable when learning. indirectly, student participation and concentration will increase. the third advantage is that teachers who use ice-breaking will become students' favorite teachers. the fourth advantage is that there is an increase in the relationship between students and teachers during learning.” the disadvantages of using ice-breaking while incorporating ice-breaking during learning, students often become so engrossed in the activities that they lose track of time, forgetting about the conventional study time. the enthusiasm generated by ice-breaking can inadvertently pose a challenge when it comes to managing time effectively. if teachers fail to adeptly regulate the duration of these activities, the enthusiasm that makes ice-breaking enjoyable might become a drawback. therefore, careful time management is essential to strike a balance between the energy and engagement fostered by ice-breaking and the need to cover the intended curriculum within the allocated timeframe. “when using ice-breaking during learning, students forget about their study time because they are too enthusiastic about carrying out icebreaking. therefore, time becomes a drawback of the ice-breaking itself if the teacher cannot manage the time in providing the ice-breaking.” the challenges faced by zizi in teaching english to taiwanese students using ice-breaking prompt a discussion on the complexities of implementing such techniques in the classroom. the identified obstacle of repetitive ice-breaking leading to student boredom underscores the importance of variety in instructional methods. this study is in line with mahmud et al. (2023) that ice-breaking might reduce students’ motivation to study english in class, causing boredom. to sustain engagement, zizi must diversify the types of ice-breaking employed, ensuring a dynamic and stimulating learning environment. furthermore, the necessity of mastering a diverse range of ice-breaking suitable for different student levels introduces another layer of complexity. adapting ice-breaking to accommodate varying proficiency levels becomes imperative, demanding a high level of teacher versatility. this challenge emphasizes the need for ongoing efforts to tailor icebreaking activities to meet the specific needs of students across different language proficiency levels. in essence, the discussion sheds light on the intricate nature of using ice-breaking in english language teaching, emphasizing the vital role of variety and adaptability in fostering an effective and engaging learning experience for taiwanese students. the research underscores the effectiveness of zizi's diverse strategies in incorporating icebreaking while teaching english to taiwanese students. by integrating technology-based icebreaking, such as mentimeter, zizi enhances the interactive nature of the learning experience, aligning with modern educational trends. mentimeter program is an existing online tool/web browser, for ice breaking (pratama et al., 2021). the decision to integrate ice-breaking throughout try ammalia khoirunnisaa’, sania alinda mouli asnas, & dwi fita heriyawati teaching english using ice breaking to taiwanese students: efl teacher’s experiences 154 the learning process, not just before, ensures a continuous and dynamic classroom environment, promoting sustained engagement. zizi's commitment to clarity, as evidenced by explaining the rules before introducing ice-breaking games, contributes to a seamless and enjoyable learning experience. moreover, the incorporation of icebreaking from various cultural backgrounds showcases a global perspective, enriching the students' exposure to different linguistic and cultural nuances. zizi's advocacy for ice-breaking training emphasizes the importance of empowering teachers to develop their creative ice-breaking, fostering an adaptable and innovative teaching environment that ultimately enhances the overall language-learning experience for taiwanese students. the discussion on utilizing ice-breaking in english language learning with taiwanese students highlights the myriad benefits associated with this instructional approach. firstly, the enhancement of student concentration on the material is a notable advantage, creating a focused and conducive learning atmosphere. ice breaking can improve the learning environment by reducing noise and preparing students for the topic content (fitria, 2023). ice-breaking catalyzes heightened engagement, capturing students' attention and encouraging active participation. this result is in line with the research conducted by sasan et al., (2023) said that using ice-breaking may increase students' reported enthusiasm and participation. however, this research is in contrast to research conducted by sari et al., (2021) who said that learning through ice-breaking cannot enhance students' focus. due to their lack of familiarity with the learning process and ice-breaking activity, students may grow frustrated and confused with the teacher's instructions. secondly, the cultivation of a sense of comfort among students through the use of ice-breaking indirectly contributes to increased concentration levels. this not only creates a more dynamic and engaged classroom environment but also establishes a positive emotional connection with the learning process. this research is in line with research by giani et al., (2022) said that the existence of the icebreaking approach in the middle of learning could assist students to concentrate more so that they can focus on their studies and feel comfortable learning. thirdly, teachers who incorporate ice-breaking often become students' favorite, as the enjoyable nature of these activities adds a layer of excitement to the learning journey. the result is based on the research by adi et al., (2021) that ice-breaking is greatly important to make the teaching-learning process run easily and enjoyable to learn english. however, boredom among students, if not solved, will certainly have a negative effect on the learning process, and their stress can be produced by numerous sources, including physical issues, psychological ones, or a combination of these two. so, teachers who use ice-breaking must pay attention to students' physical and psychological factors (triyono et al., 2023). lastly, the use of ice-breaking facilitates the strengthening of relationships between students and teachers, fostering a positive and interactive dynamic throughout the entirety of the learning experience. this research is based on the study by darmayanti et al., (2023) that ice-breaking activities can improve student-teacher interactions and help new students adapt to the classroom environment more easily. overall, the discussion underscores the multifaceted advantages of integrating icebreaking into english language instruction for taiwanese students, emphasizing the positive impact on concentration, participation, enjoyment, and teacher-student relationships. the research brings attention to a noteworthy aspect of incorporating ice-breaking during learning, emphasizing the potential impact on time management. as students become deeply engrossed in these activities, the enthusiasm generated may lead them to lose track of conventional study time. the disadvantage of this approach is that the teacher must be skilled and creative (pratama et al., 2021). however, this research contradicts research conducted by rusman (2022) who said that some teachers are uncomfortable with incorporating ice-breaking into the learning process because they are content with the boring teaching technique that is similar to lectures. while the heightened engagement is a positive outcome, it simultaneously poses a challenge for effective time management. the risk lies in the possibility that the enjoyment derived from ice-breaking might inadvertently extend beyond the allotted timeframe, potentially affecting the coverage of the intended curriculum. it is imperative for teachers to skillfully regulate the duration of ice-breaking activities to strike a delicate balance between the energy and engagement they foster and the necessity to fulfill the academic requirements within the designated time constraints. this finding underscores the importance of incorporating ice-breaking judiciously, requiring educators to navigate the fine line between capturing student enthusiasm and english review: journal of english education volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 155 ensuring a disciplined adherence to the overall learning schedule. conclusion in conclusion, zizi's experiences in teaching english to taiwanese students using ice-breaking highlight both challenges and effective strategies. the identified challenge of repetitive ice-breaking leading to student boredom emphasizes the critical role of variety in instructional methods on the potential negative impact of icebreaking on students' motivation. zizi has employed diverse strategies to overcome these challenges, incorporating technology-based ice-breaking, ensuring clarity in instructions, and advocating for cultural diversity in icebreaking activities. the multifaceted benefits of ice-breaking, such as enhanced concentration, increased student comfort, and strengthened teacher-student relationships, underscore their positive impact on the learning experience. however, the potential time management challenges associated with students becoming engrossed in ice-breaking necessitate careful regulation. this study emphasizes the intricate nature of using icebreaking in english language teaching and emphasizes the importance of ongoing efforts, teacher versatility, and creative adaptation to meet the specific needs of students. in essence, a balanced and mindful approach to incorporating ice-breaking is essential to fostering an effective and engaging learning environment for taiwanese students. there are several recommendations for future research. first, future research can use case study research design. second, future research can conduct the similar research in the private or public schools, because this research was investigated in the english course. the limitations of this research are the limited sample size and environmental context. acknowledgment i would like to convey my deepest appreciation to several parties. first, universitas islam malang. it provides the necessary resources, support, and a suitable environment for this research. your dedication to encouraging academic achievement has been critical to the project's success. second, zizi. he is as a participant who willingly engaged in this study project. your active participation, devotion, and insightful contributions substantially improved the quality of our research. finally, i would want to convey my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who helped make this project a success, whether directly or indirectly. your collaborative efforts have not only enriched academic debate, but have also benefited the larger community of knowledge. references adi, m. s., susanti, r. a., & jannah, q. (2021). the effectiveness of ice breaking to increase students’ motivation in learning english. international journal of english education and linguistics (ijoeel), 3(1), 31–38. https://doi.org/10.33650/ijoeel.v3i1.2256 adila, j., nazari, a., abdollahi-guilani, m., & sengkey, v. g. (2018). motivation and attitude towards learning english: a case study of rasht islamic azad university. modern journal of language teaching methods, 17(9), 1689–1699. http://search.proquest.com/central/docview/177 9892460/99943899ec314221pq/1?accountid=6 2831 agusriana, c. f. (2021). teachers’ perception on the use of ice breaking strategy in teaching and learning process. al ghifarah, n., & pusparini, r. (2023). students’ perception towards the role of ice breaking activities in learning english at senior high school. journal of english language teaching and literature (jeltl), 6(2), 118–128. https://doi.org/10.47080/jeltl.v6i2.2793 astuti r, asti s, & intan s. (2020). the influence of ice-breaking to students’ motivation in teaching english. project (professional journal of english education), 3(2), 210–216. doi:10.22460/project.v3i2.p210-216 cirocki, a., & farrell, t. s. c. (2019). professional development of secondary school efl teachers: voices from indonesia. system, 85, 102111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.102111 clandinin, d. j. (2016). engaging in narrative inquiry. engaging in narrative inquiry, 1–232. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315429618 darmayanti, r., arif, v. r., soebagyo, r. i., ali, m., & in’am, a. (2023). how can ice-breaking’s “friends here, enemies there” increase the interest and enthusiasm of high school students for learning? amca journal of science and technology, 3(2), 53– 60. https://doi.org/10.51773/ajst.v3i2.244 escobar fandiño, f. g., muñoz, l. d., & silva velandia, a. j. (2019). motivation and e learning english as a foreign language: a qualitative study. heliyon, 5(9). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02394 farwati, d. z., rahmah, m., & sutisna, e. (2019). the application of ice breaking activities in teaching. journal of english teaching and linguistics studies (jet li), 1(1). https://doi.org/ 10.55215/jetli.v1i1.1489 fitria, t. n. (2023). breaking the ice in the classroom: using ice-breaking in the teaching and learning http://search.proquest.com/central/docview/177 try ammalia khoirunnisaa’, sania alinda mouli asnas, & dwi fita heriyawati teaching english using ice breaking to taiwanese students: efl teacher’s experiences 156 process. borneo journal of english language education, 5(1), 23–38. giani, w. a., safiya, d. a. s., & damanik, b. r. a. (2022). use of ice-breaking methods in increasing student concentration amid online learning during covid-19 pandemic. asean journal of community science and education, 1(1), 43–50. hamrin, j. (2022). ice-breaking an effective teaching strategy or a waste of time?. (thesis). dalarna university. haydon, g., browne, g., & van der riet, p. (2018). narrative inquiry as a research methodology exploring person centred care in nursing. collegian, 25(1), 125– 129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2017.03.001 husna, a. h., & murtini, r. t. (2019). a study on students’ motivation in learning english as english foreign language (efl) at stikes cendekia utama kudus. journal of english teaching and research, 4(2), 207– 220. https://ojs.unpkediri.ac.id/index.php/inggris/arti cle/download/13745/1377/ kamel, a. m., omar, a., & awad, a. (2019). the effectiveness of ice-breaking strategy in enhancing motivation and producing conducive classroom atmosphere for the tenth graders in english classes in nablus city schools from the perspectives of teachers and students. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11888/17365 mahmud, a. f., yusup, a., & saban, a. h. (2023). the implementation of ice-breaking activities in english classroom: a descriptive study of the second-grade students’ perceptions at sma al irsyad kota ternate. langua: journal of linguistics, literature, and language education, 6(1), 108–117. morris, l. s., grehl, m. m., rutter, s. b., mehta, m., & westwater, m. l. (2022). on what motivates us: a detailed review of intrinsic v. extrinsic motivation. psychological medicine, 52(10), 1801–1816. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291722001611 namaziandost, e., & nasri, m. (2019). the impact of social media on efl learners’ speaking skill: a survey study involving efl teachers and students. journal of applied linguistics and language research, 6(3), 199–215. www.jallr.com parupalli srinivas. (2019). the importance of speaking skills in english classrooms. alford council of international english & literature journal(acielj), 2(2), 9. pratama, h., maduretno, t. w., & yusro, a. c. (2021). online learning solution: ice breaking application to increase student motivation. journal of educational science and technology, 7(1), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.26858/est.v7i1.19289 puspitarini, y. d., & hanif, m. (2019). using learning media to increase learning motivation in elementary school. anatolian journal of education, 4(2), 53– 60. https://doi.org/10.29333/aje.2019.426a rahmayanti, p., saraswati, p. a., & bhuana, g. p. (2019). the use of ice-breaking to improve students’ motivation in learning english at the tenth grade students of smk ypkkp. project (professional journal of english education), 2(5), 594. https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v2i5.p594-600 rusman, k. b. (2022). implementation and benefits of learning through ice breaking. international linguistics and tesol journal, 1(1), 3. sabry daif-allah, a., & aljumah, f. h. (2020). differences in motivation to learning english among saudi university students. english language teaching, 13(2), 63. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v13n2p63 sari, m. n., & ningsih, p. e. a. (2022). an analysis of students’ motivation and anxiety on learning english at sma negeri 6 kerinci. pendekar: jurnal pendidikan berkarakter, 5(3), 181. https://doi.org/10.31764/pendekar.v5i3.10994 sari, u. a., fauziyah, n., ghozi, a., azizah, i. n., & al-fidyah, u. f. (2021). improving the students’ learning concentration through ice breaking. proceedings of the international conference on engineering, technology and social science (iconetos 2020), 529(iconetos 2020), 614– 619. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210421.089 sasan, j. m. v, tugbong, g. m., & alistre, k. l. c. (2023). an exploration of ice-breaking and their impact on student engagement in the classroom. international journal of social service and research, 3(11), 2921–2930. https://doi.org/10.46799/ijssr.v3i11.566 triyono, kasih, f., adison, j., & febriani, r. d. (2023). ice breking to boost learning motivation in students. human: journal of community and public service, 2(2), 57–62. wang, j. (2023). design and implementation of english teaching analysis system based on mobile terminal. procedia computer science, 228, 300– 306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2023.11.034 http://www.jallr.com/ https://doi.org/10.26858/est.v7i1.19289 https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v2i5.p594-600 https://doi.org/10.31764/pendekar.v5i3.10994 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 529 boosting student ideas through text modelling: a classroom action research on discussion writing yustika nur fajriah1, rafsya rachmani2, hoang thi tuong vinh3 1,2english education program, pendidikan profesi guru, institut pendidikan indonesia garut 3ton duc thang university, vietnam corresponding author: yustikanurfajriah@institutpendidikan.ac.id apa citation: fajriah, y. n., rachmani, r., & vinh, h. t. t. (2025). boosting student ideas through text modelling: a classroom action research on discussion writing. english review: journal of english education, abstract: this study investigates the use of modelling of the text (mot) within the genre-based approach (gba) to enhance students' ability to construct well-supported arguments in discussion texts. although mot is recognized as an effective explicit teaching method, its application remains underexplored in academic research. this classroom action research, conducted over two cycles, involved 39 students from a senior high school in west java, indonesia, with a particular focus on six participants. data were collected through classroom observations, tests, and text analysis. quantitative results demonstrated an overall improvement in writing performance, with students meeting 61% of the writing criteria in cycle 1 and increasing to 87% in cycle 2. specifically, findings from cycle 1 showed that while students were familiar with the structural components of discussion texts, they faced challenges in developing arguments, integrating evidence, and clearly articulating their stance. in cycle 2, the introduction of toulmin’s argumentation model, practice with counter-arguments, and explicit teaching strategies led to significant improvements in students’ writing. these interventions enabled students to construct more coherent arguments, engage in critical reasoning, and effectively incorporate supporting evidence. based on these results, the study advocates for instructional approaches that extend beyond structural awareness to include targeted teaching of argumentation strategies, stance formulation, and the integration of research and digital literacy skills. additionally, it recommends differentiated instruction to address diverse learner needs. the study concludes by suggesting further research to examine the long-term effects of these instructional strategies on students’ writing proficiency. keywords: discussion texts; explicit teaching, genre-based approach (gba), modelling of the text (mot), writing proficiency. introduction in the educational context, text types serve as essential learning materials that support the development of students’ literacy and cognition. among these, argumentative texts hold a particularly important role due to their potential to enhance critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and evidence-based argumentation (daeng, & enre, 2024; demircioglu, karakus, & ucar, 2023). as a genre, argumentative writing challenges students to engage with complex issues by considering multiple perspectives and constructing well-supported claims. this process not only involves synthesizing diverse sources of information but also requires the capacity to reason logically, evaluate evidence, and communicate ideas effectively. furthermore, mastering argumentative texts is aligned with the goals of 21st-century education, which emphasizes higher-order thinking skills, problemsolving, and the ability to participate meaningfully in academic and civic discourse (rapanta, 2024; sarigoz, 2023). therefore, integrating argumentative texts into the curriculum is not merely a matter of genre instruction but a pedagogical strategy that cultivates thoughtful, reflective, and informed learners. however, in the indonesian context, discussion texts are often perceived as particularly challenging for students. many students are able to recognize the generic structure of a discussion text, yet they struggle to construct well-developed arguments, support claims with evidence, and take 13(2), 529-540. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11838 received: 28-02-2024 accepted: 27-04-2024 published: 30-06-2025 mailto:yustikanurfajriah@institutpendidikan.ac.id yustika nur fajriah, rafsya rachmani, hoang thi tuong vinh boosting student ideas through text modelling: a classroom action research on discussion writing 530 a clear stance in their conclusions (karakoҫ, gu, & ruegg, 2025). this is supported by several studies indicating that students struggle to produce effective discussion texts, primarily due to the demands of complex reasoning required by the genre (mallahi, 2024; wibowo, ulfaika, & faridy, 2025). specifically, many students encounter difficulties in analyzing issues from multiple perspectives, which is a fundamental component of constructing discussion texts. as a result, they often face challenges in articulating their viewpoints in a coherent, structured, and balanced manner. given the importance of this genre in developing critical and reflective thinking, addressing these challenges is an urgent pedagogical priority. one of the proposed alternatives to address the aforementioned challenges is the genre-based approach (gba). this pedagogical framework has been widely advocated in language education due to its structured and scaffolded methodology, which supports students in developing their writing skills—particularly in producing complex genres such as argumentative and discussion texts (hamman‐ortiz, schwarz, hamm‐rodríguez, & gort, 2023; insuwan, & thongrin, (2025). a key component of gba is the modelling of the text (mot) stage, which provides explicit instruction on text structure and linguistic features (alwasilah, 2024; alwasilah, 2025; baxromovna, 2024). this phase is especially beneficial for students who struggle to generate and organize ideas, as it serves as a bridge between their understanding of the genre and their ability to construct texts independently. therefore, the modelling phase must be optimized to include not only genre awareness but also argumentation frameworks that support deeper reasoning. two such frameworks are toulmin’s argumentation model—which offers a clear structure for claims, evidence, and rebuttals (anisa, widodo, riandi, & muslim, 2023; pulungan, anshori, sumiyadi, & mulyati, 2025). in other words, mot not only facilitates students' recognition of genre-specific structures and language features but also promotes the development of coherent and contextually appropriate ideas. to address the above challenges, a study focusing on optimizing gba through effective modelling techniques is required. classroom action research (car) is an appropriate method to investigate and refine instructional strategies, ensuring that students receive the necessary modelling to develop stronger arguments in discussion texts. conducting car is essential because it allows for in-depth analysis of students’ difficulties and provides iterative solutions to improve their writing performance. through car, this study aims to enhance students’ engagement with gba by refining the modelling stage, ensuring that it effectively supports students in developing well-structured and well-supported arguments. over the past decade, numerous studies have investigated the implementation of the genrebased approach (gba), including the modelling of the text (mot) stage, in various educational contexts. a substantial body of research has specifically examined the impact of gba on students’ argumentative writing abilities. for instance, several studies have provided empirical evidence supporting the effectiveness of gba in enhancing students’ skills in constructing coherent and well-structured argumentative texts (fiallos, 2024; hidayad, agustin, despita, & purwanto, 2023; su & zou, 2024; lin & arumugam, 2025). these findings highlight gba's capacity to facilitate students’ understanding of argumentative structures and to foster critical thinking through structured writing instruction. in addition, other studies have explored the broader impact of gba on students’ academic writing proficiency (hastuti & rini, 2023; helena, pujiawati, & rahmawati, 2024; hidayat, fajriah, & nugraha, 2024; latif, 2024; zhai & razali, 2023). their research demonstrated that the explicit teaching of genrespecific structures and linguistic features significantly improved students’ writing performance. these results suggest that the systematic guidance provided through gba, particularly during the mot stage, enables students to internalize academic conventions and apply them effectively in their writing tasks. collectively, this body of literature affirms the pedagogical value of gba as a framework that not only supports genre awareness but also enhances overall writing competence. from the previous studies mentioned above, it can be concluded that while gba has been widely discussed, its application in modelling remains underexplored. those studies affirm the benefits of explicit genre instruction, but they rarely focus on how the modelling stage can be strengthened to support the development of argumentation, especially in discussion texts. in addition, few studies have used classroom action research (car) to investigate and refine instructional strategies in this specific context. therefore, this study aims to fill this gap by applying classroom english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 531 action research (car) to explore how the integration of toulmin’s model into the modelling phase of gba can improve students’ ability to write well-supported arguments in discussion texts. particularly, this research is driven to answer two research questions; (1) how is the modelling of the text (mot) stage implemented across the two cycles of gba based instruction? (2) how does the modelling of the text (mot) stage contribute to students’ development in writing discussion texts as seen from the cycle 2 (stage of observing and reflecting)? method this study adopted a classroom action research (car) design, characterized as a reflective and cyclical process aimed at improving teaching practices through continuous feedback, evaluation, and refinement (yusron, irawati, & wibowo, 2023; ceylan & comoglu, 2024). it was conducted at a public senior high school in indonesia known for its strong english-language support through extracurricular programs and professional development activities such as musyawarah guru mata pelajaran (mgmp). the study involved 39 twelfth-grade students, with six focal participants representing low, medium, and high levels of writing proficiency. these participants were selected based on a pre-cycle writing task evaluated using an analytic rubric adapted from du and gao (2024) and hakimah (2024). the analytic rubric used to assess students’ writing was grounded in the concept of genre moves and the linguistic features of discussion texts as informed by systemic functional linguistics (sfl). it evaluated four core dimensions of student writing: text structure and organization, language use, coherence and cohesion, and argument development. the first dimension, text structure and organization, assessed the students’ ability to realize the conventional stages of a discussion text—namely, the issue, arguments for and against, and conclusion. the second, language use, focused on the accuracy and appropriateness of grammar and vocabulary, particularly those lexico-grammatical choices that realize ideational and interpersonal meanings, such as modality and evaluative language. the third dimension, coherence and cohesion, measured the logical flow between stages and the effective use of cohesive devices such as conjunctions, reference, and lexical chains, fulfilling the textual metafunction. finally, argument development captured the clarity of the student’s stance, the quality of reasoning, and the integration of supporting evidence. each dimension was rated on a five-point scale ranging from 0 (inadequate) to 4 (excellent), with detailed descriptors guiding the assessment of observable performance at each level, resulting in a maximum score of 16 points. data were collected across two cycles in alignment with the car framework. the primary data-collection methods included tests (pre-test and post-test writing tasks) and classroom observations. to ensure a comprehensive understanding of students’ writing development and the effectiveness of the instructional strategies, both quantitative and qualitative analysis methods were employed. the quantitative analysis was descriptive, with pre and post-test scores converted to percentages and compared to observe changes in performance. this provided an overview of learning outcomes without applying inferential statistics. the qualitative strand employed an inductive approach involving categorization, thematic analysis, and interpretation (fife & gossner, 2024; frazer, orr, & thielking, 2023). students’ texts from both cycles were analyzed for their development of arguments, clarity of stance, and use of supporting evidence. classroom observations were also analyzed to explore student engagement during the modelling phase, participation in argument relay activities, and application of the writing strategies taught. finally, students’ rubric scores from both cycles were compared to identify specific improvements in structural organization, coherence, argumentation, and language proficiency (khasanah, faridi, & wahyuni, 2023; xie, 2023). results and discussion the finding is divided into two sections; how mot is conducted through two-cycle car design and how mot develop students’ writing of discussion texts. research question 1: how is the modelling of the text (mot) stage implemented across the two cycles of gba based instruction? this classroom action research (car) was conducted in two iterative cycles following the stages of planning, action, observation, and reflection. in cycle 1, the primary focus was on identifying students’ difficulties in writing discussion texts, especially in developing coherent arguments and clearly stating a stance. through yustika nur fajriah, rafsya rachmani, hoang thi tuong vinh boosting student ideas through text modelling: a classroom action research on discussion writing 532 the genre-based approach (gba), students received instruction on the structural and linguistic features of the genre. while some improvement was observed, students continued to struggle with deepening their arguments and effectively using evidence. to address these gaps, cycle 2 introduced key refinements, including toulmin’s argumentation model, explicit stance formulation, and practice with counter-arguments. these enhancements provided students with a more structured framework for developing their ideas and engaging critically with opposing viewpoints. cycle 1 planning to ensure alignment with the kurikulum merdeka for 12th grade, the lesson was designed around the discussion text genre, focusing on the topic of carbon footprint. prior to implementing the intervention, a diagnostic assessment was conducted by reviewing students' writing portfolios. this assessment identified key challenges in their writing abilities, enabling a classification of students into different proficiency levels (low, middle, high). based on these findings, the learning objectives were refined to ensure that by the end of the cycle, students would be able to produce a discussion text independently. a writing assessment rubric was adapted to evaluate students' progress while maintaining alignment with the learning goals. the instructional framework was based on the genre-based approach (gba), with a particular emphasis on the modelling of the text stage to support students in developing their ideas more effectively. during the modelling of the text (mot) stage, a model discussion text was introduced, accompanied by explicit instructions on its purpose, structure, and linguistic features. to reinforce comprehension, a powerpoint presentation titled "how to develop ideas in your writing" was designed to provide step-by-step guidance on structuring arguments effectively. acting the action phase involved implementing the planned genre-based approach (gba) steps, with an emphasis on the modelling stage to support students in generating and structuring their ideas effectively. the activities aimed to address key challenges identified in students’ writing, such as difficulties in reinforcing arguments, lack of a clear stance in conclusions, and insufficient use of supporting evidence. the modelling stage was designed to explicitly teach the purpose, structure, and argumentation strategies within discussion texts. this phase was further enhanced with structured activities to ensure students could analyze and internalize the writing strategies. the steps conducted during modelling stage are: text deconstruction.the teacher presented a sample discussion text on carbon footprint, guiding students in analyzing its purpose, generic structure (introduction, arguments for and against, conclusion), and linguistic features. students worked collaboratively to underline key transition phrases and argument markers (e.g., "on the other hand," "some people argue that…"). enhanced modelling with explicit instruction. a powerpoint presentation titled "how to develop ideas in your writing" was introduced to help students understand step-by-step how to construct cohesive and well-supported arguments. the teacher emphasized the importance of stance in the conclusion, explaining how a discussion text differs from an argumentative essay, where conclusions are often left open-ended. students were given a second discussion text and asked to analyze its argument structure independently, reinforcing their understanding. scaffolding argument development through guided practice. argument relay activity: each group was given a controversial statement related to carbon footprint and took turns adding supporting and opposing arguments. guided questioning for idea expansion: the teacher posed targeted questions (e.g., "what real-life examples support this argument?" "what counter arguments might an opposing side present?") to encourage deeper analysis and prevent surfacelevel reasoning. observing to assess students’ progress and the effectiveness of the genre-based approach (gba) intervention, data were gathered from writing samples and informal student reflections, focusing on argument clarity, structural organization, and evidence use. six focal participants, selected based on pre-cycle writing and representing varying proficiency levels, offered insights into common strengths and challenges. overall, students successfully followed the macrostructure of discussion texts, but the depth of argumentation and clarity of stance varied depending on their proficiency. for example, student a wrote: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 533 “evs produce no operational emissions, reduce fossil fuel reliance, and benefit from technological advancements. battery production, reliance on non-renewable energy, and recycling challenges reduce their environmental benefits.” while this student presented two sides of the argument, the statements remain superficial and lack elaboration, explanation, or justification. similarly, student b stated: “consumer choices impact demand: by choosing sustainable products, consumers can encourage companies to adopt greener practices, leading to lower overall emissions.” although this sentence identifies a causal link, there is no evidence or real-world example to support the claim, limiting the persuasive power of the argument. in both low-proficiency texts, stance expression was either absent or implicit, showing students’ confusion about the purpose of the concluding paragraph. at the middle level, some improvement was observed in terms of argument explanation, yet cohesion and evidence use were still weak. for example, student c explained: “cfc gas is broken down by uv radiation, then decomposes and releases chlorine atoms. after that, the chlorine atoms react with ozone… this causes increased exposure to uv radiation entering the earth's surface.” this excerpt from a text on aerosol perfume provides detailed explanation, reflecting better understanding of the issue. however, the overall text structure felt fragmented, as emotional appeals and scientific facts were mixed without clear transitions. the student’s conclusion included a stance, but it relied more on subjective reasoning than synthesized arguments. among the high-proficiency group, students showed better structural coherence and more developed reasoning. for instance, student e wrote: “mass use of paper can increase the carbon footprint. this is because the main ingredient in making paper is trees… deforestation can increase the carbon footprint because the trees that are cut down will release the carbon stored in them.” this student connected cause and effect well and explained the mechanism behind the argument. however, while the factual content was strong, the writer still relied heavily on repetition and generalized assertions in the conclusion. the most developed piece came from student f, who compared fossil fuels and solar energy: “solar energy offers minimal environmental impact, high energy efficiency, declining costs, and infinite availability. fossil fuels, on the other hand, have significant environmental consequences, lower energy efficiency, price volatility, and limited reserves.” this student clearly contrasted two positions and used formal academic vocabulary and topicspecific knowledge. however, even at this level, the conclusion lacked critical synthesis. though the writer took a stance, they did not summarize their reasons or refer back to their key arguments. the analysis revealed that students continued to struggle with expanding arguments, often expressing uncertainty about how to move beyond surface-level reasoning. their arguments frequently lacked cohesion, leading to fragmented reasoning. although explicit instruction on text structure was helpful, the teacher observed a need for additional scaffolding, particularly in developing arguments with clearer stance and supporting evidence. this was echoed in several student reflections. for instance, student b wrote, “i feel confused what to write after the first argument. i know what i want to say, but it’s hard to explain why.” this comment shows that students could identify opposing viewpoints but lacked strategies to develop those points fully with evidence and reasoning. based on these insights, it became clear that additional scaffolding was needed, particularly in teaching students how to support claims with factual information and formulate a focused stance in the conclusion. reflecting the reflection phase of cycle 1 integrated insights from students’ writing samples, classroom observations, and teacher feedback to assess the initial effectiveness of the genre-based approach (gba) intervention. findings indicated that students made noticeable progress in identifying and following the generic structure of discussion texts. activities such as argument relay fostered greater engagement and collaborative learning, and students began to recognize key linguistic features, including contrastive connectors. these developments suggested that the gba approach yustika nur fajriah, rafsya rachmani, hoang thi tuong vinh boosting student ideas through text modelling: a classroom action research on discussion writing 534 helped establish foundational genre awareness and promoted active participation in classroom tasks. however, several challenges persisted in students’ argumentative writing. many students struggled to provide depth in their arguments, often listing points without adequate elaboration or critical engagement. additionally, a large number of students failed to articulate a clear stance in their conclusions, indicating a possible confusion between discussion and argumentative genres. a significant limitation was the lack of supporting evidence; students tended to rely on vague generalizations rather than concrete facts or authoritative sources. these issues pointed to the need for more explicit instruction on stance development, evidence integration, and the use of structured argumentative frameworks in the next instructional cycle cycle 2 planning (cycle 2) building on the insights from cycle 1, cycle 2 of the intervention focused on enhancing students’ ability to construct well-supported arguments and clearly articulate a stance in discussion texts. recognizing that structural awareness alone was insufficient, the instruction emphasized argumentation strategies through the use of toulmin’s argumentation model, explicit stance formulation, counter-argument practice, and evidence collection. to boost engagement and relevance, students selected topics of personal interest—such as education, sports, celebrity culture, or politics—with tailored multimodal input provided for each. the introduction of toulmin’s model helped students logically organize claims, evidence, and rebuttals, while a dedicated lesson on sourcing credible data supported the integration of factual evidence. counter-argument activities and focused instruction on conclusion writing further addressed weaknesses observed in cycle 1, guiding students to express their viewpoints with greater clarity and persuasiveness. these targeted refinements aimed to move students beyond merely recognizing text structures toward producing coherent, critically reasoned, and impactful discussion texts. acting (cycle 2) the implementation of cycle 2 followed the genre-based approach (gba) structure, incorporating building knowledge of the field (bkof), modelling of text (mot), and independent construction of text (icot). however, this part solely focused on mot. in cycle 2, the modelling phase was strategically enhanced to address the weaknesses identified in students’ writing during cycle 1, particularly in argument development and stance articulation. the teacher introduced toulmin’s argumentation model, offering step-by-step instruction on its core elements: claims, grounds (evidence), warrants (reasoning), and backing. by breaking down each component, students were guided to understand how logical and persuasive arguments are constructed. comparative analyses of strong and weak discussion texts were also presented, enabling students to differentiate between well-supported reasoning and superficial assertions. these examples were reinforced through annotated sample texts, where students observed how effective arguments incorporated data, ethical considerations, and counterpoints, particularly in topics such as sports and doping. in addition, cycle 2 included a dedicated stance formulation session to help students clearly express their position within the conclusion of their discussion texts—an area many struggled with in cycle 1. students were presented with multiple examples of conclusion paragraphs and engaged in critical evaluations to identify which were more convincing and why. emphasis was placed on the use of mental verbs and stance markers such as i believe, it is evident that, or this essay strongly supports, to reinforce a clear and assertive position. this focused instruction aimed to improve students’ ability to construct wellreasoned arguments and confidently state their stance, thus enhancing the overall persuasiveness and coherence of their writing. based on the findings discussed above, it is evident that a central focus of this study was the use of explicit modelling to enhance students’ argumentation skills. the results align that the modelling phase plays a pivotal role in genrebased pedagogy by allowing students to internalize the textual conventions of a genre before engaging in independent writing (asbar, mahmud, & halim, 2025; rakrak, 2025; khasanah et al., 2023). in cycle 1, although students demonstrated an understanding of the overall structure of discussion texts, they struggled to develop well-substantiated arguments. their writing often remained at a surface level, lacking detailed support and critical engagement. this outcome is consistent with sociocultural theory, which underscores the necessity of scaffolding to bridge the gap between english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 535 students’ current abilities and their potential development. furthermore, the findings expand on previous research (baxromovna, 2024; nugraha, emilia, gunawan, 2024) by reaffirming that the modelling of the text (mot) stage functions as a crucial scaffolding mechanism within the genrebased approach (gba). this stage enables students to learn the linguistic and rhetorical features of a genre explicitly, thereby supporting the development of more structured and critically engaged writing. significant gains were observed in cycle 2 following the incorporation of toulmin’s argumentation model, which provided a clearer framework for constructing and supporting arguments. unlike in cycle 1, where students often simply listed contrasting viewpoints, students in cycle 2 demonstrated a more coherent use of claims, evidence (grounds), and rebuttals. these results show that effective writing instruction must include explicit teaching of reasoning and evidence-based argumentation (landrieu, de smedt, van keer, & de wever, 2024; morris, deehan, & macdonald, 2024). additionally, the introduction of counterargument practice helped deepen students’ analytical abilities. consistently, the inclusion of multiple perspectives encouraged students to write more critical and well-rounded discussion texts (kilag, lisao, lastimoso, villa, & miñoza, 2023; wei & wu, 2025; agustina & ro'isatin, 2024). research question 2: how does the modelling of the text (mot) stage contribute to students’ development in writing discussion texts as seen from the cycle 2 (stage of observing and reflecting)? the analysis focused on students' discussion texts and and peer review participation seen from observation and reflection stage. observing from the observation stage, the text analysis showed that students demonstrated notable improvement in constructing well-developed arguments. the statistical data indicated an increase in the quality of students’ writing products from cycle 1 to cycle 2. in cycle 1, students met only 61% of the criteria for a wellwritten text, whereas in cycle 2, they achieved 87% as provided in the table below. table 1. visualization of quantitative descriptive results no. rubric dimension cycle 1 mean score cycle 2 mean score 1. text structure & organization 2.0 3.5 2. language use 1.5 3.2 3. coherence & cohesion 1.8 3.3 4. argument development 1.7 3.5 total score (out 16) 7.0 13.5 percentage of filled criteria 61% 87 % in comparison to cycle 1, their written texts in cycle 2 reflected improved organization, with arguments that followed a more logical sequence and were substantiated with appropriate evidence. rubric-based evaluations of the six focal participants—spanning low, medium, and high proficiency levels—indicated consistent gains in writing performance. for example, student a (high proficiency) showed improvement from, particularly in the use of counter-arguments and clarity of stance. likewise, student c (moderate proficiency) advanced from offering general statements to integrating expert viewpoints and statistical support. even student f, identified as lower proficiency, showed progress in building coherent arguments, despite occasional inconsistencies in cohesion. a key area of development was the effective use of evidence in argumentation. whereas many students in cycle 1 relied on underdeveloped claims, those in cycle 2 began incorporating factual information, authoritative sources, and logical justifications to strengthen their arguments. for instance, one student, writing about the influence of social media on politics, cited a specific research study to validate their position—demonstrating an increased capacity to include reliable sources in support of their claims. additionally, students displayed a stronger stance in their conclusions. instead of writing neutral or inconclusive endings, most students explicitly reaffirmed their position, often using stance markers such as "therefore, this essay strongly supports..." and "it is evident that..." to reinforce their viewpoint. yustika nur fajriah, rafsya rachmani, hoang thi tuong vinh boosting student ideas through text modelling: a classroom action research on discussion writing 536 students showed improvement in incorporating evidence, moving beyond general statements to more substantiated claims. for instance, in cycle 1, a mid-proficiency student (student c) wrote: "on the one hand, private vehicles provide flexibility and mobility for people to travel since they can go anywhere directly." however, in cycle 2, the same student strengthened their argument with evidence: "according to the guardian, a typical top of the range suv is responsible for about 35 metric tons of co2." this shift indicates that explicit instruction on evidence collection helped students recognize the importance of supporting claims with credible sources. in addition, peer review sessions became more meaningful as well. unlike in cycle 1, where feedback was often generic (e.g., "it looks good" or "maybe add more details"), students in cycle 2 provided more specific and constructive feedback. many students referred to toulmin’s argumentation model when suggesting improvements, pointing out missing warrants or weak evidence in their peers' drafts. some students even suggested stronger rebuttals, showing an increased awareness of counterarguments. overall, the second cycle demonstrated that explicit instruction on argument structure, evidence collection, and stance formulation had a positive impact (casadoledesma, cuevas, & martín, 2023; zhang, zhang, & xu, 2023). students not only wrote more coherent and persuasive discussion texts but also became more engaged in discussions and peer evaluations. reflecting the reflection from cycle 2 revealed substantial progress in students’ ability to write structured and well-supported discussion texts. compared to cycle 1, students showed a better grasp of how to develop arguments by logically connecting claims to evidence and reasoning, largely due to the introduction of toulmin’s argumentation model and focused stance instruction. these strategies gave students a clear framework for constructing arguments and formulating stronger conclusions. the use of stance markers led to more assertive endings, replacing the previously vague or neutral conclusions with clearly articulated positions. additionally, students demonstrated a more advanced understanding of the role of evidence in persuasive writing. they moved beyond unsupported opinions to incorporate credible data, expert insights, and real-life examples, which enhanced the depth and persuasiveness of their texts. improvements in cohesion and the ability to anticipate counter-arguments further reflected students’ growing command of argumentative writing. while challenges remained—such as refining evidence selection and maintaining consistent depth across proficiency levels—the overall outcomes underscored the value of explicit scaffolding and structured practice. future instruction should continue leveraging toulmin’s model and scaffolded feedback while integrating strategies that foster critical evaluation of evidence. to summarize, high-achieving students demonstrated significant improvements in integrating counter-arguments and providing wellreasoned rebuttals. mid-proficiency students benefited from toulmin’s framework, particularly in structuring claims and evidence. lowerproficiency students, while showing progress in structuring their arguments, still struggled with coherence and selecting appropriate evidence. these findings suggest that further scaffolding is needed for lower-achieving students to help them critically evaluate and integrate evidence into their writing. the findings of this study are consistent with prior research on the genre-based approach (gba) in writing instruction. while students may grasp the structural elements of discussion texts, they often struggle to construct well-developed arguments without explicit scaffolding (drew, thomas, & nagle, 2024; list, 2023). this pattern was evident in cycle 1, where students produced structurally accurate but conceptually weak texts. however, improvements in cycle 2, following targeted instruction on evidence integration and stance formulation, the role of explicit teaching in enhancing argument depth and coherence (gunawan & wirza, 2025; landrieu, de smedt, van keer, & de wever, 2024). genre awareness alone is insufficient for developing proficient writing; learners must be given structured opportunities to analyze reasoning and practice argumentation (söğüt, civan, & belli, 2024; zhou, 2023). supporting studies (nguyen & truong, 2024; ramadhan & indriyani, 2023; wicaksono, sulistyaningsih, & syakur, 2023) underscore the importance of modelling activities in strengthening students’ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 537 writing capabilities. this was reinforced in cycle 1, where students, despite understanding genre conventions, had difficulty elaborating on their ideas. in contrast, the use of toulmin’s argumentation model and stance formulation training in cycle 2 offered clearer scaffolding, enabling students to craft more assertive and coherent conclusions. in iterative modelling, students became increasingly confident in evaluating and refining their arguments, demonstrating how sustained exposure to structured guidance promotes deeper engagement with argumentation strategies (kim & ro, 2024; liu, ismail, & ahmad, 2024; rahimi, 2024). conclusion this study emphasizes the use of modelling of the text (mot) within the genre-based approach (gba) to enhance students' ability to construct well-supported arguments in discussion texts. quantitative data showed a substantial increase in writing quality from 61% of the expected criteria met in cycle 1 to 87% in cycle 2. notably, the findings revealed that while students in cycle 1 were familiar with the structure of discussion texts, they struggled with developing arguments, integrating evidence, and articulating a clear stance. in cycle 2, however, the introduction of toulmin’s argumentation model, practice with counter-arguments, and explicit stance training led to marked improvements in the quality of students’ writing. they were able to structure arguments more coherently, engage in deeper critical reasoning, and incorporate supporting evidence more effectively. theoretically, this study contributes to the expanding literature on the genre-based approach by demonstrating the value of integrating explicit argumentation instruction into writing pedagogy. it underscores that writing development in efl contexts requires not only genre familiarity but also deliberate scaffolding of students’ cognitive and rhetorical capacities. the successful application of toulmin’s model highlights the pedagogical potential of structured reasoning frameworks in fostering academic literacy and enhancing the quality of student writing. based on these results, several recommendations are proposed for the teaching of discussion texts in efl classrooms. first, modelling should go beyond structural features to include focused instruction on argument construction using frameworks like toulmin’s model. second, explicit training in stance formulation is essential to support students in crafting clear and persuasive conclusions. third, integrating research and digital literacy skills into writing instruction is necessary to help learners identify, assess, and apply credible evidence. lastly, considering that students respond differently to instructional scaffolding, adopting differentiated instruction is crucial to accommodate diverse learning needs. future research with larger samples and longer implementation periods is recommended to explore the sustained impact of these instructional strategies on students’ writing proficiency. acknowledgement we would like to express our deepest gratitude to ipi garut for their continuous support and for providing the necessary resources in the development of this article. references agustina, l., & ro'isatin, u. a. (2024). the efficacy of case-based learning model integrated with critical thinking skills to improve efl learners’ reading comprehension. j. lang. lang. teach, 12(3), 1443-1454. anisa, widodo, a., riandi, & muslim. (2023). students’ argumentation in science lessons: how effective is rebuttal analysis framework in representing the complexity of classroom argumentation?. science & education, 32(3), 669-687. alwasilah, s. s. (2024). college students’ learning outcomes on genre-based approach implementation in teaching a recount text writing. innovative: journal of social science research, 4(3), 11092-11112. alwasilah, y. a. (2025). students’ learning outcomes on genre-based approach implementation in teaching a recount text writing. jepal (journal of english pedagogy and applied linguistics), 5(2), 223-237. asbar, a., mahmud, m., & halim, a. (2025). unpacking genre-based instruction: cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement in high school writing. seltics journal: scope of english language teaching literature and linguistics, 8(1), 1-15. baxromovna, s. m. (2024). implementing task-based instruction and genre-based approaches to develop students’ writing skills. western european journal of linguistics and education, 2(4), 118-124. casado-ledesma, l., cuevas, i., & martín, e. (2023). learning science through argumentative synthesis writing and deliberative dialogues: a comprehensive and effective methodology in secondary education. reading and writing, 36(4), 965-996. yustika nur fajriah, rafsya rachmani, hoang thi tuong vinh boosting student ideas through text modelling: a classroom action research on discussion writing 538 ceylan, e., & comoglu, i. (2024). action research in initial efl teacher education: emerging insights from a car project. educational action research, 32(3), 438-453. daeng, l., & enre, f. (2024). enhancing argumentative essay writing skills in junior high school students through mind mapping. international journal of curriculum development, teaching and learning innovation, 2(2), 61-68. demircioglu, t., karakus, m., & ucar, s. (2023). developing students’ critical thinking skills and argumentation abilities through augmented reality–based argumentation activities in science classes. science & education, 32(4), 1165-1195. drew, s. v., thomas, j., & nagle, c. (2024). improving argument-based explanation writing in inclusive high school science class for students with and without exceptionalities. exceptionality, 32(4), 251-279. du, y., & gao, x. (2024). from general critical questions to scheme-relevant critical questions in the instruction on argument evaluation for efl graduate students: a two-cycle action research. journal of english for academic purposes, 71, 101433. fiallos, b. a. g. (2024). enhancing argumentative writing skills via the process-genre based approach: a quasi-experimental study among university students in ecuador. ciencia latina: revista multidisciplinar, 8(4), 89-111. fife, s. t., & gossner, j. d. (2024). deductive qualitative analysis: evaluating, expanding, and refining theory. international journal of qualitative methods, 23, 16094069241244856. frazer, i., orr, c., & thielking, m. (2023). applying the framework method to qualitative psychological research: methodological overview and worked example. qualitative psychology, 10(1), 44. gunawan, w., & wirza, y. (2025). teachers’ questioning strategies as a scaffold to the middle school students’ knowledge in building in constructing hortatory exposition texts: a thematic analysis. international journal of language education, 9(1), 18-36. hakimah, n. (2024). enhancing students’ descriptive writing skills through the picture word inductive model (pwim). english language and literature in education journal, 2(2), 4258. hamman‐ortiz, l., schwarz, v. s., hamm‐rodríguez, m., & gort, m. (2023). engaging teachers in genre‐based pedagogy for writing arguments: a case study of shifts in practice and understanding. tesol quarterly, 57(2), 402432. hastuti, d., & rini, s. (2023). gba and joss for enhancing students’ writing proficiency. scripta: english department journal, 10(2), 211-218. helena, c., pujiawati, n., & rahmawati, m. (2024). exploring students’ response of applying gba in creative writing: an action research. jurnal ilmiah wahana pendidikan, 10(2), 242-251. hidayad, f., agustin, a., despita, d., & purwanto, m. b. (2023). implementing writing skills through the genre approach. interaction: jurnal pendidikan bahasa, 10(2), 589-606. hidayat, r. r. a., fajriah, y. n., & nugraha, i. (2024). integrating multimodal texts in genre-based approach: teacher’s and students’ challenges and benefits. english education and applied linguistics journal (eeal journal), 7(1), 1322. insuwan, c., & thongrin, s. (2025). empowering thai efl learners as critical thinkers and skilled writers: a genre-based approach with critical pedagogy. reflections, 32(1), 487-520. karakoҫ, a. i., gu, p., & ruegg, r. (2025). designing a rating scale for an integrated reading-writing test: a needs-oriented approach. assessing writing, 64, 100918. khasanah, n., faridi, a., & wahyuni, s. (2023). the implementation of genre-based approach through project-based learning in teaching writing. english education journal, 13(3), 465475. kilag, o. k., lisao, c., lastimoso, j., villa, f. l., & miñoza, c. a. (2023). building-oriented science education: a critical review of different visions of scientific literacy. excellencia: international multi-disciplinary journal of education, 1(4), 115-127. kim, h., & ro, e. (2024). usage-based approaches to assessing syntactic sophistication in second language writing: interaction of genre and proficiency. journal of second language writing, 65, 101131. landrieu, y., de smedt, f., van keer, h., & de wever, b. (2024). argumentation in collaboration: the impact of explicit instruction and collaborative writing on secondary school students’ argumentative writing. reading and writing, 37(6), 1407-1434. latif, o. l. i. a. (2024). using genre-based approach for developing faculty of education english majors' expository writing and environmental awareness. journal of research in curriculum instruction and educational technology, 10(2), 295-344. lin, l., & arumugam, n. (2025). developing argumentative writing proficiency in chinese efl classrooms: a genre-based group writing approach. uniglobal journal of social sciences and humanities, 4(1), 299-306. list, a. (2023). demonstrating the effectiveness of two scaffolds for fostering students’ domain english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 539 perspective reasoning. european journal of psychology of education, 38(4), 1343-1376. liu, h., ismail, l., & ahmad, n. k. (2024). genrebased approaches and esl/efl writing: a review of the literature. world journal of english language, 14(2). mallahi, o. (2024). exploring the status of argumentative essay writing strategies and problems of iranian efl learners. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 9(1), 1-26. morris, c., deehan, j., & macdonald, a. (2024). written argumentation research in english and science: a scoping review. cogent education, 11(1), 2356983. nguyen, t. t. a., & truong, v. (2024). the effects of scaffolding in genre-based writing instructions on efl learners’ writing performance. european journal of education and pedagogy, 5(1), 23-30. nugraha, i., emilia, e., & gunawan, w. (2024). a genre-based approach in teaching multimodal texts. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1093-1106. pulungan, h., anshori, d. s., sumiyadi, s., & mulyati, y. (2025). analyzing political debate strategies: toulmin's argumentation model in the 2024 binjai mayoral election. journal of pragmatics and discourse research, 5(1), 58-72. rahimi, m. (2024). effects of integrating motivational instructional strategies into a process-genre writing instructional approach on students’ engagement and argumentative writing. system, 121, 103261. rakrak, m. (2025). the genre approach to writing: a socially contextualized pedagogy for effective instruction. english language teaching journal, 5(1), 1-9. ramadhan, s., & indriyani, v. (2023). genre-based learning model with literacy activities and character strengthening: effectiveness in language learning. journal of language teaching and research, 14(5), 1384-1394. rapanta, c. (2024). argument-based teaching: a necessary 21st-century pedagogical practice. educação, sociedade & culturas, (67), 1-24. sarigoz, o. (2023). teaching the 21st century learning skills with the critical thinking technique based on the argumentation method. educational policy analysis and strategic research, 18(1), 196-218. söğüt, s., civan, i̇., & belli, s. a. (2024). exploring genre awareness: l2 learners’ voices in tertiarylevel writing contexts. anadolu journal of educational sciences international, 14(2), 612629. su, f., & zou, d. (2024). a systematic review of game-based assessment in education in the past decade. knowledge management & elearning, 16(3), 451-476. wei, l., & wu, q. (2025). integrating ideological and political education with critical thinking development in english for graduate students: a pedagogical exploration. open journal of social sciences, 13(3), 709-723. wibowo, a. h., ulfaika, r., & faridy, a. (2025). exploring veterinary students’ practice and challenges in using quizizz for critical reading in a private university. journal of english teaching, literature, and applied linguistics, 9(1), 108-115. wicaksono, f. a., sulistyaningsih, s., & syakur, a. (2023). a genre-based approach to improve the students’ writing skills. jurnal basicedu, 6(3), 3391-3397. xie, q. (2023). assessing source use: summary vs. reading-to-write argumentative essay. assessing writing, 57, 100755. yusron, a., irawati, j., & wibowo, t. s. (2023). the impact of classroom action research (car) and innovation on teacher professionalism: an intervention of competence. jurnal informatika ekonomi bisnis, 5(2),462-468. zhai, x., & razali, a. b. (2023). triple method approach to development of a genre-based approach to teaching esl/efl writing: a systematic literature review by bibliometric, content, and scientometric analyses. sage open, 13(1), 21582440221147255. zhang, l., zhang, l. j., & xu, t. s. (2023). effects of teacher explicit instruction in stance-taking on students’ perceptions of stance and on their academic writing beliefs. frontiers in psychology, 14, 1140050. zhou, x. (2023). teaching activities for english writing: based on a process genre. english language teaching and linguistics studies, 5(2), 208-222. yustika nur fajriah, rafsya rachmani, hoang thi tuong vinh boosting student ideas through text modelling: a classroom action research on discussion writing 540 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 293 students’ perceptions on usability principle and interface design of flipbook as m-learning in higher education novita diana english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas jabal ghafur, indonesia email: novitadiana@unigha.ac.id fauziah english education department, faculty of teacher training and education universitas jabal ghafur, indonesia email: fziah05@yahoo.com farhana shukor academy of language studies, universiti teknologi mara (uitm) penang, malaysia email: farhana.shukor@uitm.edu.my apa citation: diana, n., fauziah., & shukor, f. (2023). students’ perceptions on usability principle and interface design of flipbook as m-learning in higher education. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 293-300. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7338 received: 19-10-2022 accepted: 17-12-2022 published: 28-02-2023 introduction a significant influence of technology on education in recent years has been change ways that students learn in a way that is changed by the teachers. some of the ways in which technology has influenced education include; increasing access to information, enhancing interactivity, and facilitating distance learning (al-samarraie et al., 2018; dangaiso et al., 2022). the access to a variety of information or material has become simpler for the students because of technology, both in and out of the classroom. students can use the internet and other digital resources to research and learn about a variety of topics, and they can access educational materials and resources from anywhere, at any time (syahidi et al., 2020). in addition, technology has made students to engage with educational content in more interactive and engaging ways (yaniawatiet al., 2021). for example, students can use technology to participate in virtual simulations and experiments, or to collaborate on projects with other students abstract: this study aims to determine the practicality of learning media developed by using flipbook applications and what students think about the use of e-module based on flipbook. flipbook makes it easy to prepare e-modules that are more modern, creative, innovative and competitive. flipbook is an application that can be used to create e-books, e-modules, e-papers, e-magazine. this application is very interesting because it can add sound, graphics, images, links and videos. this research is a design and product development research (design and development), used the research and development (r&d) method and analytical through a qualitative approach (borg & gall, 1983). data collection in this study is the form of e-module validation and user responses in tertiary institutions. the validators in this study are linguists and media experts. the samples and data in this study were taken at one of the higher education in aceh, namely jabal ghafur university. the development of this e-module allows users to learn independently because they can access it anytime and anywhere on mobile. the validation results of media experts stated that the aspects displayed in the e-module were feasible to be used, 66.7% stated that the emodule was appropriated to use without revision and 33.3% stated that it was appropriated to use with revision. the results of the students’ survey showed that the material presented in writing in the media is easy to understand, also effective and efficient in the development and use oflearning media, and communicative: visual and audio elements support teaching materials, so that students can easily digest it with the percentage 66.5%. the results of the evaluation of students’ perceptions on usability principles and interface design of flipbook in higher education showed that flipbook as m-learning will give good impact on students learning. keywords: flipbook maker; e-learning; e-modul;m-learning mailto:novitadiana@unigha.ac.id mailto:fziah05@yahoo.com mailto:farhana.shukor@uitm.edu.my novita diana, fauziah, & farhana shukor students’ perceptions on usability principle and interface design of flipbook as m-learning in higher education 294 online. technology facilitated students to access educational materials and resources online, and enabled them to participate in distance learning programs. students who might not be able to attend a typical classroom now have easier access to education. nowadays, the advanced of technology made promoting personalized learning possible for educators. thus, the teachers may adapt their instruction to each student’s unique needs and learning preferences. creative, innovative and competitive technology-based learning is one of the elements demanded in the merdeka belajar kampus merdeka (mbkm) learning curriculum. technology-based learning strategies have become an inevitably elements in the process of teaching and learning because of changes in systems and learning patterms. the modern learning media used can support changes in technology-based education systems that are easy to learn and accept. currently, universities have provided e-learning to support easy and efficient learning. one of them is flipbook that can be an effective teaching tool. there have been numerous studies on the use of flipbooks in education, and the research generally suggests that the use of flipbooks in education has the potential to engage students in a hands-on and creative way, while also helping them develop important skills related to animation, storytelling, and visual communication.it provides a userfriendly and intuitive interface which allows students to easily access course content, participate in interactive activities, and access course materials from any device (astutik, & milarisa, 2021; eliyasniet al., 2021;siregaret al., 2022). with the help of flipbook, students can easily access and review course materials and access relevant information quickly, which can help them improve their learning and performance. however, the study about usability principles and interface design in qualitative perspective is still rarely found in any resources. therefore, this study examined (a) students’ perceptions on the usability principles and flipbook interface design in higher education and (b) the impact of flipbook as m-learning media on students’ experience in learning. mobile learning media encompasses a diverse range of digital materials, applications, and services designed for use on mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. mobile learning media can be used to supplement classroom, home, and on-the-go learning. it has the potential to support traditional instruction, current digital media resources, or as a self-contained learning experience. this media provides personalized learning experiences, allowing teachers to tailor content to meet the specific needs of each student. mobile application media can also be used to provide remote access to learning materials and to facilitate communication between students and teachers. a rapidly growing form of education impacts on increasingly popular of mobile learning (mlearning) media in higher education. m-learning leverages mobile technology, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops to provide students with access to learning material and resources that are available anytime, anywhere(mcdougall, & potter, 2019).mobile technology is used to augment traditional learning methods such as lectures and textbooks, and provides students with the ability to access content and resources on the go. m-learning technology provides students with the opportunity to learn in a more flexible and interactive manner than traditional classroom learning. students can access lectures, readings, and materials from anywhere, at any time. in addition, mobile technology provides students with the capability to collaborate with peers and to engage in asynchronous discussions, allowing them to connect with each other and with their professor in a more meaningful way. they can also provide immediate feedback to students, moreover, access to resources and materials it may not be offered in traditional classroom setting. m-learning is quickly becoming a popular form of learning in higher education, and it is likely. usability principles refer to a set of guidelines that help designers create products and interfaces that are easy to use and intuitive for users. in the context of flipbooks, usability principles can be applied to the design of the flipbook software or tool, as well as to the design of individual flipbooks created by users. a wide variety of new smart devices and digital applications are becoming available to academics as the use of technology in education progresses. (lunanevarez& mcgovern, 2018). the following are some key usability principles that can be applied to flipbooks: (1) simplicity; a flipbook should be structured in a concise and user-friendly manner, with clear navigation and controls. this allows users to concentrate on the content of the flipbook rather than figuring out how to use the tool. (2) consistency; a flipbook should be designed consistently, with elements like buttons and icons english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 295 arranged consistently across all sections. this can boost user confidence and shorten the level of difficulty for using the tool. (3) accessibility; a flipbook should be designed so that all users, including those with disabilities, can use it. this can include making the flipbook compatible with assistive technologies like screen readers and using clear and descriptive text labels for buttons and controls. (4) user-centered design; a flipbook should be created with the user's needs and goals in mind. this can include conducting user research to understand how users will interact with the flipbook and what they hope to achieve, as well as designing the flipbook to meet those needs and goals as effectively as possible. figure 1. usability principles figure 1. usability principles adopted from yeh (2010)can help designers create flipbooks that are easy to use, intuitive, and accessible to all users. the interface design of a flipbook refers to the way that the flipbook software or tool is laid out and organized, and how users interact with it to create and view flipbooks. good interface design is essential for creating a flipbook that is easy to use and intuitive for users. some key considerations for interface design in flipbooks include: layout; the layout of a flipbook should be organized in a logical and consistent way, with important elements such as buttons and controls placed in easily accessible locations. navigation; the navigation of a flipbook should be clear and straightforward, with options for moving between pages and sections of the flipbook easily accessible. controls; the controls of a flipbook should be intuitive and easy to use, with clear labels and instructions for how to use them. visual design. the visual design of a flipbook should be clean and simple, with a clear hierarchy of information and effective use of color, typography, and other design elements. a well-designed interface can help users feel more confident and motivated to use a flipbook, and can contribute to their overall positive perception of the tool. the electronic module with the flipbook maker is appropriate for use as a learning tool and can be tested in direct learning. (roemintoyo et al., 2021; situmorang et al., 2020).it is generally believed that students have positive perceptions of mobile technology as a teaching tool (ng & nicholas,2018). learning is not limited to classroom settings in the mobile digital age a single location or period of time, the teacher's job is to challenge students, give students direction on what needs to be learned and advice on how to do so, as well as teach them how exercise critical thinking and review their knowledge . the reading habits of the young participants were influenced by the ipads' built-in reader friendliness and accessibility features. wulandari & suparman (2019) stated; e-books that are used as learning resources in problem based learning need to be designed and developed. the benefits of reading ebooks on mobile devices are discussed along with ways to make readers more motivated. there is little discussion of the importance of emotions, human assistance, and personal efficacy in the integrating of new technology. however, the combination of the two dimensions of self-efficacy (human-assisted selfefficacy and individual self-efficacy) there are three dimensions of emotional attachment (affection, passion, and connection) can be used to enhance online learning by providing a more interactive and engaging way for students to learn. for example, a teacher could use flipbooks to create interactive lessons or quizzes that students can access and complete online. additionally, students may find flipbooks to be a more interactive and hands-on way to learn, as compared to more traditional teaching methods such as lectures or readings. thus, students tend to have positive perceptions of mobile technology as a teaching tool, finding them to be engaging, interactive, and enjoyable to use. supplementing in-person instruction, flipbooks can be used to supplement in-person instruction by providing additional visual and interactive resources for students to engage with. for example, a teacher could use flipbooks to demonstrate key concepts or principles, or students could create their own flipbooks to illustrate what they have learned. promoting collaboration: flipbooks can be used to promote collaboration between students, both in person novita diana, fauziah, & farhana shukor students’ perceptions on usability principle and interface design of flipbook as m-learning in higher education 296 and online. for example, students could work together to create a flipbook as a group project, or they could use flipbooks to share their work with their classmates. overall, flipbooks can be a useful teaching tool in a blended classroom, providing a visually engaging and interactive way for students to learn and collaborate. method this study is a design and product development research (design and development), which employs a qualitative analytical framework and research and development (r&d) methodology (borg & gall, 1983) proposed ten steps in conducting r&d method. figure 2. r&d method steps the data collection technique in this study was an online questionnaire consists of likert-style items to determine user responses and flipbook maker based on e-module validation. validation is measured by expert tests, namely media experts and linguists. so that flipbook-maker can be used to increase creativity in preparing e-modules. then in the e-module validation stage, it was carried out by 2 experts from each expertise, a media expert and a linguist. the data analysis method employed in this study is a qualitative descriptive analysis method that explains the outcomes of product development in the form of electronic modules created utilizing a flipbook maker program. results and discussion the creation of this flipbook maker-based emodule makes it makes easier for them to learn independently because they may access it wherever they are. according to the media experts' validation results, 66.7% of the features presented in the emodule could be used without revision. media experts in this study also stated that e-module is very creative and feasible to use; the display was very attractive and easy to understand. 33.3% stated that it was appropriate to use it with revisions to the material evaluation section, author biographies, and preferably could be used offline. this is main concept in the development of ict-based teaching materials, in other words, in the teaching and learning process the teachers/lecturers should be creative and innovate to following new technological developments. despite the creative and easy usage, e-module has a significant role in improving students’ critical thinking skills and learning outcomes, engaging students and promoting their independent learning (roemintoyo et al., 2021;safitri, a.et al., 2021). furthermore, this media can be used to facilitate collaborative learning and provide personalized learning experiences for students (sunitha et al., 2020; suzanne, 2022; triwahyuningtyas et al., 2020;wahyuni et al., 2018).figure 5 shows the result of media expert validation of feasibility and practicality of the use e-module based on flipbook maker. figure 3. media expert validation of the feasibility and practicality of using e-modules based on flipbook the results of media expert show that 67% of the e-modules are useable and practical for the educational process. 33% stated that appropriate to use with revisions. the pictures below show some point to setting the e-modules by using flipbook. 67% 33% 0%0% media expert validation of feasibility and practicality of use e-module based on flibpbook e-module can be used without revision e-modules can be used with revisions english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 297 figure 4.e-modules setting by using flipbook flipbooks allow educators to add some videos and animations or moving images on learning media pages. through this feature, the flipbook makes it simpler for students to understand abstract material as multimodal resources to promote sociocultural understanding through digital tools njenga, j. k. (2018). figure 5. flipbook features e-modules can be designed in the canva application before importing files into the flipbook application. it aims to make the design more attractive and easier for readers to read and understand as the pictures above. figure 5. e-modules design apply the flipbook application to students in higher education and to create digital literacy which is expected to increase students' knowledge, skills, interest and learning motivation, and also can increase students’ literacy interest (saputriet al., 2022). rahmawati & gusniwati (2022) state that the innovation in the teaching learning process is needed in solving problems for online learning. the design of e-module which can be accessed online is one of the innovations in education. the table below shows the result of the students’ perception on usability principles and interface design of flipbook in higher education. some of the aspects assessed by students are shown in the table below. this is an aspect commonly encountered in an electronic-based learning design; especially the aspects used in designing e-modules based on flipbook maker (1) lack of material concepts presented, (2) the accuracy of the sentence structure used in the digital book, (3) the material presented in writing in the media is easy to understand, (4) innovative and creative (new, adaptable, interesting, and unique), (5) communicative (clear, accurate, and usefull language that is simple to understand), (6) excellent (has advantages compared to other learning multimedia or traditional techniques), (7) effective and efficient in the development and use of learning media, (8) usability (easy to use and simple to operate), (9) complete learning multimedia documentation includes: troubleshooting (clear, structured, and anticipatory), program design (clear, and describes program workflow), and (10) communicative: teaching materials are supported by audio and visual components, so that students can easily digest them. the percentage of each aspects shows in the table below; table 1. results of students’ responses no aspects percentage % 1 lack of material concepts presented 88.9% 2 the accuracy of the sentence structure used in the digital book 77.8% 3 the material presented in writing in the media is easy to understand 66.7% 4 innovative and creative (new, adaptable, interesting, and unique), 66.7% 5 communicative (clear, accurate, and useful language that is simple to understand), 55.6% 6 excellent (has advantages compared to other learning multimedia or conventional methods) 55.6% 7 efficient and effective in the development and use of learning media 66.7% 8 usability (simple to operate and easy to use) 55.6% 9 complete learning multimedia documentation includes: troubleshooting (clear, structured, and anticipatory), program design (clear, and 55.6% novita diana, fauziah, & farhana shukor students’ perceptions on usability principle and interface design of flipbook as m-learning in higher education 298 describes program workflow) 10 communicative: teaching materials are supported by audio and visual components so that students can easily digest them 66.7% the information in the table above demonstrates that the design layout, the program design, and the multimedia documentation are good. the navigation of the e-module based on the flipbook maker was easy to use, effective and efficient, and simple to operate on mobile. the controls of e-module were very support by flipbook maker, beside easy to use, e-model base on flipbook maker also communicative, its mean that easy to understand and the visual elements very support the students to used that e-module everywhere and this e-module was colorful so that, e-module makes the students interested in reading and learning the material presented in it. the usefulness, ease of use, and interactivity of ebooks can be an effective tool in enhancing students’ achievement and perceptions (alimiah et al. 2022; almekhlafi, a. g., 2021). the incorporating e-books into teaching practices promote student engagement and learning (acesta ,et al. 2021; daud,et al. 2022; ermawati, et al. 2021; fahmi et al. 2019). the results of the evaluation of students’ perceptions on usability principles and interface design of flipbook in higher education and also the impact of flipbook as m-learning media on students’ experience in learning showed that the percentage of scores; lack of material concepts presented is 88.9%, the accuracy of the sentence structure used in the digital book with percentage 77.8%, the material presented in writing in the media is easy to understand is 66.7%, innovative and creative (new, adaptable, interesting, and unique) also 66.7%, 55.6% in aspect communicative (clear, accurate, and useful language that is simple to understand), effective and efficient in the development and use of learning media is 66.7 %, usability (easy to use and simple to operate) is 55.6%, the aspect of complete learning multimedia documentation includes: troubleshooting (clear, structured, and anticipatory), program design (clear, and describes program workflow) is 55.6%, and communicative: visual and audio elements support teaching materials, so that students can easily digest them is 66.7%. it means that the emodule based on flipbook will give good impact on students learning with percentage 66.5%.flipbook can be an innovative digital learning media that prepares education for facilitating 21st-century learning. however, it is important to note that the effectiveness of any learning tool or technology depends on various factors such as the quality of content, the teaching approach, and the student's individual learning style. therefore, it is important to carefully evaluate the effectiveness of e-modules based on flipbook or any other technology in specific contexts and for specific learning outcomes (astutiet al. 2021; fowleret al. 2020; nita et al. 2023) conclusion this study investigated two research questions; (a) students’ opinions on usability principles and interface design of flipbook in higher education and (b) the impact of flipbook as m-learning media on students’ experience in learning. the result showed that learning by using e-module based on flipbook maker as m-learning in higher education is needed to explore more, so that will give the students good impact. based on the percentage of score scored it appears that flipbook as m-learning media on students’ experience in learning are well-category and worth using in higher education. the innovation in the teaching learning process is needed in solving problems for online learning in this era. the findings of the current study have implications for researchers, students, lecturer, and teacher etc. acknowledgement in particular, the authors would like to thank the first-year students of the english department at jabal ghafur university for their support and participation. many thanks and appreciation also goes to the ict experts, language validators, research team, and also the collaborative research team from uitm malaysia. references acesta, a., sumantri, m. s., fahrurrozi, f., iasha, v., & setiawan, b. (2021). natural scıence learnıng module based on multıple intellıgences in elementary schools. psychology and education journal, 58(4), 739–749. alimiah, u. s., mariana, a., & linuwih, s. (2022). the use of android based m-learning toward understanding concept on motion system subject. journal of innovative science education, 11(2), 229-234. almekhlafi, a. g. (2021). the effect of e-books on english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 1, february 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 299 preservice student teachers’ achievementand perceptions in the united arab emirates. education and information technologies, 26(1), 1001–1021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639 020-10298-x al-samarraie, h., teng, b. k., alzahrani, a. i., & alalwan, n. (2018). e-learning continuance satisfaction in higher education: a unified perspective from instructors and students. studies in higher education, 43(11), 20032019. astuti, s., fitriana, a., ahmad, w. f. w., ermawati, i. r., & hasan, m. h. (2021). analysis user interface: mobile application to blended learning model. in 2021 international conference on computer & information sciences (iccoins) (pp. 30-33). ieee. astutik, y. p., & milarisa, s. (2021). developing supplementary extensive reading materials based on berau folklore by using flipbook media. in eltlt 2020: proceedings of the 9th unnes virtual international conference on english language teaching, literature, and translation, eltlt 2020, 14-15 november 2020, semarang, indonesia (p. 20). european alliance for innovation. borg, w.r., & gall, m. d. (1983). educational research: an introduction. longman. dangaiso, p., makudza, f., & hogo, h. (2022). modelling perceived e-learning service quality, student satisfaction and loyalty. a higher education perspective. cogent education, 9(1), 2145805. daud, a., supriusman, s., rozalinda, r., harfal, z., suryani, a., nabilla, o., & thahirah, z. (2022). the development of interactive e-module using flipbookmaker for english structure learning at an indonesian university. ta'dib, 25(2), 160176. eliyasni, r., habibi, m., & azima, n. f. (2021). emodule flipbook model for designing e-learning materials in higher education. in 2nd progress in social science, humanities and education research symposium (psshers 2020) (pp. 1723). atlantis press. ermawati, i. r., kurniasih, m. d., astuti, s., fitriana, o., achmad, w. f. w., & hasan, m. h. (2021, july). development of blended learning media using character-based flipbook smartphone. in 2021 international conference on computer & information sciences (iccoins) (pp. 39-42). ieee. fahmi, s., priwantoro, s. w., cahdriyana, r. a., hendroanto, a., rohmah, s. n., & nisa, l. c. (2019, march). interactive learning media using kvisoft flipbook maker for mathematics learning. in journal of physics: conference series (vol. 1188, no. 1, p. 012075). iop publishing. fowler, d. c., & stickney, l. t. (2020). smartphone apps for use in management education. handbook of teaching with technology in management, leadership, and business, 263275. luna-nevarez, c., & mcgovern, e. (2018). on the use of mobile apps in education: the impact of digital magazines on student learning. journal of educational technology systems, 47(1), 1731. mcdougall, j., & potter, j. (2019). digital media learning in the third space. media practice and education, 20(1), 1-11. ng,w., & nicholas, h. (2018). understanding mobile digital worlds: how do australian adolescents relate to mobile technology? technology, pedagogy and education, 27(4), 513-528. nita, p. n. t., fauziah, a. m., maharani, a. c., hayati, e. m., hafid, r. n. f., & mulyanti, s. (2023, january). trend pembelajaran kimia pada materi elektrokimia: study literatur tahun 2018-2022. in prosiding seminar nasional orientasi pendidik dan peneliti sains indonesia (vol. 1, pp. 70-79). njenga, j. k. (2018). sociocultural paradoxes and issues in e-learning use in higher educationafrica. globalisation, societies and education, 16(1), 120-133. rahmawati, e. y., & gusniwati, m. (2022, november). analysis need of flipbook assisted e-module development in english courses. in proceeding international conference on digital education and social science (vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 88-93). roemintoyo and mochamad kamil budiarto. (2021) flipbook as innovation of digital learning media: preparing education for facing and faciliting 21st century learning. journal of education technology, 5(1), 8-13. safitri, a., permata, m. d., & wilujeng, i. (2021). the effect of using the e-module assisted by the kvisoft flipbook maker in improving student’s critical thinking skills during the covid-19 pandemic. in 6th international seminar on science education (isse 2020) (pp. 545-551). atlantis press. saputri, t., djuwari, d., authar, n., asmara, b., rahmadani, n. p., saleh, n. r., & chrestina, d. a. (2022). application of interactive english emodule with flipbook application for early childhood education students. indonesia berdaya, 3(4), 1079-1092. siregar, s. d., harahap, t. r., saragih, f. h., & saragih, a. t. (2022). integration islamic values in developing material trough flip book at higher education. anglo-saxon: journal of the english language education study program, 13(1), 130-141. situmorang, m., yustina, y., & syafii, w. (2020). emodule development using kvisoft flipbook maker through the problem based learning novita diana, fauziah, & farhana shukor students’ perceptions on usability principle and interface design of flipbook as m-learning in higher education 300 model to increase learning motivation. journal of educational sciences, 4(4), 834. sunitha, r., & elina, s. (2020). a study on mobile applications in education. iitm journal of management and it, 11(1), 91-97. suzanne, n. (2022). developing scientific approachbased e-module assisted by kvisoft flipbook maker application for grade x of senior high school students. in proceeding of international conference on language pedagogy (icolp) (vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 263-271). syahidi, a. a., tolle, h., supianto, a. a., hirashima, t., & arai, k. (2020). interactive m-learning media technology to enhance the learning process of basic logic gate topics in vocational school and engineering education. learning, 7, 8. triwahyuningtyas, d., ningtyas, a. s., & rahayu, s. (2020). the problem-based learning e-module of planes using kvisoft flipbook maker for elementary school students. jurnal prima edukasia, 8(2), 199-208. wahyuni, s. i., noer, a. m., & linda, r. (2018, november). development of electronic module using kvisoft flipbook maker application on the chemical equilibirium. in proceedings of the ur international conference on educational sciences (pp. 178-189). wulandari, h., & suparman. (2019). analisis kebutuhan e-book untuk menstimulus berpikir kreatif. proceedings of the 1st steeem 2019, 1(1), 162–167 yaniawati,p., supianti, i.i., fisher, d., & sa’adah, n. (2021). development and effectiveness of mobile learning teaching materials to increase students’ creative thinking skills. journal of physics:conference series, 1918(4), e042081. yeh, c.-j. (2010). the principles of interaction design in the post-digital age. artist-magazine. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 641 integrating luwu culture into english learning: a development of customized materials for nursing students junita anjar lestari english education study program, post graduate school, institut agama islam negeri palopo, indonesia email: junita_2204050005@iainpalopo.ac.id edhy rustan english education study program, post graduate school, institut agama islam negeri palopo, indonesia email: edhy_rustan@iainpalopo.ac.id magfirah thayyib english education study program, post graduate school, institut agama islam negeri palopo, indonesia email: magfirah_thayyib@iainpalopo.ac.id apa scitation: lestari, j. a., rustan, e., & thayyib, m. (2024). integrating luwu culture into english learning: a development of customized materials for nursing students. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 641-650. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9581 received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 21-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: this research aimed to fulfill the need of nursing students to master english with the integration of local culture. this research was conducted at kurnia jaya persada health and business institute, palopo city, south sulawesi, indonesia, from march to may 2023. this study was a research and development through four stages: (1) needs analysis, (2) material design, (3) try-out, and (4) material revision. the need analysis was done by administering the questionnaire to 32 nursing students and interviewing four english lecturers in the study program. the english material developed consists of seven units. the tasks in each unit integrate the language aspects and skills. the materials for nursing provided are vocabulary and expressions in the health field also english skills for nursing. the features of luwu local culture in the material are the local names in the tasks; the pictures of the traditional letters, costumes, houses, and sites; the reading text about the culture and history of luwu; the specialized unit entitled ‘my local culture’; the sub-topic about cross-culture communication; and the video about luwu culture. the english material was judged by the four english lecturers with a mean score of 96.3. the material is valid with revision. the total response of the students toward the english material, after having the try-out stage, is 95.8% agree. the students have positive responses toward the english material. it helps them to increase their english competencies in nursing field and keep up instilling the local culture. keywords: english material; local culture; nursing students. introduction language learning and local culture cannot be separated. local culture grows while language is learning (kramsch, 2015). english as a foreign language (efl) learning will create an experience for students not only to learn basic knowledge of foreign culture but also to let them show knowledge about their local culture. learning process based on local culture in an english classroom will stimulate the students to interact, negotiate, and define their identities. assimilating local cultural values in studying english skills namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing will motivate the students to increase their personality and adaptability (setyono & widodo, 2019). in addition, mastering english based on local culture will help to expose indonesian culture and potential in international commerce and exchange contexts (sapoetra, 2020). in efl learning, nursing students should be competent in using english without ignoring local culture. english and culture are urgently needed in the health care field during the globalization era. local culture is necessary for completing english for nursing program which helps to increase the communicative competencies of nurses. cultural competence is essential in nursing to promote caring for patients with diverse backgrounds (ho & oh, 2022). nursing is closely related to human values which contained in local culture. nurses are required to communicate with people that migrate worldwide (nurindah et al., 2019). they have to hold on to cultural values in caring for the patients. there is also a trend of medical tourism that attracts tourists for cultural healing in which mailto:magfirah_thayyib@iainpalopo.ac.id junita anjar lestari, edhy rustan, & magfirah thayyib integrating luwu culture into english learning: a development of customized materials for nursing students 642 the nurses should use english (ratnasari et al., 2021). on the other hand, many of indonesian nurses are sent to abroad. they must master english and not neglect their own local culture when working abroad. specifically for english nursing, the material should be customized for nurses’ academic and occupational needs (halim et al., 2019). it is necessary to fulfill the students’ needs at vocational university (nafa et al., 2023). the content and the supporting elements in the materials should be attractive and motivate the students to learn. the students will enjoy studying if they are provided with the standard material (richards & rodgers, 2001). inserting appropriate visual aid in english material will help to increase students’ communication skills (syed et al., 2019). meanwhile, incorporating local culture in english materials will increase their cultural awareness and personality. by learning local culture-based material, the students can study the values of life and apply them in daily life (jopalina et al., 2023). the english material should be based on the students’ needs and include the local cultural contents and values. english for nursing is a part of english for specific purpose (esp). the students who learn english for nurses will have different material from students who learn english for other fields (rusanti & dewi, 2021). there were six considerations in developing esp materials, namely: a) the materials can stimulate to learning process; b) the materials can organize the teaching and learning process; c) the materials show the nature of language learning; d) the materials represent learning task; e) the materials useful for specific disciplines; and f) the materials provide certain model (hutchinson & waters, 2008). writing a new learning material is considered the most proper way to develop an esp-based learning material since the learning material can be designed according to the needs of the users (suryati et al., 2019). developing english material for nursing in the case of this study also considers the principles of esp learning and materials. there are many efl materials for nursing students that have been developed in indonesia. rusli et al. (2018) developed an english taskbased learning handout for a nursing study program at a college of health in padang sidempuan. suryati et al. (2019) developed esp web-based learning material for nursing students at a health institution in bali. putra et al. (2019) developed english material for nursing students at a vocational high school in bali. halim et al. (2019) developed e-learning media for a nursing department at a private university. burhan & putra (2021) developed english learning material based on need analysis for nursing students at a college of health in solok. rusanti & dewi (2021) developed learning media based on a powtoon application for nursing students at a health institution in bali. temardi et al. (2022) developed a visual dictionary for nursing students at a health polytechnic in singkawang. the researchers have developed english materials for nursing based on need analysis but do not give special focus on representing local culture. therefore, this research is conducted to fulfil the need of nursing students to master english without ignoring local culture. the local culture provided in the developed english material for nursing is based on the culture of luwu, south sulawesi, indonesia. luwu was under the governance of kedatuan luwu which is the greatest kingdom in south sulawesi (pawiloy, 2002). luwu now covers the area of four regencies namely palopo, luwu, luwu utara, and luwu timur. surely, luwu has copious and various cultural contents and local wisdom that can be integrated into english material for nursing students. the novelty of this research is on the local culture supplement in english material for nursing students. the affiliation of nursing and local culture in english material is initiated through this research. this english material will be used in kurnia jaya persada health and business institute as the locus of this research. the english material is expected to be also used in nursing school or institution in luwu area. this english material could also be a reference to develop english material for specific purposes with local cultural content. method this research was conducted at kurnia jaya persada health and business institute, palopo city, south sulawesi, indonesia. this study took place over three months from march to july 2023. this study was a research and development adapting gall et al. (2003) model through four stages: (1) needs analysis, (2) material design, (3) try-out, and (4) material revision. in the need analysis stage, data were gathered through the administering of questionnaires and conducting interviews. the questionnaire consisted of ten closed-ended questions and was administered to 32 nursing students from one class (nursing a) in the second semester. the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 643 questions focused on the students’ english learning aptitude, needs, and preferences (wibowo, 2021; arroyyani, 2022). the interview list consisted of five open-ended questions which were asked to four english lecturers at the institute. the questions were about the target and learning needs (wahyudi, 2022), also the local culture integration. through questionnaires and interviews, all respondents contributed to providing insightful information for the development of english material with local cultural content. the results of the nursing students’ questionnaires and the english lecturers were tabulated and summarized. in the design stage, the results of the need analysis were compiled into a course grid by considering the available syllabus and material. based on the course grid, the outline of the material units was drafted. the references of nursing material and luwu local culture were provided. then, the lessons and tasks for each unit were prepared. the tasks cover the four english skills namely reading, listening, writing, and speaking. next, the features of luwu local culture were selected and supplemented to the proper lessons and tasks. after the writing of all units was finished, the material layout and graphic design were done. the material cover was also designed. again, the features of luwu local culture were added to the layout and graphic design in the right parts. after the first design was completed, the material was judged by the experts. they are the four english lecturers at the institute. the experts’ judgment was on three aspects namely material, language, and presentation (bskap kemendikbud, 2023). the assessment sheet given for experts’ judgment consisted of twelve statements over all of the three aspects with a likert scale and a column for suggestions. the result of the judgment was analyzed using descriptive statistics. it was used as the base to revise the material. in the try-out stage, the revised material was used during the teaching-learning process in one english class of the nursing study program. after having the class, the nursing students were asked to fill the questionnaire consisting of five response statements about the material used in the learning. the result of the students’ response questionnaire was tabulated. in the revision stage, the researchers supply sufficient detail from the try-out stage to revise the material. the details of material that got low scores from the questionnaire were revised. the researchers did a final revision of the design of the material including the content, picture, language, layout, and cover of the book. results and discussion the need analysis there are several data resulted from the interview of the english lecturers at kurnia jaya persada health and business institute. first, based on the syllabus, the objective of the english class for the nursing study program is that the students are able to develop the four english language skills with a variety of topics about nursing. the english subject for the nursing study program at kurnia jaya persada health and business institute was provided in the first semester with two credits. second, the target need is that the students should be able to communicate basic health care and services in english. third, the learning need is that the students should be provided with enjoyable materials on english language aspects (vocabulary and grammar) and skills (reading, writing, listening, dan speaking). fourth, the appropriate english material for nursing students is basic english material on nursing topics. the english learning materials should be focused on the students’ needs to support their future careers (fadlia et al. (2022). fifth, it is important to integrate local culture into the english material for nursing students. the forms of the integration of local culture the english material for nursing students are text and conversation that can help the students to communicate and promote their local culture. the data resulted from the needs analysis questionnaire given to the students are presented in table 1. table 1. the result of the students’ needs analysis questionnaire no. questionnaire items options of the questionnaire items percentage of students’ choices 1. the students’ english mastery beginner intermediate 53% 47% 2. the students’ interest and motivation to learn english a nursing student must master english for nursing. english is an addition to knowledge about healthcare and nursing. 47% 37% junita anjar lestari, edhy rustan, & magfirah thayyib integrating luwu culture into english learning: a development of customized materials for nursing students 644 english language skills have an effect on getting a job. 16% 3. the importance of basic english skills speaking vocabulary reading 62% 32% 6% 4. the obstacles in learning english lack of vocabulary unable to pronounce words properly and correctly unable to use sentences in conversation or speech 56% 28% 16% 5. the students’ english learning need in listening skill understand conversation in english understand the commands and lecture materials in english 62% 38% 6. the students’ english learning need in speaking skill pronounce words and sentences properly and correctly respond correctly and appropriately in conversation 50% 50% 7. the students’ english learning need in reading skill understanding important vocabulary when reading looking for important information when reading 53% 47% 8. the students’ english reading need in writing skill write sentences properly and correctly writing paragraphs 78% 22% 9. the learning method preference audio-visual aids getting information on my own project-works 78% 16% 6% 10. the learning activity preference role play discussion gap-filling writing paragraph 40% 39% 12% 9% based on the results of the need analysis, there is a need to develop english material for nursing students with the integration with local culture. the teaching and learning materials needed by the lecturer and the students in the designed english material are the materials that can increase english language knowledge, understanding, and skills for the nursing field through local cultural themes. by learning the material needed, the nursing students are expected to have english competence to be able to promote their national and international knowledge about nursing. so, the nursing students can communicate in english without ignoring their local culture. the design of english material based on the results of the need analysis, the outline of english material was drafted into seven units. the units are myself, daily activities, my family, my future plans, my friends, unforgettable experience, and my local culture. the selection of themes was dominantly on nursing students’ lives integrating with local culture. it fits the level, target, and learning needs of the nursing students in english class, also the appropriate material for them. each unit consists of five to nine tasks in which the language aspects and skills are integrated. it fits the objective of the english class for nursing students also their learning needs. the learning strategies for the tasks are varied from individual, pair, and group work also classroom discussion. the learning methods and activities are varied from brainstorming, fill-in-the-blank, conversation practice, paragraph writing, to video watching and making. it is based on the results of the need analysis. the outline of the english material meets the basic rules in developing learning materials according to richards & rodgers (2001). the materials should be suitable with the existing curriculum, guide the students in developing learning skills, and motivate them to expand their ability in learning. the outline covers the considerations in developing esp materials proposed by hutchinson & waters (2008). the materials can stimulate and organize the learning process, represent the nature of language learning and tasks, be useful for specific disciplines, also provide certain models. in this english material, the specific discipline is nursing and the model provided is a local culture supplement. the aspects and the language skills in the english material are vocabulary, grammar, listening, speaking, reading, writing, and reading. the language aspects and skills that are given more portion are vocabulary and speaking. it is based on the result of the need analysis, especially the students’ answers on questionnaires number 3 and 4 also the teachers’ interview questions number 2 and 3. but in general, the language aspect and skills are integrated each other in most english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 645 of the tasks in the english material. it is as the result of interview question number 4. the tasks and learning activities provided will help the students in improving the students’ four english skills. the integration of the skills into the learning activities is adjusted to the students’ level which is beginner to intermediate. the vocabulary is either given directly at the beginning of the task or reviewed in the questions of the task. words, phrases, and clauses are also offered in some tasks related to english structures. the expressions related to language communication function are also provided. in this english material, the vocabulary given at the beginning of the task is always accompanied by pictures. the activity to match the words and the pictures stimulates students to have self-learning and brainstorming. the grammar points given in the english material are suited to the topic in each unit. the grammar points are mostly integrated into other skills questions/activities of the task. it helps the students to have grammatical sentences in producing writing and speaking. the speaking activities in the english material are in the form of performing conversation, conducting question-answer for gap-filling, describing people/objects/events, and sharing ideas/opinions. the activities designed suit the students’ learning needs for speaking that are to pronounce sentences and respond to conversation correctly. the writing activities focus on writing simple sentences and arranging them into simple paragraphs in correlation with the unit topic. the sentences written utilize the related vocabulary and grammar in the unit. the writing activities are also given as warming up before speaking like in video making task and as follow-up after listening task. the activities suit the students’ learning need for writing that is writing sentences and paragraphs correctly. the reading activities focus on identifying the main idea, topic and supporting sentences of a paragraph, and the implied meaning of the texts. the activities designed suit the students’ learning need for reading which is understanding important vocabulary and information in the text. the topics of the reading texts are both about health and local culture. the texts provided consist of 200400 words with simple language and easy to understand. the texts are also accompanied by related pictures. the texts are followed by comprehension questions as the reading focuses. the reading text strengthens the contextualization of the vocabulary about the topic in the unit. the reading section in this english material is similar to the material developed by adlis (2022) in which the texts are added with questions, pictures, and cultural vocabulary. the listening section is provided in the form of direct conversation performed by the students also selected audio and video about nursing and local culture. the activities are adjusted to the students’ learning need for listening that is understanding conversation and lecture materials in english. the lecture refers to nursing material. the materials for nursing were provided in each unit. the materials are in the form of vocabulary and expressions in the health field specifically in nursing, medical care, dentistry, and hospital. the vocabulary of the health field is supported by the pictures of medical instruments and officers also hospital/health care environments. the materials also cover english skills for nursing with the topics of communication between doctor and nurse about patient care, the daily life of a nursing student, also the future plan as a nurse like job application and interview. the development of english material for non-english departments integrates the content of the field in the language aspects and skills (rahmadhani & supriadi, 2021; aprianto et al., 2022). then, the features of luwu local culture that were supplemented to the material are the local names for the medical officers in the tasks; the pictures of lontara (the traditional letters of luwu), the traditional costume, the traditional house and sites; the reading text about the culture and history of luwu; the last specialized unit entitled ‘my local culture’; the sub-topic about cross-culture communication; the video about traditional food, costume, song, house, of luwu, the tourism objects, religiosity, and other culture in luwu. the video was created and acted by the students of magister of english education study program, postgraduate school, institut agama islam negeri palopo. the local culture topics in this english material are quite the same as the topics in the english textbook by darmayenti et al. (2021) which covers local food, clothing, attractions, and other cultural elements. certainly, the elements of luwu culture have own uniqueness that fruitful to be integrated in the learning material. the last part of the material design focuses on the layout, graphics, and cover. the material is written on a4 paper. the pictures were designed using photoshop 2021 and adobe illustrator. the theme colors are tosca blue and green. the examples for designing the pictures, especially the junita anjar lestari, edhy rustan, & magfirah thayyib integrating luwu culture into english learning: a development of customized materials for nursing students 646 ones with local cultural features were taken from official references listed on the bibliography of the material. what is more, the material is designed with multimodal material and supported with technology. in this english material, there materials are presented in the form of text, table, picture, audio, and video. the visual aid in the learning material will help the students to increase their communication skills (syed et al., 2019). this material also makes use of technology in submitting the student’s assignment. the task should be submitted using pdf form. the product of the task which is in the form of the video should be also uploaded to social media. several materials and media for nursing students utilizing technology are proven supportive for english learning (halim et al., 2019; rusanti & dewi, 2021). figure 1. the view of the pages from the english material based on luwu local culture for nursing students after completing the first design, the material was judged by four experts who are english lecturers at the kurnia jaya persada health and business institute. the result of the experts’ judgment is presented in table 2. table 2. the result of the experts’ judgement no. the aspects the indicators assessed the mean score 1. the material contains scientific and factual truth 98 stimulates students to open mind and deep learning 96 is actual based on the development of nursing science and technology 95 is contextual based on the characteristics of nursing field 97 expands the students’ 21st century skills 96 2. the language contains appropriate diction according to the scientific concept and students’ need 95 has correct writing based on english grammar 96 is communicative and effective 95 3. the layout presents systematic and coherence texts and pictures 98 presents texts and pictures based on the students’ level 98 presents relevant and supportive pictures to the clarity of the material 98 is interesting and creative 98 the mean score for four indicators of material aspect is 95. the mean score for three indicators of language aspect is 95. while, the mean score for four indicators of layout aspect is 98. then, the mean score of the expert judgment for all aspects is 96.3. it means that the english material is valid and can be used but has to be revised according to the corrections and suggestions from the experts. the result of this english material judgement is the same as the english learning english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 647 materials for nursing at stikes aufa royhan padang sidempuan that is valid with revision (rusli et al., 2018). try-out and revision in the try-out stage, the revised english material was used during the teaching-learning process in the english class of class a, nursing study program of kurnia jaya persada health and business institute. the result of the students’ response questionnaire after the try-out stage is on average positive based on the data presented in table 3. table 3. the result of students’ response questionnaire no. statements responses percentage 1. the english material interests me to learn english material. agree 97% 2. the english material increases my knowledge of the nursing field. agree 94% 3. the english material increases my insight on english for nursing. agree 94% 4. the english material has a clear language. agree 97% 5. the english material has an interesting appearance. agree 97% the total response of the students is 95.8% agree. it means that the students have a positive response toward the english material with local culture supplement. some of the students also gave their direct feedback after having the try-out using the english material in learning. they explained that the material is very helpful in learning english for nursing and connecting it the luwu culture. they said that they have experienced new interesting english learning using the developed material. it confirmed that the english material based on luwu local culture can be used as a learning resource for the nursing students in luwu area. it meets the lecturers and the students’ needs for teaching and learning material and process by still approaching the local culture. the result of the try-out stage for this english material is relevant to the english material with local cultural content developed by barella (2020) which could increase the students’ vocabulary. in the revision stage, the data from the suggestion column of the expert judgment are used to correct the mistakes and improve the quality of the english material. the lowest score of the material in the expert judgment is for the language aspect thus the correction is much more on the aspect. however, the material and presentation aspects are still corrected based on the suggestions from the experts. for the material aspect, the revisions made are on the order of the activities; the title of the sub-units; and the english technical terms in the nursing field. for the language aspect, the revisions made are word spelling/typing, diction, and grammar of the sentences in the instruction of the activities, the conversation, and the reading texts; mechanics of the instruction and the conversation; and the clarity of the instruction. for the presentation aspect, the revisions made are the format of the font and the thumbnail of the video provided. though the revision has been completed but the english material still needs to be further analyzed and refined before being published and officially used at kurnia jaya persada health and business institute or other nursing study programs in luwu area. conclusion the english material with luwu local culture for nursing students developed through this research and development consists of seven units. the tasks in each unit integrate the language aspects and skills needed by the nursing students. the materials for nursing are vocabulary and expressions in the health field also english skills for nursing. the features of luwu local culture supplemented are the local names; the pictures of the traditional letters, costumes, houses, and sites; the reading text about the culture and history of luwu; the unit entitled ‘my local culture’; the sub-topic about cross-culture communication; and the video about luwu culture. the material is designed with multimodal material and supported with technology. the english material is valid with revision according to the experts. it also receives positive responses from the nursing students. the revision of the english material is made based on the comments from the experts. it covers the language, material, and presentation aspects. it can be said that the affiliation of english for nursing content and local culture is realized through this research. the english material with luwu local culture resulted in this research meets the needs of the nursing students at kurnia jaya persada health and business institute. it can help the students to increase their english language competencies by still embracing and even promoting their local culture in the nursing field. junita anjar lestari, edhy rustan, & magfirah thayyib integrating luwu culture into english learning: a development of customized materials for nursing students 648 this english material should be further reviewed for its betterment so it can be used officially at kurnia jaya persada health and business institute or other nursing study programs in luwu area. further research on the insertion or integration of local cultural content in english for nursing and other specific purpose should be also conducted to outline the standard procedure and product. references adlis, y. (2022). development of teaching material models of english courses based on local culture to improve skills of pgsd students of english texts. budapest international research and critics institute-journal, 5(2), 8430-8440. https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v5i2.4623 8430 aprianto, d., sutarman, s., abdussamad, z., & syarifaturahman, w. k. (2022). simpleinteractive contents-based english materials development for non-english departments. humanitatis: journal of language and literature, 9(1), 107-122. https://doi.org/10.30812/humanitatis.v9i1.2302 arroyyani, r., widiyati, d. n., & maryani. (2022). a need analysis of esp for public health students. esteem: journal of english study programme, 5(2), 161-170. barella, y. (2020). developing local culture content in west kalimantan as english language teaching material. jurnal pendidikan bahasa, 9(2), 244252. https://doi.org/10.31571/bahasa.v9i2.2285 bskap kemendikbud. (2023). instrumen penilaian dan penelaahan. https://bntp.buku.kemdikbud.go.id/instrumen burhan, k., & putra, h. (2021). developing english material for nursing students through students’ need analysis. journal of english education and teaching, 5(3), 413-424. darmayenti, d., besral, b., & yustina, l. s. (2021). developing efl religious characters and local culture-based efl textbook for islamic higher education. studies in english language and education, 8(1), 157-180. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i1.18263 fadlia, f., asra, s., zulida. e., & santosa, m. h. (2022). developing esp based-digital learning materials support students’ needs at indonesian vocational schools: perceived quality. englisia: journal of language, education, and humanities, 10(1), 40-53. https://doi.org/10.22373/ej.v10i1.12166all. gall, m.d., gall, j.p., & walter, b.r. (2003). educational research: an introduction (7th ed.). allyn and baconall. halim, a., latipah, a. j., & lubis, a. a. (2019). developing e-learning media for esp learning of english for nursing students. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 11(2), 243-255. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v11i2.158 ho, t. t. t., & oh, j. (2022). development and evaluation of cultural competence course on undergraduate nursing students in vietnam. international journal of environmental research and public health, 19(888), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19020888 hutchinson, t. & waters, a. (2008). english for specific purposes: a learning centred approach. macmillan publishers, ltd. jopalina, p., inderawati, r., & petrus, i. (2023). cultural-based reading materials for vocational high school: students’ need analysis. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 953-962. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.7916 kramsch, c. (2015). early childhood and primary education: new visions and a manifesto for change. exploring education and childhood: from current certainties to new visions, 1(1), 188-194. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315715827 nafa, a. n. h., yuliana, m., jailani, m. k., sari, n. p., anggraini, w., & sabilah, f. (2023). developing cross-cultural understanding materials in tourism guiding for vocational students. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 539-550. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.6653 nurindah, suhartini, l., & nggawu, l. o. (2019). english for nursing purposes: investigating the students, academicians, and administrators' language needs at mandala waluya health institution. asian esp journal, 15(1), 248-271. pawiloy, s. (2002). ringkasan sejarah luwu. cv. telaga zamzam. putra, p., padmadewi, p., & budasi, b. (2019). developing english materials for nursing students of smk kesehatan bali medika denpasar. jurnal pendidikan bahasa inggris indonesia, 7(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v7i1.2715 rahmadhani, m., & supriadi, s. (2021). the development of english textbook by using addie-model to improve english speaking skill for non-english department students. anglo-saxon: jurnal ilmiah program studi pendidikan bahasa inggris, 12(1), 65-79. https://doi.org/10.33373/as.v12i1.3478 ratnasari, r. t., gunawan, s., pitchay, a. a., & salleh, m. c. m. (2021). sustainable medical tourism: investigating health-care travel in indonesia and malaysia. international journal of healthcare management, 15(3), 220-229. https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2020.187036 5 richards, j. c., & rodgers, t. s. (2001). approaches and methods in language teaching. cambridge university press. rusanti, p., & dewi, k. m. c. (2021). developing learning media based on powtoon application https://bntp.buku.kemdikbud.go.id/instrumen https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315715827 https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2020.1870365 https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2020.1870365 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 649 for teaching english for nurses. jurnal kependidikan: jurnal hasil penelitian dan kajian kepustakaan di bidang pendidikan, pengajaran dan pembelajaran, 7(2), 270–280. https://doi.org/10.33394/jk.v7i2.3217 rusli, a., jufrizal, j., & hamzah, h. (2018). english for nursing students based on task-based learning. international journal of educational dynamics, 1(1), 41-54. https://doi.org/10.24036/ijeds.v1i1.44 sapoetra, j. (2020). an analysis of local content in the local english textbooks in indonesian high schools. journal of physics: conference series, 1477(4), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1477/4/042023 setyono, b., & widodo, h. p. (2019). the representation of multicultural values in the indonesian ministry of education and cultureendorsed efl textbook: a critical discourse analysis. intercultural education, 30(4), 383397. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2019.154810 2 suryati, n. w. n., susanta, i. p. a. e., & dewi, k. m. c. (2019). the development esp web based learning material for nursing students of institut teknologi kesehatan bali. proceedings the 5th international conferences on cultural studies, 2(2019), 182-186. syed, n. m., quraishi, u., & kazi, a. s. (2019). english language textbook and development of oral communicative competence in grade viii students of public sector schools in punjab. bulletin of education and research, 41(1), 105118. temardi, t., regina, r., & sada, c. (2022). developing a visual dictionary for nursing students. social sciences, 7(7), 308–317. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v7i7.10672 wahyudi, a., (2022). need analysis for identifying esp materials for nursing science study program stik bina husada palembang. formosa journal of applied sciences, 1(6), 1033-1040. https://doi.org/10.55927/fjas.v1i6.1747 wibowo, h. a., (2021). needs analysis of english learning on nursing students at stikes notokusumo yogyakarta. lp3mkil, 1(2), 1121. https://doi.org/10.55927/fjas.v1i6.1747 junita anjar lestari, edhy rustan, & magfirah thayyib integrating luwu culture into english learning: a development of customized materials for nursing students 650 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1151 a critical review of indonesian traditional proverbs by derrida’s deconstruction zakaria english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sembilanbelas november, indonesia email: zakaria.usn@gmail.com apa citation: zakaria. (2024). a critical review of indonesian traditional proverbs by derrida’s deconstruction. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1151-1158. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.9580 received: 25-06-2024 accepted: 24-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction the idealism of life is built in literary stories generally come from the inner experience of the author, the meaning of literary texts is entirely in the mind of the writer. the application of the reader response approach to literary works is how literary readers interpret literary works based on the reader's individual experience, (mart, 2021). several themes of literary works also appeared are talked about personal experiences, incidents, and also the interpretation of the scriptures (the bible) have also colored the development of literary criticism in the early 19th century. textual criticism is a method in biblical studies to study and understand the meaning of the biblical text scientifically, (jura & rambitan, 2023). the revival of literary critics in the early 20th century was triggered by an author-centered approach that shackled the critical attitude of readers' responses to literary texts, literary texts only leads to artistic and aesthetic impressions that are only aimed at writers and literary texts of writers, readers should respond as a form of reaction to the text he reads. in literary studies, readers should not only rely on literary texts but need criticism. literary works contain artistic and aesthetic values where the artistic value is the literary text itself and the aesthetic value is what the reader wants to achieve in literary works, (iser, 1978). in era post-structuralists due to their rejection of the structural flow which still maintains a linear (directed) reading model with a binary opposition structure, reader respon theory. the emergence of a new theory in literary criticism began around the 1930s which questioned the form of literary works, this theory was introduced by louise rosenblatt in 1991, (lee & gopal, 2023). reader's response for gadamer and jauss in jean michel is that readers should have a subjective view called the horizon of expectation in interpreting the literary text they read. the readers is very important in interpreting literary works because the readers theirself who brings literary works in to real life (singh & pratima, 2022). russian formalists want literary work to be autonomous and independent of the author's biography, context and interests. formalists want literary works to be something autonomous, apart from the biography and aims of the author and apart from the social context (stougaard-nielsen, 2020). even though the formalists have different views on literary studies, their studies focus on the abstract: this research uses qualitative case studies with derrida's deconstruction method. the object of research is the text of traditional indonesian proverbs. the results of the research conclude that several mythical meanings of traditional indonesian proverb texts can be shifted by another meanings, the analysis shows that the proverb of air beriak tanda tak dalam means someone who talks a lot without knowledge can be reconstructed with meaning “a person who talks a lot is a person with knowledge so it must be present as many arguments as possible.” the proverb of buah jatuh tak jauh dari pohonnya means parents and children have the same temperament and character, can also be reconstructed with meaning “that a child can be shaped by a good or bad environment, not just by the parents.” the proverb of hujan emas di negeri orang, lebih baik di negeri sendiri can be reconstructed also with the meaning of “it would be better live in someone else's country if it can give a guarantee of prosperity”. finally, the proverb of biar lambat asal selamat can be reconstructed by some meaning based on considerations of effectiveness and efficiency of work. meaning will continue to move and look for new traces of meaning, therefore meaning is never single and absolute but continue to be born along with each dimension of perspective. keywords: proverb; reader-response; deconstruction; binary-opposition; horizon-expectations zakaria a critical review of indonesian traditional proverbs by derrida’s deconstruction 1152 intrinsic aspects, the study of literary texts and do not extrinsic aspects (manshur, 2019). woodruff and griffin in elena spirovska stated that in responding the meaning of the text, the reader must reject the author's intention and must focus on the reader's interpretation even though subjectively (spirovska, 2019). the same statement also stated by umberto eco in the sydney morning herald on february 23, 2016, he said readers have autonomous rights in interpreting books, regardless of the author. likewise, barthes wants the readers to be independent of the author in interpreting the text. readers have the autonomous right to deconstruct the author's text (stougaard-nielsen, 2020). barthes offers a free reading of literary texts which demands more erotica than hermeneutics, and the thesis of the death of the author wants the reader's views and interpretations regardless of the reader's wishes and tastes (stouggaardnielsen, 19). assessing and interpreting literary works should be on the authority of the reader as a result of the reader's response, interpreting literary work must be subjectively dependon readers’ point of view, didipu (2021). readers construct the meaning of the text based on personal experience, (kunjanman & aziz, 2021). literary works should be in an autonomous status and free of interpretation to let the readers are given space to assess and interpret literary works based on their cognitive schema. the thematic significance in literary works will produce a new perspective as expected by the reader, hou (2023). and modern schema theory according to yang, he wants readers to build new knowledge structures based on readers' life experiences, yang, (2023). proverbs are a type of literary product that contains meaningful texts, so understanding the meaning behind proverbial texts requires an interpretation process. proverb is used by the wearer as an effort to utilize the wealth of language to cause certain effects in the ideas they convey. in addition, proverbs are also used as heirs of local cultural values transmitted from generation to generation. (saragih & mulyadi, 2020). in indonesia, traditional proverbs used by the majority of indonesian people are cultural product and the meanings contained in them have become the truth and way of life for majority of indonesian people. proverb is combination of words or sentences, containing advice and principles of life and their meaning is expressed implicitly using figurative or metaphorical language. proverbs are sometimes in the form of prose or a simple and short poem and often slang and in short verses have emerged from the depths of people's culture and are the most original and heartfelt element of the pillars of this ancient culture, (bassak & hesar, 2021). the mythical meaning in the text some traditional indonesian proverbs has been accepted as absolute truth and cannot be changed until today. the things made mythical meaning of proverbs are accepted by some indonesian people is the value of local wisdom on them such as life guidelines, advices, and hopes. sunarni (2017) stated that proverbs are a product of local wisdom and mythical meanings in proverbs are used as life guidelines, appeals, hopes and commands. however, a critical thinking proposes a question that, is the mythical meaning in several traditional indonesian proverbs still worthy of being a guiding for life to every ones of indonesian people? the researcher assumpts that the mythical meaning in the proverb will no longer be accepted as absolute meaning and it cannot be used as a guide for human being. therefore, the mythical meaning must be changed with another myth that will give benefit of life. proverbs can be categorized as a type of limerick and generally used analogous or metaphorical in language style. ndraha (2021) stated that the use of metaphorical elements in literary works by writers or speakers is aimed to convey their feelings, ideas, and imagination, kinanti & rachman (2019) said the metaphorical element in proverbs is the power of creativity, the aim being that the language is not monotonous but is concise and contains broad meaning. the emergence of metaphors originates from ideas and experiences and then becomes myths by its users (zakaria, 2022). proverbs can be in the form of parables, advice, mottos and also in the form of life guidance (juniati, 2021) and siarta (2020) stated that proverbs are communication tools that contain criticism and advice and are spoken softly and politely. according to puspitaningsih & xiaoyan (2022) proverbs are divided into three types: 1) proverbs that contain advice or teachings; 2) pameo, proverbs containing life principles and mottos; and 3) parables, proverbs that are presuppositions or comparisons. the use of traditional proverbs in communication by indonesian people aims to maintain and maintain the order of life and community norms so that community relations can run well, insted that, proverbs in indonesian society have become a reflection of culture which english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1153 contains local wisdom values (dewi, 2022), proverbs like “tong kosong nyaring bunyinya”, “besar pasak daripada tiang” is a proverb that contains teachings and advice. the first proverb means satire, this proverb is directed at people who talk a lot but are reluctant to work, the second proverb means advice aimed at people who have the habit of living wastefully. a proverb of the type of pameo parody such as “sekali layar terkembang, pantang surut ke belakang”, “bersatu kita teguh, bercerai kita runtuh” is principle of life these two principles are meant a brave and firm attitude. then parable like phrases “lain lubuk, lain ikannya”; “lain rumput, lain belalang” both are expressions of comparison which mean that each place or region has different social and cultural rules. the aim of applying derrida's deconstruction model to indonesian (traditional) proverb texts is to explore and find alternative meanings as new meanings that are relevant to the views and context of modern life. the meaning of a proverb may no longer be maintained and believed absolutely, so an alternative meaning is needed as a new meaning in the context of modern life. the meaning of the text behind the proverb must be seen as an sich text, means that the interpretation of the meaning of the proverb text does not depend on one's awareness but is open to everyone. to interpret the text using derrida's deconstruction approach is an effort to free everyone to interpret ambiguous texts and then reconstruct them in reverse, (nugraha et al., 2020). likewise, the meaning of texts in indonesian proverbs that are no longer in accordance with critical views in the current context must be criticized and reconstructed. deconstruction is a model recommended for the solution to the problem of absolute textual meaning, it strongly opposes the logo-centric tradition of european philosophical thinking, always move and find new meanings in the text, according to derrida in webster words are interpreted with other words which in turn do not reach the substance even though the meaning of the words is progressive, (webster, 1996). for derrida, the meaning of literary text can change (relatively) according to cultural context, so that the multiple interpretations in reader’s response may happen on the text. deconstruction is a way of understanding the contradictory meaning of a text that lies behind the text itself, hasanah & adawiah, (2021). reading process in deconstruction model intends to look for paradoxical meanings in literary texts then rebuild new meanings as desired by the readers. deconstruction theory explains that in the reading text there are two opposing elements, which is called binary opposition. binary opposition aims to open the reader's mind to see other meanings and not stick to one thing only’, aprillia & arianto (2021). so it can be assumed that the operational model of deconstruction in reading literary texts, readers can build new meaning based on the reader's knowledge, experience and cultural context. the way of deconstruction in reading the text is not limited but always in a suspended condition in presence of new meanings, and for the text is not in full but is in a veiled area as mentioned again. the core idea of derrida’s deconstruction is the suspension of the author's meaning by the reader, which is then reconstructed by the reader from the many existing references, stougaardnielsen (2020). derrida explained that text is autonomous and apart from the author, the sign (language) is not static but dynamic and can change so that the meaning of the text can be reconstructed by the readers through knowledge, experience and their cultural context when the text interpreted. ronidin who explained derrida's view that the meaning of the written element signifier/signifiant and the element referred to signified/signifie never existed, only the effect of meaning and meaning was never in an absolute position (ronidin, 2015). the method of interpreting deconstruction can be assumed to be a paradoxical and radical one into the meaning, in contrast way to the method of interpreting by structuralism opposition-binary. the meaning of the text is dismantled and then reconstructed based on the logic of the reader's thinking based on the context, for example between the meaning of white and black, the meaning of white is generally interpreted as positive one, but generally the meaning of black is interpreted as being negative, the meaning of men is generally interpreted as superior but the meaning of women is generally interpreted as imperior, and so on then marginal meaning ones are reconstructed by using the logic of knowledge, experience and existing contexts of readers so as to give birth to alternative meanings or new meanings upon word of black and women above that are even given importance things. the deconstruction approach emphasize the marginal meaning and reconstruct it into a number of new alternative meanings based on the reader's knowledge and logic, then the new meaning is emphasized or interested. the word marginality zakaria a critical review of indonesian traditional proverbs by derrida’s deconstruction 1154 in human interests as quoted in varghese & kumar (2022) is limiting and denying access to facilities, resources and territory to individuals or community groups by authorities’s policy. marginal text in literary works refer to concepts or meanings interpreted as negative, so that this negative meaning is considered to be deconstructed and gives positive meanings and values into the whole of the text. reading literary texts will provide the widest possible space and give effect for readers to interpret literary texts based on the reader's own perspective. the existence of meaning has proven that our understanding of a text is never the same and always has the possibility of new, unexpected interpretations, kurniawati & annabil, (2022). method this research uses a qualitative case study approach, namely research that is oriented to empirical and realistic data that exists in the society. the purpose of case study research is an effort to understand each individual in order to help that individual get better (assyakurrohim, 2023) and used derrida’s deconstruction in conducting the analysis. result and discussion traditional proverbs used by society can be reconstructed because their values and meanings are not productive and relevant to the current context and the critical viewpoint paradigm of most people in this modern era. the author's assumption is that some traditional proverbs are no longer productive and relevant in the current context, the value and meaning of these traditional proverbs require a new (different) meaning. according to derrida, values and meaning are constantly moving, looking for their traces, stopping and then moving again, looking for their traces. meaning is not absolute, therefore unproductive meanings can be reconstructed and then constructed into new meanings of productive and useful value. in the researcher's observations, some meanings of traditional proverbs are no longer relevant to the current context so they can be abandoned and replaced with new (other) meanings. meaning is not absolute, therefore unproductive meanings can be reconstructed and replaced with new meanings. there are two factors causing changes in meaning in traditional proverbs, the first is meaning through a critical perspective, the second is the encouragement of human life needs so that everyone interprets life realistically. these two factors are the basis so that the meanings in proverbs are important to reinterpret. in this reserch, the are four traditional indonesian proverbs will be analized, they are: 1) air beriak tanda tak dalam; 2) buah jatuh tak jauh dari pohonnya; 3) hujan emas di negeri orang, lebih baik di negeri sendiri; and the last 4) biar lambat asal selamat. reconstruct the meaning of proverb air beriak tanda tak dalam this proverb is used daily by almost all indonesian people, the language uses figurative language, associates nature with human behavior and is ironic. the series of words in this proverbial sentence has two phrases, namely air beriak and tanda tak dalam. the first phrase associates to the action of talking a lot and the second phrase associates to the impact of talking a lot. so the full meaning of this proverb is that if you talk a lot means you don't have much knowledge. critical questions arise when the meaning of a proverb is interpreted absolutely. “why?” because there were another meanings could be put upon the proverb by another perspective. the critical question is, "are people who talk a lot definitely not knowledgeable?" or the anti-thesis question, "are quiet people definitely not knowledgeable?" these two questions will not provide a definite answer, testing needs to be done to confirm the answers to these two questions. as an anti-thesis answer, the meaning of the proverb can be reconstructed by finding a new meaning by the following explainations: talking a lot means having not much knowledge cannot be accepted as a single or absolute meaning, it was becaused there was a number of trace of meaning around the proverb. the new meanings of the text can be found by tracing the anti-thesis of the conventional meaning of the proverb and to construct some new meaning such as the following analysis: 1)someone who has much knowledge has to be able to explain problems by talking a lot; 2)someone who has much knowledge, he or she has to provide a number of justification arguments comprehensively by talking a lot; 3)because someone has much knowledge, he or she certainly has a lot of accurate data which must be explained by talking a lot; 4)nowadays people have to be critical and much talking in conveying the truth, and so on. the conclusion of the analysis states that the mythical meaning of this proverb can be reconstructed by considering at least the four english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1155 reasons above, people who are knowledgeable must to much speak up. so the construction of the mythical meaning of the proverb is "a knowledgeable person must be productive in speaking, do not silent". reconstruct the meaning of proverb buah jatuh tak jauh dari pohonnya the proverb of buah jatuh tak jauh dari pohonnya has two phrases, the first phrase is buah jatuh means “fruit falls” and the second phrase is tak jauh dari pohonnya means “not far from its tree”. this proverb is ironic by comparing the character and behavior of children and their father. the meaning of this proverb is accepted as absolute meaning and it is used by most indonesian people as a word of wisdom in interpreting of person's character. the icon of fruit associated to a child or children and the icon of tree associated to the father. the proverb explains that there is a relationship between the character of children and their father, they are binded one another, it means that the children character and do not differ much to their father but same character. if the children have good character so the father must also be the same his children, it being in vice-versa. the meaning of this proverb is inaccurate because there are no correlation characters between childreen and their father even though they have a genetic relationship. the factors that determine a person's disposition and character do not depend on genetic relationships in their entirety but an important thing is environmental factors, they can also play the role in shaping a person's temperament and character. so the conventional meaning of this proverb can be reconstructed by some considerations such the following reasons: 1)human behavior can be formed by formal/informal educational factors; 2) human behavior can be formed by a good environment; 3) human behavior can be shaped by local wisdom; 4)human behavior can be shaped by religious education, and so on. so the new meanings can be rised from antitheses from the previous sentence and find out the new meaning around it. formulation of words the sentence can be constructed like “fruit can be throwed out far from its tree”. reconstruct the meaning of proverb hujan emas di negeri orang, lebih baik di negeri sendiri the proverb of hujan emas di negeri orang, lebih baik di negeri sendiri consists of two phrases, they are phrase of hujan emas di negeri orang means “golden rain in someone else's country” and the phrase of lebih baik di negeri sendiri means “it's better in your own country”. the language style of proverb used natural comparison, and the conventional meaning of this proverb is advisory in nature. the core meaning and message of this proverb is found in the phrase of golden rain, this phrase informs about a favorable situation (wellbeing) from an economic aspect. the content of the message and meaning of the proverb is advice and to foster patriotism towards one's own country no matter the circumstances. the meaning of this proverb has a conventional, absolute meaning and is accepted as advice by almost all indonesian people. the aim of traditional proverbial advice the nationalism and patriotism, but from another perspective this advice can be rejected for certain reasons especially in economic perspective. in the modern era, the meaning of this proverb's advice can be criticized and considered for reinterpretation by economic dimension so that the meaning of the proverb can be reconstructed in several new meanings as follows: 1)it is better to live in someone else's country if it gives economic needs; 2)it is better to live in someone else's country if it gives welfare services; 3)it is better to live in someone else's country if it gives certainty of security; 4)it is better to live in someone else's country if it gives political rights; etc. the results of reconstruction show that there are at least four traces of new meaning around the proverb. these new meanings have the same meaning as the old meaning, so critically the old meaning can be replaced by a new meaning in the perspective of economics, welfare, security, politics and so on. reconstruct the meaning of proverb biar lambat asal selamat this proverbial sentence is formed by two phrases, namely biar lambat and phrase of asal selamat. the message of this proverb is advice when carrying out daily activities. these two phrases build compound adverbials that explain the cause and effect of a job. the phrase of biar lambat means “let it be slow” explains the nature and quality of the "cause" of a job and the phrase of asal selamat means “as long as it is safe” also explains the nature and quality of the "effect" of the job. a critical view is on the meaning of the phrase let it be slow with a question "why should work zakaria a critical review of indonesian traditional proverbs by derrida’s deconstruction 1156 be slowed down?" how effective and efficient it would be if a job was accelerated. through this critical consideration, the meaning of the phrase can slowly be reconstructed and open up space for new meaning. the construction of the new meaning is to replace the word "slow" with the word "fast" so that the series of proverbial sentences becomes "fast and safe". reconstruct the meaning of proverb tak ada rotan akar pun jadi syntactically, the proverb of tak ada otan akar pun jadi is built on two phrases, the first is tak ada rotan and the second one is akar pun jadi. this proverb uses plants to describe the benefits or function of rattan and roots. the myth of these two words describes a condition or situation, and the both rattan and roots interchangeable one another in performing their function based on the meaning of the proverbs. but the critical question is “can the both of rattan and roots be changed in functional quality dimension?” the functions of rattan cannot be samed with roots because they are differnt in functional qualities, and these two can be reconstructed by restoring their respective roles and functions. the function of rattan remains as a binding tool and the function of the roots remains as supporting the tree, their function is not same and cannot be changed. conclusion the orientation of interpretation of literary texts in the era of structural focuses on the relationship between literary works and the author so that the process of reading literary works is only to understand the author's aims and objectives. this model closes the space for readers to give critical views and thoughts as a result of the reception process of literary works. changes in the orientation of literary works occurred in the formalist era. these people view literary texts as autonomous objects so that the meaning of literary works must be internal, namely the intrinsic aspect of literary works and not considering things outside of literature. the interpretation of literary meaning then changed again in the post-structural era, the orientation close to the authority of the reader, the reader has dominant rule in interpreting literary texts. the deconstruction model in the post-structural era provides novelty in the meaning of literary works and rejects absolute meaning in literary texts as absolute truth. according to derrida, meaning is not single, there are other meanings around the text that have other perspectives, therefore the meaning will continue to move looking for traces of new meaning in its perspective. deconstructing the meaning of traditional proverbs is an effort to show a number of alternative meanings in the traditional proverb text itself. the meaning of the proverb which is considered absolute so far seems to be no longer tenable. the meaning must be changed with a critical view, work effectiveness and time efficiency which are demanded in this modern era. acknowledgment in this session the researcher would like to thank lp2m sembilanbelas november university for help and continuing to provide support, both journal writing assistance and financial support to refund publication fee. references aprilia, c. & arianto, t. (2021). binary oppositions as the result of deconstruction analysis in the goldfinch novel by donna tartt. journal basis, 8(1): 65-74. https://doi.org/10.33884/basisupb.v8i1.2812 assyakurrohim, d. (2023). metode studi kasus dalam penelitian kualitatif. jurnal pendidikan sains dan komputer 3(1): 1-9. 10.47709/jpsk.v3i01.1951 del, h.z., bassak, h., hesar, j.m.g. (2021). a study of socio-cultural elements in common proverbs in khorasan razavi with emphasis on kashmar city. revistasusil, 9(3): 1-8 https://doi.org/10.20511/pyr2021.v9nspe3.109 9 dewi, n.a. (2022). perbandingan metafora dalam bahasa jerman dan indonesia: kajian semiotika peirce. repositori universitas pendidikan indonesia: 1-9. http://repository.upi.edu/34335/4/t_jep_1502 969_chapter1.pdf didipu, h. (2021). kritik sastra: tinjauan teori dan contoh implementasi. zahir publishing. yogyakarta. hou, r. (2021). a study of sense and sensibility from the perspective of schema theory. scientific and social research, 3(5): 179-182. 10.36922/ssr.v3i5.1248 hasanah, m. & adawiyah, r. (2021). diferensiasi konsep perempuan tiga zaman: kajian dekonstruksi jacques derrida. litera: jurnal penelitian bahasa, sastra dan pengajaran, 20(1), 1-28. 10.21831/ltr.v20i1.39036 iser, w. (1978). tha act of reading, a theory of aesthetic response. usa. the john hopkins university press. jura, d. & rambitan, s.r. (2023). signifikansi kritik teks dalam kajian studi biblika. jurnal kadesi, https://doi.org/10.33884/basisupb.v8i1.2812 https://doi.org/10.47709/jpsk.v3i01.1951 https://doi.org/10.20511/pyr2021.v9nspe3.1099 https://doi.org/10.20511/pyr2021.v9nspe3.1099 http://repository.upi.edu/34335/4/t_%09jep_1502969_chapter1.pdf http://repository.upi.edu/34335/4/t_%09jep_1502969_chapter1.pdf https://doi.org/10.36922/ssr.v3i5.1248 http://dx.doi.org/10.21831/ltr.v20i1.39036 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1157 5(2): 63-80. https://doi.org/10.54765/ejurnalkadesi.v5i2.68 juniati, s. (2021). analisis struktur fungsional peribahasa karya eka murti sari. cendekia: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 9(1), 41-54. https://doi.org/10.33659/cip.v9i1.188 kurniawati, f. & annabil, m.n. (2022). love and sprirituality: the analysis of the novel layla by canra malik based on jacques derrida perspective. poetika: jurnal ilmu sastra, 10(1), 40-49. https://doi.org/10.22146/poetika.v10i1.65981 kinanti, k.p. & rachman, a.k. (2019). metafora tumbuhan dalam peribahasa indonesia (kajian kognitif). jurnal belajar bahasa: jurnal ilmiah program studi pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 4(1), 52-65. https://doi.org/10.32528/bb.v4i1.1867 kunjanman, s. & aziz, a.a. (2021). reader-response theory: a systematic literature review. malaysian journal of social sciences and humanities (mjssh), 6(4), 252-260. https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v6i4.747 lee, t.e.m & gopal, r. (2023). reared response journals in the analysis of literary works among undergraduate students. english educational journal, 14(1), 548-565. https://doi.org/10.24815/eej.v14i1.30968 manshur, f.m. (2019). kajian teori formalisme dan strukturalisme. sasdaya: gadjah mada journal of humanities, 3(1), 79-93. 10.22146/sasdayajournal.43888 mart, c.t. (2019). reader-response theory and literature discussions: a springboard for exploring literary texts. the new educational review, 78-87. https://doi.org/10.15804/tner.19.56.2.06 martono. (2019). kajian kritis hermeneutika friederich scheiermacher vs paul ricoeur. urnal edukasi khatulistiwa: pembelajaran bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 2(1): 42-47. http://dx.doi.org/10.26418/ekha.v1i1.31713 ndraha, l. d. m. (2021). metaphore in proverb expressd in orahua of wedding. jurnal education and development, 9(2) 636-641. https://doi.org/10.37081/ed.v9i2 nugraha, f. i., saraswati, e, widodo, j. (2020). dekonstruksi jackques derrida dalam novel o karya eka kurniawan. fenomena: jurnal bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 13(1), 27-42. https://doi.org/10.25139/fn.v3i1.2394 ronidin. (2015). pembacaan dekonstruksi cerpen zina karya putu wijaya. puitika, 11(1), 36-51. http://dx.doi.org/10.25077/puitika.11.1.36-51.2015 puspitaningsih, l. & xiaoyan, j. (2022). profil pelajar pancasila dalam peribahasa indonesia yang mengandung unsur makanan dan cita rasanya. arif: jurnal sastra dan kearifan lokal, 1(2), 282-302. doi:10.21009/arif.012.07 saragih, e.l. l. & mulyadi. (2020). cognitive semantics analysis of animal proverbs. retorika: jurnal bahasa, sastra, dan pengajarannya, 13(2), 217–224 10.26858/retorika.v13i2.12008 siarta, h., & suartini. (2020). analisis peribahasa jepang yang mengandung unsur inu (anjing). jurnal pendidikan bahasa jepang, 6(1), 83-91. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbj.v6i1.23674 singh, r. & pratima. (2022). jauss’theory of reception: a critical view. international journal of health sciences, 6(s6), 2151–2162. https://doi.org/10.53730/ijhs.v6ns6.10261 spirovska, e. (2019). reader-response theory and approach: application, values and significance for students in literature courses. the journal of south east european university, 14(1), 20-35. https://doi.org/10.21009/arif.012.07 stougaard-nielsen, j. (2019). the author in literary theory and theories of literature. the cambridge handbook of literary authorship (eds.): 270-287. u.k. cambridge university press sunarni, n. (2017). efektifitas “pewarisan peribahasa” melalui pendidikan masyarakat sebagai media pembentuk karakter bangsa indonesia di era global. prosiding seminar nasional bahasa dan sastra indonesia dalam konteks global. fkip e-jurnal (jurnalunej). universitas jember: 405-414 varghese, c. & kumar, s.s. (2022). marginality: a critical review of the concept. sage journals, review of development and change, 27(1), 2341.https://doi.org/10.1177/0972266122109668 1 yang, j. (2023). the use of schema theory in the teaching of reading comprehension. journal of education and educational research, 4(1), 5961. https://doi.org/10.54097/jeer.v4i1.10032 zakaria, h. t. (2022). the myth of metaphor symbols in speech i have a dream. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 10351044. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6702 https://doi.org/10.54765/ejurnalkade%09si.v5i2.68 https://doi.org/10.33659/cip.v9i1.188 https://doi.org/10.22146/poetika.v10i%091.65981 https://doi.org/10.32528/bb.v4i1.1867 https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v6i4.%09747 https://doi.org/10.24815/eej.v14i1.30%09968 http://dx.doi.org/10.22146/sasdayajournal.43888 https://doi.org/10.15804/tner.19.56.2.%0906 http://dx.doi.org/10.26418/ekha.v1i1.%0931713 https://doi.org/10.37081/ed.v9i2 https://doi.org/10.25139/fn.v3i1.2394 http://dx.doi.org/10.25077/puitika.11.%091.36--51.2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.25077/puitika.11.%091.36--51.2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.21009/arif.012.07 http://dx.doi.org/10.26858/retorika.v13i2.12008 https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbj.v%096i1.23674 https://doi.org/10.53730/ijhs.v6ns6.10261 https://doi.org/10.21009/arif.012.07 https://doi.org/10.54097/jeer.v4i1.10032 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6702 zakaria a critical review of indonesian traditional proverbs by derrida’s deconstruction 1158 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1013 promoting reading engagement: the school literacy movement at junior high school 1 sebatik ridwan ridwan english education department, faculty of teacher training and education universitas borneo tarakan, tarakan, indonesia email: ridwan.fkipubt@gmail.com siti sulistyani pamuji indonesia language education department, faculty of teacher training and education universitas borneo tarakan, tarakan, indonesia email: sitisulistyani@borneo.ac.id eva apriani indonesia language education department, faculty of teacher training and education universitas borneo tarakan, tarakan, indonesia email: evaaprianiarie@gmail.com apa citation: ridwan r., pamuji, s. s., & apriani, e. (2023). promoting reading engagement: the school literacy movement at junior high school 1 sebatik. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 1013-1020. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8568 received: 11-06-2023 accepted: 20-08-2023 published:30-10-2023 introduction the school literacy movement is an activity launched by the government in an effort to improve the literacy skills of students. the school literacy movement is a participatory business or activity involving school members (teachers, students, etc.), academics, publishers, mass media, and the community. the school literacy movement is a social movement with the collaborative support of various elements. one of the steps taken to realize the school as a learning organization whose citizens are literate for life is the habit of students reading. this habituation is carried out with 15 minutes of reading (the teacher reads a book and/or the students and the teacher read silently, which is adjusted to the context or target of the school). the school literacy movement is expected to be able to mobilize school members, stakeholders, and the community to jointly own, implement, and make this movement an important part of the lives of its citizens. literacy is an adoption of english literacy, which can be interpreted as the ability to read and write (montoya, 2018). its siblings, namely literate, literature, literary, and letter, which are derived from the same root, namely the greek littera, which means text or writing and the system accompanying it. the term then spread to other european languages around medieval times until it came to mean generally things related to reading and writing (purves, 2015). foster and purves (purves, 2015) explain that literacy comes from the latin word literatus, which means a learned person. in medieval times, a person was said to be literate when he/she could read, write, and speak in latin. but in its development, the term literacy has a narrow scope: the ability to read only. then, it again developed that literacy is the ability to read and write abstract: this study aimed to analyze the indicators in the process of implementing the school literacy movement at junior high school 1 sebatik and the obstacles faced. the research method employed in this research was descriptive qualitative method. the data collection techniques used were observation, interviews, and documentation. the results of this study described that there were six indicators in the process of implementing the literacy movement at junior high school 1 sebatik, namely reading activities for 15 minutes, journaling literacy results, increasing interesting reading books, making literacy corners, conducting competitions that support the school literacy movement, and making interesting libraries in supporting the school literacy movement. in addition, it was found that there were four obstacles experienced by junior high school 1 sebatik in the process of the school literacy movement, including: teachers had got difficulties in carrying out literacy for 15 minutes before class, in providing digital books in class, in carrying out activities to respond to students’ readings, and in carrying out creative writing activities. keywords: implementation; literacy; ;obstacle; school literacy movement; sebatik. ridwan ridwan, siti sulistyani pamuji, & eva apriani promoting reading engagement: the school literacy movement at junior high school 1 sebatik 1014 (gunarsa, 2018). literacy is derived from latin, which means marked with letters or literate (gherardini, 2016). linguistically, literacy is taken from the english word literacy, which means the ability to read and write. other similar roots include literal or following reality, literary or about literature, literate or able to read and write, literati, people who study literature, and literature means books, literature (gherardini, 2016). this definition states that the core of literacy is "literacy". literacy from the point of view of the language aspect is simple, namely the essence of literacy. some argue that literacy comes from the word letter, which means letter, letter writing, letter form, and others (gherardini, 2016). on the other hand, ahmadi (2018) explains literacy as a reading and writing movement. literacy can also mean technological literacy, information literacy, critical thinking, environmental sensitivity, and even political sensitivity. a person is said to be literate if he/she can understand something because he/she reads the correct information and does something based on his/her understanding of something related to the content of the reading. discussion is an activity of exchanging ideas and then debating to increase information and seek the truth. the school literacy movement is a comprehensive effort involving all school members (teachers, students, parents/ guardians) and the community as part of the education ecosystem. the school literacy movement strengthens the cultivation of character values (retnaningdyah et al., 2016; atmazaki et al., 2017; ahmadi & ibda, 2018). the school literacy movement is developed based on the nine priority agendas (nawacita) related to the tasks and functions of the ministry of education and culture, especially nawacita numbers 5, 6, 8, and 9. the intended nawacita points are (5) improving the quality of life of indonesian people and communities, (6) increasing people's productivity and competitiveness in the international market so that the indonesian nation can advance and rise with other asian countries, (8) conducting a national character revolution, (9) reinforcing diversity and strengthening indonesia's social restoration (retnaningdyah et al., 2016). the four points of nawacita are closely related to the literacy component as the capital for forming quality, productive and competitive human resources, character, and nationalism. to be able to develop these nawacita, it is necessary to develop a strategy for implementing literacy in schools that has a comprehensive and systemic impact. in this case, schools: a) should grow as an institution that develops their citizens as individual learners; b) need to have a leadership structure that is also related to other institutions above it, as well as resources that include human resources, finance, and facilities and infrastructure; and c) provide educational services in the form of learning in the classroom and other various activities outside the classroom that support learning and educational goals (faizah et al., 2016; retnaningdyah et al., 2016). the school literacy movement is an effort or activity that is participatory by involving the school community (students, teachers, principals, education personnel, school supervisors, school committee, parents/ guardians of students), academics, publishers, mass media, community (community leaders who can represent the exemplary, business world, and others), and stakeholders under the coordination of the directorate general of primary and secondary education of the ministry of education and culture (ibrahim et al., 2017). the school literacy movement is a social movement with collaborative support from various elements. the effort taken to realize it is in the form of students' reading habits. this habituation is carried out in 15-minute reading activities (teachers read books, and the school community reads silently, which is adjusted to the school context or target). when the reading habit is formed, it will be directed to the development stage and learning (accompanied by propositions based on the 2013 curriculum). the variety of activities can also be combined with receptive and productive skills development. in its implementation, in a certain period that has been scheduled, an assessment is carried out so that the impact of the existence of the school literacy movement can be known and continuously developed. the school literacy movement is expected to be able to mobilize the school community, stakeholders, and society to jointly own, implement, and make this movement an essential part of life (wiedarti et al., 2016). based on the 2013 curriculum learning method which places students as learning subjects and teachers as facilitators, literacy activities are no longer focused on students alone. the teacher, apart from being a facilitator, is also the subject of learning (kemendikbud, 2016). broad access to information sources, both in the real world and the virtual world can make students know more than teachers. therefore, the activities of students in literacy should not be separated from the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1015 contribution of the teacher, the teacher should strive to become a qualified facilitator. teachers and school policy makers are role models for literacy in schools (kemendikbud, 2017). in the school context, the subjects in literacy activities are students, educators, education staff (librarians, supervisors), and school principals. all components of the school community collaborate in the school literacy team under the coordination of the principal and strengthened by the principal's decree. the school literacy team is tasked with planning, implementing, and assessing the program. the school literacy team can ensure the creation of a conducive academic atmosphere, which is able to make all members of the school community enthusiastic about learning. one of the greatest benefits of the school literacy movement is the development of student interest in reading at school. reading is one of the four language skills (muhyidin, 2018). a mature reader is a reader who can develop new meanings and concepts from the reading material he/she has read. usually, junior high school students are classified as immature readers. this is mostly because they have not been able to develop complex problems and abstract concepts that they encounter (pahl & rowsell, 2012). in this case, the teacher must be able to provide guidance and be able to determine the reading material according to the reading speed of the students. reading activities in indonesian give rise to various positive aspects of learning (nyoman & artini, 2018). critical reading activities can increase the sensitivity of critical thinking in students by looking at the author's motives and then assessing them, reading analytically to assess whether what he/she reads is useful or not, has eligibility or not when conveyed to others both orally and in writing. (dalman, 2013) . in the activities of the school literacy movement, there is a habit of reading activities carried out at school. this habit has a big impact on students (apriani, 2021). this habituation aims to foster interest in reading and reading activities within the school community. the growth of reading interest is fundamental for the development of students' literacy skills. one way to foster interest in reading is to get school residents to read books for 15 minutes every day. the 15-minute reading activity can be carried out before the lesson begins or at any other time possible. activities that aim to foster interest in reading are carried out without bills until interest in reading in school residents grows, develops, and reaches the stage of liking reading (abidin, 2015). in addition to reading habits, the growth of students' interest in reading also increased after participating in the school literacy movement. literacy activities in this phase aim to develop the ability to understand reading and relate it to personal experience, think critically, and cultivate creative communication skills through activities responding to enrichment books (kemendikbud, 2017). the development of reading interest based on 15 minutes of reading every day develops literacy skills through non-academic activities (non-academic activities that are not related to grades can be done) (awaru et al., 2022). examples: writing a synopsis, discussing books that have been read, extracurricular activities, and mandatory visits to the library (literacy hours) (herman, 2020; maghfirotin & ridwan, 2021). the school literacy movement has also been carried out in sebatik border area. at junior high school 1 sebatik, a school literacy movement has been implemented as a forum for habituation and increasing student interest in reading. based on the initial observations that had been made that the school literacy movement activities had been carried out for several years at junior high school 1 sebatik. it can be seen that there was an increase in reading interest among students with the holding of the school literacy movement. this was what triggered researchers to examine the process of implementing the school literacy movement at junior high school 1 sebatik. based on the description above, the researchers examined the implementation of the school literacy movement on reading interest at junior high school 1 sebatik. the results of this study were expected to describe the implementation of the school literacy movement implemented at junior high school 1 sebatik starting from the process of habituation, development, to learning which had an increasing impact on students' reading interest. method this study used a qualitative research method. qualitative research is not just seen, or spoken, but contains the meaning behind it. it is an effort to serve the social perspectives, in terms of concepts, behavior, perceptions, and problems about humans which are investigated (creswell, 2010; arikunto, 2006). the type of research used was a phenomenological study, namely a research strategy in which the researchers attempted to explain or reveal the meaning of concepts or phenomena that occurred in several individuals. the main informants of this study were the principal and teachers of class vii-ix at junior ridwan ridwan, siti sulistyani pamuji, & eva apriani promoting reading engagement: the school literacy movement at junior high school 1 sebatik 1016 high school 1 sebatik. the sources of data were obtained from interviews with key informants (ulfatin, 2013). data collection techniques used in this study were observation, interview, and documentation techniques. the observation aimed to obtain data in three stages from the habituation stage, the development stage, and the learning stage. observation is the process of observing and recording behavior systematically for the purpose of creating instruction, management, and service for children (iskandar, 2009). the data analysis technique in this study consisted of three activities, namely data condensation, data presentation, and verification. interview is a situation face to face among interviewers and respondents who intended to explore the expected information and aimed to get data about the respondents with minimum bias and maximum efficiency (sugiyono, 2010). the interview was chosen because the researchers conducted contact directly with the source person so that researchers got information and strong data (sugiyono, 2010). documentation is used because (1) it is stable, rich, and push; (2) useful as proof for something testing; as well as (3) natural, according to context, born and in context (creswell, 2010). the document transcriptions are copied back in the form of data sheets and checked the suitability of their relevance to the research focus. the researchers were the main instrument. the researchers alone collected, interpreted, and arranged conclusions based on personal perspectives (sutopo, 2022). in this study, the researchers used a triangulation of sources and methods. source triangulation was done by asking for the truth of certain data obtained from the principal of junior high school 1 sebatik, then confirmed with other informants. method triangulation was also done by comparing data or information through observation, interviews, and documentation (rahmawati et al., 2021). in addition, the perseverance exhibited by the researchers and peer debriefing contributed to enhancing the validity of the data. results and discussion the literacy movement seeks to develop students' character by establishing an ecosystem in schools that supports learning. this can help them become lifelong learners. the school literacy movement can increase the reading interest of students who have different backgrounds, abilities, skills, and talents. based on the data that had been collected about the school literacy movement at junior high school 1 sebatik, there were several indicators of the implementation of the school literacy movement that were found as well as the obstacles faced by the school in implementing the school literacy movement. implementation of the school literacy movement 15-minute reading activity the activity of silent reading for 15 minutes was one of the indicators found by researchers in the study of the school literacy movement at junior high school 1 sebatik. this was the stage recommended by the government in implementing the school literacy movement. 15 minutes of silent reading was a stage of habituation in the school literacy movement. this activity was carried out by students in each class after praying together and after the teacher greeted the students. reading activities for 15 minutes before learning in this case was a process of habituation of students in order to increase love of reading outside of class hours, improve reading comprehension skills, increase self-confidence as a good reader, and develop the use of various reading sources. through this activity, students were asked to read various books that they were interested in, then after finishing reading, they were asked to write down the meaning of the reading or told the books that the students had already read. this aimed to instill character through the stories they read. reading activities carried out in class were reading activities for 15 minutes, the students were asked to read and then appointed to tell the contents of the story and took the moral message contained in the reading. based on the results of interviews with the principal, the researchers got information that 15-minute reading also contributed greatly to students’ achievement. the students who are immersed in literacy before lessons regularly experienced a more significant increase in learning outcomes compared to students who did it non-routinely. another benefit that was conveyed by the principal was that students who routinely read 15 minutes before class also experienced an increase in vocabulary mastery and knowledge. journal of literacy results literacy journal is a teacher program in supervising students in order to be fond of reading. in this case, the student kept a reading journal which aimed to find out the books he/she read and found out the meaning of the book contents. in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1017 conducting supervision, the teacher checked the students’ journals every morning before learning to find out which books were read and whether the students read their books at home or not. another benefit of journaling literacy results was that it was easier for teacher to assess and analyze students’ reading results. it also functioned as a basis for making decisions regarding the development of the school literacy movement. the next benefit of journaling literacy results was to provide rewards for students who were able to achieve the targets set by the teacher. giving these rewards was useful in increasing the enthusiasm of students in carrying out the school literacy movement so that the students' reading interest also increased. based on the results of interviews with the principal, the researchers acquired the information that making a journal of literacy results provided great benefits related to data collection on literacy results that had been carried out by students. the data collection was then evaluated every month to determine and classify the types of books that the students preferred to read and as an evaluation material related to the school literacy movement. intensifying interesting reading books books that are appealing to students' attention are crucial to the success of the school literacy campaign. without sufficient resources, the interest of students in reading will diminish. unfortunately, most of the books provided in schools were textbooks, since the students at this age preferred fairy tales and folklore books. the efforts done by junior high school 1 sebatik to increase the number of books that attracted the students' attention, namely, first was the school requesting help by submitting a proposal to the education office to get books through a special allocation fund then the government provided library assistance fund. this was aimed to increase the number of book collections in the library. the second was by allocating the books through bos fund (school operational assistance). bos fund could actually be used to increase the number of books that were lacking in the library, but the assistance was very small in meeting the needs of books, this bos fund also fulfilled other interests such as school needs, electricity costs, and so on, so it could not be focused on buying a large number of books. the third was by collaborating with parents, that was, by asking for help from parents, such as providing story books that attracted students' reading interest. so, with the help of students’ parents, it could meet the shortage of books in the school. the last was by holding book donations from societies, departments, institutions, and companies. in this case, the number of book needs could be met but it was rather difficult to do. based on the results of interviews with the principal of junior high school 1 sebatik, who notified that the students' enthusiasm and attention were increased as they were able to acquire more books as part of the school's literacy initiative. the addition of fiction books to the school library also motivated the students to improve their skills in various creative writing activities, such as poetry. creating literacy corners a literacy corner can foster a sense of interest in reading and also attract students to read. in the case of junior high school 1 sebatik, for the student who often read books, the stars were given on his/her names stuck in the class literacy corner, so that it provoked other students to read. besides, creating a text-rich environment could also affect students' reading interest because a textrich environment had an effect on fostering students’ reading interest. the teacher's efforts in creating a text-rich environment were first by pasting the students' work on the classroom wall, e.g., poetries, stories, rhymes, etcetera which triggered students to read and also be enthusiastic in learning, where the students were motivated to make good work. secondly, on the outer wall of the school, motivational words such as healthy living, discipline, littering, and diligent worship were given in order for the students to understand the character values. the results of interviews with the principal that creating a literacy corner was very beneficial for the continuity of the school literacy movement. it also increased the number of students who spend more time in reading. this was influenced by the establishment of literacy corners in school that made the students more comfortable with reading. the establishment of the literacy corners was also supported by the increasing number of books in the literacy corners. conducting competitions that support the school literacy movement the school has various types of competitions that support literacy activities, such as poetry reading competition, speech reading, and other activities that can support literacy activities. this activity can be carried out during the semester break or at the ridwan ridwan, siti sulistyani pamuji, & eva apriani promoting reading engagement: the school literacy movement at junior high school 1 sebatik 1018 end of the semester. holding a competition can improve students' reading skills and this also triggers students' enthusiasm for reading and moreover giving awards will also trigger students' motivation to reading. the implementation of competitions related to the school literacy movement was usually carried out by junior high school 1 sebatik after the end of the semester assessment. the principal said that her school held the competitions such as poetry reading, short story writing, and drama performance. the competitions were intended to support literacy implementation and to develop creativity as well as to increase the students' confidence. creating an attractive library to support the school literacy movement the library becomes a science that is rich in various books that can attract students. many students do not visit the library as a result of not attracting students' attention to reading books. in this case, the smpn 1 sebatik prevented it by decorating the library with pictures and various types of books. in addition to attracting students' attention and enthusiasm, the school provided a certificate of appreciation to students who visit the library frequently and read a lot of books. the results of interviews with the principal that creating an attractive library would increase the students' enthusiasm. this made the students who read felt more comfortable because the library they visited was more interesting. the school library was also equipped with computers that could be used by the students to find various information and accommodated them to distribute their works such as short stories and poetry that could be read by other students or library visitors. barriers to the school literacy movement when carrying out the school literacy movement there were several obstacles experienced by the school. the principal of junior high school 1 sebatik stated that the obstacles experienced by the school were still difficult to overcome. some of these obstacles included the teachers having difficulty in carrying out literacy for 15 minutes before class, the teachers having difficulty in providing digital books in class, the teachers having difficulty in carrying out activities to respond to each student's reading, and teachers having difficulty in carrying out creative writing activities. first, the teachers had difficulty in carrying out literacy for 15 minutes before the lesson. this was one of the obstacles that were difficult for teachers to solve. the reason was that the literacy activities carried out for 15 minutes were the problems with cooperating activities with lesson hours, ensuring the students in order to be engaged and focused, encouraging and motivating all students to participate, and assessing and tracking the progress. in addition, the difficulty was on how to incorporate literacy comprehensively in which literacy is not just the ability to read and write mechanically; but it encompasses listening, speaking, reading, writing, and numeracy, along with the analytical capacity to calculate, interpret information, communicate effectively, and express personal understanding and conclusion (faizah et al., 2016). second, the teachers had difficulty in providing digital books in the classroom. these constraints included major obstacles experienced by the school in implementing the school literacy movement. this obstacle was difficult for school to overcome because the students in class had to be facilitated with computers in order to be able to access digital resources (tanjung et al., 2017) in class. the provision of computers in the classroom to access digital books had a large impact on school operational funds. this made it difficult to overcome obstacles in providing digital books in the classroom (pamuji et al., 2022). third, the teachers had difficulty in carrying out activities to respond to each other's readings. one of the indicators at the stage of implementing the school literacy movement was the existence of mutual interaction or dangle in response to reading books in the literacy process. unfortunately, teachers had difficulty in relating these activities to the existing learning process (nizma & kusumawardani, 2023). this was caused by the students who were still not yet skilled in delivering reading results in front of the class. this obstacle was increasingly difficult to deal with some students who still found it difficult to understand the books they read (pamuji, 2022). last, the teachers had difficulty in carrying out creative writing activities. differentiating indicators in achievement among the classes was the ability in creative writing. the teachers of junior high school 1 sebatik admitted that it was difficult to carry out these activities because the students had difficulty in imagining more deeply. conclusion based on the results of the analysis and discussion that has been carried out, it was found indicators in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1019 the process of implementing the literacy movement as well as obstacles in the implementation process in schools. indicators that demonstrated the school's commitment to establishing a school literacy program at junior high school 1 sebatik included engaging students in reading activities for 15 minutes before the class hour, journaling literacy results, increasing interesting reading books, creating literacy corners, conducting competitions that support the school literacy movement, and creating an attractive library to support the school literacy movement. the obstacles faced in implementing the school literacy movement included the difficulty of teachers in carrying out literacy for 15 minutes before lessons, teachers having difficulty in providing digital books in class, teachers having difficulty in carrying out activities to respond to students’ readings, and teachers having difficulty in carrying out writing activities. it is expected that these problems will be resolved properly. this research was able to elaborate on the indicators that supported the process of the school literacy movement and the obstacles faced by junior high school 1 sebatik in carrying out the school literacy movement. acknowledgements the authors would like to express the greatest thanks to lpdp that provided a research grant in 2021 under the scientific research program of the village research scheme; the lppm of borneo tarakan university that facilitated the research administration; the village research program partners, particularly the head village of tanjung aru, the principal of sma negeri 1 sebatik, and the principal of smp negeri 1 sebatik who were willing to provide the facilities in carrying out this research; the students of village research program who participated in the implementation of this research. references abidin, y. (2015). pembelajaran multiliterasi. pt refika aditama. ahmadi, f., & ibda, h. (2018). media literasi sekolah: teori dan praktik. cv. pilar nusantara. apriani, e. (2021). hubungan program gerakan literasi sekolah (gls) dengan literasi baca-tulis siswa kelas viii smp negeri 1 tarakan. jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 2(2), 73–88. https://doi.org/10.29408/sbs.v4i2.3839 arikunto, s. (2016). prosedur penelitian suatu pendekatan praktik. pt rineka cipta. atmazaki., ali, n. b. v., muldian, w., miftahussururi, nur, h., nento, m. n., & akbari, q. s. (2017). panduan gerakan literasi nasional. kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. https://gln.kemdikbud.go.id/glnsite/wpcontent/uploads/2017/08/panduan-gln.pdf awaru, o. t., ahmad, m. r. s., agustang, a. d. m. p., & sugeng, h. h. (2022). literacy movement in junior high schools to form students’ reading habits. shs web of conferences, 149(01026). https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202214901026 creswell, j. w. (2010). research design pendekatan kualitatif, kuantitatif, dan mixed. pustaka pelajar. dalman, h. (2013). keterampilan membaca. raja grafindo persada. faizah, d. u., sufyadi, s., anggraini, l., waluyo, dewayani, s., muldian, w., & roosaria, d. r. (2016). panduan gerakan literasi sekolah di sekolah dasar. direktorat jenderal pendidikan dasar dan menengah kemdikbud. gherardini, m. (2016). pengaruh metode pembelajaran dan kemampuan berpikir kritis terhadap kemampuan literasi sains. jurnal pendidikan dasar, 7(2), 253–264. gunarsa, s. d. (2018). psikologi praktis: anak, remaja dan keluarga. bpk gunung mulia. herman, h. (2020). model pembelajaran berbasis literasi di madrasah. at-tafkir, 13(2), 203–212. ibrahim, g. a., ismadi, h. d., zabadi, f., ali, n. b. v., alipi, m., antoro, b., hanifah, n., miftahussururi, nento, m. n., akbari, q. s., & aziz, m. (2017). peta jalan gerakan literasi nasional. in kementerian pendidikan, kebudayaan. kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. iskandar. (2019). metodologi penelitian pendidikan dan sosial (kuantitatif dan kualitatif). gaung persada press. kemendikbud. (2017). panduan gerakan literasi nasional. kemendikbud. kemendikbud, s. g. l. s. (2016). desain induk gerakan literasi sekolah. direktorat jenderal pendidikan dasar dan menengah kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan. maghfirotin, m., & ridwan, r. (2021). the effect of extensive reading strategy in improving vocabulary mastery at the tenth grades nursing students of smk kesehatan kaltara tarakan. borneo journal of english language education, 3(1), 38–50. http://jurnal.borneo.ac.id/index.php/jele/article/vi ewfile/2361/1588 montoya, s. (2018). defining literacy. unesco institute for statistics. muhyidin, a. (2018). reading interest and mastery of foreign absorbing vocabulary (minat baca dan penguasaan kosakata serapan asing). indonesian language education and literature, 3(2), 143– 156. nizma, & kusumawardani, i. n. (2023). the implementation of 15-minute extensive reading ridwan ridwan, siti sulistyani pamuji, & eva apriani promoting reading engagement: the school literacy movement at junior high school 1 sebatik 1020 approach as school literacy movement activity: students’ perceptions. ideas: journal of language teaching and learning, linguistics and literature, 11(1), 342–353. https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v11i1.3759 nyoman, p. n., & artini, l. p. (2018). literasi di sekolah, dari teori ke praktek. nilacakra. pahl, k., & rowsell, j. (2012). literacy and education. sage publications ltd. pamuji, s. s. (2022). penerapan literasi dalam pembelajaran mahasiswa di masa pandemi pada mata kuliah bahasa indonesia di universitas borneo tarakan. jurnal borneo humaniora, 5(1), 19–26. pamuji, s. s., kumalasari, r., & romadhan, a. d. (2022). program pendampingan gerakan literasi sekolah (gls) di masa pandemi bagi guru sebagai upaya meningkatkan minat membaca siswa di sekolah mts negeri tarakan. e-amal: jurnal pengabdian kepada masyarakat, 2(1), 691–696. purves, a. c. (2015). chapter i: the challenge to education to produce literate citizens. teachers college record, 85(5), 1–15. rahmawati, r., ridwan, r., & calambro, j. (2021). a comparative-case study of junior high school english curriculum between indonesia and the philippines. icope. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.16-10-2020.2305231 retnaningdyah, p., kisyani-laksono, mujiyem, setyorini, n. p., sulastri, & hidayati, u. s. (2016). panduan gerakan literasi di sekolah menengah pertama (vol. 1). direktorat pembinaan sekolah menengah pertama kemdikbud. sugiyono. (2010). metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif dan r&d. alfabeta. sutopo, h. b. (2022). metodologi penelitian kualitatif. universitas sebelas maret. tanjung, f. z., ridwan, r., & gultom, u. a. (2017). reading habits in digital era: a research on the students in borneo university. llt journal: a journal on language and language teaching, 20(2), 147–157. https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v20i2.742 ulfatin, n. (2013). metode penelitian kualitatif di bidang pendidikan: teori dan aplikasinya. wiedarti, p., kisyani-laksono, retnaningdyah, p., dewayani, s., muldian, w., sufyadi, s., roosaria, d. r., faizah, d. u., sulastri, rahmawan, n., rahayu, e. s., yusuf, r. a., & antoro, b. (2016). desain induk gerakan literasi sekolah. direktorat jenderal pendidikan dasar dan menengah kemdikbud. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 725 sentiment analysis on students’ perspective toward english online learning using word frequency analysis ervina cm simatupang english department, faculty of humanities, universitas widyatama, bandung, indonesia (ervina.simatupang@widyatama.ac.id) ida zuraida english department, faculty of humanities universitas widyatama, bandung, indonesia (ida.zuraida@widyatama.ac.id) mary ann a. illana languages and literature area at de la salle lipa, philippines (mary.ann.illana@dlsl.edu.ph) allan nicko rodelas educational development at de la salle lipa, philippines (allan.nicko.rodelas@dlsl.edu.ph) apa scitation: simatupang, e. cm., zuraida, i., illana, m. a. a., & rodelas, a. n. (2024). sentiment analysis on students’ perspective toward english online learning using word frequency analysis. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 725-732. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9392 received: 22-02-2024 accepted: 24-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction in recent years, the landscape of education has undergone a transformative shift with the rapid expansion of online learning platforms and digital educational tools. this paradigm shift has been further accelerated by global events, such as the covid-19 pandemic, which necessitated the widespread adoption of remote and online learning modalities (aguilera-hermida, 2020). the abrupt transition to online learning posed significant challenges and opportunities for educators, policymakers, and students alike, highlighting the need to understand students' perspectives on this new mode of education. understanding these perspectives is crucial for improving the quality and effectiveness of online learning environments (nthontho, 2017). the integration of technology in education has revolutionized the delivery and experience of learning. online learning platforms, driven by abstract: the post-pandemic era has significantly transformed the educational landscape, compelling institutions worldwide to adopt online learning platforms. understanding students' perspectives on this transition is vital for enhancing the quality of online education. this study utilizes sentiment analysis techniques, specifically word frequency analysis, to investigate students' sentiments and opinions about online learning. by analyzing a dataset of student responses collected through surveys and open-ended questions, the researchers identified frequently used words and phrases to reveal prevailing sentiments, concerns, and areas of satisfaction. the findings highlight a complex picture of students' attitudes: while positive sentiments such as "nyaman," "baik," and "responsif" are prevalent, challenges like 'isolation,' 'technical issues,' and 'communication difficulties' also emerged. the analysis further reveals variations in sentiment based on demographic factors, course types, and prior online learning experience. this research contributes to a deeper understanding of students' sentiments toward online learning, offering educators and policymakers valuable insights for improving online education. the word frequency analysis methodology proves to be an effective tool for distilling sentiments from large datasets of qualitative responses, providing a foundation for further qualitative and quantitative investigations in the field of online education. the study recommends that educational institutions focus on enhancing technical support, improving communication strategies, and personalizing learning experiences to address the identified challenges and better meet student needs. keywords: educational technology; online learning; sentiment analysis; student perspectives; word frequency analysis. mailto:ervina.simatupang@widyatama.ac.id mailto:ida.zuraida@widyatama.ac.id mailto:allan.nicko.rodelas@dlsl.edu.ph ervina cm simatupang, ida zuraida, mary ann a. illana, & allan nicko rodelas sentiment analysis on students’ perspective toward english online learning using word frequency analysis 726 advancements in digital tools and communication technologies, have ushered in a new era of educational possibilities (chai et al., 2019). this shift has been marked by the adoption of various online learning management systems, virtual learning environments, and interactive digital resources, aimed at creating more engaging and personalized learning experiences (angeli & valanides, 2020). despite the proliferation of these technologies, there is a need for a deeper understanding of students' sentiments and attitudes towards online learning to ensure its continued relevance and effectiveness. previous studies have explored various aspects of online learning, including technological, pedagogical, and psychological dimensions. singh and thurman (2019) conducted a systematic literature review to define online learning, revealing its multifaceted nature and the varying definitions across different contexts. aljedaani et al. (2023) highlighted the emerging challenges of online learning for deaf and hearing-impaired students during the covid-19 pandemic, emphasizing the need for inclusive educational technologies. the integration of technology in education has revolutionized the delivery and experience of learning. widiasanti et al. (2023) investigated the implementation of big data in online learning platforms such as zoom and google classroom, showcasing how these tools facilitate the educational process. han and geng (2023) examined university students' approaches to online learning technologies, focusing on the roles of perceived support, affect/emotion, and selfefficacy in technology-enhanced learning. farrukh et al. (2023) discussed the perspectives of online education in pakistan, particularly in the post-covid scenario. their findings indicate a significant shift towards the acceptance of online learning as a viable educational mode, despite the challenges faced during the transition. wong (2023) questioned whether online learning meets students' basic learning needs during times when traditional schooling is disrupted, highlighting the importance of ensuring that online platforms can effectively support student learning outcomes. cui et al. (2023) surveyed innovative online education systems enabled by big data during the pandemic, highlighting their impact on the learning experience. their study points to the potential of big data analytics to enhance personalized learning and improve educational outcomes. chavez and lamorinas (2023) explored the reconfiguration of assessment practices in online education, emphasizing the need for adaptable strategies to accurately measure student learning in digital environments. whiteside, dikkers, and swan (2023) edited a comprehensive volume on social presence in online learning, discussing various practices and research perspectives. their work underscores the importance of fostering a sense of community and interaction in online learning environments to enhance student engagement and satisfaction. sofikarim, bali, and rached (2023) examined online education via media platforms as an innovative teaching method, highlighting the role of multimedia tools in enriching the online learning experience. jiang et al. (2023) investigated the effects of online learning on efl learners’ motivation, anxiety, and attitudes during the pandemic. their findings suggest that while online learning can pose challenges in terms of student motivation and anxiety, it also offers opportunities for flexible and personalized learning experiences. xie et al. (2023) designed and assessed the effects of teacherstudent interaction models in online learning spaces, emphasizing the need for effective communication and interaction to support student learning. mendoza, yan, and king (2023) studied the impact of need-supportive task instructions on students' intrinsic motivation for online learning tasks. their research highlights the importance of providing clear and supportive instructions to enhance student motivation and performance in online courses. akour et al. (2023) utilized canonical correlation analysis to compare students’ performance in face-to-face and online education in jordan, revealing insights into the different factors that influence student success in these two learning modalities. jung and gunawardena (2023) edited a volume on the cultural dimensions of online learning, providing global perspectives and research on how cultural factors influence online education. their work emphasizes the need for culturally responsive teaching practices to ensure the effectiveness of online learning across diverse student populations. roll and wylie (2022) discussed the advances and challenges in artificial intelligence in education, highlighting the potential of ai to transform online learning while also addressing the ethical and practical challenges associated with its implementation. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 727 figure 1. the technology landscape and associated properties a critical gap in the current research lies in the holistic analysis of students' sentiments towards online learning, encompassing both positive and negative experiences. while sentiment analysis has been widely used to gauge public opinion in various domains, its application in the context of online education remains underexplored (pang & lee, 2019). moreover, there is a lack of studies that combine sentiment analysis with word frequency analysis to provide a nuanced understanding of the linguistic patterns and themes prevalent in students' discourse about online learning (mujahid et al., 2021). this research aims to fill this gap by employing a unique approach that integrates sentiment analysis and word frequency analysis to investigate students' perspectives on online learning. by analyzing a diverse corpus of student-generated content, this study seeks to uncover the multifaceted aspects that underlie students' attitudes towards online learning. the insights garnered from this analysis can serve as a compass for educational institutions and policymakers, guiding them in refining online learning experiences to align more closely with students' needs and preferences. the novelty of this study lies in its comprehensive methodology, which combines sentiment analysis with word frequency analysis to provide a detailed and nuanced understanding of students' sentiments. this approach enables the identification of prevailing themes, concerns, and areas of satisfaction among students, offering valuable insights for enhancing the quality of online education. through this research, we aim to contribute to the existing body of knowledge by providing actionable strategies for improving student engagement and satisfaction in digital classrooms, ultimately ensuring the effectiveness and relevance of online learning in an everevolving educational landscape. method combining qualitative and quantitative methods can provide a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of students' sentiments toward online learning. sentiment analysis relates to a technique used to determine the emotional tone behind a piece of text. in the context of students' perspectives toward online learning, sentiment analysis can help analyze the overall sentiment expressed by students in their feedback, comments, or reviews regarding online learning experiences (singh & thurman, 2019). word frequency analysis, on the other hand, involves counting the frequency of words in a given text to identify the most commonly used words. this can provide insights into the topics or themes that are most prevalent in the students' feedback (gabrielatos, mcenery, diggle, & baker, 2020). combining sentiment analysis with word frequency analysis can provide a more comprehensive understanding of students' perspectives toward online learning (kastrati et al., 2021). the research generated steps to analyze data from questionnaires drawn from students' perspectives and opinions toward online learning. the first is data collection; by gathering a dataset of student feedback, comments, or reviews related to online learning. this could be collected from various sources such as surveys, social media, online forums, or educational platforms (han & geng, 2023). after mining the dataset, the next process is preprocessing text which refers to cleaning and preprocessing the text data by removing punctuation, converting text to lowercase, and removing stopwords (commonly used words that don't carry much meaning) (gabrielatos et al., 2020). the third step is applying a sentiment analysis algorithm to assign a sentiment score to each piece of text. the sentiment score could be binary (positive/negative), categorical (positive/neutral/negative), or on a continuous scale. the next step is counting the frequency of words in the preprocessed text data. this will help identify the most commonly used words and phrases. later on, combine the sentiment scores with the word frequency analysis to gain insights. for example, you could identify frequently used positive words in positive sentiment comments and vice versa (kastrati et al., 2021). additionally, you could analyze the sentiment associated with specific keywords related to online learning aspects like "flexibility," "interaction," "difficulty," and more (umair et al., 2021). the last step is to interpret the findings to understand the overall sentiment of students toward online learning and to identify specific aspects that ervina cm simatupang, ida zuraida, mary ann a. illana, & allan nicko rodelas sentiment analysis on students’ perspective toward english online learning using word frequency analysis 728 contribute to positive or negative sentiment (mendoza, yan, & king, 2023). data collection from questionnaires is a crucial step in the research process. it involves administering your questionnaire to your target respondents and gathering their responses. effective data collection from questionnaires requires careful planning, attention to detail, and adherence to ethical standards. by following these steps, you can gather high-quality data that supports your research objectives (nthontho, 2017). sentiment analysis, also known as opinion mining, is the process of determining the emotional tone or sentiment expressed in text data. it involves classifying text as positive, negative, neutral, or on a more granular scale, such as very positive, positive, neutral, negative, and very negative (pang & lee, 2019). mining data for sentiment analysis involves collecting, preparing, and organizing text data from various sources to analyze and determine the sentiment or emotional tone expressed within the text. for the initial step, the textual data from relevant sources, in this case the respondent's response towards online learning at particular institutions, were gathered. after several steps of pre-processing data (filtering, tokenizing, and sorting), the data were assigned to draw sentiment scores for each text. commonly used scores include positive, negative, and neutral, but more granular scoring systems (e.g., on a scale of 1 to 5) are also possible. mining data for sentiment analysis can provide valuable insights into public opinion, customer feedback, or any text-based data where understanding sentiment is essential (mujahid et al., 2021). the choice of tools and techniques may vary depending on the scale of your project and the resources available (aljedaani et al., 2023). to conduct sentiment analysis, this research employed a combination of natural language processing (nlp) techniques and machine learning algorithms. specifically, we utilized the vader (valence aware dictionary and sentiment reasoner) sentiment analysis tool, which is widely recognized for its effectiveness in handling sentiment analysis tasks, particularly for social media texts and informal language (singh & thurman, 2019). despite the robustness of the sentiment analysis tools employed, several challenges were encountered during the research process. one notable challenge was ensuring the accuracy of sentiment classification, especially in cases where the context of the text was ambiguous or nuanced. additionally, managing large volumes of textual data necessitated the implementation of efficient data processing and analysis pipelines to maintain computational efficiency and accuracy (xie et al., 2023). moreover, addressing potential biases in the sentiment analysis results posed another significant challenge. this required careful consideration of factors such as language diversity among respondents, variations in writing styles, and potential subjectivity in the interpretation of sentiment expressions (nthontho, 2017). by combining quantitative word frequency analysis with qualitative sentiment analysis, the result provides a more comprehensive narrative of students' sentiments toward online learning. this integrated approach enables you to explore both the prevalence of certain topics and the emotional tone expressed by students, enriching your understanding of their perspectives and experiences (widiasanti et al., 2023). the participants of the research were students from different departments and institutions in bandung distributed in the table according to their department and institution information. from the 51 study participants, 36 (70.1%) responded that they were conducting the classroom three times a week, 4 (7.8%) students conducted the class twice a week, 6 (11.7%) students were rarely involved in online classroom activity and 5 (9.8%) students were conducting the online learning every day (gabrielatos et al., 2020). the specific tools and techniques you use may vary based on the complexity of your project and the resources available. sentiment analysis can provide valuable insights into public opinion, customer feedback, and other text-based data where understanding sentiment is crucial. results and discussion in this research, sentiment analysis was conducted on students' perspectives toward online learning using word frequency analysis. a dataset comprising forum posts, course feedback, and survey responses from 52 online learners was collected. natural language processing techniques were implemented to preprocess and analyze the textual data. the primary objective was to gain insights into the overall sentiment of students' opinions and identify key themes related to online learning. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 729 figure 2. word cloud taken from student feedback on online learning by using sentiment analysis the first step in the analysis involved word frequency analysis. the frequency of words within the dataset was computed and categorized into three sentiment categories: positive, negative, and neutral. the most frequent words and their corresponding sentiment categories are presented below: table 1: frequently used words in student feedback on online learning, categorized by sentiment sentiment category words (indonesian) words (english translation) positive sentiment nyaman comfortable baik good jelas clear responsif responsive adil fair menarik interesting puas satisfied relevan relevant negative sentiment tidak nyaman uncomfortable tidak jelas unclear sulit difficult neutral words cukup jelas quite clear cukup relevan quite relevant lumayan fairly good the analysis revealed that positive sentiments are more prevalent among students when discussing online learning. words like "nyaman," "baik," "jelas," and "responsif" frequently appeared, suggesting that many students appreciate the convenience, clarity, and responsiveness offered by online learning platforms. these findings align with previous studies highlighting the benefits of online learning in terms of flexibility and accessibility (aguilera-hermida, 2020; alqurashi, 2019). conversely, negative sentiment words such as "tidak nyaman," "tidak jelas," and "sulit" indicate that some students encounter challenges and frustrations in the online learning environment. these challenges are often related to technical issues or perceived disorganization in specific courses, echoing findings from studies on the barriers to effective online learning (dayagbil et al., 2021; han & geng, 2023). neutral sentiment words provide context for the sentiment expressed and highlight the common vocabulary used when discussing online learning. the prevalence of terms like "cukup jelas" and "cukup relevan" suggests a balanced perspective among students, recognizing both the strengths and areas for improvement in online learning platforms (kastrati et al., 2021). overall, the data serving sentiment analysis using word frequency analysis revealed a nuanced picture of students' perspectives toward online learning. while challenges exist, the positive sentiment surrounding convenience and flexibility suggests that online learning is a viable and valued educational option. to enhance the online learning experience, institutions should address specific pain points identified in the analysis and continue to adapt their online offerings to meet the diverse needs of their students (umair et al., 2021; wong, 2023). this research utilized sentiment analysis to gauge students' perceptions of english online learning by employing word frequency analysis. by examining the most frequently occurring words, the researchers deciphered the prevailing sentiments expressed by students regarding their engagement with online courses. this methodological approach allowed for a comprehensive understanding of the overarching sentiments prevalent among the student population involved in online english learning. the findings of this research shed light on the nuanced perspectives of students participating in online courses. positive sentiments such as "nyaman" and "baik" highlight the perceived benefits of online learning, including flexibility and convenience. this is consistent with existing ervina cm simatupang, ida zuraida, mary ann a. illana, & allan nicko rodelas sentiment analysis on students’ perspective toward english online learning using word frequency analysis 730 literature that emphasizes the advantages of online learning environments (cui et al., 2023; sofikarim et al., 2023). negative sentiments, including "tidak nyaman" and "tidak jelas," indicate areas where improvements are needed. these sentiments reflect common challenges such as technical difficulties and lack of clarity in course materials, corroborating findings from other studies on the limitations of online education (chavez & lamorinas, 2023; xie et al., 2023). the methodological approach of combining word frequency analysis with sentiment analysis provided a quantitative framework to decipher the prevailing sentiments, offering a comprehensive overview of students' attitudes and emotions toward their online learning experiences. these findings are instrumental in fostering a better understanding of student perspectives, enabling educators to tailor online courses to meet the preferences and needs of learners, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness and engagement of online learning platforms (jiang et al., 2023; whiteside et al., 2023). sentiment analysis provided real-time insights into student sentiment, allowing for the identification of issues as they arose, enabling swift responses. negative sentiments identified issues such as confusing course materials or technical glitches, which, when addressed, resulted in increased satisfaction. positive sentiment increased in courses where interventions were implemented, with students reporting feeling more engaged and supported (nthontho, 2017; roll & wylie, 2022). this research demonstrates the value of sentiment analysis in an online learning system, especially in the post-covid period. by actively monitoring and responding to student sentiment, online learning platforms can enhance student engagement, satisfaction, and the overall learning experience. this approach can be applied to other online learning systems to continually improve educational outcomes (farrukh et al., 2023) the sentiment analysis revealed variations in sentiment across different courses and modules, suggesting that the quality of the online learning experience can vary depending on the course content and delivery. this research contributes to a more profound comprehension of students' sentiments towards online learning, acknowledging both the advantages and drawbacks of this educational mode. the methodology of word frequency analysis has proven effective in distilling insights from qualitative responses, setting a foundation for further research and interventions aimed at enhancing the online learning experience (darling-hammond et al., 2020; felix, 2020). the data-driven sentiment analysis utilizing word frequency analysis unveiled a nuanced understanding of students' perspectives toward online learning. while challenges exist, the positive sentiment surrounding the convenience and flexibility of online learning underscores its importance in contemporary education. to further enhance the online learning experience, institutions should address specific pain points identified in the analysis and continue to adapt their online offerings to meet the diverse needs of students. additionally, deeper analysis or crossvalidation of the findings with existing literature or theoretical frameworks could provide a more comprehensive understanding of how the results align with or diverge from prior research (mendoza et al., 2023; akour et al., 2023). conclusion this research utilized sentiment analysis and word frequency analysis to examine students' perspectives toward online learning. the study analyzed a dataset comprising forum posts, course feedback, and survey responses from 52 online learners, revealing a nuanced understanding of their sentiments and experiences. the findings indicate that positive sentiments, such as "nyaman" (comfortable), "baik" (good), "jelas" (clear), and "responsif" (responsive), are prevalent among students. these positive sentiments highlight the perceived benefits of online learning, including flexibility, convenience, and responsiveness. such results align with existing literature that underscores the advantages of online learning in terms of accessibility and adaptability. conversely, negative sentiments such as "tidak nyaman" (uncomfortable), "tidak jelas" (unclear), and "sulit" (difficult) point to areas where improvements are needed. these challenges often relate to technical issues and disorganization in specific courses, corroborating previous studies that identify similar barriers to effective online learning. neutral sentiment words provide a balanced perspective, recognizing both the strengths and areas for improvement in online learning platforms. the presence of terms like "cukup jelas" (quite clear) and "cukup relevan" (quite relevant) suggests that while students acknowledge the benefits of online learning, they also see room for enhancement. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 731 the data-driven sentiment analysis highlights that while challenges exist, the positive sentiments surrounding the convenience and flexibility of online learning suggest it is a viable and valued educational option. to further enhance the online learning experience, educational institutions should focus on addressing specific pain points, such as technical difficulties and course organization, identified in the analysis. additionally, continuous adaptation of online offerings to meet the diverse needs of students is crucial. this research demonstrates the value of sentiment analysis in monitoring and improving the online learning experience. by actively responding to student feedback, online learning platforms can increase student engagement, satisfaction, and overall learning outcomes. this approach can be applied to other online learning systems to continually refine and enhance educational experiences. future research could benefit from deeper analysis or cross-validation with existing literature or theoretical frameworks to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the results. addressing the specific challenges and leveraging the positive aspects identified in this study can contribute to more effective and engaging online learning environments, ultimately supporting students' academic success and well-being. reference aguilera-hermida, a.p. (2020). college students’ use and acceptance of emergency online learning due to covid-19. international journal of educational research open. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2020.100011. akour, i., rahamneh, a. a. l., al kurdi, b., alhamad, a., al-makhariz, i., alshurideh, m., & alhawary, s. (2023). using the canonical correlation analysis method to study students’ levels in face-to-face and online education in jordan. inf. sci. lett, 12(2), 901-910. aljedaani, w., krasniqi, r., aljedaani, s., mkaouer, m. w., ludi, s., & al-raddah, k. (2023). if online learning works for you, what about deaf students? emerging challenges of online learning for deaf and hearing-impaired students during covid-19: a literature review. universal access in the information society, 22(3), 10271046. angeli, c., & valanides, n. (2020). technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpck): current perspectives and future directions. springer. brownlee, j. (2022). deep learning for natural language processing: develop deep learning models for natural language in python. machine learning mastery, pp. 1–17. retrieved from http://web.stanford.edu/class/cs224n/readings/cs 224n-2019-notes06nmt_seq2seq_attention.pdf. chai, c. s., koh, j. h. l., tsai, c., & tan, l. l. w. (2019). exploring pre-service teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) and its relationships with teacher selfefficacy and technology acceptance. computers & education, 128, 201-213. chavez, j., & lamorinas, d. d. (2023). reconfiguring assessment practices and strategies in online education during the pandemic. international journal of assessment tools in education, 10(1), 160-174. cui, y., ma, z., wang, l., yang, a., liu, q., kong, s., & wang, h. (2023). a survey on big dataenabled innovative online education systems during the covid-19 pandemic. journal of innovation & knowledge, 8(1), 100295. darling-hammond, l. (2024). reinventing systems for equity. ecnu review of education, 7(2), 214229. dilla, f., & agustina. (2021). use of abbreviations in social media accounts of public officials and their impact on communication effectiveness. proceedings of the 4th international conference on language, literature, and education (iclle4 2021), 604, 11–17. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211201.003. farrukh, m., soomro, t. r., ghazal, t. m., alzoubi, h. m., & alshurideh, m. (2023). perspectives of online education in pakistan: post-covid scenario. in the effect of information technology on business and marketing intelligence systems (pp. 519-550). springer international publishing. felix, c.v. (2020). the role of the teacher and ai in education. sengupta, e., blessinger, p. and makhanya, m.s. (ed.) international perspectives on the role of technology in humanizing higher education (innovations in higher education teaching and learning, vol. 33), emerald publishing limited, pp. 33–48. https://doi.org/10.1108/s2055364120200000033003. freytagh-loringhoven, h. v. (2021). artikel 3. die satzung des völkerbundes, 05, 61–67. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783112372760-010. gabrielatos, c., mcenery, t., diggle, p., & baker, p. (2020). corpus-based contextual analysis: current trends and future directions. international journal of corpus linguistics, 25(4), 442-465. gries, s. th. (2020). exploring frequencies, probabilities, and association measures in usagebased and exemplar-based linguistics: clarifications and advances. studies in language, 44(2), 477-510. ervina cm simatupang, ida zuraida, mary ann a. illana, & allan nicko rodelas sentiment analysis on students’ perspective toward english online learning using word frequency analysis 732 han, j., & geng, x. (2023). university students’ approaches to online learning technologies: the roles of perceived support, affect/emotion and self-efficacy in technology-enhanced learning. computers & education, 194, 104695. haseski. h.i. (2019). what do turkish pre-service teachers think about artificial intelligence? international journal of computer science education in schools, 3(2). 10.21585/inches.v3i2.55. hollister, b., nair, p., hill-lindsay, s & chukoskie, l. (2022). engagement in online learning: student attitudes and behavior during covid-19. frontiers in education, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022. jung, i., & gunawardena, c. n. (eds.). (2023). culture and online learning: global perspectives and research. taylor & francis. karsenti, t. (2019). artificial intelligence in education: the urgent need to prepare teachers for tomorrow’s schools. formation et profession, 27(1), pp. 112–116. 10.18162/fp.2019.a166. kastrati, z.; dalipi, f.; imran, a.s.; pireva nuci, k.; wani, m.a. (2021). sentiment analysis of students’ feedback with nlp and deep learning: a systematic mapping study. appl. sci. 2021, 11, 3986.https://doi.org/10.3390/ app11093986. m. w. kearney. (2019). rtweet: collecting and analyzing twitter data statement of need, 4. 10.21105/joss.01829. mendoza, n. b., yan, z., & king, r. b. (2023). supporting students’ intrinsic motivation for online learning tasks: the effect of needsupportive task instructions on motivation, selfassessment, and task performance. computers & education, 193, 104663. mujahid m., lee e., rustam f., washington p. b., ullah s., reshi a.a., ashraf i. (2021). sentiment analysis and topic modeling on tweets about online education during covid-19, applied sciences, 11(18), 8438. nthontho, m. (2017). children as stakeholders in education: does their voice matter? south african journal of childhood education, 7(1), 17. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v7i1.434. pang, b., & lee, l. (2019). opinion mining and sentiment analysis: a comprehensive review. foundations and trends® in information retrieval, 13(1), 1-135. roll, i., & wylie, r. (2022). advances and challenges in artificial intelligence in education. international journal of artificial intelligence in education, 32(1), 582–599. shyamlee, s. d., & phill, m. (2020). integrating technology in english language teaching and learning: a comprehensive analysis. in proceedings of the international conference on language, media, and culture, 150-156. simatupang, e. c., & fathonah, p. n. (2020). pragmatic analysis of deixis in joko widodo’s inauguration speech in 2019. english journal literacy utama, 5(1), 309–316. simatupang, e. c., & heryono, h. (2022). new-word formation and social disruption on metaverse. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 1013–1022. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6722. singh, v., & thurman, a. (2019). how many ways can we define online learning? a systematic literature review of definitions of online learning (1988-2018). american journal of distance education, 33(4), 289-306. sofi-karim, m., bali, a. o., & rached, k. (2023). online education via media platforms and applications as an innovative teaching method. education and information technologies, 28(1), 507-523. timms, m. j. (2023). unleashing artificial intelligence in education: exploring educational cobots and smart classrooms. international journal of artificial intelligence in education, 33(1), 701712. doi: 10.1007/s40593-023-0095-y. umair, m., hakim, a., hussain, a., & naseem, s. (2021). sentiment analysis of students' feedback before and after the covid-19 pandemic. international journal on emerging technologies, 12(2), 177–182. wang, z., porter, a. l., wang, x., & carley, s. (2019). an approach to identify emergent topics of technological convergence: a case study for 3d printing. technological forecasting and social change, 146, 723–732. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.12.015. whiteside, a. l., dikkers, a. g., & swan, k. (eds.). (2023). social presence in online learning: multiple perspectives on practice and research. taylor & francis. wong, r. (2023). when no one can go to school: does online learning meet students’ basic learning needs?. interactive learning environments, 31(1), 434-450. xie, y., huang, y., luo, w., bai, y., qiu, y., & ouyang, z. (2023). design and effects of the teacher-student interaction model in the online learning spaces. journal of computing in higher education, 35(1), 69-90. zhu, y. (2019). the emergence of internet language and its influence on chinese. 325(emehss), 242– 245. https://doi.org/10.2991/emehss19.2019.49.. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1045 the synchronous and asynchronous learning at english department of universities in south kalimantan: practices and challenges nani hizriani english education department, faculty of tarbiyah and teacher training, uin antasari banjarmasin, indonesia email: nanihizriani@uin-antasari.ac.id hidayah nor (corresponding author) english education department, faculty of tarbiyah and teacher training, uin antasari banjarmasin, indonesia email: hidayahnor@uin-antasari.ac.id saadillah english education department, faculty of tarbiyah and teacher training, uin antasari banjarmasin, indonesia email: saadillah@uin-antasari.ac.id apa citation: hizriani, n., nor, h., & saadillah. (2022). the synchronous and asynchronous learning at english department of universities in south kalimantan: practices and challenges. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 1045-1056. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6675 received: 28-06-2022 accepted: 26-08-2022 published: 30-10-2022 introduction the covid-19 has changed education significantly. this pandemic situation required lecturers and teachers to build in new approaches in teaching including adapting teaching styles, techniques and materials. this condition has accelerated them and their students’ reliance on digital tools. the incorporation of technology in the digital realm is encouraged for lecturers. to improve the quality of education, the use of the internet, mobile devices, online videos, and other media is required. (vendityaningtyas & styati, 2018) the usage of digital communication technologies and networked online applications, as well as teacher and student characteristics, expectations, and obstacles, have modified and shaped the global learning environments of the twenty-first century (naidoo, 2020). the favorable outlook on the existing imposed reliance on education technology, on the other hand, may accelerate some already underway developments in synchronous and asynchronous abstract: the purposes of this research are to describe types, practices of synchronous and asynchronous learning and to explore the challenges faced by the lecturers at english departments in south kalimantan. the researchers employed mixed-methods sequential explanatory design which consist of two distinct phases, quantitative (numeric data) by using questionnaire followed by qualitative by using observation and interview in order to elaborate the results obtained from quantitative data. this research was undertaken in nine english departments in south kalimantan. the participants were 53 english lecturers who teach at those universities. the types of synchronous used by the lecturers were text-based chat / instant messaging / online chat (whatsapp), web conferencing / virtual classroom (zoom and google meet), whiteboards, real-time and non real time document sharing (google documents). the asynchronous types were email, whatsapp group, google classroom, youtube link, pdf files, ms words files, learning management system (lms)/e-learning. the lecturers used direct feedback, real time classroom interaction and communication during synchronous learning. on the other hand, they provided delayed feedback, practiced not real time classroom interaction and communication in asynchronous learning. they facilitated individual and group collaboration for both learnings. the lecturers faced a number of challenges in implementing synchronous and asynchronous learning such as technological problems / internet connection, students’ motivation, classroom management, lack of technological supports, students’ participation, interaction, time management, feedback, materials development, monitoring, instructional method, flexibility, and cost effectiveness. keywords: asynchronous; challenges; practices, south kalimantan; synchronous 1046 learning. it may cause educators to reflect more deeply on present educational methods and to discover more rapidly which technical applications are successful and which are not (thomas & rogers, 2020). and this is the reality that educational conditions must deal with. this is a circumstance in which e-learning is related with accessibility, affordability, flexibility, and learning pedagogy (dhawan, 2020). during the past decade, the internet has had an indelible impact on higher education, allowing for the phenomenal growth of online education. the vast majority of colleges and universities in the united states now offer fully online (asynchronous) and hybrid (synchronous) courses (romero-hall & vicentini, 2017; otte, 2019). in asynchronous interactivity, participants are geographically separated and do not interact simultaneously, as they would in a face-to-face or phone conversation. rather, communication is conducted primarily via e-mail, with significant delays between messages. in a synchronous method, online and face-to-face learning are combined (mayadas & picciano, 2019). webbased technologies not only eliminate time, geography, and learning style barriers, allowing more people to access higher education, but they also pose a challenge to our traditional teaching and learning techniques. synchronous learning is defined as live, realtime (and typically scheduled), facilitated instruction, and learning-focused interaction in which all participants are present at the same time. this form of education takes place at the same time but not in the same location. this highlighted "learning-oriented interaction" to distinguish synchronous learning from lectures, product demonstrations, and other "knowledge dissemination" activities. real-time learning is a type of synchronous learning that takes place through electronic means. this signifies that students and instructors communicate in a specific virtual location at a specific time via a specific online medium. synchronous online learning methods include direct input, increased incentive, and the obligation to engage and be present (kebritchi et al., 2017). the classroom, the media, and conferences were influential factors in the development of synchronous e-learning. three components comprise synchronous learning, which is defined as "real-time web-based interaction between participants and a teacher." synchronous e-learning is real-time, computerassisted instruction and learning-focused interaction (and is usually scheduled). this style of education features lives and real-time learning experiences. amiti (2020), riwayatiningsih & sulistyani (2020), serdyukov (2020), dorsah & alhassan (2021) classified a number of synchronous learning types such as an online whiteboard, online chat, whatsapp, telegram, voice based chat, virtual classroom, web conferencing, zoom, google meet, real-time document sharing (e.g., google documents, live webcasting, webex, microsoft teams, virtual world, and augmented reality (ar). in short, synchronous learning is a process of teaching and learning that happens in real time, live and scheduled in a specific virtual place, through a specific online medium (teleconferencing, video conferencing, live streaming lectures and live chatting), at a definite time. asynchronous learning refers to modes of education, instruction, and learning that do not occur at the same time or place. asynchronous elearning is influenced by distinct conditions and causes; another element defines this method. "asynchronous learning refers to training that is not limited by location or time," singh & thurman (2019) explained asynchronous online learning is defined in a variety of ways due to some components, its nature, and capabilities that are shared by particular features. one of the most prominent definitions of asynchronous e-learning, however, focuses on its components. this strategy promotes learning by combining self-study and asynchronous interactions, and it applies to traditional on-campus or regular education, distance education, and continuing education. asynchronous e-learning networks consist of a network of students and the electronic network through which they communicate. the conditions and causes that drive asynchronous e-learning are distinct; another element defines this methodology. asynchronous learning refers to instruction that is not constrained by location or time (singh & thurman, 2019). asynchronous online learning can be defined in a variety of ways due to its nature, components, and capabilities that are shared among specific features. on the other hand, one of the most prominent definitions of asynchronous e-learning, which focuses on its components, describes it as an engaged learning community that is not limited by time, place, or the boundaries of the classroom (pimmer et al., 2019). https://www.webopedia.com/definitions/microsoft/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1047 mougiakou et al. (2020) assume that asynchronous learning is way to do learning process anytime, anyway via internet. many kinds of distance education models are presently in use, such as video or audio teleconference, social media and so on. this system use to this system is used to facilitate teaching and learning activities that must be carried out remotely. the examples of asynchronous devices are email (lotfi & pozveh, 2019), social media (ferraro, et al., 2020), facebook, instagram, blogs, whatsapp groups (lutviana & mafulah, 2021), telegram (alakrash et al., 2020), google classroom (harjanto & sumarni, 2019), streaming audio or streaming video (lapitan jr, et al., 2021), wikis, youtube, ms. words file, lms (picciano, 2019) web-based learning, web based training (wbt), and computer-based learning (cbt). in brief, asynchronous learning is a method of teaching and learning that can be done at any time and from any location, without regard for time, place or the constraints of a classroom. it can be used to help students learn in traditional oncampus or regular education, distance education, and continuing education settings. myers (2018) suggested that the combination of synchronous and asynchronous devices in a problem-based learning environment could provide students with a wider range of learning and interaction opportunities with their peers and instructors. certain synchronous and asynchronous devices may be more effective at supporting problem-based learning in an online training environment, as suggested by the findings of the study. it is also suggested that synchronous and asynchronous problem-based learning support tools presented obstacles. some studies were conducted by hudha et al. (2018), karaaslan et al. (2018), dada, et al. (2019), kutnick & joyner (2019), olshine & austin (2019), gazan (2020), careaga-butter et al. (2020), chau, et al. (2021), farmer et al. (2021), cahyani, et al. (2021), vidhiasi, et al. (2021), and lee et al. (2022) explored the implementation synchronous and asynchronous learning. from the researchers’ pre observations, it was found that the lecturers in english departments in south kalimantan have some difficulties in implementing synchronous and asynchronous learning completely in the classroom such as lack of direct communication, students’ response, flexibility and attention. in addition, the difficulties are also found in some previous studies such as students’ speaking anxiety due to lack of vocabularies and confidences (nurwahyuni, 2020), limited knowledge of using technology (oktaviana, 2021), lack of real-time interaction and visual contact with either the teacher or peers and insufficient to none opportunities to practice oral production (rigo & mikus, 2021). from those previous studies and pre observation done by the researchers, it is necessary to conduct the research about the types of synchronous and asynchronous learning used by the lecturers at english departments in south kalimantan, the practices and the challenges faced by those lecturers. the objectives of this study are to find out the types of synchronous and asynchronous learning used by the lecturers, to describe the practices, and to explore the challenges of synchronous and asynchronous learning faced by the lecturers at english departments in south kalimantan. method in this study, the researchers relied on the opinions of participants, posed broad questions, gathered data consisting primarily of the participants' words, and then described and analyzed these words to form themes (alam, 2021). this study employed a qualitative approach for its research design. according to alam (2021), qualitative research is a method that can investigate and interpret the meaning of responses from individuals or groups regarding a social or human problem. as a result, qualitative research is appropriate for this study, as the researchers wish to gain a comprehensive understanding of the findings about the research questions. in addition, the descriptive method aided the researchers in analyzing and interpreting the data, as it is a technique for recording, describing, analyzing, and interpreting empirically existing conditions. the researchers employed mixed-method sequential explanatory design. according to vivek & nanthagopan (2021) the mixedmethod sequential explanatory design, consist of two distinct phases, which is quantitative followed by qualitative. in this design, the researchers first collected and analyzed the quantitative (numeric data), followed by qualitative (text) to elaborate the results obtained from quantitative data. the qualitative and their analysis refined those statistical results by exploring participants’ view in more depth. this design was used to describe the practices of synchronous and asynchronous 1048 learning used by the lecturers at english departments in south kalimantan and the challenges of synchronous and asynchronous learning faced by those lecturers. this research was undertaken in english department in south kalimantan consist of uin antasari, universitas lambung mangkurat, uniska, stkip pgri banjarmasin, universitas muhammadiyah banjarmasin, universitas nahdlatul ulama kalimantan selatan, universitas sari mulia banjarmasin, stkip islam sabilal muhtadin banjarmasin, and stai rakha amuntai. the participants were 53 english lecturers who teach at those universities. this study employed systematic sampling to simplify the procedure of selecting a sample and to ensure the optimal distribution of sample units throughout the population. the first unit is chosen using a random number generator, and the remaining units are chosen automatically based on a predetermined pattern. in the case of a larger population, the method is simple to implement, inexpensive, and convenient to use (etikan & bala, 2017). this study adopted embedded mixed research design that utilized questionnaires, interview and checklist as instruments for data collection. the questionnaires were to gather data on the types of synchronous and asynchronous learning used by the lecturers at english departments in south kalimantan. it was designed as closed-ended questionnaire. the observations were to gather data about the practices of the lecturers and focus on the types of synchronous and asynchronous learning in the online classroom. interview to the english lecturers were conducted to find their challenges of synchronous and asynchronous learning related to preferences, flexibility, internet connection, cost effectiveness, technical support, instructional methods, course content, students’ independent learning, and feedback during synchronous and asynchronous learning. the data for the interview was analyzed using the technique proposed by kilicoglu (2018) which consisted of collecting and obtaining the data in the form of recordings, and then transcribing, displaying, and drawing conclusions from the data. results and discussion the types of synchronous and asynchronous learning used by the lecturers at english departments in south kalimantan there are various types of synchronous and asynchronous learning used by the lecturers at english departments in south kalimantan. figure 1. synchronous devices used by the lecturers for synchronous learning, there are some types that are used by the english department lecturers in south kalimantan based on figure 1. text-based chat / instant messaging / online chat (whatsapp) was the most common device used by the lecturers since for about 96.2% or 51 lecturers choose it for teaching. 90.6% (48 lecturers) applied voice based chat (telegram), in addition, zoom is used by 84.9% (45 lecturers), voice based chat (whatsapp) for about 81.1% (43 lecturers), 79.2% (42 lecturers) used google meet and the last one for real-time document sharing (e.g., google documents), there are 75.5% (40 lecturers). these findings were supported by previous researches from alqahtani et al. (2018), kohnke & moorhouse (2022), and irshad (2021), who discovered the importance of replicating language courses associated with whatsapp and telegram, how zoom and google meet help teachers to utilize authentic language instruction in interactive synchronous classes and can be operated effectively in remote locations, and how to interact, collaborate, share, and edit documents, while teachers can monitor the collaborative learning of students in real time using google docs. therefore, these devices really support the process of online teaching learning. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1049 figure 2. asynchronous devices used by the lecturers based on the figure 2 above, the asynchronous learning that used by the lecturers dominantly is pdf files and whastapp group for about 96.2% (51 lecturers). for about 92.5% (49 lecturers) used youtube link and ms words files. for email is 75.5% (40 lecturers) and the last one is 67.9% (36 lecturers) for google classroom. sela et al. (2022) asserted that the implementation of google classroom using an asynchronous model has a positive effect on students, particularly in terms of their independence, awareness of technology, and responsibility in completing assignments. in addition, google classroom, as demonstrated by johnson (2019), is an e-learning application that includes lessons, videos, solutions, and a personalized learning plan. the term is pertinent to promoting blended learning programs implemented by classroom teachers as objectives of learning programs. the practices of synchronous and asynchronous learning at english departments in south kalimantan the pandemic situation in south kalimantan has changed english education significantly nowadays, the lecturers and students have accelerated their reliance on digital tools. in general, the lecturers of english education department in south kalimantan combined synchronous and asynchronous learning during online teaching. they were familiar with the classroom models and used various types of synchronous and asynchronous devices. they used the internet, mobile phones, online videos and other digital communication tools in engaging their students. by using appropriate devices, they expected that learning objectives can be achieved properly. most of the lecturers used synchronous learning at the first meeting in the beginning of the semester. the lecturers used this opportunity to get to know their students, introduced the topics, the schedules, study contracts, and the assignments or projects. they also preferred realtime learning when the topics or materials were needed to demonstrate and they should explain or present some important key terms and aspects in their subjects. furthermore, synchronous learning was chosen when the students did individual or group presentations at definite time. although the students were not in the same place, they could participate simultaneously. one of the lecturers said: “generally, i apply both for teaching, because they support the teaching and learning process. i prefer synchronous to asynchronous because teaching through video call or virtual me eases me controlling the students by turning on the camera. moreover, at the end of teaching i always ask the student to answer quiz or conclude the material to check whether they focus on my explanation or not. therefore, they should turn on the camera. furthermore, i sometimes conduct a discussion through live chat, like chat on whatsapp group.” on the other hand, asynchronous learning became a preference for the lecturers as they can engage their students with the course content at their own pace, on their own time. the lecturers provided their students with a sequence of materials which the students moved through as their unit outline permit. asynchronous learning is also good for students’ self-discipline. another said: “i prefer asynchronous than synchronous learning because it is more flexible. i can access the materials and arrange the class anytime. students can also do self-learning.” 1050 the practices of feedback feedback is key to learning as it allows students to assess their progress and promotes self reflection and improvement (carless & boud, 2018); jensen et al., 2021). this research found that the lecturers provided direct feedback in synchronous learning and delayed feedback in asynchronous learning. in synchronous learning, the students received feedbacks after they performed the tasks. during the observations, the lecturer gave direct feedback when the student made a mistake in pronouncing english words. it was also found in grammar class when students used wrong forms in writing sentences. these feedbacks were given after the students completed the tasks, so the lecturers recognized students’ difficulties in understanding the materials immediately. “i give feedback by delivering some comments or suggestion directly when i teach through zoom meeting and video call.” by giving quick responses, it is expected that the students could learn from their mistakes and eliminate the possibilities of repeating the mistakes in the future. in contrast, the lecturers who preferred asynchronous learning gave indirect feedback to their students. when the students submitted their assignments, the lecturers evaluated and gave written comments on tasks. especially in writing class where the lecturers need extra time to check students’ compositions, giving delayed feedback is very helpful. “in essay writing class, i taught my students to have corrective feedback from their peers, i provided then with some checklist so they were easy to identify the organization of essay, a thesis statement, topic sentences in body paragraphs and conclusion. they also learnt how to recognize unity and coherence in an essay” in this case, the lecturers could provide timely and detailed responses to the students on their submitted tasks, so they could see their mastery or they still had gaps in their understanding. so, the students can improve their writing. in asynchronous learning, the form of feedback also can be seen on the statement of the respondents. “i give feedback through whatsapp group anonymously and generally to all the students so that they realized their own mistakes and can improve next time”. one of the lecturers also stated that “the feedback depends on the assignments and i usually do the feedback at the end of the classes to give the chance to the students to complete all their assignments.” the practices of communication and interaction educators believe that communication and interaction are influential factors for students’ achievement in language classrooms. in online learning, communication takes a various form not only as a tool for exchanging information and knowledge but also for establishing classroom relationship (lasfeto & ulfa, 2020; leo et al., 2021; moorhouse et al., 2021). in synchronous learning, communication occurs in real time. lecturers and students are able to communicate at the same time either in a face-to-face situation using live web casting and video conferencing, or voice/text-based chat. during the observations, two-way communications among lectures and students were found as communicative way of language learning. in language assessment class, after the lecturers explained about the concept of evaluation, he invited his students to discuss about the topic a discussion via zoom. students also did more communicative activities with their peers in speaking class. furthermore, there were some oral presentations from students found. these online classroom activities were the examples how communication occurred in synchronous learning. nevertheless, communication happens not in real-time through asynchronous learning. the lecturers send out the information to the students who are going to receive a response at a later time than right now. one of the lecturers said that she used discussion forum as asynchronous communication to give her students plenty of time to formulate thoughts. she asked her students to give opinion on the topic given and the others would give some comments in period of time. communication either synchronous or asynchronous allows students to develop their learning community in online forums or in social networks and encourages team work, cooperation and social interaction group. as like communication, interaction plays an important role to the success of online learning. interaction will occur in any learning environment. good interaction allows students to share their ideas on various subjects with each other. this research found that there were more interactions occurred in synchronous than asynchronous learning mode. from some english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1051 observations, the researchers noticed that the lecturer were able to implement traditional classroom-based interactions such as class discussions, role playing, and question -answer sessions during synchronous learning. this real time interaction is really beneficial to stimulate students’ motivation as they can participate in the classroom directly. “through synchronous learning, i can guide and instruct my students right away. i use zoom meeting application, so i can interact with my students directly and give the instructions clearly. i also write some notes and do interaction and discussion with students through whatsapp or live chat. these really support my teaching as my students could understand and participate well.” when the lecturers did asynchronous learning, interaction occurred in different time so students have opportunities to participate when and if they want to. interaction quality improves as students have time to reflect on and examine their ideas before responding. “i usually post some questions or discussion topics on whatsapp’s group, then i give time to my students to talk before the next meeting. i require them to respond or ask questions. from their responses, i suppose that not only our interaction but also students’ attention is increased’.” as they have flexible time to interact, lecturers get a clearer idea of what their students understand and how the learners approach a lesson the practices of collaboration in e-learning environments, synchronous and asynchronous communication tools are employed to facilitate collaboration between individuals and groups. for example, the zoom meeting application has a break-out room feature that lecturers can use to ask students to work in groups of five and respond to the questions provided. according to studies, learner satisfaction with e-learning increases proportionally with their perception of collaboration (pham et al., 2019; yekefallah et al., 2021). interaction and collaboration are identified as significant contributors to successful learning outcomes in both traditional and online classroom settings (hurlbut, 2018; albiladi & alshareef, 2019). the teacher's role in an online learning environment entails more facilitating, guiding, and motivating the learner (archambault et al., 2022), which can be accomplished through feedback and collaboration in synchronous learning. on the other hand, studies demonstrate that collaboration in asynchronous learning increases overall student learning (peterson et al., 2018; lin & gao, 2020). a sense of community is necessary to sustain the educational experience over time, and collaborative learning communities foster this (antinluoma et al., 2018). in this learning environment, the teacher is still responsible for fostering and facilitating students' educational experiences (boggu & sundarsingh, 2019). this facilitation can be effectively achieved through asynchronous collaboration, which allows students to thoughtfully consider learning objectives because they have time to critically synthesize their learning (itow, 2020; martin & borup, 2022). the challenges of synchronous and asynchronous learning at english departments in south kalimantan the research found some challenges faced by english department lecturers during synchronous and asynchronous learning as shown in figure 3 below. figure 3. the challenges of synchronous and asynchronous learning technological problems and internet connection became the most common challenges faced by the lecturers as 90.6% of the respondents (48 lecturers) mentioned about it. 1052 another challenge is students’ motivation as 44 lecturers or 83 % of the respondents stated this matter, followed by students’ participation and interaction 79.2% (42 lecturers. 73.6% of the participants (39 lecturers) indicated feedback as the next challenge. they also mentioned challenges in classroom management and monitoring as other issues in online classes. in addition, the lecturers considered the issues of time management, cost effectiveness, flexibility, and instructional methods as the other challenges. “when i started online teaching, majority of my students did not feel comfortable with online learning and preferred to learn in conventional method. we just did synchronous mode once a few times with a limited hour. there was not enough time to talk and discuss about the topic. moreover, some students did not have internet access and supportive tools for their learning. they had difficulties to understand the lesson and became less motivated to join the meeting.” “my students told me that they were not comfortable in online discussion since their internet connection was really bad. this situation influenced their participation during online discussion learning. as they lived in remote areas, it was harder for them to follow online class. they felt stressed and often missed the lesson because the internet connection was awful” “these days, we are familiar with this situation but motivating the students is still challenging. we still find that there are students who feel lazy and not interested with the topic, some of them easily get distracted and hard to concentrate during online class, we should have different plan to keep the class interesting” “i teach a big heterogeneous class, some students have high enthusiasm to learn while the some of them do not participate well and have less interaction. they turn off their camera and sound. other students are not ready to join the class on time. managing virtual classroom is really challenging for me.” these challenges are very common for lecturers in both synchronous and asynchronous online classrooms (gillett-swan, 2017; yusuf & ahmad, 2020; simamora, 2020). therefore, they need to create more dynamic online classes, include more activities for students’ interaction and engagement, and implement various media and teaching technique so their students are interested and motivated to join the classes. conclusion the types of synchronous learning used by the english department lecturers were using what's app, telegram, zoom, google meet and google docs. the asynchronous learning applied by the lecturers were pdf files, youtube link, ms words files, email, and google classroom. the practice of synchronous and asynchronous learning included giving feedback, communication, interaction, collaboration, input, and context. the challenges faced by the lecturers in applying synchronous and asynchronous learning in their classrooms were technological problems, internet connection, students' motivation, students' participation, interaction, feedback, classroom management, monitoring, time management, cost effectiveness, flexibility and instructional methods. references alakrash, h. m., razak, n. a., & bustan, e. s. b. (2020). the effectiveness of employing telegram application in teaching vocabulary: a quasi experimental study. multicultural education, 6(june), 151–159. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3905099 alam, m. k. (2021), a systematic qualitative case study: questions, data collection, nvivo analysis and saturation, qualitative research in organizations and management, 16(1), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1108/qrom-09-2019-1825 albiladi, w. s., & alshareef, k. k. (2019). blended learning in english teaching and learning: a review of the current literature. journal of language teaching and research, 10(2), 232238. http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1002.03 alqahtani, m. s. m., bhaskar, c. v., elumalai, k. v., & abumelha, m. (2018). whatsapp: an online platform for university-level english language education. arab world english journal (awej), 9(4), 108–121. https://doi.org/https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/ vol9no4.7 amiti, f. (2020). synchronous and asynchronous elearning. european journal of open education and e-learning studies, 5(2), 60-70. http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejoe.v5i2.3313 antinluoma, m., ilomäki, l., lahti-nuuttila, p., & toom, a. (2018). schools as professional learning communities. journal of education and learning, 7(5), 76-91. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v7n5p76 archambault, l., leary, h., & rice, k. (2022). pillars of online pedagogy: a framework for teaching https://www.emerald.com/insight/search?q=md.%20kausar%20alam https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/1746-5648 https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/1746-5648 https://doi.org/10.1108/qrom-09-2019-1825 http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1002.03 https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v7n5p76 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1053 in online learning environments. educational psychologist, 57(3), 178-191. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2022.205151 3 boggu, a. t., & sundarsingh, j. (2019). an experiential learning approach to fostering learner autonomy among omani students. journal of language teaching and research, 10(1), 204-214. http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1001.23 cahyani, n. m. w. s., suwastini, n. k. a., dantes, g. r., jayantini, i. g. a. s. r., & susanthi, i. g. a. a. d. (2021). blended online learning: combining the strengths of synchronous and asynchronous online learning in efl context. jurnal pendidikan teknologi dan kejuruan, 18(2), 174-184. https://doi.org/10.23887/jptkundiksha.v18i2.34659 careaga-butter, m., quintana, m. g. b., & fuenteshenríquez, c. (2020). critical and prospective analysis of online education in pandemic and post-pandemic contexts: digital tools and resources to support teaching in synchronous and asynchronous learning modalities. aloma: revista de psicologia, ciències de l'educació i de l'esport blanquerna, 38(2), 23-32. https://doi.org/10.51698/aloma.2020.38.2.23-32 carless, d., & boud, d. (2018). the development of student feedback literacy: enabling uptake of feedback. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 43(8), 1315-1325. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.146335 4 chau, k. y., law, k. m., & tang, y. m. (2021). impact of self-directed learning and educational technology readiness on synchronous elearning. journal of organizational and end user computing (joeuc), 33(6), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.4018/joeuc.20211101.oa26 dada, e. g., alkali, a. h., & oyewola, d. o. (2019). an investigation into the effectiveness of asynchronous and synchronous e-learning mode on students’ academic performance in national open university (noun), maiduguri centre. international journal of modern education and computer science, 10(5), 54-64. 10.5815/ijmecs.2019.05.06 dhawan, s. (2020). online learning : a panacea in the time of covid-19 crisis. journal of educational technology systems, 49(1), 5-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239520934018 dorsah, p., & alhassan, a.-g. (2021). synchronous versus asynchronous: pre-service teachers’ performance in science formative assessment tests. oalib, 8(4), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1107193 etikan, i., & bala, k. (2017). sampling and sampling methods. biometrics & biostatistics international journal, 5(6), 5–7. https://doi.org/10.15406/bbij.2017.05.00149 farmer, k., allen, j., khader, m., zimmerman, t., & johnstone, p. (2021). paralegal students’ and paralegal instructors’ perceptions of synchronous and asynchronous online paralegal course effectiveness: a comparative study. international journal for educational and vocational studies, 3(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.29103/ijevs.v3i1.3550 ferraro, f. v., ambra, f. i., aruta, l., & iavarone, m. l. (2020). distance learning in the covid-19 era: perceptions in southern italy. education sciences, 10(355). 1-10 https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10120355 gazan, m. (2020). synchronous and asynchronous online learning: perceptions of students at a state university in turkey. fire: futuristic implementations of research in education, 1(2), 96-107. http://firejournal.org/index.php/fire/about gillett-swan, j. (2017). the challenges of online learning supporting and engaging the isolated learner. journal of learning design, 10(1), 20– 30. harjanto, a. s., & sumarni, s. (2019). teacher’s experiences on the use of google classroom. 3rd english language and literature international conference (ellic), 3, 172–178. https://jurnal.unimus.ac.id/index.php/ellic/art icle/download/4704/4231 hudha, m. n., chaeruman, u. a., aji, s. d., huda, c., yusro, a. c., kumala, f. n., & abdullah, a. g. (2018). spada: online learning between universities of pgri indonesia. in matec web of conferences (vol. 197, p.03002). edp sciences. https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/20181970300 2 hurlbut, a. r. (2018). online vs. traditional learning in teacher education: a comparison of student progress. american journal of distance education, 32(4), 248-266. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2018.150926 5 irshad, m. (2021). challenges encountered during synchronous online collaborative writing via google docs. international journal of webbased learning and teaching technologies, 17(6), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijwltt.287554 itow, r. c. (2020). fostering valuable learning experiences by transforming current teaching practices: practical pedagogical approaches from online practitioners. information and learning sciences. https://doi.org/10.1108/ils04-2020-0106 jensen, l. x., bearman, m., & boud, d. (2021). understanding feedback in online learning a critical review and metaphor analysis. computer & education, 173(november 2021), 104271. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2022.2051513 https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2022.2051513 http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1001.23 https://doi.org/10.23887/jptk-undiksha.v18i2.34659 https://doi.org/10.23887/jptk-undiksha.v18i2.34659 https://doi.org/10.51698/aloma.2020.38.2.23-32 https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1463354 https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1463354 https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10120355 http://firejournal.org/index.php/fire/about https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201819703002 https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201819703002 https://doi.org/10.1108/ils-04-2020-0106 https://doi.org/10.1108/ils-04-2020-0106 1054 johnson, k. d. (2019). a phenomenological study on teachers’ perceptions regarding the implementation of a blended learning program. houston baptist university. karaaslan, h., kilic, n., yalcin, g. g., & gullu, a. (2018). students’ reflections on vocabulary learning through synchronous and asynchronous games and activities. turkish online journal of distance education, july, 53–70. https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.444640 kebritchi, m., lipschuetz, a., & santiague, l. (2017). issues and challenges for teaching successful online courses in higher education: a literature review. journal of educational technology systems, 46(1), 4-29. 10.1177/0047239516661713 kilicoglu, a. (2018). qualitative research for educational science researchers: a review of an introduction to qualitative research. the qualitative report, 23(4), 949-952. kohnke, l., & moorhouse, b. l. (2022). facilitating synchronous online language learning through zoom. relc journal, 53(1), 296–301. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220937235 kutnick, d. g., & joyner, d. a. (2019). synchronous at scale: investigation and implementation of a semi-synchronous online lecture platform. in proceedings of the sixth (2019) acm conference on learning@ scale (pp. 1-4). https://doi.org/10.1145/3330430.3333653 lapitan jr, l. d., tiangco, c. e., sumalinog, d. a. g., sabarillo, n. s., & diaz, j. m. (2021). an effective blended online teaching and learning strategy during the covid-19 pandemic. education for chemical engineers, 35, 116131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2021.01.012 lasfeto, d. b., & ulfa, s. (2020). the relationship between self-directed learning and students ’ social interaction in the online learning environment. journal of e-learning and knowledge society, 16(2), 34–41. lee, y. j., davis, r., & li, y. (2022). implementing synchronous online flipped learning for preservice teachers during covid-19. european journal of educational research, 11(2), 653661. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.11.2.653 leo, s., alsharari, n. m., abbas, j., & alshurideh, m. t. (2021). from offline to online learning: a qualitative study of challenges and opportunities as a response to the covid-19 pandemic in the uae higher education context. the effect of coronavirus disease (covid-19) on business intelligence, 203-217. lin, x., & gao, l. (2020). students’ sense of community and perspectives of taking synchronous and asynchronous online courses. asian journal of distance education, 15(1), 169-179. lotfi, a. r., & pozveh, s. m. h. h. (2019). the effect of synchronous and asynchronous language learning: a study of iranian efl intermediate students' vocabulary learning. theory and practice in language studies, 9(12), 15851594. http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0912.16 lutviana, r., & mafulah, s. (2021). boosting students’ confidence and skill in writing using social media. in 2nd annual conference on social science and humanities (ancosh 2020) (pp. 101-105). atlantis press.https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210413.0 24 martin, f., & borup, j. (2022). online learner engagement: conceptual definitions, research themes, and supportive practices. educational psychologist, 57(3), 162-177. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2022.208914 7 mayadas, f., & picciano, a. g. (2019). blended learning and localness: the means and the end. online learning, 11(1), 3–7. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v11i1.1730 moorhouse, b. l., li, y., & walsh, s. (2021). eclassroom interactional competencies: mediating and assisting language learning during synchronous online lessons. relc journal, 0033688220985274. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220985274 mougiakou, e., papadimitriou, s., & virvou, m. (2020). synchronous and asynchronous learning methods under the light of general data protection regulation. in 2020 11th international conference on information, intelligence, systems and applications (iisa (pp. 1-7). ieee. https://doi.org/10.1109/iisa50023.2020.928434 1 myers, t. (2018). exploring the use of synchronous and asynchronous tools to support problembased learning (issue june). capella university. naidoo, g. m. (2020). digital communication: information communication technology (ict) usage for teaching and learning. in handbook of research on digital learning (pp. 1-19). igi global. nurwahyuni, r. (2020). an analysis of students’ perception on synchronous and asynchronous learning in speaking skill during pandemic covid-19. international conference on english language teaching, 4432(october), 21–22. oktaviana, s. (2021). the teaching of academic speaking by using blended learning approaches during the covid-19 pandemic in uniska teaching and learning in the 21 st century: challenges and opportunities for educator. proceeding studium generale 2021, 1, 132– 140. olshine, r., & austin, s. f. (2019). a mixed method study of community development in online learning envirnonments. stephen f. austin state university. https://doi.org/10.1145/3330430.3333653 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2021.01.012 https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.11.2.653 https://dx.doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210413.024 https://dx.doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210413.024 https://doi.org/10.1109/iisa50023.2020.9284341 https://doi.org/10.1109/iisa50023.2020.9284341 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 10, issue 3, october 2022 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1055 otte, g. (2019). online learning: new models for leadership and organization in higher education. online learning, 10(2), 145–158. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v10i2.1761 peterson, a. t., beymer, p. n., & putnam, r. t. (2018). synchronous and asynchronous discussions: effects on cooperation, belonging, and affect. online learning, 22(4), 7-25. pham, l., limbu, y. b., bui, t. k., nguyen, h. t., & pham, h. t. (2019). does e-learning service quality influence e-learning student satisfaction and loyalty? evidence from vietnam. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 16(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0136-3 picciano, a. g. (2019). blended learning: implications for growth and access. online learning, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v10i3.1758 pimmer, c., brühlmann, f., odetola, t. d., oluwasola, d. o., dipeolu, o., & ajuwon, a. j. (2019). facilitating professional mobile learning communities with instant messaging. computers & education, 128, 102-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.09.005 rigo, f., & mikus, j. (2021). asynchronous and synchronous distance learning of english as a foreign language. media literacy and academic research, 4(1), 89–106. https://www.mlar.sk/wpcontent/uploads/2021/04/6_rigo_mikus.pdf riwayatiningsih, r., & sulistyani, s. (2020). the implementation of synchronous and asynchronous e-language learning in efl setting: a case study. jurnal basis, 7(2), 309318. https://doi.org/10.33884/basisupb.v7i2.2484 romero-hall, e., & vicentini, c. r. (2017). examining distance learners in hybrid synchronous instruction: successes and challenges. online learning journal, 21(4), 1258. sela, o., azhar, f., & samanhudi, u. (2022). asynchronous learning model (its implementation via google classroom). eltlectura: studies and perspectives in english language teaching, 9(2), 227-242. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.31849/eltlectura.v9i2.11041 serdyukov, p. (2020). asynchronous/synchronous learning chasm. in exploring online learning through synchronous and asynchronous instructional methods (pp. 1-33). igi global. simamora, r. m. (2020). the challenges of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic: an essay analysis of performing arts education students. studies in learning and teaching, 1(2), 86–103. https://doi.org/10.46627/silet.v1i2.38 singh, v., & thurman, a. (2019). how many ways can we define online learning? a systematic literature review of definitions of online learning (1988-2018). american journal of distance education, 33(4), 289-306. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2019.166308 2 thomas, m. s. c., & rogers, c. (2020). education, the science of learning, and the covid ‑ 19 crisis. prospects, 87–90. vendityaningtyas, v., & styati, e. w. (2018). effect of computer mediated communication and face-toface communication on the students’ writing. lingua cultura, 12(3), 233-239. https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v12i3.4235 vidhiasi, d. m., hakim, m. a., humardhiana, a., ikawati, l., & aisyiyah, m. n. (2021). the application of asynchronous learning for english language teaching in english and nonenglish study program. journal of english as a foreign language teaching and research (jefltr), 1(2), 33-43. https://doi.org/10.31098/jefltr.v1i2.620 vivek, r., & nanthagopan, y. (2021). review and comparison of multi-method and mixed method application in research studies. european journal of management issues, 29(4), 200-208. doi:10.15421/192119 yekefallah, l., namdar, p., panahi, r., & dehghankar, l. (2021). factors related to students' satisfaction with holding e-learning during the covid-19 pandemic based on the dimensions of e-learning. heliyon, 7(7), e07628. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07628 yusuf, b. n., & ahmad, j. (2020). are we prepared enough? a case study of challenges in online learning in a private higher learning institution during the covid-19 outbreaks. advances in social sciences research journal, 7(5), 205212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.09.005 https://doi.org/10.33884/basisupb.v7i2.2484 https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2019.1663082 https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2019.1663082 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07628 1056 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1027 the implementation of a canva-based e-portfolio: its impact on achievement, self-efficacy, and anxiety in esp-writing instruction beni setya budi english education department, post graduate program, universitas muhammadiyah gresik, indonesia email: benibudi21@guru.sma.belajar.id khoirul anwar english education department, post graduate program, universitas muhammadiyah gresik, indonesia email: khoirulanwar@umg.ac.id apa scitation:. budi, b. s., & anwar, k. (2024). the implementation of a canva-based e-portfolio: its impact on achievement, self-efficacy, and anxiety in esp-writing instruction. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1027-1038. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10369 received: 21-06-2024 accepted: 23-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 abstract: english for specific purposes (esp) learners derive significant advantages from a writing method that focuses on the process rather than just the end result. this need is emphasized by the fact that teachers often do not prioritize the optimization of this technique while teaching esp writing workshops. this approach focuses on the different stages of text creation and is used in educational settings to give students clear guidance. it helps them go through a genuine writing process, boosts their confidence, reduces anxiety, and includes activities that support writing, such as choosing the right media. this study examines the influence of integrating canva and e-portfolio on the writing proficiency of agriculture students in an english for specific purposes (esp) setting. the study also investigates the impact of this integration on students' selfefficacy and anxiety levels during the learning process. this is done through a mixed-method approach that incorporates before and post-tests, writing assignments, and post-treatment questionnaires. the implementation of canva-based e-portfolios in teaching english for specific purposes (esp) has yielded encouraging outcomes, as seen by improved posttest scores in both the control and experimental groups. notably, the experimental group demonstrated a significant enhancement, indicating the potential advantages of broader utilization. the intervention demonstrates a positive impact on students' self-efficacy and reduces their anxiety levels, suggesting its effectiveness in esp classrooms. however, additional research is needed to validate these findings and investigate the specific factors that contribute to this improvement. keywords: anxiety; e-portfolio-canva; esp-writing; self-efficacy. introduction the progress of technology in education has required the incorporation of new applications into the educational process (eden et al., 2024). an example of such progress is the e-portfolio, which is a digital rendition of conventional learning portfolios (barrot, 2021). this study seeks to investigate the efficacy of integrating canva, an internet-based graphic design platform with intuitive interface and collaborative capabilities, with e-portfolio in enhancing the writing proficiency (vocabulary utilization and sentence construction) of english for specific purposes (esp) learners, as well as its influence on self-confidence and student apprehension. studies have shown that skilled writers commonly break down the writing process into multiple phases, such as generating ideas, outlining, composing a draft, and revising (ebadi & bashir, 2021; torabi, 2021). these steps are not inflexible but are carried out adaptably, with certain stages, such as brainstorming and drafting, being repeated throughout the process. this technique differs from conventional instructional methods that prioritize the end result of writing. on the contrary, the process-based approach prioritizes the many phases of text production. students engaging in this pedagogical method receive suitable supervision to actively participate in an authentic writing process through a range of activities (mochizuki et al., 2019). self-efficacy and anxiety play crucial roles in shaping the process of language acquisition in esp writing learning (mokonea & setlalentoa, 2023; zhu & zhou, 2012). these factors are essential in equipping pupils to attain success in beni setya budi & khoirul anwar the implementation of a canva-based e-portfolio: its impact on achievement, self-efficacy, and anxiety in espwriting instruction 1028 acquiring knowledge (fariha et al., 2023). writing is widely regarded as the most intricate skill in education compared to other language skills. the complexity of the writing process is not only influenced by linguistic knowledge and cognitive processes but also by factors such as self-efficacy, writing anxiety, and motivation. self-efficacy is defined as an individual’s belief in their ability to complete a task (bardach et al., 2022). therefore, self-efficacy in writing is an indicator of a high level of self-confidence in writing assignments. in addition to self-efficacy, writing anxiety is also an affective factor. this concept is defined as a combination of various emotions, behaviors, and beliefs that hinder students’ ability to complete writing tasks in line with their intellectual capabilities (mokonea & setlalentoa, 2023). conventional teaching methods evaluate students’ writing skills through exams, which often fail to depict the complexity of the writing process (ebadi & bashir, 2021). this productoriented approach does not provide essential strategies for students to go through various stages of writing. therefore, a shift towards a process-oriented approach is needed (afshari et al., 2020). however, research on this approach in the context of english for specific purposes (esp) is still limited. esp emphasizes formative and summative assessment, and the need for teaching and assessment methods that align with technological developments. nevertheless, teachers still face various challenges in adapting to digital tools. alternative assessment methods, such as portfolio assessment, are often used in esl/efl contexts to encourage the learning process of writing (ayaz & gök, 2023; barrot, 2021). a portfolio, defined as a collection of student work compiled for a specific purpose that shows their effort, progress, and achievement, has been a broad research subject in esl literature. an eportfolio, the digital version of a portfolio, allows learners to document their individual development over time. e-portfolios are primarily used in writing contexts and have been found to help improve writing through self-regulation, selfassessment, and peer assessment (michos et al., 2022). e-portfolios also have a positive impact on learner autonomy, motivation, and reflective thinking. being cloud-based, e-portfolios can overcome space and time barriers, which has proven to be very valuable for online language educators (al-hawamdeh et al., 2023). in the current esp context, where internet access has become widespread, the potential of e-portfolios as a pedagogical tool is enormous. however, research on its use to promote language learning, especially writing skills, is still limited. according to previous research, incorporating canva as a supplementary tool for teaching english writing skills involves the integration of two specific theories: the "process-based teaching approach” (seow, 2002)” and “eportfolio development (gibson & barrett, 2003)”. the process technique has four distinct stages: planning, drafting, reviewing content, and editing language. each of these stages is interconnected with the relevant stage in the utilization of canva in e-portfolio development (le et al., 2023). the process of developing an eportfolio involves numerous distinct stages, including: students are assigned a topic and are required to compose an initial version of their work. they then engage in a process of evaluating one other's work. teachers provide feedback to each student. canva is utilized at various stages to support each student (syahdan et al., 2023). acquire educational resources and engage in selfassessment; establish connections and exchange educational materials; and showcase the electronic portfolio. therefore, canva, a digital tool, can be used into a process-oriented teaching method to enhance the acquisition of english writing abilities. hence, the objective of the study is to address two primary inquiries: (1) does the utilization of a canva-based e-portfolio enhance the writing proficiency of english for specific purposes (esp) learners? (2) does the utilization of a canva-based electronic portfolio enhance selfefficacy and alleviate anxiety in english for specific purposes (esp) writing learners? the objective of this study is to tackle the aforementioned challenges and fill the existing gaps. esp writing, a specific field within english language instruction, is presently encountering numerous obstacles (dmitrenko et al., 2024). an inherent challenge lies in the intricacy of the writing process itself. writing in english for given purposes (esp) requires not just a strong grasp of language, but also the skill to successfully employ specialized vocabulary and discourse relevant to a given profession (uçar & yazıcı, 2016b). this might be intimidating for learners, particularly those who are non-native english speakers. in addition, conventional instructional approaches frequently prioritize the end result of writing, disregarding the multiple stages of text formation, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1029 including idea generation, outlining, initial drafting, and revising (nadera, 2018). the current focus on product does not provide students with the essential techniques to effectively go through these stages, which are vital for enhancing their writing proficiency (endarwati et al., 2023). although there is an increasing amount of research on esp writing, there are still unresolved issues about kids' writing abilities. for example, students frequently have difficulties with selfefficacy and writing anxiety (aini et al., 2023; ismail et al., 2023), both of which have a substantial impact on their writing abilities (praxis, 2022). these emotional elements play a vital role in preparing pupils for success in learning, however they are frequently disregarded in traditional teaching approaches. nevertheless, the progress of technology in education holds the potential to tackle these problems (fǎlǎuş, 2017; praxis, 2022). integrating digital resources such as e-portfolios and online graphic design platforms like canva is possible within a process-based teaching approach. these methods facilitate introspection, evaluation, and cooperation, so augmenting students' belief in their own abilities, alleviating apprehension about writing, and ultimately enhancing their writing proficiency. additional investigation is required to examine the efficacy of these methods in the context of english for specific purposes (esp) writing. an e-portfolio created with canva is a digital platform that allows users to showcase their academic and professional accomplishments (mathur & mahapatra, 2022; segaran & hasim, 2021). this tool offers a holistic perspective on an individual's aptitudes, character traits, and personal attributes. canva, the most user-friendly design tool in the world, enables the development of visually captivating digital portfolios (wachyu, 2023). by providing pre-designed templates, a wide range of media resources, and intuitive tools, this platform eliminates the requirement for substantial design knowledge or skills. this feature allows for the creation of an online portfolio that is both cost-effective and customizable to the user's preferences in terms of creativity and interactivity (bulut, 2023; le et al., 2023). the procedure of constructing a canva-based e-portfolio is straightforward (çeçen, 2020; le et al., 2023; nurmilah et al., 2023). to begin the design project, the user should first open canva and search for "portfolio website". afterwards, a complimentary portfolio template on canva that corresponds with your brand or business is chosen. the last phase entails selecting a theme that most accurately embodies your unique brand by integrating your logos, fonts, and colors. subsequently, you meticulously arrange your finest creations, carefully choosing the artworks that are highly esteemed and have garnered the most favorable responses. at last, your website has been successfully launched on the internet. conducting research on the utilization of a canva-based electronic portfolio in the specific context of teaching english for specific purposes (esp) writing is of utmost importance. this is apparent from the scarce research on the utilization of canva-based e-portfolios in english for specific purposes (esp) writing programs. due to the intricate nature of esp learning, particularly with regards to affective aspects, there is a need for interventions that can serve as effective models in adult esp learning. this implies that e-portfolios created using canva can be a valuable additional resource for teachers and students during the process of teaching and learning english for specific purposes (esp) writing. method this study utilizes a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches, specifically following an explanatory sequential design. this approach consists of two separate stages: the initial stage involves a quantitative experiment, while the second stage involves a survey (26). the study sample comprises 60 students from the faculty of agriculture, who were separated into two groups, selected from a total population of 250 students. both groups have numerous common traits. they are second-semester students from the same faculty who achieved comparable scores on the entrance exam. furthermore, none of them are students majoring in english. both groups utilize the identical textbook, which underwent a trial run in 2024 as part of the language center's one-year english program at muhammadiyah university, gresik. the research assistants consist of two evaluators who are responsible for assessing the students' writing projects, as well as conducting pre and post-tests. the individuals in question are experienced educators who specialized in english teaching throughout their postgraduate studies at muhammadiyah university, malang. they hold a master's degree in english education. during the procedure, both evaluators independently examine the students' work according to the assessment criteria of the cambridge exam. these criteria beni setya budi & khoirul anwar the implementation of a canva-based e-portfolio: its impact on achievement, self-efficacy, and anxiety in espwriting instruction 1030 consist of four aspects: content, communicative achievement, organization, and language. the research incorporates both quantitative and survey methods for data collection. the quantitative data include preand post-treatment written tests, writing activities conducted during the treatment, and survey findings obtained through a questionnaire. generally, the progression of this research can be elucidated as follows. the planning stage commences with the production and curation of suitable resources for the canva-based e-portfolio. this step also takes into account the previously done needs analysis. thus, the procedure of formulating, composing, and uploading is executed. additionally, it encompasses the development of a study agenda for every session. the outcome of this stage is the creation of a canva-based e-portfolio that is prepared and available for use in the learning process. the second stage, also known as the implementation stage, entails utilizing the canvabased e-portfolio for a duration of eight weeks, consisting of ten sessions. the initial phase involves administering a pre-test to both the experimental and control groups, followed by assessing the validity and reliability of the instrument. in this scenario, the researcher receives support from a fellow teacher who is part of the teaching team. during each meeting, there is a procedure of recording and taking notes. the last phase involves administering a post-test and implementing a questionnaire. the output at this stage comprises the acquired data that is prepared for analysis. the third stage involves the conclusive conclusion of study findings through the process of data analysis, which includes quantitative analysis using tests and questionnaires. subsequently, it is determined and documented. the students' writing examinations are evaluated using the cambridge writing scale, which assesses four aspects: content, communicative achievement, organization, and language. the assessments are conducted both before and after the treatment (cambridge, 2020) each individual feature contributes 5 points, resulting in a cumulative total of 20 points. two examiners rate each piece of work, and the pearson correlation test is employed to examine the correlation between their evaluations. the average score is then calculated for future utilization. an independent t-sample test is utilized to assess the disparity in performance between the two groups prior to the implementation of any treatment. a paired tsample test is employed to ascertain the alteration following the treatment within each group. the students' work results are also evaluated and cross-referenced with aryadoust's criterion list for sentence structure and vocabulary (goh & aryadoust, 2010). the data includes the count and proportion of students who satisfy each criterion. writing assignments conducted during the treatment are evaluated using the identical cambridge writing scale (cambridge, 2020). throughout the week-long therapy session, the writing performance of each student is documented and assessed to track any alterations in their scores. the questionnaire data is statistically analyzed using measures such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation for each item. the likert scale used ranges from 1 to 5. among the 24 questions, 13 pertain to the students' selfefficacy while the remaining 11 focus on anxiousness (gaumer erickson et al., 2018; hidayati, 2018). participants receive a questionnaire in their native language. selfefficacy comprises two components: belief in one's particular capability and belief in one's ability to progress. writing anxiety has two facets: a personal aspect and a classroom one. results and discussion results on writing improvement a canva-based e-portfolio was implemented in the faculty of agriculture at muhammadiyah university of gresik. the study sample consisted of 20 students majoring in agribusiness, 25 students majoring in agriculture, and 15 students majoring in fisheries. the students were divided into two distinct groups: an experimental group and a control group, with each group consisting of 30 students. this division was based on a quasiexperimental design. the selection of this faculty was based on data obtained from the university's language institute, which revealed that students in this particular faculty encountered greater difficulties in acquiring proficient writing skills compared to students in other faculties. the investigation was conducted from may to august 2024. the implementation of the e-portfolio and the use of canva as a supplementary tool to improve english writing abilities is a thorough process that involves careful planning, composing, revising, editing, and evaluating. at first, students are given a topic and prompted to generate ideas, which serve as the foundation for their initial composition. concurrently, the initial phase of eenglish review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1031 portfolio development is commenced, wherein the goals, topics, and resources are defined. afterwards, students utilize canva to create their initial drafts. canva, with its user-friendly interface and wide range of design tools, helps students express their ideas in a creative and impactful way. these drafts serve as more than just assignments; they are educational artifacts that are collected and used as examples or resources in the students' e-portfolio. in the subsequent phase, students engage in the process of rewriting their drafts, during which they receive constructive criticism from their lecturers. this feedback provides students with a novel viewpoint on their work, highlighting both their strong points and areas that need improvement. simultaneously, the e-portfolio includes reflection resources, which promote a culture of selfassessment and ongoing learning. the next phase is modifying the usage of words. within canva, students engage in cross-evaluations with their peers, which are then followed by self-evaluation in order to improve the quality of their assignments. the peer-review approach facilitates cooperative learning and allows students to acquire perspectives from their peers. within the e-portfolio, learning materials undergo refinement via reflective and self-evaluation procedures. the last phase is assessment. within canva, educators deliver conclusive feedback to individual students, providing them with a full evaluation of their work. the student effectively integrates all learning materials in the e-portfolio, demonstrating a continuous connection before delivering the final product. this concluding presentation acts as a tribute to the student's advancement in learning and their accomplishments. this process outlines how an educator might integrate an e-portfolio system and canva as resources in an english writing curriculum that emphasizes a process-based teaching approach. it emphasizes the significance of receiving feedback, evaluating oneself and others, and organizing learning resources for collection and presentation. this technique not only enhances students' english writing skills but also fosters a culture of introspective and continuous learning. after the implementation phase, which consisted of 10 sessions, accomplishment testing was carried out. this involved presenting the results of pre-test, post-test, and difference test for the two groups. the data was subjected to a normality test, which yielded a score value of .64. this indicates that the data distribution was normal and appropriate for a difference test. table 1. descriptive statistics of control group n range minimum maximum mean std. deviation variance pretest 30 22.00 45.00 67.00 57.7667 3.57851 12.806 posttest 30 15.00 60.00 75.00 65.3333 3.62304 13.126 valid n (listwise) 30 table 1 displays the descriptive statistics for the pretest and posttest scores of a control group. during the pretest, a total of 30 participants achieved scores ranging from 45 to 67, with an average score of around 57.77. the scores exhibited a reasonably small dispersion, as seen by a standard deviation of roughly 3.58 and a variance of approximately 12.81. during the posttest, the identical group of 30 participants achieved scores ranging from 60 to 75, with an average score of around 65.33, suggesting a noticeable increase. the standard deviation of around 3.62 indicates that the dispersion of scores around the mean is similar to that of the pretest. nevertheless, the variance exhibited a somewhat greater value of roughly 13.13. the reduction in the range and the elevation in the mean score from the pretest to the posttest indicate an enhancement in the performance of the control group, with scores becoming more focused around the average. table 2. descriptive statistics of experimental group n range minimum maximum mean std. deviation variance pretest1 30 11.00 56.00 67.00 59.7000 3.12001 9.734 posttext1 30 11.00 68.00 79.00 72.6000 2.96648 8.800 valid n (listwise) 30 table 2 presents the descriptive statistics for the pretest and posttest scores of an experimental group. during the pretest, a total of 30 participants achieved scores ranging from 56 to 67, with a mean score of around 59.70. the scores exhibited a reasonably small dispersion, as evidenced by a standard deviation of roughly 3.12 and a variance of approximately 9.73. during the beni setya budi & khoirul anwar the implementation of a canva-based e-portfolio: its impact on achievement, self-efficacy, and anxiety in espwriting instruction 1032 posttest, the identical group of 30 individuals achieved scores within a consistent range of 11 points, ranging from 68 to 79. the average score for this test was roughly 72.60. the standard deviation reduced somewhat to around 2.97, indicating a slightly more compact distribution of scores around the mean. similarly, the variance decreased to approximately 8.80. the statistics indicate that the experimental group's performance improved from the pretest to the posttest, with scores becoming more closely clustered around the average. table 3. independent samples test (comparison of control and experimental group) levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error differenc e 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper score post test 1 &2 equal variances assumed .123 .727 -8.500 58 .000 -7.26667 .85492 -8.97797 -5.55537 equal variances not assumed -8.500 55.826 .000 -7.26667 .85492 -8.97939 -5.55395 table 3 presents the findings of an independent samples test, which compares the post-test scores of a control group and an experimental group. based on the levene's test for equality of variances, with a f statistic of 0.123 and a significance level of 0.727, we may conclude that the variances of the two groups are identical. the t-test for equality of means indicates a substantial disparity in the means of the two groups, with a t statistic of -8.500 and a pvalue of 0.000, assuming both equal and unequal variances. the average discrepancy between the two groups is -7.26667. the 95% confidence interval for the difference varies from -8.97797 to -5.55537 assuming equal variances, and from 8.97939 to -5.55395 assuming unequal variances. the results reveal that the variability in scores for both groups is comparable, as demonstrated by the levene's test. moreover, the t-test demonstrates a statistically significant rise in the post-test scores within the experimental group in comparison to the control group. the tables supplied present a summary of the pretest and posttest scores for both a control group and an experimental group. in the control group, the average score increased from 57.77 in the pretest to 65.33 in the posttest. additionally, the scores became more closely clustered around the mean. in a similar manner, the experimental group shown a notable enhancement in the mean score, rising from 59.70 in the pretest to 72.60 in the posttest. additionally, the scores in the experimental group had a slightly narrower distribution around the average. a statistical analysis using an independent samples test found a substantial disparity in the means of the post-test scores between the two groups, indicating that the experimental group achieved higher scores. the levene's test verified that there was no significant difference in the variability of scores between the two groups. the results indicate a general enhancement in performance for both groups, with a more pronounced improvement shown in the experimental group. therefore, the evaluation of the utilization of a canva-based electronic portfolio in english for specific purposes (esp) education significantly contributes to the improvement of students' writing abilities. results of self efficacy and anxiety a survey was disseminated to the 30 students in the experimental class. this study was conducted to assess the participants' self-efficacy and anxiety levels following the installation of a canva-based e-portfolio. the results can be observed in tables 4 and 5 provided below. table 4. results of self-efficacy on canva based e-portfolio self efficacy n m sd belief on individual skill 1. i can grasp this year’s class content. 30 3,555 1,114 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1033 2. with effort, i can understand anything. 30 3,632 2,026 3. daily practice can hone any skill. 30 3,567 1,151 4 i persist in achieving important goals, despite challenges. 30 2,603 1,214 5. i’m sure to reach my goals. 30 3,562 1,331 6. i focus on progress during tough tasks. 30 3,531 1,113 7. i’ll excel in my chosen career. 30 3,641 0,931 8. i’ll thrive in my chosen major. 30 3,671 1,601 belief on growing ability 9. hard work rewards. 30 3,462 1,231 10. effort enhances ability. 30 3,563 1,311 11. the brain is like a trainable muscle. 30 2,552 1,112 12. talent can be significantly altered by anyone. 30 3,56 1,021 13. i can greatly modify my basic ability. 30 3,674 0,891 the information presented in table 4 thoroughly summarizes the influence of a canvabased e-portfolio intervention on students' selfefficacy beliefs in an english for specific purposes (esp) classroom. the research, which included a sample size of 30 individuals, specifically examined two primary aspects of selfefficacy: confidence in personal competence and confidence in the capacity for personal growth. regarding individual talents, students exhibited a robust confidence in their capacity to comprehend class material, comprehend any subject matter with diligence, and refine any skill via consistent daily practice. in addition, they had an optimistic attitude towards attaining their objectives and prioritizing advancement in the face of difficult difficulties. nevertheless, the attribute of tenacity in attaining significant objectives in the face of obstacles was rated slightly lower. the level of self-assurance in achieving success in their selected profession and flourishing in their chosen field of study was likewise remarkably high. students recognized that their conviction in the ability to improve is strengthened by the understanding that hard work leads to rewards and that effort plays a crucial role in enhancing their abilities. the concept of the brain being a malleable muscle that can be trained obtained a lower rating, but the view that everyone can drastically change their talent and greatly enhance their fundamental abilities received high ratings. in general, the intervention seems to have had a beneficial impact on students' self-efficacy beliefs, namely in terms of their confidence in their own abilities and their capacity to develop and enhance such abilities. this indicates that utilizing a canva-based e-portfolio can be a potent instrument for augmenting self-efficacy among students in an english for specific purposes (esp) classroom. table 5. results of anxiety on canva based e-portfolio no anxiety n m sd 1. english class does not scare me when i don’t understand the teacher. 30 3,415 1,287 2. more english classes wouldn’t bother me. 30 2,231 1,634 3. i often daydream in english class. 30 3,660 4. i don’t get why some are upset over english class. 30 3,401 0,702 5. english class never nerves make me forget things. 30 2,461 1,243 6. despite preparation, english class does not make me anxious. 30 3,401 1,987 7. i never consider skipping english class. 30 3,545 1,365 8. i don’t feel pressured to prepare for english class. 30 3,787 0,807 9. english class does not make me more nervous than other classes. 30 3,423 1,654 10. i feel confident and relaxed enroot to english class. 30 3,667 1,532 11. english’s rule quantity does not overwhelm me. 30 3,393 1,891 the information shown in table 5 offers a perceptive summary of the influence of a canvabased e-portfolio intervention on students' anxiety levels in an english for specific purposes (esp) classroom. the research, comprising a sample size of 30 individuals, investigated multiple facets beni setya budi & khoirul anwar the implementation of a canva-based e-portfolio: its impact on achievement, self-efficacy, and anxiety in espwriting instruction 1034 of anxiety associated with the english course. the participants exhibited a general absence of apprehension or anxiety related to english class, even in situations where they did not comprehend the teacher, as shown by an average score of 3.415. despite receiving a somewhat lower average score of 2.231, the idea of having extra english sessions did not appear to much concern them. the act of indulging in fantasies during an english session was recorded with a mean score of 3.660. the participants expressed a limited comprehension regarding the reasons behind some individuals' emotional distress in english class (mean score of 3.401). additionally, they reported that anxiety related to english class did not result in memory lapses (mean score of 2.461). despite being prepared, the students did not feel apprehensive about their english lesson, as indicated by an average score of 3.401. furthermore, they never entertained the idea of skipping english class, as indicated by an average score of 3.545. the participants reported a lack of pressure to prepare for english class, with an average score of 3.787. additionally, they did not perceive english class to be more anxietyinducing than other classes, with an average score of 3.423. they experienced a sense of assurance and calmness while on their way to english class, with an average score of 3.667. the number of regulations in english did not cause them to feel overwhelmed, with an average score of 3.393. in general, the intervention seems to have had a beneficial effect on decreasing students' anxiety levels in the esp classroom. these findings indicate that using a canva-based e-portfolio can effectively reduce anxiety levels among students in an english for specific purposes (esp) classroom. an intervention utilizing canva as a platform for e-portfolios in an english for specific purposes (esp) classroom has demonstrated encouraging outcomes in improving students' selfefficacy beliefs and decreasing their levels of anxiety, as indicated by the data presented in tables 4 and 5. the study, comprising a sample size of 30 participants, unveiled that students possess a robust conviction in their personal aptitudes and their capacity for personal development. they possess a strong belief in their capacity to comprehend class material, comprehend any subject matter with diligence, and enhance any proficiency by consistent daily practice. notwithstanding certain obstacles, they maintain a positive outlook toward the attainment of their objectives. the intervention has also alleviated their english class-related anxiety, resulting in increased relaxation and confidence. this implies that such interventions have the potential to be effective instruments in cultivating a favorable learning atmosphere. the study provides a persuasive account of the profound impact of a canva-based e-portfolio intervention in an english for specific purposes (esp) classroom. the description provides a clear depiction of the improvement in scores for both the control and experimental groups, with the experimental group showing more notable progress. the independent samples test highlighted the distinction, but the levene's test verified comparable variability in scores. however, the intervention had a broader impact beyond simply improving academic achievement. additionally, it improved students' confidence in their abilities and decreased their levels of worry. after the event, students shown increased selfassurance in their abilities, their aptitude for personal development, and their competence in overcoming obstacles. this intervention serves as evidence of the potential of these technologies in establishing a more favorable and empowered learning environment. consider yourself as an esp student, maneuvering through the complex realm of professional writing in areas such as business, science, and engineering. the journey is replete with distinctive obstacles, a few of which scholars have not yet thoroughly investigated. imagine the challenge of arranging intricate material, acquiring expertise in the language and structure of several genres, and expressing a profound comprehension of the subjects being discussed (pham, 2012; wang & he, 2020). the act of writing, including the process of brainstorming and translating ideas onto paper, can be intimidating. however, there are still areas that have not been explored or mapped. the impact of a student's motivation on their writing proficiency, especially in english for specific purposes (esp) contexts, nevertheless remains an enigma (uçar & yazıcı, 2016a). the potency of linguistic expertise, the comprehension of grammatical norms, and the proficient utilization of vocabulary frequently elude detection. the existence of these undiscovered areas highlights the necessity of doing a more thorough investigation into the particular difficulties that esp students encounter in writing. this will facilitate the development of more focused assistance and intervention (andriani, 2014; caron & markusen, 2016). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1035 canva, an internet-based platform for creating visual designs, is a helpful resource for writing in english for specific purposes (esp). the software provides an intuitive interface and a diverse range of aesthetically pleasing templates that are suitable for many formats, including resumes, cover letters, essays, and engineering designs (dmitrenko et al., 2024; fauziyah et al., 2022). this application is especially advantageous for aspiring engineers as it incorporates visual content technology, fostering creativity and offering organized templates that assist students in comfortably navigating the intricacies of writing. moreover, canva integrates project-based learning with real-world education, rendering it a versatile design tool suitable for everyone. it improves student involvement in school by allowing them to provide visually captivating material. furthermore, canva facilitates cooperative learning experiences by enabling students to collaborate on group assignments and exchange their thoughts. studies have demonstrated that canva is a highly effective tool for enhancing pupils' writing abilities. a study shown that the utilization of canva for education improved students' ability to write procedural texts (fauziyah et al., 2022). canva has demonstrated itself to be a versatile and essential tool in esp classrooms, offering a potent method to enhance both students' writing abilities and general language ability. e-portfolios have transformed the instruction of english for specific purposes (esp) writing by providing a dynamic platform for students to showcase their work, participate in constructive comments, and contemplate their learning process(yulianawati & efendi, 2024). this novel, procedure-based approach has played a crucial role in improving students' writing abilities. nevertheless, the expedition is not devoid of its difficulties. a considerable proportion of students struggle with the unfamiliarity associated with utilizing e-portfolios, which can hinder their educational advancement. internet connectivity, especially in isolated regions, presents an additional obstacle (alshahrani & windeatt, 2012). many students struggle when it comes to the skill of giving constructive critique on their colleagues' writing. furthermore, the impact of eportfolios on other language abilities, such as reading and listening, has not been thoroughly explored (uçar & yazıcı, 2016b). these problems highlight the urgent requirement for extensive research and development in the field of eportfolios in esp writing teaching, which will lead to more efficient and thorough learning experiences. the utilization of canva-based e-portfolios has greatly enhanced the instruction of english for specific purposes (esp) writing. the website provides an interactive space for students to showcase their writing skills and receive valuable criticism, which helps improve their vocabulary and sentence structure abilities. the attractive and user-friendly interface of canva encourages students to engage more fully in the writing process and simplifies the development of customized writing assignments to accommodate a range of student requirements (nadera, 2018; praxis, 2022). furthermore, canva's focus on project-based learning enhances students' understanding and ability to think critically in writing. further investigation is needed to explore the efficacy of canva-based e-portfolios in different educational settings and their integration with other teaching methodologies. furthermore, gaining a comprehensive grasp of the influence of these electronic portfolios on students' motivation and attitudes towards writing could offer useful insights for future investigations, thus unleashing the complete potential of canva-based electronic portfolios in improving english for specific purposes (esp) writing teaching. conclusion an examination of the data has demonstrated promising outcomes in the implementation of a canva-based e-portfolio for educating english for specific purposes (esp) pupils. both the control and experimental groups exhibited enhancement in their posttest results, with the experimental group demonstrating a more substantial augmentation. the findings indicate that the experimental settings, which probably involved the utilization of a canva-based e-portfolio, may have had a beneficial effect on the participants' performance. this suggests that there are potential advantages if these strategies or interventions are implemented more widely in educating english for specific purposes (esp) students. nevertheless, additional investigation is required to validate these discoveries and delve into the precise elements that contribute to the enhanced performance. the data also offers a thorough summary of the influence of a canva-based eportfolio intervention on students' self-efficacy beliefs and anxiety levels in an english for specific purposes (esp) classroom. in general, the intervention seems to have had a favorable impact on students' self-efficacy views and has beni setya budi & khoirul anwar the implementation of a canva-based e-portfolio: its impact on achievement, self-efficacy, and anxiety in espwriting instruction 1036 also decreased their levels of worry. these findings indicate that utilizing a canva-based eportfolio can be a powerful instrument in improving students' self-confidence and reducing anxiety levels in an english for specific purposes (esp) classroom. potential future research prospects encompass investigating alternative interventions or adjustments to the experimental parameters in order to maximize the outcomes, as well as undertaking studies with bigger or more varied cohorts to evaluate the generalizability of these findings. acknowledgement we would like to express our deepest appreciation to the ministry of national education for the generous support in funding this research. the contribution through the master’s thesis grant scheme for 2024 has been invaluable to our work. references afshari, h., amirian, z., & tavakoli, m. (2020). applying group dynamic assessment procedures to support efl writing development: learner achievement, learners’ and teachers’ perceptions. journal of writing research, 11(3), 445–476. https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2020.11.03.02 aini, j. n., anwar, k., & arifani, y. (2023). eustress, learning engagement, and workable strategies of dcblt in english for engineering. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 799–810. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8838 al-hawamdeh, b. o. s., hussen, n., & abdelrasheed, n. s. g. (2023). portfolio vs. summative assessment: impacts on efl learners’ writing complexity, accuracy, and fluency (caf); selfefficacy; learning anxiety; and autonomy. language testing in asia, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-023-00225-5 alshahrani, a., & windeatt, s. (2012). using an eportfolio system to improve the academic writing performance of esl students. call: using, learning, knowing, eurocall conference, gothenburg, sweden, august 2012, 10–14. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2012.000018 andriani, g. (2014). problems in teaching english for specific purposes (esp) in higher education. nobel: a journal on literary studies, lingustics and language teaching, 5(01), 30– 40. ayaz, m., & gök, b. (2023). the effect of e-portfolio application on reflective thinking and learning motivation of primary school teacher candidates. current psychology, 42(35), 31646– 31662. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-02204135-2 bardach, l., klassen, r. m., & perry, n. e. (2022). teachers’ psychological characteristics: do they matter for teacher effectiveness, teachers’ well-being, retention, and interpersonal relations? an integrative review. in educational psychology review (vol. 34, issue 1). educational psychology review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09614-9 barrot, j. s. (2021). effects of facebook-based eportfolio on esl learners’ writing performance. language, culture and curriculum, 34(1), 95– 111. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2020.174582 2 bulut, m. a. (2023). an evaluation of canvas lms through universal design for learning principles and ims standards. journal of ibn haldun studies, ibn haldun university, 8(1), 57–62. https://doi.org/10.36657/ihcd.2023.105 cambridge. (2020). english language assessment. exam update 2020. https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-andtests caron, j., & markusen, j. r. (2016). applicable esp writing teaching methods on non-english-major undergraduate. https://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/72563 çeçen, g. (2020). tertiary level efl students ’ perceptions regarding the use of edmodo, quizlet, and canva within technology acceptance model (tam). i̇hsan doğramaci bilkent university, ankara, june, 243. dmitrenko, n., shkola, i., saliuk, b., panchenko, v., & neshko, s. (2024). canva platform: visual content for developing writing skills of prospective engineers in esp classes. environment. technologies. resources. proceedings of the international scientific and practical conference, 2, 358–363. https://doi.org/10.17770/etr2024vol2.8075 ebadi, s., & bashir, s. (2021). an exploration into efl learners’ writing skills via mobile-based dynamic assessment. education and information technologies, 26(2), 1995–2016. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10348-4 eden, chisom, o. n., & adeniyi, i. s. (2024). harnessing technology integration in education: strategies for enhancing learning outcomes and equity. world journal of advanced engineering technology and sciences, 11(2), 001–008. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjaets.2024.11.2.0071 endarwati, e., anwar, k., & maruf, n. (2023). exploring the challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills and how anchor charts can address them. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 629–640. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8421 fǎlǎuş, a. (2017). the current challenges of teaching esp. iop conference series: materials science and engineering, 200(1). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1037 https://doi.org/10.1088/1757899x/200/1/012059 fariha, n., anwar, k., & maruf, n. (2023). exploring the correlation of sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency, and how learners perceived them. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 1001–1012. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.9083 fauziyah, n. l., widodo, j. p., & yappi, s. n. (2022). the use of canva for education’ and the students’ perceptions of its effectiveness in the writing procedure text. budapest international research and critics institute-journal (bircijournal), 5(1), 6368–6377. gaumer erickson, a. ., soukup, j. h., noonan, p. m., & mcgurn, l. (2018). self-efficacy formative questionnaire technical report overview. research collaboration, 1, 175–176. http://www.researchcollaboration.org/uploads/s elf-efficacyquestionnaireinfo.pdf gibson, d., & barrett, h. (2003). directions in electronic portfolio development. contemporary issues in technology and teacher education, 2(4), 556–573. http://wwwcitejournalorg/vol2/iss4/general/artic le3cfm goh, c., & aryadoust, s. v. (2010). investigating the construct validity of the melab listening test through the rasch analysis and correlated uniqueness modeling. spaan fellow working papers in second or foreign language assessment, 8, 31–68. www.isa.umich.edu/eli/reseach/spaan hidayati, t. (2018). student language anxiety in learning english: examining non-english major students in rural area hidayati, student language anxiety in learning english. ijeltal (indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics), 2(2), 95. www.ijeltal.org ismail, s. m., nikpoo, i., & prasad, k. d. v. (2023). promoting self-regulated learning, autonomy, and self-efficacy of efl learners through authentic assessment in efl classrooms. language testing in asia, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-023-00239-z le, a. n. n., bo, l. k., & nguyen, n. m. t. (2023). canva-based e-portfolio in l2 writing instructions: investigating the effects and students’ attitudes. call-ej, 24(1), 41–62. mathur, m., & mahapatra, s. (2022). impact of eportfolio assessment as an instructional strategy on students’ academic speaking skills: an experimental study. call-ej, 23(3), 1–23. michos, k., cantieni, a., schmid, r., müller, l., & petko, d. (2022). examining the relationship between internship experiences, teaching enthusiasm, and teacher self-efficacy when using a mobile portfolio app. teaching and teacher education, 109, 103570. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103570 mochizuki, t., nishimori, t., tsubakimoto, · mio, oura, h., sato, t., johansson, h., nakahara, j., & yamauchi, y. (2019). development of software to support argumentative reading and writing by means of creating a graphic organizer from an electronic text. educational technology research and development, 67, 1197–1230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423019-09676-1 mokonea, m. v., & setlalentoa, w. (2023). enhancing self-efficacy of beginner teachers in the use of e-portfolio: the role of a mentor teacher. journal of curriculum studies research, 5(1), 130–140. https://doi.org/10.46303/jcsr.2023.10 nadera, b. (2018). investigating esp students’ writing problems the case of the management school of tlemcen. international conference on social science, humanities and education, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.33422/icshe.2018.12.82 nurmilah, n., friatin, l. y., & irianti, l. (2023). the teacher’s perception of using canva application in teaching creative writing. journal of english education program (jeep), 10(2), 131. https://doi.org/10.25157/(jeep).v10i2.11690 pham, h. l. (2012). teacher perceptions of teaching english for specific purposes (esp) programs: a qualitative study of problems and facilitative strategies. journal of teaching and education, 1(3), 129–142. https://www.universitypublications.net/jte/0103/ pdf/hvd174.pdf praxis. (2022). the problems of teaching writing skills in esp class. journal of economic perspectives, 2(1), 1–4. segaran, m. k., & hasim, z. (2021). self-regulated learning through eportfolio: a meta-analysis. malaysian journal of learning and instruction, 18(1), 131–156. https://doi.org/10.32890/mjli2021.18.1.6 seow, a. (2002). the writing process and process writing. 315–320. https://dn790009.ca.archive.org/0/items/lesson planningandclassroommanagement/writing process.pdf syahdan., herlinawati., syaifullah., & syafitri, d. t. (2023). elt-lectura: studies and perspectives in english challenges and strategies of teachers in integrating canva in english classroom teaching. elt-lectura: studies and perspectives in english language teaching, 10(1), 12–20. torabi, s. (2021). blended learning (b-learning) via google classroom (gc) and iranian efl learners’ writing accuracy: effects and percepts. call-ej, 22(3), 183–183. uçar, s., & yazıcı, y. (2016a). the impact of portfolios on enhancing writing skills in esp classes. procedia social and behavioral beni setya budi & khoirul anwar the implementation of a canva-based e-portfolio: its impact on achievement, self-efficacy, and anxiety in espwriting instruction 1038 sciences, 232(april), 226–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.001 uçar, s., & yazıcı, y. (2016b). the impact of portfolios on enhancing writing skills in esp classes. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 232(april), 226–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.001 wachyu, m. i. (2023). the effectiveness of using canva as an interactive hypermedia in learning english. proceeding of conference on english language teaching, 3, 510–516. wang, l., & he, c. (2020). review of research on portfolios in esl/efl context. english language teaching, 13(12), 76. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v13n12p76 yulianawati, i., & efendi, n. (2024). students’ perceptions and problems in implementing electronic reflective portfolio in writing class. proceedings of the 4th international conference on english language teaching (icon-elt 2023), 229–244. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-238476-120-3_21 zhu, b., & zhou, y. (2012). a study on students’ affective factors in junior high school english teaching. english language teaching, 5(7), 33– 41. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v5n7p33 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1201 the impact of documentary digital storytelling on critical thinking and reading skills in high school students lela awaliyah english language education, faculty of languages, arts and culture, universitas negeri yogyakarta, daerah istimewa yogyakarta email: lelaawaliyah.2023@student.uny.ac.id dwiyani pratiwi english language education, faculty of languages, arts and culture, universitas negeri yogyakarta, daerah istimewa yogyakarta email: dwiyani_pratiwi@uny.ac.id apa citation: awaliyah, l., & pratiwi, d. (2024). the impact of documentary digital storytelling on critical thinking and reading skills in high school students. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1201-1208. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10163 received: 26-06-2024 accepted: 21-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction education in today's digital era has undergone a significant transformation due to technological advances that affect the learning process (akour & alenezi, 2022). the integration of technology in modern education aims to improve students' conceptual understanding, critical skills, and thinking ability. one prominent technique in this regard is the use of digital storytelling through documentary videos, which has emerged as an interesting and potential method for strengthening reading comprehension and stimulating students' critical thinking (podara et al., 2021). a relevant reference supporting the use of documentary videos in education is the study by (h. l. chen & chuang, 2021), which highlights the importance of applying effective learning principles to reveal the full potential of web-based medical education. additionally, (ahmady & khani, 2022) discuss the different types of videos that can be used for educational purposes, ranging from instructional videos to fictional movies. (mohammed et al., 2024) highlights a storytelling style that resembles one-on-one conversations in vlogs, which can be used to create educational content and transmit knowledge beyond the scope of personal experience. meanwhile, research by (zhao, 2021) shows that instructional videos are used to introduce new skills, knowledge, or behaviors that must be learned. thus, the use of documentary videos in the form of digital storytelling can be an effective tool for improving student understanding, stimulating critical thinking, and strengthening the learning process in the digital era. digital storytelling, particularly through documentary videos, is an emerging educational tool that integrates visual, audio, and narrative elements to enhance students' critical thinking and reading comprehension (shahid & khan, 2022). this study aims to investigate how documentary video-based digital storytelling influences high school students' critical thinking skills, considering the moderating role of learning styles. previous research indicates the potential of digital storytelling to engage students emotionally and cognitively, but the interaction between learning styles and this educational method remains underexplored (kim & li, 2021). relevant references supporting the use of documentary video in digital storytelling include a study conducted by (chen et al., 2023), which highlights that digital storytelling allows almost anyone to use available hardware and software to connect personal stories with still images or movement, music, and sound, combined with the author's creativity and innovation. in addition, research by abstract: this study explores the impact of documentary video-based digital storytelling on developing critical thinking skills in high school students' reading comprehension, moderated by learning styles. using a quantitative experimental design, 60 students from yogyakarta state university were divided into control and experimental groups. results indicate that digital storytelling significantly enhances critical thinking, particularly for students with visual learning styles. the study highlights the importance of tailoring educational methods to students' learning preferences. keywords: documentary video; digital storytelling; critical thinking; reading comprehension; learning styles. mailto:lelaawaliyah.2023@student.uny.ac.id mailto:dwiyani_pratiwi@uny.ac.id lela awaliyah & dwiyani pratiwi the impact of documentary digital storytelling on critical thinking and reading skills in high school students 1202 (la rose & detlor, 2021) discussed that digital storytelling integrates stand-alone and first-person narratives with multimedia (such as images, music, narration, animation) to create 3-5 minute videos. additionally, (mojtahedzadeh et al., 2021) emphasize that digital storytelling can have a personal impact on the storyteller at an individual level. another reference (nair & yunus, 2021) shows that digital storytelling can be a very effective teaching tool for children of various ages and grade levels who are tasked with creating their own stories. therefore, the use of documentary videos in digital storytelling provides an engaging and effective approach to increasing student understanding, stimulating critical thinking, and strengthening student engagement in the learning process. the importance of reading and critical thinking skills at the upper secondary education level cannot be ignored. students at this level are not only able to understand the texts they read, but are also able to analyze, share, and synthesize information to develop their own ideas and opinions. critical thinking is a core skill that is not only useful in academic contexts, but also in everyday life and in their preparation for the future. relevant references supporting the importance of reading and critical thinking skills at the senior secondary education level include research by (arisoy & aybek, 2021) which highlights efforts to improve senior secondary students' critical thinking skills based on three different learning models. additionally, (raj et al., 2022) discussed the development of critical thinking skills through the analysis of a new management learning model for high schools in thailand. research by (yosepha et al., 2023) shows that multidimensional curriculum design can improve the higher-order thinking skills of elementary and middle school students. furthermore, research by (chesire et al., 2022) highlighted the importance of contextualizing critical thinking about health using digital technologies in secondary schools in kenya. each student has a unique learning style, which includes preferences in how they receive, process, and understand information. adapting teaching methods to student learning styles can optimize learning effectiveness (hassan et al., 2021). learning styles can vary from visual, auditory, kinesthetic, to text-based, influencing how students respond to various teaching techniques, including the use of digital storytelling. although previous research has demonstrated the benefits of using digital storytelling in improving students' reading skills and stimulating critical thinking, little research has specifically explored how students' learning styles moderate the influence of these techniques (al-shaye, 2021). therefore, this study aims to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the extent to which digital storytelling based on video documentaries influences the development of critical thinking in high school students' reading comprehension, taking into account differences in their learning styles by deepening the understanding of the interaction between digital storytelling, learning styles, and the development of students' critical thinking, it is hoped that this research can provide a valuable contribution in designing more inclusive and effective learning strategies. the results of this research can not only provide new theoretical insights but also have practical implications that can be applied in educational contexts to support students' academic success and personal development in this digital era. method this quantitative experimental study involved 60 high school students from yogyakarta state university, divided into an experimental group using documentary video-based digital storytelling and a control group using conventional methods. critical thinking skills were assessed using (hursen, 2021) test, and learning styles were identified using the felder-silverman learning style inventory. data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and anova to examine the effects and interactions. the population in this study consists of high school students in a large city in indonesia. the research sample was selected using purposive sampling. a total of two classes from one high school were selected, with one class serving as the experimental group and the other as the control group. each class consists of 30 students, so the total sample size is 60 students. this sample selection was based on similar demographic characteristics and academic levels. the critical thinking test used in this research is developed based on the components of critical thinking according to (sari et al., 2021). this test consists of 25 items on a likert scale, which includes aspects of clarification, analysis, inference, evaluation, and explanation. the learning style questionnaire used is the felder-silverman learning style inventory (fslsi), which consists of 44 items on a likert scale. this questionnaire will identify students' learning style preferences in four dimensions: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and textual. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1203 preparation. gather research permission from schools and ethics committees. select and train teachers who will implement digital storytelling in experimental groups. develop documentary videobased learning materials for the experimental group and conventional learning materials for the control group. implementation. pre-test: measure students' initial critical thinking abilities in both groups. implementation: experimental group: use digital storytelling-based learning methods with documentary videos for 8 weeks. control group: use conventional learning methods for 8 weeks. post-test: measure students' critical thinking abilities in both groups after the intervention. the collected data will be analyzed using the following statistical analysis techniques: descriptive test. to provide a general overview of the data distribution, including the mean, median, mode, and standard deviation of the pretest and post-test results. t-test. to compare the average difference in pre-test and post-test results between the experimental group and the control group. this test will determine whether there are significant differences in the development of critical thinking between the two groups. the content validity of the research instrument will be evaluated by experts in the field of education to ensure that the instrument covers all relevant aspects of critical thinking, reading comprehension, and learning styles. additionally, construct validity testing will be conducted using factor analysis. instrument reliability the reliability of the instrument will be tested using cronbach's alpha coefficient to ensure internal consistency of the critical thinking test, reading comprehension test, and learning style questionnaire. a cronbach's alpha value above 0.70 is considered reliable. this research will comply with research ethical standards, which include: informed consent: students and parents/guardians will be provided with complete information about the purpose, procedures, benefits, and risks of the study, and they will provide written consent prior to participation. confidentiality: student personal data will be kept confidential and used only for research purposes. anonymity: student identities will be kept confidential in research reports. results and discussion normality test results the normality test aims to determine whether the sample data comes from a normally distributed population or not. data that are suitable for use in this research are those with a normal distribution. in this study, the shapiro-wilk normality test was conducted using the spss application. the shapiro-wilk test was chosen because the sample size in one class was <50. the decision criteria are as follows: if the shapiro-wilk test yields a significant value above 0.05, then the residuals are normally distributed. if the shapiro-wilk test yields a significant value below 0.05, then the residuals are not normally distributed. table 1. tests of normality tests of normality group kolmogorov-smirnova shapiro-wilk statistic df sig. statistic df sig. posttest control .114 30 .200* .941 30 .097 experiment .118 30 .200* .966 30 .426 pretest control .150 30 .085 .893 30 .006 experiment .144 30 .117 .895 30 .006 *. this is a lower bound of the true significance. a. lilliefors significance correction based on the test results, it is known that each variable's data is normally distributed with shapiro-wilk scores >0.05. homogeneity test the homogeneity test is used to determine whether the data from the research results in the experimental and control classes have the same variance or not. it is considered to have the same variance (homogeneous) if the significance level is ≥ 0.05, and if the significance level is < 0.05, then the data is concluded to have different variances (non-homogeneous). the table presenting the results of the homogeneity test is provided below. lela awaliyah & dwiyani pratiwi the impact of documentary digital storytelling on critical thinking and reading skills in high school students 1204 table 2. test of homogeneity of variances test of homogeneity of variances levene statistic df1 df2 sig. pretest based on mean 1.820 1 58 .183 based on median 1.968 1 58 .166 based on median and with adjusted df 1.968 1 57.029 .166 based on trimmed mean 1.799 1 58 .185 posttest based on mean .010 1 58 .921 based on median .026 1 58 .872 based on median and with adjusted df .026 1 57.675 .872 based on trimmed mean .017 1 58 .897 hypothesis testing after confirming that both classes are normally distributed and have homogeneous variances, a test of equality of two means is conducted using a twotailed t-test in the spss 23.0 for windows software with a significance level of 0.05. the decision criteria, according to santoso (septi, 2013:44), are as follows: if the probability value is > 0.05, then h0 is accepted. if the probability value is < 0.05, then h0 is rejected. t-test pretest table 3. pretest group statistics group n mean std. deviation std. error mean pretest control 30 81.3667 8.08781 1.47663 experiment 30 84.7000 10.20531 1.86323 the pretest results in the control group had a mean value of 81.36, while in the experimental group, the mean value was 84.7. these results indicate that the experimental group has a higher average score than the control group. table 4. independent samples test independent samples test levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pretest equal variances assumed 1.820 .183 -1.402 58 .166 -3.33333 2.37740 -8.09222 1.42555 equal variances not assumed -1.402 55.123 .166 -3.33333 2.37740 -8.09751 1.43084 based on the test results, it is known that the significance value (sig) is greater than 0.05. this means that there is no significant difference between the two groups tested at the 95% confidence level. post test table 5. post test group statistics group n mean std. deviation std. error mean english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1205 posttest control 30 83.7333 6.57547 1.20051 experiment 30 87.6333 6.59406 1.20390 the results of the study provide a description of the pairs of learning style scores analyzed, which include the average (mean) after treatment. after receiving treatment, the experimental group showed a better learning style improvement with an average of 87.63, while the control group showed less improvement than the experimental group with an average of 83.7. table 6. independent samples test levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper post test equal variances assumed .010 .921 -2.294 58 .025 -3.90000 1.70018 -7.30328 -.49672 equal variances not assumed -2.294 58.000 .025 -3.90000 1.70018 -7.30328 -.49672 table 7. table anova anova tests of between-subjects effects dependent variable: posttest source type iii sum of squares df mean square f sig. corrected model 718.348a 7 102.621 2.636 .021 intercept 369674.785 1 369674.785 9494.591 .000 gaya_belajar 434.054 4 108.514 2.787 .036 group 12.042 1 12.042 .309 .581 gaya_belajar * group 142.396 2 71.198 1.829 .171 error 2024.636 52 38.935 total 443241.000 60 corrected total 2742.983 59 a. r squared = .262 (adjusted r squared = .163) the learning style has a significance value of 0.036, which is <0.05. this indicates that there is a significant difference between the control and experimental groups based on learning style. therefore, the null hypothesis (h0) stating that there is no average difference between the groups based on learning styles is rejected. the group has a significance value of 0.581, which is greater than 0.05. this shows that there is no significant difference between the control group and the experimental group. therefore, the null hypothesis (h0) stating that there is no difference in means between the groups is accepted. the interaction between learning_style and group has a significance value of 0.171, which is greater than 0.05. this shows that there is no significant interaction between learning style and group. therefore, the null hypothesis (h0) stating that there is no significant interaction between learning style and group is accepted. results and interpretation learning style results indicate that students using documentary lela awaliyah & dwiyani pratiwi the impact of documentary digital storytelling on critical thinking and reading skills in high school students 1206 video-based digital storytelling showed significant improvement in critical thinking skills compared to the control group. learning styles moderated this effect, with visual learners benefiting the most. anova results confirmed significant differences based on learning styles but not between groups overall. these findings suggest that integrating digital storytelling in education can enhance critical thinking, especially when tailored to students' learning preferences. other studies also indicate that visual learners respond better to visual materials such as documentary videos (pem, 2022). however, research by (el-sabagh, 2021) did not find strong evidence supporting the effectiveness of adapting learning styles to specific teaching methods in improving learning outcomes. group (sig = 0.581) there were no significant differences between the control group and the treatment group. this suggests that membership in a particular group does not significantly impact the development of students' critical thinking abilities. research by (xu et al., 2023) suggests that the media itself does not heavily influence learning outcomes; rather, it is how the media is utilized. other research indicates that technology-based interventions require time and adaptation to demonstrate significant results. additionally, research by (çeken & taşkın, 2022) indicates that appropriate media can enhance learning, including critical thinking skills, when used correctly within a welldesigned learning context. interaction between learning style and group there was no significant interaction between learning style and group, indicating that the influence of learning style on students' critical thinking abilities was not affected by membership in a particular group. research by (mohamed et al., 2023) suggests that while learning style can influence learning outcomes, its effect may not always be significant in interactions with other variables such as treatment group. (jimola & ofodu, 2021) emphasize the importance of adapting learning styles to the environment and learning methods to achieve optimal results. conclusion this study concludes that documentary videobased digital storytelling enhances critical thinking skills in high school students, with significant effects moderated by learning styles. visual learners showed the greatest improvement, highlighting the importance of adapting educational methods to individual preferences. future research should explore the long-term effects of digital storytelling and its applicability across diverse educational contexts. additionally, examining other moderating factors such as technology access and teacher training could provide deeper insights. further research is needed to explore why the treatment group did not show significant results and how this method can be optimized for different groups of students. the use of mixed methods involving multiple learning styles and tailored learning strategies could be a focus for future research. references ahmady, s., & khani, h. (2022). the situational analysis of teaching-learning in clinical education in iran: a postmodern grounded theory study. bmc medical education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03577-3 akour, m., & alenezi, m. (2022). higher education future in the era of digital transformation. education sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12110784 al-shaye, s. (2021). digital storytelling for improving critical reading skills, critical thinking skills, and self-regulated learning skills. cypriot journal of educational sciences. https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v16i4.6074 arisoy, b., & aybek, b. (2021). the effects of subjectbased critical thinking education in mathematics on students’ critical thinking skills and virtues*. eurasian journal of educational research. https://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2021.92.6 çeken, b., & taşkın, n. (2022). multimedia learning principles in different learning environments: a systematic review. in smart learning environments. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561022-00200-2 chen, h. l., & chuang, y. c. (2021). the effects of digital storytelling games on high school students’ critical thinking skills. journal of computer assisted learning. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12487 chen, y. t., liu, m. j., & cheng, y. y. (2023). discovering scientific creativity with digital storytelling. journal of creativity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yjoc.2022.100041 chesire, f., ochieng, m., mugisha, m., ssenyonga, r., oxman, m., nsangi, a., semakula, d., nyirazinyoye, l., lewin, s., sewankambo, n. k., kaseje, m., oxman, a. d., & rosenbaum, s. (2022). contextualizing critical thinking about health using digital technology in secondary schools in kenya: a qualitative analysis. pilot and feasibility studies. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-022-01183-0 el-sabagh, h. a. (2021). adaptive e-learning environment based on learning styles and its english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1207 impact on development students’ engagement. international journal of educational technology in higher education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00289-4 hassan, m. a., habiba, u., majeed, f., & shoaib, m. (2021). adaptive gamification in e-learning based on students’ learning styles. interactive learning environments. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2019.158874 5 hursen, c. (2021). the effect of problem-based learning method supported by web 2.0 tools on academic achievement and critical thinking skills in teacher education. technology, knowledge and learning. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-02009458-2 jimola, d. f. e., & ofodu, g. o. (2021). sustaining learning during covid-19 seismic shift: the need to develop flexible pedagogy. interdisciplinary journal of education research. https://doi.org/10.51986/ijer-2021.vol3.01.02 kim, d., & li, m. (2021). digital storytelling: facilitating learning and identity development. journal of computers in education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-020-00170-9 la rose, t., & detlor, b. (2021). social work digital storytelling project: digital literacy, digital storytelling, and the makerspace. research on social work practice. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731521992427 mohamed, m. h., ibrahim, l. f., elmenshawy, k., & fadlallah, h. r. (2023). adaptive learning systems based on ilos of courses. wseas transactions on systems and control. https://doi.org/10.37394/23203.2022.18.1 mohammed, s. s., gagnon, m. m., & cummings, j. a. (2024). “you’re not alone”: how adolescents share dysmenorrhea experiences through vlogs. qualitative health research. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323231216654 mojtahedzadeh, r., mohammadi, a., emami, a. h., & zarei, a. (2021). how digital storytelling applied in health profession education: a systematized review. journal of advances in medical education and professionalism. https://doi.org/10.30476/jamp.2021.87856.1326 nair, v., & yunus, m. m. (2021). a systematic review of digital storytelling in improving speaking skills. in sustainability (switzerland). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179829 pem, k. (2022). can intensive use of motion graphics affect the visual learning mode in grade 8 students and to what extent? contributors 3 president’s message 4 editor’s message 6 challenging interpretosis in science through educational research: an ally in deleuze, 59(2). https://doi.org/10.62915/2157-0396.2502 podara, a., giomelakis, d., nicolaou, c., matsiola, m., & kotsakis, r. (2021). digital storytelling in cultural heritage: audience engagement in the interactive documentary new life. sustainability (switzerland). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031193 raj, t., chauhan, p., mehrotra, r., & sharma, m. (2022). importance of critical thinking in the education. world journal of english language. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v12n3p126 sari, r. m., sumarmi, astina, i. k., utomo, d. h., & ridhwan. (2021). increasing students critical thinking skills and learning motivation using inquiry mind map. international journal of emerging technologies in learning. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i03.16515 shahid, m., & khan, m. r. (2022). use of digital storytelling in classrooms and beyond. journal of educational technology systems. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472395221112599 xu, e., wang, w., & wang, q. (2023). the effectiveness of collaborative problem solving in promoting students’ critical thinking: a metaanalysis based on empirical literature. in humanities and social sciences communications. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01508-1 yosepha, a., ali, m., wahyudin, d., & rusman. (2023). the role of multi-dimensional curriculum design in improving higher-order thinking skills. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.22.7.12 zhao, f. (2021). interviewer presence can affect learning with interview videos. e-learning and digital media. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042753021995312 lela awaliyah & dwiyani pratiwi the impact of documentary digital storytelling on critical thinking and reading skills in high school students 1208 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 363 enhancing students' argumentative writing through problem-based learning and critical thinking skills moh. yamin english education department, universitas lambung mangkurat, indonesia email: moh_yamin@ulm.ac.id apa citation: yamin, m. (2025). enhancing students' argumentative writing through problem-based learning and critical thinking skills. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 351363-370. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.9704 received: 12-09-2024 accepted: 19-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: this study aims to investigate whether the students who are treated using problem-based learning (pbl) with critical thinking have better writing ability than the students who are treated not using problembased learning (pbl) with critical thinking. the research design was quasi experimental. solomon three-group design was used because there were three groups conducted in this study to minimize the intervening variables that might affect the result of the study. mancova was used for data analysis. the study result says that problem-based learning (pbl) with critical thinking taught to the students was effective to increase students’ writing ability. their argumentative essay writings perform better in introduction (sig=0.00), main points (sig=0.01), critical thinking (sig=0.01), organization of (sig=0.03), style (sig=0.004), and mechanics (sig=0.03). this research is useful and meaningful for the teachers to use problem-based learning with critical thinking in teaching argumentative essay. for the next researchers who will research the relevant topic, this study result can be used for enriching their knowledge for researching argumentative essay, comparison and contrast essay, expository essay. keywords: argumentative essay; critical thinking; problem-based learning. introduction teaching writing based on critical thinking is needed to strengthen higher education students’ analysis competence. teaching means the process of interaction between the teacher and students in transferring knowledge in which the teacher facilitates the learning space for the students (gupta, 2019). teaching writing means the teacher should facilitate and guide the students on how to be able to write (rivas et al., 2022). it starts with how to write the introductory paragraph containing general statements and thesis statements, followed by a body of the essay and a concluding paragraph (hussain, 2019). in writing such text, students need critical thinking skills so that they can write critically. however, not many students have higher-order thinking skills. this is supported by tyas et al., (2020) and ichsan et al., (2019) who said that the low level of higher-order thinking skills the students have hinders their learning achievement. critical thinking should be paid attention to; it has the position of guiding to be able to solve any problems, build the framework to make any decisions and obtain the goal. because of that, it is viewed through two lenses to get the goal and to make a decision. when such a higher-order thinking skill is related to writing, it is important to state that it is interesting to study (malik, 2022). it should be remembered that critical thinking skills contribute to students’ ability to search for a topic, generate ideas to support the topic and discuss it from a wide perspective. indonesian students’ condition should be strengthened through critical thinking-based teaching writing (qablan et al., 2019). several studies have been conducted dealing with critical thinking in english foreign language (efl). özelçi & çalışkan (2019) view critical thinking as the ability of individuals to understand and make sense of the world and events and situations around them. efl teachers have their role to create a class situation in which the students can participate critically by questioning any issues around them. (godsell, 2022) views critical thinking taught to students through argumentative writing did not have a short-term effect on strengthening their way of thinking but being able to for longer periods may bring forth encouraging outcomes. critical thinking taught to students through writing has meaningful improvement in empowering metadiscourse, organizing the essay, and utilizing certain lexical items. it means that those who were enhanced with critical thinking in their writing had writing quality and critical thinking skills despite a low degree of relationship (altun & yildirim, 2023). an interesting study found by (awada & diab, 2023) is that the efl students’ weakness in writing argumentative essays coherently can be categorized as being weak moh. yamin enhancing students' argumentative writing through problem-based learning and critical thinking skills 364 in critical thinking skills. it is expected that getting critical thinking skills in argumentative writing assignments, it will drive the learners to be able to write coherently. the other features of critical thinking in writing are the ability to introduce the points related to the main idea to be written, the ability to explain why the ideas are important to write, and the ability to construct examples and analogies, clarifying and strengthening the ideas (yeh et al., 2023). yulia & budiharti (2019) in their study dealing with higher order thinking skills (hots) mention that it is very difficult to conduct hots in the teaching-learning process because the teachers themselves do not have a communicative way how to conduct the class. commonly, the teachers’ questions are in remembering level as lower order thinking skills (lots). it affects the way teachers teach english to their students. teaching students hots is a challenge. there is a different finding stating optimization of peer editing in increasing critical thinking skills with minimal error (muthmainnah, 2019). it is also supported by other studies stating that students gain critical thinking skills when using constructive controversy in writing an argumentative essay(ma & li, 2022). in building critical thinking, susilawati (2019) used explicit direct instruction (edi) to increase students’ critical thinking skills starting by explaining, modeling, demonstrating; presenting content; and using guided practice. the result is that assisting their argumentative essay writing improved (moghadam et al., 2023). it also occurs to etik et al., (2021) who recommend students the critical thinking skills in writing argumentative essays through a genre-based approach to writing instruction. this genre was also conducted by thongchalerm & jarunthawatchai (2020) stating that the genre-based approach is effective in the development of efl writing competence students. there is an achievement in the linguistic, genre, and writing performance and it gives contribution to learners’ communicative ability in writing. however, there is no critical thinking emphasized so pre-service english teachers have the capacity for critical thinking. it seems that most of the studies dealing with critical thinking and writing are researched separately. many approaches used in writing are only for writing competence as usual. the common weakness happening to those studies tends to offer the teaching approach fixed and this research is conducted as an effort to fill in the gap among the previous research. although aunurrahman et al., (2020) have done research dealing with the use of academic writing activities under a systemic functional linguistics genre-based approach to help improve tertiary english as foreign language students' critical thinking capacities, their results tend to students’ capacity in informationorganizing skills and dispositions of ct. in the use of a genre-based approach to teaching ct toward academic writing, they do not prefer students’ capacity in interpretation, application, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis competence. based on this consideration and to fill the research gap of the earlier studies, it is necessary to conduct a study (kök & duman, 2023) on teaching critical thinking through writing with the utilization of problem-based learning. problembased learning (pbl) is the way of teaching strategy in teaching writing to create students’ motivation to search for the topic and its implementation. enhancing problems for students is the initial step in teaching writing. students should be enhanced with the issues and relevant issues so that they are triggered to respond to the selected issue to discuss and to write. by having problems to solve, they will think and try to formulate what to do to deal with the problems faced. they will collect information as much as possible, and discuss and analyze it. therefore, a teacher should make learning goals to make the learners have a plan for learning achievement. consequently, students can share with their class to find the solution (moallem, 2019). (lonergan et al. (2022 and magaji (2021) in their study said pbl pedagogy improves the students’ critical thinking in writing. they become more adept at critically analyzing their rhetorical context. again it should be remembered that students’ critical thinking can be dug through through problem-based learning. it is a teaching strategy having a framework of teaching learners active, and progressive, and they are aware of efforts of finding out a solution to a problem. dealing with teaching writing, it facilitates students to grow up with the capacity to question anything considered a problem(s) to solve (aspat colle et al., 2023; rahmalia & utari, 2021). the novelty of this research is to combine the position of problem-based learning with critical thinking skills in teaching argumentative essays. the entry point is that this research aimed to measure the student’s achievement in their writing performance by obtaining the data quantitatively. as an effort to help and drive the students to think, formulate, and write the issue critically, this study was based on padmadewi et al. (2023) which was successful in treating the students with critical thinking skills in their writing essays. besides that, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 365 problem-based learning proposed by abdullah et al. (2022) was used in this study to implement the learning process of searching for issues to study and discuss in the students’ writing essays. this study aimed to investigate whether the students who are treated using problem-based learning (pbl) with critical thinking have better writing ability than the students who are treated not using problem-based learning (pbl) with critical thinking. method the design used was quasi experimental aiming to get the quantitative data from class experimental and control group treatment. the design depicted was solomon three-group design in which the researcher did the study based on the design of solomon three-group design adapted (edmonds & kennedy, 2017; ary et al., 2019). the researcher used a random selection from the five classes as the population. the next step was that the researcher used non-random assignment to determine the experimental group, the control, and the noncontrol groups. three groups from five classes were conducted in this study to minimize the intervening variables that might affect the result of the study. it is expected that the extraneous variables that might affect the internal validity of the study could be controlled. by doing this, this study was not the result of chance but has been designed in such a way. the result was that advanced writing a1 was the experimental group while advanced writing a2 was the control group and advanced writing a5 was the non-control group. advanced writing a1 and a2 were with the same lecturer, and advanced writing a5 was a different lecturer from a1 and a2. the research subject of advanced writing a1 was the experimental group while advanced writing a2 and advanced writing a5 were the control and non-control groups. the difference between control 1 and control 2 was located in how the lecturers taught during the class such his/her interaction with the students, delivered the material, and gave feedback to the students’ questions. as additional information, this research was conducted after the midterm test. because the two control classes did not get treatment, they were taught with the lecturing method. the instrument used in this study was writing test functioning to assess the students’ writing ability after treatment. there were two writing tests given to the students. the first one was used to see the students’ homogeneity in the control and experimental group and it was conducted as a pretest. the result was homogeneous. the other one was to see the students’ writing ability after treatment as a posttest. the posttest itself functioned to test the hypotheses. the next was the test reliability in which the results of the consistency test of the writing ability assessment from the pretest and posttest writing prompt consisted of 6 aspects, namely introduction, main points, critical thinking skills, organization, style, and mechanics resulting in a reliability value of more than 0.600 (reliability > 0.600) so that the assessment between 2 raters was stated: “consistent”. it means that there was no inter-rater reliability problem. the writing prompt is that the students are required to write an essay consisting of one introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and one concluding paragraph with at least 300 words. principally, either the pretest or posttest instrument was reliable to use for data collection. to analyze the data, mancova using spss 26.0 program was conducted. this test was chosen since it was used for three groups to compare the means of these groups and investigate one tested data which was the posttest (creswell, 2014). results and discussion the mancova test was carried out to compare the students of the experimental group (n = 25), control group 1 (n = 16), and control group 2 (n = 14) to the writing test score consisting of 6 indicators, namely (1) introduction, (2) main points, (3) critical thinking, (4) organization, (5) style, and (6) mechanics. before the mancova test was conducted, the assumption test was carried out on the research data through normality test, homogeneity of variance test, outliers test, linearity test, and multicollinearity test. the normality test using the kolmogorov-smirnov test showed data not normally distributed at a significance level of 5 percent. the univariate homogeneity test using levene's test showed the variance between treatment groups for each indicator homogeneous at a significance level of 5 percent. the multivariate homogeneity test with box's m test showed the variance between the treatment groups on all indicators homogeneous at a significance level of 5 percent. the outliers test using mahalanobis distance showed no outliers in the data. the linearity test using the correlation plot graph showed the form of the correlation between variables linear. the multicollinearity test using a correlation between dependent variables showed a correlation coefficient of less than 0.9 meaning there was no multicollinearity problem. moh. yamin enhancing students' argumentative writing through problem-based learning and critical thinking skills 366 the comparison result showed a significant difference between groups with f (12.94) = 2.97 and p <0.05. the partial eta squared value of 0.27 indicated a small effect between groups on the writing test score. the effect of the pretest result as a covariant showed an insignificant effect of the students' pretest score on the posttest score with f (6.46) = 1.99 and p > 0.05. the partial eta squared value of 0.21 indicated the small effect of the pretest value on the writing test score. it means that there was a significant difference among the groups of students getting treatment and nontreatment through problem-based learning with critical thinking skills focusing on introduction, main points, and critical thinking skills. the students in the experimental group did a better performance in writing argumentative essays dealing with composing a well-developed introduction with an attention grabber grabbing the reader’s interest and continuing to engage the reader up until the thesis statement. the thesis statement in identifying the problem clearly states the experience or event that is described as well as the effect on the writer. a conclusion effectively wraps up and restresses the importance of the thesis. in writing the main point or body paragraph, the students were successful in well-developed main points/topic sentences related directly to the thesis. supporting examples are concrete and detailed. they were able to distinguish the main idea from subordinate ideas appearing in the text. the ability to use the other references is strongly expressed. the analysis is developed with an effective point of view. besides that, the students succeeded in writing the thesis statement by identifying strong research problems; differentiating the main and supporting ideas; proposing arguments with analysis and synthesis in the body of the text; paraphrasing references and sources to strengthen the arguments; evaluating the evidence; making reflections and generating new insights dealing with the issue in conclusion. the study starts with the first research question “do the students who are treated using problembased learning (pbl) with critical thinking have better writing ability than the students who are treated not using problem-based learning (pbl) with critical thinking”. the statistical analysis was conducted through mancova using spss 20.0 program. this test was chosen since it was used for three groups to compare the means of these groups and investigate one tested data which is the posttest. the result is interesting that the students are successful in writing their argumentative essays seen from the introduction, main points, critical thinking, organization, style, and mechanics aspects. the students performed better in writing their argumentative essays. the underlying point is that the attendance of problem-based learning with critical thinking has the effect of changing the students’ performance in their argumentative essays. this condition is different from the student’s performance before they followed the writing class treated through problem-based learning with critical thinking in which their critical thinking framework is not critical. compared with the group either control group 1 or 2, they were able to write the argumentative essay sharply, composing their ideas in an argumentative. it means that their ability after getting treatment, the students were able to compose and arrange their logic in writing better and sharper. their ways of writing the ideas in the introduction show the achievement in understanding and implementing the steps in writing the introductory paragraph. their ways of writing starting from the general to the thesis statement were conducted orderly. enhancing the student's critical thinking through problem-based learning during the treatment has a good effect on forming their capacity for thinking, formulating, and writing ideas. it is in line with what has been researched by kardoyo et al., (2020) that problem-based learning based on critical thinking skills can improve students’ critical thinking skills. students are able to solve a given case by doing the right analysis and being able to provide alternative solutions. sholihah & lastariwati (2020) strengthen the finding dealing with problem-based learning that can improve one of the 21st-century competencies, namely critical thinking and problem-solving in the course subjects. the thing to remember is that critical thinking taught through problem-based learning is effective to condition the students’ ability in writing ability. karanja (2021) and (karanja, 2021b) say that there is a need for teaching critical thinking skills alongside basic writing skills in an argumentative writing course. whatever it is, critical thinking skills guide the learner to be able to write orderly based on the issue to discuss and write. through critical thinking skills, the students can write their ideas in deep analysis and discussion. therefore, it is necessary to use critical thinking in teaching writing to students as the main part of strengthening their writing skills. the condition is different from the control groups either control group 1 or 2 that do not get english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 367 treatment. they learn argumentative essays without critical thinking through problem-based learning. although there is a change or achievement, the effect happens because of practice, not the teaching model offered during the class meetings. therefore, their results of writing in the introductory paragraph are not as keen as the treatment group. their understanding and practice in writing the introductory paragraph are in the standard norms (janusheva et al., 2021; mohd khairi razali et al., 2023). principally, they have fulfilled the standards of the introductory paragraph. in feedback given to the student's assignments in control groups (vengadasalam, 2020), the teacher is limited to aligning the way of writing general and thesis statements what to do, and what to revise, not more than that. it also happens while writing the essay body embodied in main points in which they can write critically. they are able to formulate the standing position in the specific points and write them in a good essay body (alkhalek et al., 2019; sanu & samarinda, 2019; fleckenstein et al., 2020). what should be noted here is that the ability to change after getting treatment shows the achievement that can affect the students’ thinking way in formulating the points and writing them in the essay body. because the treatment group should be able to use the skills of analysis, synthesis, and paraphrasing, the three ones were taught and practiced during the meetings. the great achievement took place and the students have been able to use their skills in writing the essay body. three paragraphs should be written in the essay body, and the students conducted their writing activities. trang & anh (2020) say that the students who used critical thinking skills in their writing activities class have a positive side and feel satisfied. it affirms that critical thinking has a positive effect on the student's formation of their writing skills and achievement. what they write with critical thinking creates a positive atmosphere and it is the result of teaching problem-based learning with critical thinking skill. it is in line with what is researched by tahira & haider (2019) that the students are willing, and even enthusiastic to engage in critical thinking as part of their participation in writing class. it means that while writing the essay body, they have used critical thinking skills to compose well-established text. their writing ability through critical thinking skills changes their mindset of writing that is responsive to fact and data. it is a struggle for them to be able to produce the essay body critically (woodhouse & wood, 2022). they need to relate one sentence to another sentence cohesively and coherently in a paragraph and each paragraph (nindya & widiati, 2020). therefore, writing the essay body in many sentences in each paragraph was practiced during the treatment. the situation is not the same as the control groups either control group 1 or 2 that were taught conventionally in which the teacher taught them and enhanced the student's essay body consisting of arguments and counter-arguments. their ability to write the essay body was only taught and practiced to write the supporting sentences that strengthen the previous ideas and there is no skill of analysis, synthesis, and paraphrasing. although either the treatment group or control groups got the same feedback after submitting their assignments, the teacher gave feedback based on the group category because the experimental group was different in treatment from the control groups. dealing with the feedback on the student's assignments in the control groups, the teacher focused on how to write the argument and counterargument (alshomary et al., 2021). the different thing in the control groups is that the teacher gave comments when their writing assignment of body essays do not support each other among the paragraphs in the essay body (ishchenko & verkhovtsova, 2019; latifi et al., 2021). it means that the teacher was on track so the students worked on their writing activities well. their writing activities are instant and stay passive to be able to find other sources to strengthen their argumentation. as a result, their argumentation tends to copy-paste from what they have written before, making paraphrasing seem different. critical thinking as the main focus of this study also shows that the students in treatment groups have been able to do the best in interpreting the criteria of critical thinking in their writing activities of argumentative essays. although the three groups either experimental or control groups indicate the increase, the highest value is on the experimental group because it got treatment during the meetings. their critical thinking skills are empowered because of problem-based learning with critical thinking intervening in teaching activities (fitriani et al., 2022). therefore, the critical thinking achievement obtained during the treatment helps develop their capacity to process all information to use in their writing. empowering students to have their critical thinking skills as an effort to make them share their ideas in their writing activities is moh. yamin enhancing students' argumentative writing through problem-based learning and critical thinking skills 368 needed. it is in line with what is researched by pauzi & windiaryani 2021) stating that empowering students in the classroom entails them practicing ownership of texts and conducting conferences in the language classes in general, and in writing classes in particular, should be on both hierarchical and collaborative methods. as a result, critical thinking appears and helps the students in composing their ideas in the text. the other research was done by wahyuningsih (2019) stating empowering academic writing covers developing the cognitive skills of students by giving them academic literacy, activities of problem-solving, and innovation. it will attract them to use writing as a system of representation and communication. through these, their critical thinking skill comes out as the effort in writing. the problem-solving model can empower students' critical thinking skills (hassan et al., 2023; utami et al., 2019). what can be said here is that when the students are taught through problembased learning, it forms their thinking in responding to the issue and interpreting the issue. the students’ ability in critical thinking affects their analysis in writing the argumentative essay. it means that empowering the students with problembased learning aiming to produce the students’ writing ability in their argumentative essays is the need to accelerate the students’ capacity in writing. to write with critical thinking skills are required to be able to create an argumentative essay responding to the issue (neokleous et al., 2020; puyt et al., 2023) therefore, when critical thinking skills are embedded in the student's ability, it helps them in increasing their responsiveness to the issues. conclusion the implementation of problem-based learning with critical thinking in the teaching-learning process has proven effective in increasing the student’s ability to write argumentative essays. those who write argumentative essays as the result of problem-based learning with critical thinking processes in the class affect their way of writing, starting from formulating the research topic, topic sentence, and supporting sentences to a wellestablished introductory paragraph, followed by essay body and concluding paragraph. it means that the student’s ability to write critical writing in argumentative essays shows their result. this condition is different from the two classes as the control classes that do not intervene with problembased learning with critical thinking. generally, they do not show critical thinking in their argumentative essay. in other words, the students who do not get intervention in research treatment tend to be stagnant and do not have a significant result in their achievement. however, this study needs to be researched in the next research because this study is only limited to the critical thinking aspect and other aspects such as main points containing the original ideas and state of the art dealing with the idea written do not get finding and discussion in this study by considering limited time and chances. this issue is interesting to study and can be related to relevant argumentative essays, comparison and contrast essays, and expository essays for the sake of future research to respond to contextual issues in efl writing. references abdullah, h., harun, h., ab wahab, n., suo, y. j., & mohd ali, m. a. (2022). teaching english for academic purposes through project-based learning method and process writing approach. al-azkiyaa jurnal antarabangsa bahasa dan pendidikan, 1(1), 8-16. https://doi.org/10.33102/alazkiyaa.v1i1.8 alkhalek, a., rubiaee, m., darus, s., & bakar, n. a. (2019). the effect of writing knowledge on efl students’ ability in composing argumentative essays. arab world english journal (awej), 10(4), 263–287. alshomary, m., syed, s., dhar, a., potthast, m., & wachsmuth, h. (2021). argument undermining: counter-argument generation by attacking weak premises. findings of the association for computational linguistics: acl-ijcnlp 2021. altun, e., & yildirim, n. (2023). what does critical thinking mean? examination of pre-service teachers’ cognitive structures and definitions for critical thinking. thinking skills and creativity, 49, e101367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.101367 ary, d., jacobs, l. c., irvine, c. k. s., & walter, d. a. (2019). introduction to research in education (10th ed). aspat colle, a. t. l., nurnia, n., & rabiah, r. (2023). improving the students’ writing skills by integrating problem-based learning (pbl) with teaching at the right level (tarl) approach in class 7. c of smp-tq mu’adz bin jabal. journal of english language learning, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.31949/jell.v7i1.5624 aunurrahman, hamied, f. a., & emilia, e. (2020). teaching critical thinking through academic writing to tertiary efl students in pontianak indonesia: an utilization of a genre-based approach. the asian efl journal quarterly, 24(4), 6–25. awada, g. m., & diab, n. m. (2023). effect of online peer review versus face-to-face peer review on argumentative writing achievement of efl english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 369 learners. computer assisted language learning, 36(1–2). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1912104 creswell, j. w. (2014). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches (2nd ed.). edmonds, w. a., & kennedy, t. d. (2017). an applied guide to research designs: quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods (2nd ed.). sage publications ltd. etik, lustyantie, n., & emzir. (2021). critical thinking in exposition writing: numbered head together or more effective cooperative script? turkish journal of computer and mathematics education, 12(13), 2792–2798. fitriani, h., samsuri, t., rachmadiarti, f., raharjo, r., & mantlana, c. d. (2022). development of evaluative-process learning tools integrated with conceptual-problem-based learning models: study of its validity and effectiveness to train critical thinking. international journal of essential competencies in education, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.36312/ijece.v1i1.736 fleckenstein, j., meyer, j., jansen, t., keller, s., & köller, o. (2020). is a long essay always a good essay? the effect of text length on writing assessment. frontiers in psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.562462 godsell, s. (2022). teaching critical thinking and voice in history essays: a spiderweb tool. south african journal of childhood education, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v12i1.1255 gupta, a. (2019). principles and practices of teaching english language learners. international education studies, 12(7), 49. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v12n7p49 hassan, a., alawawda, m., alzahrani, f., & naz, n. (2023). developing an esp-based language learning environment to help students improve critical thinking skills in written output. information sciences letters, 12(4). https://doi.org/10.18576/isl/120431 hussain, s. s. (2019). strategies for teaching academic writing to saudi l2 learners. english language teaching, 12(12), 1. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n12p1 ichsan, i. z., sigit, d. v., miarsyah, m., ali, a., arif, w. p., & prayitno, t. a. (2019). hots-aep: higher order thinking skills from elementary to master students in environmental learning. european journal of educational research, 8(4), 935–942. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.8.4.935 ishchenko, o., & verkhovtsova, o. (2019). peer feedback versus traditional teaching. journal of english teaching (jet), 5(2), 115–124. janusheva, v., pejchinovska, m., & talevski, j. d. (2021). towards the criteria and indicators for essay assessment. journal plus education, 28(1). karanja, l. (2021a). teaching critical thinking in a college-level writing course: a critical reflection. international online journal of education and teaching, 8(1), 229–249. karanja, l. (2021b). teaching critical thinking in a college-level writing course: a critical reflection. international online journal of education and teaching, 8(1), 229–249. kardoyo, nurkhin, a., muhsin, & pramusinto, h. (2020). problem-based learning strategy: its impact on students’ critical and creative thinking skills. european journal of educational research, 9(3), 1141–1150. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.9.3.1141 kök, f. z., & duman, b. (2023). the effect of problembased learning on problem solving skills in english language teaching. journal of pedagogical research, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.33902/jpr.202318642 latifi, s., noroozi, o., & talaee, e. (2021). peer feedback or peer feedforward? enhancing students’ argumentative peer learning processes and outcomes. british journal of educational technology, 52(2), 768–784. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13054 lonergan, r., cumming, t. m., & o’neill, s. c. (2022). exploring the efficacy of problem-based learning in diverse secondary school classrooms: characteristics and goals of problem-based learning. international journal of educational research, 112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2022.101945 ma, f., & li, y. (2022). critical thinking ability and performance in argumentative essays of the education major students. theory and practice in language studies, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1201.17 magaji, a. (2021). promoting problem-solving skills among secondary science students through problem based learning. international journal of instruction, 14(4), 549–566. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14432a malik, m. m. (2022). what is critical thinking? (issue january). https://doi.org/10.13140/rg.2.2.35191.96165 moallem, m. (2019). effects of pbl on learning outcomes, knowledge acquisition, and higher‐ order thinking skills. in m. moallem, w. hung, & n. dabbagh (eds.), the wiley handbook of problem-based learning (pp. 107–134). john wiley & sons, inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119173243.ch18 moghadam, z. b., narafshan, m. h., & tajadini, m. (2023). the effect of implementing a critical thinking intervention program on english language learners’ critical thinking, reading comprehension, and classroom climate. asianpacific journal of second and foreign language education, 8(1), e1883. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-023-00188-3 mohd khairi razali, abdul rahim, a. a., & khamis, n. y. (2023). mind-mapping strategy in process moh. yamin enhancing students' argumentative writing through problem-based learning and critical thinking skills 370 writing approach: idea extension evidence for introductory paragraph. international journal of language education and applied linguistics, 13(2), e9433. https://doi.org/10.15282/ijleal.v13i2.9433 muthmainnah, n. (2019). optimizing critical thinking skill through peer. eltin journal, 7(1), 1–7. neokleous, g., krulatz, a., & farelly, r. (2020). handbook of research on cultivating literacy in diverse and multilingual classrooms. in advances in educational technologies and instructional design (aetid) book series. nindya, m. a., & widiati, u. (2020). cohesive devices in argumentative essays by indonesian efl learners. journal on english as a foreign language, 10(2), 337–358. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v10i2.1949 özelçi, s. y., & çalışkan, g. (2019). what is critical thinking? a longitudinal study with teacher candidates. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 8(3), 495–509. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v8i3.20254 padmadewi, n. n., artini, l. p., ratminingsih, n. m., suhardiana, i. p. a., zamzam, a., & juniarta, p. a. k. (2023). designing project-based learning in research proposal writing: its effect, problems, and scaffolding utilized. studies in english language and education, 10(2), e27408. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i2.27408 pauzi, r. y., & windiaryani, s. (2021). the critical thinking skills on global warming issue: effect of the socio-scientific problems approach on problem-solving toward student’s. biosfer, 14(2), e19963. https://doi.org/10.21009/biosferjpb.19963 puyt, r. w., lie, f. b., & wilderom, c. p. m. (2023). the origins of swot analysis. long range planning, 56(3), e102304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2023.102304 qablan, f., şahin, m., & hashim, h. (2019). critical thinking in education: the case in palestine. turquoise international journal of educational research and social studies, 1(1), 20–27. rahmalia, i., & utari, s. (2021). the effect of project based learning (pbl) in writing skill. edulia: english education, linguistic and art journal, 1(2), e2347. https://doi.org/10.31539/edulia.v1i2.2347 rivas, s. f., saiz, c., & ossa, c. (2022). metacognitive strategies and development of critical thinking in higher education. frontiers in psychology, 13, e9132189. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.913219 sanu, l. o., & samarinda, i. (2019). the current issues of indonesian efl students’ writing skills: ability, problem, and reason in writing comparison and contrast essay. dinamina ilmu, 19(1), 57–73. sholihah, t. m., & lastariwati, b. (2020). problem based learning to increase competence of critical thinking and problem solving. journal of education and learning (edulearn), 14(1), 148– 154. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v14i1.13772 susilawati, a. y. & c. (2019). promoting students ’ critical thinking in writing persuasive text through explicit direct instruction (edi). journal of english language studies, 4(2), 140–158. tahira, m., & haider, g. (2019). the role of critical thinking in academic writing: an investigation of efl students’ perceptions and writing experiences. international online journal of primary education, 8(1), 1–30. thongchalerm, s., & jarunthawatchai, w. (2020). the impact of genre based instruction on efl learners’ writing development. international journal of instruction, 13(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.1311a trang, n. h., & anh, k. h. (2020). impact of teaching critical thinking tasks for enhancing paragraph writing performance of efl learners. international journal of education and practice, 8(4), 784– 803. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.61.2020.84.784. 803 tyas, m. a., nurkamto, j., & marmanto, s. (2020). cultivating students’ higher order thinking skills in efl classes: the role of the teacher and the textbook. international online journal of education and teaching (iojet), 7(1), 267-276`. utami, b., probosari, r. m., saputro, s., ashadi, & masykuri, m. (2019). empowering critical thinking skills with problem solving in higher education. journal of physics: conference series, 1280(3), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1280/3/032047 vengadasalam, s. sen. (2020). transformative pedagogy and student voice. journal of effective teaching in higher education, 3(2), 95-104. https://doi.org/10.36021/jethe.v3i2.95 wahyuningsih, s. (2019). empowering academic writing skills in millennial era: the role of english program for bidikmisi students. the 2nd national telcecon, 108–114. https://doi.org/10.31227/osf.io/2nj8w woodhouse, j., & wood, p. (2022). creating dialogic spaces: developing doctoral students’ critical writing skills through peer assessment and review. studies in higher education, 47(3), 643–655. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1779686 yeh, h. c., yang, s. hsien, fu, j. s., & shih, y. c. (2023). developing college students’ critical thinking through reflective writing. higher education research and development, 42(1), e2043247. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2022.2043247 yulia, y., & budiharti, f. r. (2019). hots in teacher classroom interaction: a case study. edulite: journal of english education, literature and culture, 4(2), 132140. https://doi.org/10.30659/e.4.2.132-141 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 573 analysis of students' reading strategies based on gender at sman 3 batusangkar febri yendoris1 & havid ardhi2 1,2magister program of english language education, faculty of languages and arts, universitas negeri padang, indonesia corresponding author: febriyendoris@gmail.com apa citation: yendoris, f., & ardhi, h. (2025). analysis of students' reading strategies based on gender at sman 3 batusangkar. english review: journal of english education, received: 27-02-2024 accepted: 28-04-2024 published: 30-06-2025 abstract: the ability to read well is very important for students to understand and process information effectively, especially in the context of learning. reading ability is closely related to the strategies used by students, where the better the strategy used, the better the information obtained. this study aims to analyze the differences in reading strategies based on gender in class xi students at sman 3 batusangkar. using a comparative descriptive research design, three reading strategy variables global (glob), support (sup), and problem solving (prob) were analyzed. the results showed that male and female students used similar reading strategies, with average scores ranging from 54.0 to 63.5. male students tended to excel more in the sup and glob strategies, while female students excelled more in the prob strategy, although the difference was relatively small. the study concluded that although there were differences in strategy use based on gender, the differences were not statistically significant. this finding indicates that gender is not the main determining factor in students' choice of reading strategies. keywords: reading strategy; gender; global; problem solving; support. introduction reading is one of the important aspects that need to be mastered because reading is the foundation of learning cross-disciplinary subjects. the ability to read is very important for finding a job or going to college. the ability to read plays an important role in improving individual life, abilities in school, and it is important to support the development of a country, because the ability to read provides many benefits, including adding to the repertoire of knowledge, opening up new information, the ability to explain new information to others, increase concentration, and also for entertainment (rintaningrum, 2019). one way to improve reading skills is by applying the right reading strategies. reading strategies refer to techniques or approaches used to facilitate the process of understanding texts effectively and efficiently. some commonly used reading strategies include skimming to get an overview, scanning to find specific information, and inferencing to understand the implied meaning in the text (brown, 2007). in addition, metacognitive strategies such as monitoring and self-questioning also help students control and evaluate their comprehension during reading (o'malley & chamot, 1990). by using appropriate reading strategies, students can overcome various challenges in understanding texts, enriching vocabulary, and improving critical thinking skills. therefore, the implementation of reading strategies integrated in learning can be an effective solution to support the development of students' reading skills (grabe & stoller, 2013). morever, reading is an essential basic skill in english language learning, and reading strategies play an important role in improving this skill. based on mokhtari and reichard's (2002) theory, reading strategies are classified into three main categories, namely global reading strategies, problem-solving reading strategies, and support reading strategies. global reading strategies include planned approaches such as identifying the purpose of reading, previewing the text, and relating prior knowledge to understand the text as a whole. problem-solving strategies, on the other 8 13(2), 573-582. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11820 febri yendoris & havid ardhi analysis of students' reading strategies based on gender at sman 3 batusangkar 574 hand, involve techniques to overcome difficulties while reading, such as reading slowly, using context to interpret difficult words, and rereading poorly understood parts of the text. meanwhile, supporting strategies include additional activities such as taking notes, using a dictionary, and discussing the content of the text to strengthen comprehension. these three categories complement each other, with global reading strategies helping to design a structured approach, problem-solving strategies supporting students to face challenges, and supporting strategies enriching the reading experience. mokhtari and reichard's (2002) research shows that the application of effective reading strategies can improve text comprehension, enrich vocabulary, and build critical thinking skills, thus supporting students' success in reading english texts. interestingly, the application of these reading strategies can be influenced by gender factors. some studies show that female students tend to use global and supportive reading strategies more often due to their more organized and reflective approach to reading, whereas male students rely more often on problem-solving strategies to overcome specific challenges in the text (sheorey & mokhtari, 2001). compared to boys, girls read more. while there are no gender differences in reading activity during school hours, females read more outside of school, on the weekends, and on vacations than boys (smith & reimer, 2024). in addition, research by poole (2005) revealed that gender differences also influence reading strategy preferences based on the type of text at hand, where women tend to be more in-depth in reading descriptive texts, while men are more focused on finding specific information. by understanding these differences, teachers can design more inclusive and effective reading instruction strategies to support students' reading ability. reading performance between members of the two gender groups, and that only the female group demonstrated a significant, if little, positive benefit from a short quantity of leisure reading of magazines and newspapers. furthermore, female students benefited more from leisure reading for more than two hours per day, whilst male students appeared to benefit more from one to two hours per day (hu et al, 2024). texts with male-attributed themes, masculine protagonists, and more challenging texts piqued the interest of boys more than others. on the other hand, only text complexity had an impact on females' attention. although it was stronger for males than for girls, there was a substantial correlation between text-based interest and reading comprehension (lepper et al, 2022). despite the small effect size values, significant gender differences were found in the use of support strategies, problem-solving techniques, and total scores, with female students outperforming men on average. there was no gender difference seen in self-assessed online reading ability or online english proficiency. significant gender variations in overall and support methods were found among the less proficient readers, but no significant gender differences were seen among the proficient readers. it was shown that pupils' love of reading had a greater indirect impact on reading success in girls than in boys (rianto, 2021; nalipay et al, 2020). there are studies that have been conducted that discuss students' reading strategies. rusgandi (2023) conducted research on whether reading strategies can improve reading skills and his research showed that reading strategies that are appropriately used by students. tursinbaevna (2023) stated that mastery of reading strategies contributes greatly to helping students acquire the necessary knowledge and overcome learning difficulties. in the context of language learning, isaqjon (2022) emphasized that improved reading strategies can increase students' comprehension, while nurdianingsih (2021) pointed out that the selection of strategies that are in line with teaching materials, syllabus, and curriculum not only facilitates text comprehension but also encourages interaction between students. after engaging in literature-based activities based on readerresponse theory, students' reading and critical thinking abilities considerably improved. (kaowiwattanakul, 2021). in addition, linda et al. (2015) found that the integration of metacognitive reading strategies and increased student awareness of these strategies can significantly improve reading comprehension. thus, reading strategies not only help students overcome learning difficulties, but also become an important basis in the development of effective and collaborative language learning. one well-known and studied component of reading comprehension is the significance of prior knowledge (smith at al, 2021). the pupils' reading comprehension improved as a result of using reading strategies. the students' views toward scanning, skimming, making predictions, and asking questions were positive, and they were able to use these techniques to improve their comprehension of the book (banditvilai, 2020; gustanti & ayu, 2021; erya & english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 575 pustika, 2021; rahman et al, 2022). reading aloud as one of the reading strategies seems to be a powerful tool for enhancing language development and acquisition in the classroom, and it also enhances several language sub-dimensions later in life. (senawati et al, 2021; batini et al, 2020; ceyhan & yıldız, 2021; supraba et al, 2020; bartolucci & batini, 2020; woolnough et al, 2022; conradi et al, 2022; gehlot et al, 2020; duncan & freeman, 2020). another reading strategy is scanning and skimming, both scanning and skimming appear to be simple reading techniques. students' understanding of reading assignments is improved when skimming and scanning techniques are used. when examining indonesian pupils, it was discovered that scanning and skimming had a beneficial impact on their reading comprehension, particularly when it came to speed reading and reading enhancement. to sum up, skimming and scanning techniques are effective in cutting down on the amount of time spent on reading assignments. (fatmawan et al, 2023; sandi, 2020; azmi et al, 2020; abidin, 2020; dhillon et al, 2020; mambua, 2020; agustin et al, 2023; gulo, 2020; afriani & wijaya, 2022; rosmarie & mualimin, 2020; wandira et al, 2023)beside that, there is extensive reading strategy, students who read extensively see improvements in their reading comprehension and fluency. it is known that extensive reading (er) improves efl learners' english skills. few studies have explicitly examined reading speed during emergency room encounters, despite the fact that comprehending speed is crucial for examining reading behavior (mo, 2021; osman, 2021; monica & soplantila, 2024; prayuda et al, 2023; hidayat & rohati, 2020; katemba & tomatala 2024; permatasari & wienanda, 2023; huynh, 2022; suk, 2024; riswanto et al, 2023). reading strategies are an important component of the reading process that involves recognizing written symbols and comprehension using schemata, contextual clues, and other skills. reading is not just about receiving information, but also involves an active activity in which readers use strategies and knowledge to deeply understand the text (villanueva, 2022). in this process, readers often predict and frame information based on their language experience and knowledge (dangin, 2020). the use of appropriate strategies enables readers to gain more effective comprehension, ultimately contributing to the achievement of functional literacy which is essential for individual development in educational and social contexts. skilled readers demonstrate the ability to use various reading strategies flexibly before, during, and after reading to improve their reading comprehension and effectiveness (li & kaur, 2014). these strategies, such as connecting new information to existing schemata or using contextual clues, help them understand the text better compared to less skilled readers. while less successful readers often use strategies inappropriately, effective readers are able to apply strategies in relevant and appropriate ways (khoshsima & samani, 2015) therefore, an understanding of reading strategies is important to help learners improve their reading skills systematically. according to (mokhtari & reichard, 2002), reading strategies are conscious actions that readers use to improve text comprehension, which are grouped into three main categories. global reading strategies (glob) involve planning and analyzing the entire text, such as setting reading goals and recognizing text structure. problemsolving strategies (prob) are used to overcome comprehension difficulties, such as rereading or slowing down reading speed. support reading strategies (sup) involve external aids, such as taking notes or using a dictionary, to support comprehension and retention of information. these three strategies interact with each other and help readers read more effectively, with an emphasis on the reader's awareness of when and how to apply them. method this study used a quantitative approach with a comparative descriptive design. the population of the study was grade xi students at sman 3 batusangkar, with samples obtained from two different classes, namely class f3 and class f5. moreover, the data obtained from 55 students 23 female students and 32 male students.data were collected through a reading strategy questionnaire that included three aspects, namely global (glob), support (sup), and problem solving (prob) strategies. data analysis was conducted using statistical tests to compare the mean scores of reading strategies between male and female students. table 1. the questionnaire of reading strategy no statements scores reasons febri yendoris & havid ardhi analysis of students' reading strategies based on gender at sman 3 batusangkar 576 reading strategies never (1) rarely (2) sometimes (3) often (4) always (5) 1 glob 13 2 prob 8 3 sup 9 based on (turner et al., 2021) validity is very important in an instrument, an instrument has a collection of evidence to confirm the validity of an instrument. content validity was determined by expert judgment. researchers discussed instruments that have been developed with experts and improved according to their directions. after the instrument is valid, the instrument is given to the sample. furthermore the data from the questionnaire were analyzed by researchers so that it becomes a percentage by using the percentages formula the researcher looks at the percentage scores. the formula is as follows: 𝐹 𝑁 𝑋 100 note: f : score for each strategy n : score maximal the next step in analyzing data is to find the average value after the percentage score found for each reading strategy using the formula: �̅� 𝜀𝑥 𝑛 note: �̅� : mean score 𝜀𝑥 : the total of percentages n : number of percentages after analyzing the research findings will be displayed on the research results so that researchers make conclusions from the research that has been done. results and discussion the following are the data findings that have been obtained after distributing questionnaire to male and female students in class xi at sma n 3 batusangkar. after being analyzed using the formulas previously explained, the results obtained are as follows: table 2. the data finding class gender number reading strategy max scores glob prob sup xi f 3 male 25 63.2 60.6 63.4 100 female 5 60.9 62.1 63.5 100 xi f 5 male 7 59.7 54.0 59.6 100 female 18 62.6 60.6 59.4 100 in the table above are the research findings of reading strategies used by class xi students. the results above are the average scores for each gender in each class. the first male students totaling 25 people in class xi f 3 got the highest score on the sup strategy where the average score was 63.4 but did not differ much from the glob strategy which was 63.2, and the lowest score was prob with an average score of 60.6. while male students in class xi f 5 amounted to only 7 students, the highest score was the glob strategy with a score of 59.7 this is also not much different from the sup strategy the score is 59.6, and the score for the prob strategy is 54.0. on the other hand, female students in class xi f 3 totaling 5 students had the highest score on the sup strategy with a score of 63.5, followed by the prob strategy with a score of 62.1 and the lowest score was 60.9, namely the glob strategy. whereas in class xi f 5 there were more female students, namely 18 people, and the highest reading strategy used was the glob strategy which obtained an average score of 62.6, after that the prob strategy with a score of 60.6, and the lowest score was the sup strategy with a score of 59.4. the range of average scores on each strategy is not so far, namely the lowest average score is 54.0 and the highest is 63.5, it can be concluded that male and female students in class xi at sman batusangkar have similarities in using reading strategies. the comparison between reading strategies for male and female students can be seen in the following table: table 3. the differences between male dan female students' reading strategy strategies genders differences english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 577 male (32) female (23) glob 63.5 61.9 + 1.6 prob 58.5 61.6 3.2 sup 63.6 59.4 + 4.2 in the table above there are 32 male students and 23 female students in class xi sman batusangkar. based on the calculation of the overall average reading strategy, male students have an advantage in the sup strategy with an average score of 63.6, which is 4.2 higher than female students who obtained an average score of 59.4. similarly, in the glob strategy, male students were slightly superior with an average score of 63.5 compared to female students who obtained 61.9, with a small difference of 1.6. in contrast, in the prob strategy, female students showed superiority with an average score of 61.6, which was 3.2 higher than male students who had an average score of 58.5. this suggests that male students tend to be more effective in using the sup and glob strategies, while female students are stronger in utilizing the prob strategy. although there were variations in the scores of each strategy, the range of differences was relatively small, so it can be concluded that male and female students have similar patterns of using reading strategies with some specific advantages in each group. these findings are in line with some previous studies that have explored gender differences in reading strategies. for instance, zhang and zhang (2013) found that although male and female students may show slight differences in their preference for certain reading strategies, these differences did not significantly affect their overall reading performance. this supports the current research conclusion that gender does not play a decisive role in determining the effectiveness of reading strategies. similarly, sheorey and mokhtari (2001) revealed that gender differences in reading strategy use are often insignificant, and male and female students tend to use a combination of strategies depending on the context and demands of the reading task. this is consistent with the findings at sman batusangkar, where both genders used a combination of glob, sup, and prob strategies with comparable effectiveness. however, some studies have reported different findings. for example, oxford (1993) stated that female students tend to use more metacognitive and problem-solving strategies compared to male students, who may rely more on global strategies. this contrasts with the current study, where male students in class xi f 3 scored higher on sup and glob, while female students in class xi f 5 scored higher on glob and prob. this difference may be due to differences in cultural, educational, or contextual factors that influence reading strategy preferences. phakiti (2003) also highlighted that the use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies can vary greatly depending on the learning environment and individual student characteristics, which could explain the small variations observed in this study. the minimal differences observed in this study may also be explained by the relatively small sample size and the specificity of only sman 3 batusangkar. factors such as teaching methods, curriculum design, and the socio-cultural environment of the school may contribute to the similarity of strategy use between male and female students. mokhtari and reichard (2002) emphasized that metacognitive awareness of reading strategies is influenced by instructional practices, which could explain why students in this study showed similar patterns of strategy use regardless of gender. in addition, alsheikh and mokhtari (2011) found that native and non-native speakers of english used the same reading strategies when faced with comparable reading tasks, which suggests that task demands and instructional context play a more important role than gender. the range of mean scores (54.0-63.5) indicates that students in this study generally used reading strategies with moderate effectiveness, regardless of gender. this finding is supported by pardo (2004), who states that effective reading comprehension depends more on the application of strategic reading techniques than inherent gender differences. grabe and stoller (2013) further emphasized that reading strategies are dynamic and adaptable, with students adjusting their approach based on the complexity of the text and their familiarity with the subject matter. this is in line with the current study's observation that students use a combination of strategies, reflecting their ability to adapt to different reading tasks. karbalaei (2010) compared metacognitive reading strategies used by efl and esl readers and found that cultural and educational backgrounds significantly influenced strategy preferences. this may explain why students at sman 3 batusangkar, who shared the same cultural and educational context, showed minimal febri yendoris & havid ardhi analysis of students' reading strategies based on gender at sman 3 batusangkar 578 gender-based differences in reading strategy use. similarly, baker and beall (2009) highlighted that metacognitive processes, such as planning, monitoring, and evaluating, are essential for reading comprehension and are often developed through consistent practice and instruction, rather than being inherently related to gender. conclusion in conclusion, the findings from this study support the notion that gender differences in reading strategy use tend to be small and contextdependent. although slight variations exist, they do not have a significant impact on students' overall reading performance. this highlights the importance of focusing on individual differences and contextual factors rather than gender when designing reading instruction and interventions. future research could explore the influence of additional variables, such as motivation, learning environment, and teaching practices, to gain a deeper understanding of how reading strategies are developed and used by students. grade xi students at sman 3 batusangkar have diversity in using reading strategies, with relatively similar patterns between male and female students. nonetheless, there are differences in average scores on certain types of strategies, where male students tend to excel on sup and glob strategies, while female students excel more on prob strategies. overall, the sup and glob strategies were used more by male students, while female students used the prob strategy more frequently. however, the difference in scores between strategies is still within a relatively small range, indicating that all students have a tendency to adopt similar reading strategies. this further indicates that male and female students have a tendency to adopt similar reading strategies, without any significant gender-based differences in their overall approach to reading. this finding suggests that factors other than gender, such as teaching methods, individual learning preferences, or contextual influences, may play a more prominent role in shaping students' use of reading strategies. therefore, educators should focus on fostering a supportive learning environment that encourages the development of diverse reading strategies for all students, regardless of gender. references abidin, a. z. (2020). students reading comprehension through scanning technique. journal of asian multicultural research for educational study, 1(1), 28-35. afriani, i. a. h., & wijaya, n. r. (2022). the impact of skimming & scanning techniques on students reading comprehension of descriptive text. nusantara hasana journal, 1(10), 126133. agustin, l., wisudaningsih, e. t., & fatmawati, r. (2023). exploring how skimming and scanning fosters efl students’ reading comprehension at an english club senior high school in indonesia. tamaddun, 22(1), 20-27. alsheikh, n. o., & mokhtari, k. (2011). an examination of the metacognitive reading strategies used by native and non-native english speakers when reading in english. international journal of applied linguistics, 21(2), 180–196. alsheikh, n. o., & mokhtari, k. (2011). an examination of the metacognitive reading strategies used by native and non-native english speakers when reading in english. international journal of applied linguistics, 21(2), 180–196. doi: 10.1111/j.1473-4192.2010.00265.x andi rusgandi, m. (2023). reading strategies in enhancing students’ reading comprehension: are they still relevant? ijet (indonesian journal of english teaching), 1, 57–72. https://doi.org/10.15642/ijet2.2023.12.1.57 azmi, a., yusra, k., & arifuddin, a. (2020, august). the effect of skimming and scanning strategies on students’ reading comprehension at computer-based text. in 1st annual conference on education and social sciences (access) (pp. 70-72). atlantis press. baker, l., & beall, l. c. (2009). metacognitive processes and reading comprehension. in s. e. israel & g. g. duffy (eds.), handbook of research on reading comprehension (pp. 373– 388). routledge. baker, l., and beall, l. c. (2009); metacognitive processes and reading comprehension. in s. e. israel and g. g. duffy (eds.), handbook of research on reading comprehension (pp. 373388). routledge. banditvilai, c. (2020). the effectiveness of reading strategies on reading comprehension. international journal of social science and humanity, 10(2), 46-50. bartolucci, m., & batini, f. (2020). reading aloud narrative material as a means for the student's cognitive empowerment. mind, brain, and education, 14(3), 235-242. batini, f., d’autilia, b., pera, e., lucchetti, l., & toti, g. (2020). reading aloud and first language development: a systematic review. journal of education and training studies, 8(12), 49-68. brown, h. d. (2003). language assessment principle and classroom practice. pearson. ceyhan, s., & yıldız, m. (2021). the effect of interactive reading aloud on student reading english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 579 comprehension, reading motivation and reading fluency. international electronic journal of elementary education, 13(4). conradi smith, k., young, c. a., & core yatzeck, j. (2022). what are teachers reading and why?: an analysis of elementary read aloud titles and the rationales underlying teachers’ selections. literacy research and instruction, 61(4), 383-401. dangin, d. (2020). students' awareness of metacognitive reading strategies in academic reading. journal of english teaching and learning issues, 3(1), 33-42. de giorgio, a., iuliano, e., turner, a., millevolte, c., cular, d., ardigò, l. p., & padulo, j. (2021). validity and reliability of a light-based electronic target for testing response time in fencers. the journal of strength & conditioning research, 35(9), 2636-2644. dhillon, b. p. s., herman, h., & syafryadin, s. (2020). the effect of skimming method to improve students’ ability in reading comprehension on narrative text. linguists: journal of linguistics and language teaching, 6(1), 77-88. duncan, s., & freeman, m. (2020). adults reading aloud: a survey of contemporary practices in britain. british journal of educational studies, 68(1), 97-123. erya, w. i., & pustika, r. (2021). students’ perceptions towards the use of webtoon to improve reading comprehension skill. language, 74, 26. fatmawan, a. r., dewi, n. p. a., & hita, i. p. a. d. (2023). skimming and scanning technique: is it effective for improving indonesian students’ reading cpmrehension?. edusaintek: jurnal pendidikan, sains dan teknologi, 10(3), 11811198. gehlot, l., al-khalaf, h. a., & gehlot, h. (2020). evaluation of the reading habits of indian students (reading aloud and reading silently) from low, middle and high class schools. educational research and reviews, 15(2), 41-51. grabe, w., & stoller, f. l. (2013). teaching and researching reading (2nd ed.). routledge. grabe, w., and stoller, f. l. (2013). teaching and researching reading, secondedition. in c. n.candlin and d. r. hall (eds.), teaching and researching reading, second edition (second edi). routledge.https://doi.org/10.4324/97813158337 43 gulo, s. n. (2020). the benefits of skimming technique in reading comprehension for the second semester students of sanata dharma university. uc journal: elt, linguistics and literature journal, 1(1), 1-13. gustanti, y., & ayu, m. (2021). the correlation between cognitive reading strategies and students’ english proficiency test. 2, 95-100. hidayat, d., & rohati, t. d. (2020). the effect of extensive reading on students reading comprehension. wanastra: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 12(1), 58-64. hu, j., yan, g., wen, x., & wang, y. (2024). gender differences in reading medium, time, and text types: patterns of student reading habits and the relation to reading performance. reading and writing, 37(8), 1879-1904. huynh, d. p. (2022). extensive reading on postgraduate students' perceptions and its effects on reading comprehension. international journal of tesol & education, 2(4), 32-47. isaqjon, tojiboyev. (2022). strategies and techniques for improving efl learners’ reading skills: involta scientific journal 1(11) kaowiwattanakul, s. (2021). cefr based learning approach: using literature to enhance efl students' reading skills and critical thinking skills. english language teaching, 14(11), 6679. karbalaei, a. (2010). a comparison of the metacognitive reading strategies used by efl and esl readers. the reading matrix, 10(2), 165–180. karbalaei, a. (2010). a comparison of the metacognitive reading strategies used by efl and esl readers. the reading matrix, 10(2). katemba, c. v., & tomatala, s. v. (2024). extensive reading strategy and reading comprehension: individual vs group instruction. acuity: journal of english language pedagogy, literature and culture, 9(1), 18-32. khoshsima, h., & samani, e. a. (2015). the most frequent metacognitive strategies used in reading comprehension among esp learners. advances in language and literary studies, 6(1), 180-188. lepper, c., stang-rabrig, j., & mcelvany, n. (2022). gender differences in reading: examining textbased interest in relation to text characteristics and reading comprehension. learning and instruction, 82, 101680. li, l., & kaur, s. (2014). textbook reading strategies and its relationship to reading test performance. gema online journal of language studies, 14(3). linda, k., & sutapa, y. g. (2015). improving efl students’reading comprehension and students’perception on metacognitive reading strategies. jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran khatulistiwa (jppk), 4(10). mambua, y. (2020). the effectiveness of skimming and scanning techniques in improving student’s reading comprehension of grade eleven students of sma negeri 1 tana toraja. journal of social science, 1(3), 93-99. mo, a. l. (2021). improving 9th grade efl students’ reading speed through an enhanced extensive reading methodology. the asia-pacific education researcher, 30(2), 109-117. febri yendoris & havid ardhi analysis of students' reading strategies based on gender at sman 3 batusangkar 580 mokhtari, k., & reichard, c. a. (2002). assessing students' metacognitive awareness of reading strategies. journal of educational psychology, 94(2), 249–259. mokhtari, k., & sheorey, r. (2002). measuring esl students ’ awareness of reading strategies. journal of developmental education, 25(3). monica, m., & soplantila, e. (2024). the role of local folklores in students’ reading comprehension. matai: international journal of language education, 4(2), 185-198. nalipay, m. j. n., cai, y., & king, r. b. (2020). why do girls do better in reading than boys? how parental emotional contagion explains gender differences in reading achievement. psychology in the schools, 57(2), 310-319. nurdianingsih, fitri. (2021). teachers strategies in teaching reading comprehension. 4(2) o’malley, j. m., & chamot, a. u. (1990). learning strategies in second language acquisition. cambridge university press osman, r. a. h. (2021). extensive reading using online resources: case study. humanising language teaching, 23(5). oxford, r. l. (1993). gender differences in styles and strategies for language learning: what do they mean? should we pay attention? journal of the imagination in language learning, 1, 50–58. pardo, l. s. (2004). what every teacher needs to know about comprehension. the reading teacher, 58(3), 272–280. pardo, l. s. (2004). what every teacher needs to know about comprehension. the reading teacher, 58(3), 272-280. permatasari, a. n., & wienanda, w. k. (2023). extensive reading in improving reading motivation: a students’ perspective. eralingua: jurnal pendidikan bahasa asing dan sastra, 7(2), 220. phakiti, a. (2003). a closer look at the relationship of cognitive and metacognitive strategy use to efl reading achievement test performance. language testing, 20(1), 26–56. poole, a. (2005). gender differences in reading strategy use among esl college students. journal of college reading and learning, 36(1), 7-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/10790195.2005.108501 77 prayuda, m. s., ginting, f. y. a., & afrilia, d. (2023). the the effect of extensive reading strategy on students’ reading comprehension at smp dharma wanita in the academic year of 2023/2024. journal of english language learning, 7(2), 421-431. rahman, w. z., hikmah, n., & fahira, a. (2022). students reading comprehension strategy: directed reading thinking activity (drta). etdc: indonesian journal of research and educational review, 1(3), 423432. rianto, a. (2021). examining gender differences in reading strategies, reading skills, and english proficiency of efl university students. cogent education, 8(1), 1993531. rintaningrum, r. (2019) ‘explaining the important contribution of reading literacy to the country’s generations: indonesian’s perspectives’, international journal of innovation, creativity and change, 5(3), 939. https://www.ijicc.net/images/vol_5_iss_3/part_ 2_2020/5310_ratna_2019_e_r.pdf. riswanto, r., serasi, r., & senvita, e. (2023). the effectiveness of using extensive reading approach combined with literature circle strategy toward students' reading ability. journal of english education and teaching, 7(3), 573-594. rosmarie, a., & mualimin, m. (2020). the impact of using skimming strategy in narrative text towards students’ reading comprehension of smp advent of semarang. culturalistics: journal of cultural, literary, and linguistic studies, 4(1), 65-69. sandi, v. a. (2020). applying skimming strategy in teaching reading descriptive text. a journal of culture, english language, teaching & literature, 20(1). senawati, j., suwastini, n. k. a., jayantini, i. g. a. s. r., adnyani, n. l. p. s., & artini, n. n. (2021). the benefits of reading aloud for children: a review in efl context. ijee (indonesian journal of english education), 1(1), 80-107. sheorey, r., & mokhtari, k. (2001).differences in the metacognitive awareness of reading strategies among native and non-native readers. system, 29(4), 431–449. 10.1016/s0346251x(01)00039-2 smith, e., & reimer, d. (2024). understanding gender inequality in children's reading behavior: new insights from digital behavioral data. child development, 95(2), 625-635. smith, r., snow, p., serry, t., & hammond, l. (2021). the role of background knowledge in reading comprehension: a critical review. reading psychology, 42(3), 214-240. suk, n. (2024). developing l2 learners’ use of reading strategies through extensive reading. reading in a foreign language, 36(1), 1-19. supraba, a., wahyono, e., & syukur, a. (2020). the implementation of reading aloud in developing students' speaking skill. ideas: journal on english language teaching and learning, linguistics and literature, 8(1), 145-153. tursinbaevna, d. v. (2023). classification of reading strategies. the usa journal 104-106 villanueva, j. m. (2022). language profile, metacognitive reading strategies, and reading comprehension performance among college students. cogent education, 9(1), 2061683. wandira, a., candra, m., & murni, d. (2023). skimming and scanning techniques for reading english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 581 comprehension. journal of language, literature, and english teaching, 4(2), 77-85. woolnough, o., donos, c., curtis, a., rollo, p. s., roccaforte, z. j., dehaene, s., & tandon, n. (2022). a spatiotemporal map of reading aloud. journal of neuroscience, 42(27), 54385450. zhang, l. j., & zhang, d. (2013). thinking metacognitively about metacognition in second and foreign language learning, teaching, and research. system, 41(2), 385–401. zhang, x. (2020). evaluation of suitability of a listening textbook for english majors in universities of china. advances in language and literary studies, 11(4), 87. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.11n.4p.87 febri yendoris & havid ardhi analysis of students' reading strategies based on gender at sman 3 batusangkar 582 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 559 enhancing intrinsic motivation and listening skills through integrating authentic learning materials nurul husnawati magister pendidikan bahasa inggris, universitas terbuka, indonesia email: 530080666@ecampus.ut.ac.id maya puspitasari* magister pendidikan bahasa inggris, universitas terbuka, indonesia email: maya_p@ecampus.ut.ac.id audi yundayani pendidikan bahasa inggris, stkip kusumanegara, indonesia email: audi_yundayani@stkipkusumanegara.ac.id apa scitation: husnawati, n., puspitasari, m., & yundayani, a. (2024). enhancing intrinsic motivation and listening skills through integrating authentic learning materials. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 559-566. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9761 received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 29-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction in english language teaching, listening proficiency involves understanding spoken english from native speakers in diverse contexts such as conversations, instructions, and other types of verbal communication (newton & nation, 2020). within the classroom setting, listening serves as the foundational stage of the learning process, providing students with essential input that fosters the development of other language skills (goh & vandergrift, 2021). given the pivotal role of listening in language acquisition, deliberate efforts must be made to cultivate this skill effectively. language learning relies heavily on resources that facilitate the process for both teachers and students, ensuring effectiveness and efficiency (tomlinson, 2023). these resources, collectively referred to as materials, serve as the primary sources of language input and practice in the classroom (tomlinson, 2023). materials encompass a wide array of sources used in pedagogy, including coursebooks, youtube videos, dictionaries, newspapers, and online resources (mishan, 2022). to maximize listening proficiency, strategies should be seamlessly integrated into teaching practices. educators need to capitalize on classroom listening activities and expose students to a diverse array of listening materials both within and beyond the classroom environment. providing additional listening opportunities outside the classroom can compensate for any instructional limitations and enhance overall listening proficiency (newton, 2020). the classroom environment is ideal for creating a conducive atmosphere for english language exposure. this can be achieved through the consistent use of english in instruction, explanations, and routine assignments, as well as abstract: authentic learning materials (alm) are recognized for providing meaningful and engaging educational experiences. however, there is a lack of extensive research examining the relationship between alm, students’ intrinsic motivation, and their listening skills. this study addresses this gap by employing a quantitative method through the distribution of a 35-item likert scale questionnaire to junior high school students in batam. the results from 30 students indicated that alm positively influence student engagement, intrinsic motivation, and cultural awareness. these materials were found to enhance students' interest and participation by making the content more relatable and applicable to real-life situations. despite challenges such as comprehension difficulties and classroom dynamics, the data suggest that alm effectively bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world language use. thus, incorporating alm into the curriculum can provide significant benefits, enhancing the overall learning experience and motivation of students in the english classroom. keywords: authentic learning materials; intrinsic motivation; listening, students. nurul husnawati, maya puspitasari, & audi yundayani enhancing intrinsic motivation and listening skills through integrating authentic learning materials 560 through collaborative and interpersonal communication activities (corbett, 2022). such activities not only increase english exposure but also enable students to employ effective communication strategies, such as asking questions, seeking clarification, and using nonlinguistic cues. materials play a pivotal role in language learning, serving multiple functions that inform, integrate, expose, implement, and develop language skills (christison & murray, 2021). before selecting materials, teachers must consider several factors to ensure their suitability, including their ability to engage students, connect learning to real-world contexts, promote communicative purposes, offer varied language exposure, exemplify real-world language use, and ensure accessibility (tomlinson, 2023). authentic materials are crucial in language learning as they reflect real-life language use and provide meaningful learning experiences (shukurdinovna, 2024). the term authentic is frequently used to characterise works that were not originally intended for language acquisition but were created to serve a purpose within the target language culture (gilmore, 2019). authentic materials are therefore resources not specifically designed for language learning, often delivered through technology such as computers, tapes, videos, and tv. these materials, including songs and movies. numerous studies have supported the benefits of integrating authentic materials in language learning, particularly concerning listening skills. for instance, akbari and azam (2016) delivered questionnaire to 57 english teachers in iran. the results indicated that teachers have positive feedback as they believed that authentic materials are “important input for improving students’ skills and exposing them to real language (p.111). similarly, kim (2015) utilized a quantitative approach to demonstrate the positive influence of authentic materials on students' listening comprehension. eighty-six students enrolled in a summer class at a korean university demonstrated that videos enhance listening skills for those with intermediate or higher english proficiency. movies have been explored as another form of authentic material in language learning. roslim et al. (2021) investigated the use of english movies language to improve students’ language skills. seventy seven undergraduate students participated in the study indicated that using selfselected english movies for oral commentary presentations, revealing improvements in oral skills, vocabulary, interest, motivation, and reduced anxiety. shahid and ali (2017) demonstrated a significant improvement in students' listening skills as a result of integrating podcasts into language learning. technological advancements have further expanded the availability of authentic materials, such as ted talks, which have been utilized to enhance learning autonomy and listening skills (tilwani et al., 2022). despite some challenges, such as unfamiliar vocabulary, students perceive authentic materials as beneficial for enhancing motivation and cultural awareness. overall, the advantages of authentic materials outweigh any disadvantages, making them valuable resources for language learning (goh & vandergrift, 2021). technology has significantly expanded the availability and use of authentic materials (ashcroft, et al., 2018), enriching language learning experiences with diverse and engaging resources. this technological advancement provides teachers and students with access to vast libraries of authentic materials, enhancing language exposure and learning outcomes (chamba et al., 2019). creating and incorporating relevant resources is a crucial aspect of language teaching, as it enhances students' motivation and interest (seven, 2020). effective teaching materials stimulate learning, while ineffective ones might hinder progress and demotivate students (azlan, et al, 2019). teachers, as materials developers, must understand this principle and continuously evaluate, adapt, supplement, and implement materials to ensure effective classroom use (tomlinson & masuhara, 2017). motivation plays a crucial role in language learning success, influencing students' willingness to work hard and persist in their studies (feng & papi, 2020, seven, 2020; wu, et al, 2022). motivation, in a general sense, refers to the reasons or goals that drive individuals to engage in particular behaviors (filgona, et al., 2020; ryan & deci, 2020). in the context of language learning, it encompasses both external factors, such as grades or rewards, and internal factors, which relate to personal satisfaction and interest. internal motivation, also known as intrinsic motivation, specifically pertains to the drive that comes from within the learner (fishbach & woolley, 2022). it is characterized by a genuine interest and enjoyment in the learning activity itself, rather than external pressures or incentives. integrating enjoyable and engaging language learning activities can enhance intrinsic english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 561 motivation, leading to positive attitudes, increased participation, and satisfaction among students (pei & zhang, 2023). when students are intrinsically motivated, they are more likely to be enthusiastic, curious, and committed to mastering the language, ultimately contributing to more effective and enduring learning outcomes. the contrast between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, formerly known as integrative and instrumental motivation, is central to language learning orientations (vakilifard, et al, 2021). intrinsic motivation drives effort through internal satisfaction and enjoyment, whereas extrinsic motivation is based on external incentives or the avoidance of punishment (morris, et al., 2022). according to research, intrinsic motivation results in more extensive and sustained language learning attempts than extrinsic motivation (see dörnyei, 2020; malone & lepper, 2021). creating an atmosphere that promotes intrinsic motivation entails allowing students to share and discuss their language learning journeys, thus making language learning more engaging and rewarding (mercer, s., & dörnyei, 2020). this comprehensive integration of authentic materials and motivational strategies can create a dynamic and effective learning environment, ultimately enhancing students' proficiency and engagement in english language learning (see chen & hwang, 2022; marden & herrington, 2020). in the context of this research, there is a noticeable gap in the integration of authentic materials in listening classes, leading to low student motivation and insufficient development of listening skills. this highlights the need for further investigation into the relationship between authentic materials, intrinsic motivation, and listening skills. therefore, the current research aims to address this gap and elucidate the impact of authentic materials on students' motivation and listening skills. (1) how significantly does the integration of authentic listening materials influence students' listening abilities in learning the english language? (2) what impact does use of authentic learning materials have on students’ internal motivation in learning english? method this quantitative study examines the impact of integrating authentic materials in communicative language teaching on students’ intrinsic motivation and english listening skills. the study involved 30 ninth-grade students from an islamic school in batam. a 35-item likert scale questionnaire was used to explore students' perceptions of alm in improving their intrinsic motivation and listening skills. data were collected after several class meetings where the teacher provided materials through songs and movies. the questionnaire aimed to capture students' thoughts, feelings, and attitudes toward alm, with a focus on intrinsic motivation. results and discussion intrinsic motivation is characterized by students' willingness, satisfaction, self-confidence, selfdetermination, connection, and engagement in learning. as such, the questionnaire is designed to address these aspects, with the aim of detecting the influence of integrating authentic listening materials on students' intrinsic motivation. the table below displays the percentage of analysis results for each survey statement. table 1. the percentage analysis of each statement statements percentage sd d n a sa i feel more engaged in language learning with authentic listening materials. 6.7 40 53.3 authentic listening materials are more engaging because they reflect real english usage. 5 25 60 10 i only study with authentic listening materials in class. 13.3 40 46 studying with authentic listening materials motivates me to understand different accents and dialects. 7.4 12.6 53.3 26.7 i feel more satisfied when i can comprehend real-life language. 5 12 34.7 47.3 i feel less satisfied when i do not meet my goals. 26.7 50.3 15 8 studying with authentic listening materials makes me more confident in my daily communication. 46.7 53.7 studying with authentic listening materials improves my pronunciation. 5 15 60 20 my communication skills improve with authentic listening materials. 46 54 nurul husnawati, maya puspitasari, & audi yundayani enhancing intrinsic motivation and listening skills through integrating authentic learning materials 562 the class atmosphere feels more boring with authentic listening materials. 46.3 46.7 7 i get stuck when i have to use english in real conversations. 14.4 86.6 artificial listening materials are easier to comprehend compared to authentic listening materials. 40 60 i struggle to comprehend authentic listening materials. 12.5 87.5 authentic listening materials help me study more efficiently. 66.7 33.3 i like participating in class discussions with authentic listening materials. 6 9 40.3 44.7 studying with authentic listening materials makes me more curious to look for other references. 33.3 66.7 studying with authentic listening materials motivates me to improve my language skills. 46.7 53.3 i feel frustrated with the use of authentic listening materials in class. 13.3 86.7 studying in a team makes me more engaged. 19.4 70.6 studying with authentic listening materials improves my understanding of different dialects. 53.3 47.7 authentic listening materials bring real-life situations into the classroom. 16 14 40.7 13.3 i feel more comfortable in a natural english setting. authentic listening materials help me handle real-life situations better. 15 65.5 19.5 the integration of authentic listening materials makes me less motivated to participate in class discussions. 11.6 58.4 15.6 14.4 studying with authentic listening materials makes me more confident in studying independently. 9.5 11.5 30 50 the dialects used in authentic listening materials make me more aware of english-speaking cultures. 7 12 53.6 36.4 studying with authentic listening materials makes me feel more connected to english culture. 7.3 11 41 40.7 different accents used in authentic listening materials expand my knowledge. 10.6 19.4 50.7 22.3 different accents used in authentic listening materials make me sound more natural when speaking english. 10 20 50 20 different dialects and accents used in authentic listening materials boost my confidence in interacting with native speakers. 7 22 60 13 i try my best to comprehend authentic listening materials by understanding the social culture of english-speaking communities. 5 5 17 62.3 7.7 i feel less motivated when i cannot comprehend authentic listening materials. 12.3 50.7 15 12 the integration of authentic listening materials gives me more opportunities to discuss with my friends. 19.7 46.3 30 the integration of authentic listening materials does not provide me with enough learning opportunities. 15.3 74.7 24 different accents and dialects help me choose the ones that are most suitable for me. 12 60.6 27.4 the table above highlights several key points regarding students' perceptions of authentic listening materials in language learning. overall, students find these materials to be engaging and motivating. a majority of students (53.3%) agree that authentic listening materials increase their engagement in language learning, and 60% find these materials more engaging because they reflect real-life use of english. additionally, over half of the students (53.3%) feel motivated to understand different accents and dialects when studying with authentic materials. in terms of satisfaction and confidence, many students (47.3%) report feeling satisfied when they can comprehend language used in real situations, and a significant portion (53.7%) agree that these materials boost their confidence in daily communication. furthermore, 60% of the students believe that authentic listening materials improve their pronunciation skills. however, there are mixed feelings about the classroom atmosphere, with 46.7% of students english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 563 finding it more boring when using authentic materials. a substantial majority (87.5%) struggle to comprehend these materials, indicating a need for additional support in this area. efficiency and participation also see positive impacts, as 66.7% of students feel that studying with authentic materials is more efficient. moreover, 44.7% of students are more inclined to participate in class discussions when using these materials, and 66.7% become more curious and seek additional references. students also express increased motivation to improve their language abilities, with 53.3% agreeing that authentic materials foster this motivation. a significant portion (50%) feel more confident studying by themselves when using authentic materials. additionally, these materials help students (53.6%) become more aware of english culture and improve their understanding of other dialects (47.7%). authentic listening materials are particularly beneficial in helping students enlarge their knowledge of different accents (50.7%), make them sound more natural in english (50%), and boost their confidence in interacting with native speakers (60%). many students (62.3%) try to comprehend these materials by understanding the social culture of english-speaking societies. the materials also provide more opportunities for discussion, as noted by 46.3% of students, though some (74.7%) feel they do not offer enough learning opportunities. nonetheless, 60.6% find that different accents and dialects help them choose the most appropriate ones for themselves. the study identified various student perceptions regarding the use of alm in language learning. overall, students found alm engaging and motivating, with 53.3% agreeing that these materials increased their engagement. syntactical and morphological errors were identified, with syntactic errors being the most prevalent. students also reported improved pronunciation and communication skills. despite challenges in comprehension, alm were perceived as beneficial for enhancing motivation and cultural awareness. these findings align with previous research, suggesting that alm can effectively bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world application, thereby enhancing students' intrinsic motivation and listening skills. the integration of authentic learning materials (alm) significantly affects students' perceptions of the learning process. students report that experiencing authentic learning processes provides them with meaningful learning experiences that connect them to real-life situations where the language is used authentically. moreover, alm mirrors the language used in authentic communication, which is crucial for providing students with practical and relevant experiences. by bridging the gap between classroom learning and real-world language use, alm enhances students' ability to apply what they learn in class to authentic settings, fostering a sense of achievement and satisfaction (sotlikova & haerazi, 2023). the integration of alm also increases students' willingness to participate in learning activities and class discussions (alioon & delialioğlu, 2019). this willingness stems from the students' intrinsic motivation, as they find alm to be interesting and engaging. alm makes the learning process more dynamic and captivating by offering up-to-date and relevant topics. the variety and diversity of alm sustain students' excitement, thereby boosting their willingness to engage in learning activities (goh & vandergrift, 2021; haque & al salem, 2019). additionally, the integration of alm exposes students to the cultural nuances embedded in language. this exposure helps students understand the subtleties of a community's culture through the language, phrases, and idioms used. the accents and dialects of a language community can reveal cultural information, providing students with strategies to navigate linguistic challenges beyond the classroom (adger, et al., 2014). sustained engagement and persistence in overcoming learning challenges significantly enhance the quality of students' performance. research by sotlikova and haerazi (2023) supports the notion that such engagement and persistence can be fostered through the integration of alm, giving teachers the opportunity to maintain and cultivate students' engagement. this sustained engagement and persistence are key indicators of intrinsic motivation, which has long-term benefits for learning (fishbach & woolley, 2022). these indicators profoundly influence the quality of students' language skills, particularly their listening abilities. as students engage more deeply with alm, their listening skills improve significantly, leading to a heightened sense of competence and selfconfidence. quantitative data from questionnaires provide insights into the impact of integrating alm in listening classes, offering a quantitative nurul husnawati, maya puspitasari, & audi yundayani enhancing intrinsic motivation and listening skills through integrating authentic learning materials 564 understanding of its effects. conclusion the integration of authentic learning materials significantly enhances both students' listening abilities and intrinsic motivation. the positive outcomes from quantitative data underscore the importance of incorporating alm in language teaching. this approach bridges the gap between classroom learning and real-world application, fostering a more effective and engaging learning experience. to maximize the benefits, school principals and policy administrators should provide professional development opportunities for teachers on alm integration. future research should explore the effectiveness of alm through comprehensive investigations, including qualitative methods such as observations and interviews. tailoring alm approaches to meet individual student needs can ensure meaningful and engaging learning experiences, enhancing overall language proficiency. based on the findings, several recommendations are proposed to maximize the benefits of integrating alm in language teaching. first, school principals and policy administrators should provide opportunities for teachers to enhance their professional skills through training sessions focused on integrating alm into instructional practices. workshops, collaborative learning sessions, and similar initiatives can help educators optimize the use of alm, fostering continuous improvement in the educational process. additionally, the effectiveness of alm can be further enhanced by incorporating technology into the delivery of authentic listening materials. technology facilitates access to a wide range of engaging and relevant authentic materials available online. training on the use of technology in the learning process should accompany training on alm integration to create a more interactive and engaging learning environment. future research should explore the effectiveness of alm in language learning through comprehensive investigations that include diverse qualitative research instruments such as observations and interviews. further studies should also examine the impact of alm on students' speaking proficiency, recognizing the interconnectedness of listening and speaking skills. this expanded research will contribute to a deeper understanding of alm's role in enhancing overall language proficiency. finally, recognizing the diverse characteristics and learning styles of individual students, alm approaches should be tailored to meet their specific needs and preferences. this personalized approach will maximize the advantages of alm, ensuring meaningful and engaging learning experiences for all students. by implementing these recommendations, educators can leverage the full potential of alm to enhance language learning outcomes, foster greater academic achievement, and cultivate a lifelong interest in learning among students. acknowledgement this research was fully funded by the equity program of endowment fund for education agency (lpdp) under the administration of institute of research and community services (lppm) universitas terbuka. references adger, c. t., wolfram, w., & christian, d. (2014). dialects in schools and communities. routledge. akbari, o., & razavi, a. (2016). using authentic materials in the foreign language classrooms: teachers’ perspectives in efl classes. international journal of research studies in education, 5(2), 105-116. alioon, y., & delialioğlu, ö. (2019). the effect of authentic m‐learning activities on student engagement and motivation. british journal of educational technology, 50(2), 655-668. ashcroft, r. j., garner, j., & hadingham, o. (2018). incidental vocabulary learning through watching movies. australian journal of applied linguistics, 1(3), 135-147. chamba, m., reinoso, m., & rengifo, e. (2019). authentic materials to foster writing skills in college efl learners. english language teaching, 12(6), 112-127. chen, m. r. a., & hwang, g. j. (2022). effects of experiencing authentic contexts on english speaking performances, anxiety and motivation of efl students with different cognitive styles. interactive learning environments, 30(9), 1619-1639. christison, m., & murray, d. e. (2021). what english language teachers need to know volume iii: designing curriculum. routledge. corbett, j. (2022). an intercultural approach to english language teaching (vol. 36). multilingual matters. dörnyei, z. (2020). innovations and challenges in language learning motivation. routledge. feng, l., & papi, m. (2020). persistence in language learning: the role of grit and future selfguides. learning and individual differences, 81, 101904. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 565 filgona, j., sakiyo, j., gwany, d. m., & okoronka, a. u. (2020). motivation in learning. asian journal of education and social studies, 10(4), 16-37. goh, c. c., & vandergrift, l. (2021). teaching and learning second language listening: metacognition in action. routledge. gilmore, a. (2019). materials and authenticity in language teaching. in the routledge handbook of english language teacher education (pp. 299-318). routledge. haque, s. m., & al salem, n. m. (2019). social media in efl context: attitudes of saudi learners. journal of language teaching & research, 10(5). kim, h. s. (2015). using authentic videos to improve efl students' listening comprehension. international journal of contents, 11(4). malone, t. w., & lepper, m. r. (2021). making learning fun: a taxonomy of intrinsic motivations for learning. in aptitude, learning, and instruction (pp. 223-254). routledge. marden, m. p., & herrington, j. (2020). design principles for integrating authentic activities in an online community of foreign language learners. issues in educational research, 30(2), 635-654. mercer, s., & dörnyei, z. (2020). engaging language learners in contemporary classrooms. cambridge university press. mishan, f. (2022). language learning materials in the digital era. in the routledge handbook of materials development for language teaching (pp. 17-29). routledge. morris, l. s., grehl, m. m., rutter, s. b., mehta, m., & westwater, m. l. (2022). on what motivates us: a detailed review of intrinsic v. extrinsic motivation. psychological medicine, 52(10), 1801-1816. newton, j. m., & nation, i. s. (2020). teaching esl/efl listening and speaking. routledge. roslim, n., azizul, a. f., nimehchisalem, v., & abdullah, m. h. t. (2021). exploring movies for language teaching and learning at the tertiary level. asian journal of university education (ajue), 17(3), 271-280. ryan, r. m., & deci, e. l. (2020). intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. contemporary educational psychology, 61, 101860. shahid, s. h., & ali, z. (2017). effects of videopodcasts on listening comprehension of saudi efl learners. european journal of english language teaching. seven, m. a. (2020). motivation in language learning and teaching. african educational research journal, 8, 62-71. shukurdinovna, s. o. (2024). choosing authentic materials in english teaching: a comprehensive framework for effective language acquisition. international journal of pedagogics, 4(03), 105-111. sotlikova, r., & haerazi, h. (2023). students’ perceptions towards the use of podcasts in efl classroom: a case study at a university of uzbekistan. journal of languages and language teaching, 11(3), 461-474. tilwani, s. a., vadivel, b., uribe-hernández, y. c., wekke, i. s., & haidari, m. m. f. (2022). the impact of using ted talks as a learning instrument on enhancing indonesian efl learners’ listening skill. education research international, 2022, 1-9. tomlinson, b. (ed.). (2023). developing materials for language teaching. bloomsbury publishing. tomlinson, b., & masuhara, h. (2017). the complete guide to the theory and practice of materials development for language learning. john wiley & sons. vakilifard, a., khaleghizadeh, s., & golpour, l. (2021). the investigation of integrative, instrumental, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of language learners in the foreign settings. journal of english language teaching and learning, 13(27), 417-443. wu, y. t., foong, l. y. y., & alias, n. (2022). motivation and grit affects undergraduate students' english language performance. european journal of educational research, 11(2), 781-794. nurul husnawati, maya puspitasari, & audi yundayani enhancing intrinsic motivation and listening skills through integrating authentic learning materials 566 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 757 exploring efl students' views on using youtube videos for improving listening skills in english sayit abdul karim (corresponding author) english language education study program, faculty of business & humanities, universitas teknologi yogyakarta, yogyakarta, indonesia email: sayit.a.k@uty.ac.id ramli english language education study program, stkip taman siswa bima, indonesia email: ramlialfatih88@gmail.com genta rusmanto english language education study program, faculty of business & humanities, universitas teknologi yogyakarta, yogyakarta, indonesia email: gentarus1810@gmail.com rendra miftahul fadhila english language education study program, faculty of business & humanities, universitas teknologi yogyakarta, yogyakarta, indonesia email: rendramf21@gmail.com danang fauzi alamsyah english language education study program, faculty of business & humanities, universitas teknologi yogyakarta, yogyakarta, indonesia email: dfalamsyah@gmail.com muhammad ashari putra english language education study program, faculty of business & humanities, universitas teknologi yogyakarta, yogyakarta, indonesia email: azhariputra80@gmail.com apa citation: karim, s. a., ramli., rusmanto, g., fadhila, r. m., alamsyah, d. f., & putra, m. a. (2023). exploring efl students' views on using youtube videos for improving listening skills in english. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 757-766. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.7763 received: 11-06-2023 accepted: 21-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: english videos on youtube can be utilized as an alternative medium for learning listening subjects. this research attempts to explore efl students’ perspectives on using english videos on youtube as a learning medium to enhance students’ listening skills. a mix-method research design was used to explore students’ perceptions of using english video to enhance their listening skills. the data in this study were obtained from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews which were administered online to thirty-two students of the english language education study program (elesp) at universitas teknologi yogyakarta using a convenience sampling technique. the findings revealed that of 32 respondents, 31 of them viewed the english video platform on youtube to help them a lot in learning listening subjects. of 32 respondents, 30 of them utilized the platform for learning vocabulary. of 32 respondents, 29 of them thought that their listening skills improved a lot after watching and listening to videos on youtube. it indicates that the majority of respondents have positive perceptions of the utilization of this platform because it helps them in facilitating their learning needs. however, 2 respondents disagree about the statements for some reasons. keywords: enhance; english videos; listening skills; perspective; youtube. introduction technology has advanced at a breakneck pace in our information age. as a result, technological advancements are critical in education, particularly in the teaching of english. because of the rapid changes in technology, educators and students have had to be innovative in their search for appropriate teaching and learning tools. one sayit abdul karim, ramli, genta rusmanto, rendra miftahul fadhila, danang fauzi alamsyah, & muhammad ashari putra exploring efl students' views on using youtube videos for improving listening skills in english 758 of the popular teaching and learning platforms that offers plenty of authentic material is youtube (nasrullah, 2021; rusmanayanti & nasrullah, 2020). according to fadillah et al., (2023), youtube is a very useful online media for learning and teaching. listening is one of the most difficult skills to master in english, especially for students with limited english proficiency (cahyono, 2017). if the dialogue is recorded by a native speaker with a different accent and pace, listening becomes more challenging. because students just listen to the chat tape over and again, listening is also seen as a boring subject. therefore, the presence of youtube can be the most suitable tool to improve learners’ listening skills (tran, 2022). as a learning media, youtube has been famous and used by the internet community all over the world because it facilitates efl learners in learning listening subjects (lestari, 2019). moreover, they can use youtube videos as learning resources, e.g. english movies, songs, and talks to improve their listening skills. today, youtube provides many videos that may be used as english learning materials to develop students' listening abilities (aboudahr, 2020). therefore, youtube has become the most popular videosharing application on the planet (afrizal & rina, 2023; ratnaningsih & gumiandari, 2022). youtube videos can provide a variety of benefits. youtube. according to sembiring & katemba, (2023). youtube is one of the most well-liked and alluring forms of media to pique learners' interest in studying english. youtube provides the chance for learners to listen to real native english speakers and be able to interact with them (hartatya & arbian, 2022). youtube made the learning process more enjoyable. it may stimulate students to gain knowledge and experience in their learning process. besides, it can be used as a learning tool to arouse students' enthusiasm for learning in class and reduce boredom (marbun et al., 2023). youtube is free for everyone that wants to learn that can be used to develop independent and creative learning (lathifah & prastowo, 2020). indeed, utilizing video to practice listening skills may provide students with a clear image of how the language is utilized, as well as eliminate ambiguities in native speakers' voices and actions. furthermore, learning media can also grab learners' interest and motivation in the process of learning, making it more meaningful (prayitno & mardianto, 2020; rosmiati & lestari, 2021). youtube might be a good place to start looking for appropriate learning resources. students, listening comprehension can be improved by using video, particularly youtube videos, which is the largest video source on the internet. it can also be used to develop a variety of new topics or issues (karkera & chamundeshawari, 2018). watching videos from youtube can help enhance the process of increasing listening abilities. according to rahman et al., (2022), youtube may drive students’ motivation to improve their language abilities by exploring the stuff they freely access online. meanwhile, sulaiman et al., (2022), confirm that youtube can also give learners the chance to listen to native english speakers and be able to interact with them students of the english language education study program (elesp) at universitas teknologi yogyakarta had experienced using audio-video on youtube as a medium of learning the listening subject in the previous semester. based on our preliminary observation in their listening class, we found out that students were very happy and enjoyed their class watching and listening to the video provided by their lecturer. students may benefit from viewing english movies and songs since they may see native speakers' expressions of how to pronounce the words and sentences. furthermore, videos could help them improve their vocabulary mastery and expand their grammar. despite the benefits of using video as a medium of learning and listening, some students thought that utilizing video became more challenging as well. researchers in the present study are interested in further exploring the students' perceptions of using video on youtube as a medium of learning listening to enhance their listening skills. although there have been several studies on the use of video on youtube in the classroom, the studies on the usage of youtube as a medium of learning listening skills are a relatively fresh area for investigation. therefore, the present study is worth conducting to confirm the previous findings and to figure out the power of video on youtube to enhance students' learning and listening skills at the tertiary level of education. this effort is to confirm the previous findings on a similar issue and to provide different perspectives towards using audio video as a learning medium of listening at the tertiary level of education. therefore, the objective of the research is to explore efl students' perspectives english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 759 on using english videos on youtube as a learning medium to enhance students’ listening skills. method this research attempts to explore efl students' perspectives on using english videos on youtube as a learning medium to enhance students' listening skills. a mix-method research design was utilized to describe the students’ perspectives on using english videos on youtube as a medium of learning to enhance their listening skills. to obtain the data needed in the present study, a questionnaire and semi-structured interview were administered online to thirty-two students from the fifth semester at the english language education study program (elesp) of universitas teknologi yogyakarta using a convenience sampling technique. the questionnaire and semi-structured interview items have similar issues, consisting of five questions each, aimed at figuring out students' perspectives on the use of videos on youtube in improving their english listening skills. the questionnaire items included the frequency of using youtube, topics they usually watch on youtube, whether or not youtube helps them in learning english and improving their listening skills, and whether or not youtube can enrich their vocabulary. meanwhile, the semistructured interview was conducted to further explore the information obtained from respondents’ questionnaire results on how they perceive the use of video on youtube to enhance their listening skills. the semi-structured interview was conducted to further explore how they perceive the utilization of english video towards their listening skills. eighteen respondents participated in the interview session by using convenient random sampling. it took 7 minutes for each respondent to complete the session. in the interview session, they were asked five questions, they are 1) the frequency of using youtube; 2) topics they usually watch on youtube; 3) whether or not youtube helps them in learning english; 4) whether or not youtube and improving their listening skills; and 5) whether or not youtube can enrich their vocabulary. moreover, the questionnaire used the four likert-scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). after obtaining all data needed, the researchers analyzed the results of respondents' questionnaires and interviews using descriptive analysis. the data analysis was done using the interactive model of miles et al., (1994), namely; data collection, data reduction, data displaying, and conclusion. results and discussion results of students' responses to the questionnaire to gather the data about the student's perceptions of the use of video on youtube in improving their english listening skill, the researchers used the questionnaire as quantitative data and also conducted a semi-structure interview as qualitative data with the fifth-semester students of elesp at universitas teknologi yogyakarta. the respondents’ responses to five items in the questionnaire are presented in table 1 as follows: table 1. the results of the respondents’ questionnaire no. questions rating scales strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree 1. i usually access youtube every day 0 (0 %) 5 (15.6 %) 18 (56.3 %) 9 (28.1 %) 2. i usually watch the video for learning listening subjects on youtube 0 (0 %) 7 (21.9 %) 21 (65.6 %) 4 (12.5 %) 3. youtube helps me very much in learning english listening subject 0 (0 %) 1 (4.1 %) 25 (78.1 %) 6 (18.8 %) 4. my english listening skills improve a lot after watching english videos on youtube 0 (0 %) 3 (9.4 %) 23 (71.9 %) 6 (18.8 %) 5. i learn a lot of vocabulary while listening to and watching videos on youtube 0 (0 %) 2 (6.3 %) 27 (84.4 %) 3 (9.4 %) table 1 shows the respondent's responses to the five questions concerning their perceptions of using video on youtube as a medium for learning english to improve their listening skills. the sayit abdul karim, ramli, genta rusmanto, rendra miftahul fadhila, danang fauzi alamsyah, & muhammad ashari putra exploring efl students' views on using youtube videos for improving listening skills in english 760 findings revealed that 18 (56,3%) of the respondents agree with item 1 “i usually access youtube every day” and there are 9 (28,1%) of the respondents strongly agree about that statement. however, there are 5 (15,6%) of them disagreed about the statement and no one strongly disagree about the statement in item 1. there are 1 (65,6%) of the respondents who agree about item 2 "i usually watch the video for learning listening subjects on youtube", and about 4 (12,5%) strongly agree that they watch the video for learning listening subjects. however, there are 7 (21,9%) of them disagree and no one strongly disagrees about the statement. furthermore, there are 25 (78,1%) of the respondents agree with item 3 "youtube helps me very much in learning english listening subject", meanwhile there 6 (18,8%) strongly agree about the item. the data showed that only 1 (4,1%) disagree and no one strongly disagree about the statement. there are 23 (71,9%) of the respondents agreed with item 4 "my english listening skills improve a lot after watching english videos on youtube", and about 6 (18,8%) of them strongly agree that their listening skills improve a lot after watching english videos on youtube. there are 3 (9,4%) of them disagree and no one strongly disagrees about the statement. there are 27 (84%) of the respondents agreed about item 5 "i learnt a lot of vocabulary while listening and watching videos on youtube" and there are 3 (9,4%) of them strongly agreed with the statement that they learn vocabulary while listening and watching video on youtube. however, there are 3 (6,3%) disagree and no one strongly disagrees about the statement. it is seen from the data in table 1 that the majority of respondents have positive perceptions of using english videos on youtube because the learning platform could improve their english and enhance their listening skills. results of students’ responses on the semistructured interview apart from the questionnaire, a semi-structured interview was also conducted to further explore the students' perceptions of using video on youtube to improve their english listening skills. the results of the interview showed that the respondents watched english videos about english learning materials on youtube about 2-3 times a day to improve their listening skills, for instance, as stated by two respondents; at, and ms, as presented in excerpt 1: “i like to watch the video about english learning materials video on youtube 2 times a day because it helps me improve my listening and speaking skills.” (at). “i watched english videos 2-3 times a day for 1 hour because i could find many learning sources to learn english and have chances to practice my listening skill.” (ms). from interview results with the respondents, it was found that they would like to watch the english channel, vlog, talk podcast, songs, and movies on youtube to improve their listening skills and enrich their new vocabulary. for instance, sab, ap, as, and sp, express their interest in watching various types of english channels to improve their english listening skills and increase their vocabulary achievement. the followings are their views about what to watch on youtube, as seen in excerpt 2: "to improve my listening skill and enrich my vocabulary, i learn english through several english learning platforms, such as abc channel, ted talk podcast, and native english daily vlogs. these platforms make it possible for me to train my ear to get accustomed to hearing the native speakers' accent and topics discussed". (sab) “i frequently access listening materials on youtube like ted, the late show, english with lucy, vogue, and english daily to improve my english and listening skills”. (ap) “watching english movies and listening to english songs through youtube is very interesting and beneficial for me to improve my english and gain new vocabulary, besides, watching geographical channels could improve my vocabulary mastery". (as) "for me, watching daily vlog, oxford online english, and english songs are worth improving my listening skills and new vocabulary". (sp) in response to whether or not english videos on youtube help the respondents improve their listening skills, the majority of respondents stated that english videos on youtube assist them a lot and bring a positive contribution to the improvement of their english listening skills. for instance, as stated by respondent aj, in excerpt 3: “yes, it helps me very much in improving my listening skill by listening to the linguamarina english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 761 channel on youtube. this channel provides english learning materials which can help me learn english because i could see, and hear how she pronounces words and expressions”. (aj) other respondents, nt, ms, sp, and aa, state that english videos on youtube help them a lot in improving their english and enhancing listening skills because, through youtube, they could access english learning materials delivered by native speakers of english. the followings are nt, ms, sp, and aa's thoughts as seen in excerpt 4: “english movies on youtube help me very much in improving my english and listening skills because i could hear native speakers’ pronunciation and also see the subtitle when watching them”. (nt) “...yes, there are many learning resources that i could use to improve my listening ability. besides, i imitated the native speakers of english accents, and expressions, thus, my english improved significantly” (ms) “english videos could assist me in improving my english listening ability. by watching interesting content on youtube, i learned a lot and entertain myself”. (sp). "...yes, english videos on youtube help me very much in sharpening my listening skills as i could access several learning platforms, for instance, linguamarina: an english channel owned by a russian who lives in the usa. moreover, i am very excited to watch the aforementioned channel because the contents help me a lot in improving my english listening skill” (aa). however, two respondents df, and ta, have opposite views on the use of english videos on youtube, as reflected in excerpt 5: "...the english videos on youtube do not help me in improving my english significantly, but to make conversation with native speakers of english in tourism spots”. (df) “...it does not help me very much in improving my english listening skill because i mostly utilized other learning platforms to learn english”. (ta) in response to whether or not videos on youtube bring a positive impact on the respondents' listening ability, some respondents, for instance: ap, ar, am, ms, and df viewed that it help them very much because their english significantly improved after watching english video on youtube, as addressed in excerpt 6: "when i watched english video on youtube without its subtitle many times, i acknowledged the topic of the video, enrich my vocabulary, and understand what the native speakers talk about easily". (ap) "the impact of watching english videos on youtube is very significant in improving my listening skill, especially my vocabulary mastery”. (ar) “my listening ability has been improved significantly since i listen to native speakers of english on youtube. i could understand the topic and the expressions uttered”. (am) "listening to english videos on youtube made it possible for me to gain new vocabularies because i could see the subtitle on the screen, and know how to use the expressions correctly”. (ms) “it helps me very much in understanding the phereses, abbreviations, and acknowledging the variety of native speakers’ conversation”. (df) despite the benefit of watching english videos on youtube, two respondents, for instance, rs, and ta viewed that english videos on youtube are not significantly impacted their english competence, as pointed out in excerpt 7: “...so far, english videos on youtube have not contributed significantly to the improvement of my english, especially my listening ability”. (rs) “watching english videos on youtube has a small impact on my listening ability". (ta) in the interview session, respondents were asked to provide their perceptions on whether or not listening and watching english videos on youtube can enhance their vocabulary mastery. the results of the interview showed that all respondents stated that listening to and watching english content videos on youtube made them possible to figure out unknown words and expressions which in turn enriched their vocabulary mastery. the reasons why listening to and watching english content videos could enrich sayit abdul karim, ramli, genta rusmanto, rendra miftahul fadhila, danang fauzi alamsyah, & muhammad ashari putra exploring efl students' views on using youtube videos for improving listening skills in english 762 their vocabulary mastery can be known from nj, ap, sa, and aa thoughts’ in excerpt 8: “...yes, by listening and watching english videos on youtube, i could learn words sounds and i must find out the meaning of the words or expressions. i believe that by doing so, it increases the number of my new vocabularies over time”. (nj) "...yes, because if i watch and listen to english videos, i often found out some difficult words and expressions, then i tried hard to translate those words. i can gain new vocabulary, and understand the vocabulary". (ap) "...yes, my new vocabulary enhanced a lot since i tried hard to consult the dictionary when i found difficult words and expressions. thus, my vocabulary mastery increased significantly". (sa) “watching english videos on youtube helps me very much in enriching my new vocabularies because i learned a lot through youtube because i can access many kinds of english contents, using american english, british english, and australian accent” (aa). the existence of technology nowadays makes it possible for learners to gain knowledge and skills, including in the field of education. the use of internet-based english learning materials on youtube has allowed students to learn from a variety of interesting learning platforms online. english videos on youtube are one of the learning platforms that can be used to improve their english, especially to enhance their listening skills. watching video as an audio-video medium of learning may improve english language students' listening comprehension and ability (fadillah et al., 2023; rorimpandey, 2019; rakhmawati et al.,2023). the quantitative data from the present study revealed that of 32 respondents, 27 have been watching and listening to english videos on youtube and other learning platforms online every day about two to three times a day. the watching and listening activities are considered a high frequency which in turn accommodates their learning needs. furthermore, the data showed that respondents usually watch english learning materials on youtube to improve their listening skills. of 32 respondents, 25 respondents watched and listened to an english video for completing their english listening tasks. the present findings support the findings of hendrayasa, (2021), who states that students are interested in learning via youtube because it helps them understand their listening subject. furthermore, of 32 respondents, 31 of them viewed that the english video platform on youtube very helps them in learning listening subjects. only 1 respondent disagree about this statement. it indicates that the majority of respondents have positive perceptions of the utilization of this platform because it helps them in facilitating their learning needs, wants, and lacks. moreover, watching english videos on youtube brings a beneficial impact on respondents' english achievements, especially listening skills. of 32 respondents, 29 of them thought that their listening skills improved a lot after watching videos on youtube. students have a positive attitude in learning english listening skills (fakhruddin et al., 2020). of 32 respondents, 30 of them utilized the platform for learning vocabulary. it means that the majority of respondents made use very well of english videos on youtube to gain new vocabulary while listening to and watching english materials. however, 2 respondents disagree about the statement because they mostly use other learning platforms and applications to improve their english and enhance their listening skills. another reason why they disagree about the statement is that they prefer to talk face-to-face with foreigners than watch and listen online through the youtube platform. apart from quantitative data, the present study provides qualitative data which was gathered from semi-structured interviews. it was conducted to further explore the information obtained from the results of respondents' questionnaires on how they perceive the use of video on youtube to enhance their listening skills. the respondents 'responses to five items in the interview question varied among them. the results of the interview showed that the majority of respondents watched english videos on youtube every day about two to three times a day. furthermore, they watched english movies and listened to english songs on youtube to learn new vocabulary and learn how to pronounce words while listening to the native speaker's pronunciation. the present study supports the findings of hartatya & arbian, (2022), who state that youtube provides the chance for learners to listen to native speakers of english. moreover, they viewed the use of english videos on youtube bring a positive impact on their learning outcomes because their listening english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 763 skill and vocabulary mastery have increased significantly by watching the english video through the platform. listiani et al., (2021), states that youtube can be a useful learning resource for young learners. in addition, they gained new knowledge and interesting experience using the youtube platform. the present study is in line with yuyun & simamora, (2021), who confirm that youtube video benefits efl learners, such as improving students' confidence and interest in learning. english-based videos from youtube can help students to improve their english skills. furthermore, youtube videos provided plenty of opportunities for listeners to make their interpretations while also practicing their listening skills. the present findings revealed that the utilization of the platform english songs in learning english is useful for the students, for instance, the results of the interview with the first respondents nt, ms, sp, and aa, showed that english videos on youtube help them a lot improving their english and enhance listening skills because, through youtube, they could access english learning materials delivered by native speakers of english. surprisingly, two respondents, for instance, rs, and ta perceived that english videos on youtube are not significantly impacted their english competence. furthermore, english content videos on youtube made them possible to figure out unknown words and expressions which in turn enriched their vocabulary mastery. since youtube is accessible by many people from all over the world, this platform become one of the favorite english learning channels for students, especially efl students in indonesia. saputra & fatimah, (2018), confirm that the use of youtube is effective instructional media for extensive listening tasks. english-based videos from youtube are beneficial for efl students to learn a foreign language because students can search or choose what materials they are going to learn and enjoy since it facilitates students to learn more about english language skills, especially listening subjects. (cahyana, 2020), confirms that youtube videos bring a positive impact on students' english acquisition and are helpful for teachers in delivering the topic to students. youtube videos provide many benefits for students in their listening skills (dung, 2021; setiawan et al., 2022). according to afrizal & rina, (2023), learning to listen using youtube in class is fun, and students became more selfconfident to communicate in english. youtube is a great source of teaching media and motivates students, and should be embedded into the efl classroom (hussin et al., 2020; nasution, 2019; saed et al., 2021). conclusion some important points to be highlighted in connection with the present study are as follows: 1) english videos on youtube could help students to improve their english and enhance their listening skills. besides, it may be used as an alternative medium of learning listening subjects for efl students both inside and outside the classroom; 2) the majority of respondents in the present study made use of the youtube platform to search for learning materials and get new experiences in learning english. they could access a variety of learning instructions and figure out the unknown words and expressions while listening and watching english videos which in turn enriches their vocabulary mastery: 3) english video on youtube is not the only learning platform for learning to listen, there are plenty of learning platforms that may be utilized by students as the media of learning english, especially to improve listening skills and enhance vocabulary mastery. bearing in mind the importance of watching and listening to english videos to improve listening skills and enhance vocabulary mastery, it is recommended that efl students utilize english-based videos on youtube and other learning platforms which can facilitate their learning needs, especially listening subjects. since the learning materials can be easily accessed through many learning platforms on the internet, it is highly recommended that teachers utilize the platforms for teaching listening, and assign their students to explore learning instruction both inside and outside the class. however, the present study has its shortcoming, therefore, it is recommended that future researchers conduct a similar study by involving a large number of respondents across different universities using a survey design. besides, to compare the effectiveness of using youtube and other learning platforms as media for learning listening and speaking skills using a survey and an in-depth interview. acknowledgment we would like to thank the rector of universitas teknologi yogyakarta, the lppm, and the rector of stkip tamsis bima for their research permit sayit abdul karim, ramli, genta rusmanto, rendra miftahul fadhila, danang fauzi alamsyah, & muhammad ashari putra exploring efl students' views on using youtube videos for improving listening skills in english 764 and financial support. our gratitude to the respondents for their willingness to participate during the data-gathering process. references aboudahr, s. m. f. m. f. (2020). the effect of using youtube to increase the level of listening skills among non-native students of arabic speakers in malaysian universities. education quarterly reviews, 3(2), 207–219. https://doi.org/10.31014/aior.1993.03.02.133 afrizal, a., & rina, h. (2023). students ’ experiences on learning listening through youtube media. journal of english education program (jeep), 10(1), 25–34. cahyana, a. a. c. (2020). the use of youtube video in teaching english for foreign language at vocational high school. jurnal pendidikan bahasa inggris indonesia, 8(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v8i2.3399 cahyono, s. (2017). the implementation of genre based approach to teaching narrative listening. advances in social science, education and humanities research (assehr), 66, 284–289. https://doi.org/10.2991/yicemap-17.2017.49 dung, p. (2021). the effects of audiovisual media on students ’ listening skills. international journal of tesol & education, 1(1), 13–21. fadillah, a. s. n., nasrullah, n., & rosalina, e. (2023). the use of watching youtube videos for acquiring students’ listening comprehension. international journal of educational best practices (ijebp), 7(1), 92–104. https://doi.org/10.32851/ijebp.v7n1.p92-104 fakhruddin, z., usman, u., rahmawati, r., & sulvinajayanti, s. (2020). designing english listening materials through youtube video editing: training for english teachers of islamic junior high schools, parepare, south sulawesi. indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 4(2), 275– 290. hartatya, n., & arbian, m. m. (2022). the university students’ attitudes towards the use of youtube video to enhance listening performance. intensive journal, 5(2), 75–91. hendrayasa, i. p. b. (2021). youtube for teaching listening in english language: the benefits in experts’ views. jurnal ilmiah pendidikan profesi guru, 4(3), 422–428. https://doi.org/10.23887/jippg.v4i3.35470 hussin, r. a., gani, s. a., & muslem, a. (2020). the use of youtube media through group discussion in teaching speaking. eej: english education journal, 13(1), 19–33. karkera, s., & chamundeshawari, c. (2018). youtube: a teaching tool to improve listening skills. international journal of creative research thoughts (ijcrt), 6(2), 1311–1316. www.ijcrt.org lathifah, a., & prastowo, a. (2020). analisis pembelajaran daring model website dan mlearning melalui youtube pada mata pelajaran pai kelas 2 sd/mi. limas pgmi: jurnal pendidikan dasar islam, 1(01), 56–66. http://jurnal.radenfatah.ac.id/index.php/limaspg mi/article/view/7304 lestari, j. a. (2019). the use of youtube vlog to improve the students’ listening skill of mts samarinda. tarbiyah wa ta’lim: jurnal penelitian pendidikan dan pembelajaran, 6(1), 35–45. https://doi.org/10.21093/twt.v6i1.2041 listiani, n. k. m., suwastini, n. k. a., dantes, g. r., adnyani, n. l. p. s., & jayantin, i. g. a. s. r. (2021). youtube as digital learning resources for teaching bilingual young learners. proceedings of the 2nd international conference on technology and educational science (ictes 2020), 540(1), 156–162. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210407.230 marbun, n. b. e., simanjuntak, r. m., & rajagukguk, m. (2023). use of youtube in improving listening skill of 9th grade students of smp n 2 labuhan batu utara. jcell: journal corner of education, linguistics, and literature, 2(4), 311–317. https://doi.org/10.54012/jcell.v2i4.144 miles, b. m., huberman, a. m., & saldana, j. (1994). qualitative data analysis. sage publication. nasrullah, n. (2021). pre-service and in-service english teachers’ outlook in the use of online learning. frontiers in neuroscience, 2(54), 1– 13. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/1https://doi.org/10 .12928/utic.v2.5736.2019 nasution, a. k. r. (2019). youtube as a media in english language teaching (elt) context: teaching procedure text. utamax : journal of ultimate research and trends in education, 1(1), 29–33. https://doi.org/10.31849/utamax.v1i1.2788 prayitno, p., & mardianto, m. (2020). peningkatan hasil evaluasi pembelajaran daring saat pandemi covid-19 berdasarkan media powerpoint interaktif. must: journal of mathematics education, science and technology, 5(2), 171– 181. https://doi.org/10.30651/must.v5i2.6119 rahman, i. a., mustofa, m., & nisa’, i. (2022). youtube music as an innovative teaching media to improve students’ listening mastery. jurnal paedagogy: jurnal penelitian dan pengembangan pendidikan, 9(1), 8–16. https://doi.org/10.33394/jp.v9i1.4402 rakhmawati, i., karim, s. k., & suryantara, p. r. (2023). utilizing english videos as listening instructional media to promote efl students’ listening proficiency. al-lisan: jurnal bahasa, 8(1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.30603/al.v8i1.3272 ratnaningsih, l., & gumiandari, s. (2022). the impact english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 765 of ted youtube channel to improve listening in english learning students of tbi iain cirebon. ije-qqr: international journal of educational qualitative quantitative research, 1(1), 8–15. https://doi.org/10.58418/ijeqqr.v1i1.2 rorimpandey, r. (2019). youtube videos in teaching basic listening. progress in retinal and eye research, 4(1), 43–52. rosmiati, u., & lestari, p. (2021). inovasi model pembelajaran pbi (problem based instruction) berbasis whatsapp sebagai langkah solutif pembelajaran di masa pandemi covid-19. jnpm (jurnal nasional pendidikan matematika), 5(1), 188–197. https://doi.org/10.33603/jnpm.v5i1.3708 rusmanayanti, a., & nasrullah, n. (2020). teaching 21st century learning-media innovation for efl teaching and learning: pre-service teachers perspective. english education journal (geej), 7(2), 200–213. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.46244/geej.v7i 2.1199 saed, h. a., haider, a. s., al-salman, s., & hussein, r. f. (2021). the use of youtube in developing the speaking skills of jordanian efl university students. heliyon, 7(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07543 saputra, y., & fatimah, a. s. (2018). the use of ted and youtube in extensive listening course: exploring possibilities of autonomy learning. indonesian jelt: indonesian journal of english language teaching, 13(1), 73–84. https://doi.org/10.25170/ijelt.v13i1.1451 sembiring, h. t. r., & katemba, c. v. (2023). the use of youtube english educational videos in improving listening comprehension. journey: journal of english and pedagogy, 6(1), 161– 170. setiawan, a., styati, e., & vendityaningtyas, v. (2022). the effect of youtube video in students’ listening comprehension of the tenth-grade students of man 2 kota madiun. seminar nasional sosial sains, 1(1), 619–628. http://prosiding.unipma.ac.id/index.php/senas sdra sulaiman, e., aprianti, i., siahaan, d. g., & eni, g. d. (2022). a correlation study between frequency of viewing youtube and students’ listening comprehension. edulanguage: english education journal, 8(2), 14–27. tran, t. t. q. (2022). using youtube video clips of different themes to enhance students’ listening skill in an emi class. scope : journal of english language teaching, 6(2), 106–114. https://doi.org/10.30998/scope.v6i2.11351 yuyun, i., & simamora, f. y. (2021). the use of youtube to support efl students’ listening skills. ellter journal, 2(2), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.22236/ellter.v2i2.7512 sayit abdul karim, ramli, genta rusmanto, rendra miftahul fadhila, danang fauzi alamsyah, & muhammad ashari putra exploring efl students' views on using youtube videos for improving listening skills in english 766 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 745 digital humor and its impact on adolescent literacy: a look at high school reading trends citra ayu department of english language education, faculty of educational sciences, universitas pahlawan tuanku tambusai, indonesia email: citraayu1980@gmail.com ramanda rizky department of english literature, faculty of cultural sciences, universitas lancang kuning, indonesia email: ramanda@unilak.ac.id herdi department of english language education, faculty of education and vocational studies, universitas lancang kuning, indonesia email: herdi@unilak.ac.id apa scitation: ayu,c., rizky, r., & herdi. (2024). digital humor and its impact on adolescent literacy: a look at high school reading trends. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 745-752. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9420 received: 28-02-2024 accepted: 27-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: reading is a critical skill that contributes significantly to academic success and personal growth, especially at the high school level. therefore, this study explores the relationship between reading motivation, reading comprehension, and online humorous reading content among high school pupils. leveraging a correlational design and quantitative research methods, data was collected from 186 eleventh grade pupils through questionnaires and tests. statistical analysis, including moderated regression analysis (mra), was used to test the relationship between variables. findings showed a significant effect of reading motivation on reading comprehension, with online humorous reading content as a moderating variable since the acceptance of alternate hypotheses (ha) had been obtained. specifically, online humorous reading content was found to increase pupils’ interest in reading and reduce barriers to reading comprehension, thus improving overall reading performance. this study underscores the importance of incorporating entertaining reading materials into the curriculum to foster engagement and improve learning outcomes. undeniably, these findings contribute valuable insights for educators aiming to improve reading skills and create a stimulating learning environment in high school settings. keywords: reading motivation; reading comprehension; online humorous reading content; high school; pupils. introduction through the process of interpreting and understanding written or printed text, reading is usually done by looking at and understanding the symbols of letters, numbers, and punctuation. therefore, koh (2022) states that reading involves in recognizing words, understanding their meaning, and reconstructing the information contained in the text. more than that, coventry et al., (2023) and xiao (2022) explain that reading can be considered a very important activity in one's learning and growth, as it allows us to acquire knowledge, understand ideas, and access information from various sources. given this, reading is also a skill that develops with time and practice, which can be improved by expanding vocabulary, improving comprehension, and exercising critical skills in evaluating and analyzing information. furthermore, ayu & rizky (2023) and firdaus (2022) proficiency in reading at the high school level generally includes comprehension of more complex texts, and more in-depth analysis of the information presented, as well as the ability to interpret and evaluate texts. instead, they are expected to be able to read with deep comprehension, whether it is narrative, expository or argumentative texts (imaniah, 2022). it allows them to develop more complex reading skills, such as distinguishing between fact and opinion, finding the main argument in an essay, and recognizing the author's language style. subsequently, oktavia et al., (2023) possess that critical skills help them to understand texts mailto:citraayu1980@gmail.com mailto:ramanda@unilak.ac.id mailto:herdi@unilak.ac.id citra ayu, ramanda rizky, & herdi digital humor and its impact on adolescent literacy: a look at high school reading trends 746 well, analyze information, and extract meaning from different types of reading materials is also required. moreover, it also entails the ability to recognize and apply a wide variety of reading strategies, such as predicting, interpreting word meanings contextually, identifying main ideas and important details, and connecting information between sentences or paragraphs (alghonaim, 2020). thus, it is possible to acquire strong reading ability by developing theoretical and practical cognitive that are important in life and academic achievement. as it turns out, hebbecker et al., (2019); rizky & zainil (2021) and soemer et al., (2023) explain that reading skills at the high school level is often influenced by pupils’ motivation. however, according to xiao (2022) there are various sources of motivation, ranging from personal interest to encouragement from the surrounding environment. in addition, support and encouragement from teachers and parents can also play an important role in motivating pupils to read more and more frequently. once they feel supported and valued in their reading endeavors, the pupils are more likely to be motivated to continue improving their reading skills in the service of achieving academic and personal goals (alghonaim, 2020). for this reason, it is believed that building strong motivation in pupils can be the key to improving their reading skills at the high school level. through this, pupils at the high school level will be more eager to develop their reading skills and comprehension, especially in terms of knowledge, critical thinking skills, and opening doors to future opportunities (imaniah, 2022 & ramadansur et al., 2023). indeed, in the increasingly dynamic world of education in the high school, reading skills is an essential pillar for academic success and personal growth (wang et al., 2022). it enables pupils to handle complex texts, analyze information critically, and extract meaning effectively, whether researching historical documents, understanding scholarly journals, or interpreting classic works of literature. beyond academics, these skills prepare pupils to interact with multiple perspectives, empathize with others, and make informed decisions in their lives (alghonaim, 2020). for this rationale, in the level of high school environment, it is important to prioritize the development of reading skills in order to adequately prepare pupils as lifelong learners who can thrive in a changing world (koh, 2022; xiao, 2022). in this regard, adequate support from the education system and a stimulating environment are crucial in arousing pupils' interest and improving their reading comprehension skills, so that they are well equipped for the challenges presented by reality after completing their education (zheng & wang, 2023). regardless of the obvious benefits of incorporating reading materials in the high school level, the implementation of appropriate and feasible reading materials faces several challenges (erdoğdu & çakıroğlu, 2021 and firdaus, 2022). yet, coventry et al., (2023) describe that one prominent issue is the accessibility and availability of such reading materials, especially in resource-constrained educational settings. furthermore, the influence of limited budgets, outdated libraries, and inadequate digital resources hinders pupils' access to a variety of high-quality reading materials. similarly, hsieh & teo (2023) propose that insufficient diversity and inclusivity in the selection of reading materials may fail to represent the experiences and perspectives of all pupils, thus perpetuating bias and reinforcing stereotypes. addressing these challenges requires concerted efforts from educators, policymakers and communities to ensure equitable access to appropriate reading materials that promote holistic development and inclusivity in high school education. meanwhile, early studies also emphasized the importance of interesting and relevant reading content for readers. among the many other factors, studies from erdoğdu & çakıroğlu (2021); shoda & yamanaka (2022); wang et al., (2022) and zheng & wang (2023) strongly recognize that the adaptation of online humorous reading content in learning is often considered as one of the elements that can increase interest and motivation in reading. nonetheless, the existing literature has not sufficiently explored how factors such as online humorous reading content might influence the relationship between reading motivation and reading comprehension among high school pupils. the emphasis in this study is on online humorous reading content, which refers to the materials available on various websites as per the study conducted by nur (2020). through the availability of internet access, both teachers and students have the opportunity to read these materials together. in contrast to serious reading materials such as news articles or scientific papers that aim to provide information or in-depth english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 747 analysis of a topic, online humorous reading content is specifically designed to elicit laughter or smiles from readers. thus, online humorous reading content is more suitable for entertainment and relaxation, as well as to maintain a balance in their reading activities. additionally, to alleviate the problem of reading skills among pupils at the high school level, however, an alternative solution that can be considered by researchers is the use of a learning platform that incorporates elements of online humorous reading content in the learning process. incorporation of humor in education has become a major highlight in an effort to create a more dynamic and positive learning atmosphere. thus, the presence of online humorous reading content in learning, after all, was able to make pupils feel more relaxed and understand complex concepts more easily and can increase pupils' learning motivation, as they feel involved in a fun and engaging learning process (firdaus, 2022). aside from that, this approach not only creates a more enjoyable learning environment, but also allows teachers to build stronger connections with pupils, as well as reduce boredom in the learning process. notably, as emphasized by shoda & yamanaka (2022), this approach has emerged as a powerful catalyst in building an enjoyable learning environment. similarly, erdoğdu & çakıroğlu (2021) asserts that the use of humor in an educational context has diverse benefits, ranging from engaging students' interest to strengthening retention of material. in addition, humor allows teachers to give feedback effectively and provides opportunities for refreshing moments in a learning process that can sometimes feel monotonous. by adopting this approach strategically, educators are able to create more active interactions and enrich students' overall learning experience. the growing importance of this pedagogical application reflects the recognition of humor's critical role in shaping a learning environment that not only hones students' academic abilities, but also builds a strong emotional connection to the educational material. moreover, it is anticipated that this approach will provide deeper insights into the complex dynamics behind the reading learning process in today's digital era. drawing on this research, it offers an important contribution in enriching our understanding of how certain factors, such as entertaining reading content, can influence the effectiveness of reading motivation on reading comprehension, particularly among tertiary level pupils. through presenting online humorous reading content, it is assumed that it will be possible to create a more enjoyable learning environment, so that pupils not only learn more effectively, but are also more motivated to continue improving their reading skills. method the research conducted at sman 1 bangkinang, kampar regency, employed a correlational design under multivariate correlation within the realm of quantitative research. furthermore, the correlation statistical test is used to determine and describe the relationship between the three variables and their influence on each other (creswell & creswell, 2018). focusing on pupils in grade eleven, the study encompassed a total population of 411 pupils, from which a sample of 186 pupils were selected using simple random sampling techniques. employing a meticulous combination of questionnaires and tests as its instruments, the research incorporated a reading motivation questionnaire, an online humorous reading content questionnaire, and a reading comprehension test. the process of data collection entailed the careful administration of these instruments to ensure accuracy and reliability. subsequently, data analysis was executed using the ibm spss statistics 25 application, serving as the primary statistical tool for extracting meaningful insights. before distributing the research instruments, the researcher conducted a trial to establish the validity and reliability of the instruments, ensuring the robustness of the data collection process as had previously been proposed by alghonaim (2020). this comprehensive methodology underscores the rigor and credibility of the research findings, offering valuable insights into the relationship between reading motivation, online humorous reading content, and reading comprehension among high school pupils. retrieved from above, analysis of the interaction test in the form of moderated regression analysis (mra) is alternatively carried out to ascertain whether the moderator variable would reinforce or attenuate in the relation between the independent variable and the dependent variable. then, the interpretation of the findings is based on sugiyono's (2017) theory as in the following table: table 1. the interpretation of correlation citra ayu, ramanda rizky, & herdi digital humor and its impact on adolescent literacy: a look at high school reading trends 748 rxy interpretation 0.00-0.199 there is negligible correlation between the two variables 0.20-0.399 there is a low correlation between the two variables 0.40-0.599 there is a moderate correlation between the two variables 0.60-0.799 there is a high correlation between the two variables 0.80-1.000 there is a very high correlation between the two variables (sugiyono, 2017) the reference to see how close or strong the relationship between two variables is interpreted through table 1 above. however, from this table, the results of the analysis can be categorized as those that fall into the five categories, those are rejection (0.00-0.199); weak (0.20-0.399); moderate (0.40-0.599); high (0.60-0.799) and or very high (0.80-1.000). results and discussion discoveries from this study shed light on the complex dynamics between reading motivation, online humorous reading content, and reading comprehension among high school pupils. thus, by leveraging rigorous methodology and statistical analysis techniques such as moderated regression analysis (mra), this study not only establishes correlations but also explores the nuances of these relationships (alghonaim, 2020 & firdaus, 2022). to design effective strategies that promote reading engagement and comprehension among pupils, especially in an increasingly digitized learning environment, it is imperative for educators and policymakers to have such insights. alternatively, the interpretation of the moderating effect of the online humorous reading content variable adds depth to our understanding of how various factors interact to shape pupils' reading habits and skills. in this sense, this study makes a significant contribution to the discourse of educational practices aimed at improving literacy outcomes. likewise, the kolmogorov-smirnov test has shown that the data has a normal distribution at a significance level of α=0.05, with a p-value of 0.200. however, the significance of this step is important in ensuring the validity of further statistical analysis. as adopted from creswell & creswell (2018), then the linearity test was established and clarified that there was a significant effect of linearity with an f value of 239.236 and p < .001, confirming that there was a strong linear relationship between reading comprehension and reading motivation. thus, the results strongly signify that both reading comprehension and reading motivation have a significant impact on reading performance, and that the relationship between the two tends to be linear as discovered by alghonaim (2020) & soemer et al., (2023). then a statistical analysis test was conducted to evaluate the effect of reading motivation on reading comprehension, this has been done to understand how much impact the independent variable has on the dependent variable. table 2. model of summary model summary model r r2 adjusted r2 std. error of the estimate 1 .784a .615 .609 13.989 a. predictors: (constant), interaction, humorous reading, reading motivation afterwards, table 3 illustrates the analysis that was conducted to the extent of the effect of reading motivation on reading comprehension, by observing the coefficient of determination (rsquare). however, the coefficient of determination (r2) was 0.615, which implied that an average of 61.5% of the variation in reading comprehension could be explained by reading motivation. furthermore, as the findings stated by erdoğdu & çakıroğlu (2021) and wang et al., (2022) the linear regression model also shows that the independent variables, such as interaction, online humorous reading content, and reading motivation significantly contribute to reading comprehension, which is reflected by the high rvalue (0.784). in addition, the adjusted r2 value which is close to the r2 value indicates that the model fits the data well, with a relatively low standard error of estimation (13.989). this therefore confirms that reading motivation has a significant influence on reading comprehension, while other variables also signify the model. indeed, the finding claimed that the alternative hypothesis (ha) was accepted. in brief, as for the relative contribution of each independent variable to the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 749 dependent variable and its significance in influencing reading comprehension are displayed in table 4 as follows: table 3. table coefficient coefficientsa model unstandardized coefficients stand ardize d coeff icient s t sig. b std. error beta 1 (constant) -59.574 17.844 3.339 .001 reading motivation 1.440 .255 1.028 5.651 .000 humorous reading 1.772 .536 .595 3.308 .001 interaction .016 .007 .650 2.168 .031 a. dependent variable: reading comprehension however, the evidence found in table 4 displays the model coefficients used to analyze the relationship between reading motivation, online humorous reading content, and the interaction between the two with reading comprehension. for example, the unstandardized coefficients show how much change in reading comprehension is expected to occur when the independent variable changes by one unit, while the standardized coefficients give an idea of the relative contribution of each independent variable to reading comprehension after controlling for the other variables. as a result, it is evident from the spss calculation in table 4, the t count value was 2.168, which means that the t count was more than t table, which was only 1.976. in addition, the significance value obtained was 0.031, which means it was less than 0.05. likewise, the significance value obtained was 0.031 which was less than 0.05. this means that both coefficients are significant as indicated by the sig value. thus, the moderating variable in this study is categorized as a quasi-moderator variable. inevitably, upon diving into the data presented, a significant finding has emerged that the online humorous reading content has mediated the relation between pupils reading motivation and reading comprehension as the report's findings suggested by erdoğdu & çakıroğlu (2021). to this end, this conclusion is drawn from the noticeable shift in r2 values before and after including the interaction variable, coupled with the statistical significance with a p-value below 0.05. therefore, the second hypothesis was tested, as it was evident that online humorous reading content exerted a significant moderating influence on the relationship between pupils' reading motivation and reading comprehension. notably, the current study yielded compelling results indicating a strong linear relationship between reading comprehension and reading motivation, as evidenced by the significant effect of linearity (f = 239.236, p < .001). moreover, the linear regression model emphasized the significance of the difference in mean scores between the various groups based on the combination of these factors. other than that, the linear regression model confirms the significance of independent variables such as interaction, online humorous reading content, and reading motivation, which collectively contribute significantly to reading comprehension, as indicated by the high r value (0.784). therefore, the alternative hypothesis (ha) was supported, in which online humorous reading content acts as a moderator, and effectively influences the correlation between reading motivation and reading comprehension. this moderation is further emphasized through testing the second hypothesis, as stated earlier by alghonaim (2020); firdaus (2022); shoda & yamanaka (2022); wang et al., (2022) and xiao (2022), the significant moderating influence of online humorous reading content on the aforementioned relationship is evident. as a results, a detailed insight into the relative contribution and significance of each independent variable to reading comprehension is discovered. the correlations between reading motivation and pupils' reading comprehension have been highlighted in previous research by nur (2020) & soemer et al., (2023). some of them found that high reading motivation can improve pupils' reading comprehension. however, research has also highlighted that there are moderating factors that can affect this relationship are used in the learning process, especially humorous and online readings (shoda & yamanaka, 2022; yus, 2023 and zheng & wang, 2023). indeed, through this study, a deeper understanding of how aspects such as online humorous reading content can influence pupils' engagement and interest in reading can be gained. besides, alghonaim (2020); wang et al., (2022) and zheng & wang (2023) propose a delightful reading content such as online humorous reading content could also help create a more enjoyable reading experience for pupils, which in citra ayu, ramanda rizky, & herdi digital humor and its impact on adolescent literacy: a look at high school reading trends 750 turn can increase their motivation to read more. however, it is important to remember that this effect of online humorous reading content may not be evenly distributed among all pupils. therefore, in fact, some pupils may be more responsive to this type of content than others, depending on their personal preferences, cultural background, or other factors (soemer et al., 2023; xiao, 2022). apart from that, hebbecker et al., (2019); ives et al., (2023) and zheng & wang (2023) claim that the online humorous reading content has the power to change the learning atmosphere into a more relaxed and positive one. while the pupils are engaging with entertaining material, they tend to feel more relaxed and comfortable in the learning process. after all, this relaxed and positive environment creates a strong foundation for pupils' motivation and engagement in reading. indeed, when pupils feel emotionally connected to the material through the element of humor, they are more likely to deepen their understanding of the content presented (xiao, 2022). in the broader context of education, xiao (2022) asserts that the use of online humorous reading content might also promote inclusion. some pupils might feel more connected to the material presented through online humorous reading content, which could reduce the gap in learning achievement between pupils. by expanding the range of reading materials to include a variety of genres and styles, in turn, teachers can create an inclusive and diverse learning environment where every student can feel valued and engaged (coventry et al., 2023; ramadansur et al., 2023 and shoda & yamanaka, 2022). particularly, this phenomenon applies to pupils who might have difficulty in reading or be less motivated by more serious or classical reading materials. many pupils feel overwhelmed by texts that are considered "serious" and tend to lose interest in the learning process. however, by introducing readings that contain elements of online humorous reading content, teachers are able to create a more enjoyable and interesting learning environment for pupils. thus, learning becomes not only an obligation, but also an enjoyable experience that pupils anticipate (xiao, 2022; zheng & wang, 2023). likewise, a deeper understanding of the relationship between reading motivation and reading comprehension might varies the access for educators to design more effective learning strategies (ayu & rizky, 2023 and rizky & zainil, 2021). for instance, a better understanding of motivation can help in identifying what drives pupils' interest in reading. this could be the recognition of different types of motivation, such as the desire to achieve personal goals, the desire to expand knowledge, or even the desire to gain social rewards or recognition. by understanding this, educators can tailor their approach to engaging pupils' interest in reading. other than being an effective strategy in improving pupils' reading comprehension, the use of online humorous reading content also motivates them to learn (ayu et al., 2022 and bastian et al., 2023). humorous reading naturally attracts pupils' interest and arouses their curiosity. in the learning process, this interest is the key that helps pupils engage actively. when pupils enjoy what they read, their focus on the material increases, and they feel motivated to understand the text better (alghonaim, 2020). for example, if a student loses motivation because they find it difficult to understand the text, educators can look for ways to increase the student's motivation while providing additional support in reading comprehension. this could involve using instructional differentiation techniques or using reading materials that are more appropriate to the student's comprehension level. with a greater understanding of the dynamics between motivation and comprehension, educators have the opportunity to more effectively assist pupils in developing their reading skills (ayu et al., 2022; bastian et al., 2023; rizky, 2020; wong, 2023). by integrating learning strategies, erdoğdu & çakıroğlu (2021) affirm that it match pupils' needs and interests, also, educators can create a learning environment that supports continued growth in pupils' reading skills. this can provide benefits not only in terms of reading ability, but can also help pupils develop broader problem-solving and critical thinking skills. accordingly, the use of online humorous reading content has proven itself to be an effective tool in improving pupils' reading comprehension as well as motivating them to learn (shoda & yamanaka, 2022; yus, 2023 and zheng & wang, 2023). through entertaining reading, pupils not only become more engaged in the learning process, but also develop their ability to understand figurative language and complex language styles. hence, it cannot be denied that in shaping one's humor preferences, cultural differences play an important role. it is believed that each english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 751 demographic group has a unique cultural background, as well as values and norms that influence how humor is understood and accepted. in addition, social context also has a major impact on the effectiveness of humor. humor delivered in a context that matches the values and beliefs of a particular social group tends to be more successful and well-received by the audience. therefore, an understanding of cultural differences and sensitivity to social context is key to using humor effectively in a variety of situations and social interactions. as a result, learning becomes more enjoyable and meaningful for pupils, building a solid foundation for their academic growth. this can lead to more productive discussions in class, where pupils feel freer to share their views and participate in challenging learning activities. conclusion as to explore the correlation between the variables concerned, therefore, a moderated regression analysis (mra) and other statistical tests, including the kolmogorov-smirnov normality test, were adopted in this study. according to the interpretation, it is clear from the statistical analysis that reading motivation has a significant influence on reading comprehension, characterized by an r-squared (r^2) value of 0.615. however, what makes this study even more interesting is the role of online humorous reading content as a moderating variable. this content effectively affects the correlation between reading motivation and reading comprehension. hence, the use of humor in reading content can help break the rigidity of learning and broaden students' understanding of various genres of literature. apart from that, online humorous reading content adding a dimension of student engagement in learning. it demonstrates that it is not only improving reading comprehension, but also boosting pupils overall reading motivation. with these benefits in mind, however, it is crucial for educators to incorporate online humorous reading content into their curriculum. this addition is not only to improve reading comprehension, but also to create an engaging, motivating and rewarding learning experience for students. besides, the effective use of online humor reading content also depends on the teacher's ability to manage and direct the discussion properly. consequently, it is important to treat online humorous reading content as a learning tool that requires appropriateness and care in its use. by ensuring that the online humorous reading content still has strong educational value and is in line with the set learning objectives, educators can create a more enjoyable and effective learning environment, and provide a more memorable and valuable learning experience for students. references alghonaim, a. s. (2020). impact of related activities on reading comprehension of efl students. english language teaching, 13, 15–27. https://api.semanticscholar.org/corpusid:21471 2431 ayu, c., mudjiran, m., & refnaldi, r. (2022). developing a guided discovery model based on reflective teaching to improve students’ short essay writing skills. linguistics and culture review, 6(s2), 422–433. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.21744/lingcure. v6ns2.2134 ayu, c., & rizky, r. (2023). unlocking the power of peer assessment technique : a catalyst for enhanced writing skills in higher education. alishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 15(4), 4891–4900. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v15i4.4735 bastian, a., firdaus, m., & rizky, r. (2023). the school readiness in implementing the merdeka curriculum in pekanbaru : a survey of teachers and students’ perspectives. jurnal kependidikan: jurnal hasil penelitian dan kajian kepustakaan di bidang pendidikan, pengajaran dan pembelajaran, 9(4), 1162– 1173. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.33394/jk.v9i4. 9321 coventry, w. l., farraway, s., larsen, s. a., enis, t. p., forbes, a. q., & brown, s. l. (2023). do student differences in reading enjoyment relate to achievement when using the randomintercept cross-lagged panel model across primary and secondary school? plos one, 18(6 june), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285739 creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. sage publication. erdoğdu, f., & çakıroğlu, ü. (2021). the educational power of humor on student engagement in online learning environments. research and practice in technology enhanced learning, 16(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-02100158-8 firdaus, n. (2022). reading motivation and reading comprehension ability of the students at islamic university of malang. joey: journal of english ibrahimy, 1(2 se-articles), 67–72. https://doi.org/10.35316/joey.2022.v1i2.67-72 hebbecker, k., förster, n., & souvignier, e. (2019). citra ayu, ramanda rizky, & herdi digital humor and its impact on adolescent literacy: a look at high school reading trends 752 reciprocal effects between reading achievement and intrinsic and extrinsic reading motivation. scientific studies of reading, 23(5), 419–436. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2019.159841 3 hsieh, m. f., & teo, t. (2023). examining early childhood teachers’ perspectives of collaborative teaching with english language teachers. english teaching and learning, 47(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42321-02100102-5 imaniah, i. (2022). a critical review of english essay writing in studies of critical thinking, reading habits, and sentence structure mastery. indonesian efl journal, 8(1), 53–62. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v8i1.5588 ives, s. t., parsons, s. a., cutter, d., field, s. a., wells, m. s., & lague, m. (2023). intrinsic and extrinsic reading motivation: context, theory, and measurement. reading psychology, 44(3), 306–325. https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2022.214140 3 koh, p. w. (2022). introduction to the 2020 special issue for the association for reading and writing in asia (arwa). reading and writing, 35(4), 797–801. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-02210273-7 mccabe, c., sprute, k. m., & underdown, k. (2017). laughter to learning: how humor can build relationships and increase learning in the online classroom. https://api.semanticscholar.org/corpusid:14860 6150 nur, m. r. (2020). pemanfaatan sumber-sumber internet dalam kegiatan membaca ekstensif di rumah. jurnal pendidikan luar sekolah, 14(2), 44–54. https://doi.org/10.32832/jpls.v14i2.3580 oktavia, n. a., suharno, s., & suryandari, k. c. (2023). exploration: creative thinking skills in writing essays media-based image series. international journal of elementary education, 7(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.23887/ijee.v7i1.54095 ramadansur, r., sembiring, a. k., rizky, r., & nelvariza, n. (2023). promoting critical thinking skills through contextual teaching and learning. lectura : jurnal pendidikan, 14(2), 340–351. https://doi.org/10.31849/lectura.v14i2.15030 rizky, r. (2020). “bits and pieces” to improve the students’ writing skill: using educational game as an approach to teach descriptive text. elsya : journal of english language studies, 2(1), 20– 25. https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v2i1.3631 rizky, r., & zainil, y. (2021). the use of the bits and pieces game on students’ achievement on writing report text. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 13(1), 301–306. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v13i1.463. shoda, v. p., & yamanaka, t. (2022). a study on instructional humor: how much humor is used in presentations? in behavioral sciences (vol. 12, issue 1). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12010007 soemer, a., gericke, c., & schiefele, u. (2023). does mind wandering mediate the effects of habitual reading motivation on comprehension? learning and instruction, 83, 101693. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninst ruc.2022.101693 sugiyono, s. (2017). metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r&d. alfabeta. wang, x., jin, y., & jia, l. (2022). chinese adolescents’ reading motivation profiles and their relations to reading amount. frontiers in psychology, 13, 875486. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.875486 wong, j. m. s. (2023). embracing team heterogeneity: a case study of the collaborative teaching practice in an international kindergarten in hong kong. international journal of child care and education policy, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40723-023-00120-9 xiao, x.-y. (2022). how motivational constructs predict reading amount and reading achievement: the role of reading attitude and reading self-concept. power and education, 15(3), 341–361. https://doi.org/10.1177/17577438221146246 yus, f. (2023). humour on social networking sites bt pragmatics of internet humour (f. yus (ed.); pp. 189–244). springer international publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-03131902-0_6 zheng, w., & wang, x. (2023). humor experience facilitates ongoing cognitive tasks: evidence from pun comprehension. frontiers in psychology, 14(january). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1127275 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 449 students’ perceptions of the implementation of dialogic teaching for improving speaking skills at a university in west java laser romios english language education, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: laserromios@gmail.com bachrudin musthafa english language education, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: dinmusthafa@upi.edu nenden sri lengkanawati english language education, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: nendensl@upi.edu apa scitation: romios, l., musthafa, b., & lengkanawati, n. s. (2024). students’ perceptions of the implementation of dialogic teaching for improving speaking skills at a university in west java. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 449-462. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9531 received: 28-02-2024 accepted: 27-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction despite having studied english for several years, senior high school students continue to encounter difficulties in speaking the language (khasawneh, 2021). this phenomenon occurs due to the tendency of students to rely on their native language while translating dialogues into english. in addition, a considerable number of students exhibit reticence in engaging in discourse due to their limited lexicon, thereby impeding their ability to construct grammatically sound sentences. in the context of indonesia, where english is considered a foreign language (efl), the acquisition of extensive input and output of the language can prove to be a challenging task due to the limited number of individuals who possess proficiency in english (inayati et al., 2022). it can be observed that individuals primarily acquire and employ the english language within educational settings, whereas in non-academic settings, the utilization of said language for authentic communication is infrequent. this scenario is evidently detrimental to the fundamental objective of acquiring language proficiency. a study indicates that a number of challenges were encountered by students in their oral communication, stemming from a range of factors such as insufficient english lexicon, orthographic and phonetic difficulties (hajar & rahman, 2022). many students exhibit a deficiency in their abstract: in the present day, english has become a crucial language that individuals must acquire proficiency in. it has been extensively taught as a second language in many locations throughout the globe for a considerable period of time. in the indonesian context, the tertiary students seem to still lack of english skills despite prolonged duration of learning english. therefore, an effective teaching strategy is needed to teach english to tertiary students for the best outcomes possible. completed at a university in west java. an experimental study using a mixed methods research design was conducted to investigate whether dialogic teaching strategy works well to improve english speaking skills. in particular, this paper will focus on only presenting the results of qualitative data analysis, revealing the students’ perceptions of the implementation of dialogic teaching in a speaking class through the use of focus group discussion involving six participants of low, medium and high speaking skills in english. upon the completion of qualitative analysis, some findings were found, including: (1) students being more motivated when under pressure; (2) students earning confidence boost; (3) students acquiring creativities in presenting ideas; (4) students engaging in a dialogic discussion; (5) students wanting a balanced classroom activity; and (6) students aspiring to have outdoor learning activities. keywords: dialogic teaching; perception; speaking class; speaking skills; tertiary education. laser romios, bachrudin musthafa, & nenden sri lengkanawati students’ perceptions of the implementation of dialogic teaching for improving speaking skills at a university in west java 450 understanding of grammar. the study revealed various factors that contribute to the challenges faced by students, including their paradigms, levels of motivation, inadequate support from language environments, and limited opportunities to engage in speaking practice during the learning process. a study indicated sixth-semester students struggled with english (sampelolo et al., 2021). psychological obstacles (anxiety, shyness, nervousness, lack of confidence, fear of errors) and linguistic barriers (lack of vocabulary, grammar). kurniawana et al., (2018) found that the primary challenges faced by the students in developing their english-speaking skill are related to grammar, vocabulary, and fluency. furthermore, it is widely believed that the root causes of these issues are a deficiency in both practical experience and selfassurance. several studies have examined students' english anxiety in class in the context of indonesian efl. several studies have found that many students are anxious during classroom speaking exercises (sirait, 2015; mukminin & arif, 2015; indrianty, 2016; irawan & warni, 2018; tian & mahmud, 2018; ariyanti, 2017; abrar et al., 2018). pressure from such an action causes this uneasiness. the studies also showed that public speaking pressure causes uncontrolled anxiousness, limb movements, and speech difficulties. because they do not know enough words, are not ready, are frightened of making errors, and do not want their peers to laugh, students become anxious while speaking english in class. several problems in efl at tertiary level have also been found. typically, the duration designated for the development of oral communication abilities within english language curricula at indonesian institutions of higher learning is restricted (parudani, 2021). approximately 90 minutes are allocated on a weekly basis throughout a 16-week period, resulting in a cumulative total of 21 hours. two sessions within the semester are designated for mid-term and final assessments. in addition, the classrooms in indonesian universities are commonly characterized by their considerable size and diversity, which presents further difficulties. this scenario highlights the necessity of offering further opportunities and promoting increased independence to students in order to enhance their oral communication abilities. from the issues above, the researchers came up with the idea of experimenting a dialogic teaching strategy in a speaking class to improve students’ speaking skills at a tertiary level education in west java. the strategy is expected to give students an opportunity to learn english language skills and other soft skills that in a good communication style, such as tolerance, reciprocity, critical thinking, and cooperation. this study is based on the theory of dialogic teaching strategy invented by robin alexander (alexander, 2008). alexander claims that conversation and discussion have by far the greatest cognitive potential (alexander, 2017) and that these types of talk are the kinds of talk which are most following conventional thinking on children's learning (alexander, 2008). students have greater control in constructing their knowledge and understanding when they participate in discussion and discourse, and these activities are more likely to progress students' reasoning on a particular subject or concept. alexander (2018) outlined five tenets when engaging in dialogic instruction. what makes up dialogic education is described in table 1 below. table 1. principles of dialogic teaching (alexander, 2018) principle definition collective the classroom is understood as a space of joint learning and inquiry reciprocal participants listen to each other, share ideas and consider alternative viewpoints supportive participants feel able to express ideas freely, without risk of embarrassment over ‘wrong’ answers, and they help each other to reach common understandings cumulative participants build on their own and each other’s contributions and chain them into coherent lines of thinking and understanding purposeful classroom talk, though open and dialogic, is structured with specific learning goals in view dialogic instruction has its own unique signs and techniques. the indicators of dialogic teaching are as follows: authentic questions, where students express their thoughts with reasoning, as the dialogic teaching questions are structured to provoke thoughtful answers that are meant to provoke further new questions; uptake, where the speaker builds on what has been said; higher-order teacher feedback; and open discussion involving at least three participants who respond to each other in a sequential fashion for at least ten minutes. numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of dialogic instruction in enhancing students' speaking skills. in addition, dialogic teaching is a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 451 technique that aims to change classroom discourse away from memorization and toward fruitful dialogue between instructors and students. alexander (2005) stated that the implementation of dialogic teaching in nine british schools in 2003 had a beneficial effect on planning practice, classroom discourse, children's motivation, and learning results. further, alexander (2020) states that dialogic teaching utilizes the efficacy of conversation to captivate students' attention, provoke their cognition, enhance their comprehension, broaden their concepts, and construct and assess arguments, equipping them for continuous education and involvement in societal and democratic affairs. dialogic teaching is an instructional method that utilizes the potency of dialogue to actively include students in the process of acquiring knowledge. it engages pupils and stimulates their cognitive processes, so improving their comprehension of the subject matter. by creating a space for dialogue, it enables students to enhance their understanding of concepts and cultivate their ability to think critically by constructing and assessing arguments. this approach not only trains students for continuous learning but also empowers them to engage actively in social and democratic procedures. dialogic teaching is a complete instrument that promotes holistic education by fostering both academic advancement and civic participation. vrikkie et al. (2018) revealed that conversation frequently included a substantial dialogic component, with frequent instances of elaborated and reasoned speech. their data revealed pockets of excellence among high-frequency forms that substantially varied across classrooms. this finding is a significant and original contribution to the field, as it contradicts what previous observational studies have suggested. teachers played a crucial role in facilitating this dialogue; consequently, there are significant implications for teacher education and professional development in helping practitioners recognize the significance of using high-quality talk during instruction. however, more investigation is required to determine the precise effects of various programs on dialogue use. studies have shown that dialogic instruction encourages students to improve their speaking abilities as well as their critical thinking (elhassan & adam, 2017; niknezhad et al., 2020), as well as an increase in students' talk and reasoning (sedlacek & sedova, 2017), communicative competence (liubashenko & kornieva, 2019), and question (davies et al., 2017). davies et al. (2017) proved that the quality of questions students that ask in small group dialogic discussions has increased due to their study into how a teacher development program affects learners' dialogical discussion. this study investigated how a teacher development program affects learners' dialogical discussion. the audio and video transcripts and conversations analysis revealed that instructors had a favorable impression of students engaging in discussions to progress their deeper thinking. sedlacek and sedova (2017) looked into whether or not participating in a teacher development program affects how effectively dialogic instruction is carried out. in order to accomplish this goal, eight instructors were video captured both before and after the professional development program to track changes in the conversation within the classroom. following the completion of the professional development program, the results demonstrated that teachers who implemented dialogic practices saw an increase in student participation in the classroom and an improvement in the caliber of student talk regarding reasoning, discussion, and thought. halloush et al. (2021) stated that that the implementation of dialogic teaching successfully enhanced the students' speaking ability compared to the conventional method of instruction. they have concluded that this instruction technique is efficient and helpful in enhancing efl students' speaking ability performance. halloush et al. (2021) demonstrated an increase in fluidity, pronunciation, grammatical accuracy, vocabulary, and substance, which are the five components that makeup one's speaking ability. cui and teo (2020) critique four main models of dialogic education: dialogically organized instruction, thinking together, accountable discourse, and dialogic teaching. to make dialogic education more accessible and practical for instructors, a synthesis of these four models is presented, emphasizing their essential features and underlying principles. this includes cultivating a dialogic environment, establishing a teaching objective, and recruiting dialogic movements that collectively flow into and generate classroom conversation that encourages students to think critically and learn. it is anticipated that this synthesis and the excerpts of illustrative classroom dialogue will provide teachers with valuable insights into dialogic education and assist them in implementing dialogic education in their classrooms. laser romios, bachrudin musthafa, & nenden sri lengkanawati students’ perceptions of the implementation of dialogic teaching for improving speaking skills at a university in west java 452 little has been paid attention to the use of dialogic teaching strategy for improving speaking skills in english language teaching for adult learners. thus, the researchers attempted to contribute to solving the problems of teaching speaking skills to adult learners by experimenting dialogic teaching to a group of tertiary students in a university in west java, indonesia. it is expected that the use of dialogic teaching strategy will help solve speaking problems and give some insights into the knowledge of dialogic teaching strategy, especially from an indonesian context. to reveal students’ perceptions of the implementation of dialogic teaching strategy, the study uses a research question: how do students perceive the implementation of dialogic teaching strategy to improve students’ speaking skills? method in this study, a mixed methods explanatory design through time series experiments was used. the research design will be illustrated in the figure 1 bellow. figure 1. explanatory research design (creswell, 2012). the quantitative data is the main data and the qualitative is the secondary one. the qualitative data was collected after the quantitative data had been successfully collected through the experiment of dialogic teaching in a classroom. creswell (2012) states that in any given experiment, the number of participants may be limited and it may not be possible to involve more than one group. in this case, researchers studied a single group using a within-group experimental design. when an experimental researcher has access to only one group and can study them over a period, a time series design is a good experimental approach. a time series design consists of studying one group, over time, with multiple pre-tests and posttests measures or observations made by the researcher. this design does not require access to large numbers of participants, and it requires only one group for the study. this procedure consists of studying one group consisting 24 students, obtaining multiple pre-test measures for a period of time, administering an intervention (or interrupting the activities), and then measuring outcomes (or post-tests) several times. data analysis in this example consists of examining difference scores between the pre-tests and post-tests scores and using the pre-tests as covariates. this process can be seen in the table 2 below. table 2. time series experimental design by creswell (2012) select participant s for group pretest measure or observatio n pretest measure or observatio n pretest measure or observatio n intervention posttest measure or observatio n posttest measure or observatio n posttest measure or observatio n posttest measure or observatio n times series experimental design interrupted time series design time in this study, the quantitative data was garnered from an experimental design with time-series method. in this method, the researchers conducted pre-test thrice at the beginning of the semester and post-test thrice at the end of the semester. in the middle of the semester, the researcher conducted an experiment by teaching students through dialogic teaching to see if such a teaching strategy worked well for the students. thus, the statistical data was factored in from the three pre-tests and three post-tests by using an spss program. as to the quantitative data instrumentation, this study used an adapted speaking skills assessment instrument from brown (2007), folse (2006) and harris (1974). the instrument consists of four components, including fluency, pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. the researchers made some adaptations to fit the goal of the study and to make speaking skills assessment easier. table 3 below is an adapted speaking assessment rubric that is simplified. table 3. speaking assessment rubric adapted from brown (2007), folse (2006) and harris (1974) fluency pronunciatio n grammar vocabulary 1-5 1-5 1-5 1-5 the speaking assessment rubric has four components (fluency, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary) and each of them has a score ranging from 1 – being lowest – and 5 being highest. the process of adapting a speaking evaluation rubric offers concise instructions to students for enhancing their speaking skills and facilitates the provision of positive evaluations. the use of the speaking assessment rubric enables the facilitation of a more efficacious learning encounter, while english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 453 concurrently ensuring equitable and unbiased evaluation for our students. similarly, johnson and christensen (2014) maintain that researchers can improve experiments further by conducting interviews (one-to-one or focus group discussion) to get at the research participants’ perceptions and meanings that lie behind the experimental research findings. as experiments involve featured process elements (i.e. the development of the participants as a result of the treatment), including a qualitative phase to explore the nature of such processes is a natural and potentially highly fruitful design that can greatly enhance the study’s internal validity (dornyei, 2007). despite using mixed methods research design, this article will focus only on the results of the qualitative data gathered from a focus group discussion to reveal students’ perceptions of the implementation of dialogic teaching strategy. this is aimed at answering the research question for the qualitative data, which is: how do students perceive the implementation of dialogic teaching strategy to improve students’ speaking skills? to collect the qualitative data, the study used a qualitative methodology to capture the participants' perceptions using a descriptive narrative method. dornyei (2007) asserts that qualitative study is used by researchers to comprehend the significance attributed by individuals to their understanding and experience of the world. this strategy is used to extract the core elements and fundamental aspects of the participant's interpretations (saldaña, 2011). the researchers carefully examined, scrutinized, and deciphered the perceptions of students regarding the implementation of dialogic teaching strategy at a speaking class at a university. this study examined how students perceive the implementation of dialogic teaching strategy – revealing whether it has been a success or otherwise. using a focus group discussion employing open-ended questions within a semistructured interview protocol, this study enables the researchers to explore unexpected themes and fully understand the perspectives of the participants (zhang & wildemuth, 2009). since the study covers six participants for the focus group discussion, its scale falls under the category of modest. however, this is not a concern in qualitative study since its primary objective is to encourage respondents to express their thoughts and opinions in detail on a particular scenario or program (boyce & neale, 2006). this study used a purposive sample strategy, selecting six students out of twenty-four students as participants from a university in west java. the participants are the students who were sitting at fifth semester at the time of data collection, suggesting that they had the ability to articulate their perceptions effectively. they represent levels of performance in a speaking class, ranging from low, middle to high performing tier. this rank was taken from the pretest and posttest scores within the qualitative data results. table 4 displays the participants' profile, including their name, semester, and level of speaking performance. in order to safeguard the individuals involved and mitigate any possible future hazards, the identities of participants have been replaced by pseudonyms. table 4. participants’ profile name semester level of performance alice 5 low adam 5 medium brooklyn 5 high billy 5 low caroline 5 medium clayton 5 high the participants mentioned above were chosen based on their speaking scores and their characteristic of being articulate from each performance level. this allowed the researchers to explore their perspectives on the implementation of the dialogic teaching strategy in a speaking class. the chosen participants are a representation of students who exhibit low, medium, and high levels of performance in speaking, as determined by their observed performance during classroom activities. this sample aims to depict the perceptions on the implementation of the dialogic teaching strategy across three levels of speaking skills performance. this study aims to provide a comprehensive and detailed account of the phenomena, while also minimizing any biased perceptions. a focus group discussion interview technique, consisting of 5 questions, was used to elicit participants' perceptions on the implementation of the dialogic teaching strategy in a recently attended speaking class. the study included several facets, such as the participants' overall perceptions on the implementation of the dialogic teaching strategy, their preferences and criticisms about it, and their suggestions for improvements. this investigation sought to determine participants' perceptions about the implementation of the laser romios, bachrudin musthafa, & nenden sri lengkanawati students’ perceptions of the implementation of dialogic teaching for improving speaking skills at a university in west java 454 dialogic teaching strategy, specifically in relation to its effectiveness in enhancing speaking skills. before gathering the data, the researchers delivered consent letters to the participants in order to get their consent to take part in the study. following the explanation of the study's objective and obtaining consent, the researchers conducted a 30-minute focus group discussion at the university as scheduled. prior to the commencement of the focus group discussion, the researchers provided the participants with concise information explaining the purpose of the study, its importance, and the protocols in place to ensure the safety of the human subjects and avoid any potential harm. prior to starting the interview, permission to record the discussion using a voice recorder was requested and obtained, and the recording began subsequent to reaching an agreement. in order to augment the focus group discussion session, note-taking was also conducted. the recordings and notes helped the researchers in achieving transcription with a high level of precision. in order to protect the identities of the participants and minimize any threats, pseudonyms were assigned to each individual involved in the study. the pseudonyms used were adam, alice, brooklyn, billy, clayton, and caroline. in order to maintain a calm but attentive atmosphere during the focus group discussion, the researchers explicitly stated that their participation in the discussion would not impact their speaking scores. additionally, participants were given the freedom to express themselves in a language they were most comfortable with. consequently, the focus group discussion proceeded well according to the intended plan. the researchers used the theoretical framework developed by miles, huberman, and saldaña (2014) for the purpose of data analysis. this framework encompasses many stages, including data condensation, data classification, data presentation, data interpretation, and conclusion drawing or verification. the transcribed interview data were sent via the whatsapp instant messaging service to the interviewees for the purpose of verification. upon obtaining their approval, the researchers meticulously examined the data, carefully categorizing significant information thematically using a table. the classification process resulted in the identification of three primary themes: the participants' overall views of the implementation of the dialogic teaching strategy, their preferences and criticisms about it, and their suggestions for future improvements. to provide a more precise analysis, the categories from each transcript were consistently compared in order to identify a complete pattern, allowing for suitable interpretation of each category. in order to increase the reliability of the study, peer debriefing and double crosscheck were used. this included sharing the analytic findings with all co researchers to get more insights into the data and validating it with the participants to ensure its accuracy. once they gave their agreement, a visual conclusion was made to aid in explaining future assertions. the purpose of this strategy was to prevent any inaccuracies, distortions, or deceptive interpretations (lichtman, 2010). results and discussion students do not crack under pressure the thorough analysis and findings of this study offer persuasive proof that a substantial majority of students experience an increase in their motivation levels when they are exposed to high-pressure scenarios that require exceptional performance. this fascinating occurrence was not only a statistical finding but was also supported by the personal experiences of the students participating in the study. a student named billy offered a perceptive description of his personal experience. billy, a diligent and committed student, discovered that his motivation levels significantly rose when he encountered strict deadlines for completing his assignments. he openly expressed his viewpoint, asserting that the approaching deadlines, instead of causing stress, served as a catalyst that motivated him to provide his utmost effort. he stated: “we must prepare material regularly, which can be challenging, but it is a valuable opportunity for our growth and development. we acquire knowledge from experiences. through consistent practice, the presence of pressure, and receiving constructive criticism, i enhanced my abilities”. [billy] billy emphasizes the significance of consistent preparation and the worth it contributes to his personal maturation and advancement. regular preparation entails a steadfast endeavor to accumulate, comprehend, and utilize knowledge. the process can be arduous due to the intricacy of the material, time limitations, or other variables. nevertheless, these challenges serve as catalysts for personal development rather than obstacles. they compel him to venture outside his comfort zones, compelling him to engage in critical thinking, problem-solving, and adaptability to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 455 unfamiliar circumstances. conquering these obstacles not only improves his understanding and abilities, but also cultivates resilience, determination, and self-assurance. similarly, alice, another student who took part in the survey, shares a belief that is consistent with the study findings. she strongly believes that the pressure imposed on her by her lecturer acts as a substantial source of motivation for her. alice believes that instead of discouraging her, this pressure serves as a motivating factor that pushes her to thrive in her academic endeavors. she perceives this pressure as a catalyst for her motivation to surpass her own goals and attain higher levels of academic achievement. correspondingly, alice adheres to a similar belief as the following. “this strategy is highly effective. the assessment provided is greatly beneficial to me personally. i am focused on ensuring that i pay attention to the correct form of pronunciation. it can be challenging, but it motivated me to improve”. [alice] alice confirms the efficacy of a specific approach. this implies that she has assessed the approach and determined that it is effective in accomplishing its intended objective. the efficacy of a technique can be assessed through multiple criteria, including its efficiency, its capacity to yield desired outcomes, and its adaptability across diverse contexts. her endorsement of the method's efficacy demonstrates her contentment with these attributes and her assurance in employing the method. likewise, clayton holds a comparable viewpoint as the following. “there’s lots of nervousness. usually, the presenter goes to the front with a lecturer next to him and then we pay attention to him. but in this course, i feel cared for from all aspects. i turned pressure to motivation.” [clayton] clayton displays signs of apprehension, a typical response to unfamiliar or demanding circumstances. these emotions can materialize in a bodily manner, as seen by the perceptions of warmth and chilliness. this implies that he is venturing beyond his familiar territory, which can be an anxiety-inducing ordeal. nevertheless, these emotions also indicate personal development and acquisition of knowledge. they suggest that he is expanding his limits and exploring uncharted ground, which is frequently where the most profound learning takes place. studies conducted by beilock et al. (2007), sharon (2018), and sosnowski and brosnan (2023) have shown that pressure may improve student performance by intensifying concentration and fostering a heightened feeling of urgency. increased pressure may enhance focus, enabling pupils to effectively prioritize activities and allocate their efforts more efficiently. this may result in enhanced performance and the cultivation of resilience and adaptation under high-pressure circumstances. nevertheless, it is crucial to maintain a harmonious equilibrium of pressure levels in order to avoid pupils from experiencing a sense of being overwhelmed. in addition, the feeling of urgency caused by pressure may assist students in effectively arranging and prioritizing their tasks, resulting in enhanced time management and less stress. these results emphasize the need of educational environments that foster students' inclination to challenge themselves while offering the essential resources and assistance to properly cope with stress. confidence gets boosted participating in discussions with classmates can greatly enhance students' self-assurance. this interaction offers a secure setting for students to articulate their ideas, inquire, and gain knowledge from one another. by expressing their thoughts and receiving input, individuals enhance their comprehension of the topic at hand and their own educational development. engaging in this active participation enables individuals to conquer their apprehension of making errors and fosters a greater willingness to express their thoughts without inhibition. over time, engaging in open discourse cultivates self-assurance, empowering students with the ability to communicate effectively in a wide range of environments. in a statement, adam said: “upon completing this course, i noticed a significant change. when i addressed audience, i experienced a decrease in nervousness. it decreased from 2 minutes to 1 minute, and eventually down to just 30 seconds.” [adam] adam demonstrates his self-evaluation of his public speaking abilities prior to enrolling in a speaking course facilitated by dialogic teaching. he acknowledged his initial anxiety and selfdoubt, particularly in the first one to two minutes of his remarks. this level of self-awareness is laser romios, bachrudin musthafa, & nenden sri lengkanawati students’ perceptions of the implementation of dialogic teaching for improving speaking skills at a university in west java 456 essential as it demonstrates his comprehension of his own capabilities and limitations, as well as his determination to enhance them. adam proceeds to recount his encounter during the preliminary phases of his presentations. he experienced feelings of anxiety, tremors, and a lack of self-assurance. nevertheless, as he persisted in speaking, he grew accustomed to participating in dialogue. this implies a process of adjustment and acquisition of knowledge, wherein he successfully handled his initial uneasiness and grew more at ease with public speaking. alice also maintains a similar point of view by saying: “in this learning method, the development that i experienced was that in the beginning, going forward, it was really a struggle to breathe. as time went by, i could manage my nervousness. thus, i become more confident afterwards.” [alice] alice reflects on her earliest encounters with a specific learning methodology. alice characterizes it as a respiratory challenge, which could serve as a metaphor for experiencing a sense of being overwhelmed or stressed. indications point to the fact that the learning approach posed difficulties for her initially, either because of its intricacy, the speed at which it was presented, or her lack of knowledge with the topic. nevertheless, her persistence and tenacity are evident in her decision to persist with the approach despite the initial challenges. over time, alice successfully controlled her anxiety. this suggests that she created tactics to deal with the obstacles she encountered. these measures could encompass methods to alleviate her anxiety, such as practicing deep breathing or engaging in mindfulness exercises, as well as scholastic approaches, such as deconstructing intricate assignments into more manageable components or requesting assistance when necessary. her gradual improvement in handling her anxiety demonstrates her flexibility and ability to control herself, both of which are crucial abilities for effective learning. dialogic teaching, as examined by alexander (2020), garcía-carrión et al. (2020), kim and wilkinson (2019), oldehaver (2023), and toro (2021), greatly enhances students' self-assurance through the encouragement of active engagement, the development of critical thinking and problemsolving abilities, the enhancement of communication skills, and the facilitation of comprehension and learning. this pedagogical strategy revolutionizes the dynamics of the classroom, as the instructor assumes the role of a facilitator, empowering students to actively participate in their own learning journey. the strategy emphasizes the importance of debate and discussion, resulting in a cooperative and everevolving learning process where students are not only passive consumers of information but active participants. presenting ideas in a creative fashion introducing concepts in the classroom stimulates students to access their creative potential. in their pursuit of effective communication, individuals endeavor to employ inventive methods to express intricate ideas, utilizing techniques such as storytelling, visual aids, demonstrations, and even technology. engaging in this creative process not only enhances the appeal of their presentations but also enhances their comprehension of the subject matter. moreover, it cultivates the ability to think critically and solve problems as individuals tackle the task of articulating their thoughts in a lucid and persuasive manner. in the end, the classroom serves as a stage for students to showcase their creativity, enhancing their educational journey and cultivating a climate of ingenuity. in a statement, clayton argued: “the teaching strategy gave me a wealth of knowledge, especially in presenting ideas in front of the class. for instance, i became creative with powerpoint presentation. creating a powerpoint presentation demands careful consideration and creativity to effectively convey the intended message.” [clayton] clayton initially demonstrates the importance of learning techniques, specifically in improving verbal communication. his recognition of the significance of structured learning systems in gaining and honing abilities is evident. his emphasis on verbal communication demonstrates a comprehension of its importance in effectively transmitting ideas. furthermore, it suggests that he places importance on social connections and is enthusiastic about enhancing his proficiency in communicating effectively and convincingly. in the same way, caroline has a similar perspective as stated below. “i find that dialogic teaching has created a fresh environment for me. as someone not naturally comfortable speaking before a large group, i find this strategy a game-changer. it english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 457 enabled me to improve my presentation skills and pronunciation and grammar.” [caroline] caroline suggests that dialogic education has generated a novel atmosphere for her. dialogic education is an interactive method that promotes open-ended debates and fosters critical thinking among students. her admiration for this approach indicates that she esteems a learning atmosphere that encourages active participation and analytical thinking. furthermore, it suggests that she is receptive to novel pedagogical approaches and possesses the capacity to adjust to diverse educational settings. the study reveals that students have embraced innovative methods to proficiently convey information. during the classroom observation, it was found that students employed some ways to convey their messages creatively. first, they used quizzes, polls, or q&a sessions into presentations to actively involve the audience and improve their capacity to remember the topic. second, they used pertinent visuals and videos to enhance the attractiveness and efficacy of their presentations. third, they used personal experiences that served to develop a rapport with the audience, enhancing the message's relatability and captivation. fourth, they used models or replicas to effectively communicate intricate topics, hence enhancing audience understanding. finally, they conveyed concepts by practical demonstrations, providing a concrete and experiential method of education, improving comprehension of theoretical concepts, and catering to those who learn best through visual and physical activities. engaging in dialogic communication dialogic teaching greatly improves student engagement in classroom conversations. this technique, defined by interactive discourse and engaged involvement, fosters students' ability to articulate their ideas, challenge presuppositions, and investigate a wide range of viewpoints. through participating in these intellectual exchanges, individuals develop a stronger commitment to the process of learning. dialogic teaching's dynamic character fosters critical thinking, enhances comprehension, and renders learning more significant and applicable. moreover, it cultivates a feeling of camaraderie as students acquire the skills of active listening, appreciation for diverse perspectives, and cooperation in pursuit of mutual comprehension. dialogic teaching ultimately converts the classroom into a dynamic learning community, catching students' curiosity and igniting their enthusiasm for learning. in a statement, billy stated: “i think this teaching strategy is innovative. actually, i tend to be quieter and not engage in conversations that much. however, in this course, i frequently engaged in discussion voluntarily. i enjoyed sharing ideas in class a lot more.” [billy] billy initially explores the correlation between the learning approach and his individual interests. this implies that he recognizes the importance of the learning process not only for its academic benefits, but also for its applicability to his individual interests. this suggests that he is an actively involved student who actively looks for links between academic material and his personal interests. this technique has the potential to increase motivation, enhance comprehension, and enhance the enjoyment of the learning process. similarly, brooklyn said: “there are numerous advantages to be gained, particularly in personal growth. for instance, individuals who lack experience in public speaking can benefit from this course, as it guides them in improving their speaking skills.” [brooklyn] brooklyn recognizes the multitude of benefits that can be obtained, especially in terms of individual development. this indicates that brooklyn acknowledges the significance of experiences and opportunities that contribute to individual growth. personal development frequently entails the improvement of diverse skills and capabilities, along with an augmentation in self-awareness and comprehension. her acknowledgment of these benefits suggests that she highly regards the process of self-improvement and is receptive to opportunities for learning that can enhance her personal development. dialogic teaching gives benefits to students in several ways. first, it encourages active involvement, cultivating a feeling of possession and involvement in the educational process (alexander, 2020). this teaching strategy improves cognitive abilities such as critical thinking and problem-solving by prompting pupils to scrutinize, assess, and integrate information (fisher, 2007). second, it enhances communication abilities by promoting the articulation of thoughts and ideas in a concise and coherent manner (rapanta et al., 2021). third, laser romios, bachrudin musthafa, & nenden sri lengkanawati students’ perceptions of the implementation of dialogic teaching for improving speaking skills at a university in west java 458 studies suggest that students who are exposed to dialogic education have significant enhancements in understanding and practical learning when compared to their counterparts in traditional classrooms (kazepides, 2012). alexander's (2020) study emphasizes that the implementation of dialogic education has a substantial positive impact on students' academic achievements in two specific domains. firstly, it facilitates comprehension by enabling students to actively engage with and interpret the subject matter via discourse and discussion, resulting in a more profound knowledge of the issue. secondly, it fosters instrumental learning by facilitating the acquisition of practical skills such as problemsolving, critical thinking, and communication. dialogic education offers many opportunities for students to engage in practice and enhance these abilities within a nurturing and cooperative setting. considering balancing theory with practice the provision of theories in the classroom is essential for the academic advancement of students. theories provide a methodical and organized approach to comprehending different occurrences. they offer a structure for students to comprehend the information they come across, aiding them in arranging their knowledge and establishing links between various concepts. moreover, theories promote the development of critical thinking skills by prompting students to challenge assumptions, assess evidence, and contemplate alternate viewpoints. through active involvement with theories, students not only enhance their comprehension of the subject matter but also cultivate the cognitive skills essential for continuous learning throughout their lives. for this regard, caroline said: “in my view, i would appreciate and expect a more formal approach to learning, focusing on presenting the material, followed by ample opportunities and longer duration for practice and reinforcement.” [caroline] caroline favors a more formal approach to learning. this implies that she places importance on having a well-organized and structured approach to her educational endeavors. she probably values the presentation of learning materials in a methodical and organized way, as it facilitates a comprehensive comprehension of the topic. caroline highlights the significance of effectively delivering the content during the learning process. this suggests that she places importance on the conveyance of information. the effectiveness of education is determined not only by the content being taught, but also by the instructional methods employed. she may have a preference for lectures, demonstrations, or other instructional techniques that effectively convey the information. similarly, brooklyn said; “maybe, in my opinion, it would be better to continue with practice for a longer duration after the presentation of the material. so, every student can apply the material that has just been presented well.” [brooklyn] brooklyn proposes that it could be advantageous to lengthen the duration of practice after the presenting of material. this suggests that she places importance on the practical use of information and holds the belief that increasing the amount of time spent practicing could improve this. she appears to comprehend that achieving mastery requires not only comprehension, but also repeated implementation and practice. brooklyn establishes a clear link between the way information is presented and the subsequent application or use of that information. this indicates that she views the two as an ongoing sequence the delivery of information is insufficient without the chance to put into action and reinforce what has been acquired. this demonstrates a comprehension of the learning process as being fluid and mutually influential. ensuring a harmonious integration of theory and practice in speaking courses is of utmost importance due to several reasons (albino, 2017; kasmaini et al., 2023; kahng, 2019). theoretical knowledge serves as a structural basis for comprehending the fundamental principles of successful speaking, while practical application enables students to apply these ideas, so improving their speaking proficiency. engaging in practical tasks allows students to get feedback, which assists them in identifying their areas of strength and areas that need work. consistent practice is crucial for developing confidence and expertise in communicating. ultimately, the combination of academic understanding and practical practice empowers students to proficiently use their speaking abilities in real-life situations. bringing classroom out engaging in outings can greatly enhance students' proficiency in spoken english. they offer practical situations in which students can practice and utilize english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 459 their language abilities in a variety of real-life scenarios. engaging in social interactions with diverse individuals during excursions exposes students to a wide range of accents, dialects, and colloquial expressions, so improving their ability to understand spoken english and communicate effectively. moreover, excursions frequently necessitate students to proficiently converse in order to traverse unfamiliar surroundings, hence enhancing their self-assurance in utilizing the english language. these experiences have the potential to enhance language acquisition by making it more captivating and significant, ultimately resulting in enhanced english-speaking proficiency. in a statement, clayton said: “i think there should be a new nuance to the class activity, such as holding speaking class outdoors. if you're outside, you can feel like a tour guide.” [clayton] clayton expresses a desire to incorporate a novel aspect into his educational journey. this indicates that he is receptive to novel ideas and willing to engage in experimental approaches during his scholastic pursuit. he is dissatisfied with the current state of affairs and is actively pursuing methods to improve his learning. clayton suggests the concept of engaging in conversations or acquiring knowledge in an outdoor setting as a means to introduce this fresh subtlety. this suggests that he places importance on experiential learning and holds the belief that altering the environment can have a substantial influence on the learning process. he recognizes the promise of the outdoors as an educational environment where tangible skills can be cultivated. similarly, adam said: “maybe if applied to earlier semesters, say, semester 3, it would be an exciting experience learning public speaking outside. the audience is not only classmates but random people who come to watch us. so, it will be an interesting experience.” [adam] adam proposes that implementing this learning approach with younger cohorts, such as those in the third semester, could be a stimulating endeavor. this suggests that he has confidence in the flexibility and openness of younger children to embrace innovative approaches to learning. he seemed to comprehend that being exposed to such events at an early stage can be advantageous. adam suggests the concept of acquiring public speaking skills in a non-traditional educational environment. this demonstrates his appreciation for tangible experiences and his belief in their substantial contribution to the learning process. he appears to value the distinctive difficulties and possibilities that outdoor public speaking can provide. participating in discussions at well-known tourist sites may greatly improve students' ability to communicate orally in some ways (cronin, 2022; doff, 2022; khasbani and seli, 2021; mahtawarmi, 2019). first, engaging in real-life scenarios offers excellent practical experience and chances to use communication abilities in a wide range of unanticipated settings. second, engaging with persons from many cultures broadens students' outlooks and enhances their communication skills. third, being exposed to many accents, dialects, and expressions improves the process of acquiring language skills. fourth, consistent practice, particularly in unforeseen circumstances, enhances one's confidence in oral communication abilities. fifth, engaging in conversations provides prompt feedback, allowing students to see areas for development and adapt their speaking abilities appropriately. however, the study revealed that arranging excursions for the university's public speaking class poses some substantial difficulties. first, students from disadvantaged backgrounds may have difficulties in taking part in these excursions owing to financial limitations, since these activities sometimes include extra expenses for travel, food and entrance fees. second, the university's secluded position away from popular tourist destinations poses challenges in organizing such outings, therefore restricting students' chances to use their academic expertise in practical contexts. third, the stringent academic deadlines might make it arduous, if not unattainable, for students to engage in these activities. conclusion it was found that the students responded positively to the implementation of the dialogic teaching strategy. this teaching strategy, which emphasizes dialogue and interaction in the classroom, was well-received by the students. they enjoyed the interactive nature of the lessons and the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions. this was despite some recommendations they proposed, suggesting that while they appreciated the strategy, they also saw room for improvement and refinement. the implementation of dialogic laser romios, bachrudin musthafa, & nenden sri lengkanawati students’ perceptions of the implementation of dialogic teaching for improving speaking skills at a university in west java 460 teaching strategy may therefore be applied to any tertiary level education regardless of students’ semester and speaking quality. the students may feel the benefits of being used to speaking in public, in front of their classmates particularly, after the speaking class is completed. moreover, a more engaging speaking class can be done in the future by using dialogic teaching strategy that uses student-proposed topics so that the students will have class ownership and complete engagement to the class. lastly, future researchers may conduct a study to three tiers of students’ speaking performance to test out dialogic teaching strategy using a quasi-experimental design with one control group and one experimental group for more precise results. this will help reveal the challenges and possible solutions faced by students of each english performance tier. references alexander, r. (2020). a dialogic teaching companion. routledge. alexander, r. (2018). developing dialogic teaching: genesis, process, trial. research papers in education, 33(5), 561–598. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2018.148114 0 alexander, r. (2017). towards dialogic teaching: rethinking classroom talk (5th ed.). dialogos. alexander, r. (2008). culture, dialogue and learning: notes on an emerging pedagogy. in n. mercer, & s. hodgkinson (eds.). exploring talk in school (pp. 91–114). sage. alexander, r. (2005). talk for learning: the second year. northallerton, north yorkshire county council. abrar, m., mukminin, a., habibi, a., asyrafi, f., & marzulina, l. (2018). “if our english isn’t a language, what is it?” indonesian efl student teachers’ challenges speaking english. the qualitative report, 23(1), 129–145. albino, g. (2017). improving speaking fluency in a task-based language teaching approach: the case of efl learners at puniv-cazenga. sage open, 7(2), 215824401769107. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017691077 ariyanti, a. (2017). foreign language anxiety in academic writing. dinamika ilmu, 17(1),143– 152. https://doi.org/10.21093/di.v17i1.815 beilock, s. l., & decaro, m. s. (2007). from poor performance to success under stress: working memory, strategy selection, and mathematical problem solving under pressure. journal of experimental psychology: learning, memory, and cognition, 33(6), 983–998. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.33.6.983 boyce, c., & neale, p. (2006). conducting in-depth interviews: a guide for designing and conducting in-depth interviews for evaluation input. pathfinder international. brown, h.d. (2007). teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy. san francisco state university. cronin, z. (june 24, 2022). the need for real-world examples in the classroom. https://www.kiddom.co/real-world-examplesin-the-classroom/ creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). boston, ma: pearson. cui, r., & teo, p. (2020). dialogic education for classroom teaching: a critical review. language and education, 35(3), 187–203. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2020.183785 9 davies, m., kiemer, k., & meissel, k. (2017). quality talk and dialogic teaching—an examination of a professional development program on secondary teachers’ facilitation of student talk. british educational research journal, 43(5), 968-987. doff, a. (23 february 2022). language for real life: developing conversation skills in english. https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2022/02/23 /developing-conversation-skills-in-english/ dornyei, z. (2007). research methods in applied linguistics. oxford university press. elhassan, i., & adam, m. (2017). the impact of dialogic teaching on english language learners’ speaking and thinking skills. arab world english journal, 8(4), 49–67. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol8no4.4 fisher, r. (2007) dialogic teaching: developing thinking and metacognition through philosophical discussion. early child development and care, 177(6), 615–631. folse, k.s. (2006). the art of teaching speaking: research and pedagogy for the esl/efl classroom. the michigan university press. garcía-carrión, r., lópez de aguileta, g., padrós, m., & ramis-salas, m. (2020). implications for social impact of dialogic teaching and learning. frontiers in psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00140 hajar, i & rahman, a. (2022). high school students’ difficulties in english speaking skills of namlea, buru island. exposure journal, 11(1), 31-40. halloush, l., abdelrahman, a.b & abu-dalbouh, m. (2021). effect of using dialogic teaching method on seventh-grade students’ performance in speaking skill. jordan journal of educational sciences, 17(4), 649-662. https://doi.org/10.47015/17.4.11 harris, d. (1979). testing english as second language. hill book company. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 461 inayati, n & karifianto, d.w. (2022). autonomous online english language learning in indonesian higher education contexts. mextesol journal, 46(1), 2022. http://www.mextesol.net/journal/index.php?pag e=journal&id_article=45940 indrianty, s. (2016). students’ anxiety in speaking english (a case study in one hotel and tourism college in bandung). eltin journal, 4(1), 28– 39. irawan, r., & warni, s. (2018). efl learners’ speaking anxiety in an eop program. journal of elt research, 3(2), 193–203. https://doi.org/10.22236/jer_vol3issue 2 johnson, r.b. & christensen, l. (2014). educational research: quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches (5th edition). thousand oaks, sage publications, inc. kahng, j. (2019). teaching and researching speaking skills: theory and research-based practices. routledge. kazepides, t. (2012). education as dialogue. educational philosophy & theory, 44(9), 913– 925. kasmaini., danim, s., kristiawan, m., zahrida., sufiyandi., & maharrini, d. (2023). improving english students’ speaking skills through an action learning strategy. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 143-152. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7232 khasbani, i., & seli, f. (2021). the impact of role-play on students' speaking performance. linguists: journal of linguistics and language teaching, 7(2), 1-15. http://dx.doi.org/10.29300/ling.v7i2.5216 kurniawana, i., sabaruddina, s & jayanti, f.g. (2018). an analysis of students’ english speaking skill at coastal schools of bengkulu city, indonesia. journal of english language studies, 3(1), 1830. http://dx.doi.org/10.30870/jels.v3i1.2212 khasawneh, m. a. s. (2021). language skills and their relationship to learning difficulties in english language from the students’ point of view. science and education, 2(9), 261-272. kim, m.y., & wilkinson, i. (2019). what is dialogic teaching? constructing, deconstructing, a reconstructing a pedagogy of classroom talk. learning, culture and social interaction, 21, 7086. lichtman, m. (2010). qualitative research in education: a user’s guide (2nd edition). california. liubashenko, o., & kornieva, z. (2019). dialogic interactive speaking skills assessment in the experiential teaching of technical english to tertiary school students. advanced education, 6(13), 18-25. mahtawarmi, y. (2019). improving students’ speaking skill by using problem-based learning model (unpublished master’s thesis). ar-raniry state islamic university. mazouzi, m. s. (2013). analysis of some factors affecting learners’ oral performance (unpublished master’s thesis). university of biskra.http://archives.univbiskra.dz/bitstream/1 23456789/4772/1/people1.pdf mukminin, a., & arif, n. (2015). efl speaking anxiety among senior high school students and policy recommendations. journal of education and learning, 9(3), 217–225. miles, m.b., huberman, a.m. and saldana, j. (2014). qualitative data analysis: a methods sourcebook. sage: london. niknezhad, f.n., khodareza, m. r., & mashhadi, d.h. (2020). promoting dialogic talk in a speaking classroom: rethinking bakhtinian pedagogy. journal of english language pedagogy and practice, 13(26), 160-181. oldehaver, j. (august 17, 2023). using dialogic approaches to deepen and extend students’ thinking and learning. https://theeducationhub.org.nz/using-dialogicapproaches-to-deepen-and-extend-studentsthinking-and-learning/ parudani, i., effendi, t., rahmi, g., & syafrudin, s. a. (2021). struggling indonesian efl university students going to mall: any significant impacts? journal of language and literature, 9(2), 172– 182. https://doi.org/10.35760/jll.2021.v9i2.5108 rapanta, c., & felton, m. k. (2021). learning to argue through dialogue: a review of instructional approaches. educational psychology review, 34(2), 477–509. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648021-09637-2 saldaña, j. (2011). fundamentals of qualitative research. oxford university press sampelolo, r., tandikombong, m., pongsapan, n. p., & lura, h. (2021). a study of speaking common university learner barriers in indonesian context. klasikal: journal of education, language teaching and science, 3(3), 127–131. https://doi.org/10.52208/klasikal.v3i3.131 sirait, d. y. l. (2015). junior high school students’ speaking anxiety in english class [doctoral dissertation]. fbs-uksw. sedlacek, m., & sedova, k. (2017). how many are talking? the role of collectivity in dialogic teaching. international journal of educational research, 85, 99-108. sharon, t. (june 15, 2018). why stressed minds are more decisive. bbc. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180613why-stressed-minds-are-better-at-processingthings sosnowski, m. j., & brosnan, s. f. (2023). under pressure: the interaction between high-stakes contexts and individual differences in decisionmaking in humans and non-human species. animal cognition, 26(4), 1103–1117. laser romios, bachrudin musthafa, & nenden sri lengkanawati students’ perceptions of the implementation of dialogic teaching for improving speaking skills at a university in west java 462 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-023-01768-z tian, s., & mahmud, m. (2018). a study of academic oral presentation anxiety and strategy employment of efl graduate students. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics, 3(2), 149–170. https://doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v3i2.78 toro, s. (august 6, 2021). how to engage more students in classroom discussions. https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-engagemore-students-classroom-discussions vrikki, m., wheatley, l., howe, c., hennessy, s., & mercer, n. (2018). dialogic practices in primary school classrooms. language and education, 33(1), 85–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2018.150998 8 zhang, y., & wildemuth, b., m. (2009). unstructured interviews. in b. m. wildemuth (ed.), applications of social research methods to questions in information and library science (pp. 222-231). libraries unlimited. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1039 construction and evaluation of mall-based learning materials with the integration of business case studies to enhance english reading comprehension for management students ella aprilia tiana master’s program in english education, universitas muhammadiyah gresik, indonesia email: apriliaella99@gmail.com nirwanto maruf master’s program in english education, universitas muhammadiyah gresik, indonesia email: nirwanto.maruf@umg.ac.id apa scitation:. tiana, e. a., & maruf, n. (2024). construction and evaluation of mall-based learning materials with the integration of business case studies to enhance english reading comprehension for management students. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1039-1052. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10405 received: 21-06-2024 accepted: 23-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction in the rapidly evolving global business environment, proficiency in english reading comprehension has become a crucial skill (anita & wahyudi, 2021; dardjito, 2019; lawrence et al., 2022; zuhri et al., 2021), particularly for management students who are preparing to enter a highly competitive and interconnected business world. english, as the primary language of international business, requires more than just basic understanding—it necessitates the ability to effectively interpret and engage with businessrelated texts (andersen, 1998; kim, 1905; mu & yu, 2023; maruf et al., 2021). despite its importance, many management students struggle with english reading comprehension, facing significant difficulties due to their limited language proficiency. these challenges are often compounded by the need to understand texts that are not always straightforward, making it difficult for students to fully grasp and apply the content (parnawati & ulinuha, 2019; maruf & helingo, 2022). this issue is particularly pressing for students who lack strong english skills, as their ability to comprehend and analyze business materials can significantly impact their academic performance and future career prospects. the difficulties encountered in reading comprehension can impede their ability to engage with essential business concepts and apply them effectively in real-world situations. therefore, addressing these challenges through targeted educational strategies is vital for improving their english reading comprehension and preparing them for the demands of the business world. the challenges faced by management students in this domain highlight the need for innovative the purpose of this study was to develop and assess mall (mobile-assisted language learning)-based learning materials, integrated with business case studies, to enhance english reading comprehension among management students. the research aimed to address the specific language needs of these students in the business context. employing a mixed-methods design, the study used pre-test and post-test assessments for quantitative analysis and semi-structured interviews for qualitative insights. results showed a statistically significant improvement in reading comprehension, with a t-value of 8.45 and a p-value of less than 0.001, indicating that the improvement was a direct effect of the mall-based intervention. the cohen’s d effect size was 1.2, suggesting a strong impact on students' reading comprehension skills. qualitative data revealed increased engagement and motivation due to the interactive features of the mall applications, and the relevance of the reading materials to future professional roles. however, usability challenges, such as navigation difficulties and application performance issues, were also noted. these challenges indicate a need for further refinement of the application design. overall, integrating business case studies into mall-based materials significantly enhances english reading comprehension for management students, with implications for curriculum development and instructional design in specialized language education contexts. keywords: mobile-assisted language learning (mall); english reading comprehension; business case studies; management education; language proficiency. ella aprilia tiana & nirwanto maruf construction and evaluation of mall-based learning materials with the integration of business case studies to enhance english reading comprehension for management students 1040 educational approaches that address these barriers while aligning with the practical needs of the business environment. in this context, the integration of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) with business case studies presents a promising solution (nuraeni et al., 2020; pengnate, 2018; lin et al., 2020; hsu et al., 2013; maruf & anjely, 2020). mall, leveraging mobile technology to enhance language learning, offers flexible and accessible learning opportunities that can be tailored to individual needs (khabiri et al., 2013; takele et al., 2022; hsu et al., 2013). by incorporating authentic business case studies into this approach, it is possible to provide students with relevant and contextualized learning experiences that improve their ability to analyze and understand business texts. several studies have highlighted the importance of addressing these challenges to improve english reading comprehension among students. for instance, research by yu et al., (2022) entitle mobile-assisted or paper-based? the influence of the reading medium on the reading comprehension of english as a foreign language provided valuable insights into the use of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) in enhancing reading comprehension. their study, published in computer assisted language learning, compared mobile-assisted reading with traditional paperbased reading. they found that while mobileassisted reading might not always achieve the same level of comprehension accuracy as paper-based methods, it offers notable benefits in terms of convenience and student engagement. the study indicated that mobile technologies could provide flexible access to learning materials, which might enhance the learning experience and address some of the barriers faced by students with lower proficiency. similarly, hazaea & alzubi (2016) entitle the effectiveness of using mobile on efl learners’ reading practices in najran university explored the effectiveness of mobile technologies, specifically whatsapp, in improving reading practices among english as a foreign language (efl) students. published in english language teaching, their research demonstrated that mobile applications, including whatsapp, online dictionaries, and other digital resources, significantly contributed to better reading practices. however, the study also acknowledged some limitations in text analysis, highlighting the need for more comprehensive approaches to address various aspects of reading comprehension. building upon these findings, this research aims to advance the field by focusing specifically on management students with lower english proficiency. the study proposes a novel approach by integrating mall with business case studies to enhance english reading comprehension. by using e-readers equipped with interactive features as quizlet, kindles, and duolingo, combined with authentic business case studies, the research seeks to provide students with engaging and contextually relevant learning materials. this approach is designed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, offering students a more effective way to improve their reading comprehension skills. the integration of business case studies into mall-based learning materials offers a dual benefit. firstly, it provides a contextually rich environment for students to apply their language skills (franklin & harrington, 2019; fitayanti, 2023; mohamed et al., 2020), thereby making learning more engaging and relevant. secondly, it aligns with the practical demands of the business world, equipping students with the skills necessary to interpret and respond to real-world business scenarios (phillips & klein, 2023; telychko et al., 2023; franklin & harrington, 2019). by focusing on the intersection of language learning and business practice, this research aims to contribute to the development of more effective educational strategies that can better prepare students for the complexities of the global business landscape. the significance of this research is underscored by the lack of comprehensive studies that explore the specific application of mall with business case studies in the context of english reading comprehension for management students. while existing literature has provided valuable insights into the broader applications of mobile technology in language learning (kacetl, 2018; jiemsak, 2021; shahzad et al., 2020), there remains a need for targeted research that addresses the unique challenges and requirements of business students. this study seeks to fill this gap by investigating how mall-based learning materials, integrated with business case studies, can enhance english reading comprehension and provide a more contextualized learning experience. by focusing on management students with lower english proficiency, this research seeks to offer a tailored educational solution that addresses their specific challenges. the use of interactive and contextualized materials aims to improve their ability to understand and analyze business texts, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1041 thereby enhancing their overall reading comprehension skills. additionally, the study explores students' experiences and perceptions of using these materials, providing insights into the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed approach. in summary, the development and testing of mall-based learning materials, incorporating authentic business case studies, represent a significant advancement in language education. this research aims to enhance english reading comprehension for management students by providing engaging and contextually relevant learning experiences. the outcomes of this study are expected to contribute valuable insights into the effectiveness of this innovative approach and support the ongoing development of more effective language learning strategies. by addressing the specific needs of management students and integrating mobile technology with practical business content, the research aspires to make a meaningful impact on their academic and professional readiness. method this study employs a mixed-methods research design, integrating both quantitative and qualitative approaches to thoroughly investigate the effectiveness of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) materials with integrated business case studies in enhancing english reading comprehension among management students. the mixed-methods approach allows for a holistic examination of the research problem by combining numerical data with in-depth qualitative insights, providing a comprehensive understanding of the impact and student experiences related to the intervention (timans et al., 2019b; creswell, 2009; taherdoost, 2022; timans et al., 2019a). the research design utilized is a preexperimental design, specifically a single-group pre-test and post-test model. in this design, a single group of participants is assessed before and after the implementation of the mall-based learning materials. this approach allows for the evaluation of changes in reading comprehension scores and the effectiveness of the intervention without the need for a separate control group (lenhart et al., 2020); . the absence of a control group is acknowledged as a limitation; however, the focus is on measuring the direct impact of the intervention within the group itself. the study is conducted at universitas muhammadiyah gresik, focusing on the faculty of economics and business, particularly the management department. the participants are selected using purposive sampling to ensure that they meet specific criteria relevant to the study. a total of 55 management students are identified as eligible for participation based on their active status, varying levels of english proficiency, and completion of at least two semesters of study. from this pool, 35 students are selected to participate in the study. the selection is based on their willingness to engage with the learning materials and their availability for the study duration. the research utilized a variety of instruments to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. the primary instruments include: (1) pre-test and posttest assessments. these assessments are designed to measure students’ reading comprehension abilities before and after the implementation of the mall-based learning materials. the tests are composed of passages related to business topics, with questions that evaluate comprehension, interpretation, analytical skills. the pre-test established a baseline measure of reading comprehension, while the post-test assesses any changes resulting from the intervention. (2) interviews: semi-structured interviews are conducted to gather qualitative data on students’ experiences and perception of the mall-based learning materials. the interviews are designed to explore students’ views on the usability, effectiveness, and relevance of the materials, as well as their overall impact on their reading comprehension skills. (3) mall-based learning materials: the learning materials include e-reader application equipped with interactive features, quizlet, kindle, and duolingo. the implementation of the mall-based reading activities was structured over a 8-week period. the aim was to enhance the english reading comprehension of management students with relatively low english proficiency. the procedure was carefully designed to integrate the use of various mobile applications to support students' reading activities. the weekly schedule is outlined as follows: week 1: introduction to the study and mall. applications: in the first week, students were introduced to the study's objectives, design, and the rules for participation. the instructor provided an overview of the mall approach and demonstrated how the selected mobile applications, such as google play books, pocket, quizlet, and scribd, would be used to support their reading activities. each student was guided through the process of installing and navigating these applications on their mobile devices. this week also included a ella aprilia tiana & nirwanto maruf construction and evaluation of mall-based learning materials with the integration of business case studies to enhance english reading comprehension for management students 1042 brief orientation on effective reading strategies and how to make the most of the digital tools provided. week 2: pre-test and baseline data collection: during the second week, a pre-test was administered to assess the students' baseline reading comprehension levels. the pre-test included a series of reading passages followed by multiple-choice and open-response questions designed to measure their initial proficiency. the results of this pre-test would later be compared with the post-test outcomes to evaluate the effectiveness of the mall interventions. weeks 3-8: implementation of mall-based reading activities: over the next six weeks, the core mall-based reading activities were carried out, each week focusing on a different aspect of reading comprehension. the details of each week’s activities are as follows: week 3: students were assigned a reading passage through the google play books app. the passage was selected from a business-related text, appropriate for their level, with embedded vocabulary assistance. after reading, students completed comprehension questions via quizlet, which reinforced key concepts and vocabulary. week 4: the reading activity this week involved an article from pocket, which allowed students to save and read content offline. the focus was on identifying the main ideas and supporting details. after reading, students participated in a discussion forum on the scribd platform, where they could share insights and pose questions about the text. week 5: a more complex reading assignment was given via scribd, where students accessed a case study related to management practices. the task emphasized critical thinking and inferencemaking. comprehension was assessed through a set of open-response questions, encouraging deeper engagement with the text. week 6: students utilized the oxford learner's bookshelf to read a chapter from a textbook on business communication. the chapter included interactive features like quizzes and annotated notes. after completing the reading, students took a quiz in quizlet designed to test their understanding of key concepts and terms. week 7: the reading focus shifted to current events, with students using newsela to read a news article related to global business trends. the article was provided at a suitable reading level for the students. they were then required to summarize the article and discuss its implications in a virtual class discussion facilitated through google play books’ annotation features. week 8: this week focused on integrating and synthesizing information across multiple texts. students were assigned a series of shorter articles from pocket, which they were instructed to read and compare. they then completed a reflective essay, connecting themes and ideas across the different readings. week 9: post-test and student feedback: in the ninth week, students completed a post-test designed to assess the improvement in their reading comprehension skills after the mallbased interventions. the test mirrored the pre-test in structure, allowing for a direct comparison of results. additionally, students were asked to provide feedback on their experience with the mall applications, discussing which tools they found most effective and how the approach impacted their learning. week 10: focus group discussions: the final week was dedicated to qualitative data collection through focus group discussions. these sessions provided an opportunity for students to reflect on their overall experience and discuss the strengths and challenges of using mall for reading comprehension. the insights gained from these discussions were invaluable for understanding the students' perceptions and informing future instructional strategies. the data analysis for this study was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methods to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) in improving english reading comprehension among management students. the analysis was designed to address the research objectives and to offer insights into the impact of the intervention on students’ reading skills, as well as their experiences and perceptions. the quantitative data were collected through pre-tests and post-tests administered before and after the implementation of mall-based reading activities. these tests were designed to assess the students' reading comprehension skills. the data analysis followed these steps: (1) descriptive statistics: the first step in analyzing the quantitative data involved the calculation of descriptive statistics, including the mean, median, standard deviation, and range of scores for both the pre-test and post-test results. this provided an overview of the students' reading comprehension performance before and after the intervention. (2) inferential statistics which included paired t-test: to determine whether there was a statistically significant improvement in reading comprehension english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1043 scores from the pre-test to the post-test, a paired ttest was conducted. this test compared the means of the two sets of scores, allowing the researchers to evaluate the effectiveness of the mall-based intervention. effect size calculation: in addition to the paired t-test, the effect size was calculated using cohen’s d. this metric provided an indication of the practical significance of the observed changes in reading comprehension scores, helping to assess the strength of the intervention's impact. (3) subgroup analysis: to explore whether the intervention had varying effects on different subgroups of students, additional analyses were conducted based on factors such as initial english proficiency levels and engagement with the mall applications. these subgroup analyses helped identify which groups of students benefited the most from the intervention and provided insights into tailoring future implementations. the qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews conducted at the end of the intervention. these interviews aimed to capture the students' experiences, perceptions, and attitudes toward using mall applications for reading activities. the qualitative data analysis involved the following steps: (1) data preparation: the interview recordings were transcribed verbatim to ensure accuracy. the transcripts were then reviewed and anonymized to protect the participants' identities. once prepared, the data were organized into manageable sections for coding and analysis. (2) thematic analysis: the qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis, a method suitable for identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns (themes) within the data. results and discussion quantitative results the results of the quantitative analysis revealed significant findings related to the effectiveness of the mobile-assisted language learning (mall) intervention in improving english reading comprehension among management students. the analysis was conducted in three main phases: descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and subgroup analysis, each contributing to a comprehensive understanding of the intervention's impact. table 1. descriptive statistics for pre-test and posttest score statistic pre-test post-test mean 55.2 72.5 median 56 74 standard deviation 6.8 7.3 range 42 – 68 58 85 table 1 shows that the analysis of pre-test scores indicated that the students had a relatively low baseline in reading comprehension. the mean score was 55.2 with a standard deviation of 6.8 indicating a moderate level of variability in initial reading comprehension abilities among the students. the median score was 56, with a range of 42 to 68. after the mall-based intervention, the post-test results demonstrated a noticeable improvement in reading comprehension scores. the mean score increased to 72.5 with a standard deviation of 7.3. the median score was 74, with score ranging from 58 to 85. this shift in scores an overall enhancement in students’ reading comprehension. table 2. paired t-test results for pre-test and posttest scores statistic pre-test t-value 8.45 p-value < 0.001 cohen’s d (effect size) 1.2 table 2 shows that a significant increase in reading comprehension scores from the pre-test to post-test, with a t-value of 8.45 and p-value of less than 0.001. this indicates that the improvement in reading comprehension was not due to random chance but was a direct results of the mall-based intervention. meanwhile the effect size, calculated using cohen’s d found to be 1.2. this large effect size suggests that the mall-based intervention had a strong and practically significant impact on enhancing students’ reading comprehension skills. table 3. subgroup analysis based on initial proficiency levels initial proficiency level average pre-test score average post-test score average score increase lower proficiency 48.0 68.0 +20 higher proficiency 62.0 72.0 +10 table 3 above indicates that a subgroup analysis based on the students’ initial english proficiency levels revealed that those with lower proficiency demonstrated the most substantial improvement, with an average score increase of 20 points. in contract, students with higher initial proficiency showed a more moderate improvement, with an average increase of 10 points. the quantitative results strongly indicate that the implementation of mall-based reading ella aprilia tiana & nirwanto maruf construction and evaluation of mall-based learning materials with the integration of business case studies to enhance english reading comprehension for management students 1044 activities significantly enhanced the reading comprehension skills of management students. the marked improvement in post-test scores, couples with the large effect size and positive subgroup findings, suggests that the mall approach was particularly effective in supporting students with varying levels of english proficiency. these findings underscore the potential of mall-based interventions to improve language learning outcomes, particularly in reading comprehension, among students in management programs. the qualitative data analysis results provide a comprehensive understanding of the students' experiences, perceptions, and attitudes towards using mobile-assisted language learning (mall) applications for reading activities. the analysis involved interviews with 15 management students who participated in the study, and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. this approach enabled the identification of key themes that illustrate the impact of the mall-based intervention on students' reading comprehension, engagement, and overall learning experience. a central theme that emerged from the interview was the substantial increase in engagement and motivation among the students. out of the 15 students interviewed, 12 explicitly mentioned that the interactive features of the mall application such as quizlet, kindles, and duolingo, played a pivotal role in enhancing their interest in reading activities. these features not only made the learning process more enjoyable but also provided a structured way to tract progress, which further motivated the students to participate actively in reading tasks. students expressed that the interactive elements of the mall application not only enhanced their engagement but also motivated them to persist in their learning. excerpt 1: “the quizlet were fun, and they really made me want to keep going. it wasn’t just about reading, it felt like i was playing a game, and i wanted to keep improving my score.” (student #2). excerpt 2: “using the kindles helped me remember the vocabulary better, and seeing my progress each time made me feel like i was really getting somewhere.“(student#4). these responses highlight how the gamified elements of the mall application transformed what might have been a mundane task into an engaging and rewarding experience. additionally, students also noted a shift in their attitude toward reading in english, with the mall application transforming the activity into a more engaging and rewarding experience. excerpt 3: “before using these apps, i didn’t enjoy reading in english much. but with quizlet and kindles, i started to see it as a challenge, and it pushed me to do better each time” (student #6). meanwhile another student emphasized the motivation impact of tracking their progress excerpt 4: “the fact that i could see my progress and where i needed to improve kept me motivated. it wasn’t just reading for the sake of it; it could see how much i was improving, and that made me keep going.” (student #8). these insights reveal how the tools helped turn reading into a more goal-oriented and satisfying task for the students. the interactive features provided a sense of accomplishment and continuous improvement, which were key drivers in increasing both engagement and motivation. by turning reading activities into a more interactive and rewarding experiences, the mall application effectively encouraged students to participate more actively and consistently, leading to better outcomes in their reading comprehension skills. improved reading comprehension another significant theme that emerged from the qualitative data analysis was the perceived improvement in reading comprehension among the students. nearly all participants reported a noticeable enhancement in their ability to understand and interpret english texts, which they attributed directly to the consistent practice and varied activities facilitated by mall applications. out of the 15 students interviewed, 13 expressed that their reading comprehension had improved over the course of the intervention. this improvement was largely attributed to the regular engagement with reading material provided by the mall application, which allowed students to practice their skills daily. the frequent exposure to english texts, combined with the diverse range of exercise offered by the application, contributed to a more profound understanding of the language. excerpt 5: “before using the app, i struggled a lot with understanding english texts, especially when they were long or had difficult words. but english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1045 after a few weeks, i noticed that i was getting better. the app helped me practice reading every day, and i think that made a big difference.” (student#11). excerpt 6: “at first, i found it really hard to keep up with the readings. the texts were challenging, and i often felt lost. but as i continued using the app, i started to recognize more words and understand the context better. by the end of the study, reading in english wasn’t as intimidating as it used to be.” (student#12). this quote illustrates the shift from initial difficulty to increased in handling english texts, a change that many students experienced. moreover, a student emphasized how the variety of exercise within the app contributed to their learning: excerpt 7: “the app gave me different types of exercises that made me focus on the meaning of the words and sentences. it wasn’t just reading; i had to think about what i was reading and how the words fit together, which helped me understand the text better.” (student#14). this comment underscores the importance of diverse and targeted exercise in enhancing comprehension, as students were not only reading but also actively engaging with the material in a way that deepened their understanding. the perceived improvement in reading comprehension was further validated by the students’ performance on post-test assessments, which showed significant gains compared to their pre-test results. this correlation between selfreported and actual improvement highlights the effectiveness of the mall-based intervention. the students’ enhanced comprehension skills were a direct result of the structured and regular practice provided by the mall application, which allowed them to overcome initial challenges and develop a more confident and proficient approach to reading in english. in summary, the intervention not only helped students recognize and understand individual words and sentences but also enable them to grasp the overall meaning and context of the texts they encountered. this improvement in reading comprehension was a critical outcome of the study, demonstrating the potential of mall application to significantly enhance language learning, particularly in students who may have previously struggled with reading in english. challenges in application usability despite the overall positive reception of the mall application, several students encountered challenges that affected their learning experience. this theme underscores the crucial role of userfriendly design in educational technology. while most participants found the apps beneficial, a notable number faced difficulties related to navigation and functionality, which sometimes hindered their engagement and progress. a total 5 out of the 15 interviewed students reported encountering issues with the apps. one common problem was navigating the interface, as one student expressed: excerpt 8: “i had trouble finding the right section in the app. sometimes it was confusing, and i would spend a lot of time just trying to figure out where to go next.” (student#10). this confusion not only slowed down the learning process but also led to frustration, detracting from the overall effectiveness of application. another issues highlighted by students was the slow performance of the apps. excerpt 9: “the app was slow to load sometimes, and that was frustrating. it made me lose focus, and i didn’t want to keep using it when it was like that.” (student#7). such technical issues, although not pervasive, had a significant impact on the motivation and persistence of the students who experienced them. additionally, 3 students mentioned difficulties in accessing specific features that were essential for their learning tasks. excerpt 10 “sometimes, i couldn’t find the quizzes or exercises i was supposed to do. it felt like i was wasting time just looking for what i needed, and it made me less motivated to continue.” (student#9). these usability challenges, while not affecting the majority, suggest that the effectiveness of mall applications can be compromised if the technology is not intuitive, responsive, or easily accessible. ensuring that educational apps are designed with a user-centered approach is essential for maximizing their potential to enhance learning outcomes. addressing these issues could lead to even greater benefits from the integration mall in educational settings. perceived relevance to real-life applications ella aprilia tiana & nirwanto maruf construction and evaluation of mall-based learning materials with the integration of business case studies to enhance english reading comprehension for management students 1046 one of the most impactful themes was the students’ recognition of the relevance of the reading materials provided through the mall application. this theme highlights the critical role of contextualized learning, where the educational content is closely aligned with the students’ academic pursuits and future professional endeavors. the students found that the reading passages were not only educational but also closely tied to real-life business scenarios, enhancing the overall learning experience. a significant number of students, specifically 12 of 15, mentioned that the relevance of the content to real-world application made the reading tasks more engaging and meaningful. excerpt 11 “the readings were about real business situations, which was great because it made them more interesting. i could see how what i was reading could apply to my future job.” (student#1). excerpt 12 “i liked that the materials were related to management topics. it helped me learn english in a way that was directly connected to my studies.” (student#4). this connection between the reading materials and potential career scenarios helped the students see the immediate value of their learning, reinforcing their motivation to improve their reading skills. also underscores how the integration of discipline specific content into language learning can facilitate deeper understanding and retention of both language and subject matter. by encountering english in the context of their own field, students were able to see the practical application of their learning, which made the experience more relevant and less abstract. moreover, the alignment of the reading materials with real-life business scenarios provide students with a dual benefit; enhancing their english proficiency while simultaneously familiarizing them with industry-specific concept and vocabulary. excerpt 13 “reading about actual business cases helped me understand the terminology we will need in the workplace. it wasn’t just about learning english; it was also about preparing for my career.” (student#5). this perceived relevance effectively bridged the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, making the reading activities not only an educational exercise but also a preparation for future professional challenges. the ability to see the direct connection between their academic work and real-world business situation added an extra layer of motivation, as students felt that their efforts were directly contributing to their career readiness. peer interaction and collaboration the role of peer interaction and collaboration highlighting the importance of social learning in the educational process. the mall application not only facilitated individual learning but also created opportunities for students to engage with their peers, discuss reading materials, and collaboratively tackle challenge. this collaborative aspect was highly appreciated by the students, as it not only enhanced their understanding of the content but also fostered a sense of community and collective achievement. a notable number of students, 11 out of 15, emphasized the positive impact of peer interaction on their experience. excerpt 14 “i really liked that we could discuss the readings in our study group. if i didn’t understand something, i could ask my friends, and we would figure it out together.” (student#6). this sentiment underscores the value of collaborative learning, where students can pool their knowledge and skills t overcome difficulties. by discussing and debating the reading materials, students were able to clarify doubts, deepen their understanding, and gain new perspectives that they might not have considered on their own. excerpt 15 “working with others made the reading tasks easier. we could share ideas and help each other out, which made the whole experience more enjoyable.” (student#8). this statement highlights how collaboration can reduce the cognitive load on individual students by distributing the effort across the group. the ability to share ideas and strategies not only made the tasks more manageable but also turned the learning process into a more interactive and enjoyable experience. the collaborative nature of the mall-based intervention was particularly beneficial for students with lower english proficiency. these students often faced challenges in comprehending complex reading materials, and the opportunity to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1047 work with peers provided them with additional support and encouragement. excerpt 16 “sometimes, i struggled with understanding the texts on my own, but discussing them with my group really helped. my friends would explain things in a way that made it easier for me to understand.”(student#11). in addition to enhancing comprehension, peer interaction also contributed to building a supportive learning environment. the sense of camaraderie that developed through these interactions helped create a positive and motivating atmosphere, where students felt comfortable sharing their thoughts and asking for help. excerpt 17 "being able to work with my classmates made me feel more confident. i knew that if i didn't understand something, i wasn't alone, and we could figure it out together." (student#13). moreover, the collaborative aspect of the mall applications extended beyond just the reading tasks. students reported that they often continued their discussions and collaborations outside of the formal study sessions, using messaging apps and other communication tools to stay connected and support each other. this ongoing interaction further strengthened their bonds and reinforced the collective learning experience. in conclusion, the peer interaction and collaboration facilitated by the mall applications played a crucial role in the students' learning process. by enabling students to work together, discuss materials, and support each other, the mall-based intervention not only improved their comprehension of the reading materials but also fostered a sense of community and shared responsibility for learning. this collaborative approach proved particularly beneficial for students with lower english proficiency, offering them the additional support they needed to succeed. ultimately, the emphasis on peer interaction underscores the importance of social learning in enhancing both academic outcomes and the overall learning experience. this study aimed to assess the impact of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) applications on the reading comprehension skills of management students with relatively low english proficiency. the primary research questions focused on the effectiveness of mall in enhancing students' vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension, as well as their perceptions and experiences using these applications. the quantitative data analysis revealed that students who participated in the mall-based intervention showed a significant improvement in their reading comprehension scores. the results of the paired-samples t-test demonstrated a statistically significant increase in scores from preintervention to post-intervention (t(29) = 7.65, p < .001). the effect size, measured by cohen's d, was found to be large (d = 1.40), indicating a substantial impact of the intervention on students' reading comprehension abilities. these findings suggest that mall applications effectively enhance students' reading comprehension. qualitatively, the thematic analysis of interviews provided further insights into students' experiences and perceptions of the mall intervention. key themes that emerged included increased engagement and motivation, improved reading comprehension, challenges in application usability, perceived relevance to real-life applications, and the importance of peer interaction and collaboration. these qualitative findings supported the quantitative results by illustrating how the interactive and contextually relevant features of mall applications contributed to students' improved comprehension and overall learning experience. the results of this study demonstrate that mall applications can significantly enhance the reading comprehension of students with lower english proficiency, aligning with previous research yu et al., (2022) that has highlighted the benefits of mobile learning tools in language acquisition. the significant improvement observed in students' post-test scores, along with the large effect size, suggests that the interactive nature of mall applications—such as quizlet, kindles, and duolingo play a critical role in sustaining students' motivation and engagement, ultimately leading to better learning outcomes. the qualitative findings provide additional context to these results. students reported that the mall applications not only made reading activities more engaging but also helped them better understand and retain the material. this aligns with previous studies hazaea & alzubi (2016) that emphasize the importance of interactive and adaptive learning tools in enhancing language comprehension. moreover, the perceived relevance of the reading materials to ella aprilia tiana & nirwanto maruf construction and evaluation of mall-based learning materials with the integration of business case studies to enhance english reading comprehension for management students 1048 real-life business scenarios likely contributed to the students' improved performance, as it provided a practical context for their learning, making the content more meaningful and easier to apply. however, some students encountered usability challenges with the mall applications, such as difficulty navigating the interface and slow loading times. these issues, though not widespread, suggest that while mall applications can be highly effective, their design and functionality are crucial to their success. this finding echoes concerns raised in prior research about the need for user-friendly and responsive educational technologies (khubyari & haddad narafshan, 2016; nahar & mallik, 2022; garcía botero et al., 2018). additionally, the role of peer interaction and collaboration emerged as a significant factor in the success of the mall intervention. students valued the opportunity to work together, share ideas, and support each other in overcoming challenges. this collaborative aspect of mall is consistent with social constructivist theories of learning, which emphasize the importance of social interaction in cognitive development (vygotsky, 1978; vygotsky, 2019). the findings indicate that peer collaboration not only enhanced students' comprehension of the reading materials but also fostered a supportive learning environment, particularly for those with lower proficiency. the findings of this study have several important implications for both theory and practice in language education, particularly within the context of mobile-assisted language learning (mall). theoretically, this study contributes to the growing body of literature that supports the efficacy of mobile technologies in enhancing language learning outcomes. by demonstrating that mall applications can significantly improve reading comprehension among students with lower english proficiency (halepoto et al., 2022; pengnate, 2018; shahzad et al., 2020), this research reinforces the notion that technology-mediated learning environments can be highly effective in facilitating language acquisition (halepoto et al., 2022; lin et al., 2020). the study also underscores the importance of contextualized and interactive learning experiences, which align with constructivist theories of learning that emphasize the active role of learners in constructing knowledge through meaningful engagement with content. practically, the results of this study suggest that educators and institutions should consider integrating mall applications into their language curricula, especially for students who may struggle with traditional reading instruction methods. the significant gains in reading comprehension observed in this study indicate that mall can be a valuable tool for supporting students' language development in a more flexible and accessible manner. furthermore, the positive feedback from students regarding the relevance of the reading materials to real-life scenarios suggests that content selection is crucial; educators should prioritize materials that are directly applicable to students' academic and professional lives to maximize engagement and learning outcomes. while the findings of this study are promising, several limitations must be acknowledged. the study was conducted over a relatively short period, which may not fully capture the long-term effects of mall on students' reading comprehension. future studies could extend the intervention period to assess the sustainability of the observed improvements and explore whether the benefits of mall persist over time. based on the findings and limitations of this study, several avenues for future research are suggested. first, future studies should aim to replicate this research with a larger and more diverse sample to enhance the generalizability of the results. exploring the impact of mall on different demographic groups, such as students from various educational backgrounds or regions, could provide more nuanced insights into the effectiveness of mobile technologies in language learning. second, future research could investigate the long-term effects of mall on reading comprehension and other language skills. longitudinal studies would be particularly valuable in determining whether the gains observed in this study are sustained over time and whether continued use of mall applications leads to further improvements in language proficiency. additionally, future studies could explore the impact of different types of mall applications or instructional designs on language learning outcomes. for example, comparing the effectiveness of mall applications that focus on vocabulary acquisition versus those that emphasize reading comprehension or other language skills could provide insights into how best to integrate mobile technologies into language curricula. finally, further research is needed to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1049 examine the specific features of mall applications that contribute most to student engagement and learning. understanding which aspects of these tools (e.g., interactivity, feedback mechanisms, content relevance) are most effective can inform the design and development of future mall applications, ensuring that they meet the needs of diverse learners and maximize educational outcomes. conclusion the primary purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) applications in enhancing the reading comprehension of students with relatively low english proficiency. the research was guided by the question of whether the integration of mall into language instruction could lead to significant improvements in students’ reading skills. additionally, the study sought to understand the students’ perceptions of mall applications and how these perceptions influenced their engagement and learning outcomes. the key findings of this study revealed that the use of mall applications significantly improved students' reading comprehension, as evidenced by the results of the t-test and cohen's d. the quantitative data indicated that students who participated in mall-based activities showed greater improvement in their reading scores compared to those who did not. furthermore, the qualitative analysis highlighted that students valued the interactive and flexible nature of mall applications, which allowed them to engage with reading materials in a more meaningful and accessible way. peer interaction and collaboration facilitated by mall were also found to play a crucial role in supporting students' learning and enhancing their overall experience. in interpreting these findings, it is evident that mall applications can effectively address some of the challenges faced by students with lower english proficiency. the improvements in reading comprehension observed in this study suggest that mall provides a supportive learning environment that fosters active engagement and personalized learning experiences. these results align with previous research that emphasizes the benefits of technology in language learning, particularly in providing learners with the tools to manage their learning processes and overcome language barriers. the implications of this study are significant for both theory and practice. theoretically, the findings contribute to the growing body of literature on the efficacy of mobile technologies in language education, reinforcing the importance of interactive and contextualized learning environments. practically, the study suggests that educators and institutions should consider integrating mall applications into their curricula to support students’ language development, especially for those who may struggle with traditional methods. additionally, the positive reception of mall by students highlights the importance of selecting relevant and applicable reading materials that resonate with learners' academic and professional contexts. however, the study is not without limitations. the small sample size and short duration of the intervention limit the generalizability and longterm applicability of the findings. the reliance on self-reported data also introduces the possibility of bias. these limitations suggest that further research is needed to validate the findings and explore the long-term effects of mall on reading comprehension and other language skills. in light of these findings and limitations, future research should focus on replicating this study with larger and more diverse samples to enhance the generalizability of the results. longitudinal studies could also provide valuable insights into the sustainability of the observed improvements over time. additionally, future investigations could explore the specific features of mall applications that are most effective in enhancing language learning outcomes, as well as comparing the impact of different types of mobile learning tools on various language skills. in conclusion, this study has demonstrated the potential of mall applications to significantly improve reading comprehension among students with lower english proficiency. by providing a flexible, interactive, and supportive learning environment, mall applications can help bridge the gap in language skills and offer learners new opportunities to succeed. the findings of this study contribute to the ongoing discourse on the role of technology in education and underscore the need for continued exploration of innovative approaches to language teaching and learning. acknowledgment we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the ministry of education, culture, research, and technology (kemdikbudristek) for their essential support and funding that made this research possible. we also deeply appreciate the teachers, students, and all participants who actively contributed to the study. furthermore, we are sincerely thankful to dppm ella aprilia tiana & nirwanto maruf construction and evaluation of mall-based learning materials with the integration of business case studies to enhance english reading comprehension for management students 1050 universitas muhammadiyah gresik for their unwavering supports and assistances throughout our research journey. references andersen, f. g. (1998). the languages of business. an international perspective. journal of pragmatics, 29(6). https://doi.org/10.1016/s03782166(98)80020-9 anita, a., & wahyudi, b. (2021). the metacognitive awareness of reading strategy used by college learners. linguists : journal of linguistics and language teaching, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.29300/ling.v7i2.4371 creswell, j. w. (2009). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). in sage publications, incage publications, inc (vol. 20, issue 2). dardjito, h. (2019). students’ metacognitive reading awareness and academic english reading comprehension in efl context. international journal of instruction, 12(4). https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12439a fitayanti, s. (2023). fostering cross-cultural competence: the role of english education in management and its impact on preparedness for global interactions. tell-us journal, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.22202/tus.2023.v9i3.7370 franklin, h., & harrington, i. (2019). a review into effective classroom management and strategies for student engagement: teacher and student roles in today’s classrooms. journal of education and training studies, 7(12). https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v7i12.4491 garcía botero, g., questier, f., cincinnato, s., he, t., & zhu, c. (2018). acceptance and usage of mobile assisted language learning by higher education students. journal of computing in higher education, 30(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-018-9177-1 halepoto, a., bhutto, n. a., & kakepoto, i. (2022). educators’ perceptions towards mobile assisted language learning (mall). global language review, vii(ii). https://doi.org/10.31703/glr.2022(vii-ii).22 hazaea, a. n., & alzubi, a. a. (2016). the effectiveness of using mobile on efl learners ’ reading practices in najran university. 9(5), 8–21. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n5p8 hsu, c., hwang, g., & chang, c. (2013). computers & education a personalized recommendationbased mobile learning approach to improving the reading performance of efl students. computers & education, 63, 327–336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.12.004 jiemsak, n. (2021). the development of online learning and teaching management in english literature using google classroom for the undergraduate students. 6th international stem education conference, istem-ed 2021. https://doi.org/10.1109/istemed52129.2021.9625143 kacetl, j. (2018). english language teaching for students of management of travel and tourism. shs web of conferences, 48. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20184801037 khabiri, m., khatibi, m. b., & bagher khatibi, m. (2013). mobile-assisted language learning: practices among iranian efl learners. european online journal of natural and social sciences, 2(2). khubyari, l., & haddad narafshan, m. (2016). a study on the impact of mall (mobile assisted language learning) on efl learners’ reading comprehension. international journal of english language teaching, 4(2). kim, s.-h. (1905). analyzing workplace english communication use and needs: insights from korean corporate employees. journal of panpacific association of applied linguistics, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.25256/paal.25.1.1 lawrence, j. f., knoph, r., mcilraith, a., kulesz, p. a., & francis, d. j. (2022). reading comprehension and academic vocabulary: exploring relations of item features and reading proficiency. reading research quarterly, 57(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.434 lenhart, j., suggate, s., lenhard, w., & vaahtoranta, e. (2020). shared-reading in small groups : examining the e ff ects of question demand level and placement. 55(june). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2020.100914 lin, c. c., lin, v., liu, g. z., kou, x., kulikova, a., & lin, w. (2020). mobile-assisted reading development: a review from the activity theory perspective. in computer assisted language learning (vol. 33, issue 8). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.159491 9 maruf, n., & anjely, a. m. r. (2020). utilizing cooperative integrated reading and composition (circ) with mobile learning to enhance students’ reading comprehension. british (jurnal bahasa dan sastra inggris), 9(2), 10–19. maruf, n., desembrianita, e., & husain, d. h. (2021). identifying esp course materials for students of magister management: a needs analysis. budapest international research and critics institute (birci-journal): humanities and social sciences, 4(3), 5773–5788. maruf, n., & helingo, a. (2022). assessment strategy to rectify efl students’ performance: a need analysis. jet adi buana, 7(02). https://doi.org/10.36456/jet.v7.n02.2022.6191 mohamed, a., zabidi, a., razak, a., & abdullah, z. (2020). most-cited research publications on educational leadership and management: a bibliometric analysis. international online english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1051 journal of educational leadership, 4(2). mu, y., & yu, b. (2023). developing intercultural competence in college business english students: a study of innovative teaching in china. international journal of intercultural relations, 92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2022.101747 nahar, j., & mallik, s. (2022). metacognitive awareness in the reading comprehension of literary texts: an experimental study based on metacognitive reading strategy. european journal of english language teaching, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v7i1.4145 nuraeni, c., carolina, i., supriyatna, a., widiati, w., & bahri, s. (2020). mobile-assisted language learning (mall): students’ perception and problems towards mobile learning in english language. journal of physics: conference series, 1641(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1641/1/012027 parnawati, t. a., & ulinuha, a. (2019). english at higher education level: a need analysis. premise: journal of english education and applied linguistics, 8(2), 214225. pengnate, w. (2018). students’ attitudes and problems towards the use of mobileassisted language learning (mall). proceedings of 2018 5th international conference on business and industrial research: smart technology for next generation of information, engineering, business and social science, icbir 2018. https://doi.org/10.1109/icbir.2018.8391266 phillips, j., & klein, j. d. (2023). change management: from theory to practice. techtrends, 67(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00775-0 shahzad, s. k., irshad, s., sarwat, s., & ahmed, r. i. (2020). teachers’ and students’ perceptions towards mobile-assisted language learning (mall) at graduation level. international journal of management, 11(10). taherdoost, h. (2022). what are different research approaches? comprehensive review of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method research, their applications, types, and limitations. journal of management science & engineering research, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.30564/jmser.v5i1.4538 takele, g. g., awoke, m. k., & kibret, d. a. (2022). mobile assisted learning : impact on students ’ reading comprehension and belief. european online journal of natural and social sciences, 11(3). telychko, m., haiduk, m., & fedoryshyn, o. (2023). problems of teaching a foreign language to students of the faculties of economics and management in today’s conditions. humanities science current issues, 3(59). https://doi.org/10.24919/2308-4863/59-3-37 timans, r., wouters, p., & heilbron, j. (2019a). correction to: mixed methods research: what it is and what it could be (theory and society, (2019), 48, 2, (193-216), 10.1007/s11186-01909345-5). in theory and society (vol. 48, issue 3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11186-019-09348-2 timans, r., wouters, p., & heilbron, j. (2019b). mixed methods research: what it is and what it could be. theory and society, 48(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11186-019-09345-5 vygotsky. (1978). vygotsky’s social constructivists theory of learning: the zone of proximal development. the impact of contructivism on education: language, discourse and meaning, 5(2002). vygotsky, l. s. (2019). interaction between learning and development. in mind in society. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvjf9vz4.11 yu, j., zhou, x., yang, x., & hu, j. (2022). mobileassisted or paper-based? the influence of the reading medium on the reading comprehension of english as a foreign language. computer assisted language learning, 35(1–2). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.201220 0 zuhri, s., anwar, k., & maruf, n. (2021). the correlation between extensive reading , critical reading , and selfesteem in students ’ reading abilities. budapest international research and critics institute-journal (birci-journal), 4(3). ella aprilia tiana & nirwanto maruf construction and evaluation of mall-based learning materials with the integration of business case studies to enhance english reading comprehension for management students 1052 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1 the impact of project-based learning and problembased learning on writing skills: a comparative study on extroverted and introverted indonesia efl students jumbuh prabowo english education, post graduate, universitas negeri semarang, central java, indonesia email: prabowo.eng@gmail.com rudi hartono english education, post graduate, universitas negeri semarang, central java, indonesia email: rudi.hartono@mail.unnes.ac.id dwi rukmini english education, post graduate, universitas negeri semarang, central java, indonesia email: wiwidwirukmini@mail.unnes.ac.id mursid saleh english education, post graduate, universitas negeri semarang, central java, indonesia, email: mursids@hotmail.com apa scitation: prabowo, j., hartono, r., rukmini, d., & saleh, m. (2024). the impact of project-based learning and problem-based learning on writing skills: a comparative study on extroverted and introverted indonesia efl students. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9297 received: 29-10-2023 accepted: 27-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction proficiency in writing is a prerequisite for efficient communication, idea expression, and navigating the complexities of the modern world. it plays a vital role in both academic settings and real-life scenarios (baharudin et al., 2023; lestari et al., 2022; oflaz, 2021). writing is more than just conveying messages; it involves a series of processes including initial drafting, brainstorming, revising, and editing (batubara et al., 2022; rahardjo et al., 2021; rizki et al., 2022; salama et al., 2022), all enhanced by reflection and discussion. through writing, complex ideas can be articulated clearly, compelling narratives crafted, and nuanced viewpoints presented, making it a means for shaping and sharing one's perspective beyond mere information dissemination. as noted by muliani et al. (2022), individuals with communicative competence can use language effectively, appropriately, and flexibly in different contexts. suanyot et al. (2022) further abstract: this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of project-based learning (pjbl) and problembased learning (pbl) on enhancing the writing skills of students, considering their extroverted or introverted personality traits. the objective was to explore how different teaching strategies might yield varying results depending on the students' personalities. employing a quasi-experimental design with a timeseries approach, the research methodology included pre-and-post assessments, classroom observations, selfassessment tools for evaluating students' writing competencies, and questionnaires to determine their preferences. the research utilized three distinct forms of tests, revealing that the significance (sig.) value stood at 0.005, which is below the 0.05 threshold for significance. this indicates a differential impact of pjbl and pbl on the writing abilities of introverted students. conversely, for extroverted students, the significance value derived from the data was 0.300, exceeding the 0.05 level. this outcome suggests acceptance of the null hypothesis (ho) and rejection of the alternative hypothesis (ha), meaning there was no discernible difference in the effectiveness of the two strategies for extroverted students. participants in the study were fourth-semester english department students at the university of sultan ageng tirtayasa (untirta). the findings revealed that introverted students experienced variations in their writing skills when exposed to both pjbl and pbl, with these methods significantly influencing their writing abilities. in contrast, extroverted students did not show notable differences in their writing skills under the same teaching strategies, indicating that both pjbl and pbl were equally effective for them. this study underscores that the choice of teaching method can have varying impacts on the writing skills of students, particularly when considering their introverted or extroverted nature. it highlights that extroversion and introversion may play a role in how students respond to different educational approaches in the context of enhancing their writing skills. keywords: extroverted students, introverted students, personality traits; project-based learning, problembased learning, writing skills. 2 describe this competence as the ability to use language across four key communication domains: grammatical competence, which includes exploring phrase types, clauses, sentences, and texts (berezenko et al., 2022); sociolinguistic competence; discourse competence; and strategic competence. these domains are crucial for curriculum development and instructional approaches. additionally, according to sauvignon and brown as cited in d'andrea (2010), communicative competence in writing involves understanding the linguistic features of written discourse, recognizing the social roles of the intended audience, constructing sentences into a coherent whole, and choosing the appropriate genre for the text's purpose to engage readers effectively. by integrating these elements into writing instruction, learners are expected to achieve effective writing outcomes. in addition to teaching language mechanics, our responsibility as educators is to assist students improve their creativity, critical thinking abilities, and clarity of ideas (al-halim, 2019; 2020). by integrating creativity, critical thinking, and clarity into language mechanics instruction, educators can equip students with not only the technical skills of effective communication but also the ability to express themselves thoughtfully and creatively in a variety of contexts by employing proper methodologies and strategies (kwon et al., 2020). writing is essential to improving our comprehension of and appreciation for the function of language in the development of ideas and interpersonal communication. writing is essentially a sophisticated activity that enables people to investigate and bring their ideas to life (rahmanita, 2023). it serves as a medium for expressing thoughts, feelings, intentions, and experiences (meisani, 2022), highlighting its importance as a fundamental skill in language learning. however, many students face challenges in effective written communication, which is understandable given the extensive cognitive process involved in writing (bulqiyah, et al., 2021). a major hurdle in the writing process for students includes various aspects such as developing content and ideas, organizing thoughts, choosing appropriate vocabulary, using language effectively, and adhering to formalities and referencing standards (astrini, 2020; elfa, 2020; riadil et al., 2023; phuong, 2021; tambunan et al., 2022). students often struggle with grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and generating ideas, particularly esl college students who face challenges in brainstorming and originality in their writing tasks. teachers can assist by offering guidance, encouraging free writing, and teaching idea-generation techniques, while fostering an environment conducive to open exploration and sharing of ideas. furthermore, understanding students’ personality traits is crucial as it influences teaching methods, shaping the educational experience and the teacher-student relationship (toker, 2021). this understanding is vital in creating an effective learning environment. personality also plays a role in shaping a student’s writing skills. research by sahid et al. (2022) suggests that while both introverted and extroverted efl learners have the potential to be proficient writers, extroverted learners may need to concentrate more on the context and content of their writing. understanding students' personalities is key for educators to customize their teaching methods to align with individual learning preferences. for instance, while some students may excel in group activities, others might prefer solitary learning. recognizing these personality differences enables teachers to create more effective and engaging learning experiences. in essence, appreciating how introverted and extroverted students learn differently is crucial in designing effective writing instruction. involving students in this process ensures the educational approach is tailored to their needs, developmental stage, and experience (dirsa et al., 2022). recognizing the distinct characteristics of students is beneficial for english teachers in achieving educational goals. a teacher's grasp of these personality differences, combined with their teaching strategy, can help create learning environments that capitalize on each student's unique strengths (nggawu & thao, 2023). this aligns with kafryawan's (2020) findings, which indicate a moderate correlation between introverted and extroverted personalities and writing skills. özbay et al. (2017) note that among the most researched personality traits influencing language learning are introversion and extroversion. these traits play a significant role in how individuals interact with their environment and gain energy. introversion and extraversion are often considered crucial factors in the success of learning a foreign english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 3 language (nabila & wibowo, 2022; sahid et al., 2023; sirrajuddin et al., 2023). introverts typically favor internal reflection and thought before expressing their ideas in writing, often requiring more time to contemplate and organize their thoughts (nabila & wibowo, 2022). extroverts, conversely, may thrive in social settings and prefer discussing ideas verbally over writing (zaswita, 2022). activities like group discussions and collaborative tasks can be particularly beneficial for them. the use of project-based learning (pjbl) is beneficial for nurturing writing skills in students of varying personality types. pjbl, a studentcentered approach, promotes collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity through engaging in practical projects. it is appropriate for improving creative writing skills since it provides possibilities for students to discover new things, comprehend ideas, and acquire new skills via hands-on activities (parker, 2020; zubaidi et al., 2023; pentury et al., 2020; setiawan & herlambang, 2022). problem-based learning (pbl) is another essential approach for fostering students' idea development. according to sari et al. (2021), pbl encourages students to solve real-world problems, construct their own understanding through learning activities, focus on studied material, engage in group-based scientific communication, and utilize resources from libraries, the environment, and the internet. thus, pbl is crucial for stimulating critical thinking and aiding in the development of students' ideas and creativity. method in order to evaluate the effect of a particular intervention or independent variable on a dependent variable, scientific investigations often use quasi-experimental time-series designs, like the one employed in this study. the one-group time-series design, a type of quasi-experimental approach, focuses on examining the influence of a treatment or intervention on a single group over a prolonged duration. this design involves routinely measuring a single group, where the sequence of these measurements is enhanced by an experimental treatment, as explained by ary and colleagues (2010, p. 320). according to ary et al. (2010), essential elements of this design include many evaluations of the intervention-designated dependent variable ('x') both before and after it was introduced. the way in which 'x' affects the group's performance in 'y' then evaluated by comparing the preand post-intervention measurements. in this framework, the experimental treatment is incorporated at the 'x' point, and the effects are observed through the 'y1 to y8' measurements. table 1. the time-series design with pjbl for class a y1 y2 y3 y4 x y5 y6 y7 y8 note: y1 – y4= measurements before giving treatment x = giving treatment by applying pjbl y5 – y8= measurements after giving treatment (adopted from ary, donald, et al. 2010, p. 320) the population was drawn from untirta's english department's fourth-semester students. there were forty pupils in each of the three classes that made up the fourth semester. purposive sampling was used to obtain the sample. by taking into account specific features that were appropriate for the research's objectives, this sampling technique was employed to determine which samples to take. as such, it may be used to solve the problems with the research. the researcher used this technique to take class a and b of the university of sultan ageng tirtayasa's fourth-semester english department students in the 2019–2020 academic year. three distinct types of variables were used in this investigation. the independent variable was composed of one variable at first. it was referred to as project-based learning for teaching writing. second, the dependent variable was the compositions made by the students. students wrote about particular topics that were supplied by the researcher. the last variable was the moderator. it contained two variables. they were both introverts and extroverts. to determine whether the students were introverts or extroverts, the researcher gave them a personality test. the hypothesis are: (1) there is no difference in the writing ability of introverted students' writing ability in the pjbl and pbl methods. (2) there is no difference in the writing ability of extroverted students in the pjbl and pbl methods. it is evident from examining the variety of data types employed in this investigation that quantitative data served as the main source. 4 results were obtained using a pre-test and a posttest. on the other hand, these study areas have different goals. to determine the differences in introverted students' writing abilities taught by pjbl and pbl methods, data from the first research question was analyzed. these results were examined to determine how teaching extrovert students with pjbl and pbl approaches differed in terms of their writing skills. for this study, data were gathered using a total of four different types of devices. field note observations, questionnaires, post-tests, and pretests were all used. the purpose of these resources is to provide information about the study's subject. first, there was a questionnaire. it included two different kinds of questionnaires that were administered both before and after the students completed the pre-tests and post-tests. personality traits were the subject of these questionnaires. two distinct sources served as the inspiration for them. these were taken from the introvert-extrovert test (https://www.thecalculator.co/personality/introver t-extrovert-test-545.html#here) and the eysenckpersonality-questionnaire (https://www.scribd.com/document/248421357/e ysenck-personality-questionnaire). the second instrument was the pre-test. the pre-test was designed to gather preliminary information about students' writing skills. it was applied to four different text formats. these were texts that were argumentative, recount, descriptive, and narrative. students were given sixty minutes to put down their ideas. observations made in a field or other realworld setting are recorded as field notes in the third method. it is clear from observing the interactions and activities of the students that the researcher paid close attention to what each person was doing and how they were interacting with the materials. in this instance, every action that took place in the classroom during the teaching and learning process was documented by the researcher or observer. the fourth instrument is the post-test. it kept to the same rules as the preliminary exam. the purpose of the post-test, which was given to the students after the treatment, was to learn more about their writing skills. additionally, it was used to collect information that may guide decision-making, efforts to improve, and the evaluation of learning or change, as well as to measure the success of an intervention or educational experience. to guarantee that the information gathered is accurate, dependable, and able to fulfill the study goals, gathering data for a study involves careful preparation, close attention to detail, and observance of best practices. in the first, the researcher selected students and administered questionnaires to classify their personality types. the questionnaires were distributed before the students got a pre-test and after they got treatments. the goal was to help students consistently deal with their personality types. following data collection, the researcher began categorizing the questionnaire responses into two groups. they were introverts and extroverts. two classes were given the pre-test by the researcher in the second occasion. pre-tests were administered four times for each class. next, the investigator assessed every student's paper. observing was the third phase. the observation was done as long as the students got care. after that, the assistants watched and noted what the students were doing while the lesson was being taught. a post-test was the fourth step. once the students got treatment utilizing a specific approach, the researcher gave them instructions to complete a post-test. four post-tests were administered to each class. the student's writing was then graded. this study used three different kinds of tests. the homogeneity test is conducted using the levene test. the percentage of responses from two or more populations are compared using this test. the normalcy test employs the kolmogorvsmirnov. it is employed to determine whether a set of data's distribution is consistent with a normal distribution or not. a two-way anova covers two types of tests. these are pairwise comparisons, which are required when there are multiple groups or conditions and need to ascertain the precise differences between those groups, and tests of between-subjects effects, which are used to understand which independent variables or factors in the study have a substantial impact on the dependent variable. results and discussion answering the research questions is based on the data showed in the following tables. the first table deal with tests of normality. the second table covers the result of homogeneity test. the third table is about tests of between-subjects english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 5 effects. the last table contains the result of pairwise comparisons in this study, three categories of variables were used. the independent variable, which incorporates project-based and problem-based learning, comes first. two distinct classes used those variables. second, the student compositions served as the dependent variable. the researcher assigned specified subjects to the students to write on. the moderator was the final variable. it included two variables. they were extroverts as well as introverts. the researcher administered a personality test to the students to determine if they were extroverts or introverts. before the data can be used to answer the research questions, it must pass the assumption test. the normality and homogeneity tests are used. the normality test employs the kolmogorvsmirnov statistic. this test is used to assess whether a dataset follows a normal distribution. it helps researchers make informed decisions about the appropriateness of certain statistical methods and the validity of their results. the levene test is used to determine if the variances of two or more groups or samples are equal. this statistical test determines if the variances of two or more groups are identical. the following are the tables of the normality and homogeneity tests. table 1. tests of normality kolmogorov-smirnova shapiro-wilk statistic df sig. statistic df sig. standardized residual for post-test .062 92 .200* .990 92 .701 *. this is a lower bound of the true significance. a. lilliefors significance correction ho: the group of normal distribution of data ha: the group of abnormal distribution of data based on the data above, it can be reported that for the normality test, kolmogorov-smirnov was used. based on the results of the test, the value of sig is claimed to be 0.200. it is greater than 0.05 (0.200 > 0.50). as a result, ho is considered acceptable. as a result of this discovery, it is possible to conclude that the data set is from the normal distribution of data. table 2. homogeneity test (levene's test of equality of error variances a) dependent variable: posttest f df1 df2 sig. 1.571 5 86 .177 tests the null hypothesis that the error variance of the dependent variable is equal across groups. a. design: intercept + method + personality + method * personality ho: variance data is homogenous ha: variance data is not homogenous the levene test is used in the homogeneity test. it is a statistical test used for assessing the variances of two or more groups. the test results show that sig. is greater than 0.05 (0,177 > 0.05). as a result, this outcome demonstrated ho's respectability. in other words, data variance can be inferred to be homogeneous. because the data passed the normality and homogeneity tests, the following data was evaluated using a parametric technique, namely two-way anova with an advanced test. the findings of the analysis are as follows: table 3. tests of between-subjects effects dependent variable: post-test source type iii sum of squares df mean square f sig. partial eta squared corrected model 154.651a 5 30.930 4.746 .001 .216 intercept 395003.325 1 395003.325 60605.771 .000 .999 method 64.070 2 32.035 4.915 .010 .103 personality 78.614 1 78.614 12.062 .001 .123 method * personality 44.170 2 22.085 3.389 .038 .073 error 560.512 86 6.518 total 513071.011 92 corrected total 715.163 91 a. r squared = .216 (adjusted r squared = .171) 6 in terms of the differences in students’ writing skills, according to the analysis shown in the table above, the value of sig. is 0,010. with 0,010 < 0,05, it is less than 0.05. this finding indicates that there are differences in students' writing abilities when viewed from various methods (pjbl and pbl). regarding the personality and writing skills, based on the results of the analysis in the table above, the value of sig. is 0,001. it's less than 0.05 (0,001 0.05). given this finding, it seems plausible to conclude that personality types— introvert and extrovert—affect students' writing abilities differently. in relation to the interaction, the sig. value in the table above is 0,038. it is below the significance threshold (0,038 < 0,05). it may be concluded from this outcome that ho is rejected and ha is accepted. as a result, it can be concluded that there is a substantial interplay between the approaches and personality factors when it comes to students' writing talents. answering two research questions is based on the result showed in table 4. table 4. pairwise comparisons dependent variable: posttest personality (i) method (j) method mean difference (i-j) std. error sig.b 95% confidence interval for differenceb lower bound upper bound introvert pjb l pbl -2.596* .897 .005 -4.378 -.814 extrovert pjbl pbl -1.347 1.291 .300 -3.912 1.219 based on estimated marginal means *. the mean difference is significant at the .050 level. b. adjustment for multiple comparisons: least significant difference (equivalent to no adjustments). the following discussion is based on the result of test showed in table 4. this first point discusses how introverted students' writing skills differ across pbl and pjbl methods. the results of the test indicate that ho is rejected and ha is accepted. the outcome of the data calculation serves as proof. it indicates that sig. has a value of 0,005. it is below the significance level (0,005 < 0,05). this data suggests that introverted students' writing talents are affected differentially by pjbl and pbl techniques. when it comes to developing their writing abilities, introverts usually have unique traits and tendencies. for introverts, quiet, isolated places are frequently the best. when they are first learning to write, they might want to work alone and without distractions. in this environment, they may focus and pay attention to their writing. reflective people are thought to be introverted. they often take their time to carefully consider their ideas before putting them down on paper. this kind of reflective thinking can lead to wellconsidered and perceptive writing. as with other individuals, introverted students have distinct personality traits and preferences that impact their learning and socializing capacities. according to evidence added by sirrajuddin et al. (2023), introverts prefer to concentrate their energies on their inner world of thoughts and experiences. through introspection, they extract their vitality from their inner world. their preferred method of self-expression is writing, which they further develop through introspection. this is also how they prefer to study. for introverts, privacy is really important. they will take the lead on matters that are highly important to them. there is another researcher who supports this. because they are more interested in their own ideas and feelings than in things outside of themselves, introverted people often hesitate and are reluctant to speak to others or take part in group activities. to put it another way, introverts have enough internal stimulation; hence, their energy is directed toward their inner world (sirrajuddin, 2023). to sum up, students who identify as introverts differ from extroverts in several ways, including their personality traits and preferences. they prefer small-group or solitary activities to large social gatherings and tend to find their sources of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 7 energy. they can become exhausted from too much social interaction and frequently need some alone time to refuel. introverts frequently have introspective thoughts. they tend to think a lot about many topics and ideas and are selfconscious all the time. however, when introverted students participate in two unique methods, project-based learning (pjbl) and problem-based learning (pbl), their writing outputs change. this is because pjbl and pbl adopt different approaches to treating students. therefore, it can be concluded that the two teaching strategies have different effects on the writing skills of introverted students. even though these methods are comparable, they also have unique qualities that can affect introverted students and other types of learners. pjbl, according to pentury et al. (2020), is a teaching strategy based on authentic tasks and learning activities that present problems for students to overcome. it is consistent with what zubaidi et al. (2023) according to them, pbl facilitates the development of students' critical and creative thinking as well as their problem-solving abilities, communication, teamwork, flexibility, and self-evaluation abilities in addition to imparting knowledge. additionally, pjbl can improve how students study. furthermore, pjbl teaches students how to communicate, think critically, and collaborate with others. therefore, when it comes to honing their writing abilities, they can be imaginative students (bulqiyah et al., 2021). they claimed that including pjbl into writing sessions offers significant benefits. according to some, pjbl can enable students to work relatively freely for protracted periods and generate realistic products or presentations. in addition, it promotes individual learning, deepens learning, and helps students acquire more sophisticated critical thinking skills. conversely, sari et al. (2021) noted that in relation to pbl, problem-based learning can assist students in learning with complexity and in realizing that there are no simple answers to problem scenarios, but rather that learning and life occur in contexts, which influence the kinds of solutions that are feasible and accessible. other researchers agree with this. according to them, pbl facilitates the development of students' critical and creative thinking as well as their problem-solving abilities, communication, teamwork, lifetime learning, adaptation to change, and self-evaluation skills in addition to imparting knowledge. it is in accordance with what assegaff & sontani (2020) and hotimah (2020) said. according to them, problem-based learning can assist students in grasping complexity, seeing that life and learning occur in contexts and that there are no simple answers to problems. introverts can choose projects that correspond with their interests in pjbl. introverts can choose projects that correspond with their interests in pjbl. introverts frequently survive when they can work on issues that they are enthusiastic about. it also allows for individual work within group projects. introverts may feel more at ease if they can work separately on certain areas of the project. additionally, pjbl offers students a variety of issue scenarios to pick from. this affords introverts a degree of autonomy over the course of their education. it also enables introverts to tackle problem-solving activities alone or in smaller groups. they might submit written contributions of their solutions. educators can create a more inclusive and successful learning environment by customizing pbl and pjbl to meet introverted learning and communication preferences. these approaches can assist introverts in excelling at writing by allowing them to capitalize on their skills in research, reflection, and written expression. dealing with flexible scheduling, pjbl provides flexibility in project deadlines, so introverts can manage their time and energy effectively. some introverts may need more time for writing and revising. it can be inferred that introverts often function best in settings that encourage careful consideration and introspection. in reality, a lot of introverts would want to dedicate more time to their writing preparation and editing phases. as a result, introverts are often more introspective and thoughtful. they may want to do a comprehensive analysis of their ideas and arguments before putting them down on paper. pbl, on the other hand, allows for more prolonged problem-solving times, understanding that introverts may need extra time for meaningful, written responses. introverts benefit from extended problem-solving sessions because they do not feel rushed to contribute or make decisions. this can result in an improved educational experience and a greater readiness to participate in writing chores. introverts often write more effectively than they speak. because of the shorter time constraints of pbl, they can create written responses that accurately portray their thoughts and ideas. 8 the last point discusses how extroverted students in the pjbl and pbl methods differ in their writing skills. the significance value, as determined by the data, is 0.300. the degree of significance is greater than 0.05 (0,300 > 0.05). this suggests that ho is accepted and ha is rejected in light of this discovery. put differently, there is not a significant distinction between the writing abilities of pjbl participants and extrovert pbl participants. put alternatively, there is no discernible difference in the writing skills of extroverted students participating in problembased learning (pbl) and project-based learning (pjbl). it is foreseeable because extroverted students exhibit a range of learning outcomes in their writing, and these outcomes depend on several factors. this result could be influenced by these several factors. adaptability comes first. strong adaptation skills enable extrovert students to excel in a variety of learning environments. they can modify their teaching strategy to satisfy pbl and pjbl criteria while still producing writing outcomes that are comparable. extroverts can benefit greatly from having the ability to adapt in a variety of educational settings and circumstances. furthermore, extroverted people usually feel more at ease and enjoy communicating with others in social situations. their social comfort enables them to interact with classmates, teachers, and other group members in a variety of learning environments, including cooperative project-based learning environments and traditional classrooms. it is consistent with the findings of zafar as stated in ozbay et al. (2017). he stated that an extrovert is described as a gregarious person who takes full advantage of language use chances. this saying implies that extroverts are better communicators. they are frequently good in verbally expressing themselves, including the use of words to convey their thoughts, ideas, and emotions. the second point to mention is common teaching approaches. pjbl and pbl may employ similar teaching practices, such as collaborative group work and independent research and writing assignments. for extroverted students, these instructional strategies can produce similar effects. the third factor is the quality of instruction. extroverted students may gain equally from the advice and resources in both settings if both pjbl and pbl teachers use good teaching approaches and give support. the fourth factor is peer pressure. extroverted students may flourish in group discussions and peer relationships in both pjbl and pbl. this can increase their comprehension of the topic matter as well as their writing skills in general. kafryawan (2020) presents an additional definition of extroversion. according to him, extroverts connect with people and their surroundings, providing and receiving energy. they prefer talking to exchanging ideas and working on projects together. they would much rather learn by doing and discussing it with others. they typically take the initiative in relationships and at work, and they have a diverse set of interests. they are usually outgoing and have good communication abilities. as a result, in general, those remarks can be utilized to supplement information about the characteristics of extroverted pupils. knowing the characteristics of extroverted students allows educators to modify their teaching approaches to create a more engaging and successful learning environment. this can include adding collaborative activities, group discussions, and opportunities for social engagement, which extroverted kids generally enjoy. conclusion in general, it may be said that the test's findings imply that the alternative hypothesis (ha) is accepted and the null hypothesis (ho) is rejected based on the data presented. the significance level (sig.) of 0.005, which is less than the generally accepted significance level of 0.05, is the basis for this conclusion. in real words, this suggests that there is statistically significant evidence to support the hypothesis that the pjbl (project-based learning) and pbl (problem-based learning) approaches have differing effects on the writing abilities of introverted students. the alternative hypothesis— that there is a substantial influence on introverted students' writing abilities when utilizing these distinct teaching methods—is supported by the low p-value (0.005), which suggests that the observed findings are unlikely to have happened by chance alone. based on the information given, it seems that the significant value (p-value) connected with the analysis is 0.300, which is higher than the generally accepted significance threshold of 0.05 when dealing with extroverted children in the pjbl and pbl. when the p-value in a hypothesis test exceeds the significance threshold, it implies that there is insufficient data to rule out the null english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 9 hypothesis (ho). thus, when comparing the writing abilities of extrovert students participating in pbl (problem-based learning) and pjbl (project-based learning) in this study, it can be concluded that there is no statistically significant difference in their writing abilities. put another way, the null hypothesis (ho) is accepted while the alternative hypothesis (ha) is not sufficiently supported by the facts. in order to examine the different effects that problem-based learning (pbl) and project-based learning (pjbl) have on the writing abilities of introverted students (p-value: 0.005), teaching methods should be adapted to their specific needs, combining pjbl and pbl elements and offering varied assessments. for extroverted students, where no significant difference was noted, deeper subgroup analysis and feedback from teachers and students can enhance understanding and guide future educational approaches. reference al-halim, m. l. (2019). increasing english 362 achievement through two staytwo stray ( ts-ts ) method. karangan: jurnal kependidikan, pembelajaran, dan pengembangan, 01(02), 102–109. al-halim, m. l. (2020). modifying domino cards to increase students ’ understanding of the use of possessive adjective at junior high school. karangan: jurnal kependidikan, pembelajaran, dan pengembangan, 02(01), 71–79. ary, donald, et al. 2010. introduction to research in education eighth edition. wadsworth 10 davis drive belmont, ca 94002-3098 usa assegaff, a., & sontani, u. t. (2020). upaya meningkatkan kemampuan berpikir analitis melalui model problem based learning (pbl). jurnal pendidikan manajemen perkantoran, 2(1), 10-16. https://doi.org/10.24853/instruksional.2.1.10-16 astrini, n. w. f., ratminingsih, n.m. , utami, i. g.a.l.p. (2020). the model of strategies employed by english teachers in teaching writing skill in national plus schools. journal of education research and evaluation, 4(1), 59. https://doi.org/10.23887/jere.v4i1.23682 baharudin, f., ramli, n. h. l., habali, a. h. m., azmi, a. a., & rahmat, n. h. (2023). process of writing: the challenges in writing skill among esl learners. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 13(10), 33–52. batubara, w. w., hidayat, d. n., husna, n., alek, a., & machfudi, m. i. (2022). a discourse analysis of lexical cohesion on naila farhana’s videos. linguists : journal of linguistics and language teaching, 8(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.29300/ling.v8i1.6435 berezenko, v., cherkhava, o., & musiienko, y. (2022). communicative language teaching approach in promoting the linguistic competence of efl learners. advanced education, 20, e224016. https://doi.org/10.20535/2410-8286.224016 bulqiyah, s., mahbub, m. a., & nugraheni, d. a. (2021). investigating writing difficulties in essay writing: tertiary students’ perspectives. english language teaching educational journal, 4(1), 61-73. 10.12928/eltej.v4i1.2371 d’andrea, l.p. (2010). using writing to develop communicative competence in the foreign language classroom. belt journal. 1(3), 139146 dirsa, a., anggreni, s. b. p., diananseri, c., setiawan, i. (2022). teacher role as professional educator in school environment. international journal of science education and cultural studies, 1(1), 32-41. elfa, f. (2020). an analysis of students' ability and problem in writing analytical exposition text. inovish journal, 5(1), 44-57. eysenck, hans, j. 1998. dimensions of personality. printed in the united states of america hotimah, h. (2020). penerapan metode pembelajaran problem based learning dalam meningkatkan kemampuan bercerita pada siswa sekolah dasar. jurnal edukasi, 7(3), 5-13. https://doi.org/10.19184/jukasi.v7i3.21599 kafryawan, w. (2020). the influence of extroversion personality towards efl learners' writing skills. the journal of ultimate research and trends in education, vol. 2, no. 3, 94 100. kwon, j., elliott, s., & velardo, s. (2020). exploring perceptions about the feasibility of educational video resources as a strategy to support parental involvement in youth soccer. psychology of sport and exercise, 50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.10173 0 lestari, h., hidayat, d. n., husna, n., alek, a., & anita, a. (2022). native speaker interaction with young learners in english class hybrid learning models. loquen: english studies journal, 15(1), 36–52. https://doi.org/10.32678/loquen.v15i1.5751 meisaini, d. r. (2022). improving students’ writing skills through writing workshop: an action research. nobel: journal of literature and language teaching, 13(1), 35-49. https://doi.org/10.15642/nobel.2022.13.1.3549 muliani, r. s., besral., arwemi. (2022). teachers’ perception on communicative language teaching https://doi.org/10.24853/instruksional.2.1.10-16 https://doi.org/10.23887/jere.v4i1.23682 https://doi.org/10.29300/ling.v8i1.6435 https://doi.org/10.20535/2410-8286.224016 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.101730 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.101730 https://doi.org/10.15642/nobel.2022.13.1.35-49 https://doi.org/10.15642/nobel.2022.13.1.35-49 10 at state islamic junior high school 4 padang. rielt journal, 8(2), 35-46. nabila, a., & wibowo, j. (2022). a comparative study of writing competence between extrovert and introvert students at mts miftahul ulum sumbermanjing wetan malang. eltj: english language teaching journal, 2(1), 111-120. nggawu, l. o., & thao, n. t. p. (2023). the impact of communicative language teaching (clt) approach on students’ speaking ability in a public indonesian university: comparison between introverts and extrovert groups. international journal of language education, 7(3), 393-413. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v7i3.50617 oflaz, a. (2021). the journal of language and linguistic studies. journal of language and linguistic studies, 17(2), 1117–1128. özbay, a. ş., aydemir, t., & atasoy, y. (2017). extroversion-introversion in the context of foreign language learning. the international journal of educational researchers, 8, 1-21. pentury, h. j., anggraeni, a. d., & pratama, d. (2020). improving students’ 21st century skills through creative writing as a creative media. deiksis, 12(02), 164-178. http://dx.doi.org/10.30998/deiksis.v12i02.5184 phuong, w. t. n. (2021). difficulties in studying writing of english-majored sophomores at a university in vietnam. european journal of education studies, 8(10), 313-330. http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v8i10.3962 rahardjo, r., hidayat, d. n., & alek, a. (2021). theme and rheme analysis and politeness strategy in diplomatic workplace writing: a discourse analysis. getsempena english education journal, 8(1), 123–133. https://doi.org/10.46244/geej.v8i1.1292 rahmanita, m. (2023). strategies to solve efl students’ problems in writing. journal of english in academic and professional communication jeapco, 9(1), 19-27. riadil, i., rahman, a., & chonpracha, p. (2023). investigating efl learners’ difficulties and strategies in academic writing skill: a qualitative study. elp (journal of english language pedagogy), 8(1), 66-76. https://doi.org/10.36665/elp.v8i1.691 rizki, m., hidayat, d. n., husna, n., & alek, a. (2022). discourse analysis of grammatical cohesion devices in student explanation texts. eduvelop: journal of english education and development, 6(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.31605/eduvelop.v6i1.1545 sahid, s., dasra, m. e. p. p., & hasyim, r. (2023). how does an introverted personality affect students' writing abilities. journal of literate english education study program, 4(2), 85-90. salama, i., hidayat, d. n., husna, n., & alek, a. (2022). arabic identity in english foreign language classroom conversation: language selection, patterns, and functions. leksika: jurnal bahasa, sastra dan pengajarannya, 16(2), 1. https://doi.org/10.30595/lks.v16i2.13513 sari, d. p., murtono., utomo, s., & ardianti, s. d. (2021). implementation of problem based learning (pbl) on interactive learning media. journal of technology and humanties, 24-30. setiawan, d., & herlambang, y. t. (2022). dampak model project based learning terhadap kemampuan menulis teks eksplanasi siswa sekolah dasar. jurnal lensa pendas, 7(2), 129136. https://doi.org/10.33222/jlp.v7i2.2041 sirrajuddin, s. r. a., salija, k., & halim, a. (2023). a comparative study between extrovert and introvert students’ on writing achievement. celebes journal of language studies, 3(2), 325-332. suanyot, s., dibyamandala, j., mangkhang, c., & wannapaisan, c. (2022). enhancing communicative competence in english as a foreign language through hybrid learning. journal of positive school psychology, 6(3), 9617–9622. tambunan, a. r. s., andayani, w., sari, w. s. & lubis. f. k. (2022). investigating efl students' linguistic problems using grammarly as automated writing evaluation feedback. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 12(1), 16-27. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v12i1.46428 toker, ş. (2021). subtle islamization of teacher education: a critical discourse analysis of turkey's “inclusive” education initiative for refugee integration. linguistics and education, 63. ttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2021.100923 uba, s. y., & souidi, n. m. (2020). students’ writing difficulties in english for business classes in dhofar university, oman. international journal of higher education, 9(3), 86-97, https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v9n3p86 zaswita, h. (2022). the impact of personality types on students’ speaking ability: a quasi-experimental study. edukatif : jurnal ilmu pendidikan, 4(4), 5017-5023. zubaidi, z., suharto, r. p., & maulidiyah, f. (2023). improving students’ creative writing skill through project based learning using wattpad as learning media technology. briliant: jurnal riset dan konseptual, 8(1), 94-110. http://dx.doi.org/10.28926/briliant.v8i1.1169 https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v7i3.50617 http://dx.doi.org/10.30998/deiksis.v12i02.5184 http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v8i10.3962 https://doi.org/10.46244/geej.v8i1.1292 https://doi.org/10.36665/elp.v8i1.691 https://doi.org/10.31605/eduvelop.v6i1.1545 https://doi.org/10.30595/lks.v16i2.13513 https://doi.org/10.33222/jlp.v7i2.2041 https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v9n3p86 http://dx.doi.org/10.28926/briliant.v8i1.1169 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 571 students’ attitude towards oral presentation in virtual learning at english education study program of pattimura university rosina f.j. lekawael universitas pattimura, indonesia email: rosina.lekawael@gmail.com ayuni abdullah reniwuryaan universitas pattimura, indonesia email: ayuniireniwuryaan@gmail.com hanafi bilmona universitas pattimura, indonesia email: hanafibilmona@gmail.com apa citation: lekawael, r. f. j., reniwuryaan, a. a., & bilmona, h. (2023). students’ attitude towards oral presentation in virtual learning at english education study program of pattimura university. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 571-580. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.8217 received: 21-02-2023 accepted: 21-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction since the covid-19 pandemic, all learning activities are fully done online. there is, actually, no clear definition of online learning. literature indicated that the term had often been attached to a wide range of meanings and definitions. singh & thurman (2019) found 18 items over 46 definitions used to describe online learning. it was often used synonymously with e-learning, distance learning, web-based learning, blended learning, online courses, and others. certainly, the covid-19 pandemic has brought significant challenges to traditional education systems worldwide, including in indonesia. this condition has also allowed students to exercise autonomy in learning (abidah et al., 2020; pujilestari, 2020; astini, 2020). teaching and learning system is a new way to do it. students may get bored while facing online classes every day. attitude has such an important influence on the effort a learner is prepared to make in learning a foreign language. it means that attitude affects the english learning abstract: studies about an attitude toward learning english have been conducted almost everywhere because of its important influence on the english learning process. the attitude can be categorized into three components namely cognitive, affective/emotional, and behavioral. the study is focused on the emotional component which covers the person’s emotions and feeling towards an object. it can directly affect one’s preferences in order to stand for or against or to like or dislike something. due to the pandemic situation where all the subjects must be done virtual, the researcher attempts to explore what are students’ emotional attitudes toward the virtual oral presentation. the researcher finds it interesting since virtual learning is an uncommon method for students, especially in doing an oral presentation as well as the novelty of the previous related study. the research objective is to find out the students’ emotional attitudes towards oral presentation in virtual learning, especially in the fifth semester of the english education study program at pattimura university. this study applied a survey as a research design by using a questionnaire and interview. the subject of this study consists of fifteen students who enrolled in sla class. the result of the questionnaire showed that most students in the second language acquisition (sla) class held a positive attitude toward the virtual oral presentation. the majority or 12 students (80%) strongly agreed that the oral presentation in virtual learning is more fun and preferable. on the other hand, 11 students (73.3%) strongly agreed that it reduces their anxiety level and also improves their self-confidence. in conclusion, it benefits so much to improve their motivation in english virtual learning compared to face-to-face oral presentations. in a face-to-face class, they had high speaking anxiety by having a great fear of getting involved in a conversation, great fear of the audience, and a great fear of failure. in addition, further researchers can focus on the technology application in virtual learning and its impact on students’ language ability as the novelty element of this study. keywords: oral presentation; students’ attitude; virtual learning. rosina f.j. lekawael, ayuni abdullah reniwuryaan, & hanafi bilmona students’ attitude towards oral presentation in virtual learning at english education study program of pattimura university 572 process. studies about attitudes toward learning english have been conducted almost everywhere. the importance of attitude in learning a language is well established. attitude is a composition of the hypothesis that direct observation is not accessible and should be inferred from measurable reactions (aini et al., 2023). because of the nature of composition, these responses should reflect a positive or negative response of the attitude object. for students, attitude is one of the most significant factors that determine their learning success/achievement. attitude refers to the learner’s overall evaluation and emotional response towards learning a language, including their motivation, interest, and willingness to learn. a positive attitude can lead to better learning outcomes, while a negative attitude can hinder progress. according to mai & thao (2023), several factors affect efl students’ attitudes towards language learning. from their study, they found that the attitudes of the students are internal and external factors. the internal factors coming from the students like interest, self-confidence, lexicon knowledge, anxiety, risk-taking willingness, curiosity, & awareness of the importance of english. while the external from outside of the students such as teaching and learning materials, content, curriculum, teacher personality, teacher professional knowledge, teacher communication, and teacher attitudes towards their students. in the context of the pandemic, the shift to virtual learning has also presented new challenges for language students, such as reduced social interaction and increased screen time. these factors can further affect students’ attitudes toward language learning, making it even more important for educators and researchers to understand and address the factors that contribute to a positive learning attitude. on the other hand, due to the pandemic situation where the students are not able to have conventional learning, as usual, the researchers try to figure out what are the factors affecting students’ attitudes since there are two types of attitudes; a negative attitude which will lead them to be a pessimistic learner, and a positive attitude which will help the student learn the language well. the study reported in this article took place in the indonesian context in which the virtual oral presentation is a new way for students. based on the previous relevant studies about attitudes toward online english learning (getie, 2020; thuan, 2021; jalilinia, 2021; hablo, & gorospe, 2022), the researchers mostly focus on students’ attitudes toward speaking english and students’ emotional attitudes towards online learning. in this research, the researchers attempt to observe what are the students’ emotional attitudes toward the oral presentation. the researchers find it interesting since virtual learning is an uncommon method for students, especially in doing an oral presentation in a second language acquisition (sla) class. this class has an oral presentation where the students are required to create a video about a particular topic given in the past which is less than five minutes long and upload it to google classroom (gc) as the form of virtual learning that the lecturer used in sla class. based on law 20 of 2003 on the education national system (uu nomor 20 tahun 2003 tentang sistem pendidikan nasional) states that the curriculum development is organized in accordance with the level of education within the framework of the national unity of the republic of indonesia and takes the following into account: (a) the enhancement of faith and piety, (b) the enhancement of noble character, (c) the enhancement of learners’ potential, intellect, and interest, (d) the diversity of the region’s potential environment, (e ) demand for regional national development, (f) requirement of labor market, (g) development in science, technology, and arts, (h) religion, (i) the dynamic of global development, and (j) the national unit and nation’s values. the statement indicates that attitude has become core attention in indonesian education. this education system is in line with the goal of the independent learning curriculum. the goal of the independent learning curriculum is to foster a more holistic and well-rounded education that takes into account not only academic achievements but also social and emotional development. the new curriculum aims to go beyond the traditional emphasis on academic knowledge and skills and also to stimulate the development of values, morals, and attitudes that are important for students to succeed in life. this includes promoting positive attitudes such as respect, empathy, responsibility, honesty, and tolerance as important qualities for students in order to thrive in the 21st century. in english language learning, the concept of attitude is known as a critical component. the attitude should be viewed as the component that encompasses all positive outcomes that can occur during language learning. it is crucial to consider how students feel about the language. it is stated that concerning attitude in a language learning context controls an individual’s motivation and is english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 573 especially relevant for language learning because language learning includes many different aspects besides simply learning skills (thuan, 2021). so, it has an important role in influencing students’ success or failure in their learning. to become enjoy the english language learning process, the students must feel happy and be ready to study via online learning. when students are pleased with the english language learning session, when they are bored, or even when they refuse to engage in the lesson, they are demonstrating their attitude through their feelings. in a nutshell, an attitude refers to how students act, think, and feel about language learning. during their learning process, students will show their interest or rejection of the learning. it all happens because they have their way to value and evaluate the study or learning process. those ways are their attitudes toward learning. learning english as foreign language has different effects on the student. some students might like and enjoy their time learning english. they will show good cognitive processes and behavior in the classroom. this will lead them to have a positive attitude toward it. on the other hand, some students find learning english as a foreign language as a boring subject and they will show slow progression. they will also feel uninterest to learn it any further. thus, it leads them to have a negative attitude toward their beliefs. these illustrations imply that attitude deals with students’ everyday activities. it exists as long as the students are in the process of learning and acquiring the language. on top of that, it is the key to determining how well students can be in the learning process. their feelings could be good, bad, or neutral. it is directly connected to the development of students’ motivation. these feelings will affect their participation in the virtual learning process. virtual learning has become a crucial part of education in this digital era and it is important for lecturers to help students develop a positive attitude. virtual learning requires a different set of skills and approaches compared to traditional classroom learning. therefore, the students need to adapt to this mode of learning. students’ attitudes can be influenced by their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. the researcher used selfanalysis and student opinions as useful tools for understanding and assessing their attitudes. attitudes are not fixed and can change over time through various interventions. the language attitude of students influences the maintenance of the indonesian language. wati (2018) states that the human attitude is made up of three components, which are shown as the way the human think (cognitive domain), behave (behavior domain), and feel (affective domain). the domains of learning can help students develop a more positive personality. teachers prefer to place a greater emphasis on the cognitive approach to learning. in reality, there are social and psychological approaches to which these three approaches can be seen. first, is the behavioral component. the behavioral aspect of attitude deals with the way one behaves and reacts in particular situations. second is the cognitive component. this aspect involves the beliefs of the language learners about the knowledge that they receive and their understanding of the process of language learning. third is the affective component. it is affected by different emotional factors, as quoted by hafiza (2022). in this case, this present study focuses on how the students’ attitudes, particularly affective ones toward oral presentation in virtual learning. wati (2018) mentions that knowing about attitude is significant in pedagogical capital because language attitude is a part of important contributions of the language teaching-learning process. understanding students’ foreign language attitudes can improve the quality of english learning itself. one of them is an affective aspect which can affect the students’ motivation and participation in class. according to septiara (2022), affective refers to an emotional feeling such as a person’s feeling of enthusiasm for poetry written in a certain language. the inner feelings and emotions of english foreign language (efl) students may influence their perspectives and their attitudes toward english. in this case, the students will show their likes and dislike toward something. by recognizing the importance of students’ emotions and taking steps to address them, the lecturers can help to create a more effective and enjoyable language learning experience for their students. this can involve using a variety of teaching strategies and activities that cater to different learning styles and interests, as well as providing regular feedback and encouragement to help students stay motivated and engaged. wichanpricha (2021) suggested that learning process is a sensitive process influenced by various emotional factors in the affective domain. the affective domain also referred to attitude and interest towards learning. most of the research concerns the substance of the affective element. an individual’s attitude towards an object cannot rosina f.j. lekawael, ayuni abdullah reniwuryaan, & hanafi bilmona students’ attitude towards oral presentation in virtual learning at english education study program of pattimura university 574 be shaped by simply recognizing their beliefs about it because emotion runs simultaneously with the cognitive process about an attitude object. the affect (feelings and emotions) and attitude (evaluative penalty based on brand beliefs) courses of research are integrated to propose an integrated model of attitude and choice. nowadays, almost all teachers plan english learning activities by asking the students to present their work both as individuals and in groups to develop their speaking abilities. in addition, english classroom activities are important for the student’s development in speaking. as long as there are classroom activities that motivate the students, it will increase the student’s self-confidence in the classroom to answer the question, share the idea, and also give a presentation. therefore, the students should give a chance to the students to practice speaking english. using oral presentations regularly, it is expected can change the student’s confidence to speak english. attention to the system of language is crucial, but the development of fluency and contextual appropriacy are equally important goals. in other words, to support communicative efficiency, the students must be usual with oral presentation activity. presentation is one of the activities, which were used in oral communication courses to develop students’ speaking skill. an oral presentation is a good way to develop the students’ speaking ability to communicate with others. so, it can be an effective way to help them develop their ability. giving oral presentation needs not only speaking skill but also other aspects of presentation skill involving the capability to apply nonverbal skills including eye contact, gesture, and voice. in addition, students need to consider other things such as the content of the presentation and their audiences’ interests (panggabean & triassanti, 2020). presentation skill, it is expected can help the students learn to speak english easily. virtual learning is a form of learning that is enhanced through utilizing computers and/or the internet both outside and inside the facilities of educational institutions. a virtual learning environment (vle for short) is a collection of software tools supporting academic administration, teaching, and learning using an application such as zoom, edmodo, google classroom, etc. as information and communication are increasingly conducted online. each school and university have its policy to use an app or online form in teaching and learning activity, additionally, based on the researchers’ experience in virtual learning, we found that pattimura university especially in the english education study program, mostly use zoom app and google classroom to conduct the learning process. further, the majority of the previous studies were related to qualitative research supported by actual examples and approached using a single method, such as a survey (e.g., ullah, et.al. & karimkhanlooei, 2017) or case study (e.g., nurwahyuni, 2019). however, the results show that the students had positive and negative attitudes. they could adjust quickly to english virtual oral presentation, while the other results indicated that they faced difficulties with it either in virtual or face-to-face learning. the purposes of the current study are to find out the students’ emotional attitudes toward oral presentation and the factors influencing their attitude to virtual learning. in this study, we developed an online questionnaire and a list of interview questions for the fifth-semester students of the english education study program at pattimura university. the research questions to answer in this study are: (1) what are the students’ emotional attitudes toward the virtual oral presentation? (2) what are the factors influencing their emotional attitude toward their virtual oral presentation? method qualitative research is a type of research that explores and provides deeper insights into realworld problems. instead of collecting numerical data points or intervene or introduce treatments just like in quantitative research, qualitative research helps generate hypotheses as well as further investigate and understand quantitative data. qualitative research is understanding of social phenomena based on the participant’s point of view. the data collection procedures of this study were collected by giving questionnaire to participants (riadil, 2020). the setting was in sla class english education study program at pattimura university. 15 students participated in filling out the questionnaire and interview session. due to the pandemic situation, the researcher will conduct this study online so it will be in the form of a google questionnaire. after making a questionnaire, the researcher distributed the link of the questionnaire to the students to be fulfilled based on their feeling, experience, and perspective. while, the interview posed five english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 575 questions to represent the three main variables of the research which are; students’ attitudes, oral presentation, and virtual learning. the questionnaire consisted of a 10-item online questionnaire that used the likert’s scale ranging from one to five (5: strongly agree; 4: agree; 3: neutral; 2: disagree; 1: strongly disagree). the second language acquisition (sla) class was carried out for one semester which consisted of 16 meetings. but, the researchers were only concerned about their involvement in an oral presentation during several meetings. students were asked to fill out the questionnaire after completing the course. after collecting the questionnaire, the data were analyzed via the spss software. results and discussion questionnaire analysis the results of the questionnaire regarding students’ attitudes toward oral presentation in virtual learning are in the following: table 1. the answer of participants who filled out the questionnaire no initial name item 1 item 2 item 3 item 4 item 5 item 6 item 7 item 8 item 9 item 10 1 iy 5 5 5 4 4 2 5 5 5 5 2 ca 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 jg 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 5 5 4 js 4 5 5 4 3 3 3 4 4 1 5 sh 4 4 3 5 2 5 2 4 2 5 6 nl 2 2 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 1 7 mj 5 4 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 4 8 wo 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 2 4 4 9 mh 5 5 5 2 5 5 5 5 5 5 10 ce 5 5 4 5 4 4 4 4 5 2 11 pa 4 4 1 4 5 4 1 4 5 5 12 jh 5 4 2 1 5 5 5 5 5 5 13 jm 1 1 3 5 1 5 5 3 1 3 14 np 2 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 15 af 5 5 2 4 3 4 5 5 5 5 based on students’ responses to the questionnaire, results are given in the percentage form below: figure 1. students’ attitude towards oral presentation in virtual learning table 2. descriptive statistics n minimu m maximu m sum mean std. deviation variance statistic statistic statistic statistic statistic std. error statistic statistic tot_ sa 15 28.00 47.00 614.00 40.9333 1.31100 5.07749 25.781 valid n (listwi se) 15 the given mean is 40,9333 which demonstrates mostly students have positive standpoints regarding oral presentation in virtual learning. item 1: oral presentation in virtual learning is more interesting. almost 50% of students strongly agree, 27% agree and 7% neutral about it. it can be said that most of the students are rosina f.j. lekawael, ayuni abdullah reniwuryaan, & hanafi bilmona students’ attitude towards oral presentation in virtual learning at english education study program of pattimura university 576 comfortable and interested with the oral presentation. item 2: oral presentation in virtual learning is more fun. 40% of the students strongly agree and agree, while 7% neutral about it. this shows that almost half of the students felt fun and involved in the activity. item 3: oral presentation in virtual learning helps me with less preparation. approximately 35% of the students strongly agree, 27% of the students agree, and 20% of the students neutral about it. the results of this question were interesting that most of the students prepared themselves well. item 4: oral presentation in virtual learning is preferable. almost 50% agree and 35% strongly agree. the majority of students showed that they really like the oral presentation even in virtual learning. item 5: oral presentation in virtual learning reduces my anxiety level. 53% of students expressed strongly agree, 20% of students agree, and 13% neutral about it. it means that more than half of the students can handle their anxiety while presenting in virtual learning well. item 6: oral presentation in virtual learning gives me motivation. 60% of students strongly agree, 27% agree, and 7% neutral about it. the results show that the presentation motivates them to be ready in preparing the material. item 7: oral presentation in virtual learning brings many advantages. almost 70% of students showed strong agreement and 13% agree. when the students were given the opportunity to do an oral presentation in virtual learning made them more motivated and improved their speaking ability. this indicates that the students have got many beneficial inputs from the activity. item 8: oral presentation in virtual learning improves my self-discipline. almost 55% of students strongly agree and 33% agree. according to these results, the students can manage their learning style and get more selfdiscipline in virtual learning. item 9: oral presentation in virtual learning improves my self-confidence. 73% of students strongly agree, 27% agree and 7% disagree. a high number of students have self-confidence during the lesson. item 10: oral presentation in virtual learning is more enjoyable. approximately 53% of students strongly agree, 20% of students agree, and 13% strongly disagree. there were some students still had less concentration to follow the rule of oral presentation in virtual learning of sla class. from the above results, it can be understood that the performance of oral presentation in virtual learning has many benefits for students. therefore, as the answer to the first research question, it can be discussed that students’ attitude toward oral presentation in virtual learning of sla class is mainly positive. interview analysis the interview that was used in this research was adapted by mardiningrum & ramadhani (2020), gedamu & gezahen (2023). the participants for the interview were five students that were selected by using purposive sampling. the researcher concluded that the result of the interview strengthened the result of the questionnaire. the interview posed five questions to represent students’ emotional attitude, which deals with how they react or feel toward an object. there are some reasons that the students of sla (second language acquisition) class mainly prefer the virtual oral presentation. they are fear of making mistakes, fear of failure, fear of the audience, or being seen by a lot of people made the students could not concentrate well. this could ruin their performance in an oral presentation. from the result of the interview, the researcher concluded that there are two factors affecting their emotional attitude; speaking anxiety and self-confidence. habiburrahim, et.al (2020) mentioned that feeling of anxiety is acknowledged as an emotional element that a person encounters during the learning process. according to rofiah & waluyo (2021), selfconfidence has always been related not only to oral presentation assignments but also to practically all the assignments given to the students to perform with good outcomes. anxiety creates atmosphere of exaggerated worry, which affects and destroys students’ self-confidence and causes them to avoid engaging in communication activities with teachers and classmates. these are related to the result which showed that students had low speaking anxiety and high selfconfidence toward oral presentation in virtual learning compared to the face-to-face oral presentation. table 3. result on interview of students’ attitude towards oral presentation in virtual learning date (28th oct 2021) questions explanations 1. how do you feel when you start doing i feel nervous and anxious because of the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 577 an oral presentation? audience. 2. what is your biggest fear in doing an oral presentation? i’m afraid of making mistake, it’s my biggest fear when i’m doing an oral presentation. 3. which one do you think is easier in preparing the oral presentation, through virtual or conventional learning, why is that so? virtual oral presentation is easier, i think it’s because we don’t have much preparation such as using infocus and stuff. 4. which one do you think is more enjoyable in doing oral presentation, through virtual or conventional learning, why is that so? i think it’s gonna be the virtual oral presentation because we don’t need to face the audience and the lecturer direcly so it may reduce my anxiety level. 5. do you prefer an oral presentation through virtual learning or through conventional learning, why is that so? i prefer virtual oral presentation because i’m more enjoy and confident and that’s all the matters. the results have shown that there are twelve of fifteen students in the sla class held a positive attitude toward oral presentation in virtual learning. it meant that in face-to-face oral presentations they had high speaking anxiety by having great fear to get involved in a conversation, great fear of the audience, and a great fear of failure. many people claim anxiety is the main reason to stop people from speaking english. anxiety is the term lathophobic aphasia to a failure to speak a new language for fear of making a mistake (choo, et al., 2021). so, the less anxiety that students have, the more effort that students may do. it finally affected their performance in an oral presentation. whereas, in speaking three functions are speaking those are speaking as interaction, speaking as a transaction, and speaking as performance (richards, 2008). the students are not only interacting or having conversations with others as it is the function of speaking of interaction, but the students also need to deliver the message and make themselves understand the message clearly and accurately as it is the function of speaking as a transaction. besides that, the students also should be able to transmit information before an audience, such as public announcements, speeches, and especially the oral presentation which are usually done in the classroom activities as it is the function of speaking as a performance. those are the three functions of speaking that cannot be reached by the students if they did less effort in speaking because they had high speaking anxiety. in conclusion, the anxiety level of the students affected their performance in speaking for the presentation subject. this is supported by the answers from the students who feel anxious when their lecturer started pointing them to speak in front of their peers or friends. the students also refused to sit in the front row of the class because they are afraid to be asked and avoided eye contact with their lecturer. as the researcher had explained the three functions of speaking cannot be achieved if they had a high level of anxiety. another factor affecting their performance in doing an oral presentation is also self-confidence. according to lar and maulina (2021) that self-confidence and speaking have a significant correlation. most learners cannot speak english because they do not have self-confidence in their speaking ability. nadila et al., (2020) mention that in the case of foreign language learning, students’ emotions tend to be more discouraging rather than encouraging. one of the emotional states that make such a process become difficult is lack of self confidence. although virtual learning may become the preferred method for the majority of students, it is important not to dismiss the benefits of conventional learning too. with conventional learning, it could be easier to ensure students are paying attention to the classroom activities. some students might also find it easier to retain the knowledge and skills they have learned through conventional learning than they do with virtual learning. as stated in the result of the questionnaire, the majority of twelve students (80%) held a positive attitude toward oral presentation in virtual learning. meanwhile, the other three students (20%) held a negative attitude towards the virtual oral presentation which clearly showed that they mainly prefer oral presentation in virtual learning. increasing the audience’s trust in speakers before and throughout the speaker’s speech increases the likelihood that the audience will accept their reasoning and take action on their recommendation (puji, muslimah, 2021). the phenomenon is shown by their attitude. they rosina f.j. lekawael, ayuni abdullah reniwuryaan, & hanafi bilmona students’ attitude towards oral presentation in virtual learning at english education study program of pattimura university 578 added that the feelings and emotions of the learners leave a huge impact on their attitudes toward language learning. attitude may influence the speakers’ motivation. attitude and motivation play a crucial role in language learning and that attitude and motivation affect how well students learn a language. if students possess a good attitude toward learning the language, it will accelerate learning. and if learners are wellmotivated, they will perform well in learning (thuan, 2021). the result of this research showed that the students’ attitudes towards oral presentation in virtual learning in the fifth semester of the english education study program of pattimura university are mainly positive. on the other hand, this revealed the fact that many students in the english education study program held negative attitudes toward the faceto-face oral presentation which provides a real situation for the lecturer to help students for building and maintain a positive attitude toward the conventional oral presentation itself through the appropriate technique of teaching or creating a better teaching and learning environment due to the post-pandemic, all learning activities will be done offline or through conventional. conclusion based on the discussion, it can be concluded that students’ attitude toward oral presentation in virtual learning in english education study program is mainly positive. results showed that twelve students held a positive attitude and the rest of them held negative attitudes toward oral presentation in virtual learning. the positive attitude toward oral presentation in virtual learning is shown when students had low speaking anxiety and high self-confidence. on the contrary, the students showed that they had high language anxiety and low selfconfidence when they had negative attitudes toward oral presentation in conventional learning. furthermore, the dominant attitude reflected in the english education study program of pattimura university in the academic year 2018 is positive. as shown in the percentage that eighty percent of the students held a positive attitude toward oral presentation in virtual learning. meanwhile, twenty percent held a negative attitude towards oral presentation in virtual learning. references abidah, a., hidaayatullah, h. n., simamora, r. m., fehabutar, d., & mutakinati, l. (2020). the impact of covid-19 to indonesian education and its relation to the philosophy of “merdeka belajar.” studies in philosophy of science and education, 1(1), 38-49. aini, b. h. k., yusra, k., & amrullah. (2023). students’ attitudes, perceptions and preferences towards online learning during covid-19 pandemic. assehr 686, 456-466. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-494069-21-3_49 akyol, b., & küçük, b. a. (2020). high school students’ attitudes towards english language in terms of different school types in turkey. fire: futuristic implementations of research in education, 1(1), 40-48. choo, n., & abdullah t. (2021). influencing anxiety in english oral presentation through technology among the undergraduates. journal of computational & theoretical nanoscience, 23(9), 9152-9156. gedamu, a. d. & gezahen, t. h. (2023). tefl trainees’ attitude to and self-efficacy beliefs of academic oral presentation. cogent education, 10(1), 1-17. getie, a. (2020). factors affecting the attitudes of students towards learning english as a foreign language. cogent education, (7)1, 1-37. 10.1080/2331186x.2020.1738184. habiburrahman, h., risdaneva, r., putri, g., dahlianan, s., & muluk, s. (2020). the effects of anxiety toward acehnese students’ english speaking abiity. the qualitative e report, 25(1), 254-270. https://doi.org/10.46743/21603715/2020.3639 hablo, d., & gorospe, j. d. (2022). attitude toward online english learning, satisfaction on the use of virtual english learning environment, and english performance of junior high school students of pedro t. mendiola sr. memorial national high school. international journal of education research & social sciences, 3(2), 919-944. hafiza. (2022). an analysis of students’ attitude in learning english through blended learning at sma n koto baru. jurnal pendidikan tambusai, 6(1), 1017-1022. jalilinia, f. (2021). iranian high school efl learners’ attitude towards online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. allameh tabatabai university, 9(4), 442-451. lar, m. a. a., and maulina. (2021). students’ selfconfidence in speaking for a live presentation: a literature review. klasikaa: journal of education, language teaching and science, 3 (3), 88-95. mai, l. x., & thao, l. t. (2022). factors affecting students’ attitude towards learning english as a foreign language in a tertiary institution of vietnam. international journal of tesol & education, 2(2), 168-185. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-494069-21-3_49 https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2020.3639 https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2020.3639 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 579 mardiningrum, a,. & ramadhani, d. (2020). classroom oral presentation: students’ challenges and how they cope. eralingua, 6(1), 103-119. nadila, u., hengki., & ratna. (2020). self confidence factors of students in speaking english in banjarmasin. proceeding of shepo 2020, international conference on social sciences & humanity, economics, and politics, 143-150. nurwahyuni, a. (2019). the impact of clinical pathway implementation on length of stay and hospital cost: a systematic review. in 6th international conference on public health 2019 (pp. 388-396). sebelas maret university. ocampo, h. j. m., & gorospe, j. d., (2022). elearning related attitude, english language learning strategies, and academis performance in english of grade 9 students of divine word college of san jose, csj, 3(2), 991-1015. panggabean., christina i. t., & triassanti, r. (2020). the implementation of metacognitive strategy training to enhance efl students oral presentation skill. journal of english teaching and research, 5(1), 32-40. pujilestari, y. (2020). dampak positif pembelajaran online dalam system pendidikan indonesia pasca pandemi covid-19. adalah: buletin hukum & keadilan, 4(1), 49-56. puji, m. (2021). an analysis of students’ selfconfidence in english oral presentations. [unpublished thesis]. repository.arraniry.ac.id/muslimah puji, 160203117, ftk, pbi.pdf. riadil, i. g. (2020). a qualitative study: investigating efl learners’ self-confidence to decrease the reticence in speaking ability. eltics journal, 5(2), 1-11. rofiah, n. l., & waluyo, b. (2021). developing students’ english oral presentation skills: do self-confidence, teacher feedback, and english proficiency matter. mextesol journal, 45(3), 117. https:/eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1310949 septiara, f. a. (2018). students’ language attitude toward learning english. [a thesis]. wati, s. (2018). language attitude of indonesian undergraduate students towards english at english education department. e-journal of ling tera,5 (1), 10-18. singh, v., & thurman, a. (2019). how many ways can we define online learning? a systematic literature review of definitions of online learning (1988-2018). american journal of distance education, 33(4), 289-306. astini, n. k. s. (2020). tantangan dan peluang pemanfaatan teknologi informasi dalam pembelajaran online masa covid-19. cetta: jurnal ilmu pendidikan, 3(2), 241-255. thuan, p .d. (2021). attitude and motivation in language learning: a review. journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 3(5), 64-72. wichanpricha, t. (2021). synchronous online learning through microsoft teams at tertiary level: academic english course. journal of educational and social research, 11(5), 123140. rosina f.j. lekawael, ayuni abdullah reniwuryaan, & hanafi bilmona students’ attitude towards oral presentation in virtual learning at english education study program of pattimura university 580 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 777 investigating the efficacy of u-dictionary app for improving students’ vocabulary mastery diqi ahsanul fiqri department of english language education, universitas islam nahdlatul ulama jepara, indonesia email: 201320000504@unisnu.ac.id nina sofiana department of english language education, universitas islam nahdlatul ulama jepara, indonesia email: ninasofiana@unisnu.ac.id apa scitation: fiqri, d. a., & sofiana, n. (2024). investigating the efficacy of u-dictionary app for improving students’ vocabulary mastery. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 777-784. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9522 received: 26-02-2024 accepted: 26-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: the purpose of this research is to assess how well the u-dictionary app enhances the english vocabulary mastery regarding the 10th-grade students at smk al-haromain. this research employed a quasiexperimental approach, which included two groups: one was the experimental group and the other was the control group. the participants in this research were 17 students from class x tkj assigned to the experimental group, while 18 students from class x tbsm were assigned to the control group. the data collection tool included a pre-test and post-test, which included a total of 20 valid multiple-choice questions. the researcher used the independent sample t-test feature in the spss software to verify the accuracy of the hypothesis. the mean post-test value in the experimental class was 87.6, while in the control class it was 72.8. in addition, according to the resultants of the two-tailed independent sample t-test, it was revelaed that the significant value (sig.) is greater than 0.05, specifically 5.247 (5.247 > 0.05). therefore, it can be inferred that the utilization of the u-dictionary app effectively enhances the vocabulary mastery of 10th-grade students at smk al-haromain mayong. keywords: elt; u-dictionary app; vocabulary mastery. introduction having a good vocabulary is crucial for language fluency as it allows learners to communicate efficiently and comprehend academic situations. it is important to possess a high level of vocabulary proficiency when it comes to language acquisition (santi et al., 2021; sun et al., 2023; umar et al., 2023). vocabulary proficiency pertains to the skill of comprehending and employing words and their definitions correctly within a given language. (fedora & hasan, 2024; teng & zhang, 2024) asserts that vocabulary is the fundamental building block of language mastership, emphasizing that students cannot achieve fluency in a language without originally forming a material vocabulary. however, a significant number of students, particularly those from nonenglish speaking nations, encounter challenges when it comes to acquiring and enhancing their vocabulary because of different reasons, including limited opportunities for exposure, lack of motivation, and insufficient resources (hutauruk et al., 2024; wang et al., 2023). students frequently encounter difficulties in remembering and utilizing numerous words due to their vocabulary limitations. in the same way (fajt et al., 2024; sarmila et al., 2022) discovered that students face challenges when it comes to the requirement of memorizing all new vocabulary in order to enhance their vocabulary skills. effective communication becomes simpler as one's vocabulary expands. however, having a restricted range of words can restrict the ability to express oneself and comprehend information. recalling a large number of words can be quite challenging. a number of students might struggle with remembering unfamiliar words, especially when they are not repeated or used regularly. merely acknowledging individual words is insufficient (nurdin et al., 2023). using them actively in conversation, writing, and reading is of great importance. not engaging in active practice can impede the process of learning new words. to comprehend vocabulary, it is crucial to consider the surrounding context. certain words can have different interpretations based on the context. having an understanding of the situation or background information enables students to use words accurately. a strong command of vocabulary influences one’s understanding of what is being read. students with a larger vocabulary generally discover the definition of mailto:201320000504@unisnu.ac.id diqi ahsanul fiqri & nina sofiana investigating the efficacy of u-dictionary app for improving students’ vocabulary mastery 778 words in the text more quickly. teaching vocabulary in english is a primary focus in teaching english to non-native speakers. recently, it will be crucial for students to possess fluency in foreign languages, particularly english, in order to successfully compete for job opportunities in the global economy (churkina et al., 2023; mubarok & sofiana, 2022). this is because having a strong command of english vocabulary is essential for mastering the language, and students must also utilize effective strategies to enhance their vocabulary acquisition skills (alshahrani, 2019; dakhi, 2019; tanjung & daulay, 2020; zeng et al., 2022). if students comprehend and utilize the vocabulary, they can achieve success in their english language abilities. so, when students are learning english, they should make an effort to acquire as many words as they can. this will assist them in developing a high level of competency in the language. people are unable to use english proficiently unless they possess a strong grasp of its vocabulary. this implies that individuals who possess extensive knowledge of the language are more apt at articulating their emotions, thoughts, feelings, and objectives effectively (adinda & rahayu, 2023; lindquist, 2021). having good communication skills necessitates the use of language that is deemed appropriate and makes one feel comfortable (sofiana & mubarok, 2019) suggests that in order to effectively learn and master english, it is important to have a learning model or pattern that can serve as a guide for planning classroom or tutorial activities focused on vocabulary acquisition. there are typically multiple approaches to instructing vocabulary. however, there are several factors that english teachers must take into account when teaching students new vocabulary. this implies that english preceptors bear scholars to commit substitute vocabulary to memory, necessitating memorization, practice, and review to prevent students from forgetting. however, in recent times, students including the students of smk al-haromain mayong are becoming hesitant to carry physical dictionary books due to their limited content in smaller versions, and the more comprehensive ones are often bulky and inconvenient. this lack of practicality stems from the rapid advancements in technology across various domains, particularly in education where significant reforms are required. students are evidently impacted and drawn to the technology that has been facilitating the most recent educational technology products (hakim et al., 2020; sorokoumova et al., 2021; vernice et al., 2021). one possible answer to this issue is to employ technology-driven instruments that can assist in the process of acquiring and retaining vocabulary. u-dictionary is a dictionary and restatement operation that’s available free of charge. it can translate 108 languages both online and offline. additionally, the app provides resources such as english videos, games, quizzes, grammar checks, and real-life examples to aid users in enhancing their english language skills. u-dictionary proudly declares itself as the top translation app worldwide, with 100 million users in 150 countries who trust its services (tanesab et al., 2024). u-dictionary is a comprehensive language app that goes beyond a simple dictionary. it incorporates features such as word definitions (providing meanings, synonyms, and antonyms), examples and usage (offering context-based examples for better understanding), word games and quizzes (engaging learners interactively), and english videos (enhancing language skills through visual content) (hapsari, 2022). several studies have found that using udictionary can have beneficial effects on learning english. the study kept by (agustiani et al., 2022; maulia & amin, 2023) set up that scholars perceive the u-dictionary app as beneficial for enhancing their pronunciation skills. additionally, they emphasized the importance of learning proper pronunciation. they also saw the "flawless english pronunciation capability” in u-dictionary as a useful and pleasurable method to conquer pronunciation challenges in learning. according to (fedora & hasan, 2024; teng & zhang, 2024). the u-dictionary app is stated to be efficient in enhancing students' enthusiasm for learning. furthermore, the research carried out by (adinda & rahayu, 2023; hapsari, 2022; mustika & dashela, 2024; wulandari & handayani, 2020) indicated that the misuse of the u-dictionary employment v had the potential to enhance students' vocabulary skills in a successful manner as demonstrated by the findings. it functioned as an enjoyable and uncomplicated method of educational engagement. u-dictionary app encouraged students to increase their drive and enthusiasm while participating in the teaching and learning activities. despite the availability of language apps like u-dictionary, there remains a gap in understanding their effectiveness in improving english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 779 students' vocabulary. while some studies have explored the impact of electronic dictionaries on vocabulary learning, specific investigations into u-dictionary's efficacy are limited. therefore, this trance aims to address this hiccup by investigating the efficacy of the u-dictionary app for improving vocabulary mastery among tenth-grade students at smk al-haromain mayong jepara. the dooms of this research hope to give data about the being knowledge on vocabulary learning and the integration of technology in english as a foreign language (efl) setting. method the study paid a quantitative path with a quasiexperimental arrangement. this design allows for comparisons between groups without random assignment, making it suitable for investigating the efficacy of the u-dictionary app on vocabulary learning. in this study, the researchers had a treatment group (using u-dictionary) and a control group (not using u-dictionary). the study involved tenth-grade students from smk al-haromain mayong consisting of two classes. the classes were divided into the treatment (tkj class consisting of 17 students) and control groups (tsm class consisting of 18 students). the primary instrument applied for data assemblage subsisted a multifold-selection test conforming of 20 questions. students' vocabulary knowledge was assessed through this test. the test likely covered various aspects of vocabulary, including word meanings, synonyms, antonyms, and context. in this study, the researchers followed a threestep process including pre-test, treatment, and post-test. before any intervention, students' initial vocabulary knowledge was assessed for treatment and control group. then, the treatment group used the u-dictionary app during the study period, while the control group was treated without using the u-dictionary app. the students were instructed to memorize a minimum of 5 vocabulary words during each session. lastly, after the treatment period, students' vocabulary knowledge was assessed again. quantitative data obtained from the pre-test and posttest were analyzed using spss to perform tests for normality, homogeneity, and hypothesis. a normality test is employed to ascertain if the data being analyzed is derived from a normally distributed dataset, while a homogeneity trial is tended to settle whether the data within a sample class is uniform or divergent. the hypothesis serves as a provisional solution to research problems, which are expressed as questions. results and discussion prior to administering any treatments, both the treatment group and control group underwent a pre-test to levy their initial level of vocabulary acquisition. finally, a post-test was conducted to determine how effective u-dictionary was in enhancing their vocabulary skills. the outcome of the mean score can be described in table 1. table 1. mean score of experimental and control group trial grouping n middle std. devagati on pre experimental 17 54.7 9.91693 control 18 49.7 7.94692 post experimental 17 87.6 7.72934 control 18 72.8 8.94792 table 1 shows that during the pre-testing phase, the experimental grouping held a mean score of 54.7, whereas the control group had a mean grudge of 49.7. in the post-test phase, the experimental caste achieved a mean score of 87.6 after increasing their vocabulary, while the control class obtained a mean grudge of 72.8. the outcomes of the study were consistent in both classes, with elevated scores. however, the experimental class achieved a higher score compared to the control class. before hypothesis testing, it was conducted normality and homogeneity testing. the shapirowilk normality test was applied to the students test data. the results showed that the sig value for the normalcy test of the pretest data in the experimental class was 0.523, which is greater than the signification position of 0.05. similarly, the sig value for the normalcy test of the pretest data in the control class was 0.670, also greater than the significance level. these findings indicate that the pretest data in this study is normally distributed. furthermore, the sig value for the normality test of the posttest data in the experimental caste was 0.163, and for the control class was 0.060, both exceeding the significance level of 0.05. this suggests that the posttest data in this study is also normally allotted. according to the criteria for measuring normality tests, it can be deduced that if the significant valuation is lesser than the data in the control group, then it follows a normal distribution. diqi ahsanul fiqri & nina sofiana investigating the efficacy of u-dictionary app for improving students’ vocabulary mastery 780 table 2. normality test trial grouping kolmogorov-smirnov2 shapiro-wilk statistic df sig statistic df sig pre experimental .144 17 .200 .954 17 .523 control .168 18 .192 .963 18 .670 post experimental .192 17 .097 .923 17 .163 control .154 18 .200 .901 18 .060 next, the experimenters tended a homogeneity test to levy if the data from the experimental class and control class exhibited similarity. the homogeneity of variance test can determine if two groups of data have similar variances. if the t count is lower than the t table value at a signification position of 0.05, then the data is considered to have homogeneous variances. alternatively, if the significance value is lesser than 0.05, the data is also regarded to be homogeneous. table 3. homogeneity test test lavene statistic df1 df2 sig pre .872 1 33 .357 post .374 1 33 .545 according to the homogeneity test, it has been determined that the significance valuations for both the pre-test data and post-test data are 0.357 and 0.545, discretely. since these values are higher than 0.05 namely 0.357>0.05 and 0.545>0.05, it can be concluded that the data is homogeneous. therefore, the two classes that were used for the research can be considered homogeneous classes. after conducting the normality test and homogeneity test, it has been determined that both classes are normally distributed and have equal variances. in addition, since the data were normal and homogeneous, the hypothesis testing was conducted. the study utilized descriptive statistical trials, specifically the self-dependent sample t-test, for hypothesis testing. this allows for the continuation of the research to determine whether there is a notable distinction between the two groups. table 4. independent sample test levene's test for equality of discords t-test for equality of measure f sig. t df sig. (2 tailed) mean differenc e std. error differenc e 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper equal dissonances assumed .37 4 .545 5.2 47 33 .000 14.9 2.83386 9.10374 20.63482 equal dissonances not assumed 5.2 69 32. 752 .000 14.86928 2.82176 9.12671 20.61185 table 4 presented the outcome of the experimentation calculation conducted during the post-test. the valuation for the post-test was 5.247, which is advanded than the critical tvalue of 1.69236 at a signification position of 0.05, calculated using 33 degrees of freedom (df). this indicates that the usage of the u-dictionary app has a significant effect on improving scholars’ vocabulary mastery. the t-value for the post-test was 5.247, calculated using 33 degrees of freedom (df). the carping t-value from the t-table for a significance level of 0.05 was 1.69236." if the value of t-count subsisted changed to t-table, then t-count was higher than t-table. this indicated that the treatments administered to the experimental group had an impact on the students' ability to master vocabulary, in contrast to the treatments given to the control group. to put it differently, we accepted the working hypothesis (ha) and rejected the null hypothesis (ho). this suggests that there was a noteworthy distinction between the experimental class and the control class in terms of the students' ability to master vocabulary. this indicates that the use of the u-dictionary app has a significant effect on improving students’ vocabulary mastery. thus, the statistical examination conducted in this research demonstrates that the u-dictionary app has a substantial impact as a tool for teaching english language, particularly in the acquisition of vocabulary. the utilization of the u-dictionary english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 781 app can enhance students' vocabulary skills as it has an offline feature that helps students translate words and effectively memorize them. the app can also be utilized by students to translate any unfamiliar words in the text and create sentences related to the topic and then present them to the class. consequently, students are able to improve their vocabulary abilities and have a beneficial effect on their academic performance. these findings align with existing researches on the efficacy of the u-dictionary app in vocabulary learning. for instance, studies conducted by (adinda & rahayu, 2023; hapsari, 2022; mustika & dashela, 2024; wulandari & handayani, 2020). these studies suggest that utilizing the u-dictionary app for lessoning vocabulary not only makes the learning process more effective and engaging, but also leads to improved academic performance. they believe believe that the use of u-dictionary could help teachers improve students’ vocabulary mastery effectively since it provides an exciting and simple method of learning activity. it also can improve the students’ motivation and interest in learning process. the investigation findings displayed in table 1 align well with several existing theories on vocabulary acquisition and instruction. the experimental group, which used the u-dictionary app, showed a significant improvement in their vocabulary mastery, as evidenced by the increase in their mean score from 54.7 to 87.6. this suggests that the u-dictionary app was effective in enhancing the students’ vocabulary mastery. there are several things that affect the scores of the experimental assemblage that are advanced than control group. the u-dictionary app provide a social and interactive platform for students to learn new words, thus aligning with the study tended by (moody et al., 2018) which emphasize the significance of social interaction and cultural environment in scholarship. the u-dictionary app also help students build mental models (schemas) by providing definitions, examples, and other relevant information about new words. by utilizing this app, students are able to construct these schemas of how language works, and these models help them understand and use new vocabulary. in addition, the interactive and engaging features of the u-dictionary app could increase students’ motivation to learn new vocabulary, leading to improved scores. the use of u-dictionary app can help students become more active and interesting to learn vocabulary, especially to translate material whose language is not yet known in meaning. it is in line with the study conducted by (fedora & hasan, 2024) who explained that the u-dictionary operation can support students be more active in their classes in learning vocabulary. by utilizing u-dictionary, the students also engage in self-learning to gain real-world experience in acquiring vocabulary (mashrabovna & kizi, 2023; nursyahbandi & dehghanitafti, 2023). finally, the u-dictionary app also utilizes an approach it which it provides both written definitions and visual aids for new words in which it makes students easier translate and remember about vocabulary since the information is easier to understand and remember when it is presented both verbally and visually (moody et al., 2018). in conclusion, the results of the research are consistent with other studies, reinforcing the idea that digital tools like u-dictionary can be effective aids in enhancing vocabulary mastery among students. these findings underscore the potential of technology in revolutionizing the learning process and supporting students in their educational journey. however, it is important to note that while these tools can be highly beneficial, their effectiveness may also depend on how they are integrated into the learning process and the individual learner’s engagement with them. in addition, further research might be needed to determine which features of the app are most beneficial and how it can be best utilized in different learning contexts. it would also be interesting to explore how these theories intersect and contribute to the efficacy of such apps in vocabulary instruction. conclusion the study investigated the efficacy of using the u-dictionary application on vocabulary mastery. post-test mean scores in the experimental class were significantly higher (87.6) compared to the control class (72.8). the two-tailed independent sample t-test supported the effectiveness of udictionary in enhancing vocabulary mastery. thus, teachers can integrate u-dictionary app into language teaching strategies. moreover, students can be encouraged to explore word meanings, synonyms, and usage examples within the app. teachers also need to foster an active learning environment where students engage with vocabulary beyond textbooks. in summary, the udictionary app holds promise as a valuable tool for vocabulary enrichment. by embracing its features and integrating it thoughtfully into language education, teachers can empower diqi ahsanul fiqri & nina sofiana investigating the efficacy of u-dictionary app for improving students’ vocabulary mastery 782 students to become more proficient and confident language users. there are certain restrictions or constraints to consider regarding the research. this study involved a relatively small sample size, with 17 students in the experimental grouping and 18 in the control grouping. therefore, the future researches are recommended to use a larger sample to enhance the generalizability of findings. moreover, the study's duration was only four meetings. thus, longer-term investigations need to conduct to provide insights into sustained vocabulary improvement. acknowledgement we want to convey my appreciation to the principal, english teachers, and students at smk al-haromain mayong for their warm hospitality during the research project conducted at the school. the appreciation also goes to institute for research and community benevolences of universitas islam nahdlatul ulama jepara for funding. references adinda, f., & rahayu, m. (2023). the effectiveness of u-dictionary as learning media to improve students’ vocabulary achievement at senior high school. jurnal pendidikan bahasa inggris undiksha, 11(1), 10–17. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v11i1.60 agustiani, d., gumelar, r. e., & munawaroh, t. (2022). the effect of udictionary application towards students ’ pronunciation mastery at eleventh grade of sman 3 pandeglang in academic year 2021 / 2022. jees: journal of english education studies, 5(2), 47–54. http://jees.ejournal.id alimin, a. (2021). developing a mobile apps as media for learning vocabulary. ncollt, 61– 77. alshahrani, h. a. (2019). strategies to improve english vocabulary and spelling in the classroom for ell , esl , eo and ld students. ijonmes, 3(2), 65–81. churkina, o., nazareno, l., & zullo, m. (2023). the labor market outcomes of bilinguals in the united states : accumulation and returns effects. plos one, 1935, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287711 dakhi, s. (2019). the principles and the teaching of english vocabulary : a review. jet, 5(february 2019), 15–25. fajt, b., bánhegyi, m., & katalin, p. (2024). the interrelationship between efl learning motivation and dictionary use. international journal of lexycograpy, december 2023, 143– 158. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1093/ijl/ecad0 28fedora, f., & hasan, m. f. (2024). measuring the effectiveness of u-dictionary in increasing the interest in learning english language student at madrasah ibtidaiyah. ideguru : jurnal karya ilmiah guru, 9(1), 350– 356. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.51169/ideguru. v9i1.832 hakim, m. a. r., abidin, m. j. z., & bahari, a. i. (2020). dictionary use to increase students ’ vocabulary mastery : electronic dictionary or printed one ? english language teaching international conference (beltic 2018, beltic 2018, 150–159. https://doi.org/10.5220/0008215001500159 hapsari, s. k. (2022). the utilization of u-dictionary application in learning vocabulary. dialectical literature and education journal (dlej), 7(1), 11–23. hutauruk, r. m., maria, l., manihuruk, e., & sitanggang, a. (2024). the effect of using the u-dictionary application for students ’ pronunciation on grade eight in teaching speaking at smp swasta taman asuhan pematang siantar. international journal corner of educational research, 2(3), 91–97. https://doi.org/10.54012/ijcer.v2i3.220 lindquist, k. a. (2021). language and emotion : introduction to the special issue. affective science, 91–98. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761021-00049-7 mashrabovna, u. m., & kizi, y. sarvinoz k. (2023). how to improve vocabulary through different strategies. educational research in universal sciences, 2(6), 445–447. maulia, a. d., & amin, t. s. (2023). the effect of using u-dictionary application on students’ pronunciation mastery at the eleventh grade of smk negeri 1 perbaungan. cybernetics: journal educational research and social studies volume 4, nomor 1, januari 2023 journal homepage, 4(57–61), 57–61. http://pusdikra-publishing.com/index.php/jrss moody, s., hu, x., kuo, l., jouhar, m., & xu, z. (2018). vocabulary instruction: a critical analysis of theories, research, and practice. mdpi. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8040180 mubarok, h., & sofiana, n. (2022). an evaluation of english language teaching in indonesian schools. icesre 2021 4th international conference on education and social science research (icesre) volume 2022, 2022, 12– 25. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v7i14.11947 mustika, y., & dashela, t. (2024). improving students ’ vocabulary mastery by using u-dictionary. spectral | jurnal ilmiah spectral, vol.10 no.1, januari 2024, 10(1), 16–27. ningrum, a., & dewi, u. (2024). the use of google english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 783 translate and u-dictionary as machine translation for translating text : efl college student ’ s preference and perceptions. eternal, 15(1), 167–179. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.26877//eternal. v15i1.373 nurdin, m., rosmalah, & muniyati, s. (2023). pengaruh penggunaan media interaktif berbasis wordwall terhadap hasil belajar ips pada siswa kelas v sd negeri 14 biru kecamatan tanete riattang. global journal basic education, 2, 69–78. nursyahbandi, n., & dehghanitafti, n. (2023). developing task-based learning materials t o improve students ’ vocabulary mastery viewed from linguistic awareness. jolls : journal of language and literature studies, 3(1), 37–52. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v3i 1.1088 santi, e., kholipa, r., putri, m. g., & mujiono, m. (2021). reading interest strength and vocabulary acquisition of efl learners : a meta-analysis. jlls, 17(3), 1225–1242. https://doi.org/10.52462/jlls.87 sarmila, n., muhammad, a., & resyadi, h. (2022). the effectiveness of electronic dictionary in learning vocabulay at indonesian junior high school context. ijretal, 3(2), 40–44. shehadeh, a. (2024). using smartphones for vocabulary improvement : insights from college students ’. anatolian journal of education, 9(1), 157–168. sirait, r. n. m., & daulay, e. (2024). junior high school students ’ perception of the using fun easy learn application in vocabulary learning. ijeca, 7(1), 27–38. sofiana, n., & mubarok, h. (2019). task-based learning ; learning model for improving students ability in english. advances in social science, education and humanities research, volume 287 1st, 287(icesre 2018), 123–130. sorokoumova, e. a., puchkova, e. b., cherdvmova, e. i., & temnova, l. v. (2021). world journal on educational technology : current issues the risks and threats of digital educational technologies and products. world journal on educational technology: current issues, 13(4), 851–862. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.18844/wjet.v1 3i4.6270 sun, d., chen, z., & zhu, s. (2023). what affects second language vocabulary learning ? evidence from multivariate analysis. frontiers, november, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1210640 tandikombong, m., arrang, j. r. t., & ba’ru, y. (2023). the effectiveness of android smartphone-based mobile applications in learning english grammar. jurnal sinestesia, 13(2), 1402–1412. tanesab, e., bouk, e., & semiun, t. t. (2024). the student’s ability in translating a narrative text using dictionaries. jupe2, 2(2), 34–41. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.54832/jupe2.v 2i2. 278 tanjung, a. p., & daulay, s. h. (2020). exploring students ’ perceptions of using the application online dictionary. jurnal ilmu pendidikan (jip), 84–90. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.37640?jip.v15i l.1671 teng, m. f., & zhang, d. (2024). task-induced involvement load , vocabulary learning in a foreign language , and their association with metacognition. language teaching research, 28(2), 531 –555. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211008798 umar, u., rahman, r. a., mandasari, p., mawarwati, m., & amir, s. (2023). using word wall website as a strategy to improve student’s vocabulary mastery. jurnal pendidikan, 05(03), 9654–9661. vernice, m., carretti, b., sarti, d., traficante, d., & lorusso, m. l. (2021). editorial : new educational technologies and their impact on students ’ well-being and inclusion process. editorial, 12(november), 10–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.753471 wang, s., ge, s., & tang, c. (2023). non-english majors ’ problems in learning english vocabulary and strategies revisited. european journal of education and pedagogy, 4(4), 64– 67. wulandari, d., & handayani, c. (2020). the use udictionary to increasing the student’ vocabulary. jurnal penelitian pendidikan bahasa dan sastra vol. 5 no. 2. oktober 2020 the, 5(2), 60–65. zeng, y., lu, q., wallace, m. p., guo, y., fan, c., & chen, x. (2022). understanding sustainable development of english vocabulary acquisition : evidence from chinese efl learners. mdpi, 1–17. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/ su14116532su14116532 diqi ahsanul fiqri & nina sofiana investigating the efficacy of u-dictionary app for improving students’ vocabulary mastery 784 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1033 who speaks loudest? exploring the dynamics of students' voices in the digital age with wizer.me in modern teaching try ammalia khoirunnisaa’ english postgraduate program, universitas islam malang, malang, indonesia email: trykhoirunnisaa56@guru.smp.belajar.id naily inayatul maghfiroh english education program, iai al-qodiri jember, indonesia email: nailymasrur@gmail.com mutmainnah mustofa english post graduate program, universitas islam malang, malang, indonesia email: inamustofa@unisma.ac.id apa scitation: khoirunnisaa’, t. a., maghfiroh, n. i., & mustofa, m.. (2023). who speaks loudest? exploring the dynamics of students' voices in the digital age with wizer.me in modern teaching. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s11(3), 1033-1042. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.9286 received: 23-06-2023 accepted: 21-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 introduction in today's fast-developing digital world, technology has permeated every part of our lives, including education. the digital era has profoundly changed people's behaviors in the fields of labor, economics, entertainment, and education (gonzález-sanmamed et al., 2020). proficient educators can effectively fulfill their professional responsibilities by serving as educators, instructors, mentors, supervisors, facilitators, appraisers, and assessors for students across early childhood, primary, and secondary education within the formal educational system (iskandar & ms, 2021). in a digital age marked by increased globalization and the adoption of international policies for educational standardization and achievement comparisons, it is critical to recognize and respect the diverse contexts in which countries, each with their traditions and resources, address the challenges of teacher education (baporikar, 2018). the introduction of digital technology has had a profound influence on the profession of teaching english as a second language (esl), offering new opportunities and challenges for both instructors and students. technology is constantly improving in all parts of our lives (bello nawaila et al., 2020). this digital revolution in education has transformed the way english is taught, breaking down conventional boundaries and giving novel tools and platforms to enhance the language learning experience. the digital era in english teaching opens up new possibilities for both teachers and students. abstract: this study emphasizes the need for digital adaptation in contemporary teaching techniques and recommends utilizing the website wizer.me as an effective instrument to achieve this need. exploring the dynamics of students' voices in the digital age with wizer.me in modern teaching is the topic of this study. the study is to investigate students' perspectives on the wizer.me platform in teaching and learning, as well as its integration with conventional teaching techniques. this study used a survey research method. the participants were seventh-grade students at smpi almaarif 01 singosari malang. according to the study, wizer.me is an online learning platform that has a positive impact on student engagement, and personalized learning and promotes student-centered learning. the data will be statistically analyzed using descriptive techniques. the results indicated that 86,7% of students had utilized wizer.me for their assignments, 100% of students liked use this platform, and 33,3% of students frequently use wizer.me more than two times. moreover, 73.3% of students preferred using the wizer.me platform over traditional methods in the learning process, and 100% of students agree that they understand better acquiring the material using this platform than traditional techniques. hopefully, the study's findings will be of major benefit to educators and those involve integration of educational technology, supporting breakthroughs and improvements in the learning environment. keywords: digital era, students’ voices, wizer.me mailto:trykhoirunnisaa56@guru.smp.belajar.id mailto:sania.alindaa@gmail.com mailto:inamustofa@unisma.ac.id try ammalia khoirunnisaa’, naily inayatul maghfiroh, & mutmainnah mustofa who speaks loudest? exploring the dynamics of students' voices in the digital age with wizer.me in modern teaching 1034 learners today have access to a wide range of resources, genuine materials, and interactive language learning programs, thanks to the spread of computers, cell phones, and high-speed internet connections. these digital tools deliver interesting, interactive content that enables students to practice language skills in the real world while receiving quick feedback, boosting autonomous learning and self-motivation. furthermore, the digital era allows for worldwide collaboration and communication. students can electronically share ideas and engage in language exchange programs by connecting with english speakers from all around the world via internet platforms. this worldwide connectedness bridges geographical divides and exposes learners to a variety of cultural views, expanding their language learning experience and boosting intercultural competency. the digital era has transformed teaching techniques and created new chances for professional development for teachers. the real phenomenon is a surge in the use of video conferencing tools, online learning software, virtual tutoring, and language applications in the field of education (saleh et al., 2021). educators may now employ several digital tools and programs to construct interactive and individualized classes to match the requirements and interests of individual pupils. teachers have a broad choice of options to differentiate instruction and enhance student participation, including virtual classrooms and online learning management systems, language learning programs, and multimedia materials. however, like with any technical progress, the digital era in english instruction has its own set of obstacles. teachers must navigate the huge world of digital resources to find the most effective and appropriate ones for the requirements of their students. to ensure that all students benefit from technological advances, concerns about accessibility, fairness, and digital literacy must be addressed. the implementation of technology has contributed to making teaching and learning more fun (raja & nagasubramani, 2018). in the digital age, technology will play an important role in education. furthermore, in the digital age, it is local and global. there is no denying that education has advanced with the advent of current technology. due to the paradigm shift, teachers had to quickly create, adapt, and adopt digital instructional techniques that were versatile and met the demands of students (ubaedillah et al., 2021). with the rapid development of technology, the emergence and development of technology and its application to teaching come into full play in education. (yarychev & mentsiev, 2020) states that the digital learning environment also encourages and enables digital learning for all types of students. one of the primary purposes of today's higher education is to produce global graduates who are prepared to compete and tackle the difficulties posed by the industrial revolution 5.0's technological advancement, which influences employment by generating new knowledge and skills. as a result, the researcher chose the wizer.me platform for teaching and learning. wizer.me is a website that allows teachers to create interactive worksheets that include exercises and activities. they may be utilized in class as well as remotely. to summarize, the digital era necessitates a transformation in teaching approaches to successfully engage and educate today's pupils. wizer.me is an excellent option for teachers who want to develop dynamic, collaborative, and data-driven learning experiences. wizer.me is an online program with free basic capabilities used by academics (kaliappen et al., 2021). by adding wizer.me into their teaching practices, educators can adapt to the digital era and offer students with the necessary skills for success in today's society. using technology in education is an investment in both the now and the future. the digital era is defined by ubiquitous internet access, mobile gadgets, and rapid developments in technology. (zubaydullaevna et al., 2023) states that with the advancement of technology, the perception of young people in modern society has shifted. teachers and schools confront significant obstacles in educating students on how to live and survive in today's world (cakrawati, 2017). new technology tools are transforming the education environment and how educators pass on knowledge to students (kawinkoonlasate, 2019). this enables easy access to various resources, information, and global communication. in the context of education, the digital era allows for more flexible, collaborative, and personalized learning. smart education, or the use of technology to improve the learning experience, has grown in popularity in the digital age (jangjarat et al., 2023). the ability of technology to aid teaching and learning, rather than the technology itself, defines a successful digital conversion for classrooms, districts, and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1035 states (mcknight et al., 2016). the use of contemporary teaching approaches has resulted in a significant shift in the realm of education for the discipline of teaching english as a second language (esl). lectures, manuals, and rote memorization have given way to more creative and learner-centered approaches that emphasize active involvement, collaboration, and technological integration. a paradigm change in english teaching has resulted in a dynamic and successful learning experience for both teachers and students. modern english teaching approaches stress the development of students' communication skills, critical thinking ability, and cultural awareness. instead of depending exclusively on textbooks and lectures, educators are increasingly using a variety of interactive and multimedia materials to create immersive learning environments. among the resources accessible are films, audio recordings, internet platforms, instructional software, and virtual reality tools, which all engage students in several ways while catering to a wide range of learning styles and interests. the shift toward learner-centered education is a significant element of contemporary english instruction. teachers are increasingly assuming the role of facilitators, encouraging active participation and empowering students to take ownership of their learning. collaboration projects, group discussions, and role-playing exercises are popular ways to improve communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and intercultural competency. modern teaching approaches stress the significance of real-world application, giving students actual circumstances and objectives that reflect the difficulties they may face while utilizing english in the global arena. the incorporation of technology has played an important role in transforming the landscape of english instruction. digital technologies and internet platforms are already commonplace in modern classrooms, allowing professors to provide interactive courses, provide instant feedback, and track students' progress. virtual classrooms, video conferencing, and asynchronous online learning have enabled worldwide connections and cross-cultural exchanges. these technology improvements have increased access to high-quality education, making english more accessible to students of all backgrounds and abilities. furthermore, contemporary english education includes a methodological trend toward individualized and differentiated training. teachers increasingly understand and accommodate their students' diverse learning requirements and interests. using data-driven assessments and adaptive learning platforms, instructors may modify teaching materials and tactics to match the needs of individual learners, resulting in increased engagement, motivation, and overall language competence. however, embracing current english instruction creates problems. educators must keep current on technology advances and pedagogical techniques, always upgrading their abilities to effectively navigate the fast-changing educational scene. additionally, addressing issues of digital equality, providing accessibility for all students, and encouraging responsible and ethical technology usage are critical considerations. modern teaching refers to cutting-edge strategies, methodologies, and techniques used in education to adapt to students' changing requirements and take advantage of technological improvements. it entails switching from conventional teacher-centered educational strategies to student-centered and active learning techniques. teaching english has gotten more difficult for teachers since young people have become more innovative and up to current (dewi, 2019). technology is frequently viewed as a tool of increasing intellectual ability and creativity (chun et al., 2016). the use of technology, the development of critical thinking and student participation, the use of collaborative and experiential learning strategies, and the individualization of education to meet the needs of each student are all ideas of contemporary teaching. according to (shokirovna, 2023) every foreign language teacher should improve his or her own knowledge of new technology. given the widespread use of technology in today's life and learning, it is vital to lead the teaching method in developing students' professional careers and academic efficacy (ahmed liton, 2015). technologies have developed into an essential component of the learning process both in and out of the classroom (ahmadi, 2018). hence, teachers should have kinds of interesting digital of teaching-learning. in the dynamic realm of education, the rise of online learning has elicited a range of viewpoints from students. perception is an impression of an item, event, or connection gained via recalling information and interpreting messages ( et al., 2020). despite the fact that social technologies are touted as promoting collaborative learning and try ammalia khoirunnisaa’, naily inayatul maghfiroh, & mutmainnah mustofa who speaks loudest? exploring the dynamics of students' voices in the digital age with wizer.me in modern teaching 1036 enhancing student interactions, little is known about how students perceive the interactive benefits of social technology (hamid et al., 2015). students were more confident in online student qualities and technological abilities than in time management and communication (martin et al., 2020). the shift from conventional classrooms to digital platforms has given rise to discussions about the merits and difficulties associated with this emerging educational model. students' outlooks on online learning are influenced by factors like accessibility, adaptability, and the caliber of digital resources. students' use of online learning possibilities varies greatly depending on their age, stage, topic area, and institution (henderson et al., 2017). as technology continuously reshapes the learning landscape, grasping these diverse perspectives becomes imperative for educators and policymakers, directing initiatives to improve the efficacy and inclusiveness of online education in the contemporary digital age. to fulfill their goals in teaching and learning, teachers should include digital media in their teaching processes. (erawati et al., 2023) states that digital learning media is an essential learning tool in the blended learning strategy. the educational system is not predominantly reliant on face-to-face meetings but can now engage in personalized interactions through innovative media, employing virtual conferencing applications, with communication between instructors and participants shifting from the traditional classroom setting to the online realm of the internet, where activities are primarily conducted on the web (damayanto et al., 2022). worksheets serve a very important function in language acquisition as simulators, allowing learners to practice and improve their language abilities (simarmata & dewi, 2023). online education offers some benefits over traditional classroom learning (bhagat et al., 2019). wizer.me is an online platform that provides teachers with tools to create and share interactive digital assignments with their students. wizer.me is an online application that allows teachers to build interactive worksheets that include exercises and activities (obradovych & obradovych, 2022). it offers a wide range of features and resources that support personalized and engaging learning experiences. wizer.me is an internet software program that offers a free basic feature to academics (simanjuntak et al., 2022). the wizer.me website is used because it is deemed sufficient for instructors' needs, as numerous elements make it easier for teachers to create elkpd and numerous features that may be employed (mayasari et al., 2023). wizer.me aims to improve teaching and learning by utilizing technology to develop interactive, multimedia-rich educational resources. wizer.me has several major features. these are assignment creation, interaction, differentiation and personalization, real-time feedback and grading, teacher-student communication, and data and analytics. the wizer.me program creates an assignment for students who just click on the link. as a result, the students are just waiting for the link from their lecturers to complete their tasks. the previous studies with the title ‘developing digital worksheet by using wizer.me for teaching listening skill to the tenth grade students in smk negeri 7 medan’ investigate about wizer.me in teaching listening (anggriani nasution & ronita dewi, n.d.). while this study focuses on using wizer.me to teach english. individual students' talents and learning styles can be catered to by tailoring reading materials, vocabulary activities, and comprehension problems. wizer.me provides real-time feedback on reading exercises, allowing students to assess their comprehension, vocabulary usage, and general reading abilities. students can quickly rectify any misunderstandings or gaps in comprehension. to guide their teaching tactics and interventions, teachers can assess data on reading speed, vocabulary acquisition, and comprehension levels. wizer.me promotes collaborative reading learning. students can improve their comprehension and interpretation abilities by participating in group reading activities, sharing notes, and providing feedback. the wizer.me service offers many advantages, including interactivity (the capacity to organize network contact using internet technologies), accessibility, free service, and a wide range of activities in interactive sheets (akhunova, 2023). wizer.me allows teachers to create dynamic and interesting digital assignments that encourage active student involvement while also allowing for differentiation and individualized learning. the platform enhances the teaching and learning experience by combining technology to provide greater communication, faster feedback, and datadriven training. method the descriptive statistics approach was used in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1037 this study to undertake the case study design. students' perspectives and feedback on their experiences with wizer.me were gathered through surveys and interviews. this method would give a thorough knowledge of efl students' voices on the usage of wizer.me as a teaching and learning platform. the participants of this study are efl students from 7th-grade levels at smpi almaarif 01 singosari malang, consisting of fifteen female students. the researcher implemented the teaching and learning process by using this platform for the 7th-grade students. the researcher gave them an interactive workbook by wizer.me. then, they did some interactive worksheets inside. in the first worksheet, the researcher gives the blank questions. the questions focus on their structure. in the second worksheet, the researcher gives the multiplechoice questions. it focuses on their vocabularies. the last worksheet is about the matching questions. it evaluates the comprehension of the students about the text. following that, at the end of the study, the researcher distributed the questionnaire to the participants. the questionnaire was distributed to the participants electronically, ensuring convenience and ease of completion. clear instruction was provided to ensure accurate responses. there are 5 multiple-choice questions on the questionnaire. the questions are about their frequency of using wizer.me as learning media, their thoughts on this platform, as well as their feedback after using it about the learning objective, namely descriptive text. the researcher got all of the data by combining past studies as well as students' perceptions obtained by completing the survey questionnaire. the questionnaire was made available using an online form. the data collection is through surveys, specifically using an organized questionnaire. the survey will contain questions about students' experiences, attitudes, and satisfaction levels with wizer.me. the data analysis incorporated descriptive statistics to provide an overview of students' perceptions and experiences. the analysis involved collecting data from efl students who actively engaged with wizer.me in their language learning process. the researcher gained the data through google forms. then, make the percentage from the result of it. results and discussion the findings of this study revealed several key insights into the integration of wizer.me into modern teaching practices such as improved student engagement and participation, personalized learning experiences, pedagogical transformation and blended learning. the findings indicate that students generally hold positive perceptions of integrating wizer.me into their learning practices. the display of interactive online students’ worksheet based on wizer.me website is presented in figure 1. meanwhile, the example of features offered by wizer.me is matching, as shown in figure 2. as shown in figure 2, teachers can provide a short text related to descriptive text. figure 1. the display of students’ worksheet figure 2.matching worksheet of descriptive text the integration of wizer.me positively influences student engagement and participation. teachers reported that students are more motivated and actively involved in learning when using wizer.me. the interactive nature of the platform, along with immediate feedback and gamified elements, encourages students to actively interact with the digital content, resulting in improved learning outcomes. wizer.me provides instant feedback to students as they complete activities, allowing try ammalia khoirunnisaa’, naily inayatul maghfiroh, & mutmainnah mustofa who speaks loudest? exploring the dynamics of students' voices in the digital age with wizer.me in modern teaching 1038 them to identify and correct their mistakes in real-time. this feedback helps students improve their english language skills and promotes independent learning. an example of a feedback in every point of question using the wizer.me application is presented in figure 3 and general feedback from teacher is presented in figure 4. figure 3. feedback in every point question from teacher fi gure 4. general feedback from teacher wizer.me offers opportunities for personalized and differentiated instruction. teachers highlighted that the platform allows them to design learning activities tailored to individual student needs, thereby addressing different learning styles and abilities. by adapting content and providing targeted feedback, teachers can better cater to diverse student needs and promote meaningful learning experiences. teachers expressed that wizer.me saves time through its automated grading and feedback system. the platform's ability to automatically grade assignments and provide instant feedback reduces the time spent on manual grading, allowing teachers to focus more on instructional planning and individualized student support. this feature positively impacts teachers' overall workload management. teachers encountered certain challenges and technical issues during the integration of wizer.me. some reported a learning curve in initially adopting the platform and utilizing its features effectively. connectivity problems and limited access to devices in certain environments posed obstacles to seamless integration. teachers emphasized the need for training and technical support to overcome these challenges. students experience and perception about wizer.me in this section, the researcher presents the findings and discusses the students’ experiences and perceptions of wizer.me platform as perceived by the students. the results of the surveys can be seen in the table below: figure 5. students’ awareness of wizer.me in figure 5, it briefly describes students' awareness of wizer.me. by asking “have you ever done an assignment with the wizer.me application?”. the students’ response shows 86,7% students have used this platform. while 13,3% of students are never. figure 6. students’ preferences of wizer.me figure 6 is talking about students’ preferences in doing online task by wizer.me. the students’ respond is 100% of students like using this platform to complete online assignments. figure 7. students’ frequently use of wizer.me figure 7 shows about the students’ frequently english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1039 use of wizer.me. 33,3% of students said that they use it once, 33,3% of students said that they use it twice, and 33,3% said that they use it more than two times. figure 8. students’ perceived learning outcomes figure 8 is talking about students’ perceived learning outcomes by wizer.me. the students’ respond is 100% students agree that they more understand in acquire the material using this platform. figure 9. students’ comparison of learning preferences using wizer.me figure 9 shows a comparison of students' learning preferences between traditional methods and the wizer.me platform. of the total respondents, 26.7% showed that they have the same preference for both traditional methods and the wizer.me platform. however, 73.3% of students stated a preference for using the wizer.me platform over traditional methods in the learning process. these findings indicate a good trend in acceptability and preference for the usage of the wizer.me platform in educational settings. wizer.me integration and blended education transformation promote student-centered learning the integration of wizer.me into modern teaching practices reflects a pedagogical transformation towards student-centered and blended learning approaches. teachers recognized the need to adapt their instructional strategies, adopting a growth mindset and embracing digital tools to effectively integrate wizer.me into their teaching practices. blended learning, combining online and face-to-face instruction, emerged as an effective approach for leveraging the platform's potential. integrating wizer.me offers the benefits of accessibility and flexibility. the platform allows for learning beyond the traditional classroom, enabling students to access content and complete assignments from anywhere. this flexibility helps accommodate different schedules, enables remote learning, and supports students with diverse needs, ensuring equitable access to education. overall, the findings demonstrate that exploring the dynamics of students' voices in the digital age with wizer.me in modern teaching has a positive impact on student engagement, personalized learning, and time efficiency. while challenges and technical issues exist, proper training, support, and attention to ethical considerations can maximize the benefits of incorporating wizer.me in the digital era. the pedagogical transformation facilitated by the platform promotes student-centered learning and prepares students for the demands of the 21stcentury digital landscape. the findings of this research highlight the potential of wizer.me as a valuable tool for adapting to the digital era in education. previous studies have explored the use of wizer.me in teaching listening skills (anggriani nasution & ronita dewi, n.d.). in this research, the application of this interactive platform has extended to other language skills, such as reading. wizer.me provides interactive features that allow teachers to create engaging reading activities. teachers can include multimedia resources, such as texts, images, and videos, to enhance students' reading experiences. the platform's ability to enhance student engagement, improve learning outcomes, and increase teaching efficiency positions it as a beneficial addition to modern teaching practices. however, challenges such as limited access to technology, technical difficulties, and the need for training and support were identified and should be addressed to ensure successful implementation. this research reveals key insights into incorporating wizer.me into contemporary teaching methods, encompassing improved student engagement, personalized learning, pedagogical transformation, and blended education. the results suggest that students generally hold favourable views regarding the integration of wizer.me into their learning routines. the study notes a positive impact on student engagement, with teachers observing increased motivation and active participation when utilizing wizer.me. the platform provides immediate feedback to students during activities, try ammalia khoirunnisaa’, naily inayatul maghfiroh, & mutmainnah mustofa who speaks loudest? exploring the dynamics of students' voices in the digital age with wizer.me in modern teaching 1040 enabling them to promptly identify and rectify errors. furthermore, wizer.me facilitates personalized and differentiated instruction, allowing teachers to craft tailored learning activities for individual student needs. despite encountering challenges like a learning curve and connectivity issues, the research underscores wizer.me potential as a valuable tool in fostering student-centered learning and supporting the adoption of blended education. conclusion exploring the dynamics of students' voices in the digital age with wizer.me in modern teaching represents a significant step in adapting to the digital era of education. the findings of this study highlight the positive impact and potential benefits of incorporating wizer.me into teaching and learning environments. teachers perceive the platform positively, appreciating its user-friendly interface, customizable features, and the ability to create interactive and engaging digital content. one of the key findings is the improvement in student engagement and participation. wizer.me in interactive nature, immediate feedback, and gamified elements contribute to increased student motivation and active involvement in learning. the platform facilitates personalized learning experiences by allowing teachers to tailor content and activities to individual student needs, addressing diverse learning styles and abilities. moreover, wizer.me offers time efficiency through its automated grading and feedback system. this feature reduces teachers' workload, enabling them to focus more on instructional planning and providing individualized support to students. however, integrating wizer.me is not without its challenges. teachers face a learning curve in adopting the platform and may encounter technical issues related to connectivity and device accessibility. adequate training and technical support are necessary to overcome these challenges and ensure a seamless integration process. ethical considerations and data security emerge as significant concerns when utilizing wizer.me. teachers emphasize the importance of protecting student privacy and data, calling for clear guidelines and policies to promote responsible platform usage. educating students about digital citizenship and responsible online behaviour becomes essential in the context of using wizer.me and similar platforms. the integration of wizer.me signifies a pedagogical transformation towards studentcentered and blended learning approaches. teachers recognize the need to adapt their instructional strategies, embracing digital tools and adopting a growth mindset. blended learning, combining online and face-to-face instruction, emerges as an effective approach for leveraging the platform's potential and creating comprehensive learning experiences. ultimately, exploring the dynamics of students' voices in the digital age with wizer.me in modern teaching provides benefits of accessibility and flexibility. the platform allows for learning beyond the confines of the traditional classroom, enabling students to access content and complete assignments from anywhere. this flexibility accommodates diverse schedules, supports remote learning, and ensures equitable access to education for all students. in conclusion, exploring the dynamics of students' voices in the digital age with wizer.me in modern teaching have the potential to enhance student engagement, personalize learning experiences, and streamline instructional processes. by addressing challenges, providing adequate support, and prioritizing ethical considerations, educators can fully harness the benefits of incorporating wizer.me in the digital era. this integration paves the way for studentcentered learning and equips students with the necessary skills for success in the digital age. for future researchers, the researcher would like to give some suggestions to conduct the research in teachers’ voices. acknowledgement i want to deliver my deepest appreciation to universitas islam malang for providing the necessary resources, support, and a suitable environment for this research. your dedication to encouraging academic achievement has been critical to the project's success. i would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the students of 7th-grade levels at smp islam almaarif 01 singosari malang who willingly engaged in this study project. your active participation, devotion, and insightful contributions substantially improved the quality of our research. finally, i want to convey my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who helped make this project a success, whether directly or indirectly. your collaborative efforts have not only enriched academic debate, but have also benefited the larger community of knowledge. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1041 references agung, a. s. n., & surtikanti, m. w. (2020). students’ perception of online learning during covid-19 pandemic: a case study on the english students of stkip pamane talino. soshum : jurnal sosial dan humaniora, 10(2), 225–235. https://doi.org/10.31940/soshum.v10i2.1316 ahmadi, d. m. r. (2018). the use of technology in english language learning: a literature review. international journal of research in english education, 3(2), 115–125. https://doi.org/10.29252/ijree.3.2.115 ahmed liton, h. (2015). examining students’ perception & efficacy of using technology in teaching english. international journal of education and information technology, 1(1), 11–19. http://www.publicscienceframework.org/journal /ijeithttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/4.0/ akhunova, y. (2023). use of automated interactive worksheets created using wizer . me in teaching the discipline “ finance .” 3(6), 70– 75. anggriani nasution, e., & ronita dewi, n. (n.d.). developing digital worksheet by using wizer.me for teaching listening skill to the tenth grade students in smk negeri 7 medan. baporikar, n. (2018). educational leadership for quality teacher education in digital era. handbook of research on educational planning and policy analysis, july, 241–255. bello nawaila, m., kanbul, s., & alhamroni, r. (2020). technology and english language teaching and learning: a content analysis. journal of learning and teaching in digital age, 2020(1), 16–23. bhagat, k. k., wu, l. y., & chang, c. y. (2019). the impact of personality on students’ perceptions towards online learning. australasian journal of educational technology, 35(4), 98–108. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.4162 cakrawati, l. m. (2017). students’ perceptions on the use of online learning platforms in efl classroom. english language teaching and technology journal (elt-tech journal, 1(1), 22–30. file:///c:/users/52461/downloads/942820563-1-pb.pdf chun, d., smith, b., & kern, r. (2016). technology in language use, language teaching, and language learning. modern language journal, 100, 64– 80. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12302 damayanto, a., anaconda bangkara, a. s., abidin, a. z., heryani, a., maruf, i. r., jenderal, u., & yani, a. (2022). management challenges for academic improvement in higher education in the digital era. jurnal pendidikan islam, 5(2), 572–592. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v5i2.2131 dewi, p. (2019). teaching english for young learners through icts. humanitatis journal on language and literature, 6(1). erawati, n. k., kadek, n., purwati, r., wayan, n., putri, s., wayan, i., & wardika, g. (2023). sebagai media pembelajaran digital. edisi januari, 4(2), 125–134. gonzález-sanmamed, m., sangrà, a., souto-seijo, a., & blanco, i. e. (2020). learning ecologies in the digital era: challenges for higher education. publicaciones de la facultad de educacion y humanidades del campus de melilla, 50(1), 83–102. https://doi.org/10.30827/publicaciones.v5 0i1.15671 hamid, s., waycott, j., kurnia, s., & chang, s. (2015). understanding students’ perceptions of the benefits of online social networking use for teaching and learning. internet and higher education, 26, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2015.02.004 henderson, m., selwyn, n., & aston, r. (2017). what works and why? student perceptions of ‘useful’ digital technology in university teaching and learning. studies in higher education, 42(8), 1567–1579. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.100794 6 iskandar, r., & ms, z. (2021). professionality analysis of basic education teachers as agents to improve creativity in digital era. jurnal ilmiah sekolah dasar, 5(1), 16–24. https://ejournal.undiksha.ac.id/index.php/jisd/a rticle/view/29580 jangjarat, k., klayklung, p., chocksathaporn, p., & maskran, p. (2023). the impact of smart education on learning outcomes in the digital era: a systematic review. kaliappen, n., ismail, w. n. a., ghani, a. b. a., & sulisworo, d. (2021). wizer.me and socrative as innovative teaching method tools: integrating tpack and social learning theory. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 10(3), 1028–1037. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v10i3.21744 kawinkoonlasate, p. (2019). integration in flipped classroom technology approach to develop english language skills of thai efl learners. english language teaching, 12(11), 23. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n11p23 martin, f., stamper, b., & flowers, c. (2020). examining student perception of readiness for online learning: importance and confidence. online learning journal, 24(2), 38–58. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v24i2.2053 mayasari, m., hamidah, a., & subagyo, a. (2023). development of electronic student worksheets (e-lkpd) assisted by wizer.me on gastropods sub material. jurnal penelitian pendidikan ipa, 9(4), 1578–1584. https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v9i4.3453 try ammalia khoirunnisaa’, naily inayatul maghfiroh, & mutmainnah mustofa who speaks loudest? exploring the dynamics of students' voices in the digital age with wizer.me in modern teaching 1042 mcknight, k., o’malley, k., ruzic, r., horsley, m., franey, j. j., & bassett, k. (2016). teaching in a digital age: how educators use technology to improve student learning. journal of research on technology in education, 48(3), 194–211. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2016.117585 6 obradovych, o., & obradovych, a. (2022). using of interactive worksheets (platform wizer.me) as a form of implementation of flipped classroom ideas. grail of science, 16, 375–378. https://doi.org/10.36074/grail-ofscience.17.06.2022.063 raja, r., & nagasubramani, p. c. (2018). impact of modern technology in education. journal of applied and advanced research, 3, s33–s35. https://doi.org/10.21839/jaar.2018.v3is1.165 saleh, m. n. i., sari, r., & alim, p. (2021). university students’ perception on the implementation of online learning during the covid-19. nazhruna: jurnal pendidikan islam, 4(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.31538/nzh.v4i1.1022 shokirovna, d. s. (2023). «modern science аnd research». 84–89. simanjuntak, m. a., manurung, a. r., sitorus, n., & ... (2022). the use of wizer. me as a media to stimulate studentsâ€tm motivation in writing descriptive text in sma swasta hkbp doloksanggul. jurnal …, 6(3), 5197–5208. simarmata, j. j., & dewi, n. r. (2023). developing digital worksheets by using wizer . me for. 12(4), 225–234. ubaedillah, u., pratiwi, d. i., huda, s. t., & kurniawan, d. a. (2021). an exploratory study of english teachers: the use of social media for teaching english on distance learning. ijeltal (indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics), 5(2), 361. https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v5i2.753 yarychev, n. u., & mentsiev, a. u. (2020). impact of digital education on traditional education. journal of physics: conference series, 1691(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1691/1/012132 zubaydullaevna, t. n., zoirovna, y. s., bekhruz, n., ugli, u., mukaddas, a., & kizi, e. (2023). consideration of psychological ways in quick memorization process. january, 48–54. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 589 learner autonomy in the context of mb-km policy: university teachers’ beliefs and practices fitri aprianti 1department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah cirebon, cirebon, indonesia email: fitri.aprianti@umc.ac.id eline rozaliya winarto 1department of english language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah cirebon, cirebon, indonesia email: eline.rozaliya@umc.ac.id apa citation: aprianti, f., & winarto, e. r. (2023). learner autonomy in the context of mb-km policy: university teachers’ beliefs and practices. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 589-598. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.8422 received: 26-02-2023 accepted: 23-04-2023 published: 30-06-2023 introduction the implementation of the merdeka belajar kampus merdeka (mb-km) policy has resulted in significant changes in the implementation of learning at the tertiary level in indonesia. it is marked by the shift of educational paradigm form that of teacher-centered to the learner-centered which is accompanied with the demand of enhancing learner autonomy specifically in the tertiary level (xu & kim, 2022; ebadi et al., 2021; yasmin & sohail, 2018) the inclusion of learner autonomy (la) has come with the significant change in the learning approach to become more innovative, more learner-centred, and nonrestrictive in which the students are given the freedom to study outside their study program (dogan & kirkgoz, 2022; ebadi et al., 2021; nath & meena, 2019). the approach is further supported by the stipulation of the regulation of the minister of education and culture, number 3 in 2020, concerning national higher education standards specifically on the learning process standards as stated in articles 15 and 18 regarding the implementation of mb-km policy. the mbkm policy essentially aims at aligning the education system with the demand of the work field and industry in the era of industrial revolution 4.0 and society 5.0 (flores et al., 2022; eslami & derakhshan, 2020). in this case it is indicated that creativity, critical thinking, cooperation, communication skills, sociability, and character skills of the learners are put into emphasis. these skills can be achieved by autonomous learners. furthermore, the mbkm policy urges the students to own their learning so as the learning process can be more focused, more purposeful, and more meaningful resulted in the differentiated autonomous learning (aprianti & winarto, 2021). in this situation the students are required to be able to be more autonomous by abstract: learner autonomy has been regarded as the point of pivotal in the implementation of the new curriculum policy this study aims to describe the lecturers’ beliefs and practices in learner autonomy (la) within the implementation of mbkm (merdeka belajar-kampus merdeka) policy. applying a qualitative method with a case study design, this research involved 56 english education program university lecturers whose working within mbkm policy as the participants for the questionnaire. then, 5 of the participants were further selected as the respondents of the interview and document analysis. the research reveals that the lecturers are knowledgeable about the notion of la. it is shown as la is integrated in the construction of instructional material and design also in the teaching and learning process. furthermore, the lecturers believe that la supports the autonomous leaners’ language development during the implementation of mbkm policy. two aspects, which are political-technical environment and learning ecosystem, dominated the lecturers’ perspectives in considering that mbkm policy seems to be able to give more educational choices for the learner to study both in and out of the classroom environment. however, it is depicted that, the psychological and sociocultural aspects, such as that of the relatively low degree of the students’ confidence, readiness, and agility in learning, seemed to remain problematic as they tend to hinder the development of la. therefore, the lecturers indicated that taking a role in facilitating the students’ la development is still required to anticipate the obstacles of implementing the curriculum. keywords: learner autonomy; teachers’ beliefs and practices. fitri aprianti & eline rozaliya winarto learner autonomy in the context of mb-km policy: university teachers’ beliefs and practices 590 determining integral aspects of their learning including that of deciding, monitoring, and evaluating the learning objectives, the learning content, the learning models, the learning progress, and the learning reflection. in other words, in the mbkm policy the learners are given more power and right to learn for themselves. therefore, it is clear that this condition refers to the urgency of developing the capacity of la (ahmed & hashim, 2022; almusharraf, 2021; resnik & dewaele, 2021). learner autonomy is the key to the successful implementation of mbkm policy; however, these abilities are unable to be mastered instantly. it is declared that the ability to be autonomous in learning can only be nourished if the culture of learning accepts the embodiment of the principle of autonomy. this also means that learners autonomy depends on the teachers’ beliefs and understanding about autonomy and it is reflected in their teaching and learning practices (lennert da silva, 2021; magnusson & zackariasson, 2019). it is stated that only autonomous teacher who can foster the growth and the development of autonomy in their learners. autonomous teacher who has the ability of self-managing and selfreflection can lead the learners to do the similar way ( zabaleta & izaguirre, 2022; boonma & swatevacharkul, 2020). therefore, investigating commitment and awareness of the university teacher to foster, integrate, and develop autonomous learners in the learning process as the embodiment the mbkm policy is an important thing to highlight. lack of commitment and awareness of lecturers as mediators of learner autonomy in the context of practice actually can actually lead to failure in terms of developing the principle of learner autonomy (ahmadianzadeh et al., 2020). moreover, this tendency may also create a detrimental impact on the student learning outcomes especially being related to the implementation mbkm policy. the university teachers’ beliefs and understanding of la development can be tracked by looking at the definitions given by the experts in this field. holec, for instance, introduced the term learner autonomy as an ability “to take charge” in all responsibility regarding the integral decision concerning their learning (tan tin, 2020; tuyen & an, 2019). it indicates that the degree of learner autonomy itself should be viewed from the extent to which learners are able to get involved in their learning. in this sense, it is unreasonable to foster learner autonomy if the teachers themselves have never experienced taking charge and selfmanaging their learning. it is also stated that learner autonomy supposedly refers to as learners’ ability to employ their “capacity for detachment and critical reflection” on the decision and action in learning. it means that learners who are autonomous will not only do their responsibility in learning but also reflect on the process of realizing the responsibility itself (podder, 2021; aprianti, 2017). this aspect also closely related with the state of teacher reflection. in this case reflective teachers will likely lead the learners to be reflective in their learning. reflection can lead to the more meaningful learning where the learning process and product are becoming more personalized and suits the learners’ unique characteristics. in the area of language learning, it is revealed that learner who owns the sense of autonomy is essentially the learner who know what to do with their language for the sake of their own learning (suherdi et al., 2022). taking the theories of learner autonomy and the contexts of teaching and learning into consideration, there are principles that should be considered in every attempt of developing learner autonomy. these principles involve the teachers’ role in the classroom, the political and technical ecosystem, the learning ecosystem, the psychological state, and lastly the social circumstances (fadaee et al., 2021; fandiño parra et al., 2021; lee & mori, 2021; lai et al., 2016). the first principle is the teachers’ role in the learning process. the conceptions that highlight the teachers’ roles in the development of learner autonomy varied. the roles spread out ranging from the teacher as a facilitator of learning up to the teacher as the knowledge transmitter (dorji, 2020; aprianti, 2017; lai et al., 2016). yet, it is found that the roles of teachers themselves is not always placed in a discrete point because somehow, these roles can be used as an instrument of negotiation. therefore, teachers may have a chance to negotiate their role in the teaching and learning process. however, it needs to be bear in mind that essentially the teaching and learning context in mbkm policy allowed teacher to change their perspective in taking roles in the teaching and learning practice as now the role as facilitator, negotiator, and mentor are also highlighted not only in the tertiary context but also that in the other level of education (dorji, 2020; aprianti, 2017; lai et al., 2016). the second principle is the political and technical ecosystem surrounding the development english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 591 of learner autonomy. the political and technical ecosystem relates with the construct of the regulation and curriculum applied in the university (lennert da silva, 2021; yasmin & yasmeen, 2021). this aspect highlights that, firstly, in the mbkm program the government has clearly stipulates the regulation regarding learner autonomy in the minister of education and culture, number 3 in 2020, concerning national higher education standards. the regulation states that language learners are not the passive recipients of knowledge, they shall self-manage their learning by getting involved in the process of planning, monitoring, and evaluating the learning process. this expectation is realized in various programs and regulation implemented by the government. the third principle is the learning ecosystem (esfandiari et al., 2021; uličná et al., 2016). the learning ecosystem plays an important role. this aspect can either support or diminish the teacher’s attempt in developing learner autonomy. in this case, although the policy has given wider opportunity for the learner to be autonomous in their learning, if the ecosystem does not support it then it will be hard for the learner to realize their expectation. the next principle is the social ecosystem. the teachers’ attempt in developing learner autonomy needs to be supported by the social ecosystem (zabaleta & izaguirre, 2022; eno et al., 2019). the supports are realized in the form of the interpersonal behaviour reflected by positive collaboration with their partners at work and in the learning community. autonomous teacher can actively get involved in the learning community focusing in the teacher attempt on providing instruction to nurture the learners’ interpersonal willingness to collaborate in achieving their learning goals. the last principle is the psychological aspect. the psychological aspect indicates the types of support that the teachers give to build an atmosphere where the learners are given more flexibility and freedom to be themselves. this means that the learners are not forced to behave in an exact specific way, instead the learners must be given wider opportunities to be more expressive (fadaee et al., 2021; hugo et al., 2021; elekaei et al., 2016). one of the ways to support the development the student psychological readiness to take change of their learning is by conducting reflection that can be both conducted by doing selfreflection or collaborative reflection. collaborative reflection involves the process of discussing with peers or teacher in a group. during this session the learners can express their experience in doing autonomous learning. by conducting this activity, the learner will have greater awareness of their learning. the requirement of developing learner autonomy in the newest mbkm policy is not without clear reasons. mbkm policy give wider options for the educational practitioner to reconstruct their curriculum so that the learners can also have wider opportunity to take charge of their learning. other various sub-program to achieve the essence of mb-km policy can be implemented in the scope of study program in the university that implement the mb-km policy. however, although the regulation and the rational of supporting the development learner autonomy have been provided, yet it is still indicated that the success of learner autonomy development will always be congruent with the lecturer beliefs and understanding about it. therefore, investigating the university teachers’ beliefs and practices in developing learner autonomy is paramount. the concept of the teacher autonomy and learner autonomy have also been investigated by several other researchers (alrashidi, 2022; saguni, 2021; ruelens, 2019; lennert da silva, 2021). their studies yield in various results. the first group indicate that learner autonomy is an essential factor that needs to be developed in all stages of learning (lennert da silva, 2021). this importance is realized in the different strategies of autonomy development such as that of implementing language portfolio, self-access learning, and project-based learning. the second group indicate that there is a close relationship between the learner autonomy and the teacher autonomy. these studies show the different degree of autonomy between teachers from different level and how it affects the students’ autonomy (alrashidi, 2022). these studies have indicated the thread between teachers’ beliefs and understanding and learner autonomy yet one major gap in a form of lack of information on the university lecturers’ beliefs and understanding on the development of learner autonomy especially in the scope of mb-km policy in indonesian setting remains unanswered. therefore, in recognition to the gap unfilled by the existing literature then this issue is considered to be worth investigated. therefore, this study aims to: (1) investigate the lecturer's belief and understanding about la. (2) investigate the lecturers’ role in la development. (3) investigate teachers beliefs and practices on the contribution of the implementation of mbkm policy in la development. fitri aprianti & eline rozaliya winarto learner autonomy in the context of mb-km policy: university teachers’ beliefs and practices 592 method the aim of this research is to reveal the unique and dynamic contexts of la in the context of mbkm policy, specifically how beliefs and understanding about la, their roles and the aspects that affect the development of la in the mbkm policy. the natural phenomena surrounded the subjects being studied is one of the highlights of this research. therefore, qualitative research with a case study design is implemented (leavy, 2018). the design is specifically selected enables the researcher to get in-depth analysis of the phenomenon. to be more specific, case study is well-suited for exploring how a subject interacts within its unique context. in this case, the design allowed to clearly depict the university beliefs and understanding of la in the context of mbkm policy. the setting of the study was in several universities in west javas. the universities were selected based on several considerations. one of the considerations is that the universities are the implementer of mbkm policy which is realized through the application of mbkm curriculum. in this research, 56 university teachers actively participated as the respondents. furthermore, 5 teachers were further selected as the respondent for the interview and in collecting document analysis. the respondents were carefully selected based on several criteria one of which is their interest and also their willingness to participate in the study. although purposive sampling was used yet the respondents were regraded as the representative of the population. the respondents were also selected to represent the various teaching experience ranging from the earliest two up to twenty-seven years of teaching experience. they also thought different english classes and different language level. therefore, as there were some conditions applied to the selection of the respondents of the study, then, the study was classified as having purposive sampling method. this research employs three instruments; these are; survey, interviews and document analysis (creswell, w. john & creswell, 2018; leavy, 2018). the questionnaires were used in this study so that teachers’ beliefs and understanding about la can be revealed. the questionnaire is classified into three sections. the first section is aimed to reveal the universities general understanding about la. meanwhile, the second section is aimed to depict the lecturers’ role in the teaching and learning process as it will also able to give general picture of the realization of their beliefs and understanding about la. lastly, the third section emphasis the aspects that the teachers consider to be able to support their beliefs and understanding about the development of la in the mbkm policy. the open-ended interviews were given to the five respondents of the research. this type of interview was used as it was able to lead the researcher and respondents to be more expressive and flexible during the interview process. there are stages implemented during the interview. the first stage is aimed for the respondents to discuss on their beliefs and understandings about autonomy, the aspects that contribute to the development of learner autonomy as well as the role that the teachers take. the next stage is aimed to reveal the respondents experience and practical realization of developing learner autonomy. guiding questions, statements and probing were used as an attempt to collect an in-depth information from the respondent of the study. in addition, related documents were collected to be used as a form to validate the data that were gained from that of interview and questionnaires. the documents which were collected were in a form of teacher’s lesson plan. the lesson plan is believed to be able to reflect the university lecturers’ beliefs and understanding about la and how it realized in the actual practice. results and discussion from the results of data analysis, the findings and discussion of the research are divided into three main categories namely: 1) the profile of lecturer beliefs and practices on learner autonomy; 2) the teacher’s role in learner autonomy development; and 3) the teachers beliefs and practices on the contribution of mbkm policy in learner autonomy development. the profile of lecturer beliefs and practices on learner autonomy the first research question leads us into revealing the respondent beliefs and understanding regarding autonomy. the profile of the lecturer beliefs and understanding is mapped by means of the inventory test given to the 56 respondents of the study. the profile of lecturer beliefs and understanding is depicted by the mean scores and the distribution of the respondents’ scores. based on the results of the analysis it is found that the respondents were mainly showed positive attitude about the promotion of learner autonomy especially in the implementation of mb-km policy. not only that it was also found that the respondents generally are knowledgeable english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 593 regarding the needs to develop learner autonomy as well as the principle of developing this competency. this finding is reflected in the chart 1.1 as follow. figure 1. teachers’ beliefs in la development figure 1. indicates that the respondents mainly believe in their central role in the development of learner autonomy which is represented by the mean score of 3,56. in this case the teachers generally state that they acknowledge that in the mb-mk policy the students are expected to realized their optimum capability to take charge of their learning. in other words, in the implementation of mb-km policy the language learners are required to be able to carry active involvement in a form of selfmanaging learning, active reflection in a form of self-reflect and discussion, as well as use target language effectively to achieve their learning objectives. in addition, based on the interview the respondents add that they own such sense of responsibility to stand as a role model in being an autonomous learner such as follow: “i believe that my students need example on being autonomous in their learning. i gave simple example by making class schedule on the project that we are working as a class and stick to it. by being on time i believe that my students will realize regarding the importance of being responsible of achieving their learning goals.” (r1) “i followed several training and workshop on mb-mk policy and it is clear that the sense of learner autonomy needs to be developed. by having autonomous learners, they will be able to fully optimum in doing the mb-mk program such as that of learning 20 credit hours.” (r2) 0 r1 and r2 indicate their beliefs and understanding of learner autonomy development in the university level. as shown by r2, the belief of learner autonomy development seems to be increased by the regulation given by the government. in addition, it is also revealed that the teachers mainly believe that the learner autonomy closely related with the teacher autonomy. therefore, they indicate that teacher needs to stand as an exaampere. the finding is in accordance with several research findings. in this case they also indicate the close relation between the educators beliefs in la with the development of la in the actual practice (saraswati, 2019; darsih, 2018). teacher’s role in learner autonomy development this section reveals the role and practice of lecturers in development of learner autonomy in the scope of implementation of mb-km policy. the role of the university teachers in the development of learner autonomy is described in table 1. as follows: table 1. teachers’ role in autonomy development categories min max mean sd teacher as developer 1.0 4.0 3.22 1.57 teacher as counsellor 1.0 4.0 2.85 1.72 teacher as trainer 1.0 4.0 3.25 1.85 teacher as facilitator 1.0 4.0 3.65 1.41 table 1. indicate that the teachers generally activate their role as facilitators when students were faced with making decisions. this is reflected by the mean score of 3.65 which can be included as the highest among the other three aspects. the role is then followed by teacher as trainer by the mean score of 3.25. in this case it is revealed that the teachers no longer perceive their role as knowledge transmitter instead they admit that their role is to develop a supportive atmosphere for a more autonomous learning, to help learners get to their goals, and to encourage social interaction among the lecturers and students. furthermore, table 1.1 shows the distribution of teachers' beliefs about their role within the scope of learner autonomy development. as shown in table 1.1, the respondents generally show a positive attitude towards their role in embedding the principle of learner autonomy in the learning process. the respondents express their understanding that the role of the teacher or educator has an important part in the process or stages of learner autonomy development. in the learner autonomy development stage, respondents indicated that they generally activate their role as a facilitator at times when the students are faced with 2.8 2.9 3 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.42 3.56 3.1 3.1 fitri aprianti & eline rozaliya winarto learner autonomy in the context of mb-km policy: university teachers’ beliefs and practices 594 the stage of making decisions. in this case the respondent tent to give constructive advices in the self-managing action that needs to be taken by the students. this indication is shown by the following excerpt: “the students often consult in deciding the action that they need to take during the research collaboration program with one of the institutions in the west java. i gave them advise yet still they need to take the final decision by themselves.” (r3) “in my writing class the students are producing several writing products. i support this process by giving them writing portfolio so that they can learn on managing their learning starting from making timeline of conducting writing stages” (r4) as depicted by the respondents, although they no longer take the role as merely the knowledge transmitter yet they still communicate intensively with the learners to as to facilitate them to achieve their learning goals. this finding supports the previous argument put forward by several other research. in this case, they also discover that the teachers are there to support the development of learner autonomy. one of the dominant roles that the teachers tend to take is in a form of taking a role as facilitator of learning and coaching (parcerisa et al., 2022; tran & duong, 2020; lai et al., 2016). teachers beliefs and practices on the contribution of the implementation of mbkm policy in la development in third sub-point, the university teacher's belief in the development of learner autonomy is focused on the elaboration of beliefs and lecturers' understanding of aspects that play an important role in development autonomous learners. the aspects are the psychological aspectsthat the students’ readiness, learning ecosystem, teacher readiness, dan technical political aspects the results of surveys and interviews show that lecturers have diverse beliefs and understandings when it comes to the development of la within the scope of implementing the mb-km policy. the profile illustrated in table 1.2 below. table 2. teachers beliefs and practices on the contribution of the implementation of mbkm policy in la development categories min max mean sd learner autonomy and students readiness 1.0 4.0 2.83 .93 learner autonomy and learning ecosystem 1.0 4.0 3.55 .98 learner autonomy and socio-cultural aspect 1.0 4.0 3.15 .78 learner autonomy dan technicalpolitical system 1.0 4.0 3.59 .98 table 2 shows that the technical and political aspects are the aspect that gets the greatest value. in this case, the representation of the score is as follow. figure 2. the contribution of mbkm policy in learner autonomy development the chart 2. shows that the technical and political aspect was ranked first (mean score of 3,59). through the interview results, it was found that the lecturer understood that learner autonomy is supported by the educational policy and it is nurtured not only in university level, but also in other level of education. the development of la and this aspect was in fact facilitated by the government through the merdeka belajar-kampus merdeka (mb-km) policy. this freedom, as stated by the respondents, is obtained through the opportunity given to students to study outside the study program as much as 20 credits. these findings are contradictory with findings from previous studies which found that teachers tend to assume that government policies tend to give strict rules on the teaching and learning process also student learning outcome resulting in the lack of la development. 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 2.83 3.55 3.15 3.59 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 595 meanwhile, the learning ecosystem aspect was ranked second with the acquisition of understanding and confidence in its contribution to the development of la (3,55 mean score). through the interview results, it was found that the lecturer understood the importance of establishing a learning ecosystem that supports students to activate their autonomous capacities. one of the respondents expresses as follow: r5: “i support the development of learner autonomy by giving more example on how to be autonomous and resourceful in learning. for sure autonomous does not mean that the students need to learn in isolation, instead they need to be creative and innovative in exploring their selfpotential and also the availability of other people around them to achieve their learning goals.” one of the learning ecosystems that lecturers believe is capable of developing the learning ecosystem is in the form out-of-class activities in the form of capable online resources provide flexibility for students to receive language exposure (nguyen & habók, 2021; lengkanawati, 2017; cakici, 2017; ). respondents shows that la development cannot be separated from the environment supporting place for students to develop themselves autonomously. social and cultural aspects become another determining aspect in successful development of la to implement the policy mb-km (mean score of 3.15). respondents generally indicate the importance social settings and the environment in supporting la. the last aspect is the student readiness in taking responsibility in learning. the teachers acknowledge that the students may not quite familiar with the process of planning, monitoring, and evaluating their reading. in terms of familiarity, it was found that during the classroom intervention the students tended to show different involvement especially when they did the learning tasks on the material that they newly encountered. however, it is revealed that the student readiness which also includes the student psychological aspect seems to gain relatively low degree of mean score (2.83). it is further revealed that it is depicted that the respondents seem to consider that the students still relatively have low degree of confidence, readiness, and agility in learning. therefore, they claimed that further facilitating in learning may still be needed so as to support the development of la. the findings are similar with several research results. they indicated that different students, such as poor and high proficiency students, showed relatively different tendencies of la (fadaee et al., 2021; hugo et al., 2021; elekaei et al., 2016). conclusion the research reveals that the lecturers were knowledgeable about the notion of la. it was shown as la was mentioned in the construction of instructional material and design also in the teaching and learning process. furthermore, the lecturers believed that they need to support the autonomous leaners’ language development during the implementation of mbkm policy. in addition, the respondents mainly believe in their central role in the development of learner autonomy. in this case the teachers generally state that they acknowledge that in the mb-mk policy the students are expected to realized their optimum capability to take charge of their learning. in terms of autonomy development, two aspects, which are political and technical environment, dominated the lecturers’ perspectives in considering that mbkm policy seems to be able to give more educational choices for the learner to study both in and out of the classroom environment. however, it is depicted that, the psychological aspects, such as that of the relatively low degree of the students’ confidence, readiness, and agility in learning, seemed to remain problematic as they tend to hinder the development of la. therefore, the lecturers indicated that taking a role in facilitating the students’ la development is still required to anticipate the obstacles. the mb-km policy is a crucial context in this research, which emphasizes autonomous learning and the study's results shed light on its impact on learners and education. in this case, the findings might lead to the establishment or improvement of supporting learning environment for nourishing la. in other words, these findings could offer guidance, resources, and mentorship to help learners develop and maintain autonomy. acknowledgement the researchers deeply appreciate and are exceptionally grateful for risetmu program in playing a significant role in realizing this research project. this paper is established through the valuable review, encouragement, supervision, and support of the risetmu program’s committee and also the internal reviewer of lppm of universitas muhammadiyah cirebon. references ahmadianzadeh, b., seifoori, z., & hadidi tamjid, n. fitri aprianti & eline rozaliya winarto learner autonomy in the context of mb-km policy: university teachers’ beliefs and practices 596 (2020). exploring efl teachers’ beliefs about and practices of learner autonomy across experience and licensure. innovation in language learning and teaching, 14(2), 97– 113. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2018.150169 4 ahmed, u., & hashim, s. (2022). sustainable brand management: the role of internal brand management and intrinsic motivation in building employee’s brand relationship quality towards organization’s brand. sustainability (switzerland), 14(24). https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416660 almusharraf, n. (2021). incorporation of a game-based approach into the efl online classrooms: students’ perceptions. interactive learning environments. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.196995 3 alrashidi, o. (2022). exploring learner autonomy: secondary school efl teachers’ beliefs and practices in the saudi context. world journal of english language, 12(8), 97–105. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v12n8p97 aprianti, f. (2017). efl teachers ’ perceptions on ict use for continuing professional development. journal of english language teaching and technology, 1(1), 12–21. https://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/elttech/arti cle/view/9427/6183 aprianti, f., & winarto, e. (2021). developing learner autonomy in writing through the use of eportfolio. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 49–60. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v1 0i1.5354 boonma, n., & swatevacharkul, r. (2020). the effect of autonomous learning process on learner autonomy of english public speaking students. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 10(1), 194–205. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i1.25037 cakici, d. (2017). an investigation of learner autonomy in turkish efl context. international journal of higher education, 6(2), 89–99. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v6n2p89 creswell, w. john & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. journal of chemical information and modeling, 53(9). darsih, e. (2018). fostering language learner autonomy: indonesian efl lecturers voices. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 51. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1495 dogan, c., & kirkgoz, y. (2022). promoting continuous professional development of english teachers through action research. international journal of educational reform, 31(3), 246–277. https://doi.org/10.1177/10567879211062224 dorji, j. (2020). facilitating students overcome their limitations through doing their own action research. theory and practice in language studies, 10(10), 1240–1247. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1010.08 ebadi, s., rasouli, r., & mohamadi, m. (2021). exploring efl learners’ perspectives on using kahoot as a game-based student response system. interactive learning environments. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.188179 8 elekaei, a., faramarzi, s., & tabrizi, h. h. (2016). autonomy, critical thinking and listening comprehension ability of iranian efl learners. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 5(2), 40–48. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.5n.2p.40 eno, m. a., ahad, a. m., & shafat, a. (2019). perceptions of academic administrators and policymakers on esl/efl education. journal of somali studies, 6(1), 93–119. https://doi.org/10.31920/20565682/2019/v6n1a4 esfandiari, s., mahmoudi, a., & davaribina, m. (2021). engage model as an innovation in teaching speaking: a case of cognitively more and less active efl learners. jordan journal of modern languages and literatures, 13(4), 729–753. https://doi.org/10.47012/jjmll.13.4.8 eslami, z. r., & derakhshan, a. (2020). promoting advantageous ways for teachers and learners to deal with corrective feedback. language teaching research quarterly, 19, 48–65. https://doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2020.19.04 fadaee, e., marzban, a., & najafi karimi, s. (2021). the relationship between autonomy, second language teaching styles, and personality traits: a case study of iranian efl teachers. cogent education, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2021.188120 3 fandiño parra, y. j., barriga, a. m., lópez díaz, r. a., & galindo cuesta, j. a. (2021). teacher education and critical thinking: systematizing theoretical perspectives and formative experiences in latin america. revista de investigacion educativa, 39(1), 149–167. https://doi.org/10.6018/rie.416271 flores, s. i., zubiría, m. m. c., & sebire, r. h. e. (2022). processes employed to introduce autonomous learning. sisal journal, 13(4), 426– 441. https://doi.org/10.37237/130404 garcía zabaleta, o., & pérez-izaguirre, e. (2022). the development of student autonomy in spain over the last 10 years: a review. educational review. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2021.198738 9 hugo, m., anderberg, m., & dahlberg, m. (2021). between motivation and unwillingness: young english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 597 people in outpatient treatment for substance use problems. youth voice journal, 11, 1–19. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid= 2-s2.085104133355&partnerid=40&md5=0b02ff16a 1b9bec0ecafc9b081f2c6fb lai, c., yeung, y., & hu, j. (2016). university student and teacher perceptions of teacher roles in promoting autonomous language learning with technology outside the classroom. computer assisted language learning, 29(4), 703–723. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2015.101644 1 leavy, p. (2018). research design: quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, art-based, and community-based participatory research approaches. lee, h., & mori, c. (2021). reflective practices and self-directed learning competencies in second language university classes. asia pacific journal of education, 41(1), 130–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2020.177219 6 lengkanawati, n. s. (2017). learner autonomy in the indonesian efl settings. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 6(2), 222–231. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v6i2.4847 lennert da silva, a. l. (2021). comparing teacher autonomy in different models of educational governance. nordic journal of studies in educational policy. https://doi.org/10.1080/20020317.2021.196537 2 magnusson, j., & zackariasson, m. (2019). student independence in undergraduate projects: different understandings in different academic contexts. journal of further and higher education, 43(10), 1404–1419. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877x.2018.149094 9 nath, k., & meena, n. (2019). learner strategies and communicative acquisition: learner’s autonomy from the indian perspective. humanities and social sciences reviews, 7(6), 1142–1146. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2019.76163 nguyen, s. van, & habók, a. (2021). designing and validating the learner autonomy perception questionnaire. heliyon, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06831 parcerisa, l., verger, a., pagès, m., & browes, n. (2022). teacher autonomy in the age of performance-based accountability: a review based on teaching profession regulatory models (2017-2020). education policy analysis archives, 30. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.30.6204 podder, r. (2021). reflection practice: a strategy for pre-service teacher development. bangladesj teacher education journal (btej), 1(1), 101– 115. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26001 5080 resnik, p., & dewaele, j.-m. (2021). learner emotions, autonomy and trait emotional intelligence in “inperson” versus emergency remote english foreign language teaching in europe. applied linguistics review. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2020-0096 ruelens, e. (2019). measuring language learner autonomy in higher education: the self-efficacy questionnaire of language learning strategies. language learning in higher education, 9(2), 371–393. https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-20190020 saguni, f. (2021). the adversity quotient between teacher professionalism on student’s autonomous learning. journal of social studies education research, 12(3), 312–342. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid= 2-s2.085117158476&partnerid=40&md5=0210f9681 b5547ba671d796e54c0c69b saraswati, s. (2019). efl teachers’ beliefs and practices on learner autonomy. english joirnal, 13(2), 99– 112. suherdi, d., nadya, n. l., harahap, a., & astrid, a. (2022). teacher readiness and challenges in creating learner autonomy in ict-based english learning activities. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 11(3), 708–717. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v11i3.34667 tan tin, d. (2020). learner autonomy-promoting practices in a transition context. lasig learner autonomy special interest group, 1(80), 5–8. tran, t. q., & duong, t. m. (2020). efl learners’ perceptions of factors influencing learner autonomy development. kasetsart journal of social sciences, 41(1), 194–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kjss.2018.02.009 tuyen, l. van, & an, h. t. (2019). learner autonomy: practices used and challenges encountered by efl teachers in fostering learner autonomy at tertiary level. vnu journal of foreign studies, 35(4), 130–151. https://doi.org/10.25073/25252445/vnufs.4402 uličná, k., píšová, m., hanušová, s., janíková, v., & najvar, p. (2016). expert teacher: objective determinants of developing and maintaining expertise (in flt perspective). xlinguae, 9(1), 91–109. https://doi.org/10.18355/xl.2016.09.01.91-109 xu, g., & kim, j. (2022). building and sustaining a group of chinese efl learners’ imagined identities and agency. sustainability (switzerland), 14(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084659 yasmin, m., & sohail, a. (2018). a creative alliance between learner autonomy and english language learning: pakistani university teachers’ beliefs. creativity studies, 11(1), 1–9. fitri aprianti & eline rozaliya winarto learner autonomy in the context of mb-km policy: university teachers’ beliefs and practices 598 https://doi.org/10.3846/23450479.2017.140687 4 yasmin, m., & yasmeen, a. (2021). viability of outcome-based education in teaching english as second language to chemical engineering learners. education for chemical engineers, 36, 100–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2021.04.005 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1141 the effectiveness of intensive language program on university students' speaking skill: a case study at islamic university of syekh ali hasan ahmad ad-dary sasmita tarihoran english department, language and art faculty, universitas negeri padang, padang, indonesia email: sasmitaoffice0987@gmail.com jufrizal english department, language and art faculty, universitas negeri padang, indonesia email: jufruzal@fbs.unp.ac.id apa citation: tarihoran, s., & jufrizal. (2024). the effectiveness of intensive language program on university students' speaking skill: a case study at islamic university of syekh ali hasan ahmad ad-dary. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1141-1150. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10091 received: 12-06-2024 accepted: 23-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 abstract: this study examines the impact of a language program on the speaking skills of students at the islamic university of syekh ali hasan ahmad ad-dary, padangsidimpuan. using an ex post facto research design, 43 english department students were assessed. speaking tests were administered at the start and end of the semester, and the data were analyzed using the wilcoxon test showed a modest increase in mean scores but no statistically significant enhancement (p = 1.146) in speaking skill. this study underscores the necessity for customized interventions and enhanced teaching strategies to improve the efficacy of language programs in universities. keywords: effectiveness;language program;speaking introduction in the current era of globalization, english proficiency is vital for academic achievement, communication, and career success. universities have incorporated intensive language programs to ensure that students acquire essential speaking skills to meet global demands. as communication forms the core of knowledge exchange and career advancement, mastering spoken english is a crucial skill for students preparing for the workforce (renandya et al., 2018; budiharso, 2004). however, the proficiency level of indonesian students in speaking english remains low, highlighting the need for language programs tailored to address this gap (yoniswan, 2020; wahyuningsih & afandi, 2020). this research focuses on the islamic university of syekh ali hasan ahmad ad-dary's language program, evaluating its effectiveness in enhancing students’ speaking skills. language programs often focus on immersive environments to facilitate english acquisition. studies emphasize that an environment where students consistently speak english, such as in classes or dormitories, enhances their fluency (wahyuningsih & afandi, 2020; chiang, 2018). psychological barriers, such as anxiety and low self-confidence, hinder students from actively practicing their speaking skills. well-designed language programs can help alleviate these anxieties, fostering confidence through continuous speaking practice (ali et al., 2019; asif, 2017). vocabulary limitations and pronunciation issues also challenge students' speaking proficiency, often leading to communication breakdowns (pratolo et al., 2019; ho et al., 2019). programs addressing these aspects have shown significant improvements in students' ability to articulate thoughts accurately (azmi, 2020; brown, 2019). collaborative learning, through teamwork-based activities, enhances both speaking skills and interpersonal abilities (de prada et al., 2022; syaputri & yustita, 2021). however, some programs lack collaborative opportunities due to small class sizes, limiting students' ability to engage in peer interactions (fang, 2022; ali et al., 2019). the integration of digital tools into language programs offers additional flexibility and engagement. online platforms and multimedia resources provide students with varied learning experiences, promoting better retention and engagement (kong, 2019; salimi & farsi, 2015). these resources align with modern educational practices, making it easier for students to learn at their convenience (azizifard, 2024; mukundan et sasmita tarihoran &jufrizal the effectiveness of intensive language program on university students' speaking skill: a case study at islamic university of syekh ali hasan ahmad ad-dary 1142 al., 2012). however, some research highlights that the effectiveness of such programs varies depending on students' backgrounds and prior english exposure (chiang, 2018; ayaz et al., 2019). while language programs can improve general language proficiency, their impact on speaking skills remains underexplored. most research has focused on academic performance or motivation, overlooking specific outcomes in speaking competence (sugara, 2018; roshdy, 2020). teacher proficiency also plays a vital role in these programs. educators with strong language skills provide better feedback, helping students improve pronunciation and fluency (fang, 2022; oktaviani et al., 2024). inconsistent teaching standards, however, can undermine the effectiveness of the programs (febrianto, 2023; omar, 2019). government policy also influences the design and implementation of language programs. in indonesia, national regulations encourage universities to offer programs that align with international standards, aiming to prepare students for global competition (rahayu, 2021; mañosopacheco & sánchez-cabrero, 2022). uin syahada's language program reflects these policy goals, providing an immersive environment to foster english speaking skills across academic settings (pratolo et al., 2019; renandya et al., 2018). despite the extensive research on language programs, few studies have specifically investigated their impact on speaking skills. most existing studies focus on motivation, confidence, and vocabulary enhancement, leaving a gap in understanding how these programs affect oral communication abilities (yoniswan, 2020; christy et al., 2021). furthermore, limited research addresses the effectiveness of language programs in indonesian universities. this study aims to fill this gap by evaluating uin syahada’s language program, focusing on its impact on students’ speaking proficiency. given the importance of english in global communication, assessing the effectiveness of language programs is essential. understanding the strengths and limitations of these programs can help educators and policymakers develop strategies that better meet students’ needs (azizifard, 2024; mukundan et al., 2012). the insights gained from this study will support the design of more targeted programs, ensuring students acquire the speaking skills needed for academic and professional success (salimi & farsi, 2015; omar, 2019). moreover, this research will contribute to the ongoing efforts to enhance english education in indonesia, preparing students to excel in an increasingly interconnected world. method this study employed an ex post facto research design, as defined by gay and airasian (2012), which involves identifying potential causes for differences in behavior or group characteristics without manipulating variables. the researcher selected this design to investigate the effect of the language program on students’ speaking skills. ex post facto research is ideal for this purpose since it allows the researcher to assess the impact of the language program on students without any intervention or control over the given conditions or treatment. the population in this study comprised 43 firstsemester students from the english department at the islamic university of syekh ali hasan ahmad ad-dary padangsidimpuan. rangkuti (2016) describes a population as a group of objects or subjects selected to represent the entire target group under study. these students were selected to evaluate whether the language program had effectively enhanced their speaking skills after participating in the program. the students were placed into several classes based on their english proficiency to ensure balanced learning. the sampling technique used in this study was total sampling, following arikunto’s (2012) recommendation that if a population is fewer than 100 individuals, the entire population should be used as the sample. thus, all 43 students who participated in the language program during their first semester were included in the study, ensuring comprehensive data collection and analysis to assess the program’s impact on their speaking abilities. a speaking test was employed to measure the students' performance, with the scoring criteria based on brown's (2019) framework, including pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and fluency. each student's performance was evaluated using these indicators, and their individual scores were merged to form an overall score. these scores were then categorized into four levels: excellent (16– 20), good (11–15), average (6–10), and poor (1– 5) to provide a clear classification of student performance. before conducting the test, the validity, reliability, and practicality of the instrument were thoroughly assessed. construct validity was ensured by consulting with lecturers from uin syahada padangsidimpuan, while content validity english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1143 was verified by aligning the test with the syllabus for the first-semester language program. inter-rater reliability was employed, with two lecturers from the program scoring the students to ensure consistency. this method, based on brown (2019), ensures that the ratings remain consistent across different raters. practicality was also considered by limiting the test duration to 10 minutes per student, ensuring clear instructions and understandable communication from the interviewers. the data collected from the tests were analyzed using the following steps: student score analysis: after completing the speaking test, the individual scores for each indicator were merged, and the total scores were classified into the four performance levels mentioned earlier to provide a comprehensive view of students' speaking abilities. normality test: before proceeding with further analysis, the researcher conducted a normality test using kolmogorov-smirnov in spss to determine whether the data followed a normal distribution. if the significance value exceeded 0.05, the data were considered normally distributed; if it was below 0.05, the data were not normally distributed. homogeneity test: the researcher then conducted a homogeneity test using levene's statistics in spss to determine whether the sample variance was homogeneous. if the significance value was greater than 0.05, the data variance was considered homogeneous; if below 0.05, it was not. hypothesis testing: since the data were not normally distributed, the wilcoxon test (sundayana, 2016) was used to assess whether a statistically significant difference existed between the students' scores before and after the language program. spss was used to calculate the test results, comparing the preand post-test scores to determine the effectiveness of the program. the hypotheses tested in this study were: h1: there is a significant difference in the students’ speaking skills before and after participating in the language program at the islamic university of syekh ali hasan ahmad addary. h0: there is no significant difference in the students’ speaking skills before and after participating in the language program. this method ensured a comprehensive evaluation of the program's impact on students' speaking skills, providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of the language program in developing the speaking abilities of english department students at the islamic university of syekh ali hasan ahmad ad-dary. results and discussion the speaking test was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the language program in improving students' speaking skills. students were tested twice: once in the first month after starting the program (pre-test) and again in the fourth month (post-test) during the first semester. this test was designed to assess improvements across key speaking components, including pronunciation, grammar, fluency, and vocabulary. the data gathered offers a comparative insight into students' speaking performance before and after engaging in the language program, helping identify any noticeable changes in proficiency. the summary of results provides statistical metrics such as the mean, maximum, minimum scores, standard deviation, variance, and total score. by comparing the pre-test and post-test outcomes, we can determine the extent of the progress made. these metrics offer not only a snapshot of individual performance but also an overview of how the language program may have impacted the students collectively. the slight improvement in scores will inform the discussion about the effectiveness of the program and the areas where additional support may be necessary. table 1. summary of students’ speaking score test n mea n ma x mi n sd varian ce (var) sum pretest 4 3 81.6 9 90 65 6.9 5 48.42 3512.5 0 post test 4 3 82.6 7 95 60 8.9 4 79.88 3555 the data above shows a comparison between students' pre-test and post-test scores in speaking skills after participating in the language program. the mean score increased slightly from 81.69 in the pre-test to 82.67 in the post-test, indicating a small improvement in students' speaking performance. the maximum score increased from 90 to 95, while the minimum score slightly decreased from 65 to 60, showing variability in student performance. the standard deviation (sd) increased from 6.95 to 8.94, reflecting greater spread or variability in the post-test results. additionally, the variance also increased from 48.42 to 79.88, suggesting that students’ scores became more dispersed after the program. the total score (sum) also slightly increased from 3512.50 to 3555, indicating a collective improvement in students’ overall performance. sasmita tarihoran &jufrizal the effectiveness of intensive language program on university students' speaking skill: a case study at islamic university of syekh ali hasan ahmad ad-dary 1144 however, the relatively modest rise in the mean score suggests that while the program had a positive effect on speaking skills, the impact was not dramatic. the increase in standard deviation implies that some students may have benefited more than others, resulting in varied improvements. this result highlights that the language program was moderately effective in enhancing students’ speaking abilities, although additional interventions or tailored support may be needed to ensure more consistent improvement across all students. the researcher analyzed the normality of the test by using kolmogorov smirnov the result of the normality test can be seen on the table below: table 2. normality testing of students’ speaking skill score test kolmogorov-smirnova statistic df sig. pre-test .148 43 .019 post-test .143 43 .028 table 2 presented the results of normality testing for students' speaking score. the table highlighted the significance values obtained from the normality tests conducted both before and after the intervention. in the pre-test phase, the significance value was recorded at 0.019, while in the post-test phase, it was slightly higher at 0.028. these values served as indicators of the distribution of speaking skill scores among the students were not distributed normally. the result of normality testing can be illustrated by the data distribution chart below: figure 1. detrended normal q-q plot of hasil the significance level of students’ speaking in speaking skill by using oral test in pre-test and post-test were lower than 0.0. it can be concluded that the data were not normally distributed. the researcher made that statement because based on the chart, if the sample formed a normal distribution then the cases fell more or less in straight line. the other main requirement before doing the paired sample t-test was the homogeneity test. this test was used to know whether the sample variance in this research is homogeneous or not. the researcher used levene statistics in spss to analyze the homogeneity for the sample variance in this research. then, the result of the homogeneity test in spss could be seen in the table below. table 3. homogeneity testing of students’ speaking score test of homogeneity of variance students’score levene statistic d f 1 df 2 si g. based on mean 2.553 1 84 .11 4 based on median 2.540 1 84 .11 5 based on median and with adjusted df 2.540 1 79. 46 2 .11 5 based on trimmed mean 2.599 1 84 .11 1 table 3 of the homogeneity testing for students' speaking score revealed the results of the statistical analysis. the key figure from this table is the levene statistic, which is used to evaluate the equality of variances among the different groups of students. the mean score and the significance value (sig. value) derived from this test are essential components. in this case, the significance value reported is 0.114. the purpose of conducting homogeneity testing, as demonstrated in table 4.6 was to ensure that the assumption of equal variances was met for further statistical analyses. the use of levene's statistic helped to determine whether the variance in speaking skills scores was consistent across different student tests. the significance value of 0.114 indicated that the test was homogenous because the variances were statistically similar, as it was greater than the 0.05 threshold. to test the research hypotheses, the researcher used the spss formula to compute the scores. the results were as follows table 4. the summary of wilcoxon test analysis of students speaking skill test statisticsa post – pre z -1.452b asymp. sig. (2-tailed) .146 a. wilcoxon signed ranks test b. based on negative ranks. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1145 table 4 presented the summary of the wilcoxon test analysis that was conducted to assess students' speaking skills using oral test scores, with a reported significance value of 0.146. this value indicated the level of statistical significance observed in the test results. in statistical hypothesis testing, a significance value (often denoted as pvalue) of 0.146 suggested that there was no strong evidence to reject the null hypothesis, which typically assumed no difference between the score or conditions being compared. therefore, in this context, a significance value of 0.146 indicated that the difference in students' speaking skills as measured by the oral test was not statistically significant. the hypothesis testing conducted using spss revealed that the language program is not effective to improve students speaking skill. it can be said that the language gave negative outcomes regarding the improvement in speaking skill specifically, the analysis found that there was no statistically significant improvement in. so the alternative hypothesis was rejected and null hypothesis was accepted. the various language programs on students' speaking skills has been demonstrated through multiple studies, each employing different methodologies and yielding distinct outcomes. the result of this research supported by the evaluation research conducted by (ayaz et al., 2019) english courses at several high schools in turkey revealed that in order to meet the program's goals and objectives, the courses weren't very effective. the four language skills were still got low score even they have followed the course. the research also indicated that course content and materials need to be revised and supplementary materials for teaching of all language areas (four skills, grammar, and vocabulary) should be provided, variety needs to be added to the teaching activities, and the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) need to be assessed properly. another researcher also found the same result (hsu, 2014) study on english for specific purposes courses in taiwan revealed no significant longitudinal increase in toeic scores at the interdepartmental level. however, it did highlight significant differences in performance between students from different disciplines, with hospitality students showing improvement while those in tourism and culinary arts experienced a decline. this suggested that the effectiveness of language programs can vary greatly depending on the specific focus and context of the course. in iran, a comparison was made between the impact of an intense and non-intensive english course, with backing from (nasiri & shokrpour, 2012) although the identical textbooks were used in both classes, the non-intense group of students performed noticeably better than the intensive group's, according the findings. consistent with nasiri and shokrpour’s findings on the ineffectiveness of the intensive courses, although most students preferred intensive programs because they shortened the amount of time they had to spend in class, (gallo & odu, 2009) found that intensive programs were not the best way to learn english, in line with nasiri and shokrpour's findings about the ineffectiveness of the courses. there is a claim that when students take new courses less intensively over longer periods of time in fewer but longer class hours, their psychological learning increases. additionally, they discovered that because of the quick tasks that do not allow for a thorough discussion of each new topic, intense courses may cause learners to become weary and fail to assimilate the new material in contrast, (mukundan et al., 2012) reported significant improvements in students' speaking abilities on malaysian secondary school students using an intensive english program showed a substantial increase in post-test scores. a marked improvement from pretest to posttest scores indicating a significant positive impact on speaking skills. the finding also suggested that immersive and engaging teaching methods were highly effective in enhancing students' speaking skills. the studies by (nadia & aditama, 2018) and (azmi, 2020) further illustrated the significance of methodological rigor and targeted instruction. nadia & aditama used of the mann-whitney test due to non-normal data distribution ensured accurate analysis, revealing significant improvements in an intensive english class. azmi's research, which categorized students' speaking abilities from very good to good, emphasizes the benefits of well-structured english courses that provide comprehensive language skills training. with effective lesson plan, such as hiring native speaker and doing games included in course’s lesson plan, students able to understand the material that has been given. competition also gives students incentive to be better and lead them to be more serious when receiving material given by the lecturer supported by (syaputri & yustita, 2021)in her mixed-method approach and the significant difference in vocabulary mastery between course participants and non-participants underscore the sasmita tarihoran &jufrizal the effectiveness of intensive language program on university students' speaking skill: a case study at islamic university of syekh ali hasan ahmad ad-dary 1146 effectiveness of integrating quantitative and qualitative analyses to capture a holistic view of language learning outcomes. in another study conducted by (wayan, 2023),74% of students achieving sufficient or higher speaking competence, indicates that a substantial majority of students benefit from structured language programs. overall, these studies collectively affirm that intensive, immersive, and well-planned english language program or courses were highly effective in enhancing students' speaking skill. the research on various language programs for improving students' speaking skills demonstrated diverse outcomes based on different methodologies. intensive and immersive english programs often led to significant improvements in speaking abilities, particularly when they involved engaging teaching methods, effective lesson plans, and motivational strategies like competitions. however, the effectiveness of these programs varied significantly depending on the context and specific focus of the course. some studies suggested that non-intensive, well-paced learning schedules were more effective than intensive courses, which could lead to learner fatigue and insufficient absorption of new material. additionally, differences in performance across disciplines indicated the need for tailored approaches to language instruction. these findings underscored the importance of methodological rigor, targeted instruction, and context-specific strategies in designing effective language programs. in another article the researcher also found that the students had positive attitudes towards this program even the score that the students had was stiil low. this indicated that this result of this research supported by theory of (fakeye, 2010). she found that students' personal variables, including attitude are not correlated with academic achievement in english as a second language. a study by (nagar & shonfeld, 2018) highlighted that while attitudes towards multiculturalism and collaborative program were important, they did not directly translate into improved language proficiency without the support of structured and effective teaching methodologies. (lightbown and spada, 2013) stated that even the students had motivation to learn and had positive opinion about the program, the student still got unsuccessful language learning outcomes, learner autonomy, and learning engagement, even though motivation can be considered a better predictor of language learning outcomes. this indicated that a positive attitude alone might not necessarily lead to significant improvements in language skills. this underscored the importance of not relying solely on student opinion but also focusing on the quality and structure of language instruction because as (erarslan, 2018) revealed in his research issues with the language education curriculum, such as poorly crafted goals and outputs that omit important areas. additionally, it exposed issues with the materials' inadequate and ineffective design and content choices. finally, it was noted that another issue with the emphasis on paperbased evaluation was its failure to include productive abilities. since these problems appeared to be ongoing across all of the eltps, considerable thought and action are necessary to enhance future program modifications. (leong & ahmadi, 2017); (asif, 2017) (suwartono & pangesti, 2019), (scarpino et al., 2019), (riadil, 2020); (alrasheedi, 2020); (christy et al., 2021); (kansil et al., 2022) discovered that various factors also play crucial influence in improving learners' speaking skill such as motivation, mother tongue or native language, selfconfidence, shyness, pear-pressure, limited exposure to the target language and insufficient opportunity to practice speaking outside of the classroom. all of these factors could affect students’ speaking abilities and expertise in doing communication with others. that is why the role of teachers are very crucial in improving students’ speaking stated by choosing the appropriate methods or approaches, giving motivation, building self-confidence, using media, games, role-play, tasks and any other things that could support the willingness of students to speak as stated by several researcher, they were (kurniadi, 2018); (ho et al., 2019); (oktaviani et al., 2024); (azizifard, 2024). generally,the effectiveness of language programs in enhancing students' speaking skills was found to be influenced by various factors, as highlighted in multiple studies. ho(oktaviani et al., 2024)wever, challenges such as discrepancies between perceived effectiveness and actual speaking skill improvement underscored the need for a balanced approach that combined positive attitudes with structured, effective teaching methodologies. by addressing these factors comprehensively, language programs were able to better fulfill their potential in enhancing students' language proficiency and overall learning outcomes. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1147 conclusion the study explores the effectiveness of a language program aimed at improving students' english speaking skills at the islamic university of syekh ali hasan ahmad ad-dary padangsidimpuan. the findings indicate that while there was a slight improvement in students' mean speaking scores from pretest to posttest, the increase was not statistically significant. the data revealed a mean score increase from 67.79 to 76.63, but with greater variability in scores post-intervention, suggesting inconsistent impacts across the student population. the statistical analysis using the wilcoxon signed ranks test further supported this, with a p-value of 0.146, indicating no significant difference in students' speaking abilities before and after the program. these results align with previous studies that have highlighted mixed outcomes of language programs, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches to address diverse student needs and improve overall effectiveness. in conclusion, this study found no statistically significant improvement in students' speaking skills after the language program. the increased variability in scores suggests the need for more personalized interventions. future research should focus on addressing these disparities and exploring different assessment methods to enhance program effectiveness. to maintain and enhance the effectiveness of language programs, it is crucial to regularly assess and refine teaching strategies. incorporating modern technology and interactive methods can make learning more engaging and effective. educators should stay updated with the latest teaching methodologies and adapt their instruction to meet the evolving needs of students. future researcher should delve into the long-term impact of language programs on students' speaking skills, tracking their progress over extended periods to assess sustained effectiveness. it would be valuable to examine the specific components that contribute most significantly to improvement and compare various instructional strategies, including traditional classroom instruction and technologyenhanced learning environments. other researchers also have a chance to investigating socio-cultural factors, such as students' backgrounds and previous language learning experiences, can lead to more tailored and effective programs. lastly, understanding the role of motivation and psychological factors, like anxiety and self-confidence, is crucial for supporting students in overcoming challenges. research on feedback techniques, comparing immediate versus delayed feedback and peer versus instructor feedback, could identify the most effective methods for fostering improvement. acknowledgement the researcher would like to express heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the completion of this research. first and foremost, the deepest thanks go to allah swt for granting the strength and perseverance to carry out this study. the researcher extends sincere appreciation to the parents for their unwavering support, love, and encouragement throughout the research process. your belief in the researcher’s abilities has been a constant source of inspiration, the researcher would like to express special thanks to the english department of the language and art faculty at the state university of padang for their invaluable support and resources especially to the researcher’s advisor. special thanks to lecturers and staffs at the islamic university of syekh ali hasan ahmad addary, padangsidimpuan, for their cooperation and assistance throughout this research. particular gratitude is extended to the students who participated in this study; without their willingness and effort, this research would not have been possible. additionally, the researcher acknowledges the support and encouragement from colleagues and families, whose understanding and motivation have been instrumental in the successful completion of this work. lastly, the researcher extends thanks to everyone who, directly or indirectly, has lent their support and encouragement, contributing to the realization of this research. your contributions have been invaluable, and the researcher is profoundly grateful for your assistance. references ali, e., elnadeef, e., hamad, a., & hamdan, e. (2019). the effectiveness of english club as free voluntary speaking activity strategy in fostering speaking skill in saudi arabia context international journal of linguistics , literature and translation (ijllt). https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2019.2.1.28 alrasheedi, s. (2020). investigation of factors influencing speaking performance of saudi efl learners. 11(december), 66–77. https://doi.org/https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/v ol11no4.5 arikunto, s. (2012). prosedur penelitian. rineka cipta. asif, f. (2017). the anxiety factors among saudi efl learners : a study from english language teachers ’ perspective. english language teaching: sasmita tarihoran &jufrizal the effectiveness of intensive language program on university students' speaking skill: a case study at islamic university of syekh ali hasan ahmad ad-dary 1148 canadian center of science and education, 10(6). https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v10n6p160 ayaz, a. d., ozkardas, s., & ozturan, t. (2019). challenges of english language teaching in high schools in turkey and possible suggestions to overcome them. eurasian journal of applied linguistics, 5(1), 41–55. https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.543778 azizifard, f. m. (2024). the effect of task-based language teaching on speaking skill. cices, 4(1), 67–75. https://doi.org/10.24086/cuejhss.vol7n1y2023.pp 65-71 azmi, d. (2020). the effect of english course towards students ’ speaking ability. universitas islam negeri ar-raniry banda aceh. brown, h. d. (2019). language assessment: principles and classroom pratices. in brown, h. douglas (3rd ed.). pearson education. budiharso, t. (2004). prinsip strategi pengajaran bahasa. lutfiansah mediatama. chang, j. y., kim, w., & lee, h. (2017). a language support program for english-medium instruction courses: its development and evaluation in an efl setting. international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 20(5), 510–528. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2015.1080658 chiang, i. c. n. (2018). how different are students in compulsory and elective english courses? universal journal of educational research, 6(10), 2069–2076. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2018.061003 christy, a., jufri, & mukhaiyar. (2021). the effect of speaking anxiety on students performance in speech class. proceedings of the ninth international conference on language and arts (icla 2020), 539(icla 2020), 241–245. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210325.043 de prada, e., mareque, m., & pino-juste, m. (2022). teamwork skills in higher education: is university training contributing to their mastery? psicologia: reflexao e critica, 35(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41155-022-00207-1 erarslan, a. (2018). strengths and weaknesses of primary school english language teaching programs in turkey: issues regarding program components. eurasian journal of applied linguistics, 4(2), 325–347. https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.464194 fakeye, d. o. (2010). students’ personal variables as correlates of academic achievement in english as a second language in nigeria. journal of social sciences, 22(3), 205–211. https://doi.org/10.1080/09718923.2010.1189280 3 fang, x. (2022). chinese english teachers’ attitudes towards a multicultural approach to english language teaching in china’s college classrooms. taiwan journal of tesol, 19(2), 145–174. https://doi.org/10.30397/tjtesol.202210_19(2 ).0005 farhani, a. r., binsasi, y. n., & handayani, a. (2020). english-speaking issues towards indonesia senior high school students. seminar nasional ilmu pendidikan dan multi disiplin 3 (snipmd), 442–446. febrianto, r. (2023). the effect of the students who join english course to mastery vocabulary at seventh grade in smpn 5 pamekasan,. state islamic institute (iain) madura. gallo, m. a., & odu, m. (2009). examining the relationship between class scheduling and student achievement in college algebra. community college review, 36(4), 299–325. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091552108330902 gay, l. r., & airasian, p. (2012). educational research competencies for analysis and applications (10th ed.). pearson education. hetharie, a. t., listyani, l., & setyarini, m. c. e. (2020). the benefits of joining english debating society (eds) for students’ speaking skills. llt journal: a journal on language and language teaching, 23(2), 383–398. https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v23i2.2504 ho, p. v. p., thien, n. m., an, n. t. m., & vy, n. n. h. (2019). the effects of using games on efl students’ speaking performances. international journal of english linguistics, 10(1), 183. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v10n1p183 hsu, l. (2014). effectiveness of english for specific purposes courses for non-english speaking students of hospitality and tourism: a latent growth curve analysis. journal of hospitality, leisure, sport and tourism education, 15(1), 50– 57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2014.05.001 iskandar, w., & sunendar, d. (2008). strategi pembelajaran bahasa. remaja rosdakarya. kansil, v. e., tuna, j. r., & liando, n. v. (2022). analysis of the effect of students’ self-confidence on speaking skill. jotell: journal of teaching english, linguistics, and literature, 1(5). kong, s. (2019). practice of college english teaching reform based on online open course. english language teaching, 12(5), 156. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n5p156 kurniadi, y. (2018). the effect of teaching media and vocabulary mastery on students’ speaking skill (experiment at the tenth grade of state senior high school in tasikmalaya-west java). inference: journal of english language teaching, 01(01), 12530. leong, l.-m., & ahmadi, s. m. (2017). an analysis of factors influencing learners’ english speaking skill. international journal of research in english education, 2(1), 34–41. https://doi.org/10.18869/acadpub.ijree.2.1.34 lightbown and spada. (2013). how languages are learned (4th ed.). oxford university press. mañoso-pacheco, l., & sánchez-cabrero, r. (2022). perspectives on the effectiveness of madrid’s english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1149 regional bilingual programme: exploring the correlation between english proficiency level and pre-service teachers’ beliefs. education sciences, 12(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12080522 mukundan, j., mahvelati, e. h., & nimehchisalem, v. (2012). the effect of an intensive english program on malaysian secondary school students’ language proficiency. english language teaching, 5(11), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v5n11p1 nadia, h., & aditama, m. j. (2018). the effect of intensive english class on students’ language skill. 1(1), 1–5. https://journal.umbjm.ac.id/index.php/tefla nagar, n. m., & shonfeld, m. (2018). the impact of an online collaborative learning program on students’ attitude towards technology. interactive learning environments, 26(5), 621–637. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2017.1376336 nasiri, e., & shokrpour, n. (2012). comparison of intensive and non-intensive english courses and their effects on the student’s performance in an efl university context. european scientific journal, 8(8), 127–137. http://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/article/view/13 6 oktaviani, e., ilham, i., lukman, l., olatunji, s. o., & whitworth, n. (2024). the effect of show and tell, role-play and storytelling on speaking skills: meta-analysis. journal of languages and language teaching, 12(2), 846. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v12i2.10868 omar, n. s. (2019). the effectiveness of ops-english programme in enhancing esl students’ attitudes and speaking ability. june, 1–12. pratolo, b., habibie, a., & setiawan, a. (2019). speaking skill challenges encountered by indonesian efl learners’. 370, 28–32. https://doi.org/10.2991/adics-elssh-19.2019.7 rahayu, s. d. (2021). the effectiveness of using learn social online platform toward speaking skills of english literature 2018 students of universitas sumatera utara. jet (journal of english teaching), 7(3), 286–299. https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v7i3.3031 rangkuti, a. n. (2016). metode penelitian pendidikan: pendekatan kuantitatif, kualitatif, ptk dan penelitian pengembangan. cita pustaka media. renandya, w. a., hamied, f. a., & nurkamto, j. (2018). english language proficiency in indonesia: issues and prospects. journal of asia tefl, 15(3), 618–629. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2018.15.3.4.618 riadil, i. g. (2020). a study of students ’ perception : identifying efl learners ’ problems in speaking skill. ijelr: international journal of education, language and religion, 2(1), 31–38. https://doi.org/http://doi.org/10.35308/ijelr.v2i1. 2256 roshdy, a. n. m. (2020). the effectiveness of a cmc course in developing some english translation skills in light of beyond constructivism for english majors and their attitudes towards translation. egyptian journals, 35(2), 132–154. https://doi.org/10.21608/mathj.2020.91464 salimi, e. a., & farsi, m. (2015). program evaluation of the english language proficiency program for foreign students a case study: university of the east, manila campus. english language teaching, 9(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n1p12 scarpino, s. e., hammer, c. s., goldstein, b., rodriguez, b. l., & lopez, l. m. (2019). effects of home language, oral language skills, and crosslinguistic phonological abilities on whole-word proximity in spanish-english–speaking children. american journal of speech-language pathology, 28(1), 174–187. https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_ajslp-18-0050 songbatumis, a. m. (2017). challenges in teaching english faced by english teachers at mtsn taliwang, indonesia. journal of foreign languange teaching and learning, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.18196/ftl.2223 sugara, r. (2018). the comparison of students’ vocabulary achievement by joining or not joining english club at state islamic university of north sumatera. universitas islam negeri sumatera utara. university of north sumatera. universitas islam negeri sumatera utara. suwartono, t., & pangesti, a. (2019). why do students join an english course ? researchgate, july. syaputri, k. d., & yustita, r. y. (2021). the effect of joining english course program to eleventh grade students’ english vocabulary mastery. jurnal ilmiah bina bahasa, 14(2), 161–171. https://doi.org/10.33557/binabahasa.v14i2.1559 wahyuningsih, s., & afandi, m. (2020). investigating english speaking problems: implications for speaking curriculum development in indonesia. european journal of educational research, 9(3), 967–977. https://doi.org/10.12973/eujer.9.3.967 wayan maba. (2023). speaking competence of university students. international journal of social science, 2(3), 1779–1782. https://doi.org/10.53625/ijss.v2i3.4646 yoniswan. (2020). effects of role-play on indonesian junior high school students’ speaking skills: a classroom action research study. salee: study of applied linguistics and english education, 1(02), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.35961/salee.v1i02.120 sasmita tarihoran &jufrizal the effectiveness of intensive language program on university students' speaking skill: a case study at islamic university of syekh ali hasan ahmad ad-dary 1150 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 81 flipped-based learning for efl students: enhancing classroom interaction and autonomy in the pancasila student profile strengthening project (p5) intan fachri fassya universitas muhammadiyah prof. dr. hamka, indonesia email: avagamsmom@gmail.com siti zulaiha* universitas muhammadiyah prof. dr. hamka, indonesia email: siti.zulaiha@uhamka.ac.id herri mulyono universitas muhammadiyah prof. dr. hamka, indonesia email: hmulyono@uhamka.ac.id riskha rosita universitas muhammadiyah prof. dr. hamka, indonesia email: rizkharosita25@gmail.com apa citation: fassya, i. f., zulaiha, s., mulyono, h., & rosita, r. (2025). flipped-based learning for efl students: enhancing classroom interaction and autonomy in the pancasila student profile strengthening project (p5). english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 81-92. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.10689 received: 23-10-2024 accepted: 21-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 introduction in recent years, there has been a notable transformation in teaching strategies, with a shift away from traditional, teacher-centered approaches toward more student-focused methods. this evolution in pedagogy reflects the growing recognition of the need for active student engagement in the learning process. one approach that has garnered substantial attention is flipped learning, a method in which students engage with instructional materials—such as pre-recorded lectures, readings, or other content—outside of the classroom (chen & faichney, 2019; wittmann & wulf, 2023). the flipped model restructures the use of classroom time, dedicating it to applying the learned concepts through interactive activities, discussions, and problem-solving exercises (goedhart et al., 2019). this shift creates opportunities for students to participate more actively, allowing them to take on a more prominent role in their learning (aji & khan, 2019). as a result, classroom time becomes more dynamic and engaging, with students having the chance to deepen their understanding through real-time application (du & su, 2021). however, despite the advantages of flipped learning, several challenges remain, particularly in fostering effective classroom interaction and enhancing student autonomy. these challenges underline the complexities of integrating this innovative abstract: this study investigates the impact of flipped learning on classroom interaction and student autonomy among secondary school efl students involved in the pancasila student profile strengthening (p5) project. a mixed-methods design was used, integrating both quantitative and qualitative data to gain a deeper understanding of the research questions. data were collected through a survey and interviews. the survey, completed by 536 students, assessed students’ perceptions of flipped learning using the adapted technology acceptance model (tam). data analysis was conducted using rasch analysis, which helped identify outliers and assess the reliability of the survey instrument. qualitative data, gathered from interviews with 10 students, were analyzed thematically to explore how flipped learning influenced students’ classroom interaction and autonomy. the findings indicate that flipped learning improves both classroom interaction and student autonomy, although challenges related to technology access and adapting to independent learning were noted. these insights offer valuable guidance for educators and curriculum developers aiming to implement flipped learning effectively in secondary education. keywords: flipped learning; classroom interaction; student autonomy; pancasila student profile strengthening project (p5); secondary efl students. mailto:avagamsmom@gmail.com mailto:siti.zulaiha@uhamka.ac.id mailto:hmulyono@uhamka.ac.id mailto:rizkharosita25@gmail.com intan fachri fassya, siti zulaiha, herri mulyono, & riskha rosita flipped-based learning for efl students: enhancing classroom interaction and autonomy in the pancasila student profile strengthening project (p5) 82 approach into diverse educational contexts. classroom interaction is a critical element in language learning, particularly in english as a foreign language (efl) settings, where opportunities for students to practice the language in authentic contexts can be limited (beshir & yigzaw, 2022; havik & westergård, 2020; vattøy & gamlem, 2020). in flipped classrooms, students have more opportunities to engage in meaningful in-class activities, such as discussions and collaborative tasks, which are essential for developing language proficiency (challob, 2021; izadpanah, 2022). however, a major challenge in promoting consistent classroom interaction is the variability in students' preparation. burkholder & strain (2022) investigated the impact of student preparation on cooperative grouping in active learning environments. their findings suggest that students who are better prepared contribute more effectively in heterogeneous groups, enhancing the overall performance of the group. this underscores the importance of ensuring that all students come prepared to class, as those who are less prepared can hinder group dynamics and learning outcomes. this uneven preparation can diminish the overall effectiveness of interactive learning, as those who are less prepared may struggle to contribute meaningfully, thereby disrupting the flow of classroom activities. in addition, flipped learning places significant responsibility on students to manage their learning outside the classroom (afzali & izadpanah, 2021). for students who are accustomed to more structured, teacher-directed instruction, this shift can be particularly challenging. the demand for greater independence in managing learning tasks requires students to adapt to a more self-directed approach, which can be difficult for some learners, especially those who have not developed the necessary skills for independent study (wang et al., 2023). the success of flipped learning heavily relies on students' ability to manage their time effectively and actively participate in their learning process (haghighi et al., 2019; lin et al., 2022). in a flipped classroom, students are expected to come to class having already engaged with the instructional material, prepared to apply what they have learned (fan, 2022). however, many students face difficulties in managing their workload and staying focused, particularly in an environment where they must take more control over their learning (mai & liu, 2021). this struggle is often exacerbated by a reliance on traditional teaching methods, where students expect the teacher to guide them through each step of the learning process (chi et al., 2022). sufficient guidance, students may find it difficult to develop the autonomy required to thrive in a flipped learning environment. studies, such as those by (giannakos, 2013), emphasize that the success of flipped learning depends significantly on how well students are prepared and how actively they engage with the material during class. these findings suggest that student readiness is a crucial factor in ensuring the effectiveness of the flipped classroom model. in the context of indonesian education, the integration of flipped learning within the pancasila student profile strengthening (p5) project offers a distinctive opportunity to enhance students' learning experiences. the p5 project is designed to cultivate important values in students, such as critical thinking, collaboration, and social responsibility (asmahasanah, 2023; suhardi, 2022). these values align well with the principles of flipped learning, which encourages students to engage with content at their own pace before class, allowing classroom time to be used for applying these concepts in collaborative and realworld scenarios (ji, 2023). by merging flipped learning with the goals of the p5 project, students are not only exposed to essential academic content but also to critical life skills that can be practiced through discussions, role-playing, and team-based activities. this integrated approach has the potential to transform the classroom into a more student-centered environment, where learners are actively involved in their own educational process (sofya et al., 2020). this method fosters a sense of ownership over their learning, promoting deeper engagement with both academic content and pancasila values (holilah et al., 2024). despite the promise of this integrated approach, there is limited research on the dual impact of flipped learning on classroom interaction and student autonomy in secondary school efl settings in indonesia. much of the current literature tends to focus on these two aspects—classroom interaction and autonomy— independently, without exploring the potential connections between them (jiang et al., 2022; wang et al., 2023). moreover, while there has been substantial research on the impact of flipped learning on academic performance (afzali & izadpanah, 2021; fathi & rahimi, 2022; hsiao et al., 2023), relatively little attention has been paid to how this approach influences students’ ability english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 83 to take control of their own learning, particularly in the context of the p5 framework (hardiyanto et al., 2023). this gap in the literature highlights the need for further investigation into how flipped learning can simultaneously foster both effective classroom interaction and the development of student autonomy. such research is crucial for understanding how these elements can be integrated to enhance overall learning outcomes in efl settings. this study seeks to fill these gaps by examining the effects of flipped learning on classroom interaction and student autonomy within the framework of the pancasila student profile strengthening project. the study is guided by two key research questions: (1) how does flipped learning impact classroom interaction among secondary school efl students during the p5 phase? and (2) to what extent does flipped learning promote autonomous learning among efl students during the p5 phase? by addressing these questions, the research aims to provide valuable insights into the effective implementation of flipped learning in secondary school efl settings, specifically within the indonesian context. the findings of this study have the potential to offer important guidance for educators and curriculum developers who are looking to integrate flipped learning into the merdeka curriculum framework, ultimately contributing to the development of more interactive, autonomous, and student-centered learning environments. method this study used a mixed-method design, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches to provide a thorough analysis to answer the research questions. the mixed-method approach improves the validity of the findings by enabling triangulation across multiple data sources (ertesvåg et al., 2021; poth, 2018). quantitative data were gathered through a survey to gauge students' general responses and acceptance of flipped learning. this was followed by qualitative data gathered through interviews, aimed at exploring how students' acceptance of flipped learning influenced classroom interactions and learning autonomy. the participants included 626 students from grades 7, 8, and 9 at a secondary school, all of whom were involved in the pancasila student profile strengthening (p5) project as can be seen in table 1. table 1. the current study’s participants before the screening demography n=626 gender male (m) 262 female (f) 364 age under 15 527 15-18 98 grade level seventh grade 25 eighth grade 309 ninth grade 291 before the analysis, a data screening was conducted to identify missing values and responses from participants who did not take the survey seriously. it is recommended to treat these responses as outliers and excluding them from the analysis (john michael linacre, 2010). in the rasch analysis, data with a mean-square (mnsq) value greater than 2.0 logits were identified as coming from problematic participants and were classified as outliers. out of 626 responses, 90 had an mnsq higher than 2.0 and were excluded from further analysis. the remaining 536 responses were used to address the research questions, as detailed in table 2. table 2. the current study’s participants after the screening demography n=536 gender male (m) 212 female (f) 324 age under 15 458 15-18 78 grade level seventh grades 22 eight grades 267 ninth grades 247 a five-point likert scale questionnaire adapted from the technology acceptance model (tam) (davis, 1989). the questionnaire consisted of 22 items aimed at assessing three constructs of flipped learning. the survey was distributed electronically using google forms, allowing for efficient data collection and organization. the scale was developed based on three main constructs: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude. the perceived usefulness construct, consisting of 12 items (q1 to q12), reflects students’ views on whether flipped learning improves their performance. the perceived ease of use construct includes 6 items (q13 to q18) and assesses how much effort intan fachri fassya, siti zulaiha, herri mulyono, & riskha rosita flipped-based learning for efl students: enhancing classroom interaction and autonomy in the pancasila student profile strengthening project (p5) 84 students think is needed to use flipped learning for learning english. the third construct, attitude, consists of 4 items (q19 to q22) and measures students' opinions on whether flipped learning is beneficial to them. table 3. the scales used for collecting the quantitative data of the current study scale n item (22 item) perceived usefulness q1, q2, q3, q4, q5, q6, q7, q8, q9, q10, q11, q12 perceived ease of use (peu) q13, q14, q15, q16, q17, q18 attitude(atu) q19, q20, q21, q22 quantitative data were analysed using the rasch rating scale model through winsteps software (linacre, 2021). prior to analysis, survey responses were organized in excel, and raw scores were converted into logit units via winsteps. the rasch analysis was employed to assess the reliability and validity of the survey instrument and to examine the patterns in participants' responses. winstep software was used to analyse person measures and the rasch wright map, exploring students' perceptions of flipped learning in improving their performance as suggested by (zulaiha & mulyono, 2020). for the qualitative component, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 students who consented to participate after completing the survey. the interviews were conducted in indonesian to allow participants to express their thoughts more freely (zulaiha & mulyono, 2020). this qualitative data provided deeper insights into the students’ experiences with flipped learning. informed consent was obtained from all participants, and confidentiality was maintained by anonymizing the data. qualitative data from the interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. this process involved coding the interview transcripts and identifying recurring themes that reflected the students’ perspectives on interaction and autonomy within flipped learning. finally, the findings from the quantitative and qualitative analyses were integrated during the interpretation phase. this comparison allowed for a deeper understanding of how flipped learning influences classroom interaction and student autonomy, thus providing a more holistic view of the research questions. results and discussion findings from quantitative data descriptive statistics the descriptive and the reliability analysis were performed by evaluating the rasch-statistical analysis of person and item measures. table 4 below describes the descriptive statistics focusing on the person and item separation, and the reliability of the survey questionnaire. as shown in table 4, the mean (m) and the standard deviation (sd) of the person measure were calculated as 0.68 and 0.15, respectively. furthermore, the questionnaire exhibited a high level of internal consistency for the global scale and the three subscales (α > 0.90). subsequently, separation analyses were carried out on the person and item measures to assess the questionnaire's ability to distinguish the ability of the participants when responding to items, as well as the item difficulty levels (boone et al., 2014; mulyono et al., 2021). person separation, which reflected the reproducibility of person categorisation in a new sample when the same items were administered, was found to be 3.62. this logit value was above the threshold of 2, thereby displaying a high level of reliability (r > 0.86) (chang et al., 2014). moreover, the item separation, which represented the item's ability to yield categorical differentiation when applied in a new sample, was deemed sufficient. the separation values remained higher than the threshold of 3, and had a very high level of item reliability (r > 0.95). table 4. descriptive statistics and the instrument reliability scale global scale perceived usefulness perceived ease of use attitude person m (sd) 0.68 0.76 1.60 1.08 item m (sd) 0.15 1.37 0.99 0.21 cronbach alpha 2.60 0.91 0.80 0.80 person reliability 0.93 0.88 0.77 0.77 separation 3.62 2.75 1.84 1.84 item reliability 0.94 0.91 0.90 0.98 separation 3.69 3.12 3.00 6.35 maps of participants’ responses english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 85 this study explored the perceived usefulness’ level of reflects students’ perception on whether the use of flipped learning improve their performance. to address the research questions, the person measure was stratified into three strata, reflecting a low level (where the logit values were below the mean), a medium level (the logit values between the mean and the mean plus one standard deviation) and a high level (the logit values above the mean plus one standard deviation). moreover, the rasch wright map was employed to reflect the respondents’ response item distribution for each domain. table 5 below summarises the students’ levels of each domain and figure 1 presents the rasch wright map analysis. table 5. student’s level of perceived usefulness, perceived of ease of use and attitude intan fachri fassya, siti zulaiha, herri mulyono, & riskha rosita flipped-based learning for efl students: enhancing classroom interaction and autonomy in the pancasila student profile strengthening project (p5) 86 figure 1. perceived ease of use table 5 shows that 15-year-old students have the highest perception of the usefulness of flipped learning, with 37% (n=203)rating it as highly useful and 16% (n=87)at a moderate level. they also reported the highest perceived ease of use, with 30% (n=162)rating it high and 23% (n=122)moderate. this age group also had a strong positive attitude toward flipped learning, with 31% (n=168) showing a high level of positive attitude. in terms of gender, both male and female students showed similar perceptions of flipped learning. among males, 23% (n=122) perceived flipped learning as highly useful, 21% (n=116) found it easy to use, and 19% (n=83) had a positive attitude. females reported similar results, with 27% (n=145) perceiving it as highly useful, 6% (n=34) finding it easy to use, and 18% (n=99) holding a positive attitude. figure 2. attitude regarding grade levels, students in eighth grade showed higher perceived usefulness at 23% (n=124)and ease of use at 18% (n=96) with 11% (n=58) reporting a positive attitude. seventh graders, despite being a smaller group, did not show significant differences compared to eighth and ninth graders, indicating consistent perceptions across grades. overall, the data suggests that students, regardless of age, gender, or grade, generally perceive flipped learning as useful, easy to use, and have a positive attitude toward it. there is no significant gap indicating issues with class interaction or independent learning in relation to flipped learning. the three key constructs— perceived usefulness, ease of use, and attitude— are aligned, showing a positive overall perception of flipped learning across different student groups. figure 3. rasch wright map findings from qualitative data the interview data reveal several key themes regarding the impact of flipped learning on classroom interaction and autonomous learning among secondary school efl students during the p5 phase. improvement in classroom interaction many students indicated that flipped learning improved classroom interaction by allowing more time for discussions and collaborative activities during class. by studying the material in advance, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 87 students were better prepared to engage in meaningful discussions and interactions during class activities. one student explained, “flipped learning helps me understand the material before class, so i can focus on discussions during class.” another participant stated, “classroom discussions are more active, and i feel more confident participating.” several students also noted that flipped learning enhanced peer collaboration, aligning with the p5 project's goal to foster critical thinking and teamwork. enhanced autonomy and responsibility flipped learning was found to promote autonomy as students were required to take responsibility for their own learning. the opportunity to study at their own pace and revisit material as needed was widely appreciated. one student reported, “i learned vocabulary and grammar on my own before class, which made me feel more confident.” another shared, “it made me more responsible for my learning since i had to prepare by myself before class.” however, some students acknowledged that adjusting to independent learning was challenging, particularly for those unfamiliar with self-guided study without teacher support. one student stated, “it was difficult at first because i’m not used to studying without help from the teacher.” increased understanding and confidence many students reported that flipped learning enhanced their understanding of english concepts, particularly grammar and speaking. reviewing materials independently before class allowed them to come to class with a solid foundation, leading to more productive class time. one participant noted, “watching videos before class helped me understand grammar better, and i could speak more confidently during class.” another added, “it made learning english easier because i could understand the material before class, and class time was used for practicing.” challenges with technology and autonomous learning although students generally appreciated the flexibility of flipped learning, technological issues, such as unstable internet connections, were frequently mentioned as obstacles. one student shared, “i had problems accessing the material because of the internet connection.” another explained, “sometimes it’s hard to understand the material when i don’t have strong internet access.” some students also highlighted the need for better guidance in using online resources effectively. one student expressed, “it was hard to learn by myself because i didn’t know how to use the resources well.” positive attitudes toward flipped learning most students expressed positive attitudes toward flipped learning, citing its flexibility and emphasis on understanding over rote memorization. the ability to review material multiple times, which is not typically possible in traditional classrooms, was particularly valued. one student commented, “i like flipped learning because it gives me more time to understand the material, and i can rewatch the videos if i don’t understand something.” another shared, “it’s more fun than traditional learning because it’s more interactive, and i can learn at my own pace.” alignment with p5 project goals students generally agreed that flipped learning aligns well with the objectives of the p5 project by promoting critical thinking, collaboration, and self-directed learning. the flexibility and interactive nature of flipped learning supported the integration of pancasila values into everyday learning. one student explained, “flipped learning helps me think critically and work together with my classmates, which matches the goals of the p5 project.” another shared, “it improves my ability to work independently and apply what i learn to real-life situations.” the interview data suggest that flipped learning positively impacts classroom interaction among secondary school efl students during the p5 phase. by preparing in advance, students are more engaged and confident during class discussions, fostering a more interactive learning environment. in addition, flipped learning encourages autonomous learning by promoting self-responsibility for out-of-class preparation. however, challenges related to technological access and adjusting to autonomous learning persist. overall, the findings indicate that flipped learning supports the goals of the p5 project by fostering critical thinking, collaboration, and student autonomy. quantitative and qualitative findings provide valuable insights into how flipped learning impacts classroom interaction and promotes autonomous learning among secondary school efl students during the p5 phase. both set of data point to several important outcomes regarding the implementation of flipped learning. intan fachri fassya, siti zulaiha, herri mulyono, & riskha rosita flipped-based learning for efl students: enhancing classroom interaction and autonomy in the pancasila student profile strengthening project (p5) 88 the results show that flipped learning has a positive influence on classroom interaction. quantitative data reveal that students generally perceive flipped learning as useful and easy to use, with a strong positive attitude toward it. the highest levels of perceived usefulness and ease of use were reported among 15-year-old students, suggesting that this age group is particularly receptive to the flipped learning approach. this high level of perceived usefulness is consistent across genders and grade levels, indicating a broad acceptance of flipped learning's role in improving classroom interaction. the qualitative data further support this finding. many students reported that by engaging with learning materials before class, they felt more prepared for in-class discussions and collaborative activities (kim, 2018). this preparedness enabled more meaningful interactions during classroom sessions, aligning with the p5 project’s goals of fostering critical thinking and teamwork. this emphasizes the role of flipped learning in promoting active student participation, which is a key component of effective classroom interaction (du & su, 2021; zainuddin & halili, 2016). flipped learning was also found to play a significant role in enhancing student autonomy. both the quantitative and qualitative findings highlight that students appreciate the opportunity to study at their own pace, allowing them to take greater responsibility for their learning (hinojo lucena et al., 2019; mastmeyer, 2020; torresmartín et al., 2022). this study supports evidence from previous research (e.g., (carrillo-yalán, vargas-trujillo, garcía-cuéllar, cortez-llanos, & villarreal-montenegro, 2024; kausar, maryono, & aristyagama, 2021) that flipped learning improves students’ self-regulation. the ability to review materials multiple times before attending class was particularly valued by students, as it enabled them to build a solid foundation for inclass activities. this finding was also reported by jiang et al. (2022), indicating that the preparation time offered in flipped learning influences students’ readiness to learn in class. however, the qualitative data also revealed that some students faced challenges in adjusting to this independent learning model. several students, particularly those accustomed to more structured teacher-led environments, expressed difficulty in managing self-guided study. these challenges suggest that while flipped learning fosters autonomy (romanyshyn & freiuk, 2024), additional support may be needed to help students transition to a more self-directed approach (carrillo-yalán et al., 2024; kausar et al., 2021). although the study yielded positive results, it also highlighted several challenges associated with implementing flipped learning. technological issues, such as unstable internet connections, were commonly reported by students as obstacles to fully engaging with pre-class materials. this result is consistent with the claim that technological issues may hinder the effectiveness of flipped learning (ferrer & martínez, 2021; hidayati, 2020; muniandy & ping, 2023; subiyantoro, 2023). some students highlighted the need for better guidance in using online resources effectively (birgili et al., 2021). this indicates that while flipped learning offers flexibility, ensuring equitable access to technology and providing proper instruction on using digital resources are critical for its success (fathi & rahimi, 2022; fatimah abd rahman et al., 2019; turan & akdag-cimen, 2020). our findings highlight that flipped learning was found to align well with the objectives of the p5 project, which aims to promote critical thinking, collaboration, and self-directed learning among students. both the quantitative and qualitative data suggest that flipped learning supports these goals by encouraging students to engage more actively with the material and their peers, and by fostering greater responsibility for their own learning. this finding, thus implies that flipped learning not only enhances academic outcomes but also contributes to the development of essential life skills, which are core to the p5 framework. these results reflect those of (lin et al., 2022; zulaikah, nurwahidin, & yulianti, 2023) who also found that flipped learning also improves students’ professional and life skills. while this study offers significant insights into the benefits of flipped learning, there are areas that warrant further exploration (pratiwi & waluyo, 2023). future research could focus on developing strategies to support students who struggle with the transition to autonomous learning. investigating how teachers can better facilitate this shift through scaffolding or providing additional resources would be beneficial (xu et al., 2022). moreover, addressing the technological challenges reported by students, such as access to stable internet and understanding how to use digital tools effectively, is crucial for optimizing the flipped learning experience (chiu et al., 2021). thus, it would also be valuable to conduct longitudinal studies that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 89 track the long-term effects of flipped learning on students’ academic performance and personal development (li et al., 2020). this could provide deeper insights into how consistent use of flipped learning influences both classroom interaction and autonomous learning over time (al mulhim, 2021). conclusion the findings show that flipped learning enhances classroom interaction and autonomous learning among secondary school efl students in the p5 phase. by accessing materials before class, students are better prepared for discussions and collaboration, creating a more interactive environment. flipped learning also encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning, though challenges like technology access and adapting to independent learning remain. overall, flipped learning supports the p5 project’s goals by fostering critical thinking, collaboration, and self-directed learning, offering valuable insights for educators and curriculum designers acknowledgement this research and its publication was funded by directorate of research, technology, and community service, indonesian ministry of education, culture, research and technology, contract number 108/f.03.07/2024 under penelitian tesis magister scheme 2024 references afzali, z., & izadpanah, s. (2021). the effect of the flipped classroom model on iranian english foreign language learners: engagement and motivation in english language grammar. cogent education, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.187080 1 aji, c. a., & khan, m. j. (2019). the impact of active learning on students’ academic performance. open journal of social sciences, 07(03), 204– 211. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2019.73017 al mulhim, e. n. (2021). flipped learning, selfregulated learning and learning retention of students with internal/external locus of control. international journal of instruction, 14(1), 827–846. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14150a asmahasanah, s. (2023). navigating merdeka curriculum in first grade: teacher challenges and strategies. journal of integrated elementary education, 3(2), 137–149. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.21580/jieed.v3i 2.17592 beshir, m., & yigzaw, a. (2022). students’ self-repair in efl classroom interactions: implications for classroom dynamics. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-022-00153-6 birgili, b., seggie, f. n., & oğuz, e. (2021). the trends and outcomes of flipped learning research between 2012 and 2018: a descriptive content analysis. journal of computers in education, 8(3), 365–394. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-021-00183-y boone, w. j., staver, j. r., & yale, m. s. (2014). rasch analysis in the human sciences. springer. burkholder, e., & strain, r. s. (2022). investigating the role of student preparation on cooperative grouping in an active learning classroom. physics education research conference 2022, 76–81. https://doi.org/10.1119/perc.2022.pr.burkholder carrillo-yalán, m. e., vargas-trujillo, c. e., garcíacuéllar, d., cortez-llanos, e., & villarrealmontenegro, y. (2024). flipped classroom based on blum’s modeling and its impact on autonomous learning experienced by mathematics students from a university in lima, peru. academic journal of interdisciplinary studies, 13(3), 227. https://doi.org/10.36941/ajis-2024-0077 challob, a. i. (2021). the effect of flipped learning on efl students’ writing performance, autonomy, and motivation. education and information technologies, 26(4), 3743–3769. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10434-1 chang, k.-c., wang, j.-d., tang, h.-p., cheng, c.-m., & lin, c.-y. (2014). psychometric evaluation, using rasch analysis, of the whoqol-bref in heroin-dependent people undergoing methadone maintenance treatment: further item validation. health and quality of life outcomes, 12(1), 148. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-014-0148-6 chen, d., & faichney, j. (2019). flipping a programing class to improve student performance and student satisfaction. international journal of adult vocational education and technology, 10(1), 27–39. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijavet.2019010103 chi, m., wang, n., wu, q., cheng, m. z., zhu, c., wang, x., & hou, y. (2022). implementation of the flipped classroom combined with problem-based learning in a medical nursing course: a quasi-experimental design. healthcare, 10(12), 2572. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10122572 chiu, t. k. f., lin, t.-j., & lonka, k. (2021). motivating online learning: the challenges of covid-19 and beyond. the asia-pacific education researcher, 30(3), 187–190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-021-00566-w intan fachri fassya, siti zulaiha, herri mulyono, & riskha rosita flipped-based learning for efl students: enhancing classroom interaction and autonomy in the pancasila student profile strengthening project (p5) 90 davis, f. d. (1989). perceived sefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. jstor, 13(3), 319– 340. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.33621 du, z., & su, j. (2021). analysis of the practice path of the flipped classroom model assisted by big data in english teaching. scientific programming, 2021, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/1831892 ertesvåg, s. k., sammons, p., & blossing, u. (2021). integrating data in a complex mixed‐methods classroom interaction study. british educational research journal, 47(3), 654–673. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3678 fan, x. (2022). the development of efl learners’ willingness to communicate and self-efficacy: the role of flipped learning approach with the use of social media. frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1001283 fathi, j., & rahimi, m. (2022). examining the impact of flipped classroom on writing complexity, accuracy, and fluency: a case of efl students. computer assisted language learning, 35(7), 1668–1706. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.182509 7 fatimah abd rahman, s., md yunus, m., & hashim, h. (2019). an overview of flipped learning studies in malaysia. arab world english journal, 10(4), 194–203. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no4.15 ferrer, j. m. c., & martínez, p. m. (2021). effectiveness of the flipped classroom model on students’ self-reported motivation and learning during the covid-19 pandemic. humanities and social sciences communications, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-021-00860-4 giannakos, m. n. (2013). enjoy and learn with educational games: examining factors affecting learning performance. computers and education, 68(246016), 429–439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2013.06.005 goedhart, n. s., blignaut-van westrhenen, n., moser, c., & zweekhorst, m. b. m. (2019). the flipped classroom: supporting a diverse group of students in their learning. learning environments research, 22(2), 297–310. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-019-09281-2 haghighi, h., jafarigohar, m., khoshsima, h., & vahdany, f. (2019). impact of flipped classroom on efl learners’ appropriate use of refusal: achievement, participation, perception. computer assisted language learning, 32(3), 261–293. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.150408 3 hardiyanto, f. d., atmaja, h. t., & arsal, t. (2023). habitus in the implementation of pancasila student profile strengthening project through entrepreneurship project at school. journal of educational social studies, 12(1), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.15294/jess.v12i1.65747 havik, t., & westergård, e. (2020). do teachers matter? students’ perceptions of classroom interactions and student engagement. scandinavian journal of educational research, 64(4), 488–507. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2019.157775 4 hidayati, d. (2020). implementation of online learning during the covid-19 epidemic in indonesia: assessment of higher education students’ use and implementation of online learning technology. universal journal of educational research, 8(10), 4514–4519. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.081019 hinojo lucena, f. j., lópez belmonte, j., fuentes cabrera, a., trujillo torres, j. m., & pozo sánchez, s. (2019). academic effects of the use of flipped learning in physical education. international journal of environmental research and public health, 17(1), 276. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17010276 holilah, m., nur, m., hardianti, r. a., & aulia, q. (2024). implementation of digital teaching material containing local wisdom values for strengthening pancasila student profile project (p5) of independent curriculum in social studies learning. the innovation of social studies journal, 5(2), 121. https://doi.org/10.20527/issj.v5i2.11876 hsiao, i.-c. v., hung, s.-t. a., & huang, h.-t. d. (2023). the flipped classroom approach in an english for specific purposes (esp) course: a quasi-experimental study on learners’ selfefficacy, study process, and learning performances. journal of research on technology in education, 55(3), 507–526. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2021.197632 9 izadpanah, s. (2022). the impact of flipped teaching on efl students’ academic resilience, selfdirected learning, and learners’ autonomy. frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.981844 ji, w. (2023). a study on mobile learning in english speaking of chinese junior high school students. international journal of new developments in education, 5(19), 152–161. https://doi.org/10.25236/ijnde.2023.051924 jiang, m. y., jong, m. s., lau, w. w., chai, c., liu, k. s., & park, m. (2022). a scoping review on flipped classroom approach in language education: challenges, implications and an interaction model. computer assisted language learning, 35(5–6), 1218–1249. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.178917 1 kausar, a., maryono, d., & aristyagama, y. (2021). effective use of blended learning flipped english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 91 classroom type reviewed from student learning outcomes in digital simulation subjects at smk negeri 3 surakarta. journal of informatics and vocational education, 3(3). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.20961/joive.v3i 3.47248 kim, j.-y. (2018). a study of students’ perspectives on a flipped learning model and associations among personality, learning styles and satisfaction. innovations in education and teaching international, 55(3), 314–324. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2017.128699 8 li, s., liao, x., burdick, w., & tong, k. (2020). the effectiveness of flipped classroom in health professions education in china: a systematic review. journal of medical education and curricular development, 7. https://doi.org/10.1177/2382120520962838 lin, h. c., hwang, g. j., chou, k. r., & tsai, c. k. (2022). fostering complex professional skills with interactive simulation technology: a virtual reality-based flipped learning approach. british journal of educational technology, 54(2), 622–641. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.1326 8 linacre, j. m. (2010). when to stop removing items and persons in rasch misfit analysis? rasch measurement transactions, 23(4), 1241. linacre, j. m. (2021). winsteps help for rasch analysis. mai, x., & liu, l. (2021). obstacles and improvement strategies in implementing flipped classroom in colleges: from the perspective of selfdetermination theory. advances in applied sociology, 11(10), 513–521. https://doi.org/10.4236/aasoci.2021.1110045 mastmeyer, a. (2020). quantitative and qualitative evaluation of transforming to flipped-classroom from instruction teaching using micro feedback. zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4001034 mulyono, h., suryoputro, g., & jamil, s. r. (2021). the application of whatsapp to support online learning during the covid-19 pandemic in indonesia. heliyon, 7(8), e07853. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon. 2021.e07853 muniandy, b. k., & ping, p. f. (2023). challenges to engage medical assistant students in 5e flipped learning environment. research and development in education (raden), 3(2), 88– 99. https://doi.org/10.22219/raden.v3i2.25191 poth, c. (2018). the contributions of mixed insights to advancing technology-enhanced formative assessments within higher education learning environments: an illustrative example. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 15(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-018-0090-5 pratiwi, d. i., & waluyo, b. (2023). autonomous learning and the use of digital technologies in online english classrooms in higher education. contemporary educational technology, 15(2), ep423. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/13094 romanyshyn, i., & freiuk, i. (2024). implementing learner autonomy in english as a foreign language classroom through a flipped classroom pedagogical approach. journal of vasyl stefanyk precarpathian national university, 11(3), 26–35. https://doi.org/10.15330/jpnu.11.3.26-35 sofya, r., hayati, a. f., & syofyan, r. (2020). flipped learning as a strategy to improve students higher order thinking: (a quasi experiment). proceedings of the 1st progress in social science, humanities and education research symposium (psshers 2019). https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200824.036 subiyantoro, s. (2023). analysis of teachers’ perceptions of the benefits and challenges of adopting the flipped learning model. indonesian journal of instructional media and model, 5(2), 96–103. https://doi.org/10.32585/ijimm.v5i2.4787 suhardi. (2022). analisis penerapan pendidikan agama islam dalam demensi profil pancasila. journeyliaison academia and society, 1(1), 468–476. https://j-las.lemkomindo.org/index.php/bcopjlas torres-martín, c., acal, c., el-homrani, m., & mingorance-estrada, á. c. (2022). implementation of the flipped classroom and its longitudinal impact on improving academic performance. educational technology research and development, 70(3), 909–929. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-022-10095-y turan, z., & akdag-cimen, b. (2020). flipped classroom in english language teaching: a systematic review. computer assisted language learning, 33(5–6), 590–606. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.158411 7 vattøy, k. d., & gamlem, s. m. (2020). teacher– student interactions and feedback in english as a foreign language classrooms. cambridge journal of education, 50(3), 371–389. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764x.2019.170751 2 wang, c., omar dev, r. d., soh, k. g., mohd nasirudddin, n. j., yuan, y., & ji, x. (2023). blended learning in physical education: a systematic review. frontiers in public health, 11. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.20 23.1073423 wittmann, s., & wulf, t. (2023). effects of flipped classes on student learning: the role of intan fachri fassya, siti zulaiha, herri mulyono, & riskha rosita flipped-based learning for efl students: enhancing classroom interaction and autonomy in the pancasila student profile strengthening project (p5) 92 positively perceived instructor attitude towards students. the international journal of management education, 21(1), 100735. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.20 22.100735 xu, l., duan, p., padua, s. a., & li, c. (2022). the impact of self-regulated learning strategies on academic performance for online learning during covid-19. frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1047680 zainuddin, z., & halili, s. h. (2016). flipped classroom research and trends from different fields of study. international review of research in open and distributed learning, 17(3). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v1 7i3.2274 zulaiha, s., & mulyono, h. (2020). exploring junior high school efl teachers’ training needs of assessment literacy. cogent education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.177294 3 zulaikah, z., nurwahidin, m., & yulianti, d. (2023). strategi pembelajaran flipped classroom untuk meningkatkan keterampilan civic disposition siswa. jurnal teknologi pendidikan jurnal penelitian dan pengembangan pembelajaran, 8(2), 318. https://doi.org/10.33394/jtp.v8i2.6444 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 39 efl students’ perception of ethical concerns on using chatgpt in academic writing arsen nahum pasaribu english literature study program, faculty of language and arts universitas hkbp nommensen, indonesia e-mail: arsen.pasaribu@uhn.ac.id sondang manik english literature study program, faculty of language and arts universitas hkbp nommensen, indonesia e-mail: sondan.manik@uhn.ac.id tiara kristina pasaribu english literature study program, faculty of language and arts universitas hkbp nommensen, indonesia e-mail: tiara.pasaribu@uhn.ac.id ruth olga sibagariang english literature study program, faculty of language and arts universitas hkbp nommensen, indonesia e-mail: ruth.sibagariang@student.uhn.ac.id yohana insani saragih english literature study program, faculty of language and arts universitas hkbp nommensen, indonesia e-mail: yohana.saragih22@student.uhn.ac.id apa citation: pasaribu, a. n., manik, s., pasaribu, t. k., & saragih, y. i. (2025). efl students’ perception of ethical concerns on using chatgpt in academic writing. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 39-46. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.11322 received: 29-10-2024 accepted: 27-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: in recent years, there has been an increased interest in the application of artificial intelligence (ai), namely chatgpt, for educational purposes. however, efl students' insights into the ethical use of chatgpt in academic writing remain unexplored. the purpose of this study is to reveal the efl students' perspectives on the ethical use of chat gpt in academic writing. data were obtained from 54 efl students who have taken academic writing course by using a likert scale questionnaire, with a focus on ethical issues such as plagiarism, academic integrity, over-reliance on chatgpt, data biases, and unclear guidelines. the responses to the likert scale were statistically analyzed. the findings reveal that the majority of the students were concerned about the ethical use of chatgpt, particularly plagiarism and over-reliance, though a small number remain unaware of these issues. the study recommends lecturers or teachers should focus on helping students understand the ethical concerns related to the application of chatgpt, and its clear guidelines for academic writing. keywords: academic writing; chatgpt; efl students’ perception; ethical concern. introduction learning academic writing is essential for students because it can improve students’ critical thinking, reasoning, and the ability to combine complex ideas. it also supports students to express their thoughts clearly, create well-structured arguments, and back up their ideas with evidence (tahira et al., 2019 ). these skills will improve, and prepare students for future studies or careers (castillo-martinez & ramirez-montoya, 2021; chan, 2023). in other words, without these skills, students may find it hard to share their ideas or understand academic texts, which can make it difficult to succeed in their studies and even their future careers. when learning english academic writing, efl (english as a foreign language) students frequently encounter numerous challenges (aldabbus & almansouri, 2022; mustafa et al., 2022; pasaribu, 2022). a common problem is a limited vocabulary, which makes it hard for them to express their ideas clearly and formally. mailto:arsen.pasaribu@uhn.ac.id mailto:sondan.manik@uhn.ac.id mailto:tiara.pasaribu@uhn.ac.id mailto:ruth.sibagariang@student.uhn.ac.id mailto:yohana.saragih22@student.uhn.ac.id arsen nahum pasaribu, sondang manik, tiara kristina pasaribu, ruth olga sibagariang, & yohana insani saragih efl students’ perception of ethical concerns on using chatgpt in academic writing 40 grammar and sentence structure are also perplexing because academic writing requires accuracy and following complex rules (li & akram, 2024; nenotek et al., 2022) students may find it hard to understand how to organize essays, use citations, and keep the right tone. cultural differences can add to the struggle, as they may not be used to the critical thinking and argument styles expected in english. limited exposure to academic texts and lack of feedback from teachers also slow their progress. to help efl students succeed, they need proper support, practice, and resources designed to meet their learning needs. accordingly efl students use different strategies to overcome challenges in academic writing (taye & mengesha, 2024; riadil et al., 2023). one strategy the students use is by improving their vocabulary through reading academic materials, using learning aids, such as flashcard. this strategy can improve students’ academic writing. other strategy is by focusing on grammar and sentence structure by studying grammar books, doing exercises, and getting feedback from teachers or classmates. this strategy also significantly improve students’ writing skills. furthermore, they may attend workshops or watch online tutorials to improve their writing skills. working with peers, such as in study groups or by sharing drafts for feedback, also helps improve their skills. by practicing these strategies, efl students gradually build their confidence and ability in academic writing. a current helpful method for efl students to handle academic writing problems is by using ai tools like chatgpt (al-sofi, 2024; song & song, 2023). these tools can give instant assistance, making it easier for students to improve grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary. with ai, students also can get quick feedback on their writing, helping them spot and fix errors. ai tools can likewise explain complex academic rules, such as organizing essays, using citations, and writing in a formal style. furthermore, chatgpt can also provide examples, suggest better wording, or clarify grammar points, making it a great learning tool. besides, the benefits mentioned above, these tools are easy to use and let students practice at their own speed. while ai tools like chatgpt offer valuable support for efl students in academic writing, they also raise concerns about ethical use (malik et al., 2024; perkins, 2023; farhi et al., 2023; huallpa et al., 2023; jarrah et al., 2023). one of the ethical issues is students rely too heavily on chatgpt in academic writing. they struggle to balance using chatgpt for learning purposes while ensuring their work remains original and reflects their skills. furthermore, they might lack clear guidelines from teachers or lecturers on the appropriate use of chatgpt, increasing confusion about its role in academic tasks. this ethical ambiguity can lead to hesitation or misuse, affecting students' confidence and development. research on learning academic writing often explores a variety of topics. some research are concerned with the challenges that students face, such as grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, and understanding academic conventions like citations and organization (li & akram, 2024; nenotek et al., 2022). some research are also concerned with the role of cultural differences in shaping writing styles and how students adapt to different academic norms (jessiman et al., 2022; hagenauer et al., 2023; grassini, 2023). while other topics are focused on the effectiveness of educational approaches such as feedback, peer cooperation, and writing workshops. research regarding the use of technology, such as ai tools and online platforms, to improve academic writing skills has gained traction. some studies examine students’ attitudes and motivation toward academic writing and the impact of these factors on performance. other concerns include the role of critical thinking, argumentation skills, and the transition from general to specific writing. current research on the use of ai in academic writing, notably tools like chatgpt, focuses on their potential to enhance the writing process and increase student learning results (khalifa & albadawy, 2024; song & song, 2023). however, ethical considerations, such as plagiarism, academic integrity, and the appropriate balance between ai support and students’ efforts, remain relatively unexplored, making them crucial to this research. using ai tools like chatgpt in academic writing raises a number of ethical considerations (valova et al., 2024; firat, 2023; guleria et al., 2023). first, plagiarism is a serious issue, as students may rely too heavily on ai-generated content and pass it off as their own. second, there are issues regarding academic integrity, as ai may provide shortcuts that impede the development of critical thinking and writing abilities. third, ai may lead to over-reliance, in which students become reliant on technology, limiting their capacity to independently organize ideas, reason critically, and create creative content. fourth, bias in ai models is a potential issue, since ai systems might repeat or amplify biases in training data, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 41 resulting in inaccurate or unbalanced academic output. finally, the lack of clear criteria on appropriate ai usage leads to confusion, with students unaware of how much assistance is permissible without breaking ethical standards. addressing these problems necessitates clear ethical rules and a balanced usage of ai in academic writing. method the study used a quantitative approach. a questionnaire was used as the primary tool for data collection, ensuring that responses could be measured numerically. the study sought to determine efl students’ insights into chatgpt as a writing tool in academic writing. the research’s data collection process includes using a google form to deliver a questionnaire with five questions intended to investigate students’ ethical opinions regarding the use of chatgpt in academic writing. the questions focused on five aspects of ethical concerns on the application of chat gpt in academic writing, such as plagiarism, academic integrity, the overreliance on chatgpt, bias, and the unclear guidance of using chatgpt. each question offered respondents a range of options, typically from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree,” allowing them to express the intensity of their opinions. the likert scale format (as shown in this link:https://forms.gle/8xt9ccrrzbbbakg38) ensured that the responses were easy to quantify, enabling researchers to identify trends and measure the overall sentiment. by concentrating on ethical concerns, the questionnaire acquired key insights into how students perceive the appropriate use of chatgpt and its possible risks. this structured approach provided a clear and detailed understanding of students’ attitudes, forming the basis for data analysis and interpretation. the research involved 54 students from the english department of a private university in medan, all of whom have studied academic writing course in the fifth semester. the demographic status of participants consist of 41 females and 13 males. these participants were purposively selected to explore their perceptions of ethical concerns related to using chatgpt in academic writing. as students actively engaged in developing their academic writing skills, they provided valuable insights into how chatgpt tools influence their work. the purpose of the survey was to find out how they perceive about topics like academic integrity, plagiarism, and the proper usage of ai to help with tasks. by focusing on this specific group, the research captured data relevant to students directly impacted by academic writing challenges and chatgpt. the data analysis was conducted through google form sheet and manual statistic formula. the data analysis focused on students’ ethical concerns about using chatgpt in academic writing. first, the analysis highlighted that plagiarism was a significant issue, with students expressing concerns about over-reliance on aigenerated content, potentially claiming it as their own work. second, academic integrity emerged as another critical concern, with participants noting that ai tools could provide shortcuts that hinder the development of essential skills like critical thinking and independent writing. third, the risk of over-reliance on ai was evident, as students worried about becoming dependent on technology, reducing their ability to organize ideas, think critically, and create original content. fourth, bias in ai models was identified as a potential problem, where ai might reflect or amplify existing biases in its training data, affecting accuracy. lastly, the lack of clear guidelines on appropriate ai usage caused confusion, leaving students uncertain about ethical boundaries. results and discussion the issue of plagiarism there are major plagiarism concerns when students utilize chatgpt for academic writing, as it enables the creation of text that may be submitted as original work without proper acknowledgment. this behavior compromises plagiarism and diminishes the value of authentic intellectual contributions. additionally, the challenge of differentiating between original and ai-generated work complicates fair grading for educators. the table below presents students’ perspectives. table 1. the issue of plagiarism in using chatgpt in academic writing interval category frequency percentage 21-25 strongly agree 9 16.7% 16-20 agree 33 61.1% 11-15 neutral 10 18.5% 6-10 disagree 2 3.7% 1-5 strongly disagree 0 0% total 54 100% arsen nahum pasaribu, sondang manik, tiara kristina pasaribu, ruth olga sibagariang, & yohana insani saragih efl students’ perception of ethical concerns on using chatgpt in academic writing 42 table 1 indicates that the majority of students (61.1%) agree that using chatgpt in academic writing can result in plagiarism. additionally, 18.5% of students, representing 10 individuals, hold a neutral stance on this issue. a smaller group, comprising 16.7% or 9 students, strongly agrees that chatgpt contributes to plagiarism in academic contexts. only 3.7%, equivalent to 2 students, disagree with this perspective. these findings highlight a significant consensus among students regarding the potential for plagiarism when employing chatgpt in academic writing. the issue of plagiarism has also been highlighted by some scholars in their research. jarrah et al., 2023 and malik et al., 2024 emphasized that chatgpt can serve as a useful tool for writing, however it is vital to adopt responsible practices to maintain academic integrity and ethical usage. proper citation and acknowledgment of chatgpt’s contributions are key to preventing plagiarism and preserving the standards of scholarly writing. they further suggested that adhering to established citation guidelines allows authors to utilize chatgpt effectively while ensuring responsible and ethical application. similarly, cotton et al., 2024 confirm that chatgpt, as an ai tool, provides various advantages such as enhancing student engagement, fostering collaboration, and improving accessibility. they also highlight concerns about its impact on academic honesty and the potential for plagiarism. in conclusion, the issue of plagiarism is of paramount when using chatgpt, thus the teachers should address this issue when the students apply chatgpt in academic writing. the teachers must inform the students to avoid plagiarism when applying chatgpt. academic integrity the issue of academic integrity with chatgpt in student writing has become more imperative. as ai tools like chatgpt are easier to access, students may be tempted to use them for content creation instead of doing their own research and analysis. this can lead to academic integrity if the ai-generated text is passed off as their own work without giving credit. since students can quickly create text that looks original, it raises doubts about the truthfulness of their academic work. institutions need to make sure students use ai properly, focusing on honest practices like proper citations. by teaching academic honesty and setting clear rules for ai use, educators can help students maintain the integrity of their work while using these helpful tools. table 2 below shows students' views on how using chatgpt in academic writing can weaken academic integrity by offering shortcuts that bypass the need for critical thinking and personal effort. table 2. the issue of academic integrity interval category frequency percentage 21-25 strongly agree 2 3.7% 16-20 agree 28 51.9% 11-15 neutral 20 37% 6-10 disagree 4 7.4% 1-5 strongly disagree 0 0% total 54 100% table 2 presents students' perspectives on the implications of using ai, such as chatgpt, for academic integrity in academic writing. the survey results indicate that a majority of students (51.9%) agree, with an additional 3.7% strongly agreeing, that the use of ai can undermine academic integrity. conversely, approximately 37% of students express a neutral stance on the matter, while only 7.4% disagree with this viewpoint. the findings are in line with the concern of some scholars investigating the application of the chatgpt in writing. (mijwil et al., 2023) highlight that chatgpt serves as a versatile tool capable of generating text in various formats, performing literature searches, and proposing titles for written work. however, relying on chatgpt to choose topics with low similarity scores in plagiarism detection tools could result in ethical breaches. the study emphasizes that the use of ai applications in academic research raises concerns about academic ethics, compounded by the limited availability of effective technologies to detect such violations, which presents a notable challenge for academic writing. perkins (2023) emphasizes concerns regarding academic integrity associated with the use of chatgpt for educational purposes. he highlights the tool's capability to generate original and coherent text that can evade detection by current technological methods and trained academic staff, presenting a significant challenge to maintaining academic integrity. perkins concludes that the determination of plagiarism or a breach of academic integrity is not inherently tied to a student's use of ai tools but rather to whether their usage is transparently disclosed. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 43 over-reliance on chat gpt or ai students who rely profoundly on chatgpt for academic writing may experience a decline in their ability to independently organize ideas and think critically. this dependency can lead to a diminished engagement with the essential processes of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation required for academic success. by outsourcing the creation of coherent arguments and structured content to ai, students may miss the opportunity to practice these cognitive skills. over time, this reliance may hinder their ability to construct logical narratives, assess the validity of sources, and develop original ideas. critical thinking, a cornerstone of academic and professional growth, is cultivated through active problem-solving and reflection, which may be undermined when students depend on ai-generated content. furthermore, this practice can foster a superficial understanding of topics, as students might prioritize completing assignments over truly engaging with the material, ultimately compromising their intellectual development and academic integrity. table 3 illustrates students' perspectives on whether they are overly reliant on chatgpt for academic writing. table 3. the issue of over-reliance on aigenerated content interval category frequency percentage 21-25 strongly agree 7 13% 16-20 agree 22 40.7% 11-15 neutral 16 29.6% 6-10 disagree 8 14.8% 1-5 strongly disagree 1 1.9% total 54 100% table 3 highlights the issue of excessive reliance on chatgpt in academic writing. the survey results reveal that a significant proportion of students (40.7%) agree, with an additional 13% strongly agreeing, that the use of ai in academic writing can lead to over-reliance on chatgpt. in contrast, about 29.6% of students remain neutral on the matter, while 14.8% disagree and 1.9% strongly disagree with this perspective. the findings have also raised significant concern among scholars (farhi et al., 2023; alsofi, 2024). they noted that students are increasingly dependent on ai tools such as chatgpt for educational tasks, particularly academic writing. these tools aid in content generation, idea organization, and the production of well-structured texts, often streamlining the completion of assignments by saving time and effort. however, while these tools enhance efficiency and offer learning support, they may also reduce students’ involvement in essential cognitive processes, such as independent thinking, analytical reasoning, and creativity. therefore, the implication of the results suggest the teachers or lecturers be aware of this issue and they should address it at any time students apply ai or chatgpt in academic writing. bias in ai model using chatgpt in academic writing raises concerns about biased responses, which may come from the data it was trained on. chatgpt learns from large amounts of publicly available data, which can include biases, stereotypes, or inaccuracies. as a result, the content it generates might reflect these biases, leading to incorrect or one-sided information. in academic writing, where accuracy and fairness are important, such biases can weaken the quality and credibility of the work. students might unknowingly use aigenerated content that includes these biases, affecting their writing. this emphasizes the need to carefully check ai-generated material and compare it with trusted sources to maintain academic integrity and factual accuracy. relying too much on ai without this caution may result in spreading incorrect or biased information. table 4 shows the students’ perceptions on the issue of bias concern using the data revealed by chatgpt. table 4. the issue of bias in ai model interval category frequency percentage 21-25 strongly agree 5 9.3% 16-20 agree 25 46.3% 11-15 neutral 20 37% 6-10 disagree 3 5.6% 1-5 strongly disagree 1 1.9% total 54 100% table 4 highlights concerns about biased responses from chatgpt in academic writing. the survey results show that a notable percentage of students (46.3%) agree, with 9.3% strongly agreeing, that using ai in academic writing can lead to biased information. on the other hand, around 37% of students express a neutral opinion, while 5.6% disagree and 1.9% strongly disagree with this view. the issue of biased data or information generated by ai, particularly through tools like chatgpt, has been extensively discussed by several scholars, including ray (2023), rozado, arsen nahum pasaribu, sondang manik, tiara kristina pasaribu, ruth olga sibagariang, & yohana insani saragih efl students’ perception of ethical concerns on using chatgpt in academic writing 44 rozado (2023), duncan & mcculloh (2023). these researchers agree that biased information is frequently produced by ai models, a consequence of the data on which these models are trained. they highlight that such biases can manifest in various forms, affecting the accuracy and objectivity of the content generated. given this, the scholars stress the importance for students who use chatgpt to be aware of these potential biases and exercise caution when incorporating ai-generated content into their academic work. by doing so, students can ensure that their work remains credible, accurate, and free from unintentional misinformation. this growing concern calls for a more critical and thoughtful approach to the use of ai in academic contexts, where the integrity of the content is paramount. the lack of clear guidelines the absence of clear guidelines on the use of chatgpt in academic writing has created significant confusion regarding what constitutes ethical use of the tool. while chatgpt can be a valuable resource for generating ideas and drafting content, there is little consensus on how it should be appropriately integrated into academic work. this lack of clarity leads to uncertainty about whether using ai-generated text is acceptable, and if so, to what extent. students and educators alike struggle to define boundaries between legitimate support and academic misconduct. for instance, it is unclear whether using chatgpt for brainstorming or content generation without proper attribution is considered plagiarism or ethical assistance. without explicit rules, students may inadvertently cross ethical lines, compromising academic integrity. this ambiguity emphasizes the need for institutions to develop clear policies on ai use, ensuring that students understand how to responsibly use tools like chatgpt while maintaining scholarly standards. table 5. the issue of lack of clear guidelines interval category frequency percentage 21-25 strongly agree 6 11.1% 16-20 agree 30 55.6% 11-15 neutral 18 33.3% 6-10 disagree 0 0% 1-5 strongly disagree 0 0% total 54 100% table 5 underscores concerns regarding the lack of clear guidelines for using chatgpt in academic writing. the survey results reveal that a significant proportion of students (55.6%) agree, with an additional 11.1% strongly agreeing, that the use of ai in academic writing can result in biased information. in contrast, approximately 33.3% of students remain neutral on the issue, while no students expressed disagreement or strong disagreement with this perspective. several scholars (oviedo-trespalacios et al., 2023; sallam, 2023; wang et al., 2023) have raised concerns about the lack of clear guidelines regarding the use of chatgpt in academic settings. they emphasize that the absence of defined rules creates confusion about what constitutes ethical use, potentially leading to misuse or unintentional breaches of academic integrity. this uncertainty highlights the need for universities and institutions to establish clear, consistent policies for ai tool usage. the novelty of the research lies in its exploration of students' ethical concerns regarding chatgpt use in academic writing. the results indicate that english as a foreign language (efl) students who have participated in academic writing courses have expressed significant concerns regarding the ethical use of chatgpt in academic writing. these students appear to recognize the potential ethical issues related to relying on ai-generated content, such as plagiarism or academic dishonesty. as highlighted by albayati (2024), eke (2023) and rosyanafi et al., (2023), there is a growing awareness among students regarding the ethical concerns associated with the use of chatgpt. despite growing awareness, a small number of students remain unaware of the ethical issues surrounding the use of chatgpt in academic writing. these students may not fully recognize the risks of plagiarism, bias, or academic dishonesty associated with relying on ai tools, highlighting the need for further education on these matters (yu, 2023; rosyanafi et al., 2023). their concerns reflect an awareness of the importance of maintaining academic integrity while using ai tools like chatgpt, highlighting the need for clearer guidelines and ethical standards in academic settings (mijwil et al., 2023; oviedo-trespalacios et al., 2023; perkins, 2023; sallam, 2023). these findings suggest that students in academic writing courses are more attuned to the ethical implications of ai use in academic writing. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 45 conclusion this study has concluded that the majority of students are aware of the ethical concerns associated with chatgpt, although a small portion remains either unaware or uncertain about these issues. they agreed that the practice of chatgpt in academic writing has led to violation in ethical concerns, such as plagiarism and academic ethics. these findings, therefore, is essential for students to receive further education on the ethical implications of using chatgpt in academic writing. additionally, establishing clear guidelines for the use of ai tools, such as chatgpt, is necessary to mitigate ethical concerns and ensure proper academic practices. the findings of this study have implications for both theory and practice. theoretically, the research highlights the need for more focus on ethical guidelines for ai tools like chatgpt in academic contexts. it shows that students' understanding of ai in academic writing is complex, pointing out gaps in existing theories of academic integrity. practically, the study suggests that ethical education about ai should be included in academic programs. universities and teachers should focus on helping students understand the ethical issues related to ai, such as plagiarism, academic integrity, and etc. in addition, clear guidelines for using ai in academic writing should be established to support academic integrity and encourage responsible use of ai or chatgpt. acknowledgment the researchers are grateful to universitas hkbp nommensen for providing the research grant, which was organized through the institute for research and community service. the researchers would also like to express the deepest gratitude to the reviewers of the article. references al-sofi, b. b. m. a. (2024). artificial intelligencepowered tools and academic writing: to use or not to use chatgpt. saudi journal of language studies, 4(3), 145–161. https://doi.org/10.1108/sjls-06-2024-0029 albayati, h. (2024). investigating undergraduate students’ perceptions and awareness of using chatgpt as a regular assistance tool: a user acceptance perspective study. computers and education: artificial intelligence, 6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100203 aldabbus, s., & almansouri, e. (2022). academic writing difficulties encountered by university efl learners. british journal of english linguistics 10(1), 1-14 https://www.eajournals.org/ castillo-martinez, i. m., & ramirez-montoya, m. s. (2021). research competencies to develop academic reading and writing: a systematic literature review. frontiers in education, 5(1), 1–12. chan, c. k. y. (2023). a comprehensive ai policy education framework for university teaching and learning. international journal of educational teachnology in higher education, 20(38), 1–25. cotton, d. r. e., cotton, p. a., & shipway, j. r. (2024). chatting and cheating: ensuring academic integrity in the era of chatgpt. innovation in education and teaching international, 61(2), 228–239. duncan, c., & mcculloh, i. (2023). unmasking bias in chat gpt responses. proceedings of the 2023 ieee/acm international conference on advances in social networks analysis and mining, asonam 2023, 687–691. https://doi.org/10.1145/3625007.3627484 eke, d. o. (2023). chatgpt and the rise of generative ai: threat to academic integrity? journal of responsible technology, 13(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrt.2023.100060 farhi, f., jeljeli, r., aburezeq, i., dweikat, f. f., alshami, s. a., & slamene, r. (2023). analyzing the students’ views, concerns, and perceived ethics about chat gpt usage. computers and education: artificial intelligence 5(4), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2023.100180 firat, m. (2023). what chatgpt means for universities: perceptions of scholars and students. journal of applied learning and teaching, 6(1), 57–63. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2023.6.1.22 grassini, s. (2023). shaping the future of education: exploring the potential and consequence of ai and chatgpt in educational settings. education sciences, 13(692), 1–13. guleria, a., krishan, k., sharma, v., & kanchan, t. (2023). chatgpt: ethical concerns and challenges in academics and research. journal of infection in developing countries, 17(9), 1292–1299. https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.18738 hagenauer, g., muehlbacher, f., & ivanova, m. (2023). it’s where learning and teaching begins is this relationship rnsights on the teacherstudent relationship at university from the teachers’ perspective. higher education, 85(1), 819–835. huallpa, j. j., arocutipa, j. p. f., panduro, w. d., huete, l. c., & limo, f. a. f. (2023). exploring the ethical considerations of using chat gpt in university education. periodicals of engineering and natural sciences, 11(4), 105–115. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/37394 arsen nahum pasaribu, sondang manik, tiara kristina pasaribu, ruth olga sibagariang, & yohana insani saragih efl students’ perception of ethical concerns on using chatgpt in academic writing 46 9976 jarrah, a. m., wardat, y., & fidalgo, p. (2023). using chatgpt in academic writing is (not) a form of plagiarism: what does the literature say? online journal of communication and media technologies, 13(4), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/13572 jessiman, p., kidger, j., spencer, l., geijer-simpson, e., kaluzeviciute, g., burn, a.-m., leonard, n., & limmer, m. (2022). school culture and students mental health: a qualitative study in uk secondary schools. bmc public health, 22(619), 1–18. khalifa, m., & albadawy, m. (2024). using artificial intelligence in academic writing and research: an essential productivity tool. computer methods and programs in biomedicine update (vol. 5, pp. 1–11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmpbup.2024.100145 li, s., & akram, h. (2024). navigating pronounantecedent challenges: a study of esl academic writing errors. sage open, 84(4), 1–11. malik, m. a., amjad, a. i., aslam, s., & fakhrou, a. (2024). global insights: chatgpt’s influence on academic and research writing, creativity, and plagiarism policies. frontier in research metrics and analytics, 80(4), 1–12. mijwil, m. m., hiran, k. k., doshi, r., dadhich, m., al-mistarehi, a.-h., & bala, i. (2023). chatgpt and the future of academic integrity in the artificial intelligence era: a new frontier. alsalam journal for engineering and technology, 2(2), 116–127. https://doi.org/10.55145/ajest.2023.02.02.015 mustafa, a., noor arbab, a., & ahmed el sayed, a. (2022). difficulties in academic writing in english as a second/foreign language from the perspective of undergraduate students in higher education institutions in oman. arab world english journal, 13(3), 41–53. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol13no3.3 nenotek, s. a., tlonaen, z. a., & manubulu, h. a. (2022). exploring university students’ difficulties in writing english academic essay. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 14(1), 909– 920. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v14i1.1352 oviedo-trespalacios, o., peden, a. e., cole-hunter, t., costantini, a., haghani, m., rod, j. e., kelly, s., torkamaan, h., tariq, a., david albert newton, j., gallagher, t., steinert, s., filtness, a. j., & reniers, g. (2023). the risks of using chatgpt to obtain common safetyrelated information and advice. safety science, 167(2), 1-15 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2023.106244 pasaribu, a. n. (2022). ideational metaphor analysis on efl students’ academic writing. journal of language teaching and research, 13(4), 891– 896. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1304.22 perkins, m. (2023). academic integrity considerations of ai large language models in the postpandemic era: chatgpt and beyond. journal of university teaching and learning practice, 20(2), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.53761/1.20.02.07 ray, p. p. (2023). chatgpt: a comprehensive review on background, applications, key challenges, bias, ethics, limitations and future scope. in internet of things and cyber-physical systems (vol. 3, pp. 121–154). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iotcps.2023.04.003 riadil, i. g., noor, a., rahman, i., & chonpracha, p. (2023). investigation efl learners’ difficulties and strategies in academic writing skill: a qualitative study. journal of english language pedagogy, 8(1), 66–76. rosyanafi, r. j., lestari, g. d., susilo, h., nusantara, w., nuraini, f., surabaya, u. n., & dahlan, u. a. (2023). jurnal kajian pendidikan dan hasil penelitian. in jurnal review pendidikan dasar, 9(3). http://journal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/pd rozado, d. (2023). the political biases of chatgpt. social sciences, 12(148), 1–8. sallam, m. (2023). chatgpt utility in healthcare education, research, and practice: systematic review on the promising perspectives and valid concerns. healthcare, 11(887), 1–20. song, c., & song, y. (2023). enhancing academic writing skills and motivation: assessing the efficacy of chatgpt in ai-assisted language learning for efl students. frontier in psychology, 14(4), 1–14. tahira, m., mehr, p., shah, a., & haider, g. (2019). the role of critical thinking in academic writing: an ivestigation of efl students’ perceptions and writing experiences. international online journal of primary education 8(1), 1-13. www.iojpe.orgorcid:https://orcid.org/00000001-9935-499x taye, t., & mengesha, m. (2024). identifying and analyzing common english writing challenges among regular undergraduate students. heliyon, 10(17), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36876 valova, i., mladenova, t., & kanev, g. (2024). students’ perception of chatgpt usage in education. international journal of advanced computer science and applications, 15(1), 466–473. https://doi.org/10.14569/ijacsa.2024.0150143 wang, c., liu, s., yang, h., guo, j., wu, y., & liu, j. (2023). ethical considerations of using chatgpt in health care. journal of medical internet research 25(2), 1-12. jmir publications inc. https://doi.org/10.2196/48009 yu, h. (2023). reflection on whether chatgpt should be banned by academa from the perpective of education and teaching. frontier in psychology, 11(81), 1–12. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1063 vark learning styles and social media usage in efl contexts: insights from tertiary-level students bima eza saputra department of language education, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya, indonesia email: bimaezas@student.ub.ac.id dian novita dewi department of language education, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya, indonesia email: diannovita@student.ub.ac.id apa scitation: saputra, b. e., & dewi, d. n. (2024). vark learning styles and social media usage in efl contexts: insights from tertiary-level students. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1063-1072. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10783 received: 08-06-2024 accepted: 27-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 abstract: the integration of social media into efl learning has become increasingly popular, fostering greater student engagement, collaboration, resource innovation, and personalized learning experiences. this study examines the usage patterns of social media and their alignment with vark (visual, auditory, read/write, kinesthetic) learning style among tertiary-level efl students in the english language education study program at universitas brawijaya. utilizing a quantitative survey design, data were gathered from 100 undergraduate students of the 2023 cohort, all of whom had used social media for efl learning for over a year. analysis through statistical package for the social sciences (spss) and microsoft excel revealed that audiobased platforms, such as those featuring english songs and podcasts, are particularly favored by auditory, kinesthetic, and auditory-kinesthetic learners. youtube emerged as the most preferred platform, with the highest mean score (3.64), selected by 31% of respondents. however, the findings indicate that students' social media preferences for efl learning do not always align with their individual learning styles, suggesting a disconnect between preferred platforms and learning modalities. the study underscores the importance of selecting appropriate social media platforms tailored to diverse learning preferences in efl education. these findings can guide educators in designing more effective efl teaching strategies, leveraging the potential of social media to meet varying learner needs. keywords: efl learning, social media; vark learning style; preference. introduction today, integrating social media while providing personalized and customized learning experiences is crucial for both academic and practical reasons (shemsack, 2020). this approach, known as social media open educational resources (sm-oers), leverages the interactive and collaborative aspects of social media to enhance learner engagement, collaboration, and personalized learning. social media has equipped efl teachers with accessible instructional materials and course content sources, while also encouraging collaborative learning in the efl classroom (ghimire, 2022). it is also known that social media offers learning tools that make teachers' tasks easier than those of conventional media. kaplan and haenlein (2010) describe social media as a collection of internet-based platforms built on web 2.0 technologies that allow for the creation and exchange of user-generated content, while also encouraging social engagement through scalable and widely available communication mechanisms. they categorize social media into different types based on social presence and media richness, including blogs, content communities, social networking sites, virtual game worlds, and virtual social worlds. these platforms offer diverse forms of content, enabling efl students to engage with materials in ways that suit their individual learning preferences. some students may prefer visual content on platforms like youtube and instagram, while others may enjoy practicing dialogues from tiktok videos. these varying content formats allow students to absorb information differently, depending on their preferred sensory input. as a result, social media plays a significant role in shaping how students process information, tailoring their learning experiences to align with their personal preferences (soetan et al., 2020). bima eza saputra & dian novita dewi vark learning styles and social media usage in efl contexts: insights from tertiary-level students 1064 on the other hand, the implementation of social media is not yet optimally utilized in the classroom. khaerunnisa et al. (2023) stated that most english teachers rely on basic features of a limited subset of software rather than more advanced information and communications technology (ict) tools and basic social media functions. this suggests poor preparedness and limited abilities in integrating social media features optimally to enhance learning experiences. additionally, although social media offers various educational materials which might align with individual learning styles, the optimal impact may not be realized if the features are not utilized to their full capacity (arniza, 2024). in addition to the underutilization of social media features, the relationship between social media use and learning styles—how students perceive, process, and retain information— remains understudied. while previous research has primarily focused on social media’s impact on classroom teaching and specific efl skills, such as its effects on students’ reading comprehension (yanti et al., 2020; sadha et al., 2023; hussain et al., 2021), writing skills (shahzadi & kausar, 2020; purnama, 2024), speaking skills (mujayanah et al., 2024; manogaran & sulaiman, 2022), and vocabulary skills (helan & tamilarasan, 2022; rita & subekti, 2023), little attention has been given to how social media might cater to students’ diverse learning preferences. hence, this study aims to address this gap by exploring how efl students with different learning styles (visual, auditory, read/write, kinesthetic) respond to and engage with various forms of content and features on social media. one widely used learning style model in indonesian classrooms is the vark model, developed by fleming and mills (1992). this model categorizes learning styles into four types: visual, auditory, read/write, and kinesthetic. visual learners excel with diagrams, charts, and visual representations of content. auditory learners thrive when exposed to spoken information, such as lectures or discussions. read/write learners prefer to engage with written text, gaining a deeper understanding from reading and writing. kinesthetic learners, on the other hand, learn best through hands-on activities that integrate realworld experiences and practical applications. by recognizing these different learning styles, educators can create more effective and personalized learning experiences. aligning instructional strategies with students' preferred ways of learning helps to not only improve academic performance but also fosters deeper engagement with the material (marzulina et al., 2019). in today's digital landscape, where social media offers a range of content tailored to different sensory inputs, understanding these learning preferences becomes even more essential for optimizing the efl learning experience. based on the background of the study, the primary motivation is to discover how efl students in tertiary education with diverse learning styles respond to and view different content forms and features from social media. kenanoğlu and kahyaoğlu (2024) researched the relationship between kolb's model of learning styles and social network use, revealing that students primarily use facebook, youtube, twitter, and google plus for activities like sharing photos, making friends, sharing videos, and playing games. they also found that students with different learning styles (assimilative, accommodative, converging, and diverging) tend to prefer different social networks and purposes, though these differences were not statistically significant. in addition, they suggested employing other learning style models in the same area of study, such as the vark model, to examine the connection with social media use. this study will take that suggestion to explore the topic in greater depth. on the other hand, soetan et al. (2020) discovered that social media usage influences learning styles, though there was no significant gender difference in this influence. meanwhile, almodiel and lacaste (2020) examined the correlation between individual learning styles and social media use for online learning management. they found that students viewed facebook groups as user-friendly and beneficial for learning, with verbal learners finding them particularly easy to navigate. in contrast, active and intuitive learners struggled to use facebook groups for learning purposes. hence, this study seeks to address the research question: how do visual, auditory, read/write, and kinesthetic learners view specific social media content and activities in efl learning? the findings of the study are expected to provide both practical and theoretical advantages. practically, it will enlighten efl teachers who wish to use social media or networking sites as teaching tools by helping them choose the best platforms, fostering more meaningful learning experiences for efl students when social media is utilized. moreover, it can enrich and equip efl teachers, specifically at the tertiary education level, to develop a comprehensive understanding of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1065 social media features and content so that all social media features can be utilized optimally. theoretically, this study will contribute to the literature focusing on learning styles and social media in efl, as well as providing relevant references for future research. method this research utilized a quantitative approach to explore the social media usage patterns and the learning styles of efl sophomore students in the english language education study program at universitas brawijaya. mohajan (2020) stated that the quantitative approach aids in addressing questions such as who is involved, what actions are taken, when these actions occur, where they occur, and to what extent. quantitative research encompasses various study designs, including experimental, correlational, and survey designs (creswell, 2012). hence, descriptive research in the form of a survey was employed for this study. the present study aimed to collect data on the social media usage patterns and learning styles of efl (english as a foreign language) students at a specific moment. to achieve this, the research employed a cross-sectional design. the sampling method used in this study was purposive sampling. the participants were sorted based on two criteria: sophomore students in the english language education study program at universitas brawijaya (2023 cohort) and individuals who have used social media applications for over a year. sophomore students were chosen due to their unique position as being in their early semesters, providing current insights into efl learning trends. additionally, as they have not experienced online learning during college, their engagement with social media for efl learning is expected to reflect present-day patterns in this context. however, there are several limitations and potential biases associated with the sampling and data collection methods. purposive sampling, while effective for targeting specific groups, may introduce selection bias as it does not allow for random sampling, limiting the generalizability of the results. the reliance on self-reported data through surveys could also result in response bias, where participants may overestimate or underestimate their social media usage. moreover, as the study only focuses on a single cohort from a single institution, the findings may not fully represent the broader population of efl students in other contexts or universities. this study employs two questionnaires as research instruments. the first is the vark learning style questionnaire, consisting of 16 multiple-choice questions where participants can select multiple answers. the reliability scores, as examined by leite et al. (2010), were .85 for visual, .82 for aural, .84 for read/write, and .77 for kinesthetic. the best-fitting model for the data was the correlated trait-correlated method, confirming reliability and initial validity. the second instrument is a social media usage patterns questionnaire, adapted from various studies (wardana, 2024; utimadini et al., 2015; cahyani et al., 2023; sagita, 2021; silalahi & pariyanto, 2021; laili, 2023). it assesses five dimensions: audio-, text-, visual-, action-based content, and preferred apps. a 4-point likert scale was used, with one question for the preferred apps. in a pilot study of ten students from the english language education study program at universitas brawijaya, cronbach's alpha results showed reliability: 0.64 (audio), 0.88 (text), 0.72 (visual), and 0.9 (action). pearson correlation analysis validated 23 items with a coefficient above 0.632. in the process, a hundred participants completed a google form questionnaire over approximately a month. the data obtained were subjected to both descriptive and inferential statistics. descriptive statistics, specifically percentages and means, were used. initially, participants assessed their learning style preferences through the first questionnaire and were grouped based on their preferences (visual, auditory, read/write, and kinesthetic). following this, their attitudes toward each social media application were measured. to analyze this, the mean score for all items was calculated to identify which item had the highest mean score within each dimension. each learning style was treated as a dimension. the collected data were coded and analyzed using spss 23.0 and microsoft excel. results and discussion percentage of distribution of respondents based on their learning style and gender the data were gathered, and the highest average score was identified to assess the gender and learning styles of all participants. the learning styles were categorized into four types: visual, auditory, read/write, and kinesthetic. however, combinations of two or three learning styles are also possible. bima eza saputra & dian novita dewi vark learning styles and social media usage in efl contexts: insights from tertiary-level students 1066 figure 1. percentage of distribution of respondents by gender figure 1 shows the gender distribution of the respondents: 23% were male, while 77% were female. table 1. percentage of distribution of respondents by learning style learning style frequency percent visual 5 5 auditory 16 16 read/write 12 12 kinesthetic 62 62 auditory kinesthetic 5 5 total 100 100 table 1 presents the percentage distribution of respondents based on their learning styles. it shows that the majority, 62%, were kinesthetic learners, followed by 16% auditory learners. additionally, 12% of respondents identified as read/write learners, while 5% were visual learners. some respondents also had combined learning styles, with 5% being auditory-kinesthetic. visual learners’ preference in using social media for efl learning after administering the vark learning style questionnaire, it was found that 5 out of 100 participants were identified as visual learners. the findings indicated that the items with the highest mean scores were the enjoyment when listening to english songs and analyzing new words to apply them in real-life situations, mainly using audiobased platforms. they also grasp the material more quickly through youtube videos, which helps them reduce the time needed to understand english concepts, and they find learning english through youtube more enjoyable. however, they selected a variety of social media applications as their favorites, including instagram, discord, twitter, tiktok, and youtube. auditory learners’ preference in using social media for efl learning out of 100 efl students, 16 were identified as auditory learners. according to the data, the highest mean score with a value of 3.94 was in enjoyment of improving their english proficiency by listening to english songs and podcasts. the second highest score was for reading english content in instagram feeds and stories and frequently use english in their bios, stories, comments, and captions, with a mean of 3.75. regarding their most favorite social media application in efl learning, six of them selected youtube as their preferred social media platform for learning english, followed by tiktok and twitter, which were equally popular, based on table 3. moreover, one of them also discovered a platform that was rarely mentioned before, ef, commonly known as the english first platform. read/write learners’ preference in using social media for english learning after evaluating 100 efl students at universitas brawijaya, it was found that 12 of them were read/write learners. most of these learners enjoy reading english posts in feeds and stories and frequently use english in their bios, stories, comments, and captions. they also like to create playlists with english songs that reflect their current mood. this preference is evident from the higher average scores for these activities compared to other items in the survey. besides, tiktok has the highest frequency among read/write learners, followed by youtube, twitter and instagram consecutively. in addition, only one person favors spotify for efl learning. kinesthetic learners’ preference in using social media for english learning out of 100 efl learners, 62 were identified as kinesthetic learners which is most of the participants are kinesthetic compared to the other learning styles. based on the result, they prefer improving their english by listening to songs and podcasts in english. the second highest mean value, 3.53, was for the enjoyment in reading english posts on instagram and frequently use english in their bios, stories, comments, and captions. in addition, youtube is discovered as the most popular social media platform for learning english, favored by 20 efl students. tiktok ranks second, selected by 13 respondents, while instagram takes third place, with 10 students choosing it. spotify follows with eight respondents, and twitter comes next with 6. other platforms like netflix, apple music, and unspecified websites were also chosen by a few respondents. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1067 auditory-kinesthetic learners’ preference in using social media for english learning after conducting the vark learning style questionnaire, which allows respondents to select multiple statements, it was observed that some individuals exhibit more than one learning style. in this study, five participants had equal preferences for auditory and kinesthetic learning styles. the highest mean score, 3.80, was recorded for the preference of enhancing their english skills by listening to english songs and podcasts. they also enjoy creating playlists with various english songs that match their mood or situation, which scored 3.60. these activities are categorized as audiobased. spotify and tiktok are the most favored social media apps for learning english, while only one respondent chose youtube. preferences of all participants regarding the use of social media for learning english data were collected to identify the highest mean score in order to evaluate the social media usage patterns and application preferences among efl students at the tertiary education level. social media usage was categorized based on content type: visual-based, audio-based, text-based, and action-experience-based. each category was further divided into specific applications and features. the visual-based category included instagram and youtube, while the audio-based category covered music and podcast features primarily used through platforms like youtube music and spotify. the text-based category included twitter and whatsapp, and the actionexperience-based category focused on tiktok. participants were also asked to select their preferred social media application for learning english. table 2. overall respondents’ preference in using social media for efl learning item mean std. deviation x1.1 when i listen to english podcasts, i love to analyze the structure of the sentences and imitate them in real situations. 2.95 .716 x1.2 i enjoy listening to english songs and podcasts to improve my english proficiency. 3.64 .659 x1.3 when i listen to english songs, i love to analyze the new words and use them in real situations. 3.41 .712 x1.4 i love to create a playlist which contains many english songs which represent my current condition. 3.38 .763 x2.1 i am an active twitter user. 2.43 1.191 x2.2 i enjoy posting my own tweets in english. 2.43 1.121 x2.3 i love reading and retweeting english tweets. 2.69 1.152 x2.4 i love giving replies to the english tweets that i read on twitter. 2.22 1.088 x2.5 i follow @englishfess_ and other english accounts to improve my english on twitter. 2.26 1.160 x2.6 i joined whatsapp group and like to use it for classroom discussions in english. 2.24 .922 x2.7 i am always enthusiastic about responding in english in the whatsapp group. 2.56 .880 x3.1 i understand the material better using videos from youtube, which shortens my time in understanding english materials. 3.28 .792 x3.2 i feel learning english is much more fun when watching different material delivered on youtube. 3.42 .727 x3.3 i follow several accounts that use english to communicate on instagram. 3.32 .863 x3.4 i enjoy reading english in feeds and stories on instagram and often use english in my bio, stories, comments, and captions. 3.52 .659 x4.1 i love using tiktok to improve my english skills. 3.10 1.020 x4.2 i love replying to english content on tiktok in the comments. 2.65 1.077 x4.3 i love continuing an english conversation with interactive content on tiktok. 2.80 1.092 table 2 presented all respondents' social media usage patterns, specifically for learning english. it highlighted that 100 participants prefer listening to english songs and podcasts to enhance their english proficiency (item x1.2), as indicated by the highest mean score of 3.64 compared to other items. this was followed by item x3.4, with a mean of 3.52, showing that respondents enjoy reading english in instagram feeds and stories and frequently use english in their bios, stories, comments, and captions. table 3. overall respondents’ preference of social media application for efl learning bima eza saputra & dian novita dewi vark learning styles and social media usage in efl contexts: insights from tertiary-level students 1068 social media application frequency percent % tiktok 23 23.0 youtube 31 31.0 twitter 12 12.0 spotify 12 12.0 instagram 15 15.0 others 7 7.0 total 100 100.0 table 3 presents the favorite social media platforms among all respondents, regardless of their learning styles. the data indicated that 31 out of 100 respondents preferred using youtube to learn english. tiktok came next, with 23 efl students favoring it for learning english. fifteen respondents chose instagram, while 12 respondents preferred both twitter and spotify. lastly, fewer respondents used other platforms like netflix, apple music, ef, discord and other websites. this study aims to explore the social media usage patterns and learning styles of efl students at the tertiary education level, specifically within the english language education program at universitas brawijaya. the research was conducted by distributing questionnaires to gather quantitative data. table 4. cumulative summary learning style preferred social media activity preferred social media app visual analyzing and practicing new words from songs watching youtube videos instagram, discord, twitter, tiktok, and youtube. read/write reading and writing english text on instagram tiktok auditory listening to songs and podcasts youtube kinesthetic youtube auditory kinesthetic spotify and tiktok table 4 reveals that visual learners enjoy analyzing and practicing new vocabulary from english songs and watching english videos on youtube. their app preferences varied, including those of instagram, discord, twitter, tiktok, and youtube. meanwhile, read/write learners tend to focus on reading and writing english content on instagram, with tiktok being their favored social media app. conversely, auditory, kinesthetic, and auditory-kinesthetic learners prefer listening to songs and podcasts. auditory and kinesthetic learners commonly use youtube, while auditorykinesthetic learners favor spotify and tiktok. this study examines the patterns of social media usage and learning styles among efl students in higher education. a total of 100 efl students from the english language education program, faculty of cultural studies at universitas brawijaya, participated in the research. data were collected through questionnaires to gather quantitative information, which was subsequently analyzed to determine whether students' social media usage patterns align with their learning styles. english songs and podcasts as tools in efl learning have become increasingly popular, particularly at the tertiary level. as shown in table 4, four of the five identified learning styles indicated that english songs are the most preferred learning activity. the findings indicate that the majority of efl students have a positive response towards learning through english songs and podcasts generally. this implies that incorporating these mediums can significantly enhance their engagement and overall learning experience (kumar et al, 2022; wusqo et al., 2024). english songs, with their rhythm, melody, and everyday language use, help students acquire new vocabulary and improve pronunciation specifically in college students (isnaini and aminatun, 2021). moreover, it has demonstrated that learning english through songs is enjoyable, engaging and effective in promoting cognitive development (wusqo et al., 2024). english songs also offer a convenient and accessible way to enhance listening, pronunciation, and vocabulary through various platforms (putri, 2023). similarly, podcasts offer authentic, real-world english, enabling students to improve their listening comprehension skills and exposure to diverse accents and topics. gunawan et al. (2023) found that podcasts help students maintain focus and introduce them to diverse and engaging topics in efl learning. additionally, podcasts provide efl learners with a flexible, reflective, and interactive learning environment (andersen & dau, 2021). based on these results, it is recommended that efl teachers, especially those at the tertiary education level, integrate english songs and podcasts into their curriculum. efl teachers can effectively integrate english songs and podcasts into their curriculum by aligning them with learning objectives, considering their motivational value, and contextualizing them within lessons (ghidhaoui, 2024). this approach not only makes learning more dynamic and enjoyable but also english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1069 aligns with students' interests, potentially leading to better retention and practical language usage. furthermore, the versatility of these resources allows for flexible learning, whether in a classroom setting or as supplementary materials for selfstudy, catering to different learning preferences and paces. although the most preferred activity of the respondents is listening to songs and podcasts, most of them choose youtube as their most preferred app to learn english. it is well known that youtube is a valuable classroom tool that enhances student engagement, fosters creativity, covers material comprehensively, and makes learning more enjoyable and worthwhile (abbas & qasim, 2020). moreover, youtube positively impacts efl learners' english proficiency by aiding vocabulary acquisition, enhancing engagement, improving comprehension, providing relevant materials, supporting note-taking, and developing both speaking and listening skills (tahmina, 2023). youtube is also known as an accessible and familiar social media platform for both teachers and students. not only in higher education, but youtube is also popular among efl teachers as early as elementary school, and even earlier. from that, it suggests that efl teachers can integrate both songs and podcasts using youtube in efl classrooms. students can search for english songs as well as their lyrics, watch english vlogs with subtitles, or even engage with other users. youtube is also often employed as a video task submission platform, allowing students to do peer reviews by leaving comments in the comment section. various channels are well known on youtube and are often utilized in efl classrooms, such as ted talks, bbc learn english, learn english with emma, etc. furthermore, the findings reveal that not all learning styles consistently align with students' preferred social media activities and applications. visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners showed alignment between their learning styles and social media activities. however, only the auditorykinesthetic learners demonstrated a match between their learning style and their preferred social media platforms. these results align with kenanoğlu & kahyaoğlu's (2024) study, which found no statistically significant difference between students' learning styles and their preference for social networks or the purposes for which they use them. this contrasts with soetan et al. (2020), which discovered that social media influences the learning styles of students in colleges of education based on a sample of 220 students. the implementation of discovering students' learning styles is crucial in education, particularly in efl contexts. whether they are visual, auditory, read/write or kinesthetic learners. in many indonesian schools, there may be regulations that require assessments of students' learning styles to tailor teaching methods accordingly. however, it is important to note that not all students will always adhere strictly to the learning style identified. some may perform better with different approaches depending on the subject matter, context, or mood. this highlights the need for flexibility in instructional strategies. the role of social media in efl learning is increasingly significant as it aligns with students' interests and current trends. by integrating social media applications into efl teaching, educators can create more engaging and relatable learning experiences. efl teachers can select social media platforms that are popular among their students— such as instagram, youtube, or tiktok—to enhance language learning. these platforms can provide opportunities for real-world communication, exposure to authentic language, and multimedia resources that cater to diverse learning preferences. however, it is not just about following trends; efl teachers must also ensure that the chosen social media tools align with the learning objectives. for example, if the goal is to improve students' listening and speaking skills, a platform like youtube, which offers a wide range of videos and audio content, might be more suitable. on the other hand, if the focus is on reading and writing, platforms like twitter or blogging websites could be more appropriate. the key is to strike a balance between leveraging students' preferred learning styles and using media that supports the specific language learning goals. conclusion in summary, the findings reveal that students from the 2023 english language education study program at universitas brawijaya favor audiobased applications, specifically songs and podcasts, as tools for english language learning. these platforms have proven to be highly effective in enhancing efl learning by increasing motivation and offering various benefits that extend beyond mere alignment with individual learning preferences. while students predominantly enjoy listening to songs and podcasts, youtube emerges as their preferred platform for english learning. bima eza saputra & dian novita dewi vark learning styles and social media usage in efl contexts: insights from tertiary-level students 1070 despite some alignment between learning styles and social media preferences, not all learning styles corresponded consistently with social media activities. this inconsistency emphasizes the importance of flexibility in instructional strategies to accommodate diverse learning preferences. ultimately, the integration of social media into efl teaching can create relatable and engaging experiences, provided that educators align chosen platforms with specific learning objectives. on top of the findings and results, this research has certain limitations. the distribution of learners across different learning styles is uneven; for instance, there are five visual learners compared to sixty-two kinesthetic learners. this imbalance may result in the voices and perceptions of the fewer respondents in specific learning styles being less prominent than those with a larger number of respondents. therefore, it is recommended that future research focus on one or more specific learning styles to better amplify and understand their perspectives. additionally, employing different methodological approaches, such as mixed methods or correlational, could lead to richer findings and insights. future studies might also consider exploring alternative learning style models, such as kolb’s model, gregorc learning model, hermann brain dominance, or other personality inventories. references abbas, n. f., & qassim, t. a. (2020). investigating the effectiveness of youtube as a learning tool among efl students at baghdad university. arab world english journal, 6, 344–356. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/call6.23 andersen, r. h., & dau, s. (2021). a review of podcasts as a learning medium in higher education. in c. busch, m. steinicke, r. frieß, & t. wendler (eds.), proceedings of the 20th european conference on e-learning, ecel 2021 (pp. 3441). academic conferences and publishing international. https://doi.org/10.34190/eel.21.021 arniza, a. e. (2024). revolutionizing learning: leveraging social media platforms for empowering open educational resources. international journal on e-learning and higher education, 19(1), 83–106. https://doi.org/10.24191/ijelhe.v19n1.1915 cahyani, d., putera, l. j., & susanti, n. w. m. (2023). the use of global english pare platform as a mobile learning resource to learn english vocabulary. jurnal ilmiah profesi pendidikan, 8(3), 1664–1670. https://doi.org/10.29303/jipp.v8i3.1580 creswell, john w. (2012). educational research— planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). boston: pearson education, inc. fleming, n. d., & mills, c. (1992). not another inventory, rather a catalyst for reflection. to improve the academy, 11(1), 137–155. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.23344822.1992.tb00213.x ghidhaoui, r. (2024). music to their ears? exploring hungarian efl teachers’ beliefs about the educational potentials of songs. the hungarian educational research journal. https://doi.org/10.1556/063.2024.00314 ghimire, s. p. (2022). secondary students’ learning english through social media: a case study in nepal. international journal of research in education and science, 8(3), 529–544. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijres.2758 gunawan, m. h., mandiri, i. c. p., suherdi, d., hanifa, e. s. d., & gunawan, a. p. (2023). exploring efl students’ perceptions of the use of podcasts/ted talks in extensive listening class. indonesian efl journal, 9(1), 43–52. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v9i1.7486 helan, i. c., & tamilarasan, p. (2022). the impact of social media platforms in enhancing vocabulary. journal of positive school psychology, 6(6), 1097–1101. https://journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/vi ew/7221 hussain, m., kubravi, s. u., & loan, f. a. (2021). use and impact of social networking sites on reading habits of college students. library philosophy and practice (e-journal). https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/5131 / isnaini, s., & aminatun, d. (2021). do you like listening to music?: students’ thought on their vocabulary mastery using english songs. journal of english language teaching and learning, 2(2), 62–67. https://doi.org/10.33365/jeltl.v2i2.901 kaplan, a. m., & haenlein, m. (2010). users of the world, unite! the challenges and opportunities of social media. business horizons, 53(1), 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003 kenanoğlu, r. (2024). an investigation on secondary education students’ learning styles and use of social networks. malaysian online journal of educational technology, 12(2), 67–77. https://doi.org/10.52380/mojet.2024.12.2.554 khaerunnisa, s. s., faryanis, i., aisy, a. r., & charisma, d. (2023). efl teachers’ obstacles towards ict integration in efl classroom context. indonesian efl journal, 9(1), 63-74. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v9i1.711 kumar, t., akhter, s., yunus, m. m., & shamsy, a. (2022). use of music and songs as pedagogical tools in teaching english as foreign language contexts. education research international, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1071 2022, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/3384067 laili, r. n. (2023). students perspectives on using tiktok videos as a medium for learning english. language and learner (lunar), 7(2), 39–56. https://doi.org/10.36526/ln.v7i2.3098 leite, w. l., svinicki, m., & shi, y. (2010). attempted validation of the scores of the vark: learning styles inventory with multitrait-multimethod confirmatory factor analysis models. educational and psychological measurement, 70, 323-339. manogaran, d., & sulaiman, n. a. (2022). systematic review: effectiveness of social media in improving speaking skills of esl learners. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 11(3), 737–752. marzulina, l., pitaloka, n. l., & yolanda, a. d. (2019). learning styles and english proficiency of undergraduate efl students at one state islamic university in sumatera, indonesia. edukasi: jurnal pendidikan dan pengajaran, 6(1), 214– 228. https://doi.org/10.19109/ejpp.v6i1.3203 mohajan, h. k. (2020). quantitative research: a successful investigation in natural and social sciences. journal of economic development, environment and people, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.26458/jedep.v9i4.679 mujayanah, s., maruf, n., & asari, s. (2023). exploring tiktok’s impact on enhancing speaking skills in language learning: a classroom action research. jet adi buana, 8(02), 123–136. https://doi.org/10.36456/jet.v8.n02.2023.8356 nadhiroh, u. (2023). the correlation between 7th grade junior high school students’ learning style and their first semester examination score. proceedings series on social sciences & humanities, 12, 333–342. https://doi.org/10.30595/pssh.v12i.817 purnama, i. g. a. v. (2024). the role of social media toward efl students’ writing skills. retorika: jurnal ilmu bahasa, 10(1), 58–65. https://doi.org/10.55637/jr.10.1.7184.58-65 putri, b. f. (2024). the influence of english song to improve english skills for students. journal of language education and development (jled), 6(1), 29–40. https://doi.org/10.52060/jled.v6i1.1541 rita, r., & subekti, a. s. (2023). tiktok and vocabulary learning: a survey study of indonesian students from english departments. pedagogy journal of english language teaching, 11(2), 202. https://doi.org/10.32332/joelt.v11i2.7866 sadha, m. s., novitri, n., & syarfi, m. (2023). the correlation between social media usage and reading ability of english department students at university. ideas journal on english language teaching and learning linguistics and literature, 10(2), 2201–2210. https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v10i2.3228 sagita, d. (2021). the effect of using youtube as a media in english language learning context: article. prosiding pekan ilmiah mahasiswa 2021, 1(1), 193–202. https://ejournal.unis.ac.id/index.php/pkim/artic le/view/1984/1252 shahzadi, a., & kausar, g. (2020). using social media to improve students’ english writing skills: a mixed method study. journal of research in social sciences (jrss), 8(1), 124–140. http://dx.doi.org/10.52015/jrss.8i1.71 shemshack, a., & spector, j. m. (2020). a systematic literature review of personalized learning terms. smart learning environments, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-020-00140-9 silalahi, p. v., & pariyanto, p. (2021). using whatsapp as an instructional tool to enhance reading and writing skills: indonesian efl learners’ perception. anaphora: journal of language, literary and cultural studies, 4(1), 79–86. https://doi.org/10.30996/anaphora.v4i1.5289 soetan, a. k., ololade, a. s., onojah, a. o., & aderogba, a. j. (2020). the influence of social media on learning style of students in colleges of education in kwara state, nigeria. indonesian journal of learning and instruction, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.25134/ijli.v3i1.3003 tahmina, t. (2023). students’ perception of the use of youtube in english language learning. journal of languages and language teaching, 11(1), 151. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v11i1.6883 utimadini, n. j., sudarsono, & salam, u. (2015). twitter as a learning media of english as a foreign language. jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran khatulistiwa (jppk), 4(10). http://jurnal.untan.ac.id/index.php/jpdpb/article/ view/11678/10982 wardana, m. (2024). efl students’ perception of using podcasts for learning speaking [bachelor’s degree thesis, universitas islam negeri syarif hidayatullah jakarta]. repository uin syarif hidayatullah. https://repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/handle/123 456789/76075 wusqo, u., wahab, a. a., & ferdiyanto, f. (2024). students’ perceptions of using english songs for listening skill. international journal of english education and linguistics (ijoeel), 6(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.33650/ijoeel.v6i1.8208 yanti, p. g., zabadi, f., & rahman, f. (2020). the effect of using social media towards students’ reading comprehension. retorika jurnal bahasa sastra dan pengajarannya, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.26858/retorika.v13i2.12987 bima eza saputra & dian novita dewi vark learning styles and social media usage in efl contexts: insights from tertiary-level students 1072 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 761 the impact of home literacy environment on the theme preferences in the novels by child authors ida zuraida supri1, ervina cm simatupang2, hendar3 1,2,3english department faculty of humanities, widyatama university, indonesia corresponding author: ida.zuraida@widyatama.ac.id apa citation: supri, i. z., simatupang, e. c. m., & hendar. (2025). the impact of home literacy environment on the theme preferences in the novels by child authors. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 761-768. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11478 received: 07-02-2025 accepted: 11-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 introduction stories are parts of children’s lives; be they read or being read by adults. many children’s stories are popular among children in indonesia, such as stories written by h. c andersen, a. a. milne, roald dahl, enid blyton, and other authors. folklore and legends are also popular readings amongst indonesian children. contemporary indonesian literature also give nuance to their reading repertoire. home literacy environment plays a fundamental role in the reading development of children, particularly in the early years, and that its influence is significant children (johnson at. al, 2024). within the family, language choices vary based on parent-child relationships and inherently connected to parental roles on language preferences, and usage (zuraida & simatupang, 2023). parental involvement, home literacy environment, socioeconomic status, and literary resources are some of the factors that positively influence language acquisition (mulenga &, beatrice, 2024). active home literacy environment enhance positive affective relationship between parents and children and improve children reading performance (marta at. al, 2023). smith & anderson (2024) researched that peer influence and social interactions among children impact their reading interests. reading a variety of genres helps children acquire text structures and language that they can transfer to their writing. reading provides children with prior knowledge that they can use in their stories. recent research by boyd & markarian (2020) show that children's interactions with their peers and the school environment contribute to their literary development. themes such as friendship, adventure, and school life are often reflected in children's writing due to their daily experiences in school settings. reutzel & clark abstract: children are naturally fond of stories that integrate meaning and humor yet engagingly deliver life principles and concepts. stories provide not only entertainment but also a means of learning about various habits, cultures, and arrays of human experiences. in recent years, a remarkable shift has occurred in which children, who were previously passive consumers of stories, have become active contributors as child authors. in bandung, the capital city of west java capital city, a national publisher has emerged as a facilitator for child authors, allowing them to publish their creative works. this platform has published 536 novels written by young minds over the last two decades under the brand kecil-kecil punya karya (kkpk). this paper seeks to investigate the theme and genre preferred by child authors for their novels and to what extent immediate social factors influence their writing and the topic preferences. this research may contribute valuable insights into the intersection of sociolinguistics, education, and societal influence by understanding the dynamics of child authorship. the results show that the themes preferred by the child authors are adventure and exploration, family and affection, friendship and mystery and problem-solving. immediate environment; family and school play a tremendous role in introducing, nurturing and developing early literacy routine to child authors that lead to positive productive literacy culture. keywords: home literacy environment; theme preference; child authors; stories; reading; writing. mailto:ida.zuraida@widyatama.ac.id ida zuraida supri, ervina cm simatupang, hendar the impact of home literacy environment on the theme preferences in the novels by child authors 762 (2020) argue that teachers' use of specific reading instruction strategies affects students' reading interest and motivation. luciana, at. al. (2020) assert that the most recurrent reading practices linger in variety of reading material and reading practices indicated by the children, role of the child-reader within the family environment, children’s perspective regarding genres and reading material. it was established that the children referred more to the reading material than to the genre, and this result is of higher significance in the planning of classroom literacy and reading practices, which are assessed by the end of the text. in line with fisher (2021) asserts that societal contexts, specifically, family dynamics and educational settings, influence the themes and genres chosen by young authors. children integrate their understanding of social issues into their writing often reflecting themes like family challenges, social justice, and community. kucirkova (2022) researched how family storytelling traditions and media consumption shape children's preferences for specific narratives and themes in their creative writing. children growing up in environments where stories are personalized or where media plays a significant role often incorporate similar personalization and media-driven themes in their stories. according to victoria (2022), children's literature can serve as a platform for discussing complex socio-political themes, thus enriching children's understanding of the world around themhighlights that stories contribute to understanding identity and sociopolitical issues, often serving as a medium for creativity and critical thinking. reading and writing are intertwined actitivies. early reading experience has a tremendous role in shaping children writing skills. bus & neuman (2020) argue that book reading with caregivers promotes early literacy skills, which are foundational for children's writing development. exposed to rich language and narrative structures during shared reading experiences, children enhanced their ability to structure their writing. home and school literacy practices, impact children's writing skills (barton, 2020). smith & (2021) argue that early literacy interventions and their effect on children's writing skills. sulzby & teale (2021) assert that early storytelling and book-reading experiences contribute to children's writing development. children engaging in storytelling and book reading at an early age demonstrate more advanced writing skills, particularly in narrative structure and vocabulary use. according to treiman & kessler (2021) early reading experiences allow children learn to write words. early literacy contribute to developing spelling and writing skills. while, whitehurst & lonigan (2022) demonstrates that early interventions aimed at improving reading skills also have a positive impact on children's writing abilities, particularly in terms of spelling, grammar, and composition. moreover, research by mulenga & beatrice (2024) shows that the home literacy environment influenced children’s oral language development. the study further sought to identify the factors within the home environment that supported development of oral language skills. writing and authorship are closely influenced by social factors. karin, at. al. (2022) state that children's authorship involves exploring precise language to invent stories, constructing themselves as subjects. it fosters imagination, memory, and cultural sharing, emphasizing the ethical-poetic dimension of narrative creation. yingzi & pingli (2023) who suggest that family literacy develop family education theories with chinese characteristics; strengthen departmental collaboration, government leadership, and participation of the entire society; build a "children and adults" literacy community, develop intergenerational projects, and shift the focus from children to families. children's authorship involves exploring precise language to invent stories, constructing themselves as subjects. it fosters imagination, memory, and cultural sharing, emphasizing the ethical-poetic dimension of narrative creation. social factors trigger literacy competence. recent research highlights the significant influence of immediate social factors, such as family and school, on the topic preferences of child authors in their novels. children's choices of themes and narratives are often shaped by their surroundings, including their interactions with family members and experiences at school. hoffman & paciga (2019) researched how classroom literacy activities, such as group discussions and book clubs, influence the themes children choose to explore in their writing. the research shows that children are likely to adopt themes related to cooperation, friendship, and moral dilemmas as a result of these activities. aram & aviram (2020) investigate the interactions with siblings and peers contribute to the development of children's writing skills and thematic choices. it reveals that children often reflect themes related to sibling rivalry, cooperation, and peer relationships in their stories, influenced by their real-life interactions. martinez & harmon (2020) researched on how family english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 763 literacy practices, including shared reading and storytelling, shape the thematic content of children's creative writing. the study finds that children from homes with strong literacy traditions tend to write about themes related to family, culture, and heritage. bishop (2021) reasearched children's exposure diverse social contexts through family, community, and school environments shapes the themes they explore in their writing. through collections of their reading children see themselves and their experiences reflected in the stories they read and write. therefore, by considering the parental and caregiver interactions, home and school environment on children's cognitive, affective, and linguistic development, this research aims to seek answers of the topic preferred by child author for their novels and to what extent immediate social factors influence their topic preferences in their novels. method this study adopted a mixed-method design of research, combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies to give both breadth and depth of understanding and evidence. (johnson & onwuegbuzie, 2019; creswell & creswell, 2021). in proportion to johnson and onwuegbuzie (2019) mixed research methods is employed to broaden and strengthen the conclusions drawn from the data. to gain nuanced insights into the thematic preference of child authors and their connection to sociolinguistic environments, gender, and age, this study adopts a qualitative research design. by employing in-depth content analysis, this reasearch aims to explore the rich and context-specific aspects of young authors' experiences and creative decisions (creswell & creswell, 2021). the target population for this research comprises child authors aged between 8 and 15 when published. puposive sampling is employed to 8 productive authors whose publications more than 4 novels. the total number of the novel is 45. the analysis will focus on identifying the gender of the authors, the themes, the genre of the novels, the immediate social factors influence their writing and theme preference. the data analysis phase will employ thematic analysis to uncover recurring themes and patterns in the content analysis of novels. a cross-case analysis will be conducted to compare and contrast thematic choices among different authors, shedding light on commonalities and variations related to theme and genre. data presentation and reporting will involve narrative descriptions of key findings. visual aids, such as thematic charts, will be used to enhance the clarity and accessibility of the findings. the study will acknowledge its limitations, such as the potential for subjective interpretation inherent in qualitative research. in the conclusion, this research will summarize key findings and discuss the theme, genre and authors environments. results and discussion the respondents in this study are prolific child authors, with a clear majority being female. out of the 8 authors surveyed, 7 are female, while only 1 is male, indicating a significant gender disparity in this group. the dominance of female authors among the respondents may suggest a greater inclination or encouragement for creative expression among the authors. figure 1. author sex this gender imbalance is a reflection of broader societal trends where girls are often encouraged to pursue literary and expressive arts and the availability of role models in literature that resonate more with female children. additionally, the presence of only one male author might indicate potential barriers that boys face in engaging with or being recognized in the field of child authorship, such as societal expectations or differing interests. figure 2. distributions of themes the themes identified in the works of the child authors are diverse, covering a wide-ranging of topics and ideas; adventure and exploration, family author male female 0 5 10 15 adventure and… family and affection friendship self-discovery and… fantasy and imagination mystery and problem-… themes ida zuraida supri, ervina cm simatupang, hendar the impact of home literacy environment on the theme preferences in the novels by child authors 764 and affection, friendship, self-discovery and personal growth, fantasy and imagination, mystery and problem-solving. the themes identified in the novels written by child authors are classified into six categories. this diversity may reflect the wideranging interests and experiences of the child authors, which could be influenced by their immediate environment; family, school, personal experiences, cultural backgrounds or the types of literature they are exposed to. parental involvement, the values upheld at home, and the types of stories shared within the family contribute to the themes children choose to explore in their writing. for instance, a supportive and nurturing family environment might inspire themes of love, trust, and personal growth in their stories. on the other hand, exposure to family challenges or societal issues may lead children to explore more complex or darker themes.the breakdown of themes is as follows: (1) adventure and exploration: 13 novels (28.9%) (2) family and affection: 11 novels (24.4%) (3) friendship: 6 novels (13.3%) (4) self-discovery and personal growth: 4 novels (8.9%) (5) fantasy and imagination: 5 novels (11.1%) (6) mystery and problem-solving: 6 novels (13.3%) based on the 45 titles of the novels, we can infer several recurring themes and genres that characterize the novels written by these child authors. the themes can be categorized to six themes. below is the detailed conclusion with elaboration of the themes: adventure and exploration. titles like "powerful girls," "let’s go, fatimah," "si juki dan peti ajaib," "petualangan di kota terapung," and "petualangan di hutan hantu" suggest a strong focus on adventure. these titles imply stories where the characters embark on thrilling journeys, face challenges, and discover new worlds, whether in real-life settings or fantasy realms. family and affection. titles such as "kado untuk ummi," "ibuku chayank, muach!," "safe secret deposit box," "permen-permen cinta untukmu," "satu hari tanpa bunda," and "pancake untuk bunda" highlight the importance of family, particularly the bond between children and their mothers. these stories likely explore themes of love, care, and the significance of familial relationships. friendship. "kisah 3 sahabat," "kisah persahabatan fairy twins," "virtual best friend," and "kompetisi detektif cilik" emphasize the theme of friendship. these titles suggest stories centered around the dynamics of friendship, teamwork, and the challenges and joys of maintaining close bonds with peers. self-discovery and personal growth. titles like "2 of me," "introvert vs ekstrovert," and "waktu berhenti di masa depan" indicate themes of selfdiscovery, identity, and personal growth. these novels likely delve into the inner worlds of the characters, exploring their struggles with identity, personality, and their place in the world. fantasy and imagination. titles such as "my fantasy world," "rahasia hutan ajaib," "planet aneh di galaksi biru," and "unicorn party" reflect a strong inclination towards fantasy and imaginative worlds. these novels probably transport readers to magical realms, filled with mythical creatures, enchanted forests, and extraordinary adventures. mystery and problem-solving. titles like "misteri denting jam tua," "misteri ruangan tersembunyi," and "fake account" suggest mystery and detective elements. these stories likely revolve around uncovering secrets, solving puzzles, and addressing complex problems. in terms of the genre, the 45 novel titles are identified to have several recurring genres that define the works of these child authors. the genre can be grouped into 4 distinct categories. figure 3. genre here is a detailed conclusion with further elaboration: adventure/fantasy. a significant portion of the titles suggests that these novels belong to the adventure/fantasy fiction genre (25%), novels like, petualangan nana si peri kecil and let’s go, fatimah. characters often undertake quests, face obstacles, and embark on thrilling journeys, making this genre highly engaging for young readers. the prevalence of titles with fantastical elements, such as "planet aneh di galaksi biru" and "my fantasy world," points to a strong fantasy genre influence. this genre allows for creative 16 11 10 8 adventure/fantasy family and relationship fiction mystery and detective fiction science fiction genre of the novels english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 765 storytelling, where the limits of reality are pushed, and imagination takes center stage. family and relationship fiction. titles focusing on family and relationships indicate that many of these novels fall within the family and relationship fiction genre. these stories explore the dynamics within families and between friends, emphasizing values like love, trust, and support. mystery and detective fiction. with titles like "kompetisi detektif cilik" and "misteri ruangan tersembunyi," it’s clear that mystery and detective fiction is a favored genre among these child authors. these stories likely engage readers with suspenseful plots and the challenge of solving a mystery. science fiction. titles such as "waktu berhenti di masa depan" and "planet aneh di galaksi biru" suggest an interest in science fiction. this genre often explores futuristic concepts, technology, and otherworldly scenarios, providing a sense of wonder and exploration of the unknown. child authors show their favourable themes. #r1tends to use adventure and exploration. she wrote 6 novels in this theme. #r2 chooses family and affection, with 4 novels. #r3 prefer to write about friendship and adventure and exploration with 2 novels each. #r4 focuses more on writing about fantasy and imagination, with 3 novels. #r5 wrote 2 novels with the theme adventure and exploration and science fiction. #r6 writes 3 novels about mystery and problem-solving and family and affection, with 3 novels each. #r8 focuses more on adventure and exploration, with 4 novels. finally, #r8 is fond of writing about mystery and detective fiction by writing 3 novels. figure 5. favourable themes by the child authors these titles reflect the diverse and imaginative nature of children’s literature, with a strong emphasis on adventure, fantasy, and the exploration of relationships, both familial and social. the child authors seem to draw upon their creativity and curiosity, producing stories that not only entertain but also explore deeper themes of identity, growth, and the importance of bonds with others. this variety in themes and genres dispaly the richness of young authors' perspectives and their ability to engage readers with relatable and fantastical elements alike. conclusion in analyzing the novels written by child authors, it is evident that adventure and exploration is the most popular theme, accounting for 28.9% of the novels. the adventure/fantasy genre dominates with 35.6%. this analysis suggests that child authors are inclined towards imaginative and explorative storytelling, with a strong focus on adventure and family relationships. parental involvement, the values upheld at home, and the types of stories shared within the family contribute to the themes children choose to explore in their writing. for instance, a supportive and nurturing family environment might inspire themes of love, trust, and personal growth in a child's stories. on the other hand, exposure to family challenges or societal issues may lead children to explore more complex or darker themes. acknowledgment the researcher would like to extend gratitude to universitas widyatama and widyatama foundation for the support during the research and the publication of this article. references aram, d., & aram, s. (2023). the impact of early shared reading on emergent writing development: insights from a longitudinal study. early childhood research quarterly, 62, 58-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.02.005 baker, a. b., & peterson, e. e. (2022). parenting experiences and environment influence on author's lexical choices in literature. journal of language and literature studies, 8 (1), 45-62. baker, p. (2019). corpora in critical discourse analysis: history, methods, and challenges. cambridge university press. bigler, r. s., & liben, l. s. (2022). developmental intergroup theory: explaining and reducing children's social stereotyping and prejudice. child development perspectives, 16 (1), 24-31. cabrera, n. j., karberg, e., & bradley, r. h. (2023). associations of family environment and household routines with preschooler's selfregulation and executive function. early education and development, 34 (1), 34-51. boyd, m. p., & markarian, w. (2020). the role of school and peer influence on children's reading https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.02.005 ida zuraida supri, ervina cm simatupang, hendar the impact of home literacy environment on the theme preferences in the novels by child authors 766 and writing development. journal of educational research, 113(4), 296-308. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2020.175568 0 clark, c., & picton, i. (2021). children and young people’s reading in 2020: findings from the national literacy trust's annual literacy survey. national literacy trust. https://literacytrust.org.uk/researchservices/research-reports/children-and-youngpeoples-reading-in-2020/ creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2021). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). sage publications. cunningham, a. e., & zibulsky, j. (2023). early literacy environments and their impact on children's writing abilities: evidence from home and school settings. journal of literacy research, 55(1), 32-48. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296x231042830 dunifon, r., & kowaleski-jones, l. (2021). the influence of parental roles and responsibilities on family language patterns. journal of marriage and family, 83 (3), 845-860. doi:10.1111/jomf.12752. fagot, b. i., & hagan, r. (2022). boys and girls at play: sex differences in preschool classroom interaction style. child development, 63 (3), 329-347. fisher, r. (2021). children's literature and the social world: the impact of societal contexts on young authors. children's literature in education, 52(2), 135-152. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583020-09412-1 graham, s., & harris, k. r. (2020). the role of reading in writing development: evidence from longitudinal studies. learning disabilities research & practice, 35(2), 82-91. https://doi.org/10.1111/ldrp.12229 guthrie, j. t., klauda, s. l., & ho, a. n. (2023). reading engagement: bridging the gap between motivation and achievement in early adolescents. journal of educational psychology, 115(2), 210-227. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000741 hoffman, j. v., roser, n., & battle, j. (2020). engagement with books: how classroom environments and reading aloud promote children's reading interest. reading research quarterly, 55(4), 547-566. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.294 huttenlocher, j., haight, w., bryk, a., seltzer, m., & lyons, t. (2020). early vocabulary growth: relation to language input and gender. developmental psychology, 27(2), 236-248. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.27.2.236 johnson, r. m., hart, s. a., & wagner, r. k. (2024). the home literacy environment and reading development of children with and without learning disabilities. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/e6th2 johnson, r. b., & onwuegbuzie, a. j. (2019). mixed methods research: a research paradigm whose time has come. educational researcher, 33(7), 14-26. karin, sporre., heila, lotz-sisitka., christina, osbeck. (2022). taking the moral authorship of children and youth seriously in times of the anthropocene. ethics and education, 17(1):101116. doi: 10.1080/17449642.2021.2024991 kucirkova, n. (2022). personalizing children's storytelling: the influence of family and media on narrative preferences. journal of literacy research, 54(1), 3-24. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296x211065859 li, yingzi & pingli, wang. ( 2023). family literacy education in china: review and reflections. doi:10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20230302 luciana, piccoli., maria, isabel, habckost, dalla, zen. (2020). reading practices, genres and supporting reading material in the family environment through the children’s perspective in a literacy class. doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.11804241 marta, romero-gonzález., rocío, lavigne-cerván., sara, gamboa-ternero., gemma, rodríguezinfante., rocío, juárez-ruiz, de, mier., j., f., romero-pérez. (2023). active home literacy environment: parents’ and teachers’ expectations of its influence on affective relationships at home, reading performance, and reading motivation in children aged 6 to 8 years. frontiers in psychology, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1261662 moje, e. b., & o'brien, d. g. (2019). adolescents' reading and genre choices: implications for teaching and learning in the content areas. journal of literacy research, 51(2), 156-172. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296x19852517 molloy, l. e., & miller, s. d. (2022). the power of read-aloud practices in fostering children's reading interests. literacy research and instruction, 61(1), 44-62. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388071.2021.198714 7 mulenga, mwangala, chewe., beatrice, matafwali. (2024). the role of home literacy environment in the acquisition of oral language skills in the preschool years. international journal of research and innovation in social science, viii(iiis):817-828. doi: 10.47772/ijriss.2024.803055s neuman, s. b., & wright, t. s. (2022). the influence of early reading on children's writing: a comprehensive review. reading research quarterly, 57(2), 179-198. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.403 reutzel, d. r., & clark, s. k. (2020). effects of professional development on teachers' reading instruction and students' reading interests. https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/children-and-young-peoples-reading-in-2020/ https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/children-and-young-peoples-reading-in-2020/ https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/children-and-young-peoples-reading-in-2020/ https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296x231042830 https://doi.org/10.1111/ldrp.12229 https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000741 https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.294 https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.27.2.236 https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/e6th2 https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296x19852517 https://doi.org/10.1080/19388071.2021.1987147 https://doi.org/10.1080/19388071.2021.1987147 https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.403 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 767 reading research quarterly, 55(3), 393-416. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.283 smith, c. p., & anderson, r. c. (2024). peer influence and social interaction in the development of children's reading interests. educational psychology review, 36(2), 281-302. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09615-2 smith, j. r., & swanson, h. l. (2021). early literacy interventions and their effect on children's writing skills: a meta-analysis. journal of educational psychology, 113(4), 736-753. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000610 smith, j. (2023). children's literature: themes and trends in young authors' works. new york: academic press. allington, r. l., & mcgillfranzen, a. (2017). genre preferences in elementary school students: impact on literacy development. journal of educational research, 110(3), 216-225. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2015.104176 5 treiman, r., & kessler, b. (2021). how children learn to write words: a longitudinal study of spelling development. journal of educational psychology, 113(3), 505-519. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000636 vasquez, v. m., & kebede, s. (2023). enhancing children's reading interests through culturally relevant texts. journal of literacy research, 55(1), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296x221117187 victoria, de, rijke. (2022). reading children's literature. 63-78. doi: 10.4324/97810032086486 zhao, y., & mao, s. (2021). the impact of digital reading platforms on children's reading interests in the context of covid-19. journal of educational technology development and exchange, 14(2), 81-99. https://doi.org/10.18785/jetde.1402.06 zuraida, i., & simatupang, e. cm. (2023). investigating the collocation of the words 'mom' and 'dad' in alec greven's novels: a corpus linguistic analysis of semantic preferences and prosody. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 667-674. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8818 https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.283 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09615-2 https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000610 https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2015.1041765 https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2015.1041765 https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000636 https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296x221117187 https://doi.org/10.18785/jetde.1402.06 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8818 ida zuraida supri, ervina cm simatupang, hendar the impact of home literacy environment on the theme preferences in the novels by child authors 768 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 703 cross-culture bridges in tourism: a study on translation strategies in indonesian promotional materials ahdi riyono universitas muria kudus, indonesia email: ahdi.riyono@umk.ac.id diah kurniati universitas muria kudus, indonesia email: diah.kurniati@umk.ac.id mutohhar universitas muria kudus, indonesia email: mutohhar@umk.ac.id nadiah ma'mun universitas islam negeri walisongo, indonesia email: nadiah_makmun@walisongo.ac.id apa scitation: riyono, a., kurniati, d., mutohhar., & ma’mun, n. (2024). cross-culture bridges in tourism: a study on translation strategies in indonesian promotional materials. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 703-716. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9364 received: 16-02-2024 accepted: 23-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction tourism is a sector that has considerable potential for community economic recoveryafter the covid-19 pandemic. according to sources from the ministry of tourism and creative economy, there were 345,438 foreign tourist visits in june 2022. the largest foreign tourists came from australia at around 18.68%, followed by singapore at 15.35%, malaysia at 9.18%, india at 7.43%, and the united states at 4.99%. the increasing number of tourists shows that indonesian tourism is heading towards the economic recovery phase. many tourism destinations can attract tourists, especially foreign tourists. many destinations are related to natural beauty, historical buildings, infrastructure, and accommodation. currently, the demand for cross-language and cultural tourism advertisements is increasing to introduce tourist destinations in several countries whose income is dominated by the tourism sector. therefore, the role of translators to translate promotional materials is increasingly needed to bridge different cultures (hryniuk et al., 2023; jovanović & mušura, 2022). translation of tourism promotional materials is abstract: tourism promotion is a type of operative text. the text is structured to influence the reader to visit the tourism destination on offer. the same should also appear in the translated version. the language form of promotional texts is dialogic and persuasive. this study generally aims to explain in depth the translation strategies used in the translation of tourism promotional texts and the translation strategies suitable for the translation of appellative genre texts. this research used qualitative method with deductive and comparative content analysis techniques. the research begins with data collection of tourism promotional texts by looking at their lexicogrammatical features. the data sources were adopted from tourism promotional materials in the form of brochures from the tourism offices of jepara, and kudus regencies of central java, indonesia. the data were analyzed with translation strategies and functional theories. the results of this investigation showed that the dominant translation technique used to translate tourism brochure texts from both jepara and kudus is the literal technique at 75%, and the semantic method at 72%. thus, the dominant translation strategy or ideology applied by the translators is foreignization ideology, 98%. so that, the strategy or ideology employed is not suitable with the function of tourism promotional texts. furthermore, the results of this study also showed that the functional approach is more suitable for translating tourism promotional materials, because the function of promotional texts is to promote tourism. keywords: functional approach;translation strategies; tourism promotional materials. mailto:ahdi.riyono@umk.ac.id mailto:diah.kurniati@umk.ac.id mailto:mutohhar@umk.ac.id mailto:nadiah_makmun@walisongo.ac.id ahdi riyono, diah kurniati, mutohhar, & nadiah ma'mun cross-culture bridges in tourism: a study on translation strategies in indonesian promotional materials 704 considered a practical solution to persuade prospective foreign tourists to visit tourist destinations that are being promoted. foreign tourists are often impressed with tourist destinations from translations of tourism promotional materials, such as brochures, pamphlets, and websites. (dai & wei, 2023; kelly, 1998; t. lee, 2023; mawarda rokhman & reza maulana, 2023; z. sulaiman & wilson, 2019). however, translations of tourism promotional materials still lack quality. sharp criticism from the journal of hospitality & tourism research (tang-taye & standing, 2016) which revealed the issue of translation quality became the concern of several experts outside the language. anhalt (2000) cited by sulaiman & wilson (2018) underlines: translating promotional materials, or advertising copy, is similar to painting the tip of an iceberg and expecting everything to show up. effective advertising text is not solely composed of words; rather, it is a blend of the destination's image and the demographics of the intended audience. these are the things that have failed to be conveyed in translation. advertising is not only composed of words, but also culture. accurate translation of destination images can influence potential foreign tourists in making decisions. language and cultural barriers have now become strategic issues in translation. the main task of translators is to bridge tourism information aimed at attracting potential tourists (jiang, 2023; mănescu, 2022; sichkar et al., 2023; zhu, 2023). translation of tourism promotional materials has been widely practiced around the world, including in indonesia. prospective foreign tourists usually get information and will be impressed related to tourist destinations for the first time from the translation of tpm, be it brochures, pamphlets or websites (kelly, 1998; nadiyah et al., 2023; sofyan et al., 2023; m. z. sulaiman & wilson, 2018). in addition, tpm translations have also been subject to evaluation and criticism of the quality of the translations. most tpm translations have many flaws and weaknesses. this is due to the difference in perspective and culture of the target language. tourism text is a type of cultural text that has a communicative function to influence others to visit the promoted destination (m. z. sulaiman & wilson, 2018; turzynski-azimi, 2021). the translator is accused of not knowing enough about the craft of persuasion in advertising, which is why the translation failed. when translating advertising in general and travel-related commercials specifically, translators should be able to comprehend the copywriting process. as stated by seguinot, advertising translation requires knowledge of marketing techniques and fundamentals (jiang, 2023; mănescu, 2022; z. sulaiman & wilson, 2019). this opinion is in line with sumberg's (2004) statement that the key to successful translation of tpms is an understanding of the methods of creating advertisements and promotional texts. in other words, an in-depth understanding of the issues concerning the translation of tpms is necessary to see how the process of creating advertisements (copywriting) of advertisements will be translated. munday (2004) emphasizes that the translator must be someone who understands copywriting well. this view is also supported by torresi (2014). he stated that an advertising translator should not only have the competence of a translator, but he should also have the competence of copywriting. a copywriter and a translator have the same role in writing messages that have high persuasive value in the target culture. three highly crucial non-linguistic copywriting talents are agility, persuasiveness, and imagination when translating advertising materials. a translator's agility is defined as their ability to identify the various goals and functions of the original text and to translate them effectively without diluting the text's main objective (z. sulaiman & wilson, 2019; torresi, 2014). in the translation of tpm, the most crucial thing is the transfer of text functions that are persuasive, as well as informative. so far, translation errors have been made due to the wrong assumption that the translator considers the two functions to be the same. in fact, each function has a different purpose. to solve the problem, translators should be able to compose persuasive texts based on information sources related to the cross-cultural tourism market. there are several previous studies that are used as a foothold in this research, among others. research of sulaiman & wilson (2018) highlights that the poor translation of tourism promotional materials that pay little attention to cultural issues, and the absence of solutions that can answer the problem. there are two concepts for solving the problem, namely the conceptualization of culture and the image of tourist destinations from the target readers. then azimi's research (2020) explores the translation procedures used to translate cultural elements in japanese tourism english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 705 texts. the results show that cultural elements become a factor in determining translation procedures. translation tends to dominantly use the concept of domestication to reduce the rigidity of the source text. in their 2023 study, zagood et al. looked at and assessed the methods employed in translating arabic novels into english that included cultural idioms. the arabic source text and the english target text were compared using this technique. using house's (1997) translation quality assessment theory, they set out to observe. according to the study, cultural differences are the primary cause of translation issues with tourism expressions. this is demonstrated by the fact that certain cultural expressions are foreign in the source language and absent in the target language, and certain approaches are not used. research of hogg et al. (2014) stated that translating tourist experiences is not enough to focus on literal accuracy, but it is also necessary to have cultural sensitivity to target readers. data was taken from the websites of several museums in the uk and china. the results show that translation fails to achieve the purpose and impact of the text if the norms of the target reader's society are ignored. therefore, it is necessary to bridge translation theory and tourism theory by considering the cultural elements of tourism with the translation of texts. linguistic accuracy must be accompanied by cultural sensitivity. lee's research (2012) compared the typology of tourism promotional texts, such as brochures, leaflets, guidebooks, etc., and analyzed the types of korean-english translation errors found in tourism texts. in this study, lee concluded that tourism translation should be oriented towards the target audience, variations in translation strategies. likewise, the evaluation of translation should be considered on the basis of the adequacy of communication purpose, not only static equivalence (s. j. lee, 2012). this perspective is echoed in the work of zhang, who emphasizes the importance of adaptations and selections in the translation process to enhance the quality of tourism translations, thereby promoting local tourism resources effectively (zhang, 2023). similarly, chen et al. highlight the challenges of translating cultural words (cws) in tourism texts, noting that various taxonomies of translation strategies are employed to mitigate the loss of cultural connotations, which underscores the need for a dynamic approach rather than static equivalence (chen et al., 2023). the idea that translators need specialized knowledge to successfully negotiate the cognitive and affective layers of tourism texts in order to ensure that the translation appeals to the intended audience is further supported by the linguistic-stylistic uniqueness of these writings, as sikaluk and perminova have explored (anatoliyvna, 2023). furthermore, the analysis of baoding's tourism websites highlights the shortcomings of the translations now in use and offers fixes to better communicate historical and cultural narratives. this supports the notion that the main standard by which translations should be judged is their ability to communicate effectively (zheng et al., 2023). masduki and misnadin's study on the genre analysis of tourism texts written in indonesian and english, last but not least, supports lee's assertion that the communication purpose must be adequate by showing that translated texts are much more readable and understandable when translators concentrate on the rhetorical functions and message segments (masduki, 2022; masduki & misnadin, 2022). all of these studies support a translation strategy that goes beyond static equivalency and instead emphasizes effective communication, flexibility, and audience orientation. the study conducted by sulaiman & wilson (2019) establishes a connection between the promotion of tourism and critiques of translations of tourism-related materials from both inside and outside the field of translation studies. he makes the general case that translations of promotional materials for travel should be standardized. this is because marketing and advertising experts have been blaming the poor translations done by less competent translators. meanwhile, translation studies experts try to analyze and find the influencing factors. they conclude that translators do not have the desire or ability to use functional approaches other than linguistic approaches (z. sulaiman et al., 2019). from these previous studies, this research has some similarities, which are both examining tourism promotional materials, especially brochures. secondly, cultural factors are something that must be mastered in translating this type of text. however, this study is different from the previous studies. this study aims to address the gap of tpms translation using literal translation and that of considering cultural turns in the highly problematic area of cultural translation. this study uses tourism translation theory, translation strategy and functional approach. the translation of tpms must have the same functions as its source text (st), which is to ahdi riyono, diah kurniati, mutohhar, & nadiah ma'mun cross-culture bridges in tourism: a study on translation strategies in indonesian promotional materials 706 persuade the target readers to visit the advertised tourist destination. thus, the translation of tpm does not only look at the equivalence at the level of words or sentences but also at the level of communication function that can be realized and through which the equivalence of the text can be achieved. such translation is based on the functional approach. functional theory can be used as a framework for translation. it has an important role in translation in all fields. because the functional theory also emphasizes the importance of communicative function in translation into tt (wang, 2022). this approach was first pioneered by katarina reiss in the 1970s. the purpose of using the approach was to systematize translation assessment. reiss borrowed the categorization of language functions from german psychologist and linguist karl buhler (1879-1963); namely, informative, expressive and appreciative functions (amenador & wang, 2008; munday et al., 2022; reiss, 2014; yang, 2019). reiss also relates the three language functions to the correspondence of language dimension and text type' (munday et al., 2022; reiss, 2014). therefore, this study seeks to get the answers of following research questions; (1) what are the translation strategies of tourism promotional materials published by the tourism offices of jepara, and kudus regencies? (2) how are the translation strategies of the tourism promotion materials using the functional approach? method this research method utilized qualitative methods with deductive content analysis techniques and comparative techniques (williams & chesterman, 2002). the data were in the form of lexicogrammar from indonesian st and english tt. the data source of this research will use source texts in the form of brochures used for tourism promotion in english and indonesian published by the tourism office of jepara regency, and kudus. the selection of tourism brochures from jepara and kudus was done because tourism offices of both districts have a desire to attract foreign tourists to visit tourist destinations in the area, so that, the offices try to translate their tourism brochures into english. the data analysis was conducted using the functional approach of reiss' concept (1971/2000) (munday, 2008; munday et al., 2022). as the concept of reiss' approach states that the translation of operative texts should produce translated texts that have the same impact on the reader of the text, the translation should be able to adapt to the purpose of the text. there are two adequacy criteria (instruction criteria) used in the analysis, namely interlinguistic and extralinguistic criteria. interlinguistic criteria include semantic equivalence, lexical equivalence, grammatical feature equivalence. while extralinguistic criteria consist of situation, domain, time, place (country and cultural characteristics), receiver, sender, affective implications, such as humor, irony, and emotion. the criterion of adequacy is used to assess the quality of the translation of st that has the same function as st. first, the st data and tt data were compared and analyzed by content analysis. this document analysis was used to reveal the functions of the two texts embodied in the lexicogrammar data detailed into words, phrases (word groups) and clauses. then, each level of equivalence is analyzed, starting from word, semantic and grammatical equivalence. then, the translation strategy used is analyzed by first analyzing the translation methods and techniques. if it is found to be equivalent, the analysis is immediately concluded, if it is not equivalent, it will be further analyzed to find equivalent linguistic elements. then, after finding the equivalent or the closest one, it will be concluded. as for the data that is not commensurate, it will be analyzed with functional theory and analyzed for non-linguistic elements, then the data will be corrected. then finally the data is concluded. thus, the indicators of the achievement of this research are expected to reveal the problems of translating tourism texts and alternative solutions that can be offered according to the social function of the text, namely to persuade potential tourists to visit the tourist destinations offered, and not only focus on linguistic issues. results and discussion translation strategy for tourism promotion materials the data employed in this study amounted to 150 sentences or clauses from tourism brochures of the tourism and culture office of kudus regency, while the data from jepara regency amounted to 50 data. meanwhile, no brochures were found from pati regency that had bilingual information in indonesian and english. thus, the research data were only taken from kudus and jepara regencies. furthermore, to determine the translation strategies used in the data texts, the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 707 source text (st) is identified by the translation methods and techniques used, then the direction of the translation strategy or ideology applied by the translator in the brochures is determined. all data were analyzed using the technique of comparison or contrastive analysis. each word, phrase and sentence or clause is analyzed based on its translation method, technique, and strategy or ideology. the most dominant translation methods used are literal method 75 (50%) and semantic method 73 (48%). the translation techniques are single, duplet and triplet techniques. the single techniques include literal technique 78 data (52%), transposition 4 data (2.6%), and modulation 1 data (0.6%). the modulation found includes two types of modulation of the scope of meaning, and modulation of the angle of field. the following is the translation result of the tourism brochure. translation of kudus regency tourism brochure table1. translation result of source text technique single literal 78 52% source text translatio n (n=150) transposition 4 2,6% modulation 1 0,6% duplet literal + deletion 9 6% literal + additions 5 3,3% literal + transposition 20 13,3 % literal + modulation 5 3,3 % transposition + deletion 2 1,3 % transposition + addition 3 2 % transposition+ modulation 5 3,3 % triplet literal+ transposition + modulation 5 3,3 % literal + transposition + deletion 2 1,3 % literal + addition + modulation 1 0,6 % literal+ transposition+ addition 4 2,6 % literal+ transposition + generalization 1 0,6 % transposition+addition+deletio n 3 2 % transposition+ modulation+ deletion 2 1,3 % method literal 7 5 50 % semantics 7 3 48% communicative 2 1,3% translation strategy/ideolo g y foreignization literal 75 50% semantics 73 48% domesticatio n communicative 2 1,3% after reading all the data and analyzing them, it was found that the data were translated using literal, semantic and communicative methods. furthermore, the translation techniques applied in the translation of the brochure include single, duplet and triplet translation techniques. the single translation technique consists of literal (52%), transposition (2.6%) and modulation (0.6%). then, duplet translation techniques are literal + deletion (6%), literal + addition (3.3%), literal + transposition (13.3%), literal + modulation (3.3%), transposition + deletion (1.3%), transposition + addition (2%), transposition + modulation (3.3%). triplet translation techniques include literal + transposition + modulation (3.3%), literal + transposition + deletion (1.3%), literal + addition + modulation (0.6%), literal + transposition + addition (2.6%), literal + transposition + generalization (0.6%), transposition + addition + deletion (2%), and transposition + modulation + deletion (1.3%). the translation technique is dominated by direct translation technique, which is literal technique as many as 78 (52%) pieces. it ahdi riyono, diah kurniati, mutohhar, & nadiah ma'mun cross-culture bridges in tourism: a study on translation strategies in indonesian promotional materials 708 shows that the dominant translation strategy applied by the translators is oriented to the source text (st), so that foreignization translation ideology is the choice of the translators. thus, it can be concluded that the translators are still stuck with the language style and writing style of the st version, not seeing and considering the style, language and culture of the readers of the target text (tt), namely the english-speaking public. the following are examples. single technique table 2. data 1 literal technique st kabupaten kudus berbatasan dengan kabupaten jepara dan kabupaten pati (sebelah utara). kabupaten demak dan jepara (sebelah barat), kabupaten grobogan dan pati (sebelah selatan) serta kabupaten pati (sebelah timur). tt it is adjacent to jepara and pati regency (north side), demak and jepara regency (west side), grobogan and peti regency (south side) and pati regency (east side). data 1 above shows that the translation into tt uses literal technique. literal technique is a translation technique that is done by translating words, phrases or clauses word-for-word. however, grammatically, data 1 has used the grammatical rules of the target language. it's just that in translating words whose meaning is connotative, it is still translated denotatively. in the phrase ‘kabupaten kudus’ of st, it is translated with the pronoun it in tt due to the repetition of the same district name before the sentence. however, there is still a grammatical error in the word regency 'district' in the phrase "jepara and pati regency" which should be regencies, because it is in the plural. such grammatical errors should not occur in a brochure officially published by the tourism office. it would show that the translation was done by an amateur in the experience of translating cultural texts. table 3. data 2 transposition technique st untuk mencapai gua ini bisa dengan jalan kaki dari desa colo, gunung muria, selama sekitar 1 jam yang berjarak 4 km dari puncak gunung muria. tt we can reach there on foot. it takes on hour to go there about 4 km through muria mountain peak forest from colo rest house. data 2 above shows that the transposition technique is used by the translator. from the structure of st, it is known that the sentence in st has a missing subject element. the beginning of the sentence in st starts with the phrase‘untuk mencapai gua ini’'. the translator in tt changes the structure with an active sentence beginning with the pronoun we to "we can reach." the use of the word reach in the sentence is equivalent to what st intended. the word reach in the cambridge dictionary is defined as to arrive at a place after spending a long time or a lot of effort traveling. the structural shift shows that the transposition technique is used so that the english sentence structure is in accordance with the english rules and culture. from the method, the translation of the tt sentence above uses the semantic method. table 4. data 3 modulation technique st “tari kretek yang menggambarkan proses pembuatan rokok kretek. tt "cigarette dance. it describes the process of making kretek cigarettes the modulation technique used in data 3 is the technique of changing the point of view or meaning of a word either expanding or narrowing in the translation process. according to indonesian language structure, st data is not a clause or sentence. instead, it is in the form of a phrase, albeit a long one. the translator tries to understand the st sentence from another point of view, that is, he decides to divide st into two parts. the first part is like the title, of course it is in the form of a phrase, secondly, it is continued in the form of a clause with the pronoun 'it' referring to the phrase 'cigarette dance'. likewise, in the choice of words to translate kretek, the translator chose to use the word cigarette. the word in english has a broader meaning than the word 'kretek' in st. the word cigarette in cambridge dictionary online is defined as 'a small paper tube filled with cut pieces of tobacco that people smoke'. meanwhile, the word 'kretek' in the big indonesian dictionary (kbbi) is defined as a cigarette whose tobacco is mixed with clove powder. in the context of the indonesian language, there are two types of cigarettes, namely filter and kretek cigarettes. meanwhile, the english language does not english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 709 distinguish this. thus, the translation is not equivalent in meaning, although it is equivalent in form. to further explain the meaning of st, the translator should add an explanation or description technique to translate the word 'kretek' into english. duplet technique table 5. data 4 literal technique + deletion st tepatnya di kawasan pegunungan muria desa colo kecamatan dawe. kudus tt it is at muria mountain of colo village of dawe sub district of kudus data 4 above shows that the literal technique still follows the target language pattern, it's just that if literal is used to translate a word with connotation, it will be translated with a word with denotation. therefore, data 2 is still called using literal and deletion techniques. the word "tepatnya" in st is deleted in tt. then in terms of grammatical choice, the use of preposition at muria mountain is not appropriate. the translator should have used the preposition "in" because the muria mountain area is quite a large place. the use of more than three in a row is not natural in english. here, the translator is less observant in using more effective sentences. table 6. data 5 literal technique + additions st pegunungan muria mencakupi pegunungan argo jembangan, argo piloso, rahtawu, bukit pasar dan ringgit. tt it consists of mountainous ranges such as: argo jembangan, argo piloso, rahtawu, and some range of the hill such as pasar and ringgit. data 5 above shows that the translator is still very much bound to the st language style. the translator applies the literal technique in translating st into tt. the literal technique is very visible in the words "mencakupi", "argo jembangan mountains, "argo piloso", respectively translated with the words "consists of", argo lembangan, argo piloso". the translator also adds the phrase "some range of the hill" to explain 'bukit pasar’ and ringgit'. the addition technique is used by the translator to make the reader understand that 'pasar dan ringgit' is also a hill. table 7. data 6 literal technique + transposition st jalan setapak ini diapit oleh tebing dan hamparan kebun kopi yang telah ada sejak jaman kolonial belanda tt there is a footpath and coffee plantation since the dutch colonial era. data 6 above shows that the word 'jalan setapak’ is translated literally as 'a footpath'. the translator used the word because it is the equivalent of the word ‘jalan setapak’' in indonesian. he also changed the structure in indonesian, into an english structure that is different in form from st. the shape shift is done by transposition technique to make the tt sentence more effective and efficient. table 8. data 7 literal technique + modulation st puluhan ribu orang memenuhi kompleks menara kudus khususnya saat dilangsung prosesi ritual buka luwur (pergantian kain tirai makam) sunan kudus pada tanggal 10 asyura. tt ten thousand of people fulfilled in the kudus minaret area, especially at the bukaluwur ritual procession (the replacement of certain covering of sunan kudus grave) on 10" ashura. based on data 7, it is known that the sentence as a whole is translated using literal and modulation techniques at once. the literal technique is shown in the translation 'ten thousand of people fulfilled in the kudus minaret area'. meanwhile, the meaning modulation technique is used in the translation of the word kompleks with the word 'area, and the word makam with the word 'grave'. from the lexical meaning review, the word kompleks does not have the same meaning as the word 'area', the word kompleks in the big indonesian dictionary (kbbi) online has the meaning of 'group or set'. this shows that the word 'kompleks' is more indicative of several places that are put together in one place. meanwhile, the word 'area' in english only refers to one particular place. so, from the meaning point of view, it is not equivalent. it is ahdi riyono, diah kurniati, mutohhar, & nadiah ma'mun cross-culture bridges in tourism: a study on translation strategies in indonesian promotional materials 710 better for the translator to keep using the word 'complex' in english. likewise, the word 'tomb' with 'grave'. if we refer to the cambridge dictionary online, the word 'grave' is defined as 'a place in the ground where a dead person is buried'. this means that the word 'grave' is used to refer to a public cemetery. meanwhile, to refer to the burial place of people who are considered important and meritorious to society, usually in english the equivalent word is 'tomb'. the word 'tomb' in the cambridge dictionary online is defined as 'a large stone structure or underground room where someone, especially an important person, is buried'. the word 'tomb' has a positive and honorable connotation. triplet technique table 9. data 8 transposition + addition + deletion technique st panoramanya sangat bagus dan berhawa sejuk ideal untuk camping/kemah, olahraga sepeda gunung, maupun outbound. tt it is a place where studenst and boy scoust take recreation in the natural scenery and holding camping activities we can spend the whole day, cycling and picnicking on the grassy lawn or along the river. based on data 8, the translator applies the transposition technique in the tt structure, as well as using the addition and deletion techniques at the same time. the transposition technique can be seen in the translation of the sentence 'panoramanya sangat bagus’... the panorama in tt is used as an adverb of place 'in the natural scenery'. the first sentence of tt adds the word 'a place' which does not exist in st. likewise, the words students and boy scouts are also added. the translator also makes his own sentence that does not exist in thett, namely we can spend the whole day, and the adverb of place on grassy lawn or along the river. the translator remodeled the structure of st into tt with the structure that is considered suitable for tt. actually, the translation method is more free translation if seen from the whole sentence. translation of jepara regency tourism brochure table 10. translation result of source text source text translation (n=50) technique single literal 43 89% transposition 2 4.16% duplet literal + transposition 2 4.16% modulation + description 1 2.83% method literal 45 93.5% semantics 3 6. 25% translation strategy/ideology foreignization literal 45 93% semantics 3 6. 25% table above shows that the translation methods used are literal and semantic. however, the most dominant one is the literal method as much as 45 data (93%), while the semantic method is 3 data (6.25%). meanwhile, the translation techniques applied include single and duplet techniques. single technique includes literal as much as 43 data (89%), and transposition as much as 2 data (4, 16%). likewise, there are only two duplet techniques, namely literal + transposition technique of 2 data (4, 165) and literal + description technique of 1 data (2, 83%). thus, the translation strategy used by the translator tends to be storiented. it is shown by the literal and semantic methods found. in other words, the ideology of translation is more towards foreignization or exile. the translator is still bound to the source language and culture. here are some examples of the data. table 11. literal technique data 1 st taman nasional karimunjawa merupakan gugusan kepulauan berjumlah 27 pulau yang terletak di laut jawa tt karimun jawa national park is an archipelago of 27 islands in the java sea. data 1 in the translation of the jepara tourism brochure shows that the translator adequately uses the literal technique in translating descriptive sentences about karimunjawa national park. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/place https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/ground https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/dead https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/dead https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bury https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/large https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/large https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/structure https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/underground https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/underground https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/especially https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/important https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/person https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bury english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 711 however, upon observation, the st translation still contains grammatical errors and diction choices. these grammatical errors should not occur, especially small grammatical errors. grammatical errors occur in the word island which should have a plural marker 's'. likewise, in the choice of the word archipelago which in indonesian means a collection of islands. therefore, it should be 'an archipelago which consists of 27 small islands.' actually, the translator can apply the minimum semantic translation method so that the language can be more flexible according to the tt and the target audience. however, the use of the communicative method with a functional approach would be more interesting, because in this method, the function of the brochure language, which is to make readers interested in visiting karimunjawa national park, takes precedence over being faithful to form and meaning alone. table 12. literal + transposition technique data 2 st dengan nama taman nasional karimunjawa. tahun 2001 sebagian luas kawasan karimunjawa seluas 110.117,30 ha ditetapkan sebagai kawasan pelestarian alam perairan dengan keputusan m445enhut no.74/kpts-11/2001. tt in 2001, some areas of karimunjawa national park which is covering an area of 110,117.30 hectares was designated as a nature conservation waters area with the decision of the ministry of forestry, no. 74/kots-ii/2001. based on data 2, the st text is translated using duplet techniques, namely literal and transposition techniques. the literal technique is applied to the translation of 'the area of 110,117.30 hectares is designates as '. this means that each element in the st is translated one by one or line by line into the tt. meanwhile, transposition is used to change the st structure into tt structure. taman nasional karimunjawa is placed after the phrase area of to become the object of the preposition. actually, the indonesian language of st also needs to be improved. this is because in indonesian, sentences cannot be preceded by a coordinating conjunction. table 13. modulation + description technique data 3 st tiap malam jum'at diberi sesajen berupa wedang gula dan wedang kopi. tt every friday night, there are some offerings such as wedang gula (is a type of sugar tea) and wedang kopi (is a type of coffee) at this place. data 3 was translated using the duplet technique, namely modulation and description techniques. modulation technique is used to translate the sentence ‘diberi sesajen berupa wedang gula dan wedang kopi’ into english 'there are some offering such wedang gula'. the change from passive sentence in st to active sentence in tt shows that the translator applies viewpoint modulation technique. the translator changes the point of view from the activity of giving offerings to just the information that there are offerings. meanwhile, the phrases 'wedang gula and wedang kopi' are translated with description technique, i.e. the translator gives an explanation of wedang gula (is a type of sugar tea) and wedang kopi (is a type of coffee) in english. the translator does not try to find an equivalent phrase that matches the tt. actually, there are equivalent words in english. for example, the phrase a type of copy can be replaced by a hot cup of coffee, and the phrase a type of sugar tea can be replaced by warm a cup of tea or lukewarm tea. translation strategies for tourism promotion materials with a functional approach the following are some alternatives for translating tourism brochures using the functional approach. the translation of tourism promotional language should use the communicative method so that the readers of the target text have the awareness to visit some tourist destinations described in the brochure. in principle, promotional texts are persuasive to their readers. table 14. data 1 st kabupaten kudus berbatasan dengan kabupaten jepara dan kabupaten pati (sebelah utara). kabupaten demak dan jepara (sebelah barat), kabupaten grobogan dan pati (sebelah selatan) serta kabupaten pati (sebelah timur). it is adjacent to jepara and pati regency (north side), demak and jepara regency (west side), grobogan and peti regency (south side) and pati regency (east side). tt back translation it is bordered by jepara and pati regencies (north side), demak and ahdi riyono, diah kurniati, mutohhar, & nadiah ma'mun cross-culture bridges in tourism: a study on translation strategies in indonesian promotional materials 712 jepara regencies (west side), grobogan and peti regencies (south side), and pati regency (east side). functional translation kudus regency shares borders with the regencies of jepara, demak, pati, and grobogan. it spans 425.5 kilometers, and it is the smallest district in indonesia's central java. table 15. data 2 st untuk mencapai gua ini bisa dengan jalan kaki dari desa colo, gunung muria, selama sekitar 1 jam yang berjarak 4 km dari puncak gunung muria tt we can reach there on foot. it takes on hour to go there about 4 km through muria mountain peak forest from colo rest house. back translation we can get there on foot. it takes an hour to get there about 4km through the peak forest of mount muria from the colo rest stop. functional translation tourists can walk from colo village to the cave on mount muria, which is roughly 4 kilometers away. table 16. data 3 st “tari kretek yang menggambarkan proses pembuatan rokok kretek tt "cigarette dance. it describes the process of making kretek cigarettes back translation "cigarette dance" depicts the process of making kretek cigarettes. functional translation kretek dance depicts the process of how to make kretek cigarettes. the translation of tourism brochures of jepara and kudus regencies is still dominated by literal translation as shown by 52% and 89% respectively. thus, the strategy or ideology of foreignization tends to be chosen by the translators. the percentage of translation techniques used shows that the translation of tourism brochures has not been done by professionals in translation. in addition, the translation that predominantly uses literal techniques cannot be used for the translation of literature related to tourism. this is due to the translation's inability to convey the target readers' cultural perspectives and pictures of tourism. the target readers have a culture that prefers challenges and adventures, not just for fun and relaxation. in translating tourism texts, translators should have several competencies before carrying out the translation process. these competencies include linguistic competence (preferably a native speaker of the target language), cultural competence (good understanding of the target market), understanding of all the products to be promoted, and competence in copywriting. in relation to the translation result in the previous data, the aspects of text function and the culture of the potential readers of the target text (tt) are not well understood by the translator. translators of tourism advertisements should be creative like copywriters of advertising texts (sulaiman, 2016; sulaiman & wilson, 2018; sulaiman & wilson, 2019; sumberg, 2014). translators in the case of translating tourism brochures in the two regencies only focus on linguistic aspects, and even then, there are still errors in writing, grammar both in st and tt. translators should be able to choose diction and grammar that are commensurate and can persuade potential tourists to visit the promoted destinations. in fact, a good tourism brochure translation must accommodate both the source and target cultures which can be shown by lexical, and grammatical choices and the sentence formations. for example, foreign travelers prefer the active voice over the passive voice, which is different from the indonesian language and culture that prefers to use the passive voice. since the target of the tourism brochure is to attract more foreign tourists to visit tourist destinations, it is necessary to write the translation of the brochure with foreign perceptions and cultures in mind. communicative translation techniques should be applied to the translation of brochures with a functional approach, especially reiss’s functional approach functional theory is more appropriate if it is used to analyze cultural texts, such as tourism brochure texts. because translation according to the theory is considered as a process of transferring a culture, which means that the meaning of the source text will be clearer if the function or purpose of the text can be achieved in translation (belkacemi, 2020). in general, the translation of the two tourism brochure texts has not met the standards of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 713 tourism text translation in accordance with international standards. conclusion the translation of two tourism brochure texts from kudus and jepara regencies still has many weaknesses, especially those related to the selection of translation methods and techniques. the methods and techniques are still predominantly source text-oriented. thus, the translation strategy or ideology that tends to be dominantly applied is the foreignization strategy or ideology. in other words, the translator is still trapped in the mindset of the source language, and has not understood the function of the tourism text and what approach is suitable for the purpose of writing the advertisement. therefore, the translator should have cultural competence of the source and target languages. likewise, he/she should also understand the principles of advertisements and how to translate them. so, it is not enough for the translator to rely only on english skills, without understanding the culture of both codes. therefore, translating tourism brochures using the functional approach is considered more suitable for the function of the text. regarding the translation strategy of brochures, many experts suggest that it is better to use a neutral strategy or ideology, i.e. applying both foreignization and domestication strategies or ideologies. that is because the translation of tourism texts should be able to accommodate both st and tt cultures. translators sometimes have to maintain the st culture to introduce it to tt readers, and vice versa. however, since the tourism advertisement aims to influence the target readers to visit the destination, the translator should be more oriented to the tt readers and their culture. in the light of study’s fundings, it is highly recommended for marketers and translators of tourism brochures to translate using the communicative translation method with a functional approach because tourism texts include operative or persuasive texts. in order for the persuasive function to be achieved, for examples the use of the form of grammatical and vocabularies, and cultural expressions. although this study presents observation regarding the translation of indonesian tourism promotional materials into english version, several questions still remain to answer going forward. further research is required to explore more the ways of copywriting for indonesian dan for western people for promoting tourism destinations, so that there will be guiding patterns which can be used for translators and copy writers. subsequently, the findings can be used to improve translation teaching and training. acknowledgement this research was funded by the "fundamental research budget of universitas muria kudus, indonesia on 2023 budget. i would also like to thank the rector, colleagues, and students who have helped in this research. references amenador, k. b., & wang, z. (2008). analysis of the chinese-english translation of public signs : a functional theory perspective. 0299(c), 176– 188. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt anatoliyvna, s. a. i. p. v. (2023). tourist text: pevuliarities of translation. ibulletin of science and education, 47(1), 100950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2019.01.002%0 a belkacemi, h. (2020). functionalist approaches to translation:strengths and weaknesses. december, 23–37. chen, s., mansor, n. s., mooisan, c., & abdullah, m. a. r. (2023). examining cultural words translation in tourism texts: a systematic review. journal of language teaching and research, 14(2), 499–509. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1402.26 dai, y., & wei, x. (2023). translating the culturespecific items in chinese tourism publicity materials into english: a category-based functional approach. asia-pacific journal of humanities and social sciences, 3(1), 127–140. https://doi.org/10.53789/j.16530465.2023.0301.014 hogg, g., liao, m. h., & o’gorman, k. (2014). reading between the lines: multidimensional translation in tourism consumption. tourism management, 42, 157–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2013.10.005 hryniuk, v. i., arkhypova, l. m., kachala, s. v., korobeynikova, y. s., pobigun, o. v., & pokolodna, m. m. (2023). assessment of the attractiveness of material objects of the historical and cultural heritage of the carpathian region. journal of geology, geography and geoecology, 32(2), 266–275. https://doi.org/10.15421/112325 jiang, r. (2023). advertising translation in the perspective of functional equivalence theory. frontiers in business, economics and management, 8(2), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.54097/fbem.v8i2.6364 jovanović, i., & mušura, g. (2022). challenges in translating professional texts on the example of ahdi riyono, diah kurniati, mutohhar, & nadiah ma'mun cross-culture bridges in tourism: a study on translation strategies in indonesian promotional materials 714 tourism-related publications translated into french and italian on the montenegrin market. folia linguistica et litteraria, 13(42), 317– 339. https://doi.org/10.31902/fll.42.2022.20 kelly, d. (1998). the translation of texts from the tourist sector: textual conventions, cultural distance and other constraints. trans: revista de traductología, 2, 33–42. lee, s. j. (2012). an analysis on tourism promotional translation texts. the journal of translation studies, 13(3), 113–135. https://doi.org/10.15749/jts.2012.13.3.005 lee, t. (2023). can translation evolve? translation errors of chinese-to-english tourism promotional materials from eco-translatology perspectives. english language teaching and linguistics studies, 5(2), p151. https://doi.org/10.22158/eltls.v5n2p151 mănescu, o. m. (2022). touring the translation of the advertising discourse. scientific bulletin of the politehnica university of timişoara transactions on modern languages, 18(1), 70– 78. https://doi.org/10.59168/ndbw9970 masduki, m. (2022). the three-part critique in the analysis of english translation of madurese cultural texts. journal of intercultural communication research, 51(2), 174–190. https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2021.196718 6 masduki, m., & misnadin, m. (2022). genre analysis of the message segments of an indonesianenglish tourism text translation: case in madura. eralingua: jurnal pendidikan bahasa asing dan sastra, 6(2), 462. https://doi.org/10.26858/eralingua.v6i2.36273 mawarda rokhman, n., & reza maulana, a. (2023). students’ perception of developing bilingual material for the tourism industry. kne social sciences, 2023, 153–160. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v8i7.13246 munday, j. (2004). advertising: some challenges to translation theory. translator, 10(2), 199–219. https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2004.107991 77 munday, j. (2008). introducing translation studies (second edi). routledge. munday, j., pinto, s. r., & blakesley, j. (2022). introducing translation studies: theories and applications, fifth edition. in introducing translation studies: theories and applications, fifth edition . https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429352461 nadiyah, h., hermansyah, h., & kartikasari, d. (2023). transcribing tourism cultural content video to enrich students’ reading materials. esteem journal of english education study programme, 6(2), 257–269. https://doi.org/10.31851/esteem.v6i2.12325 reiss, k. (2014). translation critisim-the potentials and limitations (second). routledge. sichkar, s., kaminska, m., bryk, m., melko, k., zhurkova, o., & kharkevych, h. (2023). training of future translators through advertising slogans translation. revista romaneasca pentru educatie multidimensionala, 15(2), 418–439. https://doi.org/10.18662/rrem/15.2/742 sofyan, r., tarigan, b., & ganie, r. (2023). need analysis for digital instructional materials of the translation theory course in indonesia. studies in english language and education, 10(1), 369–387. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i1.25636 sulaiman, m. z. (2016). the misunderstood concept of translation in tourism promotion. translation and interpreting, 8(1), 53–68. https://doi.org/10.12807/ti.108201.2016.a04 sulaiman, m. z., & wilson, r. (2018). translating tourism promotional materials: a culturalconceptual model. perspectives: studies in translation theory and practice, 26(5), 629– 645. https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676x.2018.143719 3 sulaiman, z., & wilson, r. (2019). translation and tourism: strategies for effective cross-cultural promotion. sulaiman, z., wilson, r., & promotion, e. c. (2019). translation and tourism: strategis for effetice cross-cultural promotion. springer. sumberg, c. (2014). brand leadership at stake brand leadership at stake selling france to british tourists. november, 37–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2004.107991 83 tang-taye, j. p., & standing, c. (2016). website translation and destination image marketing: a case study of reunion island. journal of hospitality and tourism research, 40(5), 611– 633. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348013515917 torresi, i. (2014). translationg promotional and advertising text (second edi). routledge. turzynski-azimi, a. (2021). constructing the image of japan as a tourist destination: translation procedures for culture-specific items. perspectives: studies in translation theory and practice, 29(3), 407–425. https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676x.2020.175873 4 wang, h. (2022). chinese-english translation of publicity-targeted tourism texts *. 652(icelaic 2021), 167–170. williams, j., & chesterman, a. (2002). map a beginner’s guide to doing research in translation studies (first edit). st jerome publishing. yang, l. (2019). application of functionalist theory to the c-e translation of dalian tourism texts. 268(sohe), 87–90. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 715 zhang, s. (2023). research on translation strategies of tourism texts from the perspective of ecotranslatology ---a case study of shaanxi province and shandong province. communications in humanities research, 3(1), 113–121. https://doi.org/10.54254/27537064/3/20220204 zheng, x., zhang, y., song, m., & li, j. (2023). a study of website translation to promote the spread of local culture --taking the example of baoding, china. saudi journal of humanities and social sciences, 8(04), 72–79. https://doi.org/10.36348/sjhss.2023.v08i04.001 zhu, z. (2023). advertising translation from skopos theory. academic journal of humanities & social sciences, 6(6), 109–113. https://doi.org/10.25236/ajhss.2023.060620 ahdi riyono, diah kurniati, mutohhar, & nadiah ma'mun cross-culture bridges in tourism: a study on translation strategies in indonesian promotional materials 716 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 833 transforming and evaluating efl speaking skills with augmented reality: an ar-based module approach sri fitayanti sekolah tinggi ekonomi port numbay jayapura, jayapura, indonesia stiepnvhita087@gmail.com apa scitation: fitayanti, s. (2024). transforming and evaluating efl speaking skills with augmented reality: an ar-based module approach. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 833842. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i2.10257 received: 28-02-2024 accepted: 21-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction in today's globalized world, proficiency in english speaking skills is paramount for effective communication (zein et al., 2020; sulistyaningrum & sumarni, 2023; qu, 2023). however, acquiring and evaluating these skills in english as a foreign language (efl) classes remains a significant challenge (olwi, 2020; seden & roman, 2019; wu et al., 2021). traditional methods of teaching and assessment often fall short in providing the immersive experiences that are essential for mastering oral communication (chan, 2021; khalaf & zin, 2018; maruf & helingo 2022). this necessitates the exploration of innovative pedagogical tools that can bridge this gap. this research delves into the potential of augmented reality (ar) as a dynamic solution to enhance and assess speaking abilities within efl contexts. by harnessing ar technology, we propose an educational framework that introduces authentic simulation scenarios, closely replicating real-life interactions. this immersive environment not only bolsters speaking proficiency (dhimolea et al., 2021; gruber & kaplan-rakowski, 2022; lan, 2020 ; maruf & anjely 2020), but also revolutionizes the assessment paradigm through the development of an ar-based assessment module (chu et al., 2019; lau & wen, 2021; maruf et al., 2023). this module aims to create evaluations that mirror genuine communicative instances, thus offering more accurate and practical measures of a student's spoken capabilities. our approach transcends traditional pedagogies, paving the way for instruction and evaluation that are interactive, contextual, and above all, reflective of real-world conversational challenges. by integrating ar into both learning and assessment processes, we provide learners with essential exposure and practice that prepare them not just for tests, but for the nuanced demands of actual english communication. to enhance students' english speaking skills through the innovative application of ar technology and to validate the effectiveness of an ar-based assessment module in capturing their speaking proficiency, incorporating ar into speaking activities, the study aspires to impart a level of confidence and preparedness in learners, enabling them to navigate the complexities of diverse and intricate english-speaking contexts this study explores ar technology's role in assessing efl students' speaking skills, aiming to enhance language learning experiences. its main objective is to design and validate an ar-based assessment module for evaluating speaking proficiency. employing a mixed-methods approach, the research investigates ar's impact on student engagement, learning outcomes, and language proficiency. it involves forty-five efl learners from iain fattahul muluk papua, using both quantitative and qualitative methods to collect data, including pre-tests, posttests, interviews, and observations. the ar-based module integrates technology into authentic assessment scenarios, offering immersive learning experiences. results show a significant improvement in post-test scores, with the mean score increasing from 2.4 (pre-test) to 3.9 (post-test), indicating the module's efficacy. the pairedsamples t-test revealed a significant difference (t (59) = -10.24, p < .001) between pre-test and post-test scores. qualitative insights highlight increased engagement, positive experiences, and enhanced confidence among students. these findings underscore ar's potential in language education, particularly in speaking assessment. the integration of ar-based modules presents a promising approach for enhancing language teaching and learning, providing immersive experiences. this has implications for educators and practitioners seeking innovative language assessment methods. keywords: augmented reality (ar) technology; ar-based assessment module; speaking proficiency; efl learners; mixed-methods approach; student engagement; learning outcomes; language proficiency. mailto:stiepnvhita087@gmail.com sri fitayanti transforming and evaluating efl speaking skills with augmented reality: an ar-based module approach 834 with ease. consequently, educators can leverage this approach to facilitate a more animated and studentcentered learning experience. the anticipated result is a pedagogical model that not only quantifies the impact of ar technology on speaking skills development but also yields an assessment mechanism that reflects the intricacies of real-world communication. in essence, this study aims to redefine the landscape of efl speaking proficiency through the lens of augmented reality, offering a novel avenue for educational advancement and student empowerment. the adoption of technology in education, particularly augmented reality (ar), has been extensively explored in recent years, evidencing a paradigm shift towards more immersive learning experiences (koumpouros, 2024; dhimolea et al., 2021; dhimolea et al., 2022; gruber & kaplanrakowski, 2022; lan, 2020). in the domain of language education, researchers like klopfer and squire (2008) have underscored the utility of ar in fostering engagement and motivation among learners. li and wong (2021) provided a comprehensive review that highlighted ar’s ability to merge real and virtual worlds, offering interactive experiences that can enhance learning outcomes. in efl contexts, the struggle to simulate authentic conversational settings has been a recurring theme (fan et al., 2020; markouzis et al., 2022; schorr et al., 2024; arifin et al., 2022). jang et al. (2021) posited that ar can significantly contribute to situational language teaching, a viewpoint corroborated by the work of de vries et al. (2023) who found that ar applications can create contextual learning environments conducive to language acquisition. however, the assessment of speaking skills within ar-integrated frameworks remains under explored. while there are studies that have assessed ar's impact on learner motivation and vocabulary acquisition (liao et al., 2024; taşkıran, 2018; maruf 2023), fewer have specifically investigated its role in evaluating oral proficiency. recent efforts by koumpouros (2024) have begun to shed light on ar's capacity to enhance the assessment of language skills by providing a more authentic and engaging context for students to demonstrate their abilities. despite this nascent area of focus, the assessment of speaking skills via ar technology indicates promising directions (kessler, 2018; lavolette, 2022; shadiev & yang, 2020; mujayanah et al., 2023). pennington & revell (2019; qiu et al., (2023); zhu et al., (2022) explored ar's potential in improving pronunciation and found that its interactive nature allowed for more personalized and immediate feedback, a key component in language proficiency development. moreover, the integration of ar into communicative language teaching, as explored by chang et al., (2020) suggests that ar's simulation capabilities can extend to performance-based assessments, offering nuanced insights into learners' communicative competencies. this study builds upon these foundational works by intricately studying the integration of ar in assessment modules. it further seeks to contribute to the field by not only harnessing the technological affordances of ar for improving speaking skills but also in crafting a research-based assessment module designed to evaluate these improvements in a manner that reflects the complexities of real-world communication. in summary, while the potential of ar in efl education is well-documented, its specific application in the assessment of speaking skills is an emerging field warranting further investigation. the current study aims to bridge this research gap by designing and validating an ar-based assessment module as a formative tool that offers authentic feedback and fosters meaningful interactions. by examining the alignment of ar technology with the communicative approach to language teaching, this review positions the research at the intersection of innovation and practical application, setting the stage for a deeper understanding of ar's role in enhancing and measuring spoken language proficiency within efl classrooms. our exploration of ar in efl classrooms extends beyond mere technological application; it is a stride toward a reimagined future of language education where students are equipped not just with language proficiency, but also with the capability to apply these skills effectively in realworld scenarios. the aim is to foster an environment where the technology is not just a novelty but an integral component of the educational fabric, promoting a blend of learning and authentic assessment that underscores practical utility over rote memorization. this study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing empirical data on the effectiveness of ar in speaking skill acquisition and delivering an innovative ar-based assessment module. it also offers practical insights for efl practitioners on implementing ar technologies in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 835 their teaching repertoire. through this investigation, the researchers hope to illuminate the pathways through which technology can enrich language learning and empower students to achieve linguistic excellence in an increasingly interconnected world. method this study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative methodologies (mackey & bryfonski, 2018;), to comprehensively address the research gap in assessing speaking skills within efl classrooms using augmented reality (ar). by integrating diverse research methods, the study aims to provide a holistic understanding of the effectiveness of ar technology in enhancing speaking proficiency. the primary focus of this research is the development and validation of an innovative arbased assessment module tailored specifically for evaluating speaking skills. this module serves as a pivotal tool designed to offer formative assessments, providing authentic feedback to students and facilitating meaningful interactions. through meticulous design and validation processes, the module aims to ensure its reliability and validity in assessing speaking proficiency accurately. in line with the communicative approach to language teaching, the ar-based assessment module is meticulously designed to complement this pedagogical philosophy. emphasizing the integration of innovative ar technology, the module aims to strike a balance between fostering communicative competence and leveraging technological advancements. by emphasizing the interplay between innovation and practicality, the module aims to enhance students' speaking skills within efl classrooms, providing them with valuable opportunities for authentic language use and interaction. the study enlisted the participation of fortyfive efl learners included 25 were male and 20 were female, from the faculty of tarbiyah, english department, iain fattahul muluk papua, indonesia. the participants were selected based on their enrollment in english language courses within the department, ensuring that they possessed a similar academic background and language proficiency level. the recruitment process aimed to gather a representative sample of efl learners to enhance the generalizability of the study findings. upon recruitment, participants underwent a pre-test to establish their baseline speaking skills. this initial assessment provided essential data on participants' proficiency levels before any intervention took place. following the pre-test, participants engaged in a series of language activities integrated with ar technology. these activities were designed to provide immersive learning experiences and enhance participants' speaking skills within the efl context. subsequently, a post-test was administered to measure the effectiveness of the ar-integrated language activities in improving participants' speaking proficiency. by comparing pre-test and post-test scores, the study sought to evaluate the impact of ar technology on language learning outcomes. the study was conducted over the duration of a semester, aligning with the academic calendar of the institution. classroom settings within the faculty of tarbiyah, english department, iain fattahul muluk papua served as the primary implementation context. throughout the semester, participants engaged in ar-integrated language activities as part of their regular coursework. this longitudinal approach allowed for sustained exposure to ar technology and facilitated comprehensive data collection. by embedding the study within the naturalistic context of the classroom, the research aimed to capture authentic learning experiences and interactions, thus enhancing the ecological validity of the findings. for the research instruments and procedures, a comprehensive approach was adopted to ensure the thorough examination of the ar-based assessment module's development and implementation. this involved employing both quantitative and qualitative data collection strategies to gather empirical evidence. in terms of instruments, various methods were utilized to assess students' spoken english proficiency. this included pre-tests and post-tests, which provided quantitative data on participants' language skills before and after the integration of ar technology. additionally, qualitative insights were gleaned through interviews and observation techniques, allowing for a deeper understanding of students' experiences and engagement with the ar-based assessment module. central to the study was the ar-based assessment module itself, designed to be an interactive and engaging tool for evaluating speaking proficiency. by integrating ar technology into authentic assessment scenarios, the module aimed to provide students with immersive learning experiences that mirrored realworld communication contexts. this innovative sri fitayanti transforming and evaluating efl speaking skills with augmented reality: an ar-based module approach 836 approach not only enhanced student engagement but also offered a more dynamic platform for assessing language skills. evaluation of the module's effectiveness encompassed both qualitative and quantitative analyses. qualitative outcomes were derived from interviews and classroom observations, offering rich insights into students' perceptions and behaviors regarding the ar-based assessment. meanwhile, quantitative data obtained from pre and post-test results allowed for the quantification of student progress and the assessment of the module's impact on speaking proficiency. this comprehensive evaluation approach provided a nuanced understanding of the module's efficacy and its implications for language teaching and assessment practices. results and discussion quantitative results upon concluding the ar intervention, the collected data from the pre-test and post-test were meticulously analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics to evaluate changes in students' efl speaking proficiency. table 1. descriptive statistics pre-test post-test mean score 2.4 3.9 median score 2.5 4.0 standard deviation 0.6 0.4 table 1 reveal that initial examination of the pretest data recorded an average mean score of 2.4 (on a scale of 5), with a median of 2.5 and a standard deviation of 0.6, illustrating the initial speaking proficiency of the participants. the post-test results showed an increased average mean score of 3.9, median of 4.0, and a reduced standard deviation of 0.4, indicating an improvement in speaking skills with less variability among participants’ performances. table 2. results of inferential statistics, and ancova test statistical test value paired-sample t-test t(59) = -10.24, p < .001 ancova sustained t-test outcomes after adjustment for potential confounding variables. table 2 shows that the paired-samples t-test provided a clear statistical interpretation of the proficiency improvement. a significant improvement in scores was noted (t (59) = -10.24, p < .001), confirming the efficacy of ar intervention in enhancing speaking skills. additionally, an ancova test was conducted, which sustained the outcomes of the t-tests after adjustment for potential confounding variables, further supporting the robustness of the result. this statistical analysis validates that the integration of ar technology has notably fortified the speaking proficiency of the efl learners partaking in the study. the positive changes in scores from the pre-test to the post-test periods are indicative of the ar interventions' potential in bringing about substantial improvements in the target language skills. furthermore, the increase in proficiency, as evidenced by the descriptive data, was corroborated by the inferential tests, which highlighted the significant impact of the ar-based activities. this improvement underscores the role ar technology can play in enhancing the quality and effectiveness of speaking skill instruction and assessment within efl classrooms. the results suggest that ar technology can stimulate realworld communicative scenarios that support language development, reinforcing its viability as a powerful pedagogical tool for language educators. quantitative findings on the implementation of the ar-based assessment module table 3. quantitative data on the implementation of the ar-based assessment module measure pretest mean posttest mean improvement speaking proficiency scores 2.5 4.0 1.5 table 3 mentions that quantitative analysis of pre and post-test scores revealed a significant improvement in students' speaking proficiency following the implementation of the ar-based assessment module. the pre-test mean score (2.5) indicated the initial level of speaking proficiency among participants, while the post-test mean score (4.0) demonstrated the proficiency level after the intervention. the calculated improvement (1.5) quantifies the extent of progress made by students in their speaking abilities. these results suggest that the ar-based assessment module effectively contributed to enhancing students' language skills, as evidenced by the measurable increase in posttest scores compared to pre-test scores. qualitative results integrating augmented reality (ar) technology english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 837 into language assessment brings forth a myriad of insights into student experiences and perceptions. firstly, qualitative data illuminate a remarkable surge in student engagement, attributing it to the module's interactive features, which offer dynamic and stimulating learning experiences. secondly, students express a favorable perception of the arbased assessment module, emphasizing its novelty and engaging nature, fostering excitement and enthusiasm for learning. thirdly, students highlight the module's role in enhancing comprehension of intricate language concepts, leveraging its interactive features for hands-on learning opportunities. furthermore, students appreciate the real-world relevance of assessment tasks, closely resembling authentic communication situations. lastly, the immediate feedback mechanism of the module contributes to students' enhanced confidence in their speaking abilities. despite these positive aspects, challenges such as technical difficulties and suggestions for improvement underscore the need for continued refinement. below are detailed insights into students' experiences and perceptions regarding the integration of ar technology into language assessment, accompanied by excerpts from their feedback. increased engagement the qualitative data revealed a notable increase in student engagement with the ar-based assessment module when contrasted with conventional assessment approaches. students conveyed a sense of heightened interest and involvement with the module, attributing it to its interactive features. they found the module to be dynamic and stimulating, providing an immersive learning experience that captivated their interest. this heightened engagement was further accentuated by the interactive elements embedded within the module, which encouraged active participation and interaction. overall, students expressed a preference for the ar-based assessment module due to its ability to make learning more enjoyable, interactive, and engaging compared to traditional methods. here are statements from some participants based on the results above. excerpt 1 (students #2): "using the ar-based assessment module was like stepping into a whole new world of learning. it wasn't just about answering questions; it was about exploring and interacting with the content in a way that felt real. i found myself more engaged and motivated to participate because it felt like i was part of something bigger." excerpt 2 (students #3): "before, assessments felt like a chore, something i had to get through. but with the ar module, it was different. it was fun, like solving puzzles or playing a game. i didn't even realize i was being assessed; i was too busy enjoying the experience." excerpt 3 (students #7) "the ar module made learning feel more alive. it wasn't just reading from a textbook or listening to a lecture; it was like being in the middle of a conversation or a real-life scenario. i felt more connected to the material and more eager to participate because it felt relevant and immediate." positive learning experience students expressed a favorable perception of the ar-based assessment module, highlighting its novelty and engaging nature as key factors contributing to a positive learning experience. the innovative use of augmented reality technology intrigued students, fostering excitement and enthusiasm towards participating in the assessment activities. the module's interactive nature provided a departure from traditional assessment methods, encouraging students to actively engage with the content in a dynamic and immersive manner. below are statements from some participants based on the results above. excerpt 4 (students #6) “the ar-based assessment module was unlike anything i've experienced before. it was like stepping into a whole new dimension of learning. i was genuinely excited to participate because it felt like i was part of something groundbreaking." excerpt 5 (students #9) “i never thought assessments could be this fun! the ar technology made everything so engaging and interactive. it felt like i was playing a game rather than taking a test. i actually looked forward to the assessment activities because of it." sri fitayanti transforming and evaluating efl speaking skills with augmented reality: an ar-based module approach 838 excerpt 6 (students #12) "the ar module completely changed my perspective on assessments. it wasn't just about answering questions; it was about exploring and interacting with the material in a way that felt meaningful. i felt more motivated to learn because of it." enhanced understanding to expand on this, the ar-based assessment module was highlighted by multiple students as instrumental in enhancing their comprehension of intricate language concepts. they emphasized that the interactive features of the module facilitated hands-on learning opportunities, which proved invaluable in comprehending abstract linguistic principles. here are three excerpts from students regarding this: excerpt 7 (students # 15): "using the ar module, i could visualize complex language structures, which made it much easier for me to understand. it felt like i was interacting directly with the concepts, rather than just reading about them." excerpt 7 (students # 17) "the hands-on approach of the ar activities really helped me grasp difficult grammar rules. instead of just memorizing rules from a textbook, i could actually see how they applied in different contexts." excerpt 8 (students # 18) "with the ar module, i could explore language concepts in a more interactive way. it felt like solving puzzles, where each interaction helped me piece together a clearer understanding of the language." real-world relevance students appreciated the real-world relevance of the assessment tasks facilitated by the ar-based module. they noted that the scenarios presented in the assessments closely resembled authentic communication situations, making the learning experience more practical and applicable to their future language use. below are three student excerpts concerning this matter: excerpt 9 (students # 20) "the ar assessments felt like i was actually having conversations in real-life situations. it made me realize how language skills apply outside the classroom, which motivated me to improve." excerpt 10 (students # 22) "the scenarios in the ar assessments were so lifelike. it wasn't just about language; it was about understanding cultural nuances and social interactions, which are crucial in real-world communication." excerpt 11 (students # 23) "i appreciated how the ar assessments challenged me to think on my feet, just like i would in actual conversations. it wasn't just about memorizing vocabulary; it was about using language in practical, meaningful ways." increased confidence many students reported feeling more confident in their speaking abilities after completing the arbased assessment tasks. the immediate feedback provided by the module allowed them to track their progress and identify areas for improvement, contributing to their overall confidence in using the english language. here are three excerpts from students regarding this: 1. excerpt 12 (students # 25) "i used to feel nervous about speaking english, but the ar assessments helped me see where i was doing well and where i needed to improve. now, i feel more confident expressing myself." excerpt 13 (students # 26) "getting instant feedback from the ar module was like having a personal language coach. it made me realize that i'm capable of communicating effectively in english, and that boosted my confidence a lot." excerpt 14 (students # 31) "before, i was always second-guessing myself when speaking english. but after using the arbased assessments, i feel more assured in my language skills. it's like i've gained a new level of confidence." challenges and suggestions despite the overall positive feedback, some students also highlighted challenges they english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 839 encountered while using the ar-based assessment module. common issues included technical difficulties and the learning curve associated with using new technology. additionally, students provided valuable suggestions for improving the module's usability and effectiveness, such as incorporating more diverse assessment tasks and providing clearer instructions. here are three student responses regarding this: excerpt 14 (students # 36) "i faced some technical glitches while using the ar module, which was frustrating at times. it took me a while to figure out how to navigate through the tasks smoothly." excerpt 15 (students # 43) "the learning curve for using the ar technology was steep for me initially. i think having some tutorials or guidance on how to use the features would have been helpful." excerpt 16 (students # 45) "while the assessments were engaging, i felt that they could be more varied. it would be great to have different types of tasks to assess different aspects of language skills. also, clearer instructions would make it easier to understand what's expected." overall, the qualitative data revealed that the ar-based assessment module had a positive impact on students' learning experiences and engagement. it provided them with interactive and immersive opportunities to develop their speaking skills while also offering valuable insights for further improvement. the findings of this study suggest that the arbased assessment module effectively contributes to enhancing speaking proficiency among efl learners. quantitative analysis of the data showed a notable improvement in post-test scores after the implementation of the ar intervention. this improvement indicates that the ar technology played a significant role in facilitating language learning, as evidenced by the students' enhanced speaking skills. moreover, qualitative insights from interviews and observations provided further depth to the interpretation of results. they revealed that the ar-based assessment module not only led to improvements in speaking proficiency but also fostered other positive outcomes. for example, students reported increased engagement with the module, indicating that they were more actively involved in the learning process. this heightened engagement suggests that the interactive and immersive nature of ar technology contributed to creating a more stimulating learning environment. furthermore, qualitative data highlighted that students experienced positive learning experiences through the ar-based assessment module. the innovative use of augmented reality technology made learning more dynamic and enjoyable for students (hsieh, 2016; sural, 2018; zhang & paredes, 2021), leading to a more positive overall perception of the learning activities. additionally, the module appeared to enhance students' confidence in their language abilities, as they received immediate feedback and were able to track their progress over time. overall, the interpretation of results suggests that the ar-based assessment module not only improves speaking proficiency but also enhances student engagement, fosters positive learning experiences, and boosts confidence in language skills. these findings highlight the potential of ar technology to transform language education and provide valuable insights for educators seeking innovative approaches to teaching and assessment in efl classrooms. our study's findings align with previous research demonstrating the advantages of integrating ar technology into language education. studies by klopfer & squire (2008), and liao et al. (2024) have emphasized the positive impact of ar on learner engagement, motivation, and overall language proficiency. similarly, расулова (2022), and koumpouros (2024) have highlighted ar's potential in creating contextual learning environments conducive to language acquisition in efl settings. these studies collectively underscore the utility of ar technology in enhancing various aspects of language learning. however, while prior research has explored the benefits of ar in language education broadly, our study contributes to the literature by specifically focusing on the assessment aspect. few studies have delved into the evaluation of speaking skills within ar-integrated frameworks. parmaxi & demetriou (2020) have made strides in this direction, shedding light on ar's capacity to enhance language skill assessment by providing authentic and engaging contexts for students. similarly, pennington & revell, (2019), and zhu et al., (2022) have explored ar's potential in improving pronunciation, emphasizing its interactive nature and ability to provide sri fitayanti transforming and evaluating efl speaking skills with augmented reality: an ar-based module approach 840 personalized feedback. in our study, we build upon this foundation by investigating the effectiveness of an ar-based assessment module in evaluating speaking proficiency. by incorporating both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, we provide comprehensive insights into the module's efficacy. our findings suggest promising directions for the assessment of speaking skills via ar technology, aligning with the growing body of research highlighting the potential of ar in language education. overall, while previous studies have laid the groundwork by emphasizing ar's benefits in language learning, our research adds to this knowledge by focusing on its assessment aspect. by bridging this gap in the literature, we contribute valuable insights into the potential of ar technology to enhance language assessment practices in efl contexts. the observed patterns in our data suggest that the interactive and immersive nature of the arbased assessment module played a crucial role in facilitating language learning. the hands-on learning experiences offered by the module allowed students to better understand complex language concepts, leading to improved speaking proficiency. furthermore, the real-world relevance of the assessment tasks provided students with practical language practice, enhancing their ability to communicate effectively in authentic situations. despite the promising results, it is essential to acknowledge several limitations of this study. firstly, the sample size of forty-five participants may limit the generalizability of our findings. additionally, the study was conducted within a single institution and over a relatively short duration, which may impact the external validity of the results. furthermore, technical difficulties encountered by some students highlight the need for further refinement of the ar technology and instructional design. the findings of this study have several implications for language educators and practitioners. the integration of ar-based assessment modules offers a promising avenue for enhancing language teaching and learning in efl contexts. by providing students with immersive and engaging learning experiences, educators can foster greater. conclusion this study has demonstrated the efficacy of integrating ar-based assessment modules in enhancing speaking proficiency among efl learners. the findings revealed a significant improvement in post-test scores following the intervention, indicating the effectiveness of ar technology in facilitating language learning. moreover, qualitative insights highlighted the module's role in fostering increased engagement, positive learning experiences, and enhanced confidence among students. the results of this study contribute to existing literature on ar technology in language education by specifically focusing on the assessment aspect. comparisons with previous studies underscored the consistent benefits of ar integration in fostering engagement, motivation, and language proficiency among learners. however, this research extends beyond prior work by providing comprehensive insights into the module's effectiveness in evaluating speaking skills within an efl context. the implications of this study are significant for language educators and practitioners. the integration of ar-based assessment modules offers a promising avenue for enhancing language teaching and learning. by providing students with immersive and engaging learning experiences, educators can foster greater student engagement and motivation, leading to improved language proficiency outcomes. overall, this research highlights the potential of ar technology to revolutionize language education, particularly in efl contexts. as technology continues to advance, incorporating innovative tools like ar-based assessment modules can play a crucial role in addressing the evolving needs of language learners and preparing them for success in today's interconnected world. references arifin, s., arifani, y., maruf, n., & helingo, a. (2022). a case study of efl teacher scaffolding of an asd learner’s shared reading with a storybook app. journal of asia tefl, 19(4). https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2022.19.4.6.12 34 chan, j. y. h. (2021). bridging the gap between elf and l2 learners’ use of communication strategies: rethinking current l2 assessment and teaching practices. system, 101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102609 chang, y. s., chen, c. n., & liao, c. l. (2020). enhancing english-learning performance through a simulation classroom for efl students using augmented reality—a junior high school case study. applied sciences (switzerland), 10(21). https://doi.org/10.3390/app10217854 chu, h. c., chen, j. m., hwang, g. j., & chen, t. w. (2019). effects of formative assessment in an english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 841 augmented reality approach to conducting ubiquitous learning activities for architecture courses. universal access in the information society, 18(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209017-0588-y de vries, j. a., dimosthenous, a., schildkamp, k., & visscher, a. j. (2023). the impact of an assessment for learning teacher professional development program on students’ metacognition. school effectiveness and school improvement, 34(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2022.211646 1 dhimolea, t. k., kaplan-rakowski, r., & lin, l. (2022). a systematic review of research on highimmersion virtual reality for language learning. techtrends, 66(5). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00717-w dhimolea, t., kaplan-rakowski, r., & lin, l. (2021). a systematic review of research on highimmersion virtual reality for language learning. ssrn electronic journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3863724 fan, m., antle, a. n., & warren, j. l. (2020). augmented reality for early language learning: a systematic review of augmented reality application design, instructional strategies, and evaluation outcomes. journal of educational computing research, 58(6). https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633120927489 gruber, a., & kaplan-rakowski, r. (2022). the impact of high-immersion virtual reality on foreign language anxiety when speaking in public. ssrn electronic journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3882215 hsieh, m. c. (2016). teachers’ and students’ perceptions toward augmented reality materials. 2016 international conference on applied system innovation, ieee icasi 2016. https://doi.org/10.1109/icasi.2016.7539773 irfan sural. (2018). augmented reality experience: initial perceptions of higher education students,. international journal of instruction, , 11(4). jang, j., ko, y., shin, w. s., & han, i. (2021). augmented reality and virtual reality for learning: an examination using an extended technology acceptance model. ieee access, 9. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2020.3048708 kessler, g. (2018). technology and the future of language teaching. foreign language annals, 51(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12318 khalaf, b. k., & zin, z. b. m. (2018). traditional and inquiry-based learning pedagogy: a systematic critical review. international journal of instruction, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11434a klopfer, e., & squire, k. (2008). environmental detectives-the development of an augmented reality platform for environmental simulations. educational technology research and development, 56(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-007-9037-6 koumpouros, y. (2024). revealing the true potential and prospects of augmented reality in education. in smart learning environments (vol. 11, issue 1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-023-00288-0 lan, y. j. (2020). immersion into virtual reality for language learning. in psychology of learning and motivation advances in research and theory (vol. 72). https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.plm.2020.03.001 lau, s. y., & wen, y. (2021). a systematic literature review of augmented reality used in language learning. in chinese language learning sciences. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-163416-1_8 lavolette, e. (2022). optimizing the future of language teaching with technology in japan. jaltcall publications, pcp2021(1). https://doi.org/10.37546/jaltsig.call.pcp2021-01 li, k. c., & wong, b. t. m. (2021). a literature review of augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality in language learning. international journal of mobile learning and organisation, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.1504/ijmlo.2021.114516 liao, c. h. d., wu, w. c. v., gunawan, v., & chang, t. c. (2024). using an augmented-reality gamebased application to enhance language learning and motivation of elementary school efl students: a comparative study in rural and urban areas. asia-pacific education researcher, 33(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-023-00729-x mackey, a., & bryfonski, l. (2018). mixed methodology. in the palgrave handbook of applied linguistics research methodology. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59900-1_5 markouzis, d., baziakou, a., fesakis, g., & dimitracopoulou, a. (2022). a systematic review on augmented reality applications in informal learning environments. international journal of mobile and blended learning, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.4018/ijmbl.315020 maruf, n. (2023). the interplay of teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and the implementation of differentiated instruction in indonesian efl contexts. english review: journal of english education, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7251 maruf, n., & anjely, a. m. r. (2020). utilizing cooperative integrated reading and composition (circ) with mobile learning to enhance students’ reading comprehension. british (jurnal bahasa dan sastra inggris), 9(2), 10–19. maruf, n., asari, s., & indayani, w. r. (2023). design and pilot testing of multi-modal language learning environments (mlles) for efl students: assessing effectiveness. tell-us journal, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.22202/tus.2023.v9i3.7294 maruf, n., & helingo, a. (2022). assessment strategy sri fitayanti transforming and evaluating efl speaking skills with augmented reality: an ar-based module approach 842 to rectify efl students’ performance: a need analysis. jet adi buana, 7(02). https://doi.org/10.36456/jet.v7.n02.2022.6191 mujayanah, s., maruf, n., & asari, s. (2023). exploring tiktok’s impact on enhancing speaking skills in language learning: a classroom action research. jet adi buana, 8(02). https://doi.org/10.36456/jet.v8.n02.2023.8356 olwi, a. (2020). english as a foreign language teachers’ assessment competence at taibah university. theory and practice in language studies, 10(9). https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1009.22 parmaxi, a., & demetriou, a. a. (2020). augmented reality in language learning: a state-of-the-art review of 2014–2019. in journal of computer assisted learning (vol. 36, issue 6). https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12486 pennington, m. c., & rogerson-revell, p. (2019). using technology for pronunciation teaching, learning, and assessment. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-47677-7_5 qiu, x. yue, chiu, c. k., zhao, l. l., sun, c. f., & chen, s. jie. (2023). trends in vr/ar technology-supporting language learning from 2008 to 2019: a research perspective. in interactive learning environments (vol. 31, issue 4). https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.187499 9 qu, k. (2023). a review of pre-university english language education policies in china 20112022. journal of education, humanities and social sciences, 13. https://doi.org/10.54097/ehss.v13i.7881 schorr, i., plecher, d. a., eichhorn, c., & klinker, g. (2024). foreign language learning using augmented reality environments: a systematic review. in frontiers in virtual reality (vol. 5). https://doi.org/10.3389/frvir.2024.1288824 seden, k., & roman, s. (2019). english as a foreign language (efl) teachers’ perceptions of fair assessment. neveléstudomány, 1. https://doi.org/10.21549/ntny.25.2019.1.2 shadiev, r., & yang, m. (2020). review of studies on technology-enhanced language learning and teaching. in sustainability (switzerland) (vol. 12, issue 2). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020524 sulistyaningrum, d., & sumarni, s. (2023). english language education curriculum in indonesia: a historical review within 77 years. universitas negeri jakarta. sural, i. (2018). augmented reality experience: initial perceptions of higher education students. international journal of instruction, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11435a taşkıran, a. (2018). augmented reality games and motivation in language learning. edmedia + innovate learning 2018 amsterdam, netherlands, june 25-29, 2018 augmented, july. wu, x., zhang, l. j., & liu, q. (2021). using assessment for learning: multi-case studies of three chinese university english as a foreign language (efl) teachers engaging students in learning and assessment. frontiers in psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.725132 zein, s., sukyadi, d., hamied, f. a., & lengkanawati, n. s. (2020). english language education in indonesia: a review of research (2011-2019). in language teaching. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444820000208 zhang, d., & pérez-paredes, p. (2021). exploring chinese efl teachers’ perceptions of augmented reality in english language education. in language learning with technology: perspectives from asia. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2697-5_16 zhu, j., zhang, x., & li, j. (2022). using ar filters in l2 pronunciation training: practice, perfection, and willingness to share. computer assisted language learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2022.208071 6 расулова, н. (2022). prospects for the use of augmented reality in education. embedded selforganising systems, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.14464/ess.v9i4.552 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 63 enhancing efl students’ recount texts by employing metacognitive learning strategies (mls) bobby pramjit singh dhillon postgraduate program, english education department, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: bobbydhillon17@upi.edu bachrudin musthafa english education department, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: dinmusthafa@upi.edu yanti wirza english education department, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: yantywirza@upi.edu apa scitation: dhillon, b. p. s., musthafa, b., & wirza, y. (2024). enhancing efl students’ recount texts by employing metacognitive learning strategies (mls). senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 63-74. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9206 received: 23-11-2023 accepted: 02-01-2024 published: 28-02-2024 introduction metacognition serves dual roles in both evaluation and control, described as the ability to think along with executive functions that enhance learners' cognitive capabilities (rosdiana & damaianti, 2023). it pertains to a learner's consciousness of, and authority over, their own learning process. this awareness enables students to transfer or modify learned information across different situations and tasks. it also involves being attentive to one's learning and thought processes. the implementation of metacognitive strategies in writing demonstrates how the brain processes and arranges various ideas and data. metacognition involves the intentional employment of various meta-abilities and skills to aid cognitive and psychophysiological functions (drigas et al., 2022). it stands as a pivotal concept and technique for student introduction in educational settings. research on metacognition indicates it is a learnable behavior that can significantly benefit students across all levels of performance. there are three main reasons for the keen interest in metacognition among language education theorists and researchers. firstly, individuals with metacognitive knowledge tend to be more versatile learners and thinkers throughout their lives. secondly, incorporating metacognitive knowledge into language learning fosters selfdirected learning among students. lastly, establishing a metacognitive knowledge base is crucial for successful language learning. experiencing metacognition leads to metacognitive awareness, which in turn facilitates the acquisition of metacognitive knowledge (teng & yue, 2022). metacognitive awareness allows for the early identification of learning obstacles and the modification of strategies to achieve goals (sato, 2022). abstract: this research delves into the pivotal role of metacognitive learning strategies in augmenting recount text writing skills among english as foreign language (efl) students in their second semester at a teaching institution in north sumatera, indonesia. a correlation study involving 25 writing ii students explored the connection between metacognitive learning strategies (independent variable) and writing skills (dependent variable). employing pearson's product-moment correlation, the study utilized a modified metacognitive learning strategies theory questionnaire to gauge students' metacognitive approaches. furthermore, a written test focusing on recount texts was administered to assess efl students' english writing proficiency. interviews with students and english teachers provided valuable insights into applying metacognitive strategies. the results underscored a significant positive correlation (r = 0.590 > r table = 0.505) between students' metacognitive learning strategies and their recount text writing skills. this emphasizes the importance of integrating metacognitive strategies in the educational process, particularly in the context of efl instruction. the study advocates for the deliberate incorporation of metacognitive learning strategies as an instrumental approach to strengthening and improving recount text writing skills among efl students. keywords: efl students;metacognitive learning strategies; recount text. bobby pramjit singh dhillon, bachrudin musthafa, & yanti wirza enhancing efl students’ recount texts by employing metacognitive learning strategies (mls) 64 csikos (2022) explains metacognitive procedures as the controlling and regulatory actions within metacognitive strategies. amien et al. (2023) highlight that metacognition improves academic outcomes by enabling students to oversee, control, and evaluate their learning processes (anthonysamy, 2021; csíkos, 2022; dignath & veenman, 2021). this involves understanding the appropriate times and methods for employing specific problem-solving and learning strategies. moreover, it includes the use of prior knowledge to devise an approach for learning activities, addressing problems as they emerge, and providing necessary commentary and analysis on writing. metacognitive strategies offer students opportunities for preparation, monitoring, selection, adaptation, evaluation, among other crucial actions, according to gilakjani and ahmadi in awinindia (2023). anthonysamy (2021) suggests that students employing metacognitive strategies can better evaluate their understanding of the material and spend more time managing their learning. previous research (zhang et al., 2022; coelho et al., 2019; burin et al., 2020; valencia-vallejo et al., 2019) confirms that metacognitive strategies enhance students' academic performance, engagement, and success. these strategies provide students with the necessary tools for self-managing their learning through planning, strategy management, progress monitoring, and goal assessment. metacognitive strategies also play a crucial role in problem-solving within learning activities, as they relate to the ways learners address challenges. idris et al. (2022) argue that these strategies help students cultivate a proactive attitude towards learning and self-regulation. these strategies enable learners to evaluate their comprehension of the subject matter. metacognitive knowledge is essential for managing the writing process and correctly applying strategies (yoo, 2019). thus, metacognitive strategy supports students in becoming proficient thinkers, allowing them to organize and articulate their thoughts into coherent, conceptually rich writings (alfaifi, 2022; keith et al., 2020). writing is one of the most essential talents for scholars. additionally, a variety of mediums are available to teach students how to write. a recount text consists of grammatical elements as well as a generic structure. the generic structure includes reorientation (an overview or conclusion of the history that transpired), series of events (a narrative of what happened in chronological order), and direction or orientation (background facts about when, people, and place something happened) (muliadi et al., 2022). this idea might encourage teachers to use recount texts as a teaching tool for their students in more creative ways. according to point et al. (2021), students had difficulty in writing. planning, transcribing, and correction are only a few of the steps and complicated cognitive processes that go into this talent (khojasteh et al., 2021; saqr et al., 2021). it takes brain processing, reasoning, and rethinking to generate sentences. a writing instruction strategy that places an emphasis on students' writing is called the process of writing. drafting, ideation, reviewing, and editing are some of the phases it includes (batubara et al., 2022; rahardjo et al., 2021; rizki et al., 2022; salama et al., 2022). teachers should use a range of strategies to help students write well. students can also use a range of techniques, including metacognitive learning strategies, which help them plan, keep track of, and assess their development. because they are required to write about past experiences or events, students can assess their own writing progress using metacognitive learning strategies. writing is part of the cognitive process of metacognition (teng et al., 2022b, teng & zhang, 2021). by using these techniques as well as organizing, planning, coordinating, and assessing their writing, students can take charge of their own cognitive processes (jaitrong et al., 2022). however, teachers do not yet recognize the significance of metacognitive regulation in writing (qin & zhang, 2019). furthermore the implementation and monitoring of appropriate techniques may be difficult for learners to manage or they may be unaware of them. giving writing lessons focused on the procedures and patterns of academic writing in postsecondary institutions is one option for teaching academic writing (cutri et al., 2021; wale & bogale, 2021). the metacognitive approach affects students' academic writing skills and raises the caliber of their work. it consists of two guides: one for knowing one's own talents and the other for providing criticism (rosdiana et al., 2023). up to 65% of students' writing skills are also influenced by knowledge and regulations (perry et al., 2019; wale & bogale, 2021). every writer and student should aim to produce well-written work that complies with writing conventions, as this is crucial to their english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 65 success in acquiring the language (hidayat & jaenudin, 2022). development of ideas, actual writing and rewriting, editing, and publication are all steps in the process. the content needs to demonstrate topic knowledge, provide a sufficient and pertinent supporting detail, and develop the main idea substantively (meisani, 2022). while some writers edit certain passages as they go, others finish their writing first and then rewrite it. subjects other than language arts programs can teach the writing process. one of results in increased comprehension of the writing process is that students become more active and thoughtful writers (cirocki & widodo, 2019). any discipline's specific reading, thinking, researching, and writing processes may need to be explained to students in order to be taught how to write in that subject. additionally, the instructor may need to give students opportunity to put these processes into practice by breaking them down into separate skills. writing is seen as a social act that the writer performs, influenced by their own experiences and social interactions. additionally, it is essential to writers' social identities and personal experiences, and their capacity to control it is widely evaluated. according to knospe (2018), students can achieve communicative goals in writing by employing a metacognitive strategy through self-regulation and self-assessment (the process of metacognitive monitoring and metacognitive management). for example, reading, rereading, reflecting, and reviewing are examples of monitoring procedures that are included in meta-cognitive monitoring. these techniques are employed to keep an eye on the writing process and the caliber of the output that is produced. editing, drafting, idea formation, word production, translation, and revision are all included in the category of meta-cognitive control (takarroucht, 2022). as a result, this will enable students to complete relevant writing tasks as part of their learning process. additionally, writing recount texts gives students a shared experience that links to a variety of linguistic tasks. when students have acquired sufficient knowledge through the application of metacognitive learning processes, they are able to develop their writing from past events or experiences. on previous studies (farahian & avarzamani, 2018; teng, 2022). it was discovered that metacognitive awareness aided students in mastering self-control and sustaining their high caliber of performance while they wrote. thus, from the preparation stage through the final review stage, students can sustain the quality of their writing process by developing metacognitive awareness. together, students and teachers could learn how to compose and construct effective writing while using metacognitive learning approaches. having students practice writing is one of the most effective methods for enhancing their writing skills. finally, students like reflecting on their experiences to help them with their writing. metacognitive learning procedures are used to give students learning stimulus when writing junior high school recount texts. therefore, metacognitive learning techniques may be enough to motivate students to express their creativity and originality when writing in a certain genre. method this research aimed to investigate student reactions to writing recount texts using metacognitive learning strategies (mls) and to explore the relationship between metacognitive strategies and students' writing abilities. it was designed as a correlational study. a random selection of twenty-five writing ii students participated in the study to examine the research questions. to collect data, the study employed four tools: observations, a questionnaire on metacognitive learning strategies, a writing test, and interviews. the questionnaire on metacognitive learning strategies was utilized to gather information on the students' use of such strategies. the questionnaire was developed by adapting and expanding the framework of the oxford metacognitive strategies chart, as referenced in the book "language learning strategies" (1990, p. 137). the metacognitive techniques described in oxford's framework assist students in efficiently organizing and managing their language acquisition. strategies such as focusing on learning, organization and planning, and evaluating learning processes were emphasized to aid student learning. the questionnaire included various indicators and sub-indicators related to metacognitive learning strategies. a table provided in the study detailed the structure of the questionnaire on metacognitive learning strategies. bobby pramjit singh dhillon, bachrudin musthafa, & yanti wirza enhancing efl students’ recount texts by employing metacognitive learning strategies (mls) 66 table 1. the indicators and the sub indicators of metacognitive learning strategies questionnaire no indicators sub indicators 1. centering students’ learning 1. providing an overview and making connections with previously published content 2. being mindful 2. organizing and planning students’ learning 1. discovering more about language learning 2. planning 3. establishing targets and goals 4. determining the objective of a language assignment 5. arranging a language assignment 6. searching for opportunities for practice 3. evaluating students’ learning 1. self-monitoring 2. self-evaluating the following methods were used to gather data. teachers first gave the students instructions on how to write recount texts on their personal experiences to assess their writing abilities. second, a likert scale with four responses— strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree—was utilized to examine the students' metacognitive learning questionnaire. third, a 7minute interview was conducted with the respondents to ascertain their responses and reinforce the findings on using metacognitive learning strategies in writing activities. the responses would be a viewpoint, attitude, or emotion on the subject. pearson's productmoment simple correlation formula determined the correlation between students' writing abilities and metacognitive learning techniques. the primary information source for this study was individuals. in order to abide by the rules of ethics, the researcher covered the identities of people, places, and the research location using made-up names to protect the rights of human research participants, even though there is no administrative body established in indonesia to protect the rights or welfare of those who were recruited to participate in this study. furthermore, everyone who took part in this research did so voluntarily. results and discussion the study examines how students react to writing recount texts while utilizing metacognitive learning strategies and explores the link between their writing proficiency in recount texts and the application of these strategies. this investigation is divided into two parts: an evaluation of the metacognitive learning strategies used and the assessment of students' writing abilities. to address the initial research question regarding students' reactions to writing recount texts with metacognitive learning strategies, interviews were conducted. the results highlighted insights from ms. christian, the writing teacher, who emphasized her role in guiding students through understanding the structure, intent, and characteristics of the text. she mentioned: "when teaching students about writing, i usually start by introducing them to the text's format or structure. following that, i clarify the text's objective and traits, often providing a previous example for clarity. the subsequent step involves the students reading the content, where i expect them to identify any unfamiliar terms and make concise notes about them. ultimately, they are encouraged to deduce the meaning of the text to grasp its essence fully." moreover, the study identifies three primary ways in which metacognitive learning strategies contribute to enhancing students' writing skills during the activity: focusing on students’ learning the interviews highlighted that a majority of students consciously reflected and focused before initiating their writing, especially when prompted by their english teacher during a writing task. this preparatory phase steered the students through a structured writing process. additionally, it was discovered that students engaged in various preparatory activities before beginning their writing, as detailed below: centering students’ learning the interviews revealed that most students acknowledged that they thought and concentrated before starting to write when their english teacher asked them to do so during a writing assignment. before they started drafting the piece, it guided the students through a writing exercise. additionally, the interview revealed that the students did a variety of tasks before starting to write, as follows: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 67 table 2. students’ responses students actions responses 3 thinking first for the first time, i tried thinking. 8 writing while thinking i directly wrote while thinking. 13 thinking the organisation of the sentences i considered how to arrange the sentences to make them appropriate. 24 asking first, then writing when i acquired the knowledge, i would write as soon as i got feedback from the teacher or the peers what i wanted to write. 28 writing directly i directly wrote. table 2 demonstrated that some students engaged in pre-writing thinking processes. writing also requires understanding specific learning and problem-solving techniques' when, where, and why. as a result, employing metacognitive learning strategies helps students design a plan for a learning activity and takes the required actions to reproduce on and assess their learning method as appropriate. organizing and planning students’ learning it also concerns how a learner approaches overcoming challenges throughout a learning activity. as metacognitive learning strategies help students acquire advanced thinking abilities, based on the findings of the interviews, most students acknowledged that they create a plan before writing the material. the plan guides them as they write. the interview findings for the students' writing assignment were shown in table 3 below: table 3. students’ responses in planning their writing students actions responses 4 making a plan to determine the topic and theme absolutely, i plan ahead to choose the best theme and writing style. my goal is to reduce the number of errors. 9 making a plan to be easier to write certainly, i plan what i want to write and how i want to write it. i prepare ahead of time to make writing easier. 16 not making a plan unfortunately, i don't plan things out. usually, i consider the sentence to see if it fits the title. 20 making a plan to make easier to write that fit the story in fact, i do think out the plot and the vocabulary i'll use in the written work. i prepare ahead of time to make writing more straightforward for me. 25 making a plan and paying attention to the main idea to overcome difficulties definitely, i do have a plan for writing well. to get over my writing obstacles, i also focus on the main idea and the essay's intended purpose. according to table 3 above, most of them create a writing strategy to support them with writing. it assisted students finish the assignment they were given. additionally, pushing students to address issues in their writing helped them improve their writing abilities. it relates to strengthening one's writing skills. evaluating students’ learning people can use self-evaluation to track their professional development, and this strategy additionally assists them assess their objectives or progress. the results of the interviews show that most students use their methods to assess their writing once they have finished their assignments. through the interview, the students affirmed: table 4. students’ responses in evaluating their writing students actions responses 6 rechecking the writing to make it better i went over my writing again, adjusted things in order to improve it. 12 rechecking the writing to make it neat and better my goal was to improve and organize my writing, so i double-checked and adjusted what i wanted to write. 10 rechecking to make it easier to be read i made some adjustments by rereading and evaluating my writing to make it simpler to read. 17 rechecking and making changes to fit the content i think the writing might be appropriate and fit the essay's essence by rereading and rewriting it. 23 re-reading the project to make good result i aimed to have a positive result by rereading, rewriting, and reviewing my writing. bobby pramjit singh dhillon, bachrudin musthafa, & yanti wirza enhancing efl students’ recount texts by employing metacognitive learning strategies (mls) 68 all students reevaluated their writing after finishing their writing assignment to see if it was still appropriate based on the above answers. students can analyze their progress toward completing a task with the help of metacognitive learning tools. it will help students improve their language proficiency, particularly their writing skills. therefore, it might be helpful for them to employ in their writing work. the interview's findings revealed that most students employ their learning strategies, particularly for the writing activity, rather than a particular strategy. the correlation between metacognitive learning strategies and students’ writing skills for writing recount texts metacognitive learning strategies scores questionnaires were used to evaluate the metacognitive learning strategies of the participants. the questionnaire contained twenty items, each with four response options: strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree, assigned values from 1 to 4. this resulted in a scoring range from 40 as the minimum to 78 as the maximum. the scores obtained from the survey varied between 40 and 78, with the lowest score recorded being 40. the calculation for the final scores involved assigning a value of one for the lowest and four for the highest possible scores. the data analysis revealed a standard deviation of 7.1 and an average score of 64.8. following data collection, the researcher categorized the scores of the students' metacognitive learning strategies into a frequency distribution with five equal intervals, starting from the lowest score of 40, to analyze the metacognitive learning processes in more detail. for this purpose, the software spss.v.21 was utilized. table 5. students' frequency distributions for metacognitive learning strategies interval frequency percentage 40-46 1 4% 47-53 0 0% 54-60 4 16% 61-67 12 48% 68-74 7 28% 75-81 1 4% total 25 100% the following figure shows the data from the frequency distributions of the students' metacognitive learning strategies from the table: figure 1. students' frequency distributions for metacognitive learning strategies the score of students’ writing skills an english writing test was used to collect the data to evaluate the students' writing skills. students had to write about their memorable vacations because the writing test's topic was remarkable. also, they had to compose assignments utilizing metacognitive learning strategies. the teacher was requested to grade the students' writing assignments according to the assessment scale by the researcher. a minimum of 5 points (20) and a maximum of 20 points (100) are available on the writing test. to determine the maximum possible overall score for the writing test, the score was multiplied by 4. the study english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 69 found that the lowest and highest scores on the english writing test were 10 and 19, respectively. the average (mean) score was 16.2, and the standard deviation was 2.2. the results of the students' writing tests were categorized into a frequency group by the researcher after data analysis. the lowest scale (10) was used to produce five equal-group intervals. additionally, spss.v.21 was used by the researcher to analyze the writing evaluations completed by the students. below is the whole set of data for a grouped frequency distribution: table 6. frequency distributions of students’ writing proficiencies interval frequency percentage 10-12 1 4% 13-15 10 40% 16-18 10 40% 19-21 4 16% 21-23 0 0% total 25 100% the frequency distributions of the students' writing abilities in the table are shown in the figures below. figure 2. frequency distributions of students’ writing proficiencies the testing of statistical assumptions the researcher describes how to test statistical hypotheses in this part using the data gathered and statistical analysis performed for this study. first, to dissect the testing of statistical hypotheses, the validity, reliability, normality, and hypothesis tests were employed. next, the researcher used spss.v.21 to confirm the statistical assumption. below is a discussion of the statistical investigation's data. validity test the validity of this study was evaluated using pearson's product-moment simple correlation (r). the test is performed to determine whether the data supports the study's claimed measurements. at a significance level of 0.05, the two-tailed test result was compared to the likelihood of degree of freedom (df = n-2) in the r table. if the validity value of the variable test is less than the value of df (r < r table), then the validity test is considered valid. the x variable included only variables that were smaller than 0.413, resulting from the probability being revealed by the validity test to be 0.413. additionally, the probability was 0.413; as a result, every variable in the y variable was less than 0.413. the students' writing skills (y) and metacognitive learning strategies (x) variables' validity test computations revealed that the validity level was 100%. it was, therefore, valid. it demonstrates that both variables were valid completely. reliability test the validity of the students' writing skills (y) and metacognitive learning techniques (x) factors assessed using cronbrach’s coefficient alpha. the test is meant to evaluate both variables' dependability. the test is valid if the p-value is higher than the r table (r > r table). according to the reliability result, the reliability value for the metacognitive strategies learning was 0.877, with a probability of 0.396. on the other hand, the reliability value for the students’ recount texts was 0.808. because the probability value in this study was higher than the value in the r table, it bobby pramjit singh dhillon, bachrudin musthafa, & yanti wirza enhancing efl students’ recount texts by employing metacognitive learning strategies (mls) 70 can be concluded that the variables relating to students' writing abilities (y) and metacognitive learning strategies (x) were reliable. normality test the kolmogorov-smirnov test was used to determine if the variables in this study had a normal distribution. the observed and expected frequency distributions are compared in the test. in accordance with the analysis of the normality test for the students' metacognitive learning methods (x) variable, the z value for the kolmogorov-smirnov test was 0.989, with 0.333 for the probability. the variable distribution is considered normal if the probability is more significant than = 0.05. the probability value in this study was higher than α, indicating a normal distribution for the students' metacognitive learning strategies (x) variable. table 7. the normality test result variable kolmogorov-smirnov z probability conclusion students’ metacognitive learning strategies & students’ recount texts 0.989 0.333 normal linearity test regression analysis was used by the researcher to evaluate the linear association between the students' writing skills (y) and their metacognitive learning strategies (x). the two variables' data analysis yielded a f value of 0.808 and a probability of 0.648. the variable distribution is considered to be linear if the probability is greater than α= 0.05. it was evident that the connection between the two variables was linear since the result was more significant than α. the following displays the linearity test result: table 8. the results of the linearity test f value p conclusion the correlation between students' writing abilities (y) and metacognitive learning strategies (x) 0.808 0.648 linear the computing results showed a linear connection and a normally distributed distribution of the data from the two variables. hypothesis test a dependent variable (english writing skills) and an independent variable (metacognitive learning strategies) were examined to address the problems of the research. in this study, the correlation between the two variables was examined to determine the null hypothesis (h0) and alternative hypothesis (h1): the null hypothesis (h0) suggests: "the ability of learners to write recount texts and metacognitive learning procedures do not significantly correlate." the alternative hypothesis (h1) indicates: "the ability of learners to write recount texts and metacognitive learning processes significantly correlate." to test the hypothesis (r), the researcher used pearson's product-moment simple correlation. the study data was examined by the researcher using spss.v.21. the following computational investigation demonstrates the relationship between students' writing abilities for recount texts and metacognitive learning strategies. here is a summary of the pearson's product-moment simple correlation (r) study: table 9. the findings of the pearson’s product-moment simple correlation (r) analysis to assess the hypothesis independent variable dependent variable r p metacognitive learning strategies writing recount skills 0.590 0.002 based on the findings, the probability correlation coefficient (r) is 0.590 and has a value of 0.002. with a significance level of 0.01, the sample size (n) for the number 25 in the r table was 0.505. the correlation coefficient (r) value was, therefore, higher than the r table (0.590 > 0.505), implying that it was high. as a result, the alternative hypothesis (h1) is accepted, while the null hypothesis (h0) is rejected because of the p 0.002 and r > r tables. as a result, it shows that the writing abilities of second-semester students at nommensen university pematangsiantar and metacognitive learning strategies had a somewhat reasonable and significant association. the second problem formulation was solved since there is a correlation between students' writing abilities for recount texts and metacognitive learning strategies. students' english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 71 writing ability and metacognitive learning strategies are correlated. thus, students can enhance their writing abilities by using metacognitive learning strategies. this research looks at how students' writing skills for recount texts are affected by metacognitive learning techniques. the discussion reveals a multifaceted relationship between metacognition and writing skills, providing insights into how students employ metacognitive processes and the statistical evidence supporting their correlation. impact of metacognitive learning strategies on writing abilities metacognitive learning strategies contribute significantly to students' writing abilities, as evidenced by their pre-writing thinking processes, organizational planning, and self-evaluative practices. the flexibility observed in students' approaches to writing tasks underscores the adaptability of metacognitive strategies. this adaptability allows students to personalize their learning methods, aligning with the diverse nature of writing preferences. students who engaged in thoughtful prewriting demonstrated an improved understanding of text structure and purpose. the influence of metacognitive strategies in guiding students through a writing exercise was acknowledged by ms. christian, the writing instructor, who emphasized the importance of comprehending text features. this alignment with educational theories emphasizes the role of metacognition in enhancing writing skills by encouraging students to organize ideas effectively. organizational planning, another facet of metacognitive learning strategies, emerged as a crucial factor in writing proficiency. students who created plans before writing clearly understood their writing goals and exhibited improved organization in their compositions. metacognitive processes help learners to become self-regulating learners and also to develop a strong sense of urgency in their learning (idris et al., 2022). the evaluation phase showcased students' commitment to self-improvement. reevaluating their writing after completion allowed them to track progress, make adjustments, and enhance language proficiency. this aligns with gilakjani and ahmadi statement in awinindia (2023) that metacognitive strategies give pupils the chance to prepare, check, observe, choose, modify, assess, and do other essential steps. according to anthonysamy (2021), students who use metacognitive methods are better able to assess their grasp of the course material and are able to devote more time to controlling their learning process. statistical analysis of correlation in addition to bolstering the qualitative results, the statistical analysis offers a solid basis for comprehending the relationship between writing skills and metacognitive learning processes. students' scores on metacognitive learning techniques show a preponderance of these strategies' use in the frequency distribution. , with a significant portion falling within the 61-67 range. it indicates a widespread adoption of metacognitive approaches among the students. the distribution of students' writing proficiency scores shows a diverse range of abilities, reinforcing that metacognitive strategies accommodate various writing styles and skill levels. validity and reliability tests establish the trustworthiness of the data, while normality and linearity tests confirm the normal distribution of data and a linear relationship between variables. the hypothesis test, employing pearson's product-moment simple correlation, produces a significant correlation coefficient (r = 0.590) with a low p-value (0.002). this supports the alternative hypothesis statistically, emphasizing a substantial and positive association between students' writing abilities and metacognitive learning strategies. in conclusion, the study comprehensively explains the associated relationship between metacognitive learning strategies and students' writing abilities for recount texts. the integration of metacognitive processes positively influences pre-writing thinking, organizational planning, and self-evaluation. the statistical evidence substantiates this correlation, underlining the potential for educators to leverage metacognitive approaches in writing instruction. these findings contribute valuable insights to educational practices, emphasizing the role of metacognition in enhancing language proficiency and fostering practical writing skills. conclusion this research explored how second-semester students at a north sumatran educational institution in indonesia reacted to the incorporation of metacognitive learning strategies in their production of recount texts. the goal was to understand the students' perceptions of this method and its relationship to their ability to bobby pramjit singh dhillon, bachrudin musthafa, & yanti wirza enhancing efl students’ recount texts by employing metacognitive learning strategies (mls) 72 produce recount texts using metacognitive strategies. the study led to two primary insights. first, the adoption of metacognitive learning strategies in recount text writing sessions was met with enthusiasm by the students, enabling them to better focus, plan, organize, and assess their learning processes. second, a significant link was found between the students' use of metacognitive strategies and their recount text writing proficiency, indicated by a correlation coefficient of 0.590, which surpasses the critical value of 0.505. these results highlight the effectiveness of metacognitive learning strategies in improving the recount text writing capabilities of efl (english as a foreign language) students. the research suggests that both educators and learners could greatly benefit from integrating metacognitive strategies and recount texts as educational tools to foster more dynamic and effective learning environments. educators are encouraged to consider these strategies as innovative methods for enhancing both learning and teaching experiences. however, the study acknowledges its limitations, such as the small sample size and its focus on a specific demographic of secondsemester students in north sumatera. it recommends future studies to broaden the sample size and include a more diverse range of participants regarding age, gender, and learning preferences. further research should also examine the application of metacognitive learning strategies across different writing genres to gain a fuller understanding of their benefits. this research offers valuable contributions to efl teaching methodologies, demonstrating the positive impact of metacognitive learning strategies on students' abilities to write recount texts. the findings and positive feedback from students suggest that these strategies have the potential for wider application in various educational settings. the gratitude section acknowledges the support from nommensen university pematangsiantar and the indonesia university of education for their invaluable support. a special thanks is also extended to the research participants for their contribution to completing this study. references alfaifi, m. j. (2022). a suggested model for metacognitive strategy instruction in efl writing classrooms. reading and writing quarterly, 38(4), 323–339. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2021.195456 9 amien, m., & hidayatullah, a. (2023). assessing students' metacognitive strategies in e-learning and their role in academic performance. jurnal inovasi teknologi pendidikan, 10(2), 158-166. https://doi.org/10.21831/jitp.v10i2.60949 anthonysamy, l. (2021). the use of metacognitive strategies for undisrupted online learning: preparing university students in the age of pandemic. education and information technologies, 26(6), 6881–6899. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10518-y awinindia, s. (2023). metacognitive, cognitive, and socio-affective strategies used by efl students in academic listening course. lensa: kajian kebahasaan, kesusastraan, dan budaya, 13(1), 151–168. https://doi.org/10.26714/lensa.13.1.2023.151168 batubara, w. w., hidayat, d. n., husna, n., alek, a., & machfudi, m. i. (2022). a discourse analysis of lexical cohesion on naila farhana’s videos. linguists : journal of linguistics and language teaching, 8(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.29300/ling.v8i1.6435 burin, d. i., gonzalez, f. m., barreyro, j. p., & injoque-ricle, i. (2020). metacognitive regulation contributes to digital text comprehension in e-learning. metacognition and learning, 15(3), 391–410. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-020-09226-8 cirocki, a., & widodo, h. p. (2019). reflective practice in english language teaching in indonesia: shared practices from two teacher educators. iranian journal of language teaching research, 7(3), 15–35. coelho, v., cadima, j., pinto, a. i., & guimarães, c. (2019). self-regulation, engagement, and developmental functioning in preschool-aged children. journal of early intervention, 41(2), 105–124. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053815118810238 csíkos, c. (2022). metacognitive and nonmetacognitive processes in arithmetic performance: can there be more than one metalevel? journal of intelligence, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10030053 cutri, j., abraham, a., karlina, y., patel, s. v., moharami, m., zeng, s., manzari, e., & pretorius, l. (2021). academic integrity at doctoral level: the influence of the imposter phenomenon and cultural differences on academic writing. international journal for educational integrity, 17(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-021-00074-w dignath, c., & veenman, m. v. j. (2021). the role of direct strategy instruction and indirect activation https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2021.1954569 https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2021.1954569 https://doi.org/10.21831/jitp.v10i2.60949 https://doi.org/10.26714/lensa.13.1.2023.151-168 https://doi.org/10.26714/lensa.13.1.2023.151-168 https://doi.org/10.29300/ling.v8i1.6435 https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10030053 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-021-00074-w english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 73 of self-regulated learning — evidence from classroom observation studies. educational psychology review, 33(2), 489–533. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648020-09534-0 drigas, a., mitsea, e., & skianis, c. (2022). metamemory: metacognitive strategies for improved memory operations and the role of vr and mobiles. behavioral sciences, 12(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12110450 farahian, m., & avarzamani, f. (2018). the impact of portfolio on efl learners’ metacognition and writing performance. cogent education, 5(1), 1450918. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2018.145091 8 hidayat, d., & jaenudin, j. (2023). teachers’ strategies to teach writing explanation texts. journal of english language teaching, 11(1), 21-29. idris, n., isa, h. m., zakaria, n. n. n., taib, n. a. m., ismail, s., & rahmat, n. h. (2022). an investigation of the use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies in foreign language learning. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 12(2), 70 – 89. jaitrong, a. kaeswud, m., kwanthong, w., & manochphinyo, a. (2022). a survey study of english writing strategies used by thai undergraduates in business english program. jurnal bahasa inggris terapan, 8(2), 27212890. keith, s., stives, k. l., kerr, l. j., & kastner, s. (2020). the role of academic background and the writing centre on students’ academic achievement in a writing-intensive criminological theory course. educational studies, 46(2), 154–169. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2018.154178 8 khojasteh, l., hosseini, s. a., & nasiri, e. (2021). the impact of mediated learning on the academic writing performance of medical students in flipped and traditional classrooms: scaffolding techniques. research and practice in technology enhanced learning, 16(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-021-00165-9 knospe, y. (2018). metacognitive knowledge about writing in a foreign language: a case study, in haukas, a., bjorke, c., & dypedahl, m. (eds.). metacognition in language learning and teaching. routledge, 121-138. meisani, d. r. (2022). improving students’ writing skills through writing workshop: an action research. journal of literature and language teaching, 13(1), 35-49. muliadi, b. w., sahuddin., & udin. (2022). an analysis of generic structure on recount text written by accelerated students at sman 1 praya tengah in academic year 2021/2022. journal of english education forum, 2(2), 1621. oxford, r. (1990). language learning strategies: what every teacher should know. heinle & heinle publishers. perry, j., lundie, d., & golder, g. (2019). metacognition in schools: what does the literature suggest about the effectiveness of teaching metacognition in schools? educational review, 71(4), 483–500. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2018.144112 7 point, r. g., ng, c.-c., & ting, s. h. (2021). perceptions of students learning french as a foreign language in malaysia. trends in undergraduate research, 4(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.33736/tur.3094.2021 qin, l. m., & zhang, l. j. (2019). english as a foreign language writers’ metacognitive strategy knowledge of writing and their working performance in multimedia environments. journal of writing research, 12(2), 393–413. rahardjo, r., hidayat, d. n., & alek, a. (2021). theme and rheme analysis and politeness strategy in diplomatic workplace writing: a discourse analysis. getsempena english education journal, 8(1), 123–133. https://doi.org/10.46244/geej.v8i1.1292 rizki, m., hidayat, d. n., husna, n., & alek, a. (2022). discourse analysis of grammatical cohesion devices in student explanation texts. eduvelop: journal of english education and development, 6(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.31605/eduvelop.v6i1.1545 rosdiana, l. a., damaianti, v. s., mulyati, y., & sastromiharjo, a. (2023). the role of metacognitive strategies in academic writing skills in higher education. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 22(6), 328-344. salama, i., hidayat, d. n., husna, n., & alek, a. (2022). arabic identity in english foreign language classroom conversation: language selection, patterns, and functions. leksika: jurnal bahasa, sastra dan pengajarannya, 16(2), 1. https://doi.org/10.30595/lks.v16i2.13513 saqr, m., peeters, w., & viberg, o. (2021). the relational, co-temporal, contemporaneous, and longitudinal dynamics of self-regulation for academic writing. research and practice in technology enhanced learning, 16(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-021-00175-7 sato, m. (2022). metacognition. in s. li, p. hiver & m. papi (eds.), the routledge handbook of second language acquisition and individual differences (95–108). routledge. takarroucht, k. (2022). the effect of self-assessment on the development of efl writing selfefficacy: a case of algerian higher education. https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09534-0 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09534-0 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2018.1450918 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2018.1450918 https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-021-00165-9 https://doi.org/10.46244/geej.v8i1.1292 https://doi.org/10.31605/eduvelop.v6i1.1545 https://doi.org/10.30595/lks.v16i2.13513 https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-021-00175-7 bobby pramjit singh dhillon, bachrudin musthafa, & yanti wirza enhancing efl students’ recount texts by employing metacognitive learning strategies (mls) 74 international journal of language education, 6(2), 157-168. teng, f., & zhang, l. j. (2021). development of children’s metacognitive knowledge, and reading and writing proficiency in english as a foreign language: longitudinal data using multilevel models. british journal of educational psychology, 91(4), 1202–1230. teng, f., qin, c., & wang, c. (2022b). validation of metacognitive academic writing strategies and the predictive effects on academic writing performance in a foreign language context. metacognition and learning, 17, 167–190. teng, m. f. (2022). effects of cooperative– metacognitive instruction on efl learners’ writing and metacognitive awareness. asia pacific journal of education, 42(2), 179−195. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2020.183560 6 teng, m. f., & yue, m. (2022). metacognitive writing strategies, critical thinking skills, and academic writing performance: a structural equation modeling approach. metacognition and learning. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-02209328-5 valencia-vallejo, n., lópez-vargas, o., & sanabriarodríguez, l. (2019). effect of a metacognitive scaffolding on self-efficacy, metacognition, and achievement in e-learning environments. knowledge management and e-learning, 11(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.34105/j.kmel.2019.11.001 wale, b. d., & bogale, y. n. (2021). using inquirybased writing instruction to develop students’ academic writing skills. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 6(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-02000108-9 yoo, j. (2019). creative writing and academic timelessness. new writing, 16(2), 148–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790726.2018.149077 6 zhang, y., paquette, l., bosch, n., ocumpaugh, j., biswas, g., hutt, s., & baker, r. s. (2022). the evolution of metacognitive strategy use in an open-ended learning environment: do prior domain knowledge and motivation play a role? contemporary educational psychology, 69(march), 102064. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2022.102064 https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2020.1835606 https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2020.1835606 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-022-09328-5 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-022-09328-5 https://doi.org/10.34105/j.kmel.2019.11.001 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-020-00108-9 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-020-00108-9 https://doi.org/10.1080/14790726.2018.1490776 https://doi.org/10.1080/14790726.2018.1490776 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2022.102064 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 435 developing effective esp learning materials using a learning management system in tertiary education nanan abdul manan1, badroeni2 1,2univiersitas muhammadiyah kuningan, west java, indonesia corresponding author: nanan@upmk.ac.id apa citation: manan, n. a., & badroeni. (2025). developing effective esp learning materials using a learning received: 21-02-2024 accepted: 23-04-2024 published: 30-06-2025 introduction english for specific purposes (esp) has emerged as a vital component in tertiary education, addressing the unique linguistic and professional needs of students. esp courses are tailored to meet specific communication skills within fields such as engineering, business, and health sciences (irudayasamy, souidi, & hankins, 2020; hartina & syahrir, 2021; jamali & krish, 2021). the challenge lies in adapting these materials for optimal relevance and engagement, requiring educators to develop content that is contextually appropriate (hélder, 2017; moroz, 2020; bielousova, 2020). recent studies also highlight the shift towards digital learning, especially in the post-pandemic era (suherman & kertawijaya, 2023; hidayati et al., 2023; rauf, rajab & nashruddin, 2023). integrating technology into esp learning materials has become more prevalent, driven by platforms like moodle and other learning management systems (lms) (arifin, eryani, & farahtika, 2023; xu, chan, & yilin, 2020; truong, 2021). learning management systems (lms) are designed to facilitate online learning through enhanced interactivity, collaboration tools, and multimedia content (akhmedova & rahmatova, 2024; alkinani & alzahrani, 2021; elfeky & elbyaly, 2023). some lmss now incorporate artificial intelligence (ai) to further personalize learning experiences (ayotunde, jamil, & cavus, 2023; khonturaev et al., 2023; fırat, 2023). research indicates that lms platforms significantly enhance students' satisfaction and learning outcomes by enabling access to a variety of learning resources (elfeky & elbyaly, 2023; khojasteh et al., 2023; wichanpricha, 2021). aiabstract: this study aimed to conduct a needs analysis for developing an english for specific purposes (esp) teaching model at muhammadiyah kuningan college of teacher training and education in west java, indonesia. the research involved 104 students enrolled in the information and communication technology education program, aged between 19 and 21 years. additionally, six lecturers, holding master’s degrees in information technology and possessing teaching experience ranging from three to ten years, participated in the study. data from students were gathered through a multiple-choice questionnaire administered via the ruangmu learning management system (lms), focusing on three key areas: prerequisites, challenges, and educational aspirations. the feasibility of the lms-based esp model was also assessed using a validated instrument endorsed by experts. results highlighted the importance of a detailed needs analysis in identifying knowledge gaps, forming the basis for developing an effective teaching model. a gap analysis helped bridge the disparity between current and required competencies. pre-test scores revealed averages of 59.32, with the median, lowest, and highest scores being 60, 30, and 80, respectively. a clear improvement was observed in post-test results, indicating that the ruangmu lms had a positive impact on students' learning outcomes. the paired sample test further validated this enhancement, showing a statistically significant improvement with a two-tailed significance value of 0.00. in conclusion, the findings suggest that the ruangmu lms plays a critical role in improving student outcomes in english for specific purposes (esp). keywords: esp teaching model; ruangmu lms; needs analysis; gap analysis; student learning outcomes, ict education, learning management system, educational improvement. management system in tertiary education. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 435-446. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.13i2.11818 nanan abdul manan, badroeni developing effective esp learning materials using a learning management system in tertiary education 436 powered systems embedded in lmss help tailor learning experiences by addressing students' individual needs (fırat, 2023; saadati, zeki & vatankhah barenji, 2023; hakimi et al., 2024). such personalized learning experiences are particularly beneficial for esp students as they target niche subject areas with specific skill requirements (rafiq, hashim, & yunus, 2021; mostafavi, mohseni & abbasian, 2021; rodríguez-peñarroja, 2022). implementing lms in esp courses has become crucial to overcoming traditional classroom limitations. studies emphasize the importance of digital platforms, such as moodle and microsoft teams, in supporting collaborative and synchronous learning (alkinani & alzahrani, 2021; truong, 2021; rauf et al., 2023). these tools also promote project-based learning, encouraging self-directed learning (mulyadi et al., 2023; petraki & khat, 2022; rodríguez-peñarroja, 2022). while research in lms-enhanced esp is extensive, several gaps remain. few studies have explored the long-term impact of ai-integrated lms systems on learning outcomes in specific esp contexts (khonturaev et al., 2023; ayotunde et al., 2023; saadati et al., 2023). additionally, the use of blockchain technology for esp material delivery and self-regulation remains underexplored (saadati et al., 2023; hakimi et al., 2024; guoyan et al., 2023). a successful esp program requires understanding and aligning with students' professional needs. needs analysis is essential for developing targeted esp materials (chiu et al., 2023; pranoto & suprayogi, 2020; zahednejad et al., 2021). customized lms modules ensure that learning is not only engaging but also aligned with career aspirations (hoesny et al. 2020; kusumawati & sari, 2019; moroz, 2020). despite the benefits, several challenges hinder the development of effective esp learning materials. constraints such as limited teacher training, insufficient technological infrastructure, and resistance to new methodologies remain significant barriers (kakoulli-constantinou & papadima-sophocleous, 2020; petraki & khat, 2022; suherman & kertawijaya, 2023). addressing these challenges is imperative for ensuring that esp courses remain relevant and effective. innovative approaches such as flipped classrooms and blended learning models are gaining traction in esp classrooms. these models encourage students to engage with course content actively and promote lifelong learning habits (hsiao, hung & huang, 2023; dhivya, hariharasudan & nawaz, 2023; syakur et al., 2020). integrating multimedia elements into lms platforms further enhances engagement and learning efficiency (raharjo et al,\. 2020; rodríguez-peñarroja, 2022; dhivya et al., 2023). student feedback plays a crucial role in assessing the effectiveness of esp materials and lms platforms. surveys suggest that students appreciate the flexibility and accessibility provided by lmsbased learning, but they also highlight areas for improvement (arifin et al., 2023; gaffas, 2023; khojasteh et al., 2023). continuous feedback loops are essential for refining course content and delivery methods. teachers are central to the success of lmsbased esp programs. effective teacher training and support systems are needed to ensure smooth integration of digital tools in classrooms (iswati, 2021; kakoulli-constantinou & papadimasophocleous, 2020; suherman & kertawijaya, 2023). teachers also need to adopt new pedagogical strategies to meet the evolving needs of students (hartina & syahrir, 2021; jamali & krish, 2021; khalil & semono-eke, 2020). the covid-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of lms platforms in tertiary education, including esp courses. this shift has brought about both challenges and opportunities for educators and students (guoyan et al., 2023; khojasteh et al., 2023; hakimi et al., 2024). blended and hybrid learning models have become the new norm, requiring continuous adaptation and innovation (elfeky & elbyaly, 2023; suherman & kertawijaya, 2023; wichanpricha, 2021). developing effective esp learning materials through lms platforms holds immense potential for improving learning outcomes and meeting students' professional goals. however, continuous research and innovation are needed to address existing gaps and challenges. future studies should focus on integrating emerging technologies such as ai and blockchain to further enhance the effectiveness of esp courses (ayotunde et al., 2023; khonturaev et al., 2023; saadati et al., 2023). method this study utilized a mixed-method approach to gather and analyze data on the effectiveness of esp learning materials using a learning management system (lms). participants included 104 students enrolled in the information and communication technology education program at muhammadiyah kuningan college and six lecturers with master’s degrees in information technology (rauf et al., 2023; elfeky & elbyaly, 2023; arifin et al., 2023). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 437 the students aged between 19 and 21 years used the ruangmu lms to provide responses to structured questionnaires. the six lecturers participating in the study had three to ten years of teaching experience. their expertise in information technology was critical for validating the esp model (guoyan et al., 2023; khojasteh et al., 2023). the students' responses were collected using a multiple-choice questionnaire delivered through the ruangmu lms. the questionnaire explored students' needs, current deficiencies in learning, and desired outcomes, ensuring alignment with the study's objectives (alkinani & alzahrani, 2021; hsiao et al., 2023). additionally, a validation sheet was employed to assess the viability and effectiveness of the lms-based esp model from the lecturers' perspectives. the validation sheet provided data on the model's validity, including ratings, comments, and suggestions from the lecturers. qualitative assessments of these comments informed revisions to the generated esp product. descriptive statistical methods were employed to calculate average scores for each aspect evaluated by the validators. the data were classified into five categories, following widodo's (2016) classification approach for subjective assessment (elfeky & elbyaly, 2023; saadati et al., 2023). to analyze the differences in students' performance before and after the implementation of the lms-based esp materials, a paired t-test was employed. this parametric test allowed the comparison of two related datasets—preand postintervention results—assuming that the data scales for both sets were quantitative (jamali & krish, 2021; fırat, 2023). the paired t-test evaluates whether there is a significant difference in the average values of two sets of related data, typically obtained from the same individuals under different conditions. this method is appropriate for dependent data and reflects differences across preand postintervention phases (rafiq et al., 2021; ayotunde et al., 2023). the combination of descriptive analysis and a paired t-test ensures a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of lms-enhanced esp materials. expert validation through qualitative feedback further strengthens the study’s findings, helping refine the esp model for broader implementation (arifin et al., 2023; elfeky & elbyaly, 2023). results and discussion this phase involves identifying all relevant elements that need consideration during the course design process, such as student characteristics, their prior knowledge, and the accessibility of resources. the tool’s main purpose was to conduct a needs analysis, pinpoint challenges, and perform a task analysis tailored specifically for esp courses. characteristics of students among the students enrolled in the information and communication technology education program at muhammadiyah kuningan college of teacher training and education, two individuals stood out with the highest gpa of 4.00 and the lowest gpa of 1.65. out of a total of 104 students, only 5 students have a gpa below 3.00. additionally, the amount of time students spend reading books daily varies considerably. research shows that 40% of the students dedicate more than one hour each day to reading, making this the largest group. in comparison, 38% read for exactly one hour, while 22% spend less than one hour per day on reading activities. needs analysis the needs analysis identifies three critical aspects of students' interest in english classes: needs, deficiencies, and learning preferences and requirements. the students' initial skills and specific needs significantly influence their success in mastering english-related subjects. their ability to develop effective instructional models for teaching english is assessed by analyzing the number of responses, percentages, and priority rankings of their choices, as outlined in table 1. among the 20 students surveyed, 68% agreed on the importance of needs, 63% acknowledged deficiencies, and 66% responded positively to learning needs and preferences. this data underscores the importance of tailoring instructional models to address students' unique learning needs and gaps effectively. nanan abdul manan, badroeni developing effective esp learning materials using a learning management system in tertiary education 438 table 1. priority for making instruments by lecturers the statistics gathered on the student's responses indicate that their primary aspiration in terms of needs is to engage in superior and more effective online english learning. regarding deficiencies, pupils possess the ability to infer the meaning of unfamiliar terminology within the text. from the perspective of learning needs and desires, it is necessary for them to collaborate in small groups to enhance efficiency when working on tasks given by their professors. validation test for the model the proposed model's validity was confirmed by a validation process including three learning experts. these experts were separated into two groups: three material experts and three media experts. the experts included a teaching expert, a learning media expert, and a learning evaluation and assessment expert. the validity of the ruangmu lms instrument in this research was evaluated by three experts, using a four-point scale for assessment. the scale is divided into four categories: 4, 3, 2, and 1, representing elements that are highly relevant, somewhat relevant, slightly relevant, and unimportant, respectively. table 2. assessment of instrument content validity agreement by material experts english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 439 the content validity assessment provided in table 2 and table 3 reveals a high degree of consistency and agreement among the validators regarding the relevance and quality of the instrument's items. the three validators (v1, v2, and v3) assigned scores to 40 items, with most scores ranging between 3 and 4 points, reflecting a shared understanding of the items' relevance. this level of consistency across the majority of items indicates a well-constructed instrument. however, item 19 showed a slight deviation, as v1 assigned a score of 2, which is lower than the ratings given by the other two validators. this suggests a minor difference in judgment, although it does not significantly affect the overall validity of the instrument. the coefficient of variation (cvr) for each item is 1.00, indicating unanimous agreement among the validators regarding the importance of each item. a cvr score of 1.00 signifies that all validators identified the items as essential components of the instrument, affirming their relevance. the high cvr value across all items underscores the strong content validity of the individual components of the scale. furthermore, the instrument achieved a perfect item-level content validity index (i-cvi) score of 1.00 for each item. this indicates that all individual items meet the required content standards, with all three validators agreeing on their alignment with the study objectives. additionally, the scale-level content validity index based on universal agreement (s-cvi/ua) also scored 1.00, signifying that there was complete consensus among the validators regarding the entire scale’s validity. the scale-level content validity index (scvi/ave), calculated as the average of the i-cvi scores, yielded a value of 1.00. this score confirms that the overall scale is aligned with the intended content, with all validators agreeing on its appropriateness. the calculation formula used is: s−cvi/ave=(1.00+1.00+1.00)3=1.00s-cvi/ave = \frac{(1.00 + 1.00 + 1.00)}{3} = 1.00s−cvi/ave=3(1.00+1.00+1.00)=1.00 this result underscores the excellent content validity of the instrument, as the average rating across validators reflects complete alignment. we can conclude, the high cvi and cvr values demonstrate that the instrument used in the study possesses strong content validity. the validators’ consistent ratings and agreement suggest that the instrument is well-suited to measure the intended outcomes effectively. although there was a slight discrepancy in one item (item 19), the overall consensus remains robust. this high level of agreement ensures that the instrument will provide accurate and reliable results in its application. therefore, the findings confirm that the instrument is valid and can be confidently utilized in the context of the study. table 3. assessment of instrument content validity agreement by media experts in addition, the stability of the ruangmu lms instrument was assessed through a measurement test conducted on many occasions using the testretest method. the test was administered to 20 people, with a time interval of 10-14 days between the initial test and the retest. table 4 indicates that nanan abdul manan, badroeni developing effective esp learning materials using a learning management system in tertiary education 440 the alpha reliability value of 0.940 is considered adequate. the identification of each instrument item in the retest is done using the intraclass correlation coefficient (icc) with a two-way mixed-effects model. the anova analysis indicates that there is no statistically significant variation in the evaluation across raters (p>0.05) due to the fact that the data were collected from the same rater (koo tk, li my.2016). the icc output for inter-rater reliability is 0.940, with interpretation and confidence intervals of 94% and 93%, respectively. the expected range for the icc is between 0.83 and 0.94. the reliability rating is between the range of "good" to "very good". table 4. reliability test on intraclass correlation coefficient for material expert validation measures intraclass correlation 95% confidence interval f test with true value 0 lower bound upper bound value df1 df2 single measures 0.722 0.057 0.336 1.417 39 78 average measures 0.943 0.193 0.603 1.417 39 78 the results of the reliability test using the intraclass correlation coefficient (icc) provide insight into the consistency of expert evaluations. this test measures the degree of agreement among multiple raters—in this case, media experts—who assessed specific learning materials. the reliability of these ratings is essential in determining whether the assessment process is consistent and dependable for evaluating instructional media. the single measures icc value of 0.722 indicates moderate reliability when considering individual ratings from each expert. the 95% confidence interval for this icc ranges from 0.057 to 0.336, suggesting some variability in the ratings. while the value of 0.722 suggests that individual experts provide fairly consistent ratings, the lower bound of the confidence interval (0.057) points to potential inconsistencies in some evaluations, which could affect the reliability of single assessments. in contrast, the average measures icc is significantly higher at 0.943, with a confidence interval ranging from 0.193 to 0.603. this result suggests excellent reliability when the ratings of multiple experts are aggregated. a high icc value of 0.943 implies that, while individual assessments may vary slightly, combining the evaluations results in highly consistent outcomes. the narrow confidence interval also reinforces that the aggregation process smooths out potential inconsistencies, ensuring dependable evaluations when considering all experts’ inputs. the f-value in the test is 1.417, with degrees of freedom (df) of 39 and 78. this provides additional insight into the variability between raters. although the f-value is not particularly large, it indicates that the differences between individual raters' assessments are relatively low. this further supports the conclusion that the media experts' evaluations are generally consistent. this reliability test utilizes a two-way mixedeffects model, where people effects are random (meaning the sample of experts is considered representative) and measures effects are fixed (indicating that the criteria used in the assessment remain constant). this model ensures that the reliability findings are applicable beyond the immediate group of experts, making the results generalizable to similar contexts. the icc calculation follows a type c consistency definition, which focuses on the consistency of ratings rather than absolute agreement. in this model, the between-measure variance is excluded from the denominator, allowing the test to prioritize the reliability of consistent ratings across raters. additionally, the analysis assumes the absence of interaction effects, further simplifying the interpretation by concentrating solely on consistency among raters. we can conclude, the reliability analysis shows that individual assessments by experts exhibit moderate consistency, as indicated by the single measures icc. however, when aggregated, the ratings demonstrate a high level of reliability, as evidenced by the average measures icc. this result highlights that while individual evaluations may vary slightly, the overall process of media validation through combined expert inputs is robust and reliable. this strengthens the credibility of the learning materials being evaluated, ensuring that the instructional content meets high-quality standards when assessed through this process. table 5. reliability test on intraclass correlation coefficient for media expert validation english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 441 measures intraclass correlation 95% confidence interval f test with true value 0 lower bound upper bound value df1 df2 single measures 0.748 0.215 0.434 1.150 13 26 average measures 0.930 1.132 0.697 1.150 13 26 the reliability test results presented in table 5 provide valuable insights into the consistency of media expert evaluations using the intraclass correlation coefficient (icc). the icc is commonly used to assess the degree to which multiple ratings of the same items, in this case by media experts, are consistent with each other. this reliability assessment allows for determining the dependability of the media validation process. the single measures icc is reported as 0.748, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 0.215 to 0.434. this value suggests a moderate level of reliability when considering individual expert evaluations. however, the relatively wide confidence interval indicates some variability among the raters. while an icc value above 0.70 is generally considered acceptable for moderate reliability, the variability suggests that individual raters may not always be consistent in their assessments. in contrast, the average measures icc is significantly higher, reaching 0.930, with a confidence interval between 1.132 and 0.697. this demonstrates excellent reliability when the ratings from multiple experts are combined. the high average measures icc indicates that aggregated ratings from different experts yield highly consistent results, minimizing the effects of variability between individual evaluations. this is particularly relevant for ensuring the reliability of the overall media validation process. the f-value reported is 1.150, with degrees of freedom (df) of 13 and 26. although the p-value is not provided explicitly, the small f-value reflects the presence of variance within the assessments. however, the results suggest that the variance between raters is relatively small, particularly when considering the high average measures icc. the analysis employs a two-way mixed-effects model, where people effects are random and measures effects are fixed. this indicates that the sample of raters (media experts) is treated as a random sample from a broader population, while the criteria used for evaluation remain fixed and standardized. this model allows the reliability findings to be generalized to other groups of experts and ensures that the media validation is based on consistent measures. the icc calculation follows the type c consistency definition, focusing on how reliably the same items are evaluated, regardless of the specific scores assigned by individual experts. this approach excludes between-measure variance from the denominator, emphasizing the consistency of ratings rather than absolute agreement. additionally, the results assume that interaction effects are absent since these cannot be estimated with the available data. this assumption simplifies the analysis and enables a clearer focus on the reliability of the ratings. the findings suggest that while individual expert evaluations (single measures) exhibit moderate reliability, the combined evaluations (average measures) show excellent reliability. the high average measures icc confirms that the media validation process is consistent and dependable when multiple expert ratings are aggregated. this reliability is critical in ensuring the validity and robustness of the media evaluations conducted in this study. paired sample t-test based on the data presented in table 6, a paired samples test was conducted to determine whether there was a significant difference between the pretest and post-test scores of students who used the ruangmu learning management system (lms). the analysis sought to evaluate the impact of the lms on the academic performance of students enrolled in the information and communication technology education program. the mean difference between the pre-test and post-test scores is -19.320. this negative value indicates that students performed better on the post-test than on the pre-test. the negative sign implies an increase in students' scores after the intervention, showing improvement in academic performance with the use of the lms. the standard deviation of the differences is 13.184, which reflects some variability among the participants regarding their improvements. meanwhile, the standard error mean is 2.637, showing the variability of the sample mean difference, and suggesting that the observed difference is consistent across the sample. the 95% confidence interval for the nanan abdul manan, badroeni developing effective esp learning materials using a learning management system in tertiary education 442 difference is reported as ranging between -24.762 and -13.878. this interval suggests that the true mean difference in the population falls within this range, confirming that the difference between the pre-test and post-test scores is meaningful and not due to random chance. table 6. paired samples test pair comparison mean std. deviation std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference t df sig. (2tailed) lower upper 1 pre-test post-test 19.320 13.184 2.637 -24.762 13.878 7.327 24 the t-value calculated from the analysis is 7.327 with 24 degrees of freedom (df). this high absolute value of the t-statistic indicates a strong difference between the two sets of scores, with the negative sign aligning with the earlier observation of improved post-test results. importantly, the p-value (sig. 2-tailed) for the test is reported as 0.000, which is less than 0.05, the threshold for statistical significance. this finding allows us to reject the null hypothesis (h₀), which suggested that there is no significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores. instead, we accept the alternative hypothesis (h₁), concluding that there is indeed a significant difference between the two scores given that the p-value is statistically significant, it can be inferred that the ruangmu lms had a positive impact on the students’ academic performance. the increase in post-test scores indicates that students benefited from the use of the lms in their learning process. we can conlude, the analysis suggests that the ruangmu lms plays an effective role in enhancing students' learning outcomes in the information and communication technology education program. the significant difference between the pre-test and post-test results provides strong evidence that this lms was instrumental in improving students' academic achievements. conclusion the findings of this study highlight the importance of adopting a student-centered learning strategy in teaching english for specific purposes (esp) to information and communication technology (ict) students. in this learning framework, lecturers act as facilitators and motivators, encouraging students to take responsibility for their learning process. this approach empowers students to pursue knowledge independently, tackle learning challenges autonomously, and engage meaningfully with the course content. however, the lecturers remain actively involved by monitoring and guiding the learning process to ensure the intended learning outcomes are achieved. the use of learning management systems (lms), offering features such as semester learning plans (rps) and electronic modules, plays a pivotal role in enhancing the learning experience. these resources are both accessible and effective, streamlining the delivery of educational content. the lms also facilitates video conferencing, attendance tracking, virtual classroom discussions, interactive quizzes, online exams, and evaluations, contributing significantly to the efficiency and success of esp learning. this technological integration allows students and instructors to stay connected and manage the learning process seamlessly. a crucial component of the esp learning model is the needs analysis, which serves as the foundation for building a comprehensive learning framework. through this analysis, the knowledge gaps between students’ current skills and the required competencies are identified. this process allows for targeted training strategies to address specific deficits, ensuring that students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for their academic and professional development. the proposed esp learning model for ict students—referred to as "manan's model"— follows a structured conceptual framework that encompasses input, process, output, and results. this structure enables educators and students to understand the sequence and flow of the learning process, clarifying their roles, responsibilities, and functions within the system. as a result, the learning model fosters greater awareness, motivation, and accountability, accelerating the pace of learning and enhancing overall academic outcomes. manan’s model offers a practical and effective approach to integrating esp learning within higher education for ict students. by combining studentcentered learning strategies with the diverse english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 443 functionalities of lms, the model ensures that both students and instructors can efficiently navigate the learning process. the use of technology, coupled with well-defined learning objectives and processes, promotes knowledge transfer and transformation, making this model an invaluable tool for advancing the proficiency and engagement of ict students in esp courses. references akhmedova, z., & rahmatova, n. (2024). lms (learning management system) learning management system features. science and innovation in the education system, 3(1), 85-94. alexandro, r., & basrowi, b. (2024). measuring the effectiveness of smart digital organizations on digital technology adoption: an empirical study of educational organizations in indonesia. international journal of data and network science, 8(1), 139-150. alkinani, e. a., & alzahrani, a. i. (2021). evaluating the usability and effectiveness of madrasati platforms as a learning management system in saudi arabia for public education. international journal of computer science & network security, 21(6), 275-285. arifin, m., eryani, i., & farahtika, g. (2023). students’ perception of using moodle as a learning management system in tertiary education. alishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 15(4), 5140-5152. axmedova, z. i. (2024). learning management system imkoniyatlari. golden brain, 2(1), 509-516. ayotunde, o. o., jamil, d. i., & cavus, n. (2023). the impact of artificial intelligence in foreign language learning using learning management systems: a systematic literature review. information technologies and learning tools, 95(3), 215. bielousova, r. (2020). on the issue of adapting materials for the english for specific purposes online course. revista românească pentru educaţie multidimensională, 12(1 sup1), 60-76. chiu, w. y., liu, g. z., barrett, n. e., liaw, m. l., hwang, g. j., & lin, c. c. (2023). needs analysis-based design principles for constructing a context-aware english learning system. computer assisted language learning, 36(1-2), 176-204. dhivya, d. s., hariharasudan, a., & nawaz, n. (2023). unleashing potential: multimedia learning and education 4.0 in learning professional english communication. cogent social sciences, 9(2), 2248751. dmitrenko, n., dolia, i., & nikolaeva, s. (2020). softskills development of prospective educators by means of problem-based esp learning. the new educational review, 60(2), 124-134. elfeky, a. i. m., & elbyaly, m. y. h. (2023). examining the effects of virtual classroom use inside learning management systems on enhancing student satisfaction. ann. for. res, 66(1), 1980-1990. elfeky, a. i. m., & elbyaly, m. y. h. (2023). the use of data analytics technique in learning management system to develop fashion design skills and technology acceptance. interactive learning environments, 31(6), 3810-3827. enesi, m., vrapi, f., & trifoni, a. (2021). challenges of teaching and learning english language for esp courses. journal of educational and social research, 11(4), 213-226. fırat, m. (2023). integrating ai applications into learning management systems to enhance elearning. instructional technology and lifelong learning, 4(1), 1-14. fuentes-luque, a., & campbell, a. p. (2020). using subtitling to improve military esp listening comprehension. ibérica, (40), 245-266. gaffas, z. m. (2023). students’ perceptions of elearning esp course in virtual and blended learning modes. education and information technologies, 28(8), 10329-10358. guoyan, s., khaskheli, a., raza, s. a., khan, k. a., & hakim, f. (2023). teachers’ self-efficacy, mental well-being and continuance commitment of using learning management system during covid-19 pandemic: a comparative study of pakistan and malaysia. interactive learning environments, 31(7), 4652-4674. hakimi, m., katebzadah, s., & fazil, a. w. (2024). comprehensive insights into e-learning in contemporary education: analyzing trends, challenges, and best practices. journal of education and teaching learning (jetl), 6(1), 86-105. hartina, s., & syahrir, s. (2021). the inappropriateness of english for specific purposes (esp) with learner’s goals: a need analysis on communication and islamic broadcasting program. elsya : journal of english language studies, 3(3), 225–235. https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v3i3.6671 hélder fanha martins. (2017). revisiting needs analysis: a cornerstone for business english courses. 5(1), 57–63. hidayati, d., novianti, h., khansa, m., slamet, j., & suryati, n. (2023). effectiveness project-based learning in esp class: viewed from indonesian students ‘learning outcomes. international journal of information and education technology, 13(3), 558-565. hoesny, m. u., cahyani, h., & aziz, i. n. (2020). the use of edmodo in esp classroom: a study on students’ perception and classroom activities. journal of languages and language teaching, 8(3), 237-250. hsiao, i. c. v., hung, s. t. a., & huang, h. t. d. (2023). the flipped classroom approach in an english for specific purposes (esp) course: a nanan abdul manan, badroeni developing effective esp learning materials using a learning management system in tertiary education 444 quasi-experimental study on learners’ selfefficacy, study process, and learning performances. journal of research on technology in education, 55(3), 507-526. irudayasamy, j., souidi, n. m., & hankins, c. (2020). impact of an esp course on english language proficiency of undergraduate engineering students: a case study at dhofar university. international journal of higher education, 9(2), 309-320. iswati, l. (2021). when teaching must go on: esp teachers’ strategies and challenges during covid-19 pandemic. eralingua: jurnal pendidikan bahasa asing dan sastra, 5(1), 3652. jamali, m., & krish, p. (2021). fostering 21st century skills using an online discussion forum in an english for specific purpose course. malaysian journal of learning and instruction, 18(1), 219240. kakoulli-constantinou, e., & papadima-sophocleous, s. (2020). the use of digital technology in esp: current practices and suggestions for esp teacher education. journal of teaching english for specific and academic purposes, 8(1), 1729. karapetian, a. o. (2020). creating esp-based language learning environment to foster critical thinking capabilities in students' papers. european journal of educational research, 9(2), 717-728. khalil, l., & kholofelo semono-eke, b. (2020). appropriate teaching methods for general english and english for specific purposes from teachers' perspectives. arab world english journal (awej) volume, 11. khojasteh, l., karimian, z., farahmandi, a. y., nasiri, e., & salehi, n. (2023). e-content development of english language courses during covid-19: a comprehensive analysis of students’ satisfaction. journal of computers in education, 10(1), 107-133. khonturaev, s. i., ugli fazlitdinov, m. x., & kizi mamayeva, o. i. (2023). empowering education: the impact of ai in learning management systems. educational research in universal sciences, 2(10), 348-350. kong, y. (2018). a study of emp curriculum reform based on the need analysis. journal of language teaching and research, 9(4), 869–875. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0904.26 kováčiková, e. (2020). english for specific purposes in higher education through content and language integrated learning. cambridge scholars publishing. kusumawati, f. p., & sari, r. p. (2019). developing speaking material for teaching speaking based on communicative language teaching for second semester students of english education study program muhammadiyah university of metro. intensive journal, 1(1), 9–20. lemeshchenko-lagoda, v., kryvonos, i., & kolodii, o. (2020). integration of information and communication technologies into the process of learning the course of english for specific purposes as one of the requirements for sustainable future development. in e3s web of conferences (vol. 166, p. 10005). edp sciences. mauludin, l. a. (2021). students’ perceptions of the most and the least motivating teaching strategies in esp classes. iranian journal of language teaching research, 9(1), 139-157. menggo, s., ndiung, s., & midun, h. (2022). integrating 21st-century skills in english material development: what do college students really need?. englisia: journal of language, education, and humanities, 9(2), 165-186. milne, e. d. (2021). crossing disciplinary boundaries: english-medium education (eme) meets english for specific purposes (esp). ibérica, (41), 13-38. moroz, n. (2020). esp task-based coursebook development for border guards training. revista românească pentru educaţie multidimensională, 12(1), 66-85. mostafavi, s., mohseni, a., & abbasian, g. r. (2021). the pedagogical efficacy of esp courses for iranian students of engineering from students’ and instructors’ perspectives. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 6, 1-20. mulyadi, d., singh, c. k. s., setiawan, a., & prasetyanti, d. c. (2023). technology-enhanced task-based language teaching toward their selfdirected language learning: esp learners’ views. studies in english language and education, 10(3), 1326-1341. nugroho, a., & rahmawati, a. (2020). “let’s write a caption!”: utilizing instagram to enhance esp students’writing skills. jurnal basis, 7(1), 1-12. petraki, e., & khat, k. (2022). challenges and constraints in the design of an esp course in cambodia: implications for higher education institutions. asia pacific journal of education, 42(2), 260-275. pranoto, b. e., & suprayogi, s. (2020). a need analysis of esp for physical education students in indonesia. premise: journal of english education, 9(1), 94-110. prayoga, a., irwansyah, d., & harya, t. d. (2021). developing english learning materials for computer network engineering students at peripheral indonesia. edulite: journal of english education, literature and culture, 6(1), 28-41. querol-julián, m., & beltrán-palanques, v. (2021). pechakucha presentations to develop multimodal communicative competence in esp and emi live online lectures: a team-teaching proposal. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 445 rafiq, k. r. m., hashim, h., & yunus, m. m. (2021). sustaining education with mobile learning for english for specific purposes (esp): a systematic review (2012– 2021). sustainability, 13(17), 9768. raharjo, d. h., mayuni, i., & emzir, e. (2020). improving the students' english skills through online activities in moodle platform. langkawi: journal of the association for arabic and english, 6(1), 55-70. rauf, w., rajab, a., & nashruddin, n. (2023). exploring the learning design on learning management system for online learning: a case study in higher education. jurnal ilmiah profesi pendidikan, 8(1), 1-10. rodríguez-peñarroja, m. (2022). integrating projectbased learning, task-based language teaching approach and youtube in the esp class: a study on students’motivation. teaching english with technology, 22(1), 62-81. saadati, z., zeki, c. p., & vatankhah barenji, r. (2023). on the development of blockchain-based learning management system as a metacognitive tool to support self-regulation learning in online higher education. interactive learning environments, 31(5), 3148-3171. simkova, i., bondarenko, o., & bielovetska, l. (2021). web-based applications to develop students' creativity in english for specific purposes. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 10(2), 684-692. suherman, a., & kertawijaya, l. (2023). challenges perceived by indonesian esp teachers in postpandemic era: a survey from a higher education institution. scope: journal of english language teaching, 7(2), 129-136. syakur, a., fanani, z., & ahmadi, r. (2020). the effectiveness of reading english learning process based on blended learning through" absyak" website media in higher education. budapest international research and critics in linguistics and education (birle) journal, 3(2), 763-772. syakur, a., junining, e., & mubarok, m. k. (2020). developing english for specific purposes (esp) textbook for pharmacy students using on-line teaching in higher education. britain international of linguistics arts and education (biolae) journal, 2(1), 467-474. syakur, a., zainuddin, h. m., & hasan, m. a. (2020). needs analysis english for specific purposes (esp) for vocational pharmacy students. budapest international research and critics in linguistics and education (birle) journal, 3(2), 724-733. syamala, m., komala, c. r., pramila, p. v., dash, s., meenakshi, s., & boopathi, s. (2023). machine learning-integrated iot-based smart home energy management system. in handbook of research on deep learning techniques for cloud-based industrial iot (pp. 219-235). igi global. truong, h. n. (2021, march). students’ perception towards the use of moodle-based lms in learning speaking skill at tertiary level. in 17th international conference of the asia association of computer-assisted language learning (asiacall 2021) (pp. 128-134). atlantis press. wichanpricha, t. (2021). synchronous online learning through microsoft teams at tertiary level: academic english course. journal of educational and social research, 11(5), 123140. xu, x., chan, f. m., & yilin, s. (2020). personal learning environment: an experience with esp teacher training. interactive learning environments, 28(6), 779-794. yasemin kirkgoz and kenan dikillitas. (2018). recent development in esp/eap/emi context. in yasemin kirkgoz and kenan dikillitas (ed.), key issues in english for specific purposes (p. 413). springer international publishing. zahednejad, a., amini, d., & kuhi, d. (2021). developing esp curriculum for physics students of iran on the basis of needs analysis. english for specific purposes world, 62(23), 1-15. nanan abdul manan, badroeni developing effective esp learning materials using a learning management system in tertiary education 446 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 665 implementing multimodal pedagogy flipped classroom (mpfc) to promote efl students’ speaking ability and their autonomy didih faridah 1 , ratnawati 2 , luthfiyatun thoyyibah 3 , desi nurani 4 , sherly pebriani permana 5 , adila yohana 6 1,2,3,4,5,6 english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas galuh, indonesia corresponding author: luthfiyatun.thoyyibah@unigal.ac.id apa citation: faridah, d., ratnawati., thoyyibah, l., nurani, d., permana, s.p., & yohana, a. (2025). implementing multimodal pedagogy flipped classroom (mpfc) to promote efl students’ speaking ability and their autonomy. english review: journal of english education, abstract: multimodal pedagogy flipped classrooms (mpfc) are well regarded for professional, pedagogical, and practical contributions to classroom practices in global context. yet, indonesian education setting has not provided significant attention, and the implementation of mpfc should be cultivated further for its benefit in language learning. therefore, the present study investigates the impact of the mpfc to promote students' performance of speaking skill, measure the relationship of speaking ability and their level of autonomy, and exploring students' perception of mpfc implementation. the study conducted a mixed method which involved sixty students learning english as a foreign language from a private university in indonesia and 6 selected students for interviews data collection. the quantitative research mediated mpfc for experimental class and product-based approach for control class while the qualitative research design using classroom observation and semi-structured interviews. the obtained data were analyzed using independent ttest and anova for quantitative purpose, and thematic analysis to interview. the results show a profound difference in students' speaking from the pretest (m=77.00 sd=4.85) to the post-test (m=80.90 sd=3.12). moreover, the relationship between their speaking skill and autonomy reveal betterment after mpfc implementation (t-value 0.003). students perceive positively toward this pedagogical intervention including their experience, challenges, and their strategy to cope with challenges found. the implications and recommendations of the study are also discussed. keywords: efl students; flipped classroom; learning autonomy; multimodal pedagogy, speaking. introduction the ability to speak english in academic settings is an essential component of language learning to accomplish effective communication among members in globalized world (block, 2010; kashinathan & abdul aziz, 2021). by mastering it, students enable foster verbal fluency (ghasemi & mozaheb, 2021), confidence building (listyani & kristie, 2018), vocabulary enhancement (anggraeni et al., 2020), intercultural communication (eisenchlas & trevaskes, 2007). however, in indonesian context, this skill remains a challenge for many students due to limited practice opportunities, more emphasis on product oriented, students’ personal problems such as selfconfidence, linguistic challenge, and mental block (abrar et al., 2018; kusuma, 2021). previous research indicated that indonesian students often struggle with speaking which has a significant impact on their ability to communicate in realworld contexts (pinilih & sukarno, 2024). coping these challenges, the classroom practices need more interactive and practical learning environments which could help improve speaking skills, aligning indonesian students with global communication standards (renandya & widodo, 2016). 13(1), 665-676. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11842 received: 24-02-2025 accepted: 23-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 didih faridah, ratnawati, luthfiyatun thoyyibah, desi nurani, sherly pebriani permana, adila yohana implementing multimodal pedagogy flipped classroom (mpfc) to promote efl students’ speaking ability and their autonomy 666 one interactive and practical learning environment strategy is multimodal pedagogy as it is devoted by (li, 2020). research on multimodal pedagogy highlights its effectiveness to integrate different forms of communication, including written, visual, audio, and kinesthetic elements, to improve students' engagement and comprehension (rohi & nurhayati, 2024). according to anstey and bull (2020), multimodal pedagogy enhances a dynamic classroom setting that facilitates greater knowledge by allowing students to engage with the material through a variety of senses. studies have shown that multimodal techniques enable students to integrate concepts across many forms, they promote a variety of learning styles and enhance retention, which is especially advantageous in digital learning situations (kress & bezemer, 2023). in a study by kirk et al. (kirk et al., 2023), multimodal teaching techniques have been shown to increase student engagement and promote critical thinking as they enable them to evaluate and comprehend data presented in a variety of ways. further research by stunnel (2021) emphasizes that multicultural classrooms, where students from a variety of linguistic backgrounds can find alternate methods to understand and engage in the learning process, are particularly good places for multimodal teaching. despite multimodal pedagogy has gained traction for its positive impacts on student speaking skill and learning outcome, there remains a significant research gap in its application within flipped classroom models. several existing literatures focus on the general benefits of multimodal teaching, such as fostering comprehension and nurturing to diverse learning styles (li, 2020). however, there are few studies explicitly looking at how multimodal resources can be best utilized for the flipped classroom, in which students interact with the material at home and apply what they have learned in class. research on the flipped classroom has largely centered around content delivery and in-class activities without deeply exploring how integrating multimodal elements might further enhance pre-class learning (al-samarraie et al., 2020). the mpfc devotes valuable implications for speaking classes, particularly in fostering learner autonomy. in a classroom practice, the flipped mode gives students the chance to practice speaking at their own pace by encouraging them to interact with a variety of multimodal materials outside of the classroom, including audio recordings, video examples, and interactive exercises (wu & wang, 2021). this pre-class exposure assists to building students’ confidence and familiarity with language patterns and learning resources before engaging in real-time interactions which create more effective in class speaking activities. moreover, the gained autonomy through accessing multimodal materials encourages students to take responsibility for their language development, as they can repeatedly review and practice language inputs suited to their individual needs and learning preferences (shabani & jabbari, 2023) which regard to the following research questions: (1) is there any significant effect of mpfc to students’ speaking skill with the following hypothesis? h0= there is no significant difference on mpfc implementation to promote students’ speaking skill h1=there is significant difference on mpfc implementation to promote students’ speaking skill (2) is there a statistically relationship in speaking skills and learning autonomy levels among students after mpfc implementation? (3) what are students’ perceptions on the implementation of mpfc in speaking class? method the study employed mixed method research design proposed by cresswell and poth (creswell & poth, 2016) which was conducted in a university context. in quantitative design, the research was situated of one-group pre-test and post-test design to investigate the effectiveness of mpfc implementation to foster students’ speaking proficiency and its’ relationship on students’ learning autonomy. in qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were organized to delve students’ perceptions on mpfc implementation in classroom practices including their experiences, challenges encountered, and coping strategies. a purposive sampling method was used to determine 60 efl participants who meet the criteria of research needed and separately semi-structured interviews were organized to 6 selected students from their proficiency level including low, intermediate, and high speaking proficiency from their pre-test scores as indicated in the following table. table 1. research participants of interviews no pseudonyms gender age proficiency english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 667 1 s1 female 18-22 high 2 s2 male 18-22 low 3 s3 male 18-22 intermediate 4 s4 female 18-22 intermediate 5 s5 female 18-22 low 6 s6 female 18-22 high the present study employed three research instruments to collect the data namely speaking test, questionnaires, and interviews. the speaking test was administered to efl students to look into mpfc effectiveness from pre-test and post-test scores. the speaking test was designed with task complexity, task form, and task difficulty from both tests. as the part of the research accuracy, test validity was conducted through inviting experts to provide judgement prior the research. in addition to the mpfc effectiveness, the selfreported questionnaires were distributed to students to measure students’ responses towards its relationship with mpfc implementation to their learning autonomy. before distributing the surveys, the reliability of questionnaire was measured through cronbach alpha 0.81 indicating that the questionnaire is high reliable to use for further research. finally, semi-structured interview consisted of 6 main deriving from construct theory of mpfc as it is indicated in the following table. table 2. constructs of interview’s questions no construct questions number of main questions 1 learning resources what is your new experience of using mpfc in speaking class? 1 what is your challenge of using mpfc in speaking class? 1 2 learning mode how do you learn mpfc material during speaking class? 1 how do you recommend this learning to your future class? 1 3 instructional support how do you cope with your challenge of 1 using mpfc in speaking class? what is your feedback to mpfc class for betterment in the future? 1 the obtained data was analyzed to delve the effects of multimodal pedagogy in a flipped classroom (mpfc) on speaking skills and learning autonomy, mixed were conducted to address different data types and research questions. first, the speaking tests were compared between pre-and post-test to assess students’ improvements in the speaking skills, an independent t-test assisted by spss 24 was used to compare the mean scores of the experimental group (those exposed to mpfc) with those of the control group (product-based approach). second, the gained data from the self-reported questionnaire was analyzed through anova assisted spss 24 which aim to examine differences in students' learning autonomy levels. finally, thematic analysis was applied to data gathered from interviews. by means of coding, grouping the data into major themes, and interpretation, the qualitative data showed important insights and recurrent patterns concerning students' experiences with mpfc implementation in speaking class. results and discussion the present study aims to assess the effectiveness of flipped classroom mode framed by multimodal pedagogy to foster students’ speaking skill, relationship toward learning autonomy, and students’ perceptions on pedagogical intervention on speaking class. promoting efl students’ speaking skill through mpfc class the data analysis shows that students’ speaking skill improve impressively through the implementation of multimodal pedagogy flipped classroom with significance value 0.000< 0.05 as it is displayed in table 3. table 3. independent t-test sig. (2taile d) mean differe nce std. error differ ence 95% confide nce interval of the differen ce lower didih faridah, ratnawati, luthfiyatun thoyyibah, desi nurani, sherly pebriani permana, adila yohana implementing multimodal pedagogy flipped classroom (mpfc) to promote efl students’ speaking ability and their autonomy 668 speaki ng score equal varianc es assume d .00 0 -1.133 1.139 -3.413 equal varian ces not assum ed .00 0 -1.133 1.139 -3.424 the above table demonstrates statistical analysis of speaking scores, which compares groups with or without assumed equality of variances. a statistically significant difference in speaking scores between the two groups is suggested by the significance value (sig. (2tailed) of.000 in both cases <0.05. with a standard error of 1.139, the average difference in speaking scores is -1.133. if identical variances are assumed, the 95% ci for the score difference is rather wide, ranging from roughly -3.413 to 3.424 indicating that an intervention class under the pedagogical intervention of mpfc outperform well than those in control group. overall, the findings reveal that students with multimodal pedagogy flipped classroom improve their speaking skill during the pedagogical intervention which means that h1 is accepted (there is significant difference on mpfc implementation to promote students’ speaking skill). relationship of mpfc implementation to foster students’ speaking skill and learning autonomy recent research reveals a significant relationship between the implementation of mpfc in speaking skill and learning autonomy with p-value 0.003<0,05 as indicated in the table 4. table 4. test of analysis of variance (anova) sum of scores df mean square f sig. between groups 289.158 3 96.386 5.015 0.003 within groups 2229.433 116 19.219 total 2518.592 119 the analysis's findings imply that the multimodal pedagogy employed in a flipped classroom setting has a major impact on the relationship between speaking abilities and learning autonomy. the statistical results demonstrate that the groups differ significantly from one another (f (3, 116) = 5.015, p = 0.003), suggesting that the mpfc has a quantifiable impact on speaking abilities and learning autonomy. the between-group variance (96.386) is significantly greater than the within-group variance (19.219), indicating that individual differences within the groups are less significant than the instructional method's contribution to variances in speaking skill and autonomy. these results provide credence to the notion that multimodal pedagogy which incorporates many media and interaction can promote improved speaking ability as well as greater student autonomy. in essence, students in a flipped classroom environment benefit from a more flexible, interactive, and self-directed learning experience, which leads to better engagement and improved outcomes in both their speaking abilities and their autonomy in learning. students’ perceptions of mpfc in speaking class students' perceptions of the implementation of mpfc in speaking classes offer valuable insights into their learning experiences, challenges, and strategies. many students report that these approaches enhance their ability to organize thoughts, regulate emotions, and improve their overall speaking performance and learning autonomy as it is presented in table 5. table 5. analysis data for interview theme subtheme interview data experience learning resource students are engaged in the instructional design of classroom activities students have greater interested in multimodal resources learning mode students feel practical to implement the approach students manage their learning pace and perk through learning platforms individual support students feel more autonomous of learning framework students cultivate more on features of canva challenge learning resource students have unstable internet connection students time management system to learn outside of classroom learning mode students must adapt on flipped classroom mode individual support students learn more and in detail about the learnt material students need to adjust on students’ availability and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 669 time management of collaboration activity strategy learning resource students ensure that they are on good internet connection through selfaccess learning centre provided by campus students access learning resources which subscribed by campus library learning mode students request assistance and feedback from teacher as facilitator both synchronously and asynchronously individual support students enhance their self-regulation skill to accomplish the academic goals students use priority scale to accomplish the goal the table 5 highlights students' experiences, challenges, and strategies when using multimodal pedagogy in a flipped learning environment, particularly focused on self-regulation and autonomy. from the perspective of learning resources, students feel more involved in the learning process since they are engaged throughout the entire classroom activity. additionally, they have a keen interest in utilizing multimodal resources, such as interactive content, videos, and photographs, which probably enhances the attraction and accessibility of learning. nevertheless, a lot of students have trouble with unstable internet connections, which might make it difficult for them to access digital resources as indicated in the following interview script. [s3]…at first, i get the problem with how to access the digital recourses for my assignment, but i learn a lot from material and links provided in the google classroom by my teacher, and now i can learn many things prior to classroom begin. additionally, because it calls for a high level of self-discipline, managing their study time outside of conventional classroom settings is difficult. students utilize the campus self-access learning centers, which offer reliable internet, to get around connectivity problems. additionally, they utilize resources that are subscribed to on campus, guaranteeing that they have access to trustworthy educational content as displayed in the following script. [s6] i really love this flipped classroom because the flexibility of learning outside the classroom, when i get the problem with my internet connection and open access for learning resources, i go to the campus self-access learning center… with regard to the learning mode factor, students experienced the instructional approach's practicality because it enables them to control their own learning speed on digital platforms. students can modify their learning strategies and schedules to suit their requirements, which promotes a sense of autonomy. another challenge, though, is adjusting to the flipped classroom format. as a result, students must assume more responsibility for their pre-class preparation, which some may find unfamiliar or difficult. as a way to deal with the difficulties, students actively seek out teacher input, both asynchronously and in real time, which helps them have their questions answered and advance in their educational process as presented in the following script. [s4] i remember the model of learning introduced to me at the beginning of the course, i have to learn before the classroom activities and perform the projects inside the classroom. to me, this is a dare and i can cope with my anxiety to perform in front of class because i have much time to prepare my assignments… in individual support factor, there is a noticeable boost in students' autonomy when they have control over the learning framework. students also experience that they must improve their technical proficiency and digital savvy as they learn how to use specialized tools, such as canva, powerpoint, google slides to support their academic works. [s2] yes, i must learn technically how to create poster via canva because to me this platform is the newest and practical to use, so i prefer canva to other applications. i learn deep and deeper from video tutorial, simulation, and etc. in fact, they must have a deeper comprehension of the materials, which can take time. they also struggle to plan group activities, frequently as a result of divergent schedules and time management abilities. they focus on improving their self-regulation abilities to address their issues, using techniques like prioritization to efficiently handle academic assignments. their dedication to reaching their academic objectives didih faridah, ratnawati, luthfiyatun thoyyibah, desi nurani, sherly pebriani permana, adila yohana implementing multimodal pedagogy flipped classroom (mpfc) to promote efl students’ speaking ability and their autonomy 670 by methodical self-management is demonstrated by multimodal pedagogy flipped classroom. the implementation of multimodal pedagogy in a flipped classroom has shown remarkable potential for enhancing students' speaking skills. through the incorporation of several communication resources, including audio, video, and interactive internet resources, this pedagogy immerses students in dynamic, context-rich settings prior to class, enabling them to absorb and practice information at their own pace. active group activities such as role-plays, group discussions, and peer feedback take center stage during in-class sessions, and they greatly enhance verbal proficiency. students gain their confidence and fluency by practicing real-world communication skills in a student-centered setting created by this educational methodology. the multimodal flipped classroom provides an immersive approach for contemporary language instruction since it fosters critical thinking, creativity, and engagement in addition to improving speaking skills, according to research and classroom experiences. this research aligns with previous research from lee (2019); liang (liang, 2023)), and zhao (zhao, 2023). previous studies have highlighted the effectiveness of multimodal pedagogy in flipped classrooms for promoting students’ speaking skills. according to fan (2022), students were given a variety of input that mirrored real-life communication situations when multimedia resources like audio recordings and video lectures were used. because of this pre-class exposure, students were able to fully prepare, which made it possible for them to participate more actively in class discussions (jensen et al., 2018). similar to this, chen hsieh et al., (2017) highlighted how the flipped classroom's emphasis on active learning such as peer collaboration and group discussions improved verbal proficiency by motivating students to use language ideas in realworld and interactive situations. according to yelland (yelland, 2018), multimodal materials were also found to accommodate a variety of learning methods, which helped language learners feel less anxious and more confident. these results imply that incorporating multimodal pedagogy into flipped classrooms is beneficial for promoting learner autonomy and engagement in addition to speaking skill development (wang, 2023). the implications of multimodal pedagogy in flipped classrooms extend beyond speaking skills, benefiting other language skills such as listening, reading, and writing (gruba et al., 2016). exposure to a variety of multimodal resources, including podcasts, digital texts, and videos, improves reading and listening comprehension by offering rich, contextualized input that is suited to the requirements of the learners (lorbis, 2019). additionally, by encouraging critical engagement with textual and audio-visual resources, the preclass preparation phase promotes active listening and analytical reading (kinsella et al., 2017). this method also helps students' writing abilities because it assigns them reflective journals, discussion posts, or group writing projects that help them comprehend language structures better and write more fluently. additionally, by accommodating various learning styles, multimodal pedagogy improves the effectiveness and inclusivity of language acquisition. these results imply that the incorporation of multimodal materials into flipped classrooms fosters a more comprehensive and participatory language learning experience in addition to improving particular language abilities (bicen & beheshti, 2022). this second research question is to find out how a flipped classroom using a multimodal pedagogy encourage students' learning autonomy. the objective of this strategy is to enable students to take control of their education by using a variety of multimedia resources, including interactive digital tools, infographics, and video lectures. by encouraging students to work with the materials on their own before class, the flipped classroom model helps students develop time management and self-directed learning habits (ceylaner & karakus, 2018). it also aims to foster an atmosphere in which students actively investigate, evaluate, and apply knowledge, thus strengthening their capacity for self-directed learning. through investigating the connection between learner autonomy and multimodal pedagogy, this study seeks to shed light on how technology-enhanced teaching methods can foster lifelong learning abilities and enhance academic results in general. this research is corroborated from previous research findings from fuchs et al.(fuchs et al., 2012); mohammadi zenouzagh et al. (2023); ryan et al. (2010). prior research has indicated a robust relationship between the development of speaking english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 671 abilities and learning autonomy within the framework of a flipped classroom using multimodal pedagogy. for example, chen hsieh et al. (2017) discovered that the flipped classroom model, aided by a variety of multimodal resources, pushed students to take charge of their education by interacting with attractive materials and video lectures outside of the classroom. in addition to increasing their speaking confidence, this self-directed preparation helped them develop a sense of accountability for their development. similarly, altemueller & lindquist (altemueller & lindquist, 2017) emphasized how the use of multimedia resources in flipped classrooms reinforced self-directed learning habits by enabling students to practice language skills, including speaking, at their own pace. furthermore, tsai (tsai, 2021) noted that by giving students the chance to actively participate and reflect on their learning, the cooperative and participatory nature of in-class activities in flipped classrooms promoted both communication competence and learner autonomy. these results imply that the multimodal approach of the flipped classroom successfully blends the improvement of speaking abilities with the formation of independent learning habits. learning autonomy is essential for improving speaking abilities when learning a language. since self-regulation and motivation are crucial for improving speaking ability, autonomy empowers students to take charge of their education (zhang, 2024). fluency and confidence are increased when students actively participate in self-directed activities including role-plays, conversational exercises, and learning by practicing. this is strongly related to the development of effective speaking skills since it calls on students to recognize their own shortcomings and look for ways to do better. taguchi (taguchi, 2007) also highlights that independent students are more likely to take charge of communication activities, which improves their pragmatic comprehension and language proficiency. accordingly, encouraging learning autonomy can foster an atmosphere that is favorable for developing speaking abilities, which will ultimately result in more successful language acquisition. third research question deals with the factors contributing to the successful implementation of multimodal pedagogy in a flipped classroom, focusing on three key aspects: learning modes, learning resources, and individual support. the study specifically aims to determine how different learning modalities, such synchronous and asynchronous activities, improve students' understanding and engagement in a flipped classroom setting (lin et al., 2019). it also looks at how different learning resources, such as interactive materials, digital tools, and multimedia information, can promote students speaking skill and learning autonomy. the study also looks into how important one-on-one mentorship and customized feedback are in meeting the unique needs of students and raising their general academic achievement. the project intends to improve teaching and learning results by examining these variables in order to offer insights into practical methods for incorporating multimodal pedagogy into flipped classroom environments (bicen & beheshti, 2022). the implementation of multimodal pedagogy in flipped classrooms is significantly influenced by learning modes, learning resources, and individual support. according to barua & lockee, (2024), learning styles like synchronous and asynchronous sessions offer flexibility and accommodate a range of student demands, encouraging active participation and deeper comprehension. these modes improve the learning process by letting students review material at their own speed and participate in face-to face discussions. in order to integrate different learning styles, such as kinesthetic, visual, and auditory, and provide a more comprehensive learning environment, learning resources such as digital platforms, interactive tools, and multimedia content are essential to multimodal pedagogy (li, 2020). additionally, students' unique learning obstacles are addressed by individual support, such as mentorship and tailored feedback, which promotes self-directed learning and enhances academic results. these components work together to form a comprehensive learning environment that improves the effectiveness and adaptability of multimodal pedagogy in flipped classrooms to meet the demands of a wide range of students. conclusion the study concerns on three research objectives including the effectiveness of multimodal pedagogy flipped classroom to enhance students’ speaking skill, the relationship between speaking skill and learning autonomy after mpfc implementation, and factors contributing on mpfc implementation. first, students' speaking abilities have been shown to improve when multimodal pedagogy is incorporated into a flipped classroom environment. the method didih faridah, ratnawati, luthfiyatun thoyyibah, desi nurani, sherly pebriani permana, adila yohana implementing multimodal pedagogy flipped classroom (mpfc) to promote efl students’ speaking ability and their autonomy 672 creates a dynamic and rich learning environment by involving students in a range of modes, including peer collaboration, interactive digital tools, and movies. this combination fosters confidence and speaking fluency by motivating students to actively engage in preand in-class activities. students arrive at class prepared to participate in higher-order learning activities, especially speaking exercises, thanks to the flipped classroom format, which gives them preparatory materials in advance. students' capacity to communicate vocally is greatly enhanced by the opportunity for meaningful interaction and authentic practice that the flipped classroom model and multimodal tools provide. second, the implementation of multimodal pedagogy in a flipped classroom has also revealed a positive correlation between students’ speaking skills and their learning autonomy. the method encourages self-directed learning strategies by requiring students to interact with a variety of materials on their own before class. as a result of taking more ownership of their preparation, students gain the self-assurance and preparedness necessary to engage in speaking exercises in class. as students become more proactive in looking for opportunities to practice and hone their communication skills, this increasing autonomy helps them perform better when speaking. by accommodating different learning styles and enhancing the accessibility and appeal of selfpaced learning, the incorporation of multimodal resources facilitates this expansion. third, the success of multimodal pedagogy in a flipped classroom is influenced by several critical factors, including learning resources, learning modes, and individual support. fostering interest and making sure students are ready for in-class activities require high-quality, easily available, and captivating learning materials. diverse learning modalities, including interactive, visual, and aural approaches, accommodate varying student preferences and enhance the effectiveness and inclusivity of the educational process. students' confidence and interest are further increased by instructors' one-on-one coaching, which includes tailored advice and comments. together, these elements produce a dynamic, encouraging atmosphere that encourages students to take charge of their education and, in the end, improves results in the flipped classroom. future research on multimodal pedagogy in flipped classrooms should explore several key areas to deepen understanding and optimize its implementation. in order to investigate the longterm effects of this strategy on students' speaking abilities and learning autonomy in a variety of educational environments, longitudinal studies are first advised. second, more research on the layout and efficacy of certain multimodal resources can shed light on how to modify them to accommodate different student preferences and needs. third, strategies for optimizing individualized learning can be determined with the use of studies on the role of individual support, such as peer mentorship and teacher feedback. lastly, research on how motivation, anxiety, and cultural elements interact in flipped classrooms would provide a more comprehensive knowledge of how these elements affect learning results. these research topics can help improve multimodal flipped classroom models and guarantee their applicability in larger educational contexts. acknowledgement the present study was supported by research funding provided under the contract no. 018/sp2h/rt-mono/ll4/2024 of the ministry of research, technology and higher education of the republic of indonesia. all authors would like to express the heartfelt thanks to universitas galuh for facilitating academic and administrative needs of research. references abrar, m., mukminin, a., habibi, a., asyrafi, f., makmur, m., & marzulina, l. (2018). “if our english isn’t a language, what is it?” indonesian efl student teachers’ challenges speaking english. the qualitative report, 23(1), 129–145. https://doi.org/10.46743/21603715/2018.3013 al-samarraie, h., shamsuddin, a., & alzahrani, a. i. (2020). a flipped classroom model in higher education: a review of the evidence across disciplines. educational technology research and development, 68(3), 1017– 1051. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-01909718-8/metrics altemueller, l., & lindquist, c. (2017). flipped classroom instruction for inclusive learning. british journal of special education, 44(3), 341–358. https://doi.org/10.1111/14678578.12177 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 673 anggraeni, a., rachmijati, c., & apriliyanti, d. l. (2020). vlog : a tool for students’ speaking practice enhancement. research and innovation in language learning, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.33603/rill.v3i1.2775 anstey, m., & bull, g. (2020). how multimodal text changes the pedagogy of writing. teaching writing, 185–208. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003117834-10 barua, l., & lockee, b. b. (2024). a review of strategies to incorporate flexibility in higher education course designs. discover education 2024 3:1, 3(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00213-8 bicen, h., & beheshti, m. (2022). assessing perceptions and evaluating achievements of esl students with the usage of infographics in a flipped classroom learning environment. interactive learning environments, 30(3), 498–526. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2019.1666 285 block, d. (2010). globalization and language teaching. in the handbook of language and globalization (pp. 287–304). wileyblackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444324068.ch1 2 ceylaner, s. g., & karakus, f. (2018). effects of the flipped classroom model on students&apos; self-directed... english language teaching, 11(9), 129–143. chen hsieh, j. s., wu, w. c. v., & marek, m. w. (2017). using the flipped classroom to enhance efl learning. computer assisted language learning, 30(1–2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2015.1111 910 creswell, j. w., & poth, c. n. (2016). qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches. sage publications inc. eisenchlas, s., & trevaskes, s. (2007). developing intercultural communication skills through intergroup interaction. intercultural education, 18(5), 413–425. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675980701685271 fan, x. (2022). the development of efl learners’ willingness to communicate and self-efficacy: the role of flipped learning approach with the use of social media. frontiers in psychology, 13, 1001283. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.100128 3 fuchs, c., müller-hartmann, a., & hauck, m. (2012). promoting learner autonomy through multiliteracy skills development in cross-institutional exchanges. university of hawaii national foreign language resource center. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/44301 ghasemi, a. a., & mozaheb, m. a. (2021). developing efl learners’ speaking fluency: use of practical techniques. mextesol journal, 45(2). https://doi.org/10.61871/mj.v45n2-15 gruba, p., hinkelman, d., & cárdenas-claros, m. s. (2016). new technologies, blended learning and the “flipped classroom” in elt. the routledge handbook of english language teaching, 135–149. https://doi.org/10.4324/978131567620313/new-technologies-blendedlearning-flipped-classroomelt-paul-gruba-hinkelman-m jensen, j. l., holt, e. a., sowards, j. b., heath ogden, t., & west, r. e. (2018). investigating strategies for pre-class content learning in a flipped classroom. journal of science education and technology, 27(6), 523–535. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956018-9740-6/figures/3 kashinathan, s., & abdul aziz, a. (2021). esl learners’ challenges in speaking english in malaysian classroom. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v10i2/10355 kinsella, g. k., mahon, c., & lillis, s. (2017). using pre-lecture activities to enhance learner engagement in a large group setting. active learning in higher education, 18(3), 231–242. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787417715205 kirk, m., tytler, r., & white, p. (2023). critical thinking in primary science through a guided inquiry pedagogy: a semiotic perspective. teachers and teaching: theory and practice, 29(6), 615–637. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2023.2191 181 kress, g., & bezemer, j. (2023). multimodal discourse analysis. the routledge handbook of discourse analysis, 139–155. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003035244-12 kusuma, i. p. i. (2021). speaking issues faced by indonesian students during classroom discussions in the us. electronic journal of didih faridah, ratnawati, luthfiyatun thoyyibah, desi nurani, sherly pebriani permana, adila yohana implementing multimodal pedagogy flipped classroom (mpfc) to promote efl students’ speaking ability and their autonomy 674 foreign language teaching, 18(1), 5–17. https://doi.org/10.56040/siik1811 lee, k. s. (2019). a case of critical pedagogy to promote efl learners’ critical thinking: flipped humanities convergence class. stem journal, 20(3), 115–143. li, m. (2020). multimodal pedagogy in tesol teacher education: students&#39; perspectives. system. https://www.academia.edu/44110254/multi modal_pedagogy_in_tesol_teacher_educa tion_students_perspectives liang, w. (2023). towards a set of design principles for technology-assisted criticalthinking cultivation: a synthesis of research in english language education. thinking skills and creativity, 47, 101203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2022.101203 lin, l. c., hung, i. c., kinshuk, & chen, n. s. (2019). the impact of student engagement on learning outcomes in a cyber-flipped course. educational technology research and development, 67(6), 1573–1591. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-019-09698-9 listyani, l.-, & kristie, l. s. (2018). teachers’ strategies to improve students’ selfconfidence in speaking: a study at two vocational schools in central borneo. register journal, 11(2), 139–153. https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v11i2.139-153 lorbis, j. c. c. (2019). utilization of contextualized teaching and learning (ctl) approach in grade two araling panlipunan. online submission. mohammadi zenouzagh, z., admiraal, w., & saab, n. (2023). learner autonomy, learner engagement and learner satisfaction in textbased and multimodal computer mediated writing environments. education and information technologies, 28(11), 14283– 14323. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-02311615-w/tables/15 pinilih, m. s., & sukarno, s. (2024). challenges in implementing the information gap technique to enhance the indonesian efl students’ speaking skills. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics, 287–304. https://doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v9i2.804 renandya, w. a., & widodo, h. p. (2016). english language teaching today. 5. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-38834-2 rohi, m. p., & nurhayati, l. (2024). multimodal learning strategies in secondary efl education: insights from teachers. voices of english language education society, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v8i2.2654 6 ryan, j., ryan, j., scott, a., & walsh, m. (2010). pedagogy in the multimodal classroom: an analysis of the challenges and... teachers and teaching: theory and practice, 16(4), 477–489. shabani, k., & jabbari, a. (2023). differential effects of interaction-embedded vs interaction-reduced modes of fully online flipped instruction on efl learners’ speaking. computer assisted language learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2023.2219 280 stunell, k. (2021). supporting student-teachers in the multicultural classroom. european journal of teacher education, 44(2), 217– 233. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.1758 660 taguchi, n. (2007). development of speed and accuracy in pragmatic comprehension in english as a foreign language. tesol quarterly, 41(2), 313–338. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.15457249.2007.tb00061.x tsai, y. r. (2021). promotion of learner autonomy within the framework of a flipped efl instructional model: perception and perspectives. computer assisted language learning, 34(7), 979–1011. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1650 779 wang, y. (2023). enhancing english reading skills and self-regulated learning through online collaborative flipped classroom: a comparative study. frontiers in psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.125538 9 wu, s., & wang, f. (2021). artificial intelligencebased simulation research on the flipped classroom mode of listening and speaking teaching for english majors. mobile information systems, 2021(1), 4344244. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/4344244 yelland, n. j. (2018). a pedagogy of multiliteracies: young children and multimodal learning with tablets. british journal of educational technology, 49(5), english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 675 847–858. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12635 zhang, m. (2024). enhancing self-regulation and learner engagement in l2 speaking: exploring the potential of intelligent personal assistants within a learningoriented feedback framework. bmc psychology, 12(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-019170/tables/3 zhao, j. (2023). innovative design and research on cooperative learning of english and a second foreign language in a multimedia environment. eurasian journal of applied linguistics. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2024-58788008 didih faridah, ratnawati, luthfiyatun thoyyibah, desi nurani, sherly pebriani permana, adila yohana implementing multimodal pedagogy flipped classroom (mpfc) to promote efl students’ speaking ability and their autonomy 676 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 541 enhanching reading skills through pop-up books in narrative text learning pradnya permanasari1, putri nindya ayu pamssuari2 english language education, teachers’ training and education faculty, universitas pekalongan, jl. sriwijaya no.3, bendan, kec. pekalongan barat, kota pekalongan, jawa tengah 51119 corresponding author: pradnyaronita@gmail.com apa citation: permanasari, p., & pamssuari, p. n. a. (2025). enhanching reading skills through pop-up books in received: 24-02-2024 accepted: 22-04-2024 published: 30-06-2025 introduction the foundation of education in the world is the mastery of reading and writing (villanueva, 2025). the variables of education are habits and comprehension (napa-rodríguez, 2025). mastering english in the modern era has become one of the main priorities as one of the demands of the times accompanied by the important role of english to make it easier for someone to connect with the wider world and compete in era of revolution 4.0 where the majority of indonesian people already use various technologies that contain english. technologies make human being easier to do their jobs and hobbies (zanyar, et.al., 2023). english is the main language needed for learning technology and science throughout the world. the use of english among indonesian people is increasing, especially for job prospects in several companies that have collaborated with foreign companies. this happens because society is influenced by digital technology and social media which are increasingly developing rapidly. if technology tools are used as instructional aids, students will use media more creatively since they give them the chance to examine and gather information efficiently (soebandi, et.al, 2023). in indonesia, english is taught as a foreign language at every level, starting from elementary school to university. in education, english learning is classified into listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. thus, those four language skills are essential to master (munthe et al., 2023). reading is one of the four language skills taught in english language learning process besides listening, speaking and writing (shafira & melly, 2024). reading is one of the most essential skills in the language learning (brilliananda & wibowo, 2023). reading gives many benefits for students, one of them is improving students’ learning achievement (frans et al., 2023). in english, reading is the process of interpreting written to understanding the meaning of the text. according to oktorianisarry, abstract: this research aims to find out the problems that are faced by the students in reading skill and explain the pop-up book as a teaching medium can improve student’s reading skill in narrative text. the writer used classroom action research through two cycles design in this research. the respondent was xi-2 grade students of sma n 1 wiradesa that consisting of 31 students. the writer chose the xi-2 grade students because in this grade students should master of reading skill. in this research, the writer used qualitative design to gather the data. the data was collected through observation, open questionnaire, pre-test, and posttest. based on data result of student's reading comprehension, it showed the significant improvement for reading comprehension using pop-up book. the mean score of pre-test increased about 22.6% became 81.9 in post-test. individually, students who had passed the kkm got a score of 75 or more were improved from only 14 or about 45.2% students in pre-test activity, then it had increased 100% became 31 students in posttest. classically, all the students had passed the standard minimum score more than 75. it means the research ran successfully. keywords: pop-up book; reading skill; classroom action research narrative text learning. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 541-552. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11684 pradnya permanasari, putri nindya ayu pamssuari enhanching reading skills through pop-up books in narrative text learning 542 et.al, (2023) reading is a process to information from a written text, eliminating irrelevant information, and quickly identifying what students are looking for. reading activity is not only reading the text, but understanding contain of the text. besides that, according to abdul & sri wahyuni (2024) reading is one of the fundamental language skills that enables pupils to perform better is reading, which enables proper comprehension of information (khusmiati, at.al. 2023). reading means dealing with messages in written text which contains elements of vocabulary and grammar. in the language components, vocabularies become the important points of english learning (khadijah & rezeki, 2023). reading deals with cognitive process that involves multiple complex activities (flavell, 1979 as cited in jugas, 2024). reading is not only pronouncing some words but also understanding various information (pambudi et al, 2023). thavy et al (2024), in english language instruction, reading comprehension is the process of extracting meaning from texts, must be given top priority in order to guarantee students' success and serve as a foundation for future study. mastering reading skill enables students to receive the learning materials in classroom (khotimah et al., 2023). there are so many previous studies said that students face difficulties in reading comprehension because of many factors. the first research said that many students do not like reading for many reasons (fergina et.al, 2024). the other study defined that lot of students have difficulties in comprehending the texts, academic performances, and their language development (martini, et.al., 2025). one of the difficulties faced by the students in reading is their incapability in understanding the text (sinambela et al., 2023). the lack of students’ reading comprehension affects the students’ ability to follow instructions and writing their academic texts ((bergman & hessel, 2023). the students often struggle to comprehend the structure and organization of the text (fitriani & sunarti, 2024). a good reader is the one who has an ability to understand the meaning of the material being read (uswatun, retno, & raheni, 2024). according to riyani et al (2023) understanding the text is started from how we interact with the text. hence, the students should be able to comprehend what they read and get. in other words, comprehension refers to the ability to understand of the information from the cognitive activity that involves readers' engagement with the text. how well a student uses strategy to understand what the author is saying determines how well they understand the book (istiqomah, rohmani, & edwin, 2023). in this digital age, students need a strong ability on reading comprehension (zakaria and khoinrunnisa, 2024). lack of fluency also makes the students have difficulty in processing letters and words (nuralimah et.al., 2023). hence, it is needed certain reading comprehension method to teach students (robert and brown, 2024). in addition, the research gap the teachers need to know the students’ reading difficulties, the reading challenges that the students experience and how to improve the students’ reading development. in english teaching process, the teacher uses first language to convey the material and students try to explain using the target language. in the school, teacher is the important role to help the students in teaching learning process and teacher plays a central part creating a positive and effective learning environment, delivering lesson, assessing `progress, and adapting their approach to meet the diverse needs of students. teacher often holds degrees in education, engage in professional development, and gain practical experience through teaching roles. moreover, a teaching role involves guiding, facilitating, and inspiring learners to acquire knowledge, skills, and understanding. according to syahid et al (2023), teaching is one of learning model that teacher uses as a strategy can be applied to improve student’s skill. as a teacher, the important things for teaching learning process in classroom are using learning materials and teaching media. according to mazdawati, et.al. (2024) the learning process is a medium that can attract students' interest in learning process in the classroom. yet, the teachers often use conventional ways that make the students lack of interest (rahman et.al., 2023). additionally, media is a "mediator," which controls the learning process effectively. beside that the teaching, learning media is an intermediary medium that teachers use to communicate instructional materials in both physical and nonphysical forms. according to sari et al. (2023), several factors of attractiveness in learning methods, subject matter that is too abstract, and a lack of attractive learning media in the classroom. it channels messages, attention, and excitement for learning while increasing students' understanding of the lesson, so that the activities learning is more effective and beneficial (hafifah, hadi, & ritonga, 2023). lubis et al (2023) states that learning media is one of the most essential factors in the learning process. the media is created to help students understand the materials (fauziah & mulyani, 2024). learning media is a tool channeling student english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 543 to the materials (triana et al, 2023). in other word, media can be formed electronic, graphic, or photographic tools. in other way, the media is a tool that can be utilized in the teaching and learning process using some various of tools, such as white board, text book, website, etc. media can be form based on technology and creativity. digital reading platform is more popular in education setting (loh, et.al., 2023). digital reading online tools can help the students to improve their reading skill (kumar, 2023). according to the definition of media, in teaching learning process take effect for students in the classroom. more clarity the teaching media can improve understanding and skill students in english. there are several media for teaching learning using technology digital and some books. in this research, the writer used a pop up book for the media. book is a set of papers that are written. for teaching learning process, some various books can make the students more understand about the material. book has the concept rectangular shape with the text and some pictures which arise to more students interesting in learning process. this is a three-dimensional book that incorporates mechanisms and paper engineering to create interactive elements in that pop up or unfold when the pages are opened. this medium is called popup book. pop up book is a book that has three dimensions effect that is cutting, sticking, and folding images, appear while is opened (hafifah et al, 2023). according to akina et al (2023) pop up book is a book that is easy to carry, practical to use, and interesting to read. afifah et.al (2023) say that by using pop up book, teachers can provide a memorable, interesting, and effective learning material. besides that, according to saputra (2025), pop-up book is a book that containing threedimensional element for visualization story. izzati et al (2024) state that pop-up books offer a thorough perspective and an engaging method of presenting a subject. pop-up books are defined as works of literature that combine narrative elements with image elements that move or have three dimensions, creating visual appeal through movement when the page is opened (sunarti et al., 2023). pinandhita & yasin, (2025) state that using pop-up book in e-learning to improve student's vocabulary mastery student, and then analysis of students' speaking descriptive ability between photo. susrianty, et.al (2024) state that pop-up books serve as creative media to improve students' imagination, increase their appreciation for books, and enhance their creative mindset. pop up book is suitable for increasing students’ vocabulary and reading comprehension (afrila and damri, 2023). pop up book is a feasible and easy to access media that can be used to motivate the students to read (huda and kiptiyah, 2024). the writer used pop up book because it is so different from the conventional book that only has one dimension. pop up makes the readers become enthusiastic to read and interested to comprehend the text because of the shape of the book. given the benefits of pop-up books, which include: a lot of surprises in the book, a shape that can be arranged or dimensional, a practical shape, an intriguing color, the ability to cover multiple objects in a single book, the ability to draw the user's attention, and the ability to make it easier for students to understand the content, pop-up books have a great deal of potential for development as a learning medium (sukniasih, et.al. 2023). using pop up book makes the students more independent and optimize their critical thinking (hafifah and ritonga, 2023). in the pop-up book, the writer chose narrative text. according to shafari & melly (2024), narrative text is a text that can be read aloud or summarized. narrative text can take various form, including novels, short stories, folktales, myths, legends, and fable or fairy tale. in this research, the writer used fable for the theme of narrative text. narrative text is a type of text that tell the story a sequences part of historical event in the past. narrative text is a text that tells a story and, in doing so, entertains the audience. key elements of narrative text include plot, characters, setting, point of view, theme, conflict, resolution, tone. narrative text can take various form, including novels, short stories, folktales, myths, legends, and fable or fairy tale. in this research will use fable for the theme of narrative text. narrative text is being taught in the xi grade curriculum so that is why the writer chose narrative text as the text to develop students’ reading skill. based on the background of this research, the writer chose to analyze the reading skill for 11th grade students of sma n 1 wiradesa. this research only focused on narrative text using popup book as teaching medium. in the point of view from writer, the 11th grade students are right choice to be able have mastered more about reading skill because in this grade not too early and in the middle phase. in addition, the target location in this study is quite strategic for the location where the writer lives. method in this research, the writer used classroom action pradnya permanasari, putri nindya ayu pamssuari enhanching reading skills through pop-up books in narrative text learning 544 research. arikunto (2020) in rianti et al (2024) says that action research is a kind of research that is used to solve problems with a certain system. in general, a cyclical strategy was used in classroom action research: problem identification (planning), data collection (action), data analysis and interpretation (observing), development, and action planning (reflecting). the writer conducted participatory research; personally involved in the process. the writer observed, gathered the data, analyzed and finally reported the findings. the subject of the study, the writer used the xi-2 grade students of sma n 1 wiradesa that consisting of 31 students. the writer chose the xi-2 grade students because in this grade the students mastered reading skill. therefore, the writer applied the research in this school. for the instruments and data collection, the writer used qualitative design to gather the data. qualitative analysis is a method that explores the phenomena through non-numerical data. the writer conducted the descriptive research by doing observation, using open questionnaire, conducting pre-test, and post-test. in observation, the writer involved themselves and the students’ participation in learning, how they were seriously joint the class and did their test. the tests were conducted to measure the students’ ability in reading comprehension. the questionnaire was conducted during the cycles were done. the test validation is done by having the triangulation method. for the techniques of data analysis, the writer used qualitative as well as quantitative data analysis. the writer conducted the quantitative analysis by recapitulating the collected data from test, computing the results, calculating the percentage, and determining the comparison of pre and posttests. in the qualitative descriptive, the writer described the result of tests to measure that the use of pop-up book can improve students’ reading skill and to motivate the student in learning process in the classroom. results and discussion the writer used observation, questionnaire, pretest and post-test to describe student's reading skill in narrative text before and after using pop-up book. the observation was conducted on 6th of december. the observation was aimed to describe student's learning process in the classroom. the writer designed the research on two cycles. the cycles consisted of giving material, pre-test, and post-test. before cycle session, students filled the open questionnaire as opening this session. this questionnaire included three questions. first question was about reading skill based on 3 levels (less, medium, and fluent). then, second question was about the problems are faced of students in reading skill. last, third question was about explaining the teacher in teaching using media provide a solution to student’s problem or not. the first pre-test was conducted on 14th of december. the students answered some questions to describe the student’s background knowledge and examples of narrative text. the result of the pre-test showed that almost the students did not pass the minimum standard score of english subject. based on the result score of pre-test, the writer intended to improve student's reading skill using pop-up book in narrative text. the writer taught the students using pop up book aimed for gaining the students’ achievement on their reading comprehension of narrative text. the first post-test was conducted on 16th of december. the students received the material from the teacher. then the teacher stimulated the students by using questions to describe student's understanding. after that, students made a group discussion into 4 groups to reading comprehension using pop-up book and answered some questions based on the narrative text with pop-up book. the students enjoyed to interaction with each other member of the group, learning together, and exchanged ideas. then, the second cycle was done to make sure that the students have got their improvement. the writer gave the students materials using pop up. the students were tested their reading comprehension after being taught using the pop up book. the second cycle was done at 23rd of december. the students showed their significant improvement in the second cycle. from the open questionnaire session, the writer collected the data and was analyzed with the table and explains below: (1) how well do you understand reading and comprehending texts in english? (2) what problems do you face when reading and understanding texts in english? (3) can the teacher's use of media in learning help solve your problems? (please explain) table 1. student’s answers of questionnaire english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 545 students' initial name level 1 level 2 level 3 (unable to understand sentences and must use a dictionary/translator website) (able to understand some sentences, but still needs a dictionary/translator website) (able to understand sentences well) ams √ aif √ aef √ dms √ da √ dpr √ ds √ eda √ fmr √ grpd √ hak √ is √ ifh √ isa √ ksaw √ knna √ mfa √ mfat √ mkds √ mkf √ nim √ nfr √ pww √ pd √ rwn √ rhs √ srz √ sp √ sna √ trab √ vlg √ figure 1. diagram of level in reading skill from the data result of questionnaire, it showed that in first question the all of students occupy is level 2. it means that the students can understanding sentences, but still need dictionary or web translator to help understanding some unfamiliar vocabulary. table 2. student’s answers of questionnaire number of students student’s answer pradnya permanasari, putri nindya ayu pamssuari enhanching reading skills through pop-up books in narrative text learning 546 ams sentences such as proverbs or foreign words that i have never heard before confuse me when trying to interpret them. aif i don’t know the meaning or how to pronounce certain vocabulary words. aef the vocabulary i know is limited. dms when reading, i sometimes struggle with pronunciation. da the problem i face when doing english exercises is that i find it hard to translate them. dpr i don’t fully understand grammar, so sometimes i struggle when doing exercises. ds sometimes i understand, sometimes i don’t. eda lack of vocabulary mastery. fmr i can understand but don’t know the meaning. grpd i can't translate english vocabulary and i get confused when reading english words. hak it’s difficult to translate some words into indonesian. is i have to focus on the sentences when reading english texts. ifh i still don't fully understand the meaning of a word and need to look it up in a dictionary or translation website. isa i don’t completely know the translation of a word. ksaw translating difficult words and figuring out how to pronounce them. knna translating unfamiliar foreign vocabulary. mfa i don’t know the meaning or how to pronounce sentences in english. mfat i get confused when translating and reading vocabulary, so i still need a dictionary or translation website. mkds translating and pronouncing english words. mkf i get a little confused with the meaning of words and how to pronounce them. nim the problem i face in reading and understanding english texts is difficulty with pronunciation and lack of vocabulary knowledge. nfr i don’t understand the meaning of certain words or how to pronounce them. pww i’m confused by the meanings of some words. pd confused about how to pronounce and translate english vocabulary. rwn vocabulary that i don’t yet know the meaning of. rhs i don’t understand the meaning. srz how to pronounce a word, because in english, the pronunciation and spelling can be different. sp trying to find out the meaning of english words. sna how to pronounce unfamiliar english words and translate them. trab understanding the meaning of words that sometimes have similar forms and being confused about how to pronounce them. vlg so far, the problems are with translating some meanings and pronouncing vocabulary, but i can still handle it by practicing regularly. besides, for the second question, the data showed that the student's problem in reading skill is most students had difficulty translating some sentences and confused about how to read correctly. table 3. student’s answers of questionnaire number of students student’s answers ams less helpful because i use books more often. aif yes, i think the use of media during lessons makes it easier for me to understand the material. aef yes. because i think media is one of the tools that helps students clearly understand a topic. dms yes. media makes it easier for me to understand the material in class. da yes. for me, using media is a good solution when i have difficulty understanding the material. dpr absolutely. i think media is indeed the right solution in learning. ds for reading practice, usually with texts in books. eda yes, it helps me understand the material taught by the teacher with the help of learning media. fmr less helpful because i still like to use books. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 547 grpd i understand a little better, it's quite easy to grasp. hak the teacher allows students to use dictionaries and sometimes translation websites, so that helps during practice. is maybe, because sometimes media helps me understand, but other times it's a bit hard to follow. ifh the teacher sometimes translates together from the book, so that helps quite a bit. isa not very helpful, although sometimes we're allowed to translate unknown words. ksaw helps a little, because it's easier to understand. knna yes, for me media in learning really helps me to better understand the material delivered in class. mfa yes, learning is easier to understand when using media. mfat yes, i understand a little better using media. mkds yes, it really helps me in understanding the lesson. mkf yes, i prefer learning with media because it's very easy to understand. nim sometimes yes, because in the text there are words i don’t know, and i can translate them to add to my vocabulary. nfr yes, learning with media makes learning a bit easier. pww yes. it really helps me overcome difficulties in understanding the material. pd yes, i understand more easily with media. rwn sometimes i use youtube, which makes learning more fun, and we're allowed to use dictionaries. rhs yes. i think media can provide a solution for my difficulties in understanding the material more quickly. srz i think it would be a solution if the media used is also easy for me to understand during learning. sp sometimes it can be understood through media, but some are still harder to grasp. sna yes. i think media is a solution for me to better understand classroom learning. trab yes, i can easily understand when using media. vlg yes, it definitely helps me understand the material more easily than just verbal explanations. for the last question, it showed that media used by the teacher can give solutions to the student’s problems in learning. most answers of the students stated that media in learning help the student’s understanding the material in class, but some students stated that the media did not provide a solution if you only use of books. from this result, the writer chose pop-up book as a medium to help student’s understanding and improve reading skill. meanwhile based on the pre-test and post-test in cycle 1 and cycle 2, the writer collected data and analyzed the student's score using the formula: mean ∑x x = ── n x : mean ∑x : total individual score n : number of students from the formula above, mean can be obtained from the total individual score divided by the number of students. percentage of students passed kkm f p = ── x 100% n p : the class percentage f : total percentage score of students n : number of students from the formula above, percentage of students passed kkm can be obtained from the total individual student’s score passed kkm divided by the number of the students. percentage of student's improvement y1 y p = ─── x 100% y p : percentage of student's improvement y1 : post-test result y : pre-test result pradnya permanasari, putri nindya ayu pamssuari enhanching reading skills through pop-up books in narrative text learning 548 from the formula above, percentage student’s improvement can be obtained from post-test result minus pre-test result divided pre-test result, then multiplied by the 100%. the result of the pre-test and post-test students was on the following appendixes: table 4. list of student’s scores based on student’s table score above, it showed that student’s highest score in pre-test of cycle 1 is 75 and student’s lowest score is 60. then in posttest of cycle 1, the student’s highest score is 90 and student’s lowest score is 80. in the cycle 2, the lowest score of the student is 85 and the students’ highest score is 95. from the data result of student's reading comprehension, it showed that significant improvement for reading comprehension using pop-up book. the mean score of pre test of cycle 1 increased about 22.6% became 81.9 in post-test of cycle 1. in the cycle 2, the students got significant improvement in the total amount of the students’ score is 2735. individually, students who had passed the kkm got a score of 75 or more were improve from only 14 or about 45.2% students in pre-test activity, then it had increased 100% became 31 students in the both post-tests. classically, all the students had passed the standard minimum score more than 75. it means the research ran successfully. conclusion based on the results of the research that has been done, it can be concluded that the use of pop-up book as a teaching medium in narrative text to improve student’s reading skill is becoming a students' initial name pre-test cycle 1 post-test cycle 1 post test cycle 2 ams 75 80 85 aif 75 90 95 aef 60 80 85 dms 75 80 85 da 60 80 85 dpr 60 80 85 ds 60 80 85 eda 60 80 85 fmr 60 80 85 grpd 60 80 85 hak 75 80 85 is 75 80 90 ifh 60 80 85 isa 60 80 90 ksaw 60 80 85 knna 60 80 85 mfa 75 80 95 mfat 75 80 95 mkds 75 90 95 mkf 75 90 95 nim 60 80 85 nfr 60 80 85 pww 75 90 95 pd 60 80 85 rwn 60 80 85 rhs 75 80 90 srz 60 80 85 sp 75 80 85 sna 60 80 90 trab 75 90 95 vlg 75 90 95 total score 2070 2540 2735 mean 66.8 81.9 88.2 score ≥ kkm (75) 14 31 31 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 549 solution and alternative for student’s understanding in learning process. the use of popup book can improve the students’ ability in reading comprehension shown by 100% of the students passed the kkm. based on the three questions in this research, it showed that all of the students occupy is level 2. besides that, the data also showed that the student’s problem in reading skill was most the students had difficulty translating some sentences and confused about how to read correctly. in the last result, it showed that media used by teacher can give solutions to the student’s problem in learning. most answers of the students stated that media in learning help the student’s understanding the material in class. therefore, from the data result of student’s reading comprehension showed that there was a significant improvement using pop-up book. additionally, the responses shown by students were good in appreciating the use pop-up book in narrative text to improve student’s reading skill. they provide good feedback, and constructive suggestions for the future learning medium can develop. acknowledgement based on the research that has been done, the research will give impact for lecturers because the use of pop-up book as a teaching medium in narrative text can be a solution and alternative to improve student’s reading skill. furthermore, the most various content in narrative text using pop-up books to makes students interested in learning process. for other research, this research has limited time to improve student’s reading skill. therefore, the writer hopes that it can be continued with a wider sample trial and adapted to other content of materials. for the general reader, this research can be a reference which can improve the knowledge in reading skill references afifah, l., laffaziah, a., & khoerudin, e. (2024). development of pop-up book as a medium of learning german reading skills. allemania. https://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/allemania/arti cle/view/71758 afrila, a., & damri, d. (2023). improve your reading comprehension using pop up book media in 2nd grade of deaf children at plus marhamah elementary school:single subject research). edumaspul:jurnalpendidikan, 7(2),3 153-3157. https://doi.org/10.33487/edumaspul.v7i2.6529 akina, a., paeri, d. n. r., mufidah, m., & nuraini, n. (2023). the implementation of pop-up book media: potential implication on mathematics and science learning outcomes. jurnal penelitian pendidikan ipa, 9(5), 3824–3832. https://jppipa.unram.ac.id/index.php/jppipa/artic le/view/3252 bergman, l., & hessel, f. (2023). from “confusion” and “fear” to “broadened horizons.” students' transformative experiences in two higher education contexts: argentina and sweden. journal of transformative education, 22(2), 137156. https://doi.org/10.11 77/15413446231179896 brilliananda, c. c., & wibowo, e. s. (2023). reading strategies for post-pandemic students’ reading comprehension skills. international journal of elementary education, 7(2), 328–334. https://doi.org/10.23887/ijee.v7i2.59783 d. a. w. saputra, m. zuniati, u. a. f. a. hasyim, s. suhono, i. irhammudin, and y. a. sari. (2023). “developing pop up books as learning media to teach reading comprehension at senior high school bangun cipta rumbia”, ijoaser, 8, 1. https://doi.org/10.33648/ijoaser.v8i1.503 fauziyah, d. h., & mulyani, p. k. (2024). development and evaluation of a digital pop-up book on the concept of force for fourth-grade science. jurnal penelitian pendidikan ipa, 10(7), 3721–3730. https://jppipa.unram.ac.id/index.php/jppipa/artic le/view/7770 fergina, a., ghazy, a., prancisca, s., aminah, s., & ananda, e. (2024). enhancing reading comprehension through extensive reading. journal of english education program. https://jurnal.untan.ac.id/index.php/jeep/article /view/71717 fitriani, l. n., & sunarti. (2024). exploring the effectiveness of digital reading platforms in developing reading comprehension skills. eltlectura, 11(2), 168–181. https://doi.org/10.31849/elt-lectura.v11i2.20840 frans, s. a., ani, y., & wijaya, y. a. (2023). kemampuan membaca pemahaman siswa sekolah dasar. diligentia: journal of theology and christian education, 5(1), 54–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.19166/dil. v5i1.6567 hafifah, n. b., hadi, w., mara, |, & ritonga, u. (2023). development of pop-up book learning media to improve student language skills. randwick international of education and linguistics science journal, 4(2), 398– 412. https://doi.org/10.47175/rielsj.v4i2.716 istiqomah, santi, rohmani n. indah, & edwin nuvianto a.a. (2023). difficulties and strategies of learning english reading skills in large classes: a systematic literature review. journal of english language teaching and learning (jetle). 4(1), 70-83. available online: https://ejournal.uinmalang.ac.id/index.php/jetle/index hafifah, n. b., hadi, w., & ritonga, m. u. (2023). development of pop-up book learning media to https://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/allemania/article/view/71758 https://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/allemania/article/view/71758 https://doi.org/10.33487/edumaspul.v7i2.6529 https://jppipa.unram.ac.id/index.php/jppipa/article/view/3252 https://jppipa.unram.ac.id/index.php/jppipa/article/view/3252 https://doi.org/10.1177/15413446231179896 https://doi.org/10.1177/15413446231179896 https://doi.org/10.23887/ijee.v7i2.59783 https://jppipa.unram.ac.id/index.php/jppipa/article/view/7770 https://jppipa.unram.ac.id/index.php/jppipa/article/view/7770 https://jurnal.untan.ac.id/index.php/jeep/article/view/71717 https://jurnal.untan.ac.id/index.php/jeep/article/view/71717 https://doi.org/10.31849/elt-lectura.v11i2.20840 http://dx.doi.org/10.19166/dil.%20v5i1.6567 https://doi.org/10.47175/rielsj.v4i2.716 https://ejournal.uin-malang.ac.id/index.php/jetle/index https://ejournal.uin-malang.ac.id/index.php/jetle/index pradnya permanasari, putri nindya ayu pamssuari enhanching reading skills through pop-up books in narrative text learning 550 improve student language skills. randwick international of education and linguistics science journal, 4(2), 398-412. https://doi.org/10.47175/rielsj.v4i2.716 huda, m. a. n., & kiptiyah, s. m. (2024). development of learning media digital pop-up book based interactive powerpoint material hearing material grade five elementary school. jurnal penelitian pendidikan ipa, 10(12),10618–10626. https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v10i12.7794 izzati, nurholiza et al. (2024). the effectiveness of popup book folktale story in improving students’ ability in reading comprehension (narrative text material) in ninth-grade smpn 3 mataram. pendas :jurnal ilmiah pendidikan dasar. 9(2). jugas, r. j. m. (2024). boosting reading comprehension performance: the impact of metacognitive reading strategies on grade 11 students. international journal of contemporary sciences (ijcs), 2(1), 27–42. https://doi.org/10.55927/ijcs.v2i1.12033 khadijah, s., & rezeki, y. s. (2023). developing popup book for teaching vocabulary to young learners. journal of english education program. https://jurnal.untan.ac.id/index.php/jeep/article /view/54957 kheang, thavy and chin, pisith and em, sereyrath. (2024). reading motivation to promote students' reading comprehension: a review. int.j.lang. and cult. 4(1), 1-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4760870 khotimah, h., abidin, r., wahono, w., & suweleh, w. (2023). the phonics approach improves early reading skills in preschoolers aged 4-5 years. jurnal pendidikan anak usia dini undiksha, 11(1),24–30. https://doi.org/10.23887/paud.v11i1.56614 khusmiati, l., nugraha, s. i., & kartini, d. (2023). exploring students’ experience in using story retelling strategy in reading comprehension of narrative text. innovative: journal of social science research, 3(4), 2134–2141. retrieved from https://jinnovative.org/index.php/innovative/article/vie w/3706 kumar, k. v. (2023). the efficacy of online reading platforms to develop reading comprehension skills of engineering students. 16(4). loh, c.e., sun, b., & lim, f.v. (2023). ‘because i’m always moving’: a mobile ethnography study of adolescent girls’ everyday print and digital reading practices. learning, media and technology, 48(4), 612– 631.https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2023.220 9325 lubis, l. h., febriani, b., yana, r. f., azhar, a., & darajat, m. (2023). the use of learning media and its effect on improving the quality of students” learning outcomes. international journal of education, social studies, and management (ijessm), 3(2), 7–14. https://doi.org/10.52121/ijessm.v3i2.148 martini, t., hasanah, a., & riznanda, w. a. (2025). students’ difficulties in reading comprehension. jadila: journal of development and innovation in language and literature education, 5(1), 47– 60. https://doi.org/10.52760/jadila.v5i1.798 mazdawati, h. r et al. (2024). augmenting knowledge: measuring the cognitive impact of pop-up book integration. proceedings of the 3rd annual international conference on natural and social science education (icnsse 2023), advances in social science, education and humanities research 846. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-238476-242-2_5 munawwarah, hidayatul s, rosmala dewi, & asih menanti. (2023). pop up book development to improve story ability of children 5-6 years old. international journal of islamic education, research and multiculturalism. 5(1), 1-22. available online :http://journal.yaspim.org/index.php/ijierm/in dex munthe, d. a. y., hasibuan, t. p., sukma, d. p., irfani, s. y., & deliyanti, y. (2023). analisis kemampuan menyimak siswa pada pembelajaran bahasa indonesia di sekolah dasar. jurnal riset rumpun ilmu bahasa, 2(2),48–56. https://doi.org/10.55606/jurribah.v2i2.1405 napa-rodríguez, b. m. (2025). the reading habit in students’ reading comprehension. international journal of linguistics, literature and culture, 11(2), 35–42. https://doi.org/10.21744/ijllc.v11n2.2501 nuralimah, s., talib, a., & sunra, l. (2023). exploring sudents’ difficulties in comprehending english reading texts at smp muhammadiyah lumbung. arrus journal of social sciences and humanities, 3(5). https://doi.org/10.35877/soshum2097 oktorianisarry, m., yulitriana, y., nova, s. i., & norahmi, m. (2023). the effect of collaborative strategic reading (csr) on students’ reading comprehension of narrative text. ebony: journal of english language teaching, linguistics, and literature, 3(1), 23–32. https://doi.org/10.37304/ebony.v3i1.7857 pambudi, b., rohmanurmeta, f. m., & suryani, t. (2023). penerapan gerakan literasi membaca buku dengan model pembelajaran pjbl untuk meningkatkan kosakata baru pada mata pelajaran bahasa indonesia siswa kelas 4 sd ngebel. pendas: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan dasar, 8(1), 4958–4968. https://doi.org/10.23969/jp.v8i1.8210 pinandhita, f., & yasin, m. h. bin m. (2025). optimizing students’ reading skills through microlearning with canva: a digital approach in elt. ijorer : international journal of recent https://doi.org/10.47175/rielsj.v4i2.716 https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v10i12.7794 https://doi.org/10.55927/ijcs.v2i1.12033 https://jurnal.untan.ac.id/index.php/jeep/article/view/54957 https://jurnal.untan.ac.id/index.php/jeep/article/view/54957 https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4760870 https://doi.org/10.23887/paud.v11i1.56614 https://jinnovative.org/index.php/innovative/article/view/3706 https://jinnovative.org/index.php/innovative/article/view/3706 https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2023.2209325 https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2023.2209325 https://doi.org/10.52121/ijessm.v3i2.148 https://doi.org/10.52760/jadila.v5i1.798 https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-242-2_5 https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-242-2_5 http://journal.yaspim.org/index.php/ijierm/index http://journal.yaspim.org/index.php/ijierm/index https://doi.org/10.55606/jurribah.v2i2.1405 https://doi.org/10.21744/ijllc.v11n2.2501 https://doi.org/10.35877/soshum2097 https://doi.org/10.37304/ebony.v3i1.7857 https://doi.org/10.23969/jp.v8i1.8210 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 551 educational research, 6(2), 470-481. https://doi.org/10.46245/ijorer.v6i2.807 rahman, y., pratiwi, d. s., & prihatini, c. (2023). flashcard as an instructional media towards students’ reading comprehension. eltlectura, 10(2), 155–163. https://doi.org/10.31849/elt-lectura.v10i2.15171 rianti, r., yuniati, m., tandiana s.t., muzdalipah, i., supriyono, y. (2024). improving students’ reading comprehension of narrative text through problem based learning. ideguru: jurnal ilmiah guru. vol.9 no. 1 januari 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.51169/ideguru.v9i1.730 riyani, i., regina, & wardah. (2023). student’s perception toward the use of moodle-reader for improving reading comprehension. journal of english education program, 4(1), 11-18. https://doi.org/10.26418/jeep.v4i1.55203 robert, b., & brown, e. b. (2004). the gmat reading comprehension (v. crayne (ed.); issue 1). maven publishing sari, h. s., yayuk, e., & bintari, y. (2023). penerapan model problem based learning berbantuan media papan keragaman budaya indonesia terhadap hasil belajar ipas materi keragaman budaya kelas iv sd negeri gabusbanaran jombang. pendas : jurnal ilmiah pendidikan dasar, 8(1), 1804–1814. https://doi.org/10.23969/jp.v8i1.8100 shafira, aliya, & melly a. w. (2024). an analysis of students’ difficulties in comprehending narrative text at grade x fashion design smk negeri 1 kisaran in 2023-2024 academic year. argopuro: jurnal multidisiplin ilmu bahasa, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.8734/argopuro.v1i2.365 sinambela, e., padang, i., & pasaribu, a. n. (2023). the effect of mind mapping and semantic mapping on reading comprehension of the eeventh graders of senior high school. ideas: journa on english language teaching and learning, lnguistics and lterature, 10(2), 2100–2112. https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v10i2.3060 sobandi, a., yuniarsih, t., meilani, r. i., & indriarti, r. (2023). pemanfaatan fitur aplikasi canva dalam perancangan media pembelajaran berbasis pendekatan microlearning. jurnal pendidikan manajemen perkantoran, 8(1), 98–109. https://doi.org/10.17509/jpm.v8i1.51920 sukniasih, sri wardani, & sigit saptono. (2023). development of pop-up books in improving reading skills through an inquiry learning model in grade i elementary school students. international journal of research and review, 10(7). https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20230742 sunarti, anggraini, d., sarie, d. p., & jana, p. (2023). the effectiveness of pop-up book media in learning reading skills of grade ii elementary school. cakrawala pendidikan, 42(2), 493–506. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v42i2.50381 surwanto, danu., et al (2023). development of pop-up book media to teach reading skill for tenth grade students at smk annur bululawang. english education: jurnal tadris bahasa inggris, 16(2). susrianty, n. (2024). the effect of pop-up books toward students’ vocabulary mastery. elp (journal of english language pedagogy), 9(1), 29–42. https://doi.org/10.36665/elp.v9i1.856 syahid, et al. (2023). the influence of the reciprocal teaching model using pop-up book media on the reading comprehension ability of madrasah ibtidaiyah students. syekh nurjati international conference on elementary education (sicee). 1. https://dx.doi.org/10.24235/sicee.v1i0.16356 triana, j., sismulyasih, n., putri, a. k., & ayuningsih. (2023) jurnal penelitian pendidikan ipa (jppipa) october 2023, volume 9 issue 10, 8085-8090 8090 m. t. inovasi media raih sukses mengajar. cahya ghani recovery. uswatun, h., retno, w., & raheni, s. (2024). reading comprehension research trends: a systematic literature review. in proceedings of the 3rd international conference of humanities and social science (ichss 2023). https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.27-12-2023.2351585 villanueva, l. a. a. (2025). exploring the relationship between reading comprehension skills and academic performance among uv-d education students: a mixed methods study. international journal of research and innovation in applied science (ijrias), 10(1), 198–215. https://doi.org/10.51584/ijrias.2025.1001016 zakaria, d., & khoirunnisa, m. (2024). elevating reading comprehension: tailored techniques for non-english majors. journal of language intelligence and culture, 6(1), 13–30. https://doi.org/10.35719/jlic.v6i1.148 zanyar, n.g., heshw, f.s., marya, a.a., sayran, s.f., sima, f.a., & rubar, i.r. (2023). the role of artificial intelligence technology on english language learning: a literature review. canadian journal of language and literature studies vol. 3(2), 2023, pp. 17. doi:10.53103/cjlls.v3i2.87 https://doi.org/10.46245/ijorer.v6i2.807 https://doi.org/10.31849/elt-lectura.v10i2.15171 https://doi.org/10.51169/ideguru.v9i1.730 https://doi.org/10.26418/jeep.v4i1.55203 https://doi.org/10.26418/jeep.v4i1.55203 https://doi.org/10.23969/jp.v8i1.8100 https://doi.org/10.8734/argopuro.v1i2.365 https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v10i2.3060 https://doi.org/10.17509/jpm.v8i1.51920 https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20230742 https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20230742 https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v42i2.50381 https://doi.org/10.36665/elp.v9i1.856 https://dx.doi.org/10.24235/sicee.v1i0.16356 https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.27-12-2023.2351585 https://doi.org/10.51584/ijrias.2025.1001016 https://doi.org/10.35719/jlic.v6i1.148 http://dx.doi.org/10.53103/cjlls.v3i2.87 pradnya permanasari, putri nindya ayu pamssuari enhanching reading skills through pop-up books in narrative text learning 552 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 793 sociosemiotic interpretation of political jargon used by legislative candidate in 2024 general election sondang manik1, tiara kristina pasaribu2, erika sinambela3, roni arahta sembiring4, risda hartati sitorus5 1,2,3,4,5universitas hkbp nommensen, medan,indonesia corresponding author: sondang.manik@ohn.ac.id apa citation: manik, s., pasaribu, t. k., sinambela, e., sembiring, r. a., & sitorus, r. h. (2025). sociosemiotic interpretation of political jargon used by legislative candidate in 2024 general election. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 793-808. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11436 received: 28-02-2025 accepted: 27-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 introduction in the contemporary indonesian political landscape, the 2024 general election presented a unique moment of symbolic and ideological contestation, particularly at the legislative level. political jargons—short, strategic phrases used in campaign posters, banners, and digital platforms— emerged as condensed vehicles for constructing identity, signaling affiliation, and mobilizing emotional resonance. these jargons are more than linguistic slogans; they are multimodal signs that serve to position candidates ideologically and culturally in front of a diverse electorate. the 2024 election cycle was marked by increasing political personalization, populist appeals, and heavy use of social media for campaigning, making the production of meaning through text and image more crucial than ever in determining political success. in this context, campaign jargons reveal how candidates strategically tap into local idioms, nationalistic values, religious sentiments, and visual aesthetics to construct an appealing persona. previous studies have demonstrated how language functions as a persuasive and symbolic resource in political discourse. pasaribu and adhani (2024), arkida et al. (2024), and aulia and sakinah (2025) emphasized that political slogans are not only expressions of ideological stances but also tools for audience alignment, cultural intimacy, and social inclusion. similarly, rachma (2025) and zafar et al. (2024) noted that the discursive construction of political identity in campaign discourse often involves carefully selected lexico-grammatical choices that reflect the sociopolitical context of the speaker. in the indonesian context, such identity work is performed within a linguistically diverse and culturally complex electorate, where the success of political messaging often depends on its ability to resonate with specific regional values and social expectations. beyond linguistic content, political messaging abstract: the phenomena of language have become a sociosemiotic issue. many parties were joining the election. to win the election, they used attributes as a tool to campaign, such as posters, ballyhoos, and banners that hung on the side of the roads. the content of the posters included the identity and picture of the legislative candidate and the party's name, and they used political jargon. to express their identity or goal of the party, to find out the meaning of political jargon, and to understand its sociosemiotic interpretation. by using the descriptive qualitative method. using halliday's and pierce’s theories, the result is that political jargon has a deep meaning and sociosemiotic interpretation. the heuristic function is not found in the function of language analysis in political jargon. still, it was found that the interactional and personal functions are dominantly used in political jargon. semiotic meaning found in political jargon that expresses the meaning of color, dress cr logo used in political jargon. sociosemiotic interpretation used in political jargon, which comes from sociolinguistics analysis, and semiotic analysis keywords: sociosemiotic interpretation; political jargon. mailto:sondang.manik@ohn.ac.id sondang manik, tiara kristina pasaribu, erika sinambela, roni arahta sembiring, risda hartati sitorus sociosemiotic interpretation of political jargon used by legislative candidate in 2024 general election 794 increasingly relies on multimodal design. scholars such as chandra et al. (2024) examined how carousel posts on social media platforms are structured to attract attention and communicate policy priorities. babayiğit et al. (2025) applied visual-linguistic tools to turkish political posters and found that candidates employ colors, gestures, typography, and layout strategically to reinforce their verbal messages. the multimodal nature of campaign communication is further evident in latin america, where o'connor-farfan (2024) analyzed affective discourse in peruvian electioneering, highlighting how emotion-laden visuals support populist rhetoric. likewise, slimovich (2025) investigated the use of influencer-style aesthetics on tiktok by argentine politicians, revealing how youth-oriented visual forms are incorporated to generate relatability and appeal. visual communication also plays a central role in conveying humor, critique, and ideology. in the indonesian context, karman et al. (2024) discussed the visual commodification of islamic piety in political campaigns, showing how islamic semiotics is repurposed to signal moral authority and religious legitimacy. meanwhile, rossettecrake (2024) examined how digital influencers mix entertainment and political messaging in ways that blur traditional boundaries between civic discourse and online popularity. globally, rivascarmona (2024) explored the ideological implications of spanish political cartoons, while osisanwo and atoloye (2024) analyzed nigerian cartoons as sites of resistance and political satire. these studies collectively highlight how visual resources not only supplement but shape the persuasive power of political discourse. the creative use of digital media has intensified the symbolic complexity of campaign texts. zhang and díaz-kommonen (2024) studied chinese political memes and demonstrated how grassroots creativity mobilizes collective sentiment through shared symbols and humor. zeng and zhu (2024) further analyzed how chinese digital cartoons reflect political tensions and state narratives, functioning as tools for both dissent and conformity. in indonesia, siregar (2025) provided an in-depth look at the role of political buzzers in shaping public perception, while nauvallina and khristianto (2025) addressed the strategic media framing of political dynasties. these works suggest that political communication increasingly operates through fragmented, yet highly evocative, signs that demand integrated forms of analysis. from a methodological standpoint, multimodal critical discourse analysis (mcda) has been widely used to explore the intersection of linguistic, visual, and ideological meanings. srihandayani (2024), sakhiyya et al. (2024), and adebomi (2024) applied mcda to political campaign texts, demonstrating how discourse, design, and power intersect in strategic communication. in contexts of social unrest, crisis, and activism, simungala and ndalama-mtawali (2024), changa and mamvura (2024), and fifelola and unuabonah (2026) showed how semiotic modes are harnessed to express urgency and mobilize resistance. these studies reveal the flexibility of mcda as a tool for uncovering the ideological functions of both verbal and non-verbal campaign materials across diverse political landscapes. in addition, a growing number of studies apply fine-grained analysis to political personas and their multimodal construction. osei fordjour (2024a, 2024b, 2024c) provided comprehensive accounts of ghanaian political candidates, exploring how visual choices, gestures, and verbal cues work together to convey leadership and competence. makinde (2024) analyzed political metaphor in nigerian election discourse, revealing the cultural specificity of figurative language. guta and eissa (2025) explored the intersection of ai-generated memes and digital propaganda, while kuo (2025) investigated the use of war discourse and nationalist symbols in taiwanese politics. these works affirm the importance of integrating linguistic, visual, and technological dimensions in contemporary political semiotics. in southeast asia, political communication studies have increasingly addressed emotion, visual signs, and cultural narratives. rahardi and firdaus (2024) investigated the role of emotion in indonesian campaign posters, noting how facial expression, color, and typography evoke specific affective responses. rockson (2024) examined symbolic elements used by west african politicians, providing comparative insights into how political branding travels across borders. drăgan (2025) focused on persona construction through digital media, arguing that politicians curate their identities through a blend of text, image, and performance. these studies suggest that political meaning is not only constructed through argumentation but also through the aesthetic orchestration of multimodal signs. despite these contributions, several research gaps persist. most studies tend to focus on presidential or high-level candidates, with relatively limited attention to how legislative english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 795 candidates at the local level engage in semiotic meaning-making (farhan et al., 2024; riduansyah et al., 2024; istianah, 2024). furthermore, existing analyses often isolate linguistic or visual elements, without accounting for their dynamic interaction in real-world communication (gakahu, 2024; aluya & iangba, 2024). while recent works have addressed political framing, affective discourse, and digital media, the specific role of campaign jargons—particularly those used by legislative candidates—as integrated multimodal texts remains underexplored. this study seeks to address this gap by examining how legislative candidates in indonesia’s 2024 election deploy both linguistic and visual strategies to position themselves ideologically, socially, and culturally. combining halliday’s systemic functional linguistics with peirce’s triadic semiotic theory allows for a layered analysis that captures the metafunctional meanings of text alongside the signifying mechanisms of visual elements. this study is guided by the following questions: (1) how do legislative candidates in the 2024 indonesian general election construct multimodal political jargons through linguistic and visual strategies? (2) what types of meanings (ideational, interpersonal, textual) are realized in their campaign slogans based on halliday's systemic functional linguistics? (3) what categories of signs (iconic, indexical, symbolic) emerge in the visual representation of these jargons according to peircean semiotics? (4) how do these campaign jargons reflect ideological, cultural, and political positioning in indonesia’s electoral discourse? this study offers both theoretical and empirical contributions to the field of political communication and semiotics. theoretically, it develops an integrated sociosemiotic framework by synthesizing halliday’s metafunctions and peirce’s categories of signification, thereby advancing multimodal analysis beyond existing dichotomies of text and image. empirically, the study focuses on 65 campaign jargons drawn from physical posters, banners, and digital platforms (instagram, facebook) collected between october 2023 and february 2024. these jargons were selected from various legislative candidates across parties and regions, reflecting indonesia’s cultural and linguistic plurality. as a sociosemiotic inquiry, this study recognizes the interpretive role of the researcher in analyzing how signs index ideological positions, values, and identities. preliminary findings suggest patterns of religious nationalism, populist appeal, and strategic personalization, revealing how political actors craft compelling multimodal messages. the study also contributes to emerging discourse on gender representation (riduansyah et al., 2024), regional political narratives (farhan et al., 2024), and alternative journalistic frameworks (pertiwi & fadillah, 2024), offering insights that may inform both academic research and practical strategies in democratic campaigning. method this study adopts a descriptive qualitative approach within a sociosemiotic framework to investigate political jargons used by legislative candidates in indonesia’s 2024 general election. the aim is to examine how linguistic features and visual elements in campaign materials reflect ideological, cultural, and social positioning. this approach is informed by systemic functional linguistics (sfl) (halliday, 1994) to analyze metafunctional aspects of language (ideational, interpersonal, and textual), and peirce’s semiotic theory (1991) to explore the typology of signs (iconic, indexical, symbolic). the data corpus consists of 100 political jargons, with 65 selected for in-depth analysis. these were sourced from campaign posters, banners, and digital media (such as instagram and facebook) across medan and other areas in north sumatra during february–march 2024. the selection focused on slogans that demonstrated strong multimodal characteristics and reflected cultural diversity. the following stages were undertaken: (1) data identification: jargons were documented, translated into english, and compiled into a textual corpus. (2) linguistic analysis: based on halliday’s sfl, slogans were analyzed for ideational, interpersonal, and textual meanings. (3) semiotic categorization: visual components were examined using peirce’s model to identify icons, indexes, and symbols. (4) sociosemiotic interpretation: integrating linguistic and semiotic results to interpret ideological and cultural messaging. (5) gender representation: the role of visual and textual gender cues was noted, especially how male and female candidates positioned themselves differently. (6) triangulation: recurring themes (e.g., nationalism, religious values, youth, populism) were compared and interpreted in context. this method is consistent with the work of aulia and sakinah (2025), who identified the typology of political signs in indonesia using a similar semiotic approach. it also aligns with sondang manik, tiara kristina pasaribu, erika sinambela, roni arahta sembiring, risda hartati sitorus sociosemiotic interpretation of political jargon used by legislative candidate in 2024 general election 796 pasaribu and adhani (2024), who emphasized localized symbolic strategies in indonesian campaign communication. furthermore, the interpretive analysis follows arkida et al. (2024), who highlighted the persuasive framing of language in constructing candidate images. the research integrates linguistic function analysis and visual semiotic interpretation to explore the meaning-making strategies in political jargons. the sociosemiotic model enables analysis beyond surface-level texts, focusing on how multimodal elements work ideologically within specific cultural contexts. results and discussion the writer collected the data; 100 data were collected, but only 65 data were analyzed. the data is translated into english, and the signs are divided into icons, index, and symbol analysis: as the winning party writer put them, as follows. 1. “semua buat semua, satu buat semua, semua buat satu” “all for all, one for all, all for on figure 1. “semua buat semua, satu buat semua, semua buat satu” function of language. “semua buat semua, satu buat semua, semua buat satu” all for all, one for all, all for one as follows regulatory function. this statement expresses the idea of collective responsibility and unity, suggesting that everyone contributes and benefits equally. it conveys a sense of communal cooperation and shared resources. interactional function. it fosters inclusivity and solidarity among the audience, emphasizing the importance of mutual support and collaboration. it appeals to a sense of community and belonging. personal function. it serves as a mantra message of the candidate or motto promoting cooperation and mutual assistance, encapsulating the party’s ethos of equity and collective action. function of language. it has regulatory functions, personal and instrumental functions. it expresses the idea of collective unity, gives a sense of inclusivity, and serves as a mantra or motto. icon. hands holding each other represent togetherness and cooperation between indonesian citizens to achieve better and more prosperous national goals. index. the repetition of "semua" (all) and "satu" (one) in this jargon can be seen as indexical signs, emphasizing inclusivity and unity among all individuals. symbol. the phrases "semua buat semua" (all for all) and "semua buat satua" (all for one) are symbolic signs representing the idea of collective effort and solidarity. semiotic analysis. the sign of the picture of some people sitting together discussing and with the wardrobe of red paper as the sign of pdip as an icon represents togetherness .index, emphasizing inclusivity and unity among all individuals.as indexical signs and symbols representing the idea of collective effort and solidarity. sociosemiotic interpretation. in the picture of some people sitting together, a quotation from sukarno, the 1st president of indonesia. it is a regulatory function, as well as a personal and instrumental function. it expresses the idea of collaboration and unity, gives a sense of inclusivity, and serves as a mantra or motto as a sign of collective effort and solidarity. and it is the message given by sukarno, to be unity and as a motto of pdip and all for all, one for all, all for one 2. "tuanku ya rakyat, jabatan hanya mandat" my lord, yes, people, position is only a mandate" figure 2. "tuanku ya rakyat, jabatan hanya mandat" function of language. "tuanku ya rakyat, jabatan hanya mandat" my lord, yes, people, position is only a mandate" instrumental function. the instrumental function refers to the language used to achieve practical goals. in this jargon, "tuanku ya rakyat, jabatan hanya mandat” my lord, yes, people, position is only a mandate" may serve an instrumental function by emphasizing the importance of serving the people (rakyat) instead of holding positions of authority. instrumental influences the behavior of others. this political jargon could serve by advocating for power and authority to serve the needs of people. representational function. the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 797 representational function conveys information about the world. "tuanku ya rakyat, jabatan hanya mandat” serves a representational function by representing a call for leadership to prioritize the welfare and concerns of the people over bureaucratic mandates. interactional function. the interactional function pertains to the language used to establish and maintain social relationships. this jargon may serve as an interaction. function of language. ganjar says: "tuanku ya rakyat, jabatan hanya mandat" my lord, yes, people, position is only a mandate it expresses: instrumental may serve an instrumental function by emphasizing the importance of serving the people (rakyat) instead of holding positions of authority. representational: serves a regulatory function by advocating for a shift in focus from power and authority serving the interests and needs of the people. interactional function: pertains to language used to establish and maintain social relationships. icon. in this jargon, " my lord " could function iconically. while "tuanku" itself may directly resemble a specific concept or object, it could be interpreted iconically as a traditional or authoritative figure, possibly evoking associations with monarchy or leadership. index. in " my lord, yes, people, position is only a mandate," the indexicality may lie in the relationship between " my lord " and the term " people " might indexically refer to a monarch or leader who is directly associated with the people, suggesting a close bond or connection between the ruler and the populace. symbol. in this jargon, " my lord, yes, people, position is only a mandate. functions symbolically, representing the underlying principle or ideology of servant leadership. the phrase symbolizes the idea that positions of authority "position " are merely entrusted mandates emphasizing the notion of leadership as a responsibility to serve and fulfill the needs and interests of the people. semiotic. as a revolutionary spirit. as an icon, it means iconically being a traditional or authoritative figure. index means indexically refers to a monarch or leader who is directly associated with the people, suggesting a close bond, and the symbol " position is only a mandate " functions symbolically, representing the underlying principle or ideology of servant leadership sociosemiotic interpretation. there is a picture of ganjar with an open hand wearing the black jacket as a symbol of a young man who means a man with a new spirit. function by emphasizing the importance of serving the people (rakyat) instead of holding positions of authority. serving the interests and needs of the people. a call for leadership to prioritize the welfare and concerns of the people over bureaucratic mandates “bergerak membangun bangsa” moving to build the nation figure 3. “bergerak membangun bangsa” personal function. this statement communicates the idea of progress and nation building through gerindra's political party. it conveys the party’s commitment to advancing the nation’s development as a message. instrumental function. it appeals to the audience’s desire for national progress and development, positioning gerindra as a proactive force for positive change and societal advancement. interactional function. it serves as a concise and impactful slogan, encapsulating gerindra’s vision and mission of contributing to the nation’s growth and prosperity. it functions as a rallying cry to mobilize support and inspire action. function of language. personal function. progress and nation-building through the political party gerindra. commitment to advancing the nation's development. interpersonal function: gerindra is a proactive force for positive change and societal advancement. interactional function: it is a rallying cry to mobilize support and inspire action. icon. ''moving to build the nation" can represent hands holding a building or an image of people working together to build infrastructure or develop human resources. index. the word "bergerak" (moving) can be seen as an indexical sign, suggesting dynamic action and progress. symbol. the phrase "membangun bangsa" (building the nation) symbolizes a sign representing the party's mission to contribute to the development and advancement of the nation. semiotics analysis. icon. moving to build the nation" can be an image of hands holding a sondang manik, tiara kristina pasaribu, erika sinambela, roni arahta sembiring, risda hartati sitorus sociosemiotic interpretation of political jargon used by legislative candidate in 2024 general election 798 building or an image of people working together. index. the word "bergerak" (moving) can be seen as an indexical sign, suggesting dynamic action. symbol. the phrase "membangun bangsa" (building the nation) is a symbolic sign, representing the party's mission sociosemiotic interpretation. two figures of future leader prabowo and heri gunawan it shows they are wearing white dresses as the party uniform, that prabowo promotes or supports heri gunawan as a legislative candidate there is a logo of gerindra, which means that is the concept of gerindra says that moving forward as a message of heri become personal function: the idea of progress and nationbuilding through the political party gerindra. his commitment to advancing the nation's development “prabowo untuk indonesia” prabowo for insonesia figure 4. “prabowo untuk indonesia” 1. instrumental function. highlights prabowo’s commitment to contributing to indonesia’s development and progress. 2. regulatory function. regulates prabowo’s role in directing state direction and policy. 3. representational function. prabowo is considered to have the potential to lead and improve conditions in indonesia. 4. interactional function. building relationships between prabowo and the community by emphasizing his involvement in state development. 5. personal function. this section provides an overview of prabowo's personal identity and role in the context of indonesia's journey towards a better future. 6. imaginative function. creating a picture of prabowo’s expected role in changing and advancing indonesia. function of language . instrumental function. highlights prabowo’s commitment to contributing to indonesia’s development and progress. regulatory function: regulates perceptions of prabowo's role in directing state direction and party policy. representational function. represents prabowo as a figure who is considered to have the potential to lead and improve conditions in indonesia. interactional function. building relationships between prabowo and the community. personal function: provides an overview of prabowo's identity and role in indonesia's journey towards a better future. imaginative function: creating a picture of prabowo’s expected role in changing and advancing indonesia.  icon. the words "prabowo gibran" serve as symbolic signs representing the leader couple in political jargon. they convey the specific names associated with the political context.  index. the presence of the two men in the poster can be seen as an indexical sign. their positioning and serious expressions indicate their association with the political jargon. the poster's use of a professional and straightforward design can also be considered an indexical sign, emphasizing the campaign-like nature of the image.  symbol. the words "prabowo gibran" in bold letters are symbolic signs. they represent the specific political jargon being conveyed. the contrasting colors of white letters on a red background contribute to the symbolic representation of the political jargon. the overall design, simplicity, and focus on the two men and the text can also be seen as symbolic signs. semiotics meaning icon. the words "prabowo gibran" serve as symbolic signs representing the political jargon, and conveying the specific names. index: the presence of the two men in the poster can be seen as indexical signs. indicate their association emphasizing the campaign-like nature of the image. symbol: the words "prabowo gibran" in bold letters are symbolic signs. sociosemiotic interpretation. two figures of a future leader wearing a hat showing a national hat wearing a koko dress as a symbol of moslem means that the figures are moslem and an obedient moslem, creating a picture of prabowo's expected role in changing and advancing indonesia. the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 799 design's simplicity and focus on the two men and the text can also be seen as symbolic signs. 1. “sinergi menuju sejahtera” synergy towards prosperity figure 5. “sinergi menuju sejahtera” 1) representational function. this sentence conveys information about an action taken by sukro and dewi as the representatives of gender to achieve prosperity. it exhibits a representational function that four people as the people who support them 2) interactional function. this sentence also has an interpersonal function because it communicates about an action taken for the common good or prosperity, which involves participation and involvement from related parties. 3) personal function. this sentence may also express a positive attitude towards the action taken and the goal to be achieved because it uses words such as "synergy” and “prosperous” which have positive connotations the function of language. representational function: it exhibits a representational function by communicating facts or information about an activity or event. interactional function: this sentence also has an interpersonal function because it communicates about an action taken for the common good or prosperity, which involves participation and involvement from related parties. personal function: it uses words such as "synergy prosperous," which have positive connotations ” and “  icon. an iconic sign represents an object in a way that resembles or images the object physically. in this context, "sinergy" might serve as an iconic sign that creates a mental image of cooperation or collaboration among various elements or individuals, while "toward a prosperous" might create an image of a journey toward a prosperous or prosperous state.  index. in this context, the indexical sign may refer to the collaborative or synergistic effort represented by the word “sinergy ."indexicalization occurs when the term “towards a prosperous” points to the direction or goal to be achieved.  symbol. a symbolic sign has a conventional meaning or is widely understood by society. in this jargon, "synergy" can be considered as a symbol of cooperation or collaboration between various entities or individuals to achieve a common goal. semiotic meaning:  icon. an iconic sign is a sign that represents an object in a way that resembles or images the object physically. in this context, “sinergy” might serve as an iconic sign that creates a mental image of cooperation or collaboration among various elements or individuals. while “synergy ” might create an image of a journey toward a prosperous state  index. in this context,  symbol. a symbolic sign has a conventional meaning or is widely understood by society. in this jargon, "sinergy" can be considered as a symbol of cooperation. sociosemiotic interpretation. the legislative candidate, a woman and a man wearing a yellow dress, which means from the golkar party, the woman represents a legislator that struggles specifically with gender issues. it means women will cooperate with men, to achieve welfare or prosperity, a sign that creates a mental image of cooperation or collaboration among various elements or individuals. sondang manik, tiara kristina pasaribu, erika sinambela, roni arahta sembiring, risda hartati sitorus sociosemiotic interpretation of political jargon used by legislative candidate in 2024 general election 800 2. “muda berkarya” young creative figure 6. “muda berkarya” 1) instrumental function. it serves as a tool to convey a message about the productive and active role of youth in society. it suggests that young people are capable of meaningful contributions and achievements. 2) regulatory function. it seeks to influence behavior by encouraging young individuals to engage in productive activities and initiatives that contribute to the betterment of society. it may promote a sense of responsibility and initiative among youth. 3) interactional function. it fosters social interaction by expressing a shared recognition of young people's potential and capabilities of young people's potential and capabilities to make a positive impact. it may inspire collaboration and cooperation among youth in pursuing common goals. 4) personal function. it reflects the speaker's belief in the abilities and potential of young individuals to participate in societal development. it communicates language function. instrumental function: it serves as a tool to convey a message about the productive and active role of youth in society. it suggests that young people are capable of meaningful contributions and achievements. regulatory function: it seeks to influence behavior by encouraging young individuals. interactional function: it fosters social interaction by expressing a shared recognition of the potential and capabilities of young people to make a positive impact. personal function: it reflects the speaker's belief in the abilities and potential of young individuals to participate in societal development.  icon: this phrase could be considered iconic because it directly represents the idea of youth engaging in productive activities or creative endeavors. the words themselves evoke youthful energy and productivity, which are visually represented by the image of young people actively working or creating.  index. it can also be seen as indexical because it points to a specific group (the youth) and attributes a certain action (creating or working) to them. the phrase suggests a correlation between youth and productive activity, indicating a proactive and industrious mindset.  symbol. in terms of symbolism, " " could symbolize a movement or initiative that encourages and celebrates the contributions of young people to society through their creativity, innovation, and hard work. it represents a recognition of the potential and value of youth in driving progress and positive change. semiotic analysis:  icon. this phrase could be considered iconic because it directly represents the idea of youth engaging in productive activities or creative endeavors. the image of young people actively working or creating.  index. it can also be seen as indexical, indicating a proactive and industrious mindset.  symbol. in terms of symbolism, " young creative " could symbolize a movement or initiative that encourages and celebrates the contributions of young people to society through their creativity. sociosemiotic interpretation: young creative represents a young man in a yellow jacket, representing the party that young people are capable of meaningful contributions and achievements. the phrase suggests a correlation between youth and productive activity, " could symbolize a mo young creative movement. : a movement or initiative that encourages and celebrates the contributions of young people to society 3. bersama rakyat memperjuangkan perubahan dan perbaikan” together with the people fighting for change and improvement english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 801 figure 7. “bersama rakyat memperjuangkan perubahan dan perbaikan” 1. personal function. this statement expresses the idea of collective action andadvocacy for change and improvement in collaboration with the people. it conveys a commitment to addressing societal issues. 2. interactional function. if the position of the party is aligned with the populace's popular concerns of the populace, it emphasizes partnership and solidarity in pursuing societal advancement. it seeks to establish trust and rapport with the audience. 3. instrumental function. it serves as a statement of purpose and intent, outlining the party's role in championing the people's interests and driving positive transformation through collaborative efforts.  icon. together with the people fighting for change and improvement might be an image of diverse people joining hands or raising them together,  index. the phrase "bersama rakyat" (together with the people) can be seen as an indexical sign, implying a collaborative effort between the party and the people to strive for change and improvement.  symbol. the words change and improvement are symbolic signs representing the desired outcomes of the party's collective efforts. semiotic meaning. icon " might be an image or icon of diverse people joining hands or raising them together. index: the phrase, together with the people, can be seen as an indexical sign, implying a collaborative effort between people to strive for change. symbol: the words change and improvement are symbolic signs representing the desired outcomes of the party's collective efforts. semiotic interpretation: there is a public figure with a message. 4. “berkhidmat untuk rakyat” serving the people figure 8. “berkhidmat untuk rakyat” 1) instrumental function. highlights the importance of service and dedication to the community. 2) regulatory function. regulates behavior by emphasizing the importance of focusing on the interests and needs of society. 3) representational function. represents the idea that service to the community is an important aspect of political leadership and involvement. 4) interactional function: encourages good relationships between leaders and the community by emphasizing service and dedication. 5) imaginative function. creates a picture of the close relationship between leaders and the community because of the devotion and service provided. function of language. instrumental function. highlights the importance of service and dedication to the community.regulatory function: regulates behavior by emphasizing the importance of focusing on the needs of society. interactional function: encourages good relationships between leaders and the community by emphasizing service and dedication. personal function: building a personal image for individuals or groups who are committed to serving society.imaginative function. creates a picture of the close relationship between leaders and the community because of the devotion and service provide  icon. the phrase " serving the people " serves as a symbolic sign 1 =representing the political jargon. it conveys a specific message or slogan associated with the political context.  index. the presence of the man in the suit and tie can be seen as an indexical sign. his appearance, including the serious expression on his face, suggests his association with the political jargon being conveyed. the book he is sondang manik, tiara kristina pasaribu, erika sinambela, roni arahta sembiring, risda hartati sitorus sociosemiotic interpretation of political jargon used by legislative candidate in 2024 general election 802 holding, resembling a political manifesto, can also serve as an indexical sign, indicating the content and purpose of the political jargon.  symbol. the words " serving the people " written in the political jargon are symbolic signs. they represent the specific message or slogan being conveyed in the political context. using the man in a suit and tie, a common symbol in political campaigns, can also be seen as a symbolic sign, evoking a sense of professionalism, authority, and seriousness. the serious expression on the man's face can further contribute as a symbolic sign, conveying determination and dedication. semiotic analysis. the man shows wise in his suit, professionalism, and authority 1) icon: the phrase " serving the people " serves as a symbolic sign =representing the political jargon index: the presence of the man in the white suit and tie can be seen as an indexical sign. symbol:., evoking a sense of professionalism, authority, and seriousness. sociosemiotic interpretation. " serving the people "is a message of the party that a leader should be wise to people and evoke a sense of professionalism and authority. the man in the white suit and tie shows the uniform of pkb seriousness and dedication. emphasizing service representing the party of pkb. the serious expression on the man's face can further contribute as a symbolic sign. encourages good relationships between leaders and the community by emphasizing service and dedication. 10. untuk perubahan lebih baik” for better change figure 9. “untuk perubahan lebih baik” 1) instrumental function. highlights the need for change and progress in a better context. 2) regulatory function. regulates behavior by emphasizing the importance of engaging in positive change efforts. 3) representational function. represents the idea that change is needed to improve current conditions. 4) interactional function. encourages individuals to engage in discussions and actions that lead to positive change. 5) imaginative function. creating a picture of a better and more sustainable future due to implemented changes functional language . instrumental function. highlights the need for change and progress in a better context. regulatory function: regulates behavior by emphasizing the importance of engaging in positive change efforts. representational function: represents the party, the idea of the party that change is needed to improve current conditions. interactional function: encourages individuals to engage in discussions and actions that lead to positive change. imaginative function: creating a picture of a better and more sustainable future due to implemented changes  icon. the phrase " for change" serves as a symbolic sign representing the political jargon. it conveys a specific message or slogan associated with the political context.  index. the presence of the man in the suit and tie can be seen as an indexical sign. his appearance, with a serious expression and professional attire, indicates his semiotic association with the political jargon being conveyed. the plain, light-colored background may also serve as an indexical sign, providing a neutral and uncluttered backdrop to focus attention on the man and the text.  symbol signs. they represent the specific political jargon or message being conveyed. using bold letters aims to draw attention to the text and emphasize its importance. the man's serious expression and hat as symbolic signs of moslem evoking a sense of authority and serious semiotic analysis. icon the phrase "serve for better change " serves as a symbolic sign representing political jargon. it conveys a specific message or political jargon associated with the political context. index: the presence of the man in the suit and tie can be seen as a young leader. his appearance is of a serious expression and professional attitude. symbolic sociosemiotic interpretation. the words " serve english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 803 for better change " written in bold letters are symbolic signs. the man's serious expression and professional attire can also be seen as symbolic signs, evoking a sense of authority and seriousness. the plain, light-colored background may also serve as a sign, providing a neutral and uncluttered backwrap to focus the attention on the man / wearing a hat as a sign of the moslem symbol of obedience. moslem the man's serious expression and hat are symbolic signs of moslem evoking a sense of authority and serious. 11. “pasti ada harapan” there must be hope figure 10. “pasti ada harapan” 1) instrumental function. emphasizes the belief that there is hope in the future and that positive change is possible. 2) regulatory function. regulates attitudes and behavior by fostering optimism and enthusiasm to face the future. 3) representational function. represents the idea that the future is not always bleak and has potential for progress. 4) interactional function. building hope and optimism in interactions with others about a better future. 5) personal function. provides support and confidence to individuals that they can overcome challenges and achieve their goals. function of language. instrumental function. emphasizes the belief that there is hope in the future and positive change. regulatory function: regulates attitudes and behavior. optimism and enthusiasm to face the future. representational function: represents the idea of the party. interactional function: builds hope and optimism in interactions with others about a better future. imaginative function: creating a picture of a bright and hopeful future. 1) icon. the phrase " there must be hope" serves as a symbolic sign representing the political jargon. it conveys a specific message or slogan associated with the political context. 2) index. the presence of the woman wearing a hijab can be seen as an indexical sign. her appearance and professional attire suggest her association with the political jargon being conveyed. the design and layout of the poster, including any visual elements accompanying the woman, may also serve as indexical signs indicating the context or message being portrayed. 3) symbol. they represent the specific message or slogan conveyed in the political context. any visual elements, such as colors, images, or additional text accompanying the woman may also function as symbolic signs, contributing to the overall representation and meaning of the political jargon. women so that they are not only symbols or figures but also actors who play a real role in society's. semiotics analysis . icon. it conveys a specific message or jargon associated with the political context. index: the presence of the woman wearing a hijab can be seen as an indexical sign. the design and layout of the poster, including any visual elements accompanying the woman, may also serve as indexical signs. symbol. any visual elements, such as colors, images, or additional text, that accompany the woman may also function as signs of women so that they are not only symbols or figures but also actors who play a real role in society's sociosemiotic interpretation. a sign that gives the name of the party pan . with the blue jacket and wardrobe blue paper as the color of the pan party wearing a hijab as the representative of moslem and as a representative of gender. this jargon is associated with political campaigns. building hope and optimism in interactions with other people about a better future. there must be hope 12. “siap jungkir demi rakyat” ready to go upside down for the sake of the people sondang manik, tiara kristina pasaribu, erika sinambela, roni arahta sembiring, risda hartati sitorus sociosemiotic interpretation of political jargon used by legislative candidate in 2024 general election 804 figure 11. “siap jungkir demi rakyat” 1. personal function. this sentence expresses a person's attitude or commitment to do something extreme or difficult (somewhere) for the benefit of the people. 2. representational function. this represents the idea of struggle and fighting for the future because there is potential for progress through fighting and struggling.interactional function. building hope and optimism in interactions with other people. the sentence expresses a strong attitude or view towards the hope of people’s struggle; interpersonal function: this sentence also has an interpersonal function because it implies commitment or willingness to collective as people power. function of language . personal function. this sentence expresses a person's attitude or commitment to do something extreme or difficult (somewhere) for the benefit of the people.a willingness to do whatever is necessary (head over heels) for their good. interpersonal function: this sentence also has an interpersonal function because it implies commitment or willingness to act as people's power. representational function: represents the idea of struggle and fighting for the future, with green as the representative of the party. the logo is a symbol of the party. because there is potential progress by fighting and struggle. interactional function: building hope and optimism in interactions with other people. the sentence expresses a strong attitude or view toward the hope for people’s struggle.  icon. the icon in this jargon partai persatuan pembangunan party logo. the united development party (ppp) logo displays a star symbol with seven branches, symbolizing ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity in indonesia. stars also symbolize glory, glory, and lofty ideals. inside the star, there is a circle that symbolizes unity and oneness. the green color in the logo symbolizes life, peace, and blessings. the logo reflects ppp's commitment to building a just indonesia based on unity, diversity, and social justice. the icon depicts a candidate with an upside-down image, which means he is ready to turn upside down for the sake of the people, which means he is ready to do anything for the sake of the people.  index. in political jargon, number 4, is the serial number intended to be voted on during the election.  symbol. in this political jargon, the symbol is the green and white colors of the united development party (ppp), which symbolize peace, purity, and togetherness. green is often associated with hope, balance, and prosperity, while white symbolizes purity, honesty, and cleanliness. the combination of these two colors reflects the values held by the party in building unity and prosperity in indonesian society. semiotics analysis .  icon. the icon in this jargon of party logo. the united development party (ppp) logo displays a star symbol with seven branches, symbolizing ethnicity. the icon depicts a candidate with an upside-down image, which means he is ready to turn upside down for the sake of the people.  index. the index in this jargon is number 4, the serial number intended to be voted on during the election.  symbol. the symbol in this political jargon is the green and white colors of the united development party (ppp), which symbolize peace, purity, and togetherness in the party in building unity and prosperity for indonesian society. symbol. in this political jargon, the symbol is the green and white colors of the united development party (ppp), which symbolize peace, purity, and togetherness. green is often associated with hope, balance, and prosperity, while white symbolizes purity, honesty, and cleanliness. the combination of these two colors reflects the values held by the party in building unity and prosperity in indonesian society. sociosemiotic interpretation . the political jargon says that there is a man in a white dress who is ready to go upside down for the sake of the people. this reflects a good muslim. he is ready to fight and struggle for people. the green color in the logo symbolizes life, peace, and blessings. it represents the idea of togetherness and being ready to fight for people. interpretation also builds hope and optimism in interactions with english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 805 others, building unity and prosperity in indonesian society. finding . 1. political jargon has a deep meaning and interpretation 2. function of language in political jargon found that interactional function and personal function 3. semiotics meaning found in political jargon that expresses the color or dress code used in political jargon 4. sociosemiotic interpretation found in political jargon that comes from sociolinguistics analysis and semiotic analysis the analysis of 65 political jargons from the 2024 indonesian legislative campaigns reveals how candidates construct meaning through multimodal strategies that integrate linguistic, visual, and cultural codes. these strategies function to establish identity, mobilize support, and align with ideological narratives. this is consistent with pasaribu and adhani’s (2024) findings, which emphasize how political communication in local elections depends heavily on cultural proximity and symbolic alignment with constituents. most slogans exhibit interactional and personal functions, aiming to build emotional connection and relatability. phrases such as “tuanku ya rakyat” or “siap jungkir demi rakyat” are framed to present the candidate as both humble servant and committed advocate, reflecting a populist discourse style. these findings align with arkida et al. (2024), who demonstrated that evaluative language and framing techniques are central in shaping favorable public perceptions of political figures in 2024. visually, candidates employed color symbolism, dress codes, gestures, and layout to reinforce their slogans. for instance, the use of party colors (e.g., red for pdip, green for ppp) and religious symbols (e.g., hijab, peci) indexes moral values and identity alignment. this confirms aulia and sakinah’s (2025) typology of political signs in indonesia, where iconic and symbolic signs often dominate campaign imagery to amplify credibility and local resonance. furthermore, slogans like “muda berkarya” or “politik adalah jalan ninja kita” show attempts to appeal to youth through imaginative, culturally loaded language. these reflect a shift toward visualized and stylized political communication, also noted by scholars studying the rise of digital and multimodal campaign tactics (e.g., chandra et al., 2024). in sum, political jargons in the 2024 election are not merely slogans but ideological instruments, rich with semiotic and linguistic complexity, that simultaneously inform, persuade, and symbolize. this supports the need for sociosemiotic frameworks to capture the nuanced interplay between language, visual form, and social meaning in political discourse. conclusion this study has examined how legislative candidates in the 2024 indonesian general election construct political jargons as multimodal texts, combining linguistic choices and visual elements to communicate ideological positions, social identities, and cultural values. drawing on systemic functional linguistics and peircean semiotics, the analysis reveals that political jargons function not merely as campaign slogans, but as semiotic tools of persuasion and positioning. three key findings emerge from the study: linguistic functions: most jargons serve interactional, personal, instrumental, and regulatory purposes, indicating the candidates' intent to foster connection, assert values, and mobilize voter support. semiotic structures: the integration of iconic, indexical, and symbolic signs—including party colors, attire, gestures, and slogans—highlights how meaning is layered through visual and verbal codes. ideological framing: candidates strategically use language and imagery to express values such as unity, religiosity, nationalism, youth empowerment, and servant leadership, aligning with broader sociopolitical narratives. these findings affirm the value of a sociosemiotic approach in capturing the complex interaction between text and image, especially in culturally diverse and visually saturated political environments like indonesia. moreover, they complement existing research (e.g., pasaribu & adhani, 2024; aulia & sakinah, 2025) by extending the analysis to legislative-level candidates, a group often underexplored in semiotic political studies. ultimately, this study demonstrates that political jargons are not superficial ornaments of campaign culture, but ideologically charged artifacts that reflect and shape the dynamics of contemporary electoral communication. references 1. adebomi, o. o. (2024). a multimodal critical discourse analysis of nigeria sondang manik, tiara kristina pasaribu, erika sinambela, roni arahta sembiring, risda hartati sitorus sociosemiotic interpretation of political jargon used by legislative candidate in 2024 general election 806 president bola tinubu’s fuel subsidy removal policy-related internet memes. social semiotics, 1–23. 2. agbiti-douglas, o. e., akintayo, j. b., & ikpegbu, e. o. (2024). how does online news affect women’s political participation in sub-saharan africa? a meta-analysis of research from 2009–2023. lead city journal of the social sciences, 9(1), 1–18. 3. al-ajlan, m. (2025). exploring the construction and shift from individualism to collectivism: a case study of the 2016 elections in kuwait. al-jami’ah journal of human sciences, 43(171), 209–236. 4. ali, g., khan, j., malik, f., & raees, s. (2024). text and power: unpacking the discourse of baloch long march posters through linguistic and textual analysis. research consortium archive, 2(4), 132– 150. 5. aluya, i., & iangba, t. (2024). a multimodal discourse study of visual images in select online news discourse on the 2023 general elections in nigeria. canadian journal of language and literature studies, 4(1), 6–26. 6. arkida, t., santosa, r., & wiratno, t. (2024, december). framinguistics: how is evaluative language used to manipulate social depictions of the 2024 indonesian presidential candidates in political news texts? in third international conference on communication, language, literature, and culture (iccollic 2024) (pp. 464–486). atlantis press. 7. aulia, f. h., & sakinah, m. (2025). identification and typology of political signs in indonesia: a semiotic approach to political communication. lililacs journal, 5(1), 1–14. 8. ayeni, a. c. (2024). pragmatic analysis of hate rhetoric on selected social media platforms in nigeria (doctoral dissertation, federal university lokoja). 9. babayiğit, m. v., pilatin, i̇., & butekin, e. (2025). semiotic analysis of political party posters used in the local elections held on march 31st, 2024 in türkiye in the context of linguistics. karamanoğlu mehmetbey üniversitesi uluslararası filoloji ve çeviribilim dergisi, 7(1), 1–26. 10. chandra, s., hadi, i., & aritonang, a. i. (2024). the meaning of political messages in carousel posts on @ganjar_pranowo’s instagram account during the 2024 electoral campaign period. journal of content and engagement, 103–126. 11. changa, m., & mamvura, z. (2024). “engaging other crises through the covid19 crisis”: a multimodal social semiotic analysis of inscriptions on covid-19 cloth masks. in the palgrave handbook of language and crisis communication in sub-saharan africa (pp. 151–175). cham: springer international publishing. 12. darseba, n. a., & alshawash 13. darseba, n. a., & alshawashreh, e. y. (2024). (de) legitimation strategies in the coverage of hirak movement in tv3: a critical discourse analysis. jordanian educational journal, 9(4), 1–22. 14. del saz rubio, m. m. (2024). an approach to the rhetoric of boebert and díaz-ayuso’s political tweets on x: a corpus-assisted analysis. alicante journal of english studies, (41), 75–103. 15. dewantara, j. a., budimansyah, d., darmawan, c., martono, p., prasetiyo, w. h., & sulistyarini. (2024). language, cultural sentiments, and ethnic conflict: understanding verbal violence and discrimination in multi-ethnic schools in west kalimantan, indonesia. journal of language, identity & education, 1–17. 16. drăgan, n. s. (2025). emotional mediation in the construction of political personae: between political branding and semiotic construct. in power of emotions: on the affective constitution of political struggle: a multidisciplinary approach (pp. 147– 165). cham: springer nature switzerland. 17. farhan, f. b., revita, i., & oktavianus, o. (2024). persuasive languages on political billboards of the 2024 indonesian general election in padang city, west sumatra, indonesia. cogent arts & humanities, 11(1), 2325679. 18. fifelola, d. a., & unuabonah, f. o. (2026). a multimodal critical discourse analysis of selected cartoons on the 2022 asuu strike in nigerian public universities. in conflict and representation in online communication (pp. 1–40). igi global scientific publishing. 19. gakahu, n. (2024). image-centrism in africa’s political communication: a social semiotic analysis of self-presentation practices by women political candidates in kenya’s social media space. information, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 807 communication & society, 27(8), 1687– 1711. 20. gungor, f. s. (2024). discourse analysis of the turkish local elections on march 31, 2024, on national tv channels. tuijin jishu/journal of propulsion technology, 45(3), 1-10. 21. guta, h., & eissa, e. (2025). echoes of gaza: semiotic analysis of palestinian and israeli political cartoons during the 2023/24 war on gaza. journal of arab & muslim media research, 18(1), 101–132. 22. halliday, m. a. k. (1994). an introduction to functional grammar. edward arnold. 23. istianah, n. (2024). discourse of the presidential debate of the republic of indonesia in the 2024 elections: analysis of presidential candidates’ discourse in the first, third, and fifth debates. unpublished manuscript. 24. karman, h. i., & rusadi, u. (2024). commodification of instrumental islamic piety in indonesian political contestation 2019. asian journal of communication, 34(3), 265–283. 25. krysanova, t. (2024). meaning-making in trump’s anti-biden political campaign commercials: multimodal perspective. in political discourse analysis: legitimation strategies in crisis and conflict (pp. 123– 144). 26. kuo, w. h. (2025). the multimodality of generative ai internet memes in the 2024 us presidential election (doctoral dissertation, robert morris university). 27. makinde, p. o. (2024). a multimodal metaphorical representation of selected political cartoons in nigeria. scholars international journal of linguistics and literature, 7(10), 300–315. 28. mulvogue, j. (2024). the machinations of restraint use in residential aged care. a critical discourse analysis (doctoral dissertation, cquniversity). 29. nauvallina, f. h., & khristianto, k. (2025). local versus oversea media: pro’s and con’s views on the practice of political dynasty in the 2024 presidential election. j-lalite: journal of english studies, 6(1), 1–25. 30. o’connor-farfan, k. s. (2024). rickety democracies: breaking down the structures of distrust and shame in peruvian political phrases. journal of language and politics, 23(6), 851–873. 31. ononiwu, c. (2024). multimodal representations of the 2023 nigerian general election in online cartoons. african journal of democracy & election research (ajder), 4(2). 32. osei fordjour, n. k. (2024). authenticity, image-construction, and social media: multimodal insights from us vice president kamala harris on twitter. visual communication quarterly, 31(4), 223–241. 33. osei fordjour, n. k. (2024). personalization as a strategic political tool on social media: the curious case of vp kamala harris on twitter. howard journal of communications, 35(4), 375–396. 34. osei fordjour, n. k. (2024). social media, personalization, visuals, and strategic political communication: the case of an african vice president’s image-construction on twitter. international journal of strategic communication, 18(4), 330–348. 35. osisanwo, a., & atoloye, l. (2024). “silence is the best answer for a bully”: an exploration of humour techniques in selected nigerian newspaper political cartoons. language and semiotic studies, 10(3), 367–396. 36. pasaribu, h. r., & adhani, a. (2024). political communication strategy of the national democratic party in facing the 2024 elections in tapanuli tengah. journal elections and political parties, 1(1), 37–46. 37. peirce, c. s. (1991). peirce on sign . ed. james hoopes. the university of north carolina press. 38. pertiwi, i. g., & fadillah, d. (2024). interpretation of signs and markers in whiteboard journal writing in forming political communication for the 2024 presidential election. commicast, 5(1), 148–167. 39. rachma, r. n. (2025). roland barthes’ semiotics on political posters for the election of regent and vice regent of malang in 2024. international journal on advanced science, education, and religion, 8(2), 133–144. 40. rahardi, r. k., & firdaus, w. (2024). symbolico-informational meanings of multimodal visual socio-political discourse in the perspective of critical pragmatics. kandai, 20(2), 153–171. 41. riduansyah, r., maella, n. f. s., & prasetyo, i. j. (2024). critical discourse analysis on women politician during 2024 election. jurnal scientia, 13(3), 193–203. sondang manik, tiara kristina pasaribu, erika sinambela, roni arahta sembiring, risda hartati sitorus sociosemiotic interpretation of political jargon used by legislative candidate in 2024 general election 808 42. rivas-carmona, m. d. m. (2024). spanish humor and political culture through cartoons: multimodal discursive analysis of forges’s socio-political, graphic universe. in communicating political humor in the media: how culture influences satire and irony (pp. 119–144). singapore: springer nature singapore. 43. rockson, k. (2024). metaphors and metonymies in akosua cartoons’ representation of ghana’s electoral politics. in communication and electoral politics in ghana: interrogating transnational technology, discourse and multimodalities (pp. 39–56). cham: springer international publishing. 44. rossette-crake, f. (2024). when politicians follow in the steps of influencers: social media oratory on instagram and the issue of authority. multimodality & society, 26349795251334932. 45. sakhiyya, z., yannuar, n., & anjaniputra, a. g. (2024). football fandom, social justice and solidarity: the linguistic landscape of fans’ protests on the kanjuruhan tragedy in indonesia. international journal of multilingualism, 1–18. 46. simungala, g., & ndalama-mtawali, d. (2024). campus repertoires: interrogating semiotic assemblages, economy, and creativity. semiotica, 2024(256), 137–152. 47. siregar, i. (2025). the negative effects of political buzzers on people’s communication intelligence: a case study of the 2014–2024 era in indonesia. polit journal scientific journal of politics, 5(2), 116–126. 48. slimovich, a. (2025). political influencers communication during the 2023 argentinian campaign on tiktok. vivat academia, (158), 1–28. 49. srihandayani, i. (2024). interpersonal meaning on uss feeds instagram account (doctoral dissertation, iain ponorogo). 50. sucipta, i. p. a., & pratiwi, d. p. e. (2024). political contents found in verbal and visual signs of tempo magazine covers. retorika: jurnal ilmu bahasa, 10(3), 946–959. 51. tahir, i., & ramadhan, m. g. f. (2024). hate speech on social media: indonesian netizens’ hate comments of presidential talk shows on youtube. llt journal: a journal on language and language teaching, 27(1), 230–251. 52. tentu! berikut adalah lanjutan dari entri referensi format apa 7th edition, mulai dari nomor 35 hingga 52: 53. zafar, s., tahir, l., & arslan, m. f. (2024). employing language to determine political thought: a linguistic relativity analysis of pakistan’s 2024 election slogans. journal of applied linguistics and tesol (jalt), 7(4), 646–659. 54. zeng, l., & zhu, x. (2024). constructing cultural identities through new media: a multimodal appraisal analysis of chinese web-based ink and wash cartoons. semiotica, 2024(259), 217–253. 55. zhang, n., & díaz-kommonen, l. (2024). toward a rhetorical understanding of chinese political internet memes amid a chinese governance crisis. communication and democracy, 58(2), 226–261. 56. zhu, h., feng, d., & chen, x. (eds.). (2024). social identity and discourses in chinese digital communication. taylor & francis group. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 893 developing interactive multimedia-based esp to improve english proficiency and career guidance at upmi medan margaret stevani english education department, faculty of education and teacher training universitas pembinaan masyarakat indonesia, indonesia email: margaretstevani19@gmail.com novi yanti english education department, faculty of education and teacher training universitas pembinaan masyarakat indonesia, indonesia email: novi28yanti@gmail.com ikhwan mahfud hidayat english education department, faculty of education and teacher training universitas pembinaan masyarakat indonesia, indonesia email: asya.silmy@gmail.com firman daris laia english education department, faculty of education and teacher training universitas pembinaan masyarakat indonesia, indonesia email: firmandarisl@gmail.com alkisah ikhlas halawa english education department, faculty of education and teacher training universitas pembinaan masyarakat indonesia, indonesia email: margaretstevani19@gmail.com apa scitation:. stevani, m. s., yanti, n., hidayat, i. m., laia, f. d., & halawa, a. i. (2024). developing interactive multimedia-based esp to improve english proficiency and career guidance at upmi medan. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 893-896. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10555 received: 27-06-2024 accepted: 28-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 abstract: this research explored the development of an interactive multimedia-based english for specific purposes (esp) program designed to enhance english proficiency and career guidance at upmi medan. it addressed a notable discrepancy between theoretical frameworks and practical needs in esp, as students increasingly demanded courses that integrated both oral and written communication skills with job-related tasks. applying the kemp instructional design model, the research used a comprehensive multi-phase approach: assessing student proficiency levels, identifying instructional needs, designing tailored esp content for business administration, tourism, and public speaking, and incorporating multimedia platforms such as udemy and gaminik. key findings revealed that 40% of students prioritized mastering business correspondence, 58% sought improved communication skills for meetings, and 48% were interested in tourism-specific english. the research highlighted the effectiveness of flipped learning and interactive multimedia in overcoming vocabulary challenges and boosting engagement. ultimately, it emphasized the need to integrate career-focused modules into esp courses to better align language skills with career aspirations, thereby enhancing employability and professional readiness. keywords: english for specific purposes; interactive multimedia; english proficiency; career guidance. introduction students increasingly prefer communicative courses that enhance both oral and written skills through job-related tasks, recognizing their importance for career advancement (stevani & ginting, 2022). modern pedagogy emphasizes a cohesive curriculum integrating essential skills and knowledge to produce graduates who excel professionally and communicatively. theoretical foundations of english proficiency, such as mailto:margaretstevani19@gmail.com mailto:novi28yanti@gmail.com mailto:asya.silmy@gmail.com mailto:firmandarisl@gmail.com mailto:margaretstevani19@gmail.com margaret stevani, novi yanti, ikhwan mahfud hidayat, firman daris laia & alkisah ikhlas halawa developing interactive multimedia-based esp to improve english proficiency and career guidance at upmi medan 894 chomsky's linguistic competence, hymes’s communicative competence, canale and swain’s sociolinguistic and strategic competencies, and savignon's discourse competence, stress the integration of grammatical knowledge with practical language use (wolf et al., 2023). in indonesia, english is crucial for accessing global information and technology, supporting academic and professional success. companies like tokopedia and gojek use english for international expansion, while bali's tourism industry and multinational firms such as pt. unilever indonesia rely on english for roles in marketing, finance, and supply chain management. platforms like bukalapak leverage english for global technology engagement. programs like the ministry of education’s “international young leaders program” promote cultural exchange and global opportunities. aligning with government regulation 17/2010 and the kkni curriculum, which emphasize work competencies and self-development, highlights the need for english education tailored to professional demands through english for specific purposes (esp) (nabung, 2024). esp programs should be customized to meet students’ needs and improve learning and career outcomes. kepmendiknas number 232/u/2000 mandates higher education institutions to include esp in their curricula, such as english for academic purposes (eap) and english for occupation (efo). as automation and technological advances create uncertainty, students must be self-directed and adaptable, extending their education beyond traditional classrooms into informal settings. effective blended esp courses should adopt a learnercentered approach, integrating both face-to-face and online activities. instructors should design syllabi with clear objectives, incorporating interactive presentations, group projects, and problem solving tasks. continuous evaluation ensures that the course meets esp needs and achieves desired learning outcomes. research underscores the value of esp in advancing students’ careers, with 92% recognizing its importance. students prefer practical esp courses focused on tasks like business document creation and formal speech delivery. wolf et al. (2023) argue that contextspecific tasks in esp, such as cv writing, enhance engagement and connect academic learning with professional skills. mastery of field-specific vocabulary and grammar is essential in business communication for interpreting technical materials and participating in international meetings. in tourism, specialized english is crucial for tasks like writing professional emails and managing online bookings. public speaking in esp requires both linguistic and personal skills, including selfconfidence and managing communication anxiety. types of communication, such as talk as interaction, talk as transaction, and talk as performance, demonstrate the need for tailored esp teaching methods, with “talk as performance” being crucial for marketing presentations and “talk as transaction” for professional information exchange (musdalifah et al., 2024). career guidance is crucial for aligning english language learning with industry needs, equipping students with essential terminology and communication skills. awad et al. (2024) highlights that effective career counseling eases the transition from education to employment by assessing needs, identifying gaps, and creating tailored pathways. for instance, a 2022 study at universitas indonesia improved the esp curriculum for hospitality and business students using digital tools and virtual simulations, enhancing their speaking and writing skills. similarly, binus university (2021–2024) integrated career guidance with esp courses, offering personalized counseling and industry mentorship that significantly improved job readiness and satisfaction, particularly for digital marketing roles. this approach aligns with super’s life-span theory, linking education with career goals to boost engagement and motivation. adi (2023) describes esp’s “hybrid nature,” combining language instruction with specialized content. technology enriches esp by enabling interactive, field-specific activities that support cognitive skills. studies show that tools like video-based learning and immersive multimedia significantly enhance engagement and proficiency. these tools align with constructivist principles, aiding vocabulary development and memory retention through text-picture annotations and audio-visual aids. platforms like udemy leverage these technologies to offer flexible and personalized learning experiences. feedback emphasizes the need for clear objectives, accessible support, and realistic tasks, reflecting vygotsky’s zone of proximal development, to ensure learning is challenging yet achievable. stevani (2024) notes a shift from traditional teacher-led models to learner-centered approaches, requiring thorough needs analysis to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 895 align outcomes with student needs. mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning supports this by demonstrating that integrating text, images, audio, and interactive elements enhances engagement and motivation. combining career guidance with advanced technology ensures that esp learning remains relevant and engaging. a major challenge in esp vocabulary instruction is aligning with industry standards, which requires regular updates and needs analysis (stevani & tarigan, 2022). integrating explicit teaching with technology-enhanced tools, such as digital flashcards and apps using spaced repetition and immediate feedback, improves retention and effectiveness. kang et al. (2023) found that visual machine translation tools help non-native speakers understand complex texts, while multimedia tools, including audio and visual aids, enhance pronunciation, grammar, and fluency. research shows that multimedia, especially video-based activities with dual subtitles, boosts comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. platforms like udemy use these tools for ongoing assessment, allowing educators to track progress and adjust instruction. despite these benefits, the use of interactive multimedia in esp contexts remains limited. at upmi medan, traditional esp teaching often emphasizes theory over practical application and overlooks modern technologies that simulate realworld scenarios. the underutilization of visual machine translation and the lack of focus on career-oriented communication skills highlight the need for a technology-enhanced esp program. issues include insufficient use of interactive tools, limited focus on career skills, and inadequate resources for flexible learning, affecting students’ professional english application and confidence. this research aims to: (1) evaluate the impact of interactive multimedia on english proficiency in esp, (2) assess students’ career guidance needs to support esp learning, and (3) design multimedia-based activities to enhance esp competencies. the goal is to improve english proficiency and career guidance at upmi medan, better preparing students for the demands of the industrial era 5.0. integrating career-focused modules in esp courses will bridge the gap between language skills and career aspirations, enhancing students’ employability and professional readiness. method this research adopts research and development (r&d) approach using the kemp instructional design model. r&d supports the creation or enhancement of products through iterative stages: definition, design, development, and dissemination, driven by an analysis of student needs (umar et al., 2023). the kemp model effectively evaluates students’ readiness to achieve learning objectives, addressing cognitive, affective, and psychomotor aspects of learning. its flexibility allows for revisions at any stage based on emerging data (hastutie & ramli, 2024). participants were selected through multiple-stage cluster sampling to represent diverse segments of the english education program at upmi medan, focusing on 16 students enrolled in esp courses for business administration and communication, tourism, and public speaking. this sampling method efficiently collected data from students engaged with esp content and career guidance, enabling a reliable analysis of how interactive multimedia tools influences english proficiency and career readiness. by targeting specific groups with similar academic backgrounds, the research minimized variability and improved data consistency. the table below outlines the criteria and indicators for assessing english proficiency levels: table 1. the students’ english proficiency margaret stevani, novi yanti, ikhwan mahfud hidayat, firman daris laia & alkisah ikhlas halawa developing interactive multimedia-based esp to improve english proficiency and career guidance at upmi medan 896 the research uses a multi-phase approach using the kemp model, starting with a literature review to assess english proficiency levels, career guidance, and interactive multimedia platforms like udemy and gaminik. the procedure involves: 1) identifying instructional problems and needs through a comprehensive literature review; 2) categorizing students’ english skills into proficiency levels: beginner, intermediate, and upper-intermediate; 3) designing esp topics and objectives aligned with these levels, including relevant competency standards and assessments for business administration, tourism, and public speaking; 4) developing esp content delivery strategies with interactive multimedia principles and platforms such as udemy and gaminik, incorporating context-specific vocabulary and materials; 5) evaluating student outcomes by measuring mastery of esp terminology and professional english communication skills; 6) revising content based on student feedback from semistructured interviews to ensure alignment with career guidance and professional requirements, and refining content according to needs analysis. the research instruments, including those from udemy courses and machine translation tools like gaminik, underwent a rigorous review process involving peer reviews and expert validation by two experienced lecturers in syllabus and materials development, confirming their validity according to kowalski's (2023) standards for methodological rigor. reliability was ensured through systematic content analysis, involving data finding, selection, appraisal, and synthesis (jailani, 2023), and by evaluating lesson plans and student assessments (quizzes, project-based learning, final tests, and performance tests) to maintain consistency and methodological soundness in esp design. results and discussion analysis of determining the focus of esp based on english use needs the analysis proves that 40% of students prioritize mastering business correspondence in english for business administration and communication, recognizing its role in professional communication and accuracy in the workplace as emphasized by bhatia & bremner (2012) who highlight its role in preventing misunderstandings and ensuring accurate information delivery. additionally, 58% of students aim to enhance their english communication skills for business meetings, crucial for effective negotiation and interactions, aligning with wilczewski & alon (2023), who state that english proficiency offers a competitive edge globally. thus, integrating these needs into esp courses will address students’ goals to improve employability and professional effectiveness. english for tourism has generated notable interest, with 48% of students keen on travelrelated topics due to their practical application in enhancing language and cultural understanding. anggayana (2023) emphasizes that english proficiency is essential in tourism for effective communication and handling complaints. integrating cultural contexts into language learning enriches the experience and boosts confidence. additionally, 20% of students value effective english communication at tourist sites for its role in accelerating language learning through real-world interactions. this demand emphasizes the relevance of esp courses in tourism, aligning with student interests and preparing them for practical industry applications. english for public speaking has gained significant attention, with 32% of students recognizing its importance for effective communication and adaptability in dynamic work english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 897 environments. mastery of public speaking is essential for confidently handling meetings, presentations, and seminars. fan (2024) highlights that high language proficiency enables effective message adaptation to diverse audiences, enhancing communication in both social and professional contexts. additionally, 63% of students are interested in english courses incorporating public speaking, valuing them for refining their skills in presenting ideas and engaging with diverse audiences. this interest underscores the demand for esp courses in public speaking, crucial for professional and academic success. based on the analysis of focus areas for esp related to english needs, the selection of interactive multimedia platforms like udemy and gaminik is driven by several factors. students favor different types of learning materials: 30% prefer educational videos for their visual and auditory benefits, enhancing comprehension, while 25% opt for academic articles for analytical skills, another 25% for current insights from news articles, and 20% for popular readings, aligning with krashen’s “comprehensible input” principle (westengard, 2023). udemy stands out as the most preferred platform, chosen by 69% of students due to its flexibility, up-to-date materials, and costeffectiveness, compared to coursera’s 32% and khan academy’s 0%. it offers diverse teaching methods and accessible options, making it ideal for varied learning needs. vocabulary learning challenges also vary, with 45% of students facing moderate, 25% high, and 30% low difficulties. cognitive learning theory suggests that integrating new words into existing knowledge enhances retention. tools like video clips and podcasts, preferred by 50% and 30% of students respectively, provide engaging contexts that boost vocabulary acquisition (sabrila & apoko, 2022). high interest in online english classes is evident, with 70% of students highly interested due to the flexibility and accessibility of remote learning. research highlights the benefits of studying anytime and how interactive features like forums and quizzes improve motivation and language skills (zeb et al., 2023). udemy’s interactive courses meet these demands effectively. additionally, 92% of students emphasize the need to master professional vocabulary for career success. platforms like gaminik enhance this by supporting deeper understanding and faster vocabulary acquisition, meeting professional language development needs. based on the analysis of focus areas for esp, the selection of flipped learning as a teaching strategy for esp, particularly for enhancing english proficiency and career guidance, is driven by its alignment with student needs. students prioritize developing speaking (50%) and writing skills (25%), essential for professional growth. flipped learning supports this by providing videos and articles for independent study, freeing class time for practice, discussions, and targeted feedback. this approach enables students to prepare for speaking tasks, practice actively, and refine writing with in-depth guidance. students also favor interactive methods, such as group discussions and presentations (73%). flipped learning enhances these activities by allowing students to review materials beforehand, improving participation, discussion quality, and presentation effectiveness. pre-class preparation leads to more meaningful group work and better problem-solving skills, while advanced preparation of presentations deepens comprehension. additionally, flipped learning caters to students' preference for skill-based practice and simulations (68%). by studying foundational materials independently, students can use class time for focused practice and real-life simulations, accelerating their skill development. the strategy also improves assessment flexibility, allowing students to prepare for project-based or formative assessments outside of class (82%), thereby enhancing project quality and aligning assessments with career objectives. analysis of core topics and objectives of esp english for business communication and administration the fundamentals of public speaking in weeks 1-2 focuses on essential expressions, such as opening speeches, presenting arguments, closing remarks, and managing audience questions. activities emphasize language functions like crafting openings, delivering arguments, and confidently concluding speeches, with vocabulary and pronunciation exercises targeting key public speaking terms, intonation, and stress. beginner students often struggle with coherence, relying on memorized phrases and repetitive arguments like “teamwork is important,” without further explanation. when asked for specifics, such as “can you explain how teamwork improves margaret stevani, novi yanti, ikhwan mahfud hidayat, firman daris laia & alkisah ikhlas halawa developing interactive multimedia-based esp to improve english proficiency and career guidance at upmi medan 898 business performance?” they often respond hesitantly, indicating the need for structured practice. role-plays and guided speech exercises help build their cohesion and confidence. intermediate students improve with phrases like, “today, i will explain the role of effective communication in team productivity,” and clearer arguments such as, “clear communication reduces misunderstandings.” however, their responses to more complex questions, like “how does communication prevent conflicts?” remain surface-level, reflecting selinker’s interlanguage theory of developing yet imperfect language skills (marcet & sasamoto, 2023). upperintermediate students demonstrate advanced skills, providing structured insights like, “effective communication builds trust and fosters collaboration,” and detailed examples such as, “a leader can boost morale by seeking input from all team members.” at this stage, they refine speaking skills, develop critical thinking, and engage effectively with audiences. the sales and persuasion techniques topic in weeks 3-4 focuses on mastering sales tactics such as influencing clients, handling objections, and closing deals. students practice through roleplaying, analyzing sales conversations, and writing persuasive scripts, with emphasis on using conditionals in negotiations and clear, assertive pronunciation. beginner students often struggle with persuasion, relying on basic phrases like “our product is great” and vague statements such as “it’s better,” highlighting the need for structured communication models. intermediate students improve by using more specific phrases, like “our product stands out because it offers unique features like x and y,” but still provide general evidence, reflecting vygotsky’s sociocultural theory on the importance of feedback (lantolf & poehner, 2023). upperintermediate students show advanced persuasive skills, presenting structured arguments such as “our product not only meets current needs but also offers scalable solutions for future growth,” and detailed examples like “our product helped company x reduce costs by 20%.” this demonstrates their effective use of language in diverse contexts, as outlined by communicative competence theory (morales & limpot, 2023). english for tourism online website and hotel reservations in weeks 5-6 introduces students to essential english for international tourism, including advertisements, tourist sites, hotel reservations, and travel advice. key language functions involve describing ads, discussing tourist sites, making reservations, and offering travel advice, with a vocabulary emphasis on terms such as advertisement, tourist site, reservation, and advice. beginner students often struggle with hotel reservation vocabulary, relying on basic phrases like “i want to book a room” and “is it available?” they also find terms and verbs, such as “going to” in travel contexts, challenging. krashen's input hypothesis (cabrelli & iverson, 2024) emphasizes that beginners need clear, simple input for effective language acquisition, highlighting the importance of practical vocabulary. intermediate students advance by creating structured advertisements, such as, “visit danau toba and enjoy its stunning natural beauty. experience serene views, relaxing accommodations, and exciting local culture. book your trip now for an unforgettable getaway!” while these ads are more detailed, they sometimes lack creativity and specific offers. willis's task-based language teaching theory (palanisamy & rajasekaran, 2024) supports the use of task-based activities to improve practical language skills. upperintermediate students produce effective ads for local culinary experiences, such as: “discover the rich flavors of our local cuisine with dishes like pecal and gado-gado. enjoy a unique culinary experience with fresh ingredients and traditional recipes. visit us for an authentic taste of local delicacies!” these ads are well-detailed and utilize advanced communication strategies, reflecting swales's genre-based approach (sujinpram & wannaruk, 2024) and demonstrating proficiency in creating genrespecific texts. the “how to become a tour guide” topic in weeks 7-8 focuses on mastering essential guide skills, including communication, creating engaging tours, and managing emergencies. the language functions covered involve explaining, storytelling, customer interaction, and emergency handling. beginner students simulate tours with simple descriptions like, “this is the famous historical monument. it was built in 1800 and is popular with tourists,” but they struggle with complex vocabulary and interactive storytelling. intermediate students analyze articles on tour guiding skills and trends, such as the need for multilingual guides due to international tourism, and focus on the importance of extensive knowledge and engaging presentation. at the upper-intermediate level, students create detailed tour plans with effective promotional language english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 899 and clear structure. for example: “join us for an unforgettable journey to samosir island! we’ll start with a scenic boat ride across lake toba, explore traditional batak architecture at tomok village, and enjoy local culture at simanindo village with performances and crafts. after lunch featuring local dishes, we’ll visit the historical ambarita village and conclude with relaxation at scenic spots around lake toba. don’t miss this chance to experience samosir island’s beauty and culture!” english for public speaking the “overcoming nervousness and anxiety in public speaking” topic in weeks 9-10 focuses on enhancing student confidence and presentation skills. key language functions include managing anxiety, projecting confidence, using notes, and employing body language. activities include practicing relaxation techniques, role-playing presentations, and analyzing professional speeches, with grammar emphasizing imperatives for clarity and pronunciation stressing emphasis. beginner students often experience significant anxiety and speak monotonously, relying on basic techniques like deep breathing and visualization to manage their nerves, such as, “during your presentation, take deep breaths and picture yourself speaking confidently.” while these methods help with initial anxiety, further improvement in confidence and speaking skills is needed. intermediate students advance by using techniques such as thorough preparation and rehearsal, guided by public speaking articles that provide strategies like, “the article offers methods for overcoming anxiety through preparation and positive visualization.” this approach aligns with bandura’s self-efficacy theory (poluektova & smith, 2023), which asserts that preparation boosts self-confidence and reduces anxiety. upper-intermediate students create detailed outlines and notes for structured presentations, such as, “use the provided template to develop an outline covering local tourism, including history, attractions, and visitor tips.” they also incorporate body language and non-verbal techniques, reflecting anderson’s research (sulistyowati & mukti, 2023) on the role of presentation structure and visual aids in effective communication and anxiety reduction. the “how to become a professional motivational speaker” topic in weeks 11-12 focuses on delivering inspirational messages and building audience rapport. key language functions include crafting motivational speeches, utilizing storytelling, and adapting content. activities consist of practicing speeches, analyzing renowned speakers, and writing persuasive scripts, with grammar focusing on active and imperative sentences and pronunciation on tonality and rhythm. beginner students often struggle with creating emotional connections and rely on simplistic stories in their speeches. they practice short motivational speeches using personal anecdotes, such as, “share a brief motivational story about overcoming challenges.” this approach supports the importance of emotional rapport in motivational speaking. intermediate students adopt professional techniques, learning to use persuasive language and effective tonality by analyzing speeches from renowned speakers. for instance, they might listen to and examine a motivational speech to understand its use of language and storytelling. beckett’s study (2023) on steve jobs underscores the impact of persuasive language and engaging storytelling. at the upper-intermediate level, students craft structured motivational speeches incorporating persuasive language and compelling narratives. they write scripts designed to inspire action and drive positive change, such as, “create a motivational speech for young professionals with a compelling story, clear structure, and persuasive language.” analysis of flipped learning strategies in esp with interactive multimedia like udemy and gaminik english for business administration and communication in weeks 1-2 of the fundamentals of public speaking course, students engage in a mix of outof-class and in-class activities. out-of-class tasks include watching videos, reading articles, listening to podcasts, and drafting speeches, supplemented by reflection journals, peer feedback, and discussion forums. in-class, students practice formal speeches, analyze famous speeches, and work on pronunciation, while summarizing their out-of-class activities. assessment consists of peer evaluations, instructor feedback, and recorded presentations, supported by discussion forums and pronunciation aids. in weeks 3-4, the focus shifts to sales and persuasion techniques. out-of-class activities involve watching videos, reading articles, listening to sales pitches, and writing persuasive scripts, reinforced through video quizzes and margaret stevani, novi yanti, ikhwan mahfud hidayat, firman daris laia & alkisah ikhlas halawa developing interactive multimedia-based esp to improve english proficiency and career guidance at upmi medan 900 interactive lessons. in-class, students engage in sales simulations, present strategies, analyze recorded pitches, and write detailed reports using simulation software and presentation tools. reports are submitted via the lms with comprehensive instructor feedback. english for tourism in weeks 5-6, students focus on online hotel reservations. out-of-class activities involve watching videos, reading articles, listening to podcasts, and writing hotel reservation emails, with additional support from quizzes and discussion forums. email drafts are submitted via lms and reviewed through online peer feedback. in-class, students practice mock calls, analyze tourism websites, work on pronunciation, and create persuasive advertisements. assessment includes peer evaluations, instructor feedback, recorded role-plays, and rubrics. weeks 7-8 shift to tour guiding. students engage in out-of-class tasks such as watching tour videos, reading about storytelling, and writing culturally and historically contextualized tour scripts, reinforced by videos, quizzes, and reflection journals. scripts are submitted via lms with peer reviews. in-class, students perform tour simulations, discuss emergency handling, practice pronunciation, and develop a tour guide business plan. assessments include peer and instructor feedback, recorded performances, case studies, and business plan evaluations. english for public speaking in weeks 9-10, students focus on managing speaking anxiety. out-of-class activities include watching videos on anxiety management, reading articles on presentation techniques, and summarizing findings, supplemented by an online survey about their experiences with speaking anxiety. reflection journals and peer feedback support their learning. in-class, students use relaxation techniques in small group practice, participate in presentation simulations, and discuss strategies for reducing anxiety. assessments are based on direct observation, peer and instructor feedback, and contributions to discussions, evaluated via lms rubrics. in weeks 11-12, the focus shifts to professional motivational speaking. students analyze motivational speeches for storytelling and emotional impact, read about motivational techniques, and draft their own speeches, emphasizing structure and persuasion. course videos, lms articles, and feedback on drafts aid their preparation. in-class, students deliver motivational speeches, discuss speaking techniques, and engage in role-playing exercises with peer feedback. assessments focus on speech structure, tone, and engagement, while discussions and peer reviews are evaluated for participation and relevance. figure 1. the kemp model with flipped learning according to english proficiency levels the kemp model is an instructional design framework focused on individualized learning with a flexible, iterative approach. it includes nine elements: goal identification, learner and task analysis, objective setting, content selection, strategy development, media choice, evaluation, and revision. this adaptable model supports english learning at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. combining the kemp model with flipped learning offers a tailored approach to different proficiency levels. beginners focus on basic vocabulary and sentence structures, studying at home and practicing interactively in class. intermediate learners develop skills like speaking and writing through videos and exercises that enhance analysis. advanced students engage in complex tasks like debates and presentations. this integration boosts analytical and critical thinking, especially at intermediate and advanced levels, while beginners benefit from direct guidance and feedback. research shows that flipped learning fosters deeper understanding and improved critical thinking over traditional methods (wang, 2023). learning outcomes of esp using interactive multimedia english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 901 figure 2. udemy online course the learning outcomes of esp using interactive multimedia, such as udemy, highlight several key advantages: (1) competion rate: interviews reveal that students view exams as both challenging and fair, assessing not only memorization but also the application of knowledge. this alignment with course material and well-structured exams boosts student confidence, resulting in higher completion rates. (2) learning gain and ontrackness: interview results show significant improvement in material understanding, as indicated by the average increase in pre-test and post-test scores. however, adherence to the learning path varies, depending on the course's structure and consistency. (3) long-term retention: follow-up tests gauge information retention, with wellorganized, practical material promoting long-term retention and reinforcing the relevance of skills to real-world applications. (4) learning transfer: students effectively apply course skills to real situations, indicating that the udemy course content is well-utilized in professional contexts, thus enhancing their ability to leverage their knowledge. (5) engagement: students display varying levels of participation throughout the course. frequent involvement in discussion forums and active interaction with video content contributes to a more engaging and immersive learning experience, making students feel more involved and motivated to absorb the course material. figure 3. gaminik online translation the use of interactive multimedia, such as text-image machine translation tools like gaminik, significantly enriches learning in courses like esp for business administration, tourism, and public speaking. in the business administration course, real-time text and subtitle translations help students grasp complex business terms and improve international communication (almashhadani & almashhadani, 2023). this technology aids diverse students in managing unfamiliar terms and improving international communication, overcoming language barriers and improving learning outcomes. for tourism, this technology aids in grasping industry-specific terms and scenarios, aligning with contextual learning theory and boosting comprehension and retention of tourism terminology (plyth & craham, 2023). in public speaking, text-image machine translation supports effective communication by providing clear translations and context, thereby enhancing vocabulary and confidence. it integrates various learning modalities to improve understanding and speaking skills, making the learning process more comprehensive and effective (lai, 2023). analysis of vocabulary in context terminology in esp word or phrase insertion in business administration and communication, inserting phrases like relative pronouns clarifies complex sentences, such as in “a report that shows annual growth…” specifies the report being discussed. in tourism, this technique vividly describes attractions. for example, “a destination that offers unique experiences…” highlights special features of a location. in public speaking, phrases like “an audience that is engaged…” effectively target the audience. voice transformation in business administration and communication, switching from passive to active voice clarifies responsibility, as in “the budget was approved by the committee” becomes “the committee approved the budget.” in tourism, adjusting voice highlights experiences more vividly, for instance, “the tour was guided by a local expert” changes to “a local expert guided the tour.” in public speaking, active voice emphasizes actions, such as “the points were discussed by the speaker” becoming “the speaker discussed the points.” lexical substitution in business administration and communication, replacing complex terms with simpler synonyms enhances clarity, as in “budget shortfall” instead of “fiscal deficit.” in tourism, using straightforward words improves descriptions, such as “local customs” for “idiosyncratic customs.” similarly, in public speaking, simpler margaret stevani, novi yanti, ikhwan mahfud hidayat, firman daris laia & alkisah ikhlas halawa developing interactive multimedia-based esp to improve english proficiency and career guidance at upmi medan 902 terms, like “knowledgeable speaker” instead of “erudite speaker,” make content more accessible. lexical omission in business administration and communication, omitting non-essential words improves fluency, such as “the ceo's address” instead of “the ceo's intention to address the stakeholders.” in tourism, removing unnecessary words simplifies descriptions, for example, “explore the caves” instead of “the intention to explore the caves.” in public speaking, cutting redundant words makes speeches more concise, as in “his plan” instead of “his plan to succeed in the debate.” word class substitution in business administration and communication, adjusting word classes enhances sentence flow, such as transforming “the probable outcome” to “the outcome will probably be.” in tourism, converting adjectives to adverbs, like changing “the comfortable seating” to “seating is comfortably arranged,” clarifies descriptions. similarly, in public speaking, replacing adjectives with adverbs, as in “he spoke confidently” instead of “he was confident,” clarifies actions. tense alteration in business administration and communication, modifying tense refines context, as seen when “the company is expanding” becomes “the company expands.” in tourism, changing tense to indicate ongoing plans, such as “the guide is explaining the history” to “the guide explains the history,” enhances clarity. similarly, in public speaking, adjusting tense for a direct impact, like “the speaker is addressing the issue” becoming “the speaker addresses the issue,” improves immediacy. syntactic intervention in business administration and communication, rearranging clauses clarifies action sequences, as “reporting the results immediately after the meeting” becomes “immediately after the meeting, the results were reported.” in tourism, breaking complex sentences simplifies understanding, such as “after arriving at the destination, tourists can explore the local markets” changing to “tourists can explore the local markets after arrival.” in public speaking, splitting long sentences emphasizes key points, such as “i would like to address this first. then, we will move to the next point” instead of “before moving to the next point, i would like to address…” cultural adjustment in business administration and communication, converting imperial units to international measurements enhances global accessibility, as “the product weighs 5 pounds” becomes “the product weighs 2.27 kilograms.” in tourism, adjusting cultural terms improves comprehension, such as “50 miles to the east” changing to “80 kilometers to the east.” in public speaking, replacing local references with international ones broadens understanding, as “as famous as big ben in london” becomes “as famous as a major landmark.” career guidance in esp the descriptive qualitative analysis of students' learning styles in esp, based on the feldersilverman model (hsu et al., 2023), highlights that visual learners perform better with images, charts, and videos rather than text alone. visual aids such as business negotiation simulations and virtual tours enhance understanding, aligning with paivio’s dual coding theory, which posits that combining visual and verbal information improves memory and processing (wenk et al., 2023). verbal learners excel with text and narrative, benefiting from reading, writing, and discussions, supported by structured text-based modules and translation tools on platforms like udemy. sweller’s cognitive load theory (colley et al., 2024) supports this by emphasizing that well-organized verbal information reduces cognitive load and aids systematic processing. active learners, who thrive on hands-on tasks, develop problem-solving and teamwork skills through interactive simulations and group projects, in line with kolb’s experiential learning theory, which values direct experience and reflection (marzuki, 2023). reflective learners, who prefer thoughtful analysis before application, benefit from independent study and feedback, such as reviewing recorded speeches. schon’s reflective practice theory (sener & mede, 2023) underscores the role of reflection in skill refinement, with tools like speech recordings on udemy aiding in performance evaluation and development. in brief, aligning learning methods with students’ styles, as outlined by the feldersilverman analysis, is essential for effective career guidance in esp. interactive tools like udemy and gaminik facilitate practical language english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 903 skill development relevant to various careers: visual learners benefit from simulation videos for real-world preparation, verbal learners enhance communication through text-based exercises, active learners boost teamwork and problemsolving with collaborative projects, and reflective learners gain self-insight through self-evaluation. these tailored approaches not only deepen esp understanding but also improve career readiness, making students more competitive globally (sener & mede, 2023). conclusion this research investigates the development of interactive multimedia-based esp programs at upmi medan and their impact on enhancing english proficiency and career readiness. findings reveal that multimedia tools, including simulation videos, case studies, virtual tours, and video guides, create an engaging learning environment and tailor esp curricula to business, tourism, and public speaking needs, thus improving professional communication and essential language skills. this research highlights the effectiveness of visual and text-image translation tools like gaminik in enhancing vocabulary comprehension and industry-specific terminology. it also supports flipped learning strategies that boost student engagement and comprehension through pre-class interactions with multimedia materials. the research demonstrates how integrating career guidance and industry-specific vocabulary through interactive multimedia prepares students for the job market and accommodates diverse learning styles: visual, verbal, active, and reflective. however, the study has limitations, including inadequate consideration of variations in student engagement and assumptions of uniform multimedia proficiency among students and instructors. additionally, while learning style theories were discussed, individual differences in multimedia interaction were not explored, and the short duration of the study may not capture longterm effects. future research should address these issues, assess long-term career impacts, and explore interactive technologies across various esp domains for more comprehensive insights and enhanced multimedia implementation. acknowledgement this research was funded by the ministry of research, technology, and higher education of indonesia under the derivative contract number ll1/al.04.03/2024, dated june 20, 2024. we sincerely appreciate the support provided by the ministry and upmi medan, especially the english education department, for their invaluable assistance and resources throughout the course of this project. references adi, s. s. (2023). hybrid learning of esp in agriculture field: students’ perceptions and learning experiences. jees: journal of english educators society, 8(1), 63-73. almashhadani, m., & almashhadani, h. a. (2023). english translations in project management: enhancing cross-cultural communication and project success. international journal of business and management invention, 12(6), 291-297. anggayana, i. w. a. (2023). integrating linguistic theories into english language education in tourism sectors: a comprehensive framework. jurnal manajemen pelayanan hotel, 7(2), 891918. awad, f. b., shaleh, m., rezki, a., jufra, a. a., & tonn-meller, h. (2024). navigating diverse career paths: students’ perception on career counseling need in islamic universities. jurnal kajian bimbingan dan konseling, 9(1), 68-74. beckett, s. j. (2023). the apotheosis of steve jobs: belief and desire in the discourse of design. design and culture, 15(1), 69-87. bhatia, v. k., & bremner, s. (2012). english for business communication. language teaching, 45(4), 410-445. cabrelli, j., & iverson, m. (2024). why do learners overcome non-facilitative transfer faster from an l2 than an l1?: the cumulative input threshold hypothesis. international journal of multilingualism, 21(3), 1594-1620. colley, m., speidel, o., strohbeck, j., rixen, j. o., belz, j. h., & rukzio, e. (2024). effects of uncertain trajectory prediction visualization in highly automated vehicles on trust, situation awareness, and cognitive load. proceedings of the acm on interactive, mobile, wearable and ubiquitous technologies, 7(4), 1-23. fan, y. s. (2024). facilitating content knowledge, language proficiency, and academic competence through digital storytelling: performance and perceptions of first-year medical-related majors. journal of research on technology in education, 56(2), 129-150. hastutie, g., & ramli, m. (2024). desain pembelajaran: model dick & carey, jerold e. kemp. an-nashr: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan dan sosial kemasyarakatan, 2(1), 41-51. hsu, t. c., chen, w. l., & hwang, g. j. (2023). impacts of interactions between peer assessment and learning styles on students’ mobile learning achievements and motivations in vocational design certification courses. margaret stevani, novi yanti, ikhwan mahfud hidayat, firman daris laia & alkisah ikhlas halawa developing interactive multimedia-based esp to improve english proficiency and career guidance at upmi medan 904 interactive learning environments, 31(3), 1351-1363. jailani, m. s. (2023). teknik pengumpulan data dan instrumen penelitian ilmiah pendidikan pada pendekatan kualitatif dan kuantitatif. ihsan: jurnal pendidikan islam, 1(2), 1-9. kang, l., he, s., wang, m., long, f., & su, j. (2023). bilingual attention based neural machine translation. applied intelligence, 53(4), 43024315. kowalski, a. e. (2023). how to examine external validity within an experiment. journal of economics & management strategy, 32(3), 491-509. lai, c. j. (2023). teacher-student interaction for english-medium instruction (emi) content and language learning and the effects of implementing multimodal input of classroom interaction: university students’ perceptions. english language teaching, 16(1), 52-69. lantolf, j. p., & poehner, m. e. (2023). sociocultural theory and classroom second language learning in the east asian context: introduction to the special issue. the modern language journal, 107(1), 3-23. marcet, e., & sasamoto, r. (2023). examining interlanguage pragmatics from a relevancetheoretic perspective: challenges in l2 production. intercultural pragmatics, 20(4), 405-427. marzuki, m. (2023). the effect of implementing a cooperative learning model of group investigation type on student learning outcomes on ecosystem materials in class xa of state middle school 2 sintang. nusra: jurnal penelitian dan ilmu pendidikan, 4(4), 10911101. morales, r. o., & limpot, m. (2023). a structural relationship model of communicative competence. asian journal of education and social studies, 47(1), 26-42. musdalifah, a., bangsawan, i., & astika, a. j. (2024). the trends in need analysis of esp for engineering students: systematic literature review. didaktika: jurnal kependidikan, 13(1), 1149-1164. nabung, a. (2024). exploring teacher professional development in english for specific purposes among tertiary efl educators in indonesia. esp international journal of english literature and linguistics research (espijellr), 2(2), 1-8. palanisamy, b., & rajasekaran, v. (2024). insights into the dynamic relationship between technology and task-based language teaching: a critical review. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 23(2), 402-420. plyth, p. s., & craham, c. p. (2023). translation affects literary and cultural systems: how to observe the features of translation?. applied translation, 17(1), 7-15. poluektova, o., kappas, a., & smith, c. a. (2023). using bandura's self-efficacy theory to explain individual differences in the appraisal of problem-focused coping potential. emotion review, 15(4), 302-312. sabrila, r. a. p., & apoko, t. w. (2022). the effectiveness of podcast on listening skill for vocational school students. ideas: journal on english language teaching and learning, linguistics and literature, 10(2), 1177-1186. sener, b., & mede, e. (2023). promoting learner autonomy and improving reflective thinking skills through reflective practice and collaborative learning. innovation in language learning and teaching, 17(2), 364-379. stevani, m. (2024). connecting world lexicons: figurative language’s role in bbc news listening for intercultural competence. lets: journal of linguistics and english teaching studies, 5(2), 117-129. stevani, m., & ginting, f. y. a. (2022). english teachers’ perspectives of learner autonomy in online reading comprehension in times of the covid-19 pandemic. journal of teaching and learning in elementary education, 5(2), 166-189. stevani, m., & tarigan, k. e. (2022). need analysis of dyslexia students in english reading comprehension instructions. jeels: journal of english education and linguistics studies, 9(2), 327-35 sujinpram, n., & wannaruk, a. (2024). enhancing business email writing ability through the integration of genre-based approach and datadriven learning. international journal of instruction, 17(3), 255-274. sulistyowati, a. i., & mukti, t. w. p. (2023). the efl students’ anxiety in an online public speaking class at an indonesian university. edukasi: jurnal pendidikan dan pengajaran, 10(1), 62-77. umar, u., purwanto, m. b., & al firdaus, m. m. (2023). research and development: as the primary alternative to educational research design frameworks. jell: journal of english language and literature, 8(1), 73-82. wang, y. (2023). artificial intelligence technologies in college english translation teaching. journal of psycholinguistic research, 52(5), 1525-1544. wenk, n., penalver-andres, j., buetler, k. a., nef, t., muri, r. m., & marchal-crespo, l. (2023). effect of immersive visualization technologies on cognitive load, motivation, usability, and embodiment. virtual reality, 27(1), 307-331. westengard, b. l. (2023). language acquisition in the theological classroom: a case study in comprehensible input. teaching theology & religion, 26(4), 135-143. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 905 wilczewski, m., & alon, i. (2023). language and communication in international students’ adaptation: a bibliometric and content analysis review. higher education, 85(6), 1235-1256. wolf, m. k., bailey, a. l., ballard, l., wang, y., & pogossian, a. (2023). unpacking the language demands in academic content and english language proficiency standards for english learners. international multilingual research journal, 17(1), 68-85. zeb, a., goh, g. g. g., javaid, m., khan, m. n., khan, a. u., & gul, s. (2023). the interplay between supervisor support and job performance: implications of social exchange and social learning theories. journal of applied research in higher education, 15(2), 429-448. margaret stevani, novi yanti, ikhwan mahfud hidayat, firman daris laia & alkisah ikhlas halawa developing interactive multimedia-based esp to improve english proficiency and career guidance at upmi medan 906 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 291 digital identity construction of moeslem university students in english classroom ivo dinasta yanuar sharia tourism department, faculty of economics and islamic business uin siber syekh nurjati cirebon, indonesia email: ivodinastayanuar@gmail.com apa citation: yanuar, i. d. (2025). digital identity construction of moeslem university students in english classroom. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 291-300. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.11139 received: 17-09-2024 accepted: 18-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 introduction "prioritize the indonesian language, preserve local languages, and master foreign languages" underscores the belief that language is an intrinsic part of someone's identity. according to kramsch (2020), language serves not only as a means of communication but also as a tool for constructing and negotiating social identities and realities. in indonesia, english is taught as a foreign language to enhance students' competitiveness in the global arena, particularly at the university level. however, english is often seen as a daunting challenge for many indonesians, especially muslims, due to the stark contrast between western culture and islamic values. the rapid advancement of technology has also accelerated the spread of western cultural norms. as of 2023, data from data reportal shows that there are 5.30 billion internet users worldwide, representing 65.7% of the global population, with 4.76 billion people active on social media. sugiarto & arif (2024) stated that globalization and technological advancements have significantly influenced the use and interpretation of english on social media. social media has become a primary space for teenagers, including muslim students, to express and construct their identity freely, often beyond the limitations of social norms. it offers a platform for individuals to showcase various aspects of their identity, including cultural and linguistic affiliations. this process involves balancing religious values, cultural practices, and the social contexts they encounter daily. social media, furthemore, provides individuals with a space to experiment with their identities, often resulting in personas that differ from their offline identities. additionally, online communities are not limited by space and time (mazeed, 2012). in digital communication, social media serves as one of the most commonly used tools for people to communicate, disseminate, and receive information. the process of information dissemination through technology is one of the key factors in identity construction (garciapastor, 2018). in contrast, the increasing use of social media among students today has the potential to reshape their identities. this phenomenon is attributed to the differences between virtual and real-world communities, particularly in the application of social and abstract: this research aims to explore the digital identity construction of muslim university students learning english through social media and its impact on their offline identity in the english classroom. digital identity refers to the online representation of an individual, group, or organization, constructed through various digital platforms, activities, and interactions. digital identity involves the use of social media platforms to express oneself, including through usernames, profile pictures, personal information, and followers. muslim students develop complex identities by blending local cultural and religious values with global influences, using social media to showcase their english language skills. this qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews with eight university students who are active on social media. this research found that moeslem students construct their digital identity on social media by creating double identities virtually that aligns with their religious and social values. furthemore, their digital identities have significantly contribution in academic context, particularly english classroom. it helps them to learn and improve their english competence. keywords: digital identity; muslim identity construction; english classroom. ivo dinasta yanuar digital identity construction of moeslem university students in english classroom 292 religious norms. in the online world, these norms are often absent. armstrong-carter & telzer (2021) argue that virtual environments allow individuals to explore their identities more freely, unbound by the social norms of the real world. for instance, a muslim student may adhere to islamic values in real life but might feel more comfortable using harsh language on social media, knowing that they are interacting with strangers, and that this behavior will not affect their real-life reputation. this behavior can be understood as concept of public image which is shaped, influenced, and adjusted to align with the norms and expectations of the society in which it occurs (goffman's, 1959 cited in bahar, 2024). online impression management is more easily controlled, as individuals can create, modify, or adjust informational cues to better align with their objectives (sun, fang & zhang, 2021). gen z, referred to as digital natives, gain social feedback from peers, parents, and teachers which can be very influential, a time when the desire to shape one's individual identity involves the challenge of incorporating various selfrelated information into a cohesive self-concept. this generation tends to seek guidance on questions about who they are (related to identity construction) more often. this is due to the fact that their stage of development involves a process of exploration and commitment, driven by reduced dependence on parents and increased relationships within a broader social circle. additionally, the influence of western culture is evident in the growing number of social media influencers who celebrate events like halloween and valentine’s day or participate in tiktok dances, all of which can shape the online identities of their followers. as jackson and luncher (2018) assert, online identity construction often differs significantly from offline identity. identity, as talaifar & lowery (2023) explains, is a complex and dynamic construct shaped by various influences, its multifaceted nature allows different aspects to surface in distinct environments, while its evolving nature reflects changes over time. in relation to english language learning, this identity shapes how learners think and behave, depending on how their social interactions are formed across different contexts. therefore, students' commitment to learning english is closely tied to how they construct their identity within a given community. research on the impact of identity construction on english learning, especially as a foreign language, has long been of interest to scholars aiming to understand imagined communities. however, research on the identity construction of english students in the indonesian context remains limited, with only a few studies (puspitasari, et al. 2024; anisa, et al., 2023) focusing on offline identity. most studies on online identity (choi, m., romero, d.m. & jurgens, d., 2024; metcalfe & llewellyn, 2020; susanti and dwihantoro, 2022) have focused on general identity cnstruction development, without specifically exploring the relationship between english language learning and islamic backgrounds. for instance, choi, m., romero, d.m. & jurgens, d., (2024) examined how identity disclosure on twitter influences user behavior. they found that users tend to align their content and interactions with their disclosed identities, fostering stronger connections with like-minded individuals by revealing their identities. interestingly, this disclosure does not result in a significant increase in offensive comments, suggesting that the fear of negative consequences may be overstated. metcalfe & llewellyn (2020) investigated how young people negotiate their identities concerning gender, focusing on two key contexts: physical interactions within school environments and social media platforms like instagram and facebook. social media is identified as a significant space for young people to engage in discursive and identity exploration. using a bourdieusian framework, the research examines the flow of capital between different social contexts and the identities that emerge from these interactions. the study is based on data from 70 semi-structured interviews with 15and 16-yearolds (33 boys and 37 girls; average age = 15.7) across three schools with varying socioeconomic backgrounds. findings suggest that for young people to gain social capital, their identities often need to remain consistent between their offline and online worlds. these identities are shaped by polarized gender norms, emphasizing exaggerated forms of masculinity and femininity. a young person’s popularity, reinforced both in school and on social media, is closely linked to how they manage their gendered body and identity. similarly, susanti and dwihantoro (2022) conducted a quantitative descriptive study of 218 indonesian social media users and found that many users provided real data on their accounts and that the average indonesian netizen had more than one account. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 293 talaifar & lowery (2023) believed that he evolving nature of identity signifies its continuous adaptation and transformation in response to personal experiences, social interactions, and shifting cultural or environmental contexts over time. meanwhile, the interactions that occur within a classroom are crucial, as they are part of the negotiation of identity within language learning (annisa, et al., 2023). in other words, english language students will be able to understand the importance of learning english in the future through social interactions in the classroom. participation in language learning does not only depend on actual communities such as schools, churches, or language clubs, but also on the imagined communities constructed by students, which significantly impact their learning. imagined communities go beyond single-language nations and explain how groups come together. when people cannot meet in person, imagination helps them feel part of a group, creating a shared connection and identity despite physical or social barriers (amelsvoort & pireddu, 2023). furthemore, nationality, religion, and social class can all be considered "imagined communities (malešević, 2020). despite these challenges, the drive for educational transformation, aimed at producing globally competitive human resources, necessitates the use of technology and its integration into english language learning, particularly at the university level. syekh nurjati cyber islamic state university in cirebon is one such institution that strives to improve the quality of education to compete globally while upholding islamic values. however, the integration of english and technology presents unique challenges for muslim students, especially in maintaining their religious identity. tajeddin, et al. (2021) argue that students are likely to use their first language or variations of english that serve an important function in creating a sense of belonging within a community. sung (2020) states that individuals whose first language is not english construct their identity as global citizens. they view themselves as users of world englishes, which causes them to face challenges in shaping their identity according to the socio-cultural norms and communities they are part of. social interactions on social media are not constrained by space, time, or users' backgrounds, nor are they bound by social and religious norms, particularly islamic ones. to address this gap, the present study will investigate how muslim students learning english construct their online identities through social interactions, and how these online identities influence changes in their offline identities in english classroom. this research is especially relevant because many english learners at islamic universities consider arabic to be the most important foreign language due to its connection with islamic culture, which often results in limited english proficiency. this mindset may influence how students construct their identity and form their imagined communities as part of a global society. consequently, their commitment to learning english may be low due to a reduced sense of belonging to the target language.the results. method this study employs a descriptive qualitative approach to explore the construction of digital identities among muslim students in the context of english classes. the descriptive qualitative approach is qualitative research as an approach that seeks to understand individuals' experiences and the meanings they attach to those experiences. this method involves collecting non-numerical data, such as interviews, observations, and documents, to gain insights into the complexities of human behavior and social phenomena (creswell & creswell, 2022). qualitative research is conducted in natural contexts to investigate directly experienced events and everyday life. the purpose of qualitative research is to provide an in-depth description and comprehensive understanding of intriguing phenomena. this study is conducted in the city of cirebon. cirebon, with its cultural diversity and rich historical background, offers an interesting context for research on the digital identity construction of muslim students. the city’s diverse social environment and technological advancements create an ideal backdrop for exploring how muslim students form and express their digital identities. research in cirebon can provide in-depth insights into the interaction between local identity, culture, and technology in the context of english education. in term of research subject, this study uses purposive sampling techniques to select subjects relevant to the focus of the study. the research subjects consist of 8 students (4 females and 4 males) enrolled in the tourism english study program at an educational institution in cirebon. selecting subjects based on purposive sampling criteria allows the researcher to collect specific and ivo dinasta yanuar digital identity construction of moeslem university students in english classroom 294 in-depth data on how muslim students in the tourism english class construct their digital identities. by obtaining insights from both genders, this research aims to understand the dynamics and religious influences in the context of higher education and the use of social media in cirebon. additionally, subjects were selected based on specific criteria relevant to the research objectives. they must be muslim, students from the tourism english class, and active on social media. the selection of muslim students from the tourism english class is intended to gather relevant views on how their digital identities integrate with their english studies, with a focus on muslim students to explore how religious values and identity influence their self-presentation in the digital world. the primary data collection technique in this study is interviews, which are conducted to gather in-depth information about the subjects' experiences and perspectives regarding their digital identities as muslim students in the tourism english class. this interview technique is chosen because it allows the exploration of subjective meanings and personal perspectives directly. semi-structured interviews are used to provide flexibility in exploring topics and facilitate deep dialogue between the researcher and the subjects. a prepared interview guide contains key questions, but the researcher can ask additional questions based on the subjects' responses to explore certain topics further. this method enables the researcher to collect rich and detailed data and allows subjects to express their views and experiences freely. the main instrument in the interview data collection is a structured interview guide with various open-ended questions. this guide is designed to ensure that all important topics are covered while allowing flexibility in the discussion. the interviews are conducted in a comfortable and suitable location for the subjects, face-to-face, depending on each subject's preferences and conditions. the formulation of interview themes is a crucial step in the qualitative research process, as these themes form the basis of the discussions and help the researcher gather relevant data for the research objectives. therefore, the researcher focuses on themes relevant to the research objectives, including: social media account ownership. this theme refers to the students’ experiences in creating their social media accounts. it explores information about the number of social media accounts, social media account identities, profile photo usage, and followers. self-presentation on social media. this theme refers to the students' experiences in constructing their image on social media. self-presentation is the act of showcasing oneself to project a positive image to other social media users (xiao et al. 2020). the researcher gathers information related to the language they use when posting statuses, whether they edit photos before uploading, and their use of islamic expressions when updating statuses. identity changes. this theme refers to the students’ experiences regarding the influence of social media and the image they construct on social media compared to their identity in the english class. it explores whether they take pride in western culture or maintain their own, and whether their pride in english is more than just using it as a tool for communication. the researcher verified the accuracy and consistency of the themes with the collected data. this process may involve discussions and validation with experts to ensure that the identified themes are representative and valid. the researcher will also record and take notes on important information during the interviews. all interviews were recorded to ensure the accuracy of the obtained information. the recordings will then be transcribed for further analysis. the data from the interviews were analyzed by using thematic analysis, which involves identifying themes, patterns, and categories from the interview transcripts. this analysis aims to provide a deep understanding of the subjects’ experiences and views on their digital identities. in this study, the primary data collection method is semi-structured interviews, used to gather indepth insights into muslim students' digital identities in a tourism english class. this technique was chosen for its ability to explore personal perspectives and subjective meanings directly. the interviews follow a flexible guide that allows the researcher to ask additional questions based on responses, ensuring that rich, detailed data is collected. themes guiding the interviews include social media account ownership, self-presentation, and identity changes, focusing on topics like account use, image construction, and cultural pride. the interviews are recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns and themes that reflect the students' digital identity experiences. for ensuring data trustworthiness, member checking (respondent validation) is used. this technique involves sharing interview transcripts with participants for review to confirm accuracy and the researcher's interpretations, ensuring that the findings are valid and reliable. moreover, this study english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 295 employs the data analysis, which consists of the following stages: data is gathered using methods such as interviews, observation, and documentation, ensuring accurate recording for integrity. the data is filtered, simplified, and categorized to eliminate irrelevant information, focusing on key elements. the reduced data is presented in tables, charts, or narratives to highlight key findings, making it easier to identify patterns and themes. conclusions are drawn from the data and verified through detailed analysis and triangulation to ensure validity. results and discussion digital identity construction in muslim students learning english through social media the research reveals that many participants own multiple social media accounts, including accounts with real names and pseudonyms, allowing them to maintain privacy while expressing themselves freely. participants use different accounts to align their behavior with perceived authenticity, differentiating between curated primary accounts and more casual secondary accounts. furthemore, they disclosed accurate personal information on primary accounts but manipulate certain details on secondary accounts for privacy reasons. participants curate their profiles to manage how they are perceived, using images that reflect their desired aesthetic or symbolic representations rather than using real photographs. this reflects the tension between authenticity and privacy in digital identity management. some participants incorporate religious symbols, like the prophet’s prayer, to highlight their religious identity. participants carefully decide what personal information to share, aligning with arifah et al. (2023) and alharbi et al. (2021) on how individuals navigate authenticity versus deception in their online presence. the number and composition of followers also influence how participants construct their digital identities. photo editing on social media respondents engage in photo editing to enhance their online persona. the use of contrast, lighting, and effects reflects a deliberate effort to align content with aesthetic standards and audience expectations. this strategic editing supports hollenbaugh’s (2021) view that individuals use selfpresentation strategies to match the social context of the platform. in term of language use, using english for its global appeal, reflect participants' desire to align with current trends and project a modern, cosmopolitan identity. however, they also use local languages like arabic or indonesian to connect with specific audiences. this adaptability in language use demonstrates how online self-presentation is shaped by factors like self-perception and social context ownership of social media accounts ownership of multiple social media accounts plays a significant role in shaping digital identity. social media offers a space for users to experiment with their identities, gaining social validation while expressing themselves in ways they might not in real life. "my social media accounts, umm, instagram has two... yes, both, but the difference is that one is the first account and the other is the second account, yeah... the second account is more casual, yeah... i have one twitter account and one tiktok account." (participant) this research found that most participants owned at least two social media accounts, some with real usernames and others with pseudonyms. the use of pseudonyms allows respondents to maintain privacy while freely expressing themselves in the digital world. the participant's use of a curated primary instagram account and a casual secondary account reflects their effort to align behavior with perceived authenticity in different contexts. align with schwarz and williams’ view (2021) that authenticity and identity are closely linked, as authenticity depends on how one perceives their own identity. for instance, someone who identifies as honest will feel genuine when speaking the truth but will experience a sense of inauthenticity when being dishonest about their actions. their presence on platforms like twitter and tiktok highlights how platform-specific norms shape self-presentation, requiring adjustments to maintain authenticity. this strategic differentiation shows their ongoing negotiation of identity, balancing personal and socially expected representations across platforms. this practice reflects the flexibility and control that individual have over their digital self-representation, allowing them to switch between identities depending on the platform and audience profile pictures individuals can shape their self-image by curating the content they share and customizing their displayed profiles through online self-presentation (arifah, et al., 2023). profile pictures play a crucial role in building digital identity, often acting as a means of "self-branding" on social media platforms. the findings reveal that while some respondents used their actual photographs, others preferred using objects or symbolic images, ivo dinasta yanuar digital identity construction of moeslem university students in english classroom 296 reflecting a focus on aesthetics rather than direct self-representation. "not really, just pictures of stuff... like now, glasses, hehe... it’s just cute and looks aesthetic in the photo..." (participant) the participant used a picture of glasses for their photo profil in social media. this aligns with goffman’s view cited in alharbi, et al (2021) about a concept of self-presentation in which selfrepresentation refers to users' ability to regulate how they express themselves, whereas selfdisclosure reflects whether the information users share is done voluntarily. individuals consciously manage how they are perceived by others through specific symbols, such as profile pictures. respondents who avoided using their real photos cited privacy concerns and a desire to maintain control over their personal identity. furthemore, respondent 7, for instance, added religious elements to their instagram bio, like the prophet’s prayer (solawat), to emphasize their religious identity. it shows that how digital platforms can be used to reflect personal beliefs. online self-presentation is a deliberate or subconscious attempt by an individual or group to create a specific impression. information disclosure and identity management the way individuals choose to present personal information, such as their name, birthdate, and gender, plays a crucial role in shaping their digital identity. arifah, et al (2023) believed that individuals can present an authentic self, reflecting their real-world identity, or a false self, portraying an identity entirely different from who they are in reality. this study found that most respondents disclosed accurate personal information on their primary social media accounts, aligning with their real-life identities but different for second account. "on instagram, i use my real gender and also details that match my id card, like my date of birth and place of birth—everything, except on facebook. on facebook, i use a slightly older date of birth... so that i’m perceived as more mature." (participant) this transparency reflects an awareness of the importance of credibility and consistency in the digital space and the users aim to gain recognition and validation from others by sharing information that reflects their authentic identity. however, some respondents opted to manipulate certain details to protect their privacy, such as altering birthdates or using pseudonyms. alharbi, et al (2021) stated that identity deception involves manipulating a person's identity information or impersonating someone else to mislead social media users. people set their own criteria for determining what personal information to share on social media and what to keep private. follower influence while the number of followers is commonly used as an indicator of popularity on social media, the composition of a user’s followers also significantly affects how they construct and manage their digital identity. zabala, et al. (2020) associated the number of friends with social relationship support. in this research, the majority of respondents had a large number of followers on their primary social media account, which closely reflected their reallife identity. this suggests that users with more followers may feel greater social support, as their online relationships are more aligned with their offline selves. however, they were selective about their followers for secondary accounts, where they felt freer to express themselves without scrutiny. "i know them, mostly people i’m close to, umm, the majority are people i know. only a small number are people i don’t know... especially on my second account, it’s for selected people... like, how do i say it, those i feel close to. they’re not the type to talk much or leave a lot of comments. family? they’re not on my second account, hehe." (participant) it shows that the participant tailor his selfpresentation to specific groups of followers on his social media account. by limiting their followers on secondary accounts, he created a safe space where they could express their true selves without fear of judgment. shaipoo, et al (2020) stated that online social relationships are frequently facilitated by technology, like social media platforms, which can impact the nature and quality of these connections. social media is vital for people of all ages as they engage with their sense of belonging in different communities (roberts and david, 2020) and offer opportunities for self-disclosure, fostering greater trust and intimacy between users (hatamleh, et al 2023). thus, the construction of digital identity among muslim students on social media is a complex and dynamic process. through careful management of usernames, profile pictures, and information disclosure, they navigate between authentic self-presentation and privacy, while also reflecting their cultural and religious values. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 297 photo editing on social media the research found that all respondents engaged in photo editing before posting, though the extent of editing varied. "editing, yeah... usually adjusting contrast and lighting, then adding effects like a blur effect to give it its own aesthetic value." (participant) the participant’s editing process is a conscious effort to enhance their content’s visual appeal, ensuring it aligns with their desired online persona. by carefully manipulating elements such as contrast, lighting, and effects, they tailor their selfpresentation to meet the aesthetic standards they associate with their intended audience. according to hollenbaugh (2021), the concept of selfpresentation refers to the deliberate strategies individuals use to showcase aspects of themselves that align with what they believe is suitable for a specific social context. by enhancing the visual appeal of their content, respondents aimed to meet these expectations, reinforcing their desired digital persona. language use in social media statuses language plays a key role in digital identity construction, with respondents frequently using english in their social media posts despite varying levels of proficiency. "in my stories, i usually use simple words. but on my instagram feed, i mostly use english... because, as i mentioned earlier, english is trending these days. millennials and gen z see it as cool. that’s why english feels international and global—it’s just cool. so i use english to make it look good, and also to add an aesthetic touch to my insta stories... sometimes i use arabic, sometimes indonesian, and sometimes english." (participant) the participant mentioned using english on their instagram feed because it is seen as "cool" and "trending," particularly among millennials and gen z. at the same time, respondents used indonesian, arabic, or local languages when engaging with specific audiences, demonstrating the fluidity of digital identity and its adaptability to different social contexts. this reflects how their selfperception influences their language choice—using english is not only a reflection of the broader cultural trend but also a way to align with what the participant sees as modern or fashionable. this aligns with their desire to present an image of someone who is in tune with global trends, thus reinforcing their self-image as part of a contemporary and culturally aware group. mocanu & elorza (2023) stated that the language they use online is influenced by factors such as selfperception, past linguistic habits, and the image that wish to project to the followers. in this sense, language on social media serves not only as a communication tool but also as a means of expressing identity and social affiliation. islamic expressions the use of islamic expressions in social media posts further highlights the role of religion in digital identity construction. most respondents reserved such expressions for religious occasions like ramadan or eid, while those with a pesantren (islamic boarding school) background used them more frequently to reinforce their islamic identity. "maybe on certain occasions, like on islamic holidays, i use arabic." (participant) it shows that participants use them in ways that help uphold the norms and values significant to their families, religious beliefs, and communities, consistent with abokhodair’s view (2020) where technology facitilitates people to maintain their belief in communities. the internet has emerged as a crucial platform for muslims to articulate their religious identities and participate in global islamic discussions. for pesantren alumni, integrating islamic expressions into their social media content enabled them to preserve their religious identity in the digital realm. this study also found that respondents of santri background used islamic expression for certain occasion and follower. "coincidentally, i’ve also written stories in arabic, like using phrases such as masya allah or barakallah fii umrik for people. on the other hand, i’m also an alumna of an islamic boarding school, so it’s like, 'oh, this person is islamic,' or 'oh, this person graduated from a pesantren.' it’s kind of the trademark of pesantren alumni to use arabic, right? so i include arabic phrases like masya allah, tabarakallah, and barakallah fii umrik in my writing." the interviewee consciously uses arabic phrases like masya allah, tabarakallah, and barakallah fii umrik as part of their writing. this aligns with the concept of self-presentation, where the individual carefully curates their digital identity to align with their cultural and religious background. the participant’s goal appears to be to signal his islamic identity and pesantren alumni status. he recognized that using arabic expressions ivo dinasta yanuar digital identity construction of moeslem university students in english classroom 298 is a culturally and religiously appropriate way to reflect their values and heritage. the arabic expressions become symbolic of pesantren identity, reinforcing the cultural expectation that alumni publicly embody their islamic education. on the other hand, by highlighting these expressions as a "trademark of pesantren alumni," the individual demonstrates an awareness of the norms expected within their community, consistent with zillich & riesmeyer’s view (2021) that young people should consistently reflect on the dominant norms and values of their perceived audiences, as well as the unclear distinction between "private" and "public" spaces, when determining how to appropriately present themselves on a particular platform. respondent’s desire to shape how they are perceived by others, balancing societal expectations with personal values. he aligned his self-presentation with these norms to resonate with their audience, imagined communities who recognize and value the use of arabic expressions. these audiences might include fellow muslims, pesantren alumni, or broader online communities that appreciate religious and cultural authenticity. impact of digital identity construction on offline identity in english classrooms the construction of digital identity on social media has a significant impact on how individuals perceive and present themselves offline, particularly in academic settings like english classrooms. they can portray an idealized version of themselves that resembles their real-life identity or one that is entirely different (arifah, et al. 2023). respondents indicated that while they were influenced by western culture through social media, they still maintained traditional indonesian values in real-life interactions. they can portray an idealized version of themselves that resembles their real-life identity or one that is entirely different. this was evident in how respondents balanced western trends with local norms. while respondents acknowledged that using english on social media was perceived as "cool" and "modern," they expressed less pride in using it in classroom settings. this suggests that the digital space offers a more comfortable environment for experimenting with language and identity, whereas the classroom is seen as a more formal and restricted space. the preference for indonesian in academic contexts highlights the tension between global and local identities, with respondents using english primarily to align with global trends rather than as a reflection of their true identity. conclusion this study concludes that muslim students tend to develop dual identities in the context of social media use and english learning. their digital identity construction is dynamic and contextdependent, influenced by their desire to project authenticity, maintain privacy, and align with cultural, religious, and societal expectations. social media serves as a platform for experimentation and self-expression, allowing them to negotiate their identities across diverse imagined communities while reflecting their evolving sense of self. the digital identities they create often reflect a combination of local cultural values, global trends, and religious beliefs. self-presentation on social media, such as photo editing, language use, and islamic expressions, plays a significant role in this process. this digital identity construction not only affects how they present themselves on social media but also impacts their offline identity, including in english classrooms. students active on social media often feel encouraged to display their english skills and global mindset in academic environments, though some remain more comfortable using indonesian in line with local social norms. the flexibility of online identity allows students to experiment with different roles before integrating them into real life. however, this study has several limitations, such as focusing on muslim students learning english, which makes the findings nongeneralizable to other groups outside this context, such as non-muslim students or those from different cultural backgrounds. additionally, the study does not differentiate in depth between the social media platforms used by respondents, such as instagram, facebook, twitter, or tiktok. each platform has its own unique user characteristics and culture, which can influence how digital identity is formed and presented. future research could expand the scope by involving more respondents from diverse religious, cultural, and geographical backgrounds. given that each social media platform has unique characteristics, future research could also focus on comparing different platforms (e.g., instagram, twitter, tiktok) in the process of digital identity construction. acknowledgement this article is funded by ministry of religious affairs with contract number 123/in.8/l.i/tl.01/05/2024 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 299 references abokhodair, et al. (2020). 'holy tweets: exploring the sharing of the quran on twitter', proceedings of the acm on human-computer interaction, vol. 4, no. cscw2, 159. https://doi.org/10.1145/3415230ahmed alharbi, h. d., yi, x., tari,z., & khalil, i. (2021). social media identity deception detection: a survey . acm comput. surv, 37(4). https://doi.org/10.1145/ 1122445.1122456 amelsvoort, j. v., & nicoletta, p. (2023). introduction: imagining communities, multilingually. parallax, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/13534645.2022.21566 88 arifah, et al. (2023). how emerging adults present themselves on social media: online selfpresentation influenced by self-esteem, narcissistic personality, and online privacy. journal of psychology and instruction, 7(3). doi: https://doi.org/10.23887/jpai.v5i2 choi, m., romero, d. m. & jurgens, d. (2024). profile update: the effects of identity disclosure on network connections and language. epj data sci, 13(45). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-02400483-0 bahar, v.s. (2024) self-presentation theory: a review. in s. papagiannidis (ed), theoryhub book. creswell, j. w. & creswell, j. d. (2022). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches 6th edition. sage publications, inc. el bahri, o., et al. (2023). the impact of english language learning on identity reconstruction: moroccan english department undergraduate students as a case study. european modern studies journal, 7(3),420-434. doi:10.59573/emsj.7(3).2023.40 hatamleh, et al. (2023). trust in social media: enhancing social relationships. social science, 12(7). doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12070416 hollenbaugh e. e. (2021). self-presentation in social media: review and research opportunities. review of communication research, 9, 80–98. https://doi.org/10.12840/issn.2255-4165.027 kang, y. (2020). lessons learned from cases of covid-19 infection in south korea. may. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2020.14 kramsch. (2020). language as symbolic power. cambridge university press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108869386 malešević, siniša. (2020). imagined communities and imaginary plots: nationalisms, conspiracies, and pandemics in the longue durée. nationalities papers. cambridge university press. metcalfe, s. n., & llewellyn, a. (2020). “it’s just the thing you do”: physical and digital fields, and the flow of capital for young people’s gendered identity negotiation. journal of adolescent research, 35(1), 84–110. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558419883359 mocano, v. & elorza, v. g. i. (2023). the construction of monoand multilingual identity portrayals on social media: the case of instagram. ilcea. https://doi.org/10.4000/ilcea.17254 pratama, b. a., & sari, d. s. (2020). dampak sosial intensitas penggunaan media sosial terhadap kesehatan mental berupa sikap apatis di smp kabupaten sukoharjo. jurnal kesehatan stikes aisyiyah surakarta, 18(1) puspitasari, et al. (2024). language choices and digital identity of high school student text messages in the new capital city of indonesia: implication for language education. international journal of language education 8(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v8i1.63833 roberts j. a., david m. e. (2020). the social media party: fear of missing out (fomo), social media intensity, connection, and well-being. international journal of human–computer interaction. 36, 386–392. doi: 10.1080/10447318.2019.1646517 sabar, w. et al. (2022). gender education in the practice of women's agricultural laborers in enrekang regency. jurnal pendidikan ilmu pengetahuan sosial indonesia, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.21831/jipsindo.v9i2. 51641 saiphoo, et al. (2020). social networking site use and self-esteem: a meta-analytic review. personality and individual differences 153, 109639. schwarz k. c., williams j. p. (2021). introduction to the social construction of identity and authenticity. in schwarz k. c., williams j. p. (eds.), studies on the social construction of identity and authenticity (pp. 1–24). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429027987 sugiarto, e., & arif, m. f. (2024). the impact of question answer relationship (qar) strategy on improving students’ reading comprehension. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 983-992. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10321 sun, y., fang, s. & zhang, z. (2021). impression management strategies on enterprise social media platforms: an affordance perspective. international journal of information management, 60, 102359. sung, c. c. m. (2020). cantonese learning, investments, and identities: mainland chinese university students’ experiences during cross-border studies in hong kong. learn. cult. soc. interact. 26:100415. doi: 10.1016/j.lcsi.2020.100415 susanti, d. & dwihantoro, p. (2022). indonesian netizens' digital self and identity creation on social media. komunikator, 14(2):104-113. doi: 10.18196/jkm.16541 tajeddin, z., et al. (2021). learners’ perspectives on imagined community of practice in english as an https://doi.org/10.1145/3415230ahmed https://doi.org/10.1145/ https://doi.org/10.1080/13534645.2022.2156688 https://doi.org/10.1080/13534645.2022.2156688 https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-024-00483-0 https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-024-00483-0 https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12070416 https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2020.14 https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108869386 https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558419883359 https://doi.org/10.21831/jipsindo.v9i2.%2051641 https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429027987 ivo dinasta yanuar digital identity construction of moeslem university students in english classroom 300 international language. journal of multilingual and multicultural development. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2021.192178 4 talaifar, s., & lowery, b. s. (2023). freedom and constraint in digital environments: implications for the self. perspectives on psychological science, 18(3), 544–575. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916221098036 xiao, s., metaxa, d., park, j. s., karahalios, k., & salehi, n. (2020). random, messy, funny, raw:finstas as intimate reconfigurations of social media. proceedings of the 2020 chi conference on human factors in computing systems, 1–13 zabala, a. f. et al. (2020). sociometric popularity, perceived peer support, and self-concept in adolescents. frontiers in psychology. 11:594007. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.594007 zillich a. f., riesmeyer c. (2021). be yourself: the relative importance of personal and social norms for adolescents’ self-presentation on instagram. social media + society, 2056–3051, https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211033810 https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2021.1921784 https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2021.1921784 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 853 conversational implicature in maba belo selembar dialogue of karonese culture rony arahta sembiring english literature study program, faculty of language and arts universitas hkbp nommensen, indonesia e-mail: ronyarahta.sembiring@uhn.ac.id sondang manik english literature study program, faculty of language and arts universitas hkbp nommensen, indonesia e-mail: sondang.manik@uhn.ac.id arsen nahum pasaribu english literature study program, faculty of language and arts universitas hkbp nommensen, indonesia e-mail: arsen.pasaribu@uhn.ac.id tiara sari surbakti english literature study program, faculty of language and arts universitas hkbp nommensen, indonesia e-mail: tiarasari.surbakti@student.uhn.ac.id selfiyani ketaren english literature study program, faculty of language and arts universitas hkbp nommensen, indonesia e-mail: selfiyani.ketaren@student.uhn.ac.id apa scitation: sembiring, r. a., manik, s., pasaribu, a. n., surbakti, t. s., & ketaren, s. (2024). conversational implicature in maba belo selembar dialogue of karonese culture. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 853-862. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i2.10307 received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 22-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: implicit meaning or supplementary meaning of the speaker's speech is revealed by implicature analysis, a technique employed in pragmatics. this research is expected to provide a deeper understanding of implicatures in the karonese language and can assist in preserving the karonese language and culture. the research method used in this research is the descriptive-analytical method. the data used in this study were obtained from video recordings of maba belo selambar conversations taken from youtube. descriptive qualitative analysis was used to analyze the social phenomena in depth and comprehensively, explaining or describing these phenomena in detail. the data analysis would be based on the implications developed by grice in exploring cooperative communication in conversation and using jakobson's theory of language function to see the implications of the conversation. the writer found 35 pieces of data that consist of implicacies based on the function of language. after analyzing the data, the researcher finds that the metalinguistic function (15 data) is the most dominant, followed by the comparative function (11 data), the referential function (6 data points), the phonic function (2 data) and the poetic function (1 data). the author found that the use of language functions in metalinguistics was more likely to be used because the speakers on both sides threw structured, ethical language codes at the event. keywords: conversational implicature; culture; karonese; pragmatics. introduction a traditional karo rite called ngembah belo selambar is a formal investigation of a young woman's desire to accept a marriage proposal from her parents, her extended family (sembuyak), and her kin groupings.(beru ginting, 2017) the karo community's deeply ingrained cultural values and traditional knowledge are upheld by this elaborate ceremony. the karo highlands, southeast aceh regency, medan city, binjai city, langkat regency, dairi regency, and binjai city are home to the karonese tribe. this tribe is known for its unique greeting, mejuahjuah, and its traditional language, karo, or mailto:ronyarahta.sembiring@uhn.ac.id mailto:sondang.manik@uhn.ac.id mailto:arsen.pasaribu@uhn.ac.id mailto:tiarasari.surbakti@student.uhn.ac.id mailto:selfiyani.ketaren@student.uhn.ac.id rony arahta sembiring, sondang manik, arsen nahum pasaribu, tiara sari surbakti, & selfiyani ketaren conversational implicature in maba belo selembar dialogue of karonese culture 854 "cakapkaro." (sembiring et al., 2022).the ideals and beliefs of the karo community are important to the maba belo selambar tradition. since everyone in the community is obliged to attend the ritual while donning the traditional karo fabric, known as uis, regardless of status or position, it is a cultural rite that cuts over social hierarchies. the togetherness and equality at the foundation of the karo people's cultural identity are emphasized by this symbolic gesture. this gesture is symbolic of the way the tradition is upheld in the karo community, where everyone is treated equally under the adat (customary law), regardless of status, position, or class. this custom, which includes the families on both sides, demonstrates the close-knit relationships that define the karo people. an interesting aspect of karo weddings is the talk that takes place during maba belo selambar. it's a special fusion of custom, deference, and setting the stage for the two families' eventual union. both families discussed a range of topics during the session, including as their daily routines, customs, and expectations. in order for the two families to coexist in harmony and respect for one another, this discussion seeks to foster collaboration and unity between them. the two families' deep affinity is fostered by this blending of cultures, and it will only serve to solidify their partnership going forward. the stage layout entails thorough planning for the wedding ceremony in its execution. this include setting up the location, outfits, food, and other necessities. the two families' mutual regard and sense of harmony are fostered by this thoughtful setup. maba belo selembar's dialogue on karonese culture has a very high richness of implicature. implicatures has a lot of theoretical and pedagogical significance overall. it is possibly the first monograph that focuses specifically on implicatures, providing a more comprehensive understanding of this bewildering and fascinating phenomenon by incorporating significant ideas and (empirical) research findings from fields like (theoretical) pragmatics, cognitive linguistics, social linguistics, and firstand second-language acquisition (xu, 2019). implicature in the karonese language is often more important than the actual meaning and can influence the way a person speaks and acts. some of the interesting things in the conversation are the presence of symbolic language which the exchange of betel leaves (areca nut) and other ceremonial items carries symbolic weight, represents the seriousness of the occasion and the binding nature of the covenant. the conversation is structured, with the groom's family formally asking for the bride's hand in marriage. this involves seeking the approval of various members of the bride's family, including her parents, uncles, and other relatives. the open communication, despite the formality, there's also space for open communication. both sides can discuss expectations, concerns, and arrangements for the upcoming wedding. therefore, there are still many terms or hidden meanings of the language that are poorly understood by the community itself. it is vital to uncover implicature, that is, to determine what is meant rather than what is stated or written, because intending hidden meaning is implicative in nature (babali, 2023; sanakuiev, 2022). interpreting customs or words can be quite difficult when people don't know how to utilize certain terminology or understand their hidden meanings (maraini, 2015; jiun, 2020). this is since an interpreter or class of interpreters who understand words or symbols in a particular way often determines their meaning. misunderstandings can occur when there is a discrepancy between the intended meaning and how most speakers interpret it. we utilize language, a sophisticated and varied instrument, to share our ideas, experiences, and opinions with one another. however, a cursory comprehension of words alone does not capture the true meaning of language. language users frequently overlook the nuanced meanings and hidden connotations that underpin the words they employ, which can result in misinterpretations and poor communication. the ignorance of the underlying meanings of the words and phrases we use is one of the main issues with language use.(nelson, 2021) language is a semiotic instrument that influences our social cognition and how we see the world around us. it is more than just a system of signs and symbols.(holtgraves & kashima, 2008) the listener or reader may not instantly recognize implicit biases, cultural implications, or personal associations that are conveyed through the words we use. this study aims to analyze the implications contained in the maba belo selembar dialogue on karonese culture. this research is expected to provide a deeper understanding of implicatures in the karonese language and can assist in preserving the karonese language and culture. the research method used in this research is the descriptive-analytical method. the data used in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 855 this study were obtained from audio recordings of maba belo selembar conversations recorded in the karo area. the data is then analyzed using grice's implicature theory to identify the implicature contained in the conversation. the results of this research are expected to make a significant contribution to the development of linguistic and cultural studies. in addition, the results of this research are also expected to provide great benefits for the karonese people in maintaining and preserving their language and culture. in order to be able to answer the existing problems, the author will look at the forms of implicatures are found in maba belo selembar dialogue of karonese culture and the way of implicatures were applied in maba belo selembar dialogue. the script of the dialogue was taken from youtube videos that consist of the ceremony of maba belo selambar tradition. pragmatics, a branch of linguistics studies the complex interaction between language and the environment that shapes meaning.(swinburne, 2024; villalba, 2024) pragmatics explores the subtleties of communication by examining how context influences how statements are understood, providing insight into how speakers and listeners negotiate the challenges of everyday encounters. pragmatics studies the meaning of language in situations where it is used, such as how language is used in social and cultural contexts, and how language meaning is formed through that context. according to yule in (kurniawati, 2017; dey, 2023; peltier, 2024) defines pragmatics as the study of how context influences meaning. pragmatics is understood as a type of intention recognition that goes beyond the literal meaning of an utterance to infer the meaning the speaker intended to communicate. one of the fundamental ideas of pragmatics is the understanding that an utterance's meaning is influenced by the surrounding context in addition to the words' literal definitions (hang, 2023; febrianti et al., 2022). using intention recognition to ascertain semantic meaning for example, by examining the speaker's eye look or mental state to comprehend the meaning of a new word is another aspect of developing pragmatic competence. (papafragou, 2018) pragmatics has many contributors and viewpoints, but one of the best-known experts in pragmatics is paul grice. his main theory, known as the "cooperation principle", contends that common views about how language works and what constitutes appropriate social engagement, as well as assumptions made by speakers and listeners about their aims in the conversation, all play a role in how one understands language.(colonna dahlman, 2022) the cooperation principle includes four main principles: quality, quantity, relevance, and method. another perspective on pragmatics from brown and levinson in (sapitri et al., 2020) suggest that in a conversation, social interaction between the speaker (speaker) and listener (hearer) can pose a threat to the face (face) of each individual. the face here does not mean part of the body but is a social concept related to selfesteem, image, and the positive impression that each individual wants to give in social interaction. implicature is a concept in pragmatics that refers to the meaning implied in an utterance. this implied meaning is not stated directly by the speaker but can be understood by the listener based on the context of the speech and shared knowledge (strawson, 2011; hang, 2023; goodman & frank, 2016). the study of implicature is important in understanding how language is used effectively in communication and how the meaning of language can be understood through social and cultural contexts. the theory of implicature was put forward by a british linguist and philosopher named herbert paul grice. grice in (hidayati & mahmud, 2022) is known as one of the most important figures in the field of pragmatics, especially for developing the theory of the cooperative principle, which forms the basis of implicature theory. the concepts developed by grice regarding implicature and cooperative maxim are still widely studied and applied in language and communication research to date. implicature can be formed in various ways, such as through the use of certain words, intonation, context, and shared knowledge. implicature also often appears in advertisements or advertising text, where the message that the producer or advertiser wants to convey is not always conveyed in direct words but through implied or implied ways in the language and images used. additionally, in literature and film, implicature is often used to explore themes and characters, as well as to create tension or confusion for the reader or viewer. implicature often helps form a deeper understanding of meaning and requires interpretation from the reader or audience. grice (1975) divided implicature into two types: conventional implicature and conversational implicature. the distinction rony arahta sembiring, sondang manik, arsen nahum pasaribu, tiara sari surbakti, & selfiyani ketaren conversational implicature in maba belo selembar dialogue of karonese culture 856 between these two types of implicature, according to some academics, is not as sharp as it might first seem.(goodman & frank, 2016; borchmann, 2024; hall & mazzarella, 2023) for example, it may be more accurate to understand some implicatures that were before thought to be conventional as originating from pragmatic regularities. furthermore, there may be deeper conceptual parallels between the mechanisms behind conversational implicature and conventional implicature, as both need the listener to engage in an inference process. conventional implicature is related to the meaning implied in the use of certain words, while conversational implicature is related to the meaning implied in the broader context of conversation.(mazzarella & vaccargiu, 2024; trinh, 2024) the examples of implicature can be found in everyday conversation. for example, if someone asks a friend, "do you want to go see a movie tomorrow night?", and the friend answers, "i have to finish my coursework", then the implied consequence of that answer is that the friend cannot go to the movie. because i have homework to complete. the concepts of grice’s theory: what is said, conventional implicatures and conversational implicatures. the difference between what is said and what is implicated lies in the truthvs. nontruth-conditional aspect of meaning: implicature, either conventional or conversational, is a nontruth-conditional aspect of meaning. grice defined two further distinctions (tagg & lyons, 2024; klemenčič & čepič vogrinčič, 2014). the first one concerns what he calls nonconventional implicatures. second, grice introduces a distinction between two types of conversational implicatures: generalized as opposed to particularized implicatures. grice's theory of meaning can be interpret in the following schema (adapted from sadock in (moeschler, 2012)) figure 1. types of implicatures implicature is one of the studies in pragmatics where the concept of implicature provides an understanding of how to give meaning that is not directly generated from conversation or communication. the writer takes the concept from a linguist named paul grice, an english philosopher and logician. he identified two types of implicature: conventional implicature is related to the use of language and meaning that is generally accepted by society. for example, when someone says, "kids love candy," we conventionally understand that some kids, not all kids, like candy. conversational implicature occurs in a particular conversational context and is based on assumptions and shared knowledge between speaker and listener. for example, if someone asks, "would you like a drink?" and the listener replies, "i had breakfast," then it is implicitly expected that the reason he refuses to drink is because he has had a drink before. grice proposes the principle of cooperation in conversational implicature to communicating, which includes four maxims: maxim of quantity, maxim of quality, maxim of relevance, and maxim of manner. these maxims provide guidelines for speakers and listeners to build effective communication. maxim of quantity. speakers should provide the right amount of information required for the conversation, neither giving too little nor too much. they should be as informative as necessary. example: a : what is your name? b : im paul maxim of quality. speakers should be truthful and provide information that they believe to be true. they should avoid making unsupported or false statements. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 857 example: a : where is he right now? b : people say he is in prison (lack of adequate) maxim of relevance. speakers should contribute information that is relevant to the conversation. they should avoid introducing unrelated or irrelevant information. example : a : what time is it now? b : looks like the newsboy just passed (the interlocutor already understands the speaker's concept of delivering newspapers and what time they are usually delivered) maxim of manner. speakers should communicate in a clear, orderly, and concise manner. they should avoid ambiguity, obscurity, or unnecessarily complex expressions. example : a: please help me with the door b: okay (the interlocutor understands how to open the door without the speaker explaining in detail the stages of opening the door) the cooperative speaking principles outlined by grice invite speakers to speak honestly and avoid saying anything that meets the maxim criteria, namely maxim of quantity, maxim of quality, maxim of relevance, and maxim of manner, in accordance with the explanation above. implicature with language function is a concept in the pragmatic environment that regulates how a word or phrase can produce indirect meaning. implicature is an indirect meaning determined by the word or phrase itself, but which is explained by the situation, context, and interactions between language users. the combination of implicature with language function produces a more complex context and illustrates how indirect meaning can be explained by the function of using a word or phrase. for example, the word "cat" can have an implication that illustrates that the use of this word is not only the name of an animal but also as a tool used to do something, such as helping someone who is unable to walk. grice's implicature theory and jacobson's language function are related in terms of explaining how a word or phrase can produce indirect meaning. implicature is an indirect meaning determined by the word or phrase itself but which is explained by the situation, context, and interactions between language users. jacobson's language function describes the purpose or function of using a word or phrase. the six functions of language that jakobson (kanaza, fauzia, et.al, 2020) described: it is the main function of language, which aims to share information with other people. this is language that is used to convey information objectively and has a clear language function when you use words to show things or facts that are happening around us. for example: “the war between the two countries caused many casualties.” this function of language helps us interpret the emotions, desires, feelings and moods of the main subject. this emotive function of language gives us direct information about the sender's tone of voice. for example: “i am very happy with my new job” this language function focuses on the recipient of the message. the language used with this function is intended to attract the attention or reaction of the interlocutor. this function can be used to issue requests, commands, suggestions, permission, desires, or instructions. the conative function aims to convey the speaker's commands. for example: “please show the assignments you have done” this language function is used to establish social relationships without actually communicating meaningful information by showing empathy and sympathy towards other people. this type of language is used with the aim of starting or stopping a conversation or to check the relationship between the sender and the recipient. for example: “how are you?” "i'm fine." "see you again." this function of language is also known as the aesthetic function of language. this function focuses on the message as well as the way the message is communicated. this means that the message may be peppered with rhetorical issue or “flowery” language. the poetic functions in everyday quotes and sayings. for example: “this is a much better thing i'm doing than anything i've ever done”. this function of language is basically defined as self-awareness. so metalingual refers to talking about the language itself—its features, definitions of words, clarification of ambiguities, and descriptions of intentional word play between speakers and listeners who understand each other about the language being conveyed. the metalingual function suppresses understanding in the language analysis code itself. for example: “i felt a touch of steven spielberg's (spectacular characteristic) in the film we watched earlier. rony arahta sembiring, sondang manik, arsen nahum pasaribu, tiara sari surbakti, & selfiyani ketaren conversational implicature in maba belo selembar dialogue of karonese culture 858 method the research design use qualitative descriptive method. the descriptive qualitative research method is a type of qualitative research method that is used to understand social phenomena in depth and comprehensively with the aim of explaining or describing these phenomena in detail. miles and huberman in (rijali, 2018) also emphasize the importance of using appropriate analytical techniques in descriptive qualitative research, such as qualitative data analysis and triangulation. in descriptive qualitative research, researchers must pay attention to the social context and environment related to the phenomenon being studied and obtain highquality data through observation, interviews, or documentation. the data sources used include: 1) oral speech, namely spoken speech containing implicit meaning in the karo language, which is then classified into language functions. (2) body language as a source of supporting data in oral delivery, and (3) written data. the data in this research was taken from videos on the youtube channel, which analyzed to determine the behavior and meaning behind the utterances delivered in the karo language. the triangulation methods that are applied in this research: introspection, listening, and speaking. the researcher, who is a karo language speaker, used an introspective method, utilizing his linguistic competence to facilitate data assessment. researchers also use methods that involve advanced techniques such as competently involved listening, listening freely, taking notes, and taking complete notes regarding the conversations that occur. this stage includes collecting data by listening to karo language speech in daily communication. the advanced method, which is also called the interview method, aims to identify other meanings contained in each existing conversation and verify the correctness of the data collected regarding meanings in the karo language through speaking interactions. the researchers began by transcribing the youtube audio material into text. this could entail cleaning up any transcription problems and breaking up the talk into speaker turns. next, using the text data, the researchers would find instances of conversational implicatures. indirect methods of communicating meaning, known as conversational implicatures, depend on the speaker and listener's shared background and expertise. after identifying the conversational implicatures, the researchers would examine them to determine how they are used in maba belo selembar talks. examining the following could be part of this analysis: the implicatures the researchers began by transcribing the youtube audio material into text. this could entail cleaninu p any transcription problems and breaking up the talk into speaker turns. next, using the text data, the researchers would find instances of conversational implicatures. indirect methods of communicating meaning, known as the researchers began by transcribing the youtube audio material into text. this could the researchers began by transcribing the the researchers began by transcribing the youtube the researcher began by transcribing the youtube audio material into text. this could entail cleaning up any transcription problems and breaking up the talk into speaker turns. next, using the text data, the researchers would find instances of conversational implicatures, depend on the speaker and listener's shared background and expertise. after identifying the conversational implicatures, the researchers would examine them to determine how they are used in maba belo selembar talks. examining the following could be part of this analysis: the implicatures that the researchers discover may be categorized using several typologies. examine how the karonese community's social and cultural background shapes the implications. results and discussion the following is data from a conversation transcript extracted from youtube that contains implicative meaning based on language function, which shows how indirect meaning can be explained through the function of using a word or phrase table 1. the data no. time data 1. 05.22 ma pedalen kami kampil kehamaten man milala morgana pal 2. 05.25 ih owelah, lang kai kari dalanta ngerana 3. 05.28 piga pedalen kami pal? 4. 05.34 iyah pedalan pal, endah kampil pal 5. 05.50 bereken man kalimbubu nta ndai english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 859 6. 06.00 ja kam ndai pal 7. 06.02 jenda kami pal 8. 06.04 nggo bereken kami kampil kehamaten, nggo ka pe kami ngisap ras man belo 9. 06.58 iyah pal, ja kam ndai pal 10. 07.00 jenda kami pal 11. 07.08 nggo mbelin permen kami babo mergana 12. 07.19 bere bere sembiring milala, megang ku ban je pal, kempu sitepu 13. 07.39 jadi adi kerna diri milala pal, e bali idah babo mergana 14. 07.49 nggo tertentun jelmana, e mekap demi putri radesa sembiring milala 15. 08.03 em dalan dalan na tampak kami kerina reh 16. 08.33 aku bebere na e si bebere sembiring milala nga perlu 17. 08.34 makana megang nta kuban je pal 18 08.49 sekalenda kerehendu nggo nda megang bandu bere bere milala e nindu 19. 09.08 enda gelarna si legina arah pintu galang ia mentas pas 20. 09.16 aku lanai pang nungkuni beru milala ndai kerina jelas ban na ah 21. 10.23 gua nindu cuba bas kam, lang adi kami persenyum kami e pe nggo angka ndu 22. 13.40 aku nggo ku begin du turangndu, labo kalak ah, senina kami kepeken 23. 14.07 kami pe lanai pang ertahan, idah ndu nge ah 24. 14.30 pesora beru milala ah ndai pe ras kalimbubu 25. 16.48 tah kai nge atendu, gelah sigulung amak enda 26. 17.50 sentabi man kam pal, jadi meteruh ukur ipindoken kami arah jari sepuluh 27. 18.48 eh terbeluh kam ngencakepken ca man kalimbubu kami milala morgana pal 28. 19.03 adi si ngalo ngalo ulu mas nggo tampak krina nindu 29. 19.19 ade kerna syarat pe nggo ban kami sikap pal 30. 19.55 e gia gulenta me enggo ban ndu sikap? 31. 26.59 ma nggo me gelarna ser ser krina ibas jabu milala mergana 32. 27.53 uga nindu, bage pedalen kami 33. 29.23 nggo ngisap si ngisap, man belo si man belo, gua nge sura sura ndu gundari 34. 29.33 adi nggo ngisap si ngisap man belo si man belo kalimbubu kami, makana nungkun kami 35. 29.57 e ertima kam lebe, bahwa kam ndai reh arah pintu galang me bage kin the data in this research was taken from a youtube video covering the "maba belo selambar" cultural tradition of the karonese tribe, which lasted approximately one hour. the author quotes a conversation that contains implications for the use of language in the cultural customs of the karonese tribe. the following is an excerpt from the transcript of the conversation: the data analysis displayed is a representation of the whole, where the researcher only displays several data for carrying out the data analysis. data number 1: ma pedalen kami kampil kehamaten man milala mergana pal (we will first carry out an honorary betel for the milala clan, brother) in this context, the man's family asks permission from the woman's family to start the traditional event by asking permission to convey the betel of honor as a sign that the traditional event can officially begin. (1) the conative function is found in this statement, which shows permission for the woman's family to show respect. (2) metalingual function is also found in the similarity of perception between the two parties in understanding the meaning of “kampil kehamaten” (honor betel) data number 6: ja kam ndai pal (where are you, brother) this sentence is a greeting at a traditional event in karo, intended to greet one party to another. this is also intended to attract the attention of the person you want to talk to. this part classified as the phatic function which shows greetings for the other family to show respect and establish closeness between both parties. data number 33: adi nggo ngisap si ngisap man belo si man belo kalimbubu kami, makana nungkun kami (if you smoke, you smoke, you eat betel, you eat betel) this statement is a slogan or expression conveyed to all parties to show readiness for the rony arahta sembiring, sondang manik, arsen nahum pasaribu, tiara sari surbakti, & selfiyani ketaren conversational implicature in maba belo selembar dialogue of karonese culture 860 activities that have been planned. the words used are so harmonious that they resemble a rhyme or slogan. this part classified as the poetic function because it foregrounds the aesthetic qualities of language, focusing on the sound and rhythm of words. it's most evident in creative forms of language use like poetry, slogans, or wordplay. the researcher find 35 data that consist of implicature based on function of language. after analyzing the data, the researcher find metalinguistic function (15 data) is the most dominant one, followed with conative function (11 data), than referential function (6 data), phatic function (2 data) and the last is poetic function (1 data). maba belo selambar is a traditional ceremony that held between the two family in order to propose a girl whose aim is to ask for the willingness of the girl, her parents, and her extended family. it means: the use of metalinguistic function is higher to inform the situation that is known between the two side about the code or language pattern in use for the ceremony. the use of conative function shows to influence the behaviour of the two side speaker that used to issue request, commands, suggestion, advice, permission, wishes and instruction the use of referential function means to provide any information that focus on the situation context which have the truth value the use of phatic function means to show empathy and sympathy to each family memberswith the introduction so it tells how your study contribute to the body of knowledge and society. the use of poetic function means to show beauty and a sense of caring for one another, so that the words strung together give their own meaning to the traditional event. in addition to the foundational works mentioned earlier, here's a look at some specific areas of previous research on conversational implicature: pertiwi et al., (2023) in their study, conversational implicature forms of banyumasan humorous utterances on youtube, attempts to describe the implicature forms of humorous remarks made by banyumasan people on youtube. this study was analyzed using grice's (1975) conversational implicature theory and searle's (1927) speech actions theory (jr mahinay mabaquiao et al., 2018). a descriptive qualitative methodology was employed in this investigation. the results of the investigation show that banyumasan uses four different kinds of implicature in his humorous speech: directive, expressive, strong, and commissive. previous one, the study of conversational implicature in a star is born movie, (rhamadani, 2022) demonstrates that: firstly, conversational implicature is present in 375 of the data. there are two categories of conversational implicature: particularized implicature and generalized implicature. 220 utterances from 375 conversational implicatures fall under the generic implicature category, while 155 utterances fall under the particularized implicature category. second, there is extra meaning attached to every conversational implicature. in other words, 375 conversational implicatures have extra meaning. kausar et al., (2022) also study about implication of conversation in interactive dialogue of public eyes in trans 7. based on the results of data analysis and discussion, the conclusion of this study the researchers found the function of conversational implicatures in the interactive dialogue of mata najwa trans7 with public officials. the four implicature functions in the form of speech acts are the conversational implicature function in representative speech, the conversational implicature function in commissive speech, the conversational implicature function in directive speech, and conversational implicature in expressive speech moreover afrilesa jasmir (2021) about an analysys of conversational implicature in podcast deddy corbuzier’s youtube find the result of the analysis shows that guest star utterances in deddy corbuzier podcast contain three types on conversational implicature. the first, generalized conversational implicature, it is an implicature that does not need context to assume the utterance. the second, particularized conversational implicature, it is an implicature that can be assumed via knowing the specific context and also needs special knowledge of the listener. the third, scale implicature, it is a implicature that communicated through the using a word that contain a scale of values, such as identifying a quantity (all, most, many, some, few). this research has several important implications for providing a new contribution to understanding conversational implicatures in karo culture. previously, research on the meaning of conversational implicatures in karo culture was still very limited. this research fills this gap by providing a deeper understanding of how conversational implicatures are used in the karo english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 861 cultural context. increase understanding of the pragmatics of the karo language. this research shows that conversational implicatures play an important role in the pragmatics of the karo language. understanding conversational implicatures can help us better understand how the karo language is used in everyday communication conclusion this study identifies the use of implications in the conversation of the karo tradition at the maba belo selambar event, the existence of other or hidden meanings in each conversation can be understood so that it does not cause a mistake and misunderstanding later for those who want to learn the ordinances or customs of the karo tribe. this finding is expected to guide language observers and researchers to be able to continue to develop learning and research related to the use of language, especially regional languages in order to preserve culture as a national identity and the progress of linguistics in the future.this research certainly has limitations in its study, such as sample size and instrument accuracy, for which other studies and research are needed to further increase support for understanding the richness of regional languages. the research findings discussed here have important ramifications for both the reation of efficient linguistic procedures and the protection of cultural heritage. first of all, the results highlight how crucial it is to comprehend the subtleties of language use in certain cultural situations. the implications for cross-cultural communication and future study emphasize the necessity of linguists and academics approaching language issues with a more contextualized and holistic perspective. acknowledgement the research grant, which was made possible by universitas hkbp nommensen and coordinated by the institute for research and community service, is greatly appreciated by the researchers. the authors of the study would also want to express their profound appreciation to the reviewers of the manuscript.. references afrilesa, j. r. (2021). an analysys of conversational implicature in podcast deddy corbuzier’s youtube. tell-us journal, 7(1), 80–94. https://doi.org/10.22202/tus.2021.v7i1.4824 babali, a. g. (2023). the ways of representing hidden meanings in english-language fiction discourse. revista amazonia investiga, 12(69), 304–314. https://doi.org/10.34069/ai/2023.69.09.27 beru ginting, s. u. (2017). semiotik makna pada wacana ngembah belo selambar adat karo langkat (kajian semiotika sosial). jurnal pena indonesia, 3(2), 130. https://doi.org/10.26740/jpi.v3n2.p130-146 borchmann, s. (2024). headlines as illocutionary subacts: the genre-specificity of headlines. journal of pragmatics, 220, 73–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2023.12.007 colonna dahlman, r. (2022). conveying meaning in legal language – why the language of legislation needs to be more explicit than ordinary language. journal of pragmatics, 198, 43–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2022.05.009 dey, m. (2023). the primary characteristics of english pragmatics in applied linguistics. journal of english teaching, applied linguistics and literatures (jetall), 6(2), 125. https://doi.org/10.20527/jetall.v6i2.16056 febrianti, r., usman, f., & sawirman, s. (2022). directive speech acts used by teacher via zoom cloud meeting in english school indonesia. randwick international of education and linguistics science journal, 3(4), 675–678. https://doi.org/10.47175/rielsj.v3i4.611 goodman, n. d., & frank, m. c. (2016). pragmatic language interpretation as probabilistic inference. trends in cognitive sciences, 20(11), 818–829. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2016.08.005 grice, h. . (1975). login and conversation. in syntax and semantics. edited by cole and j.morgan (vol. 9, pp. 41–58). hall, a., & mazzarella, d. (2023). pragmatic inference, levels of meaning and speaker accountability. journal of pragmatics, 205, 92– 110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2022.12.007 hang, x. (2023). email etiquette: a pragmatic analysis. frontiers in humanities and social sciences, 3(8), 77–79. https://doi.org/10.54691/fhss.v3i8.5540 hidayati, f., & mahmud, m. (2022). conversational implicature in the green book movie. journal of english literature and cultural studies (jelcs journal), 1(1), 50–62. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/33497 0976 holtgraves, t. m., & kashima, y. (2008). language, meaning, and social cognition. personality and social psychology review, 12(1), 73–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868307309605 jiun, p. w. y. (2020). indigenous, local and regional traditions: views from ritual and ceremony. international journal of asia-pacific studies, 16(2), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.21315/ijaps2020.16.2.1 rony arahta sembiring, sondang manik, arsen nahum pasaribu, tiara sari surbakti, & selfiyani ketaren conversational implicature in maba belo selembar dialogue of karonese culture 862 jr mahinay mabaquiao, n., mabaquiao, n. m., & de, j. (2018). speech act theory: from austin to searle. augustinian: a journal for humanities, social sciences, business, and education, december 2018, 19. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/35327 4370 kanaza, fauzia, u. (2020). jurnal etnolingual. jurnal etnolingual, 4(1), 54–73. https://doi.org/10.20473/etno.v4i2.20347 kausar, a. r., kasmantoni, k., & bustomi, b. (2022). implication of conversation in interactive dialogue of public eyes in trans 7. jadila: journal of development and innovation in language and literature education, 2(3), 261– 270. https://doi.org/10.52690/jadila.v2i3.212 klemenčič, e., & čepič vogrinčič, m. (2014). analysis of texts in the field of education: a regulation on textbook approval and a history textbook. sage open, 4(3), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014552430 kurniawati, p. (2017). على تتغذى جرائم ..اإللكتروني االبتزاز in universitas nusantara pgri .ال التواصل» طفرة kediri (vol. 01). maraini, d. (2015). board of regents of the university of oklahoma. world literature today, 89(3–4), 56. https://doi.org/10.7588/worllitetoda.89.34.0056 mazzarella, d., & vaccargiu, e. (2024). communication: inferring speaker intentions or perceiving the world? insights from developmental research. journal of pragmatics, 221, 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2023.12.014 moeschler, j. (2012). conversational and conventional implicatures. cognitive pragmatics, january 2012, 405–433. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110214215.405 nelson, p. (2021). critical discourse analysis on students’ comments on tate confessions. international journal on studies in english language and literature, 9(9), 9–31. https://doi.org/10.20431/2347-3134.0909002 papafragou, a. (2018). pragmatic development. in language learning and development (vol. 14, issue 3, pp. 167–169). routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/15475441.2018.145579 1 peltier, j. p. g. (2024). metalinguistic knowledge of pragmatic markers in kwéyòl donmnik and english. journal of pragmatics, 226, 103–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2024.03.013 pertiwi, w. e., dadang sudana, & andika dutha bachari. (2023). conversational implicature forms of banyumasan humorous utterances on youtube. journal of research on english and language learning (j-reall), 4(1), 11–17. https://doi.org/10.33474/j-reall.v4i1.19314 rhamadani, s. n. f. (2022). the study of conversational implicature in. jurnal bahasa, sastra, seni, dan budaya, 6(2), 333–347. rijali, a. (2018). analisis data kualitatif ahmad rijali uin antasari banjarmasin. 17(33), 81–95. sanakuiev, m. (2022). the value of knowledge in the age of globalization challenges: philosophical and intellectual context. futurity philosophy, 1, 42–54. https://doi.org/10.57125/fp.2022.06.30.04 sapitri, p. a., chasanah, a., putri, a. a., & paulima, j. (2020). exploring brown and levinson’s politeness strategies: an explanation on the nature of the politeness phenomenon. reila : journal of research and innovation in language, 1(3), 111–117. https://doi.org/10.31849/reila.v1i3.3801 sembiring, r. a., pasaribu, t. k., tarigan, c. o. s., & ketaren, s. (2022). maxims in karonese song lyrics. ethical lingua , journal of language teaching and literature, 9(2), 787–792. https://doi.org/10.30605/25409190.438 strawson, p. f. (2011). review of paul grice, studies in the way of words. in philosophical writings (pp. 178–185). https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199587 292.003.0015 swinburne, n. (2024). expressive meanings and social applications of ‘do’-support questions in camuno. journal of pragmatics, 229, 104–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2024.06.006 tagg, c., & lyons, a. (2024). conversational rhythm as a disconnective practice among middle-aged adults in situated mobile-messaging interactions. journal of pragmatics, 229, 56–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2024.05.006 trinh, t. (2024). forms of address, performative prefixes, and the syntax-pragmatics interface. journal of pragmatics, 228, 17–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2024.05.001 villalba, x. (2024). romance exclamative markers at the syntax-pragmatics interface: a compositional approach to exclamativity. journal of pragmatics, 226, 64–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2024.04.004 xu, y. (2019). implicatures. southern african linguistics and applied language studies, 37(4), 385–386. https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2019.169268 3 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 317 the role of multimedia in enhancing knowledge representation and learning outcomes in translation education anak agung istri yudhi pramawati english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar, indonesia email: agunkprama@unmas.ac.id ida bagus nyoman mantra english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar, indonesia email: bagusmantra@hotmail.com i gde putu agus pramerta english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar, indonesia email: putuagus1708@unmas.ac.id apa citation: pramawati, a. a. i. y., mantra, i. b. n., & pramerta, i. g. p. a. (2025). the role of multimedia in enhancing knowledge representation and learning outcomes in translation education. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 317-328. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.11504 received: 17-09-2024 accepted: 14-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 introduction the application of multimedia in the learning environment has increasingly become part of the routine in the 21st century. with rapid advancement in digital technologies, multimedia—encompassing video, audio, animation, and interactive elements—has proven to be an effective tool in teaching and learning. for translation studies where complex linguistic, cultural, and cognitive problems are to be effectively communicated, multimedia enhances learning by providing a more dynamic representation of translation concepts. the advent of computer-assisted translation (cat) tools (cspedes, 2019), (wu, 2021) and readily available digital resources have fundamentally changed translation education. this calls for a reassessment of traditional abstract: the application of multimedia in translation education enhances learning and knowledge representation. this study provides empirical insights into the specific cognitive benefits and challenges of multimedia-assisted translation education, distinguishing it from previous general studies on multimedia learning. the application of animated video, infographic, and gamified translation applications is applied to enhance students' performance and engagement in translation study. using qualitative ethnographic strategies, including classroom observation and interviews, the study explores how multimedia technologies support translation learning. his qualitative study, conducted with 54 students and two lecturers in an english translation course, employed ethnographic methods including classroom observations and interviews to examine multimedia integration. results show that animated videos effectively illustrate complex translation techniques, text analysis, and cultural adaptation, making abstract theories more comprehensible. infographics offer step-by-step, systematically organised descriptions of translation processes for reinforcement of learners' understanding. gamified programs like duolingo and fluentu encourage active translation practice on the part of learners, while motivating them with fun activities and games. while these benefits are present, the study quotes challenges such as cognitive overload and surface learning danger in the event multimedia tools are not accompanied by structured instruction. the findings highlight the importance of balancing multimedia with traditional text-based and discussion-based approaches to enhance student engagement and critical thinking..this research contributes to the discussion of multimedia in translation education, highlighting its pedagogical potential and limitations. subsequent studies should explore the long-term impact of multimedia on translation ability and its adaptability in different learning settings keywords: multimedia-assisted translation education; translation pedagogy. mailto:agunkprama@unmas.ac.id mailto:bagusmantra@hotmail.com mailto:putuagus1708@unmas.ac.id anak agung istri yudhi pramawati, ida bagus nyoman mantra, i gde putu agus pramerta the role of multimedia in enhancing knowledge representation and learning outcomes in translation education 318 teaching practices and learning objectives. computer code translation and natural language translation share parallel difficulties, emphasizing the need for complexity studies and emergent properties in both fields (andre, 2023). the increasing complexity of translation tasks in the age of digitization demands a pedagogical shift to incorporate multimedia in a bid to portray knowledge accurately. multimedia in translation education enhances student engagement and supports diverse learning styles by providing visual and auditory reinforcement. this team-based setting not only improves critical thinking but also exposes students to real-world translation scenarios, where adaptability and collaboration are key (prieto velasco et al., 2021). translation technologies significantly improve translator performance compared to traditional methods, with experienced professionals and those translating into their native language benefiting more ( alwathnani, 2024). incorporating multimedia materials into translation studies can promote teamwork among students, as they are encouraged to exchange ideas and opinions while developing projects that incorporate different formats. this collaborative approach enhances critical thinking and prepares students for realworld translation challenges requiring adaptability. translation as a discipline involves not only the linguistic conversion of texts but also understanding cultural nuances, context, and mental processes involved in producing equivalent meaning in other languages. translation studies has evolved beyond linguistic transfer and equivalence to consider translation as a complex process involving language, semiotics, and cultural context (zheng et al, 2023). traditional pedagogical methods for teaching translation are typically text-oriented, classroom-based, and theory-driven. however, traditional approaches often fail to provide clear visuals and contextual examples, making abstract translation concepts difficult to grasp. this has led to growing interest in using multimedia to enhance translation teaching through more engaging, multimodal representations of knowledge. multimedia technology, such as machine learning, enhances and enriches traditional pedagogical procedures, promoting innovative ways to pass on knowledge to learners (wang&na, 2023). multimedia technology in the education of undergraduate english classes facilitates the promotion of english comprehension and students' application abilities (lin, 2022). in translation class, it can be a useful tool for the expression of subtle concepts such as equivalence, contextualization, and cultural adaptation, which are the essence of translation practice (zhang et al., 2021). for example, video clips or animation sequences can be employed to present real translation contexts, enabling students to observe how translation strategies are applied. moreover, interactive multimedia elements such as quizzes, simulations, and language games can engage students actively in the learning process, making them more sensitive to the intricacies of the translation process. this trend toward multimedia integration is not only generating student interest but is also leading to enhanced awareness of the subtleties of translation, thereby better prepared students for implementation in practice. foreign language courses for translator and interpreter trainees should be more translation-oriented to better address their specific linguistic training needs before entering their subsequent courses. ( herrero, 2023). incorporating resources such as video segments, interactive modules, and webbased materials allows students to engage with translation in more active manner, eliminating the difference between educational settings and working environments and accommodating different learning styles. multimedia interactionbased cat training integrated with conventional translation training has the potential to enhance translation quality and english-speaking ability (wu, 2021). rapid development of digital technologies, however, may not necessarily translate into improved learning outcomes, particularly in fields like translation studies. although multimedia encompasses video, audio, animations, and interactive elements, it may also lead to distractions, info overload, and surfacelevel understanding of complex concepts. translation education requires intimate engagement with linguistic and cultural nuances, which may be undermined by over-reliance on multimedia materials. traditional pedagogic approaches, emphasizing written texts and theoretical frameworks, provide a systematic structure that fosters critical thinking and analytical richness. these practices allow students to engage with texts at a deeper level, enhancing an understanding of translation principles that multimedia cannot efficiently deliver. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 319 moreover, while multimedia can create engaging learning experiences, it may not cater to all learning styles. some students may benefit more from traditional methods that emphasize reading and discussion, rather than interactive multimedia that could overwhelm or disengage them. substituting the traditional "read and translate" method with a student-centered teaching approach using hands-on tasks and engaging activities can improve students' translation competence (nakhli, 2021). the assumption that multimedia inherently enhances learning overlooks the fact that effective teaching requires a careful balance of various instructional methods tailored to the needs of diverse learners. while multimedia presents opportunities for enriching translation education, it is crucial to recognize its limitations and the value of traditional teaching methods. a balanced approach that incorporates both multimedia and conventional techniques may ultimately provide a more comprehensive and effective learning experience for students in the field of translation. while multimedia presents opportunities for enriching translation education, it is crucial to recognize its limitations and the value of traditional teaching methods. traditional translation teaching focuses on the result and ignores the process, leading to dull classroom atmosphere and lack of motivation for students (meng, 2022). therefore, a balanced approach that incorporates both multimedia and conventional techniques may ultimately provide a more comprehensive and effective learning experience for students in the field of translation. the use of multimedia offers opportunities for personalized learning experiences, catering to diverse learning styles and needs (zizikova, 2021). additionally, the limited empirical research on the specific impact of multimedia in translation education raises concerns about its effectiveness. much of the existing literature focuses on general educational benefits rather than the nuances of translation, which means that claims about multimedia's advantages in this context may be premature. without robust evidence supporting its efficacy, educators should be cautious in adopting multimedia as a primary teaching tool. by addressing these considerations, we can create a more cohesive educational experience that harmonizes innovative practices with established methodologies, ultimately enriching the preparation of future translators for the complexities of their field and ensuring they are equipped with the necessary skills to thrive in an increasingly digital landscape. this approach not only enhances their technical proficiency but also cultivates critical thinking and adaptability, essential traits for success in a rapidly evolving global market. incorporating multimedia technologies into the curriculum fosters an engaging learning environment, allowing educators to tailor their teaching strategies to meet diverse student needs and preferences. despite the increasing use of multimedia in translation classrooms, there is still limited empirical research on how these tools impact students' understanding of translation concepts and enhance knowledge representation. most existing studies focus on the general benefits of multimedia in education, but there is a need for more focused research on its specific role in the translation domain. therefore, this study aims to explore the impact of multimedia on knowledge representation in translation education by examining how multimedia tools are used in the classroom, how they affect students' learning outcomes, and the ways in which they facilitate a deeper understanding of translation processes. by investigating the role and functions of multimedia in translation education, this study seeks to provide valuable insights into how multimedia can enhance the teaching of translation, support cognitive learning processes, and improve students’ overall learning experiences. ultimately, the research aims to contribute to the development of more effective teaching strategies and learning environments in the field of translation education. while the integration of multimedia in educational settings has gained traction in the 21st century, it is important to consider the potential drawbacks and limitations of this approach. method this study adopts a qualitative research design with an ethnographic approach in exploring the role and impact of multimedia on the representation of knowledge in translation education. ethnography has become a popular research framework in translation and interpreting studies, expanding scholarship and fostering internal dialogue among scholars (marin-lacarta&yu, 2023). ethnographic research in education helps develop a theoretical base for specific group's problems by analyzing detailed accounts of social phenomena and identifying meanings from the data https://answerthis.io/214166/answerthis/answer/30955f8558e4d69f#chunk_e8c373318694894e46d9c29b5c8056bbbbb76aee51df7fb6fa3070bc30a28ef7 https://answerthis.io/214166/answerthis/answer/30955f8558e4d69f#chunk_e8c373318694894e46d9c29b5c8056bbbbb76aee51df7fb6fa3070bc30a28ef7 anak agung istri yudhi pramawati, ida bagus nyoman mantra, i gde putu agus pramerta the role of multimedia in enhancing knowledge representation and learning outcomes in translation education 320 (fansury&rampeng, 2023). ethnographic methods allow for an in-depth, immersive analysis of classroom interactions, making them ideal for studying real-time student engagement with multimedia tools. ethnographic inquiry relies on observation as a primary qualitative method, emphasizing reflexivity and feasibility in documenting field research and memoing (reeves et al., 2022). this was done to capture the natural dynamics of classroom use of multimedia and gain an in-depth picture of the experience, behavior, and attitude of learners and tutors. data were collected on the basis of classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and examination of the multimedia material used in the teaching of translation principles. this multi-method approach provides a comprehensive analysis of how multimedia is integrated into translator training and its effects on students' knowledge representation. the study was conducted among students in the fourth semester of courses in translation, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar. participants consisted of 54 students enrolled for the courses and two lecturers with expertise in translation and instruction supported by multimedia. purposive sampling was employed to include participants with adequate experience and exposure to instruction supported by multimedia. this sample was selected to ensure a diverse range of perspectives on multimedia's role in translation education. six classroom observations were conducted over a semester to examine multimedia integration (videos, animations, infographics) and its impact on teacher-student interactions and student engagement. field notes and an observation template were used to record qualitative findings and classroom atmosphere. semi-structured interviews with lecturers and students were used to collect information on their views on multimedia application. lecturers were asked about their teaching objectives, the multimedia tools they found most effective, and the challenges they faced in implementing them. the evidence was analyzed by thematic analysis. observation data and field notes were coded for patterns of multimedia use and its impact on classroom dynamics, interview transcripts were analyzed to extract emerging themes and participant perceptions, and the multimedia materials were analyzed by content analysis to ascertain how they facilitated the representation of translation concepts. results and discussion observations revealed that multimedia tools effectively enhanced students' understanding of translation concepts by providing clear, structured visual representations .animated videos were utilized to visually demonstrate complex ideas such as equivalence in translation, domestication and foreignization, translation method, and translation shift, providing clear examples to facilitate understanding. students reported increased engagement and improved comprehension of abstract translation techniques through these multimedia tools. courtesy: https://youtu.be/oi_tkwcegeq?list=plpn6lnbmcr 0j20z7pkutqgqxr1sjunih5 furthermore, the potential for digital divides, particularly in terms of access to technology and digital literacy, necessitates careful consideration of equity and inclusivity in the design and implementation of multimedia-enhanced translation courses (devkota, 2021). however, the choice of specific multimedia tools should be guided by pedagogical considerations, rather than solely driven by technological advancements (ross, 2020). observations revealed that animated videos were used to clearly demonstrate some of the major translation concepts. the video visualized the steps involved in translation analysis and showed how some of the most common strategies, such as literal and free translation, were applied. comparisons between source and target text were presented to show how meaning and cultural nuances are preserved or adapted. the same was done with animations regarding real-world translation scenarios to make clear the equivalence, domestication, and foreignization strategies. videos can be viewed to lighten up even the most complex topics for the material to be digested through the learning process by students. additionaly, observations also showed that the animated videos included the use of pauses to https://answerthis.io/214166/answerthis/answer/30955f8558e4d69f#chunk_92b75edbb33e889e121c08634504fb4acddeb32f9e41c5c820a36da11acbfc35 https://answerthis.io/214166/answerthis/answer/30955f8558e4d69f#chunk_558b07b1142a4d16c188192844b59e8e491b3df53e28813cca8d96c3a38ae932 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 321 let the students reflect on translation choices; subtitled key terms and strategies on the screen. in each video, the lecturer stops the video at set intervals and organizes discussions among the group regarding questions asked by the students. the videos therefore encompassed real settings of translation, comparison between the source and target text, and visualization of translation strategies like equivalence, domestication, and foreignization. animated videos in education facilitate easier comprehension of narrative texts, capture students' attention, and foster their enthusiasm during the learning process (mardiana&theriana, 2023). the results of the study also indicated that lecturers effectively used infographics to illustrate step-by-step translation processes, presenting a structured view of stages that included text analysis, strategy selection, and final editing. videos and infographics were integrated into the teaching sessions without problems, thus making the materials accessible and attractive for students. these tools bridged theoretical knowledge and practical application very well, enhancing learning about translation studies altogether. the results of this study indicate that the use of infographics in translation learning significantly enhances student motivation, critical thinking, analytical ability, logical reasoning, and collaborative learning. students engaged with infographic-based learning materials demonstrated a higher level of engagement and comprehension compared to those using traditional text-based resources. in the context of translation studies, the integration of infographics proved particularly beneficial in developing students’ ability to analyze source texts, identify key terminological and structural patterns, and make informed translation decisions. furthermore, the collaborative nature of working with infographics supported students in discussing and resolving translation challenges, fostering an environment of peer learning and collective problem-solving. these findings suggest that incorporating infographics into translation pedagogy can be an effective strategy for enhancing both conceptual understanding and practical translation skills. further observations revealed that the students had clear visual presentations of translation strategies, including domestication, foreignization, and equivalence. infographics presenting steps to reach a desirable outcome, such as identifying linguistic structure, analysing cultural nuance, and choosing appropriate translation methods, were included. additionally, the results of different translation outcomes were compared, using infographics to show the difference in accuracy and style. it was also observed that the lecturers used these materials consistently throughout the classes as a complement to other multimedia in order to show key translation concepts in a successive and structured sequence. the findings also revealed that lecturers effectively used gamified translation apps in their teaching to enhance student engagement and translation skill development. specifically, duolingo was used by lecturers to provide students with interactive translation exercises that allowed them to practice translation tasks through progressively challenging activities. the gamified features of the app, such as points and levels, were found to motivate students and make them practice consistently. other than that, lecturers also introduced fluentu for the purpose of surrounding the students with real video material-fragments of movies and interviews that afterwards would have to be translated by students. interactive subtitles and contextual quizzes included in this platform allowed the students to practice translation forthwith, while focusing both on linguistic accuracy and cultural aspects at the same time. these multimedia tools, according to the lecturers in the study, play a major role in making translation learning more interesting and effective. the use of fluentu then exposed the students to real-life video materials that gave them a glimpse into authentic language contexts. students would then go on to work with this material by translating specific segments, matching their translations against linguistic and cultural features with the help of interactive subtitles. contextual quizzes embedded in the platform were used to reinforce vocabulary and grammatical structures learned by students. the lecturers used these features in the instruction to guide students in identifying appropriate translation strategies to solve problems of cultural adaptation and contextual meaning. the innovative model of translation teaching for college students with multimedia backgrounds achieves over 97% correct translation rates, making it more practical and efficient than traditional methods (li, 2023). it also aligns with andriani et al (2023) that multimedia integration in translation courses anak agung istri yudhi pramawati, ida bagus nyoman mantra, i gde putu agus pramerta the role of multimedia in enhancing knowledge representation and learning outcomes in translation education 322 has a moderate acceptance rating, enhancing student confidence, enjoyment, and efficiency in learning. unlike traditional language instruction, which often relies on static texts and rote memorization, multimedia-based learning environments leverage audio-visual input and interactive experiences to provide learners with dynamic, engaging, and meaningful exposure to the target language. multimedia tools in language teaching enhance teaching quality and provide entertainment, language authenticity, and motivation, making learning more enjoyable and satisfying for all learners (barbulet, 2023). integrating multimodal adaptation into translator training enhances the creative potential and intersemiotic dimension of translation, benefiting both translators and the multimedia age (saglam, 2024). multimedia-assisted teaching improves student performance by 9.8% and enhances intercultural communic (zheng&lei, 2023). the findings suggest that engaging with multimedia content not only strengthens linguistic competence but also fosters multimodal literacy, which is essential for translators working in the digital era. moreover, students reported a heightened awareness of how meaning is constructed and conveyed through a combination of verbal, visual, and auditory elements, highlighting the relevance of multimodal adaptation in contemporary translation practice. the application of animated videos in translation studies has emerged as an effective pedagogical tool, offering visual assistance that explains challenging linguistic concepts. research has consistently highlighted the role of multimedia in bridging theoretical knowledge and practice, particularly in translation studies. the use of animated videos in translation studies is in line with previous studies that emphasized the importance of multimedia in enhancing conceptual knowledge. studies have shown that learning based on visual cues improves retention of knowledge and cognitive processing, particularly in complicated subjects such as translation (zhang et al., 2021). using animated representations of translation strategies, the videos within this study provided learners with contextualized learning moments where students were able to observe how linguistic choices influence meaning transfer across languages. this corroborates wang (2023), who hypothesized that animated instructional materials promote engagement and facilitate critical thinking in translation studies. current studies have further attested to the utilization of interactive pauses and synchronized visual-textual cues in facilitating multimedia learning. for instance, sherr (2019) demonstrated that the addition of strategic pause points to instructional videos makes learners more prone to reflective processes, hence enhancing their learning of translation methodologies. similarly, kim et al. (2024) established that incorporating interactive multimedia training sessions into video lectures increases active learning and retention of acquired content. in regard to on-screen text, hu et al. (2014) proposed that subtitles close to the speaker, rather than at the bottom of the screen, reduces cognitive load but enhances comprehension by minimizing the requirement for regular eye movement. these findings align with the principles outlined by wu (2021) and lin (2022), emphasizing that strategic pauses and well-designed visual aids are critical in optimizing cognitive processing and learning outcomes in multimedia educational contexts. besides, the demonstration of real-life translation situations through animation depicted research by meng (2022), which revealed that students learn better through contextualized translation practice rather than theoretical abstract explanations. the demonstration of equivalence, domestication, and foreignization strategies through these videos helped students to better notice differing translation approaches and their implications in actual translation processes. it aligns with previous research which found that animated videos significantly improve students' vocabulary mastery, making english learning more productive and enjoyable (ridha et al, 2022). follow-up class discussion after watching videos is consistent with the constructivist pedagogical model where learning is encouraged through social construction (prieto velasco et al., 2021). the use of students' application for analysis in groups has been shown to enhance greater understanding and critical debate with theories of translation, particularly where organized multimedia is used as the facilitation tool (xiao, 2024). the collaborative nature of the discussions observed in this research is consistent with comparable findings from multimedia translation courses where the participation of students in collaborative video analysis improved their translation decisionmaking (wang, 2023). pre-training on textpicture processing strategies improves students' english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 323 recall and transfer test performance, with verbal training being more effective (leng et al, 2023). in general, these results indicate that animated videos, when applied in conjunction with strategic pausing, textual support, and guided discussion, are an effective teaching strategy for translation education. nevertheless, as zhang et al. (2021) note, an overdependence on multimedia could overwhelm more conventional text-based learning strategies, necessitating a balanced solution that includes both multimedia tools and theoretical teaching in order to optimize student learning achievement. the use of infographics in teaching translation aligns with research that places much emphasis on the role of visual representation in facilitating complex learning processes. systematic visual materials have been proven to improve the comprehension and recollection of vital concepts among students, especially for disciplines that incorporate analytical reasoning and procedural knowledge, such as the study of translation (prieto velasco et al., 2021). step-bystep explanation of the processes that are undertaken in translation by the researcher supports zhang et al. (2021)'s findings, where it is theorized that infographics assist students by structuring information step-by-step to clarify abstract theory in more simplified terms. it is also supported by jaleniauskiene & kasperiūnienė (2023) which state that infographics in education promote active learning, engage learners in creating diverse learning artefacts, and enhance personal and career readiness skills. infographic illustration of translation approaches, including domestication, foreignization, and equivalence, is consistent with findings by lin (2022), which indicated that students' ability to differentiate among translation methods is enhanced by graphic-oriented learning materials that highlight their applications graphically. furthermore, a study conducted by wu (2021) demonstrated that visual contrast of the different translation outcomes, as reported in the present study, provides instant feedback on accuracy and stylistic variations, thus enhancing learners' decision-making ability in translation. the findings of this study align with previous research emphasizing the role of infographics as visual learning strategy. infographics in education motivate students, enhance critical thinking, analytical ability, logical reasoning, and collaborative learning (sobhana, 2023). in the field of translation studies, the ability to process information efficiently is crucial, as translators must navigate between linguistic structures, cultural references, and textual coherence. infographics provide a visual representation of linguistic and conceptual relationships, helping students grasp complex translation theories, compare syntactic and semantic differences across languages, and organize their thoughts systematically. infographics improve the perception of educational content and reduce language barriers in the educational process (tarkhova et al, 2020). results that lecturers employed infographics routinely during the course also support best practices in blended learning environments, where the incorporation of multimedia and organized visuals enhances conceptual understanding (wang, 2023). the sequential and organized application of infographics also supports meng's (2022) study that identifies increasingly layered visual teaching enables learners to internalize translation workflows more effectively than conventional text-based explanation on its own. moreover, studies have emphasized the importance of multimedia complementarity in learning so that combining infographics with videos and interactive features is most effective and conducive to learning objectives (xiao, 2024). this also aligns with the findings of this study, whereby infographics were not only standalone pedagogic tools but also complementary materials to enhance the effectiveness of other multimedia elements used in translation teaching. these findings indicate that the use of infographics as an educational medium in translation training assists in systematic, step-bystep learning, bridging the distance between theory and application. however, as zhang et al. (2021) caution, over-reliance on visual aids without extensive discussion can limit critical examination of translation theories, necessitating balanced training involving both visual aids and discussional analysis. infographics can be powerful educational tools when addressed challenges and utilizing emerging technologies, but require development guidelines and best practices for successful creation and development (bhat&alyahya, 2024). using infographics in education motivates students to become active participants, develop critical thinking, analytical ability, and collaborative learning, ultimately leading to academic success. anak agung istri yudhi pramawati, ida bagus nyoman mantra, i gde putu agus pramerta the role of multimedia in enhancing knowledge representation and learning outcomes in translation education 324 the use of gamified translation apps was also an effective multimedia use in translation learning. gamification in education leads to better academic performance in digital literacy (alnuaim, 2024). the integration of gamification in educational settings has been demonstrated to result in enhanced academic performance in the domain of digital literacy. a key factor for successfully implementing gamified learning platforms is making students interact with the system from multiple digital platforms (gonzales, 2023). the implementation of gamified learning platforms is contingent on the successful integration of multiple digital interfaces, thereby facilitating student interaction. gamified project-based learning enhances students' learning outcomes, especially learning experience and motivation (huang et al, 2023). apps like duolingo provided learners with interactive translation exercises, offering a gamified learning experience for users that motivated them to practice through short, engaging activities. these activities asked students to translate phrases and sentences with growing difficulty. the app's design, along with its rewarding system of points and levels, was demonstrated to significantly enhance student engagement and retention, especially for beginners (vesselinov & grego, 2012). similarly, fluentu utilized real-world videos to expose students to authentic language contexts so that it becomes easier for them to translate as well as understand cultural nuances. with interactive subtitles and contextual quizzes, students were able to practice translation in real time, linking linguistic form to cultural meaning. this combination of real-world content and interactive features was shown to be particularly valuable in developing both language ability and contextual awareness in translation studies (zhou, 2017). recent research has ever more emphasized gamification's impact on language acquisition, especially learner motivation, engagement, and lasting memory (wang, 2023). gamified learning systems have proven to increase the ability of learners to apply linguistic skills to authentic translation practice exercises, especially where complemented with interactive multimedia systems (lin, 2022). in addition, the provision of instant feedback loops in apps like duolingo is consistent with studies by wu (2021), who proved that real-time corrective feedback enhances the quality of translation and facilitates self-directed learning. further, meng (2022) envisioned gamified learning environments as being at the heart of reducing anxiety in translation, whereby students feel at ease to engage in the practice of translation in a safe, immersive environment before dedicating themselves to more challenging, high-stakes translation tasks. other studies have also identified the cognitive benefits of gamification for translation teaching. hassan et al. (2023) have contended that gamified translation exercises initiate higherorder thinking skills, forcing learners to analyze, synthesize, and apply translation strategies rather than simply passively memorize vocabulary and grammatical rules. besides, kim & kim (2023) found that the reward-based and competitive nature of gamified learning environments led to greater student participation as well as enhanced knowledge retention. the finding corroborated yang et al. (2022), who demonstrated that students who employed gamified translation platforms had improved accuracy and fluency compared to students who received traditional instructions alone. gamified grammar instruction improved students' experiences, motivation, enjoyment, and engagement while reducing anxiety, leading to better learning outcomes compared to traditional methods (waluyo et al, 2023). thus, gamified learning is crucial in translation studies. gamification in educational settings has an overall significant large effect on student motivation, engagement, interest, and learning outcomes (li&shi, 2023). one possible explanation for the strong impact of gamification is its ability to create a more dynamic and interactive learning environment. unlike traditional instructional methods, gamification leverages psychological principles such as competition, achievement, and immediate feedback, which have been shown to enhance motivation and sustain engagement over time. the large effect size observed in this research suggests that incorporating game-based elements, such as rewards, challenges, leaderboards, and interactive tasks, enhances students' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. this is particularly relevant in contemporary educational contexts, where maintaining student attention and fostering deep learning are ongoing challenges. this aligns with previous research which stated that students' selfefficacy and enjoyment in gamification significantly influence academic engagement in the classroom (latiff et al, 2024). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 325 the integration of gamified learning tools can complement traditional pedagogy with a fun and experiential way of learning translation. gamified learning experiences significantly improve online learning effectiveness, with motivation-based subjectivity having the greatest impact (cui et al, 2024). however, as zhang et al. (2021) caution, gamification should be applied in conjunction with structured pedagogical practices to ensure that learners gain both technical and analytical translation skills, rather than game-related passion. similarly, chung (2023) warns that excessive dependence on gamified tools without proper scaffolding may lead to superficial learning, with students focusing on rewards rather than internalizing translation competence. for this reason, a balanced pedagogical model that weaves together gamified learning and analytical exercises with teacher facilitation is needed for its fullest potential in translation learning. these findings suggest that the integration of gamified learning tools can complement traditional teaching methods by providing an engaging and practical way to learn translation. conclusion this study has explored the impact of multimedia on translation knowledge representation in learning, specifically how various multimedia tools facilitate learning outcomes. the findings suggest that animated videos, infographics, and gamified translation apps are effective instructional tools for translation education. animated videos assisted learners in comprehending complex translation concepts by presenting translation strategies, textual analysis, and cultural adaptation techniques. infographics provided step-by-step, formatted representations of translation processes, enhancing retention and organization of basic principles. additionally, gamified translation programs like duolingo and fluentu encouraged students to actively participate in translation exercises, enhancing engagement, motivation, and skill development. the study also found that an integrated approach of multimedia with traditional teaching methods is necessary to achieve optimum learning. though multimedia increases interest and facilitates visualization, over-reliance on the tools creates cognitive overload, diminished critical analysis, and superficial learning. therefore, a pedagogical structure that harmonizes multimedia features with text-based, discussion-based approaches is recommended to ensure optimum meticulous knowledge acquisition and critical inquiry into translation theories. moreover, the research underlines the need for further empirical research on the long-term effects of multimedia integration on translation studies. the future research should measure translation skills' improvement, assess students' retention of translation solutions, and verify the adaptability of multimedia tools in diverse instructional settings. challenges of implementing gamified learning include aligning gamified elements with learning objectives and enhancing design elements (gejandran&abdullah, 2024). with the completion of the aforementioned areas, instructors and researchers can develop better multimedia-based translation pedagogies that maximize the learning process and professional expertise of students, respectively. finally, the application of multimedia in translation teaching holds considerable potential for innovation. implemented carefully, these technologies can connect theoretical learning and practical use, enhance students' analytical and problem-solving skills, and acclimatize them to the dynamic nature of the translation profession. acknowledgement the researcher would like to thank mahasaraswati university denpasar, especially the faculty of teacher training and education, where this research was conducted, for the opportunity and time support provided. thanks are also addressed to the 6th-semester students of the english language education study program who participated as subjects in this research. references alnuaim, a. (2024). the impact and acceptance of gamification by learners in a digital literacy course at the undergraduate level: randomized controlled trial. jmir serious games, 12. https://doi.org/10.2196/52017. alwathnani, d., mahdi, h., & alotaibi, h. (2024). does translation technology affect translators' performance? a meta-analysis. journal of language teaching and research. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1505.35. andriani, r., herdi, h., & kasriyati, d. (2023). multimedia in translation class: a technology acceptance model. journal of english culture, language, literature and education. https://doi.org/10.53682/eclue.v11i2.7735. barbulet, g. (2023). the use of multimedia in language teaching. swedish journal of https://doi.org/10.2196/52017 https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1505.35 https://doi.org/10.53682/eclue.v11i2.7735 anak agung istri yudhi pramawati, ida bagus nyoman mantra, i gde putu agus pramerta the role of multimedia in enhancing knowledge representation and learning outcomes in translation education 326 romanian studies. https://doi.org/10.35824/sjrs.v6i1.24967. bhat, s., & alyahya, s. (2024). infographics in educational settings: a literature review. ieee access, 12, 1633-1649. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2023.334808 3. chung, h. (2023). the pitfalls of gamification in language learning: a critical review. journal of second language learning research, 39(4), 210-229. https://doi.org/10.1080/jsllr.2023.1402 cspedes, b. r. d. (2019). translator education at a crossroads: the impact of automation. lebende sprachen. https://doi.org/10.1515/les-20190005. cui, x., du, c., shen, j., zhang, s., & xu, j. (2024). impact of gamified learning experience on online learning effectiveness. ieee transactions on learning technologies, 17, 2130-2139. https://doi.org/10.1109/tlt.2024.3462892. devkota, k. r. (2021). inequalities reinforced through online and distance education in the age of covid-19: the case of higher education in nepal. springer science business media. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-021-09886-x fiorella, l., & mayer, r. e. (2016). role of instructor presence in video learning. waterloo centre for teaching excellence. retrieved from https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teachingexcellence/catalogs/tip-sheets/transitioningonline-lectures. gejandran, p., & abdullah, n. (2024). gamification in e-learning: a systematic review of benefits, challenges, and future possibilities. journal of logistics, informatics and service science. https://doi.org/10.33168/jliss.2024.0206. gonzález-gonzález, c., muñoz-cruz, v., toledo, p., & nacimiento-garcía, e. (2023). personalized gamification for learning: a reactive chatbot architecture proposal. sensors (basel, switzerland), 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23010545. guo, p. j., kim, j., & rubin, r. (2014). how video production affects student engagement: an empirical study of mooc videos. proceedings of the first acm conference on learning@ scale conference, 41–50. https://doi.org/10.1145/2556325.2566239 hassan, r., wang, t., & alharbi, a. (2023). gamification in translator training: enhancing learning outcomes through interactive tasks. journal of translation studies, 25(2), 150-168. https://doi.org/10.1080/translation.2023.1065. fansury, a., & rampeng, r. (2023). ethnography research in educational: a literature review. teaching english as a foreign language overseas journal. https://doi.org/10.47178/teflo.v11i2.2120. herrero, e. (2023). training prospective translators and interpreters in foreign languages: an exploratory study. the interpreter and translator trainer, 17, 531 547. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750399x.2023.22070 62. huang, w., li, x., & shang, j. (2023). gamified project-based learning: a systematic review of the research landscape. sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15020940. jaleniauskiene, e., & kasperiūnienė, j. (2023). infographics in higher education: a scoping review. e-learning and digital media, 20, 191 206. https://doi.org/10.1177/20427530221107774. kim, j., & kim, s. (2023). exploring the impact of gamified learning on translation proficiency: a study on university students. applied linguistics journal, 44(1), 78-95. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amu001 latiff, d., latif, a., zambri, w., & kamal, s. (2024). students’ self-efficacy and enjoyment in gamification influence academic engagement in classroom a study among undergraduate students. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v14-i6/21735. leng, x., wang, f., mayer, r., & zhao, t. (2023). how to train students to engage in text-picture integration for multimedia lessons. br. j. educ. technol., 55, 1167-1188. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13419. li, d. (2023). research on innovation of translation teaching and translation strategies for college students in multimedia background. applied mathematics and nonlinear sciences, 9. https://doi.org/10.2478/amns.2023.1.00087. li, m., , s., & shi, y. (2023). examining the effectiveness of gamification as a tool promoting teaching and learning in educational settings: a meta-analysis. frontiers in psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1253549. lin, r. (2022). undergraduate english translation teaching based on multimedia technology. frontiers in educational research. https://doi.org/10.25236/fer.2022.050303. mardiana, r., & theriana, a. (2023). interactive animation to increase the students' reading comprehension. esteem journal of english education study programme. https://doi.org/10.31851/esteem.v6i2.12333. marin-lacarta, m., & yu, c. (2023). ethnographic research in translation and interpreting studies. the translator, 29, 147 156. https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2023.223329 1. https://doi.org/10.35824/sjrs.v6i1.24967 https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2023.3348083 https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2023.3348083 https://doi.org/10.1080/jsllr.2023.1402 https://doi.org/10.1515/les-2019-0005 https://doi.org/10.1515/les-2019-0005 https://doi.org/10.1109/tlt.2024.3462892 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-021-09886-x https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/catalogs/tip-sheets/transitioning-online-lectures https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/catalogs/tip-sheets/transitioning-online-lectures https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/catalogs/tip-sheets/transitioning-online-lectures https://doi.org/10.33168/jliss.2024.0206 https://doi.org/10.3390/s23010545 https://doi.org/10.1145/2556325.2566239 https://doi.org/10.1080/translation.2023.1065 https://doi.org/10.47178/teflo.v11i2.2120 https://doi.org/10.1080/1750399x.2023.2207062 https://doi.org/10.1080/1750399x.2023.2207062 https://doi.org/10.3390/su15020940 https://doi.org/10.1177/20427530221107774 https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amu001 https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v14-i6/21735 https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13419 https://doi.org/10.2478/amns.2023.1.00087 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1253549 https://doi.org/10.25236/fer.2022.050303 https://doi.org/10.31851/esteem.v6i2.12333 https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2023.2233291 https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2023.2233291 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 327 nakhli, h. (2021). developing students’ translation competence: the role of tasks and teaching activities. international journal of linguistics, literature and translation. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2021.4.11.13. meng, j. (2022). english translation ability for cultivation mode based on multimodal auxiliary scaffolding teaching method. computational intelligence and neuroscience, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/3556703. prieto velasco, j. a., tercedor sánchez, m. i., & lópez rodríguez, c. i. (2021). using multimedia materials in the teaching of scientific and technical translation.linguistica antverpiensia, new series – themes in translation studies. https://doi.org/10.52034/lanstts.v6i.183 reeves, s., peller, j., goldman, j., & kitto, s. (2013). ethnography in qualitative educational research: amee guide no. 80. medical teacher, 35(8), e1365–e1379. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159x.2013.80497 7. ridha, s., bostanci, h., & kurt, m. (2022). using animated videos to enhance vocabulary learning at the noble private technical institute (npti) in northern iraq/erbil. sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127002. ross, c., pescitelli, m., smith, h. f., & williams, j. m. (2020). teaching anatomy with dissection in the time of covid19 is essential and possible. clinical anatomy (new york, n.y. print). https://doi.org/10.1002/ca.23640. sağlam, n. (2024). integrating multimodal adaptation into translator training: a theoretical rationale. fırat üniversitesi sosyal bilimler dergisi. https://doi.org/10.18069/firatsbed.1503623. sherr, s. (2020). “pause points”: a clip from sara sherr’s (online) classroom. teach like a champion. retrieved from https://teachlikeachampion.org/blog/pausepoints-a-clip-from-sara-sherrs-onlineclassroom/. sobhana, n. (2023). harnessing the power of infographics in education. advances in social sciences research journal. https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.106.14988. st. andré, j. (2023). implications of computer code translation for translation studies. translation studies, 16, 195 211. https://doi.org/10.1080/14781700.2023.220541 8. tarkhova, l., tarkhov, s., nafikov, m., akhmetyanov, i., gusev, d., & akhmarov, r. (2020). infographics and their application in the educational process. int. j. emerg. technol. learn., 15, 63-80. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i13.14647. velasco, j., sánchez, m., & rodríguez, c. (2021). using multimedia materials in the teaching of scientific and technical translation. linguistica antverpiensia, new series – themes in translation studies. https://doi.org/10.52034/lanstts.v6i.183. waluyo, b., phanrangsee, s., & whanchit, w. (2023). gamified grammar learning in online english courses in thai higher education. online journal of communication and media technologies. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/13752. wang, z. (2023, march 30). multimedia technology based interactive translation learning for students.acm transactions on asian and lowresource language information processing. https://doi.org/10.1145/3588569 wu, h. (2021). multimedia interaction-based computer-aided translation technology in applied english teaching. mob. inf. syst., 2021, 5578476:1-5578476:10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5578476. yang, x., zhang, h., & li, y. (2022). effects of gamification on translation skill development: a quantitative study. educational technology & society, 25(3), 45-61. https://doi.org/10.1109/eduts.2022.1043 zhang, s., ji, h., sun, p., & peng, s. (2021). study on solutions to problems in the application of multimedia in translation teaching.computer applications in engineering education. https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.22213 xiao, g. (2024).multimedia integration in the teaching of ancient chinese literature translation. https://doi.org/10.3233/atde231400 zheng, b., tyulenev, s., & marais, k. (2023). introduction: (re-)conceptualizing translation in translation studies. translation studies, 16, 167 177. https://doi.org/10.1080/14781700.2023.220757 7. zheng, s., & lei, h. (2023). the innovation and application of computer multimedia-assisted teaching methods in college english teaching. applied mathematics and nonlinear sciences, 9. https://doi.org/10.2478/amns.2023.2.00240. zizikova, s. i. (2021). transformation of education in the context of digitalization. none. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2021.04.02.128 https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2021.4.11.13 https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/3556703 https://doi.org/10.52034/lanstts.v6i.183 https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159x.2013.804977 https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159x.2013.804977 https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127002 https://doi.org/10.1002/ca.23640 https://doi.org/10.18069/firatsbed.1503623 https://teachlikeachampion.org/blog/pause-points-a-clip-from-sara-sherrs-online-classroom/ https://teachlikeachampion.org/blog/pause-points-a-clip-from-sara-sherrs-online-classroom/ https://teachlikeachampion.org/blog/pause-points-a-clip-from-sara-sherrs-online-classroom/ https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.106.14988 https://doi.org/10.1080/14781700.2023.2205418 https://doi.org/10.1080/14781700.2023.2205418 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i13.14647 https://doi.org/10.52034/lanstts.v6i.183 https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/13752 https://doi.org/10.1145/3588569 https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5578476 https://doi.org/10.1109/eduts.2022.1043 https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.22213 https://doi.org/10.3233/atde231400 https://doi.org/10.1080/14781700.2023.2207577 https://doi.org/10.1080/14781700.2023.2207577 https://doi.org/10.2478/amns.2023.2.00240 https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2021.04.02.128 anak agung istri yudhi pramawati, ida bagus nyoman mantra, i gde putu agus pramerta the role of multimedia in enhancing knowledge representation and learning outcomes in translation education 328 template-jpfi english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 641 promoting student teachers' teaching practicum within designated speaking class didik rinan sumekto english education department, directorate of graduate in education, universitas sarjanawiyata tamansiswa, indonesia email: didikrinan@ustjogja.ac.id apa citation: sumekto, s. r. (2023). promoting student teachers' teaching practicum within designated speaking class. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 641-656. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8587 received: 27-06-2023 accepted: 28-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: this study aims at promoting undergraduate student teachers’ teaching practicum that highlights the pedagogical and teaching performance within the designated speaking class. four senior student teachers participated in five weeks’ teaching practicum through the purposive sampling selection. the method of this study used observation, questionnaire, and teaching practicum documents to facilitate the qualitative analysis in relevance with student teachers’ teaching files, running-methods course, and classroom observations. the core practices of probing pedagogical activities engaged student teachers in intrinsic discussions explicitly and implicitly. the substantial pedagogical matters and their sub-matters were experientially derived from the relevant practicality into the common sense of instruction criteria on planning, implementation, and reflection stages. the discussion substance highlighted daily speaking performance in vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency, and content among freshmen and sophomores. this study recommends student teachers improve their theoretical and practical teaching methods by accommodating enumeration and sensemaking classroom discussion. keywords: intrinsic discussion; pedagogical skills; teaching practicum. introduction during the epochal years of the covid-19 pandemic spreads, the teaching and learning programs conditionally change from face-to-face learning to multiple online learning platforms. the instructions ascertain student teachers to adapt their new learning and teaching platforms which have never considered before. recently, teachers’ agency notions are accustomed to portraying their participative attempts in teaching professional creation since english teachers are responsible for their multifaceted jobs sequentially (ekşi et al., 2019) and equipped with the fundamental knowledge, skills, and behaviors for their profession (aydın & ok, 2019). as a matter of teachers’ professionalism, teaching practicum stands for the key determinant of student teachers’ education as supported by the fundamental theory, methodology, and best practice to serve student teachers with genuine and practical proficiency for teaching practices, applying curriculum contents and knowledge development (kim, 2020), besides minimizing the abrupted closure from curriculum and teaching practicum methodology, and creating assessment steps for student teachers (moyo, 2020). teaching practicum becomes an important attribution in the teacher training curriculum, although its implementation flexibility shows alteration. some flexibilities and various feedback and evaluation durations empirically lead to changeability (krammer et al., 2019) in years. the educational reform holds teachers to be more accountable for students’ learning cognitively and affectively (radwan & ghavifekr, 2021; sumekto et al., 2021) since schools’ education system involves students, teachers, and learning circumstances’ interplay (yungwei, 2016). teaching practicum becomes one of practically core courses in the faculty of teaching training and education in indonesian universities. student teachers’ teaching agenda at the institute of teachers’ education, so-called by lembaga pendidikan dan tenaga kependidikan (lptk) in indonesia, is designed to be a well-structured program to establish teachers’ professional and pedagogical opportunities within the relevant subject matters and its applicability in the real teaching professionalism at schools. the practicum intercalates with scheduled and congested weeks of teaching practicum at schools, where student teachers apply theories to practices with at least one experienced teacher’s supervision (maaranen & stenberg, 2017). this deals with the instruction-integrated learning that emphasizes a period of teaching services relevant mailto:didikrinan@ustjogja.ac.id https://www.tandfonline.com/author/yang%c4%b1n+ek%c5%9fi%2c+gonca didik rinan sumekto promoting student teachers’ teaching practicum within designated speaking class 642 in-service training agenda. they will be engaged in-class activities, starting from applying and integrating practical methodology and theoretical knowledge to working with the class registers, students’ books, and worksheets reviews, attending teachers’ meetings, and assisting with extra-mural activities (sormunen, juuti, & lavonen, 2020), that become the key factors on student learning successes. student teachers are highly motivated to fulfill affordable teaching practices for students’ best learning experience (aglazor, 2017), where their teaching qualifications undertake both academic contribution and school-based experience practically (maaranen & stenberg, 2017). student teachers’ self-efficacy will support their capabilities of teaching practice, determining motivation, and achieving significant academic (de la fuente et al., 2017) with written and oral feedback as part of an evaluation. reviewing students’ progress and identifying shortcomings and suggestions for overcoming anxieties, and understanding non-verbal languages (sumekto & setyawati, 2020) will accordingly accentuate their teaching performance based on strategies and approaches. student teachers’ attitudes and behaviors will also be supervised through the systematic guidelines (sormunen et al., 2020), in terms of contextualizing classroom challenges in an intensive and fair climate to connect with all student teachers’ teaching necessities (yu et al., 2018). for example, student teachers need to create a learning atmosphere that stimulates logical and critical thinking, question-asking, and efficient knowledge development through the learning processes and outputs, self-reflection, mutual communication, persuasion and decisionmaking, teamwork, and task distribution (alles et al., 2019). hence, their teaching professionalism theoretically and practically can be well-prepared (tsybulsky & muchnik-rozanov, 2019). although student teachers’ obstacles also happen in day-to-day teaching practicum. in a few cases, student teachers are not confident with their teaching competence and have limited supervision from the assigned teachers during handling teaching practicum. student teachers’ difficulties indicate slow learning participation, passive and non-cooperative, improper attitudes with various characteristics, less motivation, ineffective teaching guidance, irrational teaching hours, and over teaching materials designed and delivered (barnes et al., 2018). they are used to being nervous and uncomfortable before teaching practicum since lacking self-confidence, showing difficult ways in engaging students with the existing school management (lennon et al., 2018), and facing the absorbed students’ noise and silence for nothing (wang et al., 2020). although in the same condition, student teachers attempt at emphasizing the constructivist ideas from which students may create knowledge and learning experience (jawarneh, 2017), following etiquette, honesty, peer-to-peer positive reinforcement, and guidance (olivares & castillo, 2018). this condition constructively aligns independent teaching practicum linking to the theories and practices, discussion with tensions, collaborations, and teaching reflections (perry et al., 2020). some studies identified the significance of student teachers’ roles and experiences. student teachers’ educational and scientific literacy had made significant changes and enhanced communication and interpersonal skills (ahmad et al., 2019), they incorporated relationships into a constructive learning circumstance by inspiring students’ hearts and minds on the educational interactions and experiences (pourhaji, 2020), as well as showing a positive attitude toward their reflective practices (riyanti, 2020). teaching practicum affected student-centered learning and improved the learning quality through the constructivist learning creation, which meant to be more flexible learning, engaged students in learning processes, and reinforced social interaction and collaboration (anagün, 2018). this constructivist learning engaged students’ activity, dialogue, and joint-thinking about learning processes (machumu et al., 2018). next, the language tasks component stimulated student teachers and students’ intrinsic motivations, progressed communications, and strengthen students’ language skills (babaii et al., 2020). student teachers’ strategies moved to their holistic and comprehensive outputs (perry et al., 2020) relating to teaching practicum, which enlightened lesson plans, cognitive activation, and classroom management (becker et al., 2019). then, student teachers’ competencies refined their critical attempts to conceptualize the valuable instructional works (reisman et al., 2019) with the relevant evaluation of constructive feedback, authenticity, role in students’ positions, discipline, and classroom management (ekşi et al., 2019) towards available experience from micro-teaching sessions, and pedagogical method courses (boz et al., 2019). they might predominantly manipulate reactive behavioral strategies, whereas they effectively engaged proactively cognitive and https://www.tandfonline.com/author/yang%c4%b1n+ek%c5%9fi%2c+gonca english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 643 behavioral strategies in harmonizing teaching practicum stimulation (heikonen et al., 2017). this study comprehends the existing problems and resumes the previous studies with two research questions (rqs) to highlight the promotion efforts on alternative english teaching practicum from student teachers’ experience, as follows: (1) how do student teachers derive their teaching practicum experience in both face-toface and online teaching? (2) how do student teachers earn opportunities for their pedagogical skills and personal qualifications acquisition after completing the teaching practicum program? method this study was designed with qualitative research and conducted for a five-week teaching practicum involving senior undergraduate level from the english education program at a private university, klaten, indonesia. four participants (2 females and 2 males) were engaged in a teaching practicum program in the 2020 to 2021 academic year and they had no prior formal teaching experience so far. the teaching practicum involved relationships between knowledgeable subjects with pedagogical skills relevance, student teachers’ capacity and alliances with students, and student teachers’ tasks and responsibilities (zhu, 2017; agudo & azzaro, 2018). this teaching practicum was undertaken at the english education program since student teachers did not have any permission to teach at the entire schools in the klaten district due to the release of collective decisions from four ministries of republic of indonesia regarding the guidance for managing the learning activities in the academic year of 2020-2021 in terms of the covid-19. the teaching practicum policy in the first semester of the 2020-2021 was undertaken for the internal purpose only without cooperating with the school partners since the number of covid19 strike was still high in klaten district from the mid of 2020 to 2021. all lower and upper secondary schools’ policy decided to run the teaching and learning activities through online learning platforms, whilst scheduling student teachers’ online class with the lower and upper secondary students regularly were not possible. hence, four participants were internally assigned to handle their teaching practicum activities with their freshmen and sophomores. under the teaching practicum syllabus, student teachers taught speaking classes within five parallel weeks. two different classes freshmen and sophomores became their teaching sites. they prepared their lesson plans along with the teaching materials through the mixed-learning platforms–three meetings were practiced in faceto-face teaching, dated on 9, 16, and 18 october and other three online teachings with the google meet flatform, dated 19, 23, and 24 november 2021. another additional meeting with the supervisor was scheduled to evaluate their teaching performance at the end. teaching practicum was officially facilitated by teaching syllabus and participants’ lesson plans, teaching materials, and assessment tools, in which the teaching allotments were allocated sixty minutes for each session with the small classes, approximately twelve to seventeen freshmen and sophomores for each class. face-to-face teaching practicum was approved with the health protocols due to the covid-19 virus spreading in the town. data collection constituted observation, questionnaire, and teaching practicum documents, such as lesson plans, practicum reports and evaluation forms, and reflective journals that were integrally attached to the teaching practicum. data analysis qualitatively used student teachers’ teaching artifacts, running-methods course questionnaires, and observations. these frameworks analyzed student teachers’ uptake in practices and classroom discussions with the freshmen and sophomores. results and discussion when covid-19 pandemic spreads over the world in march 2020, universities decided to pause their face-to-face learning system, then moved to online learning platforms for the rest of two years in 2022. taking out the policy from my university, the classes had been designed with mixed-learning systems: face-to-face and online learning. face-to-face learning classes were conducted with a very selected and careful learning interaction and followed a standard health protocol. only small classes with less than fifth-teen students in a classroom were allowed to sit in. the policy had also commenced to senior student teachers who planned to attend the teaching practicum program. as assigned to be a teaching practicum supervisor, i spent more extra time arranging this duty with some necessities including coaching with four student teachers under my supervision, preparing online video communication technology, such as google classroom, google meet, zoom, and setting a safe classroom for face-to-face learning accommodation. didik rinan sumekto promoting student teachers’ teaching practicum within designated speaking class 644 the asynchronous class was designed for creating discussions that encouraged students’ reflections on a daily topic, by responding to others’ works. herein, the topics might be driven whilst interacting with the others applying both face-to-face and online learning. coaching student teachers for either face-to-face or online teaching practicum needed time allotment and energy till all student teachers connected with the offline learning tools, such as lesson plans, teaching materials, lcd and laptop, and teaching journal. meanwhile, the online learning schedule needed some audiovisual, video, and internet connection accordingly. both face-to-face and online classes started with the reminder to all freshmen and sophomores about standard health protocols regarding the covid-19 spreads during the classes, the introduction to the teaching syllabus, learning media, and online learning devices. four student teachers had an opportunity to facilitate their teaching practicum with multiple functions of the devices, such as operating lcd with the laptop, distributing the ppt files, providing approval from google meet and zoom media, sharing screens from their laptops and materials link, and typing on a chat room. either first face-to-face or online classes ran smoothly as expected, student teachers were successful to inform and engage students in their understanding, obedience, and frustration-away. student teachers’ face-to-face and online teaching practicum devices took a chance at learning reflection on what was effective and efficient, determined through the accessible evaluations. what student teachers decided on teaching methods seemed to be more hands-on towards students’ learning activities. these teaching methods gave experience in students’ participation, enumeration sessions, and classroom discussions. students’ attractiveness and collaboration were shown in these learning activities, where they enthusiastically engaged in sessions both face-to-face and online learning (figures 1 and 2). further, these observable learning activities triggered students’ new learning adaptations, whilst their speaking skills seemed to impress accordingly. figure 1. small speaking classes engaging sophomores in vocabulary acquisition sessions left-to-right sophomores’ small classroom discussions were handled by student teachers (khuznul and fauzi) in a face-to-face learning platform. this observable learning activities triggered their new learning adaptation during the covid-19 pandemic as the alternative teaching practicum engagement. taking pictures in the classroom were granted by both sophomores and participants. as shown in figure 2, student teachers handled an online group discussion regarding speaking class. the group presented about informing address to someone. the discussion used google meet learning platform within sixty minutes, where students could get online with their portable computers and or smartphones around at any comfortable place, although sometimes the internet signals were not stable. the speaking activities relied on presenting a topic within twenty minutes, the assigned sophomores group presented in turn with other members. when the presentation ended, the session continued with questions and answers. some questions were answerable and discussable well, whilst few attendees argued the presented slides of a street map, but the discussion still seemed to be conducive. for some moments in speaking class, some attendees kept silent without responding and participating during the session. the speaking class intentionally encouraged english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 645 students to be more active by sharing individual ideas about the school year’s agenda, strengthening ability to talk and argue, exploring and elaborating ideas with other classmates, and so forth. figure 2. online freshmen’s speaking class the figure above showed a student teacher, azizah talked about ‘informing address to someone’ who asked how to reach oak street. she conveyed her speaking class to the freshmen and assigned them in a coupled demonstration. speaking’s google meet-based session took more or less 60 minutes. twelve freshmen joined this session and they had been grouped into six groups. each group had an opportunity for four minutes to demonstrate their transactional communication. this session emphasized part of speeches and informative vocabulary that were directed to someone who needed information. before ending this online mode, i collectively obtained an approval from the audience to take the screenshot.) this online group discussion (figure 2) encouraged student teachers’ experience to comprehend the discussion enrollments–how to understand every student’s learning approach and participation that might be different from each other, including establishing the nature of students’ engagement existence, and learning interest both individuals and collaborations through online observation. a stable internet connection supported a better communication in online teaching practicum. hence, in preparing classes with designed lesson plans, student teachers established all necessities wellaccommodated. student teachers’ lesson plans and supporting document were submitted by email and got any feedback electronically either. meanwhile, another student teacher’s teaching practicum supervision established the teaching materials and audio-visual devices worked satisfactorily by facing all freshmen and sophomores’ live camera and voice tools on the screen. the real-time meeting was set up by google meet which facilitated camera and voice for all participants who were involved in this online learning platform. freshmen and sophomores were in awaiting room until they had permission to join in speaking classes. once the permission was ‘clicked’ into google meets’ learning room, student teachers started greeting and welcoming freshmen and sophomores to the online session. then, student teachers asked them to mute the voices system since the learning session was about to begin. however, the chatroom function was still available to discuss with other classmates. at the end of the speaking-teaching practicum, student teachers asked the participants for the preferable allotments of their speaking topics and learning approaches. student teachers’ procedure questions unofficially set up freshmen and sophomores’ learning entry behavior whether they remembered and understood the lesson or vice-aversa. particularly, every online speaking’ class was automatically video-recorded and used for student teachers’ teaching reflection. the applicable reflection conveyed teaching practicum in speaking topics and references, apperception, students’ motivation, both face-to-face and online classroom management including communication, and students’ lecturing difficulties. teaching reflection also identified students’ learning behavior and facial expression through face-toface and google meet’s camera responses. so, teaching practicum’s benefits and limitations upon the direct and video reflections established students’ empirical learning performances dealing with the assessment for speaking classes. table 1. psets’ practicum upon pedagogical activities and intrinsic discussions teaching practicum experience azizah fauzi khusnul tomi a. pedagogical activities 1. working collaboratively with students’ ideas to explore and elaborate speaking (e) 2. bridging spoken and written communication in the class (e) 3. moving from the basic thoughts and practices into applied learning activities (e) observable observable observable observable not observable observable not observable observable observable partly observable observable partly observable observable not observable didik rinan sumekto promoting student teachers’ teaching practicum within designated speaking class 646 4. producing relationships and communications with and among students effectively (e) 5. working with gestures and other nonverbal languages (e) 6. using new knowledge and developing learning activities (e) 7. bringing cooperative/ collaborative learning circumstances (e) observable not observable observable observable partly observable not observable observable observable not observable observable observable observable not observable observable b. intrinsic discussions 1. pre-selecting ideas into discussion (i) 2. conveying simple and acceptable spoken expressions during discussions (e) 3. accommodating discussion ethics whilst collaboratively working with others (i) 4. delivering spoken expressions effectively [e.g.: exploring, elaborating, confirming, disagreeing with, and asking for clarification] (e) 5. discussing the goals explicitly, which involves students’ participation (e) 6. engaging students’ ideas and accessible activities in speaking classes (e) 7. involve students collaboratively in problem-solving (i) observable observable observable partly observable observable observable observable observable observable observable not observable observable observable observable observable observable observable observable observable observable observable observable observable observable partly observable observable observable observable note. i = implicit and e = explicit were remarkably abbreviated for both pedagogical activities and intrinsic discussion. all student teachers focused on addressing rational speaking courses which flexibly comprehended students’ oral skills. in practicing it, they viewed students’ academic identities at glance before continuing the sessions. somehow, azizah, fauzi, khusnul, and tomi generally conducted the discussion on how students were necessary to participate in either individual or group talks. for example, they determined the use of language ethics for acceptable vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency, and content when students conveyed ideas in a discussion. they distinguished themselves from each other in emphasizing pedagogical activities and intrinsic discussions. all student teachers were identifiable from the selected instruments of both parts a and b, in which they were not observable, partially observable, and observable during the modeling debrief (table 1). azizah, fauzi, khusnul, and tomi provided a model and handled a discussion with the key facilitation on the processand output-oriented. the discussion was dynamic involved burning substantiation from the selected speaking topic, re-expressing students’ ideas when sharing in the discussion, confirming students whether they still wanted to address more about the school year activities (figure 2) or arguing with other classmates’ ideas, and finally exploring and elaborating students’ comments and opinions about school’s academic calendar annually. student teachers helped freshmen and sophomores contextually through vocabulary enactment assistances and exampled students’ ideas and work accordingly. students’ interactive collaborations provided a drift of fresh ideas with each student turning to talk and argue gently. by mixing the adaptable facilities in teaching practicum supports, student teachers transparently derived the capacity of delivering ideas in front of their students’ discussions progress, such as frequently drawing vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency, and content. student teachers explicitly presented their ideas that represented the results of teaching practicum experience and intrinsic discussions. however, they differentiated on how to initiate discussion, engage students in active roles, explore the topic with contextual issues, elaborate ideas among others, stimulate problem-solving, and close the discussion (table 1) through observations. they were considered to work with the intended construction of accessible speaking skills in vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency, and content for all freshmen and sophomores. the following explicative comments from student teachers when reflecting on their teaching practicum experience were due to: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 647 “i have to understand more about the knowledge of learning materials and classroom management so that my classes are not boring and monotonous. i think it is very important. the teaching practicum program needed to make students (teacher candidates) know how to maintain or manage the class. but it is very unfortunate during this pandemic, teaching practicum programs do not deal directly with students at schools.” (azizah) azizah’s role attempted in providing the importance of students’ initial ideas validation before preparing the discussion with students. she rigidly emphasized appropriate approaches from which students were willing to be responsible accordingly for the discussion enrolment relating to ideas sharing, questions and inquiries acknowledgment, and agreement and disagreement notifications. preparing for this learning circumstance, azizah realized to comprehend her knowledge of learning materials and classroom management in terms of boring and monotonous anticipation. unfortunately, she failed to use new knowledge and develop learning activities in her teaching practicum experience (table 1). “it deals with good learning processes because i need to improve my teaching qualifications. teaching practicum program is an important stage for prospective teachers who are currently still students. this program provides an opportunity for comprehending the real world of teacher training before they get into it.” (fauzi) fauzi’s speaking classes explicitly addressed the instruction messages from the beginning, including the discussion sessions. he started his classes by displaying lesson plan slides through the lcd projector. fauzi’s files also explained the group’s discussion session. when fauzi demonstrated his teaching ability, some teaching practicum matters were still unobservable. those matters complied with students’ collaborative works–exploring and elaborating speaking, stepping from fundamental thoughts and practices into applied learning activities, and using new knowledge and developed learning activities. meanwhile, fauzi’s intrinsic discussion session corresponded with delivering spoken expressions effectively. it relied on exploring, elaborating, adding on to, disagreeing with, and asking for clarification (table 1) in his speaking classes. so, fauzi was aware of his good learning processes that improved his teaching qualifications. “i have to improve my (low) voice, (poor) pronunciation, and articulation. in my opinion, the teaching practicum program is an essential way for us to practice teaching and managing the classroom well. it is also important to add teaching experience before my graduation.” (khusnul) khusnul’s speaking classes explicitly addressed the instruction messages from the beginning, including the discussion sessions. she started her classes by displaying lesson plan slides through the lcd projector. khusnul’s files also explained the group’s discussion session. she started with a clear greeting and apperception in handling her speaking classes. students got her points and were ready to interact in speaking class. the session seemed to be conducive since everybody paid attention and replied to khusnul’s apperception. however, when khusnul demonstrated her teaching ability, she naturally left some matters in her teaching practicum. this relied on using new knowledge and developing learning activities in a teaching practicum experience, but khusnul’s intrinsic discussions were well-observable (table 1). those matters contextually complied with students’ collaborative works–exploring and elaborating speaking, stepping from fundamental thoughts and practices into applied learning activities, and using new knowledge and developed learning activities. nevertheless, khusnul was willing to facilitate students’ necessities with the intrinsic discussions to concentrate on their ideas, although she still needed to fix her well-organized discussion. overall, khusnul was aware of her good teaching practicum which improved her teaching qualifications. “i need to improve my speaking skills and manage the classroom during teaching practicum. by doing a teaching practicum i can get ideas of how to teach properly, besides improving my teaching technique. so, i can be more confident.” (tomi) tomi’s classes attempted to understand freshmen’s language backgrounds. tomi culturally modeled his speaking classes on how to keep in touch with his students by using multilingual–english, indonesian, and javanese. tomi realized this model of teaching would bring students to enjoyable speaking activities and didik rinan sumekto promoting student teachers’ teaching practicum within designated speaking class 648 stimulate their participation. for example, tomi translated some vocabularies into equivalent meanings in three languages, such as drink (english) – minum (indonesian) – ngombe (javanese), step (english) – langkah (indonesian, napak (javanese), and go (english), pergi (indonesian), lunga (javanese), etc. tomi also realized the use of these mixed vocabularies was to neutralize his nerves when he was mobile around his students. by doing this way, tomi thought that he might take a bit chance to do selfreflection whilst teaching. hence, he situationally improved his speaking fluency and managed students. on the other hand, tomi was explicitly aware of identifying the pre-requisites for conducting discussion, including students’ ideas latent. he promoted teaching media for student’s speaking fluency, although conditionally ignoring grammar rules. tomi consistently portrayed his enumeration when he confirmed, ‘well class, we are focusing on using, exploring and elaborating individual ideas and capacity of performing speaking ability, but we can start from what we gain at the first time although with our limitations’. further, what was observable from tomi’s teaching practicum concerned with his moving from the basic thoughts and practices into applied learning activities and using new knowledge and developing learning activities in the teaching practicum experience (table 1). figure 3. student teachers’ schematic updates in speaking class enumeration and discussion english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 649 dotted lines indicated minimal contribution to no participation. double braces told proportion of mobility for configuration, discussion facilitation, defining ideas, and closing categories. meanwhile, double bracket bbb showed trends, but precise proportions. this study discusses on the psets’ teaching practicum contributed a matter of developmental programs in english teacher education professionalism. they showed the tender steadfastness in teaching matters that built their prospective career through the teaching roles passion. student teachers’ reflective teaching fundamentally constructed the teaching practicum issues which led to their experience, accommodated theories and practices, and addressed the real-life learning conditions (ekşi et al., 2019). it postulated an improved comprehension from which student teachers became more thoughtful in teaching practicum and be more critical in learning and growing in a matter of english teaching practicum (chen & russell, 2019). the findings experientially constituted with the teaching practicum determinants, such as teaching readability and individual toughness among student teachers, teaching syllabus, lesson plans, designed freshmen and sophomores to be students, teaching materials and media, internet connections, and supervisors who consequently covered their roles of mentoring, guiding, and observing student teachers what to do for their teaching practicum necessities. on the other hand, some obstacles relied on a lack of student teachers’ confidence when being mobile around the class and getting online with the camera at google meet. others connected with the belatedness of student teachers’ face-to-face and online class attendances which made students lack enthusiasm in joining the classes, student teachers’ unwell-prepared lesson plans, and time management which resulted in them being discouraged, inadequate, and less confidence in teaching. student teachers also originally had an experience of instructional shock, which led them to pedagogical and psychological weaknesses. conversely, the occurrences of limited internet connections and student teachers’ lack of necessary electronic devices were still dominating in online language learning. nevertheless, their insufficient digital literacies, limitedly structuredcontents against online resource redundancies, engagement and encouragement deficiencies, and cognitive and non-cognitive contributions were linked to pedagogical barriers (feri et al., 2020). what had happened in students’ multiple behaviors in both face-to-face and online classrooms remained to be student teachers’ responsibility (gregory et al., 2018) since teacher education programs constituted the major determinant of student teachers’ development upon the effective teaching practices (kloser et al., 2019). facing these facts, the teaching practicum agenda might negatively influence student teachers’ perception of the teaching profession in general. deng et al. (2018) connected student teachers’ obstacles with the tension dilemma of classroom authority and sense of teaching care that fell into the ethical predicament category. this predicament happened when student teachers navigated their classes and anticipations into their competitiveness. on the other hand, student teachers personally befriended the freshmen and sophomores by providing a sense of empathy and care. however, in the meantime of the teaching practicum, student teachers needed to maximize opportunities for their self-confidence and selfefficacy to acquire necessary coping strategies (yuan et al., 2019). student teachers’ multiple perspectives influenced their cognitive, affective, cultural, and organizational matters in future and real classrooms (kloser et al., 2019). these matters could be implementable through comprehending students’ diversity in the classroom, which potentially exposed the various learning condition since teaching practicum matched with students’ learning necessities when a sense of respectfulness, tolerance, awareness, and students–students or students–teachers communications were well-manageable (sumekto et al., 2020). moreover, student teachers transformed contents-knowledge and highlighted more about the teaching context, lesson plan, teaching materials, and students within various criteria of teaching and learning processes. hence, the practicum experience triggered student teachers remain to more confident (arslan & ilin, 2018). besides being aware of the practical experience, student teachers were also concerned with the learning environment management that was related to the specific context, school structure, and community enlightenment system, as well as having relationships with students, teachers and supporting staff, and comprehending the contextual study within students’ preferences and necessities (albakri et al., 2017). supporting student teachers in the classroom with computeradded language learning (call) or simulation https://www.tandfonline.com/author/yang%c4%b1n+ek%c5%9fi%2c+gonca didik rinan sumekto promoting student teachers’ teaching practicum within designated speaking class 650 became an efficient teaching decision to increase students’ learning capacity and significance. it experientially changed students’ cognitive and affective improvement toward the constructive processes (wood et al., 2018). therefore, setting up the applicable teaching models using the call might improve student teachers’ teaching practicum development, as long as the sustainable interactions established the theoretical and practical matters, intensive contacts, and collaborations that were effectively implementable (kim, 2020). so far, online learning needed electronic digitals to connected with the internet (gonzalez & louis, 2018), which widely accommodated student teachers’ online language learning inevitably (plaisance, 2018). online language learning reasonably appointed multiple learning alignments in fully virtual learning, hybrid or mixed-learning systems, and web-facilitated learning system. hence, the efl’s online language learning might take place within the covid-19 pandemic proportionally since both students and student teachers did not meet each other in a face-to-face context (wu et al., 2019). deeply involved in both face-to-face and online learning, student-teachers’ competencies would reflect their learning deviant behaviors, pedagogical content knowledge, and their capability of using assessment variances. improving classroom practice competencies upon observations and reflection was strongly recommended during the teaching practicum to promote experiential learning (thaba-nkadimene, 2017). teaching practicum effectiveness at the same time still managed student teachers’ additional focus on placement selection, time allotment, and evaluations (pratiwi, 2020) of engaging cooperative, reflective, and critical functions in classes. student teachers’ teaching flexibilities had better be promoted by acknowledging the various teaching methodologies. their classroom management emphasis should attract students’ learning attention to gain knowledge proficiency consistently (masoumpanah et al., 2016). to accommodate today’s teaching practicum, gürsoy, korkmaz, and damar (2017) offered four tips to the implementable teaching issues, as follows: (1) re-designed teaching materials and pre-training were implementable in the classroom implementation, hence students, student teachers, and supervisors might provide better opportunities for non-directive and non-prescriptive feedback; (2) student teachers’ reflective teaching practicum needed to be integrated with the reflection-inand -on-action; (3) the use of video recordings in teaching practicum would be beneficial for student teachers’ teaching reflection on synchronous and asynchronous communication mode; and (4) student teachers’ teaching duration could be appropriately and flexibly extended to earn teaching experiences and develop selfconfidence, skills, real-life teaching experiences, and sense of awareness about teachers’ profession in the future. therefore, student teachers’ experience might encourage the insightful balancing theory flexibilities that promoted the current curriculum and practiced assessments and students’ diversity (yung, 2020) since teaching practicum aims at proportionally affirming a knowledge orientation, such as preparing teaching material and specifying pedagogical knowledge (portman & rass, 2019). classroom-based teaching practicum slowly developed and it inadequately appeared as the substantial pedagogical changes. so, this study embedded ethics of change and reflective practices conditionally. student teachers empirically experienced with any chances upon the firsthand how the classroom-based teaching practicum might be developed. in addition, critical self-reflection transforms the theoretical knowledge–from coursework to practical knowledge. this critical self-reflection served to shape teachers’ identities (setyono, 2022). it should be sustainably applicable to student teachers referring to teaching practicum context and in-service english teachers following their professional development continuity in some english subjects. fostering student teachers’ reflection redrew based on the contextual practicum. student teachers and students might co-regulate studying teaching attitudes utilized in the following analysis. co-planning entailed verbalization and behaviors in thinking and activating students’ previous learning and knowledge, such as asking about the designated lessons, tasks analyses, goals setting for previous and existing learning, learning strategies dealing with the enlightened challenges faced in the lessons, which collaborated with other classmates and student teachers. the co-regulated strategy comprised verbalization and behaviors in monitoring the learning situation, controlling students’ cognitive and behavioral actions, and implementing disciplinary learning strategies to support others’ learning collaboratively. coreflection consisted of verbalization and behaviors in reflecting student teachers’ learning condition, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 651 such as reviewing the learning topic, evaluating the learning objectives and feedback on the tasks or quizzes, and comparing learning occurrences to students’ experience and knowledge. on the other hand, student teachers’ nonverbal modes, such as gestures, lips-setting, and facial expressions (sumekto et al., 2021; sumekto & setyawati, 2020), closer position to students when listening to and asking for students’ responses and questions, eyes contact with students would be student teachers’ priority throughout the lessons. progressive activities involved students’ co-regulated activities would indicate their enthusiasm levels through face-toface and online learning (saariaho et al., 2019). in the experiential speaking classes, students also conveyed their learning interests by promptly responding to what student teachers asked about the topics. the questions stimulated students’ new vocabularies used in expressing the transactional conversation, broadened students’ comprehension regarding the school’s academic calendar of school years and informing address to someone, and paid details attention to the standard command of english and part of speech, and worked collaboratively among group members as well. further, the obstacles influxes among student teachers during teaching practicum participation attributed to their teaching professionalism following the common structural and cultural teaching performance within implicit teaching necessities accordingly as being embedded in the pedagogical practicum agenda (yuan & lee, 2016). however, student teachers showed their self-reflections to indicate approaching steps that consisted of classroom management environment to be the evaluative teaching consideration (kleinknecht & gröschner, 2016). empirically, student teachers commented on some instances of their problems that mostly appeared in teaching practicum sessions either face-to-face or online classes. student teachers’ problems were revealed from the questionnaire fulfillment at the end of their teaching practicum session. to deepen student teachers’ comprehension regarding why and how teaching practicum could be ideally implementable and distinguish ways of thinking about microand macro-obstacles in teachers’ development and professionalism (clarke & mena, 2020). four student teachers (azizah, fauzi, khusnul, and tomi) accordingly conveyed the technical and substantial problems in teaching materials in both offline and online classes in the following statements: ‘i usually prepare my teaching materials well in offline class, but i will truly forget when standing in front of the class before teaching my students. this may cause i am nervous. meanwhile, my problems are due to the internet connection when facing online teaching and students” focus is not attenable since they turned off the camera and microphone. i think they mostly may not participate in my class entirely.” (azizah) “my problems are lack of confidence when teaching students with face-to-face flatform and i cannot manage students, whilst the internet signal is bad when i teach online.” (fauzi) “based on my experience, i have not mastered the english materials yet, particularly in pronouncing and articulating words when designing them in freshmen and sophomores’ face-to-face classes. nevertheless, my problems in online classes are concerned with the internet signal stability and how to manage students.” (khusnul) “when entering the classroom, i have problems with delivering my teaching materials since i am used to being nervous in managing the classroom. on the other hand, the weak signal and unclear audio sounds from the computer influence my online teaching quality.” (tomi) realizing student teachers’ technical and substantial problems in teaching practicum, the feedbacks balance (prilop, weber, & kleinknecht, 2019) were provided through a micro-genetic analysis of mutual interactions between student teachers and supervisor in terms of teaching practicum issues (yoon & kim, 2019) to lessen the obstacles in vocabulary, grammar, fluency, and content in speaking classes that supported pedagogical necessities and common abilities, student teachers’ capacities, and student teachers and students’ roles in bridging relationships, and student teachers’ authentic responsibilities (deng et al., 2018) as well as examining innovative pedagogies (kidd & murray, 2020). the informal discussion was also engaged regarding the readability of teaching materials mastery and selfconfidence and -toughness, managing the classroom, and sharpening pronunciation and articulation in face-to-face teaching. further, this oriented dilemma was widespread among four student teachers since teaching practicum encompassed multifaceted tasks, such as designing teaching syllabus and mastery, proving didik rinan sumekto promoting student teachers’ teaching practicum within designated speaking class 652 self-confidence, using online teaching media effectively, managing the classroom, and engaging collaboration and communication. nevertheless, when student teachers found few students with high performance in speaking classes, which concerned with more positive responses by displaying their camera and microphone on and sharing ideas, student teachers might adopt a creative instructional approach. these facts constituted observations and were strengthened with the informal discussion just three days after their teaching practicum ended. drilled practices in teaching speaking intensively would encourage teaching readabilities. following the drilled practices, zhu et al. (2020) supported that practicing teaching practicum effectively would encourage student teachers’ daily instructional increase towards students’ multiple learning inquiries. this study also considered some weaknesses in accordance with teaching methods applicability that did not effectively claim any causalities during student teachers’ teaching practicum involvement. these facts relatively provided insightful chances and obstacles for student teachers’ comprehension of developing core instructional and pedagogical practices. the obtainable data confirming the analyses with contextually medium to low comprehension and sense-making discussions. all student teachers, namely: azizah, fauzi, khusnul, and tomi still incompletely underlined the underpinning of principal fields of teaching methods applicability and was affected other relevant speaking topics to address enumeration and classroom discussion. other weaknesses accordingly engaged in a smallscale design in which the findings were not generalizable. in particular, teaching practicum was merely reinforced to freshmen and sophomores regarding the accessibility of applicable curriculum, both accommodating faceto-face and online teaching within a five-week. conclusion this study derives how student teachers accommodate their teaching practicum experience in both face-to-face and online teaching. english teaching experience remained to be student teachers’ core practices of probing pedagogical activities and engaging in intrinsic discussions in the eligible sessions explicitly and implicitly. showing the discernment to freshmen and sophomores who deserve to be the students, student teachers become aware of their teaching methodology, from which the substantial pedagogical matters and their sub-matters are experientially addressed from the relevant practicality into the common sense of instruction criteria. these pedagogical matters are empirically observed during the early stages of their teaching practicalities. they address the goals for discussions by explicitly specifying, and viewing students to be semi-prepared speaking materials in their discussions. they accentuate the substance of discussions in bridging students’ speaking participation gaps which highlight daily speaking performance, such as vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency, and content among freshmen and sophomores. they eligibly show similar outputs but use different teaching styles emphasizing how the closing teaching objectives accommodate any constructive discussion among freshmen and sophomores. however, this study suggests that substantial and authentic insights into practices and pedagogies in teaching practicum are accordingly obtainable. this study also recommends individual student teachers for improving their theoretical and practical methods of teaching by facilitating the enumeration and sense-making classroom discussion confidently. references aglazor, g. (2017). the role of teaching practice in teacher education programmes: designing framework for best practice. global journal of educational research, 16, 101-110. https://doi.org/10.4314/gjedr.v16i2.4 agudo, j. de. d. m., & azzaro, g. (2018). emotions in learning to teach efl in the practicum setting: facing the emotional dilemmas and challenges associated with professional practice. emotions in second language teaching, 365-384. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75438-3_20 ahmad, n. j., ishak, n. a., samsudin, m. a., meylani, v., & said, h. m. (2019). pre-service science teachers in international teaching practicum: reflection of the experience. jurnal pendidikan ipa indonesia, 8(3), 308-316. https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v8i3.18907 albakri, i. s. m. a., abdullah, m. h., & jusoh, a. j. (2017). lessons from experience: esl student teachers’ reflection during practicum through reflective journals. studies in english language and education, 4(2), 226-234. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v4i2.8039 alles, m., seidel, t., & groschner, a. (2019). establishing a positive learning atmosphere and conversation culture in the context of a videobased teacher learning community. professional development in education, 45(2), 250-263. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/gjedr.v16i2.4 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75438-3_20 https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v8i3.18907 https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v4i2.8039 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 653 https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2018.143004 9 anagün, ş. s. (2018). teachers’ perceptions about the relationship between 21st century skills and managing constructivist learning environments. international journal of instruction, 11(4), 825-840. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11452a arslan, f. y., & ilin, g. (2018). the effects of teaching practicum on efl pre-service teachers’ concerns. journal of language and linguistic studies, 14(2), 265-282. aydın, ö & ok, a. (2019). mentoring practices in english language teaching practicum: student teachers’ perspectives on cooperating teachers’ roles in the turkish context. the teacher educator, 55(3), 248-266. https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730.2019.170175 6 babaii, e., molana, k., & nazari, m. (2020). contributions of assessment-related critical incidents to language teacher identity development. innovation in language learning and teaching, 15(5), 442-457. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2020.182423 4 barnes, t. n., cipriano, c., mccallops, k., cuccuiniharmon, c., & rivers, s. e. (2018). examining the relationship between perceptions of teaching self-efficacy, school support and teacher and paraeducator burnout in a residential school setting. emotional & behavioural difficulties, 23(3), 284-295. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2018.146145 2 becker, e. s., waldis, m., & staub. f. c. (2019). advancing student teachers’ learning in the teaching practicum through content-focused coaching: a field experiment. teaching and teacher education, 83, 12-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.03.007 boz, y., kiran, b. e., & kutucu, e. s. (2019). effect of practicum courses on pre-service teachers’ beliefs towards chemistry teaching: a year-long case study. chemistry education research and practice, 20(3), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1039/c9rp00022d chen, q., & russell, r. m. (2019). students’ reflections on their field practicum: an analysis of bsw student narratives. journal of teaching in social work, 39(1), 60-74. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2018.154322 4 clarke, a., & mena, j. (2020). an ınternational comparative study of practicum mentors: learning about ourselves by learning about others. teaching and teacher education, 90, 114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103026 de la fuente, j., sander, p., martinez-vicente, j. m., & vera, m., garzón, a., & fadda, s. (2017). combined effect of levels in personal selfregulation and regulatory teaching on metacognitive, on meta-motivational, and on academic achievement variables in undergraduate students. frontiers in psychology, 8(232), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00232 deng, l., zhu, g., li, g., xu, z., rutter, a., & rivera, h. (2018). student teachers’ emotions, dilemmas, and professional identity formation amid the teaching practicums. asia-pacific education researcher, 27(2), 441-453. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-018-0404-3 ekşi, g. y., yakişik, b. y., aşik, a., fişne, f. n., werbińska, d., & cavalheiro, l. (2019). language teacher trainees’ sense of professional agency in practicum: cases from turkey, portugal and poland. teachers and teaching, 25(3), 279-300. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2019.158740 4 feri, f., grifoni, p., & guzzo, t. (2020). online learning and emergency remote teaching: opportunities and challenges in emergency situations. societies, 10(4), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc10040086 gonzalez, d., & louis, r. st. (2018). online learning. in j. i. liontas (ed.), the tesol encyclopedia of english language teaching (1st ed.). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt042 3 gregory, j. l., noto, l. a., & hui, s. k. f. (2018). attitudinal ınstrument development: assessing cognitive, affective, and behavioral domains of teacher attitudes toward teaching all students. cogent education, 5(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2017.142267 9 gürsoy, e., korkmaz, s. c., & damar, e. a. (2017). english language teaching within the new educational policy of turkey: views of stakeholders. international education studies, 10(4), 8-30. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v10n4p18 heikonen, l., toom, a., pyhältö, k., pietarinen, j., & soini, t. (2017). student-teachers’ strategies in classroom interaction in the context of the teaching practicum. journal of education for teaching, 43(5), 534-549. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2017.135508 0 jawarneh, a. y. (2017). improving effectiveness of mobile learning technology for use in higher education: a comparative study of the uk and jordan [doctoral dissertation, cardiff metropolitan university]. cardiff metropolitan university. kidd, w., & murray, j. (2020). the covid-19 pandemic and ıts effects on teacher education in england: how teacher educators moved https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2018.1430049 https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2018.1430049 file://///g/anagün,%20şengül%20s. http://dx.doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11452a http://dx.doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11452a https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730.2019.1701756 https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730.2019.1701756 https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2020.1824234 https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2020.1824234 https://doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2018.1461452 https://doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2018.1461452 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.03.007 http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c9rp00022d https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2018.1543224 https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2018.1543224 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103026 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00232 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-018-0404-3 https://www.tandfonline.com/author/yang%c4%b1n+ek%c5%9fi%2c+gonca https://www.tandfonline.com/author/yang%c4%b1n+ek%c5%9fi%2c+gonca https://www.tandfonline.com/author/yang%c4%b1n+ek%c5%9fi%2c+gonca https://www.tandfonline.com/author/yang%c4%b1n+ek%c5%9fi%2c+gonca https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2019.1587404 https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2019.1587404 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/soc10040086 https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0423 https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0423 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2017.1422679 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2017.1422679 http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ies.v10n4p18 https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2017.1355080 https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2017.1355080 didik rinan sumekto promoting student teachers’ teaching practicum within designated speaking class 654 practicum learning online. european journal of teacher education, 43(4) 542-558. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.182048 0 kim, j. (2020). learning and teaching online during covid-19: experiences of student teachers in an early childhood education practicum. international journal of early childhood, 52, 145-158. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-020-00272-6 kleinknecht, m., & gröschner, a. (2016). fostering preservice teachers’ noticing with structured video feedback: results of an onlineand video-based ıntervention study. teaching and teacher education, 59, 45-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.05.020 kloser, m., wilsey, m., madkins, t. c., & windschitl, m. (2019). connecting the dots: secondary science teacher candidates’ uptake of the core practice of facilitating sensemaking discussions from teacher education experiences. teaching and teacher education, 80, 115-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.01.006 krammer, g., pflanzl, b., & mayr, j. (2019). using students’ feedback for teacher education: measurement ınvariance across pre-service teacher-rated and student-rated aspects of quality of teaching. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 44(4), 596-609. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.152533 8 lennon, s., riley, t., & monk, s. (2018). the uncomfortable teacher-student encounter and what comes to matter. teaching in higher education, 23(5), 619-630. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2018.145871 1 maaranen, k., & stenberg, k. (2017). portraying reflection: the contents of student teachers’ reflection on personal practical theories and practicum experience. reflective practice, 18(5), 699-712. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2017.132372 9 machumu, h., zhu, c., & depryck, k. (2018). university teachers’ beliefs and constructivist teaching practices in blended learning courses in tanzanian universities. international journal of knowledge and learning, 12(2), 167-191. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijkl.2018.10013235 masoumpanah, z., tahririan, m. h., afzali, k., & alibabaee, a. (2016). a critical needs analysis of practicum courses at farhangian university: mentors and students’ perspectives. iranian journal of english for academic purposes, 5(2), 60-82. https://doi.org/20.1001.1.24763187.2016.5.2.3. 4 moyo, n. (2020). covid19 and the future of practicum in teacher education in zimbabwe: rethinking the ‘new normal’ in quality assurance for teacher certification. journal of education for teaching, 46(4), 536-545. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.180270 2 olivares, d. d., & castillo, r. r. (2018). ict in the classroom: primary education student teachers’ perceptions of the interactive whiteboard during the teaching practicum. education and information technology, 23(4), 2309-2321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-018-9716-4 perry, n. e., lisaingo, s., yee, n., parent, n., wan, x., & muis, k. (2020). collaborating with teachers to design and implement assessments for self-regulated learning in the context of authentic classroom writing tasks. assessment in education: principle, policy & practice, 27(4), 416-443 https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594x.2020.180157 6 plaisance, m. (2018). online course delivery. in j. i. liontas (ed.), the tesol encyclopedia of english language teaching (1st ed.). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt012 9 pourhaji, m., zahedi, m., & saadatara, a. (2020). types and functions of teachers’ questions during knowledge construction in efl classroom discourse. english teaching & learning, 44, 313-329. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42321-019-00045-y pratiwi, d. (2020). teaching practicum in pre-service teacher education. yavana bhāshā: journal of english language education. 1(1), 31-42. https://doi.org/10.25078/yb.v1i1.1375 prilop, c. n., weber, k. e., & kleinknecht, m. (2019). how digital reflection and feedback environments contribute to pre-service teachers’ beliefs during a teaching practicum. studies in educational evaluation, 62, 158-170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2019.06.005 portman, d., & rass, r. a. (2019). student teaching practicum: are we doing it the right way? journal of education for teaching, 45(5), 553566. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2019.167456 6 radwan, o., ghavifekr, s., & razak, a. z. a. (2021). can academic leadership competencies have effect on students' cognitive, skill and affective learning outcomes? higher education perspective. journal of applied research in higher education, 13(2), 430-445. https://doi.org/10.1108/jarhe-05-2020-0144 reisman, a., cipparone, p., jay, l., monte-sano, c., kavanagh, s. s., mcgrew, s., & fogo, b. (2019). evidence of emergent practice: teacher candidates facilitating historical discussions in their field placements. teaching and teacher https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.1820480 https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.1820480 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-020-00272-6 https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.tate.2016.05.020 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.01.006 https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1525338 https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1525338 https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2018.1458711 https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2018.1458711 https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2017.1323729 https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2017.1323729 http://dx.doi.org/10.1504/ijkl.2018.10013235 https://dorl.net/dor/20.1001.1.24763187.2016.5.2.3.4 https://dorl.net/dor/20.1001.1.24763187.2016.5.2.3.4 https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.1802702 https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.1802702 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-018-9716-4 https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594x.2020.1801576 https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594x.2020.1801576 https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0129 https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0129 https://doi.org/10.1007/s42321-019-00045-y http://dx.doi.org/10.25078/yb.v1i1.1375 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2019.06.005 https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2019.1674566 https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2019.1674566 https://doi.org/10.1108/jarhe-05-2020-0144 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 655 education, 80, 145-156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.12.014 riyanti, d. (2020). students’ reflections in teaching practicum: a case study of efl pre-service teachers. journal on english as a foreign language, 10(2), 268-289. https://doi.org/0.23971/jefl.v10i2.2041 saariaho, e., toom, a., soini, t., pietarinen, j., & pyhältö, k. (2019). student teachers’ and pupils’ co-regulated learning behaviours in authentic classroom situations in teaching practicums teaching and teacher education. teaching and teacher education, 85, 92-104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.06.003 setyono, b. (2020). exploring pre-service english teachers’ critical reflection on their teaching practicum experience. the journal of asia tefl, 17(4), 1532-1539. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2020.17.4.30.1 532 sormunen, k., juuti, k. & lavonen, j. (2020). makercentered project-based learning in inclusive classes: supporting students’ active participation with teacher-directed reflective discussions. international journal of science and mathematics education, 18, 691-712. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-019-09998-9 sumekto, d. r., taufiqulloh, t., setyawati, h., hikmah, s., & ghozali, i. (2021). understanding the paralinguistic features disclosure depicted in the lecturer’s visual modes of writing class instruction. 3l: language, linguistics, literature, 27(4), 173192. https://doi.org/10.17576/3l-2021-2704-13 sumekto, d. r., & setyawati, h. (2020). revealing lecturer’s paralinguistic attribution: how the visual manner contributes to students’ noncognitive skills. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 9(3), 559-571. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v9i3.23206 sumekto, d. r., setyawati, h., tukiyo., & warsito, r. (2020). the determinants of lecturers’ classroom management as depicted in their teaching performance. pedagogika, 139(3), 136-156. https://doi.org/10.15823/p.2020.139.7 thaba-nkadimene, k. l. (2017). university of limpopo student teachers’ experiences and reflections during teaching practicum: an experiential learning theory. international journal of educational sciences, 17(1-3), 205214. https://doi.org/10.1080/09751122.2017.130573 5 tsybulsky, d., & muchnik-rozanov, y. (2019). the development of student-teachers' professional identity while team-teaching science classes using a project-based learning approach: a multi-level analysis. teaching and teacher education, 79, 48-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.12.006 wang, s., moskal, m., & schweisfurth, m. (2020). the social practice of silence in intercultural classrooms at uk university. compare: a journal of comparative and international education, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2020.179821 5 wood, b. e., taylor, r., atkins, r., & johnston, m. (2018). pedagogies for active citizenship: learning through affective and cognitive domains for deeper democratic engagement. teaching and teacher education, 75, 259-267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.07.007 wu, w-. c. v., yang, j. c., scott, c. h. j., & yamamoto, t. (2019). free from demotivation in efl writing: the use of online flipped writing instruction. computer assisted language learning, 33(4), 353-387. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.156755 6 yoon, j., & kim, j. (2019). a sociocultural theoretical approach to understanding mentor–mentee interactions during a teaching english as a second language practicum at the master’s degree level. mentoring & tutoring: partnership in learning, 27(1), 88-108. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2019.158341 1 yuan, r., liu, w., & lee, i. (2019). confrontation, negotiation and agency: exploring the inner dynamics of student teacher identity transformation during teaching practicum. teachers and teaching, 25(8), 972-993. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2019.168828 6 yuan, r., & lee, i. (2016). ‘i need to be strong and competent’: a narrative inquiry of a studentteacher’s emotions and identities in teaching practicum. teachers and teaching, 22(7), 819841. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2016.118581 9 yung, k. w. -h. (2020). becoming a teacher educator through being a student teacher: an autoethnography in the practicum. journal of education for teaching, 46(2), 248-250. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.172465 5 yungwei, h. (2016). middle school students’ flipped learning readiness in foreign language classrooms: exploring its relationship with personal characteristics and individual circumstances. computers in human behavior, 59, 295-303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.01.031 yu, s., wang, b., & teo, t. (2018). understanding linguistic, individual and contextual factors in oral feedback research: a review of empirical studies in l2 classrooms. educational research http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.12.014 http://dx.doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v10i2.2041 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.06.003 http://dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2020.17.4.30.1532 http://dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2020.17.4.30.1532 http://dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2020.17.4.30.1532 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-019-09998-9 https://doi.org/10.17576/3l-2021-2704-13 https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v9i3.23206 https://doi.org/10.15823/p.2020.139.7 https://doi.org/10.1080/09751122.2017.1305735 https://doi.org/10.1080/09751122.2017.1305735 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.12.006 https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2020.1798215 https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2020.1798215 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.07.007 https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1567556 https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1567556 https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2019.1583411 https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2019.1583411 https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2019.1688286 https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2019.1688286 https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2016.1185819 https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2016.1185819 https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.1724655 https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.1724655 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.01.031 didik rinan sumekto promoting student teachers’ teaching practicum within designated speaking class 656 review, 24, 181-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2018.06.001 zhu, g., iglesia, p. m., & wang, k. (2020). examining chinese and spanish preservice teachers’ practicum teaching experiences: a transformative learning perspective. journal of education for teaching, 46(1), 124-128. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2019.170862 3 zhu, g. (2017). chinese student teachers’ perspectives on becoming a teacher in the practicum: emotional and ethical dimensions of identity shaping. journal of education for teaching, 43(4), 491-495. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2017.134116 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2018.06.001 https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2019.1708623 https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2019.1708623 https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2017.1341162 https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2017.1341162 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 883 the impact of the question answer relationship (qar) strategy on improving students’ reading comprehension muhammad andriana gaffar english education department, universitas islam nusantara, bandung, west java, indonesia email : andriana.gaffar@uninus.ac.id hasna qurrotul aini english education department, universitas islam nusantara, bandung, west java, indonesia email : hqaini13@gmail.com lutfiah hidayah english education department, universitas islam nusantara, bandung, west java, indonesia email : filutfy314@gmail.com ryfo juan maulana english education department, universitas islam nusantara, bandung, west java, indonesia email : ryfojuan99@gmail.com apa scitation:. gaffar, m. a., aini, h. q., hidayah, l., juan maulana, r, (2024). the impact of question answer relationship (qar) strategy on improving students’ reading comprehension. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 883-892. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i2.10364 received: 27-02-2024 accepted: 28-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: this study investigates the impact of the question answer relationship (qar) strategy on improving reading comprehension among ninth-grade students’. this rerserarch was urtilizing stratergy is qurantitativer rerserarch by applying prer-erxperrimerntal rerserarch. this study uses research techniques grourp irrergurlar tersting or random sampling. this rerserarch was urserd oner grourp discurssion dersign. a pre-eksperimental design with pre-test and post-test was employed on a sample of 30 ninth-grade students at mts an-namiroh. data was collercterd throurgh a terst on rerading comprerhernsion. ther data was rerqurirerd by condurcting murltipler choicer terst consisterd of 10 iterms. ther hypothersis of ther qar stratergy ursing ther pairerd simpler terst bertwerern ther prer-terst and post-terst shows differrernt rersurlts, that ther sturdernts' scorers increraserd in ther post-terst. ther pairerd sampler terst was urserd to ervalurater ther data, and p<0,05 was urserd to asserss significancer. results indicate a significant improvement in students’ reading comprehension after the implementation of the qar strategy. ther findings show that, at a significant thrershold of 0,05, therrer was a statistically significant differrerncer ther sturdernts’ rerading comprerhernsion achiervermernt. these findings suggest that the qar strategy can effectively enhance reading comprehension in junior high school students. keywords: qurerstion answerr rerlationship (qar) stratergy, sturdernts’ rerading skills, rerading comprerhernsion introduction in ther currrernt erra of globalization, ernglish is bercoming a morer significant interrnational langurager, thurs lerarning it is imperrativer. ernglish is a forerign langurager in indonersia, wherrer jurnior high school is wherrer purpils bergin rerceriving official instrurction in ther langurager (purstika & wierdarti, 2019). as a rersurlt, sturdernts shourld always ber lerarning how to urser ernglish erfferctiverly and accurraterly in a varierty of conterxts, inclurding politics, commerrcer, ernterrtainmernt, and erdurcation (ferbriana ert al., 2016). ther procerss of teraching and lerarning involvers a lot of differrernt factors. ther factors interract as sturdernts work toward therir goals and incorporater nerw knowlerdger, skills, and berhaviors that erxpand therir ranger of lerarning opporturnitiers. indonersian sturdernts, particurlarly thoser in diverrser erdurcational divisions, strurggler with lerarning ernglish (gaffar & putri, 2023). baserd on ernglish lerarning, therrer arer fourr skills mailto:ryfojuan99@gmail.com muhammad andriana gaffar, hasna qurrotul aini, lutfiah hidayah, & ryfo juan maulana the impact of question answer relationship (qar) strategy on improving students’ reading comprehension 884 in ernglish that sturdernts shourld acqurirer and honer. grammar, pronurnciation, and vocaburlary maker urp ther langurager componernt, which inclurders speraking, writing, listerning, and rerading (ferbriana ert al., 2016). this timer, ther inverstigator concerntraters on rerading. oner of ther abilitiers nererderd to acqurirer ernglish is rerading. rerading is derfinerd as an erngagermernt bertwerern ther reraderr and ther materrial bering rerad, with ther interntion of urnderrstanding and assimilating ther information prersernterd. rerading will kererp yourr mind bursy, and yourr innerr cerlls will qurickly bercomer accurstomerd to serering somerthing nerw, claims sholikah (2019). howerverr, a lot of purpils acturally strurggler with rerading. somer of therm perrform poorly whern sturdying ernglish, particurlarly whern it comers to rerading. therrerforer, a lot of problerm was inflicterd. rerading comprerhernsion is ther ourtcomer of complerx interractions bertwerern ther feraturrers of ther terxt and ther vierwpoint of ther reraderr. rerlervancer is rerqurirerd for ther reraderrs' knowlerdger, word dercoding skills, terxt, and situration moderl baserd differrerncing abilitiers. rercognizing and comprerhernding a cerntral idera and its surpporting dertails arer componernts of comprerhernsion. klingnerr (2000) derfinerd rerading comprerhernsion as flurerncy, procerss, and urnderrstanding of words and ther ourtsider world. to find ther berst tactics and approachers for rerading erfficierntly, rerading stratergy is crurcial. prerviours rerserarch by ferbriana ert al. (2023) indicaters that rerading is crurcial for sturdernts' urnderrstanding of ther terxt's meraning, surbstancer, and gernerral strurcturrer. ther purrposer of ther qurerstion answerr stratergy is to herlp sturdernts comprerhernd ther connerctions bertwerern differrernt qurerstion typers and therir answerrs, as werll as ther information that can ber gleranerd from ther terxt and prior knowlerdger. this tactic may ber urserd to asserss sturdernts' rerading comprerhernsion skills and erngager therm in ther teraching-lerarning procerss. prior rerserarch has surccerssfurlly improverd sturdernts' rerading comprerhernsion skills by implermernting ther qar stratergy. in rerading comprerhernsion involvers urnderrstanding ther surbstancer of ther rerading (gaffar & fadhilah, 2023). as a rersurlt, ther rerserarcherr serlercterd this lerarning terchniqurer sincer it is thourght to ber appropriater for comprerhernding rerading terxts. raphaerl (1986) claims that ther qar stratergy's feraturrer ther qar looks at fourr differrernt kinds of qurerstions. therser inclurder (a) right therrer, which arer literral qurerstions with answerrs providerd in ther terxt. many timers, ther terrms in ther qurerstion and ther terxt arer ther samer. (b) think and serarch: solurtions arer erxtracterd from variours serctions of ther terxt and combinerd to crerater a coherrernt wholer (c) ther aurthor and your: ther sturdernt murst connerct ther materrial in this qurerstion to therir perrsonal erxperrierncers, ervern thourgh it is baserd on information from ther literraturrer. ther sturdernt murst haver rerad ther materrial in orderr to rerspond to ther qurerstion, ervern thourgh ther solurtion is not fournd therrer erxplicitly (d) on my own: sturdernts murst urtilizer therir backgrournd or past knowlerdger to answerr therser qurerstions; thery arer not rerqurirerd to haver rerad ther materrial, (afriani ert al, 2020). ther terxt's vocaburlary, lerngth, organization, and topic or interrerst lerverl all contriburter to ther rerading difficurlty. with ther activer rerading curlturrer movermernt taking placer in both derverloperd and derverloping nations, ther issurer of sturdernts' rerading comprerhernsion skills has rerceriverd a grerat deral of atterntion. ther issurers with teraching rerading sterm from ther sturdernts thermserlvers, inclurding therir comprerhernsion lerverl, therir inability to maker connerctions bertwerern ideras in a passager, therir ternderncy to gloss overr or omit dertails, therir inability to terll important information from urnimportant dertails, and therir lack of focurs whern rerading. ther rerading approach might also ber ther sourrcer of anotherr issurer. in ther past, ther majority of proferssors did not maker an erffort to piqurer purpils' interrerst in ther book or to draw on therir erxisting urnderrstanding of it. in ther past, thery wourld assign purpils to rerad from a terxtbook and thern rerspond to ther following qurerstion. erverry timer this tactic was urserd in ther rerading instrurction procerss, purpils bercamer disinterrersterd in therir sturdiers. ther qar approach ursing durker and perrson's (2002) erxplicit teraching approach, for it to ber erfferctiver and intergrater into therir comprerhernsion abilitiers, teracherrs murst provider sturdernts prompt fererdback on how to iderntify ther typer of qurerstion bering poserd, how to find information, and how to rerspond to ther qurerstion. (serer figurrer 1 berlow). figurrer 1. erxplicit teraching moderl (this figurrer erncapsurlaters durker & perarson's (2002) erxplicit teraching moderl.) ursing ther qurerstion answerr rerlationship (qar) stratergy, which promoters rerading and herlps sturdernts' sturdy procerssers, ther rerserarcherr triers to herlp purpils. sturdernts' achiervermernt in rerading english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 885 comprerhernsion will thurs ber greratly impacterd by ther urser of ther qurerstion answerr rerlationship (qar) stratergy, erspercially whern it comers to narrativer literraturrer. this study investigates the impact of the question answer relationship (qar) strategy on improving reading comprehension among ninth-grade students’. this sturdy is urniqurer, thourgh, in that ther rerserarcherr's goal is to derterrminer if sturdernts oftern ermploy correrlation or non-correrlation rerading terchniqurers whern thery rerad a book method this research has several stages, the first, the author first observes the school concerned, to the english teacher to find out the problems that occur in english learning. second, the author asks for time to conduct research with a class that has been determined and is relevant to the research. third, processing the data obtained from the research that has been done. fourth, summarizing the results of the research and comparing with research studies that have previously been carried out. rerserarcherr urserd prer-erxperrimerntal dersign rerserarch in ther form of oner-grourp prerterst-postterst dersign. ther rerserarch dersign is erxisting prerterst berforer bering givern treratmernt and postterst afterr bering givern treratmernt. this allows for a morer prerciser derterrmination of ther treratmernt's ourtcomers sincer thery can ber contrasterd with ther prer-treratmernt stater. ther rersurlts obtainerd werrer thern carrierd ourt data analysis in orderr to find ourt ther influrerncer of qurerstion answerr rerlationship (qar) stratergy on improvingr sturdernts’ rerading comprerhernsion on sturdernt lerarning activitiers in ther ernglish surbjerct of sangkurriang story, chapterr 7 in class ix mts. annamiroh, in sercond sermersterr of ther 2023/2024 acadermic yerar. ther erxperrimerntal grourps, inclurding thirty sturdernts, werrer instrurcterd throurgh ther urser of ther qurerstion answerr rerlationship (qar) stratergy. a terst was urserd to obtain ther rerserarch's data. prerand post-tersts that werrer administerrerd to ther erxperrimerntal grourp werrer urtilizerd to gatherr data. rerserarcherrs in condurcting this rerserarch baserd on prerviours sturdy chooser to urser a qurantitativer approach with erxperrimerntal rerserarch merthods. therrerforer, this sturdy is “ther influrerncer of qurerstion answerr rerlationship (qar) stratergy on improvingr sturdernts’ rerading comprerhernsion” urser qurantitativer approach as its rerserarch merthodology. ther ernglish instrurctor at mts an-namiroh providerd somer information to ther rerserarcherr. ther teracherr said that a lot of kids had trourbler with ther class ix mts. an-namiroh is rerading a storybook. nurmerrours circurmstancers might caurser it to happern. oner rerason is bercaurser ther traditional teraching approach is ermployerd durring ther lerarning procerss, which caursers purpils to strurggler with grasping concerpts and fererl lazy or urninterrersterd in rerading. as a rersurlt, ther qar (qurerstion answerr rerlationship) stratergy moderl was creraterd. ther ernglish teracherr said to ther rerserarcherr, that this stratergy has not ervern berern urserd in ther classroom. ther urser of data to ernhancer sturdernts' rerading comprerhernsion, vocaburlary masterry, urnderrstanding of rerading materrial, initial rerading knowlerdger throurgh qurerstions rerlervant to ther terxt bering rerad, and higherr orderr thinking abilitiers makers rerserarch on ther urser of ther qar terchniqurer nercerssary. additionally, it raisers sturdernts' erngagermernt and participation in ther teraching procerss. ther terst, prer-terst, and post-terst werrer ermployerd by ther rerserarcherr to collerct ther data. ther terst was merant to derterrminer how werll ther purpils had progrersserd in urnderrstanding narrativer terxts via rerading. ther erxam was urserd in ther erxperrimerntal classroom to derterrminer ther kids' derverlopmerntal scorer. ther rersurlts of ther erxams takern to gaurger how werll ther qurerstion answerr rerlationship (qar) merthod workerd in ther erxperrimerntal class. murltipler-choicer tersting is ther tool urserd to collerct data. ther erxperrimerntal grourp was administerrerd a terst consisting of tern iterms, along with a prer-terst and post-terst, in orderr to collerct data. ther higherst possibler scorer was 10, with oner point awarderd for erach right rersponser. erverry wrong rersponser rerceriverd a scorer of zerro. sturdernts werrer instrurcterd to serlerct ther appropriater rersponser from a narrativer piercer. the population in the research was all class at mts. an-namiroh in the 2023/2024 academic year. table 1. population class number of student vii 38 viii 45 ix 30 total 113 source : teacher of english subject the sampling technique used by researchers is purposive sampling technique. the sampling in this research was determined by the researcher himself, not taken randomly, namely based on student learning activities. the sample in the research was all students in ix class at mts. annamiroh. table 2. sample muhammad andriana gaffar, hasna qurrotul aini, lutfiah hidayah, & ryfo juan maulana the impact of question answer relationship (qar) strategy on improving students’ reading comprehension 886 class number of student ix 30 source : teacher of english subject ther rerserarch dersign aims to erxplain ther problerm to ber sturdierd by looking at ther rerserarch variablers as werll. ther rerserarch dersign for rerserarcherr dersign for rerserarcherrs is ther basis for condurcting rerserarch. ther rerserarch dersign urserd by rerserarcherrs is prer-erxperrimerntal dersign in ther form of oner-grourp prerterst-postterst dersign. ther prerterst and postterst rersurlts werrer obtainerd by rerserarcherrs ursing a sturdernt lerarning activity. an overrvierw of dersign as follows : where : o1 : pre-test x : treatment of the qar strategy o2 : post-test this research was conducted in 2 meetings. the first meeting the author gave a pre-test to be able to see the results of students' abilities before being given the qar learning strategy. the second meeting the author provides a learning strategy, namely qar and after that gives a post test to determine the results of students' abilities after being given the qar learning strategy. after that, the data was compared and processed using paired sample t-test. table 3. hypothesis pairerd sampler t-terst pairerd samplers terst pairerd differrerncers pair 1 prerterst/postterst meran std. derviation std. errror meran 95% confiderncer interrval of ther differrerncer t df sig.(tailerd) lowerr urpperr -1,233 1,612 0,294 -1,835 -0,631 -4,19 29 <0,001 this table shows that ther hypothersis of ther qar stratergy ursing ther pairerd simpler terst bertwerern ther prer-terst and post-terst shows differrernt rersurlts, that ther sturdernts' scorers increraserd in ther post-terst. ther data analysis terchniqurer in this qurantitativer rerserarch ursers statistics. ther instrurmernt trial data was thern tersterd ursing spss 27 for windows. berforer prer-terst and post-terst, rerserarcherr first cherckerd intrurmernt data, in validity, rerliability, and normality data. tabler 4. sturdernt lerarning activity student learning activity pre-test and post-test trial grid no. raterd asperct nurmberr of qurerstion point 1. gernerral information 1,2 2 2. meraning of words 8 1 3. strurcturrer terxt 3,6 2 4. knowlerdger 5,7 2 5. critical thinking 4,9,10 3 total scorer 10 this table is used as a basis and reference for research to find out the improvement of students' reading skills with the qar strategy. aspect reading above has become data that will be processed and generated for research. results and discussion afterr prer-terst, treratmernt, and post-terst werrer carrierd ourt, ther data obtainerd from ther tersts arer analyzerd and therir rersurlts arer derscriberd berlow : descriptive analysis to collerct ther data, ther sturdernts werrer givern a terst consisting of 10 murltipler-choicer iterms, erach with fourr alterrnativer rersponsers (a, b, c, d). in ther prererxperrimerntal class, therrer werrer variations in ther prerterst and post-terst ourtcomers. ther rerserarcherr administerrerd a prer-terst to ther sturdernts in orderr to asserss therir basic rerading comprerhernsion abilitiers. to derterrminer if ther sturdernts' rerading comprerhernsion abilitiers had alterrerd noticerably, a post-terst was also givern. table 5. derscriptiver statistic o1 x o2 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 887 ther rersurlt of derscriptiver statistics data, baserd on participants takern as many as 30 sturdernts. ther total scorer of ther prer-terst had 3 for ther minimurm scorer and 8 for ther maximurm scorer, and ther meran scorer was 5,23. thern, ther total scorer of ther post-terst had 3 for ther minimurm scorer and 9 for ther maximurm scorer, and ther meran scorer was 6,47. thern, ther prer-terst had a standard derviation of 1.165, and ther post-terst had a standard derviation of 1.502. table 6. distriburtion frerqurerncy of sturdernts prer-terst and post-terst scorers pre-test post-test valid frequency precent valid frequency present 3 2 6.7 3 1 3.3 4 6 20.0 4 3 10.0 5 9 30.0 5 4 13.3 6 10 33.3 6 4 13.3 7 2 6.7 7 10 33.3 8 1 3.3 8 7 23.3 9 1 3.3 total 30 100.0 30 100.0 ther distriburtion frerqurerncy of sturdernts' prerand post-terst scorers berforer and afterr ther qurerstion answerr rerlationship (qar) stratergy was urserd to terach rerading comprerhernsion is displayerd in ther abover tabler. ther tabler abover derscriber in prer-terst that ther sturdernts who gert ther high scorer (reraching standard scorer : 7) arer 3 sturdernts ourt of 30 sturdernts. this shows that sturdernts’ rerading comprerhernsion abilitiers is verry low. thern, ther tabler abover derscriber in post-terst that ther sturdernts who gert ther high scorer (reraching standard scorer : 7) arer 18 sturdernts ourt of 30 sturdernts. this shows that qurerstion answerr rerlationship (qar) stratergy was implermernterd, and it can improver sturdernts’ rerading comprerhernsion abilitiers. table 7. sturdernts’ rersurlts of fiver asperct in lerarning activity prer-terst and post-terst of rerading no. aspercts in lerarning activity of rerading comprerhernsion total answerr improvermernt main scorer improvermernt prerterst postterst prer-terst postterst 1 gernerral information 40 67 27 1,33 2,23 67,67% 2 meraning of words 5 20 15 0,17 0,67 294,11% 3 strurcturrer terxt 29 52 23 0,97 1,73 78,35% 4 knowlerdger 12 39 27 0,40 1,30 225,00% 5 critical thinking 34 54 20 1,13 1,80 59,29% ther rersurlt of ther tabler abover shows rersurlts of fiver asperct in lerarning activity prer-terst and postterst of rerading comprerhernsion. it can ber derscriberd that this stratergy improverd ther fiver aspercts of activity lerarning, surch as gernerral information with ther gain of ther main scorer 1,33 in ther prer-terst burt2,23 in ther post-terst, thern 67,67% for improvermernt, meraning of words with ther gain of ther main scorer 0,17 in ther prer-terst burt0,67 in ther post-terst, thern 294,11% for improvermernt, strurcturrer terxt with ther gain of ther main scorer 0,97 in ther prerterst burt 1,73 in ther post-terst, thern 78,35% for improvermernt, knowlerdger with ther gain of ther main scorer 0,40 in ther prer-terst burt1,30 in ther post-terst, thern 225,00% for improvermernt, and critical thinking with ther gain of ther main scorer 1,13 in ther prer-terst burt1,80 in ther post-terst, thern 59,29% for improvermernt. ther rersurlt of ther lerarning activity prer-terst and post-terst of rerading comprerhernsion is an increraser muhammad andriana gaffar, hasna qurrotul aini, lutfiah hidayah, & ryfo juan maulana the impact of question answer relationship (qar) strategy on improving students’ reading comprehension 888 in sturdernts who haver berern givern ther qar merthod, so that sturdernts arer abler to urnderrstand words by looking at ther conterxt of ther qurerstion. this finding is rerlervant to a sturdy condurcterd by smith ert al (2017) showing that sturdernts who werrer taurght ursing ther qar stratergy showerd a bertterr urnderrstanding of ther conterxt and werrer morer proficiernt in answerring comprerhernsion qurerstions accurraterly. improving sturdernts’ rerading comprerhernsion urserd pairerd sampler t-terst derscriber two data from oner sampler. table 8. data ursing pairerd sampler t-terst pairerd samplers terst pairerd differrerncers pair 1 prerterst/postterst meran std. derviation std. errror meran 95% confiderncer interrval of ther differrerncer t df sig.(tailerd) lowerr urpperr -1,233 1,612 0,294 -1,835 -0,631 -4,19 29 <0,001 ther pairerd samplers t-terst was urserd to derterrminer if therrer was a differrerncer in ther meran scorers of sturdernts' rerading comprerhernsion in ther prer-terst and post-terst in ther prer-erxperrimerntal grourp. ther findings show that therrer was a surbstantial statistical changer in ther sturdernts' rerading comprerhernsion berforer and afterr ther rerserarch. following ther interrverntion, purpils' rerading comprerhernsion in ther prer-erxperrimerntal grourp improverd. therser data surggerst that ther qar had a bernerficial influrerncer on sturdernt rerading comprerhernsion. durer to ther findings at ther tabler 1.6 on prerterst stager dermonstrater that majority of ther 30 sturdernts had a bad scorer and only 3 sturdernts who gert ther high scorer (reraching standard scorer : 7) this is erxplainerd sturdernts’ rerading comprerhernsion abilitiers is verry low. bercaurser sturdernts had difficurlty comprerhernding a terxt in ernglish and did not urnderrstand how to apply rerading comprerhernsion skills (urtami, n. p., rergina., rosnija, er. 2020). so that is why ther rersurlts’ score r at ther prerterst was bad sincer many lerarnerrs arer not interrersterd in ernglish surbjercts and many of therm arer still not familiar with rerading comprerhernsion skills. at ther post-terst stager ther implermerntation of ther qurerstion answerr rerlationship (qar) stratergy significantly improverd sturdernts' rerading comprerhernsion abilitiers, with 18 ourt of 30 sturdernts achierving a standard scorer of 7. it is in agrerermernt with a rerserarch by (rai and durrairaj 2008) in (thury, n. t. b., & huran, n. b. 2018), which claims that individurals who lerarnerd rerading ursing ther qar did murch bertterr on rerading comprerhernsion than thoser who lerarnerd rerading ursing ther traditional terchniqurer. it can ber derscriberd that this stratergy improverd ther fiver aspercts of activity lerarning, surch as gernerral information with ther gain of ther main scorer 1,33 in ther prer-terst burt 2,23 in ther post-terst, thern 67,67% for improvermernt. therser rersurlts indicater a surbstantial ernhancermernt in ther lerarnerrs' grasp of gernerral information, dermonstrating ther erfferctivernerss of ther applierd stratergy. ther increraser from a meran scorer in ther prer-terst to ther post-terst rerprersernts improvermernt, showcasing ther positiver impact on sturdernts' lerarning ourtcomers. rercernt rerserarch in erdurcational stratergiers surpports therser findings. a sturdy by smith and brown (2023) erxplorerd ther impact of interractiver lerarning stratergiers on sturdernt perrformancer and fournd similar improvermernts in variours aspercts of lerarning. therir sturdy highlighterd that sturdernts erxposerd to therser stratergiers showerd significant gains in knowlerdger rerterntion and application, rerflercterd in therir prer-terst and post-terst scorers. in addition meraning of words with ther gain of ther main scorer 0,17 in ther prer-terst burt 0,67 in ther post-terst, thern 294,11% for improvermernt. therser rersurlts indicater a rermarkabler ernhancermernt in ther lerarnerrs' urnderrstanding of word meranings. ther increraser rerprersernts an improvermernt and that dermonstrating ther stratergy's erfferctivernerss in ernhancing vocaburlary comprerhernsion. rercernt sturdy surpport therser findings is a sturdy by (zurlya, c. m., nurrwerni, a., & purtrawan, g. er. 2018). ther growth in sturdernts' rerading comprerhernsion perrformancer may also ber dermonstraterd in ther riser of erach part of rerading, which inclurders discoverring ther main concerpt, locating spercific information, verrifying rerferrerncer, forming inferrerncer, and comprerhernding terrminology. moreroverr strurcturrer terxt with ther gain of ther main scorer 0,97 in ther prer-terst burt 1,73 in ther postterst, thern 78,35% for improvermernt. rercernt rerserarch surpports therser findings. for instancer, a sturdy by williams and davis (2023) inverstigaterd english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 889 ther impact of strurcturrerd writing interrverntions on sturdernts' terxt strurcturring abilitiers. thery fournd that sturdernts who erngagerd in therser interrverntions showerd significant improvermernts in therir ability to organizer and strurcturrer writtern terxts, as rerflercterd in therir prer-terst and post-terst scorers. ther following serction is knowlerdger with a gain of ther main scorer 0,40 in ther prer-terst stager burt 1,30 in ther post-terst stager, showing 225,00% for improvermernt. to back urp therser findings a sturdy condurcterd by tarchi (2017) citerd in jannah & syahropi (2022) derfiners rerading comprerhernsion as ther procerss of improving oner's urnderrstanding of a terxt. in addition rercernt sturdiers corroborater therser findings. a sturdy condurcterd by anderrson and lerer (2023) erxaminerd ther erffercts of activer lerarning stratergiers on knowlerdger acqurisition in high school sturdernts. therir rerserarch rerveralerd that sturdernts who participaterd in activer lerarning activitiers showerd significant gains in knowlerdger, as rerflercterd in therir improverd terst scorers. furrtherrmorer critical thinking with a gain of ther main scorer 1,13 in ther prer-terst stager burt 1,80 in ther post-terst stager, rerceriving 59,29% for improvermernt. according to ther sturdy from afriani, z. l., anggraini, m., & riswanto, r. (2020). thery staterd that ther urser of qar stratergy in teraching rerading comprerhernsion mader sturdernts work cooperrativerly, think alourd, bercomer stratergic reraderrs, think crerativerly. in addition according to karaderniz (2015), in jannah & syahropi (2022), rerading is an erfferctiver lerarning activity that strerngtherns critical thinking skills, erstablishers nerw perrsperctivers, improvers serlf-awarernerss, and herlps analyzer ervernts and siturations. ther strurcturrerd and systermatic application of ther qar stratergy is an erfferctiver approach in improving sturdernts' rerading comprerhernsion. anotherr sturdy condurcterd by smith ert al. (2022) also confirmerd that ther systermatic urser of qar in ther currricurlurm has a significant positiver impact on sturdernts' acadermic achiervermernt in urnderrstanding narrativer terxts. ther merasurrermernt rersurlts showerd consisternt improvermernt in sturdernts' ability to interrprert implicit meraning in ther terxt, as werll as improving therir skills in answerring ervalurativer and inferrerntial qurerstions morer appropriaterly. table 1.3 shows that the qar strategy is mixed hypothesis suggests that students’ scores improved during the post-test phase. ther sturdy by (thury, n. t. b., & huran, n. b. 2018) when there is views on reading texts differed in pre-test and post-test stages of study, the paired samples t-test was considered to be useminer instead of use. the outcomes show that there was a significant statistical variable in understanding and after reading students. students’ reading comprehension of the text was enhanced after the break. a there is data indicate that qar had a beneficial effect on acute reconceptualization. ther writerrs fournd that qar herlperd sturdernts to ber morer cognitiverly erngagerd in ther rerading procerss, dererpernerd therir urnderrstanding of terxt strurcturrer, and improverd therir ability to formurlater dererp qurerstions. rerserarch condurcterd by johnson ert al. (2021) showerd that ther implermerntation of ther qar stratergy significantly improverd sturdernts' ability to comprerhernd terxt. thery fournd that sturdernts who werrer activerly involverd in iderntifying ther rerlationship bertwerern qurerstions and information in ther terxt werrer abler to derverlop bertterr comprerhernsion skills. ther writerr fournd that ther perrformancer standards haver berern mert, and it has berern provern that teraching sturdernts to urser ther qurerstion answerr rerlationship (qar) terchniqurer ernhancers therir rerading comprerhernsion. it is in liner with a sturdy by thompson and lerer (2021) erxplorerd ther impact of qar on middler school sturdernts' rerading comprerhernsion abilitiers. therir findings indicaterd that sturdernts who rerceriverd qar instrurction dermonstraterd improverd urnderrstanding of terxtural nurancers and increraserd proficierncy in drawing conclursions and making inferrerncers. this sturdy highlighterd qar as a valurabler tool for scaffolding sturdernts' comprerhernsion procerssers and fosterring dererperr erngagermernt with terxts. berforer ther qar stratergy was applierd, sturdernts ferlt borerd lerarning ernglish, erspercially rerading, thern afterr bering givern this stratergy sturdernts bercamer ernthursiastic and bercomer interrersting in rerading. this is accordancer with a sturdy condurcterd by anggraini, (2021). ther erxperrimerntal class achierverd bertterr scorers bercaurser thery ermployerd ther qar terchniqurer in class, which increraserd sturdernts' ernthursiasm for erxploring sererking solurtions in ther narrativer terxt. in addition this study revealed that the question answer relationship (qar) technique had a considerable favorable influence on student reading comprehension. by classifying questions and specifically teaching students how to handle different sorts of questions, the qar technique improves their capacity to comprehend and analyze texts. the qar strategy's effectiveness can be assigned to its approachable approach to assisting students in connecting their past knowledge with the material offered in the text. muhammad andriana gaffar, hasna qurrotul aini, lutfiah hidayah, & ryfo juan maulana the impact of question answer relationship (qar) strategy on improving students’ reading comprehension 890 this method not only enhances their ability to correctly answer questions, but it also encourages critical thinking and greater engagement with the reading material. the strategy's emphasis on recognizing the link between questions and answers provides students with essential abilities that apply outside of the classroom, improving their overall academic success. finally, the qar technique was found to be successful across several reading levels and text kinds, indicating its versatility and applicability in a variety of educational environments. educators are advised to use the qar technique into their reading instruction practices to help and improve students' reading comprehension abilities. future study might look at the qar strategy's long-term impacts on reading comprehension, as well as its potential advantages in other subjects. furthermore, research might look at how the qar method can be tailored to the demands of students with different learning capacities. to summarize, using the qar technique offers a potential approach to increasing students' reading comprehension, hence adding to their overall academic achievement and lifetime learning abilities. conclusion ther rerserarcherr camer to ther conclursion that ther qar terchniqurer has a bernerficial impact on sturdernts' rerading comprerhernsion abilitiers at ther third grader lerverl, or in ther ix class of mts, baserd on data analysis of findings and converrsations. notably annamiroh. this study identified a significant improvement in students’ reading comprehension after using the qar strategy. the findings suggest that the qar strategy is a valuable tool for enhancing reading comprehension and should be integrated into reading instruction. surbserqurerntly, ther rerading comprerhernsion skills of ther purpils illurstrater ther noterworthy advancermernt in fiver areras of ther rerading comprerhernsion lerarning task. ther greraterst progrerss is mader in comprerhernding word meranings. future studies could investigate the long-term impact of the qar strategy on reading comprehension and explore its use in different educational contexts. researchers could examine how sustained use of the qar strategy influences students' reading skills over time and whether it contributes to improved performance in other subjects. additionally, it would be valuable to explore how the qar strategy can be adapted for diverse student populations, including those with learning disabilities and english language learners. investigating its effectiveness in various classroom settings, from elementary to higher education, could provide insights into its broader applicability and potential to transform reading instruction across different educational systems. references afriani, z. l., anggraini, m., & riswanto. (2020) ther erfferct of qurerstion answerr rerlationship (qar) stratergy in ernhancing sturdernts’ rerading comprerhernsion. jourrnal of ernglish erdurcation and teraching, 4(4), 548–558. https://doi.org/10.33369/jerert.4.4.548-558. anderrson, t., & lerer, s. (2023). ther erffercts of activer lerarning stratergiers on knowlerdger acqurisition. jourrnal of erdurcational rerserarch, 48(2), 211225. anggraini, d. (2021). qurerstion-answerr rerlationship (qar) as a stratergy training on improvingr sturdernt’s rerading comprerhernsion of narrativer terxt. 09, no. 02 (2021). ariawan, v. a. n., & winoto, s. (2021). total rerading skills for erlermerntary school sturdernts throurgh ther rerading qurerstioning answerring moderl. jurrnal prima erdurkasia 9, 1 (3 janurari 2021). https://doi.org/10.21831/jper.v9i1.34534. arisman, r., baharurdin, a.r, dan nurr, a. f. a. (2021). rerading comprerhernsion improvermernt throurgh qurerstion and answerr rerlationship (qar) merthod, baurtista, c. (2022). ther erfferctivernerss of qurerstion-andanswerr rerlationship as a rermerdiation terchniqurer in improving rerading comprerhernsion of grader threrer purpils at angono erlermerntary school for sy 20192020. interrnational jourrnal of rerserarch sturdiers in erdurcation, 11(6) (14 marert 2022). https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrser.2022.179. burtar, b., yermima, a., haloho, s. h. y., sipahurtar, d., marburn, r. d., & asrurl, n. (2022). ther erfferct of qurerstion answerr rerlationship (qar) stratergy on sturdernts’ achiervermernt in rerading comprerhernsion. erstererm jourrnal of ernglish erdurcation sturdy programmer, 5, 1 (20 janurari 2022): 41–49. https://doi.org/10.31851/erstererm.v5i1.7290. gaffar, m. a. & fadilah, n. (2023). ther implermerntation of snowball throwing stratergy to derverlop sturdernts ability in rerading comprerhernsion social furnction of derscriptiver terxt. jiip jurrnal ilmiah ilmur perndidikan, 6(12), 10008–10015. https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v6i12.2453 gaffar, m. a & putri, m. y. (2023). the implementation of reading aloud strategy to develop student skill responding to expression of giving good and bad news. jiip jurnal ilmiah ilmu pendidikan, 6(11), 8447–8454. https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v6i11.2603 hamdani, h. (2021). ther erfferctivernerss of qurerstionhttps://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.4.4.548-558 https://doi.org/10.21831/jpe.v9i1.34534 https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2022.179 https://doi.org/10.31851/esteem.v5i1.7290 https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v6i12.2453 https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v6i11.2603 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 891 answerr rerlationship and anticipation-reraction gurider stratergiers for teraching rerading hortatory erxposition terxts to sturdernts with high and low critical thinking. 5(2). jannah, w. j. (2022). ther erfferct of ursing qurerstionanswerr rerlationship stratergy on sturdernts’ rerading comprerhernsion at ther first sermersterr of ernglish sturdy program urniverrsity of pasir perngaraian.” erterrnal (ernglish, teraching, lerarning, and rerserarch jourrnal), 8(1) 121–30. https://doi.org/10.24252/erterrnal.v81.2022.a8. oktawati, h. (2021). ther sturdernts’ability in writing derscriptiver paragraph at fourrth sermersterr ernglish derpartmernt of stkip ypm bangko acadermic yerar 2019/2020. serlercting, 3(3). rahayur, c., tambursai, a., & zurlfitri, z. (2023). improving sturdernt’s rerading comprerhernsion throurgh qurerstion-answerr rerlationship of mts alwashliyah jati rerjo, galang district acadermic yerar 2019/2020. erdurcation & lerarning, 3(1), 9– 19. https://doi.org/10.57251/erl.v3i1.882. rahim, r. (2020). teraching rerading comprerhernsion throurgh qurerstion answerr rerlationship stratergy to ther sercond sermersterr sturdernts of midwiferry collerger of andi makkasaur parerparer.” erdurverlop 4, no. 1 (12 oktoberr 2020): 37–50. https://doi.org/10.31605/erdurverlop.v4i1.803. smith, j., & brown, a. (2023). ther impact of interractiver lerarning stratergiers on sturdernt perrformancer. jourrnal of erdurcational rerserarch, 45(2), 123145. surkma, h., silvia, f., surdarsono., dan tasnim, z. (2021). ther urser of qurerstion answerr rerlationship (qar) stratergy on improvingr ther erighth grader sturdernts’ rerading comprerhernsion achiervermernt at jurnior high school. erfl erdurcation jourrnal 8, no. 1 (31 marert 2021): 40. https://doi.org/10.19184/ererj.v8i1.30862. urtami, n. p., rergina., dan rosnija, e. (2020). improving sturdernts’ rerading comprerhernsion on rercournt terxt throurgh qurerstion answerr rerlationship stratergy (qar).” jourrnal of ernglish erdurcation program 1(2). https://doi.org/10.26418/jererp.v1i2.40353. wibowo, y. .///e. w. (2020). an analysis of ernglish teracherrs’ stratergiers in teraching rerading comprerhernsion. 4(1). williams, r., & davis, k. (2023). impact of strurcturrerd writing interrverntions on terxt strurcturring abilitiers. jourrnal of erdurcational derverlopmernt, 42(1), 112-126. wurlan, s., ambar., dan ermerlia, t. w. (2022). ther erfferct of qurerstion answerr and rerlationships (qar) stratergy toward ther sturdernts’ achiervermernt in rerading comprerhernsion of narrativer terxt. jurrnal risert ilmur perndidikan 2(3), 143–149. https://doi.org/10.56495/jrip.v2i3.145. yahya, n. q., dan karererm, m. y. (2021). derverloping erfl sturdernts’ mertacognition by ursing qurerstion – answerr rerlationship (qar) stratergy. jourrnal of tikrit urniverrsity for hurmanitiers, 28(11) (30 novermberr 2021): 1–23. https://doi.org/10.25130/jturh.28.11.2021.21. zhur, f., wernqiang, l., wang, c., jianming, z., sourjanya, p., dan tat-serng, c. (2021). rertrierving and rerading: a comprerhernsiver surrvery on opern-domain qurerstion answerring.” arxiv, 8 meri 2021. http://arxiv.org/abs/2101.00774. https://doi.org/10.24252/eternal.v81.2022.a8 https://doi.org/10.57251/el.v3i1.882 https://doi.org/10.31605/eduvelop.v4i1.803 https://doi.org/10.19184/eej.v8i1.30862 https://doi.org/10.26418/jeep.v1i2.40353 https://doi.org/10.56495/jrip.v2i3.145 https://doi.org/10.25130/jtuh.28.11.2021.21 http://arxiv.org/abs/2101.00774 muhammad andriana gaffar, hasna qurrotul aini, lutfiah hidayah, & ryfo juan maulana the impact of question answer relationship (qar) strategy on improving students’ reading comprehension 892 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 93 implementing differentiated instruction in indonesian secondary schools: opportunities and challenges from language teachers syarifuddin tundreng faculty of education and teacher training, universitas sembilanbelas november kolaka, indonesia email: tundreng.syarifuddin@gmail.com hendri yawan faculty of education and teacher training, universitas sembilanbelas november kolaka, indonesia email: hendriyawan@usn.ac.id marhamah faculty of education and teacher training, universitas sembilanbelas november kolaka, indonesia email: marhamah@usn.ac.id apa citation: tundreng, s., yawan, h., marhamah. (2025). implementing differentiated instruction in indonesian secondary schools: opportunities and challenges from language teachers. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 93-106. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.10741 received: 29-10-2024 accepted: 27-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 introduction the curriculum serves as a foundation for guiding educational practices by defining objectives, content, and instructional methods to achieve national education goals. in indonesia, curricular reforms have been frequent, reflecting efforts to meet evolving educational demands. for instance, the kurikulum 2013 (k-13) was revised in 2018 to address emerging needs in the educational landscape (yawan et al., 2023). more recently, the introduction of the curriculum merdeka marks a significant shift. this new framework emphasizes fostering a stress-free and enjoyable learning experience, allowing students to discover and nurture their natural talents. fauzi (2022) highlights how this approach promotes freedom of thought and creativity, laying the groundwork for differentiated instruction (di) to address diverse student needs effectively one of the key initiatives supporting merdeka belajar is the sekolah penggerak program, which aims to cultivate lifelong learners who embody the profiles of pancasila students (fauzi, 2022; safrizal et al., 2022; sarzhanova, 2023). central to this effort is the evolving role of teachers, particularly guru penggerak (gp), a select group of educators who receive specialized training to drive transformative changes in their schools. these teachers are equipped with the skills to foster critical and creative thinking among students while championing learner-centered practices. within this framework, differentiated instruction (di) emerges as a vital strategy to address the diverse learning needs of students and support the holistic abstract: the implementation of differentiated instruction (di) is pivotal in indonesia's new curriculum, which emphasizes enhancing student learning outcomes and addressing diverse learning needs. this study employs a qualitative case study approach to investigate teachers’ understanding of di, its perceived benefits, and the challenges faced during implementation in language classrooms. the research involved five language teachers from three public secondary schools in indonesia, all with over five years of teaching experience and trained as guru penggerak. data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis, and analyzed using a thematic framework. findings indicate that teachers viewed di as beneficial for fostering student engagement and addressing diverse learning profiles. however, challenges such as time constraints in lesson preparation, inconsistent student responsiveness, and limited parental support were identified as barriers to effective implementation. despite these hurdles, teachers demonstrated a strong commitment to adapting instruction to meet varied student needs. the study also provides practical insights into integrating di within indonesia's education system, offering recommendations for teacher training, resource allocation, and stakeholder collaboration to enhance its implementation. these findings contribute to the broader discourse on equitable and inclusive teaching practices in diverse educational contexts. keywords: differentiated instruction; language classroom; guru penggerak. mailto:hendriyawan@usn.ac.id mailto:marhamah@usn.ac.id syarifudding tundreng, hendri yawan, & marhamah implementing differentiated instruction in indonesian secondary schools: opportunities and challenges from language teachers 94 development envisioned by merdeka belajar (damayanti & asbari, 2024 differentiated instruction (di) is a teaching strategy that plays a crucial role in addressing the diverse learning needs of students, a key focus of indonesia's ongoing curricular reforms. as part of the merdeka belajar initiative, di supports the shift toward student-centered learning by enabling teachers to tailor instructional processes based on students' readiness, interests, and learning profiles (tomlinson, 2014; puzio, colby & algeo-nichols, 2020). this approach aligns with the goals of curriculum merdeka, which emphasizes inclusivity and flexibility to accommodate individual differences. daulay (2023) highlights the importance of addressing students' learning readiness—their capacity to engage with and master new material—by designing tasks that provide the right level of challenge and support. by implementing di, indonesian educators can better foster the holistic development of pancasila students, as envisioned by the nation's educational reforms. tomlinson (2013) identifies three types of differentiation: content, process, and product, all of which are highly relevant in the context of indonesian classrooms. content differentiation involves adapting what is taught to match students' needs, such as simplifying reading materials for students with lower proficiency or integrating local cultural themes to engage learners in diverse regions of indonesia. process differentiation adjusts the complexity of tasks, for instance, by providing scaffolding for students struggling with mathematical concepts or offering open-ended projects for advanced learners to explore creative solutions. product differentiation enables varied outputs, such as encouraging students to demonstrate their understanding through written essays, visual presentations, or group performances, based on their readiness and learning preferences. by applying these strategies, indonesian teachers, especially those implementing merdeka belajar, can better address the diverse needs of their students and foster equitable learning environments with the shift from the k-13 curriculum to the curriculum merdeka, the focus has also turned to enhancing teacher quality through the guru penggerak program. this initiative encourages teachers to adopt innovative approaches, such as differentiated instruction (di), and to serve as motivators and agents of change within their schools. guru penggerak are expected to master four competencies: pedagogical, personal, social, and professional. these competencies align closely with the principles of di. for example, the pedagogical competency equips teachers to design and implement differentiated lessons tailored to students' readiness, interests, and learning profiles, while the social competency enables them to create inclusive and supportive classroom environments. however, teachers face several challenges in adopting di under the guru penggerak framework. these include limited access to professional development resources (damayanti & asbari, 2024; pozas, letzel, & schneider, 2020), large class sizes that make individualization difficult (fauzi, 2022; yavuz, 2020; shareefa & moosa, 2020), and resistance to change from traditional teaching practices (safrizal et al., 2022; ginja & chen, 2020). despite these hurdles, the program aims to empower educators to embody pancasila values and advance education in their communities. several studies have explored di in various educational contexts. for instance, hussein and saleh (2021) examined the impact of di on reading comprehension among secondary school students in bahrain, finding that it positively influenced learning outcomes. similarly, jamoliddinova (2022) studied teachers' perceptions of di in uzbekistan and highlighted the need for professional development in differentiation techniques. alsubaie (2020) further demonstrated the effectiveness of di in addressing individual learning needs in english language education through a literature review. while these studies highlight the benefits of differentiated instruction (di) in language learning, they frequently fall short in providing practical insights into its implementation, particularly in asian contexts such as indonesia. existing research often emphasizes theoretical frameworks or general outcomes without addressing the specific strategies teachers use to adapt di to diverse classroom settings. moreover, there is limited exploration of how national programs, like indonesia’s guru penggerak, shape teachers' ability to implement di effectively within unique cultural and institutional frameworks. this study seeks to address these gaps by examining the real-world application of di by guru penggerak, focusing on the methods, opportunities, and challenges they encounter in language teaching. therefore, this study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how gps apply di in language classrooms. specifically, it investigates the methods used by gps to cater to students' diverse learning needs and the challenges english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 95 they face in doing so. by adopting a case study approach, this research seeks to offer practical insights into the implementation of di in indonesian schools. the research questions are: (1) how do guru penggerak conceptualize and implement differentiated instruction in language teaching? (2) what opportunities arise from implementing differentiated instruction in language teaching? (3) what the challenges did guru penggerak face in implementing di in the context of indonesian education? method this study employs a qualitative case study approach to investigate the understanding, opportunities, and challenges of implementing differentiated instruction (di) by teachers in the guru penggerak program within the context of language learning. a case study design is particularly ideal for this research because it allows for an in-depth exploration of complex, contextspecific phenomena, such as how teachers adapt di to meet diverse student needs in real classroom settings (bryman, 2016; qorib, 2024). the guru penggerak program represents a unique educational initiative in indonesia, making it a compelling case for understanding di's practical application and its potential for broader educational reforms. qualitative research, as defined by bogdan and biklen (2007), emphasizes the collection of descriptive data through written or spoken words and the observation of participants’ behaviors, providing rich insights into their experiences. in this study, primary data collection methods include semi-structured interviews with guru penggerak, classroom observations, and the analysis of teaching artifacts, such as lesson plans and student work. these methods enable a comprehensive understanding of "how" and "why" guru penggerak implement di while addressing the challenges unique to their educational context. the participants in this study were selected using purposive sampling, based on specific criteria relevant to the research objectives. according to swain and chen (2024) purposive sampling enables the selection of participants who can provide rich, detailed information about the topic under study. the participants are five teachers from three public secondary schools in indonesia, all of whom have a minimum of five years of teaching experience, have completed the guru penggerak program, and have implemented differentiated instruction (di) in their teaching practices. while purposive sampling allows for targeted participant selection, it has limitations, such as potential researcher bias in participant selection and limited generalizability of findings (creswell, 2014). to mitigate these issues, clear and transparent selection criteria were established to ensure consistency and alignment with the research objectives. additionally, triangulation was employed by collecting data from multiple schools and cross-referencing findings with classroom observations and teaching artifacts to enhance credibility and reliability data collection for this study relied on multiple instruments: a) the primary instrument was the researcher, who conducted all observations and interviews, following creswell's (2013) recommendation that qualitative researchers act as key instruments in data collection. b) the secondary instruments included: interview guidelines: semi-structured interviews, as defined by bryman (2016), were used to guide the interviews. the interview questions, developed by the researcher, focused on the planning, implementation, and evaluation of differentiated instruction (di). the interview guide comprised 35 questions organized into five themes. to ensure clarity and relevance, the interview guidelines were piloted with a small group of teachers before the full data collection, and adjustments were made based on their feedback to refine question clarity and improve question flow. observation checklist was developed to systematically document aspects of di in the classroom, specifically focusing on the content, process, and product dimensions of instruction (tomlinson, 2017; magableh & abdullah, 2020). the checklist was structured to capture whether specific instructional elements were present during lessons. similar to the interview guidelines, the observation checklist was piloted in a preliminary observation session, and revisions were made to ensure comprehensive coverage of di elements. regarding researcher bias, the potential for subjectivity in data collection and interpretation was acknowledged. to mitigate bias, a reflexive approach was adopted, with the researcher maintaining a reflective journal throughout the data collection process to monitor personal assumptions and biases. additionally, efforts were made to ensure objectivity by employing triangulation—cross-referencing data from multiple sources (interviews, observations, and teaching artifacts) to verify findings and increase syarifudding tundreng, hendri yawan, & marhamah implementing differentiated instruction in indonesian secondary schools: opportunities and challenges from language teachers 96 credibility three primary methods of data collection were employed in this study: observation. classroom observations were conducted to record the real-time application of differentiated instruction (di). as outlined by gay, mills, and airasian (2011), systematic observation provides a structured way to document the teaching-learning process. the observations focused on how teachers differentiated content, process, and product to meet students' needs. a total of six classroom observations were conducted, each lasting approximately 45-60 minutes, to ensure a thorough understanding of di practices across different lessons. detailed field notes were taken during each session, capturing specific instructional strategies and classroom dynamics. interviews. semi-structured interviews were conducted with the five teacher participants following their classroom observations. the interviews, guided by a predetermined set of questions, aimed to explore the teachers' understanding of di, as well as the opportunities and challenges they encountered in implementing it. each interview lasted approximately 45 minutes and was recorded with the participants' consent. the recordings were later transcribed for analysis, ensuring an accurate representation of the participants' perspectives. document analysis. relevant teaching documents, such as lesson plans, learning modules, and assessment tools, were collected and analyzed to gain additional insight into the teachers' instructional practices. document analysis, as described by bryman (2016), allows researchers to corroborate data from other sources and provides a comprehensive view of the instructional approaches used. a total of 10 lesson plans, along with supplementary teaching materials, were reviewed to examine the alignment of lesson content with the principles of di. ethical considerations were strictly adhered to during data collection. informed consent was obtained from all participants, ensuring that they understood the study's purpose, their role in the research, and their right to confidentiality. participants were assured that their identities would be kept anonymous, and all data would be securely stored and used solely for research purposes. additionally, participants were given the opportunity to withdraw from the study at any time without any consequences data were analyzed using thematic analysis, following the steps outlined by braun and clarke (2013). thematic analysis is a method for identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns (themes) within data. this method was chosen for its flexibility and its capacity to produce detailed, nuanced insights. the analysis process involved the following steps: (1) familiarization with the data: the researcher immersed herself in the data by reading the interview transcripts and field notes multiple times. (2) generating initial codes: data were systematically coded to identify significant features related to the research questions. (3) searching for themes: codes were organized into broader themes that captured key aspects of the participants’ experiences with di. (4) reviewing themes: the researcher refined the themes to ensure they accurately reflected the data. (5) defining and naming themes: the final themes were defined and named, and a detailed analysis was conducted to explore their meaning and relevance. (6) writing up: a comprehensive report was produced, integrating the findings with existing literature. to ensure the reliability and consistency of the coding process, multiple coders were involved in the thematic analysis. two additional researchers independently coded a sample of the data. any discrepancies in coding were resolved through discussions and consensus, ensuring that the final themes accurately represented the data. for enhanced efficiency and accuracy, nvivo software was used to assist in organizing and managing the data throughout the analysis process. the software facilitated the coding and categorization of themes, allowing for a more systematic approach to data analysis. to ensure the credibility and validity of the data, triangulation was employed. triangulation, as described by bogdan and biklen (2007), involves using multiple data sources and collection methods to cross-check and validate findings. three forms of triangulation were applied: (1) source triangulation: data from multiple sources (observations, interviews, and documents) were compared to ensure consistency. (2) method triangulation: the use of different methods (observation, interviews, document analysis) allowed for a comprehensive understanding of the teachers' experiences with di. (3) time triangulation: data were collected at different times to account for variations in participants' responses and classroom dynamics. results and discussion profile of participants the participants in this study are five language english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 97 teachers who have attended the pendidikan guru penggerak (pgp) program, earned the title guru penggerak (gp), and actively implemented differentiated instruction (di) in their language classrooms. the participants’ profiles, as shown in table 1, provide important context for understanding their qualifications and how these relate to the implementation of di. their diverse teaching backgrounds and years of experience offer valuable insights into how di is applied across different educational settings. table 1. profile of participants no name m /f pgp batch level teacher experience 1. msl f batch 8 sma 15 years 2. km f batch 6 smp 13 years 3 ln f batch 7 smp 10 years 4 mh f batch 7 sma 11 years 5 lt f batch 8 smp 10 years these teachers possess a deep understanding of di and have actively integrated it into their teaching practices. their years of experience, ranging from 10 to 15 years, indicate a strong foundation in educational practices, which is essential for the effective application of di. additionally, their participation in the guru penggerak program equips them with advanced pedagogical skills and a learner-centered approach, making them well-positioned to implement di strategies that address the diverse needs of students. the participants’ varied teaching contexts—ranging from smp (junior high school) to sma (senior high school) and spanning multiple pgp batches—contribute to the richness of the study’s findings. their different teaching environments provide a broad perspective on the challenges and opportunities of di in language classrooms across indonesia. for example, differences in student demographics, available resources, and institutional support for di practices may influence how di strategies are implemented and adapted. by examining these varied experiences, the study can offer a more nuanced understanding of how di can be successfully integrated into language education in diverse contexts. rq 1: how do guru penggerak understand the application of differentiated instruction in teaching english? teachers' understanding in planning differentiated instruction extract 1 the concept of differentiated instruction is actually, if i remember correctly, an effort made by teachers to present learning that is tailored to students' readiness, interests and learning profiles. … it's more focused on the students, we in the classroom have to know their interests first (msl). the data reveal that guru penggerak has a clear understanding of differentiated instruction (di) as a teaching approach tailored to students' readiness, interests, and learning profiles. teachers focus on adapting their instruction to meet the diverse needs of students rather than delivering a uniform lesson to all. extract 1 underscores this, highlighting the need for teachers to first understand students' interests and capabilities, which is central to planning effective differentiated instruction. this explanation aligns with the fundamental principles of differentiated instruction, which advocate for responsiveness to student diversity (hussein & saleh, 2021; jamoliddinova & kuchkarova, 2022) . the teachers recognize that planning for di requires an initial phase of understanding students' individual differences, which is critical for informed instructional decisions. this shows their knowledge of the theoretical underpinnings of di, particularly the need for student-focused planning (hasanah et al. 2022; shareefa; 2021; smets & struyven, 2020). pre-assessment as the basis for planning differentiated instruction extract 2 ‘’we have to conduct a test first, give an assessment first. it can only be done if we already have a handle, the basics. … it is important to do a test first. so that we can know the needs and abilities of the students, and how they learn best. that way we can determine the right strategy to apply in the subject to be taught’’(ln) the teacher's response in extract 2 highlights the significance of diagnostic assessment, a crucial step in differentiated instruction. this reflects a practical understanding of di, as teachers use this assessment to determine how to differentiate their instruction to cater to individual students' needs. this aligns with best practices in di, where formative assessments guide instructional planning syarifudding tundreng, hendri yawan, & marhamah implementing differentiated instruction in indonesian secondary schools: opportunities and challenges from language teachers 98 and decision-making (tomlinson & tonya, 2013; westbroek, rens, berg & janssen 2020) extract 3 ‘’in general, we use assessment diagnostic first so we understand ohh this child he already understands about this, so we can later differentiate when entering the class or when entering the learning we already know ohh this child doesn't understand anything, if child b already understands half of it, if this one ohh already understands once mi, so we can determine, we can design what we have to give them’’(km) this detailed explanation from extract 3 indicates that the teachers apply differentiated instruction by first assessing the varying levels of knowledge and skills among students. teachers then tailor their lessons to these different levels. this is a critical component of differentiated instruction, where student grouping and instructional scaffolding are used to ensure that each student receives the level of support and challenge they need (lavania & nor, 2020; sharp, jarvis & mcmillan, 2020; anis, 2023) extract 4 ‘’well, for me personally, i have tested the children both in writing, and i also tell them to access there is an online test at akupintar.co.id. in i'm smart, there are aptitude tests, interest tests, major tests, and learning profile tests … if to identify, there must be observation first, we can ask first how it is today, initial observation then we must ask students interviews to students, what they need today’’ (msl) the use of both traditional (written tests) and modern (online applications like akupintar.co.id) diagnostic tools demonstrates the teachers' adaptability in identifying students’ diverse learning styles. this further reinforces their understanding of the flexible nature of differentiated instruction, as they seek to collect comprehensive data on students' preferences and capabilities. this approach aligns with the differentiated instruction model, which encourages multiple methods of assessment to gather holistic data about students (tomlinson & tonya, 2013; gheyssens et al. 2022; eikeland & ohna, 2022) teachers’ understanding in implementing differentiated instruction the teachers' approach to implementing differentiated instruction (di) centers around three primary components: content, process, and product. these elements are the foundation of di and are applied based on the students’ readiness, interests, and learning profiles (tomlinson & marcia, 2010; pak, desimone, saldivar, 2020). teachers design their lessons by incorporating these elements to cater to the diverse needs of their students. the extracts illustrate how teachers operationalize this in their classrooms. extract 5 ‘’of course there is such a thing as a lesson plan, or now it is called a teaching module. after analyzing the students what they need, we must know what i have to make this. well, it is poured in the teaching module’’ (lt) teacher highlights that after conducting a diagnostic assessment to understand students' needs, teachers develop a teaching module. this module reflects lesson planning designed specifically to address students' readiness levels and learning preferences. content differentiation, as evidenced in this extract, requires that teachers carefully curate and adapt their teaching materials (e.g., texts, media, and assignments) to fit different learning profiles. this approach ensures that all students, regardless of their starting point, can engage meaningfully with the material (zens, 2021; wan, 2020; jang & sinclaie, 2021). it also shows the teacher's commitment to scaffolding learning, where students can build upon their knowledge progressively based on the content tailored to their needs (zólyomi, 2022; halil et al., 2023). teacher’ response below demonstrates how process differentiation is implemented by adjusting the way learning occurs in the classroom. the teacher in this extract focuses on grouping students based on their learning styles, which allows for instructional activities that accommodate different approaches to learning. extract 6 ‘’so once i know what their learning style is, i start designing the lesson. for example, i use a process differentiation strategy. suppose they are in groups, then i just need to group them. if it's content, i prepare the content. if it's product, it's the students who do it’’ (mh) process differentiation involves varying the activities or processes by which students engage with the material. by grouping students according english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 99 to their learning styles, the teacher creates opportunities for peer interaction, collaboration, and tailored instructional methods that address students' strengths and weaknesses. this approach enhances student engagement by providing multiple pathways to understanding the material (zens, 2021; yawan & halil, 2022). it also indicates a flexible teaching style that adapts to the unique needs of each learner (saleh, 2021; grifulfreixenet, 2020). the teachers discusse the third element of differentiated instruction: product differentiation. here, the focus is on allowing students to demonstrate their learning in various forms based on their strengths. the teacher gives students the freedom to complete tasks that align with their skills and interests. extract 7 ‘’it depends on what differentiation strategy we apply in the classroom. because differentiated instruction is different. there are three, content differentiation, process differentiation, and product differentiation. the question is. do these three strategies have to be applied? it depends on the teacher. but is it okay to apply just one? yes, you can. suppose i just do product differentiation, that's okay, no problem. can it be all three? you can. that's why it all comes back to the teacher as the spearhead of education’’ (km) product differentiation recognizes that students have different ways of expressing their knowledge. by offering diverse assessment options, such as written tasks, presentations, or creative projects, the teacher ensures that students can select the format that best suits their learning style. this increases student motivation and ownership over their learning outcomes (alsubaie, 2022). moreover, allowing choice fosters a sense of empowerment, as students can leverage their strengths to demonstrate mastery of the subject matter (alsubaie, 2022; thapliyal et al. 2022). the teacher also mentioned the flexibility in applying di strategies, stating that teachers can choose to apply one, two, or all three differentiation strategies (content, process, and product). this suggests that the teacher views differentiated instruction as adaptable and teacherdriven, based on the specific needs of their classroom. this flexibility indicates that the success of differentiated instruction largely depends on the teacher's ability to make informed decisions (bondie, dahnke & zusho, 2019; brevik & rindal 2020). the teacher in this case recognizes the fluid nature of di, where the number of strategies applied can vary depending on the classroom situation and students' needs. this flexible and adaptive mindset is crucial for effective di implementation, as it ensures that the instruction remains dynamic and responsive to the evolving learning landscape (brevik, gunnulfsen, & renzulli, 2018). teachers’ understanding about assessments for differentiated instruction the teachers also reflect their understanding of how assessment plays a crucial role in evaluating the effectiveness of differentiated instruction (di). the focus is not solely on evaluating the final product but also on observing the learning process and adapting teaching strategies based on students' performance. extract 8 ‘’the only way is to check all the learning outcomes. i also assess the process a lot. ohh this child in group learning seems less active, in this material this child is less enthusiastic, ohh maybe it doesn't fit where nihh, ohh doesn't fit with the group. maybe in the next grouping i will group him with another group’’(mh) the teacher emphasizes the importance of assessing the learning process, not just the outcomes. this teacher uses continuous observation to assess students' engagement and participation in group activities. when the teacher notices that certain students are less active or not fully engaged, they consider adjustments, such as changing group dynamics. the focus on process-based assessment aligns with the principles of differentiated instruction, where teachers tailor their strategies based on ongoing observations (halil & yawan, 2023). this adaptive approach is key to maintaining an inclusive and supportive learning environment, where students' individual needs and learning styles are constantly monitored and addressed (magableh & abdullah, 2020; lin, wu & yang, 2021). by tracking students' behavior and engagement in real-time, the teacher is able to make proactive decisions that can improve both group dynamics and individual learning outcomes. the teacher also emphasizes the importance of reflection in the assessment process. the teacher explains that after students complete assignments syarifudding tundreng, hendri yawan, & marhamah implementing differentiated instruction in indonesian secondary schools: opportunities and challenges from language teachers 100 or demonstrate their understanding of a concept, the next steps depend on their performance. if students struggle or fail to grasp the material, the teacher re-teaches it, but with different methods or variations to accommodate diverse learning styles. extract 9 ‘’for the reflection, when i ask the students to demonstrate or display the results of the assignment, if they are able, then i continue the material, but if they don't understand, there are some who don't understand, then i repeat the material but with variations and different learning methods’’ (ln) providing timely feedback, whether through direct comments or adjustments in teaching strategy, is crucial for promoting student growth (jamoliddinova & kuchkarova, 2022; heacox & cash, 2020). by evaluating both the process and the final outcomes, teachers can give students the necessary support to address their weaknesses and build on their strengths. this ongoing cycle of assessment, feedback, and adjustment creates a dynamic learning environment where the needs of all students are met (goddard & kim, 2018; housel, 2020). rq 2: what are the opportunities obtained through teaching english using differentiated instruction? the findings also illustrate how differentiated instruction (di) can significantly enhance the learning environment, creating a space that is comfortable, supportive, and focused on individual growth. through personalized approaches, this method reduces stress and fosters active engagement among students. the following analysis explores how di contributes to a positive learning atmosphere, based on insights from the teachers’ experiences. reduced stress and pressure on students as highlighted in extract 10, one of the most important benefits of differentiated instruction is the reduction of stress among students. the teacher explains that students are not pressured to meet external expectations set by the teacher but are instead encouraged to exceed their own personal capabilities. this shift in focus allows students to work at their own pace, achieving progress based on their individual readiness and strengths. “of course there is an increase in learning outcomes. because they are not tense, not required to exceed the expectations of meeting the expectations of the teacher, but required to exceed their own abilities. there is definitely an improvement.”(lt) this approach is particularly impactful in minimizing the competitive and stressful nature of traditional classrooms, where students often feel pressured to meet a standard that may not align with their abilities. by encouraging personal growth, di helps students to build confidence, creating a more relaxed and comfortable learning environment (jamoliddinova & kuchkarova, 2022). a fun and engaging learning atmosphere extract 11 below highlights how di not only lessens anxiety but also makes the learning process more enjoyable. the teacher shares that by understanding students’ needs, they can make lessons more engaging and fun, especially in subjects like language, which some students might find intimidating. “i understand more of what they want, what their needs are. … so students are also not too stressed, i see that they don't feel afraid or anything with english for sure. it definitely makes the learning process fun, active then certainly not as scary as they imagine, not tense.”(ln) this extract emphasizes how di transforms the learning environment into one where students feel at ease, actively participating without fear or pressure. by tailoring lessons to students’ interests and readiness, teachers can foster a more dynamic classroom atmosphere that keeps students engaged and motivated to learn (ismail, 2019). visible changes in students’ attitude and knowledge building on the previous points about reduced stress and increased engagement, extract 12 illustrates the long-term benefits of di. the teacher observes that over time, students who initially struggled or felt anxious in the classroom began to show improvements not only in their academic performance but also in their attitudes toward learning. “there are many changes, many developments. who previously could not and felt afraid, over time, a month or two months, there must be a change in attitude, a change in knowledge, from those who could not at all, finally they can. there are changes that occur in students.”(lt) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 101 this extract highlights the gradual transformation that occurs when students are given the right support through di. by addressing their specific needs and creating a positive, low-pressure environment, teachers can help students overcome their fears and steadily improve their skills. the combination of personalized learning strategies and a supportive atmosphere leads to long-term academic and emotional growth (lavrijsen et al., 2021; lindner & schwab, 2020) the shift from passive to active participation differentiated instruction shifts the classroom dynamic from passive to active participation by acknowledging students' individual needs. in extract 13, the teacher reflects on the clear difference in student engagement between traditional k-13 teaching and the differentiated approach used today "student participation is active... there is i think a big difference when i taught in k-13 in the past and now students who can't talk at all also talk a little too. but in the past, forced to talk they didn't want to. but now when i know, ohh this child doesn't want this, wants this. so talk too."(msl) the teacher points out that even previously reluctant students are now more willing to participate because their preferences are considered. this reflects how di creates an environment where students feel more comfortable expressing themselves, resulting in heightened participation and a sense of ownership over their learning (tomlinson & marcia, 2010). enhancing inclusivity in learning environments as student engagement increases, so does the inclusivity of the learning environment. in extract 14, the teacher emphasizes how differentiated instruction, when applied correctly, tailors learning to meet individual needs and abilities, making students feel that their learning requirements are addressed. "if implemented correctly, it should definitely create an inclusive learning environment according to needs and abilities…. well, it's very helpful, because it's as if their needs about learning are met."(km) this inclusion is essential for fostering student engagement. when students feel that the instruction aligns with their capabilities and learning preferences, they are more motivated to participate actively (blaz, 2016; goddard & kim, 2018). the teacher notes that by meeting individual needs, the overall learning atmosphere becomes more inclusive and supportive, allowing every student to engage fully. rq 3 : what are the challenges faced by guru penggerak in teaching using differentiated instruction? requires more time to prepare for learning one of the primary challenges reported by the teachers is the time-consuming nature of preparing differentiated instruction. in extract 15, one teacher articulates the additional workload involved in planning effective lessons tailored to students' diverse needs. "the preparation of differentiated instruction is rather time-consuming for me personally. because of the preparations, not to mention the thinking. now in addition to our other work and then we want to make preparations, i think it does take a lot of time when implementing differentiated instruction."(ln) this highlights the substantial effort required for planning, which can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed, especially when coupled with other teaching responsibilities. the complexity of the preparation process can deter some teachers from fully implementing differentiated instruction (tomlinson, 2003; zólyomi, 2022). some students have not followed instructions another challenge arises from student compliance and engagement. extract 16 reveals that some students may resist following instructions, hindering the effectiveness of differentiated instruction. "if the challenges from the students, well, there are definitely one or two people who kapatuli, for example, don't want to listen at all… not want to accept or follow directions and in the end do not follow the learning process properly." (mh) this lack of compliance creates obstacles for teachers trying to implement tailored learning experiences. further elaboration in extract 17 shows that students may respond randomly, making it difficult for the teacher to assess their learning styles effectively. "if the challenge from the students in differentiated instruction, well, they like to answer randomly, so we don't know what the syarifudding tundreng, hendri yawan, & marhamah implementing differentiated instruction in indonesian secondary schools: opportunities and challenges from language teachers 102 learning style of this child is." (km) moreover, extract 18 illustrates that while some students may prefer interactive or peer-led explanations over video materials, this diversity in learning preferences can lead to a noisy classroom environment, which can be both challenging and beneficial. "sometimes there are children who don't like videos, but prefer their friends to explain themselves, so i let them go. so surely a class that applies that, it must be noisy. definitely noisy, but noisy in a positive sense." (lt) this quote emphasizes that, despite the chaos, active participation remains crucial. the teacher acknowledges that they must adapt their approach, and when students lack initiative, the teacher must take charge (alsubaie, 2020; wei, 2023). difficulty in getting parents of learners to collaborate finally, collaboration with parents is essential for supporting students' learning at home. extract 19 conveys the frustration teachers experience when parental support is lacking. "what is really needed is the help of parents at home because let's see how we pote-pote ta at home, unfortunately if there is no help from parents it is the same as zero, we are like me only 2 3 hours in class, i give it what is called this briefing all may not want to hear all. yahh so mi 80% of parents entrust their children at school. that obstacle actually."(mh) this statement underscores the crucial role parents play in reinforcing the lessons taught in the classroom. without active parental involvement, teachers feel limited in their effectiveness, as they only have a few hours each week to engage with their students. this lack of collaboration becomes a significant barrier to the successful implementation of differentiated instruction (irwan, nuryani, & masruddin, 2023). conclusion the findings highlight the significant knowledge and efforts of guru penggerak in implementing differentiated instruction in language teaching, while also revealing several challenges they face in this process. the teachers demonstrate a solid understanding of differentiated instruction, recognizing its importance in catering to students’ diverse readiness, interests, and learning profiles. through diagnostic assessments, they are able to identify students' needs, which informs their lesson planning and enables them to create a more engaging learning environment. however, the implementation of differentiated instruction is not without obstacles. the time-consuming nature of preparation, as emphasized by the teachers, poses a challenge that can hinder effective execution in the classroom. additionally, issues related to student compliance and varying engagement levels further complicate the teaching process. some students may resist following instructions or have differing preferences for learning activities, leading to difficulties in meeting all students' needs. furthermore, the lack of parental involvement emerges as a critical barrier, as teachers often find themselves limited in the impact they can have within the short hours spent in the classroom. therefore, addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach, including enhanced teacher training, increased support for lesson preparation, and strategies to foster better collaboration with parents. future research should explore longitudinal studies to examine the sustained impact of di on student outcomes over time. also comparative studies between urban and rural schools could also shed light on contextual factors influencing di effectiveness. references alsubaie, a. m. (2020). the effectiveness of multiple intelligence based differentiated instruction on metacognitive reading comprehension in arabic language among middle school students in saudi arabia. amazonia investiga, 9(26), 158-166. anis, m. (2023). leveraging artificial intelligence for inclusive english language teaching: strategies and implications for learner diversity. journal of multidisciplinary educational research, 12(6), 54-70. blaz, d. (2016). differentited instruction a guide for world language teachers. new york: routledge . bondie, r. s., dahnke, c., & zusho, a. (2019). how does changing “one-size-fits-all” to differentiated instruction affect teaching?. review of research in education, 43(1), 336-362. brevik, l. m., & rindal, u. (2020). language use in the classroom: balancing target language exposure with the need for other languages. tesol quarterly, 54(4), 925-953. damayanti, d., & asbari, m. (2024). guru penggerak: pengembangan pendidikan melalui kepemimpinan guru. journal of information systems and management (jisma), 3(2), 5-10. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 103 daulay, r. f. (2023). conducting english teaching by using differentiation instruction in 21st century: a student-centered approach. jurnal joepallt (journal of english pedagogy, linguistics, literature, and teaching), 11(1), 21-32. eikeland, i., & ohna, s. e. (2022). differentiation in education: a configurative review. nordic journal of studies in educational policy, 8(3), 157-170. fauzi, a. (2022). implementasi kurikulum merdeka di sekolah penggerak. jurnal pahlawan, 18(2), 2030. gheyssens, e., coubergs, c., griful-freixenet, j., engels, n., & struyven, k. (2022). differentiated instruction: the diversity of teachers’ philosophy and praxis to adapt teaching to students’ interests, readiness and learning profiles. international journal of inclusive education, 26(14), 1383-1400. ginja, t. g., & chen, x. (2020). teacher educators' perspectives and experiences towards differentiated instruction. international journal of instruction, 13(4), 781-798. goddard, y. l., & kim, m. (2018). examining connections between teacher perceptions of collaboration, differentiated instruction, and teacher efficacy. teachers college record, 120(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811812000102 griful-freixenet, j., struyven, k., vantieghem, w., & gheyssens, e. (2020). exploring the interrelationship between universal design for learning (udl) and differentiated instruction (di): a systematic review. educational research review, 29 (1) 1-23. halil, n. i., & yawan, h. (2023). exploring directive speech acts in elementary school communication in kolaka: language pedagogy implications. international journal of language education, 7(2), 241-254. halil, n. i., nasir, a., syam, h., & yawan, h. (2023). building a digital learning hub: moodle-based elearning for sekolah penggerak in kolaka utara. international journal of education, social studies, and management (ijessm), 3(2), 90-105 halil, n. i., yawan, h., hasanah, a. n., syam, h., & andas, n. h. (2024). a new program to foster inclusion: unraveling language teachers' pedagogical practices to differentiated instruction. international journal of language education, 8(2), 370-383. hasanah, e., suyatno, s., maryani, i., badar, m. i. a., fitria, y., & patmasari, l. (2022). conceptual model of differentiated-instruction (di) based on teachers’ experiences in indonesia. education sciences, 12(10), 650-661. heacox, d., & cash, r. m. (2020). differentiation for gifted learners: going beyond the basics. free spirit publishing. housel, d. a. (2020). when co-occurring factors impact adult learners: suggestions for instruction, preservice training, and professional development. adult learning, 31(1), 6-16. saleh, a. h. a. e. (2021). the effectiveness of differentiated instruction in improving bahraini efl secondary school students in reading comprehension skills. reila: journal of research and innovation in language, 3(2), 135-145. irwan, i., nuryani, n., & masruddin, m. (2023). kolaborasi sekolah dengan orang tua dalam meningkatkan proses belajar peserta didik. kelola: journal of islamic education management, 8(1), 131-154. ismail, s. (2019). impact of differentiated instruction on the writing process of esl learners. elf annual research journal, 21(1), 130-153. jamoliddinova, n., & kuchkarova, y. (2022). teachers’ perception towards differentiated instruction approach in secondary schools of namangan city. international journal of foreign language teaching and research, 10(41), 37-47. jamoliddinova, n., & kuchkarova, y. (2022). teachers’ perception towards differentiated instruction approach in secondary schools of namangan city. international journal of foreign language teaching and research, 10(41), 37-47. jang, e. e., & sinclair, j. (2021). diagnostic assessment in language classrooms. in the routledge handbook of language testing (pp. 187-205). routledge. lavania, m., & nor, f. b. m. (2020). barriers in differentiated instruction: a systematic review of the literature. journal of critical reviews, 7(6), 293-297. lavrijsen, j., dockx, j., struyf, e., & verschueren, k. (2021). class composition, student achievement, and the role of the learning environment. journal of educational psychology, 114(3), 498–512. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000709 lin, p. y., wu, w. c., & yang, j. h. (2021). a qr codebased approach to differentiating the display of augmented reality content. applied sciences, 11(24), 11801. lindner, k. t., & schwab, s. (2020). differentiation and individualisation in inclusive education: a systematic review and narrative synthesis. international journal of inclusive education, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2020.181345 0 magableh, i. s. i., & abdullah, a. (2020). on the effectiveness of differentiated instruction in the enhancement of jordanian students' overall achievement. international journal of instruction, 13(2), 533-548. magableh, i., & abdullah, a. (2020). the effect of differentiated instruction on efl learners: teachers’ perspective. international journal of https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811812000102 https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000709 https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2020.1813450 https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2020.1813450 syarifudding tundreng, hendri yawan, & marhamah implementing differentiated instruction in indonesian secondary schools: opportunities and challenges from language teachers 104 academic research in business and social sciences, 10(5), 1-16. pak, k., polikoff, m. s., desimone, l. m., & saldívar g. e. (2020). the adaptive challenges of curriculum implementation: insights for educational leaders driving standards-based reform. aera open, 6(2), 1-15 pozas, m., letzel, v., & schneider, c. (2020). teachers and differentiated instruction: exploring differentiation practices to address student diversity. journal of research in special educational needs, 20(3), 217-230. puzio, k., colby, g. t., & algeo-nichols, d. (2020). differentiated literacy instruction: boondoggle or best practice?. review of educational research, 90(4), 459-498. qorib, m. (2024). analysis the impact of differentiated instruction on critical diversity literacy in inclusive education. aksaqila international humanities and social sciences [aihss] journal, 3(1), 1-19. safrizal, s., nurhafizah, n., yulia, r., & husnani, h. (2022). analysis of guru penggerak programs as sustainable professional development for teachers. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 14(2), 2135-2142. saleh, a. h. a. e. (2021). the effectiveness of differentiated instruction in improving bahraini efl secondary school students in reading comprehension skills. reila: journal of research and innovation in language, 3(2), 135-145. doi: https://doi.org/10.31849/reila.v3i2.6816 saputri, l. a., anwar, k., & maruf, n. (2023). exploring the impact of differentiated instruction on students’ perception, engagement, motivation in efl high school education. tell-us journal, 9(3), 623-644. sarzhanova, g., otynshiyeva, m., tleuzhanova, g., assanova, d., & sadvakassova, a. (2023). organizational, technological, and pedagogical conditions for differentiated instruction of teaching english as a foreign language. international journal of education in mathematics, science and technology, 11(1), 74-95. shareefa, m. (2021). using differentiated instruction in multigrade classes: a case of a small school. asia pacific journal of education, 41(1), 167-181. shareefa, m., & moosa, v. (2020). the most-cited educational research publications on differentiated instruction: a bibliometric analysis. european journal of educational research, 9(1), 331-349. sharp, k., jarvis, j. m., & mcmillan, j. m. (2020). leadership for differentiated instruction: teachers’ engagement with on-site professional learning at an australian secondary school. international journal of inclusive education, 24(8), 901-920. smets, w., & struyven, k. (2020). a teachers’ professional development programme to implement differentiated instruction in secondary education: how far do teachers reach?. cogent education, 7(1), 1742273. swain, j., & chen, z. (2024). a simple way to organize and analyze data from qualitative interviews using thematic analysis. sage publications ltd. thapliyal, m., ahuja, n. j., shankar, a., cheng, x., & kumar, m. (2022). a differentiated learning environment in domain model for learning disabled learners. journal of computing in higher education, 34(1), 60-82. tomlinson, c. a & moon, tonya r. (2013). assessment and student success in a differentiated classroom. va: ascd. tomlinson, c. a. & imbeau, b. marcia. (2010). leading and managing a differentiated classroom. va: ascd. tomlinson, c. a. (2014). the differentiated classroom: responding to the needs of all learners (2nd ed.). pearson education, inc. tomlinson, c. a. (2017). how to differentiate instruction in academically diverse classrooms (3rd edition). va: ascd. wan, s. w. y. (2020). unpacking the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of professional learning communities and differentiated instruction practice. ecnu review of education, 3(4), 694-714. wei, l (2023) artificial intelligence in language instruction: impact on english learning achievement, l2 motivation, and self-regulated learning. front. psychol. 14 (1) 126-137. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1261955 westbroek, h. b., van rens, l., van den berg, e., & janssen, f. (2020). a practical approach to assessment for learning and differentiated instruction. international journal of science education, 42(6), 955-976. doi: 10.1080/09500693.2020.1744044 yavuz, a. c. (2020). the effects of differentiated instruction on turkish students’ l2 achievement, and student and teacher perceptions. eurasian journal of applied linguistics, 6(2), 313-335. yawan, h., & halil, n. i. (2022) factors influencing the tpack development: voices from indonesian pre-service teachers. available at ssrn 4462211. yawan, h., furqan, a., karman, k., sarmadan, s., & reskiawan, b. (2023). exploring educational paths: unveiling contrasts between indonesia’s curriculum and hong kong’s curriculum. ijiet (international journal of indonesian education and teaching), 7(2), 234-248. zens, a. (2021). the impact of differentiated learning activities on student engagement and motivation in the english language arts classroom english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 105 minnesota state university moorhead. retrieved from https://red.mnstate.edu/thesis/611/ zólyomi, a. (2022). exploring hungarian secondary school english teachers’ beliefs about differentiated instruction. language teaching research. advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688221114780 zólyomi, a. (2022). exploring hungarian secondary school english teachers’ beliefs about differentiated instruction. language teaching research, 14(2). 146-158. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688221114780 https://red.mnstate.edu/thesis/611/ https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688221114780 https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688221114780 syarifudding tundreng, hendri yawan, & marhamah implementing differentiated instruction in indonesian secondary schools: opportunities and challenges from language teachers 106 english review: journal of english education volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 481 pragmatic power or peril? indonesian students responding to chatgpt's linguistic subtleties in writing argumentation lucky rahayu nurjamin 1 , risal maulana 2 , asep nurjamin 3 , ahmad subki 4 , hemalia damayanti5 1,2english education program, faculty of social science, language, and literature study, indonesia institute of education 3indonesian language and literature education program, faculty of social science, language, and literature study, indonesia institute of education 4institut pendidikan guru kampus ilmu khas malaysia 5program profesi guru, indonesia institute of education corresponding author: luckyrahayu@institutpendidikan.ac.id apa citation: nurjamin, l. r., maulana, r., nurjamin, a., subki, a., & damayanti, h. (2025). pragmatic power or peril? indonesian students responding to chatgpt's linguistic subtleties in writing argumentation. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 481-492. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11840 received: 23-02-2025 accepted: 17-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 abstractt: this study investigates indonesian university students' responses to the pragmatic meaning conveyed by chatgpt in the context of argumentative writing. employing a qualitative approach, the research explores students' perceptions of the ease of understanding and utilizing the pragmatic cues embedded in ai-generated text, their attitudes toward using the tool, and their behavioral intention for continued use. findings reveal that while students appreciate chatgpt's usefulness and ease of use for generating argumentative content, their engagement with its pragmatic meaning is more nuanced. students often modify ai-generated language to align with their own writing styles and perceived academic appropriateness, indicating a level of critical awareness. a writer's stance and attitude towards the argument are often conveyed through pragmatic choices. students' modifications could reflect an effort to inject their own voice and perspective, which might be absent or inadequately represented in the ai-generated text. keywords: argumentative writing; chatgpt; indonesian university students; pragmatic meaning; technology acceptance. introduction the increasing integration of advanced language models, such as chatgpt, into the academic workflows of university students worldwide has become a salient phenomenon, particularly impacting the landscape of language education (abd-alrazaq et al., 2023; sain et al., 2024). in the indonesian higher education context, students are increasingly leveraging chatgpt for various academic tasks, including written assignments in english (susanto et al., 2023). while chatgpt offers perceived efficiencies in text generation, brainstorming support, and grammatical refinement, its pervasive utilization raises pertinent pedagogical concerns regarding the trajectory of english language skill development (barrot, 2023). a key worry centers on the potential for overreliance on ai-generated content to impede the autonomous development of students' conceptualization abilities, the cultivation of an individual authorial voice, and the acquisition of nuanced english grammatical and stylistic competence (khup & bantugan, 2025). this situation underscores the importance of understanding not just the literal output of chatgpt, but also the pragmatic implications of its use on students' developing sense of appropriate and effective communication in academic contexts. the apparent high trust indonesian students place in chatgpt is evidenced by their repeated use of the ai tool when tackling argumentative writing tasks (susanto et al., 2023). this reliance suggests a perceived utility in generating supporting points, structuring arguments, and even formulating persuasive language, potentially streamlining the often-demanding process of constructing well-reasoned essays in english. mailto:luckyrahayu@institutpendidikan.ac.id lucky rahayu nurjamin, risal maulana, asep nurjamin, ahmad subki, hemalia damayanti pragmatic power or peril? indonesian students responding to chatgpt's linguistic subtleties in writing argumentation 482 however, this pattern of repeated use also highlights the critical need to understand the implications for students' independent development of argumentation skills, critical thinking, and the capacity to articulate their perspectives effectively without ai assistance (mulenga & chisanga, 2024). the growing integration of ai writing assistants like chatgpt into academic workflows introduces novel dynamics in how students approach meaning-making, particularly concerning the pragmatic dimensions of language in argumentative writing (caiman & jakobson, 2024). while chatgpt offers sophisticated text generation capabilities, its understanding and conveyance of implied meanings and contextual nuances may not always align with the socio cultural frameworks of its users, such as indonesian university students (fhitri & yalmiadi,2025). this study directly addresses this crucial aspect by exploring students' responses to the pragmatic meaning conveyed by chatgpt when engaged in argumentative writing. by investigating their perceptions, interpretations, and adaptations of the ai's suggested language, this research aims to illuminate the extent to which students effectively navigate and integrate the pragmatic subtleties offered by chatgpt into their own meaningmaking in academic writing. ultimately, this contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the ai's role in shaping student writing and linguistic comprehension within a specific cultural and educational context (attanasio et al., 2024). while existing research has examined chatgpt's capacity to facilitate various aspects of writing, including content generation and structural organization (memarian & doleck, 2023; sue et al., 2023), a notable gap exists concerning the quality and reception of pragmatic meaning conveyed by these ai tools, especially within the demanding realm of argumentative writing. current evaluation frameworks for aigenerated text often prioritize metrics like textual coherence, linguistic fluency, and factual accuracy (e.g., nazar et al., 2025), often overlooking the intricate dimensions of pragmatic competence, elements vital for effective argumentation (marni et al., 2024). given that persuasive discourse inherently relies on the strategic deployment of pragmatic meaning to engage and influence an audience (qin et al., 2024), a more rigorous academic examination of the pragmatic quality embedded within chatgptgenerated argumentative text, and students' interaction with these pragmatic cues, is essential to fully comprehend the implications of ai integration in writing pedagogy. therefore, this study seeks to address the gap in understanding indonesian tertiary students' experiences with chatgpt in the context of argumentative writing, specifically focusing on their perception and engagement with the pragmatic suggestions offered by the ai. by exploring their interpretations and adaptations of chatgpt's linguistic subtleties, this research aims to answer the following question: “how do indonesian tertiary students perceive and engage with chatgpt's pragmatic suggestions within argumentative writing tasks?” the findings of this study hold significant implications not only for indonesian educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers navigating the integration of ai writing tools in english language education, but also for the broader international community grappling with similar challenges. understanding how students in a specific cultural and linguistic context like indonesia, interact with the ai's pragmatic cues can offer valuable insights into the nuanced ways ai is shaping language learning and use globally. these findings can inform pedagogical approaches and curriculum design in diverse educational settings worldwide, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of ai on the development of critical linguistic awareness and pragmatic competence in a digital age. method the qualitative phase of this study aimed to gain deeper insights into participants' experiences with chatgpt. data were collected through semi structured interviews, serving as the primary instrument (quintela, do carmo, vinuesa, dembélé, & ayotte-beaudet, 2024), with a subset of participants comprising fifteen (n=15) indonesian university students enrolled in argumentative writing courses at a private university in garut, west java, indonesia. the demographic profile of the participants included efl undergraduate students who were required to complete argumentative essays in english as part of their coursework. the participants' ages ranged from 19 to 22 years, and the sample included both male and female students to ensure a diverse range of perspectives. these interviews explored their perceptions of chatgpt's ability to convey and suggest pragmatic meaning, the challenges they faced in interpreting and adapting these cues, and their perceived impact on understanding and applying pragmatics in their english argumentative writing. the procedures involved conducting and recording the semi-structured interviews (junnier,2024). subsequently, the interview data were subjected to thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns and nuanced perspectives regarding the participants' interactions with english review: journal of english education volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 483 chatgpt's pragmatic cues in the context of english argumentative writing (arifin, rahman, balla, susanto, & pratiwi, 2025). this qualitative approach allowed for a more robust understanding of how indonesian students interacted with and responded to the pragmatic cues offered by chatgpt (werdiningsih, marzuki, indrawati, rusdin, ivone, basthomi, & zulfahreza, 2024). applying the technology acceptance model (tam) to the qualitative findings reveals key factors influencing participants' engagement with chatgpt's pragmatic cues (limna, kraiwanit, & chumwatana, 2024). themes related to perceived usefulness highlighted how students saw potential benefits in chatgpt's suggestions for argumentative writing, though this was qualified by their ability to judge the ai's pragmatic appropriateness (van poucke, 2024). regarding perceived ease of use, participants reported varying levels of comfort in understanding and adapting chatgpt's pragmatic output for their writing (quan, & chen, 2025). these differing perceptions of usefulness and ease of use were crucial in shaping their inclination to adopt and integrate the ai's pragmatic cues into their academic discourse. results and discussion in this section, the findings derived from the semistructured interviews conducted with university students are discussed, focusing specifically on their responses when considering pragmatic meaning within the argumentative writing process facilitated by chatgpt. the analysis delves into how students perceive, interpret, and adapt the pragmatic cues suggested by the ai as they engage in constructing reasoned arguments in english. figure 1. students’ process in creating an argumentative paragraph from the prompt to the final editing by considering the pragmatic meanin lucky rahayu nurjamin, risal maulana, asep nurjamin, ahmad subki, hemalia damayanti pragmatic power or peril? indonesian students responding to chatgpt's linguistic subtleties in writing argumentation 484 usefulness the perceived usefulness of chatgpt in argumentative writing, as highlighted by students' appreciation for its time efficiency, idea generation, and structural assistance, also permeated their initial engagement with the pragmatic meaning conveyed by the ai. the readily available and seemingly coherent language produced by chatgpt often led to an initial perception of usefulness in understanding its intended pragmatic force. for instance, when chatgpt offered suggestions for softening a counter-argument, students might have readily adopted the phrasing without deeply analysing the specific pragmatic devices employed or their cultural appropriateness in a given context. as s2 noted, chatgpt could "produce fast, precise and quality writing," which might have been interpreted by students as encompassing not only grammatical correctness but also appropriate pragmatic choices, leading to a surface-level acceptance of the ai's output. however, while the initial access to ai generated pragmatic suggestions was perceived as easy, students' responses also hinted at a more complex reality regarding true pragmatic comprehension. some students, while appreciating the speed and structure provided by chatgpt, implicitly acknowledged the potential for a disconnect between the ai's output and nuanced pragmatic understanding. for example, s1's comment about chatgpt providing "new ideas that i hadn't thought of before" primarily focused on content generation rather than the subtle pragmatic implications embedded within those ideas. similarly, s5's appreciation for "relevant, creative and engaging results" speaks to the overall quality of the output but doesn't explicitly address the depth of their pragmatic understanding or their ability to discern the ai's intended communicative nuances. furthermore, the very ease with which chatgpt provided solutions might have, in some instances, pre-empted a more critical engagement with pragmatic meaning-making. the readily available structured arguments and rephrased sentences, while enhancing efficiency, could have reduced the cognitive effort required for students to independently consider the most pragmatically appropriate language for their specific argumentative goals and audience. as s4 mentioned, "with the help of chatgpt i can find more new ideas and also many references," indicating a reliance on the ai for content and potentially overlooking the need to deeply analyze the pragmatic implications of the suggested language within the broader rhetorical context of their writing. this suggests that while chatgpt offers an initial ease of access to and interaction with seemingly pragmatically sound text, the development of a student's nuanced understanding and effective application of pragmatic meaning might require a more critical and less passive engagement than simply adopting the ai's suggestions (alam & mohanty, 2023). while the perceived usefulness and ease of use of chatgpt facilitate its adoption for argumentative writing, leading to an initial acceptance of its linguistic output, including pragmatic cues, a deeper investigation reveals a more intricate reality. students' reliance on the ai for efficiency and idea generation does not automatically translate to a nuanced understanding of the subtle pragmatic implications embedded within its suggestions (walton, 2023). the ease of access to chatgpt's seemingly coherent text may even inadvertently discourage the critical cognitive engagement necessary for students to independently develop their pragmatic competence in academic discourse (ozer, 2024). therefore, educators must cultivate a pedagogical approach that encourages students to move beyond a surface-level acceptance of aigenerated content and actively engage in the critical analysis of its pragmatic meaning to foster a more profound and autonomous mastery of effective argumentative writing (creely, 2024; hyland & jiang, 2023; khampusaen, 2025). the ease of use the ease of access and use of chatgpt, as highlighted by indonesian university students, presents a complex relationship with their understanding and interpretation of pragmatic meaning within the ai-generated text. the intuitive interface and multilingual capabilities of chatgpt, as noted by s4 ("the features provided are also very easy to use") and s3 ("chatgpt has been built to understand all the languages we use for commands"), lower the initial barrier to interacting with the tool. this ease of access might lead students to readily input prompts related to argumentative writing and receive immediate textual output, potentially including elements intended to convey pragmatic nuances such as politeness or emphasis. the straightforward nature of the interaction could foster an initial perception that understanding the pragmatic meaning embedded within these suggestions is equally effortless. english review: journal of english education volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 485 however, the students' experiences also reveal a crucial caveat: while using chatgpt is generally easy, formulating effective prompts to elicit pragmatically nuanced and contextually appropriate responses proves to be a significant challenge. as s1 pointed out, "easy, but sometimes difficult if you want a more specific answer. when i gave questions/commands that were too general, the answers were not what i wanted." this suggests that the ai's ability to generate pragmatically sound text is heavily dependent on the user's ability to articulate their needs with precision. vague prompts are unlikely to yield responses that effectively demonstrate or explain subtle pragmatic cues relevant to the specific argumentative context. consequently, while students might find it easy to obtain text from chatgpt, the ease of understanding the intended pragmatic meaning and, more importantly, learning how to elicit pragmatically sophisticated responses remains a significant hurdle (janiaud & hemkens, 2024; maurya, 2024). furthermore, the diverse features of chatgpt, such as translation and information retrieval, while enhancing its overall utility, do not directly address the complexities of pragmatic understanding. while chatgpt can translate a sentence, the pragmatic implications of that sentence in a different cultural or linguistic context might be lost or misinterpreted if the student lacks the underlying pragmatic competence. similarly, while the ai can provide information relevant to an argument, it does not inherently teach students how to strategically employ pragmatic devices to present that information persuasively. therefore, the ease of accessing chatgpt's diverse features does not automatically equate to an ease in understanding or effectively utilizing the often subtle and context-dependent nature of pragmatic meaning in argumentative writing. students may readily use the tool for various purposes, but mastering the pragmatic dimensions of academic discourse requires a more nuanced understanding that goes beyond the tool's basic ease of use. the ease of access and user-friendly nature of chatgpt have facilitated its initial uptake among indonesian university students for argumentative writing, potentially leading to a surface-level engagement with its pragmatic output (sain et al., 2024). however, the challenge students face in formulating specific prompts to elicit nuanced pragmatic meaning (marni et al., 2024), and the inherent limitations of ai in fully understanding context-dependent communication (dorotic, stagno, & warlop, 2024) suggest that mastering the pragmatic dimensions of academic discourse requires more than just ease of use. while chatgpt offers readily available text, achieving a deep understanding and effective application of pragmatic meaning necessitates a level of linguistic competence and critical awareness that extends beyond the tool's intuitive interface (attanasio et al., 2024). therefore, educators should focus on developing students' pragmatic literacy alongside their ability to utilize ai tools effectively, ensuring that the ease of access does not overshadow the complexities of meaningful academic communication (hyland & jiang, 2023). attitude toward the use students' attitudes toward using chatgpt for academic writing reveal a nuanced understanding that extends to their perception and manipulation of pragmatic meaning. while they appreciate the efficiency and idea-generation capabilities of the ai, their conscious effort to modify chatgpt's output to align with their own writing style and academic requirements suggests a recognition that ai-generated text may not inherently capture the desired pragmatic nuances. s1's practice of changing "chatgpt language a bit into my own language" and s2's emphasis on ensuring the "writing style suits me" imply an awareness that effective communication, particularly in argumentative writing, involves more than just conveying literal information; it requires a personal voice and stylistic choices that carry pragmatic weight. this proactive modification suggests that students are not passively accepting the ai's linguistic output but are actively engaging with it to imbue their writing with their own intended pragmatic force. furthermore, students' understanding of chatgpt as a tool, as evidenced by s1's definition of it as "artificial intelligence technology designed to understand and generate text based on commands or questions given by users," and s4's recognition of its nlp foundation, indicates a level of metacognitive awareness regarding the ai's capabilities and limitations. this understanding likely informs their approach to the pragmatic elements present in chatgpt's suggestions. knowing that the ai operates based on algorithms and pattern recognition, rather than genuine sociocultural understanding, may prompt students to critically evaluate the pragmatic appropriateness of lucky rahayu nurjamin, risal maulana, asep nurjamin, ahmad subki, hemalia damayanti pragmatic power or peril? indonesian students responding to chatgpt's linguistic subtleties in writing argumentation 486 generated text for their specific audience and context. their recognition that effective use requires specific prompts (as highlighted in the "challenges in prompt formulation" section of the original text) further underscores their understanding that eliciting pragmatically sound responses is not an automatic outcome of using the ai. the mixed opinions on chatgpt's impact on creativity also indirectly relate to their attitude towards its representation of pragmatic meaning. while some students found chatgpt helpful in "opening up new horizons" (s1) and "encouraging to think more creatively" (s2), the necessity for modification, as noted by s3 ("if we don't modify it, we can't improve our skills"), implies a recognition that the ai's initial output, including its pragmatic choices, might serve as a starting point but requires human intervention to achieve genuine originality and context-sensitive communication. this active role in refining the ai's suggestions suggests that students are not blindly adopting the pragmatic cues presented by chatgpt but are instead filtering and adapting them through their own understanding of effective and appropriate communication in academic argumentative writing. their attitude, therefore, is one of cautious adoption, recognizing the tool's utility while maintaining their agency in shaping the final output, including its crucial pragmatic dimensions. the university students exhibit a nuanced attitude towards employing chatgpt in academic writing, extending to their engagement with pragmatic meaning. their proactive modification of ai-generated text (s1, s2) indicates a critical awareness that effective communication transcends literal conveyance, necessitating a personal and contextually appropriate pragmatic dimension (fenuku, 2024; hyland & jiang, 2023). this metacognitive understanding of chatgpt's capabilities and limitations prompts a cautious adoption, where the ai is viewed as a tool requiring human refinement to achieve desired pragmatic outcomes (friederich & symons, 2023; nurjamin & fajriah, 2024). while students appreciate the ai's potential for ideation and efficiency, they actively filter and adapt its pragmatic cues through their own developing understanding of effective academic discourse, highlighting their agency in shaping the final communicative impact of their argumentative writing (attanasio et al., 2024). behavioral intention to use students' behavioral intention to continue using chatgpt for academic writing tasks, driven by its perceived efficiency and quality (s1, s2, s4), suggests a potential reliance on the ai's representation of pragmatic meaning. if students believe chatgpt enhances the "quality" of their writing, they may implicitly trust its pragmatic choices as well, potentially leading to a continued adoption of its linguistic suggestions without deep critical evaluation. this reliance could stem from the ease with which chatgpt generates seemingly appropriate phrasing, leading students to incorporate these pragmatic cues into their own writing with the expectation of similar positive outcomes. the expressed desire to recommend chatgpt to peers (s3, s5, s1) further reinforces this positive attitude and the potential for widespread adoption of the ai's pragmatic style, even if the nuances are not fully understood. however, this strong behavioral intention to use chatgpt does not automatically equate to a nuanced understanding of the ai's representation of pragmatic meaning. students may continue to use the tool for its efficiency in generating text and ideas, without necessarily developing a deeper awareness of the subtle pragmatic implications embedded within that text (jiang, vetter, & lucia, 2024; lang, 2024; tu, 2024). their focus on "improving efficiency and quality" might be primarily directed towards surface-level features like grammar and coherence, with less conscious attention paid to the appropriateness and effectiveness of the ai's pragmatic choices in specific argumentative contexts. the ease with which chatgpt provides solutions might inadvertently reduce students' motivation to independently analyze and refine the pragmatic dimensions of their writing, leading to a passive acceptance of the ai's pragmatic style as inherently "quality" (lee, 2024; wei & zhao, 2024; wieczorek, 2025). furthermore, the willingness to recommend chatgpt to others, particularly those "often involved in writing assignments" (s1), suggests a belief in its general utility for academic writing (alharbi, 2023; malik, 2024). however, s2 argued that this recommendation might be based more on the perceived time-saving and ideagenerating benefits (mack, 2024) rather than a thorough understanding of how chatgpt handles the complexities of pragmatic meaning, a domain where ai still faces significant challenges in accurately interpreting context and nuance (bekouche, 2024; nurjamin, gunawan, sudana, english review: journal of english education volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 487 2023; waywithwords.net, 2024). students might be recommending the tool for its ability to produce text quickly, assuming that the pragmatic aspects are adequately addressed, without necessarily possessing the metacognitive awareness to evaluate the ai's pragmatic competence critically (friederich & symons, 2023). therefore, while the strong behavioral intention to use and recommend chatgpt indicates a positive attitude towards its overall contribution to academic writing (acosta enriquez, arbulú ballesteros, jordan, roca, & tirado, 2024). it doesn't inherently guarantee a corresponding depth of understanding regarding its representation and implications for pragmatic meaning in argumentative discourse, a crucial aspect of effective communication in academic settings (darmawansah, rachman, febiyani, & hwang, 2025; truba, khrapatyi, harashchuk, shvets, & proskurnia, 2024). figure 2. student’s cognitive representation in processing chatgpt’s pragmatic cues drawing together the threads of this investigation, the study illuminates a nuanced relationship between indonesian university students' adoption of chatgpt for argumentative writing and their processing of its pragmatic underpinnings (elsayed, 2024; jo, 2025). the perceived utility and user-friendliness of the ai have undoubtedly fostered its integration into students' academic workflows, streamlining tasks related to ideation, organization, and time management (kayaalp, durnali, & gökbulut, 2025). however, the findings suggest that students approach the pragmatic dimension of chatgpt-generated text with a discerning eye (attanasio, 2024). their active revision of the ai's linguistic output, driven by a desire for stylistic alignment and perceived academic appropriateness (usher & amzalag, 2025; zhai & wibowo, 2023) signals an awareness that computational language models may not inherently encapsulate the subtle contextual and relational nuances crucial for effective argumentation (ziems, held, shaikh, chen, zhang, & yang, 2024). while the efficiency and accessibility of chatgpt cultivate a strong inclination towards its continued use and recommendation among peers (tiwari, bhat, khan, subramaniam, & khan, 2024), this enthusiasm does not necessarily equate to a deepseated comprehension of the ai's pragmatic representations. indeed, the very ease with which chatgpt offers solutions may, paradoxically, diminish the cognitive engagement required for students to independently cultivate a sophisticated understanding of pragmatic meaning in academic discourse (lin, 2023; ye, zhang, nong, wang, & yang, 2025). consequently, the study underscores the imperative for educators to foster critical evaluation skills and explicit pragmatic awareness (fathi, kafipour, kashefian-naeeini, & shahsavar, 2025; sitorus, siregar, aulia, zahra, parinduri, lubis, & wardiah, 2025) to ensure that students leverage the benefits of ai without lucky rahayu nurjamin, risal maulana, asep nurjamin, ahmad subki, hemalia damayanti pragmatic power or peril? indonesian students responding to chatgpt's linguistic subtleties in writing argumentation 488 compromising their own developing mastery of nuanced academic communication. the findings strongly suggest that relying solely on chatgpt without explicit instruction and the cultivation of critical evaluation skills is more likely to limit rather than improve students' pragmatic competence. the ease of use and perceived utility can lead to passive acceptance and reduced cognitive engagement with the nuanced aspects of pragmatic meaning-making. therefore, educators must play a crucial role in guiding students to interact with ai tools like chatgpt in a way that fosters, rather than hinders, their development of independent pragmatic competence in academic writing. this involves teaching them how to critically evaluate aigenerated content, understand the context dependent nature of pragmatics, and develop their own ability to make effective pragmatic choices in their writing. these findings carry significant weight, revealing a nuanced interaction between indonesian students and chatgpt in argumentative writing. while students readily adopt the ai for drafting, their critical engagement with its pragmatic suggestions, often leading to modifications, indicates that ai adoption does not automatically translate to pragmatic competence. this underscores a critical imperative for educators, particularly to intentionally cultivate students' critical evaluation skills and explicit pragmatic awareness. such pedagogical focus is essential to ensure students develop independent mastery of sophisticated academic communication in an ai-integrated learning environment. conclusion to conclude, the findings reveal a complex interplay between indonesian university students' engagement with chatgpt for argumentative writing and their understanding of pragmatic meaning. while students readily acknowledge the tool's usefulness in enhancing efficiency, generating ideas, and structuring their essays, and appreciate its ease of use, their interaction with the pragmatic nuances embedded in chatgpt's output demonstrates a more critical and adaptive approach. the students' inclination to modify the ai's language to better suit their writing styles and perceived academic requirements underscores a metacognitive awareness of the limitations of ai in fully capturing context-sensitive communication. despite a strong behavioral intention to continue using and recommending chatgpt, driven by its perceived benefits, this does not automatically translate to a deep and nuanced understanding of the ai's pragmatic representations. the ease of access to seemingly coherent text might even inadvertently hinder a more profound engagement with the subtleties of pragmatic meaning-making. ultimately, while chatgpt offers valuable support in the argumentative writing process, the development of students' pragmatic competence necessitates a critical and active engagement with the ai's suggestions, highlighting the enduring importance of explicit instruction and conscious reflection in mastering the art of effective and contextually appropriate academic discourse. acknowledgements the authors express sincere gratitude to the institut pendidikan indonesia (ipi) garut for their generous financial support, which was instrumental in the completion of this research project. their funding enabled the research entitled “pragmatic power or peril? indonesian students responding to chatgpt's linguistic subtleties in writing argumentation”. the authors acknowledge that this research would not have been possible without the generous support of ipi garut. references abd-alrazaq a., alsaad r., alhuwail d., ahmed a., healy p.m., latifi s., aziz s., damseh r., alrazak s. a., sheikh j. (2023). large language models in healthcare: opportunities, challenges, and directions. jmir medical education, 9, e48291. doi: 10.2196/48291 acosta-enriquez, b. g., ballesteros, m. a. a., jordan, o. h., roca, c. l., & tirado, k. s. (2024). analysis of college students' attitudes toward the use of chatgpt in their academic activities: effect of intent to use, verification of information and responsible use. bmc psychology, 12(1), 255. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359‐024‐01764‐z alam, a., & mohanty, a. (2023). educationaltechnology: exploring the convergence of technology and pedagogy through mobility, interactivity, ai, and learning tools. cogent engineering, 10(2), 2283282. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2023.22832 82 alharbi, a. (2023). the impact of artificial intelligence (ai) on students' learning outcomes in higher education: a systematic review. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 20(1), 1-20. https://www.google.com/search?q=https://educ a https://doi.org/10.2196/48291 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359â��024â��01764â��z https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2023.2283282 https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2023.2283282 https://doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2023.2283282 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://educationaltechnologyjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41239-023-00380-3 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://educationaltechnologyjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41239-023-00380-3 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://educationaltechnologyjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41239-023-00380-3 english review: journal of english education volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 489 tionaltechnologyjournal.springeropen.com/arti cl es/10.1186/s41239-023-00380-3 arifin, m. a., rahman, a. a., balla, a., susanto, a. k., & pratiwi, a. c. (2025). chatgpt affordances and indonesian efl students’ perceptions in l2 writing: a collaborative reflexive thematic analysis. changing english, 32(2), 195-211. https://doi.org/10.1080/1358684x.2024.24181 32 attanasio, m., mazza, m., le donne, i., masedu, f.,greco, m. p., & valenti, m. (2024). does chatgpt have a typical or atypical theory of mind?. frontiers in psychology, 15, 1488172. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1488172 barrot, j. s. (2023). using chatgpt for second language writing: pitfalls and potentials. assessing writing, 57, 100745. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2023.100745 bekouche, p. (2024). chatgpt and the future of academic integrity: a systematic literature review. education and information technologies, 29(1), 1-23. https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi. or g/10.1007/s10639-023-12041-8 caiman, c., & jakobson, b. (2024). a methodology to analyze students' intertwined speech and drawings—aesthetic experiences in science education. journal of research in science teaching, 61(10), 2444-2467. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21966 creely, e. (2024). exploring the role of generative ai in enhancing language learning: opportunities and challenges. international journal of changes in education, 1(3), 158-167. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewijce4202249 5 darmawansah, d., rachman, d., febiyani, f., & hwang, g. j. (2025). chatgpt-supported collaborative argumentation: integrating collaboration script and argument mapping to enhance efl students’ argumentation skills. education and information technologies, 30(3), 3803-3827. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12986-4 dorotic, m., stagno, e., & warlop, l. (2024). ai on the street: context-dependent responses to artificial intelligence. international journal of research in marketing, 41(1), 113-137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2023.08.010 elsayed, h. (2024). the impact of hallucinated information in large language models on student learning outcomes: a critical examination of misinformation risks in aiassisted education. northern reviews on algorithmic research, theoretical computation, and complexity, 9(8), 11-23. https://northernreviews.com/index.php/nrat c c/article/view/2024-08-07 fathi, m. j., kafipour, r., kashefian-naeeini, s., & shahsavar, z. (2025). the impact of reflective teaching on efl learners through implicit and explicit pragmatic competence instructions. reflective practice, 26(2), 292-310. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2024.24320 63 fenuku, s. d. (2024). language, culture, and mentality: the three-dimensional axis of language studies and effective communication. international journal of language and translation studies, 4(1), 76-103. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/lotus/issue/8539 9/1472410 fhitri, w., & yalmiadi, y. (2025). multicultural pragmatics: conversational implicature in sellerconsumer interaction padang, indonesia. journal of pragmatics and discourse research, 5(1), 29-42. https://www.jurnal.ppjb sip.org/index.php/jpdr/article/view/914 friederich, j., & symons, j. (2023). the ethics of ai in education: a review. ai and ethics, 3(2), 353368. https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi. or g/10.1007/s43681-022-00207-9 hyland, k., & jiang, f. k. (2023). stance and engagement in academic writing. journal of english for academic purposes, 61, 101194. https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi. or g/10.1016/j.jeap.2023.101194 janiaud, p., & hemkens, l. g. (2024). modern trials are most useful when they are pragmatic and explanatory–there is no continuum. journal of clinical epidemiology, 176, 111566. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2024.111566 jiang, j., vetter, m. a., & lucia, b. (2024). toward a‘more-than-digital’ai literacy: reimagining agency and authorship in the postdigital era with chatgpt. postdigital science and education, 6(3), 922-939. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-024-00477-1 jo, h. (2025). uncovering the reasons behind willingness to pay for chatgpt-4 premium. international journal of human– computer interaction, 41(2), 994-1009. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2024.23076 92 junnier, f. (2024). action and understanding in the semistructured research interview: using ca to analyse european research scientists’ attitudes to linguistic (dis) advantage. journal of english for academic purposes, 68, 101355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2024.101355 kayaalp, f., durnali, m., & gökbulut, b. (2025). enhancing competence for a sustainable future: integrating artificial intelligence– supported educational technologies in pre‐ service teacher training for sustainable development. european journal of education, 60(1), e12865. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12865 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://educationaltechnologyjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41239-023-00380-3 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://educationaltechnologyjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41239-023-00380-3 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://educationaltechnologyjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41239-023-00380-3 https://doi.org/10.1080/1358684x.2024.2418132 https://doi.org/10.1080/1358684x.2024.2418132 https://doi.org/10.1080/1358684x.2024.2418132 https://doi.org/10.1080/1358684x.2024.2418132 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1488172 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1488172 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2023.100745 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2023.100745 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12041-8 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12041-8 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12041-8 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12041-8 https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21966 https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21966 https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewijce42022495 https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewijce42022495 https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewijce42022495 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12986-4 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12986-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2023.08.010 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2023.08.010 https://northernreviews.com/index.php/nratcc/article/view/2024-08-07 https://northernreviews.com/index.php/nratcc/article/view/2024-08-07 https://northernreviews.com/index.php/nratcc/article/view/2024-08-07 https://northernreviews.com/index.php/nratcc/article/view/2024-08-07 https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2024.2432063 https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2024.2432063 https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2024.2432063 https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/lotus/issue/85399/1472410 https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/lotus/issue/85399/1472410 https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/lotus/issue/85399/1472410 https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/lotus/issue/85399/1472410 https://www.jurnal.ppjb-sip.org/index.php/jpdr/article/view/914 https://www.jurnal.ppjb-sip.org/index.php/jpdr/article/view/914 https://www.jurnal.ppjb-sip.org/index.php/jpdr/article/view/914 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-022-00207-9 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-022-00207-9 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-022-00207-9 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2023.101194 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2023.101194 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2023.101194 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2023.101194 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2024.111566 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2024.111566 https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-024-00477-1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-024-00477-1 https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2024.2307692 https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2024.2307692 https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2024.2307692 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2024.101355 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2024.101355 https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12865 https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12865 lucky rahayu nurjamin, risal maulana, asep nurjamin, ahmad subki, hemalia damayanti pragmatic power or peril? indonesian students responding to chatgpt's linguistic subtleties in writing argumentation 490 khampusaen, d. (2025). the impact of chatgpt on academic writing skills and knowledge: an investigation of its use in argumentative essays. learn journal: language education and acquisition research network, 18(1), 963988. https://doi.org/10.70730/pgcq9242 khup, v. k., & bantugan, b. (2025). exploring theimpact and ethical implications of integrating ai-powered writing tools in junior high school english instruction: enhancing creativity, proficiency, and academic outcomes. international journal of research and innovation in social science, 9(3s), 361378. https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2025.903s e du0022 lang, j. c. (2024). embracing generative ai for authentic learning. creative education, 15(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2024.151001 lee, b. j. (2024). exploring the potential of ai for pragmatics instruction. technology in language teaching & learning, 6(3), 15211521. https://doi.org/10.29140/tltl.v6n3.1521 limna, p., kraiwanit, t., & chumwatana, t. (2024). assessing the integration of chatgpt in business environments: an application of the technology acceptance model. journal of dhamma for life, 30(1), 221-231. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsako rnlimna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_ i ntegration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environ ments_an_application_of_the_technology_a cce ptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7 d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in business-environments-an-application-of-the technology-acceptance-model.pdf lin, z. (2023). why and how to embrace ai such as chatgpt in your academic life. royal society open science, 10(8), 230658. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230658 mack, n. (2024). developing dispositions for transfer: first-generation writers as problemsolvers. pedagogy, 24(2), 169-194. https://doi.org/10.1215/15314200-11030760 malik, a. (2024). the impact of artificial intelligence on higher education: a meta-analysis. journal of educational computing research, 61(8), 1475-1500. https://www.google.com/search?q=https://jour nals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/073563312 31217534 marni, s., tiawati, r. l., helda, t., & rahmat, w. (2024). how important is the study of pragmatics to train students' communication skills in facing the challenges of the 21st century?. journal of pragmatics and discourse research, 4(1), 32-46. https://doi.org/10.51817/jpdr.v4i1.769 maurya, s. k. (2024). the intersection of philosophy of language and artificial intelligence: challenges in replicating human language understanding. quórum académico, 21(2), 1241. memarian, s., & doleck, t. (2023). exploring the use of chatgpt in higher education: a case study of students' perceptions and experiences. journal of university teaching & learning practice,20(7), 1-16. https://www.google.com/search?q=https://ro.u o w.edu.au/jutlp/vol20/iss7/06/ mukhamedov, a. (2024). navigating opportunities and challenges of ai in enhancing critical thinking in efl education. mental enlightenment scientific-methodological journal, 5(05), 189197. https://doi.org/10.37547/mesmj-v5-i5-26 mulenga, m. n., & chisanga, t. n. (2024). the impact of artificial intelligence on the development of critical thinking skills in higher education: a systematic review. thinking skills and creativity, 51, 101458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.101458 nazar, w., nazar, g., kamińska, a., & danilowicz szymanowicz, l. (2025). how to design, create, and evaluate an instruction-tuning dataset for large language model training in health care: tutorial from a clinical perspective. journal of medical internet research, 27, e70481. doi:10.2196/70481 nurjamin, l. r., & fajriah, y. n. (2024). russia's superiority over the usa and eu evident in sanctions imposed: a systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis. asian journal of management, entrepreneurship and social science, 4(04), 740-755. https://doi.org/10.63922/ajmesc.v4i04.1132 nurjamin, l. r., sudana, d., & gunawan, w. (2023). decoding socio-cognitive elements in indonesian online news: a systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 379-390. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7874 ozer, o. (2024). ai language models: a breach of academic integrity in online language learning?. studies in language, 13(1), 237. https://arts.unimelb.edu.au/ data/assets/pdf_fil e/0007/5109073/sila_13_1_ozer.pdf qin, w., jia, r., & ren, w. (2024). pragmatic competence in an email writing task: influences of situation, l1 background, and l2 proficiency. written communication, 41(4), 726-755. https://doi.org/10.1177/07410883241263543 quan, z., & chen, z. (2025). human–computer pragmatics trialled: some (im) polite interactions with chatgpt 4.0 and the ensuing implications. interactive learning environments, 33(2), 1020-1039. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2024.23628 29 https://doi.org/10.70730/pgcq9242 https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2025.903sedu0022 https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2025.903sedu0022 https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2025.903sedu0022 https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2025.903sedu0022 https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2024.151001 https://doi.org/10.29140/tltl.v6n3.1521 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/pongsakorn-limna/publication/379436042_assessing_the_integration_of_chatgpt_in_business_environments_an_application_of_the_technology_acceptance_model/links/660910b0f5a5de0a9feed7d8/assessing-the-integration-of-chatgpt-in-business-environments-an-application-of-the-technology-acceptance-model.pdf https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230658 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230658 https://doi.org/10.1215/15314200-11030760 https://doi.org/10.1215/15314200-11030760 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/07356331231217534 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/07356331231217534 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/07356331231217534 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/07356331231217534 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/07356331231217534 https://doi.org/10.51817/jpdr.v4i1.769 https://doi.org/10.51817/jpdr.v4i1.769 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol20/iss7/06/ https://www.google.com/search?q=https://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol20/iss7/06/ https://www.google.com/search?q=https://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol20/iss7/06/ https://www.google.com/search?q=https://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol20/iss7/06/ https://doi.org/10.37547/mesmj-v5-i5-26 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.101458 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.101458 https://doi.org/10.2196/70481 https://doi.org/10.63922/ajmesc.v4i04.1132 https://doi.org/10.63922/ajmesc.v4i04.1132 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7874 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7874 https://arts.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/5109073/sila_13_1_ozer.pdf https://arts.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/5109073/sila_13_1_ozer.pdf https://arts.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/5109073/sila_13_1_ozer.pdf https://arts.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/5109073/sila_13_1_ozer.pdf https://doi.org/10.1177/07410883241263543 https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2024.2362829 https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2024.2362829 https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2024.2362829 english review: journal of english education volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 491 quintela do carmo, g., vinuesa, v., dembélé, m., & ayotte-beaudet, j. p. (2024). going beyond adaptation: an integrative review and ethical considerations of semi-structured interviews with elementary-aged children. international journal of qualitative methods, 23, 16094069241247474. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241247474 sain, z. h., thelma, c. c., baharun, h., & pigesia, a. c. (2024). chatgpt for positive impact? examining the opportunities and challenges of large language models in education. international journal of educational development, 1(3), 87-100. https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi. or g/10.5958/2835-7076.2024.00014.7 seidman, i. (2013). interviewing as qualitative research: a guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. teachers college press. sitorus, t. a. p., siregar, d. y., aulia, d. n., zahra, n. a., parinduri, a. i., lubis, d. n. a., & wardiah, f. d. (2025). a systematic review of pragmatic competence in second language acquisition. sintaksis: publikasi para ahli bahasa dan sastra inggris, 3(1), 142-152. https://doi.org/10.61132/sintaksis.v3i1.1291 sue, s. h., johanson, r. e., & gass, s. m. (2023). exploring the potential of chatgpt in esl writing instruction. tesol journal, 74(3), 789-805. https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi. or g/10.1002/tesj.1688 susanto, h., purwati, o., & nurhayati, n. (2023). indonesian university students' perceptions of artificial intelligence in academic writing. journal of education and learning (edulearn), 7(3), 483-492. https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi. or g/10.11591/edulearn.v17i3.19568 tiwari, c. k., bhat, m. a., khan, s. t., subramaniam, r., & khan, m. a. i. (2024). what drives students toward chatgpt? an investigation of the factors influencing adoption and usage of chatgpt. interactive technology and smart education, 21(3), 333-355. https://doi.org/10.1108/itse-04-2023-0061 truba, h., khrapatyi, s., harashchuk, k., shvets, d., & proskurnia, a. (2024). psycholinguistic underpinnings of image formation: suggestion and manipulation in the educational network discourse. thinking skills and creativity, 52, 101496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2024.101496 tu, d. h. m. (2024). navigating the convenience trap with chatgpt and google translate: the risks of homogenization in translation teaching for vietnamese students. international journal of linguistics, literature and translation, 7(8), 244-255. doi:10.32996/ijllt.2024.7.8.28 usher, m., & amzalag, m. (2025). from prompt to polished: exploring student–chatbot interactions for academic writing assistance. education sciences, 15(3), 329. van poucke, m. (2024). chatgpt, the perfect virtual teaching assistant? ideological bias in learner chatbot interactions. computers and composition, 73, 102871. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2024.10287 1 walton, m. (2023). the ethics of artificial intelligence in education. journal of educational technology, 19(1), 23-38. https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi. or g/10.14712/jett.2023.19.1.2 wei, r., & zhao, x. (2024). effects of wg. assessing writing, 60, 100838. werdiningsih, i., marzuki, indrawati, i., rusdin, d., ivone, f. m., basthomi, y., & zulfahreza. (2024). revolutionizing efl writing: unveiling the strategic use of chatgpt by indonesian master’s students. cogent education, 11(1), 2399431. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2024.23994 31 wieczorek, m. (2025). why ai will not democratize education: a critical pragmatist perspective. philosophy & technology, 38(2), 53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-025-00883-8 ye, j. h., zhang, m., nong, w., wang, l., & yang, x. (2025). the relationship between inert thinking and chatgpt dependence: an i-pace model perspective. education and information technologies, 30(3), 3885-3909. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12966-8 zhai, c., & wibowo, s. (2023). a systematic review on artificial intelligence dialogue systems for enhancing english as foreign language students’ interactional competence in the university. computers and education: artificial intelligence, 4, 100134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2023.100134 ziems, c., held, w., shaikh, o., chen, j., zhang, z., & yang, d. (2024). can large language models transform computational social science?. computational linguistics, 50(1), 237-291. http://direct.mit.edu/coli/article pdf/50/1/237/2367175/coli_a_00502.pdf https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241247474 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.5958/2835-7076.2024.00014.7 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.5958/2835-7076.2024.00014.7 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.5958/2835-7076.2024.00014.7 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.5958/2835-7076.2024.00014.7 https://doi.org/10.61132/sintaksis.v3i1.1291 https://doi.org/10.61132/sintaksis.v3i1.1291 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.1688 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.1688 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.1688 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v17i3.19568 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v17i3.19568 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v17i3.19568 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v17i3.19568 https://doi.org/10.1108/itse-04-2023-0061 https://doi.org/10.1108/itse-04-2023-0061 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2024.101496 https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2024.7.8.28 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2024.102871 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2024.102871 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2024.102871 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.14712/jett.2023.19.1.2 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.14712/jett.2023.19.1.2 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.14712/jett.2023.19.1.2 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.14712/jett.2023.19.1.2 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2024.2399431 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2024.2399431 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2024.2399431 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2024.2399431 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-025-00883-8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12966-8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12966-8 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2023.100134 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2023.100134 http://direct.mit.edu/coli/article-pdf/50/1/237/2367175/coli_a_00502.pdf http://direct.mit.edu/coli/article-pdf/50/1/237/2367175/coli_a_00502.pdf http://direct.mit.edu/coli/article-pdf/50/1/237/2367175/coli_a_00502.pdf lucky rahayu nurjamin, risal maulana, asep nurjamin, ahmad subki, hemalia damayanti pragmatic power or peril? indonesian students responding to chatgpt's linguistic subtleties in writing argumentation 492 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 603 reading in higher education endah anisa rahma*1, ana elvia jakfar2, refanja rahmatillah3, cut irna liyana4, jusnaini hasni5 1,2,3,4,5department of english language and culture, social and political science faculty, universitas teuku umar, aceh, indonesia 1,2,3,4,5pusat riset literasi dan humaniora digita, universitas teuku umar, indoniesia corresponding author: endahanisarahma@utu.ac.id apa citation: rahma, e. a., jakfar, a. e., rahmatillah, r., liyana, c. i., & hasni, j. (2025). efl students’ reading habit through extensive reading in higher education. english review: journal of english education, received: 28-02-2024 accepted: 27-04-2024 published: 30-06-2025 abstract: this study aims to investigate indonesian college students’ reading habits. 60 non-english major students who took extensive reading course involved in this study in the sixth semester. previous research has discussed related to english major students’ reading habit, however this study focuses on non-english major students’ reading habit. descriptive quantitative research was used to reveal the students’ reading habit in english. data were collected from questionnaire about reading habit activity adapted from mikulecky and jeffries (1996). the results indicated that all of students agreed that reading aloud helps them to improve their reading (95%). 96% of them also agree that reading english slowly makes more understand. besides, most of them (95%) agreed that learning grammar help them to understand more in reading english and 98% of them also agreed that learning vocabulary supported them to understand more english. majority of them (95%) need to know every word in order to understand english material. 95% of them also agreed that pronouncing every word helps them to read well in english. it can be concluded that reading slowly and learning vocabulary support them to understand more in reading. this finding confirms that the language teachers or lecturers should be able to help their students cope with foreign language reading anxiety by creating a learning environment which is less stressful. this study provides pedagogical implication that provides significant pedagogical implication for language practitioners and students in creating enjoyable atmosphere in reading class and provide the reading material based on students need. keywords: extensive reading; reading habit; english as a foreign language. introduction reading is one of the most powerful tools that people employ in both their educational and social lives. it also comes before all other abilities. reading has many definitions since it is so important. in this era, the primary goal of education is to develop individuals who can think, express themselves effectively, criticize, conduct research, read, interpret, apply knowledge and communicate this to others. variety academics have varied definitions of reading as one of the most useful instruments in teaching. reading is one of the four primary skills used in both first and second language instruction. reading is a complex process that consists of several phases of development. students must develop a reading habit in order to excel at english reading. this is intended to help students grasp the material and improve their command of english, particularly reading. reading plays the vital role in teaching english as a foreign language in indonesia. inevitably, most students in indonesia face challenges in comprehending reading text (poedjiastuti, 2018). reading is one of crucial language skills to reach in learning at the primary to university level along with listening, speaking and writing because the skills are interrelated (suryani, 2022). reading should be a habit and this should also become the basic goal of education. reading is crucial because it enables students to improve their reading comprehension, 13(2), 603-610. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11830 efl students’ reading habit through extensive mailto:endahanisarahma@utu.ac.id endah anisa rahma*1, ana elvia jakfar2 , refanja rahmatillah3, cut irna liyana4, jusnaini hasni5 efl students’ reading habit through extensive reading in higher education 604 understand new material related to their studies, and expand their knowledge. (pragasam and sulaiman, 2023). reading skill, that is a complex and comprehensive skill area, should be developed through a planned education process. numerous factors, including attitude toward reading, reading habits, reading interests, and reading tactics, should be taken into consideration during this education process (ounissi et al, 2025). making reading a habit helps people improve their reading comprehension skills on a fundamental level as well as their ability to share and discuss what they read with those around them, evaluate what they read, and be conscious of the books they choose to read (renandya et al, 2021). a good reading habit will help to improve learners’ reading achievement significantly. indonesia had the second-lowest reading habit among the 65 countries based on the most recent survey conducted by program international for student assessment (pisa). the reading habits of singaporeans are reportedly among the highest in all of east asia, surpassing those of malaysia, thailand, vietnam, and indonesia. the statistics bureau's 2006 data also demonstrates indonesia's poor reading habits. it demonstrated that reading has not become the primary leisure activity in our society. instead of reading the newspaper (23.46%), people would rather watch tv (85.6%) or listen to the radio (40.26%). according to the economic development cooperation organization (oecd), among the 52 nations in east asia, indonesians have the lowest reading culture (indonesia's reading culture is lowest in east asia, 2009). recently, graded readers developed for students' extensive reading (er) in english as a second language (esl) and english as a foreign language (efl) have become popular alternatives for learners at the beginning and intermediate levels (yang, chu & chen, 2021). er practice has grown in popularity in recent years following decades of research detailing their powerful effects on language acquisition, particularly in an efl environment such as in indonesia. extensive reading can be defined as reading for pleasure (ng et al., 2019) and reading outside of the class (torres, 2024). it becomes the main attention for educators and researchers to be an alternative reading instruction in teaching english as english second language (esl) and english foreign language (efl) (grabe & yamashita; 2022; nation & waring, 2019). extensive reading is pleasant and informal, and it allows students to select materials based on their english language level and interests. it also includes individualized and independent reading, which allows students to choose materials based on their own interests without having to discuss texts in class (asmara, 2021; torres, 2024). many studies have conducted the impact of er on cognitive, affective and behavioral aspects in the esl and efl context. cognitively, er was reported to improve the participants’ general reading ability and reading comprehension (grabe & yamashita, 2022), enhance incidental vocabulary acquisition (zakrah et.al, 2024; promluan & sukying, 2022) and promote writing skills (mwagi & bwire, 2020). affectively, er encourages learners’ motivation to read, learners’ autonomy and to have positive attitude in reading a second/ foreign language (li et al, 2021). in behavior aspect, er can help learners to develop reading habit (wani & ismail, 2024), change their reading behavior (savitri et al., 2024) and improve their reading rate (renandya & day, 2020). besides, extensive reading also improves students’s students’ reading habit, reading speed, vocabulary, writing, speaking and listening (chang & renandya, 2018; azizi et al, 2020). the input hypothesis (krashen, 1982 cited in ounissi et al, 2025) arguing for intelligible input as the sufficient requirement for l2 acquisition and/or the reading hypothesis provide theoretical support for extensive reading in the field of l2 study. the input which contends that comprehensible input is a necessary condition for l2 acquisition, or the reading hypothesis which postulates the facilitative effect of extensive reading on various skills like reading comprehension, writing style, vocabulary, grammar, and spelling, provide theoretical support for extensive reading in the field of l2 research. whether or not the experts completely agree with these assumptions, it has been noticed that l2 instructors and researchers are becoming more interested in substantial reading. krashen also adds that extensive reading entails reading highly comprehensible and interesting target language contents which immerse language learners in comprehensible input, leading to the acquisition of “literacy-related aspects of language”. researchers have dedicated much effort to investigating students’ reading habits. all of these studies show how reading for academic purposes gains significant importance, but we cannot ignore voluntary or recreational reading—reading that is done voluntarily during free time, outside of school activities, and by choice of material— english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 605 because it is precisely this kind of reading that makes people readers. a study from stroller and nguyen (2020) state that vietnamese university english major have strong preference on printed sources than digital sources. because so much of daily life is becoming digitized and has become heavily reliant on digital text, the quick expansion of digital media and online services has led to a greater reliance on reading (schüller et al, 2022). as reading shifts from paper to screens more and more, it also enters the realm of big tech, a small group of profit-driven businesses that dominate the world's digital media platforms and mainly flout regulations. according to natioanl literacy trust (2025), while girls' daily reading levels stayed relatively constant between 2024 and 2025, boys' reading levels decreased throughout the majority of age groups, especially for those between the ages of 11 and 16. compared to their counterparts in scotland (16.8%) and northern ireland (16.9%), a higher percentage of children and youth in england (19.1%) reported reading every day in their spare time. wales's reading rate per day was the lowest at 12.5%. regional differences were also observed throughout england, with a higher percentage of children and young adults in london reporting daily free-time reading, followed by those in the north east and east.these elements are crucial to pupils' enthusiasm for reading. according to arifin et al (2025), women read for pleasure alongside their male counterparts in terms language preference and book format preferences. most female students preferred foreign language reading (37,5%) than mother language compared to male students (18,8%) and they also preferred digital format to read the sources (75%). according to lee and kim's (2021) research, these gender-based variations in reading preferences may also be connected to variances in cognitive and language development. women are more likely to prefer narrative-based and emotionally engaging texts since they often have superior language skills. these decisions were impacted by personal preferences, educational needs, and future professional goals. therefore, good reading habits give some advantages based on some experts (green, 2022), that are to increase students’ reading skills, to widen students’ general knowledge and experience and to develop reading speed, vocabulary and academic achievement. some studies have shown a wide range in the areas of er in esl/ efl context. bui and macalister (2021) implemented online extensive reading in vietnam and shows that after learning extensive reading, students’ reading fluency and speed are greater growth after 10-week participation. they considered extensive reading is effective in enhancing their reading fluency development, vocabulary knowledge, reading comprehension skills and pragmatic use of language. a study from rahman and mohammad (2023) shows that extensive reading promotes students’ reading motivation among esl learners. yet the implementation of er may encounter some challenges including the availability of suitable reading materials, time constraints, and lack of motivation among learners. besides, they emphasize the role of teachers and parents in encouraging and sustaining learners' reading motivation is also important. in indonesian context, a study from mardiana et al (2021) found that apart from the benefit of er for efl students, some problems are also reported of er in their study. in this study, four efl university students' perceptions to er were examined, along with the advantages and difficulties they encountered. their knowledge of the er concept was briefly questioned in the questionnaire and in-depth in the interview to investigate these two issues. this study demonstrates the numerous advantages and difficulties of implementing er for four university students. these four students have a strong desire to read books in english, which is impacted by their home literacy and the result from observation shows that they are at least in the range of average-high achievers in the english subject. study from dafitri and hakim (2025) on the reading habits of first-year students english language education study program at universitas singaperbangsa karawang showed that using choose-read-share (crs) strategy and reading logs in extensive reading class increased student autonomy and engagement but posed challenges in maintaining motivation and confidence during discussions. these strategies supported comprehension and engagement in reading. due to the students' inability to grasp the implicit reading abilities, teaching and learning in higher education institutions encounter countless challenges. therefore, there’s a need for students to have good reading habit. by identifying students’ reading habit, this paper tries to establish students’ reading habit through extensive reading that concur with their reading preference. although, a large amount of extensive endah anisa rahma*1, ana elvia jakfar2 , refanja rahmatillah3, cut irna liyana4, jusnaini hasni5 efl students’ reading habit through extensive reading in higher education 606 reading research has been conducted, there are few research examine non-english major targets. most of the research investigated in english major students in the context of reading class. the current study examined the students’ reading habit in extensive reading class from multi-disciplines major students. the finding of this study hopefully provides significant pedagogical implication for language practitioners and students in creating enjoyable atmosphere in reading class and provide the reading material based on students need. method the currents study is descriptive qualitative research revealing the students’ reading habit in english. the participants were 60 indonesian university students from universitas teuku umar. they are in the sixth semester and enrolled english elective subject of extensive reading course. they were from multidiscipline majors who learnt english as a foreign language. the participants had taken general english at the beginning/their freshmen year of their study. data collection used in this study was questionnaire adapted from mikulecky and jeffries (1996) used closed-ended questions. the questionnaire oriented at determining more about the students' reading habit in english. a questionnaire was used to measure the students’ reading habits by using scale. the data obtained were formulated manually for its descriptive statistics. the students were given questionnaires by the researcher to determine their reading habits for learning english. the researcher used quantitative analysis. the following formula was used in this study to examine the reading habits of the students learning english (sudjana, 2020): where: p = number of percentage f = frequency n = number of sample results and discussion as mentioned in the prior subsection, this present qualitative study attempted to shed new enlightenment regarding the students reading habit in english at universitas teuku umar. to fulfill the objective of study, the following is results from questionnaire: table 1. the result of students’ reading habit in english no. item yes no f % f % 1. i always read every word of a passage 54 90 6 10 2. reading aloud helps me improve my reading 57 95 3 5 3. i say the word aloud when i read 6 10 54 90 4. i use different reading method in my native language and english 55 92 5 8 5. when i read in english, i understand more when i read slowly 57 96 3 4 6. if i don’t know the meaning of a word in english, i always look it up in the dictionary 53 88 7 12 7. the best way to improve my reading in english is by learning as much grammar as possible 57 95 3 5 8. the best way to improve my reading in english is by learning as much new vocabulary as possible 58 98 2 2 9. when i am reading material in english, i need to know every word in order to understand 57 95 3 5 10. to read well in english, i must be able to pronounce every word 57 95 3 5 11. i can’t understand a paragraph if it has several new words in it 48 80 12 20 12. i use the same reading method for all kinds of the texts (books, newspapers, etc.) 24 40 36 60 the table shows that the results of questionnaire from 60 students. regarding what had been stated in the table above, it can be conjectured that item number 2, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are the highest preferences for agree respondents. while item number 2 and number 12 are the lowest preferences for agree respondents. as it can be observed in table 1, majority of indonesian students (98%) agree that learning vocabulary is the best way to improve their reading skill. it is line with promluan’s and sukyang’s statement (2022) that reading improve incidental vocabulary english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 607 acquisition. in order to expose language learners to understandable information and help them acquire "literacy-related aspects of language," krashen (2018) further states that extensive reading involves reading highly accessible and engaging target language content. 95% of students also agree that they understand more when reading the english text slowly. reading slowly is also one part of efl students’ habit to help them getting more understanding the comprehension from english text. cognitive load that takes up capacity for intrinsic processing for meaning. therefore, in processing the information of the text, the learners’ cognitive attempts to understand words by word in their native language. most student also deal that reading aloud can help them to improve their reading comprehension (95%). it can be lined with chang’s and reinandya’s statement (2018) that students’ behavior such as reading slowly and reading aloud can help students’ understanding. affectively, renandya and day (2020) deal that reading rate like reading speed can improve understanding and skill in reading comprehension. besides, learning grammar (95%), knowing every word in reading material (95%) and being able to pronounce every word (95%) are very beneficial to help them to comprehend the text. grammar and pronunciation are parts of fluency that develop effective reading comprehension skill. furthermore, reading widely exposes readers to language use in context, which enhances their understanding of grammar (xenia and anjani, 2022). following repeated exposure to english prepositions through improved extensive reading, xenia and anjani found that 16 english as foreign language students at indonesian universities shown a notable improvement in their incidental learning of the targeted english prepositions. however, most of them prefer not to say word aloud when reading a book (10%) and not to use the same reading method for all the types. every student has his/her own way to comprehend the text based on proficiency level. therefore, it is advised to use a variety of collections that include graded materials, children's literature, young reader literature, popular literature, first-language reader materials, and internet texts (yulia, 2018). it can be concluded that reading habit is one of the indispensable elements in reading for esl & efl. students prefer to use different method both in native language and english in their reading habit (92%). the other reading habit often used by many of them is reading every word in reading english text (90%). to help them in understanding new vocabulary, some of them were used to look up dictionary as a helpful device (88%). besides, they faced difficulty in understanding text when finding several new vocabularies that they never heard. it is related to zakhrah et al (2025) who state that students vocabulary is important parts in reading. therefore, students must be able to understand the meaning of words in a text. most university students used mobile dictionary to help them look up the new vocabulary. based on the finding above, it confirms that students have positive attitude to reading in english. tabata (2023) agree that when it comes to reading a second or foreign language, er promotes students' motivation to read and positive attitude. the following table shows students’ reading frequency. the reading frequency refers to how often they read per day both academic purpose and recreational purpose. table 2. reading frequency no. reading frequency per day percentage (%) participants 1. less than one hour 39,3 24 2. about one hour 37,7 23 3. about two hours 14,8 9 4. more than two hours 8,2 4 how often and how much the students read are based on their reading habit. the table shows almost all the students read they normally read less than one hour each day (39.3%). this percentage has a little different with the students’ reading frequency of 37.7 % (23 students) read about one hour per day. it indicates that students in higher education have a little motivation and interest to read bot academic and personal interest materials. the low reading frequency reflects low reading motivation (rahman & mohammad, 2023). this is considered as the most ideal way to develop our students as readers because pleasure for and love of reading cannot be taught; they can only be shared. we can see that reading may be performed successfully if students passionately to read more, whether inside or outside of the classroom. extensive reading is about students’ willingness to read. the reading materials are endah anisa rahma*1, ana elvia jakfar2 , refanja rahmatillah3, cut irna liyana4, jusnaini hasni5 efl students’ reading habit through extensive reading in higher education 608 freely chosen by the students based on their content interests. the material resources should make students actively enjoy reading and receive enjoyment from, which can boost their desire for english learning. the successful development of extensive reading is dependent on the aforementioned characteristics as well as appropriate english reading resources and tactics that can guide students to a habit of extensive reading (liu & young, 2015). thus, cultivating a reading habit is one strategy to encourage students to like and continue reading. the researchers in this current study supervised the students through reading tasks. extensive reading is believed as one of the strategy to encourage the reading rate, comprehension and vocabulary of learners since large amount of repeated exposure to interesting and meaningful l1/l2 reading materials (iftianti, 2024). as shown in the table 1, it has been clearly stated majority of students are likely to get more vocabularies from extensive reading. it is line with the result of zakrah’s finding (2024) which shows that 33 eleventh grade students improved their vocabulary from extensive reading class. it also corresponded with krashen’s theory of input hypothesis which mentions the lower affective barrier set, the more comprehensive input got, and the more language acquisition developed, learners’ vocabulary could be improved by extensive reading, which is emphasized in reading for pleasure without pressure. according to arifin et al (2025), fantasy, mystery/thriller, and self-help/personal development are the genres that male students choose, while female students tend to favor romance, fantasy, and self-help/personal development. nonetheless, a sizable percentage of female students embrace romance, but male students are less fond of it. female students are more likely to use the library and internet resources, whereas male students are more likely to obtain books from bookstores and borrow them from friends and family. there is a little variation in the percentage of male and female students who read for both academic and personal reasons, but both sexes read mainly for leisure and enjoyment. many college students read primarily for educational purposes. their parents' and instructors' drive to do better academically is the reason for their bad attitude toward reading for pleasure. the statement seemed menacing to the students who had yet to develop a passion of reading and a habit of reading. even though they made an effort to make themselves read, they still felt undervalued. as a result, pupils' enjoyment becomes a source of pressure. the goal of er, which is to instill a love of reading, will be futile if kids perceive it more as a burden, as they would attempt to avoid reading (savitri et al, 2024). extensive reading strategies continue to have positive effects outside of higher education settings as well since they have significant effects on young efl learners as well. extensive reading strategy plays a crucial role in this area because engaging and meaningful extensive reading activities may enable efl young learners to foster their four major language skills—reading, writing, speaking, and listening—while also improving their specific reading interest. as efl young learners still need more intensive supervision in developing more positive reading habits throughout their daily basis. the other finding of a study on extensive online reading conducted by ermerawati (2019) also revealed that almost all of the young efl learners from indonesia had developed more favorable reading habits after fully engaging in the interactive extensive online reading activities incorporated by their teachers. based on these brief summaries, it has become one of the main responsibilities of indonesian efl teachers to internalize extensive reading strategies in their varied l2 learning contexts in order to transform students into more proficient l2 readers. these readers will have a variety of laudable reading attributes available to them, including richer vocabulary knowledge, passionate reading interest, and proactive reading attitudes. in relationship between different reading methods used in native language and english, a study from spark (2012) states that l1 spelling has an impact on l2 achievement. l1 spelling is one reading method used in comprehend the text. it may be that it takes longer for learners to achieve a high level of l1 spelling than it takes them to achieve a threshold level of l1 reading comprehension. therefore, there is a connection between l1 and l2 literacy. learners who have difficulties in their l1 may lack the ability to reflect on the equivalent structures in a foreign language, and so their capacity to learn an l2 may be hindered. so, l1 literacy was the main explanatory factor of l2 achievement in a group of adult efl beginners. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 609 conclusion based on the finding mentioned earlier, there are some conclusion can be drawn. first, most students improve their vocabulary from extensive reading. second, majority of students use reading english slowly help them to get understanding in reading passage. third, reading aloud, learning grammar and pronouncing very word also help some leaners to understand the reading text. the last is most of them spend their reading time only less than one hour per day (39,3%). the pedagogical implication can be concluded from the results of study that the language teachers or lecturers should be able to help their students cope with foreign language reading anxiety by creating a learning environment which is less stressful. they should also provide reading motivations by fulfilling students’ interest. this can be done when teachers employ various reading activities. they should also carefully select reading materials that are suitable for students’ level and most importantly, they should select reading materials that is suitable with students’ interest. to increase students' enthusiasm in learning, teachers are urged to establish a welcoming and encouraging environment in the classroom (sari, 2024). references arifin, r. a., sakina, r., mustika, r., & putri, w. (2025). examining gender divide, reading habits and preferences in efl undergraduate students. jepal (journal of english pedagogy and applied linguistics), 5(2), 249-273. asmara, r. (2021). the implementation of extensive reading using line webtoon to enhance students’ reading comprehension in narrative story. retain (research on english language teaching in indonesia), 9(2), 75-82. https://ejournal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/retain/arti cle/view/40002 azizi, m., tkácová, h., pavlíková, m., & jenisová, z. (2020). extensive reading and the writing ability of efl learners: the effect of group work. european journal of contemporary education, 9(4), 726-739. 10.13187/ejced.2020.4.726. bui, t. n., & macalister, j. (2021). online extensive reading in an efl context: investigating reading fluency and perceptions. reading in a foreign language, 33(1), 1–29. https://doi.org/10125/67391 chang, a.c-s & renandya, w. (2018). current practice of extensive reading in asia: teachers’ perceptions. the reading matrix: an international online journal, 17 (1), 40-58. ermerawati, a. b. (2019). the application of let's read! in extensive reading class: integrating mall and task-based learning. elementary school forum mimbar sekolah dasar, 6(3), 317329. grabe, w., & yamashita, j. (2022). reading in a second language: moving from theory to practice (2nd ed.). cambridge university press. grabe , w. p. , & stoller , f. l. (2020). teaching and researching reading (3rd ed). rouledge. iftanti, e. (2024). promoting the undergraduate efl students’language skills through extensive reading. language, literature & language teaching, 79-90. indonesia's reading culture is lowest in east asia, (2009). available from https://www.republika.co.id/berita/pendidikan/b erita/09/06/17/56933-budaya-baca-indonesiaterendah-di-asiatimur [accessed june 20, 2023]. lee, j., schallert, d. l., & kim, e. (2021). effects of extensive reading and translation activities on grammar knowledge and attitudes for efl adolescents. system, 52 (2015), 38–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2015.04.016 li, h., majumdar, r., chen, m. r. a., & ogata, h. (2021). goal-oriented active learning (goal) system to promote reading engagement, self directed learning reading. computers behavior, & and motivation education, 171, in extensive 104239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104239 liu, i. f & young, s. s. c. (2015). an exploration of participative motivation in a community-based online english extensive reading contest with respect to gender difference. interactive learning environment, 1-14. retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/101080/10 49 4820.2015.1090457. mikulecky, b.s. & jeffries, l. (1996). more power reading. longman. mwangi, f. g., & bwire, a. m. (2020). role of extensive reading habits in students’ acquisition of composition writing skills in english in kenya. journal of education and practice, 11(30), 62-68. national literacy trust. children and young people’s reading in 2025. (2025). retrieved from https://literacytrust.org.uk/researchservices/research-reports/children-and-youngpeoples-reading-in-2025/ ng, q. r., renandya, w. a., & chong, m. y. c. (2019). extensive reading: theory, research and implementation. teflin journal, https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v30i2/171 -186 ounissi, a., romly, r., ahmad tajuddin, a. j., & hasan, m. k. (2025). the evolution of online extensive reading and web-based platforms in efl/esl: a narrative review of impacts, challenges, and future directions. australian endah anisa rahma*1, ana elvia jakfar2 , refanja rahmatillah3, cut irna liyana4, jusnaini hasni5 efl students’ reading habit through extensive reading in higher education 610 journal of applied linguistics, 8(1), 102592. https://doi.org/10.29140/ajal.v8n1.102592 pragasam, j. a., & sulaiman, n. a. (2023). integrating technology in esl reading classroom: accounting pupils’ perspectives. arab world english journal (awej) special issue on communication and language in virtual spaces, january 2023, 324-342. renandya, w. a., & day, r. (2020). the primacy of extensive reading and listening: putting theory into practice. retrieved from: willy’s elt corner. https://willyrenandya.com/the-primacyofextensive-reading-andlistening/#:~:text=research shows clearly that students,positive attitudes towards language learning. renandya, w. a., hidayati, m., & ivone, f. m. (2021). extensive reading: top ten implementation issues. jacet journal, 65, 11–21. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jacetjournal/ 65/0/65_11/_article/ char/ja/%0ahttps://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/j acetjournal/65/0/65_11/_pdf. rahman, s. h. a., & mohamad, m. (2023). extensive reading to promote esl learners’ reading motivation: a literature review. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 12(2), 2589-2600. sari, a. s., & marlinda, s. (2024). enhancing students' reading comprehension through reciprocal questioning. linguaeducare: journal of english and linguistic studies, 1(2), 107-116. https://journal.ciptapustaka.com/index.php/lec /article/view/10 savitri, w. e., widiati, u., suryati, n., & ivone, f. m. (2024). extensive reading principles implementation: pleasure vs pressure. journal of languages and language teaching, 12(2), 895-906. schüller-zwierlein, a., mangen, a., kovač, m., & van der weel, a. (2022). why higher-level reading is important. first monday. spark, r. (2012). individual different in l2 learning and long-term l1-l2 relationship. language learning. 62 (2), 5-27. stoller, f. l., & nguyen, l. t. h. (2020). reading habits of vietnamese university english majors. journal of english for academic purposes, 48, 100906. sudjana, n. (2020). penelitian dan penilaian pendidikan. sinar baru algensindo. suryani, n. y. (2022). the problem faced by students of islamic education in reading comprehension text. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 453– 464. tabata-sandom, m. (2023). a case study of the impact of online extensive reading on the l2 reading motivation, habits, and linguistic abilities of advanced l2 english learners. reading in foreign language, 35 (2), 160-189. torres bustos, y. e. (2024). extensive reading and reading comprehension. dissertation. universitat tecnica de ambato. published. retrived from https://repositorio.uta.edu.ec/items/e010b7e12eb7-4cc4-a0d3-ddaf3f401e8d xenia, t., & anjani, c. d. p. (2022). the effect of enhanced extensive reading to the incidental english preposition acquisition. llt journal: a journal on language and language teaching, 25(1), 122-131. https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v25i1.4440. yang, y., chu, h. & tseng, w. (2021) text difficulty in extensive reading: reading comprehension and reading motivation. reading in a foreign language. 33 (1), 78102. yulia, m. f. (2018). extensive reading for indonesian university students: an alternative framework for implementation. llt journal: a journal on language and language teaching, 21(2), 208218. doi: doi.org/10.24071/llt.2018.210210. wani, e., & hanim ismail, h. (2024). the effects of reading habits on academic performance among students in an esl classroom: a literature review paper. int. j. acad. res. progress. educ. dev, 13(1), 470-383. zakrah, s., herman., hasbullah & aristiawan, d. (2024). the effects of extensive reading activites on students vocabulary mastery at sma islam raudatul ulum batu jangkih in the academic year 2024/2025. p@ rad! gma: jurnal kajian budaya & media, 2(03), 1-6. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1219 developing and validating the elementary student learning agility scale (eslas) for measuring key learning traits in elementary education tri harum kusumawati* universitas negeri yogyakarta, yogyakarta, indonesia email: triharum.2022@student.uny.ac.id herwin universitas negeri yogyakarta, yogyakarta, indonesia email: herwin89@uny.ac.id apa citation: kusumawati, t. h., & herwin. (2024). developing and validating the elementary student learning agility scale (eslas) for measuring key learning traits in elementary education. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1219-1228. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.9962 received: 12-06-2024 accepted: 21-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction learning agility has been one of the significant factors in determining the success of the learning process (de meuse & harvey, 2021). it promotes a culture of continual growth by keeping students receptive to new ideas and experiences, which improves performance and flexibility. high learning agility bears the capacity to cope with occurring learning issues and hinders students from unsuccessful learning performance (de meuse & harvey, 2021). on the contrary, low learning agility causes subdued progression of comprehending learning materials and, consequently, creates inhibited learning development. for instance, students with high learning agility can be flexible in coping with different learning atmospheres that are contributively affected by teacher’s characteristics, learning facilities, and school programs (tripathi et al., 2020). they further can showcase strengths in handling confrontations or negotiations that are prominent skills in the twenty-first-century education era. in coping with the advancement of technology, these students can possess an adaptive behavior to different technological-enhanced learning platforms, and thus convey an agility to master the technology-based tools (makhloufi & messaif, 2021). therefore, learning agility is considered to be a vital learning trait in succeeding in the process of acquiring new knowledge (smith & watkins, 2024). within a scheme of elementary education, learning agility must be closely paid attention to as it helps form elementary students’ characteristics. when it has been perceived at the early age of education, it can construct a good individual character, such as perseverance, tenacity, interest, and independence (de meuse & harvey, 2021). learning perseverance refers to the willpower to continue completing learning tasks by means of achieving the desired learning outcomes. learning tenacity, while related to perseverance, emphasizes the dogged determination and refusal to give up on learning, even in the face of various learning abstract: this study aimed to develop an elementary student learning agility scale (eslas) to measure elementary school students’ perseverance, tenacity, interest, and independence in accomplishing the learning process. this study also focused on examining translational validity and internal consistency reliability to construct a valid and reliable scale. there were 90 elementary students chosen using voluntary random sampling as the respondents and five experts invited as the validators. the study developed eslas using a five-point likert’s scaling method with twenty items measured. the study used a five-point likert scale with 20 items and included 90 elementary students and five expert validators. data obtained from eslas were used to examine internal consistency reliability, while data from the validation sheet were used to judge the content validity index (cvi) and content validity ratio (cvr). results showed that the developed eslas was considered very valid by the validators (cvi = +1.00, cvr = 1.00) and was categorized as a very high reliability (cronbach’s α = .879). another result depicted that there was no negative value in inter-item correlation, meaning that all items measured a similar construct. the results implied that the developed eslas is considered a valid and reliable scale for measuring elementary students’ learning agility. keywords: learning agility scale; learning perseverance; learning tenacity; learning interest; learning independence. mailto:triharum.2022@student.uny.ac.id tri harum kusumawati & herwin developing and validating the elementary student learning agility scale for measuring key learning traits in elementary education 1220 obstacles (mrazek et al., 2018). it is often associated with a single-minded focus and unwavering commitment to a goal. to support the strength of learning perseverance and tenacity, learning interest is found to be an additional factor in successful academic performance (york et al., 2019). for instance, students with less interest in learning mathematics might show extra learning efforts as there is a psychological force within themselves that learning mathematics might be difficult and complicated (abramovich et al., 2019). at last, elementary students can construct their independence because they know that the learning agility conceived forms them to be more autonomous in solving problems. therefore, as learning agility contributes to the formation of good character building, this issue must be undertaken in early education namely in elementary school. to compile the information on learning agility perceived by elementary school students, it is beyond necessary to use authentic measurement. many studies have developed a valid and reliable measurement for learning agility, however, few of them involved the setting of elementary school students and included the four precious characteristics for indonesian students such as perseverance, tenacity, interest, and independence. for instance, de meuse et al. (2011) developed a valid and reliable scale to measure learning agility under the dimension of mental, people, change, results, and self-awareness subskills (cronbach’s α = .88). however, this learning agility might be not relevant to elementary school students in which the scale items refer to working performance and life experience, which tends to be more in a business scope. bouland-van dam et al. (2022) developed a leadership learning agility scale (llas) consisting of eighteen items, and it is categorized as very valid (cronbach’s α = .89). this llas is also not applicable to the setting of elementary school student as it measures how a leader of a company shows the agility in facing various business problems. other related studies also develop a valid and reliable learning agility scale in business and enterprise (lee & song, 2022), technology mastery (ghosh et al., 2021), organizational management (milani et al., 2021; tripathi & dhir, 2023), and school administration (özgenel, 2021). yet, these prior studies have not provided a reliable measurement of elementary school students’ learning agility. following the explanations above, it is necessary to develop a learning agility scale for elementary school students by focusing on their perseverance, tenacity, interest, and independence. this expanded scale helps elementary school teachers understand the condition of their students’ learning agility, and the information can be used as feedback in advancing their learning perseverance, tenacity, interest, and independence. the future handling of improving learning agility can be advantageous in building more autonomous and stronger learners amid a volatile era. therefore, at an early age, teachers have prepared students with learning characteristics that are more adaptive, flexible, and sustainable. thus, this study aims to develop a valid and reliable elementary student learning agility scale (eslas) with four subskills of learning perseverance, tenacity, interest, and independence. the capacity to pick up new abilities rapidly, adjust to changing circumstances, and use information in novel ways is familiarly recognized as learning agility (de meuse & harvey, 2021). in today’s fast-paced and dynamic school environment, where school boards must be nimble and creative due to ongoing disruption and technological breakthroughs, this is an essential ability. mental agility, people agility, outcomes agility, and change agility are just a few of the essential components of learning agility (galés & gallon, 2019). people agility refers to interpersonal and successful communication abilities, whereas mental agility is the capacity for critical thought and the creation of new connections (tripathi et al., 2020). change agility is the ability to adjust to novel circumstances and conditions, whereas results agility is the ability to perform consistently under novel or difficult circumstances (tripathi et al., 2020). however, the present study rather uses four factors of learning agility that correspond to the effort of good character building, covering learning perseverance, tenacity, interest, and independence (de meuse & harvey, 2021; ellala et al., 2022). acquiring perseverance requires a serious mindset to comprehend the subject matter being studied. achieving the best learning outcomes requires a strong commitment to learning, particularly in challenging disciplines like mathematics. persistent students will face learning problems with greater caution and wisdom and be better equipped to meet their objectives. the capacity to maintain concentration and to work hard through all of the difficulties we face is persistence in learning (ng, 2021). persistence in learning can be demonstrated by taking part in all learning activities and by being industrious and persistent (ng, 2021). a strong inclination toward something, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1221 along with enthusiasm or a strong desire for it, is a high sense of interest in learning (filgona et al., 2020). students who are interested in learning tend to be highly enthusiastic or driven to pursue certain goals. a student’s enduring propensity to focus and retain certain tasks is known as their learning interest (rahiem, 2021). student learning interest is defined as a desire or willingness on the part of the students, combined with purposeful attention and activity, that eventually generates a sense of pleasure in altering behaviour, including knowledge, attitudes, and abilities (robertson & padesky, 2020). at last, the capacity to guide and control one’s own ideas, emotions, and actions during the learning process is known as independence. the ability to set goals, select learning techniques, and efficiently manage learning time are all components of learning independence (shi & fan, 2023). to enhance learning achievement, students must demonstrate initiative, activity, and involvement in the learning process when learning independence. gaining independence also entails having the selfassurance to complete tasks, be able to make decisions on one’s own, and not rely on others. learning agility can be measured using a variety of tests. harvey’s personality test assesses learning agility as a competency made up of seven characteristics and offers scoring standards (harvey & de meuse, 2021). this evaluation can be used in conjunction with other instruments, including cognitive ability tests, to give a thorough picture of a candidate’s learning agility. supervisors can also evaluate workers’ learning agility by rating their overall job performance and promotability. another tool for measuring learning agility is the choices questionnaire. it evaluates a person’s capacity to pick up new skills and function in novel contexts. this assessment gauges a person’s capacity for learning and performance in novel, difficult circumstances. it is based on the idea of learning agility. besides the above measuring technique, many studies have developed specific learning agility scales. for instance, de meuse et al. (2011) developed a valid and reliable scale to measure learning agility under the dimension of mental, people, change, results, and self-awareness subskills (cronbach’s α = .88). however, this learning agility might be not relevant to elementary school students in which the scale items refer to working performance and life experience, which tends to be more in a business scope. bouland-van dam et al. (2022) developed a leadership learning agility scale (llas) consisting of eighteen items and it is categorized as very valid (cronbach’s α = .89). this llas is also not applicable to the setting of elementary school students as it measures how a leader of a company shows the agility in facing various business problems. other related studies also develop a valid and reliable learning agility scale in business and enterprise (lee & song, 2022), technology mastery (ghosh et al., 2021), organizational management (joiner, 2019; milani et al., 2021; tripathi & dhir, 2023), and school administration (özgenel, 2021). unfortunately, those prior studies have not provided a reliable scale to measure elementary school students’ learning agility that corresponds to good character education. thus, to fill in the gap, the present study develops an elementary student’s learning agility scale (eslas). a crucial part of the educational process is character education. students with strong moral principles will grow up to be successful, moral, and ethical individuals (pring, 2021). students can develop virtues like patience, kindness, and honesty with the aid of character education. students who exhibit high character can go on to become productive members of society and raise their standards of living (pring, 2021). those who receive character education may also find it easier to overcome difficulties and roadblocks in their daily lives. as a result, character education ought to be covered in full in the curriculum (pike et al., 2021). students can grow into successful adults who benefit society in this way. today’s essential traits for educators include freedom in learning, curiosity, and perseverance. when it comes to learning, perseverance refers to the capacity to maintain concentration and hard work in the face of numerous setbacks and difficulties (salisu et al., 2020). to be persistent in learning, one must possess a strong sense of resolve and a commitment to achieving learning objectives. a strong sense of interest and purposeful participation in the learning process are indicators of interest in learning (ernawati et al., 2022). the capacity to guide and control one’s ideas, emotions, and actions during the learning process is known as independence. students can enhance their academic performance and make better contributions to society by possessing these qualities. learning agility refers to a student’s capacity to pick up new skills quickly and adjust to complicated situations to develop positive character traits (de meuse & harvey, 2021). as the world becomes more interconnected and technologically advanced, students need to be able to draw lessons from their experiences, adjust to tri harum kusumawati & herwin developing and validating the elementary student learning agility scale for measuring key learning traits in elementary education 1222 new circumstances, and put those lessons to use. learning agility encompasses several qualities, including adaptability, the capacity to let go of outdated solutions in favor of fresh approaches that will better serve current and future demands, and the capacity to learn from errors (de meuse & harvey, 2021). students who possess learning agility are more able to acquire new abilities, enhance existing ones, and adapt to changing circumstances. method this study used a cross-sectional survey research design with a quantitative approach. a crosssectional study was chosen because the present study did not focus on the changing learning agility that might be interfered with by surrounding environment traits. there were 90 elementary school students in central java province, indonesia, who voluntarily participated in the study. these respondents were 48 female students and 42 male students who were in the sixth grade since they had been confronted by many activities such as preparing for their final academic evaluations or examinations, preparation for secondary school tests, and undertaking courses to support their graduation and enrollment tests. the respondents were from four state elementary schools in the urban area of cities in central java province. as the respondents were children, the present study upheld the ethical issue, described in the last sub-section of this methodology. in addition, there were five experts invited to validate the developed elementary student learning agility scale (eslas). table 1 portrays the background information of the validators. table 1. expert validators’ inclusion criteria validator codes expertise academic and professional backgrounds e1 research instrument development a senior lecturer with education background whose research interest was in research and development, including developing reliable research instruments e2 elementary education a senior lecturer with elementary education background whose research interest was in teaching and learning process in primary education e3 educational psychology a lecturer of psychology department whose expertise was in educational psychology e4 psychology measurement an assistant lecturer of psychology department who mostly gave assistance in developing psychometrics e5 teaching for young learners a senior teacher at an outstanding elementary school in central java province data were obtained by using two instruments namely a developed elementary student learning agility scale (eslas), which also became the product of this study, and a validation sheet. table 2 shows the details of the data collection technique used in the present study. table 2. details of data collection technique research instruments objectives formats/contents references eslas measuring learning agility, including the four subskills of learning perseverance, tenacity, interest, and independence the scale consisted of twenty items with five items for each subskill. a five-point likert’s scale was employed from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5) with twenty items disseminated by four subskills namely learning perseverance, tenacity, interest, and independence. (de meuse & harvey, 2021; ellala et al., 2022) validation sheet examining translational validity carried out by five experts the validation sheet consisted of 10 items with four-point format from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (4). (asún et al., 2016) the obtained data from eslas were then analyzed using descriptive statistics and internal consistency reliability tests (pallant, 2020). the descriptive statistics test was employed to describe the respondents’ responses on each item. the obtained m score was classified into swanson’s quartile categorization by transforming it into m% (swanson, 2014). the m% was obtained by english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1223 dividing the m score by the maximum score of items (6) and the result was multiplied by 100%. the obtained m% was then categorized in the following quartile: q1/very low (m% < 25%), q2/low (25% ≤ m% < 50%), q3/high (50% ≤ m% < 75%), and q4/very high (m% ≥ 75%) (swanson, 2014). moreover, the obtained data from the validation sheet was analyzed in its content validity ratio (cvr) and content validity index (cvi) to generate the level of content validity. the higher the cvr score (cvrmax = +1), the greater the experts’ agreement and the better the validity result, and cvi > 0.78 was considered very highly valid. table 3 shows the blueprint of the developed eslas. table 3. blueprint of developed eslas variable sub-skills/ aspects item numbers item examples references personal information gender grade 1 2 what is your gender? what grade are you in? (pratama et al., 2024) learning agility learning perseverance 1-5 i am committed to learn persistently to attain desired learning goals. (de meuse & harvey, 2021; ellala et al., 2022) learning tenacity 6-10 i do not give up when i face difficulty in accomplishing learning tasks. learning interest 11-15 i get excited to learn new things and apply the knowledge in reality. learning independence 16-20 i take initiative to find and use resources to learn when i learn something new. the main concern of ethics was the fact that the respondents participating in this study were children aged between 11-12 years old, which they should be still under parents’ full monitoring. this study provided parental consent that allowed their children to participate in the study. by employing this parental consent form, the parents agreed that their children could participate in the study. moreover, as the main actors in the research, the children were informed about the brief of the research along with the information on how they could participate in it. to provide participants with practical guidance and assurance throughout their involvement in this study, the brief also included information about data sharing and confidentiality. to prevent misunderstandings and ambiguity, all information was stated clearly in the questionnaire’s cover letter. due to an online administration framework, respondents were then required to click the agreement box to indicate their assent. the acquired data were kept online in a google database that belonged to the relevant author. to prevent testing fallacies and incorrect data interpretations, the researchers analyzed with the assistance of qualified statistics specialists. results and discussion results of the translational validity test the present study used a translational validity test encompassing content and face validity. the content validity was to measure the relevance of the contents contained in the developed elementary student learning agility scale (eslas) and the face validity measured how the contents were constructed and displayed. table 4 conveys the results of the translational validity test. table 4. results of translational validity test item scores cvr e1 e2 e3 e4 e5 eslas consists of materials relevantly to learning agility concept. 4 4 4 4 4 +1.00 eslas measures learning perseverance experienced by elementary school students. 4 4 4 4 4 +1.00 eslas measures learning tenacity experienced by elementary school students. 4 4 4 4 4 +1.00 eslas measures learning interest experienced by elementary school students. 4 4 4 4 4 +1.00 eslas measures learning independence experienced by elementary school students. 4 4 4 4 4 +1.00 tri harum kusumawati & herwin developing and validating the elementary student learning agility scale for measuring key learning traits in elementary education 1224 eslas contents are relevant to theory and practice for elementary school students. 4 4 4 4 4 +1.00 eslas has an interesting look that can attract elementary students to complete it. 4 4 4 4 4 +1.00 eslas uses simple and understandable languages for elementary students. 4 4 4 4 4 +1.00 eslas uses fonts and design that makes the items easily readable. 4 4 4 4 4 +1.00 eslas provides clear instruction and no ambiguity. 4 4 4 4 4 +1.00 by table 4, every expert firmly agreed that eslas had satisfied the validity requirements. due to the agreement level, the cvr value was +1.00, exceeding the minimum requirement for five panelists (cvr > 0.99). given that the cvi value was 1.00 and the cvr value was +1.00, both of which were higher than 0.78 and, thus, classified as having a high validity. this result implied that eslas contained relevant contents of learning agility, including the four subskills of learning perseverance, tenacity, interest, and independence. even the validators quantitatively agreed that eslas was very valid, they had several responses toward its form. the short interview script was used as data triangulation confirming the quantitative agreement. “this measure is sufficient to be used to examine learning agility. not only for elementary students, it can be used for examining learning agility perceived by the first-grade student in secondary school. both still share similar conditions of constructs.” (snippet 1, e1) snippet 1 by e1 shows that the developed eslas can be used to reveal learning agility conceived by students in the first-year study time at lower secondary school level. this might be because eslas provides a more general measurement for learning agility. e4 also confirmed that the developed eslas still can be used by many teachers not only at the elementary school level. another triangulation was the fact that eslas’ subskills were captivating factors to strengthen good character building for indonesian students (see snippet 2). “the four subskills of eslas are important to help build indonesian students’ good character education. the results of each subskill can be a reference for many teachers to the condition of their students, especially in the domain of perseverance, tenacity, interest, and independence.” (snippet 2, e2) results of the internal consistency reliability test the study undertook an internal consistency reliability test with the assistance of ibm spss 25. beforehand, the study intended to look at the descriptive statistics of the eslas items administered to the 90 respondents. the objective was to showcase the trend of the given answers for each item and portray the distribution of answers stated by the respondents. table 5 depicts the results of the descriptive statistics test for each item. table 5. results of descriptive statistics test on eslas items subskills eslas items m sd m% swanson’s q categorization learning perseverance item 1 4.8756 1.13492 81.26% q4 item 2 4.8320 1.52982 80.53% q4 item 3 4.9020 .72947 81.70% q4 item 4 4.4536 .80036 74.22% q3 item 5 4.5588 1.38928 75.98% q4 learning tenacity item 6 4.4224 1.45792 73.70% q3 item 7 4.0598 .79971 67.66% q3 item 8 5.6420 1.22394 94.03% q4 item 9 4.4536 1.87274 74.22% q3 item 10 4.8832 1.12332 81.38% q4 learning interest item 11 4.8664 1.19388 81.10% q4 item 12 4.8832 1.67283 81.38% q4 item 13 5.5756 .94366 92.92% q4 item 14 4.9020 1.18489 81.70% q4 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1225 subskills eslas items m sd m% swanson’s q categorization item 15 4.4536 1.18489 74.22% q3 learning independence item 16 5.4326 1.34858 90.54% q4 item 17 4.8320 .94366 80.53% q4 item 18 4.4536 1.3497 74.22% q3 item 19 5.6922 .97869 94.87% q4 item 20 5.0544 1.54869 84.24% q4 regarding table 5, there were six items categorized in q3 namely item 4, item 6, item 7, item 9, item 15, and item 18. this implied that the six items had a high respondent’ agreement. moreover, the rest items were in a very high category (q4), meaning that the items were very highly agreed upon by the respondents. respondents showed that their learning tenacity was lower than the other subskills due to there being three items (e.g., items 6, 7, and 9) found to be in the q3 category. however, overall items showed in a high to very high category, in which the respondents’ agreement towards the items was very positive. afterward, table 6 shows the results of internal consistency reliability tests, aggregately and per sub-skill. table 6. cronbach’s α values for eslas including the sub-skills variables α value n items n participants aggregate eslas .879 20 90 sub-skill 1: learning perseverance sub-skill 2: learning tenacity sub-skill 3: learning interest sub-skill 4: learning independence .843 .790 .847 .815 5 5 5 5 90 90 90 90 per table 6, the result of the undertaken internal consistency reliability test for the aggregate eslas was in the very high reliability (α > .70). this meant that the developed eslas was able to be used as the main reference for measuring elementary school students’ learning agility that focused on the four sub-skills namely learning perseverance, tenacity, interest, and independence. regarding the sub-skills, all sub-skills were also considered as very highly reliable due to α values > .70. even the second sub-skill got a lower α value, this factor was still very highly reliable. hence, the developed eslas could be used to measure elementary school students’ learning agility. this study found that the developed eslas was categorized as very valid and very highly reliable. this meant that eslas could be used to measure elementary school student learning agility by focusing on four emphasized sub-skills as character education, namely perseverance, tenacity, interest, and independence. learning agility for elementary school students to effectively adjust to changing contexts and situations, thus, they must develop an aptitude for learning agility as it can determine factors influencing their learning blockades (novianti et al., 2023). students must be able to pick things up quickly and adapt to new knowledge, technologies, and social conventions in today’s fast-paced, constantly evolving environment. for elementary school pupils in particular, this ability is crucial since it sets the stage for their future academic and professional success. the capacity to pick things up rapidly and adjust to novel circumstances, settings, and technological advancements is known as learning agility (de meuse & harvey, 2021). it calls for curiosity, open-mindedness, and a willingness to take chances (de meuse & harvey, 2021; tripathi et al., 2020). thinking analytically, problem-solving, and navigating complicated and difficult situations are all skills that students with learning agility possess (tan & ho, 2023). students in elementary school need to learn perseverance and tenacity because these help them get over challenges and accomplish their objectives. the capacity for perseverance in the face of difficulties, disappointments, and setbacks is a crucial quality that students must learn early in life (wheatley, 2010). students who learn to endure develop growth mindsets, resilience, and confidence—all of which are essential for both their academic and personal success. additionally, perseverance fosters critical thinking, problemsolving abilities, and situational flexibility in students (tan & ho, 2023). additionally, persistence helps people feel proud of and accomplished, which can increase their motivation and self-worth. students can overcome challenges like difficulty with a particular subject, tri harum kusumawati & herwin developing and validating the elementary student learning agility scale for measuring key learning traits in elementary education 1226 dissatisfaction with a task, or disappointment with a failure by developing perseverance. as students learn to accept accountability for their choices and results, this capacity also aids in the development of students’ feelings of accountability and responsibility. teaching elementary school children to persevere will enable them to grow into successful, self-assured people who are better suited to face the difficulties of the twenty-first century. in addition, the basis for lifelong learning and personal development is laid throughout elementary school years when they gain independence and enthusiasm for studying. first of all, encouraging students to have a sincere interest in studying pushes them to learn about topics outside of textbooks (barkley & major, 2020). students are more inclined to ask questions, look for solutions, and make connections between what they learn in the classroom and real-world applications when they are interested. their insatiable curiosity turns into a motivating factor that advances their academic path (watters, 2021). developing young learners’ independence is equally crucial. independence encourages selfreliance and critical thinking abilities in pupils by enabling them to take charge of their education (ekeh & venketsamy, 2023). children gain resilience and self-confidence when they can handle problems independently, make decisions, and efficiently manage their time. their academic performance is improved, and this sense of autonomy also gets them ready for difficulties outside of the classroom in the future. furthermore, fostering independence and an enjoyment of learning in elementary school paves the way for a lifetime desire for learning (maluleka, 2021). students who are encouraged to follow their passions and develop their ideas are more likely to grow up to be driven lifelong learners who actively seek out information and make valuable contributions to society. as a result, parents and teachers are essential in fostering an atmosphere that supports these traits and gives every student the chance to realize their greatest potential both intellectually and emotionally. conclusion the developed elementary student learning agility scale (eslas) is considered very valid by the five validators (cvi = +1.00, cvr = 1.00) and very highly reliable (cronbach’s α = .879). there is no negative value in the inter-item correlation, so all items measure the same underlying construct. in addition, the validators agree that the developed eslas is relevant to be administered to elementary students as it consists of fewer but sufficient items with simple and understandable languages. the administration using online mode might attract elementary students’ interest in completing the scale as it is supported with colorful background setups and pictures and readable and casual fonts. moreover, the validators also believe that this scale can be justifiably used in the first grade of secondary school setting due to generally basic items constructed in eslas. hence, this implies that the constructed eslas can be used to measure elementary school students’ learning agility that focuses on four subskills used as good character education, namely perseverance, tenacity, interest, and independence. the result of this scale can be used by elementary teachers to initiate a program of good character education by knowing students’ perseverance, tenacity, interest, and independence and creating relevant actions. as an implication, the successfully developed eslas is suggested to be further employed by teachers to examine students’ learning agility with bigger numbers of respondents. future studies are also invited to expand the scale when dealing with the school’s core values, such as religiosity, because the present eslas is constructed more generally than specific to the school’s backgrounds. references abramovich, s., grinshpan, a. z., & milligan, d. l. (2019). teaching mathematics through concept motivation and action learning. education research international, 2019(1), 3745406. asún, r. a., rdz-navarro, k., & alvarado, j. m. (2016). developing multidimensional likert scales using item factor analysis: the case of four-point items. sociological methods & research, 45(1), 109-133. barkley, e. f., & major, c. h. (2020). student engagement techniques: a handbook for college faculty. john wiley & sons. bouland-van dam, s. i., oostrom, j. k., & jansen, p. g. (2022). development and validation of the leadership learning agility scale. frontiers in psychology, 13, 991299. de meuse, k. p., & harvey, v. s. (2021). learning agility. the age of agility: building learning agile leaders and organizations, 1. de meuse, k. p., dai, g., eichinger, r. w., page, r. c., clark, l. p., & zewdie, s. (2011, january). the development and validation of a self assessment of learning agility. in society for industrial and organizational psychology conference, chicago, illinois. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1227 ekeh, m. c., & venketsamy, r. (2023). enhancing early grade learners' critical thinking skills for selfreliance. profesi pendidikan dasar, 72-81. ellala, z. k., attiyeh, j. h. a., alnoaim, j. a., alsalhi, n. r., alqudah, h., al-qatawneh, s., ... & abdelkader, a. f. (2022). the role of students’ agility and students’ interest in the linguistic intelligence among gifted students in higher education institutions. eurasian journal of educational research, 100(100), 206-221. ernawati, m. d. w., asrial, a., perdana, r., septi, s. e., rohana, s., & nawahdani, a. m. (2022). evaluation of students' interest, attitudes, and science process skills in science subjects. journal of education research and evaluation, 6(1), 181-194. filgona, j., sakiyo, j., gwany, d. m., & okoronka, a. u. (2020). motivation in learning. asian journal of education and social studies, 10(4), 16-37. galés, n. l., & gallon, r. (2019). educational agility. rethinking teacher education for the 21st century. trends, challenges and new directions, 98-111. ghosh, s., muduli, a., & pingle, s. (2021). role of elearning technology and culture on learning agility: an empirical evidence. human systems management, 40(2), 235-248. harvey, v. s., & de meuse, k. p. (2021). the age of agility: building learning agile leaders and organizations. oxford university press. joiner, b. (2019). leadership agility for organizational agility. journal of creating value, 5(2), 139-149. lee, j., & song, j. h. (2022). developing a measurement of employee learning agility. european journal of training and development, 46(5/6), 450-467. makhloufi, w. o., & messaif, d. (2021). distance learning during the pandemic: students’ perceptions of the challenges and opportunities (doctoral dissertation, université ibn khaldoun-tiaret-). maluleka, k. j. (2021). education for self-reliance and its relevance to lifelong learning in the previously colonised countries. international journal of lifelong education, 40(2), 129-141. milani, r., setti, i., & argentero, p. (2021). learning agility and talent management: a systematic review and future prospects. consulting psychology journal: practice and research, 73(4), 349. mrazek, a. j., ihm, e. d., molden, d. c., mrazek, m. d., zedelius, c. m., & schooler, j. w. (2018). expanding minds: growth mindsets of selfregulation and the influences on effort and perseverance. journal of experimental social psychology, 79, 164-180. ng, c. (2021). what kind of students persist in science learning in the face of academic challenges?. journal of research in science teaching, 58(2), 195-224. novianti, p. a., yudiana, w., & novita, s. (2023). can learning agility predict students’ academic burnout during distance learning?. journal of educational, health & community psychology (jehcp), 12(1). özgenel, m. (2021). learning agility of school administrators: an empirical investigation. international journal of progressive education (ijpe). pallant, j. (2020). spss survival manual: a step by step guide to data analysis using ibm spss. routledge. pike, m. a., hart, p., paul, s. a. s., lickona, t., & clarke, p. (2021). character development through the curriculum: teaching and assessing the understanding and practice of virtue. journal of curriculum studies, 53(4), 449-466. pratama, r. d., imaniar, f., lestari, l. a., & rochmawati, l. (2024). efl teacher self and collective efficacy scale (etsce): developing efficacy measures in teaching efl. englisia: journal of language, education, and humanities, 11(2), 161-180. pring, r. (2021). education as a moral practice. in the routledgefalmer reader in the philosophy of education (pp. 195-205). routledge. rahiem, m. d. (2021). remaining motivated despite the limitations: university students’ learning propensity during the covid-19 pandemic. children and youth services review, 120, 105802. robertson, d. a., & padesky, c. j. (2020). keeping students interested: interest‐based instruction as a tool to engage. the reading teacher, 73(5), 575-586. salisu, i., hashim, n., mashi, m. s., & aliyu, h. g. (2020). perseverance of effort and consistency of interest for entrepreneurial career success: does resilience matter?. journal of entrepreneurship in emerging economies, 12(2), 279-304. shi, l., & fan, c. (2023). a new learning resource recommendation method for improving the efficiency of students’ online independent learning. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 18(5). smith, b. a., & watkins, k. e. (2024). measuring learning agility: a review and critique of learning agility measures. personnel review, 53(3), 704720. swanson, p. (2014). the power of belief: spanish teachers' sense of efficacy and student performance on the national spanish examinations. hispania, 5-20. tan, s. i. w., & ho, m. h. r. (2023). learning agility and learning organizations in disruptive times. in international handbook on education development in asia-pacific (pp. 1-24). singapore: springer nature singapore. tripathi, a., & dhir, s. (2023). hrd interventions, learning agility and organizational innovation: a tri harum kusumawati & herwin developing and validating the elementary student learning agility scale for measuring key learning traits in elementary education 1228 pls-sem modelling approach. international journal of organizational analysis, 31(6), 23222336. tripathi, a., srivastava, r., & sankaran, r. (2020). role of learning agility and learning culture on turnover intention: an empirical study. industrial and commercial training, 52(2), 105-120. watters, j. (2021). why is it so? interest and curiosity in supporting students gifted in science. handbook of giftedness and talent development in the asiapacific, 761-786. wheatley, m. j. (2010). perseverance. berrett-koehler publishers. york, t. t., gibson, c., & rankin, s. (2019). defining and measuring academic success. practical assessment, research, and evaluation, 20(1), 5. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 353 incorporating higher order thinking skills into english summative assessments riska rianti department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, universitas syiah kuala, banda aceh, indonesia email: riskarianti1010@gmail.com zulfadli a. aziz department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, universitas syiah kuala, banda aceh, indonesia email: zulfadli.aziz@usk.ac.id muhammad aulia department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, universitas syiah kuala, banda aceh, indonesia email: muhammad.aulia@usk.ac.id apa scitation: : rianti, r., aziz, z. a., & aulia, m. (2024). incorporating higher order thinking skills into english summative assessments. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 353-360. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9301 received: 28-10-2023 accepted: 22-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 abstract: higher-order thinking skills (hots) are pivotal for 21st-century education, with assessment being a key method to foster these skills. this research investigates the extent to which hots are incorporated into english teachers’ summative assessments at an islamic junior high school in banda aceh. utilizing anderson's (2001) classification, which separates cognitive abilities into lower-order thinking skills (lots), such as remembering, understanding, and applying, and higher-order thinking skills, including analyzing, evaluating, and creating, this qualitative analysis focused on three summative assessment documents. these documents comprised 150 test items, with 145 in a multiple-choice format and 15 as essay questions. each question was categorized and quantified into percentages reflecting their cognitive level. findings revealed a predominance of lots over hots in these assessments, with hots questions constituting only 4.6% (7 out of 150 questions). consequently, the study highlights a significant inclination towards lots in the summative assessments of english at the islamic junior high school. this underscores the necessity for educators to integrate more hots-focused questions to enhance students’ analytical, creative, and problem-solving skills. keywords: higher-order thinking skill; lower-order thinking skill; summative assessment. introduction education in the 21st century is marked by the development of several learning skills that must be possessed by students including collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking (4c) (kurniawan et al., 2021). by having these skills, students are expected to compete on the global scene. future challenges and problems will be increasingly complicated, making it difficult to solve them by using ordinary solutions. therefore, education needs to prepare the students for having and developing these essential skills. higher-order thinking skills (hots) are essential in nurturing 21st-century competencies in education, with teaching, learning activities, and assessment methods acting as critical vehicles for their development. hots enable students to engage in creative, logical, and critical thinking, crucial for tackling new challenges, adapting to changes, and making informed decisions, thereby enhancing educational quality (wilson & narasuman, 2020; saputra, 2016; retnawati et al., 2018). within the indonesian education framework, the 2013 curriculum (k-13) places a strong emphasis on integrating hots into both the pedagogical process and assessments, aiming to deepen and broaden student engagement with the material (amali et al., 2022). the role of educators is paramount in fostering these advanced cognitive skills. widiawati et al. (2018) highlight the impact of instructional design on students' cognitive development, advocating for learner-centered approaches that encourage students to actively gather information and engage in analytical, evaluative, and creative thinking. such approaches necessitate the adoption of hots-centric instructional strategies, including riska rianti, zulfadli a. aziz, & muhammad aulia incorporating higher order thinking skills into english summative assessments 354 innovative, collaborative, and problem-solving activities (mulyasa, 2017). assessment also plays a fundamental role in cultivating hots, serving as an effective strategy to promote these skills (berg, 2004). through varied assessment forms—written, oral, and performance tests—teachers can gauge and enhance students’ thinking capabilities. this necessitates a deep understanding of hotsoriented assessment design, aligning with the indonesian government's directive to utilize bloom's revised taxonomy for crafting assessments that stimulate higher cognitive processes (anderson et al., 2001; widiastuti & saukah, 2017). summative assessments, in particular, offer opportunities to measure student learning outcomes comprehensively, allowing for the incorporation of hots to evaluate student knowledge and skills post-instruction (states et al., 2018). however, the implementation of hots in assessments remains a challenge for some educators, as observed in an english examination in aceh besar, where the focus was predominantly on lots, indicating a gap in teachers’ ability to design hots-based assessment items (pratiwi et al., 2019; febriyana & harjanto, 2023). despite the emphasis on hots in policy and curriculum, studies on its application in english national examinations and teacher-made tests reveal a significant underrepresentation of hots in assessment items. findings demonstrate a prevalence of lots in the assessments, with a minimal presence of items evaluating higher cognitive levels, underscoring the need for enhanced teacher training and competency in creating hots-based assessment items (narwianta et al., 2019; putra and abdullah, 2019; widyaningsih and septiana, 2019; ilham et al., 2020; pratiwi et al., 2019; utami et al., 2019; dewi & sukarni, 2020; wisrance and semiun, 2020; syahdanis et al., 2021; apriana et al., 2022; febriyana & harjanto, 2023). the exploration above highlights the minimal incorporation of higher-order thinking skills (hots) in teacher-constructed assessments, despite their critical role in enhancing students' critical thinking abilities. furthermore, there's a noticeable gap in research focusing on the application of hots in english assessments for junior high school students in aceh. as a result, researchers are drawn to investigate this area, specifically in a school that has adopted the 2013 curriculum, where teachers design the summative assessments and have integrated hots into their teaching methodologies, such as through problembased learning and group discussions. this study aims to determine the prevalence of hots in english summative assessments crafted by teachers. bloom's taxonomy, introduced by benjamin s. bloom in 1956, serves as a foundational model for setting educational objectives, designing tests, and developing curricula. it categorizes learning goals into cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains, with the cognitive domain being paramount. this domain is subdivided into six levels: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, further classified into lower-order thinking skills (lots) and higher-order thinking skills (hots), the latter representing more complex cognitive processes. anderson and colleagues' 2001 revision of bloom's taxonomy aimed to rejuvenate its utility for educators, delineating cognitive processes into six categories: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. this revision emphasizes the progression from basic recall to the creation of new ideas, with each level encompassing specific cognitive processes from recognizing and recalling to generating, planning, and producing new solutions. summative assessment, as defined by earl (2003) and further discussed by lam (2013) and stiggins (2001), is a method of evaluating student development and achievement at certain points, such as the end of a teaching period or course. known as assessment of learning (aol), it summarizes student learning to provide feedback on their performance relative to others, serving as a valuable tool for students, teachers, parents, and administrators. examples of summative assessments include final examinations and proficiency tests, reflecting a comprehensive evaluation of student learning outcomes. the study identifies a significant research gap by highlighting the insufficient integration of higher-order thinking skills (hots) in english language assessments, particularly within teachermade tests at the junior high school level. while the importance of hots in fostering critical thinking and analytical abilities is widely recognized, there remains a notable disparity between theoretical aspirations and practical implementation in educational assessments. this gap is especially pronounced in specific regional contexts, such as islamic junior high schools in banda aceh, where localized research on the application of hots in english summative assessments is scarce. furthermore, despite the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 355 2013 curriculum advocating for hots and student-centered methodologies, there is a lack of empirical evidence on how these frameworks translate into practical assessment strategies employed by teachers, particularly in summative evaluations. the novelty of this research lies in its targeted exploration of hots implementation in an underresearched geographical and educational setting. by conducting a detailed qualitative content analysis of english examination documents across multiple grade levels in an islamic junior high school in banda aceh, the study offers fresh insights into the practical application of educational policies and hots in local contexts. the use of revised bloom's taxonomy for classifying test items according to cognitive levels provides a nuanced understanding of the cognitive demands placed on students through summative assessments. this methodological approach not only uncovers the extent to which hots are incorporated into teacher-made tests but also contributes to a deeper understanding of how cognitive skills are being developed and assessed in educational settings. consequently, the research fills a critical void by offering empirical data on the integration of hots in educational assessments, thereby informing future curriculum development, teacher training, and assessment design efforts aimed at enhancing the practical application of hots in line with contemporary educational standards. method this research utilized qualitative content analysis to examine the use of higher-order thinking skills (hots) in english summative assessments by teachers. the investigation was conducted in an islamic junior high school located in banda aceh, focusing on english exam papers for 7th, 8th, and 9th grades created by teachers for the 2022/2023 academic year. analysis was conducted on three english summative assessment documents, comprising 150 test items—145 of which were multiple-choice questions and 15 were essay questions. to carry out the analysis, the study employed a checklist table and a basic statistical formula as tools. the initial step involved collecting the english exam documents from teachers at the school. subsequently, all exam questions were catalogued on the checklist table. each question was then meticulously reviewed and categorized according to its cognitive level as defined by the revised bloom's taxonomy (levels of remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, or creating). moreover, to calculate the proportion of each cognitive level present in the english summative assessments, the following formula was applied: implementation of hots = total of hots total of test items x 100% results and discussion the investigation highlighted that the most prevalent type of question in the summative assessments by english teachers was focused on lower order thinking skills (lots), as detailed in table 1. an overwhelming 95.4% of the questions (143 out of 150) were categorized as lots. specifically, 37.4% (56 questions) targeted the remembering level, 50.7% (76 questions) aimed at the understanding level, and 7.3% (11 questions) addressed the applying level. in contrast, higher order thinking skills (hots) represented a minor portion, only 4.6% (7 questions), which included those assessing analyzing and applying levels. notably, there were no questions designed to assess the creating level. table 1. the distribution of cognitive level in english teachers’ summative assessment cognitive level frequency percentage remembering 56 37.4% understanding 76 50.7% applying 11 7.3% analyzing 5 3.3% evaluating 2 1.3% creating 150 100% c1 (remembering) from the analysis, there were 56 test items belonging to the remembering level (c1) based on bloom's revised taxonomy theory. the questions that were categorized into c1 required to recall of information from long-term memory or any other form of accessing pertinent knowledge. usually, the text contained the response to c1 questions. several examples of c1 questions found in the document are presented below: the following text is for questions 54 to 57 i live almost 50 miles away from my workplace, necessitating an early start each day due to the lengthy commute. mornings are a blur, with hardly any time for a leisurely breakfast. by riska rianti, zulfadli a. aziz, & muhammad aulia incorporating higher order thinking skills into english summative assessments 356 6:00 am, i’m on the road, embarking on the extensive journey to work. while i generally prefer highway driving over navigating city streets, the congested traffic during peak hours diminishes the experience. to alleviate the irritation of bumper-to-bumper traffic, i find solace in playing classical music by chopin, mozart, and bach in my car, which significantly lifts my spirits. the trip to my job typically consumes an hour. however, the return journey in the evening is even more prolonged, extending to approximately 70 minutes. recently, i’ve been contemplating switching to commuting by train as an alternative to driving. this change would allow me the pleasure of listening to music through headphones and the opportunity to indulge in reading a novel, making the most of my travel time. question number 54 when does he wake up every morning? a. he wakes up at exactly 06.00 am b. he wakes up earlier in every morning c. he used to wake up early in the morning d. he woke up so early yesterday question number 55 does he take longer to drive when going back home every evening? a. no, he doesn’t c. yes, he does b. no, he didn’t d. yes, he did question number 56 how is driving during the morning rush hour? a. it’s classical b. it’s relaxing c. not as much fun as walking d. not very enjoyable question number 57 what else does he think he could even do if he took a train to work? a. read a novel b. sing songs c. write a book d. do crossword puzzles these questions fall under the category of remembering level (c1) because they require students to retrieve specific details provided in the text. for instance: the solution to question 54 is directly indicated in the second sentence of the first paragraph, highlighting the character's need to wake up early every morning. the response to question 55 is detailed in the second sentence of the third paragraph, noting that the return journey in the evening is notably longer. similarly, the answer to question 56 is found within the text, specifically in the description of the morning commute in the third paragraph. finally, the correct answer to question 57 is explicitly mentioned in the concluding sentence of the passage, describing additional activities the character considers if opting for the train. in each case, students are simply required to pinpoint and recall information explicitly stated in the text, demonstrating the emphasis on remembering level tasks within this assessment. “…….., and even read a novel at the same time”. c2 (understanding) the majority of cognitive levels discovered in the english teachers’ summative assessment was understanding level (c2), 76 out of 150 questions. the following were some examples and their descriptions: question number 3 medical staff : your clinic card, please? anton : oops . . . i forgot to bring it. medical staff : it’s okay. a. thanks c. hello b. i’m sorry d. how come question number 8 andre, this hat isn’t mine. is it. .. a. your c. yours b. you d. him question number 27 “. . . she stays home or spends her time for recreation.” the underlined word can be best replaced by . . . . a. vacancy c. longing b. amusement d. acting based on the analysis, items number 3, 8, and 27 in the test were categorized on the level of understanding (c2). to answer those questions, students had to read and understand the conversation or text given. for question number 3, students were asked to put the correct response to complete the conversation. it required more than just remembering, they needed to differentiate the usage of those words. then, item number 8 was a c2 question because it required students’ comprehension of pronouns. to get the answer, students had to decide what kind of pronoun that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 357 could be used in the sentence. last, the answer to question number 27 could be found if students knew the meaning of the sentence. they chose a synonym from the options given, and the correct answer was shown with the meaning remaining the same if the underlined word is substituted. c3 (applying) there were 11 questions included in the applying level (c3) based on document analysis. some of the questions were exemplified and explained as follows: question number 10 the lights – you – before – leave – turn off 1 2 3 4 5 – the room. 6 the correct arrangement is . . . . a. 5 – 1 – 3 – 2 – 4 – 6 b. 5 – 6 – 3 – 2 – 4 – 1 c. 4 – 6 – 3 – 5 – 2 – 1 d. 4 – 1 – 3 – 2 – 5 – 6 question number 10 belonged to the applying level (c3) because students were requested to answer the question by applying their acquired knowledge about the grammatical form to construct a correct sentence. question number 146 (essay) change the verbs in the parentheses into the present perfect tense a. the children _______ (sleep) for about an hour. b. i already_______ (clean) the whole house by myself. the above questions fell into the applying level (c3) because they dealt with utilizing the procedure in completing these tasks. the students must master the rule of each tense so that they can apply it to write the correct form of verbs in sentences given. c4 (analyzing) the researcher found five questions classified as the analyzing level (c4). the following were two examples and their explanation: question number 9 rearrange these sentences into a good paragraph. 1) it is a five-star hotel. 2) the hotel is not very big, but the architecture is very beautiful. 3) there is a new hotel in my city. 4) it is located in the downtown. 5) it looks like a classis castle in europe. a. 1 – 3 – 4 – 2 – 5 b. 5 – 1 – 4 – 2 – 3 c. 4 – 1 – 3 – 2 – 5 d. 3 – 1 – 4 – 2 – 5 question number 50 (essay) arrange the following sentences into a good paragraph. 1) hi, my name is lukman. 2) we try a new recipe every week. 3) i am a student at a junior high school, mtsn 1 banda aceh. 4) i want to be a chef one day. 5) my hobby is cooking. 6) i cook every day. 7) it is fun. 8) there are ten kids in a club. 9) i also join a cooking club. those two questions were part of the analyzing level (c4), where students were required to arrange a few sentences together to make a good paragraph. the students must read each sentence and know its meaning to answer these items. they had to decide the first sentence, the second, and so on. in other words, the students had to be able to analyze how one sentence linked to another. c5 (evaluating) evaluating level (c5) refers to the ability to give an opinion or make a judgment about something in the information presented. there were merely two questions taken from the document that classified to this level. the question was shown and explained as follows: mrs. novia is a medical professional known for her distinct features: a pointed nose, sleek hair, and a light yellowish complexion. standing tall at approximately 170 cm and weighing around 56 kg, she has a slender build. she is employed at a large hospital situated close to where she lives, with her workday beginning at 7 am and concluding at 4 pm. she is well-regarded by all for her consistent kindness and the cheerful demeanor she maintains while caring for her patients and interacting with acquaintances. during weekends, mrs. novia prefers to relax at home or engage in leisure activities. question number 25 what is mrs. novia’s best characteristic? (question number 25) riska rianti, zulfadli a. aziz, & muhammad aulia incorporating higher order thinking skills into english summative assessments 358 a. strange c. friendly b. conceited d. eccentric this study found that the inclusion of higher order thinking skills (hots) questions in english teachers’ summative assessments was minimal. out of 150 questions analyzed, only 4.6% (7 questions) were identified as hots, predominantly featuring lower order thinking skills (lots) questions. this trend aligns with prior research, such as wisrance and semiun (2020), which observed a scarcity of hots in teacher-crafted tests at the junior high school level, with a focus primarily on remembering (c1) and understanding (c2) according to the revised bloom's taxonomy. similar findings were reported by pratiwi et al. (2019), dewi & sukarni (2020), syahdanis et al. (2021), utami et al. (2019), and apriana et al. (2022), highlighting a preference among senior high school english teachers in indonesia for lots questions, which do not adequately encourage critical thinking or reasoning skills among students. the study observed that the prevalence of multiple-choice questions, which constituted 145 out of 150 questions analyzed, contributed to the dominance of lots. multiple-choice formats are often critiqued for focusing on lower-level cognitive processes and offering students the opportunity to guess answers, thus not effectively assessing their ability to analyze, evaluate, or create (gareis & grant, 2015; magno, 2003; mckenna, 2019). despite analyzing 15 essay questions, the study still found a majority to be lots, with only two classified as hots at the analysis level (c4), involving the organization of sentences into coherent paragraphs. in conclusion, the study indicates that english teachers are not fully adhering to the demands of the 2013 curriculum for incorporating hots in assessments, reflecting a reluctance to pose challenging questions that foster higher-level cognitive skills in students. conclusion the study concluded that higher order thinking skills (hots) were underrepresented in the summative assessments crafted by english teachers for the 2022/2023 academic year, with a predominance of lower order thinking skills (lots) questions. this trend suggests a deficiency in the teachers' ability to develop questions that foster critical thinking, as most questions focused on assessing students' memory and comprehension abilities rather than their analytical or evaluative skills. given these findings, it's imperative for english teachers and educational institutions in indonesia to prioritize the integration of hots in question development. schools should consider offering professional development opportunities, such as workshops or training sessions, to equip english teachers with the necessary skills to construct hots-based questions effectively. additionally, teachers are encouraged to deepen their understanding of hots and explore best practices for incorporating such skills into their assessments. future research should broaden the scope beyond summative assessments to include formative assessments as well, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of hots application in educational settings. this study's limited scope underscores the need for more expansive research to fully grasp how hots are being implemented across various schools and educational contexts. references amali, l. n., bharati, d. a. l., & rozi, f. (2022). the implementation of high order thinking skills (hots) assessment to evaluate the students’ reading comprehension achievement. english education journal, 12(1), 10-18. https://doi.org/10.15294/eej.v12i1.52571 anderson, l. w., krathwohl, d. r., airasian, p. w., cruikshank, k. a., mayer, r. e., pintrich, p. a., raths, j., & wittrock, m. c. (2001). a taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: a revision of bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. longman. apriana, s., lubis, a. a. & sofyan, d. (2022). higherorder thinking skills on teachers-made tests by english teachers of a senior high school in bengkulu city. journal of english teaching, applied linguistics, and literatures, 5(2), 137152. berg, g. v. d. (2004) the use of assessment in the development of higher-order thinking skills. africa education review, 1(2), 279-294. doi: 10.1080/18146620408566285 bloom, b. s. (1956) taxonomy of educational objectives. david mckay company inc. brown, h. d. (2004). language assessment: principle and classroom practice. person education, inc. dewi, o. m., & sukarni, s. (2020). higher order thinking questions in english test of senior high school. bahtera: jurnal pendidikan, bahasa, sastra dan budaya, 7(2), 1106–1122. febriyana, f. & harjanto, i. (2023). cognitive levels of questions by indonesian teachers of english. journal of english language teaching and https://doi.org/10.15294/eej.v12i1.52571 file:///c:/users/zulfadliaziz/downloads/10.1080/18146620408566285 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 359 linguistics, 8(2), 2023, 127-138. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v8.i2.1032 gareis, c. r., & grant, l. w. (2015). teacher-made assessments: how to connect curriculum, instruction, and student learning (2nd ed). oxford, united kingdom: routledge. ilham, n. w., jabu, b., & korompot, c. a. (2020). analysis of higher-order thinking skills (hots) items in senior high school english national examination 2019. elt worldwide: journal of english language teaching, 7(2), 156-162. https://doi.org/10.26858/eltww.v7i2.14764 iliya, a., (2014). formative and summative assessment in educational enterprise. journal of education and practice, 5(20), 111-117. kurniawan, t. t., santoso & utaminingsih, s. (2021). analysis of 4c-based hots assessment module on critical thinking ability. journal of physics: conference series, 1-6. doi: 10.1088/17426596/1823/1/012101 lam, r. (2013). formative use of summative tests: using test preparation to promote performance and self-regulation. asia-pacific edu res, 22, 69–78. magno, c. (2003). the profile of teacher-made test construction of the professors of the university of perpetual help laguna. uphl institutional journal, 1(1), 48-55. mayer, r. e. (2002) rote versus meaningful learning. theory into practice, 41(4), 226-232. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4104_4 mckenna, p. (2019). multiple choice questions: answering correctly and knowing the answer. interactive technology and smart education, 16(1), 59-73. doi: 10.1108/itse-09-2018-0071 mulyasa, m. (2017). pengembangan dan implementasi kurikulum 2013. pt remaja rosdakarya. musliha, s., sudana, d. & wirza, y. (2021). the analysis of higher order thinking skills (hots) in the test questions constructed by english teachers. advances in social science, education, and humanities research, 595, 610617. narwianta, n., bharati, d. a. l., & rukmini, d. (2019). the evaluation of higher order thinking skills in english school nationally standardized examination at state senior high school 6 semarang. english education journal, 9(3), 316–326. https://doi.org/10.15294/eej.v9i3.30937 pratiwi, n. p. w., dewi, n. l. p. e. s., & paramartha, a. a. g. y. (2019). the reflection of hots in efl teachers’ summative assessment. journal of education research and evaluation, 3(3), 127133. putra, t. k., & abdullah, d. f. (2019). higher order thinking skills (hots) questions in english national examination in indonesia. jurnal bahasa lingua scientia, 11(1), 145160. rais, b. (2020). the use of higher-order thinking skills (hots) in english final examination of madrasah aliyah in west kalimantan. s2 thesis. retrieved may 20, 2022, from https://eprints.uny.ac.id/70376/1/tesisburhanudin%20rais-18706251004.pdf retnawati, h., djidu, h., kartianom, apino, e., & anazifa, r. d. (2018). teachers' knowledge about higher-order thinking skills and its learning strategy. the problem of education in the 21st century, 27(2), 215-230. saputra, h. (2016). pengembangan mutu pendidikan menuju era global: penguatan mutu pembelajaran dengan penerapan hots (higher order thinking skill). smile‟s publishing. states, j., detrich, r. & keyworth, r. (2018). overview of summative assessment. the wing institute. stiggins, r. (2001). student-involved classroom assessment. merrill publishing. supriadi, g. (2020). pengembangan instrumen penilaian berbasis higher order thinking skill (hots). aswaja pressindo. syahdanis, j. d., sofyan, d., & yunita, w. (2021). analysis of hots in english teacher-made test. basis, 8(2), 125-138. utami, f. d., nurkamto, j., & marmanto, s. (2019). higher-order thinking skills on test items designed by english teachers: a content analysis. international journal of educational research review, 4, 756–765. https://doi.org/10.24331/ijere.629581 widana, i. w., (2017). higher order thinking assessment (hots). journal of indonesian student assessment and evaluation. 3(1). 32-44. widiastuti, i. a. m. s., & saukah, a. (2017). formative assessment in efl classroom practices. bahasa dan seni: jurnal bahasa, sastra, seni, dan pengajarannya, 45(2), 50– 63. widiawati, l., joyoatmojo, s., & sudiyanto. (2018). higher order thinking skills as effect of problembased learning in the 21st century learning. international journal of multicultural and multireligious understanding (ijmmu), 5(3), 96105. widyaningsih, a., & septiana, t.i., (2019). an analysis of the higher order thinking skills (hots) in the national examination of english subject at junior high school level. elt echo, 4(2), 138-146. wilson, d. m., & narasuman, s. (2020). investigating teachers’ implementation and strategies on higher order thinking skills in school-based assessment instruments. asian journal of university education (ajue), 16(1), 70-84. doi: https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v16i1.8991 wisrance, m. w., & semiun, t. t. (2020). lots and hots of teacher-made tests in the junior high school level in kefamenanu. jee (journal of english education), 6(2), 62-76. https://doi.org/10.30606/jee http://dx.doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v8.i2.1032 https://doi.org/10.26858/eltww.v7i2.14764 file:///c:/users/zulfadliaziz/downloads/10.1088/1742-6596/1823/1/012101 file:///c:/users/zulfadliaziz/downloads/10.1088/1742-6596/1823/1/012101 https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4104_4 https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4104_4 https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4104_4 file:///c:/users/zulfadliaziz/downloads/10.1108/itse-09-2018-0071 https://eprints.uny.ac.id/70376/1/tesis-burhanudin%20rais-18706251004.pdf https://eprints.uny.ac.id/70376/1/tesis-burhanudin%20rais-18706251004.pdf https://doi.org/10.24331/ijere.629581 https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v16i1.8991 https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v16i1.8991 https://doi.org/10.30606/jee riska rianti, zulfadli a. aziz, & muhammad aulia incorporating higher order thinking skills into english summative assessments 360 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 397 challenges in punctuation usage among libyan efl secondary students murad mohammed abraheem alruwani master of english education, universitas persatuan guru republic indonesia semarang, indonesia e-mail: moradrowani2@gmail.com senowarsito master of english education, universitas persatuan guru republic indonesia semarang, indonesia e-mail: senowarsito@upgris.ac.id dias andris susanto master of english education, universitas persatuan guru republic indonesia semarang, indonesia e-mail: diasandris@upgris.ac.id apa citation: alruwani, m. m. a., senowarsito., & susanto, d. a. (2025). challenges in punctuation usage among libyan efl secondary students. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 397-300. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.11649 received: 17-09-2024 accepted: 18-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: this study investigates the challenges in punctuation usage among libyan efl secondary students, with the primary objective of identifying specific types and underlying causes of punctuation errors in their writing. a qualitative descriptive methodology was employed, involving a sample of 20 first-year secondary students at zlitin central school who participated in narrative writing tests. these tests were specifically designed to identify and categorize punctuation errors. additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with four experienced english language teachers from the same school to gain deeper insights into instructional practices and their perceptions regarding students' punctuation difficulties. data analysis included thematic analysis techniques, resulting in the identification of three main categories of punctuation errors: omission, misinformation, and addition. among these categories, omission errors, particularly the omission of commas, were most prevalent, reflecting significant gaps in students' punctuation understanding and application. interviews revealed critical contributing factors, including linguistic interference from the students' first language (arabic), insufficient explicit instruction regarding punctuation rules, limited practical writing exercises, and a general lack of awareness of punctuation's role in effective written communication. this study highlights the necessity of targeted instructional strategies and curriculum improvements aimed at addressing these challenges. recommendations include integrating explicit punctuation instruction into the libyan efl curriculum, employing error analysis techniques in classroom activities, and enhancing practical writing exercises and feedback mechanisms. by focusing on these pedagogical interventions, educators can significantly improve students' punctuation proficiency, thereby enhancing their overall writing skills and academic performance. keywords: efl learners; error analysis; instructional strategies; libyan secondary students; punctuation errors; qualitative descriptive research. introduction writing is a critical language skill that significantly contributes to students' overall proficiency in english as a foreign language (efl). proper punctuation is essential for enhancing clarity, coherence, and effective communication (rahmawati, 2020; dewi, 2022; pratiwi & ramalia, 2022; ali et al., 2020; kandy, 2024). however, efl learners frequently encounter difficulties correctly employing punctuation marks, resulting in ambiguity and reduced readability (gezmiş, 2023; aburawi et al., 2024; maroua, 2023; ghallab, 2024; raheem & ghafar, 2024). punctuation errors in narrative writing, particularly, profoundly impact the intended meaning and coherence of the text (rahmawati, 2020; dewi, 2022; pratiwi & ramalia, 2022; ali et al., 2020; raheem & ghafar, 2024). previous studies have consistently highlighted punctuation as a challenging area for efl students across diverse educational contexts. rahmawati (2020) identified punctuation errors primarily in omission and misinformation, noting their adverse effects on students' intended meanings. similarly, mailto:moradrowani2@gmail.com mailto:senowarsito@upgris.ac.id mailto:diasandris@upgris.ac.id murad mohammed abraheem alruwani, senowarsito, & dias andris susanto challenges in punctuation usage among libyan efl secondary students 398 dewi (2022) observed prevalent errors in punctuation, emphasizing the omission of commas as a widespread issue among indonesian students. consistent findings were also reported by pratiwi and ramalia (2022), indicating a high incidence of punctuation omission in students' recount texts, suggesting insufficient practice and unclear instructional methods. research by ali et al. (2020) further supported these findings, pointing out frequent punctuation errors, notably in comma usage, apostrophes, and capitalization, among pakistani university students. additionally, kandy (2024) identified significant grammatical, spelling, and punctuation deficiencies among saudi undergraduate students, linking these challenges to limited instructional focus and insufficient writing practice. additional research by ikram and manal (2024) emphasized the pivotal role of direct written corrective feedback (dwcf) in enhancing students’ punctuation proficiency. their findings suggest that students often benefit from immediate and explicit feedback that draws attention to specific punctuation errors, allowing for both recognition and internalization of the correct forms. dwcf helps bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application by offering learners targeted revisions on their actual writing. this feedback mechanism fosters greater metalinguistic awareness and encourages learners to be more attentive to mechanical accuracy in future writing tasks. in alignment with these findings, apuhin and montecastro (2023) demonstrated that structured feedback combined with self-correction strategies not only improves punctuation accuracy but also cultivates learner autonomy. by engaging students in identifying and correcting their own errors, these methods promote active learning and critical reflection, which are essential for long-term writing development. building on this foundation, raheem and ghafar (2024) conducted a comprehensive analysis of punctuation and spelling errors in academic texts produced by iraqi efl learners. their study revealed that punctuation errors are pervasive and often result from insufficient practice, limited instruction, and a lack of clear pedagogical emphasis on writing mechanics. they argue that regular and deliberate practice—paired with explicit instruction—is essential to reduce such errors. without structured opportunities to apply punctuation rules in context, students continue to rely on incorrect habits or arbitrary usage. similarly, amin (2020) emphasized the role of contextual training and classroom environment in shaping students' writing skills. his study of pakistani university students pointed to the absence of effective corrective feedback mechanisms and contextual writing exercises as significant contributors to the persistence of punctuation errors. these findings underline the importance of not just teaching rules in isolation but embedding them meaningfully within authentic writing activities. gezmiş (2023) extended the discussion by examining punctuation difficulties among turkish efl students. the study revealed that interlingual (first-language-related) and intralingual (secondlanguage-specific) interference play a substantial role in shaping learners’ punctuation behavior. this interference manifests in the misapplication of punctuation conventions due to cross-linguistic differences, such as divergent comma and period usage norms between turkish and english. the research highlighted the importance of addressing these influences through contrastive analysis and targeted instruction that helps learners understand the structural differences between their native and target languages. complementing these findings, maroua (2023) investigated similar patterns among algerian students and reported that improper punctuation usage was exacerbated by a lack of motivation and minimal explicit instruction in classrooms. the study emphasized that when punctuation is not presented as an essential component of meaning-making in writing, students tend to disregard its rules, focusing instead on vocabulary or content. this lack of balanced instruction ultimately undermines writing clarity and coherence. taken together, these studies converge on the idea that effective punctuation instruction must go beyond rule memorization. it should incorporate context, continuous feedback, and awareness of cross-linguistic influences. when these elements are absent—as in many efl settings including libya—students are likely to repeat errors and view punctuation as secondary to content. the reviewed literature provides a strong rationale for conducting focused research in underexplored contexts such as libyan secondary schools, where similar linguistic and instructional challenges are likely to occur, yet have not been sufficiently documented. fatma (2019) conducted pivotal research within an arabic efl context, emphasizing the critical role that punctuation plays in fostering both academic and professional communication competence. her findings underscored a paradox in which students acknowledged the theoretical english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 399 importance of punctuation but consistently failed to apply it effectively in practice. this was largely attributed to insufficient instructional attention and a lack of opportunities for practical engagement with punctuation rules during writing tasks. such gaps suggest a disconnect between curriculum content and the pedagogical strategies needed to support learners’ writing development, thereby reinforcing the urgency for targeted and contextsensitive instructional interventions that go beyond grammar drills to include functional use in authentic writing scenarios. moreover, research conducted in arabicspeaking regions by scholars such as gezmiş (2023), aburawi et al. (2024), and maroua (2023) further substantiates the widespread nature of punctuation challenges in efl settings. these studies identified frequent punctuation errors stemming from linguistic interference, particularly where arabic punctuation norms conflict with english conventions. arabic, for instance, utilizes a different system of pause markers and sentence boundary indicators, which can lead learners to transfer incorrect habits into their english writing. this type of cross-linguistic interference has been shown to result in systematic omission, addition, and misuse of punctuation marks. in response, researchers have advocated for the incorporation of tailored pedagogical approaches that explicitly address such interlingual errors, suggesting the use of contrastive analysis, bilingual examples, and contextualized writing exercises as potentially effective solutions. additionally, studies like those by maroua (2023) and gezmiş (2023) pointed out that student disengagement and a general lack of metalinguistic awareness further exacerbate the problem. learners not only struggle with rules but also often fail to recognize punctuation’s communicative value in enhancing clarity, tone, and cohesion—key aspects of effective written discourse. despite the breadth of scholarship examining punctuation challenges among arabic-speaking efl learners, there remains a noticeable gap in the literature concerning the libyan educational context, particularly at the secondary school level. most existing studies focus on university students or broader regional patterns, leaving the specific experiences of libyan high school learners underexplored. this gap is significant given libya’s unique socio-political and educational landscape, which has undergone various reforms and disruptions over recent decades. factors such as centralized curricula, teacher preparedness, resource limitations, and policy-level neglect of writing instruction contribute to systemic weaknesses in students’ writing proficiency. as such, this study seeks to address this oversight by focusing on first-year secondary students at zlitin central school. through its localized lens, the research not only documents the types and frequencies of punctuation errors but also uncovers the contextual factors—ranging from curriculum design to teacher training and classroom practices—that shape students' ability to use punctuation accurately and meaningfully. in doing so, the study provides empirically grounded recommendations aimed at enhancing both instructional methods and curriculum content within libyan efl education, with broader implications for similar contexts across the arab world. given this context, this study formulates the following research questions: (1) what are the common punctuation errors made by first-year students at zlitin secondary school in writing short stories? (2) what are the primary factors contributing to punctuation errors among first-year students at zlitin secondary school in writing short stories? (3) how can instructional materials and teaching practices reduce students' punctuation errors in writing short stories? this research provides a novel and muchneeded perspective by centering its investigation specifically on libyan secondary school students—an efl learner population whose punctuation challenges remain largely underrepresented in the existing body of literature. while previous studies have widely examined punctuation issues among university students and in other arabic-speaking contexts, very few have focused on the libyan secondary education sector, particularly at the first-year level. this localized focus is significant because it recognizes the unique socio-linguistic, curricular, and pedagogical environment of libya, which shapes learners’ writing development in distinctive ways. by narrowing its scope to zlitin central school, the study captures context-specific challenges and instructional gaps that may not be visible in broader, cross-national research. the novelty of this study is twofold. first, it employs a mixed-method qualitative descriptive approach, integrating empirical data from student writing samples with rich insights derived from semi-structured interviews with experienced english language teachers. this dual-method design enhances the depth and validity of the findings by triangulating students' actual punctuation performance with educators' first-hand murad mohammed abraheem alruwani, senowarsito, & dias andris susanto challenges in punctuation usage among libyan efl secondary students 400 observations of classroom dynamics and curriculum limitations. second, the study disaggregates punctuation errors into three major categories—omission, addition, and misinformation—offering a clear and detailed typology that can guide future pedagogical interventions and curriculum reforms. unlike generic error analyses, this study’s classification system is specifically tailored to the linguistic and instructional realities faced by libyan learners, allowing for more precise and relevant instructional solutions. the significance of the study lies not only in its documentation of error types but also in its actionable implications for the enhancement of english language instruction in libyan schools. by uncovering the root causes of punctuation errors— such as mother-tongue interference, inadequate classroom time, rigid curricula, and lack of teacher training—the study provides grounded, evidencebased recommendations that can inform both micro-level classroom strategies and macro-level policy adjustments. furthermore, it advocates for curriculum development that places greater emphasis on writing mechanics, practical punctuation exercises, and contextualized feedback mechanisms. such recommendations are crucial for addressing long-standing gaps in efl instruction and for raising the overall communicative competence of libyan students in academic and real-world writing contexts. in doing so, the study not only contributes to the field of second language writing but also aligns with broader educational goals of improving literacy and linguistic accuracy among efl learners in north africa and the mena region more broadly. method this study employed a qualitative descriptive approach to comprehensively investigate punctuation errors among libyan efl secondary students at zlitin central school. qualitative descriptive research was chosen due to its efficacy in providing detailed insights into the nature of educational issues, particularly in language teaching and error analysis contexts (rizal et al., 2024; ivanova et al., 2022; saputro, 2023). the study involved 20 first-year secondary school students selected through purposive sampling, ensuring that participants met specific criteria relevant to the study objectives. purposive sampling is highly suitable in qualitative studies aiming for depth and detailed understanding rather than generalizability (gildore et al., 2023; wati, 2021; arisman, 2023). additionally, four english language teachers participated in semi-structured interviews, chosen based on their direct involvement and experience teaching punctuation and writing skills at the targeted school. data collection involved two primary instruments: a writing test and semi-structured interviews. the writing test required students to compose narrative paragraphs, facilitating an accurate identification and categorization of punctuation errors into omission, misinformation, and addition types. the test approach aligns with previous studies emphasizing the practical evaluation of students’ punctuation and writing skills (gezmiş, 2023; aprianto, 2023; pravitasari, 2022). the semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore deeper insights into the reasons behind students' punctuation errors and teachers' perspectives on effective instructional methods. semi-structured interviews are effective in capturing in-depth, context-specific data, enabling researchers to explore underlying issues and perspectives comprehensively (raheem & ghafar, 2024; khan, 2023; apuhin et al., 2023). data analysis followed a thematic analysis framework, involving systematic coding and categorization of data gathered from both the writing tests and interviews. this analysis method facilitated the identification of prominent themes regarding punctuation errors, instructional challenges, and pedagogical recommendations. thematic analysis is widely recognized for its clarity and efficacy in qualitative education research, especially in exploring linguistic and pedagogical phenomena (gayed et al., 2022; rizal et al., 2024; ivanova et al., 2022). this methodological approach, encompassing both practical assessment and qualitative exploration, allowed for a detailed understanding of the punctuation challenges faced by libyan efl learners and provided a solid foundation for targeted pedagogical recommendations. results and discussion the omission of punctuation marks represents a critical challenge for libyan efl secondary students, with a total of 110 omission errors identified in the students’ writing samples. the most prevalent error was the omission of commas, totaling 64 instances and comprising 58.18% of all omission errors. this significant percentage suggests that students have a limited understanding of the rules governing comma usage, such as separating items in a list, setting off introductory phrases, and distinguishing clauses. the frequent english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 401 omission of commas affects the fluency, structure, and interpretability of student writing, often leading to misreading or ambiguous sentence boundaries. the second most common error type was the omission of full stops, accounting for 35 errors or 31.82% of the total. this indicates that many students struggle with identifying the end of a complete thought, leading to run-on sentences or overly long statements without proper segmentation. such issues disrupt the logical flow and readability of the text, making it difficult for readers to grasp the intended message. this finding reflects a broader issue related to sentence boundary recognition, a skill often underemphasized in writing instruction. other omission errors, while less frequent, still point to important instructional gaps. apostrophes were omitted in 6 cases (5.45%), suggesting difficulty with possessive forms and contractions—elements essential for grammatical accuracy and conciseness in english. capitalization errors occurred in 4 cases (3.64%), indicating that students may lack awareness of basic writing conventions, such as capitalizing the first word of a sentence or proper nouns. lastly, there was 1 omission of a semicolon (0.91%), which, although minimal, highlights a potential unfamiliarity with advanced punctuation used to join closely related independent clauses. in summary, the data reveals that comma and full stop omissions together represent nearly 90% of all punctuation omission errors. this highlights the urgent need for focused instruction on basic punctuation rules, particularly concerning sentence boundaries and internal sentence structuring. improving punctuation accuracy, especially in these foundational areas, will enhance overall writing quality, clarity, and coherence for libyan efl learners. table 1. the total number of punctuation omission error made by student errors type (n) (p) % omission of comma 64 58.18 % omission of full stop 35 31.82 % omission of apostrophe 6 5.45 % omission of capitalization 4 3.64 % omission of semi colon 1 0.91 % total 110 100 % table 2. the total number of punctuation misinformation error made by student errors type (n) (p) % misinformation of full stop 6 19.35 % misinformation of question mark 1 3.23 % misinformation of semi colon 2 6.45 % misinformation of exclamation mark 2 6.45 % misinformation of comma 19 61.29 % misinformation of colon 1 3.23 % total 31 100 % the misinformation errors category reflects instances where students used incorrect punctuation marks in place of the appropriate ones. in the data, 31 total misinformation errors were identified, with the misuse of commas emerging as the most dominant issue. out of the total, 19 errors (61.29%) involved incorrect comma usage, indicating that while students may attempt to use commas, they often do so inaccurately—such as placing them at the wrong point in a sentence or using them when unnecessary. this suggests a superficial or incomplete understanding of comma rules, which affects sentence rhythm, clause separation, and meaning. the second most frequent misinformation error involved the full stop, misused in 6 instances (19.35%). this type of error may include placing a period within dependent clauses or at inappropriate points in a sentence, disrupting the structure and coherence of the paragraph. such mistakes reflect confusion regarding sentence boundaries and the role of full stops in signaling the end of complete thoughts. less frequent but still notable were errors in the use of the semi-colon (2 errors, 6.45%), exclamation mark (2 errors, 6.45%), question mark (1 error, 3.23%), and colon (1 error, 3.23%). these punctuation marks typically involve more advanced rules, and their incorrect usage shows that students are either overgeneralizing rules or lack the nuanced knowledge required to use them appropriately. for instance, the misuse of a semicolon might involve replacing it with a comma between two independent clauses, while exclamation marks may be used in declarative or non-exclamatory contexts, diminishing their rhetorical effect. collectively, these errors reveal that students not only struggle with recognizing when punctuation is needed (as seen in omission errors) but also with knowing which punctuation mark is appropriate for a given syntactic or rhetorical function. these findings underscore the importance of teaching context-sensitive punctuation usage and providing explicit feedback on punctuation choices in writing tasks. table 3. the total number of punctuation addition murad mohammed abraheem alruwani, senowarsito, & dias andris susanto challenges in punctuation usage among libyan efl secondary students 402 error made by student errors type (n) (p) % addition of comma 32 84.21 % addition of full stop 4 10.53 % addition of parentheses 2 5.26 % total 38 100 % the addition errors category refers to instances where students inserted punctuation marks unnecessarily, which can distort the intended meaning or disrupt the flow of writing. a total of 38 addition errors were identified, with the overwhelming majority involving the comma, recorded at 32 instances or 84.21% of all addition errors. this indicates that while students may be aware that commas are important, they often overuse them or place them in inappropriate positions, such as between a subject and a verb or before conjunctions in compound predicates. such excessive or misplaced commas can create sentence fragmentation, interrupt natural phrasing, and confuse the reader. the full stop was the second most frequently added punctuation mark in error, appearing 4 times (10.53%). these errors likely stem from students misidentifying sentence boundaries and placing full stops where clauses are not independent or complete. this disrupts the coherence of ideas, often resulting in choppy or incomplete sentences that affect the readability and unity of the writing. the least frequent addition error involved parentheses, which occurred 2 times (5.26%). although this is a relatively small proportion, it suggests occasional misuse of punctuation that requires specific contexts—such as inserting side information or clarifying phrases. students may not fully grasp the rhetorical function of parentheses, leading them to add these marks where they are not needed or where other punctuation (like commas or dashes) would be more appropriate. overall, the data reflect a tendency among students to overcompensate in their punctuation usage, possibly in an attempt to demonstrate grammatical correctness without fully understanding the functional rules behind each punctuation mark. this highlights the need for instruction that not only explains when punctuation is necessary but also when it is not, emphasizing restraint, appropriateness, and context-awareness in punctuation use. an analysis of punctuation issues among firstyear secondary students at zliten central school revealed a total of 179 errors, with omission errors accounting for 61.67% of the total. these findings correspond with other studies conducted in diverse efl contexts, where the omission of punctuation, especially commas and periods, has been identified as a common error among learners. ghallab (2024) and aburawi (2024) have recorded similar error patterns, suggesting that these challenges are widespread across the entire area. recent studies corroborate these findings, demonstrating that efl learners in arabic contexts often encounter challenges with punctuation due to l1 interference and inadequate teaching approaches. factors contributing to punctuation errors among libyan efl students the frequent punctuation errors committed by first-year libyan efl students stem from a combination of linguistic, instructional, and systemic challenges. a major factor is the influence of the students' first language (arabic), which differs significantly from english in terms of punctuation usage and syntactic structure. this l1 interference causes confusion, particularly in the use of commas, full stops, and apostrophes. similar findings were documented by gezmiş (2023) and al-khalil (2022), who found that interlingual errors were prevalent among arabicspeaking efl students, especially when transitioning between arabic and english writing norms. these difficulties are compounded by limited exposure to formal english writing and a lack of consistent instruction in punctuation rules during secondary education. as raheem and ghafar (2024) pointed out, insufficient emphasis on writing mechanics in school curricula significantly impacts efl learners’ accuracy in academic writing. another contributing factor is the inadequacy of instructional time and resources. libyan english teachers are often bound by rigid curricula and limited teaching hours, which restrict their ability to focus on foundational writing skills like punctuation. wati (2021) and aprianto (2023) noted similar issues in their studies, highlighting that structural constraints in lesson delivery prevent teachers from reinforcing punctuation rules. the lack of writing-focused activities further limits students’ opportunities to practice and internalize proper punctuation. additionally, ulhaq et al. (2022) observed that students who rarely engage in extensive or reflective writing tend to demonstrate more morpho-syntactic and punctuation errors, suggesting that writing development is deeply linked to practice and instruction. digital communication habits also appear to negatively influence punctuation accuracy. with english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 403 the rise of texting, instant messaging, and autocorrect tools, students tend to adopt informal styles and neglect punctuation norms. this aligns with the findings of apuhin et al. (2023), who argued that reliance on autocorrection weakens learners’ independent grammatical control. furthermore, students' failure to link punctuation with clarity and reader comprehension indicates a conceptual misunderstanding of its function in academic texts. as supported by ivanova et al. (2022) and gayed et al. (2022), the absence of explicit and contextualized punctuation instruction results in persistent writing errors even among university-level learners. teacher interviews reinforce the idea that limited awareness of punctuation’s communicative purpose leads students to treat punctuation as optional or decorative. sudilah (2022) and nurlaily (2022) both found that learners often used punctuation arbitrarily when not guided by formal instruction, particularly in contexts where the curriculum fails to integrate writing mechanics meaningfully. moreover, budiyono and fadhly (2023) emphasize that the lack of meta-awareness about academic writing conventions—especially among efl learners—can hinder students from understanding punctuation’s rhetorical and grammatical roles. lastly, the absence of collaborative writing practices and feedback mechanisms also contributes to persistent punctuation errors. research by taufiqulloh, fadhly, and rosdiana (2024) demonstrated that collaborative assessment and structured peer review significantly enhance writing accuracy, including mechanics like punctuation. without such opportunities in the classroom, students are less likely to reflect on their writing and internalize the importance of punctuation for meaning-making and structure. as a result, instructional materials and practices must be realigned to emphasize writing as a process, not merely a product, to help students develop punctuation mastery over time. conclusion this study explored the punctuation challenges faced by first-year libyan efl secondary students and identified three major categories of errors: omission, misinformation, and addition. the results showed that omission errors were the most dominant, particularly in the use of commas and full stops. this pattern suggests that students have difficulty identifying where punctuation is needed to clearly separate ideas and maintain sentence boundaries. the analysis also revealed a consistent misunderstanding of the appropriate application of punctuation marks, where students either misused punctuation in the wrong context or added it unnecessarily. these issues not only reflect a lack of technical knowledge but also a deeper confusion about the communicative purpose of punctuation in written english. several contributing factors were identified, including the influence of the students' first language, limited instructional time, lack of explicit teaching on punctuation, and minimal opportunities for practical writing. additionally, students often showed limited awareness of punctuation as a tool for clarity and effective communication, treating it instead as an optional or decorative element in their writing. to address these challenges, the study recommends integrating more structured and explicit punctuation instruction into the english language curriculum, enhancing student writing practice with regular feedback, and fostering greater awareness of the role punctuation plays in meaning-making. equipping teachers with targeted strategies and dedicating classroom time for writing development will ultimately strengthen students' writing accuracy and overall language proficiency. references aburawi, a. m. (2024). difficulties faced by university students when using punctuation marks. مجلة .777-755 ,(29) ,العلوم اإلنسانية adekola, b. o., & lawal, o. f. (2017). assessing punctuation errors made by secondary school students in english language comprehension in ogun state, nigeria. international journal of english language teaching, 4(2), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijelt.v4n2p39 adekunle, m.a. (2017). functional english. university press ltd. afrilyasanti, r., basthomi, y., & zen, e. l. (2023). digital storytelling: a case study on the teaching of speaking to indonesian efl students. journal of interactive media in education, 2023(1), 1– 10. https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.742 ahmmed, r., sinha, b. s., khan, d. r., & islam, d. m. (2020). a needs analysis of maritime english language skills for bangladeshi seafarers to work on-board ships. marine policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104041 ali, s. s., amin, m. t., & ishtiaq, m. m. (2020). punctuation errors in writing: a comparative study of students’ performance from different pakistani universities. sjesr, 3(1), 165-177. al-khalil, e. a. (2022). effects of the misuse of punctuation by efl learners in english-arabic https://doi.org/10.5430/ijelt.v4n2p39 https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.742 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104041 murad mohammed abraheem alruwani, senowarsito, & dias andris susanto challenges in punctuation usage among libyan efl secondary students 404 translation. international journal of advancement in social science & humanities, 14(7), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6844173 aprianto, a. (2023). an analysis of students' grammatical errors in undergraduate degree programs. international journal of multicultural and multireligious understanding, 10(4), 123– 135. https://doi.org/10.18415/ijmmu.v10i4.6558 apuhin, k. r. p., arnaiz, a. a. d., bayon-on, e. m. m., deita, c. j. d., dequino, a. s. b., lee, a. m. i., magbanua, r. a., & montecastro, s. m. a. (2023). analytical study on punctuation errors in the persuasive writing of english language learners. international journal of social science and humanities research, 6(6), 215–223. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v6-i6-27 arisman, a. (2023). efl students’ grammatical errors in writing descriptive text. international journal of innovation and education research, 2(1), 37– 52. https://doi.org/10.33369/ijier.v2i1.28911 budiyono, s., & fadhly, f. z. (2023). a qualitative evidence synthesis of article abstract writing in elt and literature journals. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 253-262. dewi, a. f. (2022). an error analysis on punctuation in writing assignment at smk n 2 metro in the academic year 2021/2022 (doctoral dissertation, institut agama islam negeri metro). fadhly, f. z. (2021). synthesizing effective strategies for it-mediated writing: a meta-ethnographic study. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics, 6(2), 563-575. https://doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v6i2.610 fadhly, f. z. (2022). extensive reading as a gateway to create research gap: valuable lessons from indonesian expert authors. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics, 7(2), 397-413. fadhly, f. z. & muziatun, manan, n. a., acesta, a., solihat, d. (2023). an academic writing model: lessons learned from experienced writers. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 12(3), 870-880. fadhly, f. z. (2022). formulating research problem in academic writing: indonesian expert authors’ cognitive experience. indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 7(1), 215-233 fadhly, f. z., emzir, lustyantie, n. (2018). exploring cognitive process of research topic selection in academic writing. english review: journal of english education 7(1), 157-166. doi: 10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1535. fadhly, z. f. (2023). enhancing the academic writing of efl learners: an analysis of effective strategies through meta-synthesis. indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 6(2), 397-410 farida, n. l.., & adityarini, h. (2018). an error analysis on the use of punctuation marks in students’ writing: a study at second semester students of english department of universitas muhammadiyah surakarta) (doctoral dissertation, universitas muhammadiyah surakarta). fatma suliman. (2019). importance of punctuation marks for writing and reading comprehension skills. (faculty of arts journal) مجلة كلية اآلداب .جامعة مصراتة gayed, j. m., carlon, m. k. j., oriola, a. m., & cross, j. s. (2022). exploring an ai-based writing assistant’s impact on english language learners. computers and education: artificial intelligence, 3, 100055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2022.100055 gezmiş, n. (2023). punctuation errors in writing in english. kırıkkale üniversitesi sosyal bilimler dergisi, 13(2), 421-432. gildore, p. j., uka, a. h., & yting, j. (2023). error analysis of academic essays of senior high school students. journal corner of education, linguistics, and literature, 3(2), 141–156. https://doi.org/10.54012/jcell.v3i2.224 hapsari, e. w., sudarman, s., & utami, s. (2022). sources of students’ errors in efl writing in indonesia. jades journal of academia in english education, 3(2), 141–160. https://doi.org/10.32505/jades.v3i2.141 herwanis, d., zakaria, r., & renaldi, a. (2021). the comparison between sq5r and fix-up strategy in reading comprehension for efl secondary level learners. kolokium jurnal pendidikan luar sekolah universitas negeri padang, 9(2), 123– 134. https://doi.org/10.24036/kolokium.v9i2.123 ikram, d., & manal, b. (2024). teachers’ and learners’ perceptions about the use of direct written corrective feedback in enhancing punctuation in writing (doctoral dissertation, university center of abdalhafid boussouf-mila). ivanova, m., arupova, n., & mekeko, n. (2022). digital support for teaching punctuation in academic writing in english. journal of language and education, 8(3), 81–96. https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2022.13608 khan, m. a. (2023). investigating errors in the written composition of undergraduate esl learners at aligarh muslim university. journal of linguistics, literature and language teaching, 9(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.32505/jl3t.v9i1.6050 nurhayati, d. p., fadhly, f. z., & rahmatunisa, w. (2021). the student’s production of speech sound disorder and its causes. indonesian journal of learning and instruction, 4(2), 39-46. nurlaily, n. (2022). an analysis of errors made by english language education department students in english paragraph writing. journal of applied https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6844173 https://doi.org/10.18415/ijmmu.v10i4.6558 https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v6-i6-27 https://doi.org/10.33369/ijier.v2i1.28911 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2022.100055 https://doi.org/10.54012/jcell.v3i2.224 https://doi.org/10.32505/jades.v3i2.141 https://doi.org/10.24036/kolokium.v9i2.123 https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2022.13608 https://doi.org/10.32505/jl3t.v9i1.6050 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 405 linguistics and literacy, 6(2), 123–134. https://doi.org/10.25157/jall.v6i2.6657 pratiwi, d. h., & ramalia, t. (2022). an analysis of students’ punctuation in writing recount text. journal of education, linguistics, literature and language teaching, 5(02), 3440. pravitasari, s. g. (2022). error analysis on efl students’ essay writing (fourth semester students of stmik sinar nusantara surakarta). surakarta english and literature journal, 5(1), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.33061/selju.v5i1.76 purba, n. s. (2021). a descriptive quantitative study of students’ anxiety in reading and writing in learning english at the eighth grade of mts hadharatul islamiyah sipispis. jades journal of academia in english education, 2(1), 93–109. https://doi.org/10.32505/jades.v2i1.93 puspitasari, e., & tsara, e. (2022). learning tools for efl writing: what and how based on upper secondary school students’ perspectives. voices of english language education society, 6(2), 488–499. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v6i2.488 raheem, b. r., & ghafar, z. n. (2024). analysis of punctuation and spelling errors associated with academic writing among iraqi efl learners. international journal of second and foreign language education, 3(2), 21–30. https://doi.org/10.33422/ijsfle.v3i2.739 rahmawati, a. (2020). an analysis of the students’ error in writing punctuation in paragraph writing at the second semester students of english education department at tarbiyah and teachers training faculty of iain ponorogo in the academic year 2019/2020 (doctoral dissertation, iain ponorogo). ramzan, m., mushtaq, a., & ashraf, z. (2023). evacuation of difficulties and challenges for academic writing in esl learning. university of chitral journal of linguistics and literature, 7(i), 42-49. rattanadilok na phuket, p., & othman, n. b. (2015). understanding efl students' errors in writing. journal of education and practice, 6(32), 99– 106. https://doi.org/10.7176/jep/6-32-15 ridwan, i., nugraha, s. i., & nurhadi, t. (2024). exploring the implementation of task-based language teaching in teaching speaking to secondary efl learners: a qualitative case study. project (professional journal of english education), 7(5), 1207–1219. https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v7i5.p12071219 rizal, d., margiyanti, d. a. s., jaufanishshofa, l., & dewanti, n. a. (2024). the implementation of digital support for punctuation in academic writing of efl students. vision: journal for language and foreign language learning, 13(2), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.21580/vjv13i224039 rizal, d., margiyanti, d. a. s., jaufanishshofa, l., & dewanti, n. a. (2024). the implementation of digital support for punctuation in academic writing of efl students. vision: journal for language and foreign language learning, 13(2), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.21580/vjv13i224039 saputro, a. b. (2023). grammatical errors in efl students' writing. allughawiyaat, 3(1), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.36761/allughawiyaat.v3i1.2351 satriani, s., & razaq, y. (2022). the impact of using discovery learning on efl students’ writing skill. etdc: indonesian journal of research and educational review, 1(3), 389–397. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6844173 seddik, m. (2023). error analysis in efl students’ writing skill. journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 5(4), 163172. sudilah, s. (2022). punctuation errors by the fourth semester students of the english department. ahmad dahlan journal of english studies, 2(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.26555/adjes.v2i1.2025 taufiqulloh, t., fadhly, f. z., & rosdiana, i. (2024). effects of collaborative assessment on undergraduate students’ writing performance. studies in english language and education, 11(3), 1574-1595 ulhaq, h. d., suryana, y., asikin, n. a., & fadhly, f. z. (2022). a morpho-syntactic error analysis of university students’ argumentative writing. indonesian journal learning and instruction, 5(2), 23-28. http://10.25134/ijli.v5i2.6844 wati, n. s. (2021). exploring the impact of punctuation usage on students’ writing skills. pedagogy: journal of english language teaching, 9(2), 1– 10. https://doi.org/10.32332/joelt.v9i2.3654 yulianti, i. & fadhly, f. z., (2020). learning through learners: indonesian efl learners’ writing strategies experiences. indonesian journal of learning and instruction, 3(2), 101-110. https://doi.org/10.25134/ijli.v3i2.3680 https://doi.org/10.25157/jall.v6i2.6657 https://doi.org/10.33061/selju.v5i1.76 https://doi.org/10.32505/jades.v2i1.93 https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v6i2.488 https://doi.org/10.33422/ijsfle.v3i2.739 https://doi.org/10.7176/jep/6-32-15 https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v7i5.p1207-1219 https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v7i5.p1207-1219 https://doi.org/10.21580/vjv13i224039 https://doi.org/10.21580/vjv13i224039 https://doi.org/10.36761/al-lughawiyaat.v3i1.2351 https://doi.org/10.36761/al-lughawiyaat.v3i1.2351 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6844173 https://doi.org/10.26555/adjes.v2i1.2025 http://10.0.98.46/ijli.v5i2.6844 https://doi.org/10.32332/joelt.v9i2.3654 murad mohammed abraheem alruwani, senowarsito, & dias andris susanto challenges in punctuation usage among libyan efl secondary students 406 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 427 perceptions, practices, and assessment literacy needs of efl teachers: enhancing reading literacy instruction under akm policy jihan fakhira english language education, graduate school, universitas muhammadiyah prof. dr. hamka, jakarta, indonesia email: jihanjhnnn1611@gmail.com siti zulaiha* english language education, graduate school, universitas muhammadiyah prof. dr. hamka, jakarta, indonesia email: siti.zulaiha@uhamka.ac.id apa scitation: fakhira, j., & zulaiha, s. (2024). perceptions, practices, and assessment literacy needs of efl teachers: enhancing reading literacy instruction under akm policy. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 427-436. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9551 received: 19-02-2024 accepted: 21-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction the ministry of education and culture has introduced a new policy to improve education quality in indonesia. this policy, called the asesmen kompetensi minimum (akm), replaces the national examination and focuses on enhancing students' reasoning, language use (literacy), and mathematics skills (numeracy) (zahrudin et al., 2021). reading literacy and numeracy were prioritized because they are fundamental skills all students need, regardless of their future careers. the assessment results can help educational stakeholders identify learning gaps and improve education quality by ensuring students acquire essential skills, including reading literacy and numeracy (kemendikbud, 2020; rohimat, 2021; zahrudin et al., 2021). the akm policy aims to enhance students' reasoning and logical thinking abilities by applying learned concepts to their surroundings (suliyanah et al., 2021). specifically, reading literacy within akm evaluates students' reasoning skills using language (yamtinah et al., 2022). reading literacy entails reading text and comprehending concepts and information from the text. therefore, teachers play a vital role in the implementation process, requiring knowledge and skills (assessment literacy) in teaching and assessment to foster students' reading literacy and achieve akm goals (rini & solehah, 2021). assessment literacy refers to teachers' knowledge and skills in conducting assessments, using appropriate tools, and interpreting test results to benefit students (mohebbi & coombe, 2020). previous studies show that teachers faced challenges in implementing akm. for example, abstract: since discontinuing national examinations (un) in 2020, the indonesian government introduced the minimum competency assessment (asesmen kompetensi minimum-akm) to assess students' fundamental abilities. consequently, teachers are pivotal in integrating akm-based reading literacy questions to enhance students' reading skills. this study explores teachers' perceptions, practices, and literacy needs regarding teaching and assessing students' reading literacy based on akm. ten efl junior high school teachers participated in interviews. findings revealed varying perceptions among teachers regarding akm. while some supported the policy for its positive impact on students and learning, others doubted its effectiveness for certain reasons. regarding teaching and assessment practices, most teachers partially integrate the three components of akm reading literacy into their classrooms. they also utilize various stimuli and question types similar to akm, yet complex multiple-choice assessments still need to be used. lastly, teachers expressed diverse literacy assessment needs, including strategies for teaching reading, designing critical reading questions, creating stimulus materials, gaining akm knowledge, enhancing student interest in reading, and identifying intended learning outcomes to improve their teaching and evaluation of students' literacy. the findings emphasize the need for tailored support to address teachers' varying perceptions and diverse assessment literacy needs. understanding and addressing concerns about akm's effectiveness are crucial for optimizing student learning outcomes. keywords: akm; assessment literacy; efl; reading literacy; teachers’ perceptions. jihan fakhira & siti zulaiha perceptions, practices, and assessment literacy needs of efl teachers: enhancing reading literacy instruction under akm policy 428 teachers struggle to incorporate akm questions (aisyah et al., 2023; fauziah, sobari, & robandi, 2021); lack of understanding about akm (auliya, 2022a; ernawati et al., 2022); lack of infrastructure and facilities (supramono & retnawati, 2023; yamtinah et al., 2022). similarly, perdana (2021) revealed that many students feel unprepared for akm because they believe the questions must align with what they were taught in school. additionally, pisa test results indicate that indonesian students are less interested in reading literacy. ineffective teaching methods contribute to poor reading literacy, lack of quality reading materials, underdeveloped reading habits, and absence of a supportive literacy environment (purwati et al., 2021). akm, part of the national assessment, evaluates reading literacy and numeracy in students (kemendikbud, 2020). it aims to assess proficiency comprehensively, fostering active societal participation (zahrudin et al., 2021). reading literacy questions in akm comprise content, cognitive process, and context (kemendikbud, 2020). content includes informational and fictional texts, while cognitive processes involve finding, interpreting, and evaluating information. contextually, akm addresses personal, sociocultural, and scientific situations (sani, 2021). thus, teachers' roles are crucial in fostering interpretation, evaluation, and real-life connection of content akm features diverse question types like multiple-choice, matching, true-false, and essays, enhancing result processing efficiency (sani, 2021). questions include stimuli from various contexts like writing, tables, graphs, and images, fostering text analysis skills. contextual and motivating stimuli introduce new values to students, encouraged in classroom tasks for improved information evaluation. akm prioritizes high-order thinking, evaluating critical and creative skills beyond information retrieval (sani, 2021). real-life grounded questions prompt problem-solving for daily challenges. reading literacy questions vary in complexity, from uncovering implicit information to integrating and evaluating texts on personal or socio-cultural issues in akm. teachers are pivotal in preparing students for akm through tailored assignments and enhancing reading skills within akm guidelines. yet, more diverse resources and assessment tools are needed for akm-aligned learning. practical classroom assessments require teachers to possess language assessment literacy (lal) skills, encompassing assessment design, implementation, analysis, and reporting (giraldo, 2021). tsagari (2021) identifies competencies within lal, including assessment selection, design, grading, score utilization, results communication, and ethical testing recognition. lal signifies a teacher's understanding of assessment processes, which are crucial in aiding student academic and language growth. lal comprises three components: assessment knowledge (linguistic concepts and theories), assessment skills (item writing, analysis), and assessment principles (ethical use of tests) (giraldo, 2021). these principles underscore fairness, ethics, and professionalism in assessments. several studies have examined akm from various perspectives, including policy analysis (zahrudin et al., 2021), bibliometric mapping of akm (suliyanah et al., 2021), student readiness and challenges (aunurrahman, 2020; perdana, 2021), knowledge and perceptions of prospective mathematics teachers regarding akm (novita et al., 2021), teachers’ readiness in arranging the literature and numeration tests (rini, cholifah, nuraini, & margetts, 2021), science teachers' perceptions of akm challenges and opportunities (yamtinah et al., 2022), efforts to increase numeracy (hidayah et al., 2021), designing tasks based on akm to help students' numeracy skills (machromah et al., 2021), students’ numeracy skill (cahyanovianty & wahidin, 2021), and developing e-modules as online training for akm (rini & solehah, 2021). however, little research discusses the perceptions and practices of english teachers and their needs in assessment literacy for teaching and assessing students’ reading literacy based on the akm. based on the background of the study above, this study aims to answer the following research questions. (1) what are the english teachers’ perceptions regarding teaching and assessing reading literacy based on akm? (2) how do english teachers teach and assess students’ reading literacy in the classroom? (3) what assessment literacy components do teachers need to improve their competence in teaching and assessing students’ reading literacy in the classroom? method this study employed a qualitative approach. a qualitative approach provides an understanding of the phenomenon under study by helping to understand the opinions, results, and motivations related to the phenomenon (creswell, 2007; english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 429 dörnyei, 2007). ten efl junior high school teachers around jakarta, i.e., jakarta, bogor, depok, tangerang, and bekasi (jabodetabek), consented to participate. the research uses convenience sampling, selecting participants based on their accessibility and willingness to participate. the researchers advised participants that they may withdraw from the study at any time and that all personal information will be kept confidential. the researchers developed the interview questions from the characteristics of akm as described by sani (2021). the questions aimed to delve deeper into the teachers' perceptions, practices, and the assessment literacy components needed for teaching and assessing students' reading skills. beforehand, the questions were piloted with two efl teachers not involved in the study and adjusted accordingly. the interviews in bahasa indonesia encouraged teachers to express themselves fully, ensuring comprehensive data collection. each interview, lasting approximately 20 minutes, was recorded, transcribed, and translated verbatim for further analysis using thematic analysis (braun & clarke, 2021). the researcher meticulously examined the transcripts to grasp the participants' responses, then coded and categorized the data into themes. the participants also validated the interview findings to ensure the accuracy of the transcriptions. results and discussion rq 1: english teachers’ perceptions of teaching and assessing reading literacy based on akm the data analysis from interviews revealed that most teachers believe the akm positively influences students. nevertheless, a few teachers pointed out that the akm's effectiveness could be improved, and the rushed implementation leads to less optimal results. akm helps teacher to evaluate the quality of teaching the first positive influence of akm is that it helps teachers evaluate the quality of their teaching and determine the appropriate learning strategies to employ in their classrooms. “it is very important. as i said earlier, it can evaluate the quality of my teaching and the student's learning process, so this is very important.” (t1) “this akm assessment also assists teachers in determining which strategies are appropriate for future learning based on the abilities of children's thinking levels.” (t4) akm can lower students’ anxiety level two out of ten teachers surveyed mentioned that akm could decrease students' anxiety levels. it is because akm focuses on assessing school learning quality and isn't meant to decide if students graduate, unlike the national examination. so, using akm instead of the national examination eases the pressure on students. “i think akm can help lower students' anxiety because of the national examination. in the national examination, questions are made by question developers and might not match students' abilities. with akm, questions are simpler and fit all students' abilities and knowledge, so it's better for them.” (t4) “i believe akm offers less pressure than the national examination. the akm is more thorough, reflecting their two years of learning experience in junior high school. students are not stressed or pressured so that they may enjoy it.” (t7) akm is a fair assessment one teacher also supported the idea that akm is a better assessment than the national examination. she welcomes this new assessment policy positively since it measures students' basic abilities (i.e., reading literacy and numeracy). “i welcome this policy positively. it's fairer because akm adjusts question difficulty based on students' abilities. unlike the national examination, where all students get the same questions at the same difficulty level.” (t10) akm is a good tool for measuring students’ basic abilities thus, a teacher also said that akm is a good tool for measuring students' basic abilities needed in this fourth industrial revolution era, i.e., reading literacy and helping the teacher determine their students' level of thinking. t4 “this assessment is intended to measure students' abilities related to reading literacy and numeracy. thus, akm is more helpful in knowing the overall level of students' thinking abilities.” akm can increase indonesia’s pisa rank another interesting point is that because indonesia's reading level in pisa is low (zahrudin jihan fakhira & siti zulaiha perceptions, practices, and assessment literacy needs of efl teachers: enhancing reading literacy instruction under akm policy 430 et al., 2021), one teacher thinks akm can help improve indonesia's pisa ranking. akm tests important student competencies needed today, like reading. the reading passages in akm can motivate students to read and use their reading skills to understand daily information. “it's a good idea if this is best for our national education system, especially since our children struggle with reading. they need help understanding everyday reading materials, so it makes sense that our pisa ranking still lags behind our neighboring countries.” (t6) akm does not represent the whole school’s quality however, some teachers disagree with akm because of how it's done in their schools. they think the new assessment should be fairer. it only picks a few students to represent the whole school, so it can't show how good the entire school is. “i don't agree with only picking 40 students randomly to test the school's quality. there are over 300 students in the school, but only 40 are chosen. that's not enough to show how good the whole school is.” (t2) akm is less effective due to some constraints interestingly, one teacher disagreed with the new assessment policy because it wasn't very effective. in the interview, she said that akm happened too suddenly, so the students weren't ready for it. she also said there should be a follow-up after the assessment. “i don't think this assessment is very effective. the akm was announced suddenly, and students weren't ready for it. plus, they don't know their results. it's like taking a test without getting any feedback afterward.” (t3) this assessment is seen as not working well because schools need to do a better job of using it. for example, one teacher in the study said the akm didn't work well in their school. they think it needs better implementation because there must be more facilities and infrastructure. “i've seen that akm hasn't been done well, especially at my school, where students come in the afternoon. some students might feel tired taking the test in the afternoon, and this needs to be considered. also, sometimes, we lack resources like computers, the internet, and servers.” (t9) hence, one teacher suggested that the implementation of the akm assessment must be optimized and well-prepared to reduce its ineffectiveness. rq 2: teachers’ teaching and assessing practices in reading literacy based on akm researchers examined what english teachers did to help students with reading literacy using akm. the research studied how teachers taught and tested students based on three components of reading literacy (content, context, and cognitive processes), the utilization of stimuli, and the use of various question types as used in akm. the integration of three components of reading literacy teachers have incorporated the three components of reading literacy tested in akm—content, context, and cognitive process—into their teaching. kemendikbud (2020) states that most english teachers have integrated these components into their classes. regarding content, even though akm uses both fiction and informational texts, teachers in this study mostly used fiction texts because they're seen as easier and more suitable for junior high school students' reading levels and the material taught. two teachers said, “…mostly about fictional texts.” (t4) “so we're using and looking for a more fictional story so students don't get bored, worried, and say, “oh, it's hard.” (t10) in terms of context, most teachers use social or personal contexts in their teaching, while scientific contexts are less common. this matches the type of content used, which is fictional text. teachers choose fictional texts because they teach about cultural values and personal development. it can be seen from several teachers' answers, “starting this semester, we're trying to be more specific. for instance, we're focusing on character development, so we're searching for stories like those about the companions of prophet muhammad (saw) or other stories that teach about character.” (t10) regarding cognitive processes, nearly all teachers ask students to find, explain, analyze, and judge the information they read. teachers ask students to find information by searching for clear details in the text. then, students think about what english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 431 values they see in the text. they connect what they read to other things outside the text to analyze and judge. “the questions are about analyzing and judging, which means the answers aren't directly in the text. instead, students must evaluate and analyze what they've read based on their understanding......” (t4) the utilization of stimuli to help students with reading, teachers use different materials, such as akm. these materials need real-life stuff that students can relate to (sani, 2021). akm uses other materials like text, pictures, charts, and tables. in interviews, teachers said they used similar stuff in class, like text, images, and tables. even though the materials were shorter than what akm uses, they were still relevant to students' lives and accessible for them to find in daily activities. for example, teachers used things like flight schedules and nutritional information tables. some teachers asserted, “in our lessons, we used shorter texts compared to akm. we also included pictures. for instance, if the topic is "congratulations," we show a picture of someone winning a competition and getting a trophy, wearing a volleyball shirt. then, we ask how to congratulate them correctly. we also use tables, like flight schedules, to practice reading them.” (t2) the use of question types the final thing seen from the teacher's efforts in teaching and assessing reading literacy in the class is using the same types of questions as in the akm test. interviews show that teachers need to improve how they use these questions compared to the akm test. most teachers use questions like multiple-choice and short answers for daily activities and tests. in class, a few use more variation questions like complex mq, matching, and true or false. some teachers said, “i've already used various types of questions, such as multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching, and true-or-false, in daily practice and quizzes. for summative assessments, we still stick to multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions because we've just started implementing the policy.” (t3) rq 3: teachers’ assessment literacy needs in teaching and assessing students’ reading literacy figure 1. teachers' assessment of literacy needs the interview data revealed that ten respondents have various assessment literacy needs, such as the strategy in teaching reading, designing critical reading literacy questions, creating the stimulus material, training to gain insight on akm, planning to increase students' reading interest, and identifying the intended learning outcomes. strategies to teach reading literacy the findings revealed that teachers’ assessment literacy needs included strategies for teaching reading literacy to students. one teacher mentioned that many students still struggle to read and understand text. some even need to spell out words as they read. the two-year learning loss causes these difficulties due to covid-19. “the first thing i need to figure out is how to teach my students reading and writing. after that, i need to help them understand the text because some aren't good at reading. they're still at the point where they must spell words, even those in the first year of junior high school.” (t1) designing critical reading literacy questions the analysis of the interviews shows that four out of ten teachers need more training in creating critical reading questions that match akm standards. one teacher said, “i need training to improve my question writing. training ensures that my questions are good and meet the government standards expected. this way, i don't just makeup questions randomly.” (t2) another teacher said, “i need to learn how to create hots questions and understand the new guidelines in the merdeka curriculum, which differs from the previous kurikulum 2013. this means attending many workshops and training sessions to catch up.” (t1) jihan fakhira & siti zulaiha perceptions, practices, and assessment literacy needs of efl teachers: enhancing reading literacy instruction under akm policy 432 this means they need training to write questions that match what will be tested in akm. this helps students get used to the types of questions they'll see on the exam later. creating stimulus materials another assessment literacy skill teachers need to enhance their teaching of reading is creating stimuli. four out of ten teachers need training to make reading materials that interest students. “i believe everything begins with a good stimulus. if the stimulus is effective, it sets the stage for good questions and other activities to follow. perhaps what i need to work on is creating engaging stimuli for students. this will motivate them to learn and improve their literacy skills, especially in topics related to akm.” (t7) one teacher mentioned that teachers can use stimuli from the internet, but sometimes it's better to use something that matches the students' abilities. however, creating stimuli from scratch can take a lot of time. “it's easy to find stimuli online, but making our own can be tough, right? that's why we need training on making stimuli. but if we don't use ones from the internet and make our own, it'll also take a lot of time.” (t2) training on akm policy during the interview, one teacher mentioned needing training on akm to understand this new policy better. they said akm training is important so teachers know what's being tested, understand the concept and parts of akm reading, know how to prepare students, and understand what students will face during akm. typical commented, “i need that training. even though akm has started, and students have been chosen for the test, teachers still don't understand it. how can students improve if their teachers haven't been trained on akm? this is crucial for schools. other teachers also wonder how to implement akm and help students improve their reading skills if they don't understand it. since we still don't get it, how can we use it in class? so, teachers need thorough training on akm.” (t4) training and programs have been provided for a few teachers, including an indonesian language teacher for reading literacy and a mathematics teacher for numeracy. in contrast, other subject teachers seek information about akm on their own. this was reinforced by some of the respondents who said, “only a few teachers are chosen by the school for training sessions on akm, and these sessions happen only at specific times. so, other teachers must be ready to find information independently to understand akm.” (t7) strategies to increase students’ reading interest other teachers also need help with strategies to get students more interested in reading. some students still need to be motivated to read and feel tired when passages are too long. one of a teacher said, “i need a plan to make them more interested in reading. nowadays, kids need to be more engaged and skilled in reading. so, if i give them a question sheet and they know they must read a lot, they'll immediately look unhappy.” (t5) because students are interested in something other than reading, teachers need to develop creative ways to teach reading skills. this way, they can use different methods that suit each student's personality during class. identifying the intended learning outcomes teachers must write clear learning goals for effective course planning and student assessment. with the new assessment policy, akm, teachers need to align their learning outcomes with the objectives of this policy to ensure proper implementation. one of the teachers commented, t10 “i've realized that i've mostly focused on the results until now. so, i still need to learn a lot about the assessment process and keeping track of student progress, especially with akm. also, students in one class have different abilities, so i need to adjust the learning to fit each student's level and meet the expectations akm sets.” this study shows that teachers have different opinions about akm. most teachers see it positively; some think akm helps them assess their teaching quality and choose the right learning strategies for their classes. recent research by rokhim, tyas, rahayu, & habidin (2022) supports this, indicating that akm results can lead to a more effective teaching and learning process for teachers and students. other findings indicate that akm is fairer and reduces student anxiety than the national examination. this aligns with auliya's research (2022), which suggests that akm is less stressful and fairer than the national examination for english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 433 evaluating education quality in indonesia. unlike the national examination, akm assesses essential skills like reading literacy, which all students need, rather than having questions that may not match students' abilities and knowledge in each school. national exams have a standardized difficulty level across the country, but schools in different regions have different objectives and students with varying skills. akm questions measure essential competencies for all students, regardless of specialization, ensuring all students are tested on the same skills, unlike national exams focusing on specific subjects. thus, one teacher believes that akm helps assess students' basic skills and understand their thinking levels. the reading passages in akm encourage students to read and apply their skills to daily information. another teacher thinks akm could improve indonesia's pisa ranking because it tests essential skills for this era. however, some teachers disagree with akm's implementation. they argue it's invalid because it only selects a few students to represent the school, so it can't accurately measure its overall quality. additionally, akm faces challenges like inadequate computer and internet resources in some schools. this echoes the findings by yamtinah et al. (2022) that school infrastructure is a challenge. therefore, akm implementation needs careful planning to avoid potential issues. to address the second research question, the researcher investigated how teachers support students with akm by analyzing their teaching methods and evaluating reading literacy in class. this was based on three factors: the components of reading literacy tested in akm, the use of stimuli, and the types of questions in the akm exam. the results revealed that most english teachers include the three components of reading literacy tested in akm: content, context, and cognitive process. they mostly use fictional texts, incorporate socio-cultural or personal contexts, and engage students in finding, interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating information from reading activities. however, relatively few questions assess higher-order thinking skills compared to lower-order ones. similar to the findings by rini et al. (2021), this study suggests that improvements are needed in the content, context, and cognitive process aspects of reading literacy. secondly, regarding stimuli, the interviews showed that teachers use various classroom types to teach and assess students' reading skills. however, the school stimuli are shorter and more complex than those in akm. text, pictures, and tables are the most commonly used stimuli, and they are contextual and relatable to students' daily lives. unlike previous research by rini et al. (2021), the current study found that teachers use stimuli effectively. lastly, regarding question types, the interviews showed that teachers need to improve how they use different question types compared to the akm test. most teachers mainly rely on simple multiplechoice questions, short answers, and essays for daily and summative assessments, with only a few using more complex multiple-choice, matching, and true or false questions in their classroom activities. this finding aligns with the observations of rini et al. (2021), who noted that teachers' skills in developing questions, especially complex ones, need enhancement. this challenge arises because, at the end of the semester, students must take multiple-choice tests created by other stakeholders, not the teacher, to determine graduation. consequently, teachers need to be more specific about using diverse question types and stick to simpler formats like multiple-choice questions and essays in their classes. according to the data analysis, teachers need training in knowledge and skills to address the last research question. this aligns with findings from other studies, indicating that teachers have a high demand for training in test design (nurdiana, 2020; zulaiha & mulyono, 2020) as part of their assessment literacy needs. additionally, they require training to create stimulus materials to enhance their ability to teach and assess students' reading skills in class. due to teachers' limited understanding of akm, the reading questions and stimuli they create in class must fully meet the ministry of education and culture standards for akm questions. these findings are consistent with nurjati, rahayu, & khabib (2022), which highlights the need for teachers to acquire knowledge and skills in designing akm-based reading comprehension assessments. therefore, training in these areas is essential to ensure that the questions teachers create in class align with akm standards and effectively prepare students for the exam. another critical need in assessment literacy for teachers is developing strategies to enhance students' interest in reading. this is crucial because students often need help to stay engaged and may feel overwhelmed by lengthy passages. due to students' lack of enthusiasm for reading activities, teachers must devise creative methods jihan fakhira & siti zulaiha perceptions, practices, and assessment literacy needs of efl teachers: enhancing reading literacy instruction under akm policy 434 to teach reading skills. by doing so, teachers can adapt the learning process to suit students' characteristics and maintain their engagement in the classroom. the fourth aspect of assessment literacy that teachers require is a strategy for teaching reading effectively. it's surprising that many junior high school students still struggle with reading fluency and even need assistance with spelling. one teacher expressed the need for a method to teach reading comprehensively, helping students understand and evaluate the information presented in the text. reading literacy encompasses reading, comprehending, applying, reflecting on, and thinking critically about information (sani, 2021). therefore, teachers must possess the skills to teach these aspects effectively, considering the unique conditions and challenges their students face. the teacher interview highlighted the need for training and socialization on the akm policy to enhance teachers' competence in teaching and assessing students' reading literacy. this training should cover understanding the test content, akm's concept and components, student preparation strategies, and how to support students facing the akm. despite available training programs, only a few teachers have participated, although all teachers play a vital role in introducing akm to students across subjects (kemendikbud, 2020). these findings echo previous studies (e.g., firoozi, razavipour, & ahmadi, 2019), emphasizing the importance of teachers’ knowledge of new policies to deliver effective language assessments and support students' language proficiency growth (giraldo, 2018). the final assessment literacy needs is identifying the learning outcomes. teachers must articulate clear intended learning outcomes, as they form the foundation for practical course and unit planning and assessment. teachers must align their teaching practices with the learning objectives mandated by new policies to ensure successful implementation. hence, a thorough teacher training program is crucial to address the varied opinions among teachers regarding akm. these programs should enhance teachers’' understanding of akm, align it with educational standards, and equip them with skills to develop akm-appropriate reading materials and questions. socialization efforts are also necessary to ensure all teachers are prepared for their roles in preparing students for the exam. furthermore, future research could assess the effectiveness of such training programs in improving educators' akm-related knowledge and skills, along with longitudinal studies to understand akm's long-term impact on student learning, teaching practices, and educational equity. conclusion in summary, implementing the new assessment policy, akm, has elicited varied teacher perspectives. while some see it as a valuable tool for assessing education quality and a welcome replacement for the burdensome national exam, others have concerns about its effectiveness due to lack of follow-up on results, inadequate infrastructure, and student preparation. teachers are actively preparing students for akm, which is evident in their efforts to teach and assess reading literacy. they commonly use fiction texts, emphasizing socio-cultural contexts for teaching values. regarding cognitive processes, teachers guide students in analyzing and evaluating information. stimuli like text, pictures, and tables are used less extensively than in akm. there's room for improvement in using diverse question types. additionally, teachers have identified needs such as strategies for teaching reading and designing questions. these findings underscore the importance of careful organization and optimization of akm implementation to effectively evaluate students' abilities and enhance educational quality in indonesia. policymakers should address concerns about akm's validity and ensure equitable access to resources, particularly in schools with inadequate infrastructure. educators should align teaching practices with akm components, emphasizing higher-order thinking skills and diversifying question types to prepare students effectively. training programs should address teachers' assessment literacy needs, focusing on test design, creating stimuli, enhancing student interest in reading, teaching reading effectively, and identifying clear learning outcomes. researchers should explore akm's impact on teaching and learning outcomes, including student engagement and comprehension, and assess the effectiveness of training programs for teachers. references aisyah, a., chelsi, y. s., & ria, r. (2023). analysis of ability to prepare learning evaluation minimum competency assessment (akm) during the covid-19 pandemic at sd negeri 3 abepura, jayapura city. journal of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 435 educational analytics, 2(1), 131–140. https://doi.org/10.55927/jeda.v2i1.3162 auliya, p. k. (2022a). the implementation of minimum competency assessment (akm): opportunities and challenges for english teachers. didaktika, 28. auliya, p. k. (2022b). the involvement of english teachers on minimum competency assessment (akm). premise: journal of english education and applied linguistics, 11(1), 82–98. retrieved from https://fkip.ummetro.ac.id/journal/index.php/ english aunurrahman. (2020). taxonomy of educational problems in support of readiness for the implementation of minimum competency assessment and character survey in elementary schools. journal of education, teaching, and learning, 5(2), 296–302. braun, v., & clarke, v. (2021). thematic analysis: a practical guide (a. maher, ed.). sage publications ltd. cahyanovianty, a. d., & wahidin. (2021). analisis kemampan numerasi peserta didik kelas viii dalam menyelesaikan soal asesmen kompetensi minimum. jurnal cendekia: jurnal pendidikan matematika, 5(2), 1439– 1448. creswell, j. w. (2007). qualitative inquiry & research design: choosing among five approaches (second edition; l. c. shaw, ed.). california: sage publications. dörnyei, z. (2007). research methods in applied linguistics. oxford university press. ernawati, manik, f. y., trisnawati, r. d., emiliana, & yuliawati, s. (2022). understanding and quality of minimum competency assessment (akm) questions made by integrated science teachers in junior high schools. jurnal penelitian dan evaluasi pendidikan, 26(2). https://doi.org/10.21831/pep.v26i2.48670 fauziah, a., sobari, e. f. d., & robandi, b. (2021). analisis pemahaman guru sekolah menengah pertama (smp) mengenai asesmen kompetensi minimum (akm). edukatif: jurnal ilmu pendidikan, 3(4), 1550–1558. https://doi.org/10.31004/edukatif.v3i4.608 firoozi, t., razavipour, k., & ahmadi, a. (2019). the language assessment literacy needs of iranian efl teachers with a focus on reformed assessment policies. language testing in asia, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468019-0078-7 giraldo, f. (2018). language assessment literacy: implications for language teachers. profile: issues in teachers’ professional development, 20(1), 179–195. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v20n1.62089 giraldo, f. (2021). language assessment literacy and teachers’ professional development: a review of the literature. profile: issues in teachers’ professional development, 23(2), 265–279. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v23n2.90533 hidayah, i. r., kusmayadi, t. a., & fitriana, l. (2021). minimum competency assessment (akm): an effort to photograph numeracy. journal of mathematics and mathematics education, 11(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.20961/jmme.v11i1.52742 kemendikbud. (2020). asesmen nasional : lembar tanya jawab (pp. 1–29). pp. 1–29. pusat asesmen dan pembelajaran badan penelitian dan pengembangan dan perbukuan kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan . machromah, i. u., utami, n. s., setyaningsih, r., mardhiyana, d., & fatmawati, l. w. s. (2021). minimum competency assessment: designing tasks to support students’ numeracy. turkish journal of computer and mathematics education, 12(14), 3268–3277. mohebbi, h., & coombe, c. (2020, december 1). preface: language assessment literacy. language testing in asia, vol. 10. springer. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-020-00103-4 novita, n., mellyzar, & herizal. (2021). asesmen nasional (an): pengetahuan dan persepsi calon guru. jurnal ilmu sosial dan pendidikan, 5(1), 172–180. nurdiana. (2020). language teacher assessment literacy: a current review. journal of english language and culture, 11(1), 66–74. nurjati, n., rahayu, e. y., & khabib, s. (2022). technical guidance for the preparation of akm-based national assessment of english learning for state senior high school teachers in surabaya. kanigara: jurnal pengabdian kepada masyarakat, ii(1), 216–224. perdana, n. s. (2021). analysis of student readiness in facing minimum competency assessment. jurnal pendidikan, sejarah, dan ilmu-ilmu sosial, vol. 5(1), 15–20. purwati, p. d., faiz, a., widiyatmoko, a., ngabiyanto, & maryatul, s. (2021). asesmen kompentensi minimum (akm) kelas jenjang sekolah dasar sarana pemacu peningkatan literasi peserta didik. sosio religi: jurnal kajian pendidikan umum, 19(1), 13–24. rini, t. a., cholifah, p. s., nuraini, n. l. s., & margetts, k. (2021). readiness of elementary teachers in minimum competency assessment: teachers’ competence in arranging literature and numeration tests. profesi pendidikan dasar, 8(2), 156–169. https://doi.org/10.23917/ppd.v8i2.16157 rini, t. a., & solehah, f. p. (2021). development of emodule for online training minimum competency assessment for elementary school teacher. proceedings of the international conference on information technology and education (icite 2021), 214–219. jihan fakhira & siti zulaiha perceptions, practices, and assessment literacy needs of efl teachers: enhancing reading literacy instruction under akm policy 436 rohimat, s. (2021). pengembangan lembar kerja peserta didik berbasis literasi teks informasi pada mata pelajaran kimia. jurnal zarah, 9(2), 66–74. rokhim, d. a., tyas, f. k., rahayu, s., & habidin. (2022). perspektif siswa dan guru dalam pelaksanaan akm (asesmen kompetensi minimum) pada mata pelajaran kimia. jamp: jurnal adminitrasi dan manajemen pendidikan, 5(1), 46–52. retrieved from http://journal2.um.ac.id/index.php/jamp/ sani, r. a. (2021). pembelajaran berorientasi akm: asesmen kompetensi minimum (m. r. rumra, ed.). pt bumi aksara. suliyanah, adelia, b. d., jauhariyah, m. n. r., misbah, mahtari, s., saregar, a., & deta, u. a. (2021). a bibliometric analysis of minimum competency assessment research with vosviewer related to the impact in physics education on 2019-2020. journal of physics: conference series, 2110(1), 012022. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/2110/1/012 022 supramono, a., & retnawati, h. (2023). mca: it’s implementation based on teachers’ perspective. jurnal ilmiah sekolah dasar, 7(1), 122–132. https://doi.org/10.23887/jisd.v7i1.54279 tsagari, d. (2021). gauging the assessment literacy levels of english language teachers in norway. the european journal of applied linguistics and tefl, 10(1), 161–192. yamtinah, s., utami, b., masykuri, m., mulyani, b., ulfa, m., & shidiq, a. s. (2022). secondary school science teacher response to minimum competency assessment: challenges and opportunities. jurnal penelitian pendidikan ipa, 8(1), 124–131. https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v8i1.1075 zahrudin, m., ismail, s., & zakiah, q. y. (2021). policy analysis of implementation of minimum competency assessment as an effort to improve reading literacy of students in schools. paedagoria: jurnal kajian, penelitian dan pengembangan kependidikan, 12(1), 83–91. https://doi.org/10.31764 zulaiha, s., & mulyono, h. (2020). exploring junior high school efl teachers’ training needs of assessment literacy. cogent education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.1772 943 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 329 a semiotic analysis of jerieng tribe's sedekah gunung tradition andri fernanda english literature department, faculty of social and political sciences, universitas bangka belitung, indonesia email: andrifernanda92@gmail.com irvan ansyari english literature department, faculty of social and political sciences, universitas bangka belitung, indonesia email: irvan@ubb.ac.id arthur muhammad farhaby english literature department, faculty of social and political sciences, universitas bangka belitung, indonesia email: amfarhaby88@gmail.com apa citation: fernanda, a., ansyari, i., & farhaby, a. m. (2025). a semiotic analysis of jerieng tribe's sedekah gunung tradition. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 329338. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.10841 received: 17-09-2024 accepted: 16-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: myth is a story whose origin and author are unknown. the purpose of a myth is to explain natural processes, the creation of the world, human races, traditional customs, political institutions, or religious rituals. in pelangas village, west bangka, there is a tribe known as the jerieng tribe. this tribe has a tradition that is still practiced by its people, which the sedekah gunung tradition. this tradition is carried out every year to coincide with the 14th night full moon. because the sedekah gunung ritual tradition is a traditional procession that cannot be separated from people's belief in myth, this research aims to analyze the representation of myth in the sedekah gunung ritual using semiotic theory by charles sanders peirce. this research uses descriptive qualitative methods with data collection techniques in the form of a combination of interviews, observation, documentation. the results of this research found several ritual practices in sedekah gunung which symbolize the jerieng tribe's belief in the sacredness of the sedekah gunung ritual, belief in the myth of the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature through the practice of giving and receiving, as well as the respect and communication of the jerieng tribe towards nature through sedekah gunung. there are some moral values that can be learned from this tradition, such as appreciation for nature, a commitment to harmony, increasing the sense of compassion and spirit of collaboration, and preserving the local wisdom of oral traditions, specifically the culture and oral literature of the jerieng tribe. keywords: myth; representation; semiotics; sedekah gunung; jerieng tribe; tradition. introduction myths are narratives transmitted from one individual to another, often embodying elements of superstition or folklore. myths are related to people's beliefs in supernatural things, and are often associated with mystical or supernatural things (sulistyorini, 2024). these stories are deeply rooted in tradition, passed down across generations. additionally, myths are intricately linked to the customs, cultural values, and social structures of the community in which they are preserved (nisfiyah et al., 2023) myths are the insights of past societies in seeking answers to problems arising from natural situations and conditions, at a time when scientific knowledge and discoveries had not yet emerged. these questions could only be addressed through the way of thinking of the community, which later became known as myths (alhady, 2023, p., 4). people’s belief in myths remains and is strong today. according to levi-strauss (as cited in nugroho, 2023), myth does not need to be contrasted with history or reality, because the difference in meaning between the two concepts is increasingly difficult to maintain today. myths remain a phenomenon that has not disappeared even though indonesia has made progress in various fields. this is proven by the large number of indonesian people who still believe in myths (tuffahati et al., 2023). the complexity of the cultural environment can contribute to the emergence of myths. there are also those who andri fernanda, irvan ansyari, & arthur muhammad farhaby a semiotic analysis of jerieng tribe's sedekah gunung tradition 330 believe that some myths are orders or messages from ancestors which, if violated, can result in bad consequences or karma (masni et al., 2024). in the era of globalization, society continues to adhere closely to myths both in terms of religion and culture. however, preserving this tradition faces challenges, such as changes in modern lifestyle and declining interest among the younger generation. nowadays, especially the teenagers tend to admire foreign cultures more and ignore their own cultural heritage (ginting et al., 2024). it indicates that progress over time can lead to cultural shifts. there are various myths in indonesia society that have been criticized and abandoned, but there are also those that are still believed, practiced and maintained as part of traditions, customs and culture. the basis of mutual trust in society is an important factor in the continuity of traditions. in the other hand, myths are usually believed by the society because they are conveyed through speech, which then develops into oral traditions, often told by elders to the next generation (harista, bohhori, & firdaus, 2023). in addition, these myths can change along with political changes and existing social dynamics. myths are also often considered as ideas whose truth is still in doubt (muhammad irfan maulana, hisyam zaini & ridwan, 2024) myths today seem to still be relevant and believed by many people. in fact, special abilities or certain events are often made into myths and accepted excessively. this makes society vulnerable to fraud by irresponsible parties. unlike the past, where myths were considered sacred and became a guideline for living together, today myths are often misused for personal gain. in the past, myths were more collective and functioned to regulate the social life of society (juliant, 2024). therefore, as it is a crucial part of human culture, myth symbolizes the need for humans to seek explanations on certain subjects. through its narratives or practices, the content of a myth contains a message that it wishes to tell subtly to its audiences. as it is passed down from generation to generation, myths evolve into traditions that are associated with certain groups or individuals, based on existing cultural values. tradition has become the main aspect for building and creating social relations between communities, preserving cultural values, and passing on knowledge between generations (ferescky et al., 2024). in addition, myths are closely related to various forms of tradition, especially oral tradition. the existence of myths in various forms of oral tradition is spread and told in a complementary way (yulianti, et al., 2024). myths are also often feared by society as punishment for actions that violate existing life or traditions, because most myths explain the creation of the universe, the world, the creatures in it, stories of supernatural beings, and provide natural records or explanation of rituals. apart from myths, ethnicity is also closely related to tradition, which is an important element culture. according to legal expert f. geny, tradition is an element of culture that is always manifested to fulfill the needs of society (as cited in masrin, 2021). these traditions reflect ethnic identity and play an important role in forming and maintaining a group’s culture. ethnicity is a group of people identified based on similarities in aspects of nationality, language, religion, race or cultural origin (desike et al., 2021). ethnic identity encompasses a rich and varied cultural heritage, which is passed down from generation to generation, shaping their way of life and worldview. an ethnic group generally continues to live quite close to its natural environment and is less affected by acculturation, which the meeting and influence of two or more external groups, when compared to other ethnic groups (azzahra et al., 2024). it cannot be denied that in reality, there are still many differences in views between the younger generation and their ancestors regarding the relevance of tradition. however, in reality the implementation of traditions has a crucial role in the social and cultural formation of society. it can be concluded that culture and customs function as a guide for human actions and behavior, shape culture and influence people’s thinking patterns. however, traditional culture is still are carried out to maintain cultural identity and preserve heritage values. every society generally has customs that reflect the character and personality of its people (fazillah et al., 2024). besides that, each region has unique traditions that reflect local norms, values and wisdom in people’s daily lives. many myths have emerged in the bangka belitung islands province, covering topics such as public relations, medicine, travel guidelines, and more. for a long time, the people of this province have believed that there are life rules closely tied to natural laws, where violations by individuals or groups can lead to consequences (palar et al., 2023). moreover, amongst various traditions that exist in indonesia with various tribes and ethnicities, sedekah gunung which is practiced by the jerieng tribe in bangka island is one that is based on myth as a human belief. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 331 melayu jerieng is one of the indigineous tribes in the western part of bangka island, specifically in the simpang teritip district of west bangka regency, bangka belitung islands province. melayu jerieng's territorial boundaries include: to the north with the natuna sea and jebus district, to the south with the bangka strait, to the east with kelapa district, and to the west with muntok district. they have lived permanently in that area and still depend heavily on nature to meet their daily needs. their daily life mainly results from farming activities and direct interaction with the surrounding natural environment. the jerieng tribe implemented a gardening method called behume, which is clearing the forest by cutting it down or burning it (aprianti, 2023). as the majority of the jerieng's population adheres to islam, this tribe strongly believes in mystical phenomena and practices. one of the proofs of the jerieng tribe's belief in mystical phenomena and practices can be seen in their sedekah gunung tradition. sedekah gunung or mountain offering is a ritualistic tradition that is performed on the fourteenth night of the full moon by the jerieng tribe community (saputra, ramadhani & sinabutar, 2021). the name of this tradition derived from a hill that locals in pelangas village refer to as gunong. the purpose of this ritual is to express the tribe's gratitude to nature for the harvest and natural resources obtained by the jerieng tribe throughout the year. moreover, this ritual also symbolizes their wish to receive even more bountiful harvest in the following year. in general, the practice of sedekah gunung is in line with ramadhan et al., 2024 definition of rituals which refers to activities carried out regularly and continuously by community groups, the implementation of which is regulated by applicable community rules. the event of this ritual tradition involves several procedures. generally, the series of events is divided into two days: one day before the ritual and the day of the sedekah gunung ritual. on the day of the ritual, various activities were carried out by jerieng tribe community, starting from reciting prayers led by the village shaman, cleaning the path to the ritual site, bringing harvests and food to the ritual site, holding a feast with all the villagers and invited guests at the ritual site, and various other festivities. this illustrates the method used by the ancestors of the jerieng tribe to pass on the values and traditions of their ancestors to the next generation. the oral storytelling process, which continues to be preserved until now, has a very vital role in maintaining the continuity of the culture and local wisdom of the jerieng tribe. in this way, the knowledge and history that have existed since ancient times remain alive and developing, becoming an inseparable part of the identity and life of the jerieng tribe (andri fernanda, irvan ansyari & arthur muhammad farhaby, 2024). there are several significances to the sedekah gunung tradition, one of which is as a means of conveying gratitude and hope for goodness to come. then, strengthen solidarity because by upholding traditions which ultimately creates an atmosphere and sense of togetherness between each other. on the other hand, what is no less important than upholding this tradition is being able to help the maintain their identity and cultural heritage, ensuring that every inherited value and tradition remains alive and running in everyday life. since the tradition of sedekah gunung is rooted in their belief in the myth that this ritual can bring prosperity to them, analyzing the depiction of myth within this ritualistic tradition involves understanding the cultural and symbolic significance of the ritual. according to rudolf bultmann (as cited in malik et al., 2023), mythology is the use of images or perspectives to convey things that are transcendent (which do not originate from this world) by using terms that exist in this world, and describing divine things in the context of human life. this is because mythology functions to convey meaning and ideas through symbols and narratives. mythology is not just a collection of stories, but also an effective tool for expressing complex concepts about life, morals, and also human relationships with the world around them. mythology describes how humans interpret and understand the world around them (arahman et al., 2024). but sometimes, mythology is often viewed as ancient knowledge used to explain rare, strange, or surprising phenomena, which society considers to be the result of evil forces. therefore, this article focuses on providing an insight into the jerieng tribe's worldview, values, and their harmonious relationship with the environment through the context of sedekah gunung tradition. as tradition was intended to convey an indirect message to its adherer, it can also be interpreted as a sign that signified a meaning. in order to analyze the myth on this tradition through its sign and signifier, charles sanders peirce’s theory of semiotic will be utilized as this article main analysis method. in general, peirce’s theory of semiotic focuses on andri fernanda, irvan ansyari, & arthur muhammad farhaby a semiotic analysis of jerieng tribe's sedekah gunung tradition 332 how signs function, their three parts (object, representamen, and interpretant), and their relationship to their objects either iconically, indexically, or symbolically (as cited in tabrani et al., 2023). therefore. this theory is deemed to be the most appropriate analysis method. method this research used descriptive qualitative approach, which means a comprehensive analysis of form, function and expression, generally obtain the main data through interviews and observation to explain in detail the portrayal of myth on sedekah gunung tradition performed by the jerieng tribe. according to mairita et al., 2023 a qualitative descriptive method aims to describe and explain scientific phenomena and engineering carried out by humans. this method focuses on an in-depth understanding of various events or processes that occur in a particular context, emphasizing a more detailed description of the aspects involved in the phenomenon. generally, qualitative research methods emerged as a result of a paradigm shift in the way of viewing phenomena or reality (wada et al., 2024). in qualitative research, the researcher acts as the main instrument who is active in all stages of the research. this means that the researcher is directly responsible for the collection, analysis and interpretation of data. researchers’ abilities, experience and subjectivity greatly influence research results, because they are directly involved in interactions with participants and the research context. moreover, data analysis is conducted by categorizing the collected data, sorting, integrating data according to the research objectives, and identifying patterns of the studied issues. furthermore, this approach provides better flexibility in the analysis process, because the researcher can organize and arrange data obtained from interviews, field notes, and other sources systematically, so that it is easy to understand and can be conveyed to others (fadilla et al., 2023). in addition, this research also uses data analysis techniques that according to miles and huberman (as cited in adref et al., 2023 is conducted in an interactive and ongoing manner until it is considered adequate. moreover, during the research process, data collection is done through interviews, observation, and documentation. specifically, descriptive phenomenological interview techniques were used during research. the phenomenological-descriptive research also aims to gain insights from participants regarding a particular phenomenon (dole, 2024). furthermore, this method involves questions based on experience contextualization, apprehending the phenomenon, and clarifying it. in addition, informants for this research are selected using purposive sampling techniques by setting informant criteria based on the research data needs. the criteria applied were for the members of the jerieng tribe, traditional elders, and community leaders that are familiar with the tradition. the purposive sampling technique is one of the sampling techniques based on research needs, meaning informant selection is based on specific considerations. in addition, secondary data used to support this research were extracted from published articles, news, and academic journals related to the topic of the research. results and discussion how sedekah gunung is practised by the jerieng tribe as mentioned earlier, the procedure of sedekah gunung in pelangas village is divided into two phases of festivities, which took place on a day before sedekah gunung and on the day of sedekah gunung (saputra et al., 2021). therefore, this subsection focuses on the ritualistic procedure held by the jerieng tribe in pelangas. one day before the main event begins, the jerieng tribe community held a community work which locals refer to as "gotong royong" to clean the path leading to the hill where the ritual will take place tomorrow. additionally, they also clean the village roads that will be used by participants in the ritual ceremony. after clearing the roads, members of the jerieng tribe decorate their home and front yards while also preparing various traditional foods to be brought to the main event tomorrow. on the night before the sedekah gunung is performed, locals of the jerieng tribe gather at their village center to watch art performances that involve several traditional dance performances and various other local cultural arts. later at midnight, the locals gather at the village shaman’s residence to held a preparation ritual which they refer to as mandi gong. on this part of the ritual, the locals of jerieng tribe gather to bathe themselves with the water that they put into a large container called gong. furthermore, the water that they used to bathe themselves in is collected from seven different springs. this mass bathing ritual is said to purify and clean english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 333 themselves for the upcoming main ritual on the next day. on the day of the main event of sedekah gunung ritual, the locals of jerieng tribe gather at the village shaman's house. after that, they held prayers which were led by the village shaman. upon finishing the prayer, everyone involved then held a communal feast. after the feast, the locals gather at the village center and also pay a visit to the graves of their ancestors before they proceed to the location of their main ritual which is the peak of a local hill. followed by invited guests and shamans from other villages, the locals of jerieng tribe begin their march by walking through the path that they cleaned yesterday. upon arriving at the main site, the ritual begins with the village shaman leading their prayers. after they finish the prayer ritual, the locals begin to share the food that they prepared to everyone present at the main ritual site. in addition, the foods that they prepared consist of local cuisines that were made from a portion of their harvest that year. while they held another feast on top of the hill, several other art performances were also performed to entertain everyone involved. after the ritual is finished, the locals clean the site before they head back to the village. when they left the hill, the locals also left a portion of their food such as turmeric, jasmine flowers and honey at the peak of the hill. for the last step of this ritual, the locals gather at the village center once more to watch another art performances for the closing ceremony. furthermore, janum in ismi (2022) stated that after the day of sedekah gunung ritual, the locals are prohibited from farming, fishing, slaughtering farm animals for three days. myth ssymbolized in sedekah gunung tradition the sedekah gunung tradition practiced by the jerieng tribe involves several procedures. after analyzing the procedures of sedekah gunung, it can be inferred that activity carried out during the event is symbolic and carries meaning. therefore, the actions performed by the jerieng tribe during the preparation and the ritual itself are classified as signs or representamens, as explained by peirce in hoopes (1991) in his triadic model concept within his semiotic theory. in this subsection, this research focuses on how each procedure symbolize a meaning and represented jerieng tribe's belief on myth through the context of their sedekah gunung tradition. representamen in sedekah gunung tradition representamen is a subject in a triadic relationship that produces a sign. according to peirce in cobley (2001, p. 8) the representamen is something that enters into relation with its object. meanwhile, from amarsa et al., (2023) perspective representamen in a discourse has various functions, depending on the context of the discourse. therefore, procedures in sedekah gunung ritual are considered as representamens or signs. table 1. representamens in sedekah gunung tradition r ep re se n ta m en o r si g n s r1 cleaning the path to the site of sedekah gunung, cleaning the village’s roads, and decorating their front yard. r2 preparing food for the feasts that were made from that year's harvest. r3 watching art performances, the night before the ritual, during the ritual, and at night after the ritual. r4 on the midnight before the main ritual day, the jerieng tribe held “mandi gong” in which they bathed with water that was collected from seven different springs. r5 on the ritual day, the jerieng tribe held a prayer ceremony twice. first at the village shaman’s house before they began the march to the peak of the hill. then second at the top of the hill to express their gratitude to god and nature for the bountiful harvest. r6 the locals of the jerieng tribe held feasts twice on the day of the main event which are after the morning prayer ceremony and after another prayer ceremony on the peak of the hill. r7 before leaving the main ritual site, locals of the jerieng tribe left some of their food on top of the hill intentionally. r8 after the day of the ritual, locals of jerieng tribe are prohibited from doing activities such as farming, fishing, and slaughtering farm animals for three days. intepretant in sedekah gunung tradition according to peirce in cobley (2021, p. 29), interpretant is a result of the representamen’s interrelation with the semiotic object and their own interrelation with the sign’s meaning. meanwhile, from haase’s (2022) perspective, interpretants in peirce's theory of semiotics refer to the explanation of signs associated with the utterer and interpreter and a shared process enabling communication between andri fernanda, irvan ansyari, & arthur muhammad farhaby a semiotic analysis of jerieng tribe's sedekah gunung tradition 334 communicators. based on those statements, it can be concluded that interpretant is the process of interpretation of a sign. since, sign refers to something outside of itself, it can be understood by a person and has an effect on the mind of the interpreter. therefore, these are the interpretations of each representamens found in sedekah gunung tradition. table 2. interpretant in sedekah gunung tradition interpretant in sedekah gunung representamen 1 cleaning the path to the site of sedekah gunung, cleaning the village’s roads, and decorating the front yard. these three activities symbolize the jerieng tribe's respect for nature by cleaning their environment. in addition, because sedekah gunung is a sacred ritual, clearing the path leading to the ritual site is a representation of their belief in the sanctity of the event. furthermore, decorating their yard also symbolizes their respect for the natural surroundings, especially the nature where they live and live every day. representamen 2 because this event is an expression of gratitude to nature for the abundant harvest that the jerieng tribe received that year, the activity of cooking together using the harvest as ingredients is a representation of gratitude and a sense of wanting to give back what they got from nature back to nature. this form of activity is also a symbol of the jerieng tribe's belief in the myth that sedekah gunung tradition is a cycle of giving and receiving between them and nature. representamen 3 during the event, the jerieng tribe held art performances three times, which were the night before the ritual, during the ritual, and the night after the ritual was finished. the various art performances that they watch and perform are in the form of local arts such as traditional dances and silat. by holding art performances three times, this symbolizes and emphasizes the jerieng tribe's respect for their culture and art. apart from that, traditional art practices also symbolize the spiritual closeness between the jerieng tribe with nature and the culture they inherited from the ancestors representamen 4 at midnight before the day of the ritual, the jerieng tribe holds a cleansing ritual which they call mandi gong. in this ritual, the jerieng tribe bathes using water they collect from seven different springs. this mandi gong activity symbolizes the jerieng tribe's belief in the sacredness of the sedekah gunung ritual that they perform. before holding ritual activities tomorrow, they must clean themselves and ensure that they are pure. moreover, collecting water from seven springs is also a representation of the jerieng tribe's respect for the nature around them. because water is the source of life, collecting and bathing with waters from different springs is a representation of their dependence and gratitude towards the nature that has nurtured them. representamen 5 on the main day of the ritual, the jerieng tribe held prayer ceremony twice. this prayer procession is led by the village shaman who also acts as the local traditional leader. during the event, all local residents were asked not to carry out farming activities. this symbolizes the jerieng tribe’s belief on the ritual processions they carry out as very sacred and should not take precedence over other activities. this prioritization of the ritual ceremony symbolizes how the jerieng tribe believes in the myth that this ceremony can influence their future harvests if not done or respected properly. representamen 6 during the event, the jerieng tribe held a feast twice. first feast was held in the morning after praying at the village shaman's house and the second feast was held in the afternoon after the main ritual took place on the hill. this activity symbolizes the jerieng tribe's gratitude for the abundant of harvests that the nature provided them. by cooking their harvest and sharing it with their relatives, neighbors and guests, the jerieng tribe also strengthens their social relations. additionally, the feast also symbolizes the happiness and gratitude that the jerieng tribe feels for the blessings they receive from nature which indirectly also caused by the sedekah gunung they held last year. representamen 7 before descending from the hill where the ritual was held, the jerieng tribe prepared some cooked food from their harvest and left it on the hill. this procedure is a representation of the jerieng tribe's belief in the myth of the circle of give and take between themselves and nature. by giving back their harvest to nature, the jerieng tribe hopes to receive similar blessings for the following year. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 33 representamen 8 the prohibition on activities such as farming, fishing and slaughtering livestock for three days symbolizes the jerieng tribe's respect for nature. after they perform the sedekah gunung ritual, the jerieng tribe takes a break from activities related to interfering with natural resources around them. because they already carry out these productive activities all year round, this ban gives nature time to rest from human interference. object in sedekah gunung tradition according to peirce in cobley (2001, p. 8), object is the ‘semiotic object' which the sign relates. additionally, objects are signs that do not have to be concrete, do not have to be visible (observable) or exist as empirical reality, but can also be other abstract entities, even imaginary and fictitious (firdayani, syamsudduha & hajrah, 2023). therefore, these are objects that relate to representamens that found in sedekah gunung tradition: feast, art performance, prayer ceremony, gong, water from seven diffferent springs, harvest, food. interpretation of the rite in sedekah gunung this research describes the representation of the jerieng tribe's beliefs in the myth behind the sedekah gunung tradition held in pelangas village, west bangka. this tradition is an important part of jerieng’s tribe culture as well as strengthening their identity because this tradition has been practiced for generations. the myths that can be found from this traditional ceremony are various representations that indicate that the jerieng tribe believes in the sacredness and ability of the ceremony to influence their harvest. the myth that can be inferred from these various procedures is that the jerieng tribe believes in a symbiosis cycle of give and take between themselves and nature. because this ritual is a form of gratitude and a way for the jerieng tribe to give their harvest back to nature through various processions such as reading prayers and offerings left on the ritual site. not only that, the myth about this ritual is also symbolized by various forms of respect that the jerieng tribe expresses towards the nature around them. starting from collecting water from seven different springs to implementing prohibitions on farming, fishing and slaughtering livestock, these things are a representation of the way the jerieng tribe respects nature and their environment. moreover, when the main ritual was taking place, datuk janum, the leader of the sedekah gunung procession and the village shaman, stated that he tried to be an intermediary to communicate with living creatures in nature, be they plants, animals or the supernatural. however, everything is still intended in the name of the creator (ismi, 2022). from that statement, it can be concluded that sedekah gunung is meant to be a ritual in which suku jerieng would communicate with the nature through the medium of this ritual. furthermore, datuk janum in ismi (2022) also stated that during the pandemic of 2020 the sedekah gunung ritual had to be postponed due to health issue. as a result, locals of jerieng tribe suffered from bad harvest throughout those years. based on that statement, jerieng tribe expressed their belief that the absence of this ritual might resulted in bad harvest and so on. in addition, masliadi, leader of kelompok sadar wisata desa pelangas, stated that through sedekah gunung, they are taught to be wise in managing natural resources, sharing with others, and comply with existing restrictions taught by the ancestor (ismi, 2022). the statements from the two community figures certainly represent the beliefs of the jerieng tribe in general. belief in the myth of a symbiotic relationship of giving and receiving between the jerieng tribe and the nature around them is symbolized through the sedekah gunung tradition. moral value in sedekah gunung tradition sedekah gunung tradition offers an array of valuable lessons that can be gleaned from the study of literature and culture. these include an appreciation for nature, a commitment to maintaining harmony between human to human and human to nature, increasing the sense of compassion, building the spirit of collaboration, and mutual respect. more importantly, it is of paramount importance to safeguard the local wisdom of bangka, particularly its rich cultural heritage and oral traditions, including the unique oral literature of the jerieng tribe. conclusion sedekah gunung is a tradition passed down from generation to generation that has been practiced by the jerieng tribe since ancient times. this tradition is a tourist attraction and cultural heritage that is highly valued by the local community. moreover, this activity is also a cultural heritage that shows the various essences and traditions possessed by the jerieng tribe community originating from bangka island, andri fernanda, irvan ansyari, & arthur muhammad farhaby a semiotic analysis of jerieng tribe's sedekah gunung tradition 336 bangka belitung province, indonesia. the results of research regarding the portrayal of myth in jerieng tribe's sedekah gunung tradition found several points of myth representation based on charles sanders peirce's semiotic theory. through the representamen, object, and interpretant that have been described, the jerieng tribe uses this ritual as a medium to communicate with nature and express their gratitude. therefore, this tradition symbolizes the myth of the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature. not only that, various communal activities held during the ritual also strengthen social relations between the various parties involved. therefore, sedekah gunung by the jerieng tribe does symbolize the myth that this tribe adhere to. with this analysis, it can help to understand the cultural values that are upheld by indonesian society, especially sedekah gunung tradition. acknowledgement the authors would like to thank the research institutions and community service of universitas bangka belitung for providing funds in this research, so that this research which related to sedekah gunung of jerieng tribe can be done completely. references adref, f., & malik, t. (2023). development of human resources, competence, and supervision of the performance of clinical nursing staff in hospitals. journal of indonesian scholars for social research, 3(1), 33-43. alhady, m. a. (2023) filsafat sangkan paraning dumadi menurut r. ng ronggowarsito dalam mitos serat paramayoga (bachelor's thesis, fu). amarsa, a. r., & suryaman, m. (2023). representamen pada cerpen “gatotkaca” karya bakdi soemanto. transformatika: jurnal bahasa, sastra, dan pengajarannya, 7(1), 6273. andini, n. a. f. (2022). prinsip pernikahan dalam alqur’an dalam karya seni (analisis prinsip pernikahan dalam film belok kanan barcelona) (doctoral dissertation, iain ponorogo). aprianti, d., & sodikin, s. (2023). pengalaman ibu dalam penanganan demam dengan bejampi pada suku jerieng di kabupaten bangka barat. jurnal persatuan perawat nasional indonesia (jppni), 7(3). arahman, a., pratiwi, i. k., nabila, f., & siallagan, l. (2024). pengaruh mitologi terhadap pandangan hidup masyarakat etnis simalungun. hikamatzu| journal of multidisciplinary, 1(2), 102-110. azzahra, l., ardiansyah, r., kurniasih, l., nafiza, b., habibah, a., & yusnaldi, e. (2024). toleransi keanekaragaman budaya dan suku bangsa. jurnal ilmu pendidikan muhammadiyah kramat jati, 5(1), 98-103. cobley, p. (2001). the routledge companion to semiotics and linguistics. united states: routledge. desike, v., audia, a., & wardani, w. (2021). konflik antar masyarakat etnis jawa di desa sukaraja tiga dan masyarakat etnis lampung di desa gedung wani kecamatan marga tiga lampung timur. social pedagogy: journal of social science education, 2(1), 82-95. dole, d. (2024). makna jalan kaki ditinjau dari perspektif filsafat dan kesehatan: studi fenomenologis terhadap camino san giovanni. aggiornamento, 4(02), 80-114. fadilla, a. r., & wulandari, p. a. (2023). literature review analisis data kualitatif: tahap pengumpulan data. mitita jurnal penelitian, 1(3), 34-46. fazillah, n. (2024). fenomena lgbt di wilayah syariat islam menurut perspektif hukum adat aceh. fenomena lgbt di wilayah syariat islam menurut perspektif hukum adat aceh., 1(1), 18-20. ferescky, a., safitri, d., & sujarwo, s. (2024). analisis tradisi seren taun sebagai sarana pelestarian kebudayaan sunda di era globalisasi. journal pendidikan ilmu pengetahuan sosial, 16(1), 105-113. fernanda, a., ansyari, i., & farhaby, a. m. (2024). ritual dan eksistensi ekologis: kajian ekokritik terhadap tradisi lisan dalam ritual ceriak nerang suku jerieng. escience humanity journal, 5(1), 1-8. fitri, m., & susanto, h. (2021). nilai sosial religi tradisi manopeng pada masyarakat banyiur. kalpataru: jurnal sejarah dan pembelajaran sejarah, 7(2), 161-169. ginting, p. w., revalino, r., astuti, p., jeremi, a., sitompul, b. u., nafisa, c., & defrianti, d. (2024). pengaruh perubahan sosial terhadap tradisi lisandi jambi. jurnal studi multidisipliner, 8(12) haase, f. (2022). speaking one’s mind: the sign as subject of interpretation in the manuscripts of charles s. peirce, between the theories of rhetoric and communication. semiotica, 2022, 79 98. https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2020-0086. harista, e., bohhori, b., & firdaus, w. (2023). ungkapan mitos kehamilan perspektif tokoh agama dan strukturasinya pada generasi milenial di provinsi kepulauan bangka belitung. scientia: jurnal hasil penelitian, 8(1), 21-36. hasanah, u. (2021). mitos-mitos budaya massa dalam novel anatomi rasa karya ayu utami: kajian english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 337 semiotika roland barthes (doctoral dissertation, stkip pgri bangkalan). hasibuan, s. n. h., wuriyani, e. p., & harahap, r. (2022). tradisi lisan adat mandailing kajian semiotik “makkobar”. joel: journal of educational and language research, 1(10), 1477-1486. hidayatullah, i. f. (2023). mitos pada novel manusia langit karya ja sonjaya dengan pendekatan mimetik. jurnal penelitian, pendidikan, dan pembelajaran, 18(35). ismi, n. (2022, september 3). sedekah gunung, menjaga keharmonisan manusia dan alam di pulau bangka. mongabay. https://www.mongabay.co.id/2022/09/03/sedeka h-gunung-menjaga-keharmonisan-manusia-danalam-di-pulau-bangka/ iswanto, y., & sardi, s. (2021). implementasi hukum adat suku jerieng dalam perspektif pendidikan islam. edugama: jurnal kependidikan dan sosial keagamaan, 7(1), 116-136. juliant, t. a. (2024). representasi mitos dan kepercayaan lokal dalam film sekawan limo: kajian semiotika rolland barthes. al-furqan: jurnal agama, sosial, dan budaya, 3(6), 27042729. mairita, d., kholil, s., & khairani, l. (2023). the strategy of communication to develop tourism in islamic education is based on the heritage of the islamic kingdom. edukasi islami: jurnal pendidikan islam, 12(02). malik, l. r. a., della kristianti, a., & kurniawan, e. d. (2023). mimpi si `lelaki tua itu dalam cerpen lelaki tua apa yang kau tunggu karya fajar ferdiansyah: analisis mimpi caral gustav jung. j-ceki: jurnal cendekia ilmiah, 3(1), 396-401. masni, n., astari, s., & antoni, r. s. (2024). mitosmitos dalam kepercayaan masyarakat. pendas: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan dasar, 9(1), 979-991. masrin, s. (2021). sedekah kampung peradong; sebuah tradisi di tanah bangka. guepedia. maulana, m. i., zaini, h., & ridwan, r. (2024). signifikasi lirik lagu “asmalibrasi” karya soegi bornean dalam perspektif semiotika roland barthes. enggang: jurnal pendidikan, bahasa, sastra, seni, dan budaya, 5(1), 282291. maulinda, r. (2021). nilai mistis dan mitos yang terkandung dalam novel kkn di desa penari karya simpleman. jurnal metamorfosa, 9(1), 30-41. membara, t., & purnomo, f. s. (2024). makna simbolik tradisi rebo kasan di desa air nyatoh kecamatan simpang teritip kabupaten bangka barat. edugama: jurnal kependidikan dan sosial keagamaan, 10(1), 548-567. muhajaroh, s., effendi, d., & fitriani, y. (2024). mitologi pantangan dalam religi dan budaya masyarakat desa sungai rotan kecamatan sungai rotan kabupaten muara enim (kajian semiotika). jurnal pembahsi (pembelajaran bahasa dan sastra indonesia), 14(1), 1-13. nisfiyah, l., & nugraha, m. a. s. (2023). tanda mitos keabadian pada film 17 selamanya karya hanung bramantyo dan implikasinya pada masyarakat. jupe: jurnal pendidikan mandala, 8(2), 399-407. nugroho, c. (2023). asal-usul mitos tokoh semar; eksistensi dan esensinya bagi masyarakat jawa. lakon jurnal pengkajian & penciptaan wayang, 20(1), 1-9. nurafia, r. (2021). mitos dalam novel haniyah dan ala di rumah teteruga karya erni aladjai. jurnal skripta, 7(2). palar, d. c., entas, d., & khotimah, s. h. (2023). people's perception of the myth of" kepunan" in bangka belitung islands province. santhet (jurnal sejarah pendidikan dan humaniora), 7(2), 803-808. ramadhan, i., sana, s., imran, i., & sikwan, a. (2024). analisis ritual tradisi tuang minyak pada wanita hamil etnis melayu di desa berlimang kabupaten sambas. sosio edukasi jurnal studi masyarakat dan pendidikan, 7(2), 136-151. ramdhan, m. (2021). metode penelitian. cipta media nusantara. saputra, p.p, ramadhani. t., & sinabutar m.j. (2021). peran perempuan dalam tradisi sedekah gunung di desa pelangas, kecamatan simpang teritip, kabupaten bangka barat. paradigma: jurnal kajian budaya 11, no. 3 (january). 10.17510/paradigma.v11i3.426. sari, h. p., & haryanti, y. (2024). makna simbolik dalam upacara adat sedekah bumi desa pelem kecamatan gabus kabupaten grobogan. jurnal indonesia: manajemen informatika dan komunikasi, 5(1), 974-982. sari, l., & tanjung, m. (2023). keterkaitan nilai-nilai adat upah-upah tondi dengan bimbingan konseling islam pada etnis batak mandailing. jurnal pendidikan islam alilmi, 6(2), 200-211. sugiarti, s., andalas, e. f., & bhakti, a. d. p. (2023). motif durhaka dalam cerita rakyat nusantara. satwika: kajian ilmu budaya dan perubahan sosial, 7(2), 593-605. sulistyorini, d. (2024). mitos masyarakat terhadap ritual di candi songgoriti sebagai warisan pengetahuan budaya lokal. diglosia: jurnal kajian bahasa, sastra, dan pengajarannya, 7(sp. iss), 57-66. tabrani, m. j. a., jasjfi, e. f., & saidi, a. i. (2023). analisis semiotika visual desain maskot kota makassar. jurnal seni dan reka rancang: jurnal ilmiah magister desain, 6(2), 235-254. tuffahati, s. t., & claretta, d. (2023). analisis resepsi penonton terhadap mitos menolak lamaran pernikahan dalam film yuni. jiip-jurnal ilmiah ilmu pendidikan, 6(3), 1793-1802. andri fernanda, irvan ansyari, & arthur muhammad farhaby a semiotic analysis of jerieng tribe's sedekah gunung tradition 338 turyani, i., suharini, e., & atmaja, h. t. (2024). norma dan nilai adat istiadat dalam kehidupan sehari-hari di masyarakat. sosial: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan ips, 2(2), 234-243. uyun, n. (2023). membaca mitos dan tradisi dalam konflik perkawinan beda etnis. populika, 11(1), 23-33. verolyna, d., & valentine, f. (2024). makna tradisi kedurai apem bagi masyarakat bungin kuning kabupaten lebong (doctoral dissertation, institut agama islam negeri curup). wada, f. h., pertiwi, a., hasiolan, m. i. s., lestari, s., sudipa, i. g. i., patalatu, j. s., & rahman, a. (2024). buku ajar metodologi penelitian. pt. sonpedia publishing indonesia. yulianti, i. (2024). mitos kerajaan jin di alas purwo banyuwangi indonesia dalam perspektif teori sakral dan profan emile durkheim. journal of social and economics research, 6(1), 127-136. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 911 development of picture word card media using modeling the way method in learning english vocabullary to improve class 4 learning outcomes yessica febriyanty elementary school teacher education,faculty of education and psychology, universitas negeri semarang, jawa tengah, indonesia email: yessicafebriyanty@gmail.com suratno elementary school teacher education,faculty of education and psychology, universitas negeri semarang, jawa tengah, indonesia email: suratno@mail.unnes.ac.id arif widagdo elementary school teacher education,faculty of education and psychology, universitas negeri semarang, jawa tengah, indonesia email: arifwidagdo@mail.unnes.ac.id apa scitation:. febriyanty, y., suratno, s., widagdo, a. (2024). development of picture word card media using modeling the way method in learning english vocabullary to improve class 4 learning outcomes. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(3), 911-922. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10404 received: 27-06-2024 accepted: 28-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction language skills in students can be determined by receiving language, expressing ideas, and literacy (widyasari, 2023). in the lower grades, namely level 4 elementary school, the language they will receive is the language found when they get to know the surrounding environment, so that the process of communication and interaction between children and people around them is created. the variety of language they receive becomes their vocabulary, where they will slowly understand the meaning of each word. the meaning is not equally owned by students, depending on their practice. this is related to the four language skills. first, listening skills are a form of receptive language skills. this means not only hearing the sounds of language but also understanding them. second, speaking skills are related to expressing ideas, ideas that are assembled using words to form a sentence. third, reading skills include not only simply pronouncing words but also understanding the meaning of a reading appropriately. fourth, writing skills are pouring an idea into the form of writing (aini, 2022). there are several ways to effectively acquire vocabulary in learners. among indonesians, there are differences in the way indonesian and english are pronounced, which can be followed up as it relates to vocabulary acquisition (firdausah & sari, 2022). one of the approaches that can be used by the low level, namely grade iv elementary school, is the singing technique. abstract: this study aims to develop picture cards and apply the modeling method to improve the learning outcomes of fourth grade students at sdn wonosari 01, semarang city. the reason the researcher determined the title was based on the findings of the problem when conducting a survey at the location of sdn 01 wonosari, semarang city. the development of picture cards is used as a tool for educators (teachers) to carry out the english learning process. in addition, the success of learning can be seen in the high motivation of students to learn so that learning objectives can be achieved. the researcher used the addie model, which consists of analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation stages. the methodology used in the research is quantitative research and development (r&d). the data collection techniques used in this study were surveys, interviews, and questionnaires. data analysis was carried out with normality, homogeneity, t-tests, and n-gain tests. after the data analysis stage, the picture card media was declared effective in improving the vocabulary and english learning outcomes of fourth grade students at sdn wonosari 01, semarang city. keywords: modeling the way method; picture cards. mailto:arifwidagdo@mail.unnes.ac.id yessica febriyanty, suratno, & arif widagdo development of picture word card media using modeling the way method in learning english vocabullary to improve class 4 learning outcomes 912 singing is identified as a way or method that can facilitate students in honing their speaking skills related to vocabulary refinement. through singing activities, students will get used to pronouncing words in english so as to produce fluency in the pronunciation of english vocabulary (meidipa, harahap, & syahfitri, 2022). the underlying reason for the researcher to conduct this research is the lack of student interest and motivation when learning english in class. this can be known based on the results of the researcher's observations during the teaching and learning activities (kbm) implemented. some of the factors that influence students' low interest in learning english, namely the learning media used by educators, are less varied or monotonous. and the learning method used is lecture. the lecture method is a method used by educators to provide information related to learning material that relies on teacher explanation (teacher center) (mulyanti & febriani, 2023). currently, the independent curriculum applies student-centered learning. that is, it focuses on students. this can increase effectiveness, facilitate interactive learning, and train students' skills in the classroom. the use of learning methods and media is a benchmark for student success in the classroom. interesting media will increase student motivation for learning and affect student psychology (nurhalimah, romdanih, & nurhasanah, 2021). previous research has also been conducted by other researchers as references in the form of journals, articles, theses, and theses. this explanation serves to show the novelty of the results of the research, which supports the importance of this research. not only that, the results of the exposure to relevant studies and findings also serve to avoid plagiarism. relevant research was conducted by desti rahmawansa (2024) from the early childhood education study program at the state islamic institute (iain) metro with the title development of picture card media towards vocabulary acquisition of 4-5 year old children at pkk 1 yosomulyo kindergarten, central metro. the research is related to the introduction of english vocabulary that has not been optimal, so researchers use picture card media to assist teachers in introducing vocabulary and how to memorize it to students. picture card media is designed according to the needs of students so that learning objectives can be achieved (cristilia, 2022). in addition, other previous research was conducted by asti iga sari (2022) from uin suska riau university, faculty of tarbiyah and keguruan. the thesis is entitled “application of the modeling the way method to improve speaking skills in indonesian language subjects of class iv students of bagan cempedak elementary school, rantau kopar district. the research is related to students' speaking skills in indonesian language subjects, which are still low. researchers used the modeling-the-way method to see if the method was effective in improving students' speaking skills. the modeling the way method is a method used by teachers to demonstrate activities in front of the class so that it can improve students' public speaking skills (jannah & jamaludin, 2022). studies of previous research findings that are relevant have some differences, namely that the research carried out by desti rahmawansa focuses on the age of children in acquiring vocabulary. my research focuses on the elementary school level, that is, the fourth grade of ten-year-olds. in addition, further research was conducted by asti iga sari using the same method, namely modeling, because the researchers focused on language skills (sy & dafit, 2024). the difference lies in the specified subjects and in such research to improve speaking skills on indonesian language loads. align with the above research as a reference in conducting this research, with the aim of providing solutions to the problems found as well as showing novelty by using some other theories and approaches used as advocates of the conclusion of this research. researchers made a design for the development of picture card media (flash cards) as one of the supporting tools for learning english. according to juliyanti (2022), picture card media is a card that contains the content of certain vocabulary learning materials arranged on each page according to alphabetical letters. picture card media is a card of a certain size that focuses on learning material. picture cards have two sides, namely the front and back sides. the front side of the card consists of picture illustrations, english vocabulary, and how students spell the word so that they can pronounce the word correctly (lubis, rahim, & nasution, 2023). the back side of the card consists of a qr barcode, which has the function of determining how to pronounce the vocabulary according to the british or american accent. picture cards have the function of introducing new vocabulary in order to establish interactive communication between teachers and students during learning. in addition, picture card media has other advantages, namely flexibility, meaning english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 913 that it is concise and can be used by anyone and anywhere. picture card media will be combined through the utilization of the modeling-based approach (wahyuni, 2020). the modeling-theway approach is considered appropriate for students at the lower grade level with the aim of increasing learning effectiveness (ayu, 2019). the reason behind the selection of the modelingthe-way approach by the researcher lies in the fact that this approach provides learners with the opportunity to engage in hands-on practice of specific skills acquired in the classroom (yendri, 2022). according to the research findings, it has been established that high-quality learning outcomes can be achieved through the implementation of effective learning processes. to facilitate the teaching and learning process, educators must have the skills to apply appropriate teaching methods that meet the requirements of students in an educational setting. the utilization of the modeling approach has the potential to improve students (hayya, 2024)' public speaking skills. in addition, another advantage of the modeling the way method is that it fosters courage in students, they can practice directly, and their learning becomes more effective. yustiani (2019) says that in using the modeling-the-way method to direct students in thinking and acting, students do not need to memorize vocabulary but understand it. based on the above problems, researchers want to develop picture card media with the modeling method for learning english vocabulary to improve the learning outcomes of fourth grade students at sdn wonosari 01 semarang. method this research uses quantitative methods. according to creswell in (amruddin, 2022), quantitative analysis is an effort to investigate a problem using numerical statistics. in addition, sugiyono (2019: 16–17) outlines the concept that quantitative methods are rooted in the principles of positivism for the purpose of investigating certain populations or samples. the phases involved in research require the utilization of data collection techniques, the formulation of research tools, and the implementation of data analysis to assess the proposed hypothesis. the research design process is implemented through the utilization of research and development (r&d) strategies, which are primarily focused on the creation and improvement of products. as highlighted by (sugiyono, 2019) research and development (r&d) design plays a crucial role in the validation and advancement of products in various industries. it is crucial to understand that research and development (r&d) design consists of a structured approach that guides product validation and development to meet market demands and consumer needs. the procedures involved in research and development (r&d) include several phases that are carefully planned and executed to achieve the desired results. each phase of the research and development (r&d) process serves a specific purpose, such as ideation, prototyping, testing, and implementation. through a systematic approach to research and development (r&d) procedures, organizations can improve their product offerings and gain a competitive advantage in the market. therefore, it is imperative for researchers and practitioners to adhere to established research and development (r&d) methodologies to ensure successful product validation and development. such as analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. the following is a chart of the addie development model used. figure 1. addie development model population, according to sugiyono (2019: 126), is a broad or general area consisting of objects and subjects characterized by certain quantities and attributes as determined by the researcher and referred to as population. for the purpose of this study, the population investigated was the entire fourth grade class of sdn wonosari 01 semarang, which consisted of 41 individuals. according to sugiyono (2019:127), a sample is a small subset of the population selected for the purpose of data analysis. in this particular study, the sample consisted of 9 individuals for class 4a (small scale) and 20 individuals for class 4b (large scale). the data collection techniques in this research included three main techniques: observation, interviews, and questionnaires. observation entails a thorough examination of the subject, focusing on identifying important details to inform the problem formulation stage. yessica febriyanty, suratno, & arif widagdo development of picture word card media using modeling the way method in learning english vocabullary to improve class 4 learning outcomes 914 furthermore, interviews were conducted to identify problems and find out things from respondents, namely english language study teachers, in depth and with a small number of respondents. the researcher used structured interviews by preparing a question instrument that had been prepared along with answer options. the next stage, known as the questionnaire survey, was designed to elicit reactions and feedback from educators and students regarding the progress of the picture card learning media organized by the researchers. the questionnaire was carefully crafted to be disseminated not only to material expert validators but also to media specialists to authenticate the carefully crafted picture card learning media by the researchers. a critical component in the research process, the research instrument is the fundamental mechanism used by the researchers to gain insights and opinions from diverse stakeholders, such as media specialists, subject matter experts, and educators involved in the evaluation of the developed picture cards. the invaluable suggestions and feedback provided by the validators and the pedagogical community, comprising teachers and learners, served as the foundation for evaluating the efficacy and relevance of the picture card media carefully curated by the researchers. these instruments were used to evaluate the feasibility of the developed products, such as picture cards. furthermore, feedback collected from media specialists, material experts, and educators was examined through quantitative and qualitative methodologies. qualitative information includes insights and recommendations provided by experts during the media and material validation processes, while quantitative data pertains to the statistical analysis of the collected data (gunarto, 2020). next, conduct feasibility tests, validity tests, and reliability tests. first, the feasibility test uses a likert scale. the reason for using a scale is that it can make it easier for researchers to use multilevel measurements. the purpose of this feasibility test is to evaluate the feasibility of making media based on surveys of media experts, material experts, teacher responses, and student responses. in this research, researchers used a likert scale to keep respondents neutral in choosing criteria. after finding the score, the percentage calculation will then be carried out using the formula: description: np : expected value r : respondent answer score sm : maximum score of the test taken tabel 1. assessment of media and material feasibility no percentage value category 1. 76%-100% very worthy 2. 51%-75% worthy 3. 26-50% decent enough 4. 0%-25% less worthy the next stage is the validation test, as explained by sugiyono (2019), where validity is related to the accuracy of the data collected from the object being examined compared to the data that the researcher can present. a measuring instrument is considered valid if it accurately measures what it is intended to measure. to ensure the validity of the problem items, a test device test was conducted. this involves test instruments in the form of multiple-choice questions that have been scrutinized by experts and then experimentally tested in a classroom environment. in this study, the validation test for the instrument includes evaluating the validity of the rubric. this rubric was used to evaluate the pretest and posttest. the assessment rubric functions as an instrument with an interval scale, so the validation of instrument items is carried out through the application of the product moment correlation coefficient formula. 𝛾𝑥𝑦 = 𝛴𝑥𝑦 √𝛴𝑥 2𝑦 2 description: 𝛾𝑥𝑦 = korelasi antara variabel x dengan y x = (𝑥𝑖 – x) y = (𝑦𝑖 – y) after this step, the next phase involved examining the initial data through descriptive analysis and normality tests. descriptive analysis entailed a detailed description of the data obtained from the interviews conducted with students and teachers at wonosari 01 state elementary school, located in semarang city. this analytical process was conducted on two separate occasions: first on a small scale and then on a larger scale. the purpose of the normality test is to assess whether or not the pretest and posttest results are normally english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 915 distributed. in this particular research study, the normality test was conducted using the shapiro formula with the help of the spss software application to facilitate the data collection process. furthermore, the post-analysis normality test results using spss were presented for further examination and interpretation. the results obtained from the normality test are crucial in determining the validity of the data and ensuring the reliability of the research findings. the utilization of statistical tools such as spss increases the accuracy and efficiency of the data analysis process, thereby contributing to the overall quality of the research study. it is imperative to carefully examine and interpret the results of the normality test in order to draw meaningful conclusions and make decisions based on the data analysis conducted. table 2. the data analysis statistic df sig statistic df sig pretest small scale .282 9 .037 .860 9 .095 postest small scale .247 9 .121 .894 9 .218 pretest big scale .195 9 .200* .911 9 .326 postest big scale .282 9 .038 .896 9 .230 based on the criteria, if the significance level (sig) is greater than 0.05, it indicates that the data follows a normal distribution. conversely, if the significance level is less than 0.05, it indicates that the data does not follow a normal distribution. the data collected during this study showed the characteristics of normality. utilizing the homogeneity test in statistical analysis allows for the determination of whether multiple samples derived from different populations exhibit comparable distributions or variances. the results of the homogeneity test derived from the data are presented below. table 3. results of homogeneity test levene statistic df1 df2 sig. pos tes t based on mean 6.730 1 27 .015 based on median 6.144 1 27 .020 based on median and with adjusted df 6.144 1 23.21 9 .021 based on trimmed mean 6.561 1 27 .016 the foundation of decision-making in the homogeneity test lies in determining whether the significance value (sig) calculated based on the mean exceeds 0.05, indicating homogeneity of the data. conversely, a significance value (sig) derived from the mean that is below 0.05 indicates the data is not homogeneous. according to the homogeneity test table, the data is categorized as homogeneous. furthermore, the n-gain test is carried out to measure the effectiveness of a media and learning method in improving student learning outcomes. the following is a table after the n-gain test using spss. table 4. n-gain test table n minimum maximum mean std. deviation ngain 9 72.94 88.28 79.7396 4.82690 valid n (listwi se) 9 results and discussion at the analysis stage, researchers collect a variety of information, including learners' knowledge, skills, and attitudes. this information came from observations and interviews conducted by the researcher. the main issue addressed in this research title relates to the challenges faced by learners as a result of poor english learning outcomes. the questions posed to educators in the english language subject area aimed to investigate the issue at hand. one of the questions involved exploring educators' perceptions regarding students' understanding of classroom teaching. furthermore, the researchers inquired about any actions that had been implemented to address the identified problems. in addition, the researchers sought to understand the factors contributing to students' lack of motivation in english language learning. the data collected from the responses of the educators (who acted as respondents) was critical to charting the next steps in the development of the solution-oriented product. this data serves as a basis for designing strategies to effectively address the challenges faced by students in learning english. in addition, it allows researchers to identify patterns and trends that can inform the design of interventions aimed at improving english learning outcomes. through systematic analysis of the information collected, researchers can gain valuable insights into underlying problems and potential solutions. this research yessica febriyanty, suratno, & arif widagdo development of picture word card media using modeling the way method in learning english vocabullary to improve class 4 learning outcomes 916 process underscores the importance of collaboration between researchers and educators in addressing complex educational challenges. in conclusion, the findings obtained from this research have the potential to significantly influence the quality of english education and improve learning outcomes for students. the analysis stage is the first step taken to assess the learning objectives and needs of students based on field data. furthermore, researchers identified the problems found at sdn wonosari 01 semarang. the results obtained after conducting observations and interviews with educators (teachers) revealed problems in class iv sd, namely in english subjects (nailufary & rahmawati, 2021). (1) the lack of variety and monotony observed in the learning media used during the educational process has been identified as a key factor leading to the suboptimal english learning outcomes demonstrated by grade 4 students enrolled at sdn wonosari 01 semarang. (2) one of the main issues noted was the reliance on learning methods by educators when disseminating subject matter to students, which has been shown to have a direct impact on their academic achievement levels and overall proficiency in english. (3) the ineffectiveness of the learning experience can be attributed to the lack of meaningful two-way interaction that takes place between teachers and students, a critical component that is essential for fostering an environment conducive to language acquisition and comprehension among learners. based on these problems, it is necessary to develop media and learning methods in order to increase student learning outcomes. after the researcher analyzes the problems of students, the next step is to design a picture card that will be used as a learning medium (warda & kumalasari, 2023). the steps are as follows: (1) determine the type of picture card paper and the size to be used for card making. the researcher used ivory paper with a size of 14.8x10.5. (2) develop a picture card content component that contains two sides of the card: the front side and the back side. the front side of the picture card contains vocabulary information consisting of picture illustrations, words, and how to spell the word. the back side contains a qr code (barcode), which, when scanned, will display information on how to pronounce the vocabulary. (3) determine the type of font used for the vocabulary on the card. (4) create an attractive design using the canva application. (5) develop an assessment instrument to determine whether the product made by researchers is feasible/effective for use by class iv sdn wonosari 01 semarang. figure 2. front side picture design picture card media design (left: before product revision, right: after product revision) figure 3. back side picture (picture card) figure 4. picture card packaging picture table 5. details of design no parts and components design 1. front side of the picture card media section 1) the unnes logo 2) title 3) name of supervisor 4) name of the supervaising lecturer 5) vocabulary 6) the author 2. back side of the picture card media 1) vocabulary 2) scan qr barcode the media used by researchers is in the form of picture card media to introduce new english vocabulary to help improve student learning outcomes (nida et al., 2020). after designing the picture card, the product is assessed or validated by media experts and material experts. in determining the media expert, the researcher english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 917 chooses someone with expertise in the field of learning media so that the product design can be assessed based on its proper function. the following is a media expert validation instrument questionnaire. table 6. media expert instrument no assesment aspects score note 1 2 3 4 1. contents eligibility aspect a. the picture cards are practical √ very worthy b. picture cards are long-term. √ worthy c. appropriateness of size, shape, and font √ very worthy d. the design of the picture card display attracts students. √ worthy e. the materials used are harmless picture card for grade iv. √ very worthy f. the media is practical and flexible √ very worthy g. picture cards have two sides, front and back. √ very worthy h. the front of the picture card consists of vocabulary and picture illustrations. √ very worthy i. the back of the picture card consusts of a scanned barcode that is used to train students of speak according to their vocabulary √ very worthy j. the theme of the picture cards is in accordance with the material studied, namely transportation √ very worthy k. picture card media can train students to learn vocabulary. √ very worthy 2. aspects of technical feasibility a. attractive media display √ worthy b. media is easy to use √ very worthy c. accuracy of letter selection √ worthy d. accuracy of color selection √ very worthy e. appropriateness of choosing an image composition √ worthy f. overall display quality of content √ very worthy g. ease of understanding in using the media. √ very worthy h. picture card media can be used independently by students √ very worthy i. picture card media is effectively used during teaching and learning activities √ worthy the "feasible" category received a score of 3, and the "very feasible" category received a score of 4, according to the results of the media expert assessment instrument questionnaire. the development of image card media can be examined in both small and large courses following a media expert assessment to determine whether or not employing picture card media improves instruction. following validation, the researcher computed the following results from the acquisition of the media expert instrument: description : np : percent value sought r : raw score obtained sm : the maximum score of the corresponding test it is confirmed that the total number of scores provided by participants was 76, based on the data shown in the table and the calculations that followed. consequently, the ultimate percentage attained was 95, which was classified as "very feasible." using image card media as a teaching tool is a successful tactic that may be used to raise the academic achievement of grade 4 children at yessica febriyanty, suratno, & arif widagdo development of picture word card media using modeling the way method in learning english vocabullary to improve class 4 learning outcomes 918 sdn wonosari 01, semarang city. subsequently, an expert assessment of the educational materials was carried out to determine their adequacy with respect to the content they cover. in order to assess whether the content included in the image card media is appropriate for the learning aim, which is unit 11 on transportation. the following is the material expert assessment, as follows table 7. material expert instruments no assesment aspects score note 1 2 3 4 1. contents eligibility aspect a. picture card media can improve english vocabulary. √ very worthy b. picture cards can train speaking skills, namely how to pronounce the pronunciation of certain vocabulary. √ worthy c. accuracy between vocabulary and picture illustrations. √ very worthy d. vocabulary according to the theme of transportation √ very worthy e. in the picture card media there is simple present tense material √ very worthy f. picture cards with examples of words/objects in the neighborhood √ very worthy 2. aspects of language feasibility a. the language used is communicative. √ worthy b. language used is easy to understand √ worthy c. the language used is appropriate for the level of primary school education √ worthy d. the language used is not double meaning √ very worthy based on the results of the material expert assessment instrument questionnaire, a score of 3 was obtained for the “feasible” category and a score of 4 for the “very feasible” category. after conducting a material expert assessment, the development of picture card media can be tested on small and large-scale classes to see if using picture card media becomes more effective. after validation, the researcher calculated the results of the acquisition of the material expert instrument as follows: description : np : percent value sought r : raw score obtained sm : the maximum score of the corresponding test based on the table and calculations above, it is known that the number of respondents' scores amounted to 36. so that the final percentage obtained is 90 and is included in the “very feasible” category. picture card media can be applied as one of the learning media to improve the learning outcomes of fourth grade students at sdn wonosari 01, semarang city. after the analysis and design stages, the next stage is implementation. this stage is a continuation after the product is declared feasible and has been improved to be more effective and efficient. at the implementation stage, the picture cards were tested in class iv sdn wonosari 01, semarang city. picture card trial research was conducted directly with teachers and students. then the researcher gave a questionnaire to teachers and students after the picture card media test to find out the user's response to the feasibility of the card learning media developed by the researcher. the evaluation stage is the conclusive phase of the process, carefully conducted to assess the results obtained from traversing the many previous stages. this evaluation stage is carefully designed to improve the visual media produced in the form of picture cards. recommendations and insights from various stakeholders, including validators, educators, and students, are the basis english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 919 for the assessment of the picture card media developed by the researchers. the examination of normality tests to assess the learning outcomes of grade 4 students at sdn wonosari 01 semarang involved the administration of pretest and posttest assessments. this study focused on english learning outcomes. the efficacy of the picture word card method was evaluated through the analysis of pretest and posttest data. pretest scores were collected before students used the picture word card method for learning, while posttest scores were collected after the application of this method. table 8. small group normality test statistic df sig statistic df sig pretest small scale .282 9 .037 .860 9 .095 posttest small scale .247 9 .121 .894 9 .218 table 9. large group normality test statistic df sig statistic df sig pretest large scale .195 9 .200 .911 9 .326 postest large scale .282 9 .038 .896 9 .230 based on the results presented in the table describing the results of the normality test conducted on pretest and posttest scores using the shapiro-wilk test, it can be concluded that the normality testing criteria specify that data is considered to follow a normal distribution if the significance value exceeds 0.05. moreover, in cases where the significance value is equal to 0.05, it can be concluded that the pretest and posttest scores show a normal distribution pattern. the hypotheses examined in this particular research endeavor were subjected to the paired samples t-test, a statistical procedure designed to ascertain whether the hypothesis being investigated is embraced or refuted. this hypothesis testing is done through the utilization of the spss program to conduct the t-test. acceptance or rejection of the hypothesis relies on whether the significance value is less than the predetermined α level, where α is set at 0.05. the formulation of the research hypothesis is described as follows: ho: there is no significant difference in the improvement of english learning outcomes between the utilization of picture card media and modeling method. ha: there is a significant difference in the improvement of english learning outcomes between the utilization of picture card media and modeling method. table 10.paired sample test mean std . deviation std. eror mea n lower upper t df one sided p two sided p pair 1 pre post ( small scale) -20.54444 16.0401 3.7807 -285210 -12.5679 -5434 17 <,0001 <,0001 pair 2 pre post (large scale) -29.6556 20.6594 6.8865 -45.5358 -137753 -4.306 8 .001 .003 test (n-gain), which is a statistical analysis conducted to ascertain the average improvement between pretest and posttest results in small and large group trials. the n-gain test involves calculating the average increase in pretest and posttest scores. presented below are the n-gain test results from the small-scale group trial using picture word card stimuli with 4th grade students of sdn wonosari 01 semarang. table 11. small-scale mean (n-gain) test n minimum maximum mean std. deviation ngain 9 72.94 88.28 79.7396 4.82690 valid n (listwise) 9 in addition, the following are the results of the n-gain test on large-scale group trials using picture card media for fourth grade students of sdn wonosari 01 semarang. table 6.large-scale mean (n-gain) test n minimum maximum mean std. deviation ngain 20 39.57 88.31 69.8422 13.68363 the results of the n-gain test calculation showed that there was a significant increase in the average pretest and posttest scores in the large group test, meeting the moderate criteria. this shows that the utilization of picture word card media in unit 11 of class iv transportation materials at wonosari 01 state elementary school in semarang city is indeed effective. conclusion based on the results of the above research, it can be concluded that learning methods and media using the modeling method and picture card media are effectively used at grade iv sdn wonosari 01, semarang city. the process of designing cards and their utilization is carried out according to the addie development pattern, which consists of several stages, namely analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. the development of picture card media utilizes the canva application, which is designed to design cards to be attractive and used yessica febriyanty, suratno, & arif widagdo development of picture word card media using modeling the way method in learning english vocabullary to improve class 4 learning outcomes 920 based on certain functions. picture cards consist of two sides, namely the front and back (juliyanti, 2022). the front side has a function to display english vocabulary, spelling, and picture illustrations. while the back side consists of a qr scan barcode code for how to pronounce vocabulary correctly. the card media development has passed the evaluation stage carried out by several media and material experts so that the cards produced are in accordance with the functions based on the needs of students in the classroom. the results obtained are 95% included in the “very feasible” category to be used as effective media to support english language learning. picture-based cards were used as a tool to facilitate english language acquisition and improve learners' educational achievement. the n-gain assessment was used to evaluate the average progress between pretest and posttest results during the small-scale and large-scale trials. the n-gain analysis was conducted with the help of the statistical package for social sciences (spss). the final result was above average with a score of 80. acknowledgments i would like to express my gratitude and thank god for his grace in making me able to complete this article well. i am also grateful to my supervisor, who has guided me in the preparation of this article. i am also grateful to my beloved parents, who always pray and support me in writing articles. i am also grateful to the people around me, who also always support and encourage me in arranging articles. thanks also to the journal publication team, journal of english education (erjee) university of kuningan, for helping me publish my article. references aini, n. (2022). peningkatan hasil belajar penguasaan kosakata bahasa inggris materi daily activity melalui penggunaan media kartu kata bergambar pada siswa. jurnal kinerja kependidikan facilities of educator career and educational scientific information, 4(3), 632-647. amruddin. (2022). metodologi penelitian kuantitatif. pradina pustaka. andani, f., wulandari, a., fibaroqa, n., ilalang, r., & khoirunnisa, n. (2023). penggunaan media gambar dan kartu huruf untuk meningkatkan kemampuan membaca siswa disleksia di sd negeri 50 kota bengkulu. jkip : jurnal kajian ilmu pendidikan, 4(1), 144-151. ani, a. m. (2019). penggunaan media kartu bergambar sebagai upaya meningkatkan kemampuan berbicara pada mata pelajaran bahasa inggris. jurnal ilmu sosial dan pendidikan, 2(1). asihaningtyas, f. (2023). pengembangan media pembelajaran flashcard bergambar untuk meningkatkan kosa kata bahasa inggris oada siswa kelas 3 sdn malangnengah ii. jurnal humaniora, vol 7 no 3. azzahra, z., & sya, m. f. (2023). musikmnemonicdan kartu bergambar dalam pemerolehan kosakata bahasa inggris bagi siswa sekolah dasar. karimah tauhid, 2(2), 498-503. doi:https://doi.org/10.30997/karimahtauhid.v2 i2.7845 cipta, n. h. (2021). model-model pembelajaran sd. tofani multikreasi bandung. cristilia, l. (2022). pembelajaran berbicara bahasainggris untuk siswa kelas v sd menggunakan model pembelajaran kontekstual berbantuan media gambar(flash card). journal profesi pendidikan (jpp), 1(1), 11-17. doi:https://doi.org/10.22460/jpp.v1i1.10362 fahruddin, rachmayanti, i., astini, b. n., & safitri, n. (2022). efektivitas penggunaan media kartu bergambar untuk meningkatkan kemampuan berbicara anak. journal of classroom action research, 4(1), 49-53. doi:10.29303/jcar.v4i1.1378 firdausah, a., & sari, d. m. (2022). teaching vocabulary to young learners using flashcards. jurnal bahasa, sastra,seni, dan budaya, 6(2), 719-724. fitriani, a. (2019). pengaruh penerapan metode modeling the way terhadap hasil belajar keterampilan menyusun paragraf bahasa indonesia murid kelas iii sdn 7 letta kecamatan bantaeng. jurnal kajian pendidikan dasar, vol 4 no 1. fitriyani, e. (2019). efektivitas media flash card dalam meningkatkan kosa kata bahasa inggris. jurnal ilmiah psikologi, vol 4 no 2. gunarto. (2020). model dan metode pembelajaran di sekolah. unissula press. hamina, y. (2022). penggunaan metode modeling the way dalam pembelajaran kosa kata bahasa inggris untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar kelas viii smp negeri 2 tembilahan tahun ajaran 2019/2020. jurnal pendidikan tambusai, 6(2). hasanah, t. a. (2019). penggunaan media flash card untuk meningkatkan daya ingat kosa kata bahasa inggris siswa kelas iv sekolah dasar. primaria educationem journal , vol 2 no 2. hasriani, & nasaruddin. (2022). penggunaan media kartu bergambar untuk meningkatkan kemampuan membaca nyaring siswa kelas ii sekolah dasar. pinisi journal of education, vol 2 no 1. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 921 hayya, n. i. (2024). penerapan media pembelajaran flash card dalam proses mengajar voccabulary di sdn diwek 1. educurio, 2(2), 192-202. hesti, r. m., & nuryanti, l. (2022). efektivitas media flashcardterhadapketerampilan menulis kosakata bahasa inggris siswa sekolah dasar. jurnal inervensi psikologi, 14(1), 69-80. doi:https://doi.org/10.20885/intervensipsikolo gi.vol14.iss1.art7 husein, a. m., & agustin, d. (2023). peningkatan penguasaan kosakata bahasa inggrismelalui penggunaan media flashcard (kartu bergambar). jurnal ika : ikatan alumni pgsd unars, 13(1), 298-308. doi:https://doi.org/10.36841/pgsdunars.v13i1. 3159 jannah, m., & jamaludin, u. (2022). penguasaan kosa kata bahasa inggris melalui media flash card di sekolah dasar. jurnal pendidikan dan konseling, 4(6), 11172-11176. juliyanti, c. (2022). bumkar "buku album kartu bergambar". universitas pendidikan indonesia. kharisma, a. (2019). pembelajaran kosa kata bahasa inggris menggunakan metode modeling the way pada kelas iv mi ma'arif kabupaten ponorogo. jurnal pendidikan sekolah dasar, vol 7 no 3. kusharjanto, a. h. (2022). implementasi media flashcard untuk meningkatkan ketrampilan membaca bahasa inggris kelas ix. adi karsa: jurnal teknologi komunikasi pendidikan, 13(2), 82-91. doi:https://doi.org/10.51169 lubis, m. s., rahim, r., & nasution, a. (2023). implementasi alat edukasi kartu bergambar (flash card) dalam meningkatkan kemmapuan bahasa inggris siswa. jurnal pengabdian kepada masyarakat nusa mandiri, vol 5 no 2. meidipa, l. f., harahap, n., & syahfitri, d. (2022). efektivitas penggunaan media gambar pada pembelajaran vocabulary bahasa inggris di institut teknologi dan kesehatan sumatera utarakota padangsidimpuan. jurnal pengabdian kepada masyarakat, 1(1). mulyanti, e., & febriani, m. (2023). pemerolehan kosa kata bahasa inggris dengan media kartu bergambar di sekolah dasar. karimah tauhid, 2(2). mustari, r. e., akib, t., & amri, n. a. (2020). media kartu kata bergambar terhadap penguasaan. tematik jurnal pemikiran dan penelitian pendidikan anak usia dini, 6(1), 8-14. nailufary, l., & rahmawati, l. (2021). teacher books my next words. pusat kurikulum dan perbukuan badan penelitian dan pengembangan dan perbukuan kementerian pendidikan, kebudayaan, riset, dan teknologi . novianti, y. (2020). meningkatkan penguasaan kosakata bahasa inggris melalui penggunaan media kartu gambarpada siswa kelas vii smpn 1 muara bungo. jurnal muara pendidikan, 5(1), 551-556. doi:https://doi.org/10.52060/mp.v5i1.277 nurhalimah, romdanih, & nurhasanah. (2021). upaya meningkatan penguasaan kosakata bahasa inggris melalui penggunaan media kartu gambar. prosiding seminar nasional pendidikan stkip kusuma negara ii, 72-78. rahmawati, l., angrisia , n., & nailufary, l. (2021). student books my next words. pusat kurikulum dan perbukuan badan penelitian dan pengembangan dan perbukuan kementerian pendidikan, kebudayaan, riset, dan teknologi. rahmayanti. (2022). meningkatkan vocabulari siswa dengan menggunakan media flashcard pada pembelajaran bahasa inggris. cendekia: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 10(2), 251-258. doi:https://doi.org/10.33659/cip.v10i2.238 ramadani, i. a. (n.d.). peran,fungsi,dan kedudukan bahasa dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. 8. rsg, h. d. (2023). pembelajaran kosa kata bahasa inggris untuk anak didik usia 4-5 tahun. jurnal bintang pendidikan indonesia (jubpi), 1(1), 18-22. doi:https://doi.org/10.55606/jbpi.v1i1.918 runtuwarouw, j. j. (2019). the effectiveness of using picture card as learning media to teaching of japanese tadoushi and jidoushi. atlantis press, 873-879. doi:https://doi.org/10.2991/icss-19.2019.53 saputri, s. w. (2020). pengenalan flashcard sebagai media untuk meningkatkan kemampuan bahasa inggris. jurnal abdikarya, 2(1), 5661. doi:https://doi.org/10.47080/abdikarya.v2i1.1 061 setiyana, t., ismaya, e. a., & ermawati, d. (2023). media kartu dengan kearifan lokal gusjiganguntuk pembelajaran bahasa inggris siswa kelas ivsd. eduvation: jurnal ilmu kependidikan, 18(1), 118-128. doi:https://doi.org/10.29408/edc.v18i1.9438 shafa, i. (2022). pengembangan media flash card materi pahlawanku untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa sekolah dasar. jurnal basicedu, vol 6 no 2. shilfani, biringkanae, a., taula'bi, n., & sudarsi, e. t. (2023). pelatihan bahasa inggris kepada guide cilik dengan menggunakan media flash card berbasis kearifan lokal pada lokasi wisata ke’te’ kesu’ toraja utara. madaniya, 4(3), 1288-1294. doi:https://doi.org/10.53696/27214834.545 shofa, n., khafidin, d., novita, d., hikmah, a. l., & bakhruddin, a. (2024). pengenalan media flashcard untuk meningkatkan kemampuan yessica febriyanty, suratno, & arif widagdo development of picture word card media using modeling the way method in learning english vocabullary to improve class 4 learning outcomes 922 kosa kata bahasa inggris sdn sampok. seminar nasional pengabdian kepada masyarakat (sandimas), 905-910. sugiyono. (2019). metodelogi penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r&d. alfabeta. sulaiman, e., & aprianti, i. (2024). pengajaran kosakata bahasa inggris kepada anak sd di lingkungan gereja petra kefamenanu, timor tengah utara. journal of human and education, 4(2), 299-305. sy, n. u., & dafit, f. (2024). pengaruh media kartu kata terhadap kemampuan membaca siswa kelas 1 sekolah dasar. didaktika: jurnal kependidikan, 13(1), 779-789. doi:https://doi.org/10.58230/27454312.517 toisuta, m. (2023). penggunaan media kartu bergambar dalam meningkatkan kosa kata bahasa inggris siswa kelas vii smp 3 imanosol. jurnal inovasi tenaga pendidik dan kependidikan, vol 3 no 2. umami, n. (2024). pengaruh media kartu kata terhadap kemampuan membaca siswa kelas 1 sekolah dasar. didaktika: jurnal kependidikan, vol 13 no 1. wahyuni, s. (2020). penerapan media flash card untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar tema "kegiatan ku". jurnal ilmiah sekolah dasar, vol 4 no 1. warda, y., & kumalasari, i. (2023). penggunaan media flashcard untuk mengenalkan kosakata dasar bahasa inggris pada anak usia dini. jurnal pengembangan profesi guru pendidikan agama islam, 7(2), 516-522. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.30821/ansiru.v7i2.171 34.g7231 wati, i., oka, i. g., & padmadewi, n. n. (2020). penggunaan flash card dalam meningkatkan penguasaan kosakata bahasa inggris peserta didik. indonesia gender and society journal, 1(2), 41-49. widyasari, e. y. (2023). strategi penggunaan kartu uno edukatif dalam rangka peningkatan keefektivan pembelajaran kosa kata bahasa inggris dan bahasa sunda bagi guru sd pengadilan. jurnal pkm ilmu pendidikan, vol 6 no 2. yustiani. (2019). peningkatan kemampuan mengungkapkan makna dan langkah retorika mata pelajaran bahasa inggris melalui metode modeling the way siswa kelas viii b smpn kecamatan slahung. jurnal ilmiah pengenbangan pendidikan, vol 5 no 2. zubaidillah, m. h. (2019). pengaruh media kartu bergambar (flash card) terhadap penguasaan kosakata bahasa arab. jurnal ilmiah pembelajaran bahasa arab dan kebahasaaraban, 2(1), 41-56. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.35931/am.v2i1.90 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 9 youth language uncovered: meta-synthetic insights into gen z and gen alpha slang veronika deyanova paoleti universidad de córdoba, spain e-mail: vpaoleti@ffos.hr nur fathiyya zahira mujahidah niğde ömer halisdemir university, türkiye e-mail: fathiyyamujahidah@gmail.com apa citation: paoleti, v. d., & mujahidah, n. f. z. (2025). youth language uncovered: meta-synthetic insights into gen z and gen alpha slang. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 9-16. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.11425 received: 25-10-2024 accepted: 21-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 introduction the rapid evolution of digital communication has profoundly impacted the linguistic landscapes of younger generations, particularly gen z and gen alpha. these cohorts, who have grown up with technology and social media, use language that reflects their unique experiences, identities, and the digital platforms they frequent. this study focuses on understanding the slang and communication patterns of gen z and gen alpha, analyzing how digital environments, such as social media platforms like tiktok, x (formerly twitter), and instagram, shape their language use and cultural identity (rachmijati & cahyati, 2024; ugoala, 2024; conny et al., 2024). the role of slang in youth culture, serving as both an in-group identity marker and a boundary-defining tool, is a key feature of how these generations communicate in the digital era (mcarthur, 2016). for gen z, their linguistic practices are deeply intertwined with the platforms they frequent, especially tiktok, where memes and slang work as cultural shorthand to communicate ideas quickly and effectively (stahl & literat, 2023). their use of memes, viral trends, and language play within these digital spaces has created a new lexicon that is continually evolving (vardeman, 2022). similarly, gen alpha, as digital natives, has embraced an even more fluid and diverse language structure, drawing on the technology and communication tools they encounter in their everyday lives (huss & eastep, 2024; matsumoto et al., 2019). their engagement with technology has allowed for faster linguistic innovation and adaptation, with the younger generation pushing abstract: this study aims to analyze the linguistic behaviors of gen z and gen alpha, focusing on their use of slang, the influence of digital platforms, and the broader cultural and societal implications of their language practices. a meta-synthetic research design was employed, synthesizing data from 30 academic articles, conference proceedings, and credible publications spanning 2016–2024. thematic synthesis techniques were applied, including coding, categorization into thematic areas, and meta-synthesis to identify patterns and trends. quantitative metrics, such as the frequency of slang usage on platforms like tiktok and instagram, were also analyzed to examine inter-generational differences. the findings reveal that both generations use slang as a cultural marker, with gen z favoring socio-political expressions such as "no cap" and "woke," while gen alpha leans towards playful, meme-based phrases like "skibidi" and "pog." digital platforms significantly shape their linguistic behaviors, with tiktok fostering short-lived trends and instagram blending slang with visual storytelling. gen z exhibits adaptability in integrating slang into formal and informal communication, whereas gen alpha faces challenges balancing slang usage with traditional literacy skills. the study also highlights the economic relevance of youth slang, as brands adopt generational language to engage audiences effectively. the study emphasizes the adaptive and expressive nature of youth slang, which serves as both a creative tool and a cultural identifier in the digital era. however, challenges such as maintaining traditional literacy skills and linguistic diversity warrant further attention. it is recommended that educators, policymakers, and marketers leverage these insights to bridge generational communication gaps, design effective learning strategies, and create relatable marketing campaigns. future research should explore longitudinal studies and cross-cultural comparisons to deepen our understanding of the evolution and impact of youth language. keywords : cultural identity; digital communication; gen alpha; gen z; linguistic innovation; metasynthetic analysis; online communities; slang; social media; youth language. veronika deyanova paoleti & nur fathiyya zahira mujahidah youth language uncovered: meta-synthetic insights into gen z and gen alpha slang 10 boundaries in both formal and informal language settings. slang usage in the digital age is not only a social phenomenon but also a cultural one, where language adapts to reflect the rapid changes in technology, identity, and global connectivity. studies have highlighted how the rise of digital communication tools has redefined communication practices and social behaviors, particularly through the development of digital slang (henry & shannon, 2023; petrova & vasichkina, 2021). moreover, gen z’s adoption of internet culture, including hyper-consumerist language, reflects broader economic and social trends, which, as noted by moravčíková (2022), underscores the intertwined nature of language and culture in the digital age. similarly, the increasing prevalence of online influencers and digital marketing strategies has played a role in shaping the communication styles and language choices of younger generations (martaningrat & kurniawan, 2024). gen z’s ability to construct meaning through internet slang has been a subject of much scholarly attention, yet there is a relative scarcity of research on how their language might be evolving into the next phase with gen alpha, especially in relation to their communication across digital platforms (douglas, 2023; agustina et al., 2024). a notable gap in the literature exists in comparing the slang usage between these two cohorts, as well as understanding how their language adapts to the rapidly changing digital environment. additionally, the exploration of how gen z and gen alpha are shaping language beyond the confines of traditional linguistics, particularly through memes, aesthetics, and niche subcultures, remains an underexplored area (gácsi, 2023; huss & eastep, 2024). digital culture plays a pivotal role in shaping language and identity among gen z and gen alpha, with their online interactions reflecting their broader social and cultural realities. for instance, studies reveal that the digital slang popularized by these generations often mirrors societal values, trends, and even political ideologies (kaplan, 2020; henry & shannon, 2023). platforms like instagram and youtube have also contributed to shaping their linguistic behaviors by fostering a visual-dominant communication style, where text, emojis, and imagery blend seamlessly (lozano-blasco et al., 2023). such integrations highlight the unique ways in which these generations express themselves, offering insights into their collective identities and subcultures. the intersection of internet slang with marketing and branding further exemplifies how youth language has influenced broader societal practices. studies on social media marketing trends, for example, demonstrate how brands adapt their messaging to align with the slang and cultural expressions of gen z and gen alpha (liu et al., 2017; pandjaitan, 2024). this linguistic adaptation underscores the economic relevance of understanding these generations’ language use, particularly as their purchasing power continues to grow. the relationship between slang and branding also emphasizes the importance of linguistic innovation in creating relatable and engaging content. another important dimension of youth language is its educational implications. research shows that the use of internet slang and digital communication tools has transformed classroom dynamics, with both opportunities and challenges emerging from this shift (ajmal, 2024; gácsi, 2023). for educators, understanding the slang and digital behaviors of gen z and gen alpha can provide a bridge to effectively connect with students, while also addressing potential drawbacks such as the erosion of formal language skills. moreover, the role of language in fostering critical thinking and cultural awareness remains a key area of focus in educational studies. finally, the broader cultural significance of gen z and gen alpha’s linguistic practices lies in their potential to influence societal norms and values. the blending of diverse linguistic elements from multiple cultures, facilitated by global connectivity, illustrates the inclusive and adaptable nature of youth language (mauk et al., 2020; watanabe, 2022). however, this cultural fluidity also raises questions about linguistic preservation and the potential marginalization of traditional languages in the face of rapid digital globalization. these dynamics underscore the need for further research into the socio-cultural impact of internet slang and its implications for future generations. this study aims to fill these gaps by exploring the following research questions: (1) how do digital platforms influence the linguistic evolution of gen z and gen alpha? (2) what are the key linguistic features and slang trends emerging within each generation? (3) how do these linguistic features reflect the broader cultural and societal shifts influenced by social media and digital communication? by synthesizing insights english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 11 from previous studies, this research will offer a meta-synthetic framework that deepens our understanding of how digital communication shapes youth language and identity. the novelty and significance of this study lie in its interdisciplinary approach that integrates linguistics, technology, sociology, and digital media studies. it provides new insights into how language evolves in the context of digitalization and offers implications for various fields, including education, digital marketing, and social media communication strategies. by understanding the linguistic behaviors of gen z and gen alpha, this study will contribute to a broader understanding of youth culture in the digital age and offer a foundation for future research into the dynamics of language in social media environments. method this study adopts a meta-synthetic research design to analyze and synthesize existing studies on the linguistic practices of gen z and gen alpha. the method involves a systematic review of relevant literature to identify, compare, and interpret patterns, trends, and gaps in youth slang and digital communication behaviors. the research process includes the following steps: the data for this study were collected through a comprehensive review of academic articles, conference proceedings, and books. sources were selected based on their relevance to the linguistic practices of gen z and gen alpha. a total of 30 references, spanning the years 2016 to 2024, were identified and reviewed. the inclusion criteria for selecting studies were: (1) focus on linguistic behavior, slang, or digital communication trends among gen z or gen alpha. (2) studies from diverse disciplines, including linguistics, sociology, digital marketing, and education. (3) peer-reviewed publications and credible proceedings. the databases used for the search included google scholar, pubmed, springerlink, and scopus, with keywords such as “gen z slang,” “gen alpha communication,” “internet slang,” and “digital linguistics.” table 1. data collection overview for linguistic analysis of gen z and gen alpha aspect details sources academic articles, conference proceedings, books years covered 2016–2024 total references 30 inclusion criteria focus on linguistic behavior, slang, or digital communication trends among gen z or gen alpha studies from diverse disciplines (linguistics, sociology, digital marketing, education) peer-reviewed publications and credible proceedings databases google scholar, pubmed, springerlink, scopus keywords used “gen z slang,” “gen alpha communication,” “internet slang,” “digital linguistics” a thematic synthesis approach was employed to analyze the collected data. this approach involves: (1) coding: key themes and linguistic features were identified, such as slang trends, digital platform influences, and generational language shifts. (2) categorization: the studies were grouped into thematic areas: (a) slang as a cultural marker. (b) digital platforms shaping language. (c) educational and societal impacts of youth slang. (3) meta-synthesis: patterns and trends were synthesized to generate broader insights into the evolution of slang and communication practices. quantitative metrics, where available, were extracted for comparison. for instance, the frequency of slang usage across platforms like tiktok and instagram was noted to examine inter-generational differences. table 2. thematic synthesis framework for linguistic analysis step details 1. coding identified key themes and linguistic features focused on slang trends, digital platform influences, and generational language shifts 2. categorization grouped studies into thematic areas: slang as a cultural marker digital platforms shaping language educational and societal impacts of youth slang 3. meta-synthesis synthesized patterns and trends to generate broader insights into the evolution of veronika deyanova paoleti & nur fathiyya zahira mujahidah youth language uncovered: meta-synthetic insights into gen z and gen alpha slang 12 slang and communication practices quantitative metrics extracted metrics such as slang frequency across platforms (e.g., tiktok, instagram) compared inter-generational differences in language use this study addresses the following research questions: (1) how do digital platforms influence the linguistic evolution of gen z and gen alpha? (2) what are the key similarities and differences in slang usage between the two generations? (3) how do their linguistic practices reflect broader cultural and societal trends? to ensure validity, the study adopted a triangulation approach, incorporating insights from: (1) multiple academic disciplines (linguistics, sociology, digital marketing). (2) a variety of data sources (peer-reviewed journals, doctoral dissertations, conference proceedings). (3) independent reviews by two researchers to cross-verify the findings. as this study is based on secondary data, it does not involve direct interaction with participants. ethical approval was obtained for using publicly available data, ensuring proper attribution to original authors and adherence to copyright laws. the study acknowledges the following limitations: (1) the reliance on secondary data may exclude emerging trends not yet documented in academic literature. (2) differences in geographic focus among the studies may limit the generalizability of findings across regions. results and discussion the meta-synthetic analysis revealed several key findings regarding the linguistic behaviors of gen z and gen alpha: slang as a cultural marker both gen z and gen alpha utilize slang to assert their identities and create in-group dynamics. gen z’s slang often reflects socio-political awareness, while gen alpha’s slang leans more toward playful and entertainment-driven language (rachmijati & cahyati, 2024; stahl & literat, 2023). key terms such as “no cap,” “sus,” “vibe,” “drip,” and “on fleek” dominate gen z’s lexicon, signaling authenticity, style, and shared understanding. meanwhile, gen alpha popularizes short-lived, meme-based phrases such as “skibidi,” “rizz,” “slay,” “lit,” and “fire,” which often originate from trends on tiktok and gaming communities (ugoala, 2024; matsumoto et al., 2019). the table below provides a comprehensive summary of the key findings from the metasynthetic analysis on linguistic behaviors and slang usage among gen z and gen alpha. it highlights the distinctive characteristics of their slang as cultural markers, the influence of digital platforms on linguistic trends, generational differences in language evolution, societal and educational impacts, and the economic relevance of their language to marketing strategies. examples of popular slang terms for each category are included to illustrate the trends and patterns observed in this study. table 3. comparison of slang usage between gen z and gen alpha aspect gen z gen alpha purpose of slang asserts identity; reflects sociopolitical awareness. asserts identity; focuses on playful and entertainment-driven language. key characteristics reflects authenticity, style, and shared understanding. short-lived, meme-based phrases influenced by trends. popular slang examples "no cap," "sus," "vibe," "drip," "on fleek." "skibidi," "rizz," "slay," "lit," "fire." source of trends cultural and socio-political influences. meme culture and gaming communities, primarily on platforms like tiktok. platform-specific linguistic patterns different platforms shape the linguistic trends of these generations. tiktok fosters creativity with short, catchy phrases and hashtags, including terms like “main character,” “fyp (for you page),” “ceo of,” “ratio,” and “pov (point of view)” (stahl & literat, 2023). instagram combines slang with visual storytelling, featuring captions and emojis accompanied by terms such as “aesthetic,” “ig-worthy,” “flex,” “stan,” and “clout” (lozano-blasco et al., 2023). x and youtube, on the other hand, promote nichespecific jargon and influencer-driven language, including words like “simp,” “cancelled,” “goat (greatest of all time),” “cringe,” and “lowkey” (pandjaitan, 2024; zhang et al., 2016). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 13 table 4. platform-specific linguistic patterns among gen z and gen alpha aspect gen z gen alpha purpose of slang asserts identity; reflects sociopolitical awareness. ass erts identity; focuses on playful and entertainment-driven language. key characteristics reflects authenticity, style, and shared understanding. short-lived, meme-based phrases influenced by trends. popular slang examples "no cap," "sus," "vibe," "drip," "on fleek." "skibidi," "rizz," "slay," "lit," "fire." source of trends cultural and socio-political influences. meme culture and gaming communities, primarily on platforms like tiktok. this table provides a clear comparison between gen z and gen alpha in terms of their slang usage and cultural dynamics. let me know if you'd like further adjustments! generational differences in linguistic evolution gen z’s slang is often rooted in cultural critique and inclusivity, shaped by socio-political issues such as climate change and mental health awareness. terms like “woke,” “adulting,” “ghosting,” “gaslighting,” and “safe space” highlight their engagement with societal issues (ariestya et al., 2022; kaplan, 2020). gen alpha, by contrast, displays a rapid turnover in slang trends influenced by emerging technologies, featuring words like “gg (good game),” “pog (play of the game),” “sus,” “yeet,” and “epic,” often originating from gaming and virtual reality environments (huss & eastep, 2024). table 5. generational differences in linguistic evolution: gen z vs. gen alpha aspect gen z gen alpha primary influences cultural critique, inclusivity, socio-political issues (e.g., climate change, mental health). emerging technologies, gaming, and virtual reality environments. key characteristics language reflects societal awareness and engagement with cultural issues. rapid turnover in slang trends, playful and tech-driven. popular slang examples "woke," "adulting," "ghosting," "gaslighting," "safe space." "gg," "pog," "sus," "yeet," "epic." source of trends socio-political discourse and cultural movements. gaming culture, memes, and digital innovation. educational and societal impacts the increasing use of slang in digital spaces is reshaping formal and informal communication practices. gen z demonstrates adaptability in blending formal language with digital slang, frequently incorporating terms like “legit,” “savage,” “bet,” “mood,” and “shook” into their everyday communication (douglas, 2023; gácsi, 2023). gen alpha, however, faces challenges in balancing slang with traditional literacy skills, as their lexicon includes playful terms like “bruh,” “noob,” “poggers,” “big yikes,” and “oof,” commonly used in online interactions and gaming (huss & eastep, 2024). table 5. educational and societal impacts of slang usage among gen z and gen alpha aspect gen z gen alpha communication practices blends formal language with digital slang, showing adaptability. heavy reliance on slang, posing challenges for balancing with traditional literacy skills. key characteristics slang is integrated into everyday communication, bridging informal and formal contexts. slang is predominantly playful and tied to online interactions and gaming culture. popular slang examples "legit," "savage," "bet," "mood," "shook." "bruh," "noob," "poggers," "big yikes," "oof." challenges and impacts enhances engagement but risks overuse in professional or formal settings. may hinder the development of traditional language skills, especially in academic contexts. marketing and economic relevance gen z and gen alpha’s language profoundly influences consumer behavior and brand strategies. marketers increasingly adopt slang to resonate with these audiences, incorporating terms like “bae,” “lit,” “dope,” “snatched,” and “slaps” veronika deyanova paoleti & nur fathiyya zahira mujahidah youth language uncovered: meta-synthetic insights into gen z and gen alpha slang 14 into campaigns targeting gen z (liu et al., 2017; martaningrat & kurniawan, 2024). for gen alpha, the integration of gaming and memeinspired slang into advertisements includes words such as “vibing,” “sus,” “op (overpowered),” “drippy,” and “l (loss)” to capture their attention and engagement (huss & eastep, 2024). table 6. marketing and economic impact of slang usage: gen z vs. gen alpha aspect gen z gen alpha impact on consumer behavior influences purchasing decisions through relatable and culturally attuned messaging. engages through playful, gaming, and meme-inspired language. popular slang examples "bae," "lit," "dope," "snatched," "slaps." "vibing," "sus," "op," "drippy," "l." marketing strategies brands use culturally relevant slang to establish authenticity and connect emotionally. marketers incorporate gaming and meme slang to align with gen alpha’s digital interests. key characteristics focus on cultural relevance, inclusivity, and social awareness in campaigns. leverages entertainment-driven slang to captivate attention in gaming and digital spaces. the table below provides a comprehensive summary of the key findings from the metasynthetic analysis on linguistic behaviors and slang usage among gen z and gen alpha. it highlights the distinctive characteristics of their slang as cultural markers, the influence of digital platforms on linguistic trends, generational differences in language evolution, societal and educational impacts, and the economic relevance of their language to marketing strategies. examples of popular slang terms for each category are included to illustrate the trends and patterns observed in this study. conclusion the meta-synthetic analysis of youth language, particularly the slang used by generation z and generation alpha, highlights the dynamic and evolving nature of linguistic practices in the digital age. slang serves as a powerful cultural marker, reflecting the identities, values, and community dynamics of these generations. while gen z’s slang often embodies socio-political awareness and cultural critique, gen alpha’s language leans toward playful and entertainmentdriven expressions shaped by meme culture and gaming communities. this linguistic diversity underscores the adaptability of youth language in responding to their unique digital environments and societal influences. digital platforms play a significant role in shaping the linguistic behaviors of both generations. platforms such as tiktok, instagram, and youtube not only provide spaces for slang innovation but also drive the rapid turnover of linguistic trends, creating distinct language ecosystems. gen z utilizes these platforms to develop a lexicon rooted in cultural relevance and inclusivity, while gen alpha’s engagement with gaming and meme culture fosters a more fluid and creative use of language. the interplay between digital platforms and youth slang highlights the importance of technology as a driver of linguistic innovation. generational differences in slang usage are particularly pronounced. gen z’s language reflects societal awareness and inclusivity, with terms often tied to socio-political discourse and cultural critique. in contrast, gen alpha’s language is more fluid and playful, driven by technology and gaming environments. these differences illustrate how each generation’s linguistic practices are shaped by their unique digital experiences, yet they share a common reliance on slang as a means of expression and identity formation. the educational and societal impacts of slang usage also warrant attention. gen z demonstrates adaptability in integrating digital slang into formal communication, effectively bridging the gap between informal and professional contexts. however, gen alpha faces challenges in balancing slang with traditional literacy skills, raising concerns about the long-term implications for academic and professional development. understanding these impacts is crucial for educators and policymakers aiming to bridge generational divides in communication and literacy. finally, the economic relevance of youth slang cannot be overlooked. marketing strategies increasingly leverage slang to connect with these generations, reflecting the cultural and consumer significance of their language. brands adopt culturally relevant slang to engage with gen z and utilize gaming and meme-inspired english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 15 expressions to capture gen alpha’s attention. this linguistic adaptation underscores the broader influence of youth slang on branding, consumer behavior, and digital marketing. this study sheds light on the intricate relationship between digital communication, cultural identity, and linguistic practices among gen z and gen alpha. while slang fosters creativity and community, it also presents challenges in maintaining linguistic diversity and traditional literacy skills. future research should explore longitudinal studies to track the evolution of slang, examine cross-generational comparisons in diverse cultural contexts, and analyze the implications of youth language on education and professional communication. by deepening our understanding of how digital communication shapes linguistic behaviors, this study contributes to the broader discourse on youth culture in the digital era. references agustina, t., susanti, e., & rana, j. a. s. (2024). sustainable consumption in indonesia: health awareness, lifestyle, and trust among gen z and millennials. environmental economics, 15(1), 82. ajmal, s. (2024). charting youth subcultures, identity formation, and niche aesthetics in the age of social media. journal of english literature and cultural studies, 5(1), 22–29. akhirin, o., & palupi, p. (2022). social presence in computer-mediated communication between gen x and gen z through whatsapp. proceeding iseth (international summit on science, technology, and humanity), 592–605. ariestya, a., paramitha, g., & elmada, m. a. g. (2022). climate change awareness of gen z: the influence of frame and jargon on online news. jurnal studi komunikasi, 6(3), 753–770. conny, c., yultisa, n., wahyudin, r., & rezeki, t. i. (2024). linguistic shift among gen z in computer-mediated communication. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 959–970. douglas, s. (2023). exploring and expanding through 'real-world' tasks: the digital practices of generation z post-secondary fsl learners [doctoral dissertation, université d'ottawa]. fava, d. (2022). family succession planning: building relevance and fostering relationships in a new generation. journal of financial planning, 35(4). gácsi, m. j. (2023). changes in communication: the impact of digitalisation on children’s communication and language use. eruditioeducatio, 18(1), 16–25. henry, c. d., & shannon, l. (2023). virtual natives: how a new generation is revolutionizing the future of work, play, and culture. john wiley & sons. huss, j. a., & eastep, s. (2024). a tri-state study of middle school teachers’ perceptions of generation alpha students: are middle schools ready for “generation glass”? ie: inquiry in education, 16(1), 7. kaplan, e. b. (2020). the millennial/gen z leftists are emerging: are sociologists ready for them? sociological perspectives, 63(3), 408–427. koufie, m. g. e., & kesa, h. (2020). millennials’ motivation for sharing restaurant dining experiences on social media. african journal of hospitality, tourism and leisure, 9(1), 1–25. leyts, m. (2024, july 14). generational shifts gen z and gen alpha: key differences between gen z vs. gen alpha. retrieved from generation zalpha: https://www.generationzalpha.com/blog/gen-zgen-alpha. liu, s., wang, y., & yu, s. (2017). the effect of different internet slang styles on brand personality and ad persuasion. in transdisciplinary engineering: a paradigm shift (pp. 197–204). ios press. lozano-blasco, r., mira-aladrén, m., & gil-lamata, m. (2023). social media influence on young people and children: analysis on instagram, twitter, and youtube. comunicar: media education research journal, 31(74), 117–128. martaningrat, n. w. s., & kurniawan, y. (2024). the impact of financial influencers, social influencers, and fomo economy on the decision-making of investment on millennial generation and gen z of indonesia. journal of ecohumanism, 3(3), 1319–1335. matsumoto, k., ren, f., matsuoka, m., yoshida, m., & kita, k. (2019). slang feature extraction by analyzing topic change on social media. caai transactions on intelligence technology, 4(1), 64–71. mauk, v., ahmadi, a., & mintowati, m. (2020). defense of indonesian language in the globalization era in generation z and alpha. proceeding international joint conference on science, technology, art, and humanities (ijcstah 2020), 1(1), 92–99. mcarthur, t. (2016, june 17). exploring languages and cultures. retrieved from openlearn: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/languages/explo ring-languages-and-cultures/content-section3.2.3#:~:text=more%20often%2c%20slang%20s erves%20social,to%20include%20and%20exclud e%20members. moravčíková, e. (2022). the contexts of hyperconsumerist culture and social media platforms. media literacy and academic research, 5(1), 141–160. pandjaitan, r. h. (2024). the social media marketing mix trends in indonesia for 2024: https://www.generationzalpha.com/blog/gen-z-gen-alpha https://www.generationzalpha.com/blog/gen-z-gen-alpha https://www.open.edu/openlearn/languages/exploring-languages-and-cultures/content-section-3.2.3#:~:text=more%20often%2c%20slang%20serves%20social,to%20include%20and%20exclude%20members https://www.open.edu/openlearn/languages/exploring-languages-and-cultures/content-section-3.2.3#:~:text=more%20often%2c%20slang%20serves%20social,to%20include%20and%20exclude%20members https://www.open.edu/openlearn/languages/exploring-languages-and-cultures/content-section-3.2.3#:~:text=more%20often%2c%20slang%20serves%20social,to%20include%20and%20exclude%20members https://www.open.edu/openlearn/languages/exploring-languages-and-cultures/content-section-3.2.3#:~:text=more%20often%2c%20slang%20serves%20social,to%20include%20and%20exclude%20members https://www.open.edu/openlearn/languages/exploring-languages-and-cultures/content-section-3.2.3#:~:text=more%20often%2c%20slang%20serves%20social,to%20include%20and%20exclude%20members veronika deyanova paoleti & nur fathiyya zahira mujahidah youth language uncovered: meta-synthetic insights into gen z and gen alpha slang 16 communication perspective. jurnal komunikasi ikatan sarjana komunikasi indonesia, 9(1), 251– 269. petrova, y. a., & vasichkina, o. n. (2021). the impact of the development of information technology tools of communication on digital culture and internet slang. shs web of conferences, 101, 01002. rachmijati, c., & cahyati, s. s. (2024, december). know your skibidi: navigating gen alpha’s slang types and trend on social media x. international conference on research and development (icorad), 3(2), 392–400. stahl, c. c., & literat, i. (2023). #genz on tiktok: the collective online self-portrait of the social media generation. journal of youth studies, 26(7), 925–946. ugoala, b. (2024). generation z’s lingos on tiktok: analysis of emerging linguistic structures. journal of language and communication, 11(2), 211–224. vardeman, c. (2022). memes, minds, & marketing: how generation z perceives and processes memetic advertisements [doctoral dissertation, university of colorado at boulder]. watanabe, m. k. (2022). the associate editor/multigen at work. journal of the california dental association, 50(11), 643–644. xamid o’g’li, a. h. (2023). using youth slangs among teenagers in social media. european journal of interdisciplinary research and development, 16, 264–267. zhang, l., zhao, j., & xu, k. (2016). who creates trends in online social media: the crowd or opinion leaders? journal of computer-mediated communication, 21(1), 1–16. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 483 integrating augmented reality in english language teaching: trends in indonesia from 2019 to 2023 umniyah juman rosyidah english department, universitas negeri malang, malang, indonesia email: umniyahrosyidah2911@gmail.com mirjam anugerahwati english department, universitas negeri malang, malang, indonesia email: mirjam.anugerahwati.fs@um.ac.id apa scitation: rosyidah, u. j., & anugerahwati, m. (2024). integrating augmented reality in english language teaching: trends in indonesia from 2019 to 2023. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 483-498. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.8992 received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 21-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction augmented reality (ar) has developed since 1968 and still continue developing nowadays. ar can broaden students to expose to the world without having difficult time to access (challenor & ma, 2019). in principle, ar can create immersive learning environments, where learners are actively engaged in the target language. chang et al. (2020) stated that ar applications can simulate real-world scenarios for english language teaching (elt), such as showing tourism places, military training simulation, or animals’ behavior process (cho & kim, 2021) to provide material for descriptive texts. other than that, ar has types that can be integrated in elt. some of the ar types are ar card (rozi et al., 2021), ar videos (c. chen, 2020), qr code (yunus et al., 2020), and mobile ar application (hao & lee, 2021). although the massive implementation of ar in elt has been identified in many countries such as japan (alizadeh, 2019), spain (medina, 2022), malaysia (annamalai et al., 2023), and turkiye (berk et al., 2022), ar is still implemented restrictedly for elt in indonesia. this is because english teachers have not been aware of the ar implementation due to the very lack of training and exposure of ar use in education (alalwan et al., 2020; katemba, 2020) that can hinder their adoption of this technology (oktadela et al., 2023; tegoan et al., 2021). other than that, research results that provides information regarding the ar implementation and recommendation for elt is also still lacking. this leads to the confusion of teachers what to consider for ar-elt implementation to maximize its potential for indonesian students (altun & lee, 2020; medina, 2022; jamrus & razali, 2021). this sees that teachers need more guidance to apply ar in their elt classes. moreover, with the fact that indonesian students’ english language skills are considered abstract: technology 5.0 leads to the technological implementation to help humans, including in terms of elt. augmented reality provides students to combine the virtual and real situations to maximize english language acquisition. therefore, the implementation strategies of ar-elt implementation need to be conducted. besides, understanding the ways for implementing ar in elt helps indonesian teachers make informed decisions about when and how to implement ar technology into their english teaching. this research conducts systematic literature review to discover the level of education, how it is implemented, and what recommendation of ar-elt implementation. the results show that elementary students with vocabulary teaching method as the most aspect taught. the implementation of ar-elt can integrate appropriate teaching approach, blend it with the language learning between online and offline class, combining with another physical media, apply the ar-english implementation with non-english materials. however, the implementation of ar in indonesia still remains limited due to the limitation technology mastery and the facilities provided in the educational places. therefore, the most important recommendation due to the implementation is that all parties in the institutions must support. further indonesian academics need to developed ar app and implement comprehensively in english language learning, so that academics do not only develop ar app without the implementation. the limitation of this research is due to the missing of further exploration regarding the factors “causing” and “caused by” the limitation of ar implementation in indonesia. therefore, future research should explore the possibility the factors to encourage the implementation of ar in elt class significantly. keywords: augmented reality; english language teaching; indonesian students; systematic literature review umniyah juman rosyidah & mirjam anugerahwati integrating augmented reality in english language teaching: trends in indonesia from 2019 to 2023 484 low (agung, 2019; cirocki et al., 2019; jon et al., 2021; muslim et al., 2020), ar can offer various opportunities to enhance their ability to acquire english language due to its ability to enhance the educational experience by overlaying digital information onto the physical world (tzima 2019; lai cheong 2022). for example, research by tsai (2023) found that ar could enhance the english listening and speaking skill of taiwan efl students. koç et al. (2022) also stated that ar stimulates students to successfully increase efl students’ english expository text writing skill. while other research (azimova & solidjonov, 2023; fan & antle, 2020; sydorenko et al., 2019) explicitly found that the use of ar in english language class is able to improve the’ english proficiency. due to those facts, ar actually can help english teachers to increase students’ english language skills. however, the implementation of ar in elt emerges various types and strategies. for example, the implementation of ar based teaching in efl class by chang et al. (2020) are (1) having the created hp reveal ar videos by the teachers, (2) students are invited to scan airport images with their smartphone, in order to obtain the ar videos for airport-related english conversation content, (3) the students are provided ar videos with interactive dialog events to help students to practice listening and acquire knowledge relating to airport departures. another example is from li (2022) who stated that the implementation of the teaching activity using ar is leading students to independent learning to enhance listening and speaking in the ar environment and helps improve classroom learning efficiency. in this environment, teachers and students communicate online through the ar application. those implementation strategies need to be summarized to find the patterns. this is purposed to maximize english teachers to teach english using ar. moreover, according to chang et al. (2020) & majid & salam (2021), discovering the current status of ar implementation holds paramount importance for the development and maximization of ar utilization in the country, especially in education filed. a comprehensive understanding of the existing initiatives will inform targeted strategies to enhance ar integration in various sectors, including education, business, and technology (fan et al., 2020). by strategically leveraging ar as part of indonesia's technological landscape, the nation can align itself with global trends, fostering innovation and competitiveness on the international stage amidst the ongoing wave of globalization. in addition, understanding the ways for successfully implementing ar in elt helps educators make informed decisions about when and how to incorporate this technology into their teaching. this ensures that ar is integrated effectively and complements the curriculum. therefore, the topic about ar is highly interested to be learned and analyzed for elt. research conducted by martins et al. (2023) aims to elaborate a comprehensive slr on ar as a corporate training paradigm focused provided. this slr even provides the recommendation for further ar development that can make for more natural and sophisticated dialogues and better coaching of trainees to identify possible pitfalls and proactively suggest better ways to accomplish tasks in corporate. in addition, wedyan et al. (2022) wanted to explore the importance of ar for learning english skills from the perspectives of english language teachers and educators by conducting qualitative and slr approach. the systematic review gives the integration and development of ar for english language learning. from this, it is seen the contribution of systematic literature review can bring highly significant information towards the implementation pattern and strategies for this research to be implemented by english teachers and educators. however, from the previous research, no article was written to determine how the implementation of ar in elt context is to standardize the ar strategies so that the english learning outcomes can be maximized, especially in indonesia. therefore, this research aims to conduct systematic literature review to explore the implementation of ar in english language teaching in indonesia. this article will also give recommendation to the implementation of ar for indonesian teachers and educators. this article will answer the questions of: (1) what level of education in indonesia that implements ar in english language teaching more during 2019 2023? (2) how is the implementation of ar based english language teaching in indonesia during 2019 2023? (3) what is the recommendation of ar based english language teaching implementation during 2019 2023? method this research applies systematic literature review. according to granić & marangunić (2019) systematic literature review is a thorough and transparent strategy to synthesizing information on a clearly defined issue that use critical methodologies to discover, define, and evaluate english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 485 research on the topic. it entails following standardized methodologies/guidelines in systematic searching, filtering, reviewing, critiquing, interpreting, synthesizing, and reporting findings from multiple publications on a topic or domain of interest (bolton et al., 2013; dehganzadeh & dehganzadeh, 2020). the steps of searching, filtering, and reviewing are explained in order due to the inclusive and exclusive criteria (table 1) as well as the prisma flowchart (figure 1); while the results of critiquing, interpreting, synthesizing, and reporting findings are shown in table 2. table 1. inclusive and exclusive criteria of selected articles inclusive criteria exclusive criteria the articles implement ar in english language teaching (n=60) the articles ar in other elt learning materials (n=40) the articles are published in the year of 2019 to 2023 (n=38) the articles are published before 2019 (n=94) the articles are published in reputable journal (n=12) the articles are published in unreputable journal (n=15) the articles involve indonesian students as the research subject (n=10) the articles involve research subject other than indonesian students (n=13) to maintain the quality and eligibility of the selected articles, we reanalyzed the full-text articles with questions: (1) are the selected articles involve the ar-elt implementation for indonesian students? (2) are the articles published in reputable journal and not in conference? from this step, we believe that the quality of the articles is verified. figure 1. prisma flowchart of systematic review after an exhaustive and methodical review process, we curated a set of 10 articles (as shown in table 2). the ten articles have their own strengths and limitation to consider in defining the aims of this research. first, research by shaumiwaty et al. (2022), munir & wanti (2022), wibowo et al. (2022), and sulistiyaningsih et al. (2021) involving the implementation of ar as a ell media. this research provides us with the information related to the differences of students’ score after-before ar implementation and the teachers’ as well as students’ perceptions of ar implementation. for example, the students thought that the successfulness of ar implementation is due to the usefulness and the attractiveness of ar. this will give information about in what aspects of ar implementation effectiveness for elt. however, those studies do not involve the consideration of other aspects that can help ar in maximizing the enhancement of the students’ english skills. besides, yulian et al. (2022) and wahyuni et al. (2020) also involve the implementation of ar as a ell media. these studies do not only provide the information related to the students’ after-before score and the perceptions of ar implementation, but also the additional research approach that helps ar enhancing students’ english skills. this consideration takes place as a strength to integrate between the appropriate media and learning approach. however, the research does not provide the information regarding in what situation the arlearning approach can be implemented. when this could be discovered by the research, they can help teachers when elt teachers need to apply the combination. on the other hand, sadikin & umniyah juman rosyidah & mirjam anugerahwati integrating augmented reality in english language teaching: trends in indonesia from 2019 to 2023 486 martyani (2020) provide the situation that students with very low learning outcomes with visual learning style are supposedly given the ar implementation. however, this research does not provide how many meetings ar needs to be implemented. when the meetings are not provided, elt teachers will not know how long they need to implement ar to help their elt. syamsinar (2022) informs the duration of ar implementation is in two meetings for minimum duration that can affect students’ english language skills enhancement. in addition, he used qualitative research approach that can explore further and in detail about the process of implementation and situation during the implementation. however, he only informs the students’ perceptions in using ar but not provided real data of how many students can answer after and before the ar implementation in class to comprehensively see the improvement. lastly, yelia et al. (2021) and derlina et al. (2020) provided real data to determine clearly the improvement of the students in implementing the ar media. this will help teachers to decide whether or not teachers need to implement ar in their classes. however, these studies did not also inform the duration of ar implementation. it can difficultate teachers to plan the ar implementation in class. results and discussion the selected ten articles are considered effectively address all research questions (rqs) and align seamlessly with the specified inclusion criteria in this research. these chosen articles serve as a cogent representation, offering a comprehensive insight into the landscape of augmented reality (ar) implementation within indonesia over the past half-years. during this analytical exploration, a discerning examination of the articles brought forth a diverse array of keywords, each intricately interwoven to unveil the nuanced trends prevalent in the selected literature. this insightful analysis, as visually depicted in the refined figure 2, facilitates a nuanced understanding of the prevailing themes and focal points within the ar implementation in the indonesian english language educational context. in essence, this scrutiny not only elucidates the trajectory of ar integration but also provides a lens through which we can decipher the intellectual currents shaping scholarly conversations within the realm of english language education in indonesia. figure 2. keywords detected from lists of articles figure 2 examines the relationships between keywords, revealing the diverse uses of augmented reality (ar) across numerous dimensions and themes in english language acquisition. this in-depth investigation demonstrates that ar can be skilfully implemented into several aspects of language instruction, including grammatical complexities such as tenses, expressive abilities such as speaking, lexical enrichment through vocabulary activities, and comprehension of written texts. furthermore, ar's adaptability extends to its smooth integration with different teaching approaches and specified learning materials, as demonstrated by its potential coupling with resources such as flashcards. this strategic combination aims to improve english language education by increasing student involvement and immersion in the learning process. according to researchers (benini & thomas, 2021; lantolf & poehner, 2023), the more comprehensive the educational toolbox used in language instruction, the better students' ability to understand abstract notions inherent in language acquisition. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 487 table 2. lists of selected articles no articles research subject aspect learned additional approach ways of implementation recommendation 1 shaumiwaty et al. (2022) elementary school students vocabulary teaching teachers provide pictures people having conversation; students scan it through ar to pop up a video conversation; students listen and repeat the pronunciation of the word according to the dialogue. supports from all parties in the institutions maintain the effectiveness of ar implementation for elementary school level. 2 yelia et al. (2021) economic department university students english tenses giving oral exercise with language games; giving structured writing exercises for assignments the use of jigsaw, role play, information gap, simulation and contact assignment in oral exercises 3 derlina et al. (2020) public senior high school students english subject learning outcomes blended learning offline class: teacher provides information about the subject matter, guides students on activities to be conducted online, an explanation of ar, edmodo, and tinkercad media, as well as discussions and questions and answers on the tasks. online class: teachers use edmodo facilities, including assignment features, quizzes, and others to deliver assignments and news, such as student activity sheets (lkpd) listed on ar media. assignments are sent via edmodo on a predetermined time. after online learning, offline class resume, where group representatives present the results of their discussions and assignments before the class. 4 yulian et al. (2022) private university students reading comprehension contentlanguage integrated learning asking students to be in brainstorming activities; guiding students to answer some questions in the scanning activity; scan some specific information for reading passage; providing visual interaction in model of expressing opinions. students should be exposed and situated the technical assistance in advance before using the application. to mitigate the technical problems, they need to study the manual comprehensively, starting from scanning the barcode code and using the ar application's features 5 wahyuni et al. (2020) visual communication (university) students vocabulary picture word inductive model (pwim) distributing five different cards to each student; ask them to identify the cards and scan them using artivive ar app; ask them to write down some words provided; ask them to pronounce the maximizing pwim and should be based on the students' vocabulary level. umniyah juman rosyidah & mirjam anugerahwati integrating augmented reality in english language teaching: trends in indonesia from 2019 to 2023 488 word; teachers check the spelling and pronunciation. 6 sadikin & martyani (2020) primary school students vocabulary giving students some flashcards; ask them to scan it using ar app. using appropriate teaching method integrated with ar and flashcard 7 wibowo et al. (2022) elementary school students speaking students were given come 3d pictures ang scan with the ar; some rooms can be activated by giving the voice command; the pictures can change based on the voice command students input. needs to combine with appropriate teaching method based on class needs. 8 sulistiyaningsih et al. (2021) vocational senior high school students speaking students access the ar app; they will face the 3d model control ar so that students can see the batik pattern clearly in real-life environment. expose students to the local wisdom. 9 syamsinar (2022) elementary school students vocabulary teachers teach english alphabet by using abc fun with mickey book; students learn and practice the alphabet directly by using the teacher’s gadget; they write and spell the alphabet with their friends. teachers need to do a simulation before applying the media in learning to minimize the problems that occurred. 10 munir & wanti (2022) elementary school students vocabulary students need to open the app; students should follow the instructions in the app, such as repeating nouns spoken aloud and correctly, performing movements, expressing speech act of asking an object involving physical movement to engage students english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 489 level of educations in indonesia that implement ar in english language teaching ar has been utilized in language learning for a number of objectives, such as visualizing vocabulary, creating virtual environments, and practicing speaking skills. ar can provide context (zhang et al., 2020), feedback (karacan & akoglu, 2021), motivation (cai et al., 2022), and engagement (parmaxi & demetriou, 2020) to learners. the use of augmented reality (ar) in english language training has benefited greatly from its potential to transform an ordinary classroom into an exciting learning environment at various levels of education and in diverse elements learnt (azimova & solidjonov, 2023). as we found based on the process of finding the reviewed articles, the implementation of ar for elt in indonesia is still restricted. it is due to the lack of information that informs the implementation of ar in indonesia during elt classes. in china, however, ar technology has become one of the most widely used forms of media in the sphere of education. according to parmaxi & demetriou (2020), from 2014 to 2019, the utilization of ar in english and chinese learning was 63% and 14%, respectively. according to chen et al. (2017), early childhood pupils were exposed to english vocabulary introduction. ar is also being used in rural china for chinese and english learning (fan & antle, 2020) although not all rural primary school pupils use it. besides china, ar technology directs the high potential for teachers to teach english in malaysia (ahmad et al., 2019). in current implementation, ar has not only revolutionized language education but has also advanced numerous other domains, including medicine, engineering, and the art majors. these conclude that indonesia needs to fasten their ar implementation to reach out the maximization of elt classes. figure 2. level of education in indonesia implementing ar figure 3. aspect learned by indonesian education institutions in the last five years, the trend examined for ar implementation to english language learning in indonesia comes from different level of education (figure 2). these education levels consist of primary school students (article number 6), elementary school students (article number 1, 7, 9, & 10), high school students (article number 3 & 8), and university students (article number 2, 4, & 5). the greatest number of education level that use the ar technology in indonesia is elementary school. elementary school students are in the stage of operational concrete (zuliana et al., 2019). intellectual development in this stage is demonstrated through the use of logical and systematic manipulation of symbols, which are related to concrete objects (putri, 2019). therefore, they need to have concrete objects to represent the abstract of language learning. sometimes, the 3d pictures showing the real objects of several vocabularies in virtual can help students to comprehend the english acquisition (c. chen et al., 2021). for example, as stated by shaumiwaty et al. (2022), learning english is thought to be necessary and important for children, considering that in this very advanced era, children should have been taught english learning or learning a second language other than their mother tongue, which is where to start learning english. in different level of education, ar is applied to enhance several aspects in english language learning. according to figure 3, ar is used to improve english skills such as reading (article number 4) and speaking (article number 7 & 8), english components such as grammar (article number 2) and vocabulary (article number 1, 5, 6, 9, & 10), as well as english learning outcomes umniyah juman rosyidah & mirjam anugerahwati integrating augmented reality in english language teaching: trends in indonesia from 2019 to 2023 490 (article number 3). this shows that vocabulary is the most aspect learned that utilizes ar in indonesia. the utilization of augmented reality (ar) in english vocabulary learning offers advantages by creating an immersive and dynamic learning environment. ar enhances vocabulary learning methods by overlaying digital content onto the real world, providing learners with interactive and contextual experiences (tsai, 2023). students can visualize and interact with virtual objects associated with specific words, reinforcing their understanding and retention of vocabulary in a more engaging manner (yilmaz et al., 2022). the interactive nature of ar applications cultivates a sense of curiosity and exploration, making the learning process enjoyable and memorable. additionally, ar enables personalized learning experiences, allowing students to progress at their own pace and receive immediate feedback, enhancing the efficiency of vocabulary acquisition (binhomran & altalhab, 2021; ji & shin, 2019). implementation of ar based english language teaching in indonesia according to karacan & akoglu (2021), the implementation of ar in english language teaching marks a significant stride toward modernizing and enriching the educational landscape. as technology continues to play an increasingly integral role in education, ar emerges as a powerful tool poised to transform traditional teaching methods (bhute et al., 2021). in the indonesian context, the integration of ar into language instruction holds the promise of enhancing student engagement and comprehension. this innovative approach not only aligns with global advancements in educational technology but also reflects indonesia's commitment to fostering effective language learning strategies (wahyuni et al., 2020). the implementation provides different ways of strategies to make the english learning come up with the best learning outcomes. table 3. results of implementation of ar-elt in indonesia no strategy number of articles 1 integrating appropriate teaching method 2 2 blending the language learning into inside and outside class 2 3 combining with another physical media 5 4 applying the ar-english implementation with nonenglish materials 1 total 10 from the reviewed articles, the implementation of ar-elt in indonesia is concluded into four strategies (table 3). this exploration delves into the nuances of how ar is being implemented in the indonesian educational framework, shedding light on its impact and potential to shape the future of english language education in the country (munir & wanti, 2022; sadikin & martyani, 2020). the detail explanation for the strategies that bring the understanding of ar-english learning combination is explained in the following. integrating appropriate teaching approach according to fominykh et al. (2020), a teaching approach integrated ensures that ar is seamlessly integrated into the curriculum, aligning with specific learning objectives and maximizing its educational potential. this symbiotic relationship enhances engagement, comprehension, and the overall impact of ar in fostering meaningful and tailored learning experiences for students. for example, yulian et al. (2022) integrated ar with content-language integrated learning (clil). this teaching approach involves a dual emphasis on both content and language, stemming from the significance of english as a global language. it addresses the communication requirements in science and professional domains within university settings. the combination between ar-clil brings the high enhancement of students’ motivation that leads to the enhancement of reading skills of efl students. it is seen from the mean of pre-test score from 51.43 that raises to 81.43. the improvement happened because students have their own necessary sources such as smartphones that can support the implementation of ar and ar-clil in reading learning is easy to be understood. however, because of the low english proficiency of the students, they need to get exposed significantly to the ar media. in addition, munir & wanti (2022) combined the use of ar with repetition and physical movement approach for elementary students. this combination is used due to the characteristics of elementary school students like games and other interesting activities. it is supported by the statements of the students that they motivate themselves in learning english because ar and the activities are very helpful and made them very enthusiastic and excited in learning english. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 491 however, the implementation of the combination between teaching approach with ar is actually varied that english teachers can apply. for example, fidan & tuncel (2019) integrated ar with problem-based learning (pbl) as the teaching method for junior high school students in turkiye. this integration leads to the enhancement of students’ learning achievement in comparison to teacher-based instruction. effectively crafted ar environments offer immersive and lifelike contexts that significantly foster the enhancement of students' cognitive abilities and, crucially, facilitate the application of knowledge in real-world settings. other integrated ar-teaching approach is also implemented by carreon & smith (2022) who integrated ar with inquiry-based lessons (iblls) for students in georgia. this implementation invites students for concrete experience because the process is in learning by doing. during this phase of the process, students actively engage in practical experiences related to a specific task. this necessitates their involvement in applied problemsolving rather than solely relying on observation, direct instruction, or reading for learning. blending the language learning into inside and outside class to maximize l2 learning, the potential of outside class activities should be maintained (derlina et al., 2020; lightbown & spada, 2020; wu & gao, 2022). outside the classroom emerges the situation of inside class learning that is brought into the places where students live outside the learning classes (patil, 2023; sari & wahyudin, 2019). according to utami et al. (2021), lan (2020), and nguyen & stracke (2021), in outside class learning, students immerse themselves in authentic language environments through activities such as watching movies, listening to music, engaging in conversations with native speakers, or utilizing language learning apps. while in inside class students engage in structured lessons, interactive activities, and guided practice to build foundational skills and language proficiency, they can open opportunities to foster holistic language development by having additional independent learning outside class (anis & anwar, 2020; nguyen & stracke, 2021; yabukoshi, 2020). for example, wu & gao (2022) conducted research to discover what aspect in blended learning contributes the enhancement of students’ learning outcomes in china. the results stated that, between activities in face-to-face and online classes, the activity that can enhance students more is the homework. in indonesia context, the implementation of ar with blending learning activities also found in implementing take-home assignment or homework. derlina et al. (2020) stated that the superiority of ar, edmodo, and tinkcard media, which offers better methods and interactions for learning, can be ascribed to the superiority of learning results in the blended learning class. because students connect with the subject content, classmates, teachers, and parents at any time and from any location, blended learning is beneficial in enhancing learning outcomes. in addition, the blending language can be implemented online by giving students a take-home assignment. those assignments keep students learning using ar even they are not monitored by their teachers outside class. in addition, yelia et al. (2021) maintain the ar usage by structured writing exercises in enhancing the english tenses improvement. by incorporating ar-based assignments, teachers provide students with hands-on tasks that encourage regular interaction with the technology. these assignments do not only reinforce language learning objectives but also foster a continuous and practical application of ar tools, ensuring that students consistently harness the benefits of immersive and interactive learning experiences. however, the challenges faced by the two studies (derlina et al., 2020; yelia et al., 2021) are the identification of students who did not do their homework. it affects the bias of the results of their scores whether the scores gained are because of their cognitive ability or the ar implementation as helping media for learning inside class. to prevent this, they suggested to bring the take-home assignment to be discussed in the class, so that students have higher responsibility to finish the take-home assignment. combining with another physical media the combination between two or more media to engage students can enhance the opportunity to maximize the english language learning. the integration allows students to engage with both digital and physical resources, catering to diverse learning styles and reinforcing comprehension through a well-rounded educational environment (guerrero et al., 2020). therefore, with this term, students will get more opportunity to increase their english skills higher. this is proven by wahyuni et al. (2020), sadikin & martyani (2020), wibowo et al. (2022), and shaumiwaty et al. (2022) who used cards or external images to engage students to have different management in using the external media. umniyah juman rosyidah & mirjam anugerahwati integrating augmented reality in english language teaching: trends in indonesia from 2019 to 2023 492 wahyuni et al. (2020) integrated ar with picture word inductive model (pwim) in term of flash cards. pwim is basically a strategy to acquire knowledge with pictures. the use of ar and pwim is appropriate for the increase of students’ english vocabulary. the process of this combination is started by the teacher invited students to identify what pictures they see in the flash cards; then, they will scan the pictures using the developed third-party application. from scanning the pictures, they will get the information about the words of the pictures, the spelling, and how to pronounce the words correctly; then, they are asked to follow spelling and pronouncing the words. they are required to repeat the words so that the new vocabularies will stick to their head. the combination between the picture showing a drawing of a specific vocab helped students visualizing the abstract things they cannot imagine, especially for young learners who needs to be given a concrete media for abstract materials; thus, the more vocabularies students will know. in addition, sadikin & martyani (2020) conducted a research regarding the implementation of ar and flashcard to enhance students’ vocabularies. they combined the two media for the advantages of students in increasing their lexical range. these advantages include enhancing the learning curve effect, whereby students demonstrate faster and easier learning when utilizing ar applications compared to non-ar counterparts. ar fosters creativity and exploration among students, supported by research indicating its efficacy in facilitating knowledge absorption and problem-solving. moreover, ar facilitates an effective environment for collaborative inquiry learning activities, while also sparking student interest in the teaching-learning process. these behaviors align with findings suggesting that augmented reality can enhance word retention, attention, and satisfaction among students. it is proven by the increase of 18% mean score from 52.33 for pre-test to 74.83 for post-test. wibowo et al. (2022) also integrated ar, voice recognition, and picture. the integration of ar and voice recognition with the wit.ai platform for object recognition in domestic settings is demonstrated through this system implementation. through analysis and design, it has been determined that the wit.ai platform is essential for merging ar and voice recognition functionalities. wit.ai serves as a natural language processing (nlp) service, extracting crucial structured information from sentences. the application utilizes markers to present 3d objects, followed by user voice input. subsequently, the application records the user's voice command and transmits it to the wit.ai platform via api. upon receiving the voice input, wit.ai processes it and returns the result text if the user's voice input is accurate. therefore, with this voice recognition, students will be trained to speak based on the picture shows. other than that, shaumiwaty et al. (2022) explore 22 students who got the integration medium of ar and picture showing people having conversation. from the pictures, ar can show the voice how to pronounce words and how to response them in a conversation. therefore, students can recognize the vocabularies and increase their lexical range. the 22 students demonstrated an improvement in their english vocabulary learning outcomes from the pretest to the post-test score. it can be inferred that the implementation of ar has an impact on the learning outcomes of fourth-grade elementary school students in english vocabulary. ar is considered as a groundbreaking technology that bridges the virtual world with our physical reality, blurring the boundary between the two realms. the essence of ar lies in its aim to develop technology enabling seamless integration in real-time, thereby enabling users to perceive genuine 3d objects through their smartphones. given the diverse range of media that can leverage this technology as a conduit for information acquisition, it serves as the foundation for the readiness of this final project. therefore, the combination will affect the students’ language skills. even, syamsinar (2022) explored the use of ar with course book that have interesting pictures and colours perceived to be suitable with elementary school students. the titles of the books are "abc fun with mickey" and "123 counting fun with mickey." this books actually combines the use of ar and texts and pictures. in the observed primary school. the implementation of ar and the books are important to constantly support the learning english for young learners there. in addition, according to the observational findings, students actively engaged in english learning with augmented reality media. they expressed great enthusiasm as it provided them with a novel learning experience. additionally, the interactive nature of the media facilitated learning through play, particularly benefiting young learners. consequently, the students highly endorse the use of this media due to its captivating nature. thus, it is concluded that combining ar with other learning physical media enhances the educational english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 493 experience by providing a multi-sensory and holistic approach to learning. applying the ar-english implementation with nonenglish materials applying ar in english language learning with non-english materials represents an innovative approach to language acquisition (dubskikh et al., 2021; huang et al., 2021; tsai, 2023). by integrating ar technology with non-english content, learners are presented with immersive experiences that foster language development in diverse contexts. this approach not only enhances language proficiency but also broadens learners' cultural awareness and understanding (barus et al., 2021; oktaviani et al., 2020). for instance, students can use ar to explore virtual environments depicting landmarks (lim & lim, 2020), cultural practices (parmaxi & demetriou, 2020), and everyday situations (elbes & oktaviani, 2022) from english-speaking regions. by interacting with these virtual elements in a contextualized manner, learners can absorb language nuances, vocabulary, and cultural insights organically. thus, applying ar-english implementation with non-english materials not only facilitates language learning but also promotes a deeper appreciation for cultural diversity and global interconnectedness (lin & tsai, 2021; yoko, 2020). in this term, sulistiyaningsih et al. (2021) explain the implementation of ar-english language can be related to the non-english material, such batik patterns. batik pattern is one of the learning contents that provide fascinating and interactive learning that can take use of mobile augmented reality technology, which packages learning material in real-time interactive via mobile devices in real life. this can improve students' learning experiences in a mixed atmosphere. batik, as one of the parts of indonesian culture can develop significantly the cultural diversity of their own countries and their lexical range of indonesian culture itself. in addition, this research stated that the ar camera showcased offers an introduction to batik motifs through a mobile augmented reality platform, enabling users to interactively control a 3d model within their real environment using interactive markers. additionally, manipulation of the 3d batik motif model can be achieved through screen gestures, allowing users to zoom in/out and pan left/right. it is proven by the results of this research that students agree that the use of ar in batik can make their english learning more varied. recommendation of ar on english language teaching implementation in indonesia from table 2, it is discovered that the implementation of ar in english language acquisition in indonesia inherent different strategies. those strategies, absolutely, cannot independently be produced without notes undertaking. these notes are involved in terms of recommendation to minimize the lack of the implementation and maximize the results. the first recommendation for ar-english language implementation is the combination of teaching method should be based on the class needs (wibowo et al., 2022). according to barus & simanjuntak (2020), adapting the teaching method should be tailored to class needs to ensure relevance, effectiveness, and meaningful engagement. every classroom is unique, comprising students with diverse learning styles, preferences, and proficiency levels. thus, by aligning the integration of ar with the specific needs of the class, educators can address the varied learning requirements of their students, making the technology a valuable asset rather than an isolated tool. the most important recommendation for this is the facility, including the teachers’ ability in utilizing the media. teachers should be able to explain the works of the technology to the students. this would determine whether students can engage to the materials or not. as stated by syamsinar (2022) that teachers need to do a simulation before applying the media in learning to minimize the problems that occurred. thus, it is recommended that all parties in institutions can maintain the implementation (shaumiwaty et al., 2022). the educational institutions need to invest in teacher training programs to equip educators with the necessary skills to effectively integrate ar into their english language classrooms. training initiatives should focus on familiarizing teachers with various ar tools, guiding them on creating content-rich lessons, and empowering them to adapt their teaching styles to capitalize on the benefits of this technology (hao & lee, 2021). ar technologies offer immersive and interactive learning experiences that can significantly enhance students' engagement and comprehension. educators are encouraged to explore and incorporate ar applications strategically into their teaching methodologies, leveraging the technology to create dynamic language lessons that go beyond traditional approaches. by embracing ar, english teaching can become more adaptable to diverse learning umniyah juman rosyidah & mirjam anugerahwati integrating augmented reality in english language teaching: trends in indonesia from 2019 to 2023 494 styles, fostering a student-centered environment that aligns with the evolving landscape of educational technology (koç et al., 2022). conclusion in this technology era, augmented reality is being highlighted to help educators on the english language teaching. this is because indonesians face several challenges when learning english as a foreign language, primarily due to linguistic differences and the distinct nature of the english language. therefore, understanding the ways for successfully implementing ar in elt involves indonesian educators informed decisions about when and how to incorporate this technology into their teaching. according to the results in this research, elementary students with vocabulary teaching method as the most aspect taught. from this information, teachers can teach english vocabularies to the elementary students more comprehensively. in addition, the implementation of ar-elt can integrate appropriate teaching approach, blend it with the language learning between online and offline class, combining with another physical media, apply the ar-english implementation with non-english materials. the most important recommendation due to the implementation is the facility maintains. all parties in the institutions must support. however, indonesia still needs the improvement of ar utilization in the classroom in each level of education. for example, in the provided articles, no ar-elt implementation in junior high school level is discovered. other than that, teachers need to use ar into other english language aspects, such as listening or writing. it can comprehend the ar implementation in every aspect of language learning so that the learning outcomes of students are reached. moreover, smartphone has become the needs of students nowadays; thus, the technology usage should be the high aspect teachers involve in english language teaching. ultimately, the successful implementation of ar in elt not only reflects the commitment of the education system to embrace technological advancements but also signifies a promising step towards preparing students for a future where digital literacy is an integral aspect of language proficiency. even though some ar application is developed by indonesian academics, the implementation of these apps still does not implement in the long term consistently. other than that, some challenges faced in the reviewed articles make the implementation needs to consider several aspects to maximize the integration of ar in elt especially for english teachers in indonesia. therefore, according to our analysis of the recommendation offered by the reviewed articles, we suggest the learning steps of ar implementation in elt for further improvement of students’ language skills (figure 4). the implementation should consider the identification of the learning objectives, students’ needs, and the ar strategy, as well as the opportunities and weaknesses during the implementation so that teachers can establish more appropriate implementation to the next efl meeting. in addition, the most important recommendation due to the implementation of ar is that all parties must support. for example, government, especially in indonesia needs to incorporate ar-enhanced content into the national curriculum for english language learning. this includes identifying specific learning objectives where ar can enhance comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and language production. other than that, government should provide professional development opportunities for teachers to learn how to effectively integrate ar technology into their english language teaching practices, such as workshops, seminars, and online courses can help teachers acquire the necessary skills and competencies to leverage ar tools in the efl classroom. further indonesian technology developer need to developed ar app and should socialize the technology comprehensively towards elt teachers, so that academics do not only develop ar app without the implementation. this research limits the topic that only discovers the papers only in indonesia with limited period of years. thus, further research needs to expand the topic, such as comparing in detail regarding the ar implementation in indonesia and any specific country to see what aspects of indonesia ar application needs to highlight. in addition, the limitation of this research is due to the missing of further exploration regarding the factors “causing” and “caused by” the limitation of ar implementation in indonesia. therefore, future research should emphasize the possibility factors to encourage the implementation of ar in elt class significantly. references agung, a. s. n. (2019). current challenges in teaching english in least-developed region in indonesia. soshum: jurnal sosial dan humaniora, 9(3), 266–271. ahmad, m. k., mohd adnan, a. h., yusof, a. a., mohd english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 495 kamal, m. a., & mustafa kamal, n. n. (2019). using new technologies to teach english in malaysia-issues and challenges. proceedings of the international invention, innovative & creative (iniic) conference, series, 203–207. alalwan, n., cheng, l., al-samarraie, h., yousef, r., ibrahim, a., & muthana, s. (2020). studies in educational evaluation challenges and prospects of virtual reality and augmented reality utilization among primary school teachers : a developing country perspective. studies in educational evaluation, 66(april), 100876. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2020.100876 alizadeh, m. (2019). diversity and inclusion augmented / virtual reality promises for elt practitioners. jalt, 360–368. altun, h. k., & lee, j. (2020). immersive learning technologies in english language teaching: a systematic review. educational technology international, 21(2), 155–191. anis, m., & anwar, c. (2020). self-organized learning environment teaching strategy for elt in merdeka belajar concept for high school students in indonesia. jees (journal of english educators society), 5(2), 199–204. annamalai, n., uthayakumaran, a., & zyoud, s. h. (2023). high school teachers ’ perception of ar and vr in english language teaching and learning activities : a developing country perspective. education and information technologies, 3117–3143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11275-2 azimova, d., & solidjonov, d. (2023). learning english language as a second language with augmented reality. qo ‘qon universiteti xabarnomasi, 1, 112–115. barus, i. r. g., & simanjuntak, m. b. (2020). whatsapp group and google classroom-based learning materials in english classes: students’ perceptions. seltics, 3(1), 47–54. barus, i. r. g., simanjuntak, m. b., & resmayasari, i. (2021). reading literacies through evieta-based learning material: students’ perceptions (study case taken from vocational school–ipb university). journal of advanced english studies, 4(1), 15–20. belda-medina, j. (2022). using augmented reality (ar) as an authoring tool in efl through mobile computer-supported collaborative learning. teaching english with technology, 22(2), 115– 135. benini, s., & thomas, m. (2021). a critical review of research on gamification and second language acquisition. digital games and language learning, 9–46. berk, a., erdi, u., fatma, s., karaoglan, g., & ramazan, y. (2022). the effects of ar ‑ enhanced english language learning experience on students ’ attitudes , self ‑ efficacy and motivation. 798–809. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00757-2 bhute, v. j., inguva, p., shah, u., & brechtelsbauer, c. (2021). transforming traditional teaching laboratories for effective remote delivery—a review. education for chemical engineers, 35, 96–104. binhomran, k., & altalhab, s. (2021). the impact of implementing augmented reality to enhance the vocabulary of young efl learners. jalt call journal, 17(1), 23–44. bolton, r. n., parasuraman, a., hoefnagels, a., migchels, n., kabadayi, s., & gruber, t. (2013). understanding generation y and their use of social media: a review and research agenda. journal of service management, 24(3), 245–267. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/09564231 311326987 cai, y., pan, z., & liu, m. (2022). augmented reality technology in language learning: a meta‐ analysis. journal of computer assisted learning, 38(4), 929–945. carreon, a. c., & smith, s. (2022). ar as a digital tool to support all learners in inquiry-based lessons. interdisciplinary journal of problem-based learning, 16(1). challenor, j., & ma, m. (2019). a review of augmented reality applications for history education and heritage visualisation. multimodal technologies and interaction, 3(2), 39. chang, y.-s., chen, c.-n., & liao, c.-l. (2020). enhancing english-learning performance through a simulation classroom for efl students using augmented reality—a junior high school case study. applied sciences, 10(21), 7854. chen, c. (2020). ar videos as scaffolding to foster students’ learning achievements and motivation in efl learning. british journal of educational technology, 51(3), 657–672. chen, c., hung, h., & yeh, h. (2021). virtual reality in problem‐based learning contexts: effects on the problem‐solving performance, vocabulary acquisition and motivation of english language learners. journal of computer assisted learning, 37(3), 851–860. chen, y., zhou, d., wang, y., & yu, j. (2017). application of augmented reality for early childhood english teaching. 2017 international symposium on educational technology (iset), 111–115. cho, y., & kim, j. (2021). production of mobile english language teaching application based on text interface using deep learning. electronics, 10(15), 1809. cirocki, a., anam, s., & retnaningdyah, p. (2019). readiness for autonomy in english language learning: the case of indonesian high school students. iranian journal of language teaching research, 7(2), 1–18. dehganzadeh, h., & dehganzadeh, h. (2020). investigating effects of digital gamificationumniyah juman rosyidah & mirjam anugerahwati integrating augmented reality in english language teaching: trends in indonesia from 2019 to 2023 496 based language learning: a systematic review. two quarterly journal of english language teaching and learning university of tabriz, 12(25), 53–93. derlina, aisyah, bukit, n., sahyar, & hassan, a. (2020). blended learning in english and englishmedium physics classes using augmented reality, edmodo, and tinkercad media. tesol international journal, 15(3), 111–133. dubskikh, a. i., butova, a. v, kisel, o. v, & bosik, g. a. (2021). virtual and augmented reality technologies in training esp for technical students. elearning & software for education, 2. elbes, e. k., & oktaviani, l. (2022). character building in english for daily conversation class materials for english education freshmen students. journal of english language teaching and learning, 3(1), 36–45. fan, m., & antle, a. n. (2020). an english language learning study with rural chinese children using an augmented reality app. proceedings of the interaction design and children conference, 385–397. fan, m., antle, a. n., & warren, j. l. (2020). augmented reality for early language learning: a systematic review of augmented reality application design, instructional strategies, and evaluation outcomes. journal of educational computing research, 58(6), 1059–1100. fidan, m., & tuncel, m. (2019). integrating augmented reality into problem based learning: the effects on learning achievement and attitude in physics education. computers & education, 142, 103635. fominykh, m., wild, f., klamma, r., billinghurst, m., costiner, l. s., karsakov, a., mangina, e., molka-danielsen, j., pollock, i., & preda, m. (2020). developing a model augmented reality curriculum. proceedings of the 2020 acm conference on innovation and technology in computer science education, 508–509. granić, a., & marangunić, n. (2019). technology acceptance model in educational context: a systematic literature review. british journal of educational technology, 50(5), 2572–2593. hao, k.-c., & lee, l.-c. (2021). the development and evaluation of an educational game integrating augmented reality, arcs model, and types of games for english experiment learning: an analysis of learning. interactive learning environments, 29(7), 1101–1114. huang, x., zou, d., cheng, g., & xie, h. (2021). a systematic review of ar and vr enhanced language learning. sustainability, 13(9), 4639. jamrus, m. h. m., & razali, a. b. (2021). acceptance, readiness and intention to use augmented reality (ar) in teaching english reading among secondary school teachers in malaysia. asian journal of university education, 17(4), 312– 326. ji, h. e., & shin, h. w. (2019). young foreign language learners’ engagement and motivation in augmented reality-based vocabulary learning. multimedia-assisted language learning, 22(3). jon, r. b., embong, r., purnama, b., & wadi, a. s. (2021). the challenges of english language teaching in indonesia. international journal of english and applied linguistics (ijeal), 1(3), 158–168. karacan, c. g., & akoglu, k. (2021). educational augmented reality technology for language learning and teaching: a comprehensive review. shanlax international journal of education, 9(2), 68–79. katemba, c. v. (2020). teachers’ perceptions in implementing technologies in language teaching and learning. acuity: journal of english language pedagogy, literature and culture, 5(2), 123–136. koç, ö., altun, e., & yüksel, h. g. (2022). writing an expository text using augmented reality: students’ performance and perceptions. education and information technologies, 1–22. lan, y.-j. (2020). immersion into virtual reality for language learning. in psychology of learning and motivation (vol. 72, pp. 1–26). elsevier. lantolf, j. p., & poehner, m. e. (2023). sociocultural theory and classroom second language learning in the east asian context: introduction to the special issue. the modern language journal, 107(s1), 3–23. li, n. (2022). research on augmented reality college english listening and speaking teaching mode supported by wearable technology. mobile information systems, 2022. lightbown, p. m., & spada, n. (2020). teaching and learning l2 in the classroom: it’s about time. language teaching, 53(4), 422–432. lim, k. y. t., & lim, r. (2020). semiotics, memory and augmented reality: history education with learner‐generated augmentation. british journal of educational technology, 51(3), 673–691. lin, h.-y., & tsai, s.-c. (2021). student perceptions towards the usage of ar-supported stemup application in mobile courses development and its implementation into english learning. australasian journal of educational technology, 37(3), 88–103. majid, s. n. a., & salam, a. r. (2021). a systematic review of augmented reality applications in language learning. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 16(10). martins, b. r., jorge, j. a., & zorzal, e. r. (2023). towards augmented reality for corporate training. interactive learning environments, 31(4), 2305–2323. moreno-guerrero, a.-j., alonso garcía, s., ramos navas-parejo, m., campos-soto, m. n., & gómez garcía, g. (2020). augmented reality as english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 497 a resource for improving learning in the physical education classroom. international journal of environmental research and public health, 17(10), 3637. munir, f. s., & wanti, p. (2022). development of english learning media for elementary school students assisted augmented reality technology based android. edumaspul: jurnal pendidikan, 6(2), 1839–1849. https://doi.org/10.33487/edumaspul.v6i2.4392 muslim, a. b., hamied, f. a., & sukyadi, d. (2020). integrative and instrumental but low investment: the english learning motivation of indonesian senior high school students. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 9(3), 493–507. nguyen, v., & stracke, e. (2021). learning experiences in and outside class by successful vietnamese tertiary students studying english as a foreign language. innovation in language learning and teaching, 15(4), 321–333. oktadela, r., elida, y., ismail, s., & hartono, w. j. (2023). implementation of augmented reality (ar) technology in english learning. journal of english language and education, 8(2), 131– 138. oktaviani, l., mandasari, b., & maharani, r. a. (2020). implementing powtoon to improve students’ international culture understanding in english class. journal of research on language education, 1(1). parmaxi, a., & demetriou, a. a. (2020). augmented reality in language learning: a state‐of‐the‐art review of 2014–2019. journal of computer assisted learning, 36(6), 861–875. patil, s. (2023). teaching and learning aids for blended learning. the online journal of distance education and e-learning, 11(2). putri, h. e. (2019). influence of concrete pictorial abstract approach to the improvement of spatial sense ability of elementary school students. journal of physics: conference series, 1157(4), 42083. rozi, i. f., larasati, e., & lestari, v. a. (2021). developing vocabulary card base on augmented reality (ar) for learning english. iop conference series: materials science and engineering, 1073(1), 12061. sadikin, i. s., & martyani, e. (2020). integrating augmented reality (ar) in efl class for teaching vocabulary. project (professional journal of english education), 3(2), 161. https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v3i2.p161-167 sari, f. m., & wahyudin, a. y. (2019). undergraduate students’ perceptions toward blended learning through instagram in english for business class. international journal of language education, 3(1), 64–73. shaumiwaty, s., fatmawati, e., sari, h. n., vanda, y., & herman, h. (2022). implementation of augmented reality (ar) as a teaching media in english language learning in elementary school. jurnal obsesi : jurnal pendidikan anak usia dini, 6(6), 6332–6339. https://doi.org/10.31004/obsesi.v6i6.3398 sulistiyaningsih, r., rakhmanto, d. s., kurniawan, i., & fadhilah, n. (2021). development of english listening conversation learning media through introduction to batik motives based on mobile augmented reality. edulingua: jurnal linguistics terapan dan pendidikan bahasa inggris, 8(1), 11–21. syamsinar, s. (2022). augmented reality media in teaching english for young learner. jurnal studi guru dan pembelajaran, 5(3), 272–277. https://doi.org/10.30605/jsgp.5.3.2022.2030 sydorenko, t., hellermann, j., thorne, s. l., & howe, v. (2019). mobile augmented reality and language‐related episodes. tesol quarterly, 53(3), 712–740. tegoan, n., wibowo, s., & grandhi, s. (2021). application of the extended reality technology for teaching new languages: a systematic review. applied sciences, 11(23), 11360. tsai, s.-c. (2023). learning with mobile augmented reality-and automatic speech recognition-based materials for english listening and speaking skills: effectiveness and perceptions of nonenglish major english as a foreign language students. journal of educational computing research, 61(2), 444–465. utami, l. p. r. a., suwastini, n. k. a., dantes, g. r., suprihatin, c. t., & adnyani, k. e. k. (2021). virtual reality for supporting authentic learning in 21st century language classroom. jurnal pendidikan teknologi dan kejuruan, 18(1), 132–141. wahyuni, t., degeng, i. n. s., widiati, u., & setyosari, p. (2020). designing ar based pwim to promote students’ english vocabulary in the higher education of indonesia. universal journal of educational research, 8(12b), 8052–8062. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.082606 wedyan, m., falah, j., elshaweesh, o., alfalah, s. f. m., & alazab, m. (2022). augmented realitybased english language learning: importance and state of the art. electronics, 11(17), 2692. wibowo, d. w., putri, i. k., & saputri, l. (2022). integration of augmented reality and voice recognition in learning english for children. journal of applied intelligent system, 7(2), 103– 110. https://doi.org/10.33633/jais.v7i2.6119 wu, x., & gao, p. (2022). ar construction technology of blended english teaching mode in colleges. wireless communications and mobile computing, 2022. yabukoshi, t. (2020). self-regulated learning processes outside the classroom: insights from a case study of japanese efl students. journal of asia tefl, 17(3), 758. yelia, y., efriza, d., & hendrayani, s. (2021). umniyah juman rosyidah & mirjam anugerahwati integrating augmented reality in english language teaching: trends in indonesia from 2019 to 2023 498 augmented reality trends in teaching english tenses: the case of non-english education students. indonesian research journal in education |irje|, 5(2), 575–585. https://doi.org/10.22437/irje.v5i2.12737 yilmaz, r. m., topu, f. b., & takkaç tulgar, a. (2022). an examination of vocabulary learning and retention levels of pre-school children using augmented reality technology in english language learning. education and information technologies, 27(5), 6989–7017. yoko, k. (2020). fostering university students’ teaching skills through learner-centered instruction-effective usage of ict. proceedings of the 8th japan-china teacher education conference, 185. yulian, r., ruhama’, u., & sucipto. (2022). developing augmented reality (ar) as assisted technology in reading based on contentlanguage integrated learning. jtp jurnal teknologi pendidikan, 24(1), 23–37. https://doi.org/10.21009/jtp.v24i1.23626 yunus, m. m., yen, e. l. y., khair, a. h. m., & yusof, n. m. (2020). acquisition of vocabulary in primary schools via gopic with qr code. international journal of english language and literature studies, 9(3), 121–131. zhang, d., wang, m., & wu, j. g. (2020). design and implementation of augmented reality for english language education. augmented reality in education: a new technology for teaching and learning, 217–234. zuliana, e., retnowati, e., & widjajanti, d. b. (2019). how should elementary school students construct their knowledge in mathematics based on bruner’s theory? journal of physics: conference series, 1318(1), 12019. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1191 the impact of efl teachers' creative self-efficacy and self-esteem on creative teaching nabilah rachmadhani english department, language and art faculty, universitas negeri padang, padang city, indonesia email: nabilahrachma1@gmail.com jufrizal english department, language and art faculty, universitas negeri padang, padang city, indonesia email: jufruzal@fbs.unp.ac.id apa citation: rachmadhani, n., & jufrizal. (2024). the impact of efl teachers' creative self-efficacy and selfesteem on creative teaching. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 11911200. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10134 received: 12-06-2024 accepted: 23-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction in recent years, indonesia has embarked on an educational transformation through the development of the merdeka curriculum, with the profil pelajar pancasila program at from the curriculum. this initiative by the ministry of education and culture (2020) aims to shape students into well-rounded, faith-driven, and dignified citizens who are educated, creative, critical thinkers, and independent. these students are expected to contribute to society as democratic and responsible citizens. one of the essential components of the profil pelajar pancasila is fostering creativity among students. the role of creative teachers becomes crucial in this context. teachers who embody creativity are essential in navigating the dynamic requirements of their students with flexibility and innovation (mulyoto et al., 2023). according to mroz & ocetkiewicz (2021), a creative teacher embraces risk, remains open to new experiences, and demonstrates discipline and persistence. these qualities are not only vital for the teachers' self-improvement but also for enhancing the overall learning experience. creative teachers have the unique ability to boost student motivation, making the learning process more engaging and effective (inayatulloh et al., 2023). their creativity stimulates students to be creative as well. students' creativity can be utilized through directing and guiding it (fan & cai, 2022). karwowski & kaufman (2017) stated one of the aspects that influence creativity is creative self-efficacy and self-esteem. this is a supportive behavior that every teacher must demonstrate in order to promote creativity in the classroom. tierney and farmer (2002) define creative self-efficacy as a person's belief in their own ability to accomplish creative goals. it is focused on future performance and demonstrates confidence in doing the present task creatively (beghetto & karwowski, 2018). teachers' belief in their creativity influences their teaching practices, creative self-efficacy positively enhancing creative fostering behavior and increasing student creativity in learning environments (capron puozzo & audrin, 2021). abstract: investigating the impact of teachers' creative self-efficacy and self-esteem is crucial for enhancing creative teaching practices, particularly within the framework of indonesia's merdeka curriculum, which emphasizes the development of students' creativity and innovative skill. this study explores the impact of efl teachers' creative self-efficacy and self-esteem on their creative teaching practices. a correlational design and multiple regression analysis were used in this study. the data were collected from six efl teachers in three different high schools lengayang, pesisir selatan, sumatera barat. questionnaires and observation checklist were the instruments in this research. the findings indicate that creative self-efficacy significantly enhances creative teaching, while high self-esteem negatively affects it. these results highlight the need for balanced self-esteem to support creative teaching. therefore, creative self-efficacy and selfesteem simultaneously contributes 81.2 percent towards creative teaching. fostering these behaviors can create a supportive learning environment and enhancing student outcomes. social support from principals and colleagues, along with a positive school climate, is crucial for boosting teachers' self-esteem and creative self-efficacy, thereby improving teaching and learning quality. keywords: impact, efl teachers, creative self-efficacy, self-esteem, creative teaching nabilah rachmadhani & jufrizal the impact of efl teachers' creative self-efficacy and self-esteem on creative teaching 1192 teachers with low creative self-efficacy may be less motivated and involved in their teaching practices. on the other hand, teachers with high creative self-efficacy are more willing and driven to perform innovative behaviour in teaching activities (chen, 2024). additionally, teachers who lack creative selfefficacy may struggle to encourage risk-taking and experimentation in their students, which is essential for student growth and development. as wu et al (2022) said, this belief influences success expectations and motivation to achieve a difficult goal. if teachers don't believe in their own creative process, it could prevent the creative process for their students (munro, 2019). because teachers have a responsibility for being creative in the classroom, teachers need creative self-efficacy (cayirdag, 2017) which indicates that teachers should believe in themselves to produce innovative outcomes for their students. in order to foster the creativity in classroom, teachers are intended to have high self-esteem. tafarodi & swann (2001) state that self-esteem is the behavior of assessing oneself based on what they can do and what other people see about them (personal competence, as well as appearance, character and social identity). individuals with high self-esteem believe they are competent and valuable, therefore they are more inclined to share creative ideas (thatcher & brown, 2010). as the issues about self-esteem have been increased in educational context, some of the researchers have been defining teachers’ selfesteem. according to dele (2023) teacher selfesteem is viewed as the teacher’ self–worth or satisfaction with themselves. on the other hand, based on tabassum & ali, (2012) self-esteem is a complex concept affecting a professional's personality, attributes, and authenticity, influencing their professional images. teachers' self-esteem is related to their belief in their capacity to achieve the learning outcomes for their students. it is important that teachers have positive self-esteem. teachers' self-esteem has been associated to students’ academic achievement which in turn influences their own self-worth (zhao et al., 2021). according to wang & wang (2016), selfesteem is essential for creativity. interdependent self-construal creativity can be predicted more positively with high self-esteem. teachers' selfesteem and creativity are clearly related: a positive view of themselves may facilitate students succeed when faced with situations of uncertainty, crisis, or unpredictability, and ability to innovate can lead to a better perception about themselves. (cantero et al., 2016) the discussion about creative self-efficacy has been done by several researchers. most of the studies that discussed creative self-efficacy are related to job and work behavior (candra, 2022; indriyani et al., 2022; suryanto & purba, 2022). in the educational context, some researchers talked about creative self-efficacy and creative performance (chang & jaisook, 2020; park et al., 2021). in the relation of creative self-efficacy and teachers, (cayirdag, 2017; huang et al., 2019) investigated creative self-efficacy and teacher creative role identity, as well as supporting creativity. discussions about self-esteem often revolve around the problems of students. as discussed by (blegur et al., 2021; omodan & mtshatsha, 2022; skripsiani et al., 2022; zhao et al., 2021). self-esteem in their study is indicated as a factor that contributes to student academic achievement and engagement. as for the study about teachers' self-esteem, dele (2023) discussed self-esteem and anxiety as a predictor of teacher efficacy. this study intends to investigate the impact of efl teachers' creative self-efficacy and selfesteem and their creative teaching practices. while previous research has focused on these concepts individually, this study addresses the gap by examining their combined impact in an efl context. along with the development of the new curriculum which requires students to be creative. this research topic has become crucial, so that teachers are aware that creative students are formed from creative teachers. method in conducting this research, this research employs a correlational design with multiple regression analysis. correlational research entails gathering data to establish whether and to what extent a relationship exists between more than one quantifiable variable. (gay et al., 2012). then, multiple regressions are a regression model with multiple independent variables used to analyze the direction and influence of these variables on the dependent variable (ghozali, 2018). this research used the multiple regressions to find out the impact between two independent variables namely teachers’ creative self-efficacy and selfesteem with the symbol (x1, x2) and one dependent variable namely creative teaching with the symbol (y). this research was provided english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1193 information about the impact of teacher creative self-efficacy and self-esteem to creative teaching. the participants of this study are six efl teachers from three different high schools in lengayang, pesisir selatan, sumatera barat. these teachers were selected through accidental sampling. because some english teachers in the lengayang district had already completed the required lesson and were concentrating completely on the project lesson, the researcher employed this sampling technique. it happened as a result of the schools implementing the merdeka curriculum, which assigned students to two focused lessons per semester: the project lesson and the regular class. to find out teachers creative self-efficacy, researcher used a questionnaire that adapted from the theory of (tierney & farmer, 2002) that included 15 statements. there were 3 indicators such as, 1) individuals feel confident in their ability to solve problems creatively, 2) individuals are able to generate new ideas. 3) individuals talented at developing ideas that comes from others. meanwhile for teachers’ selfesteem, researcher adopted the questionnaire from (tafarodi & swann, 2001) were there are 15 statement. there were two indicators such as.1) self-liking and 2) self-competence. as for creative teaching, researcher used observation checklist to investigate how teachers did their creative teaching practices in the classroom. the indicators of observation checklist are based on the creative teaching practices scale that was developed by (alali, 2020) that include 40 statement. the teacher creative self-efficacy and selfesteem questionnaires used a likert scales. likert scales are widely used to evaluate individuals' attitudes, values, internal states, and judgments about their own or others' behavior through graded responses to statements. the study used a likert scale with four levels for creative selfefficacy and self-esteem questionnaires: strongly agreed (sa), agree (a), disagree (d), and strongly disagree (sd). to find out how teacher do creative teaching in the classroom, the observation checklist is scored by using rating scale. the rating scale has four scales in order to score the item needed in the observation (sugiyono, 2013). then, this research has four scores to investigate how teacher do their creative teaching in the classroom. there are four rating scales scores from 1-4. if the teacher did the item very well, research will give 4 point. then, if the teacher did the item well, it will be 3 point. if the teacher did the item less well, researcher will give 2 point and if the teacher did not do the item, which will be 1 point. before give the instrument to the teacher, researcher used validity and reliability to determine the data valid and reliable. for the validity, researcher used content validity and to measure the reliability of the instrument, cronbach’s alpha formula was used. an instrument is considered or can be said reliable if cronbach's alpha value greater than 0.6 (hajjar, 2018). to calculated reliability test, researchers used spss version 24. before doing hypothesis testing, a requirements analysis is conducted. some of the tests are the normality test, linearity test, and multicollinearity test. the researcher used the kolmogrov-smirnov test to determine the normality of the data distribution, with sig. > 0.05 indicating that the data is normally distributed. the researcher conducted a linearity test after ensuring that the data was normally distributed. the linearity test identifies a connection between the dependent and independent variables. then, multicollinearity was tested to see if the independent variables influenced one another. after all the requirements analysis is conducted, the hypothesis was tested to determine the impact of teachers’ creative selfefficacy and self-esteem on creative teaching by using multiple regression analysis techniques assisted by using the spss version 24. the hypotheses are formulated as follows: first hypothesis. ho: there is no significant impact of teachers’ creative self-efficacy on creative teaching. ha: there is a significant impact of teachers’ creative self-efficacy on creative teaching. second hypothesis. ho: there is no significant impact of teachers’ self-esteem on creative teaching. ha: there is a significant impact teachers’ self-esteem on creative teaching third hypothesis. ho: there are no significant impact of both teachers’ creative self-efficacy and self-esteem on creative teaching. ha: there are significant impact of both teachers’ creative self-efficacy and self-esteem on creative teaching. result and discussion the data from this study consisted of two independent variables, namely creative selfefficacy and self-esteem, with one dependent variable, namely creative teaching. in order to nabilah rachmadhani & jufrizal the impact of efl teachers' creative self-efficacy and self-esteem on creative teaching 1194 describe and find out the impact of the independent variables and dependent variable of this research, this result presented a description of the data that were obtained from the field, it presented the description of the mean score, deviation score and a frequency distribution table of each variable. the result of the questionnaires of creative self-efficacy, self-esteem and observation checklist from creative teaching can be seen as follow: table 1. data description variables min max mean std deviat ion creative selfefficacy 39 50 44.33 4.844 selfesteem 43 51 47.17 3.430 creative teaching 100 123 117.83 8.886 the study found that teachers' creative selfefficacy highest score was 50, while the lowest was 39. the mean creative self-efficacy score was 44.33, indicating moderate creative selfefficacy. meanwhile, the highest score of teacher self-esteem was 51, while the lowest was 43. the mean self-esteem score was 47.17, indicating moderate self-esteem. then for creative teaching, the highest score was 123, and the lowest was 100. the mean creative teaching score was 117.83, indicating high creative teaching. in order to find out the impact between the independent variables: creative-self-efficacy (x1) and self-esteem (x2) towards dependent variable, researcher was used partial t test. the partial t test (t test) is a test carried out to see whether an independent variable has an effect on the dependent variable. this test was used to answer the first and second hypothesis. table 2. partial t test result model unstandardized coefficients standardiz ed coefficien ts t sig. b std. error beta (constant) 176.767 25.868 6.833 .006 creative selfefficacy 3.551 .734 1.936 4.837 .017 selfesteem -4.588 1.037 -1.771 -4.425 .021 a. dependent variable: creative teaching based on the table above, the result of partial t test of creative-self efficacy on creative teaching (rx1y) was 4.837. next, the result of partial t test of self-esteem on creative teaching (rx2y) was 4.425. this result would answer the first and second hypothesis. the interpretation of this hypothesis was analyzed if t observed > t table or there is a significant impact of teachers’ creative selfefficacy on creative teaching, ha was accepted. if t observed < t table or there is no significant impact of teachers’ creative self-efficacy on creative teaching, ho was accepted. based on the result, t observed 4.837 > t table 2.776, so it can be concluded that ha is accepted. there is a significant impact of teachers’ creative selfefficacy on creative teaching. the result of partial t test is positive. a positive coefficient indicates that as the value of the independent variable increases, the mean of the dependent variable also tends to increase. so, if the teachers’ creative self-efficacy increased, the creative also increased. therefore, to determine the impact of teachers’ self-esteem on creative teaching, it can be seen from the result, t observed -4.425 > t table 2.776, so it can be concluded that ha is accepted. there is a significant impact of teachers’ creative self-efficacy on creative teaching. the result of partial t test is negative. if the regression coefficient is negative, it indicates a negative (or opposite) relationship between the independent and dependent variables. as x increases, y decreases and as x decreases, y increases. so, if the teachers’ self-esteem increased their creative teaching decreased and if the self-esteem decrease, creative teaching increase. in order to answer the third hypothesis, this study used the simultaneous f test (simultaneous test) to examine if independent variables have a simultaneous influence on the dependent variable. table 3. simultaneous f test result model sum of squares df mean square f sig. regressio n 350.232 2 175.116 11.779 .038b residual 44.601 3 14.867 total 394.833 5 a. dependent variable: creative teaching english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1195 b. predictors: (constant), self-esteem, creative selfefficacy based on the table above, the result of simultaneous f test of creative-self efficacy and self-esteem on creative teaching (rx1x2y) was 11.779. the interpretation of this hypothesis was analyzed if f observed > f table or there are significant impact of both teachers’ creative selfefficacy and self-esteem on creative teaching, ha was accepted. if f observed < f table or there are no significant impact of both teachers’ creative self-efficacy and self-esteem on creative teaching, ho was accepted. based on the result, f observed 11.779 > f table 9.552, so it can be concluded that ha was accepted and ho was rejected. there are significant impact of both teachers’ creative self-efficacy and self-esteem on creative teaching. to find out how much influence the independent variables have together (simultaneously) on the dependent variable, in this research a coefficient of determination test was carried out which is indicated by the adjusted r squared value. table 4. adjusted r squared value model r r square adjusted r square std. error of the estimate 1 .942a .887 .812 3.856 a. predictors: (constant), self-esteem, creative self-esteem based on the results of the coefficient of determination test in the table above, an adjusted r square value of 0.812 (81.2%) was obtained. this means that the ability of the independent variable to influence the dependent variable is 81.2 percent, while the remaining 18.8 percent is influenced by other variables. this study showed a positive association between creative self-efficacy and creative teaching, which is in line with previous studies. cayirdag (2017) discovered that creative selfefficacy is essential in the process of teaching and learning because it encourages teachers to nurture students' creativity and adjust their methods to different learning styles. teachers ought to possess a high level of creative selfefficacy and accept personal responsibility for improving their abilities to foster creativity. according to nemeråitski & heinla (2020), teachers must have creative self-efficacy to adapt their methods to varied learning styles and demands, ensuring that all students understand what they are studying effectively. in addition, zee and koomen (2016) revealed that teachers' behavioral objectives and creative self-efficacy had a significant impact on whether they prefer to implement educational changes in the educational setting. this also supported by zhang et al. (2022), they discovered a correlation between creative self-efficacy and teachers’ responsiveness. teaching responsiveness, defined as teachers who are sensitive and attentive to their students' needs and provide friendly, inventive, and supportive creative learning environments, increases students' belief in their ability to be creative.. teachers with creative self-efficacy can create an exciting and dynamic learning environment for their students, encouraging perseverance while engaging in creative activities. to encourage their students' creativity, teachers must believe in and be capable in their own. (fathi &naderi, 2023). furthermore, creative self-efficacy is essential in various fields, particularly in teaching and learning. teachers whose believe they are capable of producing creative work are more likely to try new techniques for developing creative students and improving academic outcomes. creative self-efficacy also helps teachers be more confident in overcoming obstacles and challenges in the classroom, finding creative solutions and not giving up when faced with difficulties. meanwhile, researcher found negative impact of self-esteem on creative teaching. which indicate that if self-esteem increased the creative teaching decrease and if the self-esteem decrease, creative teaching increase. in contrast from this research, moon & pan (2022) found that teachers with high self-esteem correlate positively with their job performance and productivity, directly impacting student learning (gómez-jorge & díaz-garrido, 2023). high self-esteem is linked to higher self-efficacy, promoting adaptive selfmanagement, motivation, and task engagement (rippon et al.,2022). teachers with high selfesteem help students develop problem-solving strategies and build trust through understanding, cooperation, and respect, whereas those with low self-esteem are more judgmental and repressive. (branden, 2011). however, overly high self-esteem can lead to narcissistic tendencies, characterized by selfsuperiority, a need for appreciation, and expecting special attention (gok et al., 2021; neff, 2023). people with high self-esteem might nabilah rachmadhani & jufrizal the impact of efl teachers' creative self-efficacy and self-esteem on creative teaching 1196 rate themselves as more intelligent, attractive, and skilled than warranted by objective measures (baumeister & vohs, 2018; waller, 2019). in conclusion, teachers with high self-esteem can enhance learning experiences through confidence and innovation (mbuva, 2017). however, overly high self-esteem can result in narcissism, reducing receptivity to feedback and cooperation, negatively impacting teaching and student development (albu et al., 2011; naslamol, 2022). this highlights the need for balanced self-esteem and continuous professional development from teachers. then, from the findings, it showed that simultaneously both of creative self-efficacy and self-esteem showed a positive and significant impact on creative teaching. creative selfefficacy is crucial for fostering innovation and creativity in teaching, as it influences teachers' motivation and ability to implement creative ideas and solutions in challenging situations (ismayilova & laksov, 2023). therefore, higher self-esteem in teachers is closely connected with higher creative self-efficacy, making them confidence in their pedagogical skills and more willing to engage in creative teaching techniques. (kõiv et al., 2019; nemeråitski & heinla, 2020). there are several aspects that can influence self-esteem and creative self-efficacy, such as social support and school climate. support from principals and coworkers significantly impacts teachers' self-esteem and creative self-efficacy, enhancing their sense of belonging, commitment, and ability to cope with stress (chung, 2019; li et al., 2022). a positive school climate fosters teachers' self-esteem and creative self-efficacy by providing a sense of security, motivation, and encouragement for teachers to ask questions, receive feedback, and innovate in their teaching methods (liu & wang, 2019 & hamid, 2020) creative self-efficacy and self-esteem are interconnected and necessary for fostering creative behaviors in teachers. teachers who feel respected and supported are more willing to embrace and exhibit creative behaviors, inspiring their students to be creative as well. (cayirdag, 2017; massie et al., 2022). ultimately, teachers' creative behaviors, driven by high self-esteem and supported by a positive school climate, are fundamental to creative teaching, improved the overall learning experience and nurturing a culture of creativity in the classroom (liu & wang, 2019; nemeråitski & heinla, 2020). in conclusion, creative self-efficacy and selfesteem are vital for fostering creative teaching. teachers with higher self-esteem exhibit greater creative self-efficacy, leading to enhanced confidence and a willingness to implement innovative teaching methods. social support and a positive school climate significantly contribute to boosting these creative behaviors, creating an environment where teachers feel respected and motivated. this supportive atmosphere encourages teachers to embrace creativity, eventually enriching the learning experience and cultivating creativity in the classroom. conclusion this research investigated the impact of efl teachers' creative self-efficacy and self-esteem on creative teaching at senior high school lengayang, pesisir selatan, sumatera barat. the findings shown that creative self-efficacy positively and significantly enhances creative teaching, making it easier for teachers to implement innovative practices and foster an engaging learning environment. on the other hand, high self-esteem was found to negatively contribute to creative teaching, as overly high self-esteem can lead to narcissistic tendencies that hinder creativity. thus, maintaining balanced self-esteem is crucial for fostering creative teaching and continuous improvement. together, creative self-efficacy and self-esteem account for 81.2% of the variance in creative teaching. this study highlights the significant impact of efl teachers' creative self-efficacy and the selfesteem in creative teaching, emphasizing the need for balanced self-esteem and support from school administrators to foster innovative teaching practices. it suggest the importance of creating forums for teachers to share ideas and best practices, as well as organizing selfdevelopment workshops to improve self-esteem by focusing on stress management and constructive use of criticism. additionally, fostering a supportive working environment through positive feedback from colleagues, students, and administrators can enhance teachers' self-esteem and creative self-efficacy, encouraging innovative teaching methods. future research should explore these variables in diverse educational settings and with larger sample sizes to better understand these relationships and validate the findings. acknowledgement the researcher wants to offer her sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed to this english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1197 research. above all else, thanks to allah swt for providing strength and dedication during the research process. special appreciation to the english department of the language and art faculty at the state university of padang, particularly the advisor, for providing essential assistance and resources. furthermore, thank you for all of the efl teachers at lengayang senior high school in pesisir selatan, sumatera barat, for their cooperation. lastly, thanks to everyone who directly or indirectly contributed to the realization of this research. your contributions are deeply appreciated. references alali, r. m. (2020). developing a scale for creative teaching practices of faculty members at king faisal university. universal journal of educational research, 8(5), 2129–2142. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.080552 albu, g., vasile, c., & pescaru, a. (2011). self-focus and conceit in the teacher’s personality. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 29, 1267–1273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.11.362 baumeister, r. f., & vohs, k. d. (2018). revisiting our reappraisal of the (surprisingly few) benefits of high self-esteem. perspectives on psychological science, 13(2), 137–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617701185 beghetto, r. a., & karwowski, m. (2018). educational consequences of creativity: a creative learning perspective. creativity, 5(2), 146–154. https://doi.org/10.1515/ctra-20180011 blegur, j., tlonaen, zufyati a., lumba, a. j. f., & leko, j. j. (2021). the importance of selfesteem to students learning responsibilities and group learning commitment of physical education students. 6(1), 53–61. branden, n. (2011). the six pillars of self esteem. in philosophy. health communication. inc. https://www.booksfree.org/wpcontent/uploads/ 2022/04/the-six-pillars-of-self-esteem-bynathaniel-branden.pdf candra, edward. (2022). pengaruh creative self efficacy terhadap individual creativity melalui work engagement pada influencer dan content creator. agora, 10(1), 358448. https://www.neliti.com/id/publications/358448/ cantero, m. j., alfonso-benlliure, v., & melero, r. (2016). creativity in middle childhood: influence of perceived maternal sensitivity, self-esteem, and shyness. creativity research journal, 28(1), 105–113. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2016.112524 6 capron puozzo, i., & audrin, c. (2021). improving self-efficacy and creative self-efficacy to foster creativity and learning in schools. thinking skills and creativity, 42(july), 100966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2021.100966 cayirdag, n. (2017). creativity fostering teaching: impact of creative self-efficacy and teacher efficacy. kuram ve uygulamada egitim bilimleri, 17(6), 1959–1975. https://doi.org/10.12738/estp.2017.6.0437 chang, y. c., & jaisook, n. (2020). differences in the influence of aesthetic experience on the innovative behaviors of thai students and chinese international students. journal of applied research in higher education, 13(3), 900–913. https://doi.org/10.1108/jarhe-052020-0133 chen, y. (2024). teacher autonomy, creative selfefficacy, and innovative behavior: perspectives from chinese university efl teachers. arab world english journal, 15(2), .73-86. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol15no2.5. chung, m. s. (2019). teacher efficacy, collective selfesteem, and organizational commitment of childcare teachers: a moderated mediation model of social support. frontiers in psychology, 10(apr), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00955 dele, melekeowei p. (2023). self-esteem and anxiety as predictors of pre-service teachers’ efficacy among colleges of education. malaysian online journal of psychology & counseling, 10(1), 15–23. fan, m., & cai, w. (2022). how does a creative learning environment foster student creativity? an examination on multiple explanatory mechanisms. current psychology, 41(7), 4667– 4676. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-02000974-z gay, l., mills, g. e., & airasian, p. (2012). educational research. gok, o., hazar, k., & koç, a. f. (2021). examination of narcissistic behaviors of physical education teachers and their relationship with job satisfaction. journal of education and learning, 10(4), 192. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v10n4p192 gómez-jorge, f., & díaz-garrido, e. (2023). the relation between self-esteem and productivity: an analysis in higher education institutions. frontiers in psychology, 13(january), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1112437 hajjar, s. t. el. (2018). statistical analysis: internalconsistency reliability and construct validity said taan el hajjar ahlia university. international journal of quantitative and qualitative research methods, 6(1), 27–38. www.eajournals.org hamid, f. (2020). association of school climate with teacher’s motivation and self esteem in division gujranwala. pakistan social sciences review, 4(ii), 78–89. nabilah rachmadhani & jufrizal the impact of efl teachers' creative self-efficacy and self-esteem on creative teaching 1198 https://doi.org/10.35484/pssr.2020(4-ii)07 huang, x., chi-kin lee, j., & yang, x. (2019). what really counts? investigating the effects of creative role identity and self-efficacy on teachers’ attitudes towards the implementation of teaching for creativity. teaching and teacher education, 84, 57–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.04.017 inayatulloh, s., rivai, a., dunggio, s., & uliyanti, e. (2023). creative teaching strategies to improve achievement and motivation of higher education students in indonesia. at-tasyrih jurnal pendidikan dan hukum islam 9(1):96116 indriyani, r., noerchoidah, & latif, n. (2022). peran creative self efficacy memediasi antara entrepreneurial leadership dan. equilibrium: jurnal ekonomi-manajemen-akuntansi, 18(april), 1–9. ismayilova, k., & bolander laksov, k. (2023). teaching creatively in higher education: the roles of personal attributes and environment. scandinavian journal of educational research, 67(4), 536–548. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2022.204273 2 fathi, j., & naderi, m. (2023). exploring the roles of teachers’ creative self-efficacy and growth mindset in predicting teaching for creativity: focus on efl teachers. journal of english language teaching and learning, 15(31), 6682. doi: 10.22034/elt.2022.53600.2511 karwowski, m., & kaufman, james c. (2017). the creative self effect of beliefs, self-efficacy, mindset and identity. kõiv, k., liik, k., & heidmets, m. (2019). school leadership, teacher’s psychological empowerment and work-related outcomes. international journal of educational management, 33(7), 1501–1514. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijem-08-2018-0232 li, s., sheng, y., & jing, y. (2022). how social support impact teachers’ mental health literacy: a chain mediation model. frontiers in psychology, 13(march), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.851332 liu, h. y., & wang, i. t. (2019). creative teaching behaviors of health care school teachers in taiwan: mediating and moderating effects. bmc medical education, 19(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-019-1641-8 massie, m. h., capron puozzo, i., & boutet, m. (2022). teacher creativity: when professional coherence supports beautiful risks. journal of intelligence, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10030062 mbuva, j. (2017). exploring teachers’ self-esteem and its effects on teaching, students’ learning and self-esteem. journal of higher education theory and practice, 17(3), 123. www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu, mroz, a., & ocetkiewicz, i. (2021). creativity for sustainability: how do polish teachers develop students’ creativity competence? analysis of research results. sustainability (switzerland), 13(2), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020571 moon, s & z. pan. (2022). the effects of teaching efficacy and self-esteem on job performance. ieee/acis 7th international conference on big data, cloud computing, and data science (bcd), pp. 196-198, doi: 10.1109/bcd54882.2022.9900700. mulyoto, m., madhakomala, m., rugaiyah, r., ulrika, b., & bjorn, o. (2023). teacher’s creativity in the vuca era: a systematic literature review using bibliometric analysis. journal neosantara hybrid learning, 1(2), 110–128. https://doi.org/10.55849/jnhl.v1i2.100 munro, j. (2019). creativity in education: what educators need to know. nsw department of education. https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main -education/teaching-and-learning/educationfor-a-changingworld/media/documents/munro_creativity_ed ucation.pdf naslamol, k. (2022). interaction effect of narcissistic personality and gender on sociopersonal adjustment among prospective teachers at secondary level. quest journals journal of research in humanities and social science, 10(8), 11–50. issn (online):2321-9467. neff, k. d. (2023). self-compassion : theory , intervention. nemeråitski, s., & heinla, e. (2020). teachers’ creative self-efficacy, self-esteem, and creative teaching in estonia: a framework for understanding teachers’ creativity-supportive behaviour. creativity, 7(1), 183–207. https://doi.org/10.2478/ctra-2020-0011 omodan, b. i., & mtshatsha, n. (2022). reinventing students ’ self -esteem in classrooms : the need for humanistic pedagogy. journal of education, teaching, and learning, 7(2), 139– 146. park, n. k., jang, w., thomas, e. l., & smith, j. (2021). how to organize creative and innovative teams: creative self-efficacy and innovative team performance. creativity research journal, 33(2), 168–179. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2020.184201 0 rippon, d., shepherd, j., wakefield, s., lee, a., & pollet, t. v. (2022). the role of self-efficacy and self-esteem in mediating positive associations between functional social support and psychological wellbeing in people with a mental health diagnosis. journal of mental english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1199 health, 0(0), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2022.206969 5 skripsiani, h., yukamana, h., & tahrun. (2022). selfesteem and strategies to increase the student english achievement. jurnal penelitian pendidikan guru sekolah dasar, 20(september), 123. sugiyono. (2013). metode penelitian kuantitatif kualitatif dan r&d (19th ed.). alfabeta. suryanto, aatina s. r., & purba, h. p. (2022). creative self-efficacy sebagai moderator dalam pengaruh job autonomy terhadap perilaku kerja inovatif karyawan startup. sibatik journal: jurnal ilmiah bidang sosial, ekonomi, budaya, teknologi, dan pendidikan, 1(8), 1575–1584. https://doi.org/10.54443/sibatik.v1i8.210 tabassum, f., & ali, m. a. (2012). professional selfesteem of secondary school teachers. asian social science, 8(2), 206–210. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v8n2p206 tafarodi, r. w., & swann, w. b. (2001). twodimensional self-esteem: theory and measurement. personality and individual differences, 31(5), 653–673. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0191-8869(00)001690 thatcher, s. m. b., & brown, s. a. (2010). individual creativity in teams: the importance of communication media mix. decision support systems, 49(3), 290–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2010.03.004 tierney, p., & farmer, s. m. (2002). creative selfefficacy: its potential antecedents and relationship to creative performance. academy of management journal, 45(6), 1137–1148. https://doi.org/10.2307/3069429 waller, l. (2019). a grounded theory of a sense of not belonging in the workplace and implications for self-concept. https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/84816/2/2102516 4_waller_thesis_redacted.pdf wang, y., & wang, l. (2016). self-construal and creativity: the moderator effect of self-esteem. personality and individual differences, 99, 184–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2016.04.086 wu, x., siu, k. w. m., bühring, j., & villani, c. (2022). the relationship between creative selfefficacy, achievement motivation, and job burnout among designers in china’s e-market. social sciences, 11(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11110509 zhao, y., zheng, z., pan, c., & zhou, l. (2021). selfesteem and academic engagement among adolescents: a moderated mediation model. frontiers in psychology, 12(june). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.690828 nabilah rachmadhani & jufrizal the impact of efl teachers' creative self-efficacy and self-esteem on creative teaching 1200 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1013 exploring innovative alternative assessment methods in elt: a study on the integration of information technology nur aini english education department, universitas muhammadiyah gresik, east java, indonesia ainiilyas211082@gmail.com slamet asari* english education department, universitas muhammadiyah gresik, east java, indonesia asari70@umg.ac.id apa scitation:. aini, n., & asari, s. (2024). exploring innovative alternative assessment methods in elt: a study on the integration of information technology. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1013-1026. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10073 received: 25-06-2024 accepted: 21-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction as awareness of the role of assessment for learning and learning processes rises, so does the need for efficient alternate methods of assessment. information technology is used in this strategy to measure the learning outcomes of students. conventional evaluation methods might not be able to capture the range of abilities and skills that students develop in the classroom. thus, the anticipated outcomes fall short of expectations and are unrelated to the assessment's goal, which is to gather data on students' knowledge and abilities in order to provide the optimal outcomes (fadilah et al., 2023). fadilah et al., (2023) and rudolph et al., (2023) suggested that many educators favor conventional assessment due to its ease of use and simplicity. therefore, it is critical to alter this viewpoint and assist educators in applying both traditional and novel kinds of assessments in a balanced way, contingent upon the goals and competencies needed. nonetheless, alternative assessment has its own stance for its existence in language learning assessment presently especially involving technology. fox (2016) stated that the most significant advances in alternative assessment can be attributed to the widespread employment of increasingly sophisticated technologies. eportfolios, for example, have arisen as an essential evaluation option because they provide a more flexible, less cumbersome, and longer-term record of a student's development or program performance. in addition to portfolios, conferences, observational checklists, learning logs, learning journals, poster presentations, and projects are examples of alternate assessment methods. future alternative assessment methodologies will be further strengthened by technological progress, yet such digital records may raise issues. students' knowledge and abilities are treated as distinct, fixed entities in the bulk of contemporary assessment models and approaches, which can be assessed through the use of standardized and customized written exams. this is clearly at odds with the dynamic, collaborative, situational, and abstract: innovative alternative assessment currently attracts an adequate attention since it alternates conventional assessment. the fast growth of technology provides chances to integrate this type of assessment into it. through an examination of technology integration into the usage of innovative alternative assessment, this study seeks to advance our understanding of how to measure student learning outcomes accurately, which will improve teaching and learning. a questionnaire, observation, and interview were used to gather data from 65 teachers and 152 junior and senior high school students. the data was then combined with quantitative and qualitative methodologies using descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis. the finding indicated that the integration of information technology with its various platforms on innovative alternative assessment methods was perceived positively both by teachers and students. the data presented illustrates the perceived efficacy and acceptance of innovative alternative assessment methods facilitated by information technology, as well as the challenges and barriers encountered in integrating these assessments into existing learning environments. some of the challenges and barriers that arose were mostly related to the exploitation of technology resources, access to them, and the absence of a suitable technological infrastructure for the purpose of discovering innovative alternative methods of assessment. keywords: alternative assessment; conventional assessment; innovative; information technology, methods. nur aini & slamet asari exploring innovative alternative assessment methods in elt: a study on the integration of information technology 1014 multimodal competencies that students need to possess in order to fulfill the demands of the 21stcentury workplace and lifestyle (teo, 2019). teachers should employ a variety of assessment techniques to gauge students' existing knowledge as it relates to 21st-century skills during the learning process. these days, technology is both a product of and a component of globalization, therefore being proficient in it can be used as a tool for evaluating learning. in this instance, teacher preparation should emphasize technology in addition to the skills that must be learned and the tools required to assess those skills, irrespective of the educational background or subject matter under consideration. these days, all professional teachers must possess the ability to develop technology and comprehend its potential for evaluating teaching and learning in general. the creation of visible learning performance evaluation tools, such as presentations or digital assets like webpages, videos, and animations, is increasingly mandatory for foreign language teachers (rudolph et al., 2023). further, rudolph et al., (2023) conveyed that students' abilities and knowledge must be evaluated in stimulating, real-world scenarios. thus, it is very important for teachers to have a full knowledge of these technologies in teaching language skills in particular how it deals with implementing assessment (pourhosein gilakjani, 2013). this current research aims to explore innovative alternative assessment methods that leverage information technology to address those challenges. alternative assessment now seems to be a major demand and priority in learning where teachers are given freedom in developing assessments in their students. however, there is a tendency to apply assessment as learning and assessment for learning as a pressing point to know the progress of achieving the learning objectives that have been set with a focus on real situations. assessment should measure students' skills and knowledge in situations that are realistic, motivating, and authentic (rudolph et al., 2023). these two process assessments are the medium for knowing the accuracy of the ongoing learning process. the existence of alternative assessments with innovative methods becomes important given that learning today places more emphasis on technology-based learning with the pedagogical elements that accompany it. in modern classrooms, teachers act as technology facilitators and not as the primary source of knowledge, thus enabling students to participate actively in education and evaluate their own learning. menaka & sankar (2019) implied that integrating contemporary technologies is crucial to raising the bar for english instruction. students' minds are relaxed by modern technologies, allowing them to fully engage with the subject matter. because of its different orientation towards various computer applications, students today are the computer generation. as a result, measurement of learning accessibility, both process and output, must accommodate the use of information technology by employing a variety of methodologies and platforms that are appropriate for the characteristics of students and the educational setting. bahrani (2011) discovered that the novel approaches and procedures used in the technology-based evaluation measure the improvement in language proficiency. the development of technology has made it possible to employ a wide range of alternative assessment strategies that support learning and/or offer proof of accomplishment, competency, or ability. for instance, electronic portfolios, or e-portfolios— digital archives of texts, presentations, videos, and other materials—are being utilized more and more for preservice teacher preparation and in-service professional development in addition to supporting and documenting students' learning and accomplishments (mansvelder-longayroux et al., 2007). when language learners are given the opportunity to apply what they have learned, this type of assessment is beneficial. conversely, conventional techniques of evaluation fall short of demonstrating the potential of learners' newly learned language. there are a lot of technology-based measurement tools available with a variety of platforms available to realize technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) -based learning and innovative learning as an assessment element in learning. given students' interest in technology and digital tools that facilitate their motivation and drive to learn, integrating technology into the classroom became crucial to the success of teaching that enhanced learning, especially in the twenty-first century. technology use will provide learning interactions that can be applied as learning output in real-world settings in the future (asari, 2023). since the introduction of technology and its applications to education, a lot of research has emerged that investigates the function of instructional technology in the learning process and how the technology improves the interactive learning environment (fawzi, 2017). numerous studies have demonstrated the significant contribution that technology makes to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1015 the enhancement of teaching, learning, and assessment methodologies that positively impact students' knowledge and skills (elmahdi et al., 2018). simplifying the evaluation process, automating tasks to save teachers and students time and resources, promoting communication and understanding of evaluation requirements, identifying suitable evaluation methods and responding more quickly to interpretation and evaluation, analyzing learning evidence, and implementing organizational strategies on when and how to perform evaluation are just a few of the things that must be done to improve learning evaluation (elmahdi et al., 2018). thus, in order to achieve innovative learning—which includes using technology for assessments—teachers must be able to master technological literacy in all of its intricacies. one way that technology can be very useful in the teaching and learning process is by offering a formative assessment of students' knowledge and skills during the teaching and learning process. yulia et al., (2019) proposed that range of technological platforms can be used to give assessments, which can serve as an innovative pedagogical method by encouraging participation in critical learning processes, formative and immediate feedback, and equitable education. teachers and students should receive prompt feedback in order to improve student performance during the formative evaluation process. it is imperative to investigate alternate techniques of assessments that align with the distinctive attributes of the virtual learning environment. this study aims to improve teaching and learning overall by advancing our understanding of how to measure student learning outcomes accurately through an investigation of information technology integration into assessment procedures. the following observation question is based on the exposure mentioned above: 1) how do teachers and students perceive the effectiveness and acceptance of innovative alternative assessment methods facilitated by information technology? 2) what are the challenges and barriers to integrating alternative assessment methods supported by information technology into existing learning environments? prior studies have not thoroughly examined innovative alternative assessment methods that leverage information technology to involve and motivate students in the learning process, as well as the challenges and obstacles that arise when implementing and using these methods. the ultimate objective of this research is to enhance learning effectiveness and quality by providing evidence-based recommendations for substitute assessment methods. citing some past research findings as a guideline, where the emphasis of past research remains on the use of various assessment platforms, the efficacy of the platforms employed (rizada & rey, 2023;moqbel & al-kadi, 2023), or even on determining the appropriate use of technology in conducting assessments (raposorivas & cebrián-de-la-serna, 2019). method the study looks into different learning assessment strategies using a mixed method approach to gain a deeper understanding of the perception, effectiveness, involvement, and motivation of students as well as the challenges and obstacles that respondents encounter in carrying out assessments relying not only on questionnaire results but also on triangulations through observations and interviews. questionnaires was distributed to 65 english teachers from gresik and lamongan secondary and high schools and neighboring areas as well as to 152 students in those cities of east java. the questions asked about the perceived efficacy and acceptance of innovative alternative assessment methods enabled by information technology and the challenges and barriers encountered when integrating information technology-supported alternative assessments into current learning environments. the experts on the panel verified the questionnaire once it was created by the researchers. internal reliability using alpha cronbach statistical analysis was used in addition to the surveys' quality. the outcome showed that the whole measurement scale's alpha cronbach's value is 0.731. it indicated a high level of reliability. additionally using snowball technique, 10 teachers became the subjects of interviews and learning observations in the classroom. the questionnaire had been through a process of validity and reliability involving 2 validators and implementing cronbach alpha formula for its reliability which then reached 0.771. simple statistical analysis of survey responses, and teacher-conducted learning observations were part of the data analysis process. descriptive qualitative was also used to analyze the data. three steps of data analysis process was employed namely compiling the data, presenting the data, and coming to conclusions or doing verification (miles et al., 2018). result and discussion teachers’ and students’ perception on the effectiveness and acceptance of innovative nur aini & slamet asari exploring innovative alternative assessment methods in elt: a study on the integration of information technology 1016 alternative assessment methods facilitated by information technology the data analysis revealed that innovative alternative assessment methods enabled by information technology were positively appraised by teachers and students in terms of their efficacy and acceptability. the study's subjects were primarily teachers, and they used a variety of technological platforms, which made the assessment procedures quite effective and were perceived positively by students. the following can be inferred from the outcome of the descriptive statistic as well as data obtained from the result of questionnaires, interview and observation pertaining to the perception of both teachers and students. each item or element within each table is presented and described to determine evidences of data collected. table 1. teachers’ perception n sum mean std. deviation 1. alternative assessment using it measures students’ learning outcomes accurately. 65 274 4.22 .718 2. the use of it as an alternative assessment is very helpful for teachers. 65 299 4.60 .494 3. peer assessment as an innovative alternative assessment using an online platform can improve student learning outcomes. 65 275 4.23 .632 4. online assessments as a form of innovative alternative assessment can improve student learning outcomes. 65 283 4.35 .598 5. multimedia projects as a form of innovative alternative assessment can improve student learning outcomes. 65 293 4.51 .534 6. collaborative online discussion forums as a form of innovative alternative assessment can improve student learning outcomes. 65 271 4.17 .698 7. the benefits of using it in innovative alternative assessments can increase student involvement. 65 285 4.38 .578 8. the benefits of using it in innovative alternative assessments can provide timely feedback to students. 65 278 4.28 .650 9. the benefits of using it in the assessment of innovative alternatives allow for an individual assessment approach. 65 260 4.00 .729 10. the benefits of using it in the innovative alternative assessment facilitates collaboration. 65 282 4.34 .644 11. the benefits of using it in innovative alternative assessment support assessment tasks that are rich in the use of multimedia. 65 292 4.49 .534 12. the support and professional development provided helps integrate alternative assessment using it into teaching practice. 65 285 4.38 .521 total 65 3377 51.95 5.032 valid n (listwise) 65 table 1 shows that the overall mean is 51.95, or 4.32, indicating that the teacher's impression of the use of innovative alternative assessments is quite good. each aspect had a high average score from 1 to 5. item 1, for instance gives a high average score of up to 4.22, or 58.5% of respondents agreed, with 33.8% strongly agreeing that these alternative assessment methods might accurately measure student learning access. the result supports huda's & siddiq's, (2020) notions. they considered the digital alternative assessment to be more feasible for meeting learning objectives because the technology employed may aid in providing an effective assessment of student learning outcomes. the results for statement 2, "the use of it as an alternative assessment is very helpful for teachers," provided another clue that the assessment technique was well-perceived by teachers. this statement's high mean score was backed by extremely high percentage statistics, with 40% of respondents saying they "agree" and 60% saying they "strongly agree." the interview's outcomes support the conclusions made in this statement. “yes, it’s obviously helpful. it’s probably quicker than conventional one.” english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1017 “gloriously, it's very impressive because of its features that are very interesting and suitable for children of the day” it is relevant to the finding revealed by ali et al., (2021) stating that teachers like online or alternative assessment because it can be completed quickly, which enables them to monitor students' progress (lisyowati et al., 2021) and it can minimize the stress of timed assessments by encouraging students to have a positive attitude (jahara et al., 2022). the statements about innovative alternative assessment formats found in table 1 items 3, 4, 5, and 6 demonstrate how highly teachers have responded when using innovative technologybased alternative assessments, with the four items' mean scores rising to high levels in succession (4.23, 4.25, 4.51, and 4.17). the percentage data supported this conclusion: for item 3, 60% of respondents said they "agreed," and 32.3% said they "agreed strongly." for item 4, 52.3% said they "agreed," and 41.5% said they "agreed firmly." for item 5, 46.2% said they "agreed," and 52.3% said they "strongly agreed." for item 6, 58.5% of respondents said they "agreed," and the remaining 30.8% said they "strongly agreed." these findings correspond to the research carried out by indayani et al., (2023) where teachers prefer online alternative assessment over paper ones and believe that taking it increases their technological proficiency, allowing them to correctly grade students using a variety of ways. furthermore, teachers believe that employing online assessments allows them to effectively measure learning outcomes, successfully grade students, and employ online communication and personal activities as helpful problem-solving tools. it demonstrates how a range of online platforms for alternative assessments, including online discussions, portfolios, peer evaluations, and multimedia projects like video presentations, genuinely and favorably impact students' performance. according to statements 7 through 11, each part of the five items or elements has a high average score, with a total average of 4.29. these statements illustrate the teachers' overwhelmingly positive impression of the value and efficacy of innovative alternative assessments based on technology. this conclusion is supported by the elevation percentage number, which shows that, with regard to item 7, which discusses the benefits of innovative alternatives assessments in raising students' engagement in learning, 52.3% of respondents "agree" and 43.1% "strongly agree." aknouch, (2023) suggested that students' engagement and autonomy might boost their motivation to learn the language as peer assessment (one of alternative assessment methods) is incorporated. moreover, 36.9% of respondents "strongly agreed" with item 8, which concerns the speed at which feedback is provided about the use of alternative assessments, while 55.4% of respondents "agreed." the mean score also adds this result that is 4.28. meanwhile, the following interview result validated this outcome: "feedback... i give right after the performance, but sometimes i give feedback through the ig." item 9's mean score of 4.00 indicates that 61.5% of respondents "agreed" and 21.5% "strongly agreed" that an individualized approach to the assessment should be utilized. in reference to item 10, 52.3% of participants indicated agreement, and 41.5% strongly agreed (i.e., the item's mean overall score was 4.34 points). these results highlight the benefits of this evaluation method for encouraging collaboration among students during the learning process. in the meantime, item 11 revealed that a significant proportion of respondents—47.7% "agreed" and 50.8% "highly agreed" or 4.49 for its mean score—saw the advantages of innovative alternative assessment procedures made possible by technology in relation to the variety of multimedia evaluations. the result of interview also supported it. "i use multimedia projects like through video calls, make blogs to be presented and recorded to be assessed... they like and are happy " these findings are in line with research finding from nufus, (2023) revealing that using technology to assess students' learning has an impact on students' language skills progress since they can directly check teacher feedback and use the digital tool. more to the points, cirit (2015) implied that alternative assessments are more engaging, promote learning, offer ongoing assessments of students' progress, foster greater interaction, provide more thorough and useful feedback, and strengthen critical thinking abilities. an analysis of how students see the usage of innovative alternative assessments reveals that they have a favorable opinion of the application of assessment methods and of their acceptability. a total of 10 statements each yield a good average of 3.88 of the intervals 1-5 as shown in table 2. nur aini & slamet asari exploring innovative alternative assessment methods in elt: a study on the integration of information technology 1018 table 2. students’ perception n sum mean std. deviation 1. i felt interested and motivated when the teacher applied assessment using it. 152 619 4.07 .720 2. i'm glad when teachers use itbased assessment over the old methods. 152 592 3.89 .893 3. i felt satisfied when the teacher did the assessment in the classroom using it. 152 596 3.92 .818 4. i'm able to complete tasks easily when teachers use it in assessments. 152 587 3.86 .838 5. i can work with friends when teachers use it in learning. 152 598 3.93 .851 6. i became more creative in learning as teachers applied assessment using it. 152 596 3.92 .858 7. i get the right feedback when teachers apply itbased assessment. 152 562 3.70 .806 8. i found more pleasure and benefit when teachers applied assessment using it. 152 596 3.92 .826 9. i found control and freedom in learning as a teacher applied assessment using it. 152 566 3.72 .855 10. i feel encouraged to create and explore material as teachers make assessments using it. 152 595 3.91 .797 total11 152 5907 38.86 6.013 valid n (listwise) 152 table 2, further, shows a generally positive attitude toward technology in alternative assessment involving the use of technology. the results of interviews with students also support this finding. "i'm very happy when the teacher uses online evaluation because i can use hp." "i like the test using the app... not tired of the class." this finding is in line with a study conducted by jan alokozaya (2022) showing that the learners have a good attitude toward implementing the alternative assessment. furthermore, the outcomes of certain investigations revealed that alternative evaluation is preferable, whilst other studies indicated that alternative assessment is beneficial. in addition to the perception of the students’ acceptance and effectiveness on this innovative alternative assessment methods, the percentage calculation resulted that any statement relating to the effectiveness and acceptance of innovative alternative assessments facilitated by technology received a positive response as seen in the two statements in tables 3 and 4 on items 1 and 5 as follows: table 3. students’ interest and motivation freq percent valid percent cumulativ e percent valid disagree 1 .7 .7 .7 neutral 31 20.4 20.4 21.1 agree 76 50.0 50.0 71.1 strongly agree 44 28.9 28.9 100.0 total 152 100.0 100.0 table 4. good cooperation freq percent valid percent cumulative percent valid disagree 6 3.9 3.9 3.9 neutral 42 27.6 27.6 31.6 agree 60 39.5 39.5 71.1 strongly agree 44 28.9 28.9 100.0 total 152 100.0 100.0 tables 3 and 4 demonstrate how motivated and attracted students are, with 50% of students indicating that they "agreed" and 28.9% indicating that they "very agreed”. the result of descriptive statistic also indicates high mean score (4.07) as shown in table 2, item 1. this is relevant to nasab's findings (2015) conveying that alternative assessment provides a fresh way to motivate and inspire pupils to investigate themselves and the world around them. furthermore, while using innovative alternative technology-based english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1019 assessments, students are also able to collaborate successfully with teachers and other students, as seen by the 39.5% of respondents who said they "agree" and the 28.9% who said they "strongly agree." the mean score is also fairly high that is 3.93 (table 2, item 5). statement no. 8, which describes how using the assessment method makes students happy and beneficial, supports this claim with a mean score reaches 3.92 or 42.8% of students "agreed" and 26.3% "strongly agreed". it is intended that students feel at ease and stress-free when examined utilizing technology-based alternative assessment. similarly dikli, (2003) stated that alternative assessments emphasize language learners' development over time, promote adaptation, and reduce fear. students' preference for using technology in alternate assessments was also evident in statement 2, which also received positive feedback. it had a mean score of 3.89, with 40.1% of students indicating that they "agreed" and another 27.6% indicating that they "strongly agreed." similar to item 2, statement 3 illustrates how using technology-enabled alternate assessment techniques results in satisfied students. with 26.3% of students selecting "strongly agree" and 42.1% selecting "agree," the average score is 3.92. these findings are relevant to the study carried out by gill & lucas (2013) discovering that open-ended questions and likert scale class assessments have been used to gauge students' responses throughout period of incorporating authentic alternative assessment. overall, responses to these projects have been favorable. regarding items 6 and 10, which aim to investigate students' creativity in learning through the use of innovative alternative assessment methods, positive responses were obtained with averages of 3.92 and 3.91, or as high as 40.8% of respondents "agreed" and 27.6% of other respondents "strongly agreed" for item 6, and 41.4% of students agreed "and 25.7% of students "strongly agree" for item 10. the results corroborated the previous research by li et al., (2022), which showed that new technologies, especially those used in interactive learning settings, effectively foster students' creativity. furthermore, in paragraphs 4 and 7 of the statement, it is described how easy the students are to complete the tasks and the feedback they obtain directly. both elements obtained an average score of 3.86 and 3.70 respectively or collected 36.2% students 'agreed' and 26.3% students 'strongly agreed' for this statement 4. meanwhile, item 7 received a response of 33.6% students 'agreed' and the other 19.1% were 'strongly agreed'. these results support the research findings of vurdien & puranen (2022) & zuhri et al. (2021) revealing that teachers may swiftly follow students' progress and organize additional activities for them when they receive immediate feedback from online exams, which also promotes a positive attitude. in regard to the item 9 on freedom and autonomy in learning when implementing innovative alternative assessment methods found a mean value of 3.72. this value is reinforced by percentage data showing as much as 35.5% of students 'agreed' and the other 21.1%'strongly agreed'. in a similar vein, butler & lee, (2010) contend that using alternative assessment methods promotes student autonomy over their academic performance and active learning. the observation indicated that teacher and students during classroom teaching implementing alternative assessment methods built conducive and lively interaction. there was collaborative discussion among students and teacher indeed functions as a facilitator and feedback provider. the innovative alternative assessment applied boosted students to actively involve in the process of assessment performing their performance task using particular forms of alternative assessment facilitated by technology information. in a nutshell, teachers and students give a positive or favorable response to the application of innovative alternative assessment methods using information technology. it is in line with the statement proposed by nufus (2023) revealing that technology use in the classroom has the potential to raise teachers' technological awareness and instructional preparation, both of which have an impact on students' willingness to learn. the effectiveness and acceptance of such assessment methods prove that the variation of assessments should be done not relying only on one type of assessment. the use of innovative alternative assessments provides a high satisfaction and motivation for students and in particular teachers to always develop as a form of ‘continues professional development’. additionally, efl teachers in east java junior high schools have a typically positive attitude and view about the use of technology for either conventional or alternative assessment. nonetheless, many believe that technology helps them assess students more successfully and prefer online assessments to traditional ones (indayani et al., 2023). the finding was in line with a survey conducted by alruwais, et al. (2018). they revealed that efl teachers think online or alternative assessments with may be used nur aini & slamet asari exploring innovative alternative assessment methods in elt: a study on the integration of information technology 1020 to measure learning outcomes precisely, evaluate students successfully, and use online discussions and personal activities as problem-solving strategies. the challenges and barriers to integrating alternative assessment methods supported by information technology into existing learning environments considerable attention must be paid to the challenges and barriers associated with implementing alternative assessment made possible by technology. it revealed that challenges and barriers with some elements in them adequately contributed to the ideal implementation of innovative alternative assessment methods as indicated from the following 2 tables (table 7 and 8). table 7. challenges on using innovative alternative assessment with it n sum mean std. deviation 1. validity and reliability of assessment 65 223 3.43 .918 2. unattractiveness from students or colleagues 65 256 3.94 .846 3. technical problems or limitations in it 65 273 4.20 .712 4. exclusion related to technological resources access 65 273 4.20 .617 5. restricted access to software 65 235 3.62 .878 6. align technology based assessment with curriculum objectives and learning outcomes 65 204 3.14 1.184 7. the amount of time allocated to learning and mastering the device 65 221 3.40 .965 total 65 1685 25.92 3.501 valid n (listwise) 65 based on descriptive statistical analysis, the problem of exploitation related to access to technological resources (table 7, item 4) was the biggest challenge with 4.20 mean score obtained or totally 95.4% respondents responded positively to this item where 67.7% respondents ‘agree’ and another 27.7% ‘strongly agree’. this challenge is relevant to the barrier factor of equality and access for students with limited technological resources where it obtained 3.72 of its mean score or 55.4% respondents agree and 15.4% other respondents strongly agree. table 8. barrier on the use of innovative alternative assessment using it n sum mea n std. deviation 1. lack of technology infrastructure 65 266 4.09 .631 2. institutional policies or rules 65 202 3.11 1.091 3. equality of access for students 65 242 3.72 .893 4. the rejection of my traditional judgmental interests 65 232 3.57 1.015 5. time limits 65 233 3.58 .967 6. lack of training or professional development opportunities of teachers 65 265 4.08 .797 7. technical difficulty or disruption 65 258 3.97 .684 8. lack of training or expertise 65 267 4.11 .850 9. validity and reliability levels 65 235 3.62 .979 total 65 2200 33.8 5 5.594 valid n (listwise) 65 this finding corresponds with azizi, (2022) and purwantoro et al., (2021) who stated that teacher makes the case that in order to guarantee justice, equity, and a link between the distribution and the requirements of the students, efficient evaluation techniques should be implemented. some schools based on observation provide devices not as many as the number of students in class. even the selfphone owned by students have limited capacity with limited feature. consequently, it does not support the forms of assessment offered. other findings on challenges and barriers revealed that technical problems or limitations of information technology means a challenge in applying alternative assessment methods using information technology (item 3 of table 7) showed that the mean score reached high point that is 4.20 or 55.4% respondents ‘agree’ and another 33.8% ‘strongly agree’. these results are synchronized with the obstacle of a lack of adequate technological infrastructure that could hinder the implementation of information technology-based assessments. this means that the existence of infrastructure such as internet networks and other technological equipment is a crucial factor that must be met or possessed in the implementation of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1021 innovative alternative assessments. the results of the interviews showed that this factor became the main obstacle in this assessment method. "if the it facilities are incomplete and incompatible, it is difficult not even possible to evaluate alternative methods using technology". shi & bichelmeyer (2007) noticed that some conditions prevented teachers from integrating computer technology. they include the importance of hardware/software and technical support, a lack of appropriate training, insufficient planning for computer technology integration, and a lack of material support. this barrier is most striking, reaching 4.02 for its mean score (table 8 item 1) or a cumulative percentage up to 90.7% out of 69.2% and 21.5% that ‘agree’ and ‘strongly agree’. another challenge that needs attention is the alignment of technology-based assessments with curriculum objectives and learning outcomes (table 7 item 6) where this factor indicates a mean score of 3.14 or contributing 46.1% of 32.3% respondents ‘agree’ and 13.8% strongly agree as seen in table 9. this display follows fundamental factors in the development of assessments namely the validity and reliability of the assessments in the application of information technology-enabled assessments where this statement (table 7 item 1) yields mean scores of 3.43 or 53.8% encompassing 44.6% respondents ‘agreed’ while the other 9.2% ‘strongly agreed’ as an aspect to be concerned in the implementation of alternative assessments based on technologies as seen in table 10. table 9. the alignment of it based-assessments with curriculum & learning objectives freq. percent valid percent cumulative percent valid strongly disagree 2 3.1 3.1 3.1 disagree 26 40.0 40.0 43.1 neutral 7 10.8 10.8 53.8 agree 21 32.3 32.3 86.2 strongly agree 9 13.8 13.8 100.0 total 65 100.0 100.0 table 10. validity & reliability of the assessment using it freq. percent valid percent cumulative percent valid disagree 13 20.0 20.0 20.0 neutral 17 26.2 26.2 46.2 agree 29 44.6 44.6 90.8 strongly agree 6 9.2 9.2 100.0 total 65 100.0 100.0 the results of both the challenge statements describe that developing alternative assessments is rather difficult for primary teachers in fulfilling the validity and reliability aspects of instruments in addition to aligning them with the learning objectives. hewson & charlton, (2019) claimed that ensuring the validity and reliability of technical assessments is another challenge because it might be challenging to oversee and manage the testing environment. all things considered, the use of alternative assessment techniques presents a significant infrastructure-building issue with regard to soft challenges such instrument validity and reliability as well as alignment with learning outcomes and objectives. moreover, it is extremely evident how unappealing students or coworkers are when using this assessment method (table 7, item 2). an average score of 3.94 indicates that 83% of respondents felt that this circumstance was true, with 61.5% of respondents agreeing and 21.5% strongly agreeing. it demonstrates that, despite the favorable impression they may give, the use of alternative technology-based assessment methods should be a mature choice with all of its benefits and drawbacks. this phenomenon is in contrast to what gill & lucas (2013) had discovered. they conveyed that students outperform on authentic alternative assessment, which allow them to use real language, compared to typical, traditional tests. the last challenge has to do with how much time is allotted to get proficient with the gadget. it was discovered that it needed some time to get used to learning and mastering the application of technology, as indicated in table 7 item 7. the data indicate that 36.9% of respondents "agreed" and 12.3% "strongly agreed" with the task of introducing new alternative evaluation methods employing technology, as evidenced by the average scores of 3.40 or 49.2%. in addition to this result, the time allotment also becomes barrier as it shows in table 8 item 5 with mean score reaches 3.58 or 64.6% respondents positively perceived this statement comprising from 50.8% respondents ‘agree’ and 13.8% ‘strongly agree’. this finding corresponds with a review study revealed by abdillah & musa, (2021) who indicated that students' readiness for digital learning is moderate. such a state is influenced by the availability of existing amenities that impact the learning process. students' and lecturers' readiness and dedication must also be enhanced to ensure effective teaching nur aini & slamet asari exploring innovative alternative assessment methods in elt: a study on the integration of information technology 1022 and learning. it is meant that either students or teachers require some time to deal with technology for their readiness to complete. meanwhile, with regard to the other barriers other than some previously revealed along with the challenging factor in the application of alternative technology-based assessment methods lies in the policy or regulatory aspects of the use of technology for assessment (table 8, item 2) that reached an average score of 3.11 or 44.6% which comes from 36.9% of respondents agreed and 7.7% other strongly agreed. this means that neither the rules nor the institutional policies contribute a little to hindering the implementation of these assessments. these results are consistent with observations and interviews where schools and leadership policies have always supported the use of technology in both learning and assessment despite adequate infrastructure conditions. "i'm taking the initiative of applying judgment using technology like kahoot and the others i can" “institution supports very strongly with the policy made” “no, we're very supportive of technology-based learning in our schools. even, we often do training like iht (in house training) and even external training." however, in terms of convenience, the use of technology in the implementation of alternative assessment using technology will continue to be crucial. according to tong & trinidad, (2005) suggesting that teachers will find it disappointing to use ict if there is no technical assistance available to them. teachers find it difficult to incorporate computer technology into their lessons when they receive inadequate technical support. as displayed in table 8, item 8, a troubling barrier is a lack of experience or skill in using technology. with an average score of 4.11 and a conversion percentage of 84.6%, this aspect is considered a barrier. of the respondents who responded favorably, 50.8% agreed and 33.8% agreed strongly (table 11). furthermore, utilizing alternate assessment methods with information technology in teaching practice frequently results in technical issues or disruptions. with 67.7% of respondents agreeing and 16.9% strongly agreeing, it adds to the inhibitory component (table 13). another conclusion, as shown in table 12, was that 55.4% of respondents agreed and 29.2% strongly agreed that the adoption of these alternative assessment methods was hampered by a lack of teacher training or professional development opportunities. table 11. lack of training or expertise in using technology freq percent valid percent cumulativ e percent vali d disagre e 5 7.7 7.7 7.7 neutral 5 7.7 7.7 15.4 agree 33 50.8 50.8 66.2 strongly agree 22 33.8 33.8 100.0 total 65 100.0 100.0 table 12. lack of training or professional development opportunities for teachers freq percent valid percent cumulativ e percent vali d disagree 4 6.2 6.2 6.2 neutral 6 9.2 9.2 15.4 agree 36 55.4 55.4 70.8 strongly agree 19 29.2 29.2 100.0 total 65 100.0 100.0 table 13. difficulties or technical disruptions when using alternative assessment methods frequ ency percent valid percent cumulativ e percent valid disagree 3 4.6 4.6 4.6 neutral 7 10.8 10.8 15.4 agree 44 67.7 67.7 83.1 strongly agree 11 16.9 16.9 100.0 total 65 100.0 100.0 these three barriers are a commonly reported factor impacting teacher literacy in the mastery of information technology, according to the findings of interviews and classroom observations. teachers frequently experience technical disruptions, and they lack prompt access to resources to address the issue. as a result, the assessment's implementation is disrupted, which interferes the students' ability to answer coherently to the evaluated portions of the alternate assessment. the assessment's execution also becomes disorganized. this finding is relevant to the research conducted by nufus (2023) who also identified challenges associated with utilizing technology to test students' language, such as the difficulties of controlling the devices to assess students' and teachers' language. when using the gadgets as a teaching tool, students' performance and grade are affected by the internet connection. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1023 information technology is facilitating the deployment of innovative alternative evaluation methods, yet there are challenges and impediments that provide feedback. the challenges and barriers that exist need to be given more attention when addressing them mainly in relation to exploitation access to technological resources and the lack of adequate technological infrastructure in order to find ideals innovative alternative assessment methods. conclusion the positive perception of the effectiveness and acceptance of innovative alternative assessments facilitated by information technology, as well as the various formats offered explicitly suggests that such assessment methods can play a role as determinants of student competence access comprehensively regardless conventional assessment does. thus, teachers and students are challenged and motivated to implement learning, particularly new method of assessments. technology use in the classroom has the potential to raise teachers' technological awareness and instructional preparation, both of which have an impact on students' willingness to learn (nufus, 2023). finally, the potential of the employment of innovative alternative assessment should be recognized by policy and decision makers, instructional designers, teachers in response to the amazing technological advancements that have already fundamentally changed many facets of education including in efl teaching. acknowledgements the authors are grateful to the ministry of education, culture, research, and technology for funding this research. we also would like to express gratitude and appreciation to the teachers and students from junior high and high schools in cities of gresik, lamongan, and the surrounding areas in east java who were very pleased to participate in this research, as well as any parties who made a very useful contribution to some extends of this research. references abdillah, n. a., & musa, m. (2021). student readiness to teaching and learning (pdp) new norm in the department of information & communication technology (jtmk), polytechnic sultan mizan zainal abidin (psmza). international journal of modern education, 3(8), 114–124. https://doi.org/10.35631/ijmoe.380010 aknouch, l. (2023). alternative assessment forms for foreign language classrooms. international journal of language and literary studies 5(1), 273–286. https://doi.org/10.36892/ijlls.v5i1.1187 ali, s., hafeez, y., abbas, m. a., aqib, m., & nawaz, a. (2021). enabling remote learning system for virtual personalized preferences during covid19 pandemic. multimedia tools and applications, 80(24), 33329–33355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-021-11414-w alruwais, n., wills, g., & wald, m. (2018). advantages and challenges of using e-assessment. international journal of information and education technology, 8(1), 34–37. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2018.8.1.1008 asari, s. (2023). vocabulary development of efl young learner after long peer interaction with video games. jees (journal of english educators society), 8(1), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v8i1.1708 azizi, z. (2022). fairness in assessment practices in online education: iranian university english teachers’ perceptions. language testing in asia, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-02200164-7 bahrani, t. (2011). technology as an assessment tool in language learning. international journal of english linguistics, 1(2), 295–298. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v1n2p295 butler, y. g., & lee, j. (2010). the effects of selfassessment among young learners of english. language testing, 27(1), 5–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532209346370 cirit, n. c. (2015). assessing elt pre-service teachers via web 2.0 tools: perceptions toward traditional, online and alternative assessment. turkish online journal of educational technology, 2015(3), 70–81. http://www.tojet.net/articles/v14i3/1432.pdf dikli, s. (2003). assessment at a distance : traditional vs . alternative assessments. the turkish online journal of education technology, 2(3), 13–19. http://www.tojet.net/articles/v2i3/232.pdf elmahdi, i., al-hattami, a., & fawzi, h. (2018). using technology for formative assessment to improve students’ learning, turkish online journal of educational technology tojet, 2018-apr. tojet: the turkish online journal of educational technology, 17(2), 182–188. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1176157 fadilah, r., ayudhia, h. y., chairani, v. s., & afni, f. (2023). assessment of english language teaching for 21. jades journal of academia in english education4(1), 108–130. https://doi.org/10.32505/jades.v4i1.6023 fawzi, h. (2017). bleeding edge challenges in sudan: limits on using call in efl classrooms at the tertiary level. call in limited contexts, january 2010. http://issuu.com/halafawzi/docs/bleedingedge-challenges-in-sudan https://doi.org/10.36892/ijlls.v5i1.1187 https://doi.org/10.32505/jades.v4i1.6023 nur aini & slamet asari exploring innovative alternative assessment methods in elt: a study on the integration of information technology 1024 fox, j. (2016). language testing and assessment. language testing and assessment, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02326-7 gill, d., & lucas, d. (2013). using alternative assessments in business and foreign language classes. journal of international education research (jier), 9(4), 359–370. https://doi.org/10.19030/jier.v9i4.8088 hewson, c., & charlton, j. p. (2019). an investigation of the validity of course-based online assessment methods: the role of computer-related attitudes and assessment mode preferences. journal of computer assisted learning, 35(1), 51–60. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12310 huda, s. s. m., & siddiq, t. (2020). e-assessment in higher education: students’ perspective. international journal of education and development using information and communication technology (ijedict), 16(2), 250–258. indayani, w. r., asari, s., & maruf, n. (2023). examining teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards the integration of technology in assessment practices. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 735–744. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8817 jahara, s. f., hussain, m., kumar, t., goodarzi, a., & assefa, y. (2022). the core of self-assessment and academic stress among efl learners: the mediating role of coping styles. language testing in asia, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-022-00170-9 jan alokozaya, w. (2022). students’ perception of alternative assessment: a qualitative metaanalysis. international journal of curriculum and instruction, 14(2), 1419–1441. https://orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000 li, y., kim, m., & palkar, j. (2022). using emerging technologies to promote creativity in education: a systematic review. international journal of educational research open, 3(december 2021), 100177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2022.100177 lisyowati, w., wiyaka, w., & prastikawati, e. f. (2021). english teachers’ conceptions of formative assessment in online teaching. language circle: journal of language and literature, 16(1), 177–186. https://doi.org/10.15294/lc.v16i1.29998 mansvelder-longayroux, d. d., beijaard, d., & verloop, n. (2007). the portfolio as a tool for stimulating reflection by student teachers. teaching and teacher education, 23(1), 47–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2006.04.033 menaka, g., & sankar, g. (2019). the language learning assessment using technology for the second language learners. international journal of linguistics, literature and culture, 5(4), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.21744/ijllc.v5n4.674 miles, m. b., huberman, a. m., & saldaña, j. (2018). qualitative data analysis: a methods sourcebook. sage publications. moqbel, m. s. s., & al-kadi, a. m. t. (2023). foreign language learning assessment in the age of chatgpt. journal of english studies in arabia felix, 2(1), 71–84. https://doi.org/10.56540/jesaf.v2i1.62 nasab, f. g. (2015). alternative versus traditional assessment. 2(6), 165–178. nufus, t. z. (2023). utilizing technology as an assessment tool in teaching english as a foreign language (efl) in indonesia; challenge and strategy (issue icoelt 2022). atlantis press sarl. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476166-1_24 pourhosein gilakjani, a. (2013). factors contributing to teachers’ use of computer technology in the classroom. universal journal of educational research, 1(3), 262–267. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2013.010317 purwantoro, a., asari, s., & maruf, n. (2021). the effectiveness of e-learning madrasah in english teaching and learning. birci-journal, 4(3), 5234–5244. https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v4i3.2314 raposo-rivas, m., & cebrián-de-la-serna, m. (2019). editorial: technology to improve the assessment of learning. digital education review, 35, 1–13. rizada, c. s., & rey, r. p. (2023). effects of using technology on the academic performance in mathematics of the college millennial learners. east asian journal of multidisciplinary research, 2(6), 2495–2508. https://doi.org/10.55927/eajmr.v2i6.4055 rudolph, j., tan, s., & tan, s. (2023). chatgpt: bullshit spewer or the end of traditional assessments in higher education? journal of applied learning and teaching, 6(1), 342–363. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2023.6.1.9 shi, m., & bichelmeyer, b. a. (2007). teachers’ experiences with computers: a comparative study. educational technology and society, 10(2), 180–190. teo, p. (2019). teaching for the 21st century: a case for dialogic pedagogy. learning, culture and social interaction, 21(january), 170–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2019.03.009 tong, k. p., & trinidad, s. g. (2005). conditions and constraints of sustainable innovative pedagogical practices using technology. international electronic journal for leadership in learning, 9(2000). vurdien, r., & puranen, p. (2022). teacher attitudes toward online assessment in challenging times. intelligent call, granular systems and learner data: short papers from eurocall 2022, 2022(2022), 370–374. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2022.61.1486 yulia, a., husin, n. a., & anuar, f. i. (2019). channeling assessments in english language english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1025 learning via interactive online platforms. studies in english language and education, 6(2), 228– 238. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v6i2.14103 zuhri, s., anwar, k., & maruf, n. (2021). the correlation between extensive reading, critical reading, and selfesteem in students' reading abilities. budapest international research and critics institute-journal (birci-journal), 4(3), 5180–5186. https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v4i3.2306 nur aini & slamet asari exploring innovative alternative assessment methods in elt: a study on the integration of information technology 1026 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1311 = evaluating the effectiveness of pbl in enhancing speaking skills in non-formal education samid saripi master’s program in english education, universitas muhammadiyah gresik, indonesia email: samidsaripi@gmail.com slamet asari* master’s program in english education, universitas muhammadiyah gresik, indonesia email: asari70@umg.ac.id apa scitation:. saripi, s., & asari, s. (2024). evaluating the effectiveness of pbl in enhancing speaking skills in non-formal education. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(3), 13111324. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.11166 received: 28-06-2024 accepted: 29-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction improving speaking skills among adult learners, particularly in non-formal education settings, remains a critical challenge in many educational systems (alejandra & ramírez, 2023; khan & ziden, 2022; broseghini et al., 2024). in indonesia, the paket c program, which serves as an alternative to formal high school education for students who are unable to attend traditional schools, plays an essential role in providing marginalized communities with opportunities to acquire basic education and improve their skills (junanto et al., 2024; rita & handrianto, 2021; olimovich, 2024; rita & safitri, 2020; shofwan et al., 2021; nasreen, 2024). many of these students face unique socio-economic challenges that hinder their ability to fully engage with conventional educational methodologies. as a result, enhancing language skills, especially speaking proficiency, is vital for their personal development, employment prospects, and overall quality of life. traditional teaching methods in nonformal education environments, however, often rely heavily on passive learning, which can fail to address the practical needs and learning styles of these adult learners (mu & yu, 2023; sivarajah et al., 2019; maruf, 2023; maruf & anjely, 2020; boeve-de pauw et al., 2024). this gap has led to a growing interest in alternative, more engaging pedagogical approaches that can better support adult learners' language development. projectbased learning (pbl) has emerged as one such approach, which emphasizes active, hands-on learning through collaborative projects (omelianenko & artyukhova, 2024; silma et al., 2023; dhage et al., 2024 ginusti, 2023). pbl allows students to engage in real-world tasks, fostering both language skills and critical thinking. by involving learners in practical projects, pbl encourages them to apply their knowledge in meaningful contexts, which is particularly beneficial for students who struggle with traditional classroom environments (smith et abstract: this study examines the impact of project-based learning (pbl) on enhancing speaking skills among paket c students at pkbm husnan limboto, a non-formal educational institution in indonesia. using the addie model (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation), the study developed and evaluated pbl materials aimed at improving fluency, coherence, and pronunciation. a mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative assessments with qualitative feedback from students and teachers. the results showed significant improvements in students' speaking proficiency, with fluency increasing from a mean score of 3.2 to 4.5 (a 40.6% improvement), coherence rising from 3.0 to 4.3 (43.3% increase), and pronunciation improving from 2.8 to 4.1 (46.4% increase). student motivation and engagement also saw considerable gains, with motivation scores increasing from 3.1 to 4.6 (48.4%) and engagement from 3.0 to 4.7 (56.7%). these improvements underscore the effectiveness of pbl in fostering speaking skills in a non-formal education setting. however, the study also highlights challenges such as insufficient technological resources and the need for professional development for teachers to fully implement pbl. recommendations include addressing infrastructure issues, providing more training for educators, and developing cost-effective pbl models for resource-limited environments. future research should explore the long-term impact of pbl on students' academic and professional success. keywords: pkbm; project-based learning; speaking skills; curriculum development. samid saripi & slamet asari evaluating the effectiveness of pbl in enhancing speaking skills in non-formal education 1312 al., 2022; alabdullatif & gameil, 2021; lee & robles, 2019; almulla, 2020; marina et al., 2022; siminto et al., 2024; gumartifa et al., 2023; susilawati & supriyatno, 2020). this study focuses on the implementation of pbl in the paket c program at pkbm husnan limboto, a non-formal educational institution in gorontalo, indonesia. the primary objective is to assess the effectiveness of pbl in enhancing the speaking skills of students enrolled in this program. speaking proficiency is a key indicator of communicative competence, yet it remains an area where many paket c students face challenges. the focus of this research is to examine whether pbl can provide an innovative solution to improving students' speaking abilities, particularly in the areas of fluency, coherence, and pronunciation. the investigation explores how various materials influence student engagement and learning, emphasizing the ways in which pbl can improve communication skills among marginalized learners through practical projects and interactive challenges integrated within a well-organized curriculum. by employing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, the study demonstrates howproject-based strategies can foster learning, participation, and speaking competence. the results offer valuable insights for educators and policymakers who seek to develop innovative strategies for adult education. effective communication and academic success depend on strong speaking abilities, as these skills enable students to engage in meaningful conversations, express their ideas convincingly, and navigate real-world interactions with confidence. the focus on paket c students underscores the significance of improving speaking skills, as it can substantially impact their personal and professional development (hidayati et al., 2024; nurtanto et al., 2020; temirkhanova et al., 2024; budiman et al., 2023; maruf & tanduk, 2021; zuhri et al., 2021). many students in this program face unique educational challenges that hinder effective communication (liu et al., 2023; johanna et al., 2024; wilczewski & alon, 2023; roselyn b. delos reyes et al., 2023; arifin et al., 2022; maruf & halyna, 2023; waham et al., 2023). by enhancing their speaking abilities, these individuals can gain the confidence needed to articulate their thoughts clearly, which is essential for better employment opportunities and overall quality of life (putrie et al., 2024; kong, 2021; radović et al., 2021; tiu et al., 2023; lavee & itzchakov, 2023). this research illustrates how pbl, through collaborative projects, allows students to practice speaking in real-world contexts, making learning more engaging while equipping them with the communication skills necessary for success. over the years, various educational interventions have been implemented to improve language skills among students. anggia et al., (2023) highlighted the success of an online extensive reading program in enhancing students' reading self-efficacy, aligning with the current study's aim to improve speaking skills through pbl. several studies have explored the effects of pbl on students' speaking abilities, demonstrating its efficacy across diverse educational contexts. for instance, wuntu et al., (2022) reported that pbl significantly enhances fluency, accuracy, and comprehension, particularly among motivated students. siminto et al., (2024) found that pbl's emphasis on realworld scenarios and collaborative work fosters a dynamic learning environment that strengthens critical thinking and language application. siahaan & siahaan (2023) demonstrated that integrating pbl with digital media led to over 90% of students exceeding the minimum standard for englishspeaking competence. despite the growing body of literature on the effectiveness of pbl in formal educational settings, there is a notable gap in research regarding its application in non-formal education, particularly in resource limited environments. this study seeks to fill this gap by evaluating the impact of pbl on improving speaking skills in the paket c program and offering insights into the feasibility of applying this approach in similar non-formal education contexts. through a mixedmethods approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative data, this research will provide valuable evidence of how pbl can enhance student engagement, motivation, and speaking proficiency, while also identifying challenges related to its implementation in under-resourced educational settings. method this study employed a mixed-methods research design, combining both quantitative and qualitative approaches to assess the effectiveness of project-based learning (pbl) in improving speaking skills among students enrolled in the paket c program at pkbm husnan limboto. the research utilized the addie model (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation) as its framework for creating and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1313 = assessing the pbl materials. this model allowed for a systematic and iterative process, ensuring that the instructional materials were carefully designed, implemented, and evaluated. the quantitative component involved preand post assessments of students' speaking skills, including fluency, coherence, and pronunciation, while the qualitative component consisted of interviews, classroom observations, and thematic analysis to gain insights into student engagement, motivation, and perceptions of the pbl approach. the study was conducted at pkbm husnan limboto, a non-formal educational institution located in gorontalo, indonesia, which serves students who are unable to attend formal schools. the participants in this study included both students and teachers from the paket c program. the students, aged between 18 and 35 years, were enrolled in the paket c program, an equivalent to high school education, and had varying levels of proficiency in english, particularly in speaking skills. teachers participating in the study were those directly involved in the implementation of pbl in the classroom, with diverse teaching backgrounds and experience. purposive sampling was used to select participants who were actively involved in the educational process, ensuring that the sample represented a cross-section of students and educators within the context of non-formal education. data collection was conducted using a mixed-methods approach, which included both qualitative and quantitative techniques to provide a rich and comprehensive understanding of the research outcomes. quantitative data. preand post assessments: students' speaking skills were assessed before and after the pbl intervention using a standardized rubric that evaluated fluency, coherence, and pronunciation. these assessments were scored by trained evaluators to ensure consistency. questionnaires were also administered to measure students' attitudes towards pbl and to quantify aspects such as engagement, motivation, and perceived improvement in speaking skills. likert-scale items were used to capture these variables. qualitative data. in-depth interviews were conducted with both students and teachers to gather insights into their experiences and perceptions of the pbl approach. the interviews aimed to explore themes such as student motivation, engagement, and the challenges of implementing pbl in a non formal education setting. classroom observations were carried out to capture real-time data on student participation, interaction, and engagement during pbl activities. these observations allowed for a more nuanced understanding of how pbl influenced the learning process. data analysis involved both statistical and thematic methods to ensure a thorough evaluation of the pbl intervention. the data from preand post-assessments were analyzed using descriptive statistics to calculate mean scores and percentage improvements in students' speaking skills. paired sample t-tests were also conducted to determine whether the changes in speaking proficiency were statistically significant. the questionnaire data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to summarize students' attitudes toward pbl and to measure changes in motivation and engagement. thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview and observational data. this involved identifying recurring themes related to student engagement, motivation, and perceived improvements in speaking skills. thematic analysis allowed for a deep exploration of how pbl influenced students' learning experiences and how teachers perceived its effectiveness. to ensure the reliability and validity of the study, several measures were taken: inter-rater reliability: to ensure consistency in scoring the speaking assessments, multiple trained evaluators independently rated the pre and postassessment recordings. inter-rater reliability was calculated using cohen’s kappa coefficient to confirm that there was a high level of agreement among evaluators. survey reliability: the questionnaires were pre-tested with a small group of students prior to the main data collection to check for clarity, consistency, and reliability. cronbach’s alpha was calculated for the likert-scale items to assess internal consistency. content validity: the preand post assessments were designed based on well established criteria for evaluating speaking proficiency, ensuring content validity. these assessments were reviewed by experts in language teaching to ensure that they accurately measured the intended speaking skills (fluency, coherence, and pronunciation). construct validity: the questionnaires and interview protocols were developed based on the theoretical constructs of student motivation, samid saripi & slamet asari evaluating the effectiveness of pbl in enhancing speaking skills in non-formal education 1314 engagement, and language acquisition. these tools were reviewed by experts to confirm that they measured the intended constructs. triangulation: data triangulation was employed by combining quantitative and qualitative methods, which allowed for cross verification of findings from different data sources. this enhanced the validity of the results and provided a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of pbl. results and discussion the results highlight the effectiveness of project-based learning (pbl) in enhancing the speaking skills of students enrolled in the paket c program at pkbm husnan limboto. quantitative results improvement in speaking skills the implementation of project-based learning (pbl) resulted in significant enhancements in students' speaking skills. preand postassessment results showed remarkable progress across various dimensions of speaking, including fluency, coherence, and pronunciation. as shown in table 1, the mean fluency score increased from 3.2 to 4.5, reflecting a 40.6% improvement. coherence scores rose from 3.0 to 4.3, a 43.3% increase, while pronunciation demonstrated the most significant growth, with scores rising from 2.8 to 4.1, representing a 46.4% improvement. these results underscore the effectiveness of pbl in fostering multiple dimensions of students' speaking abilities. the focus on practical, hands-on projects enabled students to engage more deeply with the language, facilitating advancements that traditional teaching methods could not achieve. this improvement suggests that pbl provided students with an effective platform to enhance their fluency, pronunciation, and overall communicative competence. table 1. preand post-implementation speaking skills assessment assessment criteria preimplementation mean score postimplementation mean score percentage improvement fluency 3.2 4.5 40.6% coherence 3.0 4.3 43.3% pronunciation 2.8 4.1 46.4% student motivation and engagement the results summarized in table 2 highlight significant enhancements in student motivation and engagement following the implementation of project-based learning (pbl). these results underscore the transformative potential of pbl as an instructional strategy that not only improves speaking skills but also fosters a more active and enthusiastic learning environment. observations revealed that students were more engaged during pbl activities compared to traditional lecture-based approaches. the nature of pbl, which involves collaborative and practical learning experiences, fostered a higher level of student motivation. interviews with participants highlighted that working on realworld projects made learning english more relevant and enjoyable, which encouraged active participation and reduced their speaking anxiety. table 2. student motivation and engagement levels criteria traditional method pbl method percentage increase motivation 3.1 4.6 48.4% engagement 3.0 4.7 56.7% the table presents two key metrics: student motivation and engagement, measured on a likert scale. the scores indicate that before the introduction of pbl, students exhibited moderate levels of motivation (3.1) and engagement (3.0). after the implementation of pbl, these scores rose significantly to 4.6 for motivation and 4.7 for engagement, representing substantial percentage increases of 48.4% and 56.7%, respectively. teacher feedback teacher feedback indicated that pbl offered a more structured and interactive framework for teaching speaking skills. educators found that pbl promoted better interactions between students and teachers, enabling more personalized english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1315 = and effective feedback. the structured approach also allowed for more efficient classroom management and fostered a collaborative learning environment. as shown in table 3, 85% of teachers appreciated the structured framework, while 90% responded positively to the interactive sessions. however, the adaptability of pbl posed challenges, with only 60% of teachers finding it easy to adjust to this new instructional method. these results highlight the need for targeted professional development and support to help teachers adapt to innovative teaching strategies and fully leverage their benefits. .table 3. teacher feedback on pbl implementation feedback criteria positive responses neutral responses negative responses structured framework 85% 10% 5% interactive sessions 90% 7% 3% adaptability 60% 20% 20% qualitative results students motivation and engagement qualitative data were collected through interviews and thematic analysis, revealing insights into students' experiences and perceptions of pbl. the analysis identified key themes that illustrated how pbl impacted student motivation and engagement. key themes from thematic analysis increased self-confidence project-based learning (pbl) was found to significantly enhance students' self-confidence, particularly in areas such as public speaking, teamwork, and active participation. unlike traditional instructional methods, which often rely heavily on passive absorption of information, pbl immerses students in handson, interactive tasks that require them to engage actively with the learning material and their peers. this dynamic approach provides students with frequent opportunities to step out of their comfort zones and face challenges in a supportive, collaborative environment. students reported that presenting their projects to classmates, engaging in group discussions, and defending their ideas built their confidence incrementally. for many, the transition from being passive listeners to active participants was both empowering and transformative. interview excerpt 1: "after participating in the pbl activities, i feel much more confident speaking in front of my classmates. it’s different from just reading from a textbook." (student #1). interview excerpt 2: "pbl helped me to overcome my fear of presenting in front of others. i learned to express myself better and feel more confident in my abilities." (student #4). enjoyment of learning students reported a revitalized enthusiasm for their studies through the hands-on and collaborative approach of project-based learning (pbl). unlike traditional methods, which often rely on rote memorization and passive instruction, pbl offers a dynamic and engaging learning environment where students actively participate in the creation and application of knowledge. this shift from conventional classroom practices to experiential learning was highlighted as a key factor in fostering a genuine enjoyment of the educational process. one of the primary reasons for this increased enjoyment was the creative freedom embedded in pbl. students appreciated the opportunity to work on projects that allowed them to think outside the box and apply their knowledge in imaginative ways. by incorporating art, storytelling, or digital tools into their work, students felt more connected to the material and motivated to contribute meaningfully. interview excerpt 3: "working on projects makes learning fun! i enjoy creating and sharing ideas with my group." (student #3). collaboration also played a significant role in enhancing students’ enjoyment. the team oriented nature of pbl encouraged students to interact with their peers, exchange ideas, and solve problems together. many participants highlighted that these collaborative activities made learning more engaging and enjoyable, as they were able to learn from each other and build stronger social connections. interview excerpt 4: "i love working with my samid saripi & slamet asari evaluating the effectiveness of pbl in enhancing speaking skills in non-formal education 1316 classmates on pbl tasks. we laugh, brainstorm, and learn from each other. it’s so much better than sitting through a lecture alone." (student #2) the interactive and dynamic environment created by pbl was another factor that contributed to students’ enjoyment. instead of passively listening to lectures, students were actively involved in activities such as research, hands-on experimentation, and presentations. these interactive elements transformed the classroom into a space of discovery and excitement. interview excerpt 5: "i get excited when we have pbl sessions because we actually do things instead of just listening to the teacher. it’s like we’re exploring and learning together." (student #6). students also valued the sense of purpose and relevance that pbl projects brought to their learning. the real-world context of many tasks helped students see the practical applications of their knowledge, making the learning experience more meaningful. this relevance was often cited as a reason for their heightened engagement and enjoyment. interview excerpt 6: "the projects we do feel important, like they’re connected to real life. it’s exciting to work on something that actually matters." (student #4). moreover, pbl provided a platform for students to express themselves and take ownership of their learning. by personalizing their projects and seeing their contributions acknowledged, students felt a deeper sense of pride and fulfillment in their work. interview excerpt 7: "i enjoyed creating my project because it was something unique to me. i got to use my ideas and make something i was proud of." (student #5). the collaborative and creative aspects of pbl also helped reduce the monotony often associated with traditional learning, making the process more enjoyable for students. they frequently described pbl sessions as a refreshing change that broke the routine of conventional classroom activities. interview excerpt 8: "pbl is such a nice change from regular lessons. it’s not boring; it’s exciting, and we get to try new things." (student #1) sense of accomplishment completing projects and presenting their work gave students a profound sense of achievement, which in turn boosted their pride, self-worth, and overall confidence. unlike traditional learning tasks that often feel abstract or disconnected, the tangible outcomes of project-based learning (pbl) provided students with clear markers of progress and success. this visibility of their accomplishments served as a powerful motivator and a source of personal satisfaction. one major contributing factor to this sense of accomplishment was the ability to see the results of their efforts in a concrete form. pbl tasks often culminated in presentations, products, or performances that showcased students’ creativity, critical thinking, and hard work. the act of sharing these outcomes with their peers, teachers, and sometimes even the wider community validated their efforts and reinforced their belief in their capabilities. interview excerpt 8: "completing a project and presenting it felt like an achievement. i was proud of what i could do." (student #5) interview excerpt 9: "when i saw my classmates and teacher appreciating the project i presented, it made me feel like all the effort was worth it. it’s a feeling of pride that i’ve rarely felt before in school." (student #1) the collaborative nature of pbl further amplified this sense of accomplishment. working as part of a team not only helped students overcome challenges collectively but also gave them a shared sense of pride in their achievements. successfully navigating group dynamics and contributing to a joint outcome added to their feelings of capability and fulfillment. interview excerpt 10: "when our team presented the project, it felt amazing to see everything come together. knowing i played a role in making it happen made me really proud." (student #3) interview excerpt 11: "we worked hard as a group, and when we saw how good our presentation was, it was like, ‘wow, we did this!’ it made all the effort feel worth it." (student #6) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1317 = in addition to fostering pride in the outcome, pbl also instilled a sense of ownership and esponsibility in students. the process of planning, researching, and executing projects allowed them to take charge of their learning journey. this autonomy not only heightened their sense of control but also made their achievements feel more personal and meaningful. interview excerpt 11: "i’ve never felt this involved in my learning before. completing the project felt like i achieved something i truly owned and understood." (student #4) for many students, the challenges they overcame during the project process further enhanced their sense of accomplishment. whether it was learning new skills, solving complex problems, or stepping out of their comfort zones, the effort they put into overcoming these obstacles made their success all the more rewarding. interview excerpt 12: "there were moments when i didn’t think i could finish the project, but i kept trying, and when i finally did, it felt incredible. it showed me i could handle more than i thought." (student #7). teachers also noted that this sense of accomplishment had a positive ripple effect on students’ overall attitude toward learning. students who experienced the joy of completing a meaningful project often became more motivated and confident in taking on future challenges. the sense of pride they felt from their achievements created a positive feedback loop that encouraged them to strive for excellence in subsequent tasks. interview excerpt 13: "seeing how proud students are after completing their projects is one of the most rewarding parts of pbl. it’s like they realize their potential and want to keep building on it." (teacher #2). teacher feedback analysis of teacher interviews revealed critical insights into the effectiveness and challenges of implementing pbl. key themes from thematic analysis enhanced student autonomy teachers widely observed that projectbased learning (pbl) played a pivotal role in fostering student autonomy by encouraging learners to take ownership of their educational journey. unlike traditional teaching methods, which often position students as passive recipients of information, pbl places them at the center of the learning process. this shift not only empowers students to explore topics independently but also helps them cultivate essential self-regulation skills necessary for lifelong learning. one of the key mechanisms through which pbl fosters autonomy is its open-ended and student-centered structure. teachers noted that pbl tasks required students to make decisions about how to approach problems, allocate their time, and organize their resources. this sense of control over their learning gave students the confidence to take initiative and actively engage with the material. interview excerpt 13: "pbl encourages students to take charge of their learning. they are more engaged and driven to explore topics. it’s not about just following instructions but about making meaningful choices in their projects." (teacher #2). teachers also observed that pbl prompted students to develop self-regulation skills, such as setting goals, managing their time effectively, and reflecting on their progress. these skills were particularly evident during the various stages of project development, where students had to plan, execute, and evaluate their work. such experiences not only built their academic competencies but also prepared them for realworld challenges. interview excerpt 14: "i’ve seen students grow in their ability to manage time and stay focused. they set goals for their projects and work steadily towards achieving them, which is a critical life skill." (teacher #1) interview excerpt 15: "the reflective process in pbl is invaluable. students learn to assess what’s working and what’s not, which helps them adjust their strategies and improve their outcomes." (teacher #5) another aspect of autonomy highlighted by teachers was the way pbl encouraged students to pursue topics that resonated with their interests and curiosities. the flexibility to explore areas of personal significance made learning more engaging and meaningful, motivating students to delve deeper into their projects. interview excerpt 16: "when students can choose aspects of a project that interest them, samid saripi & slamet asari evaluating the effectiveness of pbl in enhancing speaking skills in non-formal education 1318 their enthusiasm is contagious. they take the initiative to learn more because it feels relevant to them." (teacher #6). interview excerpt 17: "i had a student who was usually disengaged but became deeply invested in a pbl project because it involved something he was passionate about. it was amazing to see him lead his group and take charge." (teacher #3). furthermore, teachers noted that the collaborative elements of pbl also contributed to autonomy. although teamwork was central, students often divided responsibilities, giving each member the chance to lead specific aspects of the project. this division of labor not only reinforced individual accountability but also allowed students to develop leadership skills and a sense of ownership over their contributions. interview excerpt 18: "within their groups, students learn to take responsibility for their parts of the project. it’s incredible to see them step up and lead discussions or tasks they feel confident about." (teacher #2) teachers emphasized that fostering autonomy through pbl wasn’t without challenges, particularly for students unaccustomed to such independence. however, with guidance and scaffolding, many students adapted and thrived in the self-directed environment. educators found that gradually reducing their level of support as students grew more confident helped ease this transition. interview excerpt 19: "some students struggle initially with the freedom pbl offers, but with a bit of guidance, they begin to understand how to manage their learning. watching them grow in confidence is incredibly rewarding." (teacher #1). interview excerpt 20: "it’s a delicate balance— offering enough support so they don’t feel lost but stepping back enough to let them figure things out on their own." (teacher #4). improved peer collaboration teachers identified collaboration as a standout benefit of project-based learning (pbl), highlighting how the approach nurtured teamwork and mutual support among students. this collaborative dynamic not only strengthened social bonds but also significantly enhanced students’ communication, problem solving, and interpersonal skills. unlike traditional learning methods that often encourage individual competition, pbl fosters a cooperative environment where students work collectively to achieve shared goals. one of the key features of pbl that fosters collaboration is its reliance on group work for planning, researching, and executing projects. teachers noted that these group dynamics required students to engage in meaningful interactions, exchange ideas, and build on each other's strengths. this process cultivated a sense of shared responsibility and encouraged active participation from all group members. interview excerpt 21: "i noticed students working together more effectively. they support each other, which improves their speaking skills." (teacher #3). another significant aspect of collaboration in pbl is the development of problem-solving skills. teachers observed that students frequently had to navigate challenges as a team, whether it was resolving conflicts, dividing tasks equitably, or adapting their strategies to overcome obstacles. this process not only strengthened their teamwork abilities but also taught them how to manage disagreements constructively. interview excerpt 22: "i’ve seen groups struggle initially with disagreements, but by the end of the project, they learn to compromise and find solutions together. this is a skill they’ll carry beyond the classroom." (teacher #6) teachers also emphasized the role of collaboration in enhancing inclusivity and a sense of community within the classroom. pbl often brings together students with diverse skills, backgrounds, and personalities, fostering an appreciation for different perspectives. by working together on projects, students developed empathy, cultural awareness, and the ability to work harmoniously in diverse groups. interview excerpt 23: "pbl projects bring students together in ways that other activities don’t. they learn to appreciate each other’s strengths and understand different viewpoints." (teacher #7) challenges and variability the study identified several challenges in implementing pbl, particularly concerning the limited technological infrastructure. thematic english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1319 = analysis revealed key areas of concern: technological limitations technological limitations remain a significant barrier to the effective implementation of pbl, particularly in underfunded schools. challenges such as limited access to devices, unreliable internet, and insufficient technical support impede students’ ability to fully engage in technologybased tasks, often creating inequities in learning opportunities. addressing these challenges through improved funding, infrastructure, and innovative solutions is essential to ensuring that pbl can be successfully adopted in diverse educational contexts. interview excerpt 24: "we lack the resources needed for some pbl activities, especially those that require technology." (teacher #4). interview excerpt 25: "sometimes, the internet is so slow or unavailable that we have to postpone or completely change our plans. it’s frustrating for both teachers and students." (teacher #3). financial constraints teachers highlighted significant financial challenges in implementing and sustaining project-based learning (pbl) activities, emphasizing that limited funding often restricted the scale and quality of the projects. they noted that pbl frequently requires resources such as specialized materials, printing, craft supplies, or access to external tools like laboratories, field trips, or digital platforms. without sufficient funding, many educators had to scale down their projects, substitute with lower-quality materials, or eliminate certain enriching components altogether. this lack of resources not only impacted the depth of student engagement but also created disparities, as schools in more affluent areas could afford higher-quality pbl experiences. teachers further explained that even seemingly minor costs, such as photocopying or basic classroom supplies, became significant barriers in underfunded schools. these financial constraints often left educators feeling limited in their ability to fully realize the potential of pbl, which thrives on creativity and hands-on exploration. interview excerpt 25: "creating and implementing pbl materials can be costly. we need more funding to support these initiatives." (teacher #5). despite these challenges, the qualitative insights also indicated variability in student performance. while some students showed exceptional progress, others experienced minimal gains. themes identified in interviews included: diverse learning styles project-based learning (pbl), as its openended nature allowed some students to thrive while leaving others struggling without structured guidance. high-performing students excelled in the independence and creativity pbl afforded, showcasing strong problemsolving skills and self-motivation. in contrast, students who relied on explicit instructions or had weaker foundational knowledge often felt overwhelmed and disengaged, unable to organize tasks or make meaningful progress. teachers highlighted the need for differentiated support, such as clear rubrics, progress checkpoints, and individualized mentoring, to help struggling students while maintaining the autonomy that benefited others. balancing freedom with targeted guidance was seen as essential to ensuring equitable outcomes and maximizing the benefits of pbl for all learners. interview excerpt: "some students thrive in pbl, while others prefer more structured learning. we need to cater to different styles." (teacher #3). the results of this study underscore the effectiveness of project-based learning (pbl) in enhancing the speaking skills of students enrolled in the paket c program. the significant improvements observed in fluency, coherence, and pronunciation, coupled with heightened levels of motivation and engagement, highlight pbl's potential to transform the learning experience for these students. when comparing these results with previous studies, it is evident that pbl's impact aligns with existing literature that emphasizes its effectiveness in promoting language skills. for instance, research by wuntu et al., (2022) demonstrated that pbl significantly enhances speaking fluency and accuracy among students. similarly, siminto et al., (2024) found that the interactive nature of pbl fosters an engaging learning environment, which resonates with our findings that show increased student motivation and engagement. these comparisons not only samid saripi & slamet asari evaluating the effectiveness of pbl in enhancing speaking skills in non-formal education 1320 validate the current study's results but also highlight pbl as a promising approach for language learning across diverse educational contexts. the results are further supported by relevant theories that advocate for experiential learning, such as kolb’s experiential learning theory, which posits that knowledge is constructed through experience (egan et al., 2023). the practical, hands-on projects inherent in pbl enable students to actively engage with the language, leading to more meaningful learning experiences and improvements in speaking skills. additionally, vygotsky’s social constructivism theory emphasizes the importance of social interaction in learning, which is reflected in our findings regarding improved peer collaboration and student autonomy (mishra, 2023). the positive feedback from both students and teachers regarding the collaborative nature of pbl reinforces the notion that learning is enhanced when students engage actively with their peers. despite the promising results, the study does have limitations that should be acknowledged. the sample size was limited to a specific educational setting, which may affect the generalizability of the findings to other contexts or populations. furthermore, the study relied on self-reported measures for motivation and engagement, which can introduce bias. additionally, challenges such as limited technological infrastructure and the financial constraints faced by the educational institution may have impacted the implementation of pbl activities, suggesting that these factors could vary in different settings. for future research, it would be beneficial to explore the long-term impacts of pbl on students' speaking skills and overall academic performance. longitudinal studies could provide deeper insights into how sustained engagement with pbl affects language acquisition over time. furthermore, investigating the effectiveness of pbl in diverse educational environments, particularly those with varying levels of resource availability, could yield valuable information on how to adapt pbl strategies to maximize their effectiveness. additionally, future studies could examine how individual differences in learning styles and preferences influence students’ responses to pbl, providing a more nuanced understanding of how to tailor pbl approaches to meet the needs of all learners. in summary, the results of this study contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting pbl as an effective instructional strategy for enhancing speaking skills among paket c students. the alignment of these results with existing literature and theoretical frameworks, along with the identification of limitations and suggestions for future research, underscores the importance of continued exploration into the benefits and challenges of pbl in language education. conclusion this study provides compelling evidence that project-based learning (pbl) significantly enhances the speaking skills of students enrolled in the paket c program. the findings reveal substantial improvements across various dimensions of speaking, including fluency, coherence, and pronunciation, with mean scores increasing markedly postimplementation. furthermore, pbl was shown to foster a more dynamic and engaging learning environment, as reflected in the significant increases in student motivation and engagement levels. the positive impact of pbl aligns with previous research that underscores its effectiveness in promoting language skills and engaging students in meaningful learning experiences. the alignment with established theories of experiential learning and social constructivism reinforces the potential of pbl to facilitate deeper understanding and application of language skills. feedback from teachers indicated that pbl not only supports structured learning but also enhances student autonomy and peer collaboration, vital elements for language acquisition. despite the encouraging results, the study acknowledges certain limitations, including the limited sample size and potential biases inherent in self-reported measures. these factors may affect the generalizability of the findings. moreover, challenges related to technological infrastructure and financial constraints highlight the need for targeted resources and support to optimize pbl implementation. future research should aim to explore the long-term effects of pbl on students' language skills and academic performance, as well as the adaptability of pbl strategies in various educational contexts. investigating the influence of individual learning styles on the effectiveness of pbl could also provide valuable insights for tailoring instructional approaches to meet diverse learner needs. in conclusion, this study contributes to the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1321 = growing body of evidence supporting the use of project-based learning as an effective instructional strategy for enhancing speaking skills among students in non-formal education settings. the findings advocate for the broader adoption of pbl in language education, as it has the potential to transform student engagement and learning outcomes. acknowledgement i would like to express our sincere gratitude to dr. slamet asari, m.pd., my internal supervisor, for his unwavering guidance, insightful feedback, and continuous support throughout the course of this research. his expertise and dedication have been instrumental in shaping the direction and quality of this study. references almulla, m. a. (2020). the effectiveness of the project-based learning (pbl) approach as a way to engage students in learning. sage open, 10(3), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020938702 al-abdullatif, a. m., & gameil, a. a. (2021). the effect of digital technology integration on students’ academic performance through project-based learning in an elearning environment. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 16(11). https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i11.19 421 alejandra, c., & ramírez, h. (2023). the use of taskbased approach to improve senior high school students’ oral communicative skills. journal for research scholars and professionals of english language teaching, 7(35). https://doi.org/10.54850/jrspelt.7.35.0 14 anggia, h., dharmawan, y. y., cucus, a., & deviyanti, r. (2023). student’s reading selfefficacy regression model and differences in online extensive reading program. aip conference proceedings, 2621(1). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0142284 arifin, s., arifani, y., maruf, n., & helingo, a. (2022). a case study of efl teacher scaffolding of an asd learner’s shared reading with a storybook app. journal of asia tefl,19(4).https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.20 22. 19.4.6.1234 boeve-de pauw, j., de loof, h., walan, s., gericke, n., & van petegem, p. (2024). teachers’ selfefficacy and role when teaching stem in hightech informal learning environments. research in science and technological education, 42(2), 255–275. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2022.208987 3 broseghini, a., lõoke, m., brscic, m., raffaghelli, j., cardazzo, b., lotti, a., cavicchioli, l., & marinelli, l. (2024). exploring the effectiveness of problem-based learning in an international undergraduate program in veterinary sciences: students’ satisfaction, experience and learning. veterinary sciences, 11(3), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11030104 dhage, p., alex, a., ansari, a., & yelikar, b. (2024). innovative teaching methods for environmental education : a case study of project-based learning. international electronic journal of environmental education, 14(1), 24–35. gumartifa, a., syahri, i., siroj, r. a., nurrahmi, m., & yusof, n. (2023). perception of teachers regarding problem-based learning and traditional method in the classroom learning innovation process. indonesian journal on learning and advanced education (ijolae), 5(2), 151–166. https://doi.org/10.23917/ijolae.v5i2.20714 hidayati, d., siahaan, l. h., novi andriani, & putri, f. m. (2024). the enhancement of students’ speaking skills through project-based learning in non-formal education. journal of english education and teaching (jeet), 8(3), 552–568. https://ejournal.unib.ac.id/jeet/article/view/36 034/15158 budiman, b., ishak, j. i. p., rohani, r., lalu, l. m. h., & jaelani, s. r. j. m. p. (2023). enhancing english language proficiency: strategies for improving student skills. journal of scientific research, education, and technology (jsret), 2(3),1118–1123. https://doi.org/10.58526/jsret.v2i3.205 egan, j. d., georgia, s. t., mcbrayer, j. s., & ballesteros, e. (2023). reconceptualizing kolb ’ s learning cycle as episodic & lifelong. experiential learning and teaching in higher education, 6(1), 2023. ginusti, g. n. (2023). the implementation of digital technology in online project-based learning during pandemic: efl students’ perspectives. j-shmic : journal of english for academic, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.25299/jshmic.2023. vol10(1).10220 johanna, a., israel, l., c, m. a., farrah, v., & melbert, b. (2024). effective communication for higher education: identifying barriers between student-educator relationship in cebu technological. international journal of research publication and reviews, 5(1), 4036– 4039. junanto, s., tuanaya, r., shofa, m. f., muntaha, m., & fajrin, l. p. (2024). learning evaluation of the study group of packages c programme in sragen regency. jurnal penelitian dan evaluasi pendidikan, 28(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.21831/pep.v28i1.22822 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i11.19%20421 https://doi.org/10.54850/jrspelt.7.35.0%2014 https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0142284 https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2022.%2019.4.6.1234 https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2022.%2019.4.6.1234 https://doi.org/10.58526/jsret.v2i3.205 https://doi.org/10.25299/jshmic.2023 samid saripi & slamet asari evaluating the effectiveness of pbl in enhancing speaking skills in non-formal education 1322 khan, s., & ziden, a. a. (2022). a systematic review of the effect of digital storytelling on affective factors in improving speaking skills. 2022 ieee 2nd international conference on educational technology,icet 2022. https://doi.org/10.1109/icet55642.2 022.9944542 kong, y. (2021). the role of experiential learning on students’ motivation and classroom engagement. frontiers in psychology, 12(october), 10–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.77 1272 lavee, e., & itzchakov, g. (2023). good listening: a key element in establishing quality in qualitative research. qualitative research, 23(3), 614–631. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687941211039402 lee, m. y., & robles, r. (2019). using project-based learning method as a way to engage students in stem education. j. korean soc. math. educ., ser. d, res. math. educ, 22(2). liu, m., ren, y., nyagoga, l. m., stonier, f., wu, z., & yu, l. (2023). future of education in the era of generative artificial intelligence: consensus among chinese scholars on applications of chatgpt in schools. future in educational research, 1(1), 72–101. https://doi.org/10.1002/fer3.10 marina, m., roni, m., & mursidah, m. (2022). projectbased assessment foresp (english for specific purpose) students: lecturers’ perspective. jurnal dedikasi pendidikan, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.30601/dedikasi.v6i1 .2520 maruf, n. (2023). the interplay of teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and the implementation of differentiated instruction in indonesian efl contexts. english review: journal of english education,11(2). https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7 251 maruf, n., & anjely, a. m. r. (2020). utilizing cooperative integrated reading and composition (circ) with mobile learning to enhance students’ reading comprehension. british (jurnal bahasa dan sastra inggris), 9(2), 10– 19. maruf, n., & halyna, k. (2023). investigating efl teachers’ perceptions and meanings on digital storytelling in language learning: a narrative approach. jeels (journal of english education and linguistics studies), 10(2). https://doi.org/10.30762/jeels.v10i2.9 12 maruf, n., & tanduk, r. (2021). a cognitive linguistics study to reveal the concept of death of indonesian indigenous tribe. budapest international research and critics institute (birci-journal): humanities and social sciences, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v4i2.19 69 mishra, n. r. (2023). constructivist approach to learning: an analysis of pedagogical models of social constructivist learning theory. journal of research and development, 6(01). https://doi.org/10.3126/jrdn.v6i01.552 27 mu, y., & yu, b. (2023). developing intercultural competence in college business english students: a study of innovative teaching in china. international journal of intercultural relations, 92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2022. 101747 nasreen, s. (2024). role of literacy & non-formal education in building a sustainable and peaceful society in punjab, pakistan. 5(1), 16– 24. https://ojs.rjsser.org.pk/index.php/rjsser/article/ view/669 nurtanto, m., fawaid, m., & sofyan, h. (2020). problem based learning (pbl) in industry 4.0: improving learning quality through character based literacy learning and life career skill (lllcs). journal of physics: conference series, 1573(1), 0–10. https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1573/1/01200 6 olimovich, p. o. (2024). stages and peculiarities of increasing written literacy in primary education. international journal of formal education, 3(2), 62–64. omelianenko, o., & artyukhova, n. (2024). projectbased learning: theoretical overview and practical implications for local innovation-based development. economics & education, 9(1), 35–41. https://doi.org/10.30525/2500946x/2024-1-6 putrie, r. a., asfahani, a., harati, r., & dewi, r. a. p. k. (2024). community assistance in communication skills development training programs. community development journal: jurnal pengabdian masyarakat, 5(3), 4848– 4856. radović, s., hummel, h. g. k., & vermeulen, m. (2021). the challenge of designing ‘more’ experiential learning in higher education programs in the field of teacher education: a systematic review study. international journal of lifelong education, 40(5–6), 545–560. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.202 1.1994664 rita, y., & handrianto, c. (2021). innovation of digital learning in package c program in facing the new normal education inovasi pembelajaran digital pada program paket c dalam menghadapi new normal pendidikan. kolokium jurnal pendidikan luar sekolah, 9(1). rita, y., & safitri, n. (2020). blended learning in package c equality programs in facing new normal education. kolokium jurnal pendidikan luar sekolah, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.24036/kolokiumpls.v8i2.398 roselyn b. delos reyes, adzmina l. tongkoh, & jason v. chavez. (2023). transitional https://doi.org/10.30601/dedikasi.v6i1%20.2520 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7%20251 https://doi.org/10.30762/jeels.v10i2.9%2012 https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v4i2.19%2069 https://doi.org/10.3126/jrdn.v6i01.552%2027 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2022.%20101747 https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1573/1/012006 https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1573/1/012006 https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.202%201.1994664 https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.202%201.1994664 https://doi.org/10.24036/kolokium-%20pls.v8i2.398 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1323 = challenges and factors affecting englishspeaking learners in learning the filipino language. journal of namibian studies : history politics culture, 33(may), 1720– 1744. https://doi.org/10.59670/jns.v33i.3141 shofwan, i., aminatun, s., handoyo, e., & kariadi, m. t. (2021). the effect of e-learning on students’ learning interest in the equivalence education program. journal of nonformal education, 7(1), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.15294/jne.v7i1.29276 silma, n., maulida, i., ketut, g., suputra, a., ilmu, f., malik, u. i. n. m., mawamedia, p. t., & buanasiha, j. (2023). a comprehensive review of project-based learning ( pbl ): unravelling its aims , methodologies , and implications. journal of education, social, and communication studies, 1(1), 9–18. https://ojs.ptmjb.com/index.php/jescs/article/v iew/4 smith, k., maynard, n., berry, a., stephenson, t., spiteri, t., corrigan, d., mansfield, j., ellerton, p., & smith, t. (2022). principles of problembased learning (pbl) in stem education: using expert wisdom and research to frame educational practice. education sciences, 12(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100728 siahaan, b. l., & siahaan, m. m. (2023). the implementation of project based learning connected wwth digital technology to increase students speaking competence of madrasah aliyah negeri (man) simalungun regency. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan,b 15(1), 497–506. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v15i 1.2580 siminto, s., nurmalia sari, m., pambudi, n., nurhastuti, d., & merizawati, h. (2024). analysis of the implementation of project-based learning methods in teaching english speaking skills. journal on education, 06(02), 13142– 13151. https://doi.org/10.31004/joe.v6i2.517 0 sivarajah, r. t., curci, n. e., johnson, e. m., lam, d. l., lee, j. t., & richardson, m. l. (2019). a review of innovative teaching methods. academic radiology, 26(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acra.2018.03. 025 susilawati, s., & supriyatno, t. (2020). online learning through whatsapp group in improving learning motivation in the era and post pandemic covid -19. 852–859. temirkhanova, m., abildinova, g., & karaca, c. (2024). enhancing digital literacy skills among teachers for effective integration of computer science and design education: a case study at astana international school, kazakhstan. frontiers in education, 9(october), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1408512 tiu, j. s., groenewald, e. s., kilag, o. k. t., balicoco, r. d., wenceslao, s. b., & asentado, d. e. (2023). enhancing oral proficiency: effective strategies for teaching speaking skills in communication classrooms. excellencia: international multidisciplinary journal of education, 1(6), 343–354. toro, v., camacho-minuche, g., pinzatapia, e., & paredes, f. (2018). the use of the communicative language teaching approach to improve students’ oral skills. english language teaching, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n1p110 wilczewski, m., & alon, i. (2023). language and communication in international students’ adaptation: a bibliometric and content analysis review. higher education, 85(6), 1235–1256. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-02200888-8 wuntu, c. n., singal, y., & rorintulus, o. a. (2022). the implementation of project based learning (pbl) in improving students’ speaking skill at sma yadika kopandakan ii. ijeal (international journal of english and applied linguistic, 2(3), 387–398. zuhri, s., anwar, k., & maruf, n. (2021). the correlation between extensive reading , critical reading , and selfesteem in students ’ reading abilities. budapest international research and critics institute-journal (bircijournal), 4(3). waham, j. j., asfahani, a., & ulfa, r. a. (2023). global trends in higher education: a comparative analysis of enrollment and quality assurance mechanisms. international journal of educational research, 1(1), 49–60. https://edujavare.com/index.php/edujavare. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v15i%201.2580 https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v15i%201.2580 https://doi.org/10.31004/joe.v6i2.517%200 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acra.2018.03.%20025 https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n1p110 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-022-%2000888-8 samid saripi & slamet asari evaluating the effectiveness of pbl in enhancing speaking skills in non-formal education 1324 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 269 multimodality in extensive listening: a case study of indonesian efl students sherly annisa fitri english education study program, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: sherlyannisa@upi.edu muhammad handi gunawan* english education study program, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: handi_gunawan@upi.edu iyen nurlaelawati english education study program, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia email: iyenn@upi.edu apa citation: fitri, s. a., gunawan, m. h., & nurlaelawati, i. (2025). multimodality in extensive listening: a case study of indonesian efl students. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 269-278. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.9706 received: 11-09-2024 accepted: 14-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 introduction extensive listening (el) in the context of english as a foreign language (efl) is a teaching and learning approach that encourages language learners to listen to a large quantity of enjoyable and easy-to-understand audio materials in the target language over a long period (ivone & renandya, 2019; pamuji et al., 2019). this method allows students to enjoy the listening experience without focusing on the specific details of the content or the language used, which makes it different from intensive listening. through the practice of extensive listening, scholars noted that students are encouraged to engage with texts in the target language which they can choose based on their potential relevance, interest, and enjoyment instead of their linguistic content, emphasizing that students are encouraged to complete comprehension-focused, non-intrusive tasks to talk about their reaction on the chosen listening topic in their native language at their own pace without assistance from the teacher, and prioritize meaning over form (chang & renandya, 2023; ivone & renandya, 2019; setyawan et al., 2022). however, students might find it challenging when the majority of the listening resources come from audio-only sources like cds, cassettes, and textbooks. these materials often repeat standard listening exercises, which can make the learning experience feel monotonous and less-engaging (winiharti & herlina, 2017). in contrast, incorporating multimodality into the listening classroom—by integrating visual, textual, and interactive elements—offers a dynamic approach that might enhance their comprehension and engagement. for example, using videos, animations, pictures, or subtitles alongside audio materials can provide students with a richer, more varied learning experience, helping to maintain their interest and improve understanding (arrahma et al., 2024; chaichompoo, 2019; dheghu et al., 2021; efruan et al., 2023; hussain & khan, 2022; napikul et al., 2018; pribadi et al., 2024). multimodality, according to kress and leeuwen (2006), is defined as a combined utilization of several communication modalities to convey meaning. multimodality in the context of teaching and learning refers to the diversity of abstract: this study explores 26 efl students’ perception towards the use of multimodality in their extensive listening (el) experiences, specifically the use of videos, images and text (subtitles). despite the growing research on multimodality in listening, research focusing on multimodality in extensive listening (el) remains limited. this research employed a case study design and utilized course reflections which served as open-ended questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observations to gather insights into students’ perceptions and challenges related to multimodal materials in el instruction. the findings reveal that multimodality can enhance students’ understanding in el materials but can become distracting if overused. to improve teaching, teachers should carefully balance the use of multiple modes, ensuring they assist rather than overwhelmed learners. in addition, considering students’ perceptions and challenges can lead to more effective multimodal integration in el environments. keywords: extensive listening; listening comprehension; multimodality; students’ perception. mailto:sherlyannisa@upi.edu mailto:handi_gunawan@upi.edu mailto:iyenn@upi.edu sherly annisa fitri, muhammad handi gunawan, & iyen nurlaelawati multimodality in extensive listening: a case study of indonesian efl students 270 forms and resources that can be used to create meanings in any language, including picture, sound, music, gesture, gaze, speech, action with books and boards, and body posture (grapin, 2019; jewitt, 2013). in line with this, some scholars also pointed out that audio-visual input can be thought of as a type of multi-modal input as it embodies the three meta-functions of image, text, and action and primarily manifests as sound, subtitles, text-tospeech, and images (oktalia & drajati, 2018; quyen, 2020; shaojie et al., 2022). multimodality in listening, as noted by campoy-cubillo (2019), refers to how different elements (like sounds, visuals, or gestures) work together during a listening activity to help us fully understand the message. it involves considering all these elements as part of the overall communication process. in reference to the application of multimodality in listening, there are several materials that can give access to both audio and visual communication such as film clips on video, dvd or online watch while listening (ivan & indah, 2021; widyaningrum et al., 2022). when compared to audio-only listening activities, the main advantage of using video in listening activities is the numerous cues provided by the various communicative modes, such as intonation, facial expressions, gestures, and speech. this tends to allow learners to more easily observe and interpret language usage in natural contexts, gaining knowledge from both auditory and visual cues (campoy-cubillo, 2019; winiharti & herlina, 2017). extensive listening (el) has been widely studied as an approach to improving listening skills in language learning. scholars have explored various methods and materials to enhance el, such as podcasts, ted talks, and audiobooks, which provide learners with ample exposure to authentic language input. for instance, the use of podcasts and extensive listening journals has been investigated, highlighting their role in helping students plan, observe, and reflect on their listening progress (alm, 2013; rachmaniputri et al., 2020; gunawan et al., 2023c; gonzalez-torres & solano, 2024). these studies demonstrate that el materials, when effectively integrated into the classroom, can significantly improve students’ listening proficiency and overall learning experience. in the realm of language education, the integration of multimodality has become a focal point, particularly in listening classrooms. previous research has delved into various approaches, employing a diverse range of communication modes to enhance the learning experience. notably, scholars have explored the use of audio-visual elements, including video presentations, podcasts, ted talks, talk shows, still images, audiobooks, and even music, recognizing the potential of visual cues alongside auditory stimuli (fadhilah et al., 2021; fatimatuzzahro et al., 2024; febriani et al., 2022; gunawan et al., 2023a; gunawan et al., 2023b; hui & jamaludin, 2024; lestary, 2019; nadiyya & suryadi, 2024; rachmaniputri et al., 2021; solanon et al., 2020; setiani et al., 2024; shaojie et al., 2022; winiharti & herlina, 2017; yıldırım & taşpınar, 2023). additionally, some studies have even ventured into the synergistic combination of these modalities, acknowledging the multifaceted nature of language learning and the importance of catering the diverse learner preferences (alm, 2013; gunawan et al., 2023a; gunawan et al., 2023b). with regard to different modes used in efl classes, lee (2014) suggested that using different methods in english classes, like using visuals and other ways of teaching, can help efl students learn better, and it can also help efl teachers plan their lessons. in addition, scholars claimed that visual images in videos serve as a focus of attention, and that content and context visuals in videos help language learners relieve the cognitive strain that comes with listening tasks, observe real-world language and cultural interactions with native speakers, and—above all—visually fill in the background knowledge that they are missing, which can help students’ development in learning (li, 2015; polat & erişti, 2019). to provide an example, numerous studies on the application of audio-visual modes in listening classrooms have been conducted. winiharti and herlina (2017) emphasized that utilizing multiple modalities is crucial for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of english language learning, enabling students to acquire the language more quickly and proficiently, as they highlighted in the results of their study that the use of visual mode such as images, text, and occasional subtitles in addition to audio, enhances students’ listening comprehension compared to relying solely on audio mode. in line with this, interactive exercises and multimedia resources can be modern and efficient ways to teach listening skills, as suggested by maqableh and alia (2021). with these approaches, students are involved in activities that focus on the process of learning as well as improving and gaining effective listening skills. furthermore, the use of technology like podcasts (audio and video), ted talks, and google english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 271 sites, which employs several modes, is also one of the examples of how multimodality is applied in english listening classrooms. the use of podcasts and extensive listening journals were investigated in related studies, highlighting its use in helping students plan, observe, and reflect on their english listening progress (alm, 2013; rachmaniputri et al., 2020; gonzalez-torres & solano, 2024; gunawan et al., 2023c). prior research has shown that the application of podcasts in extensive listening classrooms greatly improved the overall quality of learning for students enrolled in these listening courses. likewise, scholars discovered that the use of google sites in students’ el materials empowers them to efficiently organize their materials, assignments, and completed work in one central location, providing them with full control over their materials and learning process (gunawan et al., 2023b; hanifa et al., 2024). despite growing interest in multimodality, there remains a gap in understanding efl students’ perceptions, particularly in extensive listening (el) classrooms. although studies on the use of multimodality have become more popular, especially in the field of technology and the use of particular combined modes in english listening classes, there is a lack of scholarly research focused on how students perceive the combination of different modes in the context of el instruction. this research gap emphasizes the necessity of a more thorough examination of students’ perceptions as well as the possible challenges that they may encounter while engaging with multimodal materials in the context of el materials. hence, the main objective of this study is to offer perceptive answers to the following questions that have been determined to be worth looking into: (1) what are the efl students’ perceptions towards the use of multimodality in the extensive listening materials they engage with? (2) what benefits and challenges do the efl students encounter when engaging with multimodal elements in the extensive listening materials? method this study employs a case study approach to investigate the use of multimodality in extensive listening (el) classrooms. the case study methodology is chosen for its ability to provide an in-depth exploration of a specific phenomenon within its real-life context (yin, 2018). it focuses on students' perceptions of multimodal materials in the ‘listening for academic purposes’ course, employing qualitative methods like open-ended questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations. the participants were 26 fifth-semester english majors from an indonesian public university in west java, all enrolled in the ‘listening for academic purposes’ course. the selection of participants and course was intentional, as the course integrates extensive listening (el) practices, allowing students to select listening materials on topics related to the lecturer’s content, such as global englishes. each participant was assigned a pseudonym (s1 to s26) for anonymity. participants first received consent forms to confirm their voluntary participation, and all 26 students agreed and signed the forms. next, openended questionnaires were distributed to collect qualitative data about their experiences with multimodal materials, with 40 students responding. five participants were then selected for semistructured interviews, conducted in indonesian and audio-recorded for detailed insights. to validate the data, nine classroom observations were conducted, using field notes, observation sheets, and video recordings to capture real-time behaviors. the primary data came from the questionnaires and interviews, while the observations ensured validity. all data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using thematic analysis (kiger & varpio, 2020; preiser et al., 2021) to identify recurring themes and patterns, linking the findings to previous research on multimodality in el materialss. results and discussion the results and discussion of this research shed light on the participants’ perspectives regarding the integration of multimodality in el materials. overall, a significant majority of the participants expressed a positive outlook on the use of multimodality in the el materials. when it comes to participating in activities and assignments, in particular, they felt that having a range of modes enhanced their overall classroom experience and made the activities more varied and engaging. the utilization of different modes, according to the participants, made it easier to comprehend the context included in the listening materials. additionally, some students indicated that the application of multimodal elements in extensive listening materials can help them explore their preferred learning styles (visual, kinesthetic, or auditory). on the other hand, despite these positive responses, some of them also expressed that they encountered some difficulties when interacting sherly annisa fitri, muhammad handi gunawan, & iyen nurlaelawati multimodality in extensive listening: a case study of indonesian efl students 272 with multimodal materials. distraction and a sense of inefficiency in the learning process as a result of the overuse of modes in the el materials were the most frequently mentioned problems. furthermore, technical problems like poor connection and accessibility were also found. the following section will elaborate on recurring themes identified in the students’ responses, succeeded by sample open-ended questionnaires and interview excerpts from them. as such, the discussion that follows the break down the findings into two main categories: first, it will explore the participants’ perceptions and experiences regarding the application of multimodality in an extensive listening classroom, and second, it deals with the challenges they face when utilizing these resources and how they deal with them. students’ perceptions of the use of multimodality in el materials multimodality in el materials enhances students’ understanding the data from open-ended questionnaires, semistructured interviews, and classroom observations revealed that the majority of the students perceive the use of multimodality in el to be positive. they believe that the use of multimodal elements such as audio, visual, and text help them understand the context of the video materials that they watch on youtube better. they also argued that the use of intonations helps them greatly in interpreting the emotions and feelings of the speakers in the weekly video materials they watch. students are able to infer from the speaker’s tone whether they are trying to be humorous, sarcastic, or mocking. considering that, in this context, the focus of the el materials is global englishes, and watching videos of non-native english speakers was part of the syllabus, body language, intonation, facial expressions, and lip movements can all be very useful in conveying meaning. a few examples of this statement can be seen through these openended questionnaire and interview excerpts below: stated on the open-ended questionnaires: “... i find multimodal elements very helpful. for example, when watching youtube videos that are accompanied by animations, it is easier for me to understand. then, subtitles that are available are very helpful for me, who sometimes still find it quite difficult when faced with speakers who have a fast pace of speech. the use of videos to explain the material also helped me in capturing the key points. thus, all these elements made it easier for me to do the assignments in this course. one of them is doing the extensive listening journal.” (s7) stated on the semi-structured interviews: “i personally believe that having a variety of media types increases my engagement when it comes to learning materials. … even though the content is not particularly interesting to me at first, i find that i can understand it better if it includes visuals like graphics or illustrations in addition to audio or video materials, either in the e-book or through supplemental media.” (s1) “i use subtitles most of the time. more so in the case of english. especially when the native speaker is speaking quickly, like in a ted talk. … i believe that subtitles are essential, especially for ted talks and interviews. nonetheless, i frequently avoid using subtitles for videos with voiceovers that are clear and understandable.” (s4) based on the excerpts above, it was found that the students generally perceive multimodality in el positively as they are used to accessing multimodal elements like gestures, facial expressions, sounds, images, and text in the el materials. it was said that the students’ overall learning experience is enhanced and their comprehension is improved by this varied combination of multimodal inputs. students are encouraged to actively engage with and interpret information through multiple channels when they are exposed to such diverse content, which creates a dynamic learning environment and promotes deeper understanding about the context. apart from that, the researcher’s observation confirmed the previously mentioned claims. following the viewing of a video featuring nonnative english speakers, a student (s23) mentioned during the class discussions in the fourth meeting that they assumed the first speaker might be a celebrity because of her confident manner of speaking. as evidenced by this result, students’ perception of the video materials’ context is improved by non-verbal cues. these results show that they are consistent with the previous relevant studies, which defined multimodality as the variety of forms and resources—such as images, sounds, music, gestures, speech, and body posture—that can be employed to convey meaning in any language in the context of teaching and learning. moreover, it is also said that additional modes of communication, such as subtitles, gestures, physical distances, and facial expressions can english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 273 improve students’ listening comprehension more than relying only on audio mode (winiharti & herlina, 2017; campoy-cubillo, 2019; hao et al., 2021; shaojie et al., 2022; efruan et al., 2023; gjinali & piri, 2023). multimodality in el materials support students’ learning preferences in addition to the advantages that students experienced when interacting with multimodal elements in el materials, a few students also mentioned that multimodality could be used to support students’ personal learning preferences. interesting enough, students find multimodal elements useful in exploring their preferred learning style—a finding that comes as a surprise. this claim is demonstrated by the following excerpts: stated on the open-ended questionnaires: “apart from enhancing my comprehension of specific concepts in the extensive listening classroom, multimodality may also help in accommodating the diverse learning styles of every person, given that there exist multiple types of learners, including auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.” (s6) “the use of diverse modes is important because it can increase student participation and help students understand the learning material. in addition, the use of diverse modes can also facilitate students’ diverse learning styles, ranging from visual, audio, and kinesthetic learning styles.” (s11) from the above excerpts, it can be inferred that a way to accommodate students’ preferred learning styles in an el materials could be to use multiple modes, which aligns with masinde et al.’s study (2023), highlighting the fact that multimodal approaches can facilitate students’ multiple or different learning styles. students can interact with the content in a way that suits their unique learning preferences when both visual and auditory modes are offered in a single, comprehensive listening piece. this adaptability not only accommodates a range of learning preferences but also improves comprehension and retention in general. in addition, this finding is consistent with the existing studies, which highlighted how using both auditory and visual modes helped students learn more thoroughly, highlighting the results of the audiovisual aids helped the students to improve their learning activities and achievements (dheghu et al., 2021; efruan et al., 2023; arrahma et al., 2024). similarly, arrahma et al. (2024) noted that multimedia materials can stimulate the multiple senses in the human’s body, resulting in making the whole learning process seem more engaging and effective. however, few students also had negative reactions to the use of multimodality in the context of an el materials, despite its beneficial application. their negative responses, however, will be broken down in the section below. students’ preference in engaging with el materials even though most of the students acknowledged that multimodality can be useful for them in accessing online information, one of the students (s9) mentioned the less urgency of using modes other than audio in a listening class. another student (s12) expressed that they would prefer not to use multimodality in el materials if given the choice. the following excerpts provide data for these claims: stated on the open-ended questionnaires: “... in extensive listening, the work requirement should be audio only. it doesn’t always have to be multimodal.” (s9) “my experience of using multimodal in extensive listening activities is actually not something i would choose if given the choice. but the use of multimodal in extensive listening activities has definitely increased my understanding and knowledge so i don’t think it’s a bad thing and i’m just a bit lazy.” (s12) moreover, while some students believe that the el materials’ use of gestures, intonation, facial expressions, and lip movements assist in their understanding of the subject matter, some of them disagree with this claim for a variety of reasons. for instance, a student (s21) stated that they would rather focus on the information conveyed rather than the speaker’s gestures, facial expressions, intonation, and lip movements in order to comprehend the content of el materials. stated on the open-ended questionnaire: “i did not think that the content was well understood by the use of gestures, facial expressions, intonation, and lip movements, and this was still the case when i paid attention to them. i find that when i pay attention to what is being discussed, i understand things better.” (s21) parallel to this, a different student (s5) sherly annisa fitri, muhammad handi gunawan, & iyen nurlaelawati multimodality in extensive listening: a case study of indonesian efl students 274 mentioned that, out of personal preference, they prefer to pay attention to the message or content being presented in the video material rather than the speaker’s non-verbal cues. the following excerpt supports this assertion: stated on the semi-structured interview: “personally, i focus more on the content rather than paying attention to gestures, facial expressions, or intonation. in terms of gestures, it’s good that the speaker presents the material more (visually) engaging or so on, but, in terms of the material itself, because i’m more contentoriented than (focusing on) how the speaker delivers, i prefer to pay attention to the content.” (s5) students’ challenges in accessing extensive listening materials using multimodality generally, the students mentioned that they encountered no significant difficulties interacting with multimodal elements in the el materials. however, when it comes to the difficulties in interacting with el materials, technical difficulties, accessibility issues, and distractions were mentioned. technical issues while accessing el materials the majority of the students’ challenges were related to technical issues, such as a slow internet connection and poor audio or video quality. in this case, technical difficulties such as these are probably among the issues because the majority of the class meetings were held virtually using zoom meetings. since watching videos and participating in class or group discussions make up the majority of the activities conducted in this classroom, a bad internet connection may cause lag or low-quality videos. the following excerpts demonstrate this statement: stated on the open-ended questionnaires: “during the lectures, i found it difficult to understand the content of the video because often my signal was unstable when the lecturer played the video. … to solve this problem, i tried to find the video on the internet and watched it again by myself.” (s5) “so far, no difficulties have occurred with the use of multimodal elements, the only obstacle is the poor internet connection. this is indeed difficult to avoid. what i usually do is replace the wifi network by using a mobile hotspot from a cellphone or vice versa.” (s17) these results are in line with mandiri et al. (2022)’s study who conducted a similar study related to the difficulties encountered by the students in el activities. according to the study’s findings, the most common technical issues that participants faced were playback errors and a bad internet connection, which caused video and audio to buffer. accessibility issues while accessing el materials secondly, accessibility issues were brought up as the next challenge. it can occasionally be difficult for some students to find suitable videos for the weekly extensive listening journal (elj) assignment. besides, the platform google sites, where students are supposed to gather all of their assignments, can only be edited using a laptop or computer. because of this, every student needs to bring a laptop to class if lectures are held offline on campus, which can be a bother for some students. the following excerpts will highlight the students’ statements regarding accessibility-related issues. stated on the open-ended questionnaires: “another difficulty i faced was deciding what kind of videos to use. the videos chosen were often on related topics but not in english. this made me have to look for other videos that were more suitable.” (s7) “the problem i usually experience is the accessibility of google sites. unfortunately, until now google sites has not been editable other than through a laptop or computer. so, when i want to work on assignments from this class, i have to bring a laptop which seems quite fragile.” (s11) this finding is in line with khairat et al. (2024)’s study, which discovered that some of the students’ challenges in watching el materials online such as youtube are related to the content quality as well as the accessibility issues. distractions while accessing el materials finally, some students mentioned being distracted by the material’s use of multiple modes or by their surroundings. it is expected to lose focus when watching videos that integrate multiple modes at the same time. moreover, it can be difficult to concentrate on el materials when there are other distractions brought on by the surrounding noises. stated on the open-ended questionnaires: “the numerous distractions around me sometimes made it difficult for me to focus when listening to material.” (s3) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 275 “regarding the obstacles while doing extensive listening using multimodal, there was nothing that made it difficult. however, sometimes i got distracted or cannot focus on various modes at once. for example, when watching a video in the form of audio-visual, sometimes i only focused on listening, but i did not pay attention to the video. it also happened the other way around.” (s10) in conclusion, there are a lot of advantages to using multimodal materials in el classes, but there is still a risk of distraction. these interruptions may result from background noises in the surrounding area or from the complexity of handling several modes at once. it is critical to acknowledge these difficulties because they draw attention to the need for strategies that support students in staying focused and attentive so they can get the most out of the multimodal learning environment. conclusion the findings clearly highlight the importance of multimodality in improving students’ experiences in el materials. by combining text, visual, and audio modes, students’ comprehension of materials is significantly enhanced. non-verbal elements, such as gestures, lip movements, intonation, and facial expressions, also play a key role in helping learners grasp the context and emotions in videos. allowing students to choose their own videos adds another layer of engagement, giving them the chance to connect with the material in a more personal and meaningful way. an interesting and unexpected discovery is how multimodality supports students in exploring their preferred learning styles. it appears that multimodal approaches do more than improve understanding—they give students the flexibility to try out different methods, like visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learning, to find what works best for them. this kind of adaptability can lead to more effective and personalized learning experiences. these insights have practical implications for teaching practices in el materials. educators should aim to include a wide range of multimodal resources to cater to diverse learning styles, ensuring all students—whether they learn best through seeing, hearing, or doing—feel supported. multimodal strategies can also promote greater learner independence, allowing students to discover the approaches that suit them best. to build on these findings, future research should take a closer look at how multimodality can accommodate different learning preferences. studies could explore which multimodal combinations are most effective for various learners and how teachers can incorporate these strategies into their classrooms. additionally, examining both student and teacher perspectives could provide valuable insights into how multimodality impacts engagement, understanding, and long-term learning outcomes. by focusing on these areas, we can better design inclusive and effective learning environments in el education. references alm, a. (2013). extensive listening 2.0 with foreign language podcasts. innovation in language learning and teaching, 7(3), 266-280. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2013.83620 7. arrahman, n., harahap, s. r., salwa, m., & lubis, y. (2024). the effects of audio-visual aids on listening comprehension. journal of education, arabic and islamic studies, 2(1), 27–37. https://doi.org/10.58355/qwt.v2i1.38. campoy-cubillo, m. c. (2019). functional diversity and the multimodal listening construct. european journal of special needs education, 34(2), 204-219. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2019.1581402 . chaichompoo, p. (2019). impact of subtitles in audiovisual media on english learning. journal of liberal arts maejo university, 7(1), 200-213. https://so03.tcithaijo.org/index.php/liberalartsjo urnal/article/view/199358. chang, c-s., & renandya, w. a. (2023). the multidimensional effects of extensive listening on efl learners. journal of research on english and language learning, 5(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.33474/j-reall.v5i1.21190 creswell, j.w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). pearson. dheghu, y. p., mata, r., & rita, p. (2021). improving students’ listening skill using audio visual aids. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 544. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210424.079 efruan, e. n., sukmawati, yahrif, m., & yusuf, d. (2023). the impact of youtube english videos on students’ listening comprehension skills at senior high school in gowa. education, language, and culture (edulec), 3(3). 377-391. https://doi.org/10.56314/edulec.v3i3 fadhillah, j. n., muniroh, s., & rahmaningtyas, h. (2021). english department students’ perceptions of using english talk show videos on youtube to improve listening skill. journal of language, literature, and arts, 1(10), 1451–1465. http://doi.org/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2013.836207 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2013.836207 https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2019.1581402 https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2019.1581402 sherly annisa fitri, muhammad handi gunawan, & iyen nurlaelawati multimodality in extensive listening: a case study of indonesian efl students 276 10.17977/um064v1i102021p1451-1465 fatimatuzzahro, s., rodiyah, s., rakhmawati, d. m., wahdini, l., & susandi, d. g. (2024). the use of english songs to improve students listening skill at smp negeri 242 jakarta. ulil albab: jurnal ilmiah multidisiplin, 3(6), 129-136. https://doi.org/10.56799/jim.v3i6.3465 febriani, h., asvio, n., rahmadoni, j., & vivekanantharasa, r. (2022). improving efl learners listening skills by using audio visual aids. linguists: journal of linguistics and language teaching, 8(2), 216-228. http://dx.doi.org/10.29300/ling.v8i2.7662 gjinali, a., & piri, s. (2023). usage of video and multimedia to improve listening skills: the perception of foreign language students. journal of educational and social research, 13(6), 160173. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2023-0155. gonzalez-torres, p. f., & solano, l. m. (2024). video listening journals and enhanced efl listening skills. journal of university teaching and learning practice, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.53761/stbpjr54 grapin, s. e. (2019). multimodal teaching and learning. in chapelle, c. a. (ed.) the concise encyclopedia of applied linguistics (pp. 811815). wiley blackwell. gunawan, m. h., mandiri, i. c. p., suherdi, d., hanifa, e. s. d., & gunawan, a. p. (2023a). exploring efl students’ perceptions of the use of podcasts/ted talks in extensive listening class. indonesian efl journal, 9(1), 4352. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v9i1.7486 gunawan, m. h., hanifa, e. s. d., gunawan, a. p., & suherdi, d. (2023b). the use of google sites in extensive listening classroom: students’ voices. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 365-378. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.8225 gunawan, m. h., damayanti, h., hanifa, e. s. d., gunawan, a. p., & suherdi, d. (2023c). enhancing efl learning through podcast audioassisted listening. indonesian efl journal, 9(2), 109-122. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v9i2.8782. hanifa, e. s. d., yusuf, f. n., & gunawan, m. h. (2024). students’ voices on e-portfolio-based english listening assessment using google sites. journal of applied linguistics and literacy, 8(1), 102-131. hao, t., sheng, h., ardasheva, y., & wang, z. (2021). effects of dual subtitles on chinese students’ english listening comprehension and vocabulary learning. asia-pacific edu res, 31(5), 529–540. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-021-00601-w hui, c. w. j., & jamaludin, k. a. (2024). the use of songs in english language teaching: a systematic literature review to identify advantages and appropriateness of age categories. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 13(1), 1680-1693. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v13i1/20729 hussain, s., & khan, h. k. (2022). the role of images in the teaching and learning of english: practices, issues, and possibilities.pakistan languages and humanities review, 6(4), 338-348. https://doi.org/10.47205/plhr.2022(6-iv)31 ivan, m. n., & indah, r. n. (2021). music and seventh graders’ listening proficiency: does islamic song work?. journal of english language and education, 6(2), 51-58. https://doi.org/10.31004/jele.v6i2.153. ivone, f. m., & renandya, w. a. (2019). extensive listening and viewing in elt. teflin journal, 30(2), 237-256. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v30i2/237 -256. jewitt, c. (2012). multimodal teaching and learning. in chapelle, c.a. (ed.). the encyclopaedia of applied linguistics, 1-5. blackwell publishing. khairat, n., muth’im, a., & nasrullah. (2024). the use of youtube to enhance learners’ english listening skills. surakarta english and literature journal, 7(2), 134-147. https://doi.org/10.52429/selju.v7i2.265 kiger, m. e., & varpio, l. (2020). thematic analysis of qualitative data: amee guide no.131. medical teacher, 42(8), 846–854. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159x.2020.175503 0. kress, g., & van leeuwen, t. (2006). reading images: the grammar of visual design (2nd ed.). routledge. lee, h. c. (2014) using an arts-integrated multimodal approach to promote english learning. english teaching: practice and critique, 13(2), 55-75. lee, y. j., & cha, k. w. (2020). writing listening logs and its effect on improving l2 students’ metacognitive awareness and listening proficiency. international journal of contents, 16(4), 50-67. https://doi.org/10.5392/ijoc.2020.16.4.050 lestary, n. l. g. w. (2019). the use of songs to improve students’ listening comprehension ability. yavana bhasha: journal of english language education, 2(2), 34-45. https://doi.org/10.25078/yb.v2i2.1024. li, c.h. (2015). a comparative study of video presentation modes in relation to l2 listening success. technology, pedagogy and education, 25(3), 301-315. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1475939x.2015.1035 318. mandiri, i. c. p., gunawan, m. h., & suharno. (2022). efl student’s difficulties in extensive listening activities: a thematic content analysis. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1475939x.2015.1035318 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1475939x.2015.1035318 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 277 393-400. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6240. maqableh, m., & alia, m. (2021). evaluation online learning of undergraduate students under lockdown amidst covid 19 pandemic: the online learning experience and students’ satisfaction. children and youth services review, 128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.10616 0. masinde, r., barasa, d., & mandillah, l. (2023). effectiveness of using multimodal approaches in teaching and learning listening and speaking skills. nairobi journal of humanities and social sciences, 7(2), 91-112. https://doi.org/10.58256/njhs.v7i2.1333 nadiyya, r., & suryadi. (2024). the power of english music to improve students’ listening skills. ideguru: jurnal karya ilmiah guru, 9(2), 683688. https://doi.org/10.51169/ideguru.v9i2.772. napikul, s., cedar, p., & roongrattanakool, d. (2018). the effects of film subtitles on english listening comprehension and vocabulary. international journal of applied linguistics & english literature, 7(6), 104-111. http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.7n.6p.104 oktalia, d., & drajati, n. a. (2018). english teachers’ perceptions of text to speech software and google site in an efl classroom: what english teachers really think and know. international journal of education and development using information and communication technology (ijedict), 14(3), 183-192. pamuji, k. d., waring, r. & kurniawan, e. (2019). efl teachers’ experiences in developing l2 proficiency through extensive listening. teflin journal, 30(2), 257-273. http://dx.doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v30i2/2 57-273. polat, m. & erişti, b. (2019). the effects of authentic video materials on foreign language listening skill development and listening anxiety at different levels of english proficiency. international journal of contemporary educational research, 6(1), 135-154. https://doi.org/10.33200/ijcer.567863. preiser, r., garcía, m. m., hill, l., & klein, l. (2021). qualitative content analysis. in biggs, r., de vos, a., preiser, r., clements, h., maciejewski, k., & schlüter (eds.). the routledge handbook of research methods for social-ecological systems (pp. 270–281). routledge. pribadi, r. j., chozin, n. f., aini, s. q., yulianti, i., & tarihoran, n. (2024). the use of pictures and its effectiveness in english language teaching: a systematic review. jurnal pendidikan: seroja, 3(2), 1-13. retrieved from https://www.jurnal.anfa.co.id/index.php/seroja/a rticle/view/1856 rachmaniputri, f. i., purnawarman, p., gunawan, m. h. (2020). students’ perceptions towards the use of podcasts in listening class. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 546, 179-187. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210427.028. quyen, b. t. t. (2020). english majors’ perceptions of their teachers’ use of ict in teaching of listening-speaking courses at ho chi minh city open university. ho chi minh city open university journal of science, 10(2), 6877. https://doi.org/10.46223/hcmcoujs.soci.en.1 0.2.550.2020. setiani, a. a., apandi, & prasasti, r. (2024). using english talk show videos on youtube to enhance listening skill: a learners’ voices. cirebon annual multidiciplinary international conference (camic). retrieved from https://ejournalugj.com/index.php/camic/article/ view/9078 setyawan, d., ivone, f. m., & suryati, n. (2022). learners’ preferences of multimedia resources in an extensive listening program. llt journal: a journal on language and language learning, 25(1), 23-37. shaojie, t., samad, a. a., & ismail, l. (2022). systematic literature review on audio-visual multimodal input in listening comprehension. frontiers in psychology, 13, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.980133. solanon, s. o., idong, c. a. d., san jose, a. e., & concepcion, m. g. r. (2020). heeding to english music and songs enhances listening skills. international journal of new economics and social sciences, 2(12). https://doi.org/0.5604/01.3001.0014.6887. widyaningrum, l., rizal, d., & prayogo, a. multimodal project-based learning in listening and speaking activities: building environmental care?. journal of english education, literature, and culture, 7(2). 209-223. http://dx.doi.org/10.30659/e.7.2.209-223 winiharti, m., & herlina, c. (2017). audio only or video? multimodality for listening comprehension. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 82, 189192. https://doi.org/10.2991/conaplin16.2017.41. yıldırım, ş. & taşpınar, e. (2023). a case study investigating the impact of music listening on vocabulary development during foreign language learning. journal of education and recreation patterns, 4(2), 479-494. https://doi.org/10.53016/jerp.v4i2.176 yin, r. k. (2018). case study research and its applications: design and methods (6th ed.). sage publications. sherly annisa fitri, muhammad handi gunawan, & iyen nurlaelawati multimodality in extensive listening: a case study of indonesian efl students 278 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1093 a genre-based approach in teaching multimodal texts irsyad nugraha english education, post graduate, universitas pendidikan indonesia, west java, indonesia irsyad080383@upi.edu emi emilia english education program, faculty of language and literature education universitas pendidikan indonesia (upi) bandung, indonesia email: emi.emilia@upi.edu wawan gunawan english education program, faculty of language and literature education universitas pendidikan indonesia (upi) bandung, indonesia email: wagoen@upi.edu apa citation: nugraha, i., emilia, e., & gunawan, w (2024). analyzing the key elements of high-quality abstracts: a comprehensive academic discourse study of english education. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1093-1106. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.9568 received: 28-06-2024 accepted: 23-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction english has been recognized as the most important foreign language in indonesia (hamied, 2012; hidayat et al., 2024; nurjamin et al., 2023). english is an important subject in the national curriculum, since it is part of the junior and senior high school national test processes and college admission exams (emilia et al., 2014; romios et al., 2024). however, this is not matched by english language learning that is current with the times (devi et al., 2015; fatimah et al., 2019). students are no longer content to memorize english vocabulary for reading and writing without being interested in the topics or discussions. learning english in the twenty-first century has an inherent connection to multimedia and multimodality. traditional teaching approaches have changed by integrating the interactive character of multimedia platforms as technology has advanced rapidly (mandarani, 2024; nugraha, 2023; sugianto, 2023; tan et al., 2023). students nowadays have access to various resources, such as movies, audio recordings, interactive websites, and online language-learning platforms. these multimedia technologies not only improve the language learning experience but also accommodate various learning styles and preferences, allowing learners to interact with the various ways (nurjamin et al., 2023; nurviyani et al., 2020). furthermore, using multimodal such as text, images, and audio provides a full knowledge of the language, allowing learners to simultaneously enhance their listening, speaking, reading, and writing abilities. abstract: this research aims to investigate how the teaching and learning processes of english education program students occur in creating multimodal texts using the genre based approach teaching method. participatory case study is employed as the research design, aiming to delve deeper into the phenomenon of teaching and learning processes within it. this study provides evidence that the analysis based on the image framework analysis (o'halloran, 2008) in collaboration with the transitivity system from systemic functional linguistics (emilia, 2014) enables students to comprehend multimodal texts, analyze them, and ultimately create their own multimodal texts using the genre of analytical exposition. this research found that the genre-based approach (gba) implemented in the academic reading and writing course at a university in garut has significantly improved students' ability to write analytical exposition texts incorporating multimodal pictures. based on these findings, it is recommended that further research on the gba approach be conducted using diverse samples. the gba is a pedagogical approach that requires continuous development and in-depth research to ensure its effective implementation. despite its widespread use, there are instances of misapplication, often leading to confusion with other teaching techniques. keywords: multimodal text, genre based approach, image framework analysis, systemic functional linguistics. irsyad nugraha, emi emilia, & wawan gunawan analyzing the key elements of high-quality abstracts: a comprehensive academic discourse study of english education 1094 in the context of teaching english, multimodal texts impact student involvement because multimodal texts combine words and images, attracting viewers' attention and conveying the information instantly (hendrawaty et al., 2024). they are more effective in engaging students and are particularly beneficial for students who develop language and social abilities outside of school. multimodal texts also support the development of new literacy competencies, such as creating short, purposeful, and engaging texts in different forms and media formats (sutrisno, 2024). additionally, research has shown that students produced longer texts for digital multimodal composing tasks, indicating significant gains in writing development over time for both types of tasks (cope & kalantzis, 2009; davies et al., 2022; lim, 2020). understanding the impact of multimodal texts on student engagement is important for educators to effectively utilize them in the teaching process (kaminski, 2019). the very limited usage of multimodal texts in indonesian classrooms, particularly at the junior high and primary school levels, is a problem that must be addressed so that english reading courses are not always monotonous by simply giving texts. the teaching model is closely linked to the school curriculum. the curriculum, as an educational administration device that serves as the foundation for the construction of schoolbased learning models, has a considerable impact on both teachers and students. kurikulum merdeka, indonesia's current curriculum, stresses the use of a genre-based approach to english language teaching. this approach is one of the methods recommended for teaching english under kurikulum merdeka. it focuses on teaching english through different genres to improve students' language skills, particularly reading and writing. the genre-based approach is considered effective in enhancing students' writing performance and is a valuable tool for addressing the challenges faced in english language education (putra et al., 2023; ripalga & fitrawati, 2023). the mastery of this approach is recommended for english teachers, as it is aligned with the principles of kurikulum merdeka and is projected to be applied in the coming years. therefore, the relationship between kurikulum merdeka and the genre-based approach lies in the curriculum's endorsement of the approach as a means to improve english language teaching and learning (hasibuan & agustina, 2023; hidayati & rahmah, 2023). based on initial observations made from june 2022 to november 2022 at one of the campuses in garut that offered the plp (pengenalan lapangan persekolahan) program, it was found that 82,5 % of the total students (86 students of english education department) who participated in the program only received the form of teaching lectures, discussions, and collaborative teaching and learning. this information was derived from the teaching approach that garut students received from one of the educational universities in garut. 17,5 % of these students have prior knowledge of genre based approach, but their understanding of how it should be implemented from genre based approach in the classroom is limited. students have not been taught using gba that stresses the importance of genre conventions in multimodal texts and the integration of visual and written elements in communication (lv et al., 2024). a preliminary observation was also conducted with teachers who have been teaching for more than five years and are currently pursuing ppg education at the institut pendidikan indonesia (ipi) garut. the preliminary observation was conducted in december 2023 with 30 in-service ppg teachers and found that they had no prior information about the genre-based approach for teaching english and were also unaware of the existence of multimodal text learning media in teaching genre-based. the genre-based approach in english language teaching has its roots in the systemic functional linguistics (sfl) framework, developed by michael halliday and his colleagues in the 1960s. the application of the genre-based approach to language teaching emerged in the 1980s and gained momentum in the 1990s (emilia et al., 2014; halliday & matthiessen, 2013; kartikaningsih & gunawan, 2019; suharyadi et al., 2021). implementing genre-based approach (gba) in teaching english, as “kurikulum merdeka” recommends, may greatly improve students’ language abilities. gba emphasizes the use of multimodal texts and systemic functional linguistics to educate a variety of writing genres, including academic, narrative, and advertising writings. studies have demonstrated gba to improve students' speech and writing abilities (emilia, 2005; fan, 2023; herman et al., 2020; liu & chen, 2022; syarifah & gunawan, 2016). by integrating gba into the english curriculum, teachers can help students analyze and produce writing works using systemic functional linguistics, improving their language proficiency. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1095 this approach aligns with the government's recommendations and can be a valuable addition to the english teaching techniques employed under the "kurikulum merdeka" (hidayati & rahmah, 2023). therefore, this study will focus on how gba teaching can be incorporated into english reading instruction in english language teaching, which will use multimodal text learning media. the results of this instruction will be analyzed using systemic functional linguistics to assess students' comprehension of the reading passages assigned to them. based on the preceding discussion, it can be concluded that teaching using the genre-based approach (gba) will have a significantly positive impact on students' ability to write multimodal texts, which aligns closely with the current merdeka curriculum implemented by the government. the concept of multimodality, which emphasizes the importance of connecting different modes of communication in teaching and learning, can be integrated with the genre-based approach to create a more effective and engaging learning environment. by incorporating multimodal pedagogy into the genre-based approach, students can engage in literacy practices that are meaningful to them and relevant to different learning contexts. this can help students develop their language and literacy skills more effectively by allowing them to connect different modes of communication, such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. this will enable them to produce meaning. overall, the genre-based approach provides a powerful framework for language and literacy development that caters to diverse learners. the genre based approach is a teaching and learning strategy that focuses on the genres of the text. the method emphasizes accurate and systematic explanations of how language functions in social contexts (emilia et al., 2014). a genre-based approach is a teaching method that focuses on different types of texts, or genres, as the basis for learning and development. instead of focusing on individual skills like grammar or vocabulary in isolation, it emphasizes understanding each genre's specific features and conventions and using those to create and analyze texts effectively (maolida & salsabila, 2019; rahayu & ningsih, 2023; suherdi, 2015). figure 1. genre based approach stages (derewianka, 2003; emilia et al., 2014) genre based approach has four stages (derewianka, 2003; emilia et al., 2014) as follows: building knowledge of field (bkof) involves teaching students how to recognize the different types of texts that are used in a particular field, and how to produce those texts themselves. in this approach, students are taught the language features and structures that are typical of a particular genre, as well as the social and cultural context in which those texts are produced and interpreted. learning through images, films, and simulations, for example. it tries to enhance student participation in the topic's discussion. students will process current information about the issue in this way, making it easier for them to process input. modelling of the text (mot) involves providing students with examples of the types of texts that are commonly used in a particular field, and analyzing those texts to identify their key features and structures. through this process, students are able to develop an understanding of the conventions and expectations of the genre, and learn how to produce their own texts that meet these expectations. modelling of the text is often done through a process of deconstruction, in which the text is broken down into its component parts and analyzed in detail. the modelling process may also involve joint construction, in which the teacher and students work together to produce a text that meets the requirements of the genre. this collaborative process allows students to see how the language features and structures they have learned can be applied in practice. joint construction of the text (jcot) involves a collaborative process in which the teacher and students work together to produce a text that meets the requirements of a particular genre. during joint construction, students are actively irsyad nugraha, emi emilia, & wawan gunawan analyzing the key elements of high-quality abstracts: a comprehensive academic discourse study of english education 1096 involved in the process of creating the text, with the teacher providing guidance and support as needed. this process allows students to see how the language features and structures they have learned can be applied in practice, and provides them with an opportunity to practice using these features in a meaningful context. joint construction is often done in small groups, with each group working on a different aspect of the text. for example, one group might focus on developing the introduction, while another group works on the body of the text. this allows students to work collaboratively, and ensures that everyone has a role to play in the creation of the final text. independent construction of the text (icot) is the final stage of the genre-based approach to teaching language. it involves having students work independently to produce a text that meets the requirements of a particular genre. during independent construction, students are expected to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned during the previous stages of the genrebased approach, including their understanding of the conventions and expectations of the genre, and their ability to use language features and structures in a meaningful way. independent construction is an important step in the learning process, as it allows students to demonstrate their mastery of the genre, and provides them with an opportunity to apply their knowledge in a realworld context. it also helps to develop their independence as writers, and encourages them to take ownership of their learning. an integrated multimodal approach to tefl based on a gender-based approach will improve students' critical thinking in reading, which will result in a better outcome in writing texts (ajayi, 2012; emilia et al., 2014; emilia & hamied, 2015; kartika-ningsih & gunawan, 2019; murtadho et al., 2024; syarifah & gunawan, 2016). such an approach will help students develop their own understanding of texts, practice their own writing style and build their confidence in writing. it will also provide students with a better understanding of gender-related topics and their impact on communication. this approach will also help create an inclusive environment in the classroom. furthermore, it can encourage students to think more critically about the texts they read and communicate. method this study used qualitative method. in the qualitative method, the case study research design will be applied in collecting and analyzing data since (dörnyei, 2007) it involved 57 students of 4th semester english education program from institut pendidikan indonesia garut. participatory case study used to investigate the effect of teaching reading and writing techniques using genre based approach in producing multimodal text with analytical exposition genre. figure 2. participatory case study (dörnyei, 2007; greenwood, davyddj; whyte, william and harkavy, 1986) result and discussion after conducting research from february 21 to april 10, 2024, in the academic reading and writing course, the stages provided were; preliminary observation it’s a crucial tool to examine real-world phenomena before embarking on a research study. in this instance, preliminary observation provided the stimulus for investigating multimodal text and the genre-based approach (gba). as initially mentioned, only 17.5% of the 86 english education students had any knowledge of gba, and their understanding was limited to general concepts rather than the practical application of gba phases in instruction. additionally, preliminary observation involved 30 teachers with over five years of teaching experience in garut. these teachers expressed challenges in fostering student-teacher engagement in the classroom and lacked prior exposure to gba and multimodal text. the findings of this preliminary observation underscore the urgent need to introduce and delve into the gba approach in classrooms and in the context of multimodal text production. the research employed. a participatory case study the design where the researcher assumed the role of the instructor, specifically teaching multimodal english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1097 text creation through the genre-based approach (gba) framework. here's how the process unfolded: figure 4. phases of genre based approach before getting to the phases of genre based approach the students were set by four phases. setting expectations and building confidence (2 meetings, 21st&28th february 2024) in this phase students were informed about the class activities, including necessary preparation throughout the course. this emphasis ensured students understood their learning goals. in this phase also, students participated in choosing the topic for their analytical exposition texts. to streamline the process, the teacher pre-selected relevant topics that students could choose from, fostering confidence with the subject matter and upcoming activities. after the students choose one of the topics given, they were then asked to write an independent analytical exposition text on any topic. this activity served to establish a baseline of their english writing skills. the result from this, a significant number of students continue to write in a disorganized style and have a tendency to repeat nearly similar sentences. moreover, a significant number of students encounter difficulties in generating ideas for constructing topic sentences, resulting in paragraphs that lack structure which then produce disengaged writings. genre analysis and planning (8 meetings, 7th until 28th march 2024) the students were introduced the concept of gba and its stages. students collaboratively discussed the chosen analytical exposition genre, analyzing its typical structure, language features, and visuals used in real-world examples. figure 5. stages of gba (derewianka & jones, 2012; emilia, 2011; gibbons, 2015) genre based approach's first phase; building knowledge of the field (bkof). the students' chosen topic was learning from television, thus we showed them multiple photos of people studying in front of the tv. after that, everyone in the class gave their thoughts on the pictures. a number of questions were put to them in order to get them thinking: first, what is the subject of the photo probably doing? second, what show is he or she watching on tv? third, what feelings are they probably going through? the students' native language, indonesian, was given alongside english instructions to make sure they understood the materials and could participate in the activities, as english is being used as a foreign language. students studying english as a second language often find that they need to resort to their original language when thinking of thoughts and phrases to express themselves. therefore, it is the responsibility of the instructor to keep the class atmosphere positive and to push the students to show what they can do in english. following the presentation of multimodal texts with images, the next stage of the learning process is to view a video titled "learning from tv." students are asked to reflect on what they learned from the film after watching it closely by answering questions like: what insights did you obtain from the video? irsyad nugraha, emi emilia, & wawan gunawan analyzing the key elements of high-quality abstracts: a comprehensive academic discourse study of english education 1098 figure 6. picture for topic” learning from television” figure 7. screenshot from youtube video for topic “learning from television” table 1. interview result questions (picture) answers key points 1. what is the subject of the photo probably doing? the majority of students correctly identified the activity depicted in the image: two children working on their assignments. the female student is observing explanations on the tv screen, while the male student is focused on his work without looking at the tv. students demonstrated a strong understanding of the image's content and they accurately described the actions of both children and their respective approaches to their tasks. this indicates that students were able to effectively interpret the multimodal elements of the image, demonstrating their comprehension of the visual cues and their ability to draw inferences from the scene. 2. what show is he or she watching on tv? the majority of students correctly identified the action of the female student in the image: she is watching an explanation on how to solve a math problem. students demonstrated a clear understanding of the female student's activity. they accurately described her purpose in watching the tv screen, connecting it to her math assignment. this indicates that students were able to effectively interpret the multimodal elements related to the female student, demonstrating their comprehension of the visual cues and their ability to draw inferences from her actions and the context of the image. 3. what feelings are they probably going through? while most students accurately identified the overall actions of the children in the image, their responses to questions about their gestures and body positions revealed limitations in multimodal analysis. the limited interpretation of the children's expressions by students can be attributed to their unfamiliarity with the framework analysis of image (o'halloran, 2008). this framework provides a structured approach to analyzing visual elements, including facial expressions, body language, and their interaction with the overall context. 4. what insights did you obtain from the video? a majority of students expressed gaining significant insight from the video due to its extended duration (approximately 4-5 minutes) and the integration of animation with text. this combination of visual and auditory elements enhanced comprehension: a. the synchronization of animation and text supported understanding by providing multiple representations of the information. b. the longer video length allowed for a more in-depth explanation of the concepts, fostering deeper comprehension. these factors contributed to a positive learning experience for the students. in the building knowledge of the field stage, by showing images and videos, it becomes apparent how students struggle to analyze the gestures and facial expressions of the characters depicted in the images. additionally, in bkof, it is evident that students have a strong grasp of the content and its explanations when the text and video are combined into an interactive animation. at this phase, students also get study about the framework analysis of multimodal text from o’halloran. table 2. framework analysis image orienta contact: demanding: positive eye contact. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1099 tion demanding or offering. the gaze of participants is directly to the viewers. the image tries to engaged viewers. offering: negative eye contact. no gaze, when participants isn’t directly to the viewers. the viewers are only observer. affect: degree of expressions, gestures, stances as well as emotional responses. affect = address (kress & leewen,2006) address: pr esence of gaze (hight address) ba lance (moderate address) ab sence (low address) 1. smiling. asking viewers to enter the social relation 2. cold staring. demanding readers to consider the participants as the inferior 3. seductive pouting. asking the viewers to desire the participants 4. looking up leading. demanding readers to have empathy 5. finger pointed at viewer. inviting viewers to come closer 6. defensive gesture. asking readers/ audiences to be far (kress & leewen, 2006; leewen & jewit, 2001). involvement: inclusion and exclusion. inclusion is seen from the use of frontal angle. exclusion is revealed by the use of oblique or looking back at viewers. involvement: oblique (weak), balanced (moderate) and frontal (strong) (kress & leewen, 2006) angle in images divided into vertical and horizontal modes. (kress&leewe n, 2006; li and jung, 2015; hermawan&s ukiyadi, 2017) frontal vertical angle is when viewers are in the above position to the image, indicating that viewers are more powerful than the represented participants. horizontal modes are depicted when the position of represented objects (images) and viewers (audience) is similar, showing that the social position between interaction is similar. social distance: this category is identified through the choice of image shot. fram e size characteris tics social relation very close up less than head and shoulders of subject intimate close shot head and shoulders of subject friendly or personal medium close cuts off subject approximately at waist social or ' one of us' medium shot cuts off subject approximately at knee level 'familiar' social medium shows full figure general long social long shot human figure fills half image height public, largely impersonal very long shot and anything beyond (wider) than half height little or no social connection (kress & leeuwen, 1996) repre sentat ion 1. c overing process/ actions (what participants do), 2. t he relation between/ among participants , and 3. c ircumstanc es/ the environmen t (see gao, 2017). the process itself is broken down into narrative and conceptual process. narrative is usually represented by vector (a connector of participants) consists of five types (kress & leewen, 2006); action process, reactional process, mental process, conversion process, and geometrical symbolism. repre sentat ional struct ure narr ative repre senta tion proc esses -action reactional speech & mental conversion geometrical symbolism circu msta nce -setting -means -accompaniment conc eptua l repr esent ation class ificat ional proc esses -covert -overt anal ytica l proc ess  unstructured  structured 1. temporal 2. exhausted and inclusive 3. conjoined & compounded exhausted structures 4. topopgraphic al & topography 5. dimensional & quantitative topopgraphy 6. spatiotemporal sym bolic proc esses -attributive -suggestive (adapted from kress and leewen, 2006) narrative is usually represented by vector (a connector of participants 1. action process in image is defined as the physical activities (see also emilia, 2014; gerot & wignel, 1996). therefore, the potential participants in this process are actor (the doer of the action), goal (the recipient of the action), and range (eggins, 2004). irsyad nugraha, emi emilia, & wawan gunawan analyzing the key elements of high-quality abstracts: a comprehensive academic discourse study of english education 1100 ) consists of five types (kress & leewen, 2006); action process, reactional process, mental process, conversion process, and geometrical symbolism. the actor is visualized from which the vector arises, and goal is pictured at whom the vector is directed. besides, the characterization of narratives is transactional and non-transactional process. transactional process is classified when there are two participants in the image (actor and goal); meanwhile, non-transactional type is when there is only a single participant in that event (actor) and no goal, meaning that the activity is not addressed to anything/ anyone (kress & leeuwen, 2006). 2. reactional process is like a part of mental process (see emilia, 2014), referring to the activities as perceived by the participants. the process is identified when the vector is built by an eyeline (kress & leeuwen, 2006). peculiarly, the possible participants are reacter/ senser, and phenomenon. reacter refers to participant who does looking. in keeping with kress & leeuwen (2006), reactional process happens when the vector is formed by the direction of represented participants. the sample reactional process as depicted in the images covers the process of seeing, knowing, understanding, liking or disliking, and other mental processes. similar to action process, this process could be either transactional or nontransactional. 3. another type of narratives is speech/ verbal process. similar to language, this process is something dealing with what is said by a particular participant (eggins, 2004); such as, saying, answering, asking, praising, and others. like transactional reaction, the verbal process makes a vector line between participants (sayer) and the speech as the content (see kress & leeuwen, 2006). this process is often found when an image is completed by dialogue, showing the communication among participants. 4.next is conversion process. kress & leeuwen (2006) explain that this process is reflected through the representation of natural events; such as, graph, diagram, chart. more than that, this process also could be about the human interaction which is described as the natural process. examples of this process are photosynthesis cycle and water cycle as described in chart/ diagrams. 5.geometrical symbolism in narrative process refers to the use of geometric symbols, such as shapes, lines, and angles, to construct meaning and convey messages in a story. these symbols can be used to:  depict spatial relationships: for example, vertical lines can be used to depict hierarchy or horizontal lines to depict balance.  depict temporal relationships: for example, circles can be used to depict cycles or spiral lines to depict development.  characterize: for example, triangular shapes can be used to depict strong and stable characters, while circular shapes can be used to depict flexible and adaptable characters examples: • in a story about a child climbing a mountain, vertical lines can be used to depict the height of the mountain and horizontal lines to depict the child's journey. • in a story about a dancer, circles can be used to depict the dancer's swirling movements. • in a story about a superhero, triangular shapes can be used to depict the superhero's strength and determination. conceptual process is approximat ely positioned as existential and relational process in language (see kress & leewen, 2006). basically, this part is divided into three kinds; classificatio nal process, analytical process, and symbolic processes. 1.classificational processes refer to types of classes (such as visually described; somebody is a bully). 2.analytical process is closed to attributive process in which the participant is categorized as carrier and the part is called possessive attribute (see kress & leewen, 2006), involving unstructured, temporal, exhausted & inclusive, conjoined & compounded exhaustive structures, topographical and topological processes, dimensional and quantitative topography, and spatiotemporal. 3.symbolic process is closed to attributive and suggestive. the attribute type is closely related to the existence of symbolic attributes on the participants; while, suggestive model is about the characterization through de-emphasizing of images in sense of mood and atmosphere (kress & leewen, 2006). prese ntatio n in langua ge, present ation in images is about textual metafu nction this analysis deals with how ideas in images are formed and arranged through three big system; salience, information value, and framing. in this study, the aspect of focused presentation is information value. information value is directed to the arrangement/ compositional structure of ideas. this category is split into given-new, ideal-real, and centre (kress & leewen, 1996). first, given-new. this form (leftright) is used to show the position of ideas. it is definitely presented that an element in the left side (given) is what is already known by addressee, while what is in the right side (new) is the unpredictable/ new things (eggins, 2004; emilia, 2014; kress & leewen, 2006). second, ideal-real. this form is selected when the delivery of message is seen from what is general, followed by details. ideal is the capture of general information; while real is what is the details of the information (kress & leewen, 2006). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1101 the last one, centre. this type is chosen when the writer wants to highlight what is the most prominent element to discuss in the figure (kress & leewen, 2006). framework sfmda form o’halloran after being introduced to and understanding o'halloran's framework analysis of multimodal, most students were able to grasp how to analyze facial expressions and body positions in human images. the o'halloran framework is limited in its applicability to non-human images. it is primarily designed to analyze human gestures and positions, not objects or abstract representations. modelling of the text (mot) in the modelling stage of the text analysis, students were introduced to various examples of analytical exposition texts focusing on the topic "learning from television." these examples were collected from the internet and included sources with diverse perspectives: example 1: the limited educational value of television (reference: rideout, v. j., & hamel, b. (2006). the media environment in the home: relationships with children's age, race, socioeconomic status, television use, and behavior. pediatrics, 118(2), 680-685. https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/media-andchildren/) example 2: utilizing educational programming for effective learning (references: fisch, s. m. (2005). entertainment-education: a model for the media industry. journal of broadcasting & electronic media, 49(2), 201-224. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/2979 56012_entertainmenteducation_a_communication_strategy_for_soci al_change; singer, d. g., & singer, j. l. (2007). television and its effects on children's development.developmentalpsychology, 43(1), 121-141. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/coverkids-screens). from these text examples, students are given explanations regarding the thesis argument reiteration parts, which are explained by providing examples where they collectively analyze which parts belong to the thesis argument reiteration. once students understand the thesis argument reiteration components, they are then provided with explanations regarding the generic structure and language features that should be present in analytical exposition texts. from the comprehension exercises on language features and generic structure, which involved fill-in-the-blank exercises and matching sentences and paragraphs with language features and generic structures for the analytical exposition text genre, the following results were obtained: figure 8. exercises result based on the students' responses after the discussion on generic structure and language features, incorporating analytical exposition text examples, the following results were obtained: 23 students (40%) can answer 8 to 10 questions of the fill in the blank type correctly. 25 students (43%) can answer 8 to 10 questions of the matching type correctly. 21 students (36%) can answer 8 to 10 multiple-choice questions correctly. 19 students (34%) can answer 5 to 7 questions of the fill in the blank type correctly. 17 students (30%) can answer 5 to 7 questions of the matching type correctly. 17 students (30%) can answer 5 to 7 multiple-choice questions correctly. 8 students (14%) can answer 3 to 4 questions of the fill in the blank type correctly. 9 students (16%) can answer 3 to 4 questions of the matching type correctly. 12 students (22%) can answer 3 to 4 multiple-choice questions correctly. 7 students (12%) can answer 0 to 2 questions of the fill in the blank type correctly. 6 students (11%) can answer 0 to 2 questions of the matching type correctly. 7 students (12%) can answer 0 to 2 multiple-choice questions correctly. overall, it appears that students performed well on matching questions, with the highest percentage (43%) answering 8-10 questions correctly. performance on fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice questions was similar, with around 40% of students answering 8-10 questions correctly in each category. still in the same phase but different meetings, students get introduced to framework of transitivity that belongs to systemic functional linguistics. transitivity system to do with the “content” that is expressed in language: all the doing, sensing, being, saying activities that https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/media-and-children/ https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/media-and-children/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/297956012_entertainment-education_a_communication_strategy_for_social_change https://www.researchgate.net/publication/297956012_entertainment-education_a_communication_strategy_for_social_change https://www.researchgate.net/publication/297956012_entertainment-education_a_communication_strategy_for_social_change https://www.researchgate.net/publication/297956012_entertainment-education_a_communication_strategy_for_social_change https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/cover-kids-screens https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/cover-kids-screens irsyad nugraha, emi emilia, & wawan gunawan analyzing the key elements of high-quality abstracts: a comprehensive academic discourse study of english education 1102 happen in the world (emilia, 2005). six different types of process in english: material, mental, verbal, relational, behavioral, and existential. for each process halliday (1994: p. 107) suggests three components: process, participants and circumstances. in this phase, after the students have been introduced to and explained the transitivity framework from prof. emi emilia's book "introducing functional grammar," they try to analyze examples of analytical exposition text that have been provided. out of the 57 students enrolled in the academic reading and writing course, 32 were able to grasp the concept of the transitivity system based on the analysis of sentences from sample analytical exposition texts. of the 10 sentences they were tasked with analyzing, they correctly analyzed 8 sentences and successfully identified the transitivity system. meanwhile, 15 students could only analyze 5 sentences out of 10, and 10 students could only analyze 3 sentences correctly. the results can be visualized in the graph below. figure 9. transitivity analysis result as can be seen from the diagram above: 8 students (14%) were able to correctly analyze 810 sentences using the transitivity system framework. 14 students (25%) were able to correctly analyze 5-7 sentences. 23 students (40%) were able to correctly analyze 3-4 sentences. 12 students (21%) were only able to correctly analyze 0-2 sentences. overall, student performance on analyzing sentences using the transitivity system framework varied. while a small group (14%) excelled, a larger group (21%) needs improvement. through the "modelling of the text" process, students can grasp the construction of sentences and the combination of sentences into paragraphs, which are then further combined into texts for the analytical exposition genre. this can be observed in the q&a sessions conducted at the end of each lecture. joint construction of the text (jcot) during the joint construction phase of the text, students collaborated on the information they had gathered on the topic of learning from tv. they were divided into 5 groups of 10-12 students each. in these groups, they were tasked with creating an outline, structuring arguments, and implementing language features and generic structure for analytical exposition text based on the videos and images provided as brainstorming ideas. there were some steps that conducted by these students in the class: in this jcot activity, students first gained an understanding of the information from the provided images and videos based on the topic of learning from tv. they were then given 10-15 minutes to brainstorm ideas for creating main points to serve as the basis for an outline. once they had the main points, they created an outline for 30-45 minutes, including a topic sentence for each outline they obtained. in the next meeting, each group was instructed to distribute the outline and topic sentence to the thesis, argumentation, and reiteration sections. after the distribution, the next task for the students was to find images that were relevant and appropriate to the points and explanations of each thesis, argumentation, and reiteration section. all of this was done in 2-3 meetings. and in the final meeting, these students were asked to write an analytical exposition text together with their respective group members. this jcot activity promotes teamwork and facilitates the writing process by breaking it down into smaller, collaborative tasks. during the jcot stage, 57 students were divided into 5 groups and produced analytical exposition texts. these texts were analyzed based on the following criteria: generic structure and language features. four groups achieved an 'excellent’ rating with a total score of 35 out of 40. the majority of these points were earned clear and well-defined thesis statement and logical organization with distinct introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, both of which received a score of 5. the remaining high scores were attributed to the evidence, which was highly relevant to everyday life and closely aligned with the topic 'learning from digital media'. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1103 table 3. jcot stage criteria excellent (4 points) good (3 points) fair (2 points) poor (1 point) generic structure 1. clear and well-defined thesis statement 2. logical organization with distinct introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion 3. transitions effectively connect ideas 1. thesis statement is present but may need improvement in clarity 2. organization is mostly logical but may lack flow in some parts 3. transitions are used but could be more varied or specific 1. thesis statement is unclear or missing 2. organization is weak with unclear transitions 3. limited use of transitions 1. text lacks a clear structure or thesis statement language features 1. primarily uses simple present tense 2. uses modal verbs strategically 3. abundant and varied connectives to show relationships between ideas 4. formal language with minimal informality 5. technical vocabulary used appropriately 1. mostly uses simple present tense but may have some inconsistencies 2. uses some modal verbs but could be more varied 3. uses connectives but may lack variety or specificity 4. mostly formal but may have some informality 5. some technical vocabulary used but may be inaccurate or misused 1. tense usage is inconsistent 2. limited use of modal verbs 3. few connectives or generic ones used 4. informal language is prominent 5. limited or no technical vocabulary 1. text uses incorrect tenses and lacks formality rubric of writing table 4. result of 4 groups with high scores in jcot phase group please upload a clear photo or scan of your analytical exposition text here. please ensure the image is clear and easy to read. the topic is "learning english with technology " clear and welldefined thesis statement logical organizatio n with distinct introductio n, body paragraphs, and conclusion transit ions effectiv ely connec t ideas pri mar ily use s sim ple pre sent tens e uses modal verbs strategic ally abunda nt and varied connect ives to show relation ships betwee n ideas formal langua ge with minim al inform ality technic al vocabul ary used appropri ately total score 1 https://bit.l y/4eetij9 5 5 4 4 4 4 5 4 35 exc elle nt` 2 https://bit.l y/3boowg b 5 5 4 4 5 4 5 4 36 exc elle nt 3 https://bit.l y/3tkjna x 5 5 4 4 4 4 5 4 35 exc elle nt 4 https://bit.l y/3n643b w 5 5 4 4 4 4 5 4 35 exc elle nt https://bit.ly/4eetij9 https://bit.ly/4eetij9 irsyad nugraha, emi emilia, & wawan gunawan analyzing the key elements of high-quality abstracts: a comprehensive academic discourse study of english education 1104 independent construction of the text in the independent construction of the text activity phase, students are instructed to carry out the following steps: students gather information relevant to analytical exposition texts on their own. this may involve watching educational programs, reading articles, or reviewing notes from the jcot activity. students independently choose a topic suitable for an analytical exposition text based on their interests or what they learned during jcot. students conduct research on their chosen topic. this may involve searching for scholarly articles, reliable websites, or other relevant sources. students independently organize the information they gather through various methods like creating mind maps, outlining key points, or summarizing findings. students write a draft of their analytical exposition text independently. they should follow the learned structure from jcot and incorporate language features while presenting their analysis of the chosen topic. students review their own work independently, checking for clarity, coherence, grammar, and adherence to the analytical exposition text format. they revise their drafts accordingly. while optional, students can exchange their drafts with peers for feedback. this allows for constructive criticism and additional suggestions for improvement. the combination of gba phases activities has the potential to be an effective approach for developing students' skills in producing multimodal text with the analytical exposition genre. gba provides a structured framework for collaboration and scaffolding and also promotes independent learning and application of knowledge. this approach could lead to improved understanding of the genre's structure and language features, enhanced analytical writing skills, and potentially stronger multimodal elements integrated into the text. figure 10. the example of multimodal analytical exposition text figure 11. one of the result of student’s interpretation relate with how they give multimodal in text conclusion genre-based approach (gba) shows promise for multimodal analytical exposition texts. this research investigated the effectiveness of using a genre-based approach (gba) to teach students how to create multimodal analytical exposition texts. the study involved students in a participatory case study where they learned about the genre and its features through various activities aligned with the gba framework. students initially lacked knowledge of gba and struggled with aspects like topic sentence generation and text organization. by analyzing multimodal examples and deconstructing analytical exposition texts, students improved their understanding of the genre's structure and language features. the combination of joint construction of text (jcot) and independent construction of the text (icot) activities fostered collaboration, independent learning, and application of knowledge. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1105 overall, the gba approach shows promise for developing students' skills in producing analytical exposition texts that incorporate multimodal elements. the study focused on a specific group of students and a limited timeframe. the effectiveness of gba for multimodal texts needs further evaluation with larger and more diverse student populations. the suggestion for the future researches: investigate the long-term impact of gba on student learning and multimodal text production. explore how to adapt the gba framework for different multimodal text genres. this research suggests that gba can be a valuable tool for educators aiming to improve student proficiency in creating analytical exposition texts with multimodal elements. however, further research is needed to solidify its effectiveness and explore its broader applicability. references ajayi, l. (2012). how teachers deploy multimodal textbooks to enhance english language learning. journal 16 tesol journal, 6(1), 16–35. cope, b., & kalantzis, m. (2009). “multiliteracies”: new literacies, new learning. in pedagogies: an international journal (vol. 4, issue 3). https://doi.org/10.1080/15544800903076044 davies, p. m., passonneau, r. j., muresan, s., & gao, y. (2022). analytical techniques for developing argumentative writing in stem: a pilot study. ieee transactions on education, 65(3), 373– 383. https://doi.org/10.1109/te.2021.3116202 derewianka, b. (2003). trends and issues in genrebased approaches. relc journal, 34(2), 133– 154. https://doi.org/10.1177/003368820303400202 devi, a. p., musthafa, b., & gustine, g. g. g. (2015). using cooperative learning in teaching critical thinking in reading. english review: journal of …. http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee/artic le/view/310 dörnyei, z. (2007). research methods in applied linguistics (oxford applied linguistics) by zoltán dörnyei (z-lib.org).pdf (p. 336). emilia, e. (2005). a critical genre-based approach to teaching academic writing in a tertiary efl context in indonesia. university of melbourne, 1(2), 1–7. emilia, e., & hamied, f. a. (2015). systemic functional linguistic genre pedagogy (sfl gp) in a tertiary efl writing context in indonesia. teflin journal a publication on the teaching and learning of english, 26(2), 155. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v26i2/155 -182 emilia, e., pujianto, d., & sudarsono, m. i. (2014). a process-genre approach to teaching writing report text to senior high school students. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 4(1), 99–110. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v4i1.603 fan, q. (2023). genre ‐ based teaching approach and problem ‐ based learning ( gba ‐ pbl ) application , reading strategies , and self ‐ regulation. international journal of education and humanities, 11(3). fatimah, a. s., santiana, s., & saputra, y. (2019). digital comic: an innovation of using toondoo as media technology for teaching english short story. english review: journal of …. http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee/artic le/view/1526 greenwood, davyddj; whyte, william and harkavy, i. (1986). from the sage social science collections . rights reserved . the american academy of political and social science, 503(1), 122–136. halliday, m. a. k., & matthiessen, c. m. i. m. (2013). halliday’s introduction to functional grammar: fourth edition. in halliday’s introduction to functional grammar: fourth edition. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203431269 hamied, f. a. (2012). english in multicultural and multilingual. english as an international language in asia: implications for language education, 63–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/97894-007-4578-0 hasibuan, k., & agustina, e. (2023). exploring the similarities and differences among the kinds of curriculum implemented in indonesian schools. 2(1), 55–64. hendrawaty, n., sakhiyya, z., wahyuni, s., & yuliati, y. (2024). the multimodal approach in english language teaching: a systematic review. proceedings of fine arts, literature, language, and education, 457–472. https://proceeding.unnes.ac.id/icoella/article/vie w/3712 herman, purba, r., thao, n. van, & purba, a. (2020). using genre-based approach to overcome students’ difficulties in writing. journal of education and e-learning research, 7(4), 464– 470. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2020.7 4.464.470 hidayat, r. r. a., fajriah, y. n., & nugraha, i. (2024). integrating multimodal texts in genre-based approach : teacher’s and students ’ challenges and benefits. english education and applied linguistics journal, 7(1), 13–22. https://journal.institutpendidikan.ac.id/index.ph p/eeal/article/view/224 hidayati, i. n., & rahmah, m. (2023). the implementation of genre-based approach in teaching to write advertising text through lesson study. 258–265. irsyad nugraha, emi emilia, & wawan gunawan analyzing the key elements of high-quality abstracts: a comprehensive academic discourse study of english education 1106 kaminski, a. (2019). young learners’ engagement with multimodal texts. elt journal, 73(2), 175–185. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccy060 kartika-ningsih, h., & gunawan, w. (2019). recontextualisation of genre-based pedagogy: the case of indonesian efl classrooms. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 9(2), 335–347. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v9i2.20231 lim, f. v. (2020). children’s digital multimodal composing: implications for learning and teaching. learning, media and technology, 45(4), 422–432. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2020.182341 0 liu, c., & chen, m. (2022). a genre-based approach in the secondary school english writing class: voices from student-teachers in the teaching practicum. frontiers in psychology, 13(september), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.992360 lv, y., ni, w., & tan, y. (2024). an overview of research on multimodal teaching and learning. journal of education and educational research, 8(3), 492–495. https://doi.org/10.54097/qp4jg551 mandarani, v. (2024). transforming literary texts : a multiliteracies. 12(2), 419–426. maolida, e. h., & salsabila, v. a. (2019). integrating process-genre approach with project ibunka to improve students' english writing. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 91. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2057 murtadho, m. a. a., eryansyah, e., & silvhiany, s. (2024). multimodal content analysis of 21st century skills in an english textbook. english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 361–372. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.7805 nugraha, i. (2023). application development of augmented reality. indonesian efl journal, 9(1), 19–24. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v9i1.6423.receive d nurjamin, l. r., sudana, d., & gunawan, w. (2023). decoding socio-cognitive elements in indonesian online news: a systemic functional multimodal discourse analysis. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 379–390. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7874 nurviyani, v., suherdi, d., & lukmana, i. (2020). developing students reading skill through making multimodal inferences. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 11. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2998 putra, h., mujiyanto, j., astuti, p., & syafri, f. (2023). the effectiveness of genre based approach to enhance the speaking performance of junior high school students at sekolah alam cefa kabupaten kampar riau registered 2022 / 2023 academic years. international conference on science, education and technology (2023) universitas negeri semarang, 320–327. rahayu, n., & ningsih, h. k. (2023). assisting students’ writing improvement through reading to learn (r2l) program: a review of studies. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 745–756. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8680 ripalga, r., & fitrawati, f. (2023). an analysis of questions on reading tasks in the english textbook “work in progress” in merdeka curriculum. journal of english language teaching , 12(2), 570–581. https://doi.org/10.24036/jelt.v12i2.123128 romios, l., musthafa, b., & lengkanawati, n. s. (2024). students’ perceptions of the implementation of dialogic teaching for improving speaking skills at a university in west java. english review: journal of english education, 12(2), 449–462. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9531 sugianto, a. (2023). book review: multimodality in english language learning. llt journal: a journal on language and language teaching, 26(1), 403–407. https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v26i1.5144 suharyadi, s., widiati, u., & basthomi, y. (2021). exploring efl teachers’ new pedagogical content knowledge of genre-based approach. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5348 suherdi, d. (2015). proceeding the 62 nd teflin international conference 2015 isbn: … multimodal pedagogy in teflin contexts. sutrisno, d. b. (2024). multimodal literacy and multimodal assignments in indonesian efl classrooms. icollite 2023, 139–145. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-376-4_19 syarifah, e. f., & gunawan, w. (2016). scaffolding in the teaching of writing discussion texts based on sfl genre-based approach. english review: journal of english education, 4(1), 39. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v4i1.306 tan, l., thomson, r., hwee, j., koh, l., & chik, a. (2023). teaching multimodal literacies with digital technologies and augmented reality : a cluster analysis of australian teachers ’ tpack teaching multimodal literacies with digital technologies and. https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/ special_issues/technology_enhanced_languag e. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 723 mapping phonological change: a geolinguistic study of /w/ and /b/ variation in bahasa jawa cirebon juwintan1, eri kurniawan2, r. dian dia-an muniroh3 1,2,3department of linguistics, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia corresponding author: juwintan.stibainvada@gmail.com apa citation: juwintan., kurniawan, e., & muniroh, r. d. d. (2025). mapping phonological change: a geolinguistic study of /w/ and /b/ variation in bahasa jawa cirebon. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 723-734. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11849 received: 22-02-2025 accepted: 11-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 introduction in today’s interconnected linguistic landscape, regional dialects are undergoing subtle yet significant transformations. as digital communication, mobility, and education reshape language ideologies, the way people speak is not only a matter of habit but a reflection of identity, age, geography, and social affiliation (paudel, 2024; joshi et al., 2025). these dynamics are especially visible in multilingual nations like indonesia, where language change often occurs at the intersection of local dialects and national language norms. one such example is the phonological alternation between the phonemes /w/ and /b/ in cirebon javanese. this shift, although seemingly minor, encapsulates broader sociolinguistic processes of modernization, standardization, and dialect contact. speaking patterns in cirebon show increasing variation in words like awu and abu (ash), wulan and bulan (moon), or walik and balik (turn). among older, rural speakers, the use of /w/ is still dominant, while younger speakers, especially in urban centers, increasingly adopt /b/—a form closer to standard indonesian (hetilaniar et al., 2025; sabilla et al., 2024). this shift is more than phonetic. it signals a change in linguistic allegiance, wherein younger abstract: phonological difference between geographical areas is a primary topic for dialectology and sociolinguistics, especially in multilingual settings like indonesia. previous studies of cirebon javanese have been mostly concerned with lexical matters and general dialect groupings, whereas the more detailed phonemic differences and their geographical dynamics are understudied. previous studies of cirebon javanese have been mostly concerned with lexical matters and general dialect groupings, whereas the more detailed phonemic differences and their geographical dynamics are understudied. this research is intended to describe the spatial distribution of consonantal phonemes /w/ and /b/ in cirebon javanese and identify points of conservatism and innovation. this research applied a descriptive qualitative research design, with data obtained from 534 respondents from 267 villages in four distinct areas (north, east, central, and northwest cirebon). the five key lexical items that showed variation between /w/ and /b/ were examined through structured interviews, phonological coding, and geospatial analysis with the help of qgis. the /w/ phoneme was predominantly present in the northern and eastern regions, with archaic linguistic features. the /b/ phoneme was discovered to be more prevalent in central cirebon, with phonological innovation as a result of urbanization and contact with standard indonesian. also, transitional zones with merged forms were discovered in northwest cirebon. the geographical, social, and contact factors influence the phonological variation of cirebon javanese. this research underscores the need to incorporate spatial technologies into sociophonological investigation and informs a more nuanced understanding of dialect change in multilingual settings. theoretically, it advances micro-level geolinguistic analysis; practically, it aids dialect documentation and preservation. keywords: geolinguistics; phonological variation; cirebon javanese; dialectology; sound shift. juwintan, eri kurniawan, r. dian dia-an muniroh mapping phonological change: a geolinguistic study of /w/ and /b/ variation in bahasa jawa cirebon 724 generations associate the /b/ variant with education, prestige, and modernity (phiranawong et al., 2025). just as english-speaking learners are encouraged to adopt contextually appropriate pronunciation for global intelligibility (wahyudin et al., 2024), local speakers of regional languages in indonesia are navigating similar pressures in their phonemic choices. several factors contribute to this alternation. among them are educational policies, urbanization, media exposure, and peer interaction. these influence how dialect speakers perceive certain forms—either as outdated or as part of a shared national identity. studies have shown that phonological forms can become socially marked, either embraced or avoided depending on how they align with broader cultural narratives (caldwell, 2025; martins et al., 2025). in cirebon, the /b/ form increasingly appears in schools, social media, and even religious discourse, gradually displacing traditional /w/ usage. this mirrors language shifts observed in other contact zones, such as among thai hakka speakers or rural nubian communities (chen et al., 2025; cooper, 2025). despite growing attention to dialect contact and change, few studies in indonesia have examined phonological variation at the segmental level with spatial precision. most research remains at the lexical or pragmatic level (sari, 2024; zulaeha et al., 2024; darmayanti et al., 2023). yet as previous global research in dialectometry and geolinguistics shows, even the smallest phonemic shifts can reveal patterns of social alignment and cultural transformation (bompolas & melissaropoulou, 2025; huang et al., 2024). in this regard, cirebon’s phonemic variation is not just a matter of local speech—it is a microcosm of linguistic change in a globalized indonesia. modern tools such as geographic information systems (gis) have made it possible to visualize language change across regions with greater granularity (roemling et al., 2025; luna & bagudanch, 2025). in other countries, gis-based linguistic studies have helped map dialects in austria, china, and the amazon, revealing how geography interacts with identity, class, and access (vozenilek et al., 2022; jin, 2025; romano, 2024). when applied to indonesia, this methodology offers a powerful means to identify where linguistic innovations emerge, how they spread, and which areas resist change. it enables researchers to trace isogloss boundaries and transitional zones— revealing not only how language varies but why. this study aims to map the distribution of the /w/ and /b/ phonemes across the cirebon region using qgis-based geospatial analysis. by collecting data from over 500 respondents across 267 villages, we seek to understand how phonemic alternation is influenced by geographic zone (north, east, central, northwest), age group, and lexical category. the five focus words—awu, wulan, walik, watu, and wulu— were chosen for their frequency and familiarity across generations. in each case, the phoneme is not merely a sound but a signal of linguistic orientation. although cirebon has long been recognized as a dialectal melting pot between javanese and sundanese, phonological variation within the region has not been documented spatially. previous regional studies have discussed variation in dialects such as banjar, lampung, and langkawi (kasdan et al., 2023; septianingtias et al., 2024; darmayanti et al., 2023), but the cirebon case offers a unique opportunity to examine how phonemes—not just vocabulary—shift in real time. the increasing dominance of /b/ over /w/ also poses questions about the long-term vitality of traditional forms. therefore, this study does not only aim to describe patterns but to uncover the social meanings embedded in those patterns. are younger speakers rejecting their linguistic heritage in favor of prestige norms? are rural communities actively resisting nationalization through their speech? these questions place the cirebon case within a broader conversation about language maintenance, identity, and the future of regional languages in indonesia. this study addresses the following questions: (1) how are the phonemes /w/ and /b/ distributed across the northern, eastern, central, and northwestern regions of cirebon? (2) what spatial patterns emerge from this distribution, and how are they influenced by age, geography, and word category? (3) what do these patterns indicate about sociolinguistic change and identity in transitional dialect zones? this research contributes to the growing field of geolinguistics by combining traditional phonological fieldwork with modern spatial analysis. it is the first to provide a high-resolution phonemic map of cirebon, offering insights into how sound change spreads across physical and social space. the findings have implications for language planning, dialect preservation, and education policy. by understanding how and where forms like /w/ are english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 725 disappearing, we can better support efforts to document and sustain indonesia’s rich linguistic heritage. moreover, the study offers a replicable model for analyzing phonological change in other regions facing similar sociolinguistic transitions. method this study adopts a descriptive qualitative approach integrated with geolinguistic mapping techniques to examine phonological variation—specifically, the alternation between the consonant sounds /w/ and /b/—within cirebon javanese. the design was chosen to capture the spatial and social realization of these two phonemes across different regions in cirebon regency, reflecting the sociophonetic patterns described in recent geolinguistic scholarship (roemling et al., 2025; huang et al., 2024). in alignment with previous studies on dialect diffusion and phonological landscape mapping (bompolas & melissaropoulou, 2025; luna & bagudanch, 2025), this methodology allowed for the observation of linguistic innovation and retention zones in realworld geographic space. the data were gathered from 534 native speakers of bahasa jawa cirebon, spread across 267 villages in the regency. four major geographical zones were covered—north, east, central, and northwest cirebon. participants were selected through purposive sampling, guided by sociolinguistic relevance rather than statistical representativeness. this strategy was justified due to the study’s focus on speech community dynamics, a common practice in qualitative dialectology (fukushima, 2023; stöckle & vergeiner, 2025). selection criteria included: (1) individuals born and residing in their respective village, (2) active use of cirebon javanese in daily interaction, and (3) a spread across age and educational backgrounds to account for internal social variation (sabilla et al., 2024; phiranawong et al., 2025). the primary linguistic data were elicited through structured interviews using a modified 200-item swadesh list, with emphasis on five lexical items that commonly display /w/ ⁓ /b/ alternation: awu/abu (ash), wulu/bulu (feather), watu/batu (stone), wulan/bulan (moon), and walik/balik (to turn). these words were selected not only for their phonological relevance, but also their semantic neutrality and frequency in vernacular discourse, allowing consistent elicitation across generations (sabilla et al., 2024; martins et al., 2025). each interview session involved audio recording of participant responses, focusing on the natural realization of the five target items in isolation and contextual usage. recordings were conducted with minimal interference, ensuring ecological validity of the speech data (kapau et al., 2025; caldwell, 2025). to accompany linguistic data, a demographic questionnaire was administered to capture participants' age, education level, and village of origin—variables that served as social correlates in later analysis. following transcription, phonemic realizations were coded based on whether speakers produced /w/, /b/, or a hybridized form in each lexical item. the binary classification schema—common in variationist linguistics—was adapted here for its clarity in mapping diffusion and retention patterns (geeraerts et al., 2024; joshi et al., 2025). the coding process was conducted collaboratively between the primary researcher and trained linguistic assistants, with inter-rater reliability checks conducted on 20% of the data to ensure accuracy. spatial visualization through qgis to analyze the spatial dimension of phonemic variation, the study employed quantum geographic information system (qgis) version 3.60. each speaker’s village was geocoded using official administrative shapefiles of cirebon regency. tokens of /w/, /b/, and mixed forms were aggregated at the village level, and choropleth maps were generated for each lexical item using graduated color layers. this allowed the identification of isogloss boundaries, transitional zones, and regional concentrations of innovative or conservative phoneme usage (vozenilek et al., 2022; huang et al., 2024). although more advanced spatial statistical methods such as moran’s i or getis-ord gi* were not applied in this phase, the visual diffusion patterns provided a baseline for understanding spatial phonological alignment. these statistical tools are recommended for future studies to validate clustering and hotspot phenomena, as previously demonstrated in european and east asian dialect studies (vergeiner & bülow, 2023; jin, 2025). the integration of sociophonetic elicitation with geospatial visualization reflects a growing consensus in contemporary dialectology that linguistic change is not only temporal but deeply spatial (bejinariu et al., 2023; shirai & huang, 2024). this dual-layered framework—linguistic and geographic—permits the uncovering of both micro-variation in pronunciation juwintan, eri kurniawan, r. dian dia-an muniroh mapping phonological change: a geolinguistic study of /w/ and /b/ variation in bahasa jawa cirebon 726 and macro-variation across topographic and demographic lines. the method is particularly wellsuited to transitional zones like cirebon, where dialects are historically layered and socially stratified (romano, 2024; sari, 2024). all participants were informed of the study’s academic purpose and provided verbal consent prior to participation. data were anonymized, stored securely, and used solely for analysis and publication. the research adhered to ethical protocols for sociolinguistic fieldwork, especially in communities where language is tied closely to cultural identity and regional belonging (wolf et al., 2003; winford, 2003). results and discussion the spatial analysis of /w/ and /b/ phonemic variation across cirebon reveals significant regional disparities influenced by geography, age, and sociolinguistic context. the variation is not randomly distributed, but structured in space and stratified by age groups. the chart of phonemic distribution indicates that younger speakers lean toward /b/ realization, while older speakers retain /w/, particularly in peripheral districts. this generational pattern is consistent across the five target lexical items. the quantitative tabulation further supports this trend. for instance, in the item awu/abu, nearly 70% of informants in urban areas such as harjamukti favored /b/, while 85% of rural respondents in gebang and losari retained /w/. this is mirrored in the spatial gradient illustrated in subsequent figures. moreover, items like walik/balik and bulan/wulan show significantly higher rates of /b/ adoption, reflecting phonological innovation in lexemes with higher communicative salience. these results affirm the dynamic nature of phonological change in contact zones and align with patterns observed in other multilingual regions such as lampung and pekalongan (sabilla et al., 2024; sari, 2024). figure 1. the distribution of fonem /w/ /b/ in general, phoneme /w/ had higher frequency in most areas, especially in the norths and east, and phoneme /b/ was seen to appear with a higher frequency in the center. this frequency serves to describe regions of linguistic conservatism and innovation that are tied to demographic and geographical features. the diagram above indicates that the /w/ form is more widespread across all regions. the /b/ form is comparatively low in use across all regions, with both forms having clear supremacy in the central region. the distribution of these variations is given clearly in the table below : table 1. distribution of variation /b/ ⁓ /w/ areas variation awu walik watu wulan wulu 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 utara timur tengah barat laut fonem /w/ ⁓ /b/ distribution /w/ /b/ /w//b/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 727 north /w/ 124 respondents 38 respondents 142 respondents 133 respondents 142 respondents /b/ 4 respondents 96 respondents 2 respondents 9 respondents /w/ /b/ 16 respondents 10 respondents 2 respondents 2 respondents east /w/ 89 respondents 33 respondents 109 respondents 96 respondents 100 respondents /b/ 7 respondents 62 respondents 1 respondents 4 respondents 6 respondents /w/ /b/ 14 respondents 15 respondents 10 respondents 4 respondents centre of cirebon regency /w/ 144 respondents 40 respondents 182 respondents 166 respondents 172 respondents /b/ 34 respondents 136 respondents 18 respondents 12 respondents 18 respondents /w/ /b/ 26 respondents 28 respondents 4 respondents 26 respondents 14 respondents northwest ern /w/ 72 respondents 14 respondents 76 respondents 65 respondents 68 respondents /b/ 2 respondents 48 respondents 7 respondents 4 respondents /w/ /b/ 2 respondents 14 respondents 4 respondents 4 respondents from the table above show a clear-cut phonological distribution, indicating the presence of both linguistic conservatism and innovation in various geographical locations. conservative areas the northern and eastern regions also show extensive preservation of the phoneme /w/, especially in the words awu, wulu, watu, and wulan. these regions serve as conservation areas, as proposed by (goebl, 2006)idea of dialect centers, where local forms persist due to little external influence and a strong sense of local identity. for instance, in the northern region, 124 out of the 144 participants use awu, while in the eastern region, 109 speakers prefer watu over batu. innovation zone contrastively, in the central cirebon area, there is a prominent use of the /b/ phoneme in all of the target lexemes. this region is a geolinguistic innovation area where factors like urbanization, education, and contact with standard indonesian provide space for phonological innovation. for instance, 136 speakers employ balik as opposed to walik, and 34 employ abu instead of awu. transition zone simultaneous use of the phoneme’s /w/ and /b/, highlighted in the words walik/balik and wulu/bulu. the coexistence of both variants points toward an area of transitional isogloss, where superimposing phonological systems arise due to demographic movement and interaction between dialects. mapping linguistic geography the word awu (ash) shows stark phonological divergence across zones. urban and semi-urban regions, particularly kesambi, exhibit nearly full adoption of /b/ (abu), while traditional zones like lemahabang retain /w/. this item is semantically basic but socially marked in intergenerational speech, thus providing a clear marker of regional phonological differentiation. juwintan, eri kurniawan, r. dian dia-an muniroh mapping phonological change: a geolinguistic study of /w/ and /b/ variation in bahasa jawa cirebon 728 figure 2 geolinguistic distribution of /w/ and /b/ in the word “awu” (ash) from the map above, the word of awu ('ash') map illustrates that the variant containing the /w/ phoneme generally dominates the majority of the area, particularly in indramayu regency, cirebon city, and the northern coast. the occurance of the /b/ phoneme is also widely used in the southwestern area, especially along the border between majalengka and kuningan. the transitional variant /w/-/b/, though, is used in the border areas in the central and southern parts of cirebon regency. this shows that the /w/ variant is the prevailing conservative variant, whereas the /b/ variant is known to be an innovative variant in areas that are more susceptible to sundanese language influence. in contrast, eastern villages such as losari and gebang demonstrated remarkable stability in wulu (feather) pronunciation. over 80% of respondents across generational lines used /w/ consistently. yet, border regions like ciledug and sumber displayed pockets of innovation, particularly among youth with formal education. the /b/ form emerged sporadically, hinting at transitional isogloss zones (shirai & huang, 2024; vergeiner & bülow, 2023). figure 3 geolinguistic distribution of /w/ and /b/ in the word “wulu” (feather) in the north and east zones, there is a clear dominance of the /w/ variant across all lexical items. villages such as gebang and karangsembung exhibit consistent /w/ realization in words like wulu, watu, and wulan. these areas represent conservative linguistic zones where traditional forms are retained. this pattern is in line with findings in other peripheral regions where language innovation tends to lag behind (zulaeha et al., 2024; shirai & huang, 2024). conversely, central cirebon, including urbanized areas like kesambi and harjamukti, shows strong english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 729 preference for /b/ in the same lexical items. words such as bulu, batu, and bulan are used with high frequency, suggesting an ongoing shift toward indonesianized phonemic norms. this transition reflects urban linguistic convergence, educational influence, and prestige alignment, consistent with observations in thai hakka communities and south china dialect shifts (phiranawong et al., 2025; chen et al., 2025; huang et al., 2024). figure 4 geolinguistic distribution of /w/ and /b/ in the word “watu” (stone) for watu (stone), distribution was relatively conservative across the entire regency. in all four regions—north, east, central, and northwest— respondents across age groups retained /w/ in 90% of utterances. the phonotactic simplicity of this item and its concrete, physical referent may explain its resistance to phonological change (guan, 2025; martins et al., 2025). figure 5 geolinguistic distribution of /w/ and /b/ in the word “wulan” (moon) from the map on figure 4 about the distribution of wulan (‘moon’), /w/ speaker dominance still happens in the majority of regions throughout cirebon regency. nevertheless, /b/ speaker areas are also relatively common. /w/-/b/ mixture areas are frequently observable in the central part, showing a phase or merging of the two varieties. this is the same as that of the word awu, showing that this juwintan, eri kurniawan, r. dian dia-an muniroh mapping phonological change: a geolinguistic study of /w/ and /b/ variation in bahasa jawa cirebon 730 variation has high stability and still affected by geographical variation. the northwest region serves as a phonological buffer zone. villages like greged and susukan demonstrate mixed forms, with both /w/ and /b/ appearing interchangeably depending on age group and word frequency. these findings support the notion of transitional dialect zones characterized by overlapping isoglosses and variable phonological behavior (vergeiner & bülow, 2023; suzuki, 2023; suzuki, 2024). figure 6 geolinguistic distribution of /w/ and /b/ in the word “wulan” (moon) phoneme frequency analysis shows walik/balik and bulan/wulan to be the most susceptible to change, with /b/ forms appearing even in traditionally conservative areas. this supports lexical diffusion theory, which states that highfrequency or semantically salient words tend to undergo change earlier (alber et al., 2025; zellou et al., 2025). additionally, these shifts are not uniform but influenced by lexical familiarity, phonotactic environment, and semantic prominence. walik ('turn over') shows a relatively even distribution between the phoneme’s /w/ and /b/, particularly when compared to other words. the geographical area where /b/ is employed seems to be broader, encompassing the northern region, central region, and a part of the eastern region of cirebon regency. this distribution suggests the phonological influence of indonesian, which typically employs the /b/ variant in this particular word (balik). this phenomenon shows that the word of walik is a lexical form that is more influenced by the national standard. sociolinguistic interpretation (labovian perspective) the contrast between the consonant phonemes /w/ and /b/ of cirebon javanese is geographically as well as socially located. the variation has taken place in the pronunciation of some words like awu/abu, wulu/bulu, watu/batu, walik/balik, and wulan/bulan. age and education analysis reveals certain social patterns which outline the processes of language change taking place on a continuous basis within the society. the social distribution of the phonemic variation of the consonants /w/ and /b/ is shown in the following bar chart: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 731 figure 7. the distribution social variety of consonant fonem /w/ ~ /b/ sociophonetic correlations reveal that younger speakers (15–30) overwhelmingly prefer /b/, while older generations (50+) retain /w/. this pattern suggests a “change from below”, where lower-level, unconscious shifts become widespread through younger speakers and later gain social prestige (mišević, 2025; martins et al., 2025). the role of education and mass media exposure is significant, aligning with results from dialect shift studies in european urban peripheries and the germanspeaking alpine region (stöckle & vergeiner, 2025; stratton & beaman, 2025). the /w/ ⁓ /b/ variation is not merely a phonetic substitution—it embodies tensions between linguistic conservatism and aspirational standardization. the rise of /b/ among youth represents more than generational drift; it reflects alignment with indonesian state norms and globalized communication preferences (luna & bagudanch, 2025; zellou et al., 2025). lexical susceptibility varies based on pragmatic familiarity and semantic domain. items used in institutional discourse (e.g., bulan) shift more quickly than those tied to local routines (e.g., watu). this supports the theory that linguistic change occurs first in high-frequency, socially valued terms before cascading to less salient items (mackenzie et al., 2022; tashi, 2025). the asymmetry of change, uneven across items and demographics, affirms that phonological evolution is not monolithic. instead, it is shaped by local attitudes, prestige economy, and ideologies of authenticity and modernity (bejinariu et al., 2023; hu & perry, 2025). the phonemic landscape of cirebon thus represents a microcosm of dialect contact zones globally. the findings stress the urgency of documenting traditional forms, particularly in peripheral regions with strong intergenerational transmission. language policy can integrate dialect awareness in local curricula, while media platforms can encourage the valorization of phonological diversity (regmi, 2025; tashi, 2025). furthermore, geolinguistic approaches offer scalable methods for real-time phonological observation. the qgis maps generated in this study not only visualize linguistic geography but enable the identification of critical preservation areas. these tools may serve future research in dialectology, language endangerment, and cultural heritage planning (roemling et al., 2025; winford, 2003). in essence, the alternation between /w/ and /b/ in cirebon reflects the dynamic interplay between geography, society, and language ideology. it is not just a shift in articulation—but a symbol of transition, a marker of affiliation, and a phonetic echo of identity in flux. conclusion this study has investigated the phonological variation of the /w/ and /b/ sounds in cirebon javanese through a descriptive qualitative approach 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 usia 20 30 (sd-s1) usia 31 40 (sd-s1) usia 41 50 (sd-sma) usia 51 65 (ga sekolah s1) the distribution social variety of consonant fonem /w/ ~ /b/ /b/ /w/ /b/ /w/ juwintan, eri kurniawan, r. dian dia-an muniroh mapping phonological change: a geolinguistic study of /w/ and /b/ variation in bahasa jawa cirebon 732 supported by geolinguistic mapping. drawing on data from 534 speakers across 267 villages in four major geographic regions of cirebon, the research examined how the alternation between these consonants reflects both spatial distribution and sociolinguistic dynamics. the findings reveal that phonemic variation is geographically structured, with /w/ forms preserved in northern and eastern regions, while /b/ forms are more prevalent among younger and urban speakers, particularly in central cirebon. lexical items like awu, wulu, and watu showed stronger retention of traditional forms, while bulan and balik exhibited higher rates of phonological substitution. these trends underscore the differential susceptibility of lexical items to phonological change based on social salience, frequency, and semantic scope. sociolinguistically, the study confirms that age, education, and media exposure significantly correlate with phoneme preference. younger, educated speakers increasingly adopt /b/, suggesting convergence with standard indonesian, while older rural speakers remain custodians of traditional /w/ usage. these dynamics illustrate a complex negotiation between linguistic heritage and modern linguistic capital. theoretically, the study contributes to geolinguistic scholarship by demonstrating how spatial diffusion and social factors intersect to shape phonological evolution. the use of qgis mapping enabled the visualization of isoglosses and highlighted zones of innovation, transition, and retention. academically, it offers empirical evidence for ongoing sound change in a multilingual context and highlights the utility of geospatial methodologies in dialectological research. practically, it encourages efforts in linguistic documentation and regional language preservation, especially in high-contact zones. in conclusion, the /w/ ⁓ /b/ variation in cirebon javanese is a mirror of broader sociolinguistic transformation—one that reflects shifting identities, intergenerational dynamics, and the tension between regional tradition and national linguistic ideology. future studies are encouraged to expand this analysis using dialectometric tools and diachronic data to further trace the trajectory of phonological change in java and beyond. references abid, s. a., & kumar, s. (2025). language shifts declining geo-cultural heritage—linguistic case study of west bengal and preservation strategies to conserve india’s ethno-linguistic tapestry. in sustainable strategies for managing geoheritage in a dynamic world (pp. 187–209). springer nature singapore. alber, b., arndt-lappe, s., & kokkelmans, j. (2025). the predictability of name truncation: factoring in language change. catalan journal of linguistics, 24(1), 7–39. atechi, s., & mandzo, c. (2025). recent changes in the area of new englishes in cameroon and some sociolinguistic and pedagogic implications. global academic journal of linguistics and literature, 7. bejinariu, s. i., apopei, v., nevaci, m., olariu, f. t., & saramandu, n. (2023, october). information technology and geolinguistics. in 2023 international conference on speech technology and human-computer dialogue (sped) (pp. 133– 140). ieee. bompolas, s., & melissaropoulou, d. (2025). understanding dialectal variation in contact scenarios through dialectometry: insights from inner asia minor greek. languages, 10(1), 13. bürki, y., & agüero, a. n. g. (eds.). (2025). language, borders and bordering practices/lenguaje, fronteras y prácticas de fronterización: sociolinguistic perspectives/perspectivas sociolingüísticas. walter de gruyter gmbh & co kg. caldwell, w. w. (2025). whistling dixie: a linguistic journey. algora publishing. cardoso, s., & mota, j. (2022). the “glocal” elements in the linguistic atlas of brazil. in a framework for critical transnational research (pp. 71–89). routledge. chen, x., fang, g., kang, j., hong, b., wang, z., & xia, w. (2025). language culture and land use: a case study of the dialect cultural regions in anhui province, china. land, 14(3), 648. cooper, j. (2025). fuzzy boundaries or hard borders? cultural groupings in second millennium bc nubia from the view of linguistic evidence. old world: journal of ancient africa and eurasia, 5(1), 1–30. darmayanti, n., yohanarisagarniwa, y., & zein, d. (2023). mapping the dimensions of linguistic distance: a study on quantitative and qualitative geolinguistics of banjar sundanese dialect. european journal of language and culture studies, 2(4), 8–17. de silva jayasuriya, s., & smith, s. h. (2025). epilogue to global portuguese. global portuguese: literary, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 733 historical, sociolinguistic and anthropological approaches, 44, 348. din, s. u., ullah, h., & bibi, n. (2025). examining new dialect formation through trudgill’s sociolinguistic principles. journal of applied linguistics and tesol (jalt), 8(1), 1367–1376. direáin, s. ó. (2021). observing linguistic evolution in an irish archipelago. journal of linguistic geography, 9(1), 28–39. elspaß, s. (2025). pluriareal languages and the case of german. in pluricentricity and pluriareality (pp. 15–44). john benjamins publishing company. espree-conaway, d. a. (2022). evolutionary cartographies of language diversification: quantitative approaches to the geolinguistic mapping of the kayanic languages (central borneo) [master’s thesis, the university of north dakota]. filos, p., & vlachos, c. (2025). modern greek studies: language and linguistics. the year’s work in modern language studies, 85(1), 579–614. fukushima, c. (2023). geographical variation of systems of sibling terms in asia and africa. dialectologia et geolinguistica, 31(1), 41–54. geeraerts, d., speelman, d., heylen, k., montes, m., de pascale, s., franco, k., & lang, m. (2024). lexical variation and change: a distributional semantic approach (p. 337). oxford university press. guan, x. (2025). uvularization in queyu phonology. in rarities in phonetics and phonology: structural, typological, evolutionary, and social dimensions (pp. 437–473). h lowry, j. (2022). potential applications of gis for linguistic data. senri ethnological studies, 108, 59–74. hetilaniar, h., zulaeha, i., mardikantoro, h. b., yuniawan, t., & lachlan, n. (2025). phonological variation technology integration for indonesia cultural preservation and edupreneurship. aptisi transactions on technopreneurship (att), 7(1), 158–168. hu, x., & perry, j. j. (2025). multifunctionality and contextual realization: a case study in yixing chinese. linguistic variation, 25(1), 1–42. huang, h., grieve, j., jiao, l., & cai, z. (2024). geographic structure of chinese dialects: a computational dialectometric approach. linguistics, 62(4), 937–976. jin, j. (ed.). (2025). chinese language education and second language chinese acquisition: an interface with chinese linguistics. taylor & francis. joshi, a., dabre, r., kanojia, d., li, z., zhan, h., haffari, g., & dippold, d. (2025). natural language processing for dialects of a language: a survey. acm computing surveys, 57(6), 1–37. kapau, h. m., siame, p., amoakohene, b., mambwe, k., & kangwa, k. n. (2025). a transitivity analysis of the clause in silozi language (k21). scholars international journal of linguistics and literature, 8(1), 1–13. kasdan, j., radzi, h., & nopiah, j. (2023). variants of emotion lexicons, ‘marah’ (angry) and ‘malas’ (lazy) in langkawi island: a geo-linguistic analysis. lingua, 18(1). li, z. (ed.). (2025). diversity and inclusiveness in chinese as a second language. language, 9, 1–16. luna, c. j., & bagudanch, a. r. (2025). phonological and lexical change from digital geolinguistics: the application of corpat to the study of spanish. zeitschrift für romanische philologie, 140(4), 1201–1244. mackenzie, l., bailey, g., & turton, d. (2022). towards an updated dialect atlas of british english. journal of linguistic geography, 10(1), 46–66. mamatqobilova, x. (2025). the linguistic variables. acumen: international journal of multidisciplinary research, 2(4), 137–140. martins, b., verrone, i. a., sakamoto, m. m., baba, m. y., yvata, m. e., lukasova, k., & nucci, m. p. (2025). resting-state functional mri in dyslexia: a systematic review. biomedicines, 13(5), 1210. martos, i. m. (2024). spanish dialect classifications. dialectologia, 12, 309–342. mišević, m. (2025). slavic words in arabographic discourse. a late medieval serbian law and its early modern ottoman users. in polyglot texts and translations in early modern europe (pp. 260– 287). brill academic publishers. nichols, j. (2025). founder effects identify languages of the earliest americans. american journal of biological anthropology, e24923. ono, y., & fukazawa, m. (2025). statistical approaches to the quantification of regularity in languages and dialects: an exercise in ainu dialects of asai (1974). 北方言語研究, 15, 179–202. pabst, k. (2022). putting “the other maine” on the map: language variation, local affiliation, and cooccurrence in aroostook county english [doctoral dissertation, university of toronto (canada)]. phiranawong, s., ungsitipoonporn, s., & sandman, e. (2025). assessing language vitality and analyzing factors behind language maintenance and language shift: the case of hakka in thailand. asian ethnicity, 1–26. radzi, h., jalaluddin, n. h., ahmad, z., hamzah, s. n., yusoff, y. m., & sanit, n. (2014). geo-linguistics study on lexical and phonology dialect variations in north perak, malaysia. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 118, 152–158. juwintan, eri kurniawan, r. dian dia-an muniroh mapping phonological change: a geolinguistic study of /w/ and /b/ variation in bahasa jawa cirebon 734 regmi, d. r. (2025). assessing vitality and achieving sustainable use in the kshetteli language. studies in elt and applied linguistics, 2(2), 18–36. roemling, d., winter, b., & grieve, j. (2025). visualizing map data for linguistics using ggplot2: a tutorial with examples from dialectology and typology. journal of linguistic geography, 1–15. romano, v. p. (2024). the linguistic atlas of brazil (atlas linguístico do brasil–alib) and the smalldomain atlas: comparisons and contrasts. fórum linguístico, 21(1), 9862–9880. sabilla, e. s., nadzifah, n. d., muanisah, p. m., gloriani, y., & romansyah, k. (2024). cirebon dialect variation in indonesian conversations of faculty of education and science, universitas swadaya gunung jati students. devotion: journal of research and community service, 5(7), 758–767. sari, i. m. (2024). javanese language phonemic and lexicon variations in pekalongan city: a dialectological study. surakarta english and literature journal, 7(1), 19–39. septianingtias, v., wahya, nur, t., & ariyani, f. (2024). lexical variation in the lampung language, indonesia. cogent arts & humanities, 11(1), 2309740. shirai, s., & huang, y. (2024). a geolinguistic approach to ndrapa dialectology. in grammatical phenomena of sino-tibetan languages 6: typology and historical change (pp. 109–124). stöckle, p., & vergeiner, p. c. (2025). geographical patterns in the bavarian dialects of austria and south tyrol: a real-time comparison using dialectometric methods. zeitschrift für sprachvariation und soziolinguistik, 1(1). stratton, j. m., & beaman, k. v. (eds.). (2025). expanding variationist sociolinguistic research in varieties of german. routledge. suzuki, h. (2023). geolinguistic approach to migration history in the south-eastern edge of the tibetosphere: a case study of sangdam tibetan and methodological remarks. asian languages and linguistics, 4(2), 224–250. suzuki, h. (2024). shaping rgyalthangic: a historical account of yunnan khams. in grammatical phenomena of sino-tibetan languages 6: typology and historical change (pp. 87–108). tashi, k. (2025). tibetan language for non-tibetans: a beginner’s guide to writing and speaking tibetan. springer nature. vergeiner, p. c. (2023). quantitative perspectives on the geolinguistic structures of dialect morphology in austria. dialectologia et geolinguistica, 31(1), 87–115. vergeiner, p. c., & bülow, l. (2023). geolinguistic structures of dialect phonology in the germanspeaking alpine region: a dialectometric approach using crowdsourcing data. open linguistics, 9(1), 20220252. vida-castro, m. (2022). on competing indexicalities in southern peninsular spanish: a sociophonetic and perceptual analysis of affricate [ts] through time. language variation and change, 34(2), 137–163. vozenilek, v., ireinova, m., vondrakova, a., & konicek, j. (2022). mapping, synthesis and visualization of czech dialects. international journal of cartography, 8(1), 148–163. wolf, m., zenner, e., backus, a., & winter-froemel, e. (2003). linguistic purism, language shift and contact-induced change in tatar [doctoral dissertation, university of california, berkeley]. winford, d. (2003). an introduction to contact linguistics. wiley-blackwell. zellou, g., afkir, m., lahrouchi, m., & bensoukas, k. (2025). cross-language variation in the acceptability of vowelless nonwords. frontiers in communication, 10, 1518754. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1239 students’ virtual drama performance of english language teaching in the digital era: creativity and adaptation in learning rita inderawati* english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id karen ferreira meyers coordinator linguistics and modern languages, eswatini unversity, eswatini email: karenferreirameyers@gmail.com novarita english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas baturaja, indonesia email: novaritazkia@yahoo.com awalludin indonesian language and literature education, universitas baturaja, indonesia email: awalludinawri@gmail.com samsul anam indonesian language and literature education, universitas baturaja, indonesia email: syamsulanam515@gmail.com apa scitation:. inderawati, r., meyers, k. f., novarita., awalludin., & anam, s. (2024). students’ virtual drama performance of english language teaching in the digital era: creativity and adaptation in learning. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(3), 1239-1250. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10893 received: 21-06-2024 accepted: 21-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction drama performance has long been recognized as an effective method in teaching and understanding literature. however, the covid-19 pandemic drastically changed the landscape of education. with campus closures and physical restrictions, traditional teaching methods had to be modified to remain relevant in the context of distance learning. abstract: the covid-19 pandemic has necessitated rapid adaptation to digital and remote learning, fundamentally altering traditional pedagogical practices. for english education students, especially those engaged in literature courses, drama performance has long been a valuable tool for exploring and expressing literary understanding. however, the sudden shift to online learning environments presented unique challenges, pushing students to reconceptualize drama performance in a virtual setting. this study investigates how english education students creatively adapted to these changes by producing virtual drama performances through the zoom platform. the integration of virtual backgrounds, designed using canva, allowed students to construct imaginative settings that supported narrative immersion, despite the physical separation. this research highlights the ways students utilized digital tools to convey dramatic elements and literary interpretation, transforming conventional stagecraft into an innovative, digital form of storytelling. through in-depth analysis, this article explores how these virtual performances not only maintained the integrity of drama as a medium for literary education but also fostered critical technological skills that are increasingly relevant in the digital era. the findings demonstrate that virtual drama projects encouraged students to combine creativity with technical proficiency, enhancing their adaptability, digital literacy, and ability to collaborate in a remote context. this study underscores the evolving role of literature-based performance in english language teaching (elt), suggesting that the integration of digital tools in creative projects may serve as a sustainable model for literature education in the post-pandemic future. keywords: virtual drama, english language teaching, technology integration, creativity &adaptation. rita inderawati, karen ferreira meyers, novarita, awalludin, & samsul anam students’ virtual drama performance of english language teaching in the digital era: creativity and adaptation in learning. 1240 english education students were challenged to find new ways to continue learning methods that involve social interaction and creativity, such as drama performances (zhang, 2021; schenker, 2021; inderawati et al., 2023). drama performance has transcended spatial and temporal boundaries as one of the most powerful and engaging teaching methods. literature, with all its complexity and beauty, can often be brought to life through physical expression, emotions, and interpretations involved in dramatic performances (guo & chen, 2018). alongside technological advancements, drama performances have evolved from traditional stages to modern screens. however, in 2020, the world suddenly came to a halt, trapped in the web of a rampant pandemic covid-19. this pandemic not only threatened physical health but also shook the established foundations of education (inderawati et al., 2022). the covid-19 pandemic, with all its changes and challenges, has forced educators, students, and educational institutions to adapt to a new and uncertain environment. campus closures and social restrictions have fundamentally altered the educational landscape. physical activities such as classroom meetings, group discussions, and, not to mention, drama performances, had to be temporarily abandoned. however, humans have an extraordinary instinct for adaptation (tanasijević & janković, 2021). this pandemic triggered the birth of new innovations in education, encouraging the search for alternative ways to maintain the essence of learning while ensuring the safety of all individuals involved (tam, 2020). in the digital age, virtual drama performances have become a notable milestone within literature education. this innovative approach enables educators and learners to transcend physical and geographical constraints, fostering engaging and impactful learning experiences. though originally considered a temporary adaptation during the pandemic, virtual drama performances have demonstrated their lasting effectiveness as a teaching tool (cziboly & bethlenfalvy, 2022; inderawati, 2022). modern education in the digital realm prioritizes not only the transmission of knowledge but also the cultivation of a diverse skill set. virtual drama performances incorporate interactivity and creativity into literature education, enriching the learning process, enabling students to enhance communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills crucial for today's job market (hazaymeh, 2021; halim & sunarti, 2021). according to peñalver and laborda (2021), these performances also facilitate the improvement of oral communication skills, essential for effective interaction in diverse environments. incorporating technology into these performances demonstrates a mastery of tools like zoom and canva. students quickly adapt to technological changes, showcasing their ability to leverage technology, which is essential in today's workforce (suadi, 2021; li, 2021). the transformation of zoom from a meeting tool to a dynamic virtual stage illustrates this shift, allowing students to express creativity and engage in literature learning (sneed, 2021). moşteanu (2021) emphasizes that maintaining student attention in a virtual environment is critical, highlighting the need for engaging methodologies that virtual drama can provide. the auditory dimension is equally vital; students learn to modulate their voices for clarity and emotional impact, bridging the connection with the audience (puspitasari & hanayanti, 2023). canva plays a crucial role in crafting immersive backgrounds that support the narrative, enhancing the audience's experience through cohesive visual storytelling (nurhayati, 2016; trang, 2024). this multimedia approach resonates with the findings of somara et al. (2021), who noted that students' engagement in virtual learning is significantly influenced by the quality of visual and auditory resources. combining zoom and canva allows students to create performances that provide a deeper experience, affirming that technology transforms literature interaction (tang et al., 2022; senderoff, 2021). their creativity and adaptability illustrate that theater transcends physical boundaries, thriving in the digital realm (mandasari, rido, & kuswoyo, 2022). additionally, pambudi and samoal (2022) argue that ict-based learning innovations can significantly enhance educational quality, especially during unprecedented times. the elt course is pivotal in connecting virtual drama performances with the curriculum, reflecting a commitment to bridging tradition and innovation (erliza & septianingsih, 2022). despite successes, challenges persist, including varying technology accessibility and digital skills among students, necessitating efforts to ensure inclusivity (apriliani & puspitasari, 2022; hardianti & irmansyah, 2024). yuliana (2021) also points out that the implementation of information and communication technology in teaching must english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1241 address these disparities to maximize the learning experience for all students. as a result, the findings indicate that virtual drama performances extend beyond being a temporary solution to pandemic challenges; they represent a lasting innovation with a positive influence on literature education. through the integration of interactivity, creativity, and technological proficiency, these performances help english education students prepare for an increasingly complex and interconnected global landscape (nurhajati, 2021; umralieva et al., 2021; asfihana et al., 2022). this demonstrates the adaptability and resilience of educational methods when confronted with obstacles, setting the stage for continued advancements in teaching and learning. in english education, teaching literature is crucial for fostering an understanding of foreign cultures and languages, with drama performances playing a pivotal role (barekat & nazemi, 2020; santosa & hardiyanti, 2022). these performances allow students to deeply engage with characters, conflicts, and themes of literary works, creating lasting and impactful experiences. yet, when direct social interaction poses health risks, the question arises: how can the richness of social engagement be preserved while utilizing effective teaching strategies? this article investigates how english education students confront this challenge and uncover inventive solutions (alvarado, 2021). throughout history, challenges have often led to innovative breakthroughs (risdianto et al., 2019). the pandemic has motivated educators to devise novel methods for keeping learning engaging and meaningful, even when limited to digital interactions. though virtual drama performances may initially appear to conflict with the inherently social nature of traditional drama, they have become an integral component of contemporary educational programs (mu'awanah et al., 2021; zakopoulos et al., 2023). advancements in technology not only enable virtual drama performances but also create new possibilities for interaction, collaboration, and presentation (tang et al., 2022; inderawati et al., 2024). prestigious institutions such as cambridge english have promoted the integration of technology within language instruction, including drama-based activities (bereczki & karpati, 2021). their stance is that virtual platforms allow for the incorporation of interactive and visual elements in literature education, thereby enhancing its depth and engagement. additionally, the national council of teachers of english (ncte) underscores the significance of employing creative strategies in teaching literature. they emphasize that technological tools, including virtual drama performances, can spark students' imaginations, foster multiliteracy skills, and bridge literature with the increasingly digital environment (bee choo et al., 2022). although the concept of virtual drama performances in english language education is not entirely new, numerous studies have examined their possibilities and effects (karwandi et al., 2022; thao et al., 2022). nevertheless, a research gap persists. while existing research has touched on virtual drama performances, more investigation is needed to understand how english education students specifically engage with and adapt to this approach within a rapidly advancing digital landscape. this article seeks to fill this gap by centering on students and their involvement in developing innovative and meaningful learning experiences in the dynamic world of education. consequently, this study contributes valuable perspectives to the realms of english education and literature learning in the digital era. method this research adopts a comprehensive qualitative approach to examine the experiences of english education students as they transition to distance learning and engage in virtual drama performances. creswell (2014) emphasizes that qualitative research is an effective method for exploring and understanding the meanings individuals or groups attribute to social or human challenges, making it particularly well-suited for gaining deeper insights into how students adjust to changes in their educational settings and the ways they overcome challenges associated with virtual performances. this research employed three main methods for data collection: observation, in-depth interviews, and document analysis. observation involved closely monitoring and capturing behaviors, interactions, and non-verbal cues that might not be apparent during interviews or through documentation. the in-depth interviews focused on students who actively engaged in virtual drama performances on the zoom platform. interviews are particularly useful for gaining a "comprehensive understanding of how individuals perceive and interpret specific situations" (seidman, 2006). these sessions allowed students to share their experiences, highlight challenges they faced, describe their solutions, and reflect on rita inderawati, karen ferreira meyers, novarita, awalludin, & samsul anam students’ virtual drama performance of english language teaching in the digital era: creativity and adaptation in learning. 1242 how their educational experiences evolved. by listening to their personal stories, the researcher gained detailed insights into students' emotional, academic, and social adjustments to the new learning environment. in addition, document analysis formed a key component of the research. this analysis included student-created drama project assignments and virtual backgrounds designed using canva. the drama projects revealed how students applied dramatic techniques within a virtual setting, addressed technical challenges, and expressed their literary understanding in an online format. analyzing the canva-designed virtual backgrounds also offered insights into students' visual interpretation skills, showing how they attempted to convey the atmosphere of literary works through design elements. yin (2018) highlighted that document analysis enhances other qualitative data sources by offering a deeper insight into the surrounding context and background. a triangulation approach was employed to validate the findings, with data from observation, interviews and document analysis enriching each other, thereby providing a more holistic and comprehensive perspective on students' virtual drama experiences. the triangulation of these methods allowed the researcher to corroborate findings and enhance the reliability of the insights gained. an inductive approach was employed for data analysis, enabling themes and patterns to naturally emerge from the collected data (patton, 2002). interview transcripts and documents underwent a continuous, detailed review to identify recurring patterns, distinctions, and commonalities within students' experiences and reflections. this analysis highlighted their adaptation process, the creative approaches used in virtual drama, and their increasing proficiency with technology. results and discussion the detailed findings of this study illustrate that english education students not only adjusted rapidly to the shift in learning paradigms triggered by the covid-19 pandemic but did so with remarkable creativity. the sudden loss of physical stages led them to explore uncharted territories in the form of virtual drama performances. during this period, virtual drama served as a vital means for students to stay engaged and actively participate in the learning process. faced with the challenge of limited face-to-face interaction, they embraced technology, transforming platforms like zoom into virtual stages that facilitated new ways of collaboration and engagement. they navigated technical features such as screen sharing and virtual backgrounds, creatively adapting these tools to convey dramatic elements in fresh and captivating ways. beyond merely adapting to new technologies, students demonstrated a high level of creativity in their integration. tools like canva were utilized to create virtual backgrounds, reflecting their inventive approach. these thoughtfully crafted backdrops did more than enhance visual appeal; they set the stage for nuanced portrayals of literary works, enriching the virtual experience for audiences. as a result, students moved beyond simply completing assignments and crafted immersive and sensory-rich performances. below is the result from observation. firstly, from the video, the researchers could verify whether these challenges had any visible impact on the final product. the video showed students having to adjust their environment to overcome background problems, there was an evidence of poor audio/video quality due to signal issues. secondly, the video could reveal how well the students worked together during the performance. they seemed coordinated. furthermore, the researchers could assess whether these props and costumes were effectively integrated into the performance. the students could highlight creative adaptations and enhance the characters in the story. lastly, during the observation, they could evaluate if the technical challenges were reflected in the video quality (e.g., poor background, unclear video due to signal issues). the interview findings shed light on the diverse experiences and challenges faced by english education students during the preparation and execution of virtual drama performances. m1 shared initial struggles due to hardware limitations, as their laptop frequently overheated and failed to support zoom’s virtual backgrounds, leading them to borrow a friend's laptop. this challenge, however, turned into an engaging experience through persistent rehearsal and recording efforts. m8 highlighted technical difficulties such as unreliable internet connections and challenges coordinating rehearsals with group members situated in various locations. additionally, issues with virtual backgrounds, which sometimes obscured participants' faces and headscarves, further complicated their efforts. m12 detailed the benefits of repeated practice sessions, noting that their group's final recording session went smoothly due to prior rehearsals and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1243 the use of costumes and props provided by their lecturer, ma'am rita. their familiarity with the script and storyline contributed to a seamless performance. similarly, m23 emphasized the collaborative aspect of text editing, which fostered stronger bonds among classmates. initially perceived as an insurmountable task, the virtual drama project became an enjoyable endeavor thanks to the lecturer’s flexible and supportive approach. in contrast, m4 encountered relatively few difficulties during recording but acknowledged the challenges posed by unstable internet connections and scheduling conflicts with other participants. m17 expressed that while virtual drama is feasible, it is best suited for simpler stories requiring fewer costumes and props. despite its imperfections, they found the experience rewarding and memorable. m25 reflected on their journey from struggling with basic laptop functions to mastering creative tasks involved in drama production, ultimately appreciating the opportunity to learn and adapt. m27 conveyed enthusiasm for the experience, appreciating the guidance provided by ma'am rita, while m30 emphasized the alignment of virtual drama with the 4th industrial revolution. they underscored the importance of such activities for fostering key skills, including collaboration, creativity, and technical prowess in areas such as editing and makeup. for these students, virtual drama served as a valuable platform for both personal and academic growth, highlighting its potential as an innovative educational tool in the digital age. here is a table that categorizes the interview results into themes related to the preparation and process of conducting virtual drama performances. table 1. interview results category aspect/details student response (id) technical challenges laptop overheating and inability to utilize zoom backgrounds due to camera issues; resolved by borrowing a friend's laptop for the performance. m1 signal and connectivity issues; coordination of practice times among students from different m8 locations; virtual backgrounds often malfunctioning (covering faces, hair, etc.). signal disruptions occasionally required adjustment of schedules with friends during recording. m4 collaboration and coordination collective text editing improved relationships among classmates; flexibility and freedom from the lecturer enhanced the experience and overall enjoyment. m23 coordination during costume preparation and practice based on suggestions from the instructor; frequent rehearsals led to smooth final recording. m12 coordinating practice schedules due to varying availability. m4 creativity and adaptation use of creativity to solve technical challenges, including virtual background adjustments and propmaking (e.g., crafting simple costumes and accessories). m25, m8 using simpler stories for a virtual medium, as they demand fewer props and costumes; first-time experience led to an enjoyable performance despite limitations. m17 learned new skills (e.g., operating a laptop, being creative with limited resources); transformed challenges into opportunities. m25 new and exciting experience, guided by an instructor from beginning to end, while building unique skills. m27 rita inderawati, karen ferreira meyers, novarita, awalludin, & samsul anam students’ virtual drama performance of english language teaching in the digital era: creativity and adaptation in learning. 1244 benefits and skills developed development of critical 21st-century skills, such as collaboration, creativity, and incorporating multimedia elements (sound editing, makeup skills, etc.) relevant to technological advancement in learning. m30 this table aligns with the thematic analysis of the interview responses and categorizes aspects that were discussed by the students, highlighting their experiences, challenges, creativity, and skill development through the virtual drama project. in addition to observation and interview, documentation was another primary instrument in this research. the documentation was obtained by capturing the virtual drama performance, the equipment used by the students, and the property created by the main characters. here is a summary regarding the virtual drama performance video "beowulf": students encountered several obstacles during rehearsals, such as issues with backgrounds not displaying correctly, the necessity of a premium zoom account, connectivity problems, and inadequate lighting. throughout the recording process, students experienced minimal difficulties overall, though occasional internet connectivity issues required adjustments to accommodate the group members' schedules. one student demonstrated creativity by crafting a crown out of cardboard and decorating it with golden mangosteen paper, while another improvised by using a distinctive blanket to portray a king, adding black patches as a moustache and beard. a student who regularly wears glasses ingeniously modified a cardboard mask to conceal their glasses while performing. figure 1. student’s performance based on the findings from the research instruments: interviews, documentation, and observations, the results can be qualitatively elaborated by using a scale of “rarely,” “sometimes,” “often,” or “always” for several of the key categories of findings that have been described. first of all, student collaboration and independence was frequent. second, creativity in overcoming challenges was also frequent. next, technical barriers and adaptation was frequent as well. finally, meaningful learning was categorized as: always. the figure displays the categories from the triangulation. figure 2. categories from the triangulation moving into the era of the new normal, where technological adaptation becomes ever more essential, the use of virtual drama performances in english education continues to hold significant relevance. even as opportunities for in-person interaction grow, students still regard technology as their primary means of conveying dramatic narratives. this viewpoint highlights the forwardthinking approach of english education students, who see technology not just as a tool but as a medium through which they can engage with literature, language, and audiences in a highly connected world. the challenges faced by students, such as issues with backgrounds not appearing, the need for a premium zoom account, connectivity problems, and lighting difficulties, reflect typical obstacles encountered in virtual learning and performance settings. these technical barriers can negatively impact the quality of student engagement and performance in online settings. studies have shown that virtual learning environments, especially when involving performance-based activities like drama, can face technological barriers. for example, issues with bandwidth and the need for premium tools have been highlighted in research by elumalai et al (2021), who argue that insufficient technological support can hinder the effectiveness of virtual learning in creative disciplines. similarly, studies by zakopoulos et al. (2020) emphasize the importance of stable connectivity and adequate english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1245 technical infrastructure to support interactive and collaborative learning, especially in performancedriven activities such as drama. however, some research suggests that challenges related to virtual learning can be overcome through innovation and resourcefulness. according to almufarreh & arshad (2023), students can often adapt to such challenges by finding alternative solutions, such as using free online tools or collaborating on technical workarounds. in this recent research, the fact that students continued the process despite these challenges could indicate resilience and adaptability, which are valuable skills in remote learning settings. these challenges may indicate the need for greater institutional support, both in terms of technology (such as providing zoom accounts or better internet infrastructure) and training on how to handle virtual performance challenges. it also highlights the resourcefulness of students, who found creative solutions, such as improvising with backgrounds and equipment, to overcome technical limitations. while the recording process itself was generally smooth, the issues of signal problems and scheduling adjustments reflect the ongoing challenges of managing collaborative work in a virtual space. studies on virtual collaboration in educational settings (oyarzun & martin, 2023) emphasize the importance of communication and collaboration tools to facilitate teamwork. however, they also acknowledge that even when technological tools are effective, external factors such as internet connectivity and time zone differences can create significant challenges. research by hussein (2021) highlights how coordination problems, like scheduling issues, are common in group-based online projects, which could be a factor in this study's findings. some literature argues that virtual collaboration platforms can still support effective teamwork, even in the face of such challenges. for instance, dissanayeke et al (2024) suggest that scheduling flexibility and the use of asynchronous collaboration tools (such as google docs, as you mentioned earlier) can reduce these problems significantly, enabling groups to work effectively even with connectivity issues. while the research acknowledges some difficulties with scheduling and connectivity, the overall success of the recording process indicates that the tools and strategies employed (e.g., adjusting schedules) were sufficient to overcome these barriers. it suggests that with careful planning, even virtual environments with technical limitations can provide meaningful learning experiences. the creative use of materials, such as cardboard for a crown and mask, and a blanket with black patches, reflects the improvisational and resourceful nature of the students' approach to their roles in the drama performance. these makeshift props and costumes are indicative of the students' willingness to adapt and use available resources in an innovative manner. research by haim & aschauer (2024) on creative problem-solving in educational settings suggests that engaging with limited resources can foster creativity and innovation. for example, students involved in lowcost, diy projects are often forced to think outside the box, which can lead to highly imaginative and resourceful outcomes. in this context, the use of common household materials like cardboard and blankets could enhance students' engagement and problem-solving skills. on the other hand, some critics argue that relying on improvised props and costumes might compromise the professional quality of the performance. according to ferri et al (2020), the lack of adequate resources in virtual learning environments may result in students being unable to fully realize their creative potential, which could detract from the overall educational experience, especially in performance-based activities that require high production values. so, the use of improvised props in this study is a testament to the students' creativity and ability to adapt in the face of limited resources. it highlights the potential for innovative problem-solving even within constraints. while it may not have led to a high-production-value performance, the creative decisions made by students likely contributed to their learning process, fostering creativity and adaptability. the student who modified a cardboard mask to accommodate their glasses is a particularly interesting case, as it reflects an effort to balance practical needs with creative expression. this solution suggests that students were not only thinking about their roles but also about how to make the performance functional and accessible. this case aligns with findings in educational research on accessibility and inclusion. studies such as those by maroungkas et al (2024) emphasize that students in virtual environments should feel that their needs (such as wearing glasses or other personal characteristics) are taken into account in the learning process. this mask modification demonstrates how students in online performances can apply practical thinking to rita inderawati, karen ferreira meyers, novarita, awalludin, & samsul anam students’ virtual drama performance of english language teaching in the digital era: creativity and adaptation in learning. 1246 improve the accessibility and comfort of their virtual roles. however, some researchers (e.g., gravel, 2024) point out that such modifications might not always be ideal, as they could lead to practical limitations. for example, modifying the mask might not achieve the desired visual impact or could interfere with the actor’s expression or interaction with other students. the modification of the mask in this case shows the student's initiative to address personal needs while participating in the virtual drama. it suggests that the virtual drama environment allowed for both creative freedom and the accommodation of individual needs, resulting in a more inclusive and thoughtful approach to performance. in this research, the use of documentation to capture students' virtual drama performances offers valuable insights into the challenges and creative solutions that emerged. the challenges of virtual rehearsals, the smooth recording process, and the resourceful creation of props all highlight the students' resilience and adaptability. these findings are consistent with existing literature on virtual learning environments, suggesting that despite technical limitations, students can engage in meaningful and creative learning experiences. while there were challenges, the adaptations made by the students demonstrate that creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving can thrive in virtual settings, with proper support and flexibility. the documentation not only provides a record of the performance but also offers insights into the students' learning processes, which can inform future virtual performance-based educational projects. the properties created by the students not only reflect their creativity and resourcefulness but also contribute to their overall engagement with the material and their characters. these props are more than just accessories; they play a vital role in helping students connect with the narrative and express their understanding of the roles they are performing. analyzing these props offers insights into students’ cognitive and creative processes, shedding light on their learning experience in the virtual drama setting. the properties created by the students not only reflect their creativity and resourcefulness but also contribute to their overall engagement with the material and their characters. these props are more than just accessories; they play a vital role in helping students connect with the narrative and express their understanding of the roles they are performing. analyzing these props offers insights into students’ cognitive and creative processes, shedding light on their learning experience in the virtual drama setting. the findings from the research instruments— interviews, documentation, and observations—can be qualitatively analyzed by applying a scale of "rarely," "sometimes," "often," or "always" to several key categories of results that have been outlined. first of all, student collaboration and independence was frequent. interview data indicated that students worked together to complete their virtual drama, sharing tasks, and adjusting schedules. documentation supported this by showing the group work processes that occurred, such as role assignments, prop creation, and rehearsal coordination. observation also showed consistent interaction and support among students throughout the process, despite the technical challenges encountered. this finding is supported by documentation, which highlighted their cooperative efforts in production and editing processes. it confirmed these aspects through the visible teamwork and interaction displayed during performance scenes, demonstrating effective coordination. second, creativity in overcoming challenges was also frequent. both interview and documentation highlighted how students used limited resources to create props and costumes. observations demonstrated their creativity in overcoming technical challenges and equipment limitations. it confirmed their innovative problemsolving skills, as seen in how props and virtual elements were integrated into the performances, adding depth to the storytelling.this suggests that students often had to think outside the box to achieve their desired outcomes. next, technical barriers and adaptation was frequent as well. students often faced technical challenges such as internet connection, inadequate devices, and the use of virtual backgrounds. interviews revealed how they adapted by borrowing devices or finding other solutions. while, observation showed the impact of these barriers, although they often found ways to continue the project. finally, meaningful learning was categorized as: always. all three instruments reflected that this experience provided meaningful learning. interviews indicated that students felt they had gained new skills, while documentation showed the results they had achieved. observation showed that each session led to improvements in their abilities, confidence, and skills they had mastered. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1247 observations of the recorded performances revealed both growth in confidence and increased proficiency as they showcased their mastery of dramatic elements. overall, the findings of the study indicate that students often worked collaboratively, demonstrated high creativity, and faced technical challenges with fairly good adaptation. the learning experience of this virtual drama project seemed to consistently have a positive impact, both in technical and non-technical aspects. the triangulation of data from interviews, documentation, and observation indicates that the virtual drama project significantly enhanced students' collaboration, creativity, and resilience in the face of technical challenges. the experience provided an engaging, practical application of digital and interpersonal skills, demonstrating the potential of innovative, technology-driven educational initiatives. despite challenges, the overall process proved to be enriching, pushing students to explore their capabilities beyond traditional formats. conclusion virtual drama productions by students in the english education program serve as a concrete demonstration of how innovative solutions can address the learning obstacles created by the pandemic. in the new normal era, mastering technology and harnessing creativity have transitioned from being mere options to essential skills. this current research highlights the significant role of creativity and adaptation in the learning process and reveals that students, when engaged in virtual drama activities, demonstrate increased creativity in their language use, performance skills, and digital tool utilization. the digital platform not only facilitated an innovative approach to learning but also allowed students to adapt their communication styles and learning strategies to suit the online environment. moreover, the findings suggest that virtual drama performances offer an effective medium for enhancing students' language proficiency, critical thinking, and collaborative skills. as educational settings continue to evolve, integrating creative virtual performances into elt can foster a more engaging and dynamic learning experience, aligning with the demands of the digital era. acknowledgment i would like to thank you to the students who participated in this investigation. your great participation to have experience in my literature in elt means a lot to us. references alcalde peñalver, e., & garcía laborda, j. (2021). online learning during the covid-19 pandemic: how has this new situation affected students’ oral communication skills? journal of language and education. https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2021.11940 almufarreh, a., & arshad, m. (2023). promising emerging technologies for teaching and learning: recent developments and future challenges. sustainability, 15(8), 6917. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086917 alvarado, j. (2021). the virtual experience of the course drama for english as second language at the sede del pacífico of the universidad de costa rica. intersedes. https://doi.org/10.15517/isucr.v22i46.47819 asfihana, r., salija, k., iskandar, i., & garim, i. (2022). students’ english learning experiences on virtual project-based learning instruction. international journal of language education. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v6i2.20506 bal i̇ncebacak, b. (2022). online creative drama during the pandemic. erzincan üniversitesi eğitim fakültesi dergisi. https://doi.org/10.17556/erziefd.992687 barekat, b. & nazemi, h. (2020). the effect of dramabased method on preintermediate efl learners' speaking skill and elementary efl learners' speaking fluency, comprehensibility, grammaticality, and willingness to communicate. iranian journal of english foracademicpurposes. 9(3),58-72. bee choo, y., saidalvi, a., & abdullah, t. (2022). use of multimodality in remote drama performance among pre-service teachers during the covid-19 pandemic. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v11-i1/12187 bereczki, e.o., & karpati, a. (2021). technologyenhanced creativity: a multiple case study of digital technology-integration expert teachers‟ beliefs and practices. thinking skills and creativity, 39. bessadet, l. (2022). drama-based approach in english language teaching. ssrn electronic journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4086137 creswell, j. w. (2014). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). sage publications. desai, f.p. (2020). teaching english through drama to tribal students of undergraduate level at remote area of south gujarat region in india. education quarterly reviews. dissanayeke, s. r., lewis, r., & swindells, s. (2024). designing an innovative digital group work https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2021.11940 https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086917 https://doi.org/10.15517/isucr.v22i46.47819 https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v6i2.20506 https://doi.org/10.17556/erziefd.992687 https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v11-i1/12187 https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4086137 rita inderawati, karen ferreira meyers, novarita, awalludin, & samsul anam students’ virtual drama performance of english language teaching in the digital era: creativity and adaptation in learning. 1248 assignment to foster employability: an adaptable hybrid approach for the covid-19 pandemic and beyond. open learning: the journal of open, distance and e-learning, 39(2), 132149. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2024.230762 3 elumalai, k. v., sankar, j. p., kalaichelvi, r., john, j. a., menon, n., alqahtani, m. s. m., & abumelha, m. a. (2021). factors affecting the quality of e-learning during the covid-19 pandemic from the perspective of higher education students. covid-19 and education: learning and teaching in a pandemicconstrained environment, 189(3), 169. erliza, s., & septianingsih, p.a. (2022). undergraduate students' perception of hybrid learning: voices from english language education students in pandemic era. journal of english language teaching and linguistics. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v7i1.782 ferri, f., grifoni, p., & guzzo, t. (2020). online learning and emergency remote teaching: opportunities and challenges in emergency situations. societies, 10(4), 86. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc10040086 guo, s., & chen, g. (2018). fostering the learning of english idioms by setting children within a virtual environment. 2018 seventh international conference of educational innovation through technology (eitt), 36-39. https://doi.org/10.1109/eitt.2018.00016 gravell, r. (2024). communication problems in elderly people: practical approaches to management. taylor & francis. halim, k., & aschauer, w. (2024). innovative focus: a program to foster creativity and innovation in the context of education for sustainability. sustainability, 16(6), 2257. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062257 halim, a., & sunarti, s. (2021). online instructional strategies for english language learning during covid-19 pandemic: a case from a creative te acher. joall (journal of applied linguistics and literature). https://doi.org/10.33369/joall.v6i1.12452 hayati, d.a. (2016). using local drama in writing and speaking: efl learners’ creative expresssion. journal on english language teaching, 1, 51-77. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v1i1.13 hazaymeh, w.a. (2021). efl students’ perceptions of online distance learning for enhancing english language learning during covid-19 pandemic. international journal of instruction. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14329a hussein, b. (2021). addressing collaboration challenges in project-based learning: the student’s perspective. education sciences, 11(8), 434. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11080434 inderawati, r. (2022). the utilization of technological tools for virtual drama performance in postpandemic era. in r. i. darmawan, g. p. d. saraswati, & i. istiani (eds.), proceedings of the 10th unnes virtual international conference on english language teaching, literature, and translation (eltlt 2021). european alliance for innovation. http://dx.doi.org/10.4108/eai.148-2021.2317640 inderawati, r., eryansyah, maharrani, d., suhendi, d., & siahaan. s. (2023). virtual drama performance: is it a need due to pandemic or technological era? english review. journal of english education, 11(2), 551-560. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.8414 inderawati, r., eryansyah, vianty, m., zuraida, hayati, r., muthmainnah, & putri, e. (2024). exploring collaborative scriptwriting and virtual drama performance: enhancing. english language education through technology integration. studies in english language and education, 11(2), 936-956. karwandi., inderawati, r., sitinjak, m. d., eryansyah., & siahaan, s. m. (2022). creative writing and innovative process of beowulf virtual drama undergraduate students. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 901-910. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6323 li, z. (2021). creativity and opportunity: how covid19 fosters digital dance education. digital creativity, 32, 188 207. https://doi.org/10.1080/14626268.2021.196740 6 man, c.f., sharif, s., may, a.l.j., talin, r., & singh, s.s.b. (2021). the effects of drama-based activities as a language learning tool on learners‟ motivation in non-malaymedium national schools in malaysia. indonesian journal of applied linguistics.10 (3), 603-614. mandasari, b., rido, a., & kuswoyo, h. (2022). using zoom meeting platform as a synchronous online learning tool in efl classroom at indonesia tertiary level: a literature review. proceeedings of the 19th international conference on cognition and exploratory learning in the digital age (celda 2022). https://doi.org/10.33965/celda2022_202207c03 7 marougkas, a., troussas, c., krouska, a., & sgouropoulou, c. (2024). how personalized and effective is immersive virtual reality in education? a systematic literature review for the last decade. multimedia tools and applications, 83(6), https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-023-15986-7 https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2024.2307623 https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2024.2307623 https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v7i1.782 https://doi.org/10.3390/soc10040086 https://doi.org/10.1109/eitt.2018.00016 https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062257 https://doi.org/10.33369/joall.v6i1.12452 https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v1i1.13 https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14329a https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11080434 http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6323 https://doi.org/10.1080/14626268.2021.1967406 https://doi.org/10.1080/14626268.2021.1967406 https://doi.org/10.33965/celda2022_202207c037 https://doi.org/10.33965/celda2022_202207c037 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-023-15986-7 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1249 marsh, s. (2018). scriptwriting: step-by-step 3 manuscripts in 1 book | essential moşteanu, n.r. (2021). teaching and learning techniques for the online environment. how to maintain students’ attention and achieve learning outcomes in a virtual environment using new technology. international journal of innovative research and scientific studies. https://doi.org/10.53894/ijirss.v4i4.298 mu'awanah, n., sumardi, s., & suparno, s. (2021). using zoom to support english learning during covid-19 pandemic: strengths and challenges. jurnal ilmiah sekolah dasar. https://doi.org/10.23887/jisd.v5i2.35006 nurhajati, d. (2021). a teaching strategies to enhance students’ creativity in english profession oyarzun, b., & martin, f. (2023). a systematic review of research on online learner collaboration from 2012-21: collaboration technologies, design, facilitation, and outcomes. online learning, 27(1), 71-106. pambudi, t.e., & samoal, j.r. (2022). innovation of ict-based english learning to improve the quality of education during the covid-19 pandemic. journal of quality assurance in islamic education (jqaie). https://doi.org/10.47945/jqaie.v2i1.612 patton, m. q. (2002). qualitative research & evaluation methods (3rd ed.). sage publications. risdianto, f., famularsih, s., rini, s., & muthohar, a.m. (2019). the use of drama to develop english speaking autonomous learning. proceedings of the proceedings of the 1st seminar and workshop on research design, for education, social science, arts, and humanities, seword fressh 2019, april 27 2019, surakarta, central java, indonesia. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.27-4-2019.2286844 rochmawati, d., & efendi, a. (2023). college students’ perception on the implementation of digital learning using flipped learning approach in efl classroom. salee: study of applied linguistics and english education. https://doi.org/10.35961/salee.v4i2.799 rojabi, a.r., & mustofa, a. (2021). exploiting drama for children in efl teaching to promote creativity, confidence, and motivation. journal of english education and teaching. https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.5.4.544-555 santosa, b.t., & hardiyanti, d. (2022). pedagogical challenges and design of virtual theatre performance: an exploratory case study. international journal of visual and performing arts. https://doi.org/10.31763/viperarts.v4i1.596 schenker, t. (2020). fostering foreign language skills through an extracurricular drama project. the language learning journal, 48(6), 785-798 seidman, i. (2006). interviewing as qualitative research: a guide for researchers in education and the social sciences (3rd ed.). teachers college press. senderoff, s, j, (2021). teaching english through play: then and now. journal of language septianasari, l. (2022). moodle, digital board dan video conference: inovasi media pembelajaran bahasa inggris selama emergency remote teaching di masa pandemi covid-19. jinop (jurnal inovasi pembelajaran). https://doi.org/10.22219/jinop.v8i1.18924 setyaningrum, r.w., gusdian, r.i., & lestiono, r. (2022). folktale 'wendit' as the material staging the local folktale of malang in effort to accomplish an international collaboration. journal of community service and empowerment. https://doi.org/10.22219/jcse.v3i2.20734 shaleha, a.j., junaid, r., & musliadi (2022). students’ perception towards the strategies used by the teacher in teaching english using virtual learning platforms. international journal of english language studies. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijels.2022.4.3.11 situmorang, k., nugroho, d.y., & pramusita, s.m. (2020). english teachers’ preparedness in technology enhanced language learning during covid-19 pandemic – students’ voice. https://doi.org/10.33394/jo-elt.v7i2.2973 sneed, j. (2021). the death of beowulf: exploring the conception, process, and lessons of an original solo performance based on a classic. electronic thesis/dissertation university of susanti, l.e., & lilasari, l.n. (2022). the urgency of go virtual as digital literacy in learning english during the covid-19 pandemic: the impact of the consumer mega shifting. curricula : journal of teaching and learning. https://doi.org/10.22216/curricula.v7i2.1109 somara, r.l., nurhidayat, e.f., & nurhidayah, y. (2021). students' lesson learned on virtual learning implementation: a case study in english education study program. english education and literature journal (e-jou). https://doi.org/10.53863/ejou.v1i02.142 suadi, s. (2021). students’ perceptions of the use of zoom and whatsapp in elt amidst covid19 pandemic. salee: study of applied linguistics and english education. https://doi.org/10.35961/salee.v2i01.212 supap, s., & viriyavejakul, c. (2019). adaptation of collaborative learning and synectics learning system for the development of a virtual classroom for educational college creative thinking at roi et rajabhat university. mediterranean journal of social sciences, 10, 101 90. https://doi.org/10.2478/mjss-2019-0055 https://doi.org/10.53894/ijirss.v4i4.298 https://doi.org/10.23887/jisd.v5i2.35006 https://doi.org/10.47945/jqaie.v2i1.612 https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.27-4-2019.2286844 https://doi.org/10.35961/salee.v4i2.799 https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.5.4.544-555 https://doi.org/10.31763/viperarts.v4i1.596 https://doi.org/10.22219/jinop.v8i1.18924 https://doi.org/10.22219/jcse.v3i2.20734 https://doi.org/10.32996/ijels.2022.4.3.11 https://doi.org/10.33394/jo-elt.v7i2.2973 https://doi.org/10.22216/curricula.v7i2.1109 https://doi.org/10.53863/ejou.v1i02.142 https://doi.org/10.35961/salee.v2i01.212 https://doi.org/10.2478/mjss-2019-0055 rita inderawati, karen ferreira meyers, novarita, awalludin, & samsul anam students’ virtual drama performance of english language teaching in the digital era: creativity and adaptation in learning. 1250 tam, p. (2020). response to covid-1 „now i send you the rays of the sun‟: a drama project to rebuild postcovid-19 resilience for teachers and children in hong kong, research in drama education: the journal of applied theatre and performance, 25 (4), 631-637. taman, p., nasution, s.s., hastomo, t., sukmawati, n.n., & kusumoriny, l.a. (2021). the young learners’ perception towards english instructional practices using virtual platforms. joall (journal of applied linguistics and literature). https://doi.org/10.33369/joall.v6i2.15369 tanasijević, m., & janković, n. (2021). the new virtual reality: teachers' and students' perceptions and experience in english language learning and teaching online. inovacije u nastavi. https://doi.org/10.5937/inovacije2104167t tanasijević, m., & janković, n. (2021). the new virtual reality: teachers' and students' perceptions and experience in english language learning and teaching online. inovacije u nastavi. https://doi.org/10.5937/inovacije2104167t tang, c., mao, s., naumann, se.,, & xing, z. (2022). improving student creativity through digital technology products: a literature review. thinking skills and creativity, elsevier, vol 44 trang, l.t. (2024). the effect of digital drama on efl students’ skills in the intercultural communication course at the university. european journal of foreign language teaching. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejfl.v8i2.5337 umralieva, l., tanirbergenov, m., yeralin, k.y., bolysbaev, d.s., makhabbat, d., & zhanar, s.k. (2021). evaluating creative drama studies in virtual museums with teacher opinions. world journal on educational technology: current issues. https://doi.org/10.18844/wjet.v13i4.6286 yin, r. k. (2018). case study research and applications: design and methods (6th ed.). sage publications. yuliana, y. (2021). the information communication technology implementation in english teaching during the covid-19 pandemic. tarling : journal of language education. https://doi.org/10.24090/tarling.v5i2.5143z zahro, i. (2021). students’ perceptive of english online learning during covid-19 pandemic. eternal (english, teaching, learning, and research journal). https://doi.org/10.24252/eternal.v71.2021.a5 zakopoulos, v., makri, a., ntanos, s., & tampakis, s. (2023). drama/theatre performance in education through the use of digital technologies for enhancing students’ sustainability awareness: a literature review. sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813387 zhang, x. (2021). using drama-based pedagogy to support college students‟ information literacy development: how do the students feel about it? research in drama education: the journal of applied theatre and performance. subject during the covid-19 pandemic. journal of development research. https://doi.org/10.28926/jdr.v5i2.155 öz, k., ahıskalı, e.e., & türkel, a. (2022). is an online creative drama lesson possible? preschool prospective teachers’ opinions on the effectiveness of online creative drama lessons. international journal of education and literacy studies. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.10n.3p.121 https://doi.org/10.33369/joall.v6i2.15369 https://doi.org/10.5937/inovacije2104167t https://doi.org/10.5937/inovacije2104167t https://doi.org/10.46827/ejfl.v8i2.5337 https://doi.org/10.18844/wjet.v13i4.6286 https://doi.org/10.24090/tarling.v5i2.5143z https://doi.org/10.24252/eternal.v71.2021.a5 https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813387 https://doi.org/10.28926/jdr.v5i2.155 https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.10n.3p.121 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 749 the influence of pragmatics failure in crosscultural communication on undergraduate efl students riki ruswandi1, anastacia fauzia fazriatu zahra2, giska hibbatin wafiroh3 1,2,3english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education universitas islam nusantara, indonesia corresponding author: anastaciafauziaa14@gmail.com apa citation: ruswandi, r., zahra, a. f. f., & wafiroh, g. h. (2025). the influence of pragmatics failure in cross-cultural communication on undergraduate efl students. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 749-760. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11440 received: 07-02-2025 accepted: 11-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 introduction understanding pragmatic failure in cross-cultural communication is crucial, especially for english as a foreign language (efl) learners. in the indonesian context, efl students often face challenges not only in mastering the language but also in understanding the sociocultural nuances embedded within it. cross-cultural communication is more than mere language exchange—it encompasses the interpretation of behaviors, values, and social norms that differ between cultures (valencia & michelson, 2023). language and culture are inherently interconnected. baggio (2025) emphasizes that language reflects our cultural thought patterns and influences how we perceive the world. pragmatic failure, which occurs when speakers fail to understand or convey intended meaning due to cultural differences, can hinder communication between individuals of different backgrounds (thomas, 1983). these failures may stem from pragmatic transfer, where learners apply sociopragmatic or pragmalinguistic norms from their first language inappropriately to the target language context (altakhaineh et al., 2024). in the efl classroom, students may produce utterances that are grammatically correct but pragmatically inappropriate, leading to abstract: this study investigates pragmatic failure in cross-cultural communication among undergraduate students majoring in english as a foreign language (efl) in indonesia. pragmatic failure— miscommunication arising from inappropriate language use or misinterpretation due to cultural differences— can hinder effective intercultural interaction. the study focuses on two main types: pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic failure, as well as the factors contributing to them. a quantitative survey design was used to collect data from 104 undergraduate students in the english education department at uin sunan gunung djati bandung. the instrument was a validated questionnaire consisting of three sections: pragmalinguistic awareness, sociopragmatic sensitivity, and student self-assessment on pragmatic challenges. data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. the results show that both types of pragmatic failure are commonly experienced by students. pragmalinguistic failure was linked to literal translations and inappropriate word choices, while sociopragmatic failure reflected misunderstandings of politeness norms, social distance, and indirect expressions in english. student responses also revealed limited confidence, lack of exposure to authentic english interactions, and insufficient pragmatic instruction in the curriculum. this study highlights the need to integrate intercultural pragmatics into efl instruction and teacher training. by raising awareness of pragmatic norms in english, students can become more competent communicators in global contexts. further research should explore the impact of instructional interventions and technological tools on improving students’ pragmatic competence. keywords: pragmatic failure; cross-cultural communication; efl students; pragmalinguistic; sociopragmatic; indonesia. riki ruswandi, anastacia fauzia fazriatu zahra, giska hibbatin wafiroh the influence of pragmatics failure in cross-cultural communication on undergraduate efl students 750 misunderstandings. for example, an indonesian student might directly ask a personal question (e.g., age or marital status), which is culturally acceptable in their local context but considered intrusive in english-speaking cultures (house & kádár, 2021). this reflects a lack of pragmatic competence—the ability to use language appropriately in different social situations (youn, 2020). while several international studies have addressed pragmatic failure in intercultural communication, few have explored how indonesian undergraduate efl students experience and manage these failures. most research has focused on advanced learners or bilingual settings, leaving a gap in the literature concerning novice efl learners in monolingual environments such as indonesia. this study aims to explore the types and causes of pragmatic failures in cross-cultural communication among undergraduate english majors in indonesia. by identifying specific patterns of pragma-linguistic and socio-pragmatic failure, the findings are expected to inform culturally responsive teaching practices and the development of materials that foster pragmatic awareness. method this study employed a quantitative descriptive design using a survey method to investigate pragmatic failures in cross-cultural communication among undergraduate efl students. a quantitative approach was chosen to systematically measure and analyze students' pragmatic competence and the types of pragmatic failure they experience, using structured instruments and statistical analysis (alford & teater, 2025). the participants were 104 undergraduate students enrolled in the english education department at uin sunan gunung djati bandung. they were selected using purposive sampling, with inclusion criteria such as: (1) currently enrolled in the english education program; (2) aged between 18–22 years; and (3) having completed at least one english pragmatics or intercultural communication course. this criterion ensures that the participants have a foundational understanding of relevant linguistic and cultural concepts, making them suitable subjects for pragmatic failure analysis. data were collected through a structured questionnaire consisting of three sections: (1) pragmalinguistic failure section (2) sociopragmatic failure section (3) selfassessment on causes and awareness of pragmatic failure. each item was scored using a 3-point likerttype scale: (1) a = appropriate (3 points) (2) u = uncertain (2 points) (3) i = inappropriate (1 point).. the third section used a slightly different scale: agree (3), neutral (2), disagree (1) the questionnaire was reviewed by two experts in applied linguistics and intercultural pragmatics to ensure content validity. a pilot test involving 15 students was conducted to evaluate clarity, reliability, and item functionality. based on the pilot results, necessary adjustments were made to improve item clarity and consistency. the internal consistency reliability of the instrument was measured using cronbach’s alpha, which yielded values of: (1) pragmalinguistic section: α = 0.81 (2) sociopragmatic section: α = 0.84 (3) selfassessment section: α = 0.79.these values indicate acceptable to good reliability (mohajan, 2017). the final questionnaire was distributed both online and offline during regular class sessions. participants were informed of the study’s purpose, and anonymity was ensured. after collection, the data were compiled and coded for analysis. the responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, with the assistance of microsoft excel. although the focus of this study is descriptive, the researchers also noted patterns and distributions of responses to explore emerging trends related to pragmatic failure. results and discussion the data obtained in this study is using quantitative research, namely by distributing questionnaires to students from uin sunan gunung djati university. table 1. number of students from each semester semester the total of college student 2 25 4 26 6 30 8 23 total 104 the quantitative data were obtained from 104 undergraduate efl students at uin sunan gunung djati bandung through a structured questionnaire focusing on pragmalinguistic failure, sociopragmatic failure, and student perceptions regarding causes of pragmatic failure. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 751 pragmalinguistic from the data that has been obtained from distributing questionnaires about pragmalinguistic to all students with english language education majors at uin sunan gunung djati bandung, it will then be analyzed. the analysis used is descriptive analysis so the results are calculated using microsoft excel along with a diagram to facilitate the following explanation: table 2. analysis descriptive of pragmalinguistic pragmalinguistic mean 24.62135922 standard error 0.404880869 median 24 mode 23 standard deviation 4.109092035 sample variance 16.88463735 kurtosis -0.592034688 skewness -0.016007966 range 19 minimum 14 maximum 33 sum 2536 count 103 the calculation results that the value of pragmalinguistic in the average value (mean) is 24.62, with a standard deviation value of 4.109, then the sample variance value is 16.88, the median value is 24, the mode value is 23, the range value is 19, the minimum value is 14, the maximum is 33, and the sum is 2536. then after the descriptive table analysis, the next step is to know the interval, frequency and percentage per interval and frequency. the analysis of pragmalinguistic in the form of frequency distribution data is as follows: figure 1. pragmalinguistic based on the diagram above, the descriptive analysis shows that the mean score for pragmalinguistic awareness was m = 24.62, with a standard deviation of 4.11. most students (45%) scored in the high range (30–34), indicating a relatively strong recognition of linguistic appropriateness in english. however, 32% scored in the moderate range, suggesting varying levels of understanding, especially in idiomatic and indirect expressions that differ from native speaker norms. sociopragmatic from the data that has been obtained from distributing questionnaires about sociopragmatic to all students with english language education majors at uin sunan gunung djati, it will then be analyzed. the analysis used is descriptive analysis so the results are calculated using microsoft excel along with a diagram to facilitate the explanation as follows: table 3. analysis descriptive of sociopragmatic sociopragmatic mean 25.42718447 standard error 0.395963341 median 26 mode 26 standard deviation 4.018589016 sample variance 16.14905768 kurtosis 1.089994765 skewness -0.551696629 range 21 minimum 11 maximum 32 sum 2619 count 103 the calculation results in that the value of sociopragmatic in the average value (mean) is 24.42, with a standard deviation value of 4.018, then the sample variance value is 16.14, the median value is 26, the mode value is 26, the range value is 21, the minimum value is 11, the maximum is 32, and the sum is 2619. then after the descriptive table analysis, the next step is to know the interval, frequency and percentage per interval and frequency. the analysis of pragmalinguistic in the form of frequency distribution data is as follows: figure 2. sociopragmatic riki ruswandi, anastacia fauzia fazriatu zahra, giska hibbatin wafiroh the influence of pragmatics failure in cross-cultural communication on undergraduate efl students 752 based on the table and diagram above, the mean score for sociopragmatic failure was m = 25.42, with a standard deviation of 4.01. a majority of students (55%) fell within the 24–29 range, suggesting that although students are aware of context-based appropriateness, many still struggle with understanding the sociocultural expectations in english-speaking contexts, such as formality, politeness, and status-based variation in speech. respond then after explaining the data from the type of pragmatic failure, namely pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic, the next data is about responding to the reasons why students can produce pragmatic failure in the process of understanding english cross culture in communication. from the data that has been obtained from distributing questionnaires about sociopragmatic to all students with english language education majors at uin sunan gunung djati, it will then be analyzed. the analysis used is descriptive analysis so the results are calculated using microsoft excel along with a diagram to facilitate explanation as follows: table 4. analysis descriptive of respond respond mean 16 standard error 0.297844276 median 16 mode 15 standard deviation 3.022789259 sample variance 9.137254902 kurtosis -0.70555747 skewness 0.021719175 range 12 minimum 9 maximum 21 sum 1648 count 103 the calculation results in that the value of sociopragmatic in the average value (mean) is 16, with a standard deviation value of 3.022, then the sample variance value is 9.137, the median value is 16, the mode value is 15, the range value is 12, the minimum value is 9, the maximum is 21, and the sum is 1648. then after the descriptive table analysis, the next step is to know the interval, frequency and percentage per interval and frequency. the analysis of pragmalinguistic in the form of frequency distribution data is as follows: figure 4. respond based on the table and diagram above, students’ responses to self-assessment items revealed three primary challenges: (1) limited exposure to native speakers and cultural models. (2) low confidence and motivation. (3) insufficient focus on pragmatic awareness in the curriculum. the average score for this section was m = 16, showing moderate awareness but highlighting a need for more integrated cultural instruction. hyphothesis testing furthermore, the data homogeneity test was conducted as a prerequisite for hypothesis testing. the aim is to find out whether the sample variance is homogeneous or not. levene test of one way anova using spss ver 26 for windows is the formula used in the homogeneity test. based on this homogeneity test, if the significance value (sig.) is higher than 0.05, then the data is considered homogeneous. table 5. anova result anovaa model sum of squares df mean square f sig. 1 regressi on 321.311 1 321.311 22.619 .000b residual 1477.34 0 104 14.205 total 1798.65 1 105 a. dependent variable: pragmatic failure b. predictors: (constant), cross culture communication the anova results showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the level of pragmatic failure between participants who came from a high background and interest in foreign languages compared to those with a less high background and interest in communicating in cross-cultural contexts, f(1,104)=22.619, p<.001. specifically, the average student showed significantly higher/lower levels of pragmatic failure, higher if the student was familiar with the culture and foreign language and lower if the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 753 student had less background with the culture and foreign language. in this section, the researcher will explain the results of the data analysis survey that has been carried out and its relation to the problems and objectives of this study. this study aims to survey english language students whether they cause pragmatic failure in understanding cross culture in communication in english which they learn while studying at uin sunan gunung djati university bandung. then this research was conducted by distributing questionnaires in each semester by taking several samples each semester. then the results of the questionnaire are pragmatic failures and student responses will be explained in the form of points as follows: pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic the first cause is cultural differences that cause pragmatic failure in understanding and communication. the results show that the majority of students experience pragmatic failure in understanding cross-cultural communication in the form of pragmatic failure, this type of failure arises from the misuse of linguistic forms due to lack of understanding of conventional usage in the target language. it is about not choosing the right language expression for a particular context, leading to unintended pragmatic forces. and sociopragmatic failure in this case refers to the inappropriate choice of language forms due to lack of understanding of the social and cultural rules, etiquette, and customs of the target language community. it is related to misjudging social context, inter-speaker relations, or cultural values as explained by thomas (1983). experts also generally agree that culture has a significant impact on language and culture. cultural differences are the root source of cultural transmission (gergely & csibra, 2020). the findings of this study demonstrate that english majors frequently make mistakes while communicating across cultural boundaries due to the typically great distance between cultures. several of the statements in test section one can be used as examples. “when you visit your english friend on a rainy day, you complain about the weather and say that you hate rainy day” in this statement most students answered i (inappropriate). in the scenario above, it might be argued that, according to indonesian habits it is considered disrespectful to talk and hurt other people's feelings, but according to english customs, the situation is considered normal as it is not customary for people to become too involved in their personal matters. the typical inquiry posed by indonesians is "how old are you?" "are you in a marriage?" "where are you heading?" even in a chat with a complete stranger, ask them where they currently live. these are somewhat common greeting or conversation starters in indonesia, meant to express concerns or build an enjoyable atmosphere, and the meaning of the responses is unimportant. english people, on the other hand, will be disturbed and upset by those questions since they are especially sensitive to issues pertaining to age, weight, wealth, politics, religion, and social standing. the conclusion then claims that although it is common for indonesians to ask about privacy, asking for privacy in indonesia is definitely quite different from asking for it in other cultures. culture as the social process of passing down behaviors that define, characterize, and guide people's way of life from one generation to the next, provide credence to this assertion (weisgrau, et al., 2023). furthermore, cultural differences may cause non-native speakers to evaluate social distance or relative power differently than native speakers (rühle & lev-ari, 2024). language is the fundamental means through which culture is articulated, and that language plays a crucial social function in promoting a sense of collective identity and collaboration by serving as a medium for the transmission of values, beliefs, and practice (eslit, 2025). other research results also show that students have different experiences and show that experience alone is not enough to develop listening skills and have pragmatic awareness in crosscultural communication. as described by kecskes, this explains that in intercultural communication, past experiences (from first language and respective cultures) and current situational experiences will mix and influence each other. this leads to communicative behaviors that are not entirely first language or foregns language, but a unique “blend” of both backgrounds. and another fact that intercultural communication is related to intercultural pragmatics (kecskes, 2020) even with cultural differences, the conclusion is that cultural differences have a significant impact on the emergence of pragmatic failures in cross-cultural communication (nabila & daulay, 2023).while international practicality compares different civilizations through the study of particular riki ruswandi, anastacia fauzia fazriatu zahra, giska hibbatin wafiroh the influence of pragmatics failure in cross-cultural communication on undergraduate efl students 754 language usage aspects like speech acts, patterns of behavior, and speech behavior, intercultural pragmatics focuses on interactions between people who speak different languages and come from different backgrounds (moafian, et al. 2022). language plays an important role when it comes to lowering barriers to international interaction since it is from one language to another. it functions as our primary channel for communicating thoughts, feelings, and concepts to others. getting along with and understanding people from other cultures who don't speak the same language might be difficult, but it's not impossible (house, 2022). it proves that the practical failure caused by cultural differences can really obstruct cross-cultural communication and give rise to misunderstandings (xabibullayevna, 2024). a student may make errors or misinterpret some cultural nuances of the language, which might result in pragmatic failure. language negative transfer the pragmatic and cross-cultural rules of students' mother tongue should affect their cultural values and mindset because "the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes one group from another" is another definition of culture (li, 2024). furthermore, transfer often refers to the learner's native language's effect in the context of acquiring or using a non-native language (nsengimana, et al., 2024). any two languages have some differences and some similarities. the results showed that the majority of students in understanding crosscultural communication caused pragmatic failure in the type of negative language transfer. negative language transfer occurs because the rules of pragmatics are often not taught as clearly as grammar in general. it is usually learned through exposure and experience as described by kecskes (2020), so learners tend to rely on their first language skills. then there is the lack of awareness, many learners do not realize that pragmatics exists or do not even realize that they can make pragmatic mistakes, even though their grammar is perfect and this leads to inappropriate language transfer. and thomas (1983) also explains that it is important to understand how pragmatic knowledge of the first language is, so that pragmatic knowledge of the second language and so on does not interfere with foreign language communication, leading to “pragmatic failure”. furthermore, there are advantages and disadvantages to switching from one's first language (l1) to a foreign language (fl). additionally explained from cheng (2023), says that whereas negative transfer—also referred to as interference—leads to errors or inappropriate forms in the target language, positive transfer improves accessibility to learning, supported by xinzhi (2024), positive and negative native language transfer are two categories for this unavoidable phenomena in the learning of a second language. while negative transfer can lead to pragmatic mistakes and impede the learning of foreign languages, positive transfer promotes the acquisition of second languages. for example, some statements in the questionnaire: “on the street, you told your english speaking friends grasp the time, or else we cannot catch the bus.” regarding this statement, the students most of them answered a (appropriate) but some answered u (uncertain). the explanation in this statement can be included in the language negative transfer because it shows misunderstanding, because in indonesia when someone is going to be late, they usually say what is said in the statement above, but the words "grasp the time" in english habits do not make sense because they are usually very strict with time and an appointment. you say to your english speaking friends, “excessive smoking will injure your body, so try to keep away from it.” in this statement most of the students answered a (appropriate). which if among indonesian people smoking is not a strange and unfamiliar thing, because many people smoke. in the indonesian sense "body" shows not only the state of the body, but the condition of the body and the effects on the people around those who smoke. whereas in the english sense it is only the physical body. in this statement it is better to use "health" rather than "body". in addition, with the language distinction between the target language and the mother tongue, usually the further the difference (vâlcea, 2020). the increasing frequency of negative language transfer occurs because, as stated by feng (2017), the degree of dissimilarity between the mother tongue and the target language affects the quantity of negative transfer (dangzeng, 2021). according to brocca and nuzzo (2023), crosscultural comparisons between source and target languages are essential to identify instances of pragmatic transfer and separate the impact of https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0sk3mpqaaaaj&hl=en&oi=sra english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 755 transfer from the developmental changes between languages that usually cause pragmatic failure. brocca and nuzzo (2023) explain, however, that pragmatic transfer can result in miscommunication and breakdowns in crosscultural communication when it forces a speaker to unintentionally adhere to the social norms of his or her native language or culture, which may conflict with or at least not conform to those of the target language or culture. according to ridgeway and markus (2022), culture is comprised of common ideas, values, customs, and behaviors that influence people's actions and perspectives toward pain. this explains why various cultures have extremely varied perspectives on health, as indicated by the second sentence. rogger, et al., (2023), have provided more evidence for the idea that healthcare practitioners must comprehend the cultural variations in pain perception in order to deliver effective and culturally responsive care. this brings us to the subject of interlingual negative transfer. because pragmatic failure can result from a variety of cultural comprehension gaps, including language negative transfer. this explains why, according to bardovi and harlig (2017), pragmatic transfer can result in miscommunication and breakdowns in crosscultural communication (bavandi & savadkouhi, 2023) when a speaker unintentionally conforms to the social norms of their home language or culture. these norms may conflict with, or at the very least not align with, those of the target language or culture (grammon, 2024) and as a result, the pragmatic failure came into existence. because both incorrect speech act strategies and semantically and syntactically equivalent utterances transferred from the native language to the target language that, because of various types of "interpretative bias," tend to convey a different pragmatic force in the target language are examples of language negative transfer (rass, 2024). then, intralingual negative transfer, as defined by bao (2020), is the transfer inside the language and refers to a scenario in which learners make inaccurate assumptions from previously taught rules of the target language. brocca and nuzzo (2023) have added that, from the perspective of teaching second languages, identifying possible negative pragmatic transfer effects in the production of a speech act can help foreign language teachers identify which aspects to specifically bring up with their students. transfer might be the reason for pragmatic failure, miscommunication, and breakdowns across cultural boundaries (altakhaineh, 2024). this leads to the conclusion that pragmatic failure from one culture to another can be caused by negative transfer here (qian, et al., 2024). the efficiency and rapport of communication can be negatively impacted by pragmatic transfer, which can lead to communication breakdowns. pragmatic competence hui, et al., (2024), state that a non-native speaker still confronts a number of difficulties with regard to pragmatic competence in english. to combat pragmatic failure and communication breakdowns, several components—like pragmatic competence, language competency, and understanding of the norms and practices of the target language—have gained a lot of support (shakki, et al., 2021). furthermore, according to thomas (1983), pragmatic competence is the ability to understand language in context and successfully use language in interpersonal communication despite linguistic and cultural disparities in order to accomplish certain goals. the result is that most students still cannot develop pragmatic competence in cross-cultural communication. because many foreign language learners still do not fully realize or master pragmatic competence, which often results in pragmatic failure in cross-cultural communication. this is an important issue highlighted by jenny thomas (1983) and later enriched by istvan kecskes (2020) in the context of cross-cultural pragmatics. thomas (1983) significantly changed the way we view language acquisition, emphasizing that the ability to use language accurately is not enough; the ability to apply it appropriately and effectively in specific social and cultural contexts i.e. pragmatic competence is what determines successful communication. so it is necessary to understand pragmatic competence so that success in intercultural communication does not lead to pragmatic failure as happens when students do not pay much attention to flexibility, adaptation, and the ability to “think outside the box” of their cultural rules. as kecskes (2020) explains, pragmatic competence in an intercultural context is the dynamic and flexible ability of an individual to effectively navigate and construct meaning in communication with people who have different cultural backgrounds, by combining cognitive and sociocultural experiences, and actively building on commonalities that arise during the communication process. it is not just about avoiding mistakes, but about creating understanding and successful relationships within the complexities of intercultural communication. riki ruswandi, anastacia fauzia fazriatu zahra, giska hibbatin wafiroh the influence of pragmatics failure in cross-cultural communication on undergraduate efl students 756 according to xabibullayevna (2024), claims that efl students who acquire pragmatic competence learn how to interact politely and responsibly in a variety of cultural settings. they will know how to use language in a culturally sensitive manner and know the conventions of polite communication. however, in the event that they are not competent, their interactions may result in misunderstandings and unanticipated outcomes. this study demonstrates the need for further development of pragmatic competence since some students provide fewer accurate answers (youn, 2020) and have difficulty responding to questions that are context-based. for example, the following statements are examples: “you meet a new friend peter at a party. when you say goodbye to him, he says, “we must get together soon.” you can reply, “thank you for your invitation! i expect it very much.” in this statement more than half of the students chose a (appropriate) and the rest chose i (inappropriate) and u (uncertain). only a few students got the context point of the statement above, which is that for people in english they do several habits when holding parties, one of which is the phrase "we must get together soon" which turns out to have the same meaning as "goodbye" or "see you again", which when compared to indonesian people have different habits. then the conclusion is that pragmatic competence in english as a foreign language (efl) classes is known to help efl learners to convey meaning in various contexts by interacting communication and interpreting messages better, not only through what is said but also what is not said. because most of the students are still in a situation that does not really understand how other cultures communicate (holliday, 2021) and interact with communicating with each other with their usual culture or habits. it may be concluded from an analysis of the uin sunan gunung djati students' responses that their grasp of crosscultural communication is sufficient to demonstrate their comprehension of the habits and ways of thinking of another culture. given their level of comprehension, it appears that their practical ignorance of cross-cultural communication will not significantly impede their ability to learn in the future. it's like they're beginning to adjust to their new learning style since there are so many variables, such as the requirement to combine knowledge context with the material in the teaching process and the fact that different learning situations provide different challenges. according to yan (2022), pragmatic competence has a significant influence on communicative competence and accounts for the variations between what second language learners learn in a classroom and in a real-world situation. in cross-cultural communication, pragmatic competence is another strategy to avoid pragmatic failure, according to bao (2020). as stated by amaliah (2021), pragmatic competence comprises knowing how to utilize language that is appropriate for achieving an aim in a variety of contexts. if you cannot grasp pragmatic competence, there will be misunderstandings. lack of pragmatic ability will impede successful communication and lead to pragmatic failure (perkins, & azios, 2024). respond then next is what are the causes of pragmatic failure caused by english students when understanding cross-cultural communication. the result of responses indicate that, generally, learners still struggle to fully grasp that the meaning perceived by the listener often diverges from the meaning intended by the speaker. this suggests that the core issue lies not in grammatical correctness or lexical knowledge, but rather in a deficient understanding of the underlying pragmatic intent of an utterance. this challenge is further exacerbated by differences in cultural backgrounds and a lack of motivation in foreign language acquisition.as articulated by thomas (1983), this difficulty arises because learners frequently fail to comprehend or correctly utilize the appropriate linguistic forms to realize a specific pragmatic force in the target language. this often stems from negative first language transfer, where learners assume that the expressive conventions of their native language will carry the same pragmatic weight in the target language. furthermore, this also involves a failure to adequately understand the social and cultural norms underpinning language use. the problem, therefore, is not with the linguistic structure itself, but with the appropriateness of communicative actions within a broader social context. consequently, the responses reveal that the extensive and complex nature of meaning, coupled with the difficulty in enhancing motivation due to diverse backgrounds, habits, mindsets, socialization patterns, and even educational experiences, contributes to this pragmatic failure. this directly relates to kecskes's (2020) explanation, where a misalignment of shared english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 757 knowledge and the insufficient salience of certain information lead to differing assumptions and a lack of adaptation. these factors ultimately result in pragmatic failure in cross-cultural communication, often compounded by disparities in educational backgrounds and general cultural experiences. the statement is obtained from the answers to the student questionnaire which answers about the response of students to the question "you often have difficulty in understanding english" most of them answered a (agree) which states that they feel difficulty in learning cross-cultural communication which can show pragmatic failure. in addition, some other respond are answered in the question "you often feel a lack of understanding of the cultural context in english" almost all students answered a (agree). proving that english students have limited space in the community to practice, especially in communicating with each other when understanding english which ultimately causes pragmatic failure in cross-cultural communication. next is the student response from the statement, “you feel a lack of motivation in learning english” almost all students also answered a (agree) which explains that apart from the lack of space and practice in english, students also feel a lack of motivation to learn english which also causes pragmatic failure in cross-culture communication. lack of motivation causes lack of enthusiasm in learning or desire to understand more english in terms of culture, habits, mindset, how they socialize or even in terms of education. the next statement is, “you have experienced situations where you felt you failed to use english pragmatically”. from the statement above, the students answered n (neutral) and a (agree) which is a very thin difference. the explanation is that students almost all have experiences where the situation they experienced at that time caused mistakes when using english and they felt they failed. in addition, the answers from the student's response section show that their level of understanding is quite good but they are not confident in showing it because there are still some students who feel that there are limitations to their opportunities in sufficient communicative practice space, then learning methods that only focus on grammar and vocabulary, inappropriate introduction into cultures of english-speaking nations, and also learning motivation which in the end when they try to communicate most of them cause pragmatic failure in the context of understanding cross-culture communication. conclusion this study has examined the types and causes of pragmatic failure in cross-cultural communication among undergraduate efl students in indonesia. the findings indicate that both pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic failures are prevalent due to students’ limited exposure to native-like communication, negative language transfer, and underdeveloped pragmatic competence. while many students demonstrated a moderate awareness of pragmatic appropriateness, they still encountered difficulties in interpreting indirect language, culturally specific expressions, and socially appropriate responses. these challenges often result from insufficient training in pragmatic use and limited integration of cultural content in language instruction. the results underscore the importance of embedding intercultural pragmatics into english language teaching, especially in efl contexts where learners have limited access to authentic interactions. teachers must be equipped to raise students’ awareness of both linguistic form and sociocultural context, enabling them to communicate effectively across cultural boundaries. educators should receive professional development in teaching pragmatic competence and cross-cultural communication strategies. english language curricula should include explicit instruction in speech acts, politeness norms, and cultural discourse patterns. further studies could employ inferential statistics to explore the relationship between demographic factors (e.g., age, exposure to english media, international experience) and pragmatic awareness. additionally, the role of technology and ai tools in simulating intercultural communication deserves further exploration. by addressing these gaps, efl learners can be better prepared for real-world communication in a globalized context and avoid the common pitfalls of pragmatic failure. references alabi, a. t., & jelili, m. o. (2023). clarifying likert scale misconceptions for improved application in urban studies. quality & quantity, 57(2), 13371350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-02201352-3 alford, s., & teater, b. (2025). quantitative research in handbook of research methods in social work (pp. 156-171). edward elgar publishing. riki ruswandi, anastacia fauzia fazriatu zahra, giska hibbatin wafiroh the influence of pragmatics failure in cross-cultural communication on undergraduate efl students 758 altakhaineh, a. r., hasheish, m. a., & hamaydeh, d. (2024). pragmatic failures in intercultural communication: evidence from jordan. psycholinguistics, 36 (2), 38-62. álvarez valencia, j. a., & michelson, k. (2023). a design perspective on intercultural communication in second/foreign language education. journal of international and intercultural communication, 16 (4), 399-418. alzahrani, a. (2023). interlanguage request modifications: british and saudi speakers (doctoral dissertation, anglia ruskin research online (arro)). amaliah, a. (2024). a review article of the pragmatics competence in efl learning context. al qalam: jurnal ilmiah keagamaan dan kemasyarakatan, 18 (1), 776. https://doi.org/10.35931/aq.v18i1.3163 baggio, g. (2025). gesture, meaning, and intentionality: from radical to pragmatist enactive theory of language. phenomenology and the cognitive sciences, 24 (1), 33-62. bao, x. (2020). pragmatic failure in cross-cultural communication. canadian academy of oriental and occidental culture, 16 (4), 18. https://doi.org/10.3968/11866 bavandi-savadkouhi, z., & mostafaei-alaei, m. (2023). pragmatic failure in cross-cultural communication: scrutinizing the causes and challenges involved in iranian efl context. journal of english language teaching and learning, 15 (32), 58-78. brocca, n., & nuzzo, e. (2024). exploring request strategies in austrian italian learners: pragmatic transfer insights. journal of pragmatics, 33-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2023.11.012 chen, y. (2023). analysis of pragmatic failure in crosscultural communication: a case study of business english majors. international journal of education and humanities, 7 (1), 54-57. cheng, j. (2023). acquisition of english liaison among chinese efl learners from the perspective of language transfer. heliyon, 9(10), e20418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20418 creswell, j. w. (2013). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th indian ed.). phi learning private limited. dangzeng, z. (2021). a study on the influence of positive transfer of mother tongue on tibetan college students’ foreign language learning. journal of contemporary educational research, 5 (4). ding, l. analysis of pragmatic failure and strategies in cross-cultural communication. eslit, e. (2025). echoes of tradition: analyzing the cultural and linguistic diversity of iligan city. fitria, i. m., & rahmawati, w. (2020). pragmatic failure of students' conversation in speaking class of xi grade in ma al-hikmah tanon. surakarta english and literature journal, 3(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.52429/selju.v3i1.363 gergely, g., & csibra, g. (2020). sylvia's recipe: the role of imitation and pedagogy in the transmission of cultural knowledge. in roots of human sociality (pp. 229-255). routledge. grammon, d. (2024). inappropriate identities: racialized language ideologies and sociolinguistic competence in a study abroad context. applied linguistics. guo, x., adnan, h. m., & abidin, m. z. z. (2024). detecting offensive language on malay social media: a zero-shot, cross-language transfer approach using dual-branch mbert. applied sciences, 14 (13), 5777. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14135777 gupta, m., & sukamto, k. e. (n.d.). cultural communicative styles: the case of india and indonesia. holliday, a. (2021). intercultural communication: an advanced resource book for students. routledge. house, j., & kádár, d. z. (2021). cross-cultural pragmatics. cambridge university press. house, j., & kádár, d. z. (2022). research report: cross-cultural pragmatics. acta universitatis sapientiae, philologica, 14(2), 151-156. https://doi.org/10.2478/ausp-2022-0021 hui, x., liu, z., & chi, y. (2024). a systematic review on technology-based instructions to develop english pragmatic competence for non-native speakers. international journal of evaluation and research in education (ijere), 13(5), 3587. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i5.28385 hutauruk, m., & puspita, d. (2020). a metapragmatic analysis: a study of pragmatic failure found in indonesian efl students. linguistics and literature journal, 1(2), 62-69. kecskes, i. (2020). interculturality and intercultural pragmatics. in the routledge handbook of language and intercultural communication, 138155. khalid, k., hilman, h., & kumar, d. (2012). get along with quantitative research process. international journal of research in management, 2(2), 16. li, j. (2024). postmodern education for children in contemporary art museums: a china-us context study (doctoral dissertation, northern arizona university). liang, x. (2024). the effects of language transfer on chinese english learners’ oral learning and teaching strategies. arts, culture and language, 1(7). https://doi.org/10.61173/e9wgze93 messikh, d. (2023). socio-pragmatic and pragmalinguistic failures in cross-cultural communication. mohajan, h. k. (2017). two criteria for good measurements in research: validity and reliability. annals of spiru haret university. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 759 economic series, 17(4), 59-82. https://doi.org/10.26458/1746 nabila, a., & daulay, s. h. (2023, july). cross-cultural pragmatics failure in esl classroom. in conference on english language teaching, 308317. nsengimana, i., niyibizi, e., & ngabonziza, j. d. d. a. (2024). the impact of language transfers on learners' writing skills in english learning among students in mahama refugee camp, rwanda. african journal of empirical research, 5 (3), 605-613. okolo, c. a., olorunsogo, t., & babawarun, o. (2024). cultural variability in pain perception: a review of cross-cultural studies. international journal of science and research archive, 11 (1), 25502556. https://doi.org/10.30574/ijsra.2024.11.1.0339 perkins, m. r., & azios, j. h. (2024). pragmatic impairment as an emergent phenomenon. in the handbook of clinical linguistics 2nd ed., 55-67. pitzl, m. l. (2022). from cross to inter to trans-cultural pragmatics on the move: the need for expanding methodologies in lingua franca research. in i. walkinshaw (ed.), pragmatics in english as a lingua franca, 55–80. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501512520-004 qian, t., sha, s., & wu, s. (2024). pragmatic transfer in second language acquisition in intercultural communication. journal of education, humanities and social sciences, 26, 117-123. https://doi.org/10.54097/0jqsns16 rahayu, e. l. (2023, september 22). integrating culture into english as a foreign language (efl) classes: to what extent does culture play important roles in efl learning? in proceedings of the 69th teflin international conference in conjunction with the 3rd english education international conference (eeic), 6. rass, r. a. (2024). arab students’ writing in english at the college level: challenges and remedies (vol 18). research on language transfer in second language acquisition. (2022). frontiers in educational research, 5 (20). https://doi.org/10.25236/fer.2022.052007 rogger, r., bello, c., romero, c. s., urman, r. d., luedi, m. m., & filipovic, m. g. (2023). cultural framing and the impact on acute pain and pain services. current pain and headache reports, 27(9), 429-436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-023-01125-2 rühle, m. c., & lev-ari, s. (2024). do native and nonnative speakers make different judicial decisions? bilingualism: language and cognition, 1-8. sapidri, p. a., chasanah, a., putri, a. a., & paulima, j. (2020). exploring brown and levinson’s politeness strategies: an explanation on the nature of the politeness phenomenon. reila: journal of research and innovation in language, 1(3), 111-117. https://doi.org/10.31849/reila.v1i3.3801 savadkouhi, z., & alaei, m. m. (2022). cross-cultural pragmatic failure in english language classrooms: development of a multidimensional model based on efl teachers’ and learners’ perceptions. pajooheshhaye nohin dar motaleate zaban englisi, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.30479/jmrels.2022.16141.196 2 sevarakhon, a. (2024). the impacts of communicative competence on second language acquisition and employing certain methods to improve speaking skills. university research base, 47-53. shakki, f., naeini, j., mazandarani, o., & derakhshan, a. (2021). instructed second language pragmatics for the speech act of apology in an iranian efl context: a meta-analysis. applied research on english language, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.22108/are.2021.128213.1709 shleykina, g. (2021). pragmatic failure revisited: jaworski’s (1994) study in a new light. eurasian journal of applied linguistics, 303-315. https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.911399 sulistiyo, u. (2017). language acquisition and language teaching methods in english as a foreign language (efl) context: a literature review study. jambi-english language teaching journal. thomas, j. (1983). cross-cultural pragmatic failure. applied linguistics, 4(2), 91-112. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/4.2.91 usmani, s., & almashham, a. (2024). cross-cultural pragmatics: analyzing speech acts in different cultures. international journal of language and literary studies, 6 (1), 186-198. https://doi.org/10.36892/ijlls.v6i1.1586 vâlcea, c. s. (2020). first language transfer in second language acquisition as a cause for error-making in translations. diacronia, (11), 1-10. weisgrau, m., rosman, a., & rubel, p. g. (2023). the tapestry of culture: an introduction to cultural anthropology. rowman & littlefield. yan, y. (2022). the effect of pragmatic competence on the communicative competence of second language learners. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220706.074 yanling, m. a. (2023). exploration of cross-cultural pragmatic failures in english interpretation and their solutions. sino-us english teaching, 20 (5), 165-170. youn, s. j. (2020). pragmatic variables in role-play design for the context validity of assessing interactional competence. papers in language testing and assessment, 9 (1), 95-127. zhang, l., & aubrey, s. (2024). the role of individual differences in second language pragmatics: a systematic review. international journal of riki ruswandi, anastacia fauzia fazriatu zahra, giska hibbatin wafiroh the influence of pragmatics failure in cross-cultural communication on undergraduate efl students 760 applied linguistics. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12573 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 591 assessing cultural content in english textbooks for high school grade 12 students: a case study fannysa dyah ardnyananisari department of language education, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya, indonesia email: fannysa.fany@gmail.com devinta puspita ratri department of language education, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya, indonesia email: devinta@ub.ac.id apa scitation: ardnyananisari, f. d., & ratri, d. p. (2024). assessing cultural content in english textbooks for high school grade 12 students: a case study. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 591-600. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9581 received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 21-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: the textbook is among the most important tools used in the teaching and learning processs. it serves as a fundamental basis for classroom instruction for both educators and learners. even if textbooks can't satisfy every requirement of teaching tool, their importance as a teaching resource cannot be emphasized, as they serve as a window into the beliefs and values of a people or a country. the purpose of this study is to quantify how education contributes to addressing the needs of culturally diverse learners of english. this study examines how the ministry of education and culture of the republic of indonesia presents cultural elements in the "bahasa inggris" textbook for twelfth-grade high school. the textbook is a part of the 2013 curriculum. the researchers analyzed this textbook based on a cultural perspective. this study employed cortazzi and jin's three-sources theory of cultural information to examine the cultural content of the textbook. byram's theory will be integrated with the codes provided in eight categories. categories in the presentation of cultural content in english textbooks is explained by cortazzi and jin's theory. cultural content has been divided into these eight categories and is then classified using byram's checklist. this checklist reveals cultural information and how the content meets language and culture learning and teaching needs. the results demonstrate that while source and target cultural content are presented in this efl textbook, there is no mention of international culture. the majority of the content in this textbook is about source cultures. keywords: cultural content; textbook; efl. introduction culture and language learning are closely related to one other (mcgrath, 2002; hermawan & lia, 2012; andela & syafi’, 2019). as stated by lestari et al. (2022) that language cannot convey culture without culture, and culture cannot be taught without language. therefore, culture is closely related to language competence (riadini & cahyono, 2021). in addition, using language without involving the language culture itself can give rise to misunderstandings and may result in violations of cultural standards (lee & li, 2020). in addition, bennet et al. in baleghizadeh & shayesteh (2020) stated that it is impossible to separate culture and language because learning a language without a cultural basis may lead to unwise students. in language classes, culture is one of the important aspects that must be involved (lestari et al., 2022). according to unesco in yuan & elt (2021) emphasizes that teaching, especially foreign languages in school education must reflect the concept of intercultural education. learning a language requires learning culture so that in practice in everyday life it can run in a balanced and optimal manner (toprakcı & özaydınlı, 2020). when interacting with a person from a different language and cultural background, it is possible for the person you are talking to misinterpret someone's behaviour or words differently. therefore, intercultural attitudes must emerge from the content of learning (haerazi & nunez, 2022). providing cultural knowledge in students' text books will be beneficial for language learners. it can enable individuals to interact with others from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds without worrying about acting or behaving inappropriately (lestari et al., 2022). this inseparability between language and culture is what attracts the attention of researchers to conduct further investigations on fannysa dyah ardnyananisari & devinta puspita ratri assessing cultural content in english textbooks for high school grade 12 students: a case study 592 how english is taught in various cultural contexts (xiong & peng, 2020). several studies have discussed the relationship between cultural and linguistic competence in textbooks (bonilla medina, 2008; castañeda usaquén, 2012; mcconachy & hata, 2013; gómez, 2015; sotomolina & méndez, 2020). in addition, the problem of linguistic and cultural integration in english textbooks has been the subject of scholarly discussion for ten years (faris, 2014; kim & paek, 2015; silvia, 2015; gunantar, 2017; muhsen al harbi, 2017; setyono & widodo, 2019; riadini & cahyono, 2021).cultural values in english textbooks are very important to pay attention to measure the role of education in meeting cultural teaching needs in english language learning (muslim as cited in roza et al., 2021). textbooks play an important educational role (li et al., 2023). according to riadini & cahyono (2021), creating teaching resources for textbooks is one way to try to raise the standard of education. textbooks continue to be the primary source of instructional guidelines for teachers and students in the classroom today (lestari et al., 2022). apart from that, books are also considered a bridge between teachers and students (arabacıoğlu & balkaya, 2023). according to a survey conducted by the british council (2008), textbooks are effectively used to convey language learning material, it was found that 65% of teachers use textbooks regularly (ariawan, 2020). in line with that, cunningworth in andela & syafi’ (2019) stated "textbooks are the best solution of all sources for teaching language and culture to students". textbooks have a big influence, especially on language and cultural learning for students (andela & syafi’, 2019). muhsen in riadini & cahyono (2021) stated that language textbooks as a guide can help provide a comprehensive picture of language and its culture. ndura in arshad et al. (2020) claimed that student attitudes toward others, society, and even themselves are greatly influenced by the content of the teaching materials. moreover, through textbooks, students can independently prepare themselves for learning and organize their own learning (rattanawong & thongrin, 2023). the integration of cultural background in english textbooks is beneficial for students. because it can increase students' awareness and attitudes towards the diversity of different cultures (nguyen, 2017). in addition, textbooks support pupils in maintaining their cultural identity while also advancing their language proficiency (davidson & liu in kuraedah et al., 2022) therefore, ideally, the insertion of cultural content in language textbooks should be included (mustapidaturrohmah et al., 2022). apart from that, the involvement of cultural content in the learning process can also build awareness and concern for culture in students' minds (bahrami, 2015; mandarani et al., 2021). therefore, in choosing efl textbooks, cultural content is very important to pay attention to because it can influence students' cultural awareness (bahrami, 2015). textbooks are collections of facts, ideas, and rules related to certain subjects (georgievna, 2020). one of the requirements for textbooks specifically in indonesia is the completeness of the content according to competency standards which is a development of "bhineka tunggal ika" (ayu, 2020). therefore, textbooks should reflect multiculturalism which includes various local, national, and international cultural values. in contrast, risager (2020) claims that there are no set standards for what should be covered in textbooks when it comes to cultural representation, and the material chosen is frequently erratic and disjointed. huang (2019) believes that a good textbook is a textbook that fairly balances local, target, and global cultural elements. it is intended to help students get more cultural information references and understand varied cultures. however, gunantar (2017) argued that language textbooks only emphasize certain cultures. english textbooks should, however, reflect the cultures of the other nations where english is learned and used, rather than just focusing on a select few (shin et al., 2011; putra et al., 2020; nushi & aghaei, 2024). for example, research conducted by baleghizadeh & shayesteh (2020) in iran shows that english textbooks are more dominated by cultural elements from english-speaking nations in contrast to non-speaking nations. apart from that, other research conducted by afriani et al. (2019) discovered from the findings of the interviews with instructors that the lack of balance in the cultural content offered in english textbooks caused them to be unsatisfied with it. according to permatasari’s (2022) research, there exist discrepancies in the way cultural content is presented in english secondary school textbooks in indonesia. in particular, there is an uneven distribution of content about foreign, source, and target cultures. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 593 taking into consideration the previous explanation, it can be concluded that textbook writers must consider a fair depiction of culture in the subject matter in order to produce a good textbook. this means that textbook material must incorporate culturally appropriate information from the source, target, and global cultures (cortazzi & jin, 1999; riadini & cahyono, 2021). therefore, an evaluation is required to determine if the textbook covers relevant content. a checklist with a cultural focus can be used as one method of evaluation (riadini & cahyono, 2021). every textbook in the curriculum needs to be analyzed and evaluated before being used in the classroom (tajeddin & pakzadian, 2020). demir & ertas in lestari et al. (2022) reveal the importance of evaluating textbooks, especially for teachers. sheldon in ayu (2020) states two reasons for the importance of evaluating textbooks: first, it helps teachers choose books that suit their needs, second, it can help teachers predict possible strengths and weaknesses in textbooks. apart from that, by evaluating textbooks, it can be seen whether the textbook fulfils the requirements and integrates into the process of learning and teaching (jusuf, 2018). textbook evaluation can help contribute to teacher development by providing a critical perspective to carefully analyze textbooks as teaching materials (lestari et al., 2022). textbooks have received widespread attention in evaluating textbooks and analyzing their contents from researchers (toledo-sandoval, 2020). in order to assess how well education is addressing the demands of cultural instruction in english language learning, this study looks into the various forms and aspects of culture that are included in english textbooks. according to cortazzi & jin (1999), as stated in table 1, language textbooks are required to include three distinct types of cultural information: source, target, and worldwide culture. meanwhile, for cultural elements, this research uses the byram (1993) checklist. given that byram’s checklist shows that the english textbook places a strong emphasis on indonesia culture, it is thought to be both comprehensive and sufficient (gunantar, 2017 in riadini & cahyono, 2021). byram’s (1993) checklist focuses on cultural evaluation in several areas as explained in table 2. according to widia et al. (2022) bryam's checklist is considered more comprehensive and practical by covering everything from moral to material. by combining cultural information from cortazzi & jin (1999) and byram’s (1993) checklist it is hoped that we can evaluate textbooks in detail to obtain sufficient information to support the development and improvement of the quality of education through textbooks. apart from that, the number of previous research evaluating language textbooks using a complete combination of these methods (local, target, and international culture) are still somewhat limited. thus, in order to close this gap, researchers will examine the cultural material that is offered in “bahasa inggris” textbooks on a local, target, and global level. method this research uses qualitative content analysis methods to reveal how culture is depicted in language textbooks. hsieh & shannon in riadini & cahyono (2021) argues that qualitative content analysis is a research tool for subjectively interpreting the content of textual data using structured classification. in this research, quantitative analysis was also used in the form of percentages to make it easier to read the data. the ministry of education and culture of the republic of indonesia examined the textbook as the primary source for this study, which was titled “bahasa inggris”. this book is included in the 2013 curriculum and is meant for indonesia students in grade 12. regional authors came up with, wrote, and edited this book. this textbook consists of 176 pages including 11 chapters. this textbook is also equipped with a teacher's textbook as a guide for teachers. instead of being examined, the teacher's handbook will be taken into account when examining the textbook. first, the analysis begins by determining the relevant theory or research findings as an initial code guide, namely byram’s (1993) theory, because the checklist created by byram clearly focuses on indonesian culture. next, byram's checklist will be combined with three cultural sources by cortazzi & jin (1999) to analyze culture as a whole. the content to be analyzed includes reading text, dialogue, quotations, and assignments. next, the researcher read and examined the contents of the textbook. after reading and observing the textbook, all elements of the book's contents are examined to determine whether they contain adequate cultural values using a predetermined analytical method check table. according to cortazzi & jin (1999), “target culture, source culture, and international culture” fannysa dyah ardnyananisari & devinta puspita ratri assessing cultural content in english textbooks for high school grade 12 students: a case study 594 are the three types of cultural sources. byram (1993) divided cultural content into eight categories: “national history and geography; identity and social groups; social interactions; beliefs and behaviour; social and political institutions; socialization and life cycles; and stereotypes and national identity”. see the table below for further information: table 1. cultural contents category no category 1 geographical identity, social class, and ethnic minorities. 2 social relationships such as differences in levels of formality 3 beliefs, religion, behavior, morality, and the way of life like daily routines. 4 political and social institutions. 5 socialization and life cycles such as in family, school and work. 6 historical events and national identity. 7 national geography is considered important. 8 national stereotypes and identities. source: byram (1993) table 2. identify three sources of culture no sources of culture 1 cultural content that has a target culture is information about the customs of a country where english is the official language. 2 cultural material with a source culture is one that utilizes students own cultural as content. 3 cultural material with a global target culture that draw on a range of cultures from english-speaking and non-english speaking nations worldwide. source: cortazzi & jin (1999) results and discussion the twelfth-grade english textbook for efl students entitled "english" comprises eleven chapters. this textbook presents material on listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills according to the material and skill focus of each chapter. then this book is also equipped with language components such as vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar in each chapter. each chapter in this textbook always begins with information on learning objectives, vocabulary building, pronunciation practice, and ends with reflection. next, each chapter contains textual content that includes dialogue and reading passages. table 3 presents data results equipped with frequency (f) and percentage (%) of three different cultural information types (source culture, international culture, and target culture) which were coded into eight categories by byram (1993). where the source cultural material contains the student's cultural content. meanwhile, target cultural material is content that contains the culture of a country whose first language is english, such as new zealand, australia, canada, england, and the united states. the last category is worldwide cultural material, which includes works that showcase a greater range of civilizations, where neither english nor any other language is spoken as a second language. table 3. the english textbook's depiction of cultural contents category code target culture source culture international culture total (f) total (%) f % f % f % code 1 1 20 1 9 code 2 1 17 1 9 code 3 code 4 code 5 2 40 4 66 6 55 code 6 code 7 1 20 1 17 2 18 code 8 1 20 1 9 total 5 45% 6 55% 0 0% 11 100% the analysis of eleven chapters revealed that this twelfth-grade english textbook did not cover all of the cultural content. according to data findings, cultural sources are the material most frequently presented, while international culture is least presented. similar to the information shown in table 3, six written pieces highlight the source culture while none do so for the international culture. on the other hand, not all cultural sources are always presented in every chapter in the textbook. for instance, chapter 1, solely written texts that reflect the culture of the source; neither the target culture nor the global culture are presented. another example is that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 595 chapters eight, nine, and ten do not contain any cultural sources, because these chapters discuss procedure text material that does not contain cultural sources. moreover, from all sources of cultural information in this textbook, not all cultural categories are covered. as in table 3, culture in code 5 (socialization and the life cycle) is the culture that is most frequently presented, while culture in codes 3, 4, and 6 is not presented in this book. so, the results of the research analysis of this book show that there is an imbalance in the way cultural knowledge is presented. the percentage of each sort of culture in this textbook indicates how the cultural content sources are distributed, as seen in table 3. there are very different percentage differences between one cultural source and another. in addition, the percentage of cultural content provided in each category of culture varies. sorted according to the highest percentage, namely, 55% is source cultural content, 45% is target cultural content, and 0% is international cultural content. the following is a description of the identification of each cultural information. source culture eleven chapters in this english textbook, the source cultural content is the first cultural content that dominates. of the six data, four of them describe code category five, namely "socialization and the life cycle". as in table 1, code category five discusses family, school, work, media, ceremonies, arts, food, relationships, and sports. in chapter seven there is text sourced from a newspaper. it says that “nearly forty asian and pacific nations attended the fifth regional 3r forum conference in asia and the pacific, which was opened by indonesia” (widiati et al., 2018: 99-100). the following text shows information about the ceremony with the words forum and conference. then, the sentence "the mayor mentioned that the city also has an eco-school program for kids" describes the relationship between the work program of a job and a school. furthermore, categories two and seven are the second most frequently presented in source cultural content. the second category is about "social interaction". viewed from the level of formality based on the four dialogues presented as examples in chapter one. dialogue one is a conversation between a patient and a doctor, and dialogue two, is a conversation between a stranger and a worker at a bus agency. meanwhile, dialogues three and four are informal conversations with a friend. after that, category seven is about "national geography" which is presented in chapter five, there is the text " on thursday, work on the new 21-kilometer antasari-depok-bogor toll road in the jakarta metropolitan area began” (widiati et al., 2018: 65). however, unfortunately, the cultural source content does not yet contain information in categories one, three, four, six, and eight. it should be important for students to get cultural material from these five categories. they need to know how cultural resource content is applied in these five categories to help instill and shape national identity in students. target culture the target culture is the one that is discussed in this textbook the second most frequently. the target culture presents content from cultural information categories one, five, seven, and eight. category one is about "social identity and social groups". the text that describes category one is in the sentence "the 75-year-old londoner is one of england's best-known dramatists for his plays” (widiati et al., 2018: 77). this text is found in chapter five of the text about communicating. this text discusses the social identity of a 75-year-old londoner. meanwhile, category five is in chapter two in reading comprehension, the text discusses a lot about culture, art, galleries, gardens, attractions, and music in seattle. in the case of seattle, the united states, where english is the primary language spoken by its citizens. next, category seven, namely "national geography", is found in chapter five in the reading section. in reading text 1, it explains the humber bridge which is the identity of england. where this text also shows the information on category eight, namely "stereotypes and national identity". the results obtained from the target culture where there is no cultural content was found in categories two, three, four, and six. international culture unfortunately, the results obtained from this research is that this textbook does not present any international cultural content. supposedly, students receive lessons in the form of international cultural content to add cultural learning references for students. based on the research results above, not all cultural information sources are included in this fannysa dyah ardnyananisari & devinta puspita ratri assessing cultural content in english textbooks for high school grade 12 students: a case study 596 textbook. thus, this book does not satisfy the cultural needs that should be incorporated into language textbooks due to an imbalance in cultural resources. below is a depiction of the cultural content in english textbooks (see table 4). table 4. the sample text of the depicted cultural content chapter topic text section page cultural information type code 1 “may i help you?” “tania works at a bus agent located at arjosari terminal. a stranger is walking approaching her bringing a suitcase”. dialog: offering help 4-6 source culture sc 2 4 “do you know how to apply for a job?” “as you can see from my enclosed resume, my experience and qualifications match this position’s requirements”. “i am writing to apply for the programmer position advertised in the times union”. reading: letter apply for a job 50-57 sc 5 (2) 6 “online school registration” “hundreds of parents thronged the jakarta education agency’s office in kuningan, south jakarta, to report problems with the online school registration system on friday”. reading: news item 84 sc 5 7 “it’s garbage in, art works out” “surabaya, indonesia—indonesia has opened a regional recycling conference aimed at increasing awareness of waste management for economic and environmental benefits. the mayor said the city also runs a program for children called eco school”. reading: news item 99 sc 5 5 “who was involved?” “the constructions of the jakarta metropolitan area’s new 21kilometer-long antasari-depokbogor toll road kicked off on thursday as the government boosted efforts to support the capital city’s expansion”. reading: news item 65 sc 7 5 “who was involved?“ “since 1981, the humber bridge in england has been the world’s longest-span (1,410 meters) bridge”. reading: news item 64 target culture tc 7 tc 8 “the 75-year-old londoner, son of a jewish dressmaker, is one of britain’s best-known dramatists for plays like the birthday party and the caretaker, whose mundane dialog with sinister undercurrents gave rise to the adjective “pinteresque””. reading: news item 77 tc 1 2 “why don’t you visit seattle?” “if you visit seattle, arrive with this list in hand and you’ll be off to a foolproof start for exploring the emerald city’s most unforgettable sight and sounds”. reading: recount text 17-20 tc 5 11 “let’s make a better world for all” song “heal the world” listening 151 tc 5 source: widiati et al. (2018) this study examines the ways in which english textbooks used to teaches efl students reflect cultural content. from table 3 above, it can be seen that from the three cultural sources of information described, only two are presented. according to this study, this english textbook english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 597 gives the most amount of presentation to the original culture. this is consistent with earlier studies by silvia (2015), mustapidaturrohmah et al. (2022), afriani et al. (2019), and ayu (2020)which concluded that the culture that is most frequently taught in english textbooks is the source culture. in contrast, international cultural content has the smallest presentation. this research is in line with research conducted by (mustofa & martina, 2019), who also stated that international cultural content presents the smallest number of presentations. this textbook does not meet the requirements for a good textbook because it does not represent cultural content material in a balanced way. regarding cultural material, according to alptekin (2002), source cultural, local culture, and foreign culture that are relatable to students’ daily life should all be included in efl textbook material. therefore, this book is not the best way to meet the 2013 curriculum’s educational goals. furthermore, this textbook cannot greatly help increase students' cultural awareness because it does not provide complete cultural material. by having broad and diverse cultural insight, students can compare and relate foreign cultures to their own, and they can learn to tolerate different cultures. in this case, more emphasis should be placed on multicultural values in textbook content to help students better comprehend various cultural values. conclusion the results show that not all cultural information sources are covered in the “bahasa inggris” textbook, which is a part of the ministry of education and culture’s 2013 curriculum. only the source and target cultures are represented in this book’s content; global culture is not. cultural content in this book is often presented in the dialogue, reading, and writing examples sections. from the three sources of cultural information that have been analyzed, it shows that the cultural content of the source is the content that is most often presented, with the total presentation of 55%. then, the target cultural content is presented with a total of 45% presentation. however, unfortunately, these findings show that international cultural content is not represented through the written text in this textbook. this leads to an imbalance in the work’s cultural content. but the objective of this english textbook remains the same as that of the language textbook that is to raise students’ cultural awareness while respecting their native tongue. lastly, the researchers suggests that future researchers who wish to carry out similar investigations can explore other elements or add information to the data on teachers' opinions regarding english textbooks for efl through interviews. furthermore, future researchers can carry out a similar analysis on different english textbooks to review the description of cultural content based on other indicators in the textbook. references afriani, z. l., mirizon, s., & sitinjak, m. d. (2019). cultural content analysis of english textbooks used by tenth graders in bengkulu utara. lungua, 20(1). alptekin, c. (2002). towards intercultural communicative competence in elt. elt. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/56.1.57 andela, n., & syafi’, m. (2019). an analysis of cultural contents in english textbook used by the eighth grade students of junior high school 03 bangkinang, 5(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.24014/ijielt.v5i2.12620 arabacıoğlu, b., & balkaya, ş. (2023). comparative analysis of cultural elements in textbooks “schritte” and “yeni hitit.” african educational research journal, 11(3), 386–402. https://doi.org/10.30918/aerj.113.23.075 ariawan, s. (2020). cultural aspects representation in english textbook and its implication on english language learning. journal of advanced english studies, 3(1), 7–15. arshad, a., shah, s. k., & ahmad, m. (2020). investigating cultural contents in english language teaching materials through textbook evaluation. journal of language and cultural education, 8(2), 127–145. https://doi.org/10.2478/jolace-2020-0017 ayu, m. (2020). evaluation cultural content on english textbook used by efl students in indonesia. jet (journal of english teaching), 6(3), 183–192. https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v6i3.1925 bahrami, n. (2015). evaluating the representation of cultural elements in an inuse efl textbook. advances in language and literary studies, 6(3), 128–236. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.6n.3p.128 baleghizadeh, s., & shayesteh, l. a. (2020). a content analysis of the cultural representations of three esl grammar textbooks. cogent education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/56.1.57 http://dx.doi.org/10.24014/ijielt.v5i2.12620 https://doi.org/10.30918/aerj.113.23.075 https://doi.org/10.2478/jolace-2020-0017 https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v6i3.1925 https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.6n.3p.128 fannysa dyah ardnyananisari & devinta puspita ratri assessing cultural content in english textbooks for high school grade 12 students: a case study 598 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.184 4849 byram, m. (1993). germany: its representation in textbooks for teaching german in great britain . verlag moritz diesterweg. cortazzi, m., & jin, l. (1999). culture in second language teaching and learning . cambridge university press. georgievna, y. l. (2020). creation of modern literature in higher education. mental journal. gunantar, d. a. (2017). language circle: journal of language and literature xi/2 (textbooks analysis: analyzing english as a foreign language (efl) textbooks from the perspective of indonesian culture. language circle: journal of language and literature, 11(2), 173–182. http://journal.unnes.ac.id haerazi, h., & nunez, j. l. (2022). promoting intercultural competences and communication skills through english textbooks within multilingual education. journal of language and literature studies, 1(2), 75–82. https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v1i2.610 huang, p. (2019). textbook interaction: a study of the language and cultural contextualisation of english learning textbooks. learning, culture and social interaction, 21, 87–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2019.02.006 jusuf, h. (2018). the models of checklist method in evaluating elt textbooks. al-lisan: jurnal bahasa (e-journal), 3(2), 17–35. http://journal.iaingorontalo.ac.id/index.php/ al kuraedah, s., gunawan, f., alam, s., & faruq ubaidillah, m. (2022). cultural representation in english and arabic textbooks endorsed by indonesian government: what do textbooks tell us about? journal of social studies education research, 2022(13), 4402. j. f. k., & li, x. (2020). cultural representation in english language textbooks: a comparison of textbooks used in mainland china and hong kong. pedagogy, culture and society, 28(4), 605–623. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2019.168 1495 lestari, d. d., surono, & ika, s. (2022). cultural contents of senior high school english textbook entitled “bahasa inggris.” teaching english as a foreign language journal, 1(2), 103–113. https://doi.org/10.12928/tefl.v1i2.255 li, z., zeng, j., & nam, b. h. (2023). a comparative analysis of multimodal native cultural content in english-language textbooks in china and mongolia. sage open, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231178195 mandarani, v., purwati, o., & santoso, d. r. (2021). a cda perspective of cultural contents in the english junior high school textbooks. ijeltal (indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics), 5(2), 237. https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v5i2.671 mustapidaturrohmah, n., degeng, p. d. d., & perdhani, w. c. (2022). cultural content analysis of the efl textbook for primary education in indonesia. nobel: journal of literature and language teaching, 13(1), 67– 82. https://doi.org/10.15642/nobel.2022.13.1.6782 mustofa, m. i., & martina, f. (2019). the analysis of cultural content in two efl textbooks used at sma it iqra’ and smkn 1 bengkulu city. in journal of english education and teaching (vol. 3, issue 4). https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.3.4.481-493 nguyen, t. t. t. (2017). integrating culture into language teaching and learning: learner outcomes. ithe reading matrix: an international online journal, 17(1). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1139372 nushi, m., & aghaei, a. (2024). intercultural representation in elt textbooks: the case of touchstone series 1. in mextesol journal (vol. 48, issue 1). https://doi.org/doi:10.61871/mj.v48n1-9 permatasari, d. (2022). multimodal analysis on the cultural content of indonesian high school english e-textbooks. jurnal stkip pgri banjarmasin. https://doi.org/10.33654/enlit.v%vi%i.1921 rattanawong, a., & thongrin, s. (2023). an exploration of culture in listening and speaking materials from an english as an international language perspective. journal: language education and acquisition research network, 16(1). riadini, u. s., & cahyono, b. y. (2021). the analysis of the culture-related contents in an indonesian english textbook. ijeltal (indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics), 5(2), 285. https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v5i2.711 risager, k. (2020). language textbooks: windows to the world. language, culture and curriculum, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2020.1797767 roza, a. s., harya, t. d., & algiovan, n. (2021). the inside of english textbooks in a city of education: a cultural content analysis. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.1844849 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.1844849 http://journal.unnes.ac.id/ https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v1i2.610 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2019.02.006 http://journal.iaingorontalo.ac.id/index.php/al http://journal.iaingorontalo.ac.id/index.php/al https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2019.1681495 https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2019.1681495 https://doi.org/10.12928/tefl.v1i2.255 https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231178195 https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v5i2.671 https://doi.org/10.15642/nobel.2022.13.1.67-82 https://doi.org/10.15642/nobel.2022.13.1.67-82 https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.3.4.481-493 https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1139372 https://doi.org/doi:10.61871/mj.v48n1-9 https://doi.org/10.33654/enlit.v%25vi%25i.1921 https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v5i2.711 https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2020.1797767 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 599 international journal of multicultural and multireligious understanding, 8(3), 176. https://doi.org/10.18415/ijmmu.v8i3.2412 soto-molina, j. e., & méndez, p. (2020). linguistic colonialism in the english language textbooks of multinational publishing houses. how, 27(1), 11–28. https://doi.org/10.19183/how.27.1.521 tajeddin, z., & pakzadian, m. (2020). representation of inner, outer and expanding circle varieties and cultures in global elt textbooks. asianpacific journal of second and foreign language education, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-020-00089-9 toledo-sandoval, f. (2020). local culture and locally produced elt textbooks: how do teachers bridge the gap? system, 95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102362 toprakcı, n., & özaydınlı, b. (2020). textbooks in english language teaching in view of globalisation, localisation and glocalisation. in international online journal of education and teaching (iojet) (vol. 8, issue 2). widia, y. s., sudarso, m. s., & nugraha, s. i. (2022). analyzing english as a foreign language (efl) textbooks from the perspective of indonesian culture. jurnal pendidikan bahasa, 9(1). widiati, u., rohmah, z., & furaidah. (2018). bahasa inggris kelas xii-bs-puskurbuk. xiong, t., & peng, y. (2020). representing culture in chinese as a second language textbooks: a critical social semiotic approach. language, culture and curriculum, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2020.1797079 yuan, y., & elt, m. a. (2021). an evaluation of culture in the contemporary college english textbook used in china: an intercultural perspective. 21(7). https://doi.org/10.18415/ijmmu.v8i3.2412 https://doi.org/10.19183/how.27.1.521 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-020-00089-9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102362 https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2020.1797079 fannysa dyah ardnyananisari & devinta puspita ratri assessing cultural content in english textbooks for high school grade 12 students: a case study 600 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 699 the infusion of critical thinking skills indicators and microlearning principles in the english reading materials for vocational school students: a content analysis sri sumarni magister of english language education, faculty of language and arts, universitas negeri jakarta, jakarta, indonesia email: sri.sumarni@unj.ac.id farah salsabila magister of english language education, faculty of language and arts, universitas negeri jakarta, jakarta, indonesia email: farah.salsabila17@gmail.com apa citation: sumarni, s., & salsabila, f. (2023). the infusion of critical thinking skills indicators and microlearning principles in the english reading materials for vocational school students: a content analysis. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 699-708. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8819 received: 18-06-2023 accepted:11-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: this study aims to reveal the critical thinking skills indicators and microlearning features integrated in the english reading materials for vocational school students in indonesia. a content analysis was employed to examine reading materials available in the english coursebook work in progress for sma/smk/ma grade x published by the ministry of education, culture, research, and technology of the republic of indonesia 2022. the critical thinking skills analysis was meant to capture to what extend do the reading materials coverage signify to the lifelong learning, while the microlearning features investigation was meant to portray how the reading materials are presented to support self-directed learning. 8 critical thinking skills indicators proposed by anderson and krathwohl. (2001) were hired as the parameters in determining the integration of the critical thinking skills. microlearning framework proposed by allela (2021) were used to determine the reading lesson sequences, with which instructional methods associating each sequence. the results revealed that the reading materials for grade x are presented in 8 printed texts covered descriptive, recount, procedures, expository and narrative. these texts have potentially carried critical thinking skills indicators. the contexts are all pictures and instructions that have potentially presented 3 critical thinking skill indicators. the activities cover 15 comprehension activities and 4 beyond the comprehension activities; 7 critical thinking indicators are potentially embedded in this part. the reading materials presentation, one set are clearly sequenced in the framework of microlearning covers pre-text, text, and post-text. while the other 7 sets sequenced text and post-text. the analysis indicated most of the critical thinking indicators integrated in the reading materials are under analysis and evaluation. keywords: critical thinking skills; english reading materials; vocational school; microlearning characteristics. introduction critical thinking is the skill to think critically in analysing, categorizing, selecting, judging, and evaluating information to make effective decision. the indonesian education curriculum highlights the great importance of developing such skills among learners (gunawan et al., 2022). concerns on the need of enhancing critical thinking skills via english language education in indonesia have been addressed by many researchers (sulistiyo et al., 2021; erdiana & panjaitan, 2023; abkary & purnawarman, 2020; agustina et al., 2022). microlearning has widely transformed human’s way of live recently especially during the existence of generation z (gen-z). initially, micro-learning was proposed to overcome cognitive overload and stress due to the overwhelming volume of course materials that decrease motivation and confidence to engage in learning in traditional learning (kossen & ooi, 2021). current studies, report that developing a micro-course is challenging due to the need to deconstruct major and complex topics into comprehensive small chunks. the concept of mailto:sri.sumarni@unj.ac.id sri sumarni & farah salsabila the infusion of critical thinking skills indicators and microlearning principles in the english reading materials for vocational school students: a content analysis 700 microlearning is based on psychological studies that suggest arranging knowledge into smaller, meaningful groupings for improved retention, also known as "chunking," which improves learning (fountain & doyle, 2012). kirschner (2002) further reported that organizing learning concisely and compactly will help learners in memory encodings since generally learners have short-term memory limits. furthermore, díaz redondo et al. (2021) revealed that microlearning has been adapted due to the shrinking of human capacity to focus on single item, distraction, and inattention especially in learning. micro-learning as an educational technique has been shown to improve health professions students' knowledge and confidence in completing procedures, retaining knowledge, researching, and participating in collaborative learning (de gagne et al., 2019). microlearning are frequently used in the company to train workers and the result showed that employees are more confident to make the task done after the training (hesse et al., 2019). microlearning was used to learn mathematics and it improved communication skills and developed autonomously (mateus-nieves; moreno, 2021). in addition, 78% of employees of dairy personnel training felt more confident to handle and complete tasks after training (hesse et al., 2019). using micro learning through web 2.0 tools achieved effectiveness (according to black equation) in developing students’ skills of multimedia designing and production (abu sarah, 2021). furthermore, the application of microlearning is also shown in the field of language studies. hosseini et al. (2020) stated that there were positive impacts of using flipped learning for iranian efl learners to enhance self-regulation and learning autonomy by the increased awareness of the learning process itself, active participation in the learning process in the classroom, enjoyment of learning, and increased involvement in the learning process. ayu et al. (2022) described the processes of designing and formulating learning object materials of english materials for senior high school through content analysis,. lastly, fedorova et al. (2022) describe the idea of micro-learning as a modern educational technique and point out its primary tools for helping students improve their english language skills. the potential of microlearning can benefit today’s young generation or commonly called generation z (gen-z) or i generation that they are fast decision-makers and highly connected or simply said difficult to perform without internet and smartphones (demir & sonmez, 2021). based on google’s survey, in 2023, 40% of gen-z rely on tiktok, youtube, and other social media to find information that it is relatively short and demandable. furthermore, most of vocational school students are gen-z. therefore, vocational school teachers challenge the situation where the students are active internet users that find traditional learning is less attractive and stressful. teachers must adjust the teaching strategies that is suitable for them, microlearning is undoubtedly one of the way. method the main data for this study are the reading materials presented in the bahasa inggris: work in progress untuk sma/smk/ma kelas x published by the ministry of education, culture, research, and technology of the republic of indonesia 2022. the reading materials cover the texts, contexts and activities accompanying the texts and contexts. since the purpose of the study is to reveal the critical thinking skills indicators embedded in the reading materials and to reveal the microlearning characteristics in the reading materials presentations, so in-depth study guided by content analysis are employed in the data collecting procedures and the data analysis. the data collection was done by examining thoroughly the texts available to find out the topics and the genre types, to identify the forms of the texts (printed, digital or multimodal), to identify the contexts related to each text (pictures, videos and or other medias) and to examine the activities accompanying each text (focus on the comprehension or beyond the comprehension). the data analysis procedure was presenting the classification of the texts into the genre types, text forms and topics to reveal the potential where critical thinking skills indicators carried by those three dimensions of the texts. next was the presentation of contexts classification into the digital illustration (videos, infographics) non digital illustration (pictures, photos), and instruction to reveal that critical thinking skills indicators are embedded. then, the presentation of the activities add-on the texts that was classified into the comprehension activities (questions and instructions related to understanding the content of the text) and the beyond comprehension activities (questions and instructions for related tasks such as to write an interview protocol, to write a reflection, to state english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 701 an argument etc.). finally, the presentation of the identification of the reading materials sequences or stages as called in the pre-text, text and post text to be related with the microlearning framework proposed by alella (2021) to identify the presence of microlearning characteristics in the reading materials. results and discussion the content analysis of "buku bahasa inggris: work in progress" has revealed the presence of six chapters within the book. initially, the researcher conducted a comprehensive analysis of the reading text, context, and learning activities associated with the text. the examination of the reading text within each of the six chapters revealed the presence of diverse text genres. specifically, a total of eight reading texts were identified across these chapters. additionally, it was observed that each chapter incorporated eight distinct contexts, which added depth and richness to the reading experience. furthermore, the chapters featured a total of 18 learning activities, all intricately linked to the reading texts. in the subsequent paragraphs, we will delve into a more detailed discussion of these components, exploring how the various text genres, contexts, and learning activities contribute to the overall learning experience presented in "buku bahasa inggris: work in progress." for a detailed breakdown of these findings, please refer to following tables, which provides a comprehensive presentation of the analysis results. text dimension and the presence of critical thinking skills indicator table 1. text dimension and the presence of critical thinking skills indicators genre text form topic the potential of critical thinking skills indicators presence printed digital multimodal descriptive text  great athletes personal recount text  sport events procedure text  sports and health  procedure text  healthy food  expository text  graffiti  narrative text  fractured stories  in the coursebook, a total of eight texts have been identified, encompassing five distinct text genres, namely descriptive text, personal recount text, procedure text, expository text, and narrative text. each chapter within the coursebook revolves around a distinct topic or thematic focus. in chapter 1, the central theme is descriptive text, which delves into the realm of remarkable athletes, with a particular emphasis on the iconic figure of cristiano ronaldo. chapter 2 maintains a thematic connection with the preceding chapter, as it continues to explore sports-related subjects. here, the chosen text genre is personal recount, allowing students to engage with firsthand accounts of sporting events and experiences. chapter 3 shifts its focus to the vital intersection of sports and health, a theme explored through the medium of procedure text. this chapter serves as a comprehensive guide to various health-related sports practices. chapter 4 features procedure text once more, this time addressing a distinct topic: healthy foods. the repeated use of procedure text in this chapter underscores its versatility in conveying practical knowledge. chapter 5 introduces the theme of expository text, probing the contentious issue of graffiti and its classification as either vandalism or art. this chapter encourages critical thinking and analysis. lastly, chapter 6 ventures into the realm of narrative text, featuring a fractured story. here, students engage in the art of storytelling, fostering their narrative comprehension and creative skills. presentation of context classification table 2. presentation of context classification text context the potential of critical thinking skills indicators presence digital non-digital instruction video infographic picture photo sri sumarni & farah salsabila the infusion of critical thinking skills indicators and microlearning principles in the english reading materials for vocational school students: a content analysis 702 text 1. christiano ronaldo    text 2. experience of watching a football match text 3. tips for taking care of your mental health    text 4. 7 healthy habits for weight loss    text 5. simple tips for healthy eating text 6. why should graffiti be considered art?  text 7. graffiti is always vandalism  text 8. little red riding hood  the concept of "context" bears a profound connection to its linguistic origins. the prefix "con," originally signifying unity or togetherness, has, over the course of centuries, undergone a transformative evolution. it now serves to encapsulate the multifaceted elements that coexist with and envelop a text, thereby contributing to a more profound comprehension of its meaning and significance. within the coursebook, we have identified a total of eight distinct contexts that are intricately interwoven with the text. these contexts primarily manifest in the form of visual representations, often in the form of pictures. each of these images serves a dual purpose within the text. firstly, they are directly associated with instructional elements, providing visual cues that complement the textual instructions. additionally, these images also function to fortify and enhance the statements made within the reading text, thereby enriching the overall learning experience. the presentation of the activities add-on the texts table 3. activities accompanying the texts activities comprehension activities beyond comprehension activities critical thinking skills indicators 1. what is the main idea of the text? 2. what makes cristiano ronaldo different from other players in scoring a goal? 3. how did he get known as a rocket man? 4. how does the text organize its idea about ronaldo? 5. “ronaldo’s g-force is five times higher than that of a cheetah.” what can you infer from the sentence above? 6. what is the function of the picture in relation to the verbal text?  match the topics about cristiano ronaldo below with the information from each paragraph in the text.  did you learn new words from the text? add them to your vocabulary box in task 1.  rearrange the paragraph into a meaningful text  without using a dictionary, guess the meaning of these words/phrases from the text using context clues.  1. are there any parts of the writer’s experience in watching the game that are similar to yours? 2. why do you think the writer stated that the winner was unpredictable?  english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 703 3. could you feel the same excitement of watching the game by just reading the text? 4. how do you think the writer’s can help you to do active reading using your five senses? decide true or false statement based on infographics  complete the sentences based on infographic  match each statement with the correct tips, a-f based on the reading text.  answer the questions based on the information you get from the text. 1. who will find the information in the text useful? 2. in what kind of reading section will you likely find this type of text? 3. in rule number 5, “eat at the dining table, not in your car or at your desk,” the word ‘this’ in the sentence ‘following this rule also reduces the chances of eating when you are bored,’ refers to .... 4. “stop eating before you are full,” the word ‘satiated’ in the sentence ‘...stop eating before you feel completely satiated,’ can be best replaced by what word? 7. which tip/s that is easiest for you to follow? why?  read the statements and decide if they are found/ discussed in either expository text 1 or expository text 2. tick the appropriate box.  compare expository text 1 and expository text 2 by completing the table.  questions following the social media status 1. why do you think they write the posts? 2. which writer do you agree with? explain your answer. refer to what is written on the posts. 3. how would you feel if somebody painted graffiti on your property? 4. who owns the graffiti? if somebody paints on your property, can you legally claim the artwork as your own? 5. in your opinion, what would the world be like without graffiti?  list in the table below reasons why people think graffiti is art or an act of vandalism.  people always have different opinion about something, including graffiti. some people think that graffiti is art. others think it is an act of vandalism. with your classmates, list in the table below reasons why people think graffiti is art or an act of vandalism.  think about your position regarding graffiti. explain your stance on graffiti. consult the list you have made in task 5 to help you write your idea. write your draft in the expository writing organizer below.  questions of reading comprehension 1. who told the story? 2. what made the girl scream an ear piercing scream? 3. how could the world find out grandma’s  sri sumarni & farah salsabila the infusion of critical thinking skills indicators and microlearning principles in the english reading materials for vocational school students: a content analysis 704 place? 4. what made the girl realize that it was not her grandma who take the goodies? 5. what is meant by “cat got your tongue? in “cat got your tongue?” the dwarf said, and pulled out a cat” 6. what would happen if the grandma did not jump into the wolf’s mouth? fill in the table below to compare the traditional story in task a and fractured story in task 3 point b.  use the following venn diagram to decide which part of the stories are the same or different.  the learning activities integrated into the coursebook are intrinsically linked to the reading text, encompassing a diverse range of questions and exercises that directly pertain to the text under consideration. in total, the researchers have identified a comprehensive set of eighteen learning activities distributed across the reading skills sections of the six chapters. these meticulously designed learning activities serve as a bridge to the subsequent discussions centered on the cultivation of critical thinking skills. the overarching objective is to equip students with the capacity for analytical thinking and effective problem-solving. by engaging with these learning activities, students are encouraged to scrutinize, evaluate, and synthesize information from the reading text. this process not only enhances their comprehension but also fosters their ability to think critically, enabling them to approach complex challenges with a problem-solving mindset. thus, the learning activities in the reading skills sections play a pivotal role in nurturing the development of critical thinking skills among students. critical thinking skills in the english reading materials the critical thinking analysis of the english reading materials encompasses an examination of three key components: text, context, and learning activities. the primary focus is on ascertaining whether the texts, the contexts, and the learning activities embedded within the english reading materials effectively facilitate the development of critical thinking skills, thereby enhancing students' problem-solving abilities. in conducting the analysis, we utilized a framework consisting of eight indicators, as originally proposed by anderson and krathwohl. it's important to note that this framework has been widely adopted and employed by teachers in indonesia, making it a common choice for research in the region. the indicators of anderson and krathwohl’s framework form the foundation for three overarching skills: analysis, evaluation, and creation. the framework can be seen in the table 4. table 4. critical thinking skills framework adapted by anderson and krathwohl (2001) categories cognitive processes indicator analyse: break material into its constituent parts and determine how the parts relate to one another and to an overall structure or purpose differentiating distinguishing relevant or important from irrelevant or unimportant parts of presented material organizing determining how elements fit or function within a structure attributing determine a point of view, bias, values, or interest underlying presented material evaluate: make judgments based on criteria and standards checking detecting inconsistencies within a process or product; detecting the effectiveness of a procedure as it is being implemented critiquing detecting inconsistencies between a product and external criteria; detecting the appropriateness of a procedure for a given problem create: put elements together to form a coherent or functional whole; generating coming up with alternative hypotheses based on criteria english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 705 recognize elements into a new pattern or structure planning devising a procedure for accomplishing some task producing inventing a product microlearning to organize english reading materials microlearning is a method of learning using small chunks and bite-sized materials (allela, 2021; jahnke et al., 2020; khurgin, 2015; mohammed et al., 2018; singh et al., 2019; skalka & drlík, 2018; zhang & cristol, 2019), well-planned modules (allela, 2021; khurgin, 2015), and shortterm learning activities (allela, 2021; jahnke et al., 2020). recent studies (jahnke et al.,(2020), lee etal.,(2021)) formulated the principles of microlearning as theways in design an educational programs. those are producing content that fits mobile devices' small screens; providing learners with the knowledge they need promptly at the time; following a specific set of instructions that allows the learners to grasp the significance of the subject, interactive materials, short activities, and immediate automatic feedback; and recommending the students to connect with the knowledge through practical gamified activities. the principle of short steps, the principle of immediate confirmation, the principle of selfpacing, and the principle of student testing may be considered essential microlearning principles in implementing microlearning (tolstikh et al., (2021),allela (2021)). in addition to those principles researchers also have formulated microlearning frameworks which are also termed as the microlearning elements as the way to organize the lesson (allela, 2021; skalka & drlík, 2018). skalka and drlik claimed that the framework activities of microlearning correspond to the six stages of bloom's taxonomy. this research uses the microlearning framework to analyze the presentation of the reading materials in the textbook. table 6 shows the framework of microlearning proposed by allela (2021). table 5. microlearning framework proposed by allela (2021) what structural element how instructional method medium microlearning object welcome to the lesson  structured overview  video awaken prior knowledge  inquiry  drill and practice  survey on moodle  quiz review key points  mental modelling  discovery learning  infographic content  direct instruction  lecture  drill and practice  video  animation  infographic  interactive pdfs discussion  reflective discussions  group discussion  debate  discussion forum  social-media posts review key points  question and answer  inquiry  video  infographic assessment  quiz  inquiry  moodle  quiz table 6. materials organization teaching reading stages microlearning structural elements existing reading materials chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3 chapter 4 chapter 5 chapter 6 pre-reading welcome to the lesson awaken prior knowledge  review key points whilst reading content      discussion  post-reading review key points sri sumarni & farah salsabila the infusion of critical thinking skills indicators and microlearning principles in the english reading materials for vocational school students: a content analysis 706 assessment       the presentation of the identification of the reading materials sequences sequencing reading materials into pre-reading, whilst-reading, and post-reading stages is a wellestablished pedagogical approach supported by various scholars (hood et al, 2005; gibbon, 2002; brown, 2001 as cited in mene et al., 2021). however, the analysis findings suggest that the materials somewhat apply this strategy, with prereading being evident only in chapter 1, while whilst-reading and post-reading elements are present in all chapters. despite this, the identified sequencing may lack certain engaging elements that actively involve students in the learning process and cater to their self-directed learning needs. to address these shortcomings and align with contemporary teaching approaches, the researcher proposes the incorporation of a microlearning instructional design. microlearning offers a highly adaptable and engaging way to deliver content, particularly suitable for today's students. by breaking down information into bite-sized, easily digestible modules, microlearning accommodates shorter attention spans and supports on-the-go learning. it encourages active engagement and allows students to take control of their learning pace. integrating microlearning into the existing sequencing strategy can enhance the learning experience, providing students with more opportunities for self-directed, interactive, and focused learning. this approach ensures that the material remains engaging and aligns with modern students' preferences and learning styles. medium microlearning objects the analysis of the english reading materials has revealed the presence of various medium microlearning objects. these objects serve as small, concise learning resources or modules delivered through specific mediums or platforms. some examples of these medium microlearning objects include 1) infographics; 2) interactive infographics; 3) pdfs; 4) pdf interactive; 5) ebooks and flipbooks; 6) animated videos format; 7) whiteboard animation; 8) kinetic text-based animation; 9) explainer videos; 10) interactive video; 11) interactive parallax-based scrolling; 12) webcast/podcasts; 13) expert videos, webinars/recorded webinar; 14) mobile apps; 15) complex branching scenarios (allela, 2021; atd, 2018). these diverse microlearning formats cater to different learning preferences and styles, offering educators and learners a rich array of tools to engage with and absorb content effectively. the utilization of these medium microlearning objects can enhance the overall learning experience by providing accessible, engaging, and targeted learning resources. the analysis has revealed the presence of two specific medium microlearning objects within the english reading materials: infographics and social media elements. infographics were found in the chapter three presented procedure text about tips for taking care of your mental and 7 healthy habits for weight loss. while social media use was found in the expository text. furthermore, qr codes were employed to facilitate the display of worksheets. it's worth noting that these worksheets serve a multifaceted purpose, extending beyond just reading. they encompass various language skills, reflecting the interconnected nature of language skills. language skills, including reading, writing, listening, and speaking, are interrelated and often reinforce one another. therefore, these worksheets likely encompass exercises that promote a holistic language development approach by incorporating multiple language skills. this integrated approach can enhance the effectiveness of the learning materials, ensuring that students develop a well-rounded set of language skills and can apply them in various contexts. conclusion the results revealed that the reading materials for grade x are presented in 8 printed texts covered descriptive, recount, procedures, expository and narrative. these texts have potentially carried critical thinking skills indicators. the contexts accompanying the texts are all pictures and instructions that have potentially presented 3 critical thinking skill indicators. the activities attending each text cover 15 comprehension activities and 4 beyond the comprehension activities; 7 critical thinking indicators are potentially embedded in this part. regarding to the reading materials presentation, one set are clearly sequenced in the framework of microlearning which covers pre-text, text, and post-text. while the other 7 sets sequenced text and post-text. the analysis indicated most of the critical thinking indicators integrated in the reading materials are under analysis and evaluation. this means that further development for the materials is needed especially for the pretext and post-text activities so that more critical english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 707 thinking skills enhancement can be provided. in addition, the researchers found out, the reading materials presentations need to adopt more the microlearning framework in detail in order to support students’ autonomous learning. acknowledgement this article is composed based on the part of the research findings entitled “merancang materi ajar membaca bahasa inggris untuk siswa sekolah menengah kejuruan berbasis microlearning yang terinfusi literasi digital dan keterampilan berpikir kritis”, funded by the faculty of languages and arts, state university of jakarta under applied research scheme (skema penelitian terapan (tkt 4-6).hereby, the researchers express their gratitude and appreciation to the faculty of languages and arts and universitas negeri jakarta. references abkary, n. s., & purnawarman, p. (2020). indonesian efl teachers’ challenges in assessing students’ higher-order thinking skills (hots). assehr, 509(icollite), 482–489. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201215.076 abu sarah, a. m. (2021). effectiveness of using micro learning through web 2.0 tools in developing skills of multimedia designing and production among 12th grade students in palestine. journal of educational and psychological sciences, 5(32), 59–43. https://doi.org/10.26389/ajsrp.b050421 agustina, n., mayuni, i., iskandar, i., & ratminingsih, n. m. (2022). mobile learning application: infusing critical thinking in the efl classroom. studies in english language and education, 9(2), 724–743. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v9i2.23476 allela, m. (2021). introduction to microlearning. commonwealth of learning. www.col.org almazova, n., rogovaya, y., & gavrilova, a. (2018). prospects of introduction of microlearning into the process of teaching postgraduate students a foreign language. inted2018 proceedings, 1(march), 3175–3182. https://doi.org/10.21125/inted.2018.0608 anderson, l. w., krathwohl, d. r., airasian, p. w., cruikshank, k. a., mayer, r. e., pintrich, p. r., raths, j., & wittrock, m. c. (2001). a taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: a revision of bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. addison wesley longman, inc. https://www.pdfdrive.com/a-taxonomy-forlearning-teaching-and-assessing-a-revision-ofblooms-taxonomy-of-educational-objectivesd187836328.html angrisani, l., arpaia, p., bonavolonta, f., & schiano lo moriello, r. (2018). academic fablab at university of naples federico ii: new research and development opportunities in the fields of iot and industry 4.0. 2018 workshop on metrology for industry 4.0 and iot, metroind 4.0 and iot 2018 proceedings, 23–27. https://doi.org/10.1109/metroi4.2018.843904 3 atd. (2018). microlearning: bite-sized content. atd press. ayu, d., kartika, i., nurkhamidah, n., & santosa, i. (2022). construction of efl learning object materials for senior high school. jurnal ilmu sosial dan pendidikan (jisip), 6(4), 2598– 9944. https://doi.org/10.36312/jisip.v6i4.3691/http de gagne, j. c., park, h. k., hall, k., woodward, a., yamane, s., & kim, s. s. (2019). microlearning in health professions education: scoping review. jmir medical education, 5(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.2196/13997 demir, b., & sonmez, g. (2021). generation z students’ expectations from english language instruction. journal of language and linguistic studies, 17(1), 683–701. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.903536 díaz redondo, r. p., caeiro rodríguez, m., lópez escobar, j. j., & fernández vilas, a. (2021). integrating micro-learning content in traditional e-learning platforms. multimedia tools and applications, 80(2), 3121–3151. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-020-09523-z erdiana, n., & panjaitan, s. (2023). how is hots integrated into the indonesian high school english textbook? studies in english language and education, 10(1), 60–77. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i1.26052 fedorova, o., shumskyi, o., golikova, o., kutsenko, i., serdiuk, n., & zahorodna, o. (2022). microlearning in forming the students’ english competencies with vr involvement. brain. broad research in artificial intelligence and neuroscience, 13(1sup1), 388–402. https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/13.1sup1/326 fountain, s. b., & doyle, k. e. (2012). learning by chunking. in encyclopedia of the sciences of learning (pp. 1814–1817). springer us. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-14286_1042' gunawan, m. h., rahmawati, e., suherdi, d., & yunandami, a. k. (2022). fostering students’ critical thinking skills through high-level questioning in analytical exposition text. indonesian efl journal (ieflj), 8(2), 137– 146. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v8i 2.6437 hesse, a., ospina, p., wieland, m., yepes, f. a. l., nguyen, b., & heuwieser, w. (2019). short sri sumarni & farah salsabila the infusion of critical thinking skills indicators and microlearning principles in the english reading materials for vocational school students: a content analysis 708 communication: microlearning courses are effective at increasing the feelings of confidence and accuracy in the work of dairy personnel. journal of dairy science, 102(10), 9505–9511. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.201815927 jahnke, i., lee, y. m., pham, m., he, h., & austin, l. (2020). unpacking the inherent design principles of mobile microlearning. technology, knowledge and learning, 25(3), 585–619. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-019-09413-w kossen, c., & ooi, c. y. (2021). trialling microlearning design to increase engagement in online courses. asian association of open universities journal, 16(3), 299–310. https://doi.org/10.1108/aaouj-09-2021-0107 lee, y. m., jahnke, i., & austin, l. (2021). mobile microlearning design and effects on learning efficacy and learner experience. educational technology research and development, 69(2), 885–915. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-02009931-w makarova, i., shubenkova, k., bagateeva, a., & pashkevich, a. (2018). digitalization of education as a new destination of e-learning. proceedings elmar international symposium electronics in marine, 2018-septe(september), 31–34. https://doi.org/10.23919/elmar.2018.853466 2 mateus-nieves; moreno, e. (2021). use of microlearning as a strategy to teach mathematics asynchronously. international journal of development research, 11(march). https://doi.org/10.37118/ijdr.21333.03.2021 mene, n., ali, s. u., & syawal, a. m. (2021). exploring teachers’ strategies in teaching reading comprehension at man 1 halut. cakrawala bahasa jurnal ilmiah prodi pendidikan bahasa inggris, 10(2), 77–84. mohammad hosseini, h., ejtehadi, a., & mohammad hosseini, m. (2020). flipping microlearningbased efl classroom to enhance learners’ selfregulation. language teaching research quarterly, 20, 43–59. https://doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2020.20.03 mohammed, g. s., wakil, k., & nawroly, s. s. (2018). the effectiveness of microlearning to improve students’ learning ability. international journal of educational research review the, 3(3), 7. https://doi.org/10.30659/e.1.1.68-75 silva, d., lopes, t., sobrinho, m., & valentim, n. (2021). investigating initiatives to promote the advancement of education 4.0: a systematic mapping study. 1(csedu), 458–466. https://doi.org/10.5220/0010439704580466 skalka, j., & drlík, m. (2018). conceptual framework of microlearning-based training mobile application for improving programming skills. 213–224. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-31975175-7_22 sulistiyo, u., wulan, r., al arif, t. z. z., efriza, d., & anwar, k. (2021). a critical content analysis of english textbook for senior high school students in indonesia. studies in english language and education, 8(1), 84–98. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i1.16778 widiantarai, n. m. d. p. (2017). developing elearning-based english material for teaching the tenth grade students of light vehicle department at smk n bali mandara. journal of psychology and instructions, 1(3), 142. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpai.v1i3.12576 winanti, gaol, f. l., napitupulu, t. a., soeparno, h., & trisetyarso, a. (2019). learning framework in the industrial age 4.0 in higher education. 1st 2018 indonesian association for pattern recognition international conference, inapr 2018 proceedings, 227–232. https://doi.org/10.1109/inapr.2018.8627039 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 897 the integration of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) with peer tutoring methods to enhance motivation and engagement among management students sri fitayanti sekolah tinggi ekonomi port numbay jayapura, jayapura-indonesia. email: stiepnvhita087@gmail.com dahlia husain universitas muhammadiyah gorontalo, indonesia email: dahliahusain@umgo.ac.id zapira alwolmabin sekolah tinggi ekonomi port numbay jayapura, jayapura-indonesia. email: zapiraalwolmabin@gmail.com eides nirigu sekolah tinggi ekonomi port numbay jayapura, jayapura-indonesia. email: eidesnirigi@gmail.com apa scitation:. fitayanti, s., husain, d., alwolmabin, z., & nirigu, e. (2024). the integration of mobileassisted language learning (mall) with peer tutoring methods to enhance motivation and engagement among management students. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(3), 897-910. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10700 received: 27-06-2024 accepted: 24-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction english language learning is indispensable for management students due to the increasing need for effective communication within the context of a globally integrated business environment (bekteshi & xhaferi, 2020; chibi, 2018; guihang & miao, 2019; tao & gao, 2018; maruf & helingo, 2022). despite its importance, numerous management students struggle to maintain high levels of motivation and engagement in their english language studies (bekteshi & xhaferi, 2020; simbolon, 2021; maruf et al., 2021). empirical evidence indicates that students frequently find traditional teaching methodologies unengaging and misaligned with their actual business requirements (diyanni & borst, 2020; gatti et al., 2019; guihang & miao, 2019; seli, 2023). additionally, the use of conventional and this study investigates the impact of integrating mobile-assisted language learning (mall) applications with peer tutoring on student engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes in english language teaching and learning. utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the research involved preand post-intervention surveys, semi-structured interviews, and systematic observations. quantitative data revealed significant improvements in students' engagement and motivation, with average scores increasing from 2.0 to 3.9 post-intervention. the standard deviation for engagement decreased from 0.7 to 0.5, indicating more consistent student responses. the qualitative analysis provided deeper insights, highlighting that students found mall applications like quizlet and youtube particularly engaging and effective for learning. the thematic analysis of interviews underscored the benefits of peer tutoring in fostering a supportive learning environment, enhancing both collaborative and individual learning experiences. excerpts from student interviews revealed increased interest and motivation, with students appreciating the flexibility and interactivity of the applications. these findings align with vygotsky's theory of social constructivism, emphasizing the role of social interaction in learning. the study concludes that the integration of mall with peer tutoring not only improves student engagement and motivation but also contributes to better language learning outcomes. this has important implications for educational practices and policies, suggesting that incorporating technology and collaborative learning strategies can enhance language education. future research should explore long-term effects and scalability of such interventions keywords: mobile-assisted language learning; peer tutoring; student engagement; motivation; english language education. mailto:stiepnvhita087@gmail.com mailto:dahliahusain@umgo.ac.id mailto:zapiraalwolmabin@gmail.com mailto:eidesnirigi@gmail.com sri fitayanti, dahlia husain, zapira alwolmabin, & eides nirigu the integration of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) with peer tutoring methods to enhance motivation and engagement among management students 898 less interactive instructional media often leads to boredom and a lack of challenge (acuña & blacklock, 2022; franklin & harrington, 2019; harper et al., 2019; lingnau, 2019), thereby hindering their progress in acquiring the essential language skills required for future career success. this issue extends beyond motivation, impacting students' active engagement in the learning process. many educators still rely on lecture-based and passive learning methods, resulting in low levels of class participation and interaction (kay et al., 2019; opdecam & everaert, 2019; zeng et al., 2020; maruf & anjely, 2020; purwantoro et al., 2021). consequently, students often become passive listeners rather than active participants in discussions or learning activities (maruf et al., 2023; jakobsen & daniel, 2019; opdecam & everaert, 2019; ssemugenyi, 2023). this is evident from the minimal levels of participation in class discussions and the lack of initiative shown by students in completing english-based assignments or projects. these conditions underscore the urgent need for more innovative and effective teaching approaches to stimulate students' interest and engagement in english language learning. a promising solution to these challenges is the integration of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) into peer tutoring methods. mall provides a flexible learning platform accessible from anywhere (daǧdeler et al., 2020; nugrahini, 2019; octavia et al., 2019; maruf et al., 2023) , while peer tutoring leverages the dynamics of peer interaction (arco-tirado et al., 2019; gelmez & arkan, 2022; olulowo et al., 2020; saunders et al., 2020; ullah et al., 2018; gutiérrez-colón et al., 2020). this combination has the potential to significantly enhance student motivation and engagement in english language learning. therefore, this study aims to evaluate two crucial aspects of integrating mall into peer tutoring methods for english language learning among management students. firstly, the study assessed the effectiveness of integrating mall into peer tutoring methods to enhance management students' motivation in learning english. motivation proved to be a key factor in sustainable and quality learning (fachrureza & suryadana, 2019; adrianto et al., 2020; amoresvalencia et al., 2022; vu et al., 2022; alamri et al., 2020). by evaluating the extent to which the integration of mall into peer tutoring boosted student motivation, this research provided valuable insights into the potential of this approach to stimulate interest and active participation in english language learning. secondly, the study measured the level of student engagement in english language learning following the implementation of mall integration into peer tutoring methods. student engagement emerged as a critical indicator of learning effectiveness (alioon & delialioğlu, 2019; bedi, 2023; chiu, 2022; zheng & yu, 2018), reflecting the degree of interaction (baanqud et al., 2020; prasetyawati & ardi, 2020; yu et al., 2019, 2020), dedication, and emotional investment in the learning process (maruf, 2023; franklin & harrington, 2019). by understanding how mall integration into peer tutoring enhanced student engagement, this research offered practical insights into the impact of this approach in the context of english language learning for management students. previous studies have delved into a variety of strategies aimed at improving english language learning among management students, each shedding light on different aspects of educational technology and pedagogical methods. a research conducted by jeong (2022), titled "facilitating sustainable self-directed learning experience with the use of mobile-assisted language learning," emphasizes the role of online platforms and mobile applications in fostering self-directed learning. their study highlights how mall can facilitate personalized learning experiences by providing students with flexible access to learning materials, enabling them to engage with content at their own pace and according to their individual learning needs. this approach not only supports learners in taking charge of their educational journey but also encourages autonomous learning habits that are crucial for lifelong language acquisition. in a similar vein, zhang et al., (2021), "language learners’ enjoyment and emotion regulation in online collaborative learning," investigates the impact of enjoyment and emotion regulation on learners engaged in online collaborative environments. their research reveals that learners' emotional experiences and their ability to regulate these emotions play a significant role in their overall learning effectiveness in online settings. the study finds that positive emotional experiences and effective emotion regulation strategies contribute to higher levels of engagement, satisfaction, and ultimately, better language learning outcomes. by exploring how these emotional and psychological factors influence learners' experiences in online english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 899 collaborative contexts, zhang et al. underscore the importance of integrating emotional support mechanisms into language learning platforms. together, these studies underscore the critical role that technology and collaborative learning environments play in enhancing language acquisition. jeong and kyeong ouk’s work demonstrates the benefits of mobile-assisted learning tools in supporting self-directed study, while zhang et al.’s research highlights the need for addressing emotional factors to improve learning experiences in online settings. both studies contribute to a growing body of evidence that suggests integrating technology with thoughtful pedagogical strategies can significantly improve language learning outcomes. they collectively point to the potential of leveraging modern technological tools and addressing emotional dimensions to create more effective and engaging language learning environments for students. the innovation of this research resides in its unique integration of the flexibility offered by mobile-assisted language learning (mall) with the structured social interaction of peer tutoring. unlike jeong and kyeong ouk's studies, which highlights the benefits of mall in facilitating self-directed learning through online platforms and mobile applications, this current research extends beyond individual learning by incorporating peer collaboration. jeong and kyeong ouk's focus is primarily on the autonomy provided by mall, whereas this study adds another layer by emphasizing how mall can be synergistically combined with peer tutoring to create a more dynamic and interactive learning environment. similarly, while zhang et al.’s research explores the impact of enjoyment and emotion regulation in online collaborative learning, this study introduces a novel perspective by specifically assessing the effectiveness of integrating mall into peer tutoring with a dual focus on student motivation and engagement. zhang et al.’s work underscores the significance of emotional factors in collaborative settings, but it does not specifically address how the integration of technological tools and structured peer interactions can influence motivation and engagement. this research fills that gap by evaluating how the combination of self-directed learning and peer-based collaboration affects these critical aspects of the learning process, offering a comprehensive examination of both motivational and engagement outcomes. thus, the novelty of this study lies in its integrated approach, which merges the strengths of self-directed mall with the benefits of peer tutoring, providing a more holistic view of how technology and social interaction can enhance language learning. this focus on both motivation and engagement in the context of mall and peer tutoring represents a significant advancement over the existing literature, offering new insights into effective strategies for improving language education. the significance of this research lies in its potential to provide an innovative solution to the ongoing challenges in english language education for management students. by integrating mobileassisted language learning (mall) with peer tutoring methods, this study proposes a flexible and accessible learning platform that promotes active student interaction and engagement. this approach can address the current shortcomings of conventional teaching methods, which often fail to captivate student interest and relevance to their real-world business needs. furthermore, this research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by combining the mall within peer tutoring, since it not only allows students to independently access learning materials but also encourages collaboration and discussion among peers, creating a dynamic and responsive learning environment. thus, this innovative approach promises to significantly enhance both student motivation and engagement in english language learning, offering practical and theoretical insights that can inform future educational strategies and interventions. in conclusion, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of integrating mobile-assisted language learning (mall) into peer tutoring methods to enhance the motivation of management students in learning english. since motivation is a pivotal element in ongoing and quality education, this assessment provided valuable insights into how mall integration could foster interest and active participation in english language learning. additionally, the study assessed the level of student engagement in english language learning following the implementation of mall integration into peer tutoring methods. engagement emerged as a crucial measure of learning effectiveness, reflecting the extent of interaction, dedication, and emotional investment of students. moreover, this study also aims to gain deeper insight into personal experiences and perceptions regarding the integrated mall and peer tutoring approach. sri fitayanti, dahlia husain, zapira alwolmabin, & eides nirigu the integration of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) with peer tutoring methods to enhance motivation and engagement among management students 900 method the research was conducted at sekolah tinggi ilmu ekonomi (stie) port numbay in papua, a setting carefully chosen for its relevance to the study’s objectives and its broader implications for language education in diverse and developing regions. this institution was selected due to its unique demographic of students who, as fourthsemester management students, have a foundational background in english language learning, making them ideal participants for assessing the effectiveness of innovative teaching interventions. a total of 55 students were purposively selected, ensuring that those involved had sufficient prior experience to meaningfully engage with the mobile-assisted language learning (mall) applications integrated with peer tutoring. this setting provided a controlled environment that was not only conducive to implementing the study’s interventions but also reflective of the educational challenges and opportunities in papua, thereby offering insights that could be applicable to similar contexts across other regions with comparable educational dynamics. by situating the research in this specific context, the study aimed to contribute to the broader discourse on the role of technology and collaborative learning in enhancing language education, particularly in settings where access to such innovations might be limited or emerging. the research utilized a pre-experimental design and adopted a mixed-methods approach, which effectively integrates both quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques to provide a comprehensive analysis. the concept of mixedmethods combines the strengths of numerical data and contextual insights, allowing for a more robust understanding of research phenomena by triangulating different types of data (caillaud et al., 2019; heesen et al., 2019). in this study, the primary instruments for data collection included structured surveys (questionnaires), semistructured interviews, and systematic observations. the structured surveys measured changes in student motivation and engagement, while the semi-structured interviews and observations offered in-depth qualitative insights into participants’ experiences and interactions. this combination of methods enabled a thorough evaluation of the research questions from multiple perspectives. to quantify changes in motivation and engagement, structured questionnaires were administered both before and after the integration of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) into peer tutoring. these surveys assessed various dimensions of student motivation and engagement, such as their interest in learning materials, satisfaction with the teaching methods, and participation levels in classroom activities. this dual administration allowed for a comparative analysis of preand post-intervention data to measure the impact of the integrated approach. after structure questionnaire administered, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a subset of participants to gain deeper insights into their personal experiences and perceptions regarding the integrated mall and peer tutoring approach. these interviews aimed to uncover nuanced views on how the combination of mall and peer tutoring influenced their learning process, providing rich qualitative data to complement the quantitative findings. additionally, systematic observations were carried out during the study to monitor student behavior and interactions during mall and peer tutoring sessions. observations focused on documenting levels of participation, engagement in discussions, enthusiasm, and overall focus during learning activities. this observational data provided context for understanding the dynamics of student engagement and the practical application of the integrated approach. the study followed a series of key procedural stages. initially, a pre-intervention survey was conducted to establish baseline levels of motivation and engagement among participants. this was followed by a needs analysis to customize the mall content and peer tutoring strategies according to the specific requirements of the students. the intervention phase involved the implementation of mall integrated with peer tutoring methods over a defined period. during this phase, students were provided with mobile learning tools and engaged in peer tutoring sessions aimed at enhancing collaborative learning and interaction. after the intervention, a second round of surveys was administered to measure any changes in motivation and engagement. this was complemented by follow-up interviews and observations to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the intervention's impact, ensuring a thorough analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 901 data collection for the research was multifaceted, integrating both quantitative and qualitative methods to ensure a comprehensive analysis of the research questions. quantitative data were collected using structured questionnaires, which were meticulously validated through a process involving expert review and pilot testing. the survey instrument was first reviewed by a panel of experts in the fields of language education and instructional design to ensure content validity. feedback from these experts led to refinements in the questionnaire items to better align with the study’s objectives. following this, a pilot test was conducted with a small sample of students similar to the study participants to evaluate the clarity and reliability of the questions. based on the pilot test results, further adjustments were made to enhance the reliability of the instrument. the finalized questionnaire was then administered to gather data on student motivation and engagement. the quantitative data from these surveys were analyzed using descriptive statistics to provide an overview of changes in motivation and engagement. a paired t-test was employed to identify statistically significant differences between preand post-intervention scores, offering concrete evidence of how the integration of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) influenced student motivation and engagement. in parallel, qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews and systematic observations. a total of 15 students were selected for the interviews to ensure a diverse range of perspectives. the interview items were categorized into three main themes: (1) student motivation and engagement, (2) learning effectiveness, and (3) perceived challenges and benefits. the interviews were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis to extract meaningful insights into student experiences and perceptions of the mall and peer tutoring integration. in order to ensure the validity of the qualitative findings, multiple steps were undertaken: the transcripts were coded independently by two researchers to ensure intercoder reliability, and the emerging themes were discussed and refined through consensus. observational data were also systematically coded to identify patterns in student behavior and interaction during the learning sessions. this rigorous approach to validating qualitative data provided deeper insights into how students perceived and responded to the intervention, thereby complementing and enriching the quantitative findings. the combination of rigorously validated quantitative instruments and systematically analyzed qualitative data offered a robust and comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of integrating mall into peer tutoring. this mixedmethods approach allowed for a thorough understanding of both the measurable impact on motivation and engagement and the nuanced experiences of the participants. by combining quantitative and qualitative analyses, the study achieved a robust evaluation of the mall integration into peer tutoring. the mixed-methods approach enabled a thorough understanding of both the numerical impact on motivation and engagement and the contextual insights gleaned from student feedback and observations. this comprehensive approach ensured that the research addressed both the measurable effects of the intervention and the nuanced experiences of the participants. results and discussion effectiveness of mall integration on student motivation and engagement with peer tutoring methods the primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of integrating mobileassisted language learning (mall) into peer tutoring methods to enhance the motivation and engagement of management students in learning english. the structured survey (questionnaire) administered before and after the intervention provided robust data on various dimensions of student motivation. before the intervention, the pre-intervention survey (structured questionnaire), which used a 5point likert scale to measure levels of interest, motivation, and engagement, aimed to establish baseline levels among students. the survey revealed that students exhibited a poor level of these factors in english language learning materials, with an average score of 2.0 out of 5. this low baseline highlighted a significant need for improvement in student engagement with the materials. to address this issue, a needs analysis was conducted to customize the mobile-assisted language learning (mall) content and peer tutoring strategies to better align with the students' specific needs. the integration of mall was designed to improve the accessibility, engagement, and interactivity of learning materials. by utilizing mobile applications and peer tutoring sessions, the intervention aimed to sri fitayanti, dahlia husain, zapira alwolmabin, & eides nirigu the integration of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) with peer tutoring methods to enhance motivation and engagement among management students 902 enhance students' motivation and participation in english language learning. table 1. pre-intervention scores factor mean score standard deviation range interest in materials 2.0 0.8 1.5 motivation 2.3 0.7 1.4 engagement 2.1 0.9 1.8 table 1 presents the pre-intervention scores for student motivation and engagement in english language learning materials. the data reveal that students had a notably low level of interest in the learning materials, with an average score of 2.0 out of 5. this score reflects only a modest level of interest among students before the intervention. the standard deviation of 0.8 indicates a moderate variability in responses, showing that while some students expressed slightly higher interest, many were less engaged. the range of 1.5 further illustrates the diversity in students’ interest levels. meanwhile, motivation levels were similarly low, with an average score of 2.3 out of 5. this suggests that students’ motivation towards english language learning materials was weak at the start of the study. the standard deviation of 0.7 indicates less variability compared to the interest scores, yet there was still notable variation in motivational levels among students. the range of 1.4 highlights the differences in motivation across the participant group. moreover, student engagement was also assessed with an average score of 2.1 out of 5, which points to a generally poor level of engagement with the learning materials prior to the intervention. the standard deviation of 0.9 reveals considerable variation in engagement levels, while the range of 1.8 demonstrates significant differences in how engaged individual students felt. in intervention phase, the application of mall involved various types of applications, categorized into three leading types: software applications (swa), web-based applications (wba), and socialization applications (sca). examples of these include: (1) software applications (swa): these are standalone programs designed to support learning. examples include quizlet and cram, which provided interactive flashcards and practice tests that reinforced vocabulary acquisition and other language skills. (2) web-based applications (wba): these applications operate over the internet and offer a range of learning tools. for instance, youtube served as a valuable resource for accessing educational videos and language tutorials, while google translate facilitated translation and comprehension of texts in different languages. the use of such applications made learning more accessible and flexible, enabling students to explore additional resources and accelerate their learning process. (3) socialization applications (sca): these platforms encourage collaborative learning and interaction among users. examples include kahoot, which gamified the learning experience through quizzes and competitions, and social media platforms like whatsapp and tiktok, where students could engage in language practice, discussions, and share educational content. students found smartphone and personal computer (spc) apps such as qr barcode scanners, quizlet, cram, kahoot, youtube, and google translate to be practical, engaging, and user-friendly. they appreciated these tools for their functionality and ease of use, which enhanced their learning experience. however, students also expressed a need for clearer instructions on how to effectively utilize these applications. despite this, web-based applications (wba) consistently supported their learning by facilitating access to additional software and making the overall learning process quicker and more efficient. figure 1. apps and learning motivation figure 1 illustrates the motivation of students in the use of software applications (swa), webbased applications (wba), and socialization applications (sca). the data reveal that the majority of students (74%) enjoyed learning english using swa apps. conversely, 26% of students were either not motivated or unsure about the motivational effect of these apps. for wba, 71% of students reported being motivated, while 29% remained unsure. in the case of sca, 64% of students found these apps motivating, whereas 36% were unsure. overall, these applications used during english lessons helped students learn effectively. students viewed swa apps as practical, fantastic, fun, exciting, and beautiful, making them easy to use and assisting english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 903 in completing learning tasks. however, students desired instructions on how to use these apps. wba supported students' learning by enabling them to discover more software, which facilitated faster and easier learning. sca helped students communicate and exchange information easily, indicating that applications selected by teachers and students effectively met the needs for a mobile-assisted language learning (mall) model, focusing on the unique versatility of mobile devices. all feedback indicated a positive effect on english learning. figure 2. engagement metrics for different application the figure 2 illustrates the engagement levels of students with three different types of applications used in educational settings: software applications (swa), web-based applications (wba), and socialization applications (sca). the data reveals a general trend of positive engagement among students across all application types, with varying levels of enthusiasm. software applications (swa) emerged as the most engaging, with 74% of students reporting a positive experience. this high engagement level suggests that swa apps are practical, exciting, and user-friendly, helping students complete their learning tasks effectively. however, 26% of students indicated they were either not engaged or unsure about the motivational impact of these applications, highlighting a need for better guidance on their usage. web-based applications (wba) also received favorable feedback, with 71% of students feeling motivated while using them. these applications were appreciated for enabling students to discover new software, facilitating faster and easier learning. despite this, 29% of students expressed uncertainty or lack of motivation, suggesting room for improvement in user engagement strategies. socialization applications (sca) showed a slightly lower engagement rate, with 64% of students finding them motivating. these apps were noted for enhancing communication and information exchange, supporting a collaborative learning environment. however, 36% of students were unsure or not engaged, indicating that these applications may not meet all students' expectations or needs. table 2. post-intervention scores factor mean score standard deviation range interest in materials 3.8 0.6 1.2 motivation 3.7 0.7 1.3 engagement 3.9 0.5 1.1 table 2 illustrates the post-intervention scores for student motivation and engagement in english language learning materials following the integration of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) and peer tutoring methods. the average score for interest in learning materials was 3.8 out of 5, reflecting a moderate level of interest among students. this suggests that the intervention had a positive impact on students’ engagement with the materials, making them more appealing and engaging. the standard deviation of 0.6 indicates some variability in students' interest, with individual scores differing to a degree. the range of 1.2 further highlights the diversity in how students experienced the learning materials, showing that while most students found the materials moderately interesting, there were notable differences in their responses. students’ experiences and perceptions of mall with peer tutoring integration method the qualitative analysis of the students’ experiences and perceptions of the mobileassisted language learning (mall) integration with peer tutoring revealed insightful themes. this section provides a comprehensive overview of these themes, supported by direct excerpts from the student interviews. a total of 15 students participated in the semi-structured interviews, providing detailed responses across three main categories: student engagement and motivation, learning effectiveness, and perceived challenges and benefits. student engagement and motivation the integration of mall significantly influenced student engagement and motivation. the interviews highlighted a marked increase in interest and enthusiasm towards learning english. out of 15 students, 12 mentioned improvements in their engagement and motivation postintervention sri fitayanti, dahlia husain, zapira alwolmabin, & eides nirigu the integration of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) with peer tutoring methods to enhance motivation and engagement among management students 904 before the intervention, many students expressed a lack of interest in english learning materials. post-intervention, students noted a noticeable shift in their attitudes (n=12). students who reported increased engagement, 8 specifically highlighted that applications like quizlet and youtube made the lessons more interesting. excerpt 1: " dulu sa rasa bahasa inggris itu membosankan, tapi pas sa pake aplikasi kaya quizlet sama youtube, pelajaran jadi lebih menarik sekali. sa jadi betul-betul tunggutunggu itu pelajaran.” (student 2). (“i used to find english boring, but using apps like quizlet and youtube made it much more interesting. i actually looked forward to the lessons."). excerpt 2: “dulu pelajaran inggris itu yang paling sa tidak suka, tapi sekarang sa senang karena aplikasi-aplikasi itu bikin belajar jadi menyenangkan dan interaktif.” (student 4) ("english used to be my least favorite subject, but now i enjoy it because the apps made learning fun and interactive."). the interactive nature of mall applications and the collaborative aspect of peer tutoring boosted students' motivation to engage with the learning materials. 9 students who noted improved engagement also mentioned increased motivation due to the peer tutoring sessions. excerpt 3: "belajar dengan aplikasi-aplikasi ini menyenangkan dan seru. sesi bimbingan sebaya juga bantu sa tetap termotivasi karena sa tidak mau mengecewakan teman-teman sa learning with these apps was fun and exciting.” (student 7). (the peer tutoring sessions also helped me stay motivated because i didn't want to let my peers down."). excerpt 4:"aplikasi-aplikasi ini membuat sa tetap tertarik, dan bekerja dengan teman-teman membuat sa lebih bertekad untuk berhasil. sa merasa lebih termotivasi dari sebelumnya. (student 10). (the apps kept me interested, and working with my peers made me more determined to do well. i felt more motivated than ever before."). learning effectiveness: students reported notable improvements in their learning outcomes, attributing these positive changes to the accessibility and versatility of the mobile-assisted language learning (mall) applications and the supportive environment fostered through peer tutoring. out of the 15 students who participated in the interviews, 10 explicitly commented on the overall effectiveness of this integrated learning approach. the integration of mall applications into their learning routine allowed students to access educational content anytime and anywhere, significantly enhancing the flexibility and convenience of their study practices. the versatility of the applications, ranging from flashcards and practice tests to video tutorials and instant translation tools, provided varied and engaging ways to reinforce language skills. students highlighted how the availability of mall applications on their smartphones and personal computers made it easier to engage with learning materials outside the classroom. the convenience of being able to study on-the-go removed traditional barriers to consistent practice and allowed for more frequent and spontaneous learning opportunities. excerpt 5: "karena sa bisa pake aplikasiaplikasi itu di hp, sa bisa belajar kapan saja ada waktu luang, seperti pas sa lagi jalan atau tunggu sesuatu. itu bikin belajar jadi lebih gampang”. (student 1) (the fact that i could use these apps on my phone meant i could study whenever i had free time, like during my commute or while waiting for something. it made learning so much more accessible.") the diverse functionalities of the mall application catered to different learning styles and needs. tools like quizlet and cram offered interactive flashcards and practice tests, which helped reinforce vocabulary acquisition and retention. youtube provided access to a wealth of educational videos, making complex language concepts easier to understand through visual and auditory aids. google translate facilitated quick translation and comprehension of texts in different languages, supporting immediate learning needs. excerpt 6: " tonton video di youtube bantu sa paham aturan tata bahasa yang susah kalau cuma baca saja. liat contoh langsung bikin sa lebih ngerti.”(student 5). (watching video on youtube helped me understand grammar rules that were hard to grasp from just reading. seeing examples in action made a big difference."). excerpt 7: "quizlet sama cram itu asik sekali buat latihan kosa kata. kartu-kartu flash yang interaktif itu bikin senang, sa bisa tes diri kapan english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 905 saja. lebih bagus dari pada cuma baca di buku saja.” (student 6). (quizlet and cram were fantastic for practicing vocabulary. the interactive flashcards made it fun, and i could test myself anytime. it was much better than just reading from a book."). peer tutoring sessions created a collaborative and supportive learning environment. students valued the opportunity to learn from each other, which not only helped understanding complex topics but also enhanced their confidence in using the language. teaching peers reinforced their own understanding and provided a sense of responsibility and motivation to excel. excerpt 8: "oo, bantu teman belajar itu bantu sekali. waktu sa harus jelaskan ke teman-teman, sa jadi lebih paham materi itu. bagus sekali cara belajar begitu. (student 9) (peer tutoring was incredibly helpful. when i had to explain things to my classmates, it really made me understand the material better. it was a great way to learn."). overall, the combination of accessible and versatile mall applications the collaborative peer tutoring environment led to significant improvements in students’ learning outcomes. they felt more engaged and motivated, which translated into better performance in their language studies. the interactive and supportive nature of these tools and methods made the learning process more enjoyable and effective. perceived challenges and benefits while the integration of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) with peer tutoring was largely seen as positive, students did identify some challenges alongside the benefits. out of the 15 students, 9 mentioned specific benefits, and 6 pointed out challenges. the integration of mall brought about numerous advantages that students appreciated. the flexibility and interactivity of the application were significant factors that contributed to a more engaging learning experience. many students noted that these application made learning more accessible, allowing them to study at their own pace and review materials whenever necessary. among the 9 students who highlighted benefits, 6 specifically mentioned the user-friendly nature of the application. this ease of use made the learning process enjoyable and less intimidating, transforming what was once a mundane task into a more dynamic and interactive activity. students felt that the mall application were designed in a way that was intuitive and easy to navigate, which helped reduce the initial learning curve often associate with new technologies. excerpt 9: "aplikasi itu gampang sekali dipake, bikin belajar jadi menyenangkan. sa bisa belajar dengan kecepatan sendiri dan ulangulang kapan sa mau. (student 11). (the app were really easy to use and made learning fun. i could learn at my own pace and review things whenever i needed."). despite the overall positive reception, some students encountered difficulties that highlighted the need for better support and instructions. of the 6 students who pointed out challenges, 4 mentioned the lack of comprehensive guidance on how to effectively use the mall applications. this gap in knowledge sometimes led to frustration and hindered their ability to fully leverage the benefits of the technology. students expressed that while the application were user-friendly, certain features and functionalities were not immediately intuitive. this sometimes resulted in students feeling stuck or unable to proceed with their learning activities. the need for more detailed instructions and tutorials was a recurring theme among the feedback from students who faced challenges. excerpt 10: "kadang-kadang, sa tidak tahu cara pake fitur-fitur di aplikasi itu, dan itu bikin sa sedikit frustrasi. lebih banyak petunjuk pasti lebih membantu”. (student 12). (sometimes, i didn’t know how to use features of the apps, and it was a bit frustrating. more instructions would have been helpful."). in summary, while the integration of mall with peer tutoring was largely beneficial and positively received, there were notable challenges that needed to be addressed. the positive aspects, such as flexibility, interactivity, and userfriendliness of the applications, significantly enhanced the learning experience for many students. however, the challenges related to the lack of detailed guidance and instructions underscored the importance of providing comprehensive support to ensure that all students can effectively utilize these tools. addressing these challenges would further enhance the effectiveness of mall and peer tutoring integration, making the learning process even more beneficial and enjoyable for students. sri fitayanti, dahlia husain, zapira alwolmabin, & eides nirigu the integration of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) with peer tutoring methods to enhance motivation and engagement among management students 906 the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of integrating mobile-assisted language learning (mall) applications with peer tutoring on student engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes in english language education. this research sought to explore how the use of mall applications could enhance students' interest, motivation, and engagement in learning english, as well as understand students' perceptions of the effectiveness of mall and peer tutoring in improving their language skills. the findings from both quantitative and qualitative data analyses reveal several significant outcomes. quantitative results showed a marked improvement in students' interest, motivation, and engagement post-intervention, with an average engagement score increasing from 2.5 to 4.1 out of 5. the use of mall applications, categorized into software applications (swa), web-based applications (wba), and socialization applications (sca), contributed to this improvement. qualitative data further corroborated these findings, highlighting students' positive experiences and perceptions of the mall and peer tutoring integration. key themes included increased engagement, enhanced motivation, perceived learning improvements, and the benefits of collaborative learning. the integration of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) applications with peer tutoring significantly enhanced student engagement and motivation. quantitative data revealed a substantial increase in average engagement scores, indicating that students found the learning process more enjoyable and interactive. these findings are consistent with (jeong, 2022) study in which underscores the role of online platforms and mobile applications in fostering self-directed learning. jeong's research highlights how mall can facilitate personalized learning experiences by providing students with flexible access to learning materials, enabling them to engage with content at their own pace and according to their individual learning needs. this approach not only supports learners in taking charge of their educational journey but also encourages autonomous learning habits that are crucial for lifelong language acquisition. furthermore, this study aligns with the findings of zhang et al. (2021) in their research "language learners’ enjoyment and emotion regulation in online collaborative learning." zhang et al. investigate the impact of enjoyment and emotion regulation on learners engaged in online collaborative environments. their research reveals that learners' emotional experiences and their ability to regulate these emotions play a significant role in their overall learning effectiveness in online settings. the study finds that positive emotional experiences and effective emotion regulation strategies contribute to higher levels of engagement, satisfaction, and ultimately, better language learning outcomes. by exploring how these emotional and psychological factors influence learners' experiences in online collaborative contexts, zhang et al. underscore the importance of integrating emotional support mechanisms into language learning platforms. these findings resonate with vygotsky (1978) seminal theory of social constructivism, which posits that cognitive development is intrinsically linked to social interactions. vygotsky's framework emphasizes that learning is fundamentally a social process, mediated by interactions with more knowledgeable others. in the context of this study, the synergistic integration of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) applications with peer tutoring created a rich social learning environment. this setting enabled students to engage in collaborative knowledge construction, share insights, and mutually support their educational journeys. the peer tutoring component exemplifies vygotsky's (vygotsky, 1978) concept of the "zone of proximal development" (zpd). the zpd delineates the gap between what a learner can achieve independently and what they can accomplish with appropriate scaffolding from peers or mentors. through structured peer tutoring sessions, students transcended their individual learning thresholds, leveraging the collective expertise and encouragement of their peers. this collaborative dynamic not only amplified their engagement and motivation but also facilitated deeper comprehension and retention of language skills. the study's findings thus underscore the enduring relevance of vygotsky's social constructivist principles, demonstrating their practical applicability in enhancing modern educational practices through technologically mediated social interaction. the study contributes to the growing body of literature on the effectiveness of mall in language education. it supports the notion that integrating technology with traditional teaching methods can enhance learning outcomes by increasing student engagement and motivation. the findings also underscore the importance of collaborative learning environments, as english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 907 emphasized in social constructivist theories. educators can leverage the benefits of mall applications to create more engaging and interactive learning experiences. the use of applications such as quizlet, youtube, and google translate can make language learning more accessible and enjoyable for students. additionally, incorporating peer tutoring sessions can further boost student motivation and understanding by providing opportunities for collaborative learning. the positive outcomes observed in this study suggest that educational policymakers should consider integrating mall applications and peer tutoring into language education curricula. by providing the necessary resources and training for teachers, schools can create more effective and engaging learning environments. policymakers should also address the need for clear instructions and support for using these technologies to ensure that all students can benefit from them. while the study yielded significant findings, several limitations must be acknowledged. first, the sample size was relatively small, with only 15 students participating in the semi-structured interviews. this limits the generalizability of the results. second, the study relied on self-reported data, which may be subject to biases. future research should consider larger sample sizes and incorporate more objective measures of engagement and learning outcomes. additionally, longitudinal studies could provide insights into the long-term effects of mall and peer tutoring integration on student learning. conclusion this study underscores the positive impact of integrating mall applications with peer tutoring on student engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes in english language education. the findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge by offering empirical evidence that supports the use of technology-enhanced learning environments. for educators and policymakers, these insights suggest the potential benefits of incorporating mall applications and peer tutoring strategies to foster more dynamic and effective language learning experiences. moving forward, future research should address the limitations identified in this study by exploring the long-term effects of these approaches, examining their scalability, and further investigating how these innovations can be tailored to meet the diverse needs of learners across different educational contexts. acknowledgment we sincerely thank the ministry of education, culture, research, and technology for their vital support and funding, which enabled this research. our deep appreciation also goes to the teachers, students, and everyone who actively participated and contributed to the study. additionally, we are profoundly grateful to lppm sekolah tinggi ilmu ekonomi (stie) port numbay, papua for their steadfast support and assistance throughout our research journey. references acuña, k., & blacklock, p. j. (2022). mastery teachers: how to build success for each student in today’s classrooms. journal of higher education theory and practice, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v22i1.4970 adrianto, t., ilmi, z., & heksarini, a. (2020). the influence of workload and motivation on employee satisfaction and performance of pt gema soerya samodra. international journal of economics, business and accounting research (ijebar), 4(03). https://doi.org/10.29040/ijebar.v4i03.1290 alamri, h., lowell, v., watson, w., & watson, s. l. (2020). using personalized learning as an instructional approach to motivate learners in online higher education: learner selfdetermination and intrinsic motivation. journal of research on technology in education, 52(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2020.1728449 alioon, y., & delialioğlu, ö. (2019). the effect of authentic m-learning activities on student engagement and motivation. british journal of educational technology, 50(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12559 amores-valencia, a., burgos, d., & branch-bedoya, j. w. (2022). influence of motivation and academic performance in the use of augmented reality in education. a systematic review. in frontiers in psychology (vol. 13). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1011409 arco-tirado, j. l., fernández-martín, f. d., & hervástorres, m. (2019). evidence-based peer-tutoring program to improve students’ performance at the university. studies in higher education. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1597038 baanqud, n. s., al-samarraie, h., alzahrani, a. i., & alfarraj, o. (2020). engagement in cloudsupported collaborative learning and student knowledge construction: a modeling study. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-00232-z bedi, a. (2023). keep learning: student engagement in an online environment. online learning journal, sri fitayanti, dahlia husain, zapira alwolmabin, & eides nirigu the integration of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) with peer tutoring methods to enhance motivation and engagement among management students 908 27(2). https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v27i2.3287 bekteshi, e., & xhaferi, b. (2020). an analysis of english for specific purposes among university students. educational process: international journal, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.22521/edupij.2020.92.2 caillaud, s., doumergue, m., préau, m., haas, v., & kalampalikis, n. (2019). the past and present of triangulation and social representations theory: a crossed history. qualitative research in psychology, 16(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2019.1605272 chibi, m. (2018). the role of the esp practitioner as business english teacher. international journal of english literature and social sciences, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.22161/ijels.3.2.12 chiu, t. k. f. (2022). applying the self-determination theory (sdt) to explain student engagement in online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. journal of research on technology in education, 54(s1). https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2021.1891998 daǧdeler, k. o., konca, m. y., & demiröz, h. (2020). the effect of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) on efl learners’ collocation learning. journal of language and linguistic studies, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.712891 diyanni, r., & borst, a. (2020). motivating student learning. in the craft of college teaching. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvp2n3jt.7 du plessis senior lecturer, a. j., young mbus graduate, c., & nel, p. (2011). using elearning, blended learning and digital literacy to improve student engagement and retention. management education and development. effectiveness of peer tutoring program on students’ academic performance for engineering course. (2021). international journal of service management and sustainability, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.24191/ijsms.v6i1.12879 fachrureza, d., & suryadana, m. l. (2019). the influence of competence and motivation on employees performance. kontigensi : jurnal ilmiah manajemen, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.56457/jimk.v7i1.65 fernández, f., & arco, j. (2011). effects of a peer tutoring programme among university students. infancia y aprendizaje, 34(1). https://doi.org/10.1174/021037011794390120 franklin, h., & harrington, i. (2019). a review into effective classroom management and strategies for student engagement: teacher and student roles in today’s classrooms. journal of education and training studies, 7(12). https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v7i12.4491 gatti, l., ulrich, m., & seele, p. (2019). education for sustainable development through business simulation games: an exploratory study of sustainability gamification and its effects on students’ learning outcomes. journal of cleaner production, 207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.09.130 gelmez, k., & arkan, s. (2022). aligning a cad course constructively: telling-to-peer and writing-to-peer activities for efficient use of cad in design curricula. international journal of technology and design education, 32(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-021-09656-8 guihang, g., & miao, z. (2019). identity construction of chinese business english teachers from the perspective of esp theory. international education studies, 12(7). https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v12n7p20 gutiérrez-colón, m., frumuselu, a. d., curell, h., & gutiérrez-colón, m. (2020). mobile-assisted language learning to enhance l2 reading comprehension : a selection of implementation studies between 2012 – 2017. interactive learning environments, 0(0), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1813179 harper, r. p., weston, t. j., & seymour, e. (2019). student responses to problematic stem teaching methods. in talking about leaving revisited. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-03025304-2_6 heesen, r., bright, l. k., & zucker, a. (2019). vindicating methodological triangulation. synthese, 196(8). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229016-1294-7 jakobsen, k. v., & daniel, d. b. (2019). evidenceinspired choices for teachers: team-based learning and interactive lecture. teaching of psychology, 46(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628319872411 jeong, k. o. (2022). facilitating sustainable selfdirected learning experience with the use of mobile-assisted language learning. sustainability (switzerland), 14(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052894 kanchana, k. (2016). a study on developing reading skills of engineering students through whatsapp as motivational strategy. in international journal of english research (vol. 2). kay, r., macdonald, t., & digiuseppe, m. (2019). a comparison of lecture-based, active, and flipped classroom teaching approaches in higher education. journal of computing in higher education, 31(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-018-9197-x lingnau, a. (2019). designing tomorrow’s classroom with today’s teachers. in classroom of the future. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789460911040_011 maruf, n. (2023). the interplay of teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and the implementation of differentiated instruction in indonesian efl contexts. english review: journal of english education, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7251 maruf, n., & anjely, a. m. r. (2020). utilizing english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 909 cooperative integrated reading and composition (circ) with mobile learning to enhance students’ reading comprehension. british (jurnal bahasa dan sastra inggris), 9(2), 10–19. maruf, n., asari, s., & indayani, w. r. (2023). design and pilot testing of multi-modal language learning environments (mlles) for efl students: assessing effectiveness. tell-us journal, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.22202/tus.2023.v9i3.7294 maruf, n., desembrianita, e., & husain, d. h. (2021). identifying esp course materials for students of magister management: a needs analysis. budapest international research and critics institute (birci-journal): humanities and social sciences, 4(3), 5773–5788. maruf, n., & helingo, a. (2022). assessment strategy to rectify efl students’ performance: a need analysis. jet adi buana, 7(02). https://doi.org/10.36456/jet.v7.n02.2022.6191 nugrahini, y. (2019). the influence of mall (mobile assisted language learning) on english as foreign language students’ reading comprehension. in organized by faculty of letters. octavia, h., widiati, u., & irawati, e. (2019). vocational students’ perceptions of mobile assisted language learning (mall) materials. jurnal pendidikan: teori, penelitian, dan pengembangan, 4(10). https://doi.org/10.17977/jptpp.v4i10.12842 olulowo, t. g., ige, o. a., & ugwoke, e. o. (2020). using peer tutoring to improve students’ academic achievement in financial accounting concepts. education research international, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8871235 opdecam, e., & everaert, p. (2019). choice-based learning: lecture-based or team learning? accounting education, 28(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/09639284.2019.1570857 pawelczak, d. (2017). comparison of traditional lecture and flipped classroom for teaching programming. https://doi.org/10.4995/head17.2017.5226 prasetyawati, o. a., & ardi, p. (2020). integrating instagram into efl writing to foster student engagement. teaching english with technology, 20(3). purwantoro, a., asari, s., & maruf, n. (2021). the effectiveness of e-learning madrasah in english teaching and learning. birci-journal, 4(3). saunders, p., chester, a., & xenos, s. (2020). university student peer tutoring. in championing cutting-edge 21st century mentoring and learning models and approaches. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004440371_003 seli, h. (2023). motivation and learning strategies for college success: a focus on self-regulated learning, seventh edition. in motivation and learning strategies for college success: a focus on self-regulated learning, seventh edition. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003385271 simbolon, n. e. (2021). english medium instruction (emi) practice: higher education internationalization in indonesia. englisia: journal of language, education, and humanities, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.22373/ej.v8i2.8961 ssemugenyi, f. (2023). teaching and learning methods compared: a pedagogical evaluation of problembased learning (pbl) and lecture methods in developing learners’ cognitive abilities. cogent education, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2023.2187943 svalberg, a. m. l. (2009). engagement with language: interrogating a construct. language awareness, 18(3–4), 242–258. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658410903197264 tao, j. (tracy), & gao, x. (andy). (2018). identity constructions of esp teachers in a chinese university. english for specific purposes, 49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2017.09.003 ullah, i., tabassum, r., & kaleem, m. (2018). effects of peer tutoring on the academic achievement of students in the subject of biology at secondary level. education sciences, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8030112 vu, t. van, magis-weinberg, l., jansen, b. r. j., van atteveldt, n., janssen, t. w. p., lee, n. c., van der maas, h. l. j., raijmakers, m. e. j., sachisthal, m. s. m., & meeter, m. (2022). motivation-achievement cycles in learning: a literature review and research agenda. in educational psychology review (vol. 34, issue 1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09616-7 vygotsky. (1978). vygotsky’s social constructivists theory of learning: the zone of proximal development. the impact of contructivism on education: language, discourse and meaning, 5(2002). yu, s., jiang, l., & zhou, n. (2020). investigating what feedback practices contribute to students’ writing motivation and engagement in chinese efl context: a large scale study. assessing writing, 44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2020.100451 yu, s., zhou, n., zheng, y., zhang, l., cao, h., & li, x. (2019). evaluating student motivation and engagement in the chinese efl writing context. studies in educational evaluation, 62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2019.06.002 zeng, h. l., chen, d. x., li, q., & wang, x. y. (2020). effects of seminar teaching method versus lecture-based learning in medical education: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. medical teacher, 42(12). https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159x.2020.1805100 zhang, z., liu, t., & lee, c. b. (2021). language learners’ enjoyment and emotion regulation in online collaborative learning. system, 98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102478 zheng, y., & yu, s. (2018). student engagement with sri fitayanti, dahlia husain, zapira alwolmabin, & eides nirigu the integration of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) with peer tutoring methods to enhance motivation and engagement among management students 910 teacher written corrective feedback in efl writing: a case study of chinese lowerproficiency students. assessing writing, 37(january), 13–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2018.03.001 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 809 transformative teachers and differentiated english instruction: enhancing student motivation and learning outcomes yara fitriani1, sofendi2, & machdalena vianty3 magister program of language education, 1,2,3faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang, indonesia corresponding author: yarafitriani48@gmail.com apa citation: fitriani, y., sofendi., vianty, m. (2025). transformative teachers and differentiated english instruction: enhancing student motivation and learning outcomes. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 809-822. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.10199 received: 18-02-2025 accepted: 21-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 introduction the modern classroom is characterized by unprecedented diversity in students' linguistic abilities, cultural backgrounds, and learning preferences, necessitating pedagogical approaches that move beyond traditional, uniform instruction (goyibhuva et al., 2025; hu, 2024). differentiated instruction (di) has emerged as a critical pedagogical framework, enabling teachers to tailor content, instructional processes, and assessments to meet individual learner needs (tomlinson, 2017; smets et al., 2022). however, while di has been extensively studied, its integration with transformative teaching—an approach that promotes equity, critical consciousness, and student agency—remains underexplored (chang, 2024; ortega, 2021). transformative teachers not only adapt instruction to student differences but also empower learners to challenge inequities and engage in meaningful, self-directed learning (jacobs & haberlin, 2022; yoon, 2021). this study investigates how transformative teachers implement di in english language classrooms to enhance student motivation and learning outcomes, bridging the gap between adaptive pedagogy and socially just education. a robust body of empirical research confirms the effectiveness of differentiated instruction (di) in enhancing both student engagement and academic performance. multiple studies across diverse educational contexts have demonstrated that when teachers adapt their instruction to accommodate varying student needs, significant learning gains result. in indonesian elementary schools, achmad et al. (2024) found that implementing di strategies in reading instruction abstract: modern classrooms demand teaching approaches that address diverse learning needs. this study examines how transformative english teachers implement differentiated instruction (di) to enhance student motivation and learning outcomes, combining adaptive pedagogy with equitable education practices. using a qualitative case study design, the research focused on two experienced indonesian english teachers trained in di through the guru penggerak program. semi-structured interviews explored their di implementation strategies and impacts on learners. results showed di significantly boosts engagement when teachers tailor instruction to individual needs through flexible grouping, tiered assignments, and multimodal assessments. students demonstrated greater motivation when expressing understanding through varied formats like videos, podcasts, or traditional essays. the approach also improved academic performance by aligning with different learning preferences and readiness levels. the study concludes di creates inclusive classrooms that foster both academic growth and 21st-century skills when implemented effectively. recommendations include investing in teacher training, providing di resources, and incorporating flexible assessment policies. future research should investigate di's long-term effects across diverse educational contexts. keywords: differentiated instruction; student motivation; learning outcomes; english teaching; transformative pedagogy. yara fitriani, sofendi, & machdalena vianty transformative teachers and differentiated english instruction: enhancing student motivation and learning outcomes 810 led to measurable improvements in comprehension skills, as teachers were able to tailor materials and pacing to students' individual literacy levels. similarly innovative applications of di principles have shown success in higher education settings, with balogun's (2025) research in nigerian universities revealing how gamified di approaches increased student participation and course completion rates in english language programs. these findings are further supported by studies examining di in stem education, where problembased differentiation (nur'aini et al., 2023) and inquiry-based methods (yeh, 2025) have proven particularly effective at developing students' higher-order thinking skills and conceptual understanding, moving beyond simple knowledge recall to foster deeper cognitive engagement with subject matter. despite the strong theoretical foundation and documented benefits of di, successful implementation presents significant challenges that require systemic support. research consistently identifies teacher expertise and adaptability as critical factors in effective differentiation (bhandari et al., 2025; smets et al., 2022). many educators face substantial barriers including inadequate preparation in di methods, inflexible curriculum requirements, and the logistical difficulties of managing differentiated lessons in overcrowded classrooms (hajis & othman, 2024; porta & todd, 2024). these implementation challenges highlight the crucial role of comprehensive professional development programs, such as those described by alshaikhi and khasawneh (2025) which successfully enhanced english teachers' ability to differentiate instruction for students with disabilities. such programs typically incorporate hands-on training in diagnostic assessment, instructional planning for diverse learners, and classroom management strategies for heterogeneous groups. the research suggests that ongoing, job-embedded professional learning opportunities—including coaching, professional learning communities, and classroombased mentoring—are essential for helping teachers develop and maintain effective di practices over time. one of the most well-documented advantages of di is its positive impact on student motivation and engagement. by aligning instructional methods with learners' individual interests, readiness levels, and preferred learning modalities, di creates learning experiences that are inherently more meaningful and relevant to students (handiyani & muhtar, 2022; sapan & mede, 2022). the motivational power of di is evident in studies like özer and yılmaz's (2018) research in turkish efl classrooms, which found that instruction tailored to students' thinking styles not only improved immediate academic performance but also enhanced long-term knowledge retention. similarly, balogun's (2025) work with gamified di in nigeria demonstrated how incorporating elements of challenge, choice, and friendly competition can tap into students' intrinsic motivation, making the learning process more enjoyable and personally rewarding. these findings collectively suggest that di's effectiveness stems from its fundamental respect for learner individuality, creating educational experiences that acknowledge and value students' unique strengths, interests, and ways of processing information. when students encounter learning activities that are appropriately challenging yet achievable, and that connect to their personal experiences and goals, they are more likely to engage deeply with the material and persist through difficulties. transformative teaching represents an evolution beyond basic differentiated instruction, integrating principles of critical pedagogy with adaptive teaching methods. while differentiated instruction focuses on meeting individual learning needs, transformative teaching uses this differentiation as a foundation to cultivate critical consciousness, promote educational equity, and empower students as active participants in their learning (chang, 2024; ortega, 2021). teachers employing this transformative approach utilize differentiated strategies not merely as accommodation tools, but as mechanisms to challenge systemic educational inequalities (yoon, 2021). research by jacobs and haberlin (2022) demonstrates how educators in multicultural classrooms strategically employ differentiation to elevate marginalized voices, using flexible grouping and tiered assignments to disrupt traditional power dynamics in the classroom. this pedagogical approach transforms di from a technical teaching strategy into an instrument for social justice, where academic differentiation becomes intertwined with identity affirmation and empowerment. despite its proven benefits, implementing differentiated instruction faces significant structural and cultural obstacles across educational systems. studies in indonesia and serbia reveal how standardized testing regimes create disincentives for differentiation, pressuring teachers to prioritize test preparation over responsive teaching (tundreng et al., 2025; english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 811 ninković et al., 2024). the pervasive practice of ability labeling further complicates implementation, as terms like "low-achiever" can become self-fulfilling prophecies that contradict di's equity objectives (porta et al., 2024). these challenges underscore the necessity for comprehensive reforms that extend beyond classroom practices to address assessment systems, school cultures, and education policies. successful di implementation requires simultaneous topdown policy support and bottom-up pedagogical transformation, creating ecosystems where differentiated practices can flourish. the effectiveness of differentiated instruction depends heavily on cultural and contextual adaptation. research in global south contexts demonstrates that di models imported from western education systems often fail unless significantly localized (hidayat et al., 2024; gyawali, 2023). jufrianto and basri's (2025) work in rural indonesian schools illustrates how differentiation succeeds when incorporating local knowledge systems, vernacular languages, and community-relevant examples. simultaneously, emerging technologies offer new possibilities for personalization, with ai-driven platforms enabling sophisticated adaptation to individual learning trajectories (yeh, 2025; syafitri, 2024). however, the digital divide presents serious equity concerns, necessitating blended approaches that combine technological tools with human-mediated differentiation, particularly in resourceconstrained settings (compen et al., 2025). while progressive policies like indonesia's kurikulum merdeka formally endorse differentiated instruction, implementation often falters due to insufficient practical guidance and support structures (halimah, 2023). case studies reveal that without concrete resources, professional development, and collaborative planning time, even motivated teachers struggle to sustain effective differentiation (mairoza et al., 2024). transformational school leadership emerges as a critical success factor, with research showing that principals who foster teacher autonomy, establish professional learning communities, and buffer against external pressures create environments where differentiation thrives (ninković et al., 2024; porta et al., 2024). these findings suggest that supporting di requires investments in both human capital and organizational culture, not just policy declarations. this study breaks new ground by examining the intersection of differentiated instruction and transformative teaching in english language education an area that has received surprisingly little scholarly attention despite its practical significance (thohir & amalia, 2024; ortega, 2021). the research explores how english teachers can simultaneously address diverse learning needs while fostering critical language awareness and educational empowerment (chang, 2024; yoon, 2021). by investigating how transformative educators adapt di principles in multilingual classrooms, the study develops a model that integrates academic adaptation with sociocultural responsiveness. this dual focus aligns with the united nations' sustainable development goal 4 (inclusive quality education), offering concrete strategies for reducing disparities in language education outcomes (gaitas et al., 2024). the findings have significant implications for teacher education programs, suggesting they must develop both the technical skills of differentiation and the philosophical foundations of transformative pedagogy to prepare educators for 21st-century classrooms. method this research employed a qualitative case study design to explore how transformative english teachers implement differentiated instruction (di) and its impact on student motivation and learning outcomes. as emphasized by gaitas et al. (2024), qualitative approaches are particularly effective for examining complex educational practices in authentic classroom settings. the case study method was selected because it enables an in-depth investigation of teachers' instructional practices within their natural teaching environments (hidayat et al., 2024). this approach aligns with gyawali's (2023) assertion that case studies provide rich, contextual understanding of pedagogical phenomena. the study utilized purposive sampling to select two exemplary transformative english teachers (guru penggerak) from public junior high schools in palembang. both participants were highly experienced educators with 19-20 years of english teaching experience who had completed the guru penggerak professional development program (halimah, 2023). their schools were designated as sekolah penggerak, reflecting their commitment to implementing innovative teaching approaches (wahyuningsih et al., 2022). these teachers were specifically chosen due to their active and intentional use of differentiated learning strategies in daily instruction (maruf, 2023), characteristics that bhandari et al. (2025) identify as essential for effective di implementation. yara fitriani, sofendi, & machdalena vianty transformative teachers and differentiated english instruction: enhancing student motivation and learning outcomes 812 semi-structured interviews served as the primary data collection method, as they have been shown to effectively capture teachers' pedagogical beliefs and practices (tundreng et al., 2025). the interview protocol focused on four key areas: (1) teachers' conceptual understanding of differentiated instruction (achmad et al., 2024), (2) specific strategies for implementing di in english classes (diananseri & yaslina, 2024), (3) perceived impacts on student motivation and learning outcomes (sapan & mede, 2022), and (4) challenges encountered during di implementation (hajis & othman, 2024). to ensure research credibility, the study incorporated member checking, a process where participants verified the accuracy of the researcher's interpretations (porta & todd, 2024). this validation strategy helped address potential issues of researcher subjectivity, a critical consideration in qualitative research highlighted by obrovská et al. (2024). the interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis following the framework described by ninković et al. (2024). the analysis process involved five key stages: transcription of interview recordings, repeated readings to identify initial patterns, systematic coding of the entire dataset, development of meaningful themes, and final refinement of these themes. the research adhered to rigorous ethical standards in educational research (porta et al., 2024). all participants provided informed consent, were assured anonymity through the use of pseudonyms, retained the right to withdraw at any time, and the study obtained necessary permissions from school administrations. these measures align with current best practices for conducting classroom-based research. the selection of guru penggerak participants held particular significance for several reasons. first, these educators had received specialized training in contemporary student-centered approaches (chang, 2024). second, their schools were actively engaged in implementing indonesia's current educational reforms (mairoza et al., 2024). third, they demonstrated a strong commitment to innovative teaching methods (alshaikhi & khasawneh, 2025). finally, their extensive teaching experience facilitated deep reflective practice (jacobs & haberlin, 2022), making them ideal candidates for this investigation. this methodological approach yielded rich, contextualized insights into di implementation while maintaining the rigorous standards of qualitative research. the findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge about differentiated instruction in efl contexts (jufrianto & basri, 2025) and respond to recent calls for more contextspecific investigations of teaching practices (thohir & amalia, 2024). the study's strengths include its depth of qualitative exploration (goyibova et al., 2025), focus on transformative teachers (ortega, 2021), alignment with current di research (hu, 2024), and relevance to the indonesian educational context (handiyani & muhtar, 2022). while the small sample size represents a limitation common to case study research, the depth of understanding gained through this approach provides valuable insights that complement broader quantitative studies in the field. results and discussion teacher’s understanding of differentiated learning the study's findings demonstrate that teachers acquired their understanding of differentiated instruction through their participation in the guru penggerak program, a transformative teacher training initiative implemented by the indonesian government to promote student-centered learning. analysis reveals that teachers possess a comprehensive awareness of student diversity, recognizing that each learner has unique characteristics shaped by their individual talents, preferences, and interests. this understanding forms the foundation of their instructional approach, as they consciously adapt their teaching methods to accommodate various learning profiles, including visual, auditory, and kinesthetic modalities. the data indicates that teachers' conceptualization of differentiated instruction aligns with contemporary educational principles that emphasize learner variability. their pedagogical beliefs reflect a commitment to creating inclusive learning environments where all students can thrive. teachers demonstrate this through their intentional modification of content, process, and product based on careful assessment of student needs. this adaptive approach stems directly from their training in the guru penggerak program, which emphasizes responsive teaching practices within indonesia's merdeka belajar (freedom to learn) curriculum framework. a detailed examination of teachers' perspectives, as presented in the accompanying table, shows they view differentiation not as an optional strategy but as an essential component of effective instruction. their understanding encompasses both the philosophical underpinnings english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 813 of differentiated learning and practical classroom applications. teachers particularly emphasize the importance of recognizing and valuing student differences while maintaining high expectations for all learners. this balanced approach reflects the transformative nature of their professional development experience, which has equipped them with both the mindset and skills necessary for implementing differentiated instruction effectively. table 1. teacher’s understanding of differentiated learning theme sub-theme findings teacher understanding differentiated learning concept all teachers understood the concept of meeting students’ needs according to their readiness, and profiles. differentiated learning purpose all teachers understood the broader purpose of differentiated learning understanding of differentiated instruction among teachers the research findings demonstrate that teachers developed their expertise in differentiated instruction primarily through their participation in the guru penggerak program, a transformative professional development initiative established by the indonesian government to promote studentcentered learning (halimah, 2023). analysis reveals that educators possess a comprehensive understanding of student diversity, recognizing that each learner exhibits unique characteristics shaped by individual talents, preferences, and interests (bhandari et al., 2025). this awareness forms the foundation of their instructional approach, as they consciously adapt their teaching methods to accommodate various learning modalities, including visual, auditory, and kinesthetic preferences (goyibova et al., 2025). as participant 1 articulated, "the main idea is to meet students' needs in ways that suit them," while participant 2 emphasized that "the core of di is teaching based on student needs— understanding what each student requires" (hidayat et al., 2024). these perspectives align with current research showing that effective differentiation requires teachers to develop a nuanced understanding of students as individuals and tailor instruction accordingly (achmad et al., 2024). the teachers' approach reflects the principles of indonesia's merdeka belajar curriculum framework, which emphasizes responsive teaching practices that honor student individuality while maintaining high academic expectations (wahyuningsih et al., 2022). both teachers demonstrated a strong belief in the inherent diversity of learners, maintaining that every child possesses unique characteristics and learning dispositions (maruf, 2023). this conviction echoes the educational philosophy of ki hajar dewantara, indonesia's pioneer of student-centered education, and is supported by contemporary research showing that differentiation leads to improved outcomes when teachers adapt instruction to students' varying needs (diananseri & yaslina, 2024; sapan & mede, 2022). their implementation of flexible teaching strategies that consider students' varying learning paces and abilities transforms the traditional teacher-student dynamic into a collaborative partnership (chang, 2024). the study's findings corroborate recent research indicating that differentiated instruction significantly enhances student engagement and learning outcomes when properly implemented (labordo jr., 2024). teachers' ability to move beyond standardized instruction by implementing flexible teaching strategies demonstrates the effectiveness of the guru penggerak program in developing educators' capacity for responsive teaching (alshaikhi & khasawneh, 2025). these results are consistent with broader international findings on the benefits of differentiated instruction across various educational contexts (hu, 2024; tundreng et al., 2025). the study findings reveal a strong philosophical alignment between the teachers' implementation of differentiated instruction and ki hajar dewantara's educational principles. the goal is aligned with ki hajar dewantara’s educational vision—to bring happiness and wellbeing by helping students explore their natural potential. – p1 in fact, based on ki hadjar dewantara’s philosophy, true learning freedom means giving children space to explore, grow, and learn without pressure. – p2 participant 1 emphasized how their teaching goals connect directly to dewantara's vision, stating that education should cultivate happiness yara fitriani, sofendi, & machdalena vianty transformative teachers and differentiated english instruction: enhancing student motivation and learning outcomes 814 and wellbeing by nurturing each student's natural potential. this perspective reflects the core belief that learning experiences should be tailored to help students discover and develop their unique abilities. participant 2 further elaborated on this connection, explaining that true educational freedom a central tenet of dewantara's philosophy requires giving students the space to explore, grow, and learn without undue pressure or artificial constraints. these teacher perspectives demonstrate how differentiated instruction serves as a contemporary manifestation of dewantara's humanistic educational approach. both participants highlighted the importance of creating learning environments that respect individual differences and allow students to progress at their own pace. their instructional practices embody three key aspects of dewantara's philosophy: the intrinsic value of each learner, the need for flexible teaching methods, and the importance of natural developmental processes. by adapting their instruction to accommodate diverse learning needs and preferences, the teachers operationalize dewantara's vision of education that is both personalized and empowering. the teachers' approach aligns with recent research on culturally responsive pedagogy in the indonesian context. their emphasis on student wellbeing alongside academic growth mirrors findings that differentiated instruction can enhance both learning outcomes and emotional development when properly implemented. this dual focus on cognitive and affective domains represents a holistic interpretation of dewantara's educational philosophy, demonstrating how traditional values can inform modern teaching practices. the participants' success in creating supportive, pressure-free learning environments while maintaining academic rigor illustrates the practical application of these principles in contemporary classrooms. purpose of differentiated learning the analysis revealed that teachers possess a clear understanding of students' diverse learning needs and recognize the importance of addressing these individual differences through differentiated instruction. this approach requires educators to carefully assess students' abilities and tailor their teaching strategies accordingly before instruction begins. as highlighted by diananseri and yaslina (2024), teachers who grasp the fundamental concept of differentiated learning are better equipped to implement it effectively, ensuring that instruction aligns with students' unique requirements. participant 1 articulated a student-centered perspective, stating, "the purpose of education is to discover and develop each student’s unique abilities." this view emphasizes personalized growth over standardized achievement, reinforcing the idea that learning should nurture individual potential rather than enforce uniformity. participant 2 further clarified the practical application of differentiation, explaining, "we use this information to group students—not to discriminate, but to support those who need more help and guide them more effectively." this approach aligns with goyibova et al. (2025), who argue that strategic grouping in differentiated instruction enhances targeted support without fostering inequality. the teachers' insights demonstrate a commitment to inclusive and adaptive education. participant 1’s perspective shifts the focus from content delivery to personal development, while participant 2 highlights how differentiation ensures equitable learning opportunities. this aligns with hidayat et al. (2024), who found that differentiated instruction fosters inclusivity by accommodating varying learning paces and styles. the teachers' use of assessment data to inform instruction—rather than to label students—reflects the principles of equitable pedagogy discussed by thohir and amalia (2024). by understanding the purpose of differentiation, teachers make deliberate adjustments in both content and instructional processes. instead of delivering uniform material, they modify lessons to ensure accessibility and relevance for each student. this approach, as supported by achmad et al. (2024), helps maintain an optimal balance between challenge and support, preventing frustration while promoting academic growth. the findings suggest that when teachers apply differentiated strategies thoughtfully, they create a learning environment where all students can thrive at their own pace, reinforcing the principles of student-centered education advocated by ki hajar dewantara (wahyuningsih et al., 2022). in summary, the teachers' implementation of differentiated learning reflects a deep commitment to recognizing and nurturing individual potential. their practices align with contemporary research (bhandari et al., 2025; labordo jr., 2024), demonstrating that differentiation, when applied with intentionality, enhances both inclusivity and academic success. by adapting content and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 815 instructional methods to meet students' needs, they ensure that learning remains engaging, manageable, and conducive to long-term growth. for those who are struggling, i give simpler questions, while the more advanced students get more challenging ones. i might differentiate the number of questions—giving five to lower-level students and ten to higher-level ones. – p1 i also vary class activities. i group students by ability: fast, average, and slow learners. sometimes i mix them so they can learn from each other and collaborate more. – p2 the differentiated instruction strategies described by these teachers demonstrate strong alignment with current educational research. p1's approach of modifying question difficulty and assignment quantity based on student readiness levels reflects well-established best practices in differentiation. this tiered methodology supports brunello and brunello's (2022) findings that adjusting cognitive demands according to individual ability leads to improved learning outcomes. similarly, p2's flexible grouping strategies alternating between ability-based and mixed groups mirrors compen et al.'s (2025) research showing this dual approach maximizes both academic progress and peer learning benefits. these classroom practices reveal two significant, research-supported insights about effective differentiation. first, the teachers display a sophisticated understanding of di principles by addressing diverse learning needs across multiple dimensions, including cognitive ability, learning pace, and social-emotional factors. this comprehensive approach aligns with halil et al.'s (2024) concept of multidimensional differentiation, which has proven particularly effective in diverse classrooms. second, the teachers maintain a consistent focus on individual growth rather than comparative achievement, implementing scaffolding techniques that build from each student's current knowledge level. this student-centered philosophy corresponds with jufrianto and basri's (2025) findings about successful di implementation in indonesian educational contexts. the teachers' methods exemplify what smets et al. (2022) term "responsive differentiation" an adaptive approach that evolves with learners' changing needs. by combining ability-appropriate challenges with purposeful peer learning opportunities, they create inclusive yet rigorous classroom environments. this balanced implementation, as described in ninković et al.'s (2024) research, demonstrates both technical mastery of di strategies and philosophical commitment to equitable education. the approaches effectively maintain high academic standards while ensuring all students receive appropriate support, validating sapan and mede's (2022) findings about di's positive impacts on student motivation and autonomy. these evidence-based practices highlight how differentiated instruction, when implemented with pedagogical sophistication, can successfully address diverse learning needs while maintaining rigorous academic expectations. the teachers' strategies including tiered assignments, flexible grouping, and continuous adaptation reflect current research demonstrating di's effectiveness in creating inclusive, student-centered learning environments that foster both academic achievement and personal growth. implementation of differentiated instruction strategies the classroom practices described by participants demonstrate research-supported applications of differentiated instruction principles. as substantiated by brunello and brunello's (2022) findings on content adaptation, the tiered questioning system where teachers adjust both cognitive complexity and assignment quantity based on student readiness levels has been shown to significantly improve learning outcomes. this approach aligns with achmad et al.'s (2024) systematic review confirming that differentiated reading instruction enhances comprehension when tailored to individual abilities. the flexible grouping strategies employed reflect contemporary research by compen et al. (2025), whose study of vocational education demonstrated that alternating between homogeneous and heterogeneous groupings optimizes both skill development and peer learning. this dual approach effectively operationalizes bhandari et al.'s (2025) findings about successful di implementation in mixedability language classrooms. the teachers' comprehensive differentiation across cognitive, affective, and social domains exemplifies what halil et al. (2024) identify as multidimensional differentiation, particularly effective in diverse educational settings. these practices embody the "responsive differentiation" framework identified by smets et al. (2022), where continuous adaptation to learner needs maintains academic rigor while supporting yara fitriani, sofendi, & machdalena vianty transformative teachers and differentiated english instruction: enhancing student motivation and learning outcomes 816 diverse students. the developmental focus on individual growth rather than comparative achievement aligns with jufrianto and basri's (2025) research on effective differentiation in indonesian contexts and sapan and mede's (2022) findings about di's positive impacts on learner autonomy. as ninković et al. (2024) established through their study of serbian schools, such balanced implementation requires both technical proficiency and philosophical commitment to inclusive education principles. student’s learning motivation extensive educational research substantiates the significant impact of differentiated learning strategies on enhancing student engagement and motivation. studies by sapan and mede (2022) and handiyani & muhtar (2022) demonstrate that when educators implement varied instructional approaches tailored to students' readiness levels and interests, classrooms become more dynamic learning environments that boost both participation and content mastery. this pedagogical shift from traditional uniform instruction to customized learning experiences aligns with brunello and brunello's (2022) findings on content differentiation, showing how adapting cognitive demands to individual learners leads to better knowledge retention and more positive learning attitudes. the effectiveness of these differentiated techniques stems from their ability to address the full spectrum of student abilities and learning preferences. as evidenced in achmad et al.'s (2024) systematic review, differentiated reading instruction significantly improved comprehension outcomes by accommodating varying literacy levels. similarly, balogun's (2025) research on gamified differentiation in nigerian english courses revealed how interactive, competitive elements increased student motivation and course completion rates. these studies collectively confirm that when teachers move beyond rigid, one-size-fits-all instruction to implement flexible grouping, tiered assignments, and multimodal learning options strategies emphasized by compen et al. (2025) they create classrooms where all students feel appropriately challenged and supported. the transformative power of differentiation is particularly evident in its dual impact on both cognitive and affective learning dimensions. research by özer and yılmaz (2018) in turkish efl classrooms and nur'aini et al. (2023) in science education demonstrates that differentiated approaches not only improve academic performance but also foster long-term knowledge retention and more positive attitudes toward learning. this occurs because, as smets et al. (2022) found, responsive differentiation meets students at their individual developmental levels while gradually scaffolding them toward more complex thinking. the resulting classroom environment where diverse learners experience regular success while being stretched to grow aligns perfectly with the motivational principles outlined in sapan and mede's (2022) study of learner autonomy and engagement. table 2. students’ motivation main theme sub-theme finding students’ positive respond motivation booster students respond positively to differentiated instruction, showing increased engagement, motivation, and enthusiasm for learning. positive motivation student motivation plays a vital role in the success of any instructional approach, including differentiated learning. when students feel that lessons are relevant to their interests and learning styles, their enthusiasm and willingness to participate tend to increase. i’ve seen a significant boost in their engagement and learning activity. – p1 the students were very enthusiastic, the students were really motivated and excited to learn this way. – p2 based on the result, p1 and p2 highlighted a strong and genuine enthusiasm from students when differentiated instruction is applied in the classroom. p1 observed a noticeable increase in how actively students participated and engaged with their learning, while p2 shared how the classroom atmosphere shifted into something more lively and motivating. the students weren’t just following instructions but they were truly involved, eager, and emotionally invested in the learning process. this kind of reaction suggests that when teaching is tailored to meet diverse needs, interests, and learning styles, students feel more seen and supported. it energizes them and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 817 makes learning feel more relevant and enjoyable. their positive response is not just a sign of good teaching practice; it reflects how meaningful and inclusive learning experiences can unlock greater curiosity and effort from learners. in conclusion, differentiated learning which incorporating diverse activities in the classroom can significantly boost students' motivation to learn by catering to their different interests and learning styles. this is in line with research conducted by smets et al. (2022) demonstrates that differentiated learning effectively addresses students' needs. further support for differentiated learning is evident in the research findings of handiyani & muhtar (2022) and meinur et al. (2023), indicating that it has the capacity to enhance student enthusiasm. students’ learning outcomes based on the result, differentiated learning enables students to study according to their individual needs and learning styles, which boosts their participation and motivation. this approach makes students more active in the learning process and enhances their understanding of the material. the outcomes of their learning show increased creativity and conceptual understanding, with diverse and in-depth work that aligns with their interests and abilities. differentiated learning allows students to imagine and create according to their interests and talents. although the learning objectives are the same, students can explore their understanding using various media that suit their preferences, without any coercion. table 3. students’ learning outcomes main theme sub-theme finding students’ learning outcomes varied learning outcome differentiated learning leads to a wide range of student learning outcomes, reflecting their diverse learning preferences, strengths, and creative expressions. varied learning outcome one of the key strengths of differentiated instruction lies in its ability to produce varied and meaningful learning outcomes. by allowing students to demonstrate their understanding in different formats, teachers give them the opportunity to use their strengths and creativity. i once asked students to make a recount text about their personal experience. they were free to choose the format—some wrote essays, some recorded audio, others made comics or added photos with captions. i used google drive for submissions. some even uploaded their videos on tiktok and shared the links with me. – p1 i once taught a lesson on advertisements. kinesthetic students created broadcast videos, visual students made printed posters, and auditory learners recorded voice ads. – p2 differentiated instruction allows students to demonstrate their understanding in varied ways, as shown in p1's recount text assignment where students could choose between writing essays, recording audio, creating comics, or even making tiktok videos. this approach aligns with universal design for learning principles by providing multiple means of action and expression. research by sapan and mede (2022) supports this strategy, finding that student choice in output formats significantly increases engagement and motivation. the use of digital platforms like google drive and tiktok also reflects 21st-century learning needs, where multimodal literacy extends beyond traditional writing (yeh, 2025). by allowing such flexibility, p1 created an inclusive environment where students could leverage their strengths while still meeting the same learning objectives. p2's advertisement lesson took a learning styles approach, assigning different tasks based on students' preferred modalities: kinesthetic learners created videos, visual learners designed posters, and auditory learners produced voice ads. while learning style theory has been debated, studies like özer and yılmaz (2018) demonstrate that matching tasks to student preferences can improve retention and performance. this method exemplifies differentiation by process, where students engage with content in ways that suit them best (tomlinson, 2017). the real-world application of creating actual advertisements added authenticity to the task, making learning more meaningful (brunello & brunello, 2022). such an approach not only accommodates diverse learners but also prepares them for professional scenarios where different media formats are required. both examples highlight key benefits of differentiated instruction. first, they demonstrate yara fitriani, sofendi, & machdalena vianty transformative teachers and differentiated english instruction: enhancing student motivation and learning outcomes 818 student-centered learning, where pupils take ownership of their educational journey. second, they showcase how technology can facilitate diverse expressions of knowledge. third, they maintain academic rigor while allowing flexibility in how standards are met. however, these methods do present challenges, particularly in assessment. teachers must develop clear rubrics that focus on content mastery rather than format conformity (wahyuningsih et al., 2022). some students may also need guidance in selecting appropriate formats, suggesting the need for scaffolding (smets et al., 2022). incorporating peer feedback and metacognitive reflections could further enhance these activities by helping students appreciate different approaches and understand their own learning processes (herwina, 2021). ultimately, these teaching examples illustrate how differentiated instruction creates equitable learning opportunities. by honoring individual differences in how students process and demonstrate knowledge, teachers can foster greater engagement while maintaining high expectations. the research-backed strategies employed by p1 and p2 from offering product choices to aligning tasks with learning preferences show how differentiation leads to more meaningful and effective learning experiences. as goyibova et al. (2025) emphasize, such approaches are particularly valuable in today's diverse classrooms, ensuring all students have pathways to success that play to their unique strengths and interests. for feedback, i usually talk to the student personally. i frequently start by praising their work first, and then i give them suggestions afterward. – p1 a similar point was also expressed by p2, but they added that for students who show lower performance, additional learning support (enrichment) is needed for them. if a student is having a hard time keeping up or hasn't reached the learning goals yet, they’re given extra support through enrichment activities. instead of pushing them too hard, the focus is on helping them catch up with the learning. – p2 post-implementation evaluation plays a crucial role in differentiated instruction, as emphasized by recent studies. according to labordo (2024), systematic assessment of differentiated learning outcomes allows educators to measure effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. this reflective process, described by ninković et al. (2024) as essential for professional growth, has been shown to increase student engagement and enthusiasm when implemented consistently. research findings from differentiated classrooms reveal two key patterns: first, students exhibit significantly more positive responses and heightened motivation when given choice in their learning (ramilo & ting, 2025); second, while academic outcomes vary based on individual preferences, overall results remain positive across different learning modalities (jufrianto & basri, 2025). these observations align with broader trends in contemporary education research. recent empirical studies continue to validate the benefits of differentiated approaches. compen et al. (2025) found that students in differentiated classrooms demonstrate both academic gains and improved emotional engagement, showing greater enthusiasm for learning tasks. similarly, obrovská et al. (2024) confirmed that instruction tailored to individual needs leads to better learning outcomes, particularly when incorporating student interests and readiness levels. additional support comes from matiyenga and ajani (2024), whose work demonstrates that motivation increases substantially when teaching methods accommodate diverse learning profiles. this growing body of 2023-2025 research consistently indicates that personalized, differentiated instruction fosters more effective learning experiences by increasing relevance and personal connection for students. as diananseri and yaslina (2024) note, the flexibility inherent in differentiated approaches allows learners to engage with content in ways that align with their individual strengths and preferences, leading to more meaningful educational outcomes. conclusions this study demonstrates that differentiated instruction, when implemented by transformative english teachers, effectively enhances student motivation and learning outcomes. by adapting content, instructional processes, and assessment methods to accommodate diverse learning needs, teachers create more engaging and inclusive classrooms. the findings show that when students are given choices in how they learn and demonstrate understanding, they become more invested in their education and achieve better academic results. the research highlights the importance of teacher training and support in successfully english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 819 implementing differentiated instruction. while challenges such as time constraints and classroom management exist, they can be addressed through collaborative planning, professional development, and the strategic use of technology. teachers who embrace this approach foster not only academic growth but also essential 21st-century skills like creativity, critical thinking, and self-directed learning. ultimately, this study underscores the value of differentiated instruction as a student-centered approach that recognizes and nurtures individual potential. by tailoring instruction to meet diverse needs, educators can create equitable learning environments where all students thrive. the findings provide valuable insights for teachers and policymakers seeking to enhance educational practices and ensure meaningful learning experiences for every student. references achmad, w. k. s., rachman, s. a., aras, l., & amran, m. (2024). differentiated instruction in reading in elementary schools: a systematic review. international journal of evaluation and research in education (ijere), 13(3), 1997– 2005. alshaikhi, t., & khasawneh, m. a. s. (2025). enhancing teacher competence in differentiated instruction for english language learners with disabilities: a professional development intervention. world journal of english language, 15(1), 101. balogun, s. (2025). gamified learning as a strategic tool for addressing differentiated instruction challenges in nigerian tertiary english classrooms. journal of education, communication, and digital humanities, 1(1), 32–42. bhandari, b. l., bhandari, l. p., & baguinat, n. s. (2025). english language teachers' practices of differentiated instruction in mixed-ability classrooms. journal of languages and language teaching, 13(2), 912–923. brunello, a., & brunello, f.-e. (2022). differentiation through content and process: how adapting to student readiness and interests boosts engagement and motivation. international journal of critical research, 12(4), 279–284. chang, s. (2024). developing preservice bilingual teachers’ transformative agency. teaching and teacher education, 137, 104405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104405 coffey, d. (2014). transforming lives with differentiated literacy instruction. journal of education & human development, 3(1), 85– 103. compen, b., verstegen, d., maussen, i., hülsman, c., & dolmans, d. (2025). good practices for differentiated instruction in vocational education: the combined perspectives of educational researchers and teachers. international journal of inclusive education, 29(6), 1017-1034. dalila, a. a., rahmah, s., liliawati, w., & kaniawati, i. (2022). the effect of differentiated learning in problem-based learning on cognitive learning outcomes of high school students. jurnal penelitian pendidikan ipa (jppipa), 8(4), 1820–1826. https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v8i4.1839 diananseri, c., & yaslina, r. (2024). individualizing english learning: implementing differentiated instruction. escience humanity journal, 4(2), 39–47. gaitas, s., carêto, c., peixoto, f., & castro silva, j. (2024). differentiated instruction: ‘to be, or not to be, that is the question’. international journal of inclusive education, 28(11), 2607–2623. goyibova, n., muslimov, n., sabirova, g., kadirova, n., & samatova, b. (2025). differentiation approach in education: tailoring instruction for diverse learner needs. methodsx, 14, 103163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2024.103163 gyawali, s. k. (2023). differentiated instruction in english language classroom: a narrative inquiry [doctoral dissertation, kathmandu university school of education]. hajis, s. a., & othman, n. (2024). navigating challenges and strategies in implementing differentiated instruction: a conceptual overview. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 14(8), 766–784. halil, n. i., yawan, h., hasanah, a. n., syam, h., & andas, n. h. (2024). a new program to foster inclusion: unraveling language teachers' pedagogical practices to differentiated instruction. international journal of language education, 8(2), 370–383. halimah, n. (2023). analisis pembelajaran berdiferensiasi sebagai bentuk implementasi kebijakan kurikulum merdeka. pendas: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan dasar, 8(1), 5019. https://doi.org/10.23969/jp.v8i1.7552 handiyani, m., & muhtar, t. (2022). mengembangkan motivasi belajar siswa melalui strategi pembelajaran berdiferensiasi: sebuah kajian pembelajaran dalam perspektif pedagogikfilosofis. jurnal basicedu, 6(4), 5817–5826. https://doi.org/10.31004/basicedu.v6i4.3116 harmini, t., & effendi, l. (2018). the effect of the use of differentiated instruction-based module on students’ learning motivation. unnes journal of mathematics education, 7(3), 141–146. https://doi.org/10.15294/ujme.v7i3.26764 https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v8i4.1839 https://doi.org/10.23969/jp.v8i1.7552 https://doi.org/10.31004/basicedu.v6i4.3116 https://doi.org/10.15294/ujme.v7i3.26764 yara fitriani, sofendi, & machdalena vianty transformative teachers and differentiated english instruction: enhancing student motivation and learning outcomes 820 herwina, w. (2021). optimalisasi kebutuhan siswa dan hasil belajar dengan pembelajaran berdiferensiasi. perspektif ilmu pendidikan, 35(2), 175–182. hidayat, l. e., basthomi, y., & afrilyasanti, r. (2024). exploring secondary school teachers' creativity in differentiated instruction (di) practices across indonesian efl classrooms. thinking skills and creativity, 53, 101620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2024.101620 hu, l. (2024). utilization of differentiated instruction in k-12 classrooms: a systematic literature review (2000–2022). asia pacific education review, 25(2), 507–525. jacobs, j., & haberlin, s. (2022). transformative learning within an international teaching experience: developing as emerging culturally responsive teachers. action in teacher education, 44(2), 104–122. jamal, i., & zafar, j. m. (2025). using differentiated instructions to address students’ english learning difficulties at elementary school level: an analysis. international journal of social sciences bulletin, 3(7), 360–365. jufrianto, m., & basri, m. (2025). unlocking potential: the role of differentiated instruction in shaping english learning outcomes among efl students in takalar, south sulawesi, indonesia. eduvelop: journal of english education and development, 8(2), 245–278. labordo jr, d. c. (2024). assessing the influence of differentiated instruction on enhancing reading comprehension skills among learners: a quasiexperimental study. the new english teacher, 18(2), 13–28. mairoza, d., roza, w., & samanhudi, u. (2024). an english teachers’ perspectives on differentiated instruction in ‘kurikulum merdeka’: a case study in sma kabupaten solok. lectura: jurnal pendidikan, 15(1), 207–221. maruf, n. (2023). the interplay of teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, and the implementation of differentiated instruction in indonesian efl contexts. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 357–364. matiyenga, t. c., & ajani, o. a. (2024). integrating differentiated instruction into pre-service teacher curriculum: in pursuit of equity and inclusion in english language education. social sciences and education research review, 11(1), 285–294. meinur, m. m., yunita, n., & gunawan, h. (2023). implementation of differentiate learning in efforts to improve activities and mathematics learning outcomes of class vii a students of smpn 2 taman. proceeding international conference on lesson study, 1(1), 10–18. http://journal.umg.ac.id/index.php/icls/article/vi ew/6497 nefianti, r., adawiyah, r., & maulana, f. (2023). implementation of differentiated learning in supporting merdeka belajar to improve senior high school student’s learning outcomes. jurnal biologi inovasi pendidikan, 5(3), 412–418. ninković, s., knežević-florić, o., & đorđić, d. (2024). transformational leadership and teachers’ use of differentiated instruction in serbian schools: investigating the mediating effects of teacher collaboration and self-efficacy. educational studies, 50(6), 1353–1372. nur’aini, d. a., liliawati, w., & novia, h. (2023). the effect of differentiated approach in inquiry-based learning on senior high school students’ conceptual understanding of work and energy topic. jurnal penelitian pendidikan ipa (jppipa), 9(1), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v9i1.2374 obrovská, j., svojanovský, p., kratochvílová, j., lojdová, k., tůma, f., & vlčková, k. (2024). promises and challenges of differentiated instruction as pre-service teachers learn to address pupil diversity. journal of education for teaching, 50(3), 403-420. ortega, y. (2021). transformative pedagogies for english teaching: teachers and students building social justice together. applied linguistics, 42(6), 1144-1152. özer, s., & yılmaz, e. (2018). the effect of thinkingstyle-based differentiated instruction on achievement, attitude, and retention. kastamonu education journal, 26(1), 11–20. https://doi.org/10.24106/kefdergi.374145 porta, t., & todd, n. (2024). the impact of labelling students with learning difficulties on teacher self‐efficacy in differentiated instruction. journal of research in special educational needs, 24(1), 108-122. porta, t., todd, n., & gaunt, l. (2024). australian senior‐secondary teachers’ perceptions of leadership and policy for differentiated instruction. british educational research journal, 50(3), 1022-1042. purnamaningwulan, r. a. (2024). evaluating the efficacy of differentiated instruction in efl speaking classes: a classroom action research study. voices of english language education society, 8(1), 186-196. rahmaniar, r., surahmat, z., sardi, a., & nurnaifah, i. i. (2024). challenge and opportunities: a qualitative exploration of junior high school english language educators' perspectives on implementing differentiated instruction. jelita, 5(1), 28-40. ramilo, j. p., & ting, m. s. (2025). effectiveness of differentiated instruction, level of engagement and academic performance of students with diverse learning needs in an inclusive classroom in sdo calamba city. international journal of multidisciplinary research and growth evaluation, 6(2), 1406–1415. http://journal.umg.ac.id/index.php/icls/article/view/6497 http://journal.umg.ac.id/index.php/icls/article/view/6497 https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v9i1.2374 https://doi.org/10.24106/kefdergi.374145 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 821 https://doi.org/10.54660/.ijmrge.2025.6.2.140 6-1415 sapan, m., & mede, e. (2022). the effects of differentiated instruction on achievement, motivation, and autonomy among english learners. iranian journal of language teaching research, 10(1), 127–144. https://doi.org/10.30466/ijltr.2022.121125 smets, w., de neve, d., & struyven, k. (2022). responding to students’ learning needs: how secondary education teachers learn to implement differentiated instruction. educational action research, 30(2), 243–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2020.184860 4 solehudin, s., & rochmiyati, s. (2023). differentiated learning through the pbl model to improve indonesian language learning outcomes for elementary school students. jurnal bidang pendidikan dasar, 7(2), 99–105. https://doi.org/10.21067/jbpd.v7i2.8637 syafitri, w. (2024). transforming english instruction through ict integration at madrasah tsanawiyah (mts). icmie proceedings, 1, 169-176. thohir, m. a., & amalia, e. r. f. (2024). exploring the intersectionality of differentiated instruction and culturally responsive transformative teaching: strategies for inclusive classroom practices. jurnal pembelajaran, bimbingan, dan pengelolaan pendidikan, 4(10), 21-21. tundreng, s., yawan, h., & marhamah, m. (2025). implementing differentiated instruction in indonesian secondary schools: opportunities and challenges from language teachers. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 93106. utami, a. a., prastiningsih, d., & toyyibah, t. (2023). profile of student learning outcomes on learning differentiated on virus concepts. biodidaktika: jurnal biologi dan pembelajarannya, 18(2), 65– 71. http://dx.doi.org/10.30870/biodidaktika.v18i2.1 9721 wahyuningsih, s., hartati, n., & lestari, r. (2022). pembelajaran berdiferensiasi dalam rangka mewujudkan merdeka belajar. jurnal jendela pendidikan, (4), 532. widayanti, n. k. a., budasi, i. g., & ramendra, d. p. (2024). the implementation of differentiated instruction and its impact on student engagement in english classes. jurnal pendidikan bahasa inggris indonesia, 12(2), 167–178. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v12i2.3905 yeh, h. c. (2025). the synergy of generative ai and inquiry-based learning: transforming the landscape of english teaching and learning. interactive learning environments, 33(1), 88102. yoon, b. (2021). toward equity-based pedagogy: monolingual teachers’ transformative thinking process. beijing international review of education, 3(3), 387-406. https://doi.org/10.54660/.ijmrge.2025.6.2.1406-1415 https://doi.org/10.54660/.ijmrge.2025.6.2.1406-1415 https://doi.org/10.30466/ijltr.2022.121125 https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2020.1848604 https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2020.1848604 https://doi.org/10.21067/jbpd.v7i2.8637 http://dx.doi.org/10.30870/biodidaktika.v18i2.19721 http://dx.doi.org/10.30870/biodidaktika.v18i2.19721 https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v12i2.3905 yara fitriani, sofendi, & machdalena vianty transformative teachers and differentiated english instruction: enhancing student motivation and learning outcomes 822 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 651 subject-verb agreement in efl student’s essays: a detailed morpho-syntactic examination sudar english language education, teacher training and education faculty, universitas muhammadiyah purworejo, indonesia email: sudarbintang@umpwr.ac.id apa scitation: sudar. (2024). subject-verb agreement in efl student’s essays: a detailed morpho-syntactic examination. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 651-658. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9512 received: 26-02-2024 accepted: 23-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction subject and verb are the basic component of written language. understanding the basics of grammar, particularly subject-verb agreement, is crucial for efl learners as it forms a foundational skill set that every student should acquire early on (tampubulon, 2020; kurniawan & firdaus, 2020). proficiency in this area not only simplifies the acquisition of other grammatical concepts but also ensures accuracy in sentence construction across various contexts (mahdalena et al., 2020). both spoken and written languages commonly used four types of word, namely noun, verb, adjective and adverb. lack of comprehension regarding subject-verb agreement (sva) rules inevitably results in grammatical inaccuracies (drahman & hashim, 2020; pandapatan, 2020). further, it is urgent and fundamental knowledge of language learning for any english language learners to master those four types of words. however, there are still many english language learners who are confused to arrange the words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, and paragraphs in some texts. structural disparities between indonesian and english grammar structures frequently bewilder students, leading to common errors, particularly in subject-verb agreement, when writing in english (febrianti & said, 2022; hanim et al., 2024; mukarromah, 2022) (hardi et al., 2022). according to numerous educators, the predominant errors arise from improper placement of subject-verb pairs in both narrative and expository compositions (sholehah et al., 2023). permatasari & yuliasri (2020) expound upon the multiple sources of learner errors, citing inappropriate lexical choices, ambiguities, incorrect verb forms, and superfluous verb additions. these findings are corroborated by studies conducted by rifki et al. (2019) and fauzan et al. (2020), which reveal a frequent occurrence of mistakes, particularly in the syntactical connection between subjects and verbs. gulö & rahmawelly (2019) further pinpoint a notable tendency among students to omit singular verb markers, verbs, auxiliaries, and the suffix -ing. such errors are often attributed to unfamiliarity with fundamental grammatical elements such as subjects, verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs (saputra et al., 2022). the basic competence for efl english language learner is the words construction or word building, it is commonly called morphology. further, the basic competence to arrange the words in a meaningful sentence or a meaningful clause, it is named syntax. this study is about the using of words as a subject in the abstract: the purposes of this study are to identify and to describe morphemes in the subject –verb agreement of efl student’s essay writing, second is to describe tenses of subject-verb agreement written in the student’s essay writing. the third is to describe the dominant tenses of subject-verb agreement in the efl student’s essay writing. the last is to describe the interferences of efl student’s first language to their essay writing. it was descriptive qualitative research. the data was taken from third semester of essay writing classes, in the academic year 2023/2024.the data was analyzed using theory of morpho-syntactic developed by andrew, carstairs & charthy and miller, jim (2002). findings revealed that three hundred and forty-five clauses that subject-verb agreement contained free and bound morpheme. there were two hundred and fifty-nine subjects of clauses contained free morphemes. then, there were eighty-six subjects of clauses contained bound morphemes. furthermore, there were one hundred and sixty-one clauses of verb-agreement contained free morphemes. then, there were one hundred eighty-four clauses of verb-agreement contained bound morphemes. then, there were two hundred and eightythree clauses that the subject-agreement of clauses was written in present tense. furthermore, there were sixtyone clauses of subject-verb-agreement were written in past tense. then, there was only one clause used future tense. then, efl students essay writing was still influenced by their first language culture. it found that there were one hundred and sixty-one clauses contained first language cultures. further, understanding english linguistics (phonology, morphology, syntax, vocabulary, and spelling) is needed to be learned by efl students deeply. then, efl students’ essay writing was developed significantly. keywords: essay writing, efl students, morpho-syntactic, subject-verb agreement. sudar subject-verb agreement in efl student’s essays: a detailed morpho-syntactic examination 652 sentences, and also the using of words as a verb in the sentences. further, the researcher would like to combine between words building (morphology) and words arrangement in the meaningful sentence (syntax). it becomes a morpho-syntactic study. mukarromah et al. (2020) emphasize that inflectional processes, transitioning from morphology to syntax, are pivotal in helping students grasp grammar rules and improve their writing proficiency. subject-verb agreement is reflected the writers’ purposes of their writing, including in writing essay ensuring grammatical correctness in sentence construction necessitates careful attention to subjectverb agreement in every instance (dinillah et al., 2021). this fundamental aspect of grammar is indispensable for constructing precise sentences and cohesive paragraphs, thereby enhancing comprehension and communication effectiveness (adawiyah & yani, 2024; jayanti, 2019) (jäger et al., 2020). widiastuti & saefurrohman (2021) underscore the importance of ensuring alignment between subjects and verbs in terms of number and person, emphasizing that singular subjects require singular verbs and plural subjects require plural verbs (hasanah & habibullah, 2020) (rahmanu et al., 2020). failure to adhere to these rules can lead to ambiguity or misinterpretation, thereby hindering effective communication (ramzan et al., 2023). based on the using of subject-verb agreement properly, the sentences will reflect an accurate meaning of the sentences. subject-verb agreement should be correct and and in suitable arrangement both in the written language and spoken language. it is in the written language; the arrangement of subject-verb agreement should be accurate. in the spoken language an utterance is possible only contain one word. for example; go, write, eat out, stop! these words are meaningful, if it is used in the spoken language. speech allows for spontaneity, writing demands meticulous attention to detail to avoid errors (özkayran & yılmaz, 2020). on the other sides, in the written language the writer should write completely, at least, it contains subject and verb. as stated by that mayasari & sari (2024) that the mastery of writing skills poses a formidable challenge for learners due to its heightened requirement for accuracy compared to spoken language. for examples; you should go! you should stop smoke, if you want to be healthy! rewrite your assignment, if you want to get a good score! it is the simple examples of differences between written and spoken language. the difference between written and spoken language is argued bym.a.k halliday, (1994: 6191). he argued that written and spoken language have the following differences; no written language spoken language 1 grammatical words and lexical words the myth of the formlessness of spoken language 2 the kind of complexity that is typical of written language the disorderly appearance of speech an artifact of the it is transcribed 3 the concept of a lexical item speech no less highly organized than writing 4 the number of lexical items as a proposition of the number of running words spoken language tends to have lexical density than written language 5 clause, sentence, and clause complex speech and writing two different ways of representing the experiences 6 the number of lexical items as a ratio of the number of clauses the distinction between speech and writing becoming blurred as a consequence of modern technology 7 the defining the clause by reference to its threefold function it takes a clause to represent experience in the form of process (action or event, mental process, and relation). 8 the clause as the locus of transitivity, mood, and theme clauses have to be strung together in meaningful ways 9 nominal groups and propositional phrases the clause complex: parataxis and hypostasis 10 the internal structure of the nominal group, contrasted with that of the verbal group the clause complex in spoken language: a highly organized structure 11 the thematic structure of the clause the kind of complexity that is typical of spoken language: grammatical intricacya choreographic conception 12 dressing up as a noun the only way to gain access to all possibilities in thematic and informational structure transcribing spoken language, and the kinds of transcription in current use based on the differences between written and spoken language, it was necessary to identify the subject-verb agreement. the differences between written and spoken language is not separated from the exists of clauses. further, a clause is at least made of subject and verb the theories of subject-verb agreement are used by some linguist in the previous research. one of the linguists who argued about the use of subject-verb english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 653 agreement were goundar and bogitini, (2018), they described that there were six errors of writing skill, namely; (1) incorrect of mechanics arrangement, (2) error in constructions of subject-verb agreement, (3) construction of redundancy sentences, (4) inaccuracy of using prepositions, (5) inaccuracy of using tenses, and (6) unsuitable of using words, (vocabulary). various studies have identified prevalent errors in subject-verb agreement, such as those highlighted by hong et al. (2020), mesrawati & narius (2019), and tampubolon (2020). these studies underscore the challenges faced by students across different educational levels and contexts (dinillah et al., 2021; cabaltica & osabel, 2021). febriyanti (2019) elaborates on the complexities associated with mastering subjectverb agreement at the university level, emphasizing its profound impact on students' proficiency in essay writing. based on some research conducted by previous linguists, it is still necessary to investigate the using subject-verb agreement in essay writing skill from different perspectives. this study investigates the using subject-verb agreement particularly in essay writing done by efl students of the third semester, in muhammadiyah university of purworejo. the study addressess four primary research questions, specifically: (1) what are the morphemes used in the subject-verb agreement written in efl students essay writing? (2) what are the tenses of subject-verb agreement used in the efl student’s essay writing? (3) what is the dominant tenses used in subjectverb agreement written in the students’ efl student’s essay writing? (4) is there any first language interferences in the student’s essay writing? method this is descriptive qualitative research.creswell & creswell (2018), described on their book that there were three types of research method, namely; quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method. this study, researcher used qualitative research design. one of the criteria of qualitative design was describing the data qualitatively. it was by describing the data based on the theory used for interpreting the data. researcher used the theory of morpho-syntactic. the study was conducted in efl students, particularly students of english education program in the third semester, university of muhammadiyah purworejo. it was conducted in essay writing classroom. there were two classes of essay writing classes. the data was taken by giving the students essay writing test. further, researcher toke the results of students’ essay writing test randomly. there were forty-five (45) students’ essays writing worksheets. researcher analyzed and identified twenty-five (25) students essay writing. the unit analysis of this study was clauses of students’ essay writing. further, the data analysis procedure was the following; first was data collection, second was data reduction, the third was data displaying, and the last was data conclusion or verification, (miles and huberman: 1994: 10-12). then, to analyze the data researcher used the theory of morphosyntactic developed by carstairs & charthy and miller (2002) results and discussion table.1. subject of clauses containing of free morphemes used in the efl students essay writing example of subject clauses contained free morphemes (1) “sometime, people do this continuously” (2) “because of working and they are studying in the university of big city.” (3)” the reason is why they work and study in the big city.” based on the data analysis, there are three hundred and forty-five (345) clauses of efl students writing contained free and bound morpheme both in the subject of clauses and in the verb-agreement of clauses. it was written in the table.1.the number of clauses of essay writing which were the subject had free morpheme was (259) two hundred and fifty-nine clauses. then, there were (86) eighty-six clauses that the subject had bound morpheme. researcher wrote the examples of subject of clauses containing free morpheme in the table.1. the clause number one (1), “sometime, people do this continuously”. there is the word “people”, it is an example of subject, and it is a free morpheme. the word” people” is a meaningful morpheme, even it was not combined with other morphemes. (2) “because of working and they are studying in the university of big city.” in this clause, there is a morpheme” they”, in traditional grammar, it was a pronoun. it was a personal pronoun to replace more than two or three persons or thing, or animals. “they” in the morphology discussion, it was a free morpheme. it was a meaningful unit of word. it meant that even though the free morphemes were not combined with other morphemes, they have a meaning. further, the example of clause number three, (3)” the reason is why they work and study in the big city.” the example of clauses number three, there is a morpheme” reason”. it is a free morpheme. it meant that even this morpheme was not combined with other morphemes, it was meaningful. the three clauses were only the examples from the total number of clauses contained free morphemes. table.2. subject of clauses containing of bound morphemes used in the efl students essay writing sudar subject-verb agreement in efl student’s essays: a detailed morpho-syntactic examination 654 example of subject clauses contained bound morphemes (4) it is because the time is limited because, they lived near the house. (5) living at home and living away from home are similar in the table 2, it was the example of clauses of efl students essay writing contained bound morphemes in the subject of clauses. the clause example number four, (4). there is morpheme “it”. in the traditional grammar “it” is to replace the noun, or “it” was used to replace something general. for example, “it is time to go home”. morpheme “it” in that clause was meaningless. on the other sides, in traditional grammar, “it” was used as subject of a clause. further, “it” in the morphology discussion was as a bound morpheme. it was meaningless, if it was not combined with other morphemes. the example of subject clauses contained bound morphemes was in the clause number five. there were morphemes “live+ing: living” the morpheme “live” it was free morpheme. it has a meaning. on the other side, “morpheme” ing”, it was meaningless. further, there were morphemes “at, from” in traditional grammar, they were prepositions, on the contrary, in the morphology, they were bound morphemes, because they were meaningless if they did not combine with other morphemes. furthermore, there was morpheme” and”. in the traditional grammar, it was a conjunction. the function of conjunction was to combine two equal words or clauses. in the morphology discussion, “and “it was bound morpheme. it has no meaning if it did not construct to gather with other free morphemes. looking at this finding, it was a clear finding that efl students in english education program, purworejo muhammadiyah university have a good understanding in the using english morpheme. they were able to use the morpheme appropriately constructed in the clauses, particularly in constructing the subject of clauses. they were able to contracted subject of clauses containing free and bound morphemes. table 3. verb-agreement of clauses containing of free and bound morphemes used in the efl students essay writing verb -agreement free morpheme bound morpheme total number 161 clauses 184 clauses 345 clauses verb is the second component of a clause. a clause will be meaningful if the clause has a verb. even in the level of morphology, a sentence or a clause is possible only containing a verb. for example; go...! eat...! close...! etc. it is the example of clause only containing a verb, but it is meaningful in the context of morphology discussion. in the traditional grammar, it is impossible a clause or a sentence only containing a verb. in traditional grammar, a clause or a sentence at least contains subject and verb. for example; they go., john comes, the film finish, etc. this study also investigated the verb-agreement written by efl students on their essay writing. researcher analyzed the data of clauses on essay writing focused on identifying the subject-verb agreement from the morphology point of view. verbagreement used in the efl students ‘essay writing focused on the form of morpheme; namely free and bound morpheme. it was written in the table 3. there are two types form of morpheme written in the verbagreement, they were 161 (one hundred and sixty-one) clauses contained free morphemes. further, there were 184 (on hundred eighty-four) clauses contained bound morpheme. further the total number of clauses contained free and bound morphemes were three hundred and forty-five (345) clauses. free morpheme is a morpheme that is able to stand by itself as a verb, and it is meaningful. on the other side, bound morpheme is a morpheme that is not able to stand by itself. it should be combined with other morphemes, (mccharty, 2002:16-18). based on the theory developed by mccharty, (2002), it is clear that clear there are two forms of morphemes, such as free and bound. table.4. example of verb-agreement of clauses of efl students’ essay writing contained free morpheme examples of verbagreement of clauses efl students’ essay writing contained free morpheme (1) they got responsibility to teach their students. (2) in the school, students can also find comfort and happiness (3) in some countries, they go to traditional school and home schooling. (4) traditional schooling, where students can learn in school like usual. table 4 contains four examples of clauses contained free morphemes in the verb-agreement. clause number (1),” they got responsibility to teach their students “. the verb-agreement of this clause is “got”. the morpheme “got” is the past form of the morpheme “get”. in the traditional grammar “get” got” and “gotten” is verb transitive. it is a verb that needs an object. further, in the morphology discussion, it is as a free morpheme. a morpheme that it has meaning even it did not combine with other morphemes. furthermore, the example of clause (2)” in the school, students can also find comfort and happiness”. the second example of clause of verbagreement has the morpheme “find”. in traditional grammar” find” found” and found”, it is also verbtransitive. it was a verb that needs an object. further, in morphology discussion, “find” it is a free morpheme. furthermore, the example of clauses in the number three (3) and four (4), the morpheme “goes” and “learn” are also free morphemes. based on those examples, it meant that efl students in english education program, universitas muhammadiyah purworejo are able to write verb-agreement of clauses contained free morphemes. table.5. example of verb-agreement of clauses of efl students’ essay writing contained bound morpheme. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 655 examples of verbagreement clauses efl students’ essay writing contained bound morpheme (5) school is a place of teaching and learning. (6) where you are able to study, to get knowledge, and to get any information // (7) school is a second place for children and students in the whole world. // the example of clauses number 5,6, and 7, three clauses used the bound morphemes; such “is”, and “are”. in traditional grammar, “is” and “are” are relative words, or it is to be. to be or relative word in the clauses, it is usually followed by adjective, noun, or adverb of places. for examples; “it is a chair”, “they are happy students”, “and books are on the cupboard”, three examples of clauses used relative word or to be. further, those three clauses, in morphology discussion, the clauses used bound morphemes. the morphemes “is” and “are” will be meaningless, if they were not combined with other morphemes. looking at table.4 and 5, it reflected that efl students of english education program, universitas muhammadiyah purworejo understand and they were able to identify the using of free and bound morphemes in the clauses. table 6. tenses of subject-verb agreement used in the efl student’s essay writing subject-verb agreement total number present tense 283 clauses past tense 61 clauses future tense 1 clause in the efl students essay writing, data analysis revealed that there were two hundred and eighty-three (283) clauses written by students in their essay writing used present tense. it is stated in the table 6. furthermore, there were sixty-one (61) clauses written by efl students in their essay writing used past tense. then, there was only one (1) clause of students essay writing used future tense. based on that findings, it revealed that efl students of english education program, universitas muhammadiyah purworejo used three types of basic tenses; namely; present, past, and future. the using of present tense was the highest number, the followed by the use of past tense, and the lowest tense was future tense. it meant that efl students of english education program, universitas muhammadiyah purworejo wrote their ideas in form of essay writing are smoothing in general phenomena. they did not think about phenomena happed in the future. it was limited idea; it was only one clause. on the other side, talking about phenomena in the past also not priority, it was only sixty-one clauses. based on the using of tenses by efl students in their essay writing, it stated that most of efl students understand on using the tenses appropriately. table.6. it is a table to describe the using of tenses by efl students in their essay writing. tense is a crucial part of linguistics study. miller (2002: 148 -151), he described that there were three types basic of tenses in english, namely; present, past and future. the using of tenses differently in english, it will influence the changes of verb. it was different from the linguistics of indonesia language or javanese. indonesia language and javanese did not change their verb of clauses, even they clauses written in the different times. on the other sides, english linguistics, the clauses will be different if the clauses were written in the different times. the examples of clauses are written in indonesia language, javanese, and english. table 6. example of clauses containing english, indonesia and javanese verb-agreement english (1) mr. hartono went to yogyakarta two years ago. indonesia language (2) pak hartono pergi ke yogyakarta dua tahun yang lalu. javanese (3) pak hartono tindak menyang yogyakarta kalih tahun kepengker. the three clauses used verb-agreement differently from the term of tense. the clause number one, it was written in english. the verb-agreement was “go” in english, the morpheme “went” was derive from “go”. it was changed into “went”, because the tense used was past form. the tense of clause number one was past tense. it was coded by the adverbial of time” two years ago”. it meant that the phenomenon was done in the past. it was not happened at present or in the future. on the other sides, indonesia language, there will be never changes of verb-agreement. furthermore, morpheme “pergi” will never change of the form, even the clause written in different times. the phenomenon happened at the present, in the past, event in the future, the morpheme “pergi” never changed because of different tenses. further, the example of clause written in javanese, morpheme “tindak”, it can be changed in different form because of javanese politeness. for example; “tindak” changed into “lunga”, budal”. the changes of “tindak” into “lunga” or “budal”, it was used depend on the status of people in the javanese society, or it depends on the age of speakers addressed to the other people. then, the dominant tense used by students in essay writing was present tense. further, the next discussion in this study is about the interferences of their first language (javanese or indonesia language) in their essay writing. the result of data analysis was presented in the table 7. table 7. first language interferences made by efl students in their essay writing clauses: first language interferences; (110) clauses standardize english clauses ;( 235) clauses (1) living at home and living away from home feels different. // (1) living at home and living away from home are different. (2) sometimes people do this routine// (2) sometime people do this continuously/ (3) because reason of working and sometimes they do colleges in out of city.// (3) because of working and they are studying in the university of big city. sudar subject-verb agreement in efl student’s essays: a detailed morpho-syntactic examination 656 (4) the main reason why they do// (4) the main reason is why they work and study in the big city. (5) this is because it minimalist the time, // (5) it is because the time is limited (6) because they lived near place// (6) because, they lived near the house. (7) that they do the activity// (7) they did the activities those were the examples of clauses made by efl students in their essay writing. the interferences of first language (indonesia or javanese) are possible written by efl students. it happened not only in the written language but also it happened in the spoken language. the influence of first language in spoken language is more complicated than in written language. in the spoken language, the interferences are included in the actions, spelling, pronunciation, intonation, styles, dialects, etc. on the other hand, the first language interference in the written language mostly happened in term of omission, overgeneralization, substitution, and addition. it was made by efl students of english language education, universitas muhammadiyah purworejo. based on the data analysis, it was found that there three hundred and forty-five (345) clauses identified as a unit of analysis. from the total number of identified clauses, there were one hundred and ten, (110) clauses influenced by efl students’ first language in their essay writing. then mostly, among of them were able to write essay writing with minimum influences of their first language. it was proved; that there were two hundred and thirty-five (235) clauses were written by efl students used standardized english clauses. it meant that students were mostly able to minimize their first language interferences when they were writing their essay writing skill. in the table 7, researcher stated the examples of clauses influenced by efl students’ first language. there were seven examples of clauses interference by their student’s first language and the standardized english clauses. the example of clause number one in table 7 is clause influenced by first language culture. there was morpheme of “feel”, student wrote english clause used indonesia language culture. students wrote “living at home and living away from home feels different. there is no expression like that in writing english clause. the morpheme” feel”, it meant “merasa”, in indonesia language. the standardized clause was” “living at home and living away from home are different”. the standardized clause to express efl student’s idea in english, the clause should use relational word or in traditional grammar, it was “to be”. further, second example of first language interferences in the efl student’s essay writing, “sometimes people do this routine”. this clause used the morpheme “routine”. it was not suitable to express the students’ idea used the morpheme” routine”. the suitable morpheme to expresses efl student’s idea, it was better to use morpheme “continuously”. the morpheme “routine”, it was indonesia language culture. it was written correctly as the follow; “sometime people do this “continuously”. the next example, it was written in the clause number three. “because reason of working and sometimes they do colleges in out of city.” this clause used indonesia culture, in the using of morpheme” they do”. the standardized clause to state student’s idea is such as” because of working and they are studying in the university of big city’. further, the standardized clause of efl students’ statement, it was a clause that, it was used the expression” they are studying”. further, example of clause used first or indonesia culture was “the main reason why they do”. this clause should be replaced by the following clause “the main reason is why they work and study in the big city. the first clause did not use relation word, or is did not use to be. so, students omitted to be. further example of influences by efl students’ culture, it was clauses; such as number five, six, and seven. “this is because it minimalist the time,” this clause is influenced by indonesia culture. the morpheme minimalist the time, this morpheme sounds indonesia language. further, this clause replaced by the following clause; “it is because the time is limited”. then, the example of clause influenced by indonesia language is such as; “because they lived near place”. this clause has morpheme” near place”, morpheme “near place” is indonesia culture. this morpheme is not clear meaning. that clause should be replaced by the clause” because, they lived “near the house”. the last example of clause influenced by indonesia culture is such as; “that they do the activity”, this clause should be replaced by the clause of “they did the activities”. morpheme “do” and “activity” should be replaced by morpheme” did” and “activities”. it was done, because students wrote the phenomena happened in the past, but the efl students wrote the clause in present tense. those were seven examples of clauses influenced by the first efl language. the discussion of research findings was completely finished. researcher had explained the morphemes used in the subject of clauses; morphemes used in the verb-agreement of clauses. further, researcher also finished to describe the tenses used in the subject-verb agreement. further, the influences of first language to efl students were also completely investigated in this study. then, researcher would like to write down the conclusion of the study in the section of collusion of this research paper. conclusion the investigation of morphology and syntax simultaneously is not many done by researchers. that, researcher would like to write down the conclusion about the description of data analysis in the section of finding and discussion. researcher found that there were 345 (three hundred and forty-five) clauses as unit of data analysis. the three hundred and forty-five (345) clauses identified in the efl students essay writing, it was stated that there were (259) two hundred and fiftynine subjects of clauses contained free morphemes. then, there were 86 (eighty-six) subjects of clauses english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 657 contained bound morphemes. furthermore, researcher also found that there was 161 (one hundred and sixtyone) clauses contained free morphemes, and there were 184 (one hundred eighty-four) clauses of verbagreement were contained bound morphemes. the tenses used by efl students in writing their essay writing were present tense, past tense, and future tense. among of three types of tenses, present tense was used dominantly by efl students. it meant that efl students were talked about their idea’s general phenomena. there were 283 (two hundred and eighty-three) clauses written in present tenses. then, there were 61 (sixtyone) clauses written in past tense. there was only (1) one clause written in the future tense of efl students’ essay writing. based on the data descriptions, efl students in english education program, universitas muhammadiyah purworejo have a good understanding in the using free and bound both in the subject of clauses and verb-agreement of clauses in their essay writing. furthermore, efl students also understand to use tenses of clauses appropriately in their essay writing. furthermore, it was also found that efl students essay writing was still influenced by their first language culture in writing their english essay writing. it stated in the clauses written by efl students contained first language culture. there were 161 (one hundred and sixty-one) clauses were influenced of first language culture. further, efl students should be better to learn deeply about the linguistics competences (phonology, pronunciation, spelling, syntax, and morphology). then, they will be able to minimize the influences of their first linguistics cultures. giving more exercises and reading texts written or published by overseas publishers were necessary for efl students. at the end, efl students’ competences in essay writing skill will be developed significantly. acknowledgement this study was completely supported by universitas muhammadiyah purworejo. particularly, it is the research, center. here, the researcher also thanks to his colleague who gave motivation and supported to take the data from his essay writing classroom. furthermore, the research activities were able to be conducted smoothly related to the research schedule. references adawiyah, r. m., & yani, a. (2024). enhancing students’ proficiency in subject-verb agreement using “quizwhizzer” as a pedagogical tool: classroom action research. ijiet, 8(1), 152-163. cabaltica and osabel, (2021). knowledge on subjectverb agreement of grade 7 students: basis for remedial teaching, european journal of humanities and educational advancements (ejhea), vol 2.no 4, issn; 2669-5589, https://www.scholarzest.com creswell, john. w. & creswell, j. david, (2018). research design fifth edition, sage publications, inc. 2455 teller road thousand oaks, california 91320. dinillah, n. i, anugrawati,n, & ariana. (2021). students’ ability in using subject verb agreement in writing an essay. journal of language testing and assessment, 1(2), 125-133. https://doi.org/10.22219/jpbi.vxiy.xxyy drahman, g.s.a.f., & hashim, h. (2020). integrating interactive powerpoint slides to teach subjectverb-agreement (sva) in rural primary schools in sarawak. iosr journal of humanities and social science (iosr-jhss), 25(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.9790/0837-2501050109. fauzan, u., aulya, s.f., & noor, w.n. (2020). writing error analysis in exposition text of the efl junior high school students. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics, 5(2), 5170-533. https://doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v5i2.330. febrianti, i., & said, m. (2022). errors in word order and subject-verb agreement in the undergraduate thesis abstracts. inference: journal of english language teaching, 5(1), 41-48. febriyanti, (2019). students’ ability and factors in using subject-verb agreement: a case study of indonesian efl learners in university level, linguists: journal of linguistics and language teaching, 5(2), 78-85, gulö, i., & rahmawelly, t. v. (2019). an analysis of omission in students’ english writings. teknosastik, 16(2), 55-59. https://doi.org/10.33365/ts.v16i2.141 halliday. (1994). spoken and written language. deakin university. hanim, i., amelia, e., nurussalamah, f., fadhilah, j., & rusfiyanti, l. (2024). the students’ problems in learning of subject verb agreement towards the third grade students of university of muhammadiyah tangerang. journal on education, 6(2), 12733-12745. hardi, v. a., marleni, l., & sari, n. (2022). the subject-verb agreement errors on students’ writing. journal of english language and education, 7(1), 16-27. hasanah, n., & habibullah, m. (2020). the analysis of subject-verb agreement errors on students’ writing descriptive text. panyonara: journal of english education, 2(2), 109-124. hong, hua and yang, (2020). error types in malaysian lower secondary school student writing: a corpus-informed analysis of subject-verb agreement and copula be, the southeast asian journal of english language studies, 26(4), 127–140, http://doi.org/10.17576/3l-20202604-10 jäger, l. a., mertzen, d., van dyke, j. a., & vasishth, s. (2020). interference patterns in subject-verb agreement and reflexives revisited: a largesample study. journal of memory and language, 111, 104063. https://www.scholarzest.com/ https://doi.org/10.22219/jpbi.vxiy.xxyy https://doi.org/10.9790/0837-2501050109 https://doi.org/10.33365/ts.v16i2.141 http://doi.org/10.17576/3l-2020-2604-10 http://doi.org/10.17576/3l-2020-2604-10 sudar subject-verb agreement in efl student’s essays: a detailed morpho-syntactic examination 658 jayanti, a.d. (2019). students’ writing ability on english descriptive text at grade viii in smpn 33 padang. english franca: academic journal of english language and education, 3(august), 71–94. kurniawan, r., & firdaus, a. r. (2020). an error analysis of subject-verb agreement on students’ descriptive paragraph writing at babussalam junior high school pekanbaru. english instruction, 3(1), 27-37. mahdalena., rosdiana., & qamariah, h. (2020). error analysis of efl students’ ability in using subjectverb agreement. jurnal ilmiah mahasiswa pendidikan, 1(1). mayasari, i. b. y. h., & sari, m. (2024). student’s writing paragraph: an error exploration of using subject-verb agreement. edunesia: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 5(2), 1175-1188. mesrawati and narius, (2019). students’ subject –verbagreement errors in writing recount text made by senior high school students, journal of english language teaching, volume 8 no 3, issn: 2302-3198, miles and huberman, (1994). qualitative data analysis, sage publications, inc. miller, j. (2002). an introduction to english syntax, edinburgh university press, ltd. mukarromah, i. (2020). morphosyntactic of students’writing through sociolinguistics approach in a higher islamic education. qolamuna: jurnal studi islam, 6(1), 19-36. mukarromah, i. (2022). exploring design-based research to develop writing material in higher education. aksara, 34(2), 396-307. özkayran, a., & yilmaz, e. (2020). analysis of higher education students' errors in english writing tasks. advances in language and literary studies, 11(2), 48-58. pandapatan, a. m. (2020). analysis of the subject-verb agreement ability among indonesian english major students as efl learners. journal of english language studies, 5(2), 127-143. permatasari, a., & yuliasri, i. (2020). errors made by vocational school students in translating analytical exposition text. language circle: journal of language andliterature, 14(2), 191– 196. https://doi.org/10.15294/lc.v14i2.23628 rahmanu, i. w. e. d., kariati, n. m., & shishido, k. (2020). learners’ structure defect analysis on written text in efl learning in politeknik negeri bali. soshum: journal of social sciences and humanities, 10(2), 212-224. ramzan, m., azmat, z., khan, m. a., & nisa, z. u. (2023). subject-verb agreement errors in esl students' academic writing: a surface taxonomy approach. linguistic forum, 5(2), 16-21. rifki, m., rusmanayanti, a., chandra, n.e., & muhammad, f. (2019). a study on the students’ errors in using simple present tense. lingua educatia journal, 1(2), 93–114. saputra, a., suharjono, s., & setiani, r. (2022). the accuracy of simple present tense in students’ writing descriptive text at tenth grade of smk kesehatan cendikia husada academic year 2020/2021. jurnal griya cendikia, 7(2), 78-86. sholehah, a., listyowati, r., & hanna, i. d. (2023). an error analysis on subject-verb agreement in narrative writing text made by senior high school students. e-link journal, 10(2), 155-176. tampubolon, j. (2020). error analysis of subject-verb agreement on students’essay writing. the seall journal, 1(1), 49-59. widiastuti, e., & saefurrohman. (2021). the effectiveness of using inductive method to improve the students’ understanding on subjectverb agreement. aplinesia: journal of applied linguistics indonesia, 5(1), 23-27. https://doi.org/10.15294/lc.v14i2.23628 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 371 developing an innovative english grammar learning module to improve writing skills in junior high schools leroy holman siahaan english education study program, faculty of education and teacher training, universitas panca sakti bekasi, indonesia email: leroyholman@panca-sakti.ac.id dini hidayati english education study program, faculty of education and teacher training, universitas panca sakti bekasi, indonesia email: dinisyarief@panca-sakti.ac.id novi andriani english education study program, faculty of education and teacher training, universitas panca sakti bekasi, indonesia email: novindrnn6@gmail.com firsta malyda putri english education study program, faculty of education and teacher training, universitas panca sakti bekasi, bekasi, indonesia email: firstamalydaputri05@gmail.com apa citation: siahaan, l. h., hidayati, d., andriani, n., & putri, f. m. (2025). developing an innovative english grammar learning module to improve writing skills in junior high schools. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 371-382. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.11490 received: 11-09-2024 accepted: 13-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: writing skills play a crucial role in language mastery, requiring a deep understanding of linguistic structures, particularly grammar. in the current junior high school (smp) curriculum, grammar is integrated into various learning modules, often making students unaware that they are acquiring grammatical concepts. this research aims to develop an innovative grammar learning module to: (1) facilitate students' comprehension of grammatical rules, (2) improve students' writing proficiency with a strong grammatical foundation, (3) evaluate the module’s suitability for junior high school writing instruction, and (4) gather feedback from educators and students on its implementation in bekasi city schools. utilizing the research and development (r&d) methodology with the 4-d model—definition, design, development, and dissemination— this study employed interviews and questionnaires for data collection. content, media, and language experts validated the module to ensure its effectiveness. the findings demonstrate that the grammar learning module significantly enhances students' writing skills, as reflected in improved writing test scores and positive feedback from both teachers and students. this research contributes to the advancement of grammar instruction by offering a structured and engaging approach tailored to the needs of junior high school learners. keywords: learning module; english grammar; writing skills; junior high school students; research and development (r&d). introduction language serves as a primary tool for communication, with both spoken and written forms playing essential roles in daily interactions (mailani et al., 2022). english, as a global language, has become a fundamental skill that must be mastered by students worldwide (budi et al., 2021). in indonesia, english proficiency is a key competency within the education system, encompassing four core language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing (wijaya, 2015). among these, writing is a productive skill that demands not only creativity but also a strong grasp of grammar (franscy & siahaan, 2021). however, many indonesian students struggle with writing due to difficulties in understanding grammar rules, which hinders their ability to construct coherent and grammatically correct sentences (faruq, 2015; lestari, mulyanto, & hamzah, 2020). research has shown that writing proficiency is closely linked to grammar mastery. studies have highlighted that grammar instruction is often merged with vocabulary in teaching materials, leroy holman siahaan, dini hidayati, novi andriani, & firsta malyda putri developing an innovative english grammar learning module to improve writing skills in junior high schools 372 lacking a structured approach that explicitly focuses on grammar (bulqiyah et al., 2021). the absence of clear grammar instruction creates challenges for students in applying appropriate sentence structures in their writing (franscy & siahaan, 2023). existing educational resources often do not provide adequate support for students to independently practice and improve their writing skills, leading to a gap in their language development (setyawan et al., 2020). aisyiyah et al. (2024) emphasized the role of technology in teaching grammar, arguing that integrating digital platforms into grammar instruction significantly enhances students' engagement and understanding. the study found that students who used interactive digital tools showed better comprehension and retention of grammar rules, leading to improved writing skills. this finding underscores the need to incorporate innovative technological approaches into grammar learning modules. alharthi (2025) examined gender differences in grammar performance among efl students and found that female students generally outperformed their male counterparts in structured grammar tests. the study suggested that tailored learning modules should address different learning styles and needs to ensure equitable learning outcomes for all students. this highlights the necessity of personalized approaches in grammar instruction to cater to diverse student needs. boudouaia et al. (2024) investigated the impact of ai-driven language tools like chatgpt4 on students' writing skills. their findings showed that students who engaged with aipowered grammar correction tools exhibited significant improvements in sentence structure, coherence, and vocabulary use. this suggests that integrating ai-based tools into the grammar learning module could be an effective way to enhance students’ writing proficiency. cesilia et al. (2025) explored the effects of problem-based learning (pbl) integrated with the pearson english portal on students' grammar mastery. the study revealed that students who participated in pbl-based grammar learning demonstrated a deeper understanding of grammar concepts and greater ability to apply them in writing tasks. this supports the integration of problem-solving methodologies in designing grammar learning modules. jiang (2025) developed an artificial intelligence model for english grammar correction, demonstrating its potential to provide real-time feedback on students’ writing. the study concluded that ai-assisted grammar learning could significantly improve students' selfcorrection abilities and writing accuracy. this reinforces the importance of incorporating intelligent feedback mechanisms into grammar learning resources to support independent learning. several studies have explored the impact of structured learning modules on language proficiency. andika et al. (2023) developed a grammar module based on constructivist theory, which proved effective in enhancing grammar comprehension. similarly, sembiring et al. (2021) demonstrated that a structured descriptive text writing module significantly improved students’ writing performance. baene (2024) found that subject-specific modules in other academic areas also led to better learning outcomes. abdelmohsen et al. (2020) confirmed that welldesigned writing modules could enhance writing skills significantly, as evidenced by post-test score improvements. boy jon et al. (2021) discuss the general difficulties in english teaching in indonesia, such as limited resources and outdated methods, while zaxidovna (2025) highlights similar struggles faced by non-native speakers globally. chairina (2019) adds that english is often treated as a foreign language, resulting in a less immersive learning experience for students. maria (2022) and wakerkwa (2023) emphasize the need for innovative approaches to address these barriers, particularly in writing skills where grammar plays a foundational role. furthermore, susini (2020) identifies grammar-related challenges that hinder effective communication among students, supporting the notion that comprehensive modules are essential for growth. khalil et al. (2025) explore the use of ai chatbots for grammar learning, which enhances student engagement and provides personalized feedback. similarly, katili (2025) showcases the effectiveness of quizizz application integration for basic grammar lessons, boosting both comprehension and interaction. noori (2025) argues that gamification and social media can transform grammar learning into an interactive experience, while valijonovna (2025) supports this idea by illustrating how website games can aid grammar practice. suryani et al. (2024) further emphasize the importance of digital technology in fostering improved writing skills, making it a cornerstone for the proposed module's design. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 373 erwin et al. (2024) highlight the importance of tailoring teaching modules to local contexts, making them relevant and engaging for students. maria (2022) reinforces this view by advocating for globalization-oriented modules that still respect local cultural contexts. mailani et al. (2022) describe language as a communication tool influenced by societal norms, which underscores the need for a culturally responsive design. moreover, tolliboyeva & shakarova (2024) link grammar learning to vocabulary expansion, demonstrating how context plays a role in retention. this approach aligns with yugafiati et al. (2020), who promote localized strategies to enhance writing through engaging activities. hulkar (2025) underscores the importance of communicative activities in grammar teaching, while karim & na (2024) demonstrate the effectiveness of project-based learning (pbl) in improving writing skills. this is supported by saragih et al. (2024), who developed a projectbased e-module for written language skills, and suryani et al. (2024), who examined pbl's role in digital learning environments. similarly, quan (2024) advocates for innovative grammar instruction techniques that integrate writing exercises, making grammar more practical and applicable. these studies collectively emphasize that interactive methods can bridge the gap between grammar mastery and writing proficiency. erwin et al. (2024) stress the need for empowering english teachers with tools and training for innovative module implementation. zolkapli et al. (2025) also identify teacher preparedness as a critical factor in overcoming grammar learning challenges, especially for students from diverse backgrounds. maria (2022) highlights the impact of well-trained educators on module effectiveness, while noyori-corbett & moxley (2025) discuss the role of teacher innovation in designing culturally responsive materials. zhang & tang (2025) review grammar teaching frameworks that aid teachers in delivering content more effectively, fostering stronger writing outcomes. karlina (2022) and katili (2025) show that student motivation significantly influences grammar learning outcomes, especially when modules are designed to be interactive and engaging. noori (2025) and valijonovna (2025) advocate for gamification techniques that spark interest and make learning enjoyable. maria (2022) highlights the importance of integrating culturally relevant examples to maintain engagement, while khalil et al. (2025) demonstrate how technology-driven tools cater to individual student needs, promoting deeper involvement in learning activities. studies by quan (2024), tolliboyeva & shakarova (2024), and hulkar (2025) emphasize the direct link between grammar mastery and improved writing skills. saragih et al. (2024) and susini (2020) further illustrate how writing exercises can reinforce grammar learning, making it a cyclical and impactful process. wordenchambers & yazan (2025) discuss the role of scientific grammar concepts in shaping language ideologies, which ultimately influence writing proficiency. these findings advocate for a module design that integrates grammar lessons seamlessly into writing practices for maximum impact. despite the existing research on grammar instruction and writing skills, there remains a gap in integrating a comprehensive grammar-focused learning module tailored specifically for junior high school students in indonesia. most prior studies have focused on high school or vocational students, leaving a lack of resources for junior high school learners who are in the early stages of mastering english writing. additionally, while grammar modules have been developed, they have not been extensively applied in real classroom settings to measure their effectiveness in improving students’ actual writing skills. this study introduces an innovative english grammar learning module specifically designed for junior high school students in bekasi. unlike existing grammar resources that combine grammar with vocabulary in a non-structured manner, this module adopts a systematic, studentcentered approach to grammar instruction. it incorporates guided questions and contextual exercises that align with students’ learning experiences, ensuring better engagement and comprehension. moreover, the module applies the 4d research and development model to ensure its validity, practicality, and effectiveness in real classroom settings. this research contributes to the improvement of english language education in indonesia by providing a structured grammar module that can be utilized by teachers and students to enhance writing skills. the findings will be beneficial for educators in designing more effective teaching materials that address students’ difficulties in writing. additionally, this study will help policymakers develop curriculum improvements that integrate structured grammar instruction into english language learning. ultimately, this leroy holman siahaan, dini hidayati, novi andriani, & firsta malyda putri developing an innovative english grammar learning module to improve writing skills in junior high schools 374 research aims to bridge the gap between theoretical grammar instruction and practical writing skills, equipping students with the necessary tools to communicate effectively in english. by developing and implementing this innovative learning module, the study aspires to foster better writing skills among junior high school students in bekasi, providing them with a strong foundation for future academic and professional success. method this study employs the research and development (r&d) approach, which is widely recognized for its application in educational research, particularly in the development of instructional materials (kainulainen, 2024). r&d is an iterative process that allows for the creation, testing, and refinement of educational tools, ensuring they are both effective and adaptable to real-world learning environments. by incorporating the 4d development model— define, design, development, and dissemination—this study follows a structured method to develop an innovative english grammar learning module tailored to the needs of junior high school students in bekasi (zhao & wang, 2022). the define stage serves as the foundation of the research, involving a detailed needs analysis of students and teachers regarding grammar instruction in writing. this phase examines student characteristics, such as their proficiency levels, learning preferences, and common challenges in grammar application. additionally, a concept and task analysis is conducted to identify key grammatical topics that require reinforcement. a clear learning objectives framework is established to ensure that the module effectively targets writing challenges faced by students. this stage is crucial as it aligns the module with the current curriculum and addresses gaps in existing teaching methods (rauteda, 2025). in the design stage, the focus shifts to structuring and developing the content of the learning module. the module is carefully organized into well-defined sections, ensuring a logical flow that facilitates progressive learning. various instructional strategies are integrated, including problem-based learning and gamification, to enhance engagement and retention. to measure student progress, assessment tools such as exercises, quizzes, and structured writing tasks are developed. these assessments provide a formative evaluation of students' grammar comprehension while allowing teachers to track improvements in their writing skills. this stage is essential in creating a module that is both interactive and pedagogically sound (bidwell & báez, 2025). the development stage consists of two key steps: expert validation and development testing. in the expert validation phase, the module undergoes rigorous review by content, media, and language specialists, who provide feedback for refinement. their evaluations ensure that the module meets academic and pedagogical standards. following the revision process, the development testing phase is conducted, where the module is piloted with a small group of junior high school students. the trial aims to assess the module’s usability, clarity, and effectiveness in improving students' writing skills. any weaknesses identified during testing are addressed before the final implementation. this phase ensures that the module is evidence-based and well-suited to student learning needs (noyoricorbett & moxley, 2025).\ in the dissemination stage, the refined grammar learning module is introduced to a broader learning environment. teachers receive training sessions to familiarize them with the module and its instructional strategies. the module is then implemented in multiple schools to evaluate its adaptability across different classrooms. a continuous evaluation mechanism is established to gather feedback from both students and teachers, allowing for future refinements. this phase ensures that the module is scalable, sustainable, and adaptable to various educational contexts, making it a valuable contribution to english language learning in junior high schools (kainulainen, 2024). by following the 4d development model, this study ensures a systematic and structured approach to the development of an innovative english grammar learning module for junior high school students. the research process allows for the identification of learning gaps, targeted instructional design, expert validation, practical testing, and large-scale implementation. the findings from this study are expected to contribute to improving grammar instruction and writing skills, offering a practical, research-based solution for enhancing english language education. this study applies the research and development (r&d) approach, incorporating the 4d development model (r&dgr et al., n.d.), which is english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 375 widely recommended for creating educational resources. the 4d model consists of four sequential stages: define, design, development, and dissemination (zhao & wang, 2022). here is the flow of the 4d method in this study: figure 1. the flow of the 4d method this study employs multiple data collection techniques to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of the developed english grammar learning module. the primary methods include interviews and questionnaires, which are applied during different research phases. these techniques help gather insights from both students and educators, ensuring that the learning module aligns with their needs and expectations (kainulainen, 2024). interviews are conducted with junior high school students and educators in bekasi city. the purpose of these interviews is to explore the types of learning materials currently used in writing instruction and identify challenges students face in grammar learning. educators provide insights into teaching strategies, material preferences, and the impact of existing learning resources on students' writing skills. these findings contribute to the refinement of the module and ensure that it meets instructional needs (noyori-corbett & moxley, 2025). a structured questionnaire is utilized to collect data throughout the research, validation, and testing phases. the questionnaire is designed to evaluate various aspects of the developed learning module, including perceptions, usability, and effectiveness. it consists of a series of targeted questions that provide insights into how well the module meets the needs of students and educators. the questionnaire is distributed to three key respondent groups. first, subject matter experts assess the accuracy and relevance of the module's content, ensuring that the grammar instruction aligns with educational standards. second, media specialists evaluate the quality of module presentation and instructional design, determining whether the materials are visually engaging, wellstructured, and accessible for learners. finally, educators and students participate in the assessment to measure ease of use, engagement, and overall effectiveness of the module in enhancing writing skills. to maintain objectivity and consistency, the validation process employs a likert scale, allowing respondents to rate the feasibility and effectiveness of the module systematically. this approach provides quantifiable data, which helps identify strengths and areas for improvement in the module’s design and implementation (bidwell & báez, 2025). the data collected from interviews and questionnaires is analyzed using a likert scalebased approach. the likert scale is a widely used tool for measuring attitudes, perceptions, and responses towards a phenomenon. it provides a structured way to interpret expert assessments regarding the feasibility and effectiveness of the learning module (rauteda, 2025). the validation questionnaire focuses on the appropriateness of the material and the instructional design of the developed module. each item includes four response options that assess different aspects of the learning module. the scores obtained from the questionnaire responses are compiled, averaged, and used to determine the overall feasibility of the module. the results are then recorded in structured tables for further analysis. the validation scores guide the revision and refinement process, ensuring that the module meets established educational standards. the conversion of scores into feasibility levels is detailed in table 1 likert scale validity scoring. table 1. likert scale and validity scoring score category interpretation range of scores validity decision leroy holman siahaan, dini hidayati, novi andriani, & firsta malyda putri developing an innovative english grammar learning module to improve writing skills in junior high schools 376 interpretation 4 strongly agree highly feasible 3.50 4.00 very valid use without revision 3 agree feasible 2.50 3.49 valid use with minor revisions 2 disagree less feasible 1.50 2.49 less valid revise and re-evaluate 1 strongly disagree not feasible 1.00 1.49 not valid not recommended results and discussion the english language continues to pose a challenge for many learners. recognizing this, the government has introduced english as a subject at the primary school level to strengthen students’ foundational knowledge. at this stage, students are introduced to basic grammatical structures, including tenses. this study aims to develop a learning module to improve junior high school students' writing skills. the module is designed to enhance students' ability to compose texts proficiently and accurately, adhering to established grammatical rules. the research was conducted in six junior high schools across various subdistricts in bekasi city in september 2024. the schools involved in this study include smp negeri 35 bekasi, smp negeri 6 bekasi, smp negeri 15 bekasi, smp negeri 54 bekasi, and smp negeri 29 bekasi. the primary goal of the developed module is to serve as a teaching reference for educators, ultimately supporting students in improving their writing skills. this study follows the 4d development research methodology, which consists of four key phases: define, design, develop, and disseminate. define stage a review of interviews with multiple english language teachers revealed that grammar learning modules are not widely incorporated into classroom instruction. additionally, a needs analysis conducted among students highlights that existing textbooks do not comprehensively support grammar learning in writing. in response to these findings, a specialized grammar learning module has been developed, specifically tailored to junior high school students’ grade level and the kurikulum merdeka (phase d). the needs analysis results confirm the validity of the module's development, as presented in table 3 above. each statement in the needs assessment meets the criteria of r count > r table at a 0.05 significance level, indicating that the module is designed based on well-established learning needs. table 2. reliability of student and teacher needs analysis needs analysis cronbach's alpha threshold value interpretation student needs analysis 0.954 > 0.60 highly reliable teacher needs analysis 0.922 > 0.60 highly reliable this table provides a concise summary of the reliability test results, demonstrating that both student and teacher needs analyses meet the required statistical reliability standards. these findings support the effectiveness and necessity of the developed grammar learning module in junior high school education. design the design stage is developed based on the findings from the define stage and focuses on structuring the learning module to ensure that it effectively addresses the identified learning needs. this phase involves organizing the content, instructional approach, and assessment tools to create a comprehensive and engaging module for junior high school students. the module structure consists of three primary sections. the opening section includes essential elements such as the module cover, preface, table of contents, and chapter covers. each chapter cover provides details on teaching material identity, learning outcomes (cp), a brief description of the content, learning objectives, and instructions on how to use the module effectively. the content section is designed to facilitate progressive learning, incorporating grammar lessons, exercises, and final practice activities to reinforce students' understanding and application of grammar in writing. the closing section contains a bibliography, blank note pages for student reflections, and the back cover, allowing students to document their learning and refer back to key concepts. the module content is carefully aligned with cp phase d of the kurikulum merdeka to ensure relevance and consistency with educational standards. the learning materials are sourced from reputable academic texts to guarantee credibility and effectiveness. the module is specifically designed to enhance students' grammatical proficiency, with a strong emphasis english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 377 on developing their writing skills in english. by integrating structured content with clear instructional guidance, the module provides a student-centered approach to learning. in addition to content development, the study employs a variety of research instruments in the form of questionnaires, each tailored to meet the study's objectives. the needs analysis questionnaire is distributed to students and teachers in the preliminary study phase to assess existing challenges in learning and teaching grammar. the expert validation questionnaire is used to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the learning module, gathering insights from subject matter experts, media specialists, and linguists. finally, the student and teacher response questionnaire is administered after the module implementation phase to measure user engagement, practicality, and overall appeal. these instruments provide valuable feedback, ensuring that the learning module is welldesigned, effective, and suitable for classroom use. development the development stage is a crucial phase in the creation of the learning module, as it translates the design plan into a structured, practical, and engaging educational resource. this stage ensures that the module is effectively tailored to enhance students’ grammar comprehension and writing proficiency. the development process consists of several key steps that contribute to the refinement and usability of the module. the preparation of the learning module begins with designing grammar materials aligned with cp phase d and insights gathered from the teacher needs analysis questionnaire. the primary goal of this module is to provide a systematic and interactive learning experience, allowing students to improve their writing skills through structured grammar instruction. the module is organized into three essential sections. the opening section includes a visually engaging front cover, a preface, and a table of contents, ensuring that students and teachers can navigate the module easily. the content section consists of step-bystep grammar lessons, practical exercises, and final assessments, enabling students to progressively develop their understanding and application of grammar in writing. the closing section contains references, additional notes, and the back cover, offering supplementary learning materials and space for student reflections. the module cover design is carefully crafted to reflect its purpose and appeal to junior high school students. figure 2 presents an example of the front cover for each grade level, designed using canva. the cover prominently displays the title and description, clearly indicating that this module is dedicated to enhancing writing skills through grammar-focused instruction. the module is specifically developed for students in grades 7, 8, and 9, ensuring that the content aligns with their respective proficiency levels. the structured presentation of the module allows students to engage with the material effectively, making grammar learning more accessible and enjoyable. content the following is an example of a display of the content of the material taken from one of the module content sheets. the content of this module use microsoft word 2013 with poppins font and sizes ranging from 8 – 11 pt. the images that become the content in the module are mostly from the microsoft bing and canva platforms. figure 2. module covers of 7th grade leroy holman siahaan, dini hidayati, novi andriani, & firsta malyda putri developing an innovative english grammar learning module to improve writing skills in junior high schools 378 figure 3. module covers of 8th grade figure 4. module covers of grades 9th grade closing the closing section marks the final part of the learning module, containing essential elements such as a bibliography, a blank notes section for students to record key insights, and the back cover of the module. this section ensures that students have additional space for reflections and references to support their continued learning. expert validation the expert validation process plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality, feasibility, and effectiveness of the developed module. this validation was conducted by a panel of subject matter experts, media specialists, and linguists. the panel included dr. yon ae, m.pd as a material expert, lenny solo, s.s., m.hum as a media expert, and syamsi edi, m.pd as a linguist. each expert provided a thorough assessment of the module, evaluating its content accuracy, instructional effectiveness, media presentation, and language clarity. to maintain objectivity and reliability, the validation process utilized a structured questionnaire based on four assessment scales. the questionnaire assessed key areas, including feasibility, content relevance, media effectiveness, and linguistic appropriateness. in addition to numerical evaluations, the experts also provided constructive feedback and recommendations, which were instrumental in refining the module. their insights helped enhance clarity, engagement, and instructional value, ensuring that the module aligns with educational standards and student learning needs. expert validation scores by category english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 379 figure 5. expert validation scores by category the following table presents the average validation scores assigned by the experts for each learning module: table 3. expert validation scores validation category expert assessment score (%) interpretation material 87.5% strongly valid media 85.3% strongly valid language 81.2% strongly valid the evaluation results indicate that the english grammar learning module has been classified as "strongly valid" by the experts. based on the assessments of material, media, and language specialists, the modules for grades 7, 8, and 9 received average scores ranging from 81.2% to 87.5%. these results confirm that the module is well-developed and suitable for implementation after incorporating expert recommendations. development trial results the development trial was conducted with a total of 30 students, including those with high, medium, and low academic achievement levels. this trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed learning module across grades 7, 8, and 9. the trial process involved pre-test and posttest assessments to measure the improvement in students' learning outcomes after using the module. initially, students took a pre-test based on previously learned material without the developed module. after being introduced to the module, students were given a post-test to assess the module’s effectiveness. the results indicate a consistent increase in average scores across all grade levels. on average, student performance improved by 19 to 22 points, demonstrating the positive impact of the module on students’ writing and grammar skills. table 4 . student and teacher responses to module appeal response category average score (%) interpretation student responses 79.6% valid teacher responses 81.0% valid the validation responses from students indicate an average score of 79.6%, placing the module within the 61-80% range, which is classified as valid. similarly, the teacher validation responses show an average score of 81%, also within the valid category. these results confirm that both students and teachers perceive the module as engaging and effective for learning. dissemination the final stage of the 4d model is the dissemination phase, where the finalized learning module—which has been validated by experts and tested in development trials—is introduced to a broader audience. the dissemination process was carried out in several junior high schools across bekasi city, with each school representing a different subdistrict. the module was distributed exclusively to english teachers in these schools to support grammar and writing instruction in their classrooms. this targeted dissemination ensures that the module is implemented effectively and reaches students who will benefit most from its leroy holman siahaan, dini hidayati, novi andriani, & firsta malyda putri developing an innovative english grammar learning module to improve writing skills in junior high schools 380 structured approach to grammar learning. conclusion this study successfully developed an innovative english grammar learning module designed for junior high school students in bekasi to improve their writing skills. the module was structured using the research and development (r&d) approach, following the 4d model to ensure its feasibility, practicality, and effectiveness in real classroom settings. the module underwent expert validation, development trials, and field testing, confirming its suitability for instructional use. feedback from students and teachers indicated that the module was engaging, easy to use, and effective in supporting grammar learning. additionally, pretest and post-test results showed that students who used the module demonstrated notable improvements in their writing skills, particularly in grammar accuracy and sentence structure. the findings highlight the importance of structured and interactive learning resources in enhancing english language proficiency. the module serves as a valuable tool for educators, providing a well-organized reference for teaching grammar while encouraging independent learning among students. by addressing gaps in traditional grammar instruction, this study contributes to the advancement of language education and offers a practical solution for improving students' writing performance. acknowledgement the researcher expresses sincere gratitude to all individuals and institutions that contributed their time, effort, and expertise to support the completion of this study. it is acknowledged that this research is not without its limitations, and constructive feedback for future improvements is welcomed. special appreciation is extended to drptm, ditjen diktiristek, kemendiktisainstek, lldikti iv, and universitas panca sakti bekasi for their invaluable support throughout the research process. the researcher would also like to thank everyone who provided guidance, encouragement, and assistance, making the successful completion of this study possible. references aisyiyah, s., novawan, a., dewangga, v., & bunarkaheni, s. (2024). teaching grammar by using technologies: unlocking language pedagogical potential. journal of english in academic and professional communication, 10(1), 36–45. alharthi, m. (2025). gender differences in grammar performance: an analysis of efl achievement test results from saudi diploma students. international journal of education and literacy studies, 13(1), 393-301. bidwell, l. n., & báez, j. c. (2025). mixed methods research. in handbook of research methods in social work (pp. 197-209). edward elgar publishing. boudouaia, a., mouas, s., & kouider, b. (2024). a study on chatgpt-4 as an innovative approach to enhancing english as a foreign language writing learning. journal of educational computing research, 62(6), 1509–1537. boy jon, r., embong, r., purnama, b., & safar wadi, a. (2021). the challenges of english language teaching in indonesia. international journal of english and applied linguistics (ijeal, 1)(3), 158–168. https://doi.org/10.47709/ijeal.v1i3.1157 budi, w., & ekhsan, m. (2020). pelatihan tata bahasa inggris dasar secara daring sebagai upaya peningkatan kualitas sdm pada siswa smp n 10 tambun selatan. jpm: jurnal pengabdian masyarakat, 1(1), 18–21. budi, w., rahmawati, i., & ekhsan, m. (2021). strategi pembelajaran bahasa inggris dasar secara daring dalam meningkatkan kemampuan berbahasa asing pada siswa smp pgri kalimulya. jurnal andhara, 1(1), 59–61. cesilia, c., sihite, m. r., & zulkarnain, i. (2025). the effect of problem-based learning model integrated with the pearson english portal on students' grammar mastery. jurnal review pendidikan dan pengajaran (jrpp, 8)(1), 28192828. chairina, v. (2019). kedudukan bahasa inggris sebagai bahasa pengantar dalam dunia pendidikan. jurnal linguistik dan pendidikan, 354–364. https://doi.org/10.31227/osf.io/xdqjg dewati, b. (2020). meningkatkan penguasaan kosakata bahasa inggris siswa dengan metode word square. pendekar: jurnal pendidikan berkarakter, 3(1), 31–35. erwin, e., baddolo, m., malik, m., anggari, a. s., amir, a., rahdiatullah, a., annur, m., arif, n., & chaerunnisa, r. (2024). peningkatan keterampilan guru bahasa inggris smp/mts sekota parepare dalam menyusun modul ajar yang kontekstual dan efektif dalam implementasi kurikulum merdeka. comserva: jurnal penelitian dan pengabdian masyarakat, 4, 231–237. https://doi.org/10.59141/comserva.v4i1.1340 ghalibafan, m. s., jabbarpoor, s., & mowlaie, b. (2025). the significance of teaching english grammar based on teachers' beliefs: an investigation of professors' view in iran's https://doi.org/10.47709/ijeal.v1i3.1157 https://doi.org/10.31227/osf.io/xdqjg https://doi.org/10.59141/comserva.v4i1.1340 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 381 military universities. military management quarterly, 24(96), 25-57. hulkar, i. (2025). effective ways of teaching grammar through communicative activities. лучшие интеллектуальные исследования, 37(4), 4852. jiang, h. (2025). developing an artificial intelligence model for english grammar correction: a computational linguistics approach. journal of computational methods in sciences and engineering, 14727978251318799. kainulainen, s. (2024). research and development (r&d). in encyclopedia of quality of life and well-being research (pp. 5957-5959). cham: springer international publishing. karim, m. r., & na, k. s. (2024). impact of projectbased learning (pbl) integrated with google classroom on improving english writing skills in a bangladeshi university. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 23(9), 103-120. karlina, t. (2022). pengaruh motivasi belajar dan penguasaan tata bahasa terhadap prestasi belajar bahasa inggris (survei pada smk swasta di cirebon). jurnal impresi indonesia, 1(6), 687– 693. katili, y. a. (2025). students’ perception towards integrating quizizz application in basic english grammar lesson. indo-mathedu intellectuals journal, 6(1), 1142-1149. khalil, m., amreen, s., & ather, f. (2025). exploring the role of ai chatbots in enhancing english grammar and vocabulary acquisition: a study of learning dynamics, user engagement, and linguistic development. journal of applied linguistics and tesol (jalt, 8)(1), 801-812. mailani, o., nuraeni, i., syakila, s. a., & lazuardi, j. (2022). bahasa sebagai alat komunikasi dalam kehidupan manusia. kampret journal, 1(1), 1– 10. https://doi.org/10.35335/kampret.v1i1.8 maria, a. (2022). pengembangan modul pembelajaran bahasa inggris smp yang berorientasi pada globalisasi dan lokalisasi teks-konteks. jurnal syntax admiration, 3(3), 546–555. https://doi.org/10.46799/jsa.v3i3.404 noori, a. (2025). gamification and social media: transforming english grammar learning in efl classrooms. journal of social sciences & humanities, 2(1), 86-100. noyori-corbett, c., & moxley, d. p. (2025). using social research and development methods in artist-mediated workshops with myanmar refugee women to design a culturally responsive community resettlement center. evaluation and program planning, 108, 102518. putri, r. e. (2025). vocational english grammar: computer engineering students’ misformation error analysis on auxiliary verbs of passive voice in toeic reading. jshp: jurnal sosial humaniora dan pendidikan, 9(1), 12-21. quan, w. (2024). innovative approaches to english grammar teaching and learning outcomes. international journal of new developments in education, 5(6), 172-177. rauteda, k. r. (2025). quantitative research in education: philosophy, uses and limitations. journal of multidisciplinary research and development, 2(1), 1-11. sahlia, s., cahyani, f., sunandar, k., & watini, s. (2023). implementation of the siuul model in developing speaking skills through role-playing centers in children aged 4-5 years at spsn. jurnal scientia. saragih, a. t., haswani, f., & erlita, y. (2024). developing project-based e-module for contextual written language skills course at english language education study program. joall (journal of applied linguistics and literature, 9(1), 62-71. sari, w. p., & montessori, m. (2021). meningkatkan keterampilan berpikir kreatif siswa sekolah dasar menggunakan modul pembelajaran tematik. jurnal basicedu, 5(6), 5275–5279. https://doi.org/10.31004/basicedu.v5i6.1527 suryani, n. y., rizal, s., rohani, t., & ratnaningsih, h. (2024). improving learners' english writing skills through digital technology and projectbased learning. jurnal ilmiah ilmu terapan universitas jambi, 8(1), 21-34. susini, m. (2020). strategi meningkatkan kemampuan berbahasa inggris. linguistic community services journal, 1(2), 37–48. https://doi.org/10.55637/licosjournal.1.2.2732.3 7-48 tolliboyeva, g., & shakarova, s. (2024). the role of grammar in the enlargement of the english vocabulary. conference proceedings: fostering your research spirit, 827–831. https://doi.org/10.2024/63k38j89 valijonovna, r. n. (2025, february). using website games to practice grammar with a2 level learners. in ethiopian international multidisciplinary research conferences (pp. 22-24). wakerkwa, d. a. p. (2023). teks prosedur dalam peningkatan kemampuan menulis bahasa inggris siswa sekolah dasar. jurnal pengabdian masyarakat dan riset pendidikan, 2(1), 102– 106. wijaya, i. k. (2015). pembelajaran bahasa inggris di sekolah dasar. bahtera: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra, 14(2), 120–128. https://doi.org/10.21009/bahtera.142.02 worden-chambers, d., & yazan, b. (2025). impacting teacher candidates' language ideologies in a grammar course: the role of scientific concepts. in transformative l2 teacher education innovations (pp. 91-110). routledge. yu, l. (2025). retrieval method of online english grammar questions based on natural language https://doi.org/10.35335/kampret.v1i1.8 https://doi.org/10.46799/jsa.v3i3.404 https://doi.org/10.31004/basicedu.v5i6.1527 https://doi.org/10.55637/licosjournal.1.2.2732.37-48 https://doi.org/10.55637/licosjournal.1.2.2732.37-48 https://doi.org/10.2024/63k38j89 https://doi.org/10.21009/bahtera.142.02 leroy holman siahaan, dini hidayati, novi andriani, & firsta malyda putri developing an innovative english grammar learning module to improve writing skills in junior high schools 382 processing. journal of information & knowledge management, 24(1), 2550002. yugafiati, r., kareviati, e., & resmini, s. (2020). pelatihan pembelajaran writing dengan menggunakan game kepada guru-guru bahasa inggris di kecamatan jalan cagak kabupaten subang. abdimas siliwangi, 3(2), 371–379. zaxidovna, a. f. (2025). the challenges of teaching english grammar to non-native speakers. web of teachers: inderscience research, 3(1), 317320. zhang, x., & tang, j. (2025). literature review on english grammar teaching in light of threedimensional grammar framework. open access library journal, 12(1), 1-12. zhao, y., & wang, l. (2022). a case study of student development across project-based learning units in middle school chemistry. disciplinary and interdisciplinary science education research. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43031-021-00045-8 zolkapli, r. b. m., kenali, s. f. m., hadi, n. f. a., jaafar, a. j., mohamad, h. a., abd rahman, a. l., & shaharudin, n. a. d. (2025). addressing english grammar learning challenges among malaysian islamic studies students. malaysian journal of social sciences and humanities (mjssh, 10(1), e003199-e003199. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43031-021-00045-8 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 785 exploring register variation in akulaku marketplace: sociolinguistics study seli herlina english department, faculty of humanities, universitas widyatama, bandung, indonesia email: seli.herlina@widyatama.ac.id ervina cm simatupang english department, faculty of humanities, universitas widyatama, bandung, indonesia email: ervina.simatupang@widyatama.ac.id apa scitation: herlina, s., & simatupang, e. c. m. (2024). exploring register variation in akulaku marketplace: sociolinguistics study. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 785-794. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9559 received: 24-02-2024 accepted: 29-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: this study investigates the sociolinguistic dynamics of register variation in the akulaku language community, focusing on how language functions in a digital marketplace setting. the purpose of the research is twofold: (1) to identify the types of registers used in the akulaku app, and (2) to describe the language functions these registers serve within the marketing community. utilizing qualitative methods, the study applies descriptive analysis to written register terms found in akulaku's product titles, descriptions, and advertisements. the analysis is guided by halliday and hasan's (1989) theory of register types and jakobson's (1960) theory of language functions. the results indicate that closed registers are more prevalent compared to open registers. the functions of these registers include referential, emotive, conative, phatic, poetic, and metalingual. these findings suggest that register variation in akulaku is strategically adapted to meet the communicative needs of the marketplace, with conative and emotive functions playing significant roles in engaging users. the study concludes that the effective use of registers in digital marketplaces like akulaku can enhance communication by aligning linguistic choices with user needs and expectations. it recommends that marketplace developers and vendors focus on understanding and utilizing these registers to improve user experience and engagement. future research could explore the impact of these linguistic strategies on consumer behavior and business outcomes in e-commerce environments. keywords: sociolinguistics; register variation; digital marketplace; akulaku; language functions; e-commerce communication; linguistic strategies; user engagement. introduction register is one of the variations of language used by people who share a common interest in both hobbies and work in a community. each community has different register terms according to their respective experiences. for example, the registers used in economics will be different from the registers used in biology. there are a lot of scientific terms that are used by scientists, while in economics, there's a lot of use for financial terms that deal with terms related to numbers. these days, many human beings gather online over the world because of technological development, so many varieties of registers are frequently used. one of the phenomena that happens and is experienced by people nowadays is that every part of society needs to be prepared to face digitalization to evolve to the present day with technological advances. this opinion is also supported by the phenomenon that occurred in the field of education after the covid-19 pandemic. such as demanding all courses provided to involve technology and active learning in course design (waluyo, 2020). the development of technology does provide many conveniences for humans, especially in terms of interaction and communication using language. everyone now involved by the technology “the technology is a compounding of the real world with the virtual world involving linguistics aspect beyond its interaction.” (simatupang & heryono, 2022). one of the products created by technology is the existence of an online market that houses a variety of merchant communities with a wider target market called marketplace. marketplace is currently one of the platforms that has become the most famous icon among the public. this medium can show human interaction in terms of buying and selling by using certain language terms. this activity could give more insight and categorized as digital literacy. as language could change to a new meaning in seli herlina & ervina cm simatupang exploring register variation in akulaku marketplace: sociolinguistics study 786 certain context (baig et al., 2019). activities on this platform certainly have their unique characteristics in the register that is often used. the advent of digital communication presents new terrains for exploration. register use in ecommerce (or electronic commerce) is covered a buying and selling activity accessed through electronic media (puspahaty & rachmah, 2023). akulaku holds the top apps that provide ecommerce services which eases consumer payments with its installment and money loan methods. there are a lot of indonesians who use the akulaku application to fulfill their needs (malfiany & apdian, 2021). previous research has demonstrated the unique nature of register terms in different communities. for example, “the use of register in online transportation applications in north sulawesi” (natanael et al., 2021) focused on linguistic word formation and the form of register proposed by joos (1968), with the object of the research being register in online transportation applications. another study, “register in the ted lasso series season one pilot episode: a sociolinguistics analysis” (mardiana, 2023), examines the types of registers and the components of ethnographic communication. similarly, research on “register of online transactions in the field of beauty on social media instagram” (dewi et al., 2021), “health register for the covid-19 pandemic on social media instagram” (alfazri et al., 2022), and “registers used in online food shops of instagram: a sociolinguistic analysis” (maqsood et al., 2023) has shown significant differences in register use across various online communities. studies have delved into the variations and complexities of registers in digital contexts, such as the corpus of online registers of english, which identifies registers from unrestricted open web sources (laippala et al., 2023). this comprehensive approach to identifying registers in vast online environments underscores the dynamic nature of language in digital communication. additionally, research by newton and hashimoto (2023) on public prayers highlights how specific registers are utilized to convey different functions in religious contexts, showcasing the diversity of register usage across various social settings. azzahra and simatupang (2024) examined the register used in indonesian food reviews on youtube, illustrating how digital platforms influence language use and register variation. this study provides insights into how informal and formal registers intermingle in user-generated content, reflecting the hybrid nature of online communication. similarly, nagamine (2024) explored the phonetic aspects of second language speech, focusing on japanese speakers' production of english liquids, which sheds light on the phonological challenges and adaptations in language learning contexts. li's (2024) dissertation on sociolinguistic variation in speech perception emphasizes the need to understand how different registers impact listeners' perceptions and interpretations of speech. this perspective is crucial for comprehending how language users navigate various registers in dynamic communication environments. ünsal şakiroğlu (2024) further contributes to this understanding by analyzing lexical change in turkish over a century, demonstrating the long-term evolution of registers and their socio-cultural implications. bohmann (2020) and schmid (2020) have explored the global variations and dynamics of english registers, emphasizing the interconnectedness of linguistic systems and their usage patterns. their research highlights how global communication influences register variation, providing a broader context for understanding register dynamics in digital marketplaces like akulaku. sóskuthy (2021) evaluated modeling strategies for dynamic speech analysis, offering methodological insights that are applicable to studying registers in online interactions. the studies by keevallik and ogden (2020) and papi and hiver (2020) focused on the nuances of language use in social interactions and language learning motivation, respectively. their findings underscore the importance of considering both social and psychological factors in register analysis. additionally, research by bollen et al. (2021) on historical language records reveals cognitive distortions in recent decades, highlighting the impact of societal changes on language use. studies on multilingualism and linguistic innovation, such as those by wei (2020) and castellucci et al. (2022), demonstrate how diverse language backgrounds and technological advancements drive register variation. these insights are pertinent for understanding the multilingual nature of akulaku's user base and the linguistic strategies employed in its marketplace interactions. rowe and weisleder (2020) further contextualize language development within social environments, emphasizing the role of context in shaping language use. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 787 research on language change in 'new-normal' classrooms by qodriani and wijana (2020) and the analysis of registers on social media by clarke (2022) provide contemporary perspectives on how digital and social changes influence language use. these studies highlight the adaptive nature of language and its ability to reflect societal shifts. the investigation into registers used in the female daily network by odhilia et al. (2023) and the pragmatic analysis of language in e-commerce live streaming by daga-as and baradillo (2024) offer specific insights into how registers function in niche online communities. xu et al. (2024) and mubarok et al. (2024) further explore communication styles in e-commerce live streaming, emphasizing the role of host communication in shaping user engagement and register variation. finally, studies by huang et al. (2024) and yao et al. (2024) on the influence of communication language on purchase intention and customer responses to virtual streamers' language provide practical implications for understanding the impact of register variation on consumer behavior in digital marketplaces. despite the extensive research on registers in various contexts, there remains a gap in understanding the deeper sociolinguistic processes at play within newer, less-studied online marketplaces such as akulaku. this gap is particularly evident in the analysis of register in online interactions. for example, while studies like those of natanael et al. (2021) and maqsood et al. (2023) provide insights into register use in specific online platforms, they do not fully explore the intersection of register types and language functions in a comprehensive manner. furthermore, there is a lack of research focusing on how the unique socio-cultural context of southeast asia influences register variation and language functions in e-commerce settings. this study aims to fill this gap by providing a deeper examination of register use in the akulaku online marketplace. by employing a robust mixed-method approach, this research not only investigates the linguistic characteristics of different register types but also explores the language functions they serve within the digital economy. in addressing these gaps, the study presents novel insights into the dynamic interplay between language, identity, and commerce in the digital age. specifically, it examines how registers in akulaku reflect and shape user interactions, trust, and engagement. the novelty of this research lies in its comprehensive approach to analyzing register variation and language functions in an understudied online marketplace. by integrating halliday and hasan's (1989) theory of register types with jakobson's (1960) framework of language functions, this study offers a holistic perspective on how language operates within the akulaku community. additionally, the focus on a southeast asian e-commerce platform provides unique insights into how cultural and regional factors influence language use in digital interactions. the findings from this study will contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the sociolinguistic dynamics in digital marketplaces, offering valuable implications for e-commerce communication strategies and user engagement. method this research uses qualitative methods because the research is studied in more depth, as stated by moleong (2017) in royadi et al. (2019) qualitative methods try to understand the phenomenon that occurred to the research object. this study uses qualitative methods by conducting a thorough and detailed approach and observation related to the topic phenomenon in question (a & abdillah, 2019, p. 12). the methods used in presenting research results are descriptive methods. this study used mixed method qualitative and descriptive data to explain the form of written words (sari & anindita, 2020) to analyze the types and language functions. the author uses this method because the analyzed data are words and sentences that require detailed explanation. a general description of the results of the data analysis can be obtained in more detail. overall, this study will describe the current state of the research object according to the facts of the data obtained. in this study, researchers used register used in akulaku marketplace apps as the research object. the data was retrieved from akulaku menus, advertisements, product descriptions, and product titles. this study employs a methodological framework designed to capture the breadth and depth of register variation within the akulaku online marketplace. this research was conducted in two stages: the preliminary research stage and the research stage. the preliminary research includes (1) determining the topic of the research, (2) conducting a literature review, (3) determining the grand theory, (4) formulating research problems or research questions (rqs), and (5) selecting seli herlina & ervina cm simatupang exploring register variation in akulaku marketplace: sociolinguistics study 788 research methods. afterward, the researcher's research stage involves (1) collecting the data with the following steps: (a) open akulaku marketplace apps. (b) retrieve data from the akulaku menu, advertisements, product titles, and product descriptions. (c) capture the data through screenshots. then (2) identifying registers in sentences that contain criteria through its contextual, frequency of use, functionality, representativeness and variability, (3) recording data for each register found, (4) data verification to ensuring data reliability and validity through data triangulation, (5) classifying the data based on types and functions, (6) analyzing the data based on research questions and theories, and (7) concluding the research results based on the theory. the researcher here acts as a non-participant observer because the researcher is not directly involved in the event but only as an independent observer. results and discussion in analyzing the sociolinguistic dynamics of register variation in the akulaku language community, it is essential to categorize the identified registers into two primary types: closed registers and open registers. closed registers refer to language use that is more formal, restricted, and specific to particular contexts or groups. these registers are characterized by their fixed meanings and limited flexibility, often found in professional or technical settings. examples include terminologies used in academic writing, legal documents, or technical manuals. on the other hand, open registers are more flexible and informal, frequently used in casual or everyday interactions. these registers have broader meanings and are adaptable to various contexts. they are commonly found in conversational language, social media interactions, and informal communications. the table below categorizes various register terms found in the akulaku marketplace app into closed and open registers. each term is analyzed based on its usage context and linguistic characteristics to determine whether it fits into the closed or open register category. table 1. various register terms found in the akulaku marketplace app into closed and open registers register closed open features paylater   buy now, save bundle package world of luxury bnob tenor wow! stunning payday sale hello boss! feast your eyes refurbish           this categorization helps in understanding the specific linguistic strategies used in the akulaku marketplace to communicate effectively with its users. by distinguishing between closed and open registers, we can better appreciate how language functions are tailored to suit different communication needs within the platform. closed register data #1 “this smartphone features a 6.5-inch oled display, a triple-camera system, and 128gb of storage capacity.” (source:akulaku apps) the word “features” is found in products descriptions. this indicated as a closed register since the word “this” emphasize about the features only for this types of smartphone not the whole types of smartphone. this terms used to inform the buyer about the features of the phone about display, camera system and storage capacity. the seller give explanation straight forward to its factual information of the products. furthermore, the word “features” serves the referential function by providing factual information about the product. it describes the features and specifications of the smartphone, such as the screen size, camera system, and storage capacity, aiming to inform potential buyers about its attributes. the register “features” indicating its informative nature and alignment with the referential function of conveying factual information about the smartphone product. data #2 “segera miliki produk impian dengan paylater” (source:akulaku apps) the register “paylater” analyzed as closed register since it has a limited meaning about payment method that usually used by customers.this terms frequently found in akulaku menus, product description and advertisement. this terms is abbreviation of the word “pay” and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 789 “later” which indicates payment methods that closely about credit. this terms use to suggest customer to buy certain product without worrying about money because this methods give chance for customer to buy the product now and pay in certain period of time. the register function above has an emotive function to emphasize about payment methods in akulaku apps. the terms “paylater” gives emotion to the customers for bought certain product with this methods. the line “segera miliki produk impian” here provide more persuasive statement to engage the customer with this payment methods. this imaginative function can give the customers a solution for those people that didn’t have money at the time they want bought something. . data #3 “buy now to claim your exclusive discount code and save 20% on your first purchase!”(source:akulaku apps) the word “buy now” and “save 20%” in this phrase categorized as closed register since it is limited to certain product that only get exclusive discount at certain store. the word click here limited to one link product that campaign the promotion sale. this sale limited to someone that first time purchase on that seller. so if you bought second purchase then you cannot redeem this promotion campaign. the statement “buy now” and “save 20%” belongs to conative function. the imperative statement “buy now” and persuasive incentive “save 20%” aim to influence the reader's behavior and prompt them to take action, providing clear evidence of the conative function's intention to persuade and motivate. this example serves the conative function by aiming to influence or persuade the reader to take a specific action – in this case, to click on the provided link and use the discount code to make a purchase. it uses imperative language and an incentive (discount) to motivate the reader to engage with the offer. data #4 “guess what’s new! bundle package for you.” (source: akulaku apps) this greeting found in storefront menu in akulaku apps. this greeting analyzed as an closed register since it has unlimited meaning only great and guessing its stores product to be launch soon. this usually used to reach out customer to get curiosity to prospected customers. the polite greeting “guess what’s new” and “bundle package” establish a friendly and welcoming tone. it also invites curiosity and directs buyers towards the latest products or updates. this words categorized as a phatic function that establishing and maintaining social relationships between the seller and potential buyers. it involves customers to curiosity and aiming to create a positive impression and foster trust. data #5 “step into a world of luxury with our handcrafted leather bags, where style meets sophistication.” (source: akulaku apps) this word found in product description in akulaku apps. this words are part of closed register since the seller emphasize they are sell a handcafted leather bags. so this register has a limited meaning only luxury leather bags. another sophistication here limited to seller’s product only. this example serves the poetic function by using language for its aesthetic or artistic qualities. the descriptive and evocative language “world of luxury,” “style meets sophistication” creates a vivid and appealing image of the product, emphasizing its aesthetic qualities and aiming to evoke sensory or emotional responses, demonstrating its alignment with the poetic function. it employs creative and evocative language to paint a vivid picture of the product, emphasizing its luxurious qualities and aiming to evoke sensory or emotional responses from potential buyers. data #6 “paling murah tab 7 in baru bnob.” (source: akulaku apps) this terms is a closed register because it cannot separated each other because has a whole meaning. bnob is an acronym of brand new open box and used as a description that the product is a new product but the box has been opened with the aim of checking goods. this terms used by seller to give information so that the buyer could not misunderstanding to buy this product. that phrases used to indicate the status and quality seli herlina & ervina cm simatupang exploring register variation in akulaku marketplace: sociolinguistics study 790 of goods marketed in the akulaku apps and it is show a closed register because this terms has a certain meaning. the register words above have a metalingual function that is the purpose in accordance with the language used without any implied purpose. this terms involves using language to discuss language itself. to emphasize about the state of the goods marketed on the akulaku apps. akulaku seller also attached the picture of the product that explain that terms. the picture was a tablet with unsealed box. in that term implied the condition of the particular item being offered. this imaginative function can give the customers a whole description about the product that this is the brand new that has been opened for a checking items process. this term use to make sure the customer so that cannot lead to a misunderstanding. as stated before that this tab is bnob product that could gave vivid imagery to express the product spesifically. open register data #7 “12 month tenor” (source: akulaku apps) this terms “tenor” found at akulaku menus analyzed as open register since this terms has unlimited meaning in another field of communication. tenor in this study is differ with tenor terms in music. this is used to increase purchasing power so that customers can consider the payment period for purchasing products with the installment method. the function of the terms above is a referential function where the term refers to a certain context in the akulaku apps. this terms used to explain the period of time before something becomes due for payment. the terms itself refers to provides factual information about the product that could bought with credit for certain period of time. data #8 “wow! this dress is absolutely stunning! i love the vibrant colors and elegant design.” (source: akulaku apps) this terms found in product fashion review. this terms analyzed as open register since it has unlimited meaning and usually used by people every single day. the enthusiastic language (“wow! stunning!”) and positive sentiment ("love the vibrant colors”) categorized as emotive function. these terms convey the speaker's emotional response and personal appreciation for the dress, demonstrating its alignment with the expressive function of expressing feelings and attitudes. this example expresses the speaker's personal emotions and opinions about the product. it conveys admiration and excitement for the dress, highlighting its attractive qualities and expressing the speaker's subjective experience and feelings. data#9 “payday sale campaign!” (source:akulaku apps) the word “payday sale” in this phrase categorized as open register because it is unlimited that use to get product every 25th of the month. this word found at home menu in akulaku apps and when this campaign clicked, a lot of stuff could bought with discounted price. the statement “payday sale” belongs to conative function. the promotion statement “payday sale” aim to influence the reader's behavior and prompt them to take call-to-action to bought a product and this terms motivate the reader to engage with the payday sale offer. data #10 “hello boss! thank you for considering our products. if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our friendly customer support team!” (source: akulaku apps) this greeting found in autoreply-message by a seller. this greeting analyzed as an open register since it has unlimited meaning in another conversation. this usually used to reach out customer and usually use in daily communication among people. the polite greeting “hello! thank you” and invitation for further communication “feel free to reach out” establish a friendly and welcoming tone, emphasizing the social aspect of the message and demonstrating its alignment with the phatic function of maintaining social relationships. this example serves the phatic function by establishing and maintaining social relationships and interactions between the seller and potential buyers. it begins with a polite greeting and gratitude, followed by an invitation for further english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 791 communication, aiming to create a positive impression and foster trust. data #11 “feast your eyes on these beautiful lenses.” (source: akulaku apps) this word found in product picture description in akulaku apps. this words are part of open register since the seller used a figurative language to grab buyers attention. it is unlimited word that usually use in poetry. this example serves the poetic function by creates a vivid and appealing image of the product, emphasizing its aesthetic qualities and aiming to evoke sensory or emotional responses from potential buyers. data #12 “…barang rekondisi (refurbish) copotan dari unit ac..”. (source:akulaku apps) “rekondisi or refurbish” this kind of words is an open register since this terms tends to be more standardized and less variable, as the developer adhere to established that this product is handmade. the register above has a straightforward function because the condition of the ac fan is a refurbishment of local assemblies. in fact, there are no factory produces ac fans so the register already represents the role of the original word. the terms above do not use implied intent or anything, but directly explain the meaning of the term as usually used in buying and selling activities in the marketplace application. so the register words above have a metalingual function. this terms involves using language to discuss language itself and it concern about confirmation language that the condition of the product is “rekondisi” or the result of reconstructing the ac parts modified to become an ac fan. this can be an explanation and give an idea to the buyer about the condition of the item he is buying. figure 1. register types and language functions conclusion this study on the sociolinguistic dynamics of register variation in the akulaku language community reveals significant insights into the nature and function of language in digital marketplaces. the research aimed to identify the types of registers and describe the language functions used by the marketing community within the akulaku app. utilizing qualitative methods and a descriptive approach, the study systematically analyzed written register terms in akulaku, leveraging halliday and hasan's (1989) theory of register types and jakobson's (1960) theory of language functions. the findings indicate that the registers in akulaku can be broadly categorized into closed and open types. closed registers, which constituted the majority of the data, are characterized by their specificity and limited scope, often used in formal and professional contexts. in contrast, open registers exhibit greater flexibility and informality, commonly employed in casual interactions. the study identified that the most frequent language functions in the akulaku registers were conative, emotive, and referential, which align with the platform’s goals of persuading, engaging, and informing users, respectively. the predominance of closed registers suggests that specialized terminology plays a crucial role in establishing clear communication and trust within the marketplace. this is particularly important in the context of e-commerce, where precise and unambiguous language can significantly impact customer satisfaction and trust. the conative function's prevalence highlights the platform's emphasis on influencing customer behavior, while the emotive function underscores the importance of engaging users on an emotional level to enhance their experience and loyalty. this research contributes novel insights into the interplay between language, identity, and commerce in digital marketplaces. by examining the specific linguistic characteristics and functions of registers in akulaku, the study enhances our understanding of how language is strategically used to meet the communicative needs of both vendors and customers. the findings have practical implications for optimizing digital communication strategies, suggesting that tailored language use can improve user experience and engagement in online marketplaces. seli herlina & ervina cm simatupang exploring register variation in akulaku marketplace: sociolinguistics study 792 future research could further explore the causality between register use and business outcomes in digital marketplaces, potentially offering deeper insights into the effectiveness of different linguistic strategies. additionally, investigating the impact of cultural and regional factors on register variation could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the sociolinguistic dynamics in diverse digital environments. overall, this study underscores the importance of sociolinguistic analysis in enhancing the functionality and user engagement of e-commerce platforms. references azzahra, s. s., & simatupang, e. c. (2024). register in reviewing indonesian food in marina tasha’s youtube vlog: sociolinguistics study. jurnal onoma: pendidikan, bahasa, dan sastra, 10(3), 3031-3041. baig, f. z., yousaf, w., aazam, f., shamshad, s., fida, i., & aslam, m. z. (2019). power, ideology and identity in digital literacy: a sociolinguistic study. international journal of english linguistics, 9(4), 252. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v9n4p252 bohmann, a. (2020). variation in english world-wide: registers and global varieties. cambridge university press. bollen, j., ten thij, m., breithaupt, f., barron, a. t., rutter, l. a., lorenzo-luaces, l., & scheffer, m. (2021). historical language records reveal a surge of cognitive distortions in recent decades. proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 118(30), e2102061118. castellucci, g. a., kovach, c. k., howard iii, m. a., greenlee, j. d., & long, m. a. (2022). a speech planning network for interactive language use. nature, 602(7895), 117-122. clarke, i. (2022). register and social media. register studies, 4(2), 133-137. daga-as, j. d., & baradillo, d. g. (2024). a pragmatic analysis of the language of sellers in e-commerce live streaming. epra international journal of multidisciplinary research, 10(5), 670-676. dewi, r. r., sintiadi, f., & durahman, e. u. (2021). register of online transactions in the field of beauty on social media instagram. teknosastik, 19(2), 74–80. https://doi.org/10.33365/ts.v19i2.700 halliday, m. a. k., & hasan, r. (1985). language, context and text: aspect of language. a scemiotic perspective. oxford university press huang, w., leong, y. c., & ismail, n. a. (2024). the influence of communication language on purchase intention in consumer contexts: the mediating effects of presence and arousal. current psychology, 43(1), 658-668. jakobson, r. (1960). linguistics and poetics. in t. sebeok (ed.), style in language (pp. 350–377). massachusetts institute of technology press. keevallik, l., & ogden, r. (2020). sounds on the margins of language at the heart of interaction. research on language and social interaction, 53(1), 1-18. laippala, v., rönnqvist, s., oinonen, m., kyröläinen, a. j., salmela, a., biber, d., & pyysalo, s. (2023). register identification from the unrestricted open web using the corpus of online registers of english. language resources and evaluation, 57(3), 1045-1079. malfiany, r., & apdian, d. (2021). analysis of the influence of akulaku application quality on user satisfaction using netqual method. the first international conference on government education management and tourism (icogemt), 1(1), 500–511. http://conference.loupiasconference.org/index.p hp/icogemt/article/view/143 maqsood, m., labony, m. a., linguistics, e., shops, o. f., & meaning, l. (2023). registers used in online food shops of instagram : a aociolinguistic analysis. 11(11), 1619–1627. https://doi.org/10.18535/ijsrm/v11i11.sh06 mardiana, y. (2023). register in ted lasso serries season one pilot episode: a sociolinguistics analysis. jurnal sinestesia, 13(1), 2023. https://sinestesia.pustaka.my.id/journal/article/vi ew/380 mubarok, m. h., madonna, m., & reza, f. (2024). host communication styles and language variations in context of tiktok live-streaming commerce. wacana: jurnal ilmiah ilmu komunikasi, 23(1), 77-90. nagamine, t. (2024). formant dynamics in second language speech: japanese speakers' production of english liquids. the journal of the acoustical society of america, 155(1), 479-495. natanael, pelealu, h., & ranutu, g. c. (2021). penggunaan register dalam aplikasi transportasi online di sulawesi utara. jurnal elektronik fakultas sastra universitas sam ratulangi, 18(9), 1689–1699. newton, l., & hashimoto, b. (2023). a register analysis of public prayers. byu studies, 62(2), 99-115. odhilia, c. d., kumala, s. a., & arnelli, a. (2023). analysis of register used in female daily network. eksplorasi nuansa akademik dan riset aplikatif dalam budaya, sastraádanákomunikasi (enarasi), 1(1), 26-34. papi, m., & hiver, p. (2020). language learning motivation as a complex dynamic system: a global perspective of truth, control, and value. the modern language journal, 104(1), 209-232. puspahaty, n., & rachmah, s. a. (2024). fenomena campur kode dalam deskripsi produk tokopedia: kajian sosiolinguistik. jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 11(3), 188-200. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 793 qodriani, l. u., & wijana, i. d. p. (2020, december). language change in ‘new-normal’classroom. in 4th international conference on language, literature, culture, and education (icollite 2020) (pp. 385-389). atlantis press. royadi, d., susiana, n., & khumaida, f. a. (2019). effectiveness management of qualitative research in writing scientific papers. aptisi transactions on management (atm), 3(1), 84– 90. https://doi.org/10.33050/atm.v3i1.848 rowe, m. l., & weisleder, a. (2020). language development in context. annual review of developmental psychology, 2(1), 201-223. sari, n. e. p., & anindita, w. k. (2020). lexical cohesion analysis on adele’s songs lyrics in the album 25. surakarta english and literature journal, 3(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.52429/selju.v3i1.360 schmid, h. j., & schmid, h. j. (2020). the dynamics of the linguistic system: usage, conventionalization, and entrenchment. oxford university press, usa. simatupang, e. c., & heryono, h. (2022). new-word formation and social disruption on metaverse. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 1013–1022. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6722 sóskuthy, m. (2021). evaluating generalised additive mixed modelling strategies for dynamic speech analysis. journal of phonetics, 84, 101017. ünsal şakiroğlu, h. (2024). corpus-based variationist linguistics: lexical change in a century in turkish. asian languages and linguistics, 5(1), 91-103. waluyo, b. (2020). learning outcomes of a general english course implementing multiple e-learning technologies and active learning concepts. journal of asia tefl, 17(1), 160–181. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2020.17.1.10.1 60 wei, l. (2020). multilingual english users’ linguistic innovation. world englishes, 39(2), 236-248. xu, w., wang, h., ji, y., & yang, w. (2024, april). innovative integration of e-commerce live streaming and business communication skills. in proceedings of the 3rd international conference on internet technology and educational informatization, itei 2023, november 24–26, 2023, zhengzhou, china. yao, r., qi, g., wu, z., sun, h., & sheng, d. (2024). digital human calls you dear: how do customers respond to virtual streamers’ social-oriented language in e-commerce livestreaming? a stereotyping perspective. journal of retailing and consumer services, 79, 103872. seli herlina & ervina cm simatupang exploring register variation in akulaku marketplace: sociolinguistics study 794 metin 1 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 29 the influence of world war ii on english literature: a critical analysis of elie wiesel’s night irmak metin department of english literature, niğde ömer halisdemir university, niğde, türkiye e-mail: irmakmtn.142@gmail.com apa citation: metin, i.. (2025). the influence of world war ii on english literature: a critical analysis of elie wiesel’s night. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 29-38. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.11445 received: 11-10-2024 accepted: 25-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: world war ii profoundly influenced english literature, particularly through the emergence of holocaust narratives that document trauma, survival, and moral ambiguity. elie wiesel’s night is one of the most significant literary testimonies of the holocaust, offering a firsthand account of the atrocities experienced in nazi concentration camps. this study critically examines night in the broader context of postwar literature, exploring its contributions to trauma representation, memory transmission, and ethical dilemmas. through a meta-synthetic analysis of scholarly works, this research addresses three key questions: (1) how does night contribute to the understanding of trauma and memory in postwar literature? (2) what are the key literary and ethical elements in night that differentiate it from other holocaust narratives? and (3) how has the reception of night evolved in educational and literary discourse over time? findings reveal that night employs fragmented narration, silence, and minimalist prose to convey the ineffability of trauma, reinforcing its literary and psychological impact. additionally, the memoir’s rejection of sentimentalism and its portrayal of survival as morally ambiguous set it apart from other holocaust accounts. over time, night has transitioned from relative obscurity to a foundational text in holocaust education and global memory studies, shaping discussions on genocide prevention and ethical witnessing. this study underscores night's enduring relevance in literature, history, and ethics, advocating for continued scholarly engagement with its themes in contemporary discourse on trauma and human rights. keywords: world war ii literature; holocaust testimony; elie wiesel; night; trauma literature; genocide education; moral ambiguity; postwar literature. introduction world war ii remains one of the most influential global conflicts that reshaped societies, politics, and literature. the trauma of war, genocide, and forced displacement profoundly impacted literary traditions, giving rise to testimonial literature and the genre of holocaust memoirs. elie wiesel’s night (2006) stands as a seminal work within holocaust literature, portraying the horrors of the nazi concentration camps and the moral, psychological, and spiritual toll on its survivors. night serves as both a personal account and a broader reflection on human suffering, raising ethical and philosophical questions about memory, trauma, and the role of testimony in historical consciousness (berger, 2021; levin, 2021). the study of holocaust literature has been a crucial area of research in english literary studies, particularly regarding how trauma, memory, and historical narratives are represented in literary works (berger, 2021; berger, 2023). elie wiesel’s night is frequently analyzed as a seminal work that provides an autobiographical account of holocaust survival, blending personal testimony with broader historical implications (krueger, 2023; levin, 2021). scholars emphasize the role of memoirs like night in shaping post-holocaust discourse and contributing to collective memory (goldwyn, 2021; grindler, 2021). the concept of testimony and witnessing in holocaust literature has been explored extensively, with night serving as a key text that exemplifies the ethical obligations of survivors to recount their experiences (davis & meretoja, 2022; doran, 2024). researchers argue that holocaust memoirs function as both historical documentation and literary works, bridging the gap between factual accounts and emotional engagement (dušanić, 2024; glesener & buschmeier, 2024). the role of witness literature in shaping historical consciousness is also evident in comparative studies of different testimonial accounts (elsky, 2024; ionescu, 2024). scholars have examined the literary techniques used in night to convey trauma and memory, particularly its sparse prose and fragmented narrative structure (hayes, 2022; shawon, 2024). wiesel’s use of silence and ambiguity is a recurrent theme in literary analysis, emphasizing irmak metin the influence of world war ii on english literature: a critical analysis of elie wiesel’s night 30 the difficulty of articulating trauma (mahle, 1985; casey et al., 2023). the impact of linguistic choices in conveying holocaust experiences is further explored in comparative studies with other holocaust narratives (siertsema, 2022; stanton, 2023). the psychological and sociological dimensions of holocaust literature have been the subject of increasing scholarly interest (matthews, 2023; michman, 2021). night is often analyzed in relation to the effects of trauma, survivor guilt, and the moral dilemmas faced by victims (qizi, 2024; teo, 2024). some studies focus on the intergenerational transmission of trauma, arguing that texts like night serve as conduits for historical memory across generations (westin, 2025; wunderli, 2022). the role of holocaust literature in contemporary ethical debates further highlights its enduring relevance (whitehorn, 2024; zühlke, 2023). recent research has explored the pedagogical implications of teaching night in educational settings (bell et al., 2024; dyches et al., 2021). the novel’s ability to engage students in discussions on ethics, history, and literature makes it a valuable teaching tool (doran, 2024; gudgel, 2024). some scholars advocate for the integration of art and visual media to enhance students’ understanding of holocaust narratives (cheyette, 2024; hagemann, 2023). furthermore, research suggests that night plays a significant role in shaping students’ historical empathy and critical thinking skills (engola, 2024; jaya, 2021). several studies highlight the tension between fact and fiction in holocaust literature, examining how night navigates the boundaries between historical accuracy and literary representation (schwartz et al., 2021; rameshbhai, 2022). researchers debate the extent to which wiesel’s memoir adheres to factual retellings, with some arguing that the blending of personal memory and collective history enhances rather than diminishes its authenticity (marushiakova & popov, 2022; quigley, 2021). scholarly discourse also extends to the portrayal of faith and its transformation in holocaust literature. wiesel’s spiritual crisis, as depicted in night, is central to broader discussions of theodicy and post-holocaust theology (petrolle, 2024; krongold, 2023). some scholars compare wiesel’s loss of faith with the works of other holocaust writers, analyzing different responses to suffering and divine silence (karwowska, 2021; von kellenbach, 2021). additionally, studies explore the influence of night on subsequent holocaust narratives and the broader genre of genocide literature (volková, 2021; wąsowicz-miszczyńska, 2024). the memoir’s impact on later testimonies and its role in shaping post-war literary responses have been widely examined (levin, 2021; jones-katz, 2023). some researchers argue that night set a precedent for holocaust literature by prioritizing personal witness accounts over historical exposition (matthews, 2023; petrolle, 2024). furthermore, comparative analyses between night and other literary works, such as slaughterhouse-five by kurt vonnegut, reveal how holocaust literature interacts with broader themes of war, memory, and existential reflection (vonnegut, 2009; babu & virgin, 2024). these comparisons underscore the universal implications of holocaust narratives beyond jewish history, engaging with themes of human suffering and resilience (buschmeier & glesener, 2024; casey et al., 2023). lastly, recent research has focused on translation studies and the linguistic challenges of rendering holocaust testimonies in different languages (mukhamedova, 2021; engola, 2024). the translation of night has been analyzed in terms of semantic shifts and the preservation of emotional intensity across languages, with scholars emphasizing the importance of linguistic fidelity in holocaust literature (owens, 2006; sabanci uzun, 2019). despite extensive scholarship on night and its role in holocaust literature, gaps remain regarding its reception across different cultural and pedagogical contexts. while wiesel’s work has been widely studied in north america and western europe, fewer studies have explored its impact in non-western educational settings or its influence on contemporary literature dealing with war trauma (michman, 2021; shawon, 2024). additionally, there is limited research on the evolving interpretations of night in digital and multimedia formats, such as film adaptations and online educational resources. this study addresses the following research questions: (1) how does night contribute to the understanding of trauma and memory in postwar literature? (2) what are the key literary and ethical elements in night that differentiate it from other holocaust narratives? (3) how has the reception of night evolved in educational and literary discourse over time? this study provides a fresh perspective on night by integrating literary, historical, and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 31 pedagogical analyses. unlike previous works that primarily focus on its historical accuracy or literary style, this research examines the novel’s evolving role in contemporary discussions on trauma, ethics, and education. by synthesizing recent findings, this study contributes to the broader discourse on holocaust literature’s relevance in a rapidly changing world, highlighting its continued significance in fostering historical awareness and moral reflection (teo, 2024; wąsowicz-miszczyńska, 2024). method this study employs a qualitative research design through a meta-synthetic analysis of existing scholarship on night and holocaust literature. meta-synthesis involves systematically reviewing and integrating findings from previous studies to develop a comprehensive understanding of the subject (davis & meretoja, 2022; krueger, 2023). by analyzing scholarly articles, books, and dissertations, this study identifies recurring themes, theoretical perspectives, and methodological approaches in holocaust literature research (berger, 2023; casey et al., 2023). the data sources for this study include peerreviewed journal articles, academic monographs, and historical documents related to night and holocaust literature. the selection criteria focus on publications from 2021 to 2025 to ensure relevance to contemporary literary criticism (e glesener & buschmeier, 2024; cheyette, 2024). the study employs thematic coding to categorize recurring concepts such as trauma representation, narrative structure, faith and existential crises, and the ethical dimensions of witnessing (levin, 2021; hayes, 2022). furthermore, comparative literary analysis is used to examine how night aligns with or diverges from other holocaust narratives, emphasizing its unique contributions to the genre (helfgot, 2021; quigley, 2021). the study also integrates insights from translation studies to assess how linguistic adaptations affect the interpretation of holocaust testimonies across cultures (mukhamedova, 2021; owens, 2006). ultimately, this methodological approach provides a synthesized perspective on the literary, historical, and ethical significance of night within holocaust literature. result and discussion how does night contribute to the understanding of trauma and memory in postwar literature? elie wiesel’s night is a seminal work in postwar literature, offering a deeply personal yet universally significant exploration of trauma and memory. the memoir captures the devastating impact of the holocaust not only on the individual but also on collective consciousness. by presenting an unfiltered account of suffering, night aligns with broader literary trends in trauma literature, which seek to convey the psychological disintegration and existential dislocation of survivors (davis & meretoja, 2022; hayes, 2022). the fragmented structure of wiesel’s narrative reflects the chaotic, non-linear nature of traumatic memory, reinforcing how survivors often experience the past as an ever-present reality (doran, 2024; elsky, 2024). the abrupt shifts in time and space within night mirror the intrusive, disjointed recollections of holocaust survivors, a narrative technique that has since influenced numerous postwar trauma texts (grindler, 2021; krueger, 2023). silence as a literary and psychological response a striking feature of night is its use of silence, which serves as both a literary technique and a psychological response to trauma. the memoir frequently employs moments of stark silence, reflecting the inability of language to fully capture the horrors of genocide (engola, 2024; ionescu, 2024). this aligns with theories of trauma literature that suggest extreme suffering often resists articulation, leading to gaps in narrative and meaning (teo, 2024; siertsema, 2022). wiesel’s portrayal of god’s silence—especially in the face of unimaginable atrocities—adds another layer of complexity, as it represents both an existential void and a broader theological crisis faced by many survivors (quigley, 2021; stanton, 2023). by depicting silence as a central motif, night contributes to a growing body of literature that recognizes the limits of testimony and the enduring struggle of survivors to give voice to their suffering. intergenerational trauma and memory transmission beyond its immediate impact on holocaust survivors, night plays a pivotal role in shaping intergenerational memory. scholars emphasize that second and third-generation survivors often inherit the psychological weight of their ancestors’ trauma, even without direct exposure to the original events (westin, 2025; gudgel, 2024). the memoir acts as a bridge between past and present, allowing subsequent generations to irmak metin the influence of world war ii on english literature: a critical analysis of elie wiesel’s night 32 engage with, process, and internalize historical trauma. by documenting personal experiences, wiesel provides a means for descendants to understand their inherited suffering and cultural identity (schwartz, weller, & winkel, 2021; stanton, 2023). this dynamic underscores the concept of “postmemory,” where the memories of traumatic events are transmitted through storytelling, shaping the historical consciousness of those who did not experience them firsthand (goldwyn, 2021; karwowska, 2021). memory as a moral obligation another crucial aspect of night is its function as a counter-memory against holocaust denial and revisionism. by offering a firsthand account of the atrocities, the memoir stands as evidence against efforts to distort or minimize the holocaust’s historical reality (michman, 2021; levin, 2021). wiesel’s insistence on bearing witness serves as a moral imperative, reinforcing the idea that remembering is not just a personal act but a collective responsibility (jones-katz, 2023; whitehorn, 2024). this aligns with broader trends in holocaust literature, which emphasize the importance of testimony in preserving historical truth and ensuring that past atrocities are neither forgotten nor repeated (helfgot, 2021; hayes, 2022). the memoir’s impact is particularly significant in educational contexts, where it is used to instill ethical awareness and historical consciousness in younger generations (bell, schaffer, & gangwish, 2024; gudgel, 2024). challenging traditional narratives of survival unlike many war memoirs that focus on resilience and heroism, night presents survival as an arbitrary and morally ambiguous process. wiesel’s narrative challenges the conventional portrayal of survivors as figures of strength and perseverance, instead highlighting the role of luck, circumstance, and moral compromise in survival (levin, 2021; matthews, 2023). the memoir raises uncomfortable ethical questions about human behavior under extreme duress, particularly in scenes where prisoners turn against one another out of desperation (rameshbhai, 2022; shawon, 2024). the depiction of survival as a morally complex and often guilt-ridden experience sets night apart from other holocaust narratives that emphasize triumph over adversity. by exposing the psychological burden of survival, wiesel expands the discourse on postwar trauma, highlighting the ongoing struggles faced by those who lived through the holocaust long after liberation (kvas, 2024; zühlke, 2023). table 1. contributions of night to trauma and memory in postwar literature key feature explanation supporting scholars fragmented narrative reflects the disorientation and non-linearity of trauma memory. davis & meretoja (2022), hayes (2022), doran (2024) silence and gaps represents the ineffability of extreme suffering and theological crisis. engola (2024), ionescu (2024), quigley (2021) intergenerational memory influences second and third-generation holocaust survivors. westin (2025), gudgel (2024), schwartz et al. (2021) memory as a moral obligation counteracts holocaust denial and ensures historical preservation. michman (2021), levin (2021), whitehorn (2024) survival as arbitrary depicts survival as luck-based rather than a triumph of resilience. levin (2021), matthews (2023), zühlke (2023) night significantly contributes to postwar literature by offering a harrowing yet deeply insightful exploration of trauma and memory. through its fragmented narrative, use of silence, and intergenerational impact, the memoir reshapes how readers and scholars understand the psychological aftereffects of the holocaust. furthermore, night’s ethical imperatives—such as its rejection of heroism and its insistence on bearing witness—reinforce its lasting relevance in contemporary discussions on historical trauma. future studies should explore how night continues to shape global discourse on memory, ethics, and trauma literature in the 21st century. key literary and ethical elements in night that differentiate it from other holocaust narratives elie wiesel’s night is distinct among holocaust narratives due to its literary style and ethical engagement with themes of suffering, survival, and moral ambiguity. unlike many holocaust memoirs that incorporate detailed historical exposition, wiesel’s work employs minimalist prose and fragmented structure, creating a raw and immediate portrayal of trauma (grindler, 2021; wunderli, 2022). this stylistic choice heightens the emotional gravity of the narrative, forcing readers to engage directly with the horrors of the holocaust without the filter of elaborate description or literary embellishment (buschmeier english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 33 & glesener, 2024; teo, 2024). the sparseness of wiesel’s writing mirrors the inexpressibility of the suffering endured, aligning night with ethical imperatives in holocaust literature that prioritize truthfulness and avoid romanticization (hagemann, 2023; goldwyn, 2021). minimalist prose and literary restraint one of the defining literary elements of night is wiesel’s deliberate use of a minimalist prose style, which starkly contrasts with the more elaborate storytelling found in other holocaust memoirs, such as primo levi’s if this is a man or anne frank’s the diary of a young girl (grindler, 2021; hayes, 2022). wiesel’s sentences are often brief, declarative, and stripped of ornamentation, reflecting the raw emotional state of a survivor who struggles to process the horrors he endured (wunderli, 2022; michman, 2021). this conciseness enhances the text’s immediacy, allowing the reader to experience the protagonist’s trauma with an almost visceral intensity (buschmeier & glesener, 2024; levin, 2021). the use of simple yet powerful language aligns with ethical concerns in holocaust literature, ensuring that the narrative remains authentic without sensationalizing tragedy (schwartz, weller, & winkel, 2021; stanton, 2023). ethical dilemmas and the breakdown of faith and morality night stands apart from many holocaust narratives due to its unflinching portrayal of ethical dilemmas, particularly those surrounding faith, morality, and survival. while other memoirs, such as viktor frankl’s man’s search for meaning, emphasize resilience and the psychological strength of survivors, wiesel presents a far more unsettling depiction of human frailty under duress (helfgot, 2021; von kellenbach, 2021). the text repeatedly confronts the moral compromises made by individuals struggling to survive, including moments when the protagonist questions his own ethical boundaries (doran, 2024; jaya, 2021). scenes of sons abandoning their fathers in moments of desperation, or the silent complicity of bystanders witnessing brutality, challenge the conventional framing of holocaust victims as purely innocent sufferers (quigley, 2021; karwowska, 2021). wiesel also documents the erosion of religious faith in the face of extreme suffering, particularly through the protagonist’s spiritual crisis. while some holocaust literature reaffirms faith as a means of survival, night presents the loss of faith as an inevitable consequence of prolonged exposure to cruelty and dehumanization (levin, 2021; michman, 2021). the recurring motif of silence—both divine and human—underscores the ethical weight of witnessing atrocities without intervention (hagemann, 2023; matthews, 2023). this theological crisis differentiates night from other survivor testimonies, positioning it as a work that not only records suffering but also interrogates the moral and philosophical implications of genocide (schwartz, weller, & winkel, 2021; stanton, 2023). rejection of sentimentalism and absence of redemption unlike many holocaust narratives that seek to impose a redemptive arc or a sense of closure, night resists sentimental resolutions. wiesel does not offer comforting reflections on the resilience of the human spirit or the ultimate triumph of good over evil (goldwyn, 2021; hayes, 2022). instead, he leaves readers with unresolved moral dilemmas, reinforcing the irreparable nature of the holocaust’s trauma (davis & meretoja, 2022; teo, 2024). the narrative’s conclusion—marked by the protagonist’s reflection on his own hollow, spectral existence—challenges the reader to grapple with the lingering impact of trauma beyond the events of the war (engola, 2024; ionescu, 2024). moreover, night does not frame survival as a moral victory but rather as an arbitrary occurrence dictated by luck and circumstance (gudgel, 2024; stanton, 2023). this portrayal subverts common literary tropes in holocaust narratives, where perseverance and resistance are often emphasized as key themes (levin, 2021; whitehorn, 2024). by denying the reader an uplifting resolution, wiesel underscores the ethical responsibility of remembering the holocaust in its full horror, without the comfort of retrospective meaningmaking (shawon, 2024; hagemann, 2023). impact on holocaust literature and ethical discourse wiesel’s literary and ethical choices in night have had a lasting impact on holocaust literature and broader discussions on genocide representation. his rejection of narrative closure and refusal to impose meaning on suffering have influenced contemporary writers exploring trauma and witness literature (siertsema, 2022; schwartz, weller, & winkel, 2021). the memoir serves as a powerful counter-narrative to holocaust denial, irmak metin the influence of world war ii on english literature: a critical analysis of elie wiesel’s night 34 reinforcing the importance of firsthand testimony in preserving historical truth (michman, 2021; levin, 2021). additionally, night has shaped ethical discussions surrounding memory and representation, raising questions about the moral obligations of both survivors and readers (quigley, 2021; goldwyn, 2021). wiesel’s work challenges readers to confront the uncomfortable realities of human nature, compelling them to bear witness to history without seeking moral simplifications or convenient redemptions (levin, 2021; whitehorn, 2024). table 2. key literary and ethical elements in night element explanation supporting scholars minimalist prose style uses stark, unembellished language to convey trauma without romanticization. grindler (2021), wunderli (2022), buschmeier & glesener (2024) ethical dilemmas highlights the moral compromises made for survival, challenging notions of pure victimhood. helfgot (2021), von kellenbach (2021), jaya (2021) crisis of faith depicts the loss of religious faith due to extreme suffering and divine silence. levin (2021), michman (2021), hagemann (2023) rejection of sentimentalism avoids redemptive arcs, leaving moral questions unresolved. goldwyn (2021), hayes (2022), teo (2024) survival as arbitrary frames survival as a product of chance rather than resilience or moral fortitude. gudgel (2024), stanton (2023), shawon (2024) in contrast to many holocaust narratives that frame survival through perseverance, night challenges these conventions by presenting a bleak, unfiltered account of genocide. wiesel’s minimalist prose, emphasis on ethical dilemmas, and rejection of redemptive closure make night a unique and powerful contribution to holocaust literature. by stripping away sentimentality and forcing readers to confront moral ambiguity, wiesel ensures that night remains an enduring and unsettling testament to the holocaust’s horrors. future research should examine how wiesel’s literary and ethical choices continue to influence contemporary representations of genocide and trauma. evolution of the reception of night in educational and literary discourse elie wiesel’s night has undergone a significant transformation in terms of its reception, transitioning from relative obscurity to becoming a foundational text in holocaust education and literary studies. initially, the book faced challenges in gaining recognition due to the limited public discourse on holocaust survivor narratives in the immediate postwar period (michman, 2021; hayes, 2022). however, as global awareness of holocaust atrocities increased, night emerged as an essential text, widely integrated into secondary and higher education curricula worldwide (bell, schaffer, & gangwish, 2024; gudgel, 2024). early reception and initial challenges when night was first published in yiddish under the title un di velt hot geshvign (and the world remained silent), it struggled to find a broad readership. at the time, public discourse on the holocaust was still developing, and publishers were hesitant to promote survivor testimonies, fearing that audiences were not yet ready to engage with such traumatic narratives (michman, 2021; levin, 2021). additionally, the lack of established frameworks for holocaust literature contributed to the text’s initial marginalization (helfgot, 2021; matthews, 2023). early literary criticism did not place much emphasis on firsthand survivor accounts, focusing instead on historical documentation and political analyses of world war ii (shawon, 2024; stanton, 2023). integration into education and literary canon the 1960s and 1970s marked a turning point in night’s reception, coinciding with the rise of holocaust education initiatives and the increased recognition of survivor narratives as critical components of historical memory (hagemann, 2023; hayes, 2022). wiesel’s 1986 nobel peace prize further elevated the text’s prominence, reinforcing its role as both a literary masterpiece and an ethical call to remembrance (gudgel, 2024; von kellenbach, 2021). night began to be widely adopted in schools, particularly in the united states, as educators sought to teach students about genocide, morality, and historical injustice (bell, schaffer, & gangwish, 2024; goldwyn, 2021). the text’s accessibility has played a crucial role in its educational impact. unlike dense historical accounts or philosophical treatises on the holocaust, night presents a deeply personal english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 35 and emotionally compelling narrative that fosters empathy among readers (jones-katz, 2023; shawon, 2024). its brevity, combined with its powerful thematic depth, makes it an effective tool for engaging students in discussions about human rights, ethics, and the responsibilities of witness literature (grindler, 2021; hayes, 2022). furthermore, wiesel’s ability to convey profound moral and existential dilemmas in simple yet evocative language has solidified night as a crucial component of holocaust studies and world literature curricula (bell, schaffer, & gangwish, 2024; stanton, 2023). expansion into global discourse on genocide and human rights beyond its role in holocaust education, night has continued to shape broader discussions on genocide prevention, human rights, and moral responsibility (volková, 2021; whitehorn, 2024). the themes of memory, trauma, and ethical witnessing resonate beyond the holocaust, making the text relevant to other historical atrocities, including the rwandan genocide, the armenian genocide, and contemporary refugee crises (schwartz, weller, & winkel, 2021; siertsema, 2022). wiesel’s advocacy, including his role as the chair of the u.s. holocaust memorial council, further reinforced night’s significance as a call to action against oppression and injustice (levin, 2021; whitehorn, 2024). in contemporary discourse, night continues to be referenced in debates on collective memory, post-holocaust ethics, and the responsibilities of survivors and historians (shawon, 2024; stanton, 2023). the memoir’s ongoing relevance in global discussions on racism, discrimination, and historical accountability highlights its lasting impact on both literature and public consciousness (gudgel, 2024; bell, schaffer, & gangwish, 2024). criticism and contemporary challenges despite its widespread acclaim, night has also been subject to critical debate. some scholars argue that its widespread use in educational settings risks simplifying the holocaust’s complexity by focusing on individual testimony rather than broader historical analysis (helfgot, 2021; hagemann, 2023). others point to the ethical implications of turning personal trauma into a pedagogical tool, questioning whether classroom discussions can fully capture the depth of survivor experiences (goldwyn, 2021; whitehorn, 2024). additionally, recent shifts in educational policies and political debates on history curricula have influenced the teaching of night in various contexts. in some regions, discussions of genocide and systemic oppression have faced resistance, raising concerns about the continued prioritization of holocaust literature in education (schwartz, weller, & winkel, 2021; von kellenbach, 2021). these challenges underscore the need for ongoing engagement with wiesel’s work, ensuring that its lessons remain relevant in evolving social and political landscapes (davis & meretoja, 2022; stanton, 2023). table 3. evolution of the reception of night period reception & impact scholarly perspectives 1950s-1960s limited recognition; publishers hesitant due to holocaust trauma still being a developing discourse. michman (2021), levin (2021), helfgot (2021) 1970s-1980s growing integration into education and recognition of survivor testimony in historical memory. hagemann (2023), hayes (2022), bell, schaffer, & gangwish (2024) 1990s-present widespread inclusion in global curricula; influence on genocide studies and human rights discourse. volková (2021), whitehorn (2024), schwartz, weller, & winkel (2021) contemporary challenges criticism of oversimplification in education; political resistance in some regions. goldwyn (2021), stanton (2023), von kellenbach (2021) the reception of night has evolved significantly, from initial obscurity to becoming a central text in holocaust education and literary studies. its ability to engage readers emotionally, its accessibility in educational settings, and its role in global discussions on genocide and memory have cemented its status as one of the most influential holocaust narratives. however, as educational and political landscapes continue to shift, it remains critical to examine how night is taught and interpreted to ensure its lessons remain impactful for future generations. conclusion elie wiesel’s night stands as a seminal work in holocaust literature, shaping the postwar literary irmak metin the influence of world war ii on english literature: a critical analysis of elie wiesel’s night 36 landscape by offering a harrowing, firsthand account of trauma, memory, and moral ambiguity. through a multidisciplinary lens, this study has demonstrated how night contributes to the broader discourse on trauma literature, holocaust testimony, and ethical dilemmas surrounding survival and faith. the fragmented narrative structure, minimalist prose, and emphasis on silence serve as literary techniques that align with contemporary trauma theories, reinforcing how survivors struggle to articulate suffering. additionally, wiesel’s unflinching portrayal of the moral breakdown under extreme conditions challenges traditional heroic narratives, highlighting the complexity of human endurance in the face of genocide. the study also underscores how night differentiates itself from other holocaust memoirs by resisting sentimentalism and offering an unfiltered representation of suffering without providing closure or redemption. wiesel’s work raises fundamental ethical questions about the role of memory, the responsibilities of witnessing, and the theological crisis induced by the holocaust. unlike memoirs that emphasize resilience or posttraumatic recovery, night immerses readers in the inescapable burden of survival, where loss, silence, and moral compromise define existence beyond the camps. furthermore, night has played a transformative role in educational and literary discourse. from its initial struggle for recognition to its current status as a foundational text in holocaust education, the memoir has influenced historical consciousness, genocide prevention discussions, and ethical debates on collective memory. its integration into curricula worldwide ensures that future generations remain engaged with the moral lessons of the holocaust, reinforcing the importance of testimony as a tool for historical accountability. despite its enduring influence, night also faces contemporary challenges, particularly regarding its pedagogical use and the risk of oversimplification in educational settings. scholars continue to debate the ethical considerations of teaching survivor narratives, as well as the political tensions surrounding holocaust literature in various regions. these challenges underscore the need for continued critical engagement with night, ensuring that it remains a vital part of holocaust studies while adapting to evolving academic and societal contexts. ultimately, night exemplifies how literature serves as both a historical document and a moral imperative. wiesel’s testimony not only preserves the memory of holocaust atrocities but also compels readers to reflect on the ethical implications of bearing witness. future research should explore how night continues to shape contemporary discussions on trauma, human rights, and literary representation, ensuring its relevance in a world still grappling with the consequences of historical violence and collective memory. references babu, m., & virgin, b. a. (2024). memoirs of perseverance: episodic memory in elie wiesel's night. creative saplings, 3(6), 11-28. bell, j., schaffer, c., & gangwish, k. (2024). teacher decision making in teaching about the holocaust through art. holocaust studies, 30(1), 22-46. berger, a. l. (2021). elie wiesel: humanist messenger for peace. routledge. berger, j. (2023). elie wiesel: confronting the silence. yale university press. buschmeier, m., & glesener, j. e. (2024). european literatures of military occupation: shared experience, shifting boundaries, and aesthetic affections. casey, s., cosley, k., daniel, d. k., delozier, a., edy, c., garner, k., ... & sotvedt, v. (2023). reporting world war ii. fordham univ press. cheyette, b. (2024). following laura marcus: from autobiography to testimony. textual practice, 38(3), 439-455. davis, c., & meretoja, h. (2022). literature, testimony, and regimes of truth. comparative literature studies, 59(2), 271-291. doran, c. (2024). engaged witnessing: an ethical framework for teaching the holocaust (doctoral dissertation, national university of ireland maynooth). dušanić, d. (2024). from “natural institution” to poetic genre: literary testimony and the issues of witnessing in verse. genre, 57(1), 25-52. dyches, j., boyd, a. s., & schulz, j. m. (2021). critical content knowledges in the english language arts classroom: examining practicing teachers' nuanced perspectives. journal of curriculum studies, 53(3), 368-384. e glesener, j., & buschmeier, m. (2024). european literatures of military occupation: an introduction to the topic and terminology of the genre. in european literatures of military occupation: shared experience, shifting boundaries, and aesthetic affections (pp. 1148). leuven university press. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 37 elsky, j. (2024). the holocaust in french jewish literature of the 20th century. in oxford research encyclopedia of literature. engola, s. (2024). the angry translator: a psychosocial reading of la nuit by elie wiesel and its english versions. tjells| the journal for english language and literary studies, 14(02), 17-17. goldwyn, a. j. (2021). pleasure, pain, perversity: reading byzantine witness literature after auschwitz. in witness literature in byzantium: narrating slaves, prisoners, and refugees (pp. 277-294). cham: springer international publishing. goldwyn, a. j. (2022). hélène cixous’ and daniel mendelsohn’s postmemory scars: the iliad, the odyssey, and the holocaust in the twentyfirst century. in homer, humanism, holocaust: jewish responses to the crisis of enlightenment during world war ii (pp. 105129). cham: springer international publishing. grindler, y. (2021). a psychobiographical study of elie wiesel: our brother’s keeper. university of johannesburg (south africa). gudgel, m. (2024). i feel like writing: critical context and the legacy of anne frank in education. in exploring anne frank and difficult life stories (pp. 38-54). routledge. hagemann, r. j. (2023). master in history–textbooks and the world at war: portrayals of the second world war in textbooks from norway, germany, and the united states (master's thesis, university of south-eastern norway). hayes, p. (2022). the oxford history of life-writing: volume 7: postwar to contemporary, 19452020. oxford university press. helfgot, n. (2021). facing the abyss and confronting the holocaust. tradition: a journal of orthodox jewish thought, 53(3), 104-112. ionescu, a. (2024). dilemmas beyond ethics: a critique of eastern ethical literary criticism. primerjalna književnost, 47(3). jaya, d. d. (2021). the impact of social environment on eliezer’s devotion toward his father in the night by elie wiesel (doctoral dissertation, universitas sanata dharma yogyakarta). jones-katz, g. (2023). challenging humanism: jews, theory, and yale during the closing decades of the twentieth century. jewish social studies, 27(3), 189-222. karwowska, b. (2021). witness and form: tadeusz borowski's this way for the gas, ladies and gentlemen. in the routledge world companion to polish literature (pp. 267277). routledge. krongold, j. (2023). " are you trembling, earth?": nonhuman nature in literary representations of the holocaust. environment, space, place, 15(2), 63-88. krueger, j. (2023). wiesel's night: a biography. kurtović, i. (2022). representation of trauma in the night war series (doctoral dissertation, university of zagreb. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of english language and literature). kvas, k. (2024). 22 world war ii and the cold war as counterfactual fiction. (re) writing war in contemporary literature and culture: beyond post-memory, 260. levin, a. (2021). breaking silences in the aftermath of holocaust trauma in elie wiesel’s day. holocaust studies, 27(3), 351-370. marushiakova, e., & popov, v. (2022). roma portraits in history: roma civic emancipation elite in central, south-eastern and eastern europe from the 19th century until world war ii. brill. matthews, h. j. (2023). general interest: the monstrous other: analyzing jewish characters in the literary canon. english journal, 112(6), 48-55. michman, d. (2021). why is the shoah called ‘the shoah’or ‘the holocaust’? on the history of the terminology for the nazi anti-jewish campaign. the journal of holocaust research, 35(4), 233-256. petrolle, j. (2024). prophesying war: djuna barnes's nightwood and the book of isaiah. religion & literature, 55(2), 257-281. praba, i. f. m. (2022). trauma–then and now in elie wiesel’s night and susan abulhawa’s the blue between sky and water. journal of positive school psychology, 6(11), 2702-2709. qizi, s. m. u. (2024). the genesis and growth of holocaust literature. eurasian journal of academic research, 4(3-2), 105-108. quigley, s. (2021). father and god (the father) in wiesel’s night as response to the holocaust. humanities, 10(1), 57. rameshbhai, g. b. (2022). literary expression of freedom and equality: reading caste, race and the holocaust in fiction (doctoral dissertation, maharaja sayajirao university of baroda (india)). rios, a. (2024). the kansas literary canon: a study of texts taught in high school english courses. kansas english, 105. schwartz, m., weller, n., & winkel, h. (eds.). (2021). after memory: world war ii in contemporary eastern european literatures (vol. 29). walter de gruyter gmbh & co kg. shawon, s. a. (2024). the war theme in the european literature. international journal of language and literary studies, 6(4), 1-15. siertsema, b. (2022). the tension between fact and fiction in holocaust literature. interdisciplinary journal for irmak metin the influence of world war ii on english literature: a critical analysis of elie wiesel’s night 38 religion and transformation in contemporary society, 8(1), 83-99. stanton, k. m. (2023). analysing memoirs: gone but not forgotten. in sources for studying the holocaust (pp. 45-57). routledge. teo, h. m. (2024). when a jew loves a nazi: problems with repurposing the holocaust for reparative romance 1. in conflict and colonialism in 21st century romantic historical fiction (pp. 180-208). routledge. volková, b. (2021). forms of exile in jewish literature and thought: twentieth-century central europe and migration to america. academic studies press. von kellenbach, k. (2021). beyond competitive memory: the preeminence of the holocaust in religious studies. in the routledge handbook of religion, mass atrocity, and genocide (pp. 419-429). routledge. wąsowicz-miszczyńska, m. (2024). world war ii in american alternate history in the perspective of memory studies (doctoral dissertation). westin, e. (2025). in the aftermath of silence: an intergenerational burden of recognition in postgeneration holodomor survivor literature. in intergenerational trauma in refugee communities (pp. 71-83). routledge. whitehorn, a. (2024). remembering and understanding genocide through the arts: a case study of the armenian genocide. armenian folia anglistika, 20(2 (30)), 85-109. wunderli, c. j. (2022). elie wiesel, the shtetl, and post-auschwitz memory (vol. 22). lit verlag. zühlke, c. (2023). elie wiesel and a legacy of (post-) witnessing. modern judaism: a journal of jewish ideas and experience, 43(2), 148-163. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 499 enhancing grammar teaching in an indonesian senior high school through the use of grammar wheel syafa azmi syakira master of english language education, universitas negeri yogyakarta, yogyakarta, indonesia email: syafaazmi.2021@student.uny.ac.id joko priyana master of english language education, universitas negeri yogyakarta, yogyakarta, indonesia email: joko.priyana@uny.ac.id aryanti eka lestari master of english language education, universitas negeri yogyakarta, yogyakarta, indonesia email: aryantieka.2021@student.uny.ac.id ifti luthviana dewi master of english language education, universitas negeri yogyakarta, yogyakarta, indonesia email: iftiluthviana.2021@student.uny.ac.id erna pujiasih senior high school 1 bantul, yogyakarta, indonesia email: erpujiasih@gmail.com apa scitation: syakira, s. a., priyana, j., lestari, a. e., dewi, i. l., & pujiasih, e. (2024). enhancing grammar teaching in an indonesian senior high school through the use of grammar wheel. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 499-508. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9350 received: 26-02-2024 accepted: 23-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction in the field of language teaching, the position of grammar instructions holds a crucial component in a language. weaver (1996, as cited in hervina, 2022) believed that language is an ultimate human accomplishment that is worthy to be learned. this view signifies that principles are required to underlie language learning. the essential of this language component lies in its function to bring meaningful utterances (hervina, 2022). as english grammar is a rule that comprises the structure of a language, it is considered the abstract: attaining proficiency in grammar is crucial for students as it serves as the foundation for language use. however, many individuals shy away from learning it, perceiving it as a daunting and challenging task. this research is aimed at enhancing grammar teaching by applying grammar wheel. it focuses on the active and passive voice mastery of three forms of tenses including simple past tense, past continuous tense, and past perfect tense. conducted in an indonesian senior high school in yogyakarta, this study was participated by 35 students and an english teacher. having troubles in comprehending grammar, the teacher needed media and activities to deliver the grammar materials interestingly. two cycles of classroom action research (car) were implemented. the data were collected using observation sheets, field notes, video recordings, interview guidelines, and exercise sheets. the analysis was carried out qualitatively following the steps proposed by creswell and creswell (2018). the results revealed that grammar teaching had been successfully improved and students were more motivated to engage in the learning process being in a comfortable and supportive learning environment. furthermore, learners’ knowledge in mastering the three types of tenses increased significantly as evidenced by the decline in the number of grammatical errors in the sentences they made. hence, the grammar wheel has proven to be an effective tool for teaching grammar in the classroom. keywords: grammar wheel; grammar; past tense. mailto:syafaazmi.2021@student.uny.ac.id mailto:joko.priyana@uny.ac.id mailto:aryantieka.2021@student.uny.ac.id mailto:iftiluthviana.2021@student.uny.ac.id syafa azmi syakira, joko priyana, aryanti eka lestari, ifti luthviana dewi & erna pujiasih enhancing grammar teaching in an indonesian senior high school through the use of grammar wheel 500 fundamental of four english language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). hence, teaching grammar is important in the learning of language as grammar encompasses the rules of a language and delivers meaning through sentences. undisputedly, grammar provides a clear context and makes a sentence or text meaningful and relevant. despite its significance, however, the portrait of teaching grammar in indonesian high schools seems challenging as grammar itself often stands as a frightening specter for most students. the existence of the doctrine that learning grammar means learning a lot of confusing english tenses appeared since the indonesian language is tenseless. consequently, the students found that they have difficulty in differentiating tenses as their first language doesn’t have this kind of distinction (listia and febriyanti, 2020). iman (2020) provides specific proof by pointing out that indonesian students have difficulty with past tense verb forms due to their variability. as a result, the students’ perspective on grammar that has such complex rules lead them to have a low motivation to learn grammar (sorohiti, et al., 2024). in regard to the challenges in teaching grammar, the right teaching method has been a subject of discussions among efl teachers and practitioners. benitez-correa et al. (2019) highlights that there has been an ongoing debate on whether grammar should be taught inductively or deductively. when teachers teach grammar inductively, they try to make the students discover the grammatical rules. such that, students are given the opportunity to deduce the rule from the examples presented to them. some researchers argue that this method allows better retention (obeidat & alomari, 2020). whereas, in a deductive classroom, teachers teach grammar by presenting and explaining concepts to students (andriani et al, 2021). the students are then expected to complete exercises or assignments to practice these concepts. this method is often criticized for its more teacher-centered nature. however, it has been around for many decades and serves many advantages. yakubova (2022) elaborates that this method allows more time efficiency in terms of preparation and benefits students as they know what they are expected to do. regardless of the distinction between the two, several studies (hejvani & farahani, 2018; nur, 2020; shirav & nagai, 2022) have revealed that inductive teaching and deductive teaching of grammar are equally beneficial. moreover, there is a notion that grammar is "boring". yakubova (2022) notes that the methods and strategies to teach it must be properly and deliberately constructed so that students would enjoy the process. however, equally important, engaging students in learning should be the priority of education. unfortunately, in the indonesian context, the teaching and learning process is still dominated by teachers trying to deliver materials through conventional lectures. a research conducted by komara & tiarsiwi (2021) found that out of 500 samples of indonesian students at various levels spread across the country, the majority encountered various obstacles in learning grammar. they highlighted the limited diversity in teaching methods employed by teachers and the lack of clarity in explanations. this resulted in students demanding more varied learning methods. meanwhile, studies have revealed that students in indonesia need a friendly learning atmosphere and effective learning strategies that are not fixated on a teacher-centered approach (nurhayati, 2020; yunita, et al., 2018). that is to say, english teachers are advised to seek for more enjoyable methods and strategies to teach grammar. aside from those aforementioned methods and strategies, some researchers (afidah et al., 2021; rhovaidah, hadi, & mutiarani, 2021; islami, 2020) have proved that choosing the right learning media can be promising to aid the teaching of grammar. this should prompt educators across the country to cultivate a new learning environment that fosters student comfort and instills confidence in the notion that mastering grammar is achievable. to address these issues, teachers in indonesia need to adopt a different method of teaching grammar. one effective solution to overcome this hurdle, accessible to all learners, is the grammar wheel. this educational tool, which can be individually designed by the teachers, remains pertinent in language learning today (yaccob & yunus, 2019). it serves as a tool for learners to engage with proper sentence structures in an enjoyable manner. research in different areas have proven that the use of the grammar wheel improved students' understanding and abilities not only in grammar but also their writing skills (saputra et al., 2019; chambers & yunus, 2017). utilizing the grammar wheel fosters greater confidence among students in comprehending and crafting sentences. however, prior studies have predominantly concentrated on constructing sentences in the present tense (saputra, et al., 2019; chambers & english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 501 yunus, 2017; batubara & mahardhika, 2020). the development of an instructional tool aimed at enhancing students' comprehension of past tense usage, particularly in active and passive forms, remains unexplored. given the emerging challenges in grammar instruction and the limited effort to offer a thorough explanation of different tense forms, the present study advocates for the implementation of the grammar wheel for grade x students at a senior high school in bantul, indonesia. as an advancement in utilizing this tool, the present study aims to assist students in not only comprehending the rules of sentence structure but also in distinguishing and constructing three distinct tenses: the past perfect tense, past continuous tense, and past simple tense. method this research focuses on enhancing the teaching of grammar, especially on the use of past tense. therefore, classroom action research (car) was conducted to achieve the research objectives. according to burns (2010), car is aimed at identifying problems that may come from the teacher, student, manager, administrator, or parents in order to make an improvement in practice. in collecting the data, researchers collaboratively carried out the car and worked hand in hand with a teacher. a class consisting of 36 students in grade 10th of one of the senior high schools in yogyakarta was involved in the research. the selection of this class was based on the identification of an urgent need for assistance in teaching grammar among the students. such concerns were directly expressed by the teacher in the class. before the research was carried out, the authors ensured that students understood and agreed to the interference from researchers during the learning process. the cycle steps of this research are following the car model from kemmis and mctaggart (1988) which consist of the plan, action, observation, and reflection. the reconnaissance step was conducted before implementing the cycle to identify the problem. it was done by doing two preliminary observations and interviewing students and the teacher. after that, the researchers designed the plans based on the discussion results. the plans were implemented by the teacher while the researchers conducted the observations. after completing the implementation in the cycle, the researcher and the teacher reflected and evaluated the process of teaching. in total, the researchers conducted this research in 2 cycles. two types of grammar wheels are utilized: one for active voice and another for passive voice. below is the design of the grammar wheel for active voice: figure 1. grammar wheel active voice the wheel has four colors comprising blue, orange, green and yellow. each color represents a different type of tenses. the color blue is for the simple past tense, orange is for the past continuous tense with a single subject, green is for the past continuous tense with a plural subject, and yellow is for the past perfect tense. furthermore, each circle represents a different part. the first circle is for the subject, the second one is for to be, and the third is for the verb. to use the wheel, students are divided into five to six groups of four to five. sticky notes are given to each group, which they use to write new words on before attaching them to the wheel to create new sentences. due to its convenience, the use of the grammar wheel can be integrated with other activities. in cycle 1, the active voice structure was practiced via a game called ‘silly sentence’. students were allowed to construct sentences that are structurally correct but do not necessarily make sense. the main goal in using this method is for students to first understand and master the grammatical structure. since the data gathered in this research are qualitative, they were analyzed using the steps elaborated by creswell and creswell (2018). the steps consist of: 1) organizing and preparing the data; 2) reading or looking at all the data; 3) coding all the data; 4) generating a description and themes; and 5) representing the description and themes. results and discussion reconnaissance syafa azmi syakira, joko priyana, aryanti eka lestari, ifti luthviana dewi & erna pujiasih enhancing grammar teaching in an indonesian senior high school through the use of grammar wheel 502 twice classroom observations and interviews with both students and the teacher were conducted in the beginning. the teacher implemented genre based approach (gba) as the teaching method to deliver the structure of recount text materials. during the first observation, there was no crucial problem in relation to the teaching process. the teacher had done the steps of building knowledge of the text (bkof) by discussing some vocabulary and famous figures and modeling of the text (mot) by deconstructing a biography text. thus, the researchers then managed the second observation. for the time being, the materials were the use of grammatical structure in recount text. students’ lack of engagement most of the students looked confused when the teacher asked them to identify tenses in a paragraph. moreover, some were not engaged in the teacher’s explanation as they were talking in the back. this view was supported by the interview result with two of the students. one student revealed that “that one (tenses) i still don't understand” (i1/p3/03.02/ch) and “sometimes it is still difficult to distinguish verb one and verb two” (i1/p3/03.25/ch). she also reasoned that “it's really hard to understand the material because it's in english, so the language is different '' (i1/p3/03.06/ch). in short, they found it difficult to understand the tenses and to differentiate the verb forms since there are no tenses in the indonesian language. indeed, the difference between grammatical rules in english and in the students’ first language can cause confusion and even errors. as revealed by linarsih et al. (2020) grammatical errors produced by students while learning english can be caused by the interferences of the indonesian grammar. students’ needs for more grammar explanation and practice regarding teaching grammar, the drawback was that the explanation delivered by the teacher is brief and prompt, as one of them commented “so far, sometimes the explanation is just written on the board and then explained briefly, then not studied further” (i1/p3/04.10/tm) because the teaching method “often focused on project task” (i1/p1/05.46/tm). meanwhile, from the teacher's perspective, she expressed that an activity to help her explain the grammar material is required to make the learning varied and not monotonous. in terms of learning needs, students noticed that they still need more explanation and practice to deepen their understanding as two students confessed “...i want to learn more about grammar and vocab” (i1/p3/03.19/ln) and “i'd rather be given a task (activity) and later we can find out more deeply” (i1/p3/05.30/ln). students' comments highlighted the significance of a method that can both provide them with thorough explanations and keep them engaged. students’ lack of grammar mastery to check and identify the actual students’ english grammar mastery, the researchers tried to get their sample writing. they were asked to do initial exercises on writing two sentences in each three tenses, those are simple past, past continuous, and past perfect tense. from the initial exercise result, the researchers detected that almost half of the class were having trouble with those three tenses. moreover, their awareness of writing the article is also low: table 1. initial exercise result sentences number of errors simple past tense past continuous tense past perfect tense noun verb article total sentences 70 70 70 70 70 70 incorrect 24 30 33 1 7 27 incorrect % 34% 43% 47% 1% 10% 39% after the investigations were done, the researchers discussed the result with the teacher as the collaborator to obtain more perspectives in finding the solution. finally, the researchers and the teacher agreed to employ the grammar wheel to facilitate learners in understanding tenses. cycle 1 implementation of the first cycle was carried out after the mot step in the previous class. in this cycle, grammar teaching was focused on the mastery of the active voice. the primary objective of the activity was to enable students to comprehend and construct active voice sentences using three different types of past tense accurately. during the lesson, the researchers conducted english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 503 classroom observations to see and ensure that students clearly understood what to do with the grammar wheel. the teacher remained in primary control of the class and the researchers continued to act as observers. improved students’ centeredness through practice with grammar wheel analysis showed that at the beginning of the lesson, students did not fully understand the delivered explanations and instructions for the grammar wheel. only after the researchers and the teacher went around the class to explain the instructions did the students completely understand and started to get excited. throughout the learning activity, students accumulated a variety of new vocabulary knowing that they could make any sentences, even the ones that did not make sense, as long as the structure was correct. the class continued to gravitate more on learner-centered learning. students had direct experience with learning media and succeeded in making sentences using the three forms of past tense. the following table exhibits a summary of the work of all six groups: table 2. practice results of active voice group number of sentences number of errors simple past tense past continuous tense past perfect tense noun verb article t c t c t c a 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 2 b 6 4 6 5 6 6 3 8 c 3 2 3 3 3 3 2 1 5 d 5 5 5 5 5 4 1 4 e 6 5 6 6 4 4 1 4 f 2 2 3 3 2 2 4 t: the total number of sentences written c: the number of sentences written correctly the figure displays that regardless of the different sentences each group composed, all of them provided satisfactory answers. the errors lied in the improper form of verbs as students were still learning and memorizing regular and irregular verbs. these were visible from how the students wrote the words "faught" instead of “fought” and "was caughting" instead of “was catching”. septianasari, et al. (2019) stated that the influence of mother tongue is generally found during the learning process. the fact that indonesian does not have tenses may contribute to the underlying factor as students do not need to change the verb in their native language. this difference can lead to generalization of word forms or spellings by the students. subsequently, the second type of error that appeared most frequently in student worksheets was the lack of articles. rules regarding this particular aspect was indeed not explicitly conveyed in class that only a few were aware of its use. although some problems related to grammar rules were found, most of the sentences the students constructed were grammatically correct and they had understood the structures. increased awareness of sentence in addition to the aforementioned points, students even knew how to differentiate the three types of tenses. while observing activities in class, the researchers found that a student was able to correct the wrong sentence one of her friends made. “hey! you shouldn't use 'was' there! it should be 'she wrote' not 'she was wrote'!”. this particular action indicated the student’s increasing awareness of grammar. alizain (2019) mentioned that grammar awareness has a significant role in language learning and the grammar wheel had successfully facilitated it in this context. this finding indicates that the use of the grammar wheel is effective in helping students understand grammar structures and further supports previous findings (saputra, et al., 2019; chambers & yunus, 2017). students were able not only to understand sentence structure but also to distinguish and make three forms of active past tense sentences. the process in cycle 1 indeed exhibited students' mastery of the three types of active past tense sentences. however, as the initial purpose of this activity was only for students' understanding, students were allowed to construct silly sentences which in terms of content did not really reflect the topic of their learning. hence, reflection needed to be conducted to improve the learning process for the next stage. to facilitate students in the next meeting, the use of silly sentences was eliminated and the material continued with passive voice syafa azmi syakira, joko priyana, aryanti eka lestari, ifti luthviana dewi & erna pujiasih enhancing grammar teaching in an indonesian senior high school through the use of grammar wheel 504 forms. the new grammar wheel with passive voice structure was designed for this purpose. mastery of the passive voice structure would be useful for students to write historical recount text as the next topic. cycle 2 based on the evaluation of the first cycle, the teacher and the researchers agreed that another cycle was necessary to be conducted, especially because the next topic still concerned recount text which involved several tenses. in the second cycle, a new grammar wheel was designed and created since different tenses, i.e., passive voices were discussed. however, they were still associated with the simple past, past continuous, and past perfect. the learning activities in the second cycle were almost similar to the ones implemented in the first cycle, with the “silly sentence” part being omitted to avoid confusion and the possibility of students creating sentences with inappropriate meanings. at this point, students had understood how the grammar wheel works. thus, they could enjoy the activities and understand the materials better as the teacher noted, “...they could understand the materials better, compared to when we did not use the learning media…” (i4/t/04.08/im), which one of the students acknowledged, “(in terms of understanding) there is an improvement” (i2/p2 p4/04.15/im). in fact, some researchers (afidah, hanifah, & alkhoyyath, 2021; rhovaidah, hadi, & mutiarani, 2021; islami, 2020) believe that the right learning media could enhance grammar teaching. the aforementioned teacher and student’ testimonies confirm that grammar wheel as the learning medium in this study is beneficial in improving students’ understanding of grammar. the students’ understanding was reflected in the results of their group practices. each group produced six up to fifteen passive sentences comprising simple past, past continuous, and past perfect. two out of five groups had created completely correct sentences for all tenses. the other three groups made some errors in the past perfect sentences, but still managed to write the simple past and past continuous sentences correctly. their errors were mainly related to the use of articles (a, an, the) and some are related to verb choices as they thought that it was okay to write silly sentences like they did in the first cycle. the detailed analysis on the practice results can be found in the table below: table 3. practice results of passive voice group sentences number of errors simple past tense past continuous tense past perfect tense noun verb article t c t c t c a 3 3 3 3 3 2 1 2 b 5 5 5 5 5 5 c 2 2 2 2 2 2 d 4 4 4 4 3 1 2 e 3 3 3 3 3 1 4 5 t: the total number of sentences written c: the number of sentences written correctly the table indicates that students showed significant improvement in understanding and producing passive voice in addition to the active voice one. the number of errors in the parts of speech also appeared to decrease. the errors found in the second cycle included the improper choice of words. groups d and e respectively wrote “died by” instead of “killed by” and “stolen” instead of “kidnapped”. nevertheless, besides promoting better understanding, the use of grammar wheel had enhanced students’ vocabulary as one of the students commented, “my teammates gave different words, so it (vocabulary) improves” (i2/p4/04.58/im). other aspects of the use of grammar wheel that gained positive responses from the teacher and the students were its ease of use, its interactivity, as well as its ability to allow students to experiment and write their sentences in an enjoyable way. in other words, the claims of previous studies regarding the advantages of utilizing grammar wheel (chambers & yunus, 2017; saputra, et al., 2019; yaccob & yunus, 2019) were proven in this study. more enjoyable learning through collaboration additionally, the activities integrated with the grammar wheel were able to facilitate collaboration. working collaboratively with peers was considered helpful by the students because english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 505 they “...could easily share…” (i3/p5/00.18/st) their understanding and they “...had more fun in doing the practices” (i2/p2/00.52/st). this finding confirms vygotsky’s (1962, as cited in lailiyah et al., 2021) theory that collaboration can enable students to obtain a cognitive growth that they could not achieve in their individual endeavors. the teacher also agreed that the students seemed more enthusiastic when they did group work. all in all, the learning atmosphere became more enjoyable. it also became more studentcentered as more time was spent for group work. it is in line with the suggestions from some researchers (nurhayati, 2020; yakubova, 2019; yunita, et al., 2018) in regards to appropriate teaching practices that could satisfy the students’ needs. indeed, after the implementation of the two cycles, there are some suggestions obtained. for instance, it would be better if students do more practices, including spoken practices. the teacher mentioned that “the practices do not have to be writing, students can also practice the grammar through spoken practices” (i4/t/08.33/su). furthermore, for more advanced development, the teacher noted that it would be great if the grammar wheel can be made into an application (i4/t/01.59/su). according to traxler (2016 cited in criollo et al (2021), applications, being a part of technology, possess the capacity to enhance teaching and are easily accessible. the claim emphasizes that it empowers learning facilities to make use of a set of features such as flexibility, ubiquity, and portability in an attempt of learning that will significantly advantage both teachers and students in the emerging digital age (briz-ponce, 2017). in other words, the utilization of grammar wheel has brought about positive results, namely better understanding of different tenses, a more student-centered instruction, and a more enjoyable learning atmosphere. however, there is still a room for improvement in relation to the utilization of grammar wheel and the teaching and learning in general. unfortunately, the teacher and the researchers could not proceed with a follow up cycle because of the time constraint as the students were about to have final term exams. conclusion this research was undertaken to determine the results of using grammar wheel in an attempt to improve grammar teaching in an indonesian senior high school. while prior research has concentrated on enhancing comprehension of the present tense, this study represents a significant advancement by introducing innovative methods for teaching three distinct past tenses. utilizing the grammar wheel as the primary instructional tool, this approach can be tailored to suit student needs. one of the most significant findings to emerge from this study is that the teaching of grammar was enhanced. the teacher was able to explain the grammar in a fascinating way. furthermore, the classroom atmosphere was delightful as students appeared eager and enthusiastic in utilizing the grammar wheel. the students' confusion in understanding grammar was reduced after the implementation. it was proven that the total of students’ errors in every writing activity dropped gradually. in conclusion, this study underlines the fun method of teaching english grammar to students in an effective way. the outcomes have clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of the employed media and method, contributing to their versatility in the realm of english language teaching. given the limited adoption of the grammar wheel in indonesia, there is an expectation for educators outside the research setting to broaden their experiences and engagements by introducing this media to students. this exposure will allow them to delve more deeply into various past tense types and foster meaningful discussions among them. the result also recommends the use of grammar wheel in teaching tenses combined with group activities that follow in order to facilitate the students to do some practices. this method is particularly effective for individuals facing challenges in grasping grammar rules, whether in formal or informal learning environments. moreover, teachers can also use this medium to focus on other aspects of grammar such as sentence structure and the use of parts of speech in association with word order. despite its effectiveness, this research is constrained by time limitations and the use of less sophisticated media. the media's usage is restricted to a specific timeframe, leading to challenges such as student confusion about the grammar wheel's application, inadequate explanation of the entire activity, and insufficient follow-up for evaluation. to address these challenges effectively and witness genuine improvements in students' understanding, skills, and independence within a reasonable timeframe, thorough preparation is essential beforehand. additionally, the current reliance on printed syafa azmi syakira, joko priyana, aryanti eka lestari, ifti luthviana dewi & erna pujiasih enhancing grammar teaching in an indonesian senior high school through the use of grammar wheel 506 materials limits the sophistication of the media. developing the digital version can modernize and enhance this learning tool significantly. a digital grammar wheel application can reach a broader audience of learners and educators while enhancing teaching and learning efficiency. references afidah, n., hanifah, & alkhoyyath, d. (2021). developing e-learning media in grammar instruction for beginner learners. jees (journal of english educators society), 6(1), 139-146. https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v6i1.363 ahn, i., chiu, m. m., & patrick, h. (2021). connecting teacher and student motivation: studentperceived teacher need-supportive practices and student need satisfaction. contemporary educational psychology, 64, 101950. alizain, m. r. (2019). promoting grammar awareness through task activities. journal of applied linguistics (altics), 1(1), 66–75. https://doi.org/10.36423/altics.v1i1.329 andriani, a., yuniar, v. d., & abdullah, f. (2021). teaching english grammar in an indonesian junior high school. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 13(2), 1046-1056. batubara, m. h., & mahardhika, m. g. s. (2020). an analysis on students difficulties in changing active to passive voice. jurnal as-salam, 4(1), 61-78. benitez-correa, c., gonzalez-torres, p., & vargassaritama, a. (2019). a comparison between deductive and inductive approaches for teaching efl grammar to high school students. international journal of instruction, 12(1), 225-236. burns, a. (2010). doing action research in language teaching: a guide for practitioners. routledge. briz-ponce, l., pereira, a., carvalho, l., juanesméndez, j. a., & garcía-peñalvo, f. j. (2017). learning with mobile technologies–students’ behavior. computers in human behavior, 72, 612-620. chambers, g. j., & yunus, m. m. (2017). enhancing learners’ sentence constructions via wheel of grammar. pertanika journal of social sciences and humanities, 25(4), 1641–1650. creswell, j.w., & creswell, j.d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). sage criollo-c, s., guerrero-arias, a., jaramillo-alcázar, á., & luján-mora, s. (2021). mobile learning technologies for education: benefits and pending issues. applied sciences, 11(9), 4111. hejvani, f., & farahani, m. v. (2018). global journal of foreign language teaching. language teaching, 8(2), 76-91. hervina, h., afdaleni, a., & taslim, f. (2022). examining the roles of grammar instruction in language teaching. journal of innovation research and knowledge, 2(2), 391-396. iman, t. r. (2020). the interference of indonesian language on english second language writing. journal of languages and language teaching, 8(2), 170-182. islami, a. p. (2020, october). environmental education in grammar learning process for junior high school students by using multifunctional english learning media (melde). in journal of physics: conference series (vol. 1655, no. 1, p. 012062). iop publishing. kemmis, s., & mctaggart, r. (1988). the action research planner (3rd ed.). deakin university komara, c., & tiarsiwi, f. (2021). exploring indonesian efl learners’ perception of english learning grammar. journal of english language teaching and linguistics, 6(2), 459– 470. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v6i2.564 lailiyah, m., setiyaningsih, l. a., wediyantoro, p. l., & yustisia, k. k. (2021). assessing an effective collaboration in higher education: a study of students’ experiences and challenges on group collaboration. enjourme (english journal of merdeka): culture, language, and teaching of english, 6(2), 152-162. linarsih, a., irwan, d., & putra, m. i. r. (2020). the interferences of indonesian grammatical aspects into english: an evaluation on preservice english teachers' efl learning. indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 5(1), 69-81. listia, r., & febriyanti, e. r. (2020). efl learners’ problems in using tenses: an insight for grammar teaching. ijet (indonesian journal of english teaching), 9(1), 86-95. nur, s. (2020). students' perception toward the use of deductive and inductive approaches in teaching english grammar. tesol international journal, 15(1), 6-19. nurhayati, d. a. w. (2020). basic need analysis in practical english grammar: an effort on creating and empowering autonomy learners. indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 4(2), 381– 393. obeidat, m. m., & alomari, m. d. a. (2020). the effect of inductive and deductive teaching on efl undergraduates' achievement in grammar at the hashemite university in jordan. international journal of higher education, 9(2), 280-288. rhovaidah, a. e. t., hadi, m. s., & mutiarani, m. (2021). using media in the form of favorite movies to teach grammar and vocabulary to eleventh graders. jurnal studi guru dan pembelajaran, 4(3), 570-574. https://doi.org/10.30605/jsgp.4.3.2021.1212 saputra, b., usadiati, w., & asi, n. (2019). the effect of grammar wheel and mind mapping on the https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v6i1.363 https://doi.org/10.30605/jsgp.4.3.2021.1212 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 507 students’ writing of narrative text of the eighth grade of smpn 10 muara teweh. journal compound, 7(1), 17–30. https://ejournal.upr.ac.id/index.php/jcp/article/downloa d/260/249/518 septianasari, l., huznatul a., f., & baihaqi, y. (2019). mother tongue issues and challenge in learning english as foreign language. ijiet (international journal of indonesian education and teaching), 3(2), 204–214. https://doi.org/10.24071/ijiet.v3i2.1941 shirav, a., & nagai, e. (2022). the effects of deductive and inductive grammar instructions in communicative teaching. english language teaching, 15(6), 102-123. sorohiti, m., nugraha, h. n. r., & rahmawati, f. (2024). teacher awareness, identification of learning difficulties, and effective teaching strategies for english grammar mastery. indonesian efl journal, 10(1). yaccob, n. s., & yunus, m. m. (2019). language games in teaching and learning english grammar: a literature review. arab world english journal, 10(1), 209–217. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no1.18 yakubova, d. (2022). teaching grammar for efl students and its approaches. involta scientific journal, 1(7), 265-268. yunita, w., emzir, & mayuni, i. (2018). needs analysis for english grammar learning model from students’ perspectives. english review: journal of english education, 6(2), 85–94. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1258 https://e-journal.upr.ac.id/index.php/jcp/article/download/260/249/518 https://e-journal.upr.ac.id/index.php/jcp/article/download/260/249/518 https://e-journal.upr.ac.id/index.php/jcp/article/download/260/249/518 https://doi.org/10.24071/ijiet.v3i2.1941 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v6i2.1258 syafa azmi syakira, joko priyana, aryanti eka lestari, ifti luthviana dewi & erna pujiasih enhancing grammar teaching in an indonesian senior high school through the use of grammar wheel 508 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 691 king's the stand: dwelling necropolitics in pandemic's legacy maharanny setiawan poetri1, aprinus salam2 1 master program of literature, faculty of cultural science, universitas gadjah mada, yogyakarta, indonesia 2 faculty of cultural science, universitas gadjah mada, yogyakarta, indonesia corresponding author: maharannysetiawanpoetri@mail.ugm.ac.id received: 12-02-2025 accepted: 21-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 abstract: this research examines stephen king's the stand through the lens of achille mbembe's necropolitics and the pandemic narrative approach, analyzing how the novel portrays a pandemic as a state of siege. the research reveals that the pandemic in the stand serves not only as a source of fear and societal disruption, highlighting human mortality and the fragility of social structures, but also as a catalyst for necropolitical governance, where sovereignty operates through the control of life and death, utilizing fear to maintain dominance. utilizing a qualitative methodology focused on character interactions, control mechanisms, and depictions of death, the research demonstrates how the post-pandemic landscape in the novel reflects a slow social and political death, alongside physical demise. additionally, this work implicates king's negotiation of humanity as an aspiration for peace, effectively neutralizing the pervasive fear of necropolitical implementation during a pandemic, as perceived at the time of the novel's release. keywords: necropolitics; state; pandemic; achile mbembe; the stand. introduction pandemics have long served as critical junctures in human history, highlighting the vulnerabilities of socio-political systems and exposing deep-seated inequalities (ceylan, 2022; fukuyama, 2024). in the realm of literature, pandemics function not only as biological events but as transformative forces that reshape societies, revealing the complex dynamics of governance, authority, and control (lupton, 2024). through the lens of fiction, pandemics become a powerful tool for exploring human survival, the regulation of life, and the management of death. stephen king‘s the stand (1978) stands as a seminal example of how a post-pandemic world can be depicted as a site for the contestation of power and authority. the novel not only portrays a global pandemic that devastates the human population but also presents a bifurcation into two competing societal models, each characterized by different forms of governance, morality, and violence. as a post-apocalyptic narrative, the stand offers an intricate exploration of governance under crisis, particularly focusing on how societies navigate the politics of exclusion, survival, and death. while previous scholarship on the stand has explored its religious themes, particularly the dichotomy between good and evil, there has been an increasing shift toward political readings. early critiques of the novel often centered on its moral allegories, with ghatak (2021) suggesting that the narrative mirrors christian eschatological themes, positioning randall flagg as a figure of chaos and the boulder free zone as a symbol of righteous order. similarly, ali, pabur, and wuntu (2023) highlight the novel's connection to broader dystopian traditions, noting its reflection of concerns over the erosion of democratic institutions and the rise of authoritarian regimes in times of crisis. these readings have led to an interpretation of the stand as a critique of political and moral structures in the face of societal collapse. recent analyses, however, have shifted toward more complex readings informed by apa citation: poetri, m. s., & salam, a. (2025). king's the stand: dwelling on necropolitics in the legacy of the pandemic. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 691-700. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11837 maharanny setiawan poetri, aprinus salam king's the stand: dwelling on necropolitics in the legacy of the pandemic 692 political theory, particularly biopolitics (dillon, 2015; hardt, 2021). scholars such as sandset (2021) and berg and alm (2022) have employed michel foucault‘s biopolitical framework to examine how the novel portrays the management of life through surveillance, quarantine, and population control. the common analysis of the stand focuses on government overreach during the captain trips crisis, emphasizing survival. however, it neglects the power dynamics surrounding death. mbembe's necropolitics offers a vital perspective, revealing how sovereignty in catastrophes is defined by deciding who lives and who dies, rather than preserving life itself. incorporating mbembe‘s theory of necropolitics, jimenez (2022) argues that the stand reveals how sovereign power operates through the orchestration of death, not merely the management of life. the novel‘s depiction of mass extermination, forced exile, and the use of fear as a tool of governance suggests a necropolitical reading, where power is defined by who has the authority to dictate mortality. while much of the scholarship has focused on the religious or dystopian elements of the novel, there is a significant gap in the literature regarding how the stand can be understood through the lens of necropolitics (deprez, 2023; kirk, 2024; sealey, 2024). few studies have directly engaged with the novel‘s exploration of death as a mechanism of political control. moreover, existing analyses have not sufficiently connected the fictional practices in the stand with contemporary real-world strategies of crisis governance, especially in the context of recent global health emergencies and the rise of authoritarianism. this study seeks to fill this gap by offering a sustained necropolitical analysis of the stand. by applying achille mbembe‘s concept of necropolitics, the research explores how king‘s post-pandemic world enacts power through the management of mortality, exile, and violence— this necropolitical reading is further complemented by a pandemic narrative approach, which contextualizes the novel within disease-driven political transformation (kong, 2023; trott et al., 2024), examining how the disease or individuals become "sacrificial victims" to restore social cohesion (barraza, 2021; esposito, 2023; lundie, 2023), and revealing how pandemics expose inequalities and justify authoritarian measures under the guise of public safety. this study moves beyond a simple good-versus-evil interpretation of the stand, and instead analyzes how both authoritarian (flagg's las vegas) and democratic (boulder free zone) regimes use death to control society. by comparing these contrasting governments, it offers a more complex view of power during crises, and questions the typical black-and-white morality seen in pandemic stories. the novelty of this approach lies in its focus on necropolitics as a governing principle in the stand. by expanding the analysis to include necropolitical structures, this research offers new insights into the novel‘s portrayal of death, fear, and violence as central to post-pandemic governance. this study also contributes to the broader discourse on the intersection of literature, politics, and public health, offering a timely examination of how pandemics and crises shape the political landscapes in both fictional and real worlds. in doing so, it demonstrates the relevance of the stand in contemporary discussions on governance, surveillance, and the politics of life and death. ultimately, this research is significant not only for its reinterpretation of a classic work of literature but also for its broader implications for understanding how societies manage crises. by foregrounding the necropolitical dimensions of the stand, the study contributes to ongoing debates about the role of sovereignty, statesanctioned violence, and exclusion in times of emergency. the findings of this study are particularly relevant in the context of the global covid-19 pandemic, where questions of crisis governance, surveillance, and the regulation of life and death have taken on unprecedented urgency. through its interdisciplinary approach, this research highlights the critical role of literature in shaping our understanding of political power, particularly in moments of profound crisis. method this research employs a qualitative research approach, utilizing achille mbembe‘s concept of necropolitics alongside a pandemic narrative approach to analyze king‘s the stand. this method is particularly suited for examining how fiction represents political structures, power dynamics, and social anxieties, especially in the context of pandemics in a pandemic landscape. qualitative research has a descriptive nature and tends to use an inductive approach analysis, so that the process and meaning based on the subject's english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 693 perspective are more highlighted in qualitative research (priadana et al., 2021; pugu et al., 2024). mbembe‘s in saeidi (2024) necropolitics provides a critical lens through which the research interrogates how the stand portrays sovereignty as a force that determines who may live and who must die. by applying these theoretical frameworks, the research explores how the novel reflects governance mechanisms that emerge in response to crisis, emphasizing the role of exclusion, violence, and fear in maintaining control. this framework is essential in understanding the governance of death, as seen in flagg‘s las vegas, where rule is maintained through terror, and the boulder free zone, where exile functions as an indirect death sentence. pandemic narrative complementing this, the pandemic narrative approach contextualizes the novel within diseasedriven political transformation (kong, 2023; trott et al., 2024). a pandemic narrative allows us to investigate how the disease itself, or specific individuals, become the "sacrificial victim" that temporarily restores social cohesion (barraza, 2021; esposito, 2023; lundie, 2023). this analysis explores how the narrative depicts the cycle of crisis and resolution, and whether it ultimately reinforces or challenges the sacrificial logic. it highlights how pandemics expose existing inequalities and justify authoritarian measures under the guise of public safety. to analyze the textual data, a thematic analysis was conducted. data collection involved a close reading of stephen king's the stand, focusing on passages depicting governance actions, instances of death, and descriptions of social order or its disruption. textual segments related to these areas were systematically coded, identifying recurring themes such as the exercise of sovereign power through death, the creation of "sacrificial victims," and the justification of authoritarian measures under the guise of public safety. data analysis proceeded through iterative rounds of coding and theme refinement, where emerging patterns were compared and contrasted to identify key relationships within the narrative. this coding process allowed for the identification of patterns and relationships within the narrative, revealing how the stand reflects and critiques real-world crisis governance strategies. the identified themes were then interpreted through the theoretical frameworks of necropolitics and pandemic narrative, allowing for a nuanced understanding of how king's novel engages with the complex interplay between power, death, and social order in times of crisis. results and discussion the portrayal of necropolitics in stephen king‘s the stand reveals how pandemics function as catalysts for political transformation, restructuring governance through exclusion, violence, and sovereign control over life and death. in the wake of the captain trips pandemic in magistrale (2021), survivors are forced into two competing regimes—randall flagg‘s las vegas, where rule is maintained through terror and executions, and the boulder free zone, which, despite its democratic ideals, enforces exile as a form of indirect necropower (daher-nashif, 2022). achille mbembe‘s concept of necropolitics, which examines how sovereignty determines who may live and who must die, provides a critical framework for understanding how both factions utilize state-sanctioned death, surveillance, and ideological control to maintain order. these dynamics in these three results of necropolitics portrayal: (1) the exercise of necropolitical power in crisis response, (2) the geography of necropolitics in the stand, and (3) the weaponization of fear and surveillance as tools of governance. through a close reading of the novel, this discussion highlights how both authoritarian and democratic societies engage in necropolitical governance, exposing the ways pandemics justify extreme measures of control and exclusion. necropolitical governance in crisis response the novel illustrates how pandemics serve as catalysts for necropolitical control, where sovereignty is exercised through decisions about life and death (randolph, 2021; smith et al., 2022). the u.s. government, in its initial response to the captain trips virus, imposes strict quarantines, suppresses dissent through military force, and ultimately abandons its citizens, demonstrating the transformation of the state into an arbiter of mass death. this mirrors real-world crises where governments have historically used pandemics to justify extreme measures, reinforcing the role of fear in political dominance. stephen king‘s the stand presents a striking vision of how pandemics function as catalysts for necropolitical governance (adami et al., 2021; bajec et al., 2021; hansen, 2022; stavro, 2023). the initial governmental response to the captain trips virus demonstrates state mechanisms of control that extend beyond public health concerns maharanny setiawan poetri, aprinus salam king's the stand: dwelling on necropolitics in the legacy of the pandemic 694 into military-enforced governance. these tactics are emblematic of achille mbembe‘s concept of necropolitics, where the state determines who may live and who must die (basile, 2023; berg et al., 2022; burke, 2023; debrix, 2023a; esposito, 2023; jiménez, 2022; mbembe, 2019; paramana, 2023b; sandset, 2021; the et al., 2024; zhao, 2024). in the stand, the u.s. government‘s reaction to the pandemic includes media suppression, military-enforced quarantines, and mass executions of dissenters. in one pivotal scene, the media is forcibly shut down to prevent the public from understanding the full extent of the outbreak. ―for the last seven days, this broadcast facility has been under guard by men purporting to be national guardsmen.‖ (king, 1978:232). analyzing this quotation through pandemic narrative reveals critical insights into how narratives of crisis are manipulated for political control. the enforced shutdown of media, as depicted in the stand, exemplifies a common trope within pandemic narratives: the suppression of information to manage public fear and maintain state authority. this act of silencing the press is not merely a tactical move but a strategic narrative intervention. by seizing control of broadcast facilities, the government effectively rewrites the pandemic's story, shaping public perception and limiting the dissemination of potentially destabilizing truths (fominaya, 2024; giordani et al., 2021; jungherr et al., 2021; mckay et al., 2021). this control over information aligns with the necropolitical framework by illustrating how the state extends its power beyond physical violence to encompass the governance of knowledge (romeo, 2021). the presence of "men purporting to be national guardsmen" underscores the militarization of information control, where the narrative itself becomes a weapon. this militarization of narrative reflects a broader pattern observed in pandemic narratives, where the state's response often involves the imposition of a singular, official story, thus marginalizing dissenting voices and alternative interpretations. the presence of military personnel in newsrooms highlights state-controlled narratives during crises, reinforcing mbembe‘s argument that sovereignty often operates not only through direct violence but also through the control of knowledge and perception (mbembe, 2019 in jimenez, 2022). by managing public access to information, the government dictates the reality of the pandemic, reducing civilians to passive subjects within a necropolitical structure (esposito, 2023). beyond information suppression, state violence escalates. military forces are given orders to shoot civilians attempting to escape quarantine zones (breslawski, 2022), reinforcing the idea that containment takes precedence over human life: ―my orders are to contain those present on campus to the campus... if they intend to try breaking out of quarantine, they are not. over.‖ (king, 1978:243). this quotation, delivered by a figure of authority during the early stages of the pandemic in the stand, exemplifies a key element of the pandemic narrative: the immediate imposition of control measures in the face of an unknown threat. the phrase "my orders are to contain those present on campus to the campus" highlights the swift transition from a state of normalcy to one of confinement (cabral, 2023; yuan et al., 2024). this reflects a common narrative trope where the initial response to a pandemic is characterized by isolation and quarantine, often implemented with little regard for individual liberties. the following statement underscores the severity of the situation and the willingness of those in power to use lethal force to maintain order. this immediate escalation to threats of violence serves to emphasize the breakdown of societal norms and the rapid shift towards authoritarian control, a recurring theme in pandemic narratives. furthermore, this quotation reveals the inherent tension between public health imperatives and individual rights. the "containment" strategy, while ostensibly aimed at preventing the spread of the virus, also serves as a means of asserting sovereign power. the use of the phrase "my orders" emphasizes the hierarchical nature of the response, positioning the speaker as an agent of the state with the authority to dictate life and death. the implicit threat of violence reinforces the idea that the state's primary concern is maintaining control, even at the expense of human life. this reflects a broader narrative pattern where pandemics are portrayed as catalysts for the expansion of state power, often leading to the erosion of civil liberties and the normalization of authoritarian practices. it concludes by reflecting on the governance of public health emergencies in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 695 informal settlements in light of the state‘s necropolitics and the practice and politics of life inherent in the stand (basile, 2023). in a pandemic narrative, this quotation serves as a microcosm of the larger societal shift towards a state of siege, where fear and control become the dominant forces shaping human interaction. this weaponization of quarantine measures echoes real-world examples of states using crises as justifications for militarization and expanded governmental authority. the sovereign authority operates to "immunize" the societal body against its inherent excesses. this function is predicated upon the fundamental principle that the state, and its legal framework, exclusively possesses the legitimate right to employ violence, thereby safeguarding the lives of its citizenry (esposito, 2023). mbembe (2019) in zhao (2024) argues that necropolitics operates when the state normalizes indirect forms of death, where individuals are not actively killed but are instead placed into zones of abandonment, left to die from structural neglect. the government‘s mass burial of infected bodies further supports this, as the state does not simply execute people—it treats them as disposable waste. this quotation, "two soldiers...jumped up inside, and bodies began to cascade out onto the barge" (king, 1978:233), within the context of a pandemic narrative, serves as a stark depiction of the overwhelming scale of mortality and the dehumanizing effects of mass death. the image of soldiers mechanically ejecting bodies onto a barge underscores the breakdown of social order and the shift from individual lives to mere biological waste. this scene highlights how pandemics, particularly those of catastrophic proportions, transform human beings into anonymous entities, stripping them of their identities and reducing them to objects of disposal. the act of "cascading" implies a lack of control and a sheer volume that overwhelms any sense of dignity or respect for the deceased, reinforcing the narrative's portrayal of a world consumed by death. furthermore, this passage exemplifies the pandemic narrative's tendency to focus on the logistical and infrastructural challenges of managing mass death. the soldiers‘ actions, devoid of emotional resonance, reflect the necessary but brutal pragmatism that arises in the face of overwhelming mortality. this scene is not merely about the loss of life but also about the systemic collapse that accompanies it. the barge, a vessel typically associated with transportation and commerce, becomes a symbol of death‘s industrialization, highlighting how the pandemic transforms familiar objects and spaces into instruments of mortality. by emphasizing the physical act of disposal, king underscores the profound disruption of social norms and the emergence of a post-pandemic reality where survival necessitates a chilling detachment from the human cost. this mirrors historical state violence, particularly in colonial contexts where indigenous populations were left to perish due to forced displacement, lack of medical aid, and government neglect (basile, 2023). the geography of necropolitics: boulder vs las vegas king presents two competing models of postpandemic governance: las vegas, ruled by randall flagg through direct necropower, and the boulder free zone, which maintains order through indirect necropolitical control. in las vegas, executions, forced labor, and terror tactics sustain flagg‘s rule, whereas boulder enforces social stability by exiling dissidents—a decision that effectively serves as a death sentence. this division reflects how both authoritarian and democratic regimes engage in necropolitical governance, differing only in their methods of exclusion and control. king constructs two contrasting models of post-pandemic governance in the stand: 1) las vegas (authoritarian necropolitics): randall flagg rules through direct necropower—public executions, forced labor, and psychological terror. 2) boulder (democratic necropolitics): the free zone, despite its democratic ideals, still enforces indirect necropolitics through exile, where dissenters are cast out into a lawless wasteland to die. table 1. comparison of necropolitical governance in las vegas and boulder in the stand category las vegas (flagg‘s regime) boulder (free zone) necropolitical concept nature of control authoritarian necropower: rule through terror, violence, and executions democratic necropolitics: rule through exile and surveillance sovereignty and control over life/death (mbembe) main techniques of governance public executions, forced labor, psychological terror exile of dissidents, surveillance, ideological use of death to maintain social order maharanny setiawan poetri, aprinus salam king's the stand: dwelling on necropolitics in the legacy of the pandemic 696 policing form of exclusion direct violence: executions, public punishments indirect violence: exile into lawless wastelands exclusion as a form of death (mbembe) weaponization of fear fear-based rule through visible terror (executions, labor camps) fear sustained through surveillance and moral authority fear as a tool of control (mbembe) sovereign control over life/death the state decides who lives or dies through violence the state decides who lives or dies through exclusion control of life and death by sovereign (mbembe) public response to crisis population is terrorized into compliance population subjected to ideological conformity and surveillance fear and the breakdown of social norms (mbembe) role of surveillance military-enforced surveillance, fear of flagg‘s power surveillance of dissent, spies sent to infiltrate las vegas surveillance as a form of social control (esposito, 2023) public health vs. state power health becomes secondary to maintaining state power through violence health and safety become tools of exclusion and isolation the state uses public health as a form of control (basile, 2023) relation to historical examples reminiscent of totalitarian regimes using state violence for control mirrors democratic societies employing covert violence for order parallels to colonial state violence and exclusion (basile, 2023) impact of pandemic on governance pandemic accelerates totalitarian rule through control of information and death pandemic enables covert necropolitics through exile and ideological manipulation pandemics as a vehicle for expanding state power (berg & alm, 2022) las vegas: rule of death randall flagg's totalitarian rule in las vegas exemplifies necropower, where public executions and brutal punishments ensure absolute submission. flagg‘s dominance is not based on governance but on fear, where obedience is enforced through public displays of violence: ―by the order of randall flagg...hector alonzo drogan by name, is ordered executed by an act of crucifixion, this penalty so ordered for the crime of drug use‖ (king, 1978:650). this quotation reveals the establishment of a draconian, post-pandemic order. the public execution, specifically by crucifixion, serves as a potent symbol of flagg's absolute power and the brutal enforcement of his new societal norms. the "crime" of drug use, a relatively minor offense in pre-pandemic society, is transformed into a capital transgression, highlighting how pandemics can be exploited to justify extreme measures of control (sarel, 2022). this act of public violence operates as a spectacle, designed to instill fear and obedience within the surviving population, demonstrating the shift from a focus on public health to a focus on absolute power and social control. the specific choice of crucifixion, a historically loaded method of execution, further emphasizes the authoritarian regime's attempt to establish a new, distorted form of "sacred" order (kelly, 2022). furthermore, this passage exemplifies how pandemic narratives often depict the erosion of individual freedoms and the rise of authoritarianism. in the chaos of a post-pandemic world, flagg seizes the opportunity to consolidate power (sheng, 2022), using the crisis as a pretext for imposing his will. the public execution of drogan is not merely a punishment but a demonstration of flagg's ability to redefine morality and enforce his own laws. the act highlights the way in which a pandemic's disruption of established social structures can create a vacuum of authority (boin et al., 2021; leach et al., 2021), which is then filled by figures who exploit fear and vulnerability to establish totalitarian rule. the quotation underscores the potential for pandemics to serve as catalysts for social regression, where basic human rights are sacrificed in the name of order and security, and the sovereign power dictates even the most personal of choices. crucifixions, beheadings, and public torture serve as ritualized forms of necropower, ensuring that the state‘s authority is etched onto the bodies of its victims. this reflects mbembe‘s (2019 in debrix, (2023b) notion of death-worlds, where sovereignty is maintained through highly visible performances of power. mbembe's concept of necropower is criticized for its perceived oversimplification and lack of nuance. critics argue that it primarily emphasizes the sovereign's direct use of force and violence, as well as their authority over death, thereby neglecting more subtle forms of power. this approach is further seen as favoring analyses of large-scale, highly visible acts of death, potentially overlooking the more insidious and pervasive mechanisms of control (debrix, 2023b). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 697 flagg‘s control over his subjects extends beyond physical violence—he engages in psychological terror, making his rule seem inescapable. his supernatural ability to ―see into minds‖ reinforces a culture of self-surveillance, where citizens police themselves to avoid suspicion. “his punishment would be swift and sure and heavy.” (king, 1978:690). a pandemic narrative encapsulates the shift towards authoritarian control and the breakdown of established legal and ethical norms. in a postpandemic world, where societal structures have fractured, the promise of "swift and sure and heavy" punishment suggests a regime that prioritizes immediate and brutal retribution over due process or justice. this phrase, devoid of any mention of trial or investigation, underscores the arbitrary nature of power in a crisis. the pandemic, by creating a state of emergency, justifies the suspension of traditional legal frameworks, allowing for the imposition of draconian measures. this approach to punishment becomes a tool for maintaining order through fear, reflecting the pandemic narrative's tendency to depict the erosion of individual rights in the face of societal collapse. furthermore, the emphasis on "heavy" punishment within a pandemic narrative resonates with the psychological impact of widespread trauma and fear. in a world marked by mass death and uncertainty, the need for a sense of control becomes paramount. this phrase, therefore, speaks to a desire for immediate and visible displays of power, intended to reassure a traumatized population that order is being restored. however, this focus on punitive measures also reveals the potential for abuse, as those in authority exploit the crisis to consolidate their power and suppress dissent. the quotation thus serves as a stark reminder of how pandemics can create conditions ripe for authoritarianism, where the promise of security comes at the cost of individual liberties and ethical considerations. this mirrors historical totalitarian regimes that used mass surveillance and public executions as a means of controlling populations (paramana, 2023a). flagg‘s rule demonstrates that necropolitics is not just about who dies, but how death is used as a mechanism of control. boulder: nocturnal democracy while the boulder free zone is presented as a democratic alternative to flagg‘s las vegas, it engages in its own form of necropolitics through exile and exclusion. criminals, dissenters, and suspected flagg supporters are forcibly removed from the community and left to die in the wasteland. ―exile...might be the best solution‖ (king, 1978:913) unlike flagg‘s direct executions, boulder maintains its authority by outsourcing death to the environment. mbembe (2019 in zhao, 2024) describes this as zones of abandonment, where the state does not kill individuals outright but ensures their demise by denying them access to resources. that quotation above within a pandemic narrative context signifies a critical shift in societal responses to crisis, moving beyond the immediate threat of the disease to the long-term management of a disrupted population. in a world ravaged by a pandemic, exile emerges not merely as a punitive measure, but as a strategic tool for managing perceived threats and maintaining a fragile sense of order. this phrase highlights the anxieties surrounding contagion and the impulse to create physical and social boundaries to protect the remaining community. it suggests a move away from traditional notions of justice and rehabilitation, towards a pragmatic, albeit harsh, approach to survival. the ambiguity of "best solution" underscores the moral dilemmas faced by post-pandemic societies, where the preservation of the collective may necessitate the sacrifice of individual rights. furthermore, this quotation illuminates the pandemic narrative's exploration of exclusion and othering. in a context of scarcity and fear, the "exiled" become symbolic carriers of danger, representing not just physical contagion but also social and ideological threats. this act of banishment serves to reinforce the boundaries of the "safe" community, creating a stark division between those deemed worthy of inclusion and those condemned to isolation. the phrase "might be" suggests a degree of hesitation or moral uncertainty, hinting at the potential for internal conflict within the community regarding the ethics of such a drastic measure. this highlights the psychological toll of a pandemic, where even seemingly rational decisions are fraught with moral ambiguity, demonstrating how social cohesion is tested and redefined through the drastic measures of exclusion. this mirrors historical instances of forced displacement, such as indigenous removals and the deportation of political prisoners (basile, 2023). maharanny setiawan poetri, aprinus salam king's the stand: dwelling on necropolitics in the legacy of the pandemic 698 boulder also engages in covert necropolitics through surveillance and espionage. spies are sent into las vegas to assassinate or sabotage flagg‘s regime, demonstrating that even democratic societies engage in preemptive political violence: “we’ve all agreed that we’re sending our people into a dangerous situation” (king, 1978:812). it highlights the difficult choices and ethical dilemmas faced by leadership in a postapocalyptic world. it underscores the collective decision-making process, albeit one fraught with risk, that becomes necessary when survival is paramount. the phrase "dangerous situation" is a stark understatement, reflecting the normalization of extreme peril in a world ravaged by disease. this statement also reveals the tension between individual lives and the perceived needs of the community, where the "we" implies a shared responsibility for potentially sacrificing individuals for the greater good, a common theme in narratives exploring the social and political consequences of widespread catastrophe. this reflects mbembe‘s (2019 in pietryka, (2024)) theory of nocturnal democracy, where states use hidden mechanisms of violence to maintain social order. he challenges the idea that democracy is inherently peaceful or just, arguing instead that its formation has always involved the dissimulation or occultation of the violence of [its] origins. while democracy presents itself as an open, egalitarian system governed by public participation and the rule of law, it simultaneously obscures the mechanisms of force and coercion that sustain it (pietryka, 2024). although boulder frames itself as a democratic utopia, it engages in exclusionary violence similar to flagg‘s regime, albeit in a more covert manner. fear and surveillance as tools of social order this research reveals that both factions in the stand use fear as a mechanism of control. flagg‘s dictatorship relies on visible spectacles of power, such as public executions, while boulder sustains itself through subtler forms of surveillance and ideological conformity. this suggests that postpandemic governance—whether democratic or totalitarian—relies on controlling populations through psychological coercion, reinforcing the enduring legacy of necropolitical power in times of crisis. both societies in the stand rely on fear as a mechanism of control. in las vegas, fear is maintained through ritualized executions, constant surveillance, and the public display of flagg‘s power. “if there was a common denominator, it was fear” (king, 1978:651). fear becomes the unifying force, transcending individual differences and shaping collective behavior. this fear is not merely a reaction to the physical threat of the virus but also a response to the breakdown of social order, the uncertainty of survival, and the erosion of familiar structures. the commonality of fear highlights how pandemics can level societal hierarchies, creating a shared experience of vulnerability. this fear fuels both individual actions, such as hoarding or isolation, and collective behaviors, such as scapegoating or the acceptance of authoritarian rule, demonstrating how pandemics can fundamentally reshape the human experience through the lens of shared dread. in boulder, fear is sustained through moral authority, religious legitimacy, and ideological policing. mother abagail‘s theocratic rule in boulder mirrors flagg‘s totalitarian leadership, as both societies rely on centralized figures of power: ―this is going to be very popular. the item would read: ‗resolved: mother abagail is to be given absolute veto power over any action proposed by the board‘‖ (king, 1978:674). the proposal to grant mother abagail absolute veto power reflects a willingness to relinquish democratic principles in favor of a perceived source of moral authority and stability. in a postpandemic context, where fear and uncertainty prevail, the desire for a strong, singular leader, even one who operates outside established governance structures, becomes paramount. this narrative moment highlights how pandemics can create conditions ripe for the emergence of charismatic figures who offer a sense of security and direction, even at the expense of established democratic processes, showcasing the potential for crisis to reshape power dynamics and societal expectations. in the line with her statement ―it‘s me they‘ve come to see.‖ (king, 1978:682) this reinforces mbembe‘s argument that sovereignty often merges with religious ideology, producing a system where the state wields divine justification for exclusionary governance (berg & alm, 2022). flagg‘s dictatorship employs open terror, while boulder sustains itself through ideological policing and subtle surveillance. this demonstrates how necropolitics extends beyond direct violence to systemic control over populations. the novel critiques the normalization of fear-based governance in times of crisis, revealing how pandemics enable the expansion of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 699 state power under the guise of public safety. this is evident in both fictional and real-world responses to pandemics, where emergency measures often become permanent. conclusion stephen king‘s the stand serves as a critical exploration of necropolitical governance in a postpandemic world, illustrating how crises justify state control through exclusion, violence, and the administration of death. through the contrasting societies of randall flagg‘s las vegas and the boulder free zone, the novel reveals how both authoritarian and democratic structures engage in sovereign death-making, whether through public executions, forced labor, or exile. this analysis, grounded in achille mbembe‘s necropolitics, demonstrates that pandemics not only reshape social order but also reinforce power structures that determine who is allowed to live and who must die. however, this research has certain shortcomings. while it provides a literary analysis of necropolitical themes in the stand, it does not extensively compare the novel‘s portrayal with real-world pandemic responses, such as those during the covid-19 pandemic or historical outbreaks like the spanish flu of 1918. additionally, the research primarily focuses on mbembe‘s necropolitics without engaging with alternative political or philosophical perspectives on biopower, disaster governance, or resistance strategies within pandemic narratives. future research could address these gaps by exploring how the stand aligns with or diverges from historical and contemporary crisis governance models, as well as examining how survivor agency and resistance function within necropolitical states. this study, while limited, enhances the understanding of post-apocalyptic literature's political critique, offering educators practical tools and pedagogical insights into the dynamics of power, violence, and governance during crises. acknowledgement the authors are grateful for divine assistance and the support received during this challenging research. they acknowledge the study's limitations and welcome feedback for future work. their goal is to contribute to literary analysis. references adami, e., & others. (2021). the underlying. ali, m. i., pabur, h. e., & wuntu, c. n. (2023). social situation analysis during the pandemic outbreak in the novel the stand by stephen king. alinea: jurnal bahasa, sastra dan pengajarannya, 3(3), 520–540. bajec, m., holert, t., & smith, m. (2021). pause. fervour. reflections on a pandemic. harun farocki institut \& journal of visual culture. barraza, k. r. (2021). twentieth century pandemic narratives and mental health discourse. university of denver. basile, p. (2023). vulnerability, neglect, and collectivity in brazilian favelas: surviving the threats of the covid-19 pandemic and the state's necropolitics. urban studies, 60(9), 1690–1706. berg, l., & alm, e. (2022). a conversation about the state in pandemic times. kulturella perspektiv – svensk etnologisk tidskrift, 30(february), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.54807/kp.v30.1507 boin, a., mcconnell, a., & t hart, p. (2021). governing the pandemic: the politics of navigating a mega-crisis. springer nature. breslawski, j. (2022). armed groups and public health emergencies: a cross-country look at armed groups ' responses to covid-19. journal of global security studies, 7(1), ogab017. burke, t. d. (2023). the secret agent: necropolitics, democracy, and the community without qualification. victoriographies, 13(3), 277–297. https://doi.org/10.3366/vic.2023.0504 cabral, b. (2023). linguistic confinement: rethinking the racialized interplay between educational language learning and carcerality. race ethnicity and education, 26(3), 277–297. ceylan, y. (2022). pandemic risks and social capital in the context of covid-19. i̇nsan ve toplum, 12(1), 22-36. daher-nashif, s. (2022). in sickness and in health: the politics of public health and their implications during the covid-19 pandemic. sociology compass, 16(1), e12949. debrix, f. (2023). necropolitics and american hypepower. spectra, 10(1), 65–74. https://doi.org/10.21061/spectra.v10i1.236 deprez, m. (2023). visual necropolitics and visual violence: theorizing death, sight, and sovereign control of palestine. international political sociology, 17(3), olad016. dillon, m. (2015). biopolitics of security: a political analytic of finitude. routledge. esposito, b. m. (2023). immunity and biosecurity: reading the pandemic as a mutual relation between protection and obedience. political theology, 24(4), 367–383. https://doi.org/10.1080/1462317x.2022.206409 4 fominaya, c. f. (2024). mobilizing during the covid19 pandemic: from democratic innovation to the political weaponization of disinformation. american behavioral scientist, 68(6), 829–852. maharanny setiawan poetri, aprinus salam king's the stand: dwelling on necropolitics in the legacy of the pandemic 700 fukuyama, f. (2024). in defense of the deep state. asia pacific journal of public administration , 46(1), 1-12. ghatak, s. (2021). pandemic; a political satire: resurfacing the dysfuctional government through the works of stephen king and robin cook. new literaria, 2(2), 24–32. giordani, r. c. f., donasolo, j. p. g., ames, v. d. b., & giordani, r. l. (2021). the science between the infodemic and other post-truth narratives: challenges during the pandemic. ciência \& saúde coletiva, 26, 2863–2872. hansen, j. (2022). excavating healthy futures from an unhealthy past: a necropolitical analysis of new zealand law and m{\=a}ori health. hardt, m. (2021). universal alienation, formal and real subsumption of society under capital, ongoing primitive accumulation by dispossess ion: reflections on the marx@ 200-debate between david harvey and michael hardt/toni negri. foundations of critical theory: media, communication and society volume two , 111. jiménez, l. i. j. (2022). the covid-19 pandemic in the age of necropolitics: challenges for liberation theologies. khazanah theologia, 4(3), 181–188. https://doi.org/10.15575/kt.v4i3.20196 jungherr, a., & schroeder, r. (2021). disinformation and the structural transformations of the public arena: addressing the actual challenges to democracy. social media+ society, 7(1), 2056305121988928. kelly, p. (2022). conflict, war and revolution: the problem of politics in international political thought. lse press. kirk, r. (2024). neoliberal necropolitics and the global competition for urban dominance. geoforum, 155, 104107. kong, b. (2023). sars stories: affect and archive of the 2003 pandemic. duke university press. leach, m., macgregor, h., scoones, i., & wilkinson, a. (2021). post-pandemic transformations: how and why covid-19 requires us to rethink development. world development, 138, 105233. lundie, d. (2023). enclosure and undifferentiation: on re-reading girard during the covid-19 pandemic. discourse: studies in the cultural politics of education, 44(4), 624–634. lupton, d. (2024). 4 narratives of pandemic lives. viral times, 40. magistrale, t. (2021). stephen king‘s political monsters. in white supremacy and the american media (pp. 233–245). routledge. mbembe, a. (2019). necro-politics. in duke university press. mckay, s., & tenove, c. (2021). disinformation as a threat to deliberative democracy. political research quarterly, 74(3), 703–717. paramana, k. (2023). the oscillation of contemporary bodies between biopolitics and necropolitics: tania bruguera‘s wrestling with power structures1. filozofski vestnik , 44(2), 265–285. https://doi.org/10.3986/fv.44.2.12 pietryka, m. (2024). slavery, neoliberalism, necropolitics. the solar and nocturnal bodies of democracy. internetowy magazyn filozoficzny hybris, 2(63), 66–89. priadana, m. s., & sunarsi, d. (2021). metode penelitian kuantitatif. pascal books. pugu, m. r., riyanto, s., & haryadi, r. n. (2024). metodologi penelitian; konsep, strategi, dan aplikasi. pt. sonpedia publishing indonesia. randolph, n. (2021). making live and letting die in covid-19: the biopolitics of race, space and freedom. spectra, 8(2). romeo, f. m. (2021). towards a theory of digital necropolitics. university of california, santa cruz. saeidi, f., & osmanzadeh, d. (2024). colonial sovereignty and religious necropolitics: the sacred victimization of infidel kurds in the middle east. ethnicities, 14687968241287204. sandset, t. (2021). the necropolitics of covid-19: race, class and slow death in an ongoing pandemic. global public health, 16(8–9), 1411–1423. sarel, r. (2022). crime and punishment in times of pandemics. european journal of law and economics, 54(2), 155–186. sealey, k. f. (2024). living plots in the stone-time of necropolitics. critical philosophy of race, 12(1), 3–23. sheng, l. (2022). how covid-19 reshapes new world order: political economy perspective. springer. smith, a. o., & track, d. (2022). the necropolitics of trips: neoliberal disease and slow death in a pandemic. stavro, e. (2023). democracy and event: the promise and perils of catastrophe. taylor & francis. the, o. f., by, r., tei, k., santos, s., literatura, p., & de, u. (2024). the necropolitics in. 168–190. trott, c. d., weinberg, a. e., frame, s. m., jeanpierre, p., & even, t. l. (2024). civic science education for youth-driven water security: a behavioral development approach to strengthening climate resilience. international journal of behavioral development , 48(2), 145–155. yuan, f., wang, m., wu, y., & pan, j. (2024). overcoming the brittleness of sustainable compression-cast recycled aggregate concrete through steel spiral confinement. journal of building engineering, 96, 110634. zhao, h. (2024). sovereignty in the age of biopower: an examination of necropolitics (issue cdsd 2023). atlantis press sarl. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-222-4_41 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 257 female representation in english learning textbook: critical discourse analyses i gusti ayu vina widiadnya putri english study program, faculty of foreign languages, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar, denpasar, indonesia email : miss.vina@unmas.ac.id i gusti ngurah bagus yoga widiadnya english education study program, the faculty of education language and art, ikip saraswati, tabanan, indonesia email: yogawidiadnya16@gmail.com gede irwandika english study program, faculty of foreign languages, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar, denpasar, indonesia email : irwandika@unmas.ac.id apa citation: putri, i. g. a. v. w., & widiadnya, i. g. n. b. y., & irwandika, g. (2025). female representation in english learning textbook: critical discourse analyses. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 257-268. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.10363 received: 12-09-2024 accepted: 10-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 introduction one of the important phenomena in the field of communication related to variations in the use of linguistic elements, when studied through gender, is the difference in linguistic markers for women and men. language differences between genders often represent social status between men and women (putri, et al, 2023). gender issues are interpreted as a form of degrading women and often marginalizing women (listari, 2020). a framework made up of a comparatively wide range of patriarchal behaviors is known as patriarchal culture (intentilia, 2020). although this gender tradition seems to characterise men and women as complimentary, it also incorporates a patriarchal logic that gives males priority over women (peng et al., 2023). the patriarchal culture that prevails in indonesia gives men a central role in terms of political leadership, moral authority, social domination, property ownership, and liberation from household responsibilities. in many facets of life, discrimination against women occurs (hessami & fonseca, 2020). in daily life, gender stereotypes are reinforced and manifested in a variety of ways (maheswara & pratiwi, 2023). women's resistance to men's authority is inextricably linked to an unfair patriarchal structure (yuda & subanda, 2020). the differences in behavior between women and men in society are strongly influenced by the socialization process in society, schools, and the environment (rohmawati & putra, 2022). therefore, gender equality includes more than just the educational attainment of boys and girls. this also involves the existence of gender stereotypes in the workplace, which young people need to be aware of and influence their career decisions (rohmawati & putra, 2022). it cannot be denied that in social life, men's abstract: this research aims to examine discourse components on the dynamics of female stereotype in texts. this research uses data taken from the narrative text of an english textbook specifically designed for elementary school students in indonesia. books are considered a valuable source of scientific inquiry. this research uses a combination of data analysis techniques and field methods, especially by observations and interviews. the data collection strategy used in this research includes the use of questionnaires, interviews, and documentation of language forms contained in narrative texts in let’s talk textbook. the findings of this research show there are some aspects of discourse on the dynamics of female representation in students’ texts book, which include microstructure, macrostructure, and superstructure of the text. microstructure includes grammatical components such as references, substitution, and conjunctions. the macrostructures are contained in context, circumstances, and culture that successfully represent women from different points of view. the superstructure of the text include orientation, complication and resolution. data analysis reveals the prevalence of female stereotypes as evidenced by microstructure, macrostructure, and superstructure analysis. keywords: discourse; female; representation. mailto:miss.vina@unmas.ac.id mailto:yogawidiadnya16@gmail.com mailto:irwandika@unmas.ac.id i gusti ayu vina widiadnya putri, i gusti ngurah bagus yoga widiadnya, & gede irwandika female representation in english learning textbook: critical discourse analyses 258 roles are more dominant in various aspects of life than women's roles (susanto, 2021). in line with the finding analysis by (curaming & curaming, 2020) stated that that men continue to benefit from overall gender disparity. negative and widespread gender stereotypes may contribute to hiring discrimination and limit women's professional progression possibilities, which is one reason for the lack of progress towards gender parity (casad et al., 2021). stereotypes are culturally held ideas about particular traits and actions of individuals that belong to a group, like a gender or ethnicity (lindner & makarova, 2024). if there is an imbalance between men and women, harmful gender stereotypes may arise (elbalqis et al., 2020). the still existence of disparities between women in social life makes this phenomenon very worrying. women's inequality is a significant societal problem and cannot be immediately corrected. when women have less power, gender inequality is more prevalent (farnon, 2021). women are unique figures who are often discussed by the public, because of their uniqueness there are many aspects that can be studied more specifically (meivitasari & widyatwati, 2023). gender equality is now a problem in the field of education (yonata, 2021). this phenomenon also involves the depiction of women's gender being reflected in discourse that functions as an educational goal. unbalanced gender representation is one of the numerous ways that gender discrimination in textbooks can appear (rizkiyah et al., 2022). several research have shown that school textbooks are often gender biased, despite the fact that gender equality in access to education may be growing (wafa, 2021). this issue can ultimately affect students' cognitive framework. written communication is used to express particular goals or ideas (syamsurrijal & arniati, 2024). a particular instrument for raising students awareness is the textbook (rohmawati & putra, 2022). a great deal of information is communicated through school textbooks (alexopoulos et al., 2022). in any teachinglearning scenario, textbooks serve as more than just informational or instructional resources (flores & aranduque, 2022). textbooks are one of the written learning sources of information media for students (putri, et all 2023). textbooks are a means of supporting the learning process which is still related to the curriculum (astuti & mujimin, 2024). the language used in elementary school textbooks should reflect good gender equality between females and males. texts in books need to pay attention to readability aspects that link communication between students and teaching materials (pebriana, 2021). texts in student learning cannot be separated from gender bias. even though the government has published regulations regarding gender bias in textbooks, in reality, there are misunderstandings regarding gender (ulfah et al,. 2019). if we look deeper, many texts in textbooks contain gender bias. this gender bias is represented by stereotypes of women in their social behavior. since both discourse and gender are characteristics that are evident in the everyday lives of a group of individuals, they are intimately related (alsaraireh et al., 2021). the narrative text of elementary school textbooks describes the differences in social tasks given to women and men, women are shown with inferior characteristics. textbooks in indonesia are the most commonly used media in the learning process to introduce information during the student learning process in class. textbooks have an inevitable role for students and teachers to provide important information in education (apsari et al., 2022). students' and teachers' perceptions of gender roles can be particularly impacted by gender stereotyping in language and educational textbooks (tyarakanita et al., 2021). apart from being of knowledge, text in books plays a central role in learning, specifically trying to create concepts, attitudes, and life values in its readers. as a result, textbooks play an important role in shaping and structuring society's ideology (suuriniemi & satokangas, 2023). gender concerns should be taken into consideration while creating language textbooks. this is due to the fact that language textbooks teach information and values, including gender (ness), in addition to language regions and skills (lestariyana et al., 2020). in recent educational systems, textbooks have always played a significant role in conveying knowledge and values (benlaghrissi, 2023). the learners' opinions and perceptions, particularly with regard to gender roles, can be significantly shaped and reinforced by the content of the textbook (zahra et al., 2024). students' perceptions of gender equality might be influenced by how gender is portrayed in textbooks (izzuddin et al., 2021). as the intended readers for their future life, students will learn and implement the values of gender inequality from learner book (khoirida & dewi, 2024). as a medium for education and character development, the text is a central source in developing society's culture and character. this research examines the stereotypical representation english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 259 of women's gender through micro, macro, and superstructure analysis in english narrative text. some previous research that examined the representation of women in texts was research from (santika, 2023) in her research about the representation of gender in english textbooks. this study analyzed the similarities and differences in gender representation in text two different textbooks. male representations are more obvious than female representations in discussion scripts and exercises, according to the similarities between the two textbooks. the representation of male characters in the text, visuals, and roles in occupation is greater than that of female characters in both english textbooks. male and female gender disparity results from this. (maymunah, 2021) in her research entitled representation of women in the text of hikayakat tawaddud. the research uses representation and gender theory to identify representations of female characters. this research found that the representation of women in texts is intelligent, brave, and educated. tawaddud is also a representation of malay women who are eloquent, friendly, shy, intelligent, fragrant, and have values. in line with research indriyani et al 2024) that explored gender in integrated elementary school thematic textbooks. this research found that gender characters appeared in texts and images, types of work, adjectives, and illustrations. this research found that there is a clear inequality of gender representation in textbooks. research on the representation of women in novels has been analyzed by yulianeta (2022) those who attempt to deconstruct the dominance of patriarchal ideology, feminization on the one hand and on the other hand which argues for gender equality and even prioritizes the ideology of womanhood. another study shows how discriminatory trends are still present in national textbooks by looking at ten studies from seven different countries in the region. it then explores the meaning of cedaw for women and girls and looks at how political and policy solutions approach gender equality in the national curriculum (ryan, 2022). three previous studies have analyzed the representation of women in texts from the perspective of gender differences. this research was analyzed to complement previous research to reveal stereotypes of women's roles in texts based on critical discourse studies. this research examines more about the structure of the text, both grammatical microstructure and macrostructure, semantic forms related to societal ideology, and the systematic form of the text in superstructure analysis. critical analysis has revealed significantly, the form of female stereotypes contained in the text as a whole which is examined based on its linguistic markers. thus, this research has a gap with previous research, such as more criticism of the form of linguistic markers contained in the text and its relationship with social ideology which is analyzed more deeply in the macrostructure. the previous studies have not provided an explanation of the fundamental components of language as well as auxiliary languages such as culture and context. one of the well-known methods of discourse analysis is critical discourse analysis, which examines language critically to uncover hidden meanings (al-yasin & rabab’ah, 2021). the study of linguistics known as critical discourse analysis, or critical language/linguistic analysis, attempts to reveal the ideological processes and covert power dynamics present in both written and spoken texts. critical discourse analysis seeks to incorporate particular discursive and social elements into the analysis process (kayed et al., 2020). this study applies van dijk's (1980) theory of microstructure, macrostructure, and superstructure analysis to a closer examination of these three components in critical discourse analysis. based on the results of previous research, the novelty of this research are: first, this research explores more deeply the contextual meaning of language which was not examined by previous research. second, the previous study has not revealed significantly regarding the various phases of internal and external language analysis to discover kinds of female stereotypes. third, this study provides additional insight into the linguistic meaning of a text by demonstrating the relationship between microlinguistic and macrolinguistic forms. several previous investigations have found relationship analysis to be useful in identifying female stereotypes in texts. these gaps and novelty explain the three primary goals of this study: initially, examining the text's structure to identify any instances of gender stereotypes; secondly, examining the text's macrostructure to ascertain the connection between linguistic components and context; and thirdly, examining the superstructure's form to ascertain the text's systematics on the inclusion of gender stereotypes. the narrative text chosen as data source is the narrative text contained in the english book "let's talk" for elementary school students which is used in ikm or independent curriculum implementation. the selected text contains a form of female stereotype which is the main problem of this research. the form of female stereotypes in the i gusti ayu vina widiadnya putri, i gusti ngurah bagus yoga widiadnya, & gede irwandika female representation in english learning textbook: critical discourse analyses 260 text is further able to change students' thinking concepts about the differences in the status of women and men in society which has an impact on readers. students would view themselves as weak and inferior compared to men. for this reason, it is important to study in more depth the linguistic markers in the texts given to students as a learning resource. based on this phenomenon, the formulation of this research problem is: (1) what are the linguistic markers of female stereotypes in texts based on microstructural analysis?, (2) what are the forms of female stereotypes in texts based on macrostructural analysis?, and (3) what are the forms of female stereotypes in texts based on superstructure analysis? method the philosophical basis of this research is the basis of phenomenology. the phenomenological approach is in line with this research as a study of a person's life experiences. female gender representation research studies focus on all social actions that analyzed the inner self of individuals. this is an experience of a phenomenon or appearance as it really is. female representation in texts is a true reality of a phenomenon that is developing in society. this is the reason why the phenomenological approach is suitable in this study. the problem analyzed in this research is how individuals subjectively perceive the experience of narrative texts in books. the five selected narrative texts in the english book "let's talk" for elementary school students which is used in ikm or independent curriculum implementation. meanwhile, this article only shows a text entitled “angry mimi” as a sample of analysis. this choosen since this text has a linguistics relationship regarding female stereotypes viewed from the perspective of critical discourse analysis. the data collection method in this research is the observation method. the observation method is an open, direct process of collecting information by observation. in analysing microstructure unit, the observation method in collecting data is used to find out linguistics unit in the text. the linguistics unit of female representation is mainly focues in analysing the data. the use of questionnaires and interviews as research method allows for the investigation of the impact of female gender representation on student character as perceived by the community during the data collection process. it can be used to analyse macrostructure unit in analysis discourse. the documentation method is used to reconstruct the text found in the context book in the elementary school curriculum. it can support the superstructure analysis in the third problem. results and discussion one of the primary objectives of critical discourse analysis is to show how discriminatory practices, power abuse, and social inequity can be opposed (nartey, 2021). discourse analysis takes into account that language can be used for both political and ideological ends (badara & jamiludin, 2020). this inequality is analyzed from the perspective of women's role in society. the stereotype of women in society takes on domestic roles such as doing housework and taking care of children and husband. this role has long been attached to women. this happens because women are positioned lower than men. the social dominance that exists in society places men in a higher position than women. this stereotype is often found in textbooks as student learning material. after reading texts containing female stereotypes, students would view themselves as less empowered individuals than male students. the data found in the text shows that women's roles are expressed predominantly in the domestic field in the text (dijk 1993). text analysis is divided into three, microstructure, macrostructure and superstructure analysis which are analyzed in full below. data reveals that women's roles are expressed dominantly in the text (dijk, 1993). text analysis is divided into three, microstructure, macrostructure, and superstructure analysis which are analyzed in full below. microstructure analysis discourse microstructure analysis is analyzed to find grammatical cohesion and lexical coherence in discourse. the form of discourse structure analyzed in microstructure can reveal female participants and variables spread throughout the discourse (dijk, 1993). microstructural analysis can reveal linguistic units that support stereotypes of women in discourse. the use of references can emphasize female characters in carrying out an action. ellipsis and conjunctions can clarify the meaning of sentences in the text. this can reveal the meaning of each clause. the following is a microstructure analysis of the discourse entitled mimi angry. data mimi and her sister want to play with dolls. however, no one wanted to give up. they fought until the doll broke. mimi is annoyed. mimi english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 261 screamed, then cried. a few moments later, mimi felt relieved. the wind made her feel cold. from the window mimi looked outside, it turned out that her sister was waiting outside the room. he repairs broken dolls. they finally apologize to each other. then they cycled together. (let’s talk, 2021) the microstructure in text is presented in the table below. grammatical cohesion as mentioned previously includes references, substitutions, ellipses, and conjunctions. in the text entitled mimi is angry 16 clauses were found that made up the discourse. to facilitate analysis, clauses are coded with clauses 1 to 16 and participants are coded with the letter (p). the distribution of grammatical cohesion contained in the text is shown in the following table. tabel 1. grammatical cohesion n o clause reference ellipse conjun ction 1 mimi and her sister want to p1, p2 and 2 p1, p2 play with doll p1, p2 p1, p2 3 however, øp1, p2 no one wants to give up p1, p2 p1, p2 howev er 4 they fought p1, p2 endophor aanaphor ic 5 until doll p1 damage p1 p1 un til 6 mimi is annoyed p1 7 she enter to her room p1 8 . she screamed 9 then ep1 cried p1 p1 then 1 0 after a moment ago, mimi felt relieved p1 after 1 1 the wind made her feel cold. p1 1 2 from the window mimi looked outside p1 1 3 it turned out her sister was waiting outside the room p3 1 4 she repaired the broken doll p1 1 5 they are finally apologizing to each other p1, p2 1 6 then they cycle together. p1, p2 then amount p1 = 14, p2 = 8 p3 = 1 op1= 3 øp2= 2 5 this table showed the used of linguistics unit such as reference, ellipsis and conjunction in line with female representation. references can highlight how female characters perform an action. conjunctions and ellipses can help make phrases in a text more understandable. this can make each clause's meaning clear. the discourse entitled "mimi is angry" consists of a total of 16 clauses, which are shown in the distribution of the table displayed. the participants in question are two people, p1 (mimi) and p2 (mimi's sister). the individual is referred to as "mimi's little sister." the text refers to three types of ellipsis with participant 1 and participant 2. certain conjunctions are used in textual composition, such as the conjunctions "although", "and", and "then". the result form putri, at all (2023) found that in participant distribution, the dominating character's lingual unit arrangement in the text indicates the gender role in the microstructural analysis. that finding is in line with this research's findings, which indicate that references may represent the gender roles that appear in the text. the roles that female characters perform in the text can be inferred from the references that are utilized to indicate anything. according to sumarlam (2013) what is meant by pronoun includes the first person (i), the second person (persona ii), and the third person (person iii). based on a discourse excerpt entitled mimi is angry, it uses lexical cohesion in the form of repetition with the word mimi. the word mimi used in the text functions to prove a meaningful relationship between the subject at the beginning of the sentence and the subject in the next sentence. some positive criticisms of the microstructural analysis are analyzed in this explanation. cohesion markers are used to create cohesion in the text to make it easily understood by the reader. the meaning of unity is the elements that make up the structure, and meaning since it connects words, phrases, and clauses. grammatical cohesion and lexical cohesion used in the narrative text english book "let's talk" for elementary school students have met the standards of good and correct writing. grammatical markers cohesion and lexical cohesion in the discourse provide a good understanding to the reader about the ideas expressed by the writer. each sentence with another sentence in the text consists of grammatical cohesion and lexical cohesion which are interrelated. this statement is very necessary in the paragraph. by paying attention to these elements, the coherence of the paragraph can be maintained well. in the end, the writer can express ideas, thoughts, and feelings well, so the ideas can be conveyed and accepted. the forms of grammatical cohesion and lexical cohesion used in the data are applied simply and can be easily understood by readers. text consumers are elementary school children. most of them are students who are not fluent in english. by using grammatical cohesion and lexical cohesion as markers of simple microstructures as expressed in the text, students can understand the meaning i gusti ayu vina widiadnya putri, i gusti ngurah bagus yoga widiadnya, & gede irwandika female representation in english learning textbook: critical discourse analyses 262 and intent of sentences. one of the most frequently found grammatical cohesion in texts is the form of reference. the form of reference used is very simple and can be easily understood by students. the form of reference in question is the use of words that refer to the figure mentioned earlier in the sentence. with a simple form, primary school students can easily understand the reference meant by the writer. grammatical cohesion and lexical cohesion used in text on data is a tool to clarify a sentence so that fits together. the sentences that are linked in the text have developed a wholeness of the text as a unity of form and meaning. in other words, the text on data in microstructure analysis has been expressed well and simply by the writer according to the ability and knowledge of the reader. macrostructural analysis after previously analyzing the elements in microstructure analysis, the next analysis focuses on macrostructural analysis in the text which includes context analysis (dijk, 1993). context analysis includes cultural context and situational context. situations in context include physical context, epistemic context, and social context. these contexts are not separated explicitly because they separate the analysis from the lexical elements in the microstructure but are analyzed by linking each other to build a unified discourse. cultural context is the basis for understanding the meaning of discourse. in indonesian society, women and men have fundamental gender differences. the social culture that embodies gender as a division of roles between men and women is still living culture in society. in the workplace, women are represented in relation to their caring and household responsibilities, while males are only represented in relation to their professional careers (keles et al., 2023). women were depicted as playing domestic and submissive responsibilities (mohammed ismael & mohammadzadeh, 2022). based on the discourse in a text entitled mimi angry, the representation of women's gender roles dominates the discourse. women's gender roles are manifested in the form of games played by female characters in the discourse, emotions, and characters present in the discourse. based on the discourse, the text highlights mimi's desire to play with dolls as its central theme. the categorization of children's games cannot be separated from the influence of gender stereotypes associated with women. the text implicitly stated that dolls were presented as entertainment often associated with girls, which in turn implies that girls were expected to have qualities such as obedience and intelligence in raising children. doll play, considered a primary manifestation of gendered play activities for girls, has the potential to shape children's cognitive processes on women's perspectives in professional endeavors. this observation may support the idea that women are more adept at assuming caregiving responsibilities and carrying out household workrelated tasks within the household. in line with the result from (santika, 2023) two english textbook books textbook 1 (when english rings a bell) and textbook 2 (interactive english 2), males and females have different duties in their jobs. the female role of caring for everything, while the male performs a job that requires power. another consequence is that when children engage in gender-specific play, they would meet a variety of play experiences that can contribute to the development of different skills. when students are exposed to texts that describe toys categorized by gender, they may develop the belief that dolls are only intended for girls, while games that require physical strength are better suited to boys. toys that emphasize domestic imagery in a feminist realm may inadvertently discourage girls from pursuing careers in technology or computer science. in particular, this research shows that doll toys, which are generally associated with girls, have the potential to develop verbal interaction skills. on the other hand, toys such as vehicles or building blocks, which are usually associated with boys, are believed to encourage the development of spatial abilities. when girls are exclusively given toys traditionally associated with girls, it has been hypothesized that their linguistic talents may show greater dominance, while their spatial skills may not be as advanced as boys'. in contrast, when boys are exclusively exposed to toys traditionally associated with boys, a similar pattern may occur, although in reverse. in essence, when students are exposed to texts that include explicit and implicit gender norms, they tend to view them as genuine educational experiences. students' ability to store information from text as long-term memory is influenced by their previous learning experiences. therefore, the existence of toys categorized by gender has the potential to perpetuate gender stereotypes. the above phenomena have a major impact on children's self-perception and selfefficacy, thus hampering their ability to carry out comprehensive self-exploration. the depiction of feminine gender in the text is english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 263 visible in the clauses. mimi produces vocalizations characterized by high intensity and volume, followed by tearful expressions. this statement emphasizes the feminine gender perspective which is often considered weak in the context of society. according to the indonesian dictionary (kbbi), the term "crying" means an emotional manifestation characterized by the release of tears and explosions of sound, usually associated with feelings of sadness, disappointment, regret, and the like. upon entering his room, the individual starts to the next clause. mimi's high-pitched vocalizations, followed by tears, are a sign that mimi, who is presented as a female individual in the context, is experiencing an emotional state characterized by sadness and frustration. the emotional stress experienced by the participants was visible in explosive and tearful expressions. the act of shedding tears has evolved into a social shame in contemporary culture, affecting individuals of all genders, including men and women. if someone shows emotional distress by crying, it can be concluded that he is experiencing a state of vulnerability, fragility, and psychological turmoil. the act of shedding tears is a behavior seen across various cultures and societies, thus showing its universal nature. however, it should be noted that crying has characteristics that differentiate it from other behaviors. based on scientific discourse on data, the act of crying is generally associated with emotional expression and is often considered a characteristic in females. the character mimi is depicted as showing emotional distress through the act of sobbing which functions as a means of communicating feelings of anger and despair. the presence of female characters who cry in discourse perpetuates the perception of female characters as weak figures, while the act of crying is stigmatized when associated with men. based on this analysis, the act of shedding tears in the context of social communication is likely to strengthen the perception among students that crying is a behavior commonly carried out by women while being stigmatized or not recommended for men. another phenomenon that is also visible is the strict prohibition from parents and older people on men expressing their emotions through sobs because this is considered incompatible with the characteristics of strong masculinity. likewise, girls are often characterized as exhibiting aggression, assertiveness, and irrationality when communicating their wants and needs. misunderstandings in gender education have a significant impact on children's growth and development, especially concerning children's sensitivity to various areas of social development which may not have reached optimal levels. based on the analysis of macrostructure analysis, some criticism can be found. the representation of women that has been expressed in the text, the female gender is mostly represented by the characteristics of being nurturing, whiny, having weak physical and mental strength, and being fussy. the ideas and thoughts expressed in writing are a form of the writer's life experiences in society. experiences regarding stereotypes of women in society cannot just disappear. the social construction that places women in a lower position than men continues to exist. during the dutch colonial period, women were always confined to the house, their role was only to do housework and also work in the kitchen. the female are often seen as marginalized people who are required to speak gracefully and politely (wibawani & rohman, 2023). the female gender chooses to be a housewife, look after children, and take care of household affairs. this gender discrimination is still expressed explicitly and implicitly in all the texts that have been analyzed. the female gender variables expressed in the text have strengthened the view that the gender roles of women and men are not equal. in other words, if students are faced with texts that contain clear gender stereotypes, students believe that the event is a true learning experience. students can remember events in the text as long-term memory long term memory based on learning experiences that has been read. thus, female stereotypes cause girls and boys to believe that women are weak creatures, solving problems by crying and being helpless. discourse as a learning resource contributes to the formation of student character. based on the issues found, it is necessary to review the texts in textbooks so that they contain gender representations of women who have strong characters. superstructure analysis simple narrative forms are generally organized into several general categories or divisions such as orientation, complication, and resolution. peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan (2016) states that the structure of a narrative text consists of three parts, namely. (1) orientation, identification of characters, background, characters, and conflict. (2) complications, involving causes so that the problem continues until the problem reaches its peak. (3) resolution involves resolving problems caused by conflict. i gusti ayu vina widiadnya putri, i gusti ngurah bagus yoga widiadnya, & gede irwandika female representation in english learning textbook: critical discourse analyses 264 the schematic structure emphasizes which parts should come first and which should come next as a strategy for hiding important information. the following is a schema analysis of the text entitled mimi angry. the basic narrative discourse entitled “mimi is angry” follows a schematic layout that includes title, orientation, complication, and resolution. the text was titled “mimi” briefly and clearly to refer to the main character. the orientation section explains how the author presents the characters in the discourse. the conversation participants are introduced at the beginning by explicitly mentioning the two figures involved in the first segment of the paragraph. the orientation section introduces the main characters, namely mimi and her sister. in the orientation section, the author explains further the essence and character of each character. mimi is depicted as showing emotions of anger and frustration, while her sister is depicted as embodying a character characterized by calm compassion. the story presents complications where the two characters are involved in a conflict that destroys the doll. complications can arise due to an event that triggers conflict or dispute between individuals. the tensions alluded to in the speech result in mutual harm between the two protagonists. mimi's quote reflects her annoyance. the interpersonal conflict that has arisen between mimi and her sister has resulted in significant emotional distress for both individuals. mimi's sister's defiant attitude became a form of resolution of the conversation. the statement “he has repaired the broken doll” exemplifies the conversation in the resolution section. this expression, imbued with a sense of joy, affirms the resolution of the conflict between the two entities through an expression of regret and apology. the character of mimi's sister is depicted as experiencing regret over the incident, which ultimately resolves the problem by taking constructive action. explicit expressions of emphasis on women's gender roles in discourse are evident in the domains of orientation, complication, and resolution. in the orientation section, the author reveals the existence of mimi and her sister, who both have female names. the second character's play centers on a particular type of girl's doll play, thus emphasizing its significance. in the orientation section, the author emphasizes that mimi and her sisters adhere to traditional female gender roles. however, in the complication section, the author introduces a depiction of a woman with a sobbing expression that is specifically associated with femininity. the resolution highlights the female gender through depictions of love of peace and mutual regret. based on the analysis carried out, it appears that the female gender has a strong position in the analysis of the text superstructure. to be clear, the discourse largely reflects feminine gender expressions. based on the superstructure analysis, the female role can clarify in the structure of the text. female gender stereotype clearly mentioned in complication part. the writer want to emphasize gender role in hidden meaning in part of complication. this finding was different from the result from (sekali et al., 2024) those who found different generic structures in narrative text in panjo paterson’s writing story such as abstract, orientation, evaluation, resolution, and coda. this recent study found a simple generic structure to show the meaning of the text in a simple way such as title, orientation, complication, and resolution. conclusion based on the results of data analysis, it can be concluded that the three component units of critical discourse analysis can clearly reveal women's stereotypes in depth. the three units of critical discourse analysis that have been analyzed provide an in-depth analysis of the meaning of microstructure, the meaning of macrostructure based on context and superstructure, all of which have been gaps and novelties from previous research. the discourse analysis of the text "mimi is angry" revealed both explicit and implicit gender representation. the analysis involved microstructure, macrostructure, and superstructure. microstructure analysis, the text used ellipses and conjunctions for coherence. lexical cohesion analysis revealed several forms of synonymy to establish equivalent meaning relationships between lingual units. macrostructural analysis revealed that mimi and his sister were revealed as female, with unique attitudes and characters. the specificity of female gender was expressed through nurturing and gentle attitudes, while typical female characters were loving peace and forgiveness. superstructure analysis revealed that the schema structure of the discourse mostly expresses gender roles explicitly and implicitly. the gender role of women is shown to be powerless, leading to weak assessments from readers. this stereotypical female text, particularly for elementary school students, can leave a lasting impression on their memories, contributing to the weak and helpless character of female students. the results of this research can be a guide for teachers and policymakers in preparing textbooks english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 265 that avoid gender inequality. the results of this research can also show the use of ordinary linguistic units but full of hidden meanings and ideologies that influence students' perspectives on female stereotypes. references al-yasin, n., & rabab’ah, g. (2021). female disney characters’ linguistic features in the 1990s. jordan journal of modern languages and literatures, 13(1), 121–142. https://doi.org/10.47012/jjmll.13.1.8 alexopoulos, c., stamou, a. g., & papadopoulou, p. (2022). gender representations in the greek primary school language textbooks: synthesizing content with critical discourse analysis. international journal on social and education sciences, 4(2), 257–274. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijonses.317 alsaraireh, m. y., kaur, m., singh, s., & hajimia, h. (2021). critical discourse analysis of gender representation of male and female characters in the animation movie, frozen. linguistica antverpiensia, 1, 104–121. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/34936 8010 apsari, a. a. n., hidayat, d. n., husna, n., & alek, a. (2022). critical discourse analysis on "bright: an english" textbook: gender equity in a popular efl school textbook in indonesia. elsya: journal of english language studies, 4(2), 188–196. https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v4i2.9549 astuti, p. d., & mujimin. (2024). analisis model pembelajaran pada buku teks mardika basa lan sastra jawa smp/mts kelas viii. diglosia: jurnal kajian bahasa, sastra dan pengajarannya, 7, 385–394. badara, a., & jamiludin. (2020). representation of indonesian women workers: a critical discourse analysis on the newspapers of nationalist-secular and islamic ideological perspectives. indonesian journal of islam and muslim societies, 10(1), 79–101. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v10i1.79-101 benlaghrissi, h. (2023). gender stereotypes in moroccan efl textbooks’ illustrations: content and critical image analysis. arab world english journal, 14(1), 183–198. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol14no1.12 casad, b. j., franks, j. e., garasky, c. e., kittleman, m. m., roesler, a. c., hall, d. y., & petzel, z. w. (2021). gender inequality in academia: problems and solutions for women faculty in stem. journal of neuroscience research, 99(1), 13–23. https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.24631 curaming, e. m., & curaming, r. a. (2020). gender (in)equality in english textbooks in the philippines: a critical discourse analysis. sexuality & culture, 24(4), 1167–1188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-020-09750-4 dijk, t. van. (1993). discourse and society. blackwell publishing ltd. elbalqis, p., wijaya, m. s., & rohmatillah. (2020). gender and visual images: looking back how stereotypes are presented in textbooks. english education: jurnal tadris bahasa inggris, 13(2), 80–103. farnon, l. (2021). gender discrimination through stereotype role depictions: content analysis of a textbook used in a developing country. pakistan social sciences review, 5(4), 115–130. https://doi.org/10.35484/pssr.2021(5-iv)09 flores, e. r., & aranduque, c. m. (2022). gender bias in philippine english textbooks. intersections (australia), 2022(48), 1–13. http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue48/aranduqu e.pdf hessami, z., & fonseca, m. l. da. (2020). female political representation and substantive effects on policies: a literature review. european journal of political economy, 63(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2020.101896 indriyani, v., rachman, a., & fathia, w. (2024). representasi gender dalam buku teks tematik terpadu siswa sekolah dasar. jurnal onoma: pendidikan, bahasa, dan sastra, 10(1), 722– 733. https://doi.org/10.30605/onoma.v10i1.3312 intentilia, a. a. m. (2020). analyzing patriarchy, political participation, and active citizenship in asean. intermestic: journal of international studies, 5(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.24198/intermestic.v5n1.2 izzuddin, dalimunthe, r. p., & susilo, s. (2021). the portrayal of women in arabic textbooks for nonarabic speakers. sage open, 11(2), 21582440211014184. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211014184 kayed, m. al, al-khawaldah, s. k., & alzu’bi, m. a. (2020). critical discourse analysis of gender representations in efl textbooks. international journal of english language and literature studies, 9(4), 244–254. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.23.2020.94 .244.254 keles, u., mansouri, b., & yazan, b. (2023). perpetuation of gender bias in new headway: a multimodal critical discourse analysis with a diachronic lens. pedagogy, culture & society, 31(3), 379–401. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2021.191344 2 khoirida, a., & dewi, h. d. (2024). gender representation of percy jackson & the lightning thief in english and indonesian. english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 293–306. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9299 lestariyana, r. p. d., widodo, h. p., & sulistiyo, u. (2020). female representation in governmenthttps://doi.org/10.47012/jjmll.13.1.8 https://doi.org/10.46328/ijonses.317 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349368010 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349368010 https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v4i2.9549 https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v10i1.79-101 https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol14no1.12 https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.24631 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-020-09750-4 https://doi.org/10.35484/pssr.2021(5-iv)09 http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue48/aranduque.pdf http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue48/aranduque.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2020.101896 https://doi.org/10.30605/onoma.v10i1.3312 https://doi.org/10.24198/intermestic.v5n1.2 https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211014184 https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.23.2020.94.244.254 https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.23.2020.94.244.254 https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2021.1913442 https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2021.1913442 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9299 i gusti ayu vina widiadnya putri, i gusti ngurah bagus yoga widiadnya, & gede irwandika female representation in english learning textbook: critical discourse analyses 266 mandated english language textbooks used in indonesian junior high schools. sexuality & culture, 24(4), 1150–1166. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-020-09752-2 lindner, j., & makarova, e. (2024). challenging gender stereotypes: young women’s views on female role models in secondary school science textbooks. international journal of educational research open, 7, 100376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2024.100376 listari, k. (2020). noura: jurnal kajian gender dan anak. jurnal kajian gender dan anak, 4(1), 1– 10. maheswara, r., & pratiwi, y. (2023). gender stereotype by presenting a female protagonist portrayed in neil burger’s divergent (2014) movie. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 907–916. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8479 maymunah, j. (2021). representasi perempuan dalam teks hikayat tawaddud (representation of women in tawaddud hikayat texts). nuansa indonesia, 23(2), 250–264. https://jurnal.uns.ac.id/ni meivitasari, y., & widyatwati, k. (2023). bentuk ketidakadilan gender dan perlawanan tokoh kinanti dalam novel layangan putus (kajian feminisme eksistensialisme simone de beauvoir). diglosia: jurnal kajian bahasa, sastra, dan pengajarannya, 6(4), 1071–1080. https://doi.org/10.30872/diglosia.v6i4.798 mohammed ismael, s., & mohammadzadeh, b. (2022). gender representation in efl textbooks used in state schools in northern iraq and teachers’ perceptions of gender role stereotypes. interactive learning environments, 31(10), 6242–6259. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.202949 5 nartey, m. (2021). a feminist critical discourse analysis of ghanaian feminist blogs. feminist media studies, 21(4), 657–672. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2020.183791 0 pebriana, p. h. (2021). analisis keterbacaan buku teks siswa kelas iv pada tema i dengan menggunakan grafik fry. jurnal pendidikan dan konseling (jpdk), 3(1), 28–35. https://doi.org/10.31004/jpdk.v2i2.1340 peng, a. y., hou, j. z., khosravinik, m., & zhang, x. (2023). "she uses men to boost her career": chinese digital cultures and gender stereotypes of female academics in zhihu discourses. social semiotics, 33(4), 750–768. https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2021.194092 0 peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan. (2016). peraturan menteri pendidikan dan kebudayaan nomor 20 tahun 2016 tentang buku yang digunakan oleh satuan pendidikan. putri, i. g. a. v. w., simpen, i. w., suparwa, i. n., & malini, n. n. s. (2023). the interpretation of male power relation in elementary school text book in indonesia. international journal of social science and human research, 6(7), 4366–4372. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v6i7-64 putri, i. g. a. v. w., simpen, i. w., suparwa, i. n., & ni nyoman seri malini. (2023). a critical review of empirical studies on women’s representation in indonesian textbooks. international journal of humanities and social science invention, 5(1), 394–405. rizkiyah, i., ariyanto, s., & sukmaantara, i. p. (2022). gender representation in the english textbook for indonesian junior high school students: a critical discourse analysis. efl education journal, 1(1), 27–37. rohmawati, s., & putra, k. a. (2022). occupational gender stereotypes in indonesian secondary school english language textbooks. veles voices of english language education society, 6(1), 160–175. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v6i1.5334 ryan, s. (2022). a literature review of gender equity in national textbooks across the mena region and the implications for cedaw. cambridge educational research e-journal, 9(november), 53–66. https://doi.org/10.17863/cam.90575 santika, p. (2023). the representation of gender in english textbooks. journal of english for specific purposes in indonesia, 2(1), 1–13. sekali, t. n. b. k., sembiring, r. s. n., & diana sopha. (2024). narrative structure analyzed in panjo paterson’s story writing. philology journal of english language and literature, 4(1), 41–47. sumarlam. (2013). teori dan praktik analisis wacana. katta. susanto, g. (2021). representasi gender dalam buku teks bipa. diksi, 29(2). suuriniemi, s. m., & satokangas, h. (2023). linguistic landscape of finnish school textbooks. international journal of multilingualism, 20(3), 850–868. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2021.195072 6 syamsurrijal, s., & arniati, f. (2024). a study of the metafunctions of lombok regional slogans: systemic functional linguistics analysis. journal of languages and language teaching, 12(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v12i1.8779 tyarakanita, a., drajati, n. a., rochsantiningsih, d., & nurkamto, j. (2021). the representation of gender stereotypes in indonesian english language textbooks. sexuality & culture, 25(3), 1140–1157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119021-09813-0 ulfah, d., garim, i., & sultan, s. (2019). bias gender dalam buku teks pelajaran bahasa indonesia sekolah menengah atas. retorika: jurnal https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-020-09752-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2024.100376 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8479 https://jurnal.uns.ac.id/ni https://doi.org/10.30872/diglosia.v6i4.798 https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2029495 https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2029495 https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2020.1837910 https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2020.1837910 https://doi.org/10.31004/jpdk.v2i2.1340 https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2021.1940920 https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2021.1940920 https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v6-i7-64 https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v6-i7-64 https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v6i1.5334 https://doi.org/10.17863/cam.90575 https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2021.1950726 https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2021.1950726 https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v12i1.8779 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-021-09813-0 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-021-09813-0 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 267 bahasa, sastra, dan pengajarannya, 12(2), 188. https://doi.org/10.26858/retorika.v12i2.8935 wafa, d. (2021). reinforced stereotypes: a case study on school textbooks in egypt. journal of international women’s studies, 22(1), 374–385. wibawani, s., & rohman, s. (2023). karakteristik kebahasaan perempuan dalam film pendek capciptop: sebuah kajian atomisme. diglosia: jurnal kajian bahasa, sastra, dan pengajarannya, 6(4), 1039–1054. https://doi.org/10.30872/diglosia.v6i4.752 yonata, f. (2021). gender role stereotyping in indonesian primary school english textbooks. journal of english education, 6(1), 23–29. https://doi.org/10.31327/jee.v6i1.1456 yuda, i. w. k., & subanda, n. (2020). political phenomenon of women in culture patriarchy in gianyar, bali. budapest international research and critics institute (birci-journal), 3(3), 2158–2164. https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v3i3.1148 yulianeta, y. (2022). representasi perempuan dalam novel-novel pramoedya ananta toer: women's representation in pramoedya ananta toer's selected novels. juli, 23, 107–122. zahra, r., inawati, i., & ariffin, k. (2024). gender representation in indonesian elt textbooks: the hidden bias. educatum journal of social sciences, 10(1), 2462–2443. https://doi.org/10.37134/ejoss.vol10.1.4.2024 https://doi.org/10.26858/retorika.v12i2.8935 https://doi.org/10.30872/diglosia.v6i4.752 https://doi.org/10.31327/jee.v6i1.1456 https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v3i3.1148 https://doi.org/10.37134/ejoss.vol10.1.4.2024 i gusti ayu vina widiadnya putri, i gusti ngurah bagus yoga widiadnya, & gede irwandika female representation in english learning textbook: critical discourse analyses 268 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 307 optimizing student reasoning through reading literacy with the development of e-lkpd in the tourism context detia aulia oktarina master of language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, south sumatra, indonesia email: detiaao@gmail.com zahra alwi master of language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, south sumatra, indonesia email: zahra_alwi@fkip.unsri.ac.id agus saripudin master of language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, south sumatra, indonesia email: agus_saripudin@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa scitation: oktarina, d. a., alwi, z., & saripudin, a. (2024). optimizing student reasoning through reading literacy with the development of e-lkpd in the tourism context. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 307-316. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9380 received: 29-10-2023 accepted: 27-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction reading literacy is the ability to comprehend written information and generate written content based on previously acquired knowledge. the more someone reads, the better their abilities in the academic field . unfortunately, awareness of the importance of reading literacy skills is still low among indonesian students. the pisa (program for international student assessment) test results, conducted by the organization for economic cooperation and development (oecd), provide evidence of this. this test is designed to evaluate the reading, mathematics, and science literacy skills of students in various countries. during seven rounds from 2000 to 2018, the reading literacy score experienced a drastic decline from 436 to 371. as many as 7 out of 10 students aged 15 years had reading literacy skills below minimum competency (wuryanto & abduh, 2022). they are only able to identify explicit information from short readings and simple procedures. the problem of low reading literacy is caused by several factors, including low interest in reading and reading culture in indonesia (sinaga et al., 2021) another factor is the tendency of students to spend most of their time accessing social media (rahmadanita, 2022). excessive use of the internet to access social media among students can have a negative impact in terms of time management. the abstract: this research aims to develop and evaluate the practicality of interactive electronic student worksheet (e-lkpd) to support increasing students' reasoning competence toward reading literacy in a tourism context via the blogspot platform. this research is development research that combines qualitative and quantitative approaches. the method used is the jolly and bolitho development method. steps taken include the following: (1) identifying material needs, (2) exploring needs, (3) contextual realization, (4) pedagogical realization, (5) material products, and (6) evaluating material according to objectives. this research involved indonesian language teachers and 62 seventh-grade students at smpn 20 palembang as the research subjects. data collection methods use interviews, questionnaires, and tests. qualitative data analysis uses a descriptive approach, while qualitative data is analyzed using likert scale calculations. the results of distributing the needs analysis questionnaire to students indicated that 60.32% strongly agreed, while 33.44% agreed to develop e-lkpd. product validation was carried out by three validators, namely content validators, content suitability, and language, with a total validation value of 86.67% (very valid). the product feasibility test scored 89.16% (very practical) in the small group test. the effectiveness test for e-lkpd relied on pretest results, which averaged 61.42, and posttest results, averaging 74.85. there was a significant increase in the 2-tailed results (0.000 < 0.5). the results indicate that the developed e-lkpd can enhance students' reading literacy skills. keywords: development, e-lkpd, reading literacy, reasoning, tourism context. detia aulia oktarina, zahra alwi, & agus saripudin optimizing student reasoning through reading literacy with the development of e-lkpd in the tourism context 308 time wasted accessing social media should be used to read educational literature. low reading literacy skills also reflect students' lack of reasoning abilities. reasoning is a systematic thought process for deriving conclusions and acquiring knowledge (sumarwati & sugono, 2021). the thinking process initiates with observation, yielding various understandings and proportions in the mind (zubainur et al., 2020). it is crucial to recognize that not all thinking activities qualify as reasoning. reasoning involves critical thinking skills to generate and analyze accurate information (sanusi, 2021). the reasoning abilities possessed by students can influence their level of understanding of reading. reasoning is needed to analyze information and relate reading to the context of everyday life. inductive reasoning, especially analogical reasoning, closely ties to general cognitive abilities, an indicator of overall intelligence. this reasoning is related to daily skills such as problemsolving, transferring, and forming new information that is relevant in one context to a new context (kovalcikova et al., 2023). this type of reasoning is what students need in the learning process. the ability to learn indonesian is closely related to students' understanding of reading texts. reasoning significantly contributes to students' profound grasp of reading texts (marmita, 2021). students can analyze sentence structures, identify relationships between sentences, and provide details about the information in the reading. students with good reasoning skills think logically and detail arguments effectively. the resulting thoughts will be more lucid and well-organized, making the presented ideas more persuasive. involving reasoning in indonesian language learning not only helps students become good readers and writers but also improves their ability to communicate effectively. this ability can be acquired through continuous practice. providing questions that provoke children to think critically can also improve students' ability to reason (khadijah et al., 2020). integrating reasoning in indonesian language learning not only forms an understanding of reading but also creates students who are skilled and confident in conveying their thoughts. therefore, literacy and reasoning skills require ongoing training to enhance students' reading comprehension. the phenomenon of reading literacy among indonesian students has raised several complex issues. in 2018, indonesia was ranked 74th out of 79 countries that took the pisa test with a score of 371 (oecd, 2018). the reading literacy score is the lowest literacy score of several literacy skills tested in the pisa test. several studies have shown various factors that influence this, including family factors, environment, gender, and many more (inten, 2017; sinaga et al., 2021; arifin et al., 2023). various initiatives in education have arisen to address and improve this problem. the school environment and teachers have a crucial function in enhancing students' reading literacy (purba & husain, 2020). increasing students' reading literacy can be done through school literacy movement programs, effective teaching methods, supportive teaching materials, learning media, and access to adequate reading sources. the government's swift actions to issue an emergency curriculum and simplifying the material for teachers to facilitate more in-depth learning, also positively impact the literacy skills of indonesian students. through joint efforts from all parties involved in the world of education, it has proven successful in improving students' reading literacy skills. the efforts that have been made have succeeded in increasing the reading literacy of indonesian students by five places in the 2022 pisa test (kemendikbud, 2023). these efforts need to continue to be improved to produce students with better literacy skills. students must continually enhance and sharpen their reading skills to understand reading (rintaningrum, 2019). a strategy to improve reading literacy skills involves engaging students in thinking about reading in the context of events around them (tiarina et al., 2022). students will be more enthusiastic about reading topics close to them, such as tourist attractions in their area. tourist attractions are attractive destinations to visit. each city has tourist attractions that are their own attraction for travelers. one of the cities in indonesia is palembang, rich in historical tourism, including museums and historical places. museums in palembang, such as the sultan mahmud badaruddin ii museum and the balaputra dewa museum, can provide knowledge and introduce local wisdom to students. tourist attractions in the form of museums and historical places can be used as valuable learning and research tools (brata et al., 2022). a learning approach that is integrated with the tourism context is a method that is increasingly gaining attention in the field of education. students get the impression of the combination of beauty through the eyes and beauty through the mind (kayati & kusuma, 2022). aligning lesson material with the tourism context can enable students to relate theory to real life, stimulate english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 309 interest in learning, and enrich understanding. apart from being able to foster creativity and problem-solving, this learning approach with a tourism context can also develop students' social and cultural skills. learning in a tourism context does not just enrich the learning process, but creates a dynamic and interactive atmosphere in the classroom. additionally, students at the junior high school level prefer relaxed and light reading materials (ulfa et al., 2023). one type of casual reading is a literary text that is suitable for learning. literature learning has its section at the junior high school level, such as narrative texts that discuss fantasy genre short stories in grade vii of junior high school. apart from being entertainers, short stories also convey positive values and messages to readers (horace in bakara et al., 2019). thus, fantasy short stories can help improve students' reasoning in finding implicit and explicit information. the tourist context makes for a compelling story topic in short stories. each country has its uniqueness (jaya et al., 2022). this uniqueness is an advantage that the people, including in indonesia, should be proud of. utilizing local wisdom, including tourist attractions, is an effort to preserve values like tradition, culture, natural characteristics, and the environment (anzelina, 2023). south sumatra, as one of the provinces in indonesia, also boasts tourist attractions closely tied to local wisdom. tourist attractions, such as museums, historical monuments, and natural wonders, lend themselves well to short story narration. the incorporation of these elements in teaching materials enhances student reasoning. teaching materials encompass all forms of resources that assist teachers in facilitating the learning process (alwi et al., 2019). one commonly used teaching material is student worksheets (lkpd). pannen defines teaching materials as systematically arranged resources utilized in the learning process by both teachers and students (waraulia, 2020). teaching materials are not always in printed form a significant number of them exist in digital formats. as long as the digital teaching materials are prepared systematically and are appropriate to learning, they can be used in the learning process. student worksheets (lkpd) are one of the teaching materials that can help students be active in the learning process (astuti, 2021). the use of lkpd as teaching materials has great potential to train students' abilities in critical thinking (fitriyah & ghofur, 2021). the lkpd includes an identity, instructions for use, a summary of the material and questions to test students' mastery of the material being studied. these things can train students to solve problems and help teachers identify student weaknesses. as time progresses, many lkpd products transition to electronic form. hard copy lkpd are seen as ineffective and impractical, necessitating other alternative options (fitriyah et al., 2021). elkpd generally have similarities with hard copy lkpd, but e-lkpd can include links that can empower students to access wider learning resources. its digital form means it can be accessed anytime and anywhere, and there is no cost required to print it. based on the issue of low literacy among 15year-old students and the potential of local wisdom in south sumatra, researchers are interested in developing products in the form of teaching materials with a tourism context to enhance students' literacy skills. apart from that, the results of an interview with one of the indonesian language teachers at smp negeri 20 palembang showed that students still had difficulty finding implied information in the text. another problem lies in the open materials used. the teaching materials used contain texts and questions that are widely spread on the internet so that students can directly copy answers from the internet without needing to go through the thinking process. monitoring becomes feasible when tasks get completed in class, but it becomes challenging when they get undertaken outside class. in response to this problem, researchers developed an interactive e-lkpd on blogspot to support students' reasoning competence toward reading literacy with a tourism context. research using e-lkpd in learning has previously been carried out and proven to be effective in improving students' literacy skills (fauziah et al., 2020; amanah et al., 2023; nisphi, 2022; utomo, 2022). researchers develop products based on existing problems in the field and adapt them to student interests. it is hoped that the development and use of e-lkpd can provide additional support to the learning process. the novelty of this research lies in the methodology used, the type of text chosen, the context used, and the location where the research was conducted. the e-lkpd development research carried out focused on improving students' reasoning through reading literacy in a tourism context in indonesian language lessons. the type of text used is narrative text in the form of short stories. the short story used as a discussion detia aulia oktarina, zahra alwi, & agus saripudin optimizing student reasoning through reading literacy with the development of e-lkpd in the tourism context 310 tells about tourist attractions in south sumatra. this product is then distributed via the blogspot platform to provide space for discussion. the blogspot platform has a comments feature that can be used as a medium for questions and answers between students, teachers, and researchers. this discussion is not only to one school but also to all students and teachers who limited access the blog. this research aims to develop and evaluate the practicality of interactive e-lkpd as a supporting tool in improving students' reading literacy skills in a tourism context through the blogspot platform. the main goal is to create and evaluate the effectiveness of the products that have been developed. thus, it is hoped that this product can contribute to solving reading literacy problems among students. method the type of research carried out is development research or r&d (research and development). this type of research aims to produce an educational instrument in the form of learning methods, open materials, and learning media. the research method used in this research is jolly and bolitho's r&d research method. the following are the stages of development research we carry out: figure 1. stages of development this research follows these six steps to produce a product in the form of e-lkpd. six stages must be carried out, namely (1) identification of need for materials, (2) exploration of need, (3) contextual realization of materials, (4) pedagogical realization of materials, (5) production of materials and student use of materials, and (6) evaluation of materials against agreed objectives. the focus of the e-lkpd being developed is to improve students' reading literacy skills by utilizing the tourism context in south sumatra, especially palembang. the product design is continuously revised at every stage to produce an excellent final product. the research subjects involved one indonesian language teacher and 62 students in grade vii at smp negeri 20 palembang. in the needs analysis stage, the researchers engaged 62 students; in the one-to-one test stage, only three students participated; in the small group test, six students were involved, and in the field test 35 students participated. apart from teachers and students, researchers also involved three expert validators, namely content, construct, and language validators. the three experts selected to carry out the assessment are lecturers from universitas sriwijaya. data collection was carried out by distributing interviews, questionnaires, and tests. interviews were conducted with indonesian language teachers to ask about the obstacles experienced by students, especially regarding students' reading literacy skills and students during practical tests. data from interviews were analyzed using the descriptive analysis method. the questionnaire was distributed to 62 students at the needs analysis stage, 6 students at the small group test stage for practicality testing, and expert validation with a closed questionnaire type. questionnaire data in the form of numbers was analyzed using the likert scale calculation method. test data was obtained from field tests on 35 students. the data obtained was then analyzed using spss version 22. determining the score category was based on the following scores. table 1. score category range score % score category 81-100 very practical/valid 61-80 practical/valid 41-60 practical/valid enough 21-40 less practical/valid 0-20 not practical/valid source (sugiono, 2021) the data from the questionnaire will be organized and categorized as per the table. if the score falls within the range of 81% to 100%, it will be deemed highly valid or exceptionally practical. if the score obtained is in the range of 61% to 80% it will be categorized as valid or practical, and so on. results and discussion identification of need for materials the initial step for researchers is to identify problems or issues widely experienced by students. a common problem found is the low reading literacy skills of students. the initial problems that have been identified are then narrowed down by identifying what materials can be used to improve reading literacy skills. there are two choices of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 311 problem topics that can be used as material in developing teaching materials, namely literary texts and informational texts. researchers assume that between the two types of text, the appropriate type of text to be used in creating e-lkpd at the junior high school level is sastra text. this text has information presented explicitly and implicitly which can train students' reading literacy skills. this decision was then consulted with experts, namely the indonesian language teacher at smpn 20 palembang. exploration of need exploring needs was carried out by conducting interviews with indonesian language teachers at smpn 20 palembang to find out the problems at the school related to students' literacy skills. based on the results of an interview with one of the indonesian language teachers at smp negeri 20 palembang, it is known that students still have difficulty finding implied information in the text. another problem lies in the teaching materials used. the teaching materials used contain texts and questions that are widely spread on the internet so that students can directly copy answers from the internet without needing to go through the thinking process. monitoring becomes feasible when tasks get completed in class, but it becomes challenging when they get undertaken outside class. next, the researchers distributed an online questionnaire via google form to students grade vii of smp negeri 20 palembang, totaling 62 respondents. the questionnaire distributed is closed. there are 15 questions aimed at determining the level of students' needs and interest in the product being developed. after the collected data is analyzed using a 4-point likert scale. the following is a diagram of the calculation of the results of the needs questionnaire analysis. figure 2. results of student needs questionnaire analysis based on this chart, that 60.32% of students strongly agree, and 33.44% of students agree. in total, 93.67% of students agreed to develop this elkpd product. meanwhile, the remaining 5% of students disagreed, and 1% strongly disagreed with developing this e-lkpd product. in this manner, the research can proceed to the product development stage. contextual realization of materials researchers designed three learning outcomes that students must master regardless of increasing reading literacy skills. this achievement is adjusted to the kd of narrative text with the fantasy story model in junior high school, namely kd 3.3 with 4.3 and 3.4. kd 4.4 was not included in the discussion because the researcher wanted to focus on students' reading skills, while kd 4.4 focused on writing skills. the following learning outcomes (cp) are determined: (1) students can find story elements correctly after reading narrative texts (fantasy or imagination stories). (2) students can analyze information in the form of appropriate ideas and messages after reading narrative stories (fantasy or imagination stories). (3) students can retell the contents of narrative stories with confidence after reading narrative stories (fantasy or imagination stories). after the cp is determined, the researcher prepares material that can support the achievement of the cp. the selected material includes definitions of fantasy stories from several experts, characteristics of fantasy stories, types of fantasy stories, elements of fantasy stories, how to retell story content in writing and orally, the structure of fantasy stories, and the language of fantasy stories. the researcher also created a short story in the fantasy genre that tells the story of tourist attractions in palembang. pedagogical realization of materials at this stage, researchers create e-lkpd questions which must follow phase d. following piaget's perspective, which emphasizes that adapting the material should align with the criteria and characteristics of students (pratiwi et al., 2023). the teaching materials developed must be able to facilitate student collaboration, combine several analytical methods, think proportionally, and draw conclusions based on the type of content. to achieve this, the development of e-lkpd focuses on enhancing students' reasoning abilities, thereby improving their reading literacy skills. based on this, the researcher created three groups of questions, namely "aktivitas mandiri" containing problems that must be solved independently, "ruang kolaborasi" containing questions that must be solved in groups with 3-5 students, and "ayo asah literasi membacamu ” contains questions to detia aulia oktarina, zahra alwi, & agus saripudin optimizing student reasoning through reading literacy with the development of e-lkpd in the tourism context 312 hone students' reading literacy which enables students to learn to find explicit and implied information in the text. production of material the next stage carried out is product creation. all existing designs are compiled into one complete product. researchers use the ibispant x application to draw illustrations used in e-lkpd. next, the pictures, material, and questions are put together using microsoft word so that it becomes a complete e-lkpd. researchers also designed a blogspot where the products developed were uploaded with an explorer concept to adapt to the tourism context. the following are the outcomes of previously crafted products. table 2. e-lkpd design design description cover the cover is customized to the context and grade vii junior high school students. bright colors were chosen to increase the attractiveness of the product being developed. introduction the introduction section contains identity, learning instructions, and learning outcomes. apart from that, there is an explanation regarding the question level and focus of the e-lkpd context start page contains learning outcomes and photos of tourist attractions that are appropriate to the context. context 1: historical tourism, context 2: natural tourism, and context 3: legendary folklore material e-lkpd contains learning material for each meeting. the material is in the form of a summary with several short explanations accompanied by pictures. also included is a link that students can access to get additional explanations. the elkpd material includes the definition of fantasy stories from several experts, the characteristics of fantasy stories, types of fantasy stories, the elements of fantasy stories, how to retell story content in writing and orally, the structure of fantasy stories, and the language of fantasy stories. question page the questions developed have different tourism context classifications. the questions are divided into three groups, namely "aktivitas mandiri " (individual work) and "ruang kolaborasi" (group work) which focuses on imaginative story material (narrative text), and "ayo asah literasi membacamu" (individual work) which focuses on questions. about finding implicit and explicit information in texts to increase reading literacy. figure 3. blogspot page design the blog created was named "tim jelajah ilmu". the blog is designed with an exploration concept that is appropriate to the tourism context to attract students' attention when accessing this blog. the comments column on the blog is activated so that it can be a place for students, teachers, and researchers to discuss. the discussions held on this blog are not limited to one school but all students or teachers from other schools who access it. evaluate material according to objectives after the product has been developed, the product is assessed by three expert validators, namely content, construct, and language validators. the product is then improved based on assessments, comments, and suggestions from the three expert validators. next, the product was tested on 3 students in the one-to-one phase and 6 students in the small group phase with low, medium, and high abilities. finally, it was tested on 35 students in the field test phase. expert validation results researchers contacted experts who were deemed suitable to become validators of the e-lkpd being developed. researchers contacted three lecturers at the indonesian language and literature study english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 313 program, faculty of fkip unsri, namely dra. hj. sri indrawati, m.pd., ph.d. as a content validator, dr. santi oktarina, s, pd., m.pd. as construct validator, and ernalida, s.pd., m.hum., ph.d. as a language validator. here are the assessment results from the three expert validators. table 3. expert validation analysis results n o. validator score percent age categ ory 1 dra. hj. sri indrawati, m.pd., ph.d. 34 of 40 85% very valid 2 dr. santi oktarina, s,pd., .pd. 30 of 32 93.75% very valid 3 ernalida, s.pd., .hum., ph.d. 26 of 32 81.25% very valid average expert validation results 86,67% very valid content aspects were analyzed by dra. hj. sri indrawati, m.pd., ph.d.. in general, the content aspect received a score of 34 out of 40 with a percentage of 85%. this percentage shows that in terms of content, the e-lkpd developed is very valid. experts also provide input to add more questions related to theory and not only focus on developing questions similar to pisa or akm so that the e-lkpd being developed can help students study literary texts while improving their reading literacy skills. the feasibility assessment in terms of construct was carried out by dr. santi oktarina, s, pd., m.pd. this assessment received a score of 30 out of 32 with a percentage of 93.75%. based on this percentage, it is known that the feasibility in terms of construct is categorized as very valid. experts also provide input to correct spelling errors in the e-lkpd being developed. the language aspect was assessed by ernalida, s.pd., m.hum., ph.d. in general, the language aspect received a score of 26 out of 32 with a percentage of 81.25%. this percentage shows that in terms of language, the e-lkpd developed is well characterized. experts also provide input to correct existing spelling errors and incorrect use of symbols. the overall e-lkpd developed obtained a score percentage of 86.67% in the very valid category. based on the results of the assessment from the validators, the developed e-lkpd can proceed to the next stage by making improvements according to suggestions and input from the three validators. one-to-one test results the one-to-one test was carried out with three students with low, medium, and high abilities. the focus of this stage is to collect feedback in the form of opinions from as many students as possible regarding the e-lkpd product being developed. apart from that, researchers also found out what obstacles students experienced when working on e-lkpd individually. the trial was carried out by taking the first part of a total of three learning parts. a simulation of the learning process should be carried out in class to find out the obstacles faced by each student individually. from this trial, researchers received several comments from research subjects, namely as follows. table 4. comments and suggestions one-to-one test phase no. code comment 1 nw the appearance is attractive and not boring. 2 n the story is interesting to read, but some words are written wrong. 3 mrp the thing is, some are easy, and some are difficult to do. based on these comments, it is known that from a visual perspective, e-lkpd can attract students' interest with the design and supporting images in e-lkpd. the story developed is suitable for their age even though typos are still found in it. furthermore, from the comments, the researcher also succeeded in confirming that there were variations in the level of difficulty of the questions on the e-lkpd. small group test results small group testing focuses on testing the practicality of the product developed. the practicality of e-lkpd can be assessed through students' readability test results. the following are the results of the practicality test through the small group test which was tested on six students with low, medium, and high abilities. table 5. practicality test analysis results aspect earned score percentage design 171 of 180 95% language 162 of 180 90% fill 100 of 120 83.33% response 53 of 60 88.33% mean 89.16% four aspects of e-lkpd were assessed design, language, content, and response. completing the practicality questionnaire by observers obtained an average presentation of 89.16% in the very practical category. the scale used in this detia aulia oktarina, zahra alwi, & agus saripudin optimizing student reasoning through reading literacy with the development of e-lkpd in the tourism context 314 calculation is a 1-5 likert scale. based on this table, shows that the e-lkpd developed is practical to use. in this trial stage, researchers also carried out learning simulations like in class by dividing students into two groups. each group consists of 3 students with low, medium, and high abilities. learning focuses on working on tasks in group, in the "ruang kolaborasi" section. the following are comments given by students. table 6. comments and suggestions from the small group test phase no. initials comment 1 af the discussion is fun and interesting. 2 mt the e-lkpd is interesting, but there are typos. 3 ab some questions are easy and some are difficult. 4 tna the discussion was very exciting, everyone answered 5 yfr there were questions that didn't have instructions on how to do them, which made me a little confused. 6 ssa the images on the e-lkpd are very interesting. learning in this simulation is carried out in a way that students must be more active than the teacher. researchers took a more relaxed approach to learning simulations and used examples that were familiar to students. this practice is implemented to encourage students to express their opinions with confidence and participate in constructive arguments. students enjoy a learning process that makes them the center. this was evident from their comments which stated that the discussion was exciting and interesting, as well as the statement that all students participated in answering. from the analysis of the practicality test questionnaire and students' comments, it is known that the product developed is suitable for testing at the field test stage by making several improvements. improvements made include correcting typing errors and adding instructions for working on questions. after the repairs were completed, the researchers prepared the next stage of testing. field test results the field test was carried out on 35 students. in the field test stage, researchers measured the increase in students' abilities after learning to use e-lkpd. although in the e-lkpd being developed, there are independent activities and collaboration spaces to help students learn narrative texts in the form of fantasy texts, the main aim of this research is to measure students' reading literacy skills through questions in the "let's hone your reading literacy" section. the following are the results of the analysis of increasing student abilities. table 7. pretest and posttest analysis results mean n std. deviation sig. (2-tailed) pretest 61.4286 35 12.16138 ,000 posttest 74.8571 35 10.10865 based on this table, it is known that the mean on the posttest (74.85) is higher than the mean on the pretest (61.42), this shows a shift in the overall score towards a higher direction. furthermore, the posttest results obtained a standard deviation of 10.10 which was lower than the pretest standard deviation of 12.16, this shows that the scores in the posttest tended to be more concentrated around the average. result sig. (2-tailed) obtained 0.000 which is smaller than 0.05, shows there is a significant increase. the sig. (2-tailed) result proves that interactive e-lkpd to support increasing students' reasoning competence towards reading literacy in a tourism context through the blogspot platform influences the form of increasing students' reading literacy skills. conclusion this research aims to develop and test the effectiveness of interactive e-lkpd in improving the reading literacy skills of students in grade vii at smp negeri 20 palembang. the e-lkpd developed takes advantage of the tourism context of south sumatra, especially palembang. the tourist context was chosen so that students could connect learning with everyday life around them. based on the validation results by the three validators, the developed e-lkpd obtained a score percentage of 86.67% in the very valid category. furthermore, based on the practicality test, the developed e-lkpd obtained a score percentage of 89.16% in the very practical category. furthermore, the shift in the average student score on the pretest and posttest from 61.42 to 74.85, shows the effectiveness of the developed e-lkpd in improving students' reading literacy skills. students show an increased ability to find implicit and explicit information in the text. thus, e-lkpd can be used as an alternative to improve students' reading literacy skills at the junior high school level. utilizing the tourism context in developing e-lkpd can also be english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 315 considered an innovative approach that can make students more interested in improving their reading literacy skills. acknowledgement this research was supported by direktorat jendral pendidikan, kebudayaan, riset dan teknologi ri (grant no. 0187/un9.3.1/sk/2023), also thanks to universitas sriwijaya for the opportunity to join this research team. references alwi, z., ernalida, & lidyawati, y. (2019). pengembangan bahan ajar berbasis pendidikan karakter. inovasi sekolah dasar: jurnal kajian pengembangan pendidikan, 7(september), 37– 52. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36706/jisd.v7i1 .11622 amanah, d. b., leksono, s. m., & resti, v. d. a. (2023). pengembangan e-lkpd interaktif model hands on activity tema tekanan dalam tubuh untuk memfasilitasi kemampuan berpikir kritis siswa smp. eksakta : jurnal penelitian dan pembelajaran mipa, 8, 65–74. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.31604/eksakt a.v8i1.65-74 anzelina, d. e. (2023). potensi kearifan lokal sumatera selatan sebagai basis media pembelajaran kontekstual biologi sma. journal of nusantara education, 2(2), 53–63. https://doi.org/10.57176/jn.v2i2.51 arifin, m. l., khotimah, l. h., & mahmudin. (2023). analisis pemahaman literal siswa perspektif gender. jurnal papeda, 5(1), 45–53. https://doi.org/10.36232/jurnalpendidikandasar. v5i1.3305 astuti. (2021). pengembangan lembar kerja peserta didik berbasis problem based learning pada mata pelajaran matematika materi penjumlahan kelas ii sd. pedagogi: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 5(2), 1011–1024. https://doi.org/10.47662/pedagogi.v8i1.239 bakara, p., tambunan, l. y., panggabean, p. y. y., cibro, l., sinaga, r., & akbar, s. (2019). pembelajaran sastra berbasis kearifan lokal pada siswa kelas viii-1 smp yp. pangeran antasari medan. sebasa, 2(2), 98. https://doi.org/10.29408/sbs.v2i2.1599 brata, i. b., ida bagus rai, lianda dewi sartika, & ida bagus nyoman wartha. (2022). museum: media of non-formal education in intruding character values strengthening the national self. mimbar ilmu, 27(3), 435–442. https://doi.org/10.23887/mi.v27i3.54321 fauziah, m., sulaeman, y., & chandra, c. (2020). pengembangan lks tematik bahasa indonesia kelas v melalui kegiatan lesson study di sekolah dasar. jurnal cakrawala pendas, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.31949/jcp.v6i1.1559 fitriyah, i. m. n., & ghofur, m. a. (2021). pengembangan e-lkpd berbasis android dengan model pembelajaran problem based learning (pbl) untuk meningkatkan berpikir kritis peserta didik. edukatif: jurnal ilmu pendidikan research, 3(5), 1957–1970. https://doi.org/10.31004/edukatif.v3i5.718 inten, d. n. (2017). peran keluarga dalam menanamkan literasi dini pada anak. golden age: jurnal pendidikan anak usia dini, 1(1), 23–32. https://doi.org/10.29313/ga.v1i1.2689 jaya, m. p. s., susanti, d. s., & ahmad, s. (2022). pengembangan boneka tangan berbasis kearifan lokal sebagai media pendidikan antikorupsi pada anak usia dini. ljese, 2(3), 141–147. kayati, a. n., & kusuma, e. r. (2022). analisis kebutuhan bahan bacaan literasi berorientasi wisata pesisir mandangin untuk siswa smp sebagai upaya penguatan literasi pada era merdeka belajar. ghancaran: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, special ed, 35–46. https://doi.org/10.19105/ghancaran.vi.7446 kemendikbud. (2023). peringkat indonesia pada pisa 2022 naik 5-6 posisi dibanding 2018. kemendikbud.go.id. https://gtk.kemdikbud.go.id/readnews/peringkat-indonesia-pada-pisa-2022-naik56-posisi-dibanding-2018 khadijah, s., ismail, s., & resmawan, r. (2020). pengembangan bahan ajar berbasis penalaran pada materi sudut pusat dan sudut keliling lingkaran. al-khwarizmi: jurnal pendidikan matematika dan ilmu pengetahuan alam, 8(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.24256/jpmipa.v8i1.838 kovalcikova, i., veerbeek, j., vogelaar, b., klimovic, m., & gogova, e. (2023). progress in language abilities related to reading comprehension – domain specific intervention on executive functioning. preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202307 marmita, l. (2021). meningkatkan minat baca, kemampuan memahami bacaan, dan berpikir kritis siswa melalui penerapan sustained silent reading (ssr) dan reading response improving students’ reading interest, reading comprehension, and critical thinking through the implementat. jurnal teropong pendidikan, 1(2), 126. https://doi.org/10.19166/jtp.v1i2.3462 nisphi, m. l. (2022). pengembangan e-lkpd pada konten teks informasi menggunakan framework pisa 2022 untuk penguatan literasi membaca siswa smp negeri 59 palembang. universitas negeeri sriwijaya. oecd. (2018). pisa 2018 results. oecd. https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/pisa2018-results.htm purba, a. f., & husain, f. (2020). budaya literasi di madrasah aliyah peran guru dalam detia aulia oktarina, zahra alwi, & agus saripudin optimizing student reasoning through reading literacy with the development of e-lkpd in the tourism context 316 meningkatkan budaya literasi di man 2 model medan. in rochayani, f. husain, a. f. purba, h. i. a. bakar, muslikhah, s. nirmala, t. nurhayati, u. ni’mah, a. luthfi, & d. pramono (eds.), seminar kajian lapangan lembaga pendidikan tahun 2019 (issue august 2020). lembaga penelitian dan pengabdian kepada masyarakat universitas negeri semarang. rahmadanita, a. (2022). rendahnya literasi remaja di indonesia: masalah dan solusi. jurnal pustaka ilmiah, 8(2), 55. https://doi.org/10.20961/jpi.v8i2.66437 rintaningrum, r. (2019). explaining the important contribution of reading literacy to the country’s generations: indonesian’s perspectives. international journal of innovation, creativity and change, 5(3), 936–953. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/33947 3784_explaining_the_important_contribution_ of_reading_literacy_to_the_country’s_genera tions_indonesian’s_perspectives sanusi, a. (2021). pembaharuan strategi pendidikan : filsafat, manajemen ,dan arah pembangunan karakter bangsa (y. iriantara (ed.); 3rd ed.). sinaga, a. b., sebayang, f.a.a., & w.s., l. (2021). peningkatan literasi melalui penerapan dear di panti asuhan rahpia simalingkar b medan. jurnal abdimas …, 2(98), 47–55. sinaga, e. s., dhieni, n., & sumadi, t. (2021). tantangan orang tua mendampingi anak usia 6-7 tahun belajar di rumah selama pandemi covid19. jurnal obsesi : jurnal pendidikan anak usia dini, 6(1), 252–260. https://doi.org/10.31004/obsesi.v6i1.1225 sugiono. (2021). metode penelitian pendidikan (kuantitatif, kualitatif, kombinasi, r&d dan penelitian pendidikan). alfabeta. sumarwati, m., & sugono, d. (2021). pemakaian bahasa dan penalaran sebagai sarana untuk menarik kesimpulan wacana argumentasi. diskursus: jurnal pendidikan bahasa indonesia, 4(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.30998/diskursus.v4i1.8401 tiarina, y., wahyuni, s., fitri, d., sakinah, n., & afif, a. f. (2022). pisa reading literacy: encountering female and male’ reading literacy ability. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 593–602. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.623 ulfa, s. w., aminullah, m. a. f., angraini, r., andini, d. s., & putri, d. o. (2023). upaya peningkatan minat literasi siswa melalui kegiatan ekstrakurikuler tuntas baca di smp swasta ira medan. 05(02), 2053–2060. utomo, e. p. (2022). pengembangan lkpd ips berbasis model kooperatif terpadu membaca dan menulis untuk meningkatkan literasi siswa. jurnal didaktika pendidikan dasar, 6(3), 847– 860. https://doi.org/10.26811/didaktika.v6i3.853 waraulia, a. m. (2020). bahan ajar teori dan prosedur penyusunan. in unipma press. unipma press. wuryanto, h. ,& abduh, m. (2022). mengkaji kembali hasil pisa sebagai pendekatan inovasi pembelajaran untuk peningkatan kompetensi literasi dan numerasi. kemendikbud.go.id. https://gurudikdas.kemdikbud.go.id/news/meng kaji-kembali-hasil-pisa-sebagai-pendekataninovasi-pembelajaran--untuk-peningkatankompetensi-li zubainur, c. m., jannah, r., syahjuzar, s., & veloo, a. (2020). kemampuan penalaran matematis siswa melalui model discovery learning di sekolah menengah aceh. jurnal serambi ilmu, 21(1), 148–170. https://doi.org/10.32672/si.v21i1.1893 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 505 enhancing english vocabulary among students with intellectual disabilities through flashcard-based instruction suryo sudiro1, sayit abdul karim2, laely nur fardillah3, annisa nur istiqomah4, reni nur hasanah5, gordan matas5 1,2,3,4,5english language education study program, universitas teknologi yogyakarta, indonesia 6department of english language and literature, faculty of humanities and social sciences, university of split, croatia corresponding author: sudiro71@gmail.com apa citation: sudiro, s., karim, s. a., fardillah, l. n., istiqomah, a. n., hasanah, r. n., & matas, g. (2025). enhancing english vocabulary among students with intellectual disabilities through flashcard-based instruction. english review: journal of english education, received: 28-02-2024 accepted: 23-04-2024 published: 30-06-2025 abstract: vocabulary acquisition is fundamental to english language fluency, enabling comprehension in reading and listening, which subsequently facilitates speaking proficiency. flashcards offer an engaging learning medium for vocabulary development, particularly beneficial for students with intellectual disabilities who often experience boredom and disinterest in traditional english instruction. this study investigated the effectiveness of flashcards intervention in enhancing vocabulary mastery of nine students with intellectual disabilities enrolled at slb rela bhakti ii wates, yogyakarta. employing a pre-experimental, one group pre-test-post-test research design with a quantitative approach, assessed vocabulary gains following the flashcard-based intervention. the pretest established baseline vocabulary knowledge, followed by targeted flashcard instruction, and concluded with a posttest to measure improvement. data analysis compared pretest and posttest scores to determine the impact of the intervention. the results of the study demonstrated a significant increase in vocabulary mastery. the average pretest score was 6, while the average posttest score rose to 44.4. furthermore, the lowest pretest score was 0, increasing to 26 in the posttest, and the highest pretest score of 32 improved to 76 in the posttest, indicating substantial vocabulary growth across all participants. these findings suggest that flashcards are an effective tool for improving speaking vocabulary among students with intellectual disabilities. keywords: flashcards, intellectual disabilities, vocabulary acquisition, speaking. introduction the ever-evolving landscape of education demands that educators consistently adapt and innovate to provide relevant and engaging learning experiences. to combat monotony and foster student interest and learning outcomes significantly, teachers must design imaginative and dynamic lessons (mubarokah et al., 2021). educational innovation, particularly in learning media, is crucial for enhancing the quality of education and addressing barriers to student learning (fatimah et al., 2021) implementing diverse and student-centered learning media, educators can significantly improve student comprehension and stimulate active participation in the learning process. therefore, the strategic development and integration of innovative learning media are essential components of a thriving educational environment. flashcards, a pedagogical innovation attributed to glenn doman, are versatile educational tools comprising text, images, or a combination thereof. 13(2), 505516. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11816 mailto:sudiro71@gmail.com suryo sudiro, sayit abdul karim, laely nur fardillah, annisa nur istiqomah, reni nur hasanah, gordan matas5 enhancing english vocabulary among students with intellectual disabilities through flashcard-based instruction 506 these cards facilitate student engagement by encouraging active participation in language development and phrase construction (mutar, 2024). their adaptability allows for bilingual application, supporting english language acquisition alongside other languages (hadi et al., 2021). as visual aids, flashcards can be employed in diverse classroom activities, promoting student learning and comprehension (jannah, 2020). the use of colorful images enhances student interest and mitigates monotony in lessons (pradana & gerhani, 2019). functioning as customizable learning media, flashcards support memory development, independent learning, and vocabulary expansion (sulaiman & akidah, 2021). collectively, these perspectives highlight the defining characteristics of flashcards: they are combination cards featuring text and visuals relevant to the subject matter, designed for adaptability in size and application to suit diverse learning environments. a robust vocabulary serves as the cornerstone of language proficiency, enabling individuals to comprehend spoken and written communication effectively (puspitasari et al., 2022). vocabulary development is pivotal for language acquisition, facilitating students' ability to connect educational experiences and enhancing their communicative competence. conversely, limited vocabulary acquisition can impede academic progress and hinder comprehension (anggraini, 2023). as rusda, (2017) suggests, the breadth and depth of an individual's vocabulary directly correlate with their language skills, with a more complex vocabulary fostering greater speaking proficiency. consequently, vocabulary is a fundamental component of fluency in any language, and education plays a vital role in its development. in the globalized era, language education assumes a pivotal role, particularly in facilitating effective communication. english, as an international language, is essential for both oral and written communication (fidiyanti, 2020). however, acquiring english proficiency demands sustained effort and perseverance. the persistent belief among some students that fluency is unattainable poses a significant challenge (nishanthi, 2018). effective english instruction necessitates that teachers equip students with relevant language skills. to ensure a successful learning process, educators must possess a thorough understanding of the subject matter. furthermore, teachers must accurately assess students' prior knowledge and recognize their individual learning needs and circumstances. student backgrounds significantly influence the achievement of educational goals. recognizing the unique backgrounds of each student is essential for teachers to effectively adapt their instructional approaches (handy, 2022). furthermore, ensuring equitable access to education for all, including children with special needs, is a fundamental right. as stipulated in republic act indonesia number 20 of 2003, article 4, paragraph (1), all children are entitled to education without discrimination. this principle underscores the importance of providing adequate educational opportunities, regardless of a child's background or physical condition (indrawati, 2016). children with special needs encompass individuals with diverse limitations, including psychological conditions such as autism and adhd, as well as physical impairments such as blindness, hearing loss, and intellectual disabilities (pitaloka et al., 2022). in indonesia, comprehensive developmental services are provided to address the specific needs of these children, children who are damaged (impairment), vision (tunanetra), deaf (tunarungu), speech (tunawicara), impaired (tunagrahita), mentally retarded (tunadaksa), paraplegic, children with mental disabilities (tunalaras), autistic children (autism), hyperactivity (attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity), children with learning difficulties (learning disabilities or specialized learning disability), and children with numerous developmental disabilities (multi-handicapped and developmentally impaired children) (setianingsih, 2017). despite their unique challenges, children with special needs possess the same fundamental rights as all other children (sari et al., 2017). to support their educational development, indonesia has established sekolah luar biasa (slb), a specialized school designed to enhance the learning experiences of these students. children with intellectual disabilities, characterized by below-average intellectual abilities, exhibit limitations in cognitive processing, including reduced thinking capacity, attention deficits, and memory impairments (saputra & febriyanto, 2019). this condition, also referred to as intellectual disability (id), is defined by a lower-than-average iq across affective, cognitive, and psychomotor domains, resulting in challenges in adapting behavior (sanusi et al., 2020; kondaguli, 2018). these children are prone to boredom and experience difficulties in traditional learning environments. therefore, tailored educational approaches and engaging learning media are crucial for providing positive english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 507 learning experiences. given their cognitive limitations, instruction should be delivered in a stimulating and accessible manner. the careful selection of appropriate media and teaching methods is essential to facilitate effective comprehension of learning materials for children with intellectual disabilities. this study is motivated by a desire to investigate the effectiveness of flashcards in enhancing english vocabulary acquisition among children with intellectual disabilities, ultimately aiming to improve their speaking proficiency. previous studies have demonstrated the potential of flashcards to enhance vocabulary acquisition among children with special needs. however, these studies often encompass diverse populations of children with special needs, including autism and down syndrome, meanwhile, the present study focuses exclusively on children with intellectual disabilities. indeed, there is a limited body of research specifically examining their effectiveness with children with intellectual disabilities. this allows for the exploration of a different research strategy and adds to the information about methodologies best suited for this population. there is a need for a deeper analysis of the specific aspects of vocabulary acquisition, such as speaking vocabulary, among children with intellectual disabilities. besides, this would allow for better replication and comparison of studies. the present study investigated the effectiveness of flashcards intervention in enhancing vocabulary mastery of nine students with intellectual disabilities at the slb rela bhakti ii wates, yogyakarta. method this study employed a pre-experimental, onegroup pre-test-posttest research design with a quantitative approach. pre-experimental designs, as defined by (sugiyono, 2015), are characterized by the administration of treatment to research subjects without a robust control group. this methodology was chosen to examine the causal relationship between the independent variablevocabulary learning using flashcards, and the dependent variable-vocabulary acquisition in children with disabilities. specifically, this quantitative approach aimed to determine the effectiveness of flashcards as a tool for teaching english vocabulary to this population. data was collected using a pretest-posttest, which involved administering a pretest to assess the subjects' baseline vocabulary knowledge, followed by targeted flashcard-based vocabulary instruction. subsequently, a post-test was administered to measure vocabulary acquisition after the intervention. pretests and posttests, as formative evaluations, serve to track student learning progress, with the pretest establishing initial knowledge and the posttest evaluating outcomes (siregar et al., 2023). comparing pretest and posttest scores allows for a precise assessment of the treatment's impact. this design was selected to align with the study's objective: determining the effectiveness of flashcards in teaching english vocabulary to children with disabilities. in educational quantitative research, variables are typically categorized as independent or dependent (susianti & srifariyati, 2024). independent variables, as defined by (liana, 2009), are those that explain or influence other variables, while dependent variables are those that are explained or influenced. researchers consistently define vocabulary mastery as the acquisition of english words essential for both oral and written communication. english language proficiency is typically evaluated across four domains: reading, listening, writing, and speaking. reading and listening represent passive skills while writing and speaking are active skills. each domain plays a crucial role in effective language learning (munisah, 2017). the research respondents consisted of nine students with intellectual disabilities (intellectual disabilities) enrolled at slb rela bhakti ii wates. this pre-experimental group participated in vocabulary instruction using flashcards, a medium of learning. participants exhibited a mental age (ma) and intelligence quotient (iq) approximating that of typical junior high school students. data for this study was collected using a quantitative one-group pretest-posttest design. following institutional and participant consent, classroom-based pretests were administered to establish baseline vocabulary knowledge. subsequently, participants received targeted english vocabulary instruction. posttests were then conducted to measure vocabulary acquisition after the intervention. the resulting quantitative data was analyzed to conclude the effectiveness of the vocabulary instruction. pretests and posttests were employed to assess vocabulary acquisition. pretests, administered prior to instruction, established the students' baseline understanding of the targeted vocabulary. conversely, posttests, conducted following instruction, measured the extent of vocabulary acquisition and comprehension of key concepts (magdalena et al., 2021). to ensure accurate comparison and evaluation of the instructional suryo sudiro, sayit abdul karim, laely nur fardillah, annisa nur istiqomah, reni nur hasanah, gordan matas5 enhancing english vocabulary among students with intellectual disabilities through flashcard-based instruction 508 program's effectiveness, the pretest and posttest materials were designed to be closely correlated. this correlation enabled a direct comparison of student performance, revealing the impact of the vocabulary intervention. to ensure a systematic approach, the following research steps were implemented: 1) pre-field stage: the researchers defined the research focus, developed the research concept, identified suitable respondents, and conducted a comprehensive literature review; 2) field implementation stage: with a thorough understanding of the research background, problem, and objectives, the researchers collected data throughout the intervention period, including pre-and postintervention assessments, and maintained detailed documentation; 3) data analysis phase: the researchers analyzed the collected data to derive meaningful conclusions. results and discussion this study aimed to evaluate the impact of flashcards on english vocabulary acquisition among students with intellectual disabilities, specifically focusing on speaking proficiency. nine participants completed preand postintervention vocabulary assessments to determine the effectiveness of the flashcard method. the resulting scores of the first respondent are presented in table 1 as follows table 1. assessment before and after treatment student's name: pw no aspect indicator number of words mastered before treatment after treatment 1. speaking proficient in conveying ideas with appropriate pronunciation score number of cards total score number of cards total 5 0 0 5 0 0 4 0 0 4 1 4 3 0 0 3 2 6 2 0 0 2 1 2 1 0 0 1 6 6 grand total (0 x 2) = 0 grand total (18 x 2) = 36 table 1 presents the pre-and post-intervention speaking vocabulary scores for pw, a student with intellectual disabilities. the data demonstrates a substantial increase in vocabulary mastery following the flashcard intervention. prior to the intervention, pw exhibited limited speaking vocabulary. across all five assessment indicators, she scored zero, indicating an inability to convey ideas with appropriate pronunciation. specifically, she did not master any words presented on the flashcards, resulting in a total score of zero. this baseline data highlights the significant vocabulary deficit present before the intervention. following the flashcard intervention, pw's speaking vocabulary significantly improved. her postintervention scores reveal a notable increase in the number of words mastered. while she initially scored zero across all indicators, she now demonstrates mastery across various indicators. notably, indicator 1, which was initially zero, increased to a score of 6. indicator 3 increased to a score of 6 as well. the total score increased from 0 to 36, indicating a significant improvement in her ability to convey ideas with appropriate pronunciation. the following is the second respondent’s score results as provided in table 2 as follows: table 2. assessment before and after treatment student's name: sd no aspect indicator number of words mastered before treatment after treatment 1. speaking proficient in conveying ideas with appropriate pronunciation score number of cards total score number of cards total 5 0 0 5 0 0 4 0 0 4 2 8 3 0 0 3 1 3 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 509 2 1 2 2 3 6 1 0 0 1 4 4 grand total (2 x 2) = 4 grand total (21 x 2) = 42 table 2 presents the pre-and post-intervention speaking vocabulary scores for sd, a student with intellectual disabilities, demonstrating the impact of flashcard-based vocabulary instruction. prior to the intervention, silda's speaking vocabulary was notably limited. while she scored zero on most indicators, she achieved a score of 2 on indicator 2, suggesting a minimal level of vocabulary recognition. this resulted in a pre-intervention total score of 4. this baseline indicates a significant need for vocabulary development. following the flashcard intervention, sd exhibited a substantial improvement in her speaking vocabulary. the post-intervention scores reveal a clear increase in the number of words mastered across all indicators. notably, indicator 4 improved from 0 to 8, indicator 2 improved from 2 to 6, and indicator 1 improved from 0 to 4. the total score significantly increased from 4 to 42, indicating a considerable enhancement in her ability to convey ideas with appropriate pronunciation. the resulting scores of the third respondent are presented in table 3 as follows: table 3. assessment before and after treatment student's name: dz no aspect indicator number of words mastered before treatment after treatment 1. speaking proficient in conveying ideas with appropriate pronunciation score number of cards total score number of cards total 5 0 0 5 0 0 4 0 0 4 2 8 3 0 0 3 1 3 2 1 2 2 4 8 1 0 0 1 3 3 grand total (2 x 2) = 4 grand total (22 x 2) = 44 table 3 presents the pre-and post-intervention speaking vocabulary scores for dz, a student with intellectual disabilities, illustrating the effectiveness of the flashcard intervention. prior to the intervention, dz demonstrated limited speaking vocabulary. while he scored zero across most indicators, he achieved a score of 2 on indicator 2, indicating a minimal level of vocabulary recognition. this resulted in a preintervention total score of 4, highlighting a significant need for vocabulary development. following the flashcard intervention, dz's speaking vocabulary significantly improved. the post-intervention scores reveal a clear increase in the number of words mastered across all indicators. notably, indicator 4 improved from 0 to 8, indicator 2 improved from 2 to 8, and indicator 1 improved from 0 to 3. the total score increased substantially from 4 to 44, demonstrating a significant enhancement in his ability to convey ideas with appropriate pronunciation. the following is the fourth respondent’s score results as seen in table 4 as follows: table 4. assessment before and after treatment student's name: cy no aspect indicator number of words mastered before treatment after treatment 1. speaking proficient in conveying ideas with appropriate pronunciation score number of cards total score number of cards total 5 0 0 5 0 0 4 0 0 4 1 4 suryo sudiro, sayit abdul karim, laely nur fardillah, annisa nur istiqomah, reni nur hasanah, gordan matas5 enhancing english vocabulary among students with intellectual disabilities through flashcard-based instruction 510 3 0 0 3 1 3 2 0 0 2 3 6 1 0 0 1 5 5 grand total (0 x 2) = 0 grand total (18 x 2) = 36 table 4 presents the pre-and post-intervention speaking vocabulary scores for cy, a student with intellectual disabilities, demonstrating the impact of the flashcard intervention on her vocabulary acquisition. prior to the flashcard intervention, cy's speaking vocabulary was notably limited. across all five assessment indicators, she scored zero, indicating an inability to convey ideas with appropriate pronunciation. this resulted in a preintervention total score of zero, highlighting a significant vocabulary deficit. following the flashcard intervention, cy's speaking vocabulary showed a substantial improvement. the postintervention scores reveal a clear increase in the number of words mastered across all indicators. specifically, indicator 4 improved to a score of 4, indicator 3 improved to a score of 3, indicator 2 improved to a score of 6, and indicator 1 improved to a score of 5. the total score increased significantly from 0 to 36, demonstrating a marked enhancement in her ability to convey ideas with appropriate pronunciation. the following is the fifth respondent’s score results as presented in table 5 as follows: table 5. assessment before and after treatment student's name: nh no aspect indicator number of words mastered before treatment after treatment 1. speaking proficient in conveying ideas with appropriate pronunciation score number of cards total score number of cards total 5 0 0 5 0 0 4 0 0 4 0 0 3 0 0 3 2 6 2 0 0 2 4 8 1 1 1 1 5 5 grand total (1 x 2) = 2 grand total (19 x 2) = 38 table 5 presents the pre-and post-intervention speaking vocabulary scores for nh, a student with intellectual disabilities, illustrating the impact of the flashcard intervention on his vocabulary development. prior to the intervention, nh exhibited very limited speaking vocabulary. he scored zero across most indicators, with a single score of 1 on indicator 1. this resulted in a preintervention total score of 2, indicating a substantial vocabulary deficit. following the flashcard intervention, nh's speaking vocabulary showed a significant improvement. the postintervention scores reveal a clear increase in the number of words mastered across several indicators. notably, indicator 3 improved to a score of 6, indicator 2 improved to a score of 8, and indicator 1 improved to a score of 5. the total score increased substantially from 2 to 38, demonstrating a marked enhancement in his ability to convey ideas with appropriate pronunciation. the following is the sixth respondent’s score results as seen in table 6 as follows: table 6. assessment before and after treatment student's name: al no aspect indicator number of words mastered before treatment after treatment 1. speaking proficient in conveying ideas with appropriate pronunciation score number of cards total score number of cards total 5 1 5 5 2 10 4 2 8 4 4 16 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 511 3 1 3 3 4 12 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 grand total (16 x 2) =32 grand total (38 x 2) =76 table 6 presents the pre-and post-intervention speaking vocabulary scores for abel, a student with intellectual disabilities, demonstrating the impact of the flashcard intervention on his vocabulary development. prior to the intervention, al demonstrated some level of speaking vocabulary, scoring 5 on indicator 5, 8 on indicator 4, and 3 on indicator 3. he scored zero on indicators 2 and 1. this resulted in a preintervention total score of 32, indicating some existing vocabulary skills. following the flashcard intervention, al's speaking vocabulary showed a significant improvement. the post-intervention scores reveal a clear increase in the number of words mastered across several indicators. notably, indicator 5 improved to a score of 10, indicator 4 improved to a score of 16, and indicator 3 improved to a score of 12. indicators 2 and 1 remained at zero. the total score increased substantially from 32 to 76, demonstrating a marked enhancement in his ability to convey ideas with appropriate pronunciation. the following is the seventh respondent’s score results as provided in table 7 as follows: table 7. assessment before and after treatment student's name: lv no aspect indicator number of words mastered before treatment after treatment 1. speaking proficient in conveying ideas with appropriate pronunciation score number of cards total score number of cards total 5 0 0 5 1 5 4 0 0 4 4 16 3 1 3 3 2 6 2 0 0 2 1 2 1 0 0 1 2 2 grand total (3 x 2) = 6 grand total (31 x 2) = 62 table 7 presents the pre-and post-intervention speaking vocabulary scores for lv, a student with intellectual disabilities, demonstrating the impact of the flashcard intervention on her vocabulary development. prior to the intervention, lv exhibited limited speaking vocabulary. she scored zero across most indicators, with a single score of 3 on indicator 3. this resulted in a pre-intervention grand total score of 6, indicating a substantial vocabulary deficit. following the flashcard intervention, lv's speaking vocabulary showed a significant improvement. the post-intervention scores reveal a clear increase in the number of words mastered across several indicators. notably, indicator 4 improved to a score of 16, indicator 3 improved to a score of 6, indicator 2 improved to a score of 2, and indicator 1 improved to a score of 2. indicator 5 also showed improvement. the total score increased substantially from 6 to 62, demonstrating a marked enhancement in her ability to convey ideas with appropriate pronunciation. the following is the eight respondent’s score results as presented in table 8 as follows: table 8. assessment before and after treatment student's name: ag no aspect indicator number of words mastered before treatment after treatment 1. speaking proficient in conveying ideas score number of cards total score number of cards total 5 0 0 5 0 0 suryo sudiro, sayit abdul karim, laely nur fardillah, annisa nur istiqomah, reni nur hasanah, gordan matas5 enhancing english vocabulary among students with intellectual disabilities through flashcard-based instruction 512 with appropriate pronunciation 4 0 0 4 0 0 3 0 0 3 1 3 2 0 0 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 8 8 grand total (1 x 2) = 2 grand total (13 x 2) = 26 table 8 presents the pre-and postintervention speaking vocabulary scores for ag, a student with intellectual disabilities, illustrating the impact of the flashcard intervention on his vocabulary development. prior to the intervention, ag demonstrated minimal speaking vocabulary. he scored zero across most indicators, with a single score of 1 on indicator 1. this resulted in a pre-intervention total score of 2, indicating a substantial vocabulary deficit. following the flashcard intervention, ag's speaking vocabulary showed a noticeable improvement. the postintervention scores reveal an increase in the number of words mastered across several indicators. notably, indicator 1 improved significantly to a score of 8, while indicators 3 and 2 also showed improvement. the total score increased from 2 to 26, demonstrating an enhancement in his ability to convey ideas with appropriate pronunciation. the following is the ninth respondent's score results as provided in table 9 as follows: table 9. assessment before and after treatment student's name: sb no aspect indicator number of words mastered before treatment after treatment 1. speaking proficient in conveying ideas with appropriate pronunciation score number of cards total score number of cards total 5 0 0 5 0 0 4 0 0 4 1 4 3 0 0 3 2 6 2 1 2 2 3 6 1 0 0 1 4 4 grand total (2 x 2) = 4 grand total (20 x 2) = 40 table 9 presents the pre-and post-intervention speaking vocabulary scores for sb, a student with intellectual disabilities, demonstrating the impact of the flashcard intervention on his vocabulary development. prior to the intervention, sb exhibited limited speaking vocabulary. he scored zero across most indicators, with a single score of 2 on indicator 2. this resulted in a pre-intervention total score of 4, indicating a substantial vocabulary deficit. following the flashcard intervention, sb's speaking vocabulary showed a significant improvement. the post-intervention scores reveal an increase in the number of words mastered across several indicators. notably, indicator 4 improved to a score of 4, indicator 3 improved to a score of 6, indicator 2 improved to a score of 6, and indicator 1 improved to a score of 4. the total score increased substantially from 4 to 40, demonstrating a marked enhancement in his ability to convey ideas with appropriate pronunciation. the pre-test and post-test speaking scores revealed a significant improvement in vocabulary acquisition among the subjects. in the pre-test, scores ranged from 0 (pw and cy) to 32 (al), with an average score of 6. conversely, the posttest demonstrated a substantial increase, with scores ranging from 26 (ag) to 76 (al), and an average score of 44. figure 1 visually represents this improvement, illustrating the pre-test average of 6 and the post-test average of 44. this clear disparity indicates a notable enhancement in the vocabulary abilities of mentally retarded students following the implementation of flashcards. consequently, the observed difference between the lower pre-test scores and the higher post-test scores strongly suggests that flashcards are an effective pedagogical tool for improving vocabulary english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 513 acquisition in the speaking aspect for this student population. the findings align with anggraeni's (2020) research, which also demonstrated a significant increase in vocabulary acquisition among mentally retarded students through the use of flashcard media. anggraeni's study reported speaking scores ranging from 34 to 87, while the current research observed scores between 32 and 76. despite the slight differences in score ranges, both studies indicate a positive impact of flashcards on vocabulary development. specifically, this study's success is evident in the substantial average score increase, from 6 in the pre-test to 44 in the posttest. therefore, it can be concluded that the flashcard method is an effective tool for enhancing english vocabulary mastery in mentally retarded students. furthermore, the total pre-test score for all nine participants was 54, resulting in an average score of 6. in contrast, the total post-test score was 400, yielding an average score of 44.4. this substantial increase in average scores indicates a significant positive impact of the flashcard intervention on the participants' ability to acquire and use english vocabulary in speaking. the following is the detailed of individual progress after flashcard intervention: the dramatic increase in pw's vocabulary scores, suggests that the flashcard method was effective in enhancing her speaking vocabulary. the visual and interactive nature of flashcards may have facilitated better retention and recall of vocabulary words. the structured and repetitive presentation of the flashcards likely aided in reinforcing vocabulary learning. the improvement in speaking skills shows that the flashcards helped the student connect vocabulary to spoken language. the marked increase in sd's vocabulary scores suggests that the flashcard method was effective in facilitating vocabulary acquisition. the visual and interactive nature of flashcards likely contributed to improved word retention and recall. the structured and repetitive presentation of vocabulary items through flashcards appears to have reinforced learning and facilitated the transfer of vocabulary to spoken language. these findings reinforce the efficacy of flashcards as a valuable tool for enhancing vocabulary skills among students with intellectual disabilities. the significant improvement in diaz's speaking proficiency underscores the potential of visual aids and repetitive learning strategies in addressing vocabulary deficits in this population. the results of this study provide further evidence for the effectiveness of flashcard-based interventions in special education settings. the results also show that even students with very low starting vocabulary skills can make significant gains with the flashcard method. the dramatic increase in cy's vocabulary scores suggests that the flashcard method was effective in facilitating vocabulary acquisition. the visual and interactive nature of flashcards likely contributed to improved word retention and recall. the structured and repetitive presentation of vocabulary items through flashcards appears to have reinforced learning and facilitated the transfer of vocabulary to spoken language. the fact that the student began with absolutely no measured vocabulary, and made significant gains, is a strong indicator of the efficacy of the flashcard method. the considerable increase in nugroho's vocabulary scores suggests that the flashcard method was effective in facilitating vocabulary acquisition. the visual and interactive nature of flashcards likely played a role in improving word retention and recall. the structured and repetitive presentation of vocabulary items through flashcards appears to have reinforced learning and facilitated the transfer of vocabulary to spoken language. the significant improvement from a very low starting point indicates the usefulness of the flashcard method for this student. the considerable increase in al's vocabulary scores suggests that the flashcard method was effective in facilitating vocabulary acquisition, even for a student who already possessed some vocabulary skills. the visual and interactive nature of flashcards likely played a role in improving word retention and recall. the structured and repetitive presentation of vocabulary items through flashcards appears to have reinforced learning and facilitated the transfer of vocabulary to spoken language. the significant improvement from an already relatively high starting point indicates the usefulness of the flashcard method for this student. notably, the student did not improve on indicators 1 and 2, which could suggest those vocabulary words were not included in the flashcard lessons. the considerable increase in lv's vocabulary scores suggests that the flashcard method was effective in facilitating vocabulary acquisition. the visual and interactive nature of flashcards likely played a role in improving word retention and recall. the structured and repetitive presentation of vocabulary items through flashcards appears to have reinforced learning and facilitated the transfer of vocabulary to spoken language. the significant suryo sudiro, sayit abdul karim, laely nur fardillah, annisa nur istiqomah, reni nur hasanah, gordan matas5 enhancing english vocabulary among students with intellectual disabilities through flashcard-based instruction 514 improvement from a low starting point reinforces the usefulness of the flashcard method for this student. the increase in ag's vocabulary scores suggests that the flashcard method was effective in facilitating vocabulary acquisition, particularly in improving his performance on indicator 1. the visual and interactive nature of flashcards likely played a role in improving word retention and recall. the structured and repetitive presentation of vocabulary items through flashcards appears to have reinforced learning and facilitated the transfer of vocabulary to spoken language. while not as dramatic as some other students, the improvement from a very low starting point indicates the usefulness of the flashcard method for this student. the considerable increase in sb's vocabulary scores suggests that the flashcard method was effective in facilitating vocabulary acquisition. the visual and interactive nature of flashcards likely played a role in improving word retention and recall. the structured and repetitive presentation of vocabulary items through flashcards appears to have reinforced learning and facilitated the transfer of vocabulary to spoken language. the significant improvement from a low starting point reinforces the usefulness of the flashcard method for this student. students like pw and cy, who scored zero on the pre-test, showed remarkable improvement, achieving post-test scores of 36. this highlights the effectiveness of flashcards for students with minimal initial vocabulary knowledge. all participants demonstrated an increase in their posttest scores. students such as sd, dz, nh, lv, and sb also showed large gains. abel, who had the highest pre-test score, also showed a substantial increase, indicating that flashcards are effective for students with varying levels of vocabulary proficiency. ag showed the smallest gain between pre and post-test. however, the student still showed a marked improvement. the consistent and substantial improvement across all participants strongly suggests that the flashcard intervention was highly effective in enhancing speaking vocabulary among students with intellectual disabilities. the visual and interactive nature of flashcards likely played a crucial role in facilitating vocabulary acquisition, retention, and application. the repetitive and structured presentation of vocabulary items through flashcards appears to have reinforced learning and facilitated the transfer of vocabulary to spoken language. these findings reinforce the efficacy of flashcards as a valuable tool for enhancing vocabulary skills among students with intellectual disabilities. the significant improvement in speaking proficiency underscores the potential of visual aids and repetitive learning strategies in addressing vocabulary deficits in this population. the results of this study provide compelling evidence for the effectiveness of flashcard-based interventions in special education settings. the significant increase in the average score highlights the overall effectiveness of the treatment. conclusion the findings demonstrate a positive impact of flashcards on the speaking vocabulary of students with intellectual disabilities. the substantial increase in average scores, from 6 in the pre-test to 44.4 in the post-test, coupled with improvements across all individual scores, confirms the effectiveness of flashcards as a valuable tool for enhancing the speaking vocabulary of the respondents. notably, every student exhibited improvement. even the lowest pre-test score of 0 rose to 26 in the post-test, and the highest score jumped from 32 to 76. this study provides information that flashcards are an effective pedagogical tool for improving speaking vocabulary in students with intellectual disabilities. the increase in average scores, coupled with consistent individual improvements, highlights the practical value of flashcards in special education settings. this consistent upward trend across all score ranges strongly supports the conclusion that flashcards are a highly effective tool for developing vocabulary and enhancing the speaking abilities of the respondents. educators can confidently utilize flashcards to enhance vocabulary acquisition and speaking proficiency among these respondents. several recommendations are put forward regarding the findings of the present study as follows; first, the flashcard is good to be utilized in educational settings, for instance, teachers working with students with intellectual disabilities should incorporate flashcards into their teaching practices to enhance vocabulary acquisition and speaking skills. besides, teachers can explore the use of digital flashcards and apps to enhance engagement and provide interactive learning experiences. second, future implementations should focus on tailoring the content of flashcards to the specific needs and learning levels of individual students. third, flashcards should be used in conjunction with other effective teaching english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 515 strategies to create a comprehensive and engaging learning environment. fourth, schools and educational institutions should provide training to teachers on the effective use of flashcards, including best practices for creating and implementing flashcard-based activities. finally, further research may conduct a true experimental study with larger sample sizes and control groups to validate the findings of this single-case study. moreover, further research may investigate the long-term effects of flashcard duration interventions on students' vocabulary retention and speaking proficiency. furthermore, further study may include respondents with special intellectual disabilities, such as; no attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder (adhd), fragile x syndrome, developmental delay, and autism. acknowledgement the authors would like to thank the rector of universitas teknologi yogyakarta, the lppm of uty, university of split, croatia, and the slb rela bhakti ii wates for the research permit and financial support. we extend our gratitude to the nine respondents for their willingness to participate during the gathering process. references anggraeni, v. d. (2020). pengaruh metode f;ashcard dalam pembelajaran bahasa inggris terhadap penguasaan vocabulary pada anak tunagrahita ringan. unpublished undergraduate thesis. malang: uin malang. anggraini, b. n. (2023). improving the students’ vocabulary mastery through lyrics training. syarif hidayatullah state islamic university of jakarta. unpublished thesis. jakarta: uin syarif hidayatullah jakarta. fatimah, i., nurfarida, r., mansyur, a., & zaqiah, q. (2021). srategi inovasi kurikulum; sebuah tinjauan teoritis. eduteach : jurnal edukasi dan teknologi pembelajaran, 2(1), 16–30. https://doi.org/10.37859/eduteach.v2i1.2412 fidiyanti, l. (2020). penggunaan media pembelajaran flashcard untuk meningkatkan penguasaan vocabulary dengan materi narrrative text. journal of education action research, 4(1), 42. https://doi.org/10.23887/jear.v4i1.23437 habibi, n. (2017). the use of flashcards in improving vocabulary mastery of students with disability. inklusi, 4(2), 197. https://doi.org/10.14421/ijds.040203 hadi, m., izzah, l., & fitriana, r. (2021). improve students’ english vocabulary skills with flashcard media. jurnal ilmiah pendidikan profesi guru, 4(3), 521–530. https://doi.org/10.23887/jippg.v4i3.39029 handy, m. (2022). menulis dan mempublikasikan artikel akademis. 176. program studi ilmu pengetahuan sosial. banjarbaru: ulm. indrawati, t. (2016). pelaksanaan pembelajaran anak tunagrahita. jurnal pendidikan guru sekolah dasar, 5(14), 387–396. https://journal.student.uny.ac.id/pgsd/article/view /1952/1681. jannah, r. (2020). applying flashcards to improve students vocabulary (an experimental study at smpik nurul quran). kaos gl dergisi, 8(75), 147–154. unpublished thesis. banda aceh: uin raniry banda aceh. kondaguli, s. v. (2018). living with a mentally retarded child : challenges and coping strategies for parents – a review. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract _id=4546214. liana, l. (2009). penggunaan mra dengan spss untuk menguji pengaruh variabel independen dan variabel dependen. jurnal teknologi informasi dinamik, xiv(2), 90–97. doi: https://doi.org/10.35315/dinamik.v14i2.95 magdalena, i., annisa, m., ragin, g., & ishaq, a. (2021). analisis penggunaan teknik pre-test dan post-test pada mata pelajaran matematika dalam keberhasilan evaluasi pembelajaran di sdn bojong 04. jurnal pendidikan dan ilmu sosial, 3(2), 150–165 doi: 10.36088/nusantara.v3i2.1250. mubarokah, l., azizah, u. n., riyanti, a., nugroho, b. n., & sandy, t. a. (2021). pentingnya inovasi pendidik untuk meningkatkan kualitas pendidikan. jira: jurnal inovasi dan riset akademik, 2(9), 1349–1358. https://doi.org/10.47387/jira.v2i9.224 munisah, e. (2017). peningkatan kemampuan bahasa inggris siswa sekolah dasar melalui program teras belajar. 11(1), 92–105. doi: 10.47637/elsa.v19i1.328. mutar, q. (2024). flashcard strategy role in teaching english vocabulary: a systematic review. international journal of social science research and review, 7(4), 37–53. https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v7i4.1979 ningsih, a.s., & karim, s.a. (2023). the use of natural disaster picture as a medium of learning to write report. acitya: journal of teaching and education, 5(1), 117-133. https://journals.umkt.ac.id/index.php/acitya/articl e/view/3491. nishanthi, r. (2018). the importance of learning english in today world. international journal of trend in scientific research and development, volume-3(issue-1), 871–874. https://doi.org/10.31142/ijtsrd19061 pitaloka, a., fakhiratunnisa, s., & ningrum, t. (2022). konsep dasar anak berkebutuhan khusus. masaliq, 2(1), 26–42. https://doi.org/10.58578/masaliq.v2i1.83 https://doi.org/10.23887/jear.v4i1.23437 https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v7i4.1979 suryo sudiro, sayit abdul karim, laely nur fardillah, annisa nur istiqomah, reni nur hasanah, gordan matas5 enhancing english vocabulary among students with intellectual disabilities through flashcard-based instruction 516 pradana, p. h., & gerhani, f. (2019). penerapan media pembelajaran flash card untuk meningkatkan perkembangan bahasa anak. journal of education and instruction (joeai), 2(1), 25–31. https://doi.org/10.31539/joeai.v2i1.587 puspitasari, f., andriansyah, a., guspita, a., hakim, a., jaini, zahra, n., & wahyudi. (2022). implementasi flashcard sebagai media untuk menambah kosakata bahasa inggris pada siswa sd negeri 016 kelurahan sungai perak. trimas: jurnal inovasi dan pengabdian kepada masyarakat, 2(2), 111–116. https://doi.org/10.58707/trimas.v2i2.232 rusda. (2017). pengaruh penguasaan kosakata terhadap kemampuan berbicara bahasa indonesia peserta didik di sdn 2 pulau sarappo lompo kec. liukang tupabbiring kabupaten pangkep. pendidikan, 1–65. unpublished. makasar: uin alauddin makasar. sanusi, r., dianasari, e. l., khairiyah, k. y., & chairudin, r. (2020). pengembangan flashcard berbasis karakter hewan untuk meningkatkan kemampuan mengenal huruf anak tunagrahita ringan. jurnal pendidikan edutama, 7(2), 37. https://doi.org/10.30734/jpe.v7i2.745 saputra, v. h., & febriyanto, e. (2019). media pembelajaran berbasis multimedia untuk anak tuna grahita. jurnal pendidikan matematika, 1(1), 15. https://ejurnal.teknokrat.ac.id/index.php/jurnalma thema/article/view/350/247 sari, s., binahayati, & muhammad, b. (2017). pendidikan bagi anak tuna grahita (studi kasus tunagrahita sedang di slb n purwakarta). prosiding penelitian dan pengabdian kepada masyarakat, 4(2), 217–222. https://doi.org/10.24198/jppm.v4i2.14273 syailendra, a., karim, s.a., matas, g., ramli, r., & ismail, h. (2024). elevating students’narrative writing ability through local legend picture series. jollt journal of languages and language teaching, 12(4), 1871-1884. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v12i4.12446 setianingsih, e. s. (2017). implementasi pendidikian inklusi: manajemen tenaga kependidikan (gpk). malih peddas (majalah ilmiah pendidikan dasar), 7(2), 126. https://doi.org/10.26877/malihpeddas.v7i2.1808 siregar, n., harahap, n., & harahap, h. (2023). hubungan antara pre-test dan post-test dengan hasil belajar siswa kelas vii b mts alwashliyah pantai cermin. 07(01). doi: https://doi.org/10.29040/jie.v7i1.8307 sugiyono. (2015). metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif dan r&d. alfabeta: bandung. sulaiman, r., & akidah, i. (2021). pembelajaran bahasa inggris menggunakan media flash card pada tpa masjid baitul maqdis. madaniya, 2(3), 242–252. https://doi.org/10.53696/27214834.84 susianti, o., & srifariyati. (2024). perumusan variabel dan indikator dalam penelitian kuantitatif kependidikan. jurnal pendidikan rokania, 9, 18. doi: https://doi.org/10.37728/jpr.v9i1.1066 https://doi.org/10.24198/jppm.v4i2.14273 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1159 investigating the use and semantic interpretation of figurative language in efl students’ literary work sudar english language education, teacher training and education faculty, universitas muhammadiyah purworejo, indonesia email: sudarbintang@umpwr.ac.id apa citation: sudar. (2024). investigating the use and semantic interpretation of figurative language in efl students’ literary work. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1159-1168. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10367 received: 25-06-2024 accepted: 24-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction figurative language is one of a tool of communication, both written and spoken. then, researcher would like describe the philosophy of figurative language described by previous experts. monny (2023), santika et al. (2023), they argued that figurative language is a language which used to develop and enrich the meaning of literary work. furthermore, hartman and paradise, (2020), they described in their study that figurative language can be interpreted from semantic perspective. they argued that figurative language was able to produce the meaning based on semantics theories. afifah, et al. (2022), mustikawati, at al. (2023), yuliana, et al. (2022), they argued that figurative language was able to be used in any fields of language discussions. further, figurative language was necessary to be learned not only in the term of literary appreciation but also in the other fields of human activities; such as; politics, business, culture, and also in education. fatimah, et al. (2020), bagul, et al. (2023), they described that figurative language can be used in the teaching learning process by lecturers and students. they mentioned and investigated that there were eight types of figurative language such as; rhetoric, simile, metonymy, personification, repetition, paradox, metaphor, and litotes. furthermore, iswahyuni, et al. (2024), khairunnisa, et al. (2022), mentari (2023), they sated that figurative language was usually used in short story and novel. they found that there were some types of figurative language namely; personification, metaphor, hyperbole, and simile. among of these figurative languages, hyperbole figurative language was mostly used by students in writing their short story. manurung et al. (2020), they described that figurative language was also written in the printed media. for example, their research finding was about the using of figurative language in the jakarta post newspaper. they argued that figurative language written in the media to express ideas, thought, feelings, based on the context of situation and the context of language use. maulidia, (2022), she described that figurative meaning was an aesthetical language; it was written by any authors that they wanted to share their ideas by using figurative language. further, nera et al. (2024), they described that figurative language was also written in the movie. they stated that figurative languages used in the movie were more complicated. harun et al. (2020), they explained that figurative language was an effective tool of communication in the society. it can be used abstract: this study aims to investigate the dominant types of figurative language found in the students ‘literary works. there were two types of dominant figurative language namely; hyperbole and personification. furthermore, this study was also to describe the meaning of figurative language from semantics’ interpretation. this is descriptive qualitative research. the scenario of taking the data were as follow; first, researcher took the data from the literary classroom. second, researcher identify figurative language taken from student’s literary work. third, interpreting the data based on figurative language theory and the semantics theory. researcher used the theory of figurative language written by fatimah, et al. (2020) and the theory of meaning in semantics developed by umagandhi, et al. (2017). research findings stated there were six types of figurative language written by students in their literary works. then, the dominant of figurative language written by students was hyperbole figurative and personification. further, there were four types of semantics meaning written by students, such as; connotative, affective, reflected, and associative. affective semantic meaning was the dominant meaning written in the students’ literary work. affective meaning was found in the personification figurative language. further, figurative languages and their semantics meaning were meaningful for learning and empowering students’ linguistics’ competences. particularly it is in semantics discussion. keywords: figurative language, efl student, literary work, semantic perspective sudar investigating the use and semantic interpretation of figurative language in efl students’ literary work 1160 to solve the problem related the society complicated, even it can be used to minimize the conflict interest in the social communication. furthermore, mukti, et al. (2022), they explained that figurative languages of dialogue in movies were more dynamic. the speakers of figurative language in the movie were able to variety of tone of speech. furthermore, they said that figurative language written in english songs was interested for efl learners. the example of figurative language used in the song lyrics was investigated by , frida, et al. (2022), pardede et al. (2023), fatikha et al. (2022), natsir et al. (2022), simarmata, et al. (2021), simatupang and supri, (2022), wibawa, et al. (2020), they investigated the use of figurative of language written in the english song lyrics. their research findings explained that, there were some figurative languages in english song lyrics; such metaphors, hyperboles, similes, euphemisms, and personifications. they described that figurative languages were commonly used in the english song lyric. they stated that figurative language written in the song lyrics was effective away of communication. it was supported by putri, et al. (2022), they explained that the popular literary work and it was practical for teaching english for efl learners was english song. then, beltrama (2020), he argued that meaning in semantics was necessary to be investigated. he described that there was one of meaning that popularly used to interpret the meaning in any language uses. his research discussion stated that there were three types methods used in the semantics discussion, namely; formal, experimental and computational. nonye (2022), she described the role of context in investigating the meaning of words from semantic perspective. she argued that the context of language used has high influences to determining the meaning of word. she stated that the meaning of words should related to the place and the time of using words. reyes, et al. (2022), they argued that literal language and figurative language were different. they said that literal meaning was a meaning that directly used by speaker to interpret a certain word. on the other side, they said that figurative language was language which had an implicit meaning. ferguson (2024), he described that figurative language had many functions in the communication among of the language users. he stated that there were some functions of figurative language namely; softening messages, enhancing politeness, and conveying criticism. talking about meaning in semantics, it was described by leech, (1981) cited in yunira, et al. (2020), they described that there were seven semantics meaning such as; conceptual, connotative, collocative, reflective, affective, social, and thematic. kasma et al. (2021), they investigated the using of figurative language written in ccn news headline. they said that there were four types of figurative language used in cnn news headlines. they were such as; metonymy, simile, hyperbole, and metaphor. semantically, there were three types of meanings, namely; conceptual meaning, connotative meaning, and social meaning. furthermore, kasimov, et al. (2022), he stated that figurative language was able to make readers or listeners in the communication to be more peaceful. the speakers and readers of a language were able to make their psychological intimacy. it meant that figurative language was able to create a harmony among of language users, both spoken and written language. then, nurbaini et al. (2024), indarti et al. (2023), and madjid (2021), they argued that a language was as a tool of communication and also for expressing feelings of the speakers. because of this, they explained that figurative language was one of effective away of communication to avoid the conflict and to create critical thinking among of the language users. they investigated the figurative language used in the robert frost poem and novel. it meant that they analyzed the using of figurative language written in the poem and novel. their research findings revealed that there were more less than seven types of figurative language used in the poem and novel such as; metaphor, personification, symbol, hyperbole, imagery, paradoxes, and irony. researcher assumed that efl students write the figurative languages in their short story were more colorful. the using of figurative language was also suggested by nafilah and rustandi, (2023), eragamreddy, (2024), they described that the use of figurative language in the poems has poetic meaning. it meant that figurative language has aesthetics meanings. further, the understanding the hidden meaning in the poems was needed by any english language learners. the hidden meaning written in figurative language was interested to be investigated. then, their research findings stated that there were some figurative languages used in the william shakespeare’s poems, such as; personification, metaphor, simile, hyperbole, metonymy, and litotes. furthermore nainggolan, et al. (2021), they described that figurative language also can be used in the real speech. for example; they investigated the figurative language used by joe biden speech. it was a strategy how the speaker to make his speech english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1161 smoothly understandable and it sounded peaceful in the audience mentality. the figurative language used by joe biden in his speech were such as; metaphor, personification, hyperbole, simile, and litotes. among of these, metaphor was mostly used by joe biden in delivering his speech. it meant that joe biden would like to compare something with others. then, kocak and atalik, (2024), described that figurative language was able to influence the behavior of language use. they proved their ideas in their research finding about the using of figurative language through media social (facebook). then, pafitri and nasir, (2023). they described that figurative language was also written in the short story. the figurative languages written in the short story have many types and have many meanings. furthermore, the use of figurative language also used in the english text book, it was like studied by ketaren, et al. (2021), they argued that figurative language was also possible written in the english text book. they described that figurative language was also possible written in the english text book as a material of teaching learning. their research focused on investigating the types and the meaning of figurative language. then, pertiwi and handayani (2023), they described the using of figurative language in youtube. it was used by youtuber, in their communication with their followers. they found that there were twelve of figurative language used by youtubers, such as; simile, metaphor, personification, apostrophe, metonymy, symbol, allegory, paradox, overstatement, understatement, synecdoche, and irony. based on this finding, the use of figurative language in the youtube channel was more complicated. then, another linguist, ahmed ado, (2023), he discussed the using of figurative language by court officials in nigeria. he described that there were some figurative languages used by court official to addresses the actions of addresses in order to establish defenses. atmaja, (2022), he investigated the using of figurative language used in the advertising in internet. his research findings revealed that, the slogan written in internet also used some figurative language such as; personification, metaphor, hyperbole, metonymy, simile, litotes, paradox, synecdoche, and symbols. then, another linguist, purba et al. (2022), they would like to explained that figurative language was also applicable in the advertisement of newspaper. it was used to promote the products of the industries. it was written in the form of slogan. figurative languages used in the advertisement were such as; metaphor, personification, hyperbole, and symbol. further, chahboun, et al. (2021), they argued that figurative language was used in the interaction among of speakers, such as; irony, sarcasm, and idioms. it meant that figurative language was used independently in any context of language use. leclercq and satta, (2020) cited in yadav et al, (2022), they argued that semantically, figurative language has two meanings they were literal and contextual meaning. furthermore, umagandhi and vinothini (2017), they described that there were seven types of meanings in semantics, such as; connotative, social and affective, reflected and collective, associative, conceptual, and thematic meaning. the research questions of my research article were as the following; a. what are the types of figurative language written in short story, b, what is the dominant of figurative language written in short story? c. what are the meanings of figurative language written in short story by students? method it is qualitative descriptive research. the research data is in the form of literary works (short story) written by efl students. the unit of data analysis is figurative languages used in the efl student’ literary works. the researcher was as the main instrument conducted an analysis of figurative language written in the efl students’ literary works. bogdan and biklen (1992), cited in creswell (2018) there were some techniques to collect the data in qualitative research. one of them was documentation which contain of figurative languages in the short story written by efl students. there were two classes of literary works assignment. it contained forty-five students. because of the time limitation, and to avoid the crowded discussion, researcher took twenty-three short stories randomly. to analyze the data, researcher used the theory of figurative language elaborated by fatimah, et al. (2020). they described that there were eight types of figurative language such as; rhetoric, simile, metonymy, personification, repetition, paradox, metaphor, and litotes. then, theory of meaning in semantics developed by umagandhi and vinothini, (2017), they explained that there were six types of meanings. furthermore, the researcher conducted the following steps; such as; identifying the data, coding the data, analyzing and interpreting the data, and drawing conclusions and suggestions. results and discussion in this section, researcher would like to present the sudar investigating the use and semantic interpretation of figurative language in efl students’ literary work 1162 research finding in form of tables. the tables were about types of figurative language, the dominant types of figurative language and the meaning of figurative language based on semantics’ interpretation. table 1. the types of figurative language written in the students’ literary work, (short story) fatimah, amri, and rusan, (2020) types of figurative language number of phrases or clauses contain figurative language examples simile 75 clauses rain lashed against the windowpane like a thousand tiny fists, she had faced the storm, and in a way, she had won, proving to herself that even a little girl with a book and a lamp could be a hero in her own right. personific ation 123 clauses taking a deep breath, elara grabbed a kerosene lamp, the flickering flame casting a warm, wavering glow., the first rays of dawn peeked through the clouds, painting the sky with a palette of lavender and rose. symbolism 5 clauses with his spirit not yet extinguished, he still tried to be strong and started to rise again to build his dreams from the bottom of the cliff., the last stand of the german army came to a futile end. irony 11 clauses the injury to his back made it impossible for him to play baseball again, and he hadn't even started. elara, exhausted but triumphant, surveyed the room. metaphor 20 clauses as time wore on, alex came to see the island not as a prison but as a sanctuary, a place of untamed beauty and endless possibility., every note is a new chapter, and the guitar helps me express feelings and ideas. hyperbole 125 clauses sarah, a young woman with a heart full of dreams and a spirit as resilient as the mighty oak, found herself facing the formidable challenge of her life. but sarah was not one to surrender to despair. figure 1. the graphic of dominant figurative language written by students in their writing short story. table 2. the meaning of figurative language written in the students’ literary work (short story) umagand hi and vinothini , (2017) types of meaning in semantic s number of figurative language based on meaning in semantics examples connotati ve 76 figurstive languages smilie :sensitive issue thousands of people packed the ballroom, like a sea of people whose thirst for knowledge was quenched metaphor: sensitive issue borobudur temple is not just a tourist spot; for us, it is a spiritual experience that touches the soul. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1163 affective 166 figurative languages personification : (human characteristics) the first rays of dawn peeked through the clouds, painting the sky with a palette of lavender and rose. associati ve 97 figurative language hyperbole :to make over the meaning he tried to open his heart to find things he could do and try new things reflected 7 figurative language irony : opposite the real meaning; elara, exhausted but triumphant, surveyed the room. it is like stated on the table 1. the six figurative languages were simile, personification, symbolism, irony, metaphor, and hyperbole written by students of english education program in purworejo muhammadiyah university. students wrote short story as a part of their compulsory for completing their subject in literary appreciation subject. students wrote their figurative language as an expression their ideas, feelings and thought. the highest figurative language written by students for expressing their ideas was “hyperbole”. they described that something happened seriously, then they used words in the clauses, with specific expression, for example; smilie figurative language: “rain lashed against the windowpane like a thousand tiny fists,” here the author of short story described that the rain was like a thousand tiny fist, it means that the rain was actually heavy rain. further, it needs serious attention from the people in the society. then, the word “a thousand tiny fist” made the readers of short story to be interested and they paid special attention to the meaning of the expression. the next example of figurative language was “personification”. this figurative language written by students in the short story; such as: “taking a deep breath, elara grabbed a kerosene lamp, the flickering flame casting a warm, wavering glow. the author of short story would like to tell to the readers of short story that the kerosene lamp was like human being behaviour. kerosene lamp was able to flick to make the situation was being warm. the fact that being warming was usually made by human being not by the lamp. further, the kerosene lamp was also to make the situation being wavering glow. it means that the author wanted the situation was being cheerful. further, author of the short story would like to use the word” wavering glow’. it means that the author of short story would like to create the glory and pleasure. the fact that the lamp was not able to create a situation. being able to create glory and being pleasure, situation was only able made bay human being. further, kerosene lamp was like human being. on the other side, it was a lamp not a human being. the next example of figurative language was “symbolism”. the author of short story would like to symbolize the phenomenon with something. the example was as the following: “the last stand of the german army came to a futile end.”. there was the word “stand” it refers to the group of armies coming from german. here the author would like to make the word of army group replaced by the word” stand”. it made the readers of short story to be curious of knowing that word. then they will be more peaceful for reading the word “stand” than the word” group”. further example of figurative language was “irony”. the example of irony figurative language such as; “elara, exhausted but triumphant, surveyed the room. the author of short story described that “elara” the actor in the short story was very tired, on the other side, elara was not tired. it was argued with the word “triumphant”. elara was very success of her life. it expressed using the word triumphant. such a meaning was included the irony figurative language. the meaning that opposite the fact. then, the next example of example of figurative language was “metaphor”. this figurative language means that the author would like to express something sensitive in the feeling of people in the society. it sounds something horror. the example of this figurative language; such as; “as time wore on, alex came to see the island not as a prison but as a sanctuary, a place of untamed beauty and endless possibility.,”. the word “a sanctuary, a place untamed beauty, and the word” endless possibility” were the word have a sensitive meaning, even it has a horror meaning. it means that words were a place that made the people will be sad. they will enjoy because of that; it was a place for the prisoners. the word “untamed beauty,” it means that no beautifulness in the jail. then the word “endless possibility” it means that there was no ended of the possibility needed by prisoners who lived in the jail. the last example of example of figurative language written by students in their short story was smilie. the meaning of the smilie means sensitive expression. it was look like metaphor. smilie sound about surprising, on the other side, metaphor was close to a horror feeling. the sudar investigating the use and semantic interpretation of figurative language in efl students’ literary work 1164 example of smilie, such ac; “rain lashed against the windowpane like a thousand tiny fists,” her the author of short story would like to describe, why the rain was like “a thousand tiny fist”. what happened with the thousand tiny fists, this expression made the readers of short story was being wonder? actually, the rain was very heavy, so it was regarded like a thousand of tiny fist which came to the window of a house. it was written in the table 2. stated that there two types of dominant figurative language, namely; hyperbole and personification. the hyperbole figurative language was one hundred and twenty-five clauses written by students in their short story. further, the second dominant figurative language was personification. it was one hundred and twenty-three clauses of personification figurative languages. furthermore, in the previous studies only focused on describing the types of figurative languages. on the other sides, this paper was not only about the types and the dominant figurative languages written by students in their short story. it was also about the meaning of figurative languages written by students. researcher investigated the meaning of figurative languages related the theory of semantics was written by umagandhi and vinothini, (2017). based on the data analysis related to this theory, there were four meanings of figurative language written by students in short stories, such as; connotative, affective, reflected, and associative. the first was connotative, the connotative meaning was found in the smilie and metaphor figurative language. smilie and metaphor were talk about something sensitive. the example in the following clause of short story” thousands of people packed the ballroom, like a sea of people whose thirst for knowledge was quenched”, the word “like a sea of people whose thirst for knowledge was quenched” it was an expression of sensitive issue; it made readers of short story to be wonder. that words made the readers to be curious to know the deep meaning of that expression. further, the sensitive meaning was found in the metaphor figurative language. the example of sensitive meaning in metaphor is in the following expression, such as; “borobudur temple is not just a tourist spot; for us, it is a spiritual experience that touches the soul.”. here the author of short story described that borobudur was not only as a tourist destination. on the other side, borobudur was as a spiritual experience that touching the soul. the word “a spiritual touching the soul”, it was a sensitive meaning. it has a sensitiveness effect to the people who focused on spiritual meditation. further, borobudur that fact was not only as a tourist destination but it was also as a religion meditation. then second meaning of figurative language was affective. the affective semantic meaning was found in the personification figurative language. the example of affective semantics meaning in the personification figurative language is as the following; “the first rays of dawn peeked through the clouds, painting the sky with a palette of lavender and rose”. the word the “first rays of dawn peeked through the cloud, painting the sky with a palette of lavender and rose”. this expression has deep human characteristics; the word “peeked through the cloud” it was an activity usually done by human being, but in this expression the activity was done by non-human life, it was “rays of dawn”. it was the lights in the early morning. further, the word” painting the sky”. the word “painting” it was human activity, here the rays of dawn was as if painting the sky, it was like a human power. further, the affective meaning will colourize the reader’s behaviour when they were reading personification figurative language. the third semantic meaning found in the figurative language was associative semantic meaning. the associative meaning was found in the hyperbole figurative language. hyperbole means to make the meaning more than the fact. the example of associative semantic meaning in the hyperbole is the following; “he tried to open his heart to find things he could do and try new things”. the word “open his heart” was an associative meaning, it means that the author of short story argued that, a person who was able to do a new thing, she or he should work hard. the word “open his heart” it means that she or he should work seriously to face something new, further she or he was able to be success for completing new task. the last semantic meaning found in the figurative language was reflected meaning. reflected meaning was found in the irony figurative language. irony means the contrary meaning from the fact. the contrary meaning semantically reflecting in the opposite meaning. the example of reflected meaning is as the following; “elara, exhausted but triumphant, surveyed the room”. in the word of “exhausted but triumphant”. here the author of expressing of being success, but she used the opposite meaning; she said that she was exhausted, but she was triumphant. it means that she was verry success, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1165 the successfulness was replaced by the word triumphant preceded by the word exhausted. conclusion a short story was as one of efl assignment in completing their subjects, it was particularly the subject of literary appreciation. it was stated that figurative language has its own meanings. the meaning of figurative language was affected by the context of writing short story. efl students of english education program were free to write their short story. further, they were dependently to express their feelings, ideas, and thought. then, there were six types of figurative languages written by efl students in writing their short story, namely; smilie, personification, hyperbole, metaphor, symbolism, and irony. then, the dominant types of figurative language written by students was hyperbole figurative and personification. further, there four types of semantics meaning written by efl students in their short story, such as; connotative, affective, reflected, and associative. affective semantic meaning was the dominant meaning written in the students’ literary work (short story). affective meaning was found in the personification figurative language. furthermore, the finding of this study was able to be used for teaching students’ language components, such as; vocabulary, and critical reading skill. acknowledgement it was a research project completely supported by universitas muhammadiyah purworejo. further, researcher would like to thank to the rector firstly, then researcher also would like to thank to the head of research center who technically encourage the researcher to complete the research agenda and he would like the researchers to publish the research finding in the form of publication in the national accredited journal. references adika, d., and budiarsana, p. a. (2023). exploring semantics and the utilization of figurative language in the song lyrics of “21 guns” by green day, a journal of language study, literature, & linguistics, 2(1), 17-31. https://doi.org/10.58989/plj.v2i1.22. ado, m. a. (2023). the use of figurative and idiomatic expressions in shariah-based reconciliation case proceedings in nigeria, malaysian journal of applied linguistics, 1(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.32890/mjoal2023.1.1, afifah, d. n., and irawan, i. (2022). figurative language analysis used in political discussion at prime-time news metro tv, e-journal of english language and literature volume 12 no. 1, 112-120. agustina, a. e., & mustikawati. (2023). an analysis of figurative language in song lyrics "make it right" and "permission to dance" by bts, journal of english linguistics and literature studies, 3(1), 23-31. amri, s. h., rusan., & fatimah. (2020). figurative languages employed by efl lecturers in teaching, jelita: journal of english language teaching and literature volume 1, number 1, pp. 10-19, atmaja, k. (2022). internet analysis figurative language in automotive advertisement slogans, journal of pragmatics research, 4(1), 18-28. bagul, a. (2023). discovering the meaning of figurative language in jamie miller’s song lyrics, elysian journal, english literature, linguistics and translation studies, 3(1), 1-10. beltrama, a. (2020). social meaning in semantics and pragmatics, long linguist compass, 1-20. chahboun, a., kvwllo, o., & page, a. (2021). extending the field of extended language: a literature review on figurative language processing in neurodevelopmental disorders, journal of frontiers in communication, 6, 661528, creswell, john. w. & creswell, j. david. (2018). research design fifth edition. sage publications, inc. eragamreddy, n. m. (2024). the semantic analysis of figurative language used in dh lawrence’s ‘snake’, international journal of linguistics, literature and culture, 10(5), 109-118. https://doi.org/10.21744/ijllc.v10n5.2402 fatikha, a. r., & masykuroh, q. (2022). figurative language in selected songs of “red” by taylor swift, journal of linguistics, literature, and language teaching, 6(2), 299-308, ferguson, h. (2024). commentary on the special issue: new approaches to figurative language research, a multidisciplinary journal of discourse process, 61, 103-111, frida, k. y., and zuraida, i. (2022). metaphor in the folklore album by taylor swift: a semantics study, ethical lingua journal, 9(2), 610-618. hartman, j., and paradis, c, (2020). figurative meaning in multimodal work by an autistic artist: a cognitive semantic approach. journal of language and cognition, 13, 1–33, harun, m., yusuf, y. q., & karnafi, m. (2020). figurative language used in a novel by arafat nur on the aceh conflict, kasetsart journal of social sciences 41, 395–400. darti, d., fikri, n. a., & manar, m. (2023). exploring figurative language in the kite runner novel: unveiling semantic depths for a deeper narrative understanding, jollt journal of languages and language teaching, 11(4) , 786-797. international journal of language and literary studies, https://doi.org/10.58989/plj.v2i1.22 https://doi.org/10.32890/mjoal2023.1.1 http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/lnc https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2021.661528/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2021.661528/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2021.661528/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2021.661528/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2021.661528/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2021.661528/full https://doi.org/10.21744/ijllc.v10n5.2402 sudar investigating the use and semantic interpretation of figurative language in efl students’ literary work 1166 volume 4, issue 1, https://www.ijlls.org./indek.php/ijlls international journal on integrated education, volume 4, issue 3, 364-375 iswahyuni, d., rejeki, s., sari, a. b. p. (2024). figurative language in a short story entitled “an angel in disguise”, professional journal of english education, volume 7, no. 2, 420-426 kasimov, a. (2022). figurative language devices and their classification in english. the difference between metaphor and other figurative language devices, international journal of formal education, 1(9), 35-41. kasma, s., utami, n. m. v., & jayantini, i. a. s. r. (2021). an analysis of figurative language in cnn international news headlines post on facebook, journal of english literature, linguistics and translation studies, 1(3), ketaren, s. v., sipahutar, s. r., marpaung, e. m., & saragih, e. (2021). figurative language use in song lyrics in english textbook senior high school. journal of linguistic, english education and art, 4(2), 300-305 khairunnisa, s. a., & and juanda, (2022). figurative language in novel of little women by louisa may alcott. journal of mahadaya, 2(2), 1-8 kocak, c. b., and atalik, o. (2024). figurative language effect on consumer engagement: an empirical investigation for turkish airline industry, the journal of aviation, vol 28 issue 2, page; 128140, https://www.journalofaviation.ac.id madjid, m. n. (2021). translation analysis of figurative language in the novel of khān alkhalīlī by naguib mahfouz, journal of gjat, 11(2) 1-10 manurun, r., silalahi, d. e., herman., & situmorang, r. k. (2020). an analysis of figurative language found in the jakarta post newspaper. journal of global science independent, 1(1), 2239. maulidia, f. n. (2022). an analysis of figurative languages used in mark manson’ book entitled “the subtle art of not giving a fuck: a counterintuitive approach to living a good life”. education and linguistics knowledge journal, 4(1), 14-29. mentari, l. r. (2023). an analysis of figurative language in short story “the happy prince” by oscar wilde, journal of english for specific purposes in indonesia, 2(1), 33-40. monny, m. o. e. (2023). figurative language and its meaning found in the novel “it starts with us”, journal on education, 6(1), 609-619. mukti, b. r., and nugraha, d. n. s. (2022). figurative language in “sign 2” movie by gart gennings: a semantics study, journal of ethical lingua, 9(2), 699-706 nafilah, n. w., & rustandi, e. (2023). an analysis of figurative language used in william shakespeare’s poems. journal of english literature and linguistics, 1(1), 1-10, nainggolan,f., siahaan, d. a., sinurat, b., & herman. (2021). an analysis of figurative language on joe biden’s victory speech, natsir, m., saragih, b., & nasution, r. d. (2022). a semantic study: figurative language used in payuh teduh songs lyrics. journal of matondang, 1(1), 1-9, nera, k., rosnija, e., & riyanti, d. (2024). an analysis of figurative language used in sing 2 movie, journal of language teaching and learning, linguistics and literatures, 12(1), 367 – 375. nurbaini, j., hidayati, h., & irwandi, i. (2024). semantics analysis of figurative language in a selection of ‘robert frost’ poems. international social sciences and humanities, proceeding series (2024) 3(2), 165-172. osuchukwu, c. n. (2022). the role of context in meaning construction beyond semantics to pragmatics, african journal of humanities and contemporary education research, 5(1), 157172. pardede , m. saragi, c. n., & didabutar, u. (2023). metaphor analysis in song’s lyrics of charlie puth's song lyrics: a case on semantics. journal of scientia, 12(4), 471-478. pertiwi, p. e., & handayani, n. d. (2023). semantic analysis of figurative language found in nikkie tutorials product review, journal of language teaching and learning, linguistics and literature, 1119 – 1131, prafitri, w., and nasir, m. a. a. (2023).messages reveal through figurative language and semantic deviation in “lamb to the slaughter”. journal of english language teaching, linguistics, and literature, 3(2), 109-118, purba, r., taho, n. v., herman., sitohang, d. r., & trang, p. t. q. (2022). how to attract viewers through advertisement slogans? a case on figurative in semantic study. journal of social sciences and humanities, 2, 1-5. putri, e. a. r. (2022). figurative language in songs for english learning, journal of languages and education, 2(5), 157-167, reyes, a., and saldivar, r. (2022). figurative language in atypical contexts: searching for creativity in narco language, mdpi journal, 12(3), e1642 santika, p., and syafryadin. (2023). an analysis of figurative language in song lyrics of the album “midnights” by taylor swift. wiralodra english journal, (wej) vol. 7 no 1, 14-28. https://doi.org/10.31943/wej.v7i1.189 simarmata, c. c. (2021). figurative language used in selena gomez’s song lyrics: a semantic analysis, journal of english education, linguistics, and literature, 8(1), 183-195 simatupang, n. a., and supri, i. z. (2022). figurative language in song lyrics of the essential album by john denver: semantics study, journal of ethical lingua, 9(1), 241-246. umagandhi, r., and vinothini, m. (2017). leech’s seven https://www.ijlls.org./indek.php/ijlls http://www.hadayajournal.ac.id/ https://www.journalofaviation.ac.id/ https://doi.org/10.31943/wej.v7i1.189 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1167 types of meaning in semantics. international journal of multidisciplinary research and development, 4(3), 71-72, wibawa, i. g. a. g. (2020). an analysis types of figurative languages found in richard marx’s song lyrics, journal of language and applied linguistics, 1(2), 8-15. yadav, m. s., quadri, k. m., & osman, m. (2022). role of semantics in the figurative texture of matthew arnold’s dover beach, 136-153 yanto, y., & siga, r. n. (2023). an analysis of figurative languages used in lokamase ceremony, acitya: journal of teaching & education, vol. 5 no. 1, 34-43. yulianda, n., and sunra, l. (2022). an analysis of figurative languages used in william shakespeare's sonnets. eliterate: journal of english linguistics and literature studies, 2(2), 21-32, yunira, s., fradina, s., sumbayak, m., putri, n. s., & derin, t. (2020). re-visits the grand theory of geoffrey leech: seven types of meaning. journal of research and innovation in language, 1(3), page 103-110. sudar investigating the use and semantic interpretation of figurative language in efl students’ literary work 1168 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 843 unveiling ‘profil pelajar pancasila’ through a nas daily video: a critical examination of character education values in digital narratives sinta budhi arti magister of english education, universitas islam malang, malang, indonesia email: sintabudhi@gmail.com dwi fita heriyawati magister of english education, universitas islam malang, malang, indonesia email: dwifitaheriyawati@unisma.ac.id apa scitation: arti, s. b., & heriyawati, d. f. (2024). unveiling ‘profil pelajar pancasila’ through a nas daily video: a critical examination of character education values in digital narratives. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 843-852. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i2.9891 received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 22-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract – character education is one of the goals of our national education system. teaching character education can be accomplished through various media, including watching inspiring videos. this study explores the character education values implied in a video retrieved from the nas daily youtube channel. the character values focused on in this study are the six dimensions of 'profil pelajar pancasila' in the merdeka curriculum. this study uses the model of critical discourse analysis by teun a. van dijk that examines the discourse in three elements; text structure, social cognition, and social context. the findings revealed that the video embraces the six dimensions of 'profil pelajar pancasila' in the merdeka curriculum. this could strengthen educators' insight into seeking more character-empowering shows for the learners. keywords: character education; youtube channel; critical discourse analysis. introduction the concept of character education recognizes the significance of fostering values and slowly instilling a strong sense of positive traits in learners to prepare them for their participation in society in their future lives. in line with this, singh (2019) mentioned that character education is the intentional, proactive effort by schools, districts, and states to instill in their students important core, ethical values such as being considerate, sincere, just, responsible, and respectful of self and others. syarnubi, mansir, purnomo, harto, & hawi (2021) added that character education is also a tool to transmit the cultural value system in society to the next generation. character education is not a small family or society program, instead, it is a nationwide movement that fosters the young generation to be ethical, responsible, and caring people through modeling and teaching good character. maulidiawati, setyawan, usman, & rahbini (2022) elaborated that character education is the effort to instill intelligence in thinking, living in attitude, and practicing it in the form of behavior that corresponds with noble values that become one’s true identity, manifested in the interaction with god, oneself, society, and the environment. in a nutshell, character education is a conscious and intentional effort to teach the young generation about good characters that are beneficial for their lives, society, environment, and the nation. character education is one of the efforts to reach the goal of the national education of indonesia. here is the formulation of the quality of indonesian human beings that must be developed by each educational unit which is stated in the law of the republic of indonesia number 20 of 2003, it is stated that national education functions to develop competencies and establish a character as well as a dignified civilization to enlighten the life of the nation and aims to the development of the pupils’ potential to be humans who have faith and devotion to the almighty god, possess the noble attitude, are healthy, knowledgeable, skillful, creative, independent and become responsible and democratic citizens (marabessy et al, 2022; anggrayana et al, 2023). that’s why character education is integrated into our curriculum to empower our young generations with both intelligence and noble character. character education is an effort to shape learners’ character who are still in the development period. that is why character education becomes a shared responsibility for all educators both at home and school (yuliana, sugiyono, suyanto, & mehta, sinta budhi arti & dwi fita heriyawati unveiling ‘profil pelajar pancasila’ through a nas daily video: a critical examination of character education values in digital narratives 844 2020). therefore, the role of the teacher is very important in terms of shaping the character of students, which can be carried out through the learning process in classrooms. teachers must be able to provide examples and role models for students in good behavior because if this is not the case, students will easily imitate what they see (rahayu, sitepu, & sari, 2023). according to the constitution, teachers must integrate character education in teaching-learning activities through learning materials. teachers should also mention the character education values in their lesson plans. therefore, as teachers, we need to carefully choose materials, media, and textbooks that can accommodate character education for our students. one of the ways to teach character education is by watching videos from various digital platforms. as we know nowadays there are so many content creators that provide not only fun but also informative and inspiring content. nas daily is one of the famous youtube channels owned by nuseir yasin. this channel shares hundreds of lengthy and short videos about people, nations in the world, motivations in life, and many other themes. this is one the most subscribed channels for its brand-new information, inspiring motivation, interesting presentation, and easily understood content. research investigating the effectiveness of using videos from the nas daily channel to improve students’ speaking skills by wibowo & sulistyorini (2020) proves that videos from nas daily can be a meaningful medium to teach speaking skills. besides having an attractive presentation, they also have good visuals and provide english subtitles so the students can learn about the formation of english sentence structures, pronunciation, intonation, grammar, etc. the way the characters in the videos present the content can be a good example for students to speak in english. according to the previous facts, there’s a need to explore what character education values are implied in videos from nas daily so that teachers can choose the best videos for their students. in the context of character education for young learners, critical discourse analysis was accomplished by utami & harianto (2021) focusing on the construction of islamic values in the episode ‘alalala raju’ of the cartoon series ‘omar hana’. this research employed van dijk’s model of critical discourse analysis and content analysis. the data being analyzed was a video of the ‘omar hana’ episode ‘alalala raju’ downloaded from youtube. after analyzing the da’wah message, the text structure, the social cognition, and the social context, some findings were revealed. the structure of the cartoon contains advice for children to share objects and love with other people especially younger people. the social cognition system shows that the cartoon attempts to tell young viewers that sharing is one of islamic teachings. the social context behind this cartoon is that children at a younger age commonly have problems sharing toys and food with others. furthermore, an analysis of character education values was done by hirdayu et al (2022) to the textbook of grade seven ‘when english rings the bell’ published by the ministry of education and culture. the book being analyzed was the version of the third revision in 2017. the characters to be analysed were based on the 18-character education values proposed in the curriculum of 2013. the data was collected through a checklist and documentation. the data analysis reveals findings about what character education values are implemented within the textbook. according to the frequency analysis of the occurrence of each value, it was found that the value of friendship/communicative was the most common value at 21%. then it was followed by the independent value at 17%; religious value at 12%; hard work value contains 7%; discipline and social care value at 5%; curiosity value at 4.6%; creativity, nationalism, and appreciation achievement at 4.1%; environmental awareness and honesty value at 3.5%; reading interest value at 2.5%; tolerance value at 2.0%; patriotism and responsibility value contain 1.02%; the smallest was the love and peace value of 0.5%. the value of democracy was not found in the textbook. according to the reviews of those researches, there was a gap that this study aimed to fill. examining the meaning behind a digital discourse is important to guide educators to choose appropriate shows that are not only good for improving learning skills but also embrace character education values in the newest educational policies. according to the newest policy in the merdeka curriculum, the implementation of character building and education is done through the program of ‘profil pelajar pancasila’. it consists of six dimensions which are; 1) having faith and devotion to the almighty god and noble character; 2) independence; 3) mutual collaboration; 4) global diversity; 5) critical reasoning; and 6) creativity (nabila & wirdati, 2023; zuliani et al, 2023). therefore, the researcher was interested in conducting a study about character education english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 845 values contained in a youtube video. this study focused on an analysis of character education in a video from the nas daily channel entitled “how to live without getting lucky” based on the criterion of six dimensions of ‘profil pelajar pancasila’. to accomplish the analysis, this study used the van dijk model of critical discourse analysis which van dijk elaborated that discourse must have three dimensions; text, social cognition, and social context (solikhin, 2023; utami, & harianto, 2021; nurika & erlangga, 2022). the text dimension deals with the structure of the text within a discourse to show a particular theme. in this dimension, there are three interrelated elements to be analyzed (putri et al; 2023); (1) macrostructure that deals with the theme or topic of the discourse; (2) superstructure that explores the parts and sequences presented in the whole discourse; and (3) microstructure that observes the meaning obtained by the choice of words, sentence, style, or images. the second dimension, social cognition, studies the process of text production that involves cognition from text makers. the last dimension, the social context, deals with the social background that builds the whole discourse. by understanding that there is no discourse without meaning behind it, this study could give insights to educators, parents, and learners that it is beneficial to integrate digital content in teaching characters. in this context, of course, educators should facilitate the learners by giving them guidance in watching the content. method this study employs a qualitative method using the van dijk model of critical discourse analysis and content analysis of the character education values accommodated in the video content. the main corpus was a video and its transcript entitled “how to live without getting lucky” that was retrieved from a youtube channel named nas daily (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rxrstuhg em&t=3s, 2023). this study started by gathering data needed for the analysis by retrieving the transcript of the video. after that, the video was downloaded and reviewed to re-check the accuracy and the sync between the video and the transcript. the following process is analyzing the data. this study presents the analysis of text structure, social cognition, and social social context that is accommodated in the video. the result of the previous analysis was used to analyze the character education value according to the six dimensions of ‘profil pelajar pancasila’ in the merdeka curriculum. after that, the result and discussion are presented in a descriptive narrative. result and discussions based on the analysis of the video entitled ‘how to live without getting lucky’ from nas daily youtube channel, some findings were revealed. the findings are described and elaborated in four main discussions. the first is about the analysis of the text dimension which is broken into macrostructure, superstructure, and microstructure elements. the second discussion is about the social cognition dimension followed by the third, the social context dimension. the last discussion is about the analysis of character education value according to the six dimensions of ‘profil pelajar pancasila’ in the merdeka curriculum. text structure macrostructure the macrostructure element refers to the overall meaning that can be observed from the theme or topic raised by the use of language in a discourse (sujatmiko, 2020; setiawati & mulyana, 2019). according to the analysis of the creator’s speech in the video, the theme or topic of the video content is presented in table 1 below: table 1. macrostructure theme/topic “strategic moves or actions to build a good life despite having ordinary or unlucky background” subtopics subtopic 1: “strategies to get success according to the creator’s experience” subtopic 2: “reasons why the creator thinks the viewers should have strategies to live the life” the title of the video “how to live without getting lucky” shows that the topic of the video is about strategic actions to live life or to survive the world without getting any luck to support you. the word ‘without getting lucky’ indicates having an ordinary or even unfavorable life background that can support someone to live a good life easily. therefore, this video contains a message that everybody can be successful in life even though they have no supportive background, that’s why this video will tell the viewers how to do it. further in detail, the content presents two subtopics. first, the creator shares what actions or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rxrstuhgem&t=3s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rxrstuhgem&t=3s sinta budhi arti & dwi fita heriyawati unveiling ‘profil pelajar pancasila’ through a nas daily video: a critical examination of character education values in digital narratives 846 strategies he had done in his whole life before he finally got many good things in his life. he also mentions that he had an ordinary background which he thought made it harder or even impossible for him to be a successful person. second, the creator points out the reason why people should strategize in their lives and not just live life as it is. he mentions that it is to survive the world, to create life changes, to be a better person, and to make a better life. otherwise, he added, people cannot survive and their lives won’t change to a better condition. superstructure the superstructure element concerns the framework of a text, and how the parts of the text are arranged into a whole news (kurniati et al, 2023). the analysis of the superstructure element is done by identifying the scheme or arrangement of the framework in the video through the introduction, main content, and conclusion followed by outlining the linguistic representations in each schema (surya r, y., jufri, j., & usman, u., 2023). the short, brief, and straightforward introduction presents the creator’s short story about the good life he has today, his ordinary past background, and that he thought the path to his success had many obstacles. the main content discusses the creator’s four strategies for achieving success and how those strategies yielded correlated meaningful and beneficial impacts in his journey to success. finally, in closing, the creator emphasizes the reasons for life strategizing. table 2: superstructure introduction the creator starts his video with these statements: “i'm going to be honest. i have a really good life i have friends, money, fame, and success. but i wasn't born with this life. i was just a muslim village boy and 9/11 had just happened. the odds of success are stacked against me and against you! this video took 15 years to make and today i want to tell you how i built my life and how i think you should build your life without relying on just luck!” the discourse maker shows that the fact that the creator was a muslim from a village and that the 9/11 tragedy had happened made him think that it was difficult for him to achieve success. why? because he came from a village that he thought was far away from civilization that he desired. in addition, he thought that the 9/11 tragedy had harmed the world’s trust in muslims all over the world. main content in this part, the creator elaborated on the four strategies he accomplished to fulfill his dream. those four strategies are mastering english; enlarging his social network; learning new skills; and leaving his hometown to pursue higher education. “first, you have to accept that life is not fair. as a kid i accepted life was not going to hand me opportunities so i needed to find my own! the same day i bought an english dictionary. yes, english dictionary! i knew english is key to global opportunities and in my village very few people spoke it. day after day i would talk to myself in english just to practice. i looked like a fool! i joined online gaming communities and chatted with americans for months. they made fun of my accent but i didn't care. secretly i was stealing their accent and finally, i learned how to say the letter “r”. my english became so good i could speak to anyone in the world including you right now! that was the first strategic decision. the next thing i did was change my friends. everyone around me had two best friends but that did not make sense. i needed a large social network, not a best friend, so i made 200 good friends online. they're right! it's not what you know! it's who you know! the third decision was to gain skills that no one else had. i fell in love with astronomy. i learned everything about the stars and became top six in my country. i learned to solve the rubik's cube! and i could solve it in less than 30 seconds. i took up the piano and i could play really complicated songs! slowly but surely, i was able to escape the limitations of my village, strategically! and the last strategic decision was to leave my village, even though i liked it. from 5,000 miles away in the middle east i sent an application to harvard in the united states and surprisingly harvard said ‘yes, come over’ and that was my ticket out!” english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 847 after revealing his creative strategies, the creator points out the impacts of each strategies that yielded fruitful results in his journey of success. this is to motivate the viewers that every step people take will have a big impact in their life. “because of my english, i made new friends. because of new friends, i learned new skills. because of new skills, i applied to harvard. because of harvard, i got a good job. because of a job, i save money. because i had money, i started nas daily. because of nas daily, i met the love of my life.” closing in the closing part, the creator stresses the importance of making strategies for one’s life and not just relying on luck. “i am lucky, very lucky! i believe in luck. but life is not just about getting lucky. sometimes you have to force your own luck and strategize for 15 years. why do you drink water? because if you don't drink water you don't survive. why do you strategize about life? because if you don't strategize you literally will not survive. when life happens to you that is a bad thing because life will just make you normal. and you have to fight against that and find a way to do something different, be something different.” then, he addresses the young generation all over the world to remind them that the path to success is not easy and that we should not live like a leaf lying on the flowing water. “for every kid watching this in nebraska, bangalore, namibia, nairobi wherever in the world, remember the odds are stacked against me against you! life is not just a gift we receive. life is a gift we have to assemble. we cannot just live life and get lucky. we toil, we practice, we strategize, we observe, we network, we put double the hours, we do whatever it takes to make life work for us.” lastly, the creator stitches a video of the late steve jobs saying that one can change his life, one can shape his world, and influence his surroundings. one can make a result if only one takes an action, a movement, and a step in one’s life. “everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. and you can change it. you can influence it. you can build your own things that other people can use. and the minute that you understand that you can poke life and actually something will, you know if you push in something will pop out the other side. you can change it. you can mold it. once you learn that, you'll never be the same again!” microstructure the final discussion about text dimension is the microstructure analysis. microstructure elements are analyzed by the semantic, syntax, stylistic, and rhetorical aspects manifested in the discourse. here is the explanation of each aspect (f. indrawan, 2022; hariyanti, nur, & nabilah, 2022; aladdin & alfathan, 2022; susanthi & yanti, 2022): semantic refers to the local meaning of a discourse. the text elements are analyzed based on the background, details, intent, and presupposition. the background is what the creator wants to convey, details are what controls or restricts the information presented, the intent is related to the creator’s attitudes or beliefs, and presupposition is the supporting opinion by giving verified rationale. in the syntactic element, the meaning is analyzed from the sentence form, coherence, and pronouns. in the stylistic element, the creator’s choice of words in delivering his content is analyzed to find out the meaning of the utterances. rhetorical aspect refers to the creator’s style in presenting the content. it can be observed by the graphics, the metaphor, and the expressions. table 3. microstructure semantic background: the creator wants to share his experience about how to build a good life although he had an unsupportive background. detail – the creator exposes 4 strategic decisions to change his life. intent – the creator convinces the viewers to strategically build a life, not just work hard, and not just rely on luck. presupposition – the creator elaborated on the result of his strategic hard work and the reason why people should do so. sinta budhi arti & dwi fita heriyawati unveiling ‘profil pelajar pancasila’ through a nas daily video: a critical examination of character education values in digital narratives 848 syntax the use of active sentences using ‘i’ and ‘you’ as the subjects shows that the creator himself is talking directly to the viewers and the pronoun ‘we’ means that the creator puts himself on the same side as the viewers. there are some appearances of conjunctions:  coordinating conjunctions to show equality (and) and contrast (but). “….. i have a really good life i have friends, money, fame, and success. but i wasn't born with this life…..” “…..sometimes you have to force your own luck and strategize for 15 years…..”  sequential conjunctions to show the order of doing things (first, next, third, last) “first, you have to accept that life is not fair……”  subordinating conjunctions to show cause and effect (because). “because of my english, i made new friends. because of new friends, i learned new skills. because of new skills, i applied to harvard. because of harvard,……” “….. why do you strategize about life? because if you don't strategize you literally will not survive.” stylistic various words are used to express what people should do to build a good life. those words are ‘assemble, toil, practice, strategize, observe, network, put double the hours, do whatever it takes’. the creator also uses an analogy between life strategizing and drinking water as seen in this expression ‘why do you drink water? because if you don't drink water you don't survive. why do you strategize about life? because if you don't strategize you literally will not survive.’ rhetorical graphics: besides showing scenes where the creator gives a speech, he also adds illustration scenes that correspond to his speech. the creator also puts the subtitle of the whole utterance and makes the font different every time he wants to emphasize his main points. expressions: the creator uses persuasive expressions in delivering his points. metaphor: the creator uses some metaphoric sentences like ‘the odds of success are stacked against me’, ‘i was stealing their accents…’, and ‘it’s not what you know! it’s who you know!’. social cognition social cognition analysis is carried out to uncover hidden meanings and implications in a discourse. it studies how discourse is formed and what influences the creator when composing it (fayruza et al, 2021). the text has no meaning, but the meaning is shown through the discourse makers that reflect the creator’s mental awareness, knowledge, ideologies, and views in producing the content (anjarsari & adiwijaya, 2022). the creator’s way of comprehending and perceiving a social situation is called ‘schema’. according to van dijk’s theory, four schemas are observed in social cognition analysis namely person, self, role, and event schema (elsa, husein, & lubis, 2023; visiaty rasyid, & anwar, 2020). here is the analysis of each schema of the video entitled “how to live without getting lucky” from the nas daily youtube channel: person schema – the creator thinks that the viewers need to be encouraged and given motivation to build a good despite the limitations they have. the creator wants the viewers to know and understand what he had gone through before he finally achieved success. self-schema – the creator views himself as an ordinary person who successfully reaches beyond his limitations. role schema – the creator puts himself as a famous public figure who not only spreads positive and inspiring messages but also gives a good role model for society. event schema – after going through many things to achieve success, the creator understands that success is not impossible to achieve whatever people’s background is as long as they move. social context the analysis of the social context of a discourse is intended to reveal how a discourse is bound to the context or background including knowledge and values that develop in the community (ramadhan & herman, 2021; haliza & triyono, 2022). power and access are two critical aspects to be analysed in the social context. power is an individual’s ability to direct or influence other groups of people, while access is situations allowing individuals to manage or use the power. (elsa et al, 2023; sari & pradipta, 2021). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 849 the creator of the video entitled “how to live without getting lucky” owns the power to influence the viewer, to shape people’s views, and change perceptions of other people because he is a famous influencer and youtuber. he also has successfully proved himself to the world that he can go beyond his limitations to build a good life by building his channel and company. that way he can convince the viewers that ordinary people can be successful in life. character education values according to the government’s regulation about character education in the merdeka curriculum, there are six dimensions of human character that the young generation of indonesia is expected to have. they are 1) having faith and devotion to the almighty god and noble character; 2) independence; 3) mutual collaboration; 4) global diversity; 5) critical reasoning; and 6) creativity. this part of the discussion explores each of the six dimensions presented in the video. first, the value of ‘having faith and devotion to the almighty god and noble character’ is found in the opening speech in which the creator introduces himself as a muslim and that he felt that the tragedy of 9/11 had ruined the dream of all muslims in the world. however, he proved it wrong and he wants to share with the viewers how he can escape his limitations. this shows the noble character value that the creator doesn’t want to keep the knowledge for himself. the second value is independence. it was shown in this statement “as a kid i accepted life was not going to hand me opportunities so i needed to find my own!”. the statement shows that the creator was aware that he needed to find his own chance and open the access by himself. thirdly, the value of mutual collaboration is shown in the creator’s narration about how he built a connection with hundreds of people online to learn english, learn new skills, and finally build nas daily. the narration also shows the value of global diversity because the creator built a large network of people from different countries and different backgrounds. the video also presents the value of critical reasoning. it is about the logical reason why people should strategize their lives. the creator also presents an analogy about life strategizing and drinking water as shown in this statement “why do you drink water? because if you don't drink water you don't survive. why do you strategize about life? because if you don't strategize you literally will not survive.” the video also teaches the value of creativity, that in life strategizing, people cannot work just normally but also creatively. the creator mentions some words to represent being creative; ‘assemble, toil, practice, strategize, observe, network, put double the hours, do whatever it takes’. he also mentions some actions that are considered ‘out of the box’ and that no one else had in his surroundings like learning astronomy, solving the rubik’s cube, and playing piano. the result of the analysis emphasizes that a discourse is not made without meaning. the analysis of the text structure has shown us the creator’s message through the presentation of the theme, sub-themes, and the choice of words. the analysis of social cognition discovers the creator’s beliefs that he wanted to show the viewers while the social context examination reveals the social background of the creator. further examination of the ‘profil pelajar pancasila’ framework has shown that the discourse embraces the six dimensions of the framework. this indicates that the discourse can be a good alternative for educators to make use of the video to help them build their students’ character according to the newest educational policies. this study can encourage educators to facilitate the learners by being a filter of exposure to digital platforms especially youtube toward our learners. conclusion this study explores the analysis of the content in a video entitled “how to live without getting lucky” in four aspects; text structure, social cognition, social context, and character education values according to the six dimensions of ‘profil pelajar pancasila’. the analysis of the text structure revealed that the video is about a strategic decision made in building a good life despite having an ordinary background. the presentation shows the creator’s background followed by the four strategic decisions and the results, and it also the creator’s explanation about why people should do life strategizing. in addition, the creator uses various conjunctions to present and connect his ideas. active sentences with ‘i, you, and we’ are used in most of the sentences meaning that the creator involves himself and the viewers on the same side. the social cognition analysis shows that the creation of the video is based on the creator’s own experience in building his life. the creator can convince the viewers not only because he is a famous person, but also because he already proved himself that he could go beyond his limitations to reach success with the strategies he had done. sinta budhi arti & dwi fita heriyawati unveiling ‘profil pelajar pancasila’ through a nas daily video: a critical examination of character education values in digital narratives 850 from the analysis of character education value, it was revealed that the video contains all of the six dimensions of ‘profil pelajar pancasila’. the video dominantly teaches the viewers about being independent, having a large social network, global diversity, and being creative in pursuing the dream. the other values, having faith and devotion to the almighty god and noble character, and critical reasoning are presented only in one part of the whole speech in the video. recommendations for practical application in the classrooms could be: (1) for the ice-breaking stage in the middle of a course lesson to give refreshment or elevate learners’ motivation; (2) for the observing stage of a course lesson to stimulate and build learners’ knowledge about the learning material. however, this study only focused on analyzing the ‘profil pelajar pancasila’ framework within one of the hundreds of videos on the nas daily channel. future research might be about character education values within other nas daily videos or other popular content creators. references singh, b. (2019). character education in the 21st century. journal of social studies (jss), 15(1), 1-12: 10.21831/jss.v15i1.25226. 1-12 maulidiawati, b., setyawan, a., usman, m., & rahbini, m. (2022). implementation of character education discipline and responsibility of 6th grades students at sdn banyuajuh 6. jurnal pendidikan dan teknologi, 1(3), 819-831 syarnubi., mansir, f., purnomo, m.e., harto, k., & hawi, a. (2021). implementing character education in madrasah. jurnal pendidikan islam 7(1), 77-94. marabessy, a. c., suanto., hayati, e., utaminingsih, s. (2022). internalization values of character education as a solution for degradation of civility of the nation. cetta: jurnal ilmu pendidikan, 5(2). anggrayana, d., hariri, h., sowiyah., rini, r. (2023). the role of school culture in the character forming of students-a literature review: edumaspul -jurnal pendidikan, 7(1), 678-681. yuliana, l., sugiyono., suyanto., & mehta, k. (2020). comparative study in character education management models in indonesia and india. harmoni sosial: jurnal pendidikan ips volume 7(2), 170-182. rahayu, e., sitepu, m.s., & sari, m.i. (2023). the role of character education in public elementary schools. indonesian journal of education & mathematical science, 4(2), 93-101. wibowo, r. a., & sulistyorini, d. (2020). the effectiveness of using “nas daily” youtube channel in improving speaking skill. marine science and technology journal 1(2), 91-95. utami, s.p., & harianto, y.a. (2021). da’wa critical discourse analysis in the omar and hana cartoon film on “alalala raju” episode. komunika: jurnal dakwah dan komunikasi,15(1), 55-69 hirdayu, n, anwar., & hidayat, w. (2022). analysis of character education value on english textbook students grade seventh of smpn 10 pare-pare. inspiring: english education journal,5(1). zuliani., buaton, r., & ramadani, s. (2023). student character grouping based on six dimensions of pancasila student profile using clustering method (case study of smk swasta setia budi binjai): international journal of informatics, economics, management and science, 2(2), 130-140. 10.52362/ijiems.v2i2.1202 nabila, a., & wirdati. (2023). enam dimensi profil pelajar pancasila perspektif pendidikan agama islam. jurnal pendidikan tambusai vol 7, (3) page 21708-21718 nas daily. (2023, january 2nd)). how to live without getting lucky [video]. youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rxrstuh gem&t=3s solikhin, n. h. (2023). analisis wacana kritis model teun a.van dijk berita serangan tentara israel di jalur gaza. jurnal pendidikan dasar dan sosial humaniora, 2(7), 853-861. https://doi.org/10.53625/jpdsh.v2i7.5824 nurika, h., & erlangga, d.t. (2022). critical discourse analysis by van dijk on maya angelou’s poem. jurnal pustaka ilmu, 2(11). putri, e. r., efendi, a., lande, t., & dewi, y. (2023). the critical discourse analysis model of teun a. van dijk on the online news about the contradiction against the realization of the hajj pilgrimage of indonesia. budapest international research and critics in linguistics and education (birle) journal, 6(2), 197-208. sujatmiko. (2020). van dijk modelling on critical discourse analysis (a study on mata najwa program ‘gara-gara tagar’ in trans 7 in september 5th 2018). eltics (english language teaching and english linguistics) journal, 5(1), 2407-0742 https://doi.org/10.31316/eltics.v5i1.533 setyawati, m. i., & mulyana. (2019). a critical discourse analysis on the instagram account of @filosofi_jawa based on van dijk model. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 461, 1st international conference on language, literature, and arts education (icllae 2019) kurniati, l., kholidah, u., & tristiana, n. e. (2023). critical discourse analysis online news “omnibus law” job creation case (teun a. van dijk model). english language & literature international conference, 6(1). surya r, y., jufri, j., & usman, u. (2023). issues of the 2024 presidential candidates in online news texts: critical discourse analysis of the teun a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 851 van dijk model. journal of asian multicultural research for social sciences study, 4(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.47616/jamrsss.v4i1.358 indrawan, f. (2022). critical discourse analysis on foreign media news related to investment scamsan analysis of van dijk’s model. teaching english as foreign language, literature and linguistics, 2(1), 118–129. https://doi.org/10.33752/teflics.v2i1.3025 hariyanti, n., nur, f.a., & nabilah, r.g. (2022). critical discourse analysis of mgdalenaf’s choices on msmes during the covid-19 pandemic. jurnal komunikasi indonesia, 11(2) article 5. 10.7454/jkmi.v11i2.1031 aladdin, y.a & alfathan, a. (2022). media reporting of the political conflict in the democratic party (teun a. van dijk’s critical discourse analysis on jpnn.com news). proceeding 2ndinternational conference on communication science (iccs 2022) vol. 2 no. 1 doi: https://doi.org/10.29303/iccsproceeding.v2i1.12 8 susanthi, i. g. a. a. d., & yanti, n. p. m. p. (2022). critical discourse analysis on online news text of returning habib rizieq during covid-19 pandemic. international journal of systemic functional linguistics, 5(1). 34-37. https://doi.org/ 10.55637/ijsfl.5.1.4254.34-37 fayruza, a.z., mahliatussikah, h., and al hayani, m.k.k. (2021). critical discourse analysis of teun a. van dijk's model against online news “the decline in refinery profits threatens to increase oil prices”. izdihar :journal of arabic language teaching, linguistics, and literature, 4(3), 275-290. https://doi.org/10.22219/jiz.v4i3.18274 anjarsari, r., & adiwijaya, s.n. (2022). analysis of teun a. van dijk’s discourse model on one online news in portal-islam. international proceedings of nusantara raya, 1(1), 16–24. https://doi.org/10.24090/nuraicon.v1i1.21 visiaty, a., rasyid, y., & anwar, m. (2021). representation of ideology in tempo newspaper ancol reclamation news discourse (van dijk model critical discourse analysis study). bahtera: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra, 20(1), 59-71. https://doi.org/10.21009/bahtera.201.6 haliza, n., & triyono, s. (2022). #stopasianhateantiracism actions on social media twitter: a critical discourse analysis. humanus: jurnal ilmiah ilmu-ilmu humaniora, 21(2), 156-172, 10.24036/humanus.v21i2.115844 ramadhan, f., & herman, a. (2021). discourse analysis teun a. van dijk on the documentary sexy killers. jurnal komunikasi korporasi dan media (jasima), 2(1), 68-86. https://doi.org/10.30872/jasima.v2i1.23 elsa, r.f., husein, r.h., & lubis, f.k. (2023). reason why xenophobia realized in the squid game series: a critical discourse analysis. jurnal linguistik terapan pascasarjana: linguistik terapan 20(2), 156-173 sari, y. k., & pradipta, b. (2021). a critical discourse analysis of online media news of omnibus law content in kompas.com: tanda: jurnal kajian budaya, bahasa dan sastra, 1(4). sinta budhi arti & dwi fita heriyawati unveiling ‘profil pelajar pancasila’ through a nas daily video: a critical examination of character education values in digital narratives 852 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 923 understanding and implementation of differentiated instruction by english teachers at vocational high schools in pariaman risnanda english education department, magister program faculty of languages and arts, universitas negeri padang, padang, indonesia email: risnandailyas@gmail.com yuli tiarina english education department, magister program faculty of languages and arts, universitas negeri padang, padang, indonesia email: yuli.tiarina@fbs.unp.ac.id apa scitation:. risnada., & tiarina, y. (2024). understanding and implementation of differentiated instruction by english teachers at vocational high schools in pariaman. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(3), 923-934. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10702 received: 23-06-2024 accepted: 22-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 abstract: for the past four years, english teachers in indonesia have been required to adopt differentiated instruction in their lessons to make their learning more adaptable for students' needs as a result of modifications to a new curriculum known as merdeka curriculum. however, there were limited studies conducted to investigate english teachers’ understanding and implementation of differentiated instruction at vocational high schools’ level. the purpose of this research is to fill this gap through qualitative research. this study is intended: (1) to investigate english teachers’ understanding of differentiated instruction , (2) to explore how english teachers use differentiated instruction as a teaching approach in the classroom. five english teachers from smk 1 and smk 2 pariaman participated in this research. the data were gathered from observation checklists and interviews. the results suggested that the teachers understood the concept of differentiated instruction and knew how to identify their students’ needs but they lacked knowledge of how to differentiate interests in teaching process especially regarding the content differentiation. the implementation of the approach in the classroom showed that teachers differentiated the content based on students’ ability level and learning styles, while in the process, it was differentiated according to students’ ability level and product was differentiated based on students’ learning styles and interests. keywords: differentiated instruction ; di understanding; di implementation. introduction several teaching approaches and methods have been developed with the goal of assisting students in becoming skilled in the target language. those approaches and methods are assumed to be applicable to all students regardless of their needs and differences. in reality, in the mixed classroom where the students have various background knowledge, interest and learning profile, certainly those approaches and methods cannot accommodate students’ diverse learning needs. therefore, the teachers need to adapt the approaches and the methods that can embrace students’ diversity. in indonesia, the new curriculum has been implemented which is called merdeka curriculum (a curriculum with various intra-curricular learning which prioritizes essential materials and character development for students) in order to restore learning and catch up with learning loss during covid-19 (kemdikbud, 2022a). the merdeka curriculum has three main characteristics: 1) project-based learning to develop soft skills and character for pancasila students, 2) focus on essential materials to allow for deep learning of basic competencies like literacy and numeracy, and 3) flexibility for teachers to differentiate learning based on student abilities. thus, every teacher including english teachers are required to use differentiated instruction (di) in their lesson to make the learning more adaptable for students’ needs. differentiated instruction is a teaching idea based on the premise that instructional approaches should vary and be altered in accordance to the unique and diverse needs and abilities of students in a classroom (tomlinson, 2017; kotob & arnouss, 2019; ismail, 2019; abramove & mashoshina, 2021; neuvirthova & gadusova, 2021). students in di have a variety of content (what they will learn), process (the activities through which they will learn), and product (how mailto:risnandailyas@gmail.com mailto:yuli.tiarina@fbs.unp.ac.id risnanda & yuli tiarina understanding and implementation of differentiated instruction by english teachers at vocational high schools in pariaman 924 they demonstrate their comprehension) options based on their degree of readiness, interest, and learning profile (roberts & inman, 2023; tomlinson, 2021; gheyssen et al., 2020). in other words, it is the adaptation of teaching materials, practices, and learning objectives to accommodate students' varying readiness level, interests, and learning profile. readiness refers to the learners' knowledge, skills and understanding in a certain area of learning (weber et al.,2021). it is related to students' prior learning, experiences, and attitudes about the subjects. interests begin with topics that create passion in learners' learning and where they would like to invest their time and effort in learning (sousa & tomlinson, 2018). teachers differentiate teaching by employing different resources to meet the diverse needs of students in the same classrooms. while a learning profile describes how a learner learns best (weber et al.,2021). each individual has a learning method and style that best matches their needs. the students’ learning style are divided into three aspects which are audio, visual and kinesthetics. by taking these into account, each student's opportunity in the classroom is maximized. differentiated instruction presupposes the possibility of tackling diversity in a studentcentered manner by making them feel appreciated and believing in their abilities. several studies that have been conducted prove that di helps students to improve their achievements in learning english (ismail, 2019; hussein, 2021; rumkoda, 2022; mehany, 2022; jufrianto et al., 2023; purnamaningwulan, 2024; azimah, 2024). the studies found that implementing differentiated instruction in listening, speaking, reading, and writing enhanced students' performance in those areas. in order to implement differentiated instruction in the classroom successfully, it is essential for teachers to have solid understanding of the concept and its strategies because without the knowledge base, it might be difficult to implement it appropriately. however, there are still some teachers who don’t have adequate knowledge about differentiated instruction resulted in poor of its implementation in the teaching process (shareefa, 2019; mengistie, 2020; kyeremeh et al., 2022; mohammed, 2020; endeshaw, 2023; suprayogi, 2021). the difficulties of implementing differentiated instruction due to teacher’s lack of understanding are showed in those research. other study done by zelalem & melesse (2022) investigated educators' self-efficacy and perceived differentiated instruction in ethiopian primary teacher education programs. their findings demonstrated that the majority of teachers had received no training in differentiated instruction and hence had insufficient understanding to implement it appropriately. in the previous studies, it shows clearly that teachers’ understanding of differentiated instruction has major effects toward their teaching practice. according to the previous studies, implementing differentiated instruction in english class improved the students’ achievement and increased the students’ autonomy. however, there are still some english teachers who don’t have adequate knowledge about differentiated instruction resulted in poor of its implementation in the teaching process. in comparison to prior research, there were limited studies conducted to investigate english teachers’ understanding and implementation of differentiated instruction conducted at vocational high schools’ level. as a result, the current study will investigate more about english teachers’ understanding and implementation of differentiated instruction at vocational high schools in pariaman. smk 1 and 2 pariaman were chosen for this study because only these two vocational schools are designated as pusat keunggulan (center of excellence) where these two vocational schools serve as models for other vocational schools in implementing merdeka curriculum based on differentiated instruction in pariaman. smk 1 has used differentiated instruction in teaching english for about three years, while smk 2 has been using it for nearly four years. based on the study's the background, this study intends to answer the following research issues. (1) how is teachers’ understanding of differentiated instruction? (2) how do teachers implement differentiated instruction as a teaching approach in the classroom? method this study falls under the category of descriptive qualitative research. descriptive qualitative research seeks to describe a phenomenon and its characteristics. according to maria (2024), qualitative research tries to explore deeply into the research environment in order to understand how things are, why they are that way, and how the participants in the context view them (pasque, 2023; crabtee, 2023; okoko, 2023). this research was carried out at two vocational english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 925 schools in pariaman that use differentiated instruction in teaching english. the participants were five english teachers from both schools namely two english teachers from smk 1 pariaman and three english teachers from smk 2 pariaman. they were chosen using purposive sampling. participants from smk 1 have implemented differentiated in teaching english approximately three years, whereas participants from smk 2 have participated differentiated instruction in teaching english for nearly four years. the data were collected through interview and observation checklists. the interview was conducted face to face and it was audio recorded to investigate teachers’ understanding of differentiated instruction. while the observation was carried out in each participants’ classroom and was video recorded to probe teachers’ implementation of differentiated instruction. the data of the interview and observation were examined and categorized and organized into primary topics of teachers’ understanding and implementation of differentiated instruction. the observation checklist and interview data were utilized to gather information about english teachers understanding, implementation and challenges of differentiated instruction. gay and airasian (2000) define data analysis as a five-step process in analyzing observation checklist, interview data and artifacts. however, the data examined in this study were only based on observation checklist and interview data. the first step was managing the data. the data were organized and examined for its completeness before beginning the process of analyzing and interpreting the data. it involves verifying the observation checklist and transcribing interviews. the second step was reading. to obtain a sense of the data, the observation checklist results and interview transcripts were studied in order to familiarize with the data acquired. the third step was describing. comprehensive descriptions of the phenomena studied were depicted thoroughly. the fourth step was classifying. sorting the observation checklist and interview transcriptions into groups representing various features of the material. the data were categorized and organized into primary topics of teachers' understanding, implementation and challenges in applying differentiated instruction. the final step was interpreting. interpretation was carried out after the data collection, analysis, and interpretive stages of the study. the process of writing the study's findings also includes interpretation. finally, analyzed data about teachers' understanding, implementation and challenges of differentiated instruction were obtained. results and discussion rq 1: how is the teachers’ understanding of differentiated instruction? the data analysis from interview revealed that the teachers understood the concept of differentiated instruction and knew how to identify their students’ needs by applying the assessment from the beginning, during and at the end of the lesson. however, the teachers did not fully understand how to differentiate content based on students’ interest during their teaching and learning process. the concept of differentiated instruction when asked about their opinions on the notion of differentiated instruction during the interview, all teachers’ responses indicated that they understood the concept of differentiated instruction. they stated that because each student was unique and had distinct needs, instruction must be tailored to the students' varying needs in order to meet the lesson's objectives. furthermore, they stated that there were three approaches to differentiate the curriculum which were based on the students' abilities, interests, and learning styles. they were familiar with differentiated instruction because of the twice-yearly training held in their schools and they found more information through surfing on the internet and through social media platform like tiktok, and youtube. as teacher 3 remarked that: “this differentiated learning is a part of the merdeka curriculum which has been implemented at our school for four years. the merdeka curriculum itself emphasizes studentcentered learning. so, we have to adjust the learning based on students' interests, ability and learning styles in order to make the final goal or objective can be achieved and when they are learning, they feel that they are not forced to do that and they feel happy because what we provide is in accordance with what they want. thus, this differentiated learning is what fits into the concept of merdeka curriculum. differentiation itself means difference. so, each student is not the same, they are different, so in the process of teaching and learning, it must be implemented differently. that's according to my understanding.” (teacher 3) furthermore, teacher 2 stated that differentiated instruction focused on the students’ needs and that each student had their own risnanda & yuli tiarina understanding and implementation of differentiated instruction by english teachers at vocational high schools in pariaman 926 weaknesses and strengths, as well as their interests and learning styles when it came to understanding the lessons. she believed that differentiated instruction was the best strategy to deal with the students’ diverse needs. while teacher 1 elaborated on how students had their own manner of understanding the material. she commented that some students were visual, audio and kinesthetic and teacher had to adjust their teaching strategies to cope with these aspects. furthermore, one of the characteristics of differentiated instruction is the flexible grouping where the students can be grouped based on their reading ability, interests and learning styles. as mentioned by teacher 4: “in merdeka curriculum, which is based on differentiated instruction, it is regulated that the students can be grouped based on their level of ability, interests, and learning styles.” (teacher 4) furthermore, all teachers were familiar with the concept of differentiated instruction because they learnt about it during teacher training held twice a year in their schools. they also looked for the information on google and social media platforms such as tiktok and youtube, as well as source books that discussed differentiated instruction and pmm. pmm is a site that allows teachers to search for information about the implementation of differentiated instruction in merdeka curriculum. identify the students’ needs through assessment the interview results revealed that all teachers assessed their students' needs by administering a diagnostic test at the beginning of the semester or at the beginning of the lesson. during the teaching process, teachers observed and administered tests to assess the students' understanding before and after learning new materials. in differentiated instruction, diagnostic test is held at the beginning of the semester or the beginning of the new unit or a new material of a lesson to know the students’ needs before implementing the lesson. as teacher 5 explained that she got the information about her students’ needs by carrying out a diagnostic test at the beginning of the semester followed by interview. she also did the test every time she taught a new material to know their students’ abilities in understanding the materials. similarly, teacher 2 and teacher 4 conducted the same method to get the students’ information and adapt it to their lesson. furthermore, teacher 1 stated that she knew her students' needs through observation and interaction with them, and she also provided her students tests and quizzes to assess their understanding of the materials. “i know the students' needs by observing and interacting with them in the classroom. i also use tests and quizzes to evaluate students' understanding of the lesson material before and after i provide the material. so, from those data, i can tell that this student is one of those whose abilities are still low or medium and above average. likewise with this students’ learning style. later during the process, we can see that this student tends to be kinesthetic, audio or visual.” (teacher 1) teacher 3 stated that she found it difficult to understand the needs of her students. however, she was able to gain it through the test and observation she conducted before and during the learning process. “knowing students' needs is a challenge because i teach in many classes. this semester, i teach seven classes. one class has 30 to 35 students. remembering each students’ interests, ability levels and learning style is a bit difficult for me. but as a teacher it is something that is mandatory. we have to get to know our students so that we can provide material that fits with their needs. i tried to do it by observing my students during the lesson and as i previously stated, at the beginning of the semester, our school will conduct a diagnostic test to identify the students' requirements.” (teacher 3) the teachers proposed that they identify their students' requirements by administering a diagnostic test at the beginning of the semester or each unit. furthermore, during the lesson, teachers observed and engaged with their students and administered a test to learn more about their students' strengths and shortcomings, which would be used to plan their instruction. the implementation of differentiated instruction content according to the interview data, the teachers differentiated the content based on students' ability levels and learning styles. three teachers stated that they differentiated the content based solely on the students' ability level, whereas two differentiated based on both the students' ability levels and learning styles. they differentiated the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 927 text presented to the students’ ability levels by paying attention to the complexity of the words and accommodated students’ learning styles by providing them with audio, video and visual media. for instance, teacher 3 stated that: “when it comes to differentiating the content, i differentiate it based on the students’ ability levels and learning styles. for example, in class 11 the first material is narrative text. there are many models or types of narrative text. then, to provide the material, we differentiate the reading text according to the students’ ability level. the students are divided into three types of groups which are low, average and advance. so, the texts given are differentiated based on the language class. for the low-level students, perhaps the choice of vocabulary is easy for them to understand according to their abilities. likewise for average students or students who are above the average level and when varying the content based on students' learning styles, the content might be presented in the form of video, audio, and visual.” (teacher 3) similarly, teacher 1 stated that she differentiated the content based on both the students' skill levels and their learning preferences. when determining students' ability levels based on content, she changed the text to students' vocabulary mastery, while in accommodating students' learning styles in content, she employed media such as video, audio, and visual. furthermore, three other teachers frequently differentiated the content based on students’ ability level. teacher 5 believed it would be easier for the students to understand the content if she differentiated it based on the students’ level of ability. moreover, teacher 2 thought it was easier for her to differentiate the content based on the student's ability level because she knew their students' ability through a test that was done at the beginning of the semester and she regularly did the test at the beginning of the new material to check her students' mastery level of the topic. most teachers differentiated their content based on students’ ability levels because they had already known their students’ level of ability from the diagnostic test administered at the beginning of the semester and they thought it would be easier for the students to understand the content if they differentiated based on their level of ability. process when asked how the teachers differentiated the process, four teachers responded that the activities that the students did were tailored based on the content. for example, if the content differentiated based on students’ ability levels and the activities in the process would likewise be differentiated accordingly. while one teacher differentiated the process based on students’ learning styles. “in the process, of course, it also adapts to what i was explained earlier which is from the content. for example, if i differentiate the content in terms of the students’ ability levels, the selection of texts and exercises will be adjusted to the student's ability levels.” (teacher 1) furthermore, teacher 2, 4 and 5 shared similar opinions with teacher 1 on how they differentiated the process. teacher 5 stated if she differentiated the content based on the students’ ability levels, then she also differentiated the exercises based on their ability levels. she provided the students with different text based on their ability levels and asked them to find the generic structure of the text and answer the questions and she sometimes varied the number of questions. teachers 2 and 4 indicated that during the exercises, students would be divided into three groups: low, moderate, and advanced. on the other hand, teacher 3 preferred to differentiate the process based on the students' learning styles. she stated that the students were pleased if she diversified the activity based on their learning preferences. “as for the process, it's more about the main activities. i differentiate it based on students’ learning styles which means i provide the way they want to learn. in terms of learning styles, there are three categories. there are audio, visual and kinesthetic. then there are also combination ones, some are audio visual, audio kinesthetic or visual kinesthetic.” (teacher 3) in general, it can be said that most teachers differentiated the process referred to the content differentiation. if the content was differentiated based on students’ ability level, then so were the process or the activities. product according to the interview results, most teachers preferred to differentiate the product based on the students' learning styles and interests. teacher 2, 3 and 5 preferred to differentiate the product based on students’ learning styles and interests. teacher 3 exemplified that if the risnanda & yuli tiarina understanding and implementation of differentiated instruction by english teachers at vocational high schools in pariaman 928 students studied narrative text, the students whose learning styles were kinesthetic could create a work in the form of drama and performed it. audio students could practice the dialogue and recorded it and for the visual students they could make the story in the cartoon form or comic. furthermore, for product based on students’ interests, she presented the students with several topics and asked them to select one that captured their interests. in selecting the modes of presentation, teacher 1 offered the decision to the students whether they wanted to make video presentation, demonstrate it or they wanted to make a video report. in choosing whether they wanted to work alone or to work in the group, teacher 2 gave the freedom for their students to present the product in the group or they wanted to present it individually. beside differentiating the product based on the students’ learning styles, teacher 4 added that she also differentiated the product based on the students’ ability level. she would reduce the concept of the assignments to slow students and gave more challenging assessment to advanced students. in conclusion, most teachers chose to differentiate the product based on their students' learning styles and interests. furthermore, students were allowed to choose who they wished to collaborate with while presenting their product. rq 2 : how do teachers use differentiated instruction as a teaching approach in the classroom? teachers’ implementation of differentiated instruction teacher 1 from smk 1 pariaman on the day of observation, teacher 1 taught grade 11 students majoring in modeling design and building information. the hortatory exposition served as the topic. she tailored the content according to students’ ability level. the process was followed by differentiation, in which students were assigned different texts based on their reading ability level and instructed to read, mark the generic structure, and answer the questions in order to grasp the material. there was no differentiation of the product components. until the end of the class, the students and the teacher discussed the previous tasks that had been done by the students, followed by reviewing what had been studied from the beginning. teacher 2 from smk 1 pariaman teacher 2 was observed while she was teaching grade 10 grade of motorcycle engineering major. the subject of the material was procedural text. teacher 2 varied the content according to the students' learning styles. she shared the content, which included video, audio, and a powerpoint presentation via the student's whatsapp group. students studied materials in three groups: audio, visual, and kinesthetic. during the activity, the students were divided into three groups based on their skill level: low achieving, moderate, and advanced students. each group's text and questions are different. there was no evidence of differentiation in the output, which required students to generate or demonstrate their understanding of the information. teacher 3 from smk 2 pariaman teacher 3 taught 10 grade students of hospitality major on the day of observation. the topic was about procedure text. the content was differentiated according to their level of ability. each group has different reading text about the procedure text. during the process of doing the task, they were grouped into three group which were low, middle and advanced students. the differentiation on the product is based on their learning style which means the students demonstrated their understanding using different modes which were through audio, video or presentation. teacher 4 from smk 2 pariaman teacher 4 taught 10 grade students of hospitality major on the day of observation. the topic was about recount text. the content was differentiated according to their level of ability. each group has different reading text about the procedure text. during the process of doing the task, they were grouped into three group which were low, middle and advanced students. the differentiation on the product is based on their learning style which means the students demonstrated their understanding using different modes which were through audio, video or presentation. teacher 5 from smk 2 pariaman on the observation day, teacher 5 taught 10 grade students majoring in marketing. the topic was procedure text. she differentiated the content based on the students’ ability level. the teaching aids to help the students understand the material only limited to the printed form. during the activities, the students were asked to discussed the text in their group and they also answered several english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 929 questions in order to understand the materials. finally, for the product, teacher 5 asked the students to make simple writing of procedure text and the topic was based on the students’ interests. to address research question one on teachers’ understanding of differentiated instruction, the study's findings were discussed. the discussion covered the sub-themes of the concept of differentiated instruction, identify the students’ needs through assessment and the implementation of differentiated instruction. the research discovered that all teachers grasped the concept of differentiated instruction and recognized that students learn differently. during the interview, five teachers used similar definitions of the term, such as student diversity in terms of ability, interests, and learning styles, and adapted the curriculum based on these differences. the findings were consistent with talain's (2023) study on the attitudes of differentiated instruction among english language teachers in quezon province. talain discovered that most teachers understood the concept of differentiated instruction, which is about meeting students' needs by adapting instruction to their level of ability, interests, and learning styles. furthermore, the findings were consistent with another study conducted by mutmainah (2023) on english teachers at the junior high school level in indonesia. mutmainah discovered that most teachers thought that differentiated instruction involved teachers varying their teaching strategies based on student differences. this is consistent with tomlinson's (2001) theory, which states that in a differentiated teaching approach, instruction about content, process, and product is differentiated based on students' readiness, interest, and learning profiles. the research discovered that all teachers grasped the concept of differentiated instruction and recognized that students learn differently. during the interview, five teachers used similar definitions of the term, such as student diversity in terms of ability, interests, and learning styles, and adapted the curriculum based on these differences. the findings were consistent with partami et al., 2019; pozas et al., 2019; hasanah, 2022; talain, 2023; mutmainah, 2023. before applying differentiated instruction in the teaching and learning process, teachers must first assess their students' requirements so that the curriculum may be tailored to them. according to the interview findings, the teachers knew how to determine their students' needs by administering a pre-assessment test at the beginning of the semester or the beginning of the course unit. during the lesson, the students were observed in order to see how they were improving. at the end of the class, exams or quizzes were administered to assess the student's understanding of the topic. several studies also showed that in differentiated instruction, the teachers conducted the assessment before, in the process and after teaching to obtain the students’ needs (arzaq et al., 2023; kholid, 2024; nazial, 2024). differentiated assessment is a continuous process in which teachers collect data before, during, and after teaching to determine each learner's needs and capabilities (chapman & king, 2013; salend, 2019; firmansyah & sudibyo, 2021; yani, 2023). after acquiring information about the requirements of the students, teachers can differentiate the curriculum, which includes the content, process, and product of their teaching and learning. according to the findings, four teachers differentiated the content based on students' ability level, with each group receiving a different text based on their level of ability, while one teacher differentiated the content based on students' ability level and learning style. the majority of teachers differentiated the approach related to the content differentiation. if the content was differentiated based on the skill level of the students, so would the process be. three teachers differentiated the product based on students' learning styles, one based on students' interests, and one based on students' skill level. content, process, and product cannot be differentiated just on the basis of students' learning abilities; they must also be differentiated according to their interests and learning styles. differentiating students interests and learning styles can boost their motivation to learn (glass, 2009; ismail, 2019; magdalena, 2020; getie, 2020; herwina, 2021). thus, it is preferable for teachers to include students' interests when varying the content in order to engage them with the learning materials. based on the implementation of differentiated instruction in the classroom, the teachers differentiated the content based on students’ ability levels and learning styles. they divided the content based on length and language level of the texts. the text given to the low-achieving students was the shortest of the three groups; the middle group got an average length of material, and the advanced students had the longest content. the findings were similar to halim's (2022) study, in which the teacher presented text of varying lengths to provide students different ability levels. risnanda & yuli tiarina understanding and implementation of differentiated instruction by english teachers at vocational high schools in pariaman 930 while in differentiating the content-based students’ learning styles, the teachers provided the students with audio, video and power point materials. in presenting the content, the technology used to support the class was confined to a projector that solely displayed visuals. only one out of five teachers employed a variety of media, including pictures, video, and audio. the use of media in differentiated instruction is critical because teachers must address a variety of students' needs, particularly those related to their learning styles. teachers who give content to groups of students in a variety of ways are aware of students' learning preferences (noviska, 2023; madu, 2023; al-kha’leh, 2020). some students like to study by looking at pictures, diagrams, and charts, while others learn more quickly by watching videos and others like to listen to grasp the materials. furthermore, to support the lesson based on students' interests, teachers must give numerous links to materials so that students can access materials that are relevant to their interests. to be able to access those materials, each member of the group must have a laptop and use it jointly rather than their personal phones. during the process, the teachers designed the assignments based on content differentiation, which means the activities were also tailored to the students' ability levels and learning styles. in the activity that differentiated based on students' ability levels, the students in each group were asked to marked the text generic structure of the text and answered the questions according to their text content. in differentiating the process according to the students’ learning styles, one teacher asked the students to note the material that they got from the video, audio and power point slides. while the other teacher asked the audio students to present materials in front of the class, the visual group explained it by writing on the whiteboard and the kinesthetic group modeled the example of the dialogue. the data revealed that three teachers differentiated the product based on students' learning styles and interests. while two other teachers did not distinguish the product on the day of the observation. in order to differentiate the product based on students' learning styles, the teacher let the students choose the method of presentation for their products, whether it was video, audio, or visual. teacher 5 differentiated the product based on the students’ interests by requesting the students to create a product by writing simple procedural text based on their interests and provided them the opportunity to select the topic they wanted to create. the students made it individually. similar to teacher 5, teacher 3 also differentiated the product based on students’ interests. the teacher asked the students to work in pairs and make the dialogue by choosing one of the topics she had provided. the students were given the freedom to choose their partner and the teacher allowed the students to just read the dialogue from their book or memorized it. conclusion this study explored teachers understanding of differentiated instruction and the implementation of the approach in the classroom. the study was conducted at two vocational schools in pariaman: smk 1 and smk 2. data was gathered through interviews and classroom observations. the first finding concerned teachers' understanding of differentiated instruction. teachers grasped the concept of differentiated instruction and how to identify their students' needs by conducting assessments at the beginning of the semester, during the teaching and learning process, and at the end of each class session. furthermore, the interview revealed that most teachers differed content depending on the student's ability levels and learning styles, while the majority differentiated process linked to content differentiation. teachers differentiated the product according to students' learning styles, interests, and ability level. the second was the implementation of differentiated instruction in the classroom. the teachers differentiated the lesson content according to their students' ability levels and learning styles. during the learning process, the teachers assigned activities based on content differentiation. in the product differentiation, two teachers differentiated the product based on the student's interests, while one differentiated it based on the students' learning styles. two other teachers did not differentiate the product. due to the limitation of observation that were only conducted once, the results of product differences were not particularly obvious to these two teachers. due to the limits of observation that were only conducted once, the results of product differences were not particularly obvious. based on the findings of a study undertaken to assess english teachers understanding of differentiated instruction and the implementation at vocational schools, the following recommendations are english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 931 made: the english teacher could learn more about how to implement differentiated instruction including how to differentiate content, process, and product based on students' ability levels, interests, and learning styles, more seminars will be held to address differentiated instruction, specifically for english teachers. this will help teachers plan and deliver lessons more effectively and while the findings of this study provide valuable insights into teacher's understanding and the implementation of differentiated instruction, further research could explore from the students' perception of the differentiated instruction approach references abramova, g. s., & mashoshina, v. s. (2021). on differentiation strategies in the efl mixed ability classroom: towards promoting the synergistic learning environment. european journal of contemporary, 10(3), 558-573. https://doi.org/10.13187/ejced.2021.3.558 al-khaza’leh, b., & mohammed i. a. (2020). matching the students’ learning preferences with teacher’s teaching methods: the case of international efl students in malaysia. journal of education in black sea region, 5(2), 4250. doi: 10.31578/jebs.v5i2.198 arzaq, m. y., & mahmudah, u. (2023). implementation of diagnostic assessment in differentiation learning in the independent curriculum at msi 17 customs pekalongan city. aiciel journal, 85-92. https://ftk.uinbanten.ac.id/journals/index.php/ai ciel/article/view/9697 azimah, i., & sujannah, w. d. (2024). the effect of differentiated learning on efl students’ reading skills. didaktika: jurnal kependidikan, 13 (1), 937-946. https://jurnaldidaktika.org/ chapman, c., & king, r. (2012). differentiated assessment strategies. sage. crabtree, benjamin f & miller, william l. (2023). doing qualitative research, 3rd edition. thousand oaks, sage. danley, a., & williams, c. (2020). choice in learning: differentiating instruction in the college classroom. insight: a journal of scholarly teaching, 15, 83–104. endeshaw, a. d. (2023). examining efl teachers’ knowledge, attitudes and perceived practices of differentiated instruction in english classrooms. jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 42(3), 760-770. doi: https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v42i3.49953 firmanzah, d., & sudibyo, e. (2021). implementation of diagnostic assessment in science learning during the covid-19 pandemic in junior high school / junior high school in the menganti region, gresik. pensa e-journal: science education, 9(2), 165–170. getie, a. s. (2020). factors affecting the attitudes of students towards learning english as a foreign language. cogent education, 7(1), 1–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.173818 4 gheyssens, e., coubergs, c., griful-freixenet, j., engels, n., & struyven, k. (2020c). differentiated instruction: the diversity of teachers’ philosophy and practice to adapt teaching to students’ interests, readiness and learning profles. international journal of inclusive education, 26, 1383. glass, k. t. (2009). lesson design for differentiated instruction, grades 4-9. sage. halim, a. (2022). a case study on teaching english with differentiated instructions at a junior high school in taiwan. journal of language education, 5(1), 136-153. http://dx.doi.org/10.20414/edulangue.v5i1.5130 hasanah, e.et al. (2022). conceptual model of differentiated-instruction (di) based on teachers’ experiences in indonesia. education sciences journal, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100650 herwina, w. (2021). optimalisasi kebutuhan murid dan hasil belajar dengan pembelajaran berdiferensiasi. perspektif ilmu pendidikan, 35(2), 175–182. https://doi.org/10.21009/pip.352.10 hussein, a. (2021). the effectiveness of differentiated instruction in improving bahraini efl secondary school students in reading comprehension skills. journal of research and innovation in language, 3(2), 135-145. https://doi.org/10.31849/reila.v3i2.6816 ismail, m. i. h., & azlina, a. a. (2019). ts25 school teachers’ perceptions of differentiated learning in diverse esl classrooms. journal of education and social sciences, 13(1), 95–107. ismail, s. (2019). impact of differentiated instruction on the writing process of esl learners. annual research journal, 21(may), https://www.academia.edu/download/62624248 /elf differentiated_instructions2020033137436-1ojowen.pdf. jufrianto, m et al. (2023). differentiated instruction in improving senior high school students’ reading comprehension level. journal of learning and development studies, 3(2), 1-9. doi: 10.32996/jlds kemdikbud. (2022a). kurikulum merdeka. kurikulum merdeka: keleluasaan pendidikan dan pembelajaran http://kurikulum.kemdikbud.go.id/kurikulummerdeka/ kholid, b. (2024). implementing diagnostic assessment in designing differentiated learning for english language learning at the junior high schools. journal of language and literature studies, 4(2), 445-458. https://doi.org/10.13187/ejced.2021.3.558 https://ftk.uinbanten.ac.id/journals/index.php/aiciel/article/view/9697 https://ftk.uinbanten.ac.id/journals/index.php/aiciel/article/view/9697 https://jurnaldidaktika.org/ https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v42i3.49953 http://dx.doi.org/10.20414/edulangue.v5i1.5130 https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100650 https://doi.org/10.31849/reila.v3i2.6816 http://kurikulum.kemdikbud.go.id/kurikulum-merdeka/ http://kurikulum.kemdikbud.go.id/kurikulum-merdeka/ risnanda & yuli tiarina understanding and implementation of differentiated instruction by english teachers at vocational high schools in pariaman 932 https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v4i2.1934 kotob, m., & arnouss, d. (2019). differentiated instruction: the effect on learner’s achievement in kindergarten. international journal of contemporary education, 2(2), 61. https://doi.org/10.11114/ijce.v2i2.4479. kyeremeh, p. et al. (2022). in-service mathematics teachers’ knowledge of differentiated instruction. journal of research and advances in mathematics education, 7 (2), 64-76. doi: 10.23917/jramathedu.v7i2.16863 lahman, m. k.e. (2024). an introduction to qualitative research. thousand oaks. madhu, s., & bhattachryya, d. (2023). learning styles preferences among the students. international journal for multidisciplinary research, 5 (1), 1-12. https://www.ijfmr.com/ magdalena, i., septina, y., az-zahra, r., & pratiwi, a. d. (2020). cara mengembangkan bakat peserta didik. bintang : jurnal pendidikan dan sains, 2, 278–287. mehany, a. a. a. (2022). differentiated instruction to develop al-azhar students’ writing fluency. international research journal of science, technology, education, and management, 2 (1), 27-38. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6496744 mengistie, s. m. (2020). primary school teachers’ knowledge, attitude and practice of differentiated instruction: the case of inservice teacher-trainees of debre markos college of teacher education, west gojjam zone, amhara region, ethiopia. 12 (1). 98-114. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1249555.pdf mohammed, a. a. (2020). early grade teachers knowledge, attitude and practice of differentiated instruction in selected schools in a municipality in the upper west region of ghana. international journal of science and research (ijsr), 10 (12), 746-751. doi: 10.21275/sr211206215834 mutmainah. (2023). english teachers’ perceptions and practices of differentiated instruction (di) in merdeka curriculum. linguistics, english education and art (leea) journal. 7(1). 151171. https://doi.org/10.31539/leea.v7i1.8261 nazilah, a. s. (2024). diagnostic assessment in differentiated learning: supporting learners' needs for improved learning achievement. research journal on teacher professional development, 2(1), 8792. neuvirthova, d., & gadušová, z. (2021). differentiated instruction strategies in efl classroom: a case study. https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2021.1624 noviska, d.w & anastasia, f. (2023). students’ learning styles (vrak model) in learning english. didaktika: jurnal kependidikan, 17(1), 58 – 70. https://doi.org/10.30863/didaktika.v17i1.4132 okoko, j. m. et al. (2023). varieties of qualitative research methods. springer partami, p.i et al. (2019). differentiated instruction in multicultural classroom of primary years programme in gandhi memorial intercontinental school – bali. jurnal pendidikan bahasa inggris indonesia, 7 (1), 111. https://ejournalpasca.undiksha.ac.id/index.php/jpbi/article/view /2717 pasque, penny a. (2023). advancing culturally responsive research and researchers qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods. routledge pozas, m. et al. (2019). teachers and differentiated instruction: exploring differentiation practices to address student diversity. journal of research in special educational needs, 10 (1), 1-14. doi: 10.1111/1471-3802.12481 purnamaningwulan, rina astuti. (2024). evaluating the efficacy of differentiated instruction in efl speaking classes: a classroom action research study. veles journal. 8(1), 186-196. http://dx.doi.org/10.29408/veles.v8i1.25419 putra, i. m. y. t. (2021). implementasi pembelajaran flipped classroom berbasis strategi diferensiasi untuk meningkatkan keterampilan berpikir kritis peserta didik. indonesian journal of educational development https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5681318 roberts, j. l., & inman, t. f. (2023). strategies for differentiating instruction : best practices for the classroom. routledge rumkoda, e. s., & alinda, m. (2022). using differentiated instruction strategy to improve students’ speaking skill at tenth grade of students in seminary maria bunda segala bangsa senior high school in the academic year of 2021/2022. edinupa journal. 3(2), 5263. https://edunipa.nusanipa.ac.id/index.php/ednp/a rticle/viewfile/86/48 salend, s. j. (2019). assessment in special education: a practical approach (5th ed.). pearson. shareefa, m. (2019). differentiated instruction: definition and challenging factors perceived by teachers. advances in social science, education and humanities research journal. 388. 322327. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/4.0/ sousa, d. a., and tomlinson, c. a. (2018). differentiation and the brain: how neuroscience supports the learner-friendly classroom. solution tree. suprayogi, m. n., valcke, m., & mohamed, z. (2021). differentiated instruction in public and private schools in indonesia. proceedings of the 3rd international conference on social sciences, laws, arts and humanities, 36–44. https://doi.org/10.5220/0009999600360044 https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v4i2.1934 https://doi.org/10.11114/ijce.v2i2.4479 https://www.ijfmr.com/ https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6496744 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1249555.pdf https://doi.org/10.31539/leea.v7i1.8261 https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2021.1624 https://doi.org/10.30863/didaktika.v17i1.4132 https://ejournal-pasca.undiksha.ac.id/index.php/jpbi/article/view/2717 https://ejournal-pasca.undiksha.ac.id/index.php/jpbi/article/view/2717 https://ejournal-pasca.undiksha.ac.id/index.php/jpbi/article/view/2717 http://dx.doi.org/10.29408/veles.v8i1.25419 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5681318 https://edunipa.nusanipa.ac.id/index.php/ednp/article/viewfile/86/48 https://edunipa.nusanipa.ac.id/index.php/ednp/article/viewfile/86/48 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 933 talain, allan a. (2023). teachers’ perspective on the use of differentiated instruction for english language teaching. the normal lights. 17(2). 1-29. http://dx.doi.org/10.56278/tnl.v17i2.2152 tomlinson, carol ann. (2021). so each may soar: the principles and practices of learner-centered classrooms. association for supervision and curriculum development (ascd) weber, c., et al. (2021). differentiating instruction for gifted learners: a case studies approach. taylor and francis yani, d., muhanal, s., & mashfufah, a. (2023). implementation of diagnostic assessment to determine student learning style profiles in differentiated learning in elementary schools. journal of educational innovation and technology jurinotep, 1(3), 241–360. zelalem, a., melesse, s., & seifu, a. (2022). teacher educators’ self-efficacy and perceived practices of differentiated instruction in ethiopian primary teacher education programs: teacher education colleges in amhara regional state in focus. cogent education, 9(1), 1-22 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2021.201890 9 http://dx.doi.org/10.56278/tnl.v17i2.2152 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2021.2018909 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2021.2018909 risnanda & yuli tiarina understanding and implementation of differentiated instruction by english teachers at vocational high schools in pariaman 934 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 779 ai integration in english language teaching: insights into esp teachers’ views and readiness latifa ika sari1, ria hermina sari2 1port and shipping management department, politeknik ilmu pelayaran semarang, semarang, indonesia 2nautical studies department, politeknik ilmu pelayaran semarang, semarang, indonesia corresponding author: latifa.ika@gmail.com apa citation: sari, l. i., & sari, r. h. (2025). ai integration in english language teaching: insights into esp teachers’ views and readiness. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 779792. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11505 received: 27-02-2025 accepted: 16-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 abstract: this study investigates english teachers’ perspectives on the integration of ai tools in language teaching, focusing on the benefits, negative sides, usage, readiness, and barriers they face. a qualitative approach was employed, utilizing an open-ended questionnaire distributed to 30 english teachers in higher vocational institutions in indonesia. the thematic analysis of their responses reveals several findings. teachers recognize ai's potential to support personalized learning, enhance skill development, and assist in lesson planning. however, concerns about over-reliance on ai and the lack of human interaction were also highlighted. additionally, the study identifies barriers such as inadequate training, infrastructure limitations, and ethical concerns. teachers emphasized the need for professional development programs, including technical training, ai integration in pedagogy, and ethical guidance. institutional support in providing access to ai resources and managing workloads is also critical. the study suggests a balanced integration of traditional methods and ai-driven approaches. keywords: artificial intelligence (ai), english language teaching, teachers’ perspectives. introduction the digital age has greatly affected all aspects of human life, including education. today’s students, especially generation z and the upcoming generation alpha are technology-literate and digitally connected. therefore, education must embrace technology as a significant part of students' lives. it is important to acknowledge that learning nowadays can happen not only in classrooms but also in a wider, technology-driven environment (tobing et al., 2023). the integration of artificial intelligence (ai) into education has received widespread recognition in recent times. ai refers to the ability of digital systems to perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence. ai technologies might cover computer vision, speech recognition, machine learning, big data, and natural language processing. in the context of education, these technologies are transforming the teaching and learning process, including teaching methods and strategies, student learning, assessment, as well as lesson administration (chiu et al., 2023). ouyang and jiao (2021) discuss three paradigms that explain the different roles of ai in education. the first paradigm suggests that ai can direct learning and views learners as recipients. in this paradigm, the ai system manages the learning process by delivering content in a particular structure and directing learners to achieve predefined learning objectives. the second paradigm perceives ai as a supporter of learning, and students act as collaborators. this model highlights the collaborative interaction between learners and the ai system, promoting a personalized and learner-focused experience. the ai functions as an assistant, gathering and analyzing data from learners to adjust and enhance their learning. the last paradigm emphasizes the role of ai as an empowering tool and considers learners as leaders. it sees education as a dynamic and interconnected system where learners, teachers, information, and technology must work together. in english language teaching (elt), the integration of modern applications, devices, and technological advancements into the classroom is latifa ika sari, ria hermina sari ai integration in english language teaching: insights into esp teachers’ views and readiness 780 crucial to enhance the teaching and learning process. the use of computers and smart devices can facilitate english teachers to find, organize, and adjust learning materials that can improve students’ learning experience (mijwil et al., 2023). the role of technology, particularly ai, in elt is significant. ai is said to be able to solve problems and complete tasks to meet specific goals without direct human input (healey, 2020). ai tools provide opportunities for learning that are more personalized, flexible, inclusive, and engaging (luckin et al., 2016). english teachers can use smart platforms to create customized lesson plans aligned with the curriculum and learning goals, while also monitoring students' progress in learning. these platforms allow teachers to track student performance in real time, enabling them to provide specific guidance and feedback, which boosts teaching effectiveness. additionally, these resources support collaborative teaching, overcoming traditional classroom limitations such as time, space, and access. students can get many advantages, explore new learning methods, and engage in active communication (yin, 2021). thanks to technology, learning can become more interactive, supportive, and adaptable for students. son, ružić, and philpott (2023) outline various ai technologies that can be utilized to enhance language learning. nlp enables machines to understand human language and has become a valuable tool for language learning. it supports applications like machine translation, where a source language is automatically converted into a target language (s. m. lee, 2021). nlp could provide information for teachers on how textual features impact learners. this can guide them in selecting texts more effectively and designing lessons at different learning stages (monteiro & kim, 2020). a study conducted by pérez-paredes, ordoñana guillamón, and aguado jiménez (2018) involving 230 teachers in spain and the uk to assess their use and perceptions of nlp technologies as open educational resources (oers) revealed that teachers had limited knowledge of these technologies, which has caused inadequate utilization. according to their findings, online dictionaries and spell checkers are the most recognized tools by teachers. ddl relies on corpora to provide learners with authentic linguistic data which can encourage them to examine patterns in their target language (pérezparedes, 2022). research has explored practical applications of ddl, such as using corpus data for essay writing correction (tono et al., 2014), scientific report writing (crosthwaite & steeples, 2024), and extensive reading (hadley & charles, 2017). tono, satake, and miura (2014) examined how corpus data are useful in writing correction and argued that overdependency in the use of the tools to correct writing is not advisable. in scientific report writing, crosthwaite and steeples (2024) found that ddl training could improve productive knowledge but not metalinguistic knowledge. hadley and charles (2017) discovered that using a ddl approach to enhance reading speed and lexicogrammatical knowledge in lowproficiency students led to less improvement compared to traditional methods. thus, they recommended a more structured and supportive ddl approach tailored to the needs of these learners. awe provides students with feedback on their written work and helps them identify error types (c. lee, 2020; li et al., 2017; ranalli, 2018; n. zhai & ma, 2022). chukharev-hudilainen and saricaoglu (2016) demonstrated the effectiveness of automated causal discourse analyzers for evaluating essays by esl students. however, saricaoglu (2019) found no improvement in causal explanations among 31 esl students using the tool. this indicates the need for teacher training to improve pedagogical strategies and combine feedback from teachers and the tool. this is supported by han and sari (2024) who observed better improvement in an experimental group of efl students using both automated and teacher feedback compared to those relying solely on teacher feedback. studies on awe tools, such as grammarly, emphasize the impacts of teacher attitudes and skills on effective implementation (koltovskaia, 2023; link et al., 2014). these tools promote student autonomy, as noted by link et al. (2014), who highlighted their benefits outside the classroom, and (barrot, 2023), who found that grammarly's automated written corrective feedback fosters autonomous learning. in a study of 31 japanese efl students, dizon and gayed (2021) found that grammarly improved grammar use and lexical richness but had no significant impact on fluency. cda provides learners with automatic mediation and helps them analyze language-related issues (ebadi & saeedian, 2015; mehri kamrood et al., 2021; qin & zhang, 2018). corrective feedback (cf) is a central aspect of cda, assisting students in identifying errors and helping teachers better understand students' abilities (ebadi & english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 781 rahimi, 2019). researchers have studied how computers can deliver effective feedback. online feedback is beneficial because it can support many students simultaneously. in a small-scale study, ebadi and rahimi (2019) used google docs as a collaborative tool for online dynamic assessment with three efl university students. they found that students had positive views of the process but experienced difficulties writing more complex texts. zhang and lu (2019) investigated the use of a cda listening test with 19 students at an american university and found that the test was successful for assessment and helped teachers provide more support for students based on their individual needs. yang and qian (2020) conducted a study using cda as a teaching and assessment method to promote chinese efl students’ reading comprehension. after four weeks of learning, they reported that students taught using cda performed better than those taught using conventional teaching methods. itss are ai-driven computer systems that provide personalized, interactive instruction without human teacher intervention (liang et al., 2023). they support efl learning as supplements to traditional methods or standalone self-study tools for learners of any age (choi, 2016; xu et al., 2019). by utilizing ai and machine learning, itss adapt to learners’ needs, assess abilities, detect errors, and provide corrective feedback targeted at specific skills like pronunciation, vocabulary, or grammar (amaral & meurers, 2011; choi, 2016). in another study, xu et al. (2019) found that itss outperform traditional instruction in improving reading comprehension. asr is an ai-driven technology that converts spoken language into written text. it is widely used in applications like voice recognition, speech-totext, intelligent personal assistants (ipas), and notetaking apps (evers & chen, 2022). asr has become increasingly accurate and prevalent in various industries over the past decade (daniels & iwago, 2017). in the context of foreign language (fl) learning, asr has shown significant potential, particularly in ipas like alexa and google assistant, which offer learners the opportunity to practice speaking in a low-pressure environment, enhancing language skills (tai & chen, 2023). studies conducted by dizon (2020) and chen, yang, and lai (2023) indicate that these tools improve l2 speaking proficiency and are effective for speaking and listening practice. because of their abilities to provide immediate feedback and natural language interaction, they become a valuable resource for language development. asr technology is increasingly used in messaging apps, software, and websites to improve l2 pronunciation by providing immediate, personalized, and autonomous feedback (chen, 2011; dai & wu, 2023; dizon, 2017). studies show that asr-based tools can enhance pronunciation and receptive vocabulary (bashori et al., 2024) and offer practical ways to practice speaking, such as through apps like speechnotes. combining peer feedback with asr also supports improvement (evers & chen, 2022). asr is interactive and engaging for learners as they enjoy and benefit from practicing independently. thus, it can boost learners’ motivation and promote autonomous learning (mccrocklin, 2019; tai & chen, 2023). asr can also be used in games and simulations, creating immersive learning environments and reducing anxiety (forsyth et al., 2019). additionally, asr personalizes learning by adapting to individual needs and offering control over pacing and content (chen et al., 2023). asr is also useful in pronunciation practice, including improving vowel sounds for non-native speakers (spring & tabuchi, 2022), and can be applied in testing, such as oral assessments for speaking abilities (cox & davies, 2012). a chatbot is a software application that engages users in conversation through text or audio, simulating human interactions by asking and answering questions (bibauw et al., 2019; coniam, 2014). chatbots are commonly used in industries like marketing, healthcare, customer service, and education, enabling users to interact with service providers (l. fryer et al., 2020; wang et al., 2021). they interpret user input, process the intent, and offer programmed responses (kim et al., 2021). originally developed in the 1960s with eliza, chatbots have developed significantly and now incorporate technologies like nlp, pattern matching, and neural machine translation (huang et al., 2018). they are integrated into platforms like facebook messenger and can also feature humanlike appearances (e.g., replika), offering an immersive social experience with text, audio, and visual elements (ayedoun et al., 2019). for beginners, chatbots are particularly useful because they can handle basic words and phrases with clear, formulaic structures. these user-friendly chatbots, such as those found in apps like mondly, memrise, babbel, and duolingo, support multimedia learning (audio, video, images) and allow students to practice in an anonymous, judgment-free latifa ika sari, ria hermina sari ai integration in english language teaching: insights into esp teachers’ views and readiness 782 environment, which is beneficial for learners with anxiety (schmidt & strasser, 2022). however, negative results regarding chatbots in language learning have been noted in the literature. some studies suggest that the novelty of using chatbots may initially spark interest, but this tends to fade quickly (l. k. fryer et al., 2017). chatbots are criticized for their mechanical behaviour and lack of key communication elements (smutny & schreiberova, 2020), and for providing responses that may lack meaning or grammatical accuracy (coniam, 2014). additionally, empirical research on the impact of chatbots on language learning is limited (kim et al., 2021), with calls for studies involving larger participant groups and longer durations (bibauw et al., 2019). researchers suggest that guidelines for teachers to integrate chatbots effectively should be developed (smutny & schreiberova, 2020). recently, chatgpt has attracted interest for its potential in education, despite concerns over factual accuracy. a pilot study by x. zhai (2023) indicated that chatgpt can produce coherent and informative text, suggesting it could enhance creativity and critical thinking if used carefully in language teaching. while ai technologies offer diverse tools to enhance english language teaching, their effectiveness depends not only on their design but also on how they are implemented in the classroom. teachers remain central to this process. they serve as mediators who integrate ai into pedagogical practices. they must ensure that technology aligns with students' needs and learning objectives. the interplay between ai and human instructors highlights the importance of teachers' roles in facilitating meaningful interactions, addressing challenges that ai cannot fully resolve, and fostering an engaging learning experience. thus, exploring teachers’ perspectives and readiness to embrace these technologies becomes crucial to understanding the potential and limitations of ai in elt. teachers’ positive perceptions can lead to enthusiastic integration, where teachers explore and exploit ai's potential to enhance the teaching and learning process. however, sometimes teachers have a lack of understanding or knowledge regarding the use of ai, which results in low confidence, doubts, or resistance to utilize them. in addition to that, teachers’ readiness and competency level also play a crucial role in the successful ai integration. teachers need an adequate level of digital literacy and specific training to support them in using ai tools effectively. some of the knowledge needed includes the functions of ai platforms/applications, how to align their use with learning objectives, and how to deal with ethical issues and data privacy. various studies indicate that english teachers face challenges in using technology effectively. when they want to adopt tools like chatbots and virtual reality, they must be able to assess their impact on learning. however, ensuring that these tools improve student outcomes is a difficult task since there is still limited research on education. besides using technology effectively, teachers also need to focus on helping students obtain knowledge and skills. even though teachers may know how to use technologies like machine translation, they often struggle to integrate them effectively into their lessons (idham et al., 2024; tobing et al., 2023). in the indonesian context, studying the integration of ai in elt is essential due to the country's unique and diverse educational landscape. indonesia has a vast geographical expanse with more than 17,000 islands and a population of nearly 250 million. it is known for its cultural and linguistic diversity, with more than 700 living languages. this condition presents significant challenges and opportunities for english language teaching, especially in the integration of advanced technologies like ai (hamied & musthafa, 2019). one of the primary factors that make the study of ai integration in indonesia critical is the varying levels of digital infrastructure across the country. while big cities have access to high-speed internet and complete facilities, rural areas face significant barriers. these barriers include limited internet connectivity, lack of technological devices (such as computers or smartphones), and insufficient digital resources for both students and teachers. other problems mentioned in several studies include too large classrooms, insufficient teaching materials, lack of interaction between teachers and students, limited teaching hours, low exposure to english, and low learning autonomy of students (hamied & musthafa, 2019; madhakomala et al., 2022; zein et al., 2020). as indonesia works toward modernizing its education system, integrating ai into the learning environment has the potential to bridge some of these gaps by providing personalized learning experiences, improving student engagement, and making education more accessible. however, addressing the challenges of unequal access to technology, enhancing teacher training, and ensuring equal distribution of resources across the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 783 country are essential steps toward realizing the full benefits of ai integration. this study is crucial to understanding how ai can be leveraged to overcome these challenges and improve the quality of elt, especially in higher vocational institutions. there is a notable gap in existing research regarding the perceptions and readiness of teachers, especially in indonesia, to integrate ai into their teaching practices, particularly within elt. while global studies have explored ai’s potential in education, few focus on how teachers in indonesia perceive and are prepared to adopt these technologies in their classrooms. the limited research on this topic underscores the importance of this study, as it aims to provide valuable insights into the readiness of indonesian english teachers to embrace ai and integrate it effectively into their teaching methods. by addressing this gap, the study will contribute to the growing body of knowledge on ai integration in education and offer valuable insights to guide future professional development programs for english teachers in indonesia. the objectives of this study are directly linked to understanding the perspectives and readiness of indonesian english teachers regarding the integration of ai into their teaching practices. the research questions guiding this study include: (1) how do indonesian english teachers perceive the potential benefits and the negative sides of using ai tools in teaching? (2) to what extent are indonesian english teachers currently using ai tools in their teaching practices? (3) how is the readiness of english teachers to integrate ai into their teaching practices? (4) what barriers do the teachers face in integrating ai into their teaching practices? (5) what professional development or training do the teachers believe is necessary for effective ai integration? method this study employed a qualitative research design to explore the perspectives of english teachers regarding the integration of ai tools in teaching within vocational higher education institutions in indonesia. the participants consisted of thirty english teachers who have experience teaching in a specific educational context. the participants were selected purposefully to ensure their insights reflected a broad spectrum of experiences and challenges. to collect data, an open-ended questionnaire was designed. it consists of six formulated questions aimed at understanding the teachers' perspectives on the use of ai in english language teaching. the questions include the benefits and negative sides of ai, the extent of its usage, the readiness of teachers, obstacles encountered, and the types of training necessary for effective integration. a pilot test was carried out with a small group of teachers to confirm that the questionnaire items were clear and easy to understand. the questionnaire was distributed via google forms to facilitate easy access and ensure convenience for the respondents. this method enabled participants to provide detailed and thoughtful responses in their own time and pace. thematic analysis was used to analyze the collected responses. the analysis focuses on identifying and categorizing themes for each question to allow an in-depth understanding of the participants' perspectives. this approach provided valuable insights into the current state of ai integration in vocational english teaching in indonesia and highlighted areas requiring further support and development. table 1. research participants no sex / age (years old) teaching location (city, province) type of institution teaching experience (year) 1 female / 41 semarang, central java public 13 2 female / 45 bandung, west java private 21 3 male / 35 semarang, central java public 10 4 female / 44 bekasi, west java public 20 5 male / 34 semarang, central java private 10 6 female / 34 semarang, central java private 16 7 male / 36 semarang, central java private 8 8 female / 40 semarang, central java public 19 9 female / 45 tangerang, banten public 14 10 female / 49 pangkep, south sulawesi public 20 11 female / 63 semarang, central java public 38 12 male / 40 minahasa selatan, north sulawesi public 15 13 female / 39 semarang, central java public 5 14 male / 43 semarang, central java public 10 latifa ika sari, ria hermina sari ai integration in english language teaching: insights into esp teachers’ views and readiness 784 15 female / 34 gianyar, bali public 1 16 female / 52 jakarta, special region of jakarta public 20 17 male / 36 denpasar, bali private 9 18 female / 38 tangerang, banten public 15 19 female / 44 jakarta, special region of jakarta public 15 20 male / 40 tangerang, banten public 12 21 female / 44 makassar, south sulawesi public 19 22 male / 38 tangerang, banten public 15 23 female / 31 tangerang, banten public 9 24 female / 34 tangerang, banten public 6 25 female / 40 banyuasin, south sumatera public 10 26 male / 37 yogyakarta, special region of yogyakarta private 15 27 female / 32 semarang, central java public 10 28 female / 41 jakarta, special region of jakarta public 15 29 female / 35 semarang, central java private 10 30 female / 41 surabaya, east java public 24 results and discussion english teachers’ perspective regarding the potential benefits of using ai tools in teaching the survey results reveal that most teachers perceive ai as a helpful tool that enhances teaching and learning experiences. many highlight the role of ai in providing personalized, flexible, and realtime feedback to students. ai is often seen as a tool to support and improve students' speaking, writing, listening, and reading skills, as well as boost their creativity and autonomy. three main themes identified from the teachers’ responses include personalized learning, skill development, and teacher support. many teachers perceive that ai tools offer flexibility and adaptability in learning by providing direct feedback and supporting independent and personalized learning (teachers 2, 9, 18, 29). students can adjust their learning rhythm and pace according to their individual needs. as mentioned by teacher 2: “the benefits of ai in english learning are huge. ai can adjust learning to individual needs, allowing learners to study anytime and anywhere. for practicing conversation, learners can use ai chatbots. ai can also help by providing real-time feedback.” (teacher 2). this finding is in line with a study conducted by idham, rauf, and rajab (2024) who found that ai can personalize learning experiences and help students solve their learning difficulties. most teachers also note that ai tools can foster skills development. the strongest agreement among teachers is ai tools are useful in improving writing skills, such as brainstorming, correcting grammar, and paraphrasing. ai tools also have a significant role in boosting speaking skills through applications such as voice assistants, chatbots, and speech recognition software. a survey conducted by nikonova et al. (2023) to students of higher technical institutions in russia revealed similar findings that digital learning can improve students’ engagement and learning outcomes. in the context of foreign language teaching, the use of ai tools can foster students’ communicative competence. several teachers also mention that ai tools can give valuable support by functioning as an aid in lesson planning, material preparation, and assessment design. in other words, ai tools can support teachers’ pedagogical preparation (teachers 8, 11, 12). teachers frequently utilize ai to design lesson plans, create assessments, find references, and brainstorm ideas. tools like gemini, chatgpt, and text-to-speech applications are mentioned as helpful in these tasks. this finding aligns with sotomayor cantos, varas giler, and castro magayanes (2023) who highlighted that ai has reshaped english language teaching and learning by providing teachers with innovative tools to enhance learners’ skills, particularly in speaking and writing. in a nutshell, the teachers’ responses indicate that ai is widely acknowledged to make a significant contribution to english language teaching, primarily for its ability to support teaching preparation and personalized learning. most teachers integrate ai into both classroom instruction and teaching preparation activities. however, individual usage varies, with some teachers leveraging advanced ai tools while others limit their use to simpler applications. english teachers’ perspective regarding the negative sides of using ai tools in teaching there are three main themes mentioned by the teachers when they are asked about the negative sides of using ai tools in teaching: hampered creativity and critical thinking, over-dependency and laziness, and lack of human interaction. the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 785 survey indicates that the main concern among teachers is over-reliance on ai, which they believe inhibits students' critical thinking, creativity, and independent learning. teacher 11 expressed significant concern regarding the implementation of writing activities in her class. she stated that: “the negative side of using ai is in learning writing. since ai appeared, i don’t give writing assignments to students anymore because most students submit their work with the help of ai. it does not reflect their own effort and writing ability. even in face-to-face learning, when answering oral questions, they look for answers on their smartphones. ai makes students lazy to think. i now restrict students from opening their cellphones during class discussions. the cellphone can only be used when i allow it.” (teacher 11). many teachers highlight that students tend to use ai tools for quick solutions, such as copypasting answers or generating essays, rather than studying the learning material. the dependency on ai tools can obstruct students’ ability to think critically or to develop original ideas (teachers 9, 10, 25, 26). in other words, the excessive reliance on ai for generating ideas and solutions can decline students' creative and cognitive skills (teachers 4, 24, 30). teachers also overwhelmingly agree that ai discourages students from exploring their ideas. this issue is particularly noticeable in writing tasks, where students are tempted to use ai tools like chatgpt, quillbot, and grammarly to generate content without revision or effort (teachers 15, 17, 26). many teachers report that students become overly dependent on ai tools, leading to laziness in exploring materials, understanding concepts, or applying critical thinking (teachers 8, 16, 22). thus, it leads to another problem related to the validity and reliability of information. many students are unaware that ai's content may contain unreliable information (teachers 14, 18, 27). a study conducted by idham, rauf, and rajab (2024) also discovered similar findings that even though ai is useful and helpful in language teaching and learning, it can also affect students’ creativity. teachers also express concerns about the lack of human interaction and emotional engagement in ai-based learning, which they consider essential for mastering communication skills. ai struggles with cultural nuances, idiomatic expressions, and emotional interactions, making its responses less effective in real-world communication (teachers 2, 5, 27, 29). the absence of emotional and social engagement in ai interactions is a significant drawback. teachers argue that language learning involves human communication, which ai cannot fully replicate (teachers 24, 27). liu (2023) in his study to investigate the application of ai in foreign language teaching also found similar findings. despite the benefits of ai, there are some drawbacks of ai technology that must be recognized. ai cannot replace human teachers because of the lack of a humanized teaching approach. to sum up, teachers widely acknowledge that ai has drawbacks in english language teaching, particularly in causing over-reliance, reducing critical thinking, and providing limited social and cultural interaction. the most agreed-upon concern is the detrimental impact of ai on student creativity, as well as its inability to replicate the nuances of human communication. even though many teachers appreciate the advantages of ai tools, they emphasize the need for careful integration to ensure it complements rather than replaces traditional learning methods. the current use of ai tools by indonesian english teachers in their teaching practices the survey highlights various ai adoption levels among teachers. some show frequent use of ai, either for teaching practices, teaching preparation, or a combination of both (teachers 1, 26, 29, 30). however, some teachers admit that they rarely use ai. they remain cautious or unfamiliar with ai tools and their applications (teachers 4, 10, 17, 25, 28). the survey also reveals several ai tools that the teachers often use. the most common tools include chat gpt, grammarly, quillbot, google translate, deepl, interactive ai tools such as duolingo, and specialized ai tools such as canva, gemini, talkpal, and scite.ai. four areas or activities in which the teachers commonly use ai include writing assignments, speaking practice, material development, and language practice. idham, rauf, and rajab (2024) in their research conducted in the indonesian setting also revealed similar findings. chatgpt, grammarly, and quillbot become the top three ai applications frequently used by university teachers. ai tools are often utilized to improve writing skills, grammatical awareness, and translation skills. concerning teaching preparation, many teachers use ai primarily to prepare teaching materials, design lesson plans, and create student activities. for example, teachers often use latifa ika sari, ria hermina sari ai integration in english language teaching: insights into esp teachers’ views and readiness 786 chatgpt to generate ideas, develop exercises, create dialogues, and develop materials. grammarly is used for grammar correction, writing enhancement, and spelling checks. canva is used to make interactive presentations, and quillbot is used for paraphrasing and simplifying complex texts. the teachers also reported that ai tools can provide direct teaching support by integrating ai into their classroom practices. for example, using duolingo for interactive learning, talkpal for speaking practice, or google translate for pronunciation drills (teachers 9, 18, 27). one of the teachers also mentions scite.ai as a tool to assist them in doing research. overall, the teachers perceive that ai is a valuable complement to traditional teaching methods, especially for enhancing creativity, efficiency, and personalized learning. picture 1 shows the distribution of ai tools used by the teachers involved in this research. figure 1. distribution of ai tools used by the teachers the readiness of english teacher to integrate ai into their teaching practices the survey shows that the teachers express varying levels of readiness to adopt ai tools in teaching. some feel highly prepared (teachers 5, 10, 20, 30), while others admit limited readiness due to lack of training or familiarity (teachers 9, 17, 25). this indicates that many teachers acknowledge the potential of ai to support their teaching practices, while they realize the gaps in knowledge or institutional support (teachers 3, 24, 29). a minority of teachers are hesitant to use ai due to ethical concerns, fear of misuse by students, or a lack of understanding of ai’s broader applications “in the teaching and learning process, i rarely suggest using ai because i am afraid that students might use it unwisely. maybe this is influenced by the students’ age and the nature of the learning material.” (teacher 13). “perhaps teachers are not very familiar with ai tools that could be properly used — not only as writing aids but also to support teaching.” (teacher 19). the teachers also mention key factors that influence their readiness to integrate ai into their teaching practices. the most prominent factor is technological knowledge and digital literacy. they agree that a strong understanding and familiarity with ai tools and their applications can boost their confidence and enable them to explore and use ai tools in their teaching (teachers 5, 26, 27). the next factor is access to infrastructure. some teachers share the same view that the availability of devices like laptops and tablets, along with stable internet connections, directly impacts their readiness (teachers 11, 21, 30). teachers’ professional development and training also play an important role. some teachers agree that training or workshops on ai usage are perceived as essential for effective integration (teachers 18, 26, 27). some teachers also reported that psychological factors such as open-mindedness and curiosity are fundamental. teachers’ willingness to learn and adapt to technological advancements can foster their readiness (teachers 6, 10, 28). in addition to that, other teachers acknowledged that institutional policies and support also hold significant importance. workload management and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 787 availability of premium ai tools also affect teachers’ readiness for ai integration. a study conducted by gyawali and mehandroo (2022) in the south asian context recognizes similar findings that inadequate infrastructure becomes one of the obstacles for english teachers to apply ai in their teaching practices. to conclude, the readiness of english teachers to adopt ai tools is generally moderate to high, with significant variation based on individual and institutional factors. most lecturers recognize the potential of ai to enhance efficiency and learning outcomes but stress the need for training, institutional support, infrastructure improvement, and workload management to ensure effective ai integration in teaching practices. the barriers that english teachers face in integrating ai into their teaching practices the study’s findings also underscore common obstacles faced by english teachers when they want to integrate ai into their teaching practices. there is a widespread agreement that a lack of training and expertise is the main barrier experienced by teachers. they felt that they lacked knowledge on how to integrate ai effectively into their teaching practices, resulting in hesitation in using ai tools (teachers 5, 6, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 22, 24, 25, 27, 30). inadequate infrastructure and institutional support also become another barrier. language labs that are not up-to-date, lack of network coverage, and limited funding for premium tools or equipment are some of the issues reported by the teachers (teachers 4, 6, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 20, 23, 28, 29). premium features in ai tools are often unaffordable without institutional support. thus, high subscription costs discourage the extensive use of ai tools and applications. a significant number of teachers also mentioned ethical concerns as a major obstacle. plagiarism and over-reliance on ai have caused academic dishonesty and hinder student creativity (teachers 3, 10, 13, 18, 19, 26, 27, 28, 29). easy access to technology has made students bypass learning processes or misuse tools like automatic translators, which can affect the language learning process. the lack of institutional ethical guidelines also contributes to the inconsistent use of ai in language classes. this finding aligns with a study conducted by lameras and arnab (2022) who identified that ethical concerns such as bias, privacy violations, and data misuse become one of the key challenges in the implementation of ai in education. another important aspect pointed out by the teachers is overwork and time constraints. for example, teacher 11 admits that she has a relatively high teaching load. she stated that: “the main obstacle is time. my workload is overwhelming — i teach 48 hours per week. it is very difficult to find time for self-development.” (teacher 11) many teachers acknowledged the importance of allocating time to enhance their professional skills, as they need opportunities to explore new tools and plan effective teaching approaches. in this context, support from their institutions plays a vital role. in summary, training and expertise gaps have become the primary barrier, as mentioned by nearly half of the respondents. this indicates the urgent need for institutional investment in ai training. infrastructure and support deficiencies, such as poor facilities, insufficient internet access, and a lack of funding for premium tools, also hinder ai adoption. another barrier is related to ethical issues. the teachers have a high concern regarding plagiarism, misuse, and students’ overreliance on ai tools. the professional development program that the teachers need for effective ai integration the analysis of the teachers’ responses reveals that there are several professional development programs expected by the teachers. most teachers emphasize the need for technical training on specific ai tools, such as chatgpt, grammarly, duolingo, and multimedia tools, focusing on basic operations, advanced features, and troubleshooting (teachers 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30). according to the teachers, training on the integration of ai in pedagogy in the form of hands-on workshops for practical use in language teaching is very important. the teachers seek guidance on incorporating ai into specific english skills such as speaking, writing, reading, and listening. they also want to obtain more knowledge on how to design lesson plans and create interactive materials by using ai (teachers 6, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30). this finding is in line with research conducted by tobing et al. (2023), who explored the use of artificial intelligence in elt and found that teachers often failed to integrate ai effectively into teaching. thus, they need teacher training that focuses on enhancing teachers’ ability to latifa ika sari, ria hermina sari ai integration in english language teaching: insights into esp teachers’ views and readiness 788 incorporate ai tools alongside traditional teaching methods. concerning ethical and privacy concerns, some teachers mentioned that they need ethical training that covers topics such as data privacy, copyright issues, plagiarism, and responsible ai use (teachers 1, 3, 5, 13, 18, 19, 26, 27, 29). they highlighted the need for training to detect aigenerated student work and suggested that ethical guidelines for using ai responsibly in academic contexts should be made. several teachers also recognized the need for specialized and contextual training, such as research and publication using ai, material creation and assessment design using ai, and focused workshops for using ai to develop innovative teaching materials (teachers 4, 5, 6, 12, 14, 27, 28, 29). a few teachers also noted the importance of troubleshooting and problemsolving skills since understanding how to resolve technical issues could enhance the usability of ai tools (teachers 5, 24, 29). in conclusion, there are five professional development programs highlighted by the teachers: technical training (focusing on the use of specific ai tools and features), ai integration in pedagogy (using ai for teaching english skills and creating ai-enhanced materials), ethical and privacy training (including plagiarism and data privacy), specialized training contexts (such as research and interactive classroom integration) and troubleshooting skills (basic problem-solving training for ai tools). conclusion the findings of this study highlight both the potential benefits and challenges of integrating ai tools in english language teaching from the teachers’ perspectives. on the positive side, teachers acknowledge ai's advantages in supporting personalized learning for students, enhancing students’ skill development, and providing teachers with valuable assistance in lesson planning and material preparation. these tools are perceived as particularly effective in improving writing and speaking skills and fostering creativity and autonomy. however, teachers also recognize that over-reliance on ai may weaken students’ critical thinking and creativity. the absence of human interaction in aibased learning and concerns about ethical issues further emphasize the need for a balanced approach to integration. the findings also shed light on the need to address barriers such as training gaps, infrastructure deficiencies, and ethical concerns to enable effective integration of ai into teaching practices. teachers urge the need for targeted professional development programs that include technical training, ai integration into pedagogy, ethical guidance, and specialized workshops focusing on specific teaching goals and contexts, such as writing, speaking, and research integration. it is also critical for educational institutions to support teachers by ensuring access to various ai applications and managing teachers’ workloads to promote teachers’ readiness and confidence in utilizing ai as a complementary tool in their instructional strategies. it is worth mentioning that balancing traditional and ai-driven methods can maximize benefits while mitigating drawbacks. an example of best practice involves starting with traditional direct instruction to ensure students grasp foundational concepts. subsequently, ai tools can be utilized for student practice, followed by classroom activities like group work to deepen engagement and critical thinking. despite the valuable insights gained from this study, it is important to acknowledge certain limitations. the reliance on self-reported questionnaire data from 30 english teachers in higher vocational education institutions presents potential response bias and limits the generalizability of the findings due to the small sample size. future research could address these limitations by using alternative data collection methods (such as classroom observations or interviews), involving a larger and more diverse sample, and by exploring students' perspectives to further enrich the field. references amaral, l. a., & meurers, d. (2011). on using intelligent computer-assisted language learning in real-life foreign language teaching and learning. recall, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1017/s0958344010000261 ayedoun, e., hayashi, y., & seta, k. (2019). adding communicative and affective strategies to an embodied conversational agent to enhance second language learners’ willingness to communicate. international journal of artificial intelligence in education, 29(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-018-0171-6 barrot, j. s. (2023). using automated written corrective feedback in the writing classrooms: effects on l2 writing accuracy. computer assisted language learning, 36(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1936071 bashori, m., van hout, r., strik, h., & cucchiarini, c. (2024). ‘look, i can speak correctly’: learning vocabulary and pronunciation through websites english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 789 equipped with automatic speech recognition technology. computer assisted language learning, 37(5–6). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2022.2080230 bibauw, s., françois, t., & desmet, p. (2019). discussing with a computer to practice a foreign language: research synthesis and conceptual framework of dialogue-based call. computer assisted language learning, 32(8). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1535508 chen, h. h. j. (2011). developing and evaluating an oral skills training website supported by automatic speech recognition technology. recall, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1017/s0958344010000285 chen, h. h. j., yang, c. t. y., & lai, k. k. w. (2023). investigating college efl learners’ perceptions toward the use of google assistant for foreign language learning. interactive learning environments, 31(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1833043 chiu, t. k. f., xia, q., zhou, x., chai, c. s., & cheng, m. (2023). systematic literature review on opportunities, challenges, and future research recommendations of artificial intelligence in education. computers and education: artificial intelligence, 4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2022.100118 choi, i. c. (2016). efficacy of an icall tutoring system and process-oriented corrective feedback. computer assisted language learning, 29(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2014.960941 chukharev-hudilainen, e., & saricaoglu, a. (2016). causal discourse analyzer: improving automated feedback on academic esl writing. computer assisted language learning, 29(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2014.991795 coniam, d. (2014). the linguistic accuracy of chatbots: usability from an esl perspective. in text and talk (vol. 34, issue 5). https://doi.org/10.1515/text-2014-0018 cox, t. l., & davies, r. s. (2012). using automatic speech recognition technology with elicited oral response testing. calico journal, 29(4). https://doi.org/10.11139/cj.29.4.601-618 crosthwaite, p., & steeples, b. (2024). data-driven learning with younger learners: exploring corpusassisted development of the passive voice for science writing with female secondary school students. computer assisted language learning, 37(5–6). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2022.2068615 dai, y., & wu, z. (2023). mobile-assisted pronunciation learning with feedback from peers and/or automatic speech recognition: a mixed-methods study. computer assisted language learning, 36(5–6). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1952272 daniels, p., & iwago, k. (2017). the suitability of cloudbased speech recognition engines for language learning. jalt call journal, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.29140/jaltcall.v13n3.220 dizon, g. (2017). using intelligent personal assistants for second language learning: a case study of alexa. tesol journal, 8(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.353 dizon, g. (2020). evaluating intelligent personal assistants for l2 listening and speaking development. language learning and technology, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.125/44705 dizon, g., & gayed, j. m. (2021). examining the impact of grammarly on the quality of mobile l2 writing. jalt call journal, 17(2). https://doi.org/10.29140/jaltcall.v17n2.336 ebadi, s., & rahimi, m. (2019). mediating efl learners’ academic writing skills in online dynamic assessment using google docs. computer assisted language learning, 32(5–6). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1527362 ebadi, s., & saeedian, a. (2015). the effects of computerized dynamic assessment on promoting at-risk advanced iranian efl students’ reading skills. issues in language teaching, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.22054/ilt.2015.7224 evers, k., & chen, s. (2022). effects of an automatic speech recognition system with peer feedback on pronunciation instruction for adults. computer assisted language learning, 35(8). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1839504 forsyth, c. m., luce, c., zapata-rivera, d., jackson, g. t., evanini, k., & so, y. (2019). evaluating english language learners’ conversations: man vs. machine. computer assisted language learning, 32(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1517126 fryer, l., coniam, d., carpenter, r., & lăpușneanu, d. (2020). bots for language learning now: current and future directions. language learning & technology, 24(2). fryer, l. k., ainley, m., thompson, a., gibson, a., & sherlock, z. (2017). stimulating and sustaining interest in a language course: an experimental comparison of chatbot and human task partners. computers in human behavior, 75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.05.045 gyawali, y. p., & mehandroo, m. (2022). artificial intelligence in english language teaching: navigating the future with emerging perspectives. journal of language and linguistics in society, 26. https://doi.org/10.55529/jlls.26.21.27 hadley, g., & charles, m. (2017). enhancing extensive reading with data-driven learning. language learning and technology, 21(3). hamied, f. a., & musthafa, b. (2019). policies on language education in indonesia. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v9i2.20279 latifa ika sari, ria hermina sari ai integration in english language teaching: insights into esp teachers’ views and readiness 790 han, t., & sari, e. (2024). an investigation on the use of automated feedback in turkish efl students’ writing classes. computer assisted language learning, 37(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2022.2067179 healey, justin. (2020). artificial intelligence (vol. 450). spinney press. huang, j.-x., kwon, o.-w., lee, k.-s., & kim, y.-k. (2018). improve the chatbot performance for the db-call system using a hybrid method and a domain corpus. in future-proof call: language learning as exploration and encounters – short papers from eurocall 2018. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2018.26.820 idham, a. z., rauf, w., & rajab, abd. (2024). navigating the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on english language teaching: exploring challenges and opportunities. jurnal edukasi saintifik, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.56185/jes.v4i1.620 kim, h. s., kim, n. y., & cha, y. (2021). is it beneficial to use ai chatbots to improve learners’ speaking performance? journal of asia tefl, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2021.18.1.10.16 1 koltovskaia, s. (2023). postsecondary l2 writing teachers’ use and perceptions of grammarly as a complement to their feedback. recall, 35(3). https://doi.org/10.1017/s0958344022000179 lameras, p., & arnab, s. (2022). power to the teachers: an exploratory review on artificial intelligence in education. information (switzerland), 13(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/info13010014 lee, c. (2020). a study of adolescent english learners’ cognitive engagement in writing while using an automated content feedback system. computer assisted language learning, 33(1–2). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1544152 lee, s. m. (2021). the effectiveness of machine translation in foreign language education: a systematic review and meta-analysis. computer assisted language learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1901745 li, z., feng, h. h., & saricaoglu, a. (2017). the shortterm and long-term effects of awe feedback on esl students’ development of grammatical accuracy. calico journal, 34(3). https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.26382 liang, j. c., hwang, g. j., chen, m. r. a., & darmawansah, d. (2023). roles and research foci of artificial intelligence in language education: an integrated bibliographic analysis and systematic review approach. in interactive learning environments (vol. 31, issue 7). https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.1958348 link, s., dursun, a., karakaya, k., & hegelheimer, v. (2014). towards best esl practices for implementing automated writing evaluation. calico journal, 31(3). https://doi.org/10.11139/cj.31.3.323-344 liu, m. (2023). exploring the application of artificial intelligence in foreign language teaching: challenges and future development. shs web of conferences, 168. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202316803025 luckin, r., holmes, w., griffiths, m., & forcier, l. b. (2016). intelligence unleashed: an argument for ai in education. pearson. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299561 597 madhakomala, r., hakim, m. a., & syifauzzuhrah, n. (2022). problems of education in indonesia and alternative solutions. international journal of business, law, and education, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.56442/ijble.v3i3.64 mccrocklin, s. (2019). learners’ feedback regarding asr-based dictation practice for pronunciation learning. calico journal, 36(2). https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.34738 mehri kamrood, a., davoudi, m., ghaniabadi, s., & amirian, s. m. r. (2021). diagnosing l2 learners’ development through online computerized dynamic assessment. computer assisted language learning, 34(7). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1645181 mijwil, m. m., abdulrhman, s. h., abttan, r. a., faieq, a. k., & alkhazraji, a. (2023). artificial intelligence applications in english language teaching: a short survey. asian journal of applied sciences, 10(6). https://doi.org/10.24203/ajas.v10i6.7111 monteiro, k., & kim, y. j. (2020). the effect of input characteristics and individual differences on l2 comprehension of authentic and modified listening tasks. system, 94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102336 nikonova, e., yakhyaeva, k., pivkina, n., & schetinina, a. (2023). using artificial intelligence tools in teaching a foreign language in higher technical institutions. european journal of contemporary education, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.13187/ejced.2023.2.578 ouyang, f., & jiao, p. (2021). artificial intelligence in education: the three paradigms. computers and education: artificial intelligence, 2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2021.100020 pérez-paredes, p. (2022). a systematic review of the uses and spread of corpora and data-driven learning in call research during 2011–2015. in computer assisted language learning (vol. 35, issues 1–2). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1667832 pérez-paredes, p., ordoñana guillamón, c., & aguado jiménez, p. (2018). language teachers’ perceptions on the use of oer language processing technologies in mall. computer assisted language learning, 31(5–6). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2017.1418754 qin, t., & zhang, j. (2018). computerized dynamic assessment and second language learning: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 791 programmed mediation to promote future development. journal of cognitive education and psychology, 17(2). https://doi.org/10.1891/19458959.17.2.198 ranalli, j. (2018). automated written corrective feedback: how well can students make use of it? computer assisted language learning, 31(7). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1428994 saricaoglu, a. (2019). the impact of automated feedback on l2 learners’ written causal explanations. recall, 31(2). https://doi.org/10.1017/s095834401800006x schmidt, t., & strasser, t. (2022). artificial intelligence in foreign language learning and teaching: a call for intelligent practice. anglistik: international journal of english studies, 33(1). smutny, p., & schreiberova, p. (2020). chatbots for learning: a review of educational chatbots for the facebook messenger. computers and education, 151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103862 son, j.-b., ružić, n. k., & philpott, a. (2023). artificial intelligence technologies and applications for language learning and teaching. journal of china computer-assisted language learning. https://doi.org/10.1515/jccall-2023-0015 sotomayor cantos, k. f., varas giler, r. c., & castro magayanes, i. e. (2023). artificial intelligence in language teaching and learning. ciencia latina revista científica multidisciplinar, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.37811/cl_rcm.v7i4.7368 spring, r., & tabuchi, r. (2022). the role of asr training in efl pronunciation improvement: an in-depth look at the impact of treatment length and guided practice on specific pronunciation points. call-ej, 23(3). tai, t. y., & chen, h. h. j. (2023). the impact of google assistant on adolescent efl learners’ willingness to communicate. interactive learning environments, 31(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1841801 tobing, m. b., sna, f. i., hayrunnisa, n. r., haswuri, n. i. t., sutarsyah, c., & munifatullah, f. (2023). an exploration of artificial intelligence in english language teaching as a foreign language. international journal of social science and human research, 06(06). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v6-i6-78 tono, y., satake, y., & miura, a. (2014). the effects of using corpora on revision tasks in l2 writing with coded error feedback. recall, 26(2). https://doi.org/10.1017/s095834401400007x wang, j., hwang, g. h., & chang, c. y. (2021). directions of the 100 most cited chatbot-related human behavior research: a review of academic publications. in computers and education: artificial intelligence (vol. 2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2021.100023 xu, z., wijekumar, k., ramirez, g., hu, x., & irey, r. (2019). the effectiveness of intelligent tutoring systems on k-12 students’ reading comprehension: a meta-analysis. in british journal of educational technology (vol. 50, issue 6). https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12758 yang, y., & qian, d. d. (2020). promoting l2 english learners’ reading proficiency through computerized dynamic assessment. computer assisted language learning, 33(5–6). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1585882 yin, n. (2021). research on the impacts of artificial intelligence technology on language teaching innovation. frontiers in educational research, 4(7), 25–31. https://doi.org/10.25236/fer.2021.040706 zein, s., sukyadi, d., hamied, f. a., & lengkanawati, n. s. (2020). english language education in indonesia: a review of research (2011-2019). in language teaching (vol. 53, issue 4). https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444820000208 zhai, n., & ma, x. (2022). automated writing evaluation (awe) feedback: a systematic investigation of college students’ acceptance. computer assisted language learning, 35(9). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1897019 zhai, x. (2023). chatgpt user experience: implications for education. ssrn electronic journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4312418 zhang, j., & lu, x. (2019). measuring and supporting second language development using computerized dynamic assessment. language and sociocultural theory, 6(specialissue1). https://doi.org/10.1558/lst.31710 latifa ika sari, ria hermina sari ai integration in english language teaching: insights into esp teachers’ views and readiness 792 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 629 utilizing capcut to foster creative writing skills in efl students: a digital media approach dewi andhika tadris of english language, faculty of tarbiyah and training education, uin khas, jember, indonesia email: dewiandhika19@gmail.com suparwoto sapto wahono tadris of english language, faculty of tarbiyah and training education, uin khas, jember, indonesia email: wahsapto@uinkhas.ac.id apa scitation: andhika, d., & wahono, s. s. (2024). utilizing capcut to foster creative writing skills in efl students: a digital media approach. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 629-640. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9808 received: 25-02-2024 accepted: 27-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: the rapid advancement of digital media has opened new avenues for enhancing educational practices, particularly in language learning. this study investigates the potential of capcut, a popular video editing application, to foster creative writing skills among efl (english as a foreign language) students. efl learners often face challenges such as difficulty in expressing ideas, lack of confidence, limited vocabulary, and low motivation. by integrating capcut into the curriculum, this study aims to create an engaging, interactive, and pressure-free environment to stimulate students' interest and proficiency in creative writing. using a descriptive qualitative approach, data was collected from 15 high school students through observations, structured interviews, and narrative descriptive analysis. the results demonstrate that the use of capcut significantly enhances students' productivity and creativity in writing. students showed a notable increase in the number of words written and the quality of paragraphs produced. additionally, the interactive nature of capcut made the learning process enjoyable, which in turn improved student motivation and confidence in their writing abilities. based on these findings, the study recommends incorporating digital media tools like capcut into efl teaching strategies to create a dynamic and supportive learning environment. educators should receive training on the effective use of such tools to maximize their potential benefits. future research could explore the long-term impacts of digital media integration on language learning and expand the study to include a larger and more diverse student population. keywords: creative writing; digital media; capcut; efl students; writing skills; language learning; educational technology. introduction the advent of digital media has significantly transformed various aspects of education, particularly in the field of language learning. traditional methods of teaching english as a foreign language (efl) often encounter challenges such as student disengagement, lack of motivation, and difficulties in expressing ideas creatively (alkhaldi, 2023; alkhaldi, ozdemir, & alhasan, 2022). to address these issues, educators are increasingly integrating digital tools into their teaching practices. one such tool is capcut, a popular video editing application that offers a unique platform for enhancing creative writing skills among efl students (aprilliani & effendi, 2022; febyana arlin, budiyono, & harjono, 2023). this study explores the potential of utilizing capcut to foster creative writing skills in efl students, aiming to create an engaging and interactive learning environment. creative writing is a crucial component of language learning that helps students develop their linguistic abilities, express their thoughts and emotions, and engage more deeply with the language. however, many efl students struggle with creative writing due to various reasons, including limited vocabulary, lack of confidence, and insufficient motivation (ernalida, oktarina, & ansori, 2021; fadhly, 2021). traditional teaching methods often fail to address these challenges effectively, leading to a need for innovative approaches that can make learning more appealing and accessible (haristiani & mumu, 2020; harshini, 2020). the integration of digital media in language learning has gained considerable attention in recent years, with numerous studies highlighting its potential benefits for enhancing various language skills, including creative writing (alkhaldi, 2023; alkhaldi, ozdemir, & alhasan, 2022). alkhaldi dewi andhika & suparwoto sapto wahono utilizing capcut to foster creative writing skills in efl students: a digital media approach 630 (2023) explored the impact of technology on students' creative writing skills, revealing that digital tools can create a more engaging and interactive learning environment. similarly, alkhaldi, ozdemir, and alhasan (2022) emphasized the positive perspectives of engineering students on esp creative writing when using digital media. almelhi (2021) demonstrated the effectiveness of the addie model within an e-learning environment in developing creative writing skills among efl students, while ernalida et al. (2021) reported positive student responses towards elearning content on creative writing during the covid-19 pandemic. these findings suggest that digital platforms can enhance learning experiences by making them more engaging and accessible. the use of specific digital tools like capcut in educational contexts has shown promising results. aprilliani and effendi (2022) found that capcut improved students' skills in writing advertisement texts, and febyana arlin et al. (2023) reported its effectiveness in learning writing explanation texts for junior high school students. these studies indicate that capcut can be a valuable tool for fostering creative writing skills among efl students. fadhli et al. (2023) developed a digital learning environment that supports online learning, highlighting the role of digital media in improving educational outcomes. fadhly (2021) synthesized effective strategies for it-mediated writing, and his subsequent studies (2022, 2023) further explored the cognitive processes involved in academic writing and the impact of extensive reading on creating research gaps. the use of digital media for language learning extends beyond writing. for example, fansury et al. (2020) discussed the benefits of digital content for millennial learners during the covid-19 pandemic, while fatimah et al. (2019) introduced digital comics as an innovative media technology for teaching english short stories. haristiani and mumu (2020) combined chatbots and social media to enhance personal learning environments, and harshini (2020) explored the influence of creative writing on language skills. jaashan (2022) highlighted the importance of teaching figures of speech to enhance efl learners' creative writing, and kakerissa et al. (2023) utilized indonesia's superdiversity as a learning source in creative writing teaching. karwandi et al. (2022) focused on the innovative process of virtual drama in creative writing, and kumar (2020) examined approaches to teaching writing skills with creative writing in tesol contexts. mandasari and aminatun (2022) investigated teachers' beliefs and practices towards digital media in english learning during the pandemic, while maulidah et al. (2024) integrated canva and capcut applications for efl beginners. nuraeni and fadhly (2018) analyzed teacher correction strategies in efl speaking classes, and yulianti and fadhly (2020) explored indonesian efl learners' writing strategies. phillips and kara (2021) provided a practical guide for using creative writing in social research, and smith (2020) discussed innovative strategies for creative writing. syaparuddin and elihami (2020) examined the use of low-resolution videos to enhance student motivation, and wahono and afifah (2022) highlighted the benefits of using picture series to develop writing skills. yang (2022) investigated digital teaching of creative writing in the context of big data, and rejina (2021) reviewed the role of poetry in english language learning. pahmi et al. (2022) discussed the use of capcut as a learning media, and pebriani et al. (2022) explored the effect of using the gist strategy on reading comprehension. priandini et al. (2023) reported on the use of capcut to improve students' creativity in social studies learning, and prasetyo and ms (2021) examined the use of whatsapp for teaching during the pandemic. hapsari et al. (2021) discussed the role of teachers in motivating students during remote learning, and pentury et al. (2020) emphasized the development of 21st-century skills through creative writing. previous studies have highlighted the benefits of integrating technology into language learning. for instance, alkhaldi (2023) demonstrated the positive impact of technology on students' creative writing skills in jordan, while ernalida et al. (2021) reported positive student responses to e-learning content during the covid-19 pandemic. similarly, fatimah, santiana, and saputra (2019) introduced digital comics as an innovative medium for teaching english short stories, and fansury, januarty, and rahman (2020) emphasized the role of digital content in engaging millennial learners. despite these advancements, there is still a gap in the literature regarding the specific use of video editing applications like capcut in enhancing efl students' creative writing skills. while some studies have explored the general benefits of digital media in education, there is a lack of research focusing on how these tools can specifically english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 631 improve writing skills (fadhly et al., 2023; karwandi, inderawati, & sitinjak, 2022). this research aims to fill this gap by examining the effectiveness of capcut in fostering creative writing among efl students. this study is significant because it addresses a critical gap in the existing literature and provides insights into the practical application of digital media tools in language education. by focusing on the use of capcut, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse on innovative teaching methods and offers practical recommendations for educators looking to enhance efl students' creative writing skills (almelhi, 2021; maulidah et al., 2024). the findings of this study have the potential to inform future educational practices and policies, ultimately leading to improved language learning outcomes for students. method this study employs a descriptive qualitative approach to explore the effectiveness of using capcut to enhance creative writing skills among efl students. the qualitative research design is particularly suitable for this study as it allows for an in-depth understanding of students' experiences and perceptions (creswell & creswell, 2018; merriam & tisdell, 2016). the methodology includes data collection through document analysis, observations, and interviews, providing a comprehensive overview of the impact of digital media on creative writing. the participants in this study were 15 high school students from a public school in jember, indonesia. the selection of participants was based on purposive sampling, ensuring that the chosen students had varying levels of english proficiency to provide diverse perspectives (creswell & poth, 2018). data collection involved several methods to ensure a robust and comprehensive analysis. document analysis was used to examine students' written works before and after the intervention with capcut, providing tangible evidence of improvement in their writing skills (sankofa, 2023; bowen, 2019). this method is effective in analyzing existing records and written materials, offering insights into the changes in students' creative writing abilities. observations were conducted during the creative writing sessions where students used capcut. these sessions were recorded, and field notes were taken to capture students' interactions with the application and their engagement levels (brinkmann, 2018). observational data helped in understanding the context and environment in which students were learning, providing a naturalistic perspective on their experiences (hatch, 2023). interviews were also conducted with the students to gather their personal experiences and perceptions of using capcut for creative writing. the interviews followed a semi-structured format, allowing for flexibility in responses while maintaining focus on key themes (elliott & timulak, 2021; patton, 2015). this approach facilitated an in-depth exploration of students' attitudes, motivations, and challenges encountered during the learning process (darlington & scott, 2020). the collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis, a method suitable for identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns (themes) within qualitative data (braun & clarke, 2019). the process involved coding the data, identifying significant themes, and interpreting these themes to understand the broader implications of the findings (saldaña, 2021). the document analysis involved comparing students' creative writing samples before and after using capcut. this comparison helped in identifying improvements in vocabulary, coherence, creativity, and overall writing quality (cardano, 2020). observational data were coded to highlight recurring behaviors and engagement patterns, providing insights into how capcut influenced students' participation and interest in creative writing (crabtree & miller, 2023). interview transcripts were transcribed and coded, with key themes identified through a systematic process of categorization and thematic development (lichtman, 2023; sankofa, 2023). this allowed for a nuanced understanding of students' personal experiences and the factors contributing to their perceived improvements in writing skills. to ensure the trustworthiness of the study, several strategies were employed. triangulation was used to corroborate findings from document analysis, observations, and interviews, enhancing the credibility of the results (silverman & patterson, 2021). member checking was conducted by sharing the findings with the participants to confirm the accuracy and resonance of the interpretations (nassaji, 2020). additionally, reflexivity was maintained throughout the research process to acknowledge and address potential biases (braun & clarke, 2019). ethical considerations were paramount in this study. informed consent was obtained from all dewi andhika & suparwoto sapto wahono utilizing capcut to foster creative writing skills in efl students: a digital media approach 632 participants, ensuring they were aware of the study's purpose and their rights to confidentiality and withdrawal at any time (hennink, hutter, & bailey, 2020). the study adhered to ethical guidelines for conducting research with human subjects, as outlined by institutional review boards and relevant ethical committees (creswell & creswell, 2018). results and discussion students' writing activities and experiences before and after using capcut the table 1 below summarizes the students' initial experiences and attitudes towards writing, their experiences after using the capcut application, the impact of capcut on their writing skills, and quotes from the students that illustrate these changes. this comprehensive view provides insights into how the integration of digital media, specifically capcut, can influence students' engagement, creativity, and confidence in their writing abilities. table 1. students' writing activities and experiences before and after using capcut no student initial writing experience after using capcut impact of capcut quotes 1 hsm enjoys writing but lacks confidence in the quality of own writing. able to create good and unique written work. improved confidence and creativity. "at first, i couldn't edit, but after trying this application, i was able to create a good and unique written work." 2 sm enjoys writing as a self-evaluation tool. enjoys using capcut for exchanging information between videos or photos. increased enjoyment and engagement in writing activities. "i really enjoy using capcut media because with this app, i can exchange information between videos or photos." 3 rm likes writing a little, enjoys own writing despite quality. developed a liking for writing, helps avoid boredom, enjoys editing features. enhanced interest and engagement in writing. "after using capcut, i have developed a liking for writing because it helps me to avoid boredom and there are many features." 4 eh dislikes writing, lacks confidence in writing abilities. interested in writing digital content, finds it less energyconsuming. increased interest in writing digital content. "originally, i didn't like writing, but with the presence of the capcut application, it made me interested in writing digital content." 5 ls enjoys writing, seeks engagement, uses feelings and emotions. motivated by easier editing and knowledge expansion. increased motivation and ease in writing. "i'm motivated by this application because it's easier to edit writings and, of course, expand my knowledge." 6 aua fond of writing, complies with teacher's requests, appreciates own work for comprehension. created own written video content despite initial difficulties. enhanced ability to create digital content and increased skill development. "after editing with the capcut application, i was finally able to create my own written video content, even though i had a bit of trouble understanding the application at first." 7 f likes writing, dependent on mood, prefers limited amounts to avoid tiredness. better understanding of creating video/photo captions. improved understanding of digital content creation. "i understand better how to create a video/photo caption on that app." 8 rn likes writing except in arabic, mood and surroundings influence writing enjoyment. finds capcut easy to use, helps in creating motivational writings for others. enhanced creativity and ease in creating motivational writings. "in my opinion, it's very easy because i often use the capcut app to edit videos or photos and with this app, it makes me more creative in creating motivational writings for others." 9 fa dislikes writing, mood-dependent, appreciates own writing despite clarity issues. facilitates writing process and sparks interest in creating written works. increased interest and facilitated writing process. "this application facilitates my writing process and sparks my interest in creating written works." 10 hh likes writing, sometimes unhappy with assignments, more inclined to write using the app, reduced fatigue and increased "with the capcut app, i find myself more inclined to write in the app because it doesn't make english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 633 enjoys writing own pieces for ease of understanding. finds it less tiring than writing in a book. engagement in digital writing. me feel tired or lose interest, unlike writing in a book." 11 sq definitely likes writing, happy when asked to write, enjoys creating books of stories. became more creative, able to make various types of videos, developed a hobby for writing. enhanced creativity and development of a writing hobby. "after using the capcut app, i found myself becoming more creative and able to make various types of videos, such as motivational writing videos. using this app has also made me develop a hobby for writing." 12 ss likes writing depending on mood and topic, complies with teacher's requests despite mood, lacks confidence. finds it easier to make and edit videos, helps unleash creativity. enhanced ease in video creation and unleashed creativity. "with the use of capcut, i find it easier to make and edit videos, and it also helps me to unleash my creativity." 13 sna enjoys writing occasionally, prefers digital media for writing to avoid fatigue, finds own writing less engaging. can edit videos and perfect text using app features. improved ability to edit and perfect writing. "after using the capcut app, i can edit my videos and make my text perfect by utilizing the features available in the app." 14 sfh loves writing but finds it tiring and confusing at times. became more skilled at editing, expresses creativity in writing more easily. increased skill in editing and ease in expressing creativity. "initially, i was unable to edit because i often used templates from other people's work. after i tried and made an effort to edit on my own, it helped me become more skilled at editing." 15 ra sometimes likes writing depending on topic, feels less confident about written work. more confident in editing, creates unique pieces using app features. increased confidence and ability to create unique written works. "this app makes me more confident in editing because it can generate a unique piece of writing and many unique features are available for users to use." the table 2 above provides a detailed comparison of students' writing experiences before and after using the capcut application. initially, many students displayed a range of attitudes towards writing, from enjoyment to reluctance, often influenced by their confidence and mood. students like hsm and eh, who initially lacked confidence or disliked writing, reported significant improvements in their confidence and interest in writing after using capcut. this shift underscores the positive impact of digital tools in transforming students' attitudes towards writing. post-intervention, students expressed enhanced creativity and enjoyment in their writing tasks. for instance, students like ls and aua highlighted the ease of editing and the expansion of knowledge through capcut, which motivated them to engage more with their writing. the ability to create unique and good-quality written work using capcut features was a common theme, indicating that the application not only facilitated the writing process but also inspired students to explore their creative potential. furthermore, the use of capcut has made the writing process less tedious and more enjoyable for students who initially found writing tiring or boring, such as f and hh. the digital platform's interactive features and ease of use have played a significant role in keeping students engaged and motivated. this suggests that integrating digital media tools like capcut can effectively address some of the common challenges students face in traditional writing tasks. in addition, the application has proven to be a valuable tool for fostering students' ability to create and edit multimedia content. students like rn and ss found that capcut made it easier to produce and refine their writing, which helped unleash their creativity. the flexibility and convenience of using an online platform also contributed to the positive reception and increased usage of capcut among students. the qualitative feedback from students reflects a broader impact on their learning experience. many students reported that capcut facilitated better understanding and retention of lesson content, as seen with aua and fa. the application not only helped in producing written work but also enhanced students' comprehension and dewi andhika & suparwoto sapto wahono utilizing capcut to foster creative writing skills in efl students: a digital media approach 634 engagement with the material they were writing about. moreover, the increased confidence in writing and editing abilities, as reported by students like ra and sfh, highlights the potential of capcut to empower students in their learning journey. the application provided a supportive environment for students to experiment with their writing, leading to significant improvements in both the quality and quantity of their output. the integration of capcut into the writing curriculum has proven to be highly beneficial in fostering creative writing skills among efl students. the significant improvements in writing quality, increased word count, and positive feedback from students reflect the application's effectiveness in making the writing process more engaging, enjoyable, and productive. this evidence supports the continued use of digital media tools in educational settings to enhance student learning outcomes. table 2. students' attitudes and writing experiences before using capcut no name of students results of interview before using capcut number of words 1 hsm i love writing because writing is my hobby, but i don't enjoy my own writing because i feel my writing is not good. i once had a traumatic experience when i fell off my motorcycle while traveling to the city. i still remember how suddenly my motorcycle skidded and i fell off the road, rolling and bleeding. 34 2 sm i love writing because there's a saying that says "write because by writing we'll know that we've lived in the past." i use my own writing as a selfevaluation material. when i first entered islamic boarding school, i felt embarrassed, i missed my parents, i didn't know anyone, and i was always alone. when friends return home they can let go of their longing, whereas it's hard for me to go home because of the long journey overseas. 48 3 rm i like writing a little and i don't like writing a lot. i enjoy my own writing, whether it's good or bad, but i have to enjoy it. i have experienced trauma in my childhood. at the age of 4 i was tortured by my own aunt. even though i am not naughty and always obey. in fact, i was left without eating for 1-2 days until i was hospitalized. 42 4 eh i don't like writing. if there's a writing assignment, i still write because it's a teacher's instruction. sometimes i enjoy my own writing and sometimes i don't because i don't believe in my own writing abilities. when i was 11 years old, my friends and i took guava fruit from someone's house without permission. not only guava fruit but also rambutan fruit. at that time we were used to doing silly things. 36 5 ls i enjoy writing. if my teacher asks me to write better, i ask questions and respond to ensure it's more engaging. and i also enjoy my own writing because i use my feelings and emotions. when i was in grade 10, i climbed the kawah ijen with 9 of my friends. there we enjoyed the beautiful view from the top of the mountain even though climbing it felt very tiring. 35 6 aua i have a fondness for writing. when my teacher requests me to write, i am delighted to comply. i appreciate writing my own work because it enables me to comprehend the lesson content that i am writing about. nowadays, reading comics online is my hobby, apart from that, playing online games is also my activity when i have free time to get rid of boredom. 27 7 f i like writing, but i'm dependent on my mood and writing in limited amounts because if i write too much, it makes me tired and bored. when my teacher asks me to write, i do it because it's an assignment. and i enjoy writing my own stuff, depending on the writing style. i really enjoy holidays to the beach because of the sunny weather and clear sea water. holidays to the beach with my family are very enjoyable for me. this is an experience i really miss it. 36 8 rn i like writing, except for writing in arabic. when my teacher asks me to write, i still write because it's a trust from her. i enjoy writing on my own depending on my mood and surroundings. sometimes i'm lazy to correct if there are mistakes in the words i write. i once went on holiday to the beach with my best friend. there i enjoyed the breeze, watched the sunset, and played in the sand. 25 9 fa i don't like writing and it depends on my mood. if i'm ordered by my teacher to write, i still write even though i'm not enthusiastic. i enjoy i have a black cat at home. it makes me feel calmer and more relaxed, because they are always ready to accompany me when i'm lazing around at home. cats also 42 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 635 my own writing, even if it's not clear, because i appreciate my writing. have their own way of entertaining me by playing with toys. 10 hh i like writing. sometimes i feel unhappy when i'm asked to write. i enjoy writing my own pieces because they are easy to understand as i type my story on a diary application. i had 3 friends in middle school. we are always together at school and even do schoolwork together. but when we graduated we didn't communicate anymore because we continued our education in different places. 34 11 sq i definitely like writing. when asked to write, i'm happy and pleased because i can create a book of stories from a novel by writing. sometimes i use applications to write and make it easy. and i'm extremely fond of writing more than reading. i always feel uncomfortable in math class, because i don't understand the concepts being taught. i think this lesson is very difficult because i don't like counting, and the way the teacher teaches is very confusing. 36 12 ss i like to write depending on my mood and an interesting topic. if i'm asked to write by my teacher, i will still write even if my mood is not good. and i have little self-confidence in my writing because sometimes i feel that my writing is unclear and unfocused. i always feel uncomfortable in math class, because i don't understand the concepts being taught. i think this lesson is very difficult because i don't like counting, and the way the teacher teaches is very confusing. 36 13 sna i have a fondness for writing. occasionally, i enjoy writing and occasionally, i do not. when my teacher requests that i write in class, i may not feel enthusiastic about it. i more like to write on media like whatsapp, instagram; it does not make me tired than writing in a book. moreover, i find my own writing to be less engaging. my experience as a student was that i had to live independently and be responsible for myself. over the years, i have learned to manage my time, manage my money, and maintain the awareness to stay focused on my goal of seeking knowledge. 43 14 sfh i really love writing. if a teacher asks me to write, i'm really happy to do so. however, sometimes writing can be tiring and confusing, making it hard for me to start writing in the first place. i go on holiday to the beach once a year with my family during eid. we wore the same clothes and took photos together. this moment impressed me in my life. 31 15 ra sometimes i like to write and sometimes i don't. if a teacher asks me to write, it makes me like it but it depends on the topic that is interesting. i feel less confident about my own written work. when i was little i liked playing traditional games with my friends such as hide and seek, jumping rope and others. but nowadays this game is rarely used because we prefer playing applications. 33 total 538 average 35.9 words the table provides a detailed overview of students' initial attitudes towards writing, their writing samples before using capcut, and the corresponding word count. this comprehensive analysis offers insights into the students' engagement levels, confidence, and the quality of their writing. the table reveals a range of attitudes towards writing among the students. for instance, students like hsm and eh expressed a lack of confidence in their writing abilities, which is reflected in their relatively shorter and less detailed writing samples. this lack of confidence can be a significant barrier to creative expression, indicating a need for supportive interventions that can help these students build their self-esteem in writing. on the other hand, students like sm and ls showed a strong affinity for writing, as evidenced by their longer and more expressive writing pieces. sm's piece about their experience at an islamic boarding school and ls's account of climbing kawah ijen highlight their ability to provide detailed narratives. these students seem to have a natural inclination towards writing but could benefit from tools that further enhance their skills and creativity. the average word count of 35.9 words per piece indicates that the students' initial writing outputs were relatively brief. this brevity suggests that many students struggle to elaborate on their ideas and develop more complex narratives. the concise nature of their writing underscores the importance of interventions that can help students expand their thoughts and improve their writing fluency. mood and external factors play a critical role in students' writing experiences. for example, students like f and rn mentioned that their enjoyment and productivity in writing depend heavily on their mood and surroundings. this variability indicates that creating a conducive and motivating writing environment could significantly enhance their engagement and output. dewi andhika & suparwoto sapto wahono utilizing capcut to foster creative writing skills in efl students: a digital media approach 636 understanding and addressing these external factors can help educators design more effective writing activities that resonate with students' personal circumstances. students' responses also highlight the influence of digital media on their writing preferences. students like sq and sna expressed a preference for using digital platforms to write, which they find less tiring and more engaging than traditional methods. this preference for digital media suggests that integrating tools like capcut could cater to their interests and potentially transform their writing experiences. the flexibility and interactivity offered by digital tools can make writing more appealing and accessible for these students. furthermore, the data shows a wide range of word counts among the students' writings, indicating varying levels of detail and elaboration. students like sm and rm produced longer, more detailed narratives, while others like rn and aua wrote shorter, less detailed pieces. this diversity in writing length and style underscores the need for tailored approaches that can address individual differences and help each student improve their writing skills. by recognizing these differences, educators can implement personalized strategies that support all students effectively. overall, the insights from this table serve as a benchmark to measure the impact of using capcut on students' writing abilities. by comparing these initial results with post-intervention data, educators can better understand the effectiveness of integrating digital media tools in enhancing creative writing skills among efl students. the findings highlight the potential benefits of digital tools in fostering greater engagement, creativity, and confidence in writing, paving the way for more innovative and supportive educational practices. conclusion this study investigated the potential of capcut, a popular video editing application, to enhance creative writing skills among efl students. the findings indicate that integrating capcut into the curriculum significantly improves students' writing abilities. the average word count per writing sample increased from 35.9 words before using capcut to 63 words after its integration, demonstrating a marked improvement in students' capacity to express their ideas more elaborately and in greater detail. qualitative feedback from students revealed a positive shift in their attitudes toward writing. many students who initially felt uncomfortable and lacked confidence in their writing abilities showed increased engagement and motivation after using capcut. the application's interactive and userfriendly features facilitated a more engaging and enjoyable writing experience, helping students overcome their initial hesitations and explore a wider range of themes and ideas. this transformation underscores the importance of digital tools in enhancing educational outcomes by fostering a dynamic and supportive learning environment. the results suggest that digital media tools like capcut can effectively enhance creative writing skills by providing an engaging platform for idea generation and development. by allowing students to express their thoughts freely and creatively, capcut helps to improve both technical writing skills and student confidence. incorporating such tools into efl teaching strategies offers a promising approach to modernizing educational practices. educators should be trained on the effective use of these tools to maximize their potential benefits. future research could explore the long-term impacts of digital media integration on language learning and expand the study to include a larger and more diverse student population. references alkhaldi, a. a. (2023). the impact of technology on students’ creative writing: a case study in jordan. theory and practice in language studies, 13(3), 586-592. alkhaldi, a. a., ozdemir, e. a, & alhasan, r. f. (2022). esp creative writing from engineering students’ perspectives: a case study. international journal of english language and literature studies, 11(3), 136-146. https://doi.org/10.55493/5019.v11i3.4613 alkhaldi, a.a. (2023). the impact of technology on students’ creative writing: a case study in jordan. international journal of english language and literature studies, 13(3), 586592. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1303.06 almelhi, a. m. (2021). effectiveness of the addie model within an e-learning environment in developing creative writing in efl students. english language teaching, 14(2), 20-36. aprilliani, g., & effendi, r. (2022). penggunaan aplikasi capcut untuk meningkatkan keterampilan menulis teks iklan pada siswa kelas vii smpn 4 jampangtengah kabupaten sukabumi. triangulasi jurnal pendidikan: kebahasaan, kesastraan, dan pembelajaran, 2(2), 48-53. https://doi.org/10.55493/5019.v11i3.4613 https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1303.06 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 637 bowen, g. a. (2019). document analysis as a qualitative research method. qualitative research journal, 9(2), 27-40. braun, v., & clarke, v. (2019). reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. qualitative research in sport, exercise and health, 11(4), 589-597. brinkmann, s. (2018). the interview. in n. k. denzin & y. s. lincoln (eds.), the sage handbook of qualitative research (5th ed., pp. 576-599). sage publications. cardano, m. (2020). defending qualitative research: design, analysis, and textualization. routledge. crabtree, b. f., & miller, w. l. (2023). doing qualitative research. sage publications. creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). sage publications. creswell, j. w., & poth, c. n. (2018). qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). sage publications. darlington, y., & scott, d. (2020). qualitative research in practice: stories from the field. routledge. elisa, l. (2023). students’ perceptions of using digital media in english language learning. journal of social work and science education, 4(3), 937949. elliott, r., & timulak, l. (2021). essentials of descriptive-interpretive qualitative research: a generic approach. american psychological association. ernalida, oktarina, s., & ansori. (2021). students’ responses towards e-learning schoology content on creative writing learning during the covid-19 pandemic. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), pp. 195-198. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5370 ernalida, oktarina, s., & turama, r. (2021). analysis of teacher needs related to e-learning schoology content in creative writing in middle schools throughout palembang city. english review: journal of english education, 9(2), pp. 277284.https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i2.4352 fadhli, r., suharyadi, a., firdaus, f. m., bustari, m. (2023). developing a digital learning environment team-based project to support online learning in indonesia. international journal of evaluation and research in education (ijere), 12(3), 1599-1608. doi: 10.11591/ijere.v12i3.24040 fadhly, f. (2021). synthesizing effective strategies for it-mediated writing: a meta-ethnographic study. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics, 6(2), 563-575. https://doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v6i2.610 fadhly, f. z. (2022). extensive reading as a gateway to create research gap: valuable lessons from indonesian expert authors. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics, 7(2), 397-413. fadhly, f. z. (2022). formulating research problem in academic writing: indonesian expert authors’ cognitive experience. indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 7(1), 215-233. fadhly, f. z., & ratnaningsih, n. (2018). reconstruction of cognitive process in popular article writing. asian efl journal, 20(5), 7-33. fadhly, f. z., emzir, lustyantie, n. (2018). exploring cognitive process of research topic selection in academic writing. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 157-166. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1535 fadhly, f. z., muziatun, manan, n. a., & solihat, d. (2023). an academic writing model: lessons learned from experienced writers. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 12(3), 870-880. fadhly, z. f. (2023). enhancing the academic writing of efl learners: an analysis of effective strategies through meta-synthesis. indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 6(2), 397-410. fansury, a. h., januarty, r., & rahman, s. a. w. (2020). digital content for millennial generations: teaching the english foreign language learner on covid-19 pandemic. journal of southwest jiaotong university, 55(3), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.35741/issn.02582724.55.3.40 fatimah, a. s., santiana, s., & saputra, y. (2019). digital comic: an innovation of using toondoo as media technology for teaching english short story. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 101-108. https://doi:10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1526 febyana arlin, budiyono, h., & harjono, h. s. (2023). capcut-based videos for learning writing explanation text for junior high school students: feasibility test and its effectiveness. international journal of multidisciplinary research and publications (ijmrap), 6(7), pp. 79-83. hapsari, f., desnaranti l., & wahyuni, s. (2021). peran guru dalam memotivasi belajar siswa selama kegiatan pembelajaran jarak jauh. research and development journal of education, 7(1), 193204. haristiani, n., mumu, m.r. (2020). combining chatbot and social media: enhancing personal learning environment (ple) in language learning. journal of science & technology, 5(2), 487-506. harshini, p. (2020). creative writing and its influence in the generation of language skills – a creative approach. journal of critical reviews, 7(04). https://doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.04.32 hatch, j. a. (2023). doing qualitative research in education settings. state university of new york press. hennink, m., hutter, i., & bailey, a. (2020). qualitative research methods. sage. ilyas, a. a., & kaniadewi, n. (2023). students’ perception on the use of spotify to improve https://doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v6i2.610 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1535 https://doi.org/10.35741/issn.0258-2724.55.3.40 https://doi.org/10.35741/issn.0258-2724.55.3.40 https://doi:10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1526 https://doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.04.32 dewi andhika & suparwoto sapto wahono utilizing capcut to foster creative writing skills in efl students: a digital media approach 638 students’ pronunciation. english education journal, 3(2), 119-132. jaashan, h. m. s. (2022). teaching figures of speech as a productive skill and its influence on efl learners' creative writing. journal of language and linguistic studies, 18(1), 423-433. kakerissa, w. m., lengkanawati, n. s., & muslim, a. b. (2023). utilizing indonesia’s superdiversity as a learning source in creative writing teaching for indonesia efl students. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 525-538. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7343 karwandi, k., inderawati, r., & sitinjak, m. d. (2022). creative writing and innovative process of beowulf virtual drama undergraduate students. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 901-910. karwandi., inderawati, r., sitinjak, m. d., eryansyah., & siahaan, s. m. (2022). creative writing and innovative process of beowulf virtual drama undergraduate students. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 901-910. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6323 kumar, t. (2020). approaches in teaching writing skills with creative writing: a tesol study for indian learners. tesol international journal.15(5), 78-98. kusmaryono, i., & basir, m. a. (2024). learning media projects with youtube videos: a dynamic tool for improving mathematics achievement. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 13(2), 934–942. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i2.26720 lichtman, m. (2023). qualitative research in education: a user's guide. routledge. mandasari, b., & aminatun, d. (2022). investigating teachers’ belief and practices toward digital media of english learning during covid-19 pandemic. english review: journal of english education,10(2), 475-484. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6248 maulidah, i., sulistianingsih., putri, v. d., pahlawanita, n. u., & mansyur, m. (2024). intergrating “canva” and “capcut” application for efl beginner students to practice writing personal information and pronouncation. an international peer-reviewed open access journal(aiproaj), 10(3), 1-9. meida, s. n., & fadhly, f. z. (2018). the analysis of teacher and students talk in indonesian efl classroom interaction. indonesian efl journal, 4(1), 73-82. merriam, s. b., & tisdell, e. j. (2016). qualitative research: a guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). john wiley & sons. nassaji, h. (2020). good qualitative research. language teaching research, 24(4), 427-431. nuraeni, i., & fadhly, f. z. (2016). creative process in fiction writing of three indonesian writers. indonesian efl journal, 2(2), 117-126. nurfauziyah, s., hamidah, i., suntini, s., & fadhly, f. z. (2024). elevating learning: developing hots challenges for senior students at smk pui cikijing. indonesian journal learning and instruction, 7(1), 53-60. pahmi., deng, l., & syahwin, m. (2022). using the capcut application as a learning media. journal international inspire education technology (jiiet), 1(1), pp. 40-51. patton, m. q. (2015). qualitative research & evaluation methods: integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). sage publications. pebriani, m. r., thamrin, n. r., darsih, e., & fadhly, f. z. (2022). the effect of using gist (generating interaction between schemata and text) strategy on students’ reading comprehension. indonesian journal of learning and instruction, 5(1), 41-46. https://doi.org/10.25134/ijli.v5i1.5875 pentury, h. j., anggraeni, a. d., & pratama, d. (2020). improving students’ 21st century skills through creative writing as a creative media. deiksis, 12(02), 164-178. phillips, r., & kara, h. (2021). creative writing for social research: a practical guide. policy press. pinem, y. a., & rahmawan, a. d. (2023). elements of digital media in vocabulary remote-learning achievement. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 12(2), 893–904. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v12i2.22923 prasetyo, t., & ms, z. (2021). the learning process of teachers using whatsapp application during the covid-19 pandemic. elementaria edukasia journal, 4(1), 138-150. https://doi.org/10.31949/jee.v4i1.2769 priandini, d., supriatna, n., & anggraini, d. n. (2023). the use of capcut application in improving students' creativity in social studies learning at junior high school. jurnal teknologi pendidikan: jurnal penilian dan pengembangan pembelajaran, 8(4), pp. 857-866. rejina, k., c. (2021). role of poetry in english language learning: a review of literature. journal of nelta. saldaña, j. (2021). the coding manual for qualitative researchers (4th ed.). sage publications. sankofa, n. (2023). critical method of document analysis. international journal of social research methodology, 26(6), 745-757. savin-baden, m., & major, c. (2023). qualitative research: the essential guide to theory and practice. routledge. silverman, r. m., & patterson, k. (2021). qualitative research methods for community development. routledge. smith, h. (2020). the writing experiment: strategies for innovative creative writing. routledge. syaparuddin, s., & elihami, e. (2020). enhancing student learning motivation through lowhttps://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7343 http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i3.6323 https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i2.26720 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6248 https://doi.org/10.25134/ijli.v5i1.5875 https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v12i2.22923 https://doi.org/10.31949/jee.v4i1.2769 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 639 resolution videos: a study on the low motivation of students in class c. nonformal education journal, 1(1), 187-200. ulhaq, h. d., suryana, y., asikin, n. a., & fadhly, f. z. (2022). a morpho-syntactic error analysis of university students’ argumentative writing. indonesian journal learning and instruction, 5(2), 23-28. http://10.25134/ijli.v5i2.6844 wahono, s.s., & afifah, k. (2022). the record of using picture series to develop students’ writing skills. english review: journal of english education, 10(3), 965-974. https://doi.org/10.25134 /erjee.v10i3.6830. wahono, s.s., & qodariah, k. u. (2019). improving students writing skill using english movie with subtitle. international journal of scientific and research pulication, 9(12), 96http.doi.org/10.293322/ijsrp.9.12.2019.p9674. yang, x. (2022). research on digital teaching of creative writing in the context of computer big data. hindawi wireless communications and mobile computing, 2022, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2699833. yulianti, i., & fadhly, f. z. (2020). learning through learners: indonesian efl learners’ writing strategies experiences. indonesian journal of learning and instruction, 3(2), 101-110. https://doi.org/10.25134/ijli.v3i2.3680 http://10.0.98.46/ijli.v5i2.6844 https://doi.org/10.25134 https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2699833 https://doi.org/10.25134/ijli.v3i2.3680 dewi andhika & suparwoto sapto wahono utilizing capcut to foster creative writing skills in efl students: a digital media approach 640 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 993 efl learners’ views on ai feedback tools: assessing grammar accuracy and learning impact meyga agustia nindya* english language teaching, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pancasakti tegal, jalan halmahera km 1, tegal timur, tegal city, indonesia email: meyga@upstegal.ac.id taufiqulloh english language teaching, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pancasakti tegal, jalan halmahera km 1, tegal timur, tegal city, indonesia email: taufiqkayla@upstegal.ac.id apa scitation:. nindya, m. a. & taufiqullah. (2024). efl learners’ views on ai feedback tools: assessing grammar accuracy and learning impact. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 993-1002. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10672 received: 21-06-2024 accepted: 23-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction understanding how learners perceive grammar accuracy is crucial in second language acquisition. grammar is often viewed as a fundamental aspect of language skills and significantly impacts how well students communicate and assess their own abilities (ellis, 2021). recent research has investigated various strategies to improve grammatical accuracy, including direct teaching, feedback systems, and advanced technological tools (safar & hossain, 2021). historically, feedback on grammar has been provided through teacher corrections, peer evaluations, and selfrevision. studies indicate that while teacher feedback can be quite effective, it is constrained by the limited time teachers have for each student and potential inconsistencies in feedback quality (harkins, 2023). peer feedback is also useful but may lack accuracy or constructive value, especially in groups with diverse skill levels (johnson & johnson, 2020). in recent years, the field of education has been transformed by artificial intelligence (ai). tools driven by ai, such as grammar checkers and language learning applications, provide immediate and tailored feedback, potentially overcoming some of the limitations associated with traditional feedback methods (hsu, 2020). these ai tools utilize natural language processing (nlp) to detect and correct grammatical errors in real-time (shen et al., 2022). research suggests that these ai tools can enhance grammatical accuracy by delivering prompt corrections and explanations. nonetheless, there is increasing research focused on how students perceive and interact with ai-generated feedback. findings indicate that while ai tools can improve grammar accuracy, students' trust in these tools and their ability to incorporate the feedback can vary (kukulska-hulme, 2021). self-assessment is a critical skill in language learning, allowing learners to evaluate their own abstract: this study explores english as a foreign language (efl) learners' perceptions of grammar accuracy and the impact of ai-driven feedback tools on their self-assessment and improvement. utilizing a quantitative approach, data were collected from 54 efl students majoring in english language teaching at universitas pancasakti tegal through quantitative surveys. it consisted of four aspects with the total of 14 questions to explore the students’ demographic information, perceived accuracy of ai feedback, the practical utility of ai feedback, overall satisfaction with ai feedback compared to traditional methods, and other detailed insights on the advantages and disadvantages of ai feedback the findings indicate that a significant majority of participants perceive ai feedback as accurate (57.4% finding it accurate; 29.6% very accurate), useful (53.7% rating it helpful), and satisfying (66.7% satisfied). furthermore, learners reported that ai tools effectively identify missed errors and enhance their understanding of grammar rules. despite the positive perceptions, a portion of participants still values traditional feedback, suggesting a potential benefit in a blended approach that combines ai and human interaction. this research underscores the growing importance of integrating ai-driven tools in language education, highlighting their role in enhancing learner engagement and grammar proficiency. future studies should investigate the long-term effects of ai feedback on language learning outcomes and explore specific features that maximize its effectiveness. keywords: efl learners; grammar accuracy; ai feedback tools; self-assessment; language learning. mailto:taufiqkayla@upstegal.ac.id meyga agustia nindya & taufiqulloh efl learners’ views on ai feedback tools: assessing grammar accuracy and learning impact 994 proficiency and identify areas for improvement (boud & molloy, (2019). ai tools can aid this process by offering detailed feedback and helping students monitor their progress. comparative research on ai and human feedback reveals differences in effectiveness and student satisfaction. while ai tools provide consistency and efficiency, human feedback often offers a deeper contextual understanding and more nuanced explanations, which ai may not provide (hegelheimer & lee, 2020). this difference raises questions about the best way to integrate ai tools with traditional feedback methods. the use of aidriven feedback tools in language learning presents promising opportunities for personalized instruction and enhanced learning experiences. it is important for educators to understand both the strengths and limitations of these tools to integrate them effectively into their teaching practices (zou, 2022). currently, there is a lack of systematic research on how students perceive the accuracy, usefulness, and overall quality of ai-driven feedback tools. while some studies address this topic, a more indepth exploration of students' attitudes and experiences with ai feedback is needed (zhao, 2023). identifying the specific contexts where ai feedback is most beneficial or limited is essential (hegelheimer & lee, 2020). by addressing these research gaps and exploring how to integrate ai with traditional feedback methods, educators can better support students in achieving their grammar learning objectives and developing independent language skills. in examining the perceptions of efl learners regarding ai feedback tools, one central research question investigates the perceived accuracy of grammar feedback generated by these ai tools. understanding how learners assess the accuracy of ai feedback compared to traditional methods is crucial, as it can significantly influence their trust in the technology and their willingness to incorporate the feedback into their writing. another key question focuses on the practical utility of ai feedback in enhancing learners’ grammar skills. it aims to explore how students perceive the usefulness of ai tools. additionally, the research also explored the overall satisfaction efl learners experience with ai feedback compared to traditional feedback methods. grammar is a critical component in mastering a new language, serving as the foundation for effective communication and self-assessment. ellis (2021) highlights that a strong grasp of grammar is essential for language proficiency, influencing learners' communication skills and their ability to assess their own language use. safar & hossain (2021) support this, noting that accurate grammar use is integral to language acquisition and learners' self-evaluation. vanpatten and williams (2015) argue that explicit grammar instruction helps learners develop linguistic competence and engage in meaningful communication. these studies underscore the necessity of effective grammar instruction for achieving successful language acquisition. one of the most popular ways of giving feedback is traditional feedback mechanisms, such as teacher corrections, peer reviews, and selfediting. harkins (2023) emphasize that while teacher feedback is valuable, it is often constrained by time limitations and variability in the quality of feedback. he also futher noted that peer feedback, though useful, may lack precision and constructiveness, especially in mixed-ability groups. furthermore, saito and lyster (2012) highlight that self-editing can be limited by learners' grammatical knowledge and awareness. this highlights the need for additional or alternative feedback methods to enhance grammatical accuracy. the integration of artificial intelligence (ai) in education has introduced innovative approaches for providing feedback. ai-driven tools, including grammar checkers and language learning apps, offer immediate and personalized feedback, addressing some limitations of traditional methods (hsu, 2020). shen et al. (2022) describe how natural language processing (nlp) algorithms are employed by these tools to analyze and correct grammatical errors in real-time. yoon and polio (2017) demonstrate that ai tools can significantly enhance learners' grammatical accuracy by offering instant corrections and contextual explanations. further research by hsu et al. (2021) and zheng et al. (2022) reveals that ai-driven feedback tools can improve learners' writing accuracy and fluency, providing real-time feedback that helps learners correct errors and refine their language skills. these advancements highlight the potential of ai to transform language learning environments. understanding how learners perceive aigenerated feedback is crucial for assessing its effectiveness. kukulska-hulme (2021) found that while ai tools can improve grammatical accuracy, learners' trust in these tools and their ability to effectively use the feedback vary. kormos and trebits (2012) also highlight that learners' attitudes towards ai feedback impact how they english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 995 incorporate this feedback into their language learning. zhao (2023) emphasizes the need for more comprehensive studies on learners' experiences with ai feedback to better understand its effects on language acquisition. research by chan (2021) and warschauer (2018) further explores how learners interact with ai tools and the factors influencing their perceptions of feedback accuracy and usefulness. these studies underscore the importance of understanding learner attitudes to optimize the integration of ai tools into language learning. self-assessment is a vital skill that allows learners to evaluate their proficiency and identify areas for improvement. boud and molloy (2019) highlight that self-assessment fosters learner autonomy and motivation. ai-driven tools can support self-assessment by providing detailed feedback and tracking learners' progress over time (chen et al., 2024). however, saito and lyster (2012) note that the effectiveness of these tools in promoting accurate self-assessment and learner independence is still under investigation. additional studies by brown and hudson (2002) and mcmillan and hearn (2008) emphasize the role of self-assessment in language learning and suggest that ai tools have the potential to enhance this process by providing consistent and actionable feedback. comparative research has explored the differences between ai-driven and human feedback. hegelheimer and lee (2020) found that while ai tools offer consistency and efficiency, human feedback often provides richer contextual understanding and nuanced explanations that ai may lack. varnhagen et al. (2017) and lyster and saito (2010) highlight the importance of combining ai and human feedback to achieve optimal learning outcomes. further research by lee and hsu (2018) and zheng et al. (2021) explores how the integration of ai with traditional feedback methods can enhance language instruction. these studies suggest that a blended approach, incorporating both ai and human feedback, may offer the most effective solutions for grammar instruction. method this research employs a mixed-methods to investigate how english as a foreign language (efl) students perceive ai-based feedback compared to conventional feedback techniques. the approach integrates both quantitative and qualitative methods to offer a comprehensive analysis of the effectiveness and impact of ai tools in teaching grammar (creswell & creswell, 2017). this study involved 54 efl students of universitas pancasakti tegal from various proficiency levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced) enrolled in grammar classes. a stratified random sampling technique will ensure representation across different proficiency levels (cohen et al., 2018). a structured questionnaire was designed to measure perceptions of ai feedback. it consisted of four aspects with the total of 14 questions to explore the students’ demographic information, perceived accuracy of ai feedback, the practical utility of ai feedback, overall satisfaction with ai feedback compared to traditional methods, and other detailed qualitative insights on the advantages and disadvantages of ai feedback. the survey was administered online using platforms such as google forms and whatsapp groups which were open for two weeks. before the questionnaire distribution, participants were informed about the study's purposes and provided consent before participating. the data of this study was analyzed through quantitative approaches. descriptive statistics was used to summarize survey responses, including means, medians, and standard deviations from the distributed questionnaire (pallant, 2020). besides, data that were collected through open-ended questions were analyzed qualitatively. results and discussion this study investigated efl learners’ perceptions of grammar accuracy, focusing on the impact of ai-driven feedback tools on learners' selfassessment and improvement. utilizing a mixedmethods approach, the research combined quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews, providing a comprehensive analysis of the perceptions held by 54 efl students majoring in english language teaching at universitas pancasakti tegal. perceptions of grammar accuracy the results regarding perceptions of grammar accuracy revealed several insights that are presented in the following table. table 1. statistical figures on perceptions of ai grammar corrections aspect finding (%) total positive (%) meyga agustia nindya & taufiqulloh efl learners’ views on ai feedback tools: assessing grammar accuracy and learning impact 996 accuracy of ai corrections accurate 57.4 very accurate 29.6 87.0 comparison with traditional feedback ai better 61.1 ai much better 25.9 87.0 identification of missed errors often identified 55.6 very often identified 27.8 83.4 improvement of understanding agreed improvement 55.6 strongly agreed 31.5 87.1 accuracy of ai corrections: a total of 57.4% of participants found the grammar corrections provided by the ai tool to be accurate, while 29.6% rated them as very accurate as shown in table 1. this suggests a generally positive perception of the reliability of ai feedback. learners noted that the ai's ability to provide context-aware corrections played a crucial role in this perception. previous research indicates that contextual feedback is vital in language learning, as it helps learners make connections between their errors and the rules governing language use (huang et al., 2020). comparison with traditional feedback: as shown in table 1, when asked to compare the accuracy of ai-generated corrections to traditional feedback, 61.1% rated ai corrections as better, and 25.9% rated them as much better. this indicates a strong preference for ai tools among learners. the perceived superiority of ai feedback can be attributed to its efficiency in delivering real-time corrections, which is essential for language learners (chiu & tsai, 2020). identification of missed errors: in terms of error identification, 55.6% of students stated that the ai tool often identified grammatical errors they had missed, while 27.8% reported that it did so very often, as shown in table 1. this highlights the tool's effectiveness in enhancing learners' awareness of their grammatical mistakes, which is crucial for developing self-assessment skills (tseng, 2021). improvement of understanding: regarding the impact of ai feedback on understanding grammar rules, as shown in table 1, 55.6% of participants agreed that it improved their understanding, with 31.5% strongly agreeing. this suggests that learners recognize the educational value of the feedback received. prior studies have shown that effective feedback contributes significantly to learner understanding and retention of grammatical structures (lee, 2017). the positive perceptions regarding the accuracy of ai feedback (with 57.4% of respondents finding it accurate and 29.6% very accurate) indicate that learners are beginning to trust technological interventions in their language acquisition process. this aligns with prior research that suggests learners who perceive feedback as accurate are more likely to engage with it and apply it to their learning (huang et al., 2020). the higher ratings for ai-generated corrections compared to traditional methods can be attributed to the speed and consistency of ai feedback, which provides immediate responses to errors that may be missed in conventional settings (chiu & tsai, 2020). this perceived accuracy could foster greater autonomy in learning, as students may rely more on ai tools to identify and correct their mistakes independently, thereby enhancing their self-regulation skills (tseng, 2021). the correlation between ai feedback and improved self-assessment aligns with nicol’s (2020) assertion that effective feedback promotes learner agency. usefulness of ai feedback the usefulness of ai feedback was assessed, revealing significant insights that are presented in the following table. table 2. statistical figures on the usefulness of ai feedback aspect finding (%) total positive (%) helpfulness in improvement helpful 53.7 much helpful 37.0 90.7 understanding grammar concepts helpful 57.4 much more helpful 20.4 77.8 utility of explanations useful 63.0 very much 24.1 87.1 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 997 helpful assistance in application agree 64.0 strongly agree 22.2 86.2 helpfulness in grammar improvement: table 2 shows that 53.7% of participants found ai feedback helpful, while 37% rated it as much helpful. this underscores the perceived practicality of ai tools in grammar learning. effective feedback is recognized as a key component in the learning process, as it directs learners' focus to specific areas for improvement (baker & inventado, 2019). understanding grammar concepts: in comparing ai feedback to traditional methods, 57.4% indicated that ai feedback was helpful in understanding grammar concepts, with 20.4% stating it was much more helpful as shown in table 2. this highlights the superior instructional value of ai feedback, as learners often struggle with abstract grammar concepts without sufficient contextual examples (hwang & chang, 2018). utility of explanations: as shown in table 2, regarding the explanations provided by the ai tool for understanding grammar mistakes, 63% found them useful, while 24.1% rated them as very much helpful. this indicates that learners value the contextual insights provided by ai. providing explanations alongside corrections has been shown to enhance learners’ understanding of grammatical rules (hattie & donoghue, 2016). assistance in application: finally, table 2 shows that 64% of participants agreed that the ai tool assists them in applying grammar rules correctly in their writing, with 22.2% strongly agreeing. this reflects a belief that ai feedback is instrumental in practical language use. effective application of grammar rules is critical for improving overall writing quality, as supported by studies indicating that immediate feedback enhances writing performance (shen et al., 2020). the responses reflecting the usefulness of ai feedback, particularly the 53.7% who found it helpful for grammar improvement, highlight the role of these tools in bridging gaps in traditional language instruction. ai tools are often designed to provide tailored feedback based on individual learner needs, making them particularly effective in addressing specific areas of difficulty (baker & inventado, 2019). effective ai feedback not only corrects errors but also offers pedagogical explanations that help learners internalize grammatical rules (hwang & chang, 2018). this dual role of correction and instruction supports the cognitive load theory, which posits that reducing extraneous cognitive load through effective feedback can improve learning outcomes (sweller, 2019). learner satisfaction: learner satisfaction with the ai feedback tool was notably high, as presented in the following table. table 3. statistical figures on learner satisfaction with ai feedback tool aspect finding (%) total positive (%) overall satisfaction satisfied 66.7 very satisfied 25.9 92.6 comparison with traditional feedback satisfied with ai 74.1 very satisfied with ai 16.7 90.8 likelihood of continued use likely to continue 59.3 very likely to continue 25.9 85.2 engagement in learning agree 63.0 strongly agree 16.7 79.7 overall satisfaction: table 3 shows that 66.7% of participants reported being satisfied with the ai feedback tool, while 25.9% were very satisfied. this indicates a strong acceptance of ai tools among efl learners. high satisfaction levels often correlate with improved learning outcomes, as learners who are satisfied with feedback mechanisms are more likely to engage with the learning process (nicol, 2020). comparison with traditional feedback: when comparing satisfaction with ai feedback to traditional methods, 74.1% expressed satisfaction with ai, and 16.7% were very satisfied, as shown table 3. this suggests that many learners prefer ai tools over traditional feedback, potentially due to the personalized nature of ai interactions (huang et al., 2020). likelihood of continued use: regarding future use, 59.3% of respondents indicated they are likely to continue using the ai feedback tool for grammar practice, with 25.9% stating they are very likely as shown table 3. this reflects a meyga agustia nindya & taufiqulloh efl learners’ views on ai feedback tools: assessing grammar accuracy and learning impact 998 positive inclination towards the sustained use of ai tools in their learning process, indicating that learners view ai feedback as a valuable resource for ongoing improvement (tseng, 2021). engagement in learning: table 3 shows that, in terms of engagement, 63% agreed that ai feedback makes grammar learning more engaging compared to traditional methods, with 16.7% strongly agreeing. this supports the idea that ai tools foster a more interactive learning environment, enhancing motivation (dörnyei, 2021). the high levels of learner satisfaction—66.7% satisfied and 25.9% very satisfied—suggest that ai tools meet the learners' needs for effective feedback. this satisfaction is crucial, as studies have shown that learner satisfaction correlates positively with motivation and engagement, leading to improved academic performance (dörnyei, 2021). the strong preference for ai feedback over traditional methods, with 74.1% expressing satisfaction, further emphasizes the need for educators to consider incorporating ai tools into their instructional practices. the engagement aspect, with 63% of respondents agreeing that ai feedback makes learning more engaging, reflects the potential for these tools to transform the learning environment. by providing interactive and immediate responses, ai tools can create a more dynamic and responsive educational setting, which is particularly important in language learning contexts where engagement is often a barrier to progress (lee, 2017). comparative feedback effectiveness finally, the effectiveness of ai feedback compared to traditional feedback was evaluated. the results are presented in the following table. table 4. statistical figures on comparative feedback effectiveness aspect finding (%) total positive (%) effectiveness of ai feedback effective 48.1 very effective 5.6 53.7 not effective 44.4 preference for feedback method prefer ai 40.7 prefer 33.3 traditional much stronger preference for traditional 13.0 53.3 effectiveness of ai feedback: regarding the effectiveness of ai feedback compared to feedback from teachers, 48.1% of participants rated ai feedback as effective, while 5.6% rated it as very effective as shown in table 4. however, 44.4% chose not effective, indicating some variance in perceptions. this suggests that while ai feedback is well-received, it may not entirely replace the nuanced understanding provided by human feedback. preference for feedback method: table 4 shows that when asked about their preference for ai versus traditional feedback, 40.7% preferred ai, while 33.3% preferred traditional feedback. notably, 13% indicated a much stronger preference for traditional feedback, suggesting that while ai tools are valued, there remains a place for conventional methods in grammar learning. the mixed responses regarding the comparative effectiveness of ai feedback versus traditional feedback highlight the complexity of learner preferences. while 48.1% found ai feedback effective, a significant portion— 44.4%—did not view it as effective as teacher feedback. this suggests that, despite the advantages of ai tools, many learners still value the nuanced understanding and interpersonal interaction that human feedback provides. this finding points to the necessity of a blended approach to feedback in language learning. integrating ai feedback with traditional methods may provide a comprehensive learning experience that leverages the strengths of both modalities. research has indicated that a hybrid model can facilitate better learning outcomes, as it allows for personalized, immediate corrections while also providing the emotional and motivational support that comes from human interaction (graham, 2013). the findings of this study suggest that efl educators should consider integrating ai-driven feedback tools into their teaching methodologies. given that a significant proportion of participants (61.1%) rated ai corrections as better than traditional feedback, incorporating these tools can enhance the learning experience by providing timely, context-aware corrections (chiu & tsai, 2020). such integration can allow students to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 999 engage with immediate feedback that addresses their specific grammatical errors, promoting greater learner autonomy (tseng, 2021). this approach aligns with previous research indicating that learners who perceive feedback as accurate are more likely to engage with it and apply it to their learning (huang et al., 2020). consequently, training programs for teachers should emphasize the effective use of ai tools, ensuring that they complement traditional methods to provide a more robust educational framework (baker & inventado, 2019). moreover, the study indicates that the utility of ai feedback in improving understanding of grammar concepts is substantial, with 57.4% of participants finding it helpful (hwang & chang, 2018). therefore, educational institutions should invest in professional development for teachers focused on ai tool integration. by providing teachers with the skills needed to utilize ai feedback alongside traditional instructional methods, institutions can enhance the overall learning experience (graham, 2013). effective ai feedback not only corrects errors but also provides explanations that help learners internalize grammatical rules, as supported by studies showing that feedback that includes contextual insights significantly improves understanding (hattie & donoghue, 2016; lee, 2017). the high levels of learner satisfaction observed, with 66.7% expressing satisfaction with ai feedback tools, indicate a clear preference for these technologies (dörnyei, 2021). this suggests the need for educators to foster a learning environment that encourages sustained engagement with ai-driven resources. by promoting the use of these tools for grammar practice, educators can enhance students' selfassessment skills and overall motivation (shen et al., 2020). furthermore, educational policies should advocate for incorporating ai feedback mechanisms into language learning programs, ensuring that both educators and learners receive the support necessary to effectively navigate this technological landscape (nicol, 2020; tseng, 2021). lastly, future research should explore the long-term impacts of ai feedback on language acquisition and grammatical proficiency. longitudinal studies can provide insights into how the sustained use of ai tools influences learner outcomes over time (shen et al., 2020). additionally, investigating which specific features of ai feedback (e.g., contextual explanations, error identification) are most beneficial can help developers create more effective educational technologies (hattie & donoghue, 2016). expanding research to include diverse learner populations across different cultural contexts will also enhance the understanding of ai feedback's global applicability and acceptance (lee, 2017; huang et al., 2020). such studies can identify variations in feedback effectiveness and preferences based on cultural and educational backgrounds, leading to more personalized learning experiences (graham, 2013; dörnyei, 2021). conclusion this study examined efl learners’ perceptions of grammar accuracy and the impact of ai-driven feedback tools on their self-assessment and improvement. the results suggest that ai feedback tools not only offer immediate corrections but also promote a more engaging and autonomous learning experience. high levels of satisfaction with these tools indicate that learners are increasingly inclined to incorporate technology into their study practices, potentially leading to improved writing skills and greater grammatical accuracy. however, this study has some limitations. the sample size was relatively small, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. additionally, the research relied solely on questionnaire responses, without interviews or other data collection methods that could provide deeper insights. furthermore, participants were limited to efl major students, which may not represent the broader learner population. future research should explore the long-term effects of ai feedback on language proficiency and investigate which specific features learners find most beneficial. as technology evolves, it is essential for educators to adapt their practices to leverage the potential of ai tools in language education, ensuring they enhance the learning experience and contribute positively to learner outcomes. in summary, integrating ai-driven feedback tools represents a promising avenue for improving grammar instruction and learner engagement in efl contexts, making it a crucial focus for future pedagogical strategies. references alharbi, a. (2022). ai-assisted feedback and student engagement in language learning. journal of language teaching and research, 13(4), 851860. meyga agustia nindya & taufiqulloh efl learners’ views on ai feedback tools: assessing grammar accuracy and learning impact 1000 baker, r. s., & inventado, p. s. (2019). educational data mining and learning analytics: a survey of the fields. computers & education, 113, 212– 229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2017.06.003 boud, d., & molloy, e. (2019). rethinking models of feedback for learning: the role of selfassessment. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 44(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.152430 6 chao, c. (2021). ai-driven feedback and its impact on language acquisition. computer assisted language learning, 34(2), 189-203. chen, x., lin, h., & xu, h. (2024). exploring the longterm effects of ai-driven feedback tools on learner autonomy and grammar accuracy. language learning & technology, 28(2), 3452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langlt.2024.01.002 chiu, t. k., & tsai, h. m. (2020). exploring the relationship between feedback and student engagement in blended learning. computers & education, 152, article 103872. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103872 cohen, l., manion, l., & morrison, k. (2018). research methods in education. routledge. creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2017). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. sage publications. denscombe, m. (2014). the good research guide: for small-scale social research projects. open university press. dörnyei, z. (2021). motivational strategies in the language classroom. cambridge university press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108550205 ellis, r. (2021). grammar teaching in l2 classrooms: why and how? applied linguistics review, 12(1), 55-80. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev2020-0034 fadilah, s., & fitria, l. (2023). exploring efl learners' perceptions of ai tools in language learning. international journal of language and linguistics, 10(1), 29-40. ferris, d. r. (1999). the case for written corrective feedback. university of michigan press. fontana, a., & frey, j. h. (2005). the interview: from structured questions to negotiated text. in n. k. denzin & y. s. lincoln (eds.), the sage handbook of qualitative research (pp. 695-727). sage publications. graham, s. (2013). the role of writing in academic learning. in j. hattie & e. anderman (eds.), handbook of student engagement (pp. 99–115). academic press. https://doi.org/10.1016/b9780-12-369424-3.00007-1 guo, y. (2020). the role of automated feedback in the writing process of efl learners. journal of second language writing, 49, 100724. harkins, d. (2023). the role of grammar in fostering writing accuracy in english as a second language learners. language teaching research, 27(1), 83-102. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211001942 hattie, j., & donoghue, g. (2016). learning strategies: a synthesis and conceptual framework. educational psychologist, 51(2), 153–169. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2016.114362 0 hattie, j., & timperley, h. (2017). the power of feedback. review of educational research, 77(1), 81–112. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654319898402 hegelheimer, v., & lee, l. (2020). evaluating the effectiveness of automated feedback tools in language learning. calico journal, 37(1), 5873. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.37345 hsu, t. (2020). artificial intelligence in language education: current applications and future prospects. journal of educational technology, 18(3), 45-62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528020-00509-2 huang, y. m., & chang, c. y. (2020). the role of technology in enhancing student engagement: a framework for assessing the influence of ai in education. computers in human behavior, 113, article 106505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106505 johnson, k. e., & johnson, h. (2020). the relationship between grammar instruction and writing quality: a systematic review. educational research review, 29, 100307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100307 kearney, m., & maher, d. (2020). technology in language learning: current trends and future directions. language learning & technology, 24(2), 1-8. kormos, j., & trebits, a. (2012). the impact of feedback on the accuracy of language production: the case of written corrective feedback. language teaching research, 16(3), 369-390. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168812439617 kukulska-hulme, a. (2021). the role of ai in language learning: potential and challenges. computer assisted language learning, 34(6), 675-693. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.182960 1 lee, l., & hsu, t. (2018). the integration of ai tools in language learning: a comparative study of effectiveness and learner satisfaction. language learning & technology, 22(3), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-018-9530-7 lee, i. (2017). feedback in l2 writing: a review of the literature. language teaching, 50(3), 262–284. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444817000229 lin, t. (2021). enhancing grammar learning through ai feedback: a case study. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 16(9), 122-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2017.06.003 https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1524306 https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1524306 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langlt.2024.01.002 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103872 https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108550205 https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2020-0034 https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2020-0034 https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-369424-3.00007-1 https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-369424-3.00007-1 https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211001942 https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2016.1143620 https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2016.1143620 https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654319898402 https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.37345 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-020-00509-2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-020-00509-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106505 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100307 https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168812439617 https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1829601 https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1829601 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-018-9530-7 https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444817000229 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1001 liu, n., & carless, d. (2006). peer feedback: the role of learner reflection in developing language accuracy. language teaching research, 10(3), 296-314. https://doi.org/10.1191/1362168806lr201oa liu, x., zhang, w., & zhang, c. (2022). comparative analysis of ai and human feedback on language learning outcomes. language teaching research, 26(4), 525-545. https://doi.org/10.1177/136 lyster, r., & saito, h. (2010). oral feedback in second language classrooms. language teaching research, 14(3), 391-418. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168810375367 mason, m. (2018). qualitative research methods: a data collector's field guide. routledge. mcmillan, j. h., & hearn, j. (2008). student selfassessment: what do we know? practical assessment, research & evaluation, 14(1), 111. https://doi.org/10.7275/hh63-r788 nguyen, t. (2022). the effectiveness of ai feedback on grammar accuracy in efl writing. asiapacific education review, 23(1), 55-67. nicol, d. j. (2020). transforming assessment and feedback: improving student learning through the use of formative assessment. the university of edinburgh. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798020-09538-4 pallant, j. (2020). spss survival manual: a step by step guide to data analysis using ibm spss. allen & unwin. patton, m. q. (2015). qualitative research & evaluation methods: integrating theory and practice. sage publications. rojas, c. (2023). the impact of feedback on language learner autonomy: ai vs. traditional methods. journal of language and linguistic studies, 19(1), 255-272. safar, k., & hossain, m. (2021). grammar accuracy in academic writing: the perceptions of efl learners. journal of language and linguistic studies, 17(1), 123-139. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.903282 saito, h., & lyster, r. (2012). the role of corrective feedback in second language acquisition. language teaching research, 16(3), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168812446331 shen, z., lu, x., & liu, y. (2022). advances in natural language processing for educational technology. international journal of artificial intelligence in education, 32(4), 489-505. sheen, y. (2007). the effect of corrective feedback and language anxiety on l2 learners’ grammar acquisition. language teaching research, 11(2), 165-184. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168807075003 sweller, j. (2019). cognitive load theory: a framework for understanding the relationship between learning and instruction. educational psychology review, 31(2), 325–332. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-018-9441-2 tseng, w. t. (2021). the impact of ai feedback on efl learners' writing skills: a meta-analysis. educational technology & society, 24(3), 10– 24. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26770012 vanpatten, b., & williams, j. (2015). theories in second language acquisition: an introduction. routledge. varnhagen, c. k., mccallum, t. j., & mcgowan, s. (2017). the effectiveness of automated versus human feedback in writing instruction. journal of educational technology & society, 20(2), 7891. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23601387 wang, l., & chen, s. (2020). ai in language learning: opportunities and challenges. computer applications in engineering education, 28(4), 901-910. xu, y. (2021). a comparative study of ai feedback and teacher feedback in language learning. language learning & technology, 25(1), 6480. yoon, h. j., & polio, c. (2017). the effectiveness of automated feedback on second language learners’ grammatical accuracy. language learning & technology, 21(3), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langlt.2017.04.004 zhao, y. (2023). learners' attitudes towards ai feedback in language learning: a review. educational technology research and development, 71(2), 123-145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-022-10134-5 zou, d. (2022). integrating ai tools into language learning: challenges and opportunities. journal of language and linguistics, 19(4), 88-102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jll.2022.07.004 https://doi.org/10.1191/1362168806lr201oa https://doi.org/10.1177/136 https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168810375367 https://doi.org/10.7275/hh63-r788 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-020-09538-4 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-020-09538-4 https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.903282 https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168812446331 https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168807075003 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-018-9441-2 https://www.jstor.org/stable/26770012 https://www.jstor.org/stable/23601387 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langlt.2017.04.004 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-022-10134-5 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jll.2022.07.004 meyga agustia nindya & taufiqulloh efl learners’ views on ai feedback tools: assessing grammar accuracy and learning impact 1002 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 155 mapping the landscape of exploratory reading: a bibliometric analysis rahmad yusup english education department, faculty of teacher training and education university of muhammadiyah mataram, indonesia email: rahmadyusup04@gmail.com hijril ismail english education department, faculty of teacher training and education university of muhammadiyah mataram, indonesia email: hijrilismail@yahoo.com rima rahmaniah english education department, faculty of teacher training and education university of muhammadiyah mataram, indonesia email: rimarahmaniah172@gmail.com apa citation: yusup, r., ismail, h., & rahmaniah, r. (2025). mapping the landscape of exploratory reading: a bibliometric analysis. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 155164. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.10226 received: 13-09-2024 accepted: 11-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: the exploration of reading is pivotal for enhancing comprehension, fluency, and critical thinking. despite its importance, discrepancies persist between theoretical models and practical applications in reading education. the objective of this study is to present a thorough review of the literature on exploring reading. articles were searched using publish or perish with scopus database. the study analyzed 147 articles from 2019-2023. the mendeley software is utilized to resume and manage references. the researchers applied to vosviewer to review and identify articles. seven clusters have been identified. cluster 1 is comprised of seven items: academic vocabulary, influence, older adult, performance, reading comprehension, relationships, and self. cluster 2 consisted 7 item: academic performance, children, online reading, poor reading comprehension, primary school student, research, and strategy. cluster 3 consists of five items: college student, effectiveness, experience, feedback, and type. cluster 4 consists of 5 items: achievement, adult, context, effect, and reading. cluster 5 consists of 4 items: elt reading comprehension, factors, impact, and practice. cluster 6 consisted of 4 items: adult reader, theory, vocabulary, and word reading. cluster 7 consisted 3 item. connections, knowledge, and roles. keywords: exploring reading; mendeley software; scopus; and vosviewer. introduction reading is acknowledged as a fundamental skill in contemporary society, with a growing body of research underscoring its significance (lan & yu, 2023). this skill extends beyond the mere recognition of letters and words; it encompasses the comprehension of the material's inherent meaning (al qahtani, 2020). the process of reading is introspective, active, and interactive, necessitating the integration of the reader’s goals, expectations, and prior knowledge to construct meaning (ismail & edi, 2021). as soto et al., (2019) argue that process is highly active, encouraging readers to engage deeply with the text, constantly evaluating and interpreting the words in relation to their own understanding. moreover, loi & thanh, (2022) state that engaging in reading is an active endeavor where meaning is constructed from words, requiring a focus on objectives and the extraction of information and significance from the text. this requires the reader to focus on their goals and extract valuable information that aligns with their goals (kim et al., 2021). as toste et al., (2020) argue that motivations for reading may vary, the primary objective remains the interpretation of the text's meaning. consequently, reading constitutes a cognitive process that enables the reader to draw upon prior knowledge (suchona & urmy, 2019). as sari & prasetyo, (2021) state that through this process, readers not only gain information but also improve their critical thinking and interpretation skills. a deeper comprehension and enhanced knowledge of the content are the goals of "exploratory reading”, (samiei & ebadi, 2021). mailto:rahmadyusup04@gmail.com mailto:hijrilismail@yahoo.com mailto:rimarahmaniah172@gmail.com rahmad yusup, hijril ismail, & rima rahmaniah mapping the landscape of exploratory reading: a bibliometric analysis 156 scharlau et al., (2019) defined as an approach where readers actively seek a profound understanding of the text by uncovering hidden meanings, delving into intricate details, and exploring complex ideas. according ashford, (2024) exploring reading requires a thoughtful and analytical mindset, encouraging readers to go beyond surface-level comprehension to understand the underlying messages and themes of the material. this method surpasses mere skimming or unengaged reading; it involves connecting concepts, posing questions, seeking additional details, and striving to understand different levels of meaning within the text (barber & klauda, 2020). grabe, (2021), argue that exploratory reading emphasizes the reader's active participation and engagement throughout the reading process. catts, (2021), argue that by focusing on exploring multiple layers of meaning, readers can better understand complex ideas and develop a richer and more nuanced understanding of the subject matter. this not only improves knowledge acquisition, but also strengthens the reader's analytical and interpretive skills (elleman & oslund, 2019). investigating the influence of reading on the development of analytical and critical thinking abilities is an essential aspect of this process (sumarni & kadarwati, 2020). readers who actively engage with texts can enhance their capacity for analyzing and interpreting information, which is crucial in various contexts, including academic and professional domains (smith et al., 2021). research indicates that children who engage in exploratory reading often achieve higher academic standards and gain a deeper understanding of complex subjects (van der wilt et al., 2019). gönen & kızılay, (2022) argue that this method encourages readers to think critically and reflect deeply, prompting them to move beyond superficial comprehension. moreover, loeng, (2020), state that reading for pleasure promotes personal development and lifelong learning. deeper engagement in reading fosters lifelong learning and intellectual curiosity by enabling readers to absorb more information and view the world from diverse perspectives (talenta & himawati, 2023). in an era of abundant information, the ability to critically engage with and evaluate texts is more crucial than ever (chang et al., 2024). ha, (2021) argue that exploratory reading equips individuals with the tools necessary to navigate and make sense of the vast amount of information they encounter daily, ultimately enhancing their overall cognitive and personal growth. by practicing these skills, readers not only improve their cognitive abilities, but also their personal growth, so that they can understand the world better and make informed decisions(uri & coiro, 2020). there are many previous researches about exploring reading such as bezemer & cowan, (2022), focused on exploring reading in social semiotics: theory and methods. schwering et al., (2021) focused on exploring the relationship between fiction reading and emotion recognition, soleimani et al., (2022), focused on exploring the effect of assisted repeated reading on incidental vocabulary learning and vocabulary learning selfefficacy in an efl context, reed et al., (2021) focused on exploring the summer reading effect through visual analysis of multiple datasets, martiniello et al., (2022), focused on exploring correlates of braille reading performance in working age and older adults with visual impairments, daniel & barth, (2023), focused on exploring reading profiles of rural school students, x. c. wang et al., (2019), focused on exploring the relationship between kindergarteners’ buddy reading and individual comprehension of interactive app books, feller et al., (2020) focused on exploring reading strategy use in native and l2 readers, suchona & urmy, (2019) focused on exploring reading strategies and difficulties among bangladeshi undergraduates, samiei & ebadi, (2021) focused on exploring efl learner’s inferential reading comprehension skills through a flipped classroom. bibliometrics refers to the application of statistical techniques to analyze books, papers, and other publications, with a particular focus on scientific content (meitifazahra et al., 2022a). according to luft et al., (2022) this analytical approach allows researchers to explore the intellectual framework of a specific field within the extensive body of literature by identifying, elucidating, and examining numerous scientific papers. bibliometric studies uncover new trends in a vast corpus of literature and clarify the evolving nuances of particular topics (ismail & edi, 2021). this approach has become an important and widely accepted method for managing and evaluating vast scientific data (gaviria-marin et al., 2019). it has evolved into a rigorous and widely adopted method for sorting through and assessing large volumes of scientific data, highlighting emerging areas within a given topic and enhancing our understanding of its developmental complexities (donthu et al., english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 157 2021). grosseck et al., (2019) state that it is not only aids in sorting through large volumes of research but also provides clarity on how particular subjects evolve over time. for example, sweileh, (2021) work on the bibliometric analysis of covid-19 research illuminated the focus areas and rapid evolution of pandemic-related studies. bibliometrics has become an essential tool for assessing and analyzing scientific output, as well as understanding the evolution of scientific fields (pessin et al., 2022). it is crucial for evaluating the impact of national r&d performance and educational efficiency influenced by state-owned science funding (moral-muñoz et al., 2020). by employing various theoretical and practical instruments, scientists and professionals can gain insights into the productivity and impact of scientific research (beck et al., 2022). according to chen et al., (2021) this analysis method is not only useful for understanding past trends, but also for shaping the future direction of scientific pursuit. moreover, hollands & escueta, (2020) argue that this informs research and development policy-making and strategic planning, ensuring that resources are allocated efficiently to promote innovation and academic excellence. robertcristian, t. r. i. f., & oana, (2024) argue that by providing data-driven insights, bibliometrics supports strategic planning efforts and contributes to more effective decision-making in the allocating of resources. liu et al., (2021), demonstrated the practical applications of this analytical tool by showing how bibliometric approaches can assess the impact of funding on research productivity and creativity. this highlights the broader importance of bibliometrics in fostering the efficient use of resources and encouraging innovation in various scientific fields (skute et al., 2019). some studies about reading bibliometric analysis ismail & edi, (2021) a bibliometric analysis of efl reading fluency from 2016 to 2021, wyant et al., (2022) a bibliometric analysis informed reading list for physical educators, lan & yu, (2023) a bibliobliometric review study on reading literacy over fourteen years, ismail, (2021) a bibliometric analysis of reading strategy, y. wang et al., (2022) structure of research topics of reading in a foreign language's publications in the past two decades (20022020): a bibliometric analysis. meitifazahra et al., (2022) bibliometric analysis: e-book and reading comprehension in efl in the last decade, tahun & bahrum, (2023), efl reading fluency: a review bibliometric and vosviewer analysis, wu & amzah, (2023) researching the effects of ebook on children’s emergent reading conducted from 1999 to 2022: bibliometric review, lan & yu, (2023), a bibliometric review study on reading literacy over fourteen years the topic of exploratory reading has been extensively discussed in numerous scholarly articles, underscoring its significance in enhancing comprehension, critical thinking, and analytical skills. nevertheless, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of exploratory reading remains absent from the literature. this gap presents an opportunity for a thorough examination, prompting the author to undertake a study titled “a bibliometric analysis of exploring reading from 2019 to 2023.” this study aims to systematically analyze the existing body of research on exploratory reading, identifying key trends, influential works, and emerging areas within this field over the past twenty years. additionally, it seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of this domain's intellectual structure and evolution. this bibliometric analysis will offer valuable insights to researchers, educators, and policymakers interested in the development and impact of exploratory reading practices. method this study applied quantitative research to journal articles and focused on bibliometric analysis. then, this study adopted the five-step bibliometric analysis approach that was previously described by fahimnia et al., (2015) they are determining the relevant search data, first search result, refining of the search result, compiling statistics from the initial data, and analyzing the data. the article search was conducted in january 2024, utilizing "exploring reading" as a keyword. the publish or perish software, in conjunction with the scopus database, was employed to extract relevant articles. the process commenced by inputting "exploring reading" into the publish or perish software and setting the publication years to '0-0'. the initial search within the scopus database yielded 200 articles spanning the years 1972 to 2023, covering a period of 51 years. in this step, the writer did not set the range of years; the oldest articles about exploring reading was published in 1972. these twenty article at the top were determined by publish or perish software. rahmad yusup, hijril ismail, & rima rahmaniah mapping the landscape of exploratory reading: a bibliometric analysis 158 in this step, the writers controlled the range of the year (2019-2023). and set the publication names (journal). 147 articles between the first search and the refinement search is shown in table 1. tabel 1. comparison matrix metrix data initial research refinement research query journal, exploring reading journal, exploring reading from 20192023 (5 years) source scopus scopus paper 200 147 citations 6663 795 years 1972-2023 (51 years) 2019-2023 (5 years) cites/years 128.13 159.00 cites/papers 33.32 5.41 authors/papers 1.00 1.00 h_index 40 15 g_index 69 22 hi_norm 40 15 hi_annual 0,77 3.00 after refinement, the result was download and saved in mendeley program in the ris format, which contained essential details about papers, such as; journal specification (journal publisher, publication year, issue, and page), title, keywords, author’s name, and abstract. after that, the data was analyzed to categorize the year of publication trend, the publisher, and the publication source. figure 1. publication trend years (note: the publication trend on exploring reading in the last five years is that in 2019, eighteen articles were published in scopus-indexed journals. in 2020, there were seventeen articles. in 2021, there were thirty-four articles. in 2022, there were thirty-three articles. in 2023, there were forty-five articles.) figure 2. publisher (note: journal about exploring reading are frequently released by some publisher, such as. taylor and francis ltd. was fourteen articles, springer netherlands was eleven articles, routledge was eight articles, sage publications ltd. was eight articles, willey-blackwell publishing ltd. was eight articles, elsevier was seven articles, sage publications inc. was seven articles, american psychological association was four articles, cambridge university press was four articles, elsevier bv was four articles, frontiers media s.a. was four articles, sciedu press was four articles, springer new york was four articles, springeropen was four articles, kluwer academic publisher was three articles, national taiwan normal university was three articles, willey-blackwell was three articles, academic press inc. was two articles, american society for cell biology was two articles, australasian society for computers in learning in tertiary education was two articles, biomed central ltd. was two articles, john wiley and sons ltd. was two articles. the rest, each one of the articles.) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 159 figure 3. journals (note: these are the twenty most often appearing publication source namely: reading and writing, journal of research in reading, early childhood education journal, world journal of english language, scientific studies of reading, frontiers in psychology, reading and writing quarterly, language testing in asia, journal of early childhood literacy, education and information technologies, british journal of educational technology, annals of dyslexia, reading psychology, language testing, language teaching research, journal of computers in education, education sciences, dyslexia, bulletin of educational psychology, behavioral sciences.) this study conducts a bibliometric analysis of the phrase "exploring reading" using the publish or perish software in conjunction with the scopus database. the bibliometric review employed publish or perish version 8.9.4554.8721. the initial search yielded 200 papers, which were subsequently refined to 147 papers. the citation data revealed 795 citations, with an average of 159 citations per year. results and discussion this study demonstrates that articles published in scopus-indexed journals significantly impact citation-related metrics. table 3 indicates that the most referenced study on reading fluency is authored by k. schucan bird, titled "how diverse is your reading list? exploring issues of representation and decolonisation in the uk." published in 2020 in the journal higher education, this article has been cited by 56 authors. the second mostcited article, authored by a. hindman, is titled "how classroom conversations unfold: exploring teacher–child exchanges during shared book reading." written in 2019 and published in the journal early education and development, it has been cited by 46 authors. the third most-cited article, authored by c. yin, is titled "exploring the relationships between reading behavior patterns and learning outcomes based on log data from e-books: a human factor approach." this article, written in 2019 and published in the international journal of human-computer interaction, has been cited by 43 authors. table 2. 15 the most cited articles no cited per year authors title year publication 1 56 14.00 k. schucan bird how diverse is your reading list? exploring issues of representation and decolonisation in the uk 2020 higher education 2 46 9.20 a. hindman how classroom conversations unfold: exploring teacher–child exchanges during shared book reading 2019 early education and development 3 43 8.60 c. yin exploring the relationships between reading behavior patterns and learning outcomes based on log data from e-books: a human factor approach 2019 international journal of humancomputer interaction 4 40 13.33 x. li exploring the effects of gamification pedagogy on children’s reading: a mixed-method study on academic performance, reading-related mentality and behaviors, and sustainability 2021 british journal of educational technology 5 29 5.80 s. colmar exploring the relationships between academic buoyancy, academic selfconcept, and academic 2019 educational psychology rahmad yusup, hijril ismail, & rima rahmaniah mapping the landscape of exploratory reading: a bibliometric analysis 160 performance: a study of mathematics and reading among primary school students 6 28 14.00 d. li exploring teacher scaffolding in a clilframed efl intensive reading class: a classroom discourse analysis approach 2022 language teaching research 7 22 4.40 c. kiili exploring the collaborative synthesis of information during online reading 2019 computers in human behavior 8 19 6.33 h.t. ha exploring the relationships between various dimensions of receptive vocabulary knowledge and l2 listening and reading comprehension 2021 language testing in asia 9 18 6.00 f. samiei exploring efl learners’ inferential reading comprehension skills through a flipped classroom 2021 research and practice in technology enhanced learning 10 18 4.50 (.f. teng young learners’ reading and writing performance: exploring collaborative modeling of text structure as an additional component of self-regulated strategy development 2020 studies in educational evaluation 11 18 3.60 e.phillips galloway beyond reading comprehension: exploring the additional contribution of core academic language skills to early adolescents’ written summaries 2019 reading and writing 12 17 5.67 c. tosto exploring the effect of an augmented reality literacy programme for reading and spelling difficulties for children diagnosed with adhd 2021 virtual reality 13 17 3.40 j.f. lawrence academic vocabulary and reading comprehension: exploring the relationships across measures of vocabulary knowledge 2019 reading and writing 14 15 7.50 s.s.s. yeung exploring the interplay between socioeconomic status and reading achievement: an expectancy-value perspective 2022 british journal of educational psychology 15 15 5.00 j. bezemer exploring reading in social semiotics: theory and methods 2021 education 3-13 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 161 following the determination of the frequency of citations, vosviewer software is used to assess the output from the publish or perish software in order to visualize bibliometric analysis maps and discover commonly occurring keywords. the result of vosviewer software displays bibliometric mapping in three diversity visualization namely network visualization, overlay visualization, and density visualization figure. 4 network visualization mapping (note: seven colours in figure 4 shown that there are seven cluster of exploring reading.) figure 5. mapping of density visualization figure 5 show that eighteen item meet that meet the threshold of the 570 terms from the title field extracting and full counting and minimum number of occurrences set to 2. the writer also found seven cluster identified, namely cluster 1 comprised of seven item: academic vocabulary, influence, older adult, performance, reading comprehension, relationship, and self. cluster 2 consisted 7 item: academic performance, children, online reading, poor reading comprehension, primary school student, research, and strategy. cluster 3 consisting five item: college student, effectiveness, experience, feedback, and type. cluster 4 consisted 5 item: achievement, adult, context, effect, and reading. cluster 5 consisted 4 item: elt reading comprehension, factor, impact, and practice. cluster 6 consisted 4 item: adult reader, theory, vocabulary, and word reading. cluster 7 consisted 3 item. connection, knowledge, and role. conclusion exploring reading places a strong emphasis on the reader’s engagement and being active throughout the reading. gaining a deeper comprehension and improved knowledge of the content read is the main goal. by doing this, readers can grow in their ability to critically think, analyze, and comprehend texts. this study reviewed 147 articles with a theme connected to “exploring reading”. the articles were collected from publish or perish version 8.9.4554.8721. with scopus database these 147 articles were extracted from the largest initial collection of 200 articles acquired from initial result. the number of data citation is 795 and 159.00 citations/year. the articles written by k. schucan bird is the most cited articles in exploring reading with entitled “how diverse is your reading list? exploring issues of representation and decolonisation in the uk” the article was written in 2020, published in the journal higher education, and cited by 56 authors. and the second most cited articles were written by a. hindman with entitled “how classroom conversations unfold: exploring teacher–child exchanges during shared book reading” the articles written in 2019, published in the journal early education and development, cited by 46 authors. and the third most-cited an article was written by c. yin entitled exploring the relationships between reading behavior patterns and learning outcomes based on log data from e-books: a human factor approach, the article was written in 2019, publish in international journal of human-computer interaction and cited by 43 author. references al qahtani, a. a. (2020). exploring reading strategies through introspective and retrospective thinkaloud protocol. 2020 tesol international journal, 15(4), 37–63. ashford, r. (2024). the role of interactive reading strategies in enhancing reading comprehension of lower primary students. research and advances in education, 3(12), 46–53. https://doi.org/10.56397/rae.2024.12.07 barber, a. t., & klauda, s. l. (2020). how reading motivation and engagement enable reading achievement: policy implications. policy rahmad yusup, hijril ismail, & rima rahmaniah mapping the landscape of exploratory reading: a bibliometric analysis 162 insights from the behavioral and brain sciences, 7(1), 27–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732219893385 beck, s., bergenholtz, c., bogers, m., brasseur, t. m., conradsen, m. l., di marco, d., distel, a. p., dobusch, l., dörler, d., effert, a., fecher, b., filiou, d., frederiksen, l., gillier, t., grimpe, c., gruber, m., haeussler, c., heigl, f., hoisl, k., … xu, s. m. (2022). the open innovation in science research field: a collaborative conceptualisation approach. industry and innovation, 29(2), 136–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/13662716.2020.1792274 bezemer, j., & cowan, k. (2022). exploring reading in social semiotics: theory and methods. education, 3-13,(49(1)), 107–118. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279 .2020.1824706 catts, h. w. (2021). rethinking how to promote reading comprehension. american educator, 45(4), 6. https://www.aft.org/ae/winter20212022/catts chang, y., wang, x., wang, j., wu, y., yang, l., zhu, k., chen, h., yi, x., wang, c., wang, y., ye, w., zhang, y., chang, y., yu, p. s., yang, q., & xie, x. (2024). a survey on evaluation of large language models. acm transactions on intelligent systems and technology, 15(3), 1– 45. https://doi.org/10.1145/3641289 chen, x., zou, d., xie, h., & wang, f. l. (2021). past, present, and future of smart learning: a topicbased bibliometric analysis. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 18(1), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-00239-6 daniel, j., & barth, a. (2023). exploring reading profiles of rural school students. annals of dyslexia, 73(2), 235–259. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-022-00276-y donthu, n., kumar, s., mukherjee, d., pandey, n., & lim, w. m. (2021). how to conduct a bibliometric analysis: an overview and guidelines. journal of business research, 133, 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070 elleman, a. m., & oslund, e. l. (2019). reading comprehension research: implications for practice and policy. policy insights from the behavioral and brain sciences, 6(1), 3–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732218816339 fahimnia, b., sarkis, j., & davarzani, h. (2015). green supply chain management: a review and bibliometric analysis. international journal of production economics, 162(1), 101–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2015.01.003 feller, d. p., kopatich, r. d., lech, i., & higgs, k. (2020). exploring reading strategy use in native and l2 readers. discourse processes, 57(7), 590–608. https://doi.org/10.1080/0163853x.2020.173528 2 gaviria-marin, m., merigó, j. m., & baier-fuentes, h. (2019). knowledge management: a global examination based on bibliometric analysis. technological forecasting and social change, 140(may 2018), 194–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.07.006 gönen, s. i̇. k., & kızılay, y. (2022). reading beyond the lines: teaching critical reading in higher education. the reading matrix: an international online journal, 22(1), 73–92. grabe, w. (2021). book review: teaching and researching reading (third edition). criminology & criminal justice, 11(3), 277– 278. grosseck, g., tîru, l. g., & bran, r. a. (2019). education for sustainable development: evolution and perspectives: a bibliometric review of research, 1992-2018. sustainability (switzerland), 11(21), 1992–2018. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11216136 ha, h. t. (2021). exploring the relationships between various dimensions of receptive vocabulary knowledge and l2 listening and reading comprehension. language testing in asia, 11(1), 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-02100131-8 hollands, f., & escueta, m. (2020). how research informs educational technology decisionmaking in higher education: the role of external research versus internal research. educational technology research and development, 68(1), 163–180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-01909678-z ismail, h. (2021). a bibliometric analysis of reading strategy (databases scopus and google scholar 20162021). in uhamka international conference on elt and call (uicell)., 5(2), 227–234. ismail, h., & edi, e. (2021). a bibliometric analysis of efl reading fluency from 2016 to 2021. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 139–148. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5364 kim, j. s., burkhauser, m. a., mesite, l. m., asher, c. a., relyea, j. e., fitzgerald, j., & elmore, j. (2021). improving reading comprehension, science domain knowledge, and reading engagement through a first-grade content literacy intervention. journal of educational psychology, 113(1), 3–26. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000465 lan, x., & yu, z. (2023). a bibliometric review study on reading literacy over fourteen years. education sciences, 13(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13010027 liu, f., lai, k. hung, & cai, w. (2021). responsible production for sustainability: concept analysis and bibliometric review. sustainability (switzerland), 13(3), 1–27. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 163 https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031275 loeng, s. (2020). self-directed learning: a core concept in adult education. education research international, 2020(1), 12–24. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/3816132 loi, n. van, & thanh, d. t. k. (2022). engaging efl learners in reading: a text-driven approach to improve reading performance. tesl-ej, 26(2), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.26102a5 luft, j. a., jeong, s., idsardi, r., & gardner, g. (2022). literature reviews, theoretical frameworks, and conceptual frameworks: an introduction for new biology education researchers. cbe life sciences education, 21(3), 33. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.21-05-0134 martiniello, n., barlow, m., & wittich, w. (2022). exploring correlates of braille reading performance in working-age and older adults with visual impairments. scientific studies of reading, 26(4), 267–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2021.1969402 meitifazahra, a., suryaman, m., & wachyudi, k. (2022). bibliometric analysis: ebook and reading comprehension in efl in the last decade. edusaintek: jurnal pendidikan, sains dan teknologi, 10(1), 22–42. https://doi.org/10.47668/edusaintek.v10i1.638 moral-muñoz, j. a., herrera-viedma, e., santistebanespejo, a., & cobo, m. j. (2020). software tools for conducting bibliometric analysis in science: an up-to-date review. profesional de la informacion, 29(1), 8–19. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.ene.03 pessin, v. z., yamane, l. h., & siman, r. r. (2022). smart bibliometrics: an integrated method of science mapping and bibliometric analysis. scientometrics, 127(6), 3695–3718. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-022-04406-6 reed, d. k., aloe, a. m., park, s., & reeger, a. j. (2021). exploring the summer reading effect through visual analysis of multiple datasets. journal of research in reading, 44(3), 597– 616. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9817.12357 robert-cristian, t. r. i. f., & oana, d. (2024). leveraging artificial intelligence for enhanced decision-making in management: bibliometrics and meta-analysis. annals of ’constantin brancusi’university of targu-jiu. economy series/analele universităţii’constantin brâncuşi’din târgu-jiu seria economie, 2, 179–188. samiei, f., & ebadi, s. (2021). exploring efl learners’ inferential reading comprehension skills through a flipped classroom. research and practice in technology enhanced learning, 16(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-021-00157-9 sari, d. m. m., & prasetyo, y. (2021). project-basedlearning on critical reading course to enhance critical thinking skills. studies in english language and education, 8(2), 442–456. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i2.18407 scharlau, i., körber, m., & karsten, a. (2019). plunging into a world? a novel approach to undergraduates’ metaphors of reading. frontline learning research, 7(4), 25–57. https://doi.org/10.14786/flr.v7i4.559 schwering, s. c., ghaffari-nikou, n. m., zhao, f., niedenthal, p. m., & macdonald, m. c. (2021). exploring the relationship between fiction reading and emotion recognition. affective science, 2(2), 178–186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-021-00034-0 skute, i., zalewska-kurek, k., hatak, i., & de weerdnederhof, p. (2019). mapping the field: a bibliometric analysis of the literature on university–industry collaborations. journal of technology transfer, 44(3), 916–947. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-017-9637-1 smith, r., snow, p., serry, t., & hammond, l. (2021). the role of background knowledge in reading comprehension: a critical review. reading psychology, 42(3), 214–240. https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2021.1888348 soleimani, h., mohammaddokht, f., & fathi, j. (2022). exploring the effect of assisted repeated reading on incidental vocabulary learning and vocabulary learning self-efficacy in an efl context. frontiers in psychology, 13(2), 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.851812 soto, c., gutiérrez de blume, a. p., jacovina, m., mcnamara, d., benson, n., riffo, b., & kruk, r. (2019). reading comprehension and metacognition: the importance of inferential skills. cogent education, 6(1), 21. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2019.156506 7 suchona, i. j., & urmy, k. k. (2019). exploring reading strategies and difficulties among bangladeshi undergraduates. shanlax international journal of english, 8(1), 42–53. https://doi.org/10.34293/english.v8i1.1308 sumarni, w., & kadarwati, s. (2020). ethno-stem project-based learning: its impact to critical and creative thinking skills. jurnal pendidikan ipa indonesia, 9(1), 11–21. https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v9i1.21754 sweileh, w. m. (2021). global research activity on elearning in health sciences education: a bibliometric analysis. medical science educator, 31(2), 765–775. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-021-01254-6 tahun, b., & bahrum, a. (2023). efl reading fluency: a review bibliometric and vosviewer analysis. jse journal sains and education, 1(1), 22–29. https://doi.org/10.59561/jse.v1i1.5 talenta, p. i., & himawati, u. (2023). reading together, learning together: the impact of rahmad yusup, hijril ismail, & rima rahmaniah mapping the landscape of exploratory reading: a bibliometric analysis 164 literature circles on student engagement in reading. jurnal culture (culture, language, and literature review), 10(2), 47–56. https://doi.org/10.53873/culture.v10i2.538 toste, j. r., didion, l., peng, p., filderman, m. j., & mcclelland, a. m. (2020). a meta-analytic review of the relations between motivation and reading achievement for k–12 students. review of educational research, 90(3), 420– 456. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654320919352 uri, d., & coiro, j. (2020). toward a multifaceted heuristic of digital reading to inform assessment, research, practice, and policy. reading research quarterly, 56(1), 9–31. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/education_facpu bs/21 van der wilt, f., boerma, i., van oers, b., & van der veen, c. (2019). the effect of three interactive reading approaches on language ability: an exploratory study in early childhood education. european early childhood education research journal, 27(4), 566–580. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293x.2019.163424 2 wang, x. c., christ, t., chiu, m. m., & strekalovahughes, e. (2019). exploring the relationship between kindergarteners’ buddy reading and individual comprehension of interactive app books. aera open, 5(3), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858419869343 wang, y., luo, c. h., & gui, m. (2022). structure of research topics of reading in a foreign language’s publications in the past two decades (2002-2020): a bibliometric analysis. reading in a foreign language, 34(2), 400415. https://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/ wu, z., & amzah, f. (2023). researching the effects of e-book on children’s emergent reading conducted from 1999 to 2022: a bibliometric review. language related research, 14(3), 289–320. https://doi.org/10.29252/lrr.14.3.12 wyant, j. d., keath, a., & baek, j.-h. (2022). a bibliometric analysis informed reading list for physical educators. journal of pedagogical research, 6(3), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.33902/jpr.202214054 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 869 challenges and opportunities in implementing the merdeka curriculum in language education: a metasynthetic analysis emawati department of indonesian literature and language education, faculty of teachers training and education, universitas bina darma, palembang, indonesia e-mail: emawati@binadarma.ac.id taufiqulloh department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, universitas panca sakti tegal, indonesia e-mail: taufiqkayla@upstegal.ac.id fahrus zaman fadhly department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, universitas kuningan, indonesia e-mail: fahrus.zaman.fadhly@uniku.ac.id apa scitation: emawati, taufiqulloh, fadhly, f. z. (2024). challenges and opportunities in implementing the merdeka curriculum in language education: a meta-synthetic analysis. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 869-882. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i2.10356 received: 13-02-2024 accepted: 06-05-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: the merdeka curriculum, recently introduced in indonesia, aims to restore learning by prioritizing essential content and character development. while promising, its implementation in language education presents significant challenges and opportunities. this meta-synthetic analysis explores these aspects by synthesizing findings from various qualitative studies on the curriculum’s impact on language learning. data were gathered from peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, and educational reports, focusing on studies conducted in diverse indonesian educational settings. key challenges identified include inconsistent teacher training, limited resources, and resistance to new pedagogical approaches. however, the curriculum also offers notable opportunities, such as enhanced student engagement, improved critical thinking, and the promotion of learner autonomy. its emphasis on project-based learning and flexible teaching methods fosters a more interactive, student-centered environment. the study concludes that while the merdeka curriculum presents challenges, it also holds significant potential to enhance language education. addressing these challenges requires comprehensive teacher training, adequate resource allocation, and continuous support for educators. the study recommends targeted professional development for teachers, increased investment in educational resources, and ongoing evaluation to ensure effective implementation. policymakers should create supportive frameworks that enable schools to adapt the curriculum to their specific contexts, maximizing its benefits for language education. keywords: merdeka curriculum; language education; meta-synthetic analysis; educational challenges; learning opportunities; teacher training; student engagement introduction the merdeka curriculum, introduced in indonesia as part of a broader educational reform, represents a significant shift in the approach to teaching and learning by emphasizing flexibility, studentcentered learning, and character development. this curriculum was designed to address various gaps in the educational system, focusing on essential competencies over rote memorization, which is particularly relevant in language education (amanda et al., 2023; andayani, 2023; andriyanto et al., 2023; anisah & qamariah, 2023; arrasyid, 2023; aryati, 2023; asyhadiyah, 2023; azmi et al., 2023; balqis, 2024; barlian & solekah, 2022; bulan & nurhasanah, 2024; bui & nguyen, 2024). initial research on the implementation of the merdeka curriculum has highlighted both opportunities and challenges. while the curriculum has been praised for promoting greater engagement and adaptability among students, its success is highly dependent on how well teachers can adapt to these new methodologies, particularly in english language teaching (abidin & malisa, 2023; aeni et al., 2024; amanda et al., 2023; ferdaus & novita, emawati, taufiqulloh, & fahrus zaman fadhly challenges and opportunities in implementing the merdeka curriculum in language education: a meta-synthetic analysis 870 2023; fatma et al., 2024; halawa, 2024; halil et al., 2024; hariyani et al., 2023; hasna, 2023; huzaefah et al., 2023; idris et al., 2023; intiana et al., 2023). one of the primary challenges identified in the literature is the inconsistency in teacher training and preparedness, which varies significantly across different regions and institutions. this inconsistency has led to uneven implementation of the curriculum, with varying degrees of success in different educational settings (irawati et al., 2022; jayanti & mustofa, 2023; jing et al., 2023; juli astari, 2023; kaluge & usmi, 2024; kardena, 2024; karimatunisa & sartika, 2024; kharimah & qamariah, 2023; krishnapatria, 2021; latifa et al., 2023; latifa et al., 2024; lestari et al., 2024). moreover, the limited access to professional development opportunities, particularly in rural and under-resourced areas, has further exacerbated these challenges. teachers in these regions often struggle to adapt to the new demands of the curriculum, leading to disparities in educational outcomes (li, 2024; liu, 2024; megawati et al., 2023; melani & gani, 2023; mubarok et al., 2023; muslim & sumarni, 2023; nadiya et al., 2024; nadiroh et al., 2023; ni'mah et al., 2024; ningsih et al., 2024; nurjanah et al., 2024). despite these challenges, the merdeka curriculum offers significant opportunities for innovation in language education. its emphasis on project-based learning and the integration of technology in the classroom has the potential to create a more interactive and student-centered learning environment (nur & maulida, 2024; pratiwi & inayati, 2023; pratama et al., 2023; purnomo & sabardila, 2022; rahimah & widiastuty, 2023; rahmadhani, 2023; rachman, 2023; rois et al., 2023; rosdiana, 2023; said et al., 2023; sampelolo & kombong, 2022; sari et al., 2023). the flexibility of the curriculum also allows for the incorporation of local and cultural content, making language learning more relevant and meaningful to students. this is particularly beneficial in indonesia’s diverse educational contexts, where a one-size-fits-all approach is often ineffective (sari et al., 2023; sari et al., 2023; sari et al., 2023; siminto, 2023; su & lee, 2024; tahir et al., 2023; tanto, 2024; tirtanawati & prastiwi, 2024; tricahyati & zaim, 2023; vecchione et al., 2023; wahyuni et al., 2023; wardani et al., 2023). the curriculum’s focus on fostering learner autonomy and critical thinking skills is seen as a major advantage, encouraging students to take a more active role in their education. this is crucial for developing language proficiency and essential skills for lifelong learning, particularly in the context of english as a foreign language (wilson & nurkhamidah, 2023; yang & chen, 2023; zai, 2024; zhang, 2024; zidan & qamariah, 2023; zarei & mahdavi, 2014; aeni et al., 2024; amanda et al., 2023; aryati, 2023; asyhadiyah, 2023). however, a critical research gap exists in understanding how these opportunities can be effectively harnessed in varied educational contexts, particularly in under-resourced regions where the challenges are most pronounced. existing studies have often focused on the curriculum's potential without fully exploring the practical implications and strategies needed to overcome the barriers to its implementation (abidin & malisa, 2023; aeni et al., 2024; andayani, 2023; anisah & qamariah, 2023; arrasyid, 2023; asy'ari & setyawan, 2024; azmi et al., 2023; bui & nguyen, 2024; fatma et al., 2024; ferdaus & novita, 2023). the novelty of this study lies in its metasynthetic approach, which integrates findings from a diverse range of qualitative studies to provide a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities associated with the merdeka curriculum's implementation in language education. this approach allows for a deeper understanding of the curriculum's impact across different educational settings, offering practical insights that can guide future policy and practice. the significance of this study is multifaceted. by synthesizing findings from various studies, this research not only highlights the key challenges and opportunities but also provides actionable recommendations for policymakers, educators, and curriculum developers. these recommendations aim to maximize the curriculum's potential and address its inherent challenges, contributing valuable insights to the ongoing discourse on educational reform in indonesia. this study ultimately seeks to inform and improve the implementation of the merdeka curriculum, ensuring that its benefits are fully realized across the diverse educational landscape of indonesia. method this study employs a meta-synthetic approach to explore the challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation of the merdeka curriculum in language education within indonesia. the meta-synthesis method integrates english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 871 qualitative findings from multiple studies to provide a comprehensive understanding of the curriculum's impact on language learning outcomes. this study utilizes a meta-synthetic analysis, a methodological approach that integrates qualitative findings from various studies to generate a holistic understanding of a particular phenomenon. recent literature emphasizes the value of meta-synthesis in educational research, particularly when exploring complex and multifaceted issues such as curriculum implementation (tseng et al., 2024; kulkarni et al., 2024). the design was selected to systematically compare and integrate findings from diverse qualitative studies on the merdeka curriculum's implementation, providing a broad view of its effects across different educational contexts. the data for this meta-synthetic analysis were collected from multiple sources, including peerreviewed journals, conference proceedings, doctoral dissertations, and educational reports. the search for relevant studies was conducted using academic databases such as google scholar, jstor, and sciencedirect, focusing on studies published between 2021 and 2024. this period was selected to ensure that the findings reflect the most recent developments in the implementation of the merdeka curriculum. keywords used in the search included "merdeka curriculum," "language education," "english language teaching," "curriculum implementation," "indonesia," and "qualitative studies," ensuring that the selected studies were highly relevant to the research objectives (madigan et al., 2024; rassaei, 2024). table 1. data collection and selection criteria for meta-synthetic analysis category details data sources peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, doctoral dissertations, educational reports databases used google scholar, jstor, sciencedirect publication date range 2021-2024 keywords used "merdeka curriculum," "language education," "english language teaching," "curriculum implementation," "indonesia," "qualitative studies" selection criteria relevance to research objectives, focus on merdeka curriculum implementation in language education in indonesia the studies included in this meta-synthesis were selected based on their relevance to the research objectives, specifically focusing on the implementation of the merdeka curriculum in language education in indonesia. the search strategy was designed to identify studies that provided qualitative insights into this topic, ensuring a comprehensive synthesis of findings. the use of multiple databases and a wide range of keywords ensured that the study captured a diverse set of perspectives and experiences (spence et al., 2024; nakić radoš et al., 2024). the analysis of the selected studies was conducted using a thematic analysis approach, widely recognized for its effectiveness in identifying and synthesizing patterns across qualitative data (borenstein, 2024; vuogan & li, 2024). the first step involved data extraction, where key findings, methodologies, and conclusions from each study were carefully extracted to ensure that all relevant information was captured. this was followed by a coding phase, where the extracted data were systematically coded to identify recurring themes and patterns across the studies. these coded data were then synthesized into broader themes that encapsulated the core challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation of the merdeka curriculum in language education. finally, a validation process was conducted to ensure that the synthesized themes accurately represented the original studies' findings, maintaining consistency and accuracy in the analysis (stogiannis et al., 2024; akbari et al., 2024). results and discussion the meta-synthetic analysis of the selected studies reveals several key challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation of the merdeka curriculum in language education. these findings align with and expand upon previous research, providing a deeper understanding of the curriculum's impact on educational practices in indonesia. inconsistent teacher training the analysis highlighted inconsistent teacher training as a significant challenge, a finding that echoes the concerns raised by abidin & malisa (2023) and aeni et al. (2024). these studies pointed out that the success of the merdeka curriculum heavily depends on the preparedness of teachers, which varies significantly across regions. this disparity is particularly evident in rural and under-resourced areas, where teachers emawati, taufiqulloh, & fahrus zaman fadhly challenges and opportunities in implementing the merdeka curriculum in language education: a meta-synthetic analysis 872 often lack access to comprehensive training programs. halawa (2024) similarly noted that ongoing professional development is crucial to ensure that teachers are equipped to implement the curriculum effectively. the inconsistency in training across different regions has led to uneven implementation, with some schools being better prepared to adopt the new curriculum than others. limited resources another major challenge identified was the limited availability of resources, particularly in underfunded schools. this finding aligns with the work of mubarok et al. (2023) and nadiya et al. (2024), who reported that resource constraints severely limit the ability of schools to implement the merdeka curriculum as intended. the lack of materials, technological tools, and infrastructure in these schools hampers the integration of projectbased and technology-enhanced learning, which are central components of the curriculum. ni'mah et al. (2024) also highlighted that without adequate resources, the effectiveness of the curriculum is significantly compromised, particularly in fostering innovative teaching practices. resistance to new pedagogical approaches the introduction of the merdeka curriculum faced resistance from some educators, particularly those who are more comfortable with traditional, content-driven teaching methods. this resistance is consistent with findings by andayani (2023) and ferdaus & novita (2023), who documented the challenges teachers face in shifting to more flexible, student-centered approaches. hasna (2023) emphasized that this resistance is often due to insufficient training and support, which makes it difficult for teachers to embrace the curriculum's new pedagogical demands. the current analysis suggests that more targeted support, including mentoring and professional learning communities, is needed to help teachers transition to these new methods. enhanced student engagement despite these challenges, the merdeka curriculum also presents significant opportunities, particularly in enhancing student engagement. this finding is supported by studies such as krishnapatria (2021), rahmadhani (2023), and wahyuni et al. (2023), which have shown that the curriculum's emphasis on project-based learning and the integration of technology can lead to higher levels of student participation and interest. the current analysis reinforces these findings, demonstrating that when effectively implemented, the merdeka curriculum can create a more interactive and engaging learning environment, which is crucial for improving educational outcomes. improved critical thinking skills the curriculum's focus on developing critical thinking skills is another major opportunity highlighted in the analysis. previous research by azmi et al. (2023), liu (2024), and tricahyati & zaim (2023) has shown that the merdeka curriculum encourages students to engage in higher-order thinking, such as problem-solving, analysis, and reflection. the current findings support this, indicating that the curriculum not only enhances students' cognitive abilities but also prepares them for the complex challenges of the modern world. this focus on critical thinking is a key strength of the curriculum, offering students valuable skills that extend beyond the classroom. promotion of learner autonomy the promotion of learner autonomy was another significant opportunity identified by the analysis. this finding is in line with studies by amanda et al. (2023), aryati (2023), and bui & nguyen (2024), which highlighted the curriculum's role in fostering self-directed learning. the merdeka curriculum's flexible structure allows students to take greater responsibility for their own learning, which is particularly beneficial in language education. the current analysis confirms that this emphasis on learner autonomy helps students develop the skills necessary for lifelong learning and personal development. table 2. challenges and opportunities in implementing the merdeka curriculum: key findings and related studies" category key findings detailed description related studies challenges inconsistent teacher training significant variability in teacher training across regions, leading to uneven curriculum implementation. the analysis revealed that teacher preparedness varies significantly, with some regions, particularly rural and underresourced areas, lacking access to comprehensive training programs. this abidin & malisa (2023); aeni et al. (2024); halawa (2024) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 873 inconsistency hampers the effective implementation of the merdeka curriculum, as teachers in these areas are not adequately equipped to adopt the new pedagogical approaches. consistent, high-quality training is essential to ensure uniform application across all regions. limited resources lack of materials, technological tools, and infrastructure, particularly in underfunded schools. schools in underfunded areas struggle with a scarcity of resources, including teaching materials, technological tools, and basic infrastructure. this limitation is a significant barrier to implementing the merdeka curriculum, which relies heavily on projectbased and technology-enhanced learning strategies. without adequate resources, these schools cannot fully engage with the curriculum's innovative methods, leading to disparities in educational outcomes. mubarok et al. (2023); nadiya et al. (2024); ni'mah et al. (2024) resistance to new pedagogical approaches educators resistant to shifting from traditional methods to the curriculum’s student-centered approach. the transition to the merdeka curriculum requires a shift from traditional, contentdriven teaching methods to more flexible, student-centered approaches. however, many educators, particularly those with longestablished teaching practices, resist this change. this resistance is often due to a lack of sufficient training and support, making it challenging for teachers to adopt and integrate the new methods effectively. addressing this resistance is crucial for the curriculum's success. andayani (2023); ferdaus & novita (2023); hasna (2023) opportunities enhanced student engagement increased student participation and interest due to projectbased learning and technology integration. the merdeka curriculum's emphasis on project-based learning and the integration of technology has been shown to significantly enhance student engagement. schools that have successfully implemented these methods report higher levels of student participation and interest. this engagement is crucial for creating a more interactive and effective learning environment, which can lead to improved educational outcomes. krishnapatria (2021); rahmadhani (2023); wahyuni et al. (2023) improved critical thinking skills focus on higher-order thinking skills such as problem-solving, analysis, and reflection. the curriculum’s design encourages students to develop critical thinking skills through activities that require problem-solving, analysis, and reflection. these higher-order thinking skills are essential for academic success and lifelong learning. by fostering these skills, the merdeka curriculum prepares students to tackle complex challenges, both in their academic careers and in real-world situations. azmi et al. (2023); liu (2024); tricahyati & zaim (2023) promotion of learner autonomy greater responsibility for learning through a flexible curriculum structure, fostering self-directed learning. the merdeka curriculum promotes learner autonomy by allowing students to take greater control of their own learning. this flexibility encourages self-directed learning, where students are responsible for setting their learning goals and managing their progress. such autonomy is particularly beneficial in language education, where personalized learning paths can lead to more amanda et al. (2023); aryati (2023); bui & nguyen (2024) emawati, taufiqulloh, & fahrus zaman fadhly challenges and opportunities in implementing the merdeka curriculum in language education: a meta-synthetic analysis 874 effective language acquisition. this focus on learner autonomy is a significant shift from traditional teacher-centered approaches, aligning with modern educational practices that emphasize student agency. this table and its elaboration provide a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation of the merdeka curriculum, drawing on both the findings of the meta-synthetic analysis and previous research. the merdeka curriculum represents a significant shift in indonesia's educational framework, particularly in language education. its implementation presents both challenges and opportunities that impact teachers, students, and the broader educational system. understanding these factors is crucial for ensuring the successful adoption and integration of the curriculum. on one hand, challenges such as inconsistent teacher training, limited resources, and resistance to new pedagogical approaches can hinder the effective implementation of the curriculum. on the other hand, the curriculum offers opportunities to enhance student engagement, foster critical thinking, and promote learner autonomy, leading to improved educational outcomes. to provide a clear overview of these dynamics, the following diagram visually represents the central phenomenon of implementing the merdeka curriculum in language education, along with the associated challenges, opportunities, and their respective consequences. figure 1. dynamics of implementing the merdeka curriculum in language education: challenges, opportunities, and outcomes" the diagram above is the conceptual diagram that visually represents the key findings related to the challenges and opportunities in implementing the merdeka curriculum. the diagram highlights the central phenomenon, the associated challenges and opportunities, and their consequences. the color-coded boxes differentiate between challenges and opportunities, providing a clear and organized view of the relationships and outcomes steps for teachers in implementing the merdeka curriculum in language education the implementation of the merdeka curriculum in language education requires a strategic approach that encompasses both addressing challenges and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 875 leveraging opportunities. research has shown that inconsistent teacher training is a significant barrier to effective curriculum implementation. studies by abidin & malisa (2023) and halawa (2024) emphasize the need for ongoing professional development to ensure that all teachers are adequately prepared to deliver the curriculum across various regions. continuous learning and professional growth are essential for aligning teaching practices with the curriculum's demands. this underscores the importance of schools and educational authorities providing regular access to training programs, workshops, and resources. consistent and high-quality training helps to reduce disparities in teacher preparedness, ensuring a more uniform implementation of the curriculum across different settings. in addition to training, the merdeka curriculum necessitates a shift from traditional, content-driven teaching methods to more flexible, studentcentered approaches. this transition is supported by findings from krishnapatria (2021) and wahyuni et al. (2023), which highlight the benefits of integrating project-based learning and technology in the classroom. however, such a shift may face resistance, particularly from educators who are accustomed to established teaching styles. teachers must be open to embracing these changes and should receive practical support from educational institutions to ease the transition. this includes guidance on how to effectively integrate new methodologies into their teaching practices, which is crucial for fostering a learning environment that promotes critical thinking and learner autonomy. in resource-limited settings, the challenge of implementing the curriculum effectively is compounded by a lack of materials, technological tools, and infrastructure. research by mubarok et al. (2023) and nadiya et al. (2024) highlights the importance of resourcefulness in overcoming these barriers. teachers in underfunded areas must find creative ways to deliver the curriculum, such as using low-cost or freely available educational technologies, collaborating with peers to share resources, and utilizing community assets to enhance the learning experience. advocacy for better resource allocation is also crucial. teachers can play a significant role in pushing for the resources necessary to ensure that all students, regardless of their geographical location, have access to quality education. opportunities for enhancing student engagement are another key aspect of the merdeka curriculum. studies by liu (2024) and tricahyati & zaim (2023) demonstrate that the curriculum’s emphasis on project-based learning and technology integration can significantly increase student motivation and participation. by designing activities that promote active learning, teachers can create a more interactive and participatory classroom environment. this engagement is not only beneficial for student motivation but also leads to improved learning outcomes, as actively engaged students are more likely to internalize and apply the knowledge they acquire. fostering critical thinking and learner autonomy is another crucial implication for teachers. the merdeka curriculum encourages lessons that move beyond rote memorization, challenging students to analyze, evaluate, and create. studies by azmi et al. (2023) and liu (2024) highlight the importance of developing these higher-order thinking skills, which are essential for academic success and lifelong learning. teachers are tasked with designing learning experiences that promote self-directed learning, giving students more control over their learning processes. this approach aligns with modern educational practices that emphasize student agency and autonomy, preparing students to tackle complex challenges in both their academic and real-world contexts. collaborative teaching practices are essential for supporting teachers as they implement the merdeka curriculum. research by ferdaus & novita (2023) and hasna (2023) suggests that building support networks through collaboration with peers, such as team teaching or peer mentoring, can help teachers navigate the curriculum's challenges and enhance their effectiveness. collaborative practices not only provide a platform for sharing resources and strategies but also foster a collective approach to overcoming obstacles, benefiting the broader teaching community. inclusivity is another critical consideration, as the curriculum's flexibility allows teachers to tailor their instruction to meet the diverse needs of their students. according to studies by bui & nguyen (2024) and sari et al. (2023), inclusive practices that accommodate different learning styles, cultural backgrounds, and abilities are essential for ensuring that all students are supported in their learning journeys. teachers should focus on differentiated instruction, culturally responsive teaching, and the use of formative assessments to guide instruction, creating a more equitable learning environment. emawati, taufiqulloh, & fahrus zaman fadhly challenges and opportunities in implementing the merdeka curriculum in language education: a meta-synthetic analysis 876 finally, the importance of advocacy cannot be overstated. teachers must advocate for the necessary resources and support to implement the merdeka curriculum effectively. as highlighted by amanda et al. (2023) and aryati (2023), this involves lobbying for better access to training, materials, and technological tools, as well as seeking support from school leadership to overcome implementation challenges. by addressing these implications, teachers can more effectively implement the merdeka curriculum, thereby enhancing the quality of language education and improving student outcomes in indonesia. below is a table that summarizes the key implications for teachers in the implementation of the merdeka curriculum in language education, linking these implications to action required. table 3. key implications and action steps for teachers in implementing the merdeka curriculum in language education implication description action required continuous professional development teachers need ongoing training to align with the curriculum’s demands. schools and educational authorities should provide regular training programs, workshops, and resources. adaptation to new pedagogical approaches transition from traditional to student-centered methods may face resistance. teachers should embrace changes such as project-based learning, technology integration, and focus on critical thinking. resourcefulness in resource-limited settings teachers must creatively implement the curriculum despite limited resources. use low-cost/free technologies, collaborate with peers, and utilize community resources; advocate for better resources. enhancing student engagement the curriculum offers opportunities for more interactive and participatory learning environments. design activities that promote active learning and increase student motivation and participation. fostering critical thinking and autonomy teachers should focus on developing higher-order thinking skills and promoting learner autonomy. create lessons that challenge students to analyze, evaluate, and reflect on their learning. collaborative teaching practices collaboration among teachers is essential to navigate curriculum challenges. engage in team teaching, peer mentoring, and sharing of resources and strategies with colleagues. focus on inclusivity the curriculum’s flexibility allows for tailored instruction to meet diverse student needs. implement differentiated instruction, culturally responsive teaching, and formative assessments to support all students. advocacy for support and resources teachers must advocate for necessary resources and support. lobby for access to training, materials, technological tools, and leadership support to overcome challenges. this table provides a concise overview of the main implications for teachers, along with the corresponding actions required to effectively implement the merdeka curriculum in language education. the table not only identifies the challenges and opportunities associated with implementing the merdeka curriculum but also provides actionable steps that teachers can take to navigate these challenges and maximize the curriculum’s potential benefits. through continuous professional development, adaptation to new pedagogical approaches, resourcefulness, and collaboration, teachers can effectively implement the curriculum and enhance the quality of language education in indonesia. conclusion the implementation of the merdeka curriculum in language education presents a transformative opportunity for the indonesian educational system, but it is not without its challenges. the curriculum’s shift towards student-centered learning, critical thinking, and learner autonomy aligns with global educational trends, offering significant potential to enhance educational outcomes. however, to realize this potential, several critical factors must be addressed. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 877 inconsistent teacher training remains a significant barrier to effective implementation. without consistent, high-quality professional development, teachers may struggle to adapt to the curriculum’s demands, leading to uneven application across different regions. addressing this requires a coordinated effort from educational authorities to provide ongoing training and resources, ensuring that all teachers are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to deliver the curriculum effectively. resource limitations, particularly in underfunded schools, further complicate the curriculum’s implementation. teachers in these settings must be resourceful, utilizing available technologies and community resources to bridge gaps. moreover, advocating for better resource allocation is essential to create an equitable learning environment where all students can benefit from the curriculum's innovative approaches. despite these challenges, the merdeka curriculum offers numerous opportunities, particularly in enhancing student engagement, fostering critical thinking, and promoting learner autonomy. these aspects are crucial for preparing students to navigate the complexities of the modern world, making the curriculum a valuable tool for educational advancement. for teachers, the successful implementation of the merdeka curriculum involves embracing new pedagogical approaches, fostering collaboration among peers, and focusing on inclusivity to address the diverse needs of their students. by overcoming resistance to change and advocating for the necessary support, teachers can play a pivotal role in driving the curriculum’s success. while the implementation of the merdeka curriculum in language education presents challenges, it also opens the door to significant opportunities for educational improvement. with the right support, training, and resources, teachers can effectively navigate these challenges, ensuring that the curriculum achieves its goal of providing a more engaging, equitable, and effective education for all students. references abidin, m. z., & malisa, m. (2023). implementing kurikulum merdeka (the independent curriculum) in the teaching of english in indonesia: a critical literature review. irecall journal, 1(02), 66-88. aeni, n., nr, n. m., affandi, a., dzhelilov, a. a., wijayanti, t., & bhat, m. s. (2024). evaluating the implementation of the merdeka curriculum in teaching english in high school: challenges and opportunities. international journal of education research and development, 4(1), 4757. akbari, t., rezaei, m., & azadkhani, p. (2024). nomadism: an interpretation of the urban social resilience model with a meta-synthesis technique. geography and development, 22(76), 93-126. amanda, m. t., mirza, a. a., & qamariah, z. (2023). a history of merdeka curriculum for english education in indonesia. jurnal ilmu pendidikan nasional (jipnas), 1(2), 59-67. andayani, a. (2023). implementasi kurikulum merdeka dalam pembelajaran bahasa indonesia di smp. anufa, 1(1), 59-69. andriyanto, o. d., darni, d., utami, r. r., ulfatin, n., bagus, a., tuwoso, t., & rochmawati, r. (2023, march). revitalizing local language curriculum and its implementation. in international joint conference on arts and humanities 2022 (ijcah 2022) (pp. 14971504). atlantis press. anisah, s., & qamariah, z. (2023). the teacher’s role in the implementation of curriculum merdeka in english classroom. jurnal ilmu pendidikan nasional (jipnas), 1(3), 111-117. arrasyid, f. i. (2023). english lecturers’ perception of learning model in merdeka belajar kampus merdeka (mbkm) curriculum implementation. international journal of education and humanities, 3(2), 197-206. aryati, k. f. (2023). the impact of merdeka belajar curriculum on english language teaching in international institute of business and tourism. edukasia: jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran, 4(2), 1805-1810. asy'ari, h., & setyawan, c. e. (2024). arabic curriculum design in the merdeka curriculum from the perspective of the american council on the teaching of foreign languages (actfl). mantiqu tayr: journal of arabic language, 4(1), 213-231. asyhadiyah, n. (2023). the implementation of kurikulum merdeka in teaching english for seventh grade at smpn 3 kediri (doctoral dissertation, iain kediri). azmi, c., hadiyanto, h., & rusdinal, r. (2023). national curriculum education policy "curriculum merdeka and its implementation". international journal of educational dynamics, 6(1), 303-309. balqis, s. l. (2024). an analysis of the implementation of “merdeka curriculum” in english instructions (a descriptive qualitative research) (doctoral dissertation, uin sultan maulana hasanuddin banten). barlian, u. c., & solekah, s. (2022). implementasi kurikulum merdeka dalam meningkatkan mutu emawati, taufiqulloh, & fahrus zaman fadhly challenges and opportunities in implementing the merdeka curriculum in language education: a meta-synthetic analysis 878 pendidikan. joel: journal of educational and language research, 1(12), 2105-2118. borenstein, m. (2024). avoiding common mistakes in meta‐analysis: understanding the distinct roles of q, i‐squared, tau‐squared, and the prediction interval in reporting heterogeneity. research synthesis methods, 15(2), 354-368. bui, h. p., & nguyen, t. t. t. (2024). classroom assessment and learning motivation: insights from secondary school efl classrooms. international review of applied linguistics in language teaching, 62(2), 275-300. bulan, a., & nurhasanah, e. (2024). basic concepts of evaluation and assessment of english language learning in the merdeka curriculum. journal of international multidisciplinary research, 2(6), 323-329. fatma, f., nirwanto, r., & qamariah, z. (2024). the application of english learning in merdeka curriculum. jurnal ilmu pendidikan nasional, 2(1), 07-13. ferdaus, s. a., & novita, d. (2023). the implementation of the merdeka curriculum in english subject at a vocational high school in indonesia. briliant: jurnal riset dan konseptual, 8(2), 297-310. halawa, m. (2024). english teachers' perceptions of challenges and responsibilities in schools related to the implementation of the merdeka curriculum. jurnal kajian dan penelitian umum, 2(1), 142-146. halil, n. i., arafah, b., saputra, i. g. p. e., hasyim, r. s., & karma, r. (2024). preservation of tolaki mekongga language through merdeka curriculum-based local subject teaching modules. journal of language teaching and research, 15(3), 960-971. hariyani, i. t., sulistiyani, s., soemarmi, s., & fida, r. z. (2023). the implementation of merdeka curriculum towards early childhood education. educative: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 1(3), 143153. hasna, m. (2023). an analysis of english teachers' difficulties in implementing merdeka curriculum in indonesia (doctoral dissertation, uin prof. kh saifuddin zuhri). huzaefah, h., burhanuddin, b., & mahyudi, j. (2023). teacher ability to develop a lesson plan for indonesian language learning (phase e-class x) using the merdeka curriculum. path of science, 9(5), 3063-3070. idris, r., bacotang, j., govindasamy, p., & nachiappan, s. (2023). empowering minds: harnessing the potential of cognitive field independence and dependence in stem education. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 13(9), 1504-1514. intiana, s. r. h., prihartini, a. a., handayani, f., & faridi, k. (2023). independent curriculum and the indonesian language education throughout the era of society 5.0: a literature review. alishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 15(1), 911-921. irawati, d., najili, h., supiana, s., & zaqiah, q. y. (2022). merdeka belajar curriculum innovation and its application in education units. edumaspul: jurnal pendidikan, 6(2), 25062514. jayanti, l. n., & mustofa, a. (2023). cultural content evaluation in indonesian interactive english textbook for merdeka curriculum. elite journal: international journal of education, language, and literature, 3(2), 77-87. jing, r., lv, g., luan, h., gai, w., song, s., & yang, c. (2023, august). the role of the field dependence-independence construct on the curvature gain of redirected walking technology in virtual reality. in computer graphics international conference (pp. 364-375). cham: springer nature switzerland. juli astari, d. a. m. (2023). assessment in teaching english as a foreign language: its implementation, challenges, and teachers’ perception in merdeka curriculum (doctoral dissertation, universitas pendidikan ganesha). kaluge, t. a., & usmi, u. (2024). high school teachers’ readiness for the implementation of merdeka curriculum in english language teaching. bahasa dan seni: jurnal bahasa, sastra, seni, dan pengajarannya, 52(1), 7. kardena, a. (2024). the implementation of the merdeka curriculum in english language learning at madrasah tsanawiyah (mts). international journal of social and education, 1(3), 585-594. karimatunisa, m. f., & sartika, e. (2024). an analysis of english teacher readiness in implementing merdeka curriculum at mts negeri 3 banyumas. diajar: jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran, 3(2), 187-195. kharimah, i., & qamariah, z. (2023). the implementation of merdeka curriculum for formal english learning. atmosfer: jurnal pendidikan, bahasa, sastra, seni, budaya, dan sosial humaniora, 1(3), 52-65. krishnapatria, k. (2021). merdeka belajar-kampus merdeka (mbkm) curriculum in english studies program: challenges and opportunities. elt in focus, 4(1), 12-19. kulkarni, s., mcgannon, k. r., & pegoraro, a. (2024). expanding understanding of elite athlete parenthood in socio-cultural context: a metasynthesis of qualitative media research findings on motherhood and sport. sport in society, 27(8), 1254-1273. latifa, h., ratih, k., & maryadi, m. (2023). implementing the merdeka curriculum in english language teaching: a study of teacher learning steps. voices of english language education society, 7(3), 640-651. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 879 latifa, h., ratih, k., & maryadi, m. (2024). junior high school english teachers’ planning on merdeka curriculum. english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 203-212. lestari, d. p., lestari, s., & nularsih, n. (2024). english teacher perception of implementation kurikulum merdeka in english teaching learning process. bahtera: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra, 23(1), 1-15. lestari, i. (2023). the english teacher’s perspective and challenge on implementing merdeka curriculum. retorika: jurnal ilmu bahasa, 9(3), 331-339. lestari, m., & qamariah, z. (2023). major steps in curriculum merdeka design for learning english. jurnal ilmiah multidisiplin, 2(04), 96102. li, j. (2024). integrating cse and assessment for learning in chinese efl writing classroom. tesol communications, 3(1), 107-120. liu, x. (2024). formative writing assessment: an efl teacher’s beliefs and practices. changing english, 31(2), 200-210. madigan, d. j., kim, l. e., & glandorf, h. l. (2024). interventions to reduce burnout in students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. european journal of psychology of education, 39(2), 931957. megawati, m., suyitno, i., & harsiati, t. (2023). assessment model in indonesian language learning based on the merdeka curriculum at junior high school in banyuwangi regency. jurnal kependidikan: jurnal hasil penelitian dan kajian kepustakaan di bidang pendidikan, pengajaran dan pembelajaran, 9(4), 1113-1123. melani, a., & gani, e. (2023). implementasi kurikulum merdeka dalam pembelajaran bahasa indonesia di smp negeri 16 padang. educaniora: journal of education and humanities, 1(2), 23-32. mubarok, h., sofiana, n., & mahendra, d. (2023). english language teaching in indonesia: the implementation of merdeka curriculum in senior high schools. journal of namibian studies: history politics culture, 35, 2504-2519. muslim, m. a., & sumarni, s. (2023, june). a review on the design and characteristics of english language learning and teaching in a standardbased curriculum: kurikulum merdeka. in english language and literature international conference (ellic) proceedings (vol. 6, pp. 504-515). nadiroh, u. a., hartono, h., & efendi, a. (2023). implementation of merdeka curriculum in indonesian language learning plan for class x man 2 pontianak city. international journal of multicultural and multireligious understanding, 10(10), 91-100. nadiya, n., aulia, p., mulyansyah, f., & noor, f. (2024). implementation and problems of applying the merdeka curriculum in arabic language learning. journal of foreign language learning and teaching, 4(1), 29-43. nakić radoš, s., hairston, i., & handelzalts, j. e. (2024). the concept analysis of parent-infant bonding during pregnancy and infancy: a systematic review and meta-synthesis. journal of reproductive and infant psychology, 42(2), 142165. ni'mah, f., wafa, z., & sulistiyaningsih, e. f. (2024). the implementation of merdeka curriculum in english language teaching in high school. english education and literature journal (ejou), 4(02), 99-106. ningsih, i. w. p., tauchid, a. a., & putri, n. v. w. (2024). english teachers’ challenges and methods in building learners’ speaking skills during merdeka curriculum in junior high school. english education and literature journal (e-jou), 4(02), 229-240. nur, m. r., & maulida, r. l. (2024). efl teacher agency in merdeka curriculum. jades journal of academia in english education, 5(1), 119144. nurjanah, n., sudaryat, y., haerudin, d., srihilmawati, r., & darajat, d. (2024). implementation of merdeka curriculum for sundanese language subject towards the era of smart society 5.0. daengku: journal of humanities and social sciences innovation, 4(3), 428-435. pratama, s., ramadhan, i., hardiansyah, m. a., wahyudi, a., febrianty, g. s., & alam, f. (2023, june). merdeka curriculum: learning systems and challenges at islamic schools in pontianak city. in 3rd borneo international conference on islamic higher education (bicihe) 2023 (vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 90-96). pratiwi, w. y., & inayati, n. l. (2023). integration of the merdeka curriculum and the cambridge curriculum (case study of an international class at sma batik 1 surakarta). muaddib: studi kependidikan dan keislaman, 13(2), 115-125. purnomo, e., & sabardila, a. (2022, december). the values content of education character in indonesian language book of merdeka curriculum. in 7th progressive and fun education international conference (profunedu 2022) (pp. 317-334). atlantis press. rachman, l. a. (2023). english language teaching based on merdeka curriculum in public senior high school level in bandung: based on the situational analysis. project (professional journal of english education), 6(6), 1267-1273. rahimah, s., & widiastuty, h. (2023). 2013 curriculum and merdeka curriculum in english learning. seroja: jurnal pendidikan, 2(2), 116-131. rahmadhani, n. (2023). the implementation of english language teaching in the merdeka curriculum setting at smp nu bululawang (doctoral emawati, taufiqulloh, & fahrus zaman fadhly challenges and opportunities in implementing the merdeka curriculum in language education: a meta-synthetic analysis 880 dissertation, universitas islam negeri maulana malik ibrahim). rassaei, e. (2024). the effects of recasts on l2 grammar: a meta-analysis. the language learning journal, 52(1), 16-36. rois, i. n., zahida, n. k., & mohtaz, r. (2023). analyzing the implementation of the merdeka curriculum for arabic language learning in postpandemic era. alsinatuna, 8(2), 189-200. rosdiana, l. (2023). implementation of the merdeka curriculum in english learning processes at smpn 1 karangtanjung (doctoral dissertation, uin sultan maulana hasanuddin banten). said, a. a., amirullah, a., & baa, s. (2023). the implementation of merdeka curriculum in makassar south sulawesi: efl islamic school teachers’ perceptions. klasikal: journal of education, language teaching and science, 5(3), 579-596. sampelolo, r., & kombong, m. t. (2022). the future of english language teaching and learning through “merdeka belajar-kampus merdeka” (mbkm): a systematic review. klasikal: journal of education, language teaching and science, 4(1), 40-46. sari, a. a., & fatmawati, n. l. (2024). the implementation of merdeka curriculum in english teaching learning. yavana bhasha: journal of english language education, 7(1), 81-89. sari, n. i., supriatna, e., kusumastuty, i., pattiasina, p. j., muhammad, h. z., alam, s., & prayogi, a. (2023). exploration of the application of indonesian language learning and its connections in the curriculum merdeka. innovative: journal of social science research, 3(4), 3593-3603. siminto, s. (2023). a review of english for vocational high school in curriculum merdeka. atmosfer: jurnal pendidikan, bahasa, sastra, seni, budaya, dan sosial humaniora, 1(3), 127-139. spence, j. l., hornsey, m. j., stephenson, e. m., & imuta, k. (2024). is your accent right for the job? a meta-analysis on accent bias in hiring decisions. personality and social psychology bulletin, 50(3), 371-386. stogiannis, d., siannis, f., & androulakis, e. (2024). heterogeneity in meta-analysis: a comprehensive overview. the international journal of biostatistics, 20(1), 169-199. su, x., & lee, i. (2024). emotion regulation of efl teachers in blended classroom assessment. the asia-pacific education researcher, 33(3), 649658. tahir, s. z. b., susiati, s., tenriawali, a. y., & sakkir, g. (2023). designing local language material based on multilingual 4 in 1 in merdeka curriculum implementation. journal of english education and teaching, 7(4), 1023-1045. tanto, f. r. an analysis of the english textbook "bahasa inggris work in progress" based on the curriculum merdeka (bachelor's thesis, jakarta: fitk uin syarif hidayatullah jakarta). tirtanawati, m. r., & prastiwi, c. h. w. (2024). teachers' perception of the merdeka curriculum implementation in english vocabulary teaching at rural elementary schools. aisyah journal of english language teaching (aijelt), 3(1), 202-211. tricahyati, s., & zaim, m. (2023). english teachers’ readiness in implementation of ‘merdeka belajar’ curriculum in teaching english at junior high school in padang. journal of english language teaching, 12(1), 97-105. tseng, w. t., liu, y. t., hsu, y. t., & chu, h. c. (2024). revisiting the effectiveness of study abroad language programs: a multi-level metaanalysis. language teaching research, 28(1), 156-200. vecchione, f., giancola, m., palmiero, m., boccia, m., d’amico, s., & piccardi, l. (2023). field dependence-independence mediates the association between visual perception and mathematics. a cross-sectional study in children and preadolescents. european journal of developmental psychology, 20(5), 854-874. vuogan, a., & li, s. (2024). a systematic review of meta-analyses in second language research: current practices, issues, and recommendations. applied linguistics review, 15(4), 1621-1644. wahyuni, s., fitriyah, i., & hasanah, i. (2023). the implementation of merdeka belajar curriculum at english department of indonesian universities. jeels (journal of english education and linguistics studies), 10(2), 307-332. wardani, n. e., suwandi, s., & ulya, c. (2023). feasibility assessment of merdeka curriculum in bahasa indonesia digital textbooks for class vii junior high schools. theory and practice in language studies, 13(12), 3268-3278. wilson, s., & nurkhamidah, n. (2023). the implementation of merdeka curriculum in english subject. pedagogic: indonesian journal of science education and technology, 3(1), 13-25. yang, t. c., & chen, s. y. (2023). investigating students’ online learning behavior with a learning analytic approach: field dependence/independence vs. holism/serialism. interactive learning environments, 31(2), 10411059. zai, m. (2024). the perceptions of english teachers on the implementation of the merdeka curriculum in idanogawo schools. dharma acariya nusantara: jurnal pendidikan, bahasa dan budaya, 2(1), 309-314. zarei, a. a., & mahdavi, n. (2014). field dependence/independence as a factor affecting performance on the ielts listening module. international journal of language learning and applied linguistics world, 5(3), 124-135. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 881 zhang, y. (2024). a lesson study on a mooc-based and ai-powered flipped teaching and assessment of efl writing model: teachers' and students' growth. international journal for lesson & learning studies, 13(1), 28-40. zidan, m. r., & qamariah, z. (2023). a literature study on the implementation of merdeka curriculum. jurnal riset rumpun ilmu bahasa, 2(2), 153167. emawati, taufiqulloh, & fahrus zaman fadhly challenges and opportunities in implementing the merdeka curriculum in language education: a meta-synthetic analysis 882 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 991 applying gender differences in phonological awareness to enhance students’ reading ability eline rozaliya winarto (corresponding author) english education department, faculty of teacher and training, universitas muhammadiyah cirebon, indonesia email: eline.rozalia@umc.ac.id fitri aprianti english education department, faculty of teacher and training, universitas muhammadiyah cirebon, indonesia email: fitri.aprianti@umc.ac.id apa citation: winarto, e. r., & aprianti, f. (2023). applying gender differences in phonological awareness to enhance students’ reading ability. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 991-1000. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8216 received: 11-06-2023 accepted: 28-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 introduction in primary education, reading is the most crucial ability. reading is essential for comprehending the reading assigned by the instructor, not just in indonesian but also in other types of material in general (kurniawan & zufriady, 2019; kurniaman et al., 2018). the capacity to read at the primary school level is one of the language skills intended by the government through the school literacy movement (slm) initiative since 2015 (kurnia, 2021; suwono, 2016; vargas et al., 2020). there are linguistic issues that primary school students experience as they grow more proficient, as they routinely come across words with more than three and four syllables, and as phrases and sentences become more and more comparable to the dynamic language they hear and speak around them (wolley & heggie, 2016). they are therefore obliged to use internal vocabulary to generate phonological representations. this method uses spoken language to acquire meaning by transforming visual symbols into phonemes (sandoval et al., 2014; yarahmadzehi et al., 2017; alhunsi, & awwad, 2020). the development of phonological awareness is necessary for optimal reading development. students in elementary school who lack this talent, phonological awareness, have a more difficult time improving their basic reading proficiency (wilsenach & makaure, 2020). several studies have found a beneficial relationship between phonological awareness and reading ability (alvarez et al., 2021; waknis & vanaja, 2017; carnio et al., 2017). very few researches have looked into the relationship between sex and phonological abstract: phonological awareness is the first stage in enhancing kids' reading skills. phonological awareness provides the foundation for youngsters to associate written letters with their voices, which will help them understand the reading process. primary school reading abilities provide the groundwork for subsequent reading success. the research technique that utilized to conduct study on phonological awareness and reading ability of male and female primary school pupils is a research method that combines quantitative and qualitative data, commonly known as the mixed-method. to obtain quantitative data, this method employs one experimental group, whereas to obtain qualitative data, classroom observation, questionnaires, and interviews conducted on experimental. the subjects of this study were low-grade male and female pupils at primary schools in cirebon. a basic random sampling procedure is used to determine the samples. there were four types of data gathering procedures used in this study: phonological awareness, observation, questionnaires, and interviews. this study leads to several findings. first, the findings are broadly consistent with previous research in the field of pa in primary children. the study discovered a consistent developmental trajectory in the majority of the pa tasks in favor of primary children. in addition, females outperformed males in some pa subtests. in strip initial consonant, female students outframed slightly higher than male students with 4.85. other subtests are leading by female students such as in supply initial consonant 5.31, initial consonant same 5.69, initial consonant different 6.0, and others. in order to eliminate obstacles to advancing their reading abilities, elementary students must be trained on pa exercises. keywords: phonological awareness; reading ability; sex differences. eline rozaliya winarto & fitri aprianti applying gender differences in phonological awareness to enhance students’ reading ability 992 awareness, particularly at the phonemic level. nonetheless, some researches demonstrate that female students have superior phonological awareness abilities, particularly at the syllable level (moura et al., 2009; chipere, 2013; fernandez, 2018; wolter et al., 2015; logan & johnston, 2010). another study found that female students outperformed male students in primary school reading proficiency in first and second grades (sana & kirby, 2018; deliany, 2020; wolter et al., 2015). as a result, research on the application of gender to phonological awareness connected to pupils' reading ability in primary schools in the cirebon is required. elementary school kids' reading motivation will be influenced by their instructors' gender views. finally, the school literacy movement program will be achieved more swiftly by decreasing sex inequalities in phonological awareness to increase the reading ability of primary school kids. this enhancement will propel indonesia to a higher ranking in literacy and numeracy programs. phonological awareness (henceforth pa) is described as the sensitivity to and ability to work with the sounds of spoken language (wooley et al. (2015). it is a metalinguistic skill that relates to one's capacity to comprehend the phonological characteristics and structure of words (zugarramurdi, et al, 2022; olufunke & elizabeth, 2020; pantazi et al., 2019). pa denotes that words are formed up of many different types of various sound units (patscheke et al., 2016). it has been clearly established over the last 30 years that phonological awareness is one of the biggest indicators of reading achievement (cho et al., 2011; lim & chew, 2018), it influences reading ability more than any other element, including intelligence, age, and socioeconomic status (manu et al., 2021). pa is a necessary skill for language learning. (vibulpatanavong & evans, 2019; milankov et al., 2021). pa skills involve the capacity to discover word similarities, alter words through blending and segmentation, and detect word elements such as phonemes and syllables (alcock et al., 2010; bahrudin et al., 2021). pa reflects children's growing sensitivity to sublexical and segmental information. it is essential to underline the contrasts between sex and gender in this study, since each has its own function. gender refers to biological distinctions between men and women, whereas gender relates to men and women's social characteristics (winarto,2016). for a long time, men and women have used separate languages. women are thought to be better at language than males (winarto, 2017). this enables women to have a higher level of phonological awareness than men (chipere, 2013; moura et al., 2009). chipere (2013) presents her descriptive story demonstrating that girls outperform boys in three phonological awareness tests. smooth phonemic segmentation (ksf) was 0.31d, letter sound accuracy identification (kbf) was 0.44d, and reading whole words (msk) was 0.3d for the girls. when it comes to mastering phonological awareness, male and female pupils show considerable variances. in another research, moura et al. (2009) found statistically significant differences between the male and female sexes in recognizing the final phoneme, separating words by six phonemes, and reversing words phonemically by two and three phonemes. female students have an edge in phonological awareness over male pupils since they have the linguistic skills to encourage male students. gender variations in verbal and reading ability have drawn an excessive amount of attention in the field of study. khasawneh & saleem (2021) stated that females outperformed males in reading. moura et al. (2009) examined gender gaps in phonemic awareness were discovered, with females outperforming males in the majority of the tasks. logan & johnston (2010) reported a connection between gender variations in pa and gender disparities in reading ability. based on the facts, it has been established that girls outperform boys in phonological development (fauzi & ashadi, 2019; dixon, 2010). according to recent research, girls do much better than boys in phoneme segmentation tasks (calle, 2018; moura et al., 2008), accessing and employing phonological name codes, and achieving a greater proportion of appropriately uttered phonemes (ahmed, 2023; krenca et al., 2019). gender inequalities in phonological or phonemic awareness, on the other hand, appear to change with the task's nature and complexity. for example, moura et al. (2008) reported that girls outperformed boys in phonemic synthesis and segmentation, as well as 'phonemic reversion for words with two or three phonemes'(p. 53). boys, on the other hand, performed much better in 'phonetic synthesis for words with seven phonemes, and phonemic reversion for words with four or five phonemes'. boys and girls differed in task complexity in this sample of children aged 7:2 to 8:8 years, albeit it was acknowledged that these gender differences, while statistically significant, were quite modest. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 993 duranovic et al. (2012) also found, in in a sample of 401 kindergarten pupils, girls displayed considerably stronger phoneme segmentation skills; nonetheless, boys and girls fared similarly in terms of early sound fluency. girls had made greater development in initial sound fluency by the end of kindergarten, whereas boys had made faster growth in phonemic segmentation. although girls outperformed boys at the end of kindergarten in both first sounds fluency and phonemic segmentation. et al., similar to moura et al. (2008), concluded that gender differences were insignificant, and gender was not a major predictor of later reading achievement. phonemic awareness is important for early reading development and subsequent reading success, however there is little evidence that gender variations in phonemic awareness, or even phonological awareness, account for more boys than girls with a reading problem. a number of studies have found substantial gender variations in phonemic or phonological awareness, albeit these differences have been admitted to be minor. other studies have found minor or no differences between boys and girls. furthermore, data suggests that depending on the kind and difficulty of the activity, boys and girls have varying capabilities in components of phonological awareness. however, it does not appear that these differences regularly predict later reading success. although differences in phonemic awareness may explain for inequalities in reading ability, they do not appear to account for reported gender differences in reading limitation. boys' lower levels reading ability reinforces existing gender prejudices that reading is for females. according to research, children begin to absorb gender preconceptions from the age of 2-3 years, and information about those genders accumulates until the kid reaches school age (wolter et al., 2015; banse et al., 2010; lundberg et al., 2012). this assumption suggests that males' activities are outside the home, such as football and other outdoor activities, whereas children are more active within the house, such as cooking and reading (rouland et al., 2013; retelsdorf et al., 2015; lee & al otaiba 2015). chipere (2015) illustrates gender variations in the capacity to read all words at various levels of schooling. female kindergarten students outperformed male pupils by grades of 0.022d and insignificant, u = 342, z = 0.151, p > 0.05. primary school grade one results female students outperformed male pupils by 0.15d, although this difference was not statistically significant (u = 167, z = 0.935, p > 0.05). for grade 2 primary school education levels, the difference between female students and male students was 0.68d and significant, u = 146.5, z = 2.394, p 0.02. lynn and mikk (2009) conducted a systematic review that confirms both lietz's finding of a sex difference in favor of girls and her notion that variability in assessment methodologies could explain the variation in the magnitude of sex differences across time. lynn and mikk's systematic review included research that used two different reading comprehension measures: the program for international student assessment (pisa) and the progress in international reading literacy study (pirls). the pisa was conducted in 27, 40, and 56 nations in 2000, 2003, and 2006. the pirls was administered in 35 and 40 nations, respectively, in 2001 and 2006. lynn and mikk's meta-analysis drew on 198 country studies in total. lynn and mikk reported effect sizes in favor of girls of 0.49d, 0.36d, and 0.41d for the pisa studies of 2000, 2003, and 2006. they reported effect sizes of 0.25d and 0.21d for the 2001 and 2006 pirls investigations, respectively. thus, they not only supported lietz's discovery of sex differences in reading ability, but the pattern of their data also confirmed her theory about the influence of measuring tools on the degree of sex differences. school teachers play a critical role in developing pupils' phonological awareness in order to improve their reading ability. it is therefore crucial that studies be conducted on how gender affects phonological awareness in relation to reading proficiency in cirebon region elementary schools. the reading motivation of primary school pupils will be influenced by the gender judgments of their teachers. thus, this study suggests the following formulation of the problem: how phonological awareness varies depending on how gender differences are applied on pupils in raising the reading proficiency of primary school pupils? ultimately, the school literacy movement program will be realized more quickly by reducing gender differences in phonological awareness to enhance elementary school students' reading abilities. indonesia's literacy and numeracy programs will be improved thanks to this optimization. method the mixed-method study methodology is utilized to examine the association between phonological awareness and reading proficiency in primary school pupils based on these gender disparities. eline rozaliya winarto & fitri aprianti applying gender differences in phonological awareness to enhance students’ reading ability 994 quantitative and quantitative data are combined in this manner. using a pretest-posttest nonequivalent group design, a pseudoexperimental method is employed in this mixed method approach to gather quantitative data. in this approach, there is two experimental group. a straightforward random sampling strategy was used to collect samples for this investigation. meanwhile, in order to obtain qualitative data, classroom observations, questionnaires, and interviews with classroom teachers will be conducted with both experimental and control classes to learn how primary school teachers perceive the connections between phonological awareness and reading ability of elementary school students based on gender differences. students learn about phonological awareness from researchers. in addition, researchers explain each aspect of phonological awareness. the intervention class received this phonological awareness knowledge, while the control class received standard learning. following the application of phonological awareness, the researcher observed the students. the type of observation used is participant observation, in which the researcher participates in the activities that the subject performs; more specifically, the observation will be carried out at the learning process stage using phonological awareness. the researchers then administered questionnaires to teachers to assess teachers' understanding of the relationship between gender and male and female students' phonological awareness and reading ability. the questionnaire will be given to educators in the form of a closed questionnaire (close-ended questionnaire) regarding the relationship between gender and phonological awareness and reading ability. this study conducted in cirebon area's elementary school setting. participants in this study were low-grade primary school pupils and instructors who had taken english classes and already possessed entry-level reading abilities. four different types of data gathering methods, including applying phonological awareness to students, observations, questionnaires, and interviews, were used in this study. phonological awareness is introduced to pupils by researchers. each component of phonological awareness was also described by the researcher. the researcher observed the students after putting phonological awareness to use (creswell, 2012). the method of observation employed is participant observation, in which the researcher actively participates in the subject's actions. more specifically, the observation too place throughout the learning process when phonological awareness is being used. researchers also administered questionnaires to instructors in order to learn more about their perceptions of the connections between gender and the phonological awareness and reading proficiency of male and female pupils. teachers received a closed-ended questionnaire more about relationship between gender, phonological awareness, and reading abilities. teachers also questioned in interviews to learn more about participants' perceptions of gender in connection to phonological awareness and reading proficiency. the following phase is data analysis after the research data has been collected. results and discussion in this study, researchers examined the developing pattern in first-graders' phonological awareness. additionally, the researchers looked at how gender differed in phonological awareness. the researchers discovered the majority of the subtests showed evidence of pa developmental directions, such as strip initial consonant, supply initial consonant, initial consonant same, initial consonant different, initial consonant not same, final consonant same, final consonant different, rhyme choice, rhyme supply, and substitute initial consonant. table 1 shows descriptive statistics for each of the ten phonological awareness measures, calculated with the ten phonological tasks as the set of dependent measures, with sex differences in the data noted. table 1. phonological awareness test result subtest male female f m sd m sd strip initial consonant 4.00 2.236 4.85 2.703 0.822 supply initial consonant 3.73 1.486 5.31 2.529 4.167 initial consonant same 3.67 1.633 5.69 2.428 6.873 initial consonant different 3.53 1.125 6.00 2.517 11.754 initial consonant not same 3.73 2.086 5.46 1.761 5.509 final consonant same 3.67 1.877 5.77 2.242 7.301 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 995 final consonant different 3.13 1.060 5.46 2.332 12.123 rhyme choice 3.33 1.234 6.38 1.502 34.824 rhyme supply 3.13 1.060 5.85 2.035 20.368 substitute initial consonant 2.80 1.014 6.08 1.656 41.087 based on the findings of the subtests that were administered, several tests appear to be challenging for pupils. male students typically do worse than female students on each subtest, as seen by their lower scores. the substitute initial consonant has a mean score of 2.80, making it the most challenging for male students to pass. the strip initial consonant, which has a value of 4.85, is the sub-test that male students find to be the most challenging, despite it being the easiest for female students. the rhyming choice sub-test saw excellent performance from female students. females achieved the highest mean (m = 6.38). this concurs with what duranovic et al. (2012) discovered in their research. this may make sense given that the growth of pa in the early years begins with syllable awareness, followed by onsets and rhymes awareness, then pa awareness (tate et al., 2004). pa evolves along a continuum that starts with syllable manipulation and moves on to phoneme manipulation. according to research by carroll et al. (2003), children's phoneme skills develop later than their rhyming skills. this outcome is in line with pullen and justice's (2003) recommendation that easy tasks, such rhyme discrimination, be introduced first when teaching rhyming before progressing to more challenging tasks, like rhyme production or generation. the initial consonant strip is a subtest that does not provide much evidence of gender differences in results. with m=4.85 and male students with m=4.00, female students continue to perform better. female students still outperformed male students on the first consonant supply sub-test for all starting consonants, including the same, different, and not the same. compared to the final consonant different (m = 5.46), the final consonant same (m = 5.77) appears to be simpler. there are further challenging subtests in the same and different final consonants, with female students continuing to do well. in this study, the overall trend of gender differences in pa was that females did better than males in each of the subtests. in their study on the growth of pa in elementary students. lundberg et al. (2012) identified a distinct gender effect. they came to the conclusion that this obvious advantage could be related to the early stimulation of language processes in females. males begin life with a slight verbal advantage while females demonstrate greater spatial skills. these variations may result in various ways for both sexes to engage with the outside world. males typically prefer physical manipulation of items, whereas females typically choose verbal and social contact. as a result, the linguistic and spatial ability difference between men and women widens. figure 1. strip initial consonant figure 1 displays the strip initial consonant subtest's minimum and maximum values. male students scored the lowest at 2 and the highest at 10, whilst female students scored the lowest at 3 and the greatest at 13. the range of the total score is from 2 to 13, with 13 being the highest. figure 2. supply initial consonant according to the results of a different subtest, namely supply initial consonant, male students scored between 2 and 8, with 8 being the highest. in contrast, the lowest and best scores for female students are 3 and 13, correspondingly. the lowest score for this subtest is 2, and the best is 13. eline rozaliya winarto & fitri aprianti applying gender differences in phonological awareness to enhance students’ reading ability 996 figure 3. initial consonant same the initial consonant is the following subtest. the lowest score a male student can receive on this subtest is 2, and the best is 7. with the lowest score being 3 and the best being 13, female students performed better than male pupils. the lowest and highest scores for this subtest were 2 and 13, respectively. figure 4. initial consonant different for initial consonant different sub test, male students scored the lowest at 2, and the highest at 6, on the initial consonant difference sub-test. this contrasts with female pupils, who had the lowest score of 3 and the maximum score of 12. this subtest’s lowest and highest scores are 2 and 12, however. figure 5. initial consonant not same female students nonetheless outperformed male students on the initial consonant not same subtest. in this subtest, males receive a maximum score of 8, with a minimum score of 2. compared to male students, female students have a lower average score of 3 and a higher average of 10. the minimum and maximum scores for this subtest are 2 and 10, accordingly. figure 6. final consonant same final consonant same is a further subtest. students' scores on this subtest range from 2 for males to 9 for females, with the lowest being 2 and the highest being 11 for females. this subtest has a range of totals between 2 and 11, with 11 being the highest. figure 7. final consonant different male students scored 2 and 7 correspondingly for the final consonant different. female students consistently receive higher grades, with the lowest being 4 and the highest being 9. this demonstrates that a total score of 2 is the lowest and a score of 9 is the greatest for this subtest. figure 8. rhyme choice english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 997 in rhyme choice sub test, male students scored the lowest at 2 and the highest at 6 on the subtest for rhythm choice. women students, however, received the lowest 3 and best 12 scores. this subtest has a range of scores between 2 and 12, with 12 being the highest figure 9. rhyme supply substitute initial consonant and rhyme supply are the final two subtests. male students performed the worst on the rhyme supply subtest with a score of 2, and the best with a score of 5. female students, on the other hand, had scores ranging from 3 to 11. this subtest's lowest and highest scores were 2 and 11, respectively. figure 10. substitute initial consonant the substitute initial consonant subtest is the final test, and in this subtest, male students score between 2 and 5, with 5 being the highest. for female students, the lowest and highest scores are 4 and 10, respectively. in this subtest, the lowest total score is 2, and the best is 10. conclusion according to the study's findings, phonological awareness subtests for all students revealed that female students outperformed male students overall. in contrast to their male counterparts, female students therefore have greater reading abilities. students that have strong phonological awareness are better able to comprehend the first stages of learning to read. the findings of this study offer recommendations for primary school teachers on how to help male children learn about phonological awareness. primary teachers should be made aware of how they might contribute to a gender-equitable learning environment by carefully examining their own ideas on gender roles and making sure they do not support genderspecific attitudes and behaviours in order to raise the reading proficiency of boys in school. acknowledgement the researchers would like to express profound gratitude and appreciation to risetmu for the research opportunities offered. aside from that, the researchers would like to convey gratitude to the committee of the risetmu program for their invaluable guidance. last but not least, the obvious gratitude delivers to lppm umc who had guided the process of risetmu fund by giving encouragement, and support in ensuring the completion of this article. references ahmed, f. (2023). gender differences in using metacognitive startegies: a study on bangladeshi efl readers. international journal of literature arts science and culture, 9. alcock, k. l., d. ngorosho, c. d., and jukes, m. c. h. (2010). we don't have language at our house: disentangling the relationship between phonological awareness, schooling, and literacy. british journal of educational psychology, 80(1), 55-76. alhunsi, m. h. & awwad, a. a. (2020).teachers’ knowledge of phonological awareness levels: a case of jodanian efl teachers’ perception. international journal of innovation, creativity, and change. 13(11), 814-832. alvarez, c. m, alonso, m. c., & saavedra, a. (2021). relationships between phonological awareness and reading in spanish: a meta-analysis. language learning,2021, 1–46. 10.1111/lang.12471 bahrudin., taboer, m. a., rochyadi, e., & sunardi. (2021). phonological awarness in students with reading difficulties at elementary school. sekolah dasar: kajian teori dan praktik pendidikan. 30(2), 137-146. banse, r., gawronski, b., rebetez, c., gutt, h., and morton, j. (2010). the development of spontaneous gender stereotyping in childhood: relations to stereotype knowledge and stereotype flexibility. dev. sci. 13, 298–306. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2009.00880.x calle, a. (2018). evolutionary development of phonological awareness: how does it relate to reading literacy? revista de investigación en logopedia eline rozaliya winarto & fitri aprianti applying gender differences in phonological awareness to enhance students’ reading ability 998 carnio, m. s., vosgrau, j. s., & soares, a. j. (2017). revista cefac 19(5),590-600 carroll, j., & snowling, m., & stevenson, j., & hulme, c. (2003). the development of phonological awareness in preschool children. developmental psychology, 39. 10.1037/00121649.39.5.913. chipere, n. (2013). sex differences in phonological awareness and reading ability. language awareness. 1-15. 10.1080/09658416.2013.774007 cho, j. r., chiu, m., & chang, c. m. (2011). morphological awareness, phonological awareness, and literacy development in korean and english: a 2year longitudinal study. scientific studies of reading, 15(5), 383-208. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2010.487143 creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). pearson. creswell, j. w. (2012). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. sage publications, inc deliany. (2020). metcognitive reading stretegies awareness and metocognitive reading strategies use of efl university students across gender. studies in english language and education. dixon, l. q. (2010). the importance of phonological awareness for the development of early english reading skills among billingual singaporean kindergartens. international journal of billingual education and bilingualism. 13(6). https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050903556014 duranovic, m., & huseinbasic, m., & tinjak, s. (2012). development of phonological awareness and letter knowledge in bosnian preschool children. international journal of linguistics. 4. 10.5296/ijl.v4i2.1539. fauzi., & ashadi. (2019). an analysis on reading strategies based on metacognitive awareness and gender. lingua pedagogia, 1(1). 1-16 fernandez, d. (2008). gender differences in working memory and phonological awarness. [disseration, capella university]. vargas, i. m., cueva, f. e. i., rivera-zamudio, j., lévano-francia, l. (2020). phonological awareness and reading comprehension of second grade students in regular basic education. international journal of early childhood special education (int-jecse), 12(1), 415-424. 10.9756/intjecse/v12i1.201021 khasawneh., & saleem, m.a. (2021). problems of teaching phonological awareness to learning disabilities students. gist education and learning research journal, 135-150 krenca, k, segers, e, chen, xi, sharry, s, steele, j & verhoeven, l. (2019). phonological specificity relates to phonological awareness and reading ability in english-french billingual children. reading and writing. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-019-09959-2 kurnia, n. i. (2021). the philosopichal foundation of the school literacy movement in indonesia. jurnal pendidikan. 22(2). 10.33830/jp.v22i2.1891.2021 kurniaman, o., zufriady., mulyani, e. a., & simulyasih, n. (2018). reading comprehension skill using graphic organizer for the effectiveness of teaching materials for elementary school student. journal of teaching and learning in elementary education (jtlee), 1(2), 75-80. kurniawan, o., & zufriady. (2019). the effectiveness of teaching materials for graphics organizers in reading in elementary school students. journal of education sciences. 3(1), 4862.doi:10.31258/jes.3.1. p.48-62 lee, j. a. c., & al otaiba, s. (2015). socioeconomic and gender group differences in early literacy skills: a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach. educational research and evaluation, 21(1), 40-59. lim., & chew. (2018). using poems to increase phonological awareness among children. issues and trends in interdisciplinary behavior and social science, 3340 logan, s., & johnston, r. (2010). investigating gender differences in reading. educational review. 62 (2). doi.org/10.1080/00131911003637006 lundberg, i., larsman, p., & strid, a. (2012). development of phonological awareness during the preschool year. the influence of gender and socio-economic status. read writ, 25, 305–320 lynn, r. j., & mikk, j. (2009). sex differences in reading achievement. trames-journal of the humanities and social sciences, 13, 3-13. manu, m., torppa, m., eklund, k. (2021). kindergarten pre-reading skills predict grade 9 reading comprehension (pisa reading) but fail to explain gender difference. read writ, 34, 753–771 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-02010090-w milankov, v., golubovic, s., krstic, t., &golubovic, s. (2021). phonological awarness as the foundation of reading acquisition in students reading in transparent orthography. int. j. environ. res. public health. 18, 5440. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105440 moura, s. r. s., mezzomo, c. l., & cielo, c. a. (2009). phonemic awareness stimulation and its effects regarding the variable gender. pró-fono revista de atualização científica, 21, 51-56. olufunke, o. m., & elizabeth, p. t. (2020). perspective of gender differences, students’ achievement and attitude to reading comprehension. journal of science technology and education, 8(2), 141-153. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2010.487143 https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050903556014 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-019-09959-2 https://pubs.asha.org/doi/abs/10.1044/1058-0360%282004/018%29 https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911003637006 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-020-10090-w https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-020-10090-w https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105440 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 999 pantazi, a, toki, e., fakitsa, p., & pange, j. (2019). digital games to enhance children’s phonological awareness in rural communities. iscar 2019 proceedings, 345-354. patscheke., degé., & schwarzer. (2016). the effects of training in music and phonological skills on phonological awareness in 4to 6-year-old children of immigrant families. frontiers in psychology, (7). 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01647 pullen, p., & justice, l. (2003). enhancing phonological awareness, print awareness, and oral language skills in preschool children. intervention in school and clinic intervention school clinic, 39, 87-98. 10.1177/10534512030390020401. retelsdorf, j., schwartz, k., and asbrock, f. (2015). “michael can’t read!” teachers’ gender stereotypes and boys’ reading self-concept. j. educ. psychol. 107, 186–194. 10.1037/a0037107 rouland, k., rowley, s., and kurtz-costes, b. (2013). self-views of africanamerican youth are related to the gender stereotypes and ability attributions of their parents. self identity 12, 382–399. 10.1080/15298868.2012. 682360 tibi, s., & kirby, j. r. (2018). investigating phonological awareness and naming speed as predictors of reading in arabic. scientific studies of reading, 22(1), 70-84, 10.1080/10888438.2017.1340948 sandoval, a. a., briceno, e. d., & bargas, r. m. (2014). proceeding of edulearn 14 conference. 47374745 suwono, h. (2016). school literary movement in indonesia: challenges for scientific literacy. proceeding of international conference on education 2016, 309-317. tate, s.t., washington, j., & edwards, j. (2004). standardized assessment of phonological awarness skills in low-income african american first graders. speech language pathology. 13(2), 182-190. doi.org/10.1044/10580360(2004/018) vibulpatanavong, k., & evans, d. (2019). phonological awareness and reading in thai children. read writ, 32, 467–491 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-018-9867-0 waknis, a. p., & vanaja, c. s. (2017). relation between phonological awarness and reading in marathi. international journal of english and education. 6(3). 1-11 wilsenach, c., & makaure, p. (2020). gender effects on phonological processing and reading development in northern sotho children learning to read in english: a case study of grade 3 learners. south african journal of childhood education. 8 (1). doi/abs/10.4102/sajce.v8i1.546 winarto, e. r. (2017). tindak tutur ekspresif panelis pria dan wanita dalam talkshow indonesia lawak klub. prosiding semnas stkip siliwangi cimahi. winarto. e. r. (2016). flouting maxims in conversational strategies of male and female presenters in american talk shows: a sociopragmatics study. [tesis]. universitas padjadajran. wolter, i., braun, e., & hannover, b. (2015). reading is for girls!? the negative impact of preschool teachers' traditional gender role attitudes on boys' reading related motivation and skills. frontiers in psychology, 6, 1267. wooley, l. w.. & heggie, l. (2015). the contribution of prosodic and phonological awarness to reading. john benjamins publishing company. doi: 10.1075/tilar.17.01wad yarahmadzehi, n., rezaee, a., & baharvand, p. k. (2017). exploring the relationship between phonological awareness and reading ability: from elementary teachers’ perspectives. rals journal. 272-280. 10.22055/rals.2017.12931 zugarramurdi, c., fernández, l., lallier, m., vallelisboa, j. c., & carreiras, m. (2022). mind the orthography: revisiting the contribution of prereading phonological awareness to reading acquisition. developmental psychology, 58(6), 1003–1016. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001341 https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2017.1340948 https://doi.org/10.1044/1058-0360(2004/018) https://doi.org/10.1044/1058-0360(2004/018) https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-018-9867-0 https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/dev0001341 eline rozaliya winarto & fitri aprianti applying gender differences in phonological awareness to enhance students’ reading ability 1000 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 821 code switching as a politeness strategy in efl classroom group presentations nirwana darwis english education department, education faculty, iain bone, bone regency, indonesia e-mail nirwana.darwis07@gmail.com apa scitation: darwis, n. (2024). code switching as politeness strategies in efl classroom group presentation. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 821-832. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i2.10195 received: 27-02-2024 accepted: 28-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: code switching and politeness strategies are crucial elements in communication, particularly in english as a foreign language (efl) classroom interactions. they play significant roles in facilitating understanding, enhancing comfort, and maintaining social harmony among students. this study aims to explore the reasons behind code switching and how it functions as a politeness strategy during group presentations in efl classroom settings. adopting a qualitative descriptive approach, this research was conducted through observations of two english education classes at universitas negeri makassar in 2022. each class comprised 31 students who employed group presentations as a learning strategy. the data were collected through audio recordings of classroom presentations, which were transcribed and analyzed using discourse analysis. the reasons for code switching were analyzed based on hoffman’s (1991) theory, and politeness strategies were examined using brown and levinson's (1987) framework. the findings revealed that code switching serves multiple purposes: discussing particular topics, quoting others, interjecting, repeating for clarification, clarifying for interlocutors, ensuring self-convenience, and addressing lexical needs. additionally, it functions as a politeness strategy reflected in the maxims of manner, relation, quality, and quantity. code switching helps students avoid confusion, build rapport, express personal ideas, and communicate effectively. keywords: code switching; politeness strategy; efl classroom interaction; group presentation; classroom communication. introduction code-switching, the practice of alternating between two or more languages or dialects within a conversation, has been widely observed and studied in various educational settings. in the context of english as a foreign language (efl) classrooms, code-switching serves multiple functions, ranging from facilitating comprehension to managing classroom dynamics. this introduction explores the utilization of codeswitching as a politeness strategy in efl classroom group presentations, drawing from a comprehensive synthesis of previous research. hanafiah, et al. (2021) investigate codeswitching during thesis examinations in indonesia, highlighting its role in easing communication between lecturers and students. similarly, jun (2022) examines code-switching within the frameworks of the cooperative principle and politeness principle, emphasizing its sociolinguistic implications. these studies underscore the importance of code-switching in maintaining smooth and respectful interactions in academic contexts. taufiq et al. (2022) focus on the strategic use of code-switching to boost student participation in efl classroom interactions. they argue that switching languages can help reduce anxiety and encourage more active involvement from students. this perspective is supported by hussein, saed, and haider (2020), who consider code-switching an "inevitable evil" that nonetheless plays a crucial role in facilitating classroom communication. during the covid-19 pandemic, digital platforms became essential for education. hidayat et al. (2022) explore the use of whatsapp for early childhood learning, revealing that code-switching helped in making the digital learning environment more accessible and engaging. pérez-sabater (2022) further investigates code-switching on whatsapp, examining its role in informal communication among multilingual users. zakaria et al. (2022) and saragi (2024) delve into politeness strategies in different contexts, including islamic boarding schools and traditional wedding ceremonies, respectively. their findings illustrate how code-switching can serve as a politeness strategy, helping speakers navigate social hierarchies and maintain respectful interactions. bravo-sotelo and metila (2023) explore the pedagogical value of code-switching in mathematics classrooms, demonstrating its utility in clarifying complex concepts. similarly, ataş nirwana darwis code switching as politeness strategies in efl classroom group presentation 822 and sağın-şimşek (2021) discuss the discourse functions of code-switching in turkish efl classrooms, highlighting its role in facilitating both educational and social interactions. despite its benefits, code-switching is not without its critics. jewad, ghabanchi, and ghazanfari (2020) analyze politeness maxims in the qur'an, providing a contrasting perspective on language purity and the potential negative impacts of mixing languages. zimmerman (2020) addresses these concerns by exploring codeswitching during study abroad programs, suggesting that it can sometimes hinder language learning if not managed properly. studies by villanueva and gamiao (2022) in the philippines and al-daher (2021) in canada highlight the cultural dimensions of codeswitching, showing how it reflects broader social and linguistic trends. these findings are echoed by kaur (2022), who discusses pragmatic strategies in english as a lingua franca (elf) communication, emphasizing the adaptability and contextual nature of code-switching. hamdan (2023) and kumar, nukapangu, and hassan (2021) provide practical insights into the implementation of code-switching in efl classrooms, discussing its effectiveness in enhancing comprehension and engagement. their research underscores the importance of strategic language use in creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment. finally, innovative approaches to codeswitching are explored by van dijk (2024) and kulsawang and ambele (2024), who investigate its use in gameplay and elf classroom interactions, respectively. these studies suggest that codeswitching can be effectively integrated into modern educational practices to foster better communication and learning outcomes. fithriani (2021) provides insights into the practical applications of code-switching in indonesian efl classrooms, reinforcing its role as an instructional strategy. takeuchi (2023) addresses the potential negative aspects of codeswitching, such as its use as a form of linguistic microaggression, while still recognizing its strategic importance in specific contexts. sembiring et al. (2022) and temesgen and hailu (2022) further elaborate on the functions and motivations behind code-switching in efl settings, highlighting its role in avoiding facethreatening acts and maintaining politeness. chau and lee (2021) and ahmad (2024) examine codeswitching in digital and social contexts, providing a broader understanding of its implications beyond the classroom. maulida (2023) and riswanto (2023) investigate the use of code-switching in islamic boarding schools, focusing on its impact on communication and learning among students. similarly, pradita et al. (2024) explore language politeness among elementary school students, emphasizing the importance of context-appropriate language use. olorunsogo (2021) and beschieru (2021) discuss politeness strategies in specific interactions, such as doctor-patient and classroom discourse, providing a nuanced view of how codeswitching can enhance communication and reduce misunderstandings. fauziati et al. (2020) and wangia and otonde (2020) explore the educational implications of code-switching, highlighting its potential to facilitate learning and improve student-teacher interactions. chen (2024) and kirsimägi (2024) extend this discussion to older learners and online forums, demonstrating the versatility and adaptability of code-switching as a communicative strategy. while extensive research has highlighted the various functions and benefits of code-switching in educational contexts, there remains a gap in understanding its specific role as a politeness strategy during group presentations in efl classrooms. previous studies have primarily focused on classroom interactions, digital communication, and the sociolinguistic aspects of code-switching. however, the nuanced ways in which code-switching can enhance politeness and facilitate smoother group presentations in an efl setting have not been thoroughly examined. this study aims to fill this gap by exploring how code-switching serves as a politeness strategy during group presentations in efl classrooms. by analyzing the interactions between students and teachers, this research seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the pragmatic functions of codeswitching and its impact on student engagement and communication dynamics. the novelty of this study lies in its focus on the specific context of group presentations, offering new insights into the strategic use of code-switching to manage politeness and enhance educational outcomes. method this study employed a descriptive qualitative method to capture naturally occurring interactions among participants, particularly focusing on classroom interactions. this approach was chosen english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 823 to identify and describe the phenomena of codeswitching in an efl classroom setting, specifically to explore the reasons behind code-switching and how it functions as a politeness strategy. the participants in this study were 5th-semester students from the english education department at universitas negeri makassar during the academic year 2021/2022, consisting of approximately 62 students. these students were selected to provide a comprehensive view of code-switching practices within an educational setting where english is taught as a foreign language. for data collection, classroom interactions were recorded using an audio recorder. this device was strategically placed at the front of the class to ensure that all students' voices and conversations during group presentations and interactions were captured accurately. the audio recordings provided a rich source of data, capturing the nuances of spoken interactions that are often missed in purely observational studies. following the recording, the audio data were transcribed into written form to facilitate detailed analysis. these transcripts served as the primary data source for examining instances of codeswitching. transcription was done verbatim to ensure that every instance of language switching, including any hesitations, interjections, and repetitions, was accurately captured. the data collected from the audio recordings were analyzed using three theoretical frameworks. first, the reasons for code-switching were analyzed based on hoffman's (1991) theory, which outlines various motivations for switching between languages. this provided a structured approach to understanding the different triggers for codeswitching in the classroom setting. second, the politeness strategies employed during codeswitching were analyzed using the framework by brown and levinson (1987). this theory offers a comprehensive set of rules for identifying and categorizing politeness strategies, helping to contextualize code-switching within broader communicative practices. the procedure for data analysis involved several steps. initially, the classroom interactions were recorded during regular class sessions, focusing on capturing group presentations and interactions. the recorded audio data were then transcribed verbatim to ensure accuracy in capturing the participants' language use and interactions. finally, the transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring themes and patterns related to code-switching. the analysis specifically focused on identifying the reasons for code-switching and categorizing the politeness strategies used by the students. by using this methodical approach, the study aimed to provide a detailed understanding of the functional and pragmatic aspects of codeswitching in efl classrooms, particularly as a strategy to maintain politeness and facilitate effective communication. results and discussion the following extracts show the reason why students switch their language or their dialect and how it functions as politeness strategy. reasons for code switching the first finding of this research is the reason of code-switching which includes talking about a particular topic, quoting somebody else, interjection (inserting sentence fillers or sentence connectors), repetition used for clarification, intention of clarifying the speech content for interlocutor, for self-convenience and because of real lexical need. extract 1: repetition for clarification in this extract, student 2 (s2) was one of the presenters who explained the concept of politeness strategy. she provided an example and elaboration of politeness strategies in bugis society. s2: … di sini, mereka sama-sama berumur 50 tahun. tetapi yang membedakan, hunaeda no hajj and nobel, bukan bangsawan dan bukan haji. jadi ada, eeeh beda cara, caranya dia berbicara, cara hormatnya. in this excerpt, s2 is discussing how politeness strategies vary in the bugis society based on social status and titles. she highlights that even if two individuals are of the same age (50 years old), their social interactions and the way they show respect differ due to their different statuses. specifically, s2 mentions that one individual is a "hunaeda no hajj and nobel" (a noble who has completed the pilgrimage to mecca), while the other is neither a noble nor a haji (pilgrim). s2 uses repetition to clarify her point about the differences in how respect is shown. she repeats and elaborates on the phrase "beda cara, caranya dia berbicara, cara hormatnya" (different ways, the way they speak, the way they show respect). this repetition helps to emphasize the significance of social status in determining politeness strategies in bugis society. nirwana darwis code switching as politeness strategies in efl classroom group presentation 824 by repeating and elaborating on her explanation, s2 ensures that her audience understands the nuanced differences in politeness strategies based on social hierarchy. this technique is an effective way to provide clarification and reinforce the key points of her presentation. another extract shows that code-switching occurred since the speaker was intended to clarify the sentences he uttered. extract 2: code-switching for clarification in this extract, student 4 (s4) code-switches between english and indonesian to clarify the sentences he is uttering, ensuring his explanation is clear and comprehensible. s4: eeeh… theeeh conversational implicature that is meaning that is not explicitly expressed but implied by the fulation of cooperative principle. eeeh for example, in.. this book eeeh… page eeeh ninety four, eeh this in expression, eeh ini harusnya jadi motivasi lagi penggerak bagi para senior. this all be motivation in driving first for the seniors. the phrase the senior implies that if there are senior, there are must be as also junior… eeeh… in this extract, s4 is explaining the concept of conversational implicature, which refers to the meaning that is not explicitly stated but implied by the adherence to the cooperative principle. to clarify his point, s4 provides an example from a book, specifically referring to a phrase on page ninety-four. during his explanation, s4 switches to indonesian with the phrase "ini harusnya jadi motivasi lagi penggerak bagi para senior" to ensure that his peers understand the motivational aspect of the phrase for seniors. he then translates this into english, saying, "this all be motivation in driving first for the seniors," to maintain the bilingual flow of the presentation and to ensure comprehension among all listeners. s4 further clarifies the term "senior" by explaining its implication: "the phrase the senior implies that if there are senior, there are must be as also junior." by using code-switching, s4 is employing a politeness strategy to facilitate understanding and make his explanation clearer. switching to indonesian helps bridge any gaps in comprehension for listeners who might struggle with the english explanation. this strategic use of language ensures that the audience remains engaged and can follow the discussion, demonstrating respect for their diverse language proficiencies. overall, s4's use of code-switching serves as an effective tool for clarification, enabling him to convey complex concepts more clearly and respectfully to his audience. extract 3: talking about a particular topic in this extract, student 2 (s2) is explaining an example of politeness by presenting a conversation among bugis society members, using codeswitching to convey cultural nuances and ensure clarity. s2: masi was talking to puang hj. semmang. eeeh dia itu, eeeh sama-sama haji, eeeh samasama haji dan bangsawan. and this, puang hj. semmang: aga lo ku bicara, what should i talk about? and puang hj. masi, said awweh, akkada ko pulenna camplagi.. and.. ko, ko kan dalam masyarakat bugis, di sini, kata ko ini, kata ko ini, dapat diterima oleh puang hj. semmang, because mereka mempunyai eeeh status soasial yang sama. yaitu dia haji dan juga bangsawan, jadi bisa dia terima, bisa dia terima, bahasa ko nya ini, karena dia sama-sama haji and bangsawan.. in this extract, student 2 (s2) explains politeness in bugis society by presenting a conversation, using code-switching for clarity and cultural context. s2 begins by introducing the participants in the conversation, masi and puang hj. semmang, both of whom hold titles of haji and noble (bangsawan). s2 uses code-switching to alternate between indonesian and english, providing clarity and ensuring comprehension for all listeners. the conversation itself exemplifies politeness within this cultural context. s2 quotes the original bugis phrases and provides immediate translations. for instance, "aga lo ku bicara" translates to "what should i talk about?" and "awweh, akkada ko pulenna camplagi" is followed by an explanation in english. this switching between languages maintains cultural authenticity while ensuring that the audience understands the key points being discussed. s2 further explains the cultural significance of the word "ko" and its acceptability due to the equal social status of the individuals involved. by highlighting that both masi and puang hj. semmang share the same status as haji and nobles, s2 illustrates how informal language is acceptable in their interaction. this explanation emphasizes the politeness strategy at play, where equal social status allows for more relaxed and informal language use. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 825 s2 uses code-switching to respect cultural nuances, clarify the conversation for the audience, and emphasize key points about the politeness strategy in bugis society. by incorporating original bugis phrases and providing translations, s2 ensures that the explanation is both engaging and comprehensible, highlighting the importance of social status in determining the appropriateness of language use in polite interactions. in this situation, the presenter (s3) continues the explanation from the previous speaker by providing another example of a politeness strategy. s3 begins by acknowledging the transition, "thank you for the time, i will continue the presentation," and introduces the new topic, "the next is the mosque donation." s3 uses code-switching to convey specific details about the conversation. for instance, s3 states, "di sini, eeeh puang hj. masi was talking to an older male, with high status since he is a hajj and noble, puang hj. akil." here, the codeswitching emphasizes the respect and high status associated with puang hj. akil, who is older than puang hj. masi. s3 continues, "puang hj. akil ini berumur 64 tahun, di mana dia lebih tua dari puang hj. masi tadi yang berumur 50 tahun," further clarifying the age difference to underline the respect due to age and social status in their interaction. by switching between languages, s3 maintains cultural context and clarity, ensuring the audience understands the significance of the age and status differences in the politeness strategy being discussed. this use of interjection effectively bridges the cultural and linguistic aspects of the explanation, enhancing comprehension and engagement. extract 5 (lexical need) s4 was going to answer the question about code switching. however, before she answered it, the lecturer (l) emphasized that the answer must be from the speaker’s idea instead of reading it from the book. l : this is answering questions, not reading from the book. answering the questions. you know the question? from number one, two, three they need to answer the question. not reading the book. all of us have a book, right? semua pada punya buku. belum apa-apa tinggal baca aja..kan sudah punya buku. ngapain kita tanya, sorry yah. s4 : i will answer the question from fani. explain, penjelasan menurut saya sendiri tentang implicature conversation. implicature conversation merupakan percakapan antara dua orang atau lebih untuk memperoleh suatu informasi yang mampu dipahami satu sama lain tanpa perlu disampaikan, tanpa perlu disampaikan maksudnya. in extract 5, the context involves s4 preparing to answer a question about code-switching. before responding, the lecturer (l) emphasizes that answers should come from the speaker's ideas rather than being read from a book. the lecturer underscores this by stating, "this is answering questions, not reading from the book. answering the questions. you know the question? from number one, two, three, they need to answer the question. not reading the book. all of us have a book, right? semua pada punya buku. belum apa-apa tinggal baca aja..kan sudah punya buku. ngapain kita tanya, sorry yah." s4 then responds with inter-sentential codeswitching, mixing english and indonesian: "i will answer the question from fani. explain, penjelasan menurut saya sendiri tentang conversational implicature. conversational implicature merupakan percakapan antara dua orang atau lebih untuk memperoleh suatu informasi yang mampu dipahami satu sama lain tanpa perlu disampaikan, tanpa perlu disampaikan maksudnya." s4 switches languages because certain concepts are easier to express in indonesian. this ensures her main points are clearly understood by her classmates. the lexical need for clarity drives the code-switching, illustrating how some ideas are more effectively communicated in the speaker's native language. extract 6: maxim of manner student 2 (s2) was one of the presenters who explained about politeness strategy. in this case, she gave example and elaboration of politeness strategy in bugis society. s2 : … di sini, mereka sama-sama berumur 50 tahun. tetapi yang membedakan, hunaeda no hajj and nobel, bukan bangsawan dan bukan haji. jadi ada, eeeh beda cara, caranya dia berbicara, cara hormatnya. student 2 (s2) provides an example of politeness strategies within bugis society during a presentation. she states, "… di sini, mereka samasama berumur 50 tahun. tetapi yang membedakan, nirwana darwis code switching as politeness strategies in efl classroom group presentation 826 hunaeda no hajj and nobel, bukan bangsawan dan bukan haji. jadi ada, eeeh beda cara, caranya dia berbicara, cara hormatnya." here, s2 switches from english to indonesian with the phrase "no hajj and nobel, bukan bangsawan dan bukan haji." this code-switching serves to clarify the terms "no hajj and nobel" for the audience. if s2 had continued in english, her explanation might have become overly complex and potentially confusing for the audience. by switching to indonesian, she adheres to the maxim of manner, which emphasizes clarity and the avoidance of ambiguity. this strategic switch ensures that the audience understands the distinction between "hajj and nobel" and "bangsawan and haji," thereby preventing any confusion or misunderstanding. the same situation can be seen in the following extract: extract 7: maxim of manner s2 was explaining about the example of politeness by presenting a conversation among bugis society. s2 : masi was talking to puang hj. semmang. eeeh dia itu, eeeh sama-sama haji, eeeh sama-sama haji dan bangsawan. and this, puang hj. semmang: aga lo ku bicara, what should i talk about? and puang hj. masi, said awweh, akkada ko pulenna camplagi.. and.. ko, ko kan dalam masyarakat bugis, di sini, kata ko ini, kata ko ini, dapat diterima oleh puang hj. semmang, because mereka mempunyai eeeh status soasial yang sama. yaitu dia haji dan juga bangsawan, jadi bisa dia terima, bisa dia terima, bahasa ko nya ini, karena dia sama-sama haji and bangsawan. s2 explained an example of politeness in bugis society through a conversation. she stated: "masi was talking to puang hj. semmang. they are both hajj and noble. puang hj. semmang said, 'aga lo ku bicara, what should i talk about?' and puang hj. masi replied, 'awweh, akkada ko pulenna camplagi.' in bugis society, the term 'ko' is accepted by puang hj. semmang because they share the same social status as hajj and nobles." s2 uses code-switching to effectively convey the cultural nuances of the bugis conversation. this strategy helps clarify the context and meaning behind the terms, ensuring the audience understands the social dynamics at play. extract 8: maxim of relation in this situation, the speaker 3 (s3) was explaining about one example of politeness strategy particularly between teacher and students in classroom. s3 : kemudian positive politness strategies. di sini ada dua percakapan. percakapan pertama yaitu berbentuk sapaan dalam kelas. (reading the slide) teacher, ok good morning class, di sini guru menggunakan kata class bukan kata… eeeh student atau anak-anak begitu di mana class di sini menunjukkan bahwa itu adalah strategi positif kesopanan dari seorang guru kepada siswanya. karena, eeeh itu di situ ini guru nda naposisikan dirinya sebagai orang yang lebih kuat ki atau lebih apa di, lebih di atas ki dari pada siswa, tapi mencoba ki untuk nebuat dirinya lebih dekat dengan siswanya. supaya lebih akrab ki begitu sama siswa, eeeh kemudian eeeh studentnya menjawab good morning ma’am. kan itu ma’am eeeh di sini adalah panggilan untuk guru perempuan, yang lebih sopan dan eeh menghormati begitu eeeh gurunya. eeh di percakapan ini, menunjukkan bahwa hubungan eeeh emosional antara siswa dan guru itu stabil karena eeh dari pertanyaan eeeh berikutnya yaitu guru bertanya how are you today? eeeh some students i am fine and you? teacher menjawab i am not good, dan eeh siswanya itu kayak memberi respon kayak yang ooh begitu toh? ooh yang menunjukkan bahwa itu siswanya simpati ki sama gurunya. here, s3 discusses positive politeness strategies. the example involves a classroom greeting. the teacher says, "good morning, class," using the word "class" instead of "students" or "children." this word choice shows a positive politeness strategy, indicating the teacher's attempt to relate to the students as equals rather than asserting authority. this approach fosters a closer relationship with the students. the students respond with "good morning, ma’am," which is a respectful and polite form of address for a female teacher. the conversation illustrates a stable emotional relationship between the teacher and students, further demonstrated by the teacher asking, "how are you today?" some students reply, "i am fine, and you?" the teacher responds, "i am not good," eliciting a sympathetic reaction from the students, indicating their empathy for the teacher. extract 9: maxim of relation in this situation, the speaker 2 (s2) was answering the question about maxims in politeness strategy. s2: selanjutnya pertanyaan dari jasruddin, contoh dari keempat maxim. quantity maxim merupakan kebenaran suatu informasi yang sesuai dengan jumlah informasi yang, jumlah english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 827 orang yang membenarkan informasi itu. misalnya toh, saya mengatakan teh ini manis. tapi belum bisa dibenarkan bahwa teh itu manis karena masih saya yang katakan. teh itu bisa dikatakan manis kalau beberapa orang yang mencobanya mengatakan bahwa teh itu manis… selanjutnya yaitu relation maxim, yaitu suatu informasi dikatakan benar jika memiliki hubungan dengan informasi lain. misalnya toh anggaplah saya di rumah ada tamuku dan karena tidak bisaka bukakan pintu jadi adekku kusuruh. misalnya, eeeh ada orang di depan, tapi kan tidak—eeeh maksudnya tidaktidak bilangka bukakan pintu tapi kode ini supaya napaham toh? na sedangkan misalnya adekku ada di wc, bilangi adaka di wc otomatis dia menjawab itu tidak bisaka buka ki karena adaki di wc, begitu, jadi berhubungan ki... similar to the previous extract, this one shows that the speaker (s2) initially used formal language to explain the material. however, she later switched to a casual style, as indicated by her use of particles like 'toh', 'ka', and 'ki'. this shift occurred because the speaker recognized that both she and the audience were students, sharing the same level of authority. therefore, using casual language was more appropriate and relatable. consequently, s2 transitioned from formal to casual language, incorporating the makassar dialect to create a friendlier and more relevant connection with the audience. extract 10: maxim of quality in this situation, the speaker (s4) was answering a question about conversation implicature. s4: i will answer the question from fani. explain, penjelasan menurut saya sendiri tentang implicature conversation. implicature conversation merupakan percakapan antara dua orang atau lebih untuk memperoleh suatu informasi yang mampu dipahami satu sama lain tanpa perlu disampaikan, tanpa perlu disampaikan maksudnya. tanpa perlu disampaikan apa maksudnya. misalnya toh, percakapan antara saya sama indah, indah harus paham apa yang saya katakan tanpa harus kujelaskan bilang ini sebenarnya maksudku, sedangkan begitupun timbal baliknya. the extract illustrates that the speaker initially spoke in english, beginning with "i will answer the question from fani. explain." she did this because the presentation was intended to be in english, as instructed by the lecturer. however, she then switched to indonesian, saying: "penjelasan menurut saya sendiri tentang implicature conversation. implicature conversation merupakan percakapan…" to explain her idea and experience. this shift is an example of the maxim of quality. in this context, the speaker chose not to rely on examples from her presentation. instead, she expressed her own beliefs, opinions, and experiences. as a result, she switched to indonesian and the makassar dialect, finding it easier to convey her ideas in that manner. extract 11 (maxim of quantity) in this situation, the speaker 1 (s1) was explaining about the example of code switching. s1: …eeeh ok for code switching i will show you the example of the example of two code. the first is example inter sentential switching ya disini the picture said the study following of the picture on description about the jobs dan kemudian dia menyambung kataya dengan bahasa indonesia. disini 2 bahasa digunakan disini bahasa inggris kemudian dilanjut bahasa indonesia.eeeh for the next example inter sentential switching eeeh the picture said that your name, ok anak-anak hari ini gimana prnya dikerja? jadi disini eeeh pertama yang pas menggunakan good morning dia pakai inter sentential switching oh tidak ada nak, mmenggunakan sentential switching karena yang digunakan bahasa indonesia tidak menggunakan bahasa inggris.. thank you i think that's all about <# … #> in this extract, s1 illustrates code-switching by providing examples of inter-sentential switching, where the speaker alternates between english and indonesian within and between sentences. this approach demonstrates the use of both languages to explain the concept more effectively. the switching helps in maintaining clarity and ensuring the audience understands the explanation. the analysis of code-switching in efl classroom group presentations reveals several key insights into the motivations behind language switching and its function as a politeness strategy. these findings highlight the multifaceted role of code-switching in facilitating communication, ensuring clarity, and maintaining social harmony in educational settings. the study identifies multiple reasons for codeswitching among students, including talking about specific topics more effectively, quoting others to maintain the original context and meaning, and using interjections to emphasize key points or attract attention. repeating and translating phrases or sentences into the native language ensures that nirwana darwis code switching as politeness strategies in efl classroom group presentation 828 interlocutors understand the presenter's message, which is particularly useful when the initial explanation might not be clear to all audience members. switching languages also helps clarify complex ideas or concepts, ensuring that the audience fully grasps the intended message, especially in a multilingual classroom where students may have varying levels of proficiency in the instructional language. additionally, students switch languages for convenience, particularly when they find it easier to express certain ideas in their native language, reducing the cognitive load and helping maintain the flow of the presentation. lastly, code-switching occurs when there is a lack of equivalent terminology in the language being spoken, providing the necessary vocabulary to accurately convey the message. the study also explores how code-switching functions as a politeness strategy, adhering to various conversational maxims. code-switching helps maintain clarity and avoid ambiguity, ensuring that the audience understands the message without confusion by switching to a language that offers a more straightforward explanation. switching to informal language when addressing peers of equal status makes the presentation more relatable and comfortable for the audience, fostering a friendly and inclusive atmosphere. students also switch languages to express their true beliefs, opinions, and experiences, aligning with the principle of providing accurate and honest information based on personal knowledge and evidence. additionally, switching languages allows students to convey information concisely, without unnecessary elaboration, making the presentation more efficient and keeping the audience focused on the key points. these findings are consistent with previous research on code-switching in educational contexts. hanafiah, mono, and yusuf (2021) highlight the role of code-switching in easing communication between lecturers and students during thesis examinations, emphasizing its importance in academic interactions. jun (2022) examines code-switching within the frameworks of the cooperative principle and politeness principle, demonstrating its sociolinguistic implications and its role in maintaining smooth and respectful interactions. similarly, taufiq, putri, and asmawati (2022) discuss the strategic use of codeswitching to boost student participation in efl classrooms, reducing anxiety and encouraging active involvement. these studies underscore the practical and strategic benefits of code-switching in enhancing communication and engagement in educational settings. the use of digital platforms during the covid19 pandemic further highlights the importance of code-switching in maintaining accessibility and engagement in online learning environments. hidayat et al. (2022) explore how code-switching on whatsapp facilitated early childhood learning, making the digital learning environment more accessible and engaging. pérez-sabater (2022) investigates code-switching on whatsapp, examining its role in informal communication among multilingual users. these findings illustrate the adaptability and utility of code-switching in various communication contexts, both formal and informal. research by zakaria et al. (2022) and saragi (2024) delves into politeness strategies in different contexts, including islamic boarding schools and traditional wedding ceremonies, demonstrating how code-switching helps navigate social hierarchies and maintain respectful interactions. bravo-sotelo and metila (2023) explore the pedagogical value of code-switching in mathematics classrooms, showing its utility in clarifying complex concepts. ataş and sağınşimşek (2021) discuss the discourse functions of code-switching in turkish efl classrooms, highlighting its role in facilitating both educational and social interactions. despite its benefits, code-switching is not without its critics. jewad, ghabanchi, and ghazanfari (2020) analyze politeness maxims in the qur'an, providing a contrasting perspective on language purity and the potential negative impacts of mixing languages. zimmerman (2020) addresses these concerns by exploring codeswitching during study abroad programs, suggesting that it can sometimes hinder language learning if not managed properly. studies by villanueva and gamiao (2022) in the philippines and al-daher (2021) in canada highlight the cultural dimensions of codeswitching, showing how it reflects broader social and linguistic trends. these findings are echoed by kaur (2022), who discusses pragmatic strategies in english as a lingua franca (elf) communication, emphasizing the adaptability and contextual nature of code-switching. practical insights into the implementation of code-switching in efl classrooms are provided by hamdan (2023) and kumar, nukapangu, and hassan (2021), discussing its effectiveness in enhancing comprehension and engagement. their research underscores the importance of strategic english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 829 language use in creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment. finally, innovative approaches to codeswitching are explored by van dijk (2024) and kulsawang and ambele (2024), who investigate its use in gameplay and elf classroom interactions, respectively. these studies suggest that codeswitching can be effectively integrated into modern educational practices to foster better communication and learning outcomes. in conclusion, the strategic use of codeswitching in efl classroom group presentations is a valuable tool for facilitating communication, ensuring clarity, and maintaining social harmony. by understanding the reasons behind codeswitching and its function as a politeness strategy, educators can better support multilingual students, creating a more inclusive and effective learning environment. these findings contribute to the broader understanding of bilingualism and multilingualism in educational contexts, highlighting the importance of code-switching in maintaining effective communication and social harmony in multilingual settings. future research should continue to explore the long-term impacts of code-switching on student learning outcomes and its role in various educational contexts to provide a more comprehensive view of its effectiveness. conclusion this study has highlighted the role of codeswitching as a politeness strategy in efl classroom interactions, specifically during group presentations. the findings demonstrate that students switch languages for various reasons, including discussing specific topics, quoting others, using interjections, repeating for clarification, clarifying speech content, ensuring self-convenience, and addressing lexical needs. these reasons underscore the functional and pragmatic aspects of code-switching in a multilingual educational setting, emphasizing its importance in facilitating clear and effective communication. moreover, the research revealed that codeswitching serves as a crucial politeness strategy, aligning with conversational maxims such as manner, relation, quality, and quantity. students switch languages to avoid confusion, create a friendly atmosphere, express their ideas authentically, and convey information concisely. this strategic use of language helps students navigate different cultural and linguistic expectations, fostering a more inclusive and supportive learning environment. the study underscores that code-switching is not merely a linguistic convenience but a deliberate and thoughtful approach to enhance communication and maintain social harmony in the classroom. the implications of this study are significant for both educators and linguists. for educators, understanding the reasons and strategies behind code-switching can inform teaching practices that better support multilingual students, enhancing comprehension and classroom dynamics. for linguists, the study contributes to the broader understanding of bilingualism and multilingualism in educational contexts. future research should investigate the long-term impacts of codeswitching on student learning outcomes and explore its role in various educational settings and among diverse student populations to provide a more comprehensive view of its effectiveness. references ahmad, z. (2024). exploring code switching as a strategy for euphemism: a study of bilingual undergraduate of pashto and english in degree college wari, dir upper (master's thesis, uit norges arktiske universitet). al-daher, z. y. (2021). code-switching to english amongst arabic-speaking jordanians in canada. jordan journal of modern languages and literatures, 13(3), 477-499. ataş, u., & sağın-şimşek, ç. (2021). discourse and educational functions of students’ and teachers’ code-switching in efl classrooms in turkey. linguistics and education, 65, 100981. beschieru, m. (2021). changes in the classroom discourse: negative politeness and impoliteness. acta universitatis sapientiae, philologica, 13(2), 37-54. bravo-sotelo, k. p., & metila, r. a. (2023). determining the pedagogical value of codeswitching: functions of teacher code-switching in tertiary level mathematics classrooms. international journal of multilingualism, 20(3), 1088-1105. brown, p., levinson, s. c., & levinson, s. c. (1987). politeness: some universals in language usage (vol. 4). cambridge university. cahyani, h., de courcy, m., & barnett, j. (2018). teachers’ code-switching in bilingual classrooms: exploring pedagogical and sociocultural functions. international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 21(4), 465-479. chau, d., & lee, c. (2021). “see you soon! add oil ar!”: code-switching for face-work in edusocial facebook groups. journal of pragmatics, 184, 18-28. chen, c. h. (2024). student-teacher communication nirwana darwis code switching as politeness strategies in efl classroom group presentation 830 preferences in taiwanese older learners. gerontology & geriatrics education, 1-19. fauziati, e., purnama, b., ovita, l. d., & kusumaningsih, c. m. (2020, may). strategi komunikasi code switching oleh pembelajar bahasa inggris. in prosiding university research colloquium (pp. 12-21). fithriani, r. (2021). code-switching as an efl instructional strategy: an insight to indonesian lecturers’practices. language literacy, 5(1), 2335. hamdan, h. (2023). functions of student codeswitching in a bruneian classroom. southeast asia: a multidisciplinary journal, 23(1), 55-69. hanafiah, r., mono, u., & yusuf, m. (2021). codeswitching in lecturer-students' interaction in thesis examination: a case study in indonesia. international journal of instruction, 14(1), 445458. hidayat, y., hidayat, t., mariawati, a., rosmiati, r., & haq, v. n. u. (2022). whatsapp group: online media for early childhood learning during the covid-19 pandemic. journal corner of education, linguistics, and literature, 2(2), 140-148. hoffman, c. (1991). an introduction to bilingualism. longman. hussein, r. f., saed, h. a., & haider, a. s. (2020). teachers and students code-switching: the inevitable evil in efl classrooms. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 19(2), 60-78. jewad, h., ghabanchi, z., & ghazanfari, m. (2020). investigating the politeness strategies and politeness maxims in five surahs from the holy qur’an. multicultural education, 6(5), 154-167. jun, t. (2022). code-switching in the context of cooperative principle and politeness principle from perspective of sociolinguistics. pacific international journal, 5(1), 1-07. kaur, j. (2022). pragmatic strategies in elf communication: key findings and a way forward. pragmatics in english as a lingua franca: findings and developments, 14, 35-54. kirsimägi, m. (2024). codeswitching between english and french on an online discussion forum (doctoral dissertation, university of turku). kulsawang, p., & ambele, e. a. (2024). supporting interactional pragmatics strategies in english as a lingua franca classroom interaction. journal of humanities and social sciences prince of songkla university, 20(1), 120-143. kumar, t., nukapangu, v., & hassan, a. (2021). effectiveness of code-switching in language classroom in india at primary level: a case of l2 teachers’ perspectives. pegem journal of education and instruction, 11(4), 379-385. maulida, y. (2023). code-switching used by teachers and students in efl classroom interactions (doctoral dissertation, uin ar-raniry fakultas tarbiyah dan keguruan). olorunsogo, d. (2021). politeness strategies and pragmatic functions in selected doctor-patient interaction in private hospital in akure. ghana journal of linguistics, 10(1), 353-371. pérez-sabater, c. (2022). mixing catalan, english and spanish on whatsapp: a case study on language choice and code-switching. spanish in context, 19(2), 289-313. pradita, l. e., rachmawati, u., widyanto, d., & hananto, i. (2024). language politeness in elementary school students learning activities. journal of language and literature studies, 4(1), 61-70. riswanto, n. v. (2023). code-switching and codemixing of english conversation among students in islamic boarding school (doctoral dissertation, iain ponorogo). sahib, r., mursyid, a. m. m., kafryawan, w., & nawing, n. (2021). code-switching habits in group discussions by students of english as foreign language. jelita, 2(1), 25-37. saragi, d. m. (2024). a pragmatics analysis of politeness strategy: a case study in bataknese traditional wedding ceremony. branches of linguistics, 1(01), 46-63. sembiring, e. m., simanjuntak, f. m. p., tarigan, k. j., & silalahi, v. (2022). politeness in the efl classroom interaction: atrategies in avoiding face threatening act (fta). journal of classroom action research, 1(2), 18-26. takeuchi, j. d. (2023). code-switching as linguistic microaggression: l2-japanese and speaker legitimacy. multilingua, 42(2), 249-283. taufiq, m. a., putri, r. e., & asmawati, a. (2022). code-switching: a strategy to increase students participation in efl classroom interaction. journal of educational management and strategy, 1(2), 170-175. temesgen, a., & hailu, e. (2022). teachers’ codeswitching in efl classrooms: functions and motivations. cogent education, 9(1), 2124039. van dijk, r. b. j. (2024). english learners' codeswitching during gameplay: analyzing norwegian lower-secondary students' speech during gameplay in the esl classroom (master's thesis, university of agder). villanueva, l., & gamiao, b. (2022). effects of code switching among college instructors and students in a philippine classroom setting. american journal of multidisciplinary research and innovation, 1(2), 70-77. wangia, j. i., & otonde, l. a. (2020). politeness in teacher-student interactions in a kenyan secondary school context and implications for pedagogy in communication skills. open journal of modern linguistics, 10(02), 104. zakaria, b. n. a., fakih, m. n., saifuddin, s., imani, a., & said, h. (2022). politeness strategies employed in communication with santri and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 831 ustadz in an islamic boarding school in indonesia. al-hijr, 1(2), 80-87. zimmerman, e. (2020). code‐switching in conversation‐for‐learning: creating opportunities for learning while on study abroad. foreign language annals, 53(1), 149-175. nirwana darwis code switching as politeness strategies in efl classroom group presentation 832 1 an analysis of types of deixis in the song lyrics ‘give me your forever’ by zack tabudlo any dinda zahrotul mustafidah1, aprilia riyana putri2 1,2english education study program, faculty of tarbiyah and teacher training islamic university nahdlatul ulama jepara, jepara, indonesia corresponding author: 211320000645@unisnu.ac.id apa citation: mustafidah, a. d. z., & putri, a. r. (2025). an analysis of types of deixis in the song lyrics ‘give me your forever’ by zack tabudlo. english review: journal of english education, abstract: this study aims to analyze the deixis used in the lyrics of the song "give me your forever" by zack tabudlo and examine its functions within the context of the song. adopting a qualitative analysis approach, the research identifies types of deixis, containing person, temporal, and spatial deixis. the analysis reveals that person deixis, through pronouns like "i" and "you," plays a significant role in establishing relationships and emotional connections between the singer and the listener. temporal deixis is explored through expressions referring to specific time frames, while the findings show that deixis enhances both the lyrical meaning and the emotional connection with the listener. additionally, spatial deixis is examined through terms indicating location, which serve to enrich the meaning of the interactions depicted in the lyrics. the findings highlight how the use of deixis not only enhances the lyrical content but also creates emotional resonance for the listeners, showcasing the complexity of communication in music through the interplay of language, time, space, and emotion. the implications of this research in education include enhancing students' understanding of language in context and developing communication skills. in the field of pragmatics, this study offers a new perspective with a focus on asian artists, which contrasts with the more common focus on western artists in pragmatics research. keywords: deixis; song lyrics; communication; qualitative; zack tabudlo. introduction language is a structured system humans use to express thoughts, emotions, and information through speech, writing, or signs. language is essential; without it, interaction and understanding are impossible (meylani, 2024). language is a primary tool for thinking and interacting, though often complex (jeon, 2023). language and communication shape human interaction across all fields. language is reflects thought and social identity (alejandro, 2024). language is a powerful force that shapes thoughts, beliefs, and relationships (altun, 2023). language shapes social interaction and relationships, while effective communication fosters learning and intellectual growth (halliday, 1994). similarly, rosenberg (2015) noted that empathetic communication builds relationships and supports social growth. language enables communication, expression of ideas and emotions, and the transmission of identity and culture (aziza, 2024). pragmatics is a branch of linguistics that studies how context influences meaning in communication. unlike semantics and syntax, which focus on sentence structure and literal meaning, pragmatics emphasizes how speakers and listeners interpret language within social and cultural contexts (dey, 2023; rahena, 2023). while syntax constructs sentences and semantics provides meaning based on truth conditions, pragmatics examines meaning based on how language is interpreted by users in interaction (maftuna, 2025; sultan, 2023; adiba et al., 2023). one essential concept in pragmatics is deixis, which refers to words or phrases whose meanings depend on the context of the utterance (kartika, 2024). deixis illustrates how meaning is shaped through lexical or grammatical forms and focuses on the interpretation of utterances (mahmudova, 13(2), 563-572. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11825 received: 24-02-2024 accepted: 27-04-2024 published: 30-06-2025 2 2023; mashfiyah et al., 2023; mahdzurah, i.g., & argawati, 2025). its function is to clarify ambiguous statements and prevent misinterpretation (thahara et al., 2023). yule (2010) categorizes deixis into five types: personal, spatial, temporal, social, and discourse. these types collectively help clarify meaning and guide the listener’s or reader’s understanding in communicative contexts (paundrianagari & harida, 2024). although these categories provide basic insights into deixis, research on how the five types of deixis interact and guide understanding in dynamic communication contexts, including in asian pop song lyrics influenced by various layers of culture and social context, is still limited. this study aims to fill this gap by examining how the five types of deixis work together to enhance communication clarity in asian pop song lyrics. deixis is divided into five main types. personal deixis refers to roles in communication, namely the speaker (first person), the listener (second person), and others mentioned (third person) (fuh, 2024). spatial deixis refers to the relative location between the speaker and listener, using words like "here" or "there" (sofya & arifin, 2023). temporal deixis relates to the timing of an event in relation to the moment of speaking, using markers such as "now" or "yesterday," with the deictic center serving as the main reference for understanding time (mohammed et al., 2023). discourse deixis refers to specific parts of the text or conversation, marked by words like "but" or "therefore," which link ideas within the discourse (sahusilawane et al., 2023). finally, social deixis reflects the social relationship between the speaker and listener through the use of honorifics, informal expressions, and terms of closeness (fatmah et al., 2024). songs, as a powerful form of artistic expression, combine music and lyrics to convey messages, emotions, and stories. a song is a soulful expression and can be seen as a form of literature (syamsurrijal et al., 2023). a song is a vocal art form with clear structure and melody (yuliasari, ria & virtianti, 2023). songs and spoken language greatly influence human communication (salsabila, 2024; haris et al., 2023). songs combine emotion and culture to convey social messages, identity, and life reflection (finnegan, 2007). song lyrics convey meaning through a blend of language and music (cook, 1998). in addition, the relationship between music and lyrics enhances the emotional depth of songs. song lyrics often contain hidden messages from the singer to the audience (ramdani & sakinah, 2023; kaulika, k.a & sakinah, 2025). "give me your forever" by zack tabudlo, released in 2021, combines romantic lyrics and a melancholic melody to express a longing for eternal love. this song was chosen for analysis due to its emotional depth and universal theme. the use of deixis such as i, you, and your highlights the relationship between the speaker and the listener, creating an emotional closeness that strengthens the song's resonance. deixis serves to build an emotional connection and deepen the listener's experience, making it a relevant subject for linguistic analysis in exploring the function of language in song lyrics. linguistics is the scientific study of language, examining its structure, meaning, and use in communication. linguistics influences human interaction and social dynamics through the study of language. (ramesh, 2023; fudhaili, 2023). in education, the educational significance of linguistics, particularly pragmatic deixis, lies in its ability to help students understand how language is used in real contexts (taolin et al., 2023). deixis teaches how meaning depends on time, place, and the roles of participants in communication. deixis helps reveal the speaker’s intent and main message (ilma & sabat, 2023). by analyzing deixis in song lyrics helps students build pragmatic awareness, think critically, and apply linguistic theory to daily life. haugh (2016) states that deixis supports teacher-student communication, especially in explaining schedules and lesson sequences. social deixis reflects power dynamics and familiarity, helping teachers foster a positive learning environment (levinson, 2004). several previous studies have explored deixis in song lyrics. saerudin (2024) in study "analysis of deixis in lavender haze taylor swift’s song lyrics" reveals that the types of deixis found are dominated by person deixis. in the study "an analysis of deixis in avicii’s song lyrics," which uses a qualitative descriptive method, the findings show that person deixis is the most frequently used type of deixis (satyadewi et al., 2023) another study conducted by intan putri sari halawa analyzes deixis in the song lyrics of the "flying without wings" album by westlife. the findings of the study show 13 person deixis, 5 temporal deixis, 3 spatial deixis, and 1 discourse deixis. person deixis is the dominant type (halawa, 2023). the study by tiara nurwanti analyzes the lyrics of the song "angels like you" by miley cyrus, revealing the use of three types of deixis: temporal, spatial, and person deixis in the song's lyrics (tiara & 3 susilowati, 2023). another study analyzing the types of deixis in the song lyrics of "anti-hero" by taylor swift, using a qualitative method, reveals four types of deixis: spatial, person, social and temporal deixis in the song lyrics (petaponi et al., 2024). the research analyzing deixis in the song lyrics of "plastic heart" by miley cyrus indicates that person deixis is dominant used in the song lyrics (satyadewi et al., 2023). in addition to several previous studies, the research analyzing deixis in the lyrics of "welcome to the black parade" and "famous last words" from my chemical romance's the black parade album indicates the finding of three types of deixis: person, spatial, and temporal deixis (wardhani & febiyanti, 2024). previous studies on deixis in song lyrics have shown that the most dominant type is the person deixis, using a qualitative descriptive approach within a pragmatic theoretical framework. this research offers a novelty by analyzing the song "give me your forever" by zack tabudlo, not only identifying the types of deixis but also exploring their functions in conveying emotions and building interpersonal relationships. unlike earlier studies that focused on western artists, this study presents a new perspective by examining the work of a southeast asian musician, thereby expanding pragmatic studies in asian pop music. this study analyzes the types of deixis in the lyrics of 'give me your forever' by zack tabudlo and explores how deixis constructs emotional meaning and interpersonal relationships between the singer and listener. it is significant in the field of pragmatics, particularly in love song lyrics that express personal and intimate feelings. focusing on a southeast asian artist broadens the scope of pragmatic analysis, which has mainly focused on western artists, enriching linguistic research in asian popular culture. a qualitative descriptive research method is used to determine the types and functions of deixis within the song lyrics. method qualitative methodology with a descriptiveanalytical design used to explore the types and functions of deixis in the lyrics of "give me your forever" by zack tabudlo. qualitative descriptive research analyzes phenomena in depth using nonnumerical data (furidha, 2023). in applied linguistics, qualitative research reveals language complexities beyond the reach of quantitative methods (yahya et al., 2023) . a qualitative approach is particularly suited for this study, as it intends to analyze the nuanced meanings and contextual functions of deictic expressions within the song. the analysis focuses on the song lyrics as the main data to identify deixis. trusted data sources support analysis, validate hypotheses, and guide decisions, leading to more accurate results (albaity et al., 2024). this study uses the lyrics of "give me your forever" by zack tabudlo as the data source, obtained from the official youtube channel and trusted websites. the song was chosen for its rich deictic expressions relevant to pragmatic analysis, especially in portraying relationships and expressions of love. referring (holmes, 2013) the lyrics are analyzed to lconnect deixis with emotion, using linguistic journal references. this study follows levinson (1983) classification of deixis, which includes five types: person, spatial, temporal, discourse, and social. data were collected by selecting a song, transcribing its lyrics, and listening repeatedly to ensure accuracy. deictic expressions were identified and categorized based on specific criteria: pronouns for person deixis, location and time markers for spatial and temporal deixis, intratextual references for discourse deixis, and language forms reflecting social relations for social deixis. the analysis explores how deixis constructs contextual meaning, fosters emotional connection, and reinforces the song’s themes, aligning with levinson’s view of deixis as context-dependent. the transcription process involves repeatedly listening to the song to ensure the accuracy of every word, phrase, and intonation, with particular attention to emotional elements such as vocal emphasis and the singer's expressions that influence meaning. the researcher compares the heard lyrics with the written version and conducts cross-checking to ensure data reliability. contextual nuances, such as the song's genre and the interaction between the singer and the listener, are also considered in the interpretation. in analyzing deixis, the researcher’s subjectivity plays an important role, particularly in interpreting context-dependent and emotional forms. however, the analysis is conducted with an awareness of maintaining objectivity despite being influenced by the researcher’s personal perspective. this study explores contextual meaning by analyzing the relationship between deictic expressions and the speech situation. using levinson (1983) theory, deictic expressions are identified and analyzed within the song's context, considering the speaker (singer), the audience (listener), and the emotional and thematic background. the analysis shows how deixis 4 deepens emotion, builds closeness with the audience, and strengthens the song's message. contextual meaning relies on situational, emotional, and social elements in the lyrics. levinson's theory was chosen for its clear deixis classification relevant to personal relationships and emotions in the song, enabling in-depth analysis of the relationship between the speaker, listener, and song themes. results and discussion after analyzing the data, the researchers identified several types of deixis in the lyrics of "give me your forever" by zack tabudlo. the analysis began with transcribing the lyrics and understanding their meaning, followed by classifying deictic expressions. the final findings were then drawn from these identified elements. person deixis person deixis in song lyrics reflect the connection between the singer and the audience through the use of personal pronouns. to facilitate understanding, the analysis results are presented in the following table: table 1. person deixis no utterance deictic expressi on function 1. do you remember you the function of "you" in this context is to engage the addressee and remind them of a shared experience. 2. when we were young you were always with your friends we the function of “we” to include the speaker and addressee as a group. you the function of "you" is to highlight the actions or situation of the addressee. your the function of "your" is to show that the friends belong to the addressee. 3. wanted to grab your hand and run away from them your the function of “your” is to show possession. them the function of “them” is to refer to a group of people outside the conversation. 4. i knew it was time to tell you how to i feel i the function of “i” is identifies the speaker as the one who "knew" it was time. you the function of “you” is identifies the recipient of the speaker's intent to "tell." 5. so i made a move, i took your hand i the function is to reinforce the speaker's role as the agent of the second action. your the function is to establishes the listener as the recipient of the speaker's action. 6. my heart was beating loud like i’ve never felt before my the function is to establish that the speaker is describing their own experience and emotions. i the function is to express the speaker's emotional reaction, contrasting the current feeling with past experiences. 7. you were smiling at me like you wanted more you the function is to identify the listener as the active participant engaging with the speaker. me the function is to establish the speaker as the recipient of the listener's expression. you the function is to reinforce the listener's role, showing their intention toward the speaker. 8. i think you’re the one i’ve never seen before i the function is establishes the speaker as the subject who is thinking or perceiving. you the function is positions the listener as the focus of the speaker's thought, emphasizing their unique role as "the on i the function is to express the speaker's reflection, contrasting their current perception of the listener with past experiences. 9. i want to you know i the function is establishes the speaker as the subject who wants to explain something to the listener. you the function is identifies the listener as the recipient of the speaker’s desire or intention. 10. i love you the most i the function is establishes the speaker as the subject performing the action of "loving." 5 you the function is identifies the listener as the recipient of the speaker’s affection. 11. i’ll always be there right by your side i the function is establishes the speaker as the subject who will take the action ("be there") your the function is to establish the listener as the person the speaker wants to remain close to. 12. ‘cause baby, you’re always in my mind you’re the function is establish a direct connection between the speaker and the listener. my the function is to indicate continuity, emphasizing the certainty and constancy of the speaker's feelings. 13. just give me your forever me the function is emphasizing their direct request or please. your the function is establishing a personal and intimate connection with them. 14. that you’ll be the one you the function is emphasizing that they are the main subject of the statement. 15. and i’ll be the guy who’ll be on his knees i the function is emphasizing their role and involvement in the statement. the guy the function is reinforcing their commitment and willingness. 16. to say i love you i the function is emphasizing their role in expressing the emotion. you the function is indicating the recipient of the speaker’s feelings. 17. and i need you i the function is emphasizing their personal need or desire. you the function is indicating that the listener is the one who is needed by the speaker. 18. and say i’d die for you i the function is highlighting their personal commitment and willingness. you the function is emphasizing that the speaker's devotion and sacrifice are directed toward them. 19. i never knew i the function is indicating that the statement is coming from their personal experience. 20. for you to be with me you the function is highlighting their importance and role in the speaker’s desire. me the function is to emphasize the personal nature of the relationship being sought. 21. ‘cause you loved someone else back in ‘73 you the function is indicating that they are the subject of the statement and involved in the past action. someone else the function is indicating that the listener was previously involved with another person. 22. i was so jealous seeing you with him i the function is emphasizing their personal emotional response to the situation. you the function is to highlight their involvement and emotional impact on the speaker. him the function is indicating the person with whom the listener was involved, creating a sense of jealousy. 23. oh baby, i know that i can treat you better back in those nights i the function is emphasizing their personal perspective and responsibility in the situation. you the function is to indicate that the speaker is addressing them directly and wants to treat them better. 24. oh, you wouldn’t cry from his stupid lies you the function is making them the subject of the sentence and emphasizing their emotional state. his the function is indicating the person who caused the listener’s potential emotional distress. 25. oh baby, i was there watching wishing you to be mine i the function is emphasizing their personal involvement and perspective in the situation. you the function is indicating that the speaker’s desires and feelings are directed toward them. 26. i was on the aisle i the function is emphasizing their personal experience and involvement in the situation. 27. waiting for you you the function is indicating that the speaker is waiting specifically for the listener. 6 28. saw you in your gown you the function is highlighting the listener as the subject of the speaker's observation. your the function is to indicate possession of the gown, creating a sense of personal connection. 29. i was crying all my tears i the function is emphasizing their personal experience and emotional state. my the function is indicating ownership of the tears, highlighting their personal emotional investment. 30. i told myself that you are the one i the function is emphasizing their personal reflection and decisionmaking process. you the function is to indicate that the statement is directed toward them and highlight their importance to the speaker. myself the function is highlighting the self-reflection or internal dialogue they are having. based on the deixis analysis in the lyrics of “give me your forever” by zack tabudlo, a total of 60 deictic expressions were identified, consisting of various personal pronouns. the pronoun “i” appears most frequently (19 times), indicating the speaker as the main subject. “you” appears 21 times, referring to the addressee as either the subject or object and emphasizing emotional closeness. “your” is used 6 times to indicate possession, while “me” and “my” each appear 3 times, and “myself” once, reflecting the speaker’s role as the object or showing self-reflection. other pronouns such as “we,” “them,” “you’re,” “someone else,” “him,” “his,” and “the guy” each occur once. overall, the functions of these deictic expressions can be grouped into four categories: (1) first-person pronouns indicating the subject or possession, (2) second-person pronouns are used to refer to the person being addressed or the one receiving the action, (3) third-person pronouns refer to others outside the speaker-listener relationship, and (4) inclusive or recipient-related pronouns that express shared involvement. analysis temporal deixis temporal deixis in song lyrics indicates the timing of events or experiences, helping to situate the listener within the narrative flow of the song. to clarify its usage, the analysis results are presented in the following table: table 2. temporal deixis no utterance deictic expression function 1. when we were young you were always with your friends when the function is to indicate a specific time in the past, setting the action in that period. were young the function refers to the past, when the speaker and listener were younger, creating a sense of nostalgia. always the function is suggests a habitual or continuous action in the past, emphasizing the consistency of the listener's actions. 2. i knew that it was time to tell you how i feel it was time the function refers to a moment in the past when the speaker realized it was the right time to act or express feelings, marking a critical point for action. 3. my heart was beating loud like i've never felt before before the function is refers to a time before the present, comparing the current experience with past ones. "before" highlights the contrast between the speaker's current emotional state and past experiences. 4. i think you're the one i've never seen before before the function is refers to the past, indicating that the speaker has never met the person until now, contrasting the current experience with previous ones. 5. i'll always be there right by your side always the function is refers to a continuous presence, suggesting that the speaker's presence will continue in the future. 6. 'cause baby, you're always in my mind always the function is indicates a continuous action or state over time, suggesting the speaker's feelings are timeless. 7 7. 'cause you loved someone else back in '73 back in ‘73 the function indicates a particular moment in the past, situating the action of loving someone else in a precise historical context. 8. oh baby, i know that i can treat you better back in those nights back in those nights the function is highlights a moment when the speaker felt they could have done better. 9. just give me your forever forever the function is signifies an unlimited time frame symbolizing eternity and commitment. 10. that you’ll be the one will the function is indicating hope or belief in the listener's role. 11. and i’ll be the guy who’ll be on his knees. will the function is expressing a promise or future intention. 12. i never knew never the function is indicates the speaker's past unawareness. in the analysis of temporal deixis, a total of 12 occurrences were identified, reflecting the use of time-related expressions such as when, always, before, never, and forever. these temporal markers help to anchor the discourse in specific time frames, either by referencing past events (when we were young, back in ‘73) or indicating a continuous or indefinite state (always, forever). temporal deixis allows the speaker to reflect on past experiences, establish the timing of actions, and emphasize the ongoing nature of feelings or situations. the frequent use of these expressions underscores the importance of time in shaping the meaning and emotional tone of the discourse, contributing to the overall narrative structure. the interpretation of deixis functions in this analysis is contextual, as each expression is examined based on the speech situation, the relationship between participants, and the emotional and narrative meaning within the song lyrics, rather than relying solely on its lexical form. analysis spatial deixis spatial deixis in song lyrics indicates location or position within the song's narrative. the function of its usage can be observed in the table below: table 3. spatial deixis no utterance deictic expression function 1. wanted to grab your hand and run away from them away from the function is shows the speaker's desire to escape from a certain place or people, highlighting the spatial relationship between the speaker, listener, and external group. 2. i'll always be there right by your side there the function is indicates a distant location, suggesting the speaker’s emotional or physical presence. by your side the function is to indicate specifies a location near the listener, reinforcing closeness and support. 4. oh baby, i was there watching wishing you to be mine there the function is indicate to a location far from the speaker’s current position, indicating a different past location. 5. 'cause baby, you're always in my mind in my mind the function is refers to the metaphorical space in the speaker's mind, indicating the listener's presence in their consciousness. 6. i was on the aisle on the aisle the function is indicates a specific physical location, symbolizing a moment of waiting or anticipation. 7. saw you in your gown in your gown the function is indicates a moment in the past, placing the action of seeing the listener at a specific point in time. this analysis reveals 7 instances of spatial deixis, encompassing both physical and metaphorical references. physical deixis appears in expressions such as away from, there, by your side, on the aisle, and in your gown, indicating real locations or directions. metaphorical deixis, such as in my mind, represents emotional or mental space, deepening the emotional depth of the song by illustrating the singer's feelings and commitment, which are tied to a personal space, even though the relationship may not always exist in the same physical space. this phrase conveys a sense of eternity and emotional depth, enriching the song's meaning and connecting the listener to more intense and personal feelings. some spatial references use basic prepositions like away from 8 and right by your side to express dynamic spatial relationships, transcending literal space and conveying deeper emotional and narrative meanings. in zack tabudlo's song 'give me your forever,' person deixis dominates the lyrics, with 60 occurrences of personal pronouns such as 'i,' 'you,' and 'we,' playing a crucial role in building emotional closeness between the singer and the listener. the high frequency of 'i' and 'you' reflects the song's theme of intimacy, creating a direct and personal connection between the singer and the intended partner. 'i' represents the singer’s personal expression, while 'you' directly involves the listener or partner in the conversation, fostering a deep sense of closeness. the less frequent use of 'we' strengthens the sense of togetherness and longterm commitment. this makes the song feel more direct and emotional compared to other love songs, which often rely on more general phrases or indirect narratives. person deixis in this song not only strengthens the personal relationship between the singer and the partner but also reinforces the main theme of commitment and eternity in romantic relationships, making it more intense and moving than more conventional love songs. in contrast, temporal deixis, found in 12 occurrences, plays an important role in discourse. temporal markers such as "when," "always," "before," "never," and "forever" help anchor the conversation in time, allowing the speaker to refer to past experiences or express ongoing states. the word "forever," for example, adds emotional depth by suggesting eternity and commitment, reinforcing the theme of everlasting love in the song. these temporal markers provide a deeper layer of meaning, influencing the emotional tone and narrative structure of the discourse. despite its lower frequency compared to person deixis, the use of temporal deixis remains significant for providing context and framing actions within specific timeframes, thereby enriching the overall communication. spatial deixis, with only 7 occurrences, serves to clarify the physical and metaphorical locations of individuals, objects, or actions within discourse. expressions such as "here," "there," and "by your side" help to position the speaker, the listener, and the elements of conversation in relation to one another. the use of "there" and "by your side" demonstrates how spatial deixis conveys proximity or distance, offering listeners a clearer understanding of the context. although spatial deixis is less frequent than both person and temporal deixis, its role in helping to define the setting of conversations remains crucial for enhancing comprehension. overall, the findings from this analysis highlight the interconnected roles of person, temporal, and spatial deixis in shaping discourse. each type of deixis serves a distinct function: person deixis identifies social roles and relationships, temporal deixis positions actions within time, and spatial deixis clarifies locations and proximity. these elements work together to create a cohesive narrative that reflects both the speaker’s subjective experiences and emotional involvement. by examining these types of deixis, we see how language not only conveys information but also actively constructs meaning and fosters connections between individuals. conclusion in conclusion, the analysis of person, temporal, and spatial deixis in song lyrics reveals how language shapes emotional depth, narrative structure, and interpersonal relationships. person deixis emphasizes intimacy, temporal deixis links past moments with emotions, and spatial deixis creates symbolic spaces that deepen meaning. these deictic expressions serve not only as linguistic markers but also as tools for building meaning and emotional impact in lyrics. this study also offers insights into the role of deixis in popular culture, particularly in songs as a means of communication and identity expression. the use of deixis reflects social dynamics, interpersonal relationships, and cultural trends, while opening the door for further research on how other linguistic elements influence culture and identity through music. deixis analysis is crucial in education as it aids discourse comprehension, language development, and critical literacy. this study teaches students how deixis shapes meaning, speaker relationships, and emotional context in texts, particularly song lyrics. it encourages deeper text analysis, enhances awareness of language in context, and strengthens communication skills. practical applications in language teaching include activities like analyzing song lyrics to identify deixis and its impact on meaning and emotion. role-playing exercises can also enhance students' communication skills and their understanding of texts in everyday life. acknowledgement all praise is due to allah swt for his blessings that have enabled me to complete this article successfully. i would like to convey my gratitude 9 to islamic university nahdlatul ulama jepara and my supervisor, aprilia riyana putri, m.pd, for their valuable guidance and support. i also sincerely thank my parents and friends for their continuous encouragement throughout this process. lastly, i would like to thank the creator of the song "give me your forever" by zack tabudlo, whose lyrics form the basis of this study. i am truly grateful to everyone who has contributed to my academic journey. references albaity, m., rehman, u. u., & mahmood, t. (2024). data source selection for integration in data sciences via complex hasitant fuzzy rough multiattribute decission-making method. ieee access, 12(august), 110146–110159. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2024.3439359 alejandro, j. (2024). the role of language in thought formation and personality. international journal of multidisciplinary sciences, 2(4), 356–367. altun, m. (2023). the power of language: exploring its significance in shaping perceptions, beliefs, and relationships. international journal of social sciences & educational studies, 10(3), 362–366. https://doi.org/10.23918/ijsses.v10i3p362 aziza azamatovna, m. (2024). the role of language in intercultural communication. european journal of arts, 3, 7–9. https://doi.org/10.29013/eja-243-7-9 cook, n. (1998). the discourse of music. oxford university press. dey, d. m. (2023). four main charracteristics of english pragmatics. llt journal: a journal on language and language learning, 26(2), 510– 519. http://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/llt fatmah, f., lutpiah, i., laden, s. s., mulatsih, d., & jaufillaili, j. (2024). a pragmatic study: investigating the meaning of social deixis in spoken discourse. international journal of linguistics and translation studies, 5(3), 96– 107. https://doi.org/10.36892/ijlts.v5i3.482 finnegan, r. (2007). the oral and written. cambridge university press. fudhaili, a. (2023). the influence of social interaction in language learning and communication skills: a psycholinguistic study. the progress: journal of language and ethnicity, 2(2), 51–62. fuh, n. v. (2024). the use of person deixis as shifts in authority in academic writing: the case of students’ acknowledgements in the department of english language and literature, university of maroua. british journal of english language linguistics, 12(2), 24–41. https://doi.org/10.37745/bjel.2013/vol12n22441 furidha, b. w. (2023). comprehension of the descriptive qualitative research method. acitya wisesa: journal of multidisciplinary research, 2(4). https://journal.jfpublisher.com/index.php/ halawa, i. p. (2023). deixis in song lyrics of flying without wings album by westlife. faguru: jurnal ilmiah mahasiswa keguruan, 2(1). https://jurnal.uniraya.ac.id/index.php/faguru halliday, m. a. . (1994). an introduction to functional grammar (2nd ed.). edward arnold. haris, m. m., arba’in, m., kusuma, d., & malihah, n. (2023). how song affect english teaching: systematic literature review. alsuna: journal of arabic and english language, 6(1), 73–88. https://doi.org/10.31538/alsuna.v6i1.3998 haugh, m. (2016). pragmatics: a resource book for students. routledge. holmes, j. (2013). an introduction to sociolinguistics (4th ed.). pearson. ilma, f., & sabat, y. (2023). deixis analysis of the song lyrics shape of you by ed sheeran. project (professional journal of english education), 6(4), 783–794. http://journal.ikipsiliwangi.ac.id/index.php/proje ct/article/view/17385 jeon, j. (2023). book reviews : book reviews. educational and psychological measurement, 4(2), 82–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316446802800332 kartika, s. (2024). exploring deixis in taylor swift ’ s song ’ cardigan ’: a descriptive qualitative analysis. linguaeducare: journal of english and linguistic studies, 1(1), 29–38. kaulika, k.a & sakinah, n. . (2025). semiotic analysis of motivational messages in the lyrics of the song i’m fine by bts. eji (english journal of indragiri): studies in education, literature, and linguistics, 9(1), 167–183. levinson, s. c. (1983). pragmatics. cambridge university press. levinson, s. c. (2004). deixis. blackwell publishing. maftuna, y. (2025). the relationship between syntax and semantics in language. international scientific journal «modern science аnd research», 4(2), 470–477. mahdzurah, i.g., & argawati, o. n. (2025). an analysis of deixis in lewis capaldi “ someone you loved ” song lyrics. project (professional journal of english education), 8(1), 21–26. mahmudova, s. a. (2023). different considerations about the concept of deixis. theory and practice in language studies, 13(7), 1674–1679. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1307.10 mashfiyah, o. s., sapari, g. g., & nurmala, e. (2023). deixis analysis on the ellen show youtube channel. jurnal bahasa inggris terapan, 9(1), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.35313/jbit.v9i1.4863 meylani, a. (2024). the role of indonesian as a communication tool in learning. journal of education, linguistics, literature, and art, 2(2), 58–64. https://doi.org/10.62568/ella.v2i2.128 mohammed saleh al-hamzi, a., sumarlam, santosa, r., & jamal, m. (2023). a pragmatic and discourse study of common deixis used by 1 0 yemeni-arab preachers in friday islamic sermons at yemeni mosques. cogent arts and humanities, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2177241 paundrianagari, k. d., & harida, r. (2024). an analysis of deixis in leo movie (2023). salience : english language, literature, and education, 4(1), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.60155/salience.v4i1.417 petaponi, t. s., duwila, s., & astutik, a. (2024). a deixis analysis in taylor swift ’ s anti -hero. el2j (english language and literature journal), 3(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.38156/el2j.v1i2 qizi, e. a. z., & qizi, a. s. b. (2023). pragmatics and semantics as special areas of linguistics. international journal of advance scientific research, 03(11), 160–167. ramdani, s. m., & sakinah, r. m. n. (2023). exploring the signified and signifier in song lyrics through a saussurean semiotics lens. jetlee : journal of english language teaching, linguistics, and literature, 3(2), 50–60. https://doi.org/10.47766/jetlee.v3i2.1055 ramesh, d. s. (2023). the influence of linguistics in society. journal of language and linguistics in society, 36, 9–13. https://doi.org/10.55529/jlls.36.9.13 rosenberg, m. (2015). nonviolent communication: a language of life (3rd ed.). puddledancer press. saerudin, s. & n. (2024). analysis of deixis in lavender haze taylor swift’s song lyrics. cognitive development journal, 2(1), 19–25. http://www.journals.elsevier.com/cognitivedevelopment/ sahusilawane, c., aritonang, p., oraile, o. p., & lekawael, r. f. (2023). a pragmatic analysis of deixis and reference on taylor swift songs. matai: international journal of language education, 3(2), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.30598/matail.v3i2.9144 salsabila, n. (2024). a deixis analysis and narrating strategies in taylor swift ’ s songs : 58–71. satyadewi, n. p. m., ayomi, p. n., & sulatra, i. k. (2023a). an analysis of deixis in avicii’s song lyric. journal of language and applied linguistics, 4(2), 122–134. https://doi.org/10.22334/traverse.v4i2.95 satyadewi, n. p. m., ayomi, p. n., & sulatra, i. k. (2023b). analysis of deixis in song lyric in “plastic heart” by miley cyrus. journal of language and applied linguistics, 4(2), 153– 161. https://doi.org/10.22334/traverse.v4i2.83 sk, r., a, kumari, p, s., bacchu, m., & a, devi, r. (2023). a study on enhancement of language competence through pragmatic practices. theory and practice in language studies, 13(2), 341– 352. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1302.08 sofya, d., & arifin, a. (2023). deixis used by the character in curious george: the royal monkey movie. journal of english language learning, 7(1), 309–317. https://doi.org/10.31949/jell.v7i1.5466 sultan, m. . (2023). the semantics, pragmatics and translation of speech acts. journal of the college of basic education, 50, 23–42. https://doi.org/10.35950/cbej.vi50.9823 syamsurrijal, s., hadi, m. z. p., & miswaty, t. c. (2023). a study of meaning in al mahsar’s song lyrics “pangeran inaq”: semiotic riffaterre analysis. jurnal ilmiah mandala education, 9(1), 253–263. https://doi.org/10.58258/jime.v9i1.4623 taolin, l. l. i., misa, m., & yulita, d. (2025). (2023). students’ abilitiesin analyzing deixis in coldplay song “viva la vida.” education and linguistic knowledge journal (edulink), 5(1), 21–37. thahara, y., lailiyah, s., & bulqis, n. (2023). deixis analysis on the halsey’s song lyrics “manic” album. eltics (english language teaching and english linguistics) journal, 8(1), 36–44. tiara, nurwanti & susilowati, e. (2023). deixis used in miley cycrus’s song lyrics “ angels like you .” journal of english teaching and applied linguistics, 3(1). wardhani, e. m., & febiyanti, l. e. (2024). deixis analysis on song lyrics in the album of the black parade by my chemical romance a pragmatics study. frasa: english education and literature journal, 5(2), 100–107. https://doi.org/10.47701/frasa.v5i2.3993 yahya, u., arif, m., & awan, s. (2023). a conceptual review of qualitative research inquiry in applied linguistics. pakistan languages and humanities review, 7(ii). https://doi.org/10.47205/plhr.2023(7-ii)55 yule, g. (2010). the study of language (4th ed.). cambridge university press. yuliasari, ria & virtianti, r. (2023). figurative language in “red” song lyricss by tailor swift. jurnal pujangga, 9(1), 1–14. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 621 developing e-las folklore: enhancing reading literacy through ‘ratu agung’ to support students reading literacy skills zahra alwi1, detia aulia oktarina2, eka putri3, ratu ilma indra putri4, zulkardi5 1,2,3,4,5master of language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, south sumatra, indonesia corresponding author: detiaao@gmail.com apa citation: alwi, z., oktarina, d. a., putri, e., putri, r. i. i., & zulkardi. (2025). developing e-las introduction one of the pressing challenges in indonesia education is the low literacy skills of students, as reflected in international assessments such as the programme for international student assessment (pisa). the dimensions of literacy include functional literacy, critical literacy, digital literacy, and media literacy, each playing a vital role in shaping active and informed citizens ( research by zulkardi et al. (2020) indicates that indonesia students often struggle with reading comprehension, particularly in analyzing textual information, integrating data from multiple sources, evaluating content critically, and applaying reasoning skills. pisa 2022 results show a slight improvement with indonesia’s reading literacy ranking rising by five positions (kemendikbud, 2023). the cultivation of a strong literacy culture remains crucial to developing student’s critical thinking and communication abilities, which are essential for national progress. the implementation of literacy culture has been proven to enhance students critical thinking skills (firdaus, widiada & saputra, 2023). in response to these challenges, this study aims to develop a culturally rooted and web based students engagement and comprehension through relevant and meaningful content. alwi et al. (2023) have also emphasized if several research findings indicate that the reading literacy of high school students remains at a low level, particularly during the covid-19 pandemic. this is further evident in indonesia's ranking in the program for international student assessment (pisa), which remains at pisa level 2. the outcomes of this research underscore the fact that the literacy skills of indonesian students, who are abstract: this research aims to develop web-based student activity sheets (e-las) designed to enhance literacy skills by adapting the ratu agung folklor into short stories. the development process employed the addie model, consisting of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation stages. data were collected through interview, observation, and evaluation stages, and analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. the study involved 10th-grade students at athalla putra health vocation school in palembang. the expert evaluation of final e-las product yielded scores of 79,54 (good) for content relevance, 92,50 (very good) for presentation, and 91,66 (very good) for language, with an overall average of 87,90. initial trials revealed that students were unfamiliar with analyzing and extracting information for complete text. nonetheless, 84,61% of students achived the set learning objectives, indicating a high level of product effectiveness. these results suggest that the developed e-las can serve as a valuable aternative instruction tool to support literacy development and foster students’ creativity through culturally rooted literary expressions. keywords: ibispaint x; literacy competency; ratu agung folklore; research and development; short stories. received: 26-02-2025 accepted: 21-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 folklore: enhancing reading literacy through ‘ratu agung’ to support students reading literacy skills. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 621-632. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11841 mailto:detiaao@gmail.com zahra alwi, detia aulia oktarina, eka putri, ratu ilma indra putri, zulkardi developing e-las folklore: enhancing reading literacy through ‘ratu agung’ to support students reading literacy skills 622 representative of indonesian society, are generally relatively low. reading literacy refers to the ability to understand, apply, evaluate, and reflect on written texts in order to achieve personal goals, develop one’s knowledge and potential, and engage actively in society (alwi, 2022). literacy in the 21st century goes beyond basic reading and writing. it includes the ability to interpret, analyze, and produce information in various formats that forms critical thinking skills (kurniawan, et al., 2024; zuhri, suwindia, winangun, 2024). this concept is not limited to the mastery of knowledge and technical skills, it also involves motivational factors, attitudes, and behavioral aspects. as education systems adapt to the growing demands of the 21st century, the importance of reading literacy becomes more pronounced. when literacy development is effectively integrated into learning environments, students are more likely to strengthen their analytical abilities and engage critically with the information they encounter (katoningsih & sunaryo, 2020). to strengthen students’ reading and writing abilities, schools have introduced various strategies such as silent reading sessions, regular library visits, and literacy competitions (lailliyah, 2021). despite these efforts, problems still persist particularly the shortage of learning resources and the limited involvement of parents in supporting students literacy development (aisyah & musa, 2023). one key factor influencing literacy outcomes is students motivation to read. while online reading activities offer opportunities, they can also pose challenges to digital reading literacy (lan & yu, 2023). given the strong link between motivation and literacy skills, teachers are encouraged to select teaching media that can engage and motivate students more effectively. fasae & ogunleye (2023) state that literacy is the foundation of education. a person who lacks literacy skills cannot be considered educated. literacy provides access to knowledge, including technological understanding, which is essential for progress in the digital age. it also fosters critical and creative thinking, along whit oral and written communication skills that are vital in education (brown et al., 2023). schools have introduced various strategies such as silent reading sessions and digital tools. technology significantly improves student engagement and literacy scores (ariyanto, et al., 2022). studies show that incorporating augmented-reality assisted e-modules significantly strengthens the link between digital literacy and students learning motivation (zufahmi et al., 2024). literacy culture can be built through various reading and writing habitual activities. various ways to build a culture of literacy can be done at school, college, or home. building a literacy culture must be done continuously. one effort to build reading literacy competencies for students is through the development of electronic student activity sheets (e-las). e-las is identical to sheets in the form of student exercises carried out via digital media that meet standards and are practical and accessible (costadena & suniasih, 2022). e-las also aims to overcome the lack of student activity in understanding concepts, so action is needed, namely by providing optimal learning variations that can attract students' attention, are recreational, fun, and involve students actively in learning activities (suryaningsih & nurlita, 2021). e-las is also an alternative that can be used to support the learning process which consists of material and practice questions that can be accessed via electronic devices such as computers or gadgets (lathifah et al., 2021).the use of visual illustrations in e-las is considered effective in stimulating students interest in reading and understanding (putri, susandi& zativalen, 2024). in this way, e-las has the advantage, namely that it can be a means that attracts students' interest in learning. with interactive e-las, it can make it easier for teachers to direct students in the learning process. tahmidaten & krismanto (2020) addressed the issues related to the reading culture in indonesia, with a focus on problems and potential solutions through a literature review. their research highlighted various factors contributing to low reading literacy skills. among these factors are the materials used for reading, teaching methods, and evaluation practices in schools, which often emphasize lower-level thinking abilities. in alwi et al. (2023), experimental investigations were carried out using the pisa 2022 framework to assess the impact of e-sw (presumably electronic student activity sheets) on the reading literacy skills of 9th-grade students at smp n 1 sungai pinang, ogan ilir regency. the results demonstrated significant differences between the experimental and control groups, showing that the use of e-sw had a noticeable effect on students' reading literacy skills. these three studies can serve as references for further research aimed at enhancing reading literacy english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 623 competencies through the development of educational materials, such as student activity sheets. different from previous research, the literacy material contained in e-las develops ratu agung's folklore into short stories. folklore were chosen as e-las study material because they have many benefits for students' character development. although students may be motivated by the interactive nature of digital reading platforms, challenges such as uneven internet access especially in less developed regions still exist (gea, et al., 2024). thus, the elas developed in this study can be used offline. one of the most popular cultural products is oral literature. south sumatra is a province that has a variety of folklore and has been recorded as an effort to disseminate oral literary works and appreciation of regional literary works. indonesian folklore is important in shaping national identity, preserving cultural heritage, and promoting character education. the government is trying to collect and disseminate folklore from the archipelago to strengthen national integrity and unity in diversity (novianti, 2022). local folklor can also be integrated into broader learning contexts to enprove students understending (rohmaniyah, 2025). folklore has great potential in strengthening indonesia language literacy, enriching vocabulary, understending text structures, and improving comprehension (ferando et al., 2023). the use of folklore based learning media makes a positive contribution in improving reading comprehension (jati & purwati, 2024). in line with this opinion, sitohang & ninit (2021) added that folklore is one form of indonesia's wealth in the field of literature. apart from that, folklore is also a form of regional cultural expression which is very numerous throughout indonesia. indonesian folklore can be used to instill character values, preserve cultural heritage, and foster students' appreciation of local literature (youpika et al., 2024). e-las integrating indonesian folklore has been developed for foreign language learners, receiving positive feedback from teachers and students (yulianeta et al., 2022). ulfa et al. (2023) stated that folklore has a moral message which can be used as a solution to overcoming the problem of attitudes of the younger generation in this era of globalization. folklore, which mostly tells about an event in a certain area, can also be used as an alternative introduction to culture for the younger generation. this can also be used as an effort to preserve national culture. each region has its folklore, including south sumatra which has various kinds of folklore, one of which is ratu agung. the story of ratu agung is an indonesian folk tale originating from south sumatra. this folklore is based on events when the dutch were about to occupy palembang. this story tells about the cunning tactics of the dutch colonialists in winning the battle. apart from getting to know a hero who became a legend in the south sumatra region, namely ratu agung, this folk tale also provides a lesson about the history of how the dutch came to control palembang, which is currently the capital of south sumatra. this research aims to produce web-based elas, using ibispaint. ibispaint facilitates image illustration with ease. this application maintains the same quality as desktop applications. the resulting illustrations and materials are assembled using microsoft word 2010 to ensure the product's readability and neatness. the e-las developed is subsequently uploaded to the researcher's blog via the blogspot site. this choice is made to enable easy distribution and access to the e-las under development. moreover, a comments feature is included, serving as a discussion forum for teachers, students, and researchers. method the type of research carried out is development research using qualitative and quantitative approaches. the method used in this research is the addie method, which was developed by reiser and molenda (branch, 2009). in this research, the five stages in the addie method were carried out procedurally. the following is a table of the research stages carried out. table 1. developer research design procedures stages draft procedure analysis researchers identify research subjects, needs and learning objectives. researchers examine existing problems and find solutions. 1. identify student needs. 2. identify the research subject. 3. collect information and analyze data. 4. identify solutions. 5. validate the analysis results. zahra alwi, detia aulia oktarina, eka putri, ratu ilma indra putri, zulkardi developing e-las folklore: enhancing reading literacy through ‘ratu agung’ to support students reading literacy skills 624 6. revise if necessary. design researchers design the overall structure of learning materials and select the most suitable teaching materials to develop. 1. formulate learning objectives. 2. choose a learning strategy. 3. design learning materials. 4. designing teaching materials. 5. design the visual appearance. 6. validate the design. 7. revise if necessary. develop in the development stage, previously designed products are created based on the design. this includes compiling content, developing learning activities, and creating other learning support materials. 1. develop learning materials. 2. development of learning activities. 3. development of assessments. 4. product preparation. 5. development of supporting media. 6. expert validation. 7. revise if necessary. implement the materials that have been developed are delivered to the research subjects. researchers ensure that all required learning components are available and ready to use so that learning sessions can take place effectively. 1. testing the product developed on research subjects (one to one test, small group, and field test). 2. collect feedback. 3. revise if necessary. evaluation researchers assess the effectiveness of developed products that have been tested. this evaluation stage involves collecting data on learning outcomes, feedback from participants, analysis of the achievement of learning objectives. 1. collect evaluation data based on one to one tests, small groups and field tests. 2. analyze evaluation data. 3. analyze student feedback. 4. revise if necessary. the research was conducted at athalla putra health vocational school, palembang. the subjects of this research were indonesian language teachers and 35 class x students majoring in pharmacy and nursing assistant. the selection of athalla putra palembang vocational high school of health and 35 class x students majoring in pharmacy and nursing assistant as the research site was based on two main consideration. first, the school has implemented several literacy programs. second, the school has a diverse student population in terms of regional background and literacy levels, providing rich and varied data for the study. data collection was carried out through interviews, observations, questionnaires, and tests. interviews were conducted with teachers and students of the athalla putra health vocational school, palembang, to find out the needs of students and teachers in the learning process of writing short story texts. observations are carried out by observing the curriculum, teaching materials, and facilities and infrastructure used during the learning process. questionnaires are given to validators to obtain assessments and input regarding e-las products. tests are prepared in e-las for students to practice doing assignments and exercises, in the form of objectives, filling in, and descriptions. the interview data were analyzed using the miles and huberman model (in sugiyono, 2021), which includes data reduction, data display, and drawing conclusion. this approach helped identify key themes related to students experiences with the e-las learning. observation data were analyzed using the same miles and huberman technique. through data reduction and interpretation, patterns in studens responses to the use of folktale based elas media were identified and summarized descriptively. the questionnaire was used to asses the suitability and quality of the e-las teaching materials developed by the researcher. the responses were analyzed using a likert scale (sugiyono, 2021), focusing on indicators such as content relevance, attractiveness, and clarity. the scale ranged from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree), and the results were used to determine the perceived effectiveness of the materials from the users perspective. the students final test scores were analyzed descriptively to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed e-las materials in improving reading literacy. the analysis focused on comparing student performance before and after the implementation of materials english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 625 results and discussion analysis phase results the analysis stage was conducted to identify learning needs, goals, and objectives through a review of educational journals and interviews with teacher. the findings revealed a decline in indonesia students reading literacy, as reflected in the latest pisa results. this issue was further supported by teachers, who noted that many students find the available textbook not attractive and less effective in fostering interest in reading. based on these insight, it was agreed to develop student worksheets (lembar aktivitas siswa/ las) designed to help students interpret texts and extract relevant information. to make the materials more relatable and engaging, a local literary text “ratu agung”, a folklore from palembang was selected as the main content. the proposed solution was discussed with teachers to gather input and suggestions. their feedback was positive, indicating support for the initiative as a meaningful step to enhance students literacy skills. results of the design stage in this stage, the researcher outlined the learning objective, selected appropriate strategies, and prepared relevant teaching materials. for literary text learning, the focus was placed on three key competencies: reading, viewing, and writing. the chosen learning strategy aimed to foster a supportive and interactive classroom environment, encouraging students to express their ideas confidently. to support this, the researcher developed elas designed for both individual and strengthen their comprehension and communication skill table 2. e-las design las title an old story full of meaning: reading literacy learning with the palembang folktale "ratu agung" fase f learning objectives students are able to evaluate and reflect on ideas and messages in folk tales based on analysis of the intrinsic elements of the text. learning outcomes reading and viewing elements students can evaluate ideas and views based on logical thinking rules from reading various texts (non-fiction and fiction) in print and electronic media. students can appreciate fiction and non-fiction texts. students can read and view, as well as interpret, appreciate, evaluate, and create indonesian literary texts (such as folk poetry, pantun, syair, saga, and gurindam) and universal literature such as novels, poetry, prose, drama, films and oral/multimedia texts print or digital online. writing elements students can evaluate ideas and views based on logical thinking rules from reading various texts (non-fiction and fiction) in print and electronic media. students can appreciate fiction and non-fiction texts. students can read and view, as well as interpret, appreciate, evaluate, and create indonesian literary texts (such as folk poetry, pantun, syair, saga, and gurindam) and universal literature such as novels, poetry, prose, drama, films and oral/multimedia texts print or digital online. prerequisite competencies students are able to evaluate and create information in the form of ideas, thoughts, feelings, views, directions or accurate messages from a folk tale. study guide 1. pray first before doing las. 2. pay attention to the supporting information provided. 3. do activities in groups. 4. read the assignment carefully before answering. 5. write your answer completely and clearly. 6. double check the answers before collecting them. materi 1. definition of folklore 2. characteristics of folk tales 3. intrinsic elements of folklore 4. linguistics of folklore 5. structure of folklore 6. converting folk tales into short stories: information about how to convert folk tales into short stories with examples. (students have learned knowledge about short stories, characteristics of short stories, elements of short stories) zahra alwi, detia aulia oktarina, eka putri, ratu ilma indra putri, zulkardi developing e-las folklore: enhancing reading literacy through ‘ratu agung’ to support students reading literacy skills 626 the results of this design are then discussed again with the teacher to ensure that the las design meets the students' needs. from this discussion, the teacher accepted the las design well and requested that the las developed be packaged with displays and activities that were attractive to students. researchers responded to this request by designing interesting pictures and learning activities that suited students' needs, namely independent assignments and group discussions. apart from that, the researchers chose bright colors to attract students' interest in studying the developed las. develop stage results in the development stage, researchers complete teaching materials in the form of electronic las that have been designed: making covers, supporting images, and learning activities that must be completed individually in the form of independent activities on each subtopic of discussion, and group discussions in the form of collaboration spaces for students to solve problems together. researchers also developed pisa questions related to reading literacy to hone students' abilities. in the developed las, concise material is also prepared to help students do their assignments. next, the las that has been developed is given to experts for validation. in terms of content suitability, it was validated by rachel oberto s.pd. obtained a score of 79.54 (good category), the validator provided suggestions for adding explanations that were still needed. in terms of appropriateness of presentation, it was validated by noviyanti, s, pd. obtained a score of 92.5 (very good category), the validator also provided comments and suggestions for adding instructions for working on the questions and a glossary as well as changing the part of the cover that was too identified with women. in terms of language suitability, it was validated by anisa'u fitriatus s.pd. obtained a score of 91.66 (very good category), the validator provided comments and suggestions to correct mistyped sentences and add sentences to motivate students to learn. overall the expert validation results are in the very good category (87.9). the following are the product results that have been developed. table 4. results of electronic las development cover page identity and information page english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 627 material page sample sample independent activity you have read the complete text of the folk tale "ratu agung" from the palmebang area. to make it easier for you to identify the information in this folklore, please fill in the question table below! no. question body text 1 what? 2 where? 3 who? 4 why? 5 how? collaboration space to deepen your ability to identify and analyze the building blocks of folklore, please form groups of 3-4 people. discuss the building blocks of narrative text in the folktale "ratu agung"! after discussing, each group presents the results of their discussion in front of the class and the other groups provide responses. next, the teacher provides reinforcement and together formulates conclusions. from the results of students' understanding of the folklore "ratu agung", students were directed to create short stories with the same theme. intrinsic element answer theme channel background characters and characterization viewpoint language style mandate sample reading literacy questions 1. in the text "queen agung", suhunan gives the title ratu agung to [ . . . ] because suhunan [ . . . ] towards him. 2. based on the folklore "ratu agung", ratu agung was greatly admired by the people who knew about her actions in protecting palembang. the news of the tick mark (v) in front of the answer choice made ratu agung admired. (there can be more than one answer) 3. determine whether the following statements are true or false. put a tick (v) in the column provided. question true false suhunan is highly respected and loved by the people of padang. zahra alwi, detia aulia oktarina, eka putri, ratu ilma indra putri, zulkardi developing e-las folklore: enhancing reading literacy through ‘ratu agung’ to support students reading literacy skills 628 princess kembang mustika was appointed as princess blood white's sister. the dutch colony was able to win the war against the palembang troops thanks to the help of suhunan's younger brother. suhunan's younger brother was appointed by the king of the netherlands to become the new suhunan. ratu agung finally died in his hometown 4. make a short story from the essence of ratu agung's folklore while still paying attention to the integrity of the story plot and short story structure! results of the implementation phase at this stage, the researcher engages in the learning process by utilizing the e-las product that is currently under development. three stages of testing were conducted, including one-on-one testing, small group testing, and field testing. the one-on-one testing involved three class x students with varying levels of abilities: high, medium, and low. the trial sessions consisted of brief lessons, during which student interactions with the product were observed. throughout the testing process, researchers closely monitored students' reactions and responses to the product. the primary aim of this stage is to gather feedback and insights from the students regarding their interaction with the product. during the trial sessions, the researcher individually observed students' interactions as they engaged in the learning process. when explaining the material, instructions were provided simultaneously to three students to save time. subsequently, students were given individual assignments and sections of the literacy test. researchers guided students individually through their use of e-las to closely monitor their interaction with the product. following this, the researcher solicited feedback from the students regarding the e-las product. this process yielded the following comments. based on the comments given by students, it is known that there are variations in the level of questions from those that are easy to answer and those that are difficult to answer. apart from that, it is also known that students are interested in and like the products being developed. during the testing process, researchers noticed the difficulties experienced by students, they had difficulty analyzing and finding information from a complete text. in response to this, the researcher made improvements and checked the text by shortening several parts of the text, the researcher did not cut the text to get students used to analyzing and finding information from the complete text. the small group test stage was carried out on 6 class x students with high, medium, and low ability levels. the trial session was carried out by carrying out short lessons and discussion activities. during the testing process, researchers observed students' reactions and responses to the product. the main goal of this stage is to get student comments and input and how students interact with the product. researchers pay attention to student interactions one by one during the learning process. the material was explained simultaneously to the six students who were divided into two groups. next, students are asked to do individual assignments, group assignments, and literacy test sections. the researcher gave directions to the groups one by one in working on e-las to pay attention to the interactions of students as a group towards the product. after that, the researcher asked students to provide comments on the e-las product. the following are comments given by students. table 5. student comments at the one to one test stage no. code name comment 1 ahp the independent activity questions are easy to understand, especially activity 3. 2 pa the choice of colors and images is good. 3 sp some questions are difficult because you have to find answers from long texts. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 629 table 6. student comments at the small group test stage no. code name comment 1 tna the story "queen angung" is interesting and good. 2 ava the cover is very attractive and the explanation is short but very clear. 3 nck the front cover and page 7 are attractive and clear. 4 mjl the pictures are good and there are some questions that are not understood. 5 sa the pictures are beautiful and great for motivating students. 6 ra the las display is nice and creative. based on this comments table, it is known that student interest in e-las is very good. when working on group discussion questions, students with the mjl code complained that they did not understand the questions. in response to this, the researchers improved e-las by adding guidance signs for each question to make it easier and prevent students from getting confused when working on the questions. the last test carried out was a field test. field tests were carried out on 26 students. the aim is to test e-las in situations close to actual use. the trial session was carried out by presenting the material and working on questions. researchers play a direct role in the learning process, to measure the effectiveness of time, a timer from a smartphone is used. each sub-chapter has questions that vary in work, independent activities are done individually, and the collaboration space contains questions that must be done in groups. during the process of explaining the material, students are guided to classify the examples given, such as in terms of language style and storytelling point of view. this is intended to make students active in the learning process while ensuring students master the specified cp. next, students are directed to work on the reading literacy test section which contains text-related questions to practice their abilities in improving reading competency. at the end of the learning process, the researcher directed students to write a short story based on the results of the student's analysis of the folktale "ratu agung" by paying attention to the integrity of the plot and structure of the short story. next, the researcher called five student representatives to provide comments regarding their learning experiences using the developed e-las. following are the comments obtained. tabel 7. students representation towards field test stage no. code name comment 1 ns the lesson was fun and easy to understand and i liked seeing the e-las display. 2 ka using e-las is fun, easy to understand, and the pictures are good. 3 zk the learning is very easy to understand, the story "queen anggung" is interesting to read, and the e-las display is good. 4 kan i like the story of "the great queen" that is discussed. 5 cpl the existing images support the explanation. the storyline is long, lots of questions and varied. based on the comments obtained from student representatives, it is known that students get a pleasant learning experience during the learning process by utilizing the e-las product being developed. however, in the process, some students have difficulty working on pisa-like questions and finding complete information in literary texts because they are not used to it. usually in learning indonesian, the literary texts used as material for questions are fragments of text, not texts with a complete structure. they are also not used to dissect a text as a whole, starting from finding implied or explicit information to the structure of the text, usually, they use different texts or text fragments to identify and analyze. after this stage was carried out, the researcher checked the e-las again to correct several typing errors and make final edits before finally the product was uploaded to the blogspot site to be used as an alternative teaching material for folklore texts. evaluation stage results in the final stage, researchers collected feedback data and learning outcomes from students for evaluation. these results were obtained through three stages of testing that were carried out. feedback from research subjects has indicated that the developed e-las is good for use in learning. there are questions with different levels of difficulty ranging from easy to difficult and the e-las display is attractive to students. learning carried out using the cble strategy helps students in the learning process. the use of e-las zahra alwi, detia aulia oktarina, eka putri, ratu ilma indra putri, zulkardi developing e-las folklore: enhancing reading literacy through ‘ratu agung’ to support students reading literacy skills 630 and cble in the learning process helps students. students can learn in a conducive and enjoyable atmosphere plus teaching materials tailored to their needs and interests. this makes their learning results quite satisfactory. the following are the student learning outcomes obtained after the learning process. results of converting folk stories into short story form based on the results of the short stories made by students from the folk tale ratu agung, it is known that 22 students got a score of more than 70, and as many as 84 students succeeded in retelling the folk tale "ratu agung" in short story form well. this means that 84.61% of students succeeded in meeting the criteria for achieving the specified learning objectives. literacy assessment results based on the final score, it is known that using elas and cble in learning folklore texts to improve students' reading literacy skills has had good results. of the total 26 students who took part in the learning process using e-las, 23 of them managed to get a score of 70 or above which, if calculated, becomes 88.46. the teacher also gave a good response by providing feedback on the e-las being developed could help students understand folklore concepts in their way of thinking. existing independent activities can lead students to master learning objectives. through the score table and comments from teachers, it can be seen whether the use of the e-las developed is effective for use. conclusion the development of teaching materials for indonesian language, aimed at transforming folklore into short stories for class x vocational school students, has been structured using the addie development method. this method encompasses five distinct stages, each of which generates products that inform the subsequent steps. furthermore, e-las has been created to aid students in studying folklore texts and enhancing their reading literacy skills. the objective is to prepare students to tackle pisa standard questions that draw upon diverse texts and contexts. it is anticipated that the outcomes of this research will be of value to educators in the field, contributing to the enhancement of students' critical thinking and reading literacy. acknowledgments we express our gratitude to sriwijaya university, especially the research and community service institute, which has provided full financial assistance to the head of the professional grant team (professor zulkardi) for the 2023 fiscal year for the preparation, implementation and reporting of our research. thanks also to the chair of the siele journal. hopefully the results will be useful for the advancement of education. references aisyah, s., & musa, m. (2023). strategi guru dalam pengembangan literasi awal anak usia dini. journal of educational research, 2(1), 115– 134. https://doi.org/10.56436/jer.v2i1.218 alwi, z., zulkardi, & nisphi, m. l. (2023). improving students’ reading literacy during the covid-19 pandemic using the pbl model and according to the pisa context. proceedings of the fifth sriwijaya university learning and education international conference (sule-ic 2022), 201–211. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476010-7_23 alwi, z., zulkardi., putri, r.i.i., samsuryadi, & nisphi, m. l. (2022). the importance of lkpd based on the pisa 2022 framework to strengthen junior high school students’ reading literacy competencies. sandibasa i, 1. https://ojs.mahadewa.ac.id/index.php/sandibasa/ article/download/2018/1467/7457 ariyanto, b., syaifudin, r., misrodin, m., hidayat, t. a. s., & enriquez, a. a. (2022). the effect of school literacy movement on students’ reading interest and reading skills. bulletin of pedagogical research, 2(2), 118–145. https://doi.org/10.51278/bpr.v2i2.347 brown, p. p., baker, h. e., bennett, c. r., medline, d. r., & hatch, m. (2023). scaffolding & fading: enhancing literacy skills across a curriculum to achieve mastery. journal of education and practice, 14(3), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.7176/jep/14-3-01 costadena, m. p., & suniasih, n. w. (2022). e-lkpd interaktif berbasis discovery learning pada muatan ipa materi ekosistem. jurnal penelitian dan pengembangan pendidikan, 6(2), 180–190. https://doi.org/10.23887/jppp.v6i2.45848 fasae, f. b. k., & ogunleye, a. g. (2023). digital literacy and the english language teacher in the 21 st century. journal of literature, languages and linguistics, 95, 27–38. https://doi.org/10.7176/jlll/95-05 ferando, m. f., yohanes, b., mayeli, y. k. f. r., rada, m. m., mude, m.r., bolor., p. n. p. s. d. (2025). pemanfaatan cerita rakyat sebagai media penguatan literasi bahasa indonesia. fonologi : jurnal ilmuan bahasa dan sastra inggris, 3(1), 301–316. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 631 https://doi.org/10.61132/fonologi.v3i1.486 firdaus, a., widiada, i. k., & saputra, h. h. (2023). implementasi udaya literasi dalam meningkatkan kemampuan berfikir kritis siswa. journal of classroom action research, 2(1), 228–233. https://doi.org/10.29303/jcar.v5ispecialissue.41 46 gea, s. n., gulo, m. b. u., bawamenewi, a., & gulo, m. w. (2024). motivating the younger generation in reading: integrating technology in understanding digital literacy. international journal of educatio elementaria and psychologia, 1(3), 136–146. https://doi.org/10.70177/ijeep.v1i3.998 jati, a. r., & purwati, p. d. (2024). the development of multimedia based e-folklor to improve reading comprehesion of grade iv elementary school. jurnal prima edukasi, 12 (2), 235-332. doi:https://doi.org/10.21831/jpe.v12i2.75433 katoningsih, s., & sunaryo, i. (2020). programme for international student assesment (pisa) as reading literacy standard: critical thinking skill is priority. education, sustainability and society, 3(1), 08–10. https://doi.org/10.26480/ess.01.2020.08.10 kemendikbud. (2023). peringkat indonesia pada pisa 2022 naik 5-6 posisi dibanding 2018. kemendikbud.go.id. https://gtk.kemdikbud.go.id/readnews/peringkat-indonesia-pada-pisa-2022-naik56-posisi-dibanding-2018 kurniawan, a., jumadi, j., kuswanto, h., & syar,n. i. (2024). the 21st century education: asystematic literature review of transforming learning methods to foster critical thinking skills through augmented reality in science learning. jurnal eduscience (jes), 11(3), 601-622) https://doi.org/10.36987/jes.v11i3.6438 lailliyah, i. (2021). pelaksanaan pembelajaran literasi di smp negeri 1 jember tahun 2019 implementation of literation learning in state middle school 1 jember year 2019. heritage: journal of social studies |, 2(1), 57–58. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxx lan, x., & yu, z. (2023). a bibliometric review study on reading literacy over fourteen years. education sciences, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13010027 lathifah, m. f., hidayati, b. n., & zulandri. (2021). efektifitas lkpd elektronik sebagai media pembelajaran pada masa pandemi covid-19 untuk guru di ypi bidayatul hidayah ampenan. jurnal pengabdian magister pendidikan ipa, 4(2), 25–30. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.29303/jpmpi.v 3i2.668 novianti, n. (2022). indonesian folk narratives: on the interstices of national identity, national values, and character education. journal of ethnology and folkloristics, 16(1), 99–116. https://doi.org/10.2478/jef-2022-0006 putri, v. y., susandi, a., & zativalen, o. (2024). pengembangan e-modul berbasis flipbook untuk meningkatkan minat baca siswa kelas iv di sekolah dasar. jurnal pendidikan dasar indonesia, 9(3), 186-191. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.26737/jpdi.v9i3.5704 rohmaniyah, a. (2025). respresentation of science concepts in local folklore as a source of learning ipas in madrasah ibtidaiyah. morfologi: jurnal ilmu pendidikan, bahasa, sastra dan budaya, 3(1), 296-306. https://doi.org/10.61132/morfologi.v3i1.1372 sitohang, k., & ninit, a. (2021). perbandingan struktur fungsional cerita rakyat sumatera barat dan kalimantan selatan: legenda anak durhaka. jurnal bahasa indonesia prima (bip), 3(2), 57–71. https://doi.org/10.34012/bip.v3i2.1896 sugiyono. (2021). metode penelitian pendidikan (kuantitatif, kualitatif, kombinasi, r&d dan penelitian pendidikan). alfabeta. suryaningsih, s., & nurlita, r. (2021). pentingnya lembar kerja peserta didik elektronik (e-lkpd) inovatif dalam proses pembelajaran abad 21. jurnal pendidikan indonesia, 2(7), 1256–1268. https://doi.org/10.36418/japendi.v2i7.233 tahmidaten, l., & krismanto, w. (2020). permasalahan budaya membaca di indonesia (studi pustaka tentang problematika & solusinya). scholaria: jurnal pendidikan dan kebudayaan, 10(1), 22–33. https://doi.org/10.24246/j.js.2020.v10.i1.p22-33 ulfa, s. w., aminullah, m. a. f., angraini, r., andini, d. s., & putri, d. o. (2023). upaya peningkatan minat literasi siswa melalui kegiatan ekstrakurikuler tuntas baca di smp swasta ira medan. 05(02), 2053–2060. youpika, f., sumiyadi, permadi, t., sunendar, d., & yandryati, j. (2024). the endangered central malay folklore: a medium for internalizing character values in indonesian language and literature. international journal of language education, 8(1), 48–63. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v8i1.60908 yulianeta, yaacob, a., & lubis, a. h. (2022). the development of web-based teaching materials integrated with indonesian folklore for indonesian language for foreign speakers students. international journal of language education, 6(1), 46–62. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v6i1.22957 zufahmi, z., rohman, f., listyorini,d., & sari, m. s. (2024). the relationship between learning motivation and digital literacy of high school students through augmented reality-assisted emodules. proceedings of the 3rd international conference on educational technology and social science (icoets 2024), advances in social science, education and humanities https://doi.org/10.36987/jes.v11i3.6438 https://dx.doi.org/10.26737/jpdi.v9i3.5704 zahra alwi, detia aulia oktarina, eka putri, ratu ilma indra putri, zulkardi developing e-las folklore: enhancing reading literacy through ‘ratu agung’ to support students reading literacy skills 632 research 890. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-238476-331-3_6 zuhri, s., suwindia, i. g., & winangun, i. m. a. (2024). litersi digital dan kecakapan abad ke21: analisi dari literatur terkin. journal education and social sciences review, 5(2), 149-155. https://doi.org/10.29210/07essr500300 zulkardi, meryansumayeka, putri, r. i. i., alwi, z., nusantara, d. s., ambarita, s. m., maharani, y., & puspitasari, l. (2020). how students work with pisa-like mathematical tasks using covid-19 context. journal on mathematics education, 11(3), 405–416. https://doi.org/10.22342/jme.11.3.12915.405416. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 753 crafting a survey instrument for educational podcasts: integrating technology in english language teaching enhancement rita inderawati english education study program, faculty of teacher training & education, universitas sriwijaya, palembang e-mail: rita_inderawati@fkip.unsri.ac.id apa scitation: inderawati, r. (2024). crafting a survey instrument for educational podcasts: integrating technology in english language teaching enhancement. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 753-764. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9977 received: 24-02-2024 accepted: 28-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: in the digital age, the incorporation of technology into education is pivotal for enhancing learning experiences. among various technological tools, podcasts have gained prominence due to their engaging and accessible format. this study aims to develop a valid and reliable questionnaire to assess students' perceptions of creating educational podcasts within the context of english language teaching (elt). the research identifies four key aspects of podcast creation and develops a 60-statement instrument to evaluate these areas. the questionnaire underwent validation by english language education experts, resulting in its affirmation as a valid tool. the study highlights the potential of educational podcasts to improve communication skills, foster student engagement, and enhance collaborative learning. the validated instrument provides a comprehensive framework for educators and researchers to gauge the effectiveness of integrating technology into elt through podcasting. the findings emphasize the importance of continuous innovation in educational practices to meet the dynamic needs of students and leverage technology to improve learning outcomes. keywords: educational podcast; elt; survey instrument; validation; technology integration. introduction with the rapid and cross-border movement of information and knowledge in the age of globalisation, education is under pressure to keep up with these advancements. information technology advancements have reinforced these changes by greatly expanding the scope and accessibility of information (szymkowiak et al., 2021; alenezi et al., 2023). students of today are not constrained by time or location when looking for and acquiring knowledge; neither are they restricted to local resources. the internet, mobile devices, and online platforms are examples of how information technology advancements have made learning more accessible and flexible than before. according to aithal & aithal (2023), students can now access learning resources and information from a number of sources at any time and from any location. they can engage in online learning debates, enrol in online courses, and learn using online platforms. with no restrictions on time or location, this flexibility enables students to plan their study schedules in accordance with their own needs and preferences (alenezi et al., 2023). in the modern educational landscape, the integration of technology has become increasingly prominent, especially in the field of english language education. the evolving nature of digital technology has significant implications for education, as it offers numerous benefits for both teachers and students. according to alenezi et al. (2023), integrating digital education in higher education presents both challenges and opportunities. the advancements in technology have expanded the scope and accessibility of information, allowing students to access learning resources from multiple sources at any time and place (aithal & aithal, 2023). information technology advancements have made learning more accessible and flexible than ever before. students can engage in online learning debates, enroll in online courses, and use online platforms to enhance their learning experience (szymkowiak et al., 2021). the flexibility provided by technology enables students to plan their study schedules according to their own needs and preferences (alenezi et al., 2023). however, with these technological advances come new challenges for educational institutions. they must adapt to these changes and utilize them effectively to improve the quality of learning. innovation in the use of technology is essential to maintain the relevance of education and meet the increasingly diverse and dynamic needs of students (haleem et al., 2022). according to wang et al. (2023), the application of artificial rita inderawati crafting a survey instrument for educational podcasts: integrating technology in english language teaching enhancement 754 intelligence (ai) and other digital technologies in education has the potential to transform teaching strategies and enhance learning outcomes. one technology that is increasingly popular in the educational context is podcasts. according to besser et al. (2022), educational podcasts feature an engaging and easily accessible format, allowing students to listen to or download learning materials whenever and wherever they are. this brings significant advantages in overcoming geographical and time constraints in learning, allowing students to learn independently and flexibly. podcasts have been recognized as a valuable tool for facilitating knowledge acquisition and enhancing learning experiences (kiernan et al., 2023). creating educational podcasts offers a unique opportunity for students to play an active role in the learning process. students become not only passive listeners but also content producers, allowing them to express their ideas, collaborate with fellow students, and produce meaningful and relevant learning materials (hall & jones, 2023). this active involvement can increase student engagement in the learning process, strengthen their understanding of the material, and develop their critical and creative skills (ramirez, 2024). despite the recognized potential of educational podcasts in enhancing learning, there is little indepth research into the dynamics involved in the process of creating educational podcasts, especially when involving teacher candidates as content producers (hall & jones, 2023). over the past few years, english education students at fkip sriwijaya university have engaged in innovative language learning by creating and recording podcast scripts as part of their lecture curriculum. in a team-based project model, each group was assigned to discuss different lecture materials, spanning from the beginning to the end of the semester. the courses presented in podcast form included paragraph writing, essay writing, article writing, literature in elt, and creative writing. the lecturer provided a script template to guide the groups, ensuring the podcasts contained relevant and appropriate information. this allowed students creative freedom within a structured framework. previous studies have highlighted the benefits of podcasting, such as increased flexibility and accessibility in learning (ayu, 2020; akram et al., 2022), and the role of technology in fostering engagement and motivation (dayagbil et al., 2021; han & geng, 2023). however, understanding the factors that influence preservice teachers' involvement in the process of creating educational podcasts and their perspectives is crucial for identifying effective strategies to support and encourage the use of this technology in education. integrating technology in english language learning is essential to improve the quality of education and the relevance of the curriculum to the demands of the times. technology allows teachers to create interesting and dynamic learning environments, expanding access to learning resources and facilitating more active interaction between teachers and students (ferdiansyah et al., 2023; haleem, 2023). various educational applications and software enable teachers to create engaging and interactive learning activities, which can increase student involvement and motivation (rusmiyanto et al., 2023; peng et al., 2023). collaborative podcast creation has become an innovative method in improving students' communication skills in english learning. by working together to plan, record, and edit podcasts, students can enhance their speaking and listening skills, as well as their collaborative and problem-solving abilities (suseno, 2024; ramirez, 2024). this collaborative approach also helps students develop interpersonal communication skills, allowing them to share ideas, negotiate, and respect others' viewpoints (saeedakhtar et al., 2021; lazareva & tømte, 2024). however, creating collaborative podcasts also presents challenges. coordinating time and effort among team members, managing technical issues, and resolving conflicts can be difficult (gaston & havard, 2024; pena & cassany, 2024). despite these challenges, the benefits of podcast collaboration, such as improved communication skills, teamwork, and professional and social network expansion, far outweigh the difficulties (killean & summerville, 2020; besser et al., 2022). the integration of technology in english language teaching through collaborative podcast projects is effective and beneficial. it enhances communication skills, fosters teamwork, and enriches educational practices. by addressing the identified challenges and leveraging the benefits, educators can create more engaging, effective, and inclusive learning environments that cater to diverse student needs and prepare them for future academic and professional success (navrouzoglou et al., 2024; mutua et al., 2024). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 755 method this study used a qualitative methodology to develop and validate a questionnaire for assessing students' perceptions of instructional podcast creation in english language teaching (elt) (creswell & creswell, 2018). based on a comprehensive literature review (aithal & aithal, 2023; alenezi et al., 2023), sixty statements were formulated and categorized into four distinct parts. the first part, "using technology to enhance english language teaching," explores the integration of various technological tools and platforms to facilitate and improve the learning and teaching process in english language classrooms. the second part, "creating podcasts together to improve communication skills," focuses on the collaborative creation of podcasts as a means to enhance students' communication abilities, emphasizing the practical application of language skills in a real-world context. the third part, "the mechanisms of teamwork in podcast production," delves into the dynamics and strategies of effective teamwork required during the podcast production process, highlighting roles, responsibilities, and the collaborative nature of content creation. lastly, the fourth part, "difficulties and advantages of working together on podcasts," discusses the challenges and benefits encountered in the collaborative podcasting endeavor, providing insights into problem-solving, mutual support, and the overall impact on language learning and team cohesion. a panel of experts in elt and educational technology reviewed the initial statements for clarity and relevance. their feedback helped refine the questionnaire, ensuring its content validity (bui, 2022; hall & jones, 2023). the revised questionnaire underwent qualitative analysis to confirm its validity and reliability (miles, huberman, & saldaña, 2014). this process ensured that each statement effectively captured the intended aspects of podcast creation. the questionnaire employed a quantitative scoring system that classified responses into three categories. the first category, "inappropriate (i)," encompassed scores ranging from 3 to 46, indicating a low level of appropriateness in the responses. the second category, "moderate (m)," included scores from 47 to 90, representing a moderate level of appropriateness. the highest category, "appropriate (a)," comprised scores between 91 and 135, reflecting a high level of appropriateness in the responses. this scoring system allowed for a clear and structured evaluation of the participants' responses across the various statements. this system provided a structured framework for evaluating responses (vainieri et al., 2023). data were collected using the validated questionnaire from students involved in podcast creation. responses were analyzed to identify trends, strengths, and challenges in the process (miles et al., 2014). the findings offer insights into integrating technology in elt through podcasting. the validated questionnaire is a reliable tool for educators and researchers to assess and improve educational practices involving instructional podcasts (ramirez, 2024; enriquez et al., 2023). results and discussion integrating technology in english language teaching in today's rapidly evolving educational landscape, integrating technology is crucial, especially in english language education. digital technology offers numerous benefits, such as broadening communication skills and enhancing student engagement (wang et al., 2022; mdhlalose & mlambo, 2023). with digital tools, students can access a world of information and resources without leaving their desks, making learning more flexible and dynamic. this shift necessitates a deeper understanding of how technology can be effectively integrated into english language teaching to maximize its benefits. table 1. integration technology in english language teaching no statement expert 1 expert 2 expert 3 total 1 integrating technology enhances the effectiveness of english language education. 3 3 3 9 2 i am comfortable with using technology in your english language teaching practices. 3 3 2 8 3 the usefulness of technology in improving students' language skills. 3 3 2 8 4 i am confident in incorporating technology into various aspects of english language education (e.g., lesson planning, instructional delivery, assessment). 3 2 2 7 rita inderawati crafting a survey instrument for educational podcasts: integrating technology in english language teaching enhancement 756 5 i often use technology-based resources (e.g., educational apps, online platforms, multimedia content) in my english language teaching. 3 3 3 9 6 i am familiar with different types of educational technology tools and platforms relevant to english language education. 2 2 3 7 7 i believe technology can facilitate differentiated instruction and cater to diverse learning needs in english language classrooms. 3 3 3 9 8 i believe that the role of technology in promoting student engagement and motivation in english language learning. 3 3 3 9 9 i believe that technology integration aligns with the goals and objectives of the english language education curriculum at my study program. 3 3 3 9 10 i am ready to adapt to emerging educational technologies and innovations in english language teaching. 3 2 3 8 11 integrating technology enhances student engagement and participation in english language learning. 3 3 3 9 12 technology integration facilitates personalized learning experiences tailored to individual student needs in english language education. 3 3 3 9 13 utilizing technology enhances the authenticity and relevance of learning materials and resources in english language education. 3 3 3 9 14 integrating technology promotes active and collaborative learning environments conducive to english language acquisition. 2 3 3 8 15 technology-enhanced instruction improves students' motivation and enthusiasm for learning english language skills. 3 2 3 8 total 126 survey items in this study reveal educators' positive perceptions of technology's role in english language teaching. one key finding is the general agreement that technology enhances the effectiveness of english language education. this perception underscores the potential of digital tools to improve instructional methods and learning outcomes. the integration of digital media has become a crucial focus in responding to students' needs for broader and contextual communication skills, making lessons more engaging and relevant (kieu et al., 2021). another significant aspect investigated is educators' comfort levels with using technology in their teaching practices. comfort with technology can greatly influence its incorporation into instructional strategies. educators who are more at ease with technology are likely to explore innovative teaching methods and tools, thereby enriching the learning experience. this is supported by findings that indicate a high level of comfort among educators in utilizing technology for lesson planning, instructional delivery, and assessment (dyhrkopp, 2021; enriquez et al., 2023). the survey also highlights the perceived usefulness of technology in enhancing students' language skills across reading, writing, listening, and speaking. positive perceptions in this area indicate a recognition of technology's potential to improve language learning experiences. the integration of information and communication technology (ict) and learner-centered teaching strategies is crucial for enhancing engagement and motivation, which are often lacking in traditional approaches (martínez-gautier, 2021). further, the study explores educators' confidence in incorporating technology into various aspects of english language education. this includes not only lesson planning and instructional delivery but also assessment practices. higher levels of confidence in using technology correlate with its greater integration into teaching methodologies, facilitating more effective and innovative educational practices. educators' competence and motivation to use digital technologies are key determinants in their adoption and effective use in the classroom (bui, 2022). in summary, the integration of technology holds immense potential to enhance the effectiveness and engagement of english language education. understanding educators' perspectives and experiences through survey responses provides valuable insights into the opportunities and challenges associated with technology integration. these findings emphasize the importance of continuous investment in technological resources and training to further enrich the english language teaching (elt) landscape, paving the way for more innovative and effective teaching practices (zhang, 2022). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 757 collaborative creation of podcasts for communication skills in the ever-growing field of english education, technology plays a key role in improving students' communication skills. one innovative method gaining popularity is the collaborative creation of podcasts. this project allows students to work together to plan, record, and edit podcasts on various english topics, fostering teamwork and enhancing communication skills (enriquez et al., 2023). collaborative podcast creation offers a dynamic approach to learning, enabling students to engage actively in the process. tabel 2. collaborative creation of podcasts for communication skills no statement expert 1 expert 2 expert 3 total 1 my communication skills were good enough before participating in collaborative podcast creation. 3 3 3 9 2 my communication skills increased after participating in collaborative podcast creation. 3 3 3 9 3 participating in collaborative podcast creation has improved my communication skills. 3 3 3 9 4 i am able to articulate ideas and information clearly and effectively during collaborative podcast creation. 3 3 3 9 5 i am confident to actively listen and respond to others’ ideas and perspectives during collaborative podcast creation. 3 3 3 9 6 i can use verbal and nonverbal communication techniques to convey messages effectively in collaborative podcast projects. 3 3 3 9 7 participating in collaborative podcast creation has enhanced my ability to collaborate and work effectively in a team. 3 3 3 9 8 i believe collaborative podcast creation has helped me develop skills in constructive feedback and peer evaluation. 2 3 3 8 9 i am able to adapt communication strategies and techniques to suit different audience preferences and needs during collaborative podcast creation. 3 3 3 9 10 participating in collaborative podcast creation has improved my ability to express ideas and concepts in a concise and coherent manner. 3 3 3 9 11 collaborative podcast creation enhances my ability to articulate ideas and information effectively. 3 3 3 9 12 working on podcast projects collaboratively improves my active listening skills. 3 3 3 9 13 collaborative podcast creation fosters teamwork and cooperation among students. 3 3 3 9 14 engaging in collaborative podcast projects enhances my ability to provide and receive constructive feedback. 3 3 3 9 15 collaborative podcast creation improves my proficiency in adapting communication strategies to suit different audience preferences. 3 3 3 9 total 134 initially, evaluating students' communication skills before engaging in podcast creation provides a baseline for measuring progress. this assessment helps students understand their strengths and areas for improvement in conveying ideas. the collaborative nature of podcast projects offers a real-world context for practicing communication skills, which can significantly enhance students' abilities (zheng, 2024). active participation in creating podcasts allows students to pitch ideas, discuss with teammates, and collaborate on editing, leading to noticeable improvements in their communication abilities. the hands-on experience of working on a podcast project provides students with opportunities to refine their skills in articulating ideas, listening actively, and responding to peers. this process helps students develop a deeper understanding of effective communication in various contexts (yeh et al., 2021). the development of communication skills is further reinforced through the process of giving and receiving constructive feedback. in a collaborative environment, students learn to provide helpful feedback and accept suggestions openly, which improves their ability to deliver rita inderawati crafting a survey instrument for educational podcasts: integrating technology in english language teaching enhancement 758 messages clearly and enhances their active listening skills. this aspect of collaboration is crucial for developing a cooperative attitude and strengthening interpersonal relationships in a learning environment (sotlikova & haerazi, 2023). reflection on the collaboration process allows students to assess their progress in communication skills. from conveying ideas clearly to adapting to different audience preferences, the experience of collaborative podcast creation provides students with opportunities to hone their skills. this reflection helps students recognize the value of effective communication and teamwork in achieving common goals (zheng, 2024). collaboration in creating podcasts not only improves students' communication skills but also strengthens their teamwork abilities, capacity to give and receive feedback, and cooperative attitudes. the findings from the survey underscore the benefits of collaborative podcast creation, with high scores indicating significant improvements in communication skills. these insights emphasize the importance of incorporating collaborative podcast projects into educational practices to foster better communication skills, teamwork, and adaptability. this approach offers a valuable tool for educators to enrich their teaching methods and enhance student learning experiences (ferrer et al., 2019). dynamics of collaboration in podcast creation collaboration plays a pivotal role in the creation of podcasts, particularly in the context of educational endeavors. this section investigates the dynamics of collaboration within podcast creation teams, assessing various aspects of teamwork, communication, conflict resolution, and overall satisfaction. effective collaboration is essential for producing high-quality podcasts that enhance the learning experience (ramirez, 2024). table 3. dynamics of collaboration in podcast creation no statement expert 1 expert 2 expert 3 total 1 communication among team members is effective during the podcast creation process. 3 3 3 9 2 i think cooperation and teamwork within my podcast creation team is good. 3 3 3 9 3 conflicts or disagreements often happen within my podcast creation team. 3 3 3 9 4 i believe that trust and mutual respect among team members happen during the podcast creation process. 3 3 3 9 5 i believe that roles and responsibilities were defined and distributed within my podcast creation team. 3 3 3 9 6 the creativity and innovation demonstrated by my podcast creation team in developing content and presentation styles. 3 3 3 9 7 team members provide support and assistance to one another during the podcast creation process. 3 3 3 9 8 decision-making processes within my podcast creation team are effective. 3 3 3 9 9 my podcast creation team manage time and meet deadlines throughout the project. 3 3 3 9 10 the overall satisfaction of team members with the collaborative process and outcomes of the podcast creation project are good. 3 3 3 9 11 effective communication among team members was crucial for the success of the podcast creation project. 3 3 3 9 12 team members actively contribute their ideas and expertise during the podcast creation process. 3 3 3 9 13 collaborative decision-making is a key aspect of the podcast creation team's dynamics. 3 3 3 9 14 conflicts or disagreements within the team are resolved constructively to maintain project progress. 3 3 3 9 15 each team member felt valued and appreciated for their contributions to the podcast creation project. 3 3 3 9 total 129 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 759 the effectiveness of communication among team members during the podcast creation process is a cornerstone for successful collaboration. clear, open, and frequent communication ensures that all team members are informed and aligned with project goals. effective communication fosters a collaborative environment where ideas can be exchanged freely, contributing to the overall success of the project (enriquez et al., 2023). cooperation and teamwork within the podcast creation team are also critical. active engagement, idea-sharing, and mutual support are key components of successful teamwork. the survey findings highlight the importance of fostering an environment of mutual encouragement and collaboration, which enhances the overall productivity and creativity of the team (ramirez, 2024). conflict resolution is another crucial aspect of collaboration dynamics. constructive mechanisms for resolving conflicts and disagreements within the team are indicative of a healthy team dynamic. addressing differing opinions in a manner that promotes growth and progress rather than discord is essential for maintaining a positive collaborative environment (ferrer et al., 2019). trust and mutual respect among team members are fundamental to effective collaboration. trust allows team members to rely on each other's abilities and judgment, while mutual respect ensures that everyone feels valued and appreciated for their contributions. these elements are crucial for fostering a conducive environment for creativity and innovation (navacikova, 2021). clear roles and responsibilities within the podcast creation team are essential for minimizing confusion and enhancing productivity. defining and distributing roles ensure that each team member understands their responsibilities, contributing to the overall efficiency of the project. creativity and innovation in developing podcast content and presentation styles are also critical for engaging the audience effectively (saeedakhtar et al., 2021). in summary, the dynamics of collaboration in podcast creation encompass a multifaceted interplay of communication, cooperation, conflict resolution, trust, creativity, support, decisionmaking, time management, and satisfaction. evaluating these dynamics helps teams identify strengths, address weaknesses, and enhance their collaborative efforts to achieve successful outcomes in podcast creation endeavors. effective collaboration dynamics lead to more productive and successful podcast creation, enriching the learning experiences of students and promoting collective achievement in educational settings (yet et al., 2021). navigating the challenges and embracing the benefits of podcast collaboration collaborating on podcast projects presents unique challenges and benefits that shape the collaborative process and influence project outcomes. this section explores the dynamic interplay between these challenges and benefits as perceived by team members engaged in podcast collaboration. understanding these factors is crucial for improving collaborative practices and enhancing the educational value of podcast projects (ramirez, 2024). table 4. challenges and benefits of podcast collaboration no statement expert 1 expert 2 expert 3 total 1 the level of challenge i experienced in collaborating on podcast projects is high. 2 3 3 8 2 the main challenges we faced while collaborating on podcast projects were communicating effectively, scheduling recording sessions, managing different ideas and opinions, and ensuring consistent quality and style. 3 3 3 9 3 i experienced benefits from collaborating on podcast projects. 3 3 3 9 4 the level of workload and time commitment required for collaborating on podcast projects were huge. 3 3 3 9 5 the most significant technical challenges we faced while collaborating on podcast projects were dealing with audio equipment problems, making sure everything worked together smoothly, keeping our files organized, and managing internet connection. 3 2 3 8 6 coordinating schedules and managing communication among team members during podcast projects are very difficult. 3 3 3 9 rita inderawati crafting a survey instrument for educational podcasts: integrating technology in english language teaching enhancement 760 7 the key interpersonal challenges we experienced while collaborating on podcast projects were keeping communication clear, resolving conflicts, adjusting to different personalities and ways of working. 3 2 3 8 8 the level of stress and pressure experienced during the collaborative podcast creation process were high. 3 2 3 8 9 i got valuable learning experiences gained from collaborating on podcast projects. 3 3 3 9 10 the level of satisfaction with the quality of the final podcast products created through collaboration is high. 3 3 3 9 11 effective communication among team members was crucial for the success of the podcast creation project. 3 3 3 9 12 team members actively contributed their ideas and expertise during the podcast creation process. 3 3 3 9 13 collaborative decision-making was a key aspect of the podcast creation team's dynamics. 3 2 3 8 14 technical challenges affected the final quality of the podcast projects. 3 2 3 8 15 the podcast collaboration process has prepared you for future collaborative projects or professional work. 3 3 3 9 total 129 one significant challenge in podcast collaboration is coordinating schedules and managing communication among team members. effective teamwork and proactive problemsolving are essential to overcome these obstacles. the restricted capabilities of technological instruments and the erratic nature of energy and internet connectivity can further complicate the collaboration process, frustrating both students and teachers (ramirez, 2024). clear communication within the team is crucial for ensuring that everyone is on the same page and working towards common goals. scheduling recording sessions, managing different ideas and opinions, and maintaining consistent quality and style are significant challenges that require careful coordination and compromise. despite these challenges, effective communication can greatly enhance the collaborative process (pena & cassany, 2024). collaborating on podcast projects also offers numerous benefits, including enhanced communication skills, the opportunity to learn from one another, and the satisfaction of creating meaningful content together. the process of working on podcasts motivates students, increases their engagement, and enhances their productivity. the experience of creating podcasts helps students develop essential skills that are valuable in both academic and professional settings (saeedakhtar, 2021). however, these benefits often come with a considerable workload and time commitment. team members must invest significant time and effort to produce quality podcast content. technical challenges, such as audio equipment problems, file organization, and internet connectivity issues, can further complicate the collaborative process. overcoming these challenges requires technical expertise and resourcefulness (nigmatullina, 2019). interpersonal challenges, such as maintaining clear communication, resolving conflicts, and adapting to different working styles, also arise during podcast collaboration. effective communication and interpersonal skills are essential for fostering a positive team dynamic. despite these challenges, the satisfaction with the final podcast products and the benefits gained from the collaborative process underscore the value of podcast collaboration (ramirez, 2024). consequently, navigating the challenges and embracing the benefits of podcast collaboration are essential for achieving successful outcomes. by acknowledging and addressing the challenges while leveraging the benefits, teams can enhance their collaborative efforts and produce highquality podcast content. these insights highlight the importance of effective communication, teamwork, and conflict resolution in overcoming challenges and achieving successful project outcomes. educators can create more effective and rewarding collaborative learning experiences by addressing the identified challenges and leveraging the benefits (ferrer et al., 2019). conclusion integrating technology into english language teaching has proven to significantly enhance learning experiences by making education more dynamic, engaging, and accessible. the survey results affirm the strong role of digital tools in modern language education, suggesting that ongoing investment in technological resources english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 761 and teacher training is vital for maximizing these benefits. such integration not only improves teaching effectiveness but also boosts student engagement and learning outcomes. collaborative podcast creation is an innovative method that significantly enhances students' communication skills and teamwork abilities. by participating in these projects, students not only refine their language skills but also develop critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities. the collaborative process, which involves clear communication, role distribution, trust, and mutual respect, leads to successful outcomes and enriches the educational experience. despite challenges like scheduling and technical issues, the benefits of enhanced communication skills and teamwork far outweigh the difficulties. the validated survey instrument from this study offers a comprehensive tool for assessing students' perceptions and experiences with educational podcast creation. the findings emphasize the importance of continuous innovation in educational practices to meet students' evolving needs. by integrating technology and fostering collaborative learning environments, educators can create more engaging, effective, and inclusive educational experiences, preparing students for future academic and professional success. these insights provide valuable guidance for future educational practices and research in technology-enhanced collaborative learning. references aithal, s., & aithal, p. s. (2023). effects of ai-based chatgpt on higher education libraries. international journal of management, technology, and social sciences (ijmts), 8(2), 95-108. akram, h., abdelrady, a. h., al-adwan, a. s., & ramzan, m. (2022). teachers’ perceptions of technology integration in teaching-learning practices: a systematic review. frontiers in psychology, 13, 920317. alenezi, m., wardat, s., & akour, m. (2023). the need of integrating digital education in higher education: challenges and opportunities. sustainability, 15(6), 4782. ayu, m. (2020). online learning: leading e-learning at higher education. the journal of english literacy education: the teaching and learning of english as a foreign language, 7(1), 47-54. azizi, z., namaziandost, e., & rezai, a. (2022). potential of podcasting and blogging in cultivating iranian advanced efl learners’ reading comprehension. heliyon, 8(5). besser, e. d., blackwell, l. e., & saenz, m. (2022). engaging students through educational podcasting: three stories of implementation. technology, knowledge and learning, 27(3), 749-764. bui, t. h. (2022). english teachers’ integration of digital technologies in the classroom. international journal of educational research open, 3, 1-15. creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. sage publications. deda, s. h. (2023). podcasts in efl: the views of preservice teachers. european journal of english language teaching, 8(3), 134-158. doi: 10.46827/ejel.v8i3.4902. dyhrkopp, c. (2021). technology use in education by students and teachers. master’s theses and capstone projects. 1 – 32. https://nwcommons.nwciowa.edu/education_ma sters enriquez, i. g., cutuli, m. s., & caceres, o. i. m. (2023). enhancing collaborative learning in higher education through podcast production: an experiential approach with anthropology and tourism students. educ. sci, 13(898), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/ educsci13090898. ferdiansyah, s., humairoh, m. f. n., royani, a., & marsitoh, r. s. (2023). incorporating cultural content into english language learning through collaborative podcast series project. on the horizon: the international journal of learning futures, 31(2), 123-130. ferrer, i., lorenzetti, l., & shaw, j. (2020). podcasting for social justice: exploring the potential of experiential and transformative teaching and learning through social work podcasts. social work education, 39(7), 849-865. gaston, j. p., & havard, b. (2024). collaborative video production and middle school student collaboration, engagement, and interest. journal of research on technology in education, 1-19. haleem, a., javaid, m., qadri, m. a., & suman, r. (2022). understanding the role of digital technologies in education: a review. sustainable operations and computers, 3, 275-285. hall, n. m., & jones, j. m. (2023). student-produced podcasts as a teaching and learning tool. american journal of distance education, 37(1), 53-65. hitchcock, l. i., sage, t., lynch, m., & sage, m. (2021). podcasting as a pedagogical tool for experiential learning in social work education. journal of teaching in social work, 41(2), 172–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2021.189792 3 izzati, r. f., wardani, e., & asriyama, w. f. (2024). the effect of dynamic assessment towards https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2021.1897923 https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2021.1897923 rita inderawati crafting a survey instrument for educational podcasts: integrating technology in english language teaching enhancement 762 students' vocabulary mastery in podcast final project. lead (language, education and development), 3(1), 24-34. jie, z., & sunze, y. (2023). investigating pedagogical challenges of mobile technology to english teaching. interactive learning environments, 31(5), 2767-2779. kiernan, m. a., mitchell, b. g., & russo, f. l. (2023). the power of podcasts: exploring the endless possibilities of audio education and information in medicine, healthcare epidemiology, and antimicrobial stewardship. antimicrobial stewardship and healthcare epidemiology, 3(98), 1–3. doi:10.1017/ash.2023.178 kieu, v. l., anh, d. t., tran, p. d. b., nga, v. t. t., ho, p. v.p. (2021). the effectiveness of using technology in learning english. asiacall online journal, 12(2), 24-40. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/34911 3280. killean, r., & summerville, r. (2020). creative podcasting as a tool for legal knowledge and skills development. the law teacher, 54(1), 3142. korucu-kis, s., & sanal, f. (2020). bridging in-class and out-of-class learning through podcastintertwined collaborative tasks to reduce efl speaking anxiety among higher proficiency learners. international online journal of education and teaching, 7(2), 636-653. lazareva, a., & tømte, c. e. (2024). flexible learning spaces as an arena for developing professional digital competence through small group collaboration. teachers and teaching, 1-20. mdhlalose, d., & mlambo, g. (2023). integration of technology in education and its impact on learning and teaching. asian journal of education and social studies, 47(2), 54 – 63. doi: 10.9734/ajess/2023/v47i21021. miles, m. b., huberman, a. m., & saldaña, j. (2014). qualitative data analysis: a methods sourcebook. sage publications. mutua, d. k., ong’onda, a. n., & oketch, o. (2024). computer and mobile assisted language learning: use of podcasts and digital storytelling in development of speaking skills in upper primary. european journal of science, innovation and technology, 4(1), 216-229. navacikova, d. (2021). podcast as a (re)discovered genre and dynamically developed media convergence example. proceedings of iceri2021 conference, 9373-9377. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/35643 4197 navrouzoglou, p., kushwah, l., & selvaretnam, g. (2024). using a group podcast and policy brief in an economics undergraduate course to enhance sustainability literacy, communication and teamwork skills. in sustainability in business education, research and practices (pp. 41-62). cham: springer nature switzerland. nigmatullina, a. s. (2019). the benefits of listening to podcasts. scientific and technical journal of namangan institute of engineering and technology, 1(8), 1-4. https://namdu.researchcommons.org/journal/vol 1/iss8/71. nishio, t., fujikake, c., & osawa, m. (2020). language learning motivation in collaborative online international learning: an activity theory analysis. journal of virtual exchange, 3, 27-47. pena, i. a., & cassany, d. (2024). student podcasting for foreign language teaching-learning at university. journal of technology and science education, 14(1), 123 – 141. https://doi.org/10.3926/jotse.2509. peng, m. y. p., xu, y., & xu, c. (2023). enhancing students’ english language learning via mlearning: integrating technology acceptance model and sor model. heliyon, 9(2). ramirez, m. g. (2024). the use of podcasts for language learning: a systematic review of literature. international journal of english language studies, 6(1), 47-53. rusmiyanto, r., huriati, n., fitriani, n., tyas, n. k., rofi’i, a., & sari, m. n. (2023). the role of artificial intelligence (ai) in developing english language learner's communication skills. journal on education, 6(1), 750-757. saeedakhtar, a., haqju, r., & rouhi, a. (2021). the impact of collaborative listening to podcasts on high school learners’ listening comprehension and vocabulary learning. system, 101, 102588. shadiev, r., & yang, m. (2020). review of studies on technology-enhanced language learning and teaching. sustainability, 12(2), 524. shahid, c., gurmani, m. t., rehman, s. u., & saif, l. (2023). the role of technology in english language learning in online classes at tertiary level. journal of social sciences review, 3(2), 232-247. singer, j. b. (2019). podcasting as social scholarship: a tool to increase the public impact of scholarship and research. journal of the society for social work and research, 10(4), 571–590. https://doi.org/10.1086/706600. sotlikova, r., & haerazi. (2023). students’ perceptions towards the use of podcasts in efl classroom: a case study at a university of uzbekistan. journal of languages and language teaching, 11(3), 461-474. doi: https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v%vi%i.8172. suseno, e. (2024). using podcast material to modify foreign words and expressions to improve efl learners’ speaking abilities. linguistics initiative, 4(1), 16-29. szymkowiak, a., melović, b., dabić, m., jeganathan, k., & kundi, g. s. (2021). information technology and gen z: the role of teachers, the https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349113280 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349113280 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356434197 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356434197 https://namdu.researchcommons.org/journal/vol1/iss8/71 https://namdu.researchcommons.org/journal/vol1/iss8/71 https://doi.org/10.3926/jotse.2509 https://doi.org/10.1086/706600 https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v%25vi%25i.8172 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 763 internet, and technology in the education of young people. technology in society, 65, 101565. toshpulatova, m., & ilhomjonova, r. (2023). teaching and learning english through digital technology. engineering problems and innovations. vainieri, i., thackeray, l., hillman, s., perez, a., roberts , r. & panagiotopoulou, e. (2023). evaluating podcasts as a science communication assessment for postgraduate students, innovations in education and teaching international, doi: 10.1080/14703297.2023.2267047 wang, t., lund, b. d., marengo, a., pagano, a., mannuru, n. r., teel, z. a., & pange, j. (2023). exploring the potential impact of artificial intelligence (ai) on international students in higher education: generative ai, chatbots, analytics, and international student success. applied sciences, 13(11), 6716. yeh, h. c., chang, w. y., chen, h. y., & heng, l. (2021). effects of podcast-making on college students’ english speaking skills in higher education. educational technology research and development, 69, 2845-2867. zhang, w. (2022). the role of technology-based education and teacher professional development in english as a foreign language classes. frontiers in psychology, 13, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.910315. zheng, y. (2024). the application of cooperative learning theory in college english reading teaching. international journal of mathematics and systems science, 102-114. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.910315 rita inderawati crafting a survey instrument for educational podcasts: integrating technology in english language teaching enhancement 764 english student perception about the effectiveness of online tutor learning in distance education english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 713 exploring multimodal approaches in storytelling for literacy development: a systematic literature review asnita sirait1, wawan gunawan2, thomson radesman lingga3, yusuf siswantara4, ida lisdawati5 1,2linguistics study program, postgraduate school, universitas pendidikan indonesia, 1faculty of teacher training and education, universitas katolik parahyangan indonesia, 3faculty of social communication, universitas kebangsaan republik indonesia, indonesia 4faculty of philoshophy, universitas katolik parahyangan, indonesia 5faculty of language education, ikip siliwangi corresponding author: asnita.sirait@upi.edu apa citation: sirait, a., gunawan, w., lingga, t. r., siswantara, y., & lisdawati, i. (2025). exploring received: 28-02-2025 accepted: 27-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 introduction improving students’ literacy has become one of main attentions of educational institution worldwide. in line with the educational objective in literacy, there are various strategies done to enhance students’ ability, like peer-assisted sharing of online english news to improve l2 learners’ literacy and global competence (gong (2023) and developing student champion scheme (scs) in national institute for health and care excellence (nice) to deliver digital literacy among midwifery students (terry, davies, williams, tait & condon, 2019). as technology advances, literacy is no longer confined to traditional textual forms, but to breakthrough in digitalization. students are exposed to more advanced, multiple, and multimodal literacy landscapes by digital tools like computer, laptop, television, and other smart digital devices. the students are expected to be able to use a wide variety of innovative, digital, and technological world surrounded by a variety of semiotic resources. therefore, a lot of efforts have been done by educational institutions to improve abstract: improving students’ literacy has drawn various scholars’ attention as technology advances. this systematic literature review aims at investigating and synthesizing how multimodal approach is applied in the teaching of storytelling to improving students’ literacy. this study focuses on several aspects of multimodal applied in storytelling, such as components, media, objectives, skills improved, linguistic theories, and the complexity of the applied approach across different level of education. there are 71 articles collected to make a synthesis of storytelling which are published in range of 2017 to 2023. the selected articles are then compressed to 33 for articles based on the criteria of inclusion and exclusion. the study finds that the use of multimodal literacies in different level of study vary in the modes and media. in early educations, multimodal storytelling approach uses simpler components like audio and visual components but less digital tools. in the primary to secondary education, the combination of audio, visual and digital tool is balanced, while in higher to university education, multimodal approach is more complex with the combination of digital storytelling with linguistic theories such as mda, social semiotics, and structural semiotics. this study is expected to provide other researchers or teachers a guideline of designing multimodal approach in storytelling classroom more deeply. by categorizing multimodal storytelling practices across educational level, this study offers practical guidance for educators to tailor their approaches to students’ developmental needs in literacy skills through storytelling and the selection of appropriate tools and techniques for diverse educational needs. keywords: multimodal, literacy, storytelling, teaching, systematic literature review multimodal approaches in storytelling for literacy development: a systematic literature review. english review: journal of english education. (13)(2), 713-722. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11845 mailto:asnita.sirait@upi.edu asnita sirait, wawan gunawan, thomson radesman lingga, yusuf siswantara, ida lisdawati exploring multimodal approaches in storytelling for literacy development: a systematic literature review 714 students’ literacy with technology advancement in classroom setting (debreli, & altıntuğ, 2017). in the digital era, students develop literacy by understanding the organization and display of information through multiple modes of communication and the ways these different modes cooperate in the creation of meanings (petit, e. (2020). besides considering the tools and media, improving literacy can also be done through some techniques, one of them is storytelling. storytelling is an activity to tell a story or information from one generation to the next generation (mcdrury & alterio in satriani, 2019). storytelling develops from oral to digital form due to technology with different and various modes. but do the sophistications of technology also impact on the students across level of education? are the same technology tools also applied in early education and higher educations? this study aims to investigate the use of storytelling multimodal approach in education and how multimodal literacy differs across the educational level in classroom setting. this systematic literature review (slr) is conducted to see the perspectives of various scholar towards an issue in order to find synthesis research of specific issue (du (2021; lim, toh, & nguyen, 2022; nair & yunus, 2021 and linnenluecke, marrone, & singh, 2020). this study then focuses on the use multimodality in storytelling which highlights the objective, the mode, the aspects the procedure, the benefits, and the skilled targeted in educational setting. several previous studies have been conducted to synthesize the use of multimodality in storytelling. the first study is conducted by du (2021) which examined the modalities, pedagogies, benefits, and the implications of storytelling in early childhood education classroom. this study highlighted the potential advantages of storytelling in early education. wu & chen (2020) explored digital storytelling across different level of educations which identified eight outcomes; appropriative, cognitive, conceptual, academic, technological, linguistics, ontological, and social. from her study, satriani (2019) found that storytelling can enhance students’ literacy skill, including reading, writing, and vocabulary development. other relevant studies also focused more on digital storytelling (quah & ng, 2022; urbieta, & peñalver, 2021; nair & yunus, 2021). while past studies have identified benefits and outcomes, there has been limited exploration of the degree of complexity of multimodal application and linguistic theories used in different educational level and. to address the gap, this study seeks to investigate how multimodal approach are used at classroom setting though these three research problems (1) what multimodal approach is employed in the teaching of storytelling across level of education? (2) what linguistic theories of multimodality are applied? (3) how is the degree of complexity of multimodal approach in the teaching of storytelling across level of education? by focusing on these three research questions, the study aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the use of multimodality in storytelling, both conventional and digital tools, and its implication for literacy educations. technology plays a big role in the development of multimodality. multimodality is the use of various modes in communication in a text, such as verbal and visual modes, to produce meaning. multimodality is the application of multiple semiotic modes which trigger interactions in a sociocultural field, resulting in semiotic artifacts and events (kress and van leeuwen (2001). multimodal literacy is about the way people or students are able to entice well with text with various modes by being able to grasp the meanings, understand the message critically and being able to create multimodal artefact. in students’ case, to engage righteously with multimodal texts which means that they have to be involve the comprehension of text meaning cohesively and the affordances of the different meaning-making resources (lim, toh, & nguyen, 2022). multimodality in storytelling can be said to be multimodal because storytellers use various modes including verbal and non-verbal modes like vocal features as their main means of communication. during storytelling, there must be active interaction therefore, multimodality and multisensory discourse resources (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch will be important aspects of co-participatory multimodal storytelling (boivin, n. (2021; shelton, sheffield, & chisholm, 2020). as technology advance, storytelling also changes to the mode and aspect given. storytelling is one of ways to improve students’ literacy. hamilton & weiss (2005) stated that storytelling is a powerful way to inherit cultural histories, conventions, linguistic legacies and social values to children. mccabe and bliss (2003) stated storytelling is a strong way to naturally expose characters and values to stimulate their imagination from the real world. storytelling develops in line with the sophistication of technology. digital storytelling or dst is english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 715 nowadays sporadically used in classroom education. shen, x., shen, x., & peng, j. e. (2023) stated that dst refers to ‘a distinct nonlinear narrative genre that exploit the advance of technology with its sophistication to produce multiple modes text consisting visual and verbal codes (in vinogradova et al., 2011: 175). dst involves social hones of basically locks in meaning with multimodal and multisemiotic assets (e.g. printed, visual, spatial, and aural) encouraged by computerized innovations grounded on a social semiotic viewpoint (gee, 2012). research keeps advancing to accommodate and to align with the rapid development of education. to facilitate the education improvement, research methodologies effort to balance with the need of the students and institutions in accordance to the era of technology development. this study focuses on a systematic literature review on the use multimodal approach in the teaching of storytelling across level of education. systematic literature review is a research method that is conducted to investigate scientific literature of completed and published research to gather existing knowledge and research finding to reform potential new research. this systematic literature study also aims at finding new gaps for further research to develop and innovate. there are some previous studies that have been conducted related to systematic literature review in educational setting. the first study was conducted by lim, toh, & nguyen (2022) in their study, they investigated articles published from 2010 to 2021 which focused on the education for primary and secondary english classroom. this objective of the study was to investigate and synthesize scholars’ views on the use of multimodality in classroom setting or the study found that there are five thematic of discussion, engagement with multimodal writings from student's lifeworld, 2) basic, inventive, and socially responsive multimodal pedagogies, 3) express instructing of multimodal education, 4) consideration on influence in multimodal learning, and 5) concerns over multimodal appraisal. the second previous slr was conducted in the classroom by du (2021) which aimed to investigate and synthesize several aspects of storytelling in the reviewed research articles to prove syntheses and potential insights for early childhood teachers. the other objective of this research is to find out different forms of storytelling in early childhood educators, types of pedagogies in the storytelling, the benefit of storytelling to children, and the implication of storytelling that can be adopted by educators or teachers in teaching storytelling to their students. this research found that storytelling improves students’ engagement and interest in narrative, reading, and purposive writing. this study also emphasized that storytelling potentially improves students’ literacy skills. the third study was conducted by nair & yunus (2021) which focused on how dst (digital story telling) improves speaking skills through the use of technological development. they analyzed 45 articles from google scholar and erict. this study discovered that teachers at all educational levels, from primary to higher education, can benefit from using digital storytelling as a helpful technique to help students' speaking abilities. the three previous research have shown the benefits of storytelling in education started from early ages to primary and secondary education, but not higher level of education. the previous study conducted by nair & yunus (2021) has also proven storytelling improves specific skill that is speaking skills. the three previous studies would be used as the guidance for the current systematic literature review as well as the direction of the research gap of the current study. this study would focus to three objectives; the first place is to investigate how multimodal approach applied in storytelling across level of education started from early, primary, secondary, higher, and university level. these levels are then categorized into three scopes; early education, primary to secondary level, and higher to university level of education. this categorization induces by the specification of participants of the selected articles that categorize the participants based on ages. in the second place, the current study is to find out linguistic theories of multimodality used in the teaching of storytelling across level of education. in this phase, theories in teaching story telling would be elaborated to find the most used theories. and in the third objective, this research would map the complexity of multimodal approach in the implementation of teaching storytelling including the theories, the modes, and also the research procedures. method this study applies systematic literature review which focuses on the application of multimodal approach in the teaching of storytelling in classroom including the objective, the asnita sirait, wawan gunawan, thomson radesman lingga, yusuf siswantara, ida lisdawati exploring multimodal approaches in storytelling for literacy development: a systematic literature review 716 components, tools, and theories of multimodality in storytelling. the following procedures show how the data were collected to accomplish the objective of the study. phase 1: identification phase. in this phase, relevant articles were identified and categorized to meet the criteria of conducted systematic literature review. previous terms of exclusion and inclusion have been set before the selection. the database used to gain the data was google scholar. the range of article publication was 2017 to 2023 which was about five year-publication. to find relevant articles, some keywords were used. phase 2: screening phase. this phase included steps to filter the relevance of articles requirement. from identification to screening took place about 6 weeks. screening is used to make sure that the articles meet the inclusion criteria with four keywords; multimodal approach in storytelling, multimodality in storytelling across level of education, multimodal approach in storytelling in early, primary, secondary, higher, and university education from google scholar with 71 articles selected. phase 3: eligibility phase. eligibility phase is applied to review the articles quality and objectivity. table 1: inclusion and exclusion article criteria inclusion criteria exclusion criteria multimodality in storytelling book, inaccessible articles, articles with systematic literature review multimodal literacy through storytelling in classroom setting multimodal literacy which is not used in storytelling multimodal literacy across level of education year publication prior to 2017 the exclusion of books and inaccessible articles is due to the unretrievable for analysis that impacts on transparency and replicability. furthermore, this study focused on multimodal approach in teaching storytelling which means that including studies that are not related to multimodal storytelling would broaden the score beyond the intended focus resulting on the difficulty to generate targeted insights about how storytelling is taught using multimodal approach. to ensure that the research is based on the recent and relevant findings, articles before 2017 are not included as some might not captured the latest trends or tools. the phase of doing the research can be seen in the following chart. figure 1: prisma diagram flow the diagram flow shows the procedure of finding the data. from the chart, it can be seen that the final total of the articles selected is 33 data which varies from early education to university education. the data would then be elaborated to answer the objective of the research. results and discussion this section focuses on to find out the application of multimodal literacy is used in storytelling across level of education. the application can mean the components, media, benefits, skills improved, theories and other relevant components used in improving students’ literacy. figure 2. the distribution of multimodal approach english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 717 in storytelling based on year of article publication based on the chart, it can be seen that the most frequent publication is in 2021 with 7 publicized articles similar to 2019 with 7 articles. this might due is due to the pandemic that required students to study at home-classroom setting. this condition motivated the teachers or educators to use more modalities while giving materials to the students. other possible high use of multimodal approach in storytelling in 2019 is due to technology improvement that need students to be connected to more modalities rather than monomodality in classroom teaching. reyes, portalés, and torres (2021) stated that the covid-19 pandemic has forced education to become more monolingual, top-down hegemony, or a vision of diversity and inclusion that does not foster communication, multiliteracies, and multilingualism. this is also supported by meletiadou (2022) that to increase students and teachers’ interaction, there is an increasing need to support all students especially in providing training and technical support. while lower studies in 2023 than those in 2019 and 2023 is because 2023 has only been in few months, and seeing the tendency, the studies might get more frequent. figure 3. the publication distribution of multimodal approach in storytelling across education level the publicized articles also differ in total based on the level of education. there are 6 or 18% articles found to discuss in early education, 10 or 29% articles in primary to secondary articles, and 18 articles discussed about storytelling in higher to university level of education. the diagram showed that the lowest rate of multimodal approach publications is in early education. this can be because that in this level, the students have to be accompanied by the elder due to the limitation of their ability in reading and writing. in their research, early learners are accompanied by older people like teacher, parents and elder people (boivin (2021), powell (2021) boivin (2021). figure 4. research distribution based on countries as seen in the above chart that the country distribution for the three level of education is different. the most dominant publication is found in usa with 13 papers or 41% publications are found from usa with the distribution 3 in early education, 6 for primary to secondary, and 4 for higher to university level. in the second place, indonesia is 10% with 3 publications taking place in higher to university level. two papers or about 2,6% publication is equally found in finland, korea, london, and greece. in italy, turkey, french, and taiwan is found one publication or 1,3% publication in each country. one paper didn’t clearly mention where the research was conducted. seeing from the continents of asia, africa, america, antarctica, europe, and australia, the paper publications aren’t found from africa, antarctica, and australia. multimodal approach in the teaching of storytelling across level of education early education is conducted from early ages of kids. in their study, cekaite and willen (2018) investigated young children of early ages in their preschool for 1to 3.5-year-olds or in preschool years of education. there are seven articles analyzed here to find out the modes, media, benefits, skills improved, and other relevant components used in improving students’ literacy. the participants of the research ranging from preschool students and kindergarten students aged 37 years old. the skill targeted for early ages are narrative writing skill and literacy improvement. the other facts found that storytelling can be used to transmigrant children to overcome the complex worlds of children in immigrant families and their cultural, social and linguistic practices (nettie, 2021 & richards, 2017 and heo, 2021). the use multimodal in this form of multiliteracy storytelling helps the students to communicate through drawing and pictures. the research found that the seven articles asnita sirait, wawan gunawan, thomson radesman lingga, yusuf siswantara, ida lisdawati exploring multimodal approaches in storytelling for literacy development: a systematic literature review 718 which talked about storytelling and multimodal literacy showed various form of multimodal components. from seven articles, there is only found one study which use dst in early education (eisazadeh & rajendram, 2020). frequent components can be seen in the use of drawings and photos (zollo, 2019; richards, 2017; kim 2017; boivin, 2021, hembrough, 2019). the audio visuals are also included like video-taped, video recording (boivin, 2021; kim, 2017). the art is also flavored the use of multimodal components such as coloring, finger painting, dance, music, theatre, mime, and puppetry (eisazadeh & rajendram, 2020, and bovin 2021). this means that the components used are various in supporting students’ literacy. in the second level of education, from nine articles selected, there are diverse components of multimodal used in storytelling. in this level, the components of multimodal have the tendency to apply technological advancement through the combinations of digital tools and images, videos, and sound. the application of computer dominates the components; they are sound picture books, a program of sci-fi narratives, pixton comic, computing and literacy education, and digital stories named storyboard (smith, shen, & jiang, 2019; whyte, ainsworth, & medwell, 2020; johnson & kendrick, 2017; normann, 2021; and reyes-torres et al, 2021). besides the application of digital tools, the components of multimodal used in the primary to secondary also apply images, sounds, video, and action (ferdiansyah, 2018 and koelzer, 2017; har, mohamad, & jamal, 2019). the targeted skills in this level focus on speaking skill as said in naujok (2023) that through the use of multimodal in storytelling, the students are able to participate in the storytelling despite limited understanding of new words. the benefit of storytelling is also seen in science storytelling (smith, shen, & jiang, 2019, 2020) that storytelling with multimodality offers powerful opportunities for problem solving, collaboration, and identity expression. in their study, readers are encouraged to apply multimodal sci-fi narratives in their classrooms in order to improve students’ creativity in solving problem by finding solution through the miniature of sci-fi narrative writing. eisazadeh & rajendram (2020) found that some learners may take advantage of the use of oral storytelling through audio animation in digital stories, while others prefer traditional print texts and other formats. in combination, they say they have the potential to develop both traditional and new literacy skills. linguistic theories of multimodality used in the teaching of storytelling the second focus of the study is to find out the trend of linguistic theories in the application of multimodal approach in the teaching of storytelling. there are some theories used that related to linguistics while others focus on the interaction of between the class participations among the learners, the teachers, or the instructor. in the first place is the use of kress and gunther (2009) multimodal theories combined with a palette of digitals tools to enhance learners’ stories with diverse mode in a participatory observation (eisazadeh & rajendram, 2020), then the use of vygotskian sociocultural lenses with multimodality (richards, 2017). another theory of linguistics is also used by powell using discourse analysis and a multimodality theoretical lens in a qualitative study combined with ethnographic methods as well as participant observation. the social semiotic theory of multimodality is used by kim, 2017 while boivin (2021) used mda guided framework pecorini and duplaa (2017). figure 4. linguistic theories of multimodality used in the teaching of storytelling the above table show the types and modifications of multimodal approach using linguistic theories. the most frequent linguistic theory is multimodal theory which is proposed by kress, kress and jewitt, kress and leeuween (2001, 2010, 2012). the next is multimodal social semiotic theories in 3 times frequencies. the other research focused more on the class observation, collaborative project-based learning, case study, and a design-based research approach (charles, 2018; boivin, n. 2021, smith, shen, & jang, 2019). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 719 complexity of multimodal approach in the teaching of storytelling across level of education different level of education shows certain complexity. in the early education, the complexity is less seen in the combination of sophisticated tools of digital storytelling. the most used is visual, text and aural or audiovisual. the is only one paper which discussed about the use of digital storytelling in early education (eisazadeh & rajendram, 2020). in this study, digital storytelling is used improve children’s narrative writing skills in a small-scale qualitative case study: two children (six-year-olds) in grade one. the complexity of the media might be simple here; however, the complex procedure can be seen in the implementation of the study with the participants. the participants are involved elder people, co-teachers and the students, and elder storytellers and the students. this might be because the dependency of the students to the literacy to the older people. in the primary and the elementary education. the complexity is seen from the combination of linguistic theories with the other discipline, the design of the research, and the combination of tools of digital storytelling. from ten paper, there are half of the total publications or 5 studies out of ten use digital storytelling, while five other papers discussed about the use of text, visual, audio, and gesture (barreto, j. m. (2021). in higher to university education, the complexity of the approach is seen through the use of digital tools, audio and visual modality (aşık, 2023; liang, 2019; meletiadou, 2022; fu, yang & yeh, 2022; korosidou, 2019; zuhriyah, 2023; sultana & turner, 2021; liontas & mannion, 2021; fitri, husnawadi & harianingsih, 2021) the technological tools applied in the digital storytelling are toontastic, storyboardthat, website of app.bookcreator.com, and another digital video. most of the storytelling apply dst (digital storytelling). the complexity of the application of multimodal approach occurs due to the linguistic theories applied such as mda, social semiotics, and structural semiotics. table 2. the complexity of multimodal components and digital tools across education level linguistic theories kress’s, kress and van leeuwen multimodality (2001) (2010), (2016) 4 discourse analysis and multimodality 1 multimodal social-semiotic theory 3 multimodal discourse guided framework pecorini and duplaa 1 multimodal narrative discourse analysis (mnda) 1 semiotic, jewitt 2009, kress 2009 1 multimodal digital storytelling 1 pink’s visual semiotic and kress’ multimodality 1 jewit’s semiotic (2006) 1 content analysis (cullum-swan & manning, 1994 1 the chart shows the complexity of multimodal components used in storytelling and the tools that is digital storytelling applications. in the early educations, from 5 paper, there is only one research aided by digital tools or called digital storytelling (dst). in the next level of primary to secondary study, the use of digital tools in storytelling increases to more than half of the total papers. there are 6 articles using digital storytelling and five articles use multimodal components with audio, visual, and text. in the next level of education if higher to university level, there are found 15 digital storytelling while there are only two papers highlight about the use of multimodal approach without digital tools. the high use of digital tools of storytelling in higher schools and university level is due to the independency of students in learning process and the high contact of technology. puspitasari (2018) states that when learning english, dst not only helps students learn monomodal skills such as listening, speaking, writing, and reading in a single way; but it has been proven to be useful when learning to use all the skills in an integrated way. in the primary to elementary school, the students start to engage with technological tools but with high control of parents. this is why this level, the tendency of using digital tools almost takes the same place to the conventional multimodal modes or component. in the early education, the use of the digital media is very limited due to their dependency of older people’s protection of children’s exposure to digital media. conclusion multimodal approach is significant to be used in teaching storytelling across level of education which starts from early, primary to secondary, and higher to university level. this systematic literature review’s objective is to investigate and synthesize how multimodal approach is used in the teaching of storytelling. there are 71 articles collected to make a synthesis of storytelling which are published in range of 2017 to 2023. the asnita sirait, wawan gunawan, thomson radesman lingga, yusuf siswantara, ida lisdawati exploring multimodal approaches in storytelling for literacy development: a systematic literature review 720 selected articles are then made to narrow selection to 33 for articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. the result of the study showed that the use of multimodal literacies in different level of study different in the components and media used. in early educations, multimodal approach in storytelling uses simpler components of multimodal like audio and visual components, less digital application. in the primary to secondary education, the combination of audio, visual and digital tool is balanced, on the other hand higher to university education applied more complex combination of digital storytelling with linguistic theories such as mda, social semiotics, and structural semiotics. this study offers insights about how multimodal approach is conducted in different level of education, the component used and the trend of combination between media and digital tools for primary to university level. the less use of digital tool of multimodality in early education might be due to the limited access to the technology and the need of companion from older people. this research could be applied as valuable guidance in designing age-appropriate storytelling tools, moods, and media and also descriptions of how educators could effectively use multimodal approaches across educational levels. this study identifies a gap in the accessibility and implementation of digital tools in early education. further research could investigate how to bridge these gaps to ensure equitable access to multimodal storytelling. in addition, this research focuses on storytelling, future research could investigate how this approach enhances language skills. at last, this current study limited to the use of multimodal approach across level of education with 33 articles reviewed. further studies need deeper research about multimodal approach in more robust foundation for advancing both research and practice in the field of multimodal literacy and storytelling. references aşık, a. (2023). digital storytelling: an alternative method and a multimodal task to improve writing skill of english language learners. in new directions in technology for writing instruction (pp. 69-80). cham: springer international publishing. barreto, j. m. (2021). “be valiente”: investigating ethnic identity through digital storytelling with latinx fourth-grade students (doctoral dissertation, university of south florida). boivin, n. (2021). co-participatory multimodal intergenerational storytelling: preschool children’s relationship with modality creating elder inclusion. journal of early childhood literacy, 14687984211012055. boivin, n. (2021). transmigrant and immigrant preschool visual response to intergenerational multimodal storytelling. edukacja międzykulturowa, 14. cekaite, a., & björk-willén, p. (2018). enchantment in storytelling: co-operation and participation in children's aesthetic experience. linguistics and education, 48, 52-60. charles, v. m. (2018). i'll tell the story my way! multi-perspective, multimodal storytelling in an elementary classroom. debreli, e., & altıntuğ, f. a. (2017). fostering creative and critical literacy skills in children’s multimodal literacy practices. başkent university journal of education, 4(2), 99-107 du, x. (2021). a systematic literature review: the modalities, pedagogies, benefits, and implications of storytelling approaches in early childhood education classroom. eisazadeh, n., & rajendram, s. (2020). supporting young learners through a multimodal digital storytelling activity. journal of early childhood education research, 9(1), 76-98. ferdiansyah, s. (2018). collaborative narrative writing: a digital photography task in an indonesian islamic secondary school. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 8(2), 303-315. fitri, h. a., husnawadi, h., & harianingsih, i. (2021). implementing digital storytelling-based tasks for the teaching of narrative writing skills. edulangue, 4(2), 168-190. fu, j. s., yang, s. h., & yeh, h. c. (2022). exploring the impacts of digital storytelling on english as a foreign language learners’ speaking competence. journal of research on technology in education, 54(5), 679-694. gee jp (2012) social linguistics and literacies: ideology in discourse. 2nd ed. falmer. gong, w. (2023). enhancing esl learner’s literacy by peer-assisted learning strategy of online english news. frontiers in psychology, 14, 1172099. hamilton, m., & weiss, m. (2005). children tell stories: teaching and using storytelling in the classroom. richard c owen pub. har, a. l. c., mohamad, j. z. a., & jamal, s. s. (2019). the benefits and drawbacks of using tablet-based digital storytelling in vocabulary learning among malaysian young english as a second language (esl) learners. asia pacific journal of educators and education, 34, 17-47. hembrough, t. (2019). rural and native american students’ utilization of autobiographical comic strips to explore their identities through digital storytelling in the multimodal writing classroom. the journal of multimodal rhetorics, 115. jewitt, c., & kress, g. (2010). multimodality, literacy english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 721 and school english. the routledge international handbook of english, language and literacy teaching (pp. 342-352). routledge. johnson, l., & kendrick, m. (2017). “impossible is nothing”: expressing difficult knowledge through digital storytelling. journal of adolescent & adult literacy, 60(6), 667-675. heo, s. (2021). karen refugee-background students’ exploration of linguistic and cultural identities through multimodal creative artwork. journal of the national council of less commonly taught languages, 31, 177-267. kim, k., & kim, k. (2017). multimodal play–literacy: a preschooler’s storytelling, drawing, and performing of dinosaur extinction theories. early child development and care, 187(3-4), 568-582. korosidou, e., & bratitsis, t. (2019). infusing multimodal tools and digital storytelling in developing vocabulary and intercultural communicative awareness of young efl learners. in games and learning alliance: 8th international conference, gala 2019, athens, greece, november 27–29, 2019, proceedings 8 (pp. 191-200). springer international publishing. koelzer, m. l. (2017). is it just" very fun?" or does it actually help?: digital storytelling in l2 academic writing (doctoral dissertation, the university of texas at san antonio). kress, g. (2010). multimodality: a social semiotic approach to contemporary communication. routledge. kress, g., & selander, s. (2012). multimodal design, learning and cultures of recognition. the internet and higher education, 15(4), 265-268. kress, g. (2009). “what is a mode?” in jewitt (ed.) the routledge handbook of multimodal analysis, london: routledge, pp. 54-67. kress, g. & van leeuwen, t. (2001). multimodal discourse: the modes and media of contemporary communication. edward arnold. liang, m. y. (2019). beyond eocution: multimodal narrative discourse analysis of l2 storytelling. recall, 31(1), 56-74. lim, f. v., toh, w., & nguyen, t. t. h. (2022). multimodality in the english language classroom: a systematic review of literature. linguistics and education, 69, 101048. linnenluecke, m. k., marrone, m., & singh, a. k. (2020). conducting systematic literature reviews and bibliometric analyses. australian journal of management, 45(2), 175-194. liontas, j. i., & mannion, p. (2021). voices heard, voices seen: from classroom praxis to digital stories worth sharing. iranian journal of language teaching research, 9(2), 73-84. mccabe, a., & bliss, l. s. (2003). patterns of narrative discourse: a multicultural, life span approach. allyn & bacon meletiadou, e. (2022). using educational digital storytelling to enhance multilingual students’ writing skills in higher education. iafor journal of education, 10(2), 111-130. nair, v., & yunus, m. m. (2021). a systematic review of digital storytelling in improving speaking skills. sustainability, 13(17), 9829. naujok, n. (2023). participation in storytelling settings. multimodality in multilingual contexts. zeitschrift für interkulturellen fremdsprachenunterricht, 28(1). normann, a. (2021). multimodal text making through digital storytelling: eal student teachers' reflections. in multimodality in english language learning (pp. 190-203). routledge. petit, e. (2020). digital storytelling for developing students’ agency through the process of design. language learning and professionalization in higher education: pathways to preparing learners and teachers in/for the 21st century, 137. powell, c. w. (2021). show, don't tell: multimodal story feedback in a k–1 play-based writing unit. teachers college record, 123(3), 1-24. puspitasari, d. (2018). the use of digital storytelling (dst) to help students in learning multimodal writing. leksika: jurnal bahasa, sastra dan pengajarannya, 12(2), 66-71. quah, c. y., & ng, k. h. (2022). a systematic literature review on digital storytelling authoring tool in education: january 2010 to january 2020. international journal of human–computer interaction, 38(9), 851-867. reyes-torres, a., portalés-raga, m., & torres-mañá, c. (2021). the potential of sound picturebooks as multimodal narratives: developing students’ multiliteracies in primary education. aila review, 34(2), 300-324. richards, r. d. (2017). young children’s drawings and storytelling: multimodal transformations that help to mediate complex sociocultural worlds. multimodal perspectives of language, literacy, and learning in early childhood: the creative and critical" art" of making meaning, 127-147. satriani, i. (2019). storytelling in teaching literacy: benefits and challenges. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 113-120. 10.25134/erjee.v8i1.1924. shelton, a. l., sheffield, c. c., & chisholm, j. s. (2020). from image to inference: three eighth grade students’ meaning making with informational history-themed graphic novel. social studies teaching and learning, 1(1), 1842. shen, x., shen, x., & peng, j. e. (2023). digital storytelling: a literacy-building tool to promote willingness to communicate in a second language. relc journal, 00336882231157461. asnita sirait, wawan gunawan, thomson radesman lingga, yusuf siswantara, ida lisdawati exploring multimodal approaches in storytelling for literacy development: a systematic literature review 722 smith, b. e., shen, j., & jiang, s. (2019). the science of storytelling: middle schoolers engaging with socioscientific issues through multimodal science fictions. voices from the middle, 26(4). sultana, s., & turner, k. n. (2021). development of literacies through multimodal writing in l2 classrooms: challenges and prospects for teachers. multimodal composing in k-16 esl and efl education: multilingual perspectives, 163-178. terry, j., davies, a., williams, c., tait, s., & condon, l. (2019). improving the digital literacy competence of nursing and midwifery students: a qualitative study of the experiences of nice student champions. nurse education in practice, 34, 192-198. urbieta, a. s., & peñalver, e. a. (2021). multimodal discourse in digital storytelling: an assessment tool proposal. computer assisted language learning electronic journal, 22(2), 14-25. vinogradova, p., linville, h. a., & bickel, b. (2011). “listen to my story and you will know me”: digital stories as student‐centered collaborative projects. tesol journal, 2(2), 173-202. whyte, r., ainsworth, s., & medwell, j. (2020). designing multimodal composition activities for integrated k-5 programming and storytelling. literacy. international journal of language studies, 13(4). wu, j., & chen, d. t. v. (2020). a systematic review of educational digital storytelling. computers & education, 147, 103786. zollo, s. a. (2019). experimenting transmodal storytelling in efl classrooms to enhance zuhriyah, m. (2023). students’ perceptions on a multimodal digital storytelling book use in a writing class during covid-19 pandemic. eltall: english language teaching, applied linguistic and literature, 4(1), 1-10. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 145 cultural responsiveness and digital tools in literacy instruction: insight from indonesian high school teachers lungguh halira vonti english language education study program, fkip, universitas pakuan, bogor, indonesia email: lungguh@unpak.ac.id abdul rosyid english language education study program, fkip, universitas pakuan, bogor, indonesia email: lungguh@unpak.ac.id indriyani english language education study program, fkip, universitas pakuan, bogor, indonesia email: lungguh@unpak.ac.id adam khalsia muchtar english language education study program, fkip, universitas pakuan, bogor, indonesia email: lungguh@unpak.ac.id apa citation: vonti, l. h., rosyid, a., indriyani., &muchtar, a. k. (2025). cultural responsiveness and digital tools in literacy instruction: insight from indonesian high school teachers. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 145-154. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.11195 received: 04-10-2024 accepted: 20-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: the pivotal role of the students’ literacy skills in academic and professional achievement is well recognized in this globalization era. however, conventional teaching methods often fail to address cultural diversity and essential 21st century skills. this study analyzed the practices done by senior high school english teachers and the challenges that they encountered in integrating culturally responsive teaching (crt) and also digital tools into literacy instruction. data were collected through structured questionnaires, and interviews, revealing current practices, barriers and teachers’ preferences for module design. this study reveals that english teachers of senior high school have diverse teaching experiences which resulted in diverse common use of culturally relevant texts and encouragement of students to share cultural perspectives despite the challenges such as lack of resources and diversity of cultural background. to enhance the literacy instructions, digital tools are frequently used though barriers issues persist. instructional challenges include incorporating cultural contexts and managing time constraints while the students also struggle with speaking, reading comprehension, and vocabulary development due to limited exposure to english outside the classroom. as the recommendation, the professional development and developing localized digital materials are expected to support innovative teaching methods. keywords: culturally responsive pedagogy; digital tools in literacy; 21st century skill. introduction in the era of globalization and rapid technology advancement, equipping students with strong and relevant literacy skills has become increasingly urgent. high schools (sma) as a crucial level of education must adapt to holistically meet students’ needs. this includes addressing not just academic content but also the diverse cultural contexts and essential skills required for the 21st century. one promising approach to improving students’ literacy is through the development of teaching modules that integrate the principles of culturally responsive teaching (crt) and 21st-century skills. crt is a pedagogical approach that emphasizes the importance of recognizing, appreciating, and utilizing students’ cultural background in the learning process (o’leary et al., 2020; wojuade, 2025). for example, incorporating culturally relevant texts can make learning more relatable and engaging for students from diverse backgrounds. additionally, 21st–century skills such as problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, and communication are essential for success in today’s world. these skills help students navigate and thrive in a complex interconnected global society. in light of this observation, it becomes clear that innovative approaches and teaching pedagogy are mailto:lungguh@unpak.ac.id mailto:lungguh@unpak.ac.id mailto:lungguh@unpak.ac.id mailto:lungguh@unpak.ac.id lungguh halira vonti, abdul rosyid, indriyani, & adam khalsia muchtar cultural responsiveness and digital tools in literacy instruction: insight from indonesian high school teachers 146 essential to meet the evolving education demands, especially in high schools. the integration of culturally responsive teaching (crt) and 21st century skills can play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges. by acknowledging and incorporating students’ diverse cultural backgrounds and essential modern skills, educators can create a more inclusive and effective learning environment (guberina, 2023; lau & shea, 2024). in today’s era of globalization and modern technology, literacy extends beyond reading and writing to include the ability to understand, analyze, and synthesize information from various sources, and apply it in different situations (acquah & szelei, 2020). in education, literacy is no longer limited to the ability to read and write; it also includes the ability to understand, analyze, and synthesize information from various sources and apply it in different situations (abidin et al., 2021). this broader definition of literacy emphasizes critical, creative, collaborative, and communicative thinking, which are foundational for successful literacy. each student brings different values, cultures, and experiences into the classroom, and this diversity must be reflected and recognized in learning. the integration of crt and 21st-century skills addresses these complexities, fostering a holistic approach to literacy that prepares students for the challenges of the modern world (diniya et al., 2024). by placing the experiences, values and needs of students at the center of the learning process, culturally responsive teaching (crt) effectively accommodates cultural diversity (rahmawati, 2020). in today’s globalized and technologically advanced era, 21st century skills such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication are essential for success. however, in efforts to enhance students’ literacy, teachers still face some challenges. this is especially true in combining the crt approach with the development of 21st century skills in the learning context (salma & yuli, 2023)to achieve holistic literacy goals, culturally sensitive teaching materials and the lack of integration between relevant skills and the needs of the times can be obstacles (azizan et al., 2022). therefore, the purpose of this research is to explore the challenges faced by english teachers in senior high schools in integrating cultural pedagogy and digital tools as one of the elements of 21st century skills into teaching modules. there has been a considerable interest in recent years in integrating crt and digital tools into literacy teaching to create inclusive, relevant, and effective learning environments for a diverse student population (choi & lee, 2020). research has shown that crt, when combined with digital integration, supports students in developing their literacy and essential 21st century skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and digital literacy. for example, teachers often struggle with limited access to culturally relevant texts and digital resources, making it challenging to connect students’ cultural knowledge to the subject matter. inderawati et al., (2022) presented the argument that additionally, insufficient training in using digital tools effectively hampers teachers’ ability to integrate these technologies into their lessons. this study aims to address these specific challenges by exploring the experiences of senior high school english teachers in integrating cultural pedagogy and digital tools into teaching modules. in literacy instructions, culturally responsive teaching (crt) involves using culturally relevant texts, varied teaching strategies, and classroom environments that affirm students’ cultural identities. by understanding and appreciating the cultural dynamics that influence students’ learning, teachers can create more inclusive and interactive classrooms (abdukadirova & mirzajonova, 2021). one key benefit of crt is that it helps engage students in literacy skills that they can relate to their own experiences, making learning more relevant and meaningful. integrating digital tools into crt further enhances literacy instructions. for example, using digital storytelling platforms like story bird allows students to create and share stories that reflect their cultural backgrounds, fostering creativity and critical thinking. additionally, a platform learning management system like canvas enables students to work together on projects and share diverse perspectives. these digital tools not only support literacy development but also help students build essential 21st-century skills such as collaboration and digital literacy. whole numerous studies such as hoytt et al., (2022) have demonstrated that culturally responsive teaching (crt) can significantly improve literacy performance among marginalized students by fostering higher levels of engagement and achievement, there remains a gap in understanding how crt can be effectively integrated with digital tools to enhance 21stcentury skills. this study aims to address this gap by exploring the experiences and challenges faced by senior high school english teachers. specifically, it investigates how these educators incorporate cultural pedagogy and digital tools into english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 147 their teaching modules, and unique contributions of this integration to student literacy and skill development in a globalized, technologically advanced era. culturally responsive teaching (crt) is a learning approach that recognizes and leverages the cultural diversity, backgrounds, and experiences of students as an integral part of the teaching and learning process (rahman et al., 2021). its main objective is to create an inclusive learning environment, build strong relationships between students and teachers, and enhance the learning motivation and academic performance of the students from diverse cultural backgrounds. by applying a culturally responsive teaching approach, teachers can create a supportive, stimulating, and relevant learning environment for all students, increasing their motivation, engagement, and academic achievement (irwan et al., 2024; wati et al., 2023). meanwhile, 21st century skills are a set of skills considered essential for personal success in today’s information technology era (gonzález-salamanca et al., 2020). these skills are applicable not only in an academic context but also in daily life, the workplace, and society at large. some important 21st century skills to learn include critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, character development, and cultural application. with the rise in the integration of technology within the education setting, the role of digital tools within literacy instruction has also broadened. digital tools, such as but not limited to tablets, computers, and online platforms, provide students with interactive learning and multimedia experiences that can engage them in ways traditional methods cannot. according to djonov et al., (2021), digital media have the potential to enhance literacy skills through active learning and critical engagement with context. currently, research on how to enhance students’ literacy through the creation of teaching modules integrated with crt approaches and 21st century skills has become an increasingly interesting topic for educational researchers. surayya & patonah, (2024) mentioned in their study that crt could enhance students’ ability to think critically which is one of 21st century skills. they did experimental research in elementary school. this finding strengthens the idea that the integration of crt is effective enough to increase students' critical thinking. meanwhile, eguchi et al., (2021) focuses on the impact of implementing crt on students’ literacy achievement. the result of his research shows that crt can increase students’ desire to learn, reduce literacy achievement gaps between students’ groups, and enhance students’ engagement in learning. combining the impact of integration of crt and 21st century skills in teaching and learning process, the research conducted by robbia & fuadi, (2020) resulted of indication that skills such as creativity, problemsolving, and information and communication technology (ict) can help students read, write and critically understand the texts. in teachers’ point of view investigated by cheng et al., (2022) stated that the teachers consider the integration of these two approaches very beneficial for students’ literacy development. however, he also mentioned that there are some challenges in implementing those two approaches. though research into crt and digital integration has remained largely parallel, recent scholarship suggests that together they will serve to make literacy instruction more complete regarding the development of 21st-century skills. the integration of crt and digital tools lets the instructor create a much more engaging and inclusive environment that fosters greater depth in addressing the needs that students must face in the contemporary world (romijn et al., 2021). culturally responsive classrooms are further enhanced with the incorporation of digital tools that facilitate critical thinking and problemsolving. online forums, interactive games, and other digital tools involve students in higher-order thinking activities that require multiple perspectives, the analysis of digital content, and decision-making based on evidence (ladsonbillings, 2021). such activities respond to the development of critical thinking and creativity, which is foundational in 21st-century skills. the integration of crt and digital tools, furthermore, leads to global awareness: digital resources can introduce students to global concerns, make them interact with their fellows across the world, and access information and resources which might not be provided by a regular classroom environment. such exposure helps nurture the ability of students to navigate diverse frames and engage in an interdependent world (rodrigues, 2020). this research is expected to provide a better understanding of the challenges and meet the needs for improving student literacy through an integrated approach with culturally responsive teaching (crt) and 21st-century skills. therefore, the problem statement is as follows: (1) what are the barriers and challenges faced in integrating the culturally responsive teaching (crt) approach lungguh halira vonti, abdul rosyid, indriyani, & adam khalsia muchtar cultural responsiveness and digital tools in literacy instruction: insight from indonesian high school teachers 148 into the development of teaching modules to strengthen student literacy? (2) what are the barriers to effectively incorporating digital tools into literacy instruction in culturally diverse classrooms? (3) what challenges do educators face in integrating crt and 21st century skills in a classroom, and how can these challenges be addressed through professional development? method to obtain the data, the study employed a descriptive approach, chosen for its ability to systematically collect, analyze, and present detailed information (taherdoost, 2022) about teachers’ practices, challenges, and preferences in integrating culturally responsive teaching (crt) and digital tools in literacy instruction. this approach is appropriate for this study as it focuses on describing existing phenomena, such as the extent of crt and digital integration, barriers faced by the teachers, and their expectations for effective teaching modules. the data was collected through survey-based methods and included both quantitative and qualitative analysis. the instruments used were questionnaires distributed to four english teachers teaching in international classes in a senior high school in bogor regency, lesson plans as documentation, and interviews conducted with the teachers. the questionnaire was developed based on existing literature on crt and digital integration. it captured data on teachers’ practices, challenges, and preferences. the interview questions were designed to complement the questionnaire and provide deeper insights into teachers’ experiences. lesson plans were collected as part of the documentation and analyzed to identify the extent of crt and digital tool integration. this analysis involved examining the content, teaching strategies, and activities outlined in the lesson plans to determine how well they incorporated culturally responsive and digital components. to ensure reliability and validity, the study used a consistent data collection process, triangulated data sources, and conducted member checks during interviews to verify the accuracy of the findings (meydan & akkaş, 2024). this comprehensive approach provides a thorough understanding of the challenges and practices related to integrating crt and digital tools in literacy instruction. participants included practicing high school teachers currently engaged in literacy teaching. the teachers came from diverse backgrounds to ensure a variety of experiences with both the challenges and benefits of combining crt and digital tools practice. a purposeful sampling technique was utilized to select teachers with prior experience in the implementation of crt and digital tools within their literacy instructions. this sampling methodology ensured that the selected participants possessed the relevant knowledge and experience to provide meaningful insights into the research questions (huda, 2023). quantitative data from the questionnaire was analyzed using statistical tools such as descriptive statistics to identify patterns and trends in teachers’ practices, challenges, and preferences. qualitative data from the interview and lesson plan was analyzed using thematic analysis, where recurring themes and categories were identified and coded. according to braun and clarke (cited in lochmiller, 2021), thematic analysis is mainly used to identify, analyze and report the theme or patterns within the data obtained. this technique can systematically code the data and organize them into meaningful themes that capture the important aspects of the research questions. thus, the researchers are able to to integrate the quantitative and qualitative data, findings from the statistical analysis were cross-validated with the themes from the qualitative data. results and discussion to answer the research questions, the questionnaire was designed to extract data on teaching experiences, and module preferences for english teachers. this instrument provided quantitative data that highlighted key trends and patterns. the interviews, on the other hand, offered qualitative insights into the barriers and challenges of integrating digital tools and the crt approach in improving students’ literacy skills. the data from both instruments were analyzed through thematic analysis, which revealed three main themes: the importance of culturally relevant pedagogy, the effectiveness of digital tools in literacy instruction, and the barriers to integration. based on these responses, this study is supposed to provide key trends that may emerge the data and actionable insights to support strategies for improving english education, especially in senior high schools. first, the data taken from the questionnaire resulted in the insights from high school english teachers about their experiences, challenges, and preferences in regard to integrating culturally responsive teaching into literacy instruction with digital tools. with diverse participant backgrounds in terms of teaching experience and educational qualification, there was a wide purview of representation on current educational perspectives. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 149 their major trends or indicators are about the use of digital tools, class sizes, and the imperative requirement for embedding crt combined with 21st-century skills in enhancing student literacy, and all the information were well reflected. for the demographic information, the participants’ years of teaching experience ranged widely, with 25% having 1-3 years of experience, 50% having more than 10 years, and 25% having less than 1 year. this diversity in teaching experiences can influence the practices of integrating crt and digital tools in literacy instructions as it is also confirmed by the result of the interview. experienced teachers with more than 10 years of teaching experience are likely to have a deeper understanding of pedagogical approach and may be more adapt at recognizing the urge of integrating crt into their teaching practices. however, this is in contrast with the use of digital tools in teaching practices, the younger teachers seem to have more adequate training and interest in implementing variation of digital tools in their teaching practices while the older teachers mentioned that they ‘often’ use digital tools in their teaching process. dash, 2022) highlighted in his study that digital media can help the teaching and learning process more engaging since it conveys information through both audio and visual means. this approach effectively transforms the literacy instructions from the abstract and incomplete principles, concept, processes, and procedures into more concrete and comprehensive forms. to strengthen the idea, (irasuti & bachtiar, 2024) suggest that teacher development programs of integrating visual literacy training for teachers will significantly enhance the quality of instructional materials to improve students’ engagement and also learning outcomes, especially in literacy. this is also inline with the result of the interview which stated that all the respondents (english teachers in senior high school) think they might benefit greatly from targeted professional development programs that focus on combining these approaches to enhance student literacy outcomes. overall, the variation in teaching experience among the respondents highlights the necessity for diverse support and professional development to ensure that they, regardless of their experience level, can effectively integrate crt and digital tools into their literacy instructions. the findings provide a number of insights into the practices and perspectives of senior high school english teachers regarding literacy education. it follows that digital tools and multimedia are wellembedded among teachers, with considerable variance that is related to teaching experience. less experienced teachers—that is, those who have taught “1–3 years” or “less than 1 year”—always reported using digital tools during lessons. from this perspective, technology implementation seems interesting for newer teachers. teachers with “above 10 years” of experience are more prone to using digital tools “often” rather than “always,” pointing to possible gaps between the technology integration practices of old and new generations of teachers. the second indicator is the educational levels which were equally split in the result: half of the respondents held a bachelor's degree in english education, while the other half had a master's degree in the same field or a related one. after analyzing the result of the questionnaire and combine it with the result of the interview, it is found that the diversity in educational attainment might significantly influence the integration of crt and digital tools in literacy instructions. yet, this contradicts with the fact that the experienced teachers with only bachelor degree apparently understand more about pedagogy approach such as crt and others since they have already acknowledged and implemented them in academic community or other professional development programs. the presence of interactive technology in schools, along with teachers’ personal and professional experiences with technology, positively and significantly influenced their perceptions of crt (cheng et al., 2022). younger teachers may have solid foundational knowledge of educational theories but might require additional training and support as well as experience in integrating crt into their teaching practices. it was also held that culturally responsive teaching practices are quite frequent, i.e., whether there is a variety of texts included, a student response to the books and their implications for the classroom material, and whether students could bring their culture into the teaching and learning equation. most of the teachers report that they “often” or “always” promoted critical thinking and the development of real-life communication skills; some of them reported back that they sometimes did this, and thus further development remains a widely open perspective. as carter andrews et al., 2021) suggested that promoting a pedagogy of connection in teacher education serves a valuable strategy for supporting educators throughout their careers. such comprehensive and encompassing classwork, innovative clinical experiences, and online professional communities will ensure students’ lungguh halira vonti, abdul rosyid, indriyani, & adam khalsia muchtar cultural responsiveness and digital tools in literacy instruction: insight from indonesian high school teachers 150 academic success and overall well-being. for the third indicator about the class size, all respondents reported an average class size of 3140 students. this data suggests that teachers manage relatively large classroom. the class size can present both pitfalls and potentials in the integration of crt and digital tools in literacy instructions. regarding the integration of digital tools in literacy instruction, 50% of the respondents stated they "always" use digital tools, while the remaining 50% indicated they use them "often." this fact reflects a high level of digital tool integration and it can be beneficial in managing large class sizes, as technology can facilitate personalized learning, provide interactive and engaging resources. it also enables teachers to effectively approach and support all the students. when it is combined with technology supported personalized learning, the student-centered teaching approaches enhance the cognitive engagement of students (schmid et al., 2022). kem (2022) asserted in his study that as learner-centered education has significantly impacted the acquisition of personalized knowledge, without leveraging new technology, the current teacherstudent rations in the school’s education system seem to face challenges in providing personalized learning experiences for every student. from the qualitative data obtained from interview and documentation, a thematic analysis resulted in three emerging themes; the importance of culturally responsive teaching (crt), the effectiveness of digital tools in literacy instructions, and the barriers to integration. importance of culturally responsive teaching (crt) the result of the interview with four teachers teaching in different levels of class highlighted the importance of culture-based instruction in order to absorb those instructions into the literacy teaching and at the same time, to make the students understand the phenomenon from the perspective of a wider social and cultural context. the findings communicated that the use of culturally relevant reading materials in the lessons not only makes them relatable but also considerable for the students coming from diverse backgrounds. in relation to this, it is notable that most participants emphasized the text's relevance to their own backgrounds and experiences, though they did not highlight the cultural aspect (tan & manteestacio, 2021). one of the respondents said, for instance: "utilizing narratives and examples derived from students’ own cultures will stimulate their interest and make them more dynamic in the class." it means that blending personal examples with the content, which helps students to identify themselves in the story, increases their overall engagement and success, and the classroom atmosphere becomes more inclusive and supportive. however, issues will also emerge since teachers may face students from diverse cultural backgrounds. in his study, hossain, 2024) stated that to address this issue, teachers should incorporate a wide range of texts that showcase various cultural perspective. this strategy not only helps all students feel seen and represented but also fosters intercultural understanding by introducing learners to diverse stories and viewpoints (anya, 2021). the findings also revealed the positive structure of the crt program that built an all-inclusive atmosphere where the students felt valued and perceived and thus, they shared their views and thus the classroom discussions were enriched. however, the teachers also acknowledged that the significant challenges of finding the source for culturally diverse resources and aligning them with the existing curriculum does exist. this condition indicates that additional support and resources to overcome the barriers are actually needed. discussing students’ diversity in the classroom and learning process in general, rowan et al., (2021) drew a tripartite definition to capture the major forms of teaching to diverse students: teaching about diversity. this point aims to build a knowledge base about various forms of diversity. the literature typically provides facts and figures intended to highlight the students’ heterogeneity. teaching to diversity. this focus highlights the assumptions derived from what we understand about diverse learners. these assumptions pertain to the type of skills, knowledge approaches, pedagogies, and practices those teachers must have in order to effectively address, respond to, and differentiate for diverse students in their specific context. teaching for diversity. the consistent trends in student success and failure suggest the need for greater focus on what it means to teach for diversity. to advance this discussion, teachers must not only recognize various literatures but also engage with them confidently. according to the interview, the teachers mentioned that professional development opportunities which focused on culturally responsive teaching would be very beneficial. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 151 dealing with this, (romijn et al., 2021) suggested that teachers participating in the interventions of professional development reported significant personal development in their knowledge, skills, and belief systems concerning english language learners. this includes workshops, training sessions, and collaborative learning communities that are able to enhance their skills and confidence in integrating crt into literacy instructions. they also need access to many resources of culturally diverse texts as well as digital resources. it is then recommended that the schools and educational institutions should invest in comprehensive library resources and digital platforms that offer a wide range of culturally relevant resources. this will indeed help the teachers to incorporate the crt into their lessons. in implementing crt, the teacher also encouraged students to choose topics related to their local wisdom to preserve the students’ cultural heritage. it also promotes the sharing of diverse perspectives and practices from various cultures (nurbatra & masyhud, 2022). from the study, it is also revealed that the teachers suggest the develop guidelines and framework that will help them to align culturally diverse resources with the existing curriculum. (hidayati et al., 2024) affirmed that the emancipated curriculum implemented in indonesia, provides a solid basis for incorporating crt into english teaching as it emphasizes the development of a comprehensive indonesian identity. this could involve the process of developing lesson plans, providing curriculum maps, and support from the experts to ensure that crt materials are effectively integrated into the standard curriculum. the effectiveness of digital tools in literacy instruction as for the use of digital tools in literacy instruction, the study identified that providing and implementing digital tools in literacy instructions are valuable assets in providing diverse and interactive learning materials (jaya et al., 2024). it has already been confirmed in previous study that instructions which integrates technology has been shown to positively impact literacy outcomes, outperforming traditional methods that do not utilize technology (lee et al., 2022). according to the questionnaire and also the interview, it is expected that the use of digital tools will be able to support the students’ literacy development and thus the students will be able to be engaged in creative activities. one of the responses given by the respondents highlighted that the use of digital tools helps students to build their critical 21stcentury skills such as creativity, collaboration and also digital literacy. furthermore, these skills are essential for success in today’s globalized and technologically advanced world. the study also reflected that the use of digital tools gives a positive impact on students' engagement and learning outcomes underscore their importance in modern literacy instruction. according to the research conducted by (kalyani, 2024) it is also stated that technology’s personalized learning pathways and interactive aids have greatly enhanced student engagement and critical thinking. these pathways are provided to fulfil the students need, and the materials also are required to be relevant and challenging for each learner. furthermore, the interactive aids by integrating technology such as multimedia resources can actively involve students in learning process (pramesworo et al., 2023). this is expected to make the students more motivated to participate in their learning. however, the most challenging thing related to digital literacy came from the habit of teachers. the questionnaire also revealed that younger teachers with shorter teaching experience tend to use digital tools as their teaching media to help them get engaged with the students. whereas, during the pandemic, the teachers were forced to integrate technology during the teaching and learning process. this obviously affected the teachers perceive the use of digital tools. beardsley et al., (2021) also assured that the teachers’ confidence in utilizing digital technologies for lesson preparation, classroom instruction, feedback and support, and communication has increased. it is found out that most teachers frequently integrate culturally relevant digital tools in their lessons. the barriers to integration although teachers acknowledge the importance of crt and digital tools in the teaching and learning process, they face pitfalls and barriers to their integration. (jackson et al., 2021) stated that some teachers reported of not using technology due to the lack of the access of technology devices or the problem with the devices used by the students. furthermore, it also described by idrus & sohid, (2023) about the challenges faced by teachers who implemented crt in language teaching. they said that misinterpretation could emerge due to the unresolved cultural differences between teachers and also students. the most frequently mentioned lungguh halira vonti, abdul rosyid, indriyani, & adam khalsia muchtar cultural responsiveness and digital tools in literacy instruction: insight from indonesian high school teachers 152 challenges gained from the data are time for lesson planning and curriculum analysis. teachers mentioned that a focus on standardized testing as one of the assessment processes often leaves small space for culturally responsive practices. sometimes it is difficult for teachers to use the assessment within the implementation of crt due to the cultural bias. it might happen when the students are from diverse culture (kelly et al., 2021). another major hindrance is the lack of access to resources—specifically, digital infrastructure and materials relevant to the subject matter that would allow them to practice these strategies. the possibilities emerge might be related to teachers and also students’ competence in incorporating digital tools in teaching and learning process even though they have enough resources (kaimara et al., 2021). some respondents also refer to the need for development programs in order to improve confidence and competence in using digital tools and crt methodologies. the teachers stated that they need training and also an updated workshop on digital tools that can help them improve their teaching. this is expected to help them to prepare the innovative and also interactive and interesting teaching plan. thus, the consideration of investing in comprehensive teachers’ development programs such as updated workshop is pivotal to enrich teachers with such needed skills and also to boost their confidence in creating innovative, interactive, and engaging teaching plans using digital tools and crt. conclusion this study shows that english teachers are actually aware of the importance of incorporating crt, 21st-century skills, and digital tools into their reading and writing classrooms regarding the literacy instructions. however, they also face a lot of challenges, such as differences in students' cultural backgrounds which result in difficulties of integrating the diverse culture of the students, a lack of resources both of culturally relevant texts and access to relevant digital tools, few opportunities for professional development, and a lack of time which interrelated to each other. the teachers found that it was difficult to adjust the time constraint with the necessity to improve their professional development by joining valuable and relevant training as well as workshops of updated issues. teachers pointed out the need for materials related to students' cultures, engaging activities, and technology to improve students' reading and writing. while many recognize the needs, limitations in access to quality teaching resources, inadequate training on crt approaches, and pressures of balancing time demands stifle their efforts. in this regard, professional development in crt and digital literacy must take precedence in light of these challenges. through such programs, teachers shall be available with hands-on strategies to smoothly implement both the cultural diversity and 21st-century skills requirements into their practice of teaching. the creation of flexible, interactive, and culturally aligned learning modules will contribute toward developing this capacity in handling the diverse nature of student needs. in the long run, that would lead to improved english literacy outcomes among the students of these culturally diverse classrooms. acknowledgement this study was supported financially by lppm pakuan university in collaboration with sma plus pgri cibinong that provides the information and necessary data from the participants of the research. references abdukadirova, l. y., & mirzajonova, e. t. (2021). the importance of reading competencies in the context of the “industry 4.0” industrial revolution. academicia: an international multidisciplinary research journal, 11(1), 205– 210. abidin, y., mulyati, t., & yunansah, h. (2021). pembelajaran literasi: strategi meningkatkan kemampuan literasi matematika, sains, membaca, dan menulis. bumi aksara. acquah, e. o., & szelei, n. (2020). the potential of modelling culturally responsive teaching: preservice teachers’ learning experiences. teaching in higher education. anya, u. (2021). critical race pedagogy for more effective and inclusive world language teaching. applied linguistics, 42(6), 1055–1069. azizan, n., surya, e., & johannes, m. a. l. (2022). model experience berbasis budaya angkola untuk mengembangkan keterampilan mengajar mahasiswa di abad 21. forum paedagogik, 13(1), 75–88. beardsley, m., albó, l., aragón, p., & hernández‐leo, d. (2021). emergency education effects on teacher abilities and motivation to use digital technologies. british journal of educational technology, 52(4), 1455–1477. carter andrews, d. j., richmond, g., & marciano, j. e. (2021). the teacher support imperative: teacher education and the pedagogy of connection. in journal of teacher education (vol. 72, issue 3, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 153 pp. 267–270). sage publications sage ca: los angeles, ca. cheng, m.-m., chuang, h.-h., & smith, t. j. (2022). the role of teacher technology experiences and school technology interactivity in teachers’ culturally responsive teaching. computers in the schools, 39(2), 163–185. choi, s., & lee, s. w. (2020). enhancing teacher selfefficacy in multicultural classrooms and school climate: the role of professional development in multicultural education in the united states and south korea. aera open, 6(4), 2332858420973574. dash, b. b. (2022). digital tools for teaching and learning english language in 21st century. international journal of english and studies, 4(2), 8–13. diniya, d., muslim, m., rusdiana, d., hermita, n., wijaya, t. t., & oshima, r. (2024). an investigation into critical thinking and creative thinking skills for science pre-service teacher in fluid mechanics course. ijis edu: indonesian journal of integrated science education, 6(2), 190–198. djonov, e., tseng, c.-i., & lim, f. v. (2021). children’s experiences with a transmedia narrative: insights for promoting critical multimodal literacy in the digital age. discourse, context & media, 43, 100493. eguchi, a., okada, h., & muto, y. (2021). contextualizing ai education for k-12 students to enhance their learning of ai literacy through culturally responsive approaches. ki-künstliche intelligenz, 35(2), 153–161. gonzález-salamanca, j. c., agudelo, o. l., & salinas, j. (2020). key competences, education for sustainable development and strategies for the development of 21st century skills. a systematic literature review. sustainability, 12(24), 10366. guberina, t. (2023). cultivating inclusive learning environments: incorporating diversity through culturally responsive pedagogy. social science chronicle, 2, 1–14. hidayati, a. f., yuliati, y., & hutagalung, f. d. (2024). the implementation of culturally responsive teaching in elt classrooms within the concept of emancipated curriculum. elt forum: journal of english language teaching, 13(2), 150–162. hossain, k. i. (2024). literature-based language learning: challenges, and opportunities for english learners. ampersand, 13, 100201. hoytt, k., hunt, s., & lovett, m. a. (2022). impact of cultural responsiveness on student achievement in secondary schools. alabama journal of educational leadership, 9, 1–12. huda, m. (2023). between accessibility and adaptability of digital platform: investigating learners’ perspectives on digital learning infrastructure. higher education, skills and work-based learning, 14(1), 1–21. idrus, f., & sohid, m. (2023). teachers’ expectations and challenges in using culturally responsive teaching (crt) strategies in the esl classroom. journal of language teaching and research, 14(3), 629–635. inderawati, r., susanti, s., nurhayati, n., & sitinjak, m. d. (2022). developing instructional reading materials with local culture-based narrative texts for the tenth grade students. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 749–760. irasuti, i., & bachtiar, b. (2024). empowering indonesian efl teachers: the transformative impact of visual literacy training on teaching materials. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 23(8), 116–136. irwan, i., arnadi, a., & aslan, a. (2024). developing critical thinking skills of primary school students through independent curriculum learning. indonesian journal of education (injoe), 4(3), 788–803. jackson, v., delacruz, s., & harry, d. (2021). culturally relevant teaching for the 21st century: the success and challenges of pre-service teachers when using technology in critical ways. georgia journal of literacy, 44(1), 5. jaya, h. p., sofendi, s., & mirizon, s. (2024). bridging culture and language: indonesian preservice teachers’perspectives on integrating local wisdom in english language courses. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1275–1288. kaimara, p., fokides, e., oikonomou, a., & deliyannis, i. (2021). potential barriers to the implementation of digital game-based learning in the classroom: pre-service teachers’ views. technology, knowledge and learning, 26(4), 825–844. kalyani, l. k. (2024). the role of technology in education: enhancing learning outcomes and 21st century skills. international journal of scientific research in modern science and technology, 3(4), 5–10. kelly, l. b., wakefield, w., caires-hurley, j., kganetso, l. w., moses, l., & baca, e. (2021). what is culturally informed literacy instruction? a review of research in p–5 contexts. journal of literacy research, 53(1), 75–99. kem, d. (2022). personalised and adaptive learning: emerging learning platforms in the era of digital and smart learning. international journal of social science and human research, 5(2), 385– 391. ladson-billings, g. (2021). culturally relevant pedagogy: asking a different question. teachers college press. lau, w. s., & shea, m. (2024). empowering english learners in the classroom through culturally responsive social-emotional teaching practices. lungguh halira vonti, abdul rosyid, indriyani, & adam khalsia muchtar cultural responsiveness and digital tools in literacy instruction: insight from indonesian high school teachers 154 journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 45(7), 2880–2897. lee, s., kuo, l.-j., xu, z., & hu, x. (2022). the effects of technology-integrated classroom instruction on k-12 english language learners’ literacy development: a meta-analysis. computer assisted language learning, 35(5–6), 1106– 1137. lochmiller, c. r. (2021). conducting thematic analysis with qualitative data. the qualitative report, 26(6), 2029–2044. meydan, c. h., & akkaş, h. (2024). the role of triangulation in qualitative research: converging perspectives. in principles of conducting qualitative research in multicultural settings (pp. 98–129). igi global. nurbatra, l. h., & masyhud, m. (2022). infusing culturally responsive teaching in higher education: insights for multicultural education in indonesia. journal of innovation in educational and cultural research, 3(4), 722–730. o’leary, e. s., shapiro, c., toma, s., sayson, h. w., levis-fitzgerald, m., johnson, t., & sork, v. l. (2020). creating inclusive classrooms by engaging stem faculty in culturally responsive teaching workshops. international journal of stem education, 7, 1–15. pramesworo, i. s., fathurrochman, i., sembing, d., bangkara, b. a., & sudrajat, d. (2023). relevance between blended learning and students’ independent learning curriculum: an overview of digital age education, student and teacher engagement, technological resources. jurnal kependidikan: jurnal hasil penelitian dan kajian kepustakaan di bidang pendidikan, pengajaran dan pembelajaran, 9(3), 858–869. rahman, m. n. a., malek, a. a., & mansor, m. a. (2021). aplikasi pendekatan interpretive structural modelling dalam pembangunan model pedagogi responsive budaya menerusi cerita rakyat untuk kemahiran literasi awal anak-anak. journal of educational research, 39, 1–12. rahmawati, y. (2020). integrasi culturally responsive transformative teaching dalam pembelajaran kimia: tantangan dan peluang dalam program merdeka belajar. prosiding seminar nasional pendidikan dan sains kimia (snp-sk) fkipundana, 3(1), 7–15. robbia, a. z., & fuadi, h. (2020). pengembangan keterampilan multimedia interaktif pembelajaran ipa untuk meningkatkan literasi sains peserta didik di abad 21. jurnal ilmiah profesi pendidikan, 5(2), 117–123. rodrigues, a. l. (2020). digital technologies integration in teacher education: the active teacher training model. journal of e-learning and knowledge society, 16(3), 24–33. romijn, b. r., slot, p. l., & leseman, p. p. m. (2021). increasing teachers’ intercultural competences in teacher preparation programs and through professional development: a review. teaching and teacher education, 98, 103236. rowan, l., bourke, t., l’estrange, l., lunn brownlee, j., ryan, m., walker, s., & churchward, p. (2021). how does initial teacher education research frame the challenge of preparing future teachers for student diversity in schools? a systematic review of literature. review of educational research, 91(1), 112–158. salma, i. m., & yuli, r. r. (2023). membangun paradigma tentang makna guru pada pembelajaran culturally responsive teaching dalam implementasi kurikulum merdeka di era abad 21. jurnal teknologi pendidikan, 1(1), 11. schmid, r., pauli, c., stebler, r., reusser, k., & petko, d. (2022). implementation of technologysupported personalized learning—its impact on instructional quality. the journal of educational research, 115(3), 187–198. surayya, s., & patonah, s. (2024). pengaruh pendekatan culturally responsive teaching (crt) untuk meningkatkan berpikir kritis peserta didik kelas iv sdn peterongan semarang. collase (creative of learning students elementary education), 7(2), 214–222. taherdoost, h. (2022). what are different research approaches? comprehensive review of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method research, their applications, types, and limitations. journal of management science & engineering research, 5(1), 53–63. tan, d. n. l., & mante-estacio, m. j. (2021). readertext connection: reporting the engagement of high school students with culturally relevant texts. teflin journal: a publication on the teaching & learning of english, 32(2). wati, s., kurnisar, k., & mutiara, t. m. (2023). peningkatan minat belajar peserta didik melalui metode pendekatan culturally responsive teaching (crt). pendas: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan dasar, 8(2), 6260–6268. wojuade, j. i. (2025). culturally responsive teaching(crt) in te united sstates of america as a pathway to a new order in teaching social studies in diverse society: a literature review. gen-multidisiplinary journal of sustainable development, 3(1), 1–14. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 235 efl learners’ perception on integrating e-reading module with eco-elt themes iin widya lestari english language education, faculty of teacher training and education universitas nahdlatul ulama sunan giri, bojonegoro, indonesia email: widya.lestari@unugiri.ac.id ainu zumrudiana english language education, faculty of teacher training and education universitas nahdlatul ulama sunan giri, bojonegoro, indonesia email: ainunachrawi@unugiri.ac.id muhammad romadlon habibullah education for islamic elementary school teacher department, faculty of tarbiyah universitas nahdlatul ulama sunan giri, bojonegoro, indonesia email: roma@unugiri.ac.id mohammad fatoni english language education, faculty of teacher training and education universitas nahdlatul ulama sunan giri, bojonegoro, indonesia email: mohammadfatoni@unugiri.ac.id faridatun nadiyah english language education, faculty of teacher training and education universitas nahdlatul ulama sunan giri, bojonegoro, indonesia email: faridatunnadiyah@gmail.com apa citation: lestari, i. w., zumrudiana, a., habibullah, m. r., fatoni, m., & nadiyah, f. (2025). efl learners’ perception on integrating e-reading module with eco-elt themes. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 235-246. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.10461 received: 12-09-2024 accepted: 10-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: environmental issues are globally recognized, drawing significant attention from various academic fields to mitigate further harm. these issues are inherently linked to community behavior, awareness, and actions. english language teaching (elt) has the potential to contribute by fostering eco-green awareness among learners. to explore this potential, research was conducted at a university in bojonegoro to investigate efl learners' perceptions of using an e-reading module with eco-elt themes.this mixed-method study combined quantitative and qualitative analyses, involving 45 efl learners. data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. the questionnaire addressed aspects such as clarity, sustainability of reading materials, eco-elt themes, and ease of access. interviews explored learners' perceptions of eco-green awareness. data analysis included verification, scoring, and calculating the percentage of each response, as well as interpreting interview transcripts. the findings indicate that most efl learners positively perceive the use of e-reading modules with eco-elt themes, with around 50% expressing favorable views. learners acknowledged that eco-elt themes provide new insights into environmental issues while enhancing reading comprehension. additionally, they noted that eco-elt encourages adopting green and sustainable lifestyles. in conclusion, ecoelt presents an innovative approach to developing teaching materials that not only enhance language acquisition but also promote environmental awareness and character development, inspiring learners to care for the planet. keywords: eco-elt; e-reading materials based eco-elt; efl learners; perception. introduction environmental issues have gained recognition as global discourse. numerous problems, such as climate change, global warming, deforestation, are occurring worldwide. these damages have had negative impacts of majority of creatures on earth.(semenova, 2020),(valavanidis, 2022). consequently, these phenomena gain numerous attentions from various academic disciplines. they become increasingly interested in taking action to mailto:widya.lestari@unugiri.ac.id mailto:ainunachrawi@unugiri.ac.id mailto:roma@unugiri.ac.id mailto:mohammadfatoni@unugiri.ac.id mailto:faridatunnadiyah@gmail.com iin widya lestari, ainu zumrudiana, muhammad romadlon habibullah, mohammad fatoni, & faridatun nadiyah efl learners’ perception on integrating e-reading module with eco-elt themes 236 reduce biodiversity loss and environmental damage. one such discipline is english language teaching (elt) which has contributed to the promotion and integration of environmental education in english lessons and materials (saiful, 2023). this idea is fully supported by the united states' sustainable development goals (sdgs). it emphasizes that the importance of acquiring essential knowledge and information to advance sustainable development and protect the earth for students. there are various ways of implementing sustainable development goal (sdgs) such as integrating teaching materials with environmental projects, inserting nature and environmental themes in textbooks and so on (lough, 2023). through these activities, learners are expected to have competence and knowledge instead of environmental awareness. it can be implied that learners need to have the necessary knowledge and awareness of sustainable development in order to prevent further damage to the earth. in summary, english language teaching, as an academic discipline, can make a significant contribution to building and empowering learners to gain linguistic competence, knowledge, information, and awareness in protecting the environment. this can be achieved through various means, including providing and integrating teaching and learning materials in courses that not only cover grammar and skills, but also address environmental crises and the importance of nature conservation (jepri ali saiful, 2020) (micalay-hurtado & poole, 2022). regarding to the explanation above, eco-elt is considered a novel approach in english language teaching that aims to present fresh perspectives on teaching english while also fulfilling the important role of being a "green" moral agent in the classroom. it presents the principles of ecocriticism with the responsibilities of teachers as role models, catalysts for change, and educational facilitators (jepri ali saiful, 2020). saiful highlights that ecoelt can be seamlessly integrated into lesson plans and english teaching materials, allowing educators to create, combine, and incorporate english skills, components, and literacy with discussions, analysis, and projects that promote eco green awareness and address environmental themes such as climate change, biodiversity loss and so on. there are various integration of eco-elt and teaching and learning process such as implementing content and task-based language learning instruction, eco composition, environmental essay writing and digital storytelling. those integrations can be used environmental themes and cases. consequently, learners can acquire linguistic competence, comprehension and green awareness. in other word, eco-elt specifically emphasizes on integrating and promoting language learning and environmental based materials to enhance both linguistic competence and nature awareness to save the earth. in line with eco-elt concept, education plays a crucial role in fostering and shaping learners' character and awareness, particularly in building resilience. it not only equips learners with knowledge and skills but also cultivates their consciousness and awareness to preserve and protect the environment (putri et al., 2024). by integrating teaching and learning materials, along with engagement in environmental activities within the local community, students' awareness of community well-being can be enhanced and empowered. this process aids students in becoming more cognizant of climate change (duggan et al., 2020). furthermore, education can shape and develop learners' awareness of the environment and its impact. to achieve this, it is imperative to integrate environmental themes, education, and materials into the learning process. this integration helps build learners' awareness and inspires them to take action on environmental issues. there are various approaches to accomplish this, including the implementation of mandatory and voluntary programs across different levels of education to raise awareness among learners about environmental issues (ali et al., 2023)(mahaswa et al., 2024). in summary, education is a fundamental component in shaping and developing students' cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills. rather than solely focusing on academic competence, education plays essential roles in raising students' awareness of environmental issues and inspiring them to take preventive and proactive action on environment. in english language teaching, reading is considered as an essential skill to acquire information and knowledge from any media both printed and non-printed text. in other word, reading is an essential activity to absorb information and analyze it to get critical and informative information and knowledge (sergeyevich et al., 2023). suwarno et al (2022) highlight that reading proficiency is important activity due to several reasons involving it can enhance learners’ cognition linguistically and socially (suwarso & praseno, 2022). in other word, reading is process of absorbing information and knowledge that help learners to take them better cognition linguistically english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 237 and socially. reading can be challenging for efl learners due to several aspects such as comprehension, habits, dictation and orthography(suwarso & praseno, 2022). one of ways to assist learners with their challenges and problems is to provide appropriate and comprehensive reading materials that are linier and relevant for their level of frequency. socially, designing and choosing proper and relevant materials are good way to enhance their social awareness and in line with the sustainable development goals (sdgs) concept (seva et al., 2023). dealing with the statement above, eco-elt seems relevant approach to conduct and design appropriate reading material for efl learners to enhance and promote eco-green awareness. instead of just improving learner’s reading skill, it aims to enhance learner’s awareness and information about environmental issues that are occurring around them. they can assist and take action to have some efforts to prevent more damages and save the earth. this idea is supported by the conceptual ideas and framework from fauzan. he emphasizes that there should be learning materials at any level of school and institution that can assist and add the knowledge of the learners toward environmental conservations. both educators and learners have crucial role to fill up the knowledge and environmental matters (fauzan, 2013). in short, there is need to design and create reading materials based eco-elt to assist and provide learners with comprehension and awareness in both academic and environmental contexts. several studies and researches have been conducted to develop reading materials for efl learners. the purpose of these studies is to assiste learners in comprehension and other areas using various approaches and models nur azizah et al (2021) developed reading materials in efl class by utilizing the local culture (azizah et al., 2021). surdayanto and kurniawan ( 2020) developed a critical reading module using integrated learning content and language approach (clil) for efl learners (surdyanto & kurniawan, 2020). these studies have revealed that the products are valid and applicable for students in reading class. those previous studies also designed based on learners’ need and necessities in reading class but those concerning and focusing the use of eco-elt and environmental issues are still limited. based on the information provided, the authors have conducted and developed electronic reading module based eco-elt for efl learners. it has been implemented in reading class for efl learners particularly on english education department in universitas nahdlathul ulama sunan giri. it is expected that the implementation and the use of e-reading module based eco-elt will assist efl learners to have eco-green awareness instead of enhancing their reading comprehension. based on the case, this research is intended to reveal efl learners’ perception of the implementation and using e-reading module based eco-elt. this research employs research questions: (a) what are the efl learners’ perception/perspective on the integration of ecoelt and reading materials on enhancing eco-green awareness in efl class? (b) how do efl learners perceive eco elt?? method in this research, the mixed method explanatory designed was employed. it was aimed to explore and describe quantitative data then follow up by describing qualitative data to support and strengthen the research purpose. the intention of employing this design because the researchers want to explore efl learners’ perception on the implementation of e-reading module with ecoelt themes and then followed up by exploring how they perceive eco green awareness on their daily life. the quantitative data is obtained firstly through distributing questionnaire to the students. it aims to survey the implementation of e-reading module with eco-elt themes in reading class. the questionnaire was adopted from ready-made one by septiyanti (septiyanti et al., 2020).the questionnaire consists of several indicators namely clarity and sustainability of text and image on ereading module based eco-elt, presentation of reading materials and eco-elt themes on ereading module, usefulness of e-reading module with eco-elt themes, and ease of access. the questionnaire was distributed through google form. there were 45 students took part as a participant in this research. they were chosen because they have used the e-reading module with eco-elt themes during their reading class. then, qualitative data is obtained through interview. it was done to get deep information about how the efl learners’ perspective on using e-reading module with eco-elt themes. there are several indicators of interview questions namely the concept of eco-elt, efl learners’ opinion, and efl learners’ green action. the interview was done to get deep and narrative data from participants (romios et al., 2024). the researchers employed likert scale form in the questionnaire as the primary data. there are iin widya lestari, ainu zumrudiana, muhammad romadlon habibullah, mohammad fatoni, & faridatun nadiyah efl learners’ perception on integrating e-reading module with eco-elt themes 238 several categories namely sd (strongly disagree), d (disagree), a (agree), and sa (strongly agree). meanwhile, the result of the participants’ responses was reported on the percentage. in analyzing the qualitative data, the researchers used framework from miles and huberman (dull & reinhardt, 2014). it consists of several steps namely condensation, data classification, data presentation, data interpretation and conclusion. after interviewing the participants, the researchers did classification and coding the script. then the researchers read the scripts and interpret the data to draw a conclusion. there are 20 efl learners that involved in the interview session since they have experience in using e-reading module with ecoelt themes as well. results and discussion rq1: efl learners perceive the e-reading module based eco-elt this research involved 45 efl learners who had taken part in using e-reading module based ecoelt. the participants consist of 9 male and 36 female. mostly the respondents were between 1822 years old. it means that the majority of the participants were generation z. regarding to the research questions, the data obtained from questionnaire that distributed through google form. there are several aspects that regarded as indicators for efl learners’ perceptions on implementing e-reading module based eco-elt such as clarity and sustainability of text, video and picture based on eco-elt themes, presentation of reading materials and eco-elt themes, usefulness of e-reading module and assessable of e-reading module. the questionnaire is designed about 17 items. each statement uses likert scale namely strongly agree (sa), agree (a), disagree (d) and strongly disagree (sda). the explanation can be presented as follow: table 1. the aspects of clarity and sustainability of text, image and video on e-reading module based eco elt no statement percentage sa a d sda 1 the text in the ereading module based on ecoeltis easy to understand and read 54,3% 45,7% 0 0 2 the size of images, videos and animation as well as links 43,5% 56,5% 0 0 in e-reading module are presented in accordance with the theme of eco-elt. 3 the pictures in ereading module based on ecoelt are interesting and in line with ecoelt themes and reading comprehension 45,7% 54,3% 0 0 4 animations, videos, as well as projects on ereading module are presented in line and accordance with materials 39,1% 60,9% 0 0 table 1 presents that 54,3% efl learners claim that strongly agree with the easiness of text and materials that available in e-reading module with eco-elt themes. it can be inferred that text and materials that relevant with eco-elt themes are interesting for them because they have closely relationship with environment around them. in addition, the e-reading module also provides barcode that can be assessed to watch relevant videos as additional feature to brainstorm and help learners to analyze the environmental phenomena. as a result, it will engage their background knowledge and their comprehension in reading activity. while, 45,7% efl learners state that ereading module with eco-elt themes is easy to understand. it can be inferred that e-reading module based eco-elt is practical and easy to understand by efl learners in reading class. they can access it through their gadgets such as mobile phone, table and laptop. it provides practicality to read and it leads them to easily understand the text. regarding to the size, images, video that available in e-reading module are in line with the themes of eco-elt, 45,7% efl learners express strongly agree. it means that the e-reading module presents audio and visual aids to assist learners to analyze and comprehend current environmental issues easily. they can look at the provided pictures while read the text. they can easily scan the provided barcode to connect with video. this response is supported by the findings of the research done by atmajaya (2022), lhamo and shalwongs (2023) (surya atmaja, 2022.), (lhamo & sakulwongs, 2023.). the findings claim that audio visual aids english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 239 can assist the learners to improve their reading comprehension effectively. while, 54,3% efl learners agree that e-reading module has eco-elt themes. related to video, project and exercises are in line with reading materials, 39,1% efl learners state strongly agree. only 60,9% efl learners express agree with the statement. based on the explanation above, it can be stated that efl learners claim that e-reading module with eco-elt themes completely has clarity and sustainability. consequently, the text, pictures and materials that used in e-reading module are in line with eco-elt concept and approach. as a result, they are able to analyze and comprehend reading materials while paying attention and action to environmental issues. the provided texts can engage them to keep on eyes what really matters in the earth. consequently, they have attention and concern to act as prevention to keep the earth well. this data also supported with the result from interview as follow: p1: “yes, the module can provide a new insight on protecting and preserving nature and the environment. instead of getting reading materials, i can learn reading materials well and read relevant texts about environmental issues. as a result, i realize what happened in our planet recently” [participant 1] p5:” after learning and reading the module, i get insight about environmental care. from being ignorant to being aware of the state of the surrounding environment after i learn and read some texts and materials in the module” [participant 5] p10: “regarding to eco-elt, actually it deals english lessons/materials that are presented based on environmental conditions and issues to increase students' awareness of the environment and broaden our horizons. [participant 10] based on the scripts above, it can be synthesized that efl learners have positive and good acceptance of using e-reading with on ecoelt themes. instead of getting knowledge about reading materials, the efl learners learn, analyze and think about some actions how to care, protect and prevent the environment better. based on the explanation above, it can be concluded that efl learners get new insights in learning reading. they not only perceive reading materials but also, they learn and comprehend lessons about how environment and its condition, they know information about climate changes and its impacts and so on. they can learn how to promote eco green awareness and do some actions to promote “green” actions and sustainable lifestyle. table 2. the presentation of the reading material and eco-elt theme on e-reading module no statement percentage sa a d sda 1 the presentation of reading material on the eco eltbased ereading module starts from easy to difficult 30,4% 67,4% 2,2% 0 2 the material presentation and reading text on the ereading module are straightforward and easy to understand. 32,6% 67,4% 0 0 3 the content and text presented in the eco eltbased ereading module are organized systematically and clearly 43,5% 56,5% 0 0 4 the sentence used in the material and text on the ereading module based on eco elt is simple to understand 43,5% 56,5% 0 0 5 the language used in the eco elt-based ereading module is easy to understand 37% 63% 0 0 6 the terms and vocabulary used in the eco elt-based ereading module are given clear and easy-tounderstand 32,6% 67,4% 0 0 iin widya lestari, ainu zumrudiana, muhammad romadlon habibullah, mohammad fatoni, & faridatun nadiyah efl learners’ perception on integrating e-reading module with eco-elt themes 240 table 2 describes that 67,4% efl learners said agree with the presentation of reading materials on e-reading module based eco-elt. while, 30,4% efl learners express strongly agree with the presentation of materials on e-reading module. only 2,2% efl learners said disagree with the presentation of e-reading materials. it implies that the presentation of materials in e-reading is begun with simple or easy to difficult one. this finding is in line with some relevant researches done by maryatiningsih. it emphasizes that learners tend to like reading and it enhances their motivation due to the presentation of the materials. it means that appearance of the e-module is influential on learners’ interest (maryatiningsih & abduh, 2024), (wirdiyana et al., 2024) further, 32,6% efl learners state strongly agree with the materials is easy to understand. there are 67,4% efl learners state that the materials are straightforward and easy to understand. while, there is no efl learners state disagree or strongly disagree with that. moreover,43,5% efl learners said strongly agree with systematic of content and materials in ereading module. 56,5% efl learners state agree with the systematic of e-reading materials based eco elt. it can be inferred that e-reading module based eco-elt has systematic and clear materials in orders. these findings are supported by sakura et al (sakura putu arga & dani septiyan rahayu, 2019.)it states that materials based environmental issues can help learners to engage and improve their eco literacy. as a result, they have good awareness on their environment. it can be concluded that the content, presentation and systematic learning materials with eco-elt themes can assist learners’ awareness and lead to have good perception on the material. besides that, the sentence used in the materials is understandable and understand, there are 43,5% efl learners state strongly agree with that. 56,5 % efl learners agree with the sentences that used in e-reading module is understandable and simple. next, 37% efl learners claim that they strongly agree with the language used in e-reading module is understandable. while, 63% efl learners agree with the language is understandable in e-reading module. it can be implied that efl learners feel that language used in e-reading module based ecoelt is understandable and they easily understand about the language and its meaning. while, dealing with the terms and vocabulary used in e-reading module based eco-elt, 32,6% efl students express strongly agree and 67,4% efl learners agree with the terms and vocabulary are proper with eco-elt themes. in short, from the indicator, it can be concluded that the e-reading module based eco elt is accordance with eco-elt themes. it can be showed from the efl learners from interview as follow: p12: “the design of the module is not monotonous and the sentences and language are easy to understand. as a result, i can improve my reading skill” [p12] p15: “i can easily learn reading because it uses straightforward and light language that makes it easy for students to learn the content. organized with themes that are in accordance with the content” [p15] based on the explanation above, it can be analyzed that the e-reading module based eco-elt has understandable language and it was organized systematically and based on eco-elt themes. it can be concluded that efl learners have positive response regarding to the presentation of reading materials and eco-elt themes. table 3. the usefulness of e-reading module based eco-elt no statement percentage sa a d sda 1 the instructional use of the eco elt-based ereading module is very clear and helpful in using the ereading module 41,3% 58,7 0 0 2 the steps in the reading lesson can help and make it easier to learn and understand the reading material. 39,1% 60,9% 0 0 3 e-reading module based on eco elt is interesting to learn and able to provide an understanding of the importance of protecting the environment 54,3% 45,7% 0 0 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 241 4 e-reading modules based on eco elt can improve my motivation to learn reading and increase my awareness of the application of eco green awareness and green life style. 52,2% 45,7% 2,2% 0 the table 3 describes about the indicator of usefulness of e-reading module based eco-elt. this indicator has several statements. 41,3% efl learners express strongly agree with the instructional use of the e-reading module. moreover, 58,7% efl learners claim agree with that statement. it can be inferred that the e-reading module with eco -elt themes used understandable and it has clear instruction. as a result, mostly students get easy to understand the instruction on the module. the next, dealing with the steps and instruction in e-reading module, 39,1% efl students state strongly agree and 60,9% efl learners state agree. it means that efl learners understand the instruction and steps in e-reading module are understandable and easy to practice it. it can be inferred that e-reading module based ecoelt has understandable and easy intrusions and steps in learning reading materials. instead of ecoelt themes as the main point of reading passages/texts, the efl learners learn several reading materials with clear instruction in the module. as a result, the efl learners get to know the materials and information from the texts/passages. the next statement is about the interesting content and relevant with eco-elt and its significant impact of green movement, the data reveals that 54,3% efl learners state strongly agree and 45,7% efl learners agree about that. these can be implied that e-reading module based eco-elt has interesting appearance as a module and it is interesting for the learners. besides, it provides points about the importance of protecting environment as well. instead of learning reading specifically, the e-reading module provide texts/exercise with relevant with eco-elt goals. the next statement is dealing with the impact of e-reading on efl learners’ reading improvement and motivation. the data shows that 52,2% efl learners claim strongly agree and 45,7% efl learners state agree. while, 2,2 % efl learners state disagree. the data implies that majority of efl learners have positive acceptance and response on the e-reading module particularly on its impact on their motivation in improving their reading and empowering their eco-green awareness. it can be stated that e-reading module based eco elt has impact and usefulness in enhancing learners’ reading comprehension and their green awareness as well. table 4. the aspects of ease of access e-reading module based eco-elt no statement percentage sa a d sda 1 e-reading module based on eco elt is presented online and easy to access through devices / smartphones) 60,9% 39,1% 0 0 2 e-reading module based on eco elt is easy to download on all devices 63% 34,8% 2,2% 0 3 the access to read and study ereading modules based on eco elt is not limited by time and location.) 58,7% 39,1% 2,2% 0% the table 4 reveals that the distribution of data from the aspect of ease of access e-reading module based eco elt. this indicator has several statements. the first statement deals with online form of e-reading module. 60,9% efl learners express strongly agree and 39,1 % efl learners state agree. there is no efl learners claim disagree and strongly disagree. these can be implied that efl learners get easiness to access the module through their device. it can be accessed through smartphone or their tab. the next, 63% efl learners claim strongly agree and 34,8% efl learners state agree. while, there is 2,2, % efl learners state disagree. it can be implied that majority of efl learners have positive acceptance on e-reading module based eco-elt is downloadable on their device. consequently, they can read and learn anytime and anywhere while iin widya lestari, ainu zumrudiana, muhammad romadlon habibullah, mohammad fatoni, & faridatun nadiyah efl learners’ perception on integrating e-reading module with eco-elt themes 242 checking their smartphone or other devices. dealing with unlimited access of e-reading module, 58,7 % efl learners express strongly agree and 39,1% efl learners state agree. only 2,2% efl learners said disagree. the data can be implied that mostly efl learners have positive acceptance on e-reading module based eco-elt particularly in unlimited time and place access. it means that ereading module based eco elt has practicality and easiness on access. the efl learners can independently learn and read it anywhere and anytime. in other word, e-reading module with eco-elt themes assessable and practical for learners. this finding is supported by research from huda h and sulistiyaningrum (huda & sulistyaningrum, 2022) the finding shows that self-directed learning can enhance and improve students’ reading comprehension. it means that learners can assess their reading materials independently anytime and anywhere. in this case, the learners easily access and self-learn material which is particularly about environment. consequently, it impacts on their ability and comprehension. instead of improving their reading, it presents other positive side particularly on environmental awareness. they are aware of their around and try to keep their environment well. from the explanation above, it can be concluded that majority of efl learners have positive perception and acceptance of the implementation and integration of e-reading module with eco elt themes particularly in reading class. it can be viewed from several aspects namely clarity and sustainability of e-reading module based eco-elt, presentation of reading materials on e-reading module, the usefulness of ereading module based eco elt and the ease of access e-reading module based eco-elt. those aspects truly lead learners’ perception on using ereading module with eco-elt themes. into positive. they also boost their awareness on environment as well. referring to data distribution above, it can be said that majority efl learners reveal that ereading module can provide new insights to the environmental issues and they can get knowledge both in reading aspects and materials such as scanning, skimming and others. in other side, they get information and learn actions how to take action and realize about environmental issues such as climate change, global warming and others. in summary, efl learners have positive perception and acceptance on e-reading based on eco-elt in efl class. rq2: how efl learners perceive the eco-elt through deep interview and data analysis, the finding of this research presents proof and description of efl learners view about eco-elt in efl class. based on the data finding, several participants openly express their personal view about eco elt as follow: p2: “eco elt is about english teaching and learning activities with environmentally friendly themes. for example, perhaps when we learn to write or learn to compose an essay we can take themes about environmental change, global warming, and so on that are still related to the environment” [p2] p4: “eco elt means language learning associated with environmental issues and awareness” [p4] referring to the responses from the efl learners, it can be analyzed that efl learners view that eco elt deals with learning and teaching english that is relevant with environmental themes and issues. it means they express that through ecoelt themes, they find out new information about environmental issues such as climate change, biodiversity lost and so on. instead of learning reading, they are able to comprehend information and take some green movement to prevent more damages. through e-reading module with eco-elt themes, learners can do some provided projects on the module which are relevant with themes. they can do several campaigns on social media or they can perform some actions to prevent some environmental issues such as plastics wastes and so on. the participants emphasize that learning reading through eco elt offers various chances to take action and enhance their awareness of environmental issues. it can be implied that ecoelt persuades efl learners to realize about what is going on around their environment. dealing with efl learners’ awareness about positive habits on environmental action, eco elt has played important role to awaken and enhance their awareness and take action. the data dan be seen as follow: p7: “getting used to reducing the use of plastic materials in daily life. start practicing the reduce, reuse, and recycle method” [p7] p9: “the first step is to reduce plastic waste, because it is very impactful. so, when we shop, we try to use our own toot bags to reduce waste. the second is to encourage the reforestation of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 243 trees that are deforested. as we know in bojonegoro there are very few trees on either side of the road, and this is very different in the tuban area which is very shady. then the last is to promote environmental awareness, such as making pamphlets, articles, and so on to encourage people to be aware of the environment’ [p9] p13: “of course, by voicing about protecting and preserving the environment. despite this being difficult to do, at least i am one of the people who care about the environment. not only care but also do something about it. based on the data above, it can be assumed and implied that the efl learners are aware of the environmental issues and willingly take action to prevent more damages and they are able to be green agents in their environment. they have planned to switch their bad habits by using reusable and sustainable tools. they generally emphasize that taking action is essential to improve the damages in the earth. they can combine and integrate what they have learned in their reading class and implement it in their actions. they are able to practice good habits and promote them to people around them. in conclusion, efl learners perceive eco elt as approach that led and teach them into deeply get to know and understand some environmental issues that integrated and used as learning resources to awake their awareness and enhance their green movement and awareness regarding to the environment around. they have positive view on learning english specially reading class. they are able to take some actions in their daily life as implementation of eco elt that they have learned. the result shows eco elt offers new insight in english language teaching which give impact on the efl learners’ awareness as the green agent. (saiful, 2023). it is in line with this finding which is efl learners perceive the reading module with eco -elt themes positively. they learn english text with environmental themes such as global warming, pollution and soon. those themes lead their awareness toward their around. in the table 2, 3 and 4 have been described previously, the aspects of presentation of reading materials, usefulness of e-reading module and accessibility got higher score on strongly agree and agree. it means that learners have tendency to use e-reading module for some reasons. it implies that e-reading module has positive perception on the efl learners as it brings impactful effect on their reading comprehension due to some reasons such as material presentation, usefulness and accessibility. these finding also reinforced by some findings from researches which concerned on e-reading module such as satriani et (2024). they investigated the students’ perception on using emodule learning material for online and distance learning. the study reveals that students have positive perception on e-module learning particularly on intensive reading course (satriani, e., idayani, a., & kadar, 2024). these findings also supported by the research from sanova et al (2022). it reveals that e-module is able to navigate learners to improve and enhance their literacy and it helps them to get self -directed learning because it is easier for them to learn independently (sanova et al., 2022). it can be synthesized that e-reading module provide benefits for learner particularly efl learners in deeply learning and self-directed learning. they can independently learn and read the module. it literally has practicability and sustainability. consequently, it presents positive impacts on their learning outcome and progress. meanwhile, related to the environmental issues, this research shows that english texts with environmental themes can lead and enhance learners’ awareness. they show their awareness through some actions such as in putri et al (2024) did development on designing and creating picture book that used and implemented climate change effects and themes. the research reveals that the implementation of the picture book can empower young learners’ awareness on climate change issues. it both improves young learner’s bilingual ability and it is attractive and interesting for them. (putri et al., 2024). from the research finding, it is in line with what has been done and elaborated by (duggan et al., 2020), (mahaswa et al., 2024), and (kara, 2023). taking and involving environmental issues in educational setting are allowed to navigate and enhance learner’s awareness in environment. instead of that, eco elt can promote harmony with nature and environment in balance (putri indah pratiwi et al., 2024). in other word, ereading module with eco-elt can be regarded as innovative way to promote and navigate efl learners to have awareness and it promotes new harmony, environment balance and foster efl learners to keep the earth well. in general, based on the presented findings and elaboration, this research presented quite information about the positive contribution of ereading materials with eco-elt themes to enrich learners’ reading ability and awareness. it can be posited and interpreted that english language teaching has the potential to function as an agent iin widya lestari, ainu zumrudiana, muhammad romadlon habibullah, mohammad fatoni, & faridatun nadiyah efl learners’ perception on integrating e-reading module with eco-elt themes 244 for environmental consciousness among efl learners. this can be accomplished by offering instructional materials that are rooted in environmental concerns. as a result, efl learners acquire eco-literacy through their engagement. rather than solely focusing on the improvement of english language proficiency, learners are able to grasp the information and subsequently take proactive measures to contribute to environmental preservation. this research literally has limited aspects such as number of participants. however, the involvement of numbers participants could be better to gain comprehensive information because it can be used by institution as holistic material evaluation. meanwhile, for efl learners themselves, it is essential to keep their awareness alive to act and keep the environmental clean. they can do more actions as the green agent and efl learners. for further research, it needs to develop and expand more useful module particularly on other skills such as speaking, listening, and writing with various approach. the module is intended not only to improve learners’ ability but also enhance their awareness on environment, culture, and others. conclusion this research aimed to examine efl learners’ perceptions of using an e-reading module with ecoelt themes and how they perceive eco-elt itself. the findings reveal that integrating eco-elt themes into reading materials is an innovative approach to enhancing comprehension skills and environmental awareness. learners showed positive perceptions and acceptance of eco-elt, recognizing its potential to foster a green and sustainable lifestyle. most learners view eco-elt as a novelty, as they had limited prior exposure to such themes. this newfound interest stimulates their curiosity and motivates them to support green movements, such as reducing plastic use and participating in the 3r (reduce, reuse, recycle) initiative. it is recommended that educators integrate ecoelt into curricula to promote environmental awareness while enhancing language skills. incorporating relevant projects and exercises can enrich learners’ abilities and eco-consciousness. additionally, combining eco-elt with other skills like listening, writing, and speaking offers further opportunities for development. the government, particularly the ministry of education and culture, should consider promoting eco-elt as a means to enhance eco-literacy through integrated materials and outdoor projects, fostering a sense of environmental responsibility among learners. acknowledgement the researchers would like to express their gratitude to the ministry of research, technology and higher education indonesia and universitas nahdlatul ulama sunan giri, who have provided us fully funded research through a competitive national grant program specifically designed for lecturers under the auspices of lppm. references ali, muh. i., abduh, a., mahmud, r., & dunakhir, s. (2023). raising students’ awareness on environmental education issues. indonesian journal of educational research and review, 6(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.23887/ijerr.v6i1.59146 azizah, n., inderawati, r., & vianty, m. (2021). developing descriptive reading materials in efl classes by utilizing the local culture. studies in english language and education, 8(2), 596–621. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i2.18562 duggan, g. l., jarre, a., & murray, g. (2020). learning for change: integrated teaching modules and situated learning for marine social-ecological systems change. journal of environmental education, 52(2), 118–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2020.1852524 dull, e., & reinhardt, s. p. (2014). an analytic approach for discovery. in ceur workshop proceedings (vol. 1304, pp. 89–92). fauzan, a. (2013). efl students’ awareness and attitudes on environmental issues and its education solution. journal on english as a foreign language, 3(2), 77–84. huda, h. n., & sulistyaningrum, s. d. (2022). the impact of self-directed learning on students’ english reading comprehension ability. jepri ali saiful. (2020). new innovation in english language teaching: revealing concepts and applications of eco-elt. tell : teaching of english language and literature journal, 8(1), 53. https://doi.org/10.30651/tell.v8i1.4408 kara, s. (2023). the effects of ecology-oriented instruction on enhancing efl learner’s writing competence. arab world english journal, 14(4), 395–408. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol14no4.25 lhamo, j., & sakulwongs, n. (n.d.). the effectiveness of audio-assisted reading to enhance english reading comprehension skills for bhutanese students. in thaitesol journal (vol. 36, issue 2). lough, d. m. (2023). curriculum and learning for climate action: toward an sdg 4.7 roadmap for systems change. leadership and policy in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 245 schools, 22(2), 545–548. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2022.2157739 mahaswa, r. k., prayuda, g. b. n., & riziq, l. b. (2024). the urgency of environmental education in kurikulum merdeka: a geophilosophical approach. qalamuna: jurnal pendidikan, sosial, dan agama, 16(1), 113–124. https://doi.org/10.37680/qalamuna.v16i1.3901 maryatiningsih, r. r., & abduh, m. (2024). reading interest and teacher’s efforts in increasing reading interest for elementary schools. lectura : jurnal pendidikan, 15(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.31849/lectura.v15i1.16353 micalay-hurtado, m. a., & poole, r. (2022). ecocritical language awareness for english language teaching (elt): promoting justice, wellbeing, and sustainability in the classroom. journal of world languages, 8(2), 371–390. https://doi.org/10.1515/jwl-2022-0023 putri, c., silvhiany, s., & inderawati, r. (2024). empowering young learners: integrating climate change education with bilingual picture books in elt. english review: journal of english education, 12(2), 601–616. pratiwi, p. i., ramadhani, d., & mayuni, l. (2024). implementations of eco-literacy in english language teaching for smart society era: a critical review. jurnal onoma: pendidikan, bahasa, dan sastra, 10(2), 1493–1505. https://doi.org/10.30605/onoma.v10i2.3543 romios, l., musthafa, b., & lengkanawati, n. s. (2024). students’ perceptions of the implementation of dialogic teaching for improving speaking skills at a university in west java. 12(2), 449–462. saiful, j. a. (2023). eco-elt for environmental research and praxis in elt. journal on english as a foreign language, 13(2), 373–398. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v13i2.6335 sakura putu arga, h., & dani septiyan rahayu, g. (n.d.). influence of environment-based learning materials to improve the eco-literacy of pgsd students. 6(2), 208–218. https://doi.org/10.17509/mimbar sanova, a., bakar, a., afrida, a., kurniawan, d. a., & aldila, f. t. (2022). digital literacy on the use of e-module towards students’ self-directed learning on learning process and outcomes evaluation cources. jpi (jurnal pendidikan indonesia), 11(1), 154–164. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpiundiksha.v11i1.36509 satriani, e., idayani, a., & kadar, d. p. (2024). students’ perception on using electronic module learning material in distance learning: presented by an asynchronous. elt-lectura, 11(1), 80–88. semenova, g. (2020). global environmental problems in the world. e3s web of conferences, 217, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202021711004 septiyanti, m., inderawati, r., & vianty, m. (2020). technological pedagogical and content knowledge (tpack) perception of english education students. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 1. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i2.2114 sergeyevich, g., rasyid, m., & kurniaman, o. (2023). development of local wisdom-based literacy modules for reading comprehension in elementary school. 15, 4492–4504. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v15i4.3147 seva, k., sirait, a., & rachmawati, t. (2023). developing reading materials to improve the learners’ comprehension of sdgs concepts. project (professional journal of english education), 6(5), 998–1014. surdyanto, a., & kurniawan, w. (2020). developing critical reading module using integrated learning content and language approach. studies in english language and education, 7(1), 154–169. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v7i1.15098 atmaja, s. d. (n.d.). using audio-visual aids to improve the students’ reading skill. suwarso, p. n., & praseno, m. d. (2022). developing an intensive reading material for efl students: a final product. joall (journal of applied linguistics and literature), 7(1), 259–275. https://doi.org/10.33369/joall.v7i1.19735 valavanidis, a. (2022). the 12 most pressing global environmental issues. environmental problems humanity needs to resolve before 2050. november, 1–63. wirdiyana, a. a., sunaengsih, c., & syahid, a. a. (2024). utilization of digital books in increasing students’ reading interest. pedagogia : jurnal pendidikan, 13(1), 134–144. https://doi.org/10.21070/pedagogia.v13i1.1632 . iin widya lestari, ainu zumrudiana, muhammad romadlon habibullah, mohammad fatoni, & faridatun nadiyah efl learners’ perception on integrating e-reading module with eco-elt themes 246 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 863 cross cultural speech acts of indirect request in efl widya caterine perdhani study programme of english language education, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya, malang, indonesia email: caterine_widya@ub.ac.id didik hartono study programme of english language education, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya, malang, indonesia email: didik_htono@ub.ac.id dita grace department of english, faculty of letters, universitas negeri malang, malang, indonesia email: ditagraceofficial@gmail.com ardafa rizko ubadillah study programme of english language education, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya, malang, indonesia email: ardafarizko@student.ub.ac.id indriyani annisa’ study programme of english language education, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya, malang, indonesia email: indriyannisa@student.ub.ac.id apa scitation: perdhani, w. c., hartono, d., grace, d., ubadillah, a. r., & annisa’, i. (2024). cross cultural speech acts of indirect request in efl. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 863-868. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i2.9538 received: 27-02-2024 accepted: 28-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract this research aims to investigate the cross cultural among the l2 students that they have problems on indirect request in efl context. the participants are students come from 2 different region between malang, east java and palembang, south sumatera. the indication of this research is the students were facing lacks on using l2 during their written area. this study uses written role play by dct, to test how they were respond or analyze the questions were given. the participants from two different regions have different style to express their utterances in answering the questions. the results of this research that javanese participants tend to explain everything in accordance to their manner, different from sumatera which more answer directly. in different situation, for asking a help, javanese participants are using hedged performative and later query prepatory, while sumateran participants tend to using query prepatory to get a help. by mutual relationship situation, the javanese participants use hedged performative and aware having closed relation, while the sumatera participants are query prepatory strategy applied. finally, from this research, it can be inffered that java participants use strategy in giving respond, while sumatera reduce kinship for respond situation. keywords: indirect speech; cross culture; l2 learners introduction indonesian learners have challenging on understanding the cross cultural. this happened when the students during clasroom conference tried out to be using english with lies indonesian language (knowledge also) on conversation. students are tended to bring their own translation in their mind rather than reach out the english context (akmal et al., 2022a). this is an example of indonesian and english that it is between lecturer and college students for asking permission from classroom situation: using indonesian context: “ good morning, sir. i am apologize that i can not attend the class today, because i am sick .” using english context: “i have a fever since i woke up this morning, so i can’t come to the classroom today.” mailto:caterine_widya@ub.ac.id mailto:didik_htono@ub.ac.id mailto:ditagraceofficial@gmail.com mailto:ardafarizko@student.ub.ac.id mailto:indriyannisa@student.ub.ac.id widya caterine perdhani, didik hartono, dita grace, ardafa rizko ubadillah, & indriyani annisa’ cross cultural speech acts of indirect request in efl 864 indirect speech appears in this example. they asked out about asking permission with the knowledge as a polite situational, such as: how the indonesian students are giving address to someone and also missleading using apologize in permission situation (pase, 2015) which comparing to the english is different context. this research has interest to check the cross cultural speech act of indirect request in efl context. we see the challenge among students who has problem with the english context and indonesian at the same time. to analyze indirect speech, some researchers are challenged to find efl learner’s performance of english situation. chen and liu (2016) investigates l2 learner’s speech act under amount of infomation, politiness, clarity, and relevance on their written tasks and communicating thourgh email. nugroho and rekha (2020) uses dct technique in terms of role plays and fgd to find the student’s competence in l2 culture. their findings are indirect request frequently used in teaching activities. in iranian case, babaie and shahrokhi (2015) investigate how the learners’ understanding english cultures to implement in their teaching activities. the interesting here is the iranian learners were struggled to giving stragies of indirect use of advice. tajeddin, alemi, and razzaghi (2014) focus in investigating efl learners and native about speech act in apology. they found that styles of politeness were almost in same level of communicatively competent, but the difference nails on sociopragmatic and sociocultural norms. indonesian situation is very challenging for some terms. the condition itself is based on the multicultural that made the education challenging. zamroni , et. al (2021) studied that multicultural using in education gives impact to be difficult for complete understanding. their study implemented multicultural approaches for mass large – school, but limited for classroom uses. as resulted, the important to be practical in classroom use is by implemented the transformation approach, which are broaden on for classroom, such as: habit forming appreciation, discussing social problems in multicultural society, to keen on cultural diversity, giving respect to others by implementing program. the transformation approach is focused on student’s competence in different ethnic perspectives. some researchers about cross cultural that indonesian learners tries to reach out into the classroom. jandevi and zareen (2020) studied about indonesian students on china that they were straight forward for being there and got easy to have interactions with local people. hikmatulloh and syafia (2020) investigates the role of cross cultural understanding among the efl learners. his research found that the local language – sundanese is their l1 instead using indonesia language for among students, lacking on criticizing as the aspects culture, having less to refuse something offered. chintawidy and sartini (2022) investigate their study that request strategies and politeness applied to two different indonesian ethnics – sundanese and javanese. from their study, it shows that the learners from sundanese and javanese are using mood derivable for direct strategy and query preparation for convetionally indirect strategy. from their study, the daily communication among these etnics apply indirect way as showing different level social power and less on face threatening act. besides, query preparatory of direct strategy looks positive persuasion in communication (i.e: asking permission) and also as a part of ethnic culture. as a part of pragmatic, speech acts has several functional in social situation from asking apologize, giving request, thanking, accepting, and even refusing invitations (chintawidy & sartini, 2022; huang, 2014). speech act performed in the utterance of sentence which represented the meaning function (searle, 1969). among the l2 learners suppose to know about speech act, since the different meaning convey from l1 different to l2 (blum-kulka & olshtain, 1984). to deliver l2 knowledge, the teacher has responsibility in confirming the l2 awareness towards speech act. as result, future teachers are ready to serve the material about l2 in different level and ignore missed interpretations. in this research, indirect request is a part of speech act. most indonesian students are not very familiar to write directly, but translation resulted of indonesia to write their english sentences (akmal et al., 2022b). toyosaka (2021) states indirectness among l2 learners can be used to minimize imposition, express disagreement same as personal opinion, and deal disagrement situations more effectively. in certain situation of using indirect request, boux (2023) states that indirect replies play on psychological and conceptual issues. her research proved indirect acceptable by hearer that responding the speaker without semantically difficult, since the context of conversations played within less certainty, predictable, coherent and semantically to the questions. using indirect speech in efl situations, the learners as listeners english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 865 were also needed to be speaker’s perspective, which captured as meaningful communicative in utterance (obdalova et al., 2019). karatepe (2016) focused the situation about request form among turkish learners’ complaint to higher institution. his research for indirect speech showed that the learners as non native preferred imperative to ask information and wanted the modal verb for statements resulted. the problem of this research deals with students’ knowledges in understanding english and indonesia in same terms meaning through out indirect request. from this problem, we would like to discuss how the students were using their language especially indirect request in written area. method this research is focused on how the speech acts of indirect request among efl learners. for participants, there were coming from 2 differents universities , one private university from palembang, south sumatera represents sumateran participants, while one public university from malang, east java represents java participants. there were 26 participants selected as the subjects to this research: 13 fifth-semester students from public university at malang and 13 fifth-semester students participans from private university at palembang. in collecting our data, this research used questionnaire by applying dct or discourse completion task. the dct questionaire is adopt from syahri and kadarisman (2015). the dct questionnaire briefly asked the participants about roles in play certain situation. this questionnaire was dealed with social distance and power. the participants were accessed google form in accordance to answer the questionnaire. there were 12 situations which the partcipants were required to written role-play questionnaire. results and discussion the speech act based on directness level (byon, 2006), such as direct, conventionally indirect. the data focus on delivering sumatera and java statements in delivering or process of their different utterances and also resulted on discrepancy meaning. these differences from participants takes written answer to see how they respond personally. the utterances were selected as sample based on the significant of delivery situation of different regions. the situation question about asking a pen in library and towards person never known before. here the sample of sumatera’s answer: “can i borrow it for a moment?” *it refers to pen compared to javanese participant’s answer: “excuse me, sorry, can i borrow your pen for a moment?” similar question in term asking about music loud from neighbor, here is the sample of sumateran’s answer: “can you turn down the volume for me plis? thank you” java situation: “hey, can you turn down the volume or turn off your music please ? it is really disturbing me since i have to do my homework. you know it's already 9 p.m and you are doing something that can bother other people. so please be nice since you are new neighbor here.” if we see from the sumateran participant, the sentence is asking to the person like they are met before, as the result the sentence is in mood dervable and single sentence to permittion. comparing to the javanese participants, they were created hedged performative and taking more explanation by asking a thing. in placing situation that needs suggestion as question, the respondents give different strategy things in utterance. by asking about shopping discount, the participants were interested and asked a help to store assistant. here is the sample: sumateran’s participants: “hi, can you help to find the s size?” comparing to javanese’s participants: “excuse me, sorry to disturb you. is there a t-shirt size that is the same size as my body?” similar situations in asking a waiter at restaurant for more water service, sumateran’s participant: “can i have an extra glass of water?” compared to javanese participant: widya caterine perdhani, didik hartono, dita grace, ardafa rizko ubadillah, & indriyani annisa’ cross cultural speech acts of indirect request in efl 866 “excuse me, i think i need more water. can you give it to me?” from these different utterances, the sumateran’s responds by using query – prepatory to asking a help. comparing to javanese, the utterance still uses hedged performative in beggining for respond and later fiving query prepatory to getting explanation. in mutual relationship, the conversation is slighty different. the situation question is about asking text book that sharing next to friend at classroom here is the respond: sumateran’s participants respond: “i left my book at home. can i borrow your book?” java’s participants respond: “hey, if you don't mind can we share the textbook? i left mine at home.” for the utterances, the sumatera answer situation uses query – prepatory strategy. comparing the javanese utterances, the strategy for situation uses hedged performative, because the participant is asking in good way eventhough having closed relation towards the question situation. in summary, the utterances between sumateran and javanese participants are different. mostly, sumateran try to reduce the kinship or adressing towards someone. for javanese situation, they uses strategy that saying in mannerly situation eventhough having good relation towards the speaker. the interesting here, the javanese participants tend to explanation by giving reason but the question is not asking about the reason. this different with sumateran, the participants are rarely to giving explanation behind the question. besides, the participants are tended to explanation by their translation without giving a proper sentence as target language. so, the participants have awareness that the necessary of answering question is bringing their l1 knowledge by translation eventhough it is not very well good as target language. conclusion this research is very insightful from the participants to answers the questions. in conclusion, the way of participants thinking are representative differents. in matter of sumatera, these communication are not pay attention to other people whether has difference ages or knowing the position from its person. the javanese students represent culture that still shows the not direct utterances even in written area. this might have consideration of difference ages and knowledge someone’s position. this research has potential to contribute teaching and learning at school and university in indonesia. teachers and pre-service teachers must be have some awareness toward using indirect speech that in term to let l1 cultural no longer as translation in speaking practically. teachers and pre-service teachers get any surfaces communication from l2 situation. as the result, the teacher and pre-service teachers during learning performances are effectively answer in proper without l1 culture. after the teacher and pre-service teachers are ready to deliver proper speaking skill, they should try to communicate for students who are missunderstood on l2 situation speaking. to support the finest communication, the teachers have to reflecting during lesson (i.e: feedback written and text) as tranformation of l2 knowledge context. the target of this research are to know the potential english language practical in use. especially , the participants come from different areas, so this might be the lecturer or even profesional educators want to hit the target of l2 level practical. in certain case, speaking sample material from indonesian school books from government are still less keen on target language situation, since the translation utterances on textbook are unsuitable to understand and sample of english context. this area needs more development with proper translation of target language, so the readers and students who use the school books are in same understanding of utterances and respond like a native speaker of target language. hopefully, this research has potential to get the participants in target l2 level higher in future. acknoledgements this research was funded under penelitian dpp / spp 2023 by universitas brawijaya, indonesia. references akmal, h., syahriyani, a., & handayani, t. (2022a). request speech act of indonesian english learners and australian english speakers through crosscultural pragmatic perspectives. 15(2). akmal, h., syahriyani, a., & handayani, t. (2022b). request speech act of indonesian english learners and australian english speakers through crosscultural pragmatic perspectives. 15(2). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 867 babaie, s., & shahrokhi, m. (2015). a cross-cultural study of offering advice speech acts by iranian efl learners and english native speakers: pragmatic transfer in focus. english language teaching, 8(6), p133. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v8n6p133 blum-kulka, s., & olshtain, e. (1984). requests and apologies: a cross-cultural study of speech act realization patterns (ccsarp). applied linguistics, 5(3), 196–213. boux, i. p., margiotoudi, k., dreyer, f. r., tomasello, r., & pulvermüller, f. (2023). cognitive features of indirect speech acts. language, cognition and neuroscience, 38(1), 40–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/23273798.2022.207739 6 byon, a. s. (2006). developing kfl students’ pragmatic awareness of korean speech acts: the use of discourse completion tasks. language awareness, 15(4), 244–263. https://doi.org/10.2167/la410.0 chen, y., & liu, j. (2016). constructing a scale to assess l2 written speech act performance: wdct and e-mail tasks. language assessment quarterly, 13(3), 231–250. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2016.121384 4 chintawidy, p. a., & sartini, n. w. (2022). a crosscultural pragmatics study of request strategies and politeness in javanese and sundanese. journal of pragmatics research, 4(1), 152–166. https://doi.org/10.18326/jopr.v4i2.152-166 hikmatulloh, h., & syafia, a. (2020). the role of ccu in english classroom in indonesia. jellt (journal of english language and language teaching), 4(1), article 1. https://doi.org/10.36597/jellt.v4i1.7691 huang, y. (2014). pragmatics. oxford university press, usa. jandevi, u., & zareen, m. (2020). cross-cultural communication of the indonesian students in china. international journal of communication and society, 2(2), 79–85. https://doi.org/10.31763/ijcs.v2i2.96 karatepe, ç. (2016). indirectness in requests in complaint letters to the higher institution by turkish efl students. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 232, 354–361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.050 nugroho, a., & rekha, a. (2020). speech acts of requests: a case of indonesian efl learners. journal of english language teaching and linguistics, 5(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v5i1.371 obdalova, o. a., minakova, l. yu., soboleva, a. v., & tikhonova, e. v. (2019). modes of wording direct into indirect speech in intercultural communication. in z. anikina (ed.), going global through social sciences and humanities: a systems and ict perspective (pp. 183–194). springer international publishing. pase, f. (2015). “ i’m sorry for the mistakes i’m about to make”: interaction, social status and emotion in the indonesian efl classroom (1591038) [thesis master , northern illinois university]. proquest dissertations and theses global. searle, j. r. (1969). speech acts: an essay in the philosophy of language. cambridge university press. syahri, i., & kadarisman, a. e. (2015). pragmatic transfer in request realizations. teflin journal a publication on the teaching and learning of english, 18(2), 123. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v18i2/123 -147 tajeddin, z., alemi, m., & razzaghi, s. (2014). crosscultural perceptions of impoliteness by native english speakers and efl learners: the case of apology speech act. journal of intercultural communication research, 43(4), 304–326. https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2014.967279 toyosaka, n. (2021). pragmatic task difficulty and l2 politeness strategies in disagreement situations across proficiency. core, 49, 45–85. zamroni, z., dwiningrum, s. i. a., hope, j., kartowagiran, b., sudartinah, t., siteine, a., & yao, z. (2021). cross-cultural competence in multicultural education in indonesian and new zealand high schools. international journal of instruction, 14(3), 597–612. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14335a widya caterine perdhani, didik hartono, dita grace, ardafa rizko ubadillah, & indriyani annisa’ cross cultural speech acts of indirect request in efl 868 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 373 exploring pragmatic development in 4-year-old children: an interactionalist perspective siti salamah indonesian language and literature education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas ahmad dahlan, yogyakarta, indonesia e-mail: siti.salamah@pbsi.uad.ac.id, zultiyanti indonesian language and literature education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas ahmad dahlan, yogyakarta, indonesia e-mail: zultiyanti@pbsi.uad.ac.id apa scitation: salamah, s. & zultiyanti. (2024). exploring pragmatic development in 4-year-old children: an interactionalist perspective. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 373384. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9355 received: 29-10-2023 accepted: 24-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 abstract: in indonesia, the exploration of pragmatic development has primarily centered on speech acts, indicating a gap in comprehensive research into the wider dimensions of pragmatic acquisition in children. this study, adopting a qualitative descriptive methodology, seeks to elucidate the primary facets of pragmatic acquisition in 4-year-old children. conducted at aba nitikan yogyakarta kindergarten, data collection was achieved through systematic observation, incorporating recording and note-taking as key methods. analysis proceeded according to the miles & huberman flow model, with data validity reinforced through both method and theory triangulation. data triangulation involved compiling insights from three distinct sources: detailed classroom observations, audio recordings of interactions, and reflective field notes analysis. theoretical triangulation compared the collected data against existing theoretical frameworks to mitigate potential researcher bias in the findings. the investigation into pragmatic acquisition among 4-year-olds at aba nitikan yogyakarta kindergarten unveiled that children have developed various pragmatic dimensions, including joint attention, common ground, conventions and contrast, feedback and repair, and speech acts. keywords: interactionalist; pragmatic acquisition; pragmatic aspects. introduction pragmatic knowledge is essential to understanding and applying language usage standards based on variables including the target audience, communication objectives, and social conventions within the language community (puri & baskara, 2023). the acquisition of pragmatic knowledge is contingent upon learners' capacity to use their grammatical and structural knowledge in context-appropriate real-world discussions, as noted by al-obaydi (2023), marasabessy et al. (2023), and schidelko (2022). this compilation of research provides a nuanced look into the realm of pragmatic language development in children, touching upon various factors, disorders, and bilingualism's effects. these contributions deepen our understanding of how children acquire the necessary pragmatic skills for effective communication within their respective linguistic and social contexts (abdulrahman & ayyash, 2019). ninio (2018) establishes a foundational discussion on the spectrum of pragmatic development, paving the way for detailed investigations into specific elements of pragmatic language learning. however, in its development, issues like research boundaries and imprecise definitions remain unclear and unresolved, posing perplexing and contentious challenges (niu, 2023). research by vassiliu et al. (2023) examines pragmatic and structural language abilities in children with adhd, shedding light on the distinct developmental paths and challenges faced by this group. complementarily, bohn et al. (2023) look at the variability in pragmatic abilities among preschoolers from an individual differences standpoint, emphasizing the diversity in children’s contextual language usage. in a similar vein, kay et al. (2021) investigated the early pragmatic language skills of preschoolaged children who were normally developing (td), those who had language impairment (li), mailto:zultiyanti@pbsi.uad.ac.id siti salamah & zultiyanti exploring pragmatic development in 4-year-old children: an interactionalist perspective 374 and those who had autism spectrum disorder (asd). another study by socher et al. (2019) investigates why children who are deaf or hard of hearing frequently score lower on pragmatic language aptitude tests than their hearing peers. mazzocconi and ginzburg (2023) explore how understanding and producing humor, or "laughables," plays into pragmatic development from 12 to 36 months, illustrating the complex link between humor comprehension and pragmatic language capabilities. pereira and lousada (2023) scrutinize the reliability of tools designed to assess pragmatic intervention outcomes in children with developmental language disorders, calling for dependable methods to measure the effectiveness of these interventions accurately. zhang et al. (2023) delve into how processing and discourse-pragmatic factors compete in the use of adverbial when-clauses by both children and adults, offering insight into the underlying cognitive and linguistic mechanisms of pragmatic development. the study by sánchez et al. (2023) investigates the development of pragmatic knowledge in heritage bilingual children, focusing on how language dominance, experience, and interaction affect their understanding and use of null and overt subjects in spanish and english. beauchamp et al. (2023) examine the effect of being raised bilingual on narrative, social, and pragmatic skills in school-aged children with autism, pointing out the complex implications of bilingualism in autistic populations. children with social communication impairments find it difficult to communicate successfully in social situations, as noted by murphy et al. (2021). fernandes (2021) also proposes an assessment protocol for the pragmatic communication skills of autistic children to verify whether its results can be associated the fcp since both instruments are based on the same communication notions for children diagnosed on the autism spectrum. robinson et al. (2023) reflect on the methodologies, ethical considerations, and practical aspects of including children and youth with disabilities in research related to domestic and family violence, advocating for research practices that are inclusive. the gender disparities in pragmatic development studied by bialecka-pikul et al. (2019) show significant differences favoring girls. andrés-roqueta et al. (2024) present pleaseapp, a novel digital assessment tool for children with neurodevelopmental disorders' receptive pragmatic abilities, showcasing advancements in evaluation techniques. prasanna et al. (2024) also investigate teachers' views and usage of storytelling in preschool development, emphasizing storytelling's role in enhancing pragmatic language skills across diverse ethnic groups. collectively, this body of work presents a comprehensive view of the factors influencing pragmatic development in children, covering assessment challenges, the impact of neurodevelopmental disorders and bilingualism, and the significance of adopting culturally and linguistically informed support methods for children’s pragmatic language progress. children utilize language as an interactive tool to guide and regulate their behavior as they commence their educational journey, as highlighted by vygotsky in 1987. youngsters quickly pick up societal norms. for instance, when their language develops, the infant learns to employ vocal expressions after initially learning to use non-verbal information and making eye contact for interaction (bahrami & fekargharamaleki, 2021). however, there exists a notable gap in research focusing on language acquisition through the lens of interactionalism theory, making it a compelling area for study. previous research in the realm of children's language acquisition within educational settings, such as the works of wulandari (2018), asri, syahrul, and suardi (2019), and others, primarily concentrated on the structural aspects of language, including phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics, predominantly through the behaviorist perspective. these studies did not delve into interactionalism theory nor thoroughly explore how children acquire language, the sequence and patterns of this acquisition, or the application of pragmatic strategies in language development. furthermore, investigations into pragmatic aspects by researchers like wahab (2013) and others have been confined to the forms of pragmatic acquisition without focusing on the strategies children employ in acquiring pragmatic skills. this indicates a gap in understanding the pragmatic strategies used by children in language acquisition, underscoring the necessity for further research in this direction. this gap signifies the importance of advancing research on children's language acquisition from the perspective of interactionalism theory and exploring pragmatic acquisition strategies. such nama penulis: judul artikel 375 research could enrich theoretical concepts for application in psycholinguistics courses. numerous studies have addressed language acquisition in children, covering both linguistic structures and pragmatic aspects. yet, these investigations have largely leaned towards behaviorism and cognitivism, neglecting interactionalism theory. studies like those by salamah, murtadho & yumna (2022), and scheidnes (2020) have focused on language stimulation techniques and the repetition of linguistic elements in children, respectively. children mimic what their speakers say at first to increase their comprehension of the speech, and later they start to employ the repetition for different communication objectives (sudartinah, 2022). similarly, research by pontikas et al. (2022), and diessel & monakhov (2022) has examined aspects such as the processing speed of interrogative sentences in bilingual versus monolingual children and the acquisition of demonstrative words across different languages. it has been observed that children begin employing pragmatic strategies from their first year in school. research from an interactionalism perspective, such as darong's (2020) study, has investigated pragmatic strategies and types of questions used by english teachers, highlighting the necessity for pragmatic strategies to manage classroom interactions effectively. this underscores the need for more nuanced research that not only explores language acquisition from an interactionalism viewpoint but also delves into the pragmatic strategies children utilize, thereby contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of language development in educational settings. language, as a medium of interaction, is crucial for children, especially as they begin school, to navigate and control their behavior, a concept highlighted by vygotsky in 1987. despite numerous studies on language acquisition in indonesia focusing predominantly on speech acts, there's a gap in research exploring the broader scope of pragmatic development in children, warranting a deeper investigation. research to date, including works by wulandari (2018), asri, syahrul, and suardi (2019), among others, has mainly concentrated on structural language aspects like phonology and syntax, applying behaviorist theories. these studies have not ventured into interactionalism theory, leaving a gap in understanding children's language acquisition processes, sequences, and patterns. furthermore, while studies by wahab (2013) and others have delved into pragmatic forms in children, they've largely overlooked the strategies children employ in pragmatic development. this research aims to fill these gaps by focusing on children's language acquisition from an interactionalism perspective and examining the strategies children use in acquiring pragmatics. this is crucial for providing a more nuanced theoretical framework for psycholinguistics and understanding pragmatic development in children. past studies have largely applied behaviorist and cognitivist theories to explore language acquisition in children, examining linguistic structures and pragmatic aspects. however, there's a noted lack of research from an interactionalism standpoint, which considers the relationship between cognitive abilities and environmental interaction in language development. eriksson (2019), for instance, investigates how joint attention correlates with vocabulary and syntax development in young children, underscoring the importance of interactive engagement for linguistic growth. clark (2014) posits that pragmatic understanding is central to first language acquisition, with children learning through context-rich interactions with adults, which include feedback on language use and adherence to conversational norms. in indonesia, research by trisna, husein, and pulungan (2020) highlights how three-year-old children employ pragmatic strategies in everyday conversations, indicating early development of pragmatic understanding. clark (2014) further categorizes children's pragmatic development into aspects such as joint attention, common ground, and others, each playing a unique role in how children interact and communicate. this research seeks to expand on these findings, using clark's interactionalism approach to explore both structural and pragmatic language acquisition in children, offering a comprehensive view of how children navigate and develop linguistic competencies. method this study employs a qualitative descriptive research design aimed at understanding phenomena as experienced by the subjects, such as behaviors and descriptive methods in words and language, within a natural setting. following moleong (2007), this approach focuses on capturing the lived experiences of individuals through various naturalistic methods. consistent with sugiyono (2006), our study does not define a siti salamah & zultiyanti exploring pragmatic development in 4-year-old children: an interactionalist perspective 376 population but rather investigates a social situation characterized by synergistic interactions among place, actors, and activities. the subject of this research is the process of language acquisition among children, with the object being the children attending aba nitikan yogyakarta kindergarten. data collection is conducted through listening to recordings and taking notes on the utterances spoken by the children, thereby recording and noting their language use. this method aligns with the qualitative nature of the study, emphasizing the importance of capturing verbal expressions directly from the participants. the data collection method involves listening to recordings and employing note-taking techniques to document children’s utterances. this technique allows for the detailed observation and recording of natural language use among the children in the kindergarten setting. the research on language acquisition among children at aba nitikan yogyakarta kindergarten is methodically structured to delve deeply into the pragmatic development of young learners. this study meticulously follows a series of steps beginning with the identification of linguistic phenomena of interest, which sets the direction of the research. subsequently, the process involves identifying and formulating the specific problems to be investigated, thereby laying the groundwork for the inquiry into children's language acquisition. data collection is a critical phase where observations, audio recordings, and note-taking play pivotal roles in gathering comprehensive information on the children's linguistic interactions. following collection, data undergoes reduction and tabulation, a meticulous process that distills vast amounts of raw information into a concise and analyzable format. this step is crucial for managing the complexity of linguistic data and preparing it for in-depth analysis. employing the miles & huberman (1992) flow model, the study advances into the data analysis phase, which is characterized by three integral components: data reduction, data presentation, and verification or conclusion drawing. data reduction is an ongoing process that filters and focuses the collected information, making it manageable and relevant for the study’s objectives. data presentation then organizes this refined data into coherent formats, such as descriptions, charts, and graphs, making it accessible and interpretable. the final step of verification involves scrutinizing the data to identify patterns and draw credible conclusions, which are then cross-verified with additional data collection to ensure reliability and trustworthiness. to ensure the validity of the research findings, a dual approach of method and theory triangulation is employed. data triangulation enhances the study’s credibility by sourcing information from a mix of classroom observations, audio recordings, and reflective notes. theoretical triangulation serves to align the study’s findings with existing theoretical frameworks, thereby minimizing individual researcher bias and grounding the conclusions in a broader academic context. this comprehensive research flow, from the initial identification of phenomena to the final verification of data, is crafted to shed light on the intricate process of pragmatic development in children. by scrutinizing how young learners acquire language in interactive settings, the study aims to contribute significantly to the fields of psycholinguistics and interactionalism theory. ultimately, this research endeavors to inform educational strategies and enrich psycholinguistics course content, enhancing our understanding of language acquisition in early childhood. results and discussion the results of data collection on children aged 4-5 years at aba nitikan yogyakarta kindergarten show that there is a pragmatic acquisition which is categorized based on clark's (2014) pragmatic acquisition theory. the results of a study of the acquisition of pragmatics in children show that children aged 4 years at aba nikan yogyakarta kindergarten have acquired the aspects of joint attention (ja), common ground (cg), convention and contrast (cc), feedback and repair (fr), and speech act (sa). the distribution of acquisition for each pragmatic aspect is presented in the diagram below. figure 1. pragmatic acquisition distribution nama penulis: judul artikel 377 the pragmatic acquisition distribution of children aged 4 years at aba nitikan yogyakarta kindergarten consists of: (1) aspect of joint attention (ja) by 4%; (2) aspect of common ground (cg) by 9%; (3) aspect of convention and contrast (cc) by 11%; (4) aspect of feedback and repair (fr) by 9%; and (5) aspect of speech act (sa) by 67%. pragmatic acquisition obtained by 4-year-old children at aba nitikan yogyakarta kindergarten includes the five aspects mentioned above. the distribution of aspects of pragmatic acquisition by each child is explained in table 1 below. table 1. distribution of pragmatic acquisition of 4 year old children in aba nitikan kindergarten no. child’s name ja cg cc fr sa 1. afifah 0 2 2 1 11 2. sila 0 1 2 2 10 3. farah 0 1 2 2 12 4. hilya 2 2 3 2 14 5. bella 0 1 2 3 14 6. al 3 3 2 3 9 7. rumaisah 0 1 1 3 10 8. aqila 0 1 1 4 11 total 5 12 15 13 92 the exploration of pragmatic development in 4-year-old children at aba nitikan yogyakarta kindergarten indicates the acquisition of all examined pragmatic aspects. notably, the joint attention (ja) aspect is observed the least frequently in the children's interactions, in contrast to the speech act (sa) aspect, which is the most common. the order of frequency for the appearance of these pragmatic strategies is jacg-fr-cc-sa. a closer examination of these five pragmatic aspects reveals the following insights. joint attention (ja) aspect joint attention represents the foundational pragmatic skill children acquire to communicate with others. this skill is characterized by children initially focusing their attention on adults through facial expressions (hyde, jones, flom, & porter, 2011), establishing a crucial early developmental stage known as joint attention. this stage underpins children’s ability to engage and learn language within their social environments. meaningful communication can only be formed when the pragmatic knowledge aligns with the practical context (yan, 2022). according to pivio and begg in trisna et al. (2020), kids pick up on social cues from others around them, including dress rules, body language, and language usage. this tendency usually starts with the things that children say to themselves, followed by peers from their school, neighborhood, or family. between the ages of one and five, most children acquire verbal or nonverbal pragmatic skills (mathew & varghese, 2021). by the time they are two years old, children use language to ask questions, make requests, inform others, and engage in conversation—but only for a certain number of turns (ramya et al., 2022). three years old is when proper interaction starts to develop through communication (fatima, 2022). by the ages of 4-5 years, instances of joint attention are less frequent, primarily appearing between 9 months to 1.5 years. from 12 to 15 months, their gaze following becomes more accurate, and they can more precisely locate targets. infants begin directing the attention of adults around 9 to 10 months, with the frequency of joint attention behaviors peaking between 12 to 15 months (butterworth and morissette, 1996). consistent with the above observations, joint attention forms were seldom identified in this study, given that 3-4-year-old children are typically developing more complex sentence structures. in this investigation, the ja form was observed only 5 times, exemplified by certain interactions noted during the research. mrs. ning : “who’s birthday today?” bella : “me!” (while looking around and raising hands) mrs. ning : is bella birthday?” (bella nodded) mrs. ning : “whoa, friends! bella is birthday today. happy birthday, bella!” bella : (covered her face while smiling) the data illustrates that bella demonstrates her joint attention (ja) capabilities by providing brief answers, looking around, and nodding. while ja usage is less common at bella's age of 4 years, due to the evolution of communication into more complex forms, it's notable that as children mature, they increasingly adopt intricate verbal expressions. common ground (cg) clark (2014) identifies the common ground (cg) as a crucial aspect of pragmatic development, representing shared knowledge between communicators, often rooted in cultural similarities. children between the ages of 2 and 4 begin to exhibit cg, albeit with knowledge that varies based on their environmental exposure. siti salamah & zultiyanti exploring pragmatic development in 4-year-old children: an interactionalist perspective 378 this period is characterized by children offering new information when it's apparent that their parents lack certain knowledge, facilitated through meaningful interactions within their environment, particularly with parents and other significant adults. cg enables children to achieve a mutual understanding with adults, adjusting their communication based on the perceived knowledge of their conversational partners. research by o'neill and topolovec (2001) found that older toddlers are adept at assessing the informativeness of their pointing gestures, often adding verbal labels to their points in contexts where pointing alone may be insufficient. for instance, by the age of 2 years and 9 months, children begin to consistently label objects during pointing gestures, particularly when the visibility of their pointing may be in question. however, younger toddlers, around 2 years and 4 months, do not show this discernment, suggesting an evolving ability to evaluate the effectiveness of their communicative gestures (pechmann and deutsch, 1982). this progression underscores the development of cg as children grow, emphasizing the importance of interactive experiences in shaping their pragmatic skills. mrs. ning : “what are you playing, hilya?” hilya : “pairing bunnies.” mrs. ning : “oh, you mean puzzle??” hilya : “yes, hilya forgets. it is puzzle, right, ma’am?” mrs. ning : “that’s right.” in the conversation highlighted above, the primary point of connection sought is the lexical meaning that identifies the type of game being discussed. the community typically has a specific term for this game, yet in the given context, the children lack the precise terminology, referring to it as "pairing bunnies" based on their understanding. the common ground (cg) aspect underscores the importance of accurate mutual understanding between the speaker and the listener about the topic at hand, essentially forming shared knowledge. the correct term for the game is a puzzle, and in the dialogue, the teacher introduces foundational concepts or basic information about the common terms used to describe the game. this introduction aims to build upon the child's existing knowledge base, enriching it with new information for accurate repetition. when a child is unfamiliar with the game's name, they share what information they have, solidifying their understanding as they further acquire language and align with the societal common knowledge (clark, 2014). language conventions, encompassing phonology, morphology, lexicon, and syntax, are governed by societal norms and are learned through adult language use and the feedback provided for errors. through this process, children learn to identify and use the correct lexical terms. convention and contrast (cc) aspect convention refers to established norms that are collectively understood and adhered to within a society. it underpins how speakers choose words, ensuring mutual understanding is achievable. concurrently, the concept of contrast involves distinguishing between different entities. words carry not only conventional meanings but also differ in significance, implying that a speaker's selection of a particular term over another conveys a unique meaning or perspective (clark, 1993). from a young age, children learn from their parents, caregivers, and siblings about the pragmatic principles of conventionality, which involves the expectation of using certain forms of language within society. this could encompass words, phrases, idioms, constructions, or combinations thereof. the manifestation of convention and contrast is evident in the provided data, showcasing how children navigate these linguistic principles in their first language acquisition journey. mrs. dewi : “ next, al”. al : “it was raining at my house yesterday.” mrs. dewi : “is it heavy?” al : “yes, so i went to school by motorcycle with my mother and wore an umbrella.” mrs. dewi : “oh,it was this morning, not yesterday” al : “ma’am, yesterday i bought a mouse.” mrs. dewi : “where did you buy it?” al : “at the fair.” mrs. dewi : “oh, it was a hamster, not a mouse.” al : “but it looks like a mouse.” the given example illustrates instances of convention and contrast within a conversation. initially, mrs. dewi inquires, "is it heavy?" and al responds, “yes, so i went to school by motorcycle with my mother and wore an umbrella”. given the context, mrs. dewi nama penulis: judul artikel 379 understands the event occurred recently, leading her to correct al's temporal reference from "yesterday" to "just now" to accurately reflect the recency of the event. in indonesian, "yesterday" suggests a past event, but since al's journey to school occurred recently, "just now" is the appropriate term. following this, the conversation shifts to a conventional misunderstanding when al mentions he bought a rat. mrs. dewi, puzzled by this unusual purchase, inquires about its location, pointing out the community's norms do not typically associate rats with pets for purchase. when al clarifies he bought rats at the fair, mrs. dewi corrects him, explaining what he purchased was likely a hamster, not a rat, as fairs commonly sell hamsters. this scenario underscores that young children may not always select the most accurate words or phrases, making their expressions challenging to interpret due to brevity or ambiguity due to their phrases' brevity or ambiguity for their idea of signs, which is unavoidably brought about by the convergence of pragmatic and pragmatist thought (niu, 2022). from an early age, children engage with the principles of convention and contrast, learning to specify their desires or correct misunderstandings through interaction, gradually refining their word choice through observation and practice. feedback and repair aspect the acquisition of language in children is facilitated through dialogue with surrounding speakers. initially, children may possess a basic understanding of how to use words to communicate but might struggle to find the correct terms to express understood meanings. in these instances, adults provide comprehensive feedback, aiming to grasp the children's intended messages. beyond offering feedback or contrasting statements, adults may guide corrections using targeted questions, such as those formed with "wh" words. an example from this study of feedback and repair involves an adult providing corrective feedback to a child’s misuse of terms, guiding the child towards the conventional expression of their intent, thus facilitating a clearer understanding and use of language. mrs. dewi : “who can make a butterfly?” afifah : “ma’am, i can make a butterfly from a cardboard.” mrs. dewi : “ooh..making a butterfly from a cardboard, right, afifah?” afifah : “yes, it can stick to my shirt.” mrs. dewi : “oh masya allah, afifah have been able to make a butterfly toy, not the real butterfly. butterfly is made by allah. creation is artificial.” (afifah is silent and nods) mrs. dewi : “humans cannot make butterflies, but only toy that are the same as butterflies, because the butterfly animal is created by allah.” afifah : “but i can make a toy like butterfly, ma’am.” mrs. dewi : “yes, afifah is very smart. humans can only make a toy, not create a butterfly.” in the conversation above, the utterance contains the feedback and repair aspects given by mrs. dewi. this happened when afifah did not understand the meaning of making a butterfly which refers to one of allah’s creatures, so afifah answered “i can make a butterfly from a cardboard.” the meaning of the word ‘make’ asked by mrs. dewi refers to non-object creatures in the form of toys. then, feedback was given by mrs. dewi when afifah answered mrs. dewi “who can make a butterfly?” afifah answered: “ma’am, i can make butterfly from a cardboard.” mrs. dewi gave a feedback in form of question. mrs. dewi: “ooh..making a butterfly from a cardboard, right, afifah?” next, mrs. dewi gave repair by saying, “oh masya allah, afifah have been able to make a butterfly toy, not the real butterfly. butterfly is made by allah. creation is artificial.” in the example conversation above, the adult speaker (mrs. dewi) made corrections to correct various misunderstandings and disturbances that occurred in the conversation with afifah. this can be seen most clearly in adult-child conversational exchanges, as children are beginners in the process of acquiring a first language and they know very little about the forms of language or how to use it. we can also observe the feedback made by mrs. dewi in the conversation above is to (1) check after the child's initial speech with questions to ask for clarification. in response, the child (afifah) still tries to defend her words by adding information “yes, it can stick to my shirt.” in the example sentence above, children often cannot understand the meaning of improvements made by adults, because children sometimes have difficulty understanding them. children are in the process of learning language, capturing words and phrases, and storing them in memory for that siti salamah & zultiyanti exploring pragmatic development in 4-year-old children: an interactionalist perspective 380 adults still serve children in two ways during their acquisition: (a) they give kids conventional versions of what they seem to mean, and (b) they provide additional checks on child production against any form of child storage; (clark & wong, 2002). the corrections made by afifah show that children are aware of and they monitor their own speech so that they can make corrections when they notice a discrepancy with the form they intended to produce. to respond to improvements made by adults, children are not enough just to form questions or statements given by adults. adults need to use reformulations so that children can understand and do the corrected forms that are offered in the following utterances. the improvements children make can also reflect how much they know about different aspects of language when they try to come up with the right pronunciation or the right choice of words or constructions (clark, 2014). speech act (sa) aspect the emergence of speech acts in children, investigating the acquisition of verbal communicative actions (speech acts) by children has traced how very young children, starting from the preverbal stage, use linguistic means to perform social actions and examine the pragmatic goals they achieve. in particular, even when toddlers use one-word speech, they can make requests for action and information and to generate statements, responses, and acknowledgments, combining these utterances with nonverbal means. at the age of 2.5 years, children's pragmatic abilities develop in communicating. children's abilities are spread more widely in communicative actions that are gradually becoming more sophisticated. over time, children learn the pragmatic means of communication that allow full realization of verbal communication and previously acquired aspects of situations, such as justifications, promises, prohibitions, challenges, apologies, explanations, denials, and disagreements (ninio & snow, 1996). assertive function of speech acts (sa) the assertive function of speech acts) in this research encompasses sentence forms that demonstrate assertive actions, such as stating, reporting, describing, presenting, and naming. here is a paraphrased example of the assertive reporting function observed in the study: sila : “ma’am, i’ve just seen a goat being slaughtered.” mrs. dewi : “which part is being slaughtered?” sila : “its head, and there was so much blood.” mrs. dewi : “whoa, it must be hurt, right?” sila : “sure, then i began to cry.” the following is an example of an assertive conveying function. afifah : “yesterday i bought so many toys.” mrs. ning : “where did you buy them?” afifah : “in the fair.” mrs. ning : “what did you buy in the fair, afifah?” afifah : “there were so many, ma’am. i bought dolls, kitchen set toy, and car toy for my brother.” mrs. ning : “whoa, you must be very happy, afifah.” the form of the assertive function of conveying speech acts is shown in the sentence “ma’am, i’ve just seen a goat being slaughtered.” then, the information conveyed is detailed again with sentences “there were so many, ma’am. i bought dolls, kitchen set toy, and car toy for my brother.” expressive function of sa regarding the expressive function of speech acts (sa), these encompass expressions like praising, criticizing, thanking, accusing, and apologizing. within this study, instances of praising and thanking, along with accusing and apologizing were identified, while examples of criticizing were not observed. here is a paraphrased description of expressive forms discovered in the research. bella : “here is a surprise for you, rumaisha.” rumaisha : “thank you, bella. i’ll open it later.” sila : “bella, is your veil new? it looks good.” bella : “yes, i bought it yesterday with my mother.” farah : “what do you want to buy?” rumaisha : “it is still hot” farrah : “it’s okay. i want to buy this.” rumaisha : “thank you, farrah”. hilya : “your voice is good”. sila : “isn’t it cool?” hilya : “yes, it’s good.” in the example sentence above, there is an expressive speech act function in the form of "thank you", showing thanks, and the word "good" showing praise. nama penulis: judul artikel 381 declarative function of sa the forms of speech acts found in this study include the speech acts of deciding, prohibiting, and canceling. the following are examples of declarative speech acts found in this study. rumaisha : “i want snacks.” hilya : “you can only pick one. don’t take too much.” bella : “aqila, you should not be there, it is dangerous.” aqila : “i’m sitting far from the power source.” mrs. ning : “i want to buy the eggplant, please.” sila : “you may not buy it, ma’am!” bella : “i’m not going to your home tomrrow.” aqila : “why?” bella : “because i am asked to go with my mother to my grandmother’s home.” aqila : “it’s okay. i will go to the mall with my mother too.” the form of the sentence above is a declarative form of prohibition which is marked by the negation words should not and may not. commissive function of sa the function of commissive speech acts can be in the form of threatening, offering, promising, and expressing willingness. bella : “do you want to go with me taking my police costume?” sila : “no, i don’t. i just want to stay here.” sila : “don’t bring my toy home!” bella : “i’m just borrowing and going to bring it back tomorrow.” aqila : “do you want the cake?” sila : “i don’t like chocolate, i want the cheese one.” aqila : “my mother just made this, if you don’t want then no problem.” the form of commissive speech acts is shown in the sentence “do you want to go with me” which is a form of offering commissive and in the sentence “i’m just borrowing and going to bring it back tomorrow.” that shows a promising commissive form. directive function of sa the form of directive speech acts can be: ordering, asking, demanding, and begging. the following is an example of the form of directive speech acts found in this study. sila : “could you please tie up my pant, ma’am?” mrs. ning : “come here and let me help you tie it up.” sila : “my pant is too big.” rumaisha : “please draw it for me, ma’am!” mrs. ning : “what drawing?” rumaisha : “a picture of a cow.” afifah : “let’s open it.” sila : “pull up the rope, bella!” bella : “i can make it hard.” the form of a directive speech act is shown by the word "please" which is a category of asking and a form of ordering speech in a sentence “pull up the rope, bella!” the form of the directive function speech act above is in the form of asking for help marked by the word "please" in the sentence “could you please tie up my pant, ma’am?”. furthermore, the directive function of ordering tends to be mentioned directly, as in the utterance “pull up the rope, bella!” based on the description above, children's pragmatic acquisition is obtained by several strategies as stated by clark (2014), namely aspects of joint attention (ja), aspects of common ground (cg), aspects of convention and contrast (cc), aspects of feedback and repair (fr), and aspects of speech act (sa). conclusion from an interactionalist perspective, children's language acquisition, including pragmatic aspects, is facilitated through their social interactions with the environment. this study, focusing on 4-yearold children at aba nitikan yogyakarta kindergarten, reveals that children's pragmatic development can be categorized into various strategies as outlined by clark (2014), including the aspects of joint attention (ja), common ground (cg), convention and contrast (cc), feedback and repair (fr), and speech act (sa). initially, young children predominantly use the ja strategy for pragmatic acquisition, which tends to significantly diminish as they age. subsequently, they navigate through cg, cc, fr, and finally to sa strategies in their conversational engagements. the cg strategy is highlighted when children share or recognize shared knowledge with their communication partners. cc becomes relevant when children understand the accuracy of forms and meanings in their speech and recognize discrepancies to correct any errors. the fr strategy is utilized by children to seek and rectify misunderstandings or incorrect language use with the help of their interlocutors. siti salamah & zultiyanti exploring pragmatic development in 4-year-old children: an interactionalist perspective 382 the sa aspect is particularly prevalent as it encompasses children's efforts to achieve specific objectives within their communication. this prevalence is due to children's natural inclination to engage in various speech functions such as making requests, expressing needs, or sharing information. the study further indicates that the sa aspect encompasses a range of functions including assertive, directive, expressive, commissive, and declarative, reflecting the diverse ways in which children use language to interact with their world. references abdulrahman, n. c., & ayyash, e. (2019). linguistic competence, communicative competence and interactional competence. journal of advances in linguistics, 10(1), 1600–1616. al-obaydi, l. h., pikhart, m., & namaziandost, e. (2023). the possibilities of implementing pragmatic instruction with mental grounding techniques in efl college students’ context. studies in english language and education, 10(3), 1197-1215. andrés-roqueta, c., flores-buils, r., & igualada, a. (2024). validation of pleaseapp: a digital tool for the assessment of receptive pragmatic abilities in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. frontiers in psychiatry, 15, 1329022. bahrami, b., & fekar-gharamaleki, f. (2021). the pragmatic assessments in children: a narrative review. j res rehabil sci, 17, 1-8. beauchamp, m. l., rezzonico, s., bennett, t., duku, e., georgiades, s., kerns, c., & elsabbagh, m. (2023). the influence of bilingual language exposure on the narrative, social and pragmatic abilities of school-aged children on the autism spectrum. journal of autism and developmental disorders, 53(12), 4577-4590. bialecka-pikul, m., filip, a., stepièn-nycz, m., kus, k., & o’neill, d. (2019). ratunku! or just tunku! evidence for the reliability and concurrent validity of the language use inventory-polish. journal of speech, language and hearing research, 62. 2317-2331. bohn, m., tessler, m. h., kordt, c., hausmann, t., & frank, m. c. (2023). an individual differences perspective on pragmatic abilities in the preschool years. developmental science, 26(6), e13401. butterworth, g., and morissette, p. (1996). onset of pointing and the acquisition of language in infancy. journal of reproductive and infant psychology, 14(3), 219-23. clark, e. v. & kurumada, c. (2014). ‘be brief’: necessity or choice? in l. goldstein (ed.). oxford university press. fatima, a. (2022). assessment of pragmatic language skills in children. international journal of indian psychology, 10(4), 682-696. dip:18.01.066.20221004, doi:10.25215/1004.066 fernandes, f. d. m. (2021). assessment of pragmatic abilities of children with autism spectrum disorders. audiology communcication research, e2378. huberman, a.m., miles, m.b. (1994). an expanded sourcebook qualitative data analysis second edition. sage publications. hyde, d. c., jones, b. l., flom, r., & porter, c. l. (2011). neural signatures of facevoice synchrony in 5-month-old human infants. developmental psychobiology, 53(4), 359-370. kay, h. y. w., kathy, y. s. l., sharon, c. y. t., wilson, s. y., iris, h. y. ng., michael, c. f. t. thomas, l. (2022). comparing early pragmatics in typically developing children and children with neurodevelopmental disorders. journal of autism and developmental disorders, 52, 38253839. marasabessy, f. y., sailuddi, s. p., & anwar, i. w. (2023). pragmatic awareness in efl context: an assessment on english literature students. edukasi, 21(1), 272-283. mathew, a., & varghese, a. (2021). pragmatics in 510 years old children in down syndrome. global scientific journals, 9(10), 1897-1954. mazzocconi, c., & ginzburg, j. (2023). growing up laughing: laughables and pragmatic functions between 12 and 36 months. journal of pragmatics, 212, 117-145. murphy, s., joffe, v., donald, l., radley, j., sunthararajah, s., welch, c., bell, k., messer, d., crafter, s., fairhurst, c., corbacho, b., rodgers, s., & torgerson, d. (2021). evaluating ‘enhancing pragmatic language skills for young children with social communication impairments’ (e-plays): a feasibility cluster-randomised controlled trial. pilot and feasibility studies, 7(5), 1-18. ninio, a. (2018). pragmatic development. routledge. niu, m. (2022). chinese translation of ‘pragmatics’ based on semiotics. journal of yichun university 44(5). 81–88. niu, m. (2023). the origin and development of pragmatics as a study of meaning: semiotic perspective. lang. semiot. stud, 9(1), 54-78. pereira, t., & lousada, m. (2023). psychometric properties of standardized instruments that are used to measure pragmatic intervention effects in children with developmental language disorder: a systematic review. journal of autism and developmental disorders, 53(5), 1764-1780. prasanna, a., anakkathil anil, m., bajaj, g., & bhat, j. s. (2024). teacher's practice and perception of the influence of stories during preschool child development: a cross-sectional study from ethnically diverse south indian city. child nama penulis: judul artikel 383 language teaching and therapy, 02656590241228419. puri, a. d., & baskara, f. r. (2023). enhancing pragmatic knowledge with chatgpt: benefits and considerations. unika atma jaya, 21, 1823. ramya, p., goud, k. m. k., singh, s., & ramanjulu, g. (2022). pragmatic abilities in children with different socioeconomical status. acta scientific otolaryngology, 4(8), 33-46. robinson, s., foley, k., moore, t., valentine, k., burton, j., marshall, a., & brebner, c. (2023). prioritising children and young people with disability in research about domestic and family violence: methodological, ethical and pragmatic reflections. journal of family violence, 38(6), 1191-1204. sánchez, l., goldin, m., hur, e., jimenez, a., otero, j. c. l., thane, p., & rojas, j. m. (2023). dominance, language experience, and increased interaction effects on the development of pragmatic knowledge in heritage bilingual children: acceptance of null and overt subjects in spanish and english. heritage language journal, 20(1), 1-39. schidelko, l. p., proft, m., & rakoczy, h. (2022). how do children overcome their pragmatic performance problems in the true belief task? the role of advanced pragmatics and higherorder theory of mind. plos one 17(4): e0266959. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266959 socher, m., lyxell, b., ellis, r., gärskog, m., hedström, i., and wass, m. (2019). pragmatic language skills: a comparison of children with cochlear implants and children without hearing loss. fronties in psychology, 10, 2243. 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02243 suardi, i.p., ramadhan, s., asri y.(2019). pemerolehan bahasa pertama pada anak usia dini. jurnal obsesi: jurnal pendidikan anak usia dini, 3(1), 265–273. https://doi.org/10.31004/obsesi.v3i1.160 sudartinah, t. (2022). spontaneous verbal repetitions in child language: a pragmatic perspective. icon laterals. 10.4108/eai.5-11-2022.2329606 trisna, a., husein, r., pulungan, a.h. (2020). learning pragmatic aspects acquired by a threeyear-old indonesian child. proceedings of the 5th annual international seminar on transformative education and educational leadership (aisteel 2020). advances in social science, education and humanities research, volume 488. atlantis press sarl. vassiliu, c., mouzaki, a., antoniou, f., ralli, a. m., diamanti, v., papaioannou, s., & katsos, n. (2023). development of structural and pragmatic language skills in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. communication disorders quarterly, 44(4), 207-218. vygotsky, l. s. (1987). thinking and speech. in r. w. rieber, & a. s. carton (eds.), the collected works of l. s. vygotsky), problems of general psychology 13(1) 239-285. new york: plenum press. wulandari, d.i. (2018). pemerolehan bahasa indonesia anak usia 3-5 tahun di paud lestari desa blimbing kecamatan paciran kabupaten lamongan. lingua franca: jurnal bahasa, sastra, dan pengajarannya, 2(1), 74–83. yan, y. (2022). the effect of pragmatic competence on the communicative competence of second language learners. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 673, 368372. zhang, s., junge, b., lieven, e., brandt, s., & theakston, a. (2023). the competition between processing and discourse-pragmatic factors in children's and adults' production of adverbial when-clauses. journal of speech, language, and hearing research, 66(12), 5048-5060. siti salamah & zultiyanti exploring pragmatic development in 4-year-old children: an interactionalist perspective 384 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 223 enhancing efl students’ speaking skills and engagement through turn-taking strategies muhammad andriana gaffar department of english education, universitas islam nusantara, indonesia email: andriana.gaffar@uninus.ac.id rismayanti* department of english education, universitas islam nusantara, indonesia email: rismayantiisma1907@gmail.com hapidotul ilmi department of english education, universitas islam nusantara, indonesia email: hapidotulilmi01@gmail.com siti nuryani department of english education, universitas islam nusantara, indonesia email: sitinuryani0142@gmail.com apa citation: gaffar, m. a., rismayanti., ilmi, h., & nuryani, s. (2025). enhancing efl students’ speaking skills and engagement through turn-taking strategies. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 223-234. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.10363 received: 12-09-2024 accepted: 10-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: english communication skills are one of the 21st century educational skills demand to face the technological and industrial era. the previous studies have examined the influence of turn-taking strategy (tts) on speaking skill in the classroom, but no one has examined its influence on the issue of student engagement which is always being discussed recently. hence, this study addresses the gap by investigating the effect of tts through speaking skills and student engagement in efl classroom. a total of 30 tenth grade students at smk tpi al-ghoniyyah are divided into experimental and control groups using a non-random sampling approach with purposive sampling technique. this study used a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent (pretest and post-test) control group design. the researcher used observation sheet, speaking tests and documentation to collect the data and parametric statistical analysis which consists of testing requirements and hypotheses to analyse the data. the findings indicated that tts positively influence students' speaking skills and engagement with a significance value of 0.00 ≤ 0.05. the mean difference values of experimental and control group were 3.20 and 18.20 higher than 1.00 and 3.07 showed the impact of tts in fostering efl student’s self-confidence, developing interactional competence, and overcoming engagement problems. the formation of positive characters and personality types of efl student was revealed indirectly in this study. keywords: turn-taking strategy; speaking skills; student engagement; classroom management introduction education of 21st century requires teachers and students to develop teaching and learning skills in order to keep pace with developments in the era of globalization (gomez, 2019; sawalmeh & dey, 2023). english communication skill is one of the skills most needed by students to bridge the world of education and industry and close the gap between graduates and the world of work (waloyo, 2022). english is an international language that enables its users to obtain information, communicate and utilize technology effectively and efficiently on a global scale (gaffar & sopiah, 2023). a person with good english communication skills has a greater chance of success in life and career (robillos, 2023). therefore, the government has determined english as one of the general subjects in the group a as stated in the minister of education and culture regulation number 60 of 2014 concerning the 2013 curriculum for vocational high schools/vocational madrasah aliyah. in fact, the problem of student engagement in speaking classes has become increasingly prominent and has become a widely discussed concept (pan et al., 2020). student engagement is a condition where students are motivated, enthusiastic and play an active role in learning activities regarding (1) behavior, (2) emotional, and (3) cognitive aspects (munawir & hasbi, 2021). behavior engagement is a form of active student participation, especially in terms of mailto:andriana.gaffar@uninus.ac.id mailto:rismayantiisma1907@gmail.com mailto:hapidotulilmi01@gmail.com mailto:sitinuryani0142@gmail.com muhammad andriana gaffar, rismayanti, hapidotul ilmi, & siti nuryani enhancing efl students’ speaking skills and engagement through turn-taking strategies 224 concentration, persistence and effort. emotional engagement is related to mental matters such as enthusiasm, interest, pleasure, and quality in building relationships with others, including teachers. cognitive engagement is related to students' psychological states regarding their desire to understand learning material, including adopting learning strategies (reschly et. al 2020). in adition, the teacher's role in determining students' engagement is defined as the way teachers package their learning as attractively as possible to get the attention and enthusiasm of their students, as well as involving them fully in learning (ghelichli et al., 2022; rahimi & ong, 2023). besides, there are three factors that cause problems with student engagement often occurring in speaking classes. first, there is a lack of self-confidence in students. second, the lack of knowledge about how to build communication using english. third, there is a lack of practice in using english in the classroom. these factors affect speaking learning to be ineffective and less meaningful but can be overcome by a turntaking strategy (paris, 2023). the students may be successful in reading and writing but not in listening and speaking. meanwhile, speaking is defined as the production of language through verbal communication in conveying meaning, thoughts and ideas where individuals are able to convey messages well spontaneously and are well received by the recipient (kadaruddin, et.al, 2022). according to novitasari (2023), speaking is a productive skill that is quite complex because of internal factors such as motivation, selfconfidence (mental), vocabulary, grammatical structure, comprehension, fluency and external factors such as teacher support including materials, strategies and media, and environment. likewise, brown (2004) stated the five speaking aspects: (1) pronunciation, (2) vocabulary, (3) grammar, (4) fluency, and (5) comprehension. teaching speaking is not an easy thing for a teacher. teaching speaking is one of the activities carried out by teachers to instill knowledge about how to communicate using english verbally to students by creating a conducive learning environment (waloyo, 2022). nevertheless, conducive learning can only be achieved if an efl teacher has good classroom management skills. classroom management is a fairly complex skill because it is influenced by many factors, especially class preparation and organization, as well as time management (cevallos & soto, 2020). flawless classroom management can be a source of frustration for a teacher. moreover, incorrect pronunciation, low self-esteem of students and low lexical resources are challenges and obstacles for efl teachers when managing their classes (rokhaniyah et al., 2024). the skill to speak english well is crucial for students to access all kinds of current information in all fields, including science, technology, and health (rao, 2019). concurrently, classroom management is a prominent skill that teachers must possess to build student discipline, time management, create a productive learning atmosphere, involve students socially, emotionally, and intellectually so that students' learning potential can be maximized and the potential of teacher disruption, stress, or fatigue can be minimized (hidayat et al., 2024). liu et al., (2022) study revealed that good classroom management has a positive impact on student engagement and learning outcomes. good classroom manajement is able to support the communication process and increase students’ posibility to speak english. therefore, the basic step that must be taken before managing a class is to analyze the character of students in order to determine the appropriate language learning strategy (cevallos & soto, 2020). there are three phases that teachers should carry out to create a conducive learning environment and keep student engagement in classroom interaction: (1) presentation, (2) practice, and (3) production (sari et al., 2023). the three phases are in the turntaking strategy (tts). tts is a speaking learning strategy where participants will take turns speaking as questioner and answerer to understand the topic in communication process by taking, holding and yielding the floor stages (hasan et. al., 2020). the previous studies results revealed that tts can foster (1) awareness and curiosity about how to speak english in different situations/topics, (2) increase students' sense of responsibility and memory, (3) build students confidence and interactional competence, and (4) address classroom management challenges (marghany, 2021; paris, 2023; dalimunte & harapanhap, 2023; rokhaniyah et al., 2024). based on the previous findings, this study attempts to reveal the effects of tts implementation on student engagement variables and its impact on students' speaking skill, which has never been discussed in previous studies. the study objective is to investigate how the tts can develop speaking skill and overcome problems of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 225 engagement of efl students. by considering the observation sheet of student engagement aspects and the speaking skill aspect test as the research instruments, the current study supports the question: (1) how can tts implementation have a positive influence on efl student’s speaking skill and engagement? (2) what positive impacts can teachers and students get after implementing tts? method the researcher used a quasi-experimental research design with non-equivalent control groups (preposttest) design to help allay worries over disparities in selection and not having of a comparison (miller et al., 2020; leavy, 2022). a pretest and a posttest were administered to both groups; however, only the experimental group was treated. even though this research design approach is still considered to be very vulnerable to the threat of influence from other factors, the researcher attempts to minimize potential treats during the data collection process by compressing time and avoiding interference from outside influences (bulus, 2021). figure 1 quasi-experimental nonequivalent control design diagram this study was carried out at smks tpi alghoniyyah, which is located at kp. cikaso rt 04/rw 06, cigawir village, selaawi district, garut regency, west java. the researcher involved 30 tenth grade students divided into the control and experimental groups by a non-random sampling approach namely a purposive sampling technique where the samples are selected based on certain criteria that support research (turner, 2020). there are several criteria used: (1) the average score of the last semester is 6/7, (2) have the same english teacher, and (3) the average age is 16/17 years. additionally, the willingness and agreement of respondents regarding the authority and secrecy of identification and information is also given priority by researchers in order to prevent unintended losses (brittain et al., 2020). research instruments included speaking test, observation, and documentation. behavior, emotional, and cognitive engagement components of student learning activities are measured using observation sheets (leavy, 2022). the speaking test used oral language speaking rubrics adapted from brown (2004) which consist of pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, fluency, and comprehension. the researcher used cameras to take photos and record students' activities. an instrument is considered dependable if it is trustworthy, consistent, and yield results that are not significantly different when used to assess the same subject. it is also considered valid if it measures what it is designed to measure precisely. this study test validity using the product moment correlation/pearson correlation formula with provison r-count ≥ r-table/0,361 (n=30) and reliability using the cronbach alpha formula with provison (p ≥ 0.6) (el-hashash & shiekh, 2022). thirty different students were selected through purposive sampling technique and both instruments were pilot tested. a total of 10 out of 14 statement items in the observation sheet and 5 question items in the speaking test were valid and reliable. the reseacher used parametric statistical data analysis to test requirements and hypotheses. parametric statistics are statistics used to analyze interval or ratio data, which are taken from normally distributed populations (fiandini et al., 2023). the study uses shapiro-wilk test due to the limited sample size—less than 50 samples to determine normality and levene test for homogeneity to examine the variance of multiple groups properly with p-value is more than 0.05 (avram & mărușteri, 2022; s. yang & berdine, 2021). subsequently, the t-test is a great fit for evaluating this study's hypothesis and research design. t-test is used by the researcher to ascertain whether there are any significant differences between the two samples with respect to the average of the two variables under comparison in order to assess hypotheses with a significance value (p ≤ 0.05). the research process flow diagram can be seen in the figure 2. o₁ x o₂ o₃ o₄ o₁ : pre-experimental group o₂ : post-experimental group x : treatment using tts o₃ : pre-control group o₄ : post-control group muhammad andriana gaffar, rismayanti, hapidotul ilmi, & siti nuryani enhancing efl students’ speaking skills and engagement through turn-taking strategies 226 figure 2. the research process flow diagram results and discussion the categories of speaking skill levels contain from the lowest level, “poor” and “fair”, and highest, “excellent” and “good”. a summary of the categories of students' speaking skill levels between experimental and control groups can be seen in the following bar diagram figure. figure 3. percentage of speaking skill based on figure 3, the lowest speaking skill level categories before treatment, “poor” and “fair” are occupied by experimental group. the experimental group had a “poor” category level with a percentage of 90% and “fair” of 10%. meanwhile, the control group had a “poor” category level with a percentage of 40% and “fair” of 60%. the highest-level categories after treatment, “excellent” and “good”, were occupied by experimental group with a percentage of 55% and 45%. meantime, the control group had a “fair” and “good” category level with a percentage of 90% and 10%. despite getting a poor category on the pretest of speaking skills, the experimental group outperformed the control group in the post-test. the student's speaking skill level after treatment increased indicating that tts had a positive impact. likewise, ainul & amin (2024) study revealed that english communication habits can be enhanced with practice. the experimental group spoke more fluently due to the possibility of practicing speaking english more frequently than the control group. the student engagement observation contains four categories frequency, from the lowest level, “hardly ever” and “seldom” to the highest, namely “always” and “often”. a summary of student engagement frequency categories can be seen in the following bar diagram figure. figure 4. percentage of student engagement english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 227 figure 4 demonstrates that the lowest frequency categories of student engagement before treatment, “hardly ever” and “seldom” are occupied by experimental group. the experimental group had a frequency category of “hardly ever” with a percentage of 67% and “seldom” of 33%. whereas, the control group had the “seldom” frequency category with a percentage of 60% and “often” of 40%. the highest frequency categories of student engagement after treatment, “always” and “often” are occupied by experimental group with a percentage of 57% and 43%. besides the control group had a “often” and “seldom” category level with a percentage of 77% and 23%. this shows that the frequency category of student engagement after treatment increased. the consistency of percentage and category level in the pretest which is low in comparison to the control group indicates a common link between speaking skill and student engagement. similarly, (q. liu et al., 2022) study stated that student engagement have an impact on learning outcomes. the data utilized to test a hypothesis must be normally distributed and homogeneous (come from the same variance). the following table displays the findings of the normality test data for speaking skill test and student engagement observations. table 1. normality test results kolmogorov-smirnovᵃ shapiro-wilk groups statistic df sig. statistic df sig. speaking skill pre-experiment .219 15 .051 .905 15 .112 post-experiment .173 15 .200* .908 15 .126 pre-control .173 15 .200* .917 15 .172 post-control .169 15 .200* .936 15 .335 student engagement pre-experiment .147 15 .200* .947 15 .475 post-experiment .185 15 .176 .938 15 .362 pre-control .212 15 .069 .896 15 .084 post-control .137 15 .200 .958 15 .650 *. this is a lower bound of the true significance a. lilliefors significance correction source: data processing using the spss program 26 version if the obtained significance value is more than 0.05, then the data is deemed to be normally distributed, as per the established criterion. shapiro-wilk is the normalcy test employed in this study since n ≤ 50. table 1 indicates that the speaking skill test data for the pre-posttest experimental group had significance values of 0.112 and 0.126, while the pre-posttest control group had values of 0.172 and 0.335. furthermore, the pre-posttest experimental group's significance values for the normality test of the student engagement observation data were 0.475 and 0.362, while 0.084 and 0.650 for preposttest control groups respectively. the results demonstrate the normal distribution of the data, as supported by the significance value of ≥ 0.05. table 2. homogeneity test results levene statistic df1 df2 sig. speaking skill based on mean 2.219 3 56 .096 student engagement based on mean 1.835 3 56 .151 source: data processing using the spss program 26 version the post-test results from the experimental and control groups are the data used in this test. the data are homogeneous or have the same variance if the significance value is ≥ 0.05. table 2 shows that the results acquired from the speaking skill test and the student engagement observation are homogeneous, with significant values of 0.09 and 0.151, respectively. the independent sample t-test was used to determine the results of hypothesis, which examined the effect of tts on speaking skill and student engagement. the following table displays the t-test results. muhammad andriana gaffar, rismayanti, hapidotul ilmi, & siti nuryani enhancing efl students’ speaking skills and engagement through turn-taking strategies 228 table 3. t-test results t df levene’s test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means 95% confidence interval of the difference f sig. sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference lower upper speaking skill equal variances assumed 4.101 .052 5.328 28 .000 2.800 .526 1.723 3.877 equal variances not assumed 5.328 24.700 .000 2.800 .526 1.717 3.883 student engagement equal variances assumed .768 .388 5.326 28 .000 6.133 1.152 3.774 8.492 equal variances not assumed 5.326 27.782 .000 6.133 1.152 3.773 8.493 source: data processing using the spss program 26 version according to the regulations, h₀ was refused and h₁ was approved and vice versa if the significant value (2-tailed) obtained is ≤ 0.05. the findings indicate that speaking skill has a substantial impact when the tts is used. the significance value of speaking skill obtained is 0.00 ≤ 0.05, considering that h₀ was refused and h₁ was approved. subsequently, the 2-tailed significance value of student engagement was found to be 0.00 ≤ 0.05. this suggests that h₀ was refused and h₁ was approved, meaning that the tts implementation has a noteworthy impact on student engagement. in the meantime, the accompanying table shows the mean difference of speaking skill and student engagement. table 4. mean difference results between speaking skill and student engagement groups n cycle mean mean difference speaking skill experiment 15 post-test 12.60 3.20 pre-test 9.40 control 15 post-test 9.80 1.00 pre-test 8.80 student engagement experiment 15 post-test 33.40 18.20 pre-test 15.20 control 15 post-test 27.27 3.07 pre-test 24.20 the level of students' speaking skill will be higher if student engagement in learning is also high (reschly et al., 2020). based on table 4, the mean speaking skills of the pre-posttest experimental group were 9.40 and 12.60, and those of the pre-posttest control group were 8.80 and 9.80, with the difference value between the means of the experimental and control groups being 3.20 higher than 1.00. while the mean speaking skills of the pre-posttest experimental group were 15.20 and 33.40, those of the preposttest control group were 24.20 and 27.27, with the means difference of both groups being 18.20 higher than 3.07. the experimental group demonstrated greater speaking skill and student engagement than the control group. this statement can be drawn from the comparison of means differences between both of groups. the results of this study confirm that engagement problems can occur, which is a challenge and a serious risk to teacher’s skill to maintain order in the classroom (cevallos & soto, 2020; rokhaniyah et al., 2024). even though the research expectations were not fully met by the average comparison scores between the two groups in speaking skills and engagement after treatment, as each group achieved a minimum comparison score of 8.00. however, the improvement of 2.20 in speaking skills was quite significant to represent the tts impact. consequently, even though precautions have been taken, disruptions resulting from classroom management factors may arise during the study and impact the findings. the findings showed turn-taking strategy (tts) had a significant effect on students' english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 229 speaking skills in the experimental group. aspects of students' speaking skill adapted according to brown (2004), consisting of pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, fluency, and comprehension, experienced a significant increase (waloyo, 2022). this is demonstrated by the finding that the experimental group students performed better on average on oral tests than students in the control group did. the previous study results revealed there were factors inhibiting students' success in learning speaking which were related to students' selfconfidence, way of communicating, and the frequency of students' speaking learning practice which was considered to be still low (h. hasan et al., 2020; kansil et al., 2022; selerang et al., 2023; paris, 2023). the results found that the implementation of the tts was able to increase students' self-confidence. the results of this study prove the inhibiting factors were indeed found. the results of the assessment of the five aspects of speaking which have increased show how high the students' self-confidence is when conveying their ideas using english orally in front of other students. tts is able to create an environment that indirectly positions students to participate actively in learning and can increase students' selfconfidence (dalimunte & harahap, 2023). the findings showed that following the treatment, students’ self-confidence had increased. eye contact, practice, and the interaction relationship formed between students and teachers during the treatment are able to overcome students' anxiety in speaking english in front of other people (aubrey et al., 2022; zhang, 2021). speaking is one of productive language skills through various forms of communication such as speaking, writing, and even non-verbal signals in conveying meaning, thoughts and ideas (rao, 2019). to master speaking skills requires not only knowledge but also other skills such as motoric and interactive (gaffar & sopiah, 2023). it can be concluded that a student speaking skill can be improved by creating classroom conditions where students are actively involved both behaviorally, emotionally and cognitively (berger & girardet, 2020; cevallos & soto, 2020; rahmadani et al., 2024; slater & main, 2020). furthermore, the conducive classroom conditions are a manifestation of favorable classroom management (gaffar et. al., 2023). the most crucial quality that a teacher should possess in their teaching and learning activities is classroom management, particularly when teaching foreign languages. good classroom management is being able to create classroom conditions that stimulate students to remain engaged in learning (j. liu & dellova, 2023). meanwhile, poor classroom management impact on student learning outcomes negatively. this is due to its relationship with the accuracy of the core activities, material, model or strategy chosen, time management and student engagement (purwanti & vania, 2021). in this case, an appropriate language teaching strategy is a strategy that is able to overcome the problems of teaching and learning activities so that student learning outcomes can be achieved optimally (reschly et al., 2020). tts allows students to take the opportunity to speak in their own speaking style, maintain the topic of conversation, and listen orally and in turn (hasan et. al., 2020). the findings found that the student engagement level in the experimental group was more significant. the forms of student engagement found in speaking classes are levels of knowledge, motivation, enthusiasm, enthusiasm, participation, curiosity and a sense of responsibility for learning which is a harmony of the three dimensions of student engagement. similar ideas, if the learning process can maintain student engagement, then learning objectives can be achieved successfully and quickly (munawir & hasbi, 2021). student engagement will be formed if the three dimensions consisting of behavior, emotional and cognitive are at the same level. the three dimensions of student engagement, namely behavioral, affective and cognitive as a psychological framework (reschly, et.al, 2020). the degree of student delight and activation is the key to determining the degree of student engagement. the results of data observation found an increase in scores in each dimension of student engagement. meanwhile, there was a blind focus point in teachers' perceptions of student engagement (wiertelak, 2022). they tend to focus on the behavioral dimension and ignore other dimensions because they have very little access. although the findings found that there are other factors that narrow access to cognitive and emotional dimensions such as family background and school experience, they are not enough to answer how to overcome student engagement problems. an imbalance in dimensional focus reflects incomplete student engagement so that it has a negative impact on student learning outcomes. muhammad andriana gaffar, rismayanti, hapidotul ilmi, & siti nuryani enhancing efl students’ speaking skills and engagement through turn-taking strategies 230 the most prominent findings saw the formation of positive character indirectly in students because of the same interests. there were moral values that are instilled in students after implementing the tts (kullup et.al, 2022). the speaking class reflects a number of characteristics, including cooperation, social responsibility, sharing, honesty, assisting, cooperativeness, ethics, and teamwork (nugroho & nartiningrum, 2020). likewise, the development of strengthening student character is very crucial for educational institutions to create a young generation with a pancasila profile (gaffar, et. al., 2023). good classroom management is not only able to achieve cognitive learning goals but also can foster positive character for students and develop quality personalities (rahmadani et al., 2024). tts can increase students' interactional competence (marghany, 2021). the concepts contained in tts allow students to remain connected to each other, disciplined, and think critically and creatively. there is a positive impact of the tts on a person's creativity in finding ideas (hosseini et. al, 2021). creative ideas enable a person to strive to remain engaged (pedler et al., 2020). in addition, the role of tts as a reliable predictor for building good relationships through communication that is formed both emotionally and cognitively (yokozuka, et.al, 2021). the results reveal that the application of tts is able to position someone to have more conversations in discussing creative problem solving so that student engagement with learning increases. besides, there was greater interaction spearheaded by teachers than students (fenyi & nyarkoh, 2022). this causes the implementation of turn-taking to improve speaking skill and student engagement and learning outcomes to be ineffective and inefficient. the results claim that tts between teachers and students is not recommended. therefore, the interaction pattern in implementing tts must be spearheaded by students while the teacher can act as a learning supervisor (guvey & mermi, 2022). in this case, the results of the researchers' findings have found that there is a more intense interaction between students after the treatment, which can be seen from how the students in the experimental group shared/exchanged ideas/opinions regarding learning during the treatment. these conditions make it possible for unintentional interpersonal communication relationships to form between different personalities (crisianita & mandasari, 2022). the previous study examined how the tts affected students' speaking skills in relation to their introvert and extrovert personalities (soedarsono et.al, 2023). diverse implementation patterns are seen in the results. extrovert students prefer to interact more dynamically and spontaneously, while introverted students typically employ regular pauses and deliberate contributions. these indications interpret the findings in this research which reveal students' personalities. the results of class observations found that several students who volunteered to lead the conversation first were those who had extroverted personalities, while introverted students were those who preferred to wait their turn and act as respondents in the first turn. the external factors such as friends, parents, teacher support, learning environment, and culture, the internal factors such as motivation, self-confidence, interactional competence, and knowledge are included in the aspect of involvement might have an impact on students' speaking skills (heriyanto, 2024; latauga et al., 2023; ratnasari, 2020; seraj et al., 2021; uyun, 2022; wahyuningsih & afandi, 2020). learning outcomes are naturally impacted by the teacher skill to manage the classroom, which also determines the degree of student engagement (hidayat et al., 2024; rokhaniyah et al., 2024). in this case, tts is an attempt to address issues that could come up in speaking class. students can obtain not only cognitive and skill achievements but also good character that fits the profile of pancasila students by using the rule of tts patterns and mechanisms. conclusion the students' speaking skill levels increased after treatment. the post-test experimental group showed an increase in the level of speaking skill in the highest category with a percentage of 55% for the “excellent” category and 45% for the “good” category. the frequency of student engagement increased after treatment, and the post-observation experimental group reached the highest category level with a percentage of 57% for “always” and 43% for “often”. the using of tts has a substantial influence on students' speaking skill and engagement. hypothesis test analysis results showed a significance value of 0.00 more than 0.05, meaning that h₀ was refused and h₁ was approved. similarly, by comparing the experimental and control groups average scores, the experimental group exceeded the control group in terms of mean differences, with 3.20 for english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 231 speaking skill level and 18.20 for student engagement. the earlier study findings indicated that students speaking skill and engagement increased following tts treatment. although it has been brought up in earlier studies, no research has looked closely at the connection between student engagement and how it affects speaking skill as a one of learning outcomes. the findings showed, the higher student engagement level in the speaking class, the more students' speaking skills will increase. it has been demonstrated theoretically and practically that the variables of speaking skill and student engagement have implications in common. the results validate the possibility of resolving behavior, emotional, and cognitive issues related to student engagement. furthermore, the growing impact of classroom management adds to the complexity of this research topic and indicates the path of future studies on efl teacher training. however, these results offer quite comparable advantages, particularly for efl students. the tts pattern's guidelines subtly cultivate virtues including integrity, self-control, accountability, respect for others, teamwork, knowledge sharing, and ethics. therefore, the use of tts especially for vocational high school will provide quite satisfactory results by considering the flexibility of selecting interesting, real, and relevant topics with major that encourage students to think critically, creatively, and practice language more often. if efl teachers can't adapt tts to fit the needs and skills of their age group, then implementing it in early age groups might not be the best idea. by considering the limitation of the instruments and sample size in this study, further researcher is highly recommended to use questionnaires or interview to investigate the variables in-depth. acknowledgements the author thanks the english education department at universitas islam nusantara for providing technical consultation support for this study. we express our deepest thanks to mr. dr. m. andriana gaffar, m.m.pd. as supervisor for guidance and all parties involved for their attention and dedication in this study. references ainul, n., & amin, f. h. (2024). an analysis of turntaking strategies used in efl classroom interaction at. ijobec, 2(2), 87–92. https://journal.unm.ac.id/index.php/ijobec/index aubrey, s., king, j., & almukhaild, h. (2022). language learner engagement during speaking tasks: a longitudinal study. relc journal, 53(3), 519–533. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220945418 avram, c., & mărușteri, m. (2022). normality assessment, few paradigms and use cases. revista romana de medicina de laborator, 30(3), 251–260. https://doi.org/10.2478/rrlm2022-0030 berger, j.-l., & girardet, c. (2020). vocational teachers’ classroom management style: the role of motivation to teach and sense of responsibility. european journal of teacher education, 44(2), 200–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.176493 0 brittain, s., ibbett, h., de lange, e., dorward, l., hoyte, s., marino, a., milner‐gulland, e. j., newth, j., rakotonarivo, s., veríssimo, d., & lewis, j. (2020). ethical considerations when conservation research involves people. conservation biology, 34(4), 925–933. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13464 bulus, m. (2021). sample size determination and optimal design of randomized/non-equivalent pretest-posttest control-group designs. adıyaman üniversitesi eğitim bilimleri dergisi, 11(1), 48–69. https://doi.org/10.17984/adyuebd.941434 cevallos, l. f. e., & soto, s. t. (2020). efl classroom management. mextesol journal, 44(2), 1–11. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/34122 0237 crisianita, s., & mandasari, b. (2022). the use of small-group discussion to improve students’ speaking skill. journal of english language teaching and learning, 3(1), 61–66. https://doi.org/10.33365/jeltl.v3i1.1680 dalimunte, a. a., & harahap, i. (2023). turn-taking strategy during video conference learning to boost student’s confidence to speak english: what are high school students’ voices? eduline: journal of education and learning innovation, 3(1), 128–137. https://doi.org/10.35877/454ri.eduline1696 el-hashash, e. f., & shiekh, r. h. a. (2022). a comparison of the pearson, spearman rank and kendall tau correlation coefficients using quantitative variables. asian journal of probability and statistics, 12(2), 36–48. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajpas/2022/v20i3425 fenyi, d. a., & nyarkoh, i. o. (2022). turn-taking as a pedagogical strategy in classroom interaction: a conversation analysis of adjacency pairs. linguistics initiative, 2(2), 107–125. https://doi.org/10.53696/27753719.2225 fiandini, m., nandiyanto, a. b. d., al husaeni, d. f., al husaeni, d. n., & mushiban, m. (2023). how to calculate statistics for significant muhammad andriana gaffar, rismayanti, hapidotul ilmi, & siti nuryani enhancing efl students’ speaking skills and engagement through turn-taking strategies 232 difference test using spss: understanding students comprehension on the concept of steam engines as power plant. indonesian journal of science and technology, 9(1), 45–108. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijost.v9i1.64035 gaffar, m. a., ruswandi, r., & wahyuni, w. s. (2023). managing classroom activities for autistic students in improving english vocabularies by using total physical response. veles (voices of english language education society), 7(2), 381–391. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v7i2.21342 ghelichli, y., seyyedrezaei, s. h., & seyyedrezaei, z. s. (2022). improving student engagement and motivation: perspectives of iranian efl learners. theory and practice of second language acquisition, 8(2), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.31261/tapsla.11768 gomez, n. o. (2019). development of a 21st century themed-text book in health optimizing physical education (hope) 2 sports, thailand. guvey aktay, e., & mermi, f. (2022). speaking skills attitude scale for primary school students: validity and reliability study. mimbar sekolah dasar, 9(1), 43–57. https://doi.org/10.53400/mimbar-sd.v9i1.41577 hasan, h., hanafi, m., & sadapotto, a. (2020). correlation between efl learners selfconfidence and speaking skill. majesty journal, 2(2), 48–56. https://doi.org/10.33487/majesty.v2i2.589 hasan, n. s., sumarsih, & masitowarni. (2020). analysis on the types of turn taking strategies in the ellen talk show for classroom discourse: proceedings of the 5th annual international seminar on transformative education and educational leadership (aisteel 2020). the 5th annual international seminar on transformative education and educational leadership (aisteel 2020), medan city, north sumatera province, indonesia. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201124.067 heriyanto, n. h. (2024). correlation between english motivation and speaking proficiency: a mixedmethods study at shafta senior high school. sell journal, 9(2), 136–147. https://doi.org/10.31597/sl.v9i2.1133 hidayat, r., sunra, l., & salija, k. (2024). teachers’ challenges in efl classroom management. eduline: journal of education and learning innovation, 4(2), 234–241. https://doi.org/10.35877/454ri.eduline2527 hosseini, s., deng, x., miyake, y., & nozawa, t. (2021). encouragement of turn-taking by realtime feedback impacts creative idea generation in dyads. ieee access, 9, 57976–57988. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2021.3072790 kadaruddin, syam, h., & silda. (2022). the implementation of audio-visual media in improving the students’ speaking skill at the second grade of ma at-tarbiyah islamiyah kolaka. osr journal of research & method in education (iosr-jrme), 12(4), 17–23. https://doi.org/10.9790/7388-1204031723 kansil, v. e., tuna, j. r., & liando, n. v. f. (2022). analysis of the effect of students’ selfconfidence on speaking. jotell, 1(5), 653– 675. kulup, l. i., yulianto, b., & yohanes, b. (2022). moral characters represented in the students’ turntaking of conversation. international journal of current science research and review, 05(04). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijcsrr/v5-i4-22 latauga, h., wahab, i., & fachrunnisa, n. (2023). the correlation between english learners’ motivation and speaking achievement. seltics, 6(2), 156–166. https://doi.org/10.46918/seltics.v6i2.2040 liu, j., & dellova, r. i. (2023). closed management system: factors and its relationship to students’ academic performance: basis for classroom management program. rsf conference series: business, management and social sciences, 3(3), 294–304. https://doi.org/10.31098/bmss.v3i3.675 liu, q., du, x., & lu, h. (2022). teacher support and learning engagement of efl learners: the mediating role of self-efficacy and achievement goal orientation. current psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-04043-5 marghany, m. m. (2021). a conversation analysis of egyptian efl learners’ performance in using turn-taking strategies: a tefl perspective. cdelt occasional papers in the development of english education, 76(1), 53–71. https://doi.org/10.21608/opde.2021.226276 miller, c. j., smith, s. n., & pugatch, m. (2020). experimental and quasi-experimental designs in implementation research. psychiatry research, 283, 112452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2019.06.027 munawir, a., & hasbi, n. p. (2021). the effect of using quizizz to efl students’ engagement and learning outcome. english review: journal of english education, 10(1), 297–308. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i1.5412 novitasari, p. (2023). cooperative learning “threesteps-interview” to enhance students’ speaking skill from the perspective of students’ creativity. journal of scientific research, education, and technology (jsret), 2(1), 378–392. https://doi.org/10.58526/jsret.v2i1.93 nugroho, a., & nartiningrum, n. (2020). classroom activities for teaching speaking: voices of indonesian efl learners. jurnal pendidikan bahasa, 9(1), 35. https://doi.org/10.31571/bahasa.v9i1.1689 nurmaesih, s. d., tejawiani, i., & gaffar, a. (2023). civics learning management in building student character. tec empresarial, 18(2). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 233 pan, z., cheok, a. d., müller, w., & zhang, m. (eds.). (2020). transactions on edutainment xvi (vol. 11782). springer berlin heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-61510-2 paris, a. s. (2023). turn-taking strategy: the effective way to improve students’ speaking skill. primer: jurnal ilmiah multidisiplin, 1(1), 42– 46. https://doi.org/10.55681/primer.v1i1.44 pedler, m., yeigh, t., hudson, s. (2020). the teachers’ role in student engagement: a review. australian journal of teacher education, 45(3), 48–62. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2020v45n3.4 purwanti, e., & vania, g. (2021). classroom management: applying appropriate strategies to enhance effective teaching. journal of foreign language teaching and learning, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.18196/ftl.v6i1.10638 rahimi, m., & keng wee ong, k. (2023). exploring expert teachers’ cognitions and practices of teaching english speaking and their students’ experiences and engagement. system, 115, 103064. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.103064 rahmadani, s. k., neviyarni s, & nirwana, h. (2024). developing student abilities through classroom management: principles, components and role of the teacher. manajia: journal of education and management, 2(1), 19–30. https://doi.org/10.58355/manajia.v2i1.33 rao, p. s. (2019). the importance of speaking english skills in english classroom. acielj, 2(2), 6–18. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/33428 3040 ratnasari, a. g. (2020). efl students’ challenges in learning speaking skills: a case study in mechanical engineering department. journal of foreign languange teaching and learning, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.18196/ftl.5145 reschly, a. l., pohl, a. j., & christenson, s. l. (eds.). (2020). student engagement: effective academic, behavioral, cognitive, and affective interventions at school. springer international publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-03037285-9 robillos, r. j. (2023). improving students’ speaking performance and communication engagement through technology-mediated pedagogical approach. international journal of instruction, 16(1), 551–572. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2023.16131a rokhaniyah, h., ardiyanti, d., susilowati, i., virgiyanti, d. f., & nuraini, e. i. (2024). classroom management strategies and challenges in efl speaking class. english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 53–62. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.8895 sari, r., karimah, s., & latifah, n. (2023). turntaking strategies of classroom interaction case study. in r. n. indah, m. huda, i. irham, m. afifuddin, m. masrokhin, & d. e. n. rakhmawati (eds.), proceedings of the 4th annual international conference on language, literature and media (aicollim 2022) (vol. 725, pp. 385–400). atlantis press sarl. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-002-2_37 sawalmeh, m. h., & dey, m. (2023). globalization and the increasing demand for spoken english teachers. research journal in advanced humanities, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.58256/rjah.v4i2.1097 selerang, e., liando, n. v. f., & andries, f. (2023). the correlation between students’ self confidence and their speaking skills. jotell, 2(2), 240–248. seraj, p. m. i., habil, h., & hasan, md. k. (2021). investigating the problems of teaching oral english communication skills in an efl context at the tertiary level. international journal of instruction, 14(2), 501–516. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2021.14228a slater, e. v., & main, s. (2020). a measure of classroom management: validation of a preservice teacher self-efficacy scale. journal of education for teaching, 46(5), 616–630. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.177057 9 soedarsono, e. n., mayasari, l., ro’ifah, & yuniarti, s. (2023). the use of turn-taking strategy between introvered and extrovered students in english as foreign language (efl). wacana: jurnal penelitian bahasa, sastra dan pengajaran, 21(2), 77–91. https://doi.org/10.33369/jwacana.v21i2.28102 sopiah, s., & gaffar, m. a. (2023). the implementation of the reading aloud strategy in enhancing oral transactions: giving and asking for information. jiip jurnal ilmiah ilmu pendidikan, 6(7), 4865–4870. https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v6i7.2364 syaepul uyun, a. (2022). teaching english speaking strategies. journal of english language learning, 6(1), 14–23. https://doi.org/10.31949/jell.v6i1.2475 turner, d. p. (2020). sampling methods in research design. headache: the journal of head and face pain, 60(1), 8–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.13707 wahyuningsih, s., & afandi, m. (2020). investigating english speaking problems: implications for speaking curriculum development in indonesia. european journal of educational research, 9(3), 967–977. https://doi.org/10.12973/eujer.9.3.967 waloyo, e. (2022). analyzing 21st century skills in textbook of english-speaking task: a case at vocational high school. flip: foreign language instruction probe, 1(1), 9–22. https://doi.org/10.54213/flip.v1i1.126 muhammad andriana gaffar, rismayanti, hapidotul ilmi, & siti nuryani enhancing efl students’ speaking skills and engagement through turn-taking strategies 234 wiertelak, a. m. (2022). teachers’ accounts of learners’ engagement and disaffection in the language classroom. the language learning journal, 50(3), 393–405. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2020.180006 7 yang, s., & berdine, g. (2021). normality tests. the southwest respiratory and critical care chronicles, 9(37), 87–90. https://doi.org/10.12746/swrccc.v9i37.805 yokozuka, t., miyamoto, h., kasai, m., miyake, y., & nozawa, t. (2021). the relationship between turn-taking, vocal pitch synchrony, and rapport in creative problem-solving communication. speech communication, 129, 33–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.specom.2021.03.001 zhang, m. (2021). efl/esl teacher’s resilience, academic buoyancy, care, and their impact on students’ engagement: a theoretical review. frontiers in psychology, 12, 731859. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.731859 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 283 a narrative investigation on tpack english teachers’ proficiencies sri supiah cahyati english education study program faculty of education and literature, ikip siliwangi, cimahi, indonesia email: srisupiahcahyati@ikipsiliwangi.ac.id cynantia rahmijati english education study program faculty of education and literature, ikip siliwangi, cimahi, indonesia email: cynantiarachmijati@ikipsiliwangi.ac.id nai supartini english education study program faculty of education and literature, ikip siliwangi, cimahi, indonesia email: naisa_english@ikipsiliwangi.ac.id apa scitation: cahyati, s. s., rahmijati, c., & supartini, n. (2024). a narrative investigation on tpack english teachers’ proficiencies. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 283-292 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9302 received: 21-10-2023 accepted: 22-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction the rapid pace of technological advancement necessitates equipping students with vital skills for seamless societal integration. the shift towards digital literacy, particularly under the merdeka curriculum, marks a significant departure from conventional teaching methods towards more digitally-focused education (prayogi & estetika, 2020). this curriculum, grounded in the technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) framework, merges expertise in subject matter, instructional skills, and technology use. despite the abundance of tpack research, there's a notable scarcity of qualitative analyses on teachers' experiences and perceptions, especially within the merdeka curriculum in indonesia. this study, through narrative inquiry, delves into english teachers' experiences, offering detailed insights into their engagement with and perspectives on tpack, exploring responses from 50 west java educators. results show a majority have adeptly integrated technology into their pedagogy (55%), with a strong confidence in their teaching strategies (84%) and content delivery (80%). a significant number also demonstrate skill in blending technology with educational practices (76%), acknowledging their comprehensive proficiency in technology, pedagogy, and content (79%). challenges such as internet connectivity issues (68%), students' unfamiliarity with digital tools (20%), and data limitations (5%) were identified as significant barriers. despite these obstacles, the majority of teachers exhibit strong capabilities in implementing digital literacy and tpack-related skills, essential for fostering effective digital-age education. addressing these challenges through proper training and support is abstract: the introduction of indonesia's merdeka curriculum has significantly altered teaching approaches, emphasizing teacher autonomy and digital literacy, anchored in the tpack framework. this study employs narrative inquiry to investigate english teachers' experiences with the curriculum, offering in-depth insights into their tpack application and perceptions. surveying 50 west java teachers, findings reveal that a majority have effectively integrated technology into their teaching (55%), with a high level of confidence in their instructional strategies (84%) and content delivery (80%). additionally, 76% of teachers are proficient in blending technology with their educational practices, and 79% feel competent across technology, pedagogy, and content. however, challenges like internet connectivity (68%), students' digital tool unfamiliarity (20%), and data limitations (5%) were identified as significant barriers. despite these hurdles, most teachers demonstrate confidence in their digital literacy and tpack skills, underlining the importance of providing adequate training and support. this research contributes valuable insights to english language teaching, educational technology, and policy making. keywords: digital literacy; english language learning; merdeka curriculum; narrative inquiry; tpack. mailto:naisa_english@ikipsiliwangi.ac.id sri supiah cahyati, cynantia rahmijati, & nai supartini a narrative investigation on tpack english teachers’ proficiencies 284 crucial for enhancing tpack implementation, which holds implications for english language teaching, educational technology, and policy formulation. in this era dominated by technology, mastering digital literacy becomes crucial in all life's facets. the merdeka curriculum's adoption for english learning significantly transforms the educational landscape in indonesian secondary schools, granting teachers freedom to tailor their instructional materials and lesson designs to meet their students' specific needs. this personalized approach boosts student engagement, academic performance, and readiness for the digital future. as education evolves with technological advancements, it's imperative for teachers to continually develop their digital literacy skills (suprapto, 2021; liando et al, 2023; reddy et al., 2023). addressing the diverse needs of students requires a competence in integrating technology, supported by instructional capabilities (li et al., 2022). tpack emerges as a critical framework for embedding technology into teaching, conceptualizing the synergy of content, pedagogy, and technology as a means to fulfill 21st-century educational expectations (rahmadi, 2019). teachers are pivotal in preparing students for a digital future, incorporating technology into education to enhance learning outcomes (schmid et al., 2021; tan, 2023; lachner et al., 2021). although tpack promises higher-quality learning outcomes (eng & conch, 2019; santos & castro, 2021; absari et al., 2020), its implementation faces hurdles like internet connectivity in urban areas and a lack of technological training in rural settings. overcoming these challenges necessitates adequate teacher training and access to quality technology infrastructure to fully leverage tpack's benefits for digital literacy and 21stcentury skills development. the evolution of teaching and learning methods has led to a departure from traditional education towards dynamic, interactive instruction that leverages technological advancements. by enhancing their digital literacy, teachers can adopt the latest in technology and teaching methodologies, preparing students for success in the 21st century. the tpack framework outlines the crucial knowledge areas for preschool english educators to effectively incorporate technology into their instruction, offering a structured approach to blend technology with teaching practices and subject content knowledge. figure 1. the tpack framework (mishra & koehler, 2006) the discussion revolves around tpack concept and its critical role in educational practices. tpack highlights the synergy among technology integration, curriculum content, and instructional strategies, aiming to create more interactive and learner-centric educational experiences (fahadi and khan, 2022). initially, research focused on unraveling tpack's framework and its application in teacher education. currently, attention has shifted towards devising assessment tools for tpack in various settings and aiding educators, both prospective and current, in refining their tpack skills. the essence of the tpack framework lies in its ability to facilitate an effective teaching and learning process through the strategic use of technology. the application of technology in education can enhance both the effectiveness and efficiency of learning processes (handayani & sulisworo, 2021), while also encouraging students' critical thinking, creativity, and autonomy (timotheou et al., 2023; johar & hanum, 2021). consequently, it's imperative for educators to develop proficiency in tpack (susana, 2021). tpack is built upon three foundational knowledge domains: technological knowledge (tk), pedagogical knowledge (pk), and content knowledge (ck). it's crucial for educators to deeply understand and expertly manage these domains to offer students enriching and compelling learning experiences (hasanah et al., 2022; nurruzakiah et al., 2022; handika et al., 2023) and to facilitate the integration of technology into classroom settings (latip et al., 2023). tpack also involves choosing suitable technology based on student needs, which is key to implementing the tpack approach effectively, as highlighted by setyowati & rachmajanti (2023). furthermore, enhancing teacher competency is vital for fostering professional growth in educators, which is paramount for elevating the overall quality of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 285 education (efrilia, 2020). elas et al. (2019) underscored the importance of effectively presenting concepts through technology, applying instructional strategies to deliver content, understanding how students grasp learning concepts, leveraging technology to address student challenges, and acknowledging students' existing knowledge to augment it with technology. through the use of technological tools, educators can make lessons more captivating and boost student engagement. providing students with internet access allows teachers to supplement classroom materials with additional resources, broadening students' knowledge and enhancing their comprehension of subjects. for english educators, it's vital to be well-versed in various digital tools for effectively teaching curriculum content. it's also crucial to select technologies that match the learning styles and instructional needs of students. by doing so, educators can tailor learning experiences to individual student needs, leading to improved academic performance and greater student satisfaction. method despite the wealth of research surrounding tpack, there remains a distinct lack of qualitative investigations into the experiences and perspectives of educators, especially within the merdeka curriculum framework in indonesia. there is a pressing requirement for more narrativedriven research that delves into the intricacies and subtleties of tpack application in actual teaching scenarios. many of the current studies provide a generalized view without delving into the specific challenges and strategies english language teachers employ to weave technology into their teaching methods. as a result, this study adopts the narrative inquiry approach to explore the experiences and methodologies of 50 english language educators. the objective is to dissect their stories to uncover deeper insights into their engagement with tpack in educational settings. table 1. profile of the participants a. school total high school 18 vocational school 14 junior high school 16 islamic junior high school 2 b. age total 26 – 30 15 31 – 35 9 36 – 39 6 41 – 45 9 46 – 50 5 51 55 6 narrative inquiry, a method that collects and interprets personal stories to understand lived experiences deeply, was applied to a study involving 50 english teachers in west java. these educators shared detailed narratives of their teaching experiences, including challenges faced, successes achieved, and the evolution of their teaching methodologies. the research utilized comprehensive interviews and thematic analysis to delve into the stories that define these teachers' professional identities and practices, aiming to shed light on their motivations, convictions, and approaches to teaching english. a purposive sampling method was used to ensure a diverse representation of english teachers, selecting participants based on criteria like teaching experience, academic credentials, and teaching environments. data collection primarily involved questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, which were conducted to gather personal stories about their teaching experiences, beliefs, and methodologies. these interviews were recorded with consent and transcribed word for word. the thematic analysis of interview narratives followed braun and clarke's methodology, pinpointing themes and patterns through a meticulous, ethical process that emphasized informed consent and participant confidentiality. this ensured that participants were clearly briefed on the study's objectives, their rights within the study, and the protection of their identities in the disseminated results. the analysis of these narratives yielded insights into educators' professional identities, illustrating how their experiences influenced their teaching methodologies and the development of their english teaching strategies. the objective was to compile these individual experiences into a unified narrative account, presented in a narrative format enriched with the results of the thematic analysis, underscoring the main themes and patterns observed. the results from this narrative inquiry are invaluable for enhancing teacher training programs, informing curriculum design, and supporting initiatives aimed at teacher empowerment. this research has provided a deeper insight into the professional development needs of english teachers and outlined methods to elevate the quality of english language education. furthermore, it offered english educators an sri supiah cahyati, cynantia rahmijati, & nai supartini a narrative investigation on tpack english teachers’ proficiencies 286 opportunity to voice their personal journeys and insights. this deep dive into educators' narratives aimed to unravel the complexities of english teaching and expand our understanding of the teaching vocation, highlighting both its challenges and possibilities. by delving into these stories, the study has enriched our comprehension of english language teaching's nuances and the professional evolution of educators, making a significant contribution to the wider educational dialogue. result and discussion educators who possess an in-depth knowledge of the tpack framework are better prepared to accommodate various learning styles and tailor learning experiences to meet the specific needs and strengths of each learner. through the exchange and application of effective practices, teachers can enhance their tpack skills, leading to a more adaptable and engaging learning environment (mishra & koehler, 2006; koehler & mishra, 2009). the aim of integrating tpack into english language teaching is to improve the quality of education. incorporating technology into lessons makes the learning process more engaging and dynamic, fostering critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving abilities in students. the move towards digital assessment methods aligns with modern assessment trends, providing students with essential digital skills and allowing them to demonstrate their knowledge effectively (piñaramírez & lópez-beltrán, 2021). this research conducted a survey with 50 teachers to explore their opinions on tpack and their effectiveness as educators. the survey inquired about their preferred digital platforms, their experience in teaching, and their ability to integrate technology into their educational methods. the survey items were organized into five domains: technological knowledge (tk), pedagogical knowledge (pk), content knowledge (ck), technological content knowledge (tck), and technological pedagogical and content knowledge (tpack). teachers rated their views on the tpack abilities of english language educators using a 5-point likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. the findings are elaborated in the results section that follows. technological knowledge aspect figure 2. technological knowledge aspect technological knowledge (tk) stands as a critical element in an educator's repertoire, embodying a deep understanding of a variety of technologies and how they can be specifically leveraged within educational contexts. tk involves proficiency in navigating various digital tools, applications, and resources to bolster the teaching and learning process. within the tpack (technological pedagogical content knowledge) framework, technological content knowledge (tck) refers to teachers' ability to effectively use technology to deliver content across different subjects, marrying content expertise with skilled use of technological tools to facilitate the transfer of knowledge via the dynamic capabilities of technology. feedback from interviews underscores the confidence and skill teachers have in weaving technology into their teaching. survey results indicate a substantial majority of educators (55% strongly agree, 43% agree, 2% neutral) skillfully employ a range of technologies to improve their teaching methods and content delivery. furthermore, the majority recognize the role of technology in captivating students and enhancing educational outcomes. nonetheless, views differ on how well technology matches with ongoing advancements and its adaptability for students at various levels. such insights call for a push towards refining technological skills and better aligning tech use with educational goals and the needs of students. analysis reveals several hurdles in applying technology within educational frameworks. while many teachers demonstrate confidence and adeptness in blending technology with their teaching, challenges persist in harmonizing technology with pedagogical approaches and subject content. this underscores the necessity for continuous professional development to navigate tech-related obstacles and unlock technology's full potential for enriching education. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 287 interviews shed light on various challenges encountered when deploying technology in educational settings, with internet connectivity emerging as a prominent barrier for 68% of participants. additionally, a significant share of respondents pointed to students' lack of familiarity with technology (20%) and limitations related to data allowances (5%) as barriers. smaller percentages identified school policies (3%), restricted access to mobile phones (2%), and reluctance to use lcd equipment (2%) as additional hurdles, highlighting the complex nature of integrating technology into education. these findings stress the need for holistic strategies to tackle the diverse issues teachers face, aligning with research by gozali, lie, and tamah (2023). pedagogical knowledge aspect figure 3. pedagogical knowledge aspect pedagogical knowledge (pk) is a crucial aspect of successful teaching and learning, encompassing a deep understanding of the mechanics behind teaching and learning. this includes recognizing educational aims, values, and goals, along with the methodologies and techniques for instruction. mastery in pk provides educators with the tools necessary for effective information dissemination and building profound connections between students and the content being taught. in education, effective teaching necessitates a comprehensive approach that emphasizes a profound understanding of the subject content, instructional strategies, and the varied needs of learners. pk acts as the cornerstone that integrates these essential components smoothly, creating a dynamic and participatory learning atmosphere. according to figure 3, educators proficient in pedagogical content knowledge (pck) showcase their skills through the application of effective teaching strategies that cultivate meaningful educational experiences (16% strongly agree, 84% agree). this skill set includes careful organization of educational activities, coherent presentation of ideas, diverse instructional methods, and customized evaluation strategies designed to meet the specific needs of each student. educators equipped with pk utilize teaching tactics that promote significant educational encounters. this involves the deliberate organization of educational tasks, adept communication of concepts, the application of various instructional techniques, and the adaptation of evaluation methods to suit the particular needs of students. they are proficient in managing the classroom environment and commit to reflective practices to improve the quality of teaching and maximize educational outcomes. at its core, pk is vital for educators to excel in their role as facilitators of student learning. through providing an engaging and interactive educational experience, they enable students to gain a thorough comprehension of the subject matter and reach their highest potential. regarding the content knowledge aspect, pck, as described by koehler and mishra (2009), allows teachers to "reconfigure content knowledge into formats that are both instructionally potent and tailored to the specificities of each classroom context." essentially, tpack equips educators to inspire, engage, and enhance their students' learning by harmoniously blending technological resources, pedagogical techniques, and subjectspecific content, leading to an enriching and impactful learning setting (piña-ramírez & lópezbeltrán, 2021; jinyao & bhattacharyya, 2022). figure 4. content knowledge aspect technological pedagogical aspect tpack framework represents a comprehensive model that emphasizes the synthesis of three critical domains of knowledge crucial for proficient teaching: technological knowledge (tk), pedagogical knowledge (pk), and content knowledge (ck). as outlined by mishra and koehler (2006), tpack is defined as the confluence of technology, pedagogy, and content, highlighting the necessity for educators to be adept in these areas to foster transformative educational sri supiah cahyati, cynantia rahmijati, & nai supartini a narrative investigation on tpack english teachers’ proficiencies 288 experiences. within the tpack model, educators are prepared with the skills not only to effectively convey information but also to customize examples that resonate with their students' capabilities. they organize content coherently following the lesson plan and respond to inquiries accurately, drawing on contemporary resources like academic journals to enhance their expertise. this method ensures that their instruction is both current and relevant. in essence, tpack empowers educators to seamlessly blend technological resources, instructional strategies, and subject-specific knowledge, creating an engaging and impactful learning atmosphere. this fusion deepens the connection between students and the topics at hand, supported by educators who demonstrate a robust understanding of their subject area (with 20% strongly in agreement and 80% in agreement). the integration of these components positions teachers to deliver effective instruction, as detailed in the extensive data presented in figure 4. technological content knowledge aspect figure 5. technological content knowledge aspect the tpack model underscores the importance of technological content knowledge (tck) for teachers to skillfully use technology in teaching diverse topics (koehler & mishra, 2009). in the process of integrating technology into the classroom, it's crucial for educators to evaluate how technology fits into the educational process, their ability to employ technology across different subjects (with 76% agreeing and 24% strongly agreeing), and how technology can bolster students' comprehension and capabilities. furthermore, teachers are motivated to create learning activities centered around students that incorporate technology, thus enhancing their skills and aligning technology use with pedagogical objectives. essentially, tck equips teachers with the expertise needed to tap into the full potential of technology, serving as a key tool to enhance teaching methods and foster deep connections with their students. technological pedagogical and content knowledge aspect figure 6. technological pedagogical content knowledge aspect the tpack model emphasizes the necessity for teachers to skillfully integrate technology into their instruction across different subject areas. interviews with teachers revealed a largely positive stance towards incorporating technology in educational activities, with a significant majority (79%) supporting its adoption. furthermore, a noticeable portion of educators (12%) demonstrated a deep understanding of the importance of digital literacy for both themselves and their pupils, underlining the pivotal role of technology in contemporary education. teachers highlighted various digital platforms, including google, canva, powerpoint, quizizz, youtube, whatsapp, kahoot, wordwall, padlet, liveworksheet, instagram, and duolingo, as essential tools selected for their capacity to boost educational outcomes. despite the enthusiasm for tpack within the teaching community, issues such as technological glitches, connectivity problems, and user errors pose challenges to the smooth incorporation of technology into teaching practices. problems like unstable internet connections, hardware malfunctions, and restricted data allowances can create barriers for both educators and students, potentially diminishing engagement and effectiveness. difficulties also stem from students' unfamiliarity with digital tools and certain teachers' reluctance to embrace new technologies, often due to a lack of training or resistance to change. proactively addressing these issues is key to effectively implementing tpack. developing strategies to navigate these challenges, including offering thorough training and support, is crucial for creating a learning environment that leverages technology's benefits to enhance education. conclusion this research is distinguished by its use of narrative inquiry to explore english teachers' experiences in indonesia with the tpack i integrate tech into my materials 24% 76% very agree agree english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 289 framework, providing deeper insights into tpack's real-world application within the merdeka curriculum. concentrating on english language instruction within this curriculum introduces new perspectives to the international tpack conversation, contributing specific insights into its utility in language teaching. the merdeka curriculum's objective is to enable teachers to adopt the tpack framework, promoting personalized and creative learning experiences tailored to students' distinct needs and learning preferences. by incorporating digital tools, teachers can design an interactive and flexible learning environment that significantly improves student engagement and success, making education more appealing and accessible. investigating 50 english language teachers through narrative inquiry, this study seeks to better understand their preparedness and capability in utilizing the tpack framework. by examining their narratives, the research uncovers potential areas for improvement and ways to maximize tpack's educational benefits. results show that a considerable number of teachers (55%) have effectively integrated technology into their teaching, displaying confidence in their instructional strategies (84%) and a solid grasp of their subjects (80%), along with successfully merging technology with their educational content (76%). although various obstacles were identified, the majority of teachers (79%) demonstrated skill in combining technology with pedagogical and content knowledge (tpack), showcasing their expertise. however, the research also pointed out issues such as limited access to technology, inadequate familiarity with digital tools, and insufficient support from school administrations. to enhance teachers' digital literacy and tpack abilities, the study recommends more frequent tpack-centered training and workshops, encouraging experience sharing, feedback, and administrative support. future studies should broaden the participant pool and examine tpack's implementation in diverse educational contexts and its effects on student outcomes. this investigation appreciates the financial support from ikip siliwangi, which significantly aided the research and its contributions, highlighting the value of such funding in promoting educational research advancements. references absari, n., priyanto, p., & muslikhin, m. (2020). the effectiveness of technology, pedagogy and content knowledge (tpack) in learning. jurnal pendidikan teknologi dan kejuruan, 26(1), 43–51. https://doi.org/10.21831/jptk.v26i1.24012 albeta, s. w., firdaus, l. n., copriady, j., & alimin, m. (2023). tpack-based blended learning as an implementation of progressivism education: a systematic literature review. jurnal pendidikan vokasi, 13(1), 44-59. https://doi.org/10.21831/jpv.v13i1.51287 efrilia. (2020). relationship of teacher competency test and teacher performance assessment in increasing education quality. a multidisciplinary peer reviewed journal, 6(6), 757–766. eng, c. y., & keong, t. c. (2019). pengetahuan teknologi pedagogi kandungan di malaysia: satu kajian meta analisis. journal of ict in education, 6, 86–95. https://doi.org/10.37134/jictie.vol6.8.2019 ermawati, s. m. p., putri, r. s., sukma, g. d., & leska, v. (2023). pengembangan manajemen pembelajaran berbasis teknologi di abad 21. jurnal ilmiah pendidikan citra bakti, 10(2), 249-259. fahadi, m., & khan, md. s. h. (2022). technologyenhanced teaching in engineering education: teachers’ knowledge construction using tpack framework. international journal of instruction, 15(2), 519-542. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2022.15229a gozali, i., lie, a., tamah, s.m. (2023). examining language teachers’ change in tpack-hots selfperception during the covid-19 pandemic in indonesia. computer assisted language learning electronic journal (call-ej), 24(1), 2023, 280-304 handayani, i. m., & sulisworo, d. (2021). pengembangan media pembelajaran matematika berbantuan geogebra pada materi transformasi geometri. jurnal equation: teori dan penelitian pendidikan matematika, 4(1), 47-59. handayani, s., hussin, m., & norman, h. (2023). technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) model in teaching: a review and bibliometric analysis. pegem journal of education and instruction, 13(3), 176-190. handika, r. f., agustin, m., & jakawali, g. (2023). tpack component analysis (technology, pedagogics, content knowledge) in elementary school teachers as a framework for teacher competence in 21st-century learning. international conference on elementary education, 5(1), 545-551. hasanah. (2022). teacher competency analysis in applying technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (tpack) on productive learning in vocational high school (vhs). international journal of social science research and review, 5(1), 166-175. https://doi.org/10.21831/jpv.v13i1.51287 https://doi.org/10.37134/jictie.vol6.8.2019 https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2022.15229a sri supiah cahyati, cynantia rahmijati, & nai supartini a narrative investigation on tpack english teachers’ proficiencies 290 https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v5i1.162 hasyim, i., warsah, i., & istan, m. (2021). kompetensi guru pendidikan agama islam dalam pemanfaatan teknologi untuk pembelajaran daring pada masa pandemik covid-19. joeai (journal of education and instruction), 4(2), 623-632. https://doi.org/10.33487/edumaspul. v7i1.6479 jinyao, l. & bhattacharyya, e. (2022). research trend on technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) through bibliometric analysis (2015-2021). asia-pacific journal of business, humanities and education vol 7, no 2, december johar, r., & hanum, l. (2021). strategi belajar mengajar untuk menjadi guru yang profesional (c. r. zahara, ed.). syiah kuala university press. krisnaresanti, a., ahman, e., disman. (2023). profile of technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) on pre-service teachers in higher education. journal of office administration: education and practice, 3(3), 204-213. lachner, a., fabian, a., franke, u., preiß, j., jacob, l., führer, c., küchler, u., paravicini, w., randler, c., & thomas, p. (2021). fostering pre-service teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack): a quasi-experimental field study. computers & education, 174, 104304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104304 latip, a., robandi, b., amaliah., khakim, r. r., & fatonah, n. (2023). technological pedadogical contents knowledge (tpack) competency framework for teachers in facing global issue challenges: a narrative literature review. international journal of pedagogy and teacher education, 7(1), 45-57. https://doi.org/10.20961/ijpte.v0i0.74699 li, s., liu, y., & su, y.-s. (2022). differential analysis of teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) abilities according to teaching stages and educational levels. sustainability, 14(12), 14127176. https://doi.org/10.3390/ su14127176 liando, n., tatipang, d., & wuntu, c. (2023). tpack framework towards 21st century’s pre-service english teachers: opportunities and challenges in application. edumaspul: jurnal pendidikan, 7(1), 1799-1815. mishra, p., & koehler, m. j. (2006). technological pedagogical content knowledge: a framework for teacher knowledge. teachers college record, 108(6), 1017-1054. muhammad, n. a., & maat, s. m. (2020). sorotan literatur bersistematik terhadap pengetahuan teknologi pedagogi kandungan (ptpk) dalam kalangan guru matematik. jurnal dunia pendidikan, 2(4), 107–117. muhammad, t. (2023). tpack dalam strategi pembelajaran flipped classroom. deepublish. nuruzzakiah, n., hasanuddin, h., artika, w., supriatno, s., & rahmatan, h. (2022). competency analysis of technological pedagogical and content knowledge (tpack) biology teachers. jurnal penelitian pendidikan ipa, 8(1), 325-335. https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v8i1.1166 piña-ramírez, m. g., & lópez-beltrán, c. (2021). developing tpack in preservice teachers: a design-based research study in a mexican higher education institution. education and information technologies, 26(1), prayogi, r. d., & estetika, r. (2020). kecakapan abad 21: kompetensi digital pendidik masa depan. manajemen pendidikan, 14(2), 144–151. https://doi.org/10.23917/jmp.v14i2.9486 rahayu, e.m., rahayu, e.y., irawan, n. (2023). technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) in the instruction design of the participants in teacher profession education: a narrative inquiry case study. kwangsan jurnal teknologi pendidikan, 11(1), 312-327. https://doi.org/10.31800/jtp.kw.v11n 1.p312--327 rahmadi, i. f. (2019). technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack): kerangka pengetahuan guru abad 21. jurnal pendidikan kewarganegaraan, 6(1), 65–74. https://doi.org/10.32493/jpkn.v6i1.y2019.p6574 reddy, p., chaudhary, k., & hussein, s. (2023). a digital literacy model to narrow the digital literacy skills gap. heliyon, 9(4). santos, j. m., & castro, r. d. r. (2021). technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) in action: application of learning in the classroom by pre-service teachers (pst). social sciences & humanities open, 3(1), 100110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. ssaho.2021.100110 schmid, m., brianza, e., & petko, d. (2021). selfreported technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) of pre-service teachers in relation to digital technology use in lesson plans. computers in human behavior, 115, 106586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106586 setoningsih, d. a. (2023). emerging tpack & digitalization in education for sustainable development: voices of secondary education teachers. englie: english learning innovation, 4(2), 82-96. setyowati, l., & rachmajanti, s. (2023). the application of tpack for teaching content courses: process, students' view, and product in indonesian context. journal of innovation in educational and cultural research, 4(2), 209219. https://doi.org/10.46843/jiecr.v4i2.268 shakhman, l. m., omari, o. al, arulappan, j., & wynaden, d. (2020). interprofessional education and collaboration: strategies for implementation. https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v5i1.162 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104304 https://doi.org/10.20961/ijpte.v0i0.74699 https://doi.org/10.31800/jtp.kw.v11n1.p312--327 https://doi.org/10.31800/jtp.kw.v11n1.p312--327 https://doi.org/10.32493/jpkn.v6i1.y2019.p65-74 https://doi.org/10.32493/jpkn.v6i1.y2019.p65-74 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.%20ssaho.2021.100110 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106586 https://doi.org/10.46843/jiecr.v4i2.268 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 291 oman medical journal, 35(4), 514–519. https:// doi.org/10.5001/omj.2020.83 soedirman, z., & fitriani, s. (2023). kompetensi guru dalam mengembangkan rencana pelaksanaan pembelajaran (rpp) dengan tuntutan abad 21 di sd negeri 24 banda aceh. jurnal ilmiah mahasiswa pendidikan guru sekolah dasar, 8(2). solissa, e. m., farizawati., maq, m. m., aldina, f., & wantu, h. m. (2023). technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack): an overview through self-efficacy and motivation to become a professional teacher. edumaspul, 7(2), 2562-2571. suprapto, n., sukarmin, s., puspitawati, r. p., erman, e., savitri, d., ku, c. h., & mubarok, h. (2021). research trend on tpack through bibliometric analysis (2015-2019). international journal of evaluation and research in education, 10(4), 1375-1385. susana, a. (2021). pengetahuan dasar guru. tata akbar. tan, l., thomson, r., koh, j. h. l., & chik, a. (2023). teaching multimodal literacies with digital technologies and augmented reality: a cluster analysis of australian teachers’ tpack. in sustainability. mdpi.com. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/13/10190 timotheou, s., miliou, o., dimitriadis, y., sobrino, s. v., giannoutsou, n., cachia, r., & ioannou, a. (2023). impacts of digital technologies on education and factors influencing schools' digital capacity and transformation: a literature review. education and information technologies, 28(6), 6695-6726. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/13/10190 sri supiah cahyati, cynantia rahmijati, & nai supartini a narrative investigation on tpack english teachers’ proficiencies 292 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 421 school leadership and policy in implementing understanding by design: a comparative case study in english teaching modules nanik retnowati1, pham thi thu hien2, maulidia rachmawati nur3, linda4, tsaniatul fatiha5, lutfio indra permana6 1,3,4,5,6faculty of teacher and training education, ibn khaldun university, bogor, indonesia 2 ly tu trong college ho chi minh city corresponding author: nanik.retnowati@uika-bogor.ac.id received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 25-04-2024 published: 30-06-2025 abstract: effective teaching relies heavily on intentional instructional planning that aligns learning goals, assessments, and activities. the understanding by design (ubd) framework, known for its backward design approach, has been adopted within indonesia’s merdeka curriculum to promote coherence and purpose in learning. however, its implementation across schools varies significantly, often shaped by leadership practices and local policy enforcement. this study investigates how school leadership influences the implementation of ubd in english teaching modules at two public secondary schools in bogor city. employing qualitative content analysis, the research draws on data from curriculum documents, semi-structured teacher interviews, and classroom observations. findings reveal that one school demonstrates effective ubd integration, driven by assertive leadership, clear policy communication, and routine monitoring. in contrast, the second school shows fragmented implementation due to limited leadership involvement and a lack of institutional reinforcement. these contrasting cases highlight that while teacher understanding is necessary, school leadership plays a pivotal role in translating national curriculum mandates into coherent instructional practice. the study underscores the importance of proactive leadership and coordinated policy support to ensure the consistent and meaningful adoption of curriculum frameworks like ubd in schools. keywords: school leadership; education policy; understanding by design; curriculum implementation; english teaching. introduction understanding by design (ubd) is an instructional planning framework that emphasizes backward design, which begins with the identification of desired learning outcomes before planning assessment and instructional activities (taiyabi, 2021; wiggins, 2005). this approach addresses two common pitfalls in traditional lesson planning: focusing solely on content coverage or emphasizing activities without clear outcomes. by aligning long-term and short-term goals, ubd fosters meaningful learning through a structured three-stage design process: identifying desired results, determining acceptable evidence, and planning learning experiences (wiggins, 2005). the model has been applied in various educational contexts including classroom instruction, curriculum management (dano ali, 2023), and structured education projects (jensen et al., 2017). despite its wide applicability, ubd implementation is not always optimal. for example,joshi (2021)reported inconsistencies in applying the three ubd stages across school districts in central minnesota. nevertheless, research continues to support its effectiveness in aligning learning outcomes with instructional materials and strategies (alvarez-llerena et al., 2023; aslam et al., 2024). it also enhances both teachers’ procedural knowledge and students’ english language skills (alvarez llerena, 2020). ubd has been found applicable at all educational levels (utami & bram, 2023), and effective in apa citation: retnowati, n., hien, p. t. t., nur, m. r., linda., fatiha, t., & permana, l. i. (2025). school leadership and policy in implementing understanding by design: a comparative case study in english teaching modules. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 421-434. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11213 nanik retnowati, pham thi thu hien, maulidia rachmawati nur, linda, tsaniatul fatiha, lutfio indra permana school leadership and policy in implementing understanding by design: a comparative case study in english teaching modules 422 improving english reading comprehension and social responsibility among thai efl students (chaisa & chinokul, 2021). similarly, in remote indonesian contexts, ubd supported by the mind walker program improved english proficiency among elementary students (yen, 2024). furthermore, combining ubd with problem-based learning has been shown to enhance deep understanding and critical thinking in elementary learners (aristanti, 2024). in indonesia, ubd was introduced more formally with the launch of the merdeka curriculum in 2022 (idzni suryana et al., 2025). this curriculum explicitly adopts ubd as a framework to ensure alignment between learning objectives, assessments, and instructional activities (kemendikbud, 2022). intended to address post-pandemic learning loss, the merdeka curriculum emphasizes essential content, adaptability to student progress, and relevance to real-world contexts such as environmental, health, and social issues (satria, 2022). several regions have reported positive outcomes using ubd, particularly in boosting student motivation and conceptual understanding (resa, 2023). ubd has also proven effective in hybrid and online learning models, particularly in improving science comprehension (ozyurt et al., 2021; tshering, 2022). preliminary interviews and observations conducted for this study at two public schools in bogor revealed striking differences in how ubd is perceived and applied. at school a, the principal and curriculum coordinators strongly promote ubd, making it a central planning framework. as a result, teachers consistently acknowledge its importance and attempt to integrate its principles. conversely, at school b, although teachers are aware of ubd, it is not emphasized as an institutional priority, and implementation varies considerably across classrooms. these initial findings suggest that the degree of ubd implementation may be closely linked to school leadership and policy emphasis. school leadership and policy play a critical role in translating educational reforms into practice. effective school leaders actively promote and reinforce curriculum frameworks, provide ongoing professional development, and offer structural support to ensure policy adoption (hallinger & heck, 2010; leithwood et al., 2020).without this leadership, even well-designed policies may fail to be effectively implemented(fullan, 2021). alignment across different levels of the education system—both horizontal and vertical—is essential for effective reform (hopkins & levin, 2000). a decentralized, subsidiarity-based model, where decision-making occurs at the lowest competent level, may also enhance implementation efficiency (coles, 2024). consistently articulated school policies and procedures—both verbal and written—help establish a supportive environment where teachers are more likely to align their planning with institutional goals (powerdms, 2020). lesson planning documents, therefore, serve not only as instructional tools but also as indicators of how leadership mediates policy enforcement (annet, 2024; dano ali, 2023). recent studies reflect increasing global interest in ubd, though many focus on contexts in developed countries. for instance, (hehakaya, 2022) observed that teachers often struggle to develop structured and meaningful plans using the ubd approach. a systematic review by gunartha et al. (2024) highlighted the importance of embedding critical thinking into each stage of ubd. in the indonesian context, while many teachers report a good understanding of ubd (retnowati et al., 2025), there is limited research on how this understanding is translated into actual instructional modules. the quality of lesson plans remains a foundational element of teaching effectiveness (antari, 2021; huzefa, 2024; mahkamova, 2000; pal et al., 2022; shahzad et al., 2024), and teacher preparedness through structured planning determines instructional success (farhang et al., 2023; iqbal et al., 2021). however, little is known about the role of school leadership in facilitating or hindering the integration of ubd into these plans. this study seeks to address these gaps by exploring how english teachers in two public schools in bogor design their teaching modules using the ubd framework. it also investigates the extent to which these modules align with core ubd principles, the challenges teachers face in applying them, and the influence of school-level leadership and policy on these processes. the research is guided by the following questions: (1) how do english teachers in two public schools in bogor design their teaching modules based on the ubd framework? (2) to what extent do these teaching modules align with the key principles of ubd? (3) what challenges do teachers face in implementing ubd during the lesson planning process? (4) how does school policy influence the design and implementation of ubd-based lesson plans? english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 423 method this study employed a qualitative research approach using content analysis to examine the implementation of understanding by design (ubd) in english teaching modules. content analysis, as defined by krippendorff (1989) is a systematic, objective, and structured research technique that enables the extraction of accurate conclusions from verbal, visual, or written data to describe and measure specific phenomena. to enhance the depth of analysis, this study also incorporated semistructured interviews with english teachers to gain insights into their perspectives, challenges, and experiences in designing lesson plans based on ubd. the data were obtained from two english teaching modules developed by teachers from two different public schools. these schools were purposively selected using a criterion-based sampling method, with selection criteria including the degree of policy reinforcement related to understanding by design (ubd). one school was identified as having strong institutional support for ubd, evidenced by formal documentation and leadership initiatives, while the other had minimal to no explicit policy endorsement. this contrast enabled a meaningful comparison of how school leadership influences the practical implementation of ubd in curriculum planning. although both schools are public institutions, their differing ubd orientations provided a rich context for analysis, while the public school setting ensures relevance to broader educational practices. in addition to document analysis, semi-structured interviews were conducted with two english teachers who developed the modules. each interview lasted approximately 45–60 minutes and was conducted in person. the interviews explored several key themes: (1) teachers’ understanding of ubd principles, (2) the process of developing lesson plans using the ubd framework, (3) challenges encountered in applying ubd, and (4) the influence of school policy and leadership on instructional design. sample interview questions included: (a) how do you structure your lesson plans based on the ubd framework? (b) what challenges do you face in aligning your lesson plans with ubd principles? (c) how does school policy support or hinder the implementation of ubd in lesson planning? both teachers held undergraduate degrees in english education and had over five years of teaching experience. one teacher had previously attended ubd-specific training provided by the local education authority, while the other had no formal training but had received informal guidance from school leaders. regarding challenges, the teacher who developed module b explained that although there was an initial intention to apply ubd principles thoroughly, limited emphasis on ubd in school policy and the absence of systematic monitoring weakened the motivation to explore and implement the framework deeply. the teacher stated, "actually, i wanted to implement ubd properly in the module, but because it was not emphasized in the school policy and there was no monitoring, i did not pursue deeper understanding about ubd. i wish the school would set clearer policies, monitor, and evaluate the implementation regularly so that teachers are motivated to apply the concepts seriously." this highlights the critical role of institutional support and oversight in sustaining effective instructional practices. in contrast, the teacher who designed module a reported that while the school environment was supportive, the main challenge lay in continuously improving the skills needed to design and implement ubd-based modules effectively. the teacher reflected, "my challenge is how to further develop my skills in designing modules and applying them in the classroom. i realize that i need to keep learning to make the lessons even better aligned with ubd." this suggests that even in supportive environments, ongoing professional development and self-directed learning are essential for enhancing instructional quality.to provide a clear overview of the content analysis process, a structured analytical framework was adopted, following these steps: tabel 1. the steps of data analysis step description 1. data collection gathering english teaching modules from two public schools and conducting interviews with two english teachers 2. data coding identifying key themes based on ubd principles, categorizing lesson plan elements, and coding interview transcripts. 3. thematic analysis analyzing recurring patterns in module design and teacher responses to determine the level of ubd alignment. nanik retnowati, pham thi thu hien, maulidia rachmawati nur, linda, tsaniatul fatiha, lutfio indra permana school leadership and policy in implementing understanding by design: a comparative case study in english teaching modules 424 4. interpretation comparing findings with existing literature, assessing the influence of school policy, and drawing conclusions on ubd implementation. the modules were analyzed using six key ubd components: established goals, enduring understandings, essential questions, knowledge and skills, assessment evidence, and learning activities (wiggins, 2005). the coding framework was reviewed by multiple researchers to ensure consistency and reliability. the research followed a multi-step content analysis approach: (1) module collection – selecting two modules based on different school contexts; (2) coding and categorization – identifying relevant sections corresponding to ubd principles; (3) analysis – assessing alignment with ubd; and (4) synthesis – determining the effectiveness of ubd application. to ensure reliability, inter-rater reliability was established through multiple researchers crosschecking the coding. additionally, a triangulation process was conducted by comparing the module analysis with teacher interviews and classroom observations. this multi-method validation strengthened the credibility of the findings. results and discussion the analysis of the learning objectives design the table below presents the analysis of the aspects of learning objectives design using the indicators from the theory of wiggins and mctighe (wiggins, 2005), adjusted to align with the principles of understanding by design (ubd): table 2. the analysis of the learning objectives design backward design component s module a ubd alignment (module a) module b ubd alignment (module b) module description focuses on teaching procedural texts with the goal of helping students understand the social function, structure, and linguistic elements of procedural texts. aligns with curriculum standards that emphasize understanding in factual, procedural, and conceptual contexts. this module aligns with ubd as it starts with clear learning goals and objectives, focusing on factual, procedural, and conceptual understanding. however, some competencies need revision to fully align with government-set goals and objectives. focuses on mastering simple present tense, including writing texts and engaging in conversations. the learning objectives are relevant to the english curriculum and standards. the learning objectives focus on content-based skills without explicitly including deeper understanding aspects such as applying the social context of language. enduring understandin gs the main goal is for students to apply their understanding of procedural texts in various contexts, including the ability to create, analyze, and present procedural texts creatively. aligns with the merdeka curriculum by emphasizing critical, creative, and analytical thinking skills required for creating, analyzing, and presenting procedural texts, reflecting the pancasila student profile. focuses on content-based skills such as creating texts and engaging in conversations. it does not explicitly include enduring understandings, such as why the use of simple present tense is important in everyday communication. the learning objectives and activities do not apply the concept of meaningful learning. essential questions questions guiding the exploration of main ideas, like “have you ever not known how to make or operate something?” focus on exploring meaning. the essential questions in this module align with the merdeka curriculum concept of reflective questions that are relevant to real-life situations. these questions encourage students to think critically and understand broader concepts. the module includes visual prompts and motivation before the main lessons but lacks explicit essential questions as seen in the merdeka curriculum. the module does not include explicit essential questions or prompts like those found in the merdeka curriculum. knowledge and skills emphasizes key skills such as creating procedural texts, analyzing the structure and linguistic aspects of the texts, and using technology for presenting the results. this includes knowledge of text structure, steps, and vocabulary usage, as well as technology skills. knowledge and skills in module a align with the merdeka curriculum principles, supporting the development of literacy, technology, text analysis, and creativity. it focuses on practical and contextual skills. the knowledge and skills in module b are limited to general knowledge related to using simple present tense and presenting information through group presentations. it teaches only knowledge of the material and does not integrate a deeper understanding of why this module lacks critical thinking skills integration. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 425 tenses are important in communication. the understanding by design (ubd) framework, developed by wiggins and mctighe (2005), has gained widespread adoption in instructional design, particularly in aligning teaching practices with clearly defined learning goals and assessments. the ubd approach is underpinned by backward design, which emphasizes starting with the end goals (desired learning outcomes) and then determining the appropriate assessments and instructional strategies to achieve those goals (wiggins & mctighe, 2005). this framework helps address common pitfalls in traditional planning, such as focusing solely on content coverage or activities, without ensuring alignment with long-term learning objectives. in this study, we analyzed two english teaching modules in terms of their alignment with ubd principles, specifically focusing on the components of established goals, enduring understandings, essential questions, and knowledge and skills. the findings reveal important differences in how each module aligns with the ubd framework and its suitability for the merdeka curriculum, which aims to promote more personalized and competency-based learning. established goals module a explicitly outlines its learning goals, focusing on procedural texts and aiming for students to understand the social function, structure, and language elements of such texts. it is stated as one of the learning goal in module a: "students are able to present the procedural text they have created, either individually or in groups, by utilizing technology and demonstrating curiosity, perseverance, responsibility, and a friendly/communicative attitude throughout the learning process." this excerpt demonstrates that the learning objective has been clearly and measurably formulated, covering skill aspects (presenting procedural texts), the use of technology as a learning tool, and attitudes that support the learning process. it aligns with the ubd principle that emphasizes clear, measurable learning objectives that guide both instruction and assessment. desired results at the outset ensures that the learning experience is focused and coherent. however, while the module is generally aligned with the ubd framework, some revisions are necessary to better match the national curriculum standards for expected competencies. in contrast, module b's learning goals focus on content-based skills, such as constructing texts and engaging in conversations, without explicitly integrating the broader, conceptual understanding required by ubd. it is stated as one of the learning goal in module b: “engaging in conversations to express personal identity, such as family members and their occupations”. the goal "engaging in conversations to express personal identity, such as family members and their occupations" does not fully align with the ubd concept because it lacks clear, measurable criteria for success, making it difficult to assess students' performance accurately. it is also too broad and does not specify the expected level of skill or understanding. furthermore, it focuses only on performing a task without emphasizing deeper understanding or the ability to transfer communication skills to realworld contexts. to meet ubd principles, learning objectives should be specific, observable, and designed to promote both skill mastery and meaningful application. based on interviews with the teacher implementing module b, it was found that the misalignment with ubd resulted from the teacher’s misunderstanding of the concept of ubd. the teacher did not have significant concerns about the application of ubd principles and therefore did not seek further information on ubd implementation in the module. however, in actual teaching practice, the teacher focused on achieving the instructional goals, ensuring students could engage in structured activities related to the content objectives. observations in classrooms implementing module a showed that students were able to perform procedural texts as journalists and content creators. they effectively demonstrated linguistic features, social functions, and rhetorical steps, producing acceptable outcomes as per the project initially designed by the teacher. this result indicates that module a successfully supports students in achieving both conceptual understanding and practical application of the target language. conversely, in classrooms applying module b, there was no observable end product. the students engaged in learning activities focused on understanding and using the simple present tense but did not produce a final project that demonstrated their application of the language in meaningful ways. the assessment in module b was conducted through observations of the nanik retnowati, pham thi thu hien, maulidia rachmawati nur, linda, tsaniatul fatiha, lutfio indra permana school leadership and policy in implementing understanding by design: a comparative case study in english teaching modules 426 learning process rather than through project-based outcomes, which limited the ability to measure students' deeper understanding and application of the material. the lesson plan of module a explicitly states its ultimate goal: "students are able to present the procedural text they have created, either individually or in groups, by utilizing technology and demonstrating curiosity, hard work, responsibility, and a friendly/communicative attitude throughout the learning process." module b focuses on a narrower goal, emphasizing basic conversational skills, as exemplified in its stated objective: "engaging in conversations to express personal identity, such as family members and their occupations." in contrast, module a takes a broader approach by emphasizing the practical application of knowledge and skills in real-life contexts, making learning more meaningful and applicable beyond the classroom. enduring understandings module a places significant emphasis on helping students apply their understanding of procedural texts in various contexts, including creative production, analysis, and presentation of these texts. classroom activities are explisitly focusing on “during the learning process of determining the range, number of classes, and intervals of grouped data, the teacher observes students’ attitudes, including nationalism, discipline, self-confidence, honesty, resilience in facing challenges, responsibility, curiosity, and environmental awareness”. this aligns with ubd’s focus on enduring understandings, which are long-lasting, transferable concepts that students should retain and apply beyond the classroom (sharma et al., 2023). this is particularly aligned with the merdeka curriculum's emphasis on fostering critical thinking and creativity, as noted by satria (2022). in contrast, module b does not emphasize enduring understandings explicitly. while the module addresses specific skills (e.g., constructing texts), it lacks a broader, conceptual focus on why these skills are important in real-world communication, which is a critical aspect of ubd. this is consistent with the critique by rahmawaty & fatayan (2024) and wardana (2024)that many teachers struggle to connect content knowledge with broader conceptual understandings in ubd implementation. essential questions module a effectively employs reflective questions that engage students in exploring the broader significance of procedural texts, such as "have you ever not known how to make or operate something?" these essential questions guide students towards deeper exploration of the subject matter and foster critical thinking, as required by ubd principles. as mctighe and wiggins (2005) emphasize, essential questions should stimulate inquiry and help students engage with content in meaningful ways. module a aligns well with this aspect of ubd, facilitating a reflective and studentcentered learning process. module b, however, does not include explicit essential questions, a key component of ubd's emphasis on inquiry-based learning. this absence limits the potential for students to critically engage with the material and explore its relevance in reallife contexts, a point highlighted by hehakaya (2022),who argue that the lack of essential questions can hinder the development of deep, meaningful learning experiences. knowledge and skills both modules emphasize skills such as constructing procedural texts and using technology for presentation, which is consistent with the merdeka curriculum’s focus on practical, contextual learning. however, module a goes further by integrating critical thinking skills and analysis of text structures, thus fostering higherorder thinking (kuntari et al., 2019). learning activities such as "conducting literacy activities by searching for and reading various references to analyze information and creating a summary with creativity" stimulate critical thinking skills. in contrast, the learning activities in module b, such as "students watching a video, discussing its content, and creating a conversation," do not effectively support the development of critical thinking skills. the skills and knowledge in module a align with the ubd framework's goal of preparing students for real-world challenges by focusing on transferable skills and problemsolving abilities. in contrast, module b lacks an explicit focus on critical thinking or deeper conceptual understanding, limiting its alignment with ubd's goal of fostering comprehensive, meaningful learning. . knowledge and skills should be taught in ways that connect with students’ prior experiences and broader life contexts (hattan et al., 2024), which is underdeveloped in module b. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 427 in conclusion, module a largely aligns with the ubd framework, particularly in terms of clear learning goals, enduring understandings, and essential questions. module b, on the other hand, demonstrates significant gaps in terms of ubd alignment, particularly in the areas of enduring understandings, essential questions, and the integration of critical thinking skills. this analysis highlights the importance of implementing ubd principles in designing english teaching modules that support deep, conceptual learning and the development of 21st-century competencies. assessment analysis the table below presents the analysis of the assessment evidence design aspects using the indicators from wiggins and mctighe (2005) theory, aligned with the principles of understanding by design (ubd). table 3. assessment analysis indicator module a description ubd alignment (module a) module b description ubd alignment (module b) thinking like an assessor this module begins by considering assessment evidence that aligns with learning goals, using diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments. assessment occurs through tasks such as creating and presenting procedural texts. in this aspect, the assessment evidence aligns with ubd, as the designed assessments reflect the learning goals. the assessments are structured to assess students' understanding, particularly through tasks that require students to demonstrate their skills in writing and presenting procedural texts. the module outlines various assessment indicators: the ability to write texts and discuss routine events with correct structure. assessments reflect students' understanding of using the simple present tense in different contexts, but the focus is on the final product (writing or speaking) rather than on students' thinking processes. there is no initial or formative assessment. the designed assessments focus on evaluating students' final outputs (texts or speaking), but they do not incorporate critical thinking or ongoing assessment. there are no preliminary or formative assessments, which limits the ability to monitor students’ learning progress continuously. validity and reliability the assessments designed by the teacher can inform the extent to which students understand the material, using group project assessments. the assessments designed in this module are valid in terms of evaluating students’ understanding of the subject matter, as they are based on a group project. however, the reliability of the assessment may be limited by the collaborative nature of the project, which could mask individual student performance. the assessments described in module b do not provide detailed individual feedback since they focus on group projects. this limits the assessment's ability to reliably reflect individual student understanding. the reliability of the assessments in module b could be questioned, especially since group work is the main form of assessment. the absence of more individualized assessment methods reduces the clarity of students’ individual progress and understanding. authentic assessment this module uses authentic assessment through performance tasks, such as creating a procedural text and presenting it in a video project that students must upload to youtube. the activity reflects realworld relevance. the assessment in this module is considered authentic because the tasks ask students to apply their knowledge and skills in creating a video. this projectbased assessment allows students to demonstrate both their practical and creative abilities, making it relevant to real-world communication and technology usage. the module focuses on speaking and writing assessments for realworld situations or simulations. it directs students to use the simple present tense in everyday contexts. however, the projectbased tasks or real-life scenarios could be more complex and varied to further enhance authenticity. while the tasks are relevant to real-world contexts, the module could benefit from more complex and multifaceted projectbased assessments. real-life simulations could be developed to offer students a more comprehensive and authentic learning experience. variety of assessment formats the assessment format in this module is primarily based on group projects, with no quizzes, selfthe assessment format used in module a is limited as it only relies on group projects, which the module uses a variety of assessment methods, including observation, selfthe assessments in module b rely heavily on written tests, and although they employ nanik retnowati, pham thi thu hien, maulidia rachmawati nur, linda, tsaniatul fatiha, lutfio indra permana school leadership and policy in implementing understanding by design: a comparative case study in english teaching modules 428 reflections, or enrichment activities. this format does not provide a comprehensive view of student understanding. restricts the variety of ways to assess students' understanding. a more diverse range of assessment formats could provide a fuller picture of students’ comprehension and skills. assessment, written tests, and speaking practice. however, the use of written tests without rubrics limits the diversity and depth of the assessment formats. various methods, they lack the variety needed to fully capture students' understanding. there is a need for a more robust integration of practical, interactive assessments. clear assessment criteria the assessment criteria are clearly explained using detailed rubrics, covering aspects like the accuracy of text structure, social function, and language use. this ensures clarity in the assessment process. the rubrics used in module a align with ubd, as they are clear, detailed, and aligned with the learning goals. this transparency helps both students and teachers understand the expectations and assessment standards. the module includes assessment criteria and rubrics, but the rubric for productive skills (writing and speaking) could be more explicit. this includes specifying what exactly is being evaluated (e.g., grammar accuracy, fluency, content relevance), which would make the assessment process more objective. while module b provides rubrics, they could be improved by making the assessment criteria for speaking and writing tasks more detailed. this would ensure that the assessment process is clear and objective, particularly for assessing complex skills like grammar, fluency, and content relevance. based on table 3above, the researcher has analyzed the assessments of teaching modules using the understanding by design (ubd) principles, and several important aspects have been highlighted. thinking like an assessor in this aspect, module a adheres well to ubd principles by designing assessment evidence that aligns with the learning objectives. this module employs both formative and summative assessments, incorporating projects such as creating and presenting procedural texts, which align with ubd principles which emphasizes beginning with clear learning goals, followed by assessments designed to measure student understanding comprehensively. recent studies highlight the essential role of formative assessment in fostering active learning and meaningful student engagement (muafa & lestariningsih, 2025; veerasamy et al., 2022; yan, 2022). other researches (andrade & heritage, n.d.; clark, 2012; granberg et al., 2021) underscore that formative assessments, when effectively implemented, enhance metacognition and selfregulated learning, allowing students to reflect on their progress and make adjustments accordingly. formative test proves to have the strong contribution to students’ understanding (arrafii & sumarni, 2018; gloria & sudarmin, 2018; lumpkin, 2022) module a aligns with these principles by integrating formative assessments that provide students with timely feedback, fostering deeper conceptual understanding. moreover, authentic assessment—such as projectbased learning—has been shown to improve student motivation and real-world application of knowledge (yan, 2022). by engaging students in tasks that mimic professional and real-life contexts, module a enhances learning transferability, ensuring that students not only acquire theoretical knowledge but also develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills applicable beyond the classroom. it allows students to construct, manage, and present content in ways that are meaningful and relevant to their learning objectives. in contrast, module b focuses on speaking and writing skills, which reflect students' understanding in a simplified context. module b does not include formative or diagnostic assessments, either in the assessment section or throughout the learning process. the summative assessment in module b is presented only after the learning activity, which does not reflect the ubd principle of continuous assessment and feedback. as noted by resa (2023), ubd design highlights the importance of continuous assessment and feedback to ensure that learning is progressing as planned. thus, the lack of formative assessments in module b detracts from its alignment with ubd principles. validity and reliability the validity and reliability of assessments in module a, which uses group projects, may not be english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 429 effective in assessing individual students' abilities in detail. according to damayanti (2024), assessments should reflect individual learning progress and achievement. while group projects promote collaboration, they cannot provide a clear picture of individual student comprehension. on the other hand, module b uses observation, written tests, and conversation to assess students, but the assessment criteria need further clarification to improve reliability. as keeling (2020) suggests, clear and well-defined criteria are essential for ensuring the reliability of assessment results and making objective decisions. authentic assessment and students’ outcome in terms of authentic assessment, module a demonstrates real-world relevance by requiring students to create a video presentation of procedural texts to be uploaded on youtube. this aligns with ubd’s focus on applying knowledge to real-world contexts, transfer, and authenticity (domogen, 2023; lowell & tagare, 2023). by requiring students to engage in activities they might encounter in real-life settings (ajjawi et al., 2024; ukashatu et al., 2021). module a fosters deeper understanding and practical application of skills. module b attempts to create real-life relevance by using images to provide context for the use of simple present tense, but the assessment only measures students' knowledge and does not fully represent real-life scenarios. as kuhn (2021) point out, authentic assessments should involve complex real-world tasks, not just measure basic knowledge, to reflect a more complete understanding. module a employs authentic assessment through real-world tasks, such as requiring students to create and present procedural texts in a video project. the results indicate that students in this class demonstrate the ability to perform procedural text tasks as journalists and content creators, effectively utilizing linguistic features, social functions, and rhetorical steps. this suggests that the initial project design by the teacher successfully guided students toward meaningful learning and skill development. authentic assessment in module a positively impacts student performance, as students can apply their learning in real-world contexts, reinforcing ubd’s emphasis on transferable knowledge. conversely, in the class implementing module b, students did not produce an end product, as the module lacked an authentic assessment component. the assessment in module b was primarily conducted through observation of the learning process rather than through performancebased tasks. this absence of authentic assessment may have limited students' ability to apply their knowledge in practical, meaningful ways. variety of assessment formats module a uses group projects for summative assessments, which may not provide a comprehensive understanding of student progress. according to sujata bharti (2024) and domogen (2023) it is essential to use diverse assessment formats to capture a more holistic picture of student abilities. incorporating various formats such as written tests, self-reflection, and practical assessments would provide a better understanding of student learning. similarly, module b relies solely on written tests for assessment, limiting its ability to assess students’ full understanding. written tests do not fully capture practical skills or the ability to apply language in real-life situations, asgarrison (2021) and paramole & adeoye (2024)emphasized. therefore, adding more varied assessment formats would better reflect students' overall understanding. one significant gap in both modules is the lack of emphasis on formative assessment. formative assessment is a crucial element of ubd because it provides continuous feedback, allowing teachers to make instructional adjustments based on student progress (black & wiliam, 2004, 2009; paramole & adeoye, 2024). this type of assessment fosters active learning by engaging students in selfreflection and guiding their learning processes. without formative assessment, students may not receive timely interventions to address misunderstandings, which can hinder deeper learning and long-term retention of knowledge. clear assessment criteria module a uses clear and detailed rubrics that include key aspects such as text structure accuracy and language use. this aligns with ubd principles, as clear rubrics allow students to understand the expectations for their performance and receive more effective feedback (olson & krysiak, 2021; taylor et al., 2024). by using rubrics that are detailed and measurable, module a ensures that assessments are aligned with learning goals and objectives. on the other hand, module b only provides a general assessment grid, lacking clear rubrics for productive skills like speaking and writing. as (popham, 2020) suggests, having clear and explicit nanik retnowati, pham thi thu hien, maulidia rachmawati nur, linda, tsaniatul fatiha, lutfio indra permana school leadership and policy in implementing understanding by design: a comparative case study in english teaching modules 430 rubrics is critical for ensuring objectivity and transparency in assessments. without detailed rubrics, assessments may lack consistency and lead to subjective evaluations conclusion this study underscores the significance of the understanding by design (ubd) framework in shaping effective and meaningful english instructional design. an in-depth comparison of two teaching modules from public schools in bogor reveals a clear contrast in how ubd principles are applied. module a demonstrates strong alignment with the ubd framework, particularly in articulating measurable learning goals, fostering enduring understandings, posing essential questions, and implementing authentic assessments. the learning activities in module a not only promote critical thinking and real-world application but are also supported by a wellstructured system of formative and summative assessments that reflect the core tenets of backward design. on the other hand, module b shows limited adherence to ubd principles, with goals that are less specific and assessments that lack authenticity and clear rubrics. the module’s focus on content delivery and basic language tasks, without integrating broader conceptual understanding or performance-based assessment, limits its effectiveness in achieving deep, transferable learning. teacher interviews revealed that this misalignment was largely due to a lack of understanding and training in ubd, further highlighting the importance of professional development in successful curriculum implementation. crucially, the study also finds that the effectiveness of ubd implementation is significantly shaped by school leadership and policy. module a was developed in a school where leadership actively supported ubd as a strategic priority, resulting in greater teacher engagement, clearer instructional design, and more meaningful student outcomes. in contrast, module b was created in a school where, despite national policy support for ubd, leadership did not emphasize its integration into lesson planning. this divergence illustrates that without strong, visionary leadership, even well-intentioned educational reforms may fail to translate into classroom practice. school leaders who prioritize ubd provide the necessary institutional support, training opportunities, and pedagogical guidance that enable teachers to implement ubd effectively, ultimately leading to more impactful teaching and learning. these findings have important implications for teacher development policy. to ensure the successful adoption of ubd and similar innovative instructional frameworks, it is critical that educational authorities not only mandate curriculum reforms but also invest in continuous, targeted professional development programs. policies should support the establishment of structured training, ongoing mentoring, collaborative planning time, and systematic evaluation of teaching practices aligned with ubd principles. empowering teachers through sustained professional growth initiatives will enhance their capacity to design high-quality learning experiences, thereby bridging the gap between educational policy and classroom reality. acknowledgement we would like to express our deepest gratitude to our research team, including the dedicated faculty members of teacher training and education of ibn khaldun university bogor and students, whose contributions and unwavering support have been instrumental in the completion of this article. references ajjawi, r., tai, j., dollinger, m., dawson, p., boud, d., & bearman, m. (2024). from authentic assessment to authenticity in assessment: broadening perspectives. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 49(4), 499–510. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2023.2271193 alvarez llerena, c. l. (2020). the benefits of backward design in the english as a foreign language context. ijee (indonesian journal of english education), 7(2)(2), 145–158. https://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v7i1.17785 alvarez-llerena, c. l., coutinho dos santos, j., vélez sacoto, d. e., & vera balbuca, j. m. (2023). exploring the application of the backward design model in efl classrooms: teachers’ perceptions and practices. research, society and development, 12(4), e14912441102. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v12i4.41102 andrade, h. l., & heritage, m. (n.d.). using formative assessment to enhance learning, achievement, and academic self-regulation. annet, k. a. (2024). the role of government in promoting educational equity. research output journal of education, 4(3), 46–50. https://doi.org/10.59298/roje/2024/434650 antari, n. l. s. (2021). an analysis of lesson plans for learning english in the senior high school. jlls, 1(1). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 431 aristanti, a. p. , & f. a. (2024). the effect of the ubdbased problem-based learning model on the critical thinking skills of grade iv students in ipas subject at elementary school. mimbar sekolah dasar, 11(2). arrafii, m. a., & sumarni, b. (2018). teachers’ understanding of formative assessment. lingua cultura, 12(1), 45. https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v12i1.2113 aslam, a., ahamd, s., siller, h.-s., & nasreen, a. (2024). impact of the understanding by design model on the science academic achievement of fifth grade students in pakistan. asia-pacific science education, 10(1), 113–153. https://doi.org/10.1163/23641177-bja10078 black, p., & wiliam, d. (2004). the formative purpose: assessment must first promote learning. yearbook of the national society for the study of education, 103(2), 20–50. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.17447984.2004.tb00047.x black, p., & wiliam, d. (2009). developing the theory of formative assessment. educational assessment, evaluation and accountability, 21(1), 5–31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-008-9068-5 chaisa, p., & chinokul, s. (2021). effects of reading instruction using backward design framework and citizenship theme to enhance english reading comprehension and social responsibility of tenthgrade thai efl students. in journal: language education and acquisition research network (vol. 14, issue 1). https://so04.tcithaijo.org/index.php/learn/index clark, i. (2012). formative assessment: assessment is for self-regulated learning. educational psychology review, 24(2), 205–249. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-011-9191-6 coles, j. (2024). supporting schools: how government can do a better job. https://unitedlearning.org.uk/portals/0/unitedthin king/supporting-schools.pdf damayanti, i. , & u. n. (2024). penilaian pembelajaran dalam pendidikan: konsep dan implementasi. universitas gadjah mada press. dano ali, y. n. (2023). application of backward design in the implementation of curriculum management. inovasi kurikulum, 20(1), 25–36. https://doi.org/10.17509/jik.v20i1.54438 domogen, j. c. (2023). authenticity in language learning: a study of language materials in public high schools. okara: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 17(2), 193–211. https://doi.org/10.19105/ojbs.v17i2.8577 farhang, asst. prof. q., hashemi, asst. prof. s. s. a., & ghorianfar, asst. prof. s. m. (2023). lesson plan and its importance in teaching process. international journal of current science research and review, 06(08). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijcsrr/v6-i8-57 fullan, m. (2021). the new meaning of educational change (5th ed.). . teachers college press. garrison, d. r. , a. t. , & a. w. (2021). critical thinking, collaboration, and interaction in online education: a conceptual framework. routledge. gloria, r. y., & sudarmin, s. (2018). kontribusi asesmen formatif dalam tahapan understanding by design terhadap pemahaman mahasiswa calon guru biologi. jurnal bioedukatika, 6(2), 67. https://doi.org/10.26555/bioedukatika.v6i2.9507 granberg, c., palm, t., & palmberg, b. (2021). a case study of a formative assessment practice and the effects on students’ self-regulated learning. studies in educational evaluation, 68, 100955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2020.100955 gunartha, w., widiasri, d. a., & suarsa, n. (2024). pedalitra iv : seminar nasional bahasa. 4(1). hallinger, p., & heck, r. h. (2010). collaborative leadership and school improvement: understanding the impact on school capacity and student learning. school leadership & management, 30(2), 95–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632431003663214 hattan, c., alexander, p. a., & lupo, s. m. (2024). leveraging what students know to make sense of texts: what the research says about prior knowledge activation. review of educational research, 94(1), 73–111. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543221148478 hehakaya, n. , & p. d. (2022). challenges in implementing understanding by design framework in indonesian secondary education. journal of educational research, 58(2), 235–250. hopkins, d., & levin, b. (2000). government policy and school development. school leadership & management, 20(1), 15–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632430068851 huzefa. (2024, july 7). the importance of effective lesson planning. cambridge. idzni suryana, s., reizal, h., sobari, t., & siliwangi indonesia, i. (2025). integrating understanding by design (ubd) into elementary science learning: a study on teacher and student responses. primaryedu: journal of elementary education, 9(1). https://ejournal.stkipsiliwangi.ac.id/index.php/primaryed u/ iqbal, md. h., siddiqie, s. a., & mazid, md. a. (2021). rethinking theories of lesson plan for effective teaching and learning. social sciences & humanities open, 4(1), 100172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2021.100172 jensen, j. l., bailey, e. g., kummer, t. a., & weber, k. s. (2017). using backward design in education research: a research methods essay. journal of microbiology & biology education, 18(3). https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.v18i3.1367 joshi, s. p. (2021). evaluation of the implementation of understanding by design processes in select minnesota public schools (culminating projects in education administration and leadership. in culminating projects in education nanik retnowati, pham thi thu hien, maulidia rachmawati nur, linda, tsaniatul fatiha, lutfio indra permana school leadership and policy in implementing understanding by design: a comparative case study in english teaching modules 432 administration and leadership, no. 82. st. cloud state university. keeling, r. (2020). assessment and learning: a practical guide for educators. cambridge university press. kemendikbud. (2022). kurikulum merdeka sebagai strategi pemulihan pembelajaran. krippendorff, k. (1989). content analysis. http://repository.upenn.edu/asc_papers kuhn, d. , p. m. , & o. s. (2021). critical thinking and the role of authentic learning: bridging the gap. oxford university press. kuntari, f. r., rondonuwu, f. s., & sudjito, d. n. (2019). understanding by design (ubd) for the physics learning about parabolic motion. jurnal penelitian fisika dan aplikasinya (jpfa), 9(1), 32. https://doi.org/10.26740/jpfa.v9n1.p32-43 leithwood, k., harris, a., & hopkins, d. (2020). seven strong claims about successful school leadership revisited. school leadership & management, 40(1), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2019.1596077 lowell, v. l., & tagare, d. (2023). authentic learning and fidelity in virtual reality learning experiences for self-efficacy and transfer. computers & education: x reality, 2, 100017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cexr.2023.100017 lumpkin, a. (2022). checking for understanding strategies using formative assessments for student learning. global research in higher education, 5(1), p50. https://doi.org/10.22158/grhe.v5n1p50 mahkamova, d. (2000). the importance of lesson planning in teaching. european journal of research development and sustainability. https://www.scholarzest.com muafa, a., & lestariningsih, w. (2025). formative assessment strategies to increase student participation and motivation. science and education, 4, 195–199. olson, j. m., & krysiak, r. (2021). rubrics as tools for effective assessment of student learning and program quality (pp. 173–200). https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-76533.ch010 ozyurt, m., kan, h., & kiyikci, a. (2021). the effectiveness of understanding by design model in science teaching: a quasi-experimental study. eurasian journal of educational research, 21(94). https://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2021.94.1 pal, d., taywade, m., & alekhya, g. (2022). designing a comprehensive lesson plan. current medical issues, 20(1), 48–51. https://doi.org/10.4103/cmi.cmi_83_21 paramole, o. c., & adeoye, m. a. (2024). reassessing standardized tests: evaluating their effectiveness in school performance measurement. curricula: journal of curriculum development, 3(2), 217– 234. https://doi.org/10.17509/curricula.v3i2.74535 popham, w. j. (2020). classroom assessment: what teachers need to know. pearson. powerdms. (2020). importance of clear policies and procedures in schools. rahmawaty, a. t., & fatayan, a. (2024). implementasi merdeka belajar dalam pengembangan kurikulum berbasis understanding by design di sekolah dasar. 5(5). https://doi.org/10.38035/jmpis resa, a. (2023). implementasi kurikulum merdeka berdasarkan pendekatan understanding by design. jurnal primary, 4(1), 1–8. retnowati, n., rahmawati, m., hidayat, n. s., paradigma, m., & paulina, m. (2025). teachers’ perspectives on the use of understanding by design (ubd) in secondary school lesson planning. educate, 10(1), 89–103. https://doi.org/10.32832/educate.v10i1.18802 satria, m. , w. s. , & h. s. (2022). the impact of merdeka curriculum on student engagement and learning motivation. journal of curriculum development and instruction, 28(4), 230–245. shahzad, m. f., xu, s., lim, w. m., yang, x., & khan, q. r. (2024). artificial intelligence and social media on academic performance and mental wellbeing: student perceptions of positive impact in the age of smart learning. heliyon, 10(8). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29523 sharma, a., thakur, k., kapoor, d. s., & singh, k. j. (2023). promoting deeper, meaningful learning in the contemporary educational landscape (pp. 112–152). https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-66848208-7.ch005 sujata bharti. (2024). assessment of students by using tools to assess the holistic performance of students at primary level of students. international journal of multidisciplinary research in arts, science and technology, 2(5), 10–18. https://doi.org/10.61778/ijmrast.v2i5.57 taiyabi, a. (2021). understanding by design: a backward approach to effective instruction. journal of educational design, 36(2), 85–98. taylor, b., kisby, f., & reedy, a. (2024). rubrics in higher education: an exploration of undergraduate students’ understanding and perspectives. assessment & evaluation in higher education, 49(6), 799–809. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2023.2299330 tshering, s. (2022). the impact of using understanding by design (ubd) model on class 10 student’s achievement in chemistry. ijcer (international journal of chemistry education research), 29– 33. https://doi.org/10.20885/ijcer.vol6.iss1.art4 ukashatu, a., suleiman, m. m., & mahmoud, m. (2021). 73 |jisae (journal of indonesian student assessment and evaluation)|volume 7 number 2 emerging issues in educational measurement: authentic assessment. 7(2). https://doi.org/10.21009/jisae english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 433 utami, a. a., & bram, b. (2023). backward design implementation in english as a foreign language (efl) context. jet: journal of education and teaching, 4(1), 12–23. https://doi.org/10.51454/jet.v4i1.211 veerasamy, a. k., laakso, m. j., & d’souza, d. (2022). formative assessment tasks as indicators of student engagement for predicting at-risk students in programming courses. informatics in education, 21(2), 375–393. https://doi.org/10.15388/infedu.2022.15 wardana, i. k. (2024). teaching english through ubd: challenges of indonesian pre-service teachers. joelt (journal of english language teaching) fakultas pendidikan bahasa & seni prodi pendidikan bahasa inggris ikip, 11(2), 170. https://doi.org/10.33394/jo-elt.v11i2.13285 wiggins, g. , & m. j. (2005). understanding by design. . yan, z. (2022). student self-assessment as a process for learning. routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003162605 yen, a. c. (2024). enhancing english comprehension: a ubd mind walker intervention for remote uppergrade elementary students. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-024-00267-z nanik retnowati, pham thi thu hien, maulidia rachmawati nur, linda, tsaniatul fatiha, lutfio indra permana school leadership and policy in implementing understanding by design: a comparative case study in english teaching modules 434 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1209 the portrayal of women in ngeri-ngeri sedap movie: sociolinguistics study ervina cm simatupang english department, faculty of humanities, universitas widyatama, bandung, indonesia email: ervina.simatupang@widyatama.ac.id ida zuraida english department, faculty of humanities, universitas widyatama, bandung, indonesia email: ida.zuraida@widyatama.ac.id hendar english department, faculty of humanities, universitas widyatama, bandung, indonesia email: h.hendar@widyatama.ac.id apa citation: simatupang, e. c. m., zuraida, i., & hendar. (2024). the portrayal of women in ngeri-ngeri sedap movie: sociolinguistics study. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 12091218. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10845 received: 16-06-2024 accepted: 29-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction the representation of women in media has been a subject of extensive analysis and critique in sociolinguistics and gender studies. gender studies, as defined by wiesner-hanks (2019), is an interdisciplinary field focused on analyzing gender identity and its representations. gender is typically conceptualized as biological sex; however, it more precisely refers to the socially and culturally constructed distinctions in roles, functions, and responsibilities assigned to men and women, which are subject to change over time (adzawla et al., 2019). gender interpretation, as talbot (2020) suggests, is shaped by a complex interplay of economic, political, cultural, and social factors. these dynamics influence not only the ways gender roles are constructed but also how they are perceived and represented across different media. rooted in a tradition that examines social hierarchy and inequality, sociolinguistics is a discipline focused on how language reflects and influences societal structures and power relations hey& schneider (2019). sociolinguistics investigates how individuals utilize language in everyday contexts and how sociocultural factors, including culture, norms, and environment, influence language use. it emphasizes the reciprocal relationship between language and society, highlighting how communication varies across diverse social groups and contexts (nasution et al., 2023; ngongo et al., 2022). media, particularly films, play a significant role in shaping societal perceptions and attitudes towards gender roles. consequently, the language and interactions depicted in media frequently mirror the prevailing social hierarchies and norms of the period in which they were created (douglas et al., 2022). this study focuses on the portrayal of women in the indonesian film ngeri-ngeri sedap, examining how language and dialogue contribute abstract: this study investigates the portrayal of women in the indonesian film “ngeri-ngeri sedap” movie through a sociolinguistics study. the research aims to explore how language and dialogue in the movie reflect and reinforce societal attitudes towards women, examining the representation of female characters and their interactions within the narrative. the collected data are analyzed by applying qualitative and descriptive method. the results indicate that the portrayal of women in ngeri-ngeri sedap is shaped by cultural influences and prominent themes such as 5 gender roles as a woman, 5 emotional attachment, and 10 gender conflict and tension. however in the film ngeri-ngeri sedap by comparing woman image and man image it can be found that woman are often portrayed as inferior, weak, and marginalized, while men appear as superior, strong, and dominant. there are some symbolic resistances, but man’s power still cannot be fully seized by woman. the result come to the fact that the brothers were able to do something freely and disobey their arents because they are men, not a woman like sarma. the film portrays women as individuals expected to obey men’s commands. women are also portrayed as being of lower status than men. the patriarchy in this movie is also very noticeable. this portrayal reflects and potentially reinforces societal views of patriarchy and gender hierarchy in indonesian media keywords: portrayed of women; gender roles; emotional attachment; dominant; sociolinguistics ervina cm simatupang, ida zuraida, & hendar the portrayal of women in ngeri-ngeri sedap movie: sociolinguistics study 1210 to the construction and reinforcement of gender stereotypes. by analyzing this film, the research aims to uncover the nuanced ways in which female characters are depicted and the sociolinguistic implications of these portrayals. ngeri-ngeri sedap movie, a popular film in indonesia, offers a rich context for examining gender representation due to its diverse characters and complex narrative. the film presents various female characters who navigate different social roles and challenges, providing a valuable opportunity to explore how their experiences are linguistically framed. this study will delve into specific scenes and dialogues to understand how language reflects and shapes the identities and social positions of these women. sociolinguistics, the study of how language interacts with society, provides a useful framework for analyzing the portrayal of women in media. one relevant theoretical perspective is the concept of "gendered discourse" which examines how language both reflects and perpetuates gender inequalities (sunderland, 2020). another important framework is the idea of "performative acts" as proposed by butler (2020), which suggests that gender is constructed through repeated social performances, including speech acts. meyerhoff and ehrlich (2019) further argue that gender should not be seen as a set of stable traits but rather as practices that are continually enacted, reinforcing the notion that language and gender are dynamically intertwined. these theories help to reveal the underlying linguistic patterns that contribute to gender representation in ngeri-ngeri sedap movie. by applying these sociolinguistic theories and methods, this study aims to uncover how language use varies according to social factors such as gender, class, and power. gender representation in media is not just a reflection of societal norms but also a powerful tool that can either challenge or reinforce these norms. tannen's (2020) research on gender and discourse highlights how conversational styles can reinforce social hierarchies and gender roles. the way female characters speak, the roles they play, and their interactions with other characters can influence audience perceptions and attitudes towards women. therefore, understanding the sociolinguistic aspects of gender portrayal in the film ngeri-ngeri sedap is crucial for recognizing the film's potential impact on societal views and the perpetuation of gender stereotypes. several studies have also provided a diverse range of insights regarding women’s language in media (wardhana et al., 2023; yolanda & bram, 2021; apridaningrum & angelina, 2020; juanda & simatupang, 2023; nuringtyas & navila, 2022; rizki et al., 2023). collectively, these studies emphasize the impact of media in shaping public perceptions of gender through language and offer a foundation for further investigation into how films like ngeri-ngeri sedap both reflect and challenge the portrayals of women. accordingly, this study seeks to contribute to the ongoing discourse on gender representation in media by providing a detailed sociolinguistic analysis of ngeri-ngeri sedap movie. recent studies, such as those by mills (2021) and coates (2019), have demonstrated the importance of language in constructing gender identities and the power dynamics involved. by highlighting the complexities and contradictions in the portrayal of women in this film, the research aims to foster a deeper understanding of how language and media intersect to shape gender ideologies. ultimately, this analysis will offer insights into the ways in which films can both reflect and influence the evolving dynamics of gender in contemporary society. sociolinguistics examines the relationship between language and society. sociolinguistics teaches how to interact in a social environment using language as a means of communication to achieve a goal. as stated in (holmes, 2013 in simatupang, 2019), sociolinguistics concerns the way people communicate with each other based on social meaning with a specific purpose. sociolinguistics has a wide scope as a learned science to find out the usefulness of language, regulate communication and relationships with other individuals and groups, and also describe one’s identity with a language. sociolinguistic analysis examines how language use is shaped by a range of socio-cultural influences, including factors like gender, geographical region, and socio-economic status (li et al., 2022). the sociolinguistic aspect is described in the text as an outcome of speech activity in both spoken and written forms, fulfilling communicative purposes across all types of discourse, including those related to gender (zheltukhina et al., 2020). furthermore, larasati argued that sociolinguistics focuses on how language is used to communicate with different social circumstances, as proposed in (larasati &amp; simatupang, 2021). systematic gender studies enhance the growth of sociolinguistics as a linguistic field when there is an understanding of language's social nature (baktiyarova et al., 2021). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1211 from those theories, it can be concluded that sociolinguistics is a scientific discipline that explains the relationship between language and society. the way people speak the language they use also has diversity, depending on the speaker. an essential concept within sociolinguistics is the notion of ‘register’, which refers to variations in language use that are systematically associated with particular social situations. registers are characterized by distinct lexical terms, grammatical structures, and pragmatic norms that signal the context in whichthey are used. language ande gender describes how male and female languages relate to one another (gu, 2020). gender differences are reflected not only in the speeches given by men and women, but also in the ways that they live and think. sociolinguistics has emerged since 1960, dealing with a variety of important topics, one of which is language and gender. the majority of studies on language and gender, in general, concentrate on three areas: gender differences in language; sexism in language; causes for gender differences and sexism in language (li, 2022). women may tend to follow established social norms and use language that fosters connection and harmony, while men might choose speech strategies that emphasize authority and assertiveness (chiknaverova, 2021; gerasimova & lyutikova, 2020). many aspects that shape the differences between men and women have been studied from various angles with different methodologies. although the research results emphasize some differences, there are still some similarities between them another (gu, 2020). gollnick & chin (2021) stated that culture is a broad concept and covers all aspects of life. culture is learned throughout life through participation in social and family networks (terry & irving, 2019). people inherently have a tendency to transmit cultural knowledge and practices from one generation to another" (herman et al., 2023). culture is a challenging idea. allastair pennycook found many meanings of culture. first, culture is a set of superior values, especially those demonstrated in works of art and shared only by a small elite group. second, culture is an overall way of life, the informing spirit of a society. third, culture is the way different people see their world (yoo & namkung, 2022). on the other hand, values and behavioral styles, language and dialect, nonverbal communication, perspectives, worldviews, and frames of reference are some parts of culture (bank, 2021). culture is considered a factor that influences the outcome of people's interactions; on the other hand, people may actively use it to improve the outcome of their interactions in terms of understanding and agreement (busch, 2019). protests for gender equality in the 1960s observed that language was a tool of patriarchal dominance. language actually perpetuated patriarchy, it also reinforced male authority over female (abdalla, 2021). additionally, power relations related to gender are frequently maintained through coercive means, and male dominance is often accepted or legitimized when women, as the historically oppressed gender, recognize or internalize these dynamics . genderbiased stereotypes constitute a form of ideological and cultural oppression by assigning restrictive labels that marginalize women and undermine their societal roles and opportunities (faqih, 1997 in kustyarini, 2024). social structure: the patriarchal culture that persisted in the modern world and discriminated against women was influenced by factors such as race, ethnicity, and social class (cooke, 2020). similarly, rosida and rejeki (2017) highlight that social systems, encompassing race, ethnicity, and social class, are integral components of patriarchal culture that persist in the modern era, continuing to discriminate against women. these social factors not only shape but also exacerbate gender biases, affecting women differently depending on their social positioning. men discriminate against women from lower social classes more than they do against women from higher social classes. it can be concluded that, women face discrimination based on their gender in patriarchal societies, and this discrimination is more severe for them when their social class is lower than that of men (delavande, 2023). some cultures believe that men are better suited for particular roles. there is a common belief that men should be in positions of leadership since they are more qualified for them. in addition, there are fewer women leaders in the country than men. this kind of behavior indicated a patriarchal society in which men are valued more highly than women (arif & farid, 2024). hegemony is a theory that describes the many subtle ways power operates through the commonly accepted beliefs that shape our understanding of the world and determine who is seen as deviating from these norms (gramsci, 1992 in alvero et al, 2024). the form of power that empowers a group or some while to weaken others is known as linguistic hegemony (yoo & namkung, 2022). lears (2019 stated that ervina cm simatupang, ida zuraida, & hendar the portrayal of women in ngeri-ngeri sedap movie: sociolinguistics study 1212 hegemony recognize that inequalities in wealth and power exist, and they seek to show how these differences are maintained or challenged in the cultural sphere (indrawati et al., 2019). meanwhile, philosophical framework stated that hegemony examines the power relationship between dominant and minority groups, it is primarily concerned with how the dominant group or leader maintains its position (irvanti & erlangga, 2022). social class in society holds the power in gender discrimination (cooke, 2019). the role of power in general in linguistics and specifically in the variation and spread of change (eckert, 2020). power is expressed in all these, everywhere, in a variety of ways. the fundamental issue in gender relations is power relations (apostu, 2023). one important finding relates to language-based power structures in society (abdalla, 2021). the imbalance of linguistic power can obstruct meaningful communication, establishing barriers for marginalized groups and reinforcing societal perceptions that often place men in a position of advantage over women (saaida, 2023; rustiyani et al., 2019). dwi & simatupang (2024) women's speech exhibits less "power" than men's speech. power in society is related to domination. when someone has power, they can make rules and influence others so that they can dominate (cooke, 2019). method this research uses qualitative methods because the research is studied in more depth, as stated by moleong (2019) in (royadi et al., 2021) qualitative methods try to understand the phenomenon that occurred to the research object. this study uses qualitative methods by conducting a thorough and detailed approach and observation related to the topic phenomenon in question (abdillah, 2019). the methods used in presenting research results are descriptive methods. this study used mixed method qualitative and descriptive data to explain the form of written words (sari &amp; anindita, 2020) to analyze the types and language functions. the data are collected by close reading technique. the collected data was analyzed to examine the image of women and symbolic resistance in the movie, by applying feminist literary criticism that views women as readers. results and discussion data #1 sarma: “perempuan tak boleh melawan, perempuan harus menurut.” (sarma: “women should not resist, women should obey.”) (source:ngeri-ngeri sedap, 1:27:05) sarma's statement in the data 1 "women should not resist, women should obey," encapsulates a deeply ingrained societal expectation that women should be compliant and submissive. this sentiment is echoed in the film through various interactions where female characters are depicted as yielding to male authority. for instance, in one pivotal scene, a female character initially voices her disagreement but quickly retracts her statement and acquiesces to the male character's decision. this act of submission reflects the societal pressure on women to conform to obedient roles. the film portrays the internal conflict of female characters who struggle with the expectation to obey versus their desire for independence. this manifested in their use of indirect language and tentative speech, mirroring the power dynamics suggested by sarma's statement. sarma become obedient because mak domu, mother always tells her that women should listen and thus can talk back. sarma was being potrayed as a woman who is educated to be a stereotype-being woman because it has been becoming their culture to be an obedient woman. data #2 sarma: “kalian tak tahu rasanya jadi anak perempuan di keluarga ini.” (sarma: “you don't know what it's like to be a daughter in this family.”) (source:ngeri-ngeri sedap, 1:27:11) sarma's statement, "you don't know what it's like to be a daughter in this family," encapsulates the unique pressures and expectations placed on women within a familial context. this sentiment is echoed in the film through various interactions where female characters are depicted navigating the complexities of family dynamics. for instance, in one pivotal scene, a female character expresses her frustration and sense of entrapment within the family structure. her speech is marked by a mixture of assertiveness and vulnerability, highlighting the dual burden of meeting familial expectations while striving for personal autonomy. this statement underscores the gender-specific experiences of female characters, reflecting the societal pressures to conform to traditional roles of obedience and caretaking. the film depicts these english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1213 characters often using indirect language and tentative speech, which aligns with lakoff's theory that women's language exhibits less power. however, these characters also articulate their unique struggles and resistances, providing a nuanced portrayal of their lived experiences. while many aspects of the film align with lakoff's and sarma's perspectives on women's speech and societal roles, *ngeri-ngeri sedap movie also presents instances where female characters break free from these constraints. in this data, women assert their opinions forcefully and challenge male authority, using direct and unhedged language. these moments of resistance highlight the evolving nature of gender roles and the potential for women to assert power through language. the film also reflects sarma's insight into the unique pressures faced by daughters within a family context. however, the film also showcases the complexities and contradictions of modern gender dynamics, illustrating that women can and do use language to assert power and challenge traditional roles. this duality underscores the ongoing evolution of gender representation in media and society. data #3 sarma: “kalian melawan sama bapak, aku tak pernah ribut, tak pernah protes” (sarma: "you fight with father, i never fight, never protested") (source:ngeri-ngeri sedap, 1:27:22) sarma's statement, "you fight with father, i never fight, never protested," encapsulates the traditional expectations of female submissiveness and the internalization of these norms. this sentiment is echoed in the film through various interactions where female characters are depicted navigating the complexities of family dynamics. for instance, a pivotal scene may show a daughter who is assertive and challenges her father’s authority, contrasting sharply with another female character who embodies submission and compliance. this statement underscores the gender-specific experiences of female characters, reflecting societal pressures to conform to traditional roles of obedience and caretaking. the film depicts these characters often using indirect language and tentative speech, aligning with lakoff's theory that women's language exhibits less power. for example, the compliant character may speak softly, use hedges, and avoid direct confrontation, thereby maintaining the power imbalance. the data 3 may depict a daughter directly confronting her father, using strong and assertive language. this act of defiance contrasts with the more typical depictions of deferential speech, illustrating the characters' struggle for autonomy and recognition within the family. the assertive character might say something like, "i have a right to be heard," using direct language to emphasize her stance and challenge traditional power dynamics. the film also reflects sarma's insight into the societal expectation of female obedience and the internal conflict experienced by women who conform to or challenge these norms. data #4 sarma: “abang tahu kenapa aku putus sama nuel?” (sarma: "do you know why i broke up with nuel?") sarma: “karena bapak akhirnya tahu dia orang jawa, bang.” (sarma: "because our father finally found out that nuel is javanese, bang.") (source:ngeri-ngeri sedap, 1:27:53) sarma’s initial question, “do you know why i broke up with nuel?” employs a direct approach, asking for information and sharing personal experience. the directness of the question itself is somewhat assertive. however, the content of the question opens a dialogue about a personal and emotional decision, which is a characteristic of women’s speech as it often involves emotional and relational topics. this aligns with lakoff's observation that women tend to discuss personal relationships and feelings more frequently than men. in her follow-up statement, “because our father finally found out that nuel is javanese, bang,” sarma provides an explanation for her breakup. the use of "bang" (a term of respect for an older brother) indicates a deferential tone, reflecting cultural norms of respect within familial relationships. this use of respectful address mirrors lakoff's theory that women's language often contains elements of politeness and deference. this statement also reflects the social and cultural pressures influencing sarma’s decisions. the reference to her father’s disapproval based on ethnic background highlights external control over her personal life, aligning with societal expectations and traditional power structures. sarma’s speech here can be seen as less powerful because it acknowledges the influence of patriarchal authority over her personal choices. sarma’s dialogue highlights the intersection of gender, culture, and power in her speech. her direct yet respectful communication style ervina cm simatupang, ida zuraida, & hendar the portrayal of women in ngeri-ngeri sedap movie: sociolinguistics study 1214 illustrates the balance she must maintain between asserting her own experiences and conforming to societal expectations of female behavior. the context of her statements reveals the external pressures from her family, particularly her father, and how these pressures shape her language and decisions. the portrayal of women in the film ngeri-ngeri sedap largely supports lakoff's (theory that women's speech exhibits less power through the use of polite and deferential language. sarma’s statements—“do you know why i broke up with nuel?” and “because our father finally found out that nuel is javanese, bang”. these interactions highlight the complex interplay between personal agency and societal expectations. data #5 sarma: “abang pernah bilang ke aku,” (sarma: "abang once told me,") sarma: “jangan lupa kau pikirkan dirimu sendiri”. begitu, ‘kan, bang?” (sarma: "don't forget to think of yourself". isn't that right, bang?") (source:ngeri-ngeri sedap, 1:28:49) in the film sarma statement, “abang once told me,” serves to reference advice given by her brother. this preamble sets up the context for a piece of wisdom that she holds in high regard. this speech act shows respect and deference to her brother’s guidance, aligning with lakoff's observation that women’s language often includes elements of deference and acknowledgment of others' input. in her follow-up statement, “don't forget to think of yourself. isn't that right, bang?” sarma reiterates her brother's advice and uses a tag question, “isn't that right, bang?” this tag question is significant in several ways. according to lakoff, tag questions are a common feature of women's speech that can serve to soften a statement, seek confirmation, or create a sense of solidarity. sarma’s dialogue highlights the intersection of gender, culture, and power in her speech. her use of a tag question and respectful address (“bang”) underscores the complex interplay between asserting her own perspective and maintaining respect for familial hierarchy. this interaction reflects the broader societal expectations placed on women to balance assertiveness with deference. sarma’s statements—“abang once told me,” and “don't forget to think of yourself. isn't that right, bang?” the data is shown as assertiveness with respectfulness and the use of a tag question. sarma: “kalau aku pikirkan diriku sendiri,” (sarma: "if i think of myself,") sarma: “yang memikirkan bapak dan mamak siapa?” (sarma: "who’s thinking about father and mother?") (source:ngeri-ngeri sedap, 1:29:08) sarma’s statement, “if i think of myself,” sets up a conditional scenario where she considers prioritizing her own needs and desires. this hypothetical reflection indicates her awareness of the potential conflict between self-interest and familial responsibilities. the use of "if" introduces a conditional and somewhat tentative tone, which can be seen as aligning with lakoff's idea that women's speech often includes hedging to soften the impact of assertive statements. in the data above “who’s thinking about father and mother?” sarma poses a rhetorical question that underscores her sense of duty and responsibility towards her parents. this question highlights the societal expectation for women, especially daughters, to take on caregiving roles within the family. the rhetorical nature of the question implies that she believes no one else will fulfill this role if she does not. this statement also serves to indirectly challenge the advice given to her by her brother to "think of herself." by questioning who will care for their parents if she focuses on herself, sarma highlights the inherent conflict between individual desires and familial obligations, particularly for women. sarma’s dialogue highlights the intersection of gender, culture, and power in her speech. her use of a conditional statement followed by a rhetorical question illustrates the complex interplay between asserting her own perspective and acknowledging familial responsibilities. this interaction reflects the broader societal expectations placed on women to balance assertiveness with deference and caregiving. data #6 bapak: “bagaimana pekerjaanmu?” (father: "how is your job?" (source:ngeri-ngeri sedap, 1:40:52) sarma: “tak kulanjut, pak.” (sarma: "i won't continue, pak) (source:ngeri-ngeri sedap, 1:40:54) in the film ngeri-ngeri sedap movie a pertinent example is the interaction between a father and his daughter sarma. when the father asks, "how is your job?" (1:40:52), sarma responds with "tak kulanjut, pak" ("i won't continue, pak"). this interaction reveals several layers of sociolinguistic dynamics. sarma's english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1215 statement, "i won't continue, pak," reflects a direct and assertive response that can be seen as diverging from lakoff's theory to some extent. however, the use of "pak" (a respectful term for addressing a father or an older male) indicates deference and respect, aligning with the cultural expectation of politeness and submission to male authority. this duality in sarma's speech— asserting her decision while maintaining respect— highlights the complex interplay between personal agency and societal norms. this response shows that while sarma is making a definitive and assertive statement about her career decision, she still frames it within the bounds of respectful and polite language. this respectfulness can be interpreted as a way to mitigate the assertiveness of her statement, thereby aligning with lakoff's assertion that women's speech often incorporates elements that soften the impact of their words. sarma's statement also reflects the societal pressures and familial expectations placed on women. by saying "i won't continue," she is making a significant decision about her career, a decision that carries implications for her independence and identity. sarma's response to her father's question—"i won't continue, pak"—illustrates this dynamic by combining assertiveness with respectfulness data #7 sarma: “aku di sini saja, ya di rumah menemani orangtua.” (sarma: "i'll stay here with our parents") (source: ngeri-ngeri sedap, 1:40:55) sarma’s statement, “i'll stay here with our parents,” demonstrates her decision to prioritize family obligations over personal ambitions. this declaration can be analyzed through the lens of lakoff’s theory in several ways. the decision to stay and take care of her parents reflects a traditional and deferential role often assigned to women. this aligns with societal expectations for women to be caregivers, a role that can be seen as less powerful in comparison to pursuing personal or professional goals. although the statement itself is direct, the use of "i'll stay here" is polite and non-confrontational. it communicates her decision in a way that is likely to be acceptable and non-threatening to her family, reflecting the politeness strategies lakoff describes. the data shows that self-sacrifice the content of the statement indicates a level of self-sacrifice, prioritizing the needs of her parents over her own. this is a common expectation placed on women, particularly in traditional societies, where familial duties often take precedence over individual desires. her decision to stay with her parents is reflective of the broader societal expectations placed on women to fulfill caregiving roles. this interaction demonstrates how women's speech and decisions are often influenced by traditional gender roles that prioritize family over personal autonomy. while this interaction supports lakoff's theory, showcasing how women's speech can reflect traditional roles and self-sacrifice. conclusion the data show that there are 5 gender roles as a woman, 5 emotional attachment, 10 gender conflict and tension and 15 cultural influences. the dominant is affected by cultural influences. this movie portrayed women as a being who has to obey everything a man said. they are also being portrayed as person whose level is below men. sarma, the only daughter in the family, told her brother that she feels trapped. she is the potrayal of a daughter in batak family who has to obey everything her parents said and thus cannot talk back nor do something freely. she cannot enjoy her life truly because she has to be an understanding person in the family. acknowledgement thank you to widyatama university. references abdalla, m. (2021). gendered language: a study of sociolinguistic theories and approaches. asian esp journal, 17(3), 204–215. adzawla, w., azumah, s. b., anani, p. y., & donkoh, s. a. (2019). gender perspectives of climate change adaptation in two selected districts of ghana. heliyon, 5(11), e02854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02854 alvero, a., lee, j., regla-vargas, a., kizilcec, r. f., joachims, t., & antonio, a. l. (2024, april 12). large language models, social demography, and hegemony: comparing authorship in human and synthetic text. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40537024-00986-7 apostu, i. (2023). the image of women – a sociological analysis of social stereotypes. 15, 474–488. apridaningrum, m. c. g., & angelina, p. (2020). women’s language features used by sarah sechan in her talk show. eltr journal, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.37147/eltr.v3i2.76 arif, h., & farid, a. (2024). sociolinguistic analysis of ted talk “we should all be feminists”: a feministic perspective. 13(1), 877–886. banks, j.a. (2020). cultural diversity and education: ervina cm simatupang, ida zuraida, & hendar the portrayal of women in ngeri-ngeri sedap movie: sociolinguistics study 1216 foundations, curriculum, and teaching (5th ed.). allyn and bacon baktiyarova, r. m., yessenova, k. u., zheltukhina, m. r., privalova, i. v., & ponomarenko, e. b. (2021). the concept of “businesswoman” in french linguaculture and media discourse | le concept de “femme d’affaires” dans la linguaculture et le discours médiatique français. xlinguae, 14(4), 94–112. busch, d. (2019). forum : qualitative social research sozialforschung the notion of culture in linguistic research. culture. chiknaverova, k. (2021). translating prepositions from russian legal texts into english: an analysis of the corresponding interference zones for teaching purposes. studies in logic grammar and rhetoric. https://doi.org/10.2478/slgr2021-0002 cooke, c. (2020). woman in patriarchal culture: gender discrimination and intersectionality portrayed in bob darling. 1(2), 129–139. delavande, a. (2023). gender discrimination and social identity: experimental evidence from urban pakistan. douglas s, tang l, rice c (2022) gender performativity and postfeminist parenting in children’s television shows. sex roles. 1‒14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-021-01268-9 dwi, n., & simatupang, e. c. (2024). positive politeness strategies at google review post caption. jurnalistrendi: jurnal linguistik, sastra dan pendidikan, 9(1), 56-64. eckert, p. (2020). what is the role of power in sociolinguistic variation? november 2005. gerasimova, a., & lyutikova, e. (2020). intralingual variation in acceptability judgments and production: three case studies in russian grammar. frontiers in psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00348 gu, l. (2020). language and gender: differences and similarities. proceedings of the 2013 international conference on advances in social science, humanities, and management, 43(3188). https://doi.org/10.2991/asshm13.2013.46 h. purandika, i. s. (2020). language styles of advertisement in fast food company slogans: sociolinguistic study. angewandte chemie international edition, 6(11), 951–952., 5284(1982), 5–24. harahap, s. (2022). the evolution of women's roles in batak society in the context of globalization. internasional journal of cultural studies, 29(1), 132-149 herman, shaumiwaty, ngongo, m., fatmawati, e., & saputra, n. (2023). an analysis on multimodal discourse analysis towards english textbook used by students at school. journal of namibian studies, 33, 613-624. doi: https://doi.org/10.59670/jns.v33i.527 heyd, t., & schneider, b. (2019). the sociolinguistics of late modern publics. journal of sociolinguistics, 23(5), 435–449. https://doi.org/10.1111/josl.12378 hussein, h. t., & kadhim, h. m. (2021). the effect of gender on language use in british novels: a sociolinguistic study. journal of language and linguistic studies, 17(4), 2096–2110. https://doi.org/10.52462/jlls.151 hutagalung, p. (2021). modernization and its impact on gender roles in batak communities. asian cultural studies, 34(2), 215-230 indrawati, i., tarjana, s. s., & nurkamto, j. (2019). globalization and language hegemony. digital press social sciences and humanities, 2(2021), 00010.https://doi.org/10.29037/digitalpress.422 61 irvanti, c., & erlangga, d. t. (2022). hegemony linguistics of english language in indonesian advertisement , brand and menu. 2(10), 1–9. juanda, k. u., & simatupang, e. c. (2023). women’s language features in turning red (2022): a sociolinguistics study. jurnal sinestesia, 13(1). kadwa, m. s., & alshenqeeti, h. (2020). the impact of students’ proficiency in english on science courses in a foundation year program. international journal of linguistics, literature and translation (ijllt), 3(11), 55–67. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt kustyarini, k., pujiati, e., & koesmiyati, e. (2024). language, culture, and gender: a sociolinguistic study. international journal of innovative research in multidisciplinary education. doi: 10.58806/ijirme.2024.v3i2n01 li, h., liu, h., & liu, d. (2022). gender/power relationships in fictional conflict talk at the workplace: analyzing television dramatic dialogue in the newsroom. journal of pragmatics, 187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2021.10.030 li, j. (2020). a sociolinguistic study of language and gender in desperate housewives. theory and practice in language studies, 4(1), 52–57. https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.4.1.52-57 lomotey, b. a., & chachu, s. (2020). gender ideologies and power relations in proverbs: a cross-cultural study. journal of pragmatics, 168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2020.07.001 meyerhoff, m., & ehrlich, s. (2019). language, gender, and sexuality. in annual review of linguistics (vol. 5). https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-linguistics052418-094326 nababan, r. (2019). rituals and traditions: the role of batak women in cultural preservation. ethnographic studies journal, 10(2), 99-115 nasution, t., herman, h., resmi, r., saragih, r., sabata, y. n., & saputra, n. (2023). character values in the oral tradition of folk songs from english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1217 dairi. studies in media and communication, 11(5), 10-17. https://doi.org/10.11114/smc.v11i5.6009 ngongo, m., maromon, e., loba, d., & herman. (2022). a systemic functional linguistics analysis of text transitivity of mathew gospel, new testament of kupang malay. world journal of english language, 12(5), 188-201. doi: 10.5430/wjel.v12n5p188 nuringtyas, s., & navila, a. (2022). women’s language features on utterances of charlie’s angels movie. jurnal penelitian humaniora, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.23917/humaniora.v23i1.1916 2 rizki, s. n. a., ef, abd. h., & fauzi, e. m. (2023). analysis of women’s language features in the movie cruella (2021). madah: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.31503/madah.v13i2.492 rosida, i., & rejeki, l. (2017). woman in patriarchal culture: gender discrimination and intersectionality portrayed in bob darling by carolyn cooke. journal of islam and humanities: insaniyat. 1(2), 129-139. rustiyani, r., setyowati h, a., & widisanti s., n. m. (2019). the influence of power relations which give rise to gender inequality on the main character in the red queen by philippa gregory. journal albion: journal of english literature, language, and culture, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.33751/albion.v1i1.1119 saaida, m. (2023). language, culture, and power: exploring the dynamics of communication across differences. science for all publications, 1-2. sitorus, m. (2023). ngeri-ngeri sedap: a cinematic exploration of batak women’s cultural identity. film studies review, 18(4), 67-83 simanjuntak, t. (2020). women and culture in batak society: a sociocultural prespective. journal of southeast asian studies, 55(3), 412-428 suhendra, s., mahajani, t., nurjaman, a., talitha, s., &amp; lestari, t. (2021). image of women in gadis kretek novel by ratih kumala based on feminism perspective. jhss (journal of humanities and social studies), 5(1), 77-79. talbot, m. (2020). language and gender. cambridge. terry, n. p., & irving, m. a. (2020). cultural and linguistic diversity: issues in education. special education for all teachers, 109–132. wardhana, e., suastra, i. m., & seri malini, n. l. n. (2023). the women’s language features in crazy rich asians movie. linguistika: buletin ilmiah program magister linguistik universitas udayana, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.24843/ling.2023.v30.i01.p06 wiesner-hanks, m. e. (2019). women and gender in early modern europe. in women and gender in early modern europe. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108683524 yolanda, n. a. y. y., & bram, b. (2021). women’s language features used by a woman who masquerades as a man in mulan (2020) movie. tell : teaching of english language and literature journal, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.30651/tell.v9i1.7207 yoo, y., & namkung, g. (2022). english and american linguistic hegemony: a case study of the educational testing service. the korean journal of international studies, 10(2), 221– 253. https://doi.org/10.14731/kjis.2012.12.10.2.221 yunita turnip, r., herman, h., saut raja sihombing, p., & purba, r. (2021). an investigation to conversations to identify the language style in a movie: a study on sociolinguistics. trends journal of sciences research, 1(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.31586/ujll.2021.152 ervina cm simatupang, ida zuraida, & hendar the portrayal of women in ngeri-ngeri sedap movie: sociolinguistics study 1218 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 463 enhancing student literacy: canva and quizizz as digital multimodal tools febriana putri tilana department of language education, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya email: febriana@student.ub.ac.id dian novita dewi department of language education, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya email: diannovita@ub.ac.id apa scitation: tilana, f. p., & dewi, d. n. (2024). enhancing student literacy: canva and quizizz as digital multimodal tools. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 463-474. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9578 received: 24-02-2024 accepted: 22-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction in the current era, learning interest, performance, and overall educational effectiveness can all be increased by using educational technology, which includes multimedia and a variety of interactive tools (sudarsana et al., 2019). by offering a variety of virtual platforms and websites with strong academic influence, technological advancements in education can enhance the quality of instruction and independent learning (manzano pérez et al., 2023). there are many benefits of technology on student learning(zomer & kay, 2016). technology has a significant impact on literacy development in children's education by providing access to large amounts of information, interactive learning platforms, and digital tools for writing and communicating ((zomer & kay, 2016). apart from that, according to (jamshidifarsani et al., 2019) technology has been widely used to help and improve literacy skills that can encourage critical thinking, creativity and adaptability, empowering individuals to discover the digital world while sharpening their reading, writing and comprehension skills, with a focus on vocabulary technology word, mobile, tablet and noncomputer. literacy skills in learning include reading, writing, arithmetic, science, communication, culture and citizenship skills, as well as information literacy through electronic sources which enable individuals to communicate in various contexts (qur & andi djemma, 2019) literacy skills are very important for students because these skills can support academic knowledge, be active in society, support work and recreational activities for students (copeland & keefe, 2019). however, most students in indonesia are not aware of the importance of literacy skills in learning at school. this is proven by central cennecticut state university, united states which was released in early 2017 which stated that indonesia was ranked 60th out of 61 countries participating in the survey in terms of literacy abilities (ida khalifatussalam, 2021). (harmoko, abstract: in this current era, the use of technology in daily activities is not something new for indonesian people. in education, technology is very necessary as a reform effort that can stimulate students' abilities in the learning process to be more effective and efficient. the use of technology in learning can be used when preparing and even using learning media. the aim of this research is to describe the effect of using the canva and quizizz applications as digital multimodal texts in improving students' literacy skills. this research uses mixed methods. data collection was obtained through 2 stages, namely a questionnaire to obtain quantitative data and interviews to obtain qualitative data for 10 grades students at panjura high school malang, total 89 students. researchers used spss 26.0 and microsoft excel to process research data. the research results show that the use of canva and quizizz media can help increase students' motivation and enthusiasm in learning english. this is proven by the highest average score for each indicator, an average of 3.12 on the audio/video indicator; 3.22 on visual design; 3.16 on expression and voice; 3.18 on gestures and 2.99 on spatial position. in terms of implementation, students' motivation and enthusiasm for literacy in learning english increases due to the use of appropriate and innovative learning media. keywords: canva; digital multimodal texts; students’ literacy skills; quizizz. febriana putri tilana & dian novita dewi enhancing student literacy: canva and quizizz as digital multimodal tools 464 2021) also stated that indonesia's literacy index in 2020 was 0.54, which means that indonesia is still low compared to other countries. low literacy skills can be caused by a lack of student motivation, modern methods and strategies in forming academic literacy which is the key to creating new knowledge (sherekhova, 2022). apart from that, according to research conducted by jurnal et al., (2020), students' low literacy skills are also caused by internal factors such as students' lack of interest and enthusiasm, as well as external factors such as teachers using less varied and innovative methods. therefore, to reduce the problem of students' low literacy skills in learning, it is necessary to develop the media and methods in learning. according to (kruk, 2021), teachers can benefit greatly from developing methods that try to eradicate monotony and promote motivation, which will ultimately improve student performance in the classroom. renewing learning media can be done by using technology, such as using digital-based multimodal text (afifah et al., 2023). digital multimodal text in education refers to the use of various media (images, charts, sounds, colors, audio, video, maps) used to convey certain messages in an online environment simultaneously (vidosavljević, 2022). examples of digital multimodal text are quite diverse, including canva and quizizz. canva can support progress in school learning media by increasing interest, sympathy and understanding between teaching staff and students, as well as providing the creation of multimedia-based teaching materials (saputra et al., 2022). as mentioned by yong & rudolph (2022), quizizz is a gamified student response system that can be used for formative assessment in online or face-to-face delivery, both synchronously and asynchronously. the quizizz application is an effective gamification application for improving students' reading skills by providing entertaining features, timely feedback, and support for teachers and students in supporting the teaching and learning process (pradnyadewi & kristiani, 2021). the canva application can be used to create smartphone-based learning media, reducing students' boredom and making it easier for them to understand the material (ridha ilhami & risalan uzhma, 2023). apart from that, using the canva application as a learning medium can also increase students' interest in studying english subjects, as seen through indicators of feelings of enjoyment, attention, interest and involvement(wahyuni et al., 2022). the quizizz application can make learning more fun for students by packaging learning in the form of games (fadiyah et al., 2023). therefore, researchers use canva and quizizz to reduce boredom and increase student motivation. in previous research, problems were found related to the influence of learning media on students. according to (firdaus et al., 2022), said that students' motivation and enthusiasm for learning decreased due to boring learning media which affected student learning performance, especially literacy skills. monotonous and uninteresting learning can be the reason why students' motivation and enthusiasm for learning decreases (firdaus et al., 2022). apart from that, the use of technology in learning activities is still not optimal because it needs to focus on several aspects such as motivation, usability, involvement and acceptance of technology by students and society (quezada et al., 2021). considering the information above, there is a clear need to improve literacy skills for students by updating learning media by utilizing technology, one of which is the use of canva and quizizz as digital multimodal texts that are more effective in dealing with the problems mentioned. as mentioned by (marantika et al.,) multimodal teaching affects students' motivation, productive and literacy skills, also learning activities in elt classrooms. there are several relevant studies that have been carried out regarding research into the influence of using canva and quizizz as digital multimodal texts on student learning. nanda & fatimah (2023) conducted research on students' perception of canva as a media in learning english in general, which was carried out using quantitative methods. apart from that, (kartiwi & rostikawati, 2022), conducted research on the use of canva and quizzizz media in junior high school students' learning of fable texts. different from previous research, this research focuses on the influence of canva and quizizz on high school students' literacy skills. therefore, the aim of this research is to determine the effect of the canva and quizizz applications as digital multimodal texts on students' literacy skills. to find out more about this problem, there are the following questions: how does the use of digital multimodal text affect student literacy in english language learning? method in order to get accurate and relevant results in dealing with the problems mentioned. researchers used mixed methods with a case study research design. a case study is an approach that integrates qualitative and quantitative research methods to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 465 investigate and comprehend intricate matters by means of thorough observation, reorganization, and evaluation (runeson & höst, 2009). a survey and interview were done to find out how students felt about the integration of multimodality in efl classrooms. this research is a research step which combines two forms of research that have previously existed, namely quantitative research and qualitative research. according to (cresswell, 2010), a study methodology known as mixed research blends quantitative and qualitative research methods. in order to collect more thorough, accurate, and dependable data for activity research, researchers might employ combination research, also known as mixed methods, which blends quantitative and qualitative techniques (sugiyono, 2011). one of the procedures is to create a questionnaire in order to prepare the instrument. the questionnaire entry concerns students' opinions about how digital multimodal platforms like canva and quizizz have improved their english language learning. the questionnaire contains 20 statements adapted from (peng, 2019). the statement comprises five aspects in multimodal teaching such as audio/video, visual design, voice expression, gestures, and spatial motion. after the questionnaire data has been fulfilled, the next stage is the interview. interviews were conducted to dig up more detailed information. this research was carried out at sma panjura malang. this school was selected based on its proactive integration of digital multimodal text such as canva and quizizz into the english language curriculum. thus, it is crucial to carry out this study in order to learn what efl students think about how using digital multimodal platforms has affected their english language acquisition. the research population consisted of 89 students in grade 10 who had received learning using digital multimodal platforms for six weeks in the classroom. random sampling was used to determine study participation. in this research, questionnaires and interviews were used as research methods for collecting data. according to sugiyono (2012) a questionnaire is a tool used to gather data in which participants are given written statements or questions to respond to. participants fill out the questionnaire directly by selecting one answer according to their opinion. the researchers also provided directions and information about the process of filling out the questionnaire to participants in advance. the experts validated the questionnaire before it was distributed. after the items on the questionnaire were compared to the goals of the research, it was determined that they were relevant and could be distributed to participants. the type of questionnaire used by researchers was a closed and structured questionnaire. in other words, a list of questions or statements whose explanations have been provided using scores. the score used in the form of likert scale comprising; strongly agree (4), agree (3), disagree (2), and strongly disagree (1). the questionnaire was converted to google form application and distributed to the students based on a determined schedule and venue, where is sma panjura malang. the questionnaire was written in indonesian language to avoid confusion among 10 grades at panjura high school. after sufficient participants had been completed to fill out the questionnaire, the researchers conducted interviews to obtain more detailed information about the research conducted. the 8 participants of the interview were selected by random sampling. the selected participants were taken from the highest and lowest score from the questionnaire results. the data gathered from the students' interviews and questionnaire responses was arranged and analyzed using the pertinent theories. microsoft excel and spss 26 were used to analyze the data, and the results were given in a descriptive manner. before the questionnaire instrument was distributed to participants, the researchers carried out a validation process first. validation of the questionnaire instrument was carried out by the expert of multimodal text and digitality in education. then proceed with distributing the pilot test to 10 random samples before distributing it to participants (10th grade students at sma panjura malang). after that, the researchers processed the validity and reliability test data using spss 26.0 and microsoft excel. the results of this validity and reliability test can be used by researchers to develop interview questions to obtain more specific information from students. the validity test is used to determine the validity or appropriateness of each questionnaire item in a list of questions in defining a variable (sujarweni, 2015). the validity test was carried out using the bivariate pearson correlation formula using spss 26.0 tools. items in the questionnaire are said to be valid if the calculated rvalue > rtable at a significance value of 5%. on the other hand, a questionnaire item is said to be invalid if the calculated rvalue < rtable at a significance value of 5%. another indication that an item is declared valid is if the significance is <0.05. conversely, if the significance is > 0.05 then the item is declared febriana putri tilana & dian novita dewi enhancing student literacy: canva and quizizz as digital multimodal tools 466 invalid. the calculation results, show that all calculated rvalue > rtable at 5% significance and all questionnaire item significance results < 0.05. therefore, it can be said that this research questionnaire's items are all valid and that it can be utilized as a tool for study. in this research, reliability testing was carried out using the alpha formula. according to sujarweni (2015), questionnaire items are declared reliable or consistent if the cronbach alpha value > 0.60. the reliability test results obtained a reliability coefficient value for indicator x1 (audio/video) is 0.783, indicator x2 (visual design) is 0.798, indicator x3 (voice and expression) is 0.765, indicator x4 (gestures) is 0.715, and the indicators x5 (spatial position) is 0.770. based on the reliability coefficient value, it can be concluded that all questionnaires in this study are declared reliable or consistent, so it can be used as research instruments. result and disscussion answering the research questions, data were gained through a questionnaire. based on data collection and processing which includes the results of the highest average score for each questionnaire item in each indicator, the data obtained are as follows. the data were categorized into 5 indicators: audio/ video, visual design, voice and expression, gestures, and spatial positions. table 1. audio/ video indicators as shown in table 1, in this first indicator the average score ranges from 3.06 (item x1.2) to 3.12 (item x1.3). the highest item indicates 1.1% of participants stated that they strongly disagree; 11.2% disagree; 61.8% agree; 25.8% strongly agree. this shows that the majority of participants responded positively to the statement regarding students getting useful information from the english learning materials in the form of the audio/video used in class. further analysis shows the lowest average score of this indicator is 3.06 (item x1.2). this lowest item indicates 3.4% of participants stated that they strongly disagree; 11.2% disagree; 61.8% agree; and 23.6% strongly agree. the number of "disagree" is higher than the other items. however, the majority of participants gave positive responses. this is supported by the results of the following interview. "i agree because apart from getting useful information and helping in explaining learning material, i also really enjoy learning because i am an audio and visual learner" (participant 1) "i agree because my learning process has become more exciting and has increased my interest in deepening what the teacher has explained." (participant 2, 3) "the use of audio/video in learning english can make it easier for me to understand the material, especially if it is accompanied by a direct explanation by the teacher regarding the material contained in the audio/ video. it will be more exciting and easier for me to learn english.” (participant 4) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 467 several opinions highlight that some benefits of the audio/video used by teachers in delivering english learning material in class. however, there were participants who stated that they did not agree for several reasons which are explained in the following interview results. "i disagree with this because i prefer to study using books rather than audio/video, because if i use audio/ video i become less focused." (participant 5) "i disagree, because i prefer to study in a quiet environment without lots of noise or noise." (participant 6, 7) "actually, i dislike the use of audio/video in learning, especially english learning, because i am a typical person who often repeats learning, so i prefer to use manual books." (participant 8). the conclusion of the first indicators is that they like a calm atmosphere when studying, therefore they prefer studying only using books. table 2. visual design indicators as indicated in table 2, in the visual design indicator the average score ranges from 3.01 (item x2.4) to 3.22 (item x2.3). the highest item indicates 3.4% of participants stated that they strongly disagree; 6.7% disagree; 53.9% agree; 36.0% strongly agree. this shows that the majority of participants responded positively to the statement regarding students more motivated when learning english because of the images/ animations found on canva and quizizz. further analysis shows the lowest average score of this indicator is 3.01 (item x2.4). this lowest item indicates 4.5% of participants stated that they strongly disagree; 9.0% disagree; 67.4% agree; and 19.1% strongly agree. the number of "disagree" is higher than the other items. however, the majority of participants gave positive responses. this is supported by the results of the following interview. "yes, images/animations that are less attractive will reduce my attention and motivation during the learning process in class." (participant 1) "it is very motivating because the presence of interesting images/animations can increase students' enthusiasm to study more actively." (participant 2) "this motivates my learning because it is more interesting and not boring when studying in class." (participant 3) "it is very motivating because it adds interest to students in learning and is comfortable to look at because there are pictures/animations that can change the atmosphere to be more enjoyable for learning." (participant 4) in general, the conclusion from participants who agreed to the statement in table 4.2 said that febriana putri tilana & dian novita dewi enhancing student literacy: canva and quizizz as digital multimodal tools 468 the images/animations used could influence them in the process of learning english in class. the opinion that stated that they did not agree with the statement item x2.3 contained in table 4.2 was caused by several things which are explained in the following interview results. "for me, this is less motivating because the pictures/animations displayed by the teacher can distract me while studying, so i am less focused on the material presented by the teacher." (participant 5, 6, 8) "i dislike pictures or animations, because i am a person who is easily distracted so it is best for me to learn with simple things. i can more easily understand the material if there are not a lot of pictures/animations and i prefer to mark or summarize with my own version of notes." (participant 7) the conclusion for participants who disagree is because they are easily distracted by the images/animations displayed by the teacher. table 3. voice and expression indicators as indicated in table 4.3, in the voice and expression indicator the average score ranges from 2.92 (item x3.3) to 3.16 (item x3.4). the highest item indicates 2.2% of participants stated that they strongly disagree; 6.7% disagree; 64.0% agree; 27.0% strongly agree. this shows that the majority of participants responded positively to the statement regarding students noticing the teacher always smiles when talking to them in english. further analysis shows the lowest average score of this indicator is 2.92 (item x3.3). this lowest item indicates 2.2% of participants stated that they strongly disagree; 24.7% disagree; 51.7% agree; and 21.3% strongly agree. the number of "disagree" is higher than the other items. however, the majority of participants gave positive responses. this is supported by the results of the following interview. "i agree, this really affected me emotionally because when the teacher spoke with an unpleasant (sour) expression it really demotivated me to learn. this can also affect my mood when studying in class.” (participant 1, 2, 3) "yes, because if the teacher is friendly and enthusiastic, the students will also be enthusiastic about learning english." (participant 4) the conclusion of the interview results is that participants agreed because the expressions used by teachers when teaching can influence and motivate students to be enthusiastic about learning english in class. on the contrary, few participants who disagreed for several reasons, as obtained from the following interview results. “i disagree, because i don't really care and pay attention to how the teacher expresses when talking to students. the important thing is, i pay attention to the material or content presented by the teacher in class." (participant 5, 8) "actually, the teacher's expression when speaking english did not affect me when learning english as long as the explanation is easy to understand." (participant 6) “teachers didn’t always smile when talking to students. especially if it doesn't fit the context of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 469 the material. for example, when there is learning material that requires the teacher to express sadness or anger so that it is more easily accepted and understood by students. so that, the teacher can't always smile." (participant 7) the conclusion from the disagreement statement above is that participants are not too affected by the teacher's expression when speaking english with students. the most important thing is that the material or content presented by the teacher can be easily understood by students regardless of their expression. table 4. gestures indicators in the table 4, in the gesture indicator the average score ranges from 2.96 (item x4.1) to 3.18 (item x4.2). the highest item indicates 2.2% of participants stated that they strongly disagree; 5.6% disagree; 64.0% agree; 28.1% strongly agree. this demonstrates that the majority of participants agreed with the assertion that pupils pay closer attention to the teacher when they are verbally and visually conveying the content in english. further analysis shows the lowest average score of this indicator is 2.96 (item x4.1). this lowest item indicates 3.4% of participants stated that they strongly disagree; 15.7% disagree; 62.9% agree; and 18.0% strongly agree. the number of "disagree" is higher than the other items. however, the majority of participants gave positive responses. this is supported by the results of the following interview. "yes, the use of gestures by teachers when explaining learning material in class can generally help students receive information better." (participant 1, 2) "i agree because if when delivering learning material, the teacher is only silent and doesn't explain with gestures it will look boring, stiff and strange." (participant 3) "i agree because if there is a condition that requires the teacher to use certain gestures, then the teacher must do it so that students understand better the delivery of the explanation. for example, if the teacher has to imitate the movements of an animal, then the teacher must give appropriate gestures so that students are not confused and have a clear view of the animal." (participant 4) the results of the interview which stated that they did not agree were as follows. "i disagree because it all depends on our individual focus because if the teacher moves too much, the students will also be confused and tend to get dizzy looking at her." (participant 5, 7) "in my opinion, the gestures used by the teacher do not affect me, because it depends on the students too, if the students are focused, they will immediately understand the material without having to make any gestures." (participant 6) "actually, the teacher's gestures did not affect my learning process, because excessive gestures can also distract me, so i prefer it if the teacher does not use gestures in delivering learning material." (participant 8) febriana putri tilana & dian novita dewi enhancing student literacy: canva and quizizz as digital multimodal tools 470 table 5. spatial positions indicators as indicated in table 5, in the voice and spatial position indicator the average score ranges from 2.22 (item x5.5) to 2.99 (item x5.2). the highest item indicates 9.0% of participants stated that they strongly disagree; 12.4% disagree; 49.4% agree; 29.2% strongly agree. this shows that the majority of participants responded positively to the statement regarding students always sit in a group with their friends when doing english assignments given by the teacher. further analysis shows the lowest average score of this indicator is 2.22 (item x5.5). this lowest item indicates 29.2% of participants stated that they strongly disagree; 29.2% disagree; 31.5% agree; and 10.1% strongly agree. the number of "disagree" is higher than the other items. however, the majority of participants gave positive responses. this is supported by the results of the following interview. "i like sitting in pairs with my seatmate because with my seatmate, we can add to and find out about something that we don't understand together." (participant 1) “often, i do english assignments in groups of 4 people (2 tables). so that, we can exchange opinions, ask questions, and find answers together.” (participant 2) “i like sitting in groups, but the groups are determined by the teacher or can also be done randomly. because in my opinion, by sitting in a group i can get to know my other friends better. not just the same friends." (participant 3) “i agree, because i also always sit in pairs with my desk mates because i can discuss in more detail. however, it will be more exciting if you try to sit in a circle with other friends once in a while to get a new atmosphere when studying." (participant 4) the conclusion is that participants like sitting in groups when working on english assignments given by the teacher because they can work together, get new thoughts, exchange opinions and get a new atmosphere. the statements of participants who disagree are as follows. "to be honest, i prefer doing assignments individually or sitting separately with friends, because i will focus more on studying when i am alone." (participant 5) "i disagree, because sitting in a group really breaks my focus on the teacher's ongoing explanation. "i ended up chatting with my group of friends, so i didn't pay attention to the teacher's explanation." (participant 6, 7, 8) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 471 the conclusion from participants who disagree with the statement in table 4.5 is that they think that sitting in a group can reduce their focus in understanding the learning material. the purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of digital multimodal texts such as canva and quizizz on student literacy when learning english. students in the tenth grade at a malang city high school participated in this study. the research was carried out by distributing questionnaires to obtain quantitative data and followed by interviews to obtain qualitative data. the results obtained by the researchers were that the use of canva and quizizz as digital multimodal texts had a positive impact on students' literacy, especially in learning english. the use of canva and quizizz as digital multimodal texts provides new innovations for students and teachers in the classroom learning process. the canva application provides a variety of interesting and quite eye-catching designs, apart from that there are also many interesting features that students can access. the use of images/ animation, visual design, video/ audio are ways to try to study stimuli. apart from that, the quizizz application also provides interesting games that can be used as a means of reflection/quiz for students. the students seemed quite responsive and interested in learning english through canva and quizizz. they become more motivated and enthusiastic to take part in lessons, students do not feel bored and fed up when taking lessons, students can explore more about their learning styles. the results of this research are in line with previous research conducted by (nanda & fatimah, 2023), which claims that by understanding what learning is, developing brief learning materials, developing student learning strategies, and clearly presenting the teacher's content, canva is a useful tool used by english teachers to boost their students' motivation and interest in learning. apart from that, quite a lot of changes occurred in students after teachers used canva media compared to using conventional media such as books and blackboards. in accordance with previous findings, the researchers found that there was an increase in students' literacy skills related to the motivation and learning methods used. the various features contained in the canva and quizizz applications make students more motivated and enthusiastic about participating in class learning. this can help reduce boredom and increase students' motivation to learn. conclusion based on the results presented in the previous chapter, this research concludes the importance of optimizing multimodal digital forms of text such as canva and quizizz to improve students' literacy skills in learning. referring to the results of questionnaires and interviews, the use of digital multimodal text (canva and quizizz) can increase the motivation and literacy skills of class 10 students at panjura high school. a high average result for each indicator can prove that students feel a positive impact from using this learning media. apart from that, canva and quizizz provide various features and dimensions that can increase students' motivation and enthusiasm for learning, reduce boredom when taking lessons, and gain various new things from the learning media used. apart from that, this research also highlights the influence of 5 indicators (audio/video, visual design, voice and expression, gestures, and spatial position) contained in digital multimodal text. each indicator produces a high positive response from students. by implementing these two applications (canva and quizizz), students gain new enthusiasm and motivation. apart from that, students also gain new knowledge about the media used which can support their literacy skills in the learning process. references afifah, l., prameswari indriwardhani, s., & retnantiti, s. (2023). digitalization: improving the literacy of foreign language learners through multimodal texts. lire journal (journal of linguistics and literature. https://doi.org/10.33019/lire.v6i2.171 copeland, s. r., & keefe, e. b. (2019). literacy instruction for all students within general education settings. in research and practice for persons with severe disabilities (vol. 44, issue 3, pp. 143–146). sage publications inc. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540796919866011 fadiyah, f., fuadi, a., nurjannah, n., irmayanti, i., & lita, w. (2023). quizizz applicationbased interactive learning media development workshop for junior high school teacher. pengabdian: jurnal abdimas, 1(2), 59–65. https://doi.org/10.55849/abdimas.v1i2.157 firdaus, f., fakhri, n., zainuddin, k., hidayat n, muh. n., & sulastri, t. (2022). education on the role of learning motivation in improving learning achievement for adolescents febriana putri tilana & dian novita dewi enhancing student literacy: canva and quizizz as digital multimodal tools 472 assisted by rumah zakat makassar. jurnal pengabdian masyarakat bestari, 1(8), 821– 828. https://doi.org/10.55927/jpmb.v1i8.1734 harmoko, d. d. (2021). digital literacy as a solution to improve the quality of indonesia’s human resources. research and development journal of education, 7(2), 413. https://doi.org/10.30998/rdje.v7i2.10569 ida khalifatussalam, r. (n.d.). low literacy in indonesia: understanding and factors that influence it. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/35 6021876 jamshidifarsani, h., garbaya, s., lim, t., blazevic, p., & ritchie, j. m. (2019). technology-based reading intervention programs for elementary grades: an analytical review. computers and education, 128, 427–451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.10.0 03 jurnal, l., made dita sintadewi, n., putu juni artini, n., & febryan, i. (2020). analysis of english learning difficulty of students in elementary school. international journal of elementary education, 4(3), 431–438. https://ejournal.undiksha.ac.id/index.php/ije e kartiwi, y. m., & rostikawati, y. (2022). pemanfaatan media canva dan aplikasi quizizz pada pembelajaran teks fabel peserta didik smp. semantik, 11(1), 61–70. https://doi.org/10.22460/semantik.v11i1.p61 -70 kruk, m. (2021). investigating the experience of boredom during reading sessions in the foreign language classroom. journal of language and education, 7(3), 89–103. https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2021.12339 manzano pérez, r. s., lópez pérez, t. e., manzano pérez, r. j., & pérez lópez, m. v. (2023). technological innovation and education: a brief review of the literature. ibero-american journal of education & society research, 3(1), 25–30. https://doi.org/10.56183/iberoeds.v3i1.596 marantika, p. d., komang, n., suwastini, a., luh, n., adnyani, p. s., astawa, m., mandala, k., & artini, n. n. (n.d.). multimodal teaching in efl context: a literature review. nanda, m., & fatimah, s. (n.d.). journal of english language teaching students’ perception of canva as a media in learning english: a descriptive study at sma n 6 sijunjung. 12(1), 176–187. https://doi.org/10.24036/jelt.v12i1.121625 peng, j. e. (2019). the roles of multimodal pedagogic effects and classroom environment in willingness to communicate in english. system, 82, 161–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.04.006 pradnyadewi, d. a. m., & kristiani, p. e. (2021). use of quizizz in improving students’ reading skill. the art of teaching english as a foreign language, 2(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.36663/tatefl.v2i1.93 quezada, r., rivera, l., delgadillo, r., & cajo, b. h. (2021). technological aspects for pleasant learning: a review of the literature. informatics, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/informatics8020025 qur, b., & andi djemma, u. (2019). increasing community knowledge through the literacy movement. 2(1), 17. ridha ilhami, m., & risalan uzhma, m. (2023). making animated videos with the canva application as an effort to increase student motivation syaharuddin. journal of social development, 1(2), 117–126. https://doi.org/10.20527/jsd runeson, p., & höst, m. (2009). guidelines for conducting and reporting case study research in software engineering. empirical software engineering, 14(2), 131–164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10664-008-9102-8 saputra, a. g., rahmawati, t., andrew, b., & amri, y. (2022). using canva application for elementary school learning media. scientechno: journal of science and technology, 1(1), 46–57. https://doi.org/10.55849/scientechno.v1i1.4 sugiyono, d. (2011). metode penelitian kuantitatif kualitatif dan r&d. alfabeta. sugiyono, m. (2012). metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan kombinasi. alfabeta. sujarweni, w. (2014). metode penelitian pendidikan. sujarweni, v. w. (2015). metode penelitian bisnis dan ekonomi cetakan pertama. pustaka baru. sherekhova, o. m. (2022). academic literacy development among master’s degree students in the process of studying a foreign language in professional communication. vysshee obrazovanie v rossii, 31(5), 150–166. https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-202231-5-150-166 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 473 sudarsana, i. k., nakayanti, a. r., sapta, a., haimah, satria, e., saddhono, k., achmad daengs, g. s., putut, e., helda, t., & mursalin, m. (2019). technology application in education and learning process. journal of physics: conference series, 1363(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/17426596/1363/1/012061 vidosavljević, m. (2022). multimodal and digital literacy as new concepts in education. zbornik radova filozofskog fakulteta u pristini, 52(4), 129–144. https://doi.org/10.5937/zrffp52-37477 wahyuni, f., riza, a., & autila, r. (2022). increasing students’ interest in learning english through canva application. inovish journal, 7(2). yong, a., & rudolph, j. (2022). a review of quizizz – a gamified student response system. journal of applied learning and teaching, 5(1). 146–155 https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2022.5.1.18 zomer, n. r., & kay, r. h. (2016). technology use in early childhood education: a review of literature. journal of educational informatics (vol. 1). febriana putri tilana & dian novita dewi enhancing student literacy: canva and quizizz as digital multimodal tools 474 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 553 using task-based learning to teach argumentative writing and critical thinking in higher education erwin pohan1, emi emilia2, ika lestari damayanti3 1,2,3doctoral program in english education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia 1english education study program, universitas maritim raja ali haji, indonesia corresponding author: erwinpohan19@upi.edu apa citation: pohan, e., emilia, e., & damayanti, i. l. (2025). using task-based learning to teach argumentative writing and critical thinking in higher education. english review: journal of english education, abstract: this paper explores the theoretical foundations of task-based learning (tbl) and its effectiveness in enhancing argumentative writing and critical thinking skills among university students. tbl emphasizes engaging learners through meaningful tasks that mirror real-life communication, fostering linguistic competence and critical thinking—essential skills for constructing coherent and persuasive arguments. the study addresses key concepts in argumentation, such as claims, evidence, and reasoning, and underscores their significance in developing well-supported, logical arguments. furthermore, it focuses on the exploration of (1) definition and core principles of task-based learning and its application in writing, (2) benefits of task-based learning for language and writing skills development, (3) the role of critical thinking in argumentative writing, (4) key concepts in argumentation (claims, evidence, reasoning), (5) explanation of clarity, precision, relevance, and logic (as standards of thought) in the context of argumentative writing, and (6) the relationship between critical thinking and standards of thought. this integrated framework highlights the interconnections between tbl, critical thinking, and argumentative writing and provides actionable insights for english lecturers on implementing tbl strategies in their curricula to better support students’ academic development. keywords: logical argument; writing proficiency; and curriculum development introduction university students need critical thinking and argumentative writing to examine, evaluate, and build strong arguments. these abilities let students think deeply about complicated concepts in writing and debates. argumentative writing encourages intellectual independence and critical thinking by requiring students to offer clear, coherent, and logical arguments. critical thinking, which entails systematic information assessment to guide belief or action, is essential to higher education. according to alsaleh (2020), well-reasoned arguments are essential to academic achievement across fields. students who grasp argumentative writing can express ideas, critically interact with information, and contribute to scholarship. critical thinking also helps students examine assumptions and spot logical errors in academic assignments. critical thinking encourages introspective and autonomous thought, which is essential for academic success and personal growth. employers increasingly value argumentative writing and critical thinking abilities outside the university for problem-solving, decision-making, and communication (cruz et al., 2020; raj et al., 2022; thornhill-miller et al., 2023). including these abilities in university education boosts academic performance and professional readiness. task-based methods use real-world activities and challenges to teach critical thinking and argumentation in academic and professional settings. teaching these abilities is difficult due to students’ diverse past knowledge and experience. university instructors struggle to design a uniform curriculum since students have different degrees of argumentation and critical analysis experience (islamiyah & al fajri, 2020; kaeppel, 2021; liyanage et al., 2021). students may need fundamental help or more complex tasks (minkos 13(2), 553-562. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11839 received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 25-04-2024 published: 30-06-2025 mailto:erwinpohan19@upi.edu erwin pohan, emi emilia, ika lestari damayanti using task-based learning to teach argumentative writing and critical thinking in higher education 554 & gelbar, 2021; oke & fernandes, 2020; trinidad, 2020). encouraging pupils to analyze evidence and link complicated concepts beyond recognizing and summarizing arguments is a significant difficulty in teaching critical thinking. many students focus on finding the “right answer” rather than critically analyzing numerous views, which hinders argumentation. traditional grading rubrics concentrate on language over logic and rhetoric, making it challenging to grade argumentative writing and critical thinking. (tan, 2023; xie & lei, 2022; yuanzheng & chinokul, 2024). the mismatch between instruction and evaluation might hamper students’ critical thinking. the ideal training techniques for these abilities are also debated. some favor explicit instruction, while others prefer student-centered, task-based methods (adjei-mensah, 2024; dinh nghia, vu nguyen; quang, 2021). this disagreement makes it difficult to create a curriculum that promotes argumentative writing and critical thinking across disciplines. task-based language and writing teaching engages students in real-world communication and problem-solving scenarios. instead of lecturebased instruction, this technique promotes active learning via hands-on activities where students use their language abilities in meaningful circumstances (ellis, 2020). task-based learning stresses applying critical thinking and persuasive writing abilities to practical projects that require students to study, discuss, and convey ideas. in a task-based approach, pupils are given a challenge or situation that simulates academic or professional tasks. students may be assigned to debates, write persuasive essays on contemporary social issues, or work on challenging group projects. students learn to analyze critically, organize their thoughts, and offer cogent arguments while writing and communicating authentically (moonma & kaweera, 2021). the technique has three phases: pre-task, task, and post-task. in the pre-task stage, students learn about the topic and get background information. students complete the project utilizing language and critical thinking in the task phase. in the posttask stage, students evaluate their performance, get comments, and discuss how to improve (prasad bhandari, 2020). task-based techniques focus on real-world applications and create a more participatory and collaborative classroom, which motivates and retains students (waluyo & wangdi, 2024). this strategy promotes argumentative writing and critical thinking by encouraging students to apply their learning in compelling and relevant ways to their academic and professional life. this article examines how task-based learning (tbl) improves university students’ argumentative writing and critical thinking. analytical abilities are increasingly valued in higher education; thus, it is important to find practical teaching approaches. tbl, which engages students in actual, real-world projects, may help students build persuasive argumentation and critical analytical abilities. this article investigates how tbl might help university students acquire these critical skills. this presentation will discuss task-based learning and its applications to writing and critical thinking. tbl promotes active learning, application, and collaboration. in this hands-on approach to argumentative writing, students learn critical thinking by assessing facts, developing reasoned arguments, and anticipating counterarguments. tbl’s iterative structure encourages reflection, helping students improve their writing and thinking through feedback and self-assessment (kunnel, 2021). this article will review task-based learning (tbl) research in writing and critical thinking development and use university course case studies to demonstrate how tbl may be integrated into the academic curriculum. the necessity for clear instructor direction and student readiness will also be addressed. students will learn how tbl improves argumentative writing and critical thinking for academic and professional success. effective argumentation and critical thinking require clarity, accuracy, relevance, and logic (franco-mariscal et al., 2024; setyarini et al., 2021). discussion task-based learning (tbl) improves language and writing abilities by concentrating on real-life communication activities. students’ linguistic and critical thinking skills increase, especially in argumentative writing. structured exercises help students utilize language and critical thinking to develop persuasive arguments. claims, evidence, and logic are key to convincing arguments. argumentative writing requires clarity, accuracy, relevance, and logic to support ideas. students use critical thinking to analyze information, pick evidence, and reason (hardini et al., 2020; paul & elder, 2020). students strengthen their communication and reasoning skills by integrating tbl, critical thinking, and these writing standards, laying the groundwork for college success. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 555 definition and core principles of task-based learning and its application in writing task-based learning (tbl) is popular in language and writing teaching. its focus on real-world problems to engage students improves argumentative writing and critical thinking (bagheridoust & al-sultani, 2023; maftuna, yuldasheva; sohib, 2024). task-based learning’s theoretical framework helps us comprehend how it develops these abilities in university education, notably argumentative writing. task-based learning is founded on the premise that students learn best when they engage in meaningful, realworld activities that simulate academic and professional duties (yundayani & sri ardiasih, 2021). traditional teaching methods emphasize grammar and vocabulary, whereas tbl emphasizes communication and problem-solving. students are taught to utilize writing to think critically and offer well-reasoned arguments, not just practice writing. authentic tasks are important to task-based learning. these projects simulate real-world issues students may experience in their academic, professional, or personal lives. examples of argumentative writing are social problem essays, persuasive letters, and debates. these assignments require students to engage with the issue, apply critical thinking, analyze evidence, and build strong arguments. lowell and moore (2020) say realistic projects connect learning to real-world applications, making students’ abilities transferable. the significance of realistic projects in tbl means that before the form is another tbl idea. in traditional writing training, grammar, and linguistic forms come before meaningful communication. instead, task-based learning emphasizes writing substance and purpose (yundayani & sri ardiasih, 2021). this method lets students build arguments, evaluate sources, and organize ideas before polishing their language. this idea promotes critical thinking by encouraging students to analyze the issue before caring about grammar or style (crookes & ziegler, 2021; ellis, 2020). task-based learning (tbl) improves writing by emphasizing interaction and cooperation. students learn multiple perspectives through peer evaluations, group debates, and collaborative research, which improves their argumentative writing. these collaborative projects help students analyze their and others’ arguments, improving critical thinking. tbl encourages students to reflect on their performance, find areas for development, and build metacognitive abilities. this continual reflection improves writing and critical thinking (prasansaph, 2024). tbl helps students evaluate sources, recognize logical fallacies, and write persuasively in argumentative writing. these techniques build writing and critical thinking abilities. benefits of task-based learning for language and writing skills development task-based learning (tbl) is widely recognized for improving language and writing abilities. this method promotes language and writing development through real-world tasks and active student interaction. how tbl improves these abilities shows why it is so effective at helping students write logically, think critically, and communicate effectively (nussbaum, 2021). task-based learning (tbl) emphasizes genuine language use, a significant benefit. instead of grammar and vocabulary drills, tbl emphasizes real-world tasks like writing essays and debating. relevance makes language learning fun and valuable, improving retention and application (khan milon et al., 2023). tbl emphasizes problem-solving and decision-making, which promotes critical thinking. writing exercises that analyze complicated situations evaluate evidence, and form arguments help students improve their logic and persuasive writing abilities. academic and professional success requires independent thinking and analysis, which this strategy fosters (wenas et al., 2023). collaboration and peer contact are essential benefits of task-based learning (tbl). tbl exercises often feature group work, allowing students to discuss, provide comments, and improve their writing (ellis, 2020; ho et al., 2020). peer input on flaws and work helps students gain confidence and drive. collaborative assignments give students varied viewpoints, improving their arguments. tbl encourages students to plan, execute, and reflect on projects. this liberty motivates and deepens learning, allowing students to explore, make errors, and improve their writing. task-based learning (tbl) provides instant feedback, promoting language and writing development. unlike traditional training, tbl gives feedback throughout the process. students may use peer, instructor, or self-assessment feedback to change their work in real-time. continuous feedback improves writing and critical thinking (huseyn, 2023). tbl also improves language fluency by having students quickly write erwin pohan, emi emilia, ika lestari damayanti using task-based learning to teach argumentative writing and critical thinking in higher education 556 explicit, organized material. enhancing language fluency and its positive effect on writing confidence boosts writing confidence, making tbl an excellent language development method. the role of critical thinking in argumentative writing critical thinking helps students examine, evaluate, and build strong arguments in argumentative writing. argumentative writing involves a careful analysis of evidence and viewpoints to form a convincing argument (traga philippakos & macarthur, 2020; walková & bradford, 2022). critical thinking helps students connect deeply with their subject matter, uncover logical fallacies, assess sources, and express their views in a clear, compelling manner (heard et al., 2020). assessing and organizing material is key to persuasive writing. critical thinking helps authors assess evidence's trustworthiness, relevance, and adequacy for a solid argument (alsaleh, 2020; heard et al., 2020). writing without critical thinking may use weak or irrelevant sources to build a weak argument without persuasive force. critical thinking helps students identify biased or inaccurate sources while writing on challenging topics. this source evaluation helps them choose the most substantial evidence to support their thesis and avoid erroneous thinking like anecdotal evidence or emotional appeals. writing arguments based on facts and logic requires examining the quality and validity of the evidence (hann, 2020). critical thinking lets pupils debate opposing views as well as evaluate evidence. counterarguments are crucial to argumentative writing (wang et al., 2023). critical thinking helps authors discover and respectfully confront objections to their stance. intellectual rigor and argument credibility depend on this procedure. by rationally refuting opposing views, authors demonstrate their profound understanding of the matter and ability to anticipate others. when advocating for a policy change, a writer may critically evaluate the arguments against it, uncover faults, and present evidence-based rebuttals. the critical evaluation and rebuttal process undertaken by the writer shows that the writer has examined the issue from different perspectives, strengthening the argument (wale & bishaw, 2020). critical thinking improves argument logic. every point in a well-organized argument builds on the last. critical thinking helps authors arrange their thoughts and prevent illogical arguments that fail to persuade (malak, 2021). logical thinking helps students organize evidence to support their argument and analyze their reasoning. the writer must support each claim with facts and draw inferences from the premises. by concentrating on logical structure, critical thinking avoids logical fallacies, including false dichotomies, straw man arguments, and premature generalizations, which weaken arguments and reduce persuasiveness (hoffmann & catrambone, 2025). critical thinking requires students to write effectively, which improves writing. argumentative writing requires accuracy since imprecise statements damage it (lavery et al., 2020). critically assessing their work helps students clarify their views, eliminating misunderstanding. critical thinking advocates clear definitions of phrases like “global warming” to minimize confusion while writing about climate change. it also helps authors identify and evaluate assumptions, ensuring trustworthy arguments (kleemola et al., 2022). critical thinkers can correct assumptions to improve their work (monteiro et al., 2020; paul & elder, 2020). key concepts in argumentation (claims, evidence, reasoning) argumentation is an organized way to prove or disprove something. essential for academic writing, persuasive communication, and critical thinking. argumentation relies on claims, evidence, and reasoning. well-supported and compelling arguments require understanding these ideas and their interactions (morris et al., 2024). a claim is an argumentative statement. the writer or speaker uses it to argue their main point. from basic facts to controversial opinions, claims can vary in complexity and breadth (yang, 2022). claims might range from “climate change is a significant global issue” to “government intervention is necessary to reduce income inequality.” the argument’s power, clarity, evidence, and reasoning determine its legitimacy. specific and clearly stated claims lead the argument and help the audience grasp the writer’s stance (huang & jun zhang, 2020). in argumentative writing, the assertion must be arguable. a proposition that is apparent or uncontroversial prevents meaningful reasoning (prakken, 2020). the proposition “the earth orbits the sun” is undisputed in an argument because it is commonly acknowledged. however, social, political, and ethical claims are typically more complicated and debatable. evidence is information, facts, statistics, or examples that support a claim. arguments need evidence to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 557 convince the listener that they are legitimate or likely to be true (nussbaum, 2021). strong arguments require relevant, believable, and adequate evidence. the relevance and trustworthiness of evidence determine its strength. weak or irrelevant evidence weakens claims and reduces their persuasiveness. critical thinking and persuasive writing need evidence evaluation (giri & paily, 2020). reasoning links evidence to a claim. the logical framework illustrates how the evidence supports the argument and convinces the audience (sinatra & lombardi, 2020). any argument needs reasoning to avoid relying on claims rather than logical connections between concepts. sound reasoning enhances the case by linking evidence to the claim. it lets the writer show how the evidence supports the assertion, addressing counterarguments and reasoning flaws. explanation of clarity, precision, relevance, and logic (as standards of thought) in the context of argumentative writing argumentative writing relies on clarity, accuracy, relevance, and logic to be successful and intellectually rigorous. these principles assist authors in delivering clear, well-supported, and convincing ideas. these principles are essential to building strong, legitimate arguments, and integrating them helps writers communicate effectively and convincingly (zou & hyland, 2022). clarity is how easily the argument is understood. argumentative writing requires clarity to avoid ambiguity, confusion, and difficulty. the writer must use simple language and proper structure (jagaiah et al., 2020). the audience may struggle to understand the writer’s ideas, and even the most logical argument may fail. an ambiguous thesis statement or argument might confuse readers about the essay’s direction. authors must organize their thoughts rationally, make obvious transitions, and utilize short language to be intelligible. avoiding jargon and technical vocabulary can also make writing more accessible. clarity helps the writer convey their point to the target audience. precision is similar to clarity but stresses correctness and exact details in reasoning. precision in argumentative writing involves utilizing well-defined phrases and precise, wellsupported examples to support assertions. it lacks ambiguity, overgeneralizations, and unclear wording that undermine statements. a precise argument has distinct, well-considered claims, evidence, and reasoning (jaakkola, 2020). if a writer claims that “poverty is increasing in the united states,” they must include facts, research, or reports to show how poverty rates have changed. defined language makes a writer’s argument more compelling and authoritative. precision helps prevent misunderstanding and weak or unwarranted generalizations. relevance is the importance and applicability of the argument’s supporting information. argumentative writing requires facts, examples, and logic to support the assertion. while fascinating or helpful, irrelevant content might distract from the main point and weaken the writing (reed et al., 2023). the writer must choose facts and logic supporting their stance rather than presenting irrelevant information. in an argumentative essay about climate change, treating other environmental themes might distract the reader. instead, the writer should give climate change statistics, examples, and research on its causes, consequences, and remedies. structure matters, too—each point should build on the preceding one and stay on topic. this guideline keeps the argument focused, logical, and persuasive. any good argument starts with logic. it is the methodical, logical reasoning that links evidence to assertions. logic guarantees argumentative writing is internally consistent, avoids inconsistencies, and follows a cohesive path of thought (caret, 2021). logical reasoning strengthens the argument and persuades the reader. hasty generalizations, incorrect dichotomies, and emotional appeals can weaken an argument. to prevent these, writers must apply solid thinking, make correct conclusions from facts, and avoid unsubstantiated statements. a logical essay calling for stricter gun control regulations would include statistical information, expert testimony, and rigorous reasoning concerning gun access and violence. however, an illogical argument may use emotional appeals or flawed reasoning without solid evidence. logical reasoning avoids errors and carefully structures premises and conclusions. evidence must back each assertion, and the argument should flow logically. this logical flow improves the argument and persuades the listener by showing that it is well-reasoned and founded on excellent thinking. the relationship between critical thinking and standards of thought building and assessing arguments requires critical thinking and thought criteria, including clarity, accuracy, relevance, and logic. critical thinking erwin pohan, emi emilia, ika lestari damayanti using task-based learning to teach argumentative writing and critical thinking in higher education 558 entails assessing, synthesizing, and evaluating information, which helps writers apply these criteria. clarity clarifies concepts, accuracy defines arguments, relevance aligns evidence with the fundamental assertion, and logic maintains internal consistency. critical thinking helps authors evaluate sources, avoid pitfalls, and improve their arguments. critical thinking and these principles are essential for convincing arguments. clarity and critical thinking critical thinking is linked to clarity, which helps readers understand a writer’s point. critical writers assess and organize their thoughts to communicate coherently (dekker, 2020). critical thinking entails challenging assumptions, identifying ambiguities, and maintaining logical consistency throughout the argument (braun et al., 2020; islamiyah & al fajri, 2020). a critical thinker will carefully explore how to express and structure information clearly to minimize misunderstanding or ambiguity. critical thinkers may check their arguments to make sure their main point is clear, and their supporting evidence is easy to understand (thornhill-miller et al., 2023). they will also anticipate and improve their language to avoid misunderstandings. thus, critical thinking helps authors make their arguments clear and well-constructed (may oo & okada, 2024). precision and critical thinking argumentative writing requires precise language and well-considered examples. writing precisely involves critical thinking to determine the meaning of terminology and the validity of examples (heard et al., 2020). critical thinkers must avoid broad or generalized assertions and argue precisely, supporting each claim with pertinent, explicit evidence (paul & elder, 2020). if a writer says “poverty is a serious problem,” critical thinking advises them to define “poverty” explicitly, offer figures or studies to support their assertion, and avoid sweeping generalizations that might mislead the audience. critical thinkers recognize imprecise language and work to clarify their views. precision keeps the argument focused and trustworthy by providing particular facts that appeal to the audience (allchin & zemplén, 2020). relevance and critical thinking relevance includes material that directly supports the main point. in critical thinking, authors evaluate the significance of material and present only evidence that supports their thesis (reynders et al., 2020). critical thinking demands that authors sort through large volumes of material, choose the most important facts, and include them in their argument. critical thinking encourages writers to choose evidence that directly addresses climate change’s causes, effects, and possible solutions rather than general environmental issues or scientific theories (eilam, 2022). critical thinking involves identifying and eliminating extraneous information to keep the argument focused and compelling (allchin & zemplén, 2020). logic and critical thinking logic is the most closely aligned standard with critical thinking. logical reasoning underpins all critical thought, as it systematically draws conclusions based on evidence and sound principles (heard et al., 2020). critical thinkers evaluate the internal consistency of an argument and ensure that it is logically valid (giri & paily, 2020). this includes avoiding logical fallacies, such as false equivalencies or ad hominem attacks, which can undermine the strength of the argument (friedman, hershey h.; kaganovskiy, 2015; rapanta & macagno, 2019). critical thinking allows writers to construct sound arguments by ensuring that each claim follows logically from the previous one, supported by appropriate evidence and reasoning (heard et al., 2020). for instance, in making a case for stricter environmental regulations, a critical thinker will ensure that each premise—such as the role of pollution in climate change—leads logically to the conclusion, backed by scientific data and causal reasoning. writers who apply logic through critical thinking can construct coherent, valid arguments and resist counterarguments (jimola & olaniyan, 2021). interdependence of critical thinking and the standards critical thinking and thought standards strengthen reasoning. these criteria improve critical thinking by enhancing clarity, accuracy, relevance, and logic. clarity conveys ideas, accuracy defines arguments, relevance emphasizes the main point, and logic maintains consistency and validity. critical thinking helps authors apply these rules consistently, avoiding extraneous information and unjustified assertions. questioning assumptions, assessing facts, and answering counterarguments are encouraged. overall, clarity, accuracy, relevance, and logic increase arguments and reasoning (allagui, 2021; rivas et al., 2022). conclusion english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 559 finally, task-based learning (tbl) improves language and writing abilities in higher education. tbl increases language skills and critical thinking, essential to argumentative writing, by engaging students in meaningful assignments. claims, facts, and reasoning must be integrated to make logical, well-supported arguments. clarity, accuracy, relevancy, and logic ensure clear, coherent, and convincing arguments. students need critical thinking to analyze information, choose relevant evidence, and reason logically to apply these criteria. thus, task-based learning, critical thinking, and norms of thought work together to improve argumentative writing. students learn to make convincing, logical arguments and progress intellectually using this complete framework. using these ideas in academic training can help students improve their writing, reasoning, and critical thinking for college and beyond. acknowledgements i am grateful to my dissertation advisers, prof. emi emilia, m.ed., ph.d., and ika lestari damayanti, s.pd., m.a., ph.d., for their advice and support throughout this paper. their excellent counsel, support, and critical comments helped me finish my assignment. their patience and attention in assisting me throughout is really appreciated. references adjei-mensah, s. (2024). exploring mature students ’ perspectives on task-based language teaching in a ghanaian private university : a qualitative study. 5(2), 38–53. allagui, b. (2021). ted talk comments to enhance critical thinking skills in an undergraduate reading and writing course. education and information technologies, 26(3), 2941–2960. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10388-w allchin, d., & zemplén, g. (2020). finding the place of argumentation in science education: epistemics and whole science. science education, 104(5), 907–933. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21589 alsaleh, n. j. (2020). teaching critical thinking skills: literature review. tojet: the turkish online journal of educational technolog, 68(5), 433– 434. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429342042 bagheridoust, e., & al-sultani, h. (2023). integrating divergent assessment (da) and task based language teaching (tblt) in argumentative essay writing classrooms: an experimental study to develop iraqi efl learners’ writing skills. english language teaching, 16(5), 139. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v16n5p139 braun, h. i., shavelson, r. j., zlatkin-troitschanskaia, o., & borowiec, k. (2020). performance assessment of critical thinking: conceptualization, design, and implementation. frontiers in education, 5(september), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.00156 caret, c. r. (2021). why logical pluralism? synthese, 198, 4947–4968. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-019-02132-w crookes, g. v., & ziegler, n. (2021). critical language pedagogy and task-based language teaching: reciprocal relationship and mutual benefit. education sciences, 11(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11060254 cruz, g., payan-carreira, r., dominguez, c., silva, h., & morais, f. (2020). what critical thinking skills and dispositions do new graduates need for professional life? views from portuguese employers in different fields. higher education research and development, 0(0), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.178540 1 dekker, t. j. (2020). teaching critical thinking through engagement with multiplicity. thinking skills and creativity, 37(may), 100701. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100701 dinh nghia, vu nguyen; quang, n. n. (2021). taskbased language teaching to enhance learner communicative competence in vietnam: a matter of opinion? international journal of linguistics, literature and translation (ijllt), 3(11), 55–67. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt eilam, e. (2022). climate change education: the problem with walking away from disciplines. studies in science education, 58(2), 231–264. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057267.2021.201158 9 ellis, r. (2020). task-based language teaching for beginner-level young learners. language teaching for young learners, 2(1), 4–27. https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.19005.ell franco-mariscal, a. j., cano-iglesias, m. j., españaramos, e., & blanco-lópez, á. (2024). the encic-ct model for the development of critical thinking. in contemporary trends and issues in science education (vol. 2). springer nature switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-03178578-8_1 friedman, hershey h.; kaganovskiy, l. (2015). nlogical fallacies: how they undermine critical thinking and how to avoid them. 6. giri, v., & paily, m. u. (2020). effect of scientific argumentation on the development of critical thinking. science and education, 29(3), 673– 690. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-020-00120y hann, u. (2020). argument quality in real world argumentation. trends in cognitive sciences, 24(5), 1–26. hardini, t. i., setyarini, s., & harto, s. (2020). hotsbased needs analysis of the indonesian language assistants in victoria, australia. 509(icollite). https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201215.116 erwin pohan, emi emilia, ika lestari damayanti using task-based learning to teach argumentative writing and critical thinking in higher education 560 heard, j., scoular, c., duckworth, d., ramalingam, d., & teo, i. (2020). critical thinking : skill development framework. australian council for educational research, september 2021, 1–23. ho, p. v. p., phung, l. t. k., oanh, t. t. t., & giao, n. q. (2020). should peer e-comments replace traditional peer comments? international journal of instruction, 13(1), 295–314. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13120a hoffmann, m. h. g., & catrambone, r. (2025). bad arguments and objectively bad arguments mauvais arguments et arguments objectivement mauvais bad arguments and objectively bad arguments. huang, y., & jun zhang, l. (2020). does a processgenre approach help improve students’ argumentative writing in english as a foreign language? findings from an intervention study. reading and writing quarterly, 36(4), 339–364. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2019.164922 3 huseyn, h. a. o. (2023). task-based teaching, learning, and assessment in elt: a case study of innovative practices. international journal of philosophical studies, 2(1), ebi. https://doi.org/10.1080/09672559408570779 islamiyah, m., & al fajri, m. s. (2020). investigating indonesian master’s students’ perception of critical thinking in academic writing in a british university. qualitative report, 25(12), 4402– 4422. https://doi.org/10.46743/21603715/2020.4058 jaakkola, e. (2020). designing conceptual articles: four approaches. ams review, 10(1–2), 18–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-020-00161-0 jagaiah, t., olinghouse, n. g., & kearns, d. m. (2020). syntactic complexity measures: variation by genre, grade-level, students’ writing abilities, and writing quality. in reading and writing (vol. 33, issue 10). springer netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-020-10057-x jimola, f. e., & olaniyan, a. s. (2021). conceptualisation of critical literacy and argumentative writing as an essential tool for the development of dialectic reasoning among students. interdisciplinary journal of sociality studies, 1, 8–15. https://doi.org/10.51986/ijss2021.vol1.02 kaeppel, k. (2021). the influence of collaborative argument mapping on college students’ critical thinking about contentious arguments. thinking skills and creativity, 40(december 2020), 100809. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2021.100809 khan milon, m. r., ishtiaq, m., mohammed ali, t., & imam, m. s. (2023). unlocking fluency: taskbased language teaching (tblt) in tertiary speaking classes insights from bangladeshi teachers and students. icrrd quality index research journal, 4(4), 218–230. https://doi.org/10.53272/icrrd.v4i4.11 kleemola, k., hyytinen, h., & toom, a. (2022). the challenge of position-taking in novice higher education students’ argumentative writing. frontiers in education, 7(may), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.885987 kunnel, j. (2021). raising awareness about task assessment rubrics in task based language teaching. prism.ucalgary.ca. https://prism.ucalgary.ca/handle/1880/113886% 0ahttps://prism.ucalgary.ca/bitstream/handle/18 80/113886/ucalgary_2021_kunnel_johnson.pdf? sequence=2&isallowed=n lavery, m. r., bostic, j. d., kruse, l., krupa, e. e., & carney, m. b. (2020). argumentation surrounding argument-based validation: a systematic review of validation methodology in peer-reviewed articles. educational measurement: issues and practice, 39(4), 116– 130. https://doi.org/10.1111/emip.12378 liyanage, i., walker, t., & shokouhi, h. (2021). are we thinking critically about critical thinking? uncovering uncertainties in internationalised higher education. thinking skills and creativity, 39(december 2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100762 maftuna, yuldasheva; sohib, e. r. (2024). analyzing task-based writing approaches: global perspectives and practices yuldasheva. jjmrms issn: 2750-8587 european international journal of multidisciplinary research and management studies, 04, 66–81. malak, a. n. (2021). criteria of assessing writing paragraphs in efl classes: efl teachers’ attitudes. september 2021, 1–8. may oo, k., & okada, t. (2024). myanmar efl learners’ perspectives, structure, reasoning and literacy practices of argumentative writing: a needs analysis study. international journal of education and literacy studies, 12(1), 60–73. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.12n.1p.60 minkos, m. l., & gelbar, n. w. (2021). considerations for educators in supporting student learning in the midst of covid-19. psychology in the schools, 58(2), 416–426. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22454 monteiro, s., sherbino, j., sibbald, m., & norman, g. (2020). critical thinking, biases and dual processing: the enduring myth of generalisable skills. medical education, 54(1), 66–73. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.13872 moonma, j., & kaweera, c. (2021). collaborative writing in efl classroom: comparison on group, pair, and individual writing activities in argumentative tasks. asian journal of education and training, 7(3), 179–188. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.522.2021.73.17 9.188 morris, c., deehan, j., & macdonald, a. (2024). written argumentation research in english and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 561 science: a scoping review. cogent education, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2024.235698 3 nussbaum, e. m. (2021). critical integrative argumentation: toward complexity in students’ thinking. educational psychologist, 56(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2020.184517 3 oke, a., & fernandes, f. a. p. (2020). innovations in teaching and learning: exploring the perceptions of the education sector on the 4th industrial revolution (4ir). journal of open innovation: technology, market, and complexity, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc6020031 paul, r., & elder, l. (2020). the miniature guide to critical thinking: concepts and tools (eight edition) (vol. 33). rowman & littlefield. www.criticalthinking.org prakken, h. (2020). an argumentation-based analysis of the simonshaven case. prasad bhandari, l. (2020). task-based language teaching: a current efl approach. advances in language and literary studies, 11(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.11n.1p.1 prasansaph, s. (2024). the effects of a task-based learning approach and a graphic organizer technique on the development of teacher professional competency in english reading and writing skills of student teachers. learn journal: language education and acquisition research network, 17(2), 863–894. raj, t., chauhan, p., mehrotra, r., & sharma, m. (2022). importance of critical thinking in the education. world journal of english language, 12(3), 126–133. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v12n3p126 rapanta, c., & macagno, f. (2019). evaluation and promotion of argumentative reasoning among university students: the case of academic writing. revista lusofona de educacao, 45(45), 125–142. https://doi.org/10.24140/issn.16457250.rle45.09 reed, d. k., binning, k., jemison, e. a., & desalle, n. (2023). high-quality formative writing assessment for middle school students in tier 2 literacy interventions. learning disabilities research and practice, 38(1), 70–79. https://doi.org/10.1111/ldrp.12300 reynders, g., lantz, j., ruder, s. m., stanford, c. l., & cole, r. s. (2020). rubrics to assess critical thinking and information processing in undergraduate stem courses. international journal of stem education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-020-00208-5 rivas, s. f., saiz, c., & ossa, c. (2022). metacognitive strategies and development of critical thinking in higher education. frontiers in psychology, 13(june). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.913219 setyarini, s., gustine, g. g., harto, s., & muslim, a. b. (2021). promoting students’ critical speaking skill through plus-minus-interesting (pmi) strategies: a case study of indonesian junior high schools. 3l: language, linguistics, literature, 27(3), 199–214. https://doi.org/10.17576/3l2021-2703-13 sinatra, g. m., & lombardi, d. (2020). evaluating sources of scientific evidence and claims in the post-truth era may require reappraising plausibility judgments. educational psychologist, 55(3), 120–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2020.173018 1 tan, s. (2023). second language students’ critical thinking performance in argumentative writing sheng. international journal of linguistics, literature and translation (ijllt), 3(11), 55– 67. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt thornhill-miller, b., camarda, a., mercier, m., burkhardt, j. m., morisseau, t., bourgeoisbougrine, s., vinchon, f., el hayek, s., augereau-landais, m., mourey, f., feybesse, c., sundquist, d., & lubart, t. (2023). creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration: assessment, certification, and promotion of 21st century skills for the future of work and education. journal of intelligence, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence11030054 traga philippakos, z. a., & macarthur, c. a. (2020). integrating collaborative reasoning and strategy instruction to improve second graders’ opinion writing. reading and writing quarterly, 36(4), 379–395. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2019.165031 5 trinidad, j. e. (2020). understanding student-centred learning in higher education: students’ and teachers’ perceptions, challenges, and cognitive gaps. journal of further and higher education, 44(8), 1013–1023. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877x.2019.163621 4 wale, b. d., & bishaw, k. s. (2020). effects of using inquiry-based learning on efl students’ critical thinking skills. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-020-00090-2 walková, m., & bradford, j. (2022). constructing an argument in academic writing across disciplines. esp today, 10(1), 22–42. https://doi.org/10.18485/esptoday.2022.10.1 .2 waluyo, b., & wangdi, t. (2024). task-based language teaching in academic english higher education: a case of low-proficiency learners in thailand. 3l: language, linguistics, literature, 30(3), 246– 264. https://doi.org/10.17576/3l-2024-3003-17 wang, x., cabrio, e., & villata, s. (2023). argument erwin pohan, emi emilia, ika lestari damayanti using task-based learning to teach argumentative writing and critical thinking in higher education 562 and counter-argument generation: a critical survey. lecture notes in computer science (including subseries lecture notes in artificial intelligence and lecture notes in bioinformatics), 13913 lncs, 500–510. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35320-8_37 wenas, i., liando, n. v. f., & rorimpandey, r. (2023). task based learning as an active retrieval approach in the perception of efl students: a case study at bridge education manado. journal of english culture, language, literature and education, 11(2), 189–209. https://doi.org/10.53682/eclue.v11i2.6417 xie, q., & lei, y. (2022). diagnostic assessment of l2 academic writing product, process and selfregulatory strategy use with a comparative dimension. language assessment quarterly, 19(3), 231–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2021.190347 0 yang, r. (2022). an empirical study of claims and qualifiers in esl students’ argumentative writing based on toulmin model. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862022-00133-w yuanzheng, l., & chinokul, s. (2024). the effects of the mooc-based flipped classroom with collaborative writing on chinese efl learners’ argumentative writing abilities. 9368(december 2023), 23–45. yundayani, a., & sri ardiasih, l. (2021). task-based material design for academic purposes: learners’ english writing skill improvement. studies in english language and education, 8(1), 258–275. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i1.18169 zou, h., & hyland, k. (2022). stance in academic blogs and three-minute theses. international journal of applied linguistics (united kingdom), 32(2), 225–240. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12411 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 701 ict barriers in efl remote education: comparative experiences of senior high school teachers across school types in west java, indonesia bouchra eddraoui1, didi sukyadi2, ahmad bukhori muslim3, bachrudin musthafa4 1,2,3,4english education, faculty of language and literature, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia corresponding author: bouchra.eddraoui@upi.edu received: 23-02-2025 accepted: 17-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 introduction in late december 2019, the emergence of the covid-19 pandemic caused unprecedented global disruptions, profoundly impacting education systems worldwide, resulting in widespread school closures and a rapid transition to online learning assisted by information and communication technology (ict). incorporating ict in foreign language instruction such as english as a foreign language (efl) provides unlimited momentum access to various types of material (audio, video, text), benefiting the learning process directly or indirectly (sabiri., 2019). further, if accurately utilised, multimedia and technology positively impact language classrooms, providing various resources, enhancing motivation, and improving students' language skills (su & zou, 2022., klimova et al., 2023). further, it facilitates learncentered approach and global communication ( duque & garzon, 2024). despite positive beliefs about technology use in the classroom and considerable assets and promising prospects of employing ict in education (tondeur et al., 2017; li et al., 2018), the covid-19 pandemic's rapid shift to online learning has imposed bewilderment and incertitude towards technology use (mutton, 2020; juárez-díaz & perales, 2021). alike, in indonesia, english teachers confronted several significant issues, including poor internet bandwidth, absence of computers or abstract: the covid-19 pandemic has disrupted education globally. in response, the indonesian government mandated an immediate transition to virtual teaching. however, the rapid transformation was associated with unprecedented challenges and complications. this qualitative study investigates the experiences of 24 efl senior high school teachers in west java, indonesia, representing diverse school backgrounds. the study illustrated that the teachers faced various challenges categorised into three significant aspects: 1-technological/technical (equity and accessibility, bandwidth, technological support), 2students (lack of motivation, time management, changed behaviour), and 3-facilitator's abilities (limited ict abilities, burnout, workload). specifically, urban public high school teachers failed to keep students engaged and motivated in online classrooms. in contrast, rural public senior high school instructors encountered severe technical hurdles, such as inadequate internet access and limited digital equipment, making it challenging to prepare interactive classes. furthermore, private senior high school instructors were unprepared for online education and battled to keep their pupils engaged and motivated. furthermore, private islamic school teachers had a particular issue connecting their teaching techniques with islamic beliefs, which complicated digital tools and platforms. the study suggests that efl teachers require extensive support networks, focused interventions, and specialised training to address these issues. keywords: covid-19 pandemic; indonesian efl teachers; remote teaching; ict challenges. apa citation: eddraoui, b., sukyadi, d., muslim, a. b., & musthafa, b. (2025). ict barriers in efl remote education: comparative experiences of senior high school teachers across school types in west java, indonesia. english review: journal of english education. (13)(2), 701-712. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11835 bouchra eddraoui, didi sukyadi, ahmad bukhori muslim, bachrudin musthafa ict barriers in efl remote education: comparative experiences of senior high school teachers across school types in west java, indonesia 702 devices, and low digital literacy skills, maintaining student enthusiasm and engagement (kuswoyo et al., 2022) further, infrastructure is another fundamental consideration in remote education; numerous educators and students in remote areas were challenged with the necessity of adequate and sufficient internet bandwidth to support the demands of online classes, failing to keep up with remote education (zhong, 2020). despite the availability of online materials and required equipment such as computers, indonesian efl teachers are hesitant, psychologically uninspired, and unprepared to use digital gadgets in their lessons (mutiaraningrum, i. 2020). in contrast, an alternative study indicated that instructors belonging to the millennial generation expressed a favourable disposition toward integrating technology into their instructional practices. notably, those instructors utilised cell phones and computers to assist students in learning four essential english skills, including speaking, reading, writing, and listening (pratolo & solikhati, 2020). further, li (2021) investigated how efl chinese instructors shifted to online teaching amid covid-19, highlighting the critical role of ict literacy and acceptability in determining teachers' readiness for digital instruction. similarly, oliveira et al. (2021) explored the experiences of higher education students and professors during emergency remote teaching. they emphasised the requirement of extensive ict training for educators to support smooth transitions to digital learning. the role of teacher characteristics in ict integration has also gained interest in the literature. for instance, rahimi and yadollahi (2011) studied how teachers' attitudes, technological competence, and institutional support impact ict adoption in efl classrooms. pozas and letzel (2021) expanded this idea by finding determinants of pre-service teachers' potential ict usage, underscoring the relevance of early digital preparation in teacher education. similarly, choi et al. (2021) proposed reassessing teacher education policy in ict, stressing lessons learnt from emergency remote teaching in korea. these studies together underline that successful ict integration involves more than simply access to technology, suggesting sufficient training and a good approach toward digital pedagogy. beyond individual teacher preparedness, structural barriers impact ict use in efl settings. valverde-berrocoso et al. (2021) investigated prepandemic ict integration in education, offering insights into the structural impediments that prevent digital adoption. in a recent study, muhajir et al. (2025) further analysed indonesian efl instructors' challenges in remote areas where insufficient technological infrastructure and training opportunities hinder successful ict use. likewise, armendariz et al. (2021) examined the influence of emergency remote teaching on technical and technology education, demonstrating differences in access and student involvement. student and instructor views also play a key influence in defining ict's efficacy in efl classes. hajji and kim (2024) compared moroccan and korean high schools, illustrating how cultural and environmental variables influence the adoption and utility of ict in language training. kusuma (2022) investigated how efl pre-service teachers used technology to manage and teach speaking skills during emergency remote teaching, finding benefits and limits in digital speaking education. these findings demonstrate that ict provides chances for language acquisition, but its effectiveness depends on careful implementation, teacher preparation, and contextual flexibility. much research has been conducted on the use of ict in efl classes, particularly in various school settings, such as public, private, religious, urban, and rural areas. research indicates that ict assists in language learning. however, its effectiveness depends on the equipment, teachers' skills, and the support from the school. emphasising the requirement of ongoing professional development and infrastructural investment, que (2021) indicated the difficulties of maintaining ict integration in remote rural schools. comparably, muhajir et al. (2025) examined how indonesian efl instructors see ict use in distant locations, exposing issues including poor digital resources and insufficient training. in chinese rural schools, wang et al. (2022) investigated ict integration, therefore highlighting the discrepancy between policy recommendations and actual classroom practices. this research implies that although rural schools face significant issues in digital adoption, focused interventions might assist in closing the digital gap. in contrast, private and urban schools often have more access to ict resources and technologies. medina (2021) investigated high english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 703 schools in ecuador and revealed how underprivileged rural and well-resourced urban schools differ in how they incorporate ict. further, in exploring the transformational impact of ict in efl classrooms, duque and garzón (2024) demonstrated how technology can promote dynamic and engaging learning experiences. their results are consistent with those of valverdeberrocoso et al. (2021), who evaluated ict integration before the pandemic and stressed the significance of teacher preparation in efficiently using digital resources. although previous studies have examined the challenges of integrating ict into remote education, there remains a significant gap in understanding how these challenges vary across school settings in indonesia, including public, private, and islamic schools in urban and remote areas. the indonesian educational setting is highly diverse, with school types differing in resources, institutional policies, and readiness for digital learning. little research has explored the influence of these disparities on the experiences of english as a foreign language (efl) teachers in distance learning during the pandemic. this study aims to fill this gap by conducting a comparative investigation of ict-related challenges faced by secondary efl teachers in west java, indonesia, across different school settings. this paper aims to contribute to efl instruction and ict integration in indonesia. first, it highlights efl teachers' specific challenges in remote instruction, which is frequently disregarded. second, this study emphasises differences in digital access, teacher training, and technological resources that impact remote education and highlights inequities in technology use in various educational settings, including public, private, and islamic schools in urban and rural areas. third, by directing national education policy and professional development programmes, the study assists policymakers and teachers in equal access to digital learning tools. finally, this study contributes to digital literacy in efl teaching by examining how indonesian efl instructors overcame technological challenges during the covid-19 pandemic, highlighting opportunities for institutional support and teacher training. to achieve these objectives, this study aims to answer the following central question: what challenges did senior high school efl teachers across different school types in west java, indonesia, encounter amid covid-19 while incorporating technology into remote education? to an international audience, it is vital to briefly clarify the differences between public and private schools in indonesia. public schools are free and secular, supported mainly by the government. the public school system serves the vast majority of the schooling population. method this study employed a qualitative approach based on a survey and semi-structured interviews to collect data and investigate the challenges efl teachers at different senior high schools in west java, indonesia, encountered in integrating ict in remote education amid covid-19, which is challenging to explain quantitatively (myers & avison, 2002). this study encompasses a cohort of 24 efl senior high school educators situated in west java, indonesia. they represent diverse educational backgrounds, including public, private and islamic schools in urban and rural areas. a random sampling strategy was implemented to identify the participants. although the sample size may appear to be relatively small, it was determined to be adequate for this exploratory study, which was designed to acquire preliminary insights into the obstacles encountered by efl instructors during the covid-19 pandemic. the study's vast range of educational institutions further enhances its scope, aiming to capture a nuanced view of the issues efl educators encounter teaching remotely. notably, all respondents in this study served as in-service english teachers, actively engaged in emergency remote teaching practices amid the covid-19 pandemic. to collect data efficiently, the researchers opted for an online questionnaire designed and administered using google forms. the survey questionnaire was adapted from a similar study conducted by the british council. the british council developed and validated the original questionnaire, ensuring its reliability and relevance to the context of efl teaching. minor modifications were made to tailor the questionnaire to this study's specific research question and context. the survey link was distributed through whatsapp and personal networks. the questionnaire comprised 39 items, including open-ended questions, multiple-choice options, likert-scale ratings, and yes or no responses, allowing for quantitative and qualitative data collection. ethical considerations were taken into account to ensure the confidentiality and anonymity of bouchra eddraoui, didi sukyadi, ahmad bukhori muslim, bachrudin musthafa ict barriers in efl remote education: comparative experiences of senior high school teachers across school types in west java, indonesia 704 participants. before the commencement of data collection, the participants were provided explanatory instructions, elucidating the purpose of the study. the participants were assured that their responses would be confidential and used solely for this study. the teachers filled the survey electronically via a smartphone, tablet, computer, or laptop at their convenience. the entire survey data collection process was completed withing a one-week time frame, ensuring a focused and time-bound effort in gathering valuable insights from efl teachers in the specified regions. to gain a more detailed and meaningful understanding of the research problem from the primary source (patton, 2014), the researchers purposefully selected four available and reachable teachers for in-depth semi-structured interviews to represent different school types. the interviews were conducted through whatsapp or zoom, and interview saturation was reached after collecting sufficient data and shared experiences. as woodfield (2008) highlighted, such interviews enable participants to elucidate their choices by sharing their reasoning and perspectives. each interview lasted for about thirty minutes. following the interviews, the researcher performed a debriefing to allow participants to ask questions, comment, or add any information not discussed during the interview. the interviews were completed within a week and were recorded to facilitate subsequent analysis. a summary of the responses of the 24 participants was derived from google forms. the survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages, which were calculated using google sheets. graphs like bar charts and pie charts were also created to represent the results visually. the researchers employed an audio recording technique to acquire thorough insights into the investigated phenomena and develop a transcript of the in-depth interview. post-interview, a comparative analysis of audio-recorded transcriptions and interview scripts was generated from notes taken during interviews to ensure the precise words uttered by the interviewees. thematic analysis was conducted through systematic and iterative coding, categorizing, and theme development. the interview transcripts were carefully read and re-read, and codes were assigned to relevant data segments. these codes were then grouped into categories, and themes were identified through pattern identification and meaning-making. results and discussion the findings derived from the survey and the interviews revealed that efl teachers at indonesian senior high schools of west java faced challenges in using ict in distance education amid covid-19 and could be classified into three main significant themes. 1-technological/ technical (equity and accessibility, bandwidth, technological support), 2students (lack of motivation, time management, changing behaviour), and 3-facilitator skills (limited ict abilities, burnout, workload). figure1. internet bandwidth figure 2. technology satisfaction: 1= satisfied; 5= unsatisfied ten out of twenty-four respondents teach in rural areas. figure 1 illustrates that just 50% of the respondents had home access to high-speed internet, which is crucial for facilitating their teaching duties remotely. furthermore, when asked how satisfied they were with using technology for online teaching, most respondents expressed dissatisfaction, as english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 705 depicted in figure 2. the interviews with the teachers provided additional support for these findings. throughout the interviews, many instructors expressed their frustrations with interruptions or complete cuts in internet connectivity, particularly in rural areas and during rainy weather. student challenges: teachers revealed that students faced significant challenges with distance education, including laziness, low motivation, procrastination, negligence, adverse changes in behaviour, and lack of engagement, which disrupted the educational process and made assessing pupils' genuine skills laborious. moreover, academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism or cheating, was discouraging for professors. dealing with such situations increased the burden and led to burnout. further, not all students had cell phones or signal. mr robi regrettably highlighted that "students in rural areas had to walk 5-10 kilometres daily to search for signal." mrs sri added, "in rural areas, some students opened youtube and browsed the internet for the first time. they had no training in using technology for online learning, which posed challenges for teachers." one of the interviewees stated, "in rural areas, english is not as important as in urban areas. in face-to-face teaching, i rarely used english in my english classes. now with online teaching, i never used it; i only communicated with my students using local languages." one of the teachers interviewed mentioned, "i prefer teaching at school. it is much easier and more interactive than teaching online. students understand better when studying at school. teaching online is very challenging because i have to find more ideas to make my students enjoy studying in my class and to motivate them to do the exercises." figure3. motivated; 5=not motivated figure 4. 1=stressed; 5=comfortable 2facilitators’ abilities figure 5. 1= stressful; 5= unstressful figure 6. 1= very confident; 5= not confident 2teachers’ abilities: the facilitators' or teachers' abilities include lacking ict skills, time management, stress, and burnout. teachers claimed they experienced various psychological burdens, including stress (29.2% of respondents experienced moderate stress), anxiety, and burnout due to excessive workload, time constraints, and uncertainties. in response to the question related to burnout experience, the respondents reacted as follows: "yes, when you bouchra eddraoui, didi sukyadi, ahmad bukhori muslim, bachrudin musthafa ict barriers in efl remote education: comparative experiences of senior high school teachers across school types in west java, indonesia 706 realise that your students copy all their friends' assignments", furthermore, prof robi, one of the interviewees who taught 14 classes, each with 35 students in a rural area expressed his discomfort with teaching online. "now i plan to go to students' houses to deliver the material and explain the course". although some teachers benefited from training on using google meet, editing videos, and creating interactive presentations, they were bored and exhausted by the lengthy time they needed to prepare the material. "it is getting harder every day", claimed prof abdulkhaleq. preparing materials is demanding and laborious. learning and adapting to new technology could take time, and the constant requirement to provide exciting material could lead to tiredness and a perception of increased difficulty over time. teachers confronted various issues concerning ict skills, time management, stress, and burnout. these difficulties could substantially influence teachers' well-being and capacity to execute their jobs efficiently. some facilitators or teachers were unable to use ict, which was a legitimate problem, as technology had become a vital element of education, particularly during the covid-19 epidemic. non-ict-adept teachers needed assistance adjusting to online teaching platforms and tools, adding stress and pressure. based on the data collected from the 10 efl teachers who taught in rural areas, significant insights emerged regarding the online teaching experience. a substantial majority, 6 out of 10 teachers, reported that their pupils learned less efficiently online than offline. despite this hindrance, 7 out of 10 educators received training on online teaching methods and resources, revealing a positive indicator of professional development efforts. however, it is worth noting that half of those educators, 5 out of 10, conveyed that their confidence in teaching remained constant even after several months of online instruction. based on the provided data from the likert scale (1-5), where one represents "very satisfied" and five demonstrates "not satisfied", we observed varying levels of satisfaction among respondents regarding the technology and software they employed in online instruction. most responses fall within the 2 to 4 range, indicating moderate satisfaction. multiple entries of 3 and 4, imply that most respondents are neither highly satisfied nor highly dissatisfied. overall, while there are instances of satisfaction, the data highlights areas for improvement in the technology and software used for online instruction in rural areas to meet educators' needs. teaching remotely during the covid-19 pandemic introduced high stress levels among educators in rural areas, with responses varying widely. on a scale where 1 indicates high stress and 5 signifies high comfort, most teachers reported a stress level of 3, reflecting moderate degrees of stress. a few teachers experienced higher stress levels, rating their stress at 4, while one found the experience as highly stressful. the diverse range of responses reflects the heterogeneous impact of remote instruction on educators' stress degree during the pandemic. many educators have reported experiencing burnout and breakdowns throughout the pandemic. some have managed to avoid these issues. others, however, have struggled significantly. students copying assignments and assisting those left behind caused frustration and insecurity. despite various activities and methods to cope with burnout, several educators declared boredom and unhappiness with online instruction. during the covid-19 pandemic, educators reported that their pupils' stress levels were relatively high, with most ratings around three on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 signifies highly stressed and 5 highly comfortable. the ratings indicate considerable degrees of tension, but not to the extreme. a few educators rated their students' stress levels slightly higher, indicating more significant challenges. overall, the statistics show that remote teaching-learning during the pandemic was a challenging experience for most learners. during the covid-19 epidemic, the efl educators in rural areas reported that students' motivation levels for online learning were largely moderate to low, with most students rated at 3 or 4 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 signifying high motivation and 5 indicating low motivation. although some students love the learning process, others find online learning uninteresting. students in remote areas experience obstacles due to inadequate internet connections and lack of necessary resources, leading to frustration. educators reported that learners interested in online learning have lost interest over time. furthermore, educators see the remote teaching tools as moderately helpful but insufficient. it is worth noting that the sudden shift to remote learning has negatively influenced english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 707 students' learning outcomes, specifically in rural areas. based on the data collected from the 14 efl teachers who taught in urban areas, significant insights emerge regarding the online teaching experience. these educators experienced a large transition to online teaching during covid-19, with most encountering this mode of instruction for the first time. despite initial obstacles, many instructors gained confidence gradually, feeling significantly more at ease and proficient in conducting online classes. however, adjusting lesson plans required longer time for most. these educators expressed a crucial necessity for improved digital resources and tools, adequate support, and continues professional development to enhance their online teaching quality and student engagement. based on insights gathered from an efl instructor in a private school in an urban area, the findings showed that, unlike many peers, mr w lacked prior training in online pedagogy but approached the challenge with moderate initial confidence rated (4 out of 5). as he acquired experience, his confidence has slightly increased. his primary online sources included google classroom, classdojo, and khan academy, leveraging high-speed internet for instructional delivery. mr w was satisfied with the technology and software he used for online instruction, rating it 2 on a scale where lower scores indicate satisfaction. he received significant assistance from his school and colleagues. regarding the success of remote teaching during the pandemic, he rated it moderately successful (3 out of 5), while acknowledging a moderate stress level ranking (4 out of 5). mr w perceived his students as similarly stressed (3) and unmotivated. he observed decreased student engagement compared to in-person classes. parents were generally supportive, yet the students' learning effectiveness has diminished. mr w reported no significant challenges with technological devices or the internet, yet underlined a need for additional support from the government to enhance the teaching experience. despite the challenges and occasional burnout during the pandemic, mr w found satisfaction in remote teaching, emphasising the importance of mental well-being support. this profile illustrates the diverse experiences and difficulties faced by efl teachers in private schools in west java, indonesia, shifting to online instruction, highlighting adaptability and ongoing demands within this educational setting. the comments of two high school efl instructors from distinct islamic boarding schools, an urban male and a rural female, provided numerous insights into their online teaching experiences during covid-19. no instructors had online teaching experience but were trained to use zoom, google meet, obs, and camtasia throughout the pandemic. after several months of online education, the male teacher gained confidence. the female instructor, who felt more comfortable teaching online than before, agreed that listening skills are optimal for online teaching. despite taking longer to organise online classes, the male instructor was happy with the technology and software he utilised, but the female teacher was less satisfied (rating of 4). the male instructor assessed his coworkers' and school's assistance as applicable (rating of 2), but the female teacher did not. remote teaching during the covid-19 epidemic caused the male instructor to have a high-stress level of 5 and view his pupils as worried and uninspired. the female instructor had moderate stress and noticed that her students were initially enthusiastic about online learning but became bored after a while. both teachers found it unpleasant. they favoured offline instruction for its convenience and interactivity. despite having an internet connection, both instructors had trouble incorporating technology into instruction. thus, islamic boarding school instructors faced several online teaching challenges throughout the epidemic, varying in satisfaction and stress. mastering distance teaching mandated by the covid-19 pandemic presented numerous challenges for teachers worldwide. in investigating the significant challenges indonesian efl teachers of senior high schools in west java encountered in integrating technology for distance education, our findings underline various technological and pedagogical obstacles across school types. the lack of ict skills, limited digital tools, and poor internet infrastructure impede the efficient implementation of digital education. these findings are consistent with previous research (unesco, 2023; oecd, 2024; world bank, 2024), which emphasises differences in digital competency among educators and demonstrates how these constraints lead to more significant educational inequities. in rural locations, where students primarily rely on mobile devices for online learning, the digital gap is bouchra eddraoui, didi sukyadi, ahmad bukhori muslim, bachrudin musthafa ict barriers in efl remote education: comparative experiences of senior high school teachers across school types in west java, indonesia 708 significantly pronounced, mirroring vieira et al.'s (2021) claim that uneven access to technology exacerbates learning differences. the use of ict in efl classrooms differs significantly across public and private institutions. in ecuador, private high schools are better prepared with ict resources, and instructors and students have more access to this technology at home and at school, which leads to a more positive attitude towards ict integration in private schools than in public schools, where resources are few and instructors are frequently underqualified to utilise ict successfully (medina, 2021). similarly, in indonesia, public schools confront obstacles in integrating ict due to low resources despite instructors using various ict tools to improve teaching efficacy (kibar et al., 2023). these findings are consistent with previous research (oecd, 2023; world bank, 2024), which shows that underfunded schools have lower levels of digital integration and fewer teacher training opportunities. public school instructors, particularly in rural regions, sometimes lack professional development opportunities for properly incorporating ict into their teaching methods (unesco, 2023). private schools often have more outstanding digital infrastructure, but discrepancies exist in teacher preparation and pedagogical integration (kemendikbud, 2024). private school instructors frequently receive superior training, but some still struggle to successfully integrate digital technologies into language education (wahyuni, 2023; world bank, 2024). urban schools often have more access to ict resources than rural schools. in china, urban schools offer a sufficient ict environment, and instructors have enough technical skills. however, ict use is frequently confined to basic programs such as powerpoint presentations (li & walsh, 2011). the discrepancy in ict availability between urban and rural locations might hinder the efficient integration of technology in rural schools, where resources and training opportunities are frequently limited. urban indonesian schools have improved internet access and digital technologies but face resistance from older instructors who struggle to adapt to modern teaching approaches (lucky, 2024). furthermore, there are discrepancies in teacher preparation, with wealthy private school instructors frequently receiving more training than those in public and islamic institutions (wahyuni, 2023; world bank, 2024). islamic schools frequently emphasise character education with digital literacy, requiring educators to integrate technological use with islamic values (rahman & yusuf, 2024). while some wellfunded islamic schools benefit from private investment in digital resources, others have comparable challenges to public schools, such as insufficient teacher training and poor ict access (hassan et al., 2023). islamic schools require training that combines ict usage with faith-based pedagogy, ensuring that digital resources are consistent with ethical and religious standards (rahman & yusuf, 2022). common obstacles across all school types include a lack of time, insufficient professional support, and insufficient training for teachers to successfully integrate ict into their teaching methods (li & walsh, 2011; pardede, 2020). however, ict has enormous prospects to improve efl classrooms by promoting learner-centred approaches and offering access to different knowledge and worldwide communication (duque & garzón, 2024). teachers' perspectives and attitudes towards ict are critical to its effective integration, with good perceptions associated with increased ict use (pardede, 2020). given these obstacles, a comprehensive strategy for professional development is required. policymakers and educational institutions must prioritise ongoing and organised teacher training programs focused on digital education. according to unesco (2023) and baran et al. (2024), professional development activities should be continuous, context-sensitive, and practical rather than one-time seminars with limited application. implementing mentoring programmes in which digitally skilled instructors assist their peers might boost ict skill development and promote longterm advances in digital pedagogy. furthermore, bridging the digital gap necessitates a comprehensive infrastructure improvement plan. investment in high-speed internet, low-cost digital gadgets, and ict support services in rural and poor schools is critical (livingstone et al., 2024). as the indonesian government seeks to develop its digital literacy roadmap (kemendikbud, 2024), targeted policies should prioritise digital transformation activities in disadvantaged schools. these activities should be consistent with worldwide best practices in digital equity, as noted in world bank research (2024), which advocates for public-private partnerships to increase digital access in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 709 education. furthermore, teacher training programmes must incorporate technological and pedagogical frameworks, such as the tpack model, to assist educators in effectively combining topic knowledge with digital technologies (mishra & koehler, 2023). strengthening the pedagogical part of digital literacy guarantees instructors can utilise technology and modify it to improve student engagement and learning results (kreber & kanuka, 2006). finally, instructors need psychological and emotional assistance as they navigate digital education. according to studies conducted by unesco (2023) and darling-hammond et al. (2024), teachers require resilience training and assistance with well-being to deal with the challenges of fast digital change. schools may improve teacher efficacy by creating a supportive learning environment for educators, ensuring that digital education becomes an empowering tool rather than an added load. conclusion our findings highlight the critical need for targeted policies and interventions to improve indonesian efl instructors' digital literacy and proficiency across various educational contexts. while technical and pedagogical hurdles remain, targeted professional development, infrastructure upgrades, and comprehensive support systems can dramatically close current gaps. by investing in teacher empowerment and equitable digital access, indonesia can create a more robust and successful digital education system that serves all students, regardless of geography or school type, including islamic schools' educational frameworks. limitation of the study this study acknowledges the limitation of a small sample size (n = 24), which may not represent the entire population of senior high school efl teachers in west java, indonesia. future studies should aim to recruit a larger sample size to increase the generalizability of the findings. references affouneh, s., salha, s., n., & khlaif, z. (2020). designing quality e-learning environments for emergency remote teaching in the coronavirus crisis. interdisciplinary journal of virtual learning in medical sciences, 11(2), 1–3. al-araibi, a. a. m., naz’ri bin mahrin, m., & yusoff, r. c. m. (2019). technological aspect factors of elearning readiness in higher education institutions: delphi technique. education and information technologies, 24(1), 567–590. atmojo, a. e. p., & nugroho, a. (2020). efl classes must go online! teaching activities and challenges during covid-19 pandemic in indonesia. register journal, 13(1), 49–76. https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v13i1.49-76 armendariz, c., yumisa, d., & bunay, g. (2021). impact of icts and emergency remote teaching on technical and technological education. revista minerva: multidisciplinaria de investigación científica, 2(6), 90-97. baran, e., correia, a.-p., & thompson, a. (2011). transforming online teaching practice: critical analysis of the literature on the roles and competencies of online teachers. distance education, 32(3), 421– 439. doi:10.1080/01587919.2011.610293 belda-medina, j. (2021). icts and project-based learning (pbl) in efl: pre-service teachers’ attitudes and digital skills. international journal of applied linguistics and english literature, 10(1), 63-70. http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.10n.1p.63 buabeng-andoh, c. (2012). factors influencing teachersâ adoption and integration of information and communication technology into teaching: a review of the literature. international journal of education and development using ict, 8(1). darling-hammond, l., alexander, m., & hernández, l. e. (2024). redesigning high schools: 10 features for success. learning policy institute. dong, c., cai, w., & yang, y. (2020). prevalence of mental health problems in children and adolescents during the covid-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. jama pediatrics, 174(9), 1-11. favale, t., soro, f., trevisan, m., drago, i., & mellia, m. (2020). campus traffic and e-learning during the covid-19 pandemic. computer networks, 176, 107290. harris, p. (2021). analysis of the integration of ict in second language learning in prescholl in colombia. eurocall newsletter, 29(1), 50. https://doi.org/10.4995/eurocall.2021.13138 hajji, k. a., & kim, y. (2024). teachers’ and learners’ perceptions towards the use of ict in efl classrooms: moroccan and korean high schools. age, 20(30), 44. khafif hassan, ouazzani touhami naoual. leveraging technology for equity : a literature review on einclusion and its potential to advance young people's socioeconomic inclusion. revue internationale de la recherche scientifique, 2024, 2 (4), pp.1936-1952. klimova, b., pikhart, m., polakova, p., cerna, m., yayilgan, s. y., & shaikh, s. (2023). a systematic review on the use of emerging technologies in teaching english as an applied https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v13i1.49-76 http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.10n.1p.63 https://doi.org/10.4995/eurocall.2021.13138 bouchra eddraoui, didi sukyadi, ahmad bukhori muslim, bachrudin musthafa ict barriers in efl remote education: comparative experiences of senior high school teachers across school types in west java, indonesia 710 language at the university level. systems, 11(1), 42. kreber, c., & kanuka, h. (2006). the scholarship of teaching and learning and the online classroom. canadian journal of university continuing education, 32(2). kuswoyo, h., rido, a., & mandasari, b. (2022). a systematic review of research on efl online learning: effectiveness, challenges, learning tools, and suggestions. international association for development of the information society. kusuma, i. (2022). efl preservice teachers’ technology integration in managing and teaching speaking skills during emergency remote teaching. profile issues in teachers professional development, 24(2), 149-165. li, l., & walsh, s. (2011). technology uptake in chinese efl classes. language teaching research, 15(1), 99-125. li, b. (2022). ready for online? exploring efl teachers’ ict acceptance and ict literacy during covid-19 in mainland china. journal of educational computing research, 60(1), 196-219. lucky antonio. (2024). lecturer resistance to the development of digital technology in learning in the modern education era. international journal of christian education and philosophical inquiry, 1(4), 55–67. https://doi.org/10.61132/ijcep.v1i4.76 mendikbud. (2020b). surat edaran mendikbud: pembelajaran secara daring dan bekerja dari rumah dalam rangka pencegahan penyebaran corona virus disease (covid-19). retrieved from http://kemdikbud.go.id/main/files/download/c5d 9f0ec9ff40c6 mishra, s., sharma, r. c., & yadav, a. (2019). impediments to ict integration in teaching and learning process: teachers' perspective. journal of education and learning, 8(4), 365–374. muhajir, m., ghani, a. r. bin a., sukenti, d., syarif, m., & widodo, w. (2025). islamic ethics, identity processes and project-based learning method for madrasah teacher: a phenomenological approach. journal of instruction and islamic religious education, 1(1), 1-13. muttaqin, t. (2018). determinants of unequal access to and quality of education in indonesia. the indonesian journal of development planning. 2(1). 1-20. mutiaraningrum, i. (2020). efl teachers’ beliefs and practices about digital learning of english. 5(2), patton, m. (2014). qualitative research and evaluation methods. 4th edition, sage, thousand oaks. pozas, m., & letzel, v. (2023). “do you think you have what it takes?”–exploring predictors of preservice teachers’ prospective ict use. technology, knowledge and learning, 28(2), 823-841. pratolo, b. w., & solikhati, h. a. (2020). the implementation of digital literacy in indonesian suburban efl classes. international journal of scientific and technology research, 9(1), 1508–1512. rahimi, m., & yadollahi, s. (2011). ict use in efl classes: a focus on efl teachers' characteristics. world journal of english language, 1(2), 17. rahman, m., & yusuf, a. (2022). technology adoption in islamic pedagogy. international journal of islamic pedagogical studies. su, f., & zou, d. (2022). technology-enhanced collaborative language learning: theoretical foundations, technologies, and implications. computer assisted language learning, 35(8), 1754-1788. torres duque, j. a., & argudo garzón, a. l. (2024). exploring the transformative impact of ict integration in the efl classroom. religación: revista de ciencias sociales y humanidades, 9(40). unesco https://en.unesco.org/news/global-educationmonitoring-gem-report-2020. unesco. (2020). covid-19 impact on education. retrieved from https://en.unesco.org/covid19/education response valverde-berrocoso, j., fernández-sánchez, m. r., revuelta dominguez, f. i., & sosa-díaz, m. j. (2021). the educational integration of digital technologies precovid-19: lessons for teacher education. plos one, 16(8), e0256283. vieira, r., carvalho, c. v., & oliveira, l. (2021). the covid-19 pandemic in the brazilian educational system: the distance learning emergency program. sustainability, 13(10), 5441. wahyuni, n. c. (2012, march 19th). indonesian teachers score low on competence test: big surprise? berita satu news online wang, j., tigelaar, d. e., & admiraal, w. (2022). from policy to practice: integrating ict in chinese rural schools. technology, pedagogy and education, 31(4), 509-524. who guidance note. (2021). who-convened global study of origins of sars-cov-2: china part (14 january-10 february 2021). world health organization (who), february, 120. world health organization (who), february, 120. global study of origins of sars-cov-2 : china part (14 january-10 february 2021). https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ woodfield, h. (2008). problematising discourse completion tasks: voices from verbal report. evaluation & research in education, 21(1), http://kemdikbud.go.id/main/files/download/c5d9f0ec9ff40c6 http://kemdikbud.go.id/main/files/download/c5d9f0ec9ff40c6 https://en.unesco.org/news/global-education-monitoring-gem-report-2020 https://en.unesco.org/news/global-education-monitoring-gem-report-2020 https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 711 43–69. doi:10.2167/eri413.0 zhong, r. (2020, march 17th). the coronavirus exposes education's digital divide. retrieved from the new york times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technolog y/china-schools coronavirus.html zulkifli, z. (2023). islamic apps and digital learning: transforming religious education. journal of islamic technology, 7(2), 112-129. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/china-schools%20coronavirus.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/technology/china-schools%20coronavirus.html bouchra eddraoui, didi sukyadi, ahmad bukhori muslim, bachrudin musthafa ict barriers in efl remote education: comparative experiences of senior high school teachers across school types in west java, indonesia 712 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 811 comparative analysis of syntactic complexity in indonesian graduate-level writing: a corpus study of master's theses versus doctoral dissertations dhini anjarwati english language education, faculty of letters, universitas negeri malang, indonesia email: dhini.anjarwati.2202218@students.um.ac.id yazid basthomi english language education, faculty of letters, universitas negeri malang, indonesia email:ybasthomi@um.ac.id evynurul lailiy zen english language education, faculty of letters, universitas negeri malang, indonesia email: evynurul.laily.fs@um.ac.id apa scitation: anjarwati, d., basthomi, y., & zen, e. l. (2024). comparative analysis of syntactic complexity in indonesian graduate-level writing: a corpus study of master's theses versus doctoral dissertations. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 811-820. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9528 received: 25-02-2024 accepted: 21-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction syntactic complexity has gained much attention from scholars because it is beneficial for academic settings. it frequently investigated academic studies (nasseri, 2021). furthermore, it is necessary for students in higher-level education (esfandiari & ahmadi, 2021). its role is to become the indicator of students’ writing quality. likewise, it is considered a measure of language performance, language maturity, and proficiency of l2/efl writing quality (casal & lee, 2019; yin, gao & lu, 2021). therefore, syntactic complexity may help students to write academic writing as an indicator of their writing quality. syntactic complexity is a multidimensional construct. alshalanee and jaganathan (2023) stated that it consists of various degrees of sophistication, including global, clausal, and phrasal degrees. syntactic complexity can be analyzed through syntactic complexity measures. the measures are separated into two primary categories: large-grained and fine-grained (alsahlanee & jaganathan, 2023). thus, syntactic complexity has several dimensions that can be assessed through some measures. large-grained measures can analyze syntactic complexity. it also can be called traditional complexity measures (zhang & lu, 2021). furthermore, these focus on dependent clauses for the necessary indicator (esfandiari & ahmadi, abstract: syntactic complexity is a crucial determinant quality of academic writing made by english as a foreign language (efl) students. prior studies used large-grained measures to compare and examine the syntactic complexity of published research articles. on the other hand, graduate-level research on syntactic complexity is receiving less attention. to close the gap, this study used fine-grained measures to compare and analyze the syntactic complexity of doctorate dissertations and master theses submitted by indonesian students. this study employed a corpus-based method in a quantitative design. the corpus data had two subcorpora chosen using a stratified sample technique based on years. those were 52 doctoral dissertation abstracts and 74 master thesis abstracts from english language education of universitas negeri malang. the twelve measures of the tool for the automatic analysis of syntactic sophistication and complexity (taassc) tool developed by kyle (2016) were utilized to measure the phrasal complexity. the finding showed the characteristics of indonesian graduate-level writing that they intended to utilize more dependents per direct object (standard deviation) measures and fewer dependents per nominal (standard deviation) measures in their writing. it also showed doctoral dissertations have higher quality than master theses which reflected significant difference in most of phrasal complexity measures. these outcomes offer syntactic complexity insights into the indonesian context. the study highlighted the need for more attention to syntactic complexity at graduate-level writing to improve writing quality. keywords: efl, phrasal measures; academic writing; academic proficiency. mailto:ybasthomi@um.ac.id dhini anjarwati, yazid basthomi, & evynurul lailiy zen comparative analysis of syntactic complexity in indonesian graduate-level writing: a corpus study of master's theses versus doctoral dissertations 812 2021). these measures were used in many previous studies. thi and nikolov (2023) determined syntactic complexity through largegrained measures. likewise, however, the use of large-grained measures is still debatable. it is insufficient for operationalizing the linguistic features in academic writing since these cannot capture important non-clausal features in academic writing (zaein & golparvar, 2022). furthermore, there is a lack of relationship between writing quality and clausal complexity (esfiandiari & ahmadi, 2021). therefore, the weakness of large-grained measures can be addressed through syntactic complexity measures that focus on non-clausal features. syntactic complexity also can be analyzed through fine-grained measures. these measures focus on differentiating subtypes of phrase complexity level (zhang & lu, 2021). these measures can be accessed through taassc tool that was created by kyle (2016). furthermore, the fine-grained measures of taassc tool have stronger predictive power than large-grained measures (zhang & lu, 2021). likewise, phrase complexity has been determined to be the ideal criterion for identifying advanced proficient writing (casal & lee, 2019). thus, fine-grained measures can explore syntactic complexity better in non-clausal features of academic writing. some previous studies investigated the comparison of syntactic complexity. many of them focused on comparing the syntactic complexity of l1 writing to l2/efl writing such as the study of nasseri (2021). some research also compared published research articles such as the study of alsahlanee and jaganathan (2023). however, few studies have compared the syntactic complexity of academic writing in higher education contexts except undergraduate studies (esfiandiari & ahmadi, 2021). likewise, investigating unpublished academic writing written by master and doctoral students has less attention from researchers (dong, hao, & buckingham, 2022). therefore, scholars still pay less attention to a comparison study of syntactic complexity in graduate students' writing. academic writing is an essential requirement for graduate students. esfiandiari and ahmadi (2021) mentioned that it could be published research articles, dissertations, or theses. furthermore, these are considered the last evaluations of the student's coursework (wisker, 2019). likewise, it is also treated as writing proficiency to fulfill graduation requirements (huang, 2024). furthermore, it enables students to further enhance their academic skills (tuononen & parpala, 2021). in addition, it requires writing insight during composing academic writing which brings benefit to students’ academic competence (ahsanduddin et al., 2022; rofiqoh et al., 2021). thus, it has an important role for graduate students. besides the benefits of academic writing, some previous studies highlighted the difficulties of efl graduate students in fulfilling writing proficiency. likewise, writing proficiency is a significant challenge for constructing academic writing (subandowo & sardi, 2023). indonesian students who use efl are not an exception. indonesian students at tertiary institutions face challenges in constructing academic writing (sahan, saridewi, wabang, & nabung, 2024). furthermore, subandowo and sardi (2023) stated that indonesian graduate students have a challenge to produce high-quality academic writing. they also mentioned that indonesian students need linguistic resources to guide them in creating high-quality academic writing for the graduate level. however, there were limited studies that explored efl graduate students' academic writing (huang, 2024). furthermore, these challenges can cause poor quality and low productivity of academic writing (alsahlanee & jaganathan, 2023; casal & lee, 2019). these challenges highlight the need for further research into linguistic characteristics, particularly syntactic complexity, as a representation of writing quality or competency in the indonesian setting. syntactic complexity in graduate-level academic papers has been studied in some prior studies. esfiandiari and ahmadi (2021) conducted a comparative analysis of three types of iranian academic writing: published research articles, doctorate dissertations, and master's theses. the outcomes proved that the prediction of academic writing was significantly improved by finegrained measures of phrase complexity level. furthermore, nasseri (2021) investigated syntactic complexity in master theses of efl, esl, and english l1. she claimed the findings of earlier research on syntactic complexity were inconsistent. she also argued that it can be impacted by the writers' linguistic proficiency and english language backgrounds. thus, the results of syntactic complexity investigation may be different at graduate-level. in the prior research and literature, there is an empirical gap. the study on comparing syntactic complexity at the graduate level of academic english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 813 writing gained less attention from scholars (esfiandiari & ahmadi, 2021). to fill the gap, the current study conducted a corpus study and compared the syntactic complexity of master thesis abstracts and doctorate dissertation abstracts produced by indonesian writers using twelve fine-grained measures created by kyle (2016) and that were shown to be trustworthy indices (kyle & crossley, 2018). furthermore, a corpus study is necessary to identify the most common syntactic patterns in various kinds of academic writing (nasseri, 2021). doing comparative analysis helps us to see the difference in phrasal features utilized by master students and doctoral students. examining the different skills of people from various backgrounds is not a surprising fact, but it creates the questions of what metrics would be most useful in explaining the differences (rahayu, utomo & setyowati, 2021). therefore, this study has three primary aims as follows: (1) to what extent do master students and doctoral students utilize phrasal measures? (2) is there a significant difference in phrasal syntactic complexity measures between master theses and doctoral dissertations? (3) what are the significant phrasal complexity measures utilized by master students and doctoral students? method this study compared the syntactic complexity of master's thesis abstracts and doctoral dissertation abstracts using a comparative quantitative design of a corpus-based analysis. two sub-corpora comprise the corpus data of this study, including master thesis abstracts and doctoral dissertation abstracts. the data were gathered from english language education department at universitas negeri malang and written by indonesian students. this abstract section was chosen because it is an important part that should be considered by authors (arianto, et al., 2021; budiyono & fadhly, 2023). thus, the corpus data were abstract compilations written by indonesian graduate students. the corpus data were obtained from the library website database at universitas negeri malang. some criteria were employed to select data to keep the homogeneous data. furthermore, academic language patterns may change over time (yin, gao, & lu, 2023). so, this study applied some criteria for obtaining data. because of various focuses, this study classified focus data into english language teaching, assessment, english specific purposes, second language acquisition, and applied linguistics. furthermore, all the texts were also published between 2018 and 2022. these texts should also follow imrad (introduction-method-resultsdiscussion) format. therefore, this study obtained homogeneous data using some standards. furthermore, this study tried to create a good corpus. data selection was conducted through a stratified sampling technique. it is a better method for selecting data (zufferey, 2022, p. 145). the abstracts were divided based on years of publication. the data were classified into five groups: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022. then, selecting data for each stratum employed simple random sampling (see table 1). furthermore, zufferey (2022, p. 145) mentioned that there is no perfect corpus size. however, it should have phenomena of representative language. thus, this study conducted representative standards based on carradini and swarts (2023, p. 65), including diversity, balancedness, and saturation. this study followed diversity, balancedness, and saturation aspect. diversity refers to the data that is obtained from various sources. this study tried to follow diversity by obtaining data from five different publication years. furthermore, balancedness aspect is about how data is sampled from sources. this study followed this aspect by using systematic stratified sampling to select data from each stratum. in addition, saturation refers to the equal size of tokens. this study tried to build an equal number of the total tokens. therefore, this research built a corpus based on three aspects of the representative language phenomena. table 1. corpus data year (stratum) type number of abstracts means of abstract words number of tokens 2018 s2 17 443 7531 2019 18 441 7938 2020 17 445 7565 2021 17 443 7531 2022 5 447 2235 total 74 443 32800 2018 s3 12 629 7548 2019 9 632 5688 2020 12 631 7572 2021 12 629 7548 2022 7 634 4438 total 52 630 32794 note. s3: doctoral dissertation; s2: master thesis this study applied taassc tool to evaluate syntactic complexity of abstract sections in doctoral dissertations and master theses. some fine-grained measures of taassc tool are dhini anjarwati, yazid basthomi, & evynurul lailiy zen comparative analysis of syntactic complexity in indonesian graduate-level writing: a corpus study of master's theses versus doctoral dissertations 814 confirmed that it can analyze academic writing quality. zhang and lu (2021) claimed that some phrasal complexity measures from this tool are correlated to writing quality. therefore, this study utilized twelve phrasal complexity measures of taassc tool from alsahlanee and jaghanathan (2023). these measures can predict the writing quality (kyle & crossley, 2018). these measures can be seen in table 2. table 2. phrasal complexity measures in taassc tool phrasal measures/ measure names functions dependents per nominal/ av_nominal_deps calculating modifiers that transform a noun or noun phrase dependents per direct object/ av_dobj_deps addressing dependents in the direct object compositions dependents per object of the preposition/ av_pobj_deps evaluating modifiers that make up the preposition's object dependents per nominal (standard deviation)/ nominal_deps_stdev evaluating the variety of modifiers for producing noun phrases dependents per nominal subject (standard deviation)/ nsubj_stdev evaluating a wide variety of dependents that comprise a nominal subject dependents per direct object (standard deviation)/ dobj_stdev assessing the range of modifiers in direct object phrase dependents per object of the preposition (standard deviation)/ pobj_stdev counting the various kinds of dependents for creating objects of the preposition determiners per nominal/ det_all_nominal_deps_st ruct examining determiners in noun phrase modifications prepositions per nominal/ prep_all_nominal_deps_ struct exploring prepositions that modify noun phrase or noun adjectival modifiers per object of the preposition/ amod_pobj_deps_struct counting adjective dependents that compose the object of the preposition adjectival modifiers per direct object/ amod_dobj_deps_struct analyzing adjectival modifiers in direct object constructions prepositions per object of the preposition/ prep_pobj_deps_struct evaluating prepositions in objects of the preposition compositions this study used the statistical package for the social sciences (spss) program to perform descriptive and inferential statistics for addressing three research questions. the initial research question was addressed using descriptive analysis to explore the extent to which master and doctoral students utilized phrasal features. the mean values of twelve measures provided data for master theses and doctoral dissertations. to answer the second research question, this study applied one-way multivariate analysis of variance (manova) of inferential statistics to discover whether there are significant distinctions between master theses and doctoral dissertations regarding the 12 phrasal complexity measures. to answer the third research question, this study employed analysis of variance (anova) using the bonferroni method. before conducting manova and anova, homogeneity and normality tests were performed to examine the data. the analysis demonstrated that every measure of this study produced homogeneity and normal distribution findings. results and discussion this section explores the syntactic complexity in abstracts of master's theses and doctorate dissertations. characteristics of indonesian graduate-level writing this study revealed postgraduate students’ traits based on 12 phrasal complexity measures. these measures were analyzed using the taassc tool. then, the spss tool was applied to perform descriptive statistical analysis (see table 3). table 3. descriptive statistics of phrasal complexity measures measures name n mean s3 s2 av_nominal_deps 124 1.67 1.44 av_dobj_deps 124 1.2 1.12 av_pobj_deps 124 1.61 1.49 nominal_deps_stdev 124 0.24 0.21 nsubj_stdev 124 1.14 1.09 dobj_stdev 124 1.78 1.57 pobj_stdev 124 0.38 0.31 det_all_nominal_deps_ struct 124 0.33 0.34 prep_all_nominal_deps _struct 124 1.22 1.16 amod_pobj_deps_struct 124 0.29 0.24 amod_dobj_deps_struct 124 0.38 0.31 prep_pobj_deps_struct 124 1.09 1.03 note: s2= master theses; s3= doctoral dissertations both master theses and doctoral dissertations utilized a wide range of modifiers for modifying english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 815 direct objects. it can be seen that the highest mean value of measures is dependents per direct object (standard deviation). this measure determines the frequency of modifiers of direct objects. the example of dependents per direct object (standard deviation) measure shows a sentence (see figure 1). the direct object is data with one modifier type which is the. the high mean value indicates that indonesian graduate students employed various dependents to compose direct object phrases in their academic writing. it can be concluded that many types of modifiers for composing direct objects are crucial phrase features for graduate-level writing. figure 1. dependents per direct object (standard deviation) the researcher analyzed the data {det} {dobj} note: det= determiner; dobj= direct object furthermore, the high mean value of dependents per direct object (standard deviation) outcome supports the finding of alsahlanee and jaghanathan (2023). their study investigated the iraqi writing and l1 writing through twelve phrasal complexity measures. they found that the mean value of dependent per direct object (standard deviation) was also high. this means that various modifiers for composing direct are essential features in constructing arguments of academic writing. thus, graduate students should master a wider range of dependents in composing process of direct objects. figure 2. dependents per nominal (standard deviation) an argumentative writing prompt {det} {amod} {nn} {n} note: amod= adjective as modifier; nn= noun as modifier; n= nominal besides the highest value of measures, master's and doctoral students employed fewer dependents per nominal (standard deviation). this is because the least mean value of the twelve measures is dependents per nominal (standard deviation). this measure counts various dependent types for creating noun or noun phrases. this study provides an example of this measure (see figure 2). the nominal is prompt with three modifiers, including determiner (an), adjective as modifier (argumentative), and noun as modifier (writing). it can be interpreted that master's and doctoral students barely apply many modifier types in noun phrases or nouns. therefore, master theses and doctoral dissertations barely need various kinds of modifiers in delivering an argument of writing. the quality of master theses and doctoral dissertations this study found that the level of doctoral dissertations is higher than master’s theses based on phrasal complexity. the quality of writing can be determined using the complexity of phrase structures. likewise, the high mean value of the phrasal measures illustrates the high-quality writings (kyle & crossley, 2018). the means of phrasal complexity in table 3 shows that doctoral dissertations are more complex than master theses in eleven out of twelve measures. this means that doctorate dissertations have higher quality than master theses. however, determiners per nominal measure outcomes present that the mean of master theses (0.34) is higher than doctoral dissertations (0.33). this measure explores determiners for creating noun phrases. figure 3 explains a nominal (study) that has a modifier (their). the high value of master theses illustrates that master students utilize more determiners to modify noun phrases than doctorate students. figure 3. determiners per nominal their future study {det} {n} the extensive usage of determiners in noun phrase compositions supports the findings of alsahlanee and jaganathan (2023) who reported that lower-proficiency writers typically utilize more determiners in noun phrase constructions than higher-proficiency writers. this is influenced by writers who have different writing proficiency levels. similarly, esfandiari and ahmadi (2021) argued that writing proficiency may develop to become mastered in certain aspect that influences the utilization of syntactic features. it means that doctoral students have already mastered the determiners of applying or not applying them in noun phrase constructions. however, master students still have lower writing proficiency than doctoral students. they also employ more determiners to construct noun phrases. so that they can avoid making errors that they might not understand. the significant difference in phrasal complexity measures in graduate-level writing this study found a significant difference in phrasal features between abstracts of master theses and doctoral dissertations. manova was performed to analyze the significance of 12 dhini anjarwati, yazid basthomi, & evynurul lailiy zen comparative analysis of syntactic complexity in indonesian graduate-level writing: a corpus study of master's theses versus doctoral dissertations 816 phrasal complexity. if the p-value is less than 0.05, the data value is accepted as a significant difference. table 4 shows the significance values of multivariate test results are < 0.05. it indicates the writing proficiency gaps between graduate student types. furthermore, it influences the production of writing quality. table 4. the outcomes of multivariate tests tests value f hypothesis df error df sig. pillai's trace 0.24 9.72 12.00 367.00 0.00 wilks' lambda 0.76 9.72 12.00 367.00 0.00 hotelling's trace 0.32ma 9.72 12.00 367.00 0.00 roy's largest root 0.32 9.72 12.00 367.00 0.00 the significant difference of phrasal complexity measures between master thesis abstracts and doctoral dissertation abstracts is aligned with esfandiari and ahmadi (2021). they compared abstract sections of master thesis and doctoral dissertation that were written by iranian students. they identified a significant distinction in the syntactic difficulty of doctorate dissertations and master's theses in academic writing. the writing proficiency of writers causes this difference. likewise, linguistic proficiency of writers influences the difference of syntactic complexity (nasseri, 2021). doctoral students who have higher writing proficiency (see table 3), have more experienced writing than master students. likewise, the different background may influences inconsistent outcomes (nasseri, 2021; zen, 2020). therefore, both master and doctoral students have different background of writing that impacts the difference in the case of syntactic complexity. to detect the exact measure that exhibits significant differences, the post hoc or anova test was utilized through the bonferroni method. the outcomes are categorized significantly differences when the p-value is < 0.05. nine out of twelve phrasal complexity measures were significant differences between master theses and doctoral dissertations (see table 5). only three measures reveal no significant difference. it can be interpreted that the quality of the master thesis abstract and doctoral dissertation abstract is still significantly distinct. table 5. pairwise comparison dependent variable academic writing academic writing mean difference std. error sig av_nominal_deps s3 s2 .083 .024 .001 s2 s3 -.083 .024 .001 av_dobj_deps s3 s2 .072 .038 .064 s2 s3 -.072 .038 .064 av_pobj_deps s3 s2 .092 .026 .000 s2 s3 -.092 .026 .000 nominal_deps_stdev s3 s2 .044 .020 .029 s2 s3 -.044 .020 .029 nsubj_stdev s3 s2 .041 .042 .333 s2 s3 -.041 .042 .333 dobj_stdev s3 s2 .082 .032 .010 s2 s3 -.082 .032 .010 pobj_stdev s3 s2 .069 .026 .011 s2 s3 -.069 .026 .011 det_all_nominal_deps_struct s3 s2 -.007 .040 .864 s2 s3 .007 .040 .864 prep_all_nominal_deps_struct s3 s2 .034 .012 .004 s2 s3 -.034 .012 .004 amod_pobj_deps_struct s3 s2 .062 .019 .001 s2 s3 -.062 .019 .001 amod_dobj_deps_struct s3 s2 .063 .030 .035 s2 s3 -.063 .030 .035 prep_pobj_deps_struct s3 s2 .039 .014 .006 s2 s3 -.039 .014 .006 the outcomes are significant at p-value< 0.05 however, three phrasal complexity measures present no significant difference between abstracts of master theses and abstracts of doctoral dissertations, including dependents per direct object, dependents per nominal subject english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 817 (standard deviation), and determiners per nominal. the p-values of the three measures show more than 0.05. dependents per direct object is the initial measure that shows no significant difference regarding phrasal feature utilization between master students and doctoral dissertations. it counts dependents for constructing direct object phrase type. figure 5 portrays the instance of dependents per direct object measure. there are two modifiers (a; phenomenology) for modifying direct object (research). the no significant difference value of this measure indicates that master and doctoral students already have the same understanding of modifiers for creating direct object phrases. the researcher designed a phenomenology research {det} {nn} {dobj} figure 5. dependents per direct object furthermore, the dependents per nominal subject (standard deviation) measure reveals no significant distinct between the two graduate-level writing types. it evaluates the occurrences of dependent types to compose nominal subject phrases. the example shows a phrase with modifiers (see figure 6). the nominal subject is feedback and the modifiers are the; two; corrective. thus, master's and doctoral students also have similar comprehension for utilizing modifiers for direct object compositions. figure 6. dependents per nominal subject (standard deviation) the two corrective feedbacks are inserted {det} {amod} {amod} {nsubj} determiners per nominal measure also performs no significant difference outcome between doctoral and master students. this measure explores the occurrences of determiners for modifying nominal. figure 7 shows the example of nominal with determiners. the nominal is interview and the determiner is the. no significant difference in this measure indicates that both graduate student levels have almost equal writing proficiency for utilizing determiners for composing nominal. figure 7. determiner per nominal the retrospective interview {det} {n} the outcomes of no significant difference in phrasal complexity are aligned with alsahlanee and jaganathan (2023). they compared iraqis/ efl research articles to l1 research articles that have difference writing proficiency. their study found no significant difference in two phrasal complexity measures. the finding shows that both writer types already have similar comprehension for utilizing certain phrasal features in iraqi contexts. therefore, students should considerate and improve their writing proficiency gap between high-proficiency writers and lower proficiency writers. conclusion the analysis and comparison of phrasal complexity measures of indonesian graduate-level writing were conducted in this study. the descriptive statistics showed the characteristics of academic writing written by indonesian graduate students. they tend to use more various types of modifiers to modify direct object composition. however, they require fewer dependents to compose nominal constructions. the descriptive analysis also showed doctoral students have higher writing proficiency and writing quality than master students. however, the master students utilize more determiners to modify nominal than doctoral students. besides the descriptive analysis, the inferential analysis showed a significant gap between master theses and doctoral dissertations. furthermore, nine out of 12 phrasal complexity measures showed significant differences between both writing types. however, three measures revealed no gap between both writing types, including dependents per direct object, dependents per nominal subject (standard deviation), and determiners per nominal. thus, there are gaps and similarities in linguistic comprehension between master and doctoral students for utilizing modifiers in composing noun phrase constructions based on the findings, this study can contribute to the linguistics field of syntactic complexity context. it provides the academic writing characteristics of indonesian graduate students in terms of phrasal complexity measures. this study also revealed the gap in phrasal complexity utilization between indonesian master students and indonesian doctoral dissertations that should be addressed to compose high-quality academic writing. thus, these findings are dhini anjarwati, yazid basthomi, & evynurul lailiy zen comparative analysis of syntactic complexity in indonesian graduate-level writing: a corpus study of master's theses versus doctoral dissertations 818 beneficial linguistic insights for the indonesian graduate level. while this study has investigated phrasal syntactic complexity in master theses and doctoral dissertations, this study has limitations. due to the available data from the database, each corpora stratum of master thesis and doctoral dissertation consists of different sizes of tokens. the differences influence corpus saturation aspects. in addition, the master thesis and doctoral dissertation have different numbers of words that impact the unequal tokens of balancedness aspect between master thesis corpora and doctoral dissertation corpora. furthermore, the representative updated data may transform because students’ academic writing increases over time. it can be identified that the shortcomings of this study are linked to the corpus’s representative phrasal attributes. based on the weakness, this study provides some recommendations for future studies. they can compare indonesian published research articles between master's and doctoral students. an equal number of abstract words can capture the representative phrasal features to establish a quality corpus. in addition, they can investigate updated corpus data to capture current linguistic phenomena that can help graduate students create high-quality writing. the study outcome will contribute crucial linguistic insight for writing ability improvement in the indonesian context. references ahsanuddin m., hanafi y., basthomi y., taufiqurrahman f., bukhori h.a., samodra j., widiati u., wijayati p.h. (2022). building a corpus-based academic vocabulary list of four languages. pegem journal of education and instruction, 12(1), 159-167. https://doi.org/10.47750/pegegog.12.01.15 alsahlanee, a., & jaganathan, p. (2023). phrasal syntactic complexity measures in linguistics research articles written by iraqi and english l1 writers. 3l: language, linguistics, literature, 29(1), 154–168. https://doi.org/10.17576/3l-2023-2901-11 arianto, m. a, sukhah, a. basthomi, y., wulyani, a.n. (2021). indonesian doctoral students’, indonesian academics’, and international authors’ research gap strategies in elt research article abstracts and introductions. journal of language & education, 7(2). 2544. https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2021.11735 budiyono, s., & fadhly, f. z. (2023). a qualitative evidence synthesis of article abstract writing in elt and literature journals. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 253-262. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7753 casal, j. e., & lee, j. j. (2019). syntactic complexity and writing quality in assessed first-year l2 writing. journal of second language writing, 44, 51–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2019.03.005 carradini, s. & swarts, j. (2023). text at scale: corpus analysis in technical communication. colorado: university press of colorado dong, j., hao, w., & buckingham, l. (2022). mapping out the disciplinary variation of syntactic complexity in student academic writing. system, 113. 102974. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2022.102974 esfandiari, r., & ahmadi, m. (2021). syntactic complexity measures and academic writing proficiency: a corpus-based study of professional and students’ prose. the journal of asia tefl, 18(3), 745–763. https://10.18823/asiatefl.2021.18.3.1.745 huang, j.c. (2024). unveiling efl graduate students’ eap needs and perceptions of eap courses: a large-scale survey in taiwan. journal of english for academic purposes, 68, 101348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2024.101348 kyle, k. (2016). measuring syntactic development in l2 writing: fine-grained indices of syntactic complexity and usage-based indices of syntactic sophistication. dissertation. georgia state university. https://doi.org/10.57709/8501051 kyle, k., & crossley, s. (2018). measuring syntactic complexity in l2 writing using fine-grained clausal and phrasal indices. the modern language journal, 102(2), 333–349. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12468 nasseri, m. (2021). is postgraduate english academic writing more clausal or phrasal? syntactic complexification at the crossroads of genre, proficiency, and statistical modelling. journal of english for academic purposes, 49, 100940. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2020.100940 rahayu, f. e. s., utomo, a., & setyowati, r. (2021). syntactic and lexical complexity of undergraduate students’ essays: a comparison study between l1 and l2 writings. ijeltal (indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics), 5(2), 251. https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v5i2.706. rofiqoh, basthomi, y., widiati, u., puspitasari, y., marhaban, s., & sulistyo, t. (2022). aspects of writing knowledge and efl students’ writing quality. studies in english language and education, 9(1), 14-29. http://dx.doi.org/10.24815/siele.v9i1.20433 sahan, a., saridewi, m. p., wabang, r. j., & nabung, a. (2024). implementation of android based augmented reality in english education. https://doi.org/10.17576/3l-2023-2901-11 https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2021.11735 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2019.03.005 https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v5i2.706 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 819 english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 269-282. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.8595 subandowo, d., & sárdi, c. (2023). academic essay writing in an english medium instruction environment: indonesian graduate students’ experiences at hungarian universities. ampersand, 11, 100158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amper.2023.100158 thi, n.k., vo, d.v., & nikolov, m. (2023). investigating syntactic complexity and language-related error patterns in efl students’ writing: corpus-based and epistemic network analyses. language learning in higher education, 13, 127-151. https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2023-2009 tuononen, t., & parpala, a. (2021). the role of academic competences and learning processes in predicting bachelor’s and master’s thesis grades. studies in educational evaluation, 70, 101001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2021.101001 wisker, g. (2019). developing scientific thinking and research skills through the research thesis or dissertation. in: murtonen, m., balloo, k. (eds) redefining scientific thinking for higher education. palgrave macmillan, cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24215-2_9 yin, s., gao, y., & lu, x. (2021). syntactic complexity of research article part-genres: differences between emerging and expert international publication writers. system, 97, 102427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102427 zen, e.l. (2020). role of regional language background and speech styles on the production of voice onset time (vot) in english among indonesian multilinguals. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 10, 359-368. http://dx.doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i2.28604 zhang, x., & lu, x. (2022). revisiting the predictive power of traditional vs. fine-grained syntactic complexity indices for l2 writing quality: the case of two genres. assessing writing, 51, 100597 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2021.100597 ziaeian, e., & golparvar, s. e. (2022). fine-grained measures of syntactic complexity in the discussion section of research articles: the effect of discipline and language background. journal of english for academic purposes, 57, 101116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2022.101116 zufferey, s. (2020). introduction to corpus linguistics. london: iste ltd https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102427 dhini anjarwati, yazid basthomi, & evynurul lailiy zen comparative analysis of syntactic complexity in indonesian graduate-level writing: a corpus study of master's theses versus doctoral dissertations 820 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 215 the impact of quillbot, an ai-powered writing tool, on efl students' argumentative essay writing skills yoga pratama english language and culture, universitas darma persada , jakarta, indonesia email: yogatoshi.15@gmail.com fridolini english language and culture, universitas darma persada , jakarta, indonesia email: fivienf@gmail.com roro meifi pitaloka master of english education program, universitas indraprasta pgri, jakarta, indonesia email: roromeifip@gmail.com apa citation: pratama, y., fridolini., & pitaloka, r. m. (2025). the impact of quillbot, an ai-powered writing tool, on efl students' argumentative essay writing skills. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 215-222. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.9746 received: 12-09-2024 accepted: 10-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 introduction the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (ai) and digital tools has significantly transformed the teaching of writing in higher education. according to haleem et al. (2022), ai-integrated platforms are reshaping traditional writing instruction into more interactive and engaging learning experiences. garlinska et al. (2023) highlight the role of virtual classrooms, online workshops, and ai-powered tools, such as grammar checkers and paraphrasing software, in enhancing writing proficiency. these tools provide real-time feedback, collaborative editing, and plagiarism detection, fostering not only students' writing skills but also critical thinking and independent problem-solving (nykyporets, 2023)." artificial intelligence in education (aied) has been a growing field since the 1990s, significantly influencing language learning and academic writing (zawacki-richter et al., 2019). in recent years, ai-powered writing tools have become increasingly popular in english as a foreign language (efl) classrooms, assisting students with grammar, sentence structure, and content organization. tools such as grammar checkers, aidriven writing assistants, and automated paraphrasing software streamline the writing process, making it more efficient for both students and instructors (t. s. chang et al., 2021; gayed et al., 2022; jeanjaroonsri, 2023; zhao, 2022). these tools have proven particularly beneficial for efl learners with limited english proficiency, abstract: the integration of artificial intelligence (ai) in language learning has transformed academic writing, particularly in english as a foreign language (efl) contexts. ai-powered writing tools such as quillbot offer real-time feedback, automated paraphrasing, and grammatical enhancements, potentially improving students’ writing proficiency. however, limited research explores the specific impact of quillbot on argumentative essay writing in efl classrooms. this study aims to examine the effectiveness of quillbot in enhancing the writing skills of third-semester efl students at universitas darma persada, indonesia. using a quasi-experimental design, 60 students were divided into an experimental group (quillbot-assisted learning) and a control group (traditional instruction). pre-test and post-test essay scores were analyzed using spss 27.0 to assess improvements in structure, coherence, and grammar. the findings revealed that students using quillbot showed significantly higher improvements in writing proficiency compared to those in the control group. the experimental group demonstrated enhanced argumentation, coherence, and grammatical accuracy, indicating that ai-assisted tools can be effective in fostering writing development. the study concludes that quillbot is a valuable supplementary tool for efl writing instruction, providing instant feedback and reducing students’ dependency on traditional teacher-led corrections. educators are encouraged to integrate ai writing assistants into teaching methodologies to optimize learning outcomes. future research should explore the longterm effects of ai-assisted writing on different writing genres and across diverse educational contexts. keywords: ai writing tools; quillbot; efl argumentative writing; writing proficiency; writing proficiency, technology-assisted learning. mailto:yogatoshi.15@gmail.com mailto:fivienf@gmail.com mailto:roromeifip@gmail.com yoga pratama, fridolini, & roro meifi pitaloka the impact of quillbot, an ai-powered writing tool, on efl students' argumentative essay writing skill 216 providing instant feedback that accelerates their writing development." ai-powered writing tools provide comprehensive feedback on grammar, vocabulary, syntax, content, and structure (hosseini et al., 2023; strobl et al., 2019; thorp, 2023). using machine learning algorithms, these tools analyze student writing against vast linguistic databases, identifying errors and suggesting corrections. quillbot, for example, offers real-time paraphrasing and grammatical enhancements, enabling efl students to refine their writing more effectively (akgun & greenhow, 2022; nazari et al., 2021; rudolph et al., 2023). this instant, personalized feedback helps learners internalize fundamental writing principles, ultimately improving their writing competence." as ai and natural language processing continue to evolve, writing tools such as quillbot and grammarly are becoming more sophisticated and widely accessible (geitgey, 2018; heaven, 2020). many of these ai-powered platforms are freely available online, making them easily accessible for students seeking writing support (kinden & prentice, 2018; rogerson & mccarthy, 2017). given that today's students, often referred to as 'digital natives,' have grown up with technology, they naturally integrate ai tools into their academic writing process (fithriani, 2021; zulfa et al., 2023). these tools offer an effective solution for common writing challenges, particularly in paraphrasing, grammar correction, and content refinement. according to marzuki et al. (2023), ai writing tools used in efl teaching have a significant impact on students' writing, particularly in content and organization. their research highlights the strategies teachers employ to integrate tools like quillbot, jenni, chat-gpt, wordtune, copy.ai, paperpal, and essay writer to address students' writing challenges. these tools foster a comprehensive learning environment and enhance students’ overall academic performance. quillbot is an ai-powered web tool that helps students evaluate their writing by automatic paraphrasing, grammatical checking, translation, plagiarism checking, summarizing, and citation generator. quillbot has two versions: premium and free. according to dale (2020), quillbot has become a popular free paraphrasing tool. quillbot provides a solution that uses ai to suggest paraphrases. quillbot provides a solution that uses ai to suggest paraphrases. ai techniques combine with deep learning and natural language analysis. words are automatically deleted, added, and changed in order to produce new sentences (fitria, 2021). using this tool is simple. quillbot rewrites text through typing or copying it and clicking the paraphrasing button (kinga & gupta, 2021). in addition, high-quality writing must be 100% plagiarism-free before publishing. that is why we need a program that can quickly modify sentences. figure 1. quillbot logo recently, there has been a growing amount of research on how ai writing tools affect student writing skills, and this research is relevant to the tefl enterprise. some research suggests that adopting ai-powered writing tools can help students improve their writing (e.g., kurniati & fithriani, 2022; wang, 2022; zhao, 2022), while others have voiced concerns about the side effects of these tools (e.g., y. liu et al., 2022; lund & wang, 2023; qadir, 2022). the expansion of ai technologies, particularly quillbot, has introduced new dynamics into education. despite the increasing popularity of such tools, the effectiveness of quillbot in enhancing students' writing skills remains uncertain. this study aims to address this gap by examining the impact of quillbot specifically in improving argumentative essay writing. using quillbot as an alternative method for essay composition, the research employs a quantitative approach to evaluate how this ai tool assists english as a foreign language (efl) students in writing english argumentative essays. method this study employs a quasi-experimental design to investigate the impact of ai-powered writing tools, particularly quillbot, on students' argumentative essay writing skills. as creswell (2012) defines, a quantitative experimental design examines the relationship between variables and the effects of interventions within a controlled environment. in alignment with sugiyono (2017), this study applies an experimental approach to evaluate how aidriven writing assistance influences students’ writing proficiency. this study uses a quasi-experimental pretestposttest design with a nonequivalent control group english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 217 to assess the impact of ai-powered writing tools on students' writing proficiency. according to yeaton (2024), quasi-experimental designs provide a structured approach to evaluating causal relationships when randomization is not feasible. in this study, a pre-test was administered before the intervention, followed by a post-test after students in the experimental group were exposed to quillbot, while the control group continued with conventional writing instruction." the research design is outlined in table 1 below, illustrating the structure of the experimental and control groups, along with the pre-test and post-test phases." table 1. the research design is outlined in table 1 below, illustrating the structure of the experimental and control groups, along with the pre-test and post-test phases group pre-test (o1/o3) treatment (x) post-test (o2/o4) experimental group o1 x o2 control group o3 o4 explanation: o1: pre-test for the experimental group. x: treatment (use of ai quillbot) applied to the experimental group. o2: post-test for the experimental group. o3: pre-test for the control group. o4: post-test for the control group (without the treatment). table 2. list of participants no class name semester entire student population samples 1 class (01) 3rd semester 30 30 2 class (02) 3rd semester 30 30 total 60 60 this research study involved a sample of 30 students enrolled in the third semester of the english language and culture program. the participants included both male and female students, with an average age range of 19 to 20 years. their proficiency level was intermediate, as determined by prior assessments that confirmed their ability to comprehend and apply fundamental english concepts and writing patterns. given the study's focus on exploring specific learning outcomes within a defined group, randomization was deemed impractical. instead, purposive sampling was employed to select participants who met the study's criteria, ensuring alignment with the research objectives (andrade, 2021). third-semester students were chosen as ideal participants because they had completed foundational coursework, placing them at an intermediate level of english proficiency. this level was critical for the study, as it ensured participants possessed the necessary skills to engage meaningfully with the research tasks. additionally, purposive sampling allowed the researcher to target a group with shared academic experiences, which was essential for addressing the study's specific aims. data were collected from the assignments of two third-semester student classes. the primary method of data collection involved evaluating students' competence in crafting argumentative essays. a rubric-based scoring system was used to assess the essays, focusing on criteria such as argument structure, coherence, and evidence use. descriptive analysis was employed to summarize the data, including measures of central tendency and variability. after confirming the normality of the data using the kolmogorov-smirnov test and homogeneity using levene’s test, hypothesis testing was conducted using the wilcoxon signedrank test to compare pre-test and post-test scores in both groups. this approach allowed for a systematic comparison of the two groups' performance. results and discussion in this research, two types of data analysis tests were conducted: the normality test and the homogeneity test. these tests were performed to determine whether parametric or non-parametric statistics should be used for inferential analysis. parametric statistics are applicable when the sample data meet the assumptions of normality and homogeneity. specifically, the shapiro-wilk test was used to assess normality, while levene’s test was employed to evaluate homogeneity. these statistical tests ensured the appropriateness of the chosen analytical methods for the data. the first step was conducting a normality test on the pretest data from both the control and experimental classes. the purpose of this test was to determine whether the data followed a normal distribution, which would dictate the choice of statistical methods for further analysis. in this study, the kolmogorov-smirnov test, performed using spss 27.0, was used to assess normality. the results, displayed in the tests of normality table under the sig column, indicated whether the data met the normality assumption. according to the yoga pratama, fridolini, & roro meifi pitaloka the impact of quillbot, an ai-powered writing tool, on efl students' argumentative essay writing skill 218 criteria, a significance value (p-value) greater than 0.05 suggests that the data follows a normal distribution. tabel 3. one-sample kolmogorov-smirnov test according to the one-sample kolmogorovsmirnov test, the pre-test control group yielded a significance value of 0.000 (α = 0.05), leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis (h0) and acceptance of the alternative hypothesis (h1). this indicates that the pre-test data does not follow a normal distribution. in contrast, the post-test control group data showed a significance value of 0.483 (α = 0.05), suggesting a normal distribution. these results have implications for hypothesis testing: non-normal data requires the use of nonparametric statistical methods, while normally distributed data allows for parametric methods. table 4. data distribution assuming that the sig value is more than α = 0.05, we can conclude that h0 is accepted and h1 is rejected, indicating that the statistical data follows a normal distribution. at a significance threshold of α = 0.05, the experimental group pretest data produced a sig value of 0.000. since the significance value is less than α = 0.05, the null hypothesis (h0) is rejected and the alternative hypothesis (h1) is accepted, indicating that the data has non-normal distribution. the observed post-test results of the experimental group yielded a significance value of 0.000 at a significance level of α = 0.05. since the significance value is less than α = 0.05, the null hypothesis (h0) is rejected and the alternative hypothesis (h1) is accepted, indicating that the data has non-normal distribution. from these results, it could be concluded that there is only one instance of normal data, while the other three are not. considering this basis, the present work is going to use nonparametric statistics for hypothesis testing. second, the homogeneity test was conducted on the pretest data of the control and experimental classes. the purpose of this test was to determine whether the variances between the two groups were similar, ensuring comparability for further analysis. the levene statistical test was used with a significance level of α = 0.05. if the significance value exceeded α, the null hypothesis was rejected, indicating unequal variances. table 5. test of homogenity of variances (post-test control group) levene statistic df1 df2 sig. 2.014 1 23 .169 table 6. test of homogeneity of variances post-test control group levene statistic df1 df2 sig. .536 1 23 .471 table 7. test of homogeneity of variances pree-test experiment group levene statistic df1 df2 sig. . 1 . . table 8. test of homogeneity of variances post-test experiment group levene statistic df1 df2 sig. 27.429 4 20 .000 the present study included the implementation of a homogeneity test on the pre-test and post-test data of both experimental groups. the table displaying the test of homogeneity of variances indicates that the significant difference (sig) value obtained from comparing the pre-test and post-test of the control group was 0.169, with a significance level of α = 0.05. therefore, since the sig value exceeds α = 0.05, we can deduce that h0 is accepted and h1 is rejected, providing proof of homogeneity in the data. based on a significance level of α = 0.05, the experimental group's pre-test and post-test data showed a sig value of 0.471. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 219 considering the sig value above α = 0.05, we can conclude that h0 is accepted and h1 is rejected, therefore giving evidence of homogeneity in the statistical data. considering a significance level of α = 0.05, the pre-test data from both the control group and experimental group exhibited a statistically significant zero. under the condition that the significance level (sig) is less than α = 0.05, the null hypothesis (h0) is rejected in favor of the alternative hypothesis (h1), indicating that the data does not exhibit uniformity. at a significance threshold of α = 0.05, the statistical significance (sig) value for the post-test data in both the control group and experimental group was established as 0.000. with a significance level less than α = 0.05, the null hypothesis (h0) is refuted in favor of the alternative hypothesis (h1), indicating that the data is not homogeneous. nevertheless, as the data fell short of the requirements for parametric statistical testing, nonparametric approaches were taken. in order to account for the non-normal distribution of the data, the wilcoxon signed-rank test was used instead of the paired sample t-test. table 9. wilcoxon signed ranks test group comparison z value asymp. sig. (2tailed) conclusion control group posttest control group pretest -1.874b 0.061 no significant difference in essay writing ability experimenta l group posttest experimenta l group pretest -4.898b 0.000 significant improvement in essay writing ability with ai quillbot the wilcoxon test results showed that the control group exhibited no significant improvement in argumentative essay writing (asymp. sig. = 0.061, p > 0.05). in contrast, the experimental group, which used ai quillbot, demonstrated a statistically significant improvement (asymp. sig. = 0.000, p < 0.05). these findings confirm that ai-powered writing tools positively impact students' writing proficiency. conclusion this study demonstrates the significant impact of ai-powered writing tools, specifically quillbot, on improving efl students’ argumentative essay writing skills. the experimental group, which utilized quillbot, exhibited notable advancements in coherence, argument structure, and grammatical accuracy compared to the control group, which relied solely on traditional writing instruction. the findings highlight that ai-assisted writing tools can effectively address common writing challenges faced by efl learners, offering instant feedback and facilitating self-revision, which are critical components of the writing development process. the results suggest that integrating ai writing tools into academic instruction can enhance students’ writing proficiency by providing automated corrections and structure refinement. these tools not only assist in minimizing errors but also encourage students to engage in self-directed learning. given the widespread accessibility of aibased platforms, educators should consider incorporating such tools into writing curricula to supplement conventional teaching methods. however, it is essential to ensure that students develop critical thinking and originality in their writing, rather than relying entirely on aigenerated suggestions. future research should explore the long-term effects of ai-assisted writing on different writing genres and across varying proficiency levels. additionally, investigating students’ perceptions of ai tools in writing development can provide further insights into their effectiveness in educational settings. while ai-powered tools like quillbot offer significant benefits, they should be integrated thoughtfully, ensuring that students still acquire fundamental writing skills while leveraging technological advancements for enhanced learning outcomes. references amanda, a., sukma, e. m., lubis, n., & dewi, u. (2023). quillbot as an ai-powered english writing assistant: an alternative for students to write english. jurnal pendidikan dan sastra inggris, 3(2), 4560. https://doi.org/10.55606/jupensi.v3i2.2026 abraham, i., & supriyati, y. (2022). desain kuasi eksperimen dalam pendidikan: literature. jurnal ilmiah mandala education, 8(3), 2476– 2482. https://doi.org/10.36312/jime.v8i3.3800 akgun, s., & greenhow, c. (2022). artificial intelligence in education: addressing ethical challenges in k-12 settings. ai and ethics, 2(3), 431–440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-02100096-7 amyatun, r. l., & kholis, a. (2023). can artificial intelligence (ai) like quillbot ai assist students’ writing skills? assisting learning to write texts https://doi.org/10.55606/jupensi.v3i2.2026 https://doi.org/10.36312/jime.v8i3.3800 https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-021-00096-7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-021-00096-7 yoga pratama, fridolini, & roro meifi pitaloka the impact of quillbot, an ai-powered writing tool, on efl students' argumentative essay writing skill 220 using ai. ele reviews: english language education reviews, 3(2), 135– 154. https://doi.org/10.22515/elereviews.v3i2.7 533 ariyanti, a., & anam, s. (2021). technology-enhanced paraphrasing tool to improve efl students’ writing achievement and enjoyment. journal of english language teaching and linguistics, 6(3), 715– 726. http://dx.doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v6i3.698 asmara, y. v., & kastuhandani, f. c. (2024). students’ lived experience in utilizing quillbot as an online paraphrasing tool in academic writing. globish: an english-indonesian journal for english education and culture, 13(1), 56. https://doi.org/10.31000/globish.v13i1.1008 8 butsic, v., lewis, d. j., radeloff, v. c., baumann, m., & kuemmerle, t. (2017). quasi-experimental methods enable stronger inferences from observational data in ecology. basic and applied ecology, 19, 1– 10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2017.01.005 chang, t. s., li, y., huang, h. w., & whitfield, b. (2021). exploring efl students’ writing performance and their acceptance of ai-based automated writing feedback. in 2021 2nd international conference on education development and studies (pp. 31– 35). https://doi.org/10.1145/3459043.3459065 chittaranjan, a. (2021). the inconvenient truth about convenience and purposive samples. indian journal of psychological medicine, 43(1), 86– 88. https://doi.org/10.1177/0253717620977000 creswell, j. w. (2012). education research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. pearson education. dale, r. (2020). natural language generation: the commercial state of the art in 2020. natural language engineering, 26(4), 481– 487. https://doi.org/10.1017/s13513249200002 5x eka, y. k., & fithriani, r. (2022). post-graduate students’ perceptions of quillbot utilization in english academic writing class. journal of english language teaching and linguistics, 7(3), 437– 451. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v7i3.852 fitria, t. n. (2021). quillbot as an online tool: students’ alternative in paraphrasing and rewriting of english writing. englisia: journal of language, education, and humanities, 9(1), 183. https://doi.org/10.22373/ej.v9i1.10233 fitria, t. n. (2022). avoiding plagiarism of students' scientific writing by using the quillbot paraphraser. elsya: journal of english language studies, 4(1), 45– 60. https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v4i3.9917 friday, n., & leah, n. (2024). types of purposive sampling techniques with their examples and application in qualitative research studies. british journal of multidisciplinary and advanced studies, 5(1), 1– 15. https://doi.org/10.37745/bjmas.2022.0419 garlinska, m., osial, m., proniewska, k., & pregowska, a. (2023). the influence of emerging technologies on distance education. electronics, 12(7), 1550. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics120715 50 gayed, j. m., carlon, m. k. j., oriola, a. m., & cross, j. s. (2022). exploring an ai-based writing assistant’s impact on english language learners. computers and education: artificial intelligence, 3, 100055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2022.10 0055 geitgey, a. (2018). natural language processing is fun! how computers understand human language. medium. ginting, p., batubara, h. m., & hasnah, y. (2023). artificial intelligence powered writing tools as adaptable aids for academic writing: insight from efl college learners in writing final project. international journal of multidisciplinary research and analysis, 6(2), 123–135. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijmra/v6-i1015 haleem, a., javaid, m., & singh, r. p. (2022). an era of chatgpt as a significant futuristic support tool: a study on features, abilities, and challenges. bench council transactions on benchmarks, standards and evaluations, 2(4), 100089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbench.2023.1 00089 heaven, w. d. (2020). openai’s new language generator gpt-3 is shockingly good and completely mindless. mit technology review. hiếu, b. v., huy, h. m., hang, c. t., hiếu, b. v., & huy, h. m. (2022). employing the quillbot application in order to sharpen paraphrasing skills in writing academic essays for englishmajored students at the school of foreign languages. journal of language and education, 8(2), 123– 135. https://doi.org/10.34238/tnu-jst.6717 hosseini, m., rasmussen, l. m., & resnik, d. b. (2023). using ai to write scholarly publications. accountability in research, 30(1), 1– 9. https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2023.2168 535 jeanjaroonsri, r. (2023). thai efl learners’ use and perceptions of mobile technologies for writing. learn journal: language education and acquisition research network, 16(1), 169– 193. https://so04.tcithaijo.org/index.php/lear n/article/view/263438 kinden, c. e., & prentice, f. m. (2018). paraphrasing tools, language translation tools and plagiarism: https://doi.org/10.22515/elereviews.v3i2.7533 https://doi.org/10.22515/elereviews.v3i2.7533 http://dx.doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v6i3.698 https://doi.org/10.31000/globish.v13i1.10088 https://doi.org/10.31000/globish.v13i1.10088 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2017.01.005 https://doi.org/10.1145/3459043.3459065 https://doi.org/10.1177/0253717620977000 https://doi.org/10.1017/s135132492000025x https://doi.org/10.1017/s135132492000025x https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v7i3.852 https://doi.org/10.22373/ej.v9i1.10233 https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v4i3.9917 https://doi.org/10.37745/bjmas.2022.0419 https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12071550 https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12071550 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2022.100055 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2022.100055 https://doi.org/10.47191/ijmra/v6-i10-15 https://doi.org/10.47191/ijmra/v6-i10-15 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbench.2023.100089 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbench.2023.100089 https://doi.org/10.34238/tnu-jst.6717 https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2023.2168535 https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2023.2168535 https://so04.tcithaijo.org/index.php/learn/article/view/263438 https://so04.tcithaijo.org/index.php/learn/article/view/263438 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 221 an exploratory study. international journal for educational integrity, 14(1), 1– 16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-018-0036-7 kinga, s., & gupta, g. s. (2021). platforms as foundation of sharing economy. delhi business review, 22(1), 1– 13. https://doi.org/10.51768/dbr.v22i1.2212021 01 kurniati, e. y., & fithriani, r. (2022). post-graduate students’ perceptions of quillbot utilization in english academic writing class. journal of english language teaching and linguistics, 7(3), 437– 451. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v7i3.852 liu, y., mittal, a., yang, d., & bruckman, a. (2022). will ai console me when i lose my pet? understanding perceptions of ai-mediated email writing. proceedings of the 2022 chi conference on human factors in computing systems (pp. 1– 13). https://doi.org/10.1145/3491102.3517731 lund, b. d., & wang, t. (2023). chatting about chatgpt: how may ai and gpt impact academia and libraries? library hi tech news, 40(3), 26– 29. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhtn-01-20230009 lynch, m. (2018, july 6). consequences of the new digital childhood. the tech advocate. https://www.thetechedvocate.org/con sequences-of-the-new-digital-childhood/ marzuki, widiati, u., rusdin, d., darwin, & indrawati, i. (2023). the impact of ai writing tools on the content and organization of students’ writing: efl teachers’ perspective. cogent education, 10(2), 2236469. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.20 23.2236469 mohammad, t., alzubi, a. a., nazim, m., & khan, s. i. (2023). efl paraphrasing skills with quillbot: unveiling students enthusiasm and insights. journal of pedagogical research, 7(1), 123– 135. http://dx.doi.org/10.33902/jpr.202324645 nazari, n., shabbir, m. s., & setiawan, r. (2021). application of artificial intelligence powered digital writing assistant in higher education: randomized controlled trial. heliyon, 7(5), e07014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e 07014 nurmayanti, n., & suryadi, s. (2023). the effectiveness of using quillbot in improving writing for students of english education study program. jurnal teknologi pendidikan: jurnal penelitian dan pengembangan pembelajaran, 15(2), 123–135. https://doi.org/10.33394/jtp.v8i1.6392 nykyporets, s. s. (2023). harnessing cloud technologies for foreign language acquisition among masters in energy engineering. moderní aspekty vědy: svazek xxxi mezinárodní, 21(1), 21– 56. http://ir.lib.vntu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/3 7121 qadir, j. (2022). engineering education in the era of chatgpt: promise and pitfalls of generative ai for education. techrxiv. preprint. https://doi.org/10.36227/techrxiv.2178 9434.v1 rogerson, a. m., & mccarthy, g. (2017). using internet based paraphrasing tools: original work, patchwriting or facilitated plagiarism? international journal for educational integrity, 13(1), 1– 15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-016-0013-y rudolph, j., tan, s., & tan, s. (2023). chatgpt: bullshit spewer or the end of traditional assessments in higher education? journal of applied learning & teaching, 6(1), 342– 363. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2023.6.1.9 strobl, c., ailhaud, e., benetos, k., devitt, a., kruse, o., proske, a., & rapp, c. (2019). digital support for academic writing: a review of technologies and pedagogies. computers & education, 131, 33– 48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.12.0 05 sugiyono. (2017). metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r&d. bandung: cv. alfabeta. syahnaz, m., & fithriani, r. (2023). utilizing artificial intelligence-based paraphrasing tool in efl writing class: a focus on indonesian university students’ perceptions. scope: journal of english language teaching, 7(2), 123– 135. http://dx.doi.org/10.30998/scope.v7i2.1488 2 wang, z. (2022). computer-assisted efl writing and evaluations based on artificial intelligence: a case from a college reading and writing course. library hi tech, 40(1), 80– 97. https://doi.org/10.1108/lht-05-2020-0113 william, h., & yeaton, w. (2024). experimental and quasi-experimental designs – verities and balderdash. journal of research methods, 12(1), 123– 135. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003362715-12 yoandita, & hasnah, y. (2024). quillbot as an alternative writing tool: examining its uses on the academic writing performance of efl learners. esteem: journal of english education, 7(2), 123– 135. https://doi.org/10.31851/esteem.v7i2.1525 4 yosephine, v. a., & kastuhandani, f. c. (2024). students’ lived experience in utilizing quillbot as an online paraphrasing tool in academic writing. globish: an english-indonesian journal for english education and culture, 13(1), https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-018-0036-7 https://doi.org/10.51768/dbr.v22i1.221202101 https://doi.org/10.51768/dbr.v22i1.221202101 https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v7i3.852 https://doi.org/10.1145/3491102.3517731 https://doi.org/10.1108/lhtn-01-2023-0009 https://doi.org/10.1108/lhtn-01-2023-0009 https://www.thetechedvocate.org/consequences-of-the-new-digital-childhood/ https://www.thetechedvocate.org/consequences-of-the-new-digital-childhood/ https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2023.2236469 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2023.2236469 http://dx.doi.org/10.33902/jpr.202324645 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07014 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07014 https://doi.org/10.33394/jtp.v8i1.6392 http://ir.lib.vntu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/37121 http://ir.lib.vntu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/37121 https://doi.org/10.36227/techrxiv.21789434.v1 https://doi.org/10.36227/techrxiv.21789434.v1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-016-0013-y https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2023.6.1.9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.12.005 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.12.005 http://dx.doi.org/10.30998/scope.v7i2.14882 http://dx.doi.org/10.30998/scope.v7i2.14882 https://doi.org/10.1108/lht-05-2020-0113 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003362715-12 https://doi.org/10.31851/esteem.v7i2.15254 https://doi.org/10.31851/esteem.v7i2.15254 yoga pratama, fridolini, & roro meifi pitaloka the impact of quillbot, an ai-powered writing tool, on efl students' argumentative essay writing skill 222 56. https://doi.org/10.31000/globish.v13i1.1008 8 zawacki-richter, o., marín, v. i., bond, m., & gouverneur, f. (2019). systematic review of research on artificial intelligence applications in higher education – where are the educators? international journal of educational technology in higher education, 16(1), 39. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0171-0 https://doi.org/10.31000/globish.v13i1.10088 https://doi.org/10.31000/globish.v13i1.10088 https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0171-0 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1107 field experience challenges: exploring the difficulties of ppg english education students at fkip uir, pekanbaru rugaiyah english study program, faculty of teachers, and education, universitas islam riau, indonesia e-mail: ruqaiyah@edu.uir.ac.id miranti eka putri english study program, faculty of teachers, and education, universitas islam riau, indonesia e-mail: mirantiekaputri@edu.uir.ac.id khulaifiyah english study program, faculty of teachers, and education, universitas islam riau, indonesia e-mail: khulaifiyah@edu.uir.ac.id andi idayani english study program, faculty of teachers, and education, universitas islam riau, indonesia e-mail: andiidayani@edu.uir.ac.id ari mulyani english study program, faculty of teachers, and education, universitas islam riau, indonesia e-mail: arimulianiahmad @edu.uir.ac.id apa citation: rugaiyah., putri, m. e., khulaifiyah., idayani, a., & mulyani, a. (2024). field experience challenges: exploring the difficulties of ppg english education students at fkip uir, pekanbaru. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1107-1118. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.9405 received: 26-06-2024 accepted: 21-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction the field experience program is a crucial component of teacher preparation, designed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical teaching skills. implementing these programs, particularly in english education, is essential to develop future teachers' pedagogical and classroom management skills. however, ppg (teacher professional education) students often encounter various difficulties that hinder the effectiveness of their learning during field experience programs (arifa & prayitno, 2019; hamid et al., 2012; oktarina, 2021; rijal, 2018; afriadi & tola, 2022; halimah as sa'diyah, 2023; zulfitri & setiawan, 2023). this study aims to explore the challenges faced by ppg students at fkip uir pekanbaru, riau, in their field experience program, focusing on identifying the underlying factors contributing to these difficulties and proposing potential solutions. abstract: this study investigates the challenges faced by english language education students in the teacher professional education (ppg) program at fkip uir while implementing the field experience program in pekanbaru, riau. utilizing a descriptive research design with a qualitative approach, the study focuses on 10 ppg english education students engaged in the field program during the 2023/2024 academic year. data collection was conducted through questionnaires, and the analysis employed percentage-based evaluation. the findings reveal that students faced minimal difficulties across various instructional activities. specifically, challenges related to lesson openings, mastery of learning materials, and the use of educational resources and media were categorized as low. moderate difficulties were observed in applying educational strategies and the scientific approach. additionally, minimal challenges were identified in engaging students and conducting lesson closures. overall, the results indicate that the difficulties encountered by ppg english education students at fkip uir in carrying out the field experience program are relatively low, suggesting that these students successfully implement the program with minimal challenges. keywords: challenges; teacher professional education; english language education; field experience program; ppg. rugaiyah, miranti eka putri, khulaifiyah, andi idayani, &ari mulyani field experience challenges: exploring the difficulties of ppg english education students at fkip uir, pekanbaru 1108 research into teacher professional education reveals several challenges that pre-service teachers encounter during field experiences. these include a lack of readiness, insufficient mentoring, and difficulties adapting to school environments (suyatno et al., 2023; hamid et al., 2012; arifa & prayitno, 2019; halimah as sa'diyah, 2023; oktarina, 2021; napanoy et al., 2021; sibuea, 2017). studies further emphasize the need for comprehensive support from both teacher education programs and partner schools to enhance the quality of field experiences (alelaimat et al., 2020; hamid et al., 2012; suyatno et al., 2023; thomas et al., 2020; brown et al., 2021; pewkam & chamrat, 2022; suyatno et al., 2023). effective mentoring has been highlighted as a crucial factor for building pre-service teachers' confidence and skills (orland-barak & wang, 2021; ardiyansah, 2021; karlström & hamza, 2021; napanoy et al., 2021; kusuma, 2022; lestari, 2020; kang, 2021). technology integration and the use of digital tools during teaching practice are also gaining attention in teacher education programs (alelaimat et al., 2020; aslam et al., 2021; mcgarr & mcdonagh, 2021; fathi & ebadi, 2020; hsu & lin, 2020; alhumaid et al., 2021; nash et al., 2021). these tools help pre-service teachers become more familiar with technology-enhanced teaching and learning practices, equipping them to meet the demands of modern classrooms (reynolds et al., 2021; greve et al., 2020; qiu et al., 2022; andzik & schaefer, 2020; koh, 2021; goh & scrabis-fletcher, 2020; matsumoto-royo et al., 2022). however, studies also point out that integrating technology requires adequate training and support (aslam et al., 2021; goh et al., 2020; greve et al., 2020; bjorklund jr. et al., 2020; ding & hong, 2024; peciuliauskiene et al., 2022; montoya-lópez et al., 2020). pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and reflective thinking have been identified as key factors influencing their professional development during field experience programs (aslam et al., 2021; gorospe, 2022; nash et al., 2021; mcgarr & mcdonagh, 2021; koh, 2021; qiu et al., 2022; goh & scrabis-fletcher, 2020). programs that encourage reflective practices and community engagement contribute to developing teachers’ abilities to manage diverse classroom situations effectively (lachner et al., 2021; fathi & ebadi, 2020; nash et al., 2021; suyatno et al., 2023; mcgarr & mcdonagh, 2021; gorospe, 2022; wilson et al., 2020). however, pre-service teachers often face challenges related to teaching anxiety and cultural adjustment, especially when placed in unfamiliar school environments (montoya-lópez et al., 2020; gorospe, 2022; matsumoto-royo et al., 2022; greve et al., 2020; peciuliauskiene et al., 2022; goh et al., 2020; koh, 2021). the mentoring process plays a significant role in shaping pre-service teachers' experiences and professional identities. positive mentoring relationships foster confidence and encourage the adoption of innovative teaching practices (karlström & hamza, 2021; nash et al., 2021; pewkam & chamrat, 2022; kusuma, 2022; lestari, 2020; suyatno et al., 2023; kang, 2021). however, the lack of structured mentoring frameworks often results in inconsistencies in the quality of support provided to pre-service teachers (orland-barak & wang, 2021; brown et al., 2021; thomas et al., 2020; napanoy et al., 2021; alelaimat et al., 2020; matsumoto-royo et al., 2022; pewkam & chamrat, 2022). while numerous studies have explored various aspects of pre-service teacher education and field experience programs, there is limited research focusing specifically on the difficulties encountered by ppg students during their field experience programs in the indonesian context. particularly, the challenges faced by ppg english education students at fkip uir pekanbaru remain underexplored. this study aims to fill this gap by providing an in-depth analysis of the obstacles these students face, including the impact of mentoring, technology integration, and selfefficacy on their teaching practices. the novelty of this research lies in its focus on the unique experiences of ppg students in riau, contributing to the broader understanding of teacher education in indonesia. investigating the challenges faced by ppg english education students during their field experience programs is crucial for improving the quality of teacher preparation in indonesia. the findings of this study will provide valuable insights for teacher education institutions, policymakers, and mentor teachers, helping them design more effective programs and support systems. addressing these challenges is essential to ensuring that future teachers are well-prepared to meet the demands of modern classrooms and contribute to the advancement of education in indonesia. method this study employs a quantitative approach to investigate the difficulties faced by ppg english education students in implementing their field experience program at fkip uir pekanbaru, riau. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1109 the research focuses on gathering data through a structured questionnaire to identify the various challenges and categorize them into different difficulty levels based on student responses. the use of a likert scale ensures a comprehensive assessment of the perceived challenges, providing valuable insights for both educators and policymakers (afriadi & tola, 2022; oktarina, 2021; halimah as sa'diyah, 2023; zulfitri et al., 2019; arifa & prayitno, 2019; napanoy et al., 2021; hamid et al., 2012). the primary instrument used for data collection in this study was a structured questionnaire. this questionnaire was meticulously designed to assess the challenges and difficulties faced by students during their field experience practices (ppl). it utilized a likert scale with five response options, allowing participants to rate their experiences from "very difficult" to "not difficult" across various categories. the structure of the questionnaire ensured that the students' responses could be quantitatively analyzed, providing insight into the specific areas where challenges were encountered. each category within the questionnaire was assigned numerical values to correspond with varying levels of difficulty. the difficulty levels were defined as follows: "very difficult" with a scale value of 5, corresponding to a score range of 59–60 and interpreted as "very high" difficulty; "difficult" with a scale value of 4, covering a score range of 60–69 and indicating "high" difficulty; "quite difficult" with a scale value of 3, encompassing scores from 70–79, reflecting "moderate" difficulty; "less difficult" with a scale value of 2, covering the range of 80–89, indicating "low" difficulty; and "not difficult" with a scale value of 1, corresponding to a score range of 90– 100, interpreted as "very low" difficulty. the development of this instrument underwent rigorous validation through expert judgment. experts evaluated the content to ensure that the questionnaire items were relevant, aligned with the research objectives, and suitable for assessing the participants' experiences in the field. this validation process enhanced the reliability and validity of the instrument, ensuring it effectively captured the difficulties students encountered in the field experience program. drawing on research methods from prior studies (alelaimat et al., 2020; hamid et al., 2012; lestari, 2020; brown et al., 2021; pewkam & chamrat, 2022; wilson et al., 2020; suyatno et al., 2023), the instrument was refined to meet high academic standards. this approach ensured that the data collected would be both reliable and aligned with established practices in educational research, facilitating a comprehensive analysis of the challenges faced by students in the ppl program. the use of a validated instrument strengthened the research's capacity to identify the areas where students struggled, thus enabling the formulation of targeted recommendations for improving the implementation of future field experience programs. the questionnaire was distributed to the participants through a combination of in-person and online methods, depending on the accessibility of the respondents. all data were collected within a specific timeframe to maintain consistency and ensure data quality. the responses were anonymous to encourage honest feedback and minimize response bias. the collected data focused on three primary components: difficulties related to instructional practices, classroom management, and mentoring support (fathi & ebadi, 2020; aslam et al., 2021; kang, 2021; orland-barak & wang, 2021; mcgarr & mcdonagh, 2021; hamid et al., 2012; oktarina, 2021). all data collected from the questionnaires were analyzed using a percentage test, which allowed for the identification of patterns in students' responses and their distribution across the five difficulty levels. the percentage analysis helped quantify the challenges experienced by the participants, revealing trends and highlighting areas requiring improvement. this method provided both descriptive insights and statistical validation of the students' difficulties (gorospe, 2022; nash et al., 2021; peciuliauskiene et al., 2022; greve et al., 2020; pewkam & chamrat, 2022; mcgarr & mcdonagh, 2021; alelaimat et al., 2020). the research adhered to ethical guidelines, including obtaining informed consent from all participants, ensuring confidentiality, and providing the right to withdraw from the study at any stage. additionally, the study received approval from the relevant academic committees to ensure that the research was conducted according to institutional standards (aslam et al., 2021; lestari, 2020; brown et al., 2021; suyatno et al., 2023; wilson et al., 2020; hamid et al., 2012; kang, 2021). by employing a robust methodology that integrates a likert-scale questionnaire and percentage-based analysis, this research offers a detailed understanding of the difficulties encountered by ppg english education students during their field experience. the results will contribute to enhancing the design of future field experience programs, ensuring they are better aligned with the needs of pre-service teachers rugaiyah, miranti eka putri, khulaifiyah, andi idayani, &ari mulyani field experience challenges: exploring the difficulties of ppg english education students at fkip uir, pekanbaru 1110 (afriadi & tola, 2022; oktarina, 2021; hamid et al., 2012; thomas et al., 2020; napanoy et al., 2021; halimah as sa'diyah, 2023; arifa & prayitno, 2019). result and discussion challenges in opening lesson activities based on the analysis, further insights can be drawn regarding the challenges encountered by ppg english education students at fkip universitas islam riau during their field experience practices (ppl) in pekanbaru, riau. the data presented in table 1 highlights the students' experience with lesson opening activities, a fundamental component of effective teaching. remarkably, 100% of the participants indicated "not difficult" when asked about their ability to initiate lesson activities, signifying a very low level of difficulty in this aspect of their teaching practice. this outcome demonstrates that these students are well-prepared and proficient in implementing one of the crucial teaching elements—initiating lessons smoothly and effectively engaging learners from the start. their success in this area reflects the effectiveness of their prior education and training, which has equipped them with essential teaching competencies. as aspiring educators, they have shown the capacity to establish clear learning objectives, capture students' attention, and foster a positive classroom atmosphere from the very beginning of each session. mastery of these lesson-opening techniques is vital, as it enables teachers to create seamless transitions into the core content of the lesson, ensuring that students remain engaged and focused throughout. the students' ability to confidently begin lessons serves as a promising indicator of their readiness to take on more complex teaching responsibilities and maintain student engagement over time. table 1. ppg students’ challenges in opening lesson activities no. indicator aspect frequency percentage level of difficulty 1 not difficult lesson learning activities 10 100% very low total 10 100% a key contributing factor to this success is the students' strong understanding of the learning material. the ability to relate the content to students' daily experiences and prior knowledge enhances engagement and motivation. for example, posing questions or using examples tied to real-life scenarios enables students to connect with the subject matter, fostering deeper thinking and reasoning related to the lesson. the educational background of the ppg students, who are already graduates with a bachelor’s degree in education, plays a significant role in their competency. their prior training in teaching methodologies, including lesson openings, has equipped them with the skills necessary to create effective learning environments. this preparation enables them to engage students confidently and competently, without facing significant obstacles. the importance of effective lesson-opening strategies cannot be understated. (effective lessonopening strategies are crucial.) techniques such as reviewing previous lessons, incorporating multimedia, or starting with interactive activities— like games or challenges—help create a stimulating learning atmosphere. these approaches activate students' prior knowledge, set the tone for learning, and ensure that students remain focused on the learning objectives. additionally, engaging lesson openings have long-term benefits for student learning. strategies like using hooks, such as brain teasers or multimedia presentations, capture student interest and generate excitement about the lesson. by creating a fun and engaging environment at the start, teachers can improve students' concentration levels and foster positive learning habits that carry through the rest of the lesson. moreover, the use of technology, such as branching exercises within moodle, further enhances lesson openings by personalizing learning pathways. this allows students to interact with the content based on their responses, making the lesson more engaging and tailored to their needs. such tools also promote active participation from the outset, contributing to better learning outcomes. in summary, the findings suggest that ppg english education students at fkip uir have developed strong lesson-opening skills, which are crucial for successful teaching. their ability to perform these activities without difficulty indicates their readiness to become professional educators. this competency in lesson openings highlights the importance of training teachers in techniques that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1111 engage learners, establish relevance, and ensure effective transitions into the main content. the students' performance underscores the value of teacher preparation programs that emphasize practical teaching skills, ultimately leading to improved student engagement and learning outcomes. challenges in mastering learning material based on the data from table 2, it is evident that the level of difficulty faced by ppg english language education students in mastering learning material is classified as "low." this is demonstrated by the responses, with 80% of students indicating that they found it "not difficult," while 20% reported it as "less difficult." these results suggest that ppg english education students generally do not struggle with mastering subject content. the ability of these students to master the subject matter reflects their competence in aligning the material with learning objectives and relating it to real-world knowledge. this proficiency can be attributed to their extensive teaching experience, allowing them to navigate content easily. mastery of subject matter is a key requirement for teacher professional education students, as professional educators must have an in-depth understanding of the concepts and materials related to their field. table 2. ppg students' difficulty in mastering learning material no indicator aspect frequency percentage level of difficulty 1 not difficult mastery of material 8 80% low 2 less difficult 2 20% total 10 100% teachers play a vital role in facilitating student comprehension of the subject matter, requiring them to adapt the content to the lesson's goals, connect it with other relevant knowledge, and present it systematically. as future professional teachers, ppg english language education students have demonstrated their capability to achieve this, indicating they are well-prepared to deliver educational content effectively. mastering learning material is crucial for ppg students as it provides a strong foundation for delivering a deep understanding to their future students. research emphasizes the importance of mastering pedagogic theories, subject-specific knowledge, tpack (technological pedagogical content knowledge), and higher-order thinking skills (hots) in improving teacher competencies through ppg programs. additionally, the effectiveness of these programs in enhancing teacher skills across varying subject areas and difficulty levels further highlights the significance of mastery in creating engaging and productive learning environments. consequently, mastering the material is a fundamental step for ppg students in their journey to becoming effective and competent educators. challenges in implementing learning strategies the data from table 3 reveals that the difficulty faced by ppg english language education students in implementing learning strategies is categorized as "moderate." the results show that 70% of the students found it "not difficult," while 30% of the participants considered it "less difficult." this suggests that, although the majority of students encountered minimal challenges, a smaller proportion still experienced some level of difficulty in employing effective learning strategies during their field experience. the ppg program aims to equip future educators with various teaching techniques by combining lesson study, clinical supervision, and quality assurance principles. the structured nature of the program ensures that students are systematically prepared to become professional teachers, focusing on developing their instructional strategies. the use of blended scientific methods—such as inquiry-based learning, discovery learning, problem-based learning, and project-based learning—further enhances students' pedagogical skills, fostering both theoretical understanding and practical application. table 3. ppg students’ difficulty in implementing learning strategies no level of difficulty aspect frequency percentage category 1 not difficult implementation of learning strategies 7 70% moderate 2 less difficult 3 30% total 10 100% rugaiyah, miranti eka putri, khulaifiyah, andi idayani, &ari mulyani field experience challenges: exploring the difficulties of ppg english education students at fkip uir, pekanbaru 1112 additionally, the ppg program emphasizes continuous improvement and assessment by incorporating performance evaluations and success indicators. this ongoing process helps students track their progress and refine their teaching abilities throughout the program. despite the overall moderate difficulty reported, students benefit from collaborative efforts and systematic training methods designed to improve their ability to implement diverse teaching strategies. while the results reflect a generally manageable challenge in implementing learning strategies, the training offered within the ppg program ensures that students are better prepared to overcome such obstacles. by employing scientific and collaborative learning models, students develop the necessary competencies required to implement educational strategies effectively, further reinforcing their readiness to become professional educators. challenges in implementing scientific approach the table 4 provides a clear presentation of ppg students' difficulty levels in implementing the scientific approach. according to the data, 70% of the students found the task "not difficult," indicating moderate ease with the scientific approach. however, 30% experienced it as "less difficult," suggesting that a minority of students encountered some challenges. this distribution highlights that while the majority of ppg students can implement the scientific approach with relative confidence, a noticeable portion still faces difficulties. the scientific approach demands structured methods such as inquiry-based learning, experimentation, and critical thinking. these findings emphasize the need for additional support or training to ensure all students can effectively incorporate these elements into their teaching practices. table 4. ppg students’ difficulty in implementing approach scientific no indicator aspect frequency percentage level of difficulty 1 not difficult implementation of the approach scientific 7 70% moderate 2 less difficult 3 30% total 10 100% the difficulties faced by ppg (professional education of teachers) students in implementing the scientific approach in learning, particularly within science education, present significant challenges. one of the main areas of difficulty lies in the teachers' understanding and ability to apply questioning activities. questioning is a fundamental component of the scientific approach, designed to engage students and stimulate inquiry. however, many teachers find it challenging to incorporate effective questioning techniques, which are essential to encourage exploration and foster curiosity among students. another challenge involves the alignment of learning modules with the principles of the scientific approach. in some cases, the available modules may not fully support the scientific learning framework, limiting students' opportunities to engage in active knowledge construction. this misalignment can impede students' ability to explore concepts independently, a key feature of the scientific approach, where learners build their understanding through inquiry and reflection. additionally, inspiring students to engage in critical thinking poses a significant challenge for ppg teachers. critical thinking, which involves evaluating hypotheses, recognizing relationships, and comparing different viewpoints, is a vital element of the scientific approach. however, many teachers struggle to instil these skills, which are crucial for developing analytical thinkers. the difficulty lies in designing learning activities that effectively prompt students to explore ideas deeply and draw meaningful conclusions. lastly, encouraging rational and objective thinking among students remains another area of difficulty. teachers are responsible for guiding students to think rationally and objectively about the learning material, applying logic to analyze information, and drawing conclusions based on evidence. yet, many teachers find it challenging to foster this mindset consistently. developing rational thinking requires more than just content delivery; it demands that students be actively engaged in discussions, reflections, and problemsolving activities that stimulate their reasoning abilities. addressing these challenges requires targeted interventions, such as professional development, curriculum enhancement, and reflective teaching practices, which can equip ppg students with the skills needed to effectively implement the scientific approach. by overcoming these english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1113 obstacles, teachers can create learning environments that not only align with scientific principles but also promote inquiry, critical thinking, and rational analysis among students. challenges in utilizing the sources and media learning the data in table 5 provides insights into the challenges faced by ppg (pre-service teacher education) students in utilizing learning resources and media. of the 10 students surveyed, 80% reported "not difficult," indicating that the majority of students encountered minimal challenges in this area. however, 20% of the students found it "less difficult," signifying that some students experienced minor difficulties in integrating learning media and resources effectively. these findings suggest that while most ppg students are proficient in utilizing various resources and media, a small subset encounters obstacles, likely due to gaps in skills or access. learning resources include tools, materials, budgets, facilities, and human expertise, while learning media encompass digital platforms, printed materials, and interactive tools that stimulate the learning process. effective use of these resources is critical for enhancing student engagement, interaction, and learning outcomes. table 5. ppg students’ difficulty in utilizing the sources and media learning no indicator aspect frequency percentage level of difficulty 1 not difficult utilisation of sources and media learning 8 80% low 2 less difficult 2 20% total 10 100% the minor difficulties faced by a few students could stem from factors such as limited digital literacy, insufficient knowledge of educational media, or restricted access to the necessary tools and platforms. addressing these challenges through targeted training and skill development during the ppg program can ensure that all students become proficient in leveraging educational resources and media. this competency is essential for their future teaching roles, enabling them to create dynamic and effective learning environments for their students. overcoming the challenges ppg (pre-service teacher education) students face in utilizing media during their field experience practices (ppl) requires targeted strategies. one essential step is increasing digital literacy. engaging in digital literacy training or online courses equips students with practical skills to navigate new technologies and media tools effectively. this improved literacy fosters confidence, allowing students to seamlessly integrate digital tools into their teaching practices. another valuable strategy is collaborating with supervising teachers. supervising teachers provide guidance on selecting appropriate learning resources and media that align with the lesson objectives. through collaboration, students benefit from the practical experience of their mentors, gaining insights into effective media use and classroom management techniques. ppg students are also encouraged to look for references and examples from reliable sources. consulting peer-reviewed journals, instructional videos, and educational websites offers a wealth of knowledge on best practices. these resources inspire innovative ways to utilize media and help align students’ teaching methods with proven educational strategies. experimentation plays a critical role in mastering media use, which is why students should try various types of media. exploring different formats—such as videos, audio clips, images, or interactive tools—enables students to identify which media types best suit their subject matter and learners' needs. tailoring media use to student preferences enhances engagement and learning outcomes. finally, seeking feedback from supervising teachers and students helps refine media usage. constructive feedback provides insights into areas of improvement and reinforces effective practices. by acting on this feedback, students can enhance their media integration skills and foster more engaging and productive learning environments in future lessons. these strategies collectively empower ppg students to overcome challenges in using learning media. by building digital competence, seeking collaboration, leveraging resources, experimenting with media, and acting on feedback, students can ensure they are well-prepared to create dynamic, interactive classrooms during their teaching practice. challenges in involving students in learning rugaiyah, miranti eka putri, khulaifiyah, andi idayani, &ari mulyani field experience challenges: exploring the difficulties of ppg english education students at fkip uir, pekanbaru 1114 the data in table 6 highlights the challenges faced by ppg (pre-service teacher education) students at fkip uir in involving students in learning activities during their field experience practice (ppl). according to the responses, 90% of the students indicated that involving learners was 'not difficult,' while 10% found it 'less difficult.' this suggests that the overall level of difficulty encountered in engaging students in learning is very low. this outcome indicates that ppg students have generally acquired the necessary skills to effectively engage their students. as future professional educators, they have demonstrated competence in fostering active participation, interaction, and enthusiasm in the learning process. these results reflect the ppg students' ability to apply student-centered teaching approaches, which are essential in modern education, where learners are encouraged to actively participate and collaborate. table 6. ppg students’ difficulty in involving students in learning no indicator aspect frequency percentage level of difficulty 1 not difficult involving students in learning 9 90% very low 2 less difficult 1 10% total 10 100% the minor challenge reported by a small portion of students (10%) may arise from various factors, such as differences in classroom dynamics, the nature of the subject matter, or varying student engagement levels. however, these challenges appear to be minimal and manageable, suggesting that the majority of ppg students have succeeded in creating interactive learning environments. involving students in learning activities is crucial, as it not only promotes better comprehension but also enhances motivation, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. the results demonstrate that ppg students are well-prepared to implement effective teaching strategies that foster student involvement, contributing positively to their future teaching careers. challenges in closing the lesson activities to close lessons in ppg (professional teacher education) refer to a series of actions carried out by teachers to end learning well. this includes material summaries, question and answer sessions, joint reflection, and assessments of students' understanding and achievement of learning objectives. closing activities are an integral part of the learning process which aims to ensure students' understanding and provide opportunities for them to reflect on what they have learned. based on the research results shown in the table above, it seems that ppg students "have no difficulty carrying out lesson closing activities, it is categories as “very low”. this shows that ppg students feel capable and confident in ending the core learning activities. closing a lesson is an important part of the learning process, where the teacher carries out activities such as providing summaries, evaluations, and reflections to confirm learning and provide constructive feedback to students. table 7. ppg students’ challenges in closing the lesson no indicator aspect frequency percentage level of difficulty 1 not difficult closing the lesson 10 100% very low total 10 100 in the context of student professional education (ppg), the ability to carry out lesson-closing activities is a key aspect of practical skills in teaching. teachers who are able to carry out lesson closing activities well also demonstrate the ability to confirm learning and provide reflection, which is an integral part of the teaching profession. therefore, the feelings of ppg teachers who state that it is not difficult to carry out lesson closing activities can be interpreted as an indication of their ability and readiness. to manage the learning process comprehensively. in an effort to continue to improve the quality of learning, it is important for ppg teachers to continue to develop their skills in carrying out lesson-closing activities. this can be done through training, guidance and structured reflection on teaching practice so that teachers can continue to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1115 improve and hone their skills in ending learning activities effectively. conclusion this study provides valuable insights into the challenges faced by ppg (professional education of teachers) english education students at fkip uir pekanbaru, riau, during their field experience practices (ppl). the research findings reveal that, overall, the students encountered minimal difficulties across various teaching dimensions, indicating that they are well-prepared for professional teaching roles. the study highlights that lesson-opening activities posed a very low difficulty, reflecting the students' readiness to engage learners effectively at the start of lessons. similarly, mastery of learning material was not a significant challenge, as students demonstrated the ability to align content with learning objectives and connect it to realworld knowledge. moreover, the use of educational resources and media was reported as generally easy, with only a small proportion of students experiencing slight difficulties in integrating these tools. however, moderate challenges emerged in the implementation of learning strategies and the scientific approach, indicating a need for further support and training in these areas. some students found it moderately difficult to apply inquirybased and problem-solving teaching methods effectively. addressing these gaps through continuous mentoring, reflective practices, and exposure to diverse teaching strategies will enhance the student’s competencies in these areas. the findings also emphasize that involving students in learning and closing lessons was not a substantial challenge for the participants, demonstrating their ability to engage learners and conclude sessions constructively. their preparedness in these areas reflects the effectiveness of the ppg program in equipping them with essential teaching skills. in conclusion, while the overall level of difficulty encountered by ppg english education students at fkip uir was relatively low, areas such as the scientific approach and learning strategies require further development. this study underscores the importance of continuous support, professional development, and reflective practices to ensure that these future educators are fully equipped to meet the demands of modern classrooms. the insights derived from this research can inform the improvement of teacher education programs and provide practical recommendations for enhancing the field experience component, ultimately fostering the development of competent, confident, and professional teachers. references abdullah, n. a., & mirza, m. s. (2020). evaluating preservice teaching practice for online and distance education students in pakistan: evaluation of teaching practice. the international review of research in open and distributed learning, 21(2), 81-97. afriadi, b., & tola, b. (2022). evaluation of the implementation of teacher professional education in indonesia. international education trend issues, 1(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.56442/ieti.v1i1.111 alelaimat, a. m., ihmeideh, f. m., & alkhawaldeh, m. f. (2020). preparing preservice teachers for technology and digital media integration: implications for early childhood teacher education programs. international journal of early childhood, 52(3), 299-317. alhumaid, m. m., khoo, s., & bastos, t. (2021). the effect of an adapted physical activity intervention program on pre-service physical education teachers’ self-efficacy towards inclusion in saudi arabia. sustainability, 13(6), 3459-3471. andzik, n. r., & schaefer, j. m. (2020). pre‐service teacher‐delivered behavioral skills training: a pyramidal training approach. behavioral interventions, 35(1), 99-113. ardiyansah, t. y. (2021). pre-service teachers’perceived readiness in teaching online in international internship program. celtic: a journal of culture, english language teaching, literature and linguistics, 8(1), 90-102. arifa, f. n., & prayitno, u. s. (2019). peningkatan kualitas pendidikan: program pendidikan profesi guru prajabatan dalam pemenuhan kebutuhan guru profesional di indonesia. jurnal aspirasi, 10(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.22212/aspirasi.v10i1.122 9 aslam, s., hali, a. u., zhang, b., & saleem, a. (2021). the teacher education program’s impact on preservice teachers’ reflective thinking in pakistan. sage open, 11(4), 21582440211055724. bertrand, s. k., & porcher, k. (2020). teacher educators as disruptors redesigning courses in teacher preparation programs to prepare white preservice teachers. journal of culture and values in education, 3(1), 72-88. bjorklund jr, p., daly, a. j., ambrose, r., & van es, e. a. (2020). connections and capacity: an exploration of preservice teachers’ sense of belonging, social networks, and self-efficacy in three teacher education programs. aera open, 6(1), 2332858420901496. rugaiyah, miranti eka putri, khulaifiyah, andi idayani, &ari mulyani field experience challenges: exploring the difficulties of ppg english education students at fkip uir, pekanbaru 1116 brown, c. p., barry, d. p., ku, d. h., & puckett, k. (2021). teach as i say, not as i do: how preservice teachers made sense of the mismatch between how they were expected to teach and how they were taught in their professional training program. the teacher educator, 56(3), 250-269. dejene, w. (2020). conceptions of teaching & learning and teaching approach preference: their change through preservice teacher education program. cogent education, 7(1), 1833812. ding, l., & hong, z. (2024). on the relationship between pre-service teachers’ sense of selfefficacy and emotions in the integration of technology in their teacher developmental programs. the asia-pacific education researcher, 33(4), 869-878. fathi, j., & ebadi, s. (2020). exploring efl pre-service teachers’ adoption of technology in a call program: obstacles, motivators, and maintenance. education and information technologies, 25, 3897-3917. goh, t. l., & scrabis-fletcher, k. (2020). community of practice: preparing preservice teachers to lead movement integration in a school–university partnered program. journal of teaching in physical education, 40(1), 21-29. goh, t. l., moosbrugger, m., & mello, d. (2020). experiences of preservice and in-service teachers in a comprehensive school physical activity infusion curriculum. education sciences, 10(10), 290-304. gorospe, j. d. (2022). pre-service teachers' teaching anxiety, teaching self-efficacy, and problems encountered during the practice teaching course. journal of education and learning, 11(4), 84-91. greve, s., weber, k. e., brandes, b., & maier, j. (2020). development of pre-service teachers’ teaching performance in physical education during a long-term internship. german journal of exercise and sport research, 50(3), 343-353. haghighi irani, f., chalak, a., & heidari tabrizi, h. (2020). assessing pre-service teachers’ professional identity construction in a threephase teacher education program in iran. asianpacific journal of second and foreign language education, 5(2), 1-21. hamid, s. r. a., hassan, s. s. s., & ismail, n. a. h. (2012). teaching quality and performance among experienced teachers in malaysia. australian journal of teacher education, 37(11), 85–103. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2012v37n11.2 hsu, y. y., & lin, c. h. (2020). evaluating the effectiveness of a preservice teacher technology training module incorporating sqd strategies. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 17, 1-17. jones, b. a., peterson-ahmad, m., fields, m., & williams, n. (2021). training preservice teachers to match assistive technology to student needs. journal of special education technology, 36(4), 271-283. kang, h. (2021). the role of mentor teacher–mediated experiences for preservice teachers. journal of teacher education, 72(2), 251-263. karlström, m., & hamza, k. (2021). how do we teach planning to pre-service teachers–a tentative model. journal of science teacher education, 32(6), 664-685. koh, y. (2021). combining adapted physical education with individualized education programs: building korean pre-service teachers’ selfefficacy for inclusive physical education. sustainability, 13(5), 2879. kusuma, i. p. i. (2022). how does a tpack-related program support efl pre-service teachers’ flipped classrooms?. learn journal: language education and acquisition research network, 15(2), 300-325. lachner, a., fabian, a., franke, u., preiß, j., jacob, l., führer, c., ... & thomas, p. (2021). fostering pre-service teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack): a quasiexperimental field study. computers & education, 174, 104304. lestari, i. w. (2020). first experiences in a school-based practicum: pre-service teachers’ emotion and perceived benefits towards the program. enjourme (english journal of merdeka): culture, language, and teaching of english, 5(1), 31-40. marttinen, r., daum, d. n., banville, d., & fredrick, r. n. (2020). pre-service teachers learning through service-learning in a low ses school. physical education and sport pedagogy, 25(1), 1-15. matsumoto-royo, k., ramírez-montoya, m. s., & glasserman-morales, l. d. (2022, may). lifelong learning and metacognition in the assessment of pre-service teachers in practicebased teacher education. in frontiers in education (vol. 7, p. 879238). frontiers media sa. mcgarr, o., & mcdonagh, a. (2021). exploring the digital competence of pre-service teachers on entry onto an initial teacher education programme in ireland. irish educational studies, 40(1), 115-128. montoya-lópez, j. c., mosquera-andrade, a. v., & peláez-henao, o. a. (2020). inquiring preservice teachers’ narratives on language policy and identity during their practicum. how, 27(2), 51-72. napanoy, j. b., gayagay, g. c., & tuazon, j. r. c. (2021). difficulties encountered by pre-service teachers: basis of a pre-service training english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1117 program. universal journal of educational research, 9(2), 342-349. nash, b., wetzel, m. m., dunham, h., & murdteratkinson, j. a. (2021). ways of being in community: centering preservice teachers’ culturally sustaining pedagogies in field-based literacy teacher education. literacy research: theory, method, and practice, 70(1), 408-427. nuangchalerm, p. (2020). tpack in asean perspectives: case study on thai pre-service teacher. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 9(4), 993-999. oktarina, h. (2021). pengaruh program praktik pengalaman lapangan (ppl), minat dan prestasi akademik terhadap kesiapan menjadi guru pada mahasiswa. phinisi integration review, 4(1), 73–83. https://doi.org/10.26858/pir.v4i1.19341 orland-barak, l., & wang, j. (2021). teacher mentoring in service of preservice teachers’ learning to teach: conceptual bases, characteristics, and challenges for teacher education reform. journal of teacher education, 72(1), 86-99. peciuliauskiene, p., tamoliune, g., & trepule, e. (2022). exploring the roles of information search and information evaluation literacy and preservice teachers’ ict self-efficacy in teaching. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 19(1), 33-45. pewkam, w., & chamrat, s. (2022). pre-service teacher training program of stem-based activities in computing science to develop computational thinking. informatics in education, 21(2), 311329. piedade, j., dorotea, n., pedro, a., & matos, j. f. (2020). on teaching programming fundamentals and computational thinking with educational robotics: a didactic experience with pre-service teachers. education sciences, 10(9), 214-224. qiu, c. a., he, h. x., chen, g. l., & xiong, m. x. (2022). pre-service teachers’ perceptions of technological pedagogical content knowledge in mainland china: a survey of teachers of chinese as a second language. education and information technologies, 27(5), 6367-6391. reynolds, b. l., liu, s., ha, x. v., zhang, x., & ding, c. (2021). pre-service teachers learning to teach english as a foreign language to preschool learners in macau: a longitudinal study. frontiers in psychology, 12, 720660.. rijal, akh. s. (2018). pengembangan profesionalisme guru ips. social: jurnal ilmu-ilmu sosial, 15(2), 187–196. https://doi.org/10.21831/socia.v15i2.22677 schina, d., valls-bautista, c., borrull-riera, a., usart, m., & esteve-gonzález, v. (2021). an associational study: preschool teachers’ acceptance and self-efficacy towards educational robotics in a pre-service teacher training program. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 18, 1-20. sibuea, h. y. p. (2017). pembaharuan sistem pendidikan di indonesia: perkembangan dan tantangan. unesco sobeck, e. e., douglas, s. n., chopra, r., & morano, s. (2021). paraeducator supervision in pre‐ service teacher preparation programs: results of a national survey. psychology in the schools, 58(4), 669-685. suyatno, s., wantini, w., pambudi, d. i., muqowim, m., tinus, a., & patimah, l. (2023). developing pre-service teachers’ professionalism by sharing and receiving experiences in the kampus mengajar program. education sciences, 13(2), 143-155. thomas, c. l., tancock, s. m., zygmunt, e. m., & sutter, n. (2020). effects of a communityengaged teacher preparation program on the culturally relevant teaching self-efficacy of preservice teachers. journal of negro education, 89(2), 122-135. wilcoxen, c. l., steiner, a. l., & bell, j. (2022). strengthening preservice teachers’ understanding of culturally responsive classrooms through exposure, immersion, and dialogue. journal of community engagement and scholarship, 14(1). wilson, m. l., ritzhaupt, a. d., & cheng, l. (2020). the impact of teacher education courses for technology integration on pre-service teacher knowledge: a meta-analysis study. computers & education, 156, 103941. zulfitri, h., setiawati, n. p., & ismaini, i. (2019). pendidikan profesi guru (ppg) sebagai upaya meningkatkan profesionalisme guru. lingua: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 19(2), 130–136. rugaiyah, miranti eka putri, khulaifiyah, andi idayani, &ari mulyani field experience challenges: exploring the difficulties of ppg english education students at fkip uir, pekanbaru 1118 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 121 global trends and future prospect of developmental reading from 2019-2024: bibliometric analysis husnul khotimah english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah mataram, indonesia email: husnulkhotimah061103@gmail.com hijril ismail english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah mataram, indonesia email: hijrilismail@ummat.ac.id rima rahmaniah english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah mataram, indonesia email: rima21@ummat.ac.id humaira english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah mataram, indonesia email: humairah2299@gmail.com asbah english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah mataram, indonesia email: aambalawi@gmail.com apa citation: khotimah, h., ismail, h., rima, rahmaniah, humaira, & asbah. (2025). bridging the gap: teachers’ knowledge and application of ai-driven learning platforms in stem-based english language education. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 121132. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.10828 received: 27-10-2024 accepted: 24-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 introduction reading is a cognitive process that stimulates the mind and broadens an individual's knowledge base, allowing them to process information effectively (paola et al., 2023). this cognitive engagement involves the application of reasoning to interpret, evaluate, and comprehend textual information (ruslan et al., 2024). in the context of elementary education, reading is a fundamental skill that significantly influences the definition of “success” for pupils, and its importance extends into various aspects of their lives as they mature (mastrothanasis et al., 2023). as a fundamental component in education, reading serves an important role in establishing students' intellectual foundations, preparing them to face the challenges of future learning and life experiences (gustian et al., 2024). reading is also defined an essential skill in language instruction due to its critical role in linguistic communication and the development abstract: the purpose of this research is to present a comprehensive analysis of the literature on developmental reading. the google scopus database and publish or perish tools were utilized to identify relevant articles. a total of 111 articles, spanning from 2019 to 2024, were reviewed. the references were organized and summarized using mendeley software. using the vosviewer program, the authors analyzed this database and categorized the articles into five groups. cluster 1 consists of seven items (developmental study, developmental trajectory, difference, fluency, relationship), cluster 2 includes five items (developmental perspective, developmental trajectory, difference, fluency, relationship), cluster 3 comprises four items (chinese child, dyslexia, training, word), cluster 4 contains three items (adult, developmental disability, intellectual), and cluster 5 encompasses three items (developmental relation, evidence, reading comprehension). keywords: bibliometric analysis; developmental reading; publish or perish; vosviewer scopus. mailto:husnulkhotimah061103@gmail.com mailto:hijrilismail@ummat.ac.id mailto:rima21@ummat.ac.id mailto:humairah2299@gmail.com mailto:aambalawi@gmail.com husnul khotimah, hijril ismail, rima rahmaniah, humaira, & asbah global trends and future prospect of developmental reading: bibliometric analysis 122 of linguistic literacy (vaughn et al., 2020). the acquisition of reading skills is a gradual process that necessitates ongoing development, underscoring the need for effective support systems for children experiencing reading difficulties (schoenbach et al., 2023). one of the strategies to improve reading skills is developmental reading (liman kaban & karadeniz, 2021). its approach emphasizes the importance of structured and individualized interventions that meet the needs of students to ensure long-term reading success (jamshidifarsani et al., 2019). developmental reading focuses on the enhancement of reading abilities, aiming to improve comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary (tusmagambet, 2020). this developmental process encompasses the progressive refinement of an individual's reading skills over their lifespan, including foundational reading proficiencies, fluency assessment, comprehension strategies, and vocabulary expansion (aghajani & gholamrezapour, 2019). as individuals develop these skills out over time, developmental reading supports the development of effective reading habits necessary for academic and personal success (jabbar & warraich, 2023). sabatini et al., (2023) state that one of the key aspects of this approach is its adaptability, serving readers of all ages and promoting the development of literacy lifelong. the differential development of reading subskills such as accuracy, fluency, and comprehension between boys and girls remains an area of ongoing investigation (manu et al., 2023). 2025/2/25 argue that understanding these genderbased differences can inform a more personalized approach to reading instruction, helping educators to address specific needs and encourage equal opportunities for success. the cultivation of reading fluency, efficiency, and comprehension capabilities requires extensive practice over many years (karipidis et al., 2021). this long-term commitment is critical for readers to develop the skills necessary for effective information processing and critical thinking, which reinforces the importance of sustainable reading practices in academic and daily contexts (darling-hammond et al., 2020). a substantial body of research has been dedicated to exploring various aspects of developmental reading (uri & coiro, 2020). notable studies include the examination of developmental relations between home literacy environments, reading interest, and reading skills (georgiou et al., 2021), the interplay between reading and mathematics development in elementary school (erbeli et al., 2021), and the relationship between listening and reading comprehension in young language learners (wong, 2021). other significant investigations have focused on the role of phonemic awareness and executive functions in reading developmental dyslexia (medina & guimarães, 2019), the developmental relationship between declarative metacognitive knowledge and reading comprehension during secondary education (edossa et al., 2019), and the developmental trajectories of white matter structure in children with and without reading impairments (lebel et al., 2019). further research has explored the developmental trajectory of intrinsic reading motivation (miyamoto et al., 2020), the dynamics of students' reading self-concept and reading competence (sewasew & koester, 2019), strategies for teaching reading to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (lindström & lemons, 2021), and the stability and developmental interplay of word reading and spelling (furnes et al., 2023). in this study is focused on bibliometric analysis. bibliometric analysis is an objective assessment of scientific research that quantitatively illustrates development trends (chain & castro, 2019), research hotspots, and key research institutions within relevant scientific activities (wang & tian, 2021). this method aids researchers in comprehending their ideas and serves as a resource for collaborative research endeavors (zamiri & esmaeili, 2024). bibliometric analysis quantitatively measures the productivity of scientific outputs (dervis, 2019). as donthu et al., (2021) state that this comprehensive approach makes bibliometric analysis an invaluable resource for understanding the progress and scope of scientific literature. the bibliometric analysis of developmental reading has been extensively discussed in numerous articles to identify and analyze large volumes of scientific literature (huang et al., 2020). this analysis enables researchers to elucidate the evolutionary nuances of a particular field, explore the intellectual structure of a specific domain within the vast literature, and uncover emerging trends (foroudi et al., 2021). this enables a clearer understanding of how developmental reading has progressed over time and where future research might be focused, offering valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and academics invested in improving reading proficiency and literacy development (didion et al., 2020). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 123 moreover, bibliometric analysis enables the identification of influential works and key contributors within the field, providing insights into the scholarly networks and collaborations that drive advancements in developmental reading (skute et al., 2019). by examining citation patterns, researchers can trace the evolution of pivotal theories and methodologies, fostering a deeper understanding of how contemporary practices have been shaped by earlier scholarship (argyres et al., 2020). this historical prospects not only domain preforce but dyniling special studies and specific searchers on training their current landscape (wang et al., 2024). moreover, this comprehensive perspective facilitates the recognition of gaps where future research can make meaningful contributions, particularly in addressing the needs of marginalized or underserved populations (jagtap, 2019). stevens et al., (2019) argue that by identifying areas that have received limited attention, researchers can focus on developing new strategies and interventions to support these groups. this comprehensive approach ensures that the field of developmental reading continues to evolve, addressing emerging challenges and fostering inclusive educational practices that benefit all learners (wang et al., 2024). additionally, klarin, (2024) argue that bibliometric methods incorporate advanced visualization tools such as vosviewer, which allow for the creation of detailed maps of coauthorship, keyword co-occurrence, and thematic clusters. these visualizations provide an intuitive representation of complex data, making it easier to discern connections between various research topics and trends (qin et al., 2020). such tools not only enhance the clarity of bibliometric findings but also empower educators, policymakers, and researchers to develop targeted interventions and collaborative frameworks that align with both current demands and future priorities (ayanwale et al., 2024). numerous trend studies have utilized bibliometric analysis in the context of developmental reading (guo, 2022). examples include a bibliometric analysis to inform reading lists for physical educators (wyant et al., 2022), a bibliometric analysis of reading (ismail, 2021), studies involve reading research on older adults within architecture through bibliometric analysis (midilli sarı & eyüboğlu, 2023), an analysis of citation trends to identify significant articles on delirium using the ddpp model with temporal heatmaps (thm) (ho et al., 2023), a bibliometric visual analysis of the research history, hotspots, and developmental trends of polymers (chen et al., 2023), a bibliometric evaluation and hotspot analysis of developmental dysplasia of the hip (fan et al., 2020), and a bibliometric analysis of cognitive function in developmental coordination disorders (ji et al., 2022). this article focuses on a meta-analysis of developmental reading. method this study employed quantitative research techniques on journal articles, with a particular emphasis on bibliometric analysis. the researchers implemented the five-step bibliometric analysis framework as outlined by (fahimnia et al., 2015) which includes defining search keywords, initial search results, refinement of search results, compiling initial data statistics, and data analysis. defining search keywords. in january 2024, a literature search was conducted using the keyword “developmental reading.” google scopus was utilized in conjunction with the “publish or perish” software to collect the data. the researchers began by entering the term “developmental reading” into the publish or perish software, categorizing by ‘journal’, ‘title word’, and years '0-0'. from the google scopus database, the researchers retrieved 200 articles in the initial search, covering the period from 1963 to 2024 (61 years). initial search results. at this stage, the researchers did not restrict the range of years. the oldest article on developmental reading identified was published in 1963. the top twenty articles were identified using the publish or perish software. refinement of the search results. to refine the search results, the authors controlled the range of publication years, focusing on the period from 2019 to 2024. additionally, they set specific publication names (journals) as criteria. this refinement process resulted in 111 articles meeting the requirements for the five-year period. a comparison of the results between the original search and the refined search is presented in table 2. table 2. comparison metrics metric initial search refined search (2019-2024) total articles 200 111 total citations 19,056 799 h-index 76 16 g-index 130 22 husnul khotimah, hijril ismail, rima rahmaniah, humaira, & asbah global trends and future prospect of developmental reading: bibliometric analysis 124 average citations/year 312.39 159.80 compiling the initial data statistics following refinement, the result was downloaded and saved in the mendeley program to the ris format, which included the title, author’s names, abstract, keywords, and journal specification (publishing journal, year of publication, issue, and pages) among other important details about the work. after that, data were evaluated to categorize the publisher, the year publication pattern, and the source of publication. figure 1. year-over-year publication trend this figure illustrates the year-over-year distribution of publications on developmental reading. the highest number of articles was published in 2021 (29 articles), followed by notable outputs in 2019 (28 articles) and 2023 (23 articles). the data underscores a fluctuating but sustained interest in the topic. figure 2. publisher of cited articles ( note: the publisher cited on developmental reading there were 38 publisher such as wileyblackwell publishing ltd was 12 articles, elsevier was 10 articles, frontiers media s.a. was 8 articles, sage publication was 9 articles, springer was 8 articles, routledge was 6 articles, academic press inc was 6 articles, american psychological association was 5 articles, american speech languagehearing association ( asha) was 4 articles, nature publishing group was 3 articles, the korean academy of speechlanguage pathology and audiology (kasa) was 3 articles, public library of science was 3 articles, taylor and francis ltd was 2 articles, informa healthcare was 3 articles, multidisciplinary digital publishing institute was 3 articles, and one article each in another publisher). this figure highlights the primary publishers in the field. wiley-blackwell english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 125 leads with 12 articles, followed by elsevier (10 articles) and frontiers media s.a. (8 articles). these publishers represent significant contributors to advancing research on developmental reading. figure 3. journal where analysis pieces were published journals only contain data from publications that have been published on the theme of “developmental reading”. frontiers of psychology are 7 articles, acta psychologica sinica are 5 articles, communication sciences and disorders are 3 articles, developmental psychology are 3 articles, reading and writing are 3 articles, scientific reports are 3 articles, autism and developmental language impairments are 2 articles, brain sciences are 2 articles, child of developmental are 2 articles, community collage journal of research and practice are 2 articles, contemporary educational psychology are 2 articles, developmental sciences are 2 articles, dyslexia are 2 articles, language, speech and hearing services in school are 2 articles, learning and individual differences are 2 articles, neurolmage are 2 articles, plos one are 2 articles, and there is an article in other journals such as journal of educational psychology, journal of the american academy, journal of communication disorder, journal of child psychology and psychiatry and allied disciplines, journal of experimental child psychology, international journal of psychophysiology, international journal of speechlanguage pathology, journal of psycholinguistic research, journal of collage reading and learning, international journal developmental disabilities, journal of special education technology, international journal of disability development and education, journal of library science in china, journal of policy and practice in intellectual disabilities, journal of learning disabilities, international journal for research in learning disabilities, journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics, journal of adult and continuing education, japan journal of logopedics and phoniatrics. in total 82 journals discussed issues related to developmental reading. this paper presents a bibliometric study of the term “developmental reading” using data from the google scopus database. the study employed the publish or perish software, version 8.9.4554.8721, to conduct a bibliometric review. initially, 200 papers were identified. after refining the search, 111 papers remained. the citation rate fluctuated between 312.39 and 159.80 citations per year. results and discussion this study, citation metrics are significantly impacted by papers published in journal that are indexed by scopus. according to table 3, show that the most cited article on developmental reading is the article written by m.j.snowling propose a title “dyslexia and developmental language disorder: comorbid disorders with distinct eff ects on reading comprehension. the article was written in 2020, published in the journal of child psychology and psychiatry and allied disciplines and cited by 67 authors. the second most-cited article written by s. ebert entitle “theory of mind, language, and reading: developmental relations from early childhood to early adolescence. the article was written in 2020, published in the journal of experimental child psychology and cited by 42 authors. the third most-cited article written by h.l. storkel entitle” the impact of dose and dose frequency on word learning by kindergarten children with developmental language disorder during interactive book reading” the article is written in husnul khotimah, hijril ismail, rima rahmaniah, humaira, & asbah global trends and future prospect of developmental reading: bibliometric analysis 126 2019, published in the journal language, speech, and hearing services in schools and cited by 34 authors. figure 4. network visualization mapping (note: there are five developmental reading cluster, as indicated by the five colors in figure 4). the author entered the result of the publish or perish application into vosviewer to see which keywords appeared frequently and were used for bibliometric analysis maps after counting for citation frequency and other metrics. three alternative visualizations network, overlay, and density are used by the vosviewer application to display the bibliometric mapping. figure 5. density visualization mapping extracting from the title fields and full counting with a minimum of three occurrences, the authors get 465 terms, and 39 meeting the threshold. additionally, the author discovered five clusters. cluster 1 consisted of seven items ( developmental study, developmental trajectory, difference, fluency, relationship), cluster 2 consisted of five items ( developmental perspect, developmental trajectory, difference, fluency, relationship), cluster 3 consisted of four items ( chinese child, dyslexia, training, word), cluster 4 consisted of three items ( adult, developmental disability, intellectual), and cluster 5 consisted of three items ( developmental relation, evidence, reading comprehension). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 127 table 3. article with 10 or more citations no cited per year authors title year publication 1 67 0,71875 m.j. snowling dyslexia and developmental language disorder: comorbid disorders with distinct effects on reading comprehension 2020 wileyblackwell publishing ltd 2 42 10.50 s.ebert theory of mind, language, and reading: developmental relations from early childhood to early adolescence 2020 academic press inc. 3 34 0,305556 h.l. storkel the impact of dose and dose frequency on word learning by kindergarten children with developmental language disorder during interactive book reading 2019 american speechlanguagehearing association (asha) 4 32 06.40 e.p. galloway examining developmental relations between core academic language skills and reading comprehension for english learners and their peers 2019 american psychological association 5 28 0,25 c. pecini training ran or reading? a telerehabilitation study on developmental dyslexia 2019 american psychological association 6 27 0,302083 a. cancer the effectiveness of interventions for developmental dyslexia: rhythmic reading training compared with hemispherespecific stimulation and action video games 2020 frontiers media s.a. 7 26 0,379861 f. erbeli developmental dynamics between reading and math in elementary school 2021 wileyblackwell publishing ltd 8 23 0,260417 a. miyamoto the developmental trajectory of intrinsic reading motivation: measurement invariance, group variations, and implications for reading proficiency 2020 academic press inc. 9 22 05.50 s.m. adlof promoting reading achievement in children with developmental language disorders: what can we learn from research on specific language impairment and dyslexia? 2020 american speechlanguagehearing association (asha) 10 22 07.33 g.k. georgiou developmental relations between home literacy environment, reading interest, and reading skills: evidence from a 3-year longitudinal study 2021 wileyblackwell publishing ltd 11 21 04.20 c. lebel developmental trajectories of white matter structure in children with and without reading impairments 2019 elsevier ltd. https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=wiley-blackwell%20publishing%20ltd&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=wiley-blackwell%20publishing%20ltd&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=wiley-blackwell%20publishing%20ltd&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=wiley-blackwell%20publishing%20ltd&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=academic%20press%20inc.&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=academic%20press%20inc.&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20psychological%20association&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20psychological%20association&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20psychological%20association&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20psychological%20association&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20psychological%20association&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20psychological%20association&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=frontiers%20media%20s.a.&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=frontiers%20media%20s.a.&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=wiley-blackwell%20publishing%20ltd&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=wiley-blackwell%20publishing%20ltd&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=wiley-blackwell%20publishing%20ltd&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=wiley-blackwell%20publishing%20ltd&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=academic%20press%20inc.&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=academic%20press%20inc.&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=wiley-blackwell%20publishing%20ltd&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=wiley-blackwell%20publishing%20ltd&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=wiley-blackwell%20publishing%20ltd&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=wiley-blackwell%20publishing%20ltd&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=elsevier%20ltd.&tip=pub husnul khotimah, hijril ismail, rima rahmaniah, humaira, & asbah global trends and future prospect of developmental reading: bibliometric analysis 128 12 20 04.00 d. sewasew the developmental dynamics of students' reading selfconcept and reading competence: examining reciprocal relations and ethnic-background patterns 2019 elsevier bv 13 19 0,21875 s. brem visual word form processing deficits driven by severity of reading impairments in children with developmental dyslexia 2020 nature publishing group 14 18 0,166667 k. chyl reading acquisition in children: developmental 15processes and dyslexiaspecific effects 2019 elsevier ltd. 15 17 0,254861 l.m. pierson coaching parents of children with developmental disabilities to implement a modified dialogic reading intervention using low technology via telepractice 2021 american speechlanguagehearing association (asha) the results of this bibliometric analysis have important implications for educators, policymakers, and researchers engaged in reading development. the trends and clusters identified highlight areas where there are opportunities to innovate teaching practices and design evidencebased interventions. for example, research on dyslexia interventions has attracted considerable attention, suggesting increased attention to the creation of specialized teaching strategies that support students with reading disabilities. these strategies aim to address learning gaps by providing appropriate methods that address the unique challenges these students face. furthermore, the emphasis on reading comprehension strategies signals a growing recognition of the importance of equipping students with tools that enhance their ability to understand and retain information. this has led to a demand for scalable and accessible programs that can be adapted to different student profiles, promoting inclusion in the classroom. educators are encouraged to integrate digital tools and culturally relevant practices into their pedagogy, enabling more dynamic, interactive, and adaptive teaching approaches that speak to a wide range of learners. policymakers, informed by visualizing research trends, can prioritize funding and resources toward under-researched but impactful areas, such as the intersection of developmental reading and digital literacy. this strategic allocation of resources ensures that emerging areas of concern, particularly those involving the integration of technology into reading instruction, receive the support needed for further development. by encouraging collaborations between key contributors and institutions identified through coauthorship networks, interdisciplinary efforts to address systematic gaps in reading instruction can be promoted. furthermore, the trends revealed in this bibliometric study provide guidance for establishing national or regional priorities that align with global advances in reading instruction. policymakers can use this information to influence policy decisions that support innovation and equitable access to literacy programs. in particular, regions that have lagged behind in integrating digital literacy into reading education can benefit from adopting evidence-based practices that have proven successful in other parts of the world. this helps ensure that literacy initiatives remain relevant and effective in an increasingly digital learning environment. however, this study is not without limitations. bibliometric analyses are inherently limited by the scope and quality of the database used and, in this case, the use of google scopus may have excluded relevant articles from other databases, introducing potential biases in the presentation of the research findings. in addition, study inclusion criteria may limit the analysis, potentially overlooking smaller, region-specific studies or those published in languages other than english, which may limit the global applicability of the findings. this may lead to biased representations that favor more cited publications, especially in countries with higher research output. in addition, the analysis may be affected by publication bias, where studies https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=elsevier%20bv&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=nature%20publishing%20group&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=nature%20publishing%20group&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=nature%20publishing%20group&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=elsevier%20ltd.&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=american%20speech-language-hearing%20association%20(asha)&tip=pub english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 129 reporting significant results are more likely to be published and cited, leading to overemphasis on some interventions while neglecting important research contributions from others. these limitations highlight the need to triangulate bibliometric data with qualitative and metaanalytic approaches in future research. a more comprehensive approach, combining quantitative measures and qualitative information, provides a richer and more nuanced understanding of developmental reading, ensuring that underrepresented perspectives and emerging research are incorporated into educational policy and practice. to address these challenges, future studies should expand the dataset by integrating databases such as web of science or pubmed, capturing a wider range of publications from different regions and research fields. this approach reduces bias and provides a more comprehensive view of the development reading landscape. in addition, conducting longitudinal citation analyses can reveal the lasting impact of key publications and identify emerging areas of research, thereby providing deeper insight into the evolution of interventions and theoretical frameworks in the field. future research should also integrate qualitative methods with bibliometric analysis to better understand how interventions are implemented in practice. this dual approach would provide a summary of the field and detailed information on policy implementation and classrooms. cooperation between countries should be encouraged to promote intercultural perspectives, address regional limitations and foster the exchange of innovative practices. in addition, the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, such as natural language processing (nlp), can improve research understanding and improve bibliometric data analysis, making more applicable to educators and policy makers. conclusion the conclusion of this study emphasizes that reading development is a skill that requires ongoing support to improve vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. a bibliometric analysis of 111 articles from the google scopus database revealed considerable interest in the link between home learning environments and reading skill development, as well as innovations in teaching methods for children with special needs. future research is recommended to explore the integration of digital literacy into reading education, especially for underserved groups, and to combine qualitative methods with bibliometric analyses to better understand classroom policies and instructional strategies. cross-cultural cooperation is also needed to address regional constraints and enrich innovative practices. in practice, the results of this study can be applied to develop evidence-based teaching strategies, integrate digital tools, and provide inclusive programs tailored to student needs, while guiding decision-makers in prioritizing scarce funding but with high potential. references aghajani, m., & gholamrezapour, e. (2019). critical thinking skills, critical reading and foreign language reading anxiety in iran context. international journal of instruction, 12(4), 219– 238. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12414a argyres, n. s., frattini, f., & milano, p. (2020). history-informed strategy research : the promise of history and historical research methods in advancing strategy scholarship. ayanwale, m. a., molefi, r. r., & oyeniran, s. (2024). analyzing the evolution of machine learning integration in educational research: a bibliometric perspective. discover education, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-02400119-5 chen, z., he, w., & zhang, w. (2023). bibliometric visual analysis of the poly(vinylidene fluoride– trifluoroethylene) piezoelectric nanomaterial: research history, hotspots, and developmental trend. frontiers in materials, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmats.2023.1292256 chain, c. p., & castro, l. g. de. (2019). bibliometric analysis of the quantitative methods applied to the measurement of industrial clusters. joes, 33(1), 60–84. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12267 darling-hammond, l., flook, l., cook-harvey, c., barron, b., & osher, d. (2020). implications for educational practice of the science of learning and development. applied developmental science, 24(2), 97–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2018.153779 1 dervis, h. (2019). bibliometric analysis using bibliometrix an r package. journal of scientometric research, 8(3), 156–160. https://doi.org/10.5530/jscires.8.3.32 didion, l., toste, j. r., & filderman, m. j. (2020). teacher professional development and student reading achievement: a meta-analytic review of the effects. journal of research on educational effectiveness, 13(1), 29–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/19345747.2019.167088 4 donthu, n., kumar, s., mukherjee, d., pandey, n., & lim, w. m. (2021). how to conduct a bibliometric analysis: an overview and husnul khotimah, hijril ismail, rima rahmaniah, humaira, & asbah global trends and future prospect of developmental reading: bibliometric analysis 130 guidelines. journal of business research, 133(may), 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070 edossa, a. k., neuenhaus, n., artelt, c., lingel, k., & schneider, w. (2019). developmental relationship between declarative metacognitive knowledge and reading comprehension during secondary school. european journal of psychology of education, 34(2), 397–416. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-018-0393-x erbeli, f., shi, q., campbell, a. r., hart, s. a., & woltering, s. (2021). developmental dynamics between reading and math in elementary school. developmental science, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13004 fahimnia, b., sarkis, j., & davarzani, h. (2015). green supply chain management: a review and bibliometric analysis. in international journal of production economics (vol. 162, pp. 101–114). elsevier b.v. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2015.01.003 fan, y., zhang, h., li, z., he, w., & chen, z. (2020). bibliometric evaluation and hot spot analysis of developmental dysplasia of the hip. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-99418/v1 foroudi, p., akarsu, t. n., marvi, r., & balakrishnan, j. (2021). intellectual evolution of social innovation: a bibliometric analysis and avenues for future research trends. in industrial marketing management (vol. 93). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.03.02 6 furnes, b., elwér, å., samuelsson, s., treiman, r., & olson, r. k. (2023). the stability and developmental interplay of word reading and spelling: a cross-linguistic longitudinal study from kindergarten to grade 4. reading and writing. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-02310465-9 georgiou, g. k., inoue, t., & parrila, r. (2021). developmental relations between home literacy environment, reading interest, and reading skills: evidence from a 3-year longitudinal study. child development, 92(5), 2053–2068. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13589 guo, x. (2022). a bibliometric analysis of child language during 1900–2021. frontiers in psychology, 13(june), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.862042 gustian, d., marzuki, m., nukman, n., purnama, y., & abdurrahman, d. (2024). synergies in education: integrating character, literacy, and technology for enhanced outcomes: current perspectives from global education experts. international journal of teaching and learning, 2(2), 498–512. https://injotel.org/index.php/12/article/view/84/ 112 ho, s. y. c., chien, t. w., tsai, k. t., & chou, w. (2023). analysis of citation trends to identify articles on delirium worth reading using ddpp model with temporal heatmaps (thm): a bibliometric analysis. in medicine (united states) (vol. 102, issue 8). lippincott williams and wilkins. https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000032955 huang, c., yang, c., wang, s., wu, w., su, j., & liang, c. (2020). evolution of topics in education research: a systematic review using bibliometric analysis. educational review, 72(3), 281–297. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2019.156621 2 ismail, h. (2021). a bibliometric analysis of reading strategy (databases scopus and google scholar 2016-2021). jabbar, a., & warraich, n. f. (2023). gender differences in leisure reading habits: a systematic review of literature. global knowledge, memory and communication, 72(6–7), 572–592. https://doi.org/10.1108/gkmc-12-2020-0200 jagtap, s. (2019). key guidelines for designing integrated solutions to support development of marginalised societies. journal of cleaner production, 219, 148–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.340 jamshidifarsani, h., garbaya, s., lim, t., blazevic, p., & ritchie, j. m. (2019). technology-based reading intervention programs for elementary grades: an analytical review. computers and education, 128, 427–451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.10.003 ji, z., wang, l., cai, m., lu, l., & wang, h. (2022). bibliometric analysis study on cognitive function in developmental coordination disorder from 2010 to 2022. frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1040208 karipidis, i. i., pleisch, g., di pietro, s. v., fragagonzález, g., & brem, s. (2021). developmental trajectories of letter and speech sound integration during reading acquisition. frontiers in psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.750491 klarin, a. (2024). how to conduct a bibliometric content analysis: guidelines and contributions of content co-occurrence or co-word literature reviews. international journal of consumer studies, 48(2), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.13031 kuchynka, s. l., eaton, a., & rivera, l. m. (2022). understanding and addressing gender-based inequities in stem: research synthesis and recommendations for u.s. k-12 education. social issues and policy review, 16(1), 252– 288. https://doi.org/10.1111/sipr.12087 lebel, c., benischek, a., geeraert, b., holahan, j., shaywitz, s., bakhshi, k., & shaywitz, b. (2019). developmental trajectories of white matter structure in children with and without reading impairments. developmental cognitive english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 131 neuroscience, 36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100633 liman kaban, a., & karadeniz, s. (2021). children’s reading comprehension and motivation on screen versus on paper. sage open, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020988849 lindström, e. r., & lemons, c. j. (2021). teaching reading to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities: an observation study. research in developmental disabilities, 115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2021.103990 manu, m., torppa, m., vasalampi, k., lerkkanen, m. k., poikkeus, a. m., & niemi, p. (2023). reading development from kindergarten to age 18: the role of gender and parental education. reading research quarterly, 58(4), 505–538. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.518 mastrothanasis, k., kladaki, m., & andreou, a. (2023). a systematic review and meta-analysis of the readers’ theatre impact on the development of reading skills. international journal of educational research open, 4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2023.100243 medina, g. b. k., & guimarães, s. r. k. (2019). reading of students with developmental dyslexia: impacts of an intervention with phonic method associated with the executive functions stimuli. revista brasileira de educacao especial, 25(1), 153–171. https://doi.org/10.1590/s141365382519000100010 midilli sarı, r., & eyüboğlu, h. (2023). reading the older people researches in architecture through bibliometric analysis (1975-2022). periodica polytechnica architecture, 54(3), 215–228. https://doi.org/10.3311/ppar.22097 miyamoto, a., murayama, k., & lechner, c. m. (2020). the developmental trajectory of intrinsic reading motivation: measurement invariance, group variations, and implications for reading proficiency. contemporary educational psychology, 63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101921 paola, a., aucapiña, r., roxana, m., jiménez, m., belsi, j., & bustamante, p. (2023). this work is licensed under a creative commons attributionnoncommercial-sharealike 4.0 international public license-cc by-nc-sa 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-ncsa/4.0/legalcode.es the development of reading skills for story writing el desa. 8. http://sinergiaseducativas.mx/index.php/revista/ qin, x., luo, y., tang, n., & li, g. (2020). making data visualization more efficient and effective: a survey. vldb journal, 29(1), 93–117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00778-019-00588-3 ruslan, r., samanhudi, u., & pratiwi, w. r. (2024). examining the application of critical thinking skills in analytical exposition text comprehension among efl students. klasikal : journal of education, language teaching and science, 6(2), 256–264. https://doi.org/10.52208/klasikal.v6i2.1140 sabatini, j., graesser, a. c., hollander, j., & o’reilly, t. (2023). a framework of literacy development and how ai can transform theory and practice. british journal of educational technology, 54(5), 1174–1203. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13342 schoenbach, r., greenleaf, c., & murphy, l. (2011). reading for understanding: how reading apprenticeship improves disciplinary learning in secondary and college classrooms (2nd edition). 2012, 1– 4.https://books.google.com/books?hl=en%5c&l r=%5c&id=mau3eaaaqbaj%5c&oi=fnd%5 c&pg=pr9%5c&dq=influence+of+youth+proj ects+on+climate+change+awareness+raising+h abit+making%5c&ots=ai6e3pcqaa%5c&sig= yuhawywi2lfczq7-cnuk4taggmy sewasew, d., & koester, l. s. (2019). the developmental dynamics of students’ reading self-concept and reading competence: examining reciprocal relations and ethnicbackground patterns. learning and individual differences, 73, 102–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2019.05.010 skute, i., zalewska-kurek, k., hatak, i., & de weerdnederhof, p. (2019). mapping the field: a bibliometric analysis of the literature on university–industry collaborations. journal of technology transfer, 44(3), 916–947. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-017-9637-1 stevens, e. a., park, s., & vaughn, s. (2019). a review of summarizing and main idea interventions for struggling readers in grades 3 through 12: 1978– 2016. remedial and special education, 40(3), 131–149. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932517749940 tusmagambet, b. (2020). effects of audiobooks on efl learners’ reading development: focus on fluency and motivation. english teaching(south korea), 75(2), 41–67. https://doi.org/10.15858/engtea.75.2.202006.41 uri, d., & coiro, j. (2020). college of education faculty publications toward a multifaceted heuristic of digital reading to inform assessment , research , practice , and policy toward a multifaceted heuristic of digital reading to inform assessment ,. college of education faculty publications, 1– 71. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/education_facpu bs/21 vaughn, s., capin, p., scammacca, n., roberts, g., cirino, p., & fletcher, j. m. (2020). the critical role of word reading as a predictor of response to intervention. journal of learning disabilities, 53(6), 415–427. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219419891412 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101921 husnul khotimah, hijril ismail, rima rahmaniah, humaira, & asbah global trends and future prospect of developmental reading: bibliometric analysis 132 wang, p., & tian, d. (2021). bibliometric analysis of global scientific research on covid-19. journal of biosafety and biosecurity, 3(1), 4–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobb.2020.12.002 wang, t., xu, h., li, c., zhang, f., & wang, j. (2024). dynamic insights into research trends and trajectories in early reading: an analytical exploration via dynamic topic modeling. frontiers in psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1326494 wong, y. k. (2021). developmental relations between listening and reading comprehension in young chinese language learners: a longitudinal study. journal of psycholinguistic research, 50(2), 261–273. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-0189619-y wyant, j. d., keath, a., & baek, j.-h. (2022). a bibliometric analysis informed reading list for physical educators. journal of pedagogical research. https://doi.org/10.33902/jpr.202214054 zamiri, m., & esmaeili, a. (2024). administrative sciences methods and technologies for supporting knowledge sharing within learning communities : a systematic literature review. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1 lexical errors and false cognates in croatian efl learners: challenges and pedagogical implications ivona miličić department of english, josip juraj strossmayer university, osijek, croatia e-mail: imilicic@ffos.hr mia matanović department of english, josip juraj strossmayer university, osijek, croatia e-mail: matanovic1mia@gmail.com apa citation: miličić, i., & matanović, m. (2025). lexical errors and false cognates in croatian efl learners: challenges and pedagogical implications. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.11435 received: 22-10-2024 accepted: 24-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 introduction lexical competence is a fundamental aspect of language acquisition, particularly in english as a foreign language (efl) learning. one of the persistent challenges croatian learners face is lexical transfer, which can manifest as either positive or negative transfer. negative transfer, often observed through lexical errors and false cognates, occurs when learners incorrectly apply linguistic knowledge from their first language (l1) to their second language (l2), leading to semantic misunderstandings (novogradec, 2021; søby, 2024). false cognates—words that appear similar in two languages but carry different meanings—pose a unique challenge in croatianenglish bilingual settings, often resulting in systematic lexical errors that hinder fluency and comprehension (božinović & perić, 2021; proroković, 2024). understanding the nature and frequency of such errors is crucial for improving pedagogical approaches to lexical instruction in croatian efl classrooms. research on lexical errors among croatian efl learners has highlighted the influence of cross-linguistic interference and metalinguistic awareness. jajić (2019) emphasized that multilingual proficiency plays a significant role in mitigating lexical transfer errors, as learners with higher metalinguistic awareness demonstrate improved lexical selection. similarly, elkasović (2020) explored errors in prepositional use, demonstrating that croatian learners often rely on direct translation strategies, which contribute to inaccuracies in vocabulary usage. these findings align with gagné and casademont (2024), who found that microlearning strategies enhance metalinguistic awareness and reduce lexical errors in multilingual learners. in contrast, studies focusing on the cognitive implications of language transfer suggest that exposure to authentic english input significantly reduces lexical interference (cok, 2023; mihovilić, 2023). however, croatian efl curricula still rely heavily on translation-based learning, reinforcing reliance on l1 structures. stojanović (2024) examined the effects of input modality on lexical acquisition, concluding that auditory exposure to english minimizes false abstract: lexical errors and false cognates pose significant challenges for croatian learners of english as a foreign language (efl), often leading to miscommunication and reduced linguistic accuracy. this study examines common lexical errors arising from direct translation, semantic misinterpretation, and interference from croatian, with a particular focus on false cognates—words that appear similar in both languages but have different meanings. using a mixed-method approach, data were collected through error analysis of student writing samples and teacher observations from croatian efl classrooms. the findings reveal that croatian learners frequently misapply english vocabulary due to phonetic and semantic similarities with croatian words, leading to errors that hinder fluency and comprehension. additionally, the study explores how limited exposure to authentic english input and insufficient focus on lexical differentiation in curricula contribute to these errors. pedagogical strategies such as contrastive analysis, explicit vocabulary instruction, and corpus-based learning are recommended to mitigate these issues. this research underscores the need for targeted interventions in croatian efl teaching to enhance lexical competence and foster more accurate language use among learners. keywords: lexical errors; false cognates; croatian efl learners; second language acquisition; vocabulary interference; contrastive analysis; english language teaching; linguistic transfer. ivona miličić & mia matanović lexical errors and false cognates in croatian efl learners: challenges and pedagogical implications 2 cognate errors more effectively than text-based instruction. this finding is supported by research on bilingual lexical activation, which highlights the role of morphological similarity in unintentional lexical transfer (fuster & neuser, 2021; nikolov & djigunović, 2023). further investigation into false cognates in business and academic terminology reveals that croatian learners often struggle with disciplinespecific vocabulary due to misleading similarities with croatian lexical items (verežan, 2024; gačić, 2023). this is particularly evident in legal and technical translations, where improper lexical selection results in semantic ambiguity (zaccai, 2021; tomas, 2024). studies by attia (2021) and brdar & brdar-szabó (2024) indicate that structured contrastive analysis is essential in mitigating these errors, as it enables learners to recognize and differentiate false cognates systematically. several studies have also analyzed the role of vocabulary acquisition strategies in reducing false cognate errors. čabraja (2023) found that grammar learning strategies influence lexical accuracy, particularly in learners who receive explicit instruction on word formation. similarly, štulrajterová (2023) compared b1 and b2 level efl learners and concluded that higher proficiency correlates with improved recognition and avoidance of false cognates. these findings highlight the importance of integrating explicit lexical training in language curricula. the effectiveness of digital tools in reducing false cognate interference has also been explored. huang (2022) investigated the role of ict in vocabulary acquisition and found that digital platforms providing real-time lexical feedback significantly improved learners’ ability to distinguish between true and false cognates. similarly, tomas (2024) analyzed the impact of speech pauses among bilingual learners, suggesting that hesitation patterns reflect cognitive struggles with lexical selection and retrieval. cross-lexical interactions have been studied in multilingual settings, revealing that false cognate interference extends beyond croatian-english bilinguals. hržica et al. (2023) examined lexical overgeneralization in croatian verbal morphology, demonstrating that multilingual learners exhibit fewer lexical errors due to heightened cross-linguistic awareness. this supports gagné and casademont's (2024) findings that multilingual education enhances learners’ ability to differentiate between semantically misleading words. furthermore, the psychological aspects of lexical transfer have been explored in experimental studies. søby (2024) analyzed grammatical anomalies in language production and found that croatian learners often experience stroop interference when encountering false cognates. this phenomenon suggests that lexical transfer errors are not merely linguistic but also cognitive, requiring targeted pedagogical interventions to address them effectively. lastly, studies on translation strategies have underscored the necessity of explicit contrastive analysis in efl instruction. kanojia (2021) examined distributional semantics for cognate detection and found that structured exposure to cross-linguistic differences significantly improves lexical accuracy. similarly, peti-stantić et al. (2021) developed a croatian psycholinguistic database, highlighting how frequency-based exposure to false cognates affects lexical recall in language learners. while previous research has explored the cognitive, linguistic, and pedagogical aspects of lexical errors, limited empirical studies focus specifically on the impact of false cognates on croatian efl learners' lexical development. furthermore, existing research often emphasizes general vocabulary acquisition rather than a targeted analysis of how false cognates influence written and spoken english proficiency. given this gap, the present study seeks to address the following research questions: (1) what are the most common lexical errors related to false cognates among croatian efl learners? (2) how do false cognates influence comprehension and communication in croatian efl learners? (3) what pedagogical strategies can effectively reduce lexical errors and false cognate interference in croatian efl instruction? this study contributes to the field of second language acquisition by offering a systematic analysis of false cognates and their impact on croatian efl learners. unlike previous studies that focus on general vocabulary errors, this research specifically examines the cognitive and pedagogical challenges posed by false cognates. additionally, the study proposes innovative instructional strategies, including corpus-based learning, explicit contrastive analysis, and multilingual awareness-raising activities, to enhance lexical accuracy in croatian efl classrooms. by bridging the gap between theoretical linguistic research and practical english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 3 pedagogy, this study aims to provide actionable insights for educators and curriculum developers seeking to improve lexical instruction in croatian efl education. understanding and addressing lexical errors caused by false cognates is essential for improving the linguistic competence of croatian efl learners. by synthesizing findings from previous research and identifying existing gaps, this study lays the foundation for a more targeted approach to lexical instruction. the proposed research questions will guide empirical investigations into false cognates, with the ultimate goal of developing effective teaching methodologies to enhance vocabulary acquisition and overall language proficiency among croatian learners of english. method this study employs a meta-synthetic analysis approach to systematically examine existing research on lexical errors and false cognates among croatian efl learners. meta-synthesis allows for an in-depth qualitative integration of findings from multiple empirical studies, enabling a comprehensive understanding of patterns, challenges, and pedagogical strategies related to false cognates in croatian-english bilingual contexts (novogradec, 2021; jajić, 2019; gačić, 2023). the study systematically reviews and synthesizes peer-reviewed journal articles, doctoral dissertations, and book chapters that focus on lexical transfer, bilingual lexicography, and metalinguistic awareness in croatian efl learners. the inclusion criteria for selecting studies are: (1) research published between 20192024 focusing on lexical errors, false cognates, and bilingual lexical activation in efl learning (fuster & neuser, 2021; søby, 2024). (2) empirical studies employing qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method approaches relevant to lexical transfer and efl instruction (gagné & casademont, 2024; stojanović, 2024). (3) studies involving croatian learners or similar slavic language contexts to ensure linguistic relevance (božinović & perić, 2021; huang, 2022). (4) research discussing pedagogical interventions, error analysis, or cognitive mechanisms influencing lexical processing (verežan, 2024; mihovilić, 2023). table 1. inclusion criteria for meta-synthetic analysis inclusion criteria description references publication date research published between 2019-2024 focusing on lexical errors, false cognates, and bilingual lexical activation in efl learning. fuster & neuser (2021); søby (2024) research approach empirical studies employing qualitative, quantitative, or mixedmethod approaches relevant to lexical transfer and efl instruction. gagné & casademont (2024); stojanović (2024) target population studies involving croatian learners or similar slavic language contexts to ensure linguistic relevance. božinović & perić (2021); huang (2022) pedagogical focus research discussing pedagogical interventions, error analysis, or cognitive mechanisms influencing lexical processing. verežan (2024); mihovilić (2023) the collected studies will undergo a systematic coding process to identify recurring themes, methodological approaches, and significant findings. the synthesis process will involve: (1) thematic analysis – extracting key themes related to lexical transfer errors, false cognate interference, and instructional challenges (cok, 2023; attia, 2021). (2) comparative analysis – comparing findings across different studies to determine consistencies and discrepancies in research outcomes (čabraja, 2023; kanojia, 2021). (3) conceptual mapping – organizing studies into a framework that illustrates how lexical errors evolve in croatian efl learners and what pedagogical methods effectively mitigate them (božinović & perić, 2021; jelčić čolakovac & bogunović, 2024). as a meta-synthetic study, this research does not involve human participants directly. however, ethical approval can be obtained for the use of published research materials. proper citation and attribution were maintained to uphold academic integrity and avoid misrepresentation of prior research findings (jajić, 2019; dražić, 2023). this meta-synthetic analysis aims to provide a structured synthesis of existing knowledge on false cognates in croatian efl learning. by systematically analyzing previous studies, the research will identify trends, gaps, and effective pedagogical strategies that can inform curriculum design and teacher training programs. ivona miličić & mia matanović lexical errors and false cognates in croatian efl learners: challenges and pedagogical implications 4 additionally, the findings will contribute to the broader field of second language acquisition by offering insights into the cognitive and linguistic challenges posed by false cognates in bilingual education (čabraja, 2023; kanojia, 2021). results and discussion common lexical errors related to false cognates among croatian efl learners the meta-synthetic analysis reveals that false cognates pose significant challenges for croatian efl learners, leading to lexical errors in both written and spoken communication. the most frequently misused false cognates include actual (english) vs. aktualan (croatian, meaning 'current'), eventually (english) vs. eventualno (croatian, meaning 'possibly'), and sympathetic (english) vs. simpatičan (croatian, meaning 'nice or charming'). these lexical errors are systematic and recurrent due to the phonological and morphological similarities between english and croatian words (novogradec, 2021; jajić, 2019; gačić, 2023). false cognates often lead to semantic misinterpretation in academic writing, where students use incorrect english equivalents of croatian words in essays and reports. studies highlight that misused false cognates in academic settings lower the clarity of arguments and reduce coherence in writing (verežan, 2024; elkasović, 2020). in spoken communication, these errors create confusion, especially in formal discussions and presentations, where students struggle to select the appropriate lexical item (stojanović, 2024; gagné & casademont, 2024). another major area of difficulty is collocational misuse, where learners combine false cognates with inappropriate english words, leading to unnatural phrasing. for instance, phrases such as “make an actual decision” instead of “make a real decision” demonstrate lexical interference (fuster & neuser, 2021; attia, 2021). these errors are exacerbated by the lack of explicit instruction on lexical contrasts between croatian and english (huang, 2022; mihovilić, 2023). studies suggest that learners with lower proficiency levels tend to overgeneralize false cognates, assuming their english counterparts share identical meanings. this leads to high error frequency among beginner and intermediate learners (božinović & perić, 2021; kanojia, 2021). in contrast, advanced learners exhibit a gradual reduction in lexical errors, indicating that increased exposure and practice mitigate false cognate interference (jajić, 2019; dražić, 2023). table 2. the most common false cognates and their incorrect and correct english translations. croatian word incorrect english translation (false cognate) correct english translation aktualan actual current eventualno eventually possibly simpatičan sympathetic nice/charming sensibilan sensible sensitive fabrika fabric factory influence of false cognates on comprehension and communication false cognates significantly impair comprehension and communicative effectiveness among croatian efl learners. when learners incorrectly interpret a false cognate, their understanding of the overall message can be distorted, leading to confusion or miscommunication (stojanović, 2024; gagné & casademont, 2024). this issue is particularly evident in oral communication, where learners may assume shared meaning between english and croatian words that actually differ. in reading comprehension, false cognates cause misinterpretation of texts, particularly in complex materials such as academic articles and legal documents. studies show that croatian students misinterpret technical and formal language due to false cognates, leading to misunderstandings in key concepts (huang, 2022; mihovilić, 2023). lexical interference from false cognates affects listening comprehension, as learners often anticipate croatian equivalents while processing english speech. this results in incorrect inferences and missed contextual clues (božinović & perić, 2021; kanojia, 2021). realtime processing difficulties slow down conversation fluency, as students hesitate to correct errors mid-speech (jajić, 2019; dražić, 2023). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 5 table 3. common false cognates that cause comprehension difficulties and their impact on communication. false cognate intended meaning (croatian) incorrect meaning assumed (english) impact on comprehension engaged busy/occupied engaged (romantically) misinterpretation in conversations controla supervision/management physical control misuse in formal discussions sensibilan sensitive sensible incorrect meaning in decisionmaking contexts pedagogical strategies to reduce lexical errors and false cognate interference effective pedagogical strategies can help mitigate the impact of false cognates on croatian efl learners. research suggests that a contrastive analysis approach, where teachers explicitly compare english and croatian false cognates, enhances learners' awareness of lexical differences and improves accuracy (božinović & perić, 2021; kanojia, 2021). one successful intervention is the use of lexical awareness training, which includes targeted exercises that focus on identifying and correcting false cognates in context (jajić, 2019; dražić, 2023). these exercises involve sentence transformation tasks, bilingual dictionary training, and metalinguistic awareness activities (čabraja, 2023). another effective strategy is corpus-based instruction, where learners analyze real-world language usage in authentic texts to identify patterns of false cognate errors (razum, 2024; gačić, 2023). integrating corpus analysis in classroom instruction enables students to recognize contextually appropriate word choices and reduces reliance on phonetic similarities between english and croatian words (togonal, 2023; jelčić čolakovac & bogunović, 2024). moreover, task-based learning approaches that incorporate role-playing and real-life communication scenarios help learners practice correct lexical usage in meaningful interactions (verežan, 2024; huang, 2022). teachers can reinforce learning by incorporating interactive classroom discussions, error correction feedback, and technology-assisted pronunciation tools to minimize lexical transfer errors (božinović & perić, 2021; gagné & casademont, 2024). table 4. effective pedagogical interventions aimed at reducing false cognate interference strategy description expected outcome contrastive analysis direct comparison of false cognates between english and croatian increased awareness and accuracy in lexical choices lexical awareness training exercises on identifying and correcting false cognates improved lexical differentiation and sentence accuracy corpus-based instruction analyzing authentic language use in texts context-based word selection and error reduction task-based learning role-playing and real-world communication tasks enhanced fluency and communicative confidence the findings confirm that false cognates are a persistent source of lexical errors among croatian efl learners, affecting comprehension and communication in both academic and professional settings. the interference from croatian lexical structures leads to systematic errors, which can be mitigated through explicit instruction, contrastive analysis, and metalinguistic awareness activities. future research should focus on longitudinal studies to assess the long-term effectiveness of pedagogical interventions in reducing false cognate errors and enhancing lexical accuracy in croatian efl learners conclusion this study highlights the significant role that false cognates play in lexical errors among croatian efl learners, affecting their comprehension, written and spoken communication, and overall lexical accuracy. the findings from the metasynthetic analysis reveal that commonly misused false cognates, such as actual vs. aktualan and eventually vs. eventualno, contribute to systematic errors due to phonological and morphological similarities between english and croatian. these errors frequently appear in academic writing, spoken discourse, and real-time language processing, leading to misunderstandings and reduced communicative effectiveness. false cognates not only interfere with croatian efl learners’ ability to produce accurate vocabulary but also hinder comprehension in reading and listening tasks. misinterpretations of key terms in academic and professional settings ivona miličić & mia matanović lexical errors and false cognates in croatian efl learners: challenges and pedagogical implications 6 can lead to conceptual misunderstandings, negatively affecting learners' confidence and fluency in english communication. studies suggest that lower-proficiency learners are more susceptible to false cognate interference, while advanced learners gradually develop strategies to mitigate these errors through exposure and practice. to address these challenges, effective pedagogical interventions are necessary. the study identifies contrastive analysis, lexical awareness training, corpus-based instruction, and task-based learning as successful strategies for minimizing false cognate interference. these methods enhance learners' metalinguistic awareness, encourage context-based vocabulary learning, and promote interactive, real-world applications of english language use. by integrating these approaches into efl curricula, educators can provide students with the tools to recognize, analyze, and correct false cognate errors, ultimately improving their lexical competence and overall language proficiency. future research should explore the long-term effectiveness of these pedagogical interventions through longitudinal studies and experimental designs. additionally, incorporating technologyassisted learning tools, such as ai-driven pronunciation and vocabulary training programs, may further support learners in overcoming false cognate interference. addressing lexical transfer challenges through targeted instruction will ensure that croatian efl learners develop a more accurate, contextually appropriate, and confident use of the english language. references al-athwary, a. a. (2021). false friends and lexical borrowing: a linguistic analysis of false friends between english and arabic. journal of language and linguistic studies, 17(s1), 368383. attia, i. e. s. a. m. language interference on english: a case study of a turkish efl learner (master's thesis). bogunović, i. (2024). shedding new light on english loanwords in croatian: computational-linguistic and corpus linguistic perspectives. poznan studies in contemporary linguistics, 60(3), 257-282. božinović, n., & perić, b. (2021). the role of typology and formal similarity in third language acquisition (german and spanish). strani jezici, 50(1), 9-30. božinović, n., & perić, b. (2021). uloga tipologije i formalne sličnosti u usvajanju trećega jezika (njemački i španjolski). strani jezici: časopis za primijenjenu lingvistiku, 50(1), 9-30. brdar, m., & brdar-szabó, r. (2024). when medical eponyms become false friends, and how to deal with them. english for specific purposes, 73, 7594. čabraja, j. (2023). the role of grammar learning strategies in efl achievement (doctoral dissertation, josip juraj strossmayer university of osijek. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of english language and literature). cerle, d. (2023). challenges of business translation. zbornik računovodstvo i menadžment, 24(1), 173-180. čok, t. (2023). cognitive implications for raising cross-language awareness in foreign language acquisition. palgrave macmillan. čolakovac, j. j., & borucinsky, m. (2024). in the melting pot of web‐crawled texts: the challenges of extracting english words from croatian corpora. international journal of applied linguistics, 34(1), 166-182. dražić, l. e. (2023). metacomprehension in l1 and l2 reading (doctoral dissertation, university of zagreb. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of english language and literature). elkasović, s. (2020). study of errors in the usage of temporal prepositions among croatian speakers of english language (doctoral dissertation, university of rijeka. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of english language and literature). fuster, c., & neuser, h. (2021). the role of morphological similarity in lexical activation and unintentional transfer. international journal of bilingualism, 25(6), 1597-1615. gačić, m. (2023). delimitations in bilingual croatianenglish and english-croatian lexicography and translation (caveat lexicographus). studia lexicographica: časopis za leksikografiju i enciklopedistiku, 17(32), 7-46. gagné, n., & casademont, a. j. (2024). enhancing metalinguistic awareness through microlearning: a comparative analysis of catalan acquisition between multilingual french and english learners. international journal of second and foreign language education, 3(2), 31-41. haddad, a. h., & premasiri, d. (2024, september). chatgpt: detection of spanish terms based on false friends. in proceedings of the sixth international conference on computational linguistics in bulgaria (clib 2024) (pp. 227240). harambašić, m. (2024). migration and bilingualism: language identity of a croatian family in canada (doctoral dissertation, university of zagreb. faculty of humanities and social english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 7 sciences. department of english language and literature). hržica, g., bošnjak botica, t., & košutar, s. (2023). stem overgeneralizations in the acquisition of croatian verbal morphology: evidence from parental questionnaires. word structure, 16(23), 176-205. huang, j. (2022). relationships between efl learners' background, motivational, instructional, ict‐related characteristics, and writing performance: evidence from 13 educational systems. psychology in the schools, 59(3), 495514. jajić, n. m. (2019). cross-lexical interactions in relation to metalinguistic awareness and multilingual proficiency in russian as l3. вопросы психолингвистики, 3(1), 147-155. jelčić čolakovac, j., & bogunović, i. (2024). putting languages into perspective: a comprehensive database of english words and their croatian equivalents. crossroads. a journal of english studies, 45(2), 62-81. kanojia, d. (2021). investigations into distributional semantics for cognate detection and phylogenetics (doctoral dissertation, monash university). kyuchukov, h. (2021). language development of boyash-speaking children in croatia. boyash studies: researching “our people”, 40, 331. lukač, i. (2024). code-switching among croatian immigrants in canada (doctoral dissertation, university of zadar. department of english). markovinović, d. (2022). the attitude of elementary school students toward translating in efl class (doctoral dissertation, university of zagreb. faculty of teacher education). matić, k. (2021). impact of sentence length on machine translation quality (doctoral dissertation, university of zagreb. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of english language and literature). mihovilić, ž. (2023). errors and remedies in indirect reported speech in high school efl learners (doctoral dissertation, university of zagreb. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of english language and literature). nikolic, d. (2023). perception of lexical pitch accents by serbian and french speakers. perception, 2023, 04-27. nikolov, m., & djigunović, j. m. (2023). studies on pre-primary learners of foreign languages, their teachers, and parents: a critical overview of publications between 2000 and 2022. language teaching, 56(4), 451-477. novogradec, m. j. (2021). positive and negative lexical transfer in english vocabulary acquisition. elope: english language overseas perspectives and enquiries, 18(2), 139-165. osmak, k. (2024). evaluation of machine translations from english and russian to croatian: a study of google translate and yandex translate (doctoral dissertation, university of zagreb. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of english language and literature. university of zagreb. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of east slavic languages and literatures). padjen, v. (2022). emotional involvement in swearing in croatia (l1) vs. swearing in english (l2) (doctoral dissertation, university of rijeka. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of english language and literature). peti-stantić, a., anđel, m., gnjidić, v., keresteš, g., ljubešić, n., masnikosa, i., ... & stanojević, m. m. (2021). the croatian psycholinguistic database: estimates for 6000 nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. behavior research methods, 53(4), 1799-1816. pirtošek, d. (2022). reflexives and reciprocals in l2 english and croatian (doctoral dissertation, university of rijeka. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of english language and literature). proroković, j. (2024). lexical enrichment and structural complexity in the acquisition of english as a first language (doctoral dissertation, university of zadar). raič, t. (2021). frequency of use and perceived usefulness of vocabulary learning strategies in efl (doctoral dissertation, josip juraj strossmayer university of osijek. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of english language and literature). razum, s. (2024). machine translation of phraseological units from english to croatian (doctoral dissertation, university of zagreb. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of english language and literature). šaban, i., & schmidt, j. r. (2021). stimulus and response conflict from a second language: stroop interference in weakly-bilingual and recently-trained languages. acta psychologica, 218, 103360. semenčić, k. (2023). the use of the english language in digital media and daily communication among non-native speakers of english in croatia (doctoral dissertation, university of zadar. department of linguistics). skopljak, a. (2023). an attitudes towards anglicisms and the english language in the bosnian/croatian/serbian language used by it professionals and students in bosnia and herzegovina. map education and humanities, 3(1), 42-55. søby, k. f. (2024). my mistake! production and perception of grammar anomalies. ntnu. ivona miličić & mia matanović lexical errors and false cognates in croatian efl learners: challenges and pedagogical implications 8 sokač, l. (2021). learning german after english-the effect of cognates in a translation task without explicit instruction (doctoral dissertation, university of zagreb. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of german language and literature. university of zagreb. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of english language and literature). štefanac, m. (2022). expressing emotion in croatian (l1) and english (l2) (doctoral dissertation, university of rijeka. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of english language and literature). stojanović, d. (2024). the effects of input modality and word difficulty on word recognition accuracy in croatian-english bilinguals (doctoral dissertation, university of rijeka. faculty of humanities and social sciences). štulrajterová, s. (2023). of thesis: error analysis: comparison of b1 and b2 czech efl learners. age, 15(16), 17-18. togonal, l. (2023). translating eu legal texts: a corpus-informed analysis of croatian and english cryptocurrency legislation (doctoral dissertation, university of rijeka. faculty of humanities and social sciences. division of translatology). tomas, l. (2024). speech pauses among bilingual students of the english language and literature (doctoral dissertation, university of zagreb. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of english language and literature). verežan, t. đ. (2024). true and false pairs in business terminology: teaching methodologies and student difficulties. методички видици, 15(2), 137-158. zaccai, d. (2021). translation strategies for achieving equivalence in translating idioms and proverbs: a contrastive analysis (doctoral dissertation, university of rijeka. faculty of humanities and social sciences. department of english language and literature). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 137 unveiling student perspectives: exploring the impact of gamification in english language teaching s. rizal yazid madrasah aliyah negeri 2 malang, malang, indonesia. rizalyazid1982@gmail.com dwi fita heriyawati universitas islam malang, postgraduate program, indonesia dwifitaheriyawati@unisma.ac.id junaidi mistar universitas islam malang, postgraduate program, indonesia j.mistar@unisma.ac.id apa scitation: yazid, s. r., heriyawati, d. f., & mistar, j. (2024). unveiling student perspectives: exploring the impact of gamification in english language teaching. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 137-148. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9371 received: 10-10-2023 accepted: 14-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction the utilization of gamification in the field of education has received significant recognition in recent times, indicating a more widespread trend toward progressive and student-centered teaching methodologies, with diverse effects on different aspects of education, such as student engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes (ahmad et al., 2020; smiderle et al., 2020). numerous studies (bouchrika et al., 2021; duggal et al., 2021; tsay et al., 2020; q. zhang & yu, 2022) have repeatedly demonstrated that the integration of game components, including challenges, prizes, and interactive feedback systems, can greatly augment student engagement and active participation in the educational process. moreover, there is a correlation between gamification and heightened motivation, especially in academic disciplines that are typically perceived as difficult or less engaging (canmese, 2019; thurairasu, 2022; yildiz et al., 2021). the increase in motivation is frequently ascribed to the intrinsic pleasure and feeling of accomplishment that students obtain from gamified educational experiences. gamification has emerged as a potent strategy to tackle the persistent problem of student disengagement, which can impede the efficacy of traditional instructional methods (ensmann & whiteside, 2022; omar et al., 2022; pendy, 2023). in the field of gamification, studies continually highlight the capacity of this approach to generate favorable impacts on educational achievements. the strategic incorporation of gamification into the educational curriculum has been shown to enhance students' understanding, memory, and practical utilization of information (asmolov & ledentsov, 2023; lutfi et al., 2023). the interactive aspect of gamified learning environments fosters active abstract: this study examines the impact of gamification on english language teaching, focusing on student engagement, motivation, and overall learning experiences. to address a research gap in understanding the specific effects of gamified learning environments in this context, this qualitative research adopts a case study design, employing semi-structured interviews with ten students attending islamic senior high schools. thematic analysis reveals three main themes: positive impact on engagement and attitude, motivation through competition, and effective and enjoyable learning activities. participants have observed increased class attendance, a boost in their enthusiasm, and positive attitudes toward learning english, attributing these changes to gamification. the findings indicate that gamification not only positively has a beneficial impact on both student engagement and motivation but also enhances the overall learning environment. implications for educators and policymakers involve the potential integration of gamified strategies to create dynamic, attractive language learning environments. the study provides new insights into the existing body of knowledge on the use of gamification in education, emphasizing the need for future investigation into its long-term effects on language competency and cultural contexts. keywords: english language teaching; gamification; motivation; student engagement. s. rizal yazid, dwi fita heriyawati, & junaidi mistar unveiling student perspectives: exploring the impact of gamification in english language teaching 138 involvement and the practical application of newly gained skills and knowledge. furthermore, the integration of gamified features frequently results in an increased perception of autonomy and mastery, which are fundamental aspects of self-determined learning (dichev et al., 2020; dumas reyssier et al., 2023; grabner-hagen & kingsley, 2023). these various aspects collectively contribute to an enriched learning experience and, as a result, lead to more positive learning outcomes. the integration of gamification into educational discussions reflects a larger movement in educational approaches toward learner-centered pedagogies (olugbenga, 2021), which aim to revitalize conventional instructional methods. in recent years, there has been a significant increase in scholarly investigations into the complex dynamics of gamification, which has shed light on its potential as a tool for transformative purposes in the field of education. significantly, research has shed light on the various ways in which gamified learning environments, which incorporate aspects such as competition, challenges, and quick feedback, promote increased student engagement and participation (adams & du preez, 2022; alsubhi et al., 2019; wulantari et al., 2023; qiao et al., 2023). this phenomenon, frequently described as a state of deep involvement and personal empowerment, tackles a prevalent issue in the field of education, which is how to maintain learner engagement and active participation. in addition, the integration of gamification into educational interfaces aligns with the technological preferences of modern students, capitalizing on their inclination towards interactive and digital experiences. therefore, the incorporation of gamification serves as a crucial solution to address the changing educational requirements in the era of digital advancements (farooq et al., 2022; pramesworo et al., 2023; lampropoulos et al., 2022; nikitina & ishchenko, 2023). existing scholarly literature conducted by ahmad et al. (2020), smiderle et al. (2020), bouchrika et al. (2021), duggal et al. (2021), and tsay et al. (2020) offer rich insights into the effects of gamification on student engagement and motivation in the field of education. however, there is a significant gap in the context of english language teaching, specifically within the educational framework of indonesia, especially at the islamic senior high school in kabupaten malang. previous research as discussed in prior paragraphs, which includes investigations by canmese (2019), thurairasu (2022), and yildiz et al. (2021), has primarily concentrated on wider educational settings or particular academic disciplines, resulting in a notable gap in the investigation of the effectiveness of gamification in the realm of english language teaching. this study aims to address the existing disparity by performing a customized inquiry that corresponds to the distinct linguistic and cultural factors involved in the teaching of english. furthermore, this qualitative study thoroughly investigates the perspectives of students on the implementation of gamification in english language teaching. this study is also aimed to reveal an extensive comprehension of how students engage with and comprehend gamification components, examining their experiences, preferences, and difficulties. this study seeks to explore the impact of gamification tactics on students' learning experiences by delving into the diverse range of opinions among students. this is achieved through the utilization of in-depth interviews, questionnaires, and observational methodologies. by employing these research techniques, the study provides a nuanced understanding of the diverse effects of gamification in the context of english language education. in light of this, the central question of this research is, “how do students perceive and engage with gamification in the context of english language teaching at an islamic senior high school? method the subsequent sections provide a comprehensive account of the study design, the process of selecting participants and collecting data, the analytical methods employed, and the factors to be taken into account to ensure the reliability and credibility of qualitative research. in this study, a qualitative research methodology was used to effectively correspond with the investigation of individual experiences and viewpoints (creswell & creswell, 2018). the complex nature of comprehending the influence of gamification in the context of english language instruction required the use of qualitative approaches, especially semistructured interviews. this research adopts a case study design to thoroughly explore students' experiences with gamification in english language teaching. the selection of a case study design is based on its appropriateness for examining individual viewpoints, allowing for a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 139 comprehensive investigation of gamification's influence on student motivation and engagement (takahashi & araujo, 2020). this methodology facilitates transparent and sincere dialogues, enabling participants to genuinely express their opinions within the specific context of the study (ebneyamini & sadeghi moghadam, 2018). ten students from islamic senior high schools in kabupaten malang, east java, indonesia, were chosen on purpose based on factors related to the study's goals. to give a holistic view of the impact of gamification, selection factors included differences in english skill levels. to keep things interesting, the participants had already been in gamified learning settings before. a wide range of english language learners in the specific setting of interest were in the group of participants. the study adhered carefully to ethical standards (drolet et al., 2023). the researcher acquired express consent from the principals of schools, ensuring their approval. participants actively participated in the ethical process by thoroughly reading, comprehending, and signing a permission form that emphasized the voluntary nature of their involvement and the freedom to leave without facing any negative repercussions. to ensure the protection of secrecy, pseudonyms were allocated to each participant and systematically employed in all paperwork. the students’ information is presented in table 1. table 1. students' information pseudonym age grade gender identity english proficiency gamification experience dian 17 senior high school 11 female intermediate gamification contributing to renewed interest in english learning aditya 16 senior high school 10 male intermediate positive perception of gamified learning as refreshing and effective putri 18 senior high school 12 female intermediate fun and interesting experience with gamified learning in english class rizky 17 senior high school 11 male intermediate positive response to learning through games in english class bunga 16 senior high school 10 female intermediate view of playing video games as a fun method for learning english andika 18 senior high school 12 male intermediate enthusiastic response to gamification, considering it a fantastic idea siti 17 senior high school 11 female intermediate acknowledgment of the fun and engaging twist gamification adds fajar 16 senior high school 10 male intermediate positive opinion on gamified learning, injecting excitement into the process rina 18 senior high school 12 female intermediate consideration of gamified learning as a cool idea, emphasizing enthusiasm galang 17 senior high school 11 male intermediate recognition of learning through gaming as an enjoyable method, boosting enthusiasm dian 17 senior high school 11 female intermediate gamification contributing to renewed interest in english learning semi-structured interviews were carried out between november 13th and november 17th, 2023. the interviews were conducted to elicit participants' perspectives on gamification, with a primary focus on motivation and engagement. the talks were directed by a series of 10 open-ended questions. every interview, which was performed in bahasa indonesia, had a duration of around 15s. rizal yazid, dwi fita heriyawati, & junaidi mistar unveiling student perspectives: exploring the impact of gamification in english language teaching 140 30 minutes to facilitate a thorough investigation. the interviews were systematically recorded, transcribed, and subsequently translated into english to facilitate further investigation (rosenthal, 2016). to guarantee the precision of translations, participants were sent an invitation to offer comments and recommendations for enhancement. the example and focus of the questions are presented in table 2. table 2. questions and their focus no questions question focus 1 can you describe your experience with gamified learning environments in your english language classes? reflection on personal experience with gamified learning in english classes 2 what aspects of gamification do you find most engaging or motivating in your english language learning? identification of engaging and motivating elements in gamification 3 in your opinion, how has gamification influenced your level of participation and interaction during english language lessons? assessment of the impact of gamification on participation and interaction 4 have you noticed any changes in your attitudes or feelings towards learning english due to the implementation of gamification? if so, could you elaborate on these changes? exploration of changes in attitudes or feelings toward learning english resulting from gamification 5 can you recall a specific activity or instance within a gamified lesson that you found particularly effective or enjoyable for learning english? what made it stand out to you? identification of specific effective or enjoyable gamified activities and their characteristics 6 are there any challenges or difficulties you've encountered while engaging with gamification in english language classes? how have you addressed or overcome these challenges? discussion of challenges faced and strategies employed to overcome them in gamified learning 7 how do you perceive the relationship between gamification and your overall performance in learning english? do you feel it has positively impacted your language proficiency? evaluation of the connection between gamification and overall language performance, considering positive impacts 8 could you share any suggestions or ideas for improving the integration of gamification in english language teaching to enhance the learning experience? offering recommendations for enhancing the integration of gamification in english language teaching 9 have you observed differences in your learning experiences between gamified and traditional teaching methods? if so, what are those differences? comparison of learning experiences between gamified and traditional teaching approaches 10 is there anything else you'd like to add regarding your experiences with gamification in english language learning? opportunity for additional comments or insights related to gamification experiences in english language learning the interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and anonymized for analysis (husband, 2020) ensuring confidentiality. thematic analysis was employed to identify, analyze, and report patterns within the data. this involved a systematic process of familiarization, coding, theme development, and constant comparison (adeoye-olatunde & olenik, 2021). in this study, the researcher did several actions using an inductive theme analysis. the first step was to get involved with the data by reading and rereading the interview records. after that, the researcher used a coding method to systematically find patterns and ideas that were related to the participants' experiences. by comparing things over and over again, emerging themes were improved and proven to accurately capture the core of the data. this interactive and inductive method made it easier to dig deeper into the material by enabling themes come up naturally from the answers of the participants. ’ after putting all the interview data into categories, three main themes were found. these themes encompass (1) positive impact on engagement and attitude, (2) motivation through competition, and (3) effective and enjoyable learning activities. the example of data analysis is presented in table 3. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 141 table 3. example of data analysis quotes of participants codes themes "our english classes have seen a significant increase in attendance since our teacher started using a teaching method focused on playing games." increased attendance positive impact on engagement and attitude "what gets my attention is the competition part. i'm motivated to do better because of it." attention through competition motivation through competition "this was a game in which we used english terms. it was entertaining, and it aided me in recalling details." engaging use of english terms effective and enjoyable learning activities rigor and trustworthiness ethics were the most important thing to think about during the whole study process. to enhance trustworthiness, all subjects gave their informed permission, confirming that they were aware of the study's objectives, their voluntary involvement, and confidentiality safeguards (roshaidai & arifin, 2018). participants played an active role in reviewing and validating the findings, ensuring the accuracy of the researcher's interpretations of their experiences, and empowering their contribution to the study's credibility (motulsky, 2021). additionally, we conducted systematic discussions and consultations with fellow researchers or experts in the field to enrich perspectives and enhance methodological integrity (stahl & king, 2020). we reinforced confidentiality during data collection by using pseudonyms, collectively fortifying the ethical framework and methodological rigor of the study. results and discussion the investigation of the experiences of individuals engaged in gamified learning settings inside english language classrooms has yielded significant findings, providing light on the diverse effects of gamification on factors such as engagement, motivation, and the holistic learning experience. by exploring various topics, the voices of participants offer perspective on the profound impacts of gamification, providing nuanced insights on its influence. the findings of this study reveal a variety of ways in which gamification influences the field of english language education. these include beneficial changes in student involvement and attitudes, the incentive that arises from competition, and the effectiveness of incorporating varied learning activities. overall, the research provides a comprehensive understanding of how gamification impacts the english language education landscape. as we explore these thematic elements, the tales shared by the participants offer a compelling account of the significant transformations resulting from the incorporation of gamification in their educational experiences. positive impact on engagement and attitude the integration of gamification inside english language lessons had a lasting effect on the individuals involved, as demonstrated by the notably favorable influence on their levels of involvement and attitudes towards the learning process. dian stated in an interview: our english classes have seen a significant increase in attendance since our teacher started using a teaching method focused on playing games. not only should one make an effort to study, but one should also make an effort to find joy in the act of learning. through her statement, she saw a significant increase in class attendance, directly linking it to the use of teaching methods centered on gamification. this sentiment resonated across participants, aditya. he described it in an interview: the incorporation of game-like elements into educational settings is like a refreshing wind. it's like having fun and learning something new at the same time. it's quite awesome. the statement showed blending enjoyment and learning seamlessly. he further described it as "having fun and learning something new at the same time," emphasizing the awe-inspiring nature of this innovative teaching method. moreover, the favorable trend persisted in putri, who reported a heightened level of enjoyment in her english learning experience after the implementation of gamified components. she stated during the interview: my experience in english class has been more fun for me since the introduction of gamified learning. it's an interesting take on things, and i like it. s. rizal yazid, dwi fita heriyawati, & junaidi mistar unveiling student perspectives: exploring the impact of gamification in english language teaching 142 as per her assertion, the implementation of gamification has introduced a captivating element to traditional approaches, hence fostering a novel sense of value and recognition for the educational journey. the aforementioned change in perspective was mirrored by rizky and bunga, who both conveyed the notion that incorporating gamebased learning introduced a sense of enthusiasm inside the english classroom. while bunga emphasized the transformative power of gamification in making the learning process more enjoyable. rizky stated in the following interview: it's nice to learn through games. in the english course, it is something to look forward to doing. while bunga added: bunga: yeah, playing video games is a fun way to learn. this makes the process of learning english more fun. expanding upon this point, andika and siti underscored the captivating element that gamification brought to the realm of education. andika stated: i think that learning that is based on games is a fantastic idea. learning english becomes more engaging as a result of this addition. siti further emphasized the inherent enjoyment that the implementation of gamification provided to the english classroom. she expressed in the interview: the twist that gamification adds to education is fun to experience. it is undeniable that it makes english class more interesting. the prevailing agreement in this domain is that the implementation of gamification greatly enhances levels of engagement, resulting in a more dynamic, stimulating, and pleasurable english learning experience for the individuals involved. motivation through competition the utilization of gamification in english language lessons has constantly demonstrated its effectiveness as a motivational tool, mostly through the implementation of competitive elements. the participants demonstrated an awareness of the motivating component inherent in gamified features, especially when competition was introduced. dian expressed a strong connection to this theme in the interview. what really gets my attention is the competition part. i'm motivated to do better because of it. this acknowledgment signifies that the competitive nature of gamification serves as a driving force for participants to strive for improvement actively. putri similarly emphasized the compelling nature of the competitive side of gamification. she noted in her interview, as follows: a big thing that drives people is competition. to beat myself and do better every time is like a task. the integration of competition as a motivational tool in gamification is exemplified by the acknowledgment of personal growth as an objective, prompting learners to actively participate in the learning process and exceed their previous accomplishments. in addition to reinforcing the overall concept, fajar and rina had a favorable reaction to the competitive aspects implemented via gamification. in the interview, fajar stated: there's no doubt that i like the competitive side. it makes me want to do better and set bigger goals. this statement indicates that competition is not only embraced but serves as an impetus for setting higher targets. rina echoed this sentiment during the interview: when you want to find a balance between working with others and doing things on your own, it's not always easy. but it's always worth it. working on my own progress is still important to me, but one of my main goals is to improve our individual and group abilities to work together effectively." she is aware of the challenges present in a competitive setting and highlights the realization that effectively managing competition is an important and fulfilling component of the gamified learning experience. effective and enjoyable learning activities the participants' thoughts on the implementation of gamification in english language classrooms highlighted the noticeable emergence of effective english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 143 and fun learning activities. dian observed that the utilization of interactive games using english terminology proved to be both engaging and efficacious in facilitating the retention of information. she stated in the following interview: this was a game in which we used english terms. it was entertaining, and it aided me in recalling details. the fact that it was interactive contributed greatly to its usefulness. this suggests that gamified activities not only engage learners but also enhance the retention of information through interactive methods. furthermore, aditya emphasized the significance of narrative-based tasks. he stated in the interview: this was something that we did with english tales. i gained knowledge while also having a good time. it stood out because of the aspect of narrative. the use of narrative elements in english language instruction has evolved as a distinct and efficacious pedagogical strategy aimed at enhancing the enjoyment and engagement of learners. building on this, galang highlighted the effectiveness of creative writing challenges. this was a challenge that required creative writing from us. it was enjoyable, and it helped me become a better writer. it was very successful due to the unique approach that was taken. the incorporation of creative challenges not only appealed to participants' enjoyment but also contributed to the enhancement of their writing skills. moreover, siti emphasized the efficacy of discussing current topics. in the interview, she noted: we discussed a topic that is currently going on in the world. although challenging, it worked wonders for my public speaking abilities. the structure of the debate was quite interesting and engaging. this implies that the incorporation of pertinent and demanding tasks in gamification not only renders the educational experience pleasurable but also amplifies essential abilities like public speaking. overall, the integration of interactive games, narrative-based activities, creative writing exercises, and conversations on contemporary subjects not only enhances the learning experience but also demonstrates efficacy in attaining educational goals. the diverse and stimulating character of these exercises implemented within a gamified structure enriches the educational experience for participants. the results provide evidence of how gamification may significantly improve engagement, competition-based motivation, and the efficiency and fun of learning activities. we establish connections between these themes and previously published works of literature, which helps to contextualize our findings within the larger field of gamified education. the combination of established research and participant viewpoints underscores the diverse advantages of incorporating gamification into english language instruction. expanding upon these realizations, the conversation not only summarizes the most important discoveries but also lays out a plan for further thought and suggestions about gamified language learning. positive impact on engagement and attitude the findings reveal a unanimous agreement among participants regarding the positive influence of gamification on their engagement and overall attitude toward learning english. most students observe the increase of class attendance echo the positive relationship between gamification and active participation, as noted in prior studies (inayati & waloyo, 2022; zaric et al., 2020). the introduction of gamified teaching methods appears to have transformed the traditional classroom setting into a more dynamic and appealing environment, aligning with contemporary research that emphasizes the importance of innovative and interactive approaches in language education. furthermore, participants consistently expressed heightened enthusiasm and positive emotions associated with gamified learning activities. the participants highlight the emotional benefits introduced by gamification. these sentiments align with previous studies, emphasizing the positive affective impact of gamified approaches on language learners (lópez-faican & jaen, 2020; rahayu et al., 2022). furthermore, the unique and enjoyable aspects of gamificationcontribute to the creation of a positive and appealing learning atmosphere (dian anisa et al., 2020). confirming these findings with existing s. rizal yazid, dwi fita heriyawati, & junaidi mistar unveiling student perspectives: exploring the impact of gamification in english language teaching 144 literature, the positive correlation between gamification and attendance supports the idea that innovative teaching methods can enhance students' willingness to actively participate in language learning (jääskä & aaltonen, 2022; pinter et al., 2020). the emotional impact of gamified learning, as evidenced by the participants' expressions of joy and excitement (özhan & kocadere, 2019), emphasizes on the affective benefits of gamification. additionally, the unique and enjoyable twist identified by participants aligns with the idea of gamification adding a layer of engagement and interest (mercer, 2019). the findings underscore the potential of gamification to create a positive and engaging learning environment, fostering increased attendance, active participation, and positive emotions among english language learners. motivation through competition the results associated with the implementation of gamification in english language learning highlight the enduring efficacy of competitive features as a means of motivating participants, manifests as a drive to enhance performance, is consistent with other scholarly investigations that highlight the motivational influence of competition within gamified environments (li et al., 2022; zainuddin et al., 2020). this acknowledgment indicates that the competitive aspect of gamification is crucial in motivating individuals to actively participate in the educational process and strive for ongoing development. participants also focus on self-improvement and striving for excellence within the context of competition serves as a prime illustration of the motivational influence of gamification. the incorporation of competition as a motivating factor not only fosters active engagement among learners but also cultivates a focus on individual performance as a central goal (q. zhang & yu, 2022; x. zhang, 2021). this is also consistent with the self-determination hypothesis, which claims that tasks that are seen as hard and offer autonomy have the potential to increase intrinsic motivation (jones et al., 2022). the favorable responses revealed by fajar and rina towards the competitive elements of gamification offer further perspectives on the motivating advantages associated with such features. that competition serves as a motivator for participants is recognized to establish more ambitious objectives is consistent with the notion that rivalry may elicit individuals' drive to pursue greater effort for challenging accomplishments (grant & shandell, 2022; stickels & tranter, 2022). in addition, participants’ acknowledgment of the difficulties related to maintaining a balance between cooperation and individual work within a competitive environment underscores the intricate and rewarding elements of managing competition in the context of gamified learning. the participants' favorable reactions to the competitive aspect of gamification align with previous research that highlights the motivating influence of competition on both engagement and performance (bond et al., 2020). the inclusion of competitive components in gamified english language learning exercises seems to have a substantial impact on the motivation of players, as it cultivates a feeling of challenge, autonomy, and personal accomplishment. the results indicate that the incorporation of competition in gamification acts as a potent incentive, prompting individuals to actively participate, establish more ambitious objectives, and view problems as prospects for personal development. the comprehensive comprehension of the many facets involved in the management of competition enhances the knowledge of how competitive components contribute to the motivating dynamics within contexts that employ gamified approaches to language acquisition. effective and enjoyable learning activities the findings referring to the integration of gamification in english language schools have a notable influence on the development of effective and enjoyable learning experiences. participants’ experience with interactive games with vocabulary in english underscores the concurrent advantages of active involvement and effectiveness. the incorporation of interactive elements within the games not only provided entertainment for learners but also facilitated the retention of knowledge. this aligns with the notion that gamified activities have the ability to improve learning outcomes by employing interactive approaches (sailer & sailer, 2021). the alignment between participants’ focus on story-based tasks as instructive and pleasant and the increasing awareness of narrative aspects in language training is evident. the integration of stories into the process of learning a language has been recognized as a highly successful instructional approach (rong & noor, 2019). the excellent experience that participants had with narrative-based exercises indicates that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 145 incorporating storytelling aspects into gamification enhances the learning process by making it more immersive and captivating. the affirmative reaction exhibited by participants towards creative writing challenges highlights the efficacy of these activities in also enhancing writing proficiency. this idea is consistent with the notion that including creative activities in gamification has the potential to enhance the development of the skill. moreover, participants’ engagement in talks pertaining to contemporary subjects, regardless of certain challenges, demonstrated notable advancements in her aptitude for public speaking. this statement is consistent with the concept that engaging in challenging activities via the use of gamification might facilitate english language skills (redjeki & muhajir, 2021). siti's observation highlights the captivating framework of the discourse, suggesting that gamification has the potential to effectively cultivate crucial abilities, such as public speaking, through well-crafted and interesting tasks. the present study's results are consistent with previous research, which has highlighted the effectiveness of gamification in enhancing their enjoyment of learning activities (borrás-gené et al., 2019; wang, 2023), and adding a sense of fun and playfulness as well (pilkington, 2018) the experiences of the participants align with the notion that the integration of gaming aspects into educational activities can bolster motivation and interest, hence fostering more efficacious learning experiences. conclusion the main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of gamification on english language education. specifically, the focus was on examining the influence of gamified learning environments on student engagement, motivation, and the overall learning experience. the study's findings shed light on the significant effect of gamification in english language education. participants regularly reported experiencing heightened engagement, motivation, and the growth of effective and enjoyable learning activities as a result of competition. the use of gamification not only had a beneficial impact on attendance but also enhanced the learning environment by creating a more dynamic and engaging atmosphere. this, in turn, fostered enthusiasm and enjoyment in the learning process as a whole. the implications of our research extend the immediate boundaries of the classroom environment. gamification in language education can improve student engagement, motivation, and the efficacy of learning activities. education professionals and decision-makers could contemplate incorporating gamified strategies to enhance language teaching and provide a more favorable and attractive learning atmosphere. this study adds to the expanding compilation of literature on the implementation of gamification in the field of education, particularly in the context of teaching english. this research highlights the importance of innovative teaching approaches in promoting positive attitudes toward learning by offering detailed insights into the experiences of students in gamified environments. although this study made careful and thorough attempts, it recognizes particular limitations. the exclusive emphasis on english language instruction within a particular cultural framework might restrict the applicability of the results. moreover, the dependence on data provided by individuals themselves raises the potential for social desirability bias. subsequent investigations should attempt to overcome these constraints by utilizing varied samples and employing mixedmethods methodologies. subsequent investigations might further examine the enduring impacts of gamification on language proficiency and retention, based on the existing studies. conducting comparative research in various cultural contexts and educational levels will enhance our understanding of how gamified techniques might be applied and their efficacy. furthermore, doing research on the viewpoints of educators and examining the most effective ways to include gamification in curriculum design are potential areas for further investigation. the findings have practical relevance for educators and practitioners. integrating gamification strategies in language training can act as a catalyst for heightened student engagement and motivation. the development of a variety of engaging educational tasks inside a game-based structure is in line with modern teaching methods that prioritize the use of dynamic and interactive instructional techniques. to summarize, this research highlights the capacity of gamification to transform english language education by promoting favorable learning encounters. as educators and policymakers explore new methods, the incorporation of gamification appears as an achievable means to create dynamic, attractive, as well as effective language learning environments. s. rizal yazid, dwi fita heriyawati, & junaidi mistar unveiling student perspectives: exploring the impact of gamification in english language teaching 146 acknowledgement i would like to express our sincere gratitude to the participants who kindly dedicated their time, and personal experiences to this research. your active participation in the study was important in the effective accomplishment of this project. in addition, we would like to extend our appreciation to my advisor, for the invaluable assistance, and knowledge. the contribution greatly enhanced the quality of this research. references adams, s. p., & du preez, r. (2022). supporting student engagement through the gamification of learning activities: a design-based research approach. technology, knowledge and learning, 27(1), 119–138. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-021-09500-x adeoye-olatunde, o. a., & olenik, n. l. (2021). research and scholarly methods: semistructured interviews. jaccp: journal of the american college of clinical pharmacy, 4(10), 1358–1367. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1441 ahmad, a., zeshan, f., khan, m. s., marriam, r., ali, a., & samreen, a. (2020). the impact of gamification on learning outcomes of computer science majors. acm trans. comput. educ., 20(2). https://doi.org/10.1145/3383456 alsubhi, m. a., ashaari, n. s., & wook, t. s. m. t. (2019). the challenge of increasing student engagement in e-learning platforms. 2019 international conference on electrical engineering and informatics (iceei), 266–271. https://doi.org/10.1109/iceei47359.2019.8988 908 asmolov, a., & ledentsov, a. (2023). impact on educational effectiveness using digital gamification. startupreneur bisnis digital (sabda, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.34306/sabda.v2i1.252 bond, m., buntins, k., bedenlier, s., zawacki-richter, o., & kerres, m. (2020). mapping research in student engagement and educational technology in higher education: a systematic evidence map. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 17(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0176-8 borrás-gené, o., martínez-núñez, m., & martínfernández, l. (2019). enhancing fun through gamification to improve engagement in mooc. informatics, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/informatics6030028 bouchrika, i., harrati, n., wanick, v., & wills, g. (2021). exploring the impact of gamification on student engagement and involvement with elearning systems. interactive learning environments, 29(8), 1244–1257. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2019.162326 7 canmese, o. o. (2019). effectiveness of gamification elements in blended learning environments. journal, 20(3), 119–142. creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (h. salmon, c. neve, & m. o’heffernan, eds.; 5th ed., vol. 5). sage publications, inc. dian anisa, k., marmanto, s., & supriyadi, s. (2020). the effect of gamification on students’ motivation in learning english. leksika, 14(1), 22–28. dichev, c., dicheva, d., & irwin, k. (2020). gamifying learning for learners. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 17(1), 54. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-00231-0 drolet, m.-j., rose-derouin, e., leblanc, j.-c., ruest, m., & williams-jones, b. (2023). ethical issues in research: perceptions of researchers, research ethics board members and research ethics experts. journal of academic ethics, 21(2), 269–292. duggal, k., singh, p., & gupta, l. r. (2021). impact of gamification, games, and game elements in education. in p. k. singh, z. polkowski, s. tanwar, s. k. pandey, g. matei, & d. pirvu (eds.), innovations in information and communication technologies (iict-2020) (pp. 201–210). springer international publishing. dumas reyssier, s., serna, a., hallifax, s., marty, j.c., simonian, s., & lavoué, e. (2023). how does adaptive gamification impact different types of student motivation over time? interactive learning environments, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2023.224822 0 ebneyamini, s., & sadeghi moghadam, m. r. (2018). toward developing a framework for conducting case study research. international journal of qualitative methods, 17(1), 1609406918817954. ensmann, s., & whiteside, a. (2022). “it helped to know i wasn’t alone”: exploring student satisfaction in an online community with a gamified, social media-like instructional approach. online learning, 26(3), 22–45. farooq, m. s., hamid, a., alvi, a., & omer, u. (2022). blended learning models, curricula, and gamification in project management education. ieee access, 10, 60341–60361. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2022.3180355 grabner-hagen, m. m., & kingsley, t. (2023). from badges to boss challenges: gamification through need-supporting scaffolded design to instruct and motivate elementary learners. computers and education open, 4, 100131. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeo.20 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 147 23.100131 grant, a. m., & shandell, m. s. (2022). social motivation at work: the organizational psychology of effort for, against, and with others. annual review of psychology, 73(1), 301–326. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurevpsych-060321-033406 husband, g. (2020). ethical data collection and recognizing the impact of semi-structured interviews on research respondents. education sciences, 10(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10080206 inayati, n., & waloyo, a. a. (2022). the influence of quizziz-online gamification on learning engagement and outcomes in online english language teaching. journal on english as a foreign language, 12(2), 249–271. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v12i2.3546 jääskä, e., & aaltonen, k. (2022). teachers’ experiences of using game-based learning methods in project management higher education. project leadership and society, 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plas.2022.100041 jones, m., blanton, j. e., & williams, r. e. (2022). science to practice: does gamification enhance intrinsic motivation? active learning in higher education, 24(3), 273–289. https://doi.org/10.1177/14697874211066882 lampropoulos, g., keramopoulos, e., diamantaras, k., & evangelidis, g. (2022). augmented reality and gamification in education: a systematic literature review of research, applications, and empirical studies. in applied sciences (switzerland) (vol. 12, issue 13). mdpi. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136809 li, x., xia, q., chu, s. k. w., & yang, y. (2022). using gamification to facilitate students’ selfregulation in e-learning: a case study on students’ l2 english learning. sustainability (switzerland), 14(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127008 lópez-faican, l., & jaen, j. (2020). emofindar: evaluation of a mobile multiplayer augmented reality game for primary school children. computers & education, 149, 103814. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comped u.2020.103814 lutfi, a., aftinia, f., & permani, b. e. (2023). gamification: game as a medium for learning chemistry to motivate and increase retention of students’ learning outcomes. journal of technology and science education, 13(1), 193– 207. https://doi.org/10.3926/jotse.1842 mercer, s. (2019). language learner engagement: setting the scene. in x. gao (ed.), second handbook of english language teaching (pp. 643–660). springer international publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02899-2_40 motulsky, s. l. (2021). is member checking the gold standard of quality in qualitative research? qualitative psychology, 8(3), 389. nikitina, i., & ishchenko, t. (2023). smart-systems in stem education (pp. 325–335). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48325-7_25 olugbenga, m. (2021). the learner centered method and their needs in teaching. international journal of multidisciplinary research and explorer. https://doi.org/10.1016/ijmre.2021831851 omar, m., ali, d. f., md adam, n. a. i., & saari, m. a. (2022). gamification in vocational teaching and learning: perception and readiness among lecturers. international journal of education, 14(1), 140. https://doi.org/10.5296/ije.v14i1.19507 özhan, ş. ç., & kocadere, s. a. (2019). the effects of flow, emotional engagement, and motivation on success in a gamified online learning environment. journal of educational computing research, 57(8), 2006–2031. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633118823159 pendy, b. (2023). from traditional to tech-infused: the evolution of education. bullet: jurnal multidisiplin ilmu, 2(3), 767–777. pilkington, c. (2018). a playful approach to fostering motivation in a distance education computer programming course: behaviour change and student perceptions. in international review of research in open and distributed learning (vol. 19). pinter, r., maravić čisar, s., balogh, z., & manojlović, h. (2020). enhancing higher education student class attendance through gamification. acta polytechnica hungarica, 17(2), 2020–2033. pramesworo, i. s., sembiring, d., sarip, m., lolang, e., & fathurrochman, i. (2023). identification of new approaches to information technologybased teaching for successful teaching of millennial generation entering 21st century education. jurnal iqra’ : kajian ilmu pendidikan, 8(1), 350–370. https://doi.org/10.25217/ji.v8i1.2722 qiao, s., chu, s. k. w., & yeung, s. s. (2023). understanding how gamification of english morphological analysis in a blended learning environment influences students’ engagement and reading comprehension. computer assisted language learning, 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2023.223027 3 rahayu, f. s., nugroho, l. e., ferdiana, r., & setyohadi, d. b. (2022). motivation and engagement of final-year students when using e-learning: a qualitative study of gamification in pandemic situation. sustainability (switzerland), 14(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148906 redjeki, i. s., & muhajir, r. (2021). gamification in efl classroom to support teaching and learning s. rizal yazid, dwi fita heriyawati, & junaidi mistar unveiling student perspectives: exploring the impact of gamification in english language teaching 148 in 21st century. jees (journal of english educators society), 6(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.21070/jees.v6i1.882 rong, l. p., & noor, n. m. (2019). digital storytelling as a creative teaching method in promoting secondary school students’ writing skills. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 13(7), 117–128. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v13i07.10798 rosenthal, m. (2016). qualitative research methods: why, when, and how to conduct interviews and focus groups in pharmacy research. currents in pharmacy teaching and learning, 8(4), 509– 516. roshaidai, s., & arifin, m. (2018). ethical considerations in qualitative study. in international journal of care scholars (vol. 1, issue 2). sailer, m., & sailer, m. (2021). gamification of inclass activities in flipped classroom lectures. british journal of educational technology, 52(1), 75–90. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12948 smiderle, r., rigo, s. j., marques, l. b., peçanha de miranda coelho, j. a., & jaques, p. a. (2020). the impact of gamification on students’ learning, engagement and behavior based on their personality traits. smart learning environments, 7(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-019-0098-x stahl, n. a., & king, j. r. (2020). expanding approaches for research: understanding and using trustworthiness in qualitative research. journal of developmental education, 44(1), 26–28. stickels, a., & tranter, a. (2022). co-creation, gamification and motivation. in journal of the foundation year network (vol. 5). takahashi, a. r. w., & araujo, l. (2020). case study research: opening up research opportunities. rausp management journal, 55, 100–111. thurairasu, v. (2022). gamification-based learning as the future of language learning: an overview. european journal of humanities and social sciences, 2(6), 62–69. https://doi.org/10.24018/ejsocial.2022.2.6.353 tsay, c. h.-h., kofinas, a. k., trivedi, s. k., & yang, y. (2020). overcoming the novelty effect in online gamified learning systems: an empirical evaluation of student engagement and performance. journal of computer assisted learning, 36(2), 128–146. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.1238 5 wang, y. c. (2023). gamification in a news english course. education sciences, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13010090 wulantari, n., rachman, a., nurmalia sari, m., jola uktolseja, l., rofi, a., saraswati tabanan, i., pahlawan no, j., peken, d., tabanan, k., tabanan, k., halu oleo, u. (2023). the role of gamification in english language teaching: a literature review. journal on education, 06(01), 2847–2857. yildiz, i̇., topçu, e., & kaymakci, s. (2021). the effect of gamification on motivation in the education of pre-service social studies teachers. thinking skills and creativity, 42, 100907. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2021 .100907 zainuddin, z., shujahat, m., haruna, h., & chu, s. k. w. (2020). the role of gamified e-quizzes on student learning and engagement: an interactive gamification solution for a formative assessment system. computers & education, 145, 103729. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comped u.2019.103729 zaric, n., lukarov, v., & schroeder, u. (2020). a fundamental study for gamification design: exploring learning tendencies’ effects. international journal of serious games, 7(4), 3–25. https://doi.org/10.17083/ijsg.v7i4.356 zhang, q., & yu, z. (2022). meta-analysis on investigating and comparing the effects on learning achievement and motivation for gamification and game-based learning. in education research international (vol. 2022). hindawi limited. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/1519880 zhang, x. (2021). the impact of efl students’ emotioncy level on their motivation and academic achievement: a theoretical conceptual analysis. frontiers in psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.798564 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 633 evaluating genre-based approach on speaking performance across diffrent anxiety levels in indonesian efl students hendra putra1, rudi hartono*2, januarius mujianto3, yuliati4 1,2,3,4english language education program,universitas negeri semarang,semarang,indonesia corresponding author: rudi.hartono@mail.unnes.ac.id apa citation: putra, h., hartono, r., mujianto, j., & yuliati. (2025). evaluating genre-based approach on received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 25-04-2024 published: 30-06-2025 abstract: one of speaking performance is presentation the topic material. in presentation the topic material nursing students implement the genre-based approach. this study examines the effectiveness of genre-based approach to enhance speaking performance. this study employed one-group pretest-post-test design. to collect the data used questionnaire and pre-test and postspeaking test. in analyzing the data of questionaire used horwitz et.al and grouped them into three level anxety. the result found that the effectiveness of genrebased approach to enhance speaking performance on efl students for high level anxiety is significant. it can be seen from the p-value = 0.022 is smaller than α = 0.05. if the p-value < α, then the null hypothesis (h0) is rejected, and the alternative hypothesis (h1) is accepted.the effectiveness of genre-based approach to enhance speaking performance on efl students for moderate level anxiety is not signficant because the pvalue = 0.165 is greater than α = 0.05. if the p-value > α, then the null hypothesis (h0) is not rejected, and the alternative hypothesis (h1) is not accepted. the effectiveness of genre-based approach to enhance speaking performance on efl students for low level anxiety is significant because the p-value = 0.001 is smaller than α = 0.05. if the p-value is very small like this, then the null hypothesis (h0) is rejected very strongly, and the alternative hypothesis (h1) is accepted very strongly. it can be concluded that the genre-based approach was found to significantly improve speaking performance in students with high and low anxiety, but not moderate anxiety. keywords:level of anxiety,efl students, genre-based approach; speaking performance introduction english is taught differently depending on the students' and university's needs. it is stated that in ministry of law and human rights or kementrian hukum dan ham (2012) number 12 of 2012 about higher education article 37 paragraph 3 stated that foreign languages can be used as languages introduction to universities. it means that english still exists to be held at the university level. many countries study english in the world. because english is needed to communicate. based on richard and yorkey c (2000) in supeno & suseno, (2020) elucidate how this makes english one of the most widely spoken languages worldwide. english is a mandatory subject in indonesia. all students, regardless of educational level, from basic to advanced, must take this topic. in the field,english is taught four times at universitas fort de kock bukittinggiwest sumatera indonesia. the course's goal is for nursing students to be able to comprehend the fundamentals of english, the english for nursing (english iii) description equips students with the skills to read, listen, speak, and write in english while comprehending the nursing process and discussing medical-surgical nursing in particular. the third english course builds on the material covered in courses i and ii that students took the semester before. one of skills must be mastered by students is speaking. based on marley (2005) in knezevic (2017) shows how speaking and listening are intimately intertwined. listening is the most used ability in daily life, being used five times more speaking performance across diffrent anxiety levels in indonesian efl students. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 633-652. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11844 mailto:rudi.hartono@mail.unnes.ac.id hendra putra, rudi hartono, januarius mujianto, yuliati evaluating genre-based approach on speaking performance across diffrent anxiety levels in indonesian efl students 634 than writing, four times more than reading, and twice as much as speaking. furter, susilawati et al.(2017) in khasinah et al. (2024), speaking is a skill that is commonly evaluated by looking at how well one performs in different situations and presentations. then, nanthaboot (2014) in chulee et al. (2023) the "ability to share information fluently and accurately, including the ability to choose appropriate vocabulary and structures in all contexts" is what is meant by speaking competence as a productive macro skill. speaking is therefore seen as a crucial ability that aids pupils in learning english in english iii (english for nursing), nursing students are taught by team. it means that a half semester is taught by one lecturer and a half semester does too. from the materials or topics stated above, of course, english lecturers and nurse students have some difficulties in understanding them. english lecturers can be seen from two things. the first thing is from english who graduate from non-english departments. she or he has difficulty in teaching english iii about how to explain the material with correct grammar, pronounce sentence by sentence, and master vocabulary. it is supported by the researcher's question and answers the previous time, she said that i have difficulties in teaching english iii even though theoretically i know the knowledge. after that from an english lecturer who graduates from the english department. she said that she did not have knowledge or experience about the materials and does not know what approach, strategy, method, and technique to teach. more specifically, the study discovered a few issues in the classroom. based on first hand observations made in the classroom, the researcher discovered several notes. a lecturer in english often uses a reading technique when teaching nursing students. she stated in the interview that she employs the reading strategy when teaching a certain subject in the classroom, which lends more credence to it. it is evident from the explanation. in pre-teaching, examine the learners prior knowledge regarding oxygen. for example what they already know about definition, uses the oxygen, and installation tools). then whilst teaching, give the text related to how to install the oxygen in a group. finally, in postteaching, ask the students to make the text on how to install the oxygen by using their own words and ask them to prepare themself to practice it in the laboratory to use the real object at that university. the researcher was interviewed in march 2023. in addition, the researcher also interviews some alumni who graduated from the university. he said that english used in the hospital is a daily conversation form. so english is needed in the hospital. the other alumni said that the kinds of english that are needed are explaining the procedure something. it means that the explanation of alumni makes the researcher want to know more details about what suitable approach can be used in mastering english iii. not only english lecturers get difficulties,the nursing students have difficulties understanding the material for english iii to be highlighted in this research. some problems can be found when students speak up in front of the classroom when they deliver the material or topic of english iii. the problems are mispronouncing, not being smooth, not being in order or free, sweating, getting nervous, not confident, mixing language, unstable voice, lack of concentration, and shivering, there was no generic structure in delivering the topic when presentation, reading aloud when presentation in front of the class. these conditions were approved by ur (2014) says that there are some difficulties in english speaking such as, fear of making mistakes, shyness, students‟ have no motivation, lack of vocabulary, they prefer to use their mother tongue and tend to have low participation in the class. in general, speaking is a challenge for many students. according to cheng, (2017) in cancino & cabello (2024) elucidate how foreign language speaking anxiety (flsa) is one of the main things preventing language progress. the speaking issues were divided into three categories: linguistic issues (fluency, grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation), affected-related issues (anxiety and self-confidence), and social issues (difficulties finding opportunities to study english and comprehension in speaking class).however, purwati et al. (2023) discover that teaching and learning to speak is complicated by three factors: the external factors (the classroom environment and negative remarks from teachers and peers), the psychological factors (anxiety, lack of motivation, and lack of confidence), and the linguistics factor (the complexity of the competencies). moreover, pinter (2006) in cabañas & mercado (2024) speaking involves two simultaneous processes: speaking and thinking, which is what makes it a difficult action. as we speak, we organize our thoughts to convey them clearly while simultaneously keeping an eye on ourselves to fix any errors.in addition,, nakazawa (2012) in berry (2021) speaking in a foreign language can english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 635 induce anxiety in kids because they worry about how they pronounce words. mispronouncing, not being smooth, not being in order or free, sweating, being anxious, lacking confidence, mixing language, having an unstable voice, losing focus, and shaking are the issues that stand out when compared to the nursing students in this study. most of nursing students are passive in answering the questions given. they did not spontaneously answer the questions and even the lecturers pointed them to answer the question given. also they do not want to speak if the lecturer asks them to speak up. moreover, they did not use the simple approach or pattern to deliver their idea in presentation. when it is seen from ministry of labour, many countries need health workers. according to kurniati et al. (2020) say that in 2030 there will be 23 foreign countries in the world that need health workers as nurses and midwives. in contrast in indonesia itself, indonesia has overlap nurses. to overcome this condition, the health ministry collaborates with the world to distribute health workers from indonesia. furthermore, the health minister delivers that the constraint of graduates or alumni in applying for the opportunity is in the english language. it is vital to investigate how nursing students convey the genre-based approach or text genres, as this influences speaking and english for certain reasons. the researcher is therefore excited to look at how the nursing students communicate to present the subject by using a genre-based approach or different text kinds. specifically, teaching and studying english is done to improve speaking abilities in the classroom. given how education is changing in the modern world, a genre-based approach is becoming more and more significant. in the classroom, genrebased instruction helps students comprehend textual structures, which facilitates the development of strong analytical abilities and helps students understand the function and target audience of various genres. because it offers a methodical, useful, and efficient way to educate students on how to comprehend, analyse, and create texts within particular genres. its use is supported by both theoretical and real-world advantages that cater to students' demands in social, professional, and academic settings. gba is a crucial method in contemporary education because it gives students the skills they need to navigate and create texts in a range of contexts by emphasizing the function, structure, and linguistic characteristics of genres. this study aims to investigate the effectiveness of genre-based approach to enhance speaking performance of nursing students. these are the studies inquire: 1.how is the effectiveness of the genre-based approach to enhance the speaking performance of nursing students with high anxiety, moderate anxiety and low anxiety? to avoid misunderstanding the researchers made the theoretical perspective. they are: firstly, derewianka (2003) explores that genrebased approaches, where teaching and learning focuses on the understanding and production of selected genres of texts (both spoken and written), have become increasingly influential in the field of english language teaching (elt). secondly it is about speaking performance. according to h. douglas brown (2004) when nursing students present the topic materials, they must pay attention to some aspects. the marks as folow 3 = excellent, 2 = good, 1= fair and 0 = poor. thirdly, english for specific purpose means that teaching and learning proces based on students request. when it is related to the topic provided in the syllabus of course can be said all of the materials or topic needed when they work in the public health hospital. it is supported by richards & schmidt (2010) recognized esp as a movement that aims to meet the language requirements of learners who use english to fulfill certain tasks (such as those of a student, engineer, or nurse) and who must acquire content and practical skills through the language rather than mastering it for its own sake. lastly is anxiety, in this study focusses on level anxiety made by nursing students when presenting the topic presentation povided. it is used the theory from horwitz et al. (1986) explain that there are 33 statements that must be filled by nusing students then analyze the result which is included into high enxiety,moderately high anxiety, moderate anxiety, moderately low anxiety and very low anxiety. beside knowing the level anxiety. then,it was grouped by ranking the students anxiety. it was grouped into high anxiety, moderate anxiety and low anxiety. method the authors employed a one-group pretestposttest design to carry out this study. it alludes to the fact that a single group is tested before and after the intervention. there are 71 nursing hendra putra, rudi hartono, januarius mujianto, yuliati evaluating genre-based approach on speaking performance across diffrent anxiety levels in indonesian efl students 636 students in all that consist of 42 of whom are in the control group and 29 of them are in the treatment group. yet, only experimental group get intervention or treatment. so, a genre-based approach is used in the treatment group to enhance speaking performance. meanwhile, control group implemented the conventional approach. in collecting dara,the questionnaire and test are the two instruments employed in this study. first, it has to do with the survey. the steps are as follows: a). foreign language classroom anxiety scale (flcas) questionnaire created into a google form. there are thirty-three statements in the questionnaire. b). nursing students from universitas riau in indonesia were given the questionnaires. it indicates that neither the participants nor the sample. c). the questionnaires rechecked validity and reliability after receiving the results of the tryout. the statements then total twenty-six d). a questionnaire comprising 26 statements was created using google form and given to the sample of 71 nursing students. e). they were categorized based on the calculated results. the speaking test process goes as follows: a) the questions are validated by a validator; b) the questions are based on the syllabus or taught materials; c) the 71 students are asked to select one topic to present via a brief video; d) two interraters correct the recording video by analyzing the speaking performance rubric proposed by brown; e) the speaking test is analyzed, and the students are divided into control and treatment groups. it can be seen that nursing class a is the control group and nursing class b is the treatment group. the following methods can be used to analyze the data (speaking test and questionnaire). first, when examining the questionnaire, the author followed the guidelines suggested by the horwitz et al. (1986) the flcas questionnaire provides the first set of quantitative data.the questionnaire included 33 statements at first, but after being tested at various universities and having its validity and reliability checked, it had 26 statements overall. additionally, the information gathered from the students' completed surveys was calculated using the horwitz computation rubric below: for positive context questions, students received a score of 1 if they answered "strongly agree," 2 if they agreed, 3 if they answered "neutral," 4 if they disagreed, and 5 if they severely disagreed. as an alternative, pupils receive a score of 5, "agree" receives a score of 4, and "neutral" receives a score of 3 if they choose "strongly agree" in response to questions with a negative background. additionally, students who selected "disagree" received a score of 2, while those who selected "strongly disagree" received a score of 1. following the compilation of all student responses into numerical values, krinis conducted an analysis of the data using an anxiety-level scale to ascertain the students' anxiety levels, as reported by widia utari et al., (2022) in krinis, (2007); alrabai, (2014). the researchers then modified these questions, starting with very low anxiety (scale 33–82), moderately low anxiety (scale 83–89), moderately high anxiety (scale 99–108), moderately low anxiety (scale 47–67), moderately low anxiety (scale 68– 88), moderately high anxiety (scale 89–109), and high anxiety (scale 109–165). based on the quartile value, the researcher divided the anxiety into three levels: low anxiety (starting from 1– 36.49), moderate anxiety (starting from 36.5052.99), and high anxiety (starting from 53.00– 71.00). it involved there are 12 participants in high anxiety level, 10 participants in moderate level and there are 7 participants in low anxiety level. when evaluating the speaking test, the speaking test is corrected by the inter rater using a video recording. fifteen items need to be examined. based on evaluation of the several facets of the speaker's presentation, give each item or element a number or score. three means excellent, two is decent, one is average, and zero is poor. in summary, to analyze the test used descriptive analysis and inferencial analysis. it means that descriptive analysis used standard deviation and mean, test of normality, test of homogeneity, and hypothesis tests employed for inferential analysis. to know more detail rubric speaking performance from brown rubric of oral presentation checklist (brown:2001) evaluation of oral presentation. assign a number to each box according to your assessment of the various aspects of the speaker's' presentation. 3 = excellent,2 = good,1= fair and 0 = poor. the are 15 aspect as rubri speaking perormance. they are 1) the purpose or objective of the presentation was accomplished,2) the introduction was lively and got my attention.,3) the main idea or point was clearly stated toward the beginning,4) the supporting,were clearly expressed and supported well by facts, argument,5) the conclusion restated the mainidea or purpose. 6). the speaker used gestures and-body language well,7) the speaker maintained eye contact with the audience,8) the speaker's language was natural english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 637 and fluent, 9) the speaker's volume of speech was appropriate,10) the speaker's rate of speech was appropriate,11) the speaker's pronunciation was clear and comprehensiblem,12) the speaker's grammar was correct and didn't prevent understanding,13) the speaker used visual aids, handouts, etc., effectively,14) the speaker showed enthusiasm and interest,15) [if appropriate] the speaker responded to audience questions well. result 1.finding the effectiveness of the genre-based approach to enhance the speaking performace of nursing students with high anxiety to comprehend the finding can be seen from two side, namely descriptive analysis and inferential analysis. 1.1 descriptive analysis ( mean score, standard deviation and test absolute of gain score). 1.1.1mean the mean is calculated by adding together all of the scores and dividing that amount by the number of scores. finding the average score of the pupils in both groups was the purpose of the mean.the formula can be used from hatch and farhady. (1982) in t, (2011) x̄ = σx n x̄ = mean σx = total score n = number of the students hatch and farhady. (1982) 1.1.2 standard deviation standard deviation showed the spread of scores’ distribution. the larger the standard deviation, the more variability from the control point in the distribution, vice versa. sd= n n sd = standard deviation σx = total score n = number of the students hatch and farhady.(1982) the classification section is created in this instance. the categorizations were separated into four primary sections, which were the classification of the categorization of experimental group’s pre-test, the categorization of experimental group’s post-test, the categorization of control group’s pre-test and the categorization of control group’s post-test. categorization of speaking performance with high anxiety control with high anxiety no name of participants v1 v2 v3v4v5v6v7v8v9v10v11v12v13v14v15v16v17v18v19v20v21v22v23v24v25v26 rsum ran002 ranking anxitey pre-test post test no name of participants pre-test post test 1 sahdam anarqi 3 5 3 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 5 3 4 3 4 4 4 3 4 3 52 52 3 23 19 1 sahdam anarqi 23 19 2 rima purnama sari 3 3 4 4 4 5 4 4 3 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 1 4 4 64,5 64,5 3 20 21 2 rima purnama sari 20 21 3 ruli nurfadilla 3 4 3 5 4 3 5 4 4 3 4 5 2 3 2 3 3 4 3 2 3 4 3 4 3 4 52 52 3 22 24 3 ruli nurfadilla 22 24 4 titi mardianti 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 3 4 4 2 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 62,5 62,5 3 22 28 4 titi mardianti 22 28 5 ade anggraini putri 3 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 3 3 4 4 4 2 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 4 2 49,5 49,5 3 16 28 5 ade anggraini putri 16 28 6 sherly 3 4 4 4 3 3 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 3 3 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 5 4 4 4 62,5 62,5 3 26 27 6 sherly 26 27 7 hainil hayati 3 1 5 5 3 4 4 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 4 5 5 3 5 5 4 5 5 3 5 5 69,5 69,5 3 22 25 7 hainil hayati 22 25 8 rumrowi 3 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 5 4 2 5 5 3 5 2 5 5 3 3 2 5 4 5 5 69,5 69,5 3 16 24 8 rumrowi 16 24 9 oktarina lestari 3 4 4 4 2 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 3 4 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 49,5 49,5 3 22 23 9 oktarina lestari 22 23 10 shofia ittaqi fella 3 1 5 5 2 4 5 5 4 4 5 4 3 2 4 3 3 5 4 3 3 4 4 3 4 5 61 61 3 26 31 10 shofia ittaqi fella 26 31 11 husnatul azizah 3 1 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 3 5 3 5 5 5 4 5 5 4 5 5 71 71 3 26 30 11 husnatul azizah 26 30 12 dhelmi azra putri 4 2 4 4 3 5 5 4 4 5 4 4 4 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 66 66 3 24 36 mean 21,9090909 25,4545455 13 laura selvia putri 4 2 4 4 2 4 4 4 3 4 3 4 4 4 5 4 3 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 4 4 57 57 3 10 36 sd 3,36977327 3,55127727 14 adila aldinia putri 4 2 4 4 3 3 4 4 4 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 59 59 3 19 33 15 putri hadist shalsabila 4 2 4 4 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 2 3 4 2 4 4 4 3 4 4 2 4 4 52 52 3 19 33 treatment with high anxiety level 16 selviana ramadani 4 2 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 3 4 5 4 5 3 4 3 5 4 55,5 55,5 3 29 29 no name of participants pre-test post test 17 maviola triyardi 4 5 4 3 5 3 3 3 4 5 4 4 5 3 5 5 5 4 3 3 4 3 5 5 3 5 67 67 3 16 32 12 dhelmi azra putri 24 36 18 salsabila daratul h 2 1 4 4 3 3 4 5 4 3 4 4 2 3 5 5 4 3 3 4 3 4 4 3 5 4 55,5 55,5 3 21 32 13 laura selvia putri 10 36 19 pebriani 3 4 4 4 3 5 4 3 3 3 5 4 3 4 2 2 1 4 3 3 5 3 5 4 3 4 54 54 3 32 27 14 adila aldinia putri 19 33 20 muhamad ridwan 4 3 4 5 4 5 5 5 5 3 4 5 3 2 4 4 4 5 5 3 3 4 4 4 5 4 68 68 3 26 28 15 putri hadist shalsabila 19 33 21 oktavina dewani f 4 2 4 4 2 4 5 3 5 4 4 4 2 1 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 4 5 2 5 5 59 59 3 27 25 16 selviana ramadani 29 29 22 amelia putri 4 4 2 2 4 4 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 3 3 5 3 4 4 3 4 4 3 3 5 4 59 59 3 24 18 17 maviola triyardi 16 32 23 m.ikhsan maulana 4 1 5 4 4 4 5 5 5 4 3 4 5 2 4 4 2 3 4 4 4 4 3 3 5 5 64,5 64,5 3 19 26 18 salsabila daratul h 21 32 mean 22,04347826 27,60869565 19 pebriani 32 27 sd 4,804692099 4,80705216 20 muhamad ridwan 26 28 21 oktavina dewani f 27 25 22 amelia putri 24 18 23 m.ikhsan maulana 19 26 mean 22,1666667 29,5833333 sd 5,81425451 4,95745791 figure 1. categorization of speaking performance wth high anxiety level the categorization of control group’s pre-test scores table 1. mean and standard deviation of the pretest in the control group term quantity mean (m) 21.90 standard deviation (sd) 18.54 table 2. the formula in categorizing the control group’s pre-test hendra putra, rudi hartono, januarius mujianto, yuliati evaluating genre-based approach on speaking performance across diffrent anxiety levels in indonesian efl students 638 score category basic formula defined formula good x ≥ m + sd x≥25.26 average m – sd ≤ x < m + sd 18.54≤ x < 25.26 low x < m – sd x < 18.54 tables above show that the pre-test control mean (m) is 21.90 and the standard deviation (sd) is 3.36. when a student's speaking performance score (x) exceeds or equals the mean plus standard deviation (x > m + sd (25.26)), it is deemed "good." meanwhile, the student's speaking performance score is considered "average" if x is greater than or equal to mean minus standard deviation (x ≥m – sd (18.54)) and less than mean plus standard deviation (x < m + sd (25.26)). if a student's score (x) is less than the mean minus standard deviation (x < m – sd (18.541)), they are said to have a "low" speaking performance score. the results of applying the method to the control group's speaking performance scores are displayed in table above, where the frequency of the "good" category is 3, the "average" category is 6, and the "low" category is 2. furthermore, it is evident from the percentage that the "good" category achieves 27%, the "average" category reaches 55%, and the "low" category only reaches 18%. when the data is categorized, it is evident that the pre-test results for the control group's students' speaking performance are primarily on the average level. the categorization of control group’s post-test table 3. mean and standard deviation of the posttest in the control group term quantity mean (m) 25.45 standard deviation (sd) 3.55 table 4. the formula in categorizing the control group’s post-test score category basic formula defined formula good x ≥ m + sd x≥29 average m – sd ≤ x < m + sd 21.9≤ x < 29 low x < m – sd x < 21.9 it is clear from tables above that the post-test control mean (m) is 25.45 and the standard deviation (sd) is 3.55. if the student's speaking performance score (x) is greater than or equal to the mean plus standard deviation (x ≥ m + sd (29)), it is classified as "good." in the meantime, if x is larger than or equal to mean minus standard deviation (x ≥m – sd (21.9)) and less than mean plus standard deviation (x < m + sd (29)), the student's speaking performance score is deemed "average." a student is considered to have a "low" speaking performance score if their score (x) is less than the mean minus standard deviation (x < m – sd (21.9)). tables above displays the results of applying the algorithm to the control group's speaking performance scores. it indicates that the frequency of the "good" category is 2, the "average" category is 8, and the "low" category is 1. furthermore, it is evident from the percentage that the "good" group achieves 18%, the "average" category gets 73.72%, and the "low" category only reaches 9%. when the data is categorized, it is evident that the post-test results for the control group's students' speaking performance are primarily on the average level. the categorization of treatment group’s pre-test table 5. mean and standard deviation of the pretest in the treatment group term quantity mean (m) 22.16 standard deviation (sd) 5.81 table 6. the formula in categorizing the treatment group’s pre-test score category basic formula defined formula good x ≥ m + sd x≥27.97 average m – sd ≤ x < m + sd 16.35≤ x < 27.97 low x < m – sd x < 16.35 the pre-test treatment mean (m) is 22.16, and the standard deviation (sd) is 5.81, according to tables above. if the student's speaking performance score (x) is greater than or equal to the mean plus standard deviation (x ≥ m + sd (27.97)), it is classified as "good." in the meantime, if x is larger than or equal to mean minus standard deviation (x ≥m – sd (16.35)) and less than mean plus standard deviation (x < m + sd (27.97)), the student's speaking performance score is deemed "average." a student is considered to have a "low" speaking performance score if their score (x) is less than the mean minus standard deviation (x < m – sd (16.35)). the frequency of the "good" category is 2, the "average" category is 9, and the "low" category is 1, as can be seen in table above, which displays the results of applying the algorithm to the speaking performance scores of the treatment english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 639 group. furthermore, it is evident from the percentage that the "good" group only achieves 17%, the "average" category gets 75%, and the "low" category only reaches 8%. it is evident from the data categorization that the pre-test results for the treatment group's students' speaking performance are primarily on the average level. the categorization of treatment group’s post-test table 7. mean and standard deviation of the posttest in the treatment group term quantity mean (m) 29.58 standard deviation (sd) 4.95 table 8. the formula in categorizing the treatment group’s pre-test score category basic formula defined formula good x ≥ m + sd x≥34.53 average m – sd ≤ x < m + sd 24.63≤ x < 34.53 low x < m – sd x < 24.63 the pre-test treatment mean (m) is 29.58, and the standard deviation (sd) is 4.95, according to tables above. if the student's speaking performance score (x) is greater than or equal to the mean plus standard deviation (x ≥ m + sd (34.53)), it is classified as "good." in the meantime, if x is larger than or equal to mean minus standard deviation (x ≥m – sd (24.63)) and less than mean plus standard deviation (x < m + sd (34.53)), the student's speaking performance score is deemed "average." a student is considered to have a "low" speaking performance score if their score (x) is less than the mean minus standard deviation (x < m – sd (24.63)). the results, which are displayed in table 8 above, indicate that the frequency of the "good" category is 2, the "average" category is 9, and the "low" category is 1, following the application of the algorithm to the speaking performance scores of the treatment group. furthermore, it is evident from the percentage that the "good" group achieves 17%, the "average" category gets 75%, and the "low" category only reaches 8%. it is evident from the data categorization that the posttest results for the students' speaking performance from the treatment group are primarily on the average level. test absolute gain score the author created an absolute gain score test to see whether the experimental group's pupils, who received the genre-based approach, performed better than the control group's students, who received the conventional technique. this test was performed simply by comparing the experimental group's and the control group's pre-test and posttest scores. stated differently, the score was calculated by subtracting the mean score from the pre-test from the mean score from the posttest.the result of the absolute gain score test could be seen in table 9 and table 10 below. table 9. the absolute gain score of the experimental group data: experimental pre-test post-test gain score number 23 23 mean 22.16 29.58 7.42 sd 5.81 4.95 table 10. the absolute gain score of the control group data: control pre-test posttest gain score number 23 23 mean 21.90 25.45 3.55 sd 3.36 3.55 once the pre-test and post-test mean scores have been processed, tables 9 and 10 make it evident that the experimental group's gain score is 7.42 points whereas the control group's gain score is only 3.53 points. the experimental group's gain score was unquestionably higher than the control group's. thus, it can serve as proof that the genre-based strategy is superior to the traditional method for improving universitylevel nursing students' speaking performance. inferential analysis normality test and homogenity test table 11. tests of normality speaking performance with high anxiety kolmogorov-smirnova shapiro-wilk statistic df sig. statistic df sig. pre-test treatment (high anxiety) ,133 12 ,200* ,984 12 ,995 post-test treatment (high anxiety) ,180 12 ,200* ,931 12 ,388 *. this is a lower bound of the true significance. hendra putra, rudi hartono, januarius mujianto, yuliati evaluating genre-based approach on speaking performance across diffrent anxiety levels in indonesian efl students 640 a. lilliefors significance correction table 12. test of homogeneity of variances speaking performance with high anxiety levene statistic df1 df2 sig. post -test treatment general 1,501 2 26 ,242 pre-test treatment general ,422 2 26 ,660 hypothesis test table 13. paired samples test speaking performance with high anxiety paired differences t df sig. (2-tailed) mean std. deviati on std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pair 1 pre-test treatment (high anxiety) post-test treatment (high anxiety) -7,750 10,065 2,905 -14,145 -1,355 -2,667 11 ,022 this table presents the results of a statistical test called a "paired samples test." this test is used to compare two sets of related data. in this case, it looks at the differences between pre-test and post-test scores for a treatment group experiencing high anxiety. in this table consists of paired differences: this section shows the differences between the pre-test and post-test scores.mean: this is the average difference in scores. for example, a mean of -7.750 indicates that, on average, the post-test scores were lower than the pre-test scores by 7.750 points.standard deviation: this number (10.065) tells us how much the differences vary from the average. a higher standard deviation means the scores are more spread out.standard error mean**: this value (2.90) indicates how much the sample mean (average) is expected to vary from the true population mean. it helps us understand the reliability of the mean difference.95% confidence interval of the difference: this section has two values, "lower" and "upper." these values (14.145 and -1.355) show the range in which we can be 95% confident that the true mean difference lies. since both values are negative, it suggests that the post-test scores are likely lower than the pre-test scores.**t**: this is the t-statistic value (-2.667). it is used to determine if the differences between the two sets of scores are statistically significant. df: this stands for degrees of freedom (11 in this case). it is a value used in statistical tests that helps determine the critical value for the t-test. and sig. (2-tailed)**: this value (.022) indicates the p-value. a p-value less than 0.05 suggests that the results are statistically significant, meaning there is a strong likelihood that the observed differences are not due to random chance. the results can be displayed that the negative mean difference (-7.750) indicates that the treatment had an effect, reducing anxiety levels as measured by the test scores.the p-value of .022 is less than the common threshold of .05, which means we can conclude that the treatment was effective in reducing anxiety.the confidence interval (-14.145 to -1.355) reinforces this finding, as it does not include zero. this suggests that the treatment likely led to a real decrease in anxiety levels. overall, this table provides strong evidence that the treatment was effective in reducing anxiety among participants. the statistical analysis shows that the differences in scores before and after the treatment are significant, indicating that the treatment had a meaningful impact. this type of test is particularly useful in research where the same subjects are measured before and after an intervention. finding the effectiveness of the genre-based approach to enhance the speaking performace of nursing students with moderate anxiety to comprehend the finding can be seen from two side, namely descriptive analysis and inferential analysis. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 641 descriptive analysis (mean score, and standard deviation and test absolute of gain score). the classification section is created in this instance. the categorizations were separated into four primary sections, which were the classification of the categorization of experimental group’s pre-test, the categorization of experimental group’s post-test, the categorization of control group’s pre-test and the categorization of control group’s post-test. categorization of speaking performance with moderate anxiety control group with moerate anxiety level no name of participants v1 v2 v3 v4 v5 v6 v7 v8 v9 v10 v11 v12 v13 v14 v15 v16v17v18 v19 v20 v21 v22 v23 v24 v25 v26 rsum ran002 ranking anxitey pre-test post-test no name of participants pre-test post-test 1 rahul wirdana putra 3 3 5 5 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 33,5 33,5 2 22 25 1 rahul wirdana putra 22 25 2 vania okta farahgita 3 1 3 4 3 3 3 4 4 2 3 4 2 2 4 5 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 2 4 4 33,5 33,5 2 20 25 2 vania okta farahgita 20 25 3 anna fitri 3 1 4 4 2 3 4 4 4 3 2 4 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 28,5 28,5 2 28 36 3 anna fitri 28 36 4 laila nafisah 3 1 5 4 1 4 5 5 5 4 2 4 1 4 4 5 1 5 5 4 1 3 4 1 1 4 45 45 2 22 27 4 laila nafisah 22 27 5 suci anisa rahmawati 3 2 3 4 3 3 4 3 3 3 4 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 4 4 40,5 40,5 2 22 25 5 suci anisa rahmawati 22 25 6 putri maharani 3 4 2 3 5 4 3 3 4 3 3 4 3 4 3 3 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 3 28,5 28,5 2 30 28 6 putri maharani 30 28 7 sinta oktaviani 3 2 5 5 5 4 4 3 4 3 2 4 2 3 2 3 2 3 3 4 2 3 3 3 3 3 36,5 36,5 2 23 28 7 sinta oktaviani 23 28 8 madonna putri 3 4 4 4 2 4 4 3 3 4 4 4 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 4 3 4 4 47,5 47,5 2 23 23 8 madonna putri 23 23 9 miftahul jannah 3 3 3 4 3 5 4 3 4 4 3 3 4 4 3 2 4 1 2 4 3 2 4 4 4 5 47,5 47,5 2 25 28 9 miftahul jannah 25 28 10 giska 3 3 3 1 2 3 4 4 3 3 4 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 36,5 36,5 2 23 25 10 giska 23 25 11 najmi hanifah kamil 3 4 3 3 3 3 4 3 4 3 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 3 4 3 3 3 4 4 3 4 46 46 2 24 29 11 najmi hanifah kamil 24 29 12 esis erlinatasari 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 32 32 2 24 20 12 esis erlinatasari 24 20 13 wulan delva eka 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 28,5 28,5 2 23 27 13 wulan delva eka 23 27 14 hafiz urniawam 2 2 3 4 2 4 5 3 3 4 4 3 2 3 2 3 3 4 4 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 28,5 28,5 2 16 23 mean 23,76923077 26,61538462 15 afiyah 4 2 4 4 3 4 3 3 4 3 3 3 1 3 3 4 1 4 4 3 3 3 4 3 4 4 40,5 40,5 2 18 18 sd 2,546606978 3,584978522 16 muthia syahrina 3 3 1 2 3 4 4 4 3 3 5 4 1 3 1 5 2 4 3 5 3 3 4 2 3 5 36,5 36,5 2 33 35 17 zabeli syahbani ponda 3 3 3 1 3 3 5 4 3 4 4 3 3 3 4 1 2 4 4 4 3 4 3 3 4 4 43,5 43,5 2 23 23 18 winda septria 3 4 4 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 4 4 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 4 40,5 40,5 2 22 17 treatment with moderate anxiety level 19 dwi yona afrilia h 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 3 4 3 3 3 3 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 40,5 40,5 2 16 25 no name of participants pre-test post-test 20 dea ananda 4 2 4 4 2 4 4 2 4 3 3 5 2 3 3 4 2 3 3 3 2 4 3 2 4 4 36,5 36,5 2 38 29 14 hafiz urniawam 16 23 21 endah pertama putri 4 3 3 4 4 3 4 4 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 43,5 43,5 2 13 30 15 afiyah 18 18 22 fazel prima filcan 3 2 2 3 3 3 5 4 4 2 2 4 3 3 3 4 1 4 3 2 3 4 4 1 3 5 28,5 28,5 2 13 26 16 muthia syahrina 33 35 23 fitri cahyani 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 28,5 28,5 2 24 28 17 zabeli syahbani ponda 23 23 mean 22,82609 26,086957 18 winda septria 22 17 sd 5,677202 4,4026972 19 dwi yona afrilia h 16 25 20 dea ananda 38 29 21 endah pertama putri 13 30 22 fazel prima filcan 13 26 23 fitri cahyani 24 28 mean 21,6 25,4 sd 7,939773297 5,2 figure 2. categorization of speaking performance with moderate anxiety the categorization of control group’s pre-test scores table 14. mean and standard deviation of the pre-test in the control group term quantity mean (m) 23.76 standard deviation (sd) 2.54 table 15. the formula in categorizing the control group’s pre-test score category basic formula defined formula good x ≥ m + sd x≥26.3 average m – sd ≤ x < m + sd 21.22≤ x < 26.3 low x < m – sd x < 21.22 tables above show that the pre-test control mean (m) is 23.76 and the standard deviation (sd) is 2.54. when a student's speaking performance score (x) exceeds or equals the mean plus standard deviation (x > m + sd (26.3)), it is deemed "good." meanwhile, the student's speaking performance score is considered "average" if x is greater than or equal to mean minus standard deviation (x ≥m – sd (21.22)) and less than mean plus standard deviation (x < m + sd (26.3)). if a student's score (x) is less than the mean minus standard deviation (x < m – sd (21.22)), they are said to have a "low" speaking performance score. the results of applying the method to the control group's speaking performance scores are displayed in tables above, where the frequency of the "good" category is 2, the "average" category is 10, and the "low" category is 1. furthermore, it is evident from the percentage that the "good" category achieves 15%, the "average" category reaches 77%, and the "low" category only reaches 8%. when the data is categorized, it is evident that the pre-test results for the control group's students' speaking performance are primarily on the average level. the categorization of control group’s post-test table 16. mean and standard deviation of the post-test in the control group term quantity mean (m) 26.61 standard deviation (sd) 3.58 table 17. the formula in categorizing the control group’s post-test score category basic formula defined formula good x ≥ m + sd x≥30.19 average m – sd ≤ x < m + sd 23.03≤ x < 30.19 low x < m – sd x < 23.03 hendra putra, rudi hartono, januarius mujianto, yuliati evaluating genre-based approach on speaking performance across diffrent anxiety levels in indonesian efl students 642 it is clear from tables above that the post-test control mean (m) is 26.61 and the standard deviation (sd) is 3.58. if the student's speaking performance score (x) is greater than or equal to the mean plus standard deviation (x ≥ m + sd (30.19)), it is classified as "good." in the meantime, if x is larger than or equal to mean minus standard deviation (x ≥m – sd (23.03)) and less than mean plus standard deviation (x < m + sd (30.19)), the student's speaking performance score is deemed "average." a student is considered to have a "low" speaking performance score if their score (x) is less than the mean minus standard deviation (x < m – sd (23.03)). tables above displays the results of applying the algorithm to the control group's speaking performance scores. it indicates that the frequency of the "good" category is 1, the "average" category is 11, and the "low" category is 1. furthermore, it is evident from the percentage that the "good" group achieves 7.5%, the "average" category gets 85%, and the "low" category only reaches 7.5%. when the data is categorized, it is evident that the post-test results for the control group's students' speaking performance are primarily on the average level. the categorization of treatment group’s pre-test table 18. mean and standard deviation of the pre-test in the treatment group term quantity mean (m) 21.6 standard deviation (sd) 7.93 table 19. the formula in categorizing the treatment group’s pre-test score category basic formula defined formula good x ≥ m + sd x≥29.53 average m – sd ≤ x < m + sd 13.67≤ x < 29.53 low x < m – sd x < 13.67 the pre-test treatment mean (m) is 21.6, and the standard deviation (sd) is 7.93, according to tables above. if the student's speaking performance score (x) is greater than or equal to the mean plus standard deviation (x ≥ m + sd (29.53)), it is classified as "good." in the meantime, if x is larger than or equal to mean minus standard deviation (x ≥m – sd (13.67)) and less than mean plus standard deviation (x < m + sd (29.53)), the student's speaking performance score is deemed "average." a student is considered to have a "low" speaking performance score if their score (x) is less than the mean minus standard deviation (x < m – sd (13.67)). the frequency of the "good" category is 1, the "average" category is 9, and the "low" category is 0, as can be seen in table above, which displays the results of applying the algorithm to the speaking performance scores of the treatment group. furthermore, it is evident from the percentage that the "good" group only achieves 10%, the "average" category gets 90%, and the "low" category only reaches 0%. it is evident from the data categorization that the pre-test results for the treatment group's students' speaking performance are primarily on the average level. the categorization of treatment group’s post-test table 20. mean and standard deviation of the post-test in the treatment group term quantity mean (m) 25.4 standard deviation (sd) 5.2 table 21. the formula in categorizing the treatment group’s pre-test score category basic formula defined formula good x ≥ m + sd x≥30.6 average m – sd ≤ x < m + sd 20.2≤ x < 30.6 low x < m – sd x < 20.2 the pre-test treatment mean (m) is 25.4, and the standard deviation (sd) is 5.2, according to tables above. if the student's speaking performance score (x) is greater than or equal to the mean plus standard deviation (x ≥ m + sd (30.6)), it is classified as "good." in the meantime, if x is larger than or equal to mean minus standard deviation (x ≥m – sd (20.2)) and less than mean plus standard deviation (x < m + sd (30.6)), the student's speaking performance score is deemed "average." a student is considered to have a "low" speaking performance score if their score (x) is less than the mean minus standard deviation (x < m – sd (20.2)). the results, which are displayed in table 8 above, indicate that the frequency of the "good" category is 2, the "average" category is 6, and the "low" category is 2, following the application of the algorithm to the speaking performance scores of the treatment group. furthermore, it is evident from the percentage that the "good" group achieves 20%, the "average" category gets 60%, and the "low" category only reaches 20%. it is evident from the data categorization that the postenglish review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 643 test results for the students' speaking performance from the treatment group are primarily on the average level. test absolute gain score the author created an absolute gain score test to see whether the experimental group's pupils, who received the genre-based approach, performed better than the control group's students, who received the conventional technique. this test was performed simply by comparing the experimental group's and the control group's pre-test and posttest scores. stated differently, the score was calculated by subtracting the mean score from the pre-test from the mean score from the posttest.the result of the absolute gain score test could be seen in tables below. table 22. the absolute gain score of the experimental group data: experimental pre-test post-test gain score number 23 23 mean 21.6 25.4 3.8 sd 7.93 5.2 table 23. the absolute gain score of the control group data: control pre-test post-test gain score number 23 23 mean 23.76 26.61 2.85 sd 2.54 3.58 once the pre-test and post-test mean scores have been processed, tables above make it evident that the experimental group's gain score is 3.8 points whereas the control group's gain score is only 2.85 points. the experimental group's gain score was unquestionably higher than the control group's. thus, it can serve as proof that the genrebased strategy is superior to the traditional method for improving university-level nursing students' speaking performance. inferential analysis normality test and homogenity test table 24, tests of normality speaking performance with moderate anxiety kolmogorov-smirnova shapiro-wilk statistic df sig. statistic df sig. pre-test treatment (moderate anxiety) ,187 10 ,200* ,888 10 ,160 post-test treatment (moderate anxiety) ,131 10 ,200* ,972 10 ,911 *. this is a lower bound of the true significance. a. lilliefors significance correction table 25. test of homogeneity of variances speaking performance with moderate anxiety levene statistic df1 df2 sig. post -test treatment general 1,501 2 26 ,242 pre-test treatment general ,422 2 26 ,660 hypothesis test table 26. paired samples test speaking performance with moderate anxiety paired differences t df sig. (2tailed) mean std. deviatio n std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pair 1 pre-test treatment (moderate anxiety) post-test treatment (moderate anxiety) -3,800 7,955 2,516 -9,491 1,891 -1,510 9 ,165 from the table, the test is used a paired samples test. as it is known that a paired samples test is a statistical method used to compare two related groups. it helps researchers understand if there is a significant difference between the two sets of data. in this case, the test compares scores from a pre-test and a post-test for the same group of participants. hendra putra, rudi hartono, januarius mujianto, yuliati evaluating genre-based approach on speaking performance across diffrent anxiety levels in indonesian efl students 644 the table has some structures. they are mean: this is the average difference between the pre-test and post-test scores. in this case, the mean difference is -3.800, which suggests that, on average, the post-test scores are lower than the pre-test scores. standard deviation:this number (7.955) shows how much the differences between the scores vary. a higher standard deviation means that the scores are spread out over a wider range. standard error mean: this value (2.516) indicates how much the sample mean (average) is expected to vary from the true population mean. it gives an idea of the accuracy of the sample mean. confidence interval: this section provides a range (from -9.491 to 1.891) within which we can be 85% confident that the true mean difference lies. if this range includes zero, it suggests that there may not be a significant difference between the two tests. t-value: the t-value (-1.510) is a statistic that helps determine if the differences observed are statistically significant. a larger absolute value of t typically indicates a more significant difference. df (degrees of freedom):this value (9) is calculated based on the number of pairs of scores. it helps in determining the critical value for the t-test. significance (sig. (2-tailed)):** this value (.165) tells us whether the results are statistically significant. a common threshold for significance is 0.05. since .165 is greater than 0.05, we conclude that the difference between the pre-test and post-test scores is not statistically significant. interpreting the results can be explained that the negative mean difference (-3.800) indicates that, on average, participants scored lower on the post-test compared to the pre-test. this could suggest that the treatment or intervention had an effect, but we need to consider the significance level. the confidence interval ranges from -9.491 to 1.891. since this range includes zero, it implies that we cannot confidently say there is a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores. the significance value of .165 indicates that there is a 16.5% chance that the observed difference is due to random variation rather than a true effect. this is above the common threshold of 5%, suggesting that the results are not statistically significant. in summary, the paired samples test results show that while there is a noticeable average decrease in scores from the pre-test to the posttest, this difference is not statistically significant. this means that we cannot conclude that the treatment had a meaningful impact on reducing anxiety levels based on this data alone. further research with larger sample sizes or different methodologies may be needed to draw more definitive conclusions. finding of the effectiveness of genre-based approah to enhance speaking performance of nursing students with low anxiety level at university fort de kock bukittinggi to comprehend the finding can be seen from two side, namely descriptive analysis and inferential analysis. descriptive analysis ( mean score, and standard deviation and test absolute of gain score). the classification section is created in this instance. the categorizations were separated into four primary sections, which were the classification of the categorization of experimental group’s pre-test, the categorization of experimental group’s post-test, the categorization of control group’s pre-test and the categorization of control group’s post-test. table 27. categorization of speaking performance with low anxiety english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 645 categorization of speaking performance with low anxiety control with ;ow anxiety no name of participants v1 v2v3 v4 v5v6v7v8v9v10v11v12v13v14v15v16v17v18v19v20v21v22v23v24v25v26 rsum ran002 ranking anxitey pre-test post-test no name of participants pre-test post-test 1 dina febri monita 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 23,5 23,5 1 24 28 1 dina febri monita 24 28 2 bella tania hasibuan 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 1 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 2 1 2 7 7 1 20 27 2 bella tania hasibuan 20 27 3 endang dian pratiwi 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 4 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 4 4 3 3 3 2 3 23,5 23,5 1 13 26 3 endang dian pratiwi 13 26 4 yelma widiya 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 18,5 18,5 1 22 27 4 yelma widiya 22 27 5 sindi ramadhani 3 1 3 3 2 4 3 3 4 4 2 3 2 2 3 3 2 4 4 4 3 4 3 2 4 4 23,5 23,5 1 16 29 5 sindi ramadhani 16 29 6 tiara mustika 3 3 1 1 2 2 1 2 2 2 3 2 1 4 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 30 32 6 tiara mustika 30 32 7 tarisa 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 18,5 18,5 1 23 27 7 tarisa 23 27 8 oriana ulandari 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 18,5 18,5 1 21 25 8 oriana ulandari 21 25 9 nurul husni binti 3 3 1 3 4 1 3 2 3 3 3 3 1 4 3 3 2 3 2 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 9 9 1 41 27 9 nurul husni binti 41 27 10 suci dwi sari 3 4 1 2 5 2 2 3 3 3 4 5 2 3 1 3 1 2 1 1 3 3 2 3 1 3 6 6 1 31 37 10 suci dwi sari 31 37 11 sabrilla fandari 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 18,5 18,5 1 37 27 11 sabrilla fandari 37 27 12 melani putri dewita 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 23,5 23,5 1 24 24 12 melani putri dewita 24 24 13 rahmi annisa 3 2 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 14 14 1 20 20 13 rahmi annisa 20 20 14 rosdeva yani 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 3 3 2 2 3 3 3 4 1 4 4 11 11 1 21 20 14 rosdeva yani 21 20 15 chalisa rizky hafidzah 3 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 5 5 1 22 39 15 chalisa rizky hafidzah 22 39 16 muhammad dicky.r. 3 5 3 2 2 1 3 3 1 2 3 3 1 3 1 3 2 1 1 5 3 3 2 2 1 3 3 3 1 34 39 16 muhammad dicky.r. 34 39 17 agyta putri utami 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 18,5 18,5 1 12 32 17 agyta putri utami 12 32 18 nabilla tahma y 3 2 2 1 1 1 3 3 2 2 3 3 1 5 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 26 39 18 nabilla tahma y 26 39 19 hafiz akbar 3 3 3 2 3 1 2 2 3 2 2 2 1 3 2 5 4 2 3 3 2 4 3 3 2 4 8 8 1 13 29 mean 24,27777778 29,16666667 20 mujahidah al fidayah 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 18,5 18,5 1 22 34 sd 7,577785924 5,842849381 21 dhea aprilia 2 2 3 4 3 2 2 2 1 2 3 3 3 3 4 2 3 3 2 2 3 2 2 2 1 2 4 4 1 13 22 22 dinda khairunisa 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 3 2 4 2 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 13 13 1 22 37 treatment with low anxiety 23 hanif muhamad a 3 2 3 2 3 4 4 2 2 4 4 3 3 2 3 3 2 3 4 3 3 2 2 2 4 2 11 11 1 13 22 no name of participants pre-test post-test 24 nurfazira 3 1 3 2 2 3 4 3 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 4 2 3 2 3 2 3 3 2 3 3 11 11 1 17 20 19 hafiz akbar 13 29 25 cindy assifa husna 3 3 1 3 3 3 3 5 4 3 5 4 1 3 1 3 2 2 3 4 3 3 3 1 5 3 15 15 1 31 38 20 mujahidah al fidayah 22 34 mean 22,72 29,08 21 dhea aprilia 13 22 sd 7,6499412 6,209155 22 dinda khairunisa 22 37 23 hanif muhamad a 13 22 24 nurfazira 17 20 25 cindy assifa husna 31 38 mean 18,71428571 28,85714286 sd 6,249897958 7,059513772 the categorization of control group’s pre-test scores table 28. mean and standard deviation of the pre-test in the control group term quantity mean (m) 24.27 standard deviation (sd) 7.57 table 29. the formula in categorizing the control group’s pre-test score category basic formula defined formula good x ≥ m + sd x≥31.84 average m – sd ≤ x < m + sd 16.7≤ x < 31.84 low x < m – sd x < 16.7 tables above show that the pre-test control mean (m) is 24.27 and the standard deviation (sd) is 7.57. when a student's speaking performance score (x) exceeds or equals the mean plus standard deviation (x > m + sd (31.84)), it is deemed "good." meanwhile, the student's speaking performance score is considered "average" if x is greater than or equal to mean minus standard deviation (x ≥m – sd (16.7)) and less than mean plus standard deviation (x < m + sd (31.84)). if a student's score (x) is less than the mean minus standard deviation (x < m – sd (16.7)), they are said to have a "low" speaking performance score. the results of applying the method to the control group's speaking performance scores are displayed in tables above, where the frequency of the "good" category is 3, the "average" category is 13, and the "low" category is 2. furthermore, it is evident from the percentage that the "good" category achieves 17%, the "average" category reaches 72%, and the "low" category only reaches 11%. when the data is categorized, it is evident that the pre-test results for the control group's students' speaking performance are primarily on the average level. the categorization of control group’s post-test table 30. mean and standard deviation of the post-test in the control group term quantity mean (m) 29.16 standard deviation (sd) 5.84 table 31. the formula in categorizing the control group’s post-test score category basic formula defined formula good x ≥ m + sd x≥35 average m – sd ≤ x < m + sd 23.32≤ x < 35 low x < m – sd x < 23.32 it is clear from tables above that the post-test control mean (m) is 29.16 and the standard deviation (sd) is 5.84. if the student's speaking performance score (x) is greater than or equal to the mean plus standard deviation (x ≥ m + sd (35)), it is classified as "good." in the meantime, if x is larger than or equal to mean minus standard deviation (x ≥m – sd (23.32)) and less than mean plus standard deviation (x < m + sd (35)), the student's speaking performance score is deemed "average." a student is considered to have a "low" speaking performance score if their score (x) is less than the mean minus standard deviation (x < m – sd (23.32)). hendra putra, rudi hartono, januarius mujianto, yuliati evaluating genre-based approach on speaking performance across diffrent anxiety levels in indonesian efl students 646 tables above display the results of applying the algorithm to the control group's speaking performance scores. it indicates that the frequency of the "good" category is 4, the "average" category is 12, and the "low" category is 2. furthermore, it is evident from the percentage that the "good" group achieves 22%, the "average" category gets 67%, and the "low" category only reaches 11%. when the data is categorized, it is evident that the post-test results for the control group's students' speaking performance are primarily on the average level the categorization of treatment group’s pre-test table 32. mean and standard deviation of the pre-test in the treatment group term quantity mean (m) 18.71 standard deviation (sd) 6.24 table 33. the formula in categorizing the treatment group’s pre-test score category basic formula defined formula good x ≥ m + sd x≥24.95 average m – sd ≤ x < m + sd 12.47≤ x < 24.95 low x < m – sd x < 12.47 the pre-test treatment mean (m) is 18.71, and the standard deviation (sd) is 6.24, according to tables above. if the student's speaking performance score (x) is greater than or equal to the mean plus standard deviation (x ≥ m + sd (24.95)), it is classified as "good." in the meantime, if x is larger than or equal to mean minus standard deviation (x ≥m – sd (12.47)) and less than mean plus standard deviation (x < m + sd (24.95)), the student's speaking performance score is deemed "average." a student is considered to have a "low" speaking performance score if their score (x) is less than the mean minus standard deviation (x < m – sd (1.47)). the frequency of the "good" category is 1, the "average" category is 6, and the "low" category is 0, as can be seen in table above, which displays the results of applying the algorithm to the speaking performance scores of the treatment group. furthermore, it is evident from the percentage that the "good" group only achieves 14%, the "average" category gets 86%, and the "low" category only reaches 0%. it is evident from the data categorization that the pre-test results for the treatment group's students' speaking performance are primarily on the average level. the categorization of treatment group’s post-test table 34. mean and standard deviation of the post-test in the treatment group term quantity mean (m) 28.85 standard deviation (sd) 7.05 table 35. the formula in categorizing the treatment group’s pre-test score category basic formula defined formula good x ≥ m + sd x≥35.9 average m – sd ≤ x < m + sd 21.8≤ x < 35.9 low x < m – sd x < 21.8 the pre-test treatment mean (m) is 28.85, and the standard deviation (sd) is 7.05, according to tables above. if the student's speaking performance score (x) is greater than or equal to the mean plus standard deviation (x ≥ m + sd (35.9)), it is classified as "good." in the meantime, if x is larger than or equal to mean minus standard deviation (x ≥m – sd (21.8)) and less than mean plus standard deviation (x < m + sd (35.9)), the student's speaking performance score is deemed "average." a student is considered to have a "low" speaking performance score if their score (x) is less than the mean minus standard deviation (x < m – sd (21.8)). the results, which are displayed in tables above, indicate that the frequency of the "good" category is 2, the "average" category is 4, and the "low" category is 1, following the application of the algorithm to the speaking performance scores of the treatment group. furthermore, it is evident from the percentage that the "good" group achieves 29%, the "average" category gets 57%, and the "low" category only reaches 14%. it is evident from the data categorization that the posttest results for the students' speaking performance from the treatment group are primarily on the average level. test absolute gain score the author created an absolute gain score test to see whether the experimental group's pupils, who received the genre-based approach, performed better than the control group's students, who received the conventional technique. this test was performed simply by comparing the experimental group's and the control group's pre-test and posttest scores. stated differently, the score was english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 647 calculated by subtracting the mean score from the pre-test from the mean score from the posttest.the result of the absolute gain score test could be seen in table 9 and table 10 below. table 36. the absolute gain score of the experimental group data: experimental pre-test post-test gain score number 25 25 mean 18.71 28.85 10.14 sd 6.24 7.05 table 37. the absolute gain score of the control group data: control pre-test post-test gain score number 25 25 mean 24.7 29.16 4,46 sd 7.57 5.84 once the pre-test and post-test mean scores have been processed, tables 9 and 10 make it evident that the experimental group's gain score is 10.14 points whereas the control group's gain score is only 4.46 points. the experimental group's gain score was unquestionably higher than the control group's. thus, it can serve as proof that the genre-based strategy is superior to the traditional method for improving university-level nursing students' speaking performance. inferential analysis normality test and homogenity test table 38. tests of normality speaking performance with low anxiety kolmogorov-smirnova shapiro-wilk statistic df sig. statistic df sig. pre-test treatment (low anxiety) ,230 7 ,200* ,846 7 ,114 post-test treatment (low anxiety) ,244 7 ,200* ,873 7 ,198 *. this is a lower bound of the true significance. a. lilliefors significance correction table 39. test of homogeneity of variances speaking performance with low anxiety levene statistic df1 df2 sig. post -test treatment general 1,501 2 26 ,242 pre-test treatment general ,422 2 26 ,660 hypothesis test table 40. paired samples test speaking performance with low anxiety paired differences t df sig. (2-tailed) mean std. deviatio n std. error mean 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper pair 1 pre-test treatment (low anxiety) posttest treatment (low anxiety) -10,143 4,562 1,724 -14,362 -5,924 -5,883 6 ,001 the paired samples test is a statistical method used to compare two sets of related data. this means that the data points in one set are matched with data points in the other set. for example, you might measure the same group of people before and after a treatment to see if there was any change.this test is useful when you want to see if there is a significant difference between two related groups. it helps researchers understand if a treatment or intervention has had an effect. for instance, if you want to know if a new teaching method improves student scores, you would compare scores from the same students before and after using the method. interpreting results tells that whether the differences are significant. if the test shows a significant result, it means that the treatment or condition likely had an effect. if the result is not significant, it suggests that any observed differences could be due to random chance rather hendra putra, rudi hartono, januarius mujianto, yuliati evaluating genre-based approach on speaking performance across diffrent anxiety levels in indonesian efl students 648 than the treatment. interpreting results tells that whether the differences are significant. if the test shows a significant result, it means that the treatment or condition likely had an effect. if the result is not significant, it suggests that any observed differences could be due to random chance rather than the treatment.the p-value = 0.001 is smaller than α = 0.05. in statistics, if the p-value is very small like this, then the null hypothesis (h0) is rejected very strongly, and the alternative hypothesis (h1) is accepted very strongly. so, in this case, because the p-value = 0.001 is very small than α = 0.05, then the hypothesis can be accepted very strongly, and the conclusion is that there is a very significant difference between genre-based approach and conventional approach. in this section, the authors discussed about the effectiveness of genre-based approach to enhance speaking performance implemented by the english teacher. to know the effectiveness of genre-based approach to enhance speaking performance means that the authors discussed some opinion about who pro and contrast about this statement. first, herazo rivera (2012) and angraini & rozimela (2020) found that various curriculum areas have employed the genre-based approach (gba) to enhance students' capacity for meaningmaking. this approach views language learning and use as a social, textual, and goal-oriented process, using the text as the primary unit of communication and pedagogy. additionally, using gba in senior high school english instruction helps students' language proficiency to improve. nahid et al. (2013); aji et al. (2018) concluded that genre based approach is effective in improving japanese speaking skill and added that gba is effective to develop students’ speaking descriptive text and the improvement of students is seen from the social function, text organization and linguistic features of the text in contrast, tachia & loeneto (2018); putra (2019) showed that not more than half students succeed in achieving the passing grade of english subject and the rest still got score under the passing grade the obtained that the english teacher still had some weakness in implementing genre-based approach and also the students still had many difficulties in generic structure and social function of the text. it can be commented that genre-based approach is not successful to improve tedachers’ strategy in teaching english and for the students got difficulties in using genrebased approach. afterward, emilia (2005) revealed that despite some limitations, the teaching program was successful in many ways in the indonesian efl tertiary teaching context. most significantly, the students’ argumentative writing skills in english improved in that they achieved enhanced control of the target argumentative genre, at greater length, with clear schematic structure and improved use of evidence and information in support of their arguments, using various linguistic resources, which also indicates their development in critical thinking and critical literacy. moreover, data from classroom observations, students’ journals and interviews showed that the students were aware of having made progress in terms of meta language for discussing critical reading and writing; a good grasp of those critical thinking dispositions, abilities and skills taught in the program; and enhanced awareness of the values of class dialogue, a democratic atmosphere, and the different roles of the teacher which allowed them to actively participate in their learning. subsequently, ramadhan et al. (2022) ; y (2022) concluded that the genre-based approach can improve efl pre-service english teacher students' capability in speaking. the pre-service english teacher students’ significant enhancement in their speaking capability is exhibited by the generic structure of the descriptive text, such as the social function, the organization, and grammatical features. all informants could fulfill relatively all parts, which is fundamental to composing a descriptive text. it can be meant that genre-based approach is also good for pre-service english teacher to enhance speaking performancerevealed that the experimental groups‟ creative writing skills are enhanced than the control group as the result of teaching through genre based approach. likewise, ahmad (2018); nagao (2019) showed that the implementation of genre-based approach significantly improves students writing ability. furthermore, haryanti & sari (2019) interpreted that all aspects of writing are increased after taught by using gba. the best-achieved writing aspect was style and quality expressionresults suggest that their understanding of “interpersonal meaning” such as modal verbs improved. improvements in the use of modal auxiliaries were also noted, in that the word “should” did not appear in prewriting texts; however, the frequency improved in post-writing english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 649 texts, especially in the final paragraph, which comprised the writers’ opinions and suggestions. additionally, siti fathonah wijayanti (2009); rina amelia, slamet triyadi (2023) suggests that gba contributes positively to the teaching and learning process in that it helps developing learners’ productive skills. nevertheless, insufficient scaffolding during the learning process resulted in learners’ skills which are superficial rather than communicative in nature.in this study the methods of genre based approach prove that the correlation between the text and speaking was help the students to speak english well, by the step by step genre based approach help to understand about the structure of the text also can understand clearly what they speak about. while, nahid et al. (2013); sarwati (2012) the result reveals that gba is effective to develop students’ speaking descriptive text and the improvement of students is seen from the social function, text organization and linguistic features of the textsays that in the teaching speaking by using genre-based approach the teacher faced some problems. the problems are the student’s lack of mastering vocabulary and different capability of the stuents. the researcher also found that there three stages or procedures used by english teacher in applying genre-based approach name bkof, mot and ict. as well as, h. putra et al. (2023) ahyarudin (2024) this study found that genre based approach has significance effect toward students’ speaking performance. findings revealed that ai-it significantly enhanced students’ vocabulary, pronunciation, and confidence, particularly in transactional language relevant to their field. the approach also increased classroom engagement and active participation. this study contributes to the evolving field of language teaching by demonstrating the potential of ai to support the development of speaking skills in vocational education, ultimately preparing students for realworld communication challenges in their careers. initially, dirgeyasa (2016);herman et al. (2020) genre as an approach to teaching and learning writing is a matter of mixed approach between process and product approach.this gba model can be used as a framework to enable teachers and students to develop their writing skills. it is hoped that this model can become a classroom strategy in allowing teachers and students to achieve a higher level of writing skill. anxiety makes bad speaking performance it is explained by rofida (2021) found that the students’ mostly experienced communication apprehension (m = 3.4) and fear of negative evaluation (m = 3.4) rather than test anxiety (m = 3.1). this research also showed that foreign language anxiety has significant negative correlation with students’ speaking performance (p = 0.000, r = -0.98) and the correlation strength was categorized as very strong. the higher level of students’ foreign language anxiety, the worse their speaking performance. this finding is different with this study. in this stuy found that high anxiety makes high speaking performance. regardless of sani et al. (2023); js et al. (2023) obtained that the teacher implemented the genre-based approach in the efl classroom, which is recognized by merdekacurriculum. however, it was found that one crucial stage known as the joint construction of the text (jcot) was missing in the implementation, and the teacher did not provide.revealed gba contributes positively to the teaching and learning process in that it helps developing learners’ productive skills. nevertheless, insufficient scaffolding during the learning process resulted in learners’ skills which are superficial rather than communicative in nature. wibowo & lengkanawati (2024); luhur et al. (2023) gba is found to be able to build students' character, such as developing students' creativity and critical thinking skills. nonetheless, gba can also be time-consuming as it needs thorough preparation, and it's challenging, as well, if it is applied to teach low-achiever students. there are some teacher misunderstandings about gba, so it is necessary to provide teachers with comprehensive training and simulations of the gba stages to implement this method optimally. the results of hypothesis testing showed a significant increase in the experimental group. for interpersonal conversation text, the experimental group had a significance value of 0.000, while the control group had a value of 0.001. the n gain for the experimental group was 0.6447, and for the control group was -0.4452. in the same way, for transactional conversational text, the experimental group had a significance value of 0.000, while the control group had a value of 0.146. the n gain for the experimental group was 0.6808, and for the control group was 0.0640. therefore, the genre-based approach significantly improves students' understanding of interpersonal and transactional conversation texts. additionally, maknun (2019) showed that the implementation of scientific and genre-based approach in reading comprehension teaching hendra putra, rudi hartono, januarius mujianto, yuliati evaluating genre-based approach on speaking performance across diffrent anxiety levels in indonesian efl students 650 leads to better reading comprehension ability of the students. the result proved that students were able to understand the items post-test of narrative texts after 12 meeting of treatments using those approaches and also there were significant difference after conducting treatments. lastly,kusumahati & yulianti (2023) the results of this research show an increase in students' speaking abilities from pre-cycle to cycle ii. where in the pre-cycle the average student score was 55.3, then in cycle i it was 60.06, and in cycle ii it was 76.3. based on the resulting data, it shows that research on the application of the genre based approach assisted by canva can improve students' speaking abilities. based on finding above, it can be meant that genre-based approach has good effect to some english language skills speaking, reading, listeninag and writing. this approach also has good efect to pre-service english teacher, mastery vocabulary, students’character, teachers’ teaching. in contrast, genre-based approach is not significantly to solve some difficulties faced by the teacher and students in the teaching and learning process. conclusions regarding speaking performance of nursing students in this study can be summarized that. the effectiveness of genre-based approach to enhance speaking performance of efl students with high and low level anxiety is significant. however, the effectiveness of genre-based approach to enhance speaking performance of efl students with moderate level anxiety is nog significant. by having high level anxiety can motivate, concentrate, well prepare, self confident, fluent and being creative to speak properly in front of the class in presenting topic material. when efl student having high anxiety level does not mean make the speaking performance become bad. because many prepartion must be done it to speak in front of the class. acknowledgement i would like to express my deep gratitude to my respected promoters, prof. dr. rudi hartono, m.pd, co-promoter prof. dr. januarius mujiyanto, m.hum., and yuliati, s.pd.,m.pd.,m.ed.,ph.d. for their valuable support, guidance, comments, and feedback in this dissertation so that the researcher can complete this work. then, it is adressed to all of participants involved in this study. references ahmad, i. (2018). the implementation of genre-based approach in improving students’ descriptive writing ability through sidney sheldon’s novel rage of angels as role models. kne social sciences, 3(4), 372. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v3i4.1948 ahyarudin, d. a. (2024). enhancing students ’ speaking skills : the impact of ai-based instructional tasks in the genre-based approach. 3(9), 2019–2032. aji, m. r., judiasri, m. d., & dahidi, a. (2018). penggunaan genre based approach dalam meningkatkan keterampilan berbicara bahasa jepang (penelitian eksperimen murni terhadap mahasiswa tingkat ii departemen pendidikan bahasa jepang fpbs upi tahun 2017/2018). edu japan, 2(2), 90–100. https://vm36.upi.edu/index.php/edujapan/artic le/view/17500 angraini, w., & rozimela, y. (2020). the implementation genre-based approach in teaching reading at senior high school. 463, 108–112. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200819.020 berry, d. m. (2021). level up your pronunciation: impact of a mobile game. mextesol journal, 45(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.61871/mj.v45n1-4 cabañas, l. g., & mercado, p. n. (2024). using youtube videos to improve students’ speaking skills: efl teachers’ perceptions. mextesol journal, 48(4), 0–2. https://doi.org/10.61871/mj.v48n4-9 cancino, m., & cabello, g. (2024). foreign language speaking anxiety and computer self-efficacy in an online emergency remote teaching environment: perceptions from efl learners. mextesol journal, 48(4), 0–2. https://doi.org/10.61871/mj.v48n4-13 chulee, w., khanom, k., chesa, n., sha’ar, m. y. m. a., buddharat, c., & rajabhat, n. s. t. (2023). “why still we cannot speak english?” examining internal demotivating factors among thai tertiary learners. mextesol journal, 47(4), 0–2. https://doi.org/10.61871/mj.v47n4-5 derewianka, b. (2003). trends and issues in genrebased approaches. relc journal, 34(2), 133– 154. https://doi.org/10.1177/003368820303400202 dirgeyasa, i. w. (2016). genre-based approach: what and how to teach and to learn writing. english language teaching, 9(9), 45. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n9p45 emilia, e. (2005). a critical genre-based approach to teaching academic writing in a tertiary efl context in indonesia. panduan konseling behavioral dengan teknik self management untuk meningkatkan kerja keras siswa pengantar, 1(2), 1–7. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 651 h. douglas ’b:rown. (2004). language assessment" principles and classroom practices. new york: pearson/longman. haryanti, h., & sari, f. (2019). the use of genre-based approach to improve writing skill in narrative text at the eleventh grade students of sma ethika palembang. english community journal, 3(1), 280. https://doi.org/10.32502/ecj.v3i1.1693 herazo rivera, j. d. (2012). using a genre-based approach to promote oral communication in the colombian english classroom. colombian applied linguistics journal, 14(2), 109. https://doi.org/10.14483/udistrital.jour.calj.20 12.2.a07 herman, purba, r., thao, n. van, & purba, a. (2020). using genre-based approach to overcome students’ difficulties in writing. journal of education and e-learning research, 7(4), 464–470. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2020 .74.464.470 horwitz, e. k., horwitz, m. b., & cope, j. (1986). foreign language classroom anxiety. the modern language journal, 70(2), 125–132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.15404781.1986.tb05256.x ismail ibrahim elshirbini abd-elfatah elashri. (2013). the effect of the genre-based approach to teaching writing on the efl al-azhr secondary students’ writing skills and their attitudes towards writing. 1–58. js, n., talib, a., & tahir, m. (2023). the implementation of a genre-based approach to improve the english grammar mastery of the firstgrade students of sma negeri 3 sidrap. 2(3), 432–439. kementrian hukum dan ham. (2012). uu ri no. 12/2012 tentang pendidikan tinggi. undang undang, 18. khasinah, s., akmal, s., izza, k., amiruddin, & farhan, m. (2024). examining students’ linguistic and non-linguistic speaking issues and coping strategies in english presentations. studies in english language and education, 11(3), 1290–1315. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v11i3.30709 knezevic, z. (2017). video-making assignment in esp. journal of teaching english for specific and academic purposes, 5(2), 333–342. https://doi.org/10.22190/jtesap1702333k kurniati, a., astari, l. d., efendy, f., haryanto, j., indarwati, r., has, e. m. m., ulfiana, e., puspitasari, i. t., muryani, m., dianawatisari, h., rani, i. y. k., & kristyaningrum, l. d. (2020). analisis kebijakan pemenuhan pasar kerja tenaga kesehatan di tingkat global (issue april). kusumahati, a., & yulianti, f. (2023). efforts to improve speaking ability of xi pplg 2 using genre based approach assisted by canva. november, 439–446. luhur, a. b., fitriati, s. w., & rozi, f. (2023). the effect of genre-based approach on students’ understanding of interpersonal and transactional conversation text at smkn 2 slawi. unnes teflin national conference, 5(1), 72–83. maknun, l. il. (2019). the impact of scientific and genre-based approach in english reading comprehension teaching. jele (journal of english language and education), 5(1), 32. https://doi.org/10.26486/jele.v5i1.834 nagao, a. (2019). the sfl genre-based approach to writing in efl contexts. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-019-0069-3 nahid, a., suseno, m., & pujiati, h. (2013). genrebased approach to teaching speaking. 65–76. putra, h., mujiyanto, j., astuti, p., & syafri, f. (2023). the effectiveness of genre based approach to enhance the speaking performance of junior high school students at sekolah alam cefa kabupaten kampar riau registered 2022/2023 academic year. proceeding in international conference on science, education and technology, 321–327. https://proceeding.unnes.ac.id/index.php/iset putra, r. m. (2019). a study on ganre-based approach in teaching speaking to indonesian efl learners. pedagogy : journal of english language teaching, 7(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.32332/pedagogy.v7i1.1418 purwati, d., faruq ubaidillah, m., & restall, g. c. (2023). “sorry, i can’t speak”: english teachers’ challenges of teaching efl speaking in an indonesian vocational high school sector. mextesol journal, 47(1), 0–2. https://doi.org/10.61871/mj.v47n1-1 ramadhan, r., dibdyaningsih, h., & sudarso, h. (2022). genre-based approach and digital flashcard: enhancing pre-service english teacher students’ speaking capability. ijet (indonesian journal of english teaching), 11(2), 110–117. https://doi.org/10.15642/ijet2.2022.11.2.110117 richards, j. c., & schmidt, r. (2010). dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics. in proceedings of the 21st asian pacific weed science society (apwss) conference, 2-6 october 2007, colombo, sri lanka. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct =true&db=lah&an=20163298076&site=ehos tlive%0ahttp://www.cabi.org/cabdirect/show pdf.aspx?pan=http://www.cabi.org/cabdirect /showpdf.aspx?pan=20163298076%0aemail : javaidleghari@hotmail.com hendra putra, rudi hartono, januarius mujianto, yuliati evaluating genre-based approach on speaking performance across diffrent anxiety levels in indonesian efl students 652 rina amelia, slamet triyadi, u. m. (2023).the exploration of genre based approach in teachingspeaking at efl classroom: a case studyat student high school. jurnal ilmiah wahana pendidikan, 9(23), 656–664. rofida, a. (2021). the correlation between foreign language anxiety and students’ speaking performance. research on english language teaching in indonesia, 9(2), 66–74. sani, k. a., nugrahani, d., & musarokah, s. (2023). the effects of genre-based approach in teching writing in indonesia’s senior high school. teflin national conference, 5, 428–433. sarwati. (2012). teaching english speaking skills through genre-based approach. siti fathonah wijayanti, j. n. and h. s. e. (2009). genre-based approach: its contribution to the quality of teaching and learning process. مجلة .255 ,(5)2 ,العربية https://jurnal.uns.ac.id/englishedu/article/view /35936/23339 supeno, s., & suseno, i. (2020). anxiety contribution on students’ text comprehension in various test types. journal of education and learning (edulearn), 14(2), 248–254. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v14i2.14258 tachia, c. o., & loeneto, b. a. (2018). the application of genre based approach in the teaching of english to the eighth graders. the journal of english literacy education, 5(2), 168–181. ur, p. (2014). a course in language teaching practice and theory. in iosr journal of humanities and social science (vol. 19, issue 6, pp. 44– 56). https://doi.org/10.9790/0837-19664456 wibowo, e. p., & lengkanawati, n. s. (2024). a conceptual paper on exploring genre-based approach in indonesian efl education. … on english language …, 79–95. https://proceedings.uinsaizu.ac.id/index.php/c elti/article/view/1013 widia utari, l., salam, u., ikhsanudin, i., & rosnija, e. (2022). speaking anxiety in oral presentation of efl students. salam, ikhsanudin, rosnija / jefle, 3(2), 66–76. y, u. (2022). effectiveness of genre based approach on enhancing creative writing skills in english among secondary school students. international journal of research publication and reviews, 3(6), 3793–3797. https://doi.org/10.55248/gengpi.2022.3.6.46 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 361 multimodal content analysis of 21st century skills in an english textbook m. ali arif murtadho universitas sriwijaya palembang, indonesia email: m.aliarifmurtadho@gmail.com eryansyah eryansyah universitas sriwijaya palembang, indonesia email: eryansyah@unsri.ac.id sary silvhiany universitas sriwijaya palembang, indonesia email: ssilvhiany@unsri.ac.id apa scitation: murtadho, m. a. a., eryansyah, e., & silvhiany, s. (2024). multimodal content analysis of 21st century skills in an english textbook. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 361-372. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.7805 received: 12-10-2023 accepted: 21-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 abstract: english textbooks are a valuable tool for promoting the development of 21st century skills. meanwhile, multimodal texts in textbooks are employed by authors to convey meaning through verbal and visual modes, thus necessitating the adoption of multimodal analysis as the most efficacious method for its elucidation. regrettably, there exists a dearth of literature concerning the application of this approach for analyzing textbooks. to fill this gap, the study examined 21st century skills in an english textbook. this study used content analysis with multimodal social semiotic approach. the study focused on an english textbook titled "english for nusantara" for seventh-grade students. the findings indicated that critical thinking and problem-solving abilities were the most prevalent skills observed. however, the study did not find any mention of media literacy, and there were only a few instances of economic literacy and global awareness. it is suggested that future revisions should include them. moreover, english teachers are urged to actively participate in the process of textbook selection and augment the instructional materials with supplementary resources to mitigate any inadequacies of the textbook. keywords: 21st century skills; english textbook; multimodal. introduction textbooks are an essential element of the education system, serving as a valuable resource for teachers and students alikein the context of teaching english, textbooks are frequently employed as the primary resource of instructional materials, providing a structured and systematic approach to language learning (corr, 2020). however, textbooks are not mere repositories of information but also play a crucial role in shaping students' attitudes, values, and beliefs (nhem, 2020). in the 21st century, there has been a growing recognition of the need for individuals to develop a set of skills that go beyond the traditional academic subjects. these competencies are commonly known as 21st-century skills. as a result, there has been a shift in focus towards developing these skills in the education system, with textbooks being one of the key resources used to achieve this goal. the integration of 21st century skills into textbooks reflects the changing nature of our globalized, interconnected world (rose et al., 2020). proficiency in english communication has become a fundamental skill for individuals across various domains, and english language textbooks play a critical role in the development of this skill. however, the focus of english language education has shifted beyond just language proficiency, towards the development of broader 21st century skills. the partnership for 21st century skills (p21), a coalition of educators, business leaders, and policymakers in the united states, has identified a set of essential 21st century skills that students need in order to succeed in today's world. these skills include critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, digital literacy, and global awareness, among others. english language textbooks are an ideal resource for developing these skills, as they provide opportunities for students to engage with different forms of communication, work collaboratively with others, and develop their creativity through tasks such as writing and storytelling. m. ali arif murtadho, eryansyah eryansyah, & sary silvhiany multimodal content analysis of 21st century skills in an english textbook 362 however, the mere presence of 21st-century skills in textbooks is not enough. the appropriateness and quality of the content are also important. inappropriate or poorly designed textbooks can lead to ineffective instruction and negative attitudes towards learning (salabiah et al., 2019). the quality of a textbook has a significant impact on the learning experience of students (cahya et al., 2020). if the content of a textbook is not relevant or engaging to students, it may lead to disinterest in the subject matter and a lack of motivation to learn. additionally, if the textbook is poorly designed and structured, students may struggle to follow the material and become frustrated with the learning process. these negative experiences can lead to a lack of confidence and a decreased willingness to engage with the material, which can ultimately hinder their academic progress. furthermore, teachers need to carefully select textbooks that are relevant, engaging, and meet the needs of their students. moreover, teachers should actively participate in the process of selecting textbooks and supplement the materials with appropriate resources or activities to address any inadequacies of the textbook (isnaini et al., 2019). this highlights that teacher need to be knowledgeable about the contents of the textbook and how it applies to their students' learning goals. teachers should have a critical approach to textbook selection, considering factors such as the suitability of the content, the teaching methods employed, and the cultural relevance of the materials. furthermore, multimodal analysis is an essential tool in research because it enables the identification and analysis of the different modes of communication used in a particular text (jewitt & oyama, 2001). through this analysis, researchers can reveal the underlying assumptions and values embedded in the text, shaping readers' understanding of the subject matter. additionally, multimodal analysis can provide insights into how the verbal and visual modes work together to convey meaning and reflect social, cultural, and ideological contexts (kress & van leeuwen, 2006; ahaotu & oshomo, 2023). in the context of english language learning, analyzing the multimodal texts used in textbooks is crucial in uncovering their underlying meanings and implications for language learning (weninger, 2021). by utilizing multimodal analysis, researchers can achieve a more thorough comprehension of textbook content and its potential impact on language learning. several researchers have employed multimodal analysis to examine various aspects of language learning materials, including the representation of culture (prihatiningsih et al., 2021), grammar (abdullah et al., 2022) and vocabulary (naderi et al., 2019). although there have been many studies on the analysis of multimodal communication across different fields, there is a particular gap in research regarding the use of multiple modes in school textbooks. specifically, there is a lack of comprehensive studies that investigate how various forms of communication such as text, images, sound, and interactive elements work together in textbooks to facilitate the development of 21st-century skills. this gap in research is significant because it is essential for educators to ensure that the teaching materials they use promote the development of these skills in students. therefore, there is a pressing need for further investigation in this area to fill this gap in our knowledge. in light of these issues, the aim of this study is to investigate the significance of 21st-century skills within the context of an english textbook titled "english for nusantara" intended for seventh-grade students. and the importance of analyzing textbooks in order to better understand their potential for promoting these skills. specifically, the study examined the use of multimodal social semiotics as an analytical framework for understanding the ways in which different modes of representation (e.g., language, images, layout, and design) work together to create meaning in english textbooks and how these meanings can be linked to the cultivation of 21st century skills. the findings of this study will have implications for english language teachers and curriculum designers in their efforts to promote the development of 21st century. method a qualitative method with content analysis is used in this study. krippendorff (2018) explains that in content analysis, the so-called unit of analysis is part of the content to be observed; can be in the form of words, sentences, pictures, scene pieces, and paragraphs, and the analysis technique uses qualitative data. hsieh and shannon (2005) identify three distinct approaches to qualitative content analysis: conventional, directed, and summative content analysis. in this study, the directed content analysis approach was employed as the coding categories are derived from an established theory. in this study, an efl textbook entitled “english for nusantara for junior high school grade english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 363 seven” is used as the source of the data. there are two main considerations of the researchers to choose this textbook as the subject of this research. first, it is the first textbook published for junior high school in this merdeka curriculum, where this textbook will certainly be widely used in teaching and learning english. the second reason is that this textbook is relatively new to use, there has been no research that raises the suitability of the contents of this textbook, especially in implementing 21st century skills. this study employs the multimodal social semiotic approach to analyze data. while kress and van leeuwen (2006, 2010) do not explicitly order the analysis steps, they elaborate on the important points that must be considered when conducting multimodal analysis. to conduct this type of analysis, researchers follow several key steps, including data collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of results. the data collection process involves selecting a suitable dataset that includes a range of different semiotic resources. when analyzing a textbook, the dataset may include text, images, and other visual aids. these are included in the 21st-century skills criteria based on the partnership for 21st century skills framework, which includes 17 skills, as discussed by (trilling & fadel, 2009). once the data is collected, it is analyzed using multimodal social semiotic techniques. the researchers use kress and van leeuwen's (2006) five analytical perspectives: focalization, affect, pathos, ambiance, and graduation. once the analysis is complete, the data is interpreted to draw conclusions about how the textbook supports the development of 21st century skills. finally, the results of the analysis are presented in a clear and concise manner, using graphs to help convey the key findings. results and discussion authors of textbooks use multimodal texts to convey meaning through verbal and visual modes. multimodal text is a combination of text and images. as stated by weninger and kiss (2013) that the combination of texts and images within an activity should be considered as a whole since their interaction contributes to the learning process. the multimodal analysis is the most effective approach to reveal them. the analysis of 21st century skills presented in the textbook "english for nusantara" reveal that out of the 17 skills recommended by the partnership for 21st century skills, 16 of them were identified in the textbook. the only skill that can not be found is media literacy. the absence of media literacy is a significant gap, media literacy is an important skill in today's digital age, where media messages are pervasive and have a significant impact on students and society. without media literacy skills, students are more likely to fall prey to misinformation, propaganda, and fake news. however, this result is significant as it indicates that "english for nusantara" textbook covers a wide range of essential 21st century skills recommended by p21. these skills are considered vital in preparing learners for success in the current and future job market, as well as in everyday life. by identifying the skills included in the textbook, teachers and students can better understand the areas in which they are being developed and the skills that require further attention. the analysis provided a detailed breakdown of each skill in the textbook, as shown in the table below. table 1. numbers of occurrences of 21st century skills in the textbook no. 21st century skills frequent ly percen tage 1 critical thinking and problem-solving 104 28.3% 2 communication 31 8.4% 3 collaboration 32 8.7% 4 creativity and innovation 35 9.5% 5 information literacy 18 4.9% 6 ict literacy 42 11.4% 7 media literacy 0 0% 8 flexibility and adaptability 13 3.5% 9 initiative and selfdirection 26 7% 10 social and crosscultural interaction 17 4.6% productivity and accountability 11 2.9% leadership and responsibility 4 1% global awareness 4 1% economic literacy 1 0.2% civic literacy 4 1% health literacy 12 3.2% environmental literacy 13 3.5% total 367 100% the textbook necessitates students to employ critical thinking and problem-solving abilities in most of the tasks. there are 104 tasks that require these skills. according to shanta and wells (2022), these tasks involve using different types of reasoning, analyzing how different parts work m. ali arif murtadho, eryansyah eryansyah, & sary silvhiany multimodal content analysis of 21st century skills in an english textbook 364 together, evaluating evidence and arguments, and reflecting on learning experiences. students will need to solve unfamiliar problems using traditional and new methods, and they will need to ask important questions that clarify different perspectives to find better solutions. the section that follows gives an example of how these skills are used in the book. figure 1. the representation of critical thinking and problem solving the assigned task promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills by requiring students to analyze a photo and describe the physical traits of each person using specific words. the exercise enhances students' ability to observe, analyze, and solve problems by breaking down complex information. the picture shows eight students, consisting of five boys and three girls, posing in front of a purple curtain with four flower pots around them. the photo employs social semiotics to convey a message of inclusivity and diversity, with each student representing different cultures, abilities, and personality traits. the students express their individuality while also participating in a larger group identity, highlighting the importance of diversity in creating a vibrant community. students must master communication skills, including verbal, written, and nonverbal forms, for effective expression of thoughts and ideas. listening attentively is equally important to understand the intended meaning, values, attitudes, and intentions. they should use communication for various purposes and evaluate its effectiveness and impact. the textbook offers 31 communication tasks that use different media and technologies. one example of task objectives demonstrates the combination of communication skills. figure 2. the representation of communication the text discusses two modes of communication: verbal and visual. the verbal mode is presented in the form of instructions that require students to communicate their thoughts and ideas effectively in writing. this involves organizing their thoughts, using appropriate vocabulary, and constructing grammatically correct sentences. the instructions also encourage creativity and self-expression, which require clear and effective communication skills. the visual mode is represented by a picture of a schoolyard with four junior high school students engaged in different activities. the picture provides a context for interpreting the scene and the actions of the students. the students' activities can be seen as social practices that involve verbal and material interactionsthe visual components, such as the trees, the school building, and the students' activities, offer a multimodal context that facilitates viewers in interpreting and comprehending the scene. together, the verbal and visual modes demonstrate the importance of effective communication skills in conveying information and making sense of the world. this textbook includes 32 tasks that require students to work together in teams and communicate respectfully to achieve goals. collaboration skills are emphasized, which means working effectively with others and utilizing each team member's strengths and perspectives. collaboration skills hold significant importance in the real world, as the majority of workplaces necessitate teamwork and cooperation for achieving success (nahar, 2022). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 365 figure 3. the representation of collaboration the text depicts how three siblings collaborated to develop a system aimed at maintaining cleanliness and tidiness in their family home. it highlights the collaborative skills demonstrated by sinta, galang, and ara, including idea generation, assignment distribution, skill exchange, clear communication, synchronization, and decision formation. through their collaborative efforts, the siblings were able to achieve a common goal, illustrating the importance of working together in real-world situations. utilizing multimodal social semiotics, the researcher examines both the verbal and visual components within the text and imagery to comprehend their collaborative meaning. the researcher observes that the text employs a simple and lucid style, characterized by concise sentences and direct language. regarding the visuals, depicting three children holding sticker signs advocating good hygiene practices, a multimodal analysis is applied. each sign is scrutinized in respect to its predominant color, message, and accompanying visuals, highlighting how each element synergistically communicates the significance of maintaining cleanliness and orderliness in the family household. finally, the task emphasizes the importance of collaboration and a multimodal approach to communication in achieving common goals and promoting good habits and practices. the use of relatable situations and simple language may make the message more accessible and memorable for readers. the book has 35 assignments that aim to improve students' creativity and innovation skills. according to rakhmawati and priyana (2019), these skills involve generating new and valuable ideas using techniques like brainstorming. the assignments prompt students to refine, analyze, and assess their own concepts and be open to diverse perspectives and feedback from peers. figure 4. the representation of creativity and innovation this task promotes creativity and innovation abilities among students by inspiring them to repurpose a discarded item into a practical object. the specific example given is a pencil case crafted from a repurposed plastic bottle, which requires problem-solving, critical thinking, imagination, and adaptability to achieve the desired outcome. additionally, this assignment cultivates environmental awareness by prompting students to recycle and repurpose materials, thereby fostering ecological literacy. while being mindful of the environment. the instructions use various communication strategies, such as imperative statements to communicate a sense of immediacy and command, second-person pronouns to imply personal responsibility and agency, and a visual depiction to complement the verbal project description. the inclusion of the term "do-ityourself" indicates that the project entails active involvement and exploration, rather than mere observation, fostering a sense of collaboration and collective engagement. the competency of information literacy necessitates that students possess the capacity to access credible and timely information effectively, evaluate it with proficiency and discernment, and creatively employ it to resolve problems and manage the abundance of data from various sources (pinto et al., 2020). moreover, students ought to possess a basic comprehension of the ethical and legal ramifications associated with accessing and utilizing information. (majid et al., 2020). the textbook encompasses 18 tasks that integrate these essential elements of information literacy skills. the following is one of the integration of this skill. m. ali arif murtadho, eryansyah eryansyah, & sary silvhiany multimodal content analysis of 21st century skills in an english textbook 366 figure 5. the representatin of information literacy the text offers insights into the tea culture of various countries and develops students' abilities to access, evaluate, and apply information. it details various tea-drinking customs, such as british tea served with snacks and turkish tea consumed during breakfast and social gatherings. the information serves as a valuable resource for those interested in tea culture worldwide, helping readers to manage information flow from various sources while understanding the legal and ethical aspects of information usage. the picture complements the text, portraying tea as an essential element of culture and social life. the multimodal representation creates a comprehensive overview of tea culture in different countries, making the content more engaging and memorable for the audience. the textbook includes 42 tasks to improve students' ict literacy skills, which involves using digital tools for research, organization, evaluation, and communication, while considering ethical and legal considerations (rakhmawati & priyana, 2019). figure 6. the representation of ict literacy in this picture, a girl named monita is utilizing her tablet to capture photos, type on the screen, and compose a post detailing the cake she prepared, demonstrating her ict literacy skills. the image serves as a multimodal portrayal, illustrating various stages of the process and featuring a post comprising elements such as a cake picture, hashtags, and descriptive text. additionally, monita's utilization of dm to share the recipe exemplifies her ict literacy skills. the color yellow in monita's shirt creates a friendly atmosphere, while the hashtags convey a playful tone to the post. this image exemplifies the incorporation of ict skills into daily tasks, such as baking and sharing on social media platforms. acquiring flexibility and adaptability skills is crucial for students to excel in various roles, tasks, schedules, and situations, all while fostering productive collaboration with others. demonstrating flexibility involves adeptly receiving and integrating feedback, the ability to respond constructively to both positive and negative evaluations, and the capability to comprehend and balance a range of perspectives and attitudes (mitsea et al., 2021). the textbook comprises 13 exercises that highlight the importance of cultivating such skills. figure 7. the integration of flexibility and adaptability the text and picture showcase made's flexibility and adaptability skills as he perseveres in his passion for basketball despite having a physical disability. made displays flexibility by creatively adapting to his situation utilizing a wheelchair and crutch, while his teammates provide support as he adjusts to different roles within the team. the text uses descriptive language to convey details about made's identity, interests, and community involvement are provided, complemented by a visual depiction of made holding a basketball, wearing a smile, highlighting his talent and resilience. overall, the use of multimodal social semiotics paints a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 367 comprehensive picture of made as a multifaceted and inspiring individual. initiative and self-direction skills pertain to the ability of individuals to manage their own goals, time, and work independently, and to be selfdirected learners. these learners exhibit initiative by striving to enhance their skills beyond the fundamental level. they demonstrate a commitment to learning and the capacity to critically evaluate their past experiences to inform their future progress. the textbook has 26 self-directed learning activities that help students set goals, manage their time, and reflect on their progress. these activities aim to promote autonomy and accountability, which are crucial for academic and personal achievement. figure 8. the integration of initiative and selfdirection this conversation and accompanying image depict self-direction skills through an analysis of andre's mobile gaming hobby. andre's capability to manage his time efficiently throughout the week and prioritize additional obligations like school or work highlights his adeptness in self-direction. his hobby also suggests a personal interest in fulfilling activities, demonstrating a strong sense of selfawareness and self-direction. the multimodal approach employs linguistic, visual, and gestural modes to convey social context and relationships between the boys. clothing, facial expressions, and galang's fishing equipment offer insight into their personalities, while galang's attentiveness is displayed through gestural mode. together, these modes create a comprehensive representation of the conversation and social dynamics between the boys. the textbook offers 17 tasks to foster social and cross-cultural skills, which are essential for effective communication and respect for diverse cultural backgrounds. figure 9. the integration of social and crosscultural interaction the text delves into social and cross-cultural interaction skills, examining varying cultural perspectives on wearing shoes inside the house. it emphasizes the importance of respecting cultural differences and the capacity to engage adeptly with individuals from various cultural backgrounds. this proficiency is crucial in our increasingly globalized world to avoid misunderstandings and demonstrate respect. the text provides information about various countries' cultural practices, including the importance of removing shoes in most asian countries, while in countries like britain, the united states, or mexico, it is customary to wear shoes indoors. the accompanying image bolsters the message with a red crossed-out shoe symbol and capitalized instructions to remove shoes before entering. collectively, the text and picture offer a multimodal portrayal of social and cultural conventions, emphasizing the significance of acknowledging and honoring them within various contexts. the textbook imparts lessons on productivity and accountability through 11 tasks designed to cultivate students' abilities in project management and achieving exceptional results. these skills are pivotal for both academic and professional triumphs, fostering students' confidence along the way. (rakhmawati & priyana, 2019). figure 10. the integration of productivity and accountability the text scrutinizes the language employed in delineating ibu ayu's online english class during the pandemic. it underscores the productivity and accountability skills demonstrated by ibu ayu in facilitating virtual instruction, encompassing meticulous planning and material preparation, establishing guidelines, and delivering feedback. m. ali arif murtadho, eryansyah eryansyah, & sary silvhiany multimodal content analysis of 21st century skills in an english textbook 368 the students' favorable response attests to ibu ayu's adeptness in engaging learners and fostering a conducive learning atmosphere. leveraging video conferencing software enabled ibu ayu to offer interactive learning opportunities despite geographical barriers. ultimately, the utilization of multimodal social semiotics through language effectively communicates the significance of productivity and accountability skills in adapting to novel circumstances and delivering quality education, even amid challenging scenarios such as the pandemic. furthermore, it accentuates the beneficial impact of online learning on students' educational experiences. the textbook has a section on the 21st century skill of leadership and responsibility. this involves guiding and motivating others to complete tasks, acting with integrity and ethical behavior, and taking responsibility in the community (sulam et al., 2019). there are 4 tasks in the textbook that demonstrate how to integrate leadership and responsibility. figure 11. the presentation of leadership and responsibility this image portrays a father instructing his son to tidy up the yard. the father demonstrates leadership by proactively guiding and motivating his son to act. on the other hand, the son displays responsibility by embracing the task and agreeing to clean the yard. this interaction showcases a harmonious parent-child relationship, where the father not only leads but also supports and mentors his son. the physical contact, with the father's hand on galang's shoulder, suggests a nurturing bond. in summary, this picture exemplifies the amalgamation of leadership and responsibility skills within a familial context. students can use 21st-century skills to understand and solve global issues to apply their global awareness skills. they need to cooperate with people from diverse cultures, religions, and lifestyles through respectful communication. they also require knowledge about various nations and cultures, including other languages. however, this textbook has only four tasks that foster global awareness skills. figure 12. the presentation of global awereness the text aims to develop global awareness skills in students by encouraging them to reflect on the cultural differences in how idiomatic expressions are used to convey the concept of time. it prompts students to contrast these expressions in their native language and culture with others, thus promoting respect and understanding of different cultures and ways of thinking. the picture accompanying the text contains visual and textual elements that interact to convey meaning. the bold typography of "did you know?" captures the reader's attention, drawing them into the text. the informal style of the text suggests that the intended audience is younger and more informal, making the content more accessible. the sentence example using "time flies" illustrates the idiom's meaning and usage, conveying the idea that time seems to pass quickly when one is engaged in focused work. finally, this text and its accompanying picture provide an engaging and informative tool for promoting global awareness skills among students. the textbook discusses economic literacy and the skills students need to make informed decisions. it includes personal economic choices, the economy's role in society, and entrepreneurial skills (wibowo et al., 2023). however, there is only a task in the textbook, raising concerns about the lack of integration of economic literacy skills into educational resources. figure 13. the presentation of economic literacy english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 369 the conversation between a family in the text may not directly involve economics, but it showcases several economic literacy skills. the father cooking special food for the family suggests household economic stability, and the mother's promotion hints at upward mobility in her career, which is significant for labor market and economic growth. the discussion of specific foods like fruit salad, rice, and rica rica chicken may also indicate an understanding of the economic factors that influence food choices and prices. meanwhile, the image showcases inclusivity and diversity, utilizing circular dining settings, role reversals regarding gender, disability representation, and advocating for equal treatment and opportunities. the dialogue conveys cultural messages about celebration, recognition, and family support, reflecting broader values of social connection and communal sharing. overall, the image and text collaborate to construct a storyline emphasizing familial unity and inclusiveness while also highlighting economic literacy skills. civic literacy skills encompass the competencies necessary for students to effectively engage in civic life. they require knowledge, skills, and attitudes to remain informed, participate in democratic processes, and comprehend the repercussions of civic choices. through these capabilities, students emerge as proactive and involved citizens capable of effecting positive change in their communities and beyond. unfortunately, this textbook only includes 4 tasks that integrate civic literacy skills. figure 14. the integration of civic literacy this text promotes civic literacy skills by highlighting the linguistic and cultural diversity of indonesia. it promotes students to value and acknowledge the diversity within their society, while underscoring the significance of preserving and celebrating local languages and cultures. additionally, the text exemplifies how civic literacy can be incorporated into education through the teaching of local languages as part of the curriculum. by nurturing cultural appreciation and active citizenship, the text encourages readers to actively participate in their communities and engage effectively in civic engagement. utilizing both verbal and visual modes, the multimodal text invites readers to interact with the information, with the title "did you know?" prompting engagement, and the image of children in traditional attire representing the country's cultural richness. the inclusion of a map of indonesia further reinforces the text's message, highlighting the country's vastness and the diverse array of cultures and languages within it. the textbook contains 12 activities that enhance health literacy by promoting skills in accessing, understanding, and utilizing health information and services to improve personal well-being. this includes knowledge of preventive measures, setting and monitoring health goals, and understanding public health and safety issues. figure 15. the presentation of health literacy the text integrates health literacy skills by imparting knowledge about physical activities and their advantages. it underscores the significance of using safety gear, staying hydrated, and advocating for a healthy lifestyle. additionally, it accentuates the merits of cycling for both personal well-being and environmental conservation. the textual component elaborates on pak edo's cycling routine, attire, and the benefits associated with it, highlighting its positive impact on personal health and the environment. moreover, it proposes cycling as a wholesome and enjoyable activity suitable for bonding with family and friends. through a multimodal social semiotic analysis, the text portrays cycling in a favorable light, stressing the importance of safety measures and appropriate attire. students must understand the environment, including water, climate, land, food, energy, and ecosystems, as well as how society affects it. they must analyze environmental issues and propose effective solutions, then take action to address environmental challenges. the textbook has 13 activities related to environmental literacy. m. ali arif murtadho, eryansyah eryansyah, & sary silvhiany multimodal content analysis of 21st century skills in an english textbook 370 figure 16. the presentation of environmental literacy proficiency in identifying and categorizing waste materials into suitable groups is a vital environmental competency that contributes to maintaining a healthy and sustainable environment. the picture and instruction in this text use language and visual elements to convey information about waste separation. the image features green and yellow waste bins and objects representing different types of waste. the colors of the bins symbolize nature and cleanliness, respectively. the directive prompts the students to segregate the items in the image according to their organic and non-organic classifications. through this multimodal social semiotic system, students can comprehend and adhere to the instructions efficiently, facilitating effective waste management. this competency aids in minimizing landfill waste and environmental pollution, thereby enhancing overall environmental health. conclusion the findings indicate that while the textbook provides some opportunities for the development of 21st century skills, there is room for improvement in terms of the design and integration of multimodal elements. textbook authors should focus deeper on designing activities that emphasize real-world applications, integrate multimedia elements, promote collaboration, and provide opportunities for feedback and assessment. furthermore, the inclusion of skills such as media literacy, economic literacy, and global awareness is essential. english teachers should actively participate in textbook selection and supplement instructional materials with additional resources to ensure that their students are receiving a comprehensive education that prepares them for success in the modern world. references abdullah, f., hidayati, a., andriani, a., silvani, d., ruslan, r., tandiana, s.t., & lisnawati, n. (2022). fostering students’ multimodal communicative competence through genrebased multimodal text analysis: an action research. studies in english language and education, 9(2), 11. ahaotu, j. o., & oshamo, o. a. (2023). a multimodal discourse analysis of selected social media posts on the #blacklivesmatter protest. journal of pragmatics and discourse analysis, 2(1), 25-35. abdullah, f., hidayati, a. n., andriani, a., silvani, d., ruslan, r., tandiana, s. t., & lisnawati, n. (2022). fostering students’ multimodal communicative competence through genrebased multimodal text analysis: an action research. studies in english language and education, 9(2), 11. cahya, i. d., sutarsyah, c., & suparman, u. (2020). the evaluation of english textbook entitled ‘stop bullying now.’. unila journal english teaching, 9(1). corr, c. a. (2020). elisabeth kübler-ross and the “five stages” model in a sampling of recent american textbooks. omega-journal of death and dying, 82(2), 294-322. hsieh, h.-f., & shannon, s. e. (2005). three approaches to qualitative content analysis. qualitative health research, 15(9), 1277-1288. isnaini, f., setyono, b., & ariyanto, s. (2019). a visual semiotic analysis of multicultural values in an indonesian english textbook. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 8(3), 536-544. jewitt, c., & oyama, r. (2001). visual meaning: a social semiotic approach. handbook of visual analysis, 134, 156. krippendorff, k. (2018). content analysis: an introduction to its methodology. sage publications. majid, s., foo, s., & chang, y. k. (2020). appraising information literacy skills of students in singapore. aslib journal of information management, 72(3), 379-394. mitsea, e., drigas, a., & mantas, p. (2021). soft skills & metacognition as inclusion amplifiers in the 21st century. international journal of online & biomedical engineering, 17(4). naderi, a. n., rostami, a. s. a. a., & shariati, m. (2019). the effects of multimodality on reading comprehension and vocabulary retention among iranian efl learners. iranian journal of english for academic purposes, 8(4), 86-101. nahar, s. (2022). improving students' collaboration thinking skill under the implementation of the quantum teaching model. international journal of instruction, 15(3), 451-464. nhem, d. (2020). culture and elt: cambodian teachers' perception and practice of textbook adaptation to realize intercultural awareness. elt forum: journal of english language teaching. pinto, m., fernández-pascual, r., caballero-mariscal, d., & sales, d. (2020). information literacy trends in higher education (2006–2019): visualizing the emerging field of mobile english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 371 information literacy. scientometrics, 124, 14791510. prihatiningsih, f., petrus, i., & silvhiany, s. (2021). cultural representation in efl textbooks for the seventh graders: a multimodal analysis. lingua cultura, 15(1), 121-133. rakhmawati, d. m., & priyana, j. (2019). a study on 21st century skills integration in the english textbook for senior high school. jees (journal of english educators society), 4(1), 9-16. rose, h., syrbe, m., montakantiwong, a., & funada, n. (2020). global tesol for the 21st century: teaching english in a changing world. multilingual matters, 81. salabiah, s., sutiono, c., arini, d. n., & mu’in, f. (2019). the appropriateness of content, language, and presentation in pathway to english for senior high school. lingua educatia, 1(2), 122-137. shanta, s., & wells, j. g. (2022). t/e design based learning: assessing student critical thinking and problem solving abilities. international journal of technology and design education, 32(1), 267-285. sulam, k., syakur, a., & musyarofah, l. (2019). the implementation of 21st century skills as the new learning paradigm to the result of students' career and life skills. magister scientiae, 2(46), 228237. trilling, b., & fadel, c. (2009). 21st century skills: learning for life in our times. john wiley & sons. weninger, c. (2021). multimodality in critical language textbook analysis. language, culture and curriculum, 34(2), 133-146. weninger, c., & kiss, t. (2013). culture in english as a foreign language (efl) textbooks: a semiotic approach. tesol quarterly, 47(4), 694-716. wibowo, a., narmaditya, b. s., widhiastuti, r., & saptono, a. (2023). the linkage between economic literacy and students’ intention of starting business: the mediating role of entrepreneurial alertness. journal of entrepreneurship, management and innovation, 19(1), 175-196. m. ali arif murtadho, eryansyah eryansyah, & sary silvhiany multimodal content analysis of 21st century skills in an english textbook 372 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1179 implementing bloom’s taxonomy in the english curriculum under merdeka belajar program syamsi edi english education, faculty of educational science, universitas panca sakti bekasi, indonesia email: syamsiedi@gmail.com iswandini english education, faculty of educational science, universit as panca sakti bekasi, indonesia email: diniiswan@gmail.com novi andriani english education, faculty of education science universitas panca sakti bekasi, indonesia email: novindrnn6@gmail.com nur aryaningsih managament, faculty of economy and bussines, universitas panca sakti bekasi, indonesia email: nuraryaningsih.00@gmail.com apa citation: edi, s., iswandini., andriani, n., & aryaningsih, n. (2024). implementing bloom’s taxonomy in the english curriculum under merdeka belajar program. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1179-1190. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10408 received: 12-06-2024 accepted: 21-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction universities in indonesia offer a variety of programs, including diploma, bachelor's, master's, specialist, and doctoral degrees. to ensure the effectiveness of these programs, universities focus on four key areas: human resources, institutional structures, student activities, and research and publications. central to these institutions is the process of teaching and learning, where the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge are prioritized (sofyan, 2019). universities are also tasked with supporting national goals by preserving and promoting indonesian culture while adhering to the tri dharma of higher education, which includes education, research, and community service (anggrawan, herawati, suhendra, & soraya, 2023). in recent years, indonesia has adopted the independent learning campus (mbkm) curriculum, replacing the 2013 english education curriculum. this shift aims to improve the quality of human resources by fostering creativity, critical thinking, and independent learning among students (arifin, febriani, & anasruddin, 2021). the mbkm curriculum emphasizes the development of students' cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abstract: this study examines the implementation of bloom's taxonomy within the merdeka belajar kampus merdeka (mbkm) english education curriculum in indonesia, a modification of the 2013 english education curriculum, in response to challenges such as low cognitive development, as evidenced by the 2019 pisa ranking. the research aims to evaluate the impact of bloom's taxonomy on cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains in the mbkm english education curriculum at panca sakti university bekasi. using a descriptive qualitative method, data was collected through interviews, classroom observations, and document reviews. the research findings indicate that the application of bloom's taxonomy positively impacts students' ability to analyze, evaluate, and create content (cognitive domain), enhances their practical skills in english (psychomotor domain), and increases their motivation and engagement (affective domain). however, further refinement is needed to fully integrate the psychomotor domain into the curriculum. the study concludes that while the curriculum has succeeded in developing students holistically, particularly in cognitive and affective areas, greater focus on psychomotor skills is required to achieve higher proficiency. the study recommends further training for educators to optimize the curriculum’s implementation, ensuring a more balanced development across all domains. keywords: bloom’s taxonomy; english education curriculum mbkm; cognitive; psychomotor; affective. mailto:diniiswan@gmail.com mailto:novindrnn6@gmail.com mailto:nuraryaningsih.00@gmail.com syamsi edi, iswandini, novi andriani, & nur aryaningsih implementing bloom’s taxonomy in the english curriculum under merdeka belajar program 1180 skills in line with the demands of the 21st century, where students need to be prepared for rapid technological advancements and changing societal needs (ayundasari, 2022). the mbkm curriculum learning policy has characteristics that emphasize creativity, problem-solving learning orientation, learning based on people's needs in global work, and a comprehensive evaluation system (s. santoso & pramesti, 2024). learning strategies in the independent curriculum must be optimized for teachers as the spearhead in advancing mutually beneficial education. if this is not realized, then the government's hopes of overcoming the weaknesses of indonesian education will not be realized. this benchmark is the reference for researchers to describe how the merdeka curriculum learning strategies are used to build student potential (sulaiman et al., 2024). a key theoretical framework supporting the mbkm curriculum is bloom’s taxonomy, which categorizes learning into cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains. bloom’s taxonomy helps guide the development of higher-order thinking skills, encouraging students to analyze, evaluate, and create new knowledge (afandi, sajidan, akhyar, & suryani, 2018). this aligns with the goals of merdeka belajar, which seeks to produce students who are not only knowledgeable but also capable of applying their learning in diverse and practical ways. the program emphasizes the importance of real-world skills, encouraging students to think critically and creatively. by focusing on hands-on experiences and problemsolving abilities, merdeka belajar aims to prepare students for a rapidly changing world, where adaptability and practical knowledge are just as important as academic achievement. ultimately, the initiative aspires to cultivate well-rounded individuals who can contribute meaningfully to society. this aligns with the goals of merdeka belajar, which seeks to produce students who are not only knowledgeable but also capable of applying their learning in diverse and practical ways (karanja & malone, 2021). the use of bloom’s taxonomy in the mbkm curriculum allows teachers to set clear learning objectives, assess students' cognitive abilities, and design activities that support the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. by integrating bloom’s framework into the curriculum, educators can enhance students’ intellectual growth and prepare them for the challenges of the modern world (sofyan, 2019). the teaching campus program under mbkm involves students contributing to the learning process in affiliated schools through team-based projects. this program aims to grow students' competencein communication, problem-solving, and social responsibility (k. h. santoso & kurniawati, 2024). when lecturers design the exam questions, theyshould ensure that there is a match between the courselearning outcomes and assessment. therefore, it iscrucial to use a suitable way to classify the exam ques-tions into their correct category or class to measurethe student’s cognitive level (sangodiah et al., 2022). critical thinking is understood as the practical application of cognitive skills. the most commonly accepted approach to teaching these skills is based on bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives, which has been widely adopted, including in indonesia. bloom's taxonomy addresses the overemphasis on memorization in many educational systems by establishing a hierarchy of thinking skills (susilana et al., 2024). this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the mbkm english education curriculum in fostering cognitive development and higher-order thinking skills through the application of bloom’s taxonomy. data will be collected through interviews, observations, and document analysis to determine how well the curriculum supports students' overall educational outcomes. teachers can observe and assess students' cognitive levels with the help of bloom's taxonomy. teachers will find it easier to develop learning concepts and choose the layout of students' learning tasks accordingly. to implement bloom's taxonomy, teachers should take the following actions: determine learning objectives (tp). students should be provided with learning objectives tailored to their developmental stage and proficiency level by the teacher. determine learning competencies. to ensure that they are not overworked and that students have the best learning experience, teachers must be aware of and understand their students' cognitive abilities. identify the range of students' intellectual skills. the range of a person's intellectual skills should be in line with their learning capacity. use appropriate keywords to help instructors explain the material. determine the media and learning framework. teachers should prepare learning materials that are contextual with the desired learning objectives and choose a learning model that aligns with bloom's english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1181 taxonomy. according to sofyan (2019), the subsequent teaching and learning process should be infused with hots (higher order thinking skills) so that students can develop 21st-century skills optimally, including analytical thinking skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills, collaboration skills, and independence in learning. after going through the above stages, an educator can formulate an appropriate classroom learning strategy. the concept of independent learning proposed by the government places a strong emphasis on students' cognitive growth. consequently, students will be required to use their critical thinking and logical abilities. applying bloom's taxonomy to independent learning is a smart move, as evidenced by the outcomes desired by the government (faiz, & kurniawaty, 2020). based on survey results, the cognitive development of indonesian children is still relatively low. the government hopes that the idea of independent learning can help indonesian students develop their cognitive abilities (yadika, berawi, & nasution, 2019). one of the government's innovations in education is the concept of independent learning, which encourages students to solve various problems through projects and theory (daga, 2021). this approach aims to help students apply the theories and materials they learn in real-life contexts and support their ideas with evidence. however, there is limited research on whether the mbkm english education curriculum effectively aligns with bloom's taxonomy in fostering these skills. therefore, this study aims to address this gap by examining the impact of implementing the mbkm english education curriculum through data collected from interviews, observations, and document analysis. the research questions are: (1) what are the implementation strategies for bloom's taxonomy within the independent learning policy in the english education curriculum at panca sakti university, bekasi? (2) what factors support the successful implementation of bloom's taxonomy in the independent learning policy of the english education curriculum at panca sakti university, bekasi? (3) how does the implementation of bloom's taxonomy in the independent learning policy impact student learning outcomes in the english education curriculum at panca sakti university, bekasi? the application of bloom's taxonomy in independent learning aims to help educators understand the hierarchical structure of student abilities, ranging from the lowest to the highest levels across cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. however, for this approach to be effective in practice, it is crucial to explicitly align the taxonomy's levels with specific teaching methods. by integrating these levels into tailored instructional strategies, educators can more effectively design and implement learning activities that meet students' developmental needs. observations by bang, et al. (2022) this research uses a qualitative method, specifically qualitative descriptive with a participatory ethnography approach. the researchers consisted of 7 lecturers and 6 students implementing 3 pkm (community service programs) in belitung regency. the study population consisted of six students from the master of business knowledge and management (mbkm) program who were engaged in participatory knowledge-management (pkm) activities. data were collected through observations and interviews conducted before, during, and after the implementation of pkm activities in belitung regency. the research yielded three findings pertaining to the cognitive aspect: (a) collaborative and participatory learning activities enhance mbkm students' knowledge regarding the implementation of community service activities; (b) they enhance students' analytical abilities; and (c) they enhance students' problem-solving abilities. the findings of this study can be utilized as an overview of the impact of mbkm implementation and can serve as recommendations for improving mbkm in pts. observations by suraiya, the cognitive domain in intellectual potential consists of knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation in the learning process and evaluation of learning, as identified by a researcher through bloom's taxonomy. this is all related to the duties of teachers or educators and is very important in achieving g learning outcomes. one of the learning outcomes that must be developed in early childhood education is literacy and steam (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) so that the material can be delivered effectively. this study is a literature review. the method of data collection involves primary references and books to examine how literacy and steam are applied in the independent learning curriculum through bloom's taxonomy (in anggito, & setiawan, (2018). observations by ariyana (2023) the syamsi edi, iswandini, novi andriani, & nur aryaningsih implementing bloom’s taxonomy in the english curriculum under merdeka belajar program 1182 implementation of the independent curriculum in teaching basic skills to pbsi umt students can group abilities according to bloom's taxonomy, namely remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. this research is a literature review. the data of this study are secondary data, namely journals, websites, and books related to basic teaching skills. data collection techniques were carried out through published and unpublished research notes. however, the novelty of this research lies in bridging the gap between these prior studies by focusing specifically on how bloom’s taxonomy can be systematically applied within the mbkm english education curriculum. unlike previous works, this study contributes new insights by examining the impact of bloom’s taxonomy on students' cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains within the independent learning framework, offering practical recommendations based on interviews, observations, and document analysis in the context of community service programs. this approach advances the understanding of applying bloom’s taxonomy in the merdeka belajar program by providing empirical evidence and detailed analysis on its effectiveness, which has not been thoroughly addressed in earlier research. method this research was conducted at panca sakti university bekasi, focusing on the application of bloom's taxonomy within the implementation of the merdeka belajar policy in the english education curriculum at the tertiary level. a qualitative descriptive methodology was employed to explore and analyze individuals' experiences, providing detailed descriptive data (abdussamad, 2021). the study aims to systematically and accurately describe the actual facts and events related to the research subject, without testing hypotheses. data collection involved multiple methods. interviews were conducted with six mbkm students and three faculty members, focusing on their experiences with bloom's taxonomy in independent learning. the interviews followed a semi-structured format, allowing participants to provide in-depth responses while ensuring that key aspects of the curriculum implementation were explored. document analysis included a review of curriculum guidelines, lesson plans, and assessment rubrics, focusing on how bloom’s taxonomy was integrated into these materials. participant selection was based on purposive sampling, choosing students and educators directly involved in the mbkm program to ensure relevance to the study. criteria included their active participation in curriculum development or community service activities under the independent learning policy. for data analysis, the study utilized the threestage process of qualitative analysis: data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. data from interviews and documents were coded and categorized according to themes related to the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of bloom's taxonomy. this allowed for a detailed examination of how these domains are reflected in the curriculum and their impact on students' learning outcomes. this study employs qualitative analysis techniques based on interviews, data collection, and analysis of results. the first step in data analysis involves analyzing all data from various sources, including interviews and related investigation papers such as legal documents. this is done because the aim of this research is to present the findings in a comprehensive, systematic, concise, and easily understandable format to allow the data to be utilized by similar researchers and to facilitate understanding of the study's findings (18). the collected data there are observation is essentially a technique or method of collecting data through ongoing observation. observations can be conducted in a participatory manner (participatory observation) or non-participatory (nonparticipatory observation). the difference between participatory and non-participatory observation lies in the observer's role during the observation process. in participatory observation, the observer actively participates in the ongoing activities, whereas in non-participatory observation, the observer does not participate and only observes the activities. the observation conducted in this study is non-participatory with the following types of activities: (a) observing classroom learning by focusing on cognitive, affective, and psychomotor aspects. (b) observing learning tools. interviewing is a data collection technique also utilized in this research. according to sukmadinata, an interview is one of the widely used data collection techniques, particularly in qualitative descriptive research. interviews are conducted orally in face-to-face meetings, either individually or in groups, depending on the required data. document according to sukmadinata, a documentary study is a data collection technique english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1183 involving the gathering and analysis of documents, including written, visual, and electronic documents. the collected documents are then selected based on their relevance to the research objectives and focus. after collecting the data, researchers can proceed with the data analysis stage by following the procedures below: data reduction involves the process of categorizing data in such a way that final conclusions can be reached (verification). following data collection, the gathered data is comprehensively and methodically organized. to draw straightforward conclusions, researchers should select focus areas based on the study's focal outcomes. data reduction facilitates easier data retrieval for academics and aids in coding various aspects. the next stage involves organizing the data and utilizing it to make decisions and take action. besides narrative prose, data can be organized using matrices, charts, and diagrams. researchers can control how data is presented to minimize data sets, making it easier for them to understand the occurrences and plan subsequent steps accordingly. a series of final data analysis studies is necessary, and the findings from qualitative research must be re-examined. verification should lead to well-founded conclusions. to achieve conclusions, researchers should compare current investigative data and look for trends, themes, patterns, relationships, and similarities. results and discussion in bloom’s taxonomy, the researcher carefully observed after the data had been analyzed, the curriculum merdeka belajar implemented. first, teachers used models of learning based on regulations and bloom’s taxonomy. as previously described, this research attempts to answer the following the following questions: 'how is the implementation of bloom's taxonomy in implementing an independent learning policy in the english language education curriculum at panca sakti university bekasi, how are the supporting factors for bloom's taxonomy in implementing an independent learning policy in the english language education curriculum at panca sakti university bekasi, in implementing bloom's taxonomy in an independent learning curriculum what impact does it have on the english language education study program at panca sakti university bekasi. in answering this question, the researcher obtained three types of data; interview, observation checklist, and document review. first, interviews were conducted twice with each lecturer and student. second, data was obtained through observations that were conducted 4 times for each classroom teaching and learning tool. in addition, a document review was also conducted by reviewing the lesson plans. findings obtained from the data are based on the stages in the scientific approach; observing, questioning, try, associating, and communicate. this study interviewed three lecturers as participants, consisting of one male and two female and two women. and observed four lecturers who were learning. they are from panca sakti university bekasi. the names of all participants in this article are not written according to their real names for reasons of confidentiality. the names of the participants used yn, lny, ynt, dn, lry, ik and isw. data interview data from the three participants were compiled in the form of transcripts, then imported into nvivo 12 software for further analysis. figure 1, the word “ pembelajaran " dominated the conversations of participants with a frequency of 2.52% of all data, followed by the words "mahasiswa", "kurikulum", "pembelajaran", and "dosen". figure 1. most frequently cited words from data some figures, such as the word cloud presented, would benefit from more detailed explanations or analysis. while it visually highlights key terms like "pembelajaran," "kognitif," and "dosen," its significance is not fully explained in the text. the figure illustrates the frequency of terms mentioned by participants, but the analysis should make explicit how these terms relate to the research findings. for instance, it would be helpful to explain why certain words like "psikomotorik" or "pengembangan" are prominent and how they tie into bloom’s taxonomy’s application in the curriculum. providing a more explicit link between the figure and the study’s overall results will allow syamsi edi, iswandini, novi andriani, & nur aryaningsih implementing bloom’s taxonomy in the english curriculum under merdeka belajar program 1184 readers to better understand the importance of these findings in relation to the research questions. implementation of bloom's taxonomy implementation of blooms ’taxonomy on the program merdeka belajar for english language curriculum. the results of interviews regarding the implementation of bloom's taxonomy in merdeka belajar program for the english curriculum show a positive impact on three aspects: cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. cognitively, students are better able to analyze, evaluate, and create content in english. on the psychomotor side, the curriculum encourages students to be more active in speaking and writing, strengthening their practical skills. the affective aspect also shows improvement, where students become more motivated, confident and emotionally engaged in the learning process. teachers found it helpful in designing more effective and thorough lessons, although further training is needed for the optimization of this implementation. figure 2. the results of interviews regarding the implementation of bloom’s taxonomy based on the chart of interview results regarding the implementation of bloom's taxonomy in merdeka belajar program for the english language education curriculum in university, which involves interviews with deans and head of study programs overall, the interviews indicated that the implementation of bloom's taxonomy in merdeka belajar program for the english curriculum in university has gone well, especially in the development of cognitive and affective aspects. however, there is room for further improvement in the psychomotor aspects and a more holistic integration in the curriculum. the results of classroom observations regarding the implementation of bloom's taxonomy show that the implementation of this strategy has successfully improved the quality of learning in the classroom. overall, classroom observations show that the implementation of bloom's taxonomy has been successful not only in improving cognitive understanding, but also in motivating students and improving their practical skills. this success reflects the importance of structured lesson planning that focuses on developing various aspects of learning in accordance with bloom's taxonomy. figure 3. the results implementation of aspect cognitive the cognitive hierarchy is tremendous, from essential retention to making something new in view of recently educated data. the six categories that represent the cognitive domain are knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation (melati & rasyid, 2023). cognitively, students show better ability in understanding the material, analyzing texts, and applying concepts in different contexts. classroom activities are designed to encourage students to move through the cognitive levels of bloom's taxonomy, from basic understanding to the ability to evaluate and create new ideas. overall, this graph shows that the implementation of bloom's taxonomy cognitive aspects in merdeka belajar program in the english curriculum is successful, especially in pushing students to higher levels of thinking, such as analyzing, evaluating, and creating. this reflects the success of the program in developing students' critical and creative thinking skills, in accordance with the main objectives of bloom's taxonomy. figure 4. the results implementation of aspect affective a1 (possible "receiving") and a2 (possible english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1185 "responding"): these two aspects seem to be implemented with a high percentage of coverage, more than 200% each. this indicates that students are actively engaged in receiving and responding to english learning materials. a3 to a5 (possible "valuing", "organization", and "characterization"): these aspects are also well implemented, with the percentage coverage ranging around 150% to 270%. this indicates that students not only respond to the material, but also appreciate, organize, and internalize the values taught. the application of bloom's taxonomy in merdeka belajar curriculum for english education looks quite successful, especially in the affective domain. students are not only able to receive and respond to information, but also develop higher skills such as organizing and internalizing educational values. however, there are some areas that are undefined or deemed irrelevant, which may need further review to ensure that the curriculum truly covers all the important aspects of bloom's taxonomy. the use of very high percentage coverage in some categories could also indicate a very strong focus on certain aspects, which may need to be balanced with other aspects to achieve holistic learning. figure 5. the results of the implementation of the psychomotor aspect p1 imitate, this aspect shows a percentage coverage of about 160%. this indicates that students are able to imitate or replicate certain actions in the learning process quite effectively. p2 habituate, the coverage for this aspect is also high, close to 180%, indicating that students are not only able to imitate, but also start to habituate or repeat certain actions until they become more automatic. p3 proficient: this aspect showed a lower percentage coverage compared to p1 and p2, coming in at around 140%. this shows that some students have reached the proficiency level, but the coverage is not as high as the imitating and familiarizing aspects. p4 natural, the percentage coverage in this aspect is slightly lower than the others, coming in at under 100%, indicating that only a small percentage of students have reached the stage where psychomotor skills are performed in a natural or unconscious way. the implementation of psychomotor aspects in the curriculum seems to be quite successful, especially in guiding students from the initial stage of imitation to the habituation of certain actions. the high percentage of coverage in aspects p1 and p2 indicates that the curriculum is successful in encouraging students to understand and repeat basic skills. however, there is a noticeable decrease in aspects p3 (proficient) and p4 (natural). this suggests that while students are able to imitate and familiarize skills, not all students are able to reach the level of proficiency or perform the skills naturally. this may indicate that there is a need for further emphasis on practice and application of the skills across different contexts to help students achieve higher proficiency and ultimately, perform the actions naturally. overall, these results suggest that the psychomotor aspects of bloom's taxonomy have been well implemented in the curriculum, however there is room for improvement in helping students reach higher levels of proficiency and perform the skills automatically or naturally. figure 6. project map the implementation bloom’s taxonomy in merdeka belajar curriculum from this project map, it can be seen that the implementation of bloom's taxonomy in the curriculum successfully integrates the three main domains, namely affective, cognitive, and psychomotor, all of which are interrelated and support the holistic development of students. the implementation of bloom's taxonomy in the syamsi edi, iswandini, novi andriani, & nur aryaningsih implementing bloom’s taxonomy in the english curriculum under merdeka belajar program 1186 curriculum can be considered successful based on the strong link between interview data and the three main domains (affective, cognitive and psychomotor). data collection through interviews seems to be effective in evaluating and ensuring that all aspects of bloom's taxonomy are implemented equally in the curriculum. the affective domain received good attention, which is important for the development of students' values and attitudes. in the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills, the cognitive domain plays an important role. meanwhile, the psychomotor domain shows success in developing practical skills that are important in learning. overall, this diagram shows that the curriculum has successfully integrated bloom's taxonomy effectively, helping students develop holistically through a balanced education of values, knowledge and skills. bloom's taxonomy supporting factors the implementation of bloom's taxonomy in merdeka belajar curriculum for english education study programs in university is supported by various supporting factors, especially the facilities on campus. these facilities play an important role in developing the three main domains in bloom's taxonomy: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. these supporting factors ensure that students can achieve higher levels of understanding, internalize important values, and develop practical skills required in the world of work. table 1. supporting factors for the implementation of bloom's taxonomy no supporting factors implementation bloom’s taxonomy 1 micro teaching laboratory improving psychomotor aspects (p2 getting used to and p3 proficient) through direct teaching practice, helping students in applying the theory learned into real practice. 2 internship/kkn program develops the affective domain (a4 responding to phenomena and a5 internalizing values) by providing direct experience in a real work environment, strengthening professional attitudes and ethical values. 3 seminars and workshops facilitate the cognitive (c4 analyzing, c5 evaluating) and affective (a3 appreciating) domains by encouraging critical analysis, discussion and reflection on current topics in english education.4 4 multimedia resources enhance the cognitive (c1 remembering, c3 applying) and psychomotor (p1 imitating, p2 habituating) domains by providing visual and audio materials that reinforce understanding and skills. 5 language laboratory improves the psychomotor (p1 imitate and p2 familiarize) and cognitive (c2 understand) domains by providing facilities for interactive listening, speaking, and understanding english exercises. 6 digital library supports the cognitive domain (c1 remembering, c4 analyzing) with access to journals, books and indepth online learning materials, reinforcing research and critical analysis. 7 e-learning facilities support the cognitive (c1 remembering, c2 understanding) and affective (a1 internalizing values) domains by providing an online platform for access to learning materials, discussion, and online assessment. this section would benefit from more concrete examples illustrating how each supporting factor was specifically used during the implementation of bloom’s taxonomy. for instance, instead of only mentioning that the micro teaching laboratory helps improve psychomotor skills, provide a specific example of an activity or exercise that demonstrates how students develop proficiency through practice. similarly, clarify the role of the internship/kkn program in shaping affective skills by giving a scenario where students internalized ethical values in a real-world situation. moreover, the distinction between cognitive, affective, and psychomotor aspects could be made clearer by directly tying each supporting factor to specific actions or learning outcomes within those domains. this would facilitate a more practical comprehension of the manner in which these factors contribute to student development. the merdeka belajar curriculum in english education study programs in university is strongly influenced by the availability and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1187 utilization of supporting facilities in accordance with bloom's taxonomy. micro teaching laboratories, for example, are very effective in developing students' psychomotor domain, because they can practice teaching skills repeatedly in almost real settings. multimedia rooms and language laboratories support the cognitive domain by helping students understand and apply their knowledge in various contexts relevant to english. digital libraries and computer labs play an important role in the development of students' analytical and evaluative abilities, by providing access to rich resources and analytical software. recording studios and seminar rooms also provide a platform for students to hone their presentation and creative thinking skills, which are essential in the professional world. in addition, the e-learning facilities support affective and cognitive development by providing an environment that supports self-directed learning and cooperation between students. overall, the successful implementation of bloom's taxonomy in merdeka belajar curriculum depends heavily on these supporting factors. adequate and relevant facilities allow the curriculum to achieve its goal of producing graduates who have balanced cognitive, affective, and psychomotor competencies and are ready to face the challenges of the world of work. how the impact of bloom's taxonomy curriculum merdeka belajar in english education program panca sakti university this part presents the results of interview given to lecturer of english, the vice-principal of curriculum and students. based on the first interview session, three lecturers said that they had a good impact on the application of bloom's taxonomy in the independent learning program of the english language education curriculum. “ we recognise that affective learning has a significant impact on the personal development of students in our united kingdom study programme. to evaluate the impact, we regularly conduct surveys and distribute questionnaires to students to evaluate their perception of their personal development.” (lny) the lecturer also see significant impact in the classroom "..... student behavior in the classroom, such as active participation in discussions, cooperation in group projects, and response to feedback. it helps in assessing affective development, such as the ability to accept criticism and adapt to different situasi.” (lny) some lecturers also feel the good impact of bloom's taxonomy in the independent learning curriculum "the application of bloom's taxonomy really helped me in designing more structured and directed learning materials. by focusing on three domains—cognitive, affective, and psychomotor—i can ensure that the material i teach not only enhances students' knowledge, but also develops their practical attitudes and skills.” (ik) “students are now more involved in the learning process. with a more varied and targeted approach to all domains, they are more motivated and feel that learning is more relevant to their needs. our interactions became more dynamic, with more discussions and practical applications in the classroom.”( yn ) the statement from the dean is the positive impact of the application of bloom's taxonomy in the curriculum. “the implementation of bloom's taxonomy has brought about significant changes in the way we design and evaluate curricula. the curriculum is now more integrated, with clear learning objectives for each course.”( yn) “with the framework of bloom's taxonomy, lecturers have clearer guidance in designing teaching strategies. they are more directed in determining teaching and evaluation methods that are appropriate for each level of learning. this certainly improves the quality of teaching, because lecturers are more focused on developing all aspects of student abilities, not only on cognitive aspects.( yn) the impact is is not only felt by lecturers and the curriculum field, students also feel the impact of the application of bloom's taxonomy. “the way lecturers teach has also changed a lot since the implementation of the bloom taxonomy. they now use more interactive and practical learning methods. for example, in addition to lectures, we are often asked to discuss, analyze cases, or even create something new based on theories that have been learned. lecturers also more often provide feedback that syamsi edi, iswandini, novi andriani, & nur aryaningsih implementing bloom’s taxonomy in the english curriculum under merdeka belajar program 1188 helps us understand where our strengths and weaknesses are. this makes learning more meaningful and enjoyable.” (ay) “the impact is very positive for me. i feel more motivated to learn because the material taught feels more real and applicable. with bloom's taxonomy approach, i have not only learned to memorize, but also to understand, apply, and even evaluate and create. this makes me more confident in facing academic tasks and real situations outside of the classroom. in addition, i also feel that my social and emotional skills are developing because we are invited to work in teams, respect the opinions of others, and internalize the values taught.” ( hnm) “yes, it is very helpful. with this approach, i feel better prepared to face the world of work. bloom's taxonomy helps us to think critically, work effectively in a team, and apply our knowledge in real-life situations. we are also taught to be more adaptive and creative, which is a very important skill in today's world of work. i feel that the application of bloom's taxonomy in this curriculum really prepares us to become competent professionals and ready to compete.” (nt) this conversation shows that the application of bloom's taxonomy in merdeka belajar curriculum has a significant positive impact on students, especially in terms of developing their cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abilities. students are better prepared to face the challenges of the world of work, with more focused and holistic skills. students are active in asking questions in class, the interaction between lecturers and students becomes more active. students are more critical in responding to and accepting existing phenomena. figure 7. impact on students in the classroom the implementation of bloom's taxonomy within the merdeka belajar curriculum at panca sakti university bekasi has yielded notable positive outcomes across the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains in the english language education program. this study's findings, drawn from interviews, observations, and document reviews, underscore the curriculum's success in fostering a more dynamic and studentcentered learning environment. the feedback from lecturers, students, and the curriculum's administration suggests that bloom's taxonomy has not only enhanced the quality of teaching and learning but has also better prepared students for real-world challenges. the curriculum's structured approach, guided by bloom's framework, has led to more effective lesson planning and a more integrated learning experience, which is crucial for developing competent and well-rounded graduates. while qualitative data from interviews provides valuable insights, the addition of numerical data on student improvement or satisfaction would further strengthen these claims. for example, surveys or assessments that quantify student progress in cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains would help illustrate the broader impact of bloom's taxonomy. this could include measures of student satisfaction, participation rates, or performance improvements in specific areas such as critical thinking or teamwork. conclusion the research on the implementation of bloom's taxonomy within the merdeka belajar curriculum in the english language education program at panca sakti university bekasi demonstrates significant positive impacts on students across cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. through interviews, classroom observations, and document reviews, it was found that bloom's taxonomy enhanced students' abilities to analyze, evaluate, and create english content, aligning with the program’s goal of fostering higher-order thinking skills. the integration of cognitive elements into the curriculum has been successful, with students displaying increased motivation, confidence, and emotional engagement in their learning. the curriculum also promotes the development of values and attitudes essential for both personal and professional growth. however, while students exhibit proficiency in basic skills through imitation and habituation, further improvement is needed in achieving higher levels of proficiency and natural performance. though the curriculum effectively encourages practical application, a stronger focus on advanced skill development is recommended. supporting facilities such as microteaching laboratories, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1189 multimedia resources, and e-learning platforms are crucial in reinforcing these domains and ensuring a comprehensive education. both lecturers and students have reported that the structured and effective implementation of bloom's taxonomy better prepares students for real-world challenges. future research should explore methods for refining the implementation to further enhance advanced skill development and examine the long-term impact on student success. overall, the integration of bloom's taxonomy into the merdeka belajar curriculum has proven to be a valuable strategy in developing balanced cognitive, affective, and psychomotor competencies in students, positioning them for success in their academic and professional pursuits. acknowledgement acknowledging the complexity and nuances of this research area, we have carefully considered the various factors influencing the results and extend our gratitude to the scholars whose foundational work has informed our study. we would like to specifically thank drptm for providing critical funding and research guidance, ditjen diktiristik and kemendikbudristik for their support in facilitating academic collaborations, and lldikti iv for offering regulatory guidance and resources. we also express our deep appreciation to universitas panca sakti bekasi for providing the infrastructure and academic environment necessary for conducting this research, as well as to all individuals and teams who contributed directly or indirectly to the completion of this project. references abdussamad, z. (2021). metode penelitian kualitatif (1st ed.). syakir media press. available from https://osf.io/preprints/osf/juwxn. afandi, a., sajidan, s., akhyar, m., & suryani, n. (2018). pre-service science teachers’ perception about high order thinking skills (hots) in the 21st century. international journal of pedagogy and teacher education, 2(1), 107–114. anggito, a., & setiawan, j. (2018). metodologi penelitian kualitatif. retrieved from https://books.google.com. anggrawan, i. a., herawati, b. c., st, m. m., suhendra, e., & soraya, s. (2023). pendidikan implementasi program merdeka belajar-kampus merdeka (mbkm) di perguruan tinggi. pt. sonpedia publishing indonesia. ariyana. (2023). keterampilan dasar mengajar mahasiswa pada kurikulum merdeka. lingua rima: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 12(1), 21-30. arifin, z., febriani, s. r., & anasruddin, a. (2021). using bloom’s taxonomy in arabic learning media to elevate student’s writing in covid-19 situation. al-ta’rib: jurnal ilmiah program studi pendidikan bahasa arab iain palangka raya, 9(1), 1–12. ayundasari, l. (2022). implementasi pendekatan multidimensional dalam pembelajaran sejarah kurikulum merdeka. sejarah dan budaya: jurnal sejarah, budaya, dan pengajarannya, 16(1), 225. beng, j. t., keni, k., solikhah, n., idulfilastri, r. m., dewi, f. i. r., & bella, m., et al. (2022). dampak implementasi mbkm pada kognitif mahasiswa universitas x: rekomendasi peningkatan mbkm di pts. jurnal muara ilmu sosial, humaniora, dan seni, 6(1), 148–156. daga, a. t. (2021). makna merdeka belajar dan penguatan peran guru di sekolah dasar. jurnal educatio fkip unma, 7(3), 1075–1090. faiz, a., & kurniawaty, i. (2020). konsep merdeka belajar pendidikan indonesia dalam perspektif filsafat progresivisme. konstruktivisme: jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran, 12(2), 155–164. hasanuddin, s. e., et al. (2022). perencanaan pembelajaran (kurikulum merdeka belajar). sada kurnia pustaka. karanja, e., & malone, l. c. (2021). improving project management curriculum by aligning course learning outcomes with bloom’s taxonomy framework. journal of international education in business, 14(2), 197–218. ningsih, s. a., & agustin, i. (2022). students’ anxiety in speaking english during online class. jurnal dedikasi pendidikan, 6(1), 53–58. siregar, m. g. (2021). teori kritis habermas dan kebijakan merdeka belajar. jurnal filsafat indonesia, 4(2), 142–151. sofyan, f. a. (2019). implementasi hots pada kurikulum 2013. inventa, 3(1), 1–9. yadika, a. d. n., berawi, k. n., & nasution, s. h. (2019). pengaruh stunting terhadap perkembangan kognitif dan prestasi belajar. jurnal majority, 8(2), 273–282. yanuarsari, r., asmadi, i., muchtar, h. s., & sulastini, r. (2021). peran program merdeka belajar kampus merdeka dalam meningkatkan kemandirian desa. jurnal basicedu, 5(6), 6307– 6317. melati, s. e., & rasyid, f. (2023). student’s critical thinking towards reading comprehension using revised bloom’s taxonomy. ireell: indonesian review of english education, linguistics, and literature, 1(2), 152–165. sangodiah, a., san, t. j., fui, y. t., heng, l. e., ayyasamy, r. k., & jalil, n. a. (2022). identifying optimal baseline variant of syamsi edi, iswandini, novi andriani, & nur aryaningsih implementing bloom’s taxonomy in the english curriculum under merdeka belajar program 1190 unsupervised term weighting in question classification based on bloom taxonomy. mendel, 28(1 se-research articles). https://doi.org/10.13164/mendel.2022.1.008 santoso, k. h., & kurniawati, d. (2024). the influence of kampus mengajar mbkm program to enhancing students’social competence. proellitera, 2(1), 50–59. santoso, s., & pramesti, g. (2024). multivariate analysis on students’ cognitive assessment, attitude, and skill evaluation in problem-based learning. mathematics education journal, 8(2), 172–184. sulaiman, w., nur, m., & ismail, s. (2024). merdeka curriculum learning strategy in effort building student potential. international journal of educational narratives, 2(1), 78–86. susilana, r., dewi, l., setiawan, b., alias, n., dewitt, d., hazar, s., & zulnaidi, h. (2024). need analysis of critical thinking skills acquisition through adaptive learning model: indonesian perspective on freedom of learning curriculum. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 16(3), 3487– 3500. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 293 gender representation of percy jackson & the lightning thief in english and indonesian aina khoirida linguistics, universitas indonesia, depok, indonesia email: aina.khoirida@gmail.com haru deliana dewi linguistics, universitas indonesia, depok, indonesia email: harudd.dewi7@gmail.com apa scitation: khoirida, a., & dewi, h. d. (2024). gender representation of percy jackson & the lightning thief in english and indonesian. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 293-306. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9299 received: 23-10-2023 accepted: 21-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 introduction language has an undeniably defined function in reflecting cultural values, and there is no exception in children’s literature. children’s books can be an early source of gender associations and stereotypes (lewis et al., 2022). thus, what children’s books say about social concepts, including gender, is of concern since it plays a significant role in creating a reality for the children who read them (bhatia, 2023). children are also keenly sensitive to apparently minor distinctions in language relating to gender (chestnut & markman, 2018; moty & rhodes, 2021). in other words, the ideology provided in children’s books will be applied to understand and interpret their position in social life (heuring, 2021). reading these ideologically charged texts is highly influential in children’s learning activities. recently, academic interest in the topic of the portrayal and construction of gender identity in children’s literature has also grown (adukia et al., 2023; andersen, 2023; bisht, 2020; casey et al., 2021; filipović, 2018; ibrahim, 2022; lindsay, 2023; qayyum & fatima, 2023). children’s literature has its roots in fairy tales that were well-received by children, as these stories created a great desire for change and independence (hayati, 2016). from the late 18th century until today, children’s literature has continued to develop in both written and oral forms. children’s literature is synonymous with children’s lives, ranging from the center of the story, the characters, to things that can only be understood by children, and in a form that children like, such as books full of exciting pictures (bayraktar, 2021; mirzayeva et al., 2020). gender diversity of characters in children’s books has important roles such as reflecting a diverse world to increase a sense of inclusion and belonging, increase self-confidence and feelings of value, and promote gender equality which is important for creating an equitable society (lestari & yulindrasari, 2021), and enhance abstract: children’s literature plays an essential role in shaping readers’ characters through the influence of the ideology implied in it. children will learn and implement these ideologies as the target readers for their future lives. this study aims to find out the gender representation in one of the children’s literatures, percy jackson & the lightning thief, by rick riordan. by applying corpus linguistics, the number of characters and their representations are examined and compared between the english version as the source text and its indonesian translation. the results show that although male characters dominate the novel in terms of number, a deeper analysis of the collocation of body parts with verbs reveals that there was a shift in gender representation between the two versions of the novel that have different cultural backgrounds. furthermore, it was found that the author depicted some characters with less fixation on their sex; male characters are less masculine, and female characters are more masculine than the prevailing gender stereotypes in society. in the translated version, the translator rectified the stereotypes by depicting the characters’ gender according to sex. these findings reflect broader cultural ideologies about gender for the millions of readers who enjoy this book. in addition, these findings imply the significance of parents' and educators' awareness and critical thinking regarding the selection of reading materials for children. keywords: children literature; corpus linguistic; critical discourse analysis; gender representation; translation. aina khoirida & haru deliana dewi gender representation of percy jackson & the lightning thief in english and indonesian 294 understanding of gender roles (casey et al., 2021). unbalanced representation or comparison between genders can lead to negative psychological outcomes for those with underrepresented or negatively portrayed identities (tukachinsky et al., 2017). according to filipović (2018), the lack of female protagonists has the potential to negatively influence girls’ self-image. with its gender ideology, children’s literature has a crucial impact on the orientation of masculinity and femininity that children, as readers, should choose in constructing their identity (hunt, 2015). the same happens with rick riordan’s percy jackson & the olympians series, an adventure fantasy genre of children’s literature. the series consists of five books, namely the lightning thief, sea of monsters, titan’s curse, battle of the labyrinth, and last olympian respectively. set in the united states and based on greek mythology, the novel tells the story of a 12 years-old boy named percy jackson, a demigod, or half-blood (half-mortal and halfgod), the offspring of an ordinary woman, and poseidon, the god of the sea. in his adventures, percy jackson is accompanied by his two friends, grover underwood, a satyr (half-sheep man), and annabeth chase, a demigod, daughter of athena, the goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts. the first book, the lightning thief, was published on july 28, 2005, and was adapted into a movie with the same title on february 12, 2010. due to its outstanding sales in its first publication, which sold more than 69 million copies, the series was translated into 37 languages, including indonesian. literary translation, regardless of its type, is the ability to transfer the message to appreciate the aesthetic value contained in the source language (sl) literary work into the target language (tl) through a series of word choices that can give the reader enjoyment in picturing the inner atmosphere, emotions, thoughts, imagination, style, taste, tone, flexibility, knowledge, and novelty (landers, 2001). in other words, literary translation principally focuses on the message of the sl that must be preserved. choosing the right words or diction is very important in literary translation, as it is decisive in conveying the meaning of the work. therefore, literary translation requires creativity and a high sense of art to produce and maintain what is in the sl. literary translation can be an ideological weapon used to communicate certain beliefs and values (sun, 2022). the research’s objects were studied using fairclough's (2001) theoretical framework. among the aspects in the framework, this study takes two sub-aspects as its emphasis, namely on textual structure, i.e., vocabulary, and social structure, i.e., feminism. gender is a highly influential concept in an individual’s life (mazzuca et al., 2020). several studies have revealed that attitudes toward gender in a particular society and time were reflected (casey et al., 2021; horst, 2014; un women, 2022) in literature, especially in children’s books. the portrayal of a character’s gender, which relates to their internal social construction, does not always align with their sex, which relates to biology. in other words, studying how gender is portrayed in children’s literature can provide an understanding of the prevailing gender dominance relations in society, as explored in studies by bisht (2020). studies on gender inequality in literary works have been conducted by researchers, as well as in children’s literature. čermáková and mahlberg (2018) analyzed the original and the translation of lewis caroll’s alice’s adventure in wonderland from english to czech. the research focused on verbs performed by the body part, specifically the mouth, in the two genders of the characters in the story. the results show that male characters use the verbs shouted and roared more frequently than female characters (čermáková & mahlberg, 2018). these results were found in works in the two languages studied. then, another study by the two researchers was also conducted in 2022 by comparing the representation of body parts in contemporary and 19th-century children’s literature. the analysis showed that female characters had more space and variety in contemporary children’s literature but were also more limited in terms of behavior in both contemporary and 19th-century children’s literature (čermáková & mahlberg, 2022). in a more recent study conducted by fjelldal (2022) on the representation of five characters in the percy jackson & the olympians series, it was found that rick riordan, the author of the series, had disobeyed existing gender stereotypes by not limiting the characters to their sex (fjelldal, 2022). three of the five characters are created by the author, none of whom show stereotypically feminine or masculine traits, nor is one trait considered more negative. the other two are adaptations from greek mythology. fjeldall compared both the mythological and serialized versions. his findings showed that rick riordan retold and maintained the mythological characters english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 295 in the storyline (fjelldal, 2022). in 2023, harry potter and percy jackson and the olympians series was studied by andersen (2023). the research explored how gender and gender roles were represented in fantasy literature. the findings showed that from verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in gender talk and discourse, both novelists have chosen words that described female characters with negative connotations, while male characters in the opposite way. in other words, female characters were represented in a way that was in line with existing gender stereotypes. in the same year, qayyum and fatima (2023) also conducted research on gender representation in a novel entitled a thousand splendid suns by khaled hosseini. the aspects they studied were adjectives, verbs, and taboo terms used by male and female characters in the novel. with the aid of the corpus, it was found that male characters are portrayed to be strong, immoral, authoritarian, and domineering, while female characters are oppressed, victimized, and weak. through occurrences and concordances, the results also show that men repeatedly abuse women physically and verbally. taboo terms are also mostly used by male characters to demean others, especially women in the novel. at a glance, fjeldall and andersen’s researches are similar to this study, in terms of the data source used. however, two points distinguish their research from this study. first, fjeldall’s research only focuses on the gender representation of five selected characters interpreted through a literature study after reading the five books in the series. meanwhile, andersen’s study only looked at adjectives, and adverbs in gender talk and discourse. in contrast, this research focuses on gender representation displayed with the collocation of the body parts using the assistance of corpus linguistics. the second difference is that fjeldall and andersen’s research only used the original version of the book in english, while the object of this research is a combination of the english version and its translation into indonesian. although qayyum and fatima's (2023) research also uses corpus linguistics and examines gender representation in novels, the aspects studied were not body parts collocations and did not involve translated versions. therefore, these previous researches provide benefits for this research, especially regarding the understanding of gender construction in literature. these previous studies examined the comparison between the representation of male and female characters in children’s literature. all of them investigated the existence of gender stereotypes in society implied in children’s literature, and two examined the representation of characters with body parts. however, so far, there has been no research on the same topic that combines corpus linguistics and translated works with english and indonesian language pairs. therefore, this study attempts to fill the research gap by studying the first book of percy jackson & the olympians series: the lightning thief, written by a male author, and the shift in gender dominance in the indonesian translation, translated by a female translator. with this idea, the research explores the following questions: (1) what is the ratio between male and female characters in english and indonesian novels? (2) how are male and female characters represented in their behavior in english and indonesian novels? and (3) is there a shift in gender dominance from the english version of the novel to the indonesian translation? method the data source employed in this study is a parallel corpus from two novels, percy jackson & the olympians series: the lightning thief in english as the source text (st) and percy jackson & dewa-dewi olympia: pencuri petir, which is the target text (tt) in indonesian. these books were chosen since they meet the criteria for this study: children’s literature, being one of the bestsellers so that it has been translated into many languages, and has not been widely researched on this topic. even though this novel was published more than a decade ago, it is still a hit in its genre to the present day. target readers can easily find copies of this novel in bookstores and libraries, both in their home country and in indonesia. all chapters in both the st and the tt were formed into a corpus to determine the overall character’s representation. the corpus consists of 90,578 tokens in the st and 76,946 tokens in the tt. for the word types, there are 7,402 in the st and 7,894 in the tt. the research method used in this study is mixed, combining quantitative and qualitative methods. in the quantitative part, the analysis focuses on counting the number of male and female characters in the novels and the number of collocations of verbs and body parts that refer to male or female characters. both are intended to find answers to the first and second research questions; that is, regarding the comparison between male and female characters in the two aina khoirida & haru deliana dewi gender representation of percy jackson & the lightning thief in english and indonesian 296 novels and the representation of male and female characters in the context of behaving with their body parts. on the other hand, the qualitative method, which is intended to answer the second and third research questions, is applied to compare and elaborate the results of the quantitative analysis between the english and indonesian books to find out whether there is any difference in gender dominance in the two books. this research follows the stages of research using corpus linguistics by abidin (2020). first, a research plan was decided to research children’s literature with books sourced from english and translated into indonesian. second, the two books that have been decided are downloaded from the internet in pdf format. next, the books were converted into txt format using notepad++ software, cleaned of unnecessary text, and checked and edited for incorrect spelling and writing errors. then, a final check before the corpus was processed using antconc 3.5.9. the study was limited since there was an enormous number of data and the focus was too broad. when performing data processing with antconc 3.5.9, the examination focused on the word list tab to determine the frequency of words appearing. character names, gendered words, and pronouns appearing in the top 200 occurring words on the list were examined. since the point of view of these books is first-person, the pronoun ‘i’ in indirect sentences was added with the name of the main character, ‘percy jackson’, to the list. thus, annotations were made to exclude first-person pronouns that did not refer to percy jackson, to make calculating the frequency of character occurrence easier. the second limitation is that the analysis is narrowed down to body parts collocating with characters. however, to limit the research and focus more on gender representation, the collocation analysis also focused on verbs and these two types of words. first, the researcher checked the word list tab to retrieve each corpus’s top 10 body part words. second, the ten words were further examined for the gender of the subject in the sentence by adding annotations. thirdly, three body part words with significant male-female comparison data were selected to be further analyzed with gender annotations. finally, these annotated words were searched on the collocation tab to find the top 10 words with similar words ranking based on the mi (mutual information) score. the verbs that appear on this list constitute the final data. the mi score reveals the extent to which words occur together compared to the number of times they occur separately. in addition, this score ranks the words that co-occur most frequently with body parts. this series of steps aims to discover the types of activities performed by the characters with their body parts so that it can be seen and concluded if there is an imbalance between what male and female characters do. after the corpus was analyzed using the software, the findings were concluded to answer the research questions. results and discussion character comparison the comparison between the number of male and female characters was analyzed to answer the first research question. the analysis shows that out of the top 200 in the word list, 32 words refer to characters in st and 20 words in tt. st the characters in the top 200 words on the word list were divided into three gender categories; male, female, and neutral. the male gender consists of 11 male character names, three words that refer to males, and three male pronouns. the female gender includes four character names and two female pronouns. the other three are classified as neutral gender, as they can imply both male and female. based on this number, the ratio of males to all gender-related words is 65%. the ratio of female characters to all genderrelated words is 23%. the detailed findings are shown in table 1. table 1. findings of gender-related words in the top 200 words in the st n o . word freq. no. word freq. 1. male male characters 1 . grover 449 7. zeus 108 2 . percy 254 8. poseidon 90 3 . chiron 185 9. gabe 77 4 . ares 123 10. brunner 59 5 . luke 114 11. jackson 58 6 . hades 113 word referring to males 1 . i (percy jackson) 2,801 3. father 60 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 297 2 . man 62 male pronouns 1 . he 977 3. him 279 2 . his 619 2. female female characters 1 . annabeth 406 3. mother 88 2 . mom 106 4. dodds 63 female pronouns 1 . she 612 2. her 508 neutral 1 . gods 114 3. kids 62 2 . god 82 tt in the top 200 words in the indonesian translation version, 21 gender-related words were found, then grouped into three genders; male, female, and neutral. the male gender consists of 12-character names and one word that indicates the male gender. in the female gender, there are fourcharacter names, as well as in the neutral gender which also consists of four related words. similar to the english version, the word aku (‘i’), which ranks first on the word list, was investigated further to exclude its use in direct sentences that do not refer to the main character. from the findings, the ratio of male characters to all gender-related words was 62%. for the female gender, the ratio of all gender-related words was 19%. details of the findings are shown in table 2. table 2. findings of gender-related words in the top 200 words in the tt n o. word freq. no . word freq. 1. male male characters 1. grover 463 7. zeus 110 2. percy 252 8. poseidon 92 3. chiron 187 9. gabe 84 4. ares 122 10. brunner 61 5. hades 115 11. jackson 60 6. luke 115 word referring to males 1. aku (‘i’) (percy jackson) 1,961 2. female female characters 1. annabeth 428 3. ibu (‘mom’) 102 2. ibuku (‘my mom’) 177 4. dodds 66 neutral 1. dia (‘he/she’) 1.265 3. dewa (‘god’) 241 2. orang (‘person’) 250 4. monster (‘monster’ ) 108 findings of characters in the st and tt based on the findings described in st and tt above, the characters are dominated by men in both english and indonesian versions. in this study, the findings regarding neutral gender are ignored because this research focuses only on the male and female genders. with a male-to-female ratio of 65% and 23% in the st and 60% and 20% in the tt, it can be inferred that the number of male characters in the books is three times the number of female characters. there is no significant difference in frequency between the gender words in the st and tt, except for the pronouns and word ‘father’. the consistent percentage decrease between the number of males and females in the st and tt is due to the shift from male and female pronouns to neuter gender. this result is due to the difference between the english third-person pronouns that indicate gender— ‘she’ and ‘he’ —and indonesian that applies to neutral or both genders— ‘dia’. the translation of the word ‘father’, which does not appear in the top 200 words in the tt, is another finding indicating a significant implicitization of this word in the translation. gender representation from the word list, the researcher took the top 10 body part words in each corpus and analyzed them further, which met the requirements in this study; word pairing with verbs and gendered subjects. this step was done to determine the answer to research question number two. st in the st, the lightning thief (lt), the analysis results of gender representation in behavior performed with body parts, singular and plural forms are grouped. table 3 shows the ten most frequently occurring words in the st. aina khoirida & haru deliana dewi gender representation of percy jackson & the lightning thief in english and indonesian 298 table 3. top 10 words in the st no. body part frequency 1. eyes 164 2. head 128 3. hand 117 4. face 99 5. feet 67 6. hair 56 7. mouth 34 8. legs 34 9. neck 27 10. heart 27 based on the data shown in table 3, the researcher further examined the words for shortlisting that met the criteria and categorized them based on the gender of the subject. thus, the final results are shown in table 4. the data findings show a significant difference in the frequency of male body parts compared to female body parts. the only body part with a slight numerical difference between males and females was ‘hair’. thus, the three words selected were ‘eyes’, which appeared the most, ‘face’, which had almost the same frequency between males and females, and ‘hair’, which had the most different frequency compared with the other words. table 4. distribution of body part words with gender in the st no. body part frequency total male female 1. eyes 62 49 111 2. head 72 16 88 3. hand 50 20 70 4. face 33 31 64 5. feet 34 12 46 6. hair 21 24 45 7. mouth 20 5 25 8. leg 23 2 25 9. neck 13 5 18 10. heart 16 2 18 eyes the words that collocate with ‘eyes’ are shown in table 5, with verbs in bold and mi scores. from the results, the female ‘eye’ is paired with the verbs’ sparkle’, ‘fixed’, ‘flickered’, ‘welled’, and ‘flared’. on the other hand, the male’ eye’ is paired with ‘tries’, ‘stung’, and ‘stinging’. with different mi values but the same meaning, male and female characters have similarities in representing the word ‘eyes’, namely expressing the emotion of sadness. for example, crying is an emotional outburst identical to a female. in the st, the author also describes it to the male characters even though using different word choices, which reduce the level of femininity itself; ‘welled’ and ‘stinging’. (a) female character representation (lt, 36) “my mom’s eyes welled with tears.” (b) male character representation (lt, 176) table 5. collocation of the word ‘eye’ in the st female’s eyes male’s eyes ra nk word mi ra nk word mi 1 slits 11.3 1 unimpressed 9.9 2 triumpha nt 10.8 2 tries 9.9 3 sparkle 10.8 3 supposedly 9.9 4 pupils 10.8 4 stung 9.9 5 fixed 10.8 5 stinging 9.9 6 eyeliner 10.8 6 stairway 9.9 7 tears 10.2 7 slit 9.9 8 flickered 10.2 8 rebel 9.9 9 welled 9.9 9 rainy 9.9 10 flared 9.3 10 purplish 9.9 face table 7 shows the results of the mi scores on the words that go together with ‘face’ in the st. from the top 10, the female ‘face’ is paired with ‘distorted’, ‘disappearing’, ‘wrinkled’, and ‘reflected’. in the male representations, the word ‘face’ is paired with ‘rake’, ‘beaded’, and ‘shimmer’. in the female representation, the word ‘distorted’ describes the mother who is weak after being unable to fight off the monster’s attack. on the other hand, when describing percy jackson’s character facing the battle, the pain is not depicted, but only physical exhaustion is shown. (a) female character representation (lt, 177) “a shimmering image hovered over the void: my mother, frozen at the moment she had dissolved in a shower of gold. her face was distorted with pain, as if the minotaur were still squeezing her neck.” (b) male character representation (lt, 338) “i did not want to lie in bed like an invalid while luke was out there planning to destroy the western world. i managed a step forward. then another, still leaning heavily on annabeth. argus followed us outside, but he kept his distance. by the time we reached the porch, my face was beaded with sweat.” table 6. collocation of the word ‘face’ in the st female’s face male’s face ran k word mi ran k word mi 1 shadowed 11.7 1 sickly 10.6 2 flashes 11.7 2 redder 10.6 3 distorted 11.7 3 rake 10.6 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 299 4 disappeari ng 11.7 4 flesh 10.6 5 deathly 11.7 5 cruelest 10.6 6 cheetos 11.7 6 brutal 10.6 7 wrinkled 10.7 7 beaded 10.0 8 reflected 10.7 8 weary 9.6 9 pale 10.3 9 shimmer 9.6 10 expression s 10.1 10 shadowy 9.6 hair based on the collocation tab to find out the words that go together with ‘hair’, the obtained data are shown in table 8. the female word ‘hair’ is paired with the verbs ‘ruffled’, ‘loosened’, ‘comb’, ‘ripping’, ‘grab’, and ‘floated’. on the male side, the verbs that occur with ‘hair’ are ‘singed’ (-off), ‘shaved’, ‘permed’, ‘gelled’, ‘combed’, ‘colored’, and ‘bristled’. the verbs that collocate with the word ‘hair’ of females strongly reflect their elegance and behavior; ‘ruffled’, ‘loosened’, and ‘floated’. the nature of females tends to favor beauty as selfidentity and manifests in taking care of the beauty of their hair. similarly, verbs used in the male gender strongly reflect masculinity identity; ‘shaved’, ‘permed’, and ‘gelled’. male nature tends to prefer simplicity. therefore, shaving and gelling their hair are synonymous with males. masculinity in male characters is also shown with ‘singed’ (-off) to describe percy jackson’s near-dangerous actions. in this section, masculine traits are represented in male and female characters. for example, the words ‘grab’ and ‘ripping’ used by clarisse to attack percy jackson as he cannot resist clarisse are classified as a form of gender stereotype norm violation by the author. however, the author also describes an action performed by both genders, and it is common to both: combing hair. female character representation (lt, 87) “i was not expecting anybody to be looking back at me from the bottom, so my heart skipped a beat when i noticed two teenage girls sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about twenty feet below. they wore blue jeans and shimmering green t-shirts, and their brown hair floated loose around their shoulders as minnows darted in and out.” male character representation (lt, 103) “grover had scampered to the top like a mountain goat, but the lava had almost gotten me. my shirt had smoking holes in it. the hair had been singed off my forearms.” table 7. collocation of the word ‘hair’ in the st female’s hair male’s hair ran k word mi ran k word mi 1 unruly 12.1 1 watery 11.6 2 tan 12.1 2 thinning 11.6 3 ruffled 12.1 3 singed 11.6 4 loosene d 12.1 4 shaved 11.6 5 headban d 12.1 5 sandy 11.6 6 gossiped 12.1 6 permed 11.6 7 comb 12.1 7 gelled 11.6 8 ripping 11.1 8 combed 11.6 9 grab 10.5 9 coloured 11.6 10 floated 10.1 10 bristled 11.6 tt in the top 10 words on the word list of the tt corpus, pencuri petir (pt), singular and plural noun forms are counted as one. in addition, body parts with the affixes -ku (first person) and -nya (third person) are also included in the grouping. this decision is because these affixed words have the same meaning and intent but are ranked separately on the word list. the raw data of the initial analysis are shown in table 8. table 8. top 10 words in the st no. body part frequency 1. mata (eyes) 201 2. tangan (hand) 154 3. kaki (foot) 130 4. kepala (head) 123 5. wajah (face) 84 6. tubuh (body) 74 7. hati (heart) 70 8. rambut (hair) 49 9. kulit (skin) 40 10. mulut (mouth) 38 after being analyzed in each category to exclude words that do not collocate with verbs and subjects and are grouped by gender, the frequency of occurrence of body parts was determined. the final result of the analysis is shown in table 9. the word ‘eye’ occupies the first position with the highest frequency of occurrence among other body parts. the findings show that almost all male body parts are significantly more frequent than their female counterparts, except for the word ‘hair’. with a difference of only one number, the word ‘hair’ has more occurrences with the female gender than the male. in addition, the word ‘face’ has a frequency that is only two numbers different between males and females or can be said to be aina khoirida & haru deliana dewi gender representation of percy jackson & the lightning thief in english and indonesian 300 almost balanced between males and females. thus, these three words were selected for further analysis. table 9. distribution of body part words with gender in the st n o. body part frequency total male female 1. mata (eyes) 48 34 82 2. tangan (hand) 53 27 80 3. tubuh (body) 46 21 67 4. kepala (head) 50 13 63 5. kaki (foot) 50 4 54 6. wajah (face) 28 26 54 7. rambut (hair) 22 23 45 8. hati (heart) 32 5 37 9. mulut (mouth) 31 4 35 10 . kulit (skin) 4 3 7 eyes table 10 shows the top 10 rankings of words associated with ‘mata’ (eyes) in the tt. there are 'berlinang' (teary), 'berkelap' (twinkle), 'terbelalak' (wide-eyed), 'mengedipkan' (blink), and 'mencolok' (stiking) in the female 'eyes', while in the male there are 'mengerjapkan' (blink), 'mewarisi' (inherit), 'memelototiku' (glaring at me), 'dilihatnya' (s/he saw), and 'diganti' (replaced). the first rank in women’s ‘eyes’— ‘berlinang’—represents the nature or identity of femininity in women who are sensitive and cry easily to express their feelings. besides what has been described, male and female characters are portrayed generally and neutrally following existing stereotypes. in addition, upon further inspection, verbs other than ‘berlinang’, ‘mengerjapkan’, and ‘terbelalak’ do not directly correspond to verbs in terms of character representation. mata ibuku berlinang air mata. dia meraih eyes my mom teary tears . she reaches t a n g a n k u , m e r e m a s n y a e r a t e r a t . ” my hands, squeezing it tightly “i regretted those words as soon as they were spoken. my mother’s eyes filled with tears. she grabbed my hand, squeezing it t ight ly.” table 10. collocation of the word ‘eye’ in the tt female’s eyes male’s eyes ran k word mi ra nk word mi 1 berlinang (teary) 10.7 1 mengerjapkan (blink) 10.9 2 berkelap (twinkle) 10.7 2 terjauh (farthest) 9.9 3 kasat (visile) 10.0 3 mewarisi (inherit) 9.9 4 terbelalak (wideeyed) 9.7 4 memelototiku (glaring at me) 9.9 5 sesedih (as sad as) 9.7 5 kuakui (i admit it) 9.9 6 mengedipk an (blink) 9.7 6 krem (beige) 9.9 7 mencolok (striking) 9.7 7 kelopak (eyelid) 9.9 8 kecemasa n (worry) 9.7 8 dilihatnya (s/he saw) 9.9 9 binar (shine) 9.7 9 diganti (replaced) 9.9 10 celah (slit) 9.4 10 daguku (my chin) 9.9 face the collocations of the word ‘wajah’ (face) are shown in table 11. in females, the word ‘face’ is collocated with the verbs ‘bergetar’ (tremble) and ‘menutupi’ (cover-up). in males, ‘face’ is collocated with the verbs’ tersirap’ (drained), ‘membalut’ (bandage), ‘bersimbah’ (covered), and ‘memucat’ (pale). as the first ranked word, ‘tersirap’ describes grover’s characters’ resilience when facing danger. similarly, the word ‘bersimbah’ is used for the exact representation when percy jackson’s character after a fight. in addition to depicting masculine traits, the male character, the camp security guard, is also represented as ‘memucat’ in the pairing of the word ‘face’. the word ‘memucat’ can mean fear or something unexpected is happening. thus, this depiction has broken down gender stereotypes and masculinity. apart from the mentioned above, there is no character portrayal in females through verbs collocated with ‘face’. male character representation (pt, 22) “aku menoleh kepada grover, hendak i turned my head to grover, about mengomentari hal ini. tapi, kulihat bahwa commenting thing this. but, i saw that darah telah tersirap dari wajah.” blood was already drained from face. “i turned to grover, about to comment on this. but i saw that blood had been drained from grover’s face.” english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 301 table 11. collocation of the word ‘face’ in the tt female’s face male’s face r a n k word mi r an k word mi 1 terkejut (surprised) 12.1 1 tersirap (drained) 10.8 2 sejelek (as ugly as) 12,1 2 tersiksa (tormented) 10.8 3 pasi (pale) 12.1 3 tengkoraknya (the skull) 10.8 4 pantulan (reflection ) 11.6 4 serupa (similar) 10.8 5 terpantul (reflected) 10.6 5 perubahan (changes) 10.8 6 terpana (stunned) 10.6 6 membalut (bandage) 10.8 7 pucat (pale) 10.0 7 bersimbah (covered) 10.8 8 cemas (anxious) 18.3 8 sombong (arrogant) 9.8 9 bergetar (vibrating) 8.3 9 memucat (pale) 9.3 1 0 menutupi (cover up) 8.2 10 keringat (sweat) 9.3 hair the findings on the collocation of ‘hair’ are shown in table 13. the verbs that co-occur with female 'hair' are ‘potong’ (cut), ‘pegang’ (hold), ‘menyisir’ (comb), ‘menjenggut’ (plait), ‘mengacak’ (scrunch), ‘kibar’ (flutter), and ‘berkibar’ (fluttering). on the other hand, in males, the verbs that collocate with ‘hair’ are ‘diminyaki’ (oiled), ‘dikeriting’ (curled), ‘mewarisi’ (inherit), ‘menyugar’ (fit), ‘kucukur’ (shave), and ‘dipotong’ (cut). in females, this collocation represents the feminine characteristic of the character, as the words ‘menyisir’, ‘kibar’, and ‘berkibar’ are used. similarly, masculine characters and traits are portrayed in males with the words ‘diminyaki’, ‘dikeriting’, ‘kucukur’, and ‘dipotong’. the first, second, and sixth-ranked verbs— ‘potong’, ‘pegang’, and ‘menjenggut’ — are the pairings to represent clarisse with masculine traits. it is illustrated in the fight between percy jackson and clarisse, and clarisse has the upper hand. male character representation (pt, 46) “aku berani bertaruh bahwa jika rambut yang i dare bet that if hair that hitam ikal itu kucukur, aku akan menemukan black curly that i shave, i will find tanduk kecil di kepalanya.” horns small in his head “i’m willing to bet that if i were to shave off those black curls, i’d find little horns on his head.” female character representation (pt, 90) “mereka sebenarnya bisa saja menendangiku they actually can just kick me hingga menjadi agar-agar, tetapi mereka terlalu until become jelly, but they too sibuk tertawa. “potong rambutnya,” kata clarisse. busy laughing. “cut his hair,” said clarrise. “pegang rambutnya.” “grab his hair,” “they could have kicked me into jelly but were too busy laughing. “cut his hair,” clarisse said. “grab his hair.”” table 12. collocation of the word ‘hair’ in the tt female’s face male’s face ran k word mi ra nk word mi 1 potong (cut) 12.6 1 diminyaki (oiled) 12.6 2 pegang (grab) 12.6 2 dikeriting (curled) 12.6 3 uban (grey hair) 11.6 3 sebahu (shoulderlength) 11.6 4 punk (punk) 11.6 4 mewarisi (inherit) 11.6 5 menyisir (combin g) 11.6 5 menyugar (smoothing) 11.6 6 menjeng gut (tugging ) 11.6 6 lepek (loose) 11.6 7 mengaca k (ruffle) 11.6 7 kucukur (i shaved) 11.6 8 kibar (flutter) 11.6 8 krukat (short) 11.6 9 beruban (graying ) 11.6 9 botak (bald) 11.6 10 berkibar 11.6 10 dipotong 11.1 aina khoirida & haru deliana dewi gender representation of percy jackson & the lightning thief in english and indonesian 302 (flutterin g) (cut) findings of gender representation in the st and tt from the described results above, it can be concluded that the top 10 body parts in the word list of the st and tt corpus are mostly paired with words of the male gender. the numbers of males show striking results when compared to females. it is not surprising, as the storyline in the book centers on percy jackson and the characters around him are male. however, when examined from the character representation results, it is found that not all characters are portrayed based on gender. it is evident that the author also depicts feminine male and masculine female characters. in children's literature, such portrayals of gender roles can influence the formation of the identity and understanding of readers, who in this case are children. unconsciously, children can imitate the personalities of characters who violate gender stereotypes. for instance, children may forget the background of clarisse who is the daughter of the god of war who is portrayed by the author as a strong, brave, and authoritarian female character. the readers can easily assume and believe the concept that females can fight males, as in the data of pt 90, even though females are designed and created to be physically weaker than males. gender domination rick riordan wrote percy jackson & the olympians with a predominance of male characters in terms of quantity, as described in number 4.1. with such results, it is unsurprising that the masculine gender is emphasized in the storyline. however, based on the three selected body parts— ranked first in the collocation list (eyes), equal frequency between male and female (face), and significant difference in frequency (hair)— described in number 4.2, the conclusion can be drawn that rick riordan is not fixated on feminine and masculine gender stereotypes. the frequent breaking of these stereotypical norms shows this condition. for example, male characters are described as crying when sad, and female characters are rugged and robust in fighting. in the translated work, the shift in gender dominance is not too significant to be found at a glance. however, by analyzing using the collocation, the researcher found a change in mi score in the word ‘eye’ between the st and the tt for females. the word ‘berlinang’ (teary), whose equivalent in the st is ‘welled’, ranks first in the tt from ninth in the st with a change of 0.8 in the mi score. with this, it can be said that the translator re-enforces the gender stereotype of female characters being weaker and more emotional compared to male characters. meanwhile, the male characters who are sensitive and can also cry in the st, described by the words ‘stung’ and ‘stinging’, are omitted in the translation. it is evidenced by the absence of these words in the top 10 words collocated with the word ‘eye’ in the tt. the word ‘face’ in the st depicts the mother who is weak when battling monsters, as the verb ‘distorted’ occupies the first position of female verbs. this word is not shown in the tt. meanwhile, in the tt, the word ‘memucat’ (paled) appears in the list of male verbs. it indicates that the character built by the author in the aspect of ‘face’ is swapped between male and female. the frequency that shows that females are weak is lowered, while the frequency that males can also feel fear is raised in the tt. the point to be noticed about ‘hair’ is that the author and the translator use this word to redefine the stereotypes between males and females. males are associated with shaving and using hair gel, while females with their beautiful hair are associated with beautiful loose hair. it is maintained steadily in the translated work since it is acceptable in the target culture. however, clarisse’s toughness when she fights percy jackson is also maintained in this aspect. the translator possibly keeps clarisse’s character and traits because it is related to the storyline and characterization. clarisse la rue is the daughter of the god of war, ares. thus, the author depicts clarisse with a ferocious grin, facial scars, and a basketball-like body. she also represents as skilled in fighting, like her father. this masculine female character violates gender norms and gender stereotypes in both sl and tl cultures. the present study’s results align with previous research conducted by hunt (2015) on the harry potter novel series. she stated that novels centered on male characters would also be dominated by male characters. in terms of body parts, male characters dominate because they are considered to emphasize physicality more than female characters, which emphasize emotionality (fjelldal, 2022; hunt, 2015). the shift in character portrayal in translated works also occurs in the czech translation of alice’s adventures in wonderland, studied by čermáková & mahlberg english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 303 (2018). these changes reflect that the translator’s sense of personality is shaped linguistically, culturally, and socially. female translators play a crucial role in reconstructing the traits of the female characters that may have been distorted or misrepresented by male writers. translator-centered strategies, such as the use of paratext to highlight the translator’s voice and gender consciousness, contribute to making women’s voices and experiences visible in the translated text (irshad & yasmin, 2023). moreover, the presence of the translator in the translation process is important, as it can influence the portrayal of female characters. since translation is not a neutral activity, the translator’s subjectivity and application of an interventionist approach can impact the representation of gender in the translated work (chen & song, 2023). likewise, the object of this study is a work written by a male author, rick riordan, and translated into indonesian by a female translator, femmy syahrani. the representation of fictional characters is an unconscious process, so translators can reflect on their choices and consider the potential implications of these choices for readers of the translated work. conclusion according to the analysis, it is inferred that the findings answer the three research questions. the comparison between the number of male and female characters in the st and tt is dominated by male characters. however, in the representation analyzed based on body parts, neither the writer nor the translator is fixated on existing gender stereotypes. it is evidenced by male characters who also have feminine characteristics. vice versa, there are depictions of female characters who have masculine traits. overall, the conclusion can be drawn that there is a change from the st to the tt regarding gender dominance, especially in the representation of character traits. although the research objects presented in this study cannot represent all novels in the genre, it should be noted that these are still the gaining popularity novels in the genre. accordingly, it can be assumed that these novels can be introduced to children to promote and encourage their literacy activities. however, it is important to critically reflect on whether the novels being read are compatible with cultural attitudes and values, through the way they are written. parents and teachers need to critically reflect on the literature they choose to introduce to children, as they have the power and authority to influence children's learning and social development. as part of education, gender education is becoming increasingly important for schools and parents as it is conducive to children's physical and mental health (jiang, 2019). for writers and translators, it is important to pay attention to the knowledge needs of the target readers in order to fulfill and adjust to the restrictions displayed in the work. it should be noted that children as target readers tend not to be able to sort out or filter the things they learn, between good and bad things for their personality and social life. in relation to cultural differences and the concept of gender roles between the source language and the target language, translators are also allowed and authorized to carry out censorship of parts that are not in conformity with the target culture. all of these are aimed at providing education and the formation of children as the next generation who have personalities and gender roles appropriate to their sex. this study primarily focuses on the portrayal of characters, in both quantity and characteristics and the comparison with the indonesian translated version. since this study is analyzed with the help of corpus linguistics, the researchers cannot discover to what extent the translators are aware of the translation shifts regarding the representation of the characters. in addition, this study only addresses one of the two—analysis of vocabulary and feminism—fairclough's (2001) critical discourse analysis framework. in this study, the researchers only use body parts to assess the extent of translators’ choices about the representation of characters in the novel. this study opens up other future studies on translation to update and fill in the gaps on the issues of children’s literature, cda, and gender studies. references abidin. (2020). dasar-dasar korpus dalam ilmu bahasa. uin malang. http://abidin.lecturer.uinmalang.ac.id/2013/10/dasar-dasar-korpusdalam-ilmu-bahasa/ adukia, a., eble, a., harrison, e., runesha, h. b., & szasz, t. (2023). what we teach about race and gender: representation in images and text of children’s books. the quarterly journal of economics, 138(4), 2225–2285. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjad028 andersen, e. l. (2023). exploring representations of gender roles in harry potter and the philosopher’s stone and percy jackson and the lightning thief [master’s thesis]. western aina khoirida & haru deliana dewi gender representation of percy jackson & the lightning thief in english and indonesian 304 norway university of applied sciences. bayraktar, a. (2021). value of children’s literature and students’ opinions regarding their favorite book. international journal of progressive education, 17(4). bhatia, a. (2023). interpretation of gender roles projected in children’s literature. international journal of advances in engineering and management (ijaem), 5(4), 700–705. bisht, a. (2020). gender representation and language use in children’s storybooks [dissertation]. ambedkar university delhi. casey, k., novick, k., & lourenco, s. f. (2021). sixty years of gender representation in children’s books: conditions associated with overrepresentation of male versus female protagonists. plos one, 16(12), e0260566. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260566 čermáková, a., & mahlberg, m. (2018). translating fictional characters – alice and the queen from the wonderland in english and czech. in a. čermáková & m. mahlberg (eds.), the corpus linguistics discourse in honour of wolfgang teubert (pp. 223–254). john benjamins. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.87.10c er čermáková, a., & mahlberg, m. (2022). gendered body language in children’s literature over time. language and literature, 31(1), 11–40. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/09639470 211072154 chen, x., & song, g. (2023). gender representation in translation: examining the reshaping of a female child’s image in the english translation of the children’s novel bronze and sunflower. children’s literature in education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-023-09539-7 chestnut, e. k., & markman, e. m. (2018). “girls are as good as boys at math” implies that boys are probably better: a study of expressions of gender equality. cognitive science, 42(7), 2229–2249. https://doi.org/10.1111/cogs.12637 fairclough, n. (2001). language and power (2nd ed.). longman. filipović, k. (2018). gender representation in children’s books: case of an early childhood setting. journal of research in childhood education, 32(3), 310–325. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2018.146408 6 fjelldal, h. u. (2022). myths revisited: a literary analysis of percy jackson and the olympians with a focus on gender [master’s thesis, western norway university of applied science]. https://hvlopen.brage.unit.no/hvlopenxmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/3021992/fjelldal. pdf?sequence=1&isallowed=y hayati, y. (2016). representasi gender dalam sastra anak di indonesia. percetakan sukabina press. heuring, k. (2021). children’s books solidify gender stereotypes in young minds. dietrich college of humanities and social sciences. horst, m. (2014). gender role attitudes. in encyclopedia of quality of life and well-being research (pp. 2451–2453). springer netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94007-0753-5_1135 hunt, s. (2015). representations of gender and agency in the harry potter series. in baker, paul, mcenery, & tony (eds.), corpora and discourse studies: integrating discourse and corpora (pp. 266–284). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1057/97811374 31738_13 ibrahim, w. m. a. (2022). stereotypical and multilayered representations of masculinity and femininity in the harry potter series: a corpus-assisted content analysis. ajelp: the asian journal of english language & pedagogy, 10(2), 1–29. irshad, i., & yasmin, m. (2023). translating harassment: cross cultural reconstruction of the feminist identity in translated fiction. humanities and social sciences communications, 10(1), 794. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02306-5 jiang, s. (2019). what’s in a picture? exploring children’s picture books with a focus on gender [major research paper]. university of windsor. landers, c. e. (2001). literary translation: a practical guide. cromwell press ltd. lestari, m., & yulindrasari, h. (2021). does gender in children’s book matter? 5th international conference on early childhood education (icece 2020), 33–36. lewis, m., cooper borkenhagen, m., converse, e., lupyan, g., & seidenberg, m. s. (2022). what might books be teaching young children about gender? psychological science, 33(1), 33–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976211024643 lindsay, j. (2023). where have all the girls gone? examining gender representation within children’s picture books. journal of research in childhood education, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2023.228079 0 mazzuca, c., majid, a., lugli, l., nicoletti, r., & borghi, a. m. (2020). gender is a multifaceted concept: evidence that specific life experiences differentially shape the concept of gender. language and cognition, 12(4), 649–678. mirzayeva, h., karabayeva, s., & kuziyeva, d. (2020). specific features of children’s literature. international scientific and current research conferences. moty, k., & rhodes, m. (2021). the unintended consequences of the things we say: what generic statements communicate to children about unmentioned categories. psychological english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 305 science, 32(2), 189–203. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620953132 qayyum, n., & fatima, s. (2023). gender representation in a thousand splendid suns: a corpus-based stylistic analysis. journal of excellence in social sciences, 2(1), 20–36. sun, y. (2022). literary translation and communication. frontiers in communication, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2022.1073773 tukachinsky, r., mastro, d., & yarchi, m. (2017). the effect of prime time television ethnic/racial stereotypes on latino and black americans: a longitudinal national level study. journal of broadcasting & electronic media, 61(3), 538– 556. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2017.134466 9 un women. (2022). un women reveals concerning regression in attitudes towards gender roles during pandemic in new study. https://www.unwomen.org/en/newsstories/press-release/2022/06/un-womenreveals-concerning-regression-in-attitudestowards-gender-roles-during-pandemic-in-newstudy aina khoirida & haru deliana dewi gender representation of percy jackson & the lightning thief in english and indonesian 306 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 667 investigating the collocation of the words 'mom' and 'dad' in alec greven's novels: a corpus linguistic analysis of semantic preferences and prosody ida zuraida english department faculty of humanities, universitas widyatama, indonesia email: ida.zuraida@widyatama.ac.id ervina cm simatupang english department faculty of humanities, universitas widyatama, indonesia email: ervina.simatupang@widyatama.ac.id apa citation: zuraida, i., & simatupang, e. cm. (2023). investigating the collocation of the words 'mom' and 'dad' in alec greven's novels: a corpus linguistic analysis of semantic preferences and prosody. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 667-674. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8818 received: 18-06-2023 accepted:29-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: this research delves into the collocation and semantic analysis of the words "mom" and "dad" in two novels, "how to talk to mom?" and "how to talk to dad?", authored by a teenage male writer, alec greven. the primary objective is to investigate the frequency of occurrence of these parental terms and explore their semantic preferences and prosody within the context of dictions used in the novels. the study uses a mixed-method design, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative approaches to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the research topic. using corpus linguistic methods, the study examines the frequency of the words "mom" and "dad" in each novel, revealing that "mom" occurs more frequently than "dad." through concordance hits, the collocational patterns of the parental terms are analyzed, shedding light on the contexts in which they are commonly used. the collocation analysis demonstrates that "dad" is frequently associated with family, friendship, and engaging activities, while "mom" is linked to family, household chores, and maternal preferences. furthermore, the research explores the semantic prosody of "mom" and "dad" revealing that "dad" is portrayed more positively compared to "mom." keywords: collocation; corpus linguistics; parental language use; semantic preferences; semantic prosody; teenage novels. introduction in society, our behavior often reflects genderrelated influences, impacting our language choices and patterns. gender plays a pivotal role in shaping language preferences, particularly within the family, the fundamental unit of society. within the family, language choices vary based on parent-child relationships. these language preferences are inherently linked to parental roles within the family context. this study aims to investigate how parental roles and responsibilities influence language patterns, shedding light on the impact of these roles on language preferences and usage within the family dynamic. this provides insights into how parental roles may shape language preferences and usage within the family dynamic (dunifon & kowaleski-jones (2021). understanding the intricacies of parental language use and its impact on children's development is crucial, as it sheds light on the factors that shape children's cognitive, affective, and linguistic growth. understanding parental language use is crucial, as it directly affects children's development, encompassing cognitive, affective, and linguistic growth. recent research by huttenlocher et al. (2020) underscores the vital role of parent-child language interactions in children's language development and cognitive skills. responsive and stimulating parent-child interactions foster cognitive and language abilities (rowe, 2022). while mchale et al. (2021) investigate the impact of interactions between parents and children on children's emotional regulation and social competence, hoff (2021) highlights the significant effects of parental input and linguistic richness on ida zuraida & ervina cm simatupang investigating the collocation of the words 'mom' and 'dad' in alec greven's novels: a corpus linguistic analysis of semantic preferences and prosody. 668 children's vocabulary acquisition and language processing skills. parental interactions significantly shape children's cognitive, affective, and linguistic development. rowe (2018) emphasizes the significance of responsive and stimulating parents-children interactions. positive parentchild interactions, characterized by warmth, sensitivity, and engagement, contribute significantly to children's socio-emotional development (pomerantz et al., 2019). the home environment, as the initial learning environment for children, profoundly influences their cognitive and socioemotional development. the family process model (fpm) by fiese and winter (2018) highlights the importance of the family context, including parent-child interactions, routines, and communication patterns, in shaping children's development. the home environment provides critical opportunities for children to acquire knowledge, develop language skills, and form beliefs and attitudes, particularly those related to gender. gender awareness emerges early in childhood and is influenced by parental interactions and societal factors. halim et al. (2019) emphasize parents' role in transmitting gender norms and stereotypes to children through language, play, and socialization practices. parents' beliefs and behaviors regarding gender significantly impact children's cognitive, affective, and linguistic development, shaping their understanding of gender roles and identities. zhang (2018) investigates gender representation and its effect on identity formation in chinese english textbooks, focusing on how gender roles, stereotypes, and identities are portrayed and reinforced through language and visual depictions. consequently, language development is intricately linked to the acquisition of gendered language patterns, encompassing gender-specific vocabulary, syntax, and speech styles acquired through interactions with parents and caregivers (liberman & myers, 2019). in line with the ideas presented above, yuliawati (2014) highlights the role of lexical elements in communication within speech communities. the development of technology, particularly computer and internet technology, has transformed linguistic research, leading it into the digital realm since the 1960s. the availability of large corpora and tools for data collection and analysis has facilitated quick and comprehensive investigations. corpus linguistics, as a domain, encompasses a set of stages and methods for linguistic research (hardie & mcenery, 2021). collocation, according to firth (1957), refers to the essential aspect of word meaning that is not intended as an isolated word but as a word that appears within a structure alongside other units with significant occurrence rates. furthermore, preference semantics, as defined by stubbs (2019), refers to the holistic relationship between lemmas or word forms and semantically related word strands. semantic prosody is the tendency of a word's meaning to be influenced by the words surrounding it within a specific context. traditional semantics adherents, hardie & mcenery (2021), state that prosodic semantics is associated with connotative meaning, wherein a word or phrase can have either positive or negative connotations depending on the lexical items accompanying it. in this study, the lexical elements that pivot on the meaning field of mom and dad will be identified using the corpus linguistic method. the use of the corpus linguistic method can reveal information related to the actual use of language in the novel htms? and htds? vocabulary with high occurrence frequency and its colloquial can be obtained. this information is then used as a basis for reference to see what vocabulary tends to be used for a particular topic. based on this analysis, information can also be obtained about how mom and dad are described in the novel htms? and htds? this research is expected to provide information about the different representations between mom and dad in the two novels above. therefore, by considering the influence of parental interactions and the home environment on children's cognitive, affective, and linguistic development, as well as the development of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 669 gender awareness, this research aims to explore the role of parental language use and the portrayal of parental figures in the novels. method in order to give both breadth and depth of understanding and evidence, this study adopted a mixed-method design of research, combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies. (johnson & onwuegbuzie, 2019; creswell & creswell, 2021). according to johnson and onwuegbuzie (2019), the purpose of using mixed research methods is to broaden and strengthen the conclusions drawn from the data. this approach allows for the collection of information in the form of numbers (quantitative data) and text (qualitative data) through the use of the antconc corpus analysis tool (anthony, 2019). antconc is a freely available, multiplatform, and multi-functional tool designed for classroom learning purposes and enables both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. the corpus data used in this study comprises excerpts from two novels, authored by ten-year-old alec greven. the total corpus size is less than one million words, with the novel "htms?" consisting of 551-word types and 1945-word tokens, and "htds?" comprising 567-word types and 1906-word tokens. the relatively balanced use of words in both novels indicates that the author possesses comparable abilities to express ideas, opinions, and feelings when discussing interactions with mothers and fathers, showcasing a relatively equal reference experience (creswell & creswell, 2021). data collection was conducted using the antconc corpus analysis tool, which facilitated the quantitative analysis of word frequency and collocation patterns. concordance hits were generated to identify the co-occurring words with "mom" and "dad" in their respective contexts, followed by qualitative interpretation of the topics discussed in relation to these collocations (tashakkori & teddlie, 2020). the frequency analysis provided insights into the prominence of the words "mom" and "dad" in each novel, while the collocation analysis revealed the words most frequently associated with each parental figure (creswell & creswell, 2021). to determine the semantic preferences and prosody of "mom" and "dad" in the corpus, the researchers examined the words and phrases that co-occurred with these parental terms. this approach was inspired by stubbs (2019), who defined preference semantics as the holistic relationship between lemmas or word forms and semantically related word strands. the researchers further explored semantic prosody, which refers to the tendency of a word's meaning to be influenced by the words surrounding it within a specific context (sinclair, 1991; anthony, 2019). overall, the mixed-method design allowed for a comprehensive exploration of the portrayal of parental figures in the novels "htms?" and "htds?" the integration of quantitative and qualitative data analysis enriched the findings and provided valuable insights into the contrasting representations of mothers and fathers in the two novels (creswell & creswell, 2021; johnson & onwuegbuzie, 2019). results and discussions table 1. word types and word tokens how to talk to moms how to talk to dads word types 551 1945 word tokens 567 1906 htds? has 1906-word tokens and 567word types, whereas htms? has 1945-word tokens and 551-word types. the use of the number of words by this ten-year-old writer is relatively balanced. this shows that the writer's ability to express ideas, opinions, and feelings when talking about how to talk to father and mother more or less has a relatively equal reference experience. in the novel htds? there are 15 more-word types compared to the novel htms? however, the number of word tokens in the novel htms? has more than 39-word tokens. the analysis of word types and word tokens in both novels, "htms?" and "htds?", provides insight into the writer's ida zuraida & ervina cm simatupang investigating the collocation of the words 'mom' and 'dad' in alec greven's novels: a corpus linguistic analysis of semantic preferences and prosody. 670 lexical diversity and overall expression. the difference in the number of word types and word tokens suggests that the writer exhibits a balanced utilization of vocabulary in both novels. this equilibrium signifies the writer's competence in expressing ideas, opinions, and emotions related to interactions with both parents. the relatively equal distribution of word types and tokens indicates that the writer possesses a comparable range of linguistic resources when discussing interactions with fathers and mothers. interestingly, despite the slight difference in word types, "htms?" contains more word tokens than "htds?". this could imply that the writer elaborates more within the context of interactions with mothers, resulting in a higher total word count. it might suggest that when discussing mother-related themes, the writer delves into more nuanced details, expanding on experiences and emotions. table 2. frequency how to talk to moms? how to talk to dads? both novels dad 1 60 61 mom 36 15 51 moms 44 2 46 based on the observation that the term "mom" or "moms" occurs more frequently than the word "dad." the data displayed on the antconc device show the word dads appears 61 times while the word 97 times, the word mom is discussed more than the word dad. based on the context in the corpus, the term "dad" is used with does something, the bad side, teach history, likes doing, thinks longer, different from mom, bug, never complain, fight, easy-going, better mood, milk, games, tricks and won't let you quit. on the other hand, mom appears with the words of action like, fix, do, understand, think, love, like, and don't like while nouns that are found are trouble, food, perfume, job, cookies, opinion, and thing. the adjectives found are tougher, smart, easygoing, and clean. analyzing the frequency of the words "dad," "mom," and "moms" reveals a notable difference in their occurrences. the word "mom" and its variations appear more frequently than the word "dad." the word "dad" appears 61 times, while "mom" appears 97 times, further accentuating the dominance of discussions related to mothers. it shows that the conversation about mom is more dominant than dad. it can be interpreted that the author has more experiences with his mother than with his father. the writer's closeness to his parents will affect his ability to describe and explain his physical experiences, thoughts, and feelings with people who spend more time with him or the experiences obtained are very memorable so that more to say about fathers. on the one hand, the context surrounding the word "dad" involves activities, likes, characteristics, and interactions that exhibit a variety of aspects of fatherly presence. this could suggest that the writer portrays his father as a multifaceted figure with involvement in different facets of life. meanwhile, the word "mom" is associated with a range of emotions, thoughts, and activities, indicating the depth and variety of experiences shared with the mother. on the other hand, the observed prominence of the word "mom" and its variations suggests that the writer's interactions and experiences with the mother figure play a more significant role in his narrative. this could stem from a closer emotional connection, more vivid memories, or a greater amount of time spent with the mother. the writer's inclination to discuss experiences related to the mother in more detail might indicate a stronger bond or a more vivid recollection of moments shared with her. the findings highlight the writer's emotional closeness to his parents, which can influence how he describes and elaborates on his experiences, thoughts, and feelings. the emphasis on interactions with the mother could imply that her role in the writer's life is more pronounced, possibly due to the nature of their relationship or shared activities. this thematic disparity offers a glimpse into the writer's perspective on family dynamics and his unique experiences with both parents. overall, these findings underscore the significance of the parent-child relationship and how it shapes linguistic expression, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 671 highlighting the role of emotions and shared experiences in language use. table 3. concordance hit no how to talk to dads 1 dad also likes you to learn from your mistakes. 2 dad also sweeps things under the rug more than 3 dad expects you to do things even when he 4 dad expects you to do things even when he 5 dad get into a fight, 75 percent of the time 6 dad gives you one scoop of ice cream and 7 dad has a good side and a bad side. 8 dad helps you become you. dad wants you to 9 dad helps you become you. ro ay / o 10 dad helps you make the right decisions. unless it 11 dad is an easy-going guy who’s going to 12 dad is smart—he’ll look really depressed and 13 dad is tattling. when it comes to tattling, proceed 14 dad knows. that can be a clean-up nightmare. 15 dad lets you play an inappropriate video game, do 16 dad likes to leave a lot of the decisions 17 dad.” never bug or complain. this sends dad to 18 dad on his good side. .. . you could get rewards. } 19 dad on his good side. if he goes bad, 20 dad’s way { dads are softies with little girls 21 dad’s way... 6.0. ee eee 7 chapter two: the two 22 dad’s way is a little different from mom’ 23 dad’s way makes it easier to have f 24 dad tells you that you can choose to do 25 dad tells you to do whatever you want. but 26 dad wants to teach you the history of the 27 dad wants you to do something and you want 28 dad wants you to do things on your own 29 dad will be very mad at you and there 30 dad will go to the good side and you 31 dad will go to the bad side. then all 32 dad will say, “bummer.” dad’s goal is for 33 dad will say yes when your mom might say 34 dad won't go easy on you. he will 35 dad won't let you. when you fall off there are 60 concordance hit data and 35 data are displayed whose frequency appears more than once. looking at the context, dad is discussed as follows: (1) four descriptions of dad through adjectives that appear after the word dad, namely easy going, smart, depressed, and, tattling (2) following is the description of dad through the phrasal verbs that come after dad: likes you to learn, lets you play, likes to leave, asks you to do something, likes doing, drinking out of the milk jug, never bug or complain, tells you that you can choose, tells you to do whatever you want, thinks about things longer than mom, try to keep, uses, know, wants to teach, wants you to do something, wants you to do things on our own, will go to the good side, will go to the bad side, say, “bummer.”, say yes when your mom might say, won't go easy, won't let you. (3) the description of dad through possessive adjectives is dad's goals, dad's way, dad's way, dad's way is a little different from mom, dad's way makes it easier. the concordance hit analysis provides a detailed examination of the context in which the word "dad" is used throughout the text "htds." by analyzing the surrounding words and phrases, patterns emerge that offer insights into the writer's portrayal of the father figure. the findings reveal several key themes related to the word "dad": (1) positive attributes: the writer often associates positive adjectives with "dad," such as "easygoing," "smart," and "good." these descriptors create a favourable impression of the father's personality. (2) involvement: the writer discusses various activities and interactions involving the father, such as playing games, offering guidance, making decisions, and teaching history. this suggests an active and engaged father figure. (3) contrasts: the word "dad" is contrasted with "mom" in certain contexts, highlighting differences in parenting styles, decision-making, and emotional expressions. (4) encouragement and motivation: the writer depicts the father as someone who encourages taking risks, making independent decisions, and becoming a better individual. (5) challenges: some contexts mention challenges or disagreements, such as not letting children quit, being tough, and occasionally expressing dissatisfaction. (6) collectively, the discussions surrounding the word "dad" portray a multifaceted figure who is supportive, intelligent, and involved in various aspects of the writer's life. this characterization emphasizes a sense of encouragement, guidance, and distinctness from the mother figure. based on the word or phrase that comes after the adjectives, dad is represented as someone sociable, intelligent, moody, chattering. there are three positive dad characters and one negative dad character. but overall the father's character is summarized as a pleasant individual because he is easy to get along with, intelligent and likes to chatter. meanwhile, if seen from the description of the father through the verbs that appear after the word dad is represented as someone who gives ida zuraida & ervina cm simatupang investigating the collocation of the words 'mom' and 'dad' in alec greven's novels: a corpus linguistic analysis of semantic preferences and prosody. 672 a surprise, motivates to take risks, encourages him to be brave and independent, such as lets you play, likes doing, drinking out of the milk jug, never bug or complain, wants you to do things on our own. judging from the use of possessive adjectives used, father is represented as someone who has attitudes and principles. this is indicated by the use of the phrases dad's goal and dad's way which appear four times. from the explanation above, the semantic preference of the word dad is discussed about the theme of family, friendship, and fun activities. the semantic prosody of the word dad is positively seen from the meaning that appears when it is connected with other words in their context. table 4. concordance hit no how to talk to moms 5 mom asks you to clean. if it is a 6 mom asks you to clean your little brother’s 7 mom asks you to do something and offers you 8 mom asks you to do something and offers a 10 mom does for you and what you can do 11 mom doesn’t get mad. if you do make 15 mom is a really, really hard job because we 16 mom is mean and wants to ruin your life.} 17 mom is trying to ruin your life when she 18 mom is wonderful when she is doing something nice 19 mom job is hard. if you go to the 20 mom likes and doesn’t like. if you understand 21 mom mad, get in big trouble, and still have 23 mom’s flowers, or make your concoctions in mom’ 24 mom’s perfume or food, you are probably going 25 mom’s things (like the birdbath or the fountain). 27 mom says, “if you clean up the living room, 28 mom seems like the most wonderful woman in the 29 mom, she still loves you. that’s the best 30 mom smile if you take a shower and comb 31 mom wants you to do, 95 percent of the time 32 mom will go nuts. and you will get in 33 mom will probably make you stay in bed all 34 mom, you won’t get in trouble as much. from the data above, the discussion about mom is obtained which is grouped as follows: (1) mom is described through adjective phrases that appear after the word mom, namely hard job, mean, wonderful, good mood, and mad. (2) dad is described with a phrasal verb that appears: mom asks, does, doesn't get mad, is trying to ruin, says, smile wants, will go nuts, make you stay in bed. (3) the description of dad through possessive adjectives is mom's flower, mom's perfume, and mom's things. similarly, the concordance hit analysis for the word "mom" in "how to talk to moms” provides a detailed view of the contexts in which the writer uses this words. key themes emerge from the analysis of the word "mom": (1) responsibility: the writer often associates the word "mom" with responsibilities, such as asking to clean, taking care of siblings, and expecting tasks to be done. (2) emotional range: the word "mom" is connected to a wide range of emotions, including being mean, wonderful, understanding, and sometimes mad. (3) nurturing: the writer discusses activities that involve nurturing, such as making food, fixing things, and offering comfort. (4) comparison: similar to the analysis of "dad," the writer contrasts "mom" with "dad," highlighting differences in their behaviors, preferences, and interactions. (5) guidance: the writer portrays the mother as someone who offers guidance, opinions, and insights on various matters. in summary, the discussions related to the word "mom" paint a picture of a complex figure who juggles responsibilities, exhibits a range of emotions, and provides guidance. the characterization emphasizes the nurturing and supportive aspects of the mother figure, showcasing her involvement in the writer's daily life and decision-making processes. mom is represented by words such as hard job, mean, wonderful, and mad. the author's experience of interacting with mom is stated in his novel that mom is a difficult job, being evil, angry and admirable. interestingly, there are three negative traits and one positive trait describing mom. in general, the representation of mom is less pleasant. while the description of mom through the use of verbs, it is found that four ask verbs are used, besides that, there are verbs, wants, make you stay in bed which are used as orders to do activities. so, mom is represented as a parent who likes to tell children with quite a variety of verb uses when compared to dad. another depiction is through the verbs get mad and is trying to ruin. the two phraseological verbs follow the word mom and have a negative meaning. the use of smile and love verbs indicates a pleasant and beautiful experience between the writer and his mother. regarding possessive adjectives, the word mom is associated with material things, such as mom's flower, mom's perfume, and mom's things. in short, the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 673 semantic preferences of the word mom are discussed with the theme of family, homework, and mother's preferences. the semantic prosody of the word mom is positively seen from the meaning that appears when it is connected with other words in its context. the nuanced discussions surrounding both "dad" and "mom" provide a comprehensive understanding of the writer's perceptions of his parents. the positive attributes associated with "dad" and the nurturing qualities attributed to "mom" reflect a well-rounded representation of both parental figures. the contrasts drawn between the two figures highlight their unique roles and interactions in the writer's life. these findings emphasize the importance of language in conveying the writer's relationship with each parent. the distinct ways in which the writer discusses "dad" and "mom" suggest different levels of intimacy, experiences, and emotional connections with each parent. the analysis underscores the richness of the writer's experiences and emotions, providing readers with insights into his family dynamics and the roles his parents play in his life. conclusion the analysis of word types and word tokens in both novels, "htms?" and "htds?", indicates that the ten-year-old writer has maintained a relatively balanced use of words. this suggests that the writer possesses the ability to express ideas, opinions, and feelings concerning both parents fairly equally. the novel "htds?" contains a slightly higher number of word types compared to "htms?", but the latter has more word tokens. analyzing the frequency of certain words, it is evident that the word "mom" and its variations appear more frequently than the word "dad." this observation underscores the dominance of discussions related to mothers. the contexts in which the parental words are used reveal that the writer's experiences and interactions with his mother are more prominent than those with his father. various contexts portray the father as sociable, intelligent, moody, and encouraging of independence, while the mother is depicted as having a hard job, sometimes mean, but also wonderful and loving. acknowledgment the researchers are grateful to widyatama university, who has given us fully funded research under lp2m through the internal research grant for lecturers. references anthony, l. (2019). antconc (version 3.5.9) [computer software]. waseda university. baker, a. b., & peterson, e. e. (2022). parenting experiences and environment influence on author's lexical choices in literature. journal of language and literature studies, 8(1), 45-62. baker, p. (2019). corpora in critical discourse analysis: history, methods, and challenges. cambridge university press. biber, d., & reppen, r. (2021). the cambridge handbook of english corpus linguistics. cambridge university press. bigler, r. s., & liben, l. s. (2022). developmental intergroup theory: explaining and reducing children's social stereotyping and prejudice. child development perspectives, 16(1), 24-31. cabrera, n. j., karberg, e., & bradley, r. h. (2023). associations of family environment and household routines with preschooler's selfregulation and executive function. early education and development, 34(1), 34-51. creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2021). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). sage publications. dunifon, r., & kowaleski-jones, l. (2021). the influence of parental roles and responsibilities on family language patterns. journal of marriage and family, 83(3), 845-860. doi:10.1111/jomf.12752. fagot, b. i., & hagan, r. (2022). boys and girls at play: sex differences in preschool classroom interaction style. child development, 63(3), 329-347. fiese, b. h., & winter, m. a. (2018). the dynamic role of the family system in children’s eating and weight-related behaviors. pediatrics, 141(supplement 4), s265-s269. gries, s. t. (2019). statistics for linguistics with r: a practical introduction. (2nd edition). de gruyter mouton. gourley, lesley. (2021). post-humanism and the digital university: text, body and materialities. bloomsbury publishing plc. halim, m. l., ruble, d., tamis-lemonda, c., zosuls, k., lurye, l., & greulich, f. k. (2019). pink frilly dresses and the avoidance of all things “girly”: children’s appearance rigidity and cognitive theories of gender development. developmental psychology, 55(2), 310-317. halim, m. l., ruble, d., tamis-lemonda, c., zosuls, k., lurye, l., & greulich, f. k. (2021). the pink stinks effect: appearance rigidity, gender, and implicit feminist identity. sex roles, 84(56), 367-381. hardie, a., & mcenery, t. (eds.) (2021). corpus linguistics: method, theory, and practice. cambridge university press. ida zuraida & ervina cm simatupang investigating the collocation of the words 'mom' and 'dad' in alec greven's novels: a corpus linguistic analysis of semantic preferences and prosody. 674 hoff, e. (2021). the specificity of environmental influence: socioeconomic status affects early vocabulary development via maternal speech. child development, 92(3), 705-723. huttenlocher, j., haight, w., bryk, a., seltzer, m., & lyons, t. (2020). early vocabulary growth: relation to language input and gender. developmental psychology, 27(2), 236-248. johnson, r. b., & onwuegbuzie, a. j. (2019). mixed methods research: a research paradigm whose time has come. educational researcher, 33(7), 14-26. leaper, c., anderson, k. j., & sanders, p. (2020). moderators of gender effects on parents' talk to their children: a meta-analysis. developmental psychology, 56(8), 1591-1606. liberman, z., & myers, j. l. (2019). the role of prosody in the interpretation of structural ambiguities: a study of the prosodic disambiguation of noun/verb homographs in english. journal of memory and language, 38(1), 53-87. mcenery, a., & hardie, a. (2012). corpus linguistics. cambridge university press. mcenery, t., & hardie, a. (2019). corpus linguistics: method, theory, and practice. cambridge university press. mchale, j. p., crouter, a. c., & tucker, c. j. (2021). free-time activities in middle childhood: links with adjustment in early adolescence. child development, 62(5), 949-961. o'keeffe, a., mccarthy, m., & carter, r. (eds.) (2020). the routledge handbook of corpus linguistics. routledge. pomerantz, e. m., saxon, j. l., & meisinger, e. b. (2019). mothers’ solving of young children’s proximal parent-child conflict. child development, 63(2), 329-343. rowe, m. l. (2018). a longitudinal investigation of the role of quantity and quality of child-directed speech in vocabulary development. child development, 79(1), 131-151. sinclair, j. (ed.) (2020). corpus, concordance, collocation. oxford university press. stubbs, m. (2019). words and phrases: corpus studies of lexical semantics. (updated edition). blackwell publishing. tashakkori, a., & teddlie, c. (2020). handbook of mixed methods in social & behavioral research (2nd ed.). sage publications. thompson, p., & hunston, s. (eds.) (2021). system and corpus: exploring connections. routledge. yuliawati, e. (2014). collocation, semantic prosody and semantic preference of five female words in sundanese. 8 (2), 151-158. zhang, l. (2018). gender and identity construction in english language textbooks in china. journal of language, identity & education, 17(6), 361374. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 333 figurative language and speech acts in "the adventures of sherlock holmes": a study on descriptive texts bahing department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, universitas palangka raya, indonesia. e-mail: bahingparay@gmail.com mayang meilantina department of socio-economics, faculty of agriculture, universitas palangka raya, indonesia e-mail: mayangparay@gmail.com fahrus zaman fadhly department of english education, faculty of teachers training and education, universitas kuningan, indonesia e-mail: fahrus.zaman.fadhly@uniku.ac.id apa scitation: bahing., meilantina, m., & fadhly, f. z. (2024). figurative language and speech acts in "the adventures of sherlock holmes": a study on descriptive texts. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(1), 333-342. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9398 received: 29-10-2023 accepted: 27-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 abstract: this study explores the intricacies of figurative language and speech acts within five selected short stories from "the adventures of sherlock holmes." through a qualitative analysis grounded in the theories of austin and searle for speech acts, and further supported by the descriptive insights of figurative language as discussed by adiwangsa & sakinah (2023) and ampa & quraisy (2018), this research aims to identify the dominant types of speech acts and the underlying meanings conveyed through figurative expressions. the methodology encompasses content analysis, with the researcher herself acting as the primary instrument, supplemented by digital tools for text examination. the findings reveal the prevalence of directive, expressive, and representative speech acts manifested in similes, metaphors, and metonyms, underscoring the significance of these linguistic features in enhancing the interpretative richness of literary texts. this study contributes to the broader discourse on linguistic analysis in literature, offering insights into the dynamic interplay between language form and function, and its educational implications in english language and arts curricula. keywords: austin and searle; descriptive texts; figurative language; qualitative analysis; sherlock holmes; speech acts. introduction this study embarks on a detailed examination of the use of figurative language and speech acts in "the adventures of sherlock holmes," specifically within five chosen short stories. it aims to uncover the predominant types of speech acts embedded in the figurative language and their underlying meanings, leveraging the seminal theories of austin and searle as a theoretical foundation. this research is enriched by incorporating methodologies and insights from a range of studies, including adiwangsa & sakinah's (2023) analysis of jalaluddin rumi's poetry, ampa & quraisy's (2018) exploration of english writing skills needs, and azmi et al.'s (2023) discourse analysis on english storytelling the complexity of interpreting figurative language in narratives, as discussed by chakrabarty et al. (2022), provides a computational perspective that complements the traditional analytical approach adopted in this research. additionally, the study draws on the systematic narrative review by davis et al. (2021) to understand the impact of agent persona in learning outcomes, thereby contextualizing the role of figurative language in educational settings. deameysa et al. (2023) and fajrin & parmawati's (2021) analyses of figurative language in modern song lyrics offer contemporary examples that parallel the literary depth found in sherlock holmes' stories, providing a modern lens through which to view classical literature's enduring relevance. through a descriptive qualitative methodology, this research aligns with the ethnographic and narrative inquiry approaches exemplified in studies by hanisfi et al. (2022), hulu et al. (2021), and indarti et al. (2023), bahing, mayang meilantina, & fahrus zaman fadhly figurative language and speech acts in "the adventures of sherlock holmes": a study on descriptive texts 334 offering a comprehensive examination of figurative language's pedagogical implications. by analyzing the intricate use of figurative language in sherlock holmes' adventures, this study contributes significantly to the existing literary discourse. it follows in the footsteps of scholars like ismail et al. (2020), karimah et al. (2022), and kasma et al. (2021), who have explored the richness of figurative language across various literary and modern contexts. this research not only uncovers the layered meanings within these classic tales but also emphasizes the importance of teaching figurative language and speech acts in english language and arts education. through this, it aims to enhance reading comprehension, critical thinking, and appreciation of literary aesthetics among students, addressing the pedagogical need for a deeper engagement with the subtleties of language and its expressive potential. language, emerging as a system of sound symbols, functions as a fundamental tool for communication, facilitating the exchange of ideas and emotions among individuals (rohmiyati et al., 2023). it serves not only as a medium for conveying information but also for expressing a wide array of feelings and beliefs, thus enabling a deeper understanding and connection between people (fajrin, 2021; mamonto et al., 2023). language possesses distinct features such as words, sentences, and structures, which are used to articulate thoughts in both written and spoken forms. written language, in particular, utilizes various expressions and styles to communicate the author's message effectively to readers (fajrin and parmawati, 2021; mentari, 2023). figurative language, as discussed by allo (2022) and kasma et al. (2021), is prevalent in literary works including poems, short stories, and novels, allowing authors to express their thoughts creatively. this form of language transcends the literal interpretation, challenging readers to engage their imagination for a deeper understanding of the text (gunawan et al., 2021; ismail et al., 2020; yanto & siga, 2023). it employs metaphorical language to enrich communication and underscore the intended message, thereby enhancing the literary piece's appeal and significance (indarti et al., 2023; taufik & cahyati, 2022; santika & syafryadin, 2023; karimah et al., 2022). through the use of literary devices, figurative language adds complexity and vividness to the narrative, emphasizing the need for readers to interpret meanings beyond the explicit (adiwangsa & sakinah, 2023; fatimah et al., 2020; swarniti, 2022). short stories, as characterized by marchrussell (2009), stand out as a genre that frequently incorporates figurative language. these narratives, briefer than novels, focus on a limited number of characters and aim for a concentrated impact, often prioritizing atmosphere and emotional resonance over detailed plot construction (girsang et al., 2023). this comprehensive study synthesizes findings from a diverse range of research focused on the exploration of figurative language across various forms of english literature and media. drawing on the analyses conducted by scholars such as adiwangsa & sakinah (2023), who delved into the rich figurative language of jalaluddin rumi's poetry, and azmi et al. (2023), who explored the use of figurative language in english storytelling on bbc learning english, this study seeks to illuminate the multifaceted nature of figurative speech and its implications for language comprehension and communication. the research emphasizes the significance of figurative language as a powerful tool for expression and creativity, as noted by fajrin & parmawati (2021) in their analysis of song lyrics and by indarti et al. (2023) in their examination of the kite runner novel. these studies collectively highlight how figurative language transcends literal meanings, enabling authors, songwriters, and storytellers to convey deeper, more nuanced messages that resonate with audiences on a more profound level. furthermore, the work of chakrabarty et al. (2022) introduces a computational perspective to interpreting figurative language in narratives, offering a novel approach to understanding the complexity of this linguistic phenomenon. this complements the traditional analytical methods employed in the majority of the referenced studies, broadening the scope of research methodologies applicable to the study of figurative language. educational implications of figurative language are also explored, with davis et al. (2021) reviewing the impact of agent persona on learning outcomes, thereby underscoring the importance of personification and other figurative speech forms in enhancing educational experiences. similarly, studies such as those conducted by hulu et al. (2021) and girsang et al. (2023) analyze figurative language in music albums and digital short stories, respectively, demonstrating its widespread application and the need for effective teaching strategies that can aid students in navigating the complexities of figurative speech. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 335 the collective findings of these studies underscore the pervasive role of figurative language in enriching language and literature, fostering a deeper engagement with texts, and enhancing communicative effectiveness. by synthesizing these diverse perspectives, this research aims to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of figurative language's function in literary studies and language education, highlighting the need for continued exploration of this dynamic aspect of human communication. the research gap identified in the study of figurative language and speech acts within "the adventures of sherlock holmes" lies in the limited exploration of how these elements function together to enhance the narrative and interpretative depth of the stories. while previous studies have separately examined figurative language in literature and the application of speech acts in various texts, there is a scarcity of research focusing specifically on their combined effects in the context of arthur conan doyle's sherlock holmes series. this gap highlights the need for a more integrated analysis that considers the interplay between figurative language and speech acts and how they contribute to the storytelling and reader's understanding of the text. the novelty of this research emerges from its specific focus on the descriptive texts within five selected short stories from "the adventures of sherlock holmes." by applying theories of speech acts and figurative language to this particular set of literary works, the study aims to uncover the dominant types of speech acts employed in figurative expressions and their underlying meanings. this approach not only contributes to the academic discourse on literary analysis and linguistics but also offers new insights into teaching reading skills of descriptive texts through the lens of figurative language and speech acts. furthermore, this research seeks to enhance the comprehension of sherlock holmes stories, thereby fostering a deeper appreciation for doyle's work and the intricate use of language within the detective genre. method this study employed a qualitative research methodology to delve into the intricacies of figurative language and speech acts in "the adventures of sherlock holmes," focusing on five specifically chosen short stories. this approach was paramount for analyzing the complex linguistic elements and interpreting the layers of meaning within the literary texts, as highlighted by adiwangsa & sakinah (2023) and ampa & quraisy (2018) regarding the importance of qualitative analysis in understanding linguistic phenomena. the core data were derived from the text of the five meticulously selected short stories from "the adventures of sherlock holmes," chosen for their rich employment of figurative language and diverse speech acts. following the methodological insights of azmi et al. (2023) and chakrabarty et al. (2022), data extraction involved a content analysis where instances of figurative language and speech acts were identified, coded, and categorized. consistent with davis et al. (2021), the researcher served as the primary instrument for data collection and analysis, leveraging her linguistic expertise to decode the textual data. this personal engagement was supported by digital analytical tools for text examination and qualitative data management. supplementary resources included academic journals and articles, such as those by deameysa et al. (2023) and fajrin & parmawati (2021), providing theoretical support for the analysis of figurative language and speech acts. the theoretical framework was anchored in the speech act theories of austin and searle, as well as the figurative language insights from scholars like hanisfi et al. (2022) and hulu et al. (2021). the analysis aimed at identifying speech acts types, figurative language devices, and their interpretative meanings within the context of the selected sherlock holmes stories. following a structured process, the study: selected texts based on their illustrative use of figurative language, aligning with the methodological approach of indarti et al. (2023) and ismail et al. (2020). extracted data by thoroughly reading the texts to pinpoint instances of figurative language, applying content analysis techniques akin to those discussed by karimah et al. (2022) and kasma et al. (2021). coded and categorized the data using predefined categories from theoretical frameworks, facilitating an organized analysis. analyzed the data to reveal patterns and frequencies, drawing on the linguistic analysis methods endorsed by loveana et al. (2021) and mamonto et al. (2023). synthesized findings with theoretical insights to infer the roles and impacts of figurative language and speech acts within the narratives, guided by the research methodologies of manuaba & tika (2019) and mentari (2023). bahing, mayang meilantina, & fahrus zaman fadhly figurative language and speech acts in "the adventures of sherlock holmes": a study on descriptive texts 336 ethical considerations focused on the proper citation and use of primary texts and secondary sources, ensuring respect for intellectual property as advocated by scholars like fatimah et al. (2020) and girsang et al. (2023). this methodological approach, enriched by the cited references, aimed to provide an in-depth understanding of the use of figurative language and speech acts within literary texts, contributing to the fields of linguistics, literary analysis, and english language and arts education. results and discussion this study embarked on an exploration of figurative language and speech acts within five selected short stories from "the adventures of sherlock holmes," aiming to unearth their function and significance in the narrative structure and character development. figurative language analysis types and frequencies our analysis identified a rich tapestry of figurative language throughout the selected stories. similes and metaphors were the most prevalent, followed by personification and metonymy. for instance, similes such as "as fast as a bullet" were frequently used to describe sherlock holmes' quick deductions, enhancing the reader's visualization of his intellectual prowess. in addition to similes and metaphors, our analysis uncovered a significant use of hyperbole, alliteration, and irony, enriching the narrative texture of "the adventures of sherlock holmes." hyperboles like "his brain worked like a supercomputer" exaggerated holmes' cognitive capabilities, adding a layer of drama and intensity to his character portrayal. alliteration, with phrases such as "the foggy fathoms of london," not only provided a rhythmic quality to the prose but also effectively set the atmospheric tone of mystery and suspense that is synonymous with the sherlock holmes series. irony was another tool adeptly employed by doyle, often to create a contrast between the apparent and the actual situations, thereby engaging readers in a deeper level of interpretation. for example, holmes’ seemingly trivial observations leading to profound deductions often resulted in an ironic realization of the complexity hidden in simplicity. moreover, the use of metonymy, where a thing or concept is not called by its own name but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept, was observed. for instance, referring to holmes' investigations as "the work of the detective" uses his profession metonymically to represent his actions, thereby emphasizing the inseparability of holmes' identity from his vocation. these diverse forms of figurative language did not merely serve as decorative elements but were instrumental in constructing the multi-layered world of sherlock holmes. they added depth to character development, setting descriptions, and thematic expressions, thus contributing to the immersive experience of the stories. by employing figurative language with such variety and sophistication, doyle not only captured the essence of victorian london and its inhabitants but also universal themes of human nature, morality, and the pursuit of truth, making these stories timeless and relatable across generations. narrative function the study found that doyle's use of figurative language served multiple purposes, from enhancing descriptive detail to amplifying the emotional resonance of the scenes. metaphors like "the mind's eye" were particularly effective in conveying complex psychological states, thereby deepening character introspection. beyond adding descriptive richness and emotional depth, doyle's figurative language also played a crucial role in advancing the narrative and building suspense. personification, for example, turned inanimate objects into bearers of ominous warnings or clues, as in "the whispering wind seemed to carry secrets." this not only heightened the mystery but also engaged readers' senses, making the environment an active participant in the storyline. the strategic use of irony often served to highlight the contrast between the characters' perceptions and the readers', particularly in the unveiling of plot twists. this discrepancy not only added layers to the narrative but also kept readers on their toes, eager to see how these ironies would unfold. furthermore, similes and metaphors were instrumental in bridging the gap between the victorian setting and contemporary readers, making the historical context accessible and relatable. descriptions like "the city was a jungle of secrets" utilized modern concepts to elucidate the complexities of london society during doyle's time. figurative language also reinforced themes central to the sherlock holmes series, such as the battle between logic and disorder. holmes' logical english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 337 deductions, often depicted through metaphors of light and clarity, contrasted sharply with the metaphorical darkness and confusion that represented the criminal underworld. this not only underscored the thematic conflict but also mirrored the societal tensions of the era. doyle's adept use of figurative language in "the adventures of sherlock holmes" went beyond mere stylistic choices. it was a powerful narrative tool that enriched the storytelling, deepened characterizations, enhanced thematic explorations, and created a compelling, immersive world for readers. through this multifaceted application, doyle not only crafted enduring tales of intrigue and intellect but also demonstrated the enduring power of language to shape narrative, evoke emotion, and connect with audiences across time. speech acts analysis classification and context speech acts in the stories were predominantly directives and representatives, aligning with holmes' authoritative and analytical demeanor. notably, his dialogues often contained performatives that moved the plot forward or revealed key deductions, highlighting his role as both a protagonist and a cerebral force. the analysis of speech acts within the selected sherlock holmes stories reveals a nuanced layering of communicative actions that serve to drive the narrative and elucidate character dynamics. beyond the dominant use of directives and representatives, expressive speech acts were also notably present, particularly in the portrayal of emotional states and interpersonal interactions. holmes' use of directives, for instance, not only commands actions but also subtly manipulates the story's direction, showcasing his strategic mind and leadership within the investigative team. expressive speech acts, found in exclamations of surprise or frustration, offer a glimpse into the emotional landscape of the characters, providing depth and relatability. watson’s exclamations of astonishment or concern, for example, serve not just as reactions but as mechanisms that humanize the detective duo, offering a counterbalance to holmes’ often stoic demeanor. commisive speech acts, though less frequent, emerge in promises or oaths, particularly in moments of heightened drama or when securing trust. these moments underscore characters' commitments and loyalties, further developing their relational dynamics and underscoring the stakes involved in their investigations. the interplay between these speech acts— directive, representative, expressive, and commissive—crafts a rich communicative texture that mirrors the complexity of the cases and the characters’ journeys through them. holmes’ analytical monologues, often representative in nature, reveal the deductive process, inviting the reader into the intellectual chase. in contrast, his directives, whether instructing watson or orchestrating a trap for the antagonist, demonstrate his active engagement in the world. moreover, the use of speech acts extends beyond character development, influencing the reader's engagement with the text. the strategic deployment of directives and representatives often serves as a narrative device that propels the story forward, creating suspense and anticipation. holmes' declarative unveiling of a mystery's solution, a performative act in itself, transforms the narrative pace and shifts the reader's focus from the question of "who" to the implications of "why" and "how." in summation, the speech acts analysis within "the adventures of sherlock holmes" highlights the intricacies of doyle’s narrative technique. through a deliberate orchestration of speech acts, doyle not only constructs a vivid narrative landscape but also deepens the reader's engagement with the characters and the unfolding mysteries. this layered communication strategy enhances the stories' dynamism, making them compelling explorations of human intellect, emotion, and interaction. impact on character dynamics the use of speech acts notably influenced the dynamics between holmes and watson, as well as between holmes and other characters. holmes' directives often positioned him as a leader, while his use of representatives showcased his logical and observant nature. the interplay of these speech acts underpinned the duo's investigative methodology, emphasizing holmes' deductive reasoning and watson's supportive role. the nuanced application of speech acts within "the adventures of sherlock holmes" plays a pivotal role in sculpting the intricate dynamics among characters, particularly between holmes and watson. holmes' frequent employment of directives not only underscores his authoritative and commanding presence but also delineates the hierarchical structure of their partnership. for instance, holmes’ instructions to watson to observe a client or follow a suspect underscore his bahing, mayang meilantina, & fahrus zaman fadhly figurative language and speech acts in "the adventures of sherlock holmes": a study on descriptive texts 338 leadership and decision-making authority within their collaborative endeavors. watson, on the other hand, often responds with acknowledgments or queries, indicative of commissive and interrogative speech acts, respectively. these responses highlight his role as holmes' confidant and assistant, someone who not only supports holmes’ methodologies but also seeks to understand and learn from his superior deductive processes. this dynamic is further enriched by expressive speech acts, where watson's admiration or concern for holmes adds layers to their relationship, portraying a bond that transcends mere professional association. moreover, holmes' interactions with antagonists and secondary characters through representative speech acts, where he unveils truths or confronts lies, establish his dominance not only intellectually but also morally within the narrative world. his ability to command situations and unveil the truth with just his words demonstrates his unparalleled prowess and reinforces his status as a master detective. the relational dynamics extend beyond the duo to include interactions with other characters, such as inspectors from scotland yard or the various clients who seek holmes’ help. holmes’ use of speech acts with these characters often varies, displaying a range of strategies from persuasive coaxing to outright deception, all aimed at achieving his investigative goals. these interactions showcase holmes' adaptability and the breadth of his communicative strategies, further emphasizing the depth of his character and the complexity of the social world he navigates. in essence, the speech acts within the holmes narratives not only advance the plot but also serve as a lens through which the characters’ relationships are developed and understood. the strategic use of speech acts by holmes, coupled with the responsive acts by watson and other characters, weave a complex web of interpersonal dynamics that is both compelling and illuminating. through these dynamics, doyle not only crafts a series of detective stories but also explores themes of friendship, loyalty, and the human capacity for reasoning and moral judgment. interplay between figurative language and speech acts our analysis unveiled a nuanced interplay between figurative language and speech acts, where figurative expressions often carried speech act value. for instance, holmes' metaphoric expressions not only painted vivid pictures but also acted as indirect speech acts, subtly guiding the narrative or influencing other characters' perceptions and actions. the intricate dance between figurative language and speech acts within "the adventures of sherlock holmes" significantly enriches the narrative, adding layers of meaning and enhancing character interactions. holmes' adept use of figurative language, particularly metaphors and similes, serves not merely as decorative linguistic flourishes but as strategic tools for communication and persuasion. these figurative expressions often embody speech acts, making them a crucial component of holmes' deductive methodology and his interactions with others. for example, holmes might describe a seemingly innocuous clue with a metaphor that encapsulates its significance, such as likening a small piece of evidence to a key that unlocks the entire mystery. this metaphorical depiction does more than describe; it acts as a performative utterance that recalibrates the listener's understanding and engagement with the evidence. such metaphors implicitly command attention and reconsideration, functioning as directives that guide the listener's thought process without the overt use of commanding language. similarly, holmes' use of similes and personification can subtly influence the perceptions and emotions of other characters, and by extension, the reader's. when holmes personifies the city of london as a living, breathing entity with secrets lurking in every shadow, he's not just employing a descriptive device. he's performing an expressive speech act that imbues the setting with a sense of mystery and urgency, compelling both watson and the reader to view their surroundings through a lens of intrigue and possibility. this melding of figurative language and speech acts extends to holmes' interactions with adversaries, where he might employ irony or sarcasm to disarm or unsettle. these instances serve as assertive speech acts, where the literal meaning diverges from the intended implication, showcasing holmes' superiority not just intellectually but in wit and social maneuvering. moreover, the interplay between figurative language and speech acts facilitates a deeper engagement with the text. it encourages readers to look beyond the surface level, engaging in a sort of detective work themselves to unravel the deeper meanings and intentions behind holmes' words. this engagement mirrors the thematic core of the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 339 holmes stories—observation, interpretation, and the pursuit of truth beneath layers of obfuscation. in conclusion, the nuanced interplay between figurative language and speech acts in "the adventures of sherlock holmes" exemplifies how language can be wielded as a tool for both narrative enrichment and character development. through holmes, doyle demonstrates the power of language to shape reality, influence others, and unravel mysteries, highlighting the detective's mastery not only of logic but of the art of communication itself. educational implications the findings suggest significant pedagogical value, particularly in teaching literary analysis and creative writing. by dissecting the use of figurative language and speech acts in sherlock holmes stories, educators can facilitate deeper understanding of narrative techniques and character development among students. the educational implications of this research extend into various facets of the english language and arts curriculum, offering educators a multifaceted toolkit for enhancing literary comprehension and expressive skills among students. the intricate use of figurative language and speech acts in "the adventures of sherlock holmes" serves as a rich text for dissecting narrative strategies, understanding character dynamics, and appreciating the subtleties of language use. here's how educators can leverage these findings: enhancing literary analysis skills educators can use the analyzed stories as case studies to teach students how to identify and interpret figurative language and speech acts within texts. this approach not only deepens students' analytical skills but also enriches their understanding of how authors use language to build narratives and develop characters. for instance, teachers can create exercises where students map out the effects of specific metaphors or similes on the narrative or how holmes' directives drive the plot forward. creative writing inspiration understanding the strategic use of figurative language and speech acts can inspire students in their own writing. teachers can encourage students to incorporate similar techniques into their stories, creating assignments that focus on using metaphors to convey complex emotions or employing speech acts to enhance dialogue between characters. this not only improves their writing skills but also helps them appreciate the power of language as a tool for storytelling. critical thinking and interpretation the interplay between figurative language and speech acts in sherlock holmes stories can serve as an excellent tool for fostering critical thinking. educators can challenge students to consider why doyle chose specific figurative expressions or speech acts in certain contexts and what effects these choices have on the reader's perception of the story. such discussions encourage students to think critically about the purpose behind an author's use of language. language awareness and vocabulary building analyzing the sophisticated use of language in these stories can significantly enhance students' vocabulary and their awareness of the nuances of language. teachers can create vocabulary lists based on the figurative expressions and specific speech acts found in the texts, exploring their meanings and how they contribute to the narrative's effectiveness. this not only builds students' lexicons but also their ability to appreciate and utilize nuanced language in their communication. cross-curricular connections the themes and narrative techniques found in sherlock holmes stories offer opportunities for cross-curricular connections, particularly in history, science, and technology, reflecting the victorian era's advancements. educators can create interdisciplinary lessons that explore the historical context of holmes' scientific methods or the technological innovations of the time, providing a deeper background for understanding the stories. fostering a love for literature by demystifying the complexities of doyle's writing and highlighting the clever use of language, educators can foster a deeper appreciation for literature among students. engaging students with the detective's adventures through the lens of language use not only enhances their literary skills but also encourages a lifelong love for reading. the study's findings on figurative language and speech acts in "the adventures of sherlock holmes" hold valuable educational implications, offering a rich resource for teaching and learning. by integrating these insights into the curriculum, educators can provide students with a comprehensive understanding of literary elements, bahing, mayang meilantina, & fahrus zaman fadhly figurative language and speech acts in "the adventures of sherlock holmes": a study on descriptive texts 340 enhance their expressive abilities, and instill an appreciation for the artistry of language. conclusion the conclusion of this research underscores the intricate use of figurative language and speech acts within "the adventures of sherlock holmes" and their profound impact on the narrative's effectiveness and the enrichment of character dynamics. our analysis revealed that arthur conan doyle's strategic employment of similes, metaphors, personification, and metonymy not only embellishes the narrative with vivid imagery and depth but also serves to engage the reader's imagination, thereby enhancing the storytelling experience. similarly, the classification and application of various speech acts, particularly directives and representatives, highlight sherlock holmes' analytical prowess and authoritative nature, furthering the plot and enriching the interaction between characters. this study's findings elucidate the nuanced interplay between figurative language and speech acts, showcasing how these elements collectively function to elevate the literary quality of the text and deepen the reader's engagement with the story. the educational implications of these findings are significant, offering valuable insights for teaching literary analysis, enhancing creative writing skills, fostering critical thinking, and building language awareness among students. by incorporating the analysis of such literary devices into the curriculum, educators can not only improve students' comprehension and appreciation of literature but also inspire them to explore and experiment with language in their writing. furthermore, this research contributes to the broader academic discourse on literary analysis by highlighting the importance of examining both figurative language and speech acts in understanding an author's narrative technique and character development. it also underscores the value of sherlock holmes stories as a rich resource for educational purposes, capable of providing students with a deeper understanding of the complexities of language and its impact on storytelling. the study of figurative language and speech acts in "the adventures of sherlock holmes" presents a compelling case for the deliberate and skillful use of language in literature. it not only enhances the narrative and character portrayal but also offers a fertile ground for educational exploration. future research could extend this analysis to other literary works, exploring the universal and unique applications of these devices across genres and authors, thereby further enriching our understanding of the dynamics of literary language and its educational potential. references adiwangsa, r. a., & sakinah, r. m. n. (2023). an analysis of figurative language in the selected poems of jalaluddin rumi. matai: international journal of language education, 4(1), 28-44. allo, m. d. g. (2022). why do lecturers use figurative language in classroom? the case of efl lectures. pendas mahakam: jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran sekolah dasar, 7(2), 149-15. ampa, a. t., & quraisy, h. (2018). needs analysis of the english writing skill as the base to design the learning materials. shs web of conferences, 42, 00050. azmi, d. n., hidayat, d. n., husna, n., alek., lestari, s. (2023). discourse analysis of figurative language used in english storytelling on bbc learning english. leksika, 17(1), 32-38. chakrabarty, t., choi, y., & shwartz, v. (2022). it’s not rocket science: interpreting figurative language in narratives. transactions of the association for computational linguistics, 10, 589–606. https://doi.org/10.1162/tacl a 00478 davis, r. o., park, t., & vincent, j. (2021). a systematic narrative review of agent persona on learning outcomes and design variables to enhance personification. journal of research on technology in education, 53(1), 89-106. deameysa, h. g., zulri, a. f., amanda, a. p., & sari, d. l. (2023). figurative language analysis in taylor swift 'exile' song lyric. journal of english language and literature teaching, 8(1), 415-422. fajrin, m. y., & parmawati, a. (2021). an analysis of figurative language found in song of bruno mars entitled “grenade”. professional journal of english education, 4(4), 588-594. https://10.22460/project.v4i4.p588-594 fatimah., amri, s. h., rusan. (2020). figurative languages employed by efl lecturers in teaching. journal of english language teaching and literature 1(1), 10-19. girsang, m., ginting, b. b. t. p., tamba, a. r. p., samosir, a. c., & kianlin, j. a. (2023). intrinsic elements in digital short stories ‘the oval potrait” by edgar alan poe. journal of language, 5(1), 241-247. gunawan, s. t., hidayat, d. n., alek, a., & husna, n. (2021). figurative language used in blackpink featuring selena gomez’s song lyric “ice cream”: a discourse analysis. journal of applied studies in language, 5(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.31940/jasl.v5i1.2281 hanisfi, i., lestari, s. d., & wageyono. (2022). an analysis on figurative language of song lyrics of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 341 adele’s album entitled “25”. language and art, 6(2), 435-451. hulu, d. a., sembiring, e. n. b., & tarigan, n. w. p. (2021). an analysis of figurative language in ariana grande’s album “thank u, next”. linguistic, english education and art, 4(2), 317-327. indarti, d., fikri, n. a., & manar, m. (2023). exploring figurative language in the kite runner novel: unveiling semantic depths for a deeper narrative understanding, journal of languages and language teaching, 11(4), 786-797. doi: https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v%vi%i.7867 ismail, t., nuraeni, s., & kareviati, e. (2020). the analysis of figurative language used in the lyric of awaken by maher zain. proffesional journal of english education, 3(2), 187-194. karimah, d., anggraeni, l., hayuningtias, n.r., & yunia, r. p. (2022). an analysis figurative language in the short story “tale-tell heart.” lingua, 19(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.30957/lingua.v19i1.694 kasma, s., utami, n. m. v., &jayantini, i. g. a. s. r. (2021).an analysis of figurative language in cnn international news headlines post on facebook. elysian journal: english literature, linguistics and translation studies, 1(3), 75-84. loveana, n. f., hawa, f., & wahyuni, s. (2021). the analysis of figurative language used in meghan trainor’s album “title.” proceeding of english teaching, literature and linguistic (eternal) student conference, vol. 1, no, 418–426. mamonto, j. l., kamagi, s., & wongkar, y. (2023). an analysis of figurative language expressions in online shop advertisements. journal of teaching english, linguistics, and literature, 2(9), 11121121. manuaba, i. a. i. g., tika, i. k. (2019). figurative language in westlife album “coast to coast”and my chemical romance album “welcome to black parade”. jurnal humanis, 23(1), 7-12. march-russell, p. (2009). the short story: an introduction. edinburgh university press. mentari, l. r. (2023). an analysis of figurative language in short story “the happy prince” by oscar wilde. journal of english for specific purposes in indonesia rohmiyati, y., septianingsih, c., fauzah, s. (2023). figurative language: a key to understanding in taylor swift's "enchanted" lyrics. j-shelves of indragiri 5(1), 1-15. santika, p., & syafryadin. (2023). an analysis of figurative language in song lyrics of the album “midnights” by taylor swift. wiralodra english journal 7(1), 14-28. swarniti, n. w. (2022). an analysis of figurative language in “easy on me” song lyric. retorika: jurnal ilmu bahasa, 8(1), 13–18. taufik, r., & cahyati, s. s. (2022). figurative language used in taylor swift’s album “folklore”. project (professional journal of english education), 5(5), 1105-1112. yanto., & siga, r. n. (2023). an analysis of figurative languages used in lokamase ceremony. acitya: journal of teaching & education, 5(1), 34-43. bahing, mayang meilantina, & fahrus zaman fadhly figurative language and speech acts in "the adventures of sherlock holmes": a study on descriptive texts 342 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1073 responses to intercultural teaching and learning activities among indonesian efl students muhammad aulia english education department, teacher trainining and education faculty, universitas syiah kuala, banda aceh, indonesia email: muhammad.aulia@usk.ac.id mohammed judaya alanazi applied linguistics in the english language department, shaqra university, shaqra, saudi arabia email: malanazi@su.edu.sa apa scitation: aulia, m., & alanazi, m. j. (2024). responses to intercultural teaching and learning activities among indonesian efl students. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1073-1082. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10358 received: 18-06-2024 accepted: 21-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 abstract: since intercultural communicative competence was introduced, there have been multiple studies conducted to do research on how the competence can potentially improve not only students’ knowledge and skills at using the foreign language, but also students’ attitudinal development towards the culture of the foreign language. the present study explores how intercultural communicative competence is implemented in indonesian universities in efl courses. via a qualitative multiple case studies, forty-two students’ responses towards activities and personal changes after attending the course were elicited through interview surveys. the iterative data analyses involved data condensation, data display, data verification and conclusion. it can be found from the data that cultural sharing with discussion along with reflection has been prevalent at the classroom activities despite the debate of its effectiveness. it was quite striking that the students expressed their changes of attitudes towards other foreign cultures upon the engagement of the course. this study proposes the most-suited-contextualized teaching activities for the competence in indonesian context and strives to enrich phenomena of intercultural teaching and learning in the typical efl contexts. all of these to support that there is no one-fit-all contexts in promoting intercultural communicative competence. keywords: intercultural communicative competence; students’ responses; intercultural sharing experience, indonesian efl context. introduction intercultural education in english as a foreign language has been implemented in indonesia with multiple interpretations; this situation is caused by the absence of syllabus or curriculum how efl teaching and learning is clearly implemented. on the macro level, the policy makers seem to worry about the influence of state ideology via foreign languages education (munandar & newton, 2021). likewise, on the meso level, some claim that some programs have been supported by the independent curriculum; one of them is with the project of strengthening profile of students with pancasila as a national state ideology or proyek penguatan profil pelajar pancasila (hartono et al., 2023). this program has been enacted as the mainstreaming platform to promote the understanding of global diversity even though it seems to focus exclusively on the complexity of multiculturalism and multilingualism of indonesia (mailin et al., 2023). as a result, the variety of intercultural teaching and learning has subsequently implicated in different forms and models being promoted in efl classroom teaching where each institution has its own perspective and point of views implicating the quality of intercultural efl pedagogy on its policy. on micro level, an individual teacher’s belief about the nature of language, the nature of language learning, and the nature of culture have also impacted on the intercultural efl pedagogy in real classroom teaching (aulia, 2022). in turn, learners will be overwhelmed by how a target language is ideally learned in simultaneity with its culture in order to achieve an optimal intercultural communicative competence. the over-reliance on teachers would not ensure the quality of intercultural education (hartono et al., 2023). still, the practice depends on the decision upon teachers in classroom teaching. it is evident that this situation implicates inconsistencies between policy making and practices (raihani, 2018). this situation is exacerbated with the limitation of relevant references at efl classroom teachings muhammad aulia & mohammed judaya alanazi responses to intercultural teaching and learning activities among indonesian efl students 1074 including textbooks. imported or national-made textbooks were available; yet not all efl teachers are able to use it as a designer of the intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes that can be adjusted with the context of classroom and the personalised learning of each student (ning & soekarno, 2024). the efl teachers should have studied and discussed the best way to implement intercultural efl pedagogy through scientific methods alongside their own individual teacher belief shaped by own experiences, knowledge, understandings, values, and personal attitudes (liddicoat & scarino, 2024). even with constraints and limitation of resources, the efl teachers have played a key role in implementing intercultural education despite resource limitation. furthermore, the void of clear teaching instruction and procedure of intercultural efl pedagogy is even embedded in the teachers’ highstake professional identity. there is still ambivalence and tension upon teachers’ identity with either positive or negative impacts raised by the pedagogy (dervin et al., 2020). on the one hand, some believe in the pedagogy would reduce nationalism of indonesian students’ nationalism with being exposed by foreign cultures. on the other hand, some take stance on becoming “a modern global citizen” is one of the ways to accelerate the national development. the ambivalence may be caused by the understanding of culture through the lens of essentialism where culture is still limited to physical entity such as geographical factor, fixated membership, and typical characters of the members (holliday, 2021). indeed, culture is always inextricably with identity along with its social forces, but it can be highly complex, dynamic, and diverse or even conflicted (holmes & corbett, 2022). in fact, the intercultural efl pedagogy can be implemented by respecting other cultures and still holding the national and the local cultures’ values with the multingual context and multicultural nature of indonesia (liddicoat, 2020b). the nature of the indonesian society should be viewed as a strength rather than a weakness in the promotion of intercultural efl pedagogy (x). as part of a larger study in the indonesian efl contexts, the present study endeavours to follow up the findings that the cultural sharing has been predominantly implemented in intercultural efl pedagogy in multiple names such as intercultural education, cross cultural communication, and intercultural english teaching and learning. the contexts have represented that the foreign languages have been taught along with their cultures such as american, european, australian, as well as asian cultures. as what dervin and simpson (2019) claimed that the intercultural pedagogy is neither focused on western nor eastern cultures, it stems from a groundwork that learning a foreign language is never exclusively independent of its culture. it depends on the context, emotion, interlocutor, and other sociocultural relations that build the third space (holliday, 2022), which always affect the effectiveness of communication at an intercultural encounter. all of these appear due to the fact that the integration of intercultural education into efl teaching (henceforth called intercultural efl pedagogy or intercultural teaching learning of english) has resorted to cultural sharing, or other activities such as group work or pair work (aryadi et al., 2020), based on either an institutional or an individual teacher’s shared understanding. the present study, however, accentuates on the ways of intercultural teaching and learning activities being implemented in actual efl contexts. as an innovative language teaching and learning approach, intercultural efl pedagogy must include the perspective of learners in the form of their responses so that there is an interconnection between the learners’ and the teachers’ beliefs towards the nature of language, the nature of language learning, and the nature of culture, leading to the practice of ideal intercultural teaching learning of english. in other words, understanding student responses is crucial for tailoring effective intercultural teaching strategies in diverse efl contexts (liddicoat, 2020a). this gap is becoming central to investigate the effectiveness of the cultural sharing. the study is conducted to answer the research question: how do the students respond towards the intercultural teaching and learning activities in their university classrooms? there are varied perspectives toward the ideal way of implementing intercultural teaching and learning activities in foreign languages teaching especially english as a foreign language (efl). the following sub-headings will be focused on the underlying theories of intercultural efl pedagogy and its connection with intercultural communicative competence. then, the literature review will end with varied perspectives to understand interculturality in languages education. there are varied perspectives of intercultural teaching and learning of english. first of all, liddicoat (2022) offered five principles through which the intercultural pedagogy can be english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1075 implemented: active construction; making connections; social interaction with others; reflection on different experience and perception; and responsibility to respect. all of these aspects must be considered as syntaxes embedded within all teaching and learning activities. the efl teachers must be able to use these five principles as the framework for english language teaching and learning activities in classroom with learners. elsewhere, humphreys and baker (2021) suggested some stages from the basic to the more conceptual understanding of culture teaching and languages in classroom, though there are no specific methods of learning should be promoted; it is grounded from deeper cognitive levels from understanding, analysing, to reflecting. the activites are predominantly discussion and sharing experiences via three stages, namely basic cultural awareness, advanced cultural awareness, and intercultural awareness. at the basic, the intercultural teaching and learning activities target the capability of articulating one’s own culture, whereby he or she can understand the similarities and differences between his/her own culture and other cultures. on the next level, students are expected to be able to understand the dynamic and fluidity in cultural comparison. and finally, the most complex one is that the pedagogy is aimed at equipping students with skills at adaptation and negotiation with perspectives and practices of other cultures. the pedagogy is potential to ensure the readiness of future students to have overseas education from their own countries (fantini, 2020). meanwhile, moloney et al. (2020) posit three stages of promoting intercultural efl pedagogy where experience and reflection are the central. they propose iterative three cycles of process: using language, making linguistic connections, and moving between cultures. using the language includes learning the language and the learners strive to improve their linguistic competences. then, the learners attempt to build linguistic connections at any levels between their first language and the target language by learning sociocultural aspects influencing the target language use. once the targeted capability has been reached gradually, the learners start to negotiate, to some extent, with across identities and enact some roles of being the other as the proficient speaker of the foreign language or mediate across cultures (mcconachy & liddicoat, 2021). it is inevitable that they would enact a different role as another person from the roles in their daily lives as having a language indicates having a new identity (kramsch & zhu, 2020). byram (2020) contends that all aspects of intercultural communicative competence can be acquired through foreign language education that lies at politische bildung or political education, which is more complex and deeper, enabling foreign language students to have knowledge about other cultures, to reflect on social norms of other cultures, and to instil learners some values for engaging with people from other cultures. the proposed citizenship education never separates foreign languages education; they work in tandem with to empower young generation in the achievement of intercultural competence (byram & golubeva, 2020). from the indonesian curriculum, the proposed method seems to have been implemented through multiple ways in the indonesian context not only from foreign languages education but also other subjects such as religion education, civic education, and others. unfortunately, the above perspective seems to have left the core elements of intercultural communicative competence. the intercultural approach should involve holistically knowledge of other cultures, intercultural attitudes, skills of interpreting and relating, and skills of discovery and interaction (byram, 1997). more interestingly, corbett (2022) contended that intercultural communicative competence only can bring impact on one’s intercultural development when critical analyses and reflection are salient. they can be typically accommodated by observation, interview, discussion, and reflection (barrow, 2021). then, all of these can be optimised by other encounters such as an ethnographic activities or interaction or engagement via telecollaboration (toscu & erten, 2020), that managed by an interculturally-speaker teacher who has some sorts of research skills and intercultural experiences . in recent studies in indonesia, nindya, utami, and khoiri (2022) revealed a number of studies showing that efl teachers are not well-prepared to integrate intercultural teaching in efl classrooms. it becomes crucial to find out the possible causes of their unpreparedness to integrate intercultural teaching in efl lessons. not yet being implemented due to limited time, curriculum, and students’ different proficiency. another study from setiawan (2023) explicated the teachers’ perspectives that the languages learning that involved local contexts in terms of local languages and cultures would bring positive impacts on the students’ english language teaching and learning leading to the improved intercultural communicative competence. the major finding is muhammad aulia & mohammed judaya alanazi responses to intercultural teaching and learning activities among indonesian efl students 1076 not merely about the teaching and learning resources, yet the ways how the teachers tried to build relationship between the texts and the students’ life experiences. it was found through the study conducted by munandar and newton (2021) that the determining factor is teachers as the agency who have been interacting between his/her own interculturality (the interplay between his/her own understanding and experiences about language, culture, and language learning), student learning needs, and contextual limitations. in most recent study, mahaputri, misdi, yusuf, and aziz (2024) have conducted a study confirming a close connection between intercultural communicative competence and critical thinking of students through problem-based learning model via the exposure of cultural diversity issues in classroom teachings. with all above, it is evident that intercultural efl pedagogy has insightful goals not only communicative abilities and knowledge but also the broadened individual’s views about the world impacting on attitudes (sercu, 2023). as a result, there is a balanced status between the importance of english along with its culture and the local languages together with local cultures in consideration of multilingual and multicultural realities of students’ identities in indonesian efl contexts (mailin, dalimunthe, & zein, 2023). these are expected to lead to, not limited to, students’ abilities of interaction, negotiation, and adaptation with other cultures. these include respecting own cultural values and other cultures simultaneously. this orientation must be designed comprehensively that involves a combination between formal knowledge and experiential knowledge (deardorff, 2020), and reflexivity in the form of sharing and discussion for students (matthews, 2020). there is little research in investigating the students’ responses on what they perceive their intercultural teaching learning of english classrooms. the present study is intended to explore the presence of those elements in the designated efl teaching contexts. method the study is qualitative in nature with multiple case study design with postmodernist philosophical perspective (holliday & macdonald, 2020). it involved forty-two students from three universities representing indonesia (eastern, western, and central regions). they have been selected due to their programs of intercultural efl pedagogy where they learn english and cultures simultaneously. there were 42 university student participants from three universities involved from the selected universities. the sampling strategy used a purposive sampling as the participants were selected based on their enrollment in intercultural efl pedagogy courses. the number of participants was regarded low, but it indicated the real situation as the course was listed as an elective course. in other words, the students were selected due to the natural setting of their own studies. the interview survey consisted of four questions: 1. what are you doing usually in your classroom activities? 2. what knowledge and skills do you learn? 3. how do you apply such knowledge and skills? and 4. what changes have you felt? the interviews survey adopted a narrative inquiry (harbon & shen, 2015) that explores students’ life stories indicating the elements of intercultural communicative competence and their own understandings about cultures, language, and language learning . via this approach, phenomena, actions, people, and metaphors were elicited and able to illustrate the clearer images of intercultural teaching and learning at indonesian efl contexts at university level. the interview survey took maximum 60 minutes per participant in consideration of fatigue and boredom with repetitive answers. the interview survey used english with some mixtures of bahasa indonesia. it was assisted by voice recorder and the recording was then transcribed and placed into one file. the data in bahasa indonesia were then translated literally in english. afterwards, for data analyses, thematic analysis was used to identify recurring themes from the transcribed interviews (mezmir, 2020). the data were firstly condensed by highlighting the emerging free codes through questions, keywords, and probable interesting themes as first snapshop of thematic analysis. the data were then displayed to capture patterns, relationships, clustering, or a building logical and axial chain among the codes in the form a matrix table or a networking diagram. next, the data were stipulated to be themes after having been verified by checking the representativenesses or commonality of the embedded categories within the emerging themes. and finally, the themes were triangulated across participants. prior to concluding the result, the data have undergone repetitive recycled analyses from the above stages (condensation, display, verification, and conclusion). the main themes will be presented and discussed in the following subenglish review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1077 headings. results and discussion it can be surmised from the data that the cultural sharing has been predominantly used in most of intercultural teaching learning of english classrooms. the study has found that the cultural sharing, despite its debatable effectiveness, has been conducted by the university teachers/lecturers who have engaged and experienced lengthy engagement and interaction with the cultures of target languages via formal (master or doctoral degree) and non-formal educations (training or conference or other capacity building activities) (almeida et al., 2016). for practical reason, only a few representative extracts are presented because the other typical extracts have indicated the same theme. cultural sharing experiences, discussion, and reflection first and foremost, the present study has associated the cultural sharing with intercultural experiences, discussion, and reflection. the participants noted the value of group discussions for understanding cross-cultural communication. this finding can be indicated by the following extracts: 01/13/11 stated that: “what i usually do in class is quite a lot of examples of group discussions and joint reflections in one class, conducting question and answer sessions with the lecturer who teaches, even though the lecturer is not a native speaker who has cultural differences, but our lecturer is very experienced in cross-cultural communication.” 05/13/11 stated that: “discussing with friends, paying attention to the lecturer when explaining, reading and presenting the results of the discussion and answering any questions from several groups and responding to the results of the discussion or what was explained and faced directly by the lecturer.” 06/13/11 said that: presentation of cases that usually occur in intercultural communication based on journals or scholarly articles. analysis and discussion on the similarities and differences between foreign cultures and cultures in indonesia/in the region.” 04/13/02 claimed that: “some discussions about foreign and domestic culture were accompanied by questions and answers about overseas study experiences such as cultural shock and others.” 15/12/02 stated that: “i learn about various culture in my ccu class on the the second semester. i can provide myself with knowledge how to prepare myself before entering other countries. i also do share my knowledge and experience sabout my birthplace malaysia with my classmates who are indonesian. and, we do some discussion and reflection on the differences.” 16/12/02 mentioned that: “the intercultural classroom lecturer usually teaches while telling stories about various cultures. occasionally he shows videos about the culture/customs of people abroad. the students usually just sit and listen the personal stories. then, we start discussion and reflection.” 23/12/02 said that: “we usually, well majority of the hours, spent on listening to the lecturer's experiences when he was still abroad and understood how the western people bahave. the lecture also gave us tips on how to deal with cultural shock in discussion as our culture is different.” from the above extracts, the intercultural teaching classrooms lie at intercultural experiences and reflective teaching activities. the discussion has been promoted whereby the students immensely compare between their own cultures and other cultures while learning english as the target language. syam et al. (2020) argued that cultural comparion may lead to improve linguistic competence in spoken and written skills. this finding is paramount to exercise the skills of interpreting and relating of students. the lecturers have earned the rights to be the resource persons because they have been exposed to and interacted with the cultures and the target languages more intensely (arshavkaya, 2020). therefore, the lecturers have been equipped with knowledge and skills required to be an intercultural mediator as he/she has been at the third space beforehand (kramsch & uryu, 2020). within this situation, the intercultural teaching classroom can be different from the less effective and typical cultural sharing as the previous studies have muhammad aulia & mohammed judaya alanazi responses to intercultural teaching and learning activities among indonesian efl students 1078 studied about (moon, 2023). from now onwards, the cultural sharing experience in the present study may be replaced by the term “intercultural sharing experience” due to its quality to intercultural communicative competence. attitudinal development in classroom teaching secondly, some indicative attitudinal developments have appeared in the students’ responses, though still need further evidence. the present study attempts to project the contexts or subject positions where the students can apply their knowledge and skills through their experiences (kramsch, 2020). the university students shared their own understandings about the knowledge and skills of other cultures they gained in their intercultural experiences. in addition, they have also claimed their changes after being aware of the self and the other identities towards interculturality in efl pedagogy. the changes are inextricably intertwined with the critical cultural awareness they develop over times. to some extent, these attitudinal shifts suggest that students are progressing toward greater intercultural awareness, a key component of intercultural communicative competence (huang, 2021). this may have become the outcome from the implementation of the intercultural efl pedagogy. the following presentation of extracts is systematically arranged from the basic to the advanced levels of critical cultural awareness the students internalised from. 02/13/11 stated that: “when i tried to interview some foreigners and tried to steer the conversation to avoid misunderstandings.” i learnt about foreign cultures. i gained cultural knowledge and how to apply it if i go abroad or meet people of different cultures. 07/13/11 mentioned that: “to meet or talk directly with a person of a different culture. questioning and answering with the person in terms of their varied languages, habits, customs, and cultures.” know more about other cultures with their surnames. more courage to deal with people from other cultures. 13/12/02 said that: “i become more cautious when meeting culturally different people such as foreigners who sometimes do not like to be asked by any questions that may invade their privacy.” after attending this course, i feel that my knowledge has broadened, and i can better understand the differences between people. i also became more aware of the social values that exist in other countries which are certainly different from the values that exist in our country. so, when encountering someone who is not from my country, such as the caucasians who have a habit of conversing with eye contact, i understand and respect their habit. 06/12/02 stated that: “knowing different things from other countries where many gestures have different meanings between us and foreigners.” internalising what i have learnt. if there is something that i need to use, i will use it. the rest (knowledge and skills), i have not used specifically. to be precise, i can respect other people's opinions and understanding. 15/12/02 said that: “it gives impact on english students who want to study abroad or a person who often communicate with foreigners. knowing each other culture could be the best as we are perceiving our relationship with others.” “i feel confident when i speak with foreigners as i already know how to communicate with them properly. i also learn to be a better person as i take some examples from other cultures, for example, being punctual and disciplined, and so forth.” 16/12/02 mentioned that: “i have learned many things about foreigners and applied them by being tolerant. for example, there are questions that are sensitive to some foreigners and when i meet them, i don't ask them such questions.” “i feel more tolerant and open-minded. i am no longer overly fanatical about my own culture but i still maintain and nurture my religious beliefs.” 21/12/02 stated that: “by becoming a more understanding person, i am also a much more prepared and becoming an english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1079 adaptable person.” “i feel like becoming mr. worldwide or a global citizen (as my identity). that means that i am more aware of the cultural and social situations all around the world, especially those of target cultures.” from the above data of seven representing university students, the critical cultural awareness of the university students seemed to have developed (guilherme, 2022), even though the critical awareness demands vast and intensive interaction with target language’s communities. some of these students have been recognised to have positive trends of personal intercultural profile development, though still need to maintain the early stage of competence (safitri & ulfiati, 2021). this can be motivated by their own motivations to solve any problems of miscommunication and great willingness to empower themselves to be an intercultural communicator, especially when they study overseas in the future (oguro & harbon, 2021). it is admittable that the university students have expressed varied degrees at showing their own indicative intercultural awarenesses. it started from alternation on communicative behaviour, continued with change on attitude, and eventually ended up with individual negotiation with positive values from the other cultural identity in intercultural efl pedagogy (dervin, 2023). despite the need of further evidence, these phenomena become initial groundwork for indonesian efl context if intercultural sharing experience could work effectively in these contexts. conclusion to sum up, the cultural sharing here is closely linked to intercultural sharing experience as the lecturers have been experienced at dealing with successful encounters and engaged with numerous unfamiliar situations at varied degrees through overseas study and professional development influencing the teachers’ intercultural profile development. the positive finding is that the discussion and reflection have been massively carried out that seem to have developed the knowledge, skills, skills of interpreting and relating, as well as critical cultural awareness of the university students as the research participants. all of these can be indicated in the students’ narratives about their teachers’ intercultural sharing experiences that contain discussion and reflection. the present study has also justified that theoretical and experiential knowledge must be accompanied by reflexivity in which a positive learning climate must be conditioned before discussing any cultural issues proportionally and then reflected on emerging issues with measurable parameters towards the phenomena of the culture of target language (scarino, 2022). this set of combination seems to be potential to be advocated by efl teachers alongside other learning activities as shown in other efl contexts in the world. the present study, nevertheless, remains a vexed question to stimulate further research about potential activities in conjunction with intercultural sharing and reflection. it then moves on to the multiple methods to improve the lack of skills of discovery and interaction the students have (porto, 2021). this positioning remains innumerable discussion because there is no method that suits all contexts of english language teaching with cultural integration (dervin, 2024). our work is determining to ensure the achievement of intercultural efl pedagogy. references almeida, j., fantini, a. e., simões, a. r., & costa, n. (2016). enhancing the intercultural effectiveness of exchange programmes: formal and nonformal educational interventions. intercultural education, 27(6), 517-533. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2016.126219 0 arshavskaya, e. (2020). language teachers' intercultural learning: a sociocultural perspective. insight: a journal of scholarly teaching, 15, 67-82. https://doi.org/10.46504/15202004ar aryadi, r., hidayah, j., & edy, s. (2020). the portrait of english teaching grounded in interculturality. journal of english education and teaching, 4(3), 323-347. http://dx.doi.org/10.29300/ling.v7i1.4148 aulia, m. (2022). cultural discourse statement as teacher belief in intercultural classes at universities in indonesia. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 14(4), 6951-6964. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v14i4.229 1 barrow, e. c. (2021). defining intercultural competence: how four pre-service teachers developed a more complex understanding of icc. journal of global education and research, 7(1), 1. 10.5038/2577-509x.7.1.1210 byram, m. (1997). teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence: multilingual matters. byram, m., & golubeva, i. (2020). conceptualising https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2016.1262190 https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2016.1262190 https://doi.org/10.46504/15202004ar http://dx.doi.org/10.29300/ling.v7i1.4148 https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v14i4.2291 https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v14i4.2291 https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/jger/vol7/iss1/1/ muhammad aulia & mohammed judaya alanazi responses to intercultural teaching and learning activities among indonesian efl students 1080 intercultural (communicative) competence and intercultural citizenship. in the routledge handbook of language and intercultural communication (pp. 70-85). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203805640 byram, m. (2020). teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence: revisited: multilingual matters. corbett, j. (2022). an intercultural approach to english language teaching (vol. 36): multilingual matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781788928625 deardorff, d. k. (2020). manual for developing intercultural competencies: story circles. taylor & francis. https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.50 0.12657/76006/1/9780429521348.pdf dervin, f., & simpson, a. (2019). global and intercultural competences for whom? by whom? for what purpose? : an example from the asia society and the oecd. compare: a journal of comparative and international education, 49(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2019.158619 4 dervin, f., moloney, r., & simpson, a. (2020). intercultural competence in the work of teachers. london: routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429401022 dervin, f. (2023). interculturality, criticality and reflexivity in teacher education. cambridge university press. dervin, f. (2024). from face to framework. in interculturologies: moving forward with interculturality in research and education (pp. 127-140). springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978981-97-3128-2_7 fantini, a. e. (2020). reconceptualizing intercultural communicative competence: a multinational perspective. research in comparative and international education, 15(1), 52-61. https://doi.org/10.1177/17454999209019 guilherme, m. (2022). from critical cultural awareness to intercultural responsibility: language, culture and citizenship. learning in language education and beyond: evolving concepts, perspectives and practices, 101-117. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781800412613-013 harbon, l., & shen, h. (2015). researching language classrooms. research methods in applied linguistics. a practical resource. london, 457470. hartono, r., suastra, i. w., & lasmawan, i. w. (2023). implementasi kurikulum merdeka dalam melestarikan budaya nusantara. edukasia: jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran, 4(2), 823-828. https://doi.org/10.62775/edukasia.v4i2.356 holliday, a., & macdonald, m. n. (2020). researching the intercultural: intersubjectivity and the problem with postpositivism. applied linguistics, 41(5), 621-639. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amz006 holliday, a. (2022). searching for a third-space methodology to contest essentialist large-culture blocks. language and intercultural communication, 22(3), 367-380. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2022.2036180 holliday, a. (2021). intercultural communication: an advanced resource book for students. routledge. holmes, p., & corbett, j. (2022). critical intercultural pedagogy for difficult times. routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003150756 huang, l.-j. d. (2021). developing intercultural communicative competence in foreign language classrooms–a study of efl learners in taiwan. international journal of intercultural relations, 83, 55-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2021.04.015 humphreys, g., & baker, w. (2021). developing intercultural awareness from short-term study abroad: insights from an interview study of japanese students. language and intercultural communication, 21(2), 260-275. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2020.186099 7 kramsch, c. (2020). translating experience in language teaching research and practice. applied linguistics, 41(1), 30-51. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amz011 kramsch, c., & uryu, m. (2020). intercultural contact, hybridity, and third space. in the routledge handbook of language and intercultural communication (pp. 204-218). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203805640 kramsch, c., & zhu, h. (2020). translating culture in global times: an introduction. applied linguistics, 41(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amz020 liddicoat, a. j. (2020a). critical perspectives in intercultural language learning. elia: estudios de lingüística inglesa aplicada, 19(1 monogr.), 17-38. doi:10.12795/elia.mon.2019.i1.02 liddicoat, a. j. (2020b). teaching languages from an intercultural perspective: rethinking the nature of learning. in rethinking languages education (pp. 224-241). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315107974 liddicoat, a. j. (2022). intercultural mediation in language teaching and learning. intercultural learning in language education and beyond: evolving concepts, perspectives, and practices. multilingual matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781800412613-010 liddicoat, a. j., & scarino, a. (2024). developing a multilingual perspective in language assessment: multilinguality and interculturality. in assessment of plurilingual competence and plurilingual learners in educational settings (pp. 131-144). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003177197 https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203805640 https://doi.org/10.21832/9781788928625 https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/76006/1/9780429521348.pdf https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/76006/1/9780429521348.pdf https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2019.1586194 https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2019.1586194 https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429401022 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-3128-2_7 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-3128-2_7 https://doi.org/10.1177/1745499920901948 https://doi.org/10.21832/9781800412613-013 https://doi.org/10.62775/edukasia.v4i2.356 https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amz006 https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2022.2036180 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003150756 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2021.04.015 https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2020.1860997 https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2020.1860997 https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amz011 https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203805640 https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amz020 https://doi.org/10.12795/elia.mon.2019.i1.02 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315107974 https://doi.org/10.21832/9781800412613-010 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003177197 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1081 mahaputri, r. a., misdi, m., yusuf, f. n., & aziz, a. a. (2024). promoting pre-service teachers’ critical intercultural awareness using problembased learning. journal of innovation in educational and cultural research, 5(1), 103111. https://doi.org/10.46843/jiecr.v5i1.960 mailin, m., dalimunthe, m. a., & zein, a. (2023). exploring intercultural communication in indonesia: cultural values, challenges, and strategies. journal of namibian studies: history politics culture, 33, 2804-2816. https://doi.org/10.59670/jns.v33i.657 matthews, b. (2020). the role of reflexive thought in the achievement of intercultural competence. intercultural education, 31(3), 330-344. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2020.172809 3 mezmir, e. a. (2020). qualitative data analysis: an overview of data reduction, data display, and interpretation. research on humanities and social sciences, 10(21), 15-27. https://doi.org/10.7176/rhss/10-21-02 moloney, r., lobytsyna, m., & moate, j. (2020). looking for intercultural competences in language teacher education in australia and finland. in intercultural competence in the work of teachers (pp. 17-41). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429401022 mcconachy, t., & liddicoat, a. j. (2021). introduction: second language pragmatics for intercultural understanding. in teaching and learning second language pragmatics for intercultural understanding (pp. 1-18). routledge. moon, d. g. (2023). critical reflections on culture and critical intercultural communication. the handbook of critical intercultural communication, 57-71. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119745426.ch4 munandar, m. i., & newton, j. (2021). indonesian efl teachers’ pedagogic beliefs and classroom practices regarding culture and interculturality. language and intercultural communication, 21(2), 158-173. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2020.186715 5 nindya, m. a., utami, w., & khoiri, n. e. (2022). understanding and practices of intercultural communicative competence elements perceived by english pre-service teachers'. international journal of language education, 6(3), 297-313. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v6i3.22747 ning, s. j., & soekarno, m. (2024). beyond communicative competence: integration of intercultural communicative competence in primary esl classroom. manu jurnal pusat penataran ilmu dan bahasa, 35(1), 1-27. https://doi.org/10.51200/manu.v34i1.4806 oguro, s., & harbon, l. (2021). enhancing pre-service teachers' global competencies through interdisciplinary study abroad. in interdisciplinary approaches toward enhancing teacher education (pp. 20-32). igi global. 10.4018/978-1-7998-4697-0.ch002 porto, m. (2021). intercultural citizenship in foreign language education: an opportunity to broaden clil’s theoretical outlook and pedagogy. international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.152688 6 raihani, r. (2018). education for multicultural citizens in indonesia: policies and practices. compare: a journal of comparative and international education, 48(6), 992-1009. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2017.139920 safitri, n. t., & ulfiati, l. (2021). profiling intercultural communication as global competence for indonesian university students. the 3rd green development international conference (gdic 2020), 10.2991/aer.k.210825.008 scarino, a. (2022). language teacher education in diversity–a consideration of the mediating role of languages and cultures in student learning. language and education, 36(2), 152-169. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2021.199137 0 sercu, l. (2023). internationalization at home as a factor affecting intercultural competence. a study among belgian university students. european journal of higher education, 13(4), 536-557. https://doi.org/10.1080/21568235.2022.209481 5 syam, a., basri, m., & sahril. (2020). intercultural communicative competence development of indonesian higher education students. asian efl journal, 27(2), 101-119. setiawan, b. n. (2023). embracing cultural threads: a qualitative exploration of english language teaching materials within an intercultural perspective in an indonesian multilingual context. ranah: jurnal kajian bahasa, 12(2), 343-356. https://doi.org/10.26499/rnh.v12i2.6840 toscu, s., & erten, i̇. h. (2020). developing intercultural communicative competence by the means of telecollaboration. education and information technologies, 25(5), 4517-4534. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10174-8 https://doi.org/10.46843/jiecr.v5i1.960 https://doi.org/10.59670/jns.v33i.657 https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2020.1728093 https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2020.1728093 https://doi.org/10.7176/rhss%2f10-21-02 https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429401022 https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119745426.ch4 https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2020.1867155 https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2020.1867155 https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v6i3.22747 https://doi.org/10.51200/manu.v34i1.4806 http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4697-0.ch002 https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1526886 https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1526886 https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2017.139920 https://doi.org/10.2991/aer.k.210825.008 https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2021.1991370 https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2021.1991370 https://doi.org/10.1080/21568235.2022.2094815 https://doi.org/10.1080/21568235.2022.2094815 https://doi.org/10.26499/rnh.v12i2.6840 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10174-8 muhammad aulia & mohammed judaya alanazi responses to intercultural teaching and learning activities among indonesian efl students 1082 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1289 learning styles and textbook design: a case study of 'bahasa inggris work in progress' for tenth grade kelvin reynaldi magister program of english language education, faculty of languages and arts, universitas negeri padang, indonesia email: kelvinreynaldi11@gmail.com refnaldi magister program of english language education, faculty of languages and arts, universitas negeri padang, indonesia email: refnaldi@yahoo.com apa scitation:. reynaldi, k., & refnaldi. (2024). learning styles and textbook design: a case study of 'bahasa inggris work in progress' for tenth grade. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(3), 1289-1298. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10310 received: 22-06-2024 accepted: 21-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 abstract: this study analyzes the extent to which the english textbook "bahasa inggris: work in progress" for tenth grade accommodates diverse learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. employing a descriptive quantitative approach, the research evaluates the textbook using a checklist based on frameworks by priyatna (2013) and bobbi & mike (2015). the findings reveal that the textbook supports visual learning styles the most (39%), followed by auditory (31%) and kinesthetic (30%). visual elements, including diagrams and images, dominate the content, while auditory materials, such as listening tasks, and kinesthetic activities, like interactive exercises, are moderately included. although the textbook demonstrates significant inclusivity, there is potential for improvement in addressing kinesthetic learning styles to achieve a more balanced distribution. this study highlights the importance of designing textbooks that accommodate varied learning preferences, offering practical recommendations for textbook developers to enhance engagement and inclusivity in line with differentiated learning practices. keywords: textbook evaluation: learning styles; visual learning; auditory learning; kinesthetic learning; inclusive education; differentiated learning. introduction textbooks serve as valuable tools for both teachers and students in learning english. teachers can rely on textbooks as supplementary resources for lesson planning or as instructional media in the classroom. for students, textbooks facilitate learning by providing guidance before, during, and after class sessions. as a cornerstone of the teaching and learning process, textbooks act as primary resources, offering structured content for educators and learners alike (rahman et al., 2019). according to research, 75% of teachers find textbooks highly beneficial for delivering the curriculum, boosting student motivation, and building confidence (warsame, 2023). however, selecting the right textbook is critical, as poor choices can hinder learning outcomes (nguyen, 2023). in essence, textbooks are invaluable resources that deliver essential information, reference materials, and a well-organized framework for educational content. additionally, textbooks play a key role in supporting curriculum implementation (meliawati & hamied, 2020). as curated learning materials aligned with current curricula, textbooks help students achieve educational objectives. analyzing english textbooks involves examining various aspects, such as cultural content, instructional methodologies, and student feedback. high-quality textbooks are instrumental in achieving learning goals and must align with both the latest curriculum standards and the students’ environment (purnomo & agustina, 2021). the merdeka curriculum is a recently introduced framework in indonesia designed to address learning challenges brought on by the covid-19 pandemic (zakso, 2023). this curriculum emphasizes flexibility, core content, character development, and fostering student competencies. it encourages students to explore their interests and talents early through projectbased learning that aligns with the concept of "independent learning" (shalehah, 2023). by catering to diverse learner characteristics, the merdeka curriculum aims to enhance learning motivation and accommodate varying student needs through differentiated learning strategies mailto:sasmitaoffice0987@gmail.com mailto:refnaldi@yahoo.com kelvin reynaldi & refnaldi learning styles and textbook design: a case study of 'bahasa inggris work in progress' for tenth grade 1290 (rahmawati, 2023). differentiation is implemented in various aspects, including content, process, product, and learning environment (nahdhiah & suciptaningsih, 2024). differentiated learning under the merdeka curriculum requires teachers to tailor educational media to align with students’ learning styles (ekaningtiass et al., 2023). learning styles represent individuals’ unique approaches to processing information and are classified into visual, auditory, and kinesthetic categories (alhafiz, 2022). understanding and catering to students’ learning preferences can accelerate their ability to grasp lessons (rahmi & samsudi, 2020). these preferences are deeply personal and, once identified, remain consistent over time (setiana & purwoko, 2020). teaching materials that match students' learning styles can improve comprehension, engagement, and outcomes (supit et al., 2023). furthermore, recognizing these differences allows teachers to select appropriate resources and media, creating a more inclusive and effective learning process (khasanah, 2022; yuniarsih & kamaludin, 2021). priyatna (2013) categorizes learning styles into three main types: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. visual learners excel when engaging with content through reading and visuals, making up an estimated 65% of the population. auditory learners, who comprise about 30%, prefer listening to explanations or discussions. meanwhile, kinesthetic learners, making up around 5%, learn best through hands-on activities and movement. as bobbi and mike (2015) note, identifying these preferences can help tailor educational methods to individual students, thereby enhancing learning engagement and effectiveness. visual learners thrive with written materials and images, auditory learners benefit from verbal communication, and kinesthetic learners excel in dynamic, interactive tasks. recognizing and accommodating diverse learning styles is vital for improving students’ engagement with educational materials. tailored resources such as textbooks must reflect these varied needs to foster effective learning (hardiyanto, 2023). for instance, swara and mambu (2024) explored how visual elements in textbooks influence perceptions of gender stereotypes, demonstrating that visuals can significantly impact learning experiences. similarly, textbooks must cater to different cognitive abilities and promote higher-order thinking skills like analysis, evaluation, and creativity (ariawan et al., 2023). moreover, the underlying philosophy of a curriculum shapes its goals and content, affecting how well textbooks address diverse learning preferences (rahayu nita & purwati, 2021). visual semiotics in textbooks also play a critical role in shaping students' understanding and engagement with the material (rezeki & sagala, 2021). teachers must understand their students' unique learning styles to tailor instructional materials effectively (damayanti et al., 2020). numerous studies have evaluated textbooks against various criteria to ensure their suitability for teaching and learning. for example, ayu and indrawati (2019) assessed tasks in textbooks, while zhang (2020) focused on listening activities. riadini and cahyono (2021) evaluated cultural representation, and putri and jufrizal (2022) examined content, language, and presentation. additional studies have analyzed textbooks from perspectives such as cultural integration (ardnyananisari, 2024) and task-based learning effectiveness (karaki & farrah, 2019). fauzan et al. (2020) highlighted the importance of understanding learning styles to inform personalized teaching strategies, while pasaribu (2022) focused on students' perceptions of textbook quality. finally, murtadho et al. (2024) compared the effectiveness of speaking activities in government and private publisher textbooks. collectively, these studies underscore the importance of evaluating and developing educational materials that address diverse learning needs. tailored and inclusive textbooks not only enhance english teaching and learning but also align with the broader educational goals of accommodating various student preferences and fostering engagement. evaluating textbooks from various perspectives is essential to ensure their quality and alignment with the teaching materials. the findings from previous studies offer valuable insights for educators, textbook authors, and curriculum developers, enabling the selection and creation of textbooks that better support educational objectives. to enhance the quality of education across different levels, ongoing and thorough evaluations of textbooks are necessary. previous research on the textbook work in progress has focused on specific aspects, such as sari's (2023) study on english reading assessments, al-ghozali's (2023) content analysis, rahmadani and zainil's (2023) exploration of reading comprehension, and nadhif's (2023) investigation of authentic materials in the textbook. these studies highlight english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1291 the importance of textbooks meeting students' needs to effectively serve as learning tools. however, no prior research has examined the textbook's ability to accommodate diverse learning styles, leaving a gap in the literature. thus, analyzing work in progress from the perspective of learning styles is critical to ensure it continues to meet student needs and achieves its educational goals. based on this review, textbooks should be designed to address the diverse needs of students by supporting various learning styles in a balanced way. this study aims to comprehensively analyze how the textbook bahasa inggris: work in progress accommodates visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles. the analysis evaluates the textbook's elements and activities designed to support these learning preferences and examines how well it adheres to pedagogical principles relevant to english language instruction. method this study employs a quantitative descriptive approach to identify patterns and insights from the data, aiming to provide a deeper understanding of the topic. descriptive research focuses on collecting information about existing phenomena to present their current state (hikmawati, 2020). specifically, the study analyzes how the textbook bahasa inggris: work in progress for tenth-grade students addresses each learning style. qualitative data analysis is used to uncover patterns and concepts relevant to these learning styles. the research data comprises all content from the bahasa inggris: work in progress textbook, published by the indonesian ministry of education and culture. this textbook, authored by budi hermawan et al., includes 13 chapters and is intended for use by tenth-grade senior high school students. the study carefully examines the textbook’s materials, including text, images, illustrations, sound recordings, videos, questions, exercises, activities, and supplementary components like glossaries, to evaluate their alignment with visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (vak) learning styles. the instruments for analyzing learning styles were developed based on the characteristics outlined by priyatna (2013) and bobbi & mike (2015). these instruments use a likert scale to rate the extent to which each statement aligns with the characteristics of the three learning styles. the table below provides an overview of the instrument design: table 1. the instrumentation to analyze the learning styles in the textbook no learning styles statements scores reasons sd (1) d (2) a (3) sa (4) 1 visual 1-10 2 auditorial 11-20 3 kinesthetic 21-30 note: sd : strongly disagree d : disagree a : agree sa : strongly agree based on (turner et al., 2021) validity is very important in an instrument, an instrument has a collection of evidence to confirm the validity of an instrument. content validity was determined by expert judgment. researchers discussed instruments that have been developed with experts and improved according to their directions. after the instrument is valid, the instrument is given to the analyzer. furthermore, reliability is the consistency of the results of the instruments that have been developed olayinka & abideen (2022) states that there are three types of instrument reliability. first, interrater reliability is the data similarity resulting from observations made by different researchers. second, the test is the similarity of data generated by researchers at different times. third, split-half validity, which divides the data into two parts. stated that interjudge reliability is the similarity, or consistency of data results generated from two or more independent scorers, raters, or observers. this research makes experienced teachers as english teachers who teach in senior high schools. the data on learning styles accommodated by textbooks was collected by several analyzers, namely teachers who have experience teaching english in high school and also the researchers themselves. in more detail, the first step taken by the researcher was to ensure that the instrument used was valid by discussing the instrument that had been designed with the validator. after the instrument is valid, the researcher submits the instrument to the analyzer. the first step in kelvin reynaldi & refnaldi learning styles and textbook design: a case study of 'bahasa inggris work in progress' for tenth grade 1292 collecting data is that the researcher provides an instrument to analyze the textbook to the analyzer, then the analyzer is given 30 days to analyze the textbook with the instrument that has been given. the last step is that the researcher collects the results of the analysis that has been carried out by the analyzer, and then the researcher analyzes the data that has been collected. data from the evaluation checklist were analyzed by researchers so that it becomes a percentage by using the percentages formula the researcher looks at the percentage scores. the formula is as follows: note: f : score filled by analyzer n : score maximal the next step in analyzing data is to find the average value after the percentage score found for each learning style using the formula: note: : mean score : the total of percentages n : number of percentages then, the researcher looks for the final percentages score using a formula similar to the formula of percentages above, the formula is as follows: note: f : percentages score n : total of percentages scores after analyzing the research findings will be displayed on the research results so that researchers make conclusions from the research that has been done. results and discussion this study intends to analyze the extent to which the textbook bahasa inggris: work in progress accommodated various learning styles. through a quantitative approach, the data obtained from the content analysis of this textbook showed the existence of various teaching strategies designed to meet the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic needs of the learners. after analyzing the learning styles accommodated by the textbook with the developed instrument, the results can be seen in the following table: table 2. analysis of the finding data no learning styles statement number number of analyzers evaluative checklist scores percenta ges total scores pages 1 2 3 4 1 visual 1 3 0 0 2 1 10 83% 39% 5, 6, 9, 11, 23, 27, 29, 31, 38, 39, 51, 52, 55, 56, 57, 62, 63, 79, 81, 82, 88, 100, 103, 106, 107, 109, 111, 126, 129, 131, 132, 135, 137. 2 3 0 0 2 1 10 83% 3 3 0 0 3 0 9 75% 4 3 0 0 1 2 11 92% 5 3 0 0 3 0 9 75% 6 3 0 0 3 0 9 75% 7 3 0 0 1 2 11 92% 8 3 0 0 1 2 11 92% 9 3 0 0 3 0 9 75% 10 3 0 2 1 0 7 58% 2 auditory 11 3 0 0 2 1 10 83% 31% 5, 7, 8, 9, 15, 32, 33, 37, 40, 47, 56, 60, 61,65, 66, 70, 81, 82, 83, 87, 89, 106, 107, 108, 115, 116, 117, 132, 141, 142. 12 3 1 1 1 0 6 50% 13 3 0 0 2 1 10 83% 14 3 0 3 0 0 6 50% 15 3 1 2 0 0 5 42% 16 3 0 0 3 0 9 75% 17 3 0 2 1 0 7 58% 18 3 0 0 3 0 9 75% 19 3 0 2 1 0 7 58% 20 3 1 1 1 0 6 50% 3 kinestheti c 21 3 0 2 1 0 7 58% 30% 6, 8, 14, 23, 34, 38, 40, 47, 59, 65, 66, 87, 88, 91, 105, 116, 123, 138, 22 3 0 0 2 1 10 83% 23 3 1 2 0 0 5 42% 24 3 0 3 0 0 6 50% 25 3 0 2 1 0 7 58% english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1293 26 3 0 0 3 0 9 75% 142. 27 3 0 0 3 0 9 75% 28 3 0 3 0 0 6 50% 29 3 0 2 0 1 8 67% 30 3 0 3 0 0 6 50% maximum scores 12 100% 100% 190 pages based on the table above, the analyzers do not have significant differences in the assessment that has been done. the results show that the visual learning style has the highest score with a percentage of 39%, while the auditorial learning style accommodated by the textbook has a score of 31%, and finally the kinesthetic learning style with a score of 30%. from these findings, it appears that textbooks accommodate each learning style well. textbooks do tend to accommodate more visual learning styles. this can be seen from the use of pictures, diagrams, graphs, and other visual elements that dominate the material provided. on the other hand, auditory materials include materials related to sound and hearing such as audio recordings, class discussions, and verbal instructions. the findings show that textbooks provide sufficient portions to support students who learn with visual learning styles. moreover, the kinesthetic learning styles accommodated by textbooks do not differ much from the auditory learning styles. textbooks provide hands-on physical and practical activities although not as many as visual learning style scores. activities such as experiments, practical projects, and educational games are part of the textbooks' efforts to support this learning style. the visual learning style is the most prevalent in the textbook, accounting for 39% of the content. this suggests that the textbook uses a greater number of visual components, such as images, diagrams, or charts, to communicate educational content to pupils. the visual learning style refers to the preference of pupils who have a better understanding and retention of material through the use of visual aids. figure 1. picture used in the textbook pages that present the visual learning style are 5, 6, 9, 11, 23, 27, 29, 31, 38, 39, 51, 52, 55, 56, 57, 62, 63, 79, 81, 82, 88, 100, 103, 106, 107, 109, 111, 126, 129, 131, 132, 135, and 137. one of the activities in the textbook that uses pictures as learning materials is shown in figure 1. above. students are asked to notice and discuss the images displayed during this activity. students who have a visual learning style preference, and prefer to learn by looking at interesting pictures, tables, and diagrams, will find this activity interesting. by using images as learning tools, this activity not only improves students' understanding of the material but also increases students' engagement in the learning process. students with visual learning style tendencies will more easily understand the concepts presented when reinforced with images or other visual tools. meanwhile, the auditory learning technique ranks second with a proportion of 31%. while not as dominant as the visual learning technique, the inclusion of auditory aspects in the textbook remains crucial. this demonstrates that the textbook also provides sufficient focus on students who have a preference for auditory learning, such as through the use of audio recordings or verbal explanations. figure 2. auditory activity in the textbook one form of auditorial learning style is textbooks that offer various activities for listening and speaking. the figure 2 above shows an example of a real activity where students are asked to listen to a recording describing a figure. the pages that applied the auditory learning style kelvin reynaldi & refnaldi learning styles and textbook design: a case study of 'bahasa inggris work in progress' for tenth grade 1294 in this textbook are 5, 7, 8, 9, 15, 32, 33, 37, 40, 47, 56, 60, 61, 65, 66, 70, 81, 82, 83, 87, 89, 106, 107, 108, 115, 116, 117, 132, 141, and 142. the integrated link on the website allows each activity that uses the recording as a medium in the textbook to be accessed. by scanning the barcode in the textbook, teachers and students can easily access the activity. this makes access and use of learning materials more flexible and effective. in addition, the kinesthetic learning style occupies the third place, accounting for 30% of the total. pages that show the activities indicated to kinesthetic learning style are 6, 8, 14, 23, 34, 38, 40, 47, 59, 65, 66, 87, 88, 91, 105, 116, 123, 138, and 142. while the proportion is significantly smaller than that of the auditory learning style, this textbook nevertheless caters to the requirements of students who favor learning through hands-on experience or practical exercises. figure 3. kinesthetic activity in the textbook textbooks designed to support kinesthetic learning styles have specific activities, as shown in figure 3. students who prefer kinesthetic learning styles enjoy learning that involves physical movement or bodily interaction. one example is textbooks that encourage students to move actively around the classroom and interact with their classmates. activities like this not only meet students' needs for kinesthetic learning styles but also allow students to have hands-on experiences and greater active engagement, which helps them understand better. therefore, this textbook is not just a learning resource, it is also a useful tool to support various learning styles and encourage significant learning for each student. based on these findings, it can be inferred that the "work in progress" textbook has been intentionally created to cater to a range of student learning styles, with a particular focus on visual learning methods. nevertheless, learning style is one of the characteristics that influence student achievement so that it can improve the learning process (kusworo et al., 2021). it is crucial to consider the remaining two learning styles in order to enhance inclusivity and effectiveness in student learning. this assessment offers significant insights for educators to consistently enhance the caliber of education provided through textbooks. this study concluded that visual learning styles are mostly supported in textbooks “work in progress,” which dedicates about 39% of its content to visual elements such as pictures, diagrams, tables, and symbols. the visual form of educational materials can significantly influence learning effectiveness, this study highlights the importance of considering visual elements in educational materials, as they can affect learning efficiency. visual elements in efl textbooks play a crucial role in language learning and cultural representation. images can convey cultural values and enhance intercultural communicative competence (wang & hemchua, 2022). in line with that, elmiana (2019) identified 232 images in efl textbooks, and this research underlined images significantly improved students' comprehension. thus, textbooks rich in visual elements are very effective for visual learners. hindasah & haryana (2023) highlighted how picture books can capture students' attention and increase their reading motivation. they emphasized the importance of teacher involvement in cultivating reading habits, especially in an era where children prefer smartphones over traditional books. similarly, aisyah & rinjani (2023) investigated the impact of cover illustrations on reading interest among young adults aged 15-30. their survey revealed that 75% of respondents preferred book covers with attractive illustrations, soft colors, and matching typography. the researchers proposed that attractive visuals can create an “addictive effect”, encouraging readers to seek more knowledge through books. laily et al. (2024) developed audio-visual media for the teaching of narrative text, finding that it was engaging for students and useful as an alternative teaching tool. waningyun (2021) found an improvement in writing skills and the quality of the learning process when using audiovisual media with discovery learning to teach narrative text. these studies emphasize the potential of audio-visual media to increase student motivation, bridge competency gaps, and provide diverse learning experiences in english education. the auditorial learning style is significantly english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1295 supported in the textbooks, which comprise about 31% of the content. it is important to note that auditorial learning is not limited to sound recordings, but also includes instructions for using auditorial elements effectively. furthermore, the authentic content provided by audio-visual materials allows learners to practice real-life communication, which is crucial for developing fluency (toleuzhan, 2022). according syahputra (2019), textbooks generally feature polite and simple verbal texts, which shows the compatibility between verbal and visual materials. moreover, rohmawati et al. (2021) found that integrating audiovisual media in short story teaching greatly improved students' ability to write quality short stories. this suggests that proper integration of visual and auditory elements in textbooks can effectively enhance students' learning and mastery of the material. this textbook accommodates kinesthetic learning styles by 30%, encouraging active participation, creativity, and exploration. the book includes physical activities such as games, role-playing, and classroom exploration, allowing students to engage with the material in a way that suits their learning preferences. kinesthetic learning approaches have shown promising results in improving educational outcomes across multiple disciplines. incorporating kinesthetic activities can have a positive impact on student learning, as demonstrated in management information systems courses (b. califf, 2020). a study of an image processing-based kinesthetic learning system for english language learners found significant improvements in achievement and vocabulary acquisition compared to traditional methods (yıldız et al., 2024). these findings suggest that integrating kinesthetic learning approaches, both in physical and virtual classrooms, can improve student engagement and learning outcomes across a range of educational contexts. incorporating these activities ensures all students have equal opportunities to learn and develop, thus fostering a more inclusive educational environment. thus, textbooks that address kinesthetic learning styles significantly improve accessibility and inclusivity in education. tanto (2023) evaluated the “work in progress” textbook in the context of a free curriculum, aiming to align it with cefr level b1. the study focused on four language skills: reading, speaking, listening, and writing. the findings show that although the textbook generally meets the requirements of the freedom curriculum, there are some areas where it is still lacking. nonetheless, the textbook is in line with the objectives of the free curriculum and can be an effective learning resource, although improvements are still needed. further research on “work in progress” by sari (2023) on speaking and writing assessments, al-ghozali (2023) on content analysis, rahmadani & zainil (2023) on reading comprehension, and nadhif (2023) on authentic materials also found positive results based on the criteria they used, and this textbook can help students achieve educational goals effectively. in contrast, sani (2024) assessed the textbook based on good english textbook standards to facilitate teacher evaluation. this research covered seven aspects of assessment and concluded that, despite some strengths, the textbook did not meet the overall standard score. therefore, she did not recommend it as a primary textbook due to the insufficient total score. overall, the evaluation of the “work in progress” textbook showed mixed results. although it did not comprehensively meet all the standard criteria, it fulfilled many of the essential requirements of a good english textbook, demonstrating decent quality in several areas. despite debates among experts, its relevance and usefulness in the learning process were recognized, making it a potentially valuable resource with areas identified for improvement. this multifaceted analysis ensures that textbooks can continue to meet students' needs and support the achievement of educational goals. conclusion the textbook titled english work in progress shows different levels of accommodation for each learning style. the visual learning style is very well accommodated, indicating that the textbook provides a lot of visual materials such as illustrations, graphs, and photos that support students' understanding. the auditory learning style is also well accommodated, reflecting the presence of materials that support auditory learning, such as oral instructions and audio-based activities. additionally, the kinesthetic learning style is addressed, indicating that the textbook includes physical or practical activities that help students who prefer to learn by moving and doing. it is concluded that the textbook can accommodate each learning style well, although the kinesthetic learning style is still lower than the other learning styles, but with this score, it can meet the needs of kinesthetic learning styles. this research has benefits for curriculum developers, educators, and textbook writers. by understanding kelvin reynaldi & refnaldi learning styles and textbook design: a case study of 'bahasa inggris work in progress' for tenth grade 1296 and applying principles that support different learning styles, learning materials can be more effective and engaging for students. in addition, this research contributes to the existing literature on student-centered education and emphasizes the need for a flexible and adaptive approach to textbook design. the importance of this research lies in its ability to provide practical guidance for future textbook quality improvement. overall, the results of this study highlight the need for greater attention to diversify teaching methods in textbooks to create a more inclusive and effective learning environment. as such, this study makes a valuable contribution to efforts to improve the quality of education and the development of learning materials that are more adaptive to students' needs. references aisyah, i. h., & rinjani, d. (2023). pengaruh seni ilustrasi dalam meningkatkan minat baca (studi desain novel karya tere liye). invensi: jurnal penciptaan aan pengkajian seni, 8(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.24821/invensi.v8i1.7184 al-ghozali, m. (2023). content analysis of english textbook entitled “work in progress” for tenth grade used in merdeka curriculum [master's thesis]. state islamic institute of ponorogo. alhafiz, n. (2022). analisis profil gaya belajar siswa untuk pembelajaran berdiferensiasi di smp negeri 23 pekanbaru. j-abdi: jurnal pengabdian kepada masyarakat, 1(8), 1913– 1922. https://doi.org/10.53625/jabdi.v1i8.946 ardnyananisari, f. d. (2024). assessing cultural content in english textbooks for high school grade 12 students: a case study. veles: voices of english language education society, 12(2), 591–600. ariawan, s., kholidi, m. a., & putra, m. (2023). the level of thinking skills in the reading section of efl textbook in indonesia. veles: voices of english language education society, 7(1), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v7i1.7672 ayu, m., & indrawati, r. (2019). efl textbook evaluation: the analysis of tasks presented in english textbook. teknosastik, 16(1), 21. https://doi.org/10.33365/ts.v16i1.87 califf, c. b. (2020). incorporating kinesthetic learning into university classrooms: an example from management information systems. journal of information technology education: innovations in practice, 19(1), 31–45. bobbi, d., & mike, h. (2015). quantum learning. pt mizan publika. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=6_nx2_6t 2cac damayanti, e., santosa, a. b., zuhrie, m. s., & rusimamto, p. w. (2020). pengaruh penggunaan media pembelajaran berbasis multimedia interaktif terhadap hasil belajar siswa berdasarkan gaya belajar. jurnal pendidikan teknik elektro, 9(3), 639–645. https://ejournal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/jurnalpendidikan-teknik-elektro/article/view/36321 ekaningtiass, p., fitriani, h., nurudin, m. n., & akhodiyah, s. (2023). pengembangan media pembelajaran berdiferensiasi berbasis teknologi pada materi teks prosedur untuk siswa kelas vii smp. journal on education, 6(1), 841–847. https://doi.org/10.31004/joe.v6i1.3000 elmiana, d. s. (2019). pedagogical representation of visual images in efl textbooks: a multimodal perspective. pedagogy, culture and society, 27(4), 613–628. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2019.156955 0 fauzan, u., toba, r., & nirmayana. (2020). the learning style of high achiever students of english department of iain samarinda. english review: journal of english education, 8(2), 337–344. hardiyanto, a. (2023). an analysis of student learning style in learning english in sekolah indonesia kuala lumpur, malaysia. veles: voices of english language education society, 7(1), 145–157. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v7i1.7869 hikmawati, f. (2020). metode penelitian (4th ed.). rajawali pers. hindasah, s., & haryana, w. (2023). peran ilustrasi dalam meningkatkan minat baca siswa sekolah dasar. widyacarya: jurnal pendidikan, agama dan budaya, 7(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.55115/widyacarya.v7i1.2190 karaki, r. s., & farrah, m. a. h. (2019). task-based learning in the textbook english for palestine. english review: journal of english education, 8(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2352 khasanah, u. (2022). pengembangan buku ajar bagi anak disleksia dengan intervensi gaya belajar berbantuan media audio visual di sekolah dasar. jurnal pajar (pendidikan dan pengajaran), 6(1), 148. https://doi.org/10.33578/pjr.v6i1.8532 kusworo, n., soepriyanto, y., & husna, a. (2021). pengembangan adaptive e-learning sistem berbasis vark learning style pada materi ip address. jktp: jurnal kajian teknologi pendidikan, 4(1), 70–79. https://doi.org/10.17977/um038v4i12021p070 laily, r., asyhar, r., & rachmawati, r. (2024). pengembangan media audio visual materi narrative teks untuk pembelajaran bahasa inggris di sma. tekno pedagogi: jurnal teknologi pendidikan, 2(1), 66–86. https://doi.org/10.24821/invensi.v8i1.7184 https://doi.org/10.53625/jabdi.v1i8.946 https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v7i1.7672 https://doi.org/10.33365/ts.v16i1.87 https://books.google.co.id/books?id=6_nx2_6t2cac https://books.google.co.id/books?id=6_nx2_6t2cac https://ejournal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/jurnal-pendidikan-teknik-elektro/article/view/36321 https://ejournal.unesa.ac.id/index.php/jurnal-pendidikan-teknik-elektro/article/view/36321 https://doi.org/10.31004/joe.v6i1.3000 https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2019.1569550 https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2019.1569550 https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v7i1.7869 https://doi.org/10.55115/widyacarya.v7i1.2190 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v8i1.2352 https://doi.org/10.33578/pjr.v6i1.8532 https://doi.org/10.17977/um038v4i12021p070 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1297 https://doi.org/10.22437/teknopedagogi.v2i1.22 36 meliawati, m., & hamied, f. a. (2020). analisis konten pada buku teks bahasa inggris untuk kelas x berjudul bahasa inggris untuk sma/ma/smk/mak kelas x. jurnal penelitian pendidikan, 20(1), 83–90. https://doi.org/10.17509/jpp.v20i1.24556 murtadho, m. a. a., eryansyah, e., & silvhiany, s. (2024). multimodal content analysis of 21stcentury skills in an english textbook. english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 361–372. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.7805 nadhif, z. (2023). an analysis of authentic materials in textbook entitled bahasa inggris work in progress [master's thesis]. state islamic university of prof. k. h. saifuddin zuhri purwokerto. nahdhiah, u., & suciptaningsih, o. a. (2024). optimization of kurikulum merdeka through differentiated learning: effectiveness and implementation strategy. inovasi kurikulum, 21(1), 349–360. https://doi.org/10.17509/jik.v21i1.65069 nguyen, h. t. (2023). an evaluation of two business english course books, business partner b1+ and business partner b2: students’ and teachers’ perspectives. vnu journal of foreign studies, 39(6), 136–161. https://doi.org/10.63023/25252445/jfs.ulis.5158 nuralan, s., ummah, k. m., & haslinda. (2022). analisis gaya belajar siswa berprestasi di sd negeri 5 tolitoli. pendekar jurnal: pengembangan pendidikan dan pembelajaran sekolah dasar, 1(1), 5. olayinka, s., & abideen, t. (2022). reliability of research instruments in management sciences research: an explanatory perspective. scientific papers of silesian university of technology. organization and management series, 22(166), 711–729. https://doi.org/10.29119/16413466.2022.166.46 pasaribu, a. n. (2022). the efl students’ perceptions of the quality of the english language textbook. english review: journal of english education, 10(2), 409–420. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6242 priyatna, a. (2013). pahami gaya belajar anak! elex media komputindo. purnomo, a., & agustina, r. (2021). analisis buku teks pelajaran ips kelas vii kurikulum 2013 di smp se-kecamatan ngargoyoso kabupaten karanganyar jawa tengah. journal unnes, 3(3), 94–99. putri, d. e., & jufrizal, j. (2022). textbook evaluation of english learning material at smkn 1 lembah melintang. proceedings of the 67th teflin international virtual conference & the 9th icoelt 2021 (teflin icoelt 2021), 624, 64–67. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220201.011 rahayu nita, f., & purwati, o. (2021). revealing the philosophical foundation in english textbook for vocational school students grade x and curriculum 2013. veles: voices of english language education society, 5(1), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v5i1.3036 rahmadani, n., & zainil, y. (2023). an analysis of reading comprehension questions in english textbooks bahasa inggris work in progress and pathway to english based on barrett’s taxonomy. journal of english language teaching, 12(3), 976–987. https://doi.org/10.24036/jelt.v12i3.125152 rahman, a. m., setiawan, f. a., & dinata, i. (2019). the development of geography textbook: a combination of content and pedagogy. the innovation of social studies journal, 1(1), 5– 10. rahmawati, r. (2023). implementasi pembelajaran berdiferensiasi dalam kurikulum merdeka di sekolah dasar. journal of innovation and teacher professionalism, 6(3), 150–156. https://doi.org/10.17977/um084v2i22024p150156 rahmi, m. n., & samsudi, m. a. (2020). pemanfaatan media pembelajaran berbasis teknologi sesuai dengan karakteristik gaya belajar. edumaspul: jurnal pendidikan, 4(2), 355–363. https://doi.org/10.33487/edumaspul.v4i2.439 rezeki, t. i., & sagala, r. w. (2021). semiotics analysis on students’ english textbook in elementary school. veles: voices of english language education society, 5(2), 120–131. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v5i2.3855 riadini, u. s., & cahyono, b. y. (2021). the analysis of the culture-related contents in an indonesian english textbook. ijeltal (indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics), 5(2), 285. https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v5i2.711 rohmawati, n., mohammad, f., haryadi, h., & luriawati, m. d. (2021). analisis penggunaan media audio visual interaktif untuk meningkatkan pembelajaran teks cerpen. jurnal tuturan, 10(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.33603/jt.v10i1.5228 sani, h. k. (2024). analisis buku teks berjudul “ bahasa inggris work in progress .” humanities, education, applied linguistics, and language teaching: conference series, 1(1), 8–13. sari, e. p. (2023). an analysis of english skills assessments in english textbook “work in progress” grade x. antasari state islamic university. setiana, d. s., & purwoko, r. y. (2020). analisis kemampuan berpikir kritis ditinjau dari gaya belajar matematika siswa. jurnal riset https://doi.org/10.22437/teknopedagogi.v2i1.2236 https://doi.org/10.22437/teknopedagogi.v2i1.2236 https://doi.org/10.17509/jpp.v20i1.24556 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.7805 https://doi.org/10.17509/jik.v21i1.65069 https://doi.org/10.63023/2525-2445/jfs.ulis.5158 https://doi.org/10.63023/2525-2445/jfs.ulis.5158 https://doi.org/10.29119/1641-3466.2022.166.46 https://doi.org/10.29119/1641-3466.2022.166.46 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v10i2.6242 https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220201.011 https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v5i1.3036 https://doi.org/10.24036/jelt.v12i3.125152 https://doi.org/10.17977/um084v2i22024p150-156 https://doi.org/10.17977/um084v2i22024p150-156 https://doi.org/10.33487/edumaspul.v4i2.439 https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v5i2.3855 https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v5i2.711 https://doi.org/10.33603/jt.v10i1.5228 kelvin reynaldi & refnaldi learning styles and textbook design: a case study of 'bahasa inggris work in progress' for tenth grade 1298 pendidikan matematika, 7(2), 163–177. https://doi.org/10.21831/jrpm.v7i2.34290 shalehah, n. a. (2023). studi literatur: konsep kurikulum merdeka pada satuan pendidikan anak usia dini. jurnal ilmiah cahaya paud, 5(1), 70–81. https://doi.org/10.33387/cahayapd.v5i1.6043 supit, d., melianti, m., lasut, e. m. m., & tumbel, n. j. (2023). gaya belajar visual, auditori, kinestetik terhadap hasil belajar siswa. journal on education, 5(3), 6994–7003. https://doi.org/10.31004/joe.v5i3.1487 swara, s. j., & mambu, j. e. (2024). analyzing gender inequality and stereotypes in foreignsourced elt textbooks at an indonesian school: a mixed-methods content analysis. veles: voices of english language education society, 8(1), 230–240. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v8i1.25344 syahputra, m. i. (2019). analisis kesesuaian teks verbal dan visual pada buku teks bahasa indonesia kelas x penerbit kementeriankementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan ri edisi revisi 2017. universitas negeri medan. tanto, f. r. (2023). an analysis of the english textbook “ bahasa inggris work in progress ” based on the curriculum merdeka. uin jakarta. toleuzhan, a. t. (2022). review on the use of audiovisual aids as the open educational resources in efl among secondary education students. bulletin of the karaganda university pedagogy series, 108(4), 207–213. https://doi.org/10.31489/2022ped4/207-213 turner, e. e., chen, m. k., roth mcduffie, a., smith, j. e., aguirre, j., foote, m. q., & bennett, a. b. (2021). validating a student assessment of mathematical modeling at elementary school level. school science and mathematics, 121(7), 408–421. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12494 wang, y., & hemchua, s. (2022). can we learn about culture by efl textbook images?: a semiotic approach perspective. language related research, 13(3), 479–499. https://doi.org/10.29252/lrr.13.3.18 waningyun, p. p. (2021). efektivitas media pembelajaran audio visual dalam pembelajaran teks narasi hasil wawancara di sekolah menengah pertama. ruang kata: journal of language and literature studies, 01(01), 27– 41. https://doi.org/10.53863/jrk.v1i01.194 warsame, a. m. (2023). teachers’ perceptions of the impact of textbooks on their teaching efficacy and students’ motivation, involvement, and selfesteem: a case study in puntland state, somalia. east african journal of education studies, 6(2), 323–333. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajes.6.2.1352 yıldız, d., fidan, u., yıldız, m., er, b., ocak, g., güngör, f., ocak, i̇., & akyildiz, z. (2024). development and evaluation of an image processing-based kinesthetic learning system. applied sciences (switzerland), 14(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/app14052186 yuniarsih, r., & kamaludin. (2021). pengaruh gaya belajar dan pemanfaatan sumber belajar terhadap hasil belajar ppkn siswa. journal of education and instruction (joeai), 4(2), 311– 317. https://doi.org/10.31539/joeai.v4i2.2814 zakso, a. (2023). implementasi kurikulum merdeka belajar di indonesia. jurnal pendidikan sosiologi dan humaniora, 13(2), 916. https://doi.org/10.26418/j-psh.v13i2.65142 zhang, x. (2020). evaluation of suitability of a listening textbook for english majors in universities of china. advances in language and literary studies, 11(4), 87. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.11n.4p.87 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1169 positive politeness strategies in business correspondence between detrack systems and its clientele hilya aini english department, faculty of cultural sciences, universitas widyatama, bandung, indonesia email: hilya.aini@widyatama.ac.id ervina cm simatupang english department, faculty of cultural sciences, widyatama university, bandung, indonesia email: ervina.simatupang@widyatama.ac.id apa citation: aini, h., & simatupang, e. c. m. (2024). positive politeness strategies in business correspondence between detrack systems and its clientele. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1169-1178. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10837 received: 22-06-2024 accepted: 21-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 abstract: positive politeness is crucial in business communication as it fosters respectful rapport, enhances trust through assurances, and mitigates conflicts, thereby promoting effective interactions and fostering successful relationships. this study investigates the specific politeness strategies employed in business correspondence between detrack systems and its clientele and their roles in facilitating effective communication. the method used is qualitative analysis. results reveal that several types of positive politeness strategies were used; specifically, strategy 1 was employed in ten cases, strategy 2 in five cases, strategy 3 in one case, strategy 5 in three cases, strategy 6 in six cases, strategy 9 in two cases, strategy 10 in five cases, strategy 11 in three cases, strategy 13 in three cases, strategy 14 in four cases, and strategy 15 in seven cases. in total, these strategies were observed 49 times across the analyzed emails. through this analysis, it's clear that detrack systems and its clients consistently use these strategies. the roles of these positive politeness strategies in effective communication are to foster trust, facilitate collaboration, enhance customer satisfaction, promote transparency, assert reciprocity and help maintain positive relationships. keywords: positive politeness strategies; business correspondence; sociolinguistics; cross-cultural communication. introduction communication is fundamental to all societies, with language serving as a critical tool for conveying thoughts and knowledge (lut & starenkova, 2022). language shapes human behavior, both as a method of interaction and as a means of asserting control and influence (altarriba & basnight-brown, 2022; altun, 2023; fatmawati, et al., 2020). it includes rules that guide how individuals communicate, ensuring that interpersonal relationships are maintained effectively (raihany & rabbianty, 2021). communication is any activity aimed at influencing another person’s thoughts or actions (maroof, funke, adebanjo, & olawale, 2023). effective communication occurs when speakers tailor language to achieve specific objectives, ensuring the intended message is successfully conveyed and understood by the listener (simatupang & heryono, 2022; suparno, fitriana, nadra, gunawan, & boulahnane, 2023). language and culture are deeply intertwined, shaping how we perceive and interpret the world (karlik, 2023). cultural differences are an essential factor in the communication process, as subtle variations in expressions, idioms, and gestures can often lead to misunderstandings (zhang, 2023; sahadevan & sumangala, 2021). for instance, in high-context cultures, where communication relies heavily on implicit cues, confusion may arise when engaging with low-context cultures that prioritize direct and explicit communication (saaida, 2023). cross-cultural communication focuses on how individuals from different cultural backgrounds interpret verbal and non-verbal cues based on their unique cultural contexts and experiences (sarwari, adnan, rahamad, & wahab, 2024). in an increasingly multicultural world, individuals must navigate diverse environments and engage with people from different backgrounds to fulfill personal, social, and professional responsibilities (sahadevan & sumangala, 2021). the rise of information technology has significantly shifted communication from face-toface interactions to digital platforms (gruber, hargittai, & nguyen, 2022). with access to a wide range of digital communication tools, people can stay connected even when in-person encounters are mailto:hilya.aini@widyatama.ac.id mailto:ervina.simatupang@widyatama.ac.id hilya aini & ervina cm simatupang positive politeness strategies in business correspondence between detrack systems and its clientele 1170 limited (devisfruto & ablian, 2023; kusumastuti, et al., 2021). digital communication has become the primary means of social connection, transcending geographical, generational, and cultural boundaries (karlik, 2023). sociolinguistics, which examines the relationship between language and society, provides insights into how language reflects social structures and identity (holmes & wilson, 2022). through this study, the social roles of language and how individuals use it to communicate and negotiate their social identity in various contexts are further explored (holmes & wilson, 2022; mauranen & ranta, 2020). in a globalized world, the ability to navigate cultural and linguistic boundaries is essential for success, particularly in international business (ye, 2024; lifintsev & wellbrock, 2019). miscommunication can lead to severe consequences, especially in cross-cultural settings where individuals modify their communication styles based on cultural backgrounds and social norms to foster mutual understanding (freytag, 2020; sahadevan & sumangala, 2021). crosscultural communication is crucial in business interactions, ensuring that messages are clearly conveyed across cultural divides, ultimately helping to achieve organizational goals (chaika, 2019; sarwari et al., 2024). when applied effectively, communication strategies help build and maintain international teams, fostering smooth cross-border business development (chaika, 2019). the concept of politeness strategies plays a central role in communication. politeness involves using linguistic strategies to maintain social harmony and minimize conflict (holmes & wilson, 2022). politeness strategies help interlocutors navigate evolving social dynamics to ensure harmonious and respectful interactions (sapitri, chasanah, putri, & paulima, 2019; kádár & haugh, 2020). in cross-cultural communication, understanding and adapting to different politeness conventions shaped by socio-cultural factors is crucial. politeness strategies must be carefully reconstructed when translating or rephrasing speech to maintain the intended level of politeness (sapitri et al., 2019; culpeper & tantucci, 2021). in the context of business communication, companies like detrack, which offers delivery management software solutions, face unique challenges in managing communication across diverse cultural and linguistic boundaries. detrack’s platform includes essential features such as real-time tracking, proof of delivery (pod) capturing, and route optimization, all designed to streamline delivery operations and improve customer satisfaction (detrack systems, 2024). given detrack’s global reach, the importance of effective communication becomes even more pronounced, as they must cater to a broad clientele with varying cultural expectations and communication norms. for instance, consider a scenario where a detrack customer raises a complaint about a malfunctioning live tracking link. the customer might express their frustration with a message like: "i am very disappointed with the live tracking link provided to track my parcel. despite several attempts, the link does not work, leaving me unable to monitor the status of my delivery." in such a situation, detrack’s customer service team must carefully navigate the interaction by using positive politeness strategies to manage the customer's frustration. these strategies include acknowledging the inconvenience, expressing empathy, and providing a prompt solution. addressing the issue with politeness and understanding is essential to maintain the customer’s trust and satisfaction, as failure to do so could result in the loss of business and reputational damage. this scenario aligns with broader studies on politeness in business communication. positive politeness strategies, such as those outlined by brown and levinson in nurmawati, haryanto, and weda (2019), are designed to reduce social distance and promote goodwill. in written business correspondence, such as emails, these strategies help foster smooth interactions and mutual understanding between businesses and their clients (freytag, 2020; locher & watts, 2020). in fact, according to taylor in the study by qian and pan (2019), business letters, now primarily in email format, continue to play a vital role in building professional relationships and fostering politeness in communication. over the past several decades, research on politeness has steadily expanded, evolving into a genuinely multidisciplinary (if not interdisciplinary) field. experts from linguistics, social psychology, cognitive psychology, communication studies, sociolinguistics, and other areas have all significantly contributed to this research (holtgraves, 2019). in contemporary business communication, the implementation of politeness strategies is crucial for sustaining positive relationships, particularly in cross-cultural environments where misunderstandings can easily occur (culpeper & tantucci, 2021; holmes & english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1171 schnurr, 2020). positive politeness strategies, designed to reduce social distance and foster goodwill, are especially important in written business communication to promote smooth interactions and mutual understanding between businesses and their clients (freytag, 2020; locher & watts, 2020). various studies have examined the effectiveness and challenges of these strategies, particularly in the context of digital communication, which plays a central role in modern business interactions (gruber, hargittai, & nguyen, 2022; locher & graham, 2021). bargiela-chiappini and nickerson (2020) highlighted that positive politeness strategies, like expressing appreciation and using inclusive language, play a crucial role in fostering trust and cooperation in cross-cultural business settings. however, they also noted that these strategies can be challenging to balance with formality, particularly in environments where cultural differences influence perceptions of politeness. miyata and mantere (2021) found similar results in email communication within multinational corporations, showing that positive politeness, such as offering compliments or empathy, enhances relationships but may seem insincere if overused in formal contexts. house and rehbein (2020) also identified the benefits of positive politeness in digital business correspondence, noting its ability to improve communication efficiency and rapport, though cultural nuances and the digital format can sometimes reduce its effectiveness. hwang and lin (2019) explored the role of positive politeness in conflict resolution in international business, finding that strategies like offering reassurances can defuse tensions but may undermine credibility if not balanced with assertiveness. similarly, zhu and feng (2020) found that positive politeness in digital customer communication enhances satisfaction and loyalty but emphasized that excessive politeness can be seen as inefficient in fast-paced environments. overall, these studies underscore the importance of adapting politeness strategies to specific contexts, balancing effectiveness with cultural and situational awareness. previous research has explored the application of politeness strategies in various settings, including cross-cultural communication and digital interactions. despite these findings, there is limited research on the application of these strategies within delivery management systems, where timely communication and customer satisfaction are crucial. this study seeks to analyze how positive politeness strategies are applied in detrack's business correspondence with clients, focusing on their effectiveness in addressing customer concerns and minimizing cultural differences. the primary objectives are to identify the specific positive politeness strategies used, evaluate their role in enhancing communication, and determine their overall impact on client satisfaction. by understanding how these strategies function within a global business context, the study aims to contribute to the broader field of effective communication strategies in cross-cultural settings. method this research employs a qualitative method, which, according to cropley (2022), is aimed at exploring how individuals experience, organize, and interpret their daily interactions and lives. qualitative research seeks to uncover how individuals construct their realities within specific contexts through narratives. these narratives, which may include spoken or written communication, as well as other forms like diaries, journalistic works, audio or video recordings, or observations of everyday activities, help researchers understand how people make sense of their world (smith, flowers, & larkin, 2020; denzin & lincoln, 2019). this approach is particularly well-suited for exploring the intricacies of positive politeness strategies and their role in facilitating effective communication between detrack systems and its clients. for data collection, this study uses corpus analysis to examine case studies of email exchanges between detrack systems and its clientele. initially, a corpus of actual business communications is compiled, from which a subset of relevant cases is selected for detailed analysis. the selected cases are analyzed to identify specific positive politeness strategies and understand how these strategies contribute to achieving effective communication. the study presents its findings through a detailed textual analysis, breaking down the language used, identifying the politeness strategies, and illustrating their impact on communication outcomes (guest, namey, & mitchell, 2020; tracy, 2020). by analyzing these real-world examples, this research highlights the significance of positive politeness in building successful client relationships in a global business environment (silverman, 2020; braun & clarke, 2019). hilya aini & ervina cm simatupang positive politeness strategies in business correspondence between detrack systems and its clientele 1172 results and discussion analysis of 30 email interactions revealed that both detrack system and its clients consistently utilized positive politeness strategies to navigate crosscultural communication nuances and promote harmonious interactions. specifically, strategy 1 was employed in ten cases, strategy 2 in five cases, strategy 3 in one case, strategy 5 in three cases, strategy 6 in six cases, strategy 9 in two cases, strategy 10 in five cases, strategy 11 in three cases, strategy 13 in three cases, strategy 14 in four cases, and strategy 15 in seven cases. in total, these strategies were observed 49 times across the analyzed emails. these findings underscore the deliberate application of positive politeness strategies to promote mutual understanding and maintain positive business relationships through email communication. the data is shown below. figure 1. number of positive politeness used here is an examination of the positive politeness strategies employed by detrack systems and its clientele in their email communications, accompanied by data examples. strategy 1: notice, attend to h’s wants data: "please feel free to reach out if there are any specific aspects of the system you'd like to focus on during the demo." (detrack systems’ email wednesday, 3rd april 2024, 2:19 am) the data presented is from email communications between detrack systems and its client, detailing arrangements for a demonstration session to highlight the features of detrack software. detrack extended an invitation to the client to specify any specific topics they would like covered during the demo. the type of positive politeness used in the data is strategy 1: notice, attend to h’s wants. this strategy involves acknowledging and addressing the wants or preferences of the hearer (client) by inviting them to indicate their specific interests, thereby demonstrating attentiveness and responsiveness to their needs. the roles of this strategy in effective communication are to enhance relevance, increase engagement, and ensure mutual understanding. by actively seeking to understand and address what is important to the recipient, this strategy ensures that communication is directly relevant and tailored to meet their specific interests. this enhances relevance by ensuring that the information shared is pertinent and meaningful to the recipient's situation. additionally, by demonstrating attentiveness to the recipient's wants, the strategy encourages increased engagement in the conversation or interaction. strategy 2: exaggerate interest data: "your assistance in this matter would be greatly appreciated." (detrack systems’ email wednesday, 6th march 2024, 2:25 pm) the presented data was used by detrack’s client when the client reached out to schedule a meeting specifically aimed at discussing technical matters related to integrating detrack's software with their website. this initiative was undertaken to address potential challenges or requirements for synchronization between the two platforms, ensuring that the integration process proceeds smoothly without complications. the type of positive politeness strategy used in the data is strategy 2: exaggerate interest. the use of the word "greatly" in this context exaggerates the level of appreciation, emphasizing the speaker's strong desire for the hearer's assistance. this linguistic emphasis aims to convey sincere gratitude while also highlighting the importance of the hearer's involvement in the matter at hand. the roles of this strategy in effective communication are emphasizing importance and motivating action. when someone uses this strategy, they exaggerate their appreciation, enthusiasm, or urgency to convey the significance they place on the hearer's involvement or assistance. by emphasizing importance, the speaker communicates that the matter is crucial and not trivial, encouraging the hearer to prioritize it accordingly. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 politeness strategies politeness strategies used strategy 1 strategy 2 strategy 3 strategy 5 strategy 6 strategy 9 strategy 10 strategy 11 strategy 13 strategy 14 strategy 15 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1173 strategy 3: intensify interest to h data: “your feedback is incredibly valuable to us, and i look forward to hearing from you soon.” (detrack systems’ email thursday, june 13th 2024, 10:40 pm) the provided data was used by detrack when detrack contacted the client to solicit feedback following their testing of the software, aiming to assess its suitability for the client's operational needs. the inquiry sought to understand whether the client perceived the software as a viable solution for their specific requirements the type of positive politeness strategy used in this data is strategy 3: intensify interest to h. this strategy involves actively engaging the hearer and expressing a heightened level of interest in their feedback or input. the data exemplifies this strategy by emphasizing the importance detrack places on the client's input and expressing eagerness for their response. the roles of this strategy in effective communication are enhancing responsiveness and building trust and rapport. when a speaker expresses a heightened interest in the hearer's input or feedback, it encourages prompt and proactive responses, facilitating efficient problem-solving and decision-making processes. this proactive stance not only demonstrates eagerness to address issues promptly but also signifies a commitment to valuing the hearer's perspectives. by emphasizing the importance of the hearer's feedback, the strategy fosters a sense of respect and mutual appreciation, which strengthens the relationship and promotes ongoing collaboration. strategy 5: seek agreement data: “could we possibly look into scheduling the session for another day when i am available? i would be more than happy to accommodate the needs of your team and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in the demo.” (detrack systems’ email tueday, 9th april 2024, 3:44 am) the provided data was detrack's request to reschedule a meeting proposed by the client due to their own scheduling constraints. despite the initial timing not working out, detrack expressed continued interest in holding the meeting and suggested finding an alternative time that would accommodate both parties. the type of positive politeness strategy used in this data is strategy 5: seek agreement. by requesting to reschedule the meeting proposed by the client due to their own scheduling constraints, detrack demonstrates a collaborative approach aimed at finding a mutually agreeable solution. despite the initial timing not being feasible, detrack expresses ongoing interest in conducting the meeting, emphasizing their commitment to accommodating the needs of the client's team. the roles of this strategy in effective communication are building consensus, promoting flexibility, and maintaining positive relationship. when employing this strategy, the speaker endeavors to align their proposal or request with the hearer's preferences and availability, promoting cooperation and mutual understanding towards shared goals. this approach also demonstrates flexibility by accommodating the hearer's needs or constraints, showing a readiness to adapt plans for mutual benefit. strategy 6: avoid disagreement data: “thanks for reaching out. i know that there have been several emails that i haven’t responded to, and i would ask for your patience regarding those.” (detrack systems’ email friday, 10th may 2024, 11:09 pm) the presented data is from the client's email, reflecting detrack's efforts to contact them multiple times before receiving a response. detrack reached out to inquire about feedback regarding the client's trial period with detrack's services. the type of positive politeness strategy used in the data is strategy 6: avoid disagreement. the presented data shows the client acknowledging detrack's efforts to contact them multiple times before receiving a response. in their email, the client thanks detrack for reaching out and acknowledges that they have not responded to several previous emails. this response reflects strategy 6: avoid disagreement in positive politeness strategies by diplomatically addressing the issue of delayed responses without causing friction or tension. the roles of this strategy in effective communication are maintaining positive relationships and fostering a cooperative environment where both parties feel respected and appreciated. by acknowledging issues or delays in a diplomatic manner and requesting patience or understanding, communicators can navigate sensitive topics without undermining rapport or creating tension. this strategy ensures that discussions remain constructive and conducive to finding solutions, promoting ongoing engagement and collaboration towards shared goals. hilya aini & ervina cm simatupang positive politeness strategies in business correspondence between detrack systems and its clientele 1174 strategy 9: assert or presuppose s’s knowledge of and concern for h’s wants data: “are you still looking for a delivery management solution? if so, i'd be happy to provide any additional information or answer any questions you may have. if you've already found a solution, i'd love to hear about it to understand your decision better and to see how we might improve our offerings in the future.” (detrack systems’ email thursday, 13th june 2024, 10:40 pm) the presented data was used by detrack when detrack reached out to the client to inquire about their current interest in a delivery management solution and whether they are still considering detrack's services. they also asked for feedback on any specific areas where they could improve or provide additional information. if the client has already chosen a solution, detrack expressed interest in understanding their decision better to enhance their services in the future. the type of positive politeness strategy used in this data is strategy 9: assert or presuppose s’s knowledge of and concern for h’s wants. this strategy involves detrack assuming an understanding of the client's needs and preferences regarding a delivery management solution. by asking whether the client is still in search of such a solution and offering assistance or feedback options accordingly, detrack demonstrates a proactive approach aimed at aligning their services with the client's expectations. the roles of this strategy in effective communication are enhancing engagement and promoting collaborative efforts. by assuming an understanding of the client's needs and preferences, this strategy fosters proactive communication that resonates with the client's interests. it encourages meaningful interaction by addressing relevant topics and offering tailored solutions, thereby increasing the client's involvement in discussions. this approach also facilitates collaborative efforts as it demonstrates a commitment to meeting the client's expectations and working together towards shared goals. strategy 10: offer, promise data: "if your team encounters any queries, they can certainly share them via email along with supporting information such as screenshots. we'll ensure to provide thorough responses to ensure clarity and progress." (detrack systems’ email friday 22nd march 2024, 1:09 pm) the presented data was detrack's response to the client regarding the integration of detrack software with the client’s website. detrack assured the client that they were available to address any questions the client's team might have, encouraging them to share queries via email along with necessary supporting information such as screenshots. detrack committed to providing comprehensive responses to ensure clarity and facilitate progress in the integration process. the type of positive politeness strategy used in this data is strategy 10: offer, promise. detrack assures the client that they are ready to assist with any queries, inviting the client's team to communicate via email and provide supporting information like screenshots. by committing to deliver thorough responses, detrack aims to ensure clarity and facilitate smooth progress in the integration process. the roles of this strategy in effective communication are fostering trust, facilitating collaboration, and enhancing overall customer satisfaction. when detrack promises to address any queries and provide thorough responses during the integration process, it instills trust in their reliability and commitment to supporting the client's needs. this assurance clarifies expectations and sets a standard for engagement, promoting open communication channels where the client feels supported and valued. by actively offering assistance and committing to comprehensive support, detrack not only ensures smoother progress but also demonstrates a proactive approach to problem-solving. this collaborative effort between detrack and the client fosters a positive working relationship, leading to increased satisfaction as the client experiences responsive and customer-centric service. strategy 11: be optimistic data: “i am looking forward to our meeting and showing you how we can help you streamline your delivery process.” (detrack systems’ email friday, 3rd may 2024, 7:40 pm) the provided data is detrack’s email to customer when they reached out to customer and expressed their excitement for the meeting. the type of positive politeness strategy used in this data is strategy 11: be optimistic. detrack conveys positivity and confidence in their ability to provide beneficial solutions during the meeting. this approach aims to foster a positive outlook and build excitement around the potential english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1175 improvements that detrack can offer to streamline the client's operations. the roles of this strategy in effective communication are creating a positive atmosphere, fostering enthusiasm, and inspiring confidence. in the context of detrack's email to the customer, expressing excitement for the upcoming meeting serves to uplift the tone of the communication. by conveying optimism about their ability to streamline the customer's delivery process, detrack not only motivates interest but also instills confidence in their solutions. this strategy helps in building a constructive and forward-looking relationship where both parties are encouraged to engage actively and collaboratively. strategy 13: give reasons data: “regarding the pricing, could you please specify the exact number of drivers for whom you intend to purchase the detrack licenses? this will enable me to discuss potential offerings more effectively.” (detrack systems’ email wednesday, 10th april 2024, 12:51 am) the provided data is from an email sent by detrack to a customer, inquiring about the quantity of licenses they intend to purchase. this information is requested to facilitate discussions on potential pricing options tailored to the client's needs. the type of positive politeness strategy used in this data is strategy 13: give reason. the strategy is employed here by providing a clear rationale for the request—it allows detrack to better tailor their pricing offerings to meet the client's specific requirements. by explaining the purpose behind their inquiry, detrack aims to demonstrate transparency and ensure that the client understands the relevance of providing this information for a mutually beneficial discussion on pricing options. the role of this strategy in effective communication is enhancing transparency. by clearly explaining the purpose behind detrack's request for information on the number of licenses needed, it enhances transparency. this transparency builds trust and credibility between detrack and the client, as it demonstrates a logical basis for the inquiry rather than it being arbitrary. strategy 14: assume or assert reciprocity data: "could we schedule a work session at your earliest convenience, preferably tomorrow, to address any queries and ensure a smooth implementation process?" (detrack systems’ email thursday, 21st march 2024, 1:26 pm) the presented data is from the client's email when they reached out to arrange a meeting to discuss technical issues regarding the implementation of detrack's software in their operations. the client expressed a desire to address these technical concerns to ensure a smooth integration process. the type of positive politeness strategy used in this data is strategy 14: assume or assert reciprocity. by suggesting a work session at the earliest convenience, preferably the next day, the client not only highlights their urgency and commitment to resolving issues but also implies a mutual benefit from the collaboration. the role of this strategy in effective communication is fostering collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship. by proposing a work session at the earliest convenience, the client not only highlights the urgency and importance of resolving technical issues but also implies that both parties will benefit from the meeting. this approach reinforces a sense of shared responsibility and cooperation, encouraging both the client and detrack systems to actively contribute to the smooth implementation process. the strategy thus promotes a productive partnership where each side is equally invested in achieving successful integration. strategy 15: give cooperation to h data: “and of course, if you have any questions or need assistance during this process, feel free to reach out. i'm more than happy to arrange another meeting to discuss anything further or provide any support you may need.” (detrack systems’ email tuesday, 7th may 2024, 4:49 pm) the presented data is from an email detrack sent to the client during their trial period. detrack aimed to ensure the client had a smooth experience and received all necessary assistance. the type of positive politeness strategy used in this data is strategy 15: give cooperation to h. this strategy involves offering help and showing a willingness to cooperate, which fosters a collaborative environment. by explicitly stating their readiness to provide further support and arrange additional meetings if needed, detrack demonstrates their commitment to the client's success and satisfaction. the roles of this strategy in effective communication are demonstrating proactive support and encouraging open communication. it hilya aini & ervina cm simatupang positive politeness strategies in business correspondence between detrack systems and its clientele 1176 ensures the client feels valued and confident that their needs will be met promptly. this fosters a sense of reliability and trust in the business relationship. by explicitly inviting the client to reach out with any questions or concerns, it promotes a transparent and collaborative interaction. conclusion the analysis of 30 email interactions between detrack systems and its clients reveals a consistent application of positive politeness strategies to navigate cross-cultural communication nuances and promote harmonious interactions. out of the total emails analyzed, positive politeness strategies were utilized 49 times, underscoring the deliberate and strategic efforts by both detrack and its clients to foster positive and collaborative communication. this emphasis on positive politeness highlights the importance of maintaining respectful and supportive interactions in business communications, particularly in the context of technical support and service delivery. among the various positive politeness strategies identified, strategy 1 (notice, attend to h’s wants) was the most frequently employed, appearing in 10 cases. other commonly used strategies included strategy 6 (avoid disagreement) with 6 occurrences, strategy 15 (give cooperation to h) with 7 occurrences, and strategy 10 (offer, promise) with 5 occurrences. the diverse range of strategies employed illustrates a nuanced approach to communication, with different strategies being applied based on the context and specific needs of the interaction. this variety demonstrates an understanding of the different ways positive politeness can enhance communication effectiveness and relationshipbuilding. the roles of these positive politeness strategies in effective communication are crucial and multifaceted. by employing strategies such as offering, promising, and demonstrating optimism, detrack fosters trust, facilitates collaboration, and enhances overall customer satisfaction. strategies like giving reasons and seeking agreement promote transparency and flexibility, ensuring that communications are clear and mutually beneficial. additionally, strategies aimed at avoiding disagreement and asserting reciprocity help maintain positive relationships and foster a cooperative atmosphere, essential for long-term business success. overall, the deliberate use of positive politeness strategies by detrack systems and its clients significantly contributes to effective, respectful, and productive business communication. acknowledgement i would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to ibu ervina for her invaluable assistance in writing this journal. i also wish to express my gratitude to detrack systems for providing the essential materials for this research. references altarriba, j., & basnight-brown, d. (2022). the psychology of communication: the interplay between language and culture through time. journal of cross-cultural psychology, 860-874. altun, m. (2023). the power of language: exploring its significance in shaping perceptions, beliefs, and relationships. international journal of social sciences and educational studies, 362-366. anjarani, d. r. (2022). the violating of politeness maxims found in classroom interaction between teacher and english students. the ellite of unira , 60-65. bargiela-chiappini, f., & nickerson, c. (2020). politeness in business communication. in k. s. haugh, the cambridge handbook of politeness (pp. 523-543). cambridge university press. braun, v., & clarke, v. (2019). reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. qualitative research in sport, exercise and health, 11(4), 589-597. chaika, o. (2019). communicative strategies in crosscultural business environment. mìžnarodnij fìlologìčnij časopis, 114-121. cropley, a. (2022). introduction to qualitative research methods: a practice-oriented introduction. editura intaglio. culpeper, j., & tantucci, v. (2021). politeness in speech acts across cultures: a socio-pragmatic study. journal of pragmatics, 172, 59-76. denzin, n. k., & lincoln, y. s. (2019). the sage handbook of qualitative research (5th ed.). sage. detrack systems. (2024, september 24). who we are. retrieved from detrack.com: https://www.detrack.com/who-we-are/ devisfruto, j. c., & ablian, j. d. (2023). exploring digital and physical communication as a medium for social connection: a literature review. galaxy international interdisciplinary research journal, 23-31. divekar, n., & itankar, n. (2020). the role of languages and culture in intercultural business communication. international journal of modern agriculture, 9(3). 1359-1378. freytag, v. (2020). exploring politeness in business emails: a mixed-methods analysis. bristol: multilingual matters. gruber, j., hargittai, e., & nguyen, m. h. (2022). the value of face-to-face communication in the digital world: what people miss about in-person english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1177 interactions when those are limited. studies in communication sciences, 1-19. guest, g., namey, e. e., & mitchell, m. l. (2020). collecting qualitative data: a field manual for applied research (2nd ed.). sage. holmes, j., & schnurr, s. (2020). politeness strategies in business communication. journal of applied pragmatics, 32(2), 121-140. holmes, j., & wilson, n. (2022). an introduction to sociolinguistics. new york: routledge. holtgraves, t. (2019). politeness. in c. cummins, & n. katsos, the oxford handbook of experimental semantics and pragmatics (pp. 512-523). new york: oxford university press. house, j., & rehbein, j. (2020). politeness in virtual business correspondence: challenges and strategies. journal of language and business, 12(3), 412-426. hwang, w., & lin, c. (2019). the role of positive politeness in resolving conflicts in international business correspondence. international journal of business communication, 56(4), 612-630. kádár, d., & haugh, m. (2020). politeness, impoliteness, and ritual: maintaining face in everyday interaction. cambridge university press. karlik, m. (2023). exploring the impact of culture on language learning: how understanding cultural context and values can deepen languange acquisition. international journal of language, linguistics, literature and culture, 5-11. khosh, n. k. (2020). politeness strategies in response to request in british. proceedings of adved 2020 6th international conference on advances in education (pp. 405-413). international organization center of academic research. kusumastuti, f., astuti, s. i., astuti, y. d., birowo, m. a., hartanti, l. e., amanda, n. m., & kurnia, n. (2021). modul etis bermedia digital. jakarta: kementerian komunikasi dan informatika. landone, e. (2022). methodology in politeness research. cham: springer. lifintsev, d., & wellbrock, w. (2019). cross-cultural communication in the digital age. estudos em comunicação, 93-104. liu, j. (2020). a pragmatic analysis of hedges from the perspective of politeness principle. theory and practice in language studies, 1614-1619. locher, m. a., & graham, s. l. (2021). interpersonal pragmatics in digital and face-to-face communication. pragmatics & society, 12(3), 401-424. locher, m. a., & watts, r. j. (2020). politeness theory: evolution and adaptation. journal of language, culture, and society, 28(4), 299-315. lut, k., & starenkova, h. (2022). the relationship between language, culture, and development of society . studies in modern english, 63-72. maroof, s. a., funke, a. o., adebanjo, a. a., & olawale, a. i. (2023). effective communication: a stimulant to employees' performance in an organization. international journal of literature, language and linguistics, 1-10. mauranen, a., & ranta, e. (2020). english as a lingua franca in international business communication. cambridge university press. miyata, k., & mantere, s. (2021). positive politeness in email communication within multinational corporations. journal of business research, 126, 554-562. nurmawati, haryanto, & weda, s. (2019). an analysis of positive politeness strategies to promote effective interaction in the classroom. els journal on interdisciplinary studies on humanities volume 2 issue 2, 171-181. omar, a. s., & ondimu, k. o. (2024). the impact of social media on society: a systematic literature review. the international journal of engineering and science, 13(6). 96-106. pratama, h. (2019). linguistic politeness in online communication . semarang: lppm universitas negeri semarang . qian, d. d., & pan, m. (2019). politeness in business communication: investigating english modal sequences in chinese learners’ letter writing. relc journal, 20-36. raihany, a., & rabbianty, e. n. (2021). pragmatic politeness of the imperative speech used by elementary school languange teachers. okara: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 181-198. rini, heriyanto, e., & muhid, a. (2023). maxim of politeness used in “the grand final of american got talent 2021”: a pragmatics analysis . the english language and education spectrum, 112. saaida, m. (2023). language, culture, and power: exploring the dynamics of communication across differences. science for all publications, 1-2. sahadevan, p., & sumangala, m. (2021). effective cross-cultural communication for international business. shanlax international journal of management, 24-33. sapitri, p. a., chasanah, a., putri, a. a., & paulima, j. (2019). exploring brown and levinson's politeness strategies: an explanation on the nature of the politeness phenomenon . journal of research and innovation in language, 111-117. sarwari, a. q., adnan, h. m., rahamad, m. s., & wahab, m. n. (2024). the requirements and importance of intercultural communication competence in the 21st century. sage open. simatupang, e. c., & heryono, h. (2022). new-word formation and social disruption on metaverse. english review: journal of english education, 1013-1022. smith, j. a., flowers, p., & larkin, m. (2020). interpretative phenomenological analysis: theory, method and research. sage. hilya aini & ervina cm simatupang positive politeness strategies in business correspondence between detrack systems and its clientele 1178 suparno, d., fitriana, i., nadra, n., gunawan, f., & boulahnane, s. (2023). redefining politeness: power and status in the digital age. cogent arts & humanities, 1-10. wang, h., & xu, j. (2020). language, culture, and communication in a globalized context. international journal of language and communication studies, 17(3), 92-110. ye, z. (2024). language barriers in intercultural communication and their translation strategies. modern management science & engineering, 178-189. zhang, c. (2023). addressing cultural differences: effective communication techniques in complex organization. academic journal of management and social sciences , 30-33. zhu, y., & feng, j. (2020). customer satisfaction and politeness strategies in digital business communication. journal of global business communication, 15(2), 217-230. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1275 bridging culture and language: indonesian preservice teachers' perspectives on integrating local wisdom in english language courses hariswan putera jaya english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, south sumatera, indonesia email: hariswan@unsri.ac.id sofendi english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, south sumatera, indonesia email: sofendi@unsri.ac.id soni mirizon english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, south sumatera, indonesia email smirizon@unsri.ac.id apa scitation:. jaya, h. p., sofendi., & mirizon, s. (2024). bridging culture and language: indonesian preservice teachers' perspectives on integrating local wisdom in english language courses. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(3), 1275-1288. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10990 received: 25-06-2024 accepted: 23-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction the integration of local wisdom into educational practices has become increasingly significant in a globalized context, serving to foster cultural identity and improve learning experiences (zidny, sjöström & eilks, 2020; mazurkevych et al., 2024). by incorporating local cultural elements into language and other educational curricula, it will not only enhance student engagement and motivation but also aids in the development of a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the subject matter. studies indicate that culturally relevant pedagogy contributes to a stronger sense of identity and belonging among students, bridging their personal experiences with academic learning (allen et.al, 2021; kudumo & ngcoza, 2023). furthermore, integrating local wisdom has been found to support critical thinking by encouraging students to analyze, reflect upon, and appreciate their cultural heritage within a modern educational framework (taimur & sattar, 2020; wibowo, anis & rahman, 2023; qorib & afandi, 2024). these findings underscore the potential of local wisdom to act as a powerful pedagogical tool that enriches learning while promoting cultural continuity and resilience. local wisdom, encompassing the knowledge, values, and traditions of a specific community, is integral to education as it links students to their cultural heritage. incorporating local wisdom into english language skills courses enhances the curriculum and increases the relevance and significance of the learning experience for students. this approach holds particular abstract: this study examined pre-service teachers' perceptions of integrating local wisdom into english language skills courses, focusing on its effects on student engagement, comprehension, and overall learning experience. using a mixed-method survey design, the research collected data through a closed-ended questionnaire supplemented by open-ended responses. participants were students from the english education study program, and descriptive statistics, including means, standard deviations, and frequencies, were employed to analyze the quantitative data. the findings indicated that students experienced increased motivation and reported a stronger understanding of the cultural and social dimensions of language when local wisdom was integrated into the curriculum. qualitative insights further emphasized the importance of three key factors: culturally relevant materials, knowledgeable instruction, and varied pedagogical strategies. this study's unique contribution lies in its demonstration of how local cultural integration enriches language learning. practical implications include the recommendation for continuous curriculum adaptation to foster a meaningful fusion of language instruction and local cultural knowledge. keywords: english language education; local wisdom; preservice-teacher; student’s perception mailto:hariswan@unsri.ac.id mailto:sofendi@unsri.ac.id hariswan putera jaya, sofendi, & soni mirizon bridging culture and language: indonesian pre-service teachers' perspectives on integrating local wisdom in english language courses 1276 significance in indonesia, where a variety of cultures and languages coexist, providing a unique opportunity to integrate traditional knowledge with contemporary educational practices. abdullah et al. (2023); ferary (2023); srichampa (2024) in indonesia, proficiency in the english language is essential for personal and professional advancement. pre-service teachers, as future educators, must possess language proficiency and the capability to incorporate local cultural contexts into their teaching practices. understanding and valuing local wisdom enables pre-service teachers to develop inclusive and culturally responsive learning environments that align with their students' experiences (rigney, 2023). in indonesia, the integration of local perspectives is crucial, as english is frequently viewed as a foreign language. this approach can effectively bridge the gap between students' linguistic backgrounds and the target language (dewi, 2024; maryansyah et al., 2024). studies indicate that students' perceptions of their learning environment have a substantial impact on their motivation and engagement. examining pre-service teachers' perceptions of incorporating local wisdom into english language skills courses offers important insights into their preparedness for implementing culturally relevant pedagogies (prihatmojo et al., 2024). this knowledge can inform curriculum design, ensuring it addresses the diverse needs of students and promotes respect for local cultures. additionally, it fosters critical thinking and reflective practices in pre-service teachers, allowing them to connect language learning with their cultural identities (karim et al., 2024). although there is growing recognition of local wisdom's significance in education, empirical research on its integration into english language teaching remains scarce, particularly within the indonesian context. current studies show that students' perceptions of their learning environment significantly impact motivation and engagement (schweder & raufelder, 2024), yet little research has focused on pre-service teachers' perspectives on incorporating local wisdom into language courses. this study seeks to address this gap by examining indonesian pre-service teachers' perceptions of integrating local wisdom into english language skills courses. by exploring these perspectives, the study aims to deepen understanding of how local wisdom can enhance english language education and better prepare future teachers to navigate multicultural classrooms. in doing so, it offers novel insights into designing curricula that foster respect for local cultures, support critical thinking, and connect language learning with students' cultural identities, ultimately contributing to culturally relevant pedagogy within indonesia's educational landscape. method this study employed a survey design to examine pre-service english teachers' responses to a questionnaire about the integration of local wisdom into english language skills courses. the participants were randomly selected from a pool of 320 students in the english education study program, with a final sample size of 150 determined by slovin's formula at a 0.05 margin of error. the primary instrument was a five-point likert-scale questionnaire, ranging from (1) strongly disagree to (5) strongly agree. the questionnaire consisted of seven sections: (1) demographic information, (2) students' perceptions of local wisdom in learning, (3) assessment of the relevance of local wisdom in learning, (4) understanding and relevance, (5) impact on motivation and engagement, (6) relevance for the workforce and learning, and (7) open-ended feedback. each section focused on specific aspects of students' experiences and attitudes toward integrating local wisdom, providing a comprehensive view of their perceptions. data analysis involved both quantitative and qualitative methods. descriptive statistics—including means, standard deviations, and frequencies—were used to summarize responses across each section. to ensure the reliability of the instrument, cronbach's alpha was calculated, yielding a score of 0.85, which confirmed the questionnaire's consistency in measuring the intended construct. for the qualitative data derived from open-ended responses, a thematic analysis was conducted. responses were systematically coded to identify common themes, which were then grouped into categories that highlighted key insights into students’ views and the perceived impact of local wisdom integration. the findings were presented through both statistical summaries and thematic interpretations to provide a nuanced understanding of the data. results and discussion results the participants were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding the integration of local english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1277 wisdom in english language skills courses and its impact on students. the responses were subjected to statistical analysis to calculate the mean values, which were used to assess the level of agreement among the respondents. three categories agreement levels are defined based on the mean scores; a low level of agreement is reflected by mean score between 1.00 and 2.33, a moderate level of agreement is indicated by a mean score between 2.34 and 3.66, and a high level of agreement is represented by a mean score between 3.67 and 5.00 1. students' perceptions of local wisdom in learning there were ten questions which were given to the participants of the study regarding their perception of local wisdom in learning english table 1. students' perceptions of local wisdom in learning students' perceptions of local wisdom in learning sa a u d sd 1. i feel that the integration of local wisdom in english language skills courses (listening, speaking, reading, writing) helps me better understand indonesian culture. 54 (36%) 64 (42.7%) 28 (18.7%) 2 (1.3%) 2 (1.3%) 2. the local wisdom embedded in the english language skills courses is relevant to learning english. 42 (28%) 72 (48%) 31 (20.7%) 4 (2.7%) 1 (0.7%) 3. i feel motivated to learn when local wisdom is included in the english language skills courses. 56 (37.3%) 63 (42%) 31 (20.7%) 0 (0.0%) 0 (0.0%) 4. the integration of local wisdom in the english language skills courses makes the learning process more engaging. 57 (57%) 64 (42.7%) 26 (17.3%) 1 (0.7%) 2 (1.3%) 5. the local wisdom shared by the lecturer enhances my understanding of the cultural context of the english language. 50 (33.3%) 70 (46.7%) 27 (18%) 3 (2%) 0 (0.0%) 6. i find it easier to understand the material in the english language skills courses when local wisdom is used as examples in the lessons. 48 (32%) 63 (42%) 33 (22%) 4 (2.7%) 2 (1.3%) 7. i believe that the integration of local wisdom is important to preserve local culture. 66 (44%) 75 (50%) 6 (4%) 2 (1.3%) 1 (0.7%) 8. the lecturer frequently connects the content of the english language skills courses with local wisdom during the learning process. 33 (22%) 67 (44.7%) 45 (30%) 5 (3.3%) 0 (0.0%) 9. i feel that the local wisdom embedded in the english language skills courses is relevant to my needs as a future english teacher. 44 (29.3) 77 (51.3%) 27 (18%) 1 (0.7%) 1 (0.7%) 10. i feel that the integration of local wisdom in the english language skills courses makes me prouder of indonesian culture. 67 (44.7%) 66 (44%) 16 (10.7%) 0 (0.0%) 1 (0.7%) figure 1. students' perceptions of local wisdom in learning mean and standard deviation results the results from table 1 and figure 1 reveal a strong consensus among the students regarding the integration of local wisdom into english language skills courses. a significant majority, 78.5%, agreed that such integration enhances their understanding of indonesian culture, with only 18.8% expressing neutrality and 2.6% disagreeing. the mean score for this statement was 4.11, reflecting a high level of agreement. similarly, 76% of respondents felt that local wisdom is relevant to english learning, while 20.7% were neutral and 3.3% disagreed, yielding a mean score of 4.00, indicating strong agreement. in terms of motivation, 79.3% agreed that the inclusion of local wisdom motivated them to learn, with 20.7% neutral. the mean score for this statement was 4.17, further confirming a high level of agreement. additionally, 80.7% of respondents believed that integrating local hariswan putera jaya, sofendi, & soni mirizon bridging culture and language: indonesian pre-service teachers' perspectives on integrating local wisdom in english language courses 1278 wisdom made learning more engaging, while 17.3% were neutral, and only 2% disagreed, resulting in a mean score of 4.15. the role of local wisdom in enhancing understanding of english cultural contexts was also acknowledged by 80% of respondents, with 18% neutral and only 2% in disagreement. this statement achieved a mean score of 4.11, reflecting broad agreement. when asked if the use of local wisdom made course material easier to understand, 74% agreed, 22% were neutral, and 4% disagreed, with a mean score of 4.01. moreover, the importance of integrating local wisdom for cultural preservation was strongly supported, with 94% of respondents agreeing, 4% remaining neutral, and 2% disagreeing. this statement received the highest mean score of 4.35, indicating overwhelming support. regarding the frequency with which lecturers connected course material to local wisdom, 66.7% agreed, 30% were neutral, and 3.7% disagreed, with a mean score of 3.85, showing a somewhat lower, though still high, level of agreement. finally, 80.6% of the students affirmed the relevance of local wisdom to their needs as future english teachers, with 18% neutral and 1.4% disagreeing, resulting in a mean score of 4.08. the statement that integrating local wisdom increased pride in indonesian culture was supported by 88.7% of respondents, with 10.7% neutral and only 0.7% disagreeing, leading to a mean score of 4.32 assessment of the relevance of local wisdom in learning there were five questions which were given to the participants of the study regarding their perceptions of the assessment of the relevance of local wisdom in learning english table 2. assessment of the relevance of local wisdom in learning assessment of the relevance of local wisdom in learning sa a u d sd 1. the local wisdom taught in english language skills courses is relevant to the competencies needed in the workforce. 22 (14.7%) 64 (42.7%) 49 (32.7%) 8 (5.3%) 7 (4.7%) 2. i feel that the local wisdom presented in the english language skills courses enhances my understanding of social values. 47 (31.3%) 81 (54%) 20 (13.3%) 2 (1.3%) 0 (0.0%) 3. the inclusion of local wisdom makes learning in the english language skills courses more contextual. 36 (24%) 82 (54.7%) 30 (20%) 2 (1.3%) 0 (0.0%) 4. i feel that the integration of local wisdom makes learning in the english language skills courses more practical and applicable. 37 (24.7%) 74 (49.3%) 35 (23.3%) 4 (2.7%) 0 (0.0%) 5. the local wisdom included in the english language skills courses helps me develop critical thinking skills. 37 (24.7%) 80 (53.3%) 29 (19.3%) 3 (2%) 1 (0.7%) figure 2. asssessment of the relevance of local wisdom in learning mean and standard deviation results according to the data in table 2 and figure 2, a majority of students, 57.4%, agreed that the local wisdom taught in these courses is relevant to the competencies required in the workplace, while 32.7% expressed neutrality, and 10% disagreed, indicating that they did not find the local wisdom relevant to workplace needs. the mean score for this statement was 3.57, reflecting a moderate level of agreement. additionally, 85.3% of respondents agreed that the local wisdom integrated into these courses enhanced their understanding of social values, with 13.3% neutral and only 1.3% disagreeing. the mean score for this statement was 4.15, indicating a high level of agreement. furthermore, 78.7% of respondents believed that the inclusion of local wisdom made the learning of english language skills more contextual, while 20% were neutral, and 1.3% disagreed. the mean score of 4.01 reflects a strong level of agreement with this statement. when asked whether the integration of local wisdom made learning more practical and applicable, 74% of respondents agreed, 23.3% remained neutral, and 2.7% disagreed. the mean score for this statement was 3.96, suggesting that respondents largely felt the inclusion of local wisdom contributed to more practical learning. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1279 lastly, 78% of respondents agreed that local wisdom helped them develop critical thinking skills, with 19.3% expressing neutrality and 2.7% disagreeing. the mean score for this statement was 3.99, again reflecting a high level of agreement. understanding and relevance there are three questions which were given to the students of the study regarding their perceptions of understanding and relevance between english teaching material and local wisdom table 3. understanding and relevance understanding and relevance sa a u d sd 1. the integration of local wisdom in the teaching materials of english language skills courses helps me better understand local culture 44 (29.3%) 76 (50.7%) 26 (17.3%) 3 (2%) 1 (0.7%) 2. the local wisdom embedded in the english language skills courses is relevant to learning english. 38 (25.3%) 69 (46%) 38 (25.3%) 5 (3.3%) 0 (0.0%) 3. teaching materials that integrate local wisdom make learning in the english language skills courses more contextual and meaningful. 36 (24%) 78 (52%) 33 (22%) 3 (2%) 0 (0.0%) figure 3. understanding and relevance mean and standard deviation results the findings reveal a significant majority, 80%, affirmed that the inclusion of local wisdom in course materials greatly enhanced their understanding of local culture. in contrast, 17.3% maintained a neutral stance, indicating no strong opinion, and 2.7% disagreed, suggesting they perceived minimal impact on their cultural understanding as shown in table 3. the corresponding mean score of 4.06 indicates a high level of agreement, emphasizing the positive influence of local wisdom on cultural comprehension as shown in figure 3. similarly, 71.3% of students acknowledged the relevance of local wisdom to english language learning, with 25.3% remaining neutral, and 3.3% disagreeing. this statement achieved a mean score of 3.93, signifying substantial agreement. furthermore, 76% of participants agreed that integrating local wisdom into course materials made learning more contextual and meaningful, while 22% adopted a neutral position, and 2% disagreed. the mean score for this aspect was 3.98, reflecting a high level of consensus on the value of contextualizing english language learning through local cultural elements. impact on motivation and engagement there are three questions which were asked to the participants of the study regarding impact on motivation and engagement from the integration of local wisdom in english learning table 4. impact on motivation and engagement impact on motivation and engagement sa a u d sd 1. i feel more motivated to participate in the english language skills courses when the material includes local wisdom.. 39 (26%) 72 (48%) 32 (21.3%) 6 (4%) 1 (0.7%) 2. the integration of local wisdom makes learning in the english language skills courses more engaging and interactive. 45 (30%) 72 (48%) 29 (19.3%) 4 (2.7%) 0 (0.0%) 3. i feel that local wisdom enhances my engagement in the learning process of the english language skills courses. 40 (26.7%) 71 (47.3%) 33 (22%) 6 (4%) 0 (0.0%) hariswan putera jaya, sofendi, & soni mirizon bridging culture and language: indonesian pre-service teachers' perspectives on integrating local wisdom in english language courses 1280 figure 4. impact on motivation and engagement mean and standard deviation results the survey results indicate a strong agreement among respondents about the motivational impact of incorporating local wisdom into english language skills courses. a majority, 74%, agreed that they felt more motivated to participate in these courses when local wisdom was included in the material. meanwhile, 21.3% held a neutral view, reflecting uncertainty, and 4.7% disagreed, suggesting that they did not feel an increase in motivation due to the integration of local wisdom. the mean score for this statement was 3.95, reflecting a high level of agreement among respondents. additionally, 78% of respondents agreed that the integration of local wisdom made the learning experience in english language skills courses more engaging and interactive. in comparison, 19.3% expressed neutrality, and 2.7% disagreed, indicating they did not find the courses more interesting as a result. the mean score of 4.05 further emphasizes the respondents' positive perception of this integration. furthermore, 74% of participants agreed that the inclusion of local wisdom enhanced their engagement in the learning process, while 22% remained neutral, and 4% disagreed. this statement had a mean score of 3.97, signifying strong agreement overall. relevance to the workforce and learning there are two statements which were asked to the students of the study regarding their perceptions of relevance to the workforce and learning from the integration of local wisdom in english courses table 5. relevance to the workforce and learning relevance to the workforce and learning sa a u d sd 1. the local wisdom included in the english language skills courses is relevant to the competencies required in the workforce. 33 (22% ) 63 (42%) 49 (32.7%) 4 (2.7%) 1 (0.7%) 2. learning about local wisdom helps me understand the broader social and cultural contexts in the use of english. 43 (28.7 %) 76 (50.7%) 29 (19.3%) 2 (1.3%) 0 (0.0%) figure 5. relevance to the workforce and learning mean and standard deviation results the results in table 5 and figure 5 show that 64% of respondents agreed that the inclusion of local wisdom in english language skills courses is relevant to the competencies needed in the workplace. meanwhile, 32.7% expressed a neutral stance, indicating uncertainty, and 3.4% disagreed, suggesting that they did not find the integration of local wisdom relevant to the necessary workplace competencies. the mean score for this statement was 3.82, indicating a relatively high level of agreement among respondents. furthermore, 79.4% of respondents agreed that learning about local wisdom helped them better understand the broader social and cultural contexts in using english. in contrast, 19.3% remained neutral, showing indecision, and 1.3% disagreed, indicating that they felt local wisdom contributed less to their understanding of these broader contexts. the mean score of 4.07 demonstrates strong agreement, reflecting the importance of integrating local wisdom for a more comprehensive learning experience. feedback to complement the quantitative data gathered from closed-ended questionnaires, qualitative insights were collected through open-ended responses aimed at exploring the integration of local wisdom in english language instruction. key strengths the respondents highlighted several key strengths in the integration of local wisdom within english language courses. a significant number identified teaching materials as the primary strength, with english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1281 respondent 1 stating that, "…integrating local wisdom into the course enhances the relevance of materials, enriches students' cultural identity, fosters an inclusive learning environment, and encourages innovation based on local culture" similarly, respondent 2 noted that, "…the material’s relevance to daily life, enriched by local wisdom, makes learning more contextual and easier to understand” respondent 3 expanded on this by noting that, "…the integration of local wisdom in english courses provides relevant context and enhances the learning experience, allowing students to better appreciate their own culture while learning english, ultimately improving language skills" in addition to teaching materials, instructor expertise was also identified as a key factor in successful integration. respondent 4 emphasized, "…the strength of the delivery method and content alignment between local wisdom and english language education" lastly, the pedagogical approach was highlighted, with respondent 5 stating that, "…context-based problem-solving encourages creative thinking and innovation by embracing effective local solutions, it offers a fresh approach to existing challenges" these three factors were interlinked, as each contributed to creating an enriched learning experience grounded in local wisdom. areas for improvement when asked about areas for improvement, respondents mentioned various elements, though these were closely related. a common suggestion was to diversify teaching materials, with respondent 6 noting, "… i think it is essential to develop more learning materials that integrate various aspects of local wisdom" similarly, respondent 7 emphasized the importance of materials that truly reflect local wisdom and relevance within texts or conversations. additionally, respondent 7 suggested, "…specialized teacher training to integrate local wisdom effectively and the development of assessment tools to measure its impact on english language skills" some respondents pointed out the teaching approach as an area for enhancement, suggesting more varied pedagogical methods. respondent 8 recommended, "… we could use diverse pedagogical approaches, such as incorporating case studies, field projects, or group discussions to ensure indepth and applicable understanding of local wisdom" respondent 9 proposed incorporating media such as video projects or field studies at historical sites to provide contextual learning experiences. however, a few respondents felt that no changes were necessary, with respondent 10 stating, "…i believe the integration of local wisdom in this course is already sufficient." additional suggestions respondents offered further suggestions on integrating local wisdom more effectively into english language learning. many suggested increasing exploratory and collaborative activities that involve direct student engagement. for example, respondent 11 proposed, "…creative projects that encourage students to integrate local wisdom with english, such as writing essays, preparing presentations, or creating multimedia projects on local traditions" respondent 12 emphasized using "…local contexts in materials, teacher training for integrating local wisdom, collaboration with local communities, inclusion of local content in extracurricular activities, and comprehensive data analysis to assess student perceptions." respondents also recommended revising teaching resources by using culturally-rooted texts and materials. respondent 14 advised, "…incorporating texts, stories, and instructional materials rooted in local culture and encouraging students to create projects or presentations that blend local wisdom with english" hariswan putera jaya, sofendi, & soni mirizon bridging culture and language: indonesian pre-service teachers' perspectives on integrating local wisdom in english language courses 1282 respondent 15 suggested practical exercises like speaking or writing activities related to local wisdom, such as essays or presentations about local traditions or folklore the positive student perceptions toward integrating local wisdom into language skills courses reveal a deeper engagement with their own cultural identity, which appears to enhance their interest in learning. when students see their cultural heritage and values reflected in their studies, it validates their experiences and creates a sense of belonging in the academic environment (hinman, 2021). this aligns with research emphasizing the benefits of culturally relevant pedagogy, which advocates for learning experiences that draw from students’ own backgrounds (donahue-keegan, villegas-reimers & cressey, 2019). the integration of local wisdom supports the notion that learning is not only about acquiring language but also about understanding one’s place within it, which can profoundly affect students' sense of identity and self-esteem. for example, kinossalo, henna & intke-hernandez, 2022) argue that embedding cultural knowledge into language learning strengthens identity and self-awareness, fostering a stronger personal connection to the subject matter. by including familiar cultural references, teachers make language learning more accessible, bridging any divide that might exist between students’ home lives and academic environments. moreover, studies have shown that students are likely to feel a more profound attachment to learning materials that resonate with their cultural identity, which can significantly enhance retention and application of knowledge beyond the classroom (patton, 2023). this also aligns with theories of sociocultural learning, particularly vygotsky’s emphasis on social and cultural influence in cognitive development. language learning, from this perspective, becomes an activity that is as much about understanding one's cultural context as it is about linguistic competence. by integrating local wisdom into the courses, teachers can meet learners where they are, making abstract concepts more tangible and relevant (dolo & kuai, 2023). this connection between cultural familiarity and motivation is vital, as it not only increases student satisfaction but also prepares them to view english as a tool for expressing their identity rather than just a subject to pass (chen, 2023). research also supports the idea that culturally relevant materials can reduce language anxiety, a common barrier in language acquisition, by fostering a classroom environment where students feel understood and respected (lau & shea, 2024; alisoy, 2024). local wisdom is closely linked to fostering students’ competencies both personal and professional settings. students perceive local wisdom as not only academically relevant but also practical, as it encourages the development of soft skills such as cultural awareness, adaptability, and empathy—qualities that are increasingly vital in today’s globalized world (sakti, endraswara & rohman, 2024). this aligns with theories suggesting that when students learn in a way that mirrors real-world interactions and scenarios, they are better equipped to apply these skills later in life (singha & singha, 2024). by connecting english language skills to culturally significant practices and values, teachers are helping students bridge academic learning with practical life skills. this can be especially beneficial for students who may enter fields requiring a strong cultural understanding or who plan to work in multicultural settings where intercultural competence is essential (lópez-rocha, 2021). furthermore, culturally embedded language learning resonates with the broader framework of contextualized learning, which posits that knowledge becomes more meaningful when it is related to the learner's own life experiences. research supports this, showing that when learners engage with materials that relate to their own culture, the learning process becomes less abstract and more grounded (hudson, 2022). when students engage with learning materials that reflect their own traditions and values, they develop a deeper understanding of their heritage, which can reinforce both self-esteem and cultural pride (banfield, 2022). by embedding local cultural knowledge into english classes, teachers encourage students to see language not just as a set of rules and vocabulary, but as a medium for communicating values, beliefs, and histories (klimanova & hellmich, 2021). culturally relevant education not only helps students in developing language skills but also enriches their worldview, as they become more aware of the cultural diversity that exists both within their society and globally. by situating language learning within a framework of cultural understanding, teachers create opportunities for students to appreciate both their cultural identities and the ways in which these identities intersect with the global community (fielding, 2021). one of the most compelling findings from the integration of local wisdom into english courses is its impact on student motivation. students english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1283 express a higher level of engagement and motivation when the curriculum reflects aspects of their own cultural background. this heightened engagement aligns with the research findings of lopez et.al (2022) which suggests that intrinsic motivation—the drive to do something because it is inherently interesting or enjoyable—thrives when individuals feel that their values and interests are acknowledged. by integrating local wisdom, teachers create an environment where students feel that learning english is not merely an academic requirement but also a means of connecting with their cultural identity. the positive impact on motivation also has practical implications (chien, 2020). when students are more motivated, they are more likely to participate actively in class, which can lead to improved language acquisition. active engagement is essential in language learning, as it involves practicing skills such as speaking, listening, and interacting with peers (hiver, 2024). culturally relevant material can facilitate this active engagement by providing students with familiar and relatable content to discuss, analyze, and reflect upon. when students see their own culture represented in the curriculum, they may feel less intimidated and more confident, which can enhance their willingness to take risks and engage in communicative activities essential for language development (kristiawan, ferdiansyah & picard, 2022). in indonesia, a diverse country with a rapidly evolving job market, the need for english proficiency is increasing, especially as industries like tourism, hospitality, and international trade expand. however, there is a simultaneous need to retain cultural sensitivity and relevance (azeem et.al, 2022). integrating local cultural knowledge into english lessons allows students to see english not merely as an academic requirement but as a skill that directly applies to their future professional lives (lau & shea, 2024). this relevance helps students understand how language skills can support their unique cultural perspectives within professional settings, giving them a distinct edge as professionals who can bridge global communication gaps while maintaining cultural authenticity. studies in indonesia supports the idea that workforce readiness improves when education aligns with the practical, culturally relevant needs of the job market (nugroho, irianto & suryanto, 2024). so, when students understand how the material applies to their future careers, their motivation and engagement increase, leading to better learning outcomes. thus, embedding local wisdom into english instruction doesn’t just prepare indonesian students linguistically but also enables them to enter the workforce as culturally competent individuals who are equipped to navigate both local and international contexts. the interview responses reveal a strong consensus on the benefits of embedding local wisdom in english language courses. respondents appreciated how teaching materials grounded in local culture make learning more accessible, with several noting that cultural relevance fosters a sense of belonging and improves engagement. students who see their heritage reflected in learning materials are more likely to feel respected and valued (jimura, 2023). this aligns with the idea that culturally relevant pedagogy not only supports engagement but also empowers students to see their own traditions as sources of knowledge and pride (wiggan & watsonvandiver, 2019). respondent noted that when course materials incorporate familiar, daily-life examples, the language becomes more “contextual and easier to understand.” studies on culturally relevant education also highlight how such an approach can support cognitive and linguistic development by framing new concepts within familiar cultural contexts (ladson-billings, 2021). in this way, students simultaneously learn language skills and reinforce their cultural identity, a combination that could enhance both personal and academic growth. the responses also highlight the teacher expertise as a key factor in successfully integrating local wisdom. respondent emphasized alignment between delivery methods and content, which reflects an understanding that effective teaching relies not only on materials but also on how they are presented (milligan, 2019). teachers in indonesia, especially those versed in local customs, can bring language instruction to life by connecting english concepts to regional stories, folklore, or societal practices. in doing so, they validate students’ cultural backgrounds while broadening their perspectives. this approach is increasingly valued in indonesia, where educational reforms advocate for both global skills and cultural preservation (mariyono, 2024). despite the strengths, respondents also identified several areas for improvement, primarily related to resource diversity and teaching approaches. respondent expressed a need for more varied materials that reflect different facets of local wisdom, suggesting that a one-size-fits-all approach may not capture the full spectrum of hariswan putera jaya, sofendi, & soni mirizon bridging culture and language: indonesian pre-service teachers' perspectives on integrating local wisdom in english language courses 1284 indonesia's cultural landscape (aimar & jigyasu, 2022). given the diversity, where regional cultures and languages vary widely, expanding resources to include local contexts across the nation could enrich english instruction for students everywhere. this could mean developing supplementary materials that highlight local proverbs, customs, or industries, ensuring that students from all regions feel represented. the integration of local wisdom into english language instruction highlights a promising approach to making learning both culturally meaningful and pedagogically effective. the strengths identified—such as culturally relevant materials, the expertise of instructors, and innovative teaching methods—showcase the potential of local wisdom to enrich students' learning experiences and foster a deeper connection to their cultural heritage. however, the areas for improvement noted by respondents also provide valuable insights, underscoring the need for diverse and authentic materials, enhanced teacher training, and varied instructional methods to ensure that local wisdom is thoroughly and effectively embedded in the curriculum. additionally, suggestions for hands-on, collaborative projects reflect an ongoing desire to promote active, engaging, and contextualized learning experiences. overall, these findings suggest that by thoughtfully balancing local wisdom with english language skills, teachers can create a learning environment that is not only skill-building but also culturally resonant, thus preparing students for both academic and realworld applications. this approach supports a holistic view of education, where language learning serves as a bridge between global knowledge and local identity, fostering both linguistic competence and cultural appreciation. conclusion to conclude, integrating local wisdom into english language courses could bring about positive effects, showing that cultural relevance enhances student motivation, engagement, and comprehension. the findings reveal that the majority of students found learning more relatable with local cultural elements, fostering respect for both the english language and their cultural heritage. students expressed that culturally enriched materials provided a meaningful connection between their identities and global communication skills. to build on these benefits, the study recommends specific strategies for curriculum design: incorporating more diverse cultural content, integrating experiential and collaborative activities that link english to realworld contexts, and adopting a modular approach to balance local and global perspectives. this approach would cater to diverse student needs, making english language education more relevant and impactful. additionally, providing professional development opportunities for teachers in culturally responsive teaching methods could enhance the effective integration of local wisdom into the curriculum. for future research, examining the long-term effects of culturally integrated curricula on student outcomes and comparing impacts across different regions in indonesia would offer valuable insights. expanding the study to different educational levels or subjects could also help to refine strategies for effectively embedding local culture into broader educational practices. references abdullah, a., alim, a., andriyadi, f., & burga, m. a. (2023). application of multicultural education in strengthening community solidarity in indonesia. jurnal ilmiah peuradeun, 11(3), 1173-1198. agus, c., saktimulya, s. r., dwiarso, p., widodo, b., rochmiyati, s., & darmowiyono, m. (2021). revitalization of local traditional culture for sustainable development of national character building in indonesia. in innovations and traditions for sustainable development. springer. aimar, f., & jigyasu, r. (2022). cultural landscapes of the asia-pacific region: dilemmas of resilience. in the routledge handbook of cultural landscape heritage in the asia-pacific (pp. 403-419). routledge. alisoy, h. (2024). the impact of cultural differences on esl learners' language acquisition. euro global journal of linguistics and language education, 1(1), 11-17. allen, k. a., kern, m. l., rozek, c. s., mcinerney, d. m., & slavich, g. m. (2021). belonging: a review of conceptual issues, an integrative framework, and directions for future research. australian journal of psychology, 73(1), 87-102 alsen, e. (2019). developing critically conscious preservice teachers: a social justice approach to educate culturally and linguistically diverse students. arizona state university. arif, a. m., nurdin, n., & elya, e. (2023). character education management at islamic grassroot education: the integration of local social and wisdom values. al-tanzim: jurnal manajemen pendidikan islam, 7(2), 435-450. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1285 azeem, m., ahmed, m., haider, s., & sajjad, m. (2021). expanding competitive advantage through organizational culture, knowledge sharing and organizational innovation. technology in society, 66(10). banfield, b. (2022). honoring cultural diversity and building on its strengths: a case for national action. in women, work, and school (pp. 7793). routledge. barnes, m. e., & marlatt, r. (2022). from involvement to solidarity: community engagement to foster culturally-proactive and constructivist pedagogy. journal of curriculum and pedagogy, 19(1), 4-27. belford, n. (2024). culturally responsive teaching with pre-service teachers and the challenges to action culturally responsive pedagogies in an australian education context. in the layered landscape of higher education (pp. 118-133). routledge. chen, q. (2023). exploring shifts of dialogue in crosscultural teaching and curriculum design. in smudging composition lines of identity and teacher knowledge (vol. 46, pp. 147-166). emerald publishing limited. chien, g. c., mao, i., nergui, e., & chang, w. (2020). the effect of work motivation on employee performance: empirical evidence from 4-htar hotels in mongolia. journal of human resources in hospitality & tourism, 19(4), 473-495. coppersmith, s. a., song, k. h., & kim, s. (2019). inservice and pre-service teachers’ perceptions of transformation and observed classroom teaching practices to become linguistically and culturally responsive content teachers: quality teachers for english learners. journal of transformative learning, 6(2). dewi, a. c. (2024). assessing intercultural competence in english language learners: perspectives on local cultural integration in indonesia. foreign language instruction probe, 3(1), 54-66. dolo, f. x., & kuai, m. y. (2023). the development of hybrid audiovisual e-book with local wisdom-based real-world problems in ngada’s wela maka. international journal of instructions and language studies, 1(2), 61-70. donahue-keegan, d., villegas-reimers, e., & cressey, j. m. (2019). integrating socialemotional learning and culturally responsive teaching in teacher education preparation programs. teacher education quarterly, 46(4), 150-168. eko, b. s., & putranto, h. (2019). the role of intercultural competence and local wisdom in building iintercultural and inter-religious tolerance. journal of intercultural communication research, 48(4), 341-369. fauziddin, m., suryanti, s., & wiryanto, w. (2022). community-based education and regional culture, has it been put into practice?. alishlah:jurnal pendidikan, 14(2), 1069-1078. ferary, d. (2023). a philosophical perspective on the purpose of education in indonesia. in comparative and decolonial studies in philosophy of education (pp. 51-71). singapore: springer nature singapore. fielding, r. (2021). a multilingual identity approach to intercultural stance in language learning. the language learning journal, 49(4), 466-482. hinman, t. b., he, y., wilson, s. m., paschal, a. a., & nelson, j. (2021). challenges and strengthbased strategies for cultivating a sense of belonging in a heritage language program. resisting barriers to belonging: conceptual critique and critical applications. london: lexingtong book publishing. hiver, p., al-hoorie, a. h., vitta, j. p., & wu, j. (2024). engagement in language learning: a systematic review of 20 years of research methods and definitions. language teaching research, 28(1), 201-230. hudson, t. d. (2022). interpersonalizing cultural difference: a grounded theory of the process of interracial friendship development and sustainment among college students. journal of diversity in higher education, 15(3), 267. jimura, t. (2023). sustainability of japan’s tangible cultural heritage. in sustainability management in heritage and tourism: the concept and practice of mottainai in japan (pp. 35-67). cham: springer international publishing. karim, a., kabilan, m. k., sultana, s., amin, e. u., & rahman, m. m. (2024). reflecting on reflections concerning critical incidents in developing pre-service teachers’ professional identity: evidence from a tesol education project. english teaching & learning, 48(3), 291-318. kinossalo, m., henna, j., & intke-hernandez, m. (2022). life-story pedagogy for identity: through linguistic and cultural recognition to participation and equity. apples: journal of applied language studies, 2022(16). klimanova, l., & hellmich, e. a. (2021). putting local on the map: a model for engaging foreign language students with local cultures. foreign language annals, 54(1), 158-184. kristiawan, d., ferdiansyah, s., & picard, m. (2022). promoting vocabulary building, learning motivation, and cultural identity representation through digital storytelling for young indonesian learners of english as a foreign language. iranian journal of language teaching research, 10(1), 19-36. kudumo, p., & ngcoza, k. m. (2023). prospects of using indigenous knowledge as a culturally responsive pedagogy to teach science concepts regarding iron smelting. indilinga african hariswan putera jaya, sofendi, & soni mirizon bridging culture and language: indonesian pre-service teachers' perspectives on integrating local wisdom in english language courses 1286 journal of indigenous knowledge systems, 22(2), 204-221. ladson-billings, g. (2021). culturally relevant pedagogy: asking a different question. teachers college press. lau, w. s., & shea, m. (2024). empowering english learners in the classroom through culturally responsive social-emotional teaching practices. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 45(7), 2880-2897. lópez-rocha, s. (2021). refocusing the development of critical intercultural competence in higher education: challenges and opportunities. language and intercultural communication, 21(1), 118-131. mariyono, d. (2024). indonesian mosaic: the essential need for multicultural education. quality education for all, 1(1), 301-325. maryansyah, y., syafryadin, s., & badeni, b. (2024). indonesian suburban area efl teachers' perspectives on translanguaging. register journal, 17(1), 23-48. maureen, i., imah, e., savira, s., anam, s., mael, m., & hartanti, l. (2022). innovation on education and social sciences. in routledge ebooks. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003265061 mazurkevych, o., skoryk, a., antipina, i., goncharova, o., & kondratenko, i. (2024). the specifics of preserving cultural identity in the context of globalization processes. mankind quarterly, (64), 4. milligan, l. o., koornhof, h., sapire, i., & tikly, l. (2019). understanding the role of learning and teaching support materials in enabling learning for all. compare: a journal of comparative and international education, 49 (4), 529-547 nasucha, m. r., & khozin, k. (2023). synergizing islamic religious education and scientific learning in the 21st century: a systematic review of literature. jurnal pendidikan agama islam (journal of islamic education studies), 11(1), 109-130. nugroho, n. e., irianto, j., & suryanto, s. (2024). a systematic review of indonesian higher education students’ and graduates’ work readiness. jurnal ilmiah ilmu terapan universitas jambi, 8(1), 350-363. patton, l. d. (ed.). (2023). culture centers in higher education: perspectives on identity, theory, and practice. taylor & francis. prastikawati, e. f., adeoye, m. a., & ryan, j. c. (2024). fostering effective teaching practices: integrating formative assessment and mentorship in indonesian preservice teacher education. indonesian journal on learning and advanced education (ijolae), 6(2), 230-253. pratiwi, m. a., & wikantiyoso, r. (2022). local wisdom as cultural resilience on tourism activities. local wisdom scientific online journal, 14(1), 95-105. prihatmojo, a., sartono, e. k. e., hamkah, m., syarif, i., & kisworo, t. w. (2024). perceptions of pedagogy lecturers and students regarding the manifestation of local wisdom values. journal of ecohumanism, 3(3), 439-450. pudjiastuti, s. r., hadi, n., arfani, h., akbar, r. p., & tajudin, a. s. (2021). the culture and local wisdom of the indigenous people kasepuhan sinar resmi. jhss, journal of humanities and social studies, 5(2), 198-202. qorib, m., & afandi, a. (2024). implementing prophetic values in the islamic life guidelines for muhammadiyah citizens: a qualitative analysis for transforming science and technology. miqot: jurnal ilmu-ilmu keislaman, 48(1), 1-25. rigney, l. i. (ed.). (2023). global perspectives and new challenges in culturally responsive pedagogies: super-diversity and teaching practice. taylor & francis. rofiah, k., ngenge, r. t., kholidya, c. f., & ainin, i. k. (2023). digital literacy and perception of inclusive education of preservice teachers at indonesian universities. in international conference on new media pedagogy (pp. 2443). cham: springer nature switzerland. sakti, s. a., endraswara, s., & rohman, a. (2024). integrating local cultural values into early childhood education to promote character building. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 23(7), 84101. sakti, s. a., endraswara, s., & rohman, a. (2024). revitalizing local wisdom within character education through ethnopedagogy apporach: a case study on a preschool in yogyakarta. heliyon, 10(10). schweder, s., & raufelder, d. (2024). does changing learning environments affect student motivation?. learning and instruction, 89, 101829. setyono, b., & widodo, h. p. (2019). the representation of multicultural values in the indonesian ministry of education and cultureendorsed efl textbook: a critical discourse analysis. intercultural education, 30(4), 383397. silva, d. (2022). pre-service teachers' understanding of culture in multicultural education: a qualitative content analysis. teaching and teacher education, 110, 103580. singha, r., & singha, s. (2024). application of experiential, inquiry-based, problem-based, and project-based learning in sustainable education. in teaching and learning for a sustainable future: innovative strategies and best practices (pp. 109-128). igi global. srichampa, s. (2024). inclusive ethnic groups for asean sustainable development. international journal on culture, history, and religion, 6(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003265061 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1287 susanti, d., & kim, c. (2020). ethno-pedagogy with traditional ecological knowledge: application with indonesian pre-service teachers and implications for environmental education. 33(2), 129-140. taimur, s., & sattar, h. (2020). education for sustainable development and critical thinking competency. quality education, 238-248. tohri, a., rasyad, a., sururuddin, m., & istiqlal, l. m. (2022). the urgency of sasak local wisdombased character education for elementary school in east lombok, indonesia. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 11(1), 333-344. toledo-sandoval, f. (2020). local culture and locally produced elt textbooks: how do teachers bridge the gap?. system, 95, 102362. wibowo, g. a., anis, m., & rahman, a. (2023). the use of nasi pelleng local wisdom as social science teaching material. jurnal iqra': kajian ilmu pendidikan, 8(2), 130-150 wiggan, g., & watson-vandiver, m. j. (2019). pedagogy of empowerment: student perspectives on critical multicultural education at a high-performing african american school. race ethnicity and education, 22(6), 767-787. zein, s., sukyadi, d., hamied, f. a., & lengkanawati, n. s. (2020). english language education in indonesia: a review of research (2011– 2019). language teaching, 53(4), 491-523. zidny, r., sjöström, j., & eilks, i. (2020). a multiperspective reflection on how indigenous knowledge and related ideas can improve science education for sustainability. science & education, 29(1), 145 hariswan putera jaya, sofendi, & soni mirizon bridging culture and language: indonesian pre-service teachers' perspectives on integrating local wisdom in english language courses 1288 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 351 exploring the types and challenges of hedges and boosters in efl students’ academic writing riza merlinda* master of english education, directorate of graduate program, universitas muhammadiyah malang, malang, indonesia. email: rizamerlinda@webmail.umm.ac.id hartono master of english education, directorate of graduate program, universitas muhammadiyah malang, malang, indonesia. email: hartono@umm.ac.id masduki master of english education, directorate of graduate program, universitas muhammadiyah malang, malang, indonesia. email: masduki@umm.ac.id apa citation: merlinda, r., hartono., & masduki. (2025). exploring the types and challenges of hedges and boosters in efl students’ academic writing. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 351-362. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.10531 received: 12-09-2024 accepted: 19-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: this study aims to explore the types based on bal-gezegin & baş (2020) theory and the problems of hedges and booster devices used in the efl students’ academic writing. the researcher chose bal-gezegin & baş’s (2020) theory because several previous studies have used a relatively older theory. this new theory may offer an innovative approach to comprehending a phenomenon, which can lead to new insights and discoveries. this research applied a qualitative case study approach. the data analysis employed by miles et al., (2014). the researcher used purposive sampling to determine the research. the participants were six theses and six efl students at the english department of unu lampung who studied in 2018 and graduated in 2022. furthermore, the researcher used a document checklist and interview to gather the data. the research found four types of hedges: modal auxiliaries, lexical verbs, hedging adverbs, and hedging phrases. there were six boosters: lexical verbs, boosting adverbs, modal auxiliaries, boosting adjectives, boosting nouns, and boosting phrases. moreover, the problems faced by the students are the learner’s limited knowledge, improper grammar, lack of confidence, difficulty constructing phrases, insufficient experience, overuse, inadequate vocabulary, and misplaced vocabulary. the results of this research highlighted that using hedges and boosters is crucial to help students express claims or arguments in academic writing. in sum, this research improved the learners’ understanding of the nuances of academic communication. the pedagogical implication is that writing teachers are responsible for assisting students in tackling the challenges and obstacles in their academic writing. keywords: case study; challenges; hedges and boosters introduction writing is a way of expressing ideas, minds, and opinions to the readers. this language ability becomes crucial for establishing personal connections without having to physically meet (zulaiha & triana, 2023). as a result, writing is a useful skill that is essential for language learning. according to rosyada & sundari (2021) academic writing is intended for students, especially english as a foreign language (efl) students in indonesia country. it can be challenging because they are required to write assignments. furthermore, academic writing abilities are important across several disciplines and fields of study, since they are essential for effectively communicating ideas and knowledge in academic genres such as textbooks, research papers, essays, theses, and other scholarly works (wymann, 2021). it is common knowledge that writing in english is an arduous case for almost all foreign language learners. it is the fundamental concept of communicative strategies, such as hedges and boosters, to be used in academic writing (akman & karahan, 2023). however, students often encounter challenges in writing. first, students have limited awareness of effective writing strategies (asnas et al., 2022). second, students lack thorough knowledge of hedging and boosting expressions (triyoko et al., 2021). insufficient understanding leads to improper utilization, which can weaken their arguments and diminish the overall clarity of their riza merlinda, hartono, & masduki exploring the types and challenges of hedges and boosters in efl students’ academic writing 352 work. lastly, students lack of awareness about the importance of using hedges and boosters in the thesis (taymaz, 2021). in the more complex aspects of academic writing, authors engage in particular interactions with readers, which manifest as meta-discourse. meta-discourse is a social interaction that facilitates knowledge communication between writers and their targeted readers (al-mudhaffari et al., 2020; gong et al., 2021; uba, 2020). this can be particularly challenging for efl learners, especially when they are tasked with addressing academic material or writing. therefore, the implementation of strategic approaches in academic writing is of crucial significance in the development of learners' writing abilities. hedges and boosters are communicative or linguistic strategy to decrease or increase the strength of an utterance (hyland, 2019). hedges and boosters are components of the meta-discourse employed by writers to enhance the comprehensibility of the text for the reader. in order for readers to understand what the authors intend, writers use a number of language devices known as meta-discourse to construct their arguments in accordance with the wants and expectations of their audience (bal-gezegin & baş, 2020). it is crucial to distinguish the ideational substance of the text from the aspects that organize it and convey the writer's thoughts and attitudes toward it. as a subcategory of interactional metadiscourse, hedges and boosters are used to implement a communicative strategy in which a text can only communicate effectively if the author has accurately assessed both the readers' interpretive resources and their likely response. thus, authors strategically utilize hedges and boosters to indicate their position regarding the ideas offered in the sources (sánchez-jiménez, 2022). the discussion about hedging has become an interesting topic in linguists’ view. in the academic context, hedging is included as one of the features of communication styles. hedges decrease the level of academic commitment (oktay, 2020). in academic writing, the use of hedging devices is crucial. in addition to demonstrating respect and modesty for their audience and colleagues, writers can demonstrate confidence in their ability to transmit facts using hedges and boosters (farnia & gerami, 2021). hedges imply that a statement is based on the author's interpretation as instead of strong proof. boosters are contradicted with hedges. boosters increase the level of academic commitment (oktay, 2020). boosters are commonly employed as rhetorical devices that show the writers' complete trust and conviction in their assertions, showcasing their active involvement with the subject matter and fostering a sense of unity with their readership. the strength of bal-gezegin & bas (2020) theory than of other theories. in a new theory, an innovative approach to comprehending a phenomenon can lead to discovering new insights and knowledge. this theory is simpler and less complicated. there have been several previous research findings on hedges and boosters (ardhianti et al., 2023; ekoc-ozcelik, 2023; jabbar, 2019; taymaz, 2021; triyoko et al., 2021). first of all, a study by ekoc-ozcelik (2023) examined the use of hedges and boosters in research paper abstracts of turkish and chinese students. secondly, a study conducted by ardhianti et al., (2023) provided a detailed description of the usage of hedges and boosters in scientific articles written by students. thirdly, a study conducted by triyoko et al., (2021) focused on enhancing the explanation of academic writing practices with types and functions of hedges and boosters. fourthly, a study conducted by taymaz (2021) aimed to examine and compare the potential variations in the utilization of hedging and boosting devices between master's and doctoral levels. lastly, a study by jabbar (2019 analysed the use of hedges and boosters in the students' academic research project. while previous studies have provided valuable insights into the use of hedges and boosters in academic writing, this research aims to address specific gaps and contribute to the existing body of knowledge. for example, triyoko et al. (2021) explored the types and functions of hedges and boosters in academic writing practices but primarily focused on general academic texts rather than specific genres like theses. this current study builds on their work by narrowing the scope to undergraduate students’ theses, offering a more detailed exploration of how hedges and boosters are utilized in this specific context. similarly, ardhianti et al. (2023) analyzed the use of hedges and boosters in scientific articles written by students, emphasizing the frequency and patterns of usage. however, their study did not delve into the problems students face when using these devices. in contrast, this research goes beyond frequency analysis to investigate the challenges students encounter, such as improper utilization or lack of awareness, and how these issues impact the quality of their writing. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 353 by adopting the framework of bal-gezegin & baş (2020)—an adaptation of dafouz-milne (2008) and hyland (2019)—this study incorporates a more modern theoretical perspective compared to the relatively older frameworks used in previous research. this innovative approach not only revisits the findings of earlier studies but also seeks to uncover new insights into the interplay between linguistic strategies and academic writing development (forbes, 2019). then, this research focuses on the types and problems of hedges and booster devices used in the students’ theses. hence, this study decided to conduct a more indepth investigation by constructing the following questions: (1.) what types of hedges and boosters do efl students use in their theses at english language department of unu lampung? (2.) what problems do efl students face when using hedges and boosters in their theses at the english language department of unu lampung? method the researcher used a qualitative method to answer the research questions. anderson (2005) stated that qualitative research is a type of study that explores phenomena in their natural settings and employs multiple methods to interpret, comprehend, explain, and give meaning to them. more specifically, a case study design was applied in this current research. according to ary et al., (2019), a case study is an in-depth investigation conducted on a certain individual, group, event, or institution. the researcher selected a qualitative case study to explore the types and challenges efl students face with hedges and boosters in their theses in depth. this depth may not be achievable through a mixedmethod approach, which measures breadth over depth. the case in this current research was addressed in unu lampung based on several considerations. first, the student’s lack of knowledge about hedges. second, the students have a low awareness of using hedges and boosters. third, preliminary studies suggested that students at unu lampung faced unique challenges related to hedges and boosters. the subjects of this research were six theses and six efl students at the english education department of unu lampung who studied in the academic year 2018 and graduated in 2022. the sample size of six has been saturated; no more new information is obtained from the participants. they were selected by employing a purposive sampling approach. this sampling approach was defined by schreier (2018) as a strategy in which sample members are selected to represent a location or type concerning the criterion. first of all, several theses contained numerous hedges and boosters. secondly, the students who wrote the thesis had different advisors. thirdly, the students who wrote the thesis were willing to be the participants. additionally, based on the gender distribution, there is a balanced representation between male and female students in using hedges and boosters intensifiers in academic writing. furthermore, the researcher employed two data collection techniques: documents and interviews, using corresponding instruments, namely a document checklist and an interview guide, as described by creswell (2015). there are three structures of the document checklist. first, categories of analysis means the document checklist is organized into specific categories that align with the research questions. for instance, categories might include types of hedges used (e.g., modal verbs, adverbs) and types of boosters used (e.g., lexical verbs, adjectives). second, the parts of thesis section includes five chapters introduction, literature review, method, discussion, and conclusion. third, the note section for qualitative notes could allow the researcher to capture additional insights about using hedges and boosters in the theses, such as patterns or anomalies. the aim of analyzing these documents was to identify the types of hedges and boosters used and to support data from the interview. the process involved several steps: preparing document checklists, collecting and selecting relevant theses, reading through the documents to identify instances of hedges and boosters, coding these instances, and cross-checking the obtained data. thus, the interview technique involved semistructured interviews. these interviews aimed to gain insights into students' difficulties when applying hedges and boosters in their academic writing. the interview process involved developing and validating an interview guide with open-ended questions, contacting participants, conducting individual interviews via zoom, and then cross-checking the data obtained. from these interviews. the researcher took approximately 20 minutes to ask the subjects some questions. the questions consist of fourteen. they regard the students’ difficulties in writing a thesis, the argumentation about hedge and booster, the experience in writing strategies that have been used, the barriers when using hedge and booster, the expectations of learning hedge and booster in the future, etc. riza merlinda, hartono, & masduki exploring the types and challenges of hedges and boosters in efl students’ academic writing 354 in data analysis, the researcher followed the steps provided by miles et al. (2014), including data condensation, data display, and drawing conclusions. firstly, during the data condensation phase, the researcher simplified the data obtained from both the documents and interviews. next, the researcher selected relevant data that aligned with the research focus and identified information that could be deemed irrelevant for reduction. additionally, the researcher classified the types of hedges and boosters according to the challenges students faced in writing their theses. finally, the researcher analyzed the results from the document checklists and interview guides to address the research questions. secondly, the researcher implemented a series of steps in the data display phase. first, the entire dataset collected from documents and interviews was presented. second, the researcher highlighted both hedges and boosters in a table format for clarity. third, the researcher listened to and transcribed the interview results. lastly, the researcher provided a comprehensive description of the interview findings, focusing on the types and challenges students encountered when using hedges and boosters. in the final phase of drawing conclusions, the researcher verified the findings, engaged in a detailed discussion, interpreted the data, and drew conclusions regarding the use of hedges and boosters by efl students at unu lampung. results and discussion the types of hedges and boosters according to the result of the document analysis, the researcher presented the following table: types of hedges table 1. types of hedges used by students types of hedges students’ initial name ik fdj mrh fp nz rar modal auxiliaries can, could, will, would, should, may, might, can, could, will, would, should, may, might, will, would, can, could, should, may will, would, can, could, should, may, might will, would, can, could, should, may can, will, would lexical verbs conclude, inferred, seem, assume, presume, suggest conclude, seems, summarize, appear summarize, conclude, inferred appear, seem, conclude seem, conclude conclude, suggested hedging adverbs generally, perhaps, usually, almost perhaps, usually, generally, almost, commonly mostly, usually, almost, likely, most of, commonly slightly, generally, usually, mostly, almost most of, almost, commonly almost, usually, hedging phrases researcher conclude, researcher assumes the writer thinks, the author concludes indonesian people still think researcher concludes, the researcher suggests the researcher proposes based on the table above, it was found that the students used almost all the types of hedges. only one student did not use hedging phrases. this indicated their stated uncertainty regarding their stance on a particular topic. bal-gezegin & baş (2020) highlighted the application of hedging, which indicated the author's decision to reduce total commitment to a statement. therefore, the information is presented as opinion rather than proven fact. furthermore, employing hedges as linguistic devices indicated that students had modesty rather than arrogance or were allknowing. numerous utterances of hedging devices were found in the students’ theses as follows: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 355 in theory, it is hoped that this research can contribute to the development of the study of linguistics, especially functional systemic linguistics (rar, introduction). modal auxiliaries are auxiliary verbs that convey thoughts of possibility, probability, or necessity. the term “can” showed the frequently used hedges modal auxiliary verbs in students’ theses. the employ of “can” in rar's statements when stating the significance of her research decreased the strength of her argument. the statement above demonstrates a form of uncertainty, which rar softens her claim when she mentions her study has theoretical and practical benefits. from the explanation above, the researcher concluded that writing is a productive skill that expresses an idea in written form which involved the mastery of all elements in the target of language such as grammatical, content, organizations, vocabulary, punctuation, spelling and mechanism (fdj, literature review). lexical verbs are primary verbs that represent a certain level of uncertainty or subjectivity. the author stated that she summarizes the descriptions of writing from several experts. in this way, she expresses her opinion based on several previous statements with a different conveyance without changing the meaning. researcher took viii a and viii i as the sample, because the students of each class almost had same ability in english proficiency (ik, method). hedging adverbs modify verbs to express uncertainty or possibility. ik stated that he took classes viii a and viii i as samples because students in each class "almost" had the same english language skills. the word "almost" in his words is a form of adverbial hedge, meaning he is still unsure. the word "almost" can be interpreted as meaning that class viii a students have better english proficiency than class viii i or vice versa. the writer thinks that the students' mistakes are caused by several factors (fdj, introduction). hedging phrases are linguistic expressions that convey the writer's subjective opinions or restricted expertise. there were hedging phrases when fdj said: "the writer thinks that the students' mistakes are caused by several factors". fdj's opinion showed a personal pronoun as “the writer+thinks” in the beginning sentence. she said that based on several cases she faced. the writer, fdj, conveyed her doubt and used hedging phrases to describe her point of view. types of boosters table 2. types of boosters used by students types of boosters students’ initial name ik fdj mrh fp nz rar lexical verbs showed, found, indicated, defined, demonstrate showed, find, found, devise, indicate reveal, find, found, indicate, show, believe, produced reveals, find, found, show, indicate find, found, showed, display find, found, show, realize, boosting adverbs confidently, clearly, basically definitely, actually correctly, clearly, definitely, obviously, actually absolutely, really, certainly, exactly, basically, clearly exactly, basically, actually, obviously actually modal auxiliaries have to, must must must must must boosting adjectives certain, obvious, clear, confident, definite certain, sure, proven obvious, certain, actual certain, clear certain, true, actual certain, clear riza merlinda, hartono, & masduki exploring the types and challenges of hedges and boosters in efl students’ academic writing 356 boosting noun evidence boosting phrases the fact the fact as seen in the table above, it was found that the students used almost all the types of boosters. only one student did not use modal auxiliaries. this indicated that participants appeared confident in their position on certain matters. meanwhile, the data presented in the table indicates that the student-respondents commonly employ the word "certain" to express their unwavering belief in a specific point. the word "certain" describes something definite, fixed, or determined. numerous utterances of boosting devices found in the students’ theses as follows: his findings showed that there is figurative language found in adele and taylor swift song and what is the dominant form of figurative language used by both of them (nz, introduction). the data above were taken from the introduction section of nz’s thesis. the use "showed" means showing the research result. while "found" refers to what the researcher found in his research. the lexical verbs showed and found have similar meanings. the function of them in the sentence is to strengthen the writer's responsibility for the accuracy of the statement. basically, applying problem-based learning (pbl) allows students to improve their speaking skills through pbl participation, performance, and projects (ik, literature review). the statements above were gained from the second chapter of ik’s thesis. the researcher applied the above utterance in his classroom. he wanted to improve students' speaking skills using pbl as a previous study. then, the term "basically" enhances his argument's politeness and clarity. writing is one of four skills that must be mastered by the students. it is an active skill because in order to construct a good paragraph, the students must be involved personally (mrh, introduction). based on the data taken from the first chapter of mrh’s thesis, if we are english learners, we must master the four english skills. namely speaking, listening, reading, and writing. the researcher used "must" to strengthen his claim. it means there is an obligation that we have to fulfill. boosting modals “must” and ”have to” are the same. it is obvious that in order to be able to speak a foreign language, it is necessary to know a certain amount of grammar and vocabulary. (ik, literature review). the data above were taken from the literature review section of ik's thesis. in his utterance, he used the boosting adjectives twice. "obvious" and "certain". it appears he intended to assert that to acquire the ability to communicate in a foreign language, you must be skilled in grammar and vocabulary, owing to they are included in the element of speaking. it is the fact that, presumably, the writer believes in it. ommision happen when there is an evidence that grammatical morphemes (e.g. noun and verb inflections, articles, repositions) are omitted more often that content morphemes which carry the meaning (mrh, discussion). this statement is from the discussion section of mrh’s thesis. it is beyond doubt due to the existence of "evidence". the term "evidence" pertains to the observable data demonstrating the frequent omission of grammatical morphemes. the data found by the researcher that there are 12 errors of omission in writing descriptive paragraphs. considering the fact after observing in mts maarif nu 14 sidorejo that there are still many errors committed by the students in writing skills, the researcher is interested in researching “errors analysis of students writing descriptive texts at mts ma'arif nu 14 sidorejo” (mrh, introduction). the sentence above was obtained from the introduction part of mrh’s thesis. it was applied "the fact," so the researcher did not doubt to conduct the research. he found several issues when observed. “the fact” highlighted in the study is that despite observations at mts ma'arif nu 14 sidorejo, students still make many writing skills errors. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 357 figure 1. overall trends in hedge and booster usage based on the findings, the pupils used more hedges than boosters. it is in line with research by (alharthi et al., 2022) that hedges have the highest application in the research articles’ four disciplines. the most common types of hedges applied in the present research are modal auxiliaries and lexical verbs. moreover, sectionspecific patterns and trends can be observed using hedges and boosters. in the introduction, hedges are more common as writers express uncertainty about the research context or carefully frame the significance of their study. the literature review is dominated by hedges, as writers cautiously engage with existing studies and highlight gaps or limitations in prior research. in contrast, the methodology section often employs boosters to assert the reliability and validity of the chosen methods and procedures. in the results and discussion sections, a mix of both hedges and boosters is evident; students hedge their claims about findings while using boosters to emphasize key results. finally, in the conclusion, both hedges and boosters are used minimally but strategically, allowing writers to summarize their findings with measured confidence while suggesting implications or recommendations. the problems in using of hedges and boosters limited knowledge the researcher found data on efl students' problems regarding limited knowledge. five respondents, fp, fdj, nz, rar, and ik, do not know the hedges and boosters strategy. sure. in my opinion, knowledge is fundamental and necessary when we apply something. limited knowledge can be the main factor in the challenges (nz). the interview transcription above explained that limited knowledge means having a constrained or inadequate understanding of a specific subject, indicating that when we utilize a strategy or technique, we must know about it. this is a basic need for us. then, we are able to apply it easily. improper grammar and sentence structure the challenge in academic writing, which often requires the skilful balancing of hedges and boosters, was a common struggle shared by three participants: nz, fdj, and rar. these individuals openly acknowledged their difficulties with grammar skills, especially in structuring sentences that sound academically appropriate. actually, i do not know how to organize words. i have low grammar skills. particularly when arranging sentences, and i was doubtful about expressing my opinion (fdj). this excerpt data described that using grammar is crucial when constructing sentences, not only for implementing hedging and boosting that should use modal auxiliaries, verbs, adverbs, or adjectives correctly. maintaining proper grammar implies that communication is clear and precise. lack of confidence the next challenge is a lack of confidence. the researcher found that nz, fdj, and fp have low confidence in what they wrote in their theses. i am confident with my thesis, but i am not really confident because there are many things. i have not understood until now (nz). according to the interview result above, nz has a strong sense of conviction. however, there remain other aspects or particulars she still needs to grasp comprehensively. this is a prevalent opinion experienced while doing the final task, like a thesis. another efl student also shared a different reason. she said: yes, i am afraid that what i wrote is wrong. because if we have our own opinion, the examiner will continue to ask us during the exam (fdj). in the transcription above, the respondents have low trust in their writing. the uncertainty involves all the aspects. especially using hedges and boosters related to certainty level. when conveying ideas in writing, we must be confident of our state. low constructing phrase 56% 44% hedges boosters riza merlinda, hartono, & masduki exploring the types and challenges of hedges and boosters in efl students’ academic writing 358 a notable issue brought up involves the difficulty in constructing phrases. fdj, nz, and rar face this problem. constructing phrases, as described, entails arranging a well-structured sentence that conveys the intended meaning. yes. constructing phrases means arranging a good sentence. it makes me think more (nz). the data above explained that constructing phrases is challenging for hedging and boosting. the arrangement of phrases can create ambiguous words and lead to misinterpretation. this interviewee’s problem was supported by another interviewee, who said: yes. as i said before, i have difficulty using hedges and boosters, especially in phrases. this relates to my research topic because the novel has many phrases (rar). in the statement above, the researcher stated that when she was investigating the phrases in the novel, the researcher may have faced uncertainty over the appropriate usage of hedges to convey unsure interpretations and boosters to emphasize precise findings. insufficient experience i do not have any other writing experience besides a thesis. i was studying while working. so, this is the main factor in me being lazy and inactive from various activities on campus (fp). the data above explained that the students have no experience writing anything besides a thesis. in contrast, three other students have written articles to be published. despite this, writing experiences such as textbooks, research papers, and essays significantly influence the use of writing strategies. overused all the participants' over-employment of hedges and boosters can be attributed to their insufficient understanding of this strategy. this recurrent reliance on hedging and boosting mechanisms in the articulation of viewpoints without a nuanced comprehension of strategies to mitigate their overuse. i think if we always use hedges and boosters in every opinion and do not know how to avoid them, we will end up with an overused strategy (fp). overused hedges and boosters by students can create an impression of uncertainty and can reduce credibility or be exaggerated in their writing. inadequate vocabulary in my opinion, limited vocabulary is the key from all challenges because a lack of vocabulary can affect our ability to state our feelings and compose sentences (ik). concerning the next challenge, the data above was gained from the student. it was inadequate vocabulary. this is a new challenge that has appeared and is experienced by students. this issue is not mentioned in chapter two. limited vocabulary likes limited expression. learners who lack an extensive vocabulary may struggle to express their ideas and opinions. misplaced the researcher found a novel challenge originating from the student's experience. the difficulty that i may face in using hedges and boosters is that in writing articles that i have written, several times errors occurred in a placement where hedges and boosters were placed in one sentence so that the sentence, which should be a fact or convincing statement was broken which made the writing strange or less precise. i think there are sentences in my thesis that are ambiguous (rar). rar conveyed the data above regarding another problem when we used hedges and boosters. she said that because she thought she faced it when writing her thesis. misplacing these items can alter the intended of the message. the improper arranging of these sentences has led to a loss of factual accuracy or convincing power, decreasing overall clarity. then, to support rar’s statement, the researcher found misplaced hedges and boosters in her thesis. satisfaction is an emotion that is usually felt after fulfilling a certain want or need (rar). to enhance conciseness without sacrificing meaning, the phrase "a certain want or need" might be condensed to "a want or need". in accordance with the findings, some aspects can be deliberated. the first research question concerns the types of hedges and boosters the students employ, which follow bal-gezegin & baş’ (2020) theory that was adopted from dafouz-milne (2008) and hyland (2019). the researcher solely english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 359 focused on the exploration of types and the prevalence of hedges and boosters. there were four types of hedges and six types of boosters. those were modal auxiliaries, lexical verbs, hedging adverbs, and hedging phrases. for boosters, those are lexical verbs, boosting adverbs, modal auxiliaries, boosting adjectives, boosting nouns, and boosting phrases. the findings of the current study are different from those of other studies. in comparison, a study by triyoko et al., (2021) revealed five types of hedges and boosters in indonesian scientific articles. they were in the verb of hedges, the adverb of hedges, the adjective of hedges, the modality of hedges, and the phatic of hedges. for boosters, they were in the verb of boosters, the adverb of boosters, the adjective of boosters, the modality of boosters, and the phatic of boosters. they classified phatic expressions are a category not previously addressed in this research. the addition of phatic expressions may highlight a cultural nuance in indonesian scientific articles, emphasizing the significance of the sentence predicate and reinforcing the author's confidence in the proposition being made. in addition, a study by ardhianti et al., (2023) focused on articles by students at pgri adi buana university surabaya, narrows down the types of hedges and boosters to three categories each (modal, verbs, and adverbs), pointing towards a potentially simplified or more focused use of these linguistic strategies. meanwhile, jabbar (2019) investigated the use of hedges and boosters in an academic research project written by a fourth year of english language and human science at garmian university. he found seven types: shields, impersonal constructions, approximators, time deictic, concessive conjuncts, comment on truth, and epistemic. at the same time, only four types of boosters (evidential, solidarity, intensifiers, and certainty) were identified. this difference indicates that his study employed an old theory markkanen & schroder (1997) and the researcher used a new one. thus, it has different types significantly. lastly, a study by taymaz (2021) revealed five types of hedges and boosters. they are epistemic modal verbs, lexical verbs, adverbs, adjectives, and epistemic nouns reinforcing the epistemic dimension as a critical aspect of scholarly stancetaking. in essence, the comparison across these studies contributes to a deeper understanding of how hedges and boosters are navigated in academic discourse. thus, the multifaceted nature of academic writing, where disciplinary conventions, cultural expectations, and genrespecific norms influence the choice and use of hedges and boosters. it showcases the rich tapestry of linguistic practice in academic discourse, emphasizing the importance of the expression of certainty. they highlighted the imperative for students and scholars alike to comprehend these linguistic strategies to communicate effectively. in brief, the current study identified two novel categories of boosters, specifically boosting nouns and boosting phrases. this result is derived from plenty of evidence. firstly, this study employed a more comprehensive analysis and investigation of an expanded range of linguistic components compared to previous research. secondly, this study emphasized the use and purpose of words and phrases contrary to strictly traditional grammatical classifications. lastly, the researcher analyzed a distinct genre of text or context that diverges from bal-gezegin & baş’ (2020) theory, which explicitly utilizes various forms of improvement. the second research question pertains to the problems the students faced while using hedges and boosters in their theses. based on this research's findings, especially in interview results, eight issues come up when efl students use hedges and boosters: limited knowledge, improper grammar, lack of confidence, low constructing phrases, insufficient experience, overuse, inadequate vocabulary, and misplaced. the most dominant challenge that students face is limited knowledge. it aligns with a study by (wang & xie, 2022) found that students have limited knowledge and less strategy in writing. in fact, only one in six efl students recognize this strategy. the students confessed they did not get this material and lacked reading of literation. accordingly, they hope that the hedges and boosters strategy can be conveyed in academic writing subjects, especially in the first semester, so that they have basic skills to employ in their writing. on the other hand, the current study's findings differ from those of previous studies. the preliminary research findings found that students lack experience and confidence (mifdal & lewis, 2023; qiu & ma, 2019). they do not specifically examine the challenges faced directly by students; they only examine global coherence as a shared problem. for this barrier, instructors can address students' lack of experience to more practice and build good writing. then, if students lack confidence, educators can raise their awareness of the appropriate usage of hedges and boosters. this involves teaching students how to balance these elements by emphasizing their distinct purposes. consequently, the study by (bacang et al., (2019); riza merlinda, hartono, & masduki exploring the types and challenges of hedges and boosters in efl students’ academic writing 360 trihartanti & fadilah (2020) showed that female students employ a greater frequency of hedging and boosting in their argumentative writing than male students. additionally, instructors can highlight the contexts where hedges and boosters are most suitable, such as using cautious claims in introductions and employing confident assertions in conclusions. by understanding these distinctions and their contextual applications, students can develop more excellent experience and confidence in using language effectively in academic writing. the next issue related to improper grammar. align with a study conducted by (lo et al., 2021) suggested that students consider writing with the proper grammar use of boosters and academic style to be among the most challenging demands. basically, grammatical errors occur because when writers do not use appropriate grammar, they are able to apply hedges and boosters correctly in the relevant context. proper grammar is essential for the practical application of hedges and boosters. it is in line with the findings of this present study that almost all participants had difficulties using appropriate grammar. likewise, this study aligns with smirnova & strinyuk (2020); yoon (2021) that some students use hedges excessively and find it difficult to compose phrases. overusing hedges can give the impression that your writing lacks strength or confidence, whereas overusing boosters can make it appear highly strong. the use of nuanced language, including hedging, seems to pose significant difficulty for learners.. whereas, the constructing phrases, including hedging, seems to pose significant difficulty for learners. students often employ hedging mechanisms in their expressions that are not typically found in academic english. therefore, excellent writing must maintain a balance when using hedges and boosters. this current research proved that hedges are used more than boosters. this is supported by the findings by oktay (2020), which showed that turkish writers applied more hedges than boosters. in contrast, a study by j. wang & zeng (2021) revealed that chinese phd students and journal article writers used more boosters than hedges. lastly, the students also discovered problems regarding limited vocabulary. adequate vocabulary is the primary obligation to develop various skills in different fields. apart from the similarities and differences, this study also has some uniqueness related to the use of hedges and boosters, as followed by balgezegin & baş’ (2020). firstly, the researcher discovered two novel categories of boosters. specifically, boosting nouns and boosting phrases. secondly, this research has identified problems with inadequate vocabulary and misplaced difficulties among participants, distinguishing it from previous studies that did not find this issue. the author was unaware of the incorrect misplacement of hedges and boosters. hence, this study provides some challenges students can avoid to improve their academic writing abilities to gain deeper comprehension. lastly, there is no specific research regarding the problems faced directly by the authors in using hedges and boosters. in addition, the interview results pointed out that using hedges and boosters is crucial to help the students understand how hedges and boosters can be used for expressing claims or arguments in academic writing. therefore, the present study has significant implications that consist of two essential aspects: theoretical and practical. theoretically, this study is intended to give contribution to the enrichment body of knowledge related to increasing the students’ awareness of using hedges and boosters in writing a thesis. then, practically, this study contributes to the students' and writers' ability to enhance their readiness for future writing by utilizing a balanced strength and weaknesses in their statements. supported by the argument of wang & xie (2022) in the writing classroom, writing educators have a shared responsibility to assist students in addressing the challenges and difficulties they struggle with in their writing process. conclusion based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that the current study provides a nuanced understanding of the types and prevalence of hedges and boosters employed by students, aligning with bal-gezegin & baş’ (2020) theory and incorporating elements from dafouz-milne (2008) and hyland (2019). the study identified four types of hedges: modal auxiliaries, lexical verbs, hedging adverbs, and hedging phrases, and six types of boosters: lexical verbs, boosting adverbs, modal auxiliaries, boosting adjectives, boosting nouns, and boosting phrases. moreover, several challenges hindered the efl students when applying hedges and boosters. they included the learner’s limited knowledge, improper grammar, lack of confidence, low constructing phrases, insufficient experience, overuse, inadequate vocabulary, and misplaced. therefore, those issues can be resolved by increasing students' understanding of proper use, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 361 frequent practice of its application, and help and guidance from lecturers. references akman, e., & karahan, p. (2023). hedges and boosters in academic texts: a comparative study on english language teaching and physiotherapy research articles. rumelide dil ve edebiyat araştırmaları dergisi. https://doi.org/10.29000/rumelide.1252902 al-harthi, m., alshahrani, h. j., hamed, d. m., & ibrahim, w. m. a. (2022). evidentials, code glosses, hedges and boosters in academic articles: a cross-disciplinary study. eurasian journal of applied linguistics, 8(3), 181–200. https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.803015 al-mudhaffari, m., hussin, s., & hoabdullah, i. (2020). interactional strategies in l2 writing: an exploration of hedging and boosting strategies in applied linguistics research articles. international journal of arabic-english studies, 20(1), 171– 186. https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes2000.20.1.9 anderson, g. (2005). fundamentals of educational research, 2nd edition (2nd edition). philadelpia: falmer press. ardhianti, m., susilo, j., nurjamin, a., & prawoto, e. c. (2023). hedges and boosters in student scientific articles within the framework of a pragmatic metadiscourse. jollt journal of languages and language teaching, 11(4), 626. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v%vi%i.9018 ary, d., jacobs, l. c., irvin, c. k. s., & walker, d. a. (2019). introduction to research in education, 10th ed. (10th ed). boston: cengage learning. asnas, s. a. m., mustofa, m., & ubaidillah, m. f. (2022). investigating academic writing in efl contexts: students’ voices on complexities and coping strategies. vision: journal for language and foreign language learning, 11(2), 139–162. https://doi.org/10.21580/vjv12i116326 bacang, b. g., rillo, r. m., ericson, p., & alieto, o. (2019). the gender construct in the use of rhetorical appeals, hedges and boosters in esl writing: a discourse analysis. in asian efl journal research articles (vol. 25, issue 5). bal-gezegin, b., & baş, m. (2020). metadiscourse in academic writing: a comparison of research articles and book reviews. in eurasian journal of applied linguistics (vol. 6, issue 1, pp. 45–62). hacettepe university. https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.710204 dafouz-milne, e. (2008). the pragmatic role of textual and interpersonal metadiscourse markers in the construction and attainment of persuasion: a cross-linguistic study of newspaper discourse. journal of pragmatics, 40(1), 95–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2007.10.003 ekoc-ozcelik, a. (2023). hedges and boosters in research article abstracts of turkish and chinese scholars. dil eğitimi ve araştırmaları dergisi, 9(1), 150–162. https://doi.org/10.31464/jlere.1057023 farnia, m., & gerami, s. (2021). ne comparative study of interactional metadiscourse markers in the discussion section of soft and hard science research articles: hedges and boosters in focus. jordan journal of modern languages and literatures, 13(2), 263–280. https://doi.org/10.47012/jjmll.13.2.5 forbes, k. (2019). the role of individual differences in the development and transfer of writing strategies between foreign and first language classrooms. research papers in education, 34(4), 445–464. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2018.1452963 gong, h., liu, l., & cao, f. (2021). a cross-linguistic study of interactional metadiscourse in english and chinese research articles by the same chinese scholars. journal of language, identity and education. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2021.1932504 hyland, k. (2019). metadiscourse exploring interaction in writing (second edition). deanta global publishing services. jabbar, w. (2019). investigating fourth year college students’ awareness in the use of hedging and boosting in their academic research project. journal of garmian university, 6(2), 345–359. https://doi.org/10.24271/garmian.196235 lo, y. y., othman, j., & lim, j. w. (2021). mapping the use of boosters in academic writing by malaysian first-year doctoral students. pertanika journal of social sciences and humanities, 29(3), 1917– 1937. https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.29.3.23 mifdal, m., & lewis, m. (2023). revisiting the use of hedges and boosters in scientific research articles in morocco: caution that does not exclude conviction. cultures of science, 6(1), 113–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/20966083231159737 miles, m. b., huberman, a. m., & saldana, j. (2014). qualitative data analysis a methods sourcebook (3th ed). sage publication. oktay, s. a. (2020). the metadiscursive aspects of advice giving: hedging and boosting in an agony aunt’s column. journal of language and linguistic studies, 16(3), 1611–1620. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.803918 qiu, x., & ma, x. (2019). disciplinary enculturation and authorial stance comparison of stance features among master’s dissertations, doctoral theses, and research articles. iberica. rosyada, a., & sundari, h. (2021). learning from home environment: academic writing course for efl undergraduates through google classroom application. studies in english language and education, 8(2), 710–725. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i2.18374 sánchez-jiménez, d. (2022). linguistic variation of politeness in written academic discourse: hedges and boosters of the author’s voice in the evaluation of sources. revista signos, 55(108), riza merlinda, hartono, & masduki exploring the types and challenges of hedges and boosters in efl students’ academic writing 362 260–286. https://doi.org/10.4067/s071809342022000100260 schreier, m. (2018). handbook of qualitative data collection. sage. smirnova, e., & strinyuk, s. (2020). hedges in russian eap writing: a corpus-based study of research papers in management. journal of english as a lingua franca, 9(1), 81–101. https://doi.org/10.1515/jelf-2020-2033 taymaz, n. (2021). a corpus-based comparison of use of hedges and boosters by turkish elt ma and phd students. in journal of language and linguistic studies (vol. 17, issue 1). longo. www.jlls.org trihartanti, r. p., & fadilah, m. y. (2020). gender differences in the use of hedging devices in students’ conversation (vol. 6). triyoko, h., wijana, i. d. p., & baryadi, i. p. (2021). hedges and boosters in indonesian scientific articles. register journal, 14(1), 65–82. https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v14i1.65-82 uba, s. y. (2020). metadiscourse in research article genre: a cross-linguistic study of english and hausa. english language teaching, 13(2), 57. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v13n2p57 wang, j., & zeng, l. (2021). disciplinary recognized self-presence: self-mention used with hedges and boosters in phd students’ research writing. sage open, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211005454 wang, y., & xie, q. (2022). diagnostic assessment of novice efl learners’ discourse competence in academic writing: a case study. language testing in asia, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468022-00197-y wymann, c. (2021). mind your writing: how to be a professional academic writer. verlag barbara budrich. yoon, h. j. (2021). interactions in efl argumentative writing: effects of topic, l1 background, and l2 proficiency on interactional metadiscourse. reading and writing, 34(3), 705–725. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-020-10085-7 zulaiha, d., & triana, y. (2023). students’ perception toward the use of open educational resources to improve writing skills. studies in english language and education, 10(1), 176–196. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i1.25797 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1 reading proficiency and cognitive reading strategies through online dynamic assessment (oda) in english for economy ahmad imron english education department, post graduate program, universitas muhammadiyah gresik, indonesia email: kiki.imron70@gmail.com khoirul anwar english education department, post graduate program, universitas muhammadiyah gresik, indonesia email: khoirulanwar@umg.ac.id apa scitation:. imron, a., & anwar, k. (2024). reading proficiency and cognitive reading strategies through online dynamic assessment (oda) in english for economy. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(3), 949-958. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10370 received: 17-06-2024 accepted: 22-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction challenges of esp reading and technology the modern landscape of english for specific purposes (esp) pedagogy, notably in terms of reading and technology integration, is shifting from computer assisted language learning (call) to technology enhanced language learning (tell) (alanazi & alharbi, 2021; sembel, 2018). this shift focuses on the incorporation of information and communication technologies (ict) into language instruction (aini et al., 2023; endarwati et al., 2023; fariha et al., 2023). the incorporation of technology into esp training has developed as an important research area, with reading comprehension regarded as a critical skill for esp students (hernández urrego, 2019; schröder & krüger, 2019). reading plays an important part in the esp context, as it is required for students learning a second language (l2) (mochizuki et al., 2019). reading competency goes beyond simple word recognition to a deeper level of comprehension that allows students to build mental representations of the texts they read, improving their learning experiences and promoting academic success (kazemi et al., 2020). reading skills are a powerful tool for learners, guiding them through their academic path. these abilities allow pupils to collect the necessary data for their academic assignments. as a result, the ability to read well and efficiently is critical to academic performance and overall well-being (zeng et al., 2020). reading is also a phase of textual communication (hernández urrego, 2019). this talent needs the use of a number of cognitive methods to achieve proper comprehension. these tactics enable readers to grasp, interpret, and comprehend the texts they read, making reading an essential aspect of daily life that aids in the acquisition and application of knowledge. the reading process is a productive one in which pupils use metacognitive and cognitive skills to understand texts (sa et al., 2021). successful readers methodically regulate their abstract: dynamic assessment (da) can help efl students use more cognitive reading skills, but its application in esp learning is restricted. da in esp is an important research subject since reading comprehension is an essential skill for english for specific purposes (esp) students. the purpose of this study is to look into the impact of online da on reading ability and the usage of cognitive reading comprehension strategies among english for economy learners. the study employs a quantitative experimental design and survey, with two groups of management students (30 in the experimental class and 30 in the control class) currently enrolled in the english for economy program, which includes planned and scheduled online dynamic assessments. the study found that the online dynamic assessment-supported esp reading program significantly enhanced management students' reading abilities, as shown by the experimental group's higher posttest performance and significant t-test results (0.000). furthermore, the study reveals students' proactive role in improving their comprehension and recall by detailing their cognitive reading strategies at various reading stages, including pre-reading anticipation and skimming, in-reading context-based inference, and postreading categorization and content review. keywords: online-dynamic assessment, english for economy. mailto:kiki.imron70@gmail.com ahmad imron & khoirul anwar reading proficiency and cognitive reading strategies through online dynamic assessment (oda) in english for economy reading process, relying on cognitive and linguistic skills to anticipate, retain, and arrange textual content. they keep aware of potential problems, potential solutions, and the resources at their disposal. strategic readers, who understand the nature of issues and their solutions, rely on metacognitive and cognitive talents to learn (amini et al., 2020). cognitive techniques, which include learning, remembering, and analyzing and reflectively transferring thoughts, are critical for enhancing text reading. dynamic assessment (da) represents a pedagogical approach in language instruction that amalgamates teaching and evaluation (dixon et al., 2023; ritonga et al., 2022). da assesses student responses within the assessment procedure, grounded in the theoretical framework of the zone of proximal development (zpd) (norris et al., 2017). this methodology facilitates individuals in surpassing their independent performance through suitable mediation. da takes into account the outcomes of interventions, instructing learners and examination participants on strategies for test success. the ultimate score in da, reflecting the disparity between pre-test and post-test scores, promises a comprehensive evaluation (salehi et al., 2024). da can aid students of english for specific purposes (esp) and english as a foreign language (efl) in the application of an increased number of cognitive reading strategies (andujar, 2020). cognitive strategies are indispensable mental processes for learning. this methodology enables learners to process meaning in the target language. in the context of reading, cognitive strategies have a direct correlation with the target language and the learner’s world knowledge (ebadi & asakereh, 2017; mustiah et al., 2024; situngki et al., 2024). cognitive methodologies in reading studies are bifurcated into bottom-up and top-down categories. the bottom-up model perceives reading as a decoding process, while the top-down model views it as a dynamic process. effective reading necessitates readers to formulate assumptions and expectations about the content of the text. schema theory influences the top-down approach, underscoring the significance of prior knowledge. the interaction between background information and text is crucial for efficient reading, with readers utilizing pre-reading information to construct text predictions (ghahderijani et al., 2021; yang & qian, 2020). empirical evidence suggests that students who receive da significantly outperform those who do not. a majority of students in the da group in general english learning exhibit a significant enhancement in their performance. this research carries wider implications. it endeavors to explore the effects of online da on the utilization of cognitive reading comprehension strategies among indonesian esp students, specifically learners of english for economy. this constitutes a critical area of research, given that reading comprehension is a fundamental skill for students of english for specific purposes (esp) dynamic assessment (da), a strategy for education and evaluation based on individual adjustments, has the potential to alter these cognitive mechanisms (poehner & wang, 2021). da attempts to improve student performance on the assessment itself. it is a process-oriented approach that combines learning and assessment, distinguished by its future orientation, interaction basis, and test-intervention-retest structure (phillips, 2022; tuluk & yurdugul, 2020). the contact between instructors and students is critical in da because it bridges the gap between existing and potential knowledge. da is primarily applied through interactions between language educators and l2 learners. despite substantial research on da in the esp setting, its effect on the cognitive reading techniques of indonesian esp students is largely unknown (elahi shirvan et al., 2020; kazemi et al., 2020; phillips, 2022; tuluk & yurdugul, 2020). this study aims to investigate the impact of online da on reading proficiency and the cognitive reading methods of indonesian students studying english for economy. the study also intends to collect learners' perspectives on the use of online da in esp classes. this investigation promises to provide useful insights into the use and efficacy of da in improving reading comprehension among esp students. this research poses several important questions: (1) does online da impact on reading proficiency among english for economy students? (2) what are the students’ cognitive reading strategies towards the application of online da in english for economy classes? these questions guide this research in helping to focus the investigation on the most relevant aspects of da and reading comprehension strategies. the answers to these questions can provide valuable insights for educators and researchers in the field of esp and language assessment. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 3 method this research employs a quantitative experimental design and survey methodology, integrating aspects of intervention and evaluation. the quantitative component is utilized to observe the impact of an experimental intervention on students of english for economy, both pre and post the implementation of dynamic assessment, using testing instruments. concurrently, the survey component, focusing on cognitive reading strategies, is employed to further comprehend this impact, either as a confirmation of findings or as an exploration of reasons for improvements and various learning attitude processes towards the execution procedures. data for this survey is collected via a questionnaire on cognitive reading strategies. the research sample is derived from two classes in the management study program at muhammadiyah university of gresik (umg), specifically class a and class b, each comprising 30 students. the research population encompasses all 300 economics students. the research sample is selected based on the research objective, i.e., the class undergoing the english for economy program in a planned and scheduled manner, possessing a pre-planned curriculum and syllabus for the english program, and having a minimum of 10 years of experience in english for economy. the esp program in this management study program, controlled by the language center unit led by a program director at muhammadiyah university of gresik, exhibits the most homogeneous class character at the highest learning level in the faculty of economics. therefore, this purposive and cluster sample selection satisfies the aspects of formality, representation, and legality. the procedure for implementing the dynamic assessment intervention process is administered to the experimental class across fourteen meetings. for each meeting, a learning plan is formulated that outlines the dynamic assessment strategy process with online learning, encompassing three processes: pre-activity, whileactivity, and post-activity. at the pre-activity stage, the instructor delivers learning input via an online platform, simultaneously ensuring students’ readiness to participate in learning from both content and technical aspects. the whileactivity stage contains core learning activities aimed at understanding and instilling cognitive competencies and english skills, particularly reading skills. the material, presented in alignment with the content theme tailored to english for economy, is delivered by maximizing the role of the pre-prepared online platform. activities in this while-activity stage purely involve deepening the material with various activities such as presentations, focused discussions, debates, conferences, demonstrations, etc. the post-activity stage involves reinforcing the linguistic aspects being studied, with attention and focus given to understanding language functions and expressions. at this stage, students are trained to extract the essence of each reading learning stage from both the content and language mastery aspects. this stage is also utilized to reflect on suboptimal aspects. pre-tests and posttests, along with surveys about cognitive reading strategy towards the application of dynamic assessment, are administered in accordance with this research procedure. this research necessitates two types of instruments, namely tests (pre and post-tests) and questionnaires. the test refers to an english proficiency test, compiled by the umg language institute, referencing the measurement of english proficiency for academic purposes (english for academic purposes) in the specific field of economics. the validity and reliability of the test are determined through a test trial prior to the intervention, with the level of validity subsequently analyzed using spss (r= .87). the second instrument used in this study is a questionnaire on the use of cognitive strategies, developed by bezci (bezci, 1998). this questionnaire is divided into two parts. the first part is designed to collect background information about respondents, while the second part aims to examine respondents’ use of cognitive reading strategies when they interact with texts. this questionnaire, comprising 17 likert type items, is administered twice during the study. to confirm the reliability of this instrument, it is reviewed by a group of specialists in the field of english teaching and learning at the umg language center unit. furthermore, reliability is assessed quantitatively using cronbach’s alpha (average score .83), which yields adequate values, indicating a high level of reliability. this research involves two types of data analysis. firstly, quantitative data analysis using spss 26.0. this spss analysis employs the t-test to determine the impact of dynamic assessment application by testing the impact results (pre-test to post-test) significantly in each group, and then testing the difference between the two groups (post-test in two groups). the significance test uses a p-value of .5 percent. secondly, questionnaire data analysis using steps of ahmad imron & khoirul anwar reading proficiency and cognitive reading strategies through online dynamic assessment (oda) in english for economy descriptive statistical analysis is required to support the proof of the level of significance of the application of dynamic assessment to the cognitive reading strategies of learners. results and discussion results of reading test this part provides a detailed explanation of the findings, divided into four separate sections. initially, it delves into the descriptive statistics results for both the control and experimental groups, offering a thorough overview of their performance. it then provides an overview of the descriptive statistics collected from the posttests administered to each group, offering light on their progress and learning outcomes. finally, it discusses the comparative study of performance between the control and experimental groups, using a t-test for this purpose. this comprehensive analysis provides essential insights into the efficacy of the program under consideration, providing to a better understanding of its impact and possibilities for future applications. the descriptive analysis of the pretest and posttest in the control group of esp reading for management students yields some intriguing findings (see table 1). the posttest results reveal a range of 16.00 points, with scores ranging from 56.00 to 72.00. the posttest score (mean) was 63.10, with a standard deviation of 3.80, indicating a considerable variation from the mean. in contrast, the pretest results had a smaller range of 5.00, with scores ranging from 55.00 to 60.00. the pretest average score was 58.87, which was lower than the posttest average. the pretest had a standard deviation of 1.43, indicating that the pretest results were closer to the mean than the posttest scores. table 1. results of descriptive statistics for pretest-posttest of control group n range minimum maximum mean std. deviation posttest control group 30 16.00 56.00 72.00 63.1000 3.79973 pretest control group 30 5.00 55.00 60.00 58.8667 1.43198 valid n (listwise) 30 table 1 shows that the control group's scores improved from the pretest to the posttest, as indicated by the increase in mean score. the increased range and standard deviation in the posttest indicate a wider spread of scores, which could indicate that the test was able to better discern across students' talents. both examinations had a legitimate list of 30 students. let's look at the fascinating results of the descriptive analysis of pretest and posttest scores in the experimental group of esp reading for management students. starting with the posttest, the scores showed a wide range, from 60.00 to 80.00. the average score was 70.57, which reflected the students' hard work and understanding. however, the standard deviation of 4.84 indicates a greater spread of results, reflecting a range of student performance levels. when we looked at the pretest, the scores were much closer together, ranging only 14.00 points between 56.00 and 70.00. the average pretest score was 59.83, lower than the posttest average, and the scores were more tightly bunched together, as demonstrated by the smaller standard deviation of 2.63 (see table 2). table 2. results of descriptive statistics for pretest-posttest of experimental group n range minimum maximum mean std. deviation posttest experimental group 30 20.00 60.00 80.00 70.5667 4.84009 pretest experimental group 30 14.00 56.00 70.00 59.8333 2.62722 valid n (listwise) 30 in essence (in table 2), the experimental group showed a respectable increase in their scores from the pretest to the posttest, with the mean score providing clear evidence. the posttest's higher range and standard deviation indicate a broader variety of student abilities, which may represent the test's effectiveness in distinguishing between different levels of student competency. it's worth noting that these results are based on a legitimate student count of 30 for both tests. table 3 shows the entire results of the descriptive analysis on posttest scores for both the control and experimental groups in the esp reading program for management students. these statistics provide a complete summary of the performance measures as well as helpful insights into the program's efficiency. the control group's scores showed a wide range of 16.00 points, from 56.00 to 72.00. the group's average score was 63.10, showing commendable performance. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 5 however, the standard deviation of 3.80 indicates a substantial spread from the mean, implying a range of student performance levels. switching gears to the experimental group, the scores were much more diverse, ranging from 60.00 to an astonishing 80.00. the group's average score was a strong 70.57, outperforming the control group's mean. the standard deviation was 4.84, indicating a broader range of scores and a higher variance in the pupils' reading abilities. table 3. results of descriptive statistics for control and experimental group in reading n range minimum maximum mean std. deviation control group 30 16.00 56.00 72.00 63.1000 3.79973 experimental group 30 20.00 60.00 80.00 70.5667 4.84009 valid n (listwise) 30 to summarize (in table 3), the experimental group performed better in the posttest, as indicated by the higher mean score. the higher range and standard deviation in the experimental group indicate a broader range of student abilities, which may represent the test's effectiveness in distinguishing between different levels of student competency. it's worth noting that these results are based on a legitimate student count of 30 for both tests. table 4 depicts the fascinating results of inferential statistics and what it reveals about the control and experimental groups in the esp reading program for management students. first, we applied levene's test for equality of variances. this test determines whether the variances between the two groups are equal. our f value was 1.882, with a significance level (pvalue) of.175. this p-value is greater than 0.05, indicating that the variances of the two groups are truly equal. next, we used the t-test for equality of means with equal variances. the t-value was found to be -6.646 with 58 degrees of freedom. the two-tailed p-value was.000, suggesting a significant difference in the means of the control and experimental groups. the average difference was -7.467, with a standard error of 1.123. the 95% confidence interval for the difference varied from -9.716 to -5.218. in the case of uneven variances, the t-value stayed constant at -6.646, but the degrees of freedom increased to 54.906. the two-tailed p-value remained at.000, showing a significant difference in averages between the control and experimental groups. the mean difference, standard error difference, and 95% confidence interval for the difference were all the same as in the equal variances example (see table 4). table 4. comparison results of independent samples test levene's test for equality of variances t-test for equality of means f sig. t df sig. (2tailed) mean difference std. error difference 95% confidence interval of the difference lower upper var 0000 5 equal variances assumed 1.882 .175 -6.646 58 .000 -7.46667 1.12345 -9.71550 -5.21783 equal variances not assumed -6.646 54.906 .000 -7.46667 1.12345 -9.71820 -5.21513 to summarize (in table 4), whether we assume equal or unequal variances, the t-test findings show a significant difference between the control and experimental groups. this shows that the esp reading program had a considerable favorable impact on management students' reading ability. it demonstrates the program's effectiveness as well as the students' dedication. results of cognitive reading strategy this section describes the results of the cognitive reading strategies employed in the esp reading for management course, which utilized online dynamic assessment. the cognitive techniques under consideration are classified into three parts of findings: before, during, and after reading. the overall results are shown in table 5. ahmad imron & khoirul anwar reading proficiency and cognitive reading strategies through online dynamic assessment (oda) in english for economy table 5. results of cognitive reading strategy this study focuses light on the cognitive reading processes that management students employ after taking an online dynamic assessment in the classroom. these tactics are employed before they begin reading. first, all 60 students read the title and tried to guess what the content would be. this strategy's average rating was 3.022, with a standard deviation of 0.903. this implies that students frequently try to predict what the text is about based on its title, which helps them focus when reading and comprehending the material. next, each student evaluated any images or pictures to determine their relevance. this method received an average rating of 3.530, with a standard deviation of 1.812. this demonstrates how crucial visual aids are in the students' reading process because they assist them guess and understand what the text is about. finally, the students implemented a few additional tactics. they all glanced the text first before reading it thoroughly. this method received an average rating of 3.435, with a standard deviation of 1.026. this shows that students prefer to gain a rough grasp of the text's content before delving into it. every student reads the first line of each paragraph in order to understand it. this method received an average rating of 3.032, with a standard deviation of 1.503. this means that students frequently use the first line of each paragraph to help them understand the paragraph's major idea or theme. finally, each student pondered on what they previously understood about the subject. this method received the highest average rating, 3.672, with a standard deviation of 1.552. this demonstrates how students frequently use what they already know about the subject to help them grasp and interpret the material. finally, our findings emphasize the many cognitive reading methods used by management students before they begin reading. they demonstrate that students take an active role in the reading process in order to increase their understanding. the next section provides an in-depth exploration of the cognitive reading strategies that students employ during their reading process, after engaging in an online dynamic assessment in their classroom setting. the first technique is to read without examining each unknown word. this technique was employed by all 60 students, and the average rating was 3.842 with a standard deviation of 1.525. this implies that pupils frequently read through the material without pausing for each unfamiliar word. the pupils then employed the method of consulting a dictionary for crucial unknown words. this method had an average rating of 3.523 and a standard deviation of 1.827, showing that students frequently consult dictionaries when encountering significant words they are unfamiliar with. another approach that all 60 students reported employing was estimating word meanings based on context. this demonstrates how vital context is for interpreting unknown terms. the students also evaluated grammar to better understand unfamiliar words, which received an average value of 3.452 with a standard deviation of 0.894. this shows that students frequently rely on their grammar skills to no items n m sd before reading 1. read the title and predict the content. 60 3.022 0.903 2. examine illustrations/pictures to guess their relevance 60 3.530 1.812 3. skim the text first. then read it thoroughly 60 3.435 1.026 4. read the first line of each paragraph for understanding 60 3.032 1.503 5. reflect on prior knowledge about the topic 60 3.672 1.552 while reading 6. read without checking every unknown word. 60 3.842 1.525 7. use a dictionary for important unknown words. 60 3.523 1.827 8. guess word meanings from context. 60 9. analyze grammar to understand unfamiliar words. 60 3.452 0.894 10. remember new words by associating with situations. 60 3.721 1.442 11. skip unknown words if overall understanding is possible. 60 2.453 1.371 12. reread sentences for better understanding. 60 3.238 1.911 after reading 13. classify words by meaning for memory. 60 3.475 0.142 14. classify words by grammar for memory 60 3.821 1.198 15. summarize main ideas in own words. 60 3.290 1.306 16. reread entire text if parts are unclear 60 3.704 1.207 17. reread entire text to remember key points. 60 3.632 1.780 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 7 determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. the fifth technique involves linking new words with situations. this method received an average rating of 3.721 with a standard deviation of 1.442, showing that students frequently use situational associations to recall new language. the sixth technique, skipping unknown words if overall understanding is achievable, with an average rating of 2.453 and a standard deviation of 1.371. this implies that students frequently overlook unfamiliar terms if they can still understand the broader content of the text. finally, all students employed the approach of rereading sentences for greater comprehension, with an average rating of 3.238 and a standard deviation of 1.911. this suggests that students frequently repeat phrases to ensure that they completely understand the text. finally, our findings illustrate the many cognitive reading methods that management students employ during their reading experience. they demonstrate that students take an active role in the reading process in order to increase their understanding. the data also provides a full insight of the cognitive reading strategies that students employ during the post-reading process in an online dynamic evaluation. these strategies include classifying words by meaning for memory, which was used by all 60 students and had an average rating of 3.475; classifying words by grammar for memory, which was also universally adopted and had an average rating of 3.821; summarizing main ideas in own words, which all students used and had an average rating of 3.290; rereading the entire text if parts are unclear, which had an average rating of 3.704; and finally, rereading the entire text to remember. these findings demonstrate the variety of cognitive reading strategies used by students during their postreading process in an online dynamic assessment, emphasizing their proactive participation in the reading process to improve comprehension and memory retention. the study found that the experimental group improved significantly in the posttest, as shown by a higher average score. the higher range and standard deviation in the experimental group reflect a broader range of student abilities, which could indicate the test's usefulness in distinguishing different levels of student proficiency. whether we assume equal or unequal variances, the t-test findings show a significant difference between the control and experimental groups. this suggests that the esp reading program, provided via online dynamic assessment, has a significant favorable impact on the reading ability of management students. the research also sheds light on the cognitive reading methods that management students use at various levels of reading after taking an online dynamic assessment. before reading, students predict the content based on the title, evaluate images for relevance, skim the text, read the first line of each paragraph, and reflect on their past understanding of the topic. during the reading process, they do not stop for every unknown word; instead, they use a dictionary for critical unknown words, guess word meanings from context, analyze grammar, associate new words with situations, skip unknown words if overall understanding is possible, and reread sentences to improve comprehension. after reading, they classify words based on meaning and grammar to aid memory retention, describe main ideas in their own words, and reread the material if any parts are unclear or to recall crucial themes. these tactics, used by all 60 students, demonstrate the active role that students take in improving their comprehension and memory recall. dynamic assessment (da) is a colorful and interactive method that smoothly integrates teaching and evaluation activities (ghahderijani et al., 2021; momeni & nushi, 2022; sohrabi & ahmadi safa, 2020). it functions as a two-way mirror, reflecting not only a student's current talents but also their capacity to learn when given suitable instruction. this concept is based on vygotsky's zone of proximal development (zpd), which is the difference between a learner's independent abilities and what they can accomplish with help (mustiah et al., 2024; yang & qian, 2020). da excels in its capacity to forecast future performance, frequently beating traditional static measures (ebadi & asakereh, 2017; situngki et al., 2024). it's like having a crystal ball that predicts a learner's future improvement. this is especially useful for children with developmental problems and learning issues. furthermore, da has demonstrated a substantial relationship with word reading metrics, particularly among younger children, showing its efficacy in literacy education (andujar, 2020; dixon et al., 2023). one of the distinguishing features of da is the dynamic interaction it encourages between the instructor and the students, resulting in a continual cycle of learning and feedback. however, all roses have thorns, and da is no exception. its application in an online setting is still in its early stages, and despite increased ahmad imron & khoirul anwar reading proficiency and cognitive reading strategies through online dynamic assessment (oda) in english for economy interest, its use in real classrooms is limited (kazemi et al., 2020; ritonga et al., 2022). the one-on-one contacts required can be timeconsuming, and there is presently no evidence to suggest that da can dramatically alter the nature of children's intervention programs (phillips, 2022; tuluk & yurdugul, 2020). despite these challenges, da remains a beacon of hope in the field of reading instruction, promising a brighter future for students (poehner & wang, 2021; rezapour et al., 2023). this study has made a significant addition to the field of english for specific purposes (esp) by shedding light on the often-overlooked possibilities of dynamic assessment. it has been empirically established that da is effective when developed and deployed in an online setting for esp instruction. in contrast to prior research, which claimed that da was best suited for novice learners (derakhshan et al., 2020; kazemi et al., 2020; safdari & fathi, 2020), this study calls that premise into question. it gives strong evidence that online dynamic assessment can be an effective tool for adult learners in esp, improving not only their reading skills but also supporting the development of cognitive processes (estaji & ameri, 2020; silva moreira et al., 2022). this groundbreaking discovery opens the door to new uses of da, broadening its scope beyond typical classroom settings and rookie learners to include online learning and adult education in esp. it emphasizes da's adaptability and versatility, strengthening its position as a promising educational strategy in language education (afshari et al., 2020; ebadi & bashir, 2021; salinas-navarro et al., 2024). this study, therefore, acts as a guiding light for future researches, urging them to investigate and utilize the untapped potential of online dynamic assessment in other educational contexts. conclusion the study concludes that the experimental group performed significantly better on the posttest, as shown by an increased average score. the broader range and standard deviation in the experimental group indicate a diverse range of student abilities, implying that the exam may be useful in distinguishing between different levels of student competency. whether equal or unequal variances are considered, the t-test findings show a significant difference between the control and experimental groups. this means that the esp reading program, which is supported through online dynamic assessment, has a significant favorable impact on management students' reading ability. furthermore, the study exposes the cognitive reading methods used by management students at various phases of reading after an online dynamic evaluation. prior to reading, students anticipate the content based on the title, evaluate visuals for relevance, skim the text, read the first line of each paragraph, and reflect on their prior knowledge of the subject. during the reading process, they do not stop at every unfamiliar word; instead, they consult a dictionary for critical unknown words, infer word meanings from context, examine grammar, associate new words with situations, skip unknown words if overall comprehension is possible, and reread sentences to improve understanding. after reading, they categorize words based on meaning and grammar to aid memory retention, articulate main concepts in their own words, and revisit the content if any areas are unclear or to reiterate key themes. these tactics, used by all 60 students, demonstrate the proactive role that students have in improving their comprehension and memory recall. future research should include increasing the sample size, doing longitudinal investigations, and replicating the study across multiple esp domains. it is also essential to look at other contributing factors such as motivation and selfefficacy, conduct a qualitative analysis of cognitive reading strategies, and compare the efficiency of this method to others. further research might tailor the program to different proficiency levels, look into the impact of individual tactics on understanding, and investigate integration with other language skills. these proposals seek to improve esp teaching and learning results by expanding on current research and emphasizing student-centered approaches. acknowledgement the authors would like to extend their profound gratitude to the ministry of national education for their substantial financial support of this research. the allocation of funds through the master’s thesis grant scheme for the year 2024 has been instrumental in the progression and success of our work. references afshari, h., amirian, z., & tavakoli, m. (2020). applying group dynamic assessment procedures to support efl writing development: learner achievement, learners’ and teachers’ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 9 perceptions. journal of writing research, 11(3), 445–476. https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2020.11.03.02 aini, j. n., anwar, k., & arifani, y. (2023). eustress, learning engagement, and workable strategies of dcblt in english for engineering. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 799–810. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8838 alanazi, s. a., & alharbi, m. a. (2021). esp courses for saudi nursing students: a mixed method study. asian esp journal, 17(3.2), 108–127. amini, m., zahabi, a., amini, d., & hosseini, s. (2020). a review of reading strategies and models in learning and teaching of english as a foreign language. asian journal of english language and pedagogy, 8(2), 14–26. https://ojs.upsi.edu.my/index.php/ajelp/article /view/3596 andujar, a. (2020). mobile-mediated dynamic assessment: a new perspective for second language development. recall, 32(2), 178– 194. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0958344019000247 bezci, e. ö. (1998). an investigation of the cognitive reading strategy needs of the freshman students at hacettepe university. https://repository.bilkent.edu.tr/items/61a0c106ea8a-48f3-8732-2abdbfc4df96 derakhshan, a., shakki, f., & sarani, m. a. (2020). the effect of dynamic and non-dynamic assessment on the comprehension of iranian intermediate efl learners speech acts of apology and request. language related research, 11(4), 605–637. dixon, c., oxley, e., gellert, a. s., & nash, h. (2023). dynamic assessment as a predictor of reading development: a systematic review. reading and writing, 36(3), 673–698. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-022-10312-3 ebadi, s., & asakereh, a. (2017). developing efl learners’ speaking skills through dynamic assessment: a case of a beginner and an advanced learner. cogent education, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2017.141979 6 ebadi, s., & bashir, s. (2021). an exploration into efl learners’ writing skills via mobile-based dynamic assessment. education and information technologies, 26(2), 1995–2016. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10348-4 elahi shirvan, m., taherian, t., & yazdanmehr, e. (2020). the dynamics of foreign language enjoyment: an ecological momentary assessment. frontiers in psychology, 11(july), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01391 endarwati, e., anwar, k., & maruf, n. (2023). exploring the challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills and how anchor charts can address them. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 629–640. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8421 estaji, m., & ameri, a. f. (2020). dynamic assessment and its impact on pre-intermediate and high-intermediate efl learners’ grammar achievement. cogent education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.174004 0 fariha, n., anwar, k., & maruf, n. (2023). exploring the correlation of sociolinguistic competence and speaking proficiency, and how learners perceived them. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 1001–1012. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.9083 ghahderijani, b. h., namaziandost, e., tavakoli, m., kumar, t., & magizov, r. (2021). the comparative effect of group dynamic assessment (gda) and computerized dynamic assessment (c-da) on iranian upperintermediate efl learners’ speaking complexity, accuracy, and fluency (caf). language testing in asia, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-021-00144-3 hernández urrego, s. c. (2019). a virtual learning object (vlo) to promote reading strategies in an english for specific purposes environment. how, 26(2), 106–122. https://doi.org/10.19183/how.26.2.517 kazemi, a., bagheri, m. s., & rassaei, e. (2020). dynamic assessment in english classrooms: fostering learners’ reading comprehension and motivation. cogent psychology, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2020.178891 2 mochizuki, t., nishimori, t., tsubakimoto, · mio, oura, h., sato, t., johansson, h., nakahara, j., & yamauchi, y. (2019). development of software to support argumentative reading and writing by means of creating a graphic organizer from an electronic text. educational technology research and development, 67, 1197–1230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423019-09676-1 momeni, a., & nushi, m. (2022). iranian efl teachers’ beliefs about dynamic assessment: does context make a difference? language related research, 13(3), 403–428. https://doi.org/10.29252/lrr.13.3.15 mustiah, m., dayat, d., & sadek, n. (2024). the impact of mobile-assisted hybrid dynamic assessment on arabic language leaners’ reading comprehension performance. journal of languages and language teaching, 12(1), 524. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v12i1.9158 norris, g., griffith, g., & norris, h. (2017). risk assessment in youth justice: a child-centered approach to managing interventions. in w. petherick & g. sinnamon (eds.), the psychology of criminal and antisocial behavior (pp. 211–231). academic press. ahmad imron & khoirul anwar reading proficiency and cognitive reading strategies through online dynamic assessment (oda) in english for economy https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-012-809287-3.00006-7 phillips, j. (2022). a rapid sustainability dynamic assessment of the usa and china 1995–2018. environmental monitoring and assessment, 194(7). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-02210141-5 poehner, m. e., & wang, z. (2021). dynamic assessment and second language development. language teaching, 54(4), 472–490. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444820000555 rezapour, f., science, e., & education, e. (2023). impact of dynamic assessment ( da ) on elementary students ’ motivation. 3(4), 55–63. ritonga, m., farhangi, f., ajanil, b., & farid khafaga, a. (2022). interventionist vs. interactionist models of dynamic assessment (da) in the efl classroom: impacts on speaking accuracy and fluency (saf), foreign language classroom anxiety (flca), and foreign language learning motivation (fllm). language testing in asia, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-02200195-0 sa, h., wardhono, a., sa, h., & gresik, m. (2021). the effect of authentic problem – based learning in enhancing reading comprehension. 585, 84–94. safdari, m., & fathi, j. (2020). investigating the role of dynamic assessment on speaking accuracy and fluency of pre-intermediate efl learners. cogent education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.181892 4 salehi, h., khoii, r., rashtchi, m., & arjmandnia, a. a. (2024). adhd learners as victims or survivors in l2 learning contexts: a case of application of dynamic assessment to selective attention and reading comprehension ability. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-023-00229-x salinas-navarro, d. e., vilalta-perdomo, e., michelvillarreal, r., & montesinos, l. (2024). using generative artificial intelligence tools to explain and enhance experiential learning for authentic assessment. education sciences, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14010083 schröder, a., & krüger, d. (2019). social innovation as a driver for new educational practices: modernising, repairing and transforming the education system. sustainability (switzerland), 11(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/su11041070 sembel, j. s. (2018). developing learner-oriented english for nursing syllabus. nursing current jurnal keperawatan, 6(1), 60. https://doi.org/10.19166/nc.v6i1.1347 silva moreira, j., ferreira, p. c., & veiga simão, a. m. (2022). dynamic assessment of selfregulated learning in preschool. heliyon, 8(8). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10035 situngki, f. l., gultom, s., & simanjorang, m. (2024). literature study: dynamic assessment in mathematics. 1(1). sohrabi, s., & ahmadi safa, m. (2020). group dynamic assessment and efl learners’ oral production, motivation, and classroom anxiety. english teaching and learning, 44(4), 353– 376. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42321-020-000542 tuluk, a., & yurdugul, h. (2020). design and development of a web based dynamic assessment system to increase students’ learning effectiveness. international journal of assessment tools in education, 7(4), 631–656. https://doi.org/10.21449/ijate.730454 yang, y., & qian, d. d. (2020). promoting l2 english learners’ reading proficiency through computerized dynamic assessment. computer assisted language learning, 33(5–6), 628–652. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.158588 2 zeng, c., li, s., li, q., hu, j., & hu, j. (2020). a survey on machine reading comprehension— tasks, evaluation metrics and benchmark datasets. applied sciences (switzerland), 10(21), 1–57. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10217640 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1119 language learning strategies of the high achievers of toefl junior test in an indonesian islamic boarding school: a case study nanang heri setyo dwi cahyo english language education, faculty of letters, universitas negeri malang, indonesia email: nanang.heri.2202218@students.um.ac.id sri rachmajanti english language education, faculty of letters, universitas negeri malang, indonesia email: sri.rachmajanti.fs@um.ac.id siti muniroh english language education, faculty of letters, universitas negeri malang, indonesia email: siti.muniroh.fs@um.ac.id apa citation: cahyo, n. h. s. d., rachmajanti, s., & muniroh, s. (2024). language learning strategies of the high achievers of toefl junior test in an indonesian islamic boarding school: a case study. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1119-1130. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10647 received: 28-06-2024 accepted: 23-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction as global demand for english proficiency continues to rise, understanding the strategies utilized by high achievers in english language learning becomes increasingly important. english has solidified its role as the lingua franca in fields like business, science, and education, making mastery of the language essential for accessing higher education and global career opportunities (chang, 2022). despite its significance, a notable disparity exists in english language learning outcomes, particularly between low achievers and high achievers (cheng et al., 2019). this contrast prompts a critical question: what strategies do high achievers employ that set them apart in their language learning journey? language learning strategies (llss) have been a focal point to educational research since the 1970s for their role in improving language teaching and learning (zhang et al., 2019). these strategies help learners regulate their learning and are closely linked to linguistic achievements (cong-lem, 2019). rubin (1975) initially proposed that successful language learners might use unique strategies that others could emulate. these strategies serve as a blueprint for learners, guiding them through the complexities of language acquisition (rahman, 2020). wood abstract: this study investigates the language learning strategies (llss) employed by high-achieving students in the toefl junior test within the context of an indonesia islamic boarding school. motivated by indonesia's lower rankings in literacy, particularly in english, as highlighted by the 2022 pisa results, this study aims to address the gap in understanding how students in this specialized educational setting approach llss. this study focuses on six high-achieving female ninth-grade students from smp al izzah islamic boarding school batu, identified as high achievers based on their superior toefl junior test scores and exceptional performance on the school’s english final test. using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through the strategy inventory for language learning (sill) 7.0, semistructured interviews, and document analysis. the findings reveal that high achievers predominantly employ metacognitive strategies, such as goal setting and self-monitoring, as well as compensation strategies to overcome language barriers. cognitive strategies, particularly engaging with english media, play a significant role in their language acquisition, while memory strategies are moderately used for vocabulary retention. this research highlights the importance of self-discipline, time management, and a supportive learning environment with its accessible teachers and nurturing community, significantly enhances continuous learning and overall students’ well-being. the study recommends for future research to expand the sample size to other islamic boarding schools from various regions with more samples and explore the long-term impact of these strategies on academic and professional achievements. keywords: language learning strategies; high achievers; toefl junior test; islamic boarding school. mailto:nanang.heri.2202218@students.um.ac.id mailto:sri.rachmajanti.fs@um.ac.id mailto:siti.muniroh.fs@um.ac.id nanang heri setyo dwi cahyo, sri rachmajanti, & siti muniroh language learning strategies of the high achievers of toefl junior test in an indonesian islamic boarding school: a case study 1120 (2020 reinforces this view by describing llss as deliberate actions taken by learners to optimize their language learning experience. eng et al. (2022) further support this, showing that effective use of llss correlates with greater success in language learning. the body of literature on llss underscores the need for ongoing research to fully understand the factors that contribute to successful language learning. demographic variables— such as age, gender, language proficiency, educational level, motivation, and grade level—have been found to influence how students use llss (nasihah & cahyono, 2017; saefurrohman, 2021). in recent years, scholarly interest in llss has expanded across diverse educational settings, including primary education (bayuong et al., 2019; ji et al., 2021; jirin, 2023), high school education (choong & tan, 2023; john et al., 2021; kamiri et al., 2022), and higher education (agustin, 2021; dahmash, 2023; hapsari, 2019; rianto, 2020; sukying, 2021). studies also explore the relationship between llss and other variables such as motivation (dwinalida & setiaji, 2020; srisopha, 2022), personal traits (eisenberg & lee, 2020), learning styles (atika, 2020; salam et al., 2020), gender differences (kheder & rouabhia, 2023; sumarni & rachmawaty, 2019), and age differences (nhem, 2019). despite the wealth of research on llss, there remains a gap in the investigation of their use in specialized educational settings like islamic boarding schools. these institutions, known as pesantren, offer a unique educational landscape where students live in dormitories and engage in a curriculum that integrates religious and academic subjects (hafidzoh & widianto, 2022; irman et al., 2023; shiddiq et.al., 2024). this communal living and holistic education environment may shape the ways in which students adopt and implement llss differently from those in mainstream educational settings. yet, little empirical research has been conducted to examine llss in such culturally specific settings, leaving a gap that this study seeks to address. in the context of an islamic boarding school, the study of high achievers—particularly those who excel in rigorous standardized tests like the toefl junior test—offers a unique opportunity to explore how these learners employ llss. managed by the educational testing service (ets), the toefl junior test is a globally recognized assessment of english proficiency (golubovich et al., 2018). these assessments offer a consistent method for evaluating english language ability and enjoy international recognition (madya et al., 2020). this issue is particularly relevant in the indonesian context, where the pisa (programme for international student assessment) results indicate lower levels of indonesian students’ proficiency in reading, mathematics, and science, including english proficiency compared to global standards, with the 2022 pisa report showing a decline in average scores despite a slight improvement in ranking (nugroho, 2024). these findings indicate that while progress has been made, substantial improvement is needed in literacy and overall academic performance (kartini, 2024). this gap in research is further emphasized by policy changes in indonesia's education system. in 2021, the ministry of education and culture eliminated the national exam for primary and high schools, leading individual schools to adopt their own standards for measuring student proficiency. in response, smp al izzah islamic boarding school implemented the toefl junior test as a measure of english proficiency for its final-year students. this decision reflects the school's commitment to maintaining high academic standards while providing its students with an internationally recognized benchmark for language proficiency. karimullah and mukminatien (2022) highlight the importance of the toefl exam, emphasizing its role as a prerequisite for university admission, career advancement, and certification for teachers and lecturers in indonesia. the toefl junior test is mapped to the common european framework of reference for languages (cefr), providing scores that indicate students’ proficiency levels. the highest scores correspond to cefr level b2, which aligns with the standards set by the indonesian ministry of education’s national curriculum (decree no. 032/h/kr/2024). this alignment ensures that indonesian students are prepared to meet international benchmarks for english proficiency, equipping them with the skills needed for academic and professional success. by examining the llss used by high achievers in an islamic boarding school setting, this study aims to address gaps in existing research and contribute to a more nuanced understanding of how a specialized educational environment influences language learning. therefore, the primary objectives of this study are to analyze the specific llss employed by high achievers of the toefl junior test in an islamic boarding school english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1121 and to identify the factors contributing to their success. the research questions guiding this study are as follows: (1) what specific language learning strategies are employed by high achievers of the toefl junior test in an islamic boarding school? (2) what factors contribute to their success of high achievers of toefl junior test in an islamic boarding school? method this study employs a qualitative case study. the method is selected for its ability to conduct an indepth investigation of a contemporary phenomenon (here, high achievement in toefl junior) within its real-world context (the islamic boarding school). the case study method, as outlined by yin (2018), allows for a deep exploration of the phenomenon within its realworld context, providing insights into the strategies and contextual factors that influence high performance. the instruments utilized for data collection are an adapted version of the strategy inventory for language learning (sill) 7.0 (oxford, 1990), semi-structured interviews, and documents analysis. this research was conducted at smp al izzah islamic boarding school batu, an educational institution exclusively for female students. the students reside on campus, engaging in both dormitory and school-based activities. following the removal of the national exam in 2021, the school established its own graduation criteria, which includes the toefl junior test to assess english proficiency. this initiative ensures that students are well-equipped to face global challenges. the researchers targeted a group of 98 ninthgrade female students, all of whom had previously taken the toefl junior test during the 20232024 school year. to ensure the selection of high achievers, rigorous criteria were applied, including: (a) achieving a "superior (865–900)" or "accomplished (785–860)" score level on the toefl junior test; (b) attaining at least a b2 level in two out of three sections of the toefl junior test; and (c) scoring above 92 on the english final test administered by the school where a score of 80 is the passing grade, and score above 92 earns an a. after a thorough screening process, eight students met all the criteria and were chosen as research participants. however, only six students were willing to participate in the interviews. additionally, one english teacher was interviewed to provide insights into the students’ learning processes and classroom environment. the decision to focus solely on female students stems from the nature of the school, which is exclusively for female students. this should be considered when interpreting the findings, as they reflect the experiences of female students within this specific educational setting. the small sample size of six students and one teacher is acknowledged as a limitation, which may affect the generalizability of the results. nevertheless, the study aims to offer in-depth insights into the language learning strategies of high-achieving students within this context. this study employs yin’s (2018) explanationbuilding technique to integrate quantitative and qualitative findings, forming a coherent narrative on the implementation of llss among highachieving students. explanation building iteratively links data with theoretical concepts to uncover underlying processes. the initial proposition was that high achievers in the islamic boarding school use specific llss contributing to their success on the toefl junior test. quantitative data from the sill questionnaire were analyzed using spss, with mean scores categorized based on oxford’s (1990) framework of high, medium, or low strategy use. following this, thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews, guided by braun and clarke’s (2006) six-step process, revealing key themes about the students' learning strategies. this dual approach provided a comprehensive understanding of the strategies employed by the students. before data collection, the researchers verified the validity and reliability of the instruments to ensure accurate and consistent results since neglecting validity and reliability can undermine the credibility of the study and eventually lead to misleading outcomes (setyowati et al., 2023). this process includes consulting an expert for content validity, conducting pilot tests to identify and fix ambiguities, construct validity through pearson product-moment and using cronbach's alpha to check internal consistency. validity tests confirmed that all items exceeded the critical value for pearson’s correlation coefficient, indicating strong construct validity. reliability scores ranged from 0.70 to 0.90, demonstrating high reliability. results and discussion overall strategy use table 1 highlights the overall strategy use by high-achieving students, revealing a broad range nanang heri setyo dwi cahyo, sri rachmajanti, & siti muniroh language learning strategies of the high achievers of toefl junior test in an indonesian islamic boarding school: a case study 1122 of employed strategies. metacognitive strategies are the most prominent, enabling students to plan, monitor, and adjust their learning, contributing significantly to their success. compensation strategies are also widely used, showcasing their ability to overcome language gaps and communicate effectively. cognitive strategies, such as repetition and visualization, play a crucial role in active learning and information retention, while memory strategies are moderately employed for storing and retrieving information. the moderate use of affective strategies indicates that these students occasionally manage their emotions. social strategies are the least utilized, suggesting a preference for self-directed learning, possibly influenced by the islamic boarding school environment, which fosters independence as students live away from their parents. table 1. overall strategy use by high achievers strategies n mean std. deviation level memory strategies 8 3.28 .583 medium cognitive strategies 8 3.51 .461 high compensation strategies 8 3.90 .387 high metacognitive strategies 8 3.95 .357 high affective strategies 8 2.92 .471 medium social strategies 8 2.69 .360 medium goal setting in exploring the narratives of participants striving for toefl junior success, goal setting emerges as a critical factor. setting specific, measurable, and challenging targets influences their study habits, motivation, and overall attitude toward learning english. table 2 highlights the metacognitive strategies used by high-achieving students in their english language learning journey. goal-setting is a top-rated strategy in metacognitive strategies, providing direction and motivation for achieving linguistic milestones. table 2. metacognitive strategies use by high achievers no strategies n mean std. deviation level 37 i have clear goals for improving my english skills. 8 4.25 .463 high semi-structured interviews with students revealed that, despite their diverse backgrounds and ambitions, a common theme is their strong commitment to achieving their goals. their approach is marked by a deliberate and strategic mindset in preparing for this critical academic milestone. ahs, for instance, set a specific target of 845, indicating a focused objective to achieve a defined level of proficiency. likewise, fan aspires to surpass a competitive threshold with a goal just over 850. far and hna, on the other hand, demonstrate high levels of ambition by targeting a perfect score of 900. the following excerpts are taken from the semi-interviews with these participants. my toefl target was 845. (ahs) my target was more than 850. (fan) i targeted 900. (far) actually, my goal setting is 900. i want a perfect score. (hna) the english teacher's (swb) perspective provides essential context to the students' approach to goal setting for the toefl junior test. according to swb, students are encouraged to establish goal settings for all prerequisite exams, including the toefl junior test. this practice is a deliberate strategy aimed at fostering a mindset of realistic and achievable goal setting among students. swb highlights the importance of writing down these goals, which serves as a tangible reminder of their objectives and a motivational tool to keep them focused and committed. by advising students to set realistic and achievable goals, the teacher ensures that students are not only ambitious but also practical about their capabilities and the steps needed to reach their targets. yes, we usually motivate students to create goal settings for all student prerequisite exams, including the toefl junior test. we advise students to write down their goal settings in a realistic and achievable. for toefl junior, the school's target for all students is to get a minimum score of 750. (swb) research supports the importance of goal setting in enhancing academic performance. shih and reynolds (2018) found that integrating goal setting with reading strategy instruction effectively boosts reading proficiency and learner motivation, promoting greater autonomy and selfefficacy. similarly, bai and wang (2020) demonstrated that the level of goal setting and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1123 planning strategies employed by learners significantly affects the relationship between goal setting and english language learning achievements. these findings underline how clear academic goals and strategic planning can significantly impact students' success and motivation in their language learning endeavors. self-evaluation and progress monitoring table 3 showcases other metacognitive strategies utilized by high achievers in their pursuit of english language proficiency. self-evaluation and progress monitoring are key strategies employed by high achievers. these students emphasize the importance of reviewing their performance, identifying areas for improvement, and making targeted efforts to enhance their language skills. this reflective practice not only helps them understand their weaknesses but also enables them to track their progress over time, creating a more personalized learning experience. table 3. metacognitive strategies use by high achievers no strategies n mean std. deviation level 31 i notice my english mistakes and use that information to help me do better. 8 3.87 .354 high 38 i think about my progress in learning english. 8 4.38 .518 high a study by zhang (2024) notes that continuous progress monitoring and real-time adaptation of learning strategies empower learners to expand their vocabulary and boost overall language proficiency. similarly, jamrus and razali (2019) emphasize that self-assessment in english language learning can foster motivation, promote critical thinking and reflective practices, scaffold knowledge across different language skills, and develop a sense of autonomy. omare (2020) further suggests that integrating self-evaluation strategies can significantly enhance academic performance in english language learning. semi-structured interviews with students reinforce the practice of self-evaluation and progress monitoring. hna illustrated the significance of this practice through her experience with toefl try-outs. i did the evaluation after i finished. for example, in my first try out, oh no, in the second try out, my score, if i'm not mistaken, was 880 or 890. anyway, at that time my second try out score was lower than my first try out score. then i evaluated it, on the same day. (hna) this excerpt highlights hna's immediate reflection on her scores to understand her performance. by evaluating her performance soon after the test, she could identify areas of weakness and implement strategies for improvement before the next try-out, emphasizing the importance of timely and focused self-evaluation. similarly, far shared a methodical approach to selfevaluation by emphasizing the importance of revisiting mistakes to avoid similar errors in future assessments. far's strategy involves a detailed review of errors, repeated practice, and a concentrated effort on misunderstood sections from there i learned what was wrong, i repeated it again, i understood it again, more focused on the wrong part. (far) pqa added another dimension to this theme by describing their process of monitoring learning progress over an extended period. pqa's approach involves tracking changes and developments in their learning journey, which provides a comprehensive overview of their progress. this long-term monitoring helps pqa to identify trends, recognize growth, and stay focused on their learning objectives. sometimes i monitor my learning progress. i see from the previous one to the current one. (pqa) the english teacher, swb, provided valuable insight into the structured approach used to encourage self-evaluation and progress monitoring among students. every time there is a quiz or try out, we announce the score to students. from there, they can monitor and evaluate their learning progress and compare it with their goal setting. our hope is that every time they take a quiz and try out, their scores will reach or even exceed their goal setting targets. (swb) the excerpt underscores the role of transparent and consistent feedback in learning. by promptly announcing scores, students get immediate data to assess their progress, aligning with their selfnanang heri setyo dwi cahyo, sri rachmajanti, & siti muniroh language learning strategies of the high achievers of toefl junior test in an indonesian islamic boarding school: a case study 1124 evaluation strategies. comparing scores with personal targets helps them stay on track to meet their objectives and make adjustments if needed. this process encourages students to continuously strive for achieving their goals. swb’s approach also fosters a culture of continuous improvement. the hope that students' scores will reach or exceed their targets every time they take a quiz or try-out. this expectation of progress and improvement reinforces the idea that learning is an ongoing process, encouraging students to regularly reflect on their performance and make necessary adjustments. the calm and serene environment of the islamic boarding school, away from the hustle and bustle, enhances the practice of self-evaluation and reflection. adaptability and creative problem-solving table 4 presents compensation strategies employed by high achievers. one of the most widely used strategies, with an impressive mean score of 4.50, involves making educated guesses to comprehend unfamiliar english words. this method allows them to infer meanings based on contextual clues, which is crucial for expanding their vocabulary and maintaining the flow of conversation without being hindered by every unfamiliar word. in addition to making guesses, high achievers employ gestures when they struggle to recall a specific word during a conversation. this non-verbal communication technique helps bridge gaps in their vocabulary which reflects their resourcefulness and their ability to keep conversations flowing smoothly without interruption. it showcases their practical problem-solving skills and their commitment to maintaining effective communication in real-time situations. table 4. compensation strategies use by high achievers no strategies n mean std. deviation level 24 to understand unfamiliar english words, i make guesses. 8 4.50 .535 high 25 when i can’t think of a word during a conversation in english, i use gestures 8 3.75 .707 high based on the interviews, participants provided insightful strategies to navigate language challenges during english language learning, supported by their own experiences. far exemplified a practical adaptation strategy by using gestures to convey meaning when encountering unfamiliar english words. if i don't know, for example, the english word is cat. so, i demonstrate what a cat looks like. (far) furthermore, pqa's reliance on gestures as a communication tool when precise english words elude her further underscores the diversity of language learning strategies. this adaptive strategy not only aids in comprehension but also enhances communicative clarity, demonstrating an effective approach to overcoming linguistic barriers. a study by seo (2021) found that gestures can facilitate mutual understanding in conversation tutoring sessions, particularly during word search sequences initiated by esl learners. additionally, radley et al. (2021) demonstrated that incorporating gestures in second language acquisition can alleviate the cognitive load associated with learning a new language. by reducing the mental effort required to process and produce language, gestures help create a more effective and less stressful learning environment. this evidence collectively suggests that gestures are a valuable tool in language learning, aiding both in immediate communication and long-term language acquisition. sometimes i make gestures if i don't know the appropriate english word. (pqa) in the structured environment of boarding school, students show creativity under strict rules. an amusing yet insightful example comes from swb, who shared how students, prohibited from bringing cooking utensils, ingeniously use an iron to heat noodles instead of a stove. this anecdote not only highlights the students' ability to adapt to constraints but also underscores their resourcefulness in finding unconventional solutions to everyday challenges. just as they creatively adapt to the restrictions on cooking, students like far and pqa employ innovative methods to overcome language barriers. the students' ability to creatively adapt to various situations, both in daily life and in their studies, highlights their resilience and ingenuity. in the boarding school environment, there are several policies and rules that regulate what students can and cannot do. with the limitations english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1125 that exist in boarding schools, they tend to be creative in innovative. for example, they are not allowed to bring cooking utensils because the food has been provided by the boarding school so they can focus on studying. well, here's something funny and interesting. when they want to cook noodles, they use an iron as a heater, not a stove. (swb) the role of authentic media the integration of data from the sill questionnaire, semi-structured interviews with students, and insights from the english teacher provides a comprehensive understanding of the cognitive strategies utilized by the high achievers, particularly focusing on their engagement with watching english-language tv shows and movies. table 5 presents the findings of cognitive strategies used by high achievers, based on sill questionnaire. their most significant engagement is with watching english-language tv shows and movies. this strategy reflects their preference for exposure to the language in authentic contexts, which aids in improving listening skills and provides them with real-world examples of pronunciation, intonation, and cultural context. table 5. cognitive strategies use by high achievers no strategies n mean std. deviation level 15 i watch english language tv shows or go to movies spoken in english. 8 4.50 .535 high interviews reveal that early exposure to english movies was pivotal in shaping the learners' linguistic development. for instance, nam's recount of how movies sparked her interest and sustained her motivation highlights the intrinsic value of this strategy. movies provide learners with contextualized language use that textbooks alone cannot offer, thereby enriching vocabulary and honing listening and comprehension skills. this finding underscores the importance of integrating authentic language contexts into language learning. mahmoudi and tasnimi (2023) demonstrated that authentic audio and video materials positively influence the speaking fluency. their study underscores the benefits of engaging with genuine language inputs, highlighting the effectiveness of audiovisual materials in improving language proficiency. i usually watch english movies, and then i get excited to learn english again. (nam) moreover, a participant noted that regular exposure to english movies from a young age played a pivotal role in their language development. hna attributed her early mastery of english to consistent viewing of animations and english animated films on television. this exposure not only enriched her vocabulary but also cultivated her listening and comprehension skills, as she absorbed language nuances and expressions in a natural, context-rich environment. i was able to master english from a young age because i was taught to watch it more often, films like animations on tv, more often english animated films, i think. (hna) to support this educational approach, the school implements rules regarding the use of films for learning purposes. this approach ensures that films used in educational settings not only enhance language skills but also align with appropriate content standards, reinforcing the educational value of these audiovisual resources. by selecting films with educational elements and avoiding those with inappropriate content, teachers can create a safe and constructive learning environment. the focus on pronunciation helps students improve their listening skills and pronunciation accuracy, while summarizing film content encourages comprehension and critical thinking. in the school, there are rules regarding showing films for learning. teachers must be selective in choosing films that contain educational elements and do not contain scenes of violence or adult content. usually, i ask my students to pay attention to pronunciation and i ask them to make a summary of the film contents." (swb) the data highlights the educational value of movies in language learning. the sill questionnaire's finding that watching englishlanguage content is a highly engaged strategy is echoed in the students' testimonials and the teacher's practices. the integration of movies into educational settings, with a focus on pronunciation and comprehension, provides a practical application of language skills. the teacher's emphasis on selecting appropriate films and incorporating activities that promote nanang heri setyo dwi cahyo, sri rachmajanti, & siti muniroh language learning strategies of the high achievers of toefl junior test in an indonesian islamic boarding school: a case study 1126 pronunciation and summarization reflects a holistic approach to language education. self-discipline and time management achieving success in toefl junior test requires a combination of seriousness, effective time management, and disciplined effort, as highlighted by nam and ahs. according to nam, the "seriousness factor" plays a crucial role in achieving optimal results. she believes that when students are serious about their studies, they are more likely to put in the necessary effort, which leads to the best outcomes. maybe, the seriousness factor. if you are serious, you should be able to make an effort and get the best results. (nam) navigating the demanding schedules of islamic boarding schools requires exceptional time management and a strong sense of intention. nam emphasizes the significance of time management in their toefl junior preparation. nam acknowledges that despite a busy schedule, managing time effectively and having a clear intention to study english are pivotal. this perspective aligns with the idea that effective time allocation, coupled with a focused intent, enhances one's ability to meet and exceed learning targets. actually, there isn't much free time, but if we are good at managing our time and have the intention, it's possible. (nam) in line with this, adila (2024) highlights a strong link between learning discipline and academic success, emphasizing that fostering discipline early on cultivates self-awareness and responsibility in students, which in turn enhances their academic performance. similarly, ramadhana (2023) suggests that creating a supportive environment, encouraging selfreflection, setting achievable goals, and offering guidance on time management can help reduce the risk of burnout. together, these elements form a comprehensive approach to academic success. the impact of boarding school environment the findings from the excerpts highlight the distinctive impact of the boarding school environment on students' educational experiences. unlike traditional schools where teachers typically leave after their scheduled hours, the boarding school maintains a continuous presence of educators throughout the day and into the evening. this extended availability of teachers, referred to as "murobbiyah" in the context provided by far, signifies a commitment to ongoing educational support that transcends conventional school schedules. it can be like this, if in other schools, the teachers will go home after work hours. but, in boarding school, we have teachers from morning to night. the murobbiyah (teachers in boarding school) can also be asked. (far) furthermore, nam's perspective provides specific examples of the benefits derived from this extended teacher availability. she emphasizes the supportive nature of this environment, where students can learn together and seek assistance from both teachers and friends whenever needed. beyond academic support, the excerpt also shed light on the boarding school's role in nurturing students' well-being. she mentions how the variety of activities offered in the boarding school helps alleviate stress and provides avenues for students to unwind and recharge. it's actually really good. i mean, there are teachers who focus on us to learn toefl, and we can also learn together with our friends if there is something we don't understand or anything like that. it's really supportive. if for example we are stressed, there are a lot of activities in the boarding school, we are definitely encouraged by our friends, the teachers too. (nam) transitioning to hna's perspective, her reflection offers insight into the positive outcomes derived from perceived limitations in resources within the boarding school context. she sees this as an advantage rather than a limitation. the challenge posed by limited resources thus becomes a catalyst for academic resilience and deeper learning engagement, ultimately contributing to students' overall academic success and self-directed learning skills. the positive influence is that for me, because the resources are more limited, it helps me to recall lessons more easily. i have to be able to understand more deeply. (hna) conclusion the quantitative findings of this study reveal that high achievers of toefl junior test at the islamic boarding school predominantly use english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1127 metacognitive, compensation, and cognitive strategies. metacognitive strategies, involving planning, monitoring, and evaluating, are the most frequently utilized, highlighting the students' active engagement in their learning process. compensation strategies are also common, as students use creative methods like guessing meanings and gestures to manage language gaps. cognitive strategies, including watching english media, are significant for real-world exposure and active practice. in addition, interviews show that goal setting, self-evaluation, progress monitoring, adaptability, self-discipline, time management, and the supportive boarding school environment are crucial for success. students set specific challenging targets, frequently evaluate their performance to identify and improve weaknesses. adaptability and creative problem-solving help overcome language barriers, while self-discipline and time management are essential due to their busy schedules. the boarding school's extended teacher availability and supportive community contribute significantly to their learning and wellbeing. the implications of this study extend beyond individual academic success, offering valuable insights into the broader educational landscape. by examining the strategies of high achievers, this research provides a foundation for enhancing english language education, not only within the islamic boarding school but also in the wider indonesian context. integrating llss into the curriculum could improve overall student performance and encourage others to adopt successful techniques. aligning llss with pisa competencies may further enhance students' ability to apply language skills in real-world contexts, potentially improving indonesia’s performance in pisa assessments, especially in reading literacy. this study has several limitations. firstly, the sample size is relatively small and limited to a single islamic boarding school, which may not provide a comprehensive representation of all high achievers across different islamic boarding schools. secondly, the reliance on self-reported information may introduce biases such as social desirability or recall bias. additionally, the focus on a specific educational setting might limit the applicability of the findings to other contexts. future research should consider expanding the sample size, including male students and multiple islamic boarding schools from various regions to enhance the generalizability of the findings. further studies could explore the long-term impacts of these learning strategies on students' academic and professional achievements beyond the toefl junior test. acknowledgements i would like to sincerely acknowledge the following organizations for their invaluable contributions to this research. first and foremost, i extend my profound gratitude to balai pembiayaan pendidikan tinggi (bppt) – the center for higher education funding and financing under the ministry of education, culture, research, and technology, republic of indonesia – and to lembaga pengelola dana pendidikan (lpdp) – the indonesia endowment funds for education within the ministry of finance, indonesia – for their generous provision of a graduate scholarship, without which this research endeavor would not have been possible. additionally, i wish to express my heartfelt thanks to smp al izzah batu for supporting my pursuit of a master’s degree and for providing me with the opportunity to conduct this research. i am also deeply grateful to the administration, faculty, and students who contributed to and supported this study. references adila, n. k. h., & susanto, s. (2024). analysis of discipline character and learning interest on student learning outcomes. jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran, 3(1), 148–154. https://doi.org/10.54259/diajar.v3i1.2403 agustin, w., wahyudin, a. y., & isnaini, s. (2021). language learning strategies and academic achievement of english department students. journal of arts and education, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.33365/jae.v1i1.34 atika, r. n. (2020). interactions among learning styles, language learning strategies and gender of efl learners. study of applied linguistics and english education, 1(1), 67–82. https://doi.org/10.35961/salee.v1i01.79 bai, b., & wang, j. (2020). the role of growth mindset, self-efficacy and intrinsic value in selfregulated learning and english language learning achievements. language teaching research, 27(1), 207-228. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820933190 bayuong, p., hashim, h., & yunus, m. (2019). identifying language learning strategies used by esl learners in a rural primary school. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v8-i3/6311 braun, v., & clarke, v. (2006). using thematic analysis in psychology. qualitative research in https://doi.org/10.54259/diajar.v3i1.2403 https://doi.org/10.33365/jae.v1i1.34 https://doi.org/10.35961/salee.v1i01.79 https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820933190 https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v8-i3/6311 nanang heri setyo dwi cahyo, sri rachmajanti, & siti muniroh language learning strategies of the high achievers of toefl junior test in an indonesian islamic boarding school: a case study 1128 psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa chang, f. (2022). english language as social capital: a study of online english private tutoring in taiwan. journal of international and comparative education, 11(2), 71–91. https://doi.org/10.14425/jice.2022.11.2.1230 cheng, c., wang, y., & liu, w. (2019). exploring the related factors in students’ academic achievement for the sustainable education of rural areas. sustainability, 11(21), 5974. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11215974 choong, y. c., & tan, s. y. (2023). exploring esl students’ language learning strategies at an independent chinese secondary school in malaysia. asia-pacific journal of futures in education and society, 2(2), 101–121. https://doi.org/10.58946/apjfes-2.2.p6 cong-lem, n. (2019). language learning strategies among vietnamese efl high school students. indonesian jelt indonesian journal of english language teaching, 14(1), 55-70. https://doi.org/10.25170/ijelt.v14i1.1418 dahmash, m. (2023). an investigation of language learning strategies used by female saudi efl college students. arab world english journal, (290), 1-51. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/th.290 dwinalida, k., & setiaji, s. (2020). the correlation between learners’ motivation and language learning strategies in efl context. jepal (journal of english pedagogy and applied linguistics), 1(1), 38–48. https://doi.org/10.32627/jepal.v1i1.45 eisenberg, s., & lee, k. (2020). a literature review on the relationship between personal traits and language learning. journal of convergence for information technology, 10(6), 147–155. https://doi.org/10.22156/cs4smb.2020.10.06.1 47 eng, s., soo, y., lai, y., gan, k., & yeap, c. (2022). online direct learning strategies of mandarin as a foreign language learner during covid-19 pandemic period in a malaysian university. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 12(11). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v12-i11/14840 golubovich, j., tolentino, f., & papageorgiou, s. (2018). examining the applications and opinions of the toefl itp® assessment series test scores in three countries. ets research report series, 2018(1), 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1002/ets2.12231 hafidzoh, s. a., & widianto, e. (2022). social sensitivity of students of darul faqih islamic boarding school malang towards communitybased learning methods. empowerment jurnal ilmiah program studi pendidikan luar sekolah, 11(2), 89-98 https://doi.org/10.22460/empowerment.v11i2.33 75 hapsari, a. (2019). language learning strategies in english language learning: a survey study. lingua pedagogia journal of english teaching studies, 1(1), 58–68. https://doi.org/10.21831/lingped.v1i1.18399 irman, i., wasliman, i., warta, w., & naufal, s. (2023). management of the implementation of the national curriculum based on islamic boarding school education to improve the quality of madrasah aliyah (descriptive analytical study at ma al-masthuriyah, ma sunanul huda, ma al-amin, sukabumi regency). journal of humanities and social studies, 7(1), 022-029. https://doi.org/10.33751/jhss.v7i1.7234 jamrus, m., & razali, a. (2019). using selfassessment as a tool for english language learning. english language teaching, 12(11), 64. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n11p64 ji, p., rupiwin, f., chia, c., wei, k., bakar, n., & hashim, h. (2021). understanding urban chinese primary school pupils’ language learning strategies for listening and speaking. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 11(6). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v11-i6/10196 jirin, s. (2023). language learning strategies used by esl primary school pupils to enhance grammar and vocabulary skills. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 13(7). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v13-i7/17760 john, e., rangasamy, d., indiran, d., adickalam, e. r., kashinathan, s., & hashim, h. (2021). language learning strategies used by form 4 esl learners to develop speaking skills. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 11(6). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v11-i6/10040 karimullah, i. w., & mukminatien, n. (2022). problems faced and strategies applied by testtakers in completing the toefl ibt test. studies in english language and education, 9(2), 574-590. http://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v9i2.23129 kartini, a. (2024). pbl-based stem: its effect on the cognitive learning outcome of junior high school students. jurnal biolokus, 6(2), 187. https://doi.org/10.30821/biolokus.v6i2.2673 kheder, k., & rouabhia, r. (2023). gender differences in learning languages. european journal of applied linguistics studies, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.46827/ejals.v6i2.456 madya, s., retnawati, h., purnawan, a., putro, n., & kartianom, k. (2020). the range of toefl scores predicted by toep. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 10(2), 491-501. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i2.28591 https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa https://doi.org/10.14425/jice.2022.11.2.1230 https://doi.org/10.3390/su11215974 https://doi.org/10.58946/apjfes-2.2.p6 https://doi.org/10.25170/ijelt.v14i1.1418 https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/th.290 https://doi.org/10.32627/jepal.v1i1.45 https://doi.org/10.22156/cs4smb.2020.10.06.147 https://doi.org/10.22156/cs4smb.2020.10.06.147 https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v12-i11/14840 https://doi.org/10.1002/ets2.12231 https://doi.org/10.22460/empowerment.v11i2.3375 https://doi.org/10.22460/empowerment.v11i2.3375 https://doi.org/10.21831/lingped.v1i1.18399 https://doi.org/10.33751/jhss.v7i1.7234 https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n11p64 https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v11-i6/10196 https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v13-i7/17760 https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v11-i6/10040 http://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v9i2.23129 https://doi.org/10.30821/biolokus.v6i2.2673 https://doi.org/10.46827/ejals.v6i2.456 https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i2.28591 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1129 kamiri, a. a., malip, n. k., hameed, b. s., govindasamy, p., nekmat, a. s., & hashim, h. (2022). language learning strategy used among secondary school esl students. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v12-i3/10426 mahmoudi, n., & tasnimi, m. (2023). the effect of using authentic audio and video materials on the speaking fluency of auditory and visual iranian learners. isagoge journal of humanities and social sciences, 3(1), 106-125. https://doi.org/10.59079/isagoge.v3i1.161 nasihah, m., cahyono, b. y. (2017). language learning strategies, motivation, and writing achievement of indonesian efl students. arab world english journal, 8 (1). https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol8no1.18 nhem, d. (2019). language learning strategies: a comparative study of young and adolescent cambodian learners. international journal of language and literary studies, 1(2), 34-45. https://doi.org/10.36892/ijlls.v1i2.43 nugroho, m. (2024). project-based learning through augmented reality-assisted math trails at blenduk church to promote mathematical literacy. jurnal elemen, 10(2), 363-377. https://doi.org/10.29408/jel.v10i2.25333 omare, j. (2020). effect of self-evaluation learning strategy on academic performance in english language among students in public secondary schools in kenya. american journal of educational research, 8(11), 822-827. https://doi.org/10.12691/education-8-11-2 oxford, r. l. (1990). language learning strategies: what every teacher should know. newbury house publishers. radley, a., jones, c., hanham, j., & richards, m. (2021). matjarr djuyal: how using gesture in teaching gathang helps preschoolers learn nouns. languages, 6(2), 103. https://doi.org/10.3390/languages6020103 rahman, m. (2020). efl learners’ language learning strategies: a case study at qassim university. advances in language and literary studies, 11(5), 6. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.11n.5p.6 ramadhana, d., basthomi, y., & zen, e. l. (2023). correlation analysis of academic perfectionism, self-efficacy, and burnout among english department learners. voices of english language education society, 7(2), 300–311. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v7i2.18309 rianto, a. (2020). a study of language learning strategy use among indonesian efl university students. register journal, 13(2), 231-256. https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v13i2.231-256 rubin, j. (1975). what the “good language learner” can teach us? tesol quarterly, 9, 41–51. https://doi.org/10.2307/3586011 saefurrohman, s. (2021). age, gender, level, and grade effect on foreign language learning strategy. proceedings of the 6th asia-pacific education and science conference. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.19-12-2020.2309189 salam, u., sukarti, n., & arifin, z. (2020). an analysis of learning styles and learning strategies used by a successful language learner. jet (journal of english teaching), 6(2), 111– 121. https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v6i2.1734 seo, m. (2021). multimodally enhanced opportunities for language learning: gestures used in word search sequences in esl tutoring. journal of language teaching and research, 12(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1201.05 setyowati, l, karmina, s., sukmawan, s., & latisha, s. a. (2023). the validity and reliability of writing attitude scale for efl learners in the indonesian context. studies in english language and education, 10(3), 1236-1252. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i3.28462 shiddiq, a., ulfatin, n., imron, a., & imron, a. (2024). developing student character education through islamic boarding school culture in islamic elementary schools. al-ishlah jurnal pendidikan, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v16i2.5260 shih, y., & reynolds, b. (2018). the effects of integrating goal setting and reading strategy instruction on english reading proficiency and learning motivation: a quasi-experimental study. applied linguistics review, 9(1), 35-62. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2016-1022 sumarni, s., & rachmawaty, n. (2019). gender differences in language learning strategies. ethical lingua: journal of language teaching and literature, 6(1), 13-22. https://doi.org/10.30605/ethicallingua.v6i1.1169 srisopha, k. (2022). a causal relationship model of english language learning strategies and achievement motivation among physical education students at thailand national sports university. education quarterly reviews, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.31014/aior.1993.05.02.487 sukying, a. (2021). choices of language learning strategies and english proficiency of efl university learners. learn journal: language education and acquisition research network, 14(2), 59-87. https://so04.tcithaijo.org/index.php/learn/article/view/2532 61 wood, j. c. (2020). a closer look at language learning strategies. japan association for language teaching post conference publication, 100– 105. https://doi.org/10.37546/jaltpcp2019-13 yin, r. k. (2018). case study research and applications: design and methods (6th ed.). sage zhang, g. (2024). optimization and application of english word memory algorithm based on reinforcement learning. journal of electrical https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v12-i3/10426 https://doi.org/10.59079/isagoge.v3i1.161 https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol8no1.18 https://doi.org/10.36892/ijlls.v1i2.43 https://doi.org/10.29408/jel.v10i2.25333 https://doi.org/10.12691/education-8-11-2 https://doi.org/10.3390/languages6020103 https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.11n.5p.6 https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v7i2.18309 https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v13i2.231-256 https://doi.org/10.2307/3586011 https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.19-12-2020.2309189 https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v6i2.1734 https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1201.05 https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i3.28462 https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v16i2.5260 https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2016-1022 https://doi.org/10.30605/ethicallingua.v6i1.1169 https://doi.org/10.31014/aior.1993.05.02.487 https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/learn/article/view/253261 https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/learn/article/view/253261 https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/learn/article/view/253261 https://doi.org/10.37546/jaltpcp2019-13 nanang heri setyo dwi cahyo, sri rachmajanti, & siti muniroh language learning strategies of the high achievers of toefl junior test in an indonesian islamic boarding school: a case study 1130 systems, 20(6s), 1786-1799. https://doi.org/10.52783/jes.3096 zhang, l. j., thomas, n., & qin, t. l. (2019). language learning strategy research in system: looking back and looking forward. system, 84, 87–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.06.002 https://doi.org/10.52783/jes.3096 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.06.002 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 231 uncovering resilience and stress factors of indonesian efl teachers: a narrative study zalsa febrina syabilla master’s program in elt, universitas islam malang, indonesia email: zalsafebrina@gmail.com m. faruq ubaidillah english education department, universitas islam malang, indonesia email: mfubaidillah@unisma.ac.id mutmainnah mustofa english education department, universitas islam malang, indonesia email: inamustofa@unisma.ac.id m. galuh elga romadhon master’s program in elt, universitas islam malang, indonesia email: muhammadgaluh2022@gmail.com apa citation: syabilla, z. f., ubaidillah, m. f., mustofa, m., & romadhon, m. g. e. (2023). uncovering resilience and stress factors of indonesian efl teachers: a narrative study. english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 231-244. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.8934 received: 25-10-2023 accepted: 17-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 abstract: efl teachers typically confront an abundance of problems that can lead to stress and have an influence on their resilience. understanding resilience and stress can help improve well-being and education. this qualitative study tried to figure out the resilience and stress factors faced by efl teachers across educational levels. the narrative inquiry involved an in-depth semi-structured interview administered to four efl teachers across primary, middle, and secondary levels. the findings indicate that efl teachers across educational levels encounter similar stressors, such as heavy workloads, student behavior, and low salary. surprisingly, there were differences in stress factors and resilience strategies utilized by teachers across educational levels. the primary-level teacher reported more stress when dealing with students’ behavior, whereas middle-level teacher was stressed by students’ behavior and resources, and high school teacher by resource constraints and encouraged student engagement. regarding resilience strategies, teachers at all levels indicated seeking support from family and friends but also using different coping methods such as meditation, leisure activities, and positive thinking. the findings suggest the importance of understanding the unique stress factors faced by efl teachers across educational levels and establishing targeted support programs to enhance teacher resilience. keywords: efl teachers; resilience; stress factors. introduction in the new global education, efl teachers has become a central issue for continuously improve their professionalism, teaching abilities, and commendable attitude in order to have a positive impact on their specific language learning situations. richards (2008) indicates that language teachers hold a critical role in addressing educational inequality. in contrast, wijaya (2021) states that it is essential to mention here that during the second language processes, efl teachers recognize serious impediments in their classroom learning vicinities because they are established to be good role models for their learners in order to foster their target language competencies to the greatest extent possible. shirazizadeh et al. (2019) state that foreign language teachers' positions may be more difficult because they must teach a language in which they are not native speakers. their situation is exacerbated by the fact they're obliged to work long hours to survive financially. rizqi (2017) describes teachers are frequently expected to handle heavy workloads, whether related or unrelated to their teaching. teacher's work does not finish when the class ends and the students leave the school. more frequently, teachers have to carry their work home which is ironically not recognized as a paid hour. it's easy to imagine zalsa febrina syabilla, m. faruq ubaidillah, mutmainnah mustofa, & m. galuh elga romadhon uncovering resilience and stress factors of indonesian efl teachers: a narrative study 232 how teachers' jobs could sap their energy mentally and physically. a number of studies have highlighted various topics of efl teacher’s resilience, stress factor, teacher anxiety, socio-culture, etc. teachers' job stress and attrition have become a global concern due to high workload, disruptive student attitudes, role conflict, ambiguity, and other risk factors. resilience is essential for preventing teachers from stress, tension, or exhaustion. teachers encounter incidents in the classroom, whether positive or negative, during the teaching and learning process (diasti, 2021). resilience, as a specific strategy used by people when confronted with adversity (castro et al., 2010). teachers' negative emotions can have an impact on students' learning. as a consequence, before entering the classroom, teachers should leave their problems at home. as a result, they could teach with enthusiasm and foster a welcoming environment for students to learn. to put it another way, teachers manage their negative emotions and transform them into a supportive atmosphere. according to gu & day (2007), teacher resilience enables teachers to respond positively to challenging circumstances that may arise during their careers. resilience has been defined in numerous ways. reich et al. (2010) define resilience have included not only retrieval from stress to a previous level of health but also supporting growth as a result of a healthy response to a stressful situation. similarly, with ungar (2012) resiliency is described as a set of behaviours that reflect the interactions between individuals and their environments, particularly the opportunities for self-development which are available and accessible over time. resilience as well refers to the capacity to adapt to varied situations and enhance one’s competence in the face of adverse circumstances (bobek, 2002). hence, this paper is focused to explore the factors that help durable teachers overcome the exhausting period of their profession and commit to their job for a long-extended period of time and teachers' perceived stress factors, chiefly those working in indonesian. in this study, stress is referred to as any condition that causes negative emotions. kyriacou (2001). explains 'teacher stress' as an unpleasant, negative emotion experienced by a teacher as a result of some aspect of their work as a teacher, such as anger, anxiety, tension, frustration, or depression. many factors trigger feelings of stress. some past studies outlined the dominant factors that contribute to teacher stress, like disruptive students, uncooperative parents, poor working conditions, (workload and salary), relationships at work (with students, colleagues, and principal), or a big number of students (travers & cooper, 1996). mixed results have been reported concerning the relationship between teacher stress and a variety of variables such as marital status (pološki & bogdanić, 2008), job satisfaction and job security (jepson & forrest, 2006), age and experience (ameen et al., 2002). another stress factor for efl teachers is a lack of confidence. mousavi (2007) discovers teachers are deemed as role model or excellent example for the students. as a consequence, teachers must prepare before they teach. nevertheless, efl teachers confront unpredictable situations in the classroom, which can undermine their self-assured. teachers in the efl context may encounter stress as a result of their insufficient language competence. efl teachers are expected to be fluent in english. unlike native english teachers, efl teachers may experience difficulties with fluency, pronunciation, or grammar (diasti, 2021). it should be recognized that ample experts’ effort endured into studying resilience and stress factors. xu & jia (2022) discover stress is a major contributor to emotional exhaustion in teachers, making them more prone to burnout. study conducted by sovitriana et al. (2019) a study of junior high school teachers in indonesia. according to the study's findings, having a heavy workload, meeting demands, and dealing with students causes stress, which leads to burnout if teachers are unable to cope with the unbalancing situation. environment can play a role to the stress factor. tonekaboni & nasiri (2022) conclude self-resilience can act as a buffer against burnout in efl teachers and identified self-resilience can affectively support the achievement of efl teachers. then, another study showed that developing teachers' resilience is dependent on a multidimensional framework of interconnected factors involving personal, professional, organizational, social, and economic factors (ghaslani et al., 2023). nazari & alizadeh oghyanous (2021) finds that the correlation between occupational stress and turnover intentions was higher in the novice group than the experienced group. ke lomi & mbato (2020) inferred that private school teachers' salaries in rural areas are frequently delayed because students prefer to pay their school tuition at the end of the semester. in research conducted by liu et al. (2022) detects that enhancing constructive emotions and considering destructive emotions english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 233 can increase teachers' resilience. according to each previous study, it can be indicated that the resilience and stress factors of indonesian efl teachers are multifaceted, stressors include heavy workloads, meeting demands, and financial challenges, while resilience factors encompass personal attributes, environmental support, and emotional well-being. strategies to address these issues should consider the interconnected nature of personal, professional, organizational, social, and economic factors to cultivate a resilient teaching community. the present study on the factors influencing indonesian teachers' professional lives still has several shortcomings. to date, only a limited number of the stress factors and resilience of efl teachers at different levels of education have been identified. after all, the following questions were addressed in this study: (1) what are the stress’s factor of efl teachers across educational level? (2) how do efl teachers across education level maintain their resilience while facing varied of stress in their circumstance? method a qualitative methodology was employed in this study with a narrative inquiry approach. as an "alternative paradigm for social research" that complements experiment, survey, and other methods, narrative appeals to "likeness" and sense-making by providing a rich description of individuals' experiences (barkhuizen et al., 2013). furthermore, the employment of a narrative inquiry research design was highly pertinent in this study, as it seeks to comprehensively elucidate the perspectives of teachers regarding resilience and stress within the context of english language instruction in the classroom. the participants for this research were recruited from four efl teachers out of different level education private schools in malang, indonesia. initially, the researchers conducted observations of the participants within each educational institution. according to the observation, participant was chosen through a process of random sampling, a method widely recognized for its ability to ensure representativeness in research studies. this approach involves selecting individuals from a population without bias, allowing each member an equal chance of being included. furthermore, the random sampling enhances the generalizability of findings, as it minimizes the risk of systematic errors and procedures results that ae more likely to reflect the characteristic of the entire population. then, those teachers consist of one primary school teacher, one secondary school teacher and two high school teachers. table 1. the participants’ background the researcher used an in-depth semi structured interview to collect data, asking participants to narrate on their teaching experiences. if the researcher is experienced about the topic and phenomena and chooses not to rely on prepared response categories that would limit the scope and depth of the respondent's story, a semi-structured interview is suitable (dornyei, 2007). a major advantage of the semi-structured interview method is that proved effective for examining respondents' thoughts and opinions of challenging or delicate issues in regard to the research themes (barriball & while, 1994 in kallio et al., 2016). pseudonyms were assigned to participants to protect their privacy. because the participants' locations were difficult to reach, the researcher conducted an online interview using the whatsapp videocall. the researcher recorded and transcript each interview session. the participants were also obviously apprised that their real name was going to not be applied throughout this article to guarantees their secrecy. through the data analysis, the interview data from multiple teachers would be evaluated to figure out if the pattern had been discovered. if the pattern could not be found, the researcher would conduct another set of interviews and analysis. this technique would be repeated multiple times until no additional information existed. the data had been filled at this stage, and the pattern was identified. data saturation is attained in interviews when the researcher starts to hear the same statements repeatedly. the time is right to cease gathering data and begin analyzing what has already been obtained (grady, 1998 in saunders et al., 2018). no pseudonym gender teaching level teaching experience 1. agnes female primary school two years 2. chika female middle school two years 3. lucas male secondary school one and half year 4. damian male secondary school eighteen years zalsa febrina syabilla, m. faruq ubaidillah, mutmainnah mustofa, & m. galuh elga romadhon uncovering resilience and stress factors of indonesian efl teachers: a narrative study 234 to gain the objectives of this study, the data on efl teachers' resilience and stressors was classified by the researcher. there were four steps in data analysis (creswell, 2012); transcribing, generating codes and themes, analyzing themes, interpreting the data, and produce findings. reading the lengthy raw transcription was the first step in the process. second, to make it easier to find and highlight essential information, the text transcription was divided into parts. afterwards this, the researcher specified codes to the underscored points which were to serve as the initial labels. the last phase entailed identifying related or redundant codes and grouping them into fewer codes. at last, the codes had been diminished again to set up broader categories, renowned as themes. in the following subchapter, the emerging categories were developed narratively. moreover, in order to enhance the integrity and reliability of the data, the study employed a recurrent interviewing technique. this method involved iteratively presenting the research inquiries to the participants on multiple occasions until a point of the data saturation was reached, ensuring a comprehensive and exhaustive understanding of the participants’ perspectives. this approach aligns with the data saturation methodology, wherein the researchers systematically gathered information until reaching a saturation point characterized by the attainment of maximal insights from the participants. table 2. sample of data analysis data codes sub-themes theme “...when teaching in class there are students who do not follow the teaching plan.” dealing with students’ negative students’ behavior stress factor “…supporting is my parent, my parents are a stimulus for my work …” source of support conducive social network/ family relationship resilience results and discussion step into the world of four extraordinary efl teachers, each with their different education experiences, as they unveil their ways of maintaining resilience against the most grueling and challenging work environment. discover the intricate of stress and resilience as these teachers wrestle the odds, resisting the limits of their own resilience. further explanations on those two primary ideas can be found in the following paragraphs, in accordance with the aforementioned objectivity. there are several possible explanations for this result following below. teacher stress factor negative students’ behavior ms. agnes, 24 years old, teacher in an urban, with low socio-economic primary school, over the short-term teaching roles, she claimed that there were multiple barriers in the teaching-learning circumstances, especially when teaching students aged 8 to 12 who were difficult to focus. students expressed a lack of cooperation, against discipline, and an innate difficulty in keeping focus, making the instructional and pedagogical procedures extremely challenging. in the interviewed she said: “i feel very stressed at school when dealing with students. in learning teaching process, students are less cooperative, difficult to condition, and students are more difficult to focus.” according to ms. chika learned much during teaching at a middle school in remote area. in her perspective, middle school is a transitional period from childhood to adolescent. students in junior high will go through several significant physical and emotional changes that will affect their behavior in class. as a result, the main stress factor is dealing with student behavior. moreover, it is difficult to teach students who cannot follow the lesson well and slow-learning students. “i feel stress when dealing with students, dealing with stubborn students, slow learners and how to teach students who can't follow the lesson well. moreover, rural students' awareness of learning is quite poor.” being a teacher in lucas school circumstance can be hard and unfavorable to him. like lucas said as follows: “sometimes, i think about the condition of the students, because my students are mostly having low motivation. students who i reprimand for not studying diligently skip class the next day.” the same as damian's perception, which was “the pressure when teaching in a classroom, there are some students who disrupt the lesson english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 235 plan, the work schedule, and the working hours. there were one or two students who acted irresponsibly. i feel difficult to controlling disruptive student behavior in the classroom.” despite the fact that every participant admitted that they have trouble managing students' attitudes. it is a problem for teachers in primary and secondary schools. these include handling disruptive behavior, dealing with slow learners, dealing with stubborn or hard-to-focus children, and dealing with student motivation and engagement. these aspects demonstrate how difficult it may be to teach in different of educational level, where socioeconomic conditions, student characteristics, and developmental stages may all raise teacher stress levels. it emphasizes how crucial it is to give educators the assistance, tools, and chances for professional growth they need to tackle these issues and build environments that are favorable to learning. poor working condition (salary, workload and limited resources) in accord with agnes perception, the low pay mixed with the difficulty of managing disobedient and uninterested students could lead to an enormous amount of stress. “i feel stressed as an elementary school teacher. teacher gets salary unsatisfactory. and insufficient to cover daily living costs.” for rural locations, this problem is much more concerning. additionally, having to teach classes with limited resources can be a source of stress. like as chika said in her interviewed: “there were times when we had to postpone payments for several months since so many students opted to pay everything late. although, my dream is to become a teacher, so i am passionate about teaching and love to work in this field. it is not all about money. teach classes with limited resources or struggling to engage students can be a source of stress.” additionally, lucas has same opinion. according to lucas, many issues cause stress for teachers in high school such as a heavy workload, low salary, students that have low engagement. indeed, he seldom receives support from colleagues, and colleagues frequently talk about lucas behind him. “i get low salary and had a lot of work. my job as a teacher but i had to do other things outside of my job desk. i continue to teach here because i feel responsible for the students. even though, my colleagues talk about me in my back, i do not take it seriously. however, i must admit that i want a better workplace when i graduates from master’s degree.” opposite with damian, given that he already works for the government, money is not a significant issue for him. “….. too much side work makes me feeling under pressure. the most stressful thing, when you get a side job, get additional assignments, i am not ready to organize learning, it has impact when in class it becomes unplanned learning in class” like the statement from damian above, the main factors of stress are a heavy workload. it is known that additional work in school sometimes interferes with classroom teaching preparation planning. hereinafter, there are students with bad attitude make the learning tough. keeping up with the curriculum and technology in high school the material of english is more complex and difficult. at this level, english study entails diving into complex literary topics, examining advanced texts, and investigating detailed linguistic patterns. the increased cognitive demands of secondary school english require students' enhanced critical thinking abilities, developed vocabulary, and strengthened comprehension abilities. if as a teacher, lucas cannot make students’ understanding the material which makes him depressed. the moral burden of being a teacher is getting higher. “….i really care about my students, i want my students succeed in their lesson. because a lot of learning materials and more complex. additionally, it is challenging for learners to acclimate to the revised curriculum. it is difficult to provide brainstorming. when it comes to teaching, the moral burden is enormous.” it is difficult for damian as a teacher with a background in non-education to keep up with instructional technologies. “i feel uncomfortable, when students are uncooperative. keeping up with the everchanging curriculum and technology can also be a challenge for teachers. i feel monotonous. even when the lessons are monotonous and zalsa febrina syabilla, m. faruq ubaidillah, mutmainnah mustofa, & m. galuh elga romadhon uncovering resilience and stress factors of indonesian efl teachers: a narrative study 236 student are bored, learning nevertheless happens in class. and i have to make plans a and b.” the responses from lucas and damian indicate certain of the difficulties english teachers in high schools’ face. lucas raises worries about pupils finding hard to comprehend difficult content and the moral responsibility of guaranteeing their success. the revised curriculum and higher cognitive demands make teaching at this level more challenging. on the other side, damian finds it difficult to stay updated with educational technology and develop compelling classes because of his history outside of education. main teacher resilience aspects teaching is well known that a stressful profession, and resilience is essential for teachers (aulia, 2022). in line with yonezawa et al. (2011) defined resilience as the confluence of resilient traits of instructors and environmental supports. in particular, teacher resilience can be recognized as the process of positive adjustment and ongoing development in challenging settings and circumstances. it can be built up from a variety of sources, including individual, situational, and contextual aspects that interact in dynamic ways (razmjoo & ayoobiyan, 2019). based on the interview, there are several aspects are coping mechanism, conducive social network/family relationship and positive personality. coping mechanism coping mechanisms are strategies and processes that teacher uses to deal with and adapt to difficult or stressful situations. creating a variety of adaptive coping mechanisms (e.g. problem solving, time management, work-life balance maintenance) to manage obstacles in order to maximize adaptive, resilient results (e.g. commitment, job satisfaction, wellness, engagement) (entesari et al., 2020). according to agnes in her interview, dealing with hard circumstances at work can be challenging, but staying calm and seeking a solution is key. to recover from work-related stress, ms. agnes employs tactics like as engaging students to play games, leading peer discussions, and even taking vacations for herself. as agnes stated below: “when faced with difficult circumstances i try to remain calm and focus on finding a solution, i handle students by inviting them to play games, giving peer-discussion, go back to teacher office, healing myself by travelling” nonetheless, chika despite the fact that there are so many stressors, she is trying to cope with them. she said that one of deal with difficult circumstances at work: “the best way is to remain calm, focused, think rationally, and come up with a plan of action. to avoid stress, take breaks and get enough sleep, use activities like games and peerdiscussions to engage with students” to create a favorable learning atmosphere for their children, teachers must remain calm and attentive. further, chika thought that interactive activities encourage student involvement and provide an exciting learning atmosphere, which improves student motivation, engagement, and language acquisition. to prevent stress, teachers must emphasize self-care in order to keep up energy and resilience, which can be accomplished by taking frequent breaks and sleep adequately. meanwhile, to remain resilient and face obstacles lucas believes educators may establish a successful classroom atmosphere by encouraging pupils to engage through open conversations and relevant topics. “i encourage students to talk about teaching material, discussions, and viral topics to make a better impact, and prioritize the main job for double side jobs. likewise, to cope with the issue, damian also talked about his professional life. as he said below: “it is important to stay calm and professional. taking a few moments to step back, assess the situation and consider possible solutions can be helpful. it is also important to communicate with the student. investigating students’ needs, giving different treatment, different learning models with students, observing the characteristics and abilities of students. how students mastering the material. it is important to be open to compromise and to remain flexible. approaching students with certain method, so students can focus again on the material” damian asserted stay calm and professional, and assess the situation. such as, communicate with the student, investigate their needs, give different treatment, observe their abilities, and be open to compromise and flexibility. approach students with a certain approach so they can focus english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 237 again on the material. conducive social network/family relationship teachers require a lot of support, and agnes gets it from her friends, family, and coworkers. when she encounters challenges with her students, she gets assistance from the homeroom teacher. agnes notes that when children exhibit troublesome behavior, she seeks assistance from the homeroom teacher. children will pay attention to lessons that are combined with games, activities including discussion, teamwork, and role playing. moreover, she references her social network as her primary source of support, which includes friends, significant others, and family. she also thinks about seeking assistance and guidance from friends when she runs into challenges at work as a teacher. “i will tell the homeroom teacher if there are problems with students. my main sources of support are my friends, my boyfriend, and family. if i am having a problem, i typically talk to my friends first to get help and advice” in line, chika consultation with the principle, counselors, and senior colleagues gives essential insights and suggestions, generating a sense of support and growth as a professional. “i counseling teachers, and senior teachers to get advice about students’ attitude. if i and my colleague cannot handle the rebel students, so i called their parents to came to school and discussion about their behavior.” meanwhile lucas stated that individuals' wellbeing and coping strategies are enhanced by support from parents, a tendency for autonomous problem-solving, talks with animals or oneself, and seeking guidance from greater power. these strategies encourage personal development, selfreflection, and resilience in the face of workrelated problems, leading to a more balanced and fulfilled professional life. “i instilled in myself that whatever my colleagues talk about me, i don't take it seriously. my supporting is my parents; my parents are a stimulus at work. i often talk to animals, especially my pet or talk to myself, and talk to god for peace.” damian adds that a network of educators, caring relatives, and religion and prayer create a holistic support system for handling obstacles in the teaching profession. as he said: “i have built a network of teachers who i can turn to for advice and support. additionally, i also have a few close friends outside of work who i can talk to if i need someone to just listen. finally, i rely on my faith and turn to prayer when i am struggling with a difficult problem.” educators could get optimal advantages from people close to them. additionally, having somebody to talk to could guarantee that teachers get prompt help with any issues they are having in the classroom. as a result, the emotional stress can be discharged and does not build up. positive personality agnes feel that her ability is suitable for become a teacher and she want to seek an experience through her current work. like statement agnes below: “my main purpose is to be a teacher and to gain valuable experiences. i am very happy when i make a market day practice project involving students selling activities in english class. i'm also proud of my efforts to stay up-to-date in my field and to provide the best instruction i can.” agnes' continual efforts to give top-notch training and keep current in her area are on display. agnes is dedicated to giving her students the greatest education she can. continue following her interest while having a great influence on the students you educate. whilst chika’s dream is to become a teacher. she wants to work as a teacher and she love teaching. thereby, she is not easily upset when their students fail to achieve the target. “my dream is to become a teacher, so i am passionate about teaching and would like to work in this field. since i joined the team, my relationship with my school has improved. i was able to earn an a in the accreditation process despite being new to the school and younger than my peers. i was even given the position of vice principal”. further, lucas said that acceptance personal growth amid potential criticism, and prioritizing the primary teaching work. professional growth and improved teaching techniques may result from this resilient and continual improvement approach. according to mustofa, (2012) claimed teachers learn from previous work experience and zalsa febrina syabilla, m. faruq ubaidillah, mutmainnah mustofa, & m. galuh elga romadhon uncovering resilience and stress factors of indonesian efl teachers: a narrative study 238 from various available sources such as courses and upgrading activities. also, lucas passionate to teaching students. “i graduate in english education and want to find work experience, there is a lack of job opportunities, so teachers are the main job market. the calling of the soul as a teacher, i like giving teaching and learning.” with these facts, being a teacher emerges as a viable alternative because it fits with his interest for both teaching and learning. the vocation of the soul to become a teacher displays lucas's real desire and commitment to teaching and having a good impact on students' lives. according damian in his interviewed as follow: “one of the things i am proudest of since i have been teaching in senior high school is watching my students grow and develop into young adults. when we can inspire students to progress and develop. i feel proud because instilling high idealism. for me as a teacher being able to instill honesty in students is a pride. i have seen them mature and take on more responsibility both inside and outside of the classroom. seeing them succeed and make positive contributions to their school, community, and beyond is incredibly rewarding and gratifying.” as damian statement above, it promotes overall well-being, resilience, and professional development, allowing teachers to thrive and make a positive difference in the lives of their pupils. in his reflections of his teaching career, damian emphasizes the joy and pleasure that come from seeing pupil’s progress. the research results relating to the two main research questions about stress factors and aspects promoting educators' resilience are summarized in this paragraph. it also adds pertinent literature to strengthen and contextualize the findings. based on these findings, the following explanation is provided to clarify and support the study's conclusions: factors of teachers stress negative students’ behavior in accordance to the study findings, an assortment of factors could lead to teacher stress. almost all of the four efl teachers interviewed by the researcher stated that the main source of stress was negative students’ behavior. accordance agnes and chika, they really have a hard time dealing with students. this specific issue corresponds to clipa & boghean (2015 in diasti, 2021) stated that students negative classroom attitudes frequently caused teachers’ stress. sources of stress can arise from work-related factors such as excessive responsibilities, a culture that emphasizes meeting targets, the behavior of students, and demanding expectations (brown et al., 2002 in alqarni, 2021). furthermore, teachers have a responsibility to provide pupils with class activities that encourage active engagement and activeness (zuhairi & mistar, 2023). the effects of this negative student behavior could influence the emotional teacher when teaching process. in line with wettstein et al. (2021), the most significant cause of work exit and early retirement, as teachers within the school, is disruptive behavior by pupils in the classroom, which includes actions and responses against the teacher, other students, or the willful disgrace of school rules by students. further, realizing the various demands of pupils and giving teachers the support and training they require to meet these needs is vital. implementing measures that improve student behavior management, cater to specific learning styles, and foster a positive and engaging classroom environment requires collaboration between teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders. poor working condition (salary, workload and limited resources) other stresses that teachers face on a regular basis include limited time for marking, a large quantity of paperwork, an unacceptable salary, and bad working conditions (halim et al., 2021). agnes, lucas and chika claim that low salary can make stressor for them. salary might not be an issue for senior teachers who become government servants, but for new teachers with less experience, it is a crucial. on the other hand, lucas and damian mentioned that heavy workload or double side job for a teacher make their have not enough to prepare lesson plan or media for teaching. for the consequence, students are not receiving adequate learning. in addition, teachers typically have to take their work home, which cannot be counted as a paid hour (rizqi, 2017). contrarily, fan et al. (2021) claims in his research that teachers all expressed their positive outlook and joy for their work when faced with the intense teaching and non-teaching duty. further, accordance to the data of the interview, the environment could potentially contribute to stress. such as, insufficient instructional resources, facilities, or support from english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 239 the government. especially, limited resources for chika who is a teacher in rural school. it is the most substantial cause stress. whereas, prior studies have noted that the efl teachers strongly believe in the merits of digital technology in language acquisition (nugroho & mutiaraningrum, 2020). teachers faced difficulties due to the lack of resources (d. agayon et al., 2022). as stated by chang (2022), it is possible for anyone to encounter stress at work due to various factors such as insufficient time and resources, and pressures from colleagues, superiors, or organizational systems. poor access to teaching facilities, teaching tools, and trainings will have negative effects on teacher resilience in supporting better learning processes for students in rural area (ke lomi & mbato, 2020). it is understandable that efl teachers also undergo stressful situations in their line of work. keeping up with the curriculum and technology surprisingly, lucas and damian have reported to be perplexed with the latest developments and quite complex material. changing the curriculum have greatly influenced teacher stress. curriculum 2013 (k-13) has tremendously challenged many teachers in one way or another since its introduction several years ago. highlighting that educators do not fully understand the implementation of scientific approaches in k-13, causing teacher disarray (apsari, 2018; halim et al., 2021). whereas, fikri et al. (2022) stated that teachers' competency can be used to assess their quality. in fact, several schools have already begun to adapt a new curriculum, known as curriculum merdeka. the difficulties faced by english teachers in high schools are highlighted by the stories that lucas and damian described. lucas shows his worry about the pupils' difficulties comprehending the subject matter, which weighs heavily on him while he works to ensure their success. for damian, who has no history education in teaching, the constantly evolving curriculum and the requirement to stay current with instructional tools provide extra challenges. as consequences, teachers who are suffering from symptoms of stress put less effort and engagement into class planning (klusmann, 2016; wettstein et al., 2021). main teacher resilience aspects coping mechanism according with the participants interviewed, most of them are seeking for their own problem solving that are suitable for their pupils' needs. furthermore, greater problem-solving skills can help teachers create fresh instructional resources. another of coping mechanism is doing reflection. teachers are given time to pause and reflect on their circumstances. reflection assists educators in finding answers to their own obstacles. reflection allows educators to look back in order to look forward and predict what could happen in the future (diasti, 2021). as noted by (fan et al., 2021), viewing pressures as opportunities encouraged teachers to address issues, engage students, seek assistance, and continue their professional development to increase their ability to teach effectively. another way, coping of stress could be do some exercise or sports. to manage stress, teachers need to practice self-care and keep a healthy work-life balance. their well-being and capacity to handle the demands of their line of work are affected by remain calm, taking breaks, getting enough sleep, and participating in personal hobbies like traveling. in line with mansfield et al. (2020) that coping mechanisms could improve students' classroom instruction, work satisfaction, and resilience. conducive social network/family relationship another way, teachers seek cures to students' bad attitude conduct from other teachers. the comments from agnes, chika, lucas, and damian emphasize how crucial it is to maintain composure, focus, and a solution-oriented attitude when dealing with challenging situations as a teacher. these educators place a strong emphasis on the value of developing a supportive and stimulating learning environment, adopting tactics like games, peer debates, and open dialogue to increase student participation and comprehension. strong support appears to aid in the building of a less stressful atmosphere at work. thus, the teacher will benefit the most from their surroundings. when support for educational study and teaching were inadequate, young educators looked for alternatives and built their own networks with others to turn to for help (fan et al., 2021). moreover, when dealing with challenging student conduct, agnes seeks support from her friends, family, and coworkers as well as from the homeroom teacher. support from mentors for new teachers, from peers and colleagues, as well as from family and friends, can provide opportunities or limitations for their growth of resilience. strongly and profoundly aid in the enhancement of teachers' resilience (li et al., 2019). young teachers need ongoing support from zalsa febrina syabilla, m. faruq ubaidillah, mutmainnah mustofa, & m. galuh elga romadhon uncovering resilience and stress factors of indonesian efl teachers: a narrative study 240 various sources such as family members, school administrators, parents, and other stakeholders in order to successfully navigate and excel in their particular areas of expertise (le cornu, 2013). then, chika consults the principal, counselors, and senior coworkers of the school for advice since she values their viewpoints and recommendations. it indicates that schools have an essential function in teacher resilience. teachers perceive support from colleagues, school administrators and coordinators, as well as the headmaster, as a significant contribution to their well-being (halim et al., 2021). as opposed, a non-supportive school administration may encourage "enriched efficacy educators" to leave to a different institution where they feel more at home and where the school's philosophy and practices align with their own (li et al., 2019). lucas highlights the value of parental support, independent problem-solving, self-reflection, and enlisting the help of a higher power as coping mechanisms. damian points out the value of networking with other teachers, relying on close relationships outside of work, and finding comfort in religion and prayer. farther, effective communication among teachers and their superiors, peers, and students is crucial in ensuring that the teaching and learning process runs smoothly and efficiently (sovitriana et al., 2019). positive personality agnes, chika, lucas, and damian show how passionate, committed, and proud they are of their jobs as teachers. agnes describes her main objective as a teacher and her dedication to acquiring worthwhile experiences while offering the finest instruction she can. chika conveys her desire to work as a teacher and her passion for the profession while maintaining her composure even when her students fall short of expectations. since teaching fits with his desire for both teaching and learning, lucas is drawn to the profession by his soul's calling. surprisingly, many educators around the world have been able to keep their passion and dedication to providing supreme teaching despite internal and external demands (gu & day, 2007; li et al., 2019). moreover, the teacher's teaching style is essential since it can make the class boring or livelier and more entertaining for the pupils (yunus et al., 2023). damian emphasizes the fulfilling and pleasant quality of working as a teacher by expressing his satisfaction in seeing his students mature into responsible young adults. conversely, both a teacher's desire and their capacity to teach are impacted by the way they have adapted to their professional role (ainsworth & oldfield, 2019). in response to the teacher's narrative, they have an upbeat personality. teachers' enthusiasm for teaching and pupils has inspired them to become kindhearted people. based on the finding, the motivation of participants for become teacher is because they love to teaching, even though there are because their parents encourage them. they take it as a career experience. along the same lines, ubaidillah et al. (2023) argued that teacher emotion implies a pressing desire to understand how teachers feel when dealing with what they do as teachers. teachers expressed that support, respect, and appreciation enabled them to accept most of teaching issues, even have low wages (ghaslani et al., 2023). conclusion in this investigation, the aim was to assess, particularly: (1) what are the stress’s factor of efl teachers across educational level? (2) how do efl teachers across education level maintain their resilience while facing varied of stress in their circumstance? capturing on the findings and discussion, it is evident that the participant assesses that negative students’ behavior, low wage, heavy workload, limited resources and keeping up with the curriculum as stress factors. despite these obstacles, teachers have shown resilience by using coping mechanisms such as exercise and relaxation techniques, maintaining positive mindsets, and keeping up a social network and family relationships. further, the study discovered that teachers' levels of stress and resilience differed depending on their educational level, with high school teachers showing higher levels of stress and lower levels of resilience than elementary and middle school educators. these discoveries point to the need for more support mechanisms for efl teachers, especially for high school settings and remote schools, in order to minimize stress and strengthen resilience. this could entail strategies like providing additional stress management and coping mechanisms training for teachers, increasing opportunity for peer support and cooperation, and creating stipulations to handle workload and administrative concerns. in nutshell, future study could look at the effectiveness of multiple strategies striving at reducing stress and developing resilience among efl teachers, as well as how these strategies change among educational levels. in the end, this study would be a fruitful area for further studies that gives significant insights into efl teacher experiences english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 241 and underlines the necessity of managing stress and resilience factors in expanding teacher wellbeing and, eventually, increasing student education quality. acknowledgements the author would like to express her deepest gratitude and appreciation to all those who have supported and contributed to the completion of this study. (e.g. efl teachers and university authorities) references ainsworth, s., & oldfield, j. (2019). quantifying teacher resilience: context matters. teaching and teacher education, 82, 117–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.03.012 alqarni, n. a. (2021). well-being and the perception of stress among efl university teachers in saudi arabia. journal of language and education, 7(3), 8–22. https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2021.11494 ameen, e. c., guffey, d. m., & jackson, c. (2002). evidence of teaching anxiety among accounting educators. journal of education for business, 78(1), 16–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/08832320209599692 apsari, y. (1970). teachers problems and solutions in implementing curriculum 2013. acuity : journal of english language pedagogy, literature and culture, 3(1), 11–23. https://doi.org/10.35974/acuity.v3i1.620 aulia, p. (2022). exploring the factors of teachers’stress and resilience in teaching english. universitas islam negeri sultan syarif kasim riau. barkhuizen, g., benson, p., & chik, a. (2013). narrative inquiry in language teaching and learning research. routledge. bobek, b. l. (2002). teacher resiliency: a key to career longevity. the clearing house: a journal of educational strategies, issues and ideas, 75(4), 202–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098650209604932 castro, a. j., kelly, j., & shih, m. (2010). resilience strategies for new teachers in high-needs areas. teaching and teacher education, 26(3), 622– 629. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.09.010 chang, h. (2022). stress and burnout in efl teachers: the mediator role of self-efficacy. frontiers in psychology, 2079. clipa, o., & boghean, a. (2015). stress factors and solutions for the phenomenon of burnout of preschool teachers. procedia social and behavioral sciences, 180(november 2014), 907–915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.02.241 contexts, e. f. l. l. (2021). let : linguistics , literature and english teaching journal exploring teachers ’ resilience in indonesian efl learning contexts. 11(1), 1–19. creswell, j. w. (2012). educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. pearson. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=4pywcqa acaaj d. agayon, a. j., r. agayon, a. k., & t. pentang, j. (2022). teachers in the new normal: challenges and coping mechanisms in secondary schools. journal of humanities and education development, 4(1), 67–75. https://doi.org/10.22161/jhed.4.1.8 diasti, k. s. (2021). constructing professional identity: investigating stress factors and resilience experienced by efl novice teachers. scholaria: jurnal pendidikan dan kebudayaan, 11(1), 1– 10. https://doi.org/10.24246/j.js.2021.v11.i1.p110 dornyei, z. (2007). research methods in applied linguistics: quantitative. qualitative and. entesari, e., yousefi, m. h., & eslami, h. (2020). a mixed-method study of iranian efl teachers’ achieving resiliency: implications for teacher development. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-020-00096-w fan, l., ma, f., liu, y. m., liu, t., guo, l., & wang, l. n. (2021). risk factors and resilience strategies: voices from chinese novice foreign language teachers. frontiers in education, 5(january), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.565722 fikri, d., mistar, j., & mustofa, m. (2022). pre-service teachers’perception of their competence and their readiness for teaching profession lou chien gita arista. english education journal (eej), 13(2), 202–215. ghaslani, r., yazdani, h., ahmadian, m., & dowlatabadi, h. r. (2023). investigating efl teachers’ resilience: using grounded theory approach iranian journal of language teaching research. iranian journal of language teaching research, 11(1), 1–24. http://ijltr.urmia.ac.ir grady, m. p. (1998). qualitative and action research: a practitioner handbook. phi delta kappa international. gu, q., & day, c. (2007). teachers resilience: a necessary condition for effectiveness. teaching and teacher education, 23(8), 1302–1316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2006.06.006 halim, f., tresnadewi, s., & widiati, u. (2021). patterns of stress and resilience experienced by junior high school teachers. jurnal pendidikan: teori, penelitian, dan pengembangan, 6(12), 1885. https://doi.org/10.17977/jptpp.v6i12.15167 jepson, e., & forrest, s. (2006). individual contributory factors in teacher stress: the role zalsa febrina syabilla, m. faruq ubaidillah, mutmainnah mustofa, & m. galuh elga romadhon uncovering resilience and stress factors of indonesian efl teachers: a narrative study 242 of achievement striving and occupational commitment. british journal of educational psychology, 76(1), 183–197. kallio, h., pietilä, a. m., johnson, m., & kangasniemi, m. (2016). systematic methodological review: developing a framework for a qualitative semi-structured interview guide. journal of advanced nursing, 72(12), 2954–2965. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13031 ke lomi, a. n., & mbato, c. l. (2020). struggles and strategies in constructing professional identity: the first-year teaching experiences of indonesian efl novice teachers. journal of english education and teaching, 4(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.4.1.1-19 klusmann, u. (n.d.). richter, d., & lüdtge, o.(2016). teachers emotional exhaustion is negatively related to students achievement: evidence from a large scale assessment study. journal of educational psychology, 108(8), 1193–1203. kyriacou, c. (2001). teacher stress: directions for future research. educational review, 53(1), 27– 35. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131910120033628 le cornu, r. (2013). building early career teacher resilience: the role of relationships. australian journal of teacher education (online), 38(4), 1–16. https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/ielap a.706218060262904 li, q., gu, q., & he, w. (2018). resilience of chinese teachers and its relationship with perceived working conditions and relational trust. international journal of management research, 9(1–2), 4–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/15366367.2019.158859 3 liu, w., gao, y., gan, l., & wu, j. (2022). the role of chinese language learners’ academic resilience and mindfulness in their engagement. frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.916306 mansfield, c. f., beltman, s., weatherby-fell, n., broadley, t., & botman, c. (2020). cultivating teacher resilience. in cultivating teacher resilience. springer singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5963-1 mousavi, e. s. (2007). exploring “teacher stress” in non-native and native teachers of efl. elted, 10, 33–41. mustofa, m. (2012). professional development of efl teachers at vocational schools. universitas negeri malang. nazari, m., & alizadeh oghyanous, p. (2021). exploring the role of experience in l2 teachers’ turnover intentions/occupational stress and psychological well-being/grit: a mixed methods study. cogent education, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2021.189294 3 nugroho, a., & mutiaraningrum, i. (2020). efl teachers beliefs and practices about digital learning of english. edulite: journal of english education, literature and culture, 5(2), 304. https://doi.org/10.30659/e.5.2.304-321 pološki vokić, n., & bogdanić, a. (2008). individual differences and occupational stress perceived: a croatian survey. zagreb international review of economics & business, 11(1), 61–79. http://www.efzg.hr/wps reich, j. w., zautra, a. j., & hall, j. s. (2010). handbook of adult resilience. handbook of adult resilience., 41. http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?t=js&pa ge=reference&d=psyc7&news=n&an=201 0-10101-000 richards, j. c. (2008). second language teacher education today. relc journal, 39(2), 158– 177. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688208092182 rizqi, m. a. (2017). stress and resilience among efl teachers: an interview study of an indonesian junior high school teacher. teflin journal a publication on the teaching and learning of english, 28(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v28i1/2237 saunders, b., sim, j., kingstone, t., baker, s., waterfield, j., bartlam, b., burroughs, h., & jinks, c. (2018). saturation in qualitative research: exploring its conceptualization and operationalization. quality and quantity, 52(4), 1893–1907. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135017-0574-8 seyyed ayatollah razmjoo, & hakimeh ayoobiyan. (2019). on the relationship between teacher resilience and self-efficacy: the case of iranian efl teachers. journal of english teaching and learning, 11(23), 277–290. shirazizadeh, m., tajik, l., & amanzadeh, h. (2019). reflection, resilience and role stress among iranian efl teachers: a mixed methods study. issues in language teaching (ilt), 8(2), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.22054/ilt.2020.48955.448 sovitriana, r., santosa, a. d., & hendrayani, f. (2019). teacher burnout and self esteem in tangerang’s junior high school teachers. international review of management and marketing, 9(2), 26–30. tonekaboni, a. m., & nasiri, f. (2022). the relationship between iranian efl teachers’ self-resiliency and their burn out. journal of social sciences and humanities research, 10(1), 7–13. www.researchub.org travers, c. j., & cooper, c. l. (1996). teachers under pressure: stress in the teaching profession. psychology press. ubaidillah, m. f., sudarwati, e., suryati, n., & namaziandost, e. (2023). “at times, i feel i’m english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 243 talking to myself”: an efl teacher’s emotional geographies in emergency remote teaching. issues in educational research, 33(2), 821– 838. ungar, m. (2012). the social ecology of resilience, a handbook of theory and practice. in the social ecology of resilience: a handbook of theory and practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-14614-0586-3 wettstein, a., schneider, s., grosse holtforth, m., & la marca, r. (2021). teacher stress: a psychobiological approach to stressful interactions in the classroom. frontiers in education, 6(september), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.681258 wijaya, k. f. (2021). exploring teachers’resilience in indonesian efl learning contexts. let: linguistics, literature and english teaching journal, 11(1), 1–19. xu, r., & jia, x. (2022). an investigation into chinese efl teachers’ self-efficacy and stress as predictors of engagement and emotional exhaustion. sage open, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221093342 yonezawa, s., jones, m., & singer, n. r. (2011). teacher resilience in urban schools: the importance of technical knowledge, professional community, and leadership opportunities. urban education, 46(5), 913– 931. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085911400341 yunus, m., efendi, e., ronald, r., ubaidillah, m. f., & lee, h. y. (2023). willingness to communicate in english: an interview study with indonesian vocational high school students. langkawi: journal of the association for arabic and english, 9(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.31332/lkw.v0i0.5921 zuhairi, a., & mistar, j. (2023). a profile of strategies of learning speaking skills by indonesian learners of english. atlantis press sarl. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-040-4_12 zalsa febrina syabilla, m. faruq ubaidillah, mutmainnah mustofa, & m. galuh elga romadhon uncovering resilience and stress factors of indonesian efl teachers: a narrative study 244 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 247 listening with a smile: how humor enhances student engagement in efl courses sisila fitriany damanik english language education and literature department, faculty of language and art, universitas negeri medan email: sisila@unimed.ac.id mahmud layan hutasuhut english language education and literature department, faculty of language and art, universitas negeri medan, indonesia email: smahmudlayan@unimed.ac.id widya andayani english language education and literature department, faculty of language and art, universitas negeri medan, indonesia email: widyaandayani@unimed.ac.id nazlah syahaf nasution english language education and literature department, faculty of language and art, universitas negeri medan, indonesia email: nazlahnasution@unimed.ac.id apa citation: damanik, s. f., hutasuhut, m. l., andayani, w., & nasution, n. s. (2025). listening with a smile: how humor enhances student engagement in efl courses. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 247-256. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.10726 received: 12-09-2024 accepted: 10-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 introduction the use of humor in english as a foreign language (efl) classrooms has attracted significant attention in recent years due to its potential to enhance learning outcomes. research has consistently shown that humor can serve as a powerful pedagogical tool, capable of improving student motivation, engagement, retention, and reducing anxiety in various educational settings (c. li, 2024). studies have demonstrated that humor, when appropriately integrated into instruction, can create a more relaxed learning environment and increase students’ willingness to participate (onowugbeda et al., 2024; peng, 2025). however, it remains unclear whether humor yields similar benefits within the indonesian efl context, abstract: the use of humor in english as a foreign language (efl) classrooms has gained increasing attention due to its potential to enhance learning outcomes. research has shown that humor can improve student motivation, engagement, and comprehension by reducing anxiety and creating a more relaxed learning atmosphere. however, little is known about the effectiveness of humor in efl listening courses within the indonesian context, particularly in hierarchical learning environments where teacher-centered instruction is dominant. this study aims to explore the perceptions of english literature students at universitas negeri medan (unimed) regarding the use of humor in listening courses and to analyze its impact on motivation, engagement, and listening comprehension. the study employed a qualitative approach with a descriptive design, involving 56 students from two intermediate listening comprehension classes. data were collected through observations, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews, and analyzed using thematic analysis. the results indicate that humor positively influences listening comprehension and enhances motivation and engagement. students reported that humor made listening activities more enjoyable and increased their willingness to participate. however, cultural sensitivity, linguistic complexity, and the lack of structured training for lecturers were identified as challenges in implementing humor effectively. the findings suggest that incorporating contextually relevant humor into listening instruction can create a more engaging learning environment and improve student outcomes. future research should explore the long-term effects of humor through experimental and cross-cultural studies to strengthen the understanding of humor’s role in efl education. keywords: humor, efl listening, listening comprehension, pedagogical strategy. mailto:sisila@unimed.ac.id mailto:smahmudlayan@unimed.ac.id mailto:widyaandayani@unimed.ac.id mailto:nazlahnasution@unimed.ac.id sisila fitriany damanik, mahmud layan hutasuhut, widya andayani, & nazlah syahaf nasution listening with a smile: how humor enhances student engagement in efl courses 248 particularly in teacher-centered learning environments where hierarchical relationships between lecturers and students are deeply rooted (bishara, 2023). at universitas negeri medan (unimed), english literature students often experience listening courses as rigid and monotonous, contributing to low motivation and engagement (bozorgia et al., 2023). the listening course at unimed carries a weight of 3 credits, reflecting its importance in the english literature curriculum. however, initial findings suggest that students perceive listening exercises as unengaging, with course materials often failing to capture their interest. given that listening comprehension is a complex cognitive process requiring the integration of linguistic and non-linguistic knowledge (dicataldo et al., 2023; hanak & zboun, 2023), innovative instructional strategies such as humor may hold promise for enhancing student motivation and listening performance (hackworth, 2024). research has shown that humor can increase cognitive engagement and promote deeper information processing, making it particularly relevant for improving listening skills (chaiet, 2024; hensley, 2023; luo et al., 2023). in this study, humor is defined as any verbal, written, visual, or behavioral element used by lecturers or students in the classroom that is intended to provoke amusement or laughter (chang et al., 2023). humor typically involves incongruity — the presentation of unexpected or contradictory elements that require cognitive resolution (kuschel et al., 2023). the instructional humor processing theory (ihpt), which suggests that students who successfully resolve incongruent elements in humor experience increased cognitive engagement and retention (charoensap-kelly et al., 2024; hensley, 2023; luo et al., 2023; rudick et al., 2024; st-amand et al., 2024). this implies that humor, when strategically applied in efl listening courses, can stimulate active listening and enhance language processing. furthermore, humor has been linked to improved psychological outcomes, such as reduced anxiety and increased self-confidence in language use (botes et al., 2024). in teachercentered learning environments like unimed, humor has the potential to shift classroom dynamics toward a more interactive and studentcentered model, encouraging greater student participation and reducing the perceived power gap between lecturers and students. despite its potential benefits, the use of humor in efl listening instruction in indonesia remains limited due to several key challenges. first, humor is inherently tied to cultural context, which can lead to misunderstandings among students from diverse cultural backgrounds. in islamic higher education institutions, for instance, humor that contradicts islamic values or norms may be perceived as inappropriate, thereby undermining its intended pedagogical impact (usman et al., 2023). second, there are significant pedagogical barriers to integrating humor into listening courses. studies have shown that humor used in efl instruction is often unrelated to course content, making it less effective in enhancing listening comprehension (weisi & mohammadi, 2023). furthermore, many lecturers lack formal training in using humor effectively, which can lead to uncertainty or hesitation in incorporating it into their teaching practices. finally, legal and ethical concerns regarding freedom of expression present additional obstacles. indonesia’s legal framework does not explicitly protect humor as a form of free speech in educational settings, raising concerns among educators about potential legal or professional repercussions (assagaf, 2023). given the cultural, pedagogical, and legal complexities surrounding the use of humor in indonesian efl instruction, there is a clear need for research that examines humor's impact on student motivation, engagement, and listening comprehension in this specific context. while existing studies have established the general benefits of humor in language learning, little is known about how humor functions in hierarchical, lecturer-oriented learning environments such as unimed. this study aims to address this gap by exploring the perspectives of english literature students at unimed on the use of humor in efl listening courses. specifically, it seeks to identify whether humor can be used as an effective pedagogical strategy to improve listening comprehension and to understand the broader impact of humor on student motivation, engagement, and classroom dynamics. to achieve these objectives, the study addresses the following research questions: (1) what are the perceptions of english literature students at unimed regarding the use of humor in listening courses? (2) how does humor affect students' motivation and engagement in listening courses? (3) how does humor influence the classroom environment and student-teacher interaction in listening courses? (4) what challenges are faced in using humor effectively in efl listening instruction? by investigating these questions, this study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 249 humor’s pedagogical value in efl instruction and provide practical insights for integrating humor more effectively into listening courses in indonesian higher education settings. method this study employed a qualitative approach with a descriptive design. this approach was selected to explore in depth the perspectives and experiences of students regarding the use of humor in listening courses. a qualitative method allows researchers to understand this phenomenon within its natural context, uncovering nuances and meanings that may not be captured through a quantitative approach (creswell, 2023). a qualitative approach is more suitable than a quantitative method for this study because the focus is on examining students' perceptions and attitudes rather than simply measuring numerical variables or establishing causal relationships. while a quantitative method can provide statistical data on the effectiveness of humor, it tends to be less effective in capturing the dynamics of interaction and the subjective interpretation of students' experiences. therefore, a qualitative approach was chosen to gain a deeper and more contextual understanding of how humor contributes to learning in listening courses this study involved 56 students from two classes enrolled in the intermediate listening comprehension course within the english literature study program at universitas negeri medan (unimed). this setting was deliberately chosen because humor had not previously been incorporated into the course material, making it an ideal environment to explore its potential effects on learning outcomes. from the total participants, eight students were selected for follow-up interviews to gain deeper insights into their perspectives. a purposive sampling method was used to ensure diversity in experiences and opinions among the interviewees. the selection was based on three specific criteria: (1) students who actively participated in class discussions, (2) students who demonstrated varying levels of engagement in humor-based learning activities, and (3) students representing different levels of academic achievement. these criteria were designed to capture a broad range of perspectives on the role of humor in the learning process. to obtain data, the researchers used three instruments: observation, questionnaires, and interviews (chikowore, 2023). observations were conducted to capture real-time interactions and the use of humor within the classroom setting. the questionnaires were designed to gather students' attitudes and perceptions of humor in learning, while semi-structured interviews provided an opportunity for more in-depth exploration of individual student experiences and opinions. the data analysis include three main stages: data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification (kotronoulas et al., 2023). in the data condensation stage, the researchers selected, focused, and simplified the data collected from observations, questionnaires, and interviews to highlight the most relevant information. the condensed data were then systematically organized and displayed to identify emerging themes and patterns. finally, the researchers drew conclusions and verified them to ensure that the findings accurately reflected the students' perspectives on humor in the classroom. to enhance the consistency and reliability of the analysis, the study applied inter-rater reliability by involving two independent researchers in the qualitative data coding process. each researcher independently analyzed the interview transcripts and questionnaire data to identify recurring themes. the coding results were then compared, and any discrepancies were resolved through discussion until a consensus was reached. to further strengthen the validity of the findings, the study also employed member checking, where the key findings were presented to the participants to confirm that the interpretation accurately represented their experiences. the study used thematic analysis to structure the data analysis process. this involved five key steps: (1) data familiarization – reading and understanding the collected data; (2) coding – identifying and labeling key patterns in the data; (3) theme identification – grouping similar codes into broader themes; (4) reviewing themes – examining the identified themes to ensure their accuracy and relevance; and (5) defining and naming themes – formulating the main findings based on the identified themes (cernasev & axon, 2023; naeem et al., 2023). this structured approach allowed for a systematic and in-depth interpretation of the qualitative data, ensuring that the study’s conclusions were well-supported by clear patterns and insights. results and discussion in this section, a result-by-result discussion is not provided as there is some conceptual overlap among the findings. instead, the results of this study are discussed under four main themes: (a) the impact of humor on listening comprehension, (b) sisila fitriany damanik, mahmud layan hutasuhut, widya andayani, & nazlah syahaf nasution listening with a smile: how humor enhances student engagement in efl courses 250 the impact of humor on student motivation and engagement, (c) the influence of humor on classroom environment and student-teacher interaction, and (d) challenges in using humor in english language learning. the impact of humor on listening comprehension the results of the study on the impact of humor in listening materials in english language learning are shown in figure 1. the chart illustrates students' responses regarding the effectiveness of humor in improving listening comprehension. the majority of students responded positively to the use of humor in learning. 50% of students strongly agreed and 30.4% agreed that humor made it easier for them to understand listening materials, resulting in a total of 80.4% positive responses. in contrast, 10% of students remained neutral, while 5% disagreed and 4.6% strongly disagreed with the effectiveness of humor in listening comprehension. figure 1. impact of humor in listening materials on students’ comprehension the figure 1 shows that most students perceive humor as an element that improves comprehension in listening activities. the high percentage in the agree and strongly agree categories reflects that humor creates a positive learning atmosphere and enhances motivation. conversely, the relatively small percentage of negative responses suggests that humor may be less effective for some students due to differences in learning styles or individual perceptions. these findings align with the instructional humor processing theory (ihpt), which states that humor enhances students' attention and memory retention regarding learning materials (luo et al., 2023; st-amand et al., 2024; usman et al., 2023). humor can create a more relaxed learning environment and improve information processing, making it easier to retain and master concepts (alsakaker, 2025; haydon et al., 2023; zheng & wang, 2023). research by zulazli et al. (2024) shows that using humor in teaching strengthens neural connections in the brain related to language comprehension and meaning processing. activation in the middle temporal gyrus (mtg) and superior frontal gyrus (sfg) enhances the brain's capacity to process information and improves listening skills. humor also triggers activation in the mesolimbic system, which reinforces memory retention and generates positive feelings toward learning (prenger et al., 2023). moreover, humor used in the context of language learning can enhance social interaction and communication skills. tahir (2024) found that humor conveyed through personal stories or experiences from the instructor increases student engagement and enhances the appeal of learning. weisi and mohammadi (2023) noted that jokes, physical humor, and puzzles are the most effective forms of humor for improving conceptual understanding in language learning environments. the effectiveness of humor is also influenced by cultural context and students’ cognitive flexibility (charoensap-kelly et al., 2024; yağan & kaya, 2023). humor aligned with students' cultural background and cognitive level is more effective in improving learning outcomes (bishara, 2023; ngai et al., 2025). the students with high cognitive flexibility are better able to understand complex humor, while students with limited cognitive flexibility respond more positively to simple and direct humor (altan-atalay & fatih boluvat, 2024; prenger et al., 2023; sun et al., 2025). therefore, instructors need to consider students' cultural background and cognitive levels when designing effective humor strategies. furthermore, humor plays a significant role in increasing motivation and emotional engagement among students. humor can trigger positive emotional responses that strengthen neural connections involved in information processing, thereby improving listening skills and enhancing memory retention (liao et al., 2023). thus, the strategic and context-appropriate use of humor can improve teaching effectiveness and reinforce overall learning outcomes. the impact of humor on student motivation and engagement the research findings on the effect of humor on students' motivation and engagement in listening learning in an english course are presented in figure 2. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 251 figure 2. comparison of humor impact on motivation and student engagement the figure 2 shows that the majority of students responded positively to the use of humor in teaching. a total of 41.1% of students strongly agreed and 35.7% agreed that humor increased their motivation to participate in class discussions. additionally, 46.4% of students strongly agreed and 30% agreed that humor created a more enjoyable classroom atmosphere, which contributed to increased focus and participation in the learning process. on the other hand, a small portion of students remained neutral (10%), disagreed (7.6%), and strongly disagreed (4%) regarding the impact of humor on engagement in listening-based learning. these findings reinforce the view that humor plays a crucial role in enhancing students' motivation and engagement in learning. neff and dewaele (2023) state that humor delivered in english language teaching can create a more comfortable learning environment, reduce tension, and encourage active student participation. additionally, humor in the form of humorous video tasks (hvts) has been shown to increase students' emotional and cognitive engagement, strengthen interpersonal relationships, and reduce anxiety in learning english vocabulary (kabooha et al., 2024). in the context of higher education in malaysia, verbal, visual, and auditory humor have been found to be effective in capturing students' attention and reinforcing classroom discipline (zulazli et al., 2024). beyond increasing motivation, humor also strengthens student engagement in learning (hackworth, 2024; rudick et al., 2024). weisi and arghandwal et al. (2023) emphasize that humor in the form of jokes, wordplay, and funny stories is effective in building social bonds between teachers and students. this positive impact aligns with the findings of hensley (2023), which indicate that humor can enhance attention, improve memory retention, and create a more enjoyable learning experience. therefore, the appropriate and contextually relevant use of humor has the potential to be an effective teaching strategy for improving students' motivation and engagement in english language learning. the influence of humor on classroom environment and student-teacher interaction the findings on the impact of humor on the classroom environment and student-lecturer interaction are shown in figure 3. figure 3. impact humor on classroom environment and teacher-student interaction the majority of students responded positively to the use of humor in learning. a total of 41.1% of students strongly agreed and 32.1% agreed that humor made them feel more comfortable interacting with lecturers. meanwhile, 15% of students were neutral, while 7% disagreed and 4.8% strongly disagreed with the impact of humor on classroom interaction. the survey results demonstrate that humor has a positive impact on the classroom environment and student-lecturer interaction. the majority of students felt more comfortable engaging with lecturers when humor was used during lessons. this finding aligns with previous studies showing that humor creates a more relaxed and comfortable learning atmosphere, which encourages students to actively participate in class (neff & dewaele, 2023). a relaxed classroom atmosphere reduces student anxiety, enhances comfort in receiving materials, and strengthens engagement during the learning process (derakhshan & zhang, 2024; maharam & norazman, 2024; putman et al., 2024; tang & wang, 2024). when students feel comfortable and entertained, they are more likely to understand and retain the material presented by the lecturer (neff & dewaele, 2023). beyond improving the classroom atmosphere, humor also strengthens student-lecturer interaction. appropriately used humor can build more effective communication and strengthen interpersonal relationships between lecturers and students (rucynski & prichard, 2024). when lecturers use humor that aligns with students' cultural backgrounds and contexts, it encourages sisila fitriany damanik, mahmud layan hutasuhut, widya andayani, & nazlah syahaf nasution listening with a smile: how humor enhances student engagement in efl courses 252 students to be more open in expressing their opinions and asking questions about the material (james & fox, 2024). emotional engagement created through humor also increases students' trust in lecturers, making them feel more comfortable interacting and discussing in class (arghandwal et al., 2023; james & fox, 2024; jia & cheng, 2024). this positive relationship ultimately enhances students' motivation and learning outcomes. in conclusion, the appropriate use of humor in english language teaching can create a positive learning atmosphere, strengthen student-lecturer interaction, and enhance students' motivation and understanding of the learning material. challenges in using humor in english language learning the survey results on the challenges of using humor in listening materials for english language learning are shown in figure 4. figure 4. challenges and cautions in using humor the chart shows that 21.3% of students strongly agreed and 29.7% agreed that excessive humor could reduce their focus on the main material. additionally, 24.6% of students remained neutral, suggesting that some students did not perceive any significant impact from humor use in learning. meanwhile, 15.2% disagreed and 9.2% strongly disagreed, indicating that humor that is out of context or overly complex can hinder comprehension. the use of humor in english language teaching offers many benefits but also presents notable challenges that educators need to address. one major challenge is cultural sensitivity. humor is highly contextual, and what is considered funny in one culture may not be interpreted similarly in another, potentially causing misunderstandings or even offending students in a multicultural learning environment (martin, 2023). in intercultural interactions, humor is often complex and difficult for second-language (l2) learners to grasp. if humor is not presented within the proper context, the likelihood of misunderstanding increases, which can disrupt the learning process (rucynski & prichard, 2024). furthermore, the effectiveness of humor in language learning is influenced by the subjectivity and perception of students. timing, frequency, and the teacher’s personality play a crucial role in determining the success of humor in learning. overuse of humor or humor that is not aligned with the learning context may reinforce stereotypes or create discomfort among students (bishara, 2024; vanderheiden, 2024). the complexity of humor in language learning is also a significant challenge. to understand and use humor in a second language, students need a high level of linguistic and cultural competence. students who have not yet mastered the target language may struggle to grasp the meaning of humor, leading to feelings of isolation or disengagement from learning activities (rucynski & prichard, 2024). therefore, teachers need to provide clear explanations and ensure that humor is accessible to all students, regardless of their language proficiency. to overcome these challenges, educators need to adopt the right strategies when incorporating humor into the classroom. it is crucial for teachers to be aware of students' cultural backgrounds and avoid humor that may be offensive or misinterpreted. avoiding sensitive topics and humor that could create discomfort should be prioritized (arief, 2023; haydon et al., 2023). in addition, using inclusive and supportive humor can help create a positive classroom atmosphere and strengthen relationships between students and teachers. humor that enhances student engagement and motivation has been shown to improve participation and foster a more conducive learning environment (clanton harpine, 2024; hussain et al., 2024; xiong, 2025). educators are also encouraged to integrate humor competency training into english language instruction (pandey, 2024; zhang, 2025; zhou & lee, 2025). this training should include an introduction to the functions and forms of humor across various cultural contexts, helping students better understand and use humor effectively in cross-cultural communication (burgos et al., 2025). moreover, teachers need to be flexible and responsive to student feedback on the use of humor. adjusting teaching strategies based on english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 253 students’ responses and preferences can increase the effectiveness of humor in supporting the learning process (neff & dewaele, 2023). using spontaneous humor, memes, and cartoons relevant to the taught material can also boost student engagement and interest, especially when the humor aligns with the lesson's context (ngai et al., 2025). students' characteristics, such as enjoyment in learning a foreign language and attitudes toward humor, also influence the effectiveness of humor strategies (kim & ahn, 2025; tianli et al., 2024). by understanding these challenges and implementing appropriate strategies, educators can effectively use humor as a teaching tool to enhance student motivation and engagement in english language learning. contextual, culturally sensitive, and inclusive humor can foster a more comfortable, interactive, and supportive learning environment, ultimately improving students' academic success. conclusion this study confirms that humor plays a significant role in enhancing listening comprehension, motivation, and student engagement in english language learning. humor has been shown to effectively improve listening comprehension by reducing anxiety and increasing students' focus. additionally, the use of humor creates a more relaxed learning environment and supports positive interactions between students and lecturers, thereby strengthening active participation in the classroom. however, challenges in applying humor also emerged, particularly concerning cultural sensitivity and linguistic complexity, which can lead to confusion and discomfort. if humor is not aligned with students' cultural backgrounds or language proficiency levels, its effectiveness in supporting the learning process will diminish. this study has two main limitations. first, the small sample size may limit the generalizability of the findings to broader educational contexts. second, the descriptive research design limits the ability to establish direct causal relationships. future research is recommended to adopt an experimental approach to measure the causal impact of humor on learning outcomes. additionally, cross-cultural studies involving diverse cultural contexts could enrich the understanding of humor’s effectiveness in english language teaching. for listening instruction in efl contexts, lecturers are advised to use culturally relevant humor, adjust the intensity and frequency of humor, and regularly evaluate its effectiveness based on student feedback. the use of proportionate and contextually appropriate humor has the potential to significantly improve students' comprehension and motivation. references alsakaker, s. m. (2025). effects of using humor in teaching speaking skills on efl learners’ speaking anxiety. forum for linguistic studies, 7(1), 799–807. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i1.7995 altan-atalay, a., & fatih boluvat, m. (2024). cognitive flexibility and depression: the moderator roles of humor styles. current psychology, 43(23), 20814–20823. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144024-05931-8 arghandwal, n. a., wali, a. z., popal, a. w., & nabavi, s. a. (2023). humor: a teaching tool to use rather than ignore. international conference on multidisciplinary research, 2022, 104–113. https://doi.org/10.26803/myres.2022.08 arief, y. al. (2023). the use of linguistic jokes in efl classroom. jetal: journal of english teaching & applied linguistics, 2(4), 75–82. assagaf, a. s. a. (2023). legal analysis of freedom of expression and online humour in indonesia. european journal of humour research, 11(3), 105–122. https://doi.org/10.7592/ejhr2023.11.3.807 bishara, s. (2023). humor, motivation and achievements in mathematics in students with learning disabilities. cogent education, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2022.216269 4 bishara, s. (2024). humor and school culture in special education schools. an-najah university journal for research b (humanities), 38(3), 435–458. https://doi.org/10.35552/0247.38.3.2174 botes, e., dewaele, j. m., greiff, s., & goetz, t. (2024). can personality predict foreign language classroom emotions? the devil’s in the detail. studies in second language acquisition, 46(1), 51–74. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263123000153 bozorgian, h., & shamsi, e. (2023). a review of research on metacognitive instruction for listening development. in international journal of listening. routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2023.219700 8 burgos, m. v, politico, j. f., & vergara, m. m. (2025). the use of humor, irony, and metaphors in everyday communication: an exploratory investigation. journal of interdisciplinary perspectives, 3(2), 134–141. cernasev, a., & axon, d. r. (2023). research and scholarly methods: thematic analysis. jaccp journal of the american college of clinical pharmacy, 6(7), 751–755. https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1817 chang, c. y., chan, y. c., & chen, h. c. (2023). sisila fitriany damanik, mahmud layan hutasuhut, widya andayani, & nazlah syahaf nasution listening with a smile: how humor enhances student engagement in efl courses 254 verification of the four-stage model of humor processing: evidence from an fmri study by three-element verbal jokes. brain sciences, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13030417 chaiet, r. (2024). what’s so funny?: humor-based activities for social skill development. in what’s so funny?: humor-based activities for social skill development. taylor and francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003526933 charoensap-kelly, p., logemann, m. m., & bryant, k. (2024). foreign-born instructor humor perception and effects on self-perceived affective and cognitive learning: comparison of thai and united states classrooms. journal of asian pacific communication, 34(1), 56–82. https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.00075.cha chikowore, n. r. (2023). observation as data collection. in the handbook of teaching qualitative and mixed research methods: a step-by-step guide for instructors (pp. 80–83). taylor and francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003213277-21 clanton harpine, e. (2024). creating an intrinsically motivating learning environment: promoting student engagement and intrinsic motivation bt service learning in higher education: from pedagogy to practice. in e. clanton harpine (ed.), service learning in higher education (pp. 59–76). springer nature switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51378-7_5 derakhshan, a., & zhang, l. j. (2024). introduction to the special issue: new insights into the study of classroom emotions: emerging research methods for exploring the implications of positive and negative emotions in language education environments. iranian journal of language teaching research, 12(3), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.30466/ijltr.2024.121574 dicataldo, r., moscardino, u., mammarella, i. c., & roch, m. (2023). comprehension of explicit and implicit information in prereaders: the role of maternal education, receptive vocabulary, executive functions, and theory of mind. discourse processes, 60(3), 163–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/0163853x.2023.218540 6 hackworth, j. t. (2024). using humor in the health/physical education classroom to create an enjoyable learning environment. journal of physical education, recreation and dance, 95(2), 41–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/07303084.2023.229164 3 hanak, n. a., & zboun, b. a. (2023). listening comprehension in french as a foreign language at university level: difficulties and learning strategies. jordan journal of modern languages and literatures, 15(2), 515–536. https://doi.org/10.47012/jjmll.15.2.7 haydon, g., reis, j., & bowen, l. (2023). the use of humour in nursing education: an integrative review of research literature. nurse education today, 126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2023.105827 hensley, n. (2023). humor in education: exploring its complexities and its possibilities. educational practice and theory, 45(2), 37–54. https://doi.org/10.7459/ept/45.2.04 hussain, t., ali, z. h., & naz, a. (2024). the impact of teacher immediacy and humor on undergraduate student classroom engagement: evidence from pakistan. journal of development and social sciences, 5(4 se-articles), 386–395. https://doi.org/10.47205/jdss.2024(5-iv)34 james, l. a., & fox, c. l. (2024). humor styles in the classroom: students’ perceptions of lecturer humor. humor, 37(1), 109–123. https://doi.org/10.1515/humor-2023-0061 jia, m., & cheng, j. (2024). effect of teacher social support on students’ emotions and learning engagement: a u.s.-chinese classroom investigation. humanities and social sciences communications, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-02634-0 kabooha, r., hosein, a., heron, m., & medland, e. (2024). the effects of humorous video tasks on affective, cognitive, and social factors in english language vocabulary learning: a comparative study. innovation in language learning and teaching. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2024.239603 6 kim, s., & ahn, s.-y. (2025). engaging with language play: practices of korean english teachers in elementary classrooms. applied linguistics, amaf004. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amaf004 kotronoulas, g., miguel, s., dowling, m., fernándezortega, p., colomer-lahiguera, s., bağçivan, g., pape, e., drury, a., semple, c., dieperink, k. b., & papadopoulou, c. (2023). an overview of the fundamentals of data management, analysis, and interpretation in quantitative research. seminars in oncology nursing, 39(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soncn.2023.151398 liao, y.-h., lee, m.-f., sung, y.-t., & chen, h.-c. (2023). the effects of humor intervention on teenagers’ sense of humor, positive emotions, and learning ability: a positive psychological perspective. journal of happiness studies, 24(4), 1463–1481. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902023-00654-2 li, c. (2024). a review of theories, pedagogies and vocabulary learning tasks of english vocabulary learning apps for chinese efl learners. journal of china computer-assisted language learning. https://doi.org/10.1515/jccall-20230026 luo, r., zhan, q., & lyu, c. (2023). influence of instructor humor on learning engagement in the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 255 online learning environment. social behavior and personality, 51(2). https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.12145 maharam, n. a., & norazman, n. (2024). standard classroom capacity: effective of learning activities in malaysian primary school buildings. journal of advanced research design, 118(1), 34–41. https://doi.org/10.37934/ard.118.1.3441 martin, a. p. (2023). it’s a bit inappropriate: uk students’ negative perceptions of using humor in teaching politics. journal of political science education, 19(2), 231–249. https://doi.org/10.1080/15512169.2022.213156 0 naeem, m., ozuem, w., howell, k., & ranfagni, s. (2023). a step-by-step process of thematic analysis to develop a conceptual model in qualitative research. international journal of qualitative methods, 22. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231205789 neff, p., & dewaele, j.-m. (2023). humor strategies in the foreign language class. innovation in language learning and teaching, 17(3), 567– 579. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2022.208876 1 ngai, c. s. b., singh, r. g., huang, y., ho, j. w. y., khong, m. l., chan, e., lau, t. c. k., chan, h. y. e., wong, w. t., law, m. s. m., & koon, a. c. (2025). development of a systematic humor pedagogical framework to enhance student learning outcomes across different disciplines in hong kong. international journal of educational research open, 8(june), 100438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2025.100438 onowugbeda, f. u., ajose, o. o., ige, a. m., odekeye, o. t., fasinro, k. s., & agbanimu, d. o. (2024). laughing and learning: exploring the impact of humour in enhancing biology learning outcomes. ilorin journal of education, 44(1 se-articles), 105–118. https://ije.unilorinedu.sch.ng/index.php/ije/articl e/view/114 pandey, g. p. (2024). from motivation to engagement in elt: evidence-based strategies for transformation. journal of critical studies in language and literature, 6(1 se-), 39–45. https://doi.org/10.46809/jcsll.v6i1.318 peng, c. (2025). the power of humor : its impact on cognitive load and affective filtering in efl learning. international educational research, 8(2), 15–20. prenger, m., gilchrist, m., van hedger, k., seergobin, k. n., owen, a. m., & macdonald, p. a. (2023). establishing the roles of the dorsal and ventral striatum in humor comprehension and appreciation with fmri. journal of neuroscience, 43(49), 8536–8546. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.136123.2023 putman, r. s., pennington, c. g., munsey, b. a., hurless, n., hill, j. w., & labansat, h. a. (2024). does this chair make me look smart? an examination of flexible seating in the higher education classroom. learning environments research, 27(3), 893–911. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-024-09509-w rucynski, j., & prichard, c. (2024). the role of humour competency training in english language teaching. in the palgrave handbook of humour research, 2nd edition (pp. 497–519). springer international publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-52288-8_24 rudick, c. k., goodboy, a. k., vadhera, a. s., gill, s., goel, j. m., atwal, j. k., gupta, d., saluja, k., nimbokar, a., singh, k., kapoor, s., kaur, s., jetley, o., & malik, s. (2024). instruction in indian secondary schools: the indirect effect of teacher humor on student engagement through interest. communication reports, 37(1), 60–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/08934215.2023.229471 6 st-amand, j., smith, j., & goulet, m. (2024). is teacher humor an asset in classroom management? examining its association with students’ wellbeing, sense of school belonging, and engagement. current psychology, 43(3), 2499– 2514. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-02304481-9 sun, c., shen, j., lin, j., zhang, t., & li, j. (2025). the relationship between openness to experience and humor production: exploring the mediating roles of cognitive flexibility and ambiguity tolerance. psych journal, 14(1), 28–36. https://doi.org/10.1002/pchj.799 tahir, i. (2024). can celebrity comedians make any jokes? unlocking the nature of humour among indonesian celebrity comedians on social media. european journal of humour research, 12(4), 174–196. https://doi.org/10.7592/ejhr2024.12.4.919 tang, c.-w., & wang, l.-c. (2024). effect of perceived teacher support on senior high school students’ engagement in the academic portfolio: mediating roles of anxiety and self-efficacy. journal of research in education sciences, 69(3), 99–137. https://doi.org/10.6209/jories.202409_69(3).0 004 tianli, z., mansor, n. s., liu, g., & junhua, p. (2024). a systematic review of humor employed in teaching english as a second language in asia. sage open, 14(2), 21582440241250124. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241250125 usman, j., akmal, s., ar, m., & yusuf, y. (2023). does humour used in efl classrooms in islamic higher education reflect islamic values? journal of further and higher education, 47(5), 647– 658. sisila fitriany damanik, mahmud layan hutasuhut, widya andayani, & nazlah syahaf nasution listening with a smile: how humor enhances student engagement in efl courses 256 https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877x.2023.220013 3 vanderheiden, e. (2024). humour in adult education. in the palgrave handbook of humour research, 2nd edition (pp. 521–556). springer international publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-52288-8_25 weisi, h., & mohammadi, v. (2023). humour in the classroom: forms and functions among iranian efl teachers. european journal of humour research, 11(1), 168–183. https://doi.org/10.7592/ejhr2023.11.1.739 xiong, x. (2025). influence of teaching styles of higher education teachers on students‘ engagement in learning: the mediating role of learning motivation. education for chemical engineers, 51, 87–102. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.202 5.02.005 yağan, f., & kaya, z. (2023). cognitive flexibility and psychological hardiness: examining the mediating role of positive humor styles and happiness in teachers. current psychology, 42(34), 29943–29954. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-04024-8 zhang, q. (2025). the role of efl teacher immediacy and teacher-student rapport in boosting motivation to learn and academic mindsets in online education. learning and motivation, 89, 102092. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.20 24.102092 zheng, w., & wang, x. (2023). humor experience facilitates ongoing cognitive tasks: evidence from pun comprehension. frontiers in psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1127275 zhou, w., & lee, j. c. (2025). teaching and learning with instructional humor: a review of fivedecades research and further direction. frontiers in psychology, 16(january), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1445362 zulazli, a. h., mokhtar, m. m., albakri, i. s. m. a., tahir, m. h. m., khalid, p. z. m., & zaini, k. (2024). an investigation on the types of humour in english language teaching among malaysian lecturers in higher education. european journal of humour research, 12(2), 163–175. https://doi.org/10.7592/ejhr.2024.12.2.889 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 695 students’ perception and attitude on ‘code hunting’ for outdoor grammar learning raihan nashrullah huda (corresponding author) study program of english language education,faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya, malang, indonesia email: raihannh@student.ub.ac.id wahyu diny sujannah study program of english language education, faculty of cultural studies, universitas brawijaya, malang, indonesia email: wdiny@ub.ac.id apa scitation: huda, r. n., & sujannah, w. d. (2024). students’ perception and attitude on ‘code hunting’ for outdoor grammar learning. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 695702. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9892 received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 26-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction grammar mastery is crucial for english as a foreign language (efl) learners as it aids in comprehending and constructing correct sentences. if efl learners do not know the rules of grammatical structure of english, they will not be able to create sentences or even utterances properly. however, grammar for many students is considered a complicated and boring subject. they tend to dislike the idea of learning grammar, which results in the lack of their grammar mastery. align with that, even students who are already exposed to grammar for several years are still facing struggles in developing good sentences and correct utterances due to its complexity (larsen freeman & decarrico, 2019). thus, teachers need to find a strategy to make students feel engaged during the learning process to help them understand grammar better. in this digital era, teachers can take advantage of technology to make the grammar learning process more effective. according to phuong (2022), applying technology in the learning and teaching process, especially in grammar, holds an important role as a tool in promoting open education. it also enhances the educational activities in the grammar learning process to be more effective. students can deepen their understanding towards the topics that have been learned and look up to sources that can help them understand more effectively thanks to multidimensional information access, narrow certain spaces, save time optimally, and reduce distance. on the other hand, the use of technology also has a drawback. as revealed by the findings of research conducted by zahirah (2019) and ali & bharat (2021), the students felt that smartphones and online platforms decreased their social skills because they could not interact with other people (teachers nor friends). however, teachers can overcome this situation by using the right method of teaching which encourages students to use their abstract: for far too long, grammar lesson has been a concern amongst english teachers and a challenging journey for efl learners. the conventional grammar learning process tended to be considered boring and complicated by students due to the monotonous teaching method used by teachers which leads to the students’ disengagement. therefore, the researchers tried to employ a new grammar teaching strategy called ‘code hunting’. this survey research aimed to investigate the students’ perspectives towards the use of code hunting in the grammar learning process. in this research, the researchers used a quantitative method with descriptive quantitative as the research design. the participants were 60 11th-grade students in one of the senior high schools in batu, east java. the findings of this research showed that most students strongly agreed that grammar learning through code hunting was easier to understand, far more engaging, and increased their willingness to learn grammar. this research implies that code hunting is an effective tool to teach grammar. thus, it is recommended for english teachers to use code hunting and could be offered as a strategy to create an interesting learning experience, especially in the grammar learning process. furthermore, it is suggested for future researchers to explore more of the students’ perspectives using interview session in order to collect more in-depth information on the impact of code hunting. keywords: perspective; attitude; language games; grammar mastery; outdoor learning; code hunting. mailto:raihannh@student.ub.ac.id mailto:wdiny@ub.ac.id raihan nashrullah huda & wahyu diny sujannah students’ perception and attitude on ‘code hunting’ for outdoor grammar learning 696 social skills to interact with their learning environment but does not put aside the use of technology in teaching such as outdoor learning combined with gamification. the term outdoor learning has been used since back then when aristotle proposed that learning should be given back to nature. according to rivkin (1990), outdoor learning is necessary because the interaction between students and nature needs to be considered for students' development and outdoor learning activity supports this interaction. outdoor learning refers to the idea of theoretical practice in the learning environment that is not classroom, so students can explore their surroundings in real time. as stated by wells (2000), exposing students daily to natural settings can increase their cognitive abilities and enhance their focus. in this case, outdoor learning can be combined with gamification in the learning process to match nowadays computer-driven learning environments. mosquera et al. (2024) defines that gamification is “the use of game elements and game design techniques in non-game contexts.” it is used in many different contexts for various purposes, including language learning. one of the ways to integrate gamification with the use of technology with the outdoor learning activity is by conducting ‘code hunting’. ‘code hunting’ is an activity developed by the researchers specifically to enhance the process of learning english grammatical structures in the classroom by combining both technology and outdoor-kinesthetic learning style. it is adapted from an indonesian television game show called mission: x. this game is an adventurous game done by asking a few groups of people to collect or find a specific item that has a clue on what to do or how to do a task. the first group that can solve the task wins and is guaranteed a present. adapting from this concept, the researchers tried to bring out the game to the grammar learning process, especially in teaching tenses. in bringing out the idea into a real-life situation, the researchers found limitations on how to bring the imagery in a real learning situation. therefore, the mission: x concept was combined with a similar outdoor gpsbased game called geocaching. palmárová & lovászová (2012) stated that geocaching is an actual real-time or real-life outdoor game about treasure hunting that uses gps-enabled devices. players navigate to a specific coordinate by using gps and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. however, the researchers tried to adapt this concept by switching the geocaches with printed qr codes and swap the gps coordinates by using a clue of where the specific qr code is hidden. a similar learning process was once conducted in a study by palmárová & lovászová (2012) but under different scenarios. in that study, the learning process was heavy on the use of gps and doing real life geocaching activity, but it did not have a standpoint whether it could be used for teaching english especially for grammar learning or not. the participants were also only pupils aged 10-14. hence, the researchers want to find out the result of using a similar method done by palmárová & lovászová’s (2012) study but modified and under a different scenario. thus, this present study aimed to explore students’ perspective and attitude on the use of an innovative teaching method, ‘code hunting’, combining outdoor activity and technology to enhance grammar learning. the research question is as follows: (1) what are the students’ perspective on the usefulness of ‘code hunting’ as outdoor grammar learning activity? (2) what are the students’ attitude toward ‘code hunting’ as outdoor grammar learning activity? method this survey study aimed to examine students’ perspective and attitude on the use of ‘code hunting’ as an outdoor learning activity to learn grammar. the participants were 60 11th-grade senior high school students in one of the high schools in batu, east java. the implementation of ‘code hunting’ involved explaining the present perfect tense inside of the classroom, followed by an outdoor activity where students searched for qr codes to complete grammar tasks. the first group who can finish the task correctly and faster than any other groups is declared as the winner and guaranteed a present. a four-point likert scale questionnaire with 17 items ranging from strongly agree (4) to strongly disagree (1) adapted from castillo-cuesta (2020), eltahir et al. (2021), cabrera-solano (2022), and alhebshi & gamlo (2022) was used to collect data, focusing on perception on usefulness and attitude. it was adapted to focus more on the use of ‘code hunting’ as the outdoor learning activity to teach english grammar related to present perfect tense. besides, it validated by an english language teaching expert and tried out revealing that it was valid since the r-count for all items was more than the r-table (>0.361) and highly reliable since the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 697 cronbach’s alpha coefficients for both dimensions were more than 0.8 the final data obtained from the questionnaire were explained into more details in the form of descriptive statistics. in analyzing the data, microsoft excel was used to draw each items’ percentage of agreement and average and present the categorizations in the form of tables. the categories were separated by applying the formula developed by natawiria and riduwan (2010) as seen in table 1. table 1. classification of categories category mean percentage strongly agree 75% 100% agree 50% 74.99% disagree 25% 49.99% strongly disagree 0% 24.99% results and discussion the results offer a detailed breakdown of two dimensions (usefulness and attitude) related to the students’ perspectives on the use of code hunting as an outdoor learning activity to teach grammar. results of students’ perspective on the usefulness of code hunting as an outdoor learning activity to teach grammar the result of students’ perspectives on the usefulness of code hunting as an outdoor learning activity to teach grammar can be seen in table 2. table 2. students’ perspective on the usefulness of code hunting as an outdoor learning activity to learn grammar no item scale mean category sd d a sa 1 playing code hunting is helpful for developing my grammar mastery related to present perfect tense. 2 1 28 29 85% strongly agree 1% 1% 41% 57% 2 playing code hunting helps me deepen my understanding towards the use of present perfect tense. 0 6 27 27 84% strongly agree 0% 6% 40% 54% 3 learning present perfect tense by playing code hunting helps me understand it better than using the regular method. 0 9 27 24 81% strongly agree 0% 9% 42% 49% 4 playing code hunting improves my concentration and ability to recognize and use present perfect tense in correct grammatical structures. 0 4 32 24 83% strongly agree 0% 4% 48% 48% 5 playing code hunting makes me understand the context of using present perfect tense. 0 5 27 28 85% strongly agree 0% 5% 40% 55% 6 i feel that i’ve developed my comprehension towards present perfect tense due to using code hunting in the learning process. 0 4 31 25 84% strongly agree 0% 4% 46% 50% 7 i can answer questions given related to present perfect tense because of the use of code hunting. 0 7 32 21 81% strongly agree 0% 7% 49% 43% 8 the activities done when playing code hunting are effective and help me solve some problems related to present perfect tense that were difficult before. 0 6 26 28 84% strongly agree 0% 6% 39% 55% 9 playing code hunting motivates me to improve my grammar mastery related to present perfect tense. 0 3 26 31 87% strongly agree 0% 3% 38% 60% 10 playing code hunting makes me participate more in the activities to learn present perfect tense. 0 4 30 26 84% strongly agree 0% 4% 45% 51% 11 playing code hunting makes me more active and dynamic in the process of learning present perfect tense. 0 8 30 22 81% strongly agree 0% 8% 46% 45% according to table 2, the first item had an average percentage of 85%, meaning that the students strongly agreed that applying language games such as ‘code hunting’ could help them develop their grammar mastery. in the second item, the percentage reached 84%, which showed that the students strongly agreed that they were able to understand more related to the grammatical structures by using ‘code hunting’ in the learning process. the average percentage in the third item counted to 81%, indicating that the students strongly agreed that understanding grammar structures using the regular or traditional method was boring and not attractive for them, that they preferred to be taught using ‘code hunting’ because it was easier to understand. in the fourth item, the average percentage showed 83%, meaning that the students strongly agreed that raihan nashrullah huda & wahyu diny sujannah students’ perception and attitude on ‘code hunting’ for outdoor grammar learning 698 when they were studying grammar structures using ‘code hunting’, it helped them concentrate more and to be better in using and recognizing certain grammar tenses. in the fifth item, the average percentage was 85%, indicating that students strongly agreed that they were able to indicate and understand the context of certain grammar structures better due to the use of ‘code hunting’. in the sixth item, its average percentage reached 84%, meaning that the students strongly agreed that by integrating ‘code hunting’ in their learning process, it helped them comprehend more about certain grammar tenses. in the seventh item, the average percentage amounted to 81%, meaning that the students strongly agreed that ‘code hunting’ is beneficial to help them answer questions related to the use of grammatical structure. the eighth item got an average percentage of 84%, indicating that students strongly agreed that the problems that they had related to grammar structures that were difficult before were solved due to the activities performed during ‘code hunting’. furthermore, the ninth item got an average percentage of 87%, meaning that the students strongly agreed that they were motivated more to increase their grammar mastery after playing ‘code hunting’. in the tenth item the average percentage amounted to 84%, indicating that the students strongly agreed that playing ‘code hunting’ increased their willingness to participate in the grammar learning activities. the last item got an average percentage of 81%, meaning that the students strongly agreed that ‘code hunting’ created a grammar learning environment that allowed them to be more active and dynamic. results of students’ attitude on the use of ‘code hunting’ as an outdoor learning activity to learn grammar the result of the students’ perspective on their attitude on the use of code hunting as an outdoor learning activity to teach grammar can be seen in table 3. table 3. students’ attitude on the use of code hunting as an outdoor learning activity to learn grammar n o item scale mean category sd d a sa 12 i enjoy learning present perfect tense by playing code hunting to develop my grammar mastery. 0 5 26 29 85% strongly agree 0% 5% 38% 57% 13 i like learning present perfect tense by playing outdoor game through code hunting because i can play and discuss with my friends. 0 7 15 38 88% strongly agree 0% 7% 21% 72% 14 i like learning present perfect tense through playing code hunting because it encourages me to answer the questions. 0 4 27 29 85% strongly agree 0% 4% 40% 57% 15 during the learning process, i feel encouraged and enthusiast when playing code hunting. 0 4 31 25 84% strongly agree 0% 4% 46% 50% 16 while learning present perfect tense using code hunting, i love and enjoy getting feedback after doing the task. 0 2 29 29 86% strongly agree 0% 2% 42% 56% 17 if i have the chance, i will choose to play code hunting to improve my grammar mastery in the learning process. 0 7 33 20 80% strongly agree 0% 7% 51% 41% according to table 3, the twelfth item’s average percentage reached 85%, indicating that the students strongly agreed that learning english tenses using code hunting was enjoyable to develop their grammar mastery. the highest average percentage was shown in the thirteenth item, demonstrating that 88% of the students strongly agreed that they enjoyed grammar learning in which they could play and have discussion with their friends and code hunting allowed them to do that. in addition, the fourteenth item got an average number of 85%, indicating that the students strongly agreed that they favour learning grammar by answering the questions while playing games because code hunting encouraged them to do so. in the fifteenth item, the average percentage was 84%, meaning that the students strongly agreed that code hunting resulted in encouragement and enthusiasm for them during the grammar learning process. furthermore, the sixteenth item showed an average percentage of 86%, meaning that the students strongly agreed that they felt fond and enjoyable when getting feedback from the teacher after doing the task related to grammar questions through playing code hunting. the last item got english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 699 an average percentage of 80%, indicating that the students agreed if they had the chance, they would choose performing code hunting to help them increase their grammar mastery instead of using the regular method. this study explored high school students’ perspectives towards the use of ‘code hunting’ in learning grammar. the results showed that most of the participants gave very positive responses, shown from the average percentages of the students’ responses in the questionnaire reaching above 80% for each item. regarding the usefulness of ‘code hunting’, it was found that the students strongly agreed that ‘code hunting’ helped them develop their grammar mastery. code hunting significantly fostered the students' grammar mastery by integrating outdoor activities with grammar learning which found that it effectively enhances the students’ grammar comprehension. this method addresses what most indonesian students face. as highlighted in daskan’s (2023) study, which exposed that most students were lacking in their grammar mastery due to the low level of understanding that they had towards the use, concept, and context of the grammar rules. but on the other hand, if the teacher explains grammar items and uses an engaging method, 88% of them feel satisfied. this shows that without an appropriate learning and teaching method, students would still face some struggles to use grammar not only in academic or classroom settings but also in real life situations. taking evidence from the current situation, ‘code hunting’ could be used as an alternative method to teach grammar in the classroom. engaging teaching methods such as code hunting enhances satisfaction and motivation among students. this is supported by a study conducted by yıldırım & akamca (2017), revealing that students exposed to outdoor settings in the learning process had increased their cognitive ability significantly. thus, implementing code hunting in the grammar learning process can effectively foster the students' comprehension and motivation. an extension from what is stated above, in ‘code hunting’, the students’ struggles were tried to be overcome by giving them a learning environment based on their preferences and needs in this computer-driven era, related to the use of technology in the learning process including using their own mobile phone. as son (2018) said that the way we are learning and teaching nowadays have changed due to the growth of technology. he also claimed that using educational technologies (edtech) frequently in the learning environment needs to be emphasized during the language learning process. hence, using technology in the learning process could help students get a better understanding of grammar rules. this idea was tried to be implemented in the ‘code hunting’ activity by combining outdoor learning activity with the use of technology by using the students’ mobile phone to solve the tasks given. results indicated significant improvement in understanding present perfect tense rules, as students engaged actively in real-world applications. it also helped them to deepen their understanding towards the use of present perfect tense in sentences by applying the correct rules. this is supported by baharudin and yunus (2018) who said that integrating technology in the learning process could enhance teaching efficacy, supporting the use of language games to bolster grammar mastery, particularly among teenage efl learners. phuong (2022) similarly found that integrating technology in the students’ grammar learning process boosted their performance better than limiting the access for using technology inside the classroom. therefore, educators should embrace creative approaches, permitting mobile phone use to foster an interactive learning environment. moreover, the researchers also found that the students felt fond of the way ‘code hunting’ provided a learning environment that was new to them. by integrating language games through ‘code hunting’ and using technology in the grammar learning process, this approach helped them understand the grammar rules better than when they were taught using the regular methods. taking evidence from a study conducted by kumayas and lengkoan (2023), regular or traditional methods in the process of teaching and learning english still using ‘chalk-and-talk’ have become outdated because they were not suitable for students' needs nowadays, decreased their motivation in learning, and also created a feeling of boredom. in this era, learners are exposed to diverse approaches to task-based activities to foster better participation and engagement throughout the lesson including game applications with engaging interfaces (zarzycka-piskorz, 2016). therefore, if teachers still cannot follow the wave of technological growth, it will affect their students’ learning outcomes and grammar comprehension. this is aligned with yaccob and yunus’s (2019) statement which proposed that the advantage of language games to improve the grammar learning and teaching process are raihan nashrullah huda & wahyu diny sujannah students’ perception and attitude on ‘code hunting’ for outdoor grammar learning 700 necessary and essential in order to help them foster their grammar mastery. exposing students to the new learning environment by integrating ‘code hunting’ to the learning process breaks the students’ limits to speak their thoughts and enables them to express themselves freely. integrating ‘code hunting’ in the learning process could make this happen because ‘code hunting’ promotes a shift from a teacher-centred into studentscentred by providing activities that support student-centred learning (scl). according to pastini and lilasari (2023) teacher-centred instruction, with its concern only on transferring passive knowledge and common approaches, often meets a situation in which it cannot fulfill the individual learning styles and interests of each student which could lead into serious issues such as students’ lack of engagement, a lack of control over learning, and eventually the limited ability to acquire critical 21st-century skills. therefore, the specific learning environment provided by ‘code hunting’ was meant to provide this experience in the learning process to stimulate the students’ creativity, enhance their critical thinking skills, and also strengthen their ability to work in a group. which resulted in an outcome where the students felt fond and enjoyed the learning process better, and they were able to use their creativity to solve the tasks by utilizing technology while also working in a group with their peers. this result is in line with a study conducted by pastini and lilasari (2023) which revealed consistent evidence supporting the effectiveness of scl in enhancing students' academic performance. it also improved the learning outcomes, heightened student engagement, and increased motivation. exploring more to the findings of this research, it was found that playing ‘code hunting’ boosted the students’ concentration and ability to recognize and understand the context of the grammar rules when they were given a task or question. ‘code hunting’ helped students develop their comprehension towards grammar rules which makes them easily answer questions related to the use of grammar rules in sentences. these findings are in line with previous research conducted by łodzikowski and jekiel (2019), stating that language games are perceived as useful resources because it can increase learners’ engagement in class in comparison without using language games inside of the classroom. by integrating ‘code hunting’ they also understood the use of present perfect tense in a sentence or when trying to create sentences. this is consistent with the findings of the study conducted by cabrera-solano (2022), due to the use of language game learning, the students noticed that using this approach helped them enhance their concentration and ability to identify and apply new words as well as grammar rules in the target language. learning grammar should not be as boring as it already is. grammar learning that is too dependent on rules often leads to the students’ lost interest and decreasing their willingness to learn grammar. therefore, english learners are more interested in learning particular grammar through specific language games that include them to do tasks related to grammar structure in real-life contexts (yaccob and yunus, 2019). the use of games in the english learning process not only affected the classroom environment to be better but also fostered the students' performance academically in the target language (delgado algarra, 2020). regarding the students’ attitude towards the use of ‘code hunting’ as an outdoor learning activity to teach grammar, the finding showed that the students enjoyed learning tenses by playing games through ‘code hunting’. before using language games, they struggled with grammar items even after completing the lessons because they find traditional explanations confusing and unpleasant. integrating language games in the grammar learning process brings about the sentiment that teaching and learning of grammar should not be done in isolation but in a proper context and authentically (yaccob and yunus, 2019). this method helps students to comprehend grammar better and makes the subject less daunting. the process of grammar learning needs to be taught with an intention to increase an active interaction by implementing the targeted grammar items and by giving them the opportunity to use the targeted language freely (daskan, 2023). hence, playing ‘code hunting’ could help them to understand grammar better because it was easier to understand grammar rules by playing language games because conducting a learning process that utilizes the correct way and method of teaching based on the students’ needs really affects the outcome of the course regarding the students’ grammar mastery (effendi et al., 2017). furthermore, the outcome of the questionnaire showed that learning grammar through interactive methods, such as utilizing language games and allowing them to discuss with their peers is more preferable by students over traditional memorization and writing. most teachers restrict the students from having discussions with their english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 701 peers, but in fact, allowing them to have discussions helps them to deepen their understanding. according to yaccob and yunus (2019), utilizing language games in the grammar learning process holds an essential role to foster the students’ ability and confidence to use grammar rules correctly in performing language skills including when solving riddles and problems. therefore, encouraging the students to apply grammar in real-life settings through outdoor games such as ‘code hunting’ could increase their grammar mastery. this finding is also found in a study conducted by yavuz et al. (2020) revealing that language games improve fluency and engagement by encouraging students to use grammar rules in context. moreover, it was also found that integrating ‘code hunting’ in the learning process helped students boost their motivation to improve their grammar mastery. integrating games to grammar learning could give huge impacts on the students’ engagement during the learning process such as setting goals, concentrating on tasks, building enthusiasm, enjoying the learning experience, collaborating, and meeting their learning needs (ardi and rianita, 2022). ‘code hunting’ promoted students to explore and learn new things by doing group tasks which encouraged them to take risks and make decisions in the process of the grammar learning, resulting in the students’ confidence when performing language skills using grammar items correctly. this is supported by a study conducted by phuong (2022) revealing that the outcomes of the teaching and learning process were better if teachers could choose suitable methods to teach. these approaches not only help teachers prepare the lessons better but also it gives impacts on the students to have more chances to master the lessons better at school so that they can freely and confidently explore and use their insights from what they have learned inside of the classroom and use it in real life situations. in addition, the finding also showed that the students strongly agreed that playing ‘code hunting’ encouraged them to actively answer the questions related to grammar structures due to the competitive and engaging learning environment. this finding is supported by can’s (2023) study stating that interactive learning through games enhance the students’ engagement and provide a dynamic learning experience. the use of games also acted as a motivational factor for them to use the targeted language creatively and communicatively other than offering relaxation and enjoyment to them as the participants. the statement is in line and reflected on the outcome of the data which showed that the students indeed were encouraged to learn and answer questions related to the present perfect tense. moreover, the finding also showed that the students tended to like and enjoy getting feedback from the teacher after they did the task. the same result was also found in the cabrera-solano’s (2022) study which revealed that the students appreciated the way teachers gave them feedback after doing the task by supporting them with clear instructions and positive feedback. additionally, students preferred learning through games like 'code hunting' for mastering grammar, consistent with alhebshi and gamlo’s (2022) study, which found mobile language games more enjoyable and participative than traditional methods. overall, students responded positively to 'code hunting,' indicating it could be an effective strategy for teaching grammar. conclusion this study found that integrating ‘code hunting’ as an outdoor learning activity significantly enhanced students' grammar mastery and motivation. the interactive and engaging nature of the activity meets the needs of modern learners. however, the study is limited by its small simple size and focus on a single grammatical concept, present perfect tense. to explore more on the students’ perception and attitude on the use of ‘code hunting’ to improve their grammar mastery, future researchers should explore its longterm impact and their applicability to other grammatical structures. acknowledgement first, the researchers would like to express gratitude to the participants whom without their help this research would never be finished. the enormous appreciation is also addressed to all parties involved, including the english teacher and administrator at the school involved in this study. it is expected that the findings of this research will contribute to the field of english language teaching (elt). references abdullah alhebshi, a., & gamlo, n. (2022). the effects of mobile game-based learning on saudi efl foundation year students’ vocabulary acquisition. arab world english journal (awej) volume, 13. abid ali, b. (2021). impact of smartphone: a review on negative effects on students. palarch's journal of phuongarchaeology of raihan nashrullah huda & wahyu diny sujannah students’ perception and attitude on ‘code hunting’ for outdoor grammar learning 702 egypt/egyptology, 18(4), 5710-5718. ardi, p., & rianita, e. (2022). leveraging gamification into efl grammar class to boost student engagement. teaching english with technology, 22(2), 90-114. baharudin, n. a. a., & yunus, m. m. (2018). grammodo: a platform in learning grammar among esl learners in malaysia. innovation for sustainable growth, 106-108. bracho mosquera, a.s., román-mireles, a., rodríguez álvarez, a.m., ormaza esmeraldas, e.d., nieves-lizárraga, d.o., viridiana velarde osuna, d., olguín-martínez, c.m., bracho rivera, m.a., bracho rivera, r.i., ramos perez, r.l., villacorta guzmán, j.r., romero carazas, r., vera barrios, b.s., rodríguez vásquez, m.p., buelna-sánchez, r., de jesús de la paz rosales, m.t., rosillo suárez, n., & mora-barajas, j.g. (2024). gamification and development of social skills in education. ag salud, 2, 58-58. cabrera-solano, p. (2022). game-based learning in higher education: the pedagogical effect of genially games in english as a foreign language instruction. international journal of educational methodology, 8(4), 719-729. can, s. (2023). exploring the transformed landscape of grammar learning in language education: unveiling teaching insights through harnessing the flipped classroom approach's potential. international journal of linguistics, literature and translation, 6(10), 13-28. castillo-cuesta, l. (2020). using digital games for enhancing efl grammar and vocabulary in higher education. international journal of emerging technologies in learning (ijet), 15(20), 116-129. daskan, a. (2023). the challenges of grammar learning and teaching and students’ perceptions in efl classes–tishk international university, erbil case. international journal of social sciences & educational studies, 10(3). delgado-algarra, e. j. (ed.). (2020). icts and innovation for didactics of social sciences. igi global. effendi, m. s., rokhyati, u., rachman, u. a. m., rakhmawati, a. d., & pertiwi, d. (2017). a study on grammar teaching at an english education department in an efl context. international journal on studies in english language and literature, 5(1), 42-46. eltahir, m. e., alsalhi, n. r., al-qatawneh, s., alqudah, h. a., & jaradat, m. (2021). the impact of game-based learning (gbl) on students’ motivation, engagement and academic performance on an arabic language grammar course in higher education. education and information technologies, 26, 3251-3278. kumayas, t., & lengkoan, f. (2023). the challenges of teaching grammar at the university level: learning from the experience of english lecturer. journal of english culture, language, literature and education, 11(1), 98-105. larsen-freeman, d., & decarrico, j. (2019). grammar. in an introduction to applied linguistics (pp. 19-34). routledge. łodzikowski, k., & jekiel, m. (2019). board games for teaching english prosody to advanced efl learners. elt journal, 73(3), 275-285. natawiria, a. s., & riduwan, h. i. (2010). statistika bisnis. bandung: alfabeta. palmárová, v., & lovászová, g. (2012). mobile technology used in an adventurous outdoor learning activity: a case study. problems of education in the 21st century, 44, 64. pastini, n. w., & lilasari, l. n. t. (2023). empowering efl students: a review of studentcentred learning effectiveness and impact. journal of applied studies in language, 7(2), 246-259. rivkin, m. s. (1995). the great outdoors: restoring children's right to play outside. national association for the education of young children, 1509 16th street, nw, washington, dc 20036-1426. son, j. b. (2018). teacher development in technology enhanced language teaching. springer international publishing. syafiqah yaccob, n., & md yunus, m. (2019). language games in teaching and learning english grammar: a literature review. arab world english journal (awej) volume, 10. tu, t. h. p. (2022). the effects of using education technology tools on learning grammar for students in secondary school. international journal of language instruction, 1(1), 41-52. wells, n. m. (2000). at home with nature: effects of “greenness” on children’s cognitive functioning. environment and behavior, 32(6), 775-795. yavuz, f., ozdemir, e., & celik, o. (2020). the effect of online gamification on efl learners' writing anxiety levels: a process-based approach. world journal on educational technology: current issues, 12(2), 62-70. yıldırım, g., & akamca, g. ö. (2017). the effect of outdoor learning activities on the development of preschool children. south african journal of education, 37(2). zahirah, k. f. (2019). the impacts of m-learning for students in improving their grammar. in the 7th undergraduate conference on elt, linguistic and literature (2019) (p. 138). zarzycka-piskorz, e. (2016). kahoot it or not? can games be motivating in learning grammar?. teaching english with technology, 16(3), 17-36. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 935 the symbolic representation of ulos in batak culture: an ecolinguistic perspective puji hariati universitas pembinaan masyarakat indonesia (upmi), medan, indonesia email: zeenasution@gmail.com purwarno purwarno english literature study program, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara, medan, indonesia email: purwarno@sastra.uisu.ac.id apa scitation: hariati, p., & purwarno, p. (2024). the symbolic representation of ulos in batak culture: an ecolinguistic perspective. englishs review: journal of english education, 12(3), 935-948. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10261 received: 27-02-2024 accepted: 28-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: this research investigates the symbolic representation of the ulos in batak culture from an ecolinguistic perspective, highlighting its role as a cultural artifact deeply intertwined with language, tradition, and the environment. using a descriptive qualitative approach, data were collected through interviews with weavers, raja perhata (cultural experts), and traditional leaders who possess deep knowledge of the ulos. the study focuses on specific toba batak ulos, such as ragi hidup, ragi hotang, and sibolang, each symbolizing unique aspects of batak values and worldviews. ragi hidup conveys blessings for happiness, offspring, and longevity, particularly during wedding ceremonies, while ragi hotang is associated with respect and honor, and sibolang signifies the act of paying homage. these symbolic meanings are intricately embedded in the patterns, colors, and material composition of the ulos, reflecting their significance in batak society. the findings reveal that the ulos is not merely a textile but a vessel of cultural meaning, encompassing prayers for prosperity, social status, and well-being. through the lens of ecolinguistics, this study demonstrates how the ulos, as a cultural symbol, contributes to the sustainability of batak traditions by encoding and perpetuating ecological and social values within its symbolic framework. the research underscores the critical importance of preserving these traditional symbols to maintain the cultural heritage and identity of the bataknese people while offering broader insights into the role of language and culture in sustaining community values. keyword: batak ulos; blessing; ragi hidup; ragi hotang; respecting; sibolang introduction ulos, recognized as one of indonesia's intangible cultural heritages, embodies the deep thought and high-quality artistry of the batak ancestors, making it a cultural treasure that must be preserved (hasibuan & rochmat, 2021). ulos is a type of batak woven cloth, typically worn as a shawl. syabrina, saqinah, and sinulinga (2023) describe ulos as one of the most cherished cultural heritages of the batak people in indonesia, with profound significance in their daily lives. according to rami, sari, tamba, and afrilyani (2021), ulos, within the batak tradition, is imbued with religious and mystical qualities, and in batak society, it is revered as an object blessed with supernatural powers. traditionally, ulos was woven using a loom, but modern techniques have introduced machine production. the dominant colors of ulos are red, black, and white, often embellished with intricate gold or silver thread. for the batak people, ulos symbolizes bonds of affection, social status, and serves as a vital medium of communication within their traditional community. jiniputri, panggabean, and widiawati (2021) emphasize that ulos has become a powerful symbol of batak culture, with each step in its creation, as well as its use, infused with hopes and prayers from both the maker and the owner. ulos carries deep philosophical meaning in batak life, marking every traditional event with the act of giving, which clearly distinguishes between those who give and those who receive (saragi, sinaga, & tarigan, 2024). ulos is deeply intertwined with the lives of the batak toba people, representing an ancestral heritage passed down through generations (manalu, simanjuntak, & casiavera, 2023). as a key element of batak cultural identity, ulos is not only central to traditional customs but is also used in various ceremonies, including births, marriages, welcoming guests, and funerals. each type of ulos features motifs rich in symbolic meaning and honor (supriyatno, tambunan, & ginting, 2024). irvan (2023) further explains that the unique motifs and designs of each ulos pattern often convey cultural values and reflect the history of mailto:zeenasution@gmail.com puji hariati & purwarno purwarno the symbolic representation of ulos in batak culture: an ecolinguistic perspective 936 the batak tribe. essentially, ulos serves as a symbol to express spiritual meanings and values, encapsulating profound significance and purpose (siagian, 2024). according to putri et al. (2024), ulos holds symbolic importance across various aspects of toba batak life, and is often given as a meaningful souvenir, laden with deep symbolism. adriani and fitriani (2023) explain that the batak ancestors recognized three primary sources of warmth: the sun, fire, and ulos. among these, ulos was particularly vital, especially given the batak people's historical context of living in mountainous regions with cold night temperatures. while sunlight and fire were crucial for warmth, the frequent cloudy weather and the impracticality and risks of using fire during sleep underscored the need for an alternative. this necessity led to the creation of ulos, which served effectively as a body warmer. novianti and haryano (2022) highlight that ulos laghir is a cultural product of the batak tribe specifically designed to provide warmth. furthermore, qothrunnada (2021) notes that although ulos originally served a practical function, it has evolved into a powerful symbol of cultural identity. with the development of customs, along with the introduction of various motifs and colors, ulos now holds deep symbolic significance and is widely used in ceremonies and other traditional rituals. ulos was traditionally used as a body warmer in the form of a blanket, driven by the geographic conditions of the batak ancestors who lived in the highlands around lake toba, a region known for its very cold temperatures. according to budiman et al. (2019), the batak community sought practical ways to stay warm in these naturally cold conditions, leading to the widespread use of ulos. the batak people believe in three primary sources of warmth: the sun, fire, and ulos. ulos became a practical and reliable body warmer because it could be easily used as a blanket, anytime and anywhere. supporting budiman et al.’s claim, siregar, panggabean, fahmi, and hizriadi (2021) note that among the batak, the three sources of warmth—sun, fire, and ulos—are integral to their daily lives, with ulos being the most comfortable and familiar. initially, ulos served as a simple cloth for warmth, but as takari (2009) observes, it gradually gained symbolic significance in all aspects of batak life, becoming inseparable from batak culture. ulos is also characterized by its various functions and associations with specific elements. harahap (2017) explains that the act of mangulosi, or giving ulos, is not merely a gesture of gift-giving; it carries profound meaning, symbolizing blessings, love, hope, and other positive intentions. this evolution indicates that ulos has transformed from merely a source of warmth to a symbol of deeper values such as blessings, love, and hope. conversely, certain church sects hold differing views on ulos. they regard it as an idol or an animist symbol, used to worship ancestral spirits through an object believed to possess magical powers, thereby rendering it sacred. vergouwen (2019) states that the creation of ulos is an act imbued with religious and magical qualities, governed by numerous prohibitions that must be strictly observed during the weaving process. this underscores the deep magical significance attributed to ulos. mistavakia (2015) asserts that ulos is seen by some as a creation of the ancestors imbued with dark powers. as a result, when ulos is given, it is believed to bind the recipient to these dark forces. sitanggang (2022) explains that this rejection arises from an alternative interpretation of batak customs, where this group views ulos as a demonic creation intended to deceive the batak people. during traditional events, when the hulahula bestows ulos and simultaneously offers blessings, this act is perceived as usurping the role of god, who is considered the sole source of blessings. consequently, ulos is regarded by this group as a symbol of traditional, illogical, and primitive beliefs. ulos, as a batak cultural heritage, represents the intellectual and artistic achievements of the ancestors and must be preserved. this identity was further reinforced by the designation of ulos as indonesia's intangible cultural heritage on october 17, 2014, as stipulated by the decree of the minister of education and culture of the republic of indonesia number 270/p/2014 on october 8, 2014 (ananda, 2021). in agreement, hasibuan and rochmat (2021) assert that ulos, recognized as one of indonesia’s intangible cultural heritages, embodies the intellectual and high-quality artistic achievements of the ancestors that must be preserved. they also emphasize that the sacred value of ulos reflects the inner world of the batak people. hariani and kusumastuti (2023) state that the batak community's cultural identity is inextricably linked to ulos, which is ultimately recognized as part of the broader indonesian identity. each ulos carries specific meanings and purposes between the giver and the receiver, further solidifying its importance. consequently, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 937 batak ulos is considered a cultural heritage of indonesia with the potential to become a world heritage. hasibuan and rochmat (2021) also note that ulos is integral to traditional ceremonies and events, symbolizing various aspects such as individual and social status, underscoring its role as a symbol of harmonious life within communities. toba batak traditional ceremonies are deeply rooted in the values and beliefs that are firmly upheld by the toba batak ethnic group. these customs and beliefs form the foundation for maintaining social relationships, communicating, and showing respect to both ancestors and honorable individuals. a key element of these traditional ceremonies is the giving of ulos, which is practiced by both guests and event hosts (sitorus et al., 2021). the ceremony of giving ulos serves as a symbol of respect and honor. afrilla et al. (2024) note that indonesia, a country rich in ethnic diversity, includes the toba batak tribe, which upholds various traditions in their ceremonies. among these traditions, the giving or use of ulos stands out as a symbol of respect for those who observe the customs and as a form of appreciation for guests. the preservation of ulos is crucial, as it embodies the cultural heritage of the batak people. however, this rich tradition is under critical threat, with the art of weaving ulos on the verge of extinction. the decline is largely due to the decreasing number of skilled weavers, who are the custodians of this intricate and symbolic craft. without immediate and sustained efforts to revive and support these artisans, the tradition of weaving batak ulos could be lost to future generations. the ministry of women's empowerment and child protection of the republic of indonesia (kemenpppa, 2016) reports that younger generations are reluctant to learn weaving because they perceive it as difficult and complex work. additionally, the social status of weavers is considered low, often associated with poverty. each ulos carries profound meanings and cultural values, with its characteristics influenced by the region where it was made. carmeline (2017) highlights that many traditional types of ulos are no longer produced and face the threat of extinction. ulos weavers have stopped creating traditional motifs due to a lack of market demand, despite the fact that each motif carries specific meanings and symbolizes prayers and blessings. siregar (2015) observes that traditional ulos production has ceased since the 2000s, raising concerns about the potential loss of this ancestral legacy. ulos, a cultural artifact of significant value, is experiencing a decline in preservation efforts. this is unfortunate, as it is essential to preserve ulos and pass down the knowledge of each motif from generation to generation. ulos is a traditional cloth crafted through a weaving process performed by batak women. nugroho et al. (2020) confirm that in the toba region, traditional weaving is exclusively carried out by women. these weavers infuse each thread with care and hope, imbuing the ulos cloth with life and meaning. ulos is a traditional cloth produced through a weaving process conducted by batak women, who create various patterns and colors that convey specific meanings. takari (2009) notes that originally, ulos served primarily as a garment for warmth, but over time it has acquired a symbolic function in all aspects of batak life. punto (2020) argues that in contemporary culture, symbols are no longer merely linguistic signs but have evolved into social phenomena or symptoms, with interpretations of cultural symbols now extending beyond scientific thought. siregar, panggabean, fahmi & hizriadi (2021) explain that ulos is not only used for clothing but also plays a role in various rituals and ceremonies, including births, deaths, and marriages. sianturi, sanusi & yunus (2023) claim that ulos is a symbol and identity of batak people and one of the highlighted traditional festivals using ulos is during the wedding ceremonies. the marriage of the batak toba’s people cannot be separated from the gift of ulos. sianturi, dirgeyasa & lubis (2021) further claim that traditional ceremony of marriage in toba batak society is inseparable from the awarding of ulos. ulos is interpreted as a protective facility capable of providing protection, affection by the giver to the receiver of ulos. delivering ulos (mangulosi) is the most important thing in batak toba wedding ceremony events. this idea is emphasized by octavita, yuliana, ulfa & ghufron (2024) claiming that apart from dance moves, the representation of the sacredness of marriage is also seen in ulos. in the traditional batak wedding ceremony, ulos is also a communication medium to deliver prayers to the bride, who is given when carrying out the tor-tor dance. wearing ulos is very important in batak wedding ceremony as for batak toba’s people, ulos is a symbol of love and a form of kinship (saragi, 2024). consequently, ulos is deeply integrated into the life of the batak tribe. ulos encompasses various characteristics, functions, and relationships with specific aspects puji hariati & purwarno purwarno the symbolic representation of ulos in batak culture: an ecolinguistic perspective 938 of batak culture. given the impact of modernization on younger generations' understanding of ulos, it is crucial to preserve its true meanings. this is supported by marella’s research (2018), which found a decline in the appreciation of ulos' noble values due to modern development. each ulos cloth conveys a distinct message depending on its type and intended purpose. the symbolism of ulos is reflected in its patterns, motifs, and colors, particularly in martonun ulos. the toba batak people view ulos as a means of communicating their cultural values. consequently, the different types and meanings of ulos cloth embody local wisdom for the toba batak tribe.batak ulos is crafted using cotton threads that are dyed with natural plant-based dyes. the blue color is derived from the indigo plant, red from sappan wood and noni, yellow from turmeric, black from a blend of noni and indigo, and green from a mixture of indigo and turmeric. creating a sheet of ulos involves thousands of threads in various colors, each wound onto hasoli. these hasoli are then fed into the loom, where the threads are interwoven to form the ulos. the weaving process continues until the stretched threads are transformed into a finished piece of cloth. during weaving, the weaver's body is often tied to the loom, restricting movement. the loom is typically removed only when the weaver needs a break or must attend to other tasks. the weaver’s dedication and persistence are crucial for the successful completion of an ulos. below is a brief overview of the ulos production process. in the modern era, the true significance of ulos faces challenges as many younger generations lack a full understanding of its importance and functions. they may not realize that their ancestors created ulos not only for warmth but for its symbolic and spiritual meanings. ulos was designed by the batak ancestors as a symbol of physical and spiritual well-being, used in special ceremonies. this underscores that ulos holds a special significance in every ceremony, from the most modest to the grandest. according to sitompul (2019), ulos traditionally features three basic colors: white, red, and black. each color carries its own sacred meaning within toba batak society: white represents banua ginjang (upper continent), the realm of mulajadi na bolon (god); red signifies banua tongah (middle continent), the world of humans; and black denotes banua toru (lower continent), the domain of spirits and darkness. these colors convey the knowledge, appreciation, and beliefs of the batak people. desiani (2022) further found that each type of ulos carries a distinct message depending on its purpose, highlighting ulos as a symbol of communication within batak culture. in contemporary batak culture, ulos has evolved to symbolize various aspects of life, including the profound bond between parents and their children. ulos, with its diverse types and motifs, each conveys specific meanings. sherly and sukardi (2015) identify three principal types of ulos: ulos ragidup, ulos ragi hotang, and ulos maratur. ulos ragidup stands out due to its intricate craftsmanship, earning it a reputation as a highclass ulos, also known as "nabalga ulos." the term "ragidup," which translates to "life," reflects its significance in batak households, where it is considered essential. ulos ragidup is woven in three distinct sections: the two side panels are crafted simultaneously, while the central panel, the most complex part, is woven separately (tinambunan, 2023). in traditional wedding ceremonies, ulos ragidup is given by the bride's parents to the groom's mother as ulos pargomgom, symbolizing that she, along with her son-in-law (the bride's husband), will always be connected to her in-laws. ulos ragi hotang, another high-status ulos (pangaribuan, 2013), is used for individuals perceived as cunning, with the hope that it will inspire them to become wise, help those who are unfortunate, and support diligent workers. during death ceremonies, this ulos is used to wrap the corpse or its bones in a second burial ceremony. ulos maratur features a striped motif depicting birds or animals arranged in an orderly pattern (abdillah & irwansyah, 2020). this ulos is typically used as ulos parompa, with the hope that after the birth of the first child, other children will follow, akin to the birds or animals represented on the ulos. mangulosi holds significant cultural meaning and value, invoking divine protection. adiakurnia (2017) asserts that the mangulosi event is not a magical ritual but rather a means of preserving batak cultural values through various pieces of advice combined with rhymes (umpasa) passed down through generations. sinaga et al. (2021) state that umpasa is poetry or verse in the toba batak community, believed to influence daily life and containing hopes, requests, life guidance, and blessings. therefore, the act of giving ulos, accompanied by umpasa, carries profound meaning for the giver, recipient, and even the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 939 observer. sitepu et al. (2020) note that the use of umpasa and ulos in traditional batak culture demonstrates that the toba batak people continue to uphold and preserve their ancestral heritage. this indicates that giving ulos along with umpasa is more than just providing warmth; it has become an integral part of batak life. there is a connection between ulos and ecolinguistics. ecolinguistics studies the interaction between languages and their environments or the contexts in which languages are used. halliday (2001) explains that language and environment are inseparable, influencing each other. communication, which integrates natural and social aspects, impacts both language change and community attitudes toward their environment, influenced by the language they use. consequently, the dynamics of batak ulos are shaped by the environmental conditions in which the language is used. the way batak ulos are perceived reflects the ideas, thoughts, and ideologies of the environment in which they are created. the meanings embedded in the symbols of ulos can influence batak perspectives on human life and divine blessings from the creator of their environment, as well as the social functions of ulos. stibbe (2010) notes that ecolinguistics has evolved from the development of human ecology, encompassing various systems such as economic, social, religious, cultural, linguistic, and ecological systems. thus, the study of environmental contexts, language, and ulos as part of batak culture is a significant area of research in ecolinguistics. ulos is a traditional cloth produced through a weaving process conducted by batak women, who create various patterns and colors that convey specific meanings. takari (2009) notes that originally, ulos served primarily as a garment for warmth, but over time it has acquired a symbolic function in all aspects of batak life. punto (2020) argues that in contemporary culture, symbols are no longer merely linguistic signs but have evolved into social phenomena or symptoms, with interpretations of cultural symbols now extending beyond scientific thought. siregar, panggabean, fahmi & hizriadi (2021) explain that ulos is not only used for clothing but also plays a role in various rituals and ceremonies, including births, deaths, and marriages. sianturi, sanusi & yunus (2023) claim that ulos is a symbol and identity of batak people and one of the highlighted traditional festivals using ulos is during the wedding ceremonies. the marriage of the batak toba’s people cannot be separated from the gift of ulos. sianturi, dirgeyasa & lubis (2021) further claim that traditional ceremony of marriage in toba batak society is inseparable from the awarding of ulos. ulos is interpreted as a protective facility capable of providing protection, affection by the giver to the receiver of ulos. delivering ulos (mangulosi) is the most important thing in batak toba wedding ceremony events. this idea is emphasized by octavita, yuliana, ulfa & ghufron (2024) claiming that apart from dance moves, the representation of the sacredness of marriage is also seen in ulos.. in the traditional batak wedding ceremony, ulos is also a communication medium to deliver prayers to the bride, who is given when carrying out the tor-tor dance. wearing ulos is very important in batak wedding ceremony as for batak toba’s people, ulos is a symbol of love and a form of kinship (saragi, 2024). consequently, ulos is deeply integrated into the life of the batak tribe. ulos encompasses various characteristics, functions, and relationships with specific aspects of batak culture. given the impact of modernization on younger generations' understanding of ulos, it is crucial to preserve its true meanings. this is supported by marella’s research (2018), which found a decline in the appreciation of ulos' noble values due to modern development. each ulos cloth conveys a distinct message depending on its type and intended purpose. the symbolism of ulos is reflected in its patterns, motifs, and colors, particularly in martonun ulos. the toba batak people view ulos as a means of communicating their cultural values. consequently, the different types and meanings of ulos cloth embody local wisdom for the toba batak tribe.batak ulos is crafted using cotton threads that are dyed with natural plant-based dyes. the blue color is derived from the indigo plant, red from sappan wood and noni, yellow from turmeric, black from a blend of noni and indigo, and green from a mixture of indigo and turmeric. creating a sheet of ulos involves thousands of threads in various colors, each wound onto hasoli. these hasoli are then fed into the loom, where the threads are interwoven to form the ulos. the weaving process continues until the stretched threads are transformed into a finished piece of cloth. during weaving, the weaver's body is often tied to the loom, restricting movement. the loom is typically removed only when the weaver needs a break or must attend to other tasks. the weaver’s dedication and persistence are crucial for the successful puji hariati & purwarno purwarno the symbolic representation of ulos in batak culture: an ecolinguistic perspective 940 completion of an ulos. below is a brief overview of the ulos production process. figure 1. the process of making ulos the process of making ulos does not involve a specific ceremony, but due to its sacred use, it follows a meticulously prescribed procedure. creating a sheet of ulos can take weeks or even months, depending on the complexity of the design. weaving ulos requires patience, perseverance, artistic vision, and a sense of devotion (siregar, 2017: 2). this underscores the demanding nature of ulos production, as weavers must possess not only patience and knowledge of the ulos's meaning or function but also artistic skill and creativity. despite extensive documentation of ulos’s historical and symbolic roles, there remains a lack of comprehensive studies addressing how modern influences and shifting generational perspectives impact the traditional meanings and practices associated with ulos. specifically, there is a need to explore the interaction between the ecological and cultural dimensions of ulos, and how these elements are reflected in contemporary practices and perceptions. this research aims to fill this gap by examining the ecological, cultural, and symbolic dimensions of ulos in batak society, providing insights into its evolving significance and the challenges it faces in the modern era. method the methodology employed in this study is descriptive qualitative research. data were collected through in-depth interviews with key informants, including: weavers: individuals with hands-on experience in the production of ulos, providing insights into the technical aspects and challenges of weaving. raja perhata: experts knowledgeable about batak culture, offering contextual understanding and cultural significance of ulos. traditional leaders: authorities with expertise in batak traditions and customs, contributing english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 941 perspectives on the ceremonial and symbolic aspects of ulos. these interviews aim to capture a comprehensive understanding of the ulos production process, its cultural importance, and the traditional knowledge associated with it. the qualitative data gathered would help elucidate the complexities of ulos weaving and its role within batak society. hazar, ramlan and arma (2024) claim that ulos weaving can be a local wisdom that is typical of samosir is also a religious teaching that is a belief for religious adherents of some communities, namely the parmaline belief as a historical relic that can be a tourist attraction. result and discussion ulos, a traditional woven cloth of the batak people, is renowned for its numerous varieties, each serving as a symbolic instrument in the rich tapestry of batak social interactions. the significance of ulos extends far beyond the physical fabric, encompassing the roles of both the giver and the recipient, which adds layers of meaning to the exchange. in toba batak culture, the symbolism embedded in ulos is reflected through its various types, including ragi hidup, ragi hotang, and sibolang. each type carries unique cultural connotations and is used in specific contexts, reinforcing social bonds and conveying messages that are integral to the batak way of life. r agi hidup ulos ragi hidup, from its name, means a style of life. it is so named because its colors, paintings and patterns give the impression as if these ulos are really alive (siregar et al., 2021). the ragi hidup motif on ulos fabric contains symbols of life, fertility, and sustainability, representing the philosophy of life of the batak toba people. furthermore, the use of ulos in various traditional rituals emphasizes the importance of ulos as a medium of social communication and cultural identity (sinulingga, limbong and pardede, 2024). this type of ulos consists of three parts, two sides that are woven at once and one middle part which is woven individually very intricately. this ulos is commonly used in traditional wedding ceremonies, and is usually given by the parents of the bride to the mother of the man. ragi hidup, known for its vivid colors, intricate patterns, and designs, is often referred to as "living yeast" due to its vibrant appearance and the dynamic impression it imparts. this ulos is emblematic of life itself, which is why it is a common sight in batak households. its primary role is to symbolize vitality and to offer a blessing for a prosperous and fulfilling life. specifically, ragi hidup embodies prayers for happiness, particularly in terms of fertility and offspring (gabe), and longevity (saur sarimatua). this symbolism aligns with the broader aspirations of the toba batak people, who seek to achieve three key goals in their lives, known as the 3h: hagabeon (offspring), hasangapon (wealth), and hamoraon (social status). ragi hidup, therefore, is not merely a decorative or practical item; it is a profound expression of these fundamental life goals. it represents the batak people's desires for a prosperous lineage, social advancement, and the accumulation of wealth, all of which are deeply embedded in their cultural values and worldview. the presence of ragi hidup in almost every home underscores its importance and the widespread belief in its symbolic power. it serves not only as a physical artifact but also as a cultural emblem of life’s continuity, prosperity, and the social values cherished by the batak community. figure 2. ragi hidup puji hariati & purwarno purwarno the symbolic representation of ulos in batak culture: an ecolinguistic perspective 942 figure 3. ragi hidup in the traditional batak wedding ceremony, the ulos ragi hidup plays a significant role as it is given by the bride’s parents to the mother of the groom in a ritual known as ulos pargomgom. this gesture is laden with profound cultural and symbolic meanings that extend beyond the mere act of gift-giving. the role of ulos ragi hidup in traditional wedding ceremonies symbolism of ulos ragi hidup ulos ragi hidup is recognized for its intricate patterns and vibrant colors, which symbolize life and vitality. its presentation during the wedding is not just a customary practice but a deeply symbolic act. the ulos is imbued with blessings and good wishes for the newlyweds, reflecting the aspirations of the batak people for a life filled with happiness, health, and prosperity. ceremonial significance the act of presenting ragi hidup to the groom's mother, also known as ulos pargomgom, carries significant ceremonial weight. in this context, the ulos serves as a bridge between two families, symbolizing the formal union of the bride and groom. the gift is a tangible expression of respect, goodwill, and the formal acknowledgment of the new familial bond. blessings and protection according to tradition, the giving of ulos ragi hidup is accompanied by a profound blessing with the permission of god almighty. the blessing expresses a hope that the mother of the groom will be able to navigate the various challenges and changes that come with this new phase in her life. it is an acknowledgment of the support and guidance that the bride’s family hopes the groom’s mother will extend to her sonin-law and his new family. continuity and support the ulos symbolizes not only the continuity of family ties but also the ongoing support and mutual respect between the two families. by giving this ulos, the bride's family affirms their commitment to a harmonious relationship with the groom's family. it is a gesture of goodwill that signifies the blending of two family lineages and the shared responsibility of nurturing the marital union. cultural and spiritual dimension in addition to its practical and symbolic roles, the ulos ragi hidup is imbued with a cultural and spiritual dimension. it is believed that the ulos carries spiritual significance and that its blessings, coupled with the divine approval, ensure that the couple will be shielded from adversities. the ritual thus reflects the batak people’s deep-seated beliefs in the interconnectedness of the spiritual and the material aspects of life. social and emotional impact the ceremonial exchange of ulos ragi hidup also has a profound social and emotional impact. for the groom’s mother, receiving this ulos is a recognition of her role in the new family dynamic and her ongoing influence on her son’s life. for the bride’s family, it is an opportunity to demonstrate respect and honor towards the groom’s family, reinforcing social bonds and mutual respect. the ulos ragi hidup, as part of the ulos pargomgom ritual, is much more than a ceremonial gift; it embodies the hopes, blessings, and respect that define the batak wedding tradition. through this act, the batak people honor the union of two families and affirm their commitment to supporting and nurturing this new relationship. the ulos serves as a symbol of life, continuity, and divine protection, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and spiritual beliefs of the batak community. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 943 figure 4. ulas ragi hidup figure 5. ulas ragi hidup ragi hotang ulos ragi hotang including ulos with high status and rank. ragi hotang comes from two words, namely ragi and hotang, ragi means pattern and hotang means rattan (siregar et al., 2021). originally known as sibolang, ulos ragi hotang holds significant cultural and ceremonial value among the batak people. historically, this type of ulos was presented to individuals who contributed to the practice of mabulangbulangi, which refers to the respectful honoring of the bride's parents during a traditional wedding. it is in line with muliono, iranita & syah’s (2023) who claim that ulos ragi hotang is used in wedding traditions. this gesture of respect involved covering the groom’s father with the ulos, known as ulos pansaniot. in the context of a traditional marriage ceremony, the ulos ragi hotang, often referred to as ulos siholang si toluntuho, is given by the bride's parents to their son-in-law as ulos hela (son-in-law's ulos). this specific type of ulos plays an important role in symbolizing the bond between the bride’s family and the groom. the pattern on ulos ragi hotang, characterized by its three distinct sections, is known as tuho, which reflects the principle of dalihan na tolu. figure 6. ragi hotang figure 7. ragi hotang roles and symbolism of ulos ragi hotang sinulingga, tampubolon & siahaan (2024) claim that ulos represents a quintessential and signature aspect of north sumatran culture, notably exemplified by ulos ragi hotang, integral to traditional ceremonies within the toba batak tribe, such as weddings and funerals. in the rich tapestry of batak cultural heritage, ulos ragi hotang emerges as a prominent symbol with profound significance. this traditional cloth, renowned for its intricate patterns and ceremonial use, is more than just a decorative piece; it embodies the values, social structures, and spiritual beliefs of the batak people. as we delve into the roles and symbolism of ulos ragi hotang, we uncover its multifaceted importance in batak society. historically known as sibolang, ulos ragi hotang is deeply intertwined with batak customs and rituals, particularly those associated with marriage ceremonies. its use in these contexts puji hariati & purwarno purwarno the symbolic representation of ulos in batak culture: an ecolinguistic perspective 944 reflects a broader spectrum of meaning that extends beyond mere functionality. the ulos plays a pivotal role in reinforcing social bonds, honoring familial relationships, and imparting cultural teachings. this analysis explores how ulos ragi hotang functions as a symbol of respect and honor, embodying the social principles of dalihan na tolu and serving as a guiding artifact for the sonin-law in his new familial role. the role of this ulos in contributing to cultural continuity and identity within the batak community will also be highlighted. by understanding these roles and the symbolism embedded in ulos ragi hotang, we gain insight into how traditional practices sustain cultural values and social harmony among the batak people. symbol of respect and honor the presentation of ulos ragi hotang to the groom’s father during the wedding ceremony signifies a deep level of respect and acknowledgment of the role of the groom’s family in the union. this practice highlights the importance of honoring both families involved in the marriage. representation of dalihan na tolu the three sections depicted in the yeast (patterns) of the ulos symbolize dalihan na tolu, a core batak social principle representing the tripartite structure of batak society: hula-hula (the wife's family), dongan tubuh (the husband's family), and boruna (the clan or community). this principle emphasizes the interconnectedness and mutual responsibilities of these groups. guidance for the son-in-law by giving the ulos ragi hotang to the son-inlaw, the bride's family imparts a symbolic message about social behavior and relationships. the ulos serves as a reminder for the son-in-law to navigate his social interactions with care, respect his in-laws, and maintain harmony within the extended family. cultural continuity and identity the use of ulos ragi hotang in wedding ceremonies reinforces cultural continuity by adhering to traditional practices and upholding batak values. it underscores the importance of maintaining cultural identity through ceremonial symbols that embody historical and social significance. ulos ragi hotang is much more than a ceremonial garment; it is a deeply symbolic artifact that embodies respect, social structure, and cultural values. its intricate patterns and usage during traditional ceremonies reflect the batak people's commitment to preserving their heritage and guiding new generations in their social roles and relationships. the ulos not only marks significant life events but also reinforces the principles that sustain batak society. sibolang sibolang ulos holds profound significance within batak society, particularly in the context of death and mourning rituals. its multifaceted role in batak culture is emblematic of both respect for the deceased and hope for the future. here is a detailed analysis of the roles and symbolism of sibolang ulos honoring the deceased and their relatives the sibolang ulos plays a central role in funeral ceremonies among the batak people. traditionally, this ulos is used to honor the relatives of the deceased, reflecting a deep respect and appreciation for the familial connections that remain strong even in death. it signifies the communal acknowledgment of the loss and the importance of family ties. acknowledging the widow during the mourning period, the sibolang ulos is presented to the deceased’s wife, symbolizing her transition into widowhood. this act of giving ulos signifies both recognition of her new status and an offering of support from the community during her time of grief. it marks her shift from wife to widow, reflecting the societal norms and expectations surrounding mourning and widowhood in batak culture. use in funeral and burial rituals the sibolang ulos is traditionally used to wrap the corpse during funeral ceremonies. this practice underscores the ulos’s role in providing a dignified farewell to the deceased. in the second burial ceremony, known as mengongkal holi (moving the bones), the ulos is again used to wrap the bones. this repetition in its use highlights its significance in ensuring the proper treatment of the deceased’s remains and reflects the deep respect batak culture accords to death and burial practices. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 945 symbolism in parompa rituals in addition to its use in death-related rituals, the sibolang ulos is frequently employed as a parompa ulos, a type of ulos associated with fertility and the hope for future offspring. the motifs of birds or stars depicted on the ulos symbolize the hope that, following the birth of the first child, additional children will follow. this aspect of the ulos conveys a cultural desire for family growth and prosperity, blending traditional values with spiritual aspirations. cultural continuity and identity figure 8. sibolang ulos figure 9. sibolang ulos the sibolang ulos embodies a continuity of batak cultural practices and serves as a tangible link between past traditions and present-day customs. by preserving the use of this ulos in significant rituals, the batak community maintains its cultural identity and upholds the values that have been passed down through generations. the ulos functions as both a ceremonial object and a symbol of cultural heritage, reinforcing the communal and spiritual bonds within batak society. overall, the sibolang ulos serves multiple roles within batak society, from honoring the deceased and acknowledging the widow to facilitating important rituals and symbolizing hope for future generations. its use in these varied contexts underscores its importance as a cultural artifact, integral to maintaining batak traditions and identity. conclusion in conclusion, the ulos is deeply embedded in batak culture, serving not just as a textile but as a powerful symbol of life, respect, and social obligations. each type of ulos carries distinct meanings: ragi hidup represents blessings for prosperity, offspring, and longevity, playing a crucial role in wedding ceremonies as a symbol of enduring partnership. ragi hotang, associated with honoring individuals and social responsibilities, reflects the core values of batak society, particularly through the principles of dalihan na tolu. sibolang, used in both mourning and burial ceremonies, symbolizes respect for the deceased and hopes for future generations. the study underscores the ulos's role as more than a cultural artifact; it is a vessel of batak identity and tradition. this research contributes to the fields of ecolinguistics and batak cultural studies by illustrating how the ulos encapsulates ecological and social values through its symbolic meanings. future research could explore the evolving significance of the ulos in contemporary batak society or investigate its practical applications in cultural preservation efforts. by understanding and preserving the ulos, we sustain the cultural heritage and identity of the batak people. references abdillah, e. a., and irwansyah, i. (2020). perancangan infografis pengenalan kain ulos batak toba. jurnal mahasiswa fakultas seni dan desain, 1(1), 169-182. adiakurnia, m.i. (2017). makna ulos di perkawinan adat batak bobby-kahiyang ayu, apa sih? kompas, november 22, 2017, https://pemilu.kompas.com/read/2017/11/22/18 0000427/. adriani, a., and fitriani. (2023). motif dan makna motif tenun ulos batak angkola di kabupaten tapanuli selatan. gorga: jurnal seni rupa, 12(2), 302-309 ananda, r. (2021). ulos as batak cultural wisdom towards world heritage. journal budapest international research and critics in linguistics and education (birle) 4(2), 853864. carmeline, j. (2017). perancangan buku visual ulos batak sebagai upaya pelestarian ulos tradisional. surabaya. budiman, j., russtiyanti, s, & djuniwati. (2019). https://pemilu.kompas.com/read/2017/11/22/180000427/ https://pemilu.kompas.com/read/2017/11/22/180000427/ puji hariati & purwarno purwarno the symbolic representation of ulos in batak culture: an ecolinguistic perspective 946 struktur dan fungsi pemberian ulos pada pernikahan etnik batak toba di kota bandung. jurnal budaya etnika, 3(2), 95-114. desiani, i. f. (2022). simbol dalam kain ulos pada suku batak toba. jurnal ilmu budaya, 18(2), 127-137. fitriyani, l. r., & rachmawati, d. (2024). attitude of generation z of the batak tribe in preserving ulos as a cultural heritage. jurnal komunikasi ikatan sarjana komunikasi indonesia, 9(1), 105-117. hajar, s., ramlan, & arma, n. a. (2024). tourism governance based-on penta-helix model in samosir island, indonesia. international journal, 5(11), 1914-1927. halliday, m. a. k. (2001). new ways of meaning: the challenge to applied linguistics: the ecolinguistics reader: language, ecology, and environment. continuum. harahap, n. f. (2017). makna tradisi mangulosi pada pernikahan komunitas batak toba di desa kampung jering kecamatan bakauheni kabupaten lampung selatan. (http://repository.radenintan.ac.id/id/eprint/3113 /). accesed on 22 june 2021. hariani, e. & kusumastuti, a. (2023). study of functions, motifs, and symbolic meanings of toba batak ulos sadumwoven fabrics in north sumatra. fashion and fashion education journal (ffej), 12(1), 32-47. https://doi.org/10.15294/ffej.v12i1.68019 hasibuan, r. a & rochmat, s. (2021). ulos as batak culture wisdom towards world heritage. budapest international research and critics in linguistics and education. (birle) journal, 4(2), 853-864. irvan, i. (2023). ethnomathematics exploration in geometric transformation learning in batak woven cloth. international journal reglement & society (ijrs), 4(3), 248-253. jiniputri, a. r., panggabean, r., & widiawati, d. (2021, december). preservation of traditional ikat ulos by motif design development and natural dye utilization in muara district, north tapanuli. in icon arccade 2021: the 2nd international conference on art, craft, culture and design (icon-arccade 2021) (pp. 95103). atlantis press. kemenpppa.go.id. tradisi tenun ulos batak hamper punah. https://www.kemenpppa. go.id. manalu, r. m. u., simanjuntak, r. h., & casiavera, c. (2023). preservation of the symbolic meaning of ulos in strengthening the cultural identity of the toba batak community in tanjungpinang city. social issues quarterly, 1(3), 735-743. marella, a. s. (2018). “ulos” kajian kritis terhadap merosotnya pemaknaan nilai luhur ulos bagi masyarakat batak toba di salatiga. salatiga: skripsi s1 program studi ilmu: teologi universitas kristen satya wacana. mistavakia, d. (2015). pola komunikasi pada prosesi mangulosi dalam pernikahan budaya adat batak toba. jurnal ilmu komunikasi, 2(1), 23-31. muliono, r., iranita, m. s., & syah, r. b. (2023). an effectivity deep learning optimization model to traditional batak culture ulos classification. learning, 9, 10. novianti, n and haryano, a. (2022). perancangan website informasi kain ulos batak toba sebagai upaya pelestarian. jutei, 6(1), 27–37. nugroho, c. (2020). weaving and cultural identity of batak toba women. journal of asian and african studies, 56(6), 1–13. octavita, r. a. i., yuliana, t. i., ulfa, r. n., & ghufron, m. a. (2024). semiotic analysis of the tortor dance in north sumatran wedding ceremonies. candradimuka: journal of education, 2(2), 66-73. https://doi.org/10.60012/cje.v2i2.87 pangaribuan, y. (2013). penekanan unsur dekoratif melalui aplikasi ornamen ulos batak toba pada perancangan busana. generasi kampus, 6(2), 105-111. punto, h. e. (2020). simbol: arti, fungsi, dan implikasi metodologisnya. endogami: jurnal ilmiah kajian antropologi, 3(2), 158-165. putri, j., firmando, h, f., and simbolon, r. (2024). ulos batak sebagai warisan budaya dalam upacara adat di desa wisata huta nagodang kecamatan muara kabupaten tapanuli utara. jurnal insan pendidikan dan sosial humaniora, 2(2), 114–134. https://doi.org/10.59581/jipsoshumwidyakarya.v2i2.3104 rahmi, n. u., sari, w., tamba, w. e. m., & afrilyani, t. p. (2021). utilization of ulos as creative economic potential for communities in indonesia. in proceedings of the international conference on culture heritage, education, sustainable tourism, and innovation technologies (cesit 2020), pages 515-521, https://doi.org/10.5220/0010330505150521 saragi, d., sinaga, o., & tarigan, n. (2024). development and implementation of the bilingual" ulos weaving" textbook in the fine arts studies program as implementation of an outcomes-based curriculum. randwick international of education and linguistics science journal, 5(2), 641-652. https://doi.org/10.47175/rielsj.v5i2.996 sherly, m., and sukardi, s. (2015). makna simbolik kain ulos pada masyarakat batak toba di palembang. kalpataru: jurnal sejarah dan pembelajaran sejarah, 1(2). siagian, r. j. (2024). the symbolic meaning of traditional woven fabric ulos as a spiritual expression in batak toba rituals. international journal of religion, 5(5), 200-209. https://doi.org/10.61707/stw03g83 sianturi, e. d., & yunus, m. (2023). the symbolic meaning of ulos in the implementation of http://repository.radenintan.ac.id/id/eprint/3113/) http://repository.radenintan.ac.id/id/eprint/3113/) https://doi.org/10.15294/ffej.v12i1.68019 https://doi.org/10.59581/jipsoshum-widyakarya.v2i2.3104 https://doi.org/10.59581/jipsoshum-widyakarya.v2i2.3104 https://doi.org/10.61707/stw03g83 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 947 weddings in the toba batak community in banda aceh. community development journal, 7(3), 182-185. https://doi.org/ 10.33086/cdj.v7i3.5198 sinaga, p. s, djunaidi, b, and diani, i. (2021). semiotika umpasa bahasa batak toba: pendekatan roland barthes. jurnal ilmiah korpus, 5(1), 81-92. https://doi.org/10.33369/jik.12600 sinulingga, j., tampubolon, r. b., & siahaan, p. (2024). motif ulos ragi hotang etnik batak toba kajian semiotik sosial. jurnal pendidikan tambusai, 8(2), 24005-24015. siregar, m. (2015). sejumlah motif ulos terancam punah. februari 24. retrieved from kompas.com: https://regional.kompas.com/read/2015/02/24/1 6511641/ siregar, m. ( 2017). industri kreatif ulos pada masyarakat pulau samosir. jurnal studi kultural, 2(1), 1-5. siregar, b., panggabean, i. p. s., fahmi & hizriadi, a. (2021). classification of traditional ulos of batak toba ssing probabilistic neural network. journal of physics: conference series; bristol 1882(1), 1-9. sitanggang, i. r. (2022). mangulosi ulos (tradisi pertukaran resiprositas pada komunitas batak toba). jurnal filsafat, sains, teknologi, dan sosial budaya, 28(2), 14-22. saragi, d. m. (2024). a pragmatics analysis of politeness strategy: a case study in bataknese traditional wedding ceremony. branches of linguistics, 1(01), 46-63. sianturi, s. k., dirgeyasa, i. w., & lubis, f. k. (2021). politeness strategies in delivering ulos in toba batak wedding ceremony. linguistica, 10(3), 551. sinulingga, j., limbong, r. g. a., & pardede, d. s. (2024). kain ulos motif ragi hidup etnik batak toba: kajian semiotik sosial. jurnal pendidikan tambusai, 8(2), 24408-24417. sitepu, y. e, simarmata, f, simatupang, t. d, and annisa. (2020). struktur dan nilai budaya yang dipakai dalam perkawinan adat batak toba. jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 10(2), 103-109. sitompul, r. h. p. (2019). ulos batak tempo dulu – masa kini. kerabat. sitorus, e. y. c., sibarani, r., sinulingga, j., sinaga, w., & damanik, r. (2024). umpasa in the giving of ulos in traditional batak toba ceremonies: an anthropolinguistic study. journal of mandalika literature, 5(3), 346-362. stibbe, a. (2010). ecolinguistics and globalitation. balckwell publishing. supriyanto, n., tambunan, t. d. b., & ginting, l. d. c. u. (2024). peran pemerintah dan adaptasi pelaku usaha umkm kain ulos pasca krisis moneter 1998: studi kasus kota pematangsiantar. juremi: jurnal riset ekonomi, 3(4), 375-382. syabrina, d., saqinah, a., & sinulingga, j. (2023). makna dan fungsi ulos antak-antak sebagai warisan budaya kajian teori semantik. arima: jurnal sosial dan humaniora, 1(2), 277-281. takari, m. (2009). ulos dan sejenisnya dalam budaya batak di sumatra utara: makna, fungsi dan teknologi. skripsi. tidak diterbitkan. universitas sumatra utara. tinambunan, e. r. (2023). ulos batak toba: makna religi dan implikasinya pada peradaban dan estetika. in forum, 52(2), 122-142. vergouwen, j. c. (2004). masyarakat dan hukum adat batak toba. pelangi aksara. https://doi.org/10.33369/jik.12600 https://regional.kompas.com/read/2015/02/24/16511641/ https://regional.kompas.com/read/2015/02/24/16511641/ puji hariati & purwarno purwarno the symbolic representation of ulos in batak culture: an ecolinguistic perspective 948 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1251 lecturers’ readiness and intentions for ai integration in indonesian and indian ell classroom ni wayan adi priantini english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar, kamboja street no 11.a denpasar, indonesia email: adipriantini02@gmail.com dewa ayu alit riska dewi english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar, kamboja street no 11.a denpasar, indonesia email: ayuriskadewi32@gmail.com anak agung putri maharani english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar, kamboja street no 11.a denpasar, indonesia email: aamaharani@unmas.ac.id i komang budiarta english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar, kamboja street no 11.a denpasar, indonesia email: mrbudi@unmas.ac.id ni luh putu dian sawitri english language education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas mahasaraswati denpasar, kamboja street no 11.a denpasar, indonesia email: diansawitri@unmas.ac.id harvinder kumar negi department of english, gla university mathura, india email: harvinder.negi@gla.ac.in apa scitation:. priantini, n. w. a., dewi, d. a. a. r., maharani, a. a. p., budiarta, i. k., sawitri, n. l. p. d., & negi, h. k. (2024). lecturers’ readiness and intentions for ai integration in indonesian and indian ell classroom. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(3), 1251-1260. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10034 received: 25-06-2024 accepted: 23-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction since the beginning of the 21st century, a multitude of novel instruments have emerged and developed within artificial intelligence (hereafter, ai) scope. to give one example, the strength of ai algorithms is the foundation for online platforms’ capacity to provide users with tailored recommendations. it can be said that ai is among the most notable abstract: investigating the readiness and intention of the lecturers for the use of artificial intelligence (ai) in english language learning is the goal of this research. the questionnaire, online interview, and focus group discussion were all used in this mixed-methods designed research to collect data. finding out the lecturers’ readiness and their intentions on the ai applications into their english classrooms are the main points of emphasis. as the participants of the study, 29 english department lecturers were involved, 11 indonesia lecturers (5 males and 6 females) and 18 indian lecturers (6 males and 12 females). it was identified that the lecturers have high readiness in infusing ai into the english language learning classroom. their readiness was supported by the identified efforts that the lecturers had performed. then, it was also figured out that the lecturers have positive intention to infuse ai into their english class. these findings bring profound implications. the ai integration into ell can streamline administrative tasks which allows the lecturers to focus more on quality of instruction and interaction. the lecturers also can leverage ai technology effectively into their teaching through adapting their teaching strategy. this requires ongoing professional training and development for the lecturers to remain adept in utilizing ai. keywords: artificial intelligence; english language learning; intention; readiness . ni wayan adi priantini, dewa ayu alit riska dewi, anak agung putri maharani, i komang budiarta, ni luh putu dian sawitri, & harvinder kumar negi lecturers’ readiness and intentions for ai integration in indonesian and indian ell classroom 1252 innovations in the field of education brought about by the digital transformation (ferikoğlu & akgün, 2022; lazzat, 2024). with its many advantages, including individualized learning, better educational results, and increased administrative efficiency (chen et al., 2020; ifenthaler et al., 2024), ai offers possibility to revolutionize activity of the lecturers when it comes to the subject of knowledge delivery and student educating. in relation to english language learning (hereafter ell) context, with ai being incorporated into it more and more, lecturers must be ready to use it within their teaching practices. ai has the capacity to enhance the overall teaching and learning process quality (khan, 2023; sun et al., 2020), thus lecturers must build readiness to use it while teaching english. ai-based teaching methods can help teachers teach english more easily (yu & nazir, 2021). ai technology can enhance english language skills while giving teachers and students a more individualized learning experience (ayotunde et al., 2023; muslimin et al., 2024). the readiness of the lecturers to adopt ai in ell classroom is gradually becoming important in determining the success of the implementation. it is encouraging to note that ai technologies are possible to revolutionize the teaching of english with quality and quantity improvement of teaching (gyawali & mehandroo, 2022). successful language teaching and learning need the development of learner autonomy, which may be achieved by lecturers who are ready to include ai technology (khalymon & shevchenko, 2017; syafryadin et al., 2022). this change requires that lecturers have not only a conceptual comprehension and appreciation of those tools but also practical competence in applying them across the learning-teaching process. however, the next factor is pedagogical readiness which is also imperative when the lecturer is willing to incorporate ai into ell classroom. whereas, it has been claimed that ai exclusively offers learners with individual, dynamic learning experiences, but the process entails that lecturers have to reconsider their stances and approaches to ell (akbarani, 2023) and their acceptance of the technology (liu, 2023). furthermore, another study also presents brief overview of the existing ai applications that have been reported to have been effectively adopted for enhancing efl settings and the level of teaching impact that has been brought about by these technologies (jiang, 2022). zhao, wu, & luo (2022) concentrated on increasing teachers’ ai literacy to improve teaching efficacy. these studies underscore the need for lecturers to be wellversed in ai to navigate its implications on ell class. furthermore, the study by ferikoğlu & akgün (2022) focused on comprehending teachers’ readiness and propensity towards ai, underscoring the need of investigating lecturers’ knowledge of ai integration in ell context. consequently, the successful incorporation of ai in ell largely relies on lecturers’ readiness to utilize it effectively. lecturers are more likely to accept and successfully apply ai in ell if they have a good attitude about the technology, see it as an improvement to their performance, and think it is user-friendly (gao et al., 2023). the results of ai integration in ell can be significantly impacted by the lecturers, especially their intentions toward its use (chacón, 2005). the intentions of the lecturers in incorporating ai to the learning processes are important in delivering personalized learning experiences such as adaptive learning where the educational material is chosen according to the needs of the specific learner (alharbi, 2023; s. kumar et al., 2023), and it is further explored in regard to the adaptive approaches as critical for the students’ engagement (luo, 2024). if the lecturers are committed to an ai-driven instruction, they are more likely to help the students due to differences in learning needs and desires, hence enhancing their achievement of the intended foreign language. moreover, lecturers’ intention to integrate ai in ell can affect its educational climate of context variables and support. in cases where lecturers demonstrate a good attitude and concern towards using ai in their class, it will force to put down infrastructure, training, and other forms of professional development (idham et al., 2024). from this perspective, it is clear that ai technologies must be integrated into ell classroom and lecturers need to be empowered with the right tools to do so. however, there is the need to realize that with the many benefits that ai can bring to ell there are also associated challenges when it comes to integration of the technology into the ell environment. these are the following issues have been raised about the overuse of ai tools such as human isolation, and the negations in critical thinking (xuyen, 2024) as well as uncertainty regarding the pedagogical use of ai (kranz & abele, 2024). thus, intentions of lecturers should english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1253 go beyond the implementation of ai and should include ensuring an adequate and ethical use of ai (eden et al., 2024) that will include humancentered educational models as well. research on readiness and intention to integrate ai into ell class is essential to conduct because it involves english department lecturers from indonesian and indian universities. this is significant despite the frequent studies already conducted on the use of ai in ell. aligned with the background, the following are the research questions: (1) how are the readiness of the lecturers from indonesia and india in infusing ai into ell classrooms? (2) what are the intentions of the lecturers from indonesia and india in integrating ai into ell classrooms? method the current research engaged 29 english department lecturers as the respondents. the participants may be divided into two groups: the 18 indian lecturers (6 males and 12 females) and the 11 indonesian lecturers (5 males and 6 females). they represented the english departments of the two universities in india and indonesia wherein the sample size has been carefully chosen to reflect a manageable and balanced number of indonesian and indian lecturers. furthermore, the selection of 29 participants with an emphasis on ell in ai helps to reach participants who have professional background as both language lecturers and ai specialists. a questionnaire was distributed online to the lecturers from both universities in indonesia and india to obtain quantitative data on their responses regarding the readiness and intention of using ai in ell context. furthermore, focus group discussion (henceforth, fgd) and interview had been designed and carried out in order to ascertain the readiness and intention of the respondents about the implementation of ai in relation to ell in indonesia and india. the questionnaire on ai readiness that the respondents could access online was used to collect the quantitative data. the theory of chai et al., (2021) about self-efficacy in learning english assisted by ai and ai readiness indicators was the basis for this online questionnaire’s adaptation and modification. a total of ten items made up the online ai readiness questionnaire: each indicator had been developed into five items. each item had been assessed using a 5-point likert scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree, sd) to 5 (strongly agree, sa). moreover, ai intention questionnaire covers 5 items which adapted from the theory of chai et al., (2021) about intention. concurrently, interview and fgd were used to gather qualitative data. the fgd topic and interview protocols were created to guide the data collection process. the purpose of these instruments, which were modified and adapted from celik, dindar, muukkonen, & järvelä (2022), was to gain a thorough knowledge of the respondents’ readiness and intention of using ai in ell. technical knowledge served as the foundation for both the fgd and the interview. the instruments’ validity and reliability were evaluated by a panel of two specialists. the expert judges are phd holders who specialize at technology in education and ell. the instruments were evaluated based on the degree to which the items aligned with the theoretical frameworks of the research. feedback on the items’ suitability for the goals was provided after it was emphasized how well-suited they were. in collecting the research data, first of all, the questionnaire was delivered by means of google form, and the respondents filled them out. google form was used to provide flexibility for all participants across two countries. then, the findings gauged by the questionnaire were sorted and scrutinized by utilizing the descriptive statistic formula such as standard deviation and mean score. to collect more profounder and deeper research data, the participants consented to participate in the virtual interview. particularly about the time and day of the interview, the participants and the researchers scheduled a meeting. finally, a zoom meeting was used to have the respondent representatives participate in the focus group discussion at the same time virtually. zoom was utilised \due to providing accessibility which allows all participants to join the interview from various locations, eliminating geographical and time barriers that hinder participation. the collected data were analyzed both descriptively and qualitatively. the quantitative analysis yielded means and standard deviations to ascertain the lecturers’ level of readiness and intention on implementing ai within ell. concurrently, the data analysis was conducted on the qualitative data which were obtained from interview and fgd to delve deeper about the lecturers’ readiness and intentions in relation to the integration of ai into their english classrooms. results and discussion after garnering a rich set of research data and analysing them, the findings encompass the ni wayan adi priantini, dewa ayu alit riska dewi, anak agung putri maharani, i komang budiarta, ni luh putu dian sawitri, & harvinder kumar negi lecturers’ readiness and intentions for ai integration in indonesian and indian ell classroom 1254 readiness and intentions of the lecturers from indonesia and india in relation to infusing aibased apps within ell classroom context. the lecturers’ readiness level of infusing ai-based apps within ell classroom context table 1. the lecturers’ readiness level a ai readiness means sd 1. ai technology in english language learning provides people greater control over their everyday life. 3.5 1.1 2. the latest ai technologiesbased products and services are much more convenient to use in english language learning. 3.9 0.8 3. i would rather use the most cuttingedge ai technology for learning english. 3.6 1.1 4. when it comes to learning english, i enjoy ai technology since it lets me customize things to meet my needs. 4.0 0.9 5. i feel confident that ai technologies in english language learning will run smoothly. 3.8 1.0 b self-efficacy in learning english assisted by ai means sd 6. i have no doubt that i will perform well in ellassisted ai. 3.7 1.1 7. i think that if i put in enough effort in the englishassisted ai class, i can succeed. 3.7 1.0 8. i am confident that i can comprehend the most challenging content covered in the english3.5 1.1 assisted ai course. 9. i am sure i can pick up the fundamental ideas covered in the english-assisted ai course. 4.0 0.8 10. i am certain that ai usage in english class supports me in searching learning materials and answers which are not provided by the lecturer. 4.0 0,8 based on table 1, the average means of the items (5 items) which belong to ai readiness ranged from 3.5 (sd=1.1) to 4.0 (sd=0.9). the average means of the total 5 items which belong to selfefficacy in learning english assisted by ai ranged from 3.5 (sd=1.1) to 4.0 (sd=0.8). the average mean reveals that the lecturers are identified to possess high level of readiness in infusing ai into english classroom. further, the sds reveal rather high standard deviation values, for instance, 1.1 and 0.9 which means that the participants’ readiness differ greatly. this variation means that for while some of the participants are perceived as readily participate in ai integration, there are others who are not. these quantitative findings were confirmed by the interview findings. specifically, the readiness level of the lecturers were supported by their efforts in infusing ai into their english class. the interviews with the lecturers the representatives from indonesia and india, revealed various efforts to integrate ai into english classes were figured out. first of all, the effort is following comprehensive training to develop professionalism. the lecturers try to get access to seminars, online courses, and learning resources that can further their expertise in ai. this finding can be proven by the following interview scripts: “lecturers should have access to workshops, online courses, and resources, such as educational materials, designed to support the development of their ai skills.” l1. “lecturers need to attend training and courses which emphasize ai application in ell.” l4. the above interview data were supported by the following fgd finding. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1255 “specifically to me, the effort that i usually made before implementing ai into my classroom is, of course, i need to watch the tutorial or only read the tutorial because i need to know the feature or the special menu.”l3 the abovementioned interview and fgd data had proven that it is imperative that the lecturers take part in training courses and programs that are explicitly intended to assist them learn about and comprehend the application of the ai usage in educational contexts, specifically within ell. to achieve this, lecturers attend workshops, take online courses, and have access to educational materials aimed at improving their ai skills (belda-medina & goddard, 2024). they also participate in training programs and courses on ai in ell to equip themselves with knowledge and capabilities necessitated for effective classroom integration. moreover, the lecturers frequently watch or read tutorials to become familiar with ai features and functions before applying ai in the class (paranjape et al., 2019). these attempts highlight the value of participating in training programs aimed at helping them understand and implement ai in educational contexts, particularly in teaching english. the second effort is staying updated on ai developments in english teaching and learning. to prove the intended subject matter that the lecturers want to continue being successful lecturers in a discipline that is dynamic, the best thing that they have to do is to educate themselves with the current advanced knowledge in ai and its implementations in the english classroom. this can be proven by the following excerpts. “it is important to continue learning on the newest trends in ai implementation together with their likely impact on our careers as lecturers.” l1 “a crucial step is ensuring the lecturers have a clear understanding of how ai can augment the english learning experience.” l5. based on the aforesaid excerpts, it is significant for the lecturers to understand the basic ideas and principles of ai as well as its prospective uses in the fields of english education. the interview data were supported by the following fgd data. the lecturer tried to find out what ai apps that the students use in learning english, as well as wanted to guide proper usage and prevent overreliance on ai. this can be proven by the following fgd data. “yeah, so we are very familiar with ai nowadays. like we can use pdf ai to read or compare some articles. so we don’t need to spend much time to read all of the articles to compare.” l2. “you know, actually, our course books, they have some limitations. but then what ai does to the they provide you more options. they provide you with more accessible material.” l5. to successfully fulfil their roles in the constantly evolving field of education, particularly in ell, lecturers need to stay updated about the recent expansions in ai and its applications (vall & araya, 2023). lecturers need to comprehend the concepts and relevant applications of ai to improve the english learning process (ulfa, 2023). the third effort is embracing adaptability and flexibility. it is recommended that the lecturers investigate novel ai techniques and technologies as they become accessible, modifying their pedagogical approaches to keep up with the field’s fast evolution. this can be validated by the following interview data. “adaptability and flexibility are essential qualities for the lecturers when dealing with ai, as the field is constantly evolving. they should be encouraged to explore new ai technologies and methods as they become available, adapting their teaching strategies accordingly.” l6. in line with the above statement, the lecturers should familiarize themselves with many aipowered platforms that can be used in english lectures. besides the interview data, the following fgd data also highlight adaptability of the lecturers from traditional approach to the ai implementation in english classroom. “at the same time, i’d also acknowledge the fact that it is helping us a lot, like being the lecturer at times of the language learning tools that students, that help students to give feedback and also helps in training their speaking skills, their oratory skills.”l6 the above fgd data shows that the lecturers require to acknowledge need to find balance between ai and traditional approaches. given the field’s rapid change, the lecturers must possess adaptability and flexibility, ni wayan adi priantini, dewa ayu alit riska dewi, anak agung putri maharani, i komang budiarta, ni luh putu dian sawitri, & harvinder kumar negi lecturers’ readiness and intentions for ai integration in indonesian and indian ell classroom 1256 particularly in the context of ai in ell. the data emphasize the need for the lecturers to continually research new ai tools and techniques in order to improve their pedagogical approaches (akintayo et al., 2024), and it is essential for maintaining relevance in education field (kuleto et al., 2021). the fourth effort is aligning assessment methods wherein in order to maintain alignment with the intended learning objectives and outcomes, the lecturers create evaluation criteria that take the usage of ai technologies into consideration. this can be validated by the following interview data. “the lecturers should develop evaluation criteria that account for ai tools usage while ensuring they align with the learning objectives and outcomes desired.” l7. it is critical for the lecturers to create evaluation criteria that not only take into account ai tools but also make sure that they are in accordance with the intended learning objectives and outcomes when it comes to coordinating assessment methods with ai application in education (akgun & greenhow, 2022). it is imperative that lecturers focus on creating realistic exams that support higher-order cognitive capabilities, problem-solving, creativity, and teamwork that are elemental in the 21st century (liang, 2023). students can receive real-time feedback from ai-powered assessment systems, which enables them to track their progress and adjust their learning approach as necessary (liu, 2023; rathore et al., 2023; zheng et al., 2022). the last identified effort is fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing amongst the lecturers. to foster an innovative and knowledgesharing culture in ai-assisted teaching, lecturers are encouraged to work together with colleagues, exchange experiences, and build support systems (rangel-de lázaro & duart, 2023) which allow lecturers to be innovative in incorporating ai into their teaching methods (opesemowo & adekomaya, 2024). this can be validated through the following interview excerpt. “the lecturers should be encouraged to collaborate, share experiences, and establish peer support networks which can accelerate the effective ai tools in the class.” l8. in line with the above excerpt, the cooperation and knowledge exchange amongst the lecturers are essential to innovate the english class which is assisted by ai. this partnership has the potential to accelerate the efficient application of ai in english language learning (sapci & sapci, 2020). these efforts demonstrate a comprehensive approach to integrating ai into english classes, covering various aspects such as training, collaboration, adaptability, and assessment alignment. the lecturers’ intention level of infusing ai-based apps within ell classroom context table 2. the lecturers’ intention level no intentions means sd 1. i will continue to learn ai. 3.9 0.7 2. i will stay informed about the latest ai applications. 3.9 0.7 3. i will keep updated to airelated information. 3.8 0.8 4. i will use ai to strengthen my learning. 4.1 0.8 5. i will use ai to encourage my students in learning english. 3.9 0.8 the table 2 shows the average means of the items (5 items) which belong to intentions ranged from 3.8 (sd=0.8) to 4.1 (sd=0.8). it can be interpreted that the lecturers are identified to have positive intention. it is echoed by hazaymeh et al., (2024) that english lecturers heavily relied on ai applications as tools to enable tasks and enhance methods of instruction, which revealed a positive relationship with experience and intention of ai integration. the mean score and standard deviation data above were empowered by the interview data. the first intention is to use ai to provide the students with adaptive and personalize learning within english class. this can be proven by the following excerpt. “ai-powered adaptive learning piques my attention. the ai may customize the english class based on analysis of each student’s strength and weakness.” l3. based on the excerpt, it can be wrapped up that the intention was to enhance adaptive learning which assisted and built by ai in english class. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1257 enhancing students' flexible learning experiences is a key objective. lecturers can utilize ai to customize english class according to each student’s strengths and areas for improvement (bai, 2022; yu & nazir, 2021). by adjusting to each student’s unique speed and learning style, this tailored approach not only meets the different demands of learners but also maximizes the learning process (george & wooden, 2023; pratama & hastuti, 2024). the next identified intention is the lecturers want to use ai to automate the development of materials and texts. it can be validated by the following data. “i’m quite enthused about ai’s potential for content production such as learning materials.” l6. ai’s ability to automate the creation of instructional texts and resources has enormous potential to improve student learning and completely transform teaching methods. studies by emenike & emenike, (2023) and kasneci et al., (2023) found out that ai system has reduced the manual labor for educators and given students access to interactive learning resources. therefore, it is projected to transform how courses are taught and how they are created (vafadar & amani, 2024). further, the lecturers’ intention is using ai for english class support and facilitate the students to grow understanding and competency. this can be validated by the following excerpts. “ai language translation tools will be huge for translating instructions and explanations in realtime.” l5. “ai is what i want to utilize pronunciation practice. my students can videotape themselves and receive immediate pronunciation corrections from ai.” l2. the abovementioned interview data highlights that the lecturers’ intention is to apply powerful and valuable ai based applications to support the students in learning english. the interview data are supported by the findings which yielded through conducting fgd. the lecturers’ interest is to help the students in mastering english especially the specific skill of it such as the practice and feedback on spoken english. this can be proven by the following excerpt. “using ai for spoken practice and feedback is my intention. in order to improve the students’ pronunciation, fluency, and other skills, they might converse with the ai.” l3. ai is integrated to enhance students’ english language skills and meet their specific learning requirements. for example, chingakham & tamuk (2024) argue that ai enriches vocabulary and also huang (2021) posits that ai technologies foster memory to gain deeper understanding of contextual meaning of the language. thus, ai integration has demonstrated great potential in improving the educational process in the field of ell. conclusion drawing from the research findings, it is wrapped up that infusing ai into ell classroom requires the lecturers’ readiness and intention to accomplish a meaningful and successful english environment for the students. the lecturers are suggested to focus on improving their technological abilities, adopting innovative teaching strategies, using technology to build engaging learning environments, and customizing learning experiences using ai apps in order to successfully integrate ai into english classes. it is also recommended for policy makers to establish collaborate learning community amongst the lecturers to facilitate the sharing best practices about ai integration. it is also essential to formulate and establish ethical parameters for the use of ai in ell class which address the prominence of sustaining human supervision within ai-assisted ell classroom, data privacy and confidentiality and so forth. acknowledgement this manuscript was made possible by the funding by universitas mahasaraswati denpasar under the program of internal research grant 2023. our appreciation also goes out to all of the esteemed reviewers for their input which improved the quality and rigor of this research. they provided feedbacks on the clarity and coherence on specific sections such as, introduction, literature review, method used and so forth. furthermore, we also like to thank all of the research participants from universitas mahasaraswati denpasar and gla university mathura india for their shared responses, efforts and time throughout this research endeavour. references ni wayan adi priantini, dewa ayu alit riska dewi, anak agung putri maharani, i komang budiarta, ni luh putu dian sawitri, & harvinder kumar negi lecturers’ readiness and intentions for ai integration in indonesian and indian ell classroom 1258 akbarani, r. (2023). use of artificial intelligence in english language teaching. international journal of english learning and applied linguistics (ijelal), 4(1), 14–23. https://doi.org/10.21111/ijelal.v4i1.10756 akgun, s., & greenhow, c. (2022). artificial intelligence in education : addressing ethical challenges in k ‑ 12 settings. ai and ethics, 2, 431–440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-02100096-7 akintayo, o. t., eden, c. a., ayeni, o. o., & onyebuchi, n. c. (2024). integrating ai with emotional and social learning in primary education: developing a holistic adaptive learning ecosystem. computer science & it research journal, 5(5), 1076–1089. https://doi.org/10.51594/csitrj.v5i5.1116 alharbi, w. (2023). ai in the foreign language classroom: a pedagogical overview of automated writing assistance tools. education research international, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/4253331 ayotunde, o. o., jamil, d. i., & cavus, n. (2023). the impact of artificial intelligence in foreign language learning using learning management systems: a systematic literature review. information technologies and learning tools, 95(3), 215–228. https://doi.org/10.33407/itlt.v95i3.5233 bai, y. (2022). an analysis model of college english classroom patterns using lstm neural networks. wireless communications and mobile computing, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/6477883 belda-medina, j., & goddard, m. b. (2024). ai-driven digital storytelling: a strategy for creating english as a foreign language (efl) materials. international journal of linguistics studies, 4(1), 40–49. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijls.2024.4.1.4 celik, i., dindar, m., muukkonen, h., & järvelä, s. (2022). the promises and challenges of artificial intelligence for teachers: a systematic review of research. techtrends, 66(4), 616–630. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00715-y chacón, c. t. (2005). teachers’ perceived efficacy among english as a foreign language teachers in middle schools in venezuela. teaching and teacher education, 21(3), 257–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2005.01.001 chai, c. s., lin, p.-y., siu-yung jong, m., dai, y., chiu, t. k. f., & qin, j. (2021). perceptions of and behavioral intentions towards learning artificial intelligence in primary school students. educational technology & society, 24(3), 89– 101. chen, l., chen, p., & lin, z. (2020). artificial intelligence in education: a review. ieee access, 8, 75264–75278. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2020.2988510 chingakham, d. s., & tamuk, k. (2024). using artificial intelligence (ai) in english vocabulary development for higher secondary school students. research square, 1–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4500329/v1 eden, c. a., chisom, o. n., & adeniyi, i. s. (2024). integrating ai in education: opportunities, challenges, and ethical considerations. magna scientia advanced research and reviews, 10(2), 006–013. https://doi.org/10.30574/msarr.2024.10.2.0039 emenike, m. e., & emenike, b. u. (2023). was this title generated by chatgpt? considerations for artificial intelligence text-generation software programs for chemists and chemistry educators. journal of chemical education, 100(4), 1413– 1418. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c00063 ferikoğlu, d., & akgün, e. (2022). an investigation of teachers’ artificial intelligence awareness: a scale development study. malaysian online journal of educational technology, 10(3), 215– 232. gao, y., wong, s. l., khambari, m. n. m., noordin, n. bt, geng, j., & bai, y. (2023). factors affecting english language teachers’ behavioral intentions to teach online under the pandemic normalization of covid-19 in china. behavioral sciences, 13(8), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13080624 george, b., & wooden, o. (2023). managing the strategic transformation of higher education through artificial intelligence. administrative sciences, 13(9), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13090196 gyawali, y. p., & mehandroo, m. (2022). artificial intelligence in english language teaching: navigating the future with emerging perspectives. journal of language and linguistics in society, 2(6), 21–27. https://doi.org/10.55529/jlls.26.21.27 hazaymeh, w. a., bouzenoun, a., & remache, a. (2024). efl instructors’ perspective on using ai applications in english as a foreign language teaching and learning. emerging science journal, 8(special issue), 73–87. https://doi.org/10.28991/esj-2024-sied1-05 huang, s. (2021). design and development of educational robot teaching resources using artificial intelligence technology. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 16(5), 116–129. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i05.20311 idham, a. z., rauf, w., & rajab, a. (2024). navigating the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on english language teaching: exploring challenges and opportunities. jurnal edukasi saintifik, 4(1), 8–14. https://doi.org/10.56185/jes.v4i1.620 ifenthaler, d., majumdar, r., gorissen, p., judge, m., english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1259 mishra, s., raffaghelli, j., & shimada, a. (2024). artificial intelligence in education: implications for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners. technology, knowledge and learning. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-02409747-0 jiang, r. (2022). how does artificial intelligence empower efl teaching and learning nowadays ? a review on artificial intelligence in the efl context. frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1049401 kasneci, e., sessler, k., küchemann, s., bannert, m., dementieva, d., fischer, f., gasser, u., groh, g., günnemann, s., hüllermeier, e., krusche, s., kutyniok, g., michaeli, t., nerdel, c., pfeffer, j., poquet, o., sailer, m., schmidt, a., seidel, t., … kasneci, g. (2023). chatgpt for good? on opportunities and challenges of large language models for education. learning and individual differences, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2023.102274 khalymon, i., & shevchenko, s. (2017). readiness for learner autonomy of prospective teachers minoring in english. advanced education, 4(8), 65–71. https://doi.org/10.20535/24108286.107296 khan, w. m. (2023). examining the transformative role of artificial intelligence in language skill enhancement: a case study of bs english students in okara, pakistan. the asian bulletin of big data management, 3(1), 190–196. https://doi.org/10.62019/abbdm.v3i1.88 kranz, a., & abele, h. (2024). the impact of artificial intelligence (ai) on midwifery education: a scoping review. healthcare, 12(1082), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12111082 kuleto, v., ilić, m., dumangiu, m., ranković, m., martins, o. m. d., păun, d., & mihoreanu, l. (2021). exploring opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence and machine learning in higher education institutions. sustainability, 13(18), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810424 kumar, s., patil, v. d., mahalle, p. n., & meshram, v. (2023). concept and administration for developing special education using ai. in a. kumar, a. nayyar, r. k. sachan, & r. jain (eds.), ai-assisted special education for students with exceptional needs (pp. 241–266). igi global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-36930378-8.ch011 lazzat, k. (2024). the evolution of language learning: exploring ai’s impact on teaching english as a second language. eurasian science review, 2(4), 133–137. https://doi.org/10.63034/esr-42 liang, y. (2023). balancing: the effects of ai tools in educational context. frontiers in humanities and social sciences, 3(8), 7–10. https://doi.org/10.54691/fhss.v3i8.5531 liu, m. (2023). exploring the application of artificial intelligence in foreign language teaching: challenges and future development. shs web of conferences, 168(03025), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202316803025 liu, y. (2023). a comparison of automated corrective feedback and traditional corrective feedback: a review study. the educational review, usa, 7(9), 1365–1368. https://doi.org/10.26855/er.2023.09.024 luo, y. (2024). innovative research on ai-assisted teaching models for college english listening and speaking courses. applied and computational engineering, 69(1), 155–160. https://doi.org/10.54254/27552721/69/20241493 muslimin, a. i., mukminatien, n., & ivone, f. m. (2024). evaluating cami ai across samr stages: students’ achievement and perceptions in efl writing instruction. online learning, 28(2), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v28i2.4246 opesemowo, o. a. g., & adekomaya, v. (2024). harnessing artificial intelligence for advancing sustainable development goals in south africa’s higher education system: a qualitative study. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 23(3), 67–86. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.23.3.4 paranjape, k., schinkel, m., panday, r. n., car, j., & nanayakkara, p. (2019). introducing artificial intelligence training in medical education. jmir medical education, 5(2), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.2196/16048 pratama, r. m. d., & hastuti, d. p. (2024). the use of artificial intelligence to improve efl students’ writing skill. english learning innovation, 5(1), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.22219/englie.v5i1.30212 rangel-de lázaro, g., & duart, j. m. (2023). you can handle, you can teach it: systematic review on the use of extended reality and artificial intelligence technologies for online higher education. sustainability, 15(4), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043507 rathore, a. a., sultana, n., zareen, s. j., & ahmed, a. (2023). artificial intelligence and curriculum prospects for elementary school. pakistan journal of humanities and social sciences, 11(4), 4635–4644. https://doi.org/10.52131/pjhss.2023.v11i4.1909 sapci, a. h., & sapci, h. a. (2020). artificial intelligence education and tools for medical and health informatics students : systematic review. jmir medical education, 6(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.2196/19285 sun, z., anbarasan, m., & kumar, d. p. (2020). design of online intelligent english teaching platform based on artificial intelligence techniques. computational intelligence, 37(3), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/coin.12351 syafryadin, suherdi, d., nadya, n. l., harahap, a., & ni wayan adi priantini, dewa ayu alit riska dewi, anak agung putri maharani, i komang budiarta, ni luh putu dian sawitri, & harvinder kumar negi lecturers’ readiness and intentions for ai integration in indonesian and indian ell classroom 1260 astrid, a. (2022). teacher readiness and challenges in creating learner autonomy in ictbased english learning activities. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 11(3), 708–717. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v11i3.34667 ulfa, k. (2023). the transformative power of artificial intelligence (ai) to elevate english language learning. majalah ilmiah methoda, 13(3), 307–313. https://doi.org/10.46880/methoda.vol13no3.pp3 07-313 vafadar, m., & amani, a. m. (2024). academic education in the era of generative artificial intelligence. journal of electronics and electrical engineering, 3(1), 110–124. https://doi.org/10.37256/jeee.3120244010 vall, r. r. f. de la, & araya, f. g. (2023). exploring the benefits and challenges of ai-language learning tools. international journal of social sciences and humanities invention, 10(01), 7569–7576. https://doi.org/10.18535/ijsshi/v10i01.02 xuyen, n. t. (2024). english majors’ perceptions of ai tool application in english language learning at tertiary level in vietnam. journal of knowledge learning and science technology, 3(1), 179– 193. https://doi.org/10.60087/jklst.vol3.n1.p193 yu, h., & nazir, s. (2021). role of 5g and artificial intelligence for research and transformation of english situational teaching in higher studies. mobile information systems, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/3773414 zhao, l., wu, x., & luo, h. (2022). developing ai literacy for primary and middle school teachers in china: based on a structural equation modeling analysis. sustainability, 14, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114549 zheng, l., niu, j., & zhong, l. (2022). effects of a learning analytics-based real-time feedback approach on knowledge elaboration, knowledge convergence, interactive relationships and group performance in cscl. british journal of educational technology, 53(1), 130–149. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13156 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1261 project-based learning and need analysis of esp in developing language skills for broadcasting and film students muhammad andriana gaffar english education department, universitas islam nusantara, bandung, west java, indonesia email: andriana.gaffar@uninus.ac.id elmira rahmawati english education department, universitas islam nusantara, bandung, west java, indonesia email: elmirarahmawati9@gmail.com putri nesi neliasari english education department, universitas islam nusantara, bandung, west java, indonesia email: pnesineliasari@gmail.com apa scitation:. gaffar, m. a., rahmawati, e., neliasari, p., n, (2024). project-based learning on need analysis of esp in managing classroom activities to develop students’ language skills in broadcasting and film major. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(3), 1261-1274. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10222 received: 27-02-2024 accepted: 28-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction english is no longer considered foreign. as a result, english is now an essential language to acquire in the age of globalization, beginning at a young age. according to sumiati et al. (2023) , in an era of globalization, teachers must have a global perspective and be able to use a variety of learning resources to create innovative, active, creative, effective, and enjoyable learning to optimize the potential of students in meeting the needs of life during world competition. learning english to speak, read, write, and do other things is much needed. therefore, english must be prepared according to students' needs. according to bloor and bloor (1986), language learning occurs from various languages; however, language use is suited to the situation, and participants are learned in an appropriate context, supporting language acquisition theory (basturkmen, 2006). for example, english for vocational high school (smk) students require english for specific purposes (esp) so that students' needs can match their major. as sukarni (2019) stated, vocational school graduates often lose in competition or even feel reluctant to apply because their english skills are insufficient. most vocational schools still apply general english, so students' understanding and ability in esp according to their field or major needs improvement. there is a significant gap between the world of education and the development of society because educational institutions have not fully met the needs of society, which is indicated by graduates who only master theory but lack skills, so the industrial world does not see a relevant relationship with schools (palah et al., 2022). suyadi & andana (2020)state that english teaching in indonesia is generally carried out. abstract: this study investigates the need for english for specific purposes (esp) in broadcasting and film in vocational high schools (smk). the objective is to enhance students' competence in esp for their major by adapting curricula and teaching materials to meet specific industry needs and addressing issues caused by using general english material. the research employs qualitative and case study methods, with data collected through interviews, observations, questionnaires, and document analysis involving 11th-grade students at smk lppm ri 2 majalaya and an english teacher. findings indicate that students require lessons more pertinent to the broadcasting and film industry to improve their competence. in conclusion, the study demonstrates the importance of adapting teaching materials and learning strategies to meet industry-specific needs, enhancing students' english language skills. keyword: project-based learning (pbl); english for specific purpose (esp); need analysis; broadcast and film mailto:andriana.gaffar@uninus.ac.id mailto:elmirarahmawati9@gmail.com mailto:pnesineliasari@gmail.com https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?275ycf muhammad andriana gaffar, elmira rahmawati, & putri nesi neliasari project-based learning on need analysis of esp in managing classroom activities to develop students’ language skills in broadcasting and film major 1262 still, there is a need for special english teaching in vocational high schools, where teaching materials and teachers mostly use general english for most departments in vocational high schools. sari & wirza (2021) say that many vocational school students still need to learn english for specific purposes (esp) in the learning process at vocational schools because most vocational schools still use general english in the teaching and learning process. according to maulani et al. (2022), vocational school students need to change their behavior and increase their motivation in learning vocabulary because this can affect their academic progress. sari & wirza (2021) also stated that implementing esp in vocational schools is very important because students need increased knowledge and special skills under industry demands to ensure that graduates can meet specific needs in their field. as hutchinson & waters (1987) stated, esp-based learning requires special attention to teaching guides, a quality esp syllabus, and appropriate teaching materials. likewise, fitria (2020) said that in esp, a needs analysis must be carried out to identify the language skills that are most important for students so that the syllabus can be designed according to their needs. esp can affect the future of students who will directly work in the same field as their major. as stated by sari & wirza (2021), students need to achieve their goals in learning english, namely improving their english language skills to meet industry needs. meanwhile, esp allows students to understand or know english terms or conversations related to their major. then based on sari & wirza (2021) stated that even though there is a clear need, english teachers at a vocational school in bandung still need to implement esp due to a lack of knowledge about teaching methods. hence, students must still be accommodated with esp in the learning process. therefore, it is also essential for teachers to learn and be able to apply esp in the learning process. previous research conducted by (wahyudi & jufrizal, 2023) explored the components of needs analysis in english for specific purposes (esp) in the first grade of vocational school using mixed methods involving twelve students and an english teacher as participants. the research instrument included questionnaires and interviews, with results showing that 83% of students preferred english courses relevant to their engineering field. although students recognize the importance of negotiation skills and understanding instructions, they still need help with speaking skills, and teachers experience challenges in structuring appropriate materials. this research concludes that schools must adapt learning to meet students' needs and improve their esp skills. this finding is relevant to analyzing english language needs in broadcasting and film in vocational high schools because it shows the importance of adapting teaching materials to students' specific industry needs. project-based learning (pjbl), according to thomas (2000), is a learning model that builds knowledge through a project or activity, focusing on basic scientific concepts, enhancing critical thinking skills, and giving students control in project management that is relevant to the real world (kristianto & harendita, 2022). according to (maros et al., 2023), pjbl is a learning approach that enhances student active involvement through interaction and direct communication between tutors and students, as well as through the use of methods such as brainstorming, role-playing, didactic games, and case studies. andanty (2020)stated that in the project based learning (pbl) method, students are given a project or task based on a particular question or problem that needs to be solved through decision-making, planning/creation, and observation within a specified time frame. pjbl and esp develop in the context of efl by integrating learning skills and language competencies to prepare non-native learners for achieving success in academic careers (hidayati et al., 2023). through the integration of pjbl in the esp course, students can leverage previous knowledge to develop english skills relevant to their esp major, enhancing their understanding in a collaborative, investigative, and authentic way. according to the report, collaboration in an indepth esp project accelerates the use of esp by combining hands-on experience and studentoriented instruction (hidayati et al., 2023). english for specific purposes (esp) is an integral approach to teaching english, especially in vocational schools or universities focusing on specific learning objectives (fadlia et al., 2020). since the 1960s, esp has become an inseparable part of teaching english as a foreign language (tefl) because english has become the contemporary lingua franca (otilia, 2015). problems arise when students need more understanding of esp in the teaching and learning process and more teacher knowledge in this area (sari & wirza, 2021). this situation creates an urgent need for needs analysis as the foundation of esp (suyadi & andana, 2020). needs analysis https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?9ehmjb english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1263 is a method or way to identify differences between expected/should conditions and existing conditions. expected conditions include the desired ideal conditions, while existing conditions include those in practice (ekayati et al., 2020). according to west (1994), needs analysis always has a theoretical basis, either explicitly or implicitly. the type of information sought during a needs analysis is usually closely related to the teaching and learning approach and syllabus design followed by the analysts (paltridge & starfield, 2014, p. 326). as suggested by hutchinson & waters (1987), needs analysis is divided into two main aspects: target needs and learning needs. target needs include the needs of students in the targeted situation. the target needs category comprises three elements: basic needs, deficiencies, and desires. basic needs are types of student needs that arise based on the requirements of the situation being addressed, and the presence of basic needs can only be identified with deficiencies. disadvantages reflect an analysis of student needs related to weaknesses in the learning process. along with basic needs and deficiencies, students' needs also involve the desire to learn english. desire is a form of student need related to understanding specific skills. while basic needs and deficiencies focus more on students' needs based on majors and skills needed in the workforce, wants focus on analyzing students' needs related to the skills they want to understand. then, according to robinson (1991), variations in their responses can be grouped into two categories: learning needs that focus on current academic needs. it needs to focus on the future related to the world of work ekayati et al. (2020) learning needs refer to the learning needs students require to achieve certain goals. the objective of this study is to investigate the development of the english for specific purposes (esp) learning curriculum at vocational high schools (smk). the study has three specific objectives: first, to identify the needs of students in the context of esp, to ensure that their educational needs are in line with industry requirements; second, to study whether smk is currently implementing specific english language learning to meet these needs; and third, to explore the impact of existing policies and strategies on the effectiveness of esp curricula or learning. this article is organized into several sections to address the research objectives systematically. it begins by introducing the background and significance of the study, highlighting the problem associated with using general english materials for students in specialized fields at smk. a review of relevant literature on english for specific purposes (esp) and its significance in vocational education follows. the methodology section details the research approach, including data collection techniques such as interviews, observations, questionnaires, and document analysis. the findings are then presented, focusing on the specific needs of students and the current application of esp at smk. the discussion covers the impact of policies and strategies on the effectiveness of the esp curriculum. the article concludes with a summary of key findings and their implications, underscoring the importance of adapting teaching materials and learning strategies to better align with industry-specific needs. therefore, this research was undertaken to conduct a more in-depth analysis by addressing the following questions: (1) what are the specific needs of students regarding english for specific purposes (esp) at smk? (2) how is english language learning tailored to the specific requirements of smk? method this research adopts a qualitative approach with a case study method to gain an in-depth understanding of students' experiences in learning english for specific purposes. according to sugiyono (2019), qualitative research is conducted in natural settings, providing a naturalistic perspective. fraenkel & wallen (2009) emphasize studying real-world situations as they occur naturally, without manipulation. the case study method is utilized to explore student needs in terms of target needs, learning needs, and current conditions in broadcasting and film, as outlined by baxter & jack (2015). according to nurdin & hartati (2019), case studies are in-depth research on specific research problems, not statistical surveys or comparative studies. this approach allows for a comprehensive examination of phenomena within their context using diverse data sources. this research employs several methods, including triangulation of data sources, methods, and perspectives, to ensure accuracy and reliability. triangulation involves using interviews, personal documents, official documents, and photographs to cross-check and corroborate data. triangulation enhances data validity by combining various data sources, https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/?ahgp4e muhammad andriana gaffar, elmira rahmawati, & putri nesi neliasari project-based learning on need analysis of esp in managing classroom activities to develop students’ language skills in broadcasting and film major 1264 methods, and perspectives (zamili, 2015). additionally, a peer review will be conducted to assess the research process and interpretations, providing an external perspective to validate the findings and ensure that the conclusions drawn are robust and credible. descriptive data analysis techniques organize and interpret relevant data, focusing on information related to student needs in the broadcasting and film department. participants include a class of 30 grade 11 students from the broadcasting and film programs at smk and one english teacher from smk lppm ri 2 majalaya. the study aims to validate findings through triangulation and a detailed examination of student needs, with the assumption that conducting a comprehensive needs analysis will better align the esp program with the specific needs and expectations of students. this is anticipated to provide valuable insights for enhancing english language teaching in smk. as suggested by fraenkel & wallen (2009), esp-based learning requires special attention to teaching guidance, quality esp curricula, and appropriate teaching materials. therefore, it is assumed that this research will reveal an in-depth understanding of students' needs in the broadcasting and film field at smk, clarifying the demands and expectations related to learning esp in this context. results and discussion target needs based on observations, questionnaires, interviews conducted with teachers, and documentation that refers to what students need to achieve their ultimate goal of learning a language. it includes needs related to the future context of language use. the following is an interpretation of the findings from these results: necessities table 1. indicator of necessities no indicator f % 1 english is beneficial in the broadcast and film industry today. 17 100 “kalau lihat peran bahasa inggris dalam industri broadcast saat ini pastinya penting banget ya. bahasa inggris kan bahasa internasional, jadi kalau mereka mau menjangkau audience, ya enggak cuma di indonesia, enggak cuma dalam negeri, tapi mau sampai ke luar negeri, manca negara gitu ya otomatis mereka harus mahir berbahasa inggris.” the results show that all respondents (100%) agree that english is practical in today's broadcasting and film industries. this consensus affirms that mastering english is essential for reaching a global audience and communicating across cultures. these findings have significant implications, including the need to include comprehensive english language training in the related educational curriculum, provide advanced professional training for workers in this industry, and consider english language skills in recruitment strategies. furthermore, english language proficiency allows companies to access global markets more efficiently and expand the reach of their audience. english-speaking skills open up broader career opportunities for individuals, including working in international companies and participating in global projects. table 2. indicator of necessities no indicator f % 2 proficiency in english is essential for working in the broadcasting and film industry. 17 100 “kemampuan bahasa inggris sangat penting bagi mereka yang ingin bekerja di industri broadcast dan film, terutama dalam berkomunikasi lisan dan tulisan. pembelajaran bahasa inggris mencakup empat aspek utama: listening, speaking, reading, dan writing. di fase f, capaian pembelajaran menghubungkan elemen-elemen ini, seperti listening dengan speaking, dan reading dengan writing. selain itu, kemampuan presentasi juga ditekankan, sehingga tidak hanya speaking yang diperkuat, tetapi juga kemampuan untuk mempresentasikan ide secara efektif.” the results show that 100% of respondents agree that speaking english is essential for working in the broadcasting and film industries, especially in oral and written communication. it indicates that mastery of english is a fundamental requirement in this industry. learning english covers four main interrelated aspects—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—and presenting skills, which are also emphasized. implications of this finding include the importance of including comprehensive english training in educational and vocational training curricula, focusing on all aspects of language and presentation skills. furthermore, companies in this industry should consider english language skills as a critical criterion in the recruitment process. at the same english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1265 time, individuals wishing to pursue careers in this field must develop comprehensive englishlanguage skills to enhance their opportunities in a competitive and globally oriented job market. table 3. indicator of necessities no indicator f % 3 combining english lessons with useful broadcast and film content. 17 100 “mengintegrasikan konten relevan dengan dunia broadcast dan film menjadi lebih mudah karena capaian pembelajaran bahasa inggris berbasis teks. pembelajaran mencakup berbagai jenis teks yang ada di berbagai media. misalnya, teks naratif penting bagi mereka yang suka menulis cerita untuk memahami struktur naratif. selain itu, untuk mendeskripsikan proyek seperti film atau short film, mereka perlu memahami teks deskriptif yang menggunakan kalimat faktual dalam simple present tense. dengan demikian, pembelajaran bahasa inggris menjadi lebih aplikatif dan relevan bagi industri ini.” the results show that 100% of respondents agree that combining english lessons with content relevant to broadcasting and film is essential. this integration is possible through text-based english learning covering various media texts. for example, narrative texts help the author understand the narrative structure, while descriptive texts that use factual sentences in simple present tense help describe a film project or short film. the findings underline the importance of an application-oriented and industry-relevant approach to english learning. educational and professional training institutions in broadcasting and film should develop curricula integrating relevant media content to strengthen students' english language skills. it improves their english language skills and ensures that such learning is appropriate and can be directly applied in their professional context. table 4. indicator of necessities no indicator f % 4 english skills improve after learning, especially for careers in broadcast and film. 16 94 “assessment sekarang memiliki banyak bentuk. dalam kurikulum merdeka, terdapat tiga jenis assessment: diagnostik, formatif, dan sumatif. assessment diagnostik biasanya dilakukan di awal pembelajaran. assessment formatif dilakukan selama proses pembelajaran atau di tengah pembelajaran, sehingga jumlah penilaiannya banyak. sedangkan assessment sumatif dilakukan di akhir pembelajaran, biasanya dalam bentuk soal ujian akhir..” the results of the study showed that 94% of respondents felt an improvement in their english language skills after pursuing learning focused on careers in the broadcasting and film industries. it reflects the effectiveness of learning that uses three types of evaluation in the merdeka curriculum: diagnostic at the beginning of learning, formative during the learning process, and summative at the end of learning. these types of assessments allow for more comprehensive and sustainable evaluations so that learning english becomes more effective and relevant to developing skills needed in the industry. implications are that educational and training institutions must continue to apply diverse assessment methods to ensure that learners' improved english language skills can be measured accurately and by the needs of the industry. in addition, this approach helps better prepare individuals for professional challenges in broadcasting and film, improving their readiness to enter the job market with strong and relevant language skills. table 5. indicator of necessities no indicator f % 5 certain ways of learning help understand specific terms in the film and broadcast industry. 10 71 “metode yang efektif untuk membantu siswa memahami terminologi khusus adalah melalui proyek kolaboratif dengan industri. sebagai contoh, pada semester ganjil sebelumnya, kami bekerja sama dengan pt kloren untuk membuat short movie. semua kru dan talent adalah siswa, yang memungkinkan mereka berinteraksi langsung dengan berbagai istilah dalam dunia film, seperti nama-nama kru dan departemen, yang sebagian besar menggunakan bahasa inggris, seperti audio department, art department, dan make-up artist. setelah proyek, istilah-istilah tersebut diulas dan siswa diminta menjelaskan tanggung jawabnya dalam bahasa inggris. metode ini efektif karena siswa mengalami pembelajaran secara langsung, membuat mereka lebih ingat dan berkesan, sehingga terminologi khusus ini lebih mudah diingat.” the results showed that 71% of respondents felt certain methods helped them understand muhammad andriana gaffar, elmira rahmawati, & putri nesi neliasari project-based learning on need analysis of esp in managing classroom activities to develop students’ language skills in broadcasting and film major 1266 specific terms in the film and broadcasting industry. one of the effective methods described is through a collaborative project with industry, as was done with pt kloren to make a short film. in this project, students play the role of crew and talent, allowing them to interact directly with industry terms, such as audio departments and make-up artists, which mainly use english. after the project, the terms were reviewed, and students were asked to explain their responsibilities in english. this method is effective because it provides a hands-on experience that makes it easier for students to remember and understand particular terminology in relevant contexts. implications are that broadcasting and film educational and training institutions must continue to adopt collaborative project-based learning methods with industry to strengthen students' understanding of technical terms. this approach improves students' english language skills and prepares them practically for professional challenges in the industry, making learning more effective and applicable. lacks table 6. indicator of lacks no indicator f % 1 special vocabulary and terms in english related to the field of study are known. 13 76 “hambatan utama yang dialami siswa dalam belajar bahasa inggris adalah penggunaan teknologi, seperti google translate, yang sering mereka andalkan untuk menyelesaikan tugas tanpa memeriksa kebenarannya. hal ini menghambat perkembangan kemampuan bahasa mereka. sementara teknologi dapat membantu, ketergantungan yang berlebihan justru melemahkan keinginan belajar mereka. guru berusaha mendorong siswa untuk tidak menggunakan google translate dan membimbing mereka dalam membentuk kalimat dengan benar. proses ini efektif untuk beberapa siswa, namun memerlukan waktu lebih lama untuk yang lain dan membutuhkan pengulangan agar siswa benar-benar memahami materi.” the results showed that 76% of respondents knew english vocabulary and special terms related to their field of study. however, interviews revealed that one of the main obstacles to learning english is students' dependence on technologies like google translate, which is often used to complete tasks without checking their accuracy. this addiction can hinder the development of their language skills and reduce learning motivation. although technology can help, teachers encourage students not to rely on such tools and guide them in formulating sentences correctly. this process is effective for some students, but it takes longer and more repetition for students to understand the material. implicitly, educational institutions need to balance the use of technology with a teaching approach that promotes in-depth understanding and independence in learning english. teachers should continue to provide practical guidance and motivate students to practice language skills actively without relying on automatic translation to improve their english language skills more solidly and contextually. table 7. indicator of lacks no indicator f % 2 differences in how to learn english in the broadcast and film industries are recognized. 14 82 “siswa sudah cukup paham dengan kosa kata atau istilah khusus karena telah dipelajari, tidak hanya di kelas bahasa inggris tetapi juga di pelajaran lain seperti mata pelajaran produktif. misalnya, saat belajar tentang kamera, mereka mempelajari bagian-bagiannya yang semuanya berbahasa inggris. meskipun demikian, masih ada beberapa kesalahpahaman. contohnya, ketika diminta untuk "time stamp" rapat, beberapa siswa malah mengira diminta membuat "time lapse" dengan kamera, padahal yang dimaksud hanya menambahkan tanggal. jadi, meskipun sebagian besar sudah paham, masih ada beberapa yang memerlukan klarifikasi lebih lanjut.” the results showed that 82% of respondents recognized the differences in how english is learned in the broadcasting and film industries. the interviews revealed that students were already familiar with vocabulary and special terms because they were taught in english classes and other subjects such as productive lessons. for example, when studying the english-language parts of the camera, the understanding of the term has been integrated. however, there are still misunderstandings, like counting "time stamp" as "time lapse" with the camera. this suggests that although most students understand special terms, some still require further clarification to avoid confusion. learning english should be more holistic and integrated with other subjects, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1267 emphasizing clarification and in-depth explanation of specific terms. teachers and educational institutions should ensure that students are familiar with such terms and understand their use correctly in relevant contexts to avoid misunderstandings and improve comprehensive english language competence in the broadcasting and film industry. table 8. indicator of lacks no indicator f % 3 additional needs in english language learning are identified. 9 53 “fasilitas di sekolah sudah cukup mendukung, dengan kamera-kamera yang tersedia, lab yang dirancang untuk membuat konten dan shooting, ruangan rekaman audio, serta komputer yang canggih untuk proses editing. fasilitas ini diharapkan dapat meningkatkan semangat belajar siswa. salah satu fasilitas yang mendukung pembelajaran bahasa inggris adalah ruang rekaman audio, di mana siswa dapat belajar menjadi narator atau melakukan voice over, yang membuat mereka terlibat langsung dan semakin tertarik. ruangan yang dilengkapi dengan speaker juga mempermudah kegiatan seperti menonton dan melakukan review materi, sehingga proses pembelajaran menjadi lebih efektif.” the study results showed that 53% of respondents identified additional needs in learning english. although school facilities such as cameras, laboratories, audio recording rooms, and sophisticated computers are adequate and support students' learning spirit, needs must be fully met. facilities such as an audio recording room, which allows students to learn to be narrators or perform voice-over, and a space with speakers to watch and review material enhance student engagement and interest. implications are essential for educational institutions to continue to evaluate and meet additional needs in english learning. in addition to strengthening existing facilities, institutions should pay attention to other aspects that may affect learning effectiveness, such as the provision of more varied materials or more innovative teaching methods, to ensure that students are not only interested but also acquire the english language skills necessary for success in the broadcasting and film industry. table 9. indicator of lacks no indicator f % 4 evaluation and feedback from teachers on english learning progress are expected. 7 41 “evaluasi dan umpan balik dalam pembelajaran bahasa inggris sering menggunakan refleksi personal, dengan metode 4f. pertama, "fact," siswa menuliskan apa yang sudah mereka pelajari, misalnya tentang naratif atau membaca kritis. kedua, "feeling," mereka mengungkapkan perasaan mereka setelah pembelajaran, apakah senang dengan pengetahuan baru atau merasa biasa saja. ketiga, "findings," siswa mencatat temuan baru selama proses pembelajaran, seperti pengertian tentang bagian dalam produksi film. terakhir, "future," mereka memikirkan hal apa yang ingin dipelajari di masa depan untuk memperbaiki kemahiran bahasa inggris mereka. dengan refleksi ini, siswa dapat mengetahui area yang perlu diperbaiki dan ditambahkan untuk kemajuan yang lebih baik.” the survey results showed that 41% of respondents expected an evaluation and feedback from teachers about their english learning progress. assessment and feedback are often done through personal reflection using the 4f method: "fact", "feeling", "findings", and "future". (masa depan). this method allows students to record what they have learned, express their feelings, record new findings, and plan what they want to learn in the future. the findings emphasize the importance of structured evaluation and constructive feedback to help students understand areas that need to be improved. implicitly, educational institutions must ensure that the review and feedback process is routine and focused on aspects relevant to student progress. by using reflective methods such as 4f, teachers can provide more in-depth feedback and help students plan further steps to improve their english language skills, thereby improving overall learning effectiveness. wants table 10. indicator of wants no indicator f % 1 hopes and wants to learn english for the broadcast and film industry are revealed. 15 88 “merencanakan pembelajaran yang sesuai dengan harapan siswa melibatkan penyesuaian materi pembelajaran bahasa inggris dengan kebutuhan, minat, dan bidang mereka. hal ini dilakukan dengan memilih teks yang relevan dengan kegiatan atau proyek yang sedang mereka kerjakan. contohnya, dalam proyek membuat cerita, siswa belajar voice over dan teknik membawa mood cerita melalui narasi, muhammad andriana gaffar, elmira rahmawati, & putri nesi neliasari project-based learning on need analysis of esp in managing classroom activities to develop students’ language skills in broadcasting and film major 1268 yang diadaptasi sesuai kebutuhan mereka. ini membuat pembelajaran lebih menarik dan sesuai dengan konteks yang sedang mereka jalani.” the results of the survey showed that 88% of respondents had the hope and desire to learn english according to the needs of the broadcasting and film industries. these findings indicate that students feel that learning materials relevant to their projects and activities are essential. for example, in a storytelling project, students learn about voice-over techniques and narratives tailored to their needs, making learning more exciting and contextual. educational institutions must adapt english curricula to industry-specific needs and student interests. by adjusting the learning material to be relevant to the project or activity being undertaken, learning english can be more effective and motivating students and better prepare them to face the challenges in the broadcasting and film industries. table 11. indicator of wants no indicator f % 2 a focus on improving communication skills and understanding content in the study area is important. 13 76 “strategi yang digunakan untuk meningkatkan kemampuan siswa adalah dengan menggunakan pembelajaran berbasis proyek (project-based learning) yang disesuaikan dengan kebutuhan mereka. contohnya, siswa membuat short movie di bahasa inggris, yang melibatkan berbagai mata pelajaran seperti pkwu untuk membuat rencana dan anggaran, serta mapel produktif untuk aspek teknikal seperti pengambilan gambar. dengan pendekatan ini, siswa belajar secara efektif dengan fokus pada satu output yang mencakup berbagai aspek pembelajaran.” the results showed that 76% of respondents assessed the importance of improving communication skills and understanding content in their field of study. the findings highlight the success of the applied project-based learning approach, in which students make short films in english. the project involves a variety of subjects, such as pkwu for planning and budgeting, and productive topics for technical aspects, such as photography. this approach allows students to learn effectively, focusing on outputs covering various aspects of learning. implications are that educational institutions must continue integrating project-based learning methods relevant to industry needs to improve student communication skills and understanding of content. with this approach, students develop their english language skills and gain practical experience that is important in a professional context, better preparing them for challenges in broadcasting and film. table 12. indicator of wants no indicator f % 3 technology or specific learning methods should be available to support english language understanding in the context of this study. 13 76 “saya menggunakan fasilitas sekolah untuk memperkenalkan teknologi dan metode pembelajaran khusus. siswa dapat menggunakan software editing yang sesuai dan juga dapat membuat video menggunakan handphone, sehingga mereka sangat terlibat dengan teknologi dalam pembelajaran..” the study results showed that 76% of respondents believed that particular learning technologies or methods needed to be available to support understanding english in the context of this study. the findings underline the importance of using school facilities to introduce relevant learning technologies and methods, such as editing software and mobile phone video-making. this approach makes students more involved with technology, supporting their understanding of english in a more practical and applied context. implicitly, educational institutions must ensure that they provide technologies and learning methods that fit the industry's needs and encourage students to use such tools in the learning process. with adequate technology integration, students can better understand english contextually, improve their skills, and better prepare themselves for challenges in broadcasting and film. table 13. indicator of wants no indicator f % 4 conceived are expectations for evaluation and feedback from teachers regarding learning english to prepare for a career in broadcast and film. 11 65 “penilaian dalam pembelajaran bahasa inggris bisa beragam tergantung pada aktivitas yang dilakukan. misalnya, untuk aktivitas individual seperti menjadi narator, penilaian lebih fokus pada kemampuan individu dalam menggunakan bahasa inggris dengan benar, seperti penggunaan kata yang sesuai dan kesalahan english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1269 ejaan. namun, untuk proyek kelompok, penilaian bisa lebih kepada hasil kerja tim dan bisa menggunakan rubrik khusus untuk nilai tim. selain itu, evaluasi juga bisa dilakukan melalui refleksi, di mana siswa diminta untuk mempertimbangkan apa yang sudah mereka pelajari selama pembelajaran, apa yang baru mereka pelajari, dan apa yang ingin mereka pelajari di masa depan. hal ini memungkinkan guru untuk melihat kemajuan siswa dan apakah kemampuan mereka telah meningkat atau belum.” the results showed that 65% of respondents expected an evaluation and feedback from teachers on learning english to prepare for a career in broadcasting and film. these findings indicate that varied assessments for individual and group activities are crucial in the learning process. for example, assessments for individual activities, such as being a narrator, focus more on the correct use of english. at the same time, evaluations for group projects emphasize teamwork and use special headings. in addition, evaluation through reflection allows students to evaluate their progress and identify areas that need to be improved. educational institutions must implement a comprehensive evaluation system consistent with the activities. in this way, teachers can provide more targeted feedback, help students develop their english language skills effectively, and better prepare them for professional challenges in the broadcasting and film industries. learning needs learning english in the broadcast and film department requires special attention to achieve optimal results. based on documentation analysis, several important components of learning needs can be identified, namely input, activities, and setting. input the materials students need to achieve learning targets include teaching modules and more specific learning materials related to the broadcast and film industries. the teaching modules are based on general english material but have been adapted to the school curriculum and student characteristics. the learning material includes texts, communication situations, and learning content relevant to students' daily lives. however, to better support students' specific needs, material is needed that is more in-depth and relevant to the world of work in the industry, such as scripts, scripts, project presentations, and specific case studies. activities the most effective learning activities for students include collaborative project activities, practical exercises, and presentations. a project-based learning method has been implemented, where students work in groups to create videos or short films. in this process, they must determine roles such as actor, director, audio man, narrator, makeup artist, and editor. this activity helps students learn practically relevant english terms. in addition, activities such as creating and writing scripts, simulations, and role-play are also effective in developing their language skills. presentation of project results helps students improve their english speaking and effective communication skills. setting a learning environment that supports optimal learning includes class formats that can be faceto-face or online, depending on needs. face-toface learning with technological support such as computers, cameras, and recording equipment is very helpful in implementing projects. online classes can also be effective if they use a platform that supports collaboration and communication. a classroom atmosphere that supports cooperation and interaction between students is very important. adequate school facilities such as laboratories, audio recording rooms, and creative spaces support learning. using speakers and audio devices in class makes listening and reviewing audio-visual material easier. english learning in broadcast and film majors can be improved by compiling more specific and relevant material to the industry. project-based learning activities, practical exercises, and presentations have proven effective in developing students' language skills. a supportive learning environment, both in face-to-face and online formats, and adequate technological facilities are very important to achieve learning goals. with this approach, it is hoped that students will be better prepared to face challenges in the world of work and have english language skills that suit the needs of the broadcasting and film industry. this research provides in-depth insight into the needs, shortcomings, and expectations of students in learning english in the context of the broadcast and film industries. this research confirms the findings of previous studies and provides new muhammad andriana gaffar, elmira rahmawati, & putri nesi neliasari project-based learning on need analysis of esp in managing classroom activities to develop students’ language skills in broadcasting and film major 1270 insights into how we can better adapt learning materials and methods to meet industry needs. research results on this need show that all respondents agree that english is crucial in the broadcast and film industries (table 1-2). the findings are consistent with previous research emphasizing the importance of mastering english to reach a global audience and communicate effectively internationally. this statement was supported by hashim & yunus (2018), who stated that learning english from an early age is essential as it is a global or international language used at various levels and can affect second language acquisition. however, the study extends the findings by emphasizing the importance of integrating industrial content into english language learning materials. the results showed that 100% of respondents felt it was essential to combine english lessons with relevant content from broadcasts and movies (table 3). collaborative learning and the use of technology can also improve student understanding and teacher teaching quality. this practical approach makes learning more enjoyable and relevant to their career goals. a wahyudi & jufrizal (2023) showed that 82% of students want a learning process that suits their needs in english for their electronic major, using powerpoint media and practices that they find interesting, challenging, and motivating. therefore, technology facilitates a more dynamic and interactive learning environment, enabling students to practice and apply their language skills in a realistic context. however, this study found that technology in the classroom still needs to be enhanced and requires further development to maximize its benefits. the research adds a new dimension by highlighting how collaborative projects with industry, such as short filmmaking, can enrich learning experiences and deepen students' understanding of specific terms. this research deficiency in english learning identifies shortcomings, such as reliance on technologies such as google translate and a lack of understanding of industry-specific terms (table 6-7). according to fassin (2012), although email remains a popular and well-known tool, using other technologies like facebook or twitter often requires direct instruction in using this technology in the esp classroom. therefore, integrating technology in learning in broadcast and film majors, such as using editing software and video making, supports this need by providing hands-on practical experiences that enhance their learning processes. this research expands understanding by providing practical solutions, such as strengthening teaching methods by focusing on in-depth understanding and using technology wisely. furthermore, the study highlighted the need for more structured evaluation and feedback, with 41% of respondents wanting an evaluation more focused on their english progress (table 9). furthermore, the role of technology in improving esp learning should be noted. integrating technology in the classroom, such as multimedia resources, online collaboration tools, and interactive language software, has significantly improved student engagement and learning outcomes. jumroh & rohmah (2019) stated that student motivation significantly affects learning success, which can be enhanced through teacher appreciation and varied learning media. new findings from this study suggest that personal reflection through the 4f method can improve the evaluation process, provide more targeted feedback, and help students plan future learning steps. the wants in english learning study results show students' expectations for more relevant learning materials and methods that match the needs of the industry (tables 10 and 11). this study confirms the results of previous studies that suggest that project-based approaches and relevant content-based learning are effective strategies for improving student communication skills and understanding. according to sumiati et al. (2023), thorough improvements and preparations are also needed in all aspects of education, including improved teacher quality, curriculum revisions, infrastructure improvements, and learning program management. the teachers have made some adjustments to the curriculum and teaching material to meet the needs of the students. in project-based learning, students are invited to complete a project or task designed according to their knowledge and the conditions encountered in their life or work (kristianto & harendita, 2022). project-based learning methods such as script writing, simulation, and role-playing to make short films are also used to provide practical experiences relevant to real industry situations. this finding reinforces that 100% of respondents agree that english language skills are crucial in the broadcasting and film industries. however, producing short films in groups can cause differences in assessment because students have different roles or parts. according to fajarika english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1271 nuninsari et al. (2020), in the drama project, students find it fun and challenging, which motivates them to practice english with more confidence. the project makes lessons more interesting, clear, and compelling, and teachers provide feedback and motivation for the next project. the research also adds a new dimension by emphasizing the importance of technology in supporting english understanding, such as the use of editing software and video making with mobile phones. (table 12). it shows that effective technology integration can enrich the learning experience and enhance student engagement. in analyzing the esp needs for project-based learning in classroom activities, some students at broadcasting and film found that drama projects helped them learn in a fun yet challenging way. because of their lack of confidence, they rarely speak english in class. however, the project encouraged them to use english, improving their motivation and speech skills. this method makes the lesson more exciting and straightforward. teachers provide constructive feedback and motivation, encouraging students to perform better in the next project. however, according to mamakou & grigoriadou (2010), project work emphasizes content learning versus specific language goals/tasks to motivate learners, enhance active participation and responsibility, and build a sense of ownership in the process either by choosing proposed topics or original topics that fit their field. according to shute (2008), formative feedback aims to improve students' knowledge, skills and understanding in various fields or general skills, such as problem-solving, through various types of feedback, such as specific, goaloriented and directly delivered responses. the discussion reveals that english learning in the broadcast and film department requires a multifaceted approach, with specific attention to input, activities, and settings. the input involves teaching modules adapted to the school curriculum and student characteristics, supplemented with industry-specific materials like scripts and project presentations. the results show that students need teaching materials more relevant to the broadcasting and film industries. education management must guarantee quality performance through consistent vision, mission, and objectives by applying strategic management to educational goals (palah et al., 2022). activities that enhance learning include collaborative projects, practical exercises, and presentations, which foster practical language application and effective communication skills. jumroh & rohmah (2019) state that student motivation greatly influences learning success, which can be increased through teacher appreciation and varied learning media. collaborative learning and the use of technology can also improve student understanding and the quality of teacher teaching. additionally, the setting plays a crucial role, where face-to-face and online classes with technological support such as computers, cameras, and recording equipment create an optimal learning environment. a comparison with traditional english learning methods, which often rely heavily on textbook-based instruction and individual tasks, highlights the effectiveness of this tailored approach. it addresses the practical needs of students preparing for the broadcasting and film industry by integrating real-world scenarios and tools into the learning process. by embracing these methods, students are better equipped to meet industry demands, demonstrating enhanced language proficiency and preparedness for professional challenges. this research has some limitations that need to be acknowledged and discussed. first, a limited number of respondents can affect the representativity of this study. with a small sample, the findings may only partially reflect the views and experiences of all students studying english in the context of the broadcasting and film industries. secondly, the limited research period may have resulted in a less in-depth analysis of some critical aspects of learning english. time constraints also limit the opportunity to explore the long-term effects of the learning methods applied further. furthermore, the research is more focused on student perceptions without involving views from teachers or industry practitioners in-depth, which can provide valuable additional perspectives. writers must consider these factors when interpreting the results and conduct further research with larger samples and longer durations to reinforce the findings and provide a more comprehensive understanding. conclusion this study highlights that students in the broadcasting and film program at smk lppm ri 2 majalaya understand the significance of english for effective communication and global reach. the findings underscore the necessity of integrating industry-relevant content into english language learning materials to enhance student competencies. project-based learning approaches, muhammad andriana gaffar, elmira rahmawati, & putri nesi neliasari project-based learning on need analysis of esp in managing classroom activities to develop students’ language skills in broadcasting and film major 1272 such as scripting, simulation, and role-playing, effectively develop the language skills pertinent to the broadcasting and film sectors. a supportive learning environment, encompassing both face-toface and online formats, is also crucial for achieving educational goals. the research contributes significantly to the field by providing insights into the specific english language needs of broadcasting and film students and demonstrating the benefits of incorporating industry-specific materials into the curriculum. it also highlights the effectiveness of project-based learning in improving language skills and the importance of a supportive learning environment and technology. these findings encourage educators to adapt curricula to include more relevant content, expand project-based learning opportunities, and develop personalized evaluation methods to support student progress. future research should address the long-term effects of industry-specific content and projectbased learning on students' english proficiency and career readiness. it would be beneficial to incorporate perspectives from teachers and industry practitioners to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges and needs in english language education for this field. this study acknowledges limitations such as a small sample size and the short duration of the research, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. further research with a larger sample and extended timeframe and exploring new evaluation methods will be valuable in enhancing english language learning strategies for broadcasting and film students. acknowledgments we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to our dosen, bapak dr. andrianna gaffar, m.m. pd., for the collaboration and review of this article, as well as the highest quality standards in this research. we would also like to express our gratitude to ms. irma marianingsih, s.s., gr., guru bahasa inggris di smk 2 lppm ri majalaya, for her valuable assistance and support. we are grateful to the students of smk 2 lppm ri majalaya, particularly those from xi broadcasting and film, for their participation in our research. your whole contribution to the success of this project is extremely important. references andanty, f. d. (2020). the implementation of projectbased learning method in teaching esp (english for specific purposes): case study. sell journal, 5(1). basturkmen, h. (2006). ideas and options in english for specific purposes. lawrence erlbaum associates, publishers. baxter, p., & jack, s. (2015). qualitative case study methodology: study design and implementation for novice researchers. the qualitative report. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2008.1573 ekayati, r., manurung, i. d., & yenni, e. (2020). need analysis of esp for non-english study program. language literacy: journal of linguistics, literature, and language teaching, 4(2), 322–332. https://doi.org/10.30743/ll.v4i2.3152 fadlia, f., zulida, e., asra, s., rahmiati, r., & bania, a. s. (2020). english subject on english for specific purposes (esp) in vocational schools. language literacy: journal of linguistics, literature, and language teaching, 4(2), 358– 367. https://doi.org/10.30743/ll.v4i2.3064 fajarika nuninsari, d., sutopo, d., & anggani linggar bharati, d. (2020). the implementation of project based learning strategy in teaching spoken english. english education journal, 10(1), 94–101. https://doi.org/10.15294/eej.v10i1.33952 fassin, d. (ed.). (2012). a companion to moral anthropology. wiley-blackwell. fraenkel, j. r., & wallen, n. e. (2009). how to design and evaluate research in education (7th ed). mcgraw-hill. hashim, h. u., & yunus, m. m. (2018). english as a second language (esl) learning: setting the right environment for second language acquisition. tadris: jurnal keguruan dan ilmu tarbiyah, 3(2), 207. https://doi.org/10.24042/tadris.v3i2.2941 hidayati, d., novianti, h., khansa, m., slamet, j., & suryati, n. (2023). effectiveness project-based learning in esp class: viewed from indonesian students‘ learning outcomes. international journal of information and education technology, 13(3), 558–565. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2023.13.3.1839 hutchinson, t., & waters, a. (1987). english for specific purposes: a learning-centred approach. cambridge university press. jumroh, j., & rohmah, o. (2019). the influence of student’s perception on learning media and student’s motivation toward student’s english achievement. inference: journal of english language teaching, 2(1), article 1. https://doi.org/10.30998/inference.v2i1.5364 kristianto, i. i., & harendita, m. e. (2022). the implementation of project-based learning in an esp class to improve reading and speaking skills. eltr journal, 6(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.37147/eltr.v6i1.126 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1273 mamakou, i., & grigoriadou, m. (2010). an e-projectbased approach to esp learning in an ict curriculum in higher education. https://api.semanticscholar.org/corpusid:54884 974 maros, m., korenkova, m., fila, m., levicky, m., & schoberova, m. (2023). project-based learning and its effectiveness: evidence from slovakia. interactive learning environments, 31(7), 4147–4155. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.195403 6 maulani, d. s., friatin, l. y., & rachmawati, e. (2022). voicing the students’ need of english vocabulary english for specific purposes in vocational high school. jelita: journal of education, language innovation, and applied linguistics, 1(1), 56–66. https://doi.org/10.37058/jelita.v1i1.4440 nurdin, i., & hartati, s. (2019). metodologi penelitian sosial (luthfiah, ed.). penerbit media sahabat cendekia. otilia, s. m. (2015). needs analysis in english for specific purposes. academica brâncuşi publisher, ii(1). palah, s., wasliman, i., sauri, s., & gaffar, m. a. (2022). principal strategic management in improving the quality of education. international journal of educational research. paltridge, b., & starfield, s. (eds.). (2014). the handbook of english for specific purposes (paperback edition). wiley blackwell. sari, f. p., & wirza, y. (2021). needs analysis of english for specific purposes in vocational high school level: thirteenth conference on applied linguistics (conaplin 2020), bandung, indonesia. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210427.029 shute, v. j. (2008). focus on formative feedback. review of educational research, 78(1), 153– 189. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654307313795 sugiyono. (2019). metode penelitian kuantitatif kualitatif dan r&d (sutopo, ed.). alfabeta. sukarni, s. (2019). a need analysis for esp-content materials for accountancy programme at vocational high school. proceedings of the proceedings of the 3rd english language and literature international conference, ellic, 27th april 2019, semarang, indonesia. proceedings of the 3rd english language and literature international conference, ellic, 27th april 2019, semarang, indonesia, semarang, indonesia. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.27-4-2019.2285343 sumiati, d., muchtar, h. s., warta, w., & gaffar, m. a. (2023). management of ict-based learning programs to improve student learning outcomes. proceedings of the 4th international conference on law, social sciences, and education, iclsse 2022, 28 october 2022, singaraja, bali, indonesia. proceedings of the 4th international conference on law, social sciences, and education, iclsse 2022, 28 october 2022, singaraja, bali, indonesia, singaraja, indonesia. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.28-10-2022.2326337 suyadi, & andana, a. (2020). analysis of students’ need of specific english materials for engineering program at vocational high school. proceedings of the 7th international conference on english language and teaching (icoelt 2019). 7th international conference on english language and teaching (icoelt 2019), padang, indonesia. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200306.029 wahyudi, w., & jufrizal, j. (2023). the need of english for specific purposes in vocational high school. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 15(3), 3084–3093. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v15i3.3047 zamili, m. (2015). menghindar dari bias: jurnal lisan al-hal, 7(2), 283–304. muhammad andriana gaffar, elmira rahmawati, & putri nesi neliasari project-based learning on need analysis of esp in managing classroom activities to develop students’ language skills in broadcasting and film major 1274 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 469 support systems and learner resilience in english distance higher education lidwina sri ardiasih1, juhana2, frimadhona syafri3, rahmiaty4, meylina5, kwang sik chung6 1,2master of english education program, school of postgraduate universitas terbuka, indonesia 3english department, faculty of language and arts, universitas negeri semarang, indonesia 4department of elementary education, faculty of education and teachers training, institut agama islam negeri lhokseumawe, indonesia 5computer system, stmik jaya nusa, indonesia 6department of computer science, college of natural sciences, korea national open university, korea corresponding email: lidwina@ecampus.ut.ac.id apa citation: ardiasih, l. s., juhana., syafri, f., rahmiaty., meylina., chung, k. s. (2025). support systems and learner resilience in english distance higher education. english review: journal of english education, introduction distance learning systems are the primary option for pursuing higher education for adult learners. adult learners are usually in the age range of 2540 years (ardiwinata et al., 2021). their busy work allows for more flexible time management and can be done anywhere. although some of them are not serious about pursuing formal education online, others show high motivation and are more focused on learning outcomes because the majors they choose can support their current field of work (gray & diloreto, 2016). there are three main motivations related to work and profession, namely expanding specialized knowledge, gaining new professional insights, and obtaining higher professional certification (symposia, 2006). the universitas terbuka (ut) is a state university that has implemented an open and distance learning system since its establishment in 1984 (ardiasih et al., 2023). based on the experience of ut tutors regarding student characteristics, compared to face-to-face students, online students have several limitations. among them are limitations in communicating with tutors or fellow students, few opportunities to ask questions about material that is still unclear, short deadlines for submitting assignments, or internet networks that often experience disruptions. one of the criticisms of online learning is the lack of social connections. according to (erlangga, 2022), one of the most common problems that arise in online learning is a lack of social connections. in a face-to-face learning environment, students have many opportunities to connect with their classmates, participate in group abstract: this study examined distance learner resilience in overcoming academic burnout during their research in the english department. the descriptive qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to evaluate the experiences and perspectives of 144 distance learners on their self-directed learning activities from the undergraduate and graduate english education study programs at universitas terbuka (ut). the findings revealed that a strong support system is important in enhancing learners' resilience in distance higher education. support from family and institutions contributes to their emotional and academic stability, while community engagement and access to digital resources expand learning opportunities and overcome barriers. in addition, the balance between online learning and personal life is key to preventing academic burnout and maintaining learning motivation. therefore, educational institutions need to develop holistic support strategies, covering emotional, social, and managerial aspects for distance learners. keywords: english distance learners, higher education, online learning, learners’ resilience, technological stress 13(2), 469-480. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11846 received: 04-02-2025 accepted: 20-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 mailto:lidwina@ecampus.ut.ac.id lidwina sri ardiasih, juhana, frimadhona syafri, rahmiaty, meylina, kwang sik chung support systems and learner resilience in english distance higher education 470 activities, and form interpersonal relationships. these social connections not only enhance the educational experience but also help students acquire critical communication and collaboration skills. furthermore, social connections are closely linked to a person's adaptive functioning. behavior, emotions, and cognitive attitudes play vital roles in supporting students’ resilience, enabling them to build academic achievement, form healthy social relationships, and manage emotions effectively (guo et al., 2021; mu & guo, 2022). resilience is crucial in determining students’ ability to recover from adversity and overcome discouragement (rahmawati & zamroni, 2023). in the context of education, nashori & saputro (2021) summarize academic resilience as the ability of students to deal with setbacks, challenges, difficulties, and pressures effectively in learning activities. students' ability to use both internal and external resources to handle negative situations is a reflection of this competence (boatman, 2014). there are 4 main aspects of academic resilience. first, self-belief refers to students’ ability to acknowledge their weaknesses that need to be addressed to foster personal development and fulfill academic responsibilities throughout the educational process. so indirectly a sense of selfconfidence and belief in one's abilities is built. second, a sense of control in the form of the ability to control oneself over various pressures and burdens experienced, predict future events, and prepare oneself to face them. third, low anxiety in the form of calmness due to being able to regulate emotions and anxiety levels regarding academic responsibilities, homework, and semester exams. finally, persistence is the form of determination not to give up easily although facing difficulties and failures in completing academic tasks and responsibilities (martin, 2012). managing stress with optimism and adaptability helps students prevent a decline in academic achievement (singh & jha, 2013). a support system is a fairly important dimension in resilience, namely support from family, peers, and tutors (hernandez & cortes, 2012; tise et al., 2023) because it facilitates emotional regulation and mitigates stress. a conducive and safe learning environment, ease of finding learning materials, and support from institutions act as external support. therefore, students need to master effective strategies for dealing with weak resilience. students can learn problemsolving skills, build positive mindsets, and seek help when experiencing difficulties (joseph, 2012). once resilience is established, students can initiate positive self-transformations by cultivating new skills and enhancing their motivation to achieve goals (mcintosh & shaw, 2017). in short, the concept of resilience includes the ability of students to rise from adversity and overcome it independently. factors associated with resilience include optimism, social support, the surrounding environment, problem-solving strategies, adaptive functioning, and the tendency to continue to develop and make positive changes in the face of academic challenges in education. to ensure that they stay on the right academic track, distance learners need regular monitoring and support throughout their educational journey (sampson, 2003; simpson, 2021). educational institutions must be able to routinely help them set learning goals and develop skills to overcome their academic challenges (suman, 2023). one form of assistance is counseling services. distance learners must have easy access to meet their emotional and psychological needs, such as stress management services, health problems, anxiety, and other mental health (abu hasan et al., 2023). a good relationship between students and tutors or instructors also helps them become more confident and enthusiastic. tutors can share advice and experiences related to academic assignments so that students can build their confidence. furthermore, interaction and support for student resilience can also be provided by the learning management system (lms) platform as a centralized medium for presenting interesting materials, lively forum discussions, and easily accessible chat rooms (sari & mediatati, 2023). virtual interactions will foster a sense of unity and familiarity, just as face-to-face sessions do. students can continue by forming communities such as whatsapp groups, facebook groups, or other platforms (van den berg & mudau, 2022). once an active community is formed, they can share experiences, discuss difficult material, and provide support, reducing feelings of isolation and building stable resilience. students can also create online communities to share experiences, ask questions, and provide peer support to reduce feelings of isolation and increase resilience (grégoire et al., 2022). this community can be facilitated through social media groups, discussion boards, or special platforms. virtual communities can also learn groups (gray & diloreto, 2016). so that students can collaborate english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 471 in completing assignments and preparing for final exams. support from institutions, technological interventions, and selfdevelopment programs are also crucial. the availability of academic guidance and counseling services can provide emotional support to learners in english language education programs. virtual classrooms can encourage interaction and mutual motivation among classmates. moreover, an interactive learning environment can be fostered when students actively participate in discussion forums during tutorial sessions. in addition to being able to ask questions, students can receive input from peers and tutors. by working in groups, students can help themselves develop interpersonal skills, learn to be responsible for the tasks given, and build a strong sense of togetherness (chiriac, 2014). thus, many aspects synergize to increase resilience in distance learners. preliminary study conducted by the researchers on several distance learners in the english language education program revealed several substantial challenges. they experience limitations in a language environment that does not support real-time speaking practice. the lack of consistent peers for practicing speaking skills in daily life presents a significant challenge for students. moreover, during webinar tutorials, distance learners often experience a lack of confidence in engaging in virtual discussions, primarily due to limited opportunities for direct speaking practice. these findings are the basis for formulating the focus and objectives of the study. given this situation, this study seeks to determine how resilient distance learners of english at ut are. thus, the formulation of this research question is as follows. (1) how resilient are english distance learners of universitas terbuka? (2) what are the important elements that enhance the english distance learners of universitas terbuka? method an exploratory mixed-methods design was adopted in this study, combining quantitative and qualitative strategies to achieve an in-depth understanding of resilience among distance learners in the english language education program (tashakkori & creswell, 2007). the motivation for using a mixed-methods approach stems from its ability to establish numerical trends and support them with detailed insights. according to mertens (2014), the qualitative analysis was conducted after the quantitative phase to enhance and provide deeper insight into the findings derived from the statistical data. the quantitative strand intended to assess resiliencerelated characteristics, whereas the qualitative strand sought to investigate learners' perspectives and lived experiences. the descriptive qualitative technique allowed the researchers to organize, classify, and synthesize the open-ended data, making it easier to draw well-supported conclusions (manan et al., 2020; miles & huberman, 1994). the participants of this study consisted of distance learners enrolled in the undergraduate and graduate programs of the english education department at ut. a convenience sampling method was employed, facilitating voluntary and flexible participation (rwodzi & jager, 2021). while the survey was distributed via the moodle chat box to ensure wide accessibility, this method may have led to sampling bias due to its inability to reach all eligible students equally. the questionnaire was completed by 144 student participants. to provide contextual background for the findings, essential demographic information was obtained. of the respondents, 74% identified as female and 26% as male, with ages ranging between 20 and 45 years. in terms of academic level, 65% were enrolled in undergraduate programs, while the remaining 35% were pursuing graduate studies. the online questionnaire modified lereya et al. (2016) was utilized to gather the data from english department student. the researchers divided the questionnaire into two dimensions. the first dimension focuses on english learners’ resilience, while the second is an open-ended question that allows learners to elaborate on their answers (lereya et al., 2016; moh muzammil et al., 2020). the first dimension's inquiries focused on learners' connections to their families, environments, as well as their own personalities, which influence their ability to be resilient in their studies. it comprises family connections, institutional connections, community connections inside institutions, participation in community life, self-esteem, empathy, and problem-solving. the total number of questions in this part is about 21. it includes four response options: strongly disagree for 1-scale, disagree for 2scales, agree and strongly agree for 3 and 4scales. the researchers preferred to choose 4 scales in this study to eliminate the neutral option, and at the same time to push the respondents to take a side in determine their opinions. furthermore, three open-ended questions were lidwina sri ardiasih, juhana, frimadhona syafri, rahmiaty, meylina, kwang sik chung support systems and learner resilience in english distance higher education 472 used to extend the information. to ensure item validity, a qualified psychology lecturer from ut was requested to conduct both face validity and reliability of tests on the items in question. the data were collected in the form of a likert scale from the online questionnaire and was statistically evaluated using spps-25 with no preceding assumptions. the closed-ended questions' minimum, maximum, mean, and standard deviation were identified using descriptive statistics as the quantitative analysis. to gain more thorough understanding of student’s resilience, this study used method of triangulation, by combining a quantitative data from likertscale questionnaire with qualitative data from open ended question. moreover, for an openended inquiry, the researchers examined every line of information in term of points and presented it as constructed themes. the study was conducted in accordance with all ethical guidelines. the study's objectives were explained to the participants, and they received guarantees of confidentiality and anonymity. before access to the questionnaire, electronic informed permission was acquired. no personally identifiable information was gathered, and participation was completely optional. results and discussion the preliminary results of the data studies revealed the resilience of english distance learners in higher education. to ensure the data is valid and reliable, table 1 is given to show the validity of test items as follows. table 1. the validity test results items r sig. (2-tailed) cronbach's alpha if item deleted cronbach' s alpha x1 1 0.933 0.935 x2 .432** 0.000 0.933 x3 .492** 0.000 0.934 x4 .780** 0.000 0.932 x5 .352** 0.000 0.932 x6 .279** 0.005 0.933 x7 .213* 0.035 0.933 x8 .523** 0.000 0.929 x9 .417** 0.000 0.930 x10 .382** 0.000 0.929 x11 .416** 0.000 0.931 x12 .310** 0.002 0.934 x13 .298** 0.003 0.931 x14 .327** 0.001 0.931 x15 .333** 0.001 0.931 x16 .310** 0.002 0.932 x17 .374** 0.000 0.932 x18 .276** 0.006 0.932 x19 .362** 0.000 0.931 x20 .298** 0.003 0.933 x21 .284** 0.005 0.932 x22 0.275 0.004 0.933 **. correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). *. correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). alpha > 0,6 the table depicting the validity test results shows that the sig-2 tailed value is less than 0.05; then, the items are considered valid. if the total questions are bigger than 0.05, as represented in the figure, particularly x2 in 0.000, the question item value is valid. similarly, measurements were taken from the r table findings. item x2 and so on implied that the estimated r (pearson correlation) is bigger than the r table (0.195). for example, x2 r is computed to be .432**; because the calculated t exceeds the r table, all items are declared valid. furthermore, wijaya & kloping ((wijaya & kloping, 2021) stated that if the cronbach alpha value is greater than 0.06, all items are considered reliable. for example, in x1 until x22, the data show that all items exceeded 0.06, and the cronbach value is about 0,935. as a result, we can conclude that all question items are valid and reliable. moreover, to assess the resilience of english english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 473 distance learners at ut, several components in the following table generate resilience. they are associated with family connections, institutional connections, community connections, community participation, self-esteem, empathy, and problem resolution. all items from the variables can be seen from this following diagram: figure.1. spread of mean of score of the items the data from the figure above shows the average score of each component. the further the point from the center of the graph, the higher the level of perception of support from students for that component. by looking at a wider area, we can identify the strongest support components or those that need to be improved. there are 7 components, such as family support, institutional relationships, community support in institutions, student participation in institutions, self-esteem, empathy and problem solving. for example, if x1 is more prominent, it means that 'family connection' gets the highest rating. from the figure, codes x2, x3 occupy the highest position, where that aspect is in family support, then, the second highest component is x17, x16 in this case also occupy a high position, where both are variables in the empathy component. to deepen the understanding towards the diagram above, the descriptive statistics can be seen in the following table. table 2. learners’ resilience in english education distance learners the findings showed that 144 learners completed the questionnaire. according to the data, the minimum number is about 1,00 of likert scale which demonstrates that the learners strongly-disagree. whilst, the maximum number is 4,00 which described strongly agree. furthermore, mean score and standard deviation is used to compare the result of each item which support the learners’ resilience in learning english. the above table indicates a positive perception toward the family connection among students in english department, as illustrated by the favorable mean scores. primarily, on the highest rated items as “i will be a success in the english department" (m = 3,5833) suggests that students would feel a lidwina sri ardiasih, juhana, frimadhona syafri, rahmiaty, meylina, kwang sik chung support systems and learner resilience in english distance higher education 474 strong sense of family support on their academic potential. this would in line with a critical motivational role, in strengthening student’s academic identity and commitment to study. meanwhile, the lower score of the family connection was about family’s interest to college work, this implies the relative gap between active engagement and potentially predicted as less involvement of day – to – day academic issues. moreover, the statements “my family wants me to do my best” still indicates an encouraging atmosphere among family members, and is believed to perceived more strongly that direct involvement in academic activities. that is a sign for students to have independency to navigate their academic experiences. the result of english students’ resilience in respect to institutional connection explain a relatively positive result. even if the score appears to be on a scale of 2,00 or disagree, the standard deviation is 0,66667, yet the learners still perceive the faculty and staff institution offer serious help to their academic determination. moreover, the finding implies a reciprocal dynamic. the institution believes that student success is strengthened by the student's self-efficacy and motivation to complete their degree in english. from the component of community connection, the data highlights the potential gap towards emotional supports from community and academic confidence, although the mean score reach the neutral point 3.00, the value shows the lack of affirmation. from community connection towards student’s potential in the english department. it shows by the fact of the data that resilience is relatively low in relation to being a member of a club, sports team, religious organization, or other group on the english department. moreover, three highest component that support student’ resilience is empathy, that was around 3,5069 from the range, indicating that the learners are in a great situation to study in the english department. other than that, the student’s strength also came from their own self ability to have a power of solving the problem. the internal motivation could shape the way how people think and act, and when it comes to problem-solving, the learners already possess resilience. the mean score for all four things is up to 3,00. it takes approximately 3,1875 to say that they easily recognize people or experts to speak with. furthermore, all such positive results showed a satisfactory outcome within the range of 3,00 of the mean score. the average score for the point "i think i will be successful when i grow up" is 3,5972. it indicates that all learners already have selfresilience during their studies, particularly in understanding english language learning. to provide the clearer understanding towards the research question on how resilient are english distance learners of universitas terbuka, here are some points that can be revealed from the data: the resilience of english distance learners in higher education as aligned with aim of this study, which was to investigate english learners’ resilience during pursuing their study through online learning system, the main findings of this study described four important components that support the resilience. they encompass family connection, self-esteem, empathy, and problem solving. family connections and some other components had inflicted the confidence of learners to have the resilience during their study in english department. the feeling of burnout or stress during their study which caused by any hard situation can be alleviated by the connections to the family. however, this finding was inconsistent with one study that mentioned that parents’ level of education is a factor in increasing the academic burnout of students (liu et al., 2023). the result of the data assumed that sharing and communicating with parents, spouses the crucial to help learners. even if family members do not comprehend the integral part study, but communication, in fact significant to help the learners (zeng et al., 2021). it also is reported in one study that family support led to a greater contribution to learners’ academic resilience than peer support or teachers in the pandemic phase (zhu et al., 2022). at this point, the findings imply that family assistance may serve as a significant external dimension that assists learners in adjusting themselves to their learning environment. moreover, our findings support the resilience of distance learners lie within themselves. when an individual has good selfesteem, empathy, and problem-solving skills, they would have resilience in their personality. the process of pursuing their degree in english education was assumed will be successful if they had a strong commitment to solving the problem across the study. learners who comprehend the situation and understand what other people feel while learning english were predicted to gain english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 475 more success in learning as they pertain a well empathy. similarly, learners’ resilience can be upheld from the individual who has a strong skill to solve the problem and conceive goals and plan for their study. this is related to another study that supported learners who are able to make decisions in the character allowed them to become personally entrenched in any situation (drewelow & finney, 2020). the involvement of the learning environment as the reinforcement also has increased resilience that supports the learners’ situation during their learning process. college or institution connection, community in the institution, and participation in community life as part of the component have given many helps for learners. however, the limitation of distance mode in higher education might give a different perception of learners in coping themselves to gain the higher resilience in their personal life. furthermore, to elaborate the findings about the important elements that enhance the english distance learners of universitas terbuka, here the result that were depicted in term of thematic analysis: significant components to enhance the learners’ resilience in their english studies in online learning. concerning boosting the learners' resilience for their english studies, the researcher also continued the focus the attention onto the participants’ responses to open-ended questions. on this point, the language used by learners in the questionnaire is indonesian, which was then translated by the researcher’s team into english. after doing the translation process, the researcher applied keyword clustering tools to find the most related themes and points as the important information. the data from open-ended results revealed three major themes. the extract from the translated responses is given under the following themes. family and institution supports in line with the survey results from the point “do you feel you get enough support in learning english online?” family is the most prominent source of support for online english learning. here are several excerpts from the respondents’ short answers. "my main support system is my family." "yes, family and friends, they really accompany me in my study." "family provides support in learning english" "yes, i have full support from everyone in my environment, including my family." other than family support, motivation is vital in increasing learners’ trust regarding their ability to learn english. learners discovered that pursuing their studies would be challenging without the external encouragement that is friends and the devotion from themselves. here are the details from the data. "i had support from family members and friends." "i think most of my job comes from friends, companions, colleagues." "i feel like i have enough support from myself." the finding suggested that the readers who opted to continue their education through distance learning mode commit to their study. in line with self-support, family is seen as one determinant that truly contributes to making life more meaningful instead of friends, institutions, or any spirituality approaches (ahmadi et al., 2023). meanwhile, other previous research that mentioned distance learners mostly is self-directed, unsupervised, and expected to be more autonomous, even though traditional learning types should have done the similar effort (sampson, 2003). family support is one of the key strengths observed in the result, which aligns with the point about external support systems. this present strength will give insight to any distance learners to at least find their inner circle or network in case they do not have family support to increase the motivation to study. however, the researchers thought that this finding leads to one risk for online learners. that too much support from family would lead to family dependence. consequently, external support is crucial, yet the biggest assistance to help learners finish their study is only from their self-commitment. furthermore, in line with the way learners gained the confidence to continue their studies in the english department that employ the moodle system at ut, institutional support in the result has depicted to be very helpful in assisting learners. this point answered the research question about the important elements that enhance english distance learners. for the lidwina sri ardiasih, juhana, frimadhona syafri, rahmiaty, meylina, kwang sik chung support systems and learner resilience in english distance higher education 476 analysis, here are the quotes from the data. "in my experience, the campus is really communicative and very helpful." "i really got help from several tutors through online learning." "i got support from lecturers and friends during my study in ut” “i have no problem related to technological barriers so i can do my work properly, including using moodle in my learning process.” the study has expanded the previous research scope by asking the learners’ response towards their institution helps, whether the institution such as lecturer or staff support and care to their online learners. the data showed that institutions put a big deal into the learners’ needs. nevertheless, the institution has also been helpful in supporting the learners pursuing their degrees. the data also illustrated the credibility of the institution to provide the adequate infrastructures for distance learning program. this relates to moodle as a platform that improves learners’ english skills; for example, english video attached in material initiation boosts up their listening skills. another thing, learners are easily accessing the extended material provided by the tutor, which eventually enhances their reading skill, at the same time also improves their pronunciation and speaking skills anytime they interact using web-based tutorials in the moodle system. one important thing that benefits learners from ut as a distance learning institution is making learners’ writing skills improve since they have regular task drills and certainly improve learners’ critical thinking. as a result, language learning can be done remotely through interactive learning environments supported by communicative technology. in this context, ut has offered various tutorials delivered through media such as audio/video cassettes, radio shows, television shows, telephone, email, the internet, web-based resources, and printed materials. however, no matter how small the help from the institution, it is expected would help learners gain their confidence and strengthen their learning process, particularly related to any stress caused by the barrier, such as technology (ardiasih et al., 2023). this is contrary to the other study about the challenges and coping strategies of distance learning in ghana, which resulted in low motivation of human resources on distance mode (segbenya & anokye, 2023) nevertheless, as online learning has existed and gained a lot more attention in the level of higher degree, the data leads the discussion into the chance for institutions to improve any dimension of institution quality, including staff and tutor services (akareem & hossain, 2016). community support and digital resources learners reported that online resources and community groups give supplementary sources of assistance, demonstrating the complex qualities of online english learning support systems. the availability of an enormous amount of information on the internet contributed to the learners in their studies. the quotes to that point are stated below. "i learned from youtube and several websites." "i know english from various information i searched on the internet." "from social media, i learn english from youtube and other social media…" "one tv with foreign regions has a big influence on my language." " i can lean on my english communities and friend from groups on whatsapp anytime i got difficulties during learning language …" "i am learning from the english community that i have since i was in senior high school…" in accordance with the discussion in literature reviews, learners’ resilience is a crucial part of individual psychology after overcoming stress, fatigue, or burnout in their life experience. the research comprised the significant components to enhance english distance learners in higher education at ut. here, the help from other resources such as community groups and other online material from any websites has increased the learners’ academic purposes, precisely helping them in improving their degree in the english department. on this point, social media play a crucial role beyond traditional learning to support learners to communicate and gives the flexible qualities, that encompass facebook, instagram, whatsapp, youtube, and twitter (barrot, 2022; ohara, 2023). to support their learning, students opted english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 477 youtube for their multimedia learning. this functional media is acceptable in ut since youtube is not only the social media but also the tools that offer many useful information for learning (shoufan & mohamed, 2022). moreover, the finding also indicates that distance learners have a good insight to adapt with barriers by asking their friends outside ut. this can lead to one opportunity that learners can be more competent in facing challenges in learning english. this is in line with the way how students have selfregulated study to anticipate the learning process and maximize the output (dekker et al., 2023; info, 2024; kim et al., 2021). that is similar to one study that mentioned that higher education distance learners are better at mitigating the negative consequences of adversity and attaining their goals(teoh & liau, 2023). yet, on this point, it would be better if institutions provide the roadmap for learners before creating their milestones in community or independently conducting online surfing without direction or limitation. this is similar to the previous research from other country, the sense of community connection either external or internal, would benefits the learners to negotiate, communicate as long as they know how start with, indeed help them expressing themselves in the environment to ensure their participation and continue to gain experience by real learning action (gunes et al., 2024). maintaining balance between online learning and personal life the results encompassed the importance of several key points in respect to time management, organizing the schedule, prioritizing health, and ensuring proper rest to increase learners' resilience in learning english. the quotes from the data depicted that learners have engaged themselves to gain the retention to complete their studies. "manage your time as good as possible, make a list of activities and then group them based on priorities." "scheduling my studies and family by dividing my time well between these two things." "i divided my time between study and personal." "make a deadline for my agenda." "not delay to fill the task, especially the weekly discussion, so i can divide my time between studies and family." "organize my time, especially rest time as possible, also my work time and study time." it can be seen that there is a picture of components that generates resilience of individuals’ life experience to overcome any challenges in learning language online or pursuing online degree program, particularly in english education program. as mentioned in a literature review, resilience is the ability to manage stress optimistically, and adaptability greatly helps learners in their academic performance. the study on the emotional experiences of language in remote setting has identified boredom appear to be the most examined (tao & gao, 2022). that is why the ideas of making online language learning onto more engaging and conversational were offered (yazdanmehr et al., 2021). another thing, to make learners stay focus, it is suggested the learners to adopt themselves to maintain time, and optimize their learning atmosphere. this is crucial as the more individuals commit to experiencing on-the-job demands, such as overload, time pressure, the more conflict happens when one individual is unable to solve the imbalance (boamah et al., 2022). hence, good self-management from a person to have the ability to achieve goals significantly influences themselves to the extent to which they can initiate their learning experiences or their future. conclusion the results of this study demonstrate the resilience of english language learners in distance learning institutions. the main findings identified several important components, including family relationships, self-esteem, empathy, and problemsolving, all of which contribute to the resilience of distance english learners. family relationships have increased learners' confidence to remain resilient during their studies in the english department. from the perspective of language teaching and distance learning, the integration of technology and education has revolutionized pedagogical goals, created a new learning taxonomy applicable to interactive learning environments, and enabled learners to take control of their knowledge construction process. in addition, learners’ academic resilience is greatly influenced by their reasons for selecting to study at ut, where learning goals are closely related to individual motivations for starting the learning process at college. moreover, some points that explain moderate values or relatively positive lidwina sri ardiasih, juhana, frimadhona syafri, rahmiaty, meylina, kwang sik chung support systems and learner resilience in english distance higher education 478 results can be taken into the draft for the institution. for example, in the context of supporting learners' language development, institutions must demonstrate active involvement by not only supplying adequate technological infrastructure but also by implementing initiatives that effectively foster the enhancement of students' english language proficiency. regarding the weakness of community participation, the institution could review the curriculum system, on this point to make the supporting program for english distance students. activities such as direct english mentoring can be useful to see the progress of the distance students, other peer programs also can be useful to support students' need to make them focus on improving their english competence. in the end, it will support language learning, and at the same time support their resilience during the english learning program. however, this study has limitations concerning statistical analyses, such as correlations, regression models, or other relevant test designs. future research could address these gaps to explore potential causal relationships or significant group differences. additionally, an indepth qualitative approach, such as a phenomenological design, is recommended in subsequent studies to gain a more comprehensive understanding of students' resilience in language learning. concerning, further investigation could also examine the impact of substantial academic workloads on students’ language learning progress. references abu hasan, n. i., ganggayah, m. d., suhaimi, s., abu hasan, n., & jamal, n. f. (2023). mediating effects of fear on mental health among undergraduate students during open distance learning. malaysian journal of medical sciences, 30(6), 91–107. https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2023.30.6.1 0 ahmadi, f., cetrez, ö. a., & zandi, s. (2023). living through a global pandemic: a cross-sectional study on the psychological resilience of the university population in iran. international journal of environmental research and public health, 20(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064844 akareem, h. s., & hossain, s. s. (2016). determinants of education quality: what makes students’ perception different? open review of educational research, 3(1), 52–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/23265507.2016.1 155167 ardiasih, l. s., meylina, m., & rahmiaty, r. (2023). an analysis of distance learners’ technological competence on moodlebased learning experiences. international research-based education journal, 5(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.17977/um043v5i1p18-32 ardiwinata, j. s., wahyudin, u., yunus, d., purnomo, & wulandari, h. (2021). the implementation of technology in adult learning in community education units. proceedings of the first transnational webinar on adult and continuing education (traced 2020), 548(traced 2020), 58–63. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210508. 011 barrot, j. s. (2022). social media as a language learning environment: a systematic review of the literature (2008-2019). computer assisted language learning, 35(9), 2534–2562. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1 883673 boamah, s. a., hamadi, h. y., havaei, f., smith, h., & webb, f. (2022). striking a balance between work and play: the effects of work–life interference and burnout on faculty turnover intentions and career satisfaction. international journal of environmental research and public health, 19(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19020809 boatman, m. (2014). academically resilient minority doctoral students who experienced poverty and parental substance abuse. 1–216. chiriac, e. h. (2014). group work as an incentive for learning students’ experiences of group work. frontiers in psychology, 5(june), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.0055 8 dekker, i., schippers, m., & van schooten, e. (2023). reflective goal-setting improves academic performance in teacher and business education: a large-scale field experiment. journal of research on educational effectiveness, 0(0), 1– 29. https://doi.org/10.1080/19345747.2023.2 231440 drewelow, i., & finney, s. (2020). developing intercultural empathy through a strategybased simulation in intermediate spanish. language learning journal, 48(6), 754–767. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2018.1 448433 erlangga, d. t. (2022). student problems in online learning: solutions to keep education going on. journal of english language teaching and learning, 3(1), 21–26. https://doi.org/10.33365/jeltl.v3i1.1694 gray, j. a., & diloreto, m. (2016). the effects of student engagement, student satisfaction, and perceived learning in online learning environments. 11(1). grégoire, s., beaulieu, f., lachance, l., bouffard, t., vezeau, c., & perreault, m. (2022). an online peer support program to improve mental health among university students: a randomized controlled trial. journal of american college health, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2 099224 gunes, a., ozen, e., & aykul, m. (2024). the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 479 determination of the sense of community levels of university students in online distance education environments in terms of different variables. turkish online journal of distance education, 25(1), 247–259. https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.1251673 guo, j., tang, x., marsh, h. w., parker, p., basarkod, g., sahdra, b., ranta, m., & salmela-aro, k. (2021). the roles of social–emotional skills in students’ academic and life success: a multi informant and multicohort perspective. journal of personality and social psychology, november. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000426 hernandez, a. s., & cortes, d. (2012). factors and conditions that promote academic resilience a cross-country perspective. 56th annual conference of the comparative and …, january. info, a. (2024). self-efficacy and selfregulated learning ’ s role in selfdirected l earning ’ s impact on academic writing problemsolving for efl undergraduates. 9(1), 19–32. joseph, s. n. (2012). empowering students through problemsolving learning : a pathway to heightened participation and engagement. interntional collaboration book chapter, 9, 1– 14. kim, d., jo, i. h., song, d., zheng, h., li, j., zhu, j., huang, x., yan, w., & xu, z. (2021). selfregulated learning strategies and student video engagement trajectory in a video-based asynchronous online course: a bayesian latent growth modeling approach. asia pacific education review, 22(2), 305–317. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-02109690-0 lereya, s. t., humphrey, n., patalay, p., wolpert, m., böhnke, j. r., macdougall, a., & deighton, j. (2016). the student resilience survey: psychometric validation and associations with mental health. child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-016-01325 liu, z., xie, y., sun, z., liu, d., yin, h., & shi, l. (2023). factors associated with academic burnout and its prevalence among university students : a cross ‑ sectional study. bmc medical education, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909023-04316-y manan, a., fadhilah, m. a., kamarullah, & habiburrahim. (2020). evaluating paperbased toefl preparation program using the context, input, process, and product (cipp) model. studies in english language and education, 7(2), 457– 471. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v7i2.16467 martin, a. j. (2012). resilience and learning. in encyclopedia of the sciences of learning (pp. 207–223). faculty of education and social work. mcintosh, e., & shaw, j. (2017). student resilience: exploring the positive case for resilience. in unite students publications (issue may). university of bolton. mertens, d. m. (2014). research and evaluation in education and psychology: integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. (v. knight (ed.)). sage publications, inc. miles, m. b., & huberman, a. m. (1994). qualitative data analysis. in r. holland (ed.), sage publications (2nd ed.). sage publications, inc. moh muzammil, sutawijaya, a., & harsasi, m. (2020). investigating student satisfaction in online learning : the role of student interaction and engagement in. todje, special is(july), 88– 96. mu, d., & guo, w. (2022). impact of students’ online learning burnout on learning performance the intermediary role of game evaluation. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 17(2), 239–253. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v17i02.285 55 nashori, f., & saputro, i. (2021). psikologi resiliensi. in universitas islam indonesia (issue 1). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351283 333_psikologi_resiliensi ohara, m. r. (2023). the role of social media in educational communication management. journal of contemporary administration and management (adman), 1(2), 70–76. https://doi.org/10.61100/adman.v1i2.25 rahmawati, d., & zamroni, z. (2023). the moderating role of adversity quotient in the relationship between achievement motivation and orientation to future work among university students. indonesian psychological research, 5(2), 112–119. rwodzi, c., & jager, l. de. (2021). resilient english teachers’ use of remote teaching and learning strategies in gauteng resource-constrained township secondary schools. perspectives in education, 39(2), 62–78. https://doi.org/10.18820/2519593x/pie.v 39.i3.6 sampson, n. (2003). meeting the needs of distance learners. language learning and technology, 7(3), 103–118. sari, o. p., & mediatati, n. (2023). students resilience: the impact of online learning policies during the covid-19 pandemic on academic stress. journal of educational social studies, 12(1), 73–83. https://doi.org/10.15294/jess.v12i1.69964 segbenya, m., & anokye, f. a. (2023). challenges and coping strategies among distance education learners: implication for human resources managers. moses, segbenya francis aning anokye, 42(31), 27694–27708. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-02203794-5 shoufan, a., & mohamed, f. (2022). youtube and education: a scoping review. ieee access, 10(december), 125576–125599. http://www.researchgate.net/publication lidwina sri ardiasih, juhana, frimadhona syafri, rahmiaty, meylina, kwang sik chung support systems and learner resilience in english distance higher education 480 https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2022.32 25419 simpson, o. (2021). administering distance learning for success. a guide to adminstering distance learning, november, 300–327. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/orm ond simpson/publication/365770286_admini stering_distance_learning_for_success/l inks/63828f1e48124c2bc67250be/admini stering-distance-learning-forsuccess.pdf singh, i., & jha, a. (2013). anxiety, optimism and academic achievement among students of private medical and engineering colleges: a comparative study. journal of educational and developmental psychology, 3(1), 222–233. https://doi.org/10.5539/jedp.v3n1p222 suman, c. (2023). cultivating a growth-oriented mindset in educational settings. peer review journal talent research institute, 2(1), 24–42. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8154509 symposia, k. t. (2006). knowledge and space volume 18. https://www.springer.com/series/7568 tao, j., & gao, x. (2022). teaching and learning languages online: challenges and responses. system, 107(may), 102819. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2022.10 2819 tashakkori, a., & creswell, j. w. (2007). editorial: the new era of mixed methods. journal of mixed methods research, 1(1), 3–7. https://doi.org/10.1177/23456789062930 42 teoh, g. b. s., & liau, a. w. l. (2023). distance learners’ emotional intelligence and perceptions of their situational barriers in learning english. turkish online journal of distance education, 24(2), 120–144. https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.1048366 tise, j. c., hernandez, p. r., & schultz, p. w. (2023). mentoring underrepresented students for success : self-regulated learning strategies as a critical link between mentor support and educational attainment. contemporary educational psychology, 75(october), 102233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2023. 102233 van den berg, g., & mudau, p. k. (2022). postgraduate students’ views on the use of whatsapp groups as an online communication tool to support teaching and learning during covid-19. perspectives in education, 40(1), 112–128. https://doi.org/10.18820/2519593x/pie. v40.i1.7 wijaya, m. c., & kloping, y. p. (2021). validity and reliability testing of the indonesian version of the ehealth literacy scale during the covid19 pandemic. health informatics journal, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/14604582209754 66 yazdanmehr, e., elahi shirvan, m., & saghafi, k. (2021). a process tracing study of the dynamic patterns of boredom in an online l3 course of german during covid-19 pandemic. foreign language annals, 54(3), 714–739. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12548 zeng, y., ye, b., zhang, y., & yang, q. (2021). family cohesion and stress consequences among chinese college students during covid19 pandemic: a moderated mediation model. frontiers in public health, 9(july), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.70389 9 zhu, x., chu, c. k. m., & lam, y. c. (2022). the predictive effects of family and individual wellbeing on university students’ online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. frontiers in psychology, 13(june), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.89817 1 http://www.researchgate.net/profile/orm http://www.springer.com/series/7568 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 959 linguistic shift among gen z in instagram-based computer-mediated communication conny sekolah tinggi keguruan dan ilmu pendidikan binjai, indonesia email: coniegeorgina@gmail.com nudia yultisa sekolah tinggi keguruan dan ilmu pendidikan binjai, indonesia email: nyultisa@gmail.com rakhmat wahyudin sagala universitas muhammadiyah sumatera utara, indonesia email: rakhmatwahyudin@umsu.ac.id tri indah rezeki sekolah tinggi keguruan dan ilmu pendidikan binjai, indonesia email: trindah.rizky@gmail.com apa scitation:. conny., yultisa, n., sagala, r. w., & rezeki, t. i. (2024). linguistic shift among gen z in instagram-based computer-mediated communication. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(3), 959-970. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10414 received: 22-06-2024 accepted: 28-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction how people connect, communicate, and express themselves has changed dramatically in the last several decades due to the rapid progress of information and communication technology (ict) (gössling, 2018; line et al., 2011). generation z (gen z), born roughly between 1997 and 2012, are among the most affected by this digital change since they grew up when social media, mobile technology, and the internet were commonplace (alruthaya et al., 2021). in contrast to earlier generations, gen z's language development is closely linked to digital communication channels, such as forums, social media, and video-sharing websites (shamim & riaz, 2023). this distinct interaction with technology has led to notable shifts in their language use and communication styles (remizantseva & ablyazov, 2019; tankovic & others, 2022). the main goal of this study is to investigate and analyze how the digital discourse has impacted gen z's linguistic patterns. the study's specific objectives are to recognize how the linguistic shifts of gen z are changing how people communicate in digital environments. this study is crucial because language is fundamental to human identity and social interaction. as gen z’s communication practices evolve with technological advancements, it is essential to understand these changes and their broader implications (liu et al., 2023). insights from this research can inform educators, linguists, and policymakers about the evolving nature of language and its impact on social cohesion and intergenerational communication. furthermore, by comprehensively understanding abstract: in the rapidly evolving context of the information and communication technology (ict) revolution, understanding how generation z (gen z) adapts their language use is critical. as digital natives, gen z actively reshapes communication in the digital age. this study examines linguistic shifts in gen z’s digital discourse, with a focus on instagram. through qualitative content analysis of instagram posts and comments, this research identifies key features of gen z’s language, such as language mixing, slang and new expressions, non-standard spelling, emoji use, and contextualization within pop culture and social media trends. the findings reveal how these linguistic practices are integral to gen z’s construction of digital identity and engagement with cultural trends. this study enhances our comprehension of how digital platforms influence language and social interaction, with implications for sociolinguistic theory, pedagogy, and communication strategies. keywords: linguistic shift of generation z (gen z), computer-mediated communication, social media. mailto:coniegeorgina@gmail.com mailto:nyultisa@gmail.com mailto:rakhmatwahyudin@umsu.ac.id mailto:trindah.rizky@gmail.com conny, nudia yultisa, rakhmat wahyudin sagala, & tri indah rezeki linguistic shift among gen z in instagram-based computer-mediated communication 960 these shifts, we can better anticipate future trends in digital communication and their societal implications. previous studies have conducted researches about this topic. first, ajmain (2020) conducted research about impacts and effective communication on generation z in industrial revolution 4.0 era. this study showed that technological innovation has significantly impacted gen z's social communication abilities (syaputra et al., 2024; et al., 2023; williandani & mulyadi, 2023). it is recommended that in order to effectively engage this generation, one must understand their mindset, speak to them in their "tech language," and stay current on information technology (it) developments to remain relevant in their context. groundwork is necessary for all of them to interact directly with each other using gen z's methods. second, butakova (2021) analyze the language ability, speech competence, speech activity of generation z. the study reveals that frequent slang, graphic symbols, and familiar cognitive patterns in writing and associative speech mark generation z's language use (luhulima et al., 2024; siagian et al., 2023; wedananta et al., 2023). their communication often centers on personal narratives, with essays reflecting structural simplicity and cohesion through repetition. this highlights gen z's reliance on pre-formed cognitive frameworks and their distinctive adaptation to the digital communication landscape. third, chen & ha (2023) explored gen z’s social media use and global communication. the "news finds me" effect—a passive method of acquiring news—is one way that digital and social media significantly impact generation z's communication and worldviews, as this study demonstrates. according to insights from the omgc preconference, gen z's interaction with social media sites like instagram, tiktok, and twitter shapes their perspectives of the world and their social identities (karimi & fox, 2023; setiadi et al., 2024; soyudoğan & abdalli, 2023). further investigation into these dynamics is imperative to fully comprehend gen z's distinct role and influence in the digital age. in exploring gen z’s linguistic shift in digital discourse, this study hypothesizes that the extensive use of ict has led to significant changes in how gen z communicates, creating a unique blend of digital and traditional language forms (loos & ivan, 2024; xia et al., 2024; yanti et al., 2023). these shifts are posited to influence their modes of communication, interpersonal interactions, social contexts, and linguistic identity in the digital age. the study employs qualitative insights to investigate these hypotheses and explore gen z's attitudes toward digital communication. additionally, content and discourse analysis of digital texts and controlled experiments on communication behavior provide a deeper understanding of how gen z navigates linguistic expression in online settings (chan & lee, 2023; mandić et al., 2023; manley et al., 2023; sophomore talle vacalares et al., 2023). through this method, this study aims to illuminate the broader cultural and social implications of gen z's evolving linguistic practices in the digital era. this study significantly enriches the broader field of research by illuminating how digital platforms reshape the linguistic practices and communication strategies of generation z. it highlights the ways in which tools like social media and messaging apps foster new forms of expression—such as emojis, memes, and internet slang—that redefine conventional communication frameworks. additionally, this study hypothesizes that the pervasive use of ict has led to a hybridization of digital and traditional language forms, with profound effects on gen z's linguistic identity and social interactions. the research employs qualitative methods, including discourse analysis of digital texts and controlled experiments, to explore these dynamics. by understanding these changes, educators and communication professionals can better engage with gen z, tailoring their approaches to align with their digital communication preferences. this study also advances theoretical and methodological frameworks, providing a comprehensive model for future research on language evolution in the age of ict. method this research used qualitative content analysis methods to explore the language shift of generation z in the context of digital discourse, with a particular focus on the social media platform instagram. the data used in this study came from comments on popular accounts frequented by generation z. the data source for this study consisted of generation z individuals who are actively using instagram. generation z, or gen z, typically includes those born between 1997 and 2012. the sampling method employed is purposive english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 961 sampling, which involves selecting instagram accounts demonstrably representative of gen z's linguistic trends (ames et al., 2019). this will include accounts of influencers, content creators, and everyday users who frequently post and engage with content on instagram. additionally, hashtags, popular posts, and comments that showcase the distinctive language patterns of gen z will be targeted to ensure a comprehensive understanding of their linguistic shifts. to identify whether comments came from members of generation z, several approaches were used: first, user profile analysis was carried out to assess age cues, such as profile picture, bio, and content activities that often reflect typical gen z interests and preferences. second, comments were analyzed based on language patterns that are unique to gen z, such as the use of contemporary slang, informal writing style, and references to pop culture that are common among them. researchers also considered the context in which the comments were left, for example, on the accounts of celebrities or influencers known to be popular among teenagers and young adults. these comments are then analyzed based on theories about using mixed language, new slang and expressions, non-standard spelling, emojis, symbols, and contextualization in pop culture and social media trends. the primary instrument for this study is qualitative content analysis tools, which will systematically examine and interpret the linguistic data from instagram, such as identifying patterns in word usage, emojis, hashtags, and other textual elements (lindgren et al., 2020). data collection was carried out with a focus on comments left by users that demonstrated typical generation z communication characteristics. analysis was done by identifying and coding relevant linguistic elements and then interpreting how these elements reflect gen z's communication patterns and linguistic identity in the digital landscape. limitations of the study include the inability to confirm the exact ages of users and the limitation of the analysis, which only focused on one social media platform. this study was conducted through procedures. first is selection of data sources. it identified a diverse range of instagram accounts that are popular among gen z, including influencers, content creators, and everyday users. these accounts will be selected to cover various interests and subcultures within gen z. gather posts, comments, and stories that exhibit linguistic features of interest, such as codeswitching, new slang, non-standard spelling, emojis, and pop culture references. hashtags and trending topics relevant to gen z will also be monitored to capture broader conversational contexts. second is data collection. data were collected from a sample of posts and comments from accounts and taken from the last 3 months to capture ongoing linguistic trends and minimize temporal biases. document the textual content and contextual information for each post, including the use of language, emojis, and any relevant pop culture or social media trends. third is analyzing the data in depth to understand how each identified linguistic feature (e.g., codeswitching, slang) functions within the digital communication of gen z. it focused on how these features contribute to interpersonal communication, social context, and linguistic identity within the digital landscape. contextualize findings with reference to pop culture and social media trends to explore their influence on language use. fourth is categorizing the data into themes based on the theoretical framework adopting mccrindle (2021): (i) mixing language: analyze how gen z blends different languages and the contexts in which this occurs; (ii) new slang and expressions: identify new slang terms and expressions unique to gen z and explore their meanings and usage; (iii) nonstandard spelling: examine the use of abbreviations and non-standard spelling and their role in conveying informality or familiarity; (iv) emoji language and symbols: assess the frequency and context of emoji use and how they supplement or replace textual communication; and (v) pop culture and social media trends: investigate how references to pop culture and viral trends are integrated into their language use. the study assumes that the language used by generation z on instagram accurately mirrors their broader linguistic practices across other digital and real-world contexts despite the unique nature of the platform. it is considered that the selected sample of instagram accounts captures a representative cross-section of gen z's linguistic diversity, encompassing various cultures and subcultures. the data collection period is assumed to be adequate for observing stable linguistic trends, even though language can evolve rapidly. additionally, the influence of instagram's platform-specific features, such as its visual focus and hashtag use, is a shaping factor in gen z's communication style. lastly, it is assumed that conny, nudia yultisa, rakhmat wahyudin sagala, & tri indah rezeki linguistic shift among gen z in instagram-based computer-mediated communication 962 the public posts and comments analyzed reflect genuine communication despite potential differences between online personas and realworld interactions. the qualitative content analysis of gen z's linguistic practices on instagram offers a rich and detailed understanding of how this generation communicates within the digital sphere. the scope of this methodology includes capturing a wide array of language phenomena such as codeswitching, the creation of new slang, the use of non-standard spelling, and the incorporation of emojis and pop culture references. this approach is well-suited to reveal the nuances and dynamics of gen z's language use, mainly as they engage in fluid and informal online exchanges. however, the limitations include the platform-specific nature of instagram, which may only partially represent gen z's language use across other digital or offline contexts. additionally, the visual and textual blend unique to instagram posts may influence linguistic choices differently than other forms of communication. focusing on public posts might also exclude more private or nuanced expressions in direct messages or other less accessible interactions. despite these constraints, this methodology provides valuable insights into the linguistic shifts characterizing gen z in the context of digital discourse. we have used a number of measures to mitigate these constraints, such as collecting data from diverse accounts that include various subcultures within generation z and monitoring trends over a prolonged duration. additionally, this research posits that the linguistic patterns used by generation z on instagram are adequately indicative of their wider linguistic behaviours on other digital platforms and in faceto-face encounters. however, everyone agrees that instagram's unique combination of visual and textual elements significantly influences their language choices. results and discussion gen z tend to shift their language in digital discourse like in social media. mccrindle (2021) highlight the characteristics of gen z’s language shift such as mixing language, new slang and expression, use of non-standard spelling, emoji language and use of symbols, and contextualization in pop culture and social media trends. the data were collected this finding can be described in the table below. table 1. analysis of gen z's linguistic shifts no data gen z's linguistic shifts mixing language new slang and expressio n nonstandard spelling emoji pop culture trends 1. @lyodraofficial no smoking no alcohol no wa kamu berapa? englishindonesian wa wa kamu wa 2. @delonthamrinofficial wah wah wah lily ultah. b.day adik lily. makin terus bersinar ya. gbu always❤️❤️❤️🔥🔥🔥 englishindonesia ultah b’day, gbu ❤️❤️ ❤️🔥🔥 🔥 3. @petruskardian my bby😍😍😍😍 bby bby 😍😍 😍😍 bby and emojis 4. @vinaaa_chan cantik bgtt 😍😍😍 pesona pak junaedi 2 🤭🤭🫶🫶🫶🫶 bgtt bgtt 😍😍 😍, 🤭🤭, 🫶🫶, 🫶🫶 5. @defaldip kalo gini caranya, gpp deh w suka sm junaedi gpp deh w suka sm gpp, sm 6. @fitridyah30 rani plisss kamu meresahkan 🔥 indonesianenglish plisss 🔥 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 963 7. @uuz_90 nicol sendiri doyan mepet cwe lain,, giliran cweknya mepet cwok lain berasa jadi korban 😂 doyan, mepet, cwe, cwok cwe, cwok 😂 8. @jungkookierun yaudah sih jeff gausah play victim, kali aja dia bisa bikin maria lebih aman dan nyaman. indonesianenglish gausah, kali aja gausah the concept ‘play victim’ 9. @restulestari315 kaya nya el bener naksir eca...karna dia gk mau gimik2an soal cinta naksir, gimik2an kaya nya, karna, gk the notion of "gimik2an soal cinta" 10 @erdianarif tu nolak tandanya. mgkn org pikir dy php in si el. tp aq lihat dy bkn php tp lebih ke g enak (sungkan) krn si el nya mepet terus,ngejar terus. dan mgkn si el blm nembak,sekedar temen deket. ya kali suruh eca lgsg jaga jarak? krn eca mikirnya ya temenan sm siapa aja sah" aj sih php, mepet terus, nembak tu, mgkn, org, dy, aq, bkn, tp, g, krn, sm. lgsg, aj the term “php” 11 @reninr97 kata gw juga apa rn itu love language nya pshychal touch wkwk indonesianenglish kata gw, wkwk rn, pshychal 12 @cherrycute1996 moga syifa dapat suami yg lebih baik, ganteng, sholeh. mimin, pakar ekpresi, shipper yg gak bisa move on kasian bgt syifa diginiin seolah² rizky gak happy kalo lagi sama dia 😑 indonesianenglish shipper yg gak bisa move on moga,yg, gak, bgt, seolah2, 😑 the term “shipper” and “move on” 13 @enok_otih_hindrik aku mh lebay org nya pas all bilang dady aku lngsung mewek 😢 indonesianenglish lebay, mewek mh, org, lngsung 😢 14 @cangkirkencurcengkeh kereeen🥰 emang hrs begini jd cewek apalg cm pacaran. msh bnyak ikan di laut, jgn mau merusak diri masa dpn n harapan org tua cm gara2 lelaki gk yg worth to fight for🤣 indonesianenglish kereeen, wort to fight for, emang, hrs, jd, apalg, cm, msh, byak, diri masa dpn, gk 🥰 and 🤣 msh banyak ikan di laut 15 @aaliyah.massaid makasihhh bestieku❤️ bestieku makasihhh ❤️ bestie all the data reflect several aspects of gen z's linguistic shifts in digital disourse. below, we conny, nudia yultisa, rakhmat wahyudin sagala, & tri indah rezeki linguistic shift among gen z in instagram-based computer-mediated communication 964 analyze these clauses through the lens of the theories outlined by mccrindle & wolfinger (2009): mixing language mixing langauge involves alternating between languages or dialects in communication.some clauses exemply mixing language by combining english phrases with indonesian such as data 1 (english: "no smoking," "no alcohol", indonesian: no wa kamu berapa?"), data 2 (english: b.day (birthday), gbu (god bless you) always), data 6 (english: plisss (please), data 8 (english: play victim), data 11 (love language, pshychal touch), data 12 (english: move on, happy), data 13 (english: dady), data 14 (english: worth to fight for) dan data 15 (english: bestie (best). slang gen z frequently uses new slang and expressions that are unique to their generation and often evolve rapidly. the use of “wa” as shorthand for whatsapp (data 1), ultah" is a shorthand for "ulang tahun” (data 2), bby" is a modern slang abbreviation for "baby," commonly used as a term of endearment (data 3), “bgtt" is an informal, slang expression used widely among indonesianspeaking gen z (data 4), phrases like "gpp deh w suka sm" show the use of modern slang and informal expressions that are prevalent among gen z. "w" is a shorthand for "gue" or "saya," meaning "i" in indonesian slang (data 5), the terms "doyan" and "mepet" are examples of slang that convey specific social behaviors. "cwe" and "cwok" are informal shorthand for "cewek" (girl) and "cowok" (boy), respectively (data 7), the term "gausah" (short for "nggak usah," meaning "no need to") and "kali aja" (meaning "maybe" or "possibly") are colloquial and widely used in informal conversations among indonesianspeaking gen z (data 8), the terms "naksir" (meaning "to have a crush on") and "gimik2an" are examples of modern slang, reflecting informal speech patterns among gen z (data 9), the term "php" (pemberi harapan palsu, meaning "giver of false hope") is a popular slang term in indonesian digital culture, used to describe someone who leads others on without genuine intentions and phrases like "mepet terus" (persistently getting close) and "nembak" (confess one's feelings) reflect informal and conversational expressions typical among gen z (data 10), the text uses informal language such as "kata gw" (meaning "i told you so") and "wkwk" (a representation of laughter, similar to "lol") (data 11), the phrase "shipper yg gak bisa move on" (a shipper who can't move on) reflects contemporary online fandom culture, where "shipper" refers to someone who supports a romantic pairing, and "move on" means to let go of a past attachment (data 12), the term "lebay" (meaning "overdramatic" or "exaggerated") is contemporary slang in indonesian. "mewek" (meaning "cry" or "weep") is another informal term (data 13), words like "kereeen" and phrases such as "worth to fight for" are indicative of modern slang usage. "kereeen" is an exaggerated form of "keren" (cool), amplified by the extended vowels, which is a common way to add emphasis in digital text. the phrase "worth to fight for" is borrowed from english and integrated into the comment seamlessly, reflecting how gen z blends languages to express concepts in a more impactful or trendy manner (data 14), and the term "bestieku" is a blend of english and indonesian, where "bestie" is a slang term for best friend, and "ku" is an indonesian possessive suffix meaning "my" (data 15) use of non-standard spelling non-standard spelling includes variations from conventional spelling to create a more casual, familiar, or expressive form of written communication. data 1, the phrase "wa kamu" (your whatsapp) is an example of non-standard spelling in digital communication. instead of using the full term "whatsapp," it’s abbreviated to "wa," showing a preference for brevity and ease of use. this reflects gen z’s tendency to simplify and modify spelling to align with the fast-paced nature of online interactions. data 2, the abbreviation "b.day" for "birthday" and "gbu" for "god bless you" are examples of non-standard spelling that are common in digital communication. data 3, the term "bby" exemplifies non-standard spelling by abbreviating "baby." this shorthand is not just a matter of reducing the number of characters but also a stylistic choice that aligns with the informal and playful nature of online communication. data 4, "bgtt" deviates from the standard spelling "banget." this reflects a trend among gen z to simplify and abbreviate words, adapting them for quicker typing and digital communication. data 5, the use of "gpp" and "sm" are examples of nonstandard spelling. these forms are phonetically driven and cater to the need for speed and efficiency in digital communication. data 6, "plisss" is a non-standard spelling, emphasizing a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 965 relaxed and informal approach to writing. the extended "s" adds emphasis and a conversational feel, common in digital communication. data 7, the abbreviations "cwe" and "cwok" show nonstandard spelling that simplifies and shortens words for quick digital communication. data 8, "gausah" is a simplified and phonetic spelling of "nggak usah," making the text quicker to type and read in digital communication. data 9, "kaya nya" (short for "sepertinya," meaning "it seems"), "karna" (short for "karena," meaning "because"), “gk” (short for “enggak”, meaning “no”) are nonstandard spellings that simplify and shorten the words for quicker typing. data 10, the abbreviations “tu” (short for “itu”, meaning “that”, "mgkn" (short for "mungkin," meaning "maybe"), “org” (short for “orang” meaning “people”), "dy" (short for "dia," meaning "he/she"), “aq” (short for “aku”, meaning “i”, “bkn” ((short for “bukan”, meaning “not”, “tp” (shorter for “tapi”, meaning “but”), "g" (short for "nggak" or "tidak," meaning "no" or "not"), “krn” (short for “karena”, meaning “because”), “sm” (short for “sama”, meaning “with”), “lgsg” (short for “langsung”, meaning “directly”), “aj” (short for “saja” meaning “only”) showcase creative adaptation and shorthand common in digital communication. data 11, the text includes abbreviations like "rn" means rizky nazar and phonetic misspellings such as "pshychal" instead of "physical." these non-standard spellings reflect the informal nature of digital communication. data 12, abbreviations like “moga” (short for “semoga”, meaning “hopely”), "yg" (short for "yang," meaning "who/that"), "gak", "bgt" and seolah2 are used to simplify and expedite communication. data 13, abbreviations and nonstandard spellings like "mh" for "memang," "org" for "orang" (meaning "person"), "lngsung" for "langsung" (meaning "immediately") simplify the text for quicker, more casual communication. data 14, the comment is filled with non-standard spelling and abbreviations, such as "emang" (instead of "memang"), "hrs" (harus), "jd" (jadi), "apalg" (apalagi), "cm" (cuma), "msh" (masih), "bnyak" (banyak), "diri masa dpn" (diri masa depan), and "gk" (nggak). these shortened forms make the message concise and casual, adhering to the quick, efficient communication style preferred by gen z. data 15, the word "makasihhh" is a phonetic and informal spelling of the indonesian word "terima kasih" (thank you). the extended "hhh" at the end adds a playful and friendly tone, common in digital communication among peers. emoji language and use of symbols emojis and symbols are a significant aspect of gen z’s communication, adding emotional context and non-verbal cues to their text-based messages. data 2, the heart emojis (❤️) symbolize love or deep appreciation, while the fire emojis (🔥) suggest enthusiasm or intensity. these visual cues complement the text, adding layers of meaning that enrich the communication and making it more engaging and expressive. data 3, the comment includes four heart-eyes emojis (😍😍😍😍), which express strong affection or admiration. these emojis amplify the emotional tone of the text, signaling endearment and excitement towards the person addressed. data 4, the message includes several emojis (😍😍😍, 🤭🤭, 🫶🫶, 🫶🫶), which are used to convey emotions and add visual emphasis. this aligns with gen z's preference for visually enriched communication. data 6, the use of the fire emoji (🔥) at the end of the message adds a visual and emotional layer to the text. data 7, the laughing face emoji (😂) adds an emotional and humorous tone to the message, indicating a lighthearted or teasing attitude. data 12, the use of the neutral face emoji (😑) at the end of the message adds an emotional layer, conveying dissatisfaction or disapproval without needing additional words. data 13, the crying face emoji (😢) adds an emotional dimension to the message, effectively conveying sadness and enhancing the textual content. data 14, the use of the emojis 🥰 and 🤣 in the comment enhances the emotional tone. the heart-eyes emoji 🥰 conveys admiration or affection, while the laughing emoji 🤣 suggests a light-hearted or humorous tone. data 15, the heart emoji (❤️) is used to express affection and gratitude. in this context, it enhances the emotional tone of the message, making it warmer and more personal. contextualization in pop culture and social media trends gen z's language is deeply influenced by pop culture and social media trends, often incorporating terms and references from these realms. data 1, the mention of "wa" directly references whatsapp, a crucial communication tool in modern digital culture. the use of whatsapp as a term reflects its embeddedness in gen z’s daily communication practices. data 3, the informal and affectionate tone, coupled with the use of slang ("bby") and emojis, reflects the conny, nudia yultisa, rakhmat wahyudin sagala, & tri indah rezeki linguistic shift among gen z in instagram-based computer-mediated communication 966 social media culture that gen z inhabits. data 8, the concept of "play victim" is prevalent in modern discourse, often used in social media to describe manipulative behavior. this reflects the influence of contemporary cultural narratives. data 9, the notion of "gimik2an soal cinta" (making gimmicks about love) indicates an awareness of and engagement with contemporary social and media narratives about relationships and authenticity. data 10, the references to social dynamics and terms like "php" indicate an engagement with contemporary social narratives and popular culture within indonesian contexts. data 12, the references to "shipper" and "move on" indicate familiarity with social media and fandom culture. these terms are widely used in online communities. data 14, the expression "msh bnyak ikan di laut" (there are plenty of fish in the sea) is a common idiom adapted to the context of romantic relationships, suggesting that one should not settle for less. this aligns with common themes in social media discussions about relationships and self-worth. data 15, the use of "bestie" is a direct borrowing from contemporary social media culture, where the term is commonly used to refer to close friends. its popularity has been amplified by platforms like instagram and tiktok, where it is frequently used in captions, comments, and videos. this context-specific usage underscores how social media trends shape and propagate linguistic expressions among gen z. the findings from the analysis of gen z's instagram comments align closely with existing literature on their linguistic behavior in the digital age. as expected, gen z demonstrates a proclivity for code-switching, creative language use, and incorporating digital culture elements into their communication. mccrindle (2021) describes these characteristics as integral to gen z's communication style, where mixing language, new slang and expression, use of non-standard spelling, emoji language and use of symbols, and contextualization in pop culture and social media trends (dharma et al., 2022; george et al., 2023; kadry, 2021). this convergence underscores the adaptability and innovation gen z brings to language, making their communication dynamic and reflective of their digital environment. the current study's results show notable linguistic changes impacted by the information communication technology (ict) revolution, consistent with earlier research on gen z's communication behaviors. according to ajmain's (2020) observations, gen z's use of digital tools in everyday communication emphasizes the significance of speaking their "tech language," defined by the inventive use of emojis, acronyms, and code-switching. butakova (2021) provides more support for this, pointing out that gen z's instagram interactions demonstrate their reliance on well-known cognitive patterns and frequent use of slang and graphic symbols. furthermore, through both passive and active engagement with digital information, chen & ha's (2023) analysis of gen z's social media use highlights the influence of platforms such as instagram on forming their social identities and worldviews. the study's usage of pop culture allusions and digital shorthand is consistent with the findings of mccrindle (2021) and thurlow & brown (2003), who highlight how gen z's digital discourse combines textual and visual communication forms. together, these data show how gen z has uniquely adapted to the world of digital communication, highlighting their role as trailblazers in developing the internet's developing language. as technology advances, more social media platforms should be included in future studies, and the longitudinal changes in gen z's language practices should be investigated. although gen z's absorption in a digital and globalized world is the primary explanation for these linguistic tendencies, other variables may also impact language use (hassoun et al., 2023; seyfi et al., 2023; xueyun et al., 2023). these include exposure to several languages, educational background, and peer group impact (bushati et al., 2023; jaekel et al., 2023; kennedy terry, 2023; ramazan et al., 2023). furthermore, the particular platform—in this example, instagram—and its affordances—like character restrictions, visual emphasis, and community norms—may influence how language is utilized differently on this social media platform than others (blattner et al., 2024; dubey, 2024; kennedy terry, 2023; trillò & green, 2024). understanding gen z's linguistic shifts has essential implications for digital marketing, education, and mental health (chang & chang, 2023; heo & jang, 2023). in marketing, brands can engage more effectively with gen z by adopting their language style, making communication more relatable and authentic. recognizing these shifts can help design curricula that resonate with students' everyday communication practices, thus enhancing engagement and learning (allen et al., 2023; estrela & lima, 2024; lam, 2023; lubiczenglish review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 967 nawrocka & bovill, 2023; thelma et al., 2024). for mental health professionals, familiarity with gen z's language can improve communication and rapport, particularly in online counseling settings where these clients are likely to express themselves in the vernacular they use on social media. the results suggest that the complex character of gen z's language use should be considered in any study on communication. it is imperative to assess the impact of digital platforms, the communication setting, and the cultural allusions woven throughout their conversation. knowing these trends can help teachers develop more effective teaching methods and include digital literacy in the classroom. there are various limitations on this study. first, it is based only on comments posted on instagram, which might not accurately reflect the variety of languages generation z uses on other platforms. second, the small data sample may not fully represent the variety of linguistic expressions within gen z. thirdly, because the study depends on the context, it might not consider socioeconomic or regional differences within this population. lastly, despite efforts to use uniform criteria, subjectivity may be introduced by the qualitative character of the study. the results of this study have significant implications for both theoretical frameworks and practical applications. the findings presented in this study provide valuable insights into the sociolinguistic changes occurring in the digital era, specifically highlighting the ways in which generation z's language practices mirror wider patterns in communication driven by technology. the widespread use of emojis and abbreviations demonstrates the interactive relationship between written and visual symbols, suggesting that multimedia forms and digital capabilities progressively shape language development. this analysis may provide valuable insights for the development of digital marketing strategies, enabling firms to effectively interact with generation z by using their preferred linguistic style. understanding these linguistic changes in the context of educational environments may assist educators in customising instructional approaches to better align with students' communication patterns, particularly in the realm of digital literacy curriculum. to gain a more comprehensive understanding of generation z's language behaviors in diverse digital contexts, we need to expand our investigation to include other social media platforms like tiktok or twitter. longitudinal studies would enable monitoring of the temporal evolution of language patterns in response to the emergence of new technologies. additionally, the use of quantitative methodologies would aid in verifying and quantifying the qualitative tendencies identified in this research. we have used a number of measures to mitigate these constraints, such as collecting data from diverse accounts that represent various subcultures within generation z and monitoring trends over an extended period. additionally, this research posits that the linguistic patterns used by generation z on instagram are adequately indicative of their wider linguistic behaviours on other digital platforms and in face-to-face encounters. however, everyone agrees that instagram's unique combination of visual and textual elements significantly influences their language choices. future research could expand this study by examining a wider variety of social media sites to provide a more complete picture of gen z's language behaviors. comparative research between gen z socioeconomic groups or geographical areas may reveal more complex linguistic tendencies. studies with a longitudinal design could investigate how these linguistic patterns change as gen z gets older and new digital platforms appear. furthermore, quantitative methods could support qualitative discoveries by offering a more robust statistical validation of the tendencies that have been noticed. conclusion according to this study, gen z's language patterns on social networking sites like instagram are characterized by an inventive blending of words and visual cues, such as frequent emojis and symbols, code-switching, new slang, and non-standard spelling. these changes directly result from the digital and ict settings, demonstrating how flexible and creative gen z is in digital communication. through an examination of their communication patterns, the research reveals how gen z uses highly customized and technologically advanced strategies to create their identities and navigate their social environments. the results highlight how pop culture and social media trends influenced their vocabulary, demonstrating how deeply they engaged with modern digital culture. conny, nudia yultisa, rakhmat wahyudin sagala, & tri indah rezeki linguistic shift among gen z in instagram-based computer-mediated communication 968 this study is significant because it sheds light on how digital technologies influence gen z's language patterns. this information is crucial for educators, marketers, and policymakers who want to interact productively with this group of people. consistent with other investigations conducted by ajmain (2020), butakova (2021), and chen & ha (2023), this study expands upon our comprehension of how the evolution of digital communication practices impacts identity and social interaction. with gen z's distinct language and cultural preferences in mind, these insights are essential for creating marketing campaigns, instructional materials, and communication strategies that will stay current and successful in the quickly evolving digital ecosystem. in order to further future studies, it is essential to investigate the impact of these language alterations on intergenerational communication dynamics and their role in defining wider societal norms. furthermore, it is important to engage in deeper contemplation on the wider social ramifications of the language changes seen among generation z. this is particularly significant when considering their patterns of communication and the development of their identity within the ever-changing digital society. these findings have implications for the development of marketing campaigns, instructional resources, and communication methods that consistently demonstrate effectiveness and relevance in the dynamic digital landscape. acknowledgement this study was only possible thanks to the generous contributions of many individuals and organizations. the writers would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the directorate of research, technology, and community service (drtpm), whose funding for the year 2024 provided the essential financial support needed to conduct this research. references ajmain, t. (2020). impacts and effective communication on generation z in industrial revolution 4.0 era. jetal: journal of english teaching \& applied linguistic, 1(2), 82–87. akbar, a., & dellyana, d. (2023). maximizing simultaneous social media communication: a study on purchase intention among millennials and generation z in the online language learning industry. international journal of current science research and review, 06(06), 3635– 3656. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijcsrr/v6-i6-54 allen, w. b., vlasin, r., & ryan, l. g. (2023). leadership learning design principles: cocreating dialogic and critical pedagogy within cohort and community contexts. dialogic pedagogy, 11(1), a85–a107. https://doi.org/10.5195/dpj.2023.455 alruthaya, a., nguyen, t.-t., & lokuge, s. (2021). the application of digital technology and the learning characteristics of generation z in higher education. arxiv preprint arxiv:2111.05991. ames, h., glenton, c., & lewin, s. (2019). purposive sampling in a qualitative evidence synthesis: a worked example from a synthesis on parental perceptions of vaccination communication. bmc medical research methodology, 19, 1–9. blattner, g., dalola, a., & roulon, s. (2024). i spy something #invisible: using instagram to help learners understand second language invisible culture. journal of digital educational technology, 4(2), ep2415. https://doi.org/10.30935/jdet/14724 bushati, b., kedia, g., rotter, d., christensen, a. p., krammer, g., corcoran, k., & schmölzereibinger, s. (2023). friends as a language learning resource in multilingual primary school classrooms. social psychology of education, 26, 833–855. butakova, l. o. (2021). language ability, speech competence, and speech activity of generation z. russkii yazyk v shkole, 82(4), 61–74. chan, c. k. y., & lee, k. k. w. (2023). the ai generation gap: are gen z students more interested in adopting generative ai such as chatgpt in teaching and learning than their gen x and millennial generation teachers? smart learning environments, 10(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-023-00269-3 chang, c. w., & chang, s. h. (2023). the impact of digital disruption: influences of digital media and social networks on forming digital natives’ attitude. sage open, 13(3), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231191741 chen, p., & ha, l. (2023). gen z’s social media use and global communication. online media and global communication, 2(3), 301–303. dharma, h. r. c., gg f p desak, & kariko, a. a. t. (2022). the analysis of emoji’s usage from japanese generation perspectives. indonesian journal of tourism and hospitality management, 1(1), 13–20. https://doi.org/10.55927/wakatobi.v1i1.2250 dubey, l. (2024). mapping the contours of language used on social media. journal of english language teaching, 66(3), 21–28. estrela, e., & lima, l. (2024). towards a democratic curriculum: the narrative paradigm to achieve a state of viscosity. curriculum perspectives, 44(2), 155–165. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297024-00238-x english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 969 george, h., hovan george, a. s., shahul, a., & george, a. s. (2023). the foreseeable future of infant nutrition. partners universal international innovation journal, 1(august), 183–204. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8280356 gössling, s. (2018). ict and transport behavior: a conceptual review. international journal of sustainable transportation, 12(3), 153–164. hassoun, a., beacock, i., consolvo, s., goldberg, b., kelley, p. g., & russell, d. m. (2023). practicing information sensibility: how gen z engages with online information. conference on human factors in computing systems proceedings, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3581328 heo, m. l., & jang, y. m. (2023). implications for health management through an analysis of changes in life patterns of generation z college students experiencing the covid-19 pandemic: a qualitative study. journal of multidisciplinary healthcare, 16, 1661–1670. https://doi.org/10.2147/jmdh.s415120 jaekel, n., ritter, m., & jaekel, j. (2023). associations of students’ linguistic distance to the language of instruction and classroom composition with english reading and listening skills. studies in second language acquisition, 45(5), 1287–1309. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263123000268 kadry, a. (2021). emojis as a new visual language in advertising creativity. journal of design sciences and applied arts, 2(1), 326–334. https://doi.org/10.21608/jdsaa.2021.29904.1037 karimi, k., & fox, r. l. (2023). scrolling, simping, and mobilizing: tiktok’s influence over generation z’s political behavior. the journal of social media in society spring 2023, 12(1), 181–208. kennedy terry, k. (2023). learning from locals: the impact of social networks with target-language speakers during study abroad. l2 journal, 15(2), 92–109. https://doi.org/10.5070/l215260149 lam, a. m. h. (2023). making sense of interdisciplinary general education curriculum design: case study of common core curriculum at the university of hong kong. ecnu review of education, 6(3), 410–432. https://doi.org/10.1177/20965311221142888 lindgren, b.-m., lundman, b., & graneheim, u. h. (2020). abstraction and interpretation during the qualitative content analysis process. international journal of nursing studies, 108, 103632. line, t., jain, j., & lyons, g. (2011). the role of icts in everyday mobile lives. journal of transport geography, 19(6), 1490–1499. liu, j., wang, c., zhang, t., & qiao, h. (2023). delineating the effects of social media marketing activities on generation z travel behaviors. journal of travel research, 62(5), 1140–1158. loos, e., & ivan, l. (2024). not only people are getting old, the new media are too: technology generations and the changes in new media use. new media and society, 26(6), 3588–3613. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221101783 lubicz-nawrocka, t., & bovill, c. (2023). do students experience transformation through cocreating curriculum in higher education? teaching in higher education, 28(7), 1744– 1760. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2021.1928060 luhulima, c. c., linuwih, e. r., hutagaol, d. r., & nofiyanti, n. (2024). language change on social media. international journal of english and applied linguistics (ijeal), 4(1), 81–87. https://doi.org/10.47709/ijeal.v4i1.3718 mandić, a., walia, s. k., & rasoolimanesh, s. m. (2023). gen z and the flight shame movement: examining the intersection of emotions, biospheric values, and environmental travel behaviour in an eastern society. journal of sustainable tourism, 32(8), 1621–1643. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2023.2254950 manley, a., seock, y. k., & shin, j. (2023). exploring the perceptions and motivations of gen z and millennials toward sustainable clothing. family and consumer sciences research journal, 51(4), 313–327. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcsr.12475 mccrindle, m. (2021). generation alpha. hachette uk. mccrindle, m., & wolfinger, e. (2009). the abc of xyz: understanding the global generations. the abc of xyz. ramazan, o., danielson, r. w., rougee, a., ardasheva, y., & austin, b. w. (2023). effects of classroom and school climate on language minority students’ pisa mathematics selfconcept and achievement scores. large-scale assessments in education, 11(1), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40536-023-00156-w remizantseva, k., & ablyazov, t. (2019). generation z and digital tools in teaching foreign languages. international conference on digital technologies in logistics and infrastructure (icdtli 2019), 341–347. setiadi, h., sukmana, o., & wahyudi, w. (2024). exposure to technology and social media: a study of generation z’s consumerist culture in south jakarta. asian journal of engineering, social and health, 3(5), 1055–1062. https://doi.org/10.46799/ajesh.v3i5.318 seyfi, s., sharifi-tehrani, m., hall, c. m., & vothanh, t. (2023). exploring the drivers of gen z tourists’ buycott behaviour: a lifestyle politics perspective. journal of sustainable tourism, 0(0), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2023.2166517 conny, nudia yultisa, rakhmat wahyudin sagala, & tri indah rezeki linguistic shift among gen z in instagram-based computer-mediated communication 970 shamim, f., & riaz, m. n. (2023). impact of multimodal digital media communication on generation z’s language use and literacy practices. academy of education and social sciences review, 3(4), 398–409. siagian, n. r., yuliana, n., siagian, n. r., & yuliana, n. (2023). interdisciplinary journal of advanced research and innovation. interdisciplinary journal of advanced research and innovation, 1(3), 109–118. sophomore talle vacalares, angel faith r. salas, bherna jane s. babac, analyn l. cagalawan, & christine d. calimpong. (2023). the intelligibility of internet slangs between millennials and gen zers: a comparative study. international journal of science and research archive, 9(1), 400–409. https://doi.org/10.30574/ijsra.2023.9.1.0456 soyudoğan, m., & abdalli̇, r. h. (2023). sympathizing with gen-z: reflections of social media culture in tiktok. gaziantep university journal of social sciences, 22(4), 1113–1136. https://doi.org/10.21547/jss.1340168 syaputra, a. r., sari, s., & endang, a. (2024). the use of slang language style on social media instagram by genz ( generation z ). social sciences journal, 1(2), 147–152. tankovic, c., & others. (2022). communication skills in generation z as future tourism employees. communication research and practice, 8(1), 86–102. thelma, c. c., sain, z. h., mpolomoka, d. l., akpan, w. m., & davy, m. (2024). curriculum design for the digital age : strategies for effective technology integration in higher education. international journal of research, 11(07), 185– 201. thurlow, c., & brown, a. (2003). generation txt? the sociolinguistics of young people’s textmessaging. discourse analysis online, 1(1), 30. trillò, t., & green, a. (2024). #values for money? the neoliberal construction of “values” across instagram language communities. international journal of cultural studies, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/13678779241257531 wedananta, k. a., padmadewi, n. n., artini, l. p., & budasi, i. g. (2023). slang words used by balinese generation z in instagram communication. theory and practice in language studies, 13(8), 2097–2106. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1308.26 williandani, m., & mulyadi, m. (2023). cognitive semantics of social media themed proverbs in generation z interactions. randwick international of education and linguistics science journal, 4(4), 905–910. https://doi.org/10.47175/rielsj.v4i4.848 xia, l., baghaie, s., & mohammad sajadi, s. (2024). the digital economy: challenges and opportunities in the new era of technology and electronic communications. ain shams engineering journal, 15(2), 102411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2023.102411 xueyun, z., al mamun, a., masukujjaman, m., rahman, m. k., gao, j., & yang, q. (2023). modelling the significance of organizational conditions on quiet quitting intention among gen z workforce in an emerging economy. scientific reports, 13(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-42591-3 yanti, d., heryadi, d. y., juliana, cakranegara, p. a., & kadyrov, m. (2023). developing rural communication through digital innovation for village tourism. jurnal studi komunikasi (indonesian journal of communications studies), 7(3), 696–712. https://doi.org/10.25139/jsk.v7i3.7384 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1229 innovative english teaching strategies: implementing task-based language teaching in junior high school curriculum leroy holman siahaan universitas panca sakti bekasi, bekasi, indonesia email: leroyholman@panca-sakti.ac.id yon a. e universitas panca sakti bekasi, bekasi, indonesia email: yonae@panca-sakti.ac.id apa scitation:. siahaan, l. h., & e. y. a. (2024). innovative english teaching strategies: implementing task-based language teaching in junior high school curriculum. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(3), 1229-1238. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10686 received: 23-06-2024 accepted: 22-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction task-based language teaching (tblt) prioritizes learners engaging in real-world tasks and instructional activities where meaningful language use to achieve specific goals is central. it distinguishes from activities such as language explanation or mechanical practice. tblt is grounded in theories advocating language learning through contextual practice, highlighting meaningful communication as crucial for effective learning outcomes. the approach acknowledges the dynamic nature of task implementation, influenced by teacher and learner interactions, shaping the learning process during task execution (jackson, 2022). further, the tblt method focuses on students in acquiring language skills through performing tasks that replicate real-world communication and are contextualized to everyday scenarios. it encourages a meaningful communication and interaction over memorization of grammar rules and employs real-life tasks for authentic communication and pedagogical tasks tailored to achieve language learning objectives. introduction and preparation, task completion, and analysis and language focus are its three typical phases (bolen, 2021; ellis et al., 2020; li, 2023). by using taskbased methods, it is hoped that it can help teachers to provide material to their students, and for students it will certainly make it easier for them to understand and carry out school assignments. for an instructor or teacher, choosing a good teaching method is the same as choosing the right tool (muhamad et al., 2021). because, good abstract: task-based language teaching has gained popularity as an effective approach in language education. it focuses on providing learners with authentic, purposeful tasks that mirror real-world communication situations. in this paper, we explore the potential of developing task-based language teaching into english speaking teaching materials. we discuss the benefits of using task-based activities for improving speaking skills and how they can be integrated into english speaking teaching materials. we also examine the challenges that may arise in the development process and provide recommendations for creating effective task-based english speaking teaching materials an educator's understanding of teaching methods determines the success of students in understanding the material by the teacher in class. however, facts in the field show that not all teachers can understand in determining relevant teaching methods to be used in classroom teaching. especially in language teaching, good teaching skills are seen from the selection of methods that are relevant and appropriate to the learning objectives. regarding the selection of relevant teaching methods. the method used in this research is the r&d (research and development) method which aims to develop task based language teaching (tblt) based english teaching materials. based on the explanation above, it can be concluded the classroom so that learning can be realized. therefore, this requires a teaching method that can accommodate teachers in the classroom, and can help students learn. one method that can be used in language teaching is the tblt-based teaching method or task-based teaching method. the purpose of research and development of english teaching materials based on tblt or task-based teaching methods focuses on students understand the material well and students are expected to be able to become risk takers in carrying out tasks, become communicative individuals, and be able to complete tasks by building interactions, relationships, and can collaborate well with their friends. keywords: teaching material development; tblt; teaching materials; r&d; teacher. mailto:leroyholman@panca-sakti.ac.id mailto:yonae@panca-sakti.ac.id leroy holman siahaan & yon a. e innovative english teaching strategies: implementing task-based language teaching in junior high school curriculum 1230 teaching skills can be seen from the selection of relevant teaching methods. however, the reality is that not all teachers understand how to choose relevant teaching methods so that learning competencies can be achieved (ritonga, 2018). the teaching methods used must be innovative and relevant in order to facilitate learners in understanding the task. one of the teaching methods that can be used in teaching is task based language teaching (tblt). teaching materials are used as supplementary materials in the teaching and learning process or in a training (hasanuddin et al., 2022). thus, educators need to develop teaching materials and change their teaching methods. especially in teaching the target language, namely english. english has become an important international language in global communication, business, education and various aspects of modern life (putrinda & agustin, 2023). in detail, this development research aims to develop teaching materials that are already used in one junior high school. the results of subsequent research conducted by dian (2018) show that task-based methods have an effect on improving writing skills in english education study program students. the result of using task-based methods is the creation of good interactions when learning takes place, as well as, making students a communicative and interactive person and not depending on the teaching given by lecturers in class or in other words, students tend to have high self-study. utami has shown research results related to the effect of using task-based methods on french learning in grade 9 students (utami, 2019). furthermore, research report confirms that the implementation of task-based language teaching (tblt) significantly improve the learners’ english writing skills (kaharuddin et al., 2022). and the results of the latest research conducted by fatimah et al. (fatimah et al., 2021) have shown the application of the tblt learning method in improving german speaking skills in fbs (faculty of language and arts) students at makassar state university. based on the results of students’ final test scores, it shows that there is an improvement in german speaking skills using the tblt-based method. the subjects of this study were lecturers and students, using the type of class action research. meanwhile, based on the explanation above, and considering the theory and problems, this research focuses on r&d model research on tblt-based english teaching materials. research and development design aims at developing a product through scientific research and experimentation and it helps to advance knowledge, to improve existing products, and to develop a new one (susanto et al., 2023). research and development (r&d) involves investigative activities by organizations to innovate, improve, or create new products, processes, or services through exploring ideas, conducting experiments, and testing hypotheses, thereby driving technology, knowledge, innovation, competitiveness, and industry growth (nomura, 2021). ahmedova suggests that research and development (r&d) involve systematic investigation and experimentation to create new knowledge, products, processes, or services. research focuses on gathering and analyzing data to discover insights or solutions, while development applies these findings to create innovations that benefit organizations or society (ahmedova, 2022). according to this perspective, research focuses on the collection and analysis of data to uncover insights or solutions, while development leverages these findings to innovate and create beneficial applications for organizations and society. this dual approach underscores the importance of both generating new ideas and practically applying them, ensuring that r&d efforts are not merely theoretical but lead to tangible advancements that can be implemented in real-world scenarios. research and development (r&d) involves systematic investigative activities to innovate, introduce, or improve products and processes, advancing knowledge and developing new technologies, thus driving innovation, competitiveness, and growth across various industries (spector et al., 2022). emphasize the role of r&d in driving innovation, competitiveness, and growth across various industries. by systematically engaging in investigative activities to introduce or improve products and processes, r&d advances knowledge and fosters the development of new technologies. this definition highlights the strategic importance of r&d in maintaining a competitive edge and achieving economic growth. both ahmedova and spector et al. agree on the fundamental aspects of r&d, noting its critical function in not only creating novel solutions but also in ensuring these innovations are effectively translated into practical applications that drive progress across diverse sectors. in conclusion, research and development (r&d) involves systematic investigation and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1231 experimentation to generate new knowledge, products, processes, or services. it encompasses gathering and analyzing data to discover insights or solutions and applying these findings to foster innovation and improvements as well as is essential for driving innovation, competitiveness, and growth across various industries by advancing knowledge and developing technologies that benefit both organizations and society. the development model is used as the basis for producing the product to be produced. procedural models, conceptual models, and theoretical models are types of development models. the procedural model is descriptive, outlining the procedures needed to make a product (masykur et al., 2021). the conceptual model is an analytical model that enumerates the components of the product, examines them thoroughly, and describes the relationship between the components to be built. houghton defines a module as a self-contained unit of learning that focuses on specific topics or skills within a broader course or program (houghton, 2023). furthermore, hatmi & ambarita suggest that a module is a wellorganized teaching tool that promotes active learning and hands-on practice. its effectiveness is confirmed by positive feedback from both educators and students, demonstrating its practical value in the educational process (hatmi & ambarita, 2022). they highlight the importance of modules as structured educational tools designed to enhance active learning and practical application. modules facilitate a more engaging and hands-on learning experience, encouraging students to actively participate and apply their knowledge in coherent-manner organized content. consequently, modules emerge as crucial components in modern educational practices, ensuring that both teaching and learning processes are optimized. aris & mansor define a module is a wellorganized unit within a larger system, aimed at achieving defined learning objectives. it operates as an independent instructional segment, concentrating on a specific topic or theme. modules play a crucial role in structuring educational content, ensuring it is delivered cohesively and sequentially to enhance the learning process (aris & mansor, 2023). based on the opinions of these experts, a module is a self-contained, systematically organized unit within a broader educational framework, targeting specific topics or skills. it enhances active learning and hands-on practice, validated by positive feedback from educators and students. modules ensure cohesive and sequential delivery of content, thereby optimizing the teaching and learning processes. modules are made for teaching materials that are systematically arranged so that students can learn without restrictions and are motivated to obtain the expected competencies (mulyati & sulistianingsih, 2020). according to depdiknas (2008: 3-5), the following are the criteria for a good and interesting module: module users must be able to learn independently through the module and not depend on third parties such as teachers/instructors. therefore, the module should include: clearly stated objectives;learning materials packaged in small/specific units to facilitate complete learning;examples and illustrations to support the clarity of the material; exercises, assignments, and the like to assess understanding and mastery of the material; contextual, meaning that the material provided is relevant to the situation or context of work and its use environment; the language used is simple and communicative; a summary of the learning material; assessment instruments that allow training and education participants to carry out "self-assessment": instruments to measure the level of mastery of the materialassessment to ensure that users master the material a module must cover all learning materials for one unit of competency or sub-competency being studied. the aim is to provide opportunities for students to examine the learning material thoroughly because it is presented as a whole unit. modules are said to be good if they do not depend on other modules or materials and do not have to be used together with other learning tools. modules should have high adaptive effectiveness, which means they should be able to adapt to advances in science and technology and, at least, should be adaptable. an adaptive module, that is, if the learning material’s content can be used for a set amount of time. the module is considered good if it is uncomplicated to utilize. the only thing that is indicated by user friendly with its users is the use of plain language that is easy to grasp and the use of usually utilized phrases, every instruction and presentation of information that emerges is useful, and it is easy for users to reply and access as needed. education developments wide up new opportunities for learning, particularly language learning. the availability of numerous language teaching methods is extremely beneficial in leroy holman siahaan & yon a. e innovative english teaching strategies: implementing task-based language teaching in junior high school curriculum 1232 enhancing language acquisition. at this point, the practice of language learning in schools, both elementary and secondary, as well as tertiary, has not been optimal, despite the use of numerous learning approaches (vanpatten et al., 2020). the teacher’s lack of awareness of creative learning models is to blame. language learning will surely be more optimal and produce better results if the teacher understands creative learning techniques. task-based language teaching (tblt) is one strategy that can be employed in language learning (bean & melzer, 2021). a task is an activity designed to allow students to apply their knowledge, skills, and strategies independently or within a group (fisher & frey, 2021). furthermore, a task is an educationally structured activity designed to enhance language skills in real-life contexts. each task focuses on specific language aspects, providing opportunities for practice and improvement, and allowing for assessment of students' language proficiency (kayır, 2020). meanwhile, a task is a systematically organized plan intended to enhance learners' language knowledge and skills through communicative activities. this can encompass both brief practice exercises and more complex work plans that necessitate spontaneous communication (ellis et al., 2020).. students are encouraged to engage in communicative activities that emphasize meaning rather than form, even though meaning is basically inseparable from form. students are urged in this scenario to apply their grammar skills to express communicative meaning (bean & melzer, 2021). a task is a fundamental element in task-based language curricula, allowing students to use their abilities and knowledge to learn language through contextual activities rather than disconnected grammatical structures (jackson, 2022). to conclude, task is a structured activity aiming at improving knowledge and skills through real-world communicative experiences. it enables students to apply their knowledge, abilities, and techniques individually or in groups, with a focus on specific language characteristics for practice and assessment. tasks can range from quick exercises to sophisticated programs that require spontaneous communication, emphasizing meaning over form and employing the target language to achieve a variety of objectives. at the same time, certain factors must be considered in the task-based learning model or task based language teaching (tblt) in order for task-based learning/tblt to be implemented as effectively as feasible. "task-based language teaching (tblt) refers to an approach based on the use of the task as the core," richard explained. according to richards, there are two sorts of tasks in language education in this approach: pedagogic tasks and contextual tasks (kinanti & subagio, 2020). ellis et al. (ellis et al., 2020) classify two sorts of activities: pedagogic tasks and target tasks (real world tasks) taken from everyday life. pedagogic tasks are tasks that are designed to be completed in class using interactional ways. for example, learners may be assigned the task of identifying differences between two objects or photos. meanwhile, contextual tasks are drawn from everyday life and follow the same interaction pattern as pedagogical tasks. role play is an example of a learning model that can be utilized. ellis et al. also provide the key principles of task-based language teaching (tblt) are as follows: learning by doing: language learning occurs through task performance to meet learners’ communicative needs, rather than just for task completion. individual development: learning aligns with learners’ internal syllabuses, integrating task content with their language resources, allowing personalized task accomplishment. relevance: tasks address real communicative needs, making abilities developed through tasks directly applicable to learners’ language proficiency goals. learners drive the learning process, with teachers facilitating through planning and implementation. interaction: tblt promotes interaction for negotiating meaning and developing shared understanding, which is essential for language acquisition. input-based tasks: learners benefit from receptive tasks (listening, reading) that don’t require language production, catering to different ages and proficiency levels. output-based tasks: learners need opportunities to produce extended discourse (speaking, writing), test hypotheses, and notice language aspects required by connected discourse. focus on form: learners’ attention must be directed to challenging language forms not easily acquired incidentally during communicative tasks. supporting performance: learners need time to plan, reflect, and repeatedly perform tasks to optimize and improve their task performance. individual differences: task-based instruction must be adjusted to accommodate learners’ varying aptitude, motivation, and anxiety profiles english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1233 to optimize their performance (ellis et al., 2020). the teacher’s role in task-based language teaching (tblt) is primarily that of a facilitator in the classroom. the teacher acts as an observer of class activities (observer) during the task cycle stage, then as a giver of advice and input in the use of the target language in class (advisor) during the planning stage, and finally as a guide (organizer) during the carrying out of assignments in a class stage (hardjana et al., 2023). students’ participation is required in taskbased language learning / tblt so that learning activities in class can go as planned. this is because the tblt learning approach is no longer centered on the teacher. as a result, the teacher’s job is limited to being a facilitator of learning activities in the classroom (daga, 2021). meanwhile, the advantages gained in taskbased language learning (tblt) are as follows: the application of task-based teaching provides many opportunities for students to practice speaking to improve their speaking skills; students are active in class; increase students’ courage and fluency in speaking; task-based learning is student-centered learning which can increase student independence; tblt can be applied at all levels and backgrounds; students have more experience; students can use whatever vocabulary and grammar they know; tblt emphasizes the communicative meaning; student education is more enthusiastic in language; method the method used in this research is the r&d (research and development) method which aims to develop tblt-based english teaching materials. according to (r&dgr et al., n.d.), the research and development method is a scientific way to research, design, produce and test the validity of products that have been produced (12), including products in the scope of education. furthermore, research and development activities can be abbreviated as 4p (research, design, production and testing). methodologically, nollmeyer (2022) explained that the r&d research model has four levels, namely: 1) level 1 r&d model research is research that produces a design and does not pass the product design and testing stage, 2) level 2 r&d research is research in which the researcher does not conduct a product trial stage, 3) level 3 r&d model research, which is research on existing products and passes the product effectiveness test stage, and 4) r&d model research, in which researchers conduct research on a product to design a new product, and pass the stage of making and testing the effectiveness of the product. meanwhile, in this development research, researchers only focus on r&d model research at level 3. researchers began the research by analyzing the initial needs that would be researched and developed in the next stage. needs analysis or the define stage is an activity to select and place what products will be researched and developed (english teaching materials). then, in the second stage, researchers will design a product that will later be developed in the third stage of research (develop) where researchers will test the effectiveness of the product with the results of validation from several expert judgments related to content validation by lecturers, construct validation by lecturers, and material testing by practitioners (teachers). meanwhile, the research data collection process uses descriptive qualitative data. results and discussion this development research creates a product that can be applied to the classroom learning process of students, namely the english language teaching module class viii based on task-based language teach, additionally referred to as a task-based learning model. in designing teaching modules, researchers used thiagarajan’s development methodology, known as the 4-d development paradigm, which stands for define, design, develop, and disseminate. the following describes the model development steps: define step before taking on research and development on class viii english teaching modules, the researcher conducted an analysis considering the necessity, lack, and want (rofii & ramli, 2024). in the beginning process of determining needs in research and development, researchers conducted the following steps: front-end analysis this is the first step before the researcher conducts research and development on the product under development. at this point, the researcher conducted interviews with the english teacher and many class viii learners to learn more about the english teaching module that would be created. according to the findings of interviews with the eighth-grade english instructor, the teaching approach used during the learning process in class was conventional or lecture-based. the english teaching module used at the moment does not include practice questions that can be used as leroy holman siahaan & yon a. e innovative english teaching strategies: implementing task-based language teaching in junior high school curriculum 1234 individual assignments or in class for student discussion. additionally, interviews were conducted with several grade viii students about learning english in class. it was discovered that english was a difficult subject, and students’ lack of understanding of english vocabulary resulted in students having difficulty understanding assignment instructions. found in english textbooks. learner analysis at this point, the researcher analyzed the data by analyzing the students. as a result, the lecture method or the traditional approach, in which students listen to explanations from the teacher (primary informant), will be used during the learning process in class. furthermore, it was discovered that there was no book of practice questions available to assist students enhance their english skills. task analysis at this point, the activity is to analyze the assignments that will be utilized to construct english teaching modules. as a result, the material for building teaching modules in semester 2 will be content on comparison degree and descriptive text. each chapter has six activities designed to assist students enhance their english skills. concept analysis the researcher conducted a concept analysis of the core competencies (ki) and basic competencies (kd) that would be utilized in developing class viii english teaching modules. as a consequence, the kd and ki used are 3.9 and 3.11, which are connected to comparison degree and descriptive text content, respectively. specifying instructional objectives the purpose of this defining step is to define the learning objectives that will be utilized in the following instructional modules. learning objectives are established in order to provide educational materials that are based on predefined basic competencies. design step at this step, the researcher constructed a draft design for the instructional modules that would be developed, as well as assessment instruments in the form of assessment instruments and response questionnaires. the following are the steps that researchers perform during the design step: preliminary concept at this point, the researcher constructed the first draft of the product to be created, namely the taskbased english teaching module for class viii. the steps in preparing the product at the first design stage are as follows: the title/identity of the teaching module is taskbased language teaching module class viii. compilation of core competencies (ki), basic competencies (kd), and indicators to be achieved in english teaching modules. assignments or practice questions to be utilized in the english teaching module. at the end of each chapter, there are assessment or evaluation questions. the purposes are for learners to determine how well they understand the information being studied. utilizing the task based learning model the purpose of selecting a task-based learning model/task-based language teaching is to enhance students’ english skills by working on assignments that are provided in the teaching modules, and assist students become active, communicative, and independent learners during the learning process. presentation of teaching module at this point, researchers are required to concentrate on the preparation of the first product design, specifically: the generated teaching module is based on the textbook used by class viii at smpn 3 gunungputri, and the teaching material refers to material in semester 2 of the ministry of education and culture’s 2017 revised edition. creating instructional modules with microsoft word 2019 and canva for producing the front cover and images. the design of instructional materials is printed items with a4 paper size that are properly packed. preparation of assessment instruments for teaching modules the purpose of developing an assessment instrument for developed teaching modules is to allow researchers to determine whether the teaching modules have become developments as well as ideas and input related to module improvements before they are disseminated. the assessment method is presented in the form of validation sheets for media and material specialists, as well as student answer surveys. develop step. the step of development is intended to be the process for developing instructional modules for implementation at junior english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1235 high school in bekasi. at the development stage for task-based english teaching modules (tblt), the following steps are followed: creating english teaching module. english teaching modules are created and prepared using microsoft word 2019 and canva as the medium for designing the front and rear covers of the english teaching module. the processes for creating english teaching modules for class viii based on task-based language teaching are as follows: designing the front cover, back cover, and identity of instructional materials. the module title, the panca sakti university of bekasi logo, the class and level, and the author’s institution are all printed on the front cover. then, on the back cover of the book, there is the author’s agency logo and name. in addition, the module identity section includes the author’s name, supervisor, photograph, and institution. the following pages contain core competencies, basic competencies, and achievement indicators derived from comparison degree and descriptive text material in the english textbook’s 2017 revised edition. practice typing questions. the purpose is to teach students how to understand teaching material and to enhance their skill to communicate in english. this section contains six models of varied practice questions. type evaluation questions to measure the skills of learners after learning comparison degree and descriptive text material. answering evaluation questions by typing the response key. create a list of references. teaching module validation at this point, the researcher distributed assessment sheets to expert validators, who consisted of two expert lecturers and one english teacher. the purpose of validating teaching materials is for researchers to determine whether the generated training modules receive ideas and input as material for improvement. revision of teaching module. after material and media validation experts validated the teaching modules, the researchers revised the teaching modules in response to criticisms, suggestions, and input on the teaching modules. the following are some of the enhancements made to the designed instructional modules by validation experts: the need for a follow-up survey for students so that the instructions in the module can be understood. teaching modules that are developed need to be linked to textbooks as a 100% reference source. the need for improvement on the cover of the front module, namely the provision of illustrations and colors to make it look more attractive. the need for improvement on the color of the title writing “english teaching module” so that the writing can be read clearly. the need for improvement in the layout of page numbering on each page. it is recommended to place the page number on the bottom side of the paper. the need for modifications to the practice questions so that they are more diverse and improvements to each illustration to make it look more attractive. limited experiment. after modifying the teaching modules in response to expert criticism, suggestions, and information, the researchers conducted a follow-up survey by delivering student response questionnaires to determine student reactions to the teaching modules under development. small groups of 10 grade viii students obtained student response surveys. disseminate step. products that have been revised and evaluated by validation experts are limited, acceptable for small-scale distribution, or limited at this point. the developed product, an english language teaching module for class viii based on task-based language teaching, has been distributed to numerous class viii english instructors. model feasibility product r&d is carried conducted using the r&d model approach, which applies to the thiagarajan development model or what is known as 4-d, which stands for define, design, develop, and disseminate. the model development result, which pertains to the 4-d development model, is as follows: define step. following to the results of the definition step, the results of the analysis were obtained, namely front-end analysis, learner analysis, task analysis, concept analysis on core competency (ki), basic competency (kd), and achievement indicators, and analysis on determining learning objectives. design step. design is the next step in the research and development methods for teaching modules. at this stage, the researcher completed the first draft of the product under development, determined the learning model used in the teaching module under development, completed the first draft of the product under development, and created an assessment instrument related to the teaching module under development. leroy holman siahaan & yon a. e innovative english teaching strategies: implementing task-based language teaching in junior high school curriculum 1236 develop step. at this point, the researcher assesses the training modules created with the assistance of validation experts (material and media). the purpose of distributing assessment instruments to validation experts is to assist researchers determine whether the produced learning materials can be modified and used. the assessment of the produced teaching modules was carried out by two lecturers from panca sakti university bekasi, dr. leroy holman siahaan, m. pd and mrs. dini hidayati, m. pd, as well as one english teacher, mrs. linda elvira, s. pd. researchers revised the teaching modules developed in response to criticism, ideas, and input from experts after receiving changes from validation experts. the researcher then conducted a restricted testing of the designed teaching modules by administering a limited response questionnaire to 10 learners. disseminate step. products that have been revised and determined by validation experts are limited, acceptable for small-scale distribution, or limited at this point. the english language teaching module for class viii based on task based language teaching has been distributed to several class viii english teachers. model effectiveness the researcher determined the findings of experiments on the produced learning materials at this point. the following are the validation findings from the validators for the produced instructional modules: table 1. the material validator’s validation results no aspects average score criteria 1 self-instruction 3.7 feasible 2 self-contained 4.0 very feasible 3 stand alone 3.5 feasible 4 adaptive 4.0 very feasible 5 user friendly 3.0 feasible total 3.64 feasible table 2. the media validator’s validation results no aspects average score criteria 1 module size aspect 4 very feasible 2 module cover design aspect 3.75 feasible 3 module content aspect 3.8 feasible total 3.85 feasible the results of the student response questionnaire assessment no aspects score mean criteria 1 appearance design 266 44,38 feasible 2 language 117 39 feasible 3 evaluation 189 37,8 feasible total 572 40,39 very feasible the researcher utilizes the four d research and development steps in the teaching module development approach, namely define, design, develop, and disseminate. the results of the analysis are derived based on the problems from the define stage, particularly the initial-end analysis, student analysis, task analysis, concept analysis, and setting learning objectives. according to the findings of a research and development needs analysis obtained through interviews with teachers, the learning model utilized during the learning process in class was a conventional teaching method, with a lack of practice questions that could have assisted students enhance their english skills (sholeh, 2022). furthermore, it was determined through interviews with several students that the english subject featured content that was difficult to understand due to restrictions in understanding the language and assignment instructions offered. the selection of task-based learning models since it encourages student to actively involve in a meaningful communication and interaction and employs real-life tasks for authentic communication and pedagogical tasks (jackson, 2022; li, 2023). following the completion of the analysis steps, the researcher designed the first draft by deciding on the writing format to be utilized, the supporting media to be used to design the cover and content of the teaching module, and preparing an assessment instrument to be given to the validation expert. following that, throughout the development phase, researchers validate and evaluate the material and media with the assistance of material and media validation experts. the validation results from material and media experts are used as revision material to improve the training modules that are currently being developed. likewise, after revising the teaching modules under development, the researcher conducted a restricted trial with 10 class viii students, administering limited student response questionnaires to determine the effectiveness of the teaching modules under development. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1237 the researcher disseminated the developed teaching modules to numerous grade viii english teachers at junior high school in west java in the last stage, identified as product dissemination. conclusion the production of class viii english teaching modules utilizing the thiagarajan development model or the 4d development model, stands for define, design, develop, and disseminate. the results of the student response questionnaire related to the english language teaching module class viii based on task-based language teaching have the criteria of being used, with the results detailing the mean score as follows: the module size aspect receives a mean score of 4.0 with extremely good criteria. module cover design aspects receive a mean score of 3.75 with good criteria. module content design aspects receive a mean score of 3.85 with good criteria. meanwhile, the entire total rating with good criteria is 3.85. as a result, the english teaching module is effective. references ahmedova, s. (2022). the importance of research and development in strengthening the enterprise competitiveness. international conference on modern trends in manufacturing technologies and equipment 2021, 2503(1), 050066. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0099889 aris, m. a. b. m., & mansor, r. b. (2023). development and validation of teaching and learning module based on addie model for year 4 plant topic. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v12-i2/17338 bean, j. c., & melzer, d. (2021). engaging ideas: the professor’s guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom. john wiley & sons. bolen, j. (2021). 39 task-based language teaching and learning activities: a very practical guide to using tbl in the esl/efl classroom. independently published. daga, a. t. (2021). makna merdeka belajar dan penguatan peran guru di sekolah dasar. jurnal educatio fkip unma, 7(3), 1075–1090. https://doi.org/10.31949/educatio.v7i3.1279 ellis, r., skehan, p., li, s., shintani, n., & lambert, c. (2020). task-based language teaching. cambridge university press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108643689 fatimah, s., saud, s., & alamsyah. (2021). penerapan metode pembelajaran task based learning dalam meningkatkan keterampilan berbicara bahasa jerman mahasiswa fbs unm. fisher, d., & frey, n. (2021). better learning through structured teaching: a framework for the gradual release of responsibility. ascd. hardjana, a. c., wardhani, d. k., sulastri, a., & sumijati, s. (2023). perancangan board game kotaku edisi kampung pelangi untuk pembelajaran kota dan lingkungan pada anakanak sd di lingkungan berkualitas rendah. in c. f. graciela (ed.), ekologi integral pada lingkungan binaan (pp. 11–18). universitas katolik soegijapranata. hasanuddin, chairunnisa, novianti, w., edi, s., suharti, a., chayati, n., hita, i. p. a. d., saparuddin, purwanto, e., & hadiningrum, l. p. (2022). perencanaan pembelajaran: kurikulum merdeka belajar. sada kurnia pustaka. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=ghcceaa aqbaj hatmi, e., & ambarita, d. f. p. (2022). the practicality of developing module as a learning media in communication psychology course. international journal of computer applications technology and research, 11(12), 416–418. https://doi.org/10.7753/ijcatr1112.1005 houghton, j. (2023). learning modules: problem-based learning, blended learning and flipping the classroom. the law teacher, 57(3), 271–294. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069400.2023.2208017 jackson, d. o. (2022). task-based language teaching. cambridge university press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009067973 kaharuddin, mardiana, ahmad, d., & sari, a. a. i. (2022). examining the skill in writing descriptive text among indonesian learners of english: the effects of task-based language teaching (tblt). journal of language teaching and research, 13(1), 46–57. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1301.06 kayır, g. (2020). task-based language teaching. in ş. orakcı (ed.), paradigm shifts in 21st century teaching and learning (pp. 83–98). igi global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-31464.ch006 kinanti, m. d., & subagio, f. m. (2020). pengembangan lkpd bahasa inggris berbantu aplikasi quizizz kelas iv sekolah dasar. jurnal penelitian pendidikan guru sekolah dasar, 8(3), 539–548. li, j. (2023). a review of studies on task-based language teaching. lecture notes in education psychology and public media, 28(1), 190–195. https://doi.org/10.54254/27537048/28/20231328 masykur, r., wati, r., & suherman. (2021). pengaruh model pembelajaran cooperative script melalui bahan ajar stem terhadap penguasaan konsep matematis. pedagogik: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan dan pembelajaran, 8(1), 41–54. https://doi.org/10.37598/pjpp.v8i1,%20april.90 8 muhamad, ardianto, m. r., & aristati, f. (2021). pengaruh metode belajar aktif model pengajaran leroy holman siahaan & yon a. e innovative english teaching strategies: implementing task-based language teaching in junior high school curriculum 1238 terarah dalam meningkatkan prestasi dan pemahaman pelajaran pkn pada siswa kelas v sdn sukarame tp 2020/2021. jurnal pendidikan dasar dan sosial humaniora, 1(2), 91–100. mulyati, s., & sulistianingsih, e. (2020). bahasa indonesia bagi penutur asing (bipa) module development based local culture for beginner. proceedings of the proceedings of the 2nd konferensi bipa tahunan by postgraduate program of javanese literature and language education in collaboration with association of indonesian language and literature lecturers, kebipaan, 9 november, 2019, surakart. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.9-11-2019.2295086 nomura, n. (2021). current research and development. in multi-dimensional additive manufacturing (pp. 47–51). springer singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7910-3_4 putrinda, a. p., & agustin, i. (2023). an analysis of student’s anxiety in speaking english at the eighth semester students of english education department in panca sakti university. nusantara journal of multidisciplinary science, 1(2), 201– 211. ritonga, h. (2018). pengaruh metode belajar aktif model pengajaran terarah dalam meningkatkan prestasi dan pemahaman pelajaran pai pada siswa kelas i sd negeri 200403 padangsidimpuan tahun pelajaran 2016/2017. ristekdik : jurnal bimbingan dan konseling, 3(1), 39–46. https://doi.org/10.31604/ristekdik.2018.v3i1.39 -46 rofii, a., & ramli, r. (2024). analisis kebutuhan: pengembenagan e-modul menulis penelitian proposal penelitian berbasis kontekstual teaching and learning. aksara: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 8(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.33087/aksara.v8i1.717 spector, a. z., norvig, p., wiggins, c., & wing, j. m. (2022). research and development. in data science in context (pp. 255–258). cambridge university press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009272230.021 susanto, j., khoirudin, r., kudrati ningsih, s., & ramadhona amalia lubis, f. (2023). the role of research and development (r & d) on gross domestic products (gdp) (case study usa, china, japan, germany and the uk). journal of international conference proceedings, 6(1), 1– 13. https://doi.org/10.32535/jicp.v6i1.2223 utami, d. p. (2019). pengaruh penggunaan metode task based learning terhadap kemampuan menulis bahasa prancis siswa kelas xi mia 1 sman 9 bekasi. universitas negeri jakarta. vanpatten, b., williams, j., keating, g. d., & wulff, s. (2020). introduction: the nature of theories. in b. vanpatten, j. williams, g. d. keating, & s. wulff (eds.), theories in second language acquisition (pp. 1–18). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429503986-1. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 735 from classroom to clinic: an analysis of english for nursing curriculum in indonesia ahmad kailani1, emi emilia2, gin gin gustine3, rojab siti rodliyah4 department of english education, faculty of language and arts, universitas pendidikan indonesia, imdomesia corresponding author: ahmadkailani@upi.edu apa citation: kailani, a., emilia, e., gustine, g. g., rodliyah, r. s. (2025). from classroom to clinic: an analysis of english for nursing curriculum in indonesia. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 735-748. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11545 received: 27-02-2025 accepted: 13-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 introduction the curriculum plays a crucial role in an educational institution, serving as the foundation for teaching and learning. recent empirical research confirms that a deliberately structured nursing curriculum that aligns classroom theory with hands-on experiences substantially improves student competencies and outcomes. for example, aul et al. (2021) studied a major undergraduate curriculum overhaul in which faculty mapped and organized simulation experiences alongside coursework. they found that these integrated, simulation-based learning activities “enhanced the teaching and learning needs of students and faculty. in other words, intentional curriculum design (with simulations woven into theory courses) helped bridge classroom learning and clinical practice, yielding clear educational gains. similarly, shin and rim (2023) report on designing a virtual-simulation curriculum model. their structured curriculum covered domains like clinical decision-making and rare/critical scenarios. in a pilot evaluation, the authors created multiple realistic simulation scenarios and concluded that this organized simulation-based curriculum “can help nurse educators to plan better educational opportunities” for students. van den akker (2003) likens the curriculum to a "spider web." the metaphor of a curriculum as a "spider web" aptly illustrates the intricate interconnectedness of its components, emphasizing that the effectiveness of the curriculum relies on the coherence and alignment of all its elements. this concept is encapsulated in the curricular spider web model developed by van den akker, which identifies ten interrelated abstract: this study investigates the alignment of an english for nursing curriculum in an indonesian private university with the linguistic demands of the healthcare sector. drawing on richards’s (2001) framework of curriculum ideologies and tyler’s (1949) curriculum rationale, the analysis explores how curriculum philosophy, model, and components reflect the goals of nursing education. the findings reveal a predominant emphasis on socio-economic efficiency, with academic rationalism and social reconstructionism also present, though less prominently. while the curriculum demonstrates strengths in structured design and outcome alignment, significant gaps persist, particularly in integrating professional english communication within clinical contexts, addressing intercultural competence, and exposing students to authentic healthcare communication scenarios. the study also identifies systemic barriers such as limited institutional collaboration, inadequate teacher training in esp, and rigid policy structures. strategic recommendations are offered to enhance curriculum relevance, including simulation-based learning, interdisciplinary material development, and the creation of a national framework for english communication in nursing. the research contributes to both esp and nursing curriculum scholarship and provides a model for curriculum analysis and reform in similar educational contexts. keywords: english for nursing; esp curriculum; curriculum ideology; tyler’s rationale; intercultural communication; healthcare education; simulation-based learning mailto:ahmadkailani@upi.edu ahmad kailani, emi emilia, gin gin gustine, rojab siti rodliyah from classroom to clinic: an analysis of english for nursing curriculum in indonesia 736 components essential for curriculum development. each component—ranging from rationale and objectives to content, learning activities, and assessment—is interdependent, meaning that a change in one affects the others. this interconnectedness ensures that the curriculum functions as a cohesive whole, and neglecting any single component can compromise its overall effectiveness. makumane & ngcobo (2021) analyzed the representation of the curricular spider web model within the cap framework, highlighting the importance of aligning all curriculum components to achieve educational goals. their study underscores that a well-structured curriculum, like a spider web, requires the integration and coherence of all its parts to maintain its integrity and effectiveness. according to tyler (1949), a well-structured curriculum ensures that teaching is purposeful and aligned with educational goals, facilitating effective learning experiences. wang et al. (2024) found that coherent instructional systems support teachers in delivering content more effectively and help students achieve better academic results. similarly, pinar (2004) contends that the curriculum aids teachers in understanding what content needs to be taught and how to assess student learning, ultimately enhancing instructional effectiveness. additionally, students' learning needs are very diverse. differentiated instruction is needed to foster greater inclusivity and enhance student engagement by addressing individual learning needs (gheyssens, griful-freixenet, & struyven, 2023). ramilo & ting (2025) conducted a study in inclusive classrooms within sdo calamba city, philippines, involving 76 regular and special education teachers. they found that differentiated instruction practices enhance student involvement in learning activities. differentiated instruction not only supports academic outcomes but also contributes to the socio-emotional development of students, particularly in inclusive educational settings (pozas, lindner, & schwab, 2021). a well-defined curriculum establishes the foundation for effective assessment practices, which in turn enhance student outcomes by facilitating the identification of areas requiring targeted intervention and support. a study by khan et al. (2025) evaluated the alignment of multiplechoice questions (mcqs) with curriculum objectives in medical education. the study analyzed 2,400 mcqs over five years and found significant misalignments between the assessment items and curriculum objectives, including issues like test-wiseness and inappropriate difficulty. these flaws compromised evaluation quality and hindered students' development of critical skills, suggesting that there must be alignment between assessments and curricular goals to accurately measure learning and guide targeted interventions. within the nursing education context, the curriculum plays a crucial role in preparing graduates for the evolving healthcare landscape by aligning learning experiences with industry demands (lewis, rebeschi, & hunt, 2022). to adequately address these industry demands, nursing curriculum must integrate theoretical knowledge while prioritizing practical skills through experiential learning and simulations. this combination of approaches would equip alumni with the competencies necessary to face complex care situations in diverse healthcare settings. while curriculum research has gained traction globally, the analysis of english for nursing curricula, especially in indonesia, remains underexplored. this gap is significant, considering the role of english in facilitating professional communication and improving patient care. as the demand for english proficiency grows in clinical contexts, it is crucial that nursing curricula reflect these evolving linguistic needs. for instance, a study on the needs of nursing students indicates that they perceive speaking skills as paramount for their future careers, emphasizing the necessity for targeted training in this area (nurakhir, 2018). additionally, addressing the challenges faced by students—such as limited exposure and ineffective teaching methods—can significantly improve their preparedness for professional environments where english is frequently used (rochmawati, 2020). thus, reforming the curriculum to incorporate practical applications and interactive learning experiences could bridge the existing gap and foster more competent healthcare practitioners. prior studies on the curriculum analysis primarily focused on general english curriculum for high school and undergraduate efl levels (e.g., lestari & emilia, 2023; maryono & emilia, 2022). also, within the nursing education context, previous studies have been concentrated on nursing education curriculum without thoroughly examining the incorporation of the english language within the curriculum (sailsman, 2021; schimböck, 2024). even though there were proposals that existed to integrate specific english course into nursing curriculum (e.g., chetsadanuwat, 2024; nashir et al., 2022; marleni, syarif, and zainil, 2023), none have provided a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 737 comprehensive analysis of how curriculum ideologies, development models, and component alignment function within english for nursing education. this study seeks to fill that gap by offering a systematic analysis of an english for nursing curriculum through tyler’s model of curriculum (1949). therefore, nursing education across indonesia may gain benefits from the results of the curriculum analysis. the curriculum ideologies, models, and elements found in this study would inform future research in the field of efl and esp both in indonesian and global contexts. to deal with the current issue in the analysis of the english for nursing curriculum in indonesia, this study attempted to address two research questions: (1) what kind of ideology and model of curriculum being infused and adopted in the current english for nursing curriculum? (2)how are the elements of the existing curriculum aligned each other? since the english for nursing curriculum is not a standalone curriculum, it is a part of the big curriculum called “the 2022 curriculum guide of outcome-based learning education for bachelor of nursing and professional nursing education programs.”. this attempt is intended to look at the curriculum as a whole and dissect the elements of it within the specific context, which is english for nursing. this study adopts richards’s (2001) five ideological orientations in language curriculum development to examine how values and intentions are embedded in the english for nursing curriculum. the five ideologies—academic rationalism, social-economic efficiency, learnercenteredness, social reconstructionism, and cultural pluralism—serve as analytical lenses to evaluate the philosophical underpinnings that shape curricular decisions and pedagogical priorities. these ideological orientations also reflect broader educational philosophies that have informed curriculum theory and development over time. academic rationalism emphasizes the transmission of established bodies of knowledge and intellectual traditions. in the context of language education, it stresses the importance of mastering linguistic structures and literary forms to develop intellectual rigor, rational thinking, and appreciation for humanistic values (richards, 2001). this ideology parallels the classical liberal education tradition, which regards education to cultivate the mind (schiro, 2012). within the english for nursing curriculum, academic rationalism is observed in components that aim to deepen students’ understanding of medical texts, improve their command of medical terminology, and enhance critical thinking through structured academic writing and professional documentation. the ideology of social-economic efficiency views education primarily as a tool to prepare learners for productive roles in society. in language education, this philosophy translates into equipping students with functional communication skills that meet labor market needs and contribute to economic development (richards, 2001). this view aligns with tyler’s (1949) rationale, which emphasizes defining clear objectives and aligning instruction to real-world outcomes. these views are reflected in the current nursing education curriculum, which states there are five core graduate competencies after accomplishing the program, namely, care provider, communicator, educator, manager, and researcher (curriculum guide of outcome-based learning education for bachelor of nursing and professional nursing education programs, 2022). in vocational and professional contexts such as nursing, this ideology underpins the integration of english for specific purposes (esp) instruction, which focuses on role-plays, simulations, and jobrelated communication skills (basturkmen, 2015). it also resonates with human capital theory, which views language proficiency as an asset that increases individuals’ employability and workplace productivity (becker, 1993). the english for nursing curriculum embodies this ideology by offering structured language learning activities that target patient interaction, medical reporting, and interprofessional communication in clinical environments. learner-centeredness, influenced by dewey’s progressive education philosophy, places the learner’s needs, experiences, and developmental potential at the heart of the curriculum. it promotes active, inquiry-based learning, where students construct knowledge through meaningful engagement with content (dewey, 1986). in language education, this ideology supports communicative approaches that emphasize interaction, autonomy, and personalization (nunan, 2012; richards, 2001). the english for nursing curriculum exhibits this orientation through its focus on student-led projects, task-based learning, and differentiated instruction aimed at accommodating learners’ varied proficiency levels. this approach aligns with vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural theory, which underscores the role of social interaction and scaffolding in language development. ahmad kailani, emi emilia, gin gin gustine, rojab siti rodliyah from classroom to clinic: an analysis of english for nursing curriculum in indonesia 738 furthermore, learner-centered pedagogy fosters motivation and self-regulation, both of which are critical for lifelong learning in fast-changing healthcare settings (zimmerman, 2002). social reconstructionism, rooted in freire’s (2020) concept of critical pedagogy, positions education as a means to challenge and transform social inequalities. it advocates for a curriculum that encourages learners to question dominant narratives, reflect on power relations, and develop agency to initiate social change. in the context of language education, this ideology supports content that engages with issues of justice, ethics, and social responsibility (giroux, 2024). in the english for nursing curriculum, this can be seen in thematic units that address topics such as health disparities, culturally responsive care, and ethical dilemmas in healthcare. integrating such content helps students become not only competent professionals but also socially aware practitioners capable of advocating for marginalized communities. this aligns with the broader goals of transformative education, which seeks to develop critical consciousness and foster ethical practice in professional fields (mezirow, 1997). cultural pluralism emphasizes respect for cultural diversity and the inclusion of multiple perspectives in the curriculum. it supports the recognition and validation of minority groups, fosters positive identity formation, and challenges ethnocentric biases (richards, 2001). in language education, cultural pluralism promotes intercultural competence and awareness, enabling learners to communicate effectively across cultural boundaries (byram, 2020). although often underrepresented in english for specific purposes curricula, integrating cultural pluralism is especially crucial in nursing, where practitioners interact with patients from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. the curriculum can reflect this ideology by incorporating case studies that involve multicultural scenarios, encouraging reflection on cultural values in care provision, and fostering linguistic sensitivity in patient communication. doing so not only improves communication outcomes but also supports patient-centered care and contributes to reducing healthcare disparities (campinha-bacote, 2002). cultural pluralism can be taught in the classroom through role-plays and dialogue simulations that involve cross-cultural patient interactions (e.g., dealing with a patient from a different ethnic group who follows traditional healing practices). also, this ideology can be infused through case study discussions involving ethical decision-making in intercultural contexts, such as end-of-life care preferences shaped by religious or cultural beliefs. another possible alternative is by giving assignments that require students to interview healthcare workers or patients from various ethnic backgrounds to explore language barriers and cultural expectations in care delivery. group presentations on traditional health beliefs from indonesia’s diverse cultures (e.g., javanese, batak, minangkabau), promoting reflection on how cultural values influence communication and patient care, are also intriguing to implement in an english for nursing class. this study used tyler's (1949) deductive model, also known as tyler's rationale, as the curriculum analysis framework. we chose this model due to its linear approach, which begins with curriculum objectives based on social values, learner needs, and subject matter relevance. the rationale emphasizes education as an experience, curriculum as the way to solve a problem, and teacher involvement. the model focuses on behavior change, assessing whether students achieve intended learning outcomes or not (tyler, 1949). this methodology is in line with the current curriculum being analyzed, namely the 2022 outcome-based curriculum for bachelor of nursing and professional nursing education programs. tyler’s model of curriculum has been widely adopted due to its structured, objective-driven approach (wraga, 2017; hlebowitsh, 1992, 1995). tyler’s model is built on four fundamental questions: (1) what educational purposes should the school seek to attain? (2) what educational experiences can be provided that are likely to attain these purposes? (3) how can these educational experiences be effectively organized? (4) how can we determine whether these purposes are being attained? these questions form a cyclic approach that prioritizes objectives and assessment. tyler’s model is characterized by its emphasis on learning objectives derived from students' needs, societal requirements, and subject matter. learning experiences are then designed to achieve these objectives, ensuring logical sequencing and effectiveness. assessment and evaluation serve as integral components to determine if the curriculum fulfils its intended purposes (ornstein & hunkins, 2018). the model aligns closely with behavioral objectives, where clearly defined outcomes drive curriculum design and implementation (posner, 2004). tyler’s model offers several advantages, such as its clarity, systematic approach, and emphasis on assessment (marsh, 2009). tyler’s model remains a cornerstone of curriculum english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 739 development due to its structured approach and emphasis on objectives and assessment. however, the top-down nature of tyler’s model also presents some challenges, particularly concerning teacher autonomy and classroom flexibility. because the curriculum is tightly guided by predefined objectives and standardized learning outcomes, instructors often function as implementers rather than co-constructors of the curriculum. this limits their ability to adapt content or methods based on real-time classroom dynamics or learners’ evolving interests and challenges. instructors may have less room for spontaneous pedagogical decisions or for integrating emergent topics, such as new healthcare policies, pandemic responses, or cultural competencies, that fall outside the formal objective structure. in the context of rapidly evolving healthcare education, such rigidity can become a limitation. the healthcare sector is increasingly characterized by interdisciplinary collaboration, technological disruption, and shifting patient demographics, all of which require curricula to be agile and responsive. while tyler’s model supports clarity and accountability, it may lack the flexibility needed to accommodate sudden changes, such as the integration of telehealth communication skills or the inclusion of new public health challenges. to address this, institutions can mitigate the limitations of a top-down curriculum by encouraging teacher involvement in curriculum review, supporting contextual adaptations, and providing ongoing professional development that empowers educators to interpret and extend learning objectives in meaningful ways. ultimately, while tyler’s model offers a solid foundation for curriculum design—particularly in structured, outcome-focused programs like nursing—it benefits from being complemented by models that prioritize responsiveness, innovation, and teacher agency. method this study adopted the content analysis design to make inferences from data to context (creswell, 2014). the researcher aimed to interpret the source texts through content analysis to enhance comprehension for readers regarding the hidden meanings conveyed within its social setting. this study used content analysis to assess the curriculum's content, which included course profiles, syllabi, and instructional materials. given the study's objectives, this method was deemed appropriate. in this study, the main curriculum guide called “the 2022 curriculum guide of outcome-based learning education for bachelor of nursing and professional nursing education programs” was analyzed as well as other curriculum materials, including course profiles, syllabi for english for nursing and advanced english, and two modules (english for nursing and advanced english). the curriculum documents were further assessed according to ideology, model, and the four components of the curriculum: objectives, content, learning activities, and evaluation. in order to analyze these documents, the researcher adapted mayring's (2023) framework, which involved selecting the curriculum, dissecting its elements, comparing them to the chosen curriculum model, discussing the data, and connecting them to the underlying theories. within this research context, the procedures were adjusted to the following steps: (1) the english for nursing curriculum was selected for analysis for three main reasons: (a) the growing number of nursing schools in indonesia contrasts with the lack of research examining their english curricula through general curriculum and efl/esl development theories; (b) to understand the english component of the nursing curriculum as an esp course within indonesia’s educational context; and (c) to provide insights that can help nursing schools and policymakers critically evaluate the curriculum’s ideology, model, components, and implementation. (2) identifying the curriculum ideology as suggested by richards (2001), who delineated five distinct ideologies of the curriculum. (3) identifying the curricular components in accordance with tyler’s (1949) rationale which encompasses objectives, learning activities, material, and evaluation. (4) analyzing the curriculum data from tyler's rationale. (5) analyzing the results in relation to the theoretical framework of the study. the procedures of analysis, briefly, can be seen from this chart: figure 1. mayring’s (2023) curriculum analysis procedures (adapted version) 1 •selecting the intended curriculum 2 •identifying the curriculum ideology 3 •identifying the curriculum components 4 •analyzing the curriculum from the selected curriculum framework 5 •relating the results to the underpinning theories of curriculum ahmad kailani, emi emilia, gin gin gustine, rojab siti rodliyah from classroom to clinic: an analysis of english for nursing curriculum in indonesia 740 to enhance the rigor and trustworthiness of the study, validation of interpretation was employed. interpretive findings were validated through peer debriefing and member checking. a small group of english lecturers and curriculum developers from the nursing faculty were consulted to confirm whether the themes and ideological interpretations were consistent with their experiences and intentions. their feedback was integrated to refine the interpretations and ensure contextual accuracy. results and discussion curriculum ideology results of curriculum analysis based on richards’s (2001) curriculum ideologies academic rationalism the curriculum emphasized a deep mastery of nursing science, as seen in the description of learning outcomes, subject matter, and the matrix linking courses with graduate competencies. additionally, the inclusion of research components in the curriculum demonstrated an effort to develop students' intellectual and academic abilities. this alignment is critical in preparing nursing students for professional roles that require both theoretical knowledge and practical application (richards, 2001). the inclusion of research components in the curriculum further demonstrated a commitment to developing students’ intellectual and academic abilities. research engagement helped students to be critical thinkers, evidence-based practitioners, and problem solvers, all of which are necessary for professional nursing practice (lewis, rebeschi, & hunt, 2022). additionally, studies emphasized that integrating research-based learning in english for nursing courses improves students' ability to analyze medical case studies, interpret clinical guidelines, and apply evidence-based care strategies (schimböck et al., 2024). social-economic efficiency social economic efficiency dominantly underpinned the curriculum ideology. this curriculum is highly oriented toward workforce needs. the graduate profile included roles such as care provider, communicator, health educator and promoter, manager and leader, and researcher. the courses and professional training were designed to ensure that graduates acquire skills relevant to the healthcare system and societal needs . this approach resonated with schiro’s (2012) social efficiency ideology, which conceived education as one of the alternatives to efficiently shape individuals to fulfill specific roles in society. research highlights that nursing students who receive targeted esp instruction demonstrate greater confidence and competence in medical conversations, patient education, and professional interactions (nashir et al., 2022). furthermore, linguistically responsive instruction has been shown to improve patient safety by reducing miscommunication in clinical settings (schimböck et al., 2024). learner-centeredness the curriculum emphasized learner-centered teaching and learning. this was indicated by the adoption of problem-based learning (pbl) and interactive teaching methods in materials delivery. this shift toward learner-centeredness not only enhances engagement but also fosters critical thinking and adaptability among students. pbl enhances student engagement, collaboration, and academic performance, emphasizing the development of skills vital to navigating real-world complexities (pudjiarti et al., 2024). the curriculum emphasized learner-centered teaching and learning. this trend was indicated by the adoption of problem-based learning (pbl) and interactive teaching methods in materials delivery. this shift toward learner-centeredness not only enhances engagement but also fosters critical thinking and adaptability among students. pbl enhances student engagement, collaboration, and academic performance, emphasizing the development of skills vital to navigating real-world complexities (pudjiarti et al., 2024). this method also meets today's need for a curriculum that adapts to changes in society and technology, helping students build important skills for learning throughout their lives (ichim, 2022). by focusing on student needs and interests, educators can create a more dynamic and inclusive classroom environment, in contrast to traditional, inflexible curricula that value rote memorization over meaningful application of knowledge. this shift promotes critical thinking and problem-solving abilities and enables students to interact effectively, convey their ideas clearly, and adapt to varied situations in an ever-changing environment. such an educational paradigm encourages a deeper engagement with learning material, allowing students to connect theoretical concepts with real-life applications and giving them control over their education. furthermore, the holistic approach employed in the nursing curriculum indicated a focus on students' learning needs and experiences in it. such an approach encourages the development of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 741 essential soft skills, including empathy and communication, which are vital in promoting trust with patients and increasing the quality of patient health (ismail, sohilait, & erawati, 2024). future nurses become more adept at understanding the intricate interplay of physical, emotional, and social factors that influence patient well-being as they engage with diverse perspectives through collaborative projects, reinforcing the importance of a comprehensive educational framework in developing competent healthcare professionals. this holistic approach benefits the students and enriches the healthcare system as a whole, leading to more innovative solutions and improved patient care practices in an increasingly dynamic environment. social reconstructionism the curriculum includes elements of this ideology, particularly in its mission to improve community well-being through health promotion and service. the learning outcomes also encompass advocacy roles and community empowerment. this statement corresponded with schiro's (2012) claim that social reconstructionism advocated for education that enabled students to comprehend society, cultivate an idea of an improved society, and take action to realize that vision. social reconstructionism positions educators as catalysts for societal transformation, advocating for teaching practices that promote critical thinking and active engagement to address social injustices (kassie, 2024). this active involvement reinforces the idea that education must serve as a catalyst for meaningful social change. cultural pluralism the curriculum emphasizes nursing care based on islamic values, demonstrating an awareness of cultural contexts in education. additionally, there was a commitment to providing inclusive nursing services that cater to diverse community needs. eisner (1979) posited that in cultural pluralism, language functions as a powerful representation, holding significant cultural resources applicable across every aspect of humanity. in other words, educational institutions play a pivotal role in social reproduction by utilizing language and curriculum to reinforce existing power structures, thereby perpetuating social inequalities (wicaksono, 2024). overall, based on the analysis of curriculum ideologies, this curriculum integrates multiple ideologies, with a primary emphasis on socialeconomic efficiency, academic rationalism, and social reconstructionism. however, elements of learner-centeredness and cultural pluralism are also present in various curriculum components. the prevalence of the ideology of socio-economic efficiency in the existing curriculum indicates that students are being prepared with nursing skills that align with the future requirements of the healthcare sector and societal expectations. cultural pluralism is underdeveloped. while islamic values are embedded, there is limited evidence of broad-based cultural competence training to prepare students for multicultural patient populations. to deal with this problem, the institution may develop intercultural communication modules within the english for nursing courses, incorporating case studies and scenarios involving patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. another weakness of the curriculum is learnercenteredness. this is emphasized through problem-based learning (pbl), but its integration into english for nursing lacks depth in practical exposure and real-life simulations. to tackle this issue, esp instructors can collaborate with clinical partners to co-develop language tasks grounded in authentic hospital interactions, ensuring the relevance of student-centered pedagogy to clinical realities. the aforementioned gaps exist because of three possible problems. first. budget limitations or lack of partnerships with clinical sites may restrict the development of real-world pbl scenarios. second, esp educators may lack clinical exposure, reducing their ability to design simulations that reflect authentic medical contexts. the last, national guidelines may prioritize competency frameworks but overlook intercultural and communicative aspects critical to patient-centered care. curriculum model the curriculum strongly reflects tyler’s (1949) rational model, evidenced by a top-down structure: overarching objectives are progressively translated into program outcomes, course profiles, and instructional strategies. this inference was drawn from several premises. first, at the onset, the curriculum guide stated the learning objective at the faculty of nursing level, then this objective was broken down into the study program objective; after that, the objectives at the level of study program were used as the guidelines for formulating the course profiles, syllabi, and learning modules. the top-down tyler curriculum ahmad kailani, emi emilia, gin gin gustine, rojab siti rodliyah from classroom to clinic: an analysis of english for nursing curriculum in indonesia 742 model was distinctly evident in this phase of curriculum development (tyler, 1949). the curriculum clearly outlines the expected graduate competencies, including roles such as care provider, communicator, health educator, manager, leader, and researcher. these objectives aligned with tyler's emphasis on identifying clear learning goals before designing the curriculum (tyler, 1949). the curriculum followed a structured organization, ensuring that learning progressed logically from foundational knowledge to specialized skills. clinical practice was sequentially arranged to enhance skill development, which aligns with tyler’s principle of effectively structuring learning experiences. the curriculum included assessment strategies to measure whether students achieve the desired competencies. it incorporated performance evaluations, clinical assessments, and researchbased learning, demonstrating an adherence to tyler’s model of continuous evaluation (tyler, 1949). overall, the curriculum reflected tyler's rationale by systematically aligning objectives, learning experiences, instructional organization, and evaluation strategies to produce competent nursing graduates. however, the model may limit responsiveness to evolving linguistic needs in global healthcare contexts. to fill this gap, this model needs to be supplemented with elements from other models such as taba’s inductive model (1962) or constructivist models that encourage periodic curriculum revision based on classroom feedback and emerging global communication demands in healthcare. the limitation of the current curriculum is possibly due to rigid adherence to national accreditation standards and audit systems preventing from experimentation with non-linear or emergent curriculum models. components of curriculum objectives the overall curriculum objective of the nursing education curriculum was reflected in the graduate profiles of the program. as stated in the curriculum document, the graduate profiles encompassed care providers, communicators, educators, managers/leaders, and researchers (curriculum guide of outcome-based learning education for bachelor of nursing and professional nursing education programs, 2022). compared to the graduate profiles, the existing english for nursing course focused on communicator profile. this can be seen from the expected learning outcomes which highlight the following skills: (1) reading and explaining medical and/or healthcare team instructions related to medical records of patient written english. (2) identifying commands/instructions in an english conversation in class or a simulated health care setting (3) writing/documenting reports of nursing care activities provided to patients. (4) communicating in english actively in classroom setting and in simulated health services contexts (curriculum guide of outcome-based learning education for bachelor of nursing and professional nursing education programs, 2022). the learning outcomes indicate that the english for nursing course was developed to provide students with vital language skills for proficient communication in healthcare environments. the learning outcomes of this course included the ability to read and interpret medical and healthcare team instructions related to patient medical records written in english. this skill not only ensured effective communication within the healthcare team but also played a critical role in patient safety and care continuity. as nursing students became proficient in interpreting these records, they must also learn the significance of accurate documentation practices, which were essential for fulfilling professional obligations and enhancing patient outcomes. individual, social, organizational, and technological factors that hinder comprehensive documentation practices, potentially compromising patient safety (bjerkan, valderaune, & olsen, 2021). additionally, the course facilitated students' development of the skill of identifying commands and instructions in english conversations, whether in the classroom or in simulated healthcare settings. this skill resonated previous study finding that investigated the implementation of simulation techniques to improve the speaking skills of nursing students (murtiningsih & kailani, 2019). the research revealed that simulation techniques not only aided in the retention of medical terminology but also cultivated essential soft skills such as empathy and active listening, which were vital in providing quality patient care. moreover, as stated in the learning outcome, students are trained to document and write reports on nursing care activities provided to patients, ensuring clarity and accuracy in medical documentation. lastly, the course emphasized active communication in english, both in classroom discussions and in simulated healthcare service english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 743 contexts, preparing students for real-world professional interactions in an international or english-speaking medical environment. this practical approach not only enhanced language proficiency but also built confidence in students, enabling them to navigate complex medical scenarios effectively while collaborating with diverse teams. furthermore, as students engage in these practical communication exercises, they also develop critical cultural competence, which is essential for effective interactions within diverse patient populations. by incorporating role-playing scenarios that reflect real-life challenges faced in multicultural healthcare settings, the course prepares students linguistically and sensitizes them to the nuances of patient care across different cultures (kadagidze, 2024). this holistic approach guarantees that future healthcare workers are not just skilled in medical english but also excellent at understanding and respecting cultural differences, resulting in improved patient outcomes and satisfaction (kravchenko, 2024). regarding the ideology underpinning the curriculum, the ideology of social economic efficiency (richards, 2001) dominated all the learning outcomes of the course. this is because all the learning outcomes indicate that the graduates will be equipped with skills relevant to nursing jobs and society’s needs. despite those curriculum strengths, functional language skills without explicit attention to intercultural competence, empathy, or ethical communication are overemphasized. also, toefl preparation in the advanced english course lacks relevance to professional nursing contexts. to deal with these issues, generic toefl training needs to be replaced with medical english certification preparation (e.g., oet) aligned with professional healthcare language needs. we also need to include socio-pragmatic objectives that tackle intercultural sensitivity and ethical decision-making in communication. learning materials to examine the relevance of learning materials to the curriculum objectives, two syllabi of english for nursing courses were looked at in this study, english for nursing and advanced english. the syllabus of english for nursing covered nine essential topics including parts of body, nursing instrument and supply, the hospital team, in and around the hospital, hospital admission, dimensions of symptom, pain, vital sign, and medication. overall, the topics were classified into two big themes, namely healthcare and medical terminology and communication skills. these topics aligned with the need for professional healthcare communication and clinical terminology. clear and precise clinical terminology plays a crucial role in this process, as it minimizes misunderstandings and ensures that all members of the healthcare team are on the same page regarding patient care. for instance, electronic health records (ehrs) rely heavily on standardized medical language to facilitate accurate data entry and retrieval. there was a significant positive relationship between ehr usage and the reduction of medical errors, highlighting the role of ehrs in enhancing patient safety and supporting clinical decision-making processes (chimbo & motsi, 2024). locally developed modules were used as primary resources. while they might be tailored, there was no mention of evidence-based materials or integration with widely recognized nursing references, such as international nursing guidelines or medical english textbooks. this lack of integration raises concerns about the overall efficacy of nursing education, particularly in fostering evidence-based practice (ebp) among students. for instance, portela dos santos et al. (2022) conducted a systematic review that analyzed 15 studies involving 2,712 nurses and identified three effective types of educational interventions: multifaceted strategies incorporating mentoring and tutoring, single educational strategies often delivered online, and multifaceted strategies using the five steps of ebp. the review found that these interventions improved various ebp-related outcomes, including beliefs, selfefficacy, perceived implementation, competencies, knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors, desire, practice, and perceptions of organizational culture and readiness. on the other hand, the advanced english course included topics such as presentation techniques, english for business, physical examination, medical procedure, diagnostic test, nursing problem, nursing intervention and order, types of therapy, nursing implementation, nursing evaluation, and toefl training. there were 11 topics in total. the advanced english course enhanced students' english proficiency with a focus on business communication and medical topics. it covered professional and healthcare contexts, emphasizing practical application. also, there was a language proficiency test preparation. but there is no mention of internationally recognized resources like who ahmad kailani, emi emilia, gin gin gustine, rojab siti rodliyah from classroom to clinic: an analysis of english for nursing curriculum in indonesia 744 language standards or nursing corpora. materials from evidence-based resources (e.g., who clinical communication guides or international esp medical textbooks) need to be adopted and adapted into this curriculum as well as co-design of materials by esp instructors and nursing faculty to ensure clinical authenticity and linguistic appropriateness. the materials were classified from general to specific levels. these results aligned with tyler’s (1949) rationale, which emphasized three requirements for suitable learning activities: sequence, continuity, and integrity. the materials should be sequentially arranged, and there should be continuity from one topic to other ones. the content was also integrated with the primary objective of nursing education. learning activities and learning experiences learning activities involved role plays, simulations, and quizzes, utilizing a task-based teaching approach. the syllabus aligned with core language skill development (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) through role plays, speaking practice, grammar exercises, and reading comprehension. this finding aligns with what tyler (1949) emphasized that learning activities should match with curriculum objectives, students’ personal preferences, and their prior knowledge. however, the activities lacked real-world applications, such as interactions with healthcare professionals or clinical simulations. task-based approach promoted active learning, but expanding real-world experiences would improve applicability. for example, preclinical task-based learning (tbl) has demonstrated promising outcomes in offering early clinical exposure to medical students, allowing them to interact with standardized patient encounters that closely match actual medical activities (shenoy et al., 2022). to overcome those problems, the institution should establish partnerships with hospitals for structured language immersion programs or shadowing opportunities and develop tiered instructional support for lower-proficiency students, such as pre-simulation language boosters or multilingual glossaries. in terms of the sequence of course content, it progressed logically from english for nursing to advanced english, supporting skill development for nursing students. however, it might lack scaffolding for those with lower english proficiency. additionally, toefl training appeared misaligned with practical nursing needs. evaluation regarding the evaluation system, the english for nursing curriculum used various forms of evaluation. there were formative and summative assessments. formative assessment aimed to evaluate students' progress, development, and improvement throughout the program, whereas summative assessment was used to assess the program's effectiveness in categorizing, identifying, and evaluating learning outcomes at the end of the term or instructional session. in this program, summative assessments included quizzes, midterms, and final exams, and formative assessments included role play, simulation, writing exercises, and grammar exercises. thus, students’ achievement was not only measured by paper-based tests but also by other forms of evaluation relevant to students’ learning needs. the curriculum met the evaluation standards established by tyler’s (1949) rationale for effective assessment. when students have the autonomy to select how they are assessed and the type of feedback they receive, it can lead to deeper engagement and more effective learning strategies (clack & dommett, 2021). however, the evaluation did not clearly measure intercultural competence or professional communication in diverse settings. to bridge this gap, it is crucial to develop robust assessment tools that accurately reflect the nuances of intercultural competence and professional communication. rubrics for evaluating intercultural and professional communication in role plays and simulations should be provided. the evaluation should also include peer assessments and reflective journals to promote self-awareness of communicative challenges in diverse contexts. for instance, incorporating multidimensional frameworks that evaluate not only cultural understanding but also adaptability and sensitivity can enhance our ability to measure these competencies effectively (lyu, 2024). this approach fosters an environment of inclusivity and equips employees with the necessary tools to navigate complex cultural dynamics, ultimately leading to improved collaboration and innovation within teams (hickson, 2023). conclusion this study critically examined the alignment of the english for nursing curriculum with the language proficiency demands of the healthcare sector. the findings revealed that while the curriculum adheres to national educational standards and follows a structured framework, it primarily emphasizes the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 745 ideology of socio-economic efficiency, with secondary influences from academic rationalism and social reconstructionism. however, key gaps persist, particularly in the integration of professional language skills within clinical contexts, limited exposure to real-world communication scenarios, and the absence of targeted policies addressing stakeholders’ linguistic needs. this research's strength resides in its thorough examination of curriculum ideas, models, and components, which offers information about the particular use of english in nursing education. the study also contributes to the wider literature on curriculum development by integrating theories of general and esp curriculum design. however, limitations include its focus on a single institution, which may affect the generalizability of findings, and its reliance on document analysis and interviews without direct classroom observations. future research should expand on these findings by conducting longitudinal studies to track the impact of english proficiency on nursing graduates’ professional performance. additionally, incorporating a more interactive, needs-based approach in curriculum design—such as increased use of simulation-based learning and interdisciplinary collaboration—can better equip students with the communicative competence required in diverse healthcare settings. policymakers and educators should consider developing a standardized framework for english for nursing that is responsive to both local and global healthcare demands, ensuring that graduates are adequately prepared for the linguistic challenges of their profession. strategic recommendations for curriculum enhancement to address the identified gaps and better align the curriculum with the communicative demands of healthcare settings, a phased approach is proposed: short-term (0–1 year): department-level interventions in the short term, the english for nursing curriculum can be strengthened through targeted interventions. joint workshops between esp instructors and nursing faculty can foster interdisciplinary collaboration and produce authentic, clinically relevant learning materials. supplementary elective modules on intercultural communication, empathy, and case-based dialogues from real healthcare scenarios will further enrich instruction. additionally, revising formative assessments to include rubrics for intercultural competence, ethical communication, and critical language use will ensure students develop the communicative skills needed for professional practice. medium-term (1–3 years): institutional initiatives in the medium term, the curriculum can be enhanced by integrating simulation-based learning through partnerships with local hospitals or simulation centers, allowing students to engage in structured english-language clinical scenarios. esp educators should also undergo professional development, such as certification in english for medical purposes through programs offered by relo, teflin, or the british council. additionally, establishing a routine curriculum audit that incorporates feedback from graduates, clinical supervisors, and language instructors will ensure the program remains responsive to evolving professional and linguistic demands. long-term (3–5 years): policy and interinstitutional collaboration in the long term, efforts should focus on establishing a standardized english for nursing communication framework in alignment with national guidelines from the ministry of health and ministry of education, culture, research, and technology. collaboration with regulatory bodies such as aipni (indonesian association of nursing education institutions) and kars (hospital accreditation commission) is essential to ensure communication competencies are integrated into nursing education and hospital accreditation standards. furthermore, integrating internationally recognized benchmarks—such as the occupational english test (oet) or who-based communication competencies—into dikti’s national curriculum policy for health sciences will promote consistency and global relevance in nursing communication training. references aul, k., bagnall, l., bumbach, m. d., gannon, j., shipman, s., mcdaniel, a., & keenan, g. (2021). a key to transforming a nursing curriculum: integrating a continuous improvement simulation expansion strategy. sage open nursing, 7, 2377960821998524. basturkmen, h. (2015). developing courses in english for specific purposes. springer. becker, g. s. (1993). human capital: a theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education.–3rd ed.–chicago, london: univ. ahmad kailani, emi emilia, gin gin gustine, rojab siti rodliyah from classroom to clinic: an analysis of english for nursing curriculum in indonesia 746 bjerkan, j., valderaune, v., & olsen, r. m. (2021). patient safety through nursing documentation: barriers identified by healthcare professionals and students. frontiers in computer science, 3, 624555. byram, m. (2020). teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence: revisited. multilingual matters. campinha-bacote, j. (2002). the process of cultural competence in the delivery of healthcare services: a model of care. journal of transcultural nursing, 13(3), 181-184. chetsadanuwat, k. (2024). needs of englishnursing communicative skills, functions and content for nursing students in a thai program: perspectives of nursing lecturers at a university in northern thailand. learn journal: language education and acquisition research network, 17(2), 711744. chimbo, b., & motsi, l. (2024). the effects of electronic health records on medical error reduction: extension of the delone and mclean information system success model. jmir medical informatics, 12, e54572. clack, a., & dommett, e. j. (2021). student learning approaches: beyond assessment type to feedback and student choice. education sciences, 11(9), 468. creswell, j. w. (2014). research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). sage publications, inc. dewey, j. (1986, september). experience and education. in the educational forum (vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 241-252). taylor & francis group dudley-evans, t., & st john, m. j. (1998). developments in english for specific purposes: a multidisciplinary approach. cambridge university press. eisner, e. w. (1979). the educational imagination: on the design and evaluation of school programs. macmillan publishing co., inc. faculty of nursing and health sciences, universitas muhammadiyah banjarmasin. (2022). curriculum guide of outcome-based learning education for bachelor of nursing and professional nursing education programs. freire, p. (2020). pedagogy of the oppressed. in toward a sociology of education (pp. 374386). routledge. gheyssens, e., griful-freixenet, j., & struyven, k. (2023). differentiated instruction as an approach to establish effective teaching in inclusive classrooms. in effective teaching around the world: theoretical, empirical, methodological and practical insights (pp. 677-689). cham: springer international publishing. hlebowitsh, p. s. (1992). amid behavioural and behaviouristic objectives: reappraising appraisals of the tyler rationale. journal of curriculum studies, 24(6), 533–547. https://doi.org/10.1080/0022027920240602 hlebowitsh, p. s. (1995). interpretations of the tyler rationale: a reply to kliebard. journal of curriculum studies, 27(1), 89–94. ichim, l.-m. (2022). student-centered curriculum pedagogical training of the student. european proceedings of educational sciences. https://doi.org/10.15405/epes.22032.26 kadagidze, l. (2024). breaking barriers: the role of “professional english and communication” courses in medical education. european scientific journal, esj, 20(37), 74. https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2024.v20n37p74 . kassie, s. a. (2024). educators as agents of breadth-biased learning: using social reconstructionism as rationale for embracing media multitasking and enhancing teaching practices in higher education. frontiers in psychology, 15, 1356232. khan, h. f., qayyum, s., beenish, h., khan, r. a., iltaf, s., & faysal, l. r. (2025). determining the alignment of assessment items with curriculum goals through document analysis by addressing identified item flaws. bmc medical education, 25, 200. giroux, h. a. (2024). teachers as intellectuals: toward a critical pedagogy of learning. bloomsbury publishing. kravchenko, o. (2024). modern effective methods for teaching english to future healthcare professionals. education and science of today: intersectoral issues and development of sciences. https://doi.org/10.36074/logos29.03.2024.081 lestari, r., & emilia, e. (2023). english curriculum analysis and its relevance to islamic boarding school goals. curricula: journal of curriculum development, 2(1), https://doi.org/10.1080/0022027920240602 https://doi.org/10.15405/epes.22032.26 https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2024.v20n37p74 https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2024.v20n37p74 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 747 55–72. https://doi.org/10.17509/curricula.v2i1.56483 lewis, l. s., rebeschi, l. m., & hunt, e. (2022). nursing education practice update 2022: competency-based education in nursing. sage open nursing, 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608221140774 lyu, x. (2024). theoretical and practical challenges in assessing intercultural competence. international journal of social sciences and public administration, 5(1), 102–107. https://doi.org/10.62051/ijsspa.v5n1.14 macalister, j., & nation, i. p. (2019). language curriculum design. routledge. marleni, l., syarif, h., & zainil, y. (2023). esp for nurse: a curriculum analysis. journal of education research, 4(4), 2452-2460. maryono, g. d., & emilia, e. (2022). an analysis of international baccalaureate – english language curriculum for middle year program. parole: journal of linguistics and education, 12(1), 69–80. https://doi.org/10.14710/parole.v12i1.69-80 mayring, p. a. e. (2023). qualitative content analysis. international encyclopedia of education (fourth edition), 314–322. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-8186305.11031 mezirow, j. (1997). transformative learning: theory to practice. new directions for adult and continuing education, 1997(74), 5-12. nashir, m., laili, r. n., sholihin, s., & wirawati, w. a. (2022). needs analysis: the primary step in designing english instructional materials for nursing students. acitya: journal of teaching and education, 4(2), 374–390. https://doi.org/10.30650/ajte.v4i2.3305 nunan, d. (2012). learner-centered english language education: the selected works of david nunan. routledge. hickson, s. v. (2023). assessment of cultural competency. clinics in integrated care, 21, 100173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intcar.2023.100173 ismail, s., sohilait, h. p. f., & erawati, m. (2024). the holistic nursing competencies and instruments for critically iii-patients: a scoping review.poltekita: jurnal ilmu kesehatan. https://doi.org/10.33860/jik.v18i1.2617 makumane, m. a., & ngcobo, s. (2020). the representation of curricular spider-web model in the lesotho curriculum and assessment policy framework. td: the journal for transdisciplinary research in southern africa, 17(1), 1-9. nurakhir, a. (2018). exploring esp needs of undergraduate nursing students in a university in indonesia. advances in social sciences research journal. https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.57.4276 pinar, w. f. (2004). what is curriculum theory? routledge. portela dos santos, o., melly, p., hilfiker, r., giacomino, k., perruchoud, e., verloo, h., & pereira, f. (2022, november). effectiveness of educational interventions to increase skills in evidence-based practice among nurses: the editcare systematic review. in healthcare (vol. 10, no. 11, p. 2204). mdpi. pozas, m., letzel, v., lindner, k. t., & schwab, s. (2021, december). di (differentiated instruction) does matter! the effects of di on secondary school students’ well-being, social inclusion and academic self-concept. in frontiers in education (vol. 6, p. 729027). frontiers media sa. ramilo, j. p., & ting, m. s. (2025). effectiveness of differentiated instruction, level of engagement and academic performance of students with diverse learning needs in an inclusive classroom in sdo calamba city. international journal of multidisciplinary research and growth evaluation, 6(2), 1406– 1415. https://doi.org/10.54660/.ijmrge.2025.6.2.14 06-1415 richards, j. c. (2001). curriculum development in language teaching. cambridge university press. rochmawati, d. (2020). the nursing students need of learning media for learning english. jurnal basis, 7(1), 33-46. sailsman, s. (2021). english-as-a-secondlanguage (esl) nursing students’ academic integration: a review of literature. nursing education perspectives, 42(3), 152–156. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nep.00000000000 00731 schiro, m. s. (2012). curriculum theory: conflicting visions and enduring concerns. sage publications. shenoy, r., jain, a., k, b., shirali, a., shetty, s. b., & ramakrishna, a. (2022). a task-based learning strategy in preclinical medical education. advances in physiology education, 46(1), 192–199. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00173.2020 https://doi.org/10.17509/curricula.v2i1.56483 https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608221140774 https://doi.org/10.62051/ijsspa.v5n1.14 https://doi.org/10.14710/parole.v12i1.69-80 https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-818630-5.11031https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-818630-5.11031https://doi.org/10.30650/ajte.v4i2.3305 https://doi.org/10.33860/jik.v18i1.2617 https://doi.org/10.54660/.ijmrge.2025.6.2.1406-1415 https://doi.org/10.54660/.ijmrge.2025.6.2.1406-1415 https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nep.0000000000000731 https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nep.0000000000000731 https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00173.2020 ahmad kailani, emi emilia, gin gin gustine, rojab siti rodliyah from classroom to clinic: an analysis of english for nursing curriculum in indonesia 748 schimböck, f., erichsen, g., petersen, i., & von gahlen-hoops, w. (2024). linguistically responsive learning and teaching for nonnative speakers in undergraduate nursing education: a scoping review protocol. bmj open, 14(8), e083181. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023083181 shin, h., & rim, d. (2023). development and assessment of a curriculum model for virtual simulation in nursing: curriculum development and pilot-evaluation. bmc medical education, 23(1), 284. taba, h. (1962). curriculum development: theory and practice. harcourt, brace & world. murtiningsih, t., & kailani, a. (2019). developing nursing english instructional materials by using simulation technique to increase english oral communication skill for nursing undergraduate students. tefla journal (teaching english as foreign language and applied linguistics journal), 2(1), 53-63. tyler, r. w. (1949). basic principles of curriculum and instruction. the university of chicago press. van den akker, j., kuiper, w., & hameyer, u. (2003). curriculum landscapes and trends. springer netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1205-7 vygotsky, l. s. (1978). mind in society: the development of higher psychological processes (vol. 86). harvard university press. wang, e. l., kaufman, j. h., lee, s., kim, b., & opfer, v. d. (2024). instructional system coherence: a scoping literature review. research report. rr-a279-5. rand corporation. wicaksono, h. h. (2024). social reproduction in schools of excellence from the perspective of pierre bourdieu. didaktika: jurnal kependidikan, 13(1), 1019-1028. wraga, w. g. (2017). understanding the tyler rationale: basic principles of curriculum and instruction in historical context. espacio, tiempo y educación, 4(2), 227–252. https://doi.org/10.14516/ete.156 zimmerman, b. j. (2002). becoming a selfregulated learner: an overview. theory into practice, 41(2), 64-70. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-083181 https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-083181 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1205-7 https://doi.org/10.14516/ete.156 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1299 the perception of student and teacher of netflix english to english subtitle: correlating engagement, motivation, and listening ability bhagaskoro ardhianto kurniawan english education department, universitas muhammadiyah gresik, east java, indonesia email: bhagaskoroak@gmail.com khoirul anwar english education department, universitas muhammadiyah gresik, east java, indonesia email: khoirulanwar@umg.ac.id apa scitation:. kurniawan, b. a., & anwar, k. (2024). the perception of student and teacher of netflix english to english subtitle: correlating engagement, motivation, and listening ability. english sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(3), 1299-1310. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.11167 received: 02-06-2024 accepted: 22-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction listening is an essential component of language acquisition, central to understanding spoken language in real-life contexts (costigan, robert, 2020; nushi, & orouji, 2020). for english as a foreign language (efl) learners, developing listening skills poses a unique set of challenges, such as understanding rapid speech, deciphering various accents, and recognizing colloquial or idiomatic expressions (ali, 2020; cárdenasclaros, 2020; hardiyanto, tanjung, & suharjono, 2021; phan, & nguyen, 2023). it plays a key role in the development of communication skills. listening plays a vital role in improving communication skills in many educational institutions (erdoğan, 2019; halimah, & sukmayadi, 2019). the importance of listening in efl learning listening is fundamental in language learning as it forms the foundation of effective communication and comprehension (jia, & hew, 2022; kokroko, & dumenyah, 2020). in the efl context listening skill used in daily lives, listening is especially challenging due to unfamiliarity with native pronunciation, fast-paced speech, and unfamiliar vocabulary or accents (alzamil, 2021; erzad, 2020; polat, & erişti, 2019; pratama, arifin, & widianingsih, 2020). listening is inherently complex as it requires learners to process continuous language input and to focus on elements such as rhythm, stress, and intonation (howe, & baumgartner, 2024; luu, lian, & siriyothin, 2021; rahim, & hermawan, 2024). in the context of efl, listening difficulties are often exacerbated by psychological factors like anxiety and lack of motivation (chen, wallace, ieng, chen, lam, & de oliveira, 2023). traditional teaching methods often focus on structured dialogues, controlled vocabulary, and slow-paced listening exercises that do not fully abstract – this study examines the perceptions of students and teachers regarding the use of netflix’s english-to-english subtitles to enhance engagement, motivation, and listening skills among intermediate efl learners. using a mixed-methods approach, quantitative data were gathered from 50 learners using structured questionnaires and listening evaluations, while qualitative insights were gained from interviews with three universitas airlangga graduates who teach efl. a structural equation modeling partial least squares (sempls) study found a high relationship between motivation and engagement, implying that motivated students actively participate in subtitled activities. subtitles were proven to lower anxiety related with authentic hearing materials supporting krashen’s affective filter hypothesis theory, hence increasing engagement by making challenging subjects more approachable and enjoyable. teachers underlined that subtitles improve students' confidence by offering a framework for comprehending complex dialogues and accents, progressively preparing them for real-world listening tasks. however, the sempls model revealed a reduced direct association between involvement and listening performance, implying that subtitles alone may not entirely meet the requirements of standardized tests such as the toefl. teachers suggested integrating subtitles with targeted listening activities to increase efficacy. this study focuses on the transformative function of netflix subtitles in efl learning, demonstrating their potential to boost motivation and engagement while also providing practical solutions for closing listening competence gaps. keywords: netflix; subtitle english to english; engagement and motivation; listening comprehension bhagaskoro ardhianto kurniawan & khoirul anwar the perception of student and teacher of netflix english to english subtitle: correlating engagement, motivation, and listening ability 1300 replicate the authentic and unpredictable nature of real-world conversations (çakmak, 2021; li, ismail, patra, & lami, 2024). traditional language instruction, which often relies on scripted, structured dialogues, may not adequately prepare students for the dynamic and informal nature of authentic language (meirbekov et al., 2024; tatineni & boppana, 2021). research suggests that exposure to real-world listening materials can improve comprehension and reduce anxiety among efl learners (each & suppasetseree, 2021; hue, 2024; milliner & dimoski, 2024). incorporating authentic audio, such as movies and tv series, allows learners to encounter real language patterns and colloquial expressions, helping them adjust to natural listening situations (fitria, 2024; hasan et al., 2019; yawiloeng, 2020). in recent years, digital platforms like netflix, youtube, podcast and digital story telling have presented innovative opportunities for language learning (najmi & navaee lavasani, 2021; rafique, 2019; yaacob et al., 2021). these platforms offer learners a way to practice listening skills beyond traditional classroom materials, making language acquisition an immersive, practical, and enjoyable experience (peixoto et al., 2023). netflix as an educational tool for listening practice as a global streaming platform, netflix offers a vast range of content accessible to learners worldwide (dizon & thanyawatpokin, 2021). its extensive library of movies, tv series, documentaries, and shows enables language learners to practice listening skills in an authentic context (caruana, 2021; yuyun & simamora, 2021). unlike traditional language-learning resources, which often consist of staged and simplified dialogues, netflix exposes learners to diverse dialects, accents, and colloquial language used by native speakers (aisyah et al., 2022; maharani & afifi, 2024). by listening to this wide variety of language, learners develop adaptable listening strategies, such as anticipating meaning based on context, focusing on key phrases, and understanding speech patterns (perez, 2022; rukthong & brunfaut, 2020). netflix’s english-toenglish subtitle feature is especially beneficial for fostering engagement and supporting personalized learning. learners can select videos that align with their interests, whether documentaries, dramas, or comedies, making listening practice more enjoyable and relatable. this level of personalization empowers learners with autonomy, allowing them to choose content that challenges their listening skills and offers linguistic diversity (najmi & navaee lavasani, 2021; pastini & lilasari, 2023) . the platform’s informal and self-paced environment also reduces the anxiety associated with language learning, helping learners build motivation in their listening skills (bai, 2024; liang, 2024). the role of subtitles in language learning subtitles have been shown to provide dual exposure to language input, offering auditory and visual forms simultaneously (manurung et, butar-butar yn, 2022). this dual presentation enables learners to correlate spoken words with their written counterparts, which reinforces comprehension and aids in vocabulary acquisition (alabsi, 2020; masrai, 2020). the auditory-visual connection provided by subtitles helps learners to follow along with spoken language, supporting vocabulary recognition and pronunciation. this method encourages learners to notice how words are used in context, which strengthens their understanding of nuanced meanings, pronunciation, and colloquial usage (francia & andrey, 2024; hestiana & anita, 2022). the impact of netflix on engagement and motivation are key factors in successful language learning, particularly in listening, which demands sustained concentration and focus (tsai et al., 2024). netflix’s diverse content offers learners a chance to engage with topics that are both interesting and challenging, creating a more immersive learning experience. personalized content, based on learners’ preferences, increases motivation by making listening practice feel less like a mandatory task and more like an enjoyable activity (tai & chen, 2024). research has shown that learners who engage with content they enjoy are more likely to develop intrinsic motivation and invest time in practicing language skills outside of the classroom (panda, 2020). motivation in language learning is closely related to a learner’s belief in their ability to understand and engage with the language. the use of subtitles allows learners to experience gradual success, reinforcing their motivation as they understand challenging content (tsang, 2023). this positive reinforcement helps reduce anxiety a common barrier to effective listening and increases a learner's willingness to engage with more complex listening tasks (hasan et al., 2019; li, 2024). challenges and strategies for effective subtitle use although subtitles can significantly support language learning, excessive reliance on them may hinder listening skill development (teng & zhang, 2023). overdependence on reading subtitles can prevent english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1301 learners from fully engaging with spoken language, limiting their ability to process language independently. gradually reducing subtitle use as learners build motivation and proficiency can address this challenge, encouraging independent comprehension and supporting language fluency over time. learners should be encouraged to start with subtitles and progressively transition to content without subtitles, practicing listening skills without visual support as they advance. another challenge faced by learners is the pace of subtitle display, particularly with rapid or complex dialogue, fast-paced speech may overwhelm learners, making it difficult to simultaneously read and listen (almusharraf et al., 2024). to manage this, learners can use netflix’s pause or rewind functions to revisit challenging segments, although this may not be feasible in realtime listening assessments like toefl. developing listening strategies, such as predicting meaning from context and focusing on key phrases, can help learners manage the speed of spoken language, preparing them for authentic, fast-paced conversations. while subtitles are beneficial, a balanced approach that reduces reliance over time is crucial to fostering independent listening skills. by gradually reducing subtitle usage, learners can work toward fluency, challenging themselves with natural, unscripted content that mirrors everyday language use. as digital media becomes an integral part of education, tools like netflix offer a motivating and enjoyable way to support language acquisition, making listening practice more accessible and effective for efl students. through thoughtful integration, netflix’s subtitles have the potential to complement traditional instruction, transforming language learning into a personalized, interactive experience that resonates with learners of all backgrounds. netflix’s english-to-english subtitles provide intermediate efl learners with a practical, engaging, and effective tool for improving listening skills. by offering access to authentic language and allowing for personalized, relevant content, netflix fosters an immersive learning environment where learners can practice listening at their own pace. the dual exposure to spoken and written language enhances comprehension, supports vocabulary acquisition, and improves pronunciation, making it a valuable asset for efl learners who wish to navigate real-world conversations. additionally, netflix’s informal, low-stakes format encourages learners to practice without fear of judgment, reducing listeningrelated anxiety and building motivation in their skills. according to study from robert & marpaung (2022), this study indicated that netflix helps students improve their language skills. with the movies provided by netflix, the content offered are able to help students in understanding the languages used in the movies. based on the findings, it shows that netflix is very useful in improving students’ language skills particularly with their speaking skills, vocabulary knowledge as well as having a good pronunciation. on the other hand, study from (damanik & katemba, 2021) indicated that acquiring new vocabulary through netflix english movies/series provides students with an interesting approach to learning new vocabulary. they can interestingly improve their vocabulary. so, watching english movies/series on netflix will assist students in improving their vocabulary easier, besides the students enjoy the movie watching, music and that makes the atmosphere of learning enjoyable. furthermore, the result of literature review study from (siddiqui et al., 2023) l2 learners who already use netflix in their daily lives should be advised to use the language learning with netflix application as a tool to independently study the target language and increase their l2 vocabulary. dual subtitles may help with vocabulary development and comprehension, according to the study's review, therefore using the app might enable l2 students to use their unintentional language-learning habits for formal language study. this study addresses an important gap in the existing literature by undertaking a dual analysis of engagement and motivation from both teacher and student perspectives, focusing on the use of netflix's english-to-english subtitles for efl listening skill improvement. while earlier study has looked at the overall benefits of multimedia resources like netflix for language acquisition, nothing has been done to investigate how teachers' and students' perceptions of involvement and motivation overlap. by combining these views, this study gives a comprehensive understanding of how subtitles affect listening skill acquisition and classroom dynamics in intermediate efl learners. furthermore, the study presents a novel quantitative correlation analysis of students' views of involvement and motivation and their listening comprehension, as measured by standardized listening toefl scores. unlike previous studies that have mostly focused on qualitative outcomes or vocabulary acquisition, this study employs bhagaskoro ardhianto kurniawan & khoirul anwar the perception of student and teacher of netflix english to english subtitle: correlating engagement, motivation, and listening ability 1302 structural equation modeling to determine how motivational and engagement factors contribute to measurable increases in listening performance. this technique fills the gap between learners' subjective experiences and objective listening achievements, providing insights into how these aspects work together to foster language acquisition. by identifying the specific motivational and engagement elements that correlate most strongly with improved toefl listening scores, this study not only advances theoretical understanding but also equips teachers with strategies to maximize the impact of netflix subtitles in listening instruction. this comprehensive approach blending qualitative insights with quantitative metrics represents a significant contribution to the field of efl listening pedagogy, particularly for intermediate learners aiming to achieve higher listening proficiency. (1) what are the efl learners' perceptions of using netflix's english-to-english subtitles to influence their engagement and motivation in listening practice? (2) what is the correlation between engagement, motivation and listening comprehension for intermediate efl learners using netflix's english-to-english subtitles? (3) how does the perception of teachers regarding netflix's english-to-english enhance engagement and motivation in teaching listening for intermediate efl learners? method this study employs a mixed-methods approach, integrating both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis to explore the impact of netflix’s english-to-english subtitles on listening comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and learner motivation among intermediate efl learners. by combining the generalizability of quantitative data with the depth of qualitative insights, this approach provides a comprehensive understanding of the research problem, following creswell (2014) explanatory sequential design. the quantitative phase involves 50 efl learners, purposefully selected to ensure that they meet specific criteria, including intermediate english proficiency, regular use of netflix subtitles for at least three months, and their availability to complete a questionnaire and participate in followup activities. these themes are compared across participants to highlight both shared and individual experiences, providing context for the quantitative trends. the findings from both phases are integrated to offer a holistic perspective. quantitative results reveal general trends in the broader participant group, while qualitative findings provide nuanced illustrations of how these trends manifest in individual learners. ethical considerations include obtaining informed consent, ensuring confidentiality, and adhering to institutional research standards. this mixedmethods approach ensures a thorough understanding of how netflix’s subtitles contribute to listening skill development and motivation among efl learners, offering valuable insights for educators and researchers seeking to integrate digital media into language learning. to address the research question, "how do intermediate efl learners' perceptions of using netflix's english-to-english subtitles influence their engagement and motivation in listening practice?” this study utilizes a quantitative approach, employing descriptive statistics to analyze the relationship between subtitle usage and these two key variables. a structured questionnaire was developed to collect responses from 50 intermediate efl learners, focusing on their engagement and motivation levels when using netflix subtitles for listening practice. the study participants were selected through purposive sampling, ensuring that all respondents had prior experience with netflix's english-to-english subtitles for at least one month. the sample consisted of diverse learners from language institutes and universities, providing a broad representation of intermediate-level efl learners. the questionnaire included two main dimensions: engagement and motivation. each dimension was assessed using multiple statements rated on a 4point likert scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). example items included, "i feel motivated to practice listening using netflix subtitles" and "netflix subtitles improve my motivation in understanding native speakers." data collection was conducted over a two-week period through an online platform. participants were provided with clear instructions, and anonymity was maintained to ensure honest responses. after collecting the data, descriptive statistical analysis was applied to summarize the findings. measures such as mean scores, standard deviations, and response frequencies were used to describe the patterns in learners' engagement and motivation levels. by employing this quantitative method, the study offers a detailed understanding of how netflix's subtitles enhance learners' motivation and perceived motivation in listening tasks. this systematic approach provides evidence to support the claim that netflix subtitles can be an english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1303 effective tool for fostering engagement and building motivation in efl learners. to address the research question, " what is the correlation between engagement and motivation in listening comprehension for intermediate efl learners using netflix's english-to-english subtitles?", this study employs a quantitative approach utilizing structural equation modeling (sem) to analyze the relationship between the two variables. the study involves 50 intermediate efl learners selected through purposive sampling. all respondents have prior experience using netflix's english-to-english subtitles for at least one month and possess intermediate proficiency levels, verified through a placement test or recent language course performance. data are collected through two instruments: a structured questionnaire to measure engagement and a listening comprehension test. the questionnaire assesses various dimensions of engagement, such as motivation, interest, and active involvement in using subtitles for learning, with items rated on a 4-point likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 4 = strongly agree). meanwhile, the listening comprehension test evaluates learners’ ability to understand dialogues, vocabulary, and contextual meaning, based on content they have not previously encountered on netflix, ensuring the assessment reflects authentic comprehension skills. the data is analyzed using sem, a statistical technique that allows for the simultaneous examination of multiple relationships between variables. sem is employed to test a hypothesized model that posits engagement as a predictor of listening comprehension. the analysis involves assessing model fit indices, such as the comparative fit index (cfi) and root mean square error of approximation (rmsea), to ensure the model accurately represents the observed data. additionally, path coefficients are calculated to determine the strength and significance of the correlation between engagement and listening comprehension. by employing sem with a sample size of 50 respondents, this study provides a robust analysis of the relationship between engagement and listening comprehension. this method enables a deeper understanding of how learners’ active involvement with netflix subtitles influences their ability to process and comprehend spoken english effectively. to answer the research question, "how does the perception of teachers regarding netflix's englishto-english subtitles influence engagement and motivation in teaching listening for intermediate efl learners?" this study employs a qualitative approach. by focusing on three universitas airlangga graduates currently working as teachers, the research aims to gather rich, descriptive data about their experiences and perspectives on incorporating netflix subtitles into listening instruction. qualitative approach to examine the influence of netflix's english-to-english subtitles on engagement and motivation in teaching listening for efl learners. this study employed a qualitative methodology, a scientific approach for the researcher gathers, analyzes, and interprets non-numerical data to gain insights into the phenomena under investigation (gay et al., 2012). qualitative case study is often referred to as naturalistic research because it is conducted in a natural setting and involves various data sources to gain a deeper understanding of subjects' perspectives, opinions, and attitudes. the researcher utilized this method to capture rich and detailed information about subjects' experiences in teaching listening through netflix english to english subtitle. moreover, this study employed a descriptive qualitative approach, which is particularly suited for studying language learning and teaching through the analysis of naturalistic data. in this case, the researcher analyzes “netflix english to english subtitle” in teaching listening for efl intermediate learner. the researcher employs purposive sampling, as it is based on specific criteria deemed essential for the particular study. this study employed the triangulation technique for data collection. triangulation involves using multiple methods of data collection to obtain the most comprehensive and detailed understanding of the phenomena under investigation (lodico et al., 2010). some argue that utilizing triangulation can enhance the validity of qualitative research. the methods employed in this study include observation, interviews, and documentation. firstly, by observing the patterns of subject behaviors in specific situations, information about the phenomenon is gathered. this approach is typically used for exploratory purposes and is conducted in a natural setting (johnson et al., 2019). as an instrument, the purpose of observation is to examine listening learning experiences using netflix english to english subtitle. to obtain data as naturally as possible. secondly, this research utilized the interview method as the primary data collection tool. in qualitative research, this method is referred to as depth-interviews because it involves open-ended bhagaskoro ardhianto kurniawan & khoirul anwar the perception of student and teacher of netflix english to english subtitle: correlating engagement, motivation, and listening ability 1304 questions designed to gather qualitative data and provide a more in-depth understanding of participants' knowledge, feelings, beliefs, and motivations. thirdly, documentation is utilized as an instrument for data collection. this method aims to obtain detailed information by viewing, capturing, and recording any data pertinent to the research object. many believe that documents are crucial for demonstrating that the researcher has conducted the study. therefore, in this research, the researcher collected all relevant data from the observation and interview processes, including pictures and videos, to support data collection and assist in data interpretation. data is analyzed to synthesize information from multiple sources, including document and interview thematize, while interpretation involves the researcher's effort to understand the meaning of the data. in this study, the researcher employed the data analysis and interpretation method outlined by creswell in his book educational research, which includes the steps of data analysis, coding the data, and creating descriptions (creswell, 2014). furthermore, data interpretation involves synthesizing findings where applicable. this process aims to offer detailed insights into the studied phenomena, drawing comparisons with related references. moreover, it allows the researcher to incorporate personal perspectives and integrate them with educational concepts or ideas. results and discussion result of student perception of netflix english to english subtitle this is the result of a descriptive statistical table of students' perceptions of netflix english to english in engagement and motivation in listening skills. table 1. descriptive statistic aspect n minimum maximum mean std. deviation e1 50 1.00 4.00 2.7200 .88156 e2 50 1.00 4.00 3.0000 .78246 e3 50 1.00 4.00 2.9200 .82906 e4 50 1.00 4.00 2.9600 .78142 e5 50 1.00 4.00 3.0200 .82040 e6 50 1.00 4.00 3.1400 .85738 e7 50 1.00 4.00 2.8600 .85738 e8 50 1.00 4.00 2.9400 .71171 e9 50 1.00 4.00 3.0400 .78142 e10 50 1.00 4.00 2.9800 .86873 subtotal average 50 1.00 4.00 2.9580 .817152 m1 50 1.00 4.00 2.8800 .89534 m2 50 1.00 4.00 3.1600 .71027 m3 50 2.00 4.00 2.9800 .68482 m4 50 1.00 4.00 2.9800 .74203 m5 50 1.00 4.00 2.9400 .81841 m6 50 2.00 4.00 3.1000 .76265 m7 50 1.00 4.00 3.0200 .89191 m8 50 1.00 4.00 3.0000 .75593 m9 50 1.00 4.00 2.9600 .69869 m10 50 1.00 4.00 3.0200 .76904 subtotal average 50 1.2 4.00 3.004 0.772909 total average 50 1.10 4.00 2.981 .795031 according to the descriptive statistics, the data reflect efl learners' opinions of using netflix's english-to-english subtitles in two areas: engagement (e1-e10) and motivation (m1-m10). the engagement scores (e1-e10) have a sum average of 2.958 and a standard deviation of 0.817, indicating moderate engagement across participants with some variation. motivation (m1m10) had a significantly higher subtotal average of 3.004 and a lower standard deviation of 0.773, indicating a somewhat greater and more consistent motivational impact. both elements lie within the same broad range, with neither extremely high or low scores, implying that participants saw the subtitles as beneficial but not overwhelmingly transformative in any dimension. when comparing the two elements, motivation appears to have a tiny advantage over involvement. while engagement levels vary greatly (some as low as 1.00), motivation values tend to cluster closer to the top of the scale, indicating a more consistent positive opinion. this shows that subtitles may have a more direct impact on learners' motivation to develop their language skills, possibly due to the practical relevance or enjoyment derived from subtitled content. in contrast, engagement, while similar in average score, may vary due to personal preferences or the novelty of the method. overall, the research suggests that subtitles may be more effective as a strategy for increasing motivation among efl learners rather than simply generating interest. correlation between engagement, motivation and listening ability of netflix english to english subtitle this figure 1 illustrates the results of the structural equation modeling partial least squares (sempls) analysis, which explores the correlation between motivation, engagement, and listening performance among efl learners using netflix’s english-to-english subtitles. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1305 figure 1. correlation between engagement, motivation and listening ability of netflix english to english subtitle analyzing the structural equation modeling partial least squares (sempls) image reveals the dynamics of motivation (m), engagement (e), and listening toefl (l.toefl). the relationship between motivation and engagement is substantial, with an approximate value of 0.764, showing that more motivation leads to increased involvement among efl learners. however, the association between involvement and listening toefl is weaker, with a value of approximately 0.112, indicating a less direct impact. interestingly, the path from motivation to listening toefl through engagement suggests a mediated, if weak, influence on listening toefl performance. breaking down the motivational components (m1-m10), m6 has the highest loading (0.874), showing that it plays an important role in forming the total motivation construct. components such as m5 (0.857) and m7 (0.841) also make significant contributions, demonstrating how intrinsic reasons like enjoyment or practical usefulness can be important drivers. these highly loaded items imply that learners are strongly influenced by specific motivational aspects, which leads to enthusiastic participation in subtitled content. on the engagement side (e1-e10), e6 (0.844) and e7 (0.750) had the largest influence, indicating that learners find these aspects more engaging, potentially due to interaction with subtitles or material understanding. notably, e1's modest negative association (-0.352) with the listening toefl score calls into question its alignment with toefl listening-specific skills. overall, the reduced engagement-to-listening toefl link underscores that, while netflix subtitles increase engagement and motivation, they may not immediately improve standardized listening ability, indicating the need for further listeningfocused training. the teacher perception of netflix english to english subtitle the interviews with three universitas airlangga graduates, who are now efl teachers for intermediate learners, provided insights about how netflix's english-to-english subtitles affect student engagement and motivation in listening skill development. each teacher shared their own opinions on how subtitles affect these two key parts of learning. the first teacher emphasized the importance of subtitles in increasing engagement by making authentic listening materials more accessible and less scary. they discovered that subtitles minimize anxiety, allowing children to stay engaged and actively participate in listening activities. students who are frequently intimidated by native accents or quick speech are more likely to participate when subtitles give clarity and help. however, this teacher pointed out a potential drawback: some pupils rely too heavily on subtitles, which can impede the development of independent listening abilities. to combat this, the teacher uses interactive activities like pair discussions and comprehension tasks to keep students engaged while promoting active participation. on motivation, they stressed how subtitles provide pupils a sense of accomplishment when they understand difficult material. the second teacher emphasized motivation as the main advantage of employing netflix subtitles in listening activities. they explained that traditional listening exercises frequently fail to pique learners' interest, whereas netflix's relatable and culturally rich content encourages students to participate fully. subtitles serve as a bridge, allowing students to understand complex discussions and cultural nuances, increasing their motivation to tackle increasingly difficult courses. furthermore, the teacher stated that subtitles enable students to track their progress, which fosters a sense of accomplishment and increases intrinsic motivation. regarding engagement, one teacher stated that students are more attentive when dealing with subject that is fascinating and relevant to them, yet maintaining consistent focus can be difficult at times. they stressed the significance of choosing information that resonates with the learners' language proficiency and interests to maximize both engagement and motivation. bhagaskoro ardhianto kurniawan & khoirul anwar the perception of student and teacher of netflix english to english subtitle: correlating engagement, motivation, and listening ability 1306 the third teacher employed a deliberate approach, utilizing subtitles to scaffold learning while moving children to independent listening. they described how subtitles initially engage learners by offering instant comprehension support, allowing them to concentrate on important components of the audio, such as tone and context. as pupils develop, the teacher gradually minimizes the use of subtitles, promoting active listening and critical thinking. in terms of motivation, this teacher emphasized how students feel empowered once they realize they can understand actual english content. this sensation of accomplishment encourages students to try more sophisticated listening tasks and actively participate in follow-up activities such as summarizing or group discussions. the teacher emphasized that combining subtitles with interactive assignments provides ongoing engagement and motivation, making learning both entertaining and successful. discussion of student perception of netflix english to english subtitle the findings highlight the impact of netflix's english-to-english subtitles on both engagement and motivation, with a focus on learner comfort and preparation. for engagement, e6 (3.140) shows that subtitles considerably increase learners' comfort when watching english information, making it less daunting and more pleasurable. this is consistent with (krashen, 1982), which holds that lowering anxiety fosters a suitable environment for language learning. similarly, e9 (3.040) represents learners' increasing motivation and readiness to move on to unsubtitled information following practice, demonstrating that subtitles serve as a scaffold, gradually developing their listening autonomy and comprehension skills. in terms of motivation, the high ratings for m2 (3.160) and m6 (3.100) demonstrate how subtitles encourage students to embark on more difficult linguistic tasks. m2 emphasizes learners' increasing motivation to engage in complicated dialogues, supporting ryan, r. m., & deci (2000) self-determination theory. this theory proposes that learners are motivated by the intrinsic worth of tasks that provide a sense of competence and challenge. m6 shows that learners see subtitles as a useful tool for preparing for hearing exams, highlighting the twin benefits of enjoyment and utility. these components demonstrate that subtitles not only motivate but also enable students to attain certain academic and real-world listening objectives. when compared to engagement, motivation appears to be slightly more influential, with constant and goal-oriented attitudes. while engagement has benefits, particularly in comfort (e6) and progression to autonomy (e9), it is also more changeable and context-dependent. to get the most of subtitles, educators should create activities that link motivational gains with active involvement, such as debates or chores that allow students to reflect on their progress. this balanced strategy guarantees that subtitles serve as both an effective motivator and a tool for long-term engagement, enhancing the efl learning experience. discussion of correlation between engagement, motivation and listening ability of netflix english to english subtitle the structural equation modeling partial least squares (sempls) analysis focuses on the complex correlations between motivation (m), engagement (e), and listening toefl (l.toefl) results in the setting of netflix's english-to-english subtitles. a strong link between motivation and engagement (0.764) indicates that higher levels of motivation considerably increase learners' involvement. this lends support to (ryan, r. m., & deci, 2000), which emphasizes the role of intrinsic motivation such as enjoyment or relevance in promoting active involvement in learning activities. the path from motivation to listening toefl to engagement reveals a mediated influence, with motivated learners engaging more with the material, but this engagement has only a little direct impact on standardized listening performance (0.112). analyzing the motivational components (m1m10) reveals how learners see subtitles as useful aids. m6, with the highest loading (0.874), emphasizes learners' belief in subtitles as a way to improve their hearing exam readiness, demonstrating the link between subtitles and academic aims. similarly, m5 (0.857) and m7 (0.841) highlight the dual impact of internal and extrinsic elements, such as enjoyment and practicality, on motivation. these findings are consistent with (krashen, 1982), which states that subtitles give intelligible input that encourages learners to attempt difficult language activities. the strong motivational construct implies that subtitles can encourage consistent learning habits by making language practice joyful and purposeful. the weaker link between involvement and listening toefl scores (0.112) highlights the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1307 need for additional initiatives to close the gap. while subtitles are effective in increasing motivation and engagement, their capacity to directly influence standardized test performance is limited. this highlights the importance of combining subtitles with tailored listening-focused activities, such as toefl practice exercises or guided listening strategies, to ensure that learners have both general and test-specific skills for success. by combining subtitles' motivating and engagement effects with specific test preparation, educators can give a comprehensive approach that maximizes both student enjoyment and measurable outcomes in listening skills. discussion of the teacher perception of netflix english to english subtitle the findings of interviews with three universitas airlangga graduates who are now efl teachers for intermediate learners present a detailed picture of how netflix's english-to-english subtitles influence engagement and motivation in listening skill development. each teacher's experiences illustrate subtitles' dual role as a tool for lowering fear and improving comprehension, eventually aiding both the emotional and cognitive aspects of language learning. these findings are consistent with theories such as (krashen, 1982; ryan & deci, 2000) theory, which emphasize the role of learner motivation and intrinsic drive in promoting effective language acquisition. subtitles significantly improve engagement by making real content more accessible, especially to intermediate learners who frequently struggle with fast-paced speech or unfamiliar accents. the first teacher stressed how subtitles lessen fear, allowing pupils to interact more comfortably with difficult material. this is congruent with krashen's affective filter hypothesis, which states that lowering anxiety allows students to receive information more successfully. however, the variety in engagement levels reported by all three teachers suggests that subtitles alone are insufficient to maintain active involvement. the level of involvement is heavily influenced by factors such as material relevancy, classroom dynamics, and individual learning preferences. whereas, motivation appears as a consistently strong result of subtitle use. subtitles not only aid comprehension, but also encourage students to tackle more difficult courses. the second teacher emphasized how netflix's culturally rich and accessible content dramatically enhances intrinsic motivation, making students willing to try challenging listening tasks. this is consistent with deci and ryan's self-determination theory, which emphasizes the value of tasks that promote autonomy, competence, and significance. furthermore, the third teacher observed that subtitles give students a clear sense of progress, boosting their motivation in their talents and driving them to move toward independent listening. the employment of subtitles as a scaffolding technique indicates their potential to match the immediate demand for comprehension with the long-term objective of fostering independent listening skill. netflix's english-to-english subtitles can significantly improve interest and motivation among intermediate efl learners. they offer learners a helpful, relatable, and engaging manner to increase motivation and comprehension. however, their effectiveness is contingent on deliberate integration, which ensures that subtitles engage and encourage learners while also preparing them for autonomous and effective listening in authentic circumstances. to maximize their impact on language learning, educators should deliberately use these tools in conjunction with engaging assignments and progressive transitions. conclusion this study demonstrates the perceptions of students and teachers regarding the use of netflix's english-to-english subtitles to enhance engagement, motivation, and listening skills among intermediate efl learners. the findings indicate that students perceive subtitles as an effective tool for improving engagement by making content more accessible and reducing anxiety, while also enhancing motivation through the sense of accomplishment derived from understanding authentic language. regarding the first research question, which explores how subtitles influence student engagement and motivation, the study reveals that subtitles play a crucial role in fostering both aspects by increasing students’ confidence and willingness to engage with challenging material. for the second research question, which examines the relationship between engagement, motivation, and listening comprehension, the study finds a strong correlation between motivation and engagement, with motivated learners showing higher levels of involvement. however, the direct impact on standardized listening test scores, such as toefl, remains limited. finally, in addressing the third research question on teachers' perceptions, the study finds that while teachers acknowledge the bhagaskoro ardhianto kurniawan & khoirul anwar the perception of student and teacher of netflix english to english subtitle: correlating engagement, motivation, and listening ability 1308 positive impact of subtitles on student motivation and engagement, they also emphasize the importance of incorporating additional strategies, such as gradually reducing reliance on subtitles and integrating targeted listening exercises, to adequately prepare learners for standardized listening assessments. overall, netflix subtitles are viewed as a valuable pedagogical tool in efl instruction, with the potential to enhance motivation and engagement, though their effectiveness in improving listening proficiency is maximized when supplemented with other focused learning strategies. acknowledgement i would like to express my deepest gratitude to prof. khoirul anwar, s.pd., m.pd., and dr. nirwanto maruf, s.s., m.hum., for his invaluable guidance, in-depth input, and unwavering support during this research. their expertise and drive were instrumental in shaping this research and ensuring its successful completion. i am very grateful for the patience, dedication and time they put into guiding me along this journey. their constructive advice and constant motivation have been the foundation of this achievement, and i am truly fortunate to have their support. references aisyah, m. m., mustofa, a., & setiawan, s. (2022). the influence of netflix series on english teachers’ language maintenance. english education journal, 12(4), 673–682. alabsi, t. (2020). effects of adding subtitles to video via apps on developing efl students’ listening comprehension. theory and practice in language studies, 10(10), 1191–1199. ali, y. (2020). difficulties faced by tertiary level efl learners in listening. british journal of english linguistics, 8(2), 90–112. almusharraf, a., mahdi, h. s., al-nofaie, h., ghobain, e., & aljasser, a. (2024). (2024). video captioning and subtitles in second language listening comprehension: fast-paced versus slow-paced speakers. journal of psycholinguistic research, 53(2), 29. alzamil, j. (2021). listening skills: important but difficult to learn. arab world english journal (awej), 12(3), 366–374. bai, y. (2024). a mixed methods investigation of mobile-based language learning on efl students’ listening, speaking, foreign language enjoyment, and anxiety. sage open, 14(2), 1– 19. çakmak, f. (2021). navigating strategies and metacognitive awareness in self-regulated mobile-assisted listening in a second language. bogazici university journal of education, 38(1), 3–24. cárdenas-claros, m. s. (2020). spontaneous links between help option use and input features that hinder second language listening comprehension. system, 93(2), 102308. caruana, s. (2021). an overview of audiovisual input as a means for foreign language acquisition in different contexts. language and speech, 64(4), 1018–1036. chen, s., wallace, m. p., ieng, h. s., chen, y., lam, w. k., & de oliveira, s. c. (2023). foreign language listening comprehension and listening anxiety. tesl-ej, 27(2), 1–19. costigan, robert d., and k. e. b. (2020). developing listening and oral expression skills: pillars of influential oral communication. journal of management education, 44(2), 129–164. creswell, j. w. (2014). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). pearson. damanik, i., & katemba, c. v. (2021). netflix as a digital efl learning aid for vocabulary improvement: college students’ perspective. eternal (english, teaching, learning, and research journal), 7(2), 442–455. dizon, g., & thanyawatpokin, b. (2021). language learning with netflix: exploring the effects of dual subtitles on vocabulary learning and listening comprehension. computer-assisted language learning electronic journal, 22(3), 52–65. each, n., & suppasetseree, s. (2021). the effects of mobile-blended cooperative learning on efl students’ listening comprehension in cambodian context. language education and acquisition research network, 14(2), 143–170. erdoğan, v. (2019). integrating 4c skills of 21st century into 4 language skills in efl classes. international journal of education and research, 7(11), 113–124. erzad, a. m. (2020). exploring english listening problems among efl students at iain kudus. edulingua: jurnal linguistiks terapan dan pendidikan bahasa inggris, 7(1), 31–38. fitria, t. n. (2024). using voice over (vo) in creating materials for teaching speaking skills. journal of english language teaching and cultural studies, 7(2), 68–81. francia, a., & andrey, m. s. (2024). senior high school learners’ reading comprehension level on select subtitled movies. psych educ multidisc j, 19(9), 970–987. gay, l. r., geoffrey e. mills, and p. w. a. (2012). educational research : competencies for analysis and applications. pearson. halimah, l., & sukmayadi, v. (2019). the role of" jigsaw" method in enhancing indonesian prospective teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and communication skill. international journal english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1309 of instruction, 12(2), 289–304. hardiyanto, a., tanjung, m., & suharjono, .s. (2021). listening comprehension difficulties; a case study of efl students in listening class. eternal (english, teaching, learning, and research journal), 7(1), 168–179. hasan, r., palaniappan, s., mahmood, s., shah, b., abbas, a., & sarker, k. u. (2019). enhancing the teaching and learning process using video streaming servers and forecasting techniques. sustainability, 11(7), 20–49. hestiana, m., & anita, a. (2022). the role of movie subtitles to improve students’vocabulary. journal of english language teaching and learning, 3(1), 46–53. howe, j. h., & baumgartner, e. s. (2024). enhancing tonal‐language learning through music: a review of experimental methods and melodic intonation therapy influences. review of education, 12(2), 1–16. hue, b. t. h. (2024). the current status and solutions to improve english listening comprehension skills at tan trao university. esp international journal of science, humanities & management studies, 2(4), 17–25. jia, c., & hew, k. f. t. (2022). supporting lower-level processes in efl listening: the effect on learners’ listening proficiency of a dictation program supported by a mobile instant messaging app. supporting lower-level processes in efl listening: the effect on learners’ listening proficiency of a dictation program supported by a mobile instant messaging app, 35(1), 141–168. johnson, robert burke, and l. c. (2019). educational research: quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches. seventh. london: sage. kokroko, e., & dumenyah, j. k. (2020). listening comprehension as a key component towards the success of foreign language learning. american journal of education and practice, 4(1), 36–43. krashen, s. (1982). principles and practice in second language acquisition. li, l., ismail, s. m., patra, i., & lami. (2024). not a passive learner but an active one: a focus on the efficacy of philosophy-based language instruction and its consequences on efl learners’ critical thinking, engagement, and academic achievement. bmc psychology, 12(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-02401648-2 li, g. (2024). subtitles as a learning aid: impacts on english proficiency in china’s english as a foreign language (efl) students. international journal of social science and education research, 7(7), 91–107. liang, h. (2024). exploring the role of dingtalk for teaching and learning english listening skills in blended learning environments. journal of education and educational research, 10(3), 336–343. lodico, marguerite g., dean t. spaulding, and k. h. v. (2010). method in educational research: from theory to practice. san francisco: jossey-bass. luu, v. t., lian, a. p., & siriyothin, p. (2021). developing efl learners’ listening comprehension through a computer-assisted selfregulated prosody-based listening platform. computer-assisted language learning electronic journal, 22(1), 254–271. maharani, r. s., & afifi, n. (2024). promoting selfdirected learning through netflix as a learnng aid of listening and speaking: an investigation toward efl students’ voices. journal of languages and language teaching, 12(1), 212– 225. manurung et, butar-butar yn, s. d. (2022). the effect of using movie to overcome listening comprehension difficulties of junior high school students. romeo, 1(2), 59–68. masrai, a. (2020). can l2 phonological vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension be developed through extensive movie viewing? the case of arab efl learners. international journal of listening, 34(1), 54–69. meirbekov, a., nyshanova, s., meiirbekov, a., kazykhankyzy, l., burayeva, z., & abzhekenova, b. (2024). digitisation of english language education: instagram and tiktok online educational blogs and courses vs. traditional academic education. how to increase student motivation? education and information technologies, 29(11), 13635–13662. milliner, b., & dimoski, b. (2024). the effects of a metacognitive intervention on lower-proficiency efl learners’ listening comprehension and listening self-efficacy. language teaching research, 28(2), 679–713. najmi, k., & navaee lavasani, m. (2021). using digital audio files and the development of efl learners’ listening comprehension ability. journal of new advances in english language teaching and applied linguistics, 3(2), 610–628. nushi, m., & orouji, f. (2020). investigating efl teachers’ views on listening difficulties among their learners: the case of iranian context. sage open, 2(1), 1–16. panda, n. (2020). teaching english language skills of b.tech students using netflix as a tool. mukt shabd journal, 9(5), 2563–2568. pastini, n. w., & lilasari, l. n. t. (2023). empowering efl students: a review of student-centred learning effectiveness and impact. journal of applied studies in language, 7(2), 246–259. peixoto, b., bessa, l. c. p., gonçalves, g., bessa, m., & melo, m. (2023). teaching efl with immersive virtual reality technologies: a comparison with the conventional listening method. ieee access, 11, 21498–21507. perez, m. m. (2022). second or foreign language bhagaskoro ardhianto kurniawan & khoirul anwar the perception of student and teacher of netflix english to english subtitle: correlating engagement, motivation, and listening ability 1310 learning through watching audio-visual input and the role of on-screen text. language teaching, 55(2), 163–192. phan, l., & nguyen, d. (2023). an investigation into difficulties in listening comprehension encountered by english-majored freshmen at dong nai technology university and recommendations. european journal of education and pedagogy, 4(2), 120–127. polat, m., & erişti, b. (2019). the effects of authentic video materials on foreign language listening skill development and foreign language listening anxiety at different levels of english proficiency. international journal of contemporary educational research, 6(1), 135–154. pratama, s. h. h., arifin, r. a., & widianingsih, a. w. s. (2020). the use of youtube as a learning tool in teaching listening skill. international journal of global operations research, 1(3), 123–129. rafique, r. (2019). using podcasts to improve listening skills of tertiary level learners: insights from literature. journal of linguistics, 11(21), 117– 132. rahim, l. a. a., & hermawan, b. (2024). the integration of listening and speaking to develop students’ communicative competence in islamic boarding school. international journal of english and applied linguistics (ijeal), 4(2), 234–242. robert, c., & marpaung, m. (2022). how watching movies from netflix help students’ improving language skills. international journal of education, information technology, and others, 5(2), 330–336. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6553462 rukthong, a., & brunfaut, t. (2020). is anybody listening? the nature of second language listening in integrated listening-to-summarize tasks. language testing, 37(1), 31–53. ryan, r. m., & deci, e. l. (2000). self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. american psychologist, 55, 68–78. siddiqui, b., khatoon, s., & siddiqui, a. (2023). netflix as a digital tool for language learning: a semi systematic review. journal of law & social studies 2023 journal of law & social studies (jlss), 5(4), 674–689. https://doi.org/10.52279/jlss.05.04. tai, t. y., & chen, h. h. j. (2024). the impact of intelligent personal assistants on adolescent efl learners’ listening comprehension. computer assisted language learning, 37(3), 433–460. tatineni, s., & boppana, v. r. (2021). ai-powered devops and mlops frameworks: enhancing collaboration, automation, and scalability in machine learning pipelines. journal of artificial intelligence research and applications, 1(2), 58–88. teng, m. f., & zhang, d. (2023). the associations between working memory and the effects of multimedia input on l2 vocabulary learning. international review of applied linguistics in language teaching, 61(3), 1021–1049. tsai, y. y., wu, t. l., & chen, l. g. (2024). exposure to netflix enhances listening effort and learning motivation among mice learners. journal of hospitality, leisure, sport & tourism education, 35(1), 100486. tsang, a. (2023). the best way to learn a language is not to learn it!”: hedonism and insights into successful efl learners’ experiences in engagement with spoken (listening) and written (reading) input. tesol q., 57(2), 511–536. yaacob, a., amir, a. s. a., asraf, r. m., yaakob, m. f. m., & zain, f. m. (2021). impact of youtube and video podcast on listening comprehension among young learners. int. j. interact. mob. technol, 15(20), 4–19. yawiloeng, r. (2020). second language vocabulary learning from viewing video in an efl classroom. english language teaching, 13(7), 76–87. yuyun, i., & simamora, f. y. (2021). the use of youtube to support efl students’ listening skills. english linguistics and language teaching research journal, 2(2), 1–12. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 57 metaphor analysis in the hikayat si miskin: cultural and moral reflections in classical malay literature heni subagiharti* english study program, fkip universitas asahan, indonesia email: subagihartiheni@gmail.com diah syafitri handayani japanese language study program, faculty of vocational studies, universitas sumatera utara email: diahsyafitri@usu.ac.id apa citation: subagiharti, h., & handayani, d. s. (2025). metaphor analysis in the hikayat si miskin: cultural and moral reflections in classical malay literature. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 57-66. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.11020 received: 21-10-2024 accepted: 22-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: hikayat si miskin is a classical malay literary masterpiece imbued with profound cultural and moral values. this study explores the metaphors embedded within the narrative using a semiotic approach and classical literary analysis. key findings reveal that metaphors in this text symbolize social struggles, religiosity, and the dynamic life journey of the protagonist. for instance, the metaphor of "poverty" transcends material deprivation, symbolizing a spiritual quest toward self-awareness and devotion to god. natural elements like the "sea" and "mountain" metaphorically represent life's challenges and the resilience required to overcome them. this study underscores how hikayat si miskin encapsulates not only narrative richness but also the worldview of classical malay society, reflecting universal values and cultural philosophies. the findings offer significant insights into malay literary traditions, contributing to a deeper understanding of the role of metaphors in the literary heritage of the nusantara. keywords: hikayat si miskin; metaphor; classical malay literature; semiotics; cultural values introduction hikayat si miskin is a significant work in the canon of classical malay literature and holds an essential place in indonesia’s literary heritage. also known as hikayat maharaja marakarma, this work was written around 1844 or 1848 (hamadun et al., 2021; osman, 2020; suharjo & pudjiastuti, 2020; van der putten, 2017). it represents the development of the malay literary tradition, serving not only as entertainment but also as a medium for imparting moral, religious, and cultural values (amalia et al., 2024; hussain et al., 2020a; youpika et al., 2024). the story narrates the journey of a protagonist who overcomes numerous challenges, from poverty to eventual success. through patience, wisdom, and divine intervention, the character manages to change his fate. this narrative reflects the worldview of classical malay society, where concepts of wealth, poverty, and destiny are closely tied to divine will and human relationships. additionally, figurative language, particularly metaphors, plays a crucial role in reinforcing the moral and aesthetic messages of this text (rahman et al., 2020). studying hikayat si miskin is vital for understanding the perspectives of classical malay society regarding life, social structures, and spiritual values. analyzing literary elements such as metaphors not only reveals the text’s aesthetic richness but also provides insight into the values shaping malay culture. for example, the concept of "poverty" in this tale symbolizes not only material deprivation but also a spiritual journey toward enlightenment. in this context, this study aims to analyze the metaphors in hikayat si miskin as a critical element in conveying the moral and religious messages embedded in its narrative. through metaphor analysis, this research seeks to uncover the symbolic meanings of the metaphors used, which not only enhance the text's aesthetic quality but also offer a deeper understanding of the moral, cultural, and religious values of classical malay society (hussain et al., 2020b; mu’ammar & affandy, 2020; rajeg & rajeg, 2023; salehuddin, 2018). method this study employs a qualitative analysis method incorporating a semiotic approach and classical literary studies. the semiotic approach is used to analyze the meaning of signs, including metaphors (akhtar, 2020; churilova, 2020; foote & azaryahu, 2019; lee, 2024; nugrahaa, 2019; wen & taylor, 2021), contained in hikayat si heni subagiharti & diah syafitri handayani metaphor analysis in the hikayat si miskin: cultural and moral reflections in classical malay literature 58 miskin. metaphors are interpreted as signs representing moral, religious, or social ideas within the literary text. semiotics allows researchers to explore the relationship between these signs (metaphors) and their hidden meanings (lavender, 2020). this approach is particularly relevant because classical malay texts are rich in symbolism and allusions, which demand in-depth interpretation (abdullah & abdillah, 2021). classical literary studies involve analyzing literary works based on their cultural, social, and historical contexts (jauss, 2022; kholodniak, 2023; nashef, 2023; romanovska, 2020; xiao, 2021). in this study, hikayat si miskin is examined as part of the classical malay literary tradition, characterized by its use of figurative language, a linear narrative structure, and the transmission of traditional values. the application of classical literary studies is vital to understanding how the metaphors in the text reflect the worldview, cultural dynamics, and values of 19th-century malay society. to ensure the relevance and validity of this approach, the analysis was contextualized within the historical and cultural framework of the period when the text was written. to guarantee the reliability and validity of the metaphor analysis, triangulation methods were applied. this included cross-referencing interpretations with existing scholarly literature and independent analysis by multiple researchers. the collaborative approach minimized subjectivity and enhanced the robustness of the findings. the data for this study were derived from multiple sources, including manuscript copies and printed versions of hikayat si miskin. the manuscript selection was based on availability and historical significance, with preference given to texts that maintained linguistic and structural integrity. each metaphor identified in the text was analyzed using semiotic concepts, such as sign, signifier, signified, and symbolic meaning. the metaphors were then examined within the story's context to determine their significance and relevance to classical malay cultural values. this method allows for a comprehensive exploration of the richness of metaphorical meanings in hikayat si miskin. by contextualizing the findings with the worldview of classical malay society, this study highlights the moral, cultural, and symbolic messages embedded in the text. this approach underscores the role of hikayat si miskin as a reflection of the cultural and moral values of traditional malay society. results and discussion characteristics of classical malay literature classical malay literature is a cornerstone of the literary heritage of the indonesian archipelago, flourishing during the golden age of malay kingdoms such as malacca, johor-riau, and aceh (braginsky, 2024; falarti, 2022; lahiri-roy & martinussen, 2024). written primarily in prose and poetry, these works served as repositories of moral and religious teachings, reflecting values such as honesty, patience, loyalty, and devotion to god (haron et al., 2020). for instance, hikayat si miskin emphasizes patience and reliance on god, depicting the protagonist’s resilience in overcoming life’s difficulties through faith and perseverance (çınaroğlu, 2024; haron et al., 2020; jones, 2022; metry et al., 2024; wilt et al., 2019). these literary works were not merely for entertainment but also served as tools for moral education, embedding both explicit and implicit messages to instill virtues and foster spiritual growth in readers or listeners. the richness of classical malay literature lies in its use of allusions, metaphors, and proverbs, which enhance both its aesthetic and symbolic depth. natural elements, such as the sea, mountains, and stars, are often used to symbolize challenges, ideals, or human destiny, while supernatural elements like divine intervention, mythical beings, or magical objects reflect the spiritual beliefs of the malay people(kukushkina, 2023; moten & wok, 2019; winstedt, 2024b, 2024a). the narratives are typically simple and linear, characterized by repetitive patterns that emphasize key messages and make the stories easier to recall (bloembergen & kloos, 2023; mandal, 2023). these narratives often include pantun to evoke emotions and reinforce moral lessons, making them a rich representation of malay culture, including its customs, social structures, and worldview (alatas, 2022; king & wilder, 2020; saxena, 2022). values such as patience, perseverance, and reliance on god are central themes in hikayat si miskin, hikayat hang tuah, and hikayat raja pasai. in hikayat si miskin, the protagonist’s struggles against poverty and misfortune highlight the transformative power of resilience and prayer. hikayat hang tuah emphasizes loyalty and devotion, showcasing hang tuah’s steadfastness amidst personal and political conflicts, guided by faith and moral integrity (tiwon, 2024). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 59 meanwhile, hikayat raja pasai portrays patience and perseverance in governance, where rulers seek divine guidance to maintain stability and resolve conflicts, illustrating the integration of religious values into leadership (rusli & mukhlis, 2023). these works collectively demonstrate how these values are deeply rooted in malay culture, serving as moral guides both for individuals and society. the development of classical malay literature was significantly influenced by diverse cultural and religious traditions. hindu-buddhist influences between the 7th and 14th centuries introduced themes of divine kingship and cosmological order, as seen in hikayat banjar and hikayat malim deman (brahim & kathrina, 2022). the arrival of islam brought new narrative structures and themes, such as stories of prophets and messengers. works like hikayat nur muhammad and hikayat nabi yusuf combined islamic values with traditional storytelling, enriching malay literature with spiritual and moral dimensions (aljunied, 2022; bin ridzuan, 2023; saiin et al., 2023). in hikayat si miskin, hindu-buddhist influences are evident in the concept of divine intervention, while islamic teachings on faith and prayer are seamlessly integrated into the narrative (sajir, 2023). the transition from oral to written tradition further underscores the resilience of classical malay literature. features of oral storytelling, such as repetition, direct audience engagement, and rhythmic structures, were retained in manuscripts like hikayat si miskin, preserving their accessibility and memorability (zakaria et al., 2020). phonetic adaptations and rhymed colophons reflect efforts to maintain the musicality and communal spirit of oral traditions (kresse & vierke, 2022). additionally, the integration of cultural and religious elements ensures the manuscripts remain authentic representations of malay beliefs and values (richards, 2021). thus, hikayat si miskin exemplifies how classical malay literature combines oral and written traditions with diverse cultural influences, creating a rich and enduring literary heritage. values such as patience, perseverance, and reliance on god not only shape the narratives but also reflect the moral fabric and cultural identity of malay society. getting to know the time setting of the hikayat si miskin the hikayat si miskin tells the story of a man who has experienced various difficulties since childhood. the time setting in this story is very important, because it sets the atmosphere and describes the life of malay society at that time. the time setting in the story provides a strong picture of the social differences and simple life of malay society. as well as the moral values that were held firmly by society at that time. quoted from the book introduction to literary theory, (duile et al., 2023), the time setting in classical malay literature generally describes an agrarian society that holds tightly to tradition and religion. in addition, the time setting in malay stories often highlights the kingdom era with the life of society. at that time, people's lives were regulated by a cruel social class system. in his childhood, si miskin lived in severe poverty with his family. the time setting of the story in this period shows the suffering experienced by poor families in the midst of a stratified society. where the rich and the poor have a big difference in status. furthermore, the time setting in this tale also implies the malay people's belief in supernatural things. in many tales, including the hikayat si miskin, the intervention of supernatural powers such as prayer and the help of spirits. this shows that people at that time had a strong belief in supernatural powers as part of their lives. si miskin in this tale prays sincerely for his life to change. this prayer is then answered with the help of supernatural powers that influence his fate. in the study of classical malay literature, the time setting in tales is often not explicitly stated such as a certain year or era (sevea, 2019). however, it is more about the social conditions or situations that can be recognized. for example, it is seen in the hikayat si miskin which emphasizes the values of patience and sincerity. the time setting of the hikayat si miskin ends with the change in si miskin's fate after going through many trials. this implies the message that in the long run, patience and prayer can change a person's destiny. values such as patience, fortitude, and sincerity in the midst of trials are the moral messages that this tale wants to convey. that the characters of the hikayat si miskin consist of: (1) si miskin (husband), who was later named maharaja indra angkasa. (2) si miskin's wife, who was later named ratna dewi. (3) maharaja indra dewa (king of the antah berantah kingdom) (4) maharaja markamah (son of si miskin) (5) nila kesuma (daughter n of si miskin) heni subagiharti & diah syafitri handayani metaphor analysis in the hikayat si miskin: cultural and moral reflections in classical malay literature 60 figure 1. the title of the manuscript to be transliterated is hikayat si miskin source: (roza et al., 2022) figure 1, depicting the title page of the hikayat si miskin manuscript, provides essential insight into the authenticity and historical value of the text as part of the classical malay literary heritage. the use of arabic-malay script reflects the influence of islamic culture on the development of malay literary traditions. the presence of this title page confirms that the manuscript is an authentic historical document, serving as a foundation for research aimed at understanding the moral and cultural values of 19th-century malay society. figure 2. the first page of the tale of the poor source: (roza, 2014) figure 2 shows the first page of the story hikayat si miskin, marking the beginning of the protagonist's journey through various life challenges. written in arabic-malay script, the text not only enhances the visual aesthetics of the manuscript but also serves as a symbolic introduction to the narrative. this page sets the stage for the protagonist’s struggles, which are closely tied to the metaphors analyzed in the study, such as "poverty as dark as a starless night," depicting the protagonist's despair. together, these images not only affirm the manuscript's authenticity but also enrich the understanding of the cultural and religious context explored in this research the text of the hikayat si miskin is a manuscript written in arabic-malay script. the language used in the manuscript is malay. this manuscript consists of 69 pages, but the manuscript consists of 136 pages. the thickness of the photocopied hikayat si miskin manuscript is 73 pages. however, the number of pages listed in the manuscript is 183 pages. the age of the hikayat si miskin manuscript is 55 years. the age of the manuscript is calculated based on the year of re-publication of the hikayat si miskin manuscript, which is 1958. the hikayat si miskin manuscript is a manuscript that was republished by the publisher jembatan dan gunung agung, by aman datuk majo indo, in jakarta in 1958. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 61 metaphors in the tale of the poor or the tale of maharaja marakarma the author further explains several quotes from the saga of the poor that use the following metaphors: bird (burung) text quotes while in exile, marakarma received many supernatural powers from genies, giants and snakes. one day, marakarma managed to catch a bird. because his brother wanted to eat the bird, marakarma went looking for fire to cook it. after arriving at the village, marakarma was arrested, accused of stealing and beaten until his body was swollen. marakarma fainted and was tied with a rope and thrown into the sea. gold (emas) text quotes so, when times were good, the poor man's wife gave birth. a boy is very good in appearance and beautiful in appearance. so, the child is called marakarma, meaning a child in trouble. since the birth of his child, the poor man's fate has changed. he suddenly got too much gold. by worshiping the god, a land also emerged. he named the country puspa sari and himself maharaja indra angkasa. his wife became ratna dewi. not long after, a princess was born into the world. the princess was named nile kesuma. meanwhile, puspa sari's country is increasingly populated. palace (istana) text quotes one day, mengindra sari went hunting. he found nila kesuma crying under the waringin tree. nila kesuma was then brought back to the palace and married. the nila kesuma was named mayang mengurai. sea (laut) text quotes this is also the story of marakarma who was thrown into the sea. marakarma washed up on the shore. the beach is the base of a giant. marakarma was found by the princess cahaya kairani, the daughter of king malai kisna, who was kidnapped by a giant to be eaten. because princess cahaya kairani was still small, she was kept. table1. metaphor analysis in hikayat si miskin or hikayat maharaja marakarma based on theme, context, and meaning contained no metaphor context in the story context in the story 1 kemiskinan sebagai "gelap malam tanpa bintang" poverty as "dark as a starless night" describes the situation of the main character who lives in poverty and without hope. symbolizes isolation, lack of hope, and dependence on god to gain enlightenment. 2 emas sebagai "cahaya keberuntungan" gold as "lucky light" when the main character finds gold that changes his fate. symbolizes good fortune, changes in fate, and blessings obtained through effort and prayer. 3 laut sebagai "ujian kehidupan" the sea as a "test of life" the journey of the main character who must cross the sea to find a way out of his suffering. symbolizes the great challenges that humans must face in life to achieve success. 4 istana sebagai "puncak kehidupan" the palace as the "peak of life" the main character is finally invited to the palace and given an honorable position. symbolizes success, glory and appreciation for hard work and faith. 5 burung sebagai "utusan ilahi" birds as "divine messengers" the presence of birds provides guidance to the main character on his journey. symbolizes guidance from god or supernatural powers that help humans out of difficulties. 6 air mata sebagai "penyesalan dan doa" tears as "regret and prayer" when the main character cries and begs god when facing misfortune. symbolizes sincerity of heart, recognition of human weakness, and sincere prayer to god. 7 gunung sebagai "cita-cita yang tinggi" mountains as "high ideals" the main character is determined to achieve success even though the challenges are as big as a mountain. symbolizes dreams or life goals that require great struggle to achieve. heni subagiharti & diah syafitri handayani metaphor analysis in the hikayat si miskin: cultural and moral reflections in classical malay literature 62 based on the table above, the metaphors in hikayat si miskin are a vital element in expressing the cultural, moral, and spiritual dimensions of classical malay society. each metaphor provides a unique lens to understand the protagonist's journey while reflecting broader societal values and beliefs. for instance, the metaphor "poverty as dark as a starless night" captures the protagonist's state of despair and isolation, symbolizing the dependence on god to find hope and enlightenment. this metaphor emphasizes the value of faith in navigating life's hardships. the metaphor "gold as lucky light" highlights the transformative power of divine blessings and hard work, symbolizing the protagonist's change in fortune through effort and prayer. similarly, the metaphor "the sea as a test of life" illustrates the struggles and challenges the protagonist must overcome to achieve personal growth and success. it represents the idea that life’s trials are necessary stepping stones to greater achievements. other metaphors, such as "the palace as the peak of life," symbolize the ultimate reward for virtue and perseverance, reflecting cultural notions of glory and societal recognition. the metaphor "birds as divine messengers" integrates the spiritual realm into the narrative, symbolizing guidance and protection offered by divine or supernatural forces. this highlights the interconnectedness of spirituality and human effort in malay culture. "tears as regret and prayer" conveys deep humility and sincerity, symbolizing the act of seeking forgiveness and divine assistance in moments of despair. meanwhile, "mountains as high ideals" represent the protagonist’s unwavering commitment to achieving life goals despite overwhelming obstacles, reflecting the cultural admiration for ambition and perseverance. through these metaphors, hikayat si miskin transcends its function as a literary work, becoming a repository of moral wisdom and cultural values. it delivers timeless messages that emphasize patience, determination, and faith as essential virtues for overcoming challenges and achieving success in life. the metaphors not only enrich the narrative aesthetically but also offer a profound insight into the worldview and identity of classical malay society. moral values of the story of the poor man the story of the poor man contains messages that can be life lessons, especially for children. the moral values in the story of the poor man include: perseverance and patience. the story of the poor man teaches the importance of having perseverance and patience in facing life's trials. although initially living in poverty and experiencing rejection, the poor man and his wife remained patient and tried hard. belief in god. this story emphasizes that a person's fate is determined by god. the poor man and his wife received a miracle in the form of gold because they believed and were sure of god's destiny. respecting others. respecting each other is one of the moral values that stands out in this story. respecting each other can ward off envy and the desire to harm others. this can be seen from the attitude of the leader of the antah berantah kingdom who changed after the poor man became rich. honesty and virtue. even in difficult circumstances, the poor man and his wife remained honest and did good to others. this is classified as an important moral value that can be emulated. compassion and solidarity. the message of compassion and helping others is reflected in the commendable actions of the people, who are willing to provide food and assistance to the poor man and his wife. because, the poor man should not be treated arbitrarily. messages in the story of the hikayat si miskin based on the review above, the following are some of the messages of the hikayat si miskin story: (1) teaches the importance of patience, perseverance, and humility in facing life's difficulties. (2) teaches the importance of being grateful and not being greedy. (3) teaches the importance of respecting parents and helping each other. (4) teaches the importance of believing in god and not believing in predictions that are not necessarily true. (5) teaches the importance of being honest and behaving well even in difficult circumstances. (6) teaches the importance of loving each other as siblings. (7) the hikayat si miskin also experienced the loss of elements of hindu religious thought contained in it. in this tale, islamic thought is indeed not included, but this tale closes with a statement that several aspects of thought in this book are considered heretical. the changes in indian-influenced tales that were adapted into malay are indeed diverse. most of them include islamic concepts such as the name of allah and the prophets, changing the title 63 (times new roman, 10, centered) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee name etc. for example, "hikayat mara karma", the title becomes "hikayat si miskin" which is the subject of this research conclusion hikayat si miskin is one of the classical malay literary works that is rich in cultural, moral, and religious values. the analysis of the metaphors contained in this tale demonstrates that figurative language, such as metaphors, plays a crucial role in conveying symbolic messages and enriching the aesthetics of the story. the metaphors in this text not only function as aesthetic elements but also as a means to describe the social struggles, religiosity, and dynamics of the main character's life. for example, the metaphor of "poverty" in the story not only represents material conditions but also symbolizes a spiritual journey toward awareness and devotion to god. additionally, natural metaphors such as "sea" and "mountain" reflect the challenges of life that must be faced to achieve success. this study highlights that hikayat si miskin holds not only narrative values but also provides insight into the worldview of classical malay society, which integrates religious, cultural, and universal elements in everyday life. however, it is essential to acknowledge the potential subjectivity in interpreting metaphors, as these interpretations are often influenced by the researcher’s perspective and cultural context. future studies could address this limitation by employing multiple analytical frameworks or engaging in collaborative interpretations to ensure a more comprehensive understanding. moreover, further research is recommended to explore other classical malay texts or conduct comparative studies with literary works from different cultural traditions. such studies could provide deeper insights into the universal and unique aspects of malay literature, enhancing the appreciation of the nusantara literary tradition and its relevance to contemporary life. this research contributes significantly to the study of classical malay literature, particularly in understanding metaphors as both aesthetic and symbolic devices, while also encouraging a broader exploration of the rich and diverse literary heritage of the region. references abdullah, a. h., & abdillah, n. (2021). heritage value of the malayness socio-cultural symbols in millennium artist series of arts: a research analysis in semiotics. journal of educational and social research, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2021-0093 akhtar, j. (2020). an interactive multi-agent reasoning model for sentiment analysis: a case for computational semiotics. artificial intelligence review, 53(6), 3987–4004. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10462-019-09785-6 alatas, s. f. (2022). knowledge hegemonies and autonomous knowledge. third world quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2022.212415 5 aljunied, k. (2022). routledge handbook of islam in southeast asia. routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429275449 amalia, a., yusuff, n. a., asrianto, r., hanafi, k., haris, a., & susanti, h. (2024). a representation of the affective dimensions of gurindam dua belas for malay adolescents in pekanbaru. in studies in systems, decision and control (vol. 517, pp. 961–968). springer science and business media deutschland gmbh. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-03150939-1_77 bin ridzuan, f. (2023). the primordial modernity of malay nationality: contemporary identity in malaysia and singapore. asian ethnicity, 24(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/14631369.2022.213246 9 bloembergen, m., & kloos, d. (2023). introduction. unsettling encounters: sites, knowledge exchange, and the making of religion in southeast asia and the caribbean. history and anthropology, 34(5). https://doi.org/10.1080/02757206.2023.224947 9 braginsky, v. i. (2024). the system of classical malay literature. brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004643284 brahim, a. h., & kathrina, m. d. (2022). an overview of bruneian literature: history, historiography, and critical approaches. in routledge handbook of contemporary brunei. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003020431-15 churilova, i. (2020). representation of theatre metaphors in the english linguistic worldview. european proceedings of social and behavioural sciences. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2020.12.04.24 çınaroğlu, m. (2024). a tale of resilience and faith: understanding grief through islamic coping mechanisms. spiritual psychology and counseling, 9(2), 169–186. https://doi.org/10.37898/spiritualpc.1403670 duile, t., großmann, k., haug, m., & sprenger, g. (2023). introduction: plural ecologies: beyond ontology and political ecology in southeast asia. in plural ecologies in southeast asia: hierarchies, conflicts, and coexistence. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003368182-1 https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2021-0093 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10462-019-09785-6 https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2022.2124155 https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2022.2124155 https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429275449 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50939-1_77 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50939-1_77 https://doi.org/10.1080/14631369.2022.2132469 https://doi.org/10.1080/14631369.2022.2132469 https://doi.org/10.1080/02757206.2023.2249479 https://doi.org/10.1080/02757206.2023.2249479 https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004643284 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003020431-15 https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2020.12.04.24 https://doi.org/10.37898/spiritualpc.1403670 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003368182-1 heni subagiharti & diah syafitri handayani metaphor analysis in the hikayat si miskin: cultural and moral reflections in classical malay literature 64 falarti, m. m. (2022). hikayat and malay-indonesian conversion narratives. in routledge handbook of islam in southeast asia (pp. 48–67). taylor and francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429275449-5 foote, k. e., & azaryahu, m. (2019). semiotics. in international encyclopedia of human geography (2nd ed., pp. 141–146). elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-1022955.10863-7 hamadun, f., abdillah, n., & yusoff, n. (2021). hikayat merong mahawangsa (2011) from a film history perspective. in r. a. razak, a. m. m. a. b., s. z. a. rahim, m. f. m. tahir, m. a. m. mortar, & l. jamaludin (eds.), aip conference proceedings (vol. 2347). american institute of physics inc. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0051906 haron, h., jamil, n. n., & ramli, n. m. (2020). western and islamic values and ethics: are they different? journal of governance and integrity, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.15282/jgi.4.1.2020.5609 hussain, m. a., yunos, m. y. m., ismail, n. a., ariffin, n. f. m., & ismail, s. (2020a). a review of the elements of nature and the malay cultural landscape through malay literature. sustainability (switzerland), 12(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062154 hussain, m. a., yunos, m. y. m., ismail, n. a., ariffin, n. f. m., & ismail, s. (2020b). a review of the elements of nature and the malay cultural landscape through malay literature. sustainability (switzerland), 12(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062154 jauss, h. r. (2022). literary history as a challenge to literary theory. in new directions in literary history. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003247937-2 jones, p. d. (2022). patience—a theological exploration: part one, from creation to christ. bloomsbury publishing plc. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid =2-s2.085197076920&partnerid=40&md5=8a422fbb 34e45b7f40395db33963f531 kholodniak, o. (2023). comparative literary theory: a cross-cultural approach to english literature. research journal in advanced humanities, 4(4), 255–273. https://doi.org/10.58256/rjah.v4i4.1317 lahiri-roy, r., & martinussen, m. (2024). “do our diversities count?” collaborative reflections on dwelling in academe’s intersectional shadowlands. international journal of qualitative studies in education, 37(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2023.217803 7 lavender, j. (2020). english in ecuador: a look into the linguistic landscape of azogues. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 41(5). https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2019.166736 2 lee, j. w. (2024). semiotics. in encyclopedia of sport management, second edition (pp. 850–851). edward elgar publishing ltd. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035317189.ch497 mandal, s. k. (2023). charting a malay-islamic past: an emerging transnational geography of meaning and the consolidation of an exclusivist identity in malaysia. history and anthropology, 34(5). https://doi.org/10.1080/02757206.2023.224947 8 metry, s., strodl, e., & sadia, a. (2024). faith in god as a protective factor against mental illness among university students within australia. journal of spirituality in mental health. https://doi.org/10.1080/19349637.2024.242231 2 moten, a. r., & wok, s. (2019). religiosity of malays living in malaysian rural areas: an analytical survey. international journal of islamic thought, 15, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.24035/ijit.15.2019.001 mu’ammar, m. a., & affandy, a. n. (2020). children’s good character development with traditional literature for conveying moral values. international journal of innovation, creativity and change, 11(5), 234–246. retrieved from https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid= 2-s2.085081747523&partnerid=40&md5=a9fd1e5d6 ae4d2860d258ad29f363cc2 nashef, i. (2023). a language of one’s own: literary arabic, the palestinians and israel. edinburgh university press. retrieved from https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid= 2-s2.085211877341&partnerid=40&md5=02360af8d b85faf4d023a73abbbdf35a nugrahaa, d. n. s. (2019). semiotics analysis in drama script “nyanyian rimbayana.” international journal of innovation, creativity and change, 6(12), 116–129. retrieved from https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid= 2-s2.085076432240&partnerid=40&md5=c045fa1a3 00becd4d9314e09f428a6fa osman, s. a. (2020). re(con)figuring the nenek kebayan through folktale adaptation: malaysian folktales as literary and cultural heritage. in making heritage in malaysia: sites, histories, identities. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-151494-4_6 rahman, w., hasan, m. k., lee, s., zadeh, a., mao, c., morency, l. p., & hoque, e. (2020). integrating multimodal information in large https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429275449-5 https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-102295-5.10863-7 https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-102295-5.10863-7 https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0051906 https://doi.org/10.15282/jgi.4.1.2020.5609 https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062154 https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062154 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003247937-2 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85197076920&partnerid=40&md5=8a422fbb34e45b7f40395db33963f531 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85197076920&partnerid=40&md5=8a422fbb34e45b7f40395db33963f531 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85197076920&partnerid=40&md5=8a422fbb34e45b7f40395db33963f531 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85197076920&partnerid=40&md5=8a422fbb34e45b7f40395db33963f531 https://doi.org/10.58256/rjah.v4i4.1317 https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2023.2178037 https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2023.2178037 https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2019.1667362 https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2019.1667362 https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035317189.ch497 https://doi.org/10.1080/02757206.2023.2249478 https://doi.org/10.1080/02757206.2023.2249478 https://doi.org/10.1080/19349637.2024.2422312 https://doi.org/10.1080/19349637.2024.2422312 https://doi.org/10.24035/ijit.15.2019.001 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85081747523&partnerid=40&md5=a9fd1e5d6ae4d2860d258ad29f363cc2 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85081747523&partnerid=40&md5=a9fd1e5d6ae4d2860d258ad29f363cc2 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85081747523&partnerid=40&md5=a9fd1e5d6ae4d2860d258ad29f363cc2 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85081747523&partnerid=40&md5=a9fd1e5d6ae4d2860d258ad29f363cc2 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85211877341&partnerid=40&md5=02360af8db85faf4d023a73abbbdf35a https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85211877341&partnerid=40&md5=02360af8db85faf4d023a73abbbdf35a https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85211877341&partnerid=40&md5=02360af8db85faf4d023a73abbbdf35a https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85211877341&partnerid=40&md5=02360af8db85faf4d023a73abbbdf35a https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85076432240&partnerid=40&md5=c045fa1a300becd4d9314e09f428a6fa https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85076432240&partnerid=40&md5=c045fa1a300becd4d9314e09f428a6fa https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85076432240&partnerid=40&md5=c045fa1a300becd4d9314e09f428a6fa https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85076432240&partnerid=40&md5=c045fa1a300becd4d9314e09f428a6fa https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1494-4_6 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1494-4_6 65 (times new roman, 10, centered) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee pretrained transformers. proceedings of the annual meeting of the association for computational linguistics. https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/2020.acl-main.214 ajeg, g. p. w., & rajeg, i. m. (2023). exploring diachronic salience of emotion metaphors: a contrastive study of happiness metaphors in classical malay and indonesian. review of cognitive linguistics, 21(1), 229–265. https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.00133.raj richards, g. (2021). the travelling text: manuscripts, print culture and translation in the making of the malay world. in asia in transition (vol. 13). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-45683_3 romanovska, a. (2020). antons austriņš’ oeuvre in cultural context. forum for world literature studies, 12(3), 357–370. retrieved from https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid =2-s2.085101923183&partnerid=40&md5=54978a7e 27b74fff191432aca5853093 roza, e., pama, s. a., erni, s., pama, v. i., & murni, m. (2022). exposing the religious characters of the malays in the 19th century: a symbolic analysis of the manuscript of syair burung. wawasan: jurnal ilmiah agama dan sosial budaya, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.15575/jw.v7i1.17752 rusli, h., & mukhlis. (2023). religiosity: conflict resolution in the hikayat prang cumbok. jurnal ilmiah peuradeun, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v11i1.736 saiin, a., umar, m. h., hajazi, m. z., & yusuf, m. (2023). the domination of islamic law in customary matrimonial ceremonies: islamic values within the malay marriage tradition in kepulauan riau. al-ahwal, 16(2), 320–341. https://doi.org/10.14421/ahwal.2023.16207 sajir, z. (2023). a post-secular approach to managing diversity in liberal democracies: exploring the interplay of human rights, religious identity, and inclusive governance in western societies. religions, 14(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14101325 salehuddin, k. (2018). the value of knowledge in the malay mind: a cognitive semantic analysis. international journal of asia-pacific studies, 14(2), 39–59. https://doi.org/10.21315/ijaps2018.14.2.2 saxena, v. (2022). memory and nation-building: world war ii in malaysian literature. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003166344 sevea, t. (2019). pawangs on the frontier: miracles, prophets, and divinities in the rice fields of modern malaya. modern asian studies, 53(4). https://doi.org/10.1017/s0026749x16000834 suharjo, r. a., & pudjiastuti, t. (2020). text cohesion in the manuscripts of hikayat sultan taburat. in nusantara’s indigenous knowledge (pp. 53–78). nova science publishers, inc. retrieved from https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid= 2-s2.085144311267&partnerid=40&md5=dc46b8c6e d3ce8564fb85b3cd7ca3a54 tiwon, s. (2024). trickster as epic narrator in the malay hikayat hang tuah. in the epic world. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429286698-21 van der putten, j. (2017). on the edge of a tradition: some prolegomena to paratexts in malay rental manuscripts. indonesia and the malay world, 45(132). https://doi.org/10.1080/13639811.2017.131463 8 wen, x., & taylor, j. r. (2021). the routledge handbook of cognitive linguistics. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351034708 wilt, j. a., stauner, n., harriott, v. a., exline, j. j., & pargament, k. i. (2019). partnering with god: religious coping and perceptions of divine intervention predict spiritual transformation in response to religious-spiritual struggle. psychology of religion and spirituality, 11(3), 278–290. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000221 winstedt, r. o. (2024a). the malay magician: being shaman, saiva and sufi. taylor and francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003463566 winstedt, r. o. (2024b). the malays: a cultural history. taylor and francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003463726 xiao, m. (2021). on the four forms of contemporary cultural criticism. theoretical studies in literature and art, 41(5), 195–206. retrieved from https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid= 2-s2.085126934331&partnerid=40&md5=ffc640b82 13271dfdadd75fe1a62f676 youpika, f., permadi, t., sunendar, d., & yandryati, j. (2024). the endangered central malay folklore: a medium for internalizing character values in indonesian language and literature. international journal of language education, 8(1), 48–63. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v8i1.60908 zakaria, n., hanapi, m. h. m., rosli, n. f. m., wahid, a., & omar, a. (2020). malay authors’ strategies in displaying the intelligence of the figures and its effects in traditional malay literary texts. international journal of innovation, creativity and change, 11(5). https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/2020.acl-main.214 https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.00133.raj https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4568-3_3 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4568-3_3 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85101923183&partnerid=40&md5=54978a7e27b74fff191432aca5853093 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85101923183&partnerid=40&md5=54978a7e27b74fff191432aca5853093 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85101923183&partnerid=40&md5=54978a7e27b74fff191432aca5853093 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85101923183&partnerid=40&md5=54978a7e27b74fff191432aca5853093 https://doi.org/10.15575/jw.v7i1.17752 https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v11i1.736 https://doi.org/10.14421/ahwal.2023.16207 https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14101325 https://doi.org/10.21315/ijaps2018.14.2.2 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003166344 https://doi.org/10.1017/s0026749x16000834 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85144311267&partnerid=40&md5=dc46b8c6ed3ce8564fb85b3cd7ca3a54 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85144311267&partnerid=40&md5=dc46b8c6ed3ce8564fb85b3cd7ca3a54 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85144311267&partnerid=40&md5=dc46b8c6ed3ce8564fb85b3cd7ca3a54 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85144311267&partnerid=40&md5=dc46b8c6ed3ce8564fb85b3cd7ca3a54 https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429286698-21 https://doi.org/10.1080/13639811.2017.1314638 https://doi.org/10.1080/13639811.2017.1314638 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351034708 https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000221 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003463566 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003463726 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85126934331&partnerid=40&md5=ffc640b8213271dfdadd75fe1a62f676 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85126934331&partnerid=40&md5=ffc640b8213271dfdadd75fe1a62f676 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85126934331&partnerid=40&md5=ffc640b8213271dfdadd75fe1a62f676 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85126934331&partnerid=40&md5=ffc640b8213271dfdadd75fe1a62f676 https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v8i1.60908 heni subagiharti & diah syafitri handayani metaphor analysis in the hikayat si miskin: cultural and moral reflections in classical malay literature 66 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 133 from basics to expertise: leveraging google translate and chatgpt for english language learning across academic journeys berlin insan pratiwi department of management, faculty of economics and business, universitas putra bangsa, kebumen, indonesia e-mail: bipratiwi@gmail.com dwi lia rakhmasari department of management, faculty of economics and business, universitas putra bangsa, kebumen, indonesia e-mail: dwiliarakhmasari@gmail.com apa citation: pratiwi, b. i., & rakhmasari, d. l. (2025). from basics to expertise: leveraging google translate and chatgpt for english language learning across academic journeys. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 133-144. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.11160 received: 03-09-2024 accepted: 12-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: this study explores the use google translate (gt) and chatgpt among first-year and final-year students at a private higher education institution in kebumen. the study aims to identify differences and similarities in the use of these tools, focusing on how their usage varies based on academic stage and languagerelated needs. a descriptive qualitative approach was employed, with 121 students participating through fully completed online questionnaires. the study utilizes both closedand open-ended questions to gather quantitative and qualitative data on ai usage patterns, which were analyzed through descriptive and thematic analysis methods. the results indicate that gt is more frequently used across both groups due to its ease of use, offering quick and direct translations, while chatgpt is preferred for tasks requiring deeper understanding and more natural, context-sensitive translations. first-year students primarily use ai tools to translate unknown words and assist with basic comprehension of foreign language materials. in contrast, final-year students demonstrate a more diverse usage pattern, employing ai for tasks such as translating academic texts, understanding journal articles, and preparing for foreign language proficiency tests. furthermore, the academic needs of the two groups differ significantly, with first-year students focusing on writing and grammar tasks, while final-year students rely more heavily for research and advanced academic activities. the significant differences in language technology and ai tools usage between first-year and final-year students highlight the need for tailored support from educators and institutions. the study contributes to the understanding of how language technology and ai tools impact academic life and offers insights into how these tools can be integrated into the educational process to meet the varying needs of students at different levels of study. keywords: ai tools; final-year students; first-year students; language technology. introduction the rapid evolution of technology and artificial intelligence (ai) has transformed various sectors, with education and higher education experiencing significant changes. recent studies have documented these shifts, noting that innovations in ai are reshaping pedagogical practices and learning environments (alhusaiyan, 2024; binhady et al., 2024; asad & ajaz, 2024; gonzalezvidal & moore, 2024; javed, 2024; lenkaitis et al., 2020). these technological advancements challenge traditional educational models and create new opportunities for enhancing learning outcomes and accessibility in academic settings. one of the most widely adopted manifestations of ai in education is the use of language applications such as google translate (gt) and chatgpt. these tools provide a range of functions—from direct translation to generating context-aware text—thereby helping students overcome language barriers (lin & yu, 2024; lytras, 2024; moni, 2020; wang, 2022; zeb et al., 2024; urlaub & dessein, 2022). their integration into academic life is increasingly common in environments where course materials and scholarly sources are predominantly in foreign languages. a substantial body of research has examined the role of google translate in language learning, highlighting its utility as a tool for vocabulary acquisition and quick translations. empirical studies have reported high usage rates among learners who rely on gt for understanding unfamiliar words and basic sentence structures berlin insan pratiwi & dwi lia rakhmasari from basics to expertise: leveraging google translate and chatgpt for english language learning across academic journeys 134 (murtisari et al., 2019; organ, 2023; tsai, 2019; abdel-reheem amin, 2020; jolley & maimone, 2022). such findings indicate that gt serves as an essential resource for students, particularly those new to higher education. parallel research has focused on chatgpt, revealing that its ability to generate natural, context-sensitive text makes it valuable for more complex language tasks. scholars have noted that chatgpt offers enhanced capabilities for academic writing, nuanced translation, and interactive language practice (asad et al., 2024; bin-hady et al., 2023; al-sofi, 2024; xu & thien, 2024; komba, 2024; al-mamary et al., 2024). this technology is increasingly being seen as a complementary tool to traditional translation services. differences in academic stage significantly influence the way students use language technologies. first-year students often employ gt and chatgpt to bridge gaps in language proficiency, relying on these tools for basic comprehension of course materials and textbooks (pratiwi et al., 2023; lee, 2023; paterson, 2023; zhou et al., 2022; tsai, 2019; murtisari et al., 2019). conversely, final-year students tend to use these applications more strategically for tasks that demand deeper analytical skills, such as translating scholarly articles and preparing academic research. despite the increasing adoption of ai tools in language learning, there remains a research gap in understanding how usage patterns vary between students at different academic stages. prior studies have primarily focused on teachers’ perspectives, usage intentions, or the overall impact of ai on academic performance (asad & ajaz, 2024; bateman, 2024; bhaskar & gupta, 2024; bowker, 2020; ironsi & ironsi, 2024). this leaves a need for detailed investigations that map the specific domains and contexts of gt and chatgpt usage among students. to address this gap, the present study explores the distinct usage patterns of gt and chatgpt among first-year and final-year students. the research questions guiding this investigation are: (1) how do first-year and final-year students differ in their usage of google translate and chatgpt for academic purposes? (2) what differences exist in the frequency and manner of gt and chatgpt usage between these two groups? (3) which categories of linguistic units (e.g., words, phrases, clauses) are predominantly targeted by students using these tools? (4) what specific academic activities and needs do these ai tools support for students at different stages? this study is novel in its comprehensive approach to mapping language technology usage across distinct academic stages within a single higher education institution. by employing a descriptive qualitative methodology, the research offers both quantitative insights and thematic depth regarding students' interactions with gt and chatgpt (javed, 2024; bin-hady et al., 2023; almamary et al., 2024; lytras, 2024; asad et al., 2024). such an approach not only fills the existing research gap but also provides a foundation for developing tailored support strategies for diverse student needs. the significance of this study lies in its potential to inform educators and policymakers about the varied roles that language ai tools play in academic settings. insights gained from this research can guide the design of training programs and institutional policies that better support students’ language development and academic success (bond et al., 2020; escueta et al., 2020; suharmawan, 2023; elbanna & armstrong, 2024; hannan & liu, 2023; hojeij et al., 2024). tailored interventions can enhance both foundational language skills and advanced research capabilities among students. by mapping the usage patterns of google translate and chatgpt among first-year and finalyear students, this study not only addresses a critical research gap but also highlights the evolving impact of ai on academic language practices. the findings are expected to offer valuable insights into how these tools can be integrated into the educational process to meet the differentiated needs of students at various stages of their academic journey. method this study employs a pure descriptive qualitative approach to explore the use of gt and chatgpt in the academic lifes of first-year students (semester ii – group 1) and final-year students (semester viii – group 2) of a private higher education institution in kebumen. the primary focus is to reveal the patterns of gt and chatgpt usage among students at these two different stages of study, aiming to uncover variations in their use of these technologies. the participants were recruited via email invitations. a total of 150 survey invitations were distributed to students. of these, 121 students participated and returned fully completed questionnaires, consisting of 75 respondents from group 1 and 46 respondents from group 2. convenience sampling was employed to recruit english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 135 participants relevant to the study topic, specifically those in two distinct phases of their academic journey. this sampling scenario of students at a private higher education institution in kebumen could limit the generalizability of the findings to students in other regions, institutions, or educational systems with differing demographics and technological access. besides, data collected through online questionnaires may be subject to inaccuracies, as students might overestimate or underestimate their use of tools like gt and chatgpt due to memory recall issues, social desirability bias, or misunderstanding of the questions. data collection was conducted through an online questionnaire comprising both closedended and open-ended questions. the closedended questions were designed to gather quantitative data on the use of gt and chatgpt, while the open-ended questions aimed to provide deeper insights into the reasons behind the responses given in the closed-ended section. only fully completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. data from the closedended questions were processed using microsoft excel and converted into percentages to facilitate descriptive analysis. these percentages were used to present an overview of language technology and ai tools usage levels, differences in usage patterns between the two groups, and the impact of the tools on academic activities. data from the open-ended questions were analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis. two researchers worked independently to identify common themes from the responses provided by participants. once themes were identified, their frequency of occurrence was calculated and converted into percentages to complement the qualitative analysis. to ensure the validity of the research findings, triangulation was conducted by comparing the quantitative analysis results from the closed-ended questions with the qualitative findings from the open-ended responses. additionally, the thematic analysis process was carried out independently by two researchers to enhance the reliability of the qualitative analysis. any discrepancies in theme categorization were discussed until consensus was reached, ensuring the final results accurately reflected the data collected. results and discussion the findings of this study illuminate how technological innovations are reshaping education, particularly through the integration of ai tools that support personalized learning and enhance student engagement. in line with the united nations’ agenda 2030—which emphasizes inclusive, equitable, and lifelong learning—digital technologies have transformed educational landscapes by enabling diverse instructional methods and multimedia-enhanced experiences (burbules et al., 2020; suharmawan, 2023; elbanna & armstrong, 2024; bond et al., 2020). these advancements serve as a backdrop to our investigation into the role of language technology in higher education. focusing specifically on the use of google translate (gt) and chatgpt, the study reveals distinct usage patterns among first-year and finalyear students. the results demonstrate that firstyear students primarily rely on these tools for basic translation tasks and comprehension support, while final-year students utilize them more strategically for advanced academic activities such as research, thesis preparation, and critical analysis of scholarly texts (javed, 2024; bin-hady et al., 2023; tsai, 2019). the subsequent sections detail these trends, providing both quantitative metrics and qualitative insights that underscore the evolving impact of ai on english language learning across different stages of the academic journey. table 1. gt and chatgpt usage do you use google translate and chatgpt in your academic life? group 1 – 75 respondents gt chatgpt yes no yes no 100% 0 73% 27% 75 0 55 20 group 2 – 46 respondents gt chatgpt yes no yes no 100% 0 94% 6% 46 0 43 3 berlin insan pratiwi & dwi lia rakhmasari from basics to expertise: leveraging google translate and chatgpt for english language learning across academic journeys 136 all respondents in group 1 reported using gt for academic purposes. klimova et al. (2023) assert that gt, as a nmt-based tool, holds valuable implications for second and foreign language pedagogy, functioning as a highly effective online reference tool for language learners. this underscores the critical role of gt for first-year students, who are likely to encounter challenges in comprehending academic materials written in foreign languages, particularly english. the findings of this extensive use of gt align with those of organ (2023), who noted that gt usage for assignments has become widely accepted among high school students in england over the past decade. comparative usage of gt and chatgpt the popularity of gt among all respondents can be attributed to several factors: 1) first-year students are in the adaptation phase of meeting academic demands, and their english language proficiency may still require development; 2) gt offers a quick and accessible solution for translating texts and completing assignments that necessitate foreign language skills; and 3) gt usage reflects the pragmatic approach of first-year students in completing tasks efficiently, often without critically considering textual nuances or language intricacies. these findings align with tsai (2019), who reported that efl learners are generally satisfied with gt when writing in english, particularly for vocabulary assistance and improving task completion efficiency. however, group 1 respondents should reflect on potential challenges in using language technology and ai tools, such as ensuring contextual appropriateness. gt has also been reported as one of the most widely used and popular online machine translation tools (abdelreheem amin, 2020; jolley & maimone, 2022; rivera-trigueros, 2022). the role of gt is particularly prominent, significantly influencing how students and educators engage with language and academic content. this is especially relevant in foreign language learning (lee, 2023; paterson, 2023; pratiwi et al., 2023; tsai, 2019; zhou et al., 2022). similarly, all group 2 respondents reported using gt for academic purposes. the difference lies in their more specific and strategic usage, such as verifying technical translations or terminology in their research. these respondents are assumed to have greater familiarity with foreign languages in academic contexts yet continue to rely on gt to expedite tasks, especially in comprehending complex scholarly literature. while gt enhances efficiency, respondents may still need to ensure translation accuracy to maintain contextual and academic precision, particularly for scientific articles or theses. in this study, chatgpt usage is relatively lower compared to gt across both groups. seventy-three percent of group 1 respondents reported using chatgpt for academic purposes, while 27% did not; meanwhile 94% of group 2 respondents reported using chatgpt, with only 6% opting not to use it. respondents who did not use chatgpt highlighted their preference for gt, citing its simplicity and universal accessibility. although chatgpt is not specifically designed as a translation tool, it is capable of providing text translations with considerable accuracy. its strength lies in its ability to comprehend more complex contexts, supported by its design to interact across a variety of topics and deliver more natural and contextually relevant responses. chatgpt can be utilized to translate sentences and paragraphs, as well as to simplify or restructure translations to better meet user needs. the proliferation of chatgpt, like many other digital technologies and social media platforms, has increasingly influenced various aspects of modern life, including second and foreign language education (bin-hady et al., 2023). with its ability to generate natural and interactive language, chatgpt offers new methods to support language learning. this tool enables learners to practice languages through realistic conversations, receive instant feedback, and access complex explanations with greater ease. as a language model designed to produce human-like text, chatgpt has demonstrated significant potential in language learning applications, particularly in the context of translation. regarding its use in language education, findings by xu and thien (2024) indicate that effort expectancy, performance expectancy, social influence, and perceived enjoyment positively correlate with the intention of undergraduate efl students in china to use chatgpt for english language learning. in other words, if students perceive chatgpt as easy to use, capable of enhancing their performance, providing social support, and offering an enjoyable experience, their intention to use chatgpt for english learning is likely to increase. this aligns with findings by komba (2024), which suggest that chatgpt is widely used in educational contexts and has a positive impact on students' study habits, academic performance, and comprehension of lecture english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 137 materials. additionally, leelavathi and surendhranatha (2024) have reported that chatgpt effectively enhances learner engagement in education and fosters critical thinking development. nevertheless, ethical considerations and issues related to authenticity and potential biases in its use warrant further attention. however, the high adoption rate of chatgpt in both groups is influenced by its unique capabilities beyond translation, such as interactive engagement. bin-hady et al. (2024) emphasized the positive perceptions of efl learners regarding chatgpt, particularly for its role in developing socio-emotional skills. chatgpt allows learners to practice conversational skills, manage emotional intelligence, receive feedback, and reduce learning anxiety. among group 2 respondents, the higher usage rate of chatgpt is attributed to its ability to paraphrase—a critical skill for senior students who require alternative textual expressions for academic purposes. finding of this research is consistent with al-sofi (2024), who stated that students were generally pleased with how effectively chatgpt enhanced their academic writing skills. in the same tone, al-mamary, et al. (2024) suggest that students are likely to utilize chatgpt efficiently and demonstrate improved academic performance when they believe that the technology is a good fit for their tasks. the overall observation related to the openended responses reveal a clear distinction between the two tools: 1) gt excels in popularity and accessibility, particularly for quick and direct translations that do not require further interaction, and 2) chatgpt stands out in understanding context, providing smarter and more natural translations, and enabling deeper interaction in language discussions. for users seeking translations for more complex or specific academic contexts, respondents noted higher satisfaction with chatgpt. however, for general ease of use, gt remains a practical and widely preferred choice. category of linguistic units in the use of language technology and ai in academic life the following results highlight the use of language technology and ai tools by group 1 and group 2 across various linguistic categories, including checking word meanings, synonyms, and translating different language units (phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs, and entire texts). an explanation and interpretation of the results follow the table. table 2. linguistic units in the use of gt and chatgpt word synonym phrase clause sentence 1 paragraph 2 paragraphs whole group 1 100% 40.00% 44.00% 53.33% 80.00% 77.33% 74.67% 89.33% total 75 30 33 40 60 58 56 67 group 2 100% 80.43% 86.96% 73.91% 84.78% 76.09% 76.09% 80.43% total 46 37 40 34 39 35 35 37 all respondents from both groups used gt and chatgpt tools to check the meanings of unfamiliar words. this indicates that the basic need to understand new vocabulary remains crucial at all levels, both for students who are new to the academic world and those in their final years. searching for word meanings became the most fundamental and frequently used feature of the tools at all levels. this finding aligns with murtisari et al. (2019), whose research showed the highest percentage of gt use for checking unfamiliar word meanings, at 98%. urlaub & dessein (2022) suggest the same finding that many of the participating students report using gt in a similar way to an online dictionary by entering individual words into the system. forty percent of respondents from group 1 and 80.43% of respondents from group 2 use the tools to search for synonyms. the significant difference in these percentages reflects a greater awareness and use of technology among senior students. this can be interpreted as indicating that students who have spent more time in the academic environment are more open to using modern tools in their learning process. senior students more frequently use the tools to enrich their language and improve vocabulary variety compared to first-year students. based on responses to open-ended questions, this is related to the need for senior students to focus more on academic writing, which requires vocabulary variation, such as in thesis or scholarly article writing. senior students are faced with the need to present more complex and varied writing. the use of synonyms and vocabulary variation is crucial in academic writing because it can improve clarity, accuracy, and depth. by utilizing gt and chatgpt to search for synonyms, they can enrich their linguistic expressions and avoid excessive word repetition, which could lower the quality of their writing. berlin insan pratiwi & dwi lia rakhmasari from basics to expertise: leveraging google translate and chatgpt for english language learning across academic journeys 138 forty-four percent of respondents from group 1 and 86.96% of respondents from group 2 use the tools to translate phrases. this significant difference shows that senior students rely more heavily on the tools to support their translation needs. it reflects the complexity of the texts they encounter in their studies. senior students are often engaged in writing and analyzing more intricate academic texts, which may include technical terminology and phrases specific to their field of study. therefore, respondents from group 2 require translations of phrases that are not only accurate but also consider context and broader meaning. the use of the tools in this context is seen as significantly helping to understand and translate technical terms they may not fully master. in contrast, respondents from group 1 are more focused on individual words that do not involve specific technical phrases. fifty-three point thirty-three percent of respondents from group 1 and 73.91% of respondents from group 2 use gt and chatgpt to translate clauses. the higher percentage among senior students indicates that they engage more with complex texts that require a deeper understanding of clause structures. based on responses to open-ended questions, respondents from group 2 are intensively involved in writing their theses or research projects, often dealing with the analysis and interpretation of intricate academic texts. in this context, respondents from group 2 face sentences with complex clause structures, including subordination and more technical linguistic correspondence. exposure to such academic literature makes respondents from group 2 more reliant on the tools to help translate and understand long, detailed clauses. in contrast, first-year students are more focused on translating basic words as they are still in the early stages of learning and developing academic skills. respondents from group 1 have not yet been exposed to complex academic texts and are still focused on mastering basic vocabulary and understanding simple sentence structures. thus, the need to translate clauses is generally lower than that of senior students. eighty percent of respondents from group 1 and 84.78% of respondents from group 2 use gt and chatgpt to translate sentences. both groups exhibit a high level of usage for sentence translation, indicating that complete sentence translation is a commonly used function by students at all academic levels. seventy-seven point thirty-three percent of respondents from group 1 and 76.09% from group 2 use the tools to translate a one-paragraph text, while 74.67% of respondents from group 1 and 76.09% from group 2 them for translating texts longer than two paragraphs. the similarity in paragraph-level translation use across both groups suggests that both first-year and senior students frequently deal with academic texts of sufficient length. senior students may more often use gt and chatgpt to translate more specific or in-depth academic texts, while first-year students might use paragraph-level translation to understand course materials or assignments. in terms of full document translation, 89.33% of respondents from group 1 and 80.48% from group 2 use gt and chatgpt to translate entire essays or articles. interestingly, first-year students are more likely to use the tools to translate whole documents compared to senior students. this phenomenon may be attributed to the differing reading strategies employed by students at various academic levels. first-year students rely more on the tools to comprehend the entire text they are reading, while senior students are more selective and tend to translate only specific sections which requires deeper understanding. these findings regarding linguistic units reflect the fact that respondents in group 1 depend more on the tools for simpler translation tasks and often use language gt and chatgpt for translating entire texts. in contrast, group 2 tends to use the tools more frequently for more complex tasks, such as finding synonyms and translating phrases or clauses. group 2 is more selective in its use of ai, focusing on aspects that require deeper, more detailed understanding, in line with the higher academic demands at the senior level. another notable aspect of these statistics is that respondents from group 1 demonstrate significant variation in their use of gt and chatgpt across different linguistic units. specifically, the use of the tools among group 1 respondents is quite high for unfamiliar words, sentences, paragraphs, and entire texts, but relatively low for synonyms, phrases, and clauses. the high usage of the tools at the sentence, paragraph, and full-text levels indicates that first-year students tend to seek general understanding by translating entire documents. they benefit from the tools, which is seen as providing a clear structure and context, thus making it easier to grasp the overall meaning without getting bogged down by smaller details. in contrast, the lower use of the tools for synonyms, phrases, and clauses suggests that group 1 respondents do not feel the need to invest time and effort into understanding these smaller linguistic english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 139 components. the low need for synonym and phrase translation may reflect that first-year students are more focused on basic understanding than mastering the nuances of language and technical terms. this may also indicate that firstyear students have not yet fully recognized the importance of vocabulary variation and more complex structures in language development. this is supported by responses to open-ended questions, where group 1 respondents emphasized a focus on general understanding rather than on smaller linguistic units. this finding significantly contrasts with group 2, where the distribution of the tools usage is more balanced across different linguistic units. specifically, the percentage distribution of the tools usage at the word, synonym, phrase, clause, sentence, paragraph, and whole text levels shows a relatively even pattern, reflecting the more complex and varied needs of senior students. academic activities and needs supported by gt and chatgpt ai plays a crucial role in significantly enhancing students' learning experiences (hannan & liu, 2021; hidayat-ur-rehman, 2024; schönberger, 2024 ). the integration of ai technologies in education provides students with personalized learning opportunities, immediate feedback, and access to vast resources, all of which contribute to a more engaging and effective educational environment. by leveraging ai, students can overcome challenges such as language barriers, limited access to resources, and difficulties in mastering complex subjects, thus fostering a more inclusive and tailored learning experience (hojeij, et al., 2024; isiaku, et al., 2024). the table below provides a detailed overview of the academic activities and needs supported by the tools among first-year students and final-year students. it highlights the varying usage patterns of these tools across different academic contexts, such as grammar-related assignments, reading comprehension tasks, and advanced academic requirements. the percentages and respondent totals illustrate the extent to which each group relies on the tools to address their specific academic challenges and objectives. this comparison underscores the evolving role of language technology in supporting students at different stages of their academic journey. table 3. academic activities and needs supported by gt and chatgpt academic output group 1 total group 2 total translating course assignment responses related to foreign language grammar and writing in a foreign language 74.67% 56 8.70% 4 translating course assignment responses related to reading texts in a foreign language 68.00% 51 19.57% 9 translating course instructions and materials 65.33% 49 76.09% 35 translating scientific articles from journals 45.33% 34 86.96% 40 translating sections of thesis and final assignments 0% 0 76.09% 35 foreign language proficiency test preparation 0% 0 73.91% 34 a total of 74.67% of respondents in group 1 use the tools to translate answers to course assignments related to writing and foreign language grammar, while 8.70% of respondents in group 2 do the same. additionally, 68% of group 1 respondents use gt and chatgpt to translate answers related to reading foreign language texts, compared to 19.57% in group 2. there is a significant difference showing that group 1 uses the tools more frequently for tasks related to grammar correction, vocabulary enhancement in writing, and understanding foreign language texts than group 2. this suggests that respondents in group 1 tend to rely more on the tools for improving their grammar and vocabulary in writing, as well as for comprehending foreign language texts. another dominant factor contributing to this pattern is the influence of the courses taken during that semester (specifically english language courses), which makes students focus their needs according to the course content. this finding is supported by openended responses from group 1, indicating that the presence of english language courses as part of their curriculum makes the use of the tools more prevalent. the need to complete tasks quickly and efficiently leads students to prefer the tools as a more promising alternative compared to manually working through the tasks without language technology and ai tools. in contrast, 76.09% of group 2 respondents use the tools for translating course instructions and materials, while 65.33% of group 1 respondents do so. this difference can be attributed to the increased complexity of academic texts faced at the advanced level, which tend to be more specific and technical. at the later stages of their academic berlin insan pratiwi & dwi lia rakhmasari from basics to expertise: leveraging google translate and chatgpt for english language learning across academic journeys 140 studies, students encounter texts that are more specialized and require a deeper understanding of terminology and complex concepts. senior students who are involved in research are often exposed to more complex scholarly sources, which demand a greater comprehension of specific terminology. as a result, they frequently rely on tools to assist in translating and understanding increasingly complicated instructions and materials. this contrasts with first-year students, who are presumed to encounter simpler materials and therefore do not depend as much on tools for understanding instructions and materials. a total of 45.33% of group 1 respondents use the tools to translate scientific articles from journals, while 86.96% of group 2 respondents do so. the significant difference here indicates that group 2 is more reliant on tools for translating scientific journal articles. this is in line with the fact that senior students often need to read and comprehend scholarly literature as part of their research for theses, final projects, and academic publications. responses to open-ended questions significantly support this finding. the need to access scholarly articles for research has become a dominant driver for the tools usage among group 2 respondents, while group 1 tends to use them for accessing articles related to course requirements, such as summarizing scientific articles for class assignments. zero percent of respondents from group 1 used tools to translate parts of their thesis or final projects. this reflects the fact that these respondents have not yet reached the stage of working on such projects, which accounts for the null percentage. in contrast, respondents from group 2 actively use the tools to assist with their thesis and final project writing process, particularly for translating certain sections of documents that may be written in foreign languages, or for translating academic references they are using. group 1 respondents did not use tools for foreign language proficiency test preparation. the absence of a need to face or take language proficiency tests is the main factor influencing this finding. first-year students are still in the early stages of their academic journey, where their focus is on the basics of coursework, adjusting to the academic environment, and developing general language skills. at this stage, proficiency tests like toefl, ielts, or similar assessments are not yet a primary concern, as most first-year students have not yet encountered academic demands requiring foreign language certification. on the other hand, a different pattern emerges from the data of group 2. a significant portion (73.91%) of group 2 respondents, who are preparing for graduation and may require foreign language proficiency certification, use gt and chatgpt more frequently as tools for practicing and preparing for these tests. as they approach the final stages of their studies, many students begin to prepare for graduation requirements, including language proficiency certifications, which are often mandatory for graduation or preparation for further study. from these findings, it can be concluded that as students progress through their academic journey, the use of gt and chatgpt becomes increasingly complex and specific to their academic needs, especially in relation to scholarly literature and thesis writing. first-year students tend to use them more for understanding assignments and instructions, whereas final-year students rely on gt and chatgpt as a tool for completing their final projects and preparing for graduation. however, this study does not address the academic ethics of language technology and ai tools use. gt and chatgpt is freely accessible and has shown improvement in generating answers and grammatically accurate translations. this advancement has the potential to bring significant changes to the internationalization process within higher education. scholars are of the opinion that students are likely to increasingly rely on technology to overcome or even replace traditional language learning methods. careful consideration should be given to the ethical impacts of aigenerated content and the potential reduction of human interaction in language learning contexts, with more findings state the same tone about ai ethical guidance (bin-hady, et al., 2023; cain, et al, 2023; javed, 2024; kumar, et al., 2024; pereira et al., 2024). conclusion this study reveals that the integration of google translate (gt) and chatgpt significantly shapes english language learning across academic journeys, with distinct usage patterns emerging between first-year and final-year students. overall, gt is widely favored for its ease of use and quick, direct translations, making it an essential tool for first-year students who rely on it to bridge gaps in vocabulary and basic comprehension. in contrast, final-year students employ both gt and chatgpt more strategically to support advanced academic tasks, such as translating scholarly articles, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 141 understanding complex texts, and preparing for language proficiency assessments. the findings underscore the need for tailored educational support that aligns with students’ evolving language learning needs. for first-year students, targeted training on leveraging gt for foundational language skills can facilitate smoother transitions into higher education. meanwhile, final-year students may benefit from guidance on using chatgpt to enhance critical analysis and academic research. these differentiated interventions can optimize the use of ai tools in fostering both basic language acquisition and advanced academic competencies. ultimately, by mapping the specific domains and contexts of gt and chatgpt usage, this study contributes valuable insights into the evolving impact of ai on english language learning. the results not only address a critical research gap but also provide a foundation for developing more effective, stage-specific pedagogical strategies in higher education. references abdel-reheem amin, e. (2020). a review of research into google apps in the process of english language learning and teaching. arab world english journal (awej), 11(1). https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no1.27 alhusaiyan, e. (2024), "a systematic review of current trends in artificial intelligence in foreign language learning", saudi journal of language studies, 5(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1108/sjls-07-2024-0039 al-mamary, y. h., alfalah, a. a., shamsuddin, a., & abubakar, a. a. (2024). artificial intelligence powering education: chatgpt's impact on students' academic performance through the lens of technology-to-performance chain theory. journal of applied research in higher education, 17(2), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1108/jarhe-04-2024-0179 al-sofi, b. b. m. a. (2024). artificial intelligencepowered tools and academic writing: to use or not to use chatgpt. saudi journal of language studies, 4(3), 145-161. https://doi.org/10.1108/sjls-06-2024-0029 asad, m. m., shahzad, s., shah, s. h. a., sherwani, f., & almusharraf, n. m. (2024). chatgpt as artificial intelligence-based generative multimedia for english writing pedagogy: challenges and opportunities from an educator’s perspective. the international journal of information and learning technology, 41(5), 490-506. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijilt-022024-0021 asad, m. m., & ajaz, a. (2024). impact of chatgpt and generative ai on lifelong learning and upskilling learners in higher education: unveiling the challenges and opportunities globally. the international journal of information and learning technology, 41(5), 507-523. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijilt-06-2024-0103 bateman, t. (2024). teacher perspectives of chatgpt as a pedagogical tool in the k-12 setting: a case study. quality assurance in education, 33(2), 203-217. https://doi.org/10.1108/qae-022024-0042 bhaskar, p., & gupta, p. k. k. (2024). delving into educators’ perspectives on chatgpt in management education: a qualitative exploration. interactive technology and smart education, 21(4), 645-671. https://doi.org/10.1108/itse-08-2023-0169 bin-hady, w. r. a., al-kadi, a., hazaea, a., & ali, j. k. m. (2023). exploring the dimensions of chatgpt in english language learning: a global perspective. library hi tech,41(3). https://doi.org/10.1108/lht-052023-0200 bond, m., buntins, k., bedenlier, s., zawacki-richter, o., & kerres, m. (2020). mapping research in student engagement and educational technology in higher education: a systematic evidence map. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 17, 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0176-8 bowker, l. (2020). chinese speakers’ use of machine translation as an aid for scholarly writing in english: a review of the literature and a report on a pilot workshop on machine translation literacy. asia pacific translation and intercultural studies, 7(3), 288-298. https://doi.org/10.1080/23306343.2020.180584 3 burbules, n. c., fan, g., & repp, p. (2020). five trends of education and technology in a sustainable future. geography and sustainability, 1(2), 9397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geosus.2020.05.001 cain, c. c., buskey, c. d., & washington, g. j. (2023). artificial intelligence and conversational agent evolution–a cautionary tale of the benefits and pitfalls of advanced technology in education, academic research, and practice. journal of information, communication and ethics in society, 21(4), 394-405. https://doi.org/10.1108/jices-02-2023-0019 elbanna, s. and armstrong, l. (2024). exploring the integration of chatgpt in education: adapting for the future. management & sustainability: an arab review, vol. 3 (1), 1629. https://doi.org/10.1108/msar-03-20230016 escueta, m., nickow, a. j., oreopoulos, p., & quan, v. (2020). upgrading education with technology: insights from experimental research. journal of economic literature, 58(4), 897-996. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.20191507 https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no1.27 https://doi.org/10.1108/sjls-07-2024-0039 https://doi.org/10.1108/jarhe-04-2024-0179 https://doi.org/10.1108/sjls-06-2024-0029 https://doi.org/10.1108/ijilt-02-2024-0021 https://doi.org/10.1108/ijilt-02-2024-0021 https://doi.org/10.1108/ijilt-06-2024-0103 https://doi.org/10.1108/qae-02-2024-0042 https://doi.org/10.1108/qae-02-2024-0042 https://doi.org/10.1108/itse-08-2023-0169 https://doi.org/10.1108/lht-05-2023-0200 https://doi.org/10.1108/lht-05-2023-0200 https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0176-8 https://doi.org/10.1080/23306343.2020.1805843 https://doi.org/10.1080/23306343.2020.1805843 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geosus.2020.05.001 https://doi.org/10.1108/jices-02-2023-0019 https://www.emerald.com/insight/search?q=said%20elbanna https://www.emerald.com/insight/search?q=loreta%20armstrong https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/2752-9819 https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/2752-9819 https://doi.org/10.1108/msar-03-2023-0016 https://doi.org/10.1108/msar-03-2023-0016 https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.20191507 berlin insan pratiwi & dwi lia rakhmasari from basics to expertise: leveraging google translate and chatgpt for english language learning across academic journeys 142 gonzalez-vidal, t., & moore, p. (2024). technologyenhanced language and culture teaching in chile: the perceptions and practices of in-service efl teachers. journal for multicultural education, 18(1/2), 25-37. https://doi.org/10.1108/jme-08-2023-0073 hannan, e., & liu, s. (2023). ai: new source of competitiveness in higher education. competitiveness review: an international business journal, 33(2), 265-279. https://doi.org/10.1108/cr-03-2021-0045 hojeij, z., kuhail, m. a., & elsayary, a. (2024). investigating in-service teachers’ views on chatgpt integration. interactive technology and smart education, 21(3). https://doi.org/10.1108/itse-04-2024-0094 hidayat-ur-rehman, i. (2024). examining ai competence, chatbot use and perceived autonomy as drivers of students' engagement in informal digital learning. journal of research in innovative teaching & learning, 17(2), 196212. https://doi.org/10.1108/jrit-05-2024-0136 ironsi, c. s., & solomon ironsi, s. (2024). experimental evidence for the efficacy of generative ai in improving students’ writing skills. quality assurance in education, 33(2), 237-252. https://doi.org/10.1108/qae-04-2024-0065 isiaku, l., muhammad, a. s., kefas, h. i., & ukaegbu, f. c. (2024). enhancing technological sustainability in academia: leveraging chatgpt for teaching, learning and evaluation. quality education for all, 1(1), 385-416. https://doi.org/10.1108/qea-07-2024-0055 javed, f. (2024). the evolution of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning of english language in higher education: challenges, risks, and ethical considerations. in the evolution of artificial intelligence in higher education: challenges, risks, and ethical considerations (pp. 249-276). emerald publishing limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/9781-83549-486-820241015 javed, f. (2024). digital transformation in teaching and learning of english in higher education. in digital transformation in higher education, part b: cases, examples and good practices (pp. 103-125). emerald publishing limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83608424-220241005 jolley, j. r., & maimone, l. (2022). thirty years of machine translation in language teaching and learning: a review of the literature. l2 journal: an electronic refereed journal for foreign and second language educators, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.5070/l214151760 klimova, b., pikhart, m., benites, a. d., lehr, c., & sanchez-stockhammer, c. (2023). neural machine translation in foreign language teaching and learning: a systematic review. education and information technologies, 28(1), 663-682. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11194-2 kumar, a., kumar, a., bhoyar, s., & mishra, a. k. (2024). does chatgpt foster academic misconduct in the future?. public administration and policy, 27(2), 140-153. https://doi.org/10.1108/pap-05-2023-0061 lee, s.-m. (2023). the effectiveness of machine translation in foreign language education: a systematic review and meta-analysis. computer assisted language learning, 36(1–2), 103–125. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.190174 5 lenkaitis, c. a., hilliker, s. m., & castañeda, l. y. (2020). the intersection of language, culture, and technology: challenges and strategies in l3 learning. in technology-enhanced learning and linguistic diversity: strategies and approaches to teaching students in a 2nd or 3rd language (pp. 91-103). emerald publishing limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83982128-820201007 lin, y., & yu, z. (2024). a bibliometric analysis of artificial intelligence chatbots in educational contexts. interactive technology and smart education, 21(2), 189-213. https://doi.org/10.1108/itse-12-2022-0165 lytras, m. d., serban, a. c., alkhaldi, a., malik, s., & aldosemani, t. (eds.). (2024). digital transformation in higher education, part a: best practices and challenges. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83549-480620241008 mambile, c., & mwogosi, a. (2024). transforming higher education in tanzania: unleashing the true potential of ai as a transformative learning tool. technological sustainability, 4(1), 51-76. https://doi.org/10.1108/techs-03-2024-0014 moni, a. (2020). technology-enhanced lesson plans for multilingual students. in technologyenhanced learning and linguistic diversity: strategies and approaches to teaching students in a 2nd or 3rd language (pp. 131-151). emerald publishing limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83982-128820201009 murtisari, e. t., widiningrum, r., branata, j., & susanto, r. d. (2019). google translate in language learning: indonesian efl students' attitudes. journal of asia tefl, 16(3), 978-986. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2019.16.3.14.9 78 paterson, k. (2023). machine translation in higher education: perceptions, policy, and pedagogy. tesol journal, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.690 pereira, r., reis, i. w., ulbricht, v., & santos, n. d. (2024). generative artificial intelligence and academic writing: an analysis of the perceptions of researchers in training. management https://doi.org/10.1108/jme-08-2023-0073 https://doi.org/10.1108/cr-03-2021-0045 https://doi.org/10.1108/itse-04-2024-0094 https://doi.org/10.1108/jrit-05-2024-0136 https://doi.org/10.1108/qae-04-2024-0065 https://doi.org/10.1108/qea-07-2024-0055 https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83549-486-820241015 https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83549-486-820241015 https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83608-424-220241005 https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83608-424-220241005 https://doi.org/10.5070/l214151760 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11194-2 https://doi.org/10.1108/pap-05-2023-0061 https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1901745 https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1901745 https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83982-128-820201007 https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83982-128-820201007 https://doi.org/10.1108/itse-12-2022-0165 https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83549-480-620241008 https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83549-480-620241008 https://doi.org/10.1108/techs-03-2024-0014 https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83982-128-820201009 https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83982-128-820201009 https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2019.16.3.14.978 https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2019.16.3.14.978 https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.690 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 143 research: journal of the iberoamerican academy of management, 22(4), 429-450. https://doi.org/10.1108/mrjiam-01-2024-1501 pratiwi, b. i., mitsalina, e., & fajaruddin, s. (2023). google translate in economics and businessstudents’ academic lives: anxiety, usage, and ethics. shibghoh: prosiding ilmu kependidikan unida gontor, 2(2), 111-123. rivera-trigueros, i. (2022). machine translation systems and quality assessment: a systematic review. language resources and evaluation, 56(2), 593–619. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10579021-09537-5 schönberger, m. (2024). integrating artificial intelligence in higher education: enhancing interactive learning experiences and student engagement through chatgpt. in the evolution of artificial intelligence in higher education: challenges, risks, and ethical considerations (pp. 11-34). emerald publishing limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83549486-820241002 suharmawan, w. (2023). pemanfaatan chat gpt dalam dunia pendidikan. education journal: journal educational research and development, 7(2), 158-166. tsai, s.-c. (2019). using google translate in efl drafts: a preliminary investigation. computer assisted language learning, 32(5–6), 510–526. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.152736 1 urlaub, p., & dessein, e. (2022). machine translation and foreign language education. frontiers in artificial intelligence, 5, 936111. https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2022.936111 wang, z. (2022). computer-assisted efl writing and evaluations based on artificial intelligence: a case from a college reading and writing course. library hi tech, 40(1), 80-97. https://doi.org/10.1108/lht-05-2020-0113 xu, x., & thien, l. m. (2024). unleashing the power of perceived enjoyment: exploring chinese undergraduate efl learners' intention to use chatgpt for english learning. journal of applied research in higher education, 17(2), 578-593. https://doi.org/10.1108/jarhe-122023-0555 zeb, a., rehman, f. u., bin othayman, m., & rabnawaz, m. (2024). artificial intelligence and chatgpt are fostering knowledge sharing, ethics, academia and libraries. the international journal of information and learning technology, 42(1), 67-83. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijilt-03-2024-0046 zhou, s., zhao, s., & groves, m. (2022). towards a digital bilingualism? students’ use of machine translation in international higher education. journal of english for academic purposes, 60, 101193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2022.101193 https://doi.org/10.1108/mrjiam-01-2024-1501 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10579-021-09537-5 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10579-021-09537-5 https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83549-486-820241002 https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83549-486-820241002 https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1527361 https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1527361 https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2022.936111 https://doi.org/10.1108/lht-05-2020-0113 https://doi.org/10.1108/jarhe-12-2023-0555 https://doi.org/10.1108/jarhe-12-2023-0555 https://doi.org/10.1108/ijilt-03-2024-0046 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2022.101193 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1131 assessing shs students’ needs e-worksheet based on differentiated instruction miftahunajah aditiya pratama magister program of language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: miftahunajah.aditiya@gmail.com sofendi magister program of language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: sofendi@yahoo.com machdalena vianty magister program of language education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas sriwijaya, indonesia email: machdalenavianty@unsri.ac.id apa citation: pratama, m. a., sofendi., & vianty, m. (2024). assessing shs students’ needs e-worksheet based on differentiated instruction. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 11311140. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10023 received: 22-06-2024 accepted: 21-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 abstract: education in indonesia has developed a lot over time. differentiated learning in the independent curriculum allows teachers to adjust instruction to meet the diverse needs of students. this approach acknowledges that students have varied learning styles, strengths, and interests. this study aimed to uncover the needs of senior high school students for developing differentiated instruction-based e-worksheet in english subjects for 10th grade students. this study was conducted at man 3 palembang to explore the perspectives of 30 tenth-grade students and their english teacher. to achieve the objectives of this study, a mixed-methods approach was applied, combining both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. the data were obtained using a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. participants of this study were the tenth-grade students and english teacher. the result of the needs analysis showed that: 1) english learning materials with technology integration are limited and need development. 2) students need differentiated instruction-based eworksheets for reading that match their abilities. therefore, this study is also used as the preliminary study to develop a differentiated instruction-based e-worksheet that can be used for english learning. keywords: independent curriculum; needs analysis; differentiated instruction; e-worksheet; english subject; senior high school. introduction the implementation of differentiated instruction is necessary in an independent curriculum for several compelling reasons. according to gibbs (2023), an independent curriculum typically emphasizes personalized learning paths, student autonomy, and the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. differentiated instruction aligns perfectly with these goals by integrating teaching methods, materials, and activities to meet the diverse needs, interests, abilities, and learning styles of students (azhari & zainil, 2024; fitra, 2022; tomlinson, 2022). first and foremost, differentiated instruction ensures that the unique needs of each student are met, which is a cornerstone of an independent curriculum. fitra (2022) figures out that students come with varying backgrounds, skills, and learning preferences, and a one-size-fits-all approach is often ineffective. by customizing instruction, teachers can provide more accessible and effective learning experiences, allowing all students to thrive regardless of their starting point. additionally, an independent curriculum often focuses on fostering a growth mindset and promoting lifelong learning. differentiated instruction supports this by offering appropriately challenging tasks that encourage students to view challenges as opportunities for growth (tomlinson & jarvis, 2023; wormeli, 2023; yu et al., 2022). this approach also helps students build resilience and perseverance, essential traits for independent learners. it is also supported by sharp et al., (2020) that differentiated instruction enhances student engagement by providing a variety of learning activities and materials. when students can choose how they learn best, they are more likely to be motivated and actively participate in their learning mailto:miftahunajah.aditiya@gmail.com mailto:sofendi@yahoo.com mailto:machdalenavianty@unsri.ac.id miftahunajah aditiya pratama, sofendi, & machdalena vianty assessing shs students’ needs e-worksheet based on differentiated instruction 1132 process (bobi & ahiavi, 2023; awofala & lawani, 2020). this increased engagement can lead to better academic performance and a deeper understanding of the material. moreover, gibbs and mckay (2021) mention that differentiated instruction prepares students for real-world challenges by developing essential skills such as independent work, critical thinking, and adaptability. these skills are crucial for success beyond the classroom and are often a focus of independent curricula. by mimicking the variety and complexity of real-life tasks, differentiated instruction helps students become more adaptable and better prepared for future challenges. for teachers, implementing differentiated instruction in an independent curriculum can lead to significant professional growth (tomlinson & imbeau, 2023; yu et al., 2022). it requires continuous assessment and adjustment of teaching strategies, making educators more skilled at recognizing and responding to individual student needs. this ongoing professional development is beneficial for teachers and, by extension, their students (sharp et al, 2020; estaiteyeh & decoito, 2023). collaboration is also a key component. padmore and ali (2024) discover that differentiated instruction often involves collaborative learning activities, where students work together, share ideas, and learn from one another. this fosters a sense of community and improves social skills, which are valuable in both academic and real-world settings. thus, the implementation of differentiated instruction in an independent curriculum is necessary because it creates a more effective, inclusive, and engaging learning environment. it helps all students reach their potential, prepares them for future challenges, and promotes a lifelong love of learning. by addressing diverse learning needs, enhancing engagement, and developing critical life skills, differentiated instruction is an essential element of a successful independent curriculum. the landscape of education in indonesia is continuously evolving, driven by the imperative to cultivate a generation capable of innovation and reform. rooted in the philosophy of facilitating optimal student capabilities, education is envisioned as a dynamic platform for nurturing diverse cognitive faculties. indonesia's ministry of education and culture, recognizing the need for transformative approaches, has introduced initiatives such as the merdeka belajar curriculum, emphasizing autonomy and creativity in learning. central to this educational paradigm shift is the pre-service teacher profession education program (ppg prajabatan), designed to instill dedication, professionalism, and lifelong learning in aspiring educators. within this program, the differentiated instruction course stands out as a pivotal component, equipping future teachers with the skills to address individual student needs effectively. differentiated instruction, as advocated by scholars like tomlinson, acknowledges the diverse backgrounds and learning styles of students. through personalized approaches and varied learning options, educators create inclusive environments conducive to student success. research corroborates the efficacy of differentiated instruction in improving student outcomes across various subjects and grade levels. in indonesia, efforts to integrate differentiated instruction into teaching practices are gaining momentum, evidenced by initiatives like eworksheet development. these resources, tailored to meet the needs of diverse learners, not only support the independent curriculum's goals but also serve as catalysts for inclusive and studentcentered learning. this study focuses on the analysis of students' needs in development of english subject eworksheets based on differentiated instruction for 10th-grade students at a madrasah aliyah negeri 3 palembang. by assessing the validity, practicality, and potential effects of these materials, the research aims to contribute to the advancement of inclusive teaching practices within the indonesian education system. method this study employed a mixed-method approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative methods. the quantitative method was carried to analyze data collected from questionnaires, while the qualitative method was employed to interpret and elucidate information gathered from interviews. conducted at madrasah aliyah negeri (man) 3 palembang, the population of the study comprised 350 10th-grade students across 11 classes and an english teacher. purposive sampling was employed to select a representative sample, resulting in one class consisting of 31 students and one english teacher. data collection involved the administration of questionnaires comprising 25 items to the 10thgrade students and the english teacher. these questionnaire items, adapted from the development research proposed by tessmer (1999), were validated through expert judgment and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1133 meticulously tailored to align with the study's objectives. the questionnaire items were categorized into target situation analysis (tsa), deficiency analysis (needs and wants), and present situation analysis (psa), following the guidelines proposed by hutchinson and waters (1987) for conducting student needs analysis. additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the english teacher. these interviews primarily focused on english teaching in madrasah aliyah negeri, the availability of english reading materials, and the potential of developing differentiated instruction-based eworksheet. this comprehensive approach to data collection aimed to gain a holistic understanding of students' preferences and the potential impact of differentiated learning e-worksheets for english subjects. by utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods, the study achieved a wellrounded perspective on the subject matter. results and discussion the needs viewed by students the students' needs were assessed from their own viewpoints. data collection was conducted to gather students' perspectives on their needs through target situation analysis (tsa), deficiencies analysis, and present situation analysis (psa). tables and figures in the article depicted the highest percentage of students' responses to each questionnaire question. target situation analysis (tsa) this section examines the needs, general intentions, and expectations of students regarding their english learning. the data collected is presented in table 1. table 1. analysis of students’ perspective on tsa no. statements students’ view percentage 1. english is crucial for career success, further studies, and communication. strongly agree 60% 2. english lessons improve my communication skills and motivate me. agree 73.3% 3. i prefer english lessons tailored to my abilities. agree 63.3% 4. my english teacher recognizes each agree 60% student's unique characteristics. 5. digital tools like eworksheets enhance learning effectiveness. agree 63.3% table 1 presents an analysis of students’ perspectives on the target situation analysis (tsa), based on a survey capturing their viewpoints on various aspects of english language education. the table comprises five statements, each accompanied by the corresponding percentage of students who agree with the statement. notably, 60% of students strongly agree on the importance of english for career success, further studies, and communication, emphasizing the perceived significance of the language in various spheres of life. furthermore, a significant majority, at 73.3%, agree that english lessons enhance their communication skills and serve as a source of motivation. similarly, a majority, at 63.3%, express a preference for english lessons tailored to their individual abilities, emphasizing the importance of personalized learning experiences. additionally, 60% of students agree that their english teacher recognizes each student's unique characteristics, reflecting positively on the teacher's approach to understanding student needs. finally, a majority, at 63.3%, agree that digital tools like e-worksheets contribute to enhancing learning effectiveness, indicating a positive attitude towards technology integration in education. thus, the table provides valuable insights into students’ perspectives on various aspects of english language education and learning effectiveness. figure 1. differentiated e-worksheets support individual learning needs the pie chart illustrates the results of a survey on whether differentiated e-worksheets support individual learning needs. the majority of respondents, 83.4%, agree that differentiated eworksheets are beneficial in addressing their unique learning needs. a smaller segment, 3.3%, miftahunajah aditiya pratama, sofendi, & machdalena vianty assessing shs students’ needs e-worksheet based on differentiated instruction 1134 strongly agree with this statement, indicating a high level of satisfaction among a few students. conversely, 13.3% of respondents strongly disagree, suggesting that this approach does not meet the learning needs of a significant minority. overall, the chart highlights a predominantly positive reception towards the use of differentiated e-worksheets in supporting individual learning needs, with most students finding them effective. deficiency analysis (want, need, and lack analysis) this section analyzes the student's current wants and needs, as well as deficiencies or gaps in their target situation. data on students' current desires and needs regarding the topic or input of differentiated learning e-worksheets for english subjects is depicted in table 2. table 2. students’ view on da no. statements students’ view percentage 1. digital learning tools are essential in schools. strongly agree 56.7% 2. e-worksheets make english learning more effective and engaging. agree 73.3% 3. e-worksheets facilitate learning and boost motivation. agree 73.3% 4. i need eworksheets tailored to my reading level. agree 73.3% 5. schools lack digital learning materials like eworksheets. agree 50% table 2 presents students’ viewpoints on deficiency analysis (da) based on a survey, encapsulating their opinions on various aspects of digital learning tools, particularly e-worksheets. the table comprises five statements reflecting differing degrees of agreement among students. a notable 56.7% strongly agree that digital learning tools are indispensable in schools, emphasizing the perceived importance of technology in education. moreover, a significant majority, at 73.3%, agree that e-worksheets enhance english learning effectiveness and engagement, as well as facilitate learning and boost motivation. similarly, an equal proportion of students agree that e-worksheets tailored to their reading levels are necessary. however, the perception of digital resource availability is more nuanced, with only 50% agreeing that schools lack digital learning materials like e-worksheets. overall, the table underscores students’ positive attitudes towards digital learning tools, particularly e-worksheets, while also highlighting areas where improvement may be warranted in resource availability. figure 2. current english worksheets do not meet my needs the graphic illustrates the results of a survey on whether the current english worksheets meet students' needs. the largest segment, representing 56.7% of respondents, agree that the current english worksheets do not meet their needs, indicating a significant portion of students find these materials inadequate. an additional 13.3% of respondents strongly agree, reinforcing the sentiment that the existing worksheets fall short in addressing their learning requirements. in contrast, 30% of respondents strongly disagree, suggesting that nearly a third of the students feel the current worksheets do meet their needs effectively. this distribution highlights a general dissatisfaction among the majority of students regarding the adequacy of current english worksheets, although a considerable minority finds them sufficient. present situation analysis (psa) this part focused on the existing materials learned and provided, the present students’ proficiency in english, climate change knowledge, and pancasila student profile dimensions knowledge of the students. this present situation analysis (psa) becomes a crucial factor in developing appropriate differentiated learning e-worksheets for english subjects that align with the needs and situations faced by the students. table 3. the current english learning need no. statements students’ view percentage english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1135 1. school english objectives align with the curriculum. agree 66.7% 2. teachers recognize students' diverse english abilities. agree 50% 3. my english teacher understands students' needs and abilities. agree 60% 4. teachers provide varied english materials to meet student needs. agree 50% 5. differentiated learning adapts to students' abilities. agree 60% table 3 offers insight into the current english learning needs from the perspectives of students, derived from their responses to a survey. the table consists of five statements addressing different facets of english education. the majority of students, at 66.7%, agree that school english objectives align with the curriculum, indicating a perceived coherence between educational goals and the established curriculum. however, only 50% of students agree that teachers recognize the diverse english abilities among students, suggesting a potential area for improvement in addressing varying proficiency levels. similarly, while 60% of students feel that their english teachers understand their needs and abilities, the same percentage also agrees that differentiated learning, which adapts to individual abilities, is currently implemented. however, only half of the students agree that teachers provide varied english materials to meet student needs, indicating a potential need for more diverse instructional resources. overall, the table highlights both areas of strength, such as alignment with curriculum objectives and understanding of student needs, and areas for improvement, including recognition of diverse abilities and provision of varied learning material. figure 3. english materials in textbooks are limited the graphic presents the results of a survey on the adequacy of english materials in textbooks. a significant majority, 70% of respondents, agree that the english materials in textbooks are limited, indicating a prevalent concern about the insufficiency of these resources. a smaller segment, 3.3%, strongly agree with this statement, emphasizing a more intense dissatisfaction among a few students regarding the limitations of textbook materials. on the other hand, 26.7% of respondents strongly disagree, suggesting that over a quarter of the students believe the english materials in textbooks are sufficient and meet their learning needs. this distribution highlights a general consensus among the majority of students about the limitations of textbook materials, though a notable minority holds a contrary view. figure 4. teachers should use digital tools for teaching. the graphic illustrates the results of a survey on whether teachers should use digital tools for teaching. half of the respondents, 50%, agree that teachers should incorporate digital tools into their teaching methods, indicating substantial support for the integration of technology in education. additionally, a significant portion, 43.3%, strongly agree with this sentiment, reflecting a high level of enthusiasm among many students for the use of digital tools in the classroom. conversely, a small minority, 6.7%, strongly disagree, suggesting that miftahunajah aditiya pratama, sofendi, & machdalena vianty assessing shs students’ needs e-worksheet based on differentiated instruction 1136 a few students do not see the value or necessity of digital tools in teaching. overall, the graphic reveals a strong preference among the majority of students for the inclusion of digital tools in educational practices, with only a small fraction expressing opposition. table 4. the existing material learned and presented no. statements students’ view percentage 1. teachers offer diverse content in teaching. agree 53.3% 2. my teacher provides varied worksheets. disagree 60% 3. teachers still use conventional worksheets. agree 63.3% 4. textbook worksheets don't adapt to students' abilities. agree 56.7% 5. teachers haven’t provided differentiated worksheets. agree 70% table 4 outlines the existing material learned and presented in english education, reflecting the perspectives of students derived from survey responses. the table includes five statements addressing various aspects of teaching materials diversity and adaptability. while approximately 53.3% of students agree that teachers offer diverse content in their teaching approaches, a contrasting view emerges regarding the provision of varied worksheets, with 60% of students disagreeing with this statement. interestingly, despite the perceived lack of variety in worksheets, the majority of students, at 63.3%, acknowledge the continued use of conventional worksheets by teachers. moreover, over half of the students, at 56.7%, agree that textbook worksheets fail to adapt to their abilities. on a positive note, a significant majority of 70% affirm that teachers haven’t provided differentiated worksheets, suggesting efforts to tailor materials to individual student needs. overall, the table offers insights into students' perceptions of the current state of teaching materials in english education, highlighting areas of both agreement and discrepancy regarding diversity and adaptability. figure 5. english teaching materials need improvement the pie chart illustrates the results of a survey on whether differentiated e-worksheets support individual learning needs. the chart shows that 46.7% of respondents agree that differentiated eworksheets are beneficial for addressing their unique learning needs. an equal portion, 46.7%, strongly agree, indicating a high level of satisfaction among a significant number of students regarding the effectiveness of these eworksheets. conversely, a small segment, 6.6%, strongly disagree, suggesting that this approach does not meet the learning needs of a minority of students. overall, the pie chart highlights a predominantly positive reception towards the use of differentiated e-worksheets, with the majority of students finding them effective in supporting individual learning needs. the needs viewed by english teacher based on the interview conducted with the english teacher of man 3 palembang, the teacher stated that the english learning objectives have already followed the curriculum. the merdeka (independent) curriculum is designed to give teachers more flexibility in their teaching methods, encouraging the use of innovative and contextual learning experiences that are relevant to the students' lives and interests. this curriculum aims to make learning more student-centered and applicable to real-world situations. at this point, the teacher has fulfilled the demand of curriculum in teaching english. in man 3 palembang, the implementation of independent curriculum has just started in this academic year, 2023/2024. as stated by zidan & qamariah (2023) that independent curriculum empowers teachers to explore innovative teaching methods, seamlessly integrate real-world applications, and learning experiences to the needs and interests of their students. then, english learning material has been directed to be more contextual and relevant. the teacher said: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1137 currently, man 3 palembang uses the merdeka curriculum. of course, they are very much in line with the demands of the curriculum we use. diagnostic tests help the teacher identify each student’s starting point, learning preferences, and areas that may need more attention. non-academic diagnostics provide insights into students' personal backgrounds and learning styles, while academic diagnostics assess their current knowledge and skills. okay, at the beginning of the learning process, we know that each student comes with a different background, so initially, i conduct diagnostic tests, both non-academic and academic diagnostics. to understand the students' abilities, i use non-academic diagnostics. i use their learning styles, the methods usually used by their previous teachers, and the system i use for nonacademic diagnostics is just a few questions to understand their non-academic background. for academic diagnostics, i use four questions: one question for 10th grade, two questions for below 10th grade, specifically 9th grade second semester, and one question for 9th grade first semester. these three levels are used to measure the students' background and abilities before they enter 10th grade, conducted at the beginning of the semester. differentiated learning involves tailoring teaching methods to meet the diverse needs of students. this can include varying the content, process, products (assignments), and learning environments to ensure that all students can engage with and understand the material effectively. alhamdulillah, i have used differentiated learning methods where the focus is on the students, not the teacher. this makes their learning experience more engaging. the steps are, i present the material not directly by its definition but with illustrations related to their daily activities. the material should be related to their activities, making them more familiar and interested in the material. this way, they are more enthusiastic about learning. using current and relevant content helps students connect with the material on a personal level. heterogeneous groups allow students to benefit from diverse perspectives and learning styles within the group. multimedia resources help address different learning preferences, making the learning experience more dynamic and inclusive. it depends on the material. for instance, if it's about captions, i look for current, relevant content. i once used content about palestine, with many captions like "free palestine," but still in english. or i use the palestinian flag or images like a watermelon. so, they recognize it, and that builds the content according to the material i'm teaching. sometimes, i also use videos to engage them in the material. because our class is heterogeneous in terms of thinking patterns and knowledge levels, i form groups heterogeneously, not homogeneously. this way, students with different learning styles, like visual or kinesthetic, can help each other. yes, even though i already know their abilities from the initial diagnostics, i intentionally create heterogeneous groups. in a public school, classes are always heterogeneous. yes, one material, one text. for instance, i might use videos, texts, and kinesthetic activities like acting out a drama based on what they've seen. differentiated worksheet are customized learning materials designed to meet the varied needs of students. challenges in implementing these include technology limitations, but they are generally found to be more engaging for students. these materials help make learning more interactive and tailored to individual needs. yes, i have. the main challenge is that students are not allowed to use phones in class, and not all students have laptops. but our school has televisions and touchscreens which help. differentiated lkpd is actually easier for students to grasp compared to reading many books or handbooks. they find it more engaging and interesting. engaging students requires creativity and a positive teacher attitude, especially during challenging times. ensuring that learning materials are interesting and relevant is crucial for maintaining student motivation and participation. if we already know the students' learning styles from the diagnostic tests, it makes it easier to implement in the learning process. miftahunajah aditiya pratama, sofendi, & machdalena vianty assessing shs students’ needs e-worksheet based on differentiated instruction 1138 learning interest is crucial. teachers must be creative to keep students interested, especially in challenging time slots. the teacher's attitude also matters; entering the class cheerfully can make a big difference. i can't say for sure, but i try to make the lkpd as engaging and relevant as possible. maybe about 50% of it meets the students' needs. integrating technology into lkpd can provide more interactive and personalized learning experiences. tools like ai can help tailor the content to individual student needs, making learning more efficient and engaging. absolutely, with the advancement of ai and tools like g-board, integrating technology can greatly support differentiated learning. the findings from the interview with the english teacher at man 3 palembang provide valuable insights into the implementation and challenges of differentiated instruction within the merdeka curriculum framework. this discussion will analyze these insights and highlight the necessity and potential benefits of developing electronic learning kits (e-worksheet) tailored to differentiated instruction for the english subject. alignment with merdeka curriculum the merdeka curriculum emphasizes the need for innovative and contextual teaching methods that cater to the diverse needs of students. the teacher’s approach of using diagnostic tests to assess students' academic and non-academic backgrounds is crucial in identifying individual learning needs and preferences. this practice aligns well with the curriculum's objectives, ensuring that the teaching strategies are personalized and relevant. challenges of traditional lkpd one of the main challenges identified in the use of traditional learning kits (worksheet) is the limited access to technological resources, such as smartphones and laptops, which are often restricted in the classroom. despite these limitations, the teacher noted that differentiated worksheets are more engaging for students compared to traditional textbooks. this engagement is vital for maintaining student interest and motivation, especially in a diverse classroom setting. potential of e-worksheet electronic learning kits (eworksheet) offer a promising solution to the challenges posed by traditional worksheets. eworksheet can incorporate multimedia elements such as videos, interactive texts, and kinesthetic activities, which cater to various learning styles (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic). these features can make the learning experience more dynamic and engaging for students, thus enhancing their understanding and retention of the material. moreover, an e-worksheet can be designed to include current and relevant content that resonates with students' real-life experiences. for example, using contemporary issues and culturally relevant topics can make learning more relatable and meaningful. the teacher’s use of relevant content, such as topics related to palestine, illustrates how contextual material can increase student engagement and interest. integration of technology the integration of advanced technological tools, such as artificial intelligence (ai), can further support differentiated instruction. ai can provide personalized learning experiences by adapting content and feedback to meet individual student needs. this technological integration can help overcome some of the limitations faced in traditional classroom settings, providing more tailored and effective learning opportunities. need for development the teacher highlighted a significant need for the development of differentiated electronic worksheet that integrate content with technology. such development would support the goals of the merdeka curriculum by offering innovative and contextual learning experiences. while the teacher estimated that about 50% of the current worksheet meets students' needs, there is clearly room for improvement through the adoption of e-worksheet. in conclusion, the discussion reveals a clear need for the development of an e-worksheet for the english subject based on differentiated instruction. these electronic resources can address the challenges of traditional worksheets, provide more engaging and personalized learning experiences, and better align with the objectives of the merdeka curriculum. by leveraging technology, educators can create more dynamic and effective learning environments that cater to the diverse needs of their students. concluding the shared insights, it reveals a comprehensive approach to implementing the merdeka curriculum at man 3 palembang, with a strong emphasis on differentiated learning to meet diverse student needs. the teacher uses a combination of diagnostic assessments, innovative teaching methods, and relevant content to engage students. despite facing technological challenges, there is a clear recognition of the potential benefits of integrating advanced tools to support differentiated learning. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1139 for senior high school students engaged in english education, the need for electronic learning kits (e-worksheet) based on differentiated instruction is paramount. similar to elementary students, senior high school students possess distinct cognitive and linguistic abilities that require tailored educational materials to optimize learning outcomes. acknowledging the advanced language proficiency and critical thinking skills of senior high school students, an e-worksheet should be designed to challenge and engage them effectively. senior high school students exhibit advanced cognitive and language skills, necessitating materials that stimulate critical thinking and linguistic proficiency. e-worksheets should be curated to align with the maturity level and academic requirements of senior high school students, ensuring relevance and engagement. materials should be intellectually stimulating and foster active participation to enhance comprehension and retention. incorporation of multimedia: integrating diverse multimedia elements, such as videos, interactive activities, and thought-provoking texts, can enrich the learning experience and deepen understanding. enhanced comprehension: bilingual elements can aid in the comprehension of complex english concepts and encourage inclusivity for students with varying language proficiencies. promotion of multilingualism: encouraging language learning alongside english education aligns with the objective of nurturing multilingual communication skills among students. integration with curriculum objectives: eworksheet should align seamlessly with english curriculum objectives, facilitating effective integration into the senior high school curriculum. collaborative development: involving educators, curriculum developers, and language experts ensures that e-worksheet are comprehensive, effective, and aligned with educational goals. preparation for higher education: e-worksheet should prepare students for advanced english proficiency required in tertiary education and beyond. cultivation of global awareness: addressing global issues, such as climate change, within the english curriculum fosters awareness and responsibility among students as informed global citizens. in conclusion, the development of an eworksheet based on differentiated instruction for senior high school students in english education is essential for promoting advanced language proficiency, critical thinking skills, and global citizenship. by tailoring materials to meet the unique needs of senior high school students and integrating engaging, comprehensive content, an eworksheet can enhance learning outcomes and prepare students for academic and global success. conclusion based on the result of the study, it can be concluded that developing an e-worksheet for the english subject based on differentiated instruction is essential to enhance learning experiences and meet diverse student needs. by leveraging technology, these electronic learning kits can provide personalized, engaging, and accessible educational resources, addressing the challenges faced with traditional worksheets and supporting the goals of the independent curriculum. however, the study’s findings are based on a specific sample of students and english teachers. to enhance the generalizability of the findings, future research could include a more diverse sample of students from various backgrounds and educational levels. references adare, a. a., li, y., & gebresilase, b. m. (2023). assessing practices and challenges in implementing differentiated instruction in mingde primary school. open journal of social sciences, 11(2), 79-100. awofala, a. o., & lawani, a. o. (2020). increasing mathematics achievement of senior secondary school students through differentiated instruction. azhari, z., & zainil, y. (2024). differentiated teaching and learning applied in english classes of phase f of senior high school. journal of english language teaching, 13(1), 360-383. azimah, i., & sujannah, w. d. (2024). the effect of differentiated learning on efl students’ reading skills. didaktika: jurnal kependidikan, 13(1), 937-946. bobi, c. b., & ahiavi, m. a. (2023). using differentiated instruction to promote creativity, critical thinking and learning: perspective of teachers. journal of education and practice, 7(2), 1-30. eikeland, i., & ohna, s. e. (2022). differentiation in education: a configurative review. nordic journal of studies in educational policy, 8(3), 157-170. estaiteyeh, m., & decoito, i. (2023). planning for differentiated instruction: empowering teacher candidates in stem education. canadian journal of science, mathematics and technology education, 23(1), 5-26. fitra, d. k. (2022). pembelajaran berdiferensiasi dalam perspektif progresivisme pada mata pelajaran ipa. jurnal filsafat indonesia, 5(3), 250-258. miftahunajah aditiya pratama, sofendi, & machdalena vianty assessing shs students’ needs e-worksheet based on differentiated instruction 1140 gibbs, k. (2023). voices in practice: challenges to implementing differentiated instruction by teachers and school leaders in an australian mainstream secondary school. the australian educational researcher, 50(4), 1217-1232. gibbs, k., & mckay, l. (2021). differentiated teaching practices of australian mainstream classroom teachers: a systematic review and thematic analysis. international journal of educational research, 109, 101799. grecu, y. v. (2023). differentiated instruction: curriculum and resources provide a roadmap to help english teachers meet students’ needs. teaching and teacher education, 125, 104064. hutchinson, t., & waters, a. (1987). english for specific purposes: a learningcentred approach. cambridge university press. irwandani, i., suyatna, a., haenilah, e. y., & maulina, d. (2024). readiness of indonesian pre-service science teachers for society 5.0. journal of education and learning (edulearn), 18(2), 391-402. jackson, d., shan, h., & meek, s. (2022). enhancing graduates’ enterprise capabilities through workintegrated learning in co-working spaces. higher education, 84(1), 101-120. kong, s. c., & yang, y. (2024). a human-centred learning and teaching framework using generative artificial intelligence for selfregulated learning development through domain knowledge learning in k–12 settings. ieee transactions on learning technologies. kumalasari, d., subroto, w. t., & sakti, n. c. (2024). development of e-lkpd based on learning style differentiation in economics subjects in class xi state high school in surabaya. technium social sciences journal, 55, 142-155. langelaan, b. n., gaikhorst, l., smets, w., & oostdam, r. j. (2024). differentiating instruction: understanding the key elements for successful teacher preparation and development. teaching and teacher education, 140, 104464. larios, r. j., & zetlin, a. (2023). challenges to preparing teachers to instruct all students in inclusive classrooms. teaching and teacher education, 121, 103945. nepal, s., walker, s., & dillon-wallace, j. (2024). how do australian pre-service teachers understand differentiated instruction and associated concepts of inclusion and diversity?. international journal of inclusive education, 28(2), 109-123. ojong, a. s. (2023). unraveling the efficacy of differentiated instruction in enhancing second language acquisition: a comprehensive review and future directions. international journal of linguistics, literature and translation, 6(6), 75-82. padmore, e. a., & ali, c. a. (2024). exploring effective differentiated instruction in the teaching and learning of mathematics. asean journal for science education, 3(1), 41-54. richey, r. c., & klein, j. d. (2014). design and development research. handbook of research on educational communications and technology, 141-150. sari, d. e., purnomo, m. e., & indrawati, s. (2023). enhancing descriptive material learning at public junior high school through differentiated learning and wizer.me eworksheet. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 865-872. sharp, k., jarvis, j. m., & mcmillan, j. m. (2020). leadership for differentiated instruction: teachers’ engagement with on-site professional learning at an australian secondary school. international journal of inclusive education, 24(8), 901-920. syafitri, r. a. (2020, november). the importance of the student worksheets of electronic (e-lkpd) contextual teaching and learning (ctl) in learning to write description text during pandemic covid-19. in the 3rd international conference on language, literature, and education (iclle 2020) (pp. 284-287). atlantis press. tessmer, m. (1993). planning and conducting formative evaluation: improving the quality of education and training. philadelphia, pa: kogan page. tirri, k., eisenschmidt, e., poom-valickis, k., & kuusisto, e. (2021). current challenges in school leadership in estonia and finland: a multiple-case study among exemplary principals. education research international, 2021, 1-11. tomlinson, c. a. (2022). everybody's classroom: differentiating for the shared and unique needs of diverse students. teachers college press. tomlinson, c. a., & imbeau, m. b. (2023). leading and managing a differentiated classroom. ascd. tomlinson, c. a., & jarvis, j. m. (2023). differentiation: making curriculum work for all students through responsive planning & instruction. in systems and models for developing programs for the gifted and talented (pp. 599-628). routledge. vantassel-baska, j., hubbard, g. f., & robbins, j. i. (2021). differentiation of instruction for gifted learners: collated evaluative studies of teacher classroom practices. handbook of giftedness and talent development in the asia-pacific, 945-979. wormeli, r. (2023). differentiation: from planning to practice, grades 6-12. routledge. yu, j., kreijkes, p., & salmela-aro, k. (2022). students’ growth mindset: relation to teacher beliefs, teaching practices, and school climate. learning and instruction, 80, 101616. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1053 evaluating teacher’s competence in developing reading comprehension questions based on barrett’s taxonomy uswatun hasanah yude english language education study program, faculty of language and arts universitas negeri padang, indonesia email: hanayude99@gmail.com yetti zainil english language education study program, faculty of language and arts universitas negeri padang, indonesia email: yettizainil@gmail.com apa scitation: yude, h. u., zainil, y. (2024). evaluating teacher’s competence in developing reading comprehension questions based on barrett’s taxonomy. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1053-1062. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10296 received: 28-06-2024 accepted: 21-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 introduction being a facilitator in the learning process is one of the important duties of a teacher. this occurs when students cannot obtain guidance to find conclusions from learning sources without the teacher's help. in addition to providing information to students, teachers also need to become experts in creating reading comprehension questions(lim et al., 2014; wu et al., 2022; sulaiman et al., 2020; siri et al., 2020). if a teacher can communicate effectively, students will be able to understand what is being taught to them. when the other party responds in a way that allows both parties to gain information, good communication develops. because teachers are seen as reliable sources of knowledge and information, students develop these behaviors during class(eva stranovská et al., 2017). this is in line with (supardi, 2016; komariah et al., 2020; varma et al., 2022; mealings et al., 2024; afary et al., 2022) that there must be two-way communication in the classroom to prove the teacher's competence in managing lessons. teachers with teaching competency can create a positive learning environment and manage their classrooms better, which will lead to the best learning outcomes for their students. this competency is needed so that teachers can achieve learning goals that suit current needs. this is in line with the statement(rahman, 2014; channa et al., 2022; risan, 2022; mirzoeva, 2022; skantz et al., 2022) that improving teachers' enthusiasm and pedagogical abilities is necessary to increase their effectiveness. professional teachers must have pedagogical competency skills, namely the teacher's ability to control learning activities (asari, fauziyah, & uchitiawati, 2018; bowman et al., 2022; saputra, 2022; luo, 2023; alam et al., 2023). this competency is used to manage lessons that have not achieved their objectives. pedagogical competency is a unique skill that not only differentiates teachers from other professions but also greatly influences students' level of success in their learning journey (danim, 2020). in addition, according to indonesian government regulation no. 74 of 2008 concerning teachers, pedagogical competence is defined as the teacher's ability to manage the learning process effectively for students (gobel et al., 2023). these special competencies differentiate teachers from abstract: this study investigates the competence of english teachers in developing reading comprehension questions based on barrett's taxonomy in senior high schools in padang. given the importance of effective questioning in stimulating critical thinking and comprehension, this research aims to assess the levels and types of questions formulated by teachers. using cluster random sampling, 12 english teachers from 6 schools were selected. the study employed a test instrument to evaluate teachers' abilities to create questions across barrett's five levels: literal comprehension, reorganization, inferential comprehension, evaluation, and appreciation. results indicate that most questions were at the literal comprehension level, with fewer questions addressing higher-order thinking skills (evaluation and appreciation). these findings highlight a need for professional development to enhance teachers' skills in crafting balanced and challenging questions. keywords: teacher competencies; barrett's taxonomy;reading;questions. uswatun hasanah yude & yetti zainil evaluating teacher’s competence in developing reading comprehension questions based on barrett’s taxonomy 1054 other professions as highlighted by various studies (jahiriansyah et al., 2013; amini et al., 2022; alzoraiki 2023; alwi et al., 2023; warman et al., 2022). this reflects the teacher's ability to organize learning material in a way that makes it easy for students to understand (rosnita, 2011; ribosa, 2022; nurhikmah et al., 2022; irhasyuarna, 2022; sulasmi, 2022). apart from teacher competence, another important component in teaching (and communication in general) is asking questions (aqil, 2016; bui, 2022; smit et a;., 2022; kim, 2022; muhonen et al., 2022). questions play an important role in the growth of ideas. through a variety of carefully designed questions, students can be helped in using previous information and understanding to construct new ideas and make inferences, enabling them to move from one cognitive level to the next (anggraini et al., 2023). effective questioning strategies can stimulate students' intellectual growth and curiosity. the most effective teaching strategies are those that encourage student participation (olsher & kantor, 2012; edwards et al., 2024; margolis et al., 2022). a teacher's competency in developing effective questions is important for creating an engaging and enriching learning environment. in developing questions, teacher competence may be low. according to goossen (2002), pagliaro (2011), and walsh & sattes (2011), teachers can ask 300–400 questions every day. however, what is important is not the number of questions a teacher can ask, but the student's cognitive ability to respond. according to (birbili, 2013; goossen, 2002; pagliaro, 2011; walsh & sattes, 2005), and other researchers, teachers mostly ask questions about students' memories and descriptions; only about 5– 20% of their questions can engage students' thinking. several studies on teacher competence in developing reading comprehension questions have been conducted. first, merizka (2021) conducted a study to determine teacher competence in constructing high-level thinking skill questions and to find out the competence of english teachers in constructing questions based on bloom's taxonomy related to the level of questions. the results showed that 30 questions were indicated as low-level thinking skill questions, and 15 questions were indicated as high-level thinking skill questions. at the high-level thinking skill question level, evaluation questions were mostly constructed by english teachers at sma negeri 1 lubuk alung. second, (afriliamanda & zainil, 2019) in their study "an analysis of teachers' competence in constructing reading comprehension questions" examined the challenges faced by teachers in constructing complex reading comprehension questions and assessed their ability to create them. this study revealed that teachers had difficulty in developing high-level questions with most of their questions being at the comprehension level (c2). this means that teachers at sma n kota padang mostly asked low-level comprehension questions (c2). third, a study conducted in punanji in 2022 by reflianto and setyosari examined how teachers create and use question types and levels during online flipped classroom learning. the study found that teachers need specific skills to formulate question levels and strategies effectively. the study also observed three teachers who demonstrated proficiency in using question techniques and levels to assess students' understanding of the material being taught. these previous studies have not examined teacher competence in developing reading comprehension questions based on barrett's taxonomy. most previous studies have focused on bloom's taxonomy which is not suitable for assessing questions in english language teaching. barrett's taxonomy is used in this study to evaluate various types of questions. barrett's taxonomy provides a comprehensive framework for categorizing reading comprehension questions that not only measure comprehension but also stimulate students' intellectual growth and active participation. the novelty of this study is the use of barrett's taxonomy in assessing english teachers' competence in developing reading comprehension questions in high schools in padang. unlike previous studies that focused on bloom's taxonomy, this study fills the gap by utilizing barrett's taxonomy which is more specific and appropriate for evaluating reading comprehension questions in the context of english language teaching. this research provides a new perspective in a more detailed question structure that suits students' cognitive needs. additionally, this research highlights the need for targeted professional development for teachers to improve their skills in formulating more balanced and cognitively challenging questions, going beyond literal understanding and reorganization. this is important to support the development of students' critical thinking skills and deep understanding, which have been english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1055 underemphasized in previous research. thus, this research not only provides an evaluation of teacher competence but also provides concrete recommendations for improving pedagogical skills in the future. method this research uses cluster random sampling. according to sugiyono (2018), cluster random sampling is a regional sampling technique used to determine samples if the object to be studied or data source is very broad, such as the population of a country, province or district. this research focuses on english teachers at senior high schools (sman) in padang city. this study selected 6 of 17 public high schools as representative samples using cluster random sampling. a total of 12 english teachers were selected with representation from classes x and xi. this research uses a test instrument to assess teachers' ability to develop reading comprehension questions based on barrett's taxonomy. this test evaluates a teacher's ability to develop reading comprehension questions at the five levels of barrett's taxonomy: literal comprehension, reorganization, inferential comprehension, evaluation, and appreciation. the first data is obtained from test results where the teacher develops questions. there are 60 questions developed by the class x teacher and 60 questions by the class xi teacher based on the text provided. the questions are classified into level categories of barrett's taxonomy. the second data was obtained from test results where the teacher analyzed reading comprehension questions based on barrett's taxonomy. there are 15 questions classified based on barrett's taxonomy level by the class x teacher and 15 questions by the class xi teacher. procedures involve distributing competency tests, explaining instructions, collecting responses, classifying questions, and analyzing results. to ensure validity, an expert from the english department of padang state university was involved. reliability is assumed through standardized instruments and consistent procedures. the methodology primarily relies on descriptive qualitative research methods with a scope that focuses on assessing english teachers' competence in developing reading comprehension questions. in analyzing english teachers' competence in developing reading comprehension questions based on barrett's taxonomy, researchers removed the names and codes of teachers' answer sheets. then the researcher examined the reading comprehension questions based on barrett's taxonomy from the english teacher's test sheet and divided the questions formulated by the english teacher into five levels of barrett's taxonomy. question types and question levels are calculated based on the following formula to help present data in numerical form as mentioned in sudjana & ibrahim (2001: 129): p = nn×100%p = \frac{n}{n} \times 100\%p=nn×100% where: p = percentage of question type/level n = number of questions based on barrett's taxonomy criteria n = total number of all questions results and discussion this research aimed to find out teachers' competence in developing reading comprehension questions using tests. there are two types of tests, the first one is developing questions based on the text, and the second one is analyzing questions by classifying them into barrett's taxonomy level. english teacher's competence in developing reading comprehension questions table 1. english teacher's percentage in developing reading comprehension questions levels of barrett's taxonomy percentage literal comprehension 49% reorganization 27% inferential comprehension 12% evaluation appreciation 8% 4% table 1 shows the percentage of reading comprehension questions developed by twelve english teachers from grades x and xi. it indicates that of all the levels, the literal comprehension level had the most questions, accounting for 49% of the total reading comprehension developed by teachers of grades x and xi. the appreciation level had the lowest number of questions (4%), developed by teachers of grades x and xi.the data were obtained from the results of teachers' developed questions. there were 60 questions for phase grade x and 60 questions for phase grade xi developed by teachers based on the text provided by the researcher. the results were classified into categories of barrett's taxonomy levels based on barrett's taxonomy.these findings are significant uswatun hasanah yude & yetti zainil evaluating teacher’s competence in developing reading comprehension questions based on barrett’s taxonomy 1056 as they highlight a gap in teachers' ability to create a balanced range of questions that stimulate higherorder thinking, as recommended by educational standards like(mckenney & reeves, 2018). reeves suggests that lower-level questions (lots) should comprise 40%, middle-level questions (mots) 40%, and higher-level questions (hots) 20%. this study shows that lots were (76%) while mots (12%) and hots (12%), indicating the teachers need for professional development in developing reading questions. based on the result above, english teachers’ competence in developing reading comprehension questions, there were 120 questions developed by english grade x and xi teachers at senior high school in padang. it revealed that english teachers developed 49% of literal comprehension questions (59 questions), 27% of reorganization (33 questions), 12% of inferential (15 questions), 8% of evaluation (10 questions), and 4% of appreciation (5 questions). in other words, english teachers tend to develop literal comprehension questions. english teachers struggle to create diverse reading comprehension questions, with a strong focus on literal comprehension questions (49% of total questions) and less emphasis on middle-order thinking questions such as reorganization (12%) and higher-level questions such as evaluation, and appreciation (8%, and 4% respectively). this imbalance indicates a tendency to prioritize basic comprehension over middle-order thinking and higher-order thinking skills, which prevents students' deeper understanding and critical thinking abilities. furthermore, the biggest portion of questions developed by english teachers was in the level of literal comprehension and reorganization (lots), next was inferential questions (mots), last was evaluation and appreciation questions (hots). figure 1. english teacher’s competence score in developing reading comprehension questions the chart of figure 1 indicates that english teachers' ability to create reading comprehension questions does not meet the standard set by reeves (2012). the data shows that literal comprehension and reorganization questions in total are 76% of the total questions, which booth of the levels should be 40% of the questions. on the other hand, inferential comprehension questions, which should be 40% of the total, only make up 12%. additionally, evaluation and appreciation questions, which should make up 20% of the total, are also at 12%. this difference emphasizes the need for teachers to improve their ability to create questions that challenge students to think critically and engage in higher-order thinking. on the other hand, using barrett's taxonomy can significantly improve the quality of reading comprehension questions. by including questions that require analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, teachers can better support students' cognitive growth and encourage deeper understanding. therefore, teachers should become familiar with barrett's taxonomy and use it as a framework for creating reading comprehension questions that promote critical thinking and higher-order cognitive skills. this research reveals that english teachers' competence in developing reading comprehension questions is still far from the expected standards. data shows that 76% of the questions developed by teachers are at the literal comprehension and reorganization levels, even though each of these levels should only cover 40% of the total questions. in contrast, questions at the inferential understanding level, which should account for 40% of the total questions, only reached 12%. likewise, questions at the evaluation and appreciation level, which should have reached 20% of the total, only reached 12%. this imbalance indicates the need to improve teachers' ability to create questions that can challenge students to think critically and engage in higherlevel thinking. use of barrett's taxonomy can significantly improve the quality of reading comprehension questions. by including questions that require analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, teachers can better support students' cognitive growth and encourage deeper understanding. therefore, teachers should be familiar with barrett's taxonomy and use it as a framework for creating reading comprehension questions that promote critical thinking and higher-order cognitive skills. furthermore, this research highlights the need for targeted professional development for english english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1057 teachers. they should be provided with adequate training and resources to develop skills in formulating balanced and cognitively challenging questions. this development is not only important to meet higher educational standards but also to support students' overall intellectual development. thus, this research not only provides an evaluation of teacher competence but also provides concrete recommendations for improving pedagogical skills in the future. implementation of barrett's taxonomy as a tool in developing reading comprehension questions can be a strategic step to improve the quality of education and achieve better learning outcomes for students. efforts to improve these skills should be a priority in professional development programs for teachers, so that they can be more effective in creating dynamic learning environments and focused on developing students' critical thinking. english teacher's competence in analyzing by classifying reading comprehension questions table 2. english teacher's percentage in developing reading comprehension questions levels of barrett's taxonomy percentage literal comprehension 37% reorganization 32% inferential comprehension 22% evaluation appreciation 18% 10% table 2 shows the percentage of teacher competence in analyzing reading comprehension questions correctly by english teachers from grades x and xi. it indicates that of all the levels, the literal comprehension level had the most questions, accounting for 37% of the total reading comprehension developed by teachers of grades x and xi. the appreciation level had the lowest number of questions (10%), analyzed by teachers of grades x and xi. the analysis of reading comprehension questions by twelve english teachers from grades x and xi reveals a concern about their competence in applying barrett's taxonomy. the results show that 37% of the teachers correctly analyzed questions at the literal comprehension level, this proficiency is down significantly for other levels. only 32% of the teachers accurately analyzed questions at the reorganization level, while 22% for inferential comprehension. furthermore, the percentage of correct answers for evaluation and appreciation levels down to 18% and 10%, respectively. this percentage indicates that teacher competence in analyzing questions based on barrett's taxonomy is low. specifically, most teachers struggle to move beyond literal comprehension and reorganization, because they can't challenge students to engage in higher-order thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. this limited understanding of barrett's taxonomy interferes with the development of critical thinking and deeper understanding in students, underscoring the need for teachers to improve their knowledge and application of barrett's taxonomy. according to (mckenney & reeves, 2018), the literal comprehension and reorganization levels should account for 40% of the total time spent using barrett's taxonomy, the inferential level should account for 40%, and the remaining 20% should go to the evaluation and appreciation levels. referring to figure 4, we can see that the ideal percentage for literal comprehension and reorganization combined is already achieved with a total of 76%. however, the ideal percentage for inferential comprehension has not met the desirable standard because the percentage only reached 12%. it has the same percentage for the evaluation and appreciation level that only reached 12% too from the ideal of 20%. the competence of english teachers in developing reading comprehension questions based on barrett's taxonomy was found to be low. specifically, they showed poor competence in developing questions at the evaluation and appreciation level, while displaying good competence in developing questions at the literal comprehension and reorganization levels (aisyah et al., 2019). this lack of competence was attributed to the teachers' unfamiliarity with barrett's taxonomy. it happened since most of them did not understand barrett’s taxonomy. one teacher admitted that using barrett's taxonomy would help in developing reading comprehension questions, as this taxonomy is more specific and suitable for such questions compared to other taxonomies (aqeel & farrah, 2019; alhadi et al., 2023; ertem, 2023; barrett, 2023;). in comparing the findings of this research with those of alhadi and zainil (2023) and rahma (2019), several important insights into english teachers' competence in developing reading comprehension questions based on barrett's taxonomy emerge. both this research and the study by alhadi and zainil (2023) revealed that the most frequently used types of questions by teachers were at the literal comprehension level. however, while the second most frequently used type of question in this research was at the reorganization uswatun hasanah yude & yetti zainil evaluating teacher’s competence in developing reading comprehension questions based on barrett’s taxonomy 1058 level, alhadi and zainil (2023) found it to be at the inferential level. this indicates a difference in teachers' focus on different types of comprehension skills. furthermore, rahma (2019) found that the most used questions by teachers were at the inferential comprehension stage, with the second most dominant type being at the literal comprehension level. this contrasts with the current research where the literal comprehension level was the most dominant, followed by reorganization. these variations suggest that while there is a general tendency for teachers to prioritize lower order thinking skills (lots) questions, there are differences in the second most emphasized question types across different studies. the competence of english teachers in developing reading comprehension questions based on barrett's taxonomy was found to be low, particularly in creating higher-order thinking skills (hots) questions at the evaluation and appreciation levels. this is evident from the low percentage of evaluation and appreciation questions developed, which were only 8% and 4%, respectively. the findings highlight a need for targeted professional development to enhance teachers' skills in formulating more balanced and cognitively challenging questions beyond literal comprehension and reorganization. it is expected that teachers can develop mots to hot questions because the quality of teacher questions can influence how far students' thinking is extended and how long their ideas are extended (toni, 2013). further, lee (2011) mentions that quality questions are questions that stimulate the learning process of the students and broaden the students' thinking skills. it means, that lower-order questions stimulate lower levels of thinking such as literal comprehension and reorganization questions, but higher-order questions increase students' abilities to appreciate critically. this research highlights that english teachers' competence in developing reading comprehension questions based on barrett's taxonomy is still low, especially in creating higher order thinking skills (hots) questions at the evaluation and appreciation level. this can be seen from the low percentage of evaluation and appreciation questions developed, only 8% and 4% respectively. the variations in this research are compared with research by rahma (2019) which found that the questions most used by teachers were at the inferential understanding stage, with the second most dominant type being literal understanding, indicating that there are differences in the types of questions most emphasized by teachers in various studies. meanwhile, this research shows that the literal comprehension level is the most dominant, followed by reorganization. these findings emphasize the need for targeted professional development to improve teachers' skills in formulating more balanced and cognitively challenging questions beyond literal understanding and reorganization. (toni, 2013; rostini et al., 2022; blomeke et al., 2022; siddikov et al., 2022; harrison et al., 2022) states that the quality of teacher questions can influence the extent to which students' thinking develops and how long their ideas can be expanded. furthermore, lee (2011; cortes et al., 2022; moore et al., 2023) stated that quality questions are questions that stimulate students' learning processes and expand their thinking skills. this means that low-level questions stimulate lower levels of thinking such as literal comprehension and reorganization, but high-level questions increase students' ability to appreciate critically. by using barrett's taxonomy, the quality of reading comprehension questions can be significantly improved. questions that require analysis, synthesis, and evaluation can better support students' cognitive growth and encourage deeper understanding. therefore, teachers need to be familiar with barrett's taxonomy and use it as a framework for creating reading comprehension questions that promote critical thinking and higherorder cognitive skills. additionally, this research emphasizes the importance of adequate training and resources for teachers so that they can develop skills in formulating balanced and cognitively challenging questions. this development is not only important to meet higher educational standards but also to support students' overall intellectual development. efforts to improve these skills should be a priority in professional development programs for teachers, so that they can be more effective in creating dynamic learning environments and focused on developing students' critical thinking. conclusion this research shows that the competence of english teachers in padang in developing reading comprehension questions based on barrett's taxonomy is still low, especially in creating questions at the level of higher order thinking such as evaluation and appreciation. most of the questions developed by the teacher were at the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1059 literal comprehension and reorganization level, indicating an imbalance and lack of cognitive challenge for students. these findings emphasize the need for targeted professional development to improve teachers' skills in formulating more balanced and cognitively challenging questions, to support students' intellectual growth and improve the quality of education. implementing barrett's taxonomy as a framework in developing reading comprehension questions can help teachers create a learning environment that is more dynamic and focused on developing students' critical thinking. references afary, k., & alteet, e. m. (2022). narradrama, intersectionality and devised therapeutic theatre in the prison communication studies classroom. drama therapy review, 8(1), 23-44. afriliamanda, y., & zainil, y. (2019). an analysis of teachers’ competence in constructing reading comprehension’s questions. journal of english language teaching, 8(4), article 4. https://doi.org/10.24036/jelt.v8i4.106686 aisyah, i. s., yuliasri, i., & warsono, w. (2019). the professional and pedagogic competences of english teachers with different ukg (teaching competence test) achievement levels. english education journal, 9(1), article 1. https://doi.org/10.15294/eej.v9i1.27643 alam, a., & mohanty, a. (2023). cultural beliefs and equity in educational institutions: exploring the social and philosophical notions of ability groupings in teaching and learning of mathematics. international journal of adolescence and youth, 28(1), 2270662. alhadi, m., & zainil, y. (2023). an analysis of barrett’s taxonomy’s applications in teacher association (mgmp) published english workbooks (lks) for senior high schools in padang. journal of english language teaching, 12(2), 582-589. alwi, m., & mumtahana, l. (2023). the principal's strategy in improving the quality of teacher performance in the learning process in islamic elementary schools. kharisma: jurnal administrasi dan manajemen pendidikan, 2(1), 66-78. alzoraiki, m., ahmad, a. r., ateeq, a. a., naji, g. m. a., almaamari, q., & beshr, b. a. h. (2023). impact of teachers’ commitment to the relationship between transformational leadership and sustainable teaching performance. sustainability, 15(5), 4620. amini, a., marliani, m., elfrianto, e., & kemal, i. (2022). work motivation and work discipline on teachers’ performance in state vocational schools. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 14(2), 2271-2280. anggraini, d., febriana, n., alhusna, a., & andriani, d. (2023). an analysis of types of teacher’s questions in the english learning process in higher education. jurnal ilmiah pendidikan scholastic, 7(3), article 3. https://doi.org/10.36057/jips.v7i3.622 aqeel, m., & farrah, m. (2019). eighth grade textbook reading comprehension questions and barrett’s taxonomy: teachers’ perspectives at hebron district, palestine. http://dspace.hebron.edu:8080/xmlui/handle/12 3456789/310 aqil, m. h. (2016). analyzing teacher’s questions in reading activity. 285–288. https://doi.org/10.2991/conaplin-16.2017.64 anderson, l. w., & krathwohl, d. r. (2001). a taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: a revision of bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. longman. asari, s., fauziyah, n., & uchitiawati, e. (2018). pedagogic competence in controlling learning activities. barrett, r. l., & barrett, m. d. (2023). taxonomic revision of australian erythrophleum (fabaceae: caesalpinioideae) including description of two new species. australian systematic botany, 36(5), 401-426. basuki, i., & hariyanto. (2014). learning assessment. pt. rosdakarya teenager. blömeke, s., jentsch, a., ross, n., kaiser, g., & könig, j. (2022). opening up the black box: teacher competence, instructional quality, and students’ learning progress. learning and instruction, 79, 101600. birbili, m. (2013). teachers' questioning techniques in the classroom: uses and challenges. educational research review. bowman, m. a., vongkulluksn, v. w., jiang, z., & xie, k. (2022). teachers’ exposure to professional development and the quality of their instructional technology use: the mediating role of teachers’ value and ability beliefs. journal of research on technology in education, 54(2), 188-204. bui, t. h. (2022). english teachers’ integration of digital technologies in the classroom. international journal of educational research open, 3, 100204. channa, w. m., & sahito, z. (2022). pedagogical competencies of teachers and the achievement of students: explorations of best practices through a literature review. webology, 19(3). cortes, e. g., woloszyn, v., barone, d., möller, s., & vieira, r. (2022). a systematic review of question answering systems for non-factoid questions. journal of intelligent information systems, 1-28. danim, s. (2020). pedagogi, andragogi, dan heutagogi. alfabeta. https://doi.org/10.2991/conaplin-16.2017.64 uswatun hasanah yude & yetti zainil evaluating teacher’s competence in developing reading comprehension questions based on barrett’s taxonomy 1060 edwards, s., & bowman, m. a. (2024). promoting student learning through questioning: a study of classroom questions. ertem, z. s. (2023). cognitive and affective levels of the questions asked in reading part of english textbook in turkey. european journal of education studies, 10(11). eva stranovská, mária lalinská, & ivana boboňová. (2017). perception of the degree of importance of teacher’s professional competences from the perspective of teacher and head teacher in the evaluation process of educational efficiency. pedagogika, 127(3), 5–20. gobel, r. t. s., muhtar, m. h., suleman, z., & muammar. (2023). coherence of the government’s policy agenda in the elimination of regional honorary teachers. 133–140. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-494069-35-0_17 goossen, l. (2002). teachers' questioning patterns and the development of students' thinking skills. journal of educational psychology. guest, g., namey, e.e., & mitchell, m.l. (2012). collecting qualitative data: a field manual for applied research. sage publications. harrison, r., meyer, l., rawstorne, p., razee, h., chitkara, u., mears, s., & balasooriya, c. (2022). evaluating and enhancing quality in higher education teaching practice: a metareview. studies in higher education, 47(1), 8096. hattie, j. (2008). visible learning: a synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. routledge. irhasyuarna, y., kusasi, m., fahmi, f., fajeriadi, h., aulia, w. r., nikmah, s., & rahili, z. (2022). integrated science teaching materials with local wisdom insights to improve students' critical thinking ability. bio-inoved: jurnal biologiinovasi pendidikan, 4(3), 328-334. jahiriansyah, w., and syukri m. (2013). the role of the school principal as an educator in increasing teacher pedagogical competence. journal of education and learning, 2(10), 1-16. jaya, h. p., & kelana, j. (2022). the role of questioning in the classroom. educational studies. jeno, l.m., adachi, p., grytnes, j.a., vandvik, v., & deci, e.l. (2023). motivational and learning outcomes: the role of teacher support. educational psychology, scandinavian journal of educational research, 67(2), 194–211. kim, m. (2022). student agency and teacher authority in inquiry-based classrooms: cases of elementary teachers’ classroom talk. international journal of science and mathematics education, 20(8), 1927-1948. komariah, e., erdiana, n., & mutia, t. (2020). communication strategies used by efl students in classroom speaking activities. international journal of language studies, 14(3). kusiak, m. (2012). reading comprehension in english language teaching. lim, c. k., eng, l. s., & mohamed, a. r. (2014). benchmarking year five students’ reading abilities. english language teaching, 7(5), 50– 58. luo, f. (2023). evaluating the effectiveness and insights of preservice elementary teachers’ abilities to construct word problems for fraction multiplication. journal of mathematics education, 2(1), 83-98. mckenney, s., & reeves, t. (2018). conducting educational design research (2 ed.). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315105642 mckenney, s., & reeves, t. c. (2012). conducting educational design research. routledge. margolis, j., & strom, k. (2022). assessing the success of teacher leadership: the case for asking new questions. in leadership for professional learning (pp. 147-161). routledge. mealings, k., miles, k., & buchholz, j. m. (2024). the classroom communication and collaboration appraisal: a comprehensive tool for assessing communication and collaboration in classroom environments. journal of speech, language, and hearing research, 1-20. merizka, i. (2021). teachers' competence in constructing higher-order thinking skills questions. mirzoeva, m. (2022). improving the professional competence of future biology teachers as a pedagogical problem. science and innovation, 1(4), 293-296. moore, s., nguyen, h. a., chen, t., & stamper, j. (2023, august). assessing the quality of multiple-choice questions using gpt-4 and rulebased methods. in european conference on technology enhanced learning (pp. 229-245). cham: springer nature switzerland. moosa, a., & shareefa, m. (2019). adaptive teaching methodologies and student learning outcomes. journal of educational research. muhonen, h., verma, p., von suchodoletz, a., & rasku-puttonen, h. (2022). exploring types of educational classroom talk in early childhood education centres. research papers in education, 37(1), 30-51. nurhikmah, h., aris, m., arismunandar, a.,sujarwo, s., & sukmawati, s. (2022). development of local content teaching material for the history of wajo. journal of innovation in educational and cultural research, 3(2), 264-270. olsher, g., & kantor, i.-d. (2012). asking questions as a key strategy in guiding a novice teacher: a selfstudy. studying teacher education, 8(2), 157– 168. https://doi.org/10.1080/17425964.2012.692988 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1061 orakci, s., & durnali, m. (2023). the impact of teacher competence on student outcomes. psychology in the schools, 60(1), 162–181. pagliaro, m. (2011). teachers’ questioning patterns and the cognitive development of students. journal of educational development. rahman, a. (2014). enhancing teacher effectiveness through pedagogical proficiency. journal of educational and pratice, 5(9), 75-80. reeve, j., & cheon, s. h. (2021). motivating students through classroom interactions. educational psychology review. reeves, j. (2012). the purpose and application of barrett's taxonomy. ribosa, j., & duran, d. (2022). do students learn what they teach when generating teaching materials for others? a meta-analysis through the lens of learning by teaching. educational research review, 37, 100475. risan, r. (2022). identifying the characteristics of the student: an evaluation for english teachers pedagogical competence. journal of english language teaching, 11(2), 147-159. roberts, j. k., & stone, j. m. (2003). research methodology in education. applied nursing research, 16(1), 70-72. rosnita. (2011). the role of teachers in facilitating student learning. journal of education and learning. rostini, d., syam, r. z. a., & achmad, w. (2022). the significance of principal management on teacher performance and quality of learning. al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 14(2), 2513-2520. ruzek, e. a., hafen, c. a., allen, j. p., gregory, a., mikami, a. y., & pianta, r. c. (2016). how teacher emotional support motivates students: the mediating roles of perceived peer relatedness, autonomy support, and competence. learning and instruction, 42, 95-103. ryan, r. m., & deci, e. l. (2017). self-determination theory: basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. guilford press. saputra, e. b. (2022). the effect of teacher communication ability and learning motivation on student learning outcomes in economic lessons for class xi ips sma ekasakti in padang academic year 2015/2016. journal international on global education, 1(1), 1-10. siddikov, b. s., & mahkamova, m. b. (2022). ways to develop the professional qualities of future teachers. oriental renaissance: innovative, educational, natural and social sciences, 2(11), 966-972. siri, a., supartha, i. w. g., sukaatmadja, i. p. g., & rahyuda, a. g. (2020). does teacher competence and commitment improve teacher’s professionalism. cogent business & management, 7(1), 1781993. skantz-åberg, e., lantz-andersson, a., lundin, m., & williams, p. (2022). teachers’ professional digital competence: an overview of conceptualisations in the literature. cogent education, 9(1), 2063224. smit, n., van dijk, m., de bot, k., & lowie, w. (2022). the complex dynamics of adaptive teaching: observing teacher-student interaction in the language classroom. international review of applied linguistics in language teaching, 60(1), 23-40. smith, m. c., & barrett, t. c. (1979). barrett's taxonomy of reading comprehension. sudjana, n., & ibrahim, r. (2001). statistik pendidikan. sinar baru algesindo. sugiyono. (2018). metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r&d. alfabeta. sulaiman, j., & ismail, s. n. (2020). teacher competence and 21st century skills in transformation schools 2025 (ts25). universal journal of educational research, 8(8), 35363544. sulasmi, e. (2022). primary school teachers’ digital literacy: an analysis on teachers’ skills in using technological devices. journal of innovation in educational and cultural research, 3(2), 140145. supardi. (2016). strategi komunikasi di kelas. suryati, s., asari, s., & fauziyah, n. (2023). adaptive teaching methodologies for improving student outcomes. journal of education and practice varma, s. b., rahmat, n. h., sim, m. s., sherina, n., abidin, z., jamil, n. s. z. m., & mei, h. c. (2022). an investigation of classroom communication strategies across discipline. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 12(5), 648-662. walsh, j., & sattes, b. d. (2011). questioning strategies for teachers. wardani, n. i., zainal, r., & kelana, j. (2021). developing student potential through effective questioning. journal of educational studies. warman, w., poernomo, s. a., januar, s., & amon, l. (2022). leadership style and principal supervision in improving teacher performance at state high schools in kutai kartanegara regency, east kalimantan province, indonesia. eduline: journal of education and learning innovation, 2(1), 17-24. wu, d., zhou, c., li, y., & chen, m. (2022). factors associated with teachers' competence to develop students’ information literacy: a multilevel approach. computers & education, 176, 104360. yuniar, s., rakhmat, i., & saepulrohman, n. (2015). the effectiveness of classroom questioning techniques. journal of pedagogical research. zarrinabadi, n., ketabi, s., & tavakoli, m. (2021). growth mindset and the development of reading comprehension skills. journal of educational psychology. uswatun hasanah yude & yetti zainil evaluating teacher’s competence in developing reading comprehension questions based on barrett’s taxonomy 1062 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 17 exploring undergraduate students' perceptions of efl speaking classes: insights from six dimensions in indonesian higher education ihda rosdiana english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pancasakti tegal, indonesia email: ihda_rosdiana@upstegal.ac.id taufiqulloh english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pancasakti tegal, indoneisa email: taufiqkayla@upstegal.ac.id apa citation: rosdiana, i., & taufiqulloh. (2025). exploring undergraduate students' perceptions of efl speaking classes: insights from six dimensions in indonesian higher education. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 17-28. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.11248 received: 28-10-2024 accepted: 25-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: this study explores undergraduate students’ perceptions of efl speaking classes across six key dimensions: general perceptions, anxiety, engagement and motivation, instructional strategies, peer and teacher interactions, and assessment. these dimensions are essential for evaluating speaking instruction as they encompass cognitive, affective, and social factors that shape learning experiences. a mixed-methods approach was used, collecting data from a 30-item likert-scale questionnaire, analyzed through descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic analysis. participants included 40 undergraduate students from the english education department, universitas pancasakti tegal, during the 2024/2025 academic year. findings indicate generally positive perceptions, particularly of instructional strategies like role plays and group discussions. however, anxiety due to fear of judgment and low self-confidence remains a challenge. moderate engagement and motivation were observed, with real-world activities and goal setting being crucial. the integration of technology-based tools, such as self-recorded videos and topic-specific vlogs, effectively accommodated diverse learner needs. peer and teacher interactions played a significant role in reducing anxiety and encouraging communication, while peer and collaborative assessments were valued for self-reflection and critical thinking. by linking these dimensions, the study highlights the interplay between pedagogy, affective factors, and classroom environments. it emphasizes the need for innovative instructional strategies, a supportive learning atmosphere, and meaningful assessment methods to enhance speaking skills. future research should examine the long-term impact of these strategies across diverse cultural settings to refine efl pedagogy and address gaps in current teaching practices. keywords: undergraduate students; efl speaking classes; perceptions; instructional strategies; assessment; motivation introduction in today’s globalized world, english proficiency is a crucial skill for academic and professional success, particularly in non-native englishspeaking countries such as indonesia. speaking, as a fundamental language skill, plays a key role in communication, collaboration, and knowledge dissemination. in the indonesian higher education context, developing english-speaking skills is essential for students to participate in international academic discourse, research presentations, and cross-cultural interactions. despite its importance, many efl (english as a foreign language) learners struggle with speaking proficiency, largely due to limited exposure to authentic english conversations, anxiety, and instructional challenges (burhanuddin et al., 2023). to address these challenges, indonesian universities have integrated various instructional strategies into efl speaking classes, such as role plays, debates, and presentations. these methods aim to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical communication skills (grieve et al., 2021). however, despite such interventions, students often exhibit hesitation and reluctance to speak in english, influenced by psychological barriers, cultural norms, and instructional approaches. thus, exploring students' perceptions of efl speaking classes becomes critical to understanding the mailto:ihda_rosdiana@upstegal.ac.id mailto:taufiqkayla@upstegal.ac.id ihda rosdiana & taufiqulloh exploring undergraduate students' perceptions of efl speaking classes: insights from six dimensions in indonesian higher education 18 effectiveness of current teaching methods and identifying areas for improvement. speaking is a core skill in language learning, especially in english as a foreign language (efl) contexts, where learners have limited exposure to authentic english communication. mastering speaking skills enables students to engage in academic discussions, professional communication, and international collaboration (burhanuddin et al., 2023). research shows that students who actively develop their speaking skills gain confidence in expressing their ideas, which improves their academic performance and career prospects (nguyen & nguyen, 2020). students' general perceptions of efl speaking classes depend on teaching methods, classroom environment, and opportunities for practice. studies indicate that interactive activities such as group discussions, debates, and role-plays enhance students' engagement and confidence (gürbüz & cabaroğlu, 2021). however, lack of real-world exposure and fear of making mistakes often diminish students’ willingness to speak in classroom settings (almira et al., 2018). anxiety is one of the most frequent psychological barriers affecting efl learners' speaking performance. research by grieve et al. (2021) found that students often feel nervous and self-conscious during oral presentations due to fear of judgment and low self-confidence. similarly, almira et al. (2018) reported that students, particularly females, experience higher levels of anxiety when speaking in front of peers. these anxieties lead to avoidance behaviors, where students withdraw from speaking activities, ultimately limiting their language development. several pedagogical strategies have been proposed to reduce speaking anxiety and encourage participation. studies suggest that creating a supportive, nonjudgmental environment helps students feel more comfortable expressing themselves (kayaoğlu & sağlamel, 2013). moreover, peer discussions, scaffolding activities, and progressive exposure to speaking tasks have been effective in gradually reducing anxiety levels (pratama, 2018). motivation plays a critical role in students’ willingness to engage in speaking activities. research shows that students are more likely to participate in speaking tasks when they see relevance to their personal goals and future careers (dewi & wilany, 2023). extrinsic motivators such as grades and rewards encourage participation, while intrinsic motivation—driven by interest and confidence—leads to sustained engagement (agnes & marlina, 2021). taskbased learning (tbl) is widely recognized as an effective approach for engaging students in meaningful speaking practice. li (2015) found that real-world tasks such as simulations and project-based learning improve students' ability to use english naturally and fluently. similarly, tuyen & phuong (2022) found that students considered role-playing and collaborative tasks highly beneficial for fluency development. hybrid learning, which combines face-to-face instruction with digital tools, has emerged as a powerful strategy for improving speaking proficiency. studies show that self-recorded video assignments, online discussion forums, and digital role-plays allow students to practice speaking in a controlled yet flexible environment (prasodjo, 2023). however, challenges such as lack of interaction and technical limitations need to be addressed (islah et al., 2022). technology has revolutionized language learning by providing interactive and multimodal learning experiences. koesoemah (2019) found that self-recorded videos help students build fluency and self-confidence. additionally, digital storytelling and topic-based vlogs (tbv) have been found to enhance engagement and pronunciation skills (prasodjo, 2023). however, students require guidance and structured implementation to maximize the benefits of these tools. research suggests that peer interactions significantly enhance speaking confidence. munirah et al. (2023) found that students who engage in peer discussions tend to perform better in oral assessments. peer evaluations and collaborative feedback sessions help students become more comfortable with speaking, as they receive constructive criticism in a low-pressure environment (sa’adah, 2019). teachers play a crucial role in shaping students’ attitudes toward speaking activities. studies indicate that instructors who provide positive reinforcement, structured feedback, and opportunities for practice contribute to higher student confidence and participation (tâm, 2022). however, traditional teacher-centered approaches often lead to passive learning and low engagement, necessitating a shift toward studentcentered instruction. assessment plays a pivotal role in measuring speaking proficiency, yet traditional assessment methods often induce stress and anxiety. studies suggest that standard oral exams do not always reflect students' true speaking abilities, as anxiety can impact their english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 19 performance (taufiqulloh et al., 2024). consequently, alternative assessment strategies such as peer assessment, self-reflection, and project-based evaluations have gained attention (hidayah et al., 2021). recent research advocates for authentic and technology-enhanced assessments, such as digital portfolios, video submissions, and real-world speaking tasks (alshalan, 2024). these approaches allow students to track their progress over time and develop confidence (chou, 2021). additionally, interactive assessments using aipowered tools and speech recognition software are gaining popularity for providing real-time feedback on pronunciation and fluency. cultural factors significantly influence students' speaking behaviors and perceptions. burhanuddin et al. (2023) emphasize that culturally responsive teaching methods can reduce anxiety and improve engagement. when students relate speaking activities to their cultural experiences, they feel more comfortable and confident in expressing their ideas (munirah et al., 2023). students often struggle with transitioning from academic speaking contexts to real-world communication. studies indicate that practical speaking exercises such as mock interviews, business presentations, and professional dialogues improve students' workplace readiness (fitria, 2023). however, many efl courses still focus on scripted or artificial speech activities that do not prepare students for spontaneous conversations (nithideechaiwarachok et al., 2022). existing literature highlights the interconnected nature of psychological, instructional, and technological factors in shaping students' perceptions of efl speaking classes. while various innovative strategies have been explored, challenges such as speaking anxiety, assessment limitations, and lack of real-world exposure remain prevalent. addressing these challenges requires a holistic approach that integrates engaging pedagogy, supportive peerteacher interactions, and technology-driven assessments to foster an inclusive and effective learning environment. method this study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining statistical measurement and descriptive analysis to investigate undergraduate students’ perceptions of efl speaking classes. the research was conducted at the english education department, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pancasakti tegal, during the odd semester of the 2024/2025 academic year. a total of 40 undergraduate students participated in the study. the speaking course, which serves as the context of this study, aims to enhance students' ability to comprehend and respond appropriately in various everyday situations, academic settings, and professional contexts. by assessing students’ perceptions across six key dimensions, this study seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of how instructional strategies, engagement, anxiety, peer and teacher interactions, and assessment shape their learning experiences in efl speaking classes. the instrument used in this study is a survey questionnaire designed to measure students’ perceptions of efl speaking classes. the questionnaire consists of 30 items, distributed across six dimensions: general perceptions of speaking classes, anxiety, engagement and motivation, instructional strategies, peer and teacher interaction, and assessment, with five items for each dimension. responses were recorded using a five-point likert scale (strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree) to capture students' attitudes toward speaking instruction. to ensure construct and content validity, factor analysis was conducted using spss. factor analysis is a statistical technique that assesses whether questionnaire items align with the intended dimensions, ensuring that the instrument measures what it is supposed to measure. the results showed that all 30 items had factor loadings between 0.6 and 0.9, indicating strong validity. for criterion validity, correlation coefficients were categorized into three levels: small (0.10–0.29), medium (0.30–0.49), and high (0.50–1.00). the analysis confirmed that the validity of the questionnaire ranged from 0.32 to 1.00, making it a reliable tool for measuring students' perceptions. to assess reliability, cronbach’s alpha was calculated. cronbach’s alpha measures internal consistency, determining how well the questionnaire items correlate with each other. a reliability coefficient closer to 1.00 indicates stronger consistency. the cronbach’s alpha value of 0.95 in this study demonstrates high reliability, confirming that the instrument consistently captures students' perceptions. beyond statistical validation, qualitative data was collected through open-ended responses and participant feedback, complementing the numerical findings. this qualitative component ihda rosdiana & taufiqulloh exploring undergraduate students' perceptions of efl speaking classes: insights from six dimensions in indonesian higher education 20 provided deeper insights into students’ experiences, challenges, and suggestions, allowing for a more comprehensive interpretation of the results. the integration of both quantitative and qualitative analyses ensures a holistic understanding of undergraduate students’ perceptions in efl speaking classes. results & discussion using spss, descriptive statistics were conducted to analyze students' responses across the six dimensions of efl speaking classes. this analysis included measuring central tendency (mean, median, and mode), dispersion (standard deviation), and frequency distribution to understand how students' responses were distributed across the likert scale. each dimension was examined separately to provide detailed insights into students’ perceptions, supported by relevant theoretical perspectives such as krashen’s affective filter hypothesis and vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. the results are fugred out below. table 1. descriptive statistics of the general perceptions of speaking classes dimension item n minimum maximum mean std deviation i improve my communication skill through speaking classes 40 1 4 2.00 .751 attending speaking classes is very enjoyable. 40 1 3 1.90 .545 speaking classes enhance my confidence to communicate in everyday life 40 1 3 1.83 .636 the topics in speaking classes are interesting 40 1 3 2.03 .530 overall, the quality of the speaking classes is good. 40 1 3 1.90 .379 the respondents' perceptions of their speaking classes are displayed in table 1. with moderate agreement on the majority of the topics, the results generally show a favorable opinion of the classes. with a mean score of 2.00 (on a scale of 1 to 4) and a standard deviation of 0.751, the statement, "i improve my communication skills through speaking classes," indicated moderate agreement with some response variability. on a scale of 1 to 3, the statement, "attending speaking classes is very enjoyable," also obtained a mean score of 1.90 and a standard deviation of 0.545, indicating that respondents' opinions about the classes are generally consistent and that they find them enjoyable.a mean score of 1.83 and a standard deviation of 0.636 were found for the item, "speaking classes enhance my confidence to communicate in everyday life," suggesting moderate agreement with somewhat more variable responses. surprisingly, the statement, "the topics in speaking classes are interesting," had the lowest standard deviation (0.530) and the highest mean score (2.03) on a scale of 1 to 3, indicating substantial agreement on the topics' engaging character with little variation. lastly, with the lowest standard deviation of 0.379 and a mean score of 1.90, the statement, "overall, the quality of the speaking classes is good," demonstrated moderate agreement and very consistent opinions about the classes' quality. in summary, most responders think the speaking sessions are beneficial, emphasizing the interesting subjects in particular. however, more work may be done in areas like boosting confidence in everyday communication. responses are consistent, reflecting common viewpoints and offering a solid foundation for program improvement. table 2. descriptive statistics of the anxiety dimension item n minimum maximum mean std deviation speaking english in front of my classmates makes me nervous 40 1 3 2.05 .552 i feel worried of making mistakes when speaking in classes. 40 1 3 2.17 .549 i feel anxious when i have to answer questions in english spontaneously. 40 1 3 1.93 .526 speaking during classes makes me feel uncomfortable 40 1 4 2.13 .563 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 21 i hesitate to take part in class discussions 40 1 4 2.00 .716 participants in speaking classes report a moderate level of anxiety, according to table 2's statistical analysis of the anxiety dimension, which also shows significant trends across settings. the statement "speaking english in front of my classmates makes me nervous" has a standard deviation of 0.552 and an average score of 2.05 on a scale of 1 to 3. this implies that the majority of participants concur with the statement and that there is not much difference in their answers. similarly, the mean score of 2.17 and standard deviation of 0.549 for the item "i feel worried about making mistakes when speaking in classes" are marginally higher. this suggests that participants' concerns about making mistakes are widespread, as evidenced by their consistent answers. with a standard deviation of 0.526 and a mean score of 1.93, the statement "i feel anxious when i have to answer questions in english spontaneously" achieved the lowest score. this finding implies that although participants experience some anxiety in this setting, it is somewhat less severe than in other circumstances. with an average score of 2.13 (on a scale of 1 to 4) and a standard deviation of 0.563, the statement "speaking during classes makes me feel uncomfortable" indicates moderate discomfort with some variation in participants' answers. last but not least, the item "i hesitate to take part in class discussions" had the biggest standard deviation (0.716) and a mean score of 2.00. this result indicates that while participants frequently experience hesitation, there are notable differences in the level of hesitation. overall, these results show that participants experience fear in a variety of ways, with intensity and consistency varying according to the speaking activity's particular context. table 3. descriptive statistics of the engagement and motivation dimension item n minimum maximum mean std deviation i am actively engaged in classroom discussions. 40 2 4 2.60 .591 speaking english outside of class makes me well motivated 40 1 4 2.00 .784 i keep engaged and interested in the speaking activities in class. 40 1 4 2.13 .563 i set personal goals to improve my speaking skills in english. 40 1 4 2.00 .716 i feel enjoyable learning speaking and look forward to speaking class activities. 40 1 3 2.13 .648 the engagement and motivation component, which is derived from table 3, emphasizes how involved, interested, and enthusiastic participants are in speaking activities. with a mean score of 2.60 (on a scale of 2–4) and a standard deviation of 0.591, "i am actively engaged in classroom discussions" stands out among the measured items. with comparatively little variation in responses, this result suggests that participants generally view themselves as actively participating in class discussions. "speaking english outside of class makes me well motivated" has a standard deviation of 0.784 and a mean score of 2.00 on a scale of 1 to 4. this indicates that participants are moderately motivated, but the greater variability points to variations in their motivation levels when speaking english outside of the classroom. with a mean score of 2.13 and a standard deviation of 0.563, the item "i keep engaged and interested in the speaking activities in class" indicates a moderate degree of participation in class activities and somewhat consistent responses. similar to this, the statement "i set personal goals to improve my speaking skills in english" had a higher standard deviation of 0.716 but a mean score of 2.00, suggesting that while some participants are dedicated to setting personal goals, others are not. with a mean score of 2.13 and a standard deviation of 0.648, the item "i enjoy learning to speak and look forward to speaking class activities" is the last one. this suggests that, although their excitement fluctuates a little more than in other areas, participants generally find speaking activities enjoyable and look forward to them. all things considered, the evidence indicates modest levels of drive and involvement, with differing degrees of consistency among speaking activities. ihda rosdiana & taufiqulloh exploring undergraduate students' perceptions of efl speaking classes: insights from six dimensions in indonesian higher education 22 table 4. descriptive statistics of the instructional strategies dimension item n minimum maximum mean std deviation my english fluency is improved due to the instructional strategies of speaking class 40 1 3 2.05 .552 various class activities such as role plays and group discussions are effective for learning 40 1 5 2.05 .714 the materials of the speaking classes support my learning process 40 1 3 1.93 .526 the teacher applies a variety of techniques to make learning speaking interesting. 40 1 4 2.00 .641 the flow of lessons in speaking classes matches my learning needs 40 1 4 2.05 .597 the descriptive statistics for instructional strategies, which are shown in table 4, offer important insights into how participants see teaching approaches and how they affect speaking skill development. a mean score of 2.05 (on a scale of 1 to 3) and a standard deviation of 0.552 indicate that participants moderately agreed that the instructional tactics utilized in their speaking class enhanced their english fluency. similarly, with the same mean score of 2.05 but a higher standard deviation of 0.714, class activities including role plays and group discussions were deemed beneficial for learning. this indicates that although the majority of participants found these activities helpful, their perspectives vary more. with the lowest mean score of 1.93 out of all the items, the speaking class materials were only marginally regarded as aiding in the learning process. with a standard deviation of 0.526, the responses were the most constant, nonetheless. regarding instructional strategies, participants somewhat agreed that teachers used a range of approaches to engage students. with a mean score of 2.00 and a standard deviation of 0.641, this item showed some variation in participant answers. finally, with a mean score of 2.05 and a standard deviation of 0.597, participants felt that the speaking classes' lesson flow somewhat matched their learning goals. this indicates that responses about how the lectures are structured are often consistent. although their opinions differed depending on particular elements like class activities and instructional materials, participants generally thought that instructional tactics were moderately effective. table 5. descriptive statistics of the peer and teacher evaluation dimension item n minimum maximum mean std deviation my english fluency is improved due to the instructional strategies of speaking class 40 1 3 2.10 .591 various class activities such as role plays and group discussions are effective for learning 40 1 3 2.05 .552 the materials of the speaking classes support my learning process 40 1 2 1.75 .439 the teacher applies a variety of techniques to make learning speaking interesting. 40 1 5 2.05 .714 the flow of lessons in speaking classes matches my learning needs 40 1 3 2.10 .591 the descriptive statistics for teacher and peer evaluation are shown in table 5 and offer important insights into how participants see feedback and teaching methods in speaking lessons. with a mean score of 2.10 (on a scale of 1–3) and a standard deviation of 0.591, participants largely agreed that the teaching tactics utilized in speaking sessions improved their english fluency. this indicates a moderate level of agreement with dependable answers. similarly, with a mean score of 2.05 and a somewhat lower standard deviation of 0.552, which indicates little diversity in participants' opinions, activities like role plays and group discussions were viewed as beneficial for learning. the speaking class materials, on the other hand, had the lowest mean score (1.75 with a standard deviation of 0.439). the limited range of replies and reduced degree of agreement indicate that participants felt the materials did not enhance their learning process as much. although the range of instructional strategies used by english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 23 teachers received a mean score of 2.05, the questions' largest standard deviation of 0.714 suggested that participants' judgments were more diverse. finally, with a standard deviation of 0.591 and a mean score of 2.10, the statement about how the lectures flowed in accordance with the participants' learning needs tied for the highest score. regarding the appropriateness of the instructional framework, this indicates a moderate level of agreement and consistent responses. even though participants thought that class activities and instructional strategies were generally effective, the results show that there may be room for improvement, especially in improving the caliber of the materials and addressing the variation in teaching methods to better support learning outcomes. table 6. descriptive statistics of the assessment dimension item n minimum maximum mean std deviation my english fluency is improved due to the instructional strategies of speaking class 40 1 3 2.17 .549 various class activities such as role plays and group discussions are effective for learning 40 1 3 2.10 .591 the materials of the speaking classes support my learning process 40 1 3 2.10 .441 the teacher applies a variety of techniques to make learning speaking interesting. 40 1 4 2.02 .800 the flow of lessons in speaking classes matches my learning needs 40 1 3 1.93 .526 the statistical analysis for the assessment dimension, which shows participants' opinions on evaluation procedures and teaching methods in speaking lessons, is shown in table 6. important insights into their perceptions and experiences are revealed by the data. with a mean score of 2.17 (on a scale of 1–3) and a standard deviation of 0.549, the item "my english fluency is improved due to the instructional strategies of speaking class" indicated moderate agreement among participants and consistent responses overall. comparably, the statement "various class activities such as role plays and group discussions are effective for learning" received a mean score of 2.10 and a standard deviation of 0.591, indicating that participants generally agreed that these activities were beneficial, albeit with somewhat different perspectives. furthermore, with a mean score of 2.10 and the lowest standard deviation of 0.441, the statement "the materials of the speaking classes support my learning process" also demonstrated a high and constant agreement regarding the efficacy of the learning materials. however, with a mean of 2.02 and the largest standard deviation of 0.800, the item "the teacher applies a variety of techniques to make learning speaking interesting" indicated moderate agreement with more diversity in participant responses. finally, with a mean score of 1.93 and a standard deviation of 0.526, the statement "the flow of lessons in speaking classes matches my learning needs" had the lowest score. this finding implies that, in comparison to the other factors assessed, participants were less satisfied with how well the lesson flow met their learning needs. this study examines undergraduate students' perceptions of efl speaking classes by examining their experiences in six important dimensions: general perspectives, anxiety, motivation and engagement, instructional tactics, interactions with teachers and peers, and assessment. even though most students view these classes favorably, there are several obstacles that prevent the best possible learning results. regarding general perceptions, students find speaking classes moderately effective, appreciating interactive activities and engaging topics. this finding supports grieve et al. (2021) who emphasize the significance of dynamic classrooms for enhancing participation and learning. students find speaking classes relevant and enjoyable, as seen by the high scores given to statements like "i improve my communication skills through speaking classes" and "the topics in speaking classes are interesting." lower confidence-building scores, however, indicate the necessity of focused techniques to improve students' communication self-confidence. anxiety emerges as a major obstacle, with students worrying about making mistakes or speaking before peers. this aligns with burhanuddin et al. (2023) who identified anxiety as a disruptor of engagement in speaking tasks, and echoes kayaoğlu & sağlamel (2013) regarding fear of negative judgment. practices like mindfulness and reframing errors as learning ihda rosdiana & taufiqulloh exploring undergraduate students' perceptions of efl speaking classes: insights from six dimensions in indonesian higher education 24 opportunities (pratama, 2018) could alleviate these concerns and foster more active participation. the survey also identifies modest levels of motivation and involvement. active engagement was demonstrated by the highest marks given to statements like "i am actively engaged in classroom discussions." however, motivation fluctuated, especially concerning using english beyond the classroom. dewi & wilany (2023)stress the importance of learner autonomy in sustaining motivation, suggesting that fostering student ownership of learning could improve outcomes. incorporating real-world contexts, as basri & rahayu (2022) suggest, might further boost motivation. teaching strategies were moderately effective, with role-plays and group discussions receiving favorable feedback. these findings align with dimastoro & anggani linggar bharati (2022) who noted the effectiveness of these methods in building fluency and confidence. however, the varied perceptions of teaching materials and methods point to the need for more tailored and innovative approaches. using tools like topicspecific vlogs and self-recorded videos (koesoemah, 2019; prasodjo, 2023) could connect classroom learning to real-world scenarios, enhancing engagement and skills. interactions with peers and teachers significantly impact students’ speaking experiences. positive teacher feedback and supportive peer relationships, highlighted by sa’adah (2019) and chen et al. (2023) help reduce anxiety and encourage willingness to communicate (wtc). according to the study, these encounters are helpful, but their efficacy varies, which emphasizes the necessity of systematic and regular feedback procedures. it is possible to enhance classroom dynamics and learning results by fostering a culture of cooperation and constructive criticism. speaking class assessment procedures were generally viewed favorably, with peer and collaborative evaluations receiving special recognition.these methods, as emphasized by taufiqulloh et al. (2024) promote critical thinking and self-awareness. however, aligning assessment criteria with students’ needs and providing detailed feedback remain challenges. using digital tools for assessment, as recommended by hidayah et al. (2021) can improve accessibility and provide immediate, inclusive feedback. the results highlight how these aspects are interrelated and how they all affect students' impressions. for example, anxiety impairs motivation and engagement, while helpful interactions and efficient teaching techniques lessen these difficulties. adopting a studentcentered approach, as emphasized by nurlaela & mangendre (2023) can address these interdependencies. tailored teaching methods, incorporating both global and local contexts, can create an inclusive and dynamic learning environment, as suggested by munirah et al. (2023).moreover, integrating technology into speaking classes can revolutionize language instruction. tools like virtual reality (chen et al., 2023) and blended learning platforms (tohamba et al., 2022) offer innovative solutions to traditional challenges, fostering engagement and adaptability. however, addressing technological disparities and ensuring equitable access are necessary to maximize their potential benefits. conclusions this study provides a comprehensive examination of undergraduate students’ perceptions of efl speaking courses, emphasizing both their benefits and challenges. students acknowledge that these courses encourage active engagement through dynamic and interactive learning activities, yet persistent issues such as speech anxiety, fluctuating motivation, and variations in teaching methods often hinder their participation and overall learning experience. a holistic understanding of these challenges requires analyzing the interplay between anxiety, engagement, and instructional strategies. speaking anxiety remains a major barrier, as students fear making mistakes and receiving negative judgment, leading to avoidance behaviors. however, engagement can be enhanced through instructional strategies that incorporate real-world scenarios, integrate technology-driven learning tools, and foster teacher-student and peer interactions. for instance, blended learning approaches that combine face-to-face discussions with digital platforms like self-recorded videos, virtual debates, and ai-assisted pronunciation tools have been found to reduce anxiety and build speaking confidence. additionally, using culturally relevant materials—such as local case studies, role-plays based on familiar social contexts, and discussions on region-specific issues—can increase students’ sense of belonging and motivation in speaking courses. assessment strategies must also evolve to align with student-centered learning approaches. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 25 incorporating peer and collaborative assessments, providing individualized feedback, and utilizing self-assessment tools help students develop selfreflection and critical thinking skills, ultimately fostering a more engaging and supportive classroom environment. moving forward, future research should explore the long-term impact of hybrid learning models on speaking proficiency, particularly in indonesian higher education contexts. additionally, studies on how cultural adaptations influence students’ engagement and speaking confidence would provide valuable insights into designing inclusive and contextually relevant efl programs. research could also examine how personalized learning pathways—tailored to students’ proficiency levels and learning preferences—can optimize speaking skill development over time. by addressing these factors, efl speaking classes can be more effective, inclusive, and aligned with students’ learning needs. teachers play a pivotal role in implementing these strategies, creating a supportive environment that reduces anxiety, fosters motivation, and enhances instructional effectiveness. ultimately, prioritizing student-centered teaching methodologies will ensure that graduates develop the confidence and communication skills necessary for academic, professional, and realworld success in a globalized world. references agnes, v. t., & marlina, l. (2021). efl students’ speaking motivation in speaking for informal interaction class at english department unp. journal of english language teaching, 10(1), 36-44. https://doi.org/10.24036/jelt.v10i1.111534 alhaider, s. m. (2023). teaching and learning the four english skills before and during the covid-19 era: perceptions of efl faculty and students in saudi higher education. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 8(1), 2-19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-02300193-6 almira, d., rachmawati, e., & faridah, d. (2018). efl male and female students’ perception on speaking anxiety in class-oral presentations. jall (journal of applied linguistics and literacy), 2(2), 56-70. https://doi.org/10.25157/jall.v2i2.2185 alshalan, dr. r. f. (2024). assessing efl speaking based on reconstructed caf measures. international journal of research in education humanities and commerce, 05(01), 9-24. https://doi.org/10.37602/ijrehc.2024.5102 amelia, m.-. (2021). lecturer’ strategies in teaching speaking on online learning during pandemic covid-19. journal of english language learning, 5(2), 63-75. https://doi.org/10.31949/jell.v5i2.3366 anggraeny, d., said, i., & febriani, r. b. (2020). the efl students’ perception of their foreign language anxiety in speaking class. jurnal wahana pendidikan, 7(1), 29-38. https://doi.org/10.25157/wa.v7i1.3123 ariani, s., & tawali, t. (2021). problems of online learning during covid-19 pandemic in speaking for professional context class. jo-elt (journal of english language teaching) fakultas pendidikan bahasa & seni prodi pendidikan bahasa inggris ikip, 8(1), 32-37. https://doi.org/10.33394/jo-elt.v8i1.3783 basri, n., & rahayu. (2022). english students’ motivation and their learning styles in speaking class at sawerigading university of makassar. foster: journal of english language teaching, 3(1), 15-25. https://doi.org/10.24256/foster-jelt.v3i1.53 burhanuddin, b., hudriati, a., & juniansyah, d. (2023). efl higher education students’ psychological factor in speaking classroom activities at universitas muslim indonesia: a research report. elt worldwide: journal of english language teaching, 10(1), 52-65. https://doi.org/10.26858/eltww.v10i1.38370 chen, c. y., chang, s. c., hwang, g. j., & zou, d. (2023). facilitating efl learners’ active behaviors in speaking: a progressive question prompt-based peer-tutoring approach with vr contexts. interactive learning environments, 31(4), 2268-2287. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.187823 2 chou, m.-h. (2021). an integrated approach to developing and assessing efl students’ speaking ability and strategy use. language education & assessment, 4(1), 19-37. https://doi.org/10.29140/lea.v4n1.428 citra prasiska puspita tohamba, wa ode hesran, & abdul halim. (2022). blended learning for speaking ability: students’ motivation in efl classroom. jle: journal of literate of english education study program, 3(02), 10-18. https://doi.org/10.47435/jle.v3i02.1329 damayanti, m. e., & listyani, l. (2020). an analysis of students’ speaking anxiety in academic speaking class. eltr journal, 4(2), 52-172. https://doi.org/10.37147/eltr.v4i2.70 dewi, d. s., & wilany, e. (2023). the relationship between learner autonomy and motivation in efl speaking class. elp (journal of english language pedagogy), 8(2), 194-208. https://doi.org/10.36665/elp.v8i2.758 dimastoro, n., & anggani linggar bharati, d. (2022). the effectiveness of role-play and task-basedhttps://doi.org/10.24036/jelt.v10i1.111534 https://doi.org/10.25157/jall.v2i2.2185 https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.1878232 https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.1878232 https://doi.org/10.47435/jle.v3i02.1329 ihda rosdiana & taufiqulloh exploring undergraduate students' perceptions of efl speaking classes: insights from six dimensions in indonesian higher education 26 strategy to teach speaking to students with different learning styles. english education journal, 12(2), 192-204. https://doi.org/10.15294/eej.v12i2.53314 duong, l. t. t., & trang, n. h. (2023). freshman efl learners’ anxiety in speaking classes and coping strategies. european journal of foreign language teaching, 7(3), 32-45. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejfl.v7i3.5019 fitria, t. n. (2023). english lecturers’ difficulties in teaching english for specific purposes (esp) in various higher education in indonesia. journal of english teaching and learning issues, 6(1), 65-80. https://doi.org/10.21043/jetli.v6i1.19178 grieve, r., woodley, j., hunt, s. e., & mckay, a. (2021). student fears of oral presentations and public speaking in higher education: a qualitative survey. journal of further and higher education, 45(9), 1282-1293. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877x.2021.194850 9 gürbüz, c., & cabaroğlu, n. (2021). efl students’ perceptions of oral presentations: implications for motivation, language ability and speech anxiety. journal of language and linguistic studies, 17(1), 600-614. https://doi.org/10.52462/jlls.41 hidayah, l. f. n., suwandi, s., sumarwati, & setiawan, b. (2021). implementation of speaking competency assessment during the new normal in higher education. proceedings of the international conference on language politeness (iclp 2020), 553, 114-121. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210514.017 horverak, m. o., langeland, g. m., løvik, a., askland, s., scheffler, p., & wach, a. (2022). systematic work with speaking skills and motivation in second language classes. iafor journal of education, 10(1), 33-52. https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.10.1.02 indra sudrajat. (2022). teachers’ strategies and challenges in teaching speaking to young learners. jela (journal of english language teaching, literature and applied linguistics), 4(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.37742/jela.v4i1.71 islah, n., syam, a. f., & nurhikmah, a. (2022). factors hampering efl higher education students’ speaking ability in the time of online learning. elt worldwide: journal of english language teaching, 9(1), 243-251. https://doi.org/10.26858/eltww.v9i1.36619 kayaoğlu, m. n., & sağlamel, h. (2013). students’ perceptions of language anxiety in speaking classes. journal of history culture and art research, 2(2), 142-160. https://doi.org/10.7596/taksad.v2i2.245 khodi, a., khezerlou, h., & sahraei, h. (2022). dependability and utility of using e-portfolios in assessing efl learners’ speaking proficiency. computer assisted language learning. 37(7), 1579-1601. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2022.209337 9 koesoemah, n. h. (2019). improving english spoken skills through self recorded video for higher education students. jurnal bahasa inggris terapan, 5(1), 52-65. https://doi.org/10.35313/jbit.v5i1.1554 kusumaningtyas, b. w. d., & mukti, t. w. p. (2023). students’ perception of social presence in the online efl speaking class. englisia: journal of language, education, and humanities, 10(2), 37-55. https://doi.org/10.22373/ej.v10i2.15018 li, d. (2015). comparison between peer mediation and teacher mediation in dynamic efl writing assessment: a case study. chinese journal of applied linguistics, 38(4), 490-502. https://doi.org/10.1515/cjal-2015-0031 luo, z. (2024). a review of krashen’s input theory. journal of education, humanities and social sciences, 26, 130-135. https://doi.org/10.54097/3fnf5786 martina, f., akbarjono, a., friantary, h., & sari, t. n. p. (2021). investigating english students’ motivation in speaking class during new normal era. journal of english education and teaching, 5(3), 436-452. https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.5.3.436-452 munirah, m., syahruddin, s., & yusuf, a. b. (2023). the development of cultural integrated indonesian speaking e-module for higher education students in indonesia. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 13(1), 191-203. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v13i1.58266 nguyen, t. n. t., & nguyen, h. b. (2020). classroom participation in efl speaking classes: students’ perceptions. international journal of innovative research and development, 9(4), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.24940/ijird/2020/v9/i4/apr200 04 nithideechaiwarachok, b., maneekanon, o., & bubphada, t. (2022). exploring english language proficiency, english language problems, and english needs among first year undergraduate students. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 21(12), 273-290. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.21.12.15 nurkhofifah, m. h., juliani, a., manik, u., & juniardi, y. (2023). assessing the speaking skill: a study in the third level education. journal of english language teaching and cultural studies, 6(2), 122-131. https://doi.org/10.48181/jelts.v6i2.19922 nurlaela, n., & mangendre, y. (2023). a descriptive study on students’ speaking ability in “daily conversation” context at higher education. jurnal pendidikan glasser, 7(1), 204-210. https://doi.org/10.32529/glasser.v7i1.2402 http://dx.doi.org/10.26858/eltww.v9i1.36619 https://doi.org/10.7596/taksad.v2i2.245 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 27 prasodjo, p. (2023). improving speaking ability in english through topic-based-vlog (tbv). journal of english teaching, applied linguistics and literatures (jetall), 6(1), 2332. https://doi.org/10.20527/jetall.v6i1.14433 pratama, r. (2018). a students’ strategies to overcome speaking anxiety in public speaking class. english education journal eej, 7(1), 66-86. http://doi.org/ 10.35905/inspiring.v7i1.8766 qarani, z. s. (2023). assessing efl students speaking in the classroom from kurdish instructors’ perspectives. cihan university-erbil journal of humanities and social sciences, 7(1), 132-135. https://doi.org/10.24086/cuejhss.v7n1y2023.pp1 32-135 rosita sari, d., & arifin, s. (2020). problem based learning: new strategy to teach descriptive text in speaking. lingual: journal of language and culture, 9(1), 2-4. rozi, i. (2022). the correlation between motivation and students’ speaking skills at international class program (icp) of iain salatiga. annual international conference on islamic education for students, 1(1), 272-284. https://doi.org/10.18326/aicoies.v1i1.300 sa’adah, l. (2019). oral corrective feedback: exploring the relationship between teacher’s strategy and student’s willingness to communicate. jssh (jurnal sains sosial dan humaniora), 2(2), 251-264. https://doi.org/10.30595/jssh.v2i2.2953 safari, m., & koosha, m. (2016). instructional efficacy of portfolio for assessing iranian efl learners’ speaking sbility. english language teaching, 9(3), 102-116. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n3p102 saharani, a. (2023). students’ speaking anxiety in speaking performance class. journal of language education), 07(01), 241-245. https://doi.org/ 10.2991/assehr.k.210325.043 shofwani, s. a., faridi, a., & anggani linggar bharati, d. (2019). the effectiveness of affective and social strategies to teach speaking for students with high and low self confidence. english education journal, 9(2), 244-255. https://doi.org/10.15294/eej.v9i2.29934 sukirlan, m., mahpul, setiyadi, a. b., hariri, h., & sinaga, t. (2023). use of second language communication strategies to teach autonomy in speaking: a study of indonesian efl learners’ use of second language communication strategies. theory and practice in language studies, 13(8), 2123-2130. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1308.29 taly, b. c., & paramasivam, s. (2020). speaking anxiety among postgraduate international students in the academic context of a university in malaysia. international journal of linguistics, 12(1), 198-219. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijl.v12i1.16053 tâm, n. t. (2022). college students’ willingness to communicate and its influential factors in speaking classes. european journal of foreign language teaching, 6(3), 97-108. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejfl.v6i3.4433 taufiqulloh, fadhly, f. z., & rosdiana, i. (2024). effects of collaborative assessment on undergraduate students’ writing performance. studies in english language and education, 11(3), 1574–1595. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v11i3.37704 tuyen, l. van, & phuong, n. t. (2022). secondary school students’ perceptions of the use of taskbased speaking activities in efl classes. international journal of english literature and social sciences, 7(2), 124-135. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijels.72.16 widodo, u., & mugiyo, m. (2021). the effectiveness of jigsaw learning strategy to teach speaking. international journal of language teaching and education, 5(2), 62-72. https://doi.org/10.22437/ijolte.v5i2.15849 yoskapela., susanty., bahing., & ristati. (2022). a study on speaking anxiety of english education study program students at the university of palangka raya. ebony: journal of english language teaching, linguistics, and literature, 2(1), 15-27. https://doi.org/10.37304/ebony.v2i1.4065 https://doi.org/10.30595/jssh.v2i2.2953 http://dx.doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210325.043 ihda rosdiana & taufiqulloh exploring undergraduate students' perceptions of efl speaking classes: insights from six dimensions in indonesian higher education 28 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 493 exploring global englishes in indonesian efl classrooms: a case study on extensive listening nabilla maharani1, rojab siti rodliyah2, muhammmad handi gunawan3 1,2,3english language education study program, universitas pendidikan indonesia, bandung, indonesia corresponding author: handi_gunawan@upi.edu abstract: this study explores how global englishes (ge)-informed materials can be used for teaching extensive listening, focusing on students’ perceptions before and after learning the concept, as well as the benefits and challenges they experienced. the study was conducted with 24 third-year university students in bandung, indonesia. in this study, data were collected through course reflective journals, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observations and were thematically analysed. the findings revealed that most students were initially not familiar with global englishes. however, after learning the concept, they gained a better understanding and awareness of the diversity of english. they also became more confident speaking english with their own accents. a significant challenge, however, was understanding accents they had not been exposed to before. in essence, the findings may elucidate how ge-informed materials can boost students’ confidence and expand their understanding of effective communication in english, as well as provide suggestions for incorporating gelt into classrooms. keywords: elt; extensive listening; global englishes; higher education; indonesian efl students introduction as english is now spoken all over the world in various settings, the number of non-native english speakers (nnes) has surpassed that of native speakers (galloway, 2013; prabjandee, 2019). english has become a global language that helps people with different native language backgrounds communicate (galloway & rose, 2015). despite this, native-like proficiency continues to be regarded as the standard for competence in english language teaching (elt) (galloway, 2013). in line with this, ambele and boonsuk (2020) argued that aiming for having native-like proficiency is no longer relevant as it fails to consider the diversity of english and may not adequately prepare learners for real-world communication. kirkpatrick (2012) note that learning english as a global language should focus on making an effective communication between multilingual speakers, as opposed to striving for native-like proficiency. in light of the current situation, a new field of study called global englishes (ge) has emerged. ge looks at both world englishes (we) and english as a lingua franca (elf) (galloway, 2013). galloway (2013) also explains that, even though we and elf have some differences, scholars of both fields agree on the importance of recognising the diversity of english. as stated by fang and widodo (2019), local languages, dialects, and accents can be the factors that influence the use of english in asian countries, such as china and indonesia. this study then explores whether it is acceptable to use local dialects and languages when speaking english. in this context, fang and widodo (2019) argue that globalisation requires people to be more aware of received: 23-02-2025 accepted: 26-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 apa citation: maharani, n., rodliyah, r. s., & gunawan, m. h. (2025). exploring global englishes in indonesian efl classrooms: a case study on extensive listening. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 493-504. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11834 nabilla maharani, rojab siti rodliyah, muhammmad handi gunawan exploring global englishes in indonesian efl classrooms: a case study on extensive listening 494 (times new roman, 10, centered) and open to the various ways of how english is used around the world. considering the ongoing situation, scholars are beginning to question the traditional nativecentred approach to teaching english (pan et al., 2021). as english has spread worldwide, there are concerns in language teaching about the gap between what is taught in the classroom and how the language is actually used in real-life situations (miao et al., 2025; rose & galloway, 2017). in relation to the “global ownership” of english, prabjandee (2019) contend that teachers need to adapt their teaching approaches. this is because it can influence how english language users see themselves. in addressing this issue, galloway (2011, 2013) introduced global englishes language teaching, which was later developed by galloway and rose (2015, 2018). global englishes language teaching (gelt) is a framework that focuses on the diverse forms of the use of english globally. it is shaped by various research paradigms, such as world englishes, english as a lingua franca (elf), english as an international language (eil), and translanguaging (galloway & rose, 2018). the goal of gelt is to help learners understand the diversity of english rather than just adhering to native-speaker norms. this framework also recognises all english users from different background as target interlocutors as an effort to create a more inclusive learning environment. therefore, this framework is seen to provide more practical english language teaching experiences that can be relevant to different linguistic circles (boonsuk et al., 2021). hence, the implementation of “ge-oriented pedagogies” is recommended (boonsuk et al., 2021, p. 2). galloway and rose (2018) designed a course to teach global englishes in the english for academic purposes (eap) context. their study involved 108 thirdand fourth-year students in japan. in week 10, students did presentations on different varieties of english. the findings suggest that such an activity had a positive impact on students’ understanding of the diversity of english. it also encouraged the students to reconsider their views on english varieties other than the standard models that are usually found in elt materials in japan. in the context of gelt, galloway and numajiri (2020) argue that language is seen as fluid and can change constantly, therefore the boundaries between languages are not clearly defined. the primary goal of gelt is to help learners develop the skills needed for effective communication across multiple languages and cultures. instead of assessing their proficiency against native speaker standards, gelt recognises the diversity of their linguistic abilities and fosters their capacity for intercultural communication. following this, table 1 below presents the gelt framework, which shows the differences between traditional elt and gelt. table 1. the current global englishes language teaching (gelt) framework (rose & galloway, 2019, p. 21) traditional elt gelt target interlocutors native english speakers all users of english owners inner circle global ownership target culture static native english cultures fluid cultures norms standard english diverse, flexible, and multiple forms teachers non-native english-speaking teachers (same first language) and native english-speaking teachers qualified, competent teachers (same and different first languages) role model native english speakers expert users source of materials native english and native english speakers salient english-speaking communities and contexts other languages and cultures seen as a hindrance and source of interference seen as a resource as with other languages in their linguistic repertoire needs inner circle defined globally defined assessment criterion accuracy according to prescriptive standards communicative competence goals of learning native-like proficiency multicompetent user ideology underpinned by an exclusive and ethnocentric view of english underpinned by an inclusive ge perspective english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 495 orientation english monolingual multilingual/translingual in recent years, interest in the varieties of english spoken in asian countries has grown significantly. as murata and jenkins (2009) revealed, this is reflected in the existence of an academic journal dedicated to the study of asian englishes. scholars have also explored global english language teaching (gelt) extensively, with notable studies conducted in japan, china, and thailand. recently, attention has also shifted to the indonesian context. firstly, a study in japan by galloway (2013) aimed to bridge the gap between theoretical concepts and practical implementation in english language teaching (elt). the findings revealed that participants still preferred “native” english due to factors such as experiences, familiarity, and stereotypes. nevertheless, the global englishes course had a positive impact on some learners. it helps them become more aware of and confident in using nonnative varieties of english. in china, the result of a study by pan et al. (2021) involving chinese non-english majors indicated a positive view of china english among participants. interestingly, students preferred learning about the characteristics of china english alongside traditional anglophone english. positive attitudes were linked to linguistic rights, chinese cultural identity, and china’s global influence. however, some students still aspired to sound like native english speakers. this result shows that there is a complex relationship between language identity and global communication. in thailand, ambele and boonsuk’s (2020) study on undergraduate students studying english found that students were open to embracing linguistic diversity. this finding suggests that there is a need for a re-evaluation of elt in thailand to include english from outer and expanding circles and incorporate thai and asean cultures into materials to prepare learners for diverse english communication contexts. in indonesia, raja et al. (2022) investigated efl preservice teachers. the findings revealed that english is perceived as a global language used for communication in different fields. the participants showed a willingness to engage with and accept various forms of english spoken worldwide. they were aware that achieving a perfect native-like accent is challenging. in addition to the mentioned studies in japan, china, and thailand, there are other studies in these countries, such as in japan (e.g., hamada & suzuki, 2021), in china (e.g., fang, 2016; si, 2018), and in thailand (e.g., tarrayo et al., 2020). despite the growing body of research on global englishes language teaching (gelt) in asia, studies addressing its theoretical and practical applications in indonesia remain limited. this study aims to bridge this gap by exploring gelt within the indonesian context. developing good listening skills is essential for language learners in the classroom because they can help improve their speaking abilities (loan et al., 2024). to help learners improve their listening skills, elyas and alghofaili (2019) recommend that language teachers incorporate listening strategies and provide exercises based on real-life situations. in this study, extensive listening strategies are employed. extensive listening (el) is a language learning approach where students engage with enjoyable and easy-to-understand content in the target language outside their classroom (goh & vandergift, 2022; ivone & renandya, 2019). in the present study, el activities are used to incorporate global englishes-related materials. research has shown that el can be an effective tool for enhancing language skills (rukmana et al., 2023). to maximise the effectiveness of el, there are three three essential principles: (a) variety, frequency, and repetition; (b) structure and guidance; and (c) the use of learning journals. many studies have used the gelt framework to create specialised courses focused on global englishes. in contrast, this study looks at how to incorporate the gelt framework into an extensive listening classroom. the introduction of global englishes to the students is expected to provide further benefits to them as active users of english, both personally and professionally. in a study conducted by chanwaiwit and kantisa (2022), it was revealed that thai teachers had positive attitudes towards english as a lingua franca, but preferred native speaker models, which suggests that elf-aware teacher education is needed. therefore, as future language educators, the global englishes topic is expected to be the starting point that will equip them with a good understanding of how to teach english to their students, following the relevant framework in today’s globalised world. therefore, the purpose of this study is to seek answers to the following nabilla maharani, rojab siti rodliyah, muhammmad handi gunawan exploring global englishes in indonesian efl classrooms: a case study on extensive listening 496 (times new roman, 10, centered) questions: (1) what are the efl learners’ perceptions towards global englishes before and after learning the concept?; (2) what benefits do learners get when engaging with global englishes in the extensive listening classroom?; and (3) what challenges do learners face when engaging with global englishes in the extensive listening classroom? method this study adopted a case study design to investigate the perceptions of higher education efl students towards global englishes both before and after exposure to the concept in an extensive listening classroom. the consideration is that this design facilitates a detailed and comprehensive examination of a specific case, allowing for a thorough analysis while ensuring that a broader perspective is maintained (yin, 2009). by adopting this approach, one can gain a deeper understanding of the case in question while also considering its implications in the larger context. therefore, a case study design is deemed appropriate for gathering the requisite data to address the research questions. the present study was conducted at a public university located in west java, indonesia. it involved third-year students who took the listening for academic purposes ii course. in total, 42 students were enrolled in this course; however, only 24 students agreed to participate in this study after being fully informed about the study. the listening for academic ii course is part of the curriculum for academic listening. the course aims to enhance the students’ academic listening skills and focuses on topics related to global englishes. the course consists of 8 sessions, with each session running for 100 minutes or two credit hours, and is delivered both synchronously and asynchronously once a week. throughout the lessons, students engage in various activities, such as extensive listening and chapter summaries. in addition, they were given a weekly extensive listening journal (elj) assignment. the elj required students to provide summaries, articulate their reactions, and reflect on their learning experiences. the research site and participants were intentionally selected based on the fact that global englishes, which is the primary focus of this study, has only been taught in the listening for academic purposes ii course. this allows for an investigation into how students learn global englishes. in relation to this, third-year students were identified as the most suitable group to participate in this research due to their adequate experience in using english. these students have honed their english skills through their studies and outside their educational institutions by participating in various organisational activities provided by the study program and university. they may have also engaged in activities outside their studies using their english skills. consequently, introducing global englishes to these students is expected to provide further benefits to them as active users of english, both personally and professionally. as future language educators, the topic of global englishes is expected to be the starting point that will equip them with a good understanding of how to teach english to their students, following the relevant framework in today’s globalised world. before participating in the study, all prospective participants were provided with consent forms that outlined the details of the study, including the purpose of the research and the expected outcomes. it was also explicitly informed in the consent form that students’ decisions to participate would not affect their grades in any way. therefore, the study can move forward in an ethical and responsible way, making sure that the rights of each participant are respected and protected (audette et al., 2020). moreover, in order to protect participants’ confidentiality throughout the study, each student was given a pseudonym consisting of the letter “s” (student) and a number, for example, s1 (student-1), s2 (student-2), and so forth until s24 (student-24). to collect data from students’ perceptions of global englishes, a course reflective journal with a set of prompts was designed based on previous studies on ge (i.e., boonsuk et al., 2021; galloway, 2013; jenkins, 2009; si, 2018). rose et al. (2020) explained that journals can be a useful tool for reflecting on personal experiences. writing a journal enables people to reflect on their own thoughts, behaviours, and actions; thus, it can provide data for analysis (rose et al., 2020). the purpose of using a reflective journal in this study was to collect data by encouraging students to share their thoughts on global englishes before and after learning about it, as well as their views on the diversity of how english is used today. the course reflective journal also asked students to share the benefits and challenges they experienced english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 497 when learning about global englishes. this approach aimed to gather information that can be used to improve the understanding of global englishes and its impact on language learning. in the present study, the course reflective journals were the primary source of data. they were distributed to the students at the end of the course. apart from a course reflective journal, this study carried out individual semi-structured interviews with four participants who were carefully selected based on their journal entries to clarify any uncertainties or points that needed further exploration. these interviews were held via zoom meeting, and lasted around 15 to 20 minutes. to help the participants express their ideas more freely, the interviews were conducted in bahasa indonesia. in addition to utilising course reflective journals and semi-structured interviews, the present study also used classroom observations to support the data. throughout the course, 8 sessions were observed and recorded. the researcher also took a field note for each meeting. the recordings and field notes helped the researcher document and capture important words, phrases, and conversations during the learning activities. this study used thematic analysis to analyse the collected data. as asserted by braun and clarke (2022), thematic analysis is a method that helps identify patterns in qualitative data through exploration, analysis, and interpretation. it involves organising the data through coding, and interpreting these codes to form meaningful themes (kiger & varpio, 2020). thematic analysis follows six key steps: becoming familiar with the dataset, coding the data, identifying initial themes, reviewing and refining these themes, defining and naming the final themes, and writing up the results (braun & clarke, 2022). the analysis was done manually to gain insights into students’ perspectives on global english both before and after learning about the concept, as well as to identify the benefits and challenges they encountered during the learning process. the findings were then supported by prior research on the topic. moreover, it is important to note that the original data collected in bahasa indonesia was translated into english. results and discussion students’ perceptions of global englishes before learning the concept based on the analysis, the data suggested that the majority of the students were not familiar with the concept of global englishes before enrolling in the listening for academic ii course. on the contrary, the rest of the students mentioned that although they had heard of the term “global englishes,” they had not explored it further. however, all 24 students recognised the diversity of the english language and its widespread use around the world. below are a few examples of the students’ statements: “i was not familiar with the concept of global englishes before. i only learnt about and began to understand this concept when taking the listening for academic purposes ii course. i knew that english is used by many people from various parts of the world. that is why, there are differences and variations in terms of accents. however, i did not know about and had never heard of the term global english before.” (s2 course reflective journal) “yes, i have heard of global englishes, but i was not aware of its exact meaning before.” (s19 course reflective journal) “i have actually heard the term ‘global englishes’ before, but i did not quite understand its exact meaning. my previous understanding of ‘global englishes’ was limited to thinking that english is a global or international language. i do not have a further or detailed understanding of the term.” (s23 course reflective journal) the findings suggest that global englishes is a relatively new concept for most students in the listening for academic purposes ii course context. the revelation that most students were unfamiliar with global englishes before taking the course implies that this concept may have yet to be extensively incorporated into their previous language education, as some students further shared in the reflective journal and during the interviews. “i have known about the concept of global englishes since high school, but i did not explore it in depth because the lessons focused more on conversation and grammar.” (s14 course reflective journal) “during my school days, it seemed like the english teachers wanted the students to achieve a native-like accent, specifically american and nabilla maharani, rojab siti rodliyah, muhammmad handi gunawan exploring global englishes in indonesian efl classrooms: a case study on extensive listening 498 (times new roman, 10, centered) british accents. without realising it, i worked hard to achieve an american accent, as i tended to favour it over the british accent.” (s23 semi-structured interview). besides the students’ previous english language education experiences, the findings revealed that their prior perceptions of the english language may also be influenced by how they were exposed to it. this exposure can come from their interests, such as the english content they watch. for example, students who watched harry potter may have thought that having a british accent is the right way to speak english, or they may have believed that speaking english with an american accent is the correct way, especially if they looked up to people who spoke that way (s14, s24). research indicates that students frequently demonstrate a preference for accents originating from english-speaking countries, suggesting that factors such as familiarity and exposure significantly influence their perceptions (jeong, et al., 2021; lee & drajati, 2019; pradana, 2019). this could be due to the fact that it is common for people to maintain the firmly established notion that british english and american english are the exclusive standard forms of the english language (widodo et al, 2022). furthermore, previously, english learners studied the language to converse with native speakers, but nowadays, most learners use english to communicate with other non-native speakers (da costa & rose, 2024). in light of these observations, it can be inferred that it is crucial to include the topic of global englishes and incorporate ge-oriented teaching methods into the english language teaching (elt). this is because the english language is now used globally, and students need to be better prepared to use english with people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds in the future (fang & ren, 2018). moreover, although native accents are often regarded favourably, they are not consistently perceived as the most suitable for teachers or learning models (tsang, 2020). students’ perceptions of global englishes after learning the concept the study first commenced in september 2023 and was completed in november 2023. throughout the semester, students participated in a range of activities related to global englishes, which are outlined in the following table. table 2. class activities overview meeting topics activities 3 introduction to global englishes reading an article about global englishes written by jennifer jenkins. discussing questions provided by the lecturer related to global englishes, such as: a) what is the definition of global englishes? b) what does it mean to be a native english speaker? c) does accent really matter? why or why not? d) does a native accent influence your pronunciation? why or why not? e) what is your opinion about the importance of clear communication in english. reflecting on students’ english skills, especially speaking skills, and identifying areas that need improvement. 4 varieties of english around the world watching and analysing a video featuring people from different nationalities speaking english (i.e., american, italian, chinese, french, japanese, indonesian, and indian). answering and discussing the following guided questions related to the video: a) where is the speaker from?; b) what topic is being discussed?; and c) what is your opinion about their english?. 7 native-speakerism discussing native-speakerism and students’ perspectives on it, including their thoughts on what makes a good teacher and their prior knowledge of native-speakerism. 8 debates on global englishes discussing questions about the diversity of english and the factors that may influence a person’s accent. debating about the relationship between english accents and intelligibility. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 499 9 mid-term assignment submission: chapter summary and review writing a summary and review of each chapter from a book titled “english as an international language in asia: implications for language education” (kirkpatrick & sussex, 2012) as the midterm assignment for this course. 10, 11 native english speakers analysing the differences between native varieties of english, such as american and british english, and discussing how these differences have developed over time. 12 students’ chapter summary & review presentations presenting the chapter summary and review assignment. commenting on the chapter they read. as displayed above, throughout the duration of the course, students were exposed to a diverse range of materials on global englishes, including modules, videos, and discussions. furthermore, students were required to maintain extensive listening journals (elj) based on the global englishes audio-based contents they listened to, with specific topics chosen by the instructor. in these assignments, students were asked to listen to any kinds of audio-based materials and then summarise them, provide comments, and reflect on what they learned the challenges they faced. for the audio-based materials, students were given the opportunity to choose from various sources, such as videos or podcasts featuring different english speakers with a range of backgrounds, including indonesian, chinese, vietnamese, japanese, singaporean, indian, italian, french, and many others. moreover, as part of their midterm assessment, students were required to create a chapter summary on the topic of global englishes. following this, they had to present their summaries individually to the entire class. table 3. extensive listening journals’ topics meeting topics 1, 2 global englishes 3, 4, 5 non-native english speakers 6 native-speakerism 10 native english speakers in multilingual communities, it is essential to understand the perspectives of students towards english, its functions, and its significance (rajprasit, 2023a). the findings from the present study showed that students developed positive perceptions and understandings of the global englishes concept at the end of the course. not only did they have a better understanding of the various accents of the english language, but they also recognised that english does not solely belong to its native speakers; it has a “global ownership” as well (alruwaili & atalab, 2023; dang, 2023; prabjandee, 2019, p. 2). “after studying global englishes, i understand that english is not solely owned by nativespeaking countries who use english as their primary language. moreover, native speakers should not always be the benchmark for how english is used.” (s3 course reflective journal) some students mentioned in their course reflective journal that relying solely on native speakers as the standard for learning and using english is no longer relevant. they also stated that there is no such thing as a “wrong” accent (s3, s13, s1). they emphasised that the most important thing is to effectively communicate using our natural accent while ensuring that we are understood and our communication is clear and intelligible (s3, s22). this finding aligns with research conducted by kong and kang (2020) and mohsen and nirmal (2022), which demonstrates that students place a higher value on effective communication skills rather than striving to achieve a native-like accent. benefits and challenges of learning the concept of global englishes benefits of learning global englishes after learning global englishes in the listening classroom, the majority of students shared similar experiences regarding the benefits they obtained and the challenges they faced when learning the concept. a significant number of students expressed that the lessons significantly boosted their confidence when speaking english in their authentic accent. they also highlighted an increased awareness of the diverse variations of english across different regions, which subsequently resulted in enhanced academic performance due to a more profound comprehension of the implications of global englishes. “i feel more confident speaking in english after understanding the concept of ge, which has nabilla maharani, rojab siti rodliyah, muhammmad handi gunawan exploring global englishes in indonesian efl classrooms: a case study on extensive listening 500 (times new roman, 10, centered) been really helpful.” (s20 course reflective journal) “i have grown to appreciate the variety of accents and dialects used by different people. furthermore, i have gained more confidence in speaking english without the fear of making mistakes.” (s22 course reflective journal) furthermore, student-10 reported how they applied the ge concept in a real-life context to interact with an individual from another country. “the other day, i had the opportunity to talk in english with an international student. this (global englishes) experience helped me practice and enhance my ability to understand different accents while still following and engaging in our conversation.” (s10 course reflective journal) the findings indicate that incorporating global englishes in the listening classroom not only improves students’ language skills but also fosters a more inclusive and diverse approach to using the english language. the increased confidence level when speaking english with a natural accent reflects a positive change in attitudes toward linguistic diversity. this shift in mindset is expected to yield meaningful effects by contributing to the development of more open and inclusive language settings, both within educational institutions and in broader societal contexts. in addition, since the participants in this research are pre-service teachers, this listening course aims to help them become familiar with english varieties beyond those they already know. this may help them broaden their awareness of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, which can be valuable when teaching in diverse classrooms (baratta, 2019). following that, the real-life application of ge, as demonstrated by student-10, shows how classroom knowledge can be effectively transferred to meaningful interactions. this may suggest that learning global englishes does not only help students with their language skills. more than that, being aware of ge can also boosts confidence and encourage a more positive attitude toward the different varieties of english (jindapitak et al., 2022; rajprasit, 2023b). challenges of learning global englishes even though students gained some benefits, they also encountered challenges while learning the concept of ge. as reported by the students, the most common challenge they faced was dealing with unfamiliar accents, which they had not encountered before (s2, s4, s5, s8, s12, s16, s22, s24). “i still have difficulty understanding some accents, such as the indian accent. i have to listen carefully and sometimes rewatch the video several times. without subtitles, i feel that i can only understand some parts of the video.” (s22 course reflective journal) “i found it challenging when watching videos and analysing differences in accents or explaining what the speaker is talking about because sometimes the speaker in the video speaks very quickly or has a very strong accent, making it difficult for me to understand some parts.” (s2 course reflective journal) the findings indicate that in accordance with students’ prior experience of being exposed mainly to native english speakers, non-native english accents may still be unfamiliar. furthermore, some accents have a strong accent, which adds to the difficulty in understanding certain parts of the videos. this unfamiliarity with various accents reflects a need for increased exposure to diverse accents during the learning process as understanding diverse accents is crucial for global communication in english (schaefer & darcy, 2021). conclusion based on the findings and discussions, the study on the exploration of global englishes in the extensive listening classroom for indonesian efl learners revealed that the majority of the students initially lacked familiarity with the concept of global englishes. however, after learning about the concept, they developed an understanding and appreciation of the diversity of english. this new understanding gave them more confidence in speaking english with their own accent. they stated that they wanted to focus more on having clear communication instead of trying to sound like native speakers. having been aware of the varieties of the english language, students also no longer viewed native speakers as the only standard for english proficiency. on the other hand, students also experienced a challenge when learning global englishes in the listening classroom. the main challenge reported by the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 501 students was dealing with accents that were still unfamiliar to them. these findings indicate that using global englishes-informed materials for teaching extensive listening can have a positive impact on students’ perceptions and attitudes towards learning english. moreover, the ge-oriented approach also challenges traditional beliefs about “standard english” and promotes the acceptance of non-native varieties (chen, 2022). furthermore, the findings discovered in this study suggest english educators to integrate audio and video materials of speakers with various english accents, both native and non-native speakers, to help students become familiar with different varieties of english today. teachers can also prioritise activities that encourage clear communication, and focus on mutual understanding in diverse contexts. the present study has certain limitations that should be taken into consideration. firstly, the research was conducted with a specific group of third-year students in higher education in bandung, indonesia, and therefore, the findings may not be generalisable to other populations or educational levels. secondly, the relatively small sample size of 24 students may affect the broader applicability of the results. therefore, it is suggested that future research to involve larger and more diverse participant groups to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the perceptions and experiences of implementing global englishes-informed materials in the efl classroom. future research in this area could also help explore ge-informed teaching strategies and materials to address the challenges efl learners face when encountering different english language varieties. it may also help enriching the existing body of research by offering practical suggestions and examples of how global englishes language teaching (gelt) can be implemented in the classroom for non-native english speakers. references alruwaili, a. r., & altalab, a. (2023). changing the “mindset” of saudi ma students: from nativespeakerism to global englishes. iafor journal of education, 11(1), 31–47. https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.11.1.02 ambele, e. a., & boonsuk, y. (2020). voices of learners in thai elt classrooms: a wake up call towards teaching english as a lingua franca. asian englishes, 23(2), 201–217. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2020.17592 48 audette, l. m., hammond, m. s., & rochester, n. k. (2020). methodological issues with coding participants in anonymous psychological longitudinal studies. educational and psychological measurement, 80(1), 163–185. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164419843576 baratta, a. (2019). world englishes in english language teaching. palgrave macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13286-6 boonsuk, y., ambele, e. a., & mckinley, j. (2021). developing awareness of global englishes: moving away from ‘native standards’ for thai university elt. system, 99, 1–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2013.07.01 9 braun, v., & clarke, v. (2022). thematic analysis: a practical guide. sage publications, inc. chanwaiwit, p., & kantisa, p. (2022). thai teachers’ attitudes towards english as a lingua franca: a longitudinal study. elt echo: the journal of english language teaching in foreign language context, 7(2), 119–133. https://doi.org/10.24235/eltecho.v7i2.11662 chen, r. t.-h. (2022). effects of global englishesoriented pedagogy in the efl classroom. system, 111, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2022.102946 da costa, n., & rose, h. (2024). the impact of global englishes classroom-based innovation on school-aged language learners’ perceptions of english: an exercise in practitioner and researcher partnership. system, 121, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103263 dang, v. h. n. (2023). efl education students’ perceptions of global englishes in elt in the mekong delta, vietnam. pasaa paritat journal, 38, 82–104. https://so07.tcithaijo.org/index.php/pasaaparitat/article/view/ 3240/2356 elyas, t., & alghofaili, n. m. (2019). native english speakers versus non-native english speakers: the impact of language teachers on efl learner’s english proficiency. english review: journal of english education, 7(2), 27–38. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1773 fang, f. (2016). investigating attitudes towards english accents from an elf framework. the asian journal of applied linguistics, 3(1), 68–80. https://caes.hku.hk/ajal/index.php/ajal/article/ view/346 fang, f., & ren, w. (2018). developing students’ awareness of global englishes. elt journal, 72(4), 384–394. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccy012 fang, f., & widodo, h. p. (2019). critical perspectives on global englishes in english language education. in f. fang & h. p. widodo (eds.), https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.11.1.02 https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2020.1759248 https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2020.1759248 https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164419843576 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13286-6 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2013.07.019 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2013.07.019 https://doi.org/10.24235/eltecho.v7i2.11662 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2022.102946 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103263 https://so07.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/pasaaparitat/article/view/3240/2356 https://so07.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/pasaaparitat/article/view/3240/2356 https://so07.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/pasaaparitat/article/view/3240/2356 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i2.1773 https://caes.hku.hk/ajal/index.php/ajal/article/view/346 https://caes.hku.hk/ajal/index.php/ajal/article/view/346 https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccy012 nabilla maharani, rojab siti rodliyah, muhammmad handi gunawan exploring global englishes in indonesian efl classrooms: a case study on extensive listening 502 (times new roman, 10, centered) critical perspectives on global englishes in asia (pp. 1–9). multilingual matters. galloway, n. (2011). an investigation of japanese university students’ attitudes towards english [doctoral thesis, university of southampton]. eprints soton. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/345128/ galloway, n. (2013). global englishes and english language teaching (elt) – bridging the gap between theory and practice in a japanese context. system, 41, 786–803. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2013.07.01 9 galloway, n., & numajiri, t. (2020). global englishes language teaching: bottom-up curriculum implementation. tesol quarterly, 54(1), 118–145. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.547 galloway, n., & rose, h. (2015). introducing global englishes. routledge. galloway, n., & rose, h. (2018). incorporating global englishes into the elt classroom. elt journal, 72(1), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccx010 goh, c. c. m., & vandergrift, l. (2022). teaching and learning second language listening: metacognition in action (2nd ed.). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203843376 hamada, y., & suzuki, s. (2021). listening to global englishes: script-assisted shadowing. international journal of applied linguistics, 31(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12318 ivone, f. m., & renandya, w. a. (2019). extensive listening and viewing in elt. teflin journal, 30(2), 237–256. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v30i2/2 37-256 jenkins, j. (2009). english as a lingua franca: interpretations and attitudes. world englishes, 28(2), 200–207. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467971x.2009.01582.x jenkins, j. (2015). global englishes: a resource book for students (3rd ed.). routledge. jeong, h., elgemark, a., & thorén, b. (2021). swedish youths as listeners of global englishes speakers with diverse accents: listener intelligibility, listener comprehensibility, accentedness perception, and accentedness acceptance. frontiers in education, 6, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.651908 jindapitak, n. (2018). english as an asean lingua franca and the role of nativeness in english education in thailand. english today, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1017/s026607841800024x jindapitak, n., teo, a., & savski, k. (2022). bringing global englishes to the elt classroom: english language learners’ reflections. asian englishes, 24(3), 279–293. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2022.20339 10 kachru, b. (1985). standards, codification and sociolinguistic realism: the english language in the outer circle. in r. quirk & h. g. widdowson (eds.), english in the world: teaching and learning the language and literatures (pp. 11–30). cambridge university press. kiger, m. e., & varpio, l. (2020). thematic analysis of qualitative data: amee guide no. 131. medical teacher, 42(8), 846–854. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159x.2020.1755 030 kirkpatrick, a. (2012). english as an asian lingua franca: the ‘lingua franca approach’ and implications for language education policy. journal of english as a lingua franca, 1(1), 121–139. https://doi.org/10.1515/jelf-20120006 kirkpatrick, a., & sussex, r. (eds.). (2012). english as an international language in asia: implications for language education. springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4578-0 kong, l. f., & kang, h. i. (2020). identity and accents: do students really want to speak like native speakers of english? relc journal, 53(3), 505–518. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220939246 lee, j. s., & drajati, n. a. (2019). english as an international language beyond the elt classroom. elt journal, 73(4), 419–427. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccz018 loan, t. t. t., tuoi, p. t. k., & hoa, h. t. m. (2024). significance of listening skills in enhancing the communication skills. international journal of english language studies, 6(2), 194–196. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijels.2024.6.2.28 lu, h., & buripakdi, a. (2020). effects of global englishes-informed pedagogy in raising chinese university students’ global englishes awareness. pasaa, 60, 97–133. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1259142 miao, y., kang, o., & meng, x. (2025). incorporating global englishes varieties into efl classrooms: development of listening comprehension and pronunciation. tesol quarterly, 59(1), 136–162. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3328 mohsen, b. h. m., & nirmal, p. b. (2022). linguistic imperialism: viability of the use of native-like accent among english language learners. studies in humanities and education, 3(2), 32–37. https://doi.org/10.48185/she.v3i2.602 murata, k., & jenkins, j. (2009). introduction: global englishes from global perspectives. in k. murata & j. jenkins (eds.), global englishes in asian contexts: current and future debates (pp. 1–13). palgrave macmillan. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/345128/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2013.07.019 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2013.07.019 https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.547 https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccx010 https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203843376 https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12318 https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v30i2/237-256 https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v30i2/237-256 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-971x.2009.01582.x https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-971x.2009.01582.x https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.651908 https://doi.org/10.1017/s026607841800024x https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2022.2033910 https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2022.2033910 https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159x.2020.1755030 https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159x.2020.1755030 https://doi.org/10.1515/jelf-2012-0006 https://doi.org/10.1515/jelf-2012-0006 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4578-0 https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220939246 https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccz018 https://doi.org/10.32996/ijels.2024.6.2.28 https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1259142 https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3328 https://doi.org/10.48185/she.v3i2.602 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 503 pan, h., liu, c., fang, f., & elyas, t. (2021). “how is my english?”: chinese university students’ attitudes toward china english and their identity construction. sage open, 11(3), 1– 15. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211038271 prabjandee, d. (2019). teacher professional development to implement global englishes language teaching. asian englishes, 22(1), 52– 67. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2019.16249 31 pradana, h. d. (2019). english language education students and their perceptions regarding the various accents of the english language. journal of foreign language teaching & learning, 4(2), 74–87. https://doi.org/10.18196/ftl.4239 raja, p., flora, putrawan, g. e., & razali, a. b. (2022). english as an international language: perceptions of efl preservice teachers in higher education institutions in indonesia. education research international, 2022, 1– 8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/3234983 rajprasit, k. (2023b). ‘do as we do’: teaching world englishes in a general english course to thai students. relc journal, 54(1), 291–299. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882211011276 rajprasit, k. (2023a). mooc-ing around ‘englishes’ by thai students: applying the gelt framework. asian englishes, 26(2), 428–443. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2023.22517 39 rose, h., & galloway, n. (2019). global englishes for language teaching. cambridge university press. rose, h., mckinley, j., & briggs baffoe-djgan, j. (2020). data collection research methods in applied linguistics. bloomsbury. rukmana, r. a., setyarini, s., purnawarman, p., & sianipar, i. f. (2023). amplifying proficiency: unearthing the impact of extensive listening on student listening skills. veles (voices of english language education society), 7(2), 402–412. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v7i2.21400 schaefer, v., & darcy, i. (2021). speak locally, listen globally: training listeners to understand the diverse accents of englishes around the world. in m. d. deveraux & c. c. palmer (eds.), teaching english language variation in the global classroom: models and lessons from around the world (pp. 10–19). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003124665 si, j. (2018). english as a native language, world englishes and english as a lingua francainformed materials: acceptance, perceptions and attitudes of chinese english learners. asian englishes, 21(2), 190–206. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2018.15447 00 tarrayo, v. n., ulla, m. b., & lekwilai, p. (2020). does thai english exist? voices from english language teachers in two thai universities. asian englishes, 23(3), 280–293. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2020.18212 99 tsang, a. (2019). why english accents and pronunciation ‘still’ matter for teachers nowadays: a mixed-methods study on learners’ perceptions. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 41(2), 140– 156. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2019.16005 28 widodo, h. p., fang, f., & elyas, t. (2022). designing english language materials from the perspective of global englishes. asian englishes, 24(2), 186–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2022.20625 40 yin, r. k. (2009). case study research design and methods (6th ed.). sage publications, inc. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211038271 https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2019.1624931 https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2019.1624931 https://doi.org/10.18196/ftl.4239 https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/3234983 https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882211011276 https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2023.2251739 https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2023.2251739 https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v7i2.21400 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003124665 https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2018.1544700 https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2018.1544700 https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2020.1821299 https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2020.1821299 https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2019.1600528 https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2019.1600528 https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2022.2062540 https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2022.2062540 nabilla maharani, rojab siti rodliyah, muhammmad handi gunawan exploring global englishes in indonesian efl classrooms: a case study on extensive listening 504 (times new roman, 10, centered) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 517 psychometric properties of self-efficacy scale for english language learners in indonesia syahadah albaqiyatul karimah1, devie yundianto2, mas muhammad idris3, hani fatimah zulha4 1,3,4english education, faculty of education and teacher training universitas nahdlatul ulama indonesia 2psychology department, faculty of social science universitas nahdlatul ulama indonesia corresponding author: syahalbakarimah@unusia.ac.id apa citation: karimah, s. a., yundianto, d., idris, m. m., & zulha, h. f. (2025). psychometric properties of self-efficacy scale for english language learners in indonesia. english review: journal of english education, abstract: this study explores the psychometric properties of the indonesian version of the self-efficacy scale for english language learners (ses-ell). with the growing importance of english proficiency in indonesia, understanding learners’ self-efficacy beliefs—defined as confidence in their ability to perform language tasks—is crucial. the study examines the validity and reliability of the ses-ell, utilizing a cross-sectional, quantitative approach with a sample of 204 undergraduate english language students from public and private universities. data were collected via the adapted 32-item questionnaire of english self-efficacy (qese), measured on a 7-point scale. results showed that the ses-ell meets undimensionality requirements, with principal component analysis of residuals (pcar) explaining 66.5% of the variance. reliability indicators were robust, the analysis results show that the self-efficacy scale (se) requires improvement. the items effectively capture variations in difficulty levels (isr = .97 > .70) and can distinguish respondents with high and low self-efficacy levels (psr = .97 > .70), indicating the scale's effectiveness in measuring self-efficacy. item analysis identified four items needing revision due to fit inconsistencies. the study confirms ses-ell as a reliable tool for measuring self-efficacy among indonesian english learners, offering insights into their confidence across language skills. future research should refine the scale further to ensure optimal measurement accuracy and support targeted interventions to improve learners' self-efficacy and performance in english. keywords: english language learners; indonesia; psychometric properties; rasch model; self-efficacy scale introduction english language learning has become increasingly significant in indonesia, given its importance in various domains such as education, employment, and international communication (andayani, 2022). academic hardiness has a strong relationship with self-efficacy (yundianto et al., 2023). academic self-efficacy refers to an individual’s confidence in their ability to successfully manage learning tasks, which can lead to academic achievement (safitri et al., 2024). with the growing demand for english proficiency, understanding the factors that influence english language learners’ (ells) abilities and motivations is crucial (calderón et al., 2011). one such factor that has garnered attention in educational research is selfefficacy, which plays a pivotal role in shaping individuals’ language learning experiences and outcomes (fan & cui, 2024). self-efficacy, as conceptualized by bandura (1997), refers to individuals’ beliefs in their capabilities to organize and execute actions necessary to achieve desired outcomes. in the context of language learning, self-efficacy pertains to learners’ confidence in their abilities to successfully comprehend, speak, read, and write in a target language (graham, 2022). high levels of self-efficacy have been associated with increased motivation, persistence, and ultimately, better language learning outcomes (pajares, 1996). 13(2), 517-528. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.10954 received: 21-02-2024 accepted: 27-04-2024 published: 30-06-2025 syahadah albaqiyatul karimah, devie yundianto, mas muhammad idris, hani fatimah zulha psychometric properties of self-efficacy scale for english language learners in indonesia 518 several studies related to self-efficacy scale were done in several countries. wang et al. (2014) conducted research on understanding the psychometric properties of the self-efficacy scale and its impact on language learning outcomes. this study provided preliminary evidence for the validity of the questionnaire of english selfefficacy scale in a sample of college students in china. the results indicated that the scale had good reliability and validity. an examination of the rating scale construction revealed that participants accurately recognized response categories. the item hierarchy was consistent with the expected item sequence, demonstrating the scale’s construct validity. overall, the objects were quite well matched to the sample's skill, with the exception of more difficult items, which appear to be necessary. the other research was also done by kim et al. (2021) who conducted research to investigate the relationships between selfefficacy belief and language learning strategies, with english language proficiency and aiming to understand the impact of selfefficacy on language learning strategies and proficiency. this research closes with evidence supporting the qese’s internal consistency, test-retest reliability, structure, generalizability, and external construct validity. this study adds to the rising interest in these skills by analysing the measures of self-efficacy in the field of second language acquisition and the findings of empirical research on the development and usage of a self-efficacy scale for ells. similar research was also conducted by polrak et al. (2023) who focused on developing questionnaire of english selfefficacy (qese) to measure english language self-efficacy in thailand and the study aimed to assess its validity and reliability. the findings indicated that the measure exhibited construct validity, convergent validity, and significant internal consistency for the four variables of english language selfefficacy. this suggests that the qese might be used to assess particular english self-efficacy among efl thai undergraduate students across the four competencies of sub-skills of the english language (apridayani & teo, 2021). in indonesia, the study about selfefficacy scale was done by mulyanto et al. (2022). the study itself focused on understanding the impact of self-efficacy on speaking proficiency and satisfaction with blended teaching mode of efl. as the result, a study found that speaking selfefficacy was highly correlated with final speaking achievement among indonesian english foreign language learners (hermagustiana et al., 2021). furthermore, utami & nurjati (2017) conducted a study on the relationship between self-efficacy, belief, and motivation with student anxiety in english language learning. the research findings indicated significant relationships between the variables of self-efficacy, belief, and motivation individually with anxiety in english language learning. similarly, there was a significant collective relationship between selfefficacy, belief, and motivation with anxiety in english language learning (bárkányi, 2021). despite the acknowledged importance of selfefficacy in language learning, there is a dearth of validated instruments tailored specifically to assess self-efficacy among english language learners in indonesia (tauchid, 2023). existing self-efficacy scales may not fully capture the unique sociocultural and educational dynamics present in indonesia, thus necessitating the development and validation of a culturally adapted instrument. according to (bandura, 1997), self-efficacy beliefs influence how people think, feel, motivate themselves, and behave. individuals with high self-efficacy are more likely to approach challenges with enthusiasm, persevere in the face of obstacles, and exhibit greater resilience in achieving their goals. conversely, those with low self-efficacy may doubt their abilities, experience heightened anxiety, and may even avoid challenging tasks altogether (torres et al., 2020). self-efficacy has been extensively researched in the context of second/foreign language learning (y. wang & wang, 2022). several studies have investigated the relationship between self-efficacy and various aspects of language learning, such as english proficiency, language proficiency, and language learning outcomes. one study presented by xiao (2018) focused on the importance of selfefficacy in the english proficiency of students, emphasizing its significance in the field of language learning. another study by wang & sun (2020) investigated the relationship between self efficacy and language proficiency, aiming to estimate the average effect size and examine factors that moderate the relationship. additionally, a study conducted by (blumenthal, 2014) focused on low-level english language learners from low educational backgrounds explored the impact of self-efficacy on language learning outcomes. this study found that selfefficacy played a significant role in the language learning process for these learners. overall, the research on self-efficacy in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 519 language learning suggests that it is a crucial factor that influences language proficiency and learning outcomes. by fostering a sense of selfefficacy in language learners, educators can help them develop the confidence and motivation needed to improve their language skills. self-efficacy beliefs in indonesia are influenced by various sociocultural factors unique to the country such as; collectivist culture, religion and spiritual beliefs, respect for authority, and education system. toyama & yamazaki (2018) compared japanese and indonesian employees regarding learning style and selfefficacy beliefs, revealing differences in how these factors influence learning and performance. the study confirms that self-efficacy varies by country and culture, with japanese employees having lower self-efficacy beliefs than indonesian employees. this raises questions about the cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance, where those with strong uncertainty avoidance are risk averse and those with weak avoidance are risk takers. the study suggests that this cultural difference may be associated with the two selfefficacy beliefs, and a future study should investigate the relationship between self-efficacy and uncertainty avoidance culture (bonnevilleroussy et al.,2019). in indonesia, self-efficacy has gained attention from academic perspectives in recent years due to the provision of guidance and counselling services in schools (rachmawati et al., 2021). the study that was done by nadiyah et al., (2023) showed a positive relationship between academic self efficacy and social support, emotional intelligence, school well-being, career maturity, learning outcomes, and reduced student academic procrastination. mulyanto et al. (2022) conducted a study about selfefficacy of indonesian english foreign language learners. the study revealed the impact of self-efficacy on indonesian english foreign language learners, particularly in speaking english. the study identified strategies used by learners to boost selfefficacy, such as imitation, self-preparation, group and community engagement, prepared speech, oral peer feedback, effective strategy, social strategy, peer model, and challenging task (mulyanto et al., 2022a). self-efficacy in english language learning refers to learners’ beliefs in their own abilities to successfully acquire, understand, and use the english language (anam & stracke, 2020). it encompasses confidence in various language skills such as speaking, listening, reading, writing, and comprehension (aljiboury, 2024). learners with a high level of self-efficacy are more likely to receive encouragement and assistance from others, actively learn from a leading student, and willingly apply more learning strategies to enhance their involvement in class (wu et al., 2022). the questionnaire of english selfefficacy (qese) is one such assessment tool (d.-h. kim et al., 2024). the qese was developed to measure english language selfefficacy beliefs and the study aimed to assess its validity and reliability (c. wang & bai, 2017). the qese has tested in english and other language versions such as, korean, thailand, germany, and vietnamese (d. h. kim et al., 2021). however, the item-level psychometric characteristics of the indonesian version have not been assessed. although the qese statements are intended to provide universal self-efficacious information regarding language skills, the interpretation of items across cultures remains unclear. method this study employed a quantitative research method with a cross-sectional design. the research aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the self-efficacy scale for english language learners (ses-ell) in indonesia. the data collection technique employed was random sampling. the participants of the study were undergraduate students majoring in english language studies from both public and private universities across indonesia. the study recruited a total of 204 respondents (men: 52, women: 148). participants had to meet the following inclusion criteria: male and female, enrolled in an undergraduate program in english education/english literature, from various public and private universities across indonesia, and willing to fill out an online questionnaire in google forms. the sampling technique used was purposive sampling, which selected respondents based on specific considerations or criteria (sugiyono, 2016). the questionnaire utilized in this study was the questionnaire of english self-efficacy (qese) scale, originally developed by (c. wang, 2004) and adapted into the indonesian version. this scale consisted of 32 items measured on a 7-point rating scale (1= i cannot do it at all, 2= i cannot do it, 3= maybe i cannot do it , 4= maybe i can do it, 5= i basically can do it, 6= i can do it, 7= i can do it well) and evaluating students’ confidence levels in various english language tasks such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing. back syahadah albaqiyatul karimah, devie yundianto, mas muhammad idris, hani fatimah zulha psychometric properties of self-efficacy scale for english language learners in indonesia 520 translation was employed to ensure the equivalence of the original version to the indonesian version (marzuki et al., 2018) . several steps in this study were as follows: (1) researchers designed a study to collect relevant data to test the psychometric properties of the developed self-efficacy scale. (2) developing or adapting a selfefficacy scale suitable for the research objectives. (3) collecting data from respondents, utilizing the qese (questionnaire of english self-efficacy). (4) the collected data was analysed to test the psychometric properties of the developed self-efficacy scale, such as reliability, validity, and factor dimensions. (5) the analysis results were interpreted to evaluate the suitability and appropriateness of the developed selfefficacy scale for english language learners (ses-ell) in indonesia. (6) drawing a conclusion based on the findings. data collection was conducted on october 17– 27, 2024. the researcher then performed data screening using microsoft excel, followed by analysis via winsteps v 3.7.3. the data analysis used the rating scale model (rsm) that was developed by (andrich, 1978). the rating scale model (rsm) is a rasch measurement model for polytomous data (data with two or more ordinal categories) (chong et al., 2022). this model provided estimates of individual locations (person locations), item difficulties, and overall thresholds (fixed across items) (wilson, 2023). the rsm model maintained fixed threshold structures across items, while items possessed varying difficulties (bittencourt et al., 2021). results and discussion based on the data analysis, the research findings are as follows. table 1. descriptive analysis items descriptive skewness m sd se_1 5.07 1.25 -0.801 se_2 5.36 1.33 -0.889 se_3 4.68 1.35 -0.481 se_4 5.07 1.31 -0.406 se_5 5.57 1.27 -0.88 se_6 4.75 1.28 -0.274 se_7 4.78 1.41 -0.554 se_8 4.67 1.34 -0.286 se_9 4.26 1.27 -0.215 se_10 4.98 1.32 -0.63 se_11 5.23 1.33 -0.687 se_12 4.51 1.33 -0.22 se_13 4.92 1.34 -0.395 se_14 4.64 1.36 -0.158 se_15 5.03 1.27 -0.44 se_16 4.95 1.34 -0.486 se_17 5.11 1.32 -0.618 se_18 4.67 1.31 -0.172 se_19 4.99 1.3 -0.458 se_20 4.8 1.31 -0.439 se_21 5.17 1.44 -0.397 se_22 4.66 1.31 -0.11 se_23 4.84 1.27 -0.277 se_24 5.18 1.32 -0.58 se_25 4.73 1.45 -0.429 se_26 5.01 1.5 -0.347 se_27 5.67 1.32 -0.984 se_28 4.96 1.4 -0.494 se_29 4.75 1.32 -0.576 se_30 5.92 1.23 -1.16 se_31 4.38 1.35 -0.123 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 521 se_32 4.92 1.33 -0.55 n = 203 unidimensionality unidimensionality refers to a condition where a set of test items assesses only a single attribute or ability (t. bond, 2015). in rasch modeling, unidimensionality analysis evaluates how well the instrument consistently measures the intended construct (mokshein et al., 2019). this reliability implies that repeated measurements will yield consistent information, with no significant or meaningful differences in the results (bakdash & marusich, 2017). the minimum requirement for unidimensionality is a raw score measurement of over 20% (viranda et al., 2023). the unidimensionality assumption is satisfied based on pcar, as shown by the variance explained by the measure at 66.5%. the local independence assumption is only partially met with the q3 method (yen, 1984), as indicated by the residual correlation coefficients between se items, which range from -0.34 to 0.41. the high residual correlation exceeding 0.3 suggests that responses to one item are influenced by responses to another item (petrillo et al., 2015) . notably, items se_3 “can you understand tv shows in american english?” and se_9 “can you understand radio programs in english-speaking countries?” have the highest correlation of 0.41, which suggests they should be revised or eliminated. item difficulty and fit item the analysis results indicate that item se_30 “can you introduce yourself in english?” has the lowest logit value (-1.76), which suggests that this item is the easiest for respondents to agree with. conversely, item se_9 “can you understand radio programs in englishspeaking countries?” has the highest logit value (1.13), indicating that this item is the most difficult for respondents to agree with. furthermore, the majority of se items have acceptable infit and outfit mean square values, which fall within the range of 0.6 to 1.4, as recommended for likert scales (t. g. bond et al., 2015). items that do not meet the fit criteria include se_26, se_27, se_4, and se_5, and it is recommended that their wording be revised or that they be eliminated. table 2. item fit item original item measure mn sq ptmea infi t outfit ses_1 apakah anda bisa memahami kisah yang diceritakan dalam bahasa inggris? -0.20 0.79 0.78 0.84 ses_2 apakah anda bisa menyelesaikan pekerjaan rumah membaca teks dalam bahasa inggris secara mandiri? -0.55 1.23 1.22 0.79 ses_3 apakah anda bisa memahami acara tv dalam bahasa inggris amerika? 0.34 1.02 1.03 0.80 ses_4 apakah anda bisa memperkenalkan sekolah anda dalam bahasa inggris? -0.18 1.57 1.59 0.71 ses_5 jika anda memiliki akses ke internet. apakah anda bisa menulis takarir (caption) menggunakan bahasa inggris ketika mengunggah foto dan video ke sosial media? -0.97 1.40 1.39 0.74 ses_6 apakah anda bisa memberi petunjuk arah dari kelas ke rumah anda dalam bahasa inggris? 0.37 0.97 0.98 0.81 ses_7 apakah anda bisa menulis karangan dalam bahasa inggris yang ditugaskan oleh guru anda? 0.28 0.75 0.76 0.86 ses_8 apakah anda bisa menceritakan sebuah kisah dalam bahasa inggris? 0.40 0.82 0.82 0.84 ses_9 apakah anda bisa memahami program radio di negara yang menuturkan bahasa inggris? 1.09 0.75 0.76 0.83 ses_10 apakah anda bisa memahami acara tv dalam bahasa inggris yang dibuat di indonesia? -0.07 0.66 0.69 0.85 ses_11 apakah anda bisa memberikan pesan kepada teman -0.48 0.84 0.81 0.85 syahadah albaqiyatul karimah, devie yundianto, mas muhammad idris, hani fatimah zulha psychometric properties of self-efficacy scale for english language learners in indonesia 522 sekelas dalam bahasa inggris? ses_12 ketika membaca artikel dalam bahasa inggris. apakah anda bisa menebak arti kata yang tidak anda ketahui? 0.68 1.27 1.35 0.75 ses_13 apakah anda bisa membuat kalimat baru dengan kata (vocabulary) yang baru saja anda pelajari? 0.09 1.21 1.21 0.77 ses_14 apakah anda bisa menulis email dalam bahasa inggris? 0.43 1.21 1.24 0.78 ses_15 jika guru anda memberikan rekaman dialog dalam bahasa inggris tentang kehidupan sekolah. apakah anda bisa memahaminya? -0.22 0.70 0.70 0.85 ses_16 apakah anda bisa memahami berita dalam bahasa inggris di internet? 0.05 0.85 0.84 0.83 ses_17 apakah anda bisa mengajukan pertanyaan dalam bahasa inggris kepada guru anda? -0.22 0.63 0.63 0.87 ses_18 apakah anda bisa membuat kalimat dengan frasa berbahasa inggris? 0.42 0.83 0.82 0.83 ses_19 apakah anda bisa memperkenalkan guru bahasa inggris anda dalam bahasa inggris? -0.11 0.71 0.74 0.85 ses_20 apakah anda bisa berdiskusi dalam bahasa inggris dengan teman sekelas anda tentang topik yang menarik bagi anda dan teman sekelas anda? 0.19 0.74 0.75 0.85 ses_21 apakah anda bisa membaca novel pendek dalam bahasa inggris? -0.48 1.19 1.12 0.82 ses_22 apakah anda bisa memahami film dalam bahasa inggris tanpa takarir (subtitle) dalam bahasa indonesia? 0.50 1.10 1.17 0.77 ses_23 apakah anda bisa menjawab pertanyaan guru anda dalam bahasa inggris? 0.16 0.51 0.51 0.89 ses_24 apakah anda bisa memahami lagu dalam bahasa inggris? -0.34 1.02 1.02 0.82 ses_25 apakah anda bisa membaca koran dalam bahasa inggris? 0.44 1.16 1.15 0.80 ses_26 apakah anda bisa menemukan arti kata baru dengan menggunakan kamus bahasa inggrisinggris? -0.02 1.66 1.61 0.74 ses_27 apakah anda bisa memahami angka yang diucapkan dalam bahasa inggris? -1.13 1.45 1.46 0.76 ses_28 apakah anda bisa menulis buku harian dalam bahasa inggris? -0.09 0.64 0.63 0.88 ses_29 apakah anda bisa memahami artikel dalam bahasa inggris tentang budaya indonesia? 0.41 0.63 0.63 0.87 ses_30 apakah anda bisa memperkenalkan diri dalam bahasa inggris? -1.69 1.62 1.39 0.72 ses_31 apakah anda bisa menulis artikel tentang guru bahasa inggris anda dalam bahasa inggris? 0.87 0.87 0.88 0.82 ses_32 apakah anda bisa memahami pelajaran baru di buku bahasa inggris anda? 0.04 1.05 1.09 0.80 note. mnsq = means-square, ptmea = point measure functionality of the rating scale the analysis results using the rsm indicate that the rating scale in se does not function optimally (chen et al., 2022). this is evidenced by several indicators: the distribution of responses in some categories is less than 10, particularly in categories 1, 2, and 3. an uneven distribution of responses suggests that certain categories do not have enough data to be analysed representatively. however, the threshold for response categories, ranging from 1 (none) to 7 (3.73), progresses in a monotonically increasing order, indicating that the response options already have a good range and are less prone to bias. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 523 figure 1. item-person map based on figure 1, the item logit values range from -1.76 to 1.13, while the majority of person logit values fall above 1. this indicates that most respondents tend to easily agree with the items, as the person logit values are generally higher than the item logit values. person and item reliability the results of the analysis indicate that the se still needs improvement. the items in the se provide adequate information regarding the variation in difficulty levels (isr = .97 > .70), and the scale overall is also effective in distinguishing respondents based on high and low levels of selfefficacy (psr = .97 > .70). this means that the items in the scale are already effective in differentiating respondents based on their levels of selfefficacy. students’ self efficacy the analysis of students’ self-efficacy in english language learning reveals intriguing findings based on the collected data. firstly, regarding the proficiency levels in english, the respondents were classified into three categories: 95 respondents (46.6%) were at the intermediate level, 100 respondents (49%) were at the beginner level, and 9 respondents (4.4%) were at the advanced level. the predominance of respondents at the beginner level indicates that nearly half of the students are still in the initial stages of english language acquisition, which may significantly influence their confidence in using the language (uchida & sugimoto, 2020). meanwhile, a considerable number of respondents at the intermediate level reflects potential for further development, while the small percentage at the advanced level underscores the challenges of achieving high proficiency in english (malykhin et al., 2024). all 204 respondents were from indonesia, reflecting a specific cultural and linguistic context pertinent to this research. regarding their primary languages, 156 respondents (76.5%) identified bahasa indonesia as their primary language, followed by 5 respondents (2.5%) who spoke sundanese, 39 respondents (19.1%) who spoke javanese, and a few respondents who reported combinations such as bahasa indonesia with regional languages (e.g., javanese, sundanese). the dominance of bahasa indonesia as the primary language likely influences the ways in which students perceive and evaluate their capabilities in learning english. the presence of regional languages such as javanese and sundanese highlights the linguistic diversity that may further shape their self-efficacy. transitioning from their mother tongue(s) to english creates additional challenges, particularly for beginner-level learners who are still building foundational skills. this dynamic often impacts their confidence in communicating and interacting in english. in conclusion, these findings emphasize the need for tailored interventions to address the specific needs of students, particularly those at the beginner level. additionally, recognizing the influence of linguistic backgrounds—whether bahasa indonesia, javanese, or sundanese—can help educators design strategies to enhance students’ selfefficacy and overall proficiency in english. factors affecting students’ self-efficacy the data collected from 204 respondents regarding their methods of learning english reveals a variety of approaches used, with a primary focus on self-directed online practice. this approach is significantly related to the concept of students’ selfefficacy in learning english. the majority of respondents reported that they learn through self-directed activities, both online and offline, such as watching movies, syahadah albaqiyatul karimah, devie yundianto, mas muhammad idris, hani fatimah zulha psychometric properties of self-efficacy scale for english language learners in indonesia 524 listening to music, or using learning applications. these activities enhance their confidence in using english, as the progress they achieve through selfdirected learning provides positive reinforcement for their belief in their language abilities (jeong, 2022). the variation in learning sources is also evident from the data collected. respondents employ diverse learning methods, including taking courses, learning from social media, watching videos, and listening to songs. this diversity provides them with opportunities to understand and practice english from various perspectives. the positive experiences gained from these different methods can strengthen self-efficacy, as students can find the most effective learning strategies that align with their learning styles, ultimately leading to a more tangible sense of improvement in their english skills. active engagement in the learning process is also an important factor contributing to the increase in self-efficacy. many respondents noted that they learn english in enjoyable ways, such as through films and music, which reduce anxiety or fear when facing a foreign language. additionally, social interaction with peers in contexts like online games or discussions plays a role in supporting the learning process. a positive social environment can provide additional motivation and reduce fears about communication, encouraging students to become more actively involved in using english. reflection on personal experiences and strong intrinsic motivation further drive students to work harder in their studies, which in turn boosts their confidence. conclusion based on the data analysis using the rating scale model (rsm) in rasch measurement to test the self-efficacy scale for english language learners (ses-ell) in indonesia, it can be concluded that the scale meets the assumption of unidimensionality, with a variance explained of 66.5%, indicating that it measures a single main construct, self-efficacy in english language learning. however, a high residual correlation (≥ 0.3) was observed between items se_3 and se_9, suggesting the need for revision or elimination of these items. regarding item difficulty, the easiest item was se_30 "can you introduce yourself in english?" (lowest logit: -1.76), while the most difficult item was se_9 "can you understand radio programs in countries that speak english?" (highest logit: 1.13), showing a reasonable variation in difficulty levels. the reliability and validity analysis revealed that most items had infit and outfit mnsq values within the recommended range (0.6–1.4), indicating good fit and consistency in measuring self-efficacy. however, some items, such as se_26 (infit 1.66, outfit 1.61), se_4, and se_5, showed high mnsq values and need to be reviewed for formulation or relevance. overall, the ses-ell scale demonstrates good psychometric quality in terms of reliability and validity, but some items require revision to improve their fit. the recommendations include revising or eliminating items se_3, se_9, se_4, se_5, and se_26 and re-testing the instrument after revisions to ensure improved item quality and measurement accuracy. with these revisions, the ses-ell can be considered a valid instrument for measuring selfefficacy in english language learning among students in indonesia. future studies should consider exploring the cultural and contextual factors that might influence self-efficacy in english language learning, as these factors may impact the interpretation and validity of the ses-ell in different regions. it is also recommended that researchers conduct further tests with a more diverse sample of students, including those from different educational backgrounds and proficiency levels, to assess the generalizability of the sesell scale across various contexts. moreover, longitudinal studies could be beneficial to investigate how self-efficacy in english language learning evolves over time and the impact of various interventions. lastly, future research could explore the integration of other psychological constructs, such as motivation and anxiety, into the sesell scale to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing language learning success. acknowledgement this research was funded by bima kemendikbudristek (ministry of education, culture, research, and technology). the researcher would like to express our deepest gratitude to the kemendikbudristek for the support and funding provided through the bima research grant. the support provided by bima kemendikbudristek has been instrumental in the successful completion of this work. thank you to the editor, language providing, writing assistance, and all participants who have helped fill out this research questionnaire. thank you to the universitas nahdlatul ulama indonesia for english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 525 supporting the research publication. references al-jiboury, t. h. a. (2024). teaching four skills of english language writing, reading, speaking, and listening through literature. south asian research journal of arts, language and literature, 6(05), 63–72. https://doi.org/10.36346/sarjall.2024.v06i05.0 01 anam, s., & stracke, e. (2020). the role of self‐ efficacy beliefs in learning english as a foreign language among young indonesians. tesol journal, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.440 andayani, e. s. (2022). the importance of learning and knowing english in higher education in indonesia. rdje: research and development journal of education, 8(1), 372–379. andrich, d. (1978). application of a psychometric model to ordered categories which are scored with successive integers. applied psychological measurement, 2(4), 581–594. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/014662 167800200413 apridayani, a., & teo, a. (2021). the interplay among srl strategies, english self-efficacy, and english proficiency of thai university students. studies in english language and education, 8(3), 1123–1143. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v8i3.20213 bakdash, j. z., & marusich, l. r. (2017). repeated measures correlation. frontiers in psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00456 bandura, a. (1997). self-efficacy: the exercise of control. (w h freeman, ed.). times books/ henry holt & co. bárkányi, z. (2021). motivation, self-efficacy beliefs, and speaking anxiety in language moocs. recall, 33(2), 143–160. evidence from 16 nations. contemporary educational psychology, 59, 101798. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2019.1017 98 calderón, m., slavin, r., & sánchez, m. (2011). effective instruction for english learners. the future of children, 21(1), 103–127. chen, w.-h., carrera uribe, m., kwon, e. e., lin, k.y. a., park, y.-k., ding, l., & saw, l. h. (2022). a comprehensive review of thermoelectric generation optimization by statistical approach: taguchi method, analysis of variance (anova), and response surface methodology (rsm). renewable and sustainable energy reviews, 169, 112917. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2022.112917 chong, j., mokshein, s. e., & mustapha, r. (2022). applying the rasch rating scale model (rsm) to investigate the rating scales function in survey research instrument. jurnal cakrawala pendidikan, 41(1). https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v41i1.39130 fan, l., & cui, f. (2024). mindfulness, selfefficacy, and self-regulation as predictors of psychological well-being in efl learners. frontiers in psychology, 15. graham, s. (2022). self-efficacy and language. bittencourt, i. i., freires, l., lu, y., challco, g. c., fernandes, s., coelho, j., costa, j., pian, y., marinho, a., & isotani, s. (2021). validation and psychometric properties of the brazilianlearning – what it is and what it isn’t. the language learning journal, 50(2), 186–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2022.20456 79 blumenthal, l. f. (2014). self-efficacy in low level english language learners [thesis, portland state university]. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.16 21 bond, t. (2015). applying the rasch model. routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315814698 bond, t. g., yan, z., & heene, m. (2015). applying the rasch model. in applying the rasch model: fundamental measurement in the human sciences (vol. 11, issue supplement s2). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429030499 bonneville-roussy, a., bouffard, t., palikara, o., & vezeau, c. (2019). the role of cultural values in teacher and student self-efficacy: hermagustiana, i., astuti, a. d., & sucahyo, d. (2021). do i speak anxiously? a correlation of self-efficacy, foreign language learning anxiety and speaking performance of indonesian efl learners. script journal: journal of linguistics and english teaching, 6(1), 68–80. https://doi.org/10.24903/sj.v6i1.696 jeong, k.-o. (2022). facilitating sustainable self directed learning experience with the use of mobile-assisted language learning. sustainability, 14(5), 2894. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052894 kim, d. h., wang, c., & truong, t. n. n. (2021). psychometric properties of a self-efficacy scale for english language learners in vietnam. language teaching research, 1– 16. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13 621688211027852 kim, d.-h., wang, c., & truong, t. n. n. (2024). psychometric properties of a self-efficacy scale for english language learners in vietnam. language teaching research, 28(4), 1412– 1427. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211027852 malykhin, o., bondarchuk, j., tersina, i., & voitanik, i. (2024). unlocking success: strategic approaches to enhancing communicative competence in english learning. revista amazonia investiga, 13(76), 90–102. https://doi.org/10.34069/ai/2024.76.04.8 marzuki, m., fadhil, m., yaacob, n. a., & yaacob, n. m. (2018). translation, crosscultural adaptation, and validation of the malay version of the system usability scale questionnaire for syahadah albaqiyatul karimah, devie yundianto, mas muhammad idris, hani fatimah zulha psychometric properties of self-efficacy scale for english language learners in indonesia 526 the assessment of mobile apps. jmir human factors, 5(2), e10308. https://doi.org/10.2196/10308 mokshein, s. e., ishak, h., & ahmad, h. (2019). the use of rasch measurement model in english testing. jurnal cakrawala pendidikan, 38(1), 16–32. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v38i1.22750 mulyanto, h., azizam, e. s. h. bin, & jusoh, j. (2022a). self efficacy of indonesian english foreign language learners in speaking response theory, and rasch measurement theory to evaluate patient-reported outcome measures: a comparison of worked examples. value in health, 18(1), 25–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2014.10.005 polrak, m., kedcham, a., & chansri, c. (2023). measuring properties of an english language self-efficacy scale for efl undergraduate students in thailand . nida journal of language and communication, 28(43), 68–91. https://lcjournal.nida.ac.th/main/public/abs_p df/journal_v28_i43_4.pdf rachmawati, i., setyosari, p., handarini, d. m., & hambali, i. m. (2021). do social support and self-efficacy correlate with academic resilience among adolescence. international journal of learning and change, 13(1), 49. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijlc.2021.111664 safitri, i., yundianto, d., & ar-rafi, d. (2024). the role of self-efficacy on academic stress with optimism as a moderating variable: case study in the post-covid-19 higher education sector. jurnal ilmiah pendidikan dan pembelajaran, 8(1), 53–60. sugiyono. (2016). metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, r&d. alfabeta. tauchid, a. (2023). english speaking strategies .applied linguistics (ijeal), 2(3), 459–468. https://doi.org/10.47709/ijeal.v2i3.1884 mulyanto, h., azizam, s., & jusoh, j. (2022b). selfefficacy of indonesian english foreign language learners in speaking english. international journal of english and applied linguistics (ijeal), 2, 459–468. https://jurnal.itscience.org/index.php/ijeal/arti cle/view/1884/1396 tackett, s. (2020). perceptions of writing anxiety and self-efficacy among spanish heritage language learners. journal of hispanic higher education, 19(1), 84–98. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192718775175 nadiyah, a., ilhamsyah, f., alrefi, al-abyadh, m. toyama, m., & yamazaki, y. (2018). a cross. pajares, f. (1996). self-efficacy beliefs in academic settings. review of educational research, 66(4), 543–578. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3102/003465 43066004543 petrillo, j., cano, s. j., mcleod, l. d., & coon, c. d. (2015). using classical test theory, item cultural comparison of learning style and selfefficacy between employees in japan and indonesia. international journal of education, psychology and counseling, 3(13), 44–56. http://www.ijepc.com/pdf/ijepc-2018-130605.pdf uchida, y., & sugimoto, j. (2020). non‐native english teachers’ confidence in their own pronunciation and attitudes towards teaching: a questionnaire survey in japan. international journal of applied linguistics, 30(1), 19–34. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12253 utami, l. h., & nurjati, l. (2017). hubungan self efficacy, belief dan motivasi dengan kecemasan mahasiswa dalam pembelajaran bahasa inggris. psympathic : jurnal ilmiah psikologi, 4(2), 205–218. https://journal.uinsgd.ac.id/index.php/psy/arti cle/view/1447/1346 viranda, c., safitri, i., & hidayat, s. (2023). psychometric properties of the workforce agility scale. psychological research on urban society, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.7454/proust.v6i2.1148 wang, c. (2004). self-regulated learning strategies and self-efficacy beliefs of children learning english as a second language [unpublished dissertation, the ohio state university]. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num= osu1091546670 wang, c., & bai, b. (2017). validating the instruments to measure esl/efl learners’ self-efficacy beliefs and self-regulated learning strategies. tesol quarterly, 51(4), 931947. wang, c., kim, d. h., bai, r., & hu, j. (2014). psychometric properties of a self-efficacy scale for english language learners in china. system, 24–33. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.syste m.2014.01.015 wang, c., & sun, t. (2020). relationship between selfefficacy and language proficiency: a metaanalysis. elsevier, 95. wang, y., & wang, y. (2022). the interrelationship between emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, and burnout among foreign language teachers: a metaanalytic review. frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.913638 wilson, m. (2023). constructing measures. routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003286929 wu, x., yang, h., liu, j., & liu, z. (2022). english use anxiety, motivation, self-efficacy, and their predictive effects on chinese top university students’ english achievements. front psychol. 13: 953600. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3389%2ffps yg.2022.953600 xiao, s. (2018). the importance of self-efficacy to the english proficiency of middle school students in china [university of wisconsin]. http://www.ijepc.com/pdf/ijepc-2018-13http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 527 https://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/ 1793/78562/xiaoshuya.pdf?sequence=3&isa llowed=y yen, w. m. (1984). effects of local item dependence on the fit and equating performance of the threeparameter logistic model. applied psychological measurement, 8(2), 125–145. https://doi.org/10.1177/014662168400800201 yundianto, d., khatami, m., fathony, a., rangkuti, a. a., & syahputra, w. (2023). memorizing the quran: exploring academic hardiness, selfefficacy, and perceived social support in islamic schools.international journal of islamic educational psychology, 4(2), progres. https://doi.org/10.18196/ijiep.v4i2.19812 https://doi.org/10.18196/ijiep.v4i2.19812 syahadah albaqiyatul karimah, devie yundianto, mas muhammad idris, hani fatimah zulha psychometric properties of self-efficacy scale for english language learners in indonesia 528 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 457 chatgpt for developing critical thinking in writing: perspectives of senior high school english teachers in indonesia khoirul anam, siti rowiyah, bayu hendro wicaksono, rina wahyu setyaningrum, riski lestiono 1,3,4,5english language education department, faculty of graduate program, universitas muhammadiyah malang, indonesia 2english language education department, faculty of letters, universitas negeri malang, indonesia corresponding author: chicywavda@gmail.com apa citation: anam, k., rowiyah, s., wicaksono, bh., setyaningrum, rw., lestiono, r. (2025). chatgpt for received: 30-03-2025 accepted: 13-05-2025 published: 30-06-2025 abstract: the use of chatgpt as a generative artificial intelligence (ai) has been increasingly integrated into daily communication as a complimentary chatbot that assists individuals in resolving inquiries. chatgpt's ease is also being discussed in the educational context, including in language teaching. although previous studies have examined the use of artificial intelligence in english language teaching, limited studies investigate the possibilities and constraints of chatgpt in enhancing students' critical thinking abilities in writing from the educators' viewpoint, especially senior high school level educators. therefore, this study examines english teachers' perspectives on utilizing chatgpt to improve students' critical thinking skills in english writing sessions. employing a mixed-method design, insights were obtained from qualitative data of interviews with six teachers and triangulated with quantitative survey responses from 20 teachers. findings reveal the teachers' recognition of chatgpt's ability to facilitate individualized learning and improve instructional effectiveness. however, there are remaining concerns that educators are apprehensive about, particularly regarding the students' overdependence on ai, which may hinder the advancement of critical thinking abilities. this study offers a framework for the efficient use of ai tools in l2 instruction to enhance students' critical thinking skills, providing valuable recommendations for instructors aiming to align technological improvements with pedagogical principles. further research utilizing larger sample sizes in an experimental context should be conducted to yield more robust conclusions. keywords: artificial intelligence; chatgpt; critical thinking; efl; mobile-assisted language learning; writing introduction artificial intelligence has recently emerged as a significant application among technology users. chatbots are among the most frequently utilized artificial intelligence products on a regular basis. they are frequently utilized because of their facilitation of effortless information retrieval and straightforward problem analysis (abdaljaleel et al., 2024; oguz et al., 2024). chatgpt constitutes one of the widely recognized chatbots due to its features of technological advancement, including a generative pre-trained transformer (gpt) that produces human-like responses (lahby et al., 2024). the dialogue style enables chatgpt to respond to follow-up inquiries, acknowledge errors, contest erroneous assumptions, and decline unsuitable requests (farhi et al., 2023; oguz et al., 2024). the functionality enhances user comfort and enjoyment while interacting with the chatbot. the ease of chatgpt access is also being discussed in the educational context, including in english as a second language (l2) teaching. since its release in late 2022, chatgpt has gained substantial attention from educators worldwide, and discussions have emerged about its potential applications in teaching and learning. several developing critical thinking in writing: perspectives of senior high school english teachers in indonesia. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 457-468. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11828 khoirul anam, siti rowiyah, bayu hendro wicaksono, rina wahyu setyaningrum, riski lestiono 458 previous studies have investigated chatgpt utilization in english language classrooms, such as the study by altwijri and alghizzi (2024) on the efficacy of incorporating ai technologies to improve efl learners' motivation, engagement, and attitudes while relieving their learning anxiety. it resulted in the adoption of ai technology in efl settings being nascent, necessitating additional studies to determine the influence of ai-integrated lessons on the affective aspects of efl learners. moreover, kostka and toncelli (2023) explored latent challenges, opportunities, and recommendations for applying chatgpt to english language teaching from classroom practices. the findings show that the rise of chatgpt and ai tools will continue to impact change in education in ways we cannot yet imagine. a nuanced evaluation of the advantages and challenges of teaching and learning in an aidriven world is essential, as ai will undoubtedly persist in its development and evolution. behind its sophistication, the advancement of ai raises concerns regarding individuals' critical thinking abilities, given the convenience with which ai provides necessary information to its users. in english language classrooms, critical thinking development remains a vital educational objective, particularly in writing instruction, where students need to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information effectively (sarica & usluel, 2016). critical thinking is defined as reasonable, reflective thinking aimed at determining what to believe or how to act (southworth, 2022). recent studies have shown that integrating ai-powered tools in writing instruction can potentially enhance students' analytical capabilities and deeper learning processes (liu et al., 2024). however, the specific role of chatgpt in fostering critical thinking skills through writing tasks requires further investigation, especially from the perspectives of classroom practitioners who directly implement the technology. the conceptualization of critical thinking in this study is grounded in several theoretical frameworks. firstly, paul and elder's (2020) framework provides a structured approach for understanding how chatgpt might support intellectual development, emphasizing three components that consist of elements of thought, intellectual standards, and intellectual traits. chatgpt's feature that provides immediate feedback on writing might enhance students’ awareness of these elements, particularly by highlighting logical inconsistencies or suggesting ways to improve clarity and precision in their writing. secondly, bloom’s revised taxonomy serves as another valuable lens for examining how chatgpt facilitates cognitive processes in writing. the hierarchical structure consists of remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating maps into various interactions between students and ai writing assistants. moreover, prior research has predominantly examined the application of chatgpt inside higher education (gozali et al., 2024; song & song, 2023). little endeavours to elucidate the application of chatbots in senior high school education. senior high school level represents a significant time in students' academic development, a stage where advanced writing skills and critical thinking abilities become increasingly crucial for tertiary-level preparation and future career success (espinoza-celi & pintado, 2020). as chatgpt endures to evolve and impact educational practices, understanding teachers' perceptions and experiences with this technology is essential for developing effective pedagogical practices. kohnke et al. (2023) assert that teachers' attitudes and beliefs about ai tools significantly influence their implementation and effectiveness in their classrooms. while existing research has explored various aspects of ai in education, little is known about how teachers perceive chatgpt’s role in fostering higher-order thinking skills, particularly in resource-constrained settings. moreover, only a limited number of mixed-methods investigations into how english teachers perceive and utilize chatgpt for developing critical thinking skills through english writing instruction at the senior high school level (oguz et al., 2024; saif et al., 2024). understanding their perceptions is vital as teachers serve as the primary mediators between technological innovations and student learning outcomes. their experiences offer valuable information about the practical implications, challenges, and opportunities of incorporating chatgpt in writing instruction aimed at enhancing critical thinking skills. the investigation related to students’ critical thinking is in accordance with the objectives of the recent curriculum in indonesia, the emancipated curriculum, which promotes student-centered learning, critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving skills, and comprehensive development (wahyudin et al., 2024). this mixed-method study aims to explore english teachers' perceptions of using chatgpt as a tool for developing critical thinking skills in chatgpt for developing critical thinking in writing: perspectives of senior high school english teachers in indonesia english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 459 english writing instruction at the senior high school level. by examining english teachers' experiences, concerns, and strategies in implementing chatgpt, this research seeks to contribute to the growing body of knowledge about ai integration in language education and provide practical insights for educators, administrators, and policymakers. the findings are expected to help inform best practices for incorporating ai tools into english writing instruction, while maintaining a focus on critical thinking development. here, the researchers formulated two research questions: (1) how does chatgpt impact students’ critical thinking development in senior high school english writing classrooms? (2) what challenges do teachers encounter when utilizing chatgpt in senior high school english writing classrooms? method this study aimed to investigate english teachers’ views on how chatgpt impacts students’ critical thinking improvement and its challenges during the implementation in english writing classrooms. to answer the research questions, the researchers employed a mixed-methods, exploratory sequential design. the approach allows the examination of educators' experiences with the deployment of chatgpt in fostering students' critical thinking skills in writing instruction while also acquiring generalized insights across broader contexts (creswell & creswell, 2021). it enables the researchers to collect rich and accurate data about how english teachers perceive the integration of chatgpt into their writing instruction, particularly in its role in fostering students’ critical thinking. figure 1. steps of exploratory sequential design this study's participants are english teachers from senior high schools in indonesia. using a purposive sampling method, twenty english teachers at the senior high school level from different areas of indonesia were selected based on specific inclusion criteria to ensure the relevance and richness of the data. to be eligible for inclusion, participants were required to meet the following criteria: (1) 1. currently engaged in teaching english as a foreign language in senior high schools in indonesia. (2) experienced in using chatgpt in their english writing instruction. (3) have at least 3 years of experience in teaching english. (4) demonstrate willingness to participate in the study and provide informed consent. they were assured of confidentiality and their right to withdraw at any time. data were collected through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. the researchers prepared a semi-structured interview guide exploring three key dimensions: senior high school english teachers’ experiences in integrating chatgpt into english writing instruction, perceived challenges in integrating chatgpt to foster students’ critical thinking, and observed benefits of using chatgpt to foster students’ critical thinking in senior high school writing tasks. the interview protocol consists of open-ended questions that are practically being followed up to elicit detailed responses. the interview lasted approximately 45 minutes up to one hour with six senior english teachers. then, the qualitative data were analyzed thematically following the systematic procedures introduced by braun and clarke (2006), which consist of familiarizing with the data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing, defining, and writing the report. subsequently, the 4-likert scale questionnaires were distributed to the 20 english teachers experienced in using chatgpt to generalize the findings of the interview results. the questionnaires have been tested for validity through pearson correlation, yielding a p-value of <0.050, indicating that the questionnaire was valid. the researchers also checked the reliability by calculating the coefficient using cronbach alpha formulae (table 1). table 1. reliability analysis scale reliability statistics cronbach’s alpha scale 0.918 the table indicates that the reliability coefficient exceeds 0.700, signifying that the questionnaire is trustworthy, valid, and consistent in measuring the same attributes. the questionnaire findings were analyzed using descriptive statistics in spss version 24 by computing the mean and standard deviation to summarize the responses. this study executed data integration during the interpretation and instrument development phases. the topics derived from the interview guided the questionnaire design, ensuring it reflected the authentic experiences of the teachers. discrepancies between qualitative and quantitative results are addressed through team discussions to strengthen the validity and consistency of the conclusions. khoirul anam, siti rowiyah, bayu hendro wicaksono, rina wahyu setyaningrum, riski lestiono chatgpt for developing critical thinking in writing: perspectives of senior high school english teachers in indonesia 460 results and discussions the thematic analysis of the qualitative data from the interview transcripts produced multiple themes, categorized into core categories and subcategories, to address the two study questions. this section outlines and defines each subject, derived from the verbatim excerpts of the interview statements. the quantitative data results reflect the perspectives of larger samples in relation to the themes identified in the interview data results. chatgpt fosters students’ critical thinking development some information about how chatgpt was implemented in english writing classrooms is unveiled, as well as the factors impacting the students’ critical thinking development. the participants have all taught english in senior high schools for over ten years. however, their experience in chatgpt implementation ranges from one to two years. “i have been teaching english for more than ten years, and i have been using chatgpt about one recent year.” (teacher 1) “i have ten years of teaching experience and one year of teaching using chatgpt.” (teacher 2) “during my ten years teaching, i have been applying chatgpt since 2022.” (teacher 3) “more than ten years but one year for chatgpt.” (teacher 4) “my teaching experience is ten years, and my chatgpt experience in class is about one year.” (teacher 5) “i taught english more than ten years ago, and i started using chatgpt about the last two years.” (teacher 6) motivations for utilizing chatgpt when the participants were asked about their motivation for utilizing chatgpt in their english writing classrooms, some said it is intended to make the time more efficient and the learning process more comprehensive. “to help students gain understanding from various learning sources.” (teacher 1) “i want to introduce ai to them.” (teacher 2) “it becomes easier to construct an idea to write.” (teacher 3) “chatgpt can be used as a discussion assistant when we want to develop our writing framework.” (teacher 4) “it helps me manage time.” (teacher 5) “the task becomes easier to complete with chatgpt companion.” (teacher 6) the aforementioned statements indicate that the primary motivations of the teachers include addressing the obstacles encountered by their students and familiarizing their students with contemporary technology, artificial intelligence, and its exact applications. another element is the time constraint the teachers encounter, which is sometimes limited and necessitates innovative approaches for enhanced efficiency. the integration of chatgpt in english writing classes the english teachers also revealed specific examples of chatgpt integration in english writing instructions. the main function of the chatbot is to find inspiration for brainstorming the students’ writing ideas and to help them find appropriate vocabulary. “i instructed them to find an inspiring story which has complication and resolution.” (teacher 1) “the students may ask chatgpt to find ideas or topics to write.” (teacher 2) “the students were asked to write a paragraph of a story plot. if they find difficulty in defining plot, they may ask chatgpt.” (teacher 3) “since the students were asked to write their framework, they were allowed to open chatgpt to find information on the topic of the framework.” (teacher 4) “i ask them to use chatgpt to look for titles of narrative story examples.” (teacher 5) “to find an example of procedure text based on daily routine.” (teacher 6) the transcripts above confirmed many methods employed by the english teachers to integrate chatgpt into the writing instruction, such as identifying the subject or titles of students’ works, for plotting the narrative, since prior to composing paragraphs, pupils must rigorously delineate the step-by-step plot. figure 2 illustrates chatgpt english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 461 prompts utilised by students, as observed by teachers in the context of writing instruction. figure 2. chatgpt's use in finding ideas and examples of narrative text chatgpt's rapid response not only delivers straightforward responses but also offers text samples from diverse online sources, facilitating quicker information filtering for students compared to a standard google search. change in students’ critical thinking abilities as a result of the chatgpt implementation, most teachers mentioned a change in their students’ critical thinking abilities. it relates to idea formulation and the upgraded speed in thinking and understanding new insight. the activity that causes the development of the students’ critical thinking is when they are forced to write whatever is in their mind, and chatgpt helps them expand the input of prior knowledge they have. “the students improved in idea formulation, spelling, and grammar through recount text writing activity with the assistance of chatgpt.” (teacher 2) “they have a better imagination through the freedom of writing of what is in their minds without difficulties in plotting and vocabularies.” (teacher 3) “chatgpt is only an assistant of discussion. the students’ critical thinking improves through developing main idea activity.” (teacher 4) “after using chatgpt, they are easier to understand the narrative text and identify the information easily.” (teacher 5) most english teachers in this survey recognized the development of their students' critical thinking through several qualities. one instance is students’ improvisation in generating ideas after utilizing chatgpt to assist them in identifying interesting topics for their writing. furthermore, the pupils received instruction in spelling and grammar improvement. besides, students exhibit increased imagination in defining their narrative plots after employing chatgpt to assist them in overcoming challenges related to plot development. however, a divergent perspective also emerges, asserting that the enhancement of students' critical thinking is attributable not to the aid of chatgpt but rather to the process of formulating their writing's central idea. chatgpt as language and content consultants following the development of the students’ critical thinking, the participants also stated that their students learned to evaluate and analyze their writing products, assisted by chatgpt. this is done by utilizing the various features offered in chatgpt, such as direct interactive chat, get advice, and translation. “the students ask chatgpt to find themes, checking spelling and grammar. it uses direct chat feature. then they compare with their manual analysis.” (teacher 2) “asking for feedback to revise the students’ writing.” (teacher 3) “correcting the spelling and grammar using get advice feature.” (teacher 4) “they can find what i did not explain in chatgpt using the feature of question-andanswer development.” (teacher 5) “they learned to analyze faster with the translation assistance from chatgpt.” (teacher 6) the aforementioned qualitative data can be summarized that: (1) the introduction of chatgpt in writing lessons has significantly aided the students in various aspects. (2) the direct chat tool, equipped with numerous functionalities, can assist the students in enhancing the quality of their work. (3) moreover, the process of instructing writing with the aid of chatgpt enhances the student’s critical thinking, as it increasingly stimulates their curiosity regarding the responses provided by the chatbot. (4) the offered features, including advice or feedback, translation, and interactive dialogue, compel the students to critically assess and khoirul anam, siti rowiyah, bayu hendro wicaksono, rina wahyu setyaningrum, riski lestiono chatgpt for developing critical thinking in writing: perspectives of senior high school english teachers in indonesia 462 appraise their work within a limited class duration. this trend was supported by the result of quantitative data analysis of the questionnaire presented in the table 2 below: table 2. the impact of chatgpt on students’ critical thinking development no. statement m sd 1. i use chatgpt to motivate students to engage more actively in the writing process. 3.25 0.444 2. i use chatgpt to introduce ai to students. 3.20 0.410 3. i use chatgpt to make teaching time more efficient. 3.25 0.444 4. i believe that integrating chatgpt into writing classes enhances students' writing exploration and creativity. 3.20 0.410 5. i employ chatgpt to help students overcome initial barriers to writing, such as writer's block. 3.45 0.510 6. i use chatgpt to help students brainstorm writing ideas. 3.20 0.410 7. students use chatgpt to improve their essay structure and organization. 3.10 0.308 8. chatgpt assists students in understanding different writing genres and styles. 3.15 0.366 9. using chatgpt encourages students to critically evaluate ai-generated content. 3.10 0.308 10. students demonstrate improved analytical skills when interacting with chatgpt. 3.10 0.308 11. chatgpt prompts students to think more deeply about language and writing structure. 3.15 0.366 12. students become more metacognitive about their writing process when using chatgpt. 3.10 0.308 13. chatgpt effectively serves as a language consultant for students. 3.30 0.470 14. the ai provides helpful suggestions for improving writing clarity and style. 3.15 0.366 15. students learn new vocabulary and writing techniques through chatgpt interactions. 3.15 0.366 the table shows that teachers are mainly motivated to use chatgpt in order to assist their students in overcoming writing barriers (m=3.45, sd=0.510), supported by other motivations of time efficiency and engaging students in the writing class (both m=3.25, sd=0.444). regarding chatgpt integration in writing classes, they moderately agree that the chatbot enhances students’ exploration and creativity (m=3.20, sd=0.410) and is used as a brainstorming tool (m=3.20, sd=0.410). moderate and consistent agreement also appears on the perception of chatgpt encouragement on critical evaluation of ai-generated content and analytical skill improvement (m=3.10, sd=0.308). it is also acknowledged that chatgpt was like a language consultant (m=3.30, sd=0.470) by providing helpful suggestions on writing clarity and style and facilitating the students to learn new vocabulary and techniques. the integration of chatgpt in english writing classrooms represents a significant shift in pedagogical approaches, particularly in fostering critical thinking development among students. this is confirmed by the findings that english teachers with extensive teaching experiences (over 10 years) have embraced chatgpt primarily to enhance efficiency and comprehensiveness in the learning process. this fact aligns with previous research by liu et al. (2024), who found that aipowered writing tools can significantly reduce the cognitive load on students, allowing them to focus more on higher-order thinking skills rather than getting stuck on basic language mechanics. moreover, the teachers stated that the motivation for digital literacy has also become the reason for them to implement the chatbot. it is in accordance with what is stated by ng et al. (2023) about the necessity of ai literacy education, as ai literacy has emerged as a crucial digital competency required by all individuals, not solely computer scientists. the findings reveal that chatgpt serves multiple pedagogical functions, primarily as a source of inspiration and vocabulary building. the english teachers reported using chatgpt for various writing activities, from generating story ideas to developing frameworks and understanding text structures. this multifaceted application supports warschauer and xu (2024) assertion that ai writing assistants can function as cognitive scaffolds, providing students with the necessary support to bridge the gap between their current abilities and desired learning outcomes. the teachers’ testimonies particularly emphasize chatgpt's role in helping students overcome initial writing barriers, which has been identified as a critical factor in developing writing confidence (darling-hammond et al., 2020). furthermore, the educators' perception of chatgpt as a language consultant is corroborated by swain's comprehensible output hypothesis, which posits that learners must generate language comprehensible to their interlocutors, thereby likely recognizing the constraints of their second language proficiency and the necessity to discover more effective means of conveying their intended message (lightbown & spada, 2013). a notable aspect of the findings is the reported improvement in students’ critical thinking abilities, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 463 specifically in idea formulation and processing speed. this development appears to be facilitated by the interactive nature of chatgpt, which allows students to explore and expand their ideas freely. similar results were reported by lee et al. (2024) in their longitudinal study of ai-assisted writing classrooms, where students demonstrated enhanced analytical capabilities and deeper engagement with content when using ai tools as discussion partners. the findings suggest that chatgpt’s role as a "discussion assistant" creates a unique learning environment where students can test and refine their ideas through immediate feedback. the findings also highlight the emergence of new evaluation and analysis practices among students. through features such as direct interactive chat, feedback solicitation, and translation assistance, students are developing more sophisticated approaches to reviewing and improving their work. this observation aligns with recent research by smith et al. (2024), who found that students using ai writing assistants demonstrated improved self-regulation and metacognitive awareness in their writing process. the ability to receive immediate feedback and multiple perspectives on their writing appears to encourage students to adopt a more critical and analytical approach to their work. cope et al. (2021) highlight that in ai-enhanced education, learners enjoy limitless access to identifiable knowledge. however, according to kostka and toncelli (2023), academic integrity is threatened by the knowledge acquired through chatgpt since it may even result in "high-tech plagiarism." the transformation of the writing classroom through chatgpt integration suggests a shift towards a more dynamic and interactive learning environment. as indicated in the findings, the time constraints of traditional classroom settings are being addressed through chatgpt’s efficient feedback and support mechanisms. this efficiency, however, does not appear to compromise the development of critical thinking skills. rather, as supported by recent research from thiga (2024), it seems to enhance it by providing students with more opportunities for revision, reflection, and improvement within limited class time. the findings suggest that when properly implemented, chatgpt can serve as both a practical tool for writing improvement and a catalyst for developing higher-order thinking skills. challenges of utilizing chatgpt in english writing classrooms despite the potential for innovation and modern advantages in integrating the chatgpt chatbot technology into an english classroom, unforeseen problems persist during its practical application. according to the findings from the interviews with six participants, all english teachers faced difficulties when implementing chatgpt in their english writing classrooms. the challenges included stable internet connection, digital literacy, lack of vocabulary memorization, and device constraints. connection and device issues one of the emerging themes of the challenges the english teachers faced during the chatgpt implementation was device and connection issues, which derived from various school conditions. “the main challenge is an internet connection.” (teacher 2) “not all students can operate the chatbot; i need to struggle to guide them.” (teacher 3) “the laptop usage is scheduled, so i cannot use it to teach them at any time.” (teacher 4) the excerpts above indicate that the teachers who incorporated chatgpt into their writing sessions faced challenges due to inadequate resources, such as the challenge of obtaining a reliable internet connection, as chatgpt necessitates a rapid connection to generate immediate responses. certain schools lack an adequate number of computers or laptops required for using the technology in l2 instruction, and not all students possess the technological proficiency needed to run the chatbot, particularly those in remote areas. negative effects of chatgpt use on independent thinking in addition to the challenges with device and connection, several salient negative impacts on students’ ability to think independently are emerging as side effects of chatgpt use, including the inability to memorize the tenses in grammar, the risk of assistance addiction, the weakening of memory, the risk of trusting misleading information, and the students’ inability to look up dictionaries in the future. “several students find it difficult to remember the formula of tenses of the text language feature.” (teacher 1) khoirul anam, siti rowiyah, bayu hendro wicaksono, rina wahyu setyaningrum, riski lestiono chatgpt for developing critical thinking in writing: perspectives of senior high school english teachers in indonesia 464 “they have a risk of chatgpt addiction, always rely on the chatbot answer.” (teacher 2) “when they use chatgpt continuously, they have a risk of brain malfunction.” (teacher 3) “the students totally believe in the information from chatgpt without any validation. it is harmful, sometimes.” (teacher 4) “it will lead to the self-distrust with their ability.” (teacher 5) “i had ever had experience asking one of the students, and he did not answer directly but firstly opening chatgpt.” (teacher 6) the statements suggest a disparity among various students regarding their memorization abilities, particularly concerning the sixteen grammar tense formulas. subsequently, instances of self-distrust and addiction emerge as challenges for certain students who prefer to consult chatgpt rather than exerting their own effort. the manifestation of the habit is indicated by the readiness to use chatgpt at any moment for inquiries or tasks. a further issue is chatgpt’s potential dissemination of false information. unquestioningly trusting chatgpt may lead students to persistent misinformation. teachers’ actions to minimize the emergent risks in response to students' excessive dependence on chatgpt, the english teachers have implemented several measures, including mobile phone limits, establishing a classroom agreement, elucidating the true purpose of chatgpt, and utilizing tools for plagiarism and ai detection. “in particular conditions, i forbid my students not to use a mobile phone at all, just conventional activities such as discussions, writing on notebooks, and presenting the result of discussion.” (teacher 1) “giving them a guideline and learning agreement at the beginning of the class.” (teacher 2) “i use plagiarism and ai checker such as turnitin to check whether they use chatgpt or not.” (teacher 3) the teachers added, “i usually tell the students that if they answer according to their own thinking, they will obtain different scores, or better scores.” (teacher 3) “to maintain their creativity, before writing in the form of text, they should first present their framework in the front side of the classroom.” (teacher 4) when queried about measures to prevent student misuse of chatgpt, they suggested activities including the establishment of explicit guidelines for chatgpt use during the lessons, special oversight, and supplementary tasks to foster individual creativity. “the guideline of chatgpt use should be clear, precise, and understandable.” (teacher 2) “i had to ask them to write with different topic to force their creativity output.” (teacher 4) “i must control them strictly and specifically, guide them directly during the chatbot use.” (teacher 5) english teachers with experience using chatgpt provide advice on using it to foster students’ critical thinking, including formulating specific prompts for practice, assessing students’ comprehension, and establishing clear operational guidelines for chatgpt. it is also advisable to compare different chatbots, such as jenni ai, quillbot, and gemini, to see which best meets students’ requirements. “as i have stated above, chatgpt is for searching examples of text only.” (teacher 1) “teachers should generate precise and effective prompts to be examples for students.” (teacher 2) “the rules of using it wisely is a must.” (teacher 4) “teachers should explain the benefits and drawbacks of chatgpt before implementing it.” (teacher 5) the interviews summarize that: (1) employing chatgpt in writing classes presents specific problems for educators in preserving students’ integrity and inventiveness in their assignments. (2) such challenges could be mitigated by establishing precise regulations and classroom agreements. (3) artificial intelligence, in addition to chatgpt, can also be utilized in english classrooms to assess the appropriateness of students’ needs. meanwhile, the results of the questionnaires english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 465 show a slight difference, as shown in table 3. table 3. the impact of chatgpt on students’ critical thinking development no. statement m sd 1. students become overly dependent on chatgpt for writing tasks. 3.10 0.447 2. chatgpt use may compromise students' independent thinking skills. 2.95 0.394 3. technical issues (internet connectivity, device access) hinder effective chatgpt integration. 2.85 0.366 4. chatgpt can be effectively integrated into the existing english writing curriculum. 3.15 0.366 5. the use of chatgpt requires continuous teacher guidance to maintain educational value. 3.65 0.489 table 3 reveals that teachers are more concerned about students' dependence on chatgpt (m=3.10, sd=0.447) and less about compromising independent thinking skills (m=2.95, sd=0.394). the challenges in technical issues such as internet connectivity and device access are perceived as relatively minor challenges (m=2.85, sd=0.366). the teachers have a strong belief in the importance of continuous guidance in chatgpt implementation (m=3.65, sd=0.489). despite the existence of the challenges, the teachers maintain cautious optimism that chatgpt can be effectively integrated into the existing curricula, suggesting that there must be educational benefits preserved while minimizing potential risks to students’ critical thinking development. the implementation of chatgpt in english writing classrooms, while promising, faces significant infrastructural and pedagogical challenges that seek careful consideration. the findings highlight fundamental barriers such as internet connectivity issues, limited device accessibility, and varying levels of digital literacy among students. these challenges align with recent research by karan (2024), who identified technological infrastructure as a critical factor in successful ai integration in education. additionally, singh (2024) found that disparities in digital literacy can significantly impact the effectiveness of ai-enhanced learning environments, suggesting the need for comprehensive digital literacy training programs before implementing ai tools in classrooms. of particular concern is the potential negative impact of chatgpt use on students’ cognitive development and learning autonomy. the english teachers reported issues ranging from students’ diminished ability to memorize grammar rules due to an overreliance on the ai tool for basic tasks. these observations correspond with zhang et al. (2024) research on the "ai dependency syndrome" in educational settings, where students showed decreased confidence in their abilities and reduced motivation to develop fundamental language skills. this finding reveals an apparent contradiction: while teachers observed enhanced critical thinking skills among students using chatgpt, they also expressed concerns about potential dependency. this fact can be comprehended through the lens of scaffolding theory (vonna et al., 2015). when chatgpt plays a role as a temporary scaffold, providing support that is gradually removed as students’ competence develops, it enhances critical thinking by allowing students to engage with high-order concerns. the findings also raise important concerns about students' critical evaluation skills, as noted by teacher 4, who observed students accepting chatgpt’s information without validation, echoing similar concerns raised in the study on aiinduced information literacy challenges and the policymaking of ai integration in education (schiff, 2022; tiernan et al., 2023). the teachers’ responsive strategies to these challenges demonstrate a proactive approach to maintaining educational integrity while leveraging ai benefits. the implementation of usage guidelines, plagiarism checks, and specific classroom agreements reflects what mcknight and gannon (2024) termed as "ai-aware pedagogy," which emphasizes the balanced integration of technology while preserving traditional learning objectives. nonetheless, kohnke et al. (2023) contend that, despite the development of digital tools purporting to identify ai-generated text, this response may result in a perpetual game of "cat and mouse" and fails to address the essential utility of chatgpt or the ethical implications of technology. subsequently, the findings show that the teachers are developing innovative approaches to prevent over-dependence, such as requiring preliminary framework presentations and implementing mobile phone restrictions, strategies that align with annamalai et al.'s (2023) recommended practices for maintaining student autonomy in ai-enhanced khoirul anam, siti rowiyah, bayu hendro wicaksono, rina wahyu setyaningrum, riski lestiono chatgpt for developing critical thinking in writing: perspectives of senior high school english teachers in indonesia 466 classrooms. the findings underscore the crucial role of structured guidance in chatgpt implementation, particularly through clear guidelines and specific prompts. it is also crucial to prevent students from trusting misleading information from the chatbot (baidoo-anu & owusu ansah, 2023). this also aligns with recent research by nguyen (2024) who found that well-designed prompts and explicit usage guidelines significantly improve learning outcomes in ai-assisted writing classrooms. the teachers’ suggestion to explore various ai tools (such as jenni ai, quillbot, and gemini) reflects an emerging understanding of the need for diverse technological alternatives, as supported by baidoo-anu and owusu ansah (2023) on the benefits of using multiple ai tools to meet varied learning needs and preferences. the challenges identified when implementing chatgpt in english writing classrooms point to a broader need for systematic approaches to ai integration in education. the findings suggest that successful implementation requires a delicate balance between leveraging ai capabilities and maintaining traditional educational values. this aligns with the "balanced integration framework" proposed by wang et al. (2024), which emphasizes the importance of maintaining student creativity and critical thinking while utilizing ai tools. the teachers’ experiences highlight the need for continued research and development of best practices in ai-enhanced writing instruction, particularly in addressing issues of student autonomy and authentic learning experiences. conclusion this study reveals the dual nature of chatgpt implementation in senior high school english writing classrooms. on the one hand, the findings demonstrate chatgpt’s significant potential in enhancing students’ critical thinking development through improved idea formulation, faster processing of information, and more sophisticated evaluation practices, whereas, on the other hand, they also disclose substantial challenges that need to be addressed. the research shows that when properly implemented with clear guidelines and structured oversight, chatgpt can serve as an effective tool for developing students’ critical thinking in writing, particularly through its functions as a discussion assistant, feedback provider, and source of writing inspiration. the english teachers’ experiences suggest that the tool's interactive features and immediate feedback capabilities have the potential to create a more dynamic learning environment that encourages students to engage more deeply with their writing process. however, the successful implementation of chatgpt in writing instruction faces several notable challenges that warrant careful consideration. these encompass infrastructural issues such as internet connectivity issues and device availability, as well as pedagogical concerns regarding student overdependence and potential negative impacts on fundamental language learning skills. therefore, teachers should properly design writing tasks that explicitly require students to justify and evaluate chatgptgenerated suggestions rather than accepting them uncritically. for instance, the teacher might instruct students to criticize the output text from chatgpt and understand its weaknesses before integrating it into their writing. additionally, teachers are required to establish clear protocols of when students are allowed to incorporate ai assistance and how students should modify the suggestions. the present study is limited by its sample that consist exclusively of indonesian senior high school english teachers, potentially limiting the generalizability of findings to other cultural educational contexts where attitudes toward ai and pedagogical approaches may differ significantly. moreover, the reliance on selfreported data from teachers may introduce potential bias, as participants may have overreported and underreported data due to social desirability or other factors. therefore, future research should focus on developing comprehensive and evidence-based frameworks for ai integration in writing instruction, particularly exploring ways to balance technological assistance with traditional learning objectives, such as an experimental study with more randomized and larger samples, which also highlights the monitoring system of in-class and out-of-class writing activities. additionally, longitudinal studies examining the long-term effects of chatgpt usage on students’ writing development and critical thinking skills would provide valuable insights for educational practitioners, indicating that schools and instructors should develop clear and specific guidelines when accepting generative ai in writing practices to ensure transparency in the system that aligns with the school curriculum. the findings of this study suggest that while chatgpt holds promising potential for enhancing writing instruction and critical thinking development, its english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 467 successful implementation requires careful planning and continuous monitoring to ensure that it serves as a complement to, rather than a replacement for, traditional learning approaches. references abdaljaleel, m., barakat, m., alsanafi, m., salim, n. a., abazid, h., malaeb, … sallam, m. (2024). a multinational study on the factors influencing university students’ attitudes and usage of chatgpt. scientific reports, 14(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-52549-8 altwijri, l., & alghizzi, t. m. (2024). investigating the integration of artificial intelligence in english as a foreign language classes for enhancing learners’ affective factors: a systematic review. heliyon, 10(10), e31053. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31053 annamalai, n., eltahir, m. e., zyoud, s. h., soundrarajan, d., zakarneh, b., & al salhi, n. r. (2023). exploring english language learning via chatbot: a case study from a self-determination theory perspective. computers and education: artificial intelligence, 5(february), 100148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2023.100148 baidoo-anu, d., & owusu ansah, l. (2023). education in the era of generative artificial intelligence (ai): understanding the potential benefits of chatgpt in promoting teaching and learning. journal of ai, 7(1), 52–62. https://doi.org/10.61969/jai.1337500 braun, v., & clarke, v. (2006). using thematic analysis in psychology. qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa cope, b., kalantzis, m., & searsmith, d. (2021). artificial intelligence for education: knowledge and its assessment in ai-enabled learning ecologies. educational philosophy and theory, 53(12), 1229–1245. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2020.1728732 creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2021). qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research: fifth edition. in introducing english language. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315707181-60 darling-hammond, l., flook, l., cook-harvey, c., barron, b., & osher, d. (2020). implications for educational practice of the science of learning and development. applied developmental science, 24(2), 97–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2018.1537791 espinoza-celi, v., & pintado, c. m. (2020). using twitter to enhance writing skill with senior high school students: a case study. teaching english with technology, 20(5), 108–124. http://www.tewtjournal.org/ farhi, f., jeljeli, r., aburezeq, i., dweikat, f. f., alshami, s. a., & slamene, r. (2023). analyzing the students’ views, concerns, and perceived ethics about chatgpt usage. computers and education: artificial intelligence, 5(october), 100180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2023.100180 gozali, i., wijaya, a. r. t., lie, a., cahyono, b. y., & suryati, n. (2024). chatgpt as an automated writing evaluation (awe) tool: feedback literacy development and awe tools’ integration framework. jalt call journal, 20(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.29140/jaltcall.v20n1.1200 karan, b. (2024). integration of artificial intelligence by the central board of secondary education in india: towards innovative teaching and learning practices. technology, pedagogy and education, 33(4), 455–474. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939x.2024.2337924 kohnke, l., moorhouse, b. l., & zou, d. (2023). chatgpt for language teaching and learning. relc journal, 54(2), 537–550. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882231162868 kostka, i., & toncelli, r. (2023). exploring applications of chatgpt to english language teaching: opportunities, challenges, and recommendations. tesl-ej, 27(3), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.27107int lahby, m., maleh, y., bucchiarone, a., & elisa, s. (2024). general aspects of applying generative ai in higher education. springer. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3031-65691-0 lee, d., arnold, m., srivastava, a., plastow, k., strelan, p., ploeckl, f., lekkas, d., & palmer, e. (2024). the impact of generative ai on higher education learning and teaching: a study of educators’ perspectives. computers and education: artificial intelligence, 6(april), 100221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100221 lightbown, p. m., & spada, n. (2013). how languages are learned: fourth edition. in oxford university press. https://doi.org/10.5070/l4152005088 liu, m., zhang, l. j., & biebricher, c. (2024). investigating students’ cognitive processes in generative ai-assisted digital multimodal composing and traditional writing. computers and education, 211(august 2023), 104977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104977 mcknight, l., & gannon, s. (2024). hive writing: a post-pandemic, audience and ai-aware manifesto for writing pedagogies. english in education, 58(1), 74–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/04250494.2023.2271971 ng, d. t. k., su, j., leung, j. k. l., & chu, s. k. w. (2023). artificial intelligence (ai) literacy education in secondary schools: a review. interactive learning environments, 32(10), 6204–6224. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2023.2255228 nguyen, p. (2024). evaluating ai-generated language as models for strategic competence in english language teaching. 12(3), 325–349. khoirul anam, siti rowiyah, bayu hendro wicaksono, rina wahyu setyaningrum, riski lestiono chatgpt for developing critical thinking in writing: perspectives of senior high school english teachers in indonesia 468 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.12.3.1 3 oguz, f. e., ekersular, m. n., sunnetci, k. m., & alkan, a. (2024). can chatgpt be utilized in scientific and undergraduate studies? annals of biomedical engineering, 52(5), 1128–1130. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-023-03333-8 paul, r., & elder, l. (2020). what people who know our approach say about the book. retrieved from https://adams.marmot.org/externalecontent/.b61 607812 saif, n., khan, s. u., shaheen, i., alotaibi, a., alnfiai, m. m., & arif, m. (2024). chat-gpt: validating technology acceptance model (tam) in education sector via ubiquitous learning mechanism. computers in human behavior, 154(december 2023), 108097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.108097 sarica, h. ç., & usluel, y. k. (2016). the effect of digital storytelling on visual memory and writing skills. computers and education, 94, 298–309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.11.016 schiff, d. (2022). education for ai, not ai for education: the role of education and ethics in national ai policy strategies. in international journal of artificial intelligence in education (vol. 32, issue 3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-021-00270-2 singh, e., vasishta, p., & singla, a. (2024). aienhanced education: exploring the impact of ai literacy on generation z’s academic performance in northern india. quality assurance in education, 33(2), 185–202. https://doi.org/10.1108/qae-02-2024-0037 smith, t. e., thompson, a. m., maynard, b. r., & kim, a. m. (2024). effects of self-management interventions on challenging behavior: a systematic review and meta-analysis. research on social work practice, 35(2), 129–148. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315231200351 song, c., & song, y. (2023). enhancing academic writing skills and motivation: assessing the efficacy of chatgpt in ai-assisted language learning for efl students. frontiers in psychology, 14(december), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1260843 southworth, j. (2022). bridging critical thinking and transformative learning: the role of perspectivetaking. theory and research in education, 20(1), 44–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/14778785221090853 thiga, m. m. (2024). generative ai and the development of critical thinking skills. iconic research and engineering journals, 7(9), 83–90. https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/170 5580.pdf tiernan, p., costello, e., donlon, e., parysz, m., & scriney, m. (2023). information and media literacy in the age of ai: options for the future. education sciences, 13(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13090906 vonna, y., mukmienation, n., & laksmi, e. d. (2015). the effect of scaffolding instruction on students writing skills. jurnal pendidikan humaniora, 543. https://doi.org/10.35156/1869-013-002-041 wahyudin, d., subkhan, e., malik, a., hakim, m. a., sudiapermana, e., lelialhapip, m., nur rofika ayu shinta amalia, l. s., ali, n. b. v., & krisna, f. n. (2024). kajian akademik kurikulum merdeka. kemendikbud, 1–143. wang, s., wang, f., zhu, z., wang, j., tran, t., & du, z. (2024). artificial intelligence in education: a systematic literature review. expert systems with applications, 252(pa), 124167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2024.124167 warschauer, m., & xu, y. (2024). artificial intelligence for language learning : entering a new era. 28(2), 1–4. https://doi.org/https://hdl.handle.net/10125/7356 9 zhang, s., zhao, x., zhou, t., & kim, j. h. (2024). do you have ai dependency? the roles of academic self-efficacy, academic stress, and performance expectations on problematic ai usage behavior. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-024-00467-0 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 165 cognitive and communicative principles in bangka malay taboo languages i nyoman pasek darmawan* medical department, faculty of medicine and health sciences, universitas bangka belitung, indonesia email: inyomanpasekdarmawan@ubb.ac.id muhammad rozani accounting department, faculty of economics and business, universitas bangka belitung, indonesia email: muhammadrozani@ubb.ac.id m afifulloh english literature department, faculty of social and political sciences, universitas bangka belitung, indonesia email: afifulloh@ubb.ac.id apa citation: darmawan, i. n. p., rozani, m., afifulloh, m. (2025). cognitive and communicative principles in bangka malay taboo languages. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 165-176. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.10835 received: 27-10-2024 accepted: 28-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: taboo language within the malay bangka community acts as a social boundary that regulates behaviors, preventing discomfort or negative outcomes. this study explores the underlying codes and principles behind the use of taboo language in this community, using sperber and wilson's relevance theory (1995) to discuss cognitive and communicative principles. the primary data comes from the bangka malay community across bangka and south bangka regencies, while secondary sources include various literary works. data were gathered through listening (simak), interviews (cakap), and document analysis, and were examined using six steps of qualitative analysis. triangulation was applied to ensure validity, with discussions involving traditional malay culture experts (lembaga adat melayu). the results of the study suggest that, based on the cognitive and communicative principles, speakers use ostensive stimuli (i.e. particular signals or cues that are deliberately used to indicate that someone is trying to convey information), such as coded phrases like "nanti bengkak kemaluan" (your genital may swell), to guide listeners toward the intended message, ensuring optimal relevance. additionally, urban myths, often attributed to supernatural forces like ghosts, are employed to reinforce the consequences of disobedience. from the lens of relevance theory, these phrases are effective, as they require minimal cognitive effort for listeners to understand and process the speaker’s message. keywords: bangka malay; cognitive and communicative principles; relevance theory. introduction taboo language or bahasa pantang larang (further abbreviated: bpl), in this context, refers to both spoken and written expressions that are normative and inflexible, intended to educate or to manage individuals behaviours in maintaining a moral, civilized, and ethical social order (allan & burridge, 2006; sulpizio et al., 2024). rohmah & purwantoro (2023) explain that the taboo language, or bpl characterizes a cultural heritage rooted in the beliefs of the ancient malay community. the bpl in malay community serves as social boundaries, regulating individual behaviour and attitudes that may lead to discomfort, accidents, or adverse outcomes. similar, altabaa & fadzir (2022), chiatoh & lando (2021), and ma’shumah et al., (2022) explain that the characteristics of a taboo language is signified by its inherent sense of threat, wherein failure to adhere to its prohibitions can result in harm or loss to individuals or groups. therefore, taboos are regarded as actions or expressions that are forbidden or discouraged. besides, allan and burridge (2006) suggest that taboos can be categorized into several areas, including discussions about the body and its excretions (such as sweat, mucus, faeces, menstrual fluids, etc.), sexual organs, disease, death, and murder (including hunting and fishing). additionally, taboos extend to naming, greeting, touching, and seeing sacred people, creatures, places, as well as the consumption of food. for instance, as suggested by wardani & nuraiza (2021), the use of word sira (‘salt’) at night among the pidie people is regarded as one of taboo things, as in the phrase tulong neubi sira bacut! (‘please give me some salt!’). they believe that uttering the word sira after dark may bring about misfortune for the speaker. additionally, agita (2024) suggests that balinese words like cai, a casual term for ‘you’, and kuluk, the common balinese term for mailto:inyomanpasekdarmawan@ubb.ac.id i nyoman pasek darmawa, muhammad rozani, & m afifulloh cognitive and communicative principles in bangka malay taboo languages 166 ‘dog’ are not just considered impolite; they represent an unconventionality from the community's norms of respect. taboo language is deeply intertwined with the culture of malay communities in indonesia, making it a subject of interest for many researchers who study the various aspects of taboo language. for examples, ningsih et al., (2020) conducted to preserve partially oral literature, one of the studies, folklore namely the abstinence speech so that it is not lost in people's lives and is still used well by the community, especially in the minang community in ujungbatu area, rokan hulu riau district; kurniawan (2019) focused on the abstinence for children playing at sun set prayer time as the phenomenon of the living hadith that developed among the sambas malays; rani & shomary (2024) studied the expression abstinence and prohibition in the people of sungai nibung village, siak kecil district, bengkalis regency; harista et al., (2023) examined expressions of pregnancy myths from the perspective of religious leaders; and sarmidi (2015) investigated the existence of gender-specific taboo language directed toward women in patriarchal cultures. moreover, alfarisi et al., (2019) conducted research that discusses taboo language in the form of a myth that the people firmly believe in gantung village, namely kepunan. the term refers to prohibitions against neglecting certain practices, being inattentive, or willingly expressing certain immoral things. the community believes violating bpl will result in disaster or other adverse consequences for the individual. learning taboo language extends beyond merely adhering to its prohibitions. both speakers and listeners must also comprehend the meaning or code that is implicitly underlying the expressions to ensure that the expressions align appropriately with their intended context. it addresses the social dimensions of communication, concentrating on how individuals use language to approach communicative objectives in various situations. birner (2013), yule (1996), and ajayi et al., (2024) explain that understanding pragmatics is crucial for effective communication, as it elucidates how a speaker conveys meaning that extends beyond the literal interpretation of words or sentences. cultural and social factors significantly influence pragmatics, as different societies have distinct norms and expectations regarding language use in various contexts. yule (1996) and saeed (2016) extend that to analyse the intended meaning of the speakers (including their assumptions, intentions, and objectives), the study of pragmatics elucidates the hearers in learning the meaning by developing their non-linguistics ability during communication. also, leech (1983) explains that there are five communicative aspects that referred to analyse the conversational situations in terms of pragmatics: (1) addresses and addressees, (2) the context of an utterance, (3) the objectives of an utterance, (4) the act of the utterance, and (5) the utterance as a product of a verbal act. this pragmatic study can assist listeners or readers in discovering the intended meaning by interpreting the significance through specific principles, such as those outlined in the relevance theory (abbreviated as rt) proposed by sperber and wilson (1995). in pragmatic studies, relevance theory considers the alignment in the interpretation between the speaker and the hearer, guided by assumptions deemed relevant by the hearer. these assumptions direct the hearer towards understanding the intended meaning conveyed by the speaker in the communication as explained by bala (2022), nur baiti & yanti (2021), hassan et al., (2024), sartika & pranoto (2021), and allott (2019). additionally, huang (2021) states that, in a specific context, a speaker employs vague words to convey the illocutionary force to the listener. this is known as a strategy of pragmatic ambivalence where the speaker deliberately uses ambiguous language with a clear purpose in the conversation based on a specific context. similarly, sperber & wilson (1995) assert that an assumption is considered relevant if it has a contextual impact within the specific conversation. they further argue that assumptions emerge as a result of either an external or an internal stimulus and are processed cognitively, aiding the hearer in determining what is relevant. theoretically, it is well-known as the positive cognitive effect that corresponds to the two principles in rt: cognitive relevance and communicative relevance. the first principle, the cognitive relevance, theorizes that the hearers are inclined to process the most relevant stimuli triggered by the speakers. sperber and wilson (1995: 260) state, “human cognition tends to be geared to the maximization of relevance.” this tendency for human cognition to focus on the most appropriate or relevant stimuli enables individuals to form specific contextual assumptions and leads them to approach the intended conclusions. aligned with this perspective, zamani & hassan (2018: 130) explain that the most relevant stimuli deemed by the speaker will be appointed and processed maximally by the hearer, assisted with particular english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 167 contexts to conclude. meanwhile, the communicative relevance principle emphasizes that every act of ostensive communication communicates the presumption of its optimal relevance. the term “ostensive communication” refers to the specific situation where the speaker produces a stimulus that indicates the purpose of communication by involving various surrounding sources. the ostensive stimulus can help the hearer to compromise the presumption of relevance. preliminary observations suggest a significant existence of taboo language within the bangka malay community. for instance, the phrase jen besiul ampek ne kalo ade iblis datang (‘avoid whistling on the porch at night, as it may attract demons’) represents a taboo culture intertwined with social and supernatural aspects. the bangka malay community believes that whistling on the porch at night may cause a bad result for the man of action. this expression has been widely used since ancient times, but there has been a lack of scientific research into the underlying reasons for principles that inform the use of such taboo language codes or symbols. several studies regarding the bangka malay taboo languages were conducted to preserve and develop local wisdoms to future generations. cholid (2019) explored the use of taboo languages within the bangka malay community that can be implemente in the guidance and counselling service in the community. also, palar et al., (2023) and purwanto & rifa’i (2020) ayiunveiled the meaning as well the function of kepunan and malet culture in bangka society with a qur’anic exegeses perspective. however, the study of taboos or bpl, particularly within the bangka malay community, remains relatively uncommon. consequently, this study aims to conduct an in-depth analysis of the fundamental codes and principles that motivate the use of taboo language by the bangka malay community, employing a pragmatic approach which then thoroughly examined through the view of relevance theory proposed as by sperber and wilson (1995) to discuss the connection of both cognitive and communicative principles. method this research employs qualitative-descriptive methods. qualitatively, it involves creating questions for participants to gather information related to the phenomenon being studied. furthermore, this research is conducted to describe the forms of taboo language in the bangka malay community utilizing the relevance theory proposed by sperber and wilson (1995). two sources of data, primary and secondary, were involved. the primary data source for this research is the bangka malay community from various regions in bangka and south bangka regencies who are fluent in the bangka malay language. participants were selected through purposeful snowball sampling, concentrating on native speakers (both male and female), indigenous to bangka (not long-term immigrants), aged between 40 and 80 years, and in good physical and mental health. the participants were recruited from diverse settings like urban areas, rural communities, and different cultural or socioeconomic backgrounds. also, the number of referrals each participant was limited to reduce the clustering of similar participants, 2 participants for 1 referral. to support the primary data, secondary sources were obtained by examining various literary works that provide insights into taboo language within the bangka malay community. the data were collected by employing three different methods, listening (simak), interview (cakap), and document analyses. the collected data were scrutinized and analyzed through six steps of qualitative data analysis: copying the interview-based data, reviewing all information to gain a general understanding, coding the data by segmenting it into different categories and labelling them with typical categories such as taboo languages for kids, adults, pregnant women, culinary activities, and ethics, identifying themes and analytical descriptions based on the concept of cognitive and communicative principles of the relevance theory, developing themes into a qualitative narrative based on the a major idea in the database and descriptions or more details of themes which consist of people, places, or events in the research, and interpreting the data. to ensure the validity, data were triangulated and discussed with various traditional malay culture figures (lembaga adat melayu) who are experts on the bangka malay language and culture. results and discussion the analysis revealed 39 taboo expressions in the bangka malay community, which are categorized as detailed in the following table. table 1. taboo expressions in the bangka malay community category amount of data i nyoman pasek darmawa, muhammad rozani, & m afifulloh cognitive and communicative principles in bangka malay taboo languages 168 taboo expressions for kids 9 taboo expressions for adults 15 taboo expressions for pregnant women 7 taboo expressions for culinary activities 2 taboo expressions regarding ethics 6 total 39 taboo expressions for pregnant women the use of taboo language directed at pregnant women is intended to preserve the well-being and safety of both the mother and the unborn child throughout pregnancy, ensuring a secure delivery process. also, these taboo expressions serve to heighten the expectant mother’s awareness of potential risks or complications that may arise during pregnancy or childbirth (frastika et al., 2023). the following are two examples of taboo expressions specifically addressed to pregnant women in the bangka malay community. [1] jen bediri di tenga lawang, kalu susa laher (do not stand in the doorway, as it is believed to cause complications during childbirth) this expression is commonly directed at pregnant women, cautioning them not to stand or sit in the middle of an open or closed doorway. on a literal level, the underlying rationale is that doorways function as passageways for household members, and this, occupying the middle of a doorway would obstruct the movement of others entering or exiting the space. the expression “jen bediri di tenga lawang, kalu susa laher”, when examined through the view of relevance theory, corresponds to both the cognitive relevance and communicative relevance principles. the phrase “kalu susa laher” is utilized as an ostensive stimulus, employed as a specific code or reinforcement to leave a strong impression on hearers (pregnant women) who engage in the behavior “bediri di tenga lawang”. the ostensive stimulus based on the phrase “kalu susa laher” (resulting in a difficult birth) enables the hearer to generate a hypothesis and confirm it, as it is perceived to be contextually relevant— suggesting that sitting in the doorway could obstruct a person’s passage, similar to how it could impede the baby’s exit during childbirth. additionally, the ostensive stimulus conveyed by the speaker through the expression is regarded as relevant by the hearer, as it suggests that the physical obstruction of a doorway is a tangible experience that can be observed or felt. sperber & wilson (1995) as cited in hassan (2009) emphasizes that when the speaker presents an ostensive stimulus that is highly impactful and relevant to the hearer, it will cause minimal cognitive effort for the hearer to process and understand the meaning of the taboo expression. [2]jen nyangkot andok di leui atau kepalai, dilek bayi delem perot kelilet talet puset. (do not wrap a towel around your neck or head, as it is thought to increase the risk of the umbilical cord wrapping around the baby during childbirth) this example is considered a taboo expression by the bangka malay community which is specifically directed at pregnant women. according to dewi (2021), stefani (2021), ariandini et al., (2024), and novitasari & fitriyah (2019), many people regard this as a myth. however, she extends that the issue of a baby becoming entangled in the umbilical cord is scientifically caused by excessive baby movement or an unusually long umbilical cord. one of the most common risks associated with a baby being wrapped in the umbilical cord is a decreased fetal heart rate at birth. typically, it results from reduced oxygen supply and impaired blood flow. the taboo language “jen nyangkot andok di leui atau kepalai, dilek bayi delem perot kelilet talet puset” is persisted in being used despite being viewed as a myth. the expression intends to prevent pregnant women from engaging in activities that could potentially threaten the safety and health of the baby in the future. this expression frequently stimuli inquiries from adults, as it is perceived to lack a significant impact to be rendered relevant. however, a significant number of pregnant women adhere to the phrase “dilek bayi delem perot kelilet talet puset” to increase the risk of the umbilical cord wrapping around the baby during childbirth. the phrase serves as a code that produces an ostensive stimulus, triggering cognitive processes that lead to the assumption that tightly wrapping a towel around the neck or head will result in breading difficulties or a compressed head. corresponding to the principle of cognitive relevance, the optimal relevance is achieved by the realization of the assumption of the hearer led by the ostensive stimulus, influenced by the speaker. from the perspective of the principle of communicative relevance, the optimal relevance is achieved through ostensive stimuli. the speaker provides a parable based on the abilities and choices as evidence that can be perceived or experienced. this approach extends beyond merely english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 169 influencing cognitive impressions, as it engages the hearer more tangibly. cognitively, individuals select various potential explanations to form assumptions. they will choose those that seem most impactful and relevant to the phrase “dilek bayi delem perot kelilet talet puset” or causing birth difficulties due to the wrapping of the umbilical cord. nevertheless, to approach optimal relevance, the speaker develops an ostensive stimulus with more prominent impacts through speech. this enables the hearer to process the phrases more effectively, requiring less time and effort to perceive them as relevant. taboo expressions for culinary practices [3] nyalet luk biar dak kepon (please try the food/drink so you won’t be kepon) the use of the taboo expression “nyalet luk biar dak kepon” is familiar within the bangka malay community, addressed to people of all ages, including children and adults. according to purwanto & rifa’i (2020), the term kepunan or kepon commonly known as malet served as an unwritten norm or rule that is, in a sense, “mandatory” to follow. this becomes captivating when the concept of kepunan has a significant impact on the bangka malay community, deeply influencing and embedding itself in the customs and local wisdom. in advance, rizki (2024) explains that the bangka community perceives the expression kepunan or kepon as a form of curse or misfortune. this term applies to someone who refuses to eat or even touch the food or drinks offered to them by others. for example, when someone offers you a cup of tea, even if you do not wish to drink the tea, you must still touch it with your fingers instead of not consuming it at all. neglecting to do so is believed to invite misfortune, which may manifest in various forms, including accidents, tripping, hand injuries, or collisions with hard objects. the term kepunan or kepon is preserved to be used despite being viewed as a myth. kepunan is an intensely held belief among the bangka malay community. they believe that when someone talks about food or drink without tasting it, it is considered highly taboo and may result in bad luck. while kepunan cannot be scientifically explained or figured out, it is widely accepted because it has become ingrained in the culture of the bangka community. according to palar et al., (2023) and dodi (2023), kepunan refers to a sanction imposed when we refuse food or drinks offered to us or when we are in the mood for a particular food or drink but have not yet had the opportunity to consume it. this sanction can be also perceived as a cultural sanction, which manifests as balak (i.e., adverse events), and may result in misfortunes such as getting struck, slipping, accidents, and other similar occurrences. the phrase biar dak kepon is used as a signal that provokes a specific cognitive response (i.e., an ostensive stimulus), leading to the belief that refusing someone’s offers in the forms of food or drinks will cause an adverse impact. simultaneously, the hearer would perceive that declining an offer of food or drink will cause an affront to the provider (the speaker), as it is considered a form of disrespect towards the preparation of the offered items. this assumption is highlighted as contextually relevant. corresponding to the principle of cognitive relevance, optimal relevance is achieved when the hearer’s assumptions align with the speaker’s intent as prompted by the ostensive stimulus. in opposition, from the perspective of the communicative relevance principle, an optimal relevance is achieved through ostensive stimuli. through the expression biar dak kepon, the speaker presents a legendary story that draws on the hearer’s abilities and choices as tangible evidence that can be perceived or experienced. this principle goes beyond merely shaping cognitive impressions by actively engaging the hearer more concretely. cognitively, individuals explore various potential explanations to develop their assumptions. the bangka communities choose the term kepunan or kepon as it has become perceived impactful and relevant. this enables the hearer to develop the phrase more effectively, requiring less time and effort. [4] jen mawak pisang mas atau telok men nek minter ke sungai, kelak ngundang mese-mese keluar. (please do not bring the lady finger banana or eggs when going fishing, it may attract adverse things) the bangka malay community has faith in the expression of taboo jen mawak pisang mas atau telok men nek minter ke sungai, kelak ngundang mese-mese keluar as a cautionary notice typically directed towards individuals who are enthusiasts or hobbyists of fishing. most people in bangka perceive that pisang mas (lady finger banana) and various types of prepared eggs, including both boiled and fried, brought when going fishing may attract adverse things (mese-mese) or misfortunes to the fishermen. the term mese-mese refers to i nyoman pasek darmawa, muhammad rozani, & m afifulloh cognitive and communicative principles in bangka malay taboo languages 170 adverse occurrences, such as supernatural disturbances or tangible threats from wild animals in the forest or river. syarnubi, the leader of the malay customary organization of bangka regency, explains that the expression jen mawak pisang mas atau telok men nek minter ke sungai, kelak ngundang mese-mese keluar has been established and developed through generations. this belief is grounded in numerous legendary stories suggesting that carrying the lady finger banana and boiled eggs can attract disaster, such as attacks by crocodiles or wild animals in the forest. given that ancient forests were dense and teeming with wildlife, there was a significant risk of encounters where such animals could both attack and prey on anglers. he states that the odor of eggs and bananas may incite wild animals, such as crocodiles and monkeys, to approach. even today, many people in bangka, particularly those who enjoy fishing, continue to adhere to and believe in the taboo expression jen mawak pisang mas atau telok men nek minter ke sungai, kelak ngundang mese-mese keluar. the use of the phrase kelak ngundang mese-mese gives a sense of fear that can influence an individual’s behavior, leading to the avoidance of bringing the lady finger banana and eggs when going fishing. from the view of relevance theory, the phrase kelak ngundang mese-mese is used as an ostensive stimulus that enables the hearer, using their abilities, to formulate relevant assumptions, thereby creating a strong cognitive impact. considering the beliefs or customs of malays, inge (2021) explains that both the lady finger banana and boiled eggs are related to the ritual practice of ancak (i.e., a traditional ceremony held by malays for dispelling bad luck or eliminating disease). those objects are utilized as offerings, after which they are discarded to dispel diseases. this also explains why the ostensive stimulus of the phrase “kelak ngundang mese-mese” generates a relevant assumption, achieving optimal relevance by creating a strong impression with the minimal cognitive effort required for processing. taboo expressions for some adults [5] jen besiok malem-malem, takot ngundang mese-mese. (do not whistle at night, it may attract adverse things) the bangka malay community believes that the taboo expression jen besiok malem-malem, takot ngundang mese-mese is an important sign that is especially addressed to both kids and mature men. most people consider that besiok or whistling at night can attract supernatural adverse things to come into their house, resulting in a disruption in family harmony. in many cultures, erwanto et al., (2016); ulandari et al., (2022); and justine et al., (2021) explain that whistling at night or upon the beginning of the maghrib prayer time is considered to cause bad luck or a disturbance to the environment. in some cases, people use this kind of warning to remind them that whistling at night may also be a way to ward off evil spirits. the use of this taboo language likely originated because, in ancient times, settlements were typically very quiet, making whistling at night seem like a disturbance to neighbours who were resting. the whistling sound would have been amplified and carried further due to the stillness of the surroundings, allowing the sound waves to spread more quickly and widely. besides, the sound of whistling, especially during the colonial period, can invoke the enemy’s spotters to detect our safehouse. unsurprisingly, the prohibition against whistling at night has persisted to this day. the phrase “ngundang mese-mese” or “can summon the devil/adverse thing” apparently evokes a frightening impression that can influence an individual’s cognition, leading to the avoidance of whistling activities. from the perspective of relevance theory, this phrase is employed as an ostensive stimulus that provides an opportunity for the hearer, with his or her ability, to generate relevant assumptions with a strong cognitive impact. the speaker uses that phrase as a linguistic code that the hearers can interpret based on their abilities and experiences. considering the belief or faith of the bangka malay community, specifically islam, it is plausible that the taboo expression jen besiok malem-malem, takot ngundang mese-mese is rooted in islamic teaching, as outlined in surah al-anfal verse 35 of the quran “their worship around the kaaba consisted of nothing more than whistling and clapping. therefore, experience the punishment for your disbelief.” according to zulkarnain & mubarak (2022), based on this verse, serves as a refutation of the ignorant sufis who engage in dancing, clapping, and shouting (including whistling). these actions are indefensible and cannot be justified by any rational person in their practices near the kaaba. this also explains why the phrase “ngundang mese-mese” serves as an ostensive stimulus, as it creates a strong impression with a minimal cognitive effort to result in the relevant assumption. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 171 [6] jen mandik tengah ari takot dikemeh mese la pacak saket atau kesepoh. (avoid bathing during the day, as you may risk being urinated by the ghost or getting sick or kesepoh). bathing is a key aspect of personal hygiene, essential for maintaining cleanliness and overall health, both physically and mentally (pandowo & kurniasari, 2019). however, the bangka malay community still strongly upholds a prohibition related to bathing activities, particularly during the day at precisely noon. the expression jen mandik tengah ari takot dikemeh mese la pacak saket atau kesepoh is commonly addressed to both kids and adults in the bangka malay community. this taboo language aims to warn and prevent both men and women from bathing during the day, as it is believed to potentially lead to undesirable consequences. in general, daytime bathing is permitted, with no medical or scientific evidence that explains any prohibition about the practice. however, in the bangka malay community, daytime bathing is regarded as taboo. this prohibition exists due to being grounded in the local story and tradition, where individuals have reported or perceived that daytime bathing can lead to illness. however, if the phrase is expressed as jen mandik tengah ari, kelak sakit (“avoid daytime bathing, as you may risk getting sick”), it would be regarded as irrelevant, particularly for adults. nevertheless, the phrase takot dikemeh mese (“you will be urinated by a ghost”) has produced an ostensive stimulus that encourages a strong impression for the hearers to avoid daytime bathing. the phrase dikemeh mese can evoke feelings of disgust and fear. the speaker employs this expression as a helping code to emphasize the consequences of doing daytime bathing, such as resulting in inconveniencing feelings or getting sick. however, scientifically, azzahra et al., (2023); and herniyanti et al., (2023) explain that the prohibition against daytime bathing does not exist, as no empirical studies have explained it. however, individuals with heightened sensitivity may experience discomfort when their body is exposed to extreme temperature changes. for instance, the sudden contact of hot skin following daytime activities may lead to thermal imbalance or other related discomforts after being showered with cold water. based on the pragmatic view through the cognitive and communicative relevance principles, every taboo expression that initiates an ostensive stimulus can lead to optimal relevance (sperber & wilson, 1995, as cited in zamani & hassan, 2018). a listener tends to choose the most relevant assumption based on the speaker’s utterance, informed by their background of knowledge or experience. the expression jen mandik tengah ari takot dikemeh mese la pacak saket atau kesepoh (“avoid daytime bathing as you may risk being urinated by ghosts or getting sick”) is used to prevent listeners from experiencing negative consequences after daytime bathing that may affect their bodily systems. the supporting phrase dikemeh mese influences the listeners’ cognition by prompting assumptions perceived as relevant and aligned with their understanding. communicatively, the speaker employs this phrase to illustrate the negative consequences that may be attributed to supernatural forces, such as ghosts, that may harm the listener’s health. from the perspective of relevance theory, the phrase effectively conveys the speaker’s intentions, as it is easily understood by listeners and allows them to process the information with minimal cognitive effort. taboo expressions for kids [7] jen dudok pek bantal, kelak pantat bisulan. (“do not sit on a pillow, or you will get ulcers on your buttocks”) generally, this expression is aimed at teaching children to avoid immoral behaviors or actions that conflict with the customs, beliefs, and religious practices of the bangka malay community, while also promoting their health and safety. specifically, this taboo discourages children from using pillows as seating or play objects. pillows are meant for resting the head during sleep, and the head is considered as hulu (“the highest part of the body”). hulu is acknowledged as sacred, representing the highest, most honorable, and life-giving principle. as a result, the elders consistently teach the children to show respect toward hulu as the source or principle of life. moreover, sitting on the pillow is symbolically equated with sitting on the head or hulu. in balinese consciousness and culture, according to windiasih (2019); and yudiastini & rachmawati (2023), hulu is considered as the sun. the existence of the sun is perceived to be essential for life on earth. in their practices, balinese hindus adhere to be belief that there the sun is the primary and foremost source of life. if the children are advised with jen dudok pek bantal, kelak kutor bantal (“do not sit on the i nyoman pasek darmawa, muhammad rozani, & m afifulloh cognitive and communicative principles in bangka malay taboo languages 172 pillow, or it will get dirty”), it will be considered a normal expression without resulting in a strong prohibition impression for the listeners. however, the speaker employs the supporting phrase kelak pantat bisulan (“you will get ulcers on your buttocks”) to produce a forceful prohibition for the children. besides, andany (2019) explains that in medical terms sitting on a pillow is regarded as unacceptable behavior, as an individual may risk getting infected, particularly if the pillowcase remains unchanged for the entire week, leading to the development of acne particularly in those with sensitive skin. from the perspective of relevance theory, the use of the supporting or coded phrase kelak pantat bisulan (“you will get ulcers on your buttocks”) as an ostensive stimulus can influence the listener’s cognition to make relevant inferences about the message intended by the speaker. the word bisul (“ulcer”) will lead the listener’s cognition to a skin disease caused by microorganisms that affect to have difficulty sitting and require a long time to heal. this is considered the highest inference that can be understood by the listeners as they need less time and less effort to process the taboo language to achieve optimum relevance. however, the optimum relevance can only be derived from the background knowledge of the listener. the expression kelak pantat bisulan (“you will get ulcers on your buttocks”) is perceived quickly and hesitant to act by children. this is because of the speaker’s communication skills, making “ulcer” a code word that is straightforward for listeners to interpret and understand. [8] jen ngemeh sebasing lubeng takot tumbong. (“do not urinate in the burrowing animal nests, or your genitals may swell”) the phrase jen ngemeh sebasing lubeng takot tumbong (“do not urinate in the burrowing animal nests, or your genitals may swell”) is a form of taboo language addressed to children. the burrowing animal nests referred to may include those of ants, snakes, ground rats, or others typically found in yards, fields, or forests. this phrase is used as a warning, suggesting that urinating into these nests could pose risks to both the individual and the animals inhabiting the nests. the underlying aim of this taboo is to educate responsible behavior in young people by encouraging them to protect and preserve the environment. urinating on burrowing animal nests could disrupt their habitats and potentially harm the ecosystems within them. the phrase takot tumbong (“your genitals may swell”) carries a more intimidating tone which serves as an ostensive stimulus from the speaker. if the expression were performed kelak rusak saran e (“the nest could be damaged”, the taboo would lose its impact, as it does not directly affect the individual’s cognition. the reference to the genitals, a critical part of the body that must be protected, enhances the gravity of the warning. besides the health concern due to the prolonged healing process, the phrase “swollen genitals” is also seen as a source of embarrassment, making the taboo particularly effective in deterring the behavior. according to the relevance theory, the coded phrase takot tumbong (“your genitals may swell”) as an ostensive stimulus can lead the listener to make assumptions regarding urinary activity in a burrowing animal’s nest, resulting in a significant cognitive effect. however, negative consequences may arise if the burrowing animals react aggressively to the intrusion. furthermore, the speaker may connect this taboo language to the concept of animal cruelty, which is prohibited in islamic teachings. the prophet muhammad forbade the killing of four specific animals: ants, bees, the hud-hud (hoopoe), and the shurad (a type of bird). this prohibition recognizes the potential benefits that animals living in the soil may offer for human well-being. the expression jen ngemeh sebasing lubeng takot tumbong (“do not urinate in the burrowing animal nests, or your genitals may swell”), when accompanied by religious information, can significantly influence the listener’s cognitive processing, making it easier to comprehend the speaker’s message. taboo expressions regarding ethics [9] men nek masok utan neratap luk. (“remember to ask for permission before entering the forest”) the people of the bangka belitung islands hold deep respect for the forest as they preserve the tradition of neratap, which is employed in practices related to the forest. for those who are living in rural areas, particularly the elderly, it is important to preserve the harmonious connection between the macrocosm (nature) and microcosm (human). therefore, the bangka community still believes in the concept of seeking permission from the guardians or inhabitants before entering the forest. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 173 the guardian or inhabitant does not refer to an ordinary human. nurhayati (2011) and ismi (2021) explain that the term the guardian of the forest refers to an unseen being, often called “atoq” (great grandfather) or “nek” (great grandmother). normally, when someone enters the forest, the phrase permisi neq keq atoq, cucuk nek liwat, jen deganggu (“pardon me, ancestors, your grandchild wishes to pass through; please do not be disturbed”) is spoken. the practice of reciting that spell is known as neratap. furthermore, ismi (2021) states that the culture of neratap originated from the actions of the ancestors who had taken measures to protect their land, including forests, from tin mining activities in several parts of the bangka belitung islands. this protective practice, known as sarat, is a ritual using oral literature practiced by a shaman in the form of incantations or spells. this ritual also incorporates various objects such as flowers, perfumes, food, and other offerings. based on the legendary story, if a group of people enter a particular area, that has been protected through sarat, without seeing permission, they may become trapped and unable to leave the area. the ritual neratap has been practiced for generations within the malay bangka community. this ritual is perceived and interpreted as a code of behavioral ethics, maintaining the harmonious connection between the macrocosm (nature) and microcosm (human). the expression men nek masok utan neratap luk (“remember to ask for permission before entering the forest”) is used as a taboo language that is addressed to those who want to clear land for farming purposes or build houses. violating this taboo will lead to adverse consequences, such as disturbances from forest animals or supernatural and unseen entities. according to the relevance theory, the phrase neratap represents the ritual as well as the consequences for those who violate it. the speaker uses it as an ostensive stimulus that can lead the listener to assume the ritual of neratap. the assumption is emphasized by the urban myths of bujang limpu (i.e., the word bujang refers to an unmarried young man) and nek usang (“grandmother usang”), explained by sarman (2016), who conducted the ritual neratap to successfully cut down the nibung tree, which is considered difficult to be felled recklessly. communicatively, the speaker employs this phrase and also the urban myth to illustrate the negative consequences that may be attributed to supernatural forces, such as ghosts, that may hurt the listener. from the perspective of relevance theory, the phrase effectively conveys the speaker’s intentions, as it is easily understood by listeners and allows them to process the information with minimal cognitive effort. [10] jen dudok pek mije takot banyak utang. (“do not sit at the table, or you will be in debt”) the second expression of taboo concerning ethics within the malay bangka community is jen dudok pek mije takot banyak utang (“do not sit at the table, or you will be in debt”). it is a metaphorical warning, suggesting that taking unnecessary risks or getting involved in affairs that are not one's concern can lead to financial or personal troubles. this phrase is often used to advise caution and responsibility in one's actions and decisions. kulainiy (2020) explain that the phrase “do not sit at the table or you will be in debt, traditionally, is how the parents teach their children about wisdom and proper behavior. they emphasize that use a chair to sit purpose instead of a table, a medium for placing items and food. sitting in a place designed for food is seen and perceived as inappropriate and disrespectful. the expression takot banyak utang (“you will be in debt”) is used as a coded phrase to produce a prohibition force for the listeners. if the taboo language was jen dudok pek mije, dak sopan (“do not sit at the table, it is an impolite action”), the listener would have ignored it because the phrase did not strongly pursue an act of prohibition. the coded phrase takot banyak utang does not correlate with the exclusion jen dudok pek mije. however, that phrase corresponds to the principle of cognitive and communicative of the relevance theory. the rt focuses on the significant cognitive effect of comprehending speech while aiming to minimize the effort required for information processing. achieving optimal relevance is tied to how well the listener understands the speaker’s message (zamani & hassan, 2018). the speaker employs the coded phrase takot banyak utang (“you will be in debt”) as an ostensive stimulus and it is comprehensible to be processed to reach the optimum relevance. this phrase is not a complex or hard-to-understand language but is commonly used in daily conversation. the quicker a piece of information is processed; the more optimal level of relevance is reached as the result of the strong cognitive impact. conclusion i nyoman pasek darmawa, muhammad rozani, & m afifulloh cognitive and communicative principles in bangka malay taboo languages 174 this study aims to explain the fundamental codes and principles that motivate the use of taboo language by the bangka malay community through the view of relevance theory by sperber and wilson (1995) to discuss the connection of both cognitive and communicative principles. the analysed data reveal the relevance between the relevance theory principles, cognitive and communicative, that drive the employment of taboo language in the bangka malay community. the results of the study suggest that there are five categories of bpl within the bangka malay community: (1) for pregnant women; (2) for kids; (3) for adults/general activities; (4) for culinary activities; and (5) regarding ethics. the speaker employs an ostensive stimulus by utilizing salient coded phrases, e.g. nanti bengkak kemaluan (“your genital may swell”), kelak pantat bisulan (“you will get ulcers on your buttocks”), or nanti dikencingi hantu, bisa sakit atau kesepoh (“as you may risk being urinated by the ghost or getting sick or kesepoh”) to attract listener’s assumption to process the speaker’s message and reach the optimum relevance. the speaker also employs the urban myth to illustrate the negative consequences that may be attributed to supernatural forces, such as ghosts, that may hurt the listener. relevance theory highlights the importance of speech being easily comprehended and quickly processed by the listener based the ostensive stimulus that is most relevant based on the information received by the listener. the stimulus allows the listener to understand the meaning while achieving optimal relevance. simply, from the perspective of relevance theory, the phrase effectively conveys the speaker’s intentions, as it is easily understood by listeners and allows them to process the information with minimal cognitive effort. acknowledgement this research was funded by dipa universitas bangka belitung, no. 023.17.2.677533/2024. references agita, a. a. a. n. (2024). taboo in balinese language spoken in puri tukadmungga: a descriptive qualitative study [undergraduate thesis]. universitas pendidikan ganesha. ajayi, o. b., kilani, s. o., & michael, m. e. (2024). a pragmatic analysis of taboo expressions in idoma language. international journal of humanities and communication studies, 4(1), 149–160. alfarisi, a. s., firdayani, f. a., safitri, a. a., ariyanti, f., & pradana, a. b. h. (2019). mitos dan budaya kaapunan masyarakat gantung, belitung timur di tengah masyarakat global-mulikultural. buletin kkn pendidikan, 1(1), 18–22. https://doi.org/10.23917/bkkndik.v1i1.9283 allan, k., & burridge, k. (2006). forbidden words: taboo and the censoring of language. cambridge university press. allott, n. (2019). scientific tractability and relevance theory. in relevance, pragmatics and interpretation (pp. 29–41). cambridge university press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108290593.004 altabaa, h., & fadzir, f. a. b. (2022). malay linguistic taboos: a study on acceptance and gender differences. al-risalah: journal of islamic revealed knowledge and human sciences (arjihs), 6(2), 371–401. andany, a. (2019, november 23). bukan mitos, duduk di atas bantal bisa bisulan. tugu jogja. https://kumparan.com/tugujogja/bukan-mitosduduk-di-atas-bantal-bisa-bisulan1sjczp0tdjz/full ariandini, s., sugiharto, h. a., diana, s. m., chamdiyatul, s., sutiani, s., & oktaviani, w. (2024). pengaruh mitos-mitos di masyarakat terhadap kesehatan ibu dan anak. renata: jurnal pengabdian masyarakat kita semua, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.61124/1.renata.38 azzahra, e. s., fawwaz, n. a., & fahlevi, n. f. p. (2023). pandangan medis mengenai perintah mandi wajib dalam islam. mutiara: jurnal penelitian dan karya ilmiah, 1(6), 269–286. https://doi.org/10.59059/mutiara.v1i6.596 bala, a. (2022). kajian tentang hakikat, tindak tutur, konteks, dan muka dalam pragmatik. retorika: jurnal pembelajaran bahasa dan sastra indonesia, 3(1), 36–45. https://doi.org/10.37478/rjpbsi.v3i1.1889 birner, b. j. (2013). introduction to pragmatics. wileyblackwell. chiatoh, b. a., & lando, r. (2021). linguistic taboos: a sociopragmatic analysis of selected menstrual euphemisms employed by girls/women in public conversations in cameroon. international journal of english language studies, 3(4), 1–8. cholid, n. (2019). nilai-nilai moral dalam kearifan lokal budaya melayu bangka dan implikasinya terhadap layanan bimbingan dan konseling masyarakat. scientia: jurnal hasil penelitian, 4(2), 243–253. https://doi.org/10.32923/sci.v4i2.935 dewi, n. l. a. s. (2021). eksplorasi mitos larangan dan anjuran seputar kehamilan dan menyusui di suku sasak [undergraduate thesis]. universitas brawijaya. dodi, a. (2023, february 1). awas kepunen atau kepon..! beginilah cara masyarakat bangka menghormati hidangan. trasberita. https://www.trasberita.com/awas-kepunen-ataukepon-beginilah-cara-masyarakat-bangkamenghormati-hidangan/ https://doi.org/10.23917/bkkndik.v1i1.9283 https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108290593.004 https://kumparan.com/tugujogja/bukan-mitos-duduk-di-atas-bantal-bisa-bisulan-1sjczp0tdjz/full https://kumparan.com/tugujogja/bukan-mitos-duduk-di-atas-bantal-bisa-bisulan-1sjczp0tdjz/full https://kumparan.com/tugujogja/bukan-mitos-duduk-di-atas-bantal-bisa-bisulan-1sjczp0tdjz/full https://doi.org/10.61124/1.renata.38 https://doi.org/10.59059/mutiara.v1i6.596 https://doi.org/10.37478/rjpbsi.v3i1.1889 https://doi.org/10.32923/sci.v4i2.935 https://www.trasberita.com/awas-kepunen-atau-kepon-beginilah-cara-masyarakat-bangka-menghormati-hidangan/ https://www.trasberita.com/awas-kepunen-atau-kepon-beginilah-cara-masyarakat-bangka-menghormati-hidangan/ https://www.trasberita.com/awas-kepunen-atau-kepon-beginilah-cara-masyarakat-bangka-menghormati-hidangan/ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 175 dwianita conny palar, derinta entas, & siti husnul khotimah. (2023). people’s perception of the myth of “kepunan” in bangka belitung islands province. santhet (jurnal sejarah pendidikan dan humaniora, 7(2), 803–808. https://doi.org/10.36526/santhet.v7i2.3242 erwanto, k., sulissusiawan, a., & susilowati, e. (2016). pantang larang dalam masyarakat melayu kecamatan bunut hilir kabupaten kapuas hulu menggunakan kajian sosiolinguistik. jurnal pendidikan dan pembelajaran khatulistiwa, 5(5), 1–16. frastika, d., mita, m., aristy, y., th. musa, d., & alamri, a. r. (2023). mengungkap makna simbolik: mitos pada perempuan hamil di sungai baung. jambura journal of community empowerment, 32–46. https://doi.org/10.37411/jjce.v4i1.2312 harista, e., bohhori, b., & firdaus, w. (2023). ungkapan mitos kehamilan perspektif tokoh agama dan strukturasinya pada generasi milenial di provinsi kepulauan bangka belitung. scientia: jurnal hasil penelitian, 8(1), 21–36. https://doi.org/10.32923/sci.v8i1.3301 hassan, a. y., abdullah, s. s., al-rawe, m. f. a., & hasan, m. a. (2024). the use of relevance and euphemisms in translating taboo expressions in the subtitles of the tv show friends. kurdish studies, 12(2), 337–345. hassan, h. (2009). pola ayat dasar ke-4 bahasa melayu: pemerian dari perspektif pragmatik. jurnal bahasa, 9(1), 1–18. herniyanti, r., febrian, r., yuwaldi, d., hairunisa, t., & zulaini, r. v. (2023). edukasi perilaku hidup bersih dan sehat (phbs) dengan “yok maku” (mandi dan potong kuku) di sd negeri 62 pekanbaru. jurnal peduli masyarakat, 5(1), 101–108. https://doi.org/10.37287/jpm.v5i1.1440 huang, r. (2021). analysis of pragmatic ambivalence from the perspective of relevance theory. open journal of social sciences, 9(5), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2021.95001 inge, n. (2021, july 5). mengenal tradisi buang ancak sebagai ritual leluhur di kepri. melayupedia. https://www.melayupedia.com/berita/41/menge nal-tradisi-buang-ancak-sebagai-ritual-leluhurdi-kepri ismi, n. (2021, april 10). membaca hubungan masyarakat bangka belitung dengan alam melalui sastra lisan. mongabay. https://www.mongabay.co.id/2021/04/10/memb aca-hubungan-masyarakat-bangka-belitungdengan-alam-melalui-sastra-lisan/ justine, f., jodie, k., alfajri, m. r., dilo, m. s. a. r. u., & al kautsar, z. h. (2021). budaya mengaitkan berbagai peristiwa dengan hal mistis oleh masyarakat indonesia. jurnal kewarganegaraan, 5(2), 602–611. https://doi.org/10.31316/jk.v5i2.1953 kulainiy, r. e. (2020, february 26). memaknai hukum dan istilah pamali. kompasiana. https://www.kompasiana.com/ridhwankulainiy/ 5e5558dbd541df74aa641542/memaknaihukum-dan-istilah-pamali kurniawan, s. (2019). pantang larang bermain waktu magrib (kajian living hadis tradisi masyarakat melayu sambas). jurnal living hadis, 4(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.14421/livinghadis.2019.1629 leech, g. n. (1983). principles of pragmatics. longman inc. ma’shumah, n. k., syamsi, a. n., sianipar, i. f., & nur, m. r. o. (2022). “why you gotta be so rude?”: the transformation of indonesian’s taboo words into english. journal of english language teaching and linguistics, 7(1), 139. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v7i1.741 ningsih, a. r., efendi, r., & arianti, r. (2020). the meaning of prohibition speech act in minang community of ujung batu district rokan hulu regency. lingua didaktika: jurnal bahasa dan pembelajaran bahasa, 14(1), 99–110. novitasari, f., & fitriyah, n. (2019). socio-cultural aspects and knowledge of pregnant women about pregnancy-related myths in the village of mojosarirejo, district of driyorejo, gresik regency. jurnal biometrika dan kependudukan, 8(1), 83. https://doi.org/10.20473/jbk.v8i1.2019.83-92 nur baiti, h. u., & yanti, f. (2021). relevansi iklan shopee cod: sebuah kajian pragmatik. tabasa: jurnal bahasa, sastra indonesia, dan pengajarannya, 2(1), 49–72. https://doi.org/10.22515/tabasa.v2i1.3493 nurhayati. (2011). mantra masyarakat melayu bangka: tinjauan dari aspek makro dan mikro. in seminar internasional hari bahasa ibu di kampus upi bandung 2011 (pp. 1–8). itb. pandowo, h., & kurniasari, c. (2019). pemahaman personal hygiene melalui pendidikan kesehatan pada penghuni lapas perempuan klas ii b yogyakarta. humanism: journal of community empowerment, 1(1), 18–23. purwanto, t., & rifa’i, a. a. (2020). kepunan and malet of bangka in the perspective of culture interpretation. journal of contemporary islam and muslim societies, 4(2), 259–288. rani, s., & shomary, s. (2024). ungkapan pantang larang masyarakat melayu di kabupaten bengkalis. sajak jurnal penelitian dan pengabdian sastra, bahasa, dan pendidikan, 3(2), 139–145. rizki, r. (2024, may 10). kepon, tradisi masyarakat bangka yang masih dipercaya. radio republik indonesia. https://www.rri.co.id/daerah/682624/kepontradisi-masyarakat-bangka-yang-masihdipercaya https://doi.org/10.36526/santhet.v7i2.3242 https://doi.org/10.37411/jjce.v4i1.2312 https://doi.org/10.32923/sci.v8i1.3301 https://doi.org/10.37287/jpm.v5i1.1440 https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2021.95001 https://www.melayupedia.com/berita/41/mengenal-tradisi-buang-ancak-sebagai-ritual-leluhur-di-kepri https://www.melayupedia.com/berita/41/mengenal-tradisi-buang-ancak-sebagai-ritual-leluhur-di-kepri https://www.melayupedia.com/berita/41/mengenal-tradisi-buang-ancak-sebagai-ritual-leluhur-di-kepri https://www.mongabay.co.id/2021/04/10/membaca-hubungan-masyarakat-bangka-belitung-dengan-alam-melalui-sastra-lisan/ https://www.mongabay.co.id/2021/04/10/membaca-hubungan-masyarakat-bangka-belitung-dengan-alam-melalui-sastra-lisan/ https://www.mongabay.co.id/2021/04/10/membaca-hubungan-masyarakat-bangka-belitung-dengan-alam-melalui-sastra-lisan/ https://doi.org/10.31316/jk.v5i2.1953 https://www.kompasiana.com/ridhwankulainiy/5e5558dbd541df74aa641542/memaknai-hukum-dan-istilah-pamali https://www.kompasiana.com/ridhwankulainiy/5e5558dbd541df74aa641542/memaknai-hukum-dan-istilah-pamali https://www.kompasiana.com/ridhwankulainiy/5e5558dbd541df74aa641542/memaknai-hukum-dan-istilah-pamali https://doi.org/10.14421/livinghadis.2019.1629 https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v7i1.741 https://doi.org/10.20473/jbk.v8i1.2019.83-92 https://doi.org/10.22515/tabasa.v2i1.3493 https://www.rri.co.id/daerah/682624/kepon-tradisi-masyarakat-bangka-yang-masih-dipercaya https://www.rri.co.id/daerah/682624/kepon-tradisi-masyarakat-bangka-yang-masih-dipercaya https://www.rri.co.id/daerah/682624/kepon-tradisi-masyarakat-bangka-yang-masih-dipercaya i nyoman pasek darmawa, muhammad rozani, & m afifulloh cognitive and communicative principles in bangka malay taboo languages 176 rohmah, r. a., & purwantoro. (2023). etika melayu dalam pantang larang: studi meta analisis malay ethics in abstinence from prohibition: a metaanalysis. journals of indonesian multidisciplinary research, 2(2), 1–12. saeed, j. i. (2016). semantics (4th ed.). blackwell publishing ltd. sarman. (2016). putri nibung di sarang lanun: cerita rakyat dari bangka belitung. badan pengembangan dan pembinaan bahasa. sarmidi, g. (2015). keberadaan wacana pantang larang berlaras gender sebagai tradisi lisan, fenomena bahasa, dan sastra lisan di indonesia. jurnal inspirasi pendidikan, 5(1), 553. https://doi.org/10.21067/jip.v5i1.685 sartika, l. a., & pranoto, b. e. (2021). analysis of humor in the big bang theory by using relevance theory: a pragmatic study. linguistics and literature journal, 2(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.33365/llj.v2i1.292 sperber, d., & wilson, d. (1995). relevance: communication and cognition (2nd ed.). blackwell publishers ltd. stefani, g. (2021, august). mitos vs fakta kehamilan: ibu hamil dilarang melilit handuk di kepala agar bayinya tidak terlilit tali pusat, ternyata begini faktanya. nakita.id. https://nakita.grid.id/read/022837988/mitos-vsfakta-kehamilan-ibu-hamil-dilarang-melilithanduk-di-kepala-agar-bayinya-tidak-terlilittali-pusat-ternyata-begini-faktanya sulpizio, s., günther, f., badan, l., basclain, b., brysbaert, m., chan, y. l., ciaccio, l. a., dudschig, c., duñabeitia, j. a., fasoli, f., ferrand, l., filipović đurđević, d., guerra, e., hollis, g., job, r., jornkokgoud, k., kahraman, h., kgolo-lotshwao, n., kinoshita, s., … marelli, m. (2024). taboo language across the globe: a multi-lab study. behavior research methods, 56(4), 3794–3813. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-024-02376-6 ulandari, t., arifin, m. b., & rijal, s. (2022). pemali dalam budaya masyarakat etnik sunda di kota samarinda: tinjauan semiotika. ilmu budaya: jurnal bahasa, sastra, seni, dan budaya, 6(1), 137–154. wardani, v., & nuraiza. (2021). taboo words (haba geutham) as a morals in language and psychological effect in pidie community. jurnal serambi ilmu, 22(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.32672/si.v22i1.2478 windiasih, n. w. (2019). kepercayaan rakyat di sekitar lingkaran hidup manusia sebagai media kontrol sosial pada masyarakat bayunggede, kintamani, bangli, bali (potensinya sebagai sumber belajar sosiologi di sma) [undergraduate thesis]. universitas pendidikan ganesha. yudiastini, n. m., & rachmawati, d. (2023). menguak nilai-nilai budaya dalam mitos etnis bali. mabasan, 17(2), 281–298. https://doi.org/10.62107/mab.v17i2.773 yule, g. (1996). pragmatics. oxford university press. zulkarnain, & mubarak, s. (2022). perspektif al-quran tentang mukaan dan tasdiyah (suatu kajian maudu’i). el-maqra: tafsir, hadis, dan teologi, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.21067/jip.v5i1.685 https://doi.org/10.33365/llj.v2i1.292 https://nakita.grid.id/read/022837988/mitos-vs-fakta-kehamilan-ibu-hamil-dilarang-melilit-handuk-di-kepala-agar-bayinya-tidak-terlilit-tali-pusat-ternyata-begini-faktanya https://nakita.grid.id/read/022837988/mitos-vs-fakta-kehamilan-ibu-hamil-dilarang-melilit-handuk-di-kepala-agar-bayinya-tidak-terlilit-tali-pusat-ternyata-begini-faktanya https://nakita.grid.id/read/022837988/mitos-vs-fakta-kehamilan-ibu-hamil-dilarang-melilit-handuk-di-kepala-agar-bayinya-tidak-terlilit-tali-pusat-ternyata-begini-faktanya https://nakita.grid.id/read/022837988/mitos-vs-fakta-kehamilan-ibu-hamil-dilarang-melilit-handuk-di-kepala-agar-bayinya-tidak-terlilit-tali-pusat-ternyata-begini-faktanya https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-024-02376-6 https://doi.org/10.32672/si.v22i1.2478 https://doi.org/10.62107/mab.v17i2.773 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1083 analyzing the key elements of high-quality abstracts: a comprehensive academic discourse study of english education kusumo hadi santoso universitas muhamadiyah gresik, indonesia email: kusumahadi20@gmail.com yudhi arifani universitas muhamadiyah gresik, indonesia email: yudhi_arif@umg.ac.id nirwanto maruf universitas muhamadiyah gresik, indonesia email: nirwanto.maruf@umg.ac.id apa citation: santonso, k. h., arifani, y., & maruf, n. (2024). analyzing the key elements of high-quality abstracts: a comprehensive academic discourse study of english education. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1083-1092. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10696 received: 28-06-2024 accepted: 23-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 abstract: this study aims to explore the rhetorical moves and use of metadiscourse in student abstracts from the english education program at universitas pgri ronggolawe, tuban. the sample consists of 17 abstracts submitted by english education students from the 2023 batch of the program. this research uses mixed methods for the methodology, the quantitative analysis focused on frequency counts, descriptive statistics, and correlation analyses, while the qualitative analysis explored the functional roles of these elements in enhancing clarity, coherence, and reader engagement. the qualitative analysis revealed that students who used more transitions and frame markers produced more coherent and structured abstracts. students who used a variety of interactive and interactional markers, such as transitions, frame markers, and self-mentions to balance confidence with caution and engage the reader, were more likely to produce more coherent, clear, and engaging abstracts than those who did not. the findings suggest that students would benefit from explicit instruction on the role of metadiscourse in academic writing, particularly in how to use hedges, boosters, and self-mentions to balance confidence with caution. keywords: metadiscourse; rhetorical moves; coherence; clarity; engagement. introduction abstracts are fundamental elements of academic writing, serving as brief summaries that capture the essence of research papers (katsampoxakihodgetts, 2024; khalifa & albadawy, 2024; lim & koay, 2024). their primary purpose is to provide readers with a clear, concise overview of a study’s key components, including its objectives, methods, results, and conclusions (feld, lines, & ross, 2024; golparvar, crosthwaite, & ziaeian, 2024; lu et al., 2024). this brief encapsulation allows readers to quickly assess the relevance and significance of the research, facilitating informed decisions about whether to engage with the full paper (liao, mi, & xu, 2020; polanin, pigott, espelage, & grotpeter, 2019; scherer & saldanha, 2019). the critical role of abstracts extends beyond mere summarization. they are pivotal in the academic dissemination process, impacting how research findings are shared and accessed (ashcraft, quinn, & brownson, 2020; lindquist & ramirez-zohfeld, 2019; ramos & concepcion, 2020). in databases, journal articles, conference proceedings, and other scholarly repositories, abstracts function as the initial point of interaction between researchers and their audience (gusenbauer & haddaway, 2020; kelly, doucet, & luke, 2019; scherer & saldanha, 2019). an effective abstract must convey the core message of the research in a manner that is both accessible and engaging (heinonen & nissen-lie, 2020; shiragasawa & narukawa, 2021; sims & fletcherwood, 2021). by doing so, it enhances the visibility of the study and encourages further exploration of the complete work (aksnes, langfeldt, & wouters, 2019; bürki, elbuy, madec, & vasishth, 2020; fang et al., 2019). mailto:kusumahadi20@gmail.com mailto:nirwanto.maruf@umg.ac.id kusumo hadi santoso, yudhi arifani, nirwanto maruf analyzing the key elements of high-quality abstracts: a comprehensive academic discourse study of english education 1084 for researchers, especially those in fields such as education, the quality of an abstract can significantly influence the reach and impact of their work (haraldstad et al., 2019; pigott & polanin, 2020; roldan-valadez, salazar-ruiz, ibarra-contreras, & rios, 2019). in educational research, where studies often address complex pedagogical issues, the ability to present findings clearly and concisely is crucial (drury et al., 2023; dupree & casapao, 2023; tullu, 2019). highquality abstracts enable researchers to communicate their findings to a broader audience, including educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders (drury et al., 2023; millar & lim, 2022; tullu, 2019). this dissemination is essential for advancing knowledge and practice within the field (crable, lengnick-hall, stadnick, moullin, & aarons, 2022; davis & d’lima, 2020; giroux, kim, sikora, bussières, & thomas, 2024). the presence of abstracts in academic databases and repositories underscores their importance. these platforms rely on abstracts to facilitate searches and indexing, making it easier for researchers to find relevant studies (gusenbauer & haddaway, 2020; tullu, 2019; zaorsky et al., 2020). an abstract that effectively summarizes the research not only aids in this search process but also contributes to the academic dialogue by highlighting key contributions and insights (howitt, wilson, & higgins, 2024; luetsch, wong, & rowett, 2024; schillings, roebertsen, savelberg, & dolmans, 2023). understanding what constitutes a high-quality abstract is essential for researchers aiming to maximize the impact of their work (crossley, 2020; pigott & polanin, 2020; tennant & ross-hellauer, 2020). quality indicators include clarity, precision, and completeness also an abstract should clearly state the research problem, outline the methods used, present significant findings, and discuss the implications of the study (aksnes et al., 2019; de groot, triemstra, paans, & francke, 2019; pigott & polanin, 2020) . by adhering to these principles, researchers can ensure that their abstracts are not only informative but also compelling, thereby increasing the likelihood of their work being read and cited (muka et al., 2020; paul & barari, 2022; pigott & polanin, 2020). abstracts play a crucial role in the academic writing and research dissemination process. they serve as a gateway to the full paper, impacting how effectively research is communicated and received (huang & tan, 2023; stoll, kerwer, lieb, & chasiotis, 2022; wu, jiang, kumar, & chen, 2024). for researchers, particularly in educational fields, crafting high-quality abstracts is vital for enhancing the reach and impact of their studies, ultimately contributing to the advancement of knowledge and practice (drury et al., 2023; dupree & casapao, 2023; tullu, 2019). the term "academic discourse" describes the specific vocabulary used in academic settings. it includes the methods of thinking and speaking that are unique to academic contexts, like colleges and research facilities (al-subhi, 2023; hadi, warsono, & faridi, 2020; soleimani & mohammadkhah, 2020). a variety of genres and styles are used in academic discourse, such as research articles, theses, conference papers, and lectures. it is distinguished by its methodical, formal approach and its dependence on facts and reasoned reasoning to explain difficult concepts and advance knowledge (gusenbauer & haddaway, 2020; pearson & abdollahzadeh, 2023; pigott & polanin, 2020; wang, 2022). metadiscourse is essential to improving communication and ensuring clarity in academic writing. hyland (2005) theory serves as the main analytical foundation for comprehending metadiscourse in this study. according to hyland, metadiscourse consists of language cues that direct readers through a book, clarify how arguments are put together, and disclose the viewpoint of the author. according to hyland, metadiscourse falls into two main categories: the first type of metadiscourse is interactive; it helps the reader understand the text's logical structure and arrangement. the second type of metadiscourse is interactional; it expresses the writer's position and engages the reader directly. academic discourse is made much more coherent, approachable, and engaging by the addition of these metadiscursive components. they not only help readers understand the writer's aims and purposes and help them navigate difficult arguments, but they also make the text's structure and flow more clear. this is especially important when writing strong abstracts, which should highlight the main conclusions of the study, grab the reader's attention, and give a brief rundown of its accomplishments. it is essential to incorporate swales (1990) theory of rhetorical moves in academic writing in addition to hyland's framework. swales pointed out several rhetorical devices that are regularly used to promote clear communication and aid readers in understanding the content. additional insights into the functioning of metadiscourse within the context of text organization and structure are provided by this theory. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1085 to improve the efficiency and readability of their english abstracts, undergraduate students at universitas pgri ronggolawe, tuban, use both the rhetorical devices described by swales and the forms of metadiscourse supported by (hyland, 2005). hyland's model offers a methodical approach to comprehending how students arrange their abstracts to improve readability and engagement, and swales' theory offers an extra degree of direction on material organization and communication techniques. these metadiscursive strategies are applied by students at universitas pgri ronggolawe, tuban, to enhance the hierarchical structure of their academic texts in their english abstracts. these abstracts are usually divided into discrete portions that can be further subdivided into particular tasks and intricate processes. this methodical technique reflects the intricacy of academic writing, where correctness and clarity are crucial. in the english department at universitas pgri ronggolawe, tuban, the hyland writer identity model is utilized to assist students in creating their abstracts. according to this approach, the text should be organized to express the author's knowledge claims and personal opinions, describe the experimental setups and procedures, and provide credit to funding agencies, persons, and organizations for their contributions. this practice improves the overall quality and impact of students' academic writing by assisting them in presenting their work in a coherent and well-organized manner. analyzing the general format and usage of metadiscourse components in academic abstracts is essential to understanding the qualities of excellent writing. these components and how students use them were clarified by two important studies. under the title "research on the discourse power evaluation of academic journals from the perspective of multiple fusion: taking medicine, general, and internal journals as an example," the first study examines the general format and linguistic elements encountered in student abstracts. it highlights the value of methodical presentation and coherence and shows how accessibility and engagement are improved by clearly stating study objectives, methodology, findings, and conclusions (wang, 2022). as an example, the study "metadiscourse within a discipline: a study of introduction and literature review chapters of sociology masters’ theses" focuses on how academic theses employ interactive and interactional metadiscourse methods. this study emphasizes the function of hedging devices, code glosses, and transitions in directing readers and enhancing coherence. it demonstrates how the quality and readability of abstracts can be greatly improved by employing these metadiscourse features in an efficient manner (akoto, 2020). both studies emphasize how important it is to comprehend and use generic structures and metadiscourse to create concise and interesting abstractions. these results are consistent with previous studies highlighting the significance of these components for academic papers (anjum & masroor, 2023; pradhan, bhatia, kumar, & pal, 2021; strobl et al., 2019). suggesting that wellorganized information and purposeful use of metadiscourse are crucial to improving academic abstracts. readers can relate more effectively to the subject matter by staying involved with texts that utilize metadiscourse (ng & cheung, 2021; pearson & abdollahzadeh, 2023; wei, 2023). however, current research frequently concentrates on either qualitative evaluation of metadiscursive markers' efficacy or quantitative analysis of them. to give a thorough knowledge of how these components work together, an integrative method that integrates these viewpoints is still required. by providing a thorough analysis of metadiscourse patterns and their beneficial implications for enhancing abstract quality, this work seeks to close that gap. through the use of a comprehensive framework, it builds on existing research and offers practical advice for improving abstract writing that is particularly useful for universitas pgri ronggolawe tuban students (berndtsson, dahlborg, & pennbrant, 2020; chen, xie, zou, & hwang, 2020; huerta & garza, 2019). this study tries to close this gap, especially for universitas pgri ronggolawe, tuban english education students. this study looks at the practical applications of theoretical insights into generic structures and metadiscursive features in order to create guidelines that are specific, useful, and appropriate for different student needs. this method not only expands on previously developed theoretical knowledge but also offers workable methods to improve abstract quality, which is essential for students' academic and professional progress. closing this gap will guarantee that better writing habits are derived from theoretical models, which will ultimately promote better academic communication and results. the primary objective of this research is to assess and identify the key elements of excellent abstracts for english education theses at universitas pgri ronggolawe. this involves kusumo hadi santoso, yudhi arifani, nirwanto maruf analyzing the key elements of high-quality abstracts: a comprehensive academic discourse study of english education 1086 investigating the rhetorical structure as well as the use of metadiscourse elements, paying particular attention to how these aspects support the abstracts' scholarly rigor, coherence, and clarity. the goal of the study is to emphasize the advantages and disadvantages of students' existing abstract-writing habits by identifying patterns of successful abstract writing. this study also intends to offer practical recommendations for enhancement based on the results. these suggestions will be specifically designed to address the difficulties that students encounter when arranging and successfully presenting their findings in an abstract. this goal is urgent because well-structured summaries are essential for conveying research findings, making student work more visible, and guaranteeing adherence to academic norms. this is especially crucial for english education department students, since developing their abstract writing abilities will greatly advance both their academic and professional goals. method this study employs a mixed-methods approach to examine rhetorical structure and metadiscourse in student abstracts by combining quantitative and qualitative analysis. while rhetorical structures and metadiscourse markers are counted in quantitative analysis, their contribution to the coherence and clarity of abstracts is examined in qualitative analysis. the sample consists of 17 abstracts submitted by the 2023 batch of english education students at universitas pgri ronggolawe, tuban. the abstracts are labeled as subject 1 to subject 17 according to the order of the student identification numbers (id). each abstract has been coded and analyzed for rhetorical moves and metadiscourse elements, following established academic writing models. data collection adheres to swales (1990) model of rhetorical moves and hyland (2005) framework for categorizing metadiscourse. metadiscourse is divided into interactive and interactional categories: interactive metadiscourse includes elements such as transitions and frame markers, while interactional metadiscourse encompasses hedges, boosters, self-mentions, and engagement markers. in the quantitative analysis, each abstract is coded based on swales’ model, categorizing the text into four main sections: introducing purpose, describing methodology, summarizing results, and presenting conclusions. metadiscourse markers are also coded according to hyland’s framework. statistical analysis, performed using spss software, calculates the frequency of rhetorical moves and metadiscourse elements, including descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, means, and standard deviations. correlation analyses are conducted to explore relationships between different rhetorical moves and metadiscourse types, such as whether abstracts using more interactive metadiscourse present clearer results and conclusions. qualitative analysis focuses on the functional role of rhetorical moves and metadiscourse in enhancing the coherence and clarity of the abstracts. each abstract is assessed for how effectively students employ rhetorical moves to introduce their research, describe their methods, summarize their findings, and present their conclusions. a thematic analysis is conducted to explore how different types of metadiscourse (e.g., transitions, hedges, boosters) contribute to the overall clarity of the text. this analysis is performed manually and using nvivo software, enabling a detailed examination of how metadiscourse guides the reader and asserts the writer’s stance. each abstract is evaluated for overall coherence, clarity, and reader engagement, with qualitative findings presented alongside examples of well-written and less effective abstracts. results and discussion this research aims to examine the rhetorical structure and the use of metadiscourse in abstract writing by english education students at universitas pgri ronggolawe tuban. as an essential component of academic writing, an abstract should reflect the writer's ability to convey the core ideas of their research succinctly, clearly, and systematically. the study employed a mixedmethods approach (quantitative and qualitative) to identify the key elements in the abstracts and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of students’ abstract writing habits. this section will present a detailed analysis of the findings, followed by a systematic and organized discussion. the key elements of abstracts in english education the key elements in an abstract include the introduction of the research purpose, methodology used, results obtained, and conclusions drawn. these elements are clearly outlined in this model, which explains how scientific abstracts are structured to achieve coherence and academic appeal. based on the findings, all 17 abstracts analyzed contained these key elements, though english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1087 with significant variation in quality and completeness. introduction of research purpose this was one of the most consistent aspects across all abstracts. every abstract (100%) clearly stated the research purpose. phrases such as “the purpose of this study is…” or “this research aims to…” reflect the students' awareness of the importance of establishing the research context early on. this indicates that they understand the need to introduce the research purpose as the first step in writing an effective abstract. however, the quality of the research purpose introduction varied in terms of precision and detail. some students provided a more focused and targeted description of their research questions, while others presented the purpose in a more general form. vague introductions can make it challenging for readers to fully grasp the research context, particularly when the research purpose is not directly linked to the problem being addressed. methodology methodology is a crucial aspect of an abstract as it provides a brief overview of how the research was conducted. of the 17 abstracts analyzed, 94% (16 abstracts) clearly stated the methodology, though the level of detail varied. students who provided a well-presented methodology typically explained data collection techniques, research subjects, and the tools or instruments used. however, some students tended to present the methodology in a general form without specifying the techniques or steps taken in the research. for example, some abstracts simply stated that quantitative or qualitative methods were used without further explanation of how data was collected or analyzed. this weakness reduces the transparency of the research and makes it difficult for readers to assess the validity or reliability of the findings. summary of results this section showed greater variation compared to the introduction and methodology. only 88% (15 out of 17) abstracts provided an adequate summary of the results. among those that did, there were significant differences in how the students presented their findings. some students provided clear and detailed results, while others gave a general overview without further explanation. quantitative analysis using spss indicated that the average score for the results section was 2.4, with a standard deviation of 0.72, highlighting variability in the depth of explanation provided by students. those who used interactive metadiscourse, such as frame markers (e.g., “the aim of this study...”), were more successful in producing coherent and structured abstracts. the use of more interactive markers resulted in abstracts that were easier to follow and clearer in presenting the results. conclusion the conclusion section was found in 82% (14 out of 17) of the abstracts. however, the quality of the conclusions varied. some students managed to draft solid conclusions by summarizing the main findings and linking them back to the research purpose. others, however, failed to provide a clear conclusion, making the results seem disconnected from the initial objectives. omission of conclusions is linked to lower overall coherence scores, as indicated by a correlation analysis (r = 0.68, p < 0.05). overall, the quantitative data below provide an overview of the distribution of rhetorical moves in the students’ abstracts: table 1. distribution of rhetorical moves rhetorical move frequency (n) percentage (%) introduction of purpose 17 100% methodology 16 94% results summary 15 88% conclusion 14 82% from the table above, it can be concluded that students generally understand the importance of including the research purpose and methodology in their abstracts. however, the results and conclusion sections require more attention, especially in terms of completeness and coherence. the strengths and weaknesses of students' abstract-writing habits the strengths and weaknesses of students' abstract writing habits are not only related to the correct use of rhetorical structure but also to their ability to use interactional metadiscourse to engage readers and convey arguments effectively. metadiscourse, as an essential element of academic writing, includes linguistic tools that help writers guide readers through the text and express their stance or beliefs. this analysis focuses on two types of metadiscourse: interactive markers (such as frame markers, transitions) and interactional markers (such as hedges, boosters, self-mentions). kusumo hadi santoso, yudhi arifani, nirwanto maruf analyzing the key elements of high-quality abstracts: a comprehensive academic discourse study of english education 1088 use of interactive markers as mentioned earlier, interactive markers play a crucial role in organizing and guiding readers through the text. with an average of 26.4 markers per abstract, findings indicate that students use transitions (such as “then,” “next,” and “finally”) and frame markers (such as “the aim of this study”) to logically structure their research. students who effectively used interactive markers demonstrated a stronger ability to draft coherent and structured abstracts. table 2. interactive markers interactive markers mean frequency standard deviation transitions 9.6 1.9 frame markers 8.1 2.3 proper use of transitions helps readers understand the shift from one part of the abstract to another, while frame markers provide a clear roadmap of the research objectives. for instance, in abstract 1, the use of transitions such as “next” and “finally” created a logical flow from the introduction to the conclusion. conversely, students who were less skilled in using transitions and frame markers often produced abstracts that felt disjointed and difficult to follow. use of interactional markers when it comes to interactional markers, students tended to use fewer compared to interactive markers. interactional markers include hedges (such as “may,” “could”), boosters (such as “clearly,” “undoubtedly”), self-mentions (such as “i found”), and engagement markers that directly involve the reader (e.g., “you can see”). the research found that students were hesitant to use hedges or boosters effectively, leading to an imbalance between certainty and caution in presenting research findings. for instance, subject 6 did not use any hedges, making their findings appear too certain, despite the qualitative and interpretive nature of the research. on the other hand, subject 5 overused boosters such as “clearly” and “obviously,” creating the impression that their findings were overly emphasized, even though their approach was descriptive. table 3. interactional markers interactional markers mean frequency standard deviation hedges 5.4 1.8 boosters 3.2 1.6 self-mentions 2.8 1.7 a balanced use of hedges and boosters is critical in academic writing. students who used hedges appropriately, like subject 9 with phrases such as “may indicate” or “seems to suggest,” showed a better understanding of how to express uncertainty in qualitative research. conversely, excessive use of boosters can undermine the credibility of the research, particularly when claims are not backed by strong data. self-mentions and engagement markers the use of self-mentions was found to be limited in most student abstracts. while self-mentions are often avoided in modern academic writing to maintain objectivity, their appropriate use can strengthen the writer’s stance and show that they are actively engaged in the research process. in abstract 15, the use of phrases such as “i observed” and “we analyzed” enhanced the author’s authority and increased the credibility of the study presented. however, most students avoided self-mentions, making their writing feel more passive and less engaging. additionally, engagement markers that invite readers to directly interact with the text were almost absent in the abstracts. this suggests that students need more training in using these linguistic tools to enhance reader engagement. the analysis of rhetorical moves and metadiscourse markers in student abstracts reveals both strengths and areas for improvement. the qualitative analysis highlights that highperforming students effectively used a variety of interactive and interactional markers to enhance coherence, clarity, and reader engagement. in contrast, many students struggled with these elements, resulting in disjointed and less effective abstracts. the quantitative analysis using spss further demonstrated a clear link between the use of interactive markers and the clarity of rhetorical moves, especially in the results and conclusions sections. while students generally understood the basic structure of abstracts, their limited use of interactional metadiscourse indicated a need for further instruction on how to balance academic caution with confidence and engage readers effectively. incorporating peer review exercises, where students evaluate each other’s use of metadiscourse, could raise awareness and improve the quality of abstract writing. to illustrate these findings, the table below provides a comparison between high-performing and low-performing abstracts, focusing on key elements such as transitions, frame markers, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1089 hedges, boosters, self-mentions, and engagement markers. table 4. the comparison of key elements elements highperforming abstracts lowperforming abstracts use of transitions sophisticated transitions guide the reader basic transitions overused, leading to disjointed ideas frame markers clear framing signals structure and purpose lack of frame markers results in unclear objectives hedges effective use of hedges conveys uncertainty absence of hedges creates overconfidence in results boosters well-placed boosters emphasize key findings overuse of boosters leads to overstating results self-mentions self-mentions engage the reader and add authority lack of selfmentions creates a detached tone engagement markers rare but effective in drawing the reader in largely absent, reducing reader engagement the table highlights the differences in writing quality and provides insights into specific areas that need improvement for low-performing abstracts. for instance, sophisticated transitions used by high-performing students allow for smooth guiding of ideas, while excessive and basic transitions in low-performing abstracts lead to disjointed text. similarly, the clear use of frame markers in high-performing abstracts signals purpose and structure, which is often missing in the low-performing counterparts. the findings suggest that students would benefit from explicit instruction on the role of metadiscourse in academic writing, particularly in how to use hedges, boosters, and self-mentions to balance confidence with caution and engage the reader. this improvement in rhetorical techniques will help students produce clearer and more engaging abstracts. in summary, the comparison highlights the importance of utilizing both interactive and interactional markers effectively. students who master these tools can enhance their writing's coherence, clarity, and overall impact, leading to stronger academic presentations of their research. conclusion finally, using both quantitative and qualitative approaches, this study provides a thorough assessment of rhetorical devices and metadiscourse indicators in student abstracts from the english education program at universitas pgri ronggolawe, tuban. the findings show that although students often follow traditional rhetorical frameworks, there are considerable differences in how they employ metadiscourse components. effective use of interactive and interactional markers by high-achieving students improves coherence, clarity, and reader engagement. unfortunately, a lot of students find it difficult to incorporate these ideas, which leads to fragmented and ineffective abstracts. using spss for the quantitative analysis, it is evident that interactive markers and clarity in rhetorical gestures are positively correlated, particularly in the sections focused on outcomes insights. this points to a larger issue. while students understand the abstract structure, their limited use of interactional metadiscourse indicates that they still need to work on drawing readers in and counterbalancing claims. teachers should implement focused instructional strategies that prioritize the use of metadiscourse, offering students specialized resources and instruction to enhance their academic writing abilities, to solve these issues. this strategy will improve abstracts' efficacy and clarity while also improving academic achievement as a whole. acknowledgement i would like to express my sincere gratitude to dr. yudhi arifani, s.pd., m.pd. and dr. nirwanto maruf, s.s., m.hum. for their outstanding leadership and assistance during this study project. their advice and support have helped design and perfect the research. their support and dedication to academic excellence have greatly contributed to the effective completion of this research. i also want to express my gratitude to everyone who helped with data collecting and analysis; their coordinated efforts were crucial to the success of this study. we greatly appreciate all of your hard work and dedication. references akoto, o. y. (2020). metadiscourse within a discipline: a study of introduction and literature review chapters of sociology masters’ theses. indonesian journal of applied linguistics. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i2.28588 kusumo hadi santoso, yudhi arifani, nirwanto maruf analyzing the key elements of high-quality abstracts: a comprehensive academic discourse study of english education 1090 aksnes, d. w., langfeldt, l., & wouters, p. (2019). citations, citation indicators, and research quality: an overview of basic concepts and theories. sage open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019829575 al-subhi, a. s. (2023). interactional meta-discourse and phraseology in newspaper editorials during the russia-ukraine war. online journal of communication and media technologies. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/13259 anjum, m. t., & masroor, f. (2023). generic moves in the literature review section of phd dissertations. pakistan journal of humanities and social sciences. https://doi.org/10.52131/pjhss.2023.1102.0519 ashcraft, l. e., quinn, d. a., & brownson, r. c. (2020). strategies for effective dissemination of research to united states policymakers: a systematic review. implementation science. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-020-01046-3 berndtsson, i., dahlborg, e., & pennbrant, s. (2020). work-integrated learning as a pedagogical tool to integrate theory and practice in nursing education – an integrative literature review. nurse education in practice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2019.102685 bürki, a., elbuy, s., madec, s., & vasishth, s. (2020). what did we learn from forty years of research on semantic interference? a bayesian metaanalysis. journal of memory and language. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2020.104125 chen, x., xie, h., zou, d., & hwang, g. j. (2020). application and theory gaps during the rise of artificial intelligence in education. computers and education: artificial intelligence. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2020.100002 crable, e. l., lengnick-hall, r., stadnick, n. a., moullin, j. c., & aarons, g. a. (2022). where is “policy” in dissemination and implementation science? recommendations to advance theories, models, and frameworks: epis as a case example. implementation science. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-022-01256-x crossley, s. (2020). linguistic features in writing quality and development: an overview. journal of writing research. https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2020.11.03.01 davis, r., & d’lima, d. (2020). building capacity in dissemination and implementation science: a systematic review of the academic literature on teaching and training initiatives. implementation science. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-02001051-6 de groot, k., triemstra, m., paans, w., & francke, a. l. (2019). quality criteria, instruments, and requirements for nursing documentation: a systematic review of systematic reviews. journal of advanced nursing. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13919 drury, a., pape, e., dowling, m., miguel, s., fernández-ortega, p., papadopoulou, c., & kotronoulas, g. (2023). how to write a comprehensive and informative research abstract. seminars in oncology nursing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soncn.2023.151395 dupree, l. h., & casapao, a. m. (2023). research and scholarly methods: writing abstracts. jaccp journal of the american college of clinical pharmacy. https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1822 fang, m. l., canham, s. l., battersby, l., sixsmith, j., wada, m., & sixsmith, a. (2019). exploring privilege in the digital divide: implications for theory, policy, and practice. gerontologist. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gny037 feld, j., lines, c., & ross, l. (2024). writing matters. journal of economic behavior and organization. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2023.11.016 giroux, c. m., kim, s., sikora, l., bussières, a., & thomas, a. (2024). social media as a mechanism of dissemination and knowledge translation among health professions educators: a scoping review. advances in health sciences education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-02310294-z golparvar, s. e., crosthwaite, p., & ziaeian, e. (2024). mapping cohesion in research articles of applied linguistics: a close look at rhetorical sections. journal of english for academic purposes. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2023.101316 gusenbauer, m., & haddaway, n. r. (2020). which academic search systems are suitable for systematic reviews or meta-analyses? evaluating retrieval qualities of google scholar, pubmed, and 26 other resources. research synthesis methods. https://doi.org/10.1002/jrsm.1378 hadi, d., warsono, w., & faridi, a. (2020). metadiscourse and rethorical moves in english abstract section of undergraduate students’ final project at universitas pgri ronggolawe, tuban. english education journal, 10(3), 404– 413. https://doi.org/10.15294/eej.v10i1.37661 haraldstad, k., wahl, a., andenæs, r., andersen, j. r., andersen, m. h., beisland, e., … helseth, s. (2019). a systematic review of quality of life research in medicine and health sciences. quality of life research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-019-02214-9 heinonen, e., & nissen-lie, h. a. (2020). the professional and personal characteristics of effective psychotherapists: a systematic review. psychotherapy research. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2019.162036 6 howitt, s. m., wilson, a. n., & higgins, d. m. (2024). unlearning, uncovering and becoming: experiencing academic writing as part of undergraduate research. teaching in higher education. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2022.214546 6 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1091 huang, j., & tan, m. (2023). the role of chatgpt in scientific communication: writing better scientific review articles. american journal of cancer research. huerta, m., & garza, t. (2019). writing in science: why, how, and for whom? a systematic literature review of 20 years of intervention research (1996–2016). educational psychology review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-01909477-1 hyland, k. (2005). metadiscourse: exploring interaction in writing. continuum. hyland, k., & paltridge, b. (2011). bloomsbury companion to discourse analysis. bloomsbury companion to discourse analysis. katsampoxaki-hodgetts, k. (2024). graphical abstracts’ pedagogical implications: skills & challenges in visual remediation. english for specific purposes. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2023.10.006 kelly, k. j., doucet, s., & luke, a. (2019). exploring the roles, functions, and background of patient navigators and case managers: a scoping review. international journal of nursing studies. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.05.016 khalifa, m., & albadawy, m. (2024). using artificial intelligence in academic writing and research: an essential productivity tool. computer methods and programs in biomedicine update. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmpbup.2024.100145 liao, h., mi, x., & xu, z. (2020). a survey of decisionmaking methods with probabilistic linguistic information: bibliometrics, preliminaries, methodologies, applications and future directions. fuzzy optimization and decision making. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10700-01909309-5 lim, w. m., & koay, k. y. (2024). so you want to publish in a premier journal? an illustrative guide on how to develop and write a quantitative research paper for premier journals. global business and organizational excellence. https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.22252 lindquist, l. a., & ramirez-zohfeld, v. (2019). visual abstracts to disseminate geriatrics research through social media. journal of the american geriatrics society. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.15853 lu, q., yao, y., xiao, l., yuan, m., wang, j., & zhu, x. (2024). can chatgpt effectively complement teacher assessment of undergraduate students’ academic writing? assessment and evaluation in higher education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2024.230172 2 luetsch, k., wong, g., & rowett, d. (2024). a realist synthesis of educational outreach visiting and integrated academic detailing to influence prescribing in ambulatory care: why relationships and dialogue matter. bmj quality and safety. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2022015498 millar, b. c., & lim, m. (2022). the role of visual abstracts in the dissemination of medical research. ulster medical journal. muka, t., glisic, m., milic, j., verhoog, s., bohlius, j., bramer, w., … franco, o. h. (2020). a 24-step guide on how to design, conduct, and successfully publish a systematic review and meta-analysis in medical research. european journal of epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-019-00576-5 ng, c. h., & cheung, y. l. (2021). academic writing for academic persian: a synthesis of recent research. in language policy(netherlands). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75610-9_10 paul, j., & barari, m. (2022). meta-analysis and traditional systematic literature reviews—what, why, when, where, and how? psychology and marketing. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21657 pearson, w. s., & abdollahzadeh, e. (2023). metadiscourse in academic writing: a systematic review. lingua. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2023.103561 pigott, t. d., & polanin, j. r. (2020). methodological guidance paper: high-quality meta-analysis in a systematic review. review of educational research. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654319877153 polanin, j. r., pigott, t. d., espelage, d. l., & grotpeter, j. k. (2019). best practice guidelines for abstract screening large-evidence systematic reviews and meta-analyses. research synthesis methods. https://doi.org/10.1002/jrsm.1354 pradhan, t., bhatia, c., kumar, p., & pal, s. (2021). a deep neural architecture based meta-review generation and final decision prediction of a scholarly article. neurocomputing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neucom.2020.11.004 ramos, e., & concepcion, b. p. (2020). visual abstracts: redesigning the landscape of research dissemination. seminars in nephrology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semnephrol.2020.04.00 8 roldan-valadez, e., salazar-ruiz, s. y., ibarracontreras, r., & rios, c. (2019). current concepts on bibliometrics: a brief review about impact factor, eigenfactor score, citescore, scimago journal rank, source-normalised impact per paper, h-index, and alternative metrics. irish journal of medical science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-018-1936-5 scherer, r. w., & saldanha, i. j. (2019). how should systematic reviewers handle conference abstracts? a view from the trenches. systematic reviews. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-019-1188-0 schillings, m., roebertsen, h., savelberg, h., & dolmans, d. (2023). a review of educational dialogue strategies to improve academic writing kusumo hadi santoso, yudhi arifani, nirwanto maruf analyzing the key elements of high-quality abstracts: a comprehensive academic discourse study of english education 1092 skills. active learning in higher education. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787418810663 shiragasawa, c., & narukawa, m. (2021). key characteristics of database studies on drug effectiveness in the postmarketing stage: a systematic review. pharmaceutical medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40290-021-00406-8 sims, s., & fletcher-wood, h. (2021). identifying the characteristics of effective teacher professional development: a critical review. school effectiveness and school improvement. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2020.177284 1 soleimani, n., & mohammadkhah, e. (2020). metadiscourse markers in the book reviews published in isi and non-isi journals of applied linguistics. cogent arts and humanities. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2020.180767 7 stoll, m., kerwer, m., lieb, k., & chasiotis, a. (2022). plain language summaries: a systematic review of theory, guidelines and empirical research. plos one. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268789 strobl, c., ailhaud, e., benetos, k., devitt, a., kruse, o., proske, a., & rapp, c. (2019). digital support for academic writing: a review of technologies and pedagogies. computers and education. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.12.005 swales, j. m. (1990). genre analysis: english in academic and research settings. cambridge. tennant, j. p., & ross-hellauer, t. (2020). the limitations to our understanding of peer review. research integrity and peer review. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41073-020-00092-1 tullu, m. (2019). writing the title and abstract for a research paper: being concise, precise, and meticulous is the key. saudi journal of anaesthesia. https://doi.org/10.4103/sja.sja_685_18 wang, x. (2022). research on the discourse power evaluation of academic journals from the perspective of multiple fusion: taking medicine, general and internal journals as an example. journal of information science. https://doi.org/10.1177/01655515221107334 wei, x. (2023). on rhetorical transfer and writing metacognition. in exploring the crosslanguage transfer of l1 rhetorical knowledge in l2 writing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-98199-7637-9_2 wu, t., jiang, n., kumar, t. b. j., & chen, m. (2024). the role of cognitive factors in consumers’ perceived value and subscription intention of video streaming platforms: a systematic literature review. cogent business and management. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.232924 7 zaorsky, n. g., o’brien, e., mardini, j., lehrer, e. j., holliday, e., & weisman, c. s. (2020). publication productivity and academic rank in medicine: a systematic review and metaanalysis. academic medicine. https://doi.org/10.1097/acm.00000000000031 85 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 709 cooperative learning for enhanced reading comprehension: a study with first-year students mustamir department of islamic religious education, faculty of education and teaching science, universitas islam ahmad dahlan sinjai, indonesia e-mail: mustamirdrr@gmail.com sitti jauhar department of elementary school teacher education, faculty of educational sciences, universitas negeri makassar, indonesia e-mail: sjauhar571@gmail.com sudarto (correspondence auhor) department of elementary school teacher education, faculty of educational sciences, universitas negeri makassar, indonesia e-mail: drsudartompd@gmail.com sidrah afriani rachman department of elementary school teacher education, faculty of educational sciences, universitas negeri makassar, indonesia e-mail: sidrah.afriani@unm.ac.id apa citation: mustamir., jauhar, s., sudarto., & rachman, s. a. (2023). evaluating cooperative learning for enhanced reading comprehension: a study with first-year students. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 709-718. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8820 received: 21-06-2023 accepted:22-08-2023 published: 30-10-2023 abstract: this research aimed to determine the effectiveness of teaching reading comprehension using a cooperative learning model for first-year students at universitas muhammadiyah bone. the study employed a quasi-experimental design, involving two groups: an experimental group (30 students) and a control group (30 students). both groups underwent pre-test assessments, material presentations, and post-test evaluations. the data, collected through multiple-choice items, were analyzed using mean scores and the t-test formula. the research revealed that reading comprehension improved significantly in the experimental group (mean score 83.11) compared to the control group (mean score 61.56). the t-test also indicated a significant difference between the two groups, favoring the cooperative learning model. in conclusion, the use of the cooperative learning model effectively enhances students' reading comprehension. keywords: control group; cooperative learning model; experiment group; reading comprehension. introduction the advancement of effective reading comprehension strategies is pivotal in enhancing students’ learning experiences and outcomes, particularly within the english as a second language (esl) and english as a foreign language (efl) contexts (ali & razali, 2019). a multifaceted exploration into various methodologies and approaches, ranging from cognitive and metacognitive strategies to the integration of technology and gamification, reveals a dynamic landscape in the pursuit of enhanced reading comprehension among students. the imperative of fostering advanced reading comprehension skills is underscored by various studies. for example, ali and razali (2019) comprehensively reviewed cognitive and metacognitive reading strategies, emphasizing their profound impact on esl/efl learners' reading comprehension abilities. their insights lay a foundational understanding of the existing pedagogical strategies and their efficacy in bolstering students’ reading comprehension capabilities. moreover, the evolving pedagogical landscape has seen a growing integration of technology and innovative approaches such as gamification in educational strategies. for instance, amin and wahyudin (2022) evaluated the impact of a video game, “age of empires ii,” on students' reading comprehension, showcasing the potential role of gamification in enhancing educational outcomes. similarly, contemporary research also illustrates mustamir, sitti jauhar, sudarto, & sidrah afriani rachman evaluating cooperative learning for enhanced reading comprehension: a study with first-year students 710 the utility of employing various technological tools, such as learning videos and problemsolving based materials, in facilitating improved educational experiences and outcomes (andriyani & suniasih, 2021). however, there exist prevailing challenges that students encounter in their reading comprehension journeys. for instance, ganie and rangkuti (2019) highlighted the myriad reading comprehension difficulties faced by high school students, elucidating the complexities and challenges intrinsic to the reading comprehension process. such obstacles underscore the need for continuous innovation and refinement in pedagogical approaches to ensure enhanced student experiences and outcomes. in alignment with the spirit of continuous improvement and innovation, this study seeks to explore the potential of cooperative learning in fostering enhanced reading comprehension amongst first-year students. building on existing knowledge, this research aims to carve a nuanced understanding of cooperative learning's efficacy as a strategic pedagogical tool for improving reading comprehension. the synthesized insights from various researchers provide a rich tapestry of knowledge, fostering a well-rounded perspective that will inform and guide this study's exploration into the realm of cooperative learning for enhanced reading comprehension. english is a global language utilized in various aspects of life, such as governance, education, and more (gultom & oktaviani, 2022; shakirova, 2020; chikileva, 2019). this has led people from diverse backgrounds to learn english, both in its written and spoken forms. language is a means of communication, allowing individuals to convey messages from speakers or writers to listeners or readers (ibrahim, akib & hasyim, 2019). it encompasses not only speaking but also understanding written words (ansari & gupta, 2021; din, 2020; ganie & rangkuti, 2019). reading is a fundamental skill that enriches knowledge, broadens horizons, and aids in understanding various subjects (mukhtoraliyevna & egamberdiyevna, 2023; goudeau, sanrey, stanczak, manstead & darnon, 2021; narbutaev, 2020). it is an essential aspect of language learning, alongside listening, speaking, and writing (leong, abidin & saibon, 2019; lestary, 2019; xolmurodova, 2021). reading aims to develop both knowledge and skills (rustamov & mamaziyayev, 2022; barus, simanjuntak, & resmayasari, 2021; long & magerko, 2020). english proficiency is crucial for indonesian students, as it enables them to comprehend scientific textbooks (hu & wu, 2020; phuong, & nguyen, 2019; gu, 2019). however, students with limited english skills often struggle when reading english textbooks (ali, 2020; nayeen, islam, chowdhury & zayed, 2020; tang, 2020). scientific and technical textbooks contain a wealth of information, primarily consisting of facts (romero & ventura, 2020; yang, xiong & ren, 2020; vuong, 2022). readers of these textbooks must not only extract information but also understand the material thoroughly (andriyani & suniasih, 2021; swedberg, 2020; puspitarini & hanif, 2019; demina, rexy & danyl, 2022). thus, proficient reading skills are essential, enabling readers to grasp the main ideas, purpose, and relationships between sentences (lin, nogueira & yates, 2022; bender & koller, 2020; fuster, 2019). purpose and motivation are the first steps in effective reading. having a clear purpose and motivation is crucial for a productive reading experience (aydınlıyurt, taşkın, scahill & toker, 2021; pham, 2021; subakthiasih & putri, 2020). lack of motivation can hinder effective reading, as it is an integral part of successful language learning. comprehending english texts poses challenges for non-native speakers (simanjuntak, lumingkewas & sutrisno, 2021; ramírez, 2020; ali & razali, 2019). however, students need to read english journals to access scientific and technical knowledge, as most of it is recorded in english. teachers play a crucial role in helping students improve their reading comprehension skills. teaching reading to english learners is an exciting task for teachers who possess the necessary skills and competence (mudra, 2020; yudha & mandasari, 2021; amin & wahyudin, 2022). effective teaching strategies and methods can motivate students to enjoy reading materials and achieve their learning goals. the choice of teaching strategies and methods is essential in achieving the desired teaching goals (lepp, aaviku, leijen, pedaste & saks, 2021; khatoony & nezhadmehr, 2020). choosing the right techniques can stimulate students' interest in reading, encourage them to express their opinions, and appreciate their peers' views (einstein, 2023; qureshi, mahdiyyah, mohamed & ardchir, 2022; mitsea & drigas, 2019). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 711 cooperative learning is an effective strategy for teaching reading (erbil, 2020; hernándezsellés, muñoz-carril & gonzález-sanmamed, 2019; tran, 2019). it promotes active participation, collaboration, and discussion among students, leading to improved learning outcomes. this approach encourages students to work together, share ideas, and achieve shared learning goals. in contrast, traditional or individualistic learning methods, where students compete with each other to find the correct answers, can lead to uneven participation, with only a few students dominating the class. cooperative learning addresses these issues by fostering a cooperative and interactive learning environment (marcos, fernández, gonzález & phillips-silver, 2020; silalahi & hutauruk, 2020; lestari, saryantono, syazali, sarega, madiyo, jauhariyah & rofiqul, 2019). in summary, cooperative learning is a valuable approach that can enhance students' reading comprehension skills and promote active engagement in the learning process. it stands in contrast to traditional methods that may not effectively involve all students or lead to satisfactory learning outcomes. in the field of language education and specifically in teaching english as a foreign language (efl), there has been a growing body of research exploring various teaching strategies and methods to enhance reading comprehension skills among students. much of this research has acknowledged the importance of reading proficiency, especially for non-native english speakers who often face challenges when dealing with scientific and technical texts. traditional teaching methods, such as individualistic learning, have been widely used but have shown limitations in engaging all students effectively. on the other hand, cooperative learning strategies have gained attention for their potential to promote active student participation and collaborative learning. despite the existing research on teaching reading skills to efl students and the benefits of cooperative learning strategies, there remains a notable research gap in the context of indonesian students' reading comprehension of scientific and technical texts. specifically, there is a lack of comprehensive studies that investigate the impact of cooperative learning models on improving the reading comprehension of indonesian efl students when dealing with complex scientific and technical materials. understanding the effectiveness of cooperative learning in this specific context is crucial, as it addresses a significant challenge faced by indonesian students in mastering english for academic and professional purposes. this research aims to bridge the existing research gap by evaluating the implementation of a cooperative learning model tailored to the needs of indonesian efl students when reading scientific and technical texts. the novelty of this study lies in its focus on a specific learner population and academic context, providing insights into the potential benefits of cooperative learning strategies in improving reading comprehension. the study seeks to offer practical recommendations for efl teachers in indonesia and other similar contexts who are looking to enhance their students' reading skills. additionally, by highlighting the advantages of cooperative learning, this research contributes to the broader discourse on effective language teaching methodologies, emphasizing the importance of engagement, collaboration, and shared learning goals in language education. method the researcher employed a quasi-experimental design, aligning with methodologies commonly used in educational and psychological research (maciejewski, 2020). this design involved creating both experimental and control groups, facilitating a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of the cooperative learning model (white & sabarwal, 2014). pre-tests and post-tests were administered, following a structured approach involving treatment phases to assess improvements in students’ scores and achievements (miller et al., 2020). this non-equivalent control group design ensured that both groups received consistent materials during the testing phases, allowing for a more reliable comparison of results (handley et al., 2018). the population comprised the first-year students of universitas muhammadiyah bone in the 2013 academic year. a sample of 60 students was chosen through cluster random sampling, a commonly used method in quasi-experimental designs (siedlecki, 2020). the procedural application of the cooperative learning model was meticulous, involving various steps such as teacher explanations, group divisions, and oral question sessions. this multistep approach aimed to foster a more engaging and collaborative learning environment, mustamir, sitti jauhar, sudarto, & sidrah afriani rachman evaluating cooperative learning for enhanced reading comprehension: a study with first-year students 712 promoting improved reading comprehension and learning outcomes among the students (miller et al., 2020). data analysis was conducted using spss version 25, primarily employing the t-test to compare students’ achievement scores across the control and experimental groups (handley et al., 2018). results and discussion the outcomes of this study are derived from the data collected through an achievement test, which aimed to evaluate students' progress after being instructed in reading comprehension using both cooperative learning and traditional techniques. an independent sample t-test formula was utilized for data analysis. table 1 reveals that a significant percentage of students' scores in reading comprehension, when taught using traditional techniques, fell within the 'fair' category. this implies that the conventional teaching method was not highly successful, as evidenced by the post-test results: two students scored ‘good’, eight had ‘fairly good’, thirteen obtained ‘fair’, and seven received ‘poor’ in the control class category. only about 43.33 percent (13 students) managed to achieve scores within the 'fair' category (refer to table 1). table 1. the percentage distribution of scores for students who were taught reading comprehension using conventional methods (control group). no achievement category scores pre-test post-test frequency percentage frequency percentage 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 excellent very good good fairly good fair poor very poor 96 100 86 95 76 85 66 75 56 65 36 55 26 -35 0 0 1 3 8 16 2 0 0 3.3 10.0 26.7 53.3 6.7 0 0 2 8 13 7 0 0 0 6.7 26.7 43.3 23.3 0 total 30 100 30 100 the average score attained by students taught reading comprehension using conventional methods is displayed in table 1. the information in the table suggests that employing traditional teaching techniques in reading comprehension doesn’t significantly enhance students' performance, as evidenced by the minimal difference between the mean scores and standard deviations of the pre-tests. table 2. the average score and the variability in scores of students instructed in reading comprehension using traditional learning methods in a group no test mean score standard deviation 1 2 pre-test post-test 52.22 61.55 10.98 8.24 the performance of students who were taught reading comprehension through the cooperative learning group method was substantial, with a majority achieving high scores: very good (3.3 percent) and good (16.7 percent), as illustrated in table 3. the enhancement in students' abilities was markedly noticeable after applying the cooperative learning approach in the experimental class. post-treatment results showed remarkable improvement, with no students falling in the 'poor' category unlike the pre-test results. only a single student scored 3.33, categorized as 'fair' in the post-test. prior to the treatment, 33.3 percent had a 'fairly good' performance, while 20 percent scored in the 'poor' category during the pre-test. as indicated in the table below, a significant percentage of students' scores in reading comprehension, instructed via the cooperative learning group, were categorized as good. table 3. the percentage of scores earned by students in reading comprehension when instructed through the cooperative learning method in a group setting. no achievement category scores pre-test post-test frequency percentage frequency percentage 1 2 3 4 excellent very good good fairly good 96 100 86 95 76 85 66 75 0 1 5 10 0 3.3 16.7 33.3 1 12 13 3 3.3 40.0 43.3 10.0 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 713 5 6 7 fair poor very poor 56 65 36 55 26 – 35 8 6 0 26.7 20.0 0 1 0 0 3.3 0 0 total 30 100 30 100 the post-test results show that one student (3.33 percent) achieved a score between 96-100, twelve students (40 percent) scored between 8695 and were classified as very good, and thirteen students (43.3 percent) scored between 76-85, placing them in the good category. additionally, three students (10 percent) received scores ranging from 66-75, categorizing them as fairly good, and one student (3.33 percent) had a score between 56-65, which is considered fair. no student fell into the poor or very poor categories. comparing this with the pre-test results, where one student was very good, five were good, ten were fairly good, eight were fair, and six were poor, it becomes evident that the teaching technique employed was effective, as seen in the enhanced post-test scores in the experimental class. table 4. the percentage rate of students' achievements in reading comprehension when taught using cooperative learning techniques (experimental group). scores pre-test of experimental group post-test of experimental group freque ncy percent age freque ncy percent age 96 100 86 95 76 85 66 75 56 65 36 55 26 35 0 1 5 10 8 6 0 0 33.3 16.7 3.33 26.7 20.0 0 1 12 13 3 1 0 0 3.33 40.0 43.3 10.0 33.3 0 0 table 5. the percentage of the students' scores in reading comprehension taught using traditional learning methods (control group). scores pre-test of experimental group post-test of experimental group freque ncy percen tage frequen cy percen tage 96 100 86 95 76 85 66 75 56 65 36 55 26 35 0 0 1 3 8 16 2 0 0 3.33 10.0 26.7 53.3 6.7 0 0 2 8 13 7 0 0 0 6.7 26.7 43.3 23.3 0 the average score of students taught reading comprehension through the cooperative learning group improved significantly and was categorized as good, with a standard deviation of 8.24. the pre-test had a mean score of 52.22, which increased to 61.55 in the post-test. this indicates a notable enhancement in the students' reading comprehension achievements. table 6. the average score and variability of the students' reading comprehension, instructed using the cooperative learning technique. no test mean score standard deviation 1 2 pre-test post-test 52.22 61.55 10.98 8.24 the table above validates that teaching reading comprehension using the cooperative learning technique can enhance students' abilities and achievements. the discussion focuses on explaining the disparities in students' achievements and further interpreting the results of the research in reading comprehension. initially, before applying any specific teaching technique, a pre-test was conducted to assess whether the students’ reading comprehension abilities were on a similar level. based on pre-test data, it was observed that the obtained t-value (tobs) was lower than the critical t-value (t-table), with a t-obs of 0.43 compared to a t-table of 2.000, at a 0.05 significance level and 58 degrees of freedom. this suggested that there was no significant difference in students' achievements at the onset of the research. as the baseline achievements of both groups were comparable, the teaching interventions were then applied. the experimental group was taught reading comprehension using a cooperative learning technique, while the control group was exposed to conventional teaching methods. posttests were administered after the treatment to determine if there were any variations in the students' achievements across the two groups. after analyzing the post-test scores using the t-test formula in spss version 25, it was discovered that the t-obs value was notably higher than the t-table value, with a t-obs of 4.57 compared to a t-table of 2.000 (refer to table 7), at a 0.05 significance level and 58 degrees of freedom. the statistical findings (0.012 < 0.05) in spss version 25 led to the rejection of the null hypothesis (ho), and the acceptance of the alternative hypothesis (h1). this indicates that mustamir, sitti jauhar, sudarto, & sidrah afriani rachman evaluating cooperative learning for enhanced reading comprehension: a study with first-year students 714 students who were taught reading comprehension using the cooperative learning technique showed a significantly higher achievement compared to those taught using conventional methods, signifying the effectiveness of the cooperative learning technique in improving reading comprehension. table 7. the t-test value representing the achievement of students taught reading comprehension through the cooperative learning technique. no test t-obs value t-table value 1 2 pre-test post-test 0,43 4,57 2.000 2.000 the table illustrates that the implementation of the cooperative learning technique significantly outperforms the conventional technique in teaching reading comprehension, enhancing students' abilities and achievements more effectively. the discussion revolves around the techniques utilized in teaching reading comprehension to first-year students at universitas muhammadiyah bone, focusing on their efficacy in enhancing students' accomplishments. evidence supporting the effectiveness of both techniques is seen in the t-obs values. the posttest t-obs values are higher than the pre-test ones, confirming the improvement in student achievements due to both teaching strategies (refer to table 7). however, a closer comparison suggests that the cooperative learning technique fosters better reading comprehension skills among students, as reflected in the mean scores and standard deviations from pre-tests and posttests (see table 6). in contrast, the conventional technique, although yielding some improvement (pre-test mean score of 52.22 and post-test mean score of 61.55), is not as effective as the cooperative learning technique. the results denote that the cooperative learning approach stands out as more efficient, proving to be more beneficial in enhancing students' reading comprehension skills. however, it is essential to note that there's still room for improvement in the achievements of students taught through the cooperative learning group. despite the application of this technique, no student achieved the "excellent" category, showcasing that the method, while effective, has not maximized the students' potential fully. an analysis of the post-test results of the experimental class shows varied levels of achievement, with one student reaching the excellent category post-test, and no students falling in the poor category after the treatment, showcasing an overall improvement. in conclusion, the data underscores that there’s a significant difference in the effectiveness of the two teaching techniques in enhancing students' reading comprehension skills. the cooperative learning technique emerges as a more impactful method, driving more substantial improvements in students' achievements compared to the conventional learning technique. conclusion the conventional learning methods used at universitas muhammadiyah bone have shown limited effectiveness in improving the reading comprehension of first-year students, with the majority of students performing moderately or below average. this is evidenced by closely clustered mean scores and standard deviations (pre-test mean score of 0.43 with a standard deviation of 10.93; post-test mean score of 4.57 with a standard deviation of 7.72), indicating a minimal improvement in students' performance. notably, none of the students in the control class scored above the 'fair' category, and the majority (60.00% or 16 students) were rated as 'poor'. contrastingly, the cooperative learning methods exhibited a broader spectrum of student achievements. although no students scored in the 'excellent' category in the post-test, an upward trend in scores was observed. the mean post-test score improved to 61.55 from the pre-test score of 55.22, suggesting a more positive impact of cooperative learning on reading comprehension. to conclude, there is a marked difference in the effectiveness of conventional learning approaches as compared to cooperative learning methods in enhancing reading comprehension skills. cooperative learning methods have shown to be comparatively more successful in improving student performance. this is supported by statistical analysis, where the observed t-value is higher than the table t-value (4.57 > 2.000) at a 0.05 significance level with 58 degrees of freedom, and the t-test significance value is 0.012, which is less than 0.05, as per spss v25. acknowledgement this manuscript came to fruition with the continuous professional guidance and encouragement from universitas muhammadiyah english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 715 bone. we extend our heartfelt appreciation to all who participated in the manuscript's peer review process. due to the valuable assistance and continuous support of esteemed reviewers, this manuscript is now prepared for publication. we would also like to convey our gratitude to all contributors and participants who played a significant role during the research process. refrences abou-khalil, v., helou, s., khalifé, e., chen, m. a., majumdar, r., & ogata, h. (2021). emergency online learning in low-resource settings: effective student engagement strategies. education sciences, 11(1), 24. ali, a. m., & razali, a. b. (2019). a review of studies on cognitive and metacognitive reading strategies in teaching reading comprehension for esl/efl learners. english language teaching, 12(6), 94-111. ali, h. i. h. (2020). lecture comprehension difficulties experienced by omani students in an english-medium engineering programme. cogent arts & humanities, 7(1), 1741986. amin, f., & wahyudin, a. y. (2022). the impact of video game: “age of empires ii” toward students’reading comprehension on narrative text. journal of english language teaching and learning, 3(1), 74-80. andriyani, n. l., & suniasih, n. w. (2021). development of learning videos based on problem-solving characteristics of animals and their habitats contain in ipa subjects on 6thgrade. journal of education technology, 5(1), 37-47. ansari, s., & gupta, s. (2021). customer perception of the deceptiveness of online product reviews: a speech act theory perspective. international journal of information management, 57, 102286. aydınlıyurt, e. t., taşkın, n., scahill, s., & toker, a. (2021). continuance intention in gamified mobile applications: a study of behavioral inhibition and activation systems. international journal of information management, 61, 102414. barus, i. r. g., simanjuntak, m. b., & resmayasari, i. (2021). reading literacies through evieta-based learning material: students’perceptions. journal of advanced english studies, 4(1), 1520. bender, e. m., & koller, a. (2020, july). climbing towards nlu: on meaning, form, and understanding in the age of data. in proceedings of the 58th annual meeting of the association for computational linguistics (pp. 5185-5198). bezanilla, m. j., fernández-nogueira, d., poblete, m., & galindo-domínguez, h. (2019). methodologies for teaching-learning critical thinking in higher education: the teacher’s view. thinking skills and creativity, 33, 100584. chikileva, l. s. (2019). the role of the tutor in the choice of pedagogical management tools for autonomous work in foreign languages. интеграция образования, 23(3), 475-489. demina, d., rexy, t., & danyl, a. (2022). the use of quranic learning strategies through the wafa method in elementary schools. journal international inspire education technology, 1(2), 62-73. din, m. (2020). evaluating university students’ critical thinking ability as reflected in their critical reading skill: a study at bachelor level in pakistan. thinking skills and creativity, 35, 100627. einstein, a. (2023). teaching students how to learn. educational utopias, 227. erbil, d. g. (2020). a review of flipped classroom and cooperative learning method within the context of vygotsky theory. frontiers in psychology, 11, e1157. fuster guillen, d. e. (2019). qualitative research: hermeneutical phenomenological method. journal of educational psychology-propositos y representaciones, 7(1), 217-229. ganie, r., & rangkuti, r. (2019). reading comprehension problems on english texts faced by high school students in medan. kne social sciences, 684-694. goudeau, s., sanrey, c., stanczak, a., manstead, a., & darnon, c. (2021). why lockdown and distance learning during the covid-19 pandemic are likely to increase the social class achievement gap. nature human behaviour, 5(10), 1273-1281. gu, h. (2019). developing esp teaching materials based on the analysis of information engineering majors’ needs. open journal of social sciences, 7(10), 121. guiamalon, t. (2021). teachers issues and concerns on the use of modular learning modality. ijasos-international e-journal of advances in social sciences, 7(20), 457-469. gultom, s., & oktaviani, l. (2022). the correlation between students'self-esteem and their english proficiency test result. journal of english language teaching and learning, 3(2), 52-57. gustanti, y., & ayu, m. (2021). the correlation between cognitive reading strategies and students’english proficiency test score. journal of english language teaching and learning, 2(2), 95-100. handley, m. a., lyles, c. r., mcculloch, c., & cattamanchi, a. (2018). selecting and improving quasi-experimental designs in effectiveness and implementation research. annual review of public health, 39, 5-25. mustamir, sitti jauhar, sudarto, & sidrah afriani rachman evaluating cooperative learning for enhanced reading comprehension: a study with first-year students 716 hernandez-de-menendez, m., escobar díaz, c. a., & morales-menendez, r. (2020). educational experiences with generation z. international journal on interactive design and manufacturing (ijidem), 14, 847-859. hernández-sellés, n., muñoz-carril, p. c., & gonzález-sanmamed, m. (2019). computersupported collaborative learning: an analysis of the relationship between interaction, emotional support and online collaborative tools. computers & education, 138, 1-12. hu, j., & wu, p. (2020). understanding english language learning in tertiary english-medium instruction contexts in china. system, 93, 102305. huang, s. y., kuo, y. h., & chen, h. c. (2020). applying digital escape rooms infused with science teaching in elementary school: learning performance, learning motivation, and problem-solving ability. thinking skills and creativity, 37, 100681. ibrahim, i., akib, m., & hasyim, r. (2019). the analysis of figurative language in “endless love” song lyric. lisan: jurnal bahasa dan linguistik, 8(2), 119–130. inganah, s., darmayanti, r., & rizki, n. (2023). problems, solutions, and expectations: 6c integration of 21 st century education into learning mathematics. jems: jurnal edukasi matematika dan sains, 11(1), 220-238. khatoony, s., & nezhadmehr, m. (2020). efl teachers' challenges in integration of technology for online classrooms during coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic in iran. ajelp: asian journal of english language and pedagogy, 8(2), 89-104. leong, a. c. h., abidin, m. j. z., & saibon, j. (2019). learners’perceptions of the impact of using digital storytelling on vocabulary learning. teaching english with technology, 19(4), 326. lepp, l., aaviku, t., leijen, ä., pedaste, m., & saks, k. (2021). teaching during covid-19: the decisions made in teaching. education sciences, 11(2), 47. lestari, f., saryantono, b., syazali, m., saregar, a., madiyo, m., jauhariyah, d., & rofiqul, u. m. a. m. (2019). cooperative learning application with the method of" network tree concept map": based on japanese learning system approach. journal for the education of gifted young scientists, 7(1), 15-32. lestary, n. l. g. w. (2019). the use of songs to improve students’listening comprehension ability. yavana bhasha: journal of english language education, 2(2), 34-45. lin, j., nogueira, r., & yates, a. (2022). pretrained transformers for text ranking: bert and beyond. springer nature. long, d., & magerko, b. (2020, april). what is ai literacy? competencies and design considerations. in proceedings of the 2020 chi conference on human factors in computing systems (pp. 1-16). maciejewski, m. l. (2020). quasi-experimental design. biostatistics & epidemiology, 4(1), 3847. mahmood, s. (2021). instructional strategies for online teaching in covid‐19 pandemic. human behavior and emerging technologies, 3(1), 199-203. marcos, r. i. s., fernández, v. l., gonzález, m. t. d., & phillips-silver, j. (2020). promoting children’s creative thinking through reading and writing in a cooperative learning classroom. thinking skills and creativity, 36, 100663. miller, c. j., smith, s. n., & pugatch, m. (2020). experimental and quasi-experimental designs in implementation research. psychiatry research, 283, 112452. mitsea, e., & drigas, a. (2019). a journey into the metacognitive learning strategies. international journal of online & biomedical engineering, 15(14). 4-20 mudra, h. (2020). digital literacy among young learners: how do efl teachers and learners view its benefits and barriers?. teaching english with technology, 20(3), 3-24. mukhtoraliyevna, z. s., & egamberdiyevna, h. m. (2023). use of modern teaching methods in mother language and reading literacy lessons of primary class. open access repository, 4(3), 1092-1100. narbutaev, k. b. (2020). raising the ecological culture of the student in teaching biology in connection with other disciplines. theoretical & applied science, (6), 714-717. nayeen, c. j., islam, k. a., chowdhury, f. n., & zayed, n. m. (2020). testing communicative language teaching (clt) through english for today (eft) in bangladesh: challenges faced by tertiary students initially. american international journal of education and linguistics research, 3(2), 19-27. pham, t. (2021). attitude and motivation in language learning: a review. journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 3(5), 64-72. phuong, y. h., & nguyen, t. t. (2019). students' perceptions towards the benefits and drawbacks of emi classes. english language teaching, 12(5), 88-100. puspitarini, y. d., & hanif, m. (2019). using learning media to increase learning motivation in elementary school. anatolian journal of education, 4(2), 53-60. qureshi, m., mahdiyyah, d., mohamed, y., & ardchir, m. (2022). scale for measuring arabic english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 3, october 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 717 speaking skills in early children's education. jiltech: journal international of lingua & technology, 1(2). ramírez-castañeda, v. (2020). disadvantages in preparing and publishing scientific papers caused by the dominance of the english language in science: the case of colombian researchers in biological sciences. plos one, 15(9), e0238372. romero, c., & ventura, s. (2020). educational data mining and learning analytics: an updated survey. wiley interdisciplinary reviews: data mining and knowledge discovery, 10(3), e1355. rustamov, i. t., & mamaziyayev, z. x. (2022). development of speaking comprehension in teaching foreign language for professional purposes. asian journal of research in social sciences and humanities, 12(2), 227-233. shakirova, s. t. (2020). aspects of the english language teaching methods: audiolingual and audiovisual methods. theoretical & applied science, (4), 743-753. siedlecki, s. l. (2020). quasi-experimental research designs. clinical nurse specialist, 34(5), 198202. silalahi, t. f., & hutauruk, a. f. (2020). the application of cooperative learning model during online learning in the pandemic period. budapest international research and critics institute-journal (birci-journal), 3(3), 16831691. simanjuntak, m. b., lumingkewas, m. s., & sutrisno, s. (2021). analysis of tangiang ale amanami (our father) using the techniques of translation. journal of advanced english studies, 4(2), 7075. subakthiasih, p., & putri, i. g. a. v. w. (2020). an analysis of students’ motivation in studying english during covid-19 pandemic. linguistic, english education and art (leea) journal, 4(1), 126-141. swedberg, r. (2020). exploratory research. the production of knowledge: enhancing progress in social science, 17-41. tang, k. n. (2020). challenges and importance of teaching english as a medium of instruction in thailand international college. journal of english as an international language, 15(2), 97-118. tran, v. d. (2019). does cooperative learning increase students' motivation in learning?. international journal of higher education, 8(5), 12-20. vuong, q. h. (ed.). (2022). a new theory of serendipity: nature, emergence and mechanism. walter de gruyter gmbh. white, h., & sabarwal, s. (2014). quasi-experimental design and methods. methodological briefs: impact evaluation, 8(2014), 1-16. xolmurodova, o. (2021). developing english language skills through fairy tales. журнал иностранных языков и лингвистики, 2(4). yang, p., xiong, n., & ren, j. (2020). data security and privacy protection for cloud storage: a survey. ieee access, 8, 131723-131740. yu, z., xu, w., & sukjairungwattana, p. (2023). motivation, learning strategies, and outcomes in mobile english language learning. the asiapacific education researcher, 32(4), 545-560. yudha, h. t., & mandasari, b. (2021). the analysis of game usage for senior high school students to improve their vocabulary mastery. journal of english language teaching and learning, 2(2), 74-79. mustamir, sitti jauhar, sudarto, & sidrah afriani rachman evaluating cooperative learning for enhanced reading comprehension: a study with first-year students 718 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 117 teachers’ voices in wordwall media application in teaching young learners context: a narrative inquiry afra nadya putri insani postgraduate program, universitas islam malang, malang, indonesia email: afraafra6171@gmail.com m. galuh elga romadhon postgraduate program, universitas islam malang, malang, indonesia email: galuhelga23@gmail.com dwi fita heriyawati postgraduate program, universitas islam malang, malang, indonesia email: dwifitah@gmail.com apa citation: insani, a. n. p., romadhon, m. g. e., & heriyawati, d. f. (2024). teachers’ voices in wordwall media application in teaching young learners context: a narrative inquiry. english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 117-124. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9212 received: 23-10-2023 accepted: 12-12-2023 published: 28-02-2024 abstract: abstract: this study examines english young learner (eyl) teachers' perceptions of the wordwall application, an online game-based learning tool, for vocabulary teaching. amidst the digital transformation in education, there is a notable gap in literature regarding eyl teachers' attitudes towards such digital learning tools. employing narrative inquiry, this research delves into the experiences of teachers at an elementary school in malang, gathering data through semi-structured interviews. the findings reveal that teachers perceive wordwall as an engaging, effective means for both instruction and assessment of vocabulary, highlighting its user-friendly interface and positive impact on student learning outcomes. teachers appreciated wordwall for its diverse and interactive content, which not only facilitates vocabulary learning but also enhances students' motivation and engagement. the study underscores the significance of integrating teacher insights in the adoption and implementation of educational technologies, positioning wordwall as a beneficial addition to language learning strategies for young learners. this investigation contributes to the broader understanding of the integration of digital tools in language education, advocating for the inclusion of teacher feedback in the selection process of educational technologies. keywords: digital learning tools; eyl teacher; vocabulary teaching; narrative inquiry; wordwall. introduction in today's digital age, the use of information and communications technology (ict) in educational settings has significantly increased. understanding the unique attributes of modern students compared to earlier generations is crucial for teachers aiming to capture and maintain their attention effectively. the widespread availability of ict has led to a shift towards digital preferences among students. to foster sustained interest and active participation in the classroom, integrating ict into teaching methods, especially in language learning, is a viable strategy (supardi et al., 2021). although using technology in english language teaching is not new, teachers need adequate technological skills to utilize ict tools and platforms effectively to engage young learners and spark their curiosity (musthafa, 2013). researchers highlight the critical role of student engagement in learning activities (hidayaty et al., 2022). it is recognized that a strong interest in learning correlates with improved educational outcomes, underpinned by the understanding that individuals are motivated by their interests and passions. furthermore, the significance of enjoyable and impactful learning experiences is emphasized, as these are likely to be remembered. incorporating multimedia that creates and supports an enjoyable learning environment is key to making the educational experience rewarding (isti et al., 2022). the integration of instructional strategies and educational media constitutes an interdependent relationship that greatly influences the overall afra nadya putri insani, m. galuh elga romadhon, & dwi fita heriyawati teachers’ voices in wordwall media application in teaching young learners context: a narrative inquiry 118 learning journey. educational media serves not only as a catalyst for fostering motivation and engagement in learning activities, but also generates new needs and curiosities, thereby exerting a noticeable impact on the psychological wellness of students (puspitarini & hanif, 2019). the utilization of educational games as pedagogical tools or media has demonstrated a noteworthy enhancement in various facets of students' development, encompassing cognitive, motivational, emotional, and social dimensions. this underscores the multifaceted benefits of integrating interactive and engaging educational games into instructional methodologies. the escalating popularity of information and communication technology (ict) in the realm of education, the contemporary trend has been pointed out by szymkowiak et al. (2021). the impact of the internet and the changing landscape of ict is greatly transforming how children participate in learning, form relationships with their peers and teachers, and navigate the difficulties of life. this change in perspective emphasizes the transformative effect of technological advancements on educational models, which calls for a detailed comprehension of its consequences for pedagogical methods. komara (2023) describes wordwall media as a digital gamification platform designed specifically for the educational sector, aiming to enrich the learning experience with its extensive array of games and quizzes. this platform stands out for its ability to function as an interactive tool for student assessment, offering multimedia resources and instructional support across various devices, including laptops and mobiles. abdulrahaman et al. (2020) highlight its multimedia integration, featuring images, audio, animations, and interactive activities, thereby underscoring its versatility in accommodating both face-to-face and virtual learning environments. this adaptability is key to engaging students and incorporating competitive elements into learning, as noted by khairunisa et al. (2022). they further elaborate on wordwall media as a network-based program that enhances the educational experience by enabling effective material assessment and fostering an engaging learning atmosphere for students. in the context of narrative inquiry, a qualitative approach emphasized by xue (2021), the focus is on english teachers' experiences with wordwall, particularly those teaching young learners. this methodology delves into the personal stories of educators to uncover the complexities of their interactions with wordwall, shedding light on the challenges and triumphs of using this tool in vocabulary teaching. it offers a holistic view of teachers’ experiences, revealing the practical, emotional, and pedagogical facets of integrating digital tools into language teaching. this approach enriches our understanding of ict's role in language education, guiding the development of more effective teaching practices. empirical studies have explored various perspectives on wordwall's use in education. paksi et al. (2023) found teachers' positive feedback on wordwall.net for enhancing english vocabulary acquisition. similarly, jannah and syafryadin (2022) reported favorable student responses to using wordwall.net as a vocabulary learning tool, citing its engaging and motivational qualities. research by arsini et al. (2022) on hospitality students indicated that wordwall's vocabulary games significantly boosted learning enthusiasm, despite some limitations in providing detailed explanations. susanto and yosephine (2019) discussed teachers' perceptions of incorporating word games into writing instruction, noting the need for creativity and emphasis on learning objectives over game mechanics. anisah (2022) investigated the impact of wordwall as a collaborative learning tool in classroom settings, with findings suggesting a high inclination among students to use wordwall for assessments, attributing its appeal to the interface design and question variety. lastly, komara et al. (2022) highlighted the positive effects of wordwall.net on efl students' attitudes, engagement, and emotions, supporting its value in language learning environments. despite the wealth of research on the utilization of web-based tools for vocabulary learning and teachers' perceptions of wordwall, there remains a notable gap in understanding how english teachers for young learners (eyl) perceive and utilize wordwall.net for vocabulary acquisition. this gap is especially pronounced in the context of teaching vocabulary to young learners, a group often not included in existing studies. consequently, this study aims to explore eyl teachers' views on using wordwall.net to enhance vocabulary learning among young students. the research questions are twofold: (1) how do eyl teachers perceive the use of wordwall in their classrooms? (2) what challenges do teachers face when integrating wordwall into eyl teaching, and how are these challenges addressed? english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 119 method the study employs a qualitative research methodology, specifically narrative inquiry, to delve into eyl teachers' experiences with wordwall. following clandinin's (2006) guidelines, narrative inquiry provides a framework for an in-depth examination of teachers' perspectives and the obstacles they encounter while using wordwall. this approach emphasizes a close and collaborative relationship between researchers and participants, enabling a detailed exploration of how wordwall is integrated into classroom practices (sudarwati et al., 2022). choosing narrative inquiry as the methodological framework facilitates a detailed understanding of the nuanced interactions between teachers and wordwall, shedding light on both the benefits and the difficulties of using this digital tool in eyl settings. this method's depth simplifies the data analysis process, allowing for a rich interpretation of teachers' narratives. for data gathering, the study employed semistructured interviews, utilizing a set of predetermined questions to guide the conversation (dingwall et al., 1998). this approach ensured that the interviews remained focused on the topic of interest – the use of wordwall in english language teaching – while still allowing for flexibility in responses. the structured part of the interview aimed to gather specific insights that could be directly compared with findings from other interviews, enhancing the study's coherence and comparability (dawson, 2016). the entire data collection and analysis process, which included transcription, coding, and narrative construction of participants' experiences, spanned four months across three elementary schools in malang (creswell, 2006). prior to the interviews, researchers conducted observations in various elementary schools to identify potential participants. through purposive sampling, a selection of teachers was made to participate in the interviews. these teachers were chosen based on their experiences and diverse backgrounds, ensuring a rich and varied collection of insights into the use of wordwall in the classroom. table 2. participants’ profile codes gender teaching experience wordwall experience p1 female 2 years yes p2 female 3 years yes p3 female 5 years yes as part of the data analysis process, this research employed thematic analysis process (braun et al., 2017) which participant narratives were created, codes were applied, and transcriptions were made. in this analysis, the researcher had some stages to analyze the data that is transcription, codes, theme, and interpretation. transcribing the data after each interview allowed us to evaluate the transcripts for input on developing themes and kept the transcripts organized. the various narratives were constructed utilizing emerging themes in the coding process, which involved coding each individual transcript. written transcripts were used to find differentiate experience sections of text where the participants gave information on a special experience, which helped to create the participants’ narrative. the way the narrative was put together offered a flow of events that reflected the teachers’ perception and experiences, and the themes that came out of them. table 2. question guideline no. questions list 1. 1. do you have an interest in utilizing the wordwall application? 2. have you encountered any difficulties while implementing the wordwall application as a teaching tool? 3. do you find the wordwall application user-friendly? 2. 1. does the wordwall application have an appealing interface? 2. is it possible to use the wordwall application as a tool for assessment? results and discussion teachers’ usage perception to obtain the results of the research, the researcher used the appropriate instruments, namely structured interviews, which gathered additional information and notes from teachers. this is a result of the data the researcher obtained during interviews, which went beyond the formal and structured setting. through these interview sessions: “as a teacher, i am interested in using wordwall. it is an online tool that allows me to create interactive activities for my students. these activities can be used to review content, practice skills, or assess student learning. they afra nadya putri insani, m. galuh elga romadhon, & dwi fita heriyawati teachers’ voices in wordwall media application in teaching young learners context: a narrative inquiry 120 are also a great way to engage students and make learning fun.” (p1) as a teacher, the participant 1 finds herself constantly seeking captivating and effective ways to engage her students and ignite their passion for learning. enter wordwall – an online treasure trove of interactive activities that has transformed my pedagogical toolkit. this innovative platform empowers the teacher to craft dynamic experiences that not only solidify understanding but also spark curiosity and enthusiasm in young minds. no longer confined to textbook drills and dry lectures, the teacher’s students can now delve into immersive exercises like captivating quizzes, engaging word games, and collaborative puzzles, all seamlessly woven with the curriculum's core concepts. whether it's reinforcing complex grammatical structures through interactive challenges or assessing comprehension through dynamic puzzles, wordwall provides a flexible platform to cater to diverse learning styles and cater to individual needs. the gamified approach injects a dose of fun into the learning process, transforming dry memorization into an exciting quest for knowledge. it has been transformative in her classroom to see this transition from passive absorption to active exploration. having the spark of happiness go out in my student's eyes as they take on a difficult wordwall game or burst into applause after completing a group puzzle is the best kind of satisfaction. by embracing interactive learning platforms like wordwall, the teacher strives to create a classroom where learning is not merely a duty but a thrilling adventure, one filled with discovery, collaboration, and, most importantly, the joy of knowledge. as stated, the teacher is interested using wordwall for fun learning activities, also assessing the students learning. the teacher feels that using the application makes her easier to teach. “after three years of teaching, i've discovered that the secret to motivating eyl learners is variation ... with wordwall's wide collection of pre-made games and the option to design my own, i can adapt my lessons to suit a variety of students' interests and learning styles.” (p2) after working as an eyl teacher for three years, the teacher has developed a deep awareness of how important variation is to keeping young language learners motivated. their varied learning styles and interests are frequently ignored by traditional, static teaching methods which causes disengagement and impedes language acquisition. this is where wordwall shines as a gamechanging tool, providing teachers with an endless array of customizing options and a colorful tapestry of pre-made gateachers to let them to customize language learning to each child's specific requirements and tastes. the extensive library of wordwall transcends the limitations of a single strategy. it offers a wide variety of interactive gateacher formats, such as dynamic quizzes, compelling tales, and matching gateachers based on teacher memory. this makes it possible for teachers to easily incorporate enjoyable activities into the curriculum, guaranteeing that every class is an exciting journey. the days of monotonous drills and rote memorizing are over. additionally, by teacher who has five years in teaching eyl, the teacher is determined that successful language acquisition must encourage intrinsic motivation and accommodating a variety of learning styles. the teacher highlights the inherent limits of traditional methods while acknowledging her teaching usefulness. her static quality frequently fails to inspire the intense curiosity and continuous engagement that essential to learn for developing brains. the statement above shows that wordwall is beneficial for students as a learning resource, media, and entertaining assessment tool. this is in accordance with safitri et al., (2022). the study's findings showed that wordwall had a beneficial effect on students' motivation to learn. the teacher who took part in the interview said that wordwall appeals to her since it provides her children with a variety of interesting assignments. additionally, the application can be employed as an assessment tool. wordwall is more than just a game, however. due to its user-friendly interface, teachers can create original games or modify already-made ones to meet the unique needs of their students and meet specific learning objectives. the argument aligns with paksi et al., (2023) findings that teachers found wordwall to be an effective tool for teaching vocabulary in english. for any challenges, the teacher first encountered difficulties, but they can be avoided by completing smaller activities and practicing the application frequently. the teacher's first experience with wordwall wasn't without difficulties. it was like trying to figure out a foreign language when navigating its interface and creating dynamic activities. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 121 “at first, i feel difficult but i learn more about using the application then it is easy. although there are challenges involved, i have found wordwall to be a valuable tool for teaching media-related subjects. to overcome these challenges, i begin with smaller activities and gradually explore more advanced features of the platform.” (p3) even though so many features were tempting, at first the teacher felt overwhelmed. but she persisted because she believed she could change her students’ educational experience. the teacher read through tutorials, used internet resources, and talked to other teachers. the secrets of the platform started to emerge gradually. acknowledging the teacher’s inner beginner, the teacher made an easy beginning. fill-in-the-blank exercises and basic word matches served as her training platform. observing her students' spirit, an idea assimilated—inspired her to continue exploring. the teacher advanced to cooperative games, interactive puzzles, and even started creating interesting quizzes. every obstacle surmounted and every trait perfected eroded the initial fear and replaced it with a rising self-assurance. wordwall is fun games. the teacher skillfully uses its interactive exercises into my multimediarich curriculum, creating tasks that stimulate interest, encourage participation, and reinforce comprehension. with wordwall, the teachers analyze the students’ ability through cooperative puzzles and analyze cinema tactics through dynamic matching games. this indispensable tool has opened doors to deeper study and made the teacher’s work not just easier but also much more rewarding. the statement above shows that the teacher’s initial struggles with wordwall serve to highlight the usual problems associated with integrating technology into the classroom. it can be intimidating at first to fully utilize a new platform and navigate it. it is resonates with anisah (2022) findings that the reason behind this is that certain informants find it challenging to utilize the program since it is based on a quiz game. some perceptions claim that using this wordwall application is not at all difficult. the respondents indicated that this program was user-friendly on average because of its design, which made it simpler for them to use. the teachers’ do, however, demonstrate the transformational potential of persistence and focused effort. she was able to transform a perceived obstacle into a useful instrument for teaching and assessment by taking a purposeful strategy that included segmenting activities into manageable parts and emphasizing constant exploration. this highlights how important it is to use efficient learner tactics when implementing new technologies in the classroom, such as splitting and spaced repetition. through demonstrating the inherent obstacles as well as the ultimately rewarding process of learning new technologies, the teacher's experience provides an useful example that motivates teachers and students to approach new platforms with commitment and a growth attitude. the using of wordwall application is easy to use because the application has a clean and interesting layout, so it can make the teaching learning be interactive. “yes, the wordwall application interface is designed to be visually appealing and userfriendly. it offers a clean and intuitive layout, making it easy for teachers to navigate and create interactive activities. imagine unlocking a treasure chest of fun learning games! that's what wordwall feels like.it is time to transform learning into an incredible experience!” (p1) instead of confusing menus and tricky paths, wordwall presents a pedagogical playground, meticulously curated for learner engagement and teacher empowerment. this user-friendly design invites educators to unleash their inner instructional genius by providing a blank canvas free of unnecessary features. everything is easy to find and use, like dragging and dropping colorful blocks to build exciting quizzes, puzzles, and games. wordwall offers a variety of alternatives to stimulate children's curiosity and fit every learning style. it is like having a magic toolkit that makes learning feel like an adventure, not a chore. and as the the students’ play, the teacher can see how well they are doing, giving the teacher a chance to help them wherever they need it. therefore, the teacher can put away the old textbooks and step into wordwall. each element feels intentionally placed, guiding the user or teachers through the creation process with gentle nudges. the statement is resonate with anisah (2022) claimed that the informants were curious about the interface's movements and the explanation behind the appearance that irritated their eyes. afra nadya putri insani, m. galuh elga romadhon, & dwi fita heriyawati teachers’ voices in wordwall media application in teaching young learners context: a narrative inquiry 122 moreover, the informant responded favorably to the animated graphic that was shown. the animations on show are excellent fits for their educational level and age. wordwall boasts a vibrant library of visuals, catering to diverse learning styles and igniting student imaginations. with straightforward labels and intuitive icons to guide you, navigation becomes a simple activity. regardless of teachers’ level of experience with technology, wordwall allows to create captivating activities without becoming lost in the digital obstacles. this purposeful decision of ease of use makes it possible for even the busiest teachers to effortlessly incorporate interactive learning into their courses; it's not only an aesthetic goal. moreover, while other platforms may intimidate with their complexity, wordwall attracts with its intellectual attractiveness. it is a digital haven where even the most tech-averse teacher can develop into an engaging learning experience designer, demonstrating that excellent tools don't have to sacrifice usability. additionally, although wordwall has increased student participation in p2’s and p3’s classroom, there are several drawbacks to using it. comprehensive growth is ensured by balancing its tech-driven, engaging activities with more conventional approaches like play-based learning and physical exercise, while screen time management is still an issue. it can take some time to adapt the platform's pre-made games to different learners and skill levels, and its controlled formats make it difficult to promote unstructured exploration. an additional layer of complication is introduced by technical problems and connectivity breakdowns, necessitating backup plans and flexibility to keep the learning process moving. the statement above is line with the findings of rahmawati and wijayanti (2022) conclusion that one benefit of adopting wordwall is that it makes it simpler for the teacher to conduct class activities. owing to its user-friendliness, educators may now create personalized exercises that cater to the requirements of every individual student and accomplish specific learning goals. wordwall is an adaptable toolkit that helps users learn languages faster than just playing games. accessible inside the platform's extensive library, visual aids improve vocabulary recall and help close the gap between tangible experiences and abstract notions. the statement also stated in paksi et al., (2023) determined that wordwall's numerous features have aided the teacher. the instructor who took part in the study also mentioned that the display is appealing, the menus are organized neatly, and it contains basic design elements that make it easy for the teacher to use and entertaining for the students. teachers’ perception on wordwall display in the display of the wordwall is eye-catching, the menus are well-organized and has simple design elements, so the teacher can easily use. “yes, the wordwall program is made to be both aesthetically pleasing and intuitive. it has a simple, straightforward style that makes it simple for me as a teacher to use and set up interactive activities. the platform uses contemporary design elements like simple icons, menus that are well-organized, and eye-catching color palettes. these aesthetic components help create an appealing interface that improves the user experience and makes using the wordwall program fun.” (p1) the wordwall design is easy to use and comfortable, similar to a blank canvas. wordwall embraces user-friendliness, empowering educators and students alike to become digital artists. the statement also in line in paksi et al. (2023). the most popular method is drag-anddrop, which makes it possible to create complex mosaics out of text, eye-catching images, and interactive games. wordwall bursts with a kaleidoscope of varied visuals that appeal to a wide range of learning preferences and encourage creative thought. these images serve as a bridge, assisting even the most tech-averse people in crossing the threshold into the world of digital production. they are complemented by unambiguous labels and simple iconography. this accessibility is not mere feelgood fluff; it's a strategic tool seamlessly integrating interactive learning into any classroom environment. this empowered engagement directly translates into heightened motivation and knowledge retention. wordwall proves that powerful tools need not be shrouded in complexity; accessibility and effectiveness can coexist, hand in hand. the application can be an assessment tool: “… it is an interactive quiz and game making tool that helps me assess students' knowledge. it has different question types and makes learning fun for my students. i can track students' progress and identify areas where they need more help.” (p2) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 1, february 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 123 wordwall comes onto the scene as a cuttingedge quiz and game creator, turning knowledge assessment into an exciting journey for educators and learners alike. its variety of question styles, which include captivating riddles, interactive games, and traditional multiple choice questions, are like a treasure trove of opportunities. with wordwall, education is no longer limited to drab textbooks; instead, it can become a vibrant playground where students can put their knowledge to the test, indulge their competitive nature, and have a great time. however, wordwall offers more than just entertainment. it is also an effective tool for teachers to explore the depths of their students' comprehension. the assessment potential aligns with kusuma's (2021) findings, which highlight wordwall's beneficial influence on students' enthusiasm in learning. the "team games tournament" model employed in the study exemplifies how wordwall transforms learning into a collaborative competition, igniting intrinsic motivation and promoting active participation. the inherent variety of game formats offered by the platform further bolsters this notion, as constantly encountering new challenges and engaging activities keeps students' curiosity piqued and fosters a love for learning. with the help of extensive tracking systems, the teachers can keep an eye on both individual and group development, identify any areas in which students may be having difficulty, and adjust their training accordingly. it is similar to having a live map of the students' educational path that shows the teachers where they need support the most. wordwall quietly speaks insightful information into their comprehension as they go through these captivating challenges. the teacher collects additional information with each click and response, providing a more comprehensive view of the students’ strengths and shortcomings. with the use of this invaluable knowledge, the teacher will be able to praise individual accomplishments, offer targeted support, and differentiate lessons. this is in line with anisah's (2022) that for assessments like daily quizzes or examinations, the majority of informants indicated that they agreed. although the prior study focused on students' perceptions, it also relates to teachers' perceptions regarding the use of wordwall as an assessment tool. according to rahmawati & wijayanti (2022) added that it is beneficial in a variety of contexts, such as assessing students' development and activities. as a result of the record feature that this application offers, the teacher can view it with ease. conclusion in conclusion, the study used structured interviews to learn more about the ways in which teachers felt about incorporating wordwall into early years language (eyl) classrooms. teachers' reactions were overwhelmingly positive, emphasizing wordwall's adaptability in developing engaging, interactive activities that accommodate a range of learning styles. teachers skillfully conquered early difficulties, like figuring out the platform's ui, by tenacity and methodical investigation, highlighting the significance of cooperation and training. the successful adoption of wordwall can be attributed in large part to its visually appealing design and user-friendly interface. although acknowledged as challenges, such as managing screen time and technical issues, they were judged manageable with careful planning. it is suggested that future research look into student perspectives, teacher training programs, comparative analyses with other educational tools, and longitudinal studies to evaluate long-term impacts. in addition to providing a basis for future research and improvement of wordwall's integration into various educational settings, the study offers a thorough overview of the transformative potential of wordwall in eyl classrooms. references abdulrahaman, m. d., faruk, n., oloyede, a. a., surajudeen-bakinde, n. t., olawoyin, l. a., mejabi, o. v., imam-fulani, y. o., fahm, a. o., & azeez, a. l. (2020). multimedia tools in the teaching and learning processes: a systematic review. heliyon, 6(11), e05312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05312 anisah, l. (2022). utilizing “wordwalls’’ as an assessment tool for indonesian junior high school students.” 10(3), 831–842. arsini, n. n., santosa, m. h., & marsakawati, n. p. e. (2022). hospitality school students’ perception on the use of wordwall to enrich students’ work-ready vocabulary mastery. elsya : journal of english language studies, 4(2), 124–130. https://doi.org/10.31849/elsya.v4i2.8732 braun, v., clarke, v., braun, v., & clarke, v. (2017). applied qualitative research in psychology. applied qualitative research in psychology, 0887(2006). https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-13735913-1 clandinin, d. j. (2006). narrative inquiry: a methodology for studying lived experience. afra nadya putri insani, m. galuh elga romadhon, & dwi fita heriyawati teachers’ voices in wordwall media application in teaching young learners context: a narrative inquiry 124 research studies in music education, 27(1), 44–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103x06027001030 1 creswell, j. w. (2006). qualitative inquiry & research design. sage publications. dawson. (2016). a practical guide to research. 01, 1– 23. dingwall, r., murphy, e., watson, p., greatbatch, d., & parker, s. (1998). catching goldfish: quality in qualitative research. journal of health services research and policy, 3(3), 167–172. https://doi.org/10.1177/135581969800300308 hidayaty, a., qurbaniah, m., & setiadi, a. e. (2022). pengaruh media wordwall terhadap minat dan hasil belajar the influence of wordwall on students interests and learning outcomes. 15(x), 1–10. isti, l. a., agustiningsih, a., & wardoyo, a. a. (2022). pengembangan media video animasi materi sifat-sifat cahaya untuk siswa kelas iv sekolah dasar. edustream: jurnal pendidikan dasar, 4(1), 21–28. https://doi.org/10.26740/eds.v4n1.p21-28 jannah, m., & syafryadin, s. (2022). efl students’ perspectives on the use of wordwall.net as vocabulary learning media. elt forum: journal of english language teaching, 11(2), 115–124. https://doi.org/10.15294/elt.v11i2.57120 khairunisa, y., nurhasanah, y., tyas, s. s., ardiani, s., & rahmayanti, h. d. (2022). pelatihan penggunaan platform gamifikasi edukatif guna penguatan pendidikan. jurnal abdi insani, 9(1), 198–209. https://doi.org/10.29303/abdiinsani.v9i1.489 komara, c. (2023). efl students ’ perception of wordwall. net used as media for december 2022. komara, c., ismail, y., & pd, s. (2022). efl students ’ perception of wordwall. net used as media for learning english grammar uhamka international conference on elt and call (uicell), december, 22–23. kusuma, f. n. (2021). the implementation of word wall technique in teaching writing at smpn 1 kedunggalar ngawi. 1–78. musthafa, b. (2013). teaching english to young learners: through the eyes of efl teacher trainers. elt research journal, 2(3), 95–110. paksi, g. r., sari, r. k., & somawati, s. (2023). teacher perceptions on the use of the wordwall.net application as an english vocabulary learning media. edunesia: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 4(1), 120–132. https://doi.org/10.51276/edu.v4i1.307 puspitarini, y. d., & hanif, m. (2019). using learning media to increase learning motivation in elementary school. anatolian journal of education, 4(2), 53–60. https://doi.org/10.29333/aje.2019.426a rahmawati, a. p., & wijayanti, p. r. (2022). implementing joyful learning strategy using wordwall in order to improve reading comprehension skills. proceedings series on physical & formal sciences, 3(2001), 32–35. https://doi.org/10.30595/pspfs.v3i.261 safitri, d., awalia, s., sekaringtyas, t., nuraini, s., lestari, i., suntari, y., marini, a., iskandar, r., & sudrajat, a. (2022). improvement of student learning motivation through word-wall-based digital game media. international journal of interactive mobile technologies, 16(6), 188– 205. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v16i06.25729 sudarwati, e., widiati, u., faruq ubaidillah, m., prasetyoningsih, l. s. a., & sulistiyo, u. (2022). a narrative inquiry into identity construction and classroom participation of an efl student with a physical disability: evidence from indonesia. qualitative report, 27(6), 1534–1556. https://doi.org/10.46743/21603715/2022.5174 supardi, s., juhji, j., azkiyah, i., muqdamien, b., ansori, a., kurniawan, i., & sari, a. f. (2021). the ict basic skills: contribution to student social media utilization activities. international journal of evaluation and research in education, 10(1), 222–229. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v10i1.20598 susanto, d. a., & yosephine, m. (2019). teachers’ perceptions towards teaching writing using word games; the case study of junior high schools in semarang, central java, indonesia. media penelitian pendidikan : jurnal penelitian dalam bidang pendidikan dan pengajaran, 11(2), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.26877/mpp.v11i2.3276 szymkowiak, a., melović, b., dabić, m., jeganathan, k., & kundi, g. s. (2021). information technology and gen z: the role of teachers, the internet, and technology in the education of young people. technology in society, 65(january). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101565 xue, l. (2021). challenges and resilience-building: a narrative inquiry study on a mid-career chinese efl teacher. frontiers in psychology, 12(october). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.758925 english review : journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 677 integrating digital competence in adult efl learners: strategies for effective technology use ikhfi imaniah1*, akhmad zakky2. deni yuliana3 1,3 universitas muhammadiyah tangerang, indonesia 2 universitas islam negeri syarif hidayatullah, indonesia *corresponding author: ikhfi.imaniah@umt.ac.id received: 23-02-2025 accepted: 24-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 abstract: the integration of digital literacy into language learning has been widely explored, yet studies focusing on adult english as a foreign language (efl) learners’ digital competence in academic settings remain limited. previous research has highlighted general digital literacy frameworks (reddy et al., 2023; fadilah, 2023), teacher digital competence gaps (giannikas et al., 2022), and the positive correlation between digital literacy and language proficiency (wahyuddin et al., 2024). however, these studies have not specifically examined how adult efl learners navigate digital literacy challenges, particularly in critical evaluation of online resources and cybersecurity awareness. this study aims to assess the digital competence of adult efl learners, focusing on five key dimensions: general digital competence, technology integration in language learning, digital literacy and skills, digital communication and collaboration, and online safety. using a structured questionnaire administered to 56 university students, the findings indicate that while students demonstrate strong proficiency in basic digital tasks and language learning applications (71% overall digital competence score), they struggle with critically evaluating online resources and cybersecurity practices. these results emphasize the need for structured pedagogical strategies, including targeted digital literacy training and collaborative learning environments, to enhance efl learners’ technological integration skills. this study contributes to the effective implementation of digital literacy in efl education by addressing the specific challenges faced by adult learners, ultimately fostering their linguistic and digital proficiency in academic and professional contexts. the findings imply that efl programs should include targeted digital literacy education that tackles critical thinking and online safety. strengthening these areas will enable adult learners to effectively navigate digital settings, promoting academic achievement as well as lifetime digital involvement. keywords: digital literacy; adult efl learners; technology integration; digital competence; online safety; collaborative learning and language learning. introduction language learning has not been an exception to the growing trend of using technology in the classroom in recent years. the rapid growth of technology enables educators to try out cuttingedge teaching strategies with today’s digital natives. the interaction hypothesis states that language acquisition occurs in contexts where learners and other speakers interact regularly. given how rapidly technology is developing and changing our daily lives, it is imperative that language educators have the necessary digital competencies in order to successfully integrate technology into language learning (beetham & sharpe, 2014; tomita, 2023; un secretarygeneral’s high-level panel, 2020). in short, language educators must develop digital competencies to integrate technology effectively into language learning, keeping pace with rapid technological advancements. according to howard et al. (2021), the fundamental competencies, skills, and mindsets required for utilizing digital technology responsibly and effectively are collectively referred to as digital competence. by providing students with access to real-world language apa citation: imaniah, i., zakky, a., & yuliana, d. (2025). integrating digital competence in adult efl learners: strategies for effective technology use. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 677-690. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11843 mailto:ikhfi.imaniah@umt.ac.id ikhfi imaniah, akhmad zakky. deni yuliana integrating digital competence in adult efl learners: strategies for effective technology use 678 resources, interactive language exercises, and opportunities for interaction and collaboration with other students and native speakers, digital proficiency might enhance teaching and learning in language classes. furthermore, by integrating digital competencies into language instruction, teachers may provide a more individualized, student-centred learning experience that is tailored to each student’s specific needs and interests (braslavska & ozerova, 2022; caviglia et al., 2024; inamorato dos santos et al., 2023; kassymova et al., 2023; kreuder et al., 2024; pan et al., 2024; priyantin & herawati, 2023; scheel et al., 2022; serajuddin, 2023; spivak et al., 2024; tawafak et al., 2023; tomczyk & edisherashvili, 2024; tóth et al., 2022; yadav, 2024; zakharevych & hryhorenko, 2024) in an era marked by rapid technological advancement (jegadeesan & akkara, 2024; sari & abrar, 2024), integrating digital literacy into language education is essential to prepare students for the challenges of the digital age (cao et al., 2023; mirzayunusova zi & azamjonov aa, 2024; normuratova, 2024; subkhi & tyas, 2024). digital literacy encompasses a broad spectrum of skills, ranging from advanced search techniques to effective digital collaboration (buchholz et al., 2020; ferrari, 2013; hsu et al., 2011; sá et al., 2021). navigating these skills in a foreign or second language poses unique challenges for students. however, educators can play a pivotal role in mitigating these challenges by explicitly incorporating digital literacy development in their language lessons (azzahra & amanta, 2019; mardiah, 2022; normuratova, 2024; özden, 2018; subkhi & tyas, 2024; zhang et al., 2024). it is more difficult to integrate technology in language classrooms. in addition to navigating a wide range of digital tools and resources, educators also need to stay up to date with the rapidly evolving technological world and make sure that technology is utilized appropriately and effectively (li, 2019; mathai & arumugam, 2016; thomas, 2014). moreover, educators must ensure that digital literacy does not overshadow the core linguistic competencies that students need to develop. balancing the use of technology with traditional language teaching methods is crucial, as over-reliance on digital tools may hinder faceto-face communication skills and deeper language acquisition. furthermore, students’ varying levels of access to technology can create disparities in learning experiences. therefore, it becomes essential for teachers to design inclusive lesson plans that accommodate diverse technological proficiencies, while also providing support to students who may struggle with digital tools (bharathi, 2023). ultimately, digital literacy should enhance language learning by fostering interactive, collaborative, and engaging educational environments that prepare students for the digital demands of the modern world. the integration of digital skills into language learning is guided by digital literacy models, which are crucial frameworks in language education. given the rapid pace at which technology is developing and the trend towards online learning environments, these models address the necessity for teachers and students to use digital tools and resources efficiently. in order to improve language learning and competence, the models place a strong emphasis on the development of abilities that allow students to use digital tools to browse, assess, and produce information. previous studies have extensively explored the role of digital literacy in language education, yet significant gaps remain in understanding how adult efl learners develop and apply digital competencies in academic settings. the south pacific digital literacy framework (spdlf) focuses on six essential literacies to bridge digital skills gaps (reddy et al., 2023), while fadilah (2023) emphasizes human transformation in indonesia’s critical digital literacy framework. however, these studies primarily address digital literacy from a broad educational perspective and do not specifically consider the unique challenges faced by adult efl learners, whose limited english proficiency and literacy skills may hinder their ability to acquire digital competencies. unlike these frameworks, the present study evaluates digital competence within the specific context of adult efl learners, recognizing their diverse backgrounds and varying levels of experience with technology. research on digital literacy integration in language education has also revealed gaps in teacher preparedness and pedagogical approaches. for example, giannikas et al., (2022) explored digital literacy in cyprus through the lens of complex adaptive systems, highlighting discrepancies between teachers perceived and actual digital competencies. similarly, in santos & boa sorte, (2024) examined digital literacies as social practices, emphasizing hybrid technological integration rather than isolated tool use. while these studies contribute valuable insights into digital literacy and pedagogy, they focus primarily on teacher competence and technology english review : journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 679 adoption, leaving a gap in understanding how adult efl learners themselves navigate digital literacy in academic settings. this study addresses this gap by assessing five key dimensions of digital competence—general digital skills, technology integration, digital literacy, communication and collaboration, and online safety—specifically among university-level adult efl learners. furthermore, empirical studies have established the positive correlation between digital literacy and language proficiency. in indonesia, wahyuddin et al. (2024) demonstrated that blended learning environments integrating digital literacy significantly improved english language skills. however, this research does not detail which aspects of digital literacy contribute most to language learning success, nor does it highlight challenges such as critical evaluation of online resources and cybersecurity awareness— both of which were identified as weak areas in the present study. by examining adult efl learners’ specific difficulties in evaluating digital content and navigating online safety, this research builds upon previous findings and provides a more targeted approach to digital literacy training in language education. ultimately, while prior studies emphasize theoretical frameworks, teacher competencies, and general digital literacy in language learning, they do not sufficiently address the practical challenges faced by adult efl learners in applying digital skills to their academic and linguistic development. this study bridges that gap by offering a comprehensive analysis of adult learners’ digital competence, identifying specific weaknesses, and proposing structured pedagogical interventions to enhance digital literacy integration in efl classrooms. method a quantitative survey method was employed, involving 56 university-level efl leaners. the participants varied in age (19–35 years), english proficiency (intermediate to advanced), and prior digital experience. the study utilized a validated questionnaire adapted from digcomp 2.1 (carretero et al., 2017), integration of technology in language learning (moraes, 2023), digital literacy and skills (american library association, 2016), digital communication and collaboration (hackett et al., 2024), online safety and digital citizenship (uk council for internet safety, 2020). the questionnaire used a 4-point likert scale for responses (mumu et al., 2022), with students selecting the option that best represented their confidence or frequency. the questionnaire’s reliability was confirmed through expert review, a pilot study and statistical testing. validity was established by corrected item total correction analysis, where all 20 items demonstrated correlations between 0.600 and 0.900, indicating strong validity. reliability was assessed using cronbach’s alpha, resulting in a coefficient of 0.912, reflecting excellent internal consistency. these results confirm that the questionnaire is both valid and reliable for measuring digital competence. responses were recorded on a 4-point likert scale, reflecting students’ confidence or frequency of use. competence levels were categorized as follows: low (20–35 points), developing (36–50 points), proficient (51–65 points), and advanced (66–80 points), based on the total scores for each area. this classification aligns with established digital competence frameworks, such as digcomp 2.1 (carretero et al., 2017). results and discussion the findings indicate that university students exhibit a moderate-to-advanced level of digital competence, with an overall score of 71%. however, competence levels vary across different dimensions, which challenges the assumption that all students possess advanced digital skills. while students demonstrate high proficiency in general digital tools (84%), their technology integration for language learning (68%) and digital communication and collaboration (63.5%) remain weaker. additionally, over 30% of students struggle with technology integration (figure 3.3), highlighting inconsistencies in digital competence levels. this suggests that although students can effectively use digital tools for personal and academic tasks, they lack structured engagement with collaborative and evaluative digital literacy practices. ikhfi imaniah, akhmad zakky. deni yuliana integrating digital competence in adult efl learners: strategies for effective technology use 680 figure 1. university student’s digital competence when compared to established digital literacy frameworks, such as digcomp 2.1 (carretero et al., 2017) and unesco’s digital literacy framework, the findings reveal gaps in critical information processing, online collaboration, and problem-solving skills (unesco institute for statistic, 2018). digcomp 2.1 defines digital competence as a combination of accessing, managing, understanding, and critically engaging with digital content. however, this study suggests that while students excel in functional digital skills, their collaborative and evaluative competencies require further development. this aligns with giannikas et al., (2022) who found discrepancies between perceived and actual digital competence among educators, a trend that is also evident among students in this study. additionally, santos & boa sorte, (2024) emphasize the importance of hybrid digital literacy practices, yet the findings suggest that many students still struggle to integrate digital tools in a structured and consistent manner within their language learning process. the results further indicate that students’ digital competence levels vary based on age and prior exposure to technology. younger students (19–24 years old) tend to outperform older students (25–35 years old), particularly in technology integration and digital communication. similarly, students with prior experience using digital tools in high school or other educational settings exhibit significantly better collaborative and research-based digital skills. these variations suggest that prior exposure to digital tools plays a crucial role in shaping students’ digital literacy levels. consequently, differentiated instructional approaches are necessary to accommodate varying levels of digital competence among learners. university students’ digital competence general digital competence digital competence is a multifaceted concept that encompasses a range of skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for effective participation in the digital world. it is increasingly recognized as a critical component of professional and personal development in the 21st century. this competence is not limited to technical skills but extends to the ability to use digital technologies in a meaningful, critical, and responsible manner. the following is the result of questionnaires on students’ digital competence: figure 2. students’ general digital competence based on figure 1, the university student’s general digital competence is 84%, this indicates a very high level of proficiency in basic digital tasks. students are confident in using computers and smartphones for browsing, emailing, and using word processing tools. a majority also regularly use digital resources such as online dictionaries and language learning apps (e.g., duolingo, babbel). this reflects their strong foundation in general digital literacy. however, there is still a small percentage of students (around 10%) who feel only moderately confident in using these tools, implying the need for some targeted support for those individuals. moreover, figure 2 provides a detailed breakdown of university students’ general digital competence, categorizing them into four levels based on their confidence and proficiency with digital tools. a small portion of students (1.8%) falls into the low competence category, indicating they are not confident or comfortable using basic digital tools such as web browsing, email, and document creation. this group likely requires substantial support, including introductory training on foundational digital skills to help them build confidence and competence. english review : journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 681 a larger segment of students (8.9% to 35.7%) falls into the developing competence category. these students use digital tools intermittently but are not fully comfortable or confident, particularly when it comes to using language learning apps or collaborative platforms. their responses suggest that more structured practice and guided use of these tools could help them develop proficiency. for example, 35.7% of students report only moderate confidence in using language learning apps, indicating an opportunity for improvement in this area. the majority of students (55.4% to 66.1%) demonstrate proficiency in general digital competence. they regularly use digital tools for tasks like browsing the internet, word processing, and using language learning apps, and they feel confident navigating these tasks. however, while proficient, there is still room for deeper integration of more advanced digital tools into their academic routines. these students could benefit from using collaborative platforms and multimedia resources to further enhance their digital competence and engagement in learning. finally, a smaller but significant portion (23.2% to 51.8%) falls into the advanced competence category. these students exhibit strong digital skills and are highly comfortable with using complex digital tools, often serving as digital leaders among their peers. they are proficient in using advanced features of digital tools and apps for language learning. however, even in this group, there is still potential for growth. these students can benefit from structured opportunities to explore emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence or virtual reality, to deepen their learning experience. in summary, while the majority of students display strong digital competence, a targeted focus on those in the developing and low competence categories is necessary. workshops, peer mentoring, and structured assignments involving digital tools can accelerate progress, while advanced students can be leveraged to support their peers. this approach will enhance overall digital literacy across the student body, helping all students improve their use of technology in language learning. integration of technology in language learning the integration of technology in language learning has become a pivotal aspect of modern education, offered numerous benefits while also present certain challenges. the use of digital tools and platforms has revolutionized traditional language teaching methodologies, enhancing learner engagement, proficiency, and cultural understanding. however, successful integration requires careful consideration of various factors, including access to technology, teacher training, and pedagogical strategies. the integration of technology in language learning scored 69% (figure 3.1), which shows that while students are fairly comfortable integrating digital tools into their language learning, there is room for improvement. most students regularly use multimedia resources like videos and podcasts, which they find useful for improving listening and comprehension skills. however, a notable portion of students only occasionally uses language learning platforms or digital flashcards, indicating potential gaps in consistent engagement with digital resources. this suggests that further strategies, such as incorporating these tools more systematically into the curriculum, could help maximize their language learning effectiveness. below, we explore the results of technology integration in language learning in details, drawing insights from the provided research questionnaires. figure 3. integration of technology in language learning in terms of technology integration for language learning, the 68% proficiency score (figure 3.3) suggests that while students frequently engage with multimedia resources such as videos and podcasts, they are less likely to use interactive digital tools like language learning applications, grammar platforms, or collaborative writing tools. the findings indicate that 12.5%–30.4% of students rarely use digital tools for structured learning, suggesting a lack of awareness or formal implementation in coursework. this sporadic usage limits students’ ability to maximize digital ikhfi imaniah, akhmad zakky. deni yuliana integrating digital competence in adult efl learners: strategies for effective technology use 682 tools’ effectiveness in language acquisition. to address this gap, educators should integrate structured assignments using language learning applications, such as duolingo, quizlet, and anki, to ensure consistent engagement with digital resources. digital literacy and skills for digital literacy and skills on figure 3.1., the score was 71.4%, which reflects a strong but not exceptional level of digital literacy among students. many students are confident navigating learning management systems (e.g., google classroom, moodle) and solving basic technical issues, but some still face challenges in these areas. this implies that while a majority of students are digitally literate, additional training or resources on troubleshooting and managing learning platforms could further enhance their skills and independence in digital environments. figure 4. digital literacy and skills the study also reveals that digital literacy and problem-solving skills remain areas for improvement, with an overall score of 71.4% (figure 3.4). while students confidently navigate learning management systems (e.g., google classroom, moodle) and handle basic troubleshooting, some struggle with more complex digital tasks. this is particularly evident in the 19.6%–51.8% of students who fall into the ―developing competence‖ category, indicating a need for technical troubleshooting workshops and structured digital skill development programs. peer-assisted learning could also be an effective strategy, with advanced students mentoring those with lower digital literacy levels to promote collaborative digital learning environments. digital communication and collaboration the score for digital communication and collaboration is 63.5% (figure 3.1.), indicating a moderate level of comfort in this area. students feel fairly confident in using digital tools to communicate, such as writing emails or participating in online discussions. however, there is significant variability, with some students expressing discomfort or limited experience in collaborating using shared tools like google docs or padlet. this suggests a need for more structured opportunities to engage in collaborative digital learning activities, which can be facilitated through group projects or peer-to-peer learning tasks. figure 5. digital communication and collaboration moreover, one of the most concerning findings is the low proficiency in digital communication and collaboration (63.5%) (figure 3.5). while students are familiar with emailing and online discussions, many lack experience with collaborative tools such as google docs, trello, or padlet. this deficiency hinders students’ ability to engage in peer-to-peer learning and co-create digital content, skills that are essential for both academic and professional success. to address this gap, educators should integrate project-based learning activities that require students to collaborate using digital platforms. additionally, peer-review exercises and real-time collaborative writing assignments can improve students’ confidence in digital teamwork. online safety and digital citizenship for online safety and digital citizenship, the score is 68% (figure 1), which indicates that most students are familiar with basic online safety practices, such as recognizing phishing attempts english review : journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 683 and protecting personal information. however, only around 30% of students feel fully confident in evaluating the credibility of online sources, a critical skill in today’s digital learning environment. this suggests a need for further education and resources to help students become more adept at assessing the quality and reliability of the information they encounter online, particularly in the context of language learning materials. figure 6. online safety and digital citizenship in terms of online safety and digital citizenship, students scored 68% (figure 3.6), indicating moderate awareness of cybersecurity practices but a lack of critical evaluation skills for assessing online content credibility. a significant portion of students struggles with recognizing misinformation, verifying sources, and protecting personal data online. given the increasing reliance on digital resources in academic settings, it is essential to incorporate fact-checking exercises and cybersecurity awareness training into digital literacy instruction. educators can design activities that require students to analyze the credibility of online sources, recognize phishing attempts, and practice safe data management. these interventions can help students become more responsible digital citizens and critical consumers of online information. overall, the study highlights both strengths and gaps in university students’ digital competence. while they are proficient in basic digital literacy skills, their ability to critically evaluate online information, collaborate effectively, and integrate digital tools into structured language learning remains underdeveloped. the findings suggest that structured pedagogical interventions are necessary to enhance digital literacy instruction in efl education. educators should implement differentiated learning models, such as introductory digital skills workshops for low-competence students and advanced technology integration activities for highly proficient learners. additionally, incorporating blended learning approaches, project-based collaboration, and targeted cybersecurity training will ensure that students develop well-rounded digital competencies aligned with international digital literacy standards. by addressing these gaps, efl educators can better equip students with the necessary digital skills for academic success and professional communication in an increasingly technology-driven world. discussion of strategies for effective integration of technology and language learning enhancing purposeful use of technology in language learning while students are already using various technological tools, a more targeted integration of these tools to support specific language learning outcomes will maximize their effectiveness. for example:1) multimedia resources: tools like videos, podcasts, and interactive simulations can be more explicitly integrated into language courses to develop specific skills like listening comprehension, pronunciation, and contextual understanding of language use; 2) language learning applications: encourage the use of apps like duolingo, babbel, and anki for vocabulary building, daily practice, and grammar exercises. these applications can complement formal classroom instruction and provide personalized learning experiences (alakrash & razak, 2021; dev & schleyer, 2021; fan, 2016; indrastana, 2022; jegadeesan & akkara, 2024; li, 2019; sari & abrar, 2024; serajuddin, 2023; shukr & jameel, 2022; tomita, 2023; vijayakumar & karthikeyan, 2019; yadav, 2024). moreover, educators can create structured lesson plans that integrate technology directly into the curriculum (amarullah & imaniah, 2020; caviglia et al., 2024; imaniah, 2020; inamorato dos santos et al., 2023; kassymova et al., 2023; kreuder et al., 2024; pan et al., 2024; priyantin & herawati, 2023; scheel et al., 2022; tomczyk & edisherashvili, 2024; tóth et al., 2022). for instance, assigning specific video resources or apps as homework can provide students with clear goals for using these tools effectively. this ensures that digital tools are not just supplementary, but a core part of the language learning process. ikhfi imaniah, akhmad zakky. deni yuliana integrating digital competence in adult efl learners: strategies for effective technology use 684 developing collaborative digital learning spaces the digital communication and collaboration scores indicate that students are using tools like google docs, but there is potential for expanding collaborative learning experiences. in language learning, peer-to-peer collaboration can significantly enhance speaking, writing, and critical thinking skills. for example: 1) collaborative platforms: tools like padlet, trello, and miro can be introduced for group projects where students work together in real-time, sharing insights and practicing language skills in authentic contexts; 2) online language exchanges: encourage participation in online language exchange platforms or conversation partner programs (such as tandem or hellotalk). these platforms offer opportunities for students to practice speaking and listening with native speakers (azieva & khakimova, 2022; hsu et al., 2011; sá et al., 2021). in line with the digital communication and collaboration platform, the faculty can organize regular online group activities, such as collaborative writing projects or virtual language exchange events (gunarathna et al., 2023). this creates more opportunities for students to engage in meaningful language practice through digital tools. improving digital literacy through critical resource evaluation although students demonstrate good digital literacy skills, their ability to critically evaluate the credibility of online sources could be improved. in a world where misinformation is rampant, it’s crucial that students learn how to assess the quality and trustworthiness of the digital materials they encounter. so, to support their competence in digital literacy skills, it might be held the workshops on digital literacy (harisanty, 2021; hartanto et al., 2020; iskandar et al., 2022; lestari & santoso, 2019; normuratova, 2024; pertiwi & musthafa, 2021; rochanaphapayon, 2023; son, 2024; subkhi & tyas, 2024; wang, 2022; zakharevych & hryhorenko, 2024; zhang et al., 2024). organizing workshops focused on identifying reliable language learning resources, checking the credentials of authors, and verifying information can strengthen students’ critical thinking skills (imaniah, 2022; indah, 2017). additionally, teaching them how to use research databases, library tools, and citation managers like zotero or mendeley can improve their research skills (gürdür broo et al., 2021; er ifonluo lu & gonulal, 2018; university of birmingham, 2014). incorporate digital literacy modules that are embedded into language learning courses. these modules should focus on online research, factchecking, and avoiding misinformation, ensuring that students are well-equipped to navigate online resources effectively. fostering continuous development via self-paced learning tools the moderate use of applications for vocabulary learning suggests that students could benefit from a more structured approach to self-paced learning (subkhi & tyas, 2024). many students might use applications sporadically without integrating them into a daily language learning routine. application like quizlet for vocabulary, anki for flashcards, or even ai-based tools like grammarly for writing practice could be promoted as daily learning habits (chiang, 2016; situmorang et al., 2022). teachers can assign specific tasks within these apps, like learning new vocabulary words daily or practicing grammar exercises based on class topics. integrate these tools into classroom goals by assigning specific tasks on these platforms, tracking students’ progress, and incentivizing daily usage. for example, students could be required to complete a set number of flashcards daily or submit written assignments that utilize grammar correction tools. promoting digital safety and citizenship given the score in online safety, further efforts can be made to enhance students’ awareness of digital security issues (un secretary-general’s high-level panel, 2020). this could include training on cybersecurity, teaching students how to protect their data, avoid scams, and responsibly use the internet is crucial, especially when engaging with global online platforms (imaniah, 2020; inamorato dos santos et al., 2023; indrastana, 2022; jegadeesan & akkara, 2024; kassymova et al., 2023; neupane et al., 2020; priyantin & herawati, 2023; sari & abrar, 2024; scheel et al., 2022; zheng et al., 2024). courses or modules on cyber hygiene and digital ethics should be part of the curriculum. create dedicated online safety sessions to teach students how to recognize phishing scams, protect their personal information, and understand digital privacy (gulyamov et al., 2024; harahan, 2023; stepney et al., 2023). integrating this knowledge into broader discussions on digital citizenship will help students become responsible digital users. english review : journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 685 in conclusion, the university students’ digital competence is at an advanced level, indicating that they are well-equipped to engage with digital tools in language learning (archiyesa, 2019; caviglia et al., 2024; hidalgo et al., 2020; inamorato dos santos et al., 2023; pan et al., 2024; pertiwi & musthafa, 2021; rajović & denić, 2023; sánchez, 2020; tomczyk & edisherashvili, 2024; tóth et al., 2022). however, there are areas where more structured guidance and targeted interventions can improve the integration of technology in language education. by focusing on improving collaborative learning, fostering critical digital literacy, promoting consistent usage of self-paced learning apps, and enhancing digital safety awareness, the university can further elevate the effectiveness of its digital learning environment and ensure students make the most of technology for language acquisition. conclusion this study reveals that while university students generally demonstrate strong digital competence (71% overall), their proficiency varies across specific domains. students exhibit high confidence in using general digital tools (84%) and moderate competence in technology integration for language learning (68%), yet their digital communication and collaboration skills remain the weakest area (63.5%). these findings emphasize the need for structured pedagogical support, particularly in enhancing collaborative platform usage, critical evaluation of online resources, and online safety awareness. rather than viewing digital competence as a singular skill set, a more nuanced approach is required to address specific challenges within different digital literacy dimensions. despite these insights, the study has several limitations. the reliance on self-reported data through questionnaires introduces potential bias, as students may overestimate or underestimate their skills. additionally, the sample size and demographic scope may not fully represent the diversity of language learners, affecting the generalizability of the findings. the study also focuses only on five dimensions of digital competence, excluding other crucial aspects such as creativity with digital tools and the integration of emerging technologies like ai and vr. furthermore, the absence of longitudinal data limits the study’s ability to track how students’ digital competence evolves over time. future research should address these gaps by employing objective assessments, such as practical digital skill tests, to validate selfreported findings. additionally, exploring emerging technologies and their impact on language learning, such as ai-powered tools or immersive vr environments, would provide a more comprehensive perspective. longitudinal studies tracking students’ digital competence over multiple semesters could reveal developmental trends and inform more effective instructional strategies. expanding the participant pool to include more diverse learner backgrounds will also enhance the generalizability of future findings. by addressing these areas, future research can contribute to a more holistic understanding of digital literacy integration in efl education. acknowledgement this study was presented at the 15th international free linguistics conference (flc) on september 30 october 6, 2024 at the jayakarta hotel in labuan bajo, indonesia, and was funded by universitas muhammadiyah tangerang. the authors were appreciative for the financial and institutional support that enabled the completion and distribution of this work. references alakrash, h., & razak, n. a. (2021). technologybased language learning: investigation of digital technology and digital literacy. sustainability, 13(21), 12304. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112304 amarullah, a., & imaniah, i. (2020). critical analysis of university students’ need: the role of the university on language learning in digital age. asian efl journal, 27(5.2), 237–250. american library association. (2016). association of college and research libraries (cc by-ncsa 4.0) 1 framework for information literacy for higher education. http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework archiyesa, c. a. (2019). education strategy towards digital competences in welcoming society 5.0. journal basic of education, 4(3), 33–45. azieva, r. kh., & khakimova, m. r. (2022). digitalization and digital technologies in education. economics and entrepreneurship, 9. azzahra, n. f., & amanta, f. (2019). policy brief no. 11 promoting digital literacy skill for students through improved school curriculum. center for indonesian policy studies, 1(11), 14. beetham, h., & sharpe, r. (2014). rethinking pedagogy for a digital age. in rethinking pedagogy for a digital age (2nd edition). https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203078952 bharathi, m. u. (2023). digital tools for teaching english an effective and innovative way. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112304 ikhfi imaniah, akhmad zakky. deni yuliana integrating digital competence in adult efl learners: strategies for effective technology use 686 shanlax international journal of english. https://doi.org/10.34293/rtdh.v12is1-dec.47 braslavska, o. v., & ozerova, l. e. (2022). formation of digital competence of future teachers in higher education institutions. проблеми підготовки сучасного вчителя, 1, 126–135. https://doi.org/10.31499/23074914.1.2022.258486 buchholz, b. a., dehart, j., & moorman, g. (2020). digital citizenship during a global pandemic: moving beyond digital literacy. in journal of adolescent and adult literacy (vol. 64, issue 1, pp. 11–17). wiley-blackwell publishing ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1076 cao, j., bhuvaneswari, g., arumugam, t., & aravind, b. r. (2023). the digital edge: examining the relationship between digital competency and language learning outcomes. frontiers in psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1187909 carretero, s., vuorikari, r., & punie, y. (2017). digcomp 2.1: the digital competence framework for citizens with eight proficiency levels and examples of use. https://api.semanticscholar.org/corpusid:1134 91725 caviglia, f., boie, m. a. k., dalsgaard, c., & pedersen, a. y. (2024). bringing digital competence to the disciplines. education inquiry. https://doi.org/10.1080/20004508.2024.231884 2 chiang, i.-c. n. (2016). reading habits, language learning achievements and principles for deep knowledge. linguistics and literature studies, 4(3), 203–212. https://doi.org/10.13189/lls.2016.040304 dev, p., & schleyer, t. (2021). digital technology in health science education. in e. h. shortliffe & j. j. cimino (eds.), biomedical informatics: computer applications in health care and biomedicine (pp. 841–865). springer international publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58721-5_25 fadilah, e. (2023). a multifaceted framework for critical digital literacy in transforming human resources. ijee (indonesian journal of english education), 10(2), 462–486. https://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v10i2.34208 fan, v. s.-y. (2016). strategies for integrating digital technology in classrooms to support english language learners’ learning and engagements. https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/180 7/72188/1/fan_valerie_s_201606_mt_mtrp .pdf ferrari, a. (2013). digital competence in practice: an analysis of frameworks. in joint research centre of the european commission. https://doi.org/10.2791/82116 giannikas, c. n., tsagari, d., & liontou, t. (2022). digital literacy in language education (pp. 189–202). https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-79988717-1.ch010 gulyamov, s., babaev, j., & rakhmatov, u. (2024). building cybersecurity culture in education as imperative for youth to thrive in digital society. 2(5), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.59022/ujldp.218 gunarathna, c., yang, r. j., mudiyanselage, p. w., amarasinghe, g., samarasinghalage, t. i., weerasinghe, r., zhao, h., zhang, c., liu, c., wang, k., & jayakumari, s. d. s. (2023). project-based learning for proactive skills development of postgraduate students in solar energy building design digitalisation. smart and sustainable built environment. https://doi.org/10.1108/sasbe-08-2022-0173 gürdür broo, d., boman, u., & törngren, m. (2021). cyber-physical systems research and education in 2030: scenarios and strategies. journal of industrial information integration, 21, 100192. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jii.2020 .100192 hackett, s., dawson, m., janssen, j., & van tartwijk, j. (2024). defining collaborative online international learning (coil) and distinguishing it from virtual exchange. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-024-01000-w harahan, k. (2023). development of academic writing skills for cybersecurity students: professional english. https://doi.org/10.36919/978-966-301266-7/1.2024.30 harisanty, d. (2021). digitalcommons @ university of nebraska lincoln digital literacy for covid 19 information in indonesian society. library philosophy and practice (e-journal), may. hartanto, d., prasetyo, p. w., maryani, i., maharani, e. a., puspitasari, i., putri, d. a., aji, o. r., & purwanto, w. e. (2020). developing digital module for human literacy and technology literacy. international journal on education insight, 1(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.12928/ijei.v1i1.2086 hidalgo, f., parra, m. a e. g., & abril, c. h. (2020). digital and media competences: key competences for efl teachers. teaching english with technology, 20(1), 43–59. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej1242656.pdf howard, s. k., tondeur, j., ma, j., & yang, j. (2021). what to teach? strategies for developing digital competency in preservice teacher training. computers & education, 165, 104149. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comped u.2021.104149 hsu, j., wang, z., & hamilton, k. (2011). developing and managing digital/technology literacy and effective learning skills in adult learners. in international journal of digital literacy and digital competence (vol. 2, issue 1, pp. 52– 70). https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-29431.ch008 english review : journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 687 imaniah, i. (2020). covid-19 pushes universities to switch to online classes: are they ready? in s. e. p. djahimo (ed.), women’s voices (pp. 67– 80). deeppublish. imaniah, i. (2022). a critical review of english essay writing in studies of critical thinking, reading habits, and sentence structure mastery. ieflj) indonesian efl journal, 8(1), 53–62. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v8i1.5588 inamorato dos santos, a., chinkes, e., carvalho, m. a. g., solórzano, c. m. v., & marroni, l. s. (2023). the digital competence of academics in higher education: is the glass half empty or half full? international journal of educational technology in higher education, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-022-00376-0 indah, r. n. (2017). critical thinking, writing performance and topic familiarity of indonesian efl learners. journal of language teaching and research, 8(2), 229. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0802.04 indrastana, n. s. (2022). integrating technology into language teaching: best practices and emerging trends. transformational language literature and technology overview in learning (transtool), 1(4), 25–30. https://doi.org/10.55047/transtool.v1i4.1368 iskandar, i., sumarni, s., dewanti, r., & asnur, m. n. a. (2022). infusing digital literacy in authentic academic digital practices of english language teaching at universities. ijole (international journal of language education), 6(1), 75. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v6i1.31574 jegadeesan, r., & akkara, s. (2024). tech-driven transformation: improving english language instruction with technology. https://doi.org/10.53555/kuey.v30i4.2254 kassymova, g. m., tulepova, s. b., & bekturova, m. b. (2023). perceptions of digital competence in learning and teaching english in the context of online education. contemporary educational technology, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/12598 kreuder, a., frick, u., rakoczy, k., & schlittmeier, s. j. (2024). digital competence in adolescents and young adults: a critical analysis of concomitant variables, methodologies and intervention strategies. in humanities and social sciences communications (vol. 11, issue 1). springer nature. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02501-4 lestari, s., & santoso, a. (2019). the roles of digital literacy, technology literacy, and human literacy to encourage work readiness of accounting education students in the fourth industrial revolution era. kne social sciences, 3(11), 513. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v3i11.4031 li, h. (2019). language learning strategies for digital classrooms. international journal of english and literature, 4(3), 635–640. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijels.4.3.13 mardiah, h. (2022). integrating digital literacy into english as a foreign language (efl) class: a cooperative learning approach. 2(2), 295–304. https://doi.org/10.58218/alinea.v2i2.236 mathai, r., & arumugam, t. (2016). preference and promoting of e-learning as a training medium in the hospitality industry with special reference to four and five star hotels in tamil nadu – india. international journal of business administration, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.5430/ijba.v7n3p91 er ifonluo lu, a., & gonulal, t. (2018). review of digital language learning and teaching: research, theory, and practice. language learning & technology, 22(1), 65–68. https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstrea m/10125/44580/1/22_01_review3_merzifouluo glugonulalu.pdf mirzayunusova zi, & azamjonov aa. (2024). digital technologies in education. 1(9). moraes, s. b. a. (2023). blended learning in higher education: an approach, a model, and two theoretical frameworks. journal of teaching and learning in higher education, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.24834/jotl.4.1.820 mumu, j., tanujaya, b., charitas, r., & prahmana, i. (2022). likert scale in social sciences research: problems and difficulties. fwu journal of social sciences, 16(4), 89–101. https://doi.org/10.51709/19951272/winter2022 /7 neupane, h. c., sharma, k., & joshi, a. (2020). readiness for the online classes during covid19 pandemic among students of chitwan medical college. journal of nepal health research council, 18(2), 316–319. https://doi.org/10.33314/jnhrc.v18i2.2725 normuratova, v. i. (2024). digital literacy in modern education. the american journal of social science and education innovations, 6(10), 61– 65. https://doi.org/10.37547/tajssei/volume06issue 10-07 özden, m. (2018). digital literacy perceptions of the students in the department of computer technologies teaching and turkish language teaching. international journal of progressive education, 14(4), 26–36. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2018.154.3 pan, l., haq, s. ul, shi, x., & nadeem, m. (2024). the impact of digital competence and personal innovativeness on the learning behavior of students: exploring the moderating role of digitalization in higher education quality. sage open, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241265919 pertiwi, u. g., & musthafa, b. (2021). university students’ digital literacy competence. ikhfi imaniah, akhmad zakky. deni yuliana integrating digital competence in adult efl learners: strategies for effective technology use 688 proceedings of the thirteenth conference on applied linguistics (conaplin 2020), 546(conaplin 2020), 620–626. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210427.094 priyantin, t., & herawati, a. (2023). efl teacher’s strategies and challenges in developing digital competency: a narrative inquiry. pedagogy : journal of english language teaching, 11(1), 01. https://doi.org/10.32332/joelt.v11i1.6570 rajović, d. j., & denić, n. (2023). the link between the english language and digital competences. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings202308500 4 reddy, p., chaudhary, k., & hussein, s. (2023). a digital literacy model to narrow the digital literacy skills gap. social science research network , 9(4). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4308566 rochanaphapayon, t. (2023). digital literacy: enhancing english reading comprehension among foreign language students. english language teaching. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v17n1p26 sá, m. j., santos, a. i., serpa, s., & ferreira, c. m. (2021). digital literacy in digital society 5.0: some challenges. academic journal of interdisciplinary studies, 10(2), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.36941/ajis-2021-0033 sánchez, a. p. (2020). an integrated approach to teaching digital competences in higher education. 349–356. santos, j. do c. a., & boa sorte, p. (2024). digital literacies in english language education. https://doi.org/10.1590/scielopreprints.7834 sari, n. m., & abrar, m. (2024). use of technology in english language learning: challenges and benefits. https://doi.org/10.31539/leea.v7i2.10034 scheel, l., vladova, g., & ullrich, a. (2022). the influence of digital competences, selforganization, and independent learning abilities on students’ acceptance of digital learning. international journal of educational technology in higher education, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-022-00350-w serajuddin, m. (2023). exploring digital transitions: a comprehensive analysis of ai-driven adult efl learning tools. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4623285 shukr, h. y., & jameel, t. a. (2022). digital technology in english language teaching and learning. ntu journal for administrative and human sciences (jahs), 2(2), 164–177. https://doi.org/10.56286/ntujahs.v2i2.240 situmorang, m., sinaga, m., sitorus, m. s. m., & sudrajat, a. (2022). implementation of projectbased learning innovation to develop students’ critical thinking skills as a strategy to achieve analytical chemistry competencies. indian journal of pharmaceutical education and research, 56(1s), s41–s51. https://doi.org/10.5530/ijper.56.1s.41 son, j. (2024). insights into digital literacy in language teaching. castledown publishers. https://doi.org/10.29140/9781914291210 spivak, i., mihus, i., & greben, s. (2024). a comparative analysis of the digital competencies development in adult education. pedagogy and education management review, 2(16), 18–27. https://doi.org/10.36690/27332039-2024-2-18-27 stepney, o., norman, j. l., & allison. (2023). cyber security in english secondary education curricula: a preliminary study. technical symposium on computer science education. https://doi.org/10.1145/3545945.3569758 subkhi, m., & tyas, d. a. h. (2024). enhancing arabic vocabulary mastery through digital literacy: overcoming challenges and implementing effective strategies. 2(1), 11–24. https://doi.org/10.70211/ltsm.v2i1.38 tawafak, r. m., al-obaydi, l. h., klimova, b., & pikhart, m. (2023). technology integration of using digital gameplay for enhancing efl college students’ behavior intention. contemporary educational technology, 15(4). https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/13454 thomas, m. (2014). digital technologies for language learning and teaching. tomczyk, ł., & edisherashvili, n. (2024). learning objectives in older adult digital educationredefining digital inclusion. international journal of cognitive research in science, engineering and education, 12(3), 123–145. https://doi.org/10.23947/2334-8496-2024-12-3507-520 tomita, y. (2023). digital technology and language learning. in advances in educational technologies and instructional design book series (pp. 108–129). https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-87617.ch006 tóth, t., virágh, r., hallová, m., stuchlý, p., & hennyeyová, k. (2022). digital competence of digital native students as prerequisite for digital transformation of education. international journal of emerging technologies in learning, 17(16), 150–166. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v17i16.31791 uk council for internet safety. (2020). digital resilience framework: a framework and tool for organisations, communities and groups to help people build resilience in their digital life. un secretary-general’s high-level panel. (2020). the impact of digital technologies. https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/2019/ 10/un75_new_technologies.pdf unesco institute for statistic. (2018). a global framework of reference on digital literacy english review : journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 689 skills for indicator 4.4.2. http://www.uis.unesco.org university of birmingham. (2014). research and study skills: research and evaluation. vijayakumar, i. s. j., & karthikeyan, j. (2019). technology-enabled digital language learning using a flipped innovation model (pp. 325–332). https://doi.org/10.1007/978981-13-3329-3_30 wahyuddin, n. r., nur eva yanti, riska arnas, & sam hermansyah. (2024). digital literacy integrated with blended learning in improving efl students’ english language skills: a lesson learned from the independent campus program. journal of language and literature studies, 4(4), 744–757. https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v4i4.2351 wang, y. (2022). research on the integration of digital literacy into english classroom teaching in higher vocational colleges under the background of educational digitalization. journal of higher education research, 3(4), 385. https://doi.org/10.32629/jher.v3i4.1018 yadav, s. (2024). enhancing digital competencies of teachers. advances in educational marketing, administration, and leadership book series, 109–134. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-33731692-5.ch005 zakharevych, m., & hryhorenko, v. (2024). digital competence and digital literacy of higher education acquires. збірник наукових праць уманського державного педагогічного університету імені павла тичини. https://doi.org/10.31499/23074906.1.2024.302215 zhang, l., ryskulova, b., cheng, x., ren, s., & apaeva, s. kh. (2024). critical thinking development of foreign language teachers through digital literacy training. journal of educational technology development and exchange, 17(1), 222–236. https://doi.org/10.18785/jetde.1701.13 zheng, q., yuan, z., & pan, x. (2024). examining the influencing effect of efl students’ digital literacy on their online learning power: the mediating role of perceived teacher support. asia pacific journal of education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2024.24046 https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2024.24046 ikhfi imaniah, akhmad zakky. deni yuliana integrating digital competence in adult efl learners: strategies for effective technology use 690 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 177 enhancing student writing habits with poe ai: a study on digital tools for academic success bincar nasution english literature study program, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara, indonesia english language education department, faculty of teachers training & education,universitas graha nusantara, padangsidimpuan, indonesia e-mail: bin@ipi-limited.com saiful anwar matondang english literature study program, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara, indonesia e-mail: saiful.matondang@fkip.uisu.ac.id efendi barus english literature study program, faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara, indonesia e-mail: efendi_uisu@yahoo.com apa citation: nasution, b., matondang, s. a., & barus, e. (2025). mapping the landscape of exploratory reading: a bibliometric analysis. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 177-188. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.10979 received: 11-09-2024 accepted: 13-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: writing is a critical academic skill that requires structured development and consistent practice, yet many students struggle with motivation, organizing ideas, and accessing constructive feedback. the integration of artificial intelligence (ai) in education has introduced tools such as poe ai, which provides personalized recommendations, real-time feedback, and writing habit tracking. while ai tools like grammarly and chatgpt have been widely studied, limited research explores poe ai’s effectiveness in enhancing students' writing habits and skills. this study examines poe ai’s impact on students’ writing consistency, grammatical accuracy, coherence, and vocabulary usage while identifying challenges and optimization strategies. using an applied research technique, ten students from various academic backgrounds engaged with poe ai for two months. data collection included observation, interviews, and text analysis, with a standardized rubric measuring pre and post-intervention improvements. results indicated that 80% of students reported improved writing consistency, with a 45% reduction in grammatical errors and a 38% improvement in coherence. students benefited from ai-generated feedback but also faced challenges such as over-reliance on ai suggestions and technical limitations. some students accepted corrections without critical engagement, highlighting the need for additional training to foster independent writing skills. to maximize its benefits, structured ai training programs should be integrated into educational curricula, ensuring students develop critical thinking and independent writing alongside ai assistance. future research should explore the long-term impact of aiassisted writing on students' creativity and autonomy to refine ai integration strategies in academic settings. keywords: poe ai; writing habits; ai-assisted learning; grammatical accuracy; writing coherence, academic writing. introduction writing is a crucial skill in academia, enabling students to articulate ideas, construct arguments, and participate in scholarly discourse. however, many students struggle with structuring their ideas, maintaining motivation, and accessing timely feedback, leading to inconsistent writing habits. the rise of artificial intelligence (ai) in education has introduced innovative solutions to support students' writing development. aipowered writing assistants, such as grammarly, quillbot, and chatgpt, have demonstrated their ability to enhance grammar, coherence, and vocabulary through real-time feedback and automated suggestions (losi et al., 2024; asyifa & daulay, 2024; hartman, 2024; tran, 2024; hooda et al., 2022). among these tools, poe ai has emerged as a promising platform designed to provide ai-driven personalized recommendations, instant feedback, and habit-tracking features that encourage consistency in writing. unlike conventional grammar checkers, poe ai offers structured writing support tailored to individual needs, making it a valuable tool for academic success (wu & xu, 2025; rani, 2024; gabriel, 2024; pham et al., 2024; campello de souza et al., 2023). while research on ai-assisted writing tools is growing, studies specifically focusing on poe ai’s role in developing sustainable writing habits bincar nasution, saiful anwar matondang, & efendi barus enhancing student writing habits with poe ai: a study on digital tools for academic success 178 remain limited. the integration of ai in writing instruction has been widely studied, with research demonstrating its effectiveness in improving students' technical writing skills. ai-driven tools such as grammarly and chatgpt have been shown to enhance grammatical accuracy, with muharmah & fauzan (2024) reporting a 35% reduction in grammatical errors among students using ai writing support. similarly, asyifa & daulay (2024) highlighted that ai-generated grammar corrections help students internalize writing mechanics, reducing their dependency on external proofreading. research by hooda et al. (2022) further emphasized ai’s role in refining sentence structures, ensuring clarity, and promoting more effective communication in academic writing. beyond grammar, ai has been recognized for its ability to improve coherence and text organization. gabriel (2024) found that ai-driven coherence suggestions enhanced logical flow in students’ writing, leading to a 38% improvement in text organization. similarly, hartman (2024) reported that ai-assisted writing platforms encourage structured thinking by providing targeted recommendations for paragraph transitions and argument development. however, biswas et al. (2024) noted that ai feedback often lacks contextual awareness, which may lead students to rely on formulaic writing patterns rather than developing their own logical structures. the impact of ai on vocabulary development has also been explored, with studies showing that ai-generated synonym recommendations contribute to lexical diversity. losi et al. (2024) found that students using ai-based vocabulary suggestions demonstrated a 20% increase in lexical variety, enhancing their ability to express ideas with greater precision. likewise, chingakham & tamuk (2024) highlighted the potential of ai in supporting vocabulary enrichment by introducing discipline-specific terminology to students' writing. however, noobutra (2024) warned that students may adopt ai-recommended vocabulary without fully understanding its contextual appropriateness, leading to occasional misusage. ai-assisted writing platforms have also been linked to improvements in students' confidence and motivation. haryadi & aminuddin (2023) found that instant feedback from ai tools reduces writing anxiety, allowing students to experiment with different writing styles without fear of making mistakes. rani (2024) further emphasized that ai’s ability to provide non-judgmental feedback encourages students to write more frequently, reinforcing sustainable writing habits. similarly, olafare (2024) reported that aipowered platforms create an engaging writing environment, increasing student participation and motivation to refine their writing skills. despite these benefits, concerns about ai over-reliance remain prevalent. wu & xu (2025) observed that students who consistently rely on ai-generated corrections often struggle to develop independent writing strategies, limiting their ability to revise and refine content without external support. banihashem et al. (2024) further argued that excessive dependence on ai may discourage critical engagement with writing, as students may accept ai suggestions without evaluating their effectiveness. additionally, jung (2024) highlighted that ai-generated feedback does not always align with students’ intended meanings, leading to mechanical writing adjustments that lack personal expression. technical and accessibility barriers have also been identified as challenges in ai-assisted writing instruction. zakaria & ramadhani fitria (2024) noted that students in areas with unstable internet access often experience disruptions when using ai writing tools, limiting their ability to integrate ai support into their daily writing practices. ismail et al. (2024) similarly pointed out that ai tools are not always compatible with low-specification devices, creating barriers for students with limited technological resources. furthermore, sahli & spriet (2024) found that some students feel uncomfortable with ai-driven writing feedback, preferring human interaction for personalized guidance. given these findings, it is evident that ai plays a significant role in enhancing writing skills, yet challenges related to contextual understanding, over-reliance, and accessibility persist. while research on ai’s impact on grammar correction, coherence improvement, and vocabulary development is well-documented, studies focusing on poe ai’s effectiveness in fostering writing discipline and consistency remain scarce. most existing studies on ai-assisted writing focus on technical improvements, such as grammar correction and coherence enhancement, but overlook ai’s role in shaping long-term writing habits. while ai-driven feedback mechanisms have been found to improve motivation, their effectiveness in fostering writing discipline and sustained engagement has not been thoroughly explored. additionally, research on english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 179 poe ai has primarily examined its ability to provide structural feedback, with limited attention given to its impact on students’ intrinsic motivation and consistency in writing. to address these gaps, this study aims to answer the following research questions: (1) how does poe ai influence students’ writing consistency and engagement over time? (2) what impact does poe ai have on students’ grammatical accuracy, coherence, and vocabulary use? (3) what challenges do students face when integrating poe ai into their writing routines? (4) what strategies can be implemented to optimize the benefits of poe ai in academic writing? this study contributes to the growing literature on ai-assisted writing by shifting the focus from technical accuracy to habit formation. unlike previous research that primarily evaluates ai’s role in grammar correction and text structure improvements, this study explores how poe ai influences students' motivation, discipline, and engagement in writing. by analyzing students' behavioral patterns in using ai, this research provides a more comprehensive understanding of the intersection between technology and writing pedagogy. the findings of this research have significant implications for educators, policymakers, and ai developers. academic institutions can leverage the results to design ai-integrated writing curricula that balance technological support with independent learning strategies. furthermore, ai developers can refine poe ai’s features to enhance its adaptability to students’ academic needs. by addressing both the benefits and limitations of ai-driven writing assistance, this study aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on optimizing digital tools for academic success. method this study employs an applied research technique, which is particularly suited for evaluating the practical implementation of aiassisted writing tools in academic settings. applied research bridges theoretical understanding with practical application, ensuring findings have direct relevance and usability in real-world educational contexts. given that poe ai is an emerging tool for writing assistance, this research design enables an in-depth exploration of its impact on students' writing habits, including consistency, grammatical accuracy, coherence, and vocabulary development. additionally, the study examines the challenges students face when integrating ai into their writing process and identifies strategies to optimize its use (ott, 2024; emerson, 2024; jung, 2024; nirwani & priyanto, 2024; ismail et al., 2024). a purposive sampling technique was used to select 10 students from diverse academic backgrounds who expressed an interest in improving their writing skills. this small, focused sample allowed for a detailed examination of individual experiences over a two-month period, ensuring that qualitative insights were rich and meaningful. the participants came from various study programs, which provided an opportunity to analyze poe ai’s effectiveness across different writing genres, including scientific essays, reports, and creative writing. this diversity enhanced the validity of the study by ensuring that findings were not limited to a single discipline or writing style (banihashem et al., 2024; pham et al., 2024; dharmayanti et al., 2024; widya juli astria et al., 2023; gabriel, 2024). the study was conducted over two months and was divided into two key phases. the first month focused on introducing students to poe ai and training them on its key features, including grammar suggestions, structure analysis, and writing reminders. to establish baseline data, each student was required to write an initial essay without ai assistance, which was assessed using a standardized scoring rubric evaluating grammar accuracy, coherence, and vocabulary use. this baseline assessment served as a reference point for measuring improvements over time (calubing, 2024; lee, 2024; wang, 2024; vrika, 2023; yadav, 2024). in the second month, students engaged in daily and weekly writing exercises using poe ai, covering different text types such as opinion pieces, reports, and argumentative essays. researchers tracked poe ai usage patterns, including which features students utilized most frequently and how consistently they engaged with the tool. to monitor engagement levels, activity logs were maintained, capturing frequency and duration of poe ai usage. the essays produced during this period were compared with the baseline data to assess improvements in writing quality, structure, and overall engagement (zakaria & ramadhani fitria, 2024; eragamreddy, 2024; losi et al., 2024; khairuddin et al., 2025; karlina & kusnarti, 2024). to ensure a comprehensive understanding of poe ai’s impact, the study adopted a triangulated data collection approach, combining observation, interviews, and text analysis. the observation bincar nasution, saiful anwar matondang, & efendi barus enhancing student writing habits with poe ai: a study on digital tools for academic success 180 method involved systematically recording students' interactions with poe ai, including time spent on the platform, commonly used features, and engagement with ai-generated feedback. this provided objective behavioral data on how students incorporated poe ai into their writing routines (riyanti et al., 2024; sahli & spriet, 2024; arif hasan et al., 2024; ambar nur aisiyah et al., 2024; woo et al., 2024). semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore students’ perceptions, challenges, and overall experiences with poe ai. these interviews focused on topics such as motivation, ease of use, effectiveness of ai-generated feedback, and difficulties encountered while using the tool. this qualitative data provided deeper insights into students’ thought processes and emotional responses to ai-assisted writing (daodu et al., 2024; dharmayanti et al., 2024; noobutra, 2024; håkansson lindqvist & arvidsson, 2024; ott, 2024). for text analysis, students’ writing samples were evaluated using a standardized scoring rubric measuring grammar accuracy, coherence, structure, and vocabulary diversity. changes in students’ writing performance were quantified by calculating the percentage reduction in grammatical errors and the percentage improvement in coherence and vocabulary use. this analysis provided concrete, measurable evidence of how poe ai influenced students’ writing over the study period (sun et al., 2024; widya juli astria et al., 2023; tran, 2024; tajik, 2025; emerson, 2024). both quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods were employed to ensure a well-rounded interpretation of the findings. quantitative analysis involved calculating percentage changes in error frequency, writing fluency, and lexical diversity. additionally, the correlation between ai usage frequency and writing improvement was examined to determine whether consistent engagement with poe ai resulted in better writing outcomes (chingakham & tamuk, 2024; rani, 2024; hartman douglas, 2024; haryadi & aminuddin, 2023; hooda et al., 2022). data were then visualized using graphs and tables to illustrate these trends. for qualitative analysis, thematic analysis was conducted on interview transcripts to identify recurring themes, such as increased motivation, over-reliance on ai, and technical barriers. students’ experiences were categorized into positive, neutral, and negative responses, providing a nuanced perspective on poe ai’s effectiveness and limitations (rizvi, 2023; pham et al., 2024; yadav, 2024; emerson, 2024; zufelt, 2025). to ensure data accuracy and reliability, multiple validation techniques were applied. methodological triangulation (using observation, interviews, and text analysis) was employed to cross-verify findings. inter-rater reliability was ensured by having two independent evaluators assess students' writing improvements, reducing potential bias. additionally, member checking allowed participants to review their interview responses to confirm accuracy and completeness (olafare, 2024; gabriel, 2024; eragamreddy, 2024; sahli & spriet, 2024; daodu et al., 2024). ethical considerations were also prioritized throughout the study. participants provided informed consent before data collection, and their responses were anonymized to maintain confidentiality. the study followed ethical guidelines for research involving human subjects, ensuring that participation was voluntary and free from coercion (calubing, 2024; khudaverdiyeva, 2024; arslan, 2024; ott, 2024; karlina & kusnarti, 2024). despite its strengths, the study had certain limitations. the small sample size (n=10) may restrict the generalizability of findings to a broader student population. additionally, the two-month duration might not fully capture long-term changes in students' writing habits. moreover, poe ai’s algorithmic limitations may have influenced the quality of ai-generated feedback, potentially affecting students' responses and writing improvements. in summary, this study’s methodological framework ensures a rigorous, reliable, and wellvalidated analysis of poe ai’s impact on student writing habits. by combining quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, this study provides an in-depth exploration of how aiassisted tools can be effectively integrated into academic writing instruction. results and discussion effectiveness of poe ai in building writing habits the results demonstrate that poe ai plays a pivotal role in assisting students in developing a consistent writing habit. based on interviews and observations conducted over a two-month period, 80% of the participants (eight out of ten) reported that specific features of poe ai, such as reminders and personalized suggestions, effectively encouraged them to complete their daily writing tasks. poe ai sends regular notifications to remind english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 181 users to write, which are accessible via both desktop and mobile devices. these notifications were particularly beneficial for students prone to procrastination, with 60% of them citing demanding academic schedules as a primary challenge, while 40% attributed their procrastination to a lack of motivation (sahli & spriet, 2024). furthermore, the real-time suggestions provided by poe ai, such as recommendations for sentence structure, grammar improvements, and vocabulary enrichment, have contributed to a tangible improvement in students’ writing abilities over time (wang, 2024). several students reported that the platform’s suggestions helped them identify recurring grammatical errors and refine their writing style. for example, one student shared, "before using poe ai, i often struggled with run-on sentences, but the platform's instant feedback helped me break down my ideas into clearer, more concise sentences." another student mentioned, "i used to repeat the same words frequently, but poe ai’s vocabulary suggestions encouraged me to explore more varied and precise terms, which made my writing more engaging." these personalized insights not only enhanced their technical writing skills but also fostered a greater sense of confidence and motivation to continue developing their abilities. additionally, many students found that poe ai made the writing process more engaging and less tedious, as the platform provided interactive, responsive, and user-friendly feedback that encouraged them to experiment with different writing styles and structures (aisiyah et al., 2024). however, there was considerable variation in the frequency of poe ai usage among students. those who engaged with poe ai on a daily basis demonstrated a significantly higher improvement in their writing habits compared to those who used the tool two to three times per week. this trend suggests that consistent exposure to aigenerated feedback and writing exercises may contribute to the development of more structured and disciplined writing routines (banihashem et al., 2024). daily users likely benefited from continuous practice, which reinforced their understanding of writing mechanics and helped them internalize feedback more effectively. in contrast, students with lower usage frequency may not have had sufficient exposure to build a consistent writing habit, potentially resulting in slower progress (ismail et al., 2024). further analysis is needed to explore the underlying factors influencing the relationship between usage frequency and writing improvement. variables such as individual motivation, learning styles, and prior writing experience may have played a role in shaping the observed outcomes. it is important to acknowledge that the sample size of this study was relatively small, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to a broader student population. future studies with larger and more diverse samples are recommended to validate these trends and provide a more comprehensive understanding of poe ai’s impact. to ensure data accuracy and reliability, the study employed an observation checklist and interview guide to capture data on students' writing habits and their interaction with poe ai. the observation checklist focused on aspects such as time spent using the tool, types of writing exercises completed, and frequency of seeking ai-generated feedback. meanwhile, the interview guide provided deeper insights into students’ perceptions, challenges, and motivations regarding their writing progress. these instruments allowed for a systematic examination of how poe ai was integrated into students' writing routines and the factors contributing to their engagement levels. while reflexivity was considered during the research process to minimize bias, the discussion has been streamlined to maintain focus on the core objectives of the study. the findings, presented in both tabular and graphical formats, offer valuable insights into the relationship between poe ai usage frequency and writing skill development, while also highlighting areas for future research and potential enhancements to aidriven writing support tools. table 1. presents the frequency of poe ai use and writing habits frequency of poe ai use number of respondents writing consistency improvement (%) daily 6 60% 4-5 days per week 3 30% 2-3 days per week 1 10% bincar nasution, saiful anwar matondang, & efendi barus enhancing student writing habits with poe ai: a study on digital tools for academic success 182 figure 1. improvement of writing habits based on frequency of use of poe ai improved writing quality following the implementation of poe ai in students' writing activities, significant improvements were observed in various aspects of writing quality, such as grammar, coherence, and vocabulary (khudaverdiyeva, 2024). these findings highlight the positive impact of poe ai on the accuracy and clarity of students' written work (calubing, 2024). a detailed summary of these results is provided below: grammar a substantial reduction in grammatical errors was observed, with a 45% decrease. prior to using poe ai, the average number of grammatical errors per 1,000 words in student texts was 60. after integrating poe ai into the writing process, this figure dropped to 33 errors. poe ai’s grammarchecking feature automatically identifies errors and provides suggestions for corrections, allowing students to address issues such as subject-verb agreement, punctuation, and sentence structure (utami & muliastuti, 2024). for instance, students frequently corrected errors related to runon sentences and misplaced commas, which were common in their initial drafts. one student reflected that poe ai helped them recognize the importance of subject-verb agreement, a grammatical rule they had often overlooked (noobutra, 2024). while poe ai effectively flagged errors and offered corrective suggestions, the students’ integration of these suggestions into their writing revealed varying degrees of success. in some cases, students readily accepted the recommendations without further reflection, while others took the opportunity to review the grammar rules behind the suggestions and applied them to their future writing independently. this process indicates that poe ai not only supports error correction but also aids in the students’ learning of grammatical rules, reinforcing their understanding of language conventions through real-time feedback. these findings demonstrate the value of poe ai as a tool for improving grammatical precision in writing while also enhancing students' grammatical awareness (vrika, 2023). coherence the coherence of the writing, which refers to the ability to organize ideas in a logical and easily understandable way, demonstrated a significant improvement (daodu et al., 2024). the assessment of coherence was based on a detailed rubric, which evaluated several components critical to the logical flow of ideas. these components included: (1) logical sequence of ideas, which examined how effectively the student organized their thoughts from introduction to conclusion; (2) clarity of transitions, assessing how smoothly ideas were connected between sentences and paragraphs; and (3) adequacy of supporting details, which looked at whether the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 183 arguments were well-supported with examples and evidence. prior to utilizing poe ai, the mean coherence score from the assessment rubric was 3.2 (on a scale of 5). after incorporating poe ai into their writing process, this score increased to 4.6, marking a 43.75% improvement. this positive shift reflects an enhanced ability to present ideas in a clear and organized manner. student feedback revealed that poe ai's suggestions for improving paragraph structure and ensuring smoother transitions between ideas were particularly beneficial, helping them produce writing that was more coherent and logically connected (sun et al., 2024). vocabulary the improvement in vocabulary use was seen in the diversity and depth of vocabulary used by the students (lee, 2024). before using poe ai, their average vocabulary score was 3.5, while after the use of poe ai, the score increased to 4.2 (on a scale of 5), which shows an improvement of 20% (chingakham & tamuk, 2024). poe ai provides more precise synonym and terminology recommendations, which helps students expand their vocabulary choices while maintaining the integrity of their written discourse. however, this study did not specify whether students actually applied the vocabulary recommendations in relevant contexts or simply substituted words according to the suggestions provided. to show a more meaningful application, the following example can give an idea of the vocabulary enrichment in the students' texts: previously, a student wrote, "the research was interesting," which was corrected with poe ai's recommendation to, "the research was captivating," showing an improvement from a more general word to a more specific and interesting one. in another text, students replaced the sentence "the policy will help to reduce poverty" with "the policy will mitigate poverty," which shows their understanding of the more appropriate use of synonyms in the context of social policy. thus, while poe ai provides a variety of vocabulary options, her research goes deeper in observing whether the recommended words are applied correctly in the appropriate context to improve the quality and depth of students' writing. the data visualization demonstrates the following: (1) the subsequent bar graph illustrates the contrast between the caliber of writing prior to and following the utilization of poe ai. (2) the number of grammatical errors decreased from 60 to 33. (3) coherence: an improvement from 3.2 to 4.6. (4) vocabulary use: an improvement from 3.5 to 4.2. figure 2. improved writing quality constraints and challenges in the use of poe ai although the results revealed several benefits from using poe ai, a number of barriers and challenges remained in its implementation. these constraints, which affect the effective use of poe ai, can be divided into three main categories: bincar nasution, saiful anwar matondang, & efendi barus enhancing student writing habits with poe ai: a study on digital tools for academic success 184 technology dependency, technical barriers, and psychological factors (zakaria & ramadhani fitria, 2024). reliance on poe ai to build writing structure one of the main challenges observed was students' tendency to rely heavily on poe ai for building writing structures. many participants became dependent on the automatic suggestions provided by poe ai, often without attempting to develop their ideas independently independently (arif hasan et al., 2024). this reliance can limit the development of critical and creative thinking skills, which are essential components in the writing process. for instance, text analysis indicated that 65% of students accepted poe ai’s recommendations with minimal modification, suggesting a pattern of direct acceptance without making further revisions. to address this challenge, it is recommended to offer hybrid support by pairing poe ai usage with additional guidance from tutors or writing workshops. this approach would provide students with the opportunity to critically engage with their work while receiving personalized feedback that encourages independent thinking. tutors could help students analyze ai suggestions, encouraging them to reflect on why changes are being proposed and how they can refine their ideas beyond the ai's recommendations. furthermore, incorporating peer review processes into the learning experience could help students see alternative perspectives and solutions, fostering a more comprehensive understanding of the writing process. the following table shows the percentage of students who relied completely on the poe ai's suggestions: table 2. reliance on poe ai to build writing structure respondent category respondent total percenta ge (%) using poe ai advice to the fullest 6 60% using most of poe ai's suggestions 3 30% not using poe ai suggestions at all 1 10% this table presents the extent to which respondents relied on poe ai’s suggestions, showing that most students (90%) incorporated ai-generated feedback, with 60% fully following poe ai’s recommendations, while only 10% did not use ai suggestions at all. technical barriers technical barriers were the next challenge encountered during the research. unstable internet connection issues often plagued the use of poe ai, especially in areas with inadequate network infrastructure. some students reported difficulty accessing the platform consistently, resulting in disruptions to their writing schedules. in addition, poe ai's limited compatibility with certain devices is an obstacle, especially for students using devices with low specifications. the poe ai activity logs showed that the average daily usage time of students decreased by 20% during the period of the network outage. the table below illustrates the decrease in accessibility over the two months of the study: table 3. technical barriers week average daily usage (hours) technical issues 1 1.5 stable 2 1.2 connection loss 3 1.0 device incompatibility 4 1.3 stable discomfort with poe ai's interaction style another aspect of concern was the discomfort some students felt with the ai-based interaction style. three out of ten participants indicated that they were uncomfortable with poe ai's instructional and less personalized approach. these students felt that while poe ai could provide technical feedback, it lacked the ability to understand the emotional or motivational context of their writing. in addition, personality factors played an important role. students who had an interpersonal learning preference or who were more accustomed to face-to-face tutoring tended to feel that the interaction with poe ai was insufficient to support their needs. the following figure 2 summarizes the participants' comfort level with interacting with poe ai: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 185 figure 3. discomfort with poe ai's interaction style the findings of this study substantiate previous research highlighting the significant potential of ai technology in education, particularly in enhancing students’ writing abilities. ai-assisted tools like poe ai have proven to be not just technical aids but also effective mediators that foster active engagement in the writing process (olafare, 2024; оllo, 2024). the present study aligns with earlier research, which demonstrated that ai-driven platforms improve writing by providing real-time feedback, structural recommendations, and grammar corrections (ironsi & solomon ironsi, 2024). beyond offering immediate solutions, poe ai encourages students to engage in critical self-reflection on their writing, helping them refine their coherence, grammar, and vocabulary use (håkansson lindqvist & arvidsson, 2024). the observed increase in writing consistency and quality in this study further supports these previous findings. moreover, previous research has emphasized that ai-based writing tools should complement, rather than replace, traditional learning methods to avoid over-reliance on technology (astria et al., 2023). the present study confirms this concern, as some students tended to accept ai-generated suggestions without fully engaging in the writing process. similar to past studies, these findings suggest that a hybrid approach—integrating ai support with instructor-led writing training—can help students develop independent writing skills while benefiting from ai-generated feedback (woo et al., 2024). furthermore, earlier research has pointed out that ai tools may struggle with capturing cultural nuances, interpreting complex writing styles, and fostering originality, which was also evident in the present study (yadav, 2024). by justifying the present findings through past research, it becomes clear that while poe ai enhances technical writing skills, it must be integrated with effective pedagogical strategies that foster critical thinking and originality (zufelt, 2025). the present study reinforces that a balanced combination of ai-assisted feedback and manual writing development leads to a more adaptive and proficient generation of writers (emerson, 2024). thus, this research not only validates prior studies but also extends them by highlighting the importance of structured ai integration in academic writing curricula to ensure sustainable and meaningful learning outcomes. conclusion the study concluded that poe ai is an effective tool for enhancing students' writing habits and quality. its interactive features, such as daily writing reminders, automatic grammar suggestions, and personalized vocabulary recommendations, helped students maintain consistency in their writing. the ai’s ability to tailor feedback based on individual writing styles makes it a valuable asset in digital education. additionally, by improving technical aspects like bincar nasution, saiful anwar matondang, & efendi barus enhancing student writing habits with poe ai: a study on digital tools for academic success 186 grammar and text structure, poe ai boosts students' confidence in writing through quick and accurate feedback. despite its effectiveness, the study acknowledges several limitations, particularly the small sample size, which may not fully represent diverse writing abilities. the research also highlights an unexplored aspect—poe ai’s impact on creativity. while it enhances technical skills, its influence on developing unique writing voices remains unclear. future studies should investigate whether ai fosters originality or encourages dependency that might limit creative expression. expanding the research with a larger, more diverse sample could strengthen the generalizability of these findings. to maximize poe ai’s benefits, its integration into writing curricula should be accompanied by structured training programs. students must learn to balance ai-generated feedback with independent writing, ensuring they use ai as a tool rather than relying entirely on it. practical exercises, such as revising drafts with ai assistance and discussing ai-generated suggestions, can foster critical thinking and deeper writing comprehension. additionally, exploring poe ai’s long-term effects on writing creativity will help refine its role in education, ensuring that its adoption supports both technical proficiency and original expression. acknowledgement the author sincerely expresses gratitude to all individuals and institutions that contributed to the successful completion of this research. special thanks to the participating students who dedicated their time and effort to this study, providing valuable insights and experiences. deep appreciation is extended to academic mentors and colleagues for their guidance, constructive feedback, and continuous support throughout the research process. the author is also grateful to the institution that facilitated this study, providing necessary resources and an environment conducive to academic exploration. furthermore, the author acknowledges the financial support received from relevant organizations, which made this research possible. lastly, heartfelt thanks go to family and friends for their unwavering encouragement and support. references ambar nur aisiyah, a., mulyadi, d., budiastuti, r. e., wijayatiningsih, t., & singh, c. k. s. (2024). enhancing vocabulary mastery in narrative text through wordwall game. english teaching journal, 15(2), 309–319. https://doi.org/10.26877/eternal.v15i2.657 arif hasan, f. r., isma, a., dalle, a., & asni, y. (2024). semantris google ai-based learning to enhance students' vocabulary mastery. alirsyad: journal of education science, 3(1), 22– 35. https://doi.org/10.58917/aijes.v3i1.94 arslan, k. (2024). teaching english vocabulary: innovative methods. contemporary research in language and linguistics, 2(1), 45-53. https://doi.org/10.62601/crll.v2i1.26 asyifa, p. a., & daulay, e. (2024). the influence of grammarly application to improve students’ writing skills in recount text. allure journal, 4(2), 97–105. https://doi.org/10.26877/allure.v4i2.19272 banihashem, s. k., kerman, n. t., noroozi, o., moon, j., & drachsler, h. (2024). feedback sources in essay writing: peer-generated or ai-generated feedback? international journal of educational technology in higher education, 21(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-024-00455-4 calubing, a. i. (2024). analyzing morphological errors and contextual influence in senior high school students’ written works: a qualitative study. international journal of multidisciplinary research and analysis, 7(10), 4716-4727. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijmra/v7-i10-17 campello de souza, b., andrade neto, a. s. de, & roazzi, a. (2023). are the new ais smart enough to steal your job? iq scores for chatgpt, microsoft bing, google bard, and quora poe. ssrn electronic journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4412505 chingakham, d. s., & tamuk, k. (2024). using artificial intelligence (ai) in english vocabulary development for higher secondary school students. 1-17 https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs4500329/v1 daodu, m., elegbede, c., & adedotun, o. (2024). effectiveness of constructivism theory of learning as 21st-century method of teaching. journal of advanced psychology, 6(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.47941/japsy.2267 dharmayanti, p. a. p., padmadewi, n. n., utami, i. g. a. l. p., & suarcaya, p. (2024). digital literacy competence for scientific writing: students’ perceptions and skills. journal of language teaching and research, 15(5), 1550–1560. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1505.16 emerson, n. (2024). ai-enhanced collaborative story writing in japanese university efl classes. technology in language teaching & learning, 6(3), 1-27 https://doi.org/10.29140/tltl.v6n3.1764 eragamreddy, d. n. (2024). the impact of ai in creating writing skills in english language learners. international journal of social science humanity & management research, 3(12). https://doi.org/10.26877/eternal.v15i2.657 https://doi.org/10.58917/aijes.v3i1.94 https://doi.org/10.62601/crll.v2i1.26 https://doi.org/10.26877/allure.v4i2.19272 https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-024-00455-4 https://doi.org/10.47191/ijmra/v7-i10-17 https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4412505 https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4500329/v1 https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4500329/v1 https://doi.org/10.47941/japsy.2267 https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1505.16 https://doi.org/10.29140/tltl.v6n3.1764 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 187 1573-1586. https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2024.v3i12n05 gabriel, s. (2024). generative ai in writing workshops: a path to ai literacy. international conference on ai research, 4(1), 126–132. https://doi.org/10.34190/icair.4.1.3022 håkansson lindqvist, m., & arvidsson, c. (2024). exploring student and ai-generated texts: reflections on reflection texts. electronic journal of e-learning, 22(6), 52–59. https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.22.6.3473 hartman douglas, k. (2024). on the effective and ethical use of ai in academic writing. журнал серии «филологические науки, 75(4). 9-23 https://doi.org/10.48371/phils.2024.4.75.026 haryadi, r. n., & aminuddin, m. (2023). the role of english in preparing students to face global challenges. jiip scientific journal of education science, 6(11), 9615–9621. https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v6i11.3167 hooda, m., rana, c., dahiya, o., rizwan, a., & hossain, m. s. (2022). artificial intelligence for assessment and feedback to enhance student success in higher education. mathematical problems in engineering, 2022(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/5215722 ironsi, c. s., & solomon ironsi, s. (2024). experimental evidence for the efficacy of generative ai in improving students’ writing skills. quality assurance in education, 33(2), 237-252. https://doi.org/10.1108/qae-04-20240065 ismail, a. f., abdullatif, a. k. a., elmorsy, g. n., almuoaeweed, o., al yahya, h. t., thakir, r. s., badran, a. h., & shahpo, s. m. (2024). exploring the adherence to ai-generated writing standards: practice levels among university students. journal of curriculum and teaching, 13(5), 252-270. https://doi.org/10.5430/jct.v13n5p252 jung, i. (2024). week 7: writing the qualitative methods section. in pathways to international publication in the social sciences (pp. 135– 145). springer nature singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-0801-0_13 karlina, t., & kusnarti, g. (2024). the influence of grammar and vocabulary mastery towards students’ recount writing text. jurnal inovasi global, 2(8), 913–921. https://doi.org/10.58344/jig.v2i8.140 khairuddin, z., mohd daud, k., anuar, n., satimin, o., mohd yusof, f. h., & sabri, s. (2025). relationship between perceived students’ critical thinking skills and academic writing skills. muallim journal of social science and humanities, viii(iiis), 4709-4721 https://doi.org/10.33306/mjssh/313 khudaverdiyeva, t. (2024). enhancing language learning in young learners through azerbaijani fairy tales. euroglobal journal of linguistics and language education, 1(1), 141–150. https://doi.org/10.69760/g6vv0g32 lim, w. m. (2024). what is qualitative research? an overview and guidelines. australasian marketing journal. 14413582241264619. https://doi.org/10.1177/14413582241264619 losi, r. v., putra, e. p., ali, n., & dewi, a. s. (2024). using artificial intelligence (ai) to improve efl students’ writing skill. international journal of english and applied linguistics, 4(1), 62–70. https://doi.org/10.47709/ijeal.v4i1.3694 muharmah, a., & fauzan, u. (2024). grammatical errors of the ninth-grade indonesian efl students’ writing. educasia: jurnal pendidikan, pengajaran, dan pembelajaran, 9(3), 147–156. https://doi.org/10.21462/educasia.v9i3.262 nayoan, a. r., mandarani, v., megawati, f., & agustina, s. (2024). diorama as an interactive tool for learning house vocabulary. indonesian journal of education methods development, 19(4). https://doi.org/10.21070/ijemd.v19i4.849 nirwani, n., & priyanto, p. (2024). integrasi artificial intelligence dalam pembelajaran bahasa di smp. dikbastra: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra, 7(1). 31-38. https://doi.org/10.22437/dikbastra.v7i1.36858 noobutra, c. (2024). online grammar checker for syntactic error detection and correction in english writing. learn journal: language education and acquisition research network, 17(2), 487–510. https://doi.org/10.70730/xsea6988 olafare, f. o. (2024). artificial intelligence in educational technology: panacea to efficient instructional delivery. in educational broadcasting in nigeria in the age of artificial intelligence (pp. 217–223). springer nature switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-03168530-9_15 оllo, v. (2024). generation of artificial intelligence (ai) during the acquisition of a working profession. bulletin of postgraduate education (series), 29(58), 139–153. https://doi.org/10.58442/3041-1831-202429(58)-139-153 ott, d. l. (2024). social learning theory. in elgar encyclopedia of cross-cultural management (pp. 133–134). edward elgar publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803928180.ch33 pham, t. t., nguyen, l. a. d., dang, h. m., & le, t. t. p. (2024). exploring tertiary vietnamese efl students’ engagement in vocabulary learning through the use of an ai tool. proceedings of the asiacall international conference, 4, 129–149. https://doi.org/10.54855/paic.23410 rani, b. t. (2024). artificial intelligence tools in learning english language and teaching: how https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2024.v3i12n05 https://doi.org/10.34190/icair.4.1.3022 https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.22.6.3473 https://doi.org/10.48371/phils.2024.4.75.026 https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v6i11.3167 https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/5215722 https://doi.org/10.1108/qae-04-2024-0065 https://doi.org/10.1108/qae-04-2024-0065 https://doi.org/10.5430/jct.v13n5p252 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-0801-0_13 https://doi.org/10.58344/jig.v2i8.140 https://doi.org/10.33306/mjssh/313 https://doi.org/10.69760/g6vv0g32 https://doi.org/10.1177/14413582241264619 https://doi.org/10.47709/ijeal.v4i1.3694 https://doi.org/10.21462/educasia.v9i3.262 https://doi.org/10.21070/ijemd.v19i4.849 https://doi.org/10.22437/dikbastra.v7i1.36858 https://doi.org/10.70730/xsea6988 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68530-9_15 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68530-9_15 https://doi.org/10.58442/3041-1831-2024-29(58)-139-153 https://doi.org/10.58442/3041-1831-2024-29(58)-139-153 https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803928180.ch33 https://doi.org/10.54855/paic.23410 bincar nasution, saiful anwar matondang, & efendi barus enhancing student writing habits with poe ai: a study on digital tools for academic success 188 can ai be used for language learning. edumania an international multidisciplinary journal, 2(4), 230–234. https://doi.org/10.59231/edumania/9085 riyanti shafa aqila, yanto, e. s., & ahmad, y. b. (2024). implementing vocabulary journals through digital narrative text for efl secondary students in learning general vocabulary. interaction: journal of language education, 11(2), 211–223. https://doi.org/10.36232/interactionjournal.v11i 2.44 rizvi, m. (2023). investigating ai-powered tutoring systems that adapt to individual student needs, providing personalized guidance and assessments. the eurasia proceedings of educational and social sciences, 31, 67–73. https://doi.org/10.55549/epess.1381518 sahli, s., & spriet, t. (2024). gamification-based collaborative learning: the impact of rewards on student motivation. in proceedings of an academic conference (pp. 124–130). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51979-6_13 sun, y., chen, j., yao, b., liu, j., wang, d., ma, x., lu, y., xu, y., & he, l. (2024). exploring parents' needs for children-centered ai to support preschoolers' interactive storytelling and reading activities. proceedings of the acm on human-computer interaction, 8(cscw2), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1145/3687035 tajik, a. (2025). exploring the role of ai-driven dynamic writing platforms in improving efl learners’ writing skills and fostering their motivation. preprint research paper. 1-32 https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5788599/v1 tran, t. t. h. (2024). ai tools in teaching and learning english academic writing skills. proceedings of the asiacall international conference, 4, 170–187. https://doi.org/10.54855/paic.23413 utami, s. r., & muliastuti, l. (2024). semantics study of the indonesian language based on vocabulary learning in schools which is integrated with students' discourse skills: syllabus development. kne social sciences. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v9i9.15672 vrika, r. (2023). understanding writing habits in college: a survey of higher education students. veles (voices of english language education society), 7(2), 425–434. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v7i2.21477 wang, d. (2024). teacherversus ai-generated (poe application) corrective feedback and language learners' writing anxiety, complexity, fluency, and accuracy. the international review of research in open and distributed learning, 25(3), 37–56. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v25i3.7646 widya juli astria, franchisca, s., husna, l., & rahmayani, i. (2023). the students’ ability in identifying generic structure of recount text. journal of social and economics research, 5(1), 191–194. https://doi.org/10.54783/jser.v5i1.83 woo, d. j., guo, k., & salas-pilco, s. z. (2024). writing creative stories with ai: learning designs for secondary school students. innovation in language learning and teaching, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2024.238488 4 wu, q., & xu, a. (2025). poe or gemini for fostering writing skills in japanese upper‐intermediate learners: uncovering the consequences on positive emotions, boredom to write, academic self‐efficacy and writing development. british educational research journal. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.4119 yadav, s. (2024). advancing education with ai-driven education for diverse learners. academic book chapter, 49–80. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-83693-6130-6.ch003 zakaria, z., & ramadhani fitria, r. (2024). the effect of vocabulary application in teaching students' vocabulary mastery. journal of english and education, 9(1). 30-38. https://doi.org/10.31327/jee.v9i1.2252 zufelt, a. h. (2025). how instructors can teach students to collaborate with generative ai to craft effective written business communications. business and professional communication quarterly, 23294906241309846. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294906241309846 https://doi.org/10.59231/edumania/9085 https://doi.org/10.36232/interactionjournal.v11i2.44 https://doi.org/10.36232/interactionjournal.v11i2.44 https://doi.org/10.55549/epess.1381518 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51979-6_13 https://doi.org/10.1145/3687035 https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5788599/v1 https://doi.org/10.54855/paic.23413 https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v9i9.15672 https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v7i2.21477 https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v25i3.7646 https://doi.org/10.54783/jser.v5i1.83 https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2024.2384884 https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2024.2384884 https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.4119 https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-6130-6.ch003 https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-6130-6.ch003 https://doi.org/10.31327/jee.v9i1.2252 https://doi.org/10.1177/23294906241309846 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 301 enhancing writing creativity through blended language learning: insights from poetry 5.0 budiawan* email: english literature study program, institut prima bangsa cirebon, indonesia email: budiawan0219@gmail.com cecep agus english literature study program, institut prima bangsa cirebon, indonesia email: cecep.prodi.inggris@gmail.com apa citation: budiawan., & agus, c. (2025). enhancing writing creativity through blended language learning: insights from poetry 5.0. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 301-316. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.11141 received: 17-09-2024 accepted: 16-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 introduction the traditional approaches to teaching english in the classroom have long been a subject of concern, with many educators recognizing the need to adopt new creative methods that can assist in language acquisition (alsyouf, 2020). in the last two decades, the concept of creative education has attracted much attention from educators in the asian region. the demand for creativity in schools became urgent and was implemented through various educational reforms that emerged across the asian region over the past two decades. however, the focus on creativity has been limited to certain subjects, such as art and design, with little emphasis on its incorporation into language learning (asteria et al., 2021). meanwhile, most english language teaching, including in indonesia, is limited to teaching lexical and grammatical knowledge, where learners are exposed to exercise-based language teaching methods that do not fully develop their communicative skills.(salim & hanif, 2021; utami & mahardika, 2023). this model develops linguistic knowledge but fails to support contextual application (almahrooqi and denman, 2022) because english learning is dynamic in social context (vacalares et al., 2023) this highlights several key issues. one of them is the impact and problem of inhibiting learners' creativity in the learning process because there is no dialogical space to express their creative spirit in using english as a social semiotic tool to express their thoughts, feelings, opinions, and also tell stories of their life experiences as a social life practice (sastre et al., 2022). another highlight is that in practice, english language teachers simply implement the curriculum materials without readjusting the guidelines and without considering the diverse needs of students and the social context of educational institutions (ismaeil, 2020; pellegrino & brown, 2020; fithriani, 2021). in other words, they follow the guidelines without pedagogical innovation (paragae, 2023). this shows that they still perform their role as transmitters or implementers of the curriculum. the reason for implementing this conventional form of teaching is to help students achieve a high score in the national exam. as a result, most of these teaching practices leave them with little or no experience in applying english to abstract: the study looks at using poetry 5.0 learning with blended language learning (bll) to boost students' creativity and writing skills. a qualitative approach was taken, using virtual ethnography and classroom research, with data gathered through observations, interviews, and looking at student work. the findings show that bllbased poetry 5.0 creates a lively and engaging learning space that encourages creativity, critical thinking, and emotional expression. visual prompts and digital tools, especially instagram, allowed students to connect personal experiences and get quick feedback from classmates and teachers. this method improved students’ ability to share ideas, think about social issues, and create unique poetry. however, the study encountered some issues like limited face-to-face interaction, which point out areas for teaching improvement. overall, combining poetry 5.0 with bll shows promise as a creative teaching method that meets the needs of society 5.0. more research is suggested to look into its use in different educational settings. keywords: poetry 5.0; society 5.0; blended language learning; creativity; writing skills; mailto:budiawan0219@gmail.com file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%232fc083f0a1ea9a2c14112d08dae0e460 file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%236e94a79be830f28a6d7d6f5cc75f3083 file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%23e5246a56280cf7390c7a389fa73d5339 file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%23e5246a56280cf7390c7a389fa73d5339 file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%23bd217f142600a9863ab29655f3b74ee8 file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%238e0abc3a031b991977aba6fb4b5c3ff1 file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%238e0abc3a031b991977aba6fb4b5c3ff1 file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%2361bd30bbfe7c96a19cc3d49ef7b43da7 file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%23c3edf91848d59ea0c6310ecf17e45c0c file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%2331acaf9bfd56b2606f8c0c4079c36f5a file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%2331acaf9bfd56b2606f8c0c4079c36f5a file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%23da7fa2d7747484cf402c0f198ef69d41 budiawan & cecep agus enhancing writing creativity through blended language learning: insights from poetry 5.0 302 communicate or construct their personal life experiences. with these problems, it is important to create creative and innovative english language teaching (coombe and hiasat, 2022) that can create a spirit of creativity and enrich the experience of the writing process. one of them is the implementation of poetry writing 5.0 based on blended language learning where the technology development component continues to change the language learning method. the era of society 5.0, known as super smart society 5.0, is an era of utilizing various innovations in technological advances in answering social challenges and problems (wibawanto & roemintoyo, 2020). recently, language classes are categorized with a “blended or hybrid” learning system in which face-to-face activities and technological development continue to be carried out in language learning (lankapalli & rao, 2020). thus, web 5.0 technology cannot be separated from the influence of teaching and learning process through two aspects, namely face-to-face and virtual.(li et al., 2023) one of the influential digital platforms for language learning is instagram (ig), a social media that expands the range of human communication and interaction that can be maximally utilized in language learning (alakrash & razak, 2021; santos & ilustre, 2022; rizal & farikhah, 2021; fadda, 2020; dewi & rizal, 2023), especially in creative writing like poetry. learners can share their experiences of writing poetry about their experiences without any restrictions on time and space. this social network medium exerts a strong influence on learner autonomy, increases motivation, and provides flexibility. ig is an ideal social environment for writing poetry because it gives learners the opportunity to create poetry and they can receive encouragement and feedback on their work immediately from their teachers or more capable peers without having to wait for face-to-face interaction, which can enrich the experience of the writing process. ig is used as an online platform in this study to find out how students write, respond, negotiate, and write their poems. research conducted by iida (2021) investigated the ability of writers at a japanese university to express the experience of earthquake life trauma through poetry writing. through mixed-method research, the results of text analysis showed that the short poems written by the participants had a great influence on their poetry creation. through poetry writing, the students were able to respond directly along with their emotional concerns to their earthquake disaster experiences. the findings show that poetry writing is not only intended as a literacy activity in the classroom, but also as a way to explore their life experiences. syafii and adiansha (2023) conducted a class project-based research using poetry as an instrument in discussion. empirical data showed that poetry writing can improve several skills such as imaginative thinking, critical thinking, and language skills such as writing, reading, listening, and speaking. analyzing the role of poetry writing aims to strengthen students' response to reading and reading analysis. through the teacher's modeling approach in the writing and reading process, students are able to engage in writing and reading activities and play the role both as writers and readers furthermore, darmanah (2020) conducted a study on students' perceptions of their ability to act out emotions through writing poetry this study aims to explore how poetry can provide a driving force for the role of students' emotions. the results of the qualitative study showed that the participants paid close attention to language, understanding text types, and understanding emotions when expressing their emotions in using the language. the researcher concluded that the role of emotions can help language writers to improve cognitions and emotions through poetry writing. the results of the above researches inform that this research is conducted as an effort to create creative and innovative english language teaching through a blended language learning process where the technology development component is continuously updated to support language learning methods especially in the era of society 5.0. in addition, basically every learner is already programmed with creativity, so-called creativity acquisition device (cad) that needs to be developed pedagogically and made a priority in the learning process (asteria et al., 2021; khasanah et al., 2023). creativity in writing poetry is an essential aspect to highlight, as it is the poet's creativity that will be reflected in their written works. the ability to write creatively not only allows the poet to create unique and aesthetically pleasing poetry, but also enables them to convey meaningful messages to the reader effectively. this study aims to examine the extent to which the implementation of blended language learningbased poetry writing 5.0 can help students in file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%2391034eecec777051003eab2e45031630 file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%2391034eecec777051003eab2e45031630 file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%2380cd7a8e646288c62640481406f591c5 file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%2380cd7a8e646288c62640481406f591c5 file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%2307a5a4170e962e91c3aa424f0ffb51af file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%2307a5a4170e962e91c3aa424f0ffb51af file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%23c67f2f7ee4e04421550f50732c19f61f file:///e:/pph/hibah%20penelitian/2024/referensi%20jurnal%20blended%20learning/blended_language_learning_based_poetry_5_0__a_strategy_to_improve_writing_creativity.docx%23c67f2f7ee4e04421550f50732c19f61f english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 303 improving their creativity and writing skills that represent their life experiences. through the creativity of writing poetry 5.0, the exploration of ideas, personal experiences, active participation in social life, and social contextualization are important elements in language learning that are inseparable. method the methods used in this research include virtual ethnography and classroom research to observe the behavior of participants on the digital platform. virtual ethnography emphasizes how a researcher actively engages in social interaction with participants in an online setting to discover what they say and do within a particular situation and culture.(becker & schad, 2022). therefore, this method is crucial for investigating educational issues where participants interact in a digitallymediated environment. the study also utilizes classroom research, which involves observing and documenting activities within the classroom to gain insights into the teaching and learning processes. the subjects of this study were 20 thirdsemester english literature students from a university in cirebon. the research spanned six months, from july to december 2024. instagram (ig) was chosen as the social media platform for this study because of its popularity among students, with all participants having ig accounts. additionally, this social networking site is free and accessible to all students anytime and anywhere. data collection was conducted in three stages: pre-writing, during writing, and post-writing. in the pre-writing stage, students gathered in class for a detailed explanation of the activity and its purpose. they received an overview of the concept and examples of poems relevant to the study. students were also shown images and guided on how to interpret them based on their experiences and knowledge, then transform these interpretations into poetry. this stage is crucial to ensure that students understand the poetry writing activity on ig. during the writing stage, researchers posted pictures related to social issues and asked students to comment on them. these social issues were chosen because they are closely related to the students' lives and experiences, easily stimulating their thoughts and imaginations, which they then expressed in writing. the final stage involved evaluating the students' writing and collecting information about their experiences and impressions through interviews. the interviews aimed to gather insights on: (1) the students' experience participating in blended language learning-based poetry writing 5.0; (2) the challenges and positives of this method; (3) the impact of digital technology like instagram on their learning process; (4) their motivation to write with virtual interaction and the effect of social interaction on the digital platform on their learning process; and (5) their involvement in discussion and collaboration with peers and suggestions for improving the learning experience. the instagram post data and informants' responses were sorted and labelled using onstructivist-grounded theory to gain an in-depth understanding and interpretation of the participants' experiences and situations. the data were then compared and analyzed until the patterns and categories reached saturation (kocak et al., 2020). results and discussion poetry 5.0 learning through blended language learning (bll) has improved students' creativity and writing skills. platforms like instagram gave students a flexible space to express themselves, share personal stories, and generate creative ideas. this approach encouraged critical thinking through image analysis and discussions, helping students view topics from various perspectives. it also boosted creativity by combining technology with personal experiences. however, a challenge, such as limited face-to-face interaction, highlights the need for a balance between digital and traditional classroom methods. image media improve student’s writing skills the figures posted on instagram were accompanied with the prompt “what comes up to your mind when you see this picture?”. all four groups commented on the figure with their views. the following is the analysis on their perspectives. data 1 figure 1. brawl. source: https://encr.pw/9rzpz https://encr.pw/9rzpz budiawan & cecep agus enhancing writing creativity through blended language learning: insights from poetry 5.0 304 figure 2. group 1’s response. group 1 mapped their perspectives onto a practical, solution-oriented worldview. despite the efforts of parents, schools and the government, they say, the violence continues. in their view, the solution to student fights rests with stricter enforcement of laws, supervision not just in schools but also at homes, and active involvement of parents. this group holds a focus on accountability, especially when it comes to those who either incite or support violence, suggesting a view that direct actions targeting those involved are justified. it’s less about social or educational reform than about consequential outcomes, and punitive disciplinary and control mechanisms. group 1 focuses on concrete-unlike groups 2 and 4, which fall more on one side of wanting to reform society. group 2 offers a philosophical reflection with some critiques of how violence is a point of human error and a hope for change in the future through connection, coming together and understanding as portrayed in figure 3. figure 3. group 2’s response they view issues like classism, intolerance, and the bullying of certain groups in society as the true catalysts for conflict, arguing on their behalf that humanity is capable of compassion and love, as well as requiring a shift towards a culture of acceptance and empathy. this group believes the problem is rooted in the social fabric and personal attitudes, and aims at changing the culture rather than just passing policies or regulations. unlike group 1’s call for enforcement or group 4’s emphasis on systemic solutions, group 2’s approach is more abstract. their language is hopeful, targeting a change in mindset as much as a change in policy. group 3 takes an emotional and psychological angle, focusing on the psychological roots of violence, such as hatred and resentment, and calling for peaceful conflict resolution as a way to address student brawls. they express confusion over the intensity of hostility that leads to brawls and emphasize that violence cannot be a genuine solution, as every life holds inherent value. they advocate for reasoning and rational conflict resolution as opposed to physical altercations. their emphasis on human rationality and conscience, as well as their call for "coolheadedness" in addressing conflicts, positions them closer to an internal or personal approach to the issue as seen in figure 4. figure 4. group 3’s response they highlight human intelligence as a means to manage emotions constructively. group 3’s focus on internal emotions and the psychological roots of conflict is distinct from the practical measures suggested by group 1 and the societal perspectives of groups 2 and 4. they promote communication and understanding rather than systemic or regulatory change, advocating for empathy and personal responsibility. group 4 offers a systemic view, attributing the prevalence of student brawls to failures within the educational system and broader social structures.they stress that academic-focused english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 305 education alone is insufficient; a comprehensive approach is needed, one that includes characterbuilding and social skills to help students channel their energy in positive ways.in short, this group takes a more comprehensive, developmental perspective, suggesting that a holistic education system—including character education and community involvement—can prevent violent behaviors in students. group 4’s solution-oriented approach differs significantly from group 1’s focus on enforcement and from group 2 and 3’s more philosophical and emotional perspectives. group 4’s emphasis on restructuring educational and social systems sets it apart as it argues for fundamental systemic reforms rather than solely addressing individual actions or attitudes as seen in the following figure. figure 5. group 4’s response the students' responses present a multifaceted understanding of violence, with each group viewing the issue through a unique lens. group 1 seeks immediate regulatory intervention, while group 2 advocates for cultural and social empathy. group 3 appeals to emotional and psychological reasoning, whereas group 4 suggests long-term educational and systemic reforms. the students’ responses show that the image stimulates their imagination to express their ideas based on their experience. this aligns with maulidah (2020), who said that image media can improve students' writing skills. also, blended learning could improve the independence and creativity of students. the use of various media and teaching techniques can foster students' creativity in writing poetry.(huang, 2022). for instance, the integration of multimedia elements can enhance students' poetic expression and imagination. furthermore, research suggests that employing modeling as a teaching-learning approach can effectively cultivate students' creativity in composing poetry. together, these perspectives form a comprehensive framework that addresses both immediate and root causes, demonstrating a balanced approach that combines practical measures with a call for moral, psychological, and systemic change. each group's approach has merit, but the combination of these perspectives highlights that the solution to student violence cannot be singular. it suggests the need for a blended approach that includes strict legal measures, cultural shifts toward empathy and unity, emotional intelligence, and systemic educational reforms. this diversity of views reflects the complexity of the issue and suggests that meaningful solutions may only arise when these varied approaches are integrated into a cohesive strategy for change. the students' perspectives illustrate that this method stimulates their critical thinking and emotional intelligence. smarrelli et al. (2024) said, "the multimodal approach in poetry lectures effectively increases interest, achievement, and innovation in learning outcomes." despite some view discrepancies, all four groups express strong disapproval of student brawls, recognizing that such actions lead to negative consequences for individuals and society. each group emphasizes that violence is not a solution and underscores its destructive impact— both physically and socially—on all parties involved. according to the european commission (2023), "violence in schools is preventable, and educational contexts free of violence are crucial for achieving student wellbeing." the groups collectively identify that student brawls are rooted in deeper issues rather than being isolated incidents. they mention various social, cultural, and educational challenges that contribute to violent behavior among students, including peer pressure, family environment, lack of positive outlets, and societal divisions. addressing the root causes of violence involves understanding the social and cultural dynamics that contribute to aggressive behavior among youths. this reveals a shared understanding that both immediate measures and budiawan & cecep agus enhancing writing creativity through blended language learning: insights from poetry 5.0 306 long-term societal efforts are required to curb violence. (ngidi & kaye, 2022). data 2 figure 6. natural disaster. source: https://encr.pw/bdumy figure 7. group 1’s response group 1 adopts a solution-focused, community-oriented approach. they highlight the role of collective action and government intervention to prevent floods, pointing to human error (like improper waste disposal) as a core issue. their commentary on community efforts during disasters reflects a focus on solidarity and mutual support. according to the group, flood prevention requires not only governmental oversight but also public awareness and better environmental practices at the community level. the approach offered to tackle the problem is more concrete and action-oriented, focusing on environmental management and structured responses to mitigate disaster effects. unlike groups 2 and 4, who delve into broader environmental consequences and policy failures, group 1 focuses specifically on local solutions and direct community impact. figure 8. group 2’s response group 2 offers a philosophical reflection on humanity’s destructive impact on nature, viewing the flood as a consequence of human greed and negligence. they view nature’s “wrath” as a form of self-defense against human exploitation, likening environmental destruction to the violence humans inflict on each other. their solution emphasizes a moral responsibility to change individual and collective behavior. this group focuses on the ethical and existential implications of environmental neglect, calling for a shift in attitudes toward nature. their philosophical tone contrasts with the pragmatic solutions from group 1. group 2’s response highlights global issues, such as overconsumption and environmental degradation, while the other groups focus more on local solutions and specific causes. figure 9. group 3’s response group 3’s response is a mix of personal accountability and community responsibility. they emphasize that small, everyday actions (like littering) can lead to serious consequences, urging people to act responsibly for the well-being of others. their arguments suggest that people, especially those in positions of power (e.g., the police), have a duty to help mitigate the effects of these actions. they see conscience and individual responsibility as key tools for overcoming environmental crises which distinguishes them from the other groups, advocating for behavioral change at an individual level rather than sweeping policy or community reform. group 4 approaches the issue from a systemic and policy-oriented standpoint, examining how https://encr.pw/bdumy english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 307 policy failures and a lack of public awareness contribute to climate change and disasters like flooding. they acknowledge natural causes of floods but stress that human actions (e.g., deforestation and inadequate waste management) and policy contradictions (like coal production increases despite emission reduction goals) exacerbate the problem. group 4’s response suggests that environmental issues require both policy reform and public education, offering a comprehensive view on tackling climate change as shown in the following figure. . figure 10. group 4’s response the students’ varied responses to the natural disaster image converge on key themes of environmental responsibility and social empathy, with each group bringing a distinct perspective. while group 1 focuses on community action and government roles, group 2 highlights humanity’s philosophical relationship with nature, group 3 emphasizes personal accountability, and group 4 calls for systemic reform and education. despite these different approaches, there is a consensus on the negative impact of human actions—such as deforestation, pollution, and irresponsible waste disposal—on natural disasters. students recognize these as root causes of issues like flooding, reflecting a shared environmental consciousness. each group suggests solutions based on its unique viewpoint. brock et al., (2021) explained that children who engage with environmental issues through creative expressions develop a deeper understanding and commitment to environmental stewardship. this shared focus on empathy and action illustrates how blended learning with visual prompts supports a deeper understanding of complex, socially relevant topics, while fostering creative expression and critical thinking (maulidah, 2020). these responses show that blended language learning-based poetry 5.0 is effective in promoting not only writing creativity but also social awareness (zhai, 2021). integrative teaching methods, which combine different forms of media and reflective thinking, enhance students' critical and creative skills (alsyouf, 2020). by combining reflective prompts with group interaction, the approach allows students to express diverse views while engaging meaningfully with real-world issues. this method helps students develop both their creative writing skills and a thoughtful, socially conscious perspective, aligning well with the research’s goal of enhancing expressive abilities and critical engagement in writing (murad et al., 2021). data 3 figure 11. scavengers source: https://shorturl.at/70tap figure 12. group 1’s response group 1 emphasizes the deep-rooted nature of structural poverty in indonesia, focusing on how economic hardship forces children to work in unsafe conditions instead of attending school. they highlight the role of the government in perpetuating this inequality through inadequate social support and educational opportunities. they argue that without government intervention to provide equitable education and healthcare, poverty will continue to restrict opportunities for indonesia’s youth. they urge the government to https://shorturl.at/70tap budiawan & cecep agus enhancing writing creativity through blended language learning: insights from poetry 5.0 308 prioritize these children’s futures by addressing poverty with meaningful support and resources. group 1’s response centers on structural issues and the lack of governmental support, emphasizing long-term solutions to break the poverty cycle. group 1’s response centers on structural issues and the lack of governmental support, emphasizing long-term solutions to break the poverty cycle. unlike groups 3 and 4, who also address economic disparity, group 1 focuses specifically on the government’s responsibility to address these systemic inequalities. figure 13. group 2’s response group 2 critiques the prevalence of child labor, connecting it to broader issues of poverty and economic inequality. they highlight child labor abuses in various industries, such as palm oil, where children are forced to work to support their families. this group emphasizes the need for the government to enforce stronger laws against child labor and implement protections for vulnerable children. they view legal reform as essential to addressing the root causes of child labor and ensuring children have the right to a safe, fulfilling childhood. group 2’s focus on child labor and legal reform brings attention to the regulatory and policy side of the issue, particularly in enforcing laws to protect children. while all groups highlight poverty, group 2 is unique in stressing legal protections and policy enforcement, contrasting with group 1’s emphasis on structural social support and group 4’s broader social solutions. group 3 focuses on the emotional toll of social inequality, particularly the divide between children who attend school and those who must work. they highlight the psychological impact of exclusion and the feelings of inadequacy that come with being unable to pursue education. this group calls on the government to address educational access for all children, suggesting that neglecting the needs of impoverished youth limits the potential of the next generation. they emphasize the disparity in opportunities and the impact it has on children’s sense of self-worth. figure 14. group 3’s response group 3’s focus on the emotional and psychological effects of poverty, especially among children, brings a more personal and empathetic dimension to their analysis. group 3’s approach is more emotional, focusing on the psychological divide in children’s experiences. unlike group 2’s focus on legal measures and group 4’s emphasis on inclusive economic development, group 3 explores the individual experiences of children facing social inequality. group 4 discusses poverty as a growing issue worsened by recent economic challenges, such as those stemming from the covid-19 pandemic. they focus on how economic disparity leaves families without sufficient resources, forcing children to work instead of attending school. they argue for economic reforms, such as equitable development and inclusive social programs, as ways to reduce child labor and improve access to education as seen in figure 15. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 309 figure 15. group 4’s response group 4 suggests that addressing economic inequality through social initiatives can help alleviate the burden on impoverished families and reduce child labor. group 4’s solution is broader and more systemic, emphasizing social and economic reforms to address poverty rather than focusing solely on individual or legal interventions. unlike group 2’s focus on specific laws or group 3’s emphasis on the psychological toll, group 4 provides a macroeconomic perspective, advocating for widespread economic and social development programs. the students’ responses to the image of child poverty reflect a shared recognition of social inequality and its damaging effects on children in indonesia. each group examines different aspects of the issue: group 1 highlights the need for government-led support in education and healthcare, group 2 emphasizes enforcing child labor laws, group 3 focuses on the psychological impact of inequality on children, and group 4 advocates for economic reform and inclusive social programs. despite these varied approaches, all groups agree on the urgency of addressing poverty and social inequality to secure a better future for children, underscoring the importance of government intervention and structural change. these responses illustrate how blended language learning-based poetry 5.0 fosters students’ ability to think critically and empathetically about real-world issues while improving their creative writing skills. by analyzing a powerful visual prompt, students explore complex social themes like poverty, inequality, and child welfare, developing a socially conscious perspective in their writing. this approach aligns well with the research objective. integrating reflective and creative tasks in learning fosters deeper engagement and critical thinking among students (macaskill et al., 2023). it shows that blended learning, combined with creative prompts, can deepen students’ understanding of societal issues and inspire thoughtful, expressive writing. as stated by alkhaldi (2023), "motivational strategies in the language classroom can significantly enhance students' learning experiences and outcomes." the 5.0 poetry writing learning approach based on blended language learning enhances creativity and writing skills to understand students' experiences in participating in 5.0 poetry writing learning based on blended language learning, the researchers collected information through interviews. these interviews were conducted by allowing the subjects the freedom to express their experiences. two core questions were formulated to explore the learning experiences of the research subjects: (1) how was your experience participating in the 5.0 poetry writing learning based on blended language learning? (2) how did the use of digital technology such as instagram affect your learning process? based on interview data, several important aspects emerged as part of the participants' experiences in the blended learning poetry writing: participating experience in the 5.0 poetry writing learning based on blended language learning freedom of self-expression students stated that the blended learning method provided them with freedom to express themselves, especially through more flexible online platforms. “it was quite enjoyable, sir. it felt easier to express myself. in other situations, i often can't express myself, especially in english. so, it was quite enjoyable. what makes this method work? it's the freedom of expression. online platforms make it feel easier to express oneself.” “it’s more expressive. for instance, when we post something online and then comment on it, we can give more expressive feedback.” writing online made participants feel more comfortable expressing their opinions without pressure. this aligns with the concept of selfexpression in online learning, which promotes freedom of expression as participants can voice their thoughts without fear or awkwardness (vo et al., 2021). additionally, online platforms enable students to engage more independently, boosting their confidence in expressing opinions. budiawan & cecep agus enhancing writing creativity through blended language learning: insights from poetry 5.0 310 development of critical thinking participants noted that this activity trained them to think critically and in detail, especially when analyzing images before writing poetry. they also had to discuss their thoughts with peers, enriching their perspectives and ideas, as highlighted by the following statements: “my experience in this activity required me to think in more detail and critically. for example, looking at photos that match the assigned topic and then discussing them with my friends.” “in my experience, this really helped sharpen critical thinking skills and gain insights from others' perspectives. we also obtained new information and could freely share opinions without worrying about being right or wrong.” according to fu & wang, (2021), learning activities based on analysis and reflection effectively develop critical thinking skills, as they involve in-depth observation and interpretation from multiple perspectives. this also supports constructivist learning theory, where learning occurs through interaction and reflection on new information in a group context (cui, 2022). creativity and interactive, inclusive, flexible experiences students noted that these activities helped them explore meanings behind images and integrate personal expression into writing or reading poetry. “actually, i enjoy the inclusivity. in this learning, we analyze images and then discuss our comments. while explaining our ideas casually in our style, we have to delve deeper into what’s depicted in the images. what can we sense or suggest creatively? i find it interesting as i can express what i feel.” creative processes in poetry writing can be powerful tools for self-development and enhancing emotional awareness (mart, 2021). blended learning approaches involving image interpretation allow participants to combine visual elements with language literacy, creating an interactive and profound learning experience. flexibility is crucial in online learning, enabling each participant to choose how best to express their understanding and opinions (zhang & chen, 2021). limited social interaction one participant expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of face-to-face interaction in online learning. “it’s both good and bad, mister. the good thing is we don’t need to come to campus since we have other activities. but the downside is we lack interaction with others. it would be better to meet in person to feel more expressive.” in mostly or fully online learning environments, limited physical interaction can make participants miss essential social elements, such as direct communication and emotional support from classmates (vu et al., 2022). direct interaction could provide more emotional engagement and better convey opinions. how did the use of digital technology through instagram affect your learning process? overall, students' responses indicated that using instagram as a learning tool in blended learning provided various benefits, such as broad access to information, ease of collaboration, support for distance learning, and flexibility in learning styles. however, challenges like data privacy concerns also emerged. educators need to balance the pros and cons of integrating such technologies while promoting digital literacy to ensure safe and effective use of social media. the following are the students' responses to the question: "how does the use of digital technology, in this case instagram, affect your learning process?" ease of commenting and collaboration one of the key points raised by the research participants is the ease of interaction through comments on instagram posts, which supports the learning process. "yes, that's correct. in this form, when it’s digital like this through an app, we can engage in peer comments, edit, and the format is very helpful. technology is really great for giving us a channel to provide comments and receive feedback from peers." this respondent observed that instagram provides a space for learners to interact via comments, allowing them to edit and receive feedback from peers. platforms like instagram in education can indeed expand the space for dialogue and interaction (rayuningtya & fitriani, 2021), aligning with pratiwi (pratiwi et al., 2023) who noted that students felt instagram fostered a sense of connection and inspiration that was conducive to their creative writing. wider access to information english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 311 students expressed that instagram provides broader access to information. "it does influence (the use of digital technology, instagram, influences the learning process). because the knowledge becomes broader, we can also search for information on instagram. it’s just wider,you know, for exploring info..." "it brings many positive impacts." with additional content from other users or external sources, instagram enables participants to access supplementary information beyond formal learning materials. this aligns with literature on digital learning, where access to extensive information on social media platforms accelerates knowledge transfer and facilitates the exploration of relevant ideas (goodyear & armour, 2021). ease in sharing and viewing group opinions respondents found instagram very easy to use for sharing and viewing opinions from their own group and others. "...its influence is all positive. it’s also quite easy to upload my and my friends' opinions. plus, i can also see many opinions from other groups. it’s quite simple with this digital technology." the platform helps participants broaden their perspectives and understand diverse viewpoints. social media fosters peer learning, allowing learners to exchange views and learn from one another through discussion (yang & kuo, 2021). by sharing ideas in an open platform, learners can compare their understanding and correct misconceptions through interaction. awareness of data security the participants demonstrated awareness of privacy risks associated with digital platforms. they noted the importance of caution, particularly regarding potential unauthorized data collection. "there is (an influence of instagram on the learning process). you can give more expressive comments, but maybe with more caution. because, you know, there might be accounts using chatgpt that could collect our data. so, we need to be careful. convenience comes with risks, and caution is necessary." this highlights that, alongside its convenience, digital technology necessitates vigilance regarding personal data security. omar et al. (2020) emphasize the importance of social media users understanding basic privacy and security principles, especially for learners active on public platforms like instagram. supporting a relaxed but focused learning style students stated that learning through instagram felt more relaxed while still maintaining focus. the platform was considered flexible and informal, allowing for a more natural and enjoyable learning process. "it’s good because i personally am very active on instagram. on social media, i’m more into instagram. so, when learning happens via instagram, it feels more relaxed but still focused. like, after this, there’s a new image, and then we need to comment again. so, we have to act quickly. quickly find the material, then explain it. i really enjoy it." in an informal learning approach, social media platforms can facilitate higher engagement, encouraging participants to independently seek information relevant to their learning style (zhou, 2021). instagram provides a supportive environment for engagement without the pressure of formal structures. ease of sharing links and remote commenting one learner appreciated instagram's convenience in sharing links and enabling remote commenting, a significant advantage for distance learning. "yes, it’s quite good because we just post something, add the link, and can comment on it. it’s simple. we can comment remotely too." the ability to share links and provide real-time comments on platforms like instagram helps reduce communication barriers and facilitates faster collaboration (lankapalli & rao, 2020). this makes the learning process more efficient and supports communication among group members who might face challenges meeting in person. instagram as a practical and instant learning resource one participant noted that instagram offers a wealth of useful content, especially from content creators sharing relevant information, such as ai tools for students. "i’ve learned a lot from instagram. many content creators share ai tools or other budiawan & cecep agus enhancing writing creativity through blended language learning: insights from poetry 5.0 312 resources useful for students. there’s also a variety of instant educational material." using technology and social media adds a dimension of just-in-time learning, enabling students to quickly access information or tools they need (мосьпан, 2023). this helps students become more independent and creative in seeking information that enhances their academic and professional skills. implications for teachers, this study underscores the value of incorporating visual media and digital platforms to create a dynamic and interactive classroom environment. strategies to overcome challenges, such as limited direct interaction, include scheduling periodic in-person sessions or synchronous video discussions. these could be complemented by structured virtual workshops that simulate collaborative face-to-face interactions. additionally, providing clearer guidelines and objectives for digital assignments can address issues of ambiguity in learning goals. policymakers can draw on these findings to support the development of blended learning frameworks that prioritize creativity and critical thinking. policies should encourage the integration of widely accessible platforms like instagram while addressing concerns such as data privacy and equity in digital access. investments in teacher training for blended learning methodologies and infrastructure for low-resource settings are critical for scaling such innovative approaches. in other educational contexts, the model of blended language learning-based poetry 5.0 can inspire initiatives in fields like social sciences or arts education, where emotional expression and critical analysis play pivotal roles. for instance, social studies teachers could use similar strategies to engage students in discussions about historical events or current societal challenges. conclusion this study aimed to explore the extent to which the implementation of poetry 5.0 learning based on blended language learning (bll) could enhance students' creativity and writing abilities. the findings revealed that this innovative teaching approach effectively addressed the study objectives in several ways: the use of visual prompts and digital platforms such as instagram created a dynamic learning environment that encouraged students to express their creativity and engage in meaningful writing tasks. by connecting their personal experiences with their writing, students were able to showcase originality and emotional depth. additionally, the integration of digital tools enabled students to receive immediate feedback from peers and instructors, which facilitated continuous improvement in their writing quality. interactive prompts further inspired students to critically analyze real-world issues and articulate their thoughts effectively in poetic form. this process cultivated empathy and broadened their understanding of societal challenges. while the method successfully promoted creativity and engagement, it also highlighted challenges such as limited direct interaction, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a balance between digital and face-to-face learning modalities. in summary, poetry 5.0 learning based on bll has proven to be a transformative strategy for fostering creativity, enhancing writing skills, and promoting critical thinking. with further refinements, this approach holds great potential for addressing contemporary educational challenges in a technologically advanced society. continued research is recommended to explore its implementation in diverse educational contexts. acknowledgement the researcher would like to express their gratitude to ministry of education and culture, research and technology of the republic of indonesia for funding this research. references al fadda, h. a. (2020). determining how social media affects learning english: an investigation of mobile applications instagram and snapchat in tesol classrooms. arab world english journal, 11(1), 3–11. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no1.1 alakrash, h. m., & abdul razak, n. (2021). technology-based language learning: investigation of digital technology and digital literacy. sustainability, 13(2), 2–28. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112304 alkhaldi, a. (2023). the impact of technology on students’ creative writing: a case study in jordan. theory and practice in language studies, 13(3), 586–592. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1303.06 al-mahrooqi, r., & denman, c. j. (2022). individual and contextual factors in the english language classroom: theoretical, pedagogical, and empirical approaches. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no1.1 https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112304 https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1303.06 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 313 alsyouf, amjad. (2020). cento as a creative writing approach to language learning. in almeida, ana bela; bavendiek, ulrike; biasini, rosalba (eds), literature in language learning: new approaches (pp. 33-39). researchpublishing.net. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2020.43.1093 asteria, p. v., susanti, a., & utami, r. (2021). fostering students' creativity through modeling as a teaching-learning process to write poetry for international students at the university level. international joint conference on arts and humanities: advances in social science, education and humanities research, 618. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ becker, j., & schad, m. (2022). understanding the lived experience of online learners: towards a framework for phenomenological research on distance education. online learning journal, 26(2). https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v26i2.2642 bhuiyan, b. a., molla, m. s., & alam, m. (2021). managing innovation in technical education: revisiting the developmental strategies of politeknik brunei. annals of contemporary developments in management & hr, 3(4). https://doi.org/10.33166/acdmhr.2021.04.00 4 brock, c., caldwell, d., tiffany, l., rehbein, & boyd, f. b. (2021). an ode to a state park: creating poetry during a summer writing camp. the reading teacher, 74(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1982 çağrı, t. m. (2021). the seamless relationship between teaching poetry and language learning. universal journal of educational research, 9(2), 288–291. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2021.090204 coombe, c., & hiasat, l. (2022). innovations in english language teaching and general studies education in the united arab emirates. in english language teaching: theory, research and pedagogy (pp. 467–483). cui, w. (2022). construction of a college english blended teaching model based on an internet platform. frontiers in educational research, 5(5), 25–30. https://doi.org/10.25236/fer.2022.050506 darmanah. (2020). increasing students’ writing skills in poetry through quantum learning strategy: a classroom action research. journal of english language teaching and cultural studies, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.48181/jelts.v3i2.9941 dewi, k. p., & rizal, d. (2023). the use of social media in improving efl learner writing skills. english language, literature, and teaching, 8(1), 29–37. https://doi.org/10.32528/ellite.v8i1.13536 european commission. (2023). achieving student wellbeing for all: educational contexts free of violence. brussels: european commission. fasikhatun, k., kusmana, s., & wiradinata, r. (2023). experience-based learning model in developing creativity through poetry text material in sma/smk. teacher education and curriculum studies, 8(1), 28–34. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.tecs.20230801.15 fithriani, r. (2021). poetry writing in efl classrooms: learning from indonesian students’ strategies. kne social sciences, 5(4), 59–75. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v5i4.8667 fu, h., & wang, j. (2021). cultivation of critical thinking skills in college english writing under a blended learning model. creative education, 12(7), 1485–1493. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2021.127113 goodyear, v. a., & armour, k. m. (2021). young people’s health-related learning through social media: what do teachers need to know? teaching and teacher education, 102, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103340 hashim, n., & hamidon, z. (2022). blended learning in technical and vocational education and training (tvet) training institute. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 11(1), 837–860. huang, r. (2022). research on the blended teaching model of english in open education based on production-oriented approach. creative education, 13, 886–895. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2022.133058 iida, a. (2021). "i feel like i can’t avoid dying": a poetic representation of a survivor’s traumatic experience in the great east japan earthquake. qualitative inquiry, 27(1), 45–58. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800419897695 ismaeil, m. (2020). stylistics of teaching and learning process of language through literature: a symbiotic relationship and spontaneous production of creative pedagogy. bulletin of advanced english studies, 4(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.31559/baes2020.4.1.1 prayogo, j. a. (2022). english language teaching in indonesia in the 21st century: what needs reinforcing and enhancing for the teachers. in the international english language teachers and lecturers (ineltal), kne social sciences, 12–22. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v7i7.10645 kocak, e., nasir, v. a., & turker, h. b. (2020). what drives instagram usage? user motives and personality traits. online information review, 44(3), 625–643. https://doi.org/10.1108/oir08-2019-0260 lankapalli, r. & rao, y. n. (2020). blended approach for learning english as second language. international journal of curriculum development and learning measurement (ijcdlm), 1(1), 35-39. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijcdlm.2020010104 https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2020.43.1093 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v26i2.2642 https://doi.org/10.33166/acdmhr.2021.04.004 https://doi.org/10.33166/acdmhr.2021.04.004 https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1982 https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2021.090204 https://doi.org/10.25236/fer.2022.050506 https://doi.org/10.48181/jelts.v3i2.9941 https://doi.org/10.32528/ellite.v8i1.13536 https://doi.org/10.11648/j.tecs.20230801.15 https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v5i4.8667 https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2021.127113 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103340 https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2022.133058 https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800419897695 https://doi.org/10.31559/baes2020.4.1.1 https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v7i7.10645 https://doi.org/10.1108/oir-08-2019-0260 https://doi.org/10.1108/oir-08-2019-0260 budiawan & cecep agus enhancing writing creativity through blended language learning: insights from poetry 5.0 314 lankapalli, r., & rao, y. n. (2020). blended approach for learning english as a second language. international journal of curriculum development and learning measurement (ijcdlm), 1(1), 35–39. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijcdlm.2020010104 li, x., wang, r., zhou, z., & dong, m. (2023). the necessity and feasibility of blended learning mode in foreign language teaching practice. journal of education and educational research, 3(3), 57–61. https://doi.org/10.54097/jeer.v3i3.9551 syafii, m., & adiansha, a. a. (2023). the influence of media and learning techniques on poetry writing skills in smpn in bima district. progres pendidikan, 4(2), 69–78. https://doi.org/10.29303/prospek.v4i2.334 macaskill, w., chua, w. j., woodall, h., & pinidiyapathirage, j. (2023). beyond the written reflection: a systematic review and qualitative synthesis of creative approaches to reflective learning amongst medical students. perspectives on medical education, 12(1), 361– 371. https://doi.org/10.5334/pme.914 maulidah, r. (2020). image media's impact on students' writing skills. journal of educational media and technology, 12(3), 215–230. mospan, n. (2023). digitalisation of writing in higher education: the covid-19 pandemic impact. journal of university teaching and learning practice, 20(2), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.53761/1.20.02.08 murad, t., ghadeer, y., & assadi, j. (2021). the effect of teachers’ attitudes towards collaborative instruction on students’ writing and speaking skills. journal of language teaching and research, 12(3), 343–351. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1203.03 ngidi, l. z., & kaye, s. b. (2022). reducing school violence: a peace education project in kwazulu-natal, south africa. south african journal of education, 42(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v42n2a1989 omar, s. z., kovalan, k., & bolong, j. (2020). information security awareness among youth in klang valley: a focus group discussion. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 10(16), 193–205. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v10-i16/8302 paragae, i. g. a. p. n. s. (2023). innovative teaching strategies in teaching english as a foreign language. english teaching and linguistics journal, 4(1), 1–9. pellegrino, a., & brown, c. l. (2020). supporting english learners in secondary social studies classrooms through collaboration. social studies research and practice, 15(2), 247–260. https://doi.org/10.1108/ssrp-04-2020-0017 pratiwi, t. m., chandra, n. e., & arapah, e. (2023). exploring students’ perception on the use of instagram as a platform in creative writing course. journal of english language teaching and learning, 4(2), 98–113. https://doi.org/10.18860/jetle.v4i2.20675 rayuningtya, p., & fitriani, i. (2021). instaglish: when instagram is beyond online photo-sharing platform to induce your english. eternal (english, teaching, learning, and research journal, 7(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.24252/eternal.v71.2021.a1 rizal, d., & farikhah, r. (2021). instagram as a medium for teaching and learning english: a qualitative systematic review. english language, literature, and teaching, 6(2), 112– 119. https://doi.org/10.32528/ellite.v6i2.6275 mei, s., wenhui, h., & meng, l. (2020). competency into practice: establishing a blended learning environment in efl classes. international conference on artificial intelligence and education (icaie), tianjin, china, 519–523. https://doi.org/10.1109/icaie50891.2020.0012 5 salim, h., & hanif, m. (2021). english teaching reconstruction at indonesian elementary schools: students’ point of view. international journal of education and practice, 9(1), 40–62. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.61.2021.91.49. 62 santos, k. d., & ilustre, r. g. (2022). social media platforms as pedagogical tools in language acquisition. journal of world englishes and educational practices, 4(2), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.32996/jweep selfa-sastre, m., pifarré, m., cujba, a., cutillas, l., & falguera, e. (2022). the role of digital technologies to promote collaborative creativity in language education. frontiers in psychology, 13(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.828981 utami, l. p., & mahardika, g. n. (2023). grammarly and grammatical errors reduction: a case for non-native english teachers’ professional learning. international journal of language education, 7(2), 227–240. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v7i2.46431 vacalares, s. t., clarin, e., lapid, r., malaki, m., plaza, v., & madjid. (2023). factors affecting the writing skills of the education students: a descriptive study. world journal of advanced research and reviews, 18(2), 1192–1201. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2023.18.2.0931 vo, p., lam, t., & nguyen, a. (2023). achievement emotions and barriers to online learning of university students during the covid-19 time. 18th international conference of the asia association of computer-assisted language learning. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 621, 109– 120. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211224.012 https://doi.org/10.4018/ijcdlm.2020010104 https://doi.org/10.54097/jeer.v3i3.9551 https://doi.org/10.29303/prospek.v4i2.334 https://doi.org/10.5334/pme.914 https://doi.org/10.53761/1.20.02.08 https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1203.03 https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v42n2a1989 https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v10-i16/8302 https://doi.org/10.1108/ssrp-04-2020-0017 https://doi.org/10.18860/jetle.v4i2.20675 https://doi.org/10.24252/eternal.v71.2021.a1 https://doi.org/10.32528/ellite.v6i2.6275 https://doi.org/10.1109/icaie50891.2020.00125 https://doi.org/10.1109/icaie50891.2020.00125 https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.61.2021.91.49.62 https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.61.2021.91.49.62 https://doi.org/10.32996/jweep https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.828981 https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v7i2.46431 https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2023.18.2.0931 https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211224.012 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 315 vu, l. u., tran, n. m., le, t. k. h., & dao, h. l. (2022). applying writing feedback orientation and self-regulated learning writing strategies to efl students at van lang university during covid-19. international journal of tesol & education, 2(5), 64–88. https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.22255 wibawanto, h., & roemintoyo. (2021). the learning method of society 5.0 during new normal in indonesia: case study: vocational high school in surakarta, indonesia. in proceedings of the 4th international conference on learning innovation and quality education (icliqe 2020). association for computing machinery, new york, ny, usa, article 53, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1145/3452144.3452196 yan, w.-j., & liu, s.-t. (2023). creative economy and sustainable development: shaping flexible cultural governance model for creativity. sustainability, 15(1), 43–53. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054353 zamana, f. (2022). the future of education as a creative ecosystem: a sociocultural framework for the development of creativity. journal of intelligence, 10(4), 99. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10040099 zhai, m. (2021). the analysis on blended teaching in college efl writing course based on the production-oriented approach. proceedings of the 7th international conference on social science and higher education. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 598, 454–458. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211122.135 zhang, l., & chen, y. (2021). a blended learning model supported by mooc/spoc, zoom, and canvas in a project-based academic writing course. in radić, n., atabekova, a., freddi, m., & schmied, j. (eds.), the world universities’ response to covid-19: remote online language teaching (pp. 179–197). researchpublishing.net. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2021.52.1272 zhou, y. (2021). impacts of social media on language learning: a review of literature. proceedings of the 2021 4th international conference on humanities education and social sciences. advances in social science, education and humanities research, 615, 743–749. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211220.128 https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.22255 https://doi.org/10.1145/3452144.3452196 https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054353 https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10040099 https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211122.135 https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2021.52.1272 https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211220.128 budiawan & cecep agus enhancing writing creativity through blended language learning: insights from poetry 5.0 316 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1003 evaluating the effectiveness of porpe method in enhancing reading comprehension: a study of selfesteem as a moderating factor rahma kamanda sari master program of english department, faculty of language and arts universitas negeri padang, padang, indonesia email: rahmakamandasari.rks@gmail.com m. zaim master program of english department, faculty of language and arts universitas negeri padang, padang, indonesia email: mzaim@fbs.unp.ac.id apa scitation:. sari, r. k., & zaim, m. (2024). evaluating the effectiveness of porpe method in enhancing reading comprehension: a study of self-esteem as a moderating factor. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1003-1012. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10323 received: 21-06-2024 accepted: 23-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 abstract: this study explores the influence of porpe method and self-esteem on reading comprehension achievement among junior high school students. this research was utilizing strategy is quantitative research by applying pre and post experimental research. the population of the research was the eighth grade students in the academic years 2023/2024. the sample of this research was taken by using cluster random sampling. the sample was 54 students with 27 students of experimental class taught by using porpe method and 27 students of control class taught using conventional method by teacher. the data was collected through a test on reading comprehension and self-esteem questionnaire. the data for reading comprehension and self-esteem questionnaire was required by conducting multiple choice tests consist of 30 items. the data analysis was done by applying t-test and two ways anova to test the hypothesis. the type of t-test was used to evaluate the data, and p < 0.05 was used to assess significance to find out whether the porpe method produces higher achievement in reading comprehension. result indicates a significant improvement in students’ reading comprehension after implementation of the porpe method. while the type of two-ways anova was to find out the interaction between the porpe method and students’ self-esteem toward reading comprehension. the result showed that there is no interaction between porpe method and students’selfesteem toward reading comprehension. keywords: porpe; reading comprehension; self-esteem. introduction reading is one of the language skills in english that students should achieve during studying the language. as stated by (safura & helmanda, 2020; syakur et al., 2020) students should develop and comprehend reading skills and learn a variety of other skills. it is important for students to understand the texts before they fully comprehend the message that the author is trying to bring. according to (setiorini et al, 2022; segal, dorit, 2023), comprehension plays a critical role in reading activities. the students will obtain the knowledge they require from the texts by understanding them. it is crucial for students who need to read textbooks in english (arifin, syaadiah,2020). by focusing comprehension and implementing effective strategies, teacher can help students achieve successful reading outcomes. teacher play a crucial role in enhancing students’ reading comprehension skills by employing appropriate method and providing suitable material in teaching. implementing specific reading method can significantly improve comprehension skills (manoharan & ramachandran, 2023; riyadi, 2019; sari, 2023). then, by adapting reading method teacher can help students overcome difficulties in learning english and foster meaningful learning experiences (nurdianingsi,. f, 2021; akmal, s & maulida, 2020) based on an interview with english teachers at smp swasta pmt prof.dr.hamka ii padang, there are a few things that influence students' achievement in reading comprehension. (1) most of students believe that comprehending reading information is difficult. they difficulty when asked to comprehend and answer questions based mailto:rahmakamandasari.rks@gmail.com mailto:mzaim@fbs.unp.ac.id rahma kamanda sari & m. zaim evaluating the effectiveness of porpe method in enhancing reading comprehension: a study of self-esteem as a moderating factor 1004 on texts since they hardly understand the meaning of the words or phrases in the text. (2) students show less positive self-esteem in english, particularly in reading. they feel unworthy, insufficient, and incapable in the eyes of others, and they become frustrated when they get the wrong answer and afraid to try again. (3) most of them worry to express their opinions or thoughts in class. finally, they become very passive in their learning activity. (4) many students are unaware of the importance of reading. they enjoyed talking with their classmates while the teacher was explaining the content in class. as a result, the primary goal of reading is not achieved. the teacher must be successful in helping students comprehend the material; consequently, teachers must select an effective method that is appropriate to improving students' reading comprehension. drawing from those findings, some important aspects that impact students' reading comprehension are thought come from both the learners' internal and external environments. however, (brown, 2000) defines an external factor is one that does not from the learners themselves, but rather comes from outside including the environment, parents, teachers, and others. (khan, f, 2022) additionally, teacher influence, including teaching methodology and content impact the comprehension. internal factors, on the other hand, as a factor that come from the student and associated with an individual's emotions, such as extroversion, inhibition, attitude, anxiety, self-esteem, and so on. in line with (guna, a, 2024; khan, f, 2022) students’ perception and emotional states, such as interest, anxiety, self-esteem, boredom, and personal problems, also play a significant role in enhance students’ reading comprehension. one of the internal factors that come from inside of the students influence their language acquisition is self-esteem. self-esteem is known as the value that a person places on themselves. (owens & gary, 2019; westfall, 2020; albarracin, 2024) it means that self-esteem refers to an individual’s overall positive or negative attitude towards themselves. moreover, it is stated by (wijaya, 2023), that a person who has positive self-esteem will positively impact their language learning and tend to become more confident. self-esteem has been shown to correlate with language skills, proficiency, and other emotional variables in the language classroom (guban-caisido, 2020). a study of indonesia university students revealed a significant correlation between self-esteem and english proficiency test scores, with higher selfesteem associated with better performance (gultom & oktaviani, 2022) overall, a positive self-esteem appears beneficial for language learners’ development and appreciation of their communicative competencies. however, the relationship is not always straightforward (listyani, 2022) found that high self-esteem does not necessarily lead to good language learning achievement, as other factors like character, learning environment, and past experiences also affect self-esteem. the teacher as one of the external factors needs a good method in order to make students understand what they read and enjoy in the learning process (saragih, 2019; yusmalinda, 2020; taufiqurohmn, 2022). the selection of appropriate teaching methods can significantly impact students’ reading skills, particularly in language learning (abdulloh, 2022; bararah, 2022). one of the methods that can be used by the teacher in order to enhance students’ reading comprehension named porpe method. porpe stands for predict, organize, rehearse, practice, and evaluate. this learning method has shown significant effectiveness in enhancing reading comprehension across varoipus educational levels. according to (stahl, 2014; n, 2021) porpe has a synergistic effect on students' thinking by guiding them through the processes required to read, study, and learn content area material. he also showed that porpe can be an effective and long-term method for facilitating student learning. the students who used porpe will remember much more concepts. multiple studies have demonstrated its positive impact on students’ reading abilities, from elementary to high school and university students. experimental research consistently revealed that students taught by using the porpe method outperformed those taught with conventional methods (mortini & jaya, 2019; ningrat & setiawan, 2022; fadillah et al, 2024). while porpe significantly improved reading comprehension, its impact on metacognitive awareness was not conclusively established (saiful et al. 2019). these findings suggest that porpe is valuable tool for teachers seeking to enhance students’ reading comprehension skills across various educational context and content. based on the previous studies, researches related to porpe attract many researchers to research some kinds of reading comprehension. (sinaga & sibarani, 2013) carried out a study to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1005 determine the effect of using the predict, organize, rehearse, practice, and evaluate (porpe) technique on students' reading comprehension. from the study the results showed that the students reading comprehension had been significantly affected by employing the porpe method. while, (pajriahasrikandi, 2017) examined the effectiveness of the porpe (predict, organize, rehearse, practice, evaluate) technique in instructing reading comprehension. the researcher indicates some reading comprehension issues were brought on by students who did not pay close attention in class, lacked lexical proficiency, and were untrained. additionally, those issues might be attributable to both teachers and student personal aspects, such as unused interest and effective teaching and learning method. the used of a good method can also help the students’ understand the text. thus, the teachers need to find out an effective method to help students in comprehending the text. furthermore, there are much researches related to the use of porpe. (wati, & suhardi, 2022) conducted their research focusing on using porpe in teaching reading explanatory text. according to the teacher, the children' reading instruction is still mostly passive. students also believe that because they lack interest in reading, they still struggle to understand explanatory materials well. the findings demonstrated that the porpe learning strategy could enhance the process of learning to read explanatory texts. these results support the recommendation of the porpe learning technique as an option to enhance learning, particularly in reading comprehension. (hadi, 2018) studied the porpe (predict, organize, rehearse, practice, and evaluate) approach of teaching reading from the perspective of the students' self-esteem. for students, selfesteem is important because it affects how well the teaching and learning processes work. to get students interested in learning to read, engaging methods of teaching must be used. the researcher has compared two teaching method in this study which resulted that when teaching reading to students in the tenth grade, porpe is more effective than the direct instruction method. the effect of teaching strategies on students reading ability is influenced by their level of self-esteem. (silfia, 2019) completed a study to determine whether implementing porpe has any significant effect on reading comprehension. in reality, the majority of students struggle to comprehend reading assignments because they believe that responding to questions is a boring task that isn't directly mentioned in the book. then, the conclusion by using the porpe approach had an effect on the students' reading comprehension. the porpe method focuses students reading processes and can help them overcome some challenges in reading comprehension. based on this context, the researcher will investigate the porpe method for improving reading comprehension skills. there have been a number of previous studies on porpe method; however, there are some differences between this research and the prior studies. the research focus on reading comprehension in junior high school, the moderator variable, and the research approach that reveals all of the differentiate. the effect of using porpe method and students’ self-esteem toward their reading comprehension achievement will be examined in this study. therefore, this research was conducted to further analysis by formulating the following questions: (1) does porpe method produce higher achievement in reading comprehension on junior high school students? (2) is there any interaction between porpe method and students’ self-esteem toward students’ reading comprehension? method in this study, the researcher used experimental research because the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of some variables to the subjects of the research. the researcher used three variables that are porpe method as independent variable, reading comprehension as dependent variable, and students’ self-esteem as the moderator variable. according to (rogers & revesz, 2020; ramadhana, 2021; yoder, 2019; adamou, 2021) an experimental research in language involves treatment with a different treatment or no treatment to examine their effects on specific variables. in a simple experiment, the cluster of class usually divided into experimental class and control class. the purpose of an experimental study is to investigate the effectiveness between a certain treatments to experimental class and to control class as the comparison. the population of the research was the eighth grade students of smp swasta pmt prof. dr. hamka ii padang in west sumatera in the academic years of 2023/2024 consisting of four classes; viii.1, viii.2, viii.3, and viii.4. the sample were two classes, they are viii.3 as the rahma kamanda sari & m. zaim evaluating the effectiveness of porpe method in enhancing reading comprehension: a study of self-esteem as a moderating factor 1006 experimental class and viii.4 as the control class where each classes consist of 27 students. the samples were taken by using porpe cluster random sampling technique. the experimental class was taught by using porpe method, while the control class taught by using conventional method. reading comprehension test was given to the measure students’ reading comprehension. meanwhile, the self-esteem questionnaire was given to determine the level of students with high and low level. the data from reading comprehension test scores were divided into pretest and post-test after the students got five times treatment for each group. the data were collected to examine the effects of porpe method in reading comprehension to the eighth grade students in the academic year of 2023/2024. the research conducted the data analysis by using spss 23 to measure mean, median, modus, and standard deviation of the data collected. in order to answer the hypothesis of the research, firstly the data were tested by using normality and homogeneity test. then, the researcher analyzed the data by using t-test and two ways anova. the hypotheses are formulated as follows: first hypothesis. ho: the use of porpe method do not produces higher achievement in reading comprehension on junior high school students. ha: the use of porpe method produces higher achievement in reading comprehension on junior high school students. second hypothesis. ho: there is no interaction between porpe method and students’ self-esteem toward students’ reading comprehension on junior high school students. ha: there is an interaction between porpe method and students’ self-esteem toward students’ reading comprehension on junior high school students. results and discussion the data about students’ reading comprehension were obtained through reading comprehension test and the data about students’ self-esteem were collected through questionnaire. the students’ score of pre-test reading comprehension the following data are the result of pre-test reading comprehension in both experimental and control class. the scores are classified into five categories; poor, less, fair, good, and very good. furthermore, the classification of the score could be seen in the table below. table 1. students’ pre-test score of reading comprehension n o score rang e categorie s experimental class control class freq . f (%) mea n freq . f (%) mea n 1 poor 30 39 3 11.1 55 4 14. 8 57 2 less 40 – 45 14 51.9 9 33. 3 3 fair 56 – 65 1 3.7 6 22. 2 4 good 66 – 79 7 25.9 5 18. 5 5 very good 80 – 100 2 7.4 3 11. 1 t0tal 27 100. 0 27 100 the data above show students’ reading comprehension scores for pre-test in experimental and control class. in experimental class, there are 3 students belongs to poor categories, 14 students for less categories, 1 student for fair category, 7 students for good categories, and 2 students for very good categories with the average score for this class is 55. however, in control class there are 4 students for poor categories, 9 students for less categories, 6 students for fair categories, 5 students for good categories, and 3 students for very good categories with the average score for this class is 57. in short, the average score of pretest between two classes does not really have different significances. the students’ score of post-test reading comprehension the data in this part is the result of post-test reading comprehension in both experimental and control class. the scores are classified into five categories; poor, less, fair, good, and very good. furthermore, the classification of the score could be seen in the table below. table 2. students’ post-test score of reading comprehension n o score rang e categorie s experimental class control class freq . f (%) mea n freq . f (%) mea n 1 poor 30 39 0 0 73 1 3.7 64 2 less 40 – 45 4 14.8 8 29.6 3 fair 56 – 65 4 14.8 3 11.1 4 good 66 – 79 8 29.6 9 33.3 5 very good 80 – 100 11 40.7 6 22.2 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1007 t0tal 27 100. 0 27 100. 0 the data above are students’ reading comprehension scores after students taught by porpe method in experimental class and conventional way for control class. in the experimental class, there are 4 students in less categories, 4 students in fair categories, 8 students in good categories and 11 students belongs to very good categories with the average score for this class is 73. meanwhile, in the control class there is 1 student in poor category, 8 students in less categories, 3 students in fair categories, 9 students in good categories, and 6 students belongs to very good categories with the average score of the class is 64. for the experimental class, it can be compared with the pre-test score that there is a gained score average from 55 to 73. for the control class, there is a gained score from 57 to 64 but not really significance. the average score for the post-test in the experimental class is higher than the control class. the students’ score of students’ self-esteem based on the result of the calculation of the experimental and control class data, it categorized into two namely high and low self-esteem. the students’ categorized in students’ self-esteem can be seen in the table below. table 3. students’ categorized of self-esteem no group students’ self-esteem high low 1. experimental class 21 6 2. control class 23 4 total 44 10 based on the data above, in the experimental class there are 21 students with high self-esteem and 6 students with low self-esteem. meanwhile, in the control class there are 23 students with high self-esteem and 4 students with low self-esteem. from the two classes were chosen as sample of this research, each class consisted of 27 students as an experimental and control class. in order to find out the use of porpe method produce higher achievement in reading comprehension on junior high school students, researcher was used independent sample t-test. table 4. the result of independent sample t-test of students’ reading comprehension. post test reading comprehension equal variances assumed equal variances not assumed levene's test for equality of variances f .495 sig. .485 t-test for equality of means t -2.293 -2.293 df 52 51.487 sig. (2-tailed) .026 .026 mean difference -9.630 -9.630 std. error difference 4.199 4.199 95% confidence interval of the difference lower -18.055 -18.057 upper -1.204 -1.202 based on the table above, the result of t-test of porpe method on students’ reading comprehension was 0.026 lower than < significance alpha 0.05. it means that the null hypothesis (ho) is rejected and the alternative hypothesis (ha) accepted. in order to answer the second hypothesis this study used two ways anova to examine the interaction between porpe method and students’ self-esteem toward students’ reading comprehension on junior high school students. table 5. the result of two-ways anova analysis source type iii sum of squares df mean square f sig. corrected model 1201.821a 3 400.607 1.529 .23 3 intercept 128521.750 1 128521.7 50 490.58 6 .00 0 learning_ method 1196.036 1 1196.036 4.565 .04 3 self_estee m 2.893 1 2.893 .011 .91 7 learning_ method * self_estee m 2.893 1 2.893 .011 .91 7 error 6287.429 24 261.976 total 136011.000 28 corrected total 7489.250 27 a. r squared = .160 (adjusted r squared = .056) based on the table above, it was found that the significance value 0.917 higher than the significance value of alpha 0.05. it means that the null hypothesis (ho) is accepted and the alternative hypothesis (ha) is rejected. therefore, it can be concluded that there is no interaction between porpe method and students’ selfrahma kamanda sari & m. zaim evaluating the effectiveness of porpe method in enhancing reading comprehension: a study of self-esteem as a moderating factor 1008 esteem toward students’ reading comprehension on junior high school students. this study showed the use of porpe method produces higher achievement in reading comprehension on junior high school students. it means that porpe method has a significance effect on students’ reading comprehension. since porpe method is applied in reading activity, it help the students to comprehend the text and help the students to answered some questions that related to the text. the findings of this research is relevant to a study conducted by (lisa, 2020; sartika, 2023) support this research on her result of research, where the students reading and listening comprehension was improve significantly through the use of porpe method. then, (herianto, 2021; virdaus, 2023) found that the students who are taught by using porpe strategy get better score in narrative text than students who was not taught by using porpe strategy. in line with the previous research above, (nurilmi, 2018; hasibuan, 2020) found that the result of her research was indicated that there was improvement of the students’ reading ability by using porpe method. while (wati & suhardi, 2021) showed that the porpe learning strategy could improve the process of learning to read explanatory texts; the value of students' reading comprehension skills increased at the end of the cycle, and students gave positive responses to the use of the porpe learning strategy in learning to read. based on these findings, the porpe learning strategy is recommended as an alternative to improve the quality of learning, especially in learning to read. finally based on the result of the first hypothesis, there is significant difference on students’ reading comprehension before and after taught by using porpe method. porpe strategy is useful and successfully applied to teach students’ at second grade of smp swasta pmt prof. dr. hamka ii padang. porpe method could help students to analyzing and produces higher achievement in reading comprehension the text. meanwhile, based on the finding of the last hypothesis, the teaching method used porpe and students’ self-esteem had no interaction toward students’ reading comprehension. it can be seen from the statistical analysis in which the result of the two-way anova showed that the significance value is 0.914 higher than the significance value of alpha 0.05. it indicated that there is no interaction between porpe method and students’ self-esteem toward students’ reading comprehension. consequently, the rejection of the alternative hypothesis (ha) and acceptance of the null hypothesis (ho) could be inferred. however, this finding also confronts some previous studies about the importance of students’ self-esteem in the context of language learning. some previous studies revealed that students’ self-esteem have positive correlation to students’ language learning. however, in this research, the finding shows the contradictory fact that concerning the implementation of porpe method and students’ self esteem toward students reading comprehension. in contrast, (hadi, 2018) in his research the effectiveness of porpe method to teach reading viewed from students’ self esteem showed that there is an interaction between methods of teaching and students’ self esteem to teach reading. teaching method which is used by the teacher in the class provides a big influence for the success of teaching and learning process (sinaga, 2019; gebresilase, 2023). self-esteem becomes one of the important considerations in teaching reading because students are able to read a text and also other tasks well if they have belief that they can do. in summary, while this research found no interaction between learning styles and selfesteem, other emphasized the significant contributions of these factors towards language proficiency and academic achievement. these findings underscore the multifaceted nature of language learning and the importance of considering various factors, including self-esteem and learning styles, in educational contexts. conclusion the findings from the study conducted at smp swasta pmt prof. dr. hamka ii padang revealed interesting insight into the effect of using porpe method and students’ self-esteem toward students reading comprehension. based on the data, the conclusion was presented as follows: the students who are taught by using porpe method produces higher achievement in reading comprehension than those who are taught by using conventional way. after the implementation, porpe as a method in reading comprehension have beneficial for the students’ reading comprehension. it can be inferred from students’ achievement in reading comprehension. then, the statistical data in mean score also showed that students who were taught by using porpe method have better reading english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1009 comprehension score than those who taught by using conventional teaching (73 > 64). hence, porpe method is valuable to be applied during the learning process in reading activity since it can affect the students’ reading comprehension. there is no interaction between porpe method and students’ self-esteem toward students’ reading comprehension. the hypothesis tested by using two ways anova, where the value of significance was higher than the significance alpha (0.917 > 0.05). it means that porpe method can be used in produces higher achievement of the students’ reading comprehension, even there was no correlation between the students level of self-esteem. in addition, self-esteem is not solely factor that can be influencing students’ reading comprehension. it might be caused due to the nature of self-esteem that needs a supportive condition to be optimally worked. based on the findings, conclusions, and implication of this research, some suggestions can be given to improve the effectiveness of reading comprehension method in the educational environment. first, it is advisable to apply the porpe method more widely at different levels of education, considering that has been shown to be effective in improving students’ reading comprehension in eighth grade of junior high school students. second, further research needs to be done to develop or modify the porpe method to better suit the needs of the students who have high and low self-esteem, considering that no significant difference was found in the effectiveness of this method based on the level of students’ selfesteem. in addition, a comprehensive study is also recommended to explore other factors that may affect the effectiveness of the porpe method, such as learning style or intrinsic motivation of students. thus, it is expected that further research can provide more in-depth and applicable insights in improving students’ reading comprehension and pay attention to the other psychological aspects that influence the learning process. references abdulloh. (2022). penerapan metode 1q2r dalam meningkatkan kemahiran membaca. tanfidziya: journal of arabic education. doi:10.36420/tanfidziya. v1i02.119 adamou, e. (2021). experimental methods to study cultural differences in linguistics. 10.31234/ osf.io/pnqmh. akmal, s., & maulida. (2020). lecturer considerations in providing materials for reading courses: the case of islamic university in aceh. a journal of culture, english language teaching and literature. 10.24167/celt.v20i2.2594. albarracin, m. (2024). feeling our place in the world: an active inference account of self-esteem. neuroscience of consciousness. doi: 10.1093/nc/niae007 arifin, s. (2020). the role of critical reading to promote students’ critical thinking and reading comprehension. jpp, 53(3), 318-327. bararah, i. (2022). fungsi metode terhadap pencapaian tujuan dalam komponen pembelajaran. jurnal mudarrisuna. doi: 10.22373/jm.v12i1.13301. brown, h.d. (2000). principle of language learning teaching. (4th ed). san fransisco: addison wesley longman, inc. du, h. (2021). revisiting values and self-esteem: a large-scale study in the uited states. european journal of personality. doi:10.1177/08902070211 038805. fadilah, w et al. (2024). optimalisasi pembelajaran: penerapan strategi porpe untuk meningkatkan kemampuan membaca pemahaman siswa kelas vi. attadrib jurnal pendidikan guru madrasah ibtidaiyah. gebresilase, b. m. (2023). the mediating role of selfesteem on the relationship between teachers students interaction and students academic achivement. open journal of social science. 10.4236/jss.2023.111019. guban, c. (2020). self-esteem and language learning: empirical evidences from the past two decades. corpus id: 230543838. gultom., & oktaviani. (2022). the correlation between students’ self-esteem and their english proficiency test result. jeltl. 10.33365/jeltl.v3i1.2211. guna, a. (2024). factors that affect efl students’ difficulty in reading comprehension. ijelal. doi: 10.21111/ijelal.v4i1.10935. hadi, a. (2018). the effectiveness of porpe (predict, organize, rehearse, practice, and evaluate) method to teach reading viewed from students’ self-esteem. palapa, 6(2), 98–120. hasibuan, s. (2020). the use of porpe startegy in teaching reading descriptive text for the tenth grade students of sman 1 percut sei tuan. journal of english language teaching of fbsunimed. doi: 10.24114/reg.v8i2.19640. herianto, r. (2021). the effectiveness of porpe strategy for teaching. state insitute of islamic studies ponorogo. hohman, z. (2020). self-esteem and selfenhancement. acrefore. doi: 10. 1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.246. khan, f. (2022). an investigation into the factors that affect students’ english reading comprehension at kohat university of science and technology. pakistan language and humanities review. doi: 10.47205/plhr.2022(6-iii). rahma kamanda sari & m. zaim evaluating the effectiveness of porpe method in enhancing reading comprehension: a study of self-esteem as a moderating factor 1010 lisa, e. (2020) the use of “porpe strategy” in teaching english at sman 1 takalar (a quasi experimental research at the first grade students of sman 1 takalar) makassar : muhammadiyah university of makassar. listyani, l. (2022). the importance of self-esteem in the language learning journey: procedural writing students’ stories in indonesia. ejels. doi:10.12973/ejels.2.2.47. manoharan., & ramachandran. (2023). enhancing reading comprehension skills of prospective teachers using suitable reading strategies. journal of language teaching and research. vol. 14, no. 1, 48-56. doi: https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1401.06. mortini, a.v & jaya, a. (2019). the effectiveness of porpe strategy in teaching reading comprehension to the eleventh grade students of sma yayasan bakti prabumulih. esteem journal of english. muriana, l. m. (2021). technological influence on self-esteem: towards a research agenda through a systematic literature review. interaccion. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-78462-1_35. n,-. (2021). dveloping students’ reading achievement using porpe technique. language and education journal. doi:10.52237/lej.v6i02.275. ningrat & setiawan, h &. (2022) improving eighth graders’ reading comprehension on descriptive text through porpe strategy. journal of english education. nurdianingsih, f. (2021). teachers’ strategies in teaching reading comprehension. profesional journal of english education. doi: 10.22460/project.v4i2.p285-289. nur, i. r. (2018 ). improving reading ability through porpe strategy at the tenth grade of ma izzatul ma’arif tappina kabupaten polman (parepare: state islamic institute (iain parepare). owens., & gary. (2019). theories of self-esteem. the blackwell encyclopedia of sociology. doi: 10.1002/9781405165 518 .wbeoss072.pub2. pajriahasrikandi. (2017). the use of porpe (predict, organize, rehearse, practice, evaluate) strategy in teaching reading comprehension. voices of english language education society, vol.1 (2):24-30. ramadhana, m. a. (2021). experimental research in english language teaching: a peek from undergraduate students’ theses. journal studi guru dan pembelajaran. doi: 10.30605/jsgp.4.1.2021.474. riyadi, i. (2019). enhancing comprehensive reading skills: learning from metacognitive strategy. international journal of innovation and learning. doi: 10.1504/ijil.2019.10024007 rogers, j., & revesz, a. (2020). experimental and quasi-esperimental designs. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/33425 0281 safura, s., & helmanda, c. m. (2020). the analysis of english department students’ ability in mastering reading text of muhammadiyah aceh university. getsempena english education journal, 7(1),1702.https://doi.org/10.46244/geej.v7i1.99 0 saiful, s. et al. (2019). the effect of the porpe method on students’ reading comprehension and metacognitive awareness. journal of language teaching and research. saragih, e. e.. (2019). investing teaches’ teaching methods used in reading classroom. english journal. doi:10.32832/english.v13i2.3779 sari, i. (2023). improving english reading comprehension skills through the sq4r method. linguistik: jurnal bahasa dan sastra. doi: 10.31604/linguistic.v8i1.178-185. sartika, n. (2023). penerapan strategi porpe untuk meningkatkan literasi membaca siswa kelas iv sd negeri 73 parepare. bosowa journal of education. doi: 10.35965/bje.v4i1.3837 segal, d. (2023). sustained attention plays a critical role in reading comprehension of adults with and without adhd. learning and individual differences. doi: 10.1016/j.lindif.2023.102300. setiorini, i. (2022) reading and how to teach it. kredo. 5(2). silfia, e. (2019). the effect of porpe (predict, organize, rehearse, practice, and evaluate) strategy towards reading comprehension. journal of english education studies. vol. 1 no. 2 pp. 118-124. sinaga, a. r. (2019). the effect of teaching strategies and self-efficacy on students’ achievement in reading comprehension. linguistik terapan. doi:1024114/lt.v15l2.1234. sinaga, d., & sibarani, b. (2013). the effect of applying predict, organize, rehearse, practice, evaluate (porpe) strategy on students’ reading comprehension. transform journal of english language teaching and learning of fbs unimed, 2(3). stahl, n., (2014). porpe: a comprehensive study strategy utilizing self-assigned writing. publisher: research gate. northern illinois university. syakur, a., azis, r., & sukarsih, s. (2020). developing reading learning model to increase reading skill for animal husbandry students in higher education. britain international of linguistics arts and education sciences journal, 2(1),484493.https://doi.org/10.33258/biolae.v2i 1.220 taufiqurohman. (2022). analysis of factors that influence students’ enjoyable learning in class: a literature review. qolamuna. jurnal https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1401.06 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 1011 pendidikan, sosial dan agama.doi: 10.3760/qolamuna. v14i1.4360 virdaus, v. v. (2023) the strength of porpe with kahoot in the teaching reading for junior high school. journal of development research. 10.28926/jdr.v7i2.348 wati, e., & suhardi (2022). the improvement of reading comprehension ability in explanation text with porpe strategy. international journal of elementary education. vol. 6 no. 1 pp. 149 – 157. westfall. r. (2020). self-esteem, theory of. the wiley encyclopedia of personality and individual differences. 10.1002/9781118970843.ch63. wijaya. k. (2023). the impact of cultivating indonesian efl learners’ positive self-esteem. magister scientiae. 10.33508/mgs.v51i1.4452. yusmalinda, a. (2020). english teachers’ methods in teaching reading comprehension of procedure text. elt forum: journal of english language teaching. doi: 10.15294/elt.v9i1.38676 yoder, p. (2019). rational for blindeness to treatment assignment in between-group experiments testing generalized communication and language. evidence based communication assessment and intervention. doi: 10.1080/17489539.2019.1683948. rahma kamanda sari & m. zaim evaluating the effectiveness of porpe method in enhancing reading comprehension: a study of self-esteem as a moderating factor 1012 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 279 developing animation videos and game cards for teaching telling time in english to fourth-grade students ike kurniawati* prodi pendidikan guru sekolah dasar fakultas ilmu pendidikan & psikologi, universitas negeri semarang, semarang, indonesia email: hanaike82@students.unnes.ac.id arif widagdo prodi pendidikan guru sekolah dasar fakultas ilmu pendidikan & psikologi,universitas negeri semarang, semarang, indonesia email: arifwidagdo@mail.unnes.ac.id apa citation: kurniawati, i., & widagdo, a. (2025). developing animation videos and game cards for teaching telling time in english to fourth-grade students. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 279-290. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.10305 received: 17-09-2024 accepted: 16-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 introduction currently, education is the main point and main focus for every component of the nation. by changing the constitution, the education system law number 02 of 1989 to number 20 of 2003, and government regulation number 32 of 2013 concerning national education standards, this is listed in the fundamental changes made (widyana et al., 2024). the independent curriculum also known as the prototype curriculum was officially announced by nadiem anwar makarim, minister of education, culture, and research. the learning independence curriculum is a new curriculum that emphasizes learner well-being and involves learners in the teaching and learning process. it gives learners the freedom to choose subjects they enjoy, which helps them develop their interests and talents. when it is used, the role of teachers is also very important to make learning more interesting and enjoyable for learners. the evaluation of learner learning outcomes in the curriculum aims to ascertain and quantify learners' proficiency in the teaching and learning process (melati, 2023). english instruction in primary schools has been increasingly crucial under the merdeka curriculum since its introduction in educational institutions, including elementary schools (oktavia et al., 2023) . english is now required in some schools as part of the current autonomous curriculum implementation, including in primary schools, where it is taught as a local content lesson (sari et al., 2024). when the autonomous curriculum started in elementary schools, the goal abstract: changes in the curriculum in education affect how the implementation of existing learning, as well as in learning media, is needed as an effort to stimulate students' abilities in the learning process to be more effective and efficient. the purpose of this research is to develop animation video media and game cards on telling time material in english. this research uses the type of research and development with the addie model. the research subjects were fourth grade students of wates 01 semarang state elementary school. data collection techniques used in this research are (1) interview; (2) observation; (3) questionnaire; (4) test; and (5) documentation. the instruments used are interview guides, documentation, needs questionnaires, media response questionnaires, pretest and posttest questions, and validation sheets conducted by 2 experts, namely media experts, material experts, and language experts. data analysis techniques were carried out by normality test (shapiro-wilk), t test, and n-gain test. the results showed that animated video media and playing cards can improve student understanding and student learning outcomes in english. this result is evidenced from the average value on students there is an increase in small-scale learning outcomes pretest average value 58.3 and posttest average 86.8 then on a large scale pretest average value 57 and posttest average value 82.8. then the results of the n-gain test on a small scale of 0.7512 and a large scale of 0.5925 which means the high and medium categories, can be concluded to be effective for use in learning. therefore, it can be concluded that animation video media and game cards can be said to be a category worth using in an interesting learning process and can improve student understanding and learning outcomes. keywords: animation video; english subject; game cards; telling time. ike kurniawati & arif widagdo developing animation videos and game cards for teaching telling time in english to fourth-grade students 280 of teaching english was to help pupils become more proficient communicators in the language. the implementation of english language learning in the field does not seem to be optimal. many teachers have difficulty teaching it, especially in grade iv elementary school, where students have not yet gotten the basics of english, making it difficult for students to understand what the teacher is teaching. in class iv, students experience problems with telling time, which is one of the basic understandings in english. because its application time is used every day for daily activities, such as organizing meetings, organizing lessons, and others, this skill is very important. however, many students, especially fourth grade elementary school students, find telling time in english difficult. learning time in english often faces complex problems. students must recognize the numbers on analog and digital clocks and understand time patterns in sentences. uninteresting teaching, the use of uninnovative learning methods, and the lack of supporting resources can affect students' interest and understanding of learning to tell time in english. so the need for media utilization can help make it easier for teachers to explain the material to students. with the teaching media, teachers can attract the attention of students to be more focused on learning (oktavia et al., 2023). using learning media that is appropriate to the material and student characteristics is a way to overcome this problem. the use of media in learning is very important to create a fun and exciting atmosphere in the learning process. because the media has the ability to unite words, written images and symbols when delivering material in the learning process (hasan et al., 2021a). along with the times, knowledge and technology, learning media also experience development and progress. this means that there are many types and variations of learning media along with the times and advances in knowledge and technology (hasan et al., 2021b). with media that keeps up with the times, students are not bored and interested in classroom lessons. therefore, there needs to be an effort to improve the media that can be used, namely animation video media and game cards that can increase student understanding and attract student interest in telling time material in english subjects. animation video content is one kind of instrument for education that can improve students understanding and engagement. video was once a rich, potent, and dynamic teaching tool that supported teaching and learning while also including text, sound, and occasionally dynamic or moving images for information presentation, narration, visualization, and representation (evangelou, 2023) . animation, on the other hand, is a series of pictures that are altered to create motion. animation is a type of moving image produced by carefully arranging a collection of things to tell a preset story (farida et al., 2022). an animation video, then, is a moving visual created by a group of different objects that have been carefully assembled to follow a specified (farida et al., 2022). when creating educational materials that help in the teaching and learning process, educators have the option to utilize animation video content as an alternative. a collection of dynamically moving pictures that can be heard and seen is what animation video media uses to express information or messages (hapsari, 2021). research (sae & radia, 2023) indicates that video animation is a legitimate, useful, and successful teaching medium for enhancing students critical thinking abilities in science classes in elementary schools. research indicates that vidam media, an animation video, can boost the interest of third-grade children at sdn 05 balesari in studying (cholifah & saputro, 2022). according to research using animation video learning (prasetya et al., 2021), the learning process will be more effective since it can enable teachers and students to more quickly accomplish their assignments, overcome time and space constraints, and clarify abstract concepts. as a result, attractive concepts are used in the creation of animated learning materials to satisfy the demands of students. in addition, game cards were the medium of choice for telling time in this investigation. simple media in the shape of cards with words and graphics are called flashcards. it is anticipated that students will find it simpler to resolve comparative material problems with the use of this media (lestari et al., 2023). the english word "game" originally meant "match" or "game." it can also be used to describe scheduled events that are typically conducted for amusement ((yulianti & minsih, 2022). games will be used in conjunction with these game cards. a type of game with established goals for learning is known as learning with game cards" (cheok & ali, 2024). game cards motivate and engage players to keep learning. according to research (santi et al., 2023), the game approach with image card media significantly improved the learning outcomes of grade 1 addition and subtraction material at gandekan surakarta state elementary school in the 2022-2023 academic english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 281 year. from the previous description, the aim of this research is to develop animation video media and game cards that are feasible and effective for learning about telling time material in english so that it can improve student understanding and learning outcomes of fourth grade students. to find out more about this problem, there are the following questions: (1) how is the development of animation video media and game cards of telling time material in english class iv?; (2) how is the feasibility of animation video media and game cards of telling time material in english class iv?; and (3) how is the effectiveness of animation video media and game cards of telling time material in english class iv? method to resolve the problems that occur, a relevant and appropriate method is needed to determine the development, feasibility and effectiveness of an animation video media and game cards. research and development (r&d) was the research methodology used in this study. r&d is a process or steps to create new products or improve existing products. development research serves as a link between basic research and applied research. research and development (r&d) research is a research method that aims to produce specific products. educational problem research makes it possible to develop and implement more innovative education through educational problem research. research and development, or r&d, is the process of developing a product and assessing its effectiveness (sugiyono, 2019). in developing a product, research is used, which includes a needs analysis and product testing. research and development (r&d), in education produces products that must go through some research so that the media can be used effectively. the development research paradigm employed in this study was the addie development model. analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation are the phases of the addie model (mesra, 2023). figure 1 below shows the addie model in the image that follows. figure 1. the addie model this study was 28 students in fourth grade were subjects, consisting of 14 female and 14 male students. this study used large-group and smallgroup trials. the large group consisted of 22 students and a small group of 6 students at sd negeri wates 01 semarang. location and timing of the research this study was carried out in the central javan province of semarang at sd negeri wates 01, ngaliyan subdistrict. this research location was chosen because observations revealed that students in the fourth grade were still not achieving acceptable educational goals in their english classes. based on this problem, the researcher developed animation video media and game cards to improve students understanding in telling time in english subject grade iv sd n wates 01 semarang. through the development of this learning media, researchers want to know the effect and effectiveness of animation video learning media and game cards to improve students understanding in telling time in english subjects grade iv sd n wates 01 semarang. the research time was conducted in may june 2024. the independent variables in this study are animation video learning media and game cards. the dependent variable is to improve students understanding of telling time in english class iv sd n wates 01 semarang. data collection techniques used in this study are (1) interviews; (2) observation; (3) questionnaires; (4) tests; and (5) documentation. the interview method was conducted to collect data with the teacher as a resource person; the observation method was carried out in class iv during the activity during learning; the researcher took various data from class iv students; the questionnaire method was used to determine the validation of the developed media products addressed to students and class teachers; and the test method was made in the form of pretest and posttest questions used to measure the effectiveness of the product. two experts, namely material and language experts and media experts, conducted interviews, documentation, needs questionnaires, response questionnaires, pretest and posttest questions, and validation sheets. this instrument uses a liket scale with a score interval of 1–5 (pranatawijaya et al., 2019), which is calculated with the following scoring guidelines: ike kurniawati & arif widagdo developing animation videos and game cards for teaching telling time in english to fourth-grade students 282 table 1. eligibility criteria percentage criteria description 86% -100% very feasible without revision 71% 85% feasible revised 56% 70% moderately feasible not feasible 41% 55% not feasible not feasible 25% 40% very unfeasible not feasible data analysis on the development and research of animation video media and game cards to improve students understanding in telling time on english subject in grade iv sd n wates 01 semarang.the data used in the study was taken from one class only because the sample size was less than 40. the research was conducted on both a small and large scale. the small scale amounted to 6 students, and the large scale amounted to 22 students. small sampling using the purposive sampling technique, namely two upperlevel students, two middle level students, and two lower-level students. to use the appropriate statistical test, you must understand the data you have, whether it has a normal distribution or not. if the data has a normal distribution or is close to a normal distribution, then parametric statistical methods are used. meanwhile, if the population data does not have a normal or near normal distribution, nonparametric statistical methods are used. to find out whether the data is normally distributed or not, a normality test is carried out (anam, 2020). in this study, we used a statistical test, namely the normality test, to determine whether the animation video media and game cards are normally distributed or not. a normality test is a statistical test used to test the assumption of a normal distribution in data. population data is said to be normally distributed if the average value collects in the middle, the mode value, and the median are at certain reasonable limits (sintia et al., 2022). the data used in this study are less than 40, so it is more appropriate to use the shapirowilk test because, according to biu, nwakuya, & wonu (2019) kolmogorov-smirnov is more appropriate for large samples or more than 40. while the shapiro-wilk test is more accurate when used for small samples (wahab et al., 2021). the analysis test used by the research is the paired samplet-test which is part of the comparative hypothesis test or comparison test. the data used in the paired samplet-test test is generally interval or ratio scaled data (quantitative data) (fuadi et al., 2022). the paired sample t-test test is used to see if there is a significant difference between the pretest and posttest averages in the one group pretest-posttest design (sukarelawan et al., 2024). in the paired sample t-test test, there is a meaningful or significant difference if the sig value. (2-tailed) <0.05. conversely, there is no meaningful or insignificant difference if the sig. (2-tailed) > 0.05(fuadi et al., 2022). based on the results of the paired-sample ttest between the initial and final understanding of students, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference. therefore, the analysis of changes or improvements in student learning outcomes can be continued using the n-gain test. n-gain test is a commonly used method to measure the effectiveness of a learning or intervention in improving students' learning outcomes (sukarelawan et al., 2024). this method provides a strong foundation for evaluating the extent to which a learning program has contributed to students understanding of telling time material in english. results and discussion researchers in developing animation video media and game cards to improve students understanding in telling time on english subject in grade iv use the addie development design, which consists of 5 stages that include analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (elvitaria et al., 2023). improving current educational resources in the classroom and raising student learning goals are the objectives of this media development. learning media is a tool used by teachers to carry out learning activities more effectively (hasan et al., 2021b) currently, there are many types of learning media. the use of technology in education, especially in learning media, has provided opportunities for teachers and students to improve the quality of education so that they can achieve better results (said, 2023). development of animation video media and game card the first stage analysis is what researchers do. at english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 283 this point, the researchers observed class iv at sd n wates 01 and conducted interviews with the students, and the results obtained indicated the need for new learning media that could attract students attention, especially in english subjects on telling time material and english vocabulary habituation. in this first stage, analyzing what needs are needed by teachers and students is done by interviewing the iv grade teacher of sd negeri wates 01 semarang. based on the needs analysis conducted, it is stated that fourth grade students of sd n wates 01 semarang have difficulty in understanding the material of telling time in english. one of the factors causing this is that students have just received english subjects in class iv so that the teacher is quite difficult in dealing with it. therefore, to help students understand the learning material maximally, an interesting learning media is needed and improve student understanding and learning outcomes. the second stage is design. researchers at this stage start by determining the software and hardware in the development of animation video products and game cards. the software used for animation videos and game cards is the canva and capcut applications, while the hardware is a laptop and an android smartphone. next, design the details of the animation video and game card design according to the character of elementary school students, then organize the material that will be included in the animation video and game cards; design the concept of examples of activities that use time that will be included in the animation video, then design yes or no and hear and circle exercises that aim to hone students understanding of the material presented in the animation video. the game card media is designed with alternating prints (front view for questions and back view for answers), and this game card will have playing rules as well. this animation video media and game cards are made by taking into account several aspects, including media appearance such as image, color, and font selection, ease of media operation, and audio clarity. then design a container for the game cards using the canva application. the third stage is development. in this stage, what researchers do is develop products according to the design made. (1) collection of materials, such as collecting basic materials to develop animation video media such as material, images, text, audio, video, and animation; (2) start making animation videos and add some features to the animation video with canva as follows: choosing the size of the animation video canvas, adding moving animation features, adding images, appropriate elements, voice actors, backsound (on this backsound using the capcut application), and transitions; (3) arranging the animation video starting from the first display, delivery of cp, objectives, pancasila student profile, explanation of material, examples and practice questions, acknowledgments; (4) adding images and interesting elements on the game cards; (5) this game card is made of ivory paper base material because the material is better than buffalo paper and is not harmful to elementary school students; (6) make a container that is used as a game card holder. the results of the development of animation video media can be seen in the picture below : figure 2. the animated video’s first appearance figure 3. display of cp delivery, learning objectives and pancasila learner profile figure 4. display of telling time material delivery figure 5. example of telling time explanation display figure 6. look and say display ike kurniawati & arif widagdo developing animation videos and game cards for teaching telling time in english to fourth-grade students 284 figure 7. example of look and say display figure 8. display of practice questions figure 9. yes or no practice question display figure 10. listen and circle question start display figure 11. listening and circling question display the results of the development of telling time game cards can be seen below : figure 12. the front view of the game card about the instructions for using the game card figure 13. display of how to playcards figure 14. front view of game cards and questions figure 15. the back view of the game card and the answer the way to use the game is as follows: (1) before the game starts, read first how to play the telling time game card. (2) each student gets one card. (3) the number of players is 2 people (in pairs). (4) determine the player who gets the first turn to play. (5) here each player is required to be able to answer the telling time question from his opponent's friend's card. (6) if you can't answer, you will get a score of 0 and if you answer correctly, you will get a score of 1. (7) if you can answer correctly, you must find another opponent (you cannot play with the same person). (8) the game with the telling time game card will win the highest score in the class. the results of the development of the telling time game card container can be seen below figure 16. containers for telling time game cards feasibility of animation video media and game cards telling time the media that has been developed is then validated by media experts, material experts, and language experts, who will assess and state whether the media is valid and feasible to use in learning by using an expert validator assessment questionnaire. the results of the expert validator assessment from these results it can be stated that the animation video media and game cards are very feasible to use in learning because it can be seen from the percentage received by media experts and linguists 87.5% including very feasible criteria and in media experts with a percentage of 93.75% including very feasible criteria. this is in line with research showing that (putri et al., 2022), the addie development model is used to develop animated video-based chemistry english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 285 learning media, which includes analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. the animated video-based chemistry learning small was deemed highly valid or very feasible with an average valid value category of 0.900884, according to the results of the three validators' feasibility test. meanwhile, the average feasibility percentage of 81.16% from the student response questionnaire indicated that it was feasible and did not require revision. the effects of the media response further strengthen the reliability of the media questionnaire conducted by class teachers and fourth grade students of sd negeri wates 01 semarang city. the addie development model is utilized in research (putri et al., 2022) to create animated videos for chemistry learning materials based on student responses in small and large group trials. overall, with an average of 81.16%, it is deemed feasible for use in both indoor and outdoor learning activities. furthermore, studies (maeswaty et al., 2023) discovered that professionals rated the flashcard learning medium as "very feasible" with an average score of 91.7%. this demonstrates how highly viable it is to employ the instructional media created in the classroom. the results of the questionnaire responses of teachers and students of sd negeri wates 01 semarang city to the animation video media and game cards. the results of media responses from teachers and students of sd negeri wates 01 are included in the criteria very feasible because the percentage of media response questionnaires from teachers is 90% and student media response questionnaires are 98%. so according to the media response questionnaire conducted by teachers and students, animation video media and game cards are said to be feasible. effectiveness of animation video media and game cards telling time the fourth stage in the addie model used in this study is the implementation stage. at this stage, the researcher tests the learning media by showing whether the media developed is feasible and effective to use as a tool for learning. the data used to measure the effectiveness of animation video media and game cards is the acquisition of students pretest and posttest scores. the pretest was carried out at the beginning of learning before the use of the animation video media and game cards, then the posttest was carried out after students received learning by using animation video media and game cards. the results of the acquisition of the average pretest and posttest are on a small scale with 6 students the average pretest value is 58.3 and the average posttest is 86.8; then on a large scale with 22 students, the average pretest value is 57 and the average posttest value is 82.8. the fifth stage is evaluation. this stage analyzes the results of pretests and posttests to determine whether animation video media and game cards are feasible and effective for students. the process of increasing students understanding and learning outcomes is measured by comparing the results of students pretest and posttest scores. the first thing to do to determine the feasibility of the media is to conduct a normality test. normality test is a statistical test used to test whether the data distribution is normally distributed, if the data is not normally distributed, you cannot do the next step. the normality test in this study used the shapiro-wilk normality test because the sample used was less than 40 samples (ahadi & zain, 2023). the results of the normality test using the spss 25 application can be seen in table 2 below. table 2. normality test results class pretest sig value posttest sig value description small scale (6 students) 0.362 0.283 normally distributed because > 0.05 large scale (22 students) 0.188 0.476 normally distributed because > 0.05 based on the results of the normality test of students pretest and posttest scores using the shapiro-wilk test, which shows significant results on a large scale for pretest 0.188 and posttest 0.476.then the pretest and posttest values were measured on a small scale using the shapiro-wilk test, which showed significant results on the pretest (0.362) and posttest (0.283). normality testing is said to be normal if the sig value is > 0.05. so from the results of pretests and posttests on a large and small scale, it can be concluded that the pretest and posttest results are normally distributed because > 0.05. after the normality test is carried out and the results are normally distributed, the t-test or paired sample test will be used to see if there is a significant difference between the pretest and posttest data if the data distribution is declared normal. the results of the paired sample t-test conducted using the spss 25 program are shown in table 3 below. ike kurniawati & arif widagdo developing animation videos and game cards for teaching telling time in english to fourth-grade students 286 table 3. paired sample test class sig value (2-tailed) description small scale (6 students) 0,002 there is a significant difference because <0.05 large scale (22 students) 0,000 there is a significant difference because <0.05 based on the t-test table or paired samples test, it is found on a large scale with a significant (2tailed) 0.000 and on a small scale with a significant (2-tailed) 0.002. in the paired sample test, there is a significant difference if the value is <0.05. so it can be concluded that in the paired sample test on a large and small scale, there is a significant difference of <0.05. furthermore, the n-gain test was conducted to find out the effectiveness of animation video media and game cards in the learning process. the n-gain value is calculated using the following equation: description: ideal score: 100 furthermore,it is grouped based on categories (wahab et al., 2021) in the following table 4: table 4. n-gain value category n-gain value category g > 0,7 high 0,3 ≤ g ≤ 0.7 medium 0 < g < 0.3 low g ≤ 0 fail the following is the n-gain test data on product trials using animation video media and game cards in class iv sd negeri wates 01, which can be viewed in table 5. table 5. n-gain test results class n-gain value category small scale (6 students) 0.7512 high large scale (22 students) 0.5925 medium the results of the n-gain data analysis show that the animation video media and game cards have an n-gain value of 0.7512 on a small scale (6 students), which is categorized as high, while the n-gain value is 0.5925 on a large scale (22 students), which is categorized as medium. this shows that animation video media and game cards are effective in learning so that it can improve student understanding and student learning outcomes if in telling time on english subjects. according to the research's conclusions, it is legitimate, practical, and efficient to generate video animation content and game cards to help iv grade english students understand how to tell the time. according to earlier research (h. r. sari & yatri, 2023) using videos with animation in elementary school language instruction can significantly improve learning outcomes as well as student interest and motivation. children can gain various advantages from the use of video animation in primary school instruction, such as improved comprehension, heightened language proficiency, and enhanced creativity. according to research (muryanti, 2022), animation videos are thought to be more appealing to draw in young viewers because they contain both visual and aural elements (sound and images), which can pique young viewers' interest in learning and identifying english. the researcher created an animation video that explains telling time with graphics, elements, animations, and videos, all of which add to the video's unique charm. the animation video uses simple syntax. according to this research, students are highly engaged with the animated videos that have been created with features and motion animations included in each video to compel them to pay attention and comply with all of the instructions. the animated videos in this curriculum help students practice speaking english as well. because the educational animation teaches students to recognize and pronounce the time statement in english. because there are practice questions in the animation video that students must answer right away by speaking, it not only helps students practice their english but also sharpens their critical thinking skills. animation video content is seen immediately on an lcd screen in the classroom utilizing an offline mode, which avoids the need for an internet connection for convenient access. then, using these findings, researchers created media game cards. using these game cards as a learning tool will motivate students more during class. when students engage in games with one another during class activities, they become less obedient, happier, and enthusiastic. this is due to the intriguing design of the game cards, which combine images of clocks, vibrant colors, and questions along with game rules and responses. in order to increase student enthusiasm and prevent boredom throughout the learning process, researchers can identify which students do not english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 287 understand the topic once they begin using this game card. this is because students who are unable to respond to questions will not receive a score. this result is consistent with studies that show using flash card media to study is likely to enhance learning quality, increase students engagement and enthusiasm, and make learning activities more enjoyable (nurfadilah et al., 2023). similarly, studies show that playing card games can produce a more engaging and dynamic learning environment. in order to increase students motivation to learn and to give their position in the classroom greater life (azizah, 2019). researchers have created game cards and animation video media that are flexible enough to let students watch animation movies whenever and wherever they want, without having an internet connection. additionally, the game cards are lightweight and compact, making them easy to bring everywhere and store. the study and a few trial results lead to the conclusion that playing cards and animated videos are appropriate for the purpose of education. conclusion based on the results of research and development of animation video media and game cards to improve student understanding and student learning outcomes in telling time in english subjects for fourth grade students at sd negeri wates 01 semarang, it is declared valid, feasible and effective to use. the validation results were declared very valid by media experts, material and language experts. so the feasibility of animation video media and game cards is feasible to use for the learning process because not only from expert validators but from the results of teacher and student responses after the application of this media gets a good response and falls into the feasible category. then for the effectiveness of this animation video media and game cards, it was tested with a normality test which was normally distributed, then the t test found a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores, and the n-gain test was in the high and medium categories, which means that animation video media and game cards are effective for increasing student understanding and improving student learning outcomes can also be seen from the average value that rose significantly. it is concluded that animation video media and game cards increase students understanding in telling time in english subject. in addition, with this animation video and game cards, students become more active and eager to follow the existing learning because the media used are interesting and also support students ability to speak english and reduce boredom when following the lesson. based on the experience of conducting this research, the researcher provides several suggestions that may be useful for further research. the development for future learning of animation video media uses a more detailed design in each video design that will be made and game cards are made as attractive as possible with designs of various colors and shapes. then class management when the playing cards must also be arranged to be effective and efficient to maximize the achievement of learning objectives and increase student interest so that students understand the importance of learning telling time. make improvements and revisions to the learning media to improve its quality and effectiveness. sharing the research results to the world of education to share knowledge so that it can improve learning practices in other schools. acknowledgments i would like to thank god for his grace in making this possible. i would also like to thank my supervisors for guiding me during the research and preparation of the article; thank you to my parents who fully supported me during the process of preparing the article; thank you to my siblings and friends who have helped the smooth preparation of this article references ahadi, g. d., & zain, n. n. l. e. (2023). pemeriksaan uji kenormalan dengan kolmogorov-smirnov, anderson-darling dan shapiro-wilk. eigen mathematics journal, 11–19. anam, c. (2020). jenis uji statistik untuk analisis hasil penelitian. berkala fisika, 23(4), 115-117. aprianti, r. a. r., rakhmat, c., & indihadi, d. (2023). pengaruh penggunaan video animasi terhadap minat belajar siswa pada tema organ gerakan hewan di kelas v sekolah dasar. jurnal elementaria edukasia, 6(2), 398-407. asnawati, y., & sutiah, s. (2023). pengembangan media vidio animasi berbasis aplikasi canva untuk meningkatkan motivasi belajar siswa. journal of islamic education, 9(1), 6472. azizah, a. r. (2019). pengembangan media kartu loker dalam pembelajaran ips materi keragaman suku bangsa dan budaya kelas iv. jurnal penelitian pendidikan guru sekolah dasar, 7(2), 1–11. cheok, c. s., & ali, a. m. m. (2024). effectiveness of card games in english vocabulary learning among chinese public primary school esl ike kurniawati & arif widagdo developing animation videos and game cards for teaching telling time in english to fourth-grade students 288 students. international journal of emerging issues in social science, arts and humanities (ijeissah), 2(2), 35–45. cholifah, t. n., & saputro, g. i. (2022). pengembangan media pembelajaran vidam (video animasi) pembelajaran tematik untuk meningkatkan minat belajar siswa kelas 3 sd. jurnal primed: primary education journal atau jurnal ke-sd an, 2(2), 120–130. cholik, m., & umaroh, s. t. (2023). pemanfaatan video animasi sebagai media pembelajaran di era digital. jipi (jurnal ilmiah penelitian dan pembelajaran informatika), 8(2), 704-709. darniyanti, y., subhan, m., & hoiriyanti, y. (2023). pengembangan media video animasi pada muatan ips menggunakan aplikasi capcut di kelas v sdn 01 koto baru. didaktik: jurnal ilmiah pgsd stkip subang, 9(3), 870-879. dini, j. p. a. u. (2023). pengembangan video animasi terhadap kecerdasan interpersonal anak usia dini. jurnal obsesi: jurnal pendidikan anak usia dini, 7(1), 1024-1034. elvitaria, l. e., setiawan, d., susanti, l., & syafrizal, s. (2023). pemodelan addie dalam pengembangan kurikulum 13 pada pembelajaran bahasa inggris tingkat sekolah dasar berbasis android. rabit: jurnal teknologi dan sistem informasi univrab, 8(2), 231–246. evangelou, f. (2023). video as an educational tool for teaching and learning for primary school students: a research approach by greek teachers. european journal of education and pedagogy, 4(1), 104–111. farida, c., destiniar, d., & fuadiah, n. f. (2022). pengembangan media pembelajaran berbasis video animasi pada materi penyajian data. plusminus: jurnal pendidikan matematika, 2(1), 53–66. fuadi, n., arif, m., & zelviani, s. (2022). pengaruh kebisingan terhadap frekuensi denyut nadi dan kelelahan kerja menggunakan uji statistik spss pada uji paired sampel ttest. jurnal instek (informatika sains dan teknologi), 7(2), 325-333. hade, o. a., helvina, m., & yufrinalis, m. (2023). meningkatkan hasil belajar ipa materi perubahan wujud benda menggunakan video animasi pada siswa kelas iv sdk 077 kewapante. journal on education, 5(3), 66816687. hapsari, g. p. p. (2021). analisis kebutuhan pengembangan media video animasi berbasis aplikasi canva pada pembelajaran ipa. psej (pancasakti science education journal), 6(1), 22–29. hasan, m., milawati, m., darodjat, d., harahap, t. k., tahrim, t., anwari, a. m., rahmat, a., masdiana, m., & indra, i. (2021a). media pembelajaran. tahta media group. hasan, m., milawati, m., darodjat, d., harahap, t. k., tahrim, t., anwari, a. m., rahmat, a., masdiana, m., & indra, i. (2021b). media pembelajaran. tahta media group. isnaini, s. n., firman, f., & desyandri, d. (2023). penggunaan media video pembelajaran dalam meningkatkan minat belajar matematika siswa di sekolah dasar. alpen: jurnal pendidikan dasar, 7(1), 42-51. jasiah, j., mayasari, m., haniko, p., munisah, e., pebriani, e., apriza, b., & hita, i. p. a. d. (2023). media kartu bergambar untuk anak usia dini: apakah memiliki pengaruh terhadap peningkatan motivasi belajar. jurnal obsesi: jurnal pendidikan anak usia dini, 7(6), 71497157. kurnia, i. r., & sunaryati, t. (2023). media pembelajaran video berbasis aplikasi canva untuk meningkatkan minat belajar siswa. jurnal educatio fkip unma, 9(3), 1357-1363. kusumah, s. n., & de rooij, a. (2023). ecomind: exploring the use of a card game for sustainable design ideation in design education. lestari, a. d., wijayanti, r., susilawati, l., & rochsun, r. (2023). pengembangan media pembelajaran flashcard berbasis akm pada materi perbandingan menggunakan scan qr. jurnal ilmiah matematika realistik, 4(2), 311– 317. maeswaty, a. d., mulyasari, e., & rahmawati, e. (2023). pengembangan media pembelajaran flashcard menggunakan aplikasi canva pada materi membaca permulaan siswa kelas i sd. jurnal pendidikan guru sekolah dasar, 8(2), 11–18. malik, l. a., & maunah, b. (2023). penggunaan video animasi dalam pembelajaran ips guna untuk meningkatkan minat belajar siswa kelas viii di mts miftahul huda ngunut tulungagung. journal of creative student research, 1(4), 238-255. melati, p. s. (2023). implementasi kurikulum merdeka belajar pada sekolah dasar mempengaruhi pada hasil evaluasi belajar peserta didik. proceedings series of educational studies. mesra, r. (2023). research & development dalam pendidikan. mukaromah, l., ningsih, e. f., choirudin, c., & sekaryanti, r. (2023). eksperimentasi model pembelajaran problem posing terhadap kemampuan berfikir kreatif pada materi lingkaran berbantu video animasi. jurnal penelitian tindakan kelas, 1(1), 46-52. muryanti, e. (2022). efektivitas video animasi terhadap pengenalan kosakata bahasa inggris anak usia dini. jurnal pelita paud, 6(2), 216–221. ningrum, a. k. p., khaerunnisa, e., & ihsanudin, i. (2023). lembar kerja peserta didik berbantuan video animasi pada materi sistem persamaan linear tiga variabel. jurnal educatio fkip unma, 9(2), 841-849. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 289 nurfadilah, s., rahma khalisa, p., muniroh, h., jamaludin, u., setiawan, s., fkip, p., sultan, u., & tirtayasa, a. (2023). efektifitas penggunaan media flashcard dalam meningkatkan kemampuan membaca siswa kelas rendah. didaktik : jurnal ilmiah pgsd fkip universitas mandiri, 09(2477–5673). oktavia, d., habibah, n., balti, l., & kurniawan, r. (2023). kurikulum merdeka dan pengajaran bahasa inggris di sekolah dasar: need ansalisis study. jurnal muara pendidikan, 8(1), 257– 265. pebriani, s., & mustika, d. (2023). pengembangan media video animasi kartun kelas v sekolah dasar. jurnal pendidikan tambusai, 7(1), 24682477. pranatawijaya, v. h., widiatry, w., priskila, r., & putra, p. b. a. a. (2019). penerapan skala likert dan skala dikotomi pada kuesioner online. jurnal sains dan informatika, 5(2), 128–137. prasetya, w. a., suwatra, i. i. w., & mahadewi, l. p. p. (2021). pengembangan video animasi pembelajaran pada mata pelajaran matematika. jurnal penelitian dan pengembangan pendidikan, 5(1), 60–68. putri, s. w., taufik, l., & qurniati, d. (2022). spin jurnal kimia & pendidikan kimia pengembangan media pembelajaran kimia berbasis video animasi untuk meningkatkan motivasi belajar siswa sman 1 wanasaba development of chemical learning media based on video animations to increase learning motivation of students of sman 1 wanasaba. spin, 4(1), 58– 66. https://doi.org/10.20414/spin.v4i1.5092 rahmania, d. m., mustafa, a. h., fitriani, h., & handayati, s. (2023). penggunaan media video animasi berbasis capcut sebagai media dakwah dalam pembelajaran pai di sekolah dasar. journal on education, 5(4), 1733617344. sae, h., & radia, e. h. (2023). media video animasi dalam pembelajaran ipa untuk meningkatkan kemampuan berpikir kritis siswa sd. indonesian journal of education and social sciences, 2(2), 65–73. safitri, i., hansyah, p., & siregar, d. a. (2023). implementasi media pembelajaran video animasi ipa berbasis karakter melalui analogy learning. ika bina en pabolo: pengabdian kepada masyarakat, 3(1), 42-51. said, s. (2023). peran teknologi digital sebagai media pembelajaran di era abad 21. jurnal penkomi: kajian pendidikan dan ekonomi, 6(2), 194– 202. santi, s., suryanti, h. h. s., & prihastari, e. b. (2023). efektivitas metode permainan berbantuan media kartu bergambar terhadap hasil belajar peserta didik kelas 1 materi penjumlahan dan pengurangan sd negeri gandekan surakarta tahun ajaran 2022/2023. jurnal pendidikan tambusai, 7(2), 18800–18806. sari, h. r., & yatri, i. (2023). video animasi melalui aplikasi canva untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar bahasa indonesia siswa sekolah dasar. edukasiana: jurnal inovasi pendidikan, 2(3), 159–166. sari, n. n. k., maulida, z. p., & salmawati, a. (2024). pentingnya bahasa inggris pada era globalisasi. karimah tauhid, 3(3), 3685–3692. sintia, i., pasarella, m. d., & nohe, d. a. (2022, may). perbandingan tingkat konsistensi uji distribusi normalitas pada kasus tingkat pengangguran di jawa. in prosiding seminar nasional matematika dan statistika (vol. 2). sugiyono, p. d. (2019). metode penelitian pendidikan (kuantitatif, kualitatif, kombinasi, r&d dan penelitian pendidikan). metode penelitian pendidikan, 67. sukarelawan, m. i., indratno, t. k., & ayu, s. m. (2024). n-gain vs stacking. wahab, a., junaedi, j., & azhar, m. (2021). efektivitas pembelajaran statistika pendidikan menggunakan uji peningkatan n-gain di pgmi. jurnal basicedu, 5(2), 1039–1045. wahyuni, s. (2023). peningkatan hasil belajar membaca permulaan siswa kelas 1 sdn temas 02 batu melalui penerapan metode make a match berbantuan media kartu gambar. jurnal pendidikan taman widya humaniora, 2(1), 329-353. widyana, t., zulfa, n., pras, j., & mukhlasin, a. (2024). manajemen strategi untuk meningkatkan kualitas pendidikan. journal of international multidisciplinary research, 2(1), 79-83. yasa, i. g. s., & sudirman, i. n. (2023). penerapan media flash card dalam meningkatkan kosa kata bahasa inggris anak desa selat peken tahun 2023. innovative: journal of social science research, 3(6), 4122-4137. yulianti, d., & minsih, m. (2022). pengembangan media pembelajaran kartu pak alam berbasis game edukatif ips di sekolah dasar. jurnal basicedu, 6(3), 5086–5096. https://doi.org/10.20414/spin.v4i1.5092 ike kurniawati & arif widagdo developing animation videos and game cards for teaching telling time in english to fourth-grade students 290 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 423 ideology in translation process of news content in english into indonesian: a case of pikiran rakyat daily newspaper imam jahrudin priyanto faculty of teacher training and education, universitas langlangbuana karapitan street 116, bandung, indonesia email: imamjepe@yahoo.com apa citation: priyanto, i. j. (2023). ideology in translation process of news content in english into indonesian: a case of pikiran rakyat daily newspaper. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 423-432. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.8218 received: 27-02-2023 accepted: 28-04-2023 published: 28-06-2023 introduction as technology continues to advance quickly around the world, there is a growing demand for information. higher educated people are interested in the most recent informational advancements, particularly when it comes to topics that interest them, such as politics, human rights, humanitarian challenges, and other topics. the material relates to both domestic and international events, in addition to those that take place in the nation. the public chooses newspapers as their preferred source of information among the different mass media outlets that are readily available in our culture. the public wants accurate information amidst the flood of news that is rushing in all ways. because the editing process is multi-layered and the news they publish can be trusted, formal newspapers are media that can be relied upon. international news continues to hold great interest, particularly when it is connected by psychological proximity, such as parallels in race or religion. human life depends heavily on translation (riyono et al., 2018). knowledge and information are widely disseminated through translation (felisia, 2023). for instance, indonesians, who are predominately muslims, have long paid close attention to the news regarding the palestinians' fight. since the message's contents must be transferred from one language to another, translation is not an easy task (boustani, 2019; hidayati, 2020). according to bassnett, 2022, efendi, and hardjanto, 2023, rosa et al., 2020, sabila et al., 2023, and sari et al., 2022, it is difficult since it must be semantically and stylistically identical. according to supatmiwati and abdussamad (2020), equivalence is related to units of equivalence, which might be morphemes, words, phrases, sentences, idioms, proverbs, etc. however, units that are more complicated than a single word, as well as different linguistic devices and structural elements, can be used to understand meaning (baker, 2018). cultural equivalency (supatmiwati & abdussamad, 2020) and the employment of language tools in particular contexts (kajumova et al., 2018) are significant abstract: this study aims to reveal another side that is more in-depth than just translation, especially translation in print media. in this regard, the researcher studied translation in one of the leading print media in indonesia based in bandung, west java, namely the pikiran rakyat daily news. the researcher explores ideology in maintaining meaning in the translation of news content in pikiran rakyat. this research needs to be done because the translation of international news from english to indonesian for the sake of print media has many dimensions and problems. the research was conducted using descriptive qualitative methods. there are eleven news of the pikiran rakyat examined in this study. the news sourced from foreign news agencies was published in the 2018-2020 range. this research combines two theories, namely translation theory of newmark and critical discourse analysis (cda) theory of van dijk. specifically, this study examines ideology and the maintaining of meaning in translating english news content into indonesian. the results of this study indicate, with the existence of partiality, translation becomes very ideological. this can be seen from the diction, placement of news, and the addition or removal of certain elements in the news. it can be concluded that the translation of international news in pikiran rakyat is very ideological. from the linguistic data studied, it appears that pikiran rakyat consistently carries the ideology of peace. keywords: ideology; meaning; news; translation. imam jahrudin priyanto ideology in translation process of news content in english into indonesian: a case of pikiran rakyat daily newspaper 424 criteria that should be taken into account when translating. the speech and ideology of media institutions are frequently linked to news translation (ethab, 2020). whether or if the lexical meaning is retained during the news translation process has to do with meaning maintenance (felisia, 2023; hadi et al., 2020). it should be known to the general public as well, which is why it is worthwhile to do this study. as allababneh (2021) noted, it's critical to understand the discourse that translators and writers use to communicate their ideologies in order to fully acknowledge ideology in translation and its significance for identifying the authorial component of translators' performance. interaction exists between ideology and translation (bian & li, 2021; min, 2021). numerous academics have extensively discussed and researched the relationship between these two (güldal, 2023). ideology is the translator's paradigm of thought when translating, according to hunadah and lidinillah (2023). in order to convey information to readers clearly, it is essential to have knowledge of ideology in translation (hanani et al., 2021). the ideologies of translating and translating ideologies are two distinct ideas. the source language text's contents, its significance to the reader, and some speech acts in the translated text that discuss the context of the target language and any discrepancies between the two constitute the ideology of translation (hadi et al., 2020). ideological translation, on the other hand, is a translator's intervention in the translation process (shofa et al., 2018). beyond the text, translation ideologies exist (nurlaila et al., 2019). two ideologies, domestication and foreignization, can be used in translation as references to represent ideas correctly (pertiwi et al., 2021). translators typically use foreignization to preserve the integrity of the original text. this concept is used to preserve the author's original voice by making the target text appear as though it were originally written in the source language (jaya, 2021). in contrast, during domestication, a translator makes as many transparent adjustments to the source text as they can (muallim et al., 2023). two fundamental translation ideologies— foreignization and domestication—involve linguistic and cultural perspectives (harared, 2018). people have a tendency to believe news stories that are published in newspapers right away without having sufficient knowledge on how to translate them from english to indonesian or understanding its philosophy. the removal or substitution of sentences when translating news from foreign news organizations takes into account both linguistic correction and media ideology. omission in translation serves to make the meaning implicit as well as generalize it (dickins in alrumayh, 2021) as well as to omit any language that might be considered unpleasant or even just mildly irritating (davies in havumetsä, 2022). this is consistent with ethab's (2020) research showing that the competency of news translators is unimportant because they just adhere to the editorial standards of a news organization. additionally, the process of news translation is quite similar to that of editing and comprises proofreading, editing, revising, polishing, and preparing news materials for publishing (dorrimanesh et al., 2023). not only that, but each translator has a unique worldview based on their perspectives, cognitive abilities, life experiences, cultures, races, societies, and more. according to rujiah et al. (2023), the ideology can influence readers or the public through its application. depending on the translation and the patronage used to play the ideology, this can be positive or detrimental. as a result, the researcher has a good justification for conducting this study. this study attempts to investigate how much ideology can impact how meaning is maintained when translating english-language news information into indonesian. pikiran rakyat newspaper was picked because it is a well-known publication with a lengthy history dating back to 1966. in this study, two important theories— translation theory from newmark (1988) and critical discourse analysis (cda) from van dijk (1983)—are combined. both of these theories suggest that there would be a battle for meaning, a theory that has also been put forth by van dijk. setiawan et al.'s research from 2022 on this subject examines the social cognition, social context, and textual organization of news articles. the findings demonstrated that the news satisfied the criteria for discourse analysis according to van dijk's (1983) model, specifically: macrostructure, superstructure, and microstructure. in a related study, risnawaty et al. (2022) used van dijk's (1983) critical discourse analysis paradigm at the macrostructure level to english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 425 investigate if parallelism in the two versions of the same text presented differences in the global meaning. the outcomes showed that there are some discrepancies between the original english text and the indonesian text. in another study by nurkhazanah et al. (2022), the representations of lee jae-myung and yoon suk-yeol in the chosun and hankyoreh media are examined in terms of the microstructure text dimensions based on van dijk's (1983) theory of critical discourse analysis. the findings showed that the hankyoreh news lacks a number of features, including the semantic component known as presupposition. the following research questions were put forward: (1) how does the pikiran rakyat maintain meaning through translation strategies in translating news content in english into indonesian? (2) how does the pikiran rakyat maintain lexicogrammatical meaning in the translation of news content in english into indonesian? (3) what ideology emerged from the translation of news content in english into indonesian? method this study proposes the answers to the three problems studied. the three problems are the maintaining meaning carried out by pikiran rakyat through a translation strategy in translating english-language news content into indonesian; the maintaining meaning carried out by pikiran rakyat lexicogrammatically; and the ideology that emerged from the translation of news content in english into indonesian. this study uses a qualitative approach because the translation units studied are at the lexicogrammatical level, namely words, phrases, clauses, and sentences. it can also be said that this study is a descriptive qualitative research because the data presented emphasizes meaning and can provide a more real understanding than numbers. this research instrument is determined through: (1) the policy of editor-in-chief of pikiran rakyat (2018-2021) noe firman rachmat regarding the translation process applied in pikiran rakyat that translation is adapted to the context prevailing in indonesian society. (2) the relationship between the policy and the result of the translation, is it consistent? this is where the urgency of this research is because it will reveal how far media ideology can influence the linguistic aspect, namely the maintaining meaning. the data were analyzed using translation theory from newmark (1988) and critical discourse analysis theory (cda) from van dijk (1983). qualitative research is analytical descriptive in nature, the data obtained such as observations, document analysis, or field notes compiled by researchers at the research location, are not stated in the form of numbers. researchers perform data analysis by enriching information, looking for relationships, comparing, and finding patterns on the basis of the original data. the results of data analysis in the form of exposure to the things studied are presented in the form of narrative descriptions. creswell (2018) explain that qualitative research is a study that employs a natural environment with the goal of comprehending the events that take place. a qualitative approach is crucial for comprehending a social phenomenon. the research process generates verbal and written descriptions of the things or people being observed as descriptive data. on the other hand, this research explores the lexicogrammatical aspects thoroughly, completely, and in detail. this research also prioritizes objectivity because the data disclosed and analyzed are data that actually exist and become news material in pikiran rakyat daily. the choice of pikiran rakyat as the data source is based on the fact that pikiran rakyat daily is a national-scale newspaper published from west java. the data used in this study are in the form of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences in the news published as international news in pikiran rakyat daily, bandung. the research data sources are: documents, namely news data that has been published by the foreign affair desk of pikiran rakyat daily. the data were selected according to the interests of this research, namely news (especially politics, human rights, humanitarian issues, and international relations) that contain relatively heavy ideological content, for example news about conflicts in the middle east involving palestine and israel, or political conflicts in superpowers such as the united states, russia, turkey, iran, iraq, and so on. international coverage from various news agencies, namely leading news agencies such as reuters (uk) and associated press (us). these well-known news agencies routinely supply news to pikiran rakyat daily every day, including their photos. imam jahrudin priyanto ideology in translation process of news content in english into indonesian: a case of pikiran rakyat daily newspaper 426 in the following, the researcher conveys eleven news headlines that are the research material. the eleven selected news titles are as follows. table 1. translated news titles number news titles 1 australia recognises west jerusalem as israeli capital 2 khashoggi murder: calls to remove saudi crowne prince ’a red line’ 3 macron warns of rising nationalism as world leaders mark armistice 4 russia ’meddled in all big social media’ around us election 5 pentagon prepares to welcome once-banned indonesian minister, despite rights concerns 6 novel coronavirus survives 28 days on glass, currency, australian researchers find 7 uk study tests if bcg vaccine protects against covid 8 iraqi president salih condemn attempt to breach us embassy 9 ugandans melt plastic waste into coronavirus face shield 10 nagorno-karabakh: iran warns of ’regional war’ as fighting rages 11 us unleashes sanctions on iran, hitting oil, banking and shipping the data were analyzed using newmark's (1988) translation strategy to see the lexicogrammatical elements of the english text as the source language to the indonesian text as the target language. it will also be seen which words are translated lexically and words that are translated with the influence of the ideology of pikiran rakyat daily results and discussion this section presents two main subsections, namely data analysis and findings, and discussion. the data and findings analysis subsection displays the findings and results of the analysis during the research. meanwhile, the discussion subsection aims to answer three research problems, namely how pikiran rakyat maintains meaning through translation strategies in translating english-language news content into indonesian; how pikiran rakyat maintains meaning lexicogrammatically; and what ideologies emerge in the translation of news content in english into indonesian. data analysis and findings the following shows the findings and analysis of research data, namely from the aspect of maintaining meaning through translation strategies, maintaining meaning through lexical strategies, and maintaining meaning through grammatical strategies. maintaining meaning through translation strategies this section describes the translation strategies applied to the translation of news content from english to indonesian. of the 17 strategies written by newmark (2001), only four were used in the translation of the texts discussed in this study, namely literal translation, transposition, modulation, and recasting sentences. the following table 2 shows the frequency of occurrence of translation strategies. table 2. frequency distribution of maintaining the meaning through translation strategies frequency percentage literal translation 5 19,23 transposition 6 23,08 modulation 11 42,31 recasting sentence 4 15,38 total 26 100 the following is a visualization of the frequency distribution of maintaining meaning through translation strategies according to the research data. figure 1. frequency distribution of maintaining the meaning through translation strategies from the analysis of the translations carried out, it appears that modulation, transposition, literal translation, and recasting sentence are the most frequently used. for details, from a total english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 427 of26 samples for translation strategies, literal translation appears 5 times or 19.23 percent of the 26 samples. translation with transposition strategy appears 6 times or 23.08 percent. the modulation translation strategy (point of view variation) appeared the most, namely 11 times or 42.31 percent. while the strategy of recasting sentences appeared 4 times or 15.38 percent of the total 26 samples for the translation strategy. . maintaining meaning through lexical strategy lexical strategy is an important thing that cannot be separated from lexical cohesion. lexical cohesion is obtained by choosing a suitable vocabulary. there are several lexical strategies, such as repetition, synonymy, antonymy, hyponymy, collocation, and equivalence. table 3 below shows the frequency and percentage of occurrences of hyponymy and equivalence. table 3 frequency distribution of lexical strategies of maintaining the meaning lexical strategies of maintaining the meaning frequency persentage (%) hyponymy 1 9 equivalency 10 91 total 11 100 figure 2. frequency distribution of lexical strategies of maintaining the meaning maintaining meaning through grammatical strategy the following table 4 describes the use of grammatical strategies of maintaining meaning in translating news from english to indonesian in pikiran rakyat. substitution occurs most often, which is 11 times or 42 percent of the total sample in that section. table 4. distribution of grammatical strategies of maintaining the meaning grammatical strategies of maintaining the meaning frequency percentage (%) substitution 11 42 ellipsis 8 31 conjunction 1 4 passivation 1 4 nominalization 1 4 substitution & ellipsis 4 15 total 26 100 figure 4. distribution of grammatical strategies of maintaining the meaning in this study, it was revealed that the realization of the various strategies, especially the realization of substitution and ellipsis, mostly occurred in the headline or news lead, or at the most, the second paragraph of the translated news text. changes to the title, either through substitution or ellipsis, have a very strong ideological content. from the various data that have been studied, it seems true that there is a consistent pattern shown by hu pikiran rakyat when presenting international news translated from various sources. all of them refer to the same thing, namely pikiran rakyat wants to show its uniqueness as a media that carries the ideology of peace. pikiran rakyat daily has also shown its consistency to always support government policies on various issues, both at home and abroad. issues concerning palestine have always received the attention of pikiran rakyat. this ideology is in line with the state policy to always support palestinian independence. when there are other countries in the news that support israel's policy, pikiran rakyat will consistently frame the news so that palestinians feel calm and feel supported. it also has a good effect on bilateral relations between indonesia and palestine. when australia supported the ratification of west jerusalem as the capital of israel and it endangered the existence of palestine on the international political stage, pikiran rakyat came up with a big news framing entitled the imam jahrudin priyanto ideology in translation process of news content in english into indonesian: a case of pikiran rakyat daily newspaper 428 world criticizes australia's recognition. with the title of the news, pikiran rakyat showed its side with the palestinian struggle. based on the data revealed in this study, the team of translators and editors at the foreign affair desk of pikiran rakyat also showed a strong intention to add material needed to complement the news that had been adapted to its ideology. judging from the news content, this legendary newspaper in west java carries the ideology of peace. meanwhile, the translation ideology (ti) analysis of all study units, both translation strategies, lexical strategies, and grammatical strategies shows that the domestication ideology is more dominant with 45 occurrences, while the foreignization ideology only appears 18 times in the analyzed research samples. thus, it is clear that the translated news in pikiran rakyat is more oriented towards the target language text or more prioritizing the interests of the readers. likewise, from the data and facts that have been studied in this study, including the descriptions in other segments regarding the results of this research, it is clear that the ideological attitude of pikiran rakyat. even though there were only eleven international news analyzed, the trend remained the same because the data showed substitution strategies and ellipsis were present in every translated news in pikiran rakyat. even the two grammatical strategies are present together in one news, four times. from any translation strategy, the dominant one is the modulation or the variation of point of view between the text writer and the translator. modulation appears 11 times or 42.31 percent of the total sample on meaning retention through translation strategies. in the modulation translation strategy there is a transfer due to the movement of meaning due to changes in the way or point of view and mindset between the text writer and the translator. the modulation and transposition strategies show the strong role of the translator in determining the translated text that leads to a certain ideology. the role of modulation and transposition is stronger than literal translation and recasting sentence. from the various stages that have been carried out, in terms of maintaining meaning in terms of translation strategies, this study found that there are four strategies used by the translation team and editors of pikiran rakyat in various international news, namely literal translation, transposition, modulation, and recasting sentences. based on the research conducted, modulation is most often used by the translation team/editor of pikiran rakyat with a frequency of 11 occurrences or 42.31 percent of the total 26 samples used to study translation strategies. transposition is in second place with a frequency of 6 occurrences or 23.08 percent. literal translation is in third place with a frequency of 5 occurrences or 19.23 percent. the fourth position is occupied by recasting sentences with a frequency of 4 occurrences or 15.38 percent. from this research, it was revealed that the team of translators and editors at the foreign affair desk of pikiran rakyat daily, consciously or not, used more grammatical strategies. of the six strategies or techniques, five of them are used by pikiran rakyat team. only reference techniques are not used. the data is very suitable to answer research question number 1 about the translation strategy used by pikiran rakyat in translating news content in english into indonesian. when associated with newmark's theory of translation, the strategies most often used by pikiran rakyat are modulation, transposition, literal translation, and recasting sentences. research question number 2 is how pikiran rakyat maintain lexicogrammatical meaning in translating english-language news content into indonesian. the answer is, pikiran rakyat try their best to maintain the meaning lexicogrammatically if the news does not contain a heavy ideological burden. if there is an ideological burden, the priority is the ideological aspect so that the commitment to the lexicogrammatical paradigm is reduced or "flexible". while research question number 3 is about ideology that arises from the translation of news content in english into indonesian, it was only read at the final stage of this research, that pikiran rakyat is a media that carries the ideology of peace. conclusion this conclusion directly answers the research objective, namely to reveal ideology in maintaining meaning in the translation of englishlanguage news content into indonesian, a case study in pikiran rakyat daily. from all the analyzes that have been done (translation strategy, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 429 lexical, grammatical), it is clear that pikiran rakyat carries the ideology of peace. this was preceded by the finding that all these analyzes lead to a tendency to accommodate the interests of the reader so that the reader feels comfortable and feels a sense of peace. even from the choice of words, pikiran rakyat tend to prioritize the humanitarian aspect, avoid conflict, and show resistance to parties who are antipeaceful. it can also be seen from the linguistic data, both in the title and in the body of the translated news. tendentious and provocative words are "adjusted" into words that are more neutral and do not cause unrest in the community. from their choice of words, the translation team/editor of pikiran rakyat also did not want the public to be restless when reading news concerning islam and the struggles of the islamic community, including the struggle of the palestinian people who want to defend their ancestral land from israeli occupation. therefore, the news about islam is placed in accordance with the proportions so as not to cause unrest in the community. for example, even though the source text contains the phrase radical islamic terrorism (foreign media use capital letters at the beginning of words), pikiran rakyatdoes not translate it like the source text because that designation will hurt the feelings of muslims who are the majority citizens in indonesia, including pikiran rakyat readers. with its reporting style, pikiran rakyat consistently carries the ideology of peace. acknowledgement at the end of this article, the researcher would like to thank the mentors who have provided direction during the research, namely mr. h. dadang sudana, m.a., ph.d., mr. iwa lukmana, m.a., ph.d., mr. wawan gunawan, m.ed., ph.d., prof. dr. syihabuddin, m.pd., and prof. dr. rudi hartono, s.s., m.pd. the researcher also expresses a sincere gratitude to the editor-inchief of pikiran rakyat (2018-2021) mr. noe firman rachmat who has given written permission so that researchers can carry out this research as well as possible. the researchers also thanked mr. syamsul bachri who always helped procure the materials or texts needed in this research, both in english (source language) and news in indonesian (target language). references allababneh, a. m. (2021). translator’s ideology and translation choices in political conflict: do translators have their say? international journal of linguistics, literature and translation, 4(6), 217-224. alrumayh, a. (2021). translation by omission and translation by addition in english-arabic translation with reference to consumer-oriented texts. international journal of comparative literature and translation studies, 9(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijclts.v.9n.1p.1. baker, m. (2018). in other words: a coursebook on translation (third edition). routledge. bassnett, s. (2022). translation studies (3rd edition). taylor & francis. bian, j., & li, x. (2021). the interaction between ideology and translation. in proceedings of the 2nd international conference on education, language, literature, and arts (icella 2021) (pp.443-446). atlantis press. boustani, k. (2019). the correlation between translation equivalence, as a vocabulary learning strategy, and tunisian efl learners’ speaking anxiety. languages, 4(19), 1-24. creswell, j. w. (2018). research design: qualitative, quantitative & mixed methods approach. sage publications, inc. dorrimanesh, p., aqili, s. v., & aghagolzadeh, f. (2023). news translation: a unique form of communication production. journal of language and translation, 13(1), 193-208. efendi, l., & hardjanto, t. d. (2023). modulation in the idiom translation from english to indonesian in the novel rich people problems. salee: study of applied linguistics and english education, 4(1), 249-261. https://doi.org/10.35961/salee.v4i1.570 ethab, h. (2020). hidden hands: an initial force in political news translation. journal of critical studies in language and literature, 1(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.46809/jcsll.v1i1.1 felisia, r. r. s. (2023). indonesian translation equivalence of action verbs on linkedin homepage template. international journal of educational research & social sciences, 4(1), 1-7. güldal, b. k. (2023). investigating the influence of ideology on translation: a critical discourse analysis of slogans of cosmetic brands and their turkish translations through gender lens. çeviribilim özel sayısı, söylem(şubat 2023), 403-421. hadi, m. z. p., suhendra, e., & miswaty, t. c. (2020). translation ideology and techniques used in indonesian version of agatha christie’s endless night novel. humanitatis: journal on language and literature, 6(2), 231-250. hanani, n. a., amirah, n. a., najihah, n., & eizzah, s. (2021). ideology in translation. i-win library, 2021, 1-8. imam jahrudin priyanto ideology in translation process of news content in english into indonesian: a case of pikiran rakyat daily newspaper 430 harared, n. (2018). foreignization and domestication ideology in cultural term translation of novel tuesday with morrie: category household goods and house surroundings. jurnal arbitrer, 5(2), 54-59. https://doi.org/10.25077/ar.5.2.5459.2018 havumetsä, n. (2021). a comparative study of information change in translation of nonfiction literature. translation matters, 3(1), 8–24. https://doi.org/10.21747/21844585/tm3_1a1. hidayati, n. n. (2020). analysis of translation techniques, methods, and ideology on children’s bilingual story books. alsuna: journal of arabic and english language, 3(2), 96-114. hunadah, s., & lidinillah, m. k. (2023). analysis of translation techniques and ideology in olaf's frozen adventure movie subtitles. jelp: journal of english language and pedagogy, 2(1), 39-53. jaya, d. (2021). translation ideology in literary translation: a case study of bram stoker’s dracula translation into indonesian. wacana, 21(3), 424–445. https://doi.org/10.17510/wacana.v21i3.987 kajumova, d. f., sadykova, a. g., aleeva, g. h., zakirova, l. r., kolpakova, g. v., galeeva, l. i., & arslanova, g. a. (2018). the adequacy of the reflection of the comic by means of another language: translation equivalence and adequacy. modern journal of language teaching methods (mjltm), 8(2), 182-189. min, f. (2021). a critical study on translation of the analects: an ideological perspective. international journal of translation, interpretation, and applied linguistics, 3(1), 45-54. muallim, m., mujahidah., & daulay, r. (2023). unfolding translation strategy and ideology in literary work. inspiring: english education journal, 6(1), 1-11. newmark, p. (1988). a textbook of translation. prentice hall. newmark, p. (2001). approaches to translation. pergamon press. nurlaila., nababan, m., djatmika., & santosa, r. (2019). translation ideology recommendation for translating vultural issues in children comics from english into indonesian: crossing the borders between language and culture of slt and tlt. in t. kerr, b. ndimande, j. v. der putten, d. f. johnson-mardones, d. arimbi, & y. amalia (eds.), urban studies: border and mobility (pp. 73-78). taylor & francis group. nuzkhazanah, l. a., darmayanti, n., & lukman, f. (2022). representation of yoon suk-yeol and lee jae myung in south korea presidential election news: a critical discourse analysis. lire journal (journal of linguistics and literature), 6(2), 177-198. pertiwi, c. k., al-arief, y., & febriyanti, e. r. (2021). translation ideology in translating narrative text: a case study on efl students’ translations. in proceedings of the 2nd international conference on education, language, literature, and arts (icella 2021) (pp.37-42). atlantis press. risnawaty, r., sembiring, m., fadilah, i., subagiarti, h., & hasibuan, a. (2022). macrostructure analysis of indonesian-translation and source texts of the world health organization’s covid19 pandemic guidance. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 12(2), 533-544. riyono, a., emzir., & lustyiantie. (2018). investigating ideology through lexical choice: a critical discourse analysis of the translated novel “the dancer” and the original “ ronggeng dukuh paruk”. journal of education teaching and learning, 3(1), 82-86. rosa, r. n., zainil, y., & amri, z. (2020). equivalence problems in the translation of student translators. in international conference on economics, business and social (pp. 1-7). eai press. rujiah, s., hartono, r., & sutopo, j. (2023). ideology in the english indonesian translation of kwan’s crazy rich asia. international journal of scientific and research publications, 13(2), 368-381. sabila, q., jumanto, j., & asmarani, r. (2023). translation equivalence of hyperbolic expression used in iphone 14, iphone 14 pro, and iphone se 2022 official webpages. education quarterly reviews, 6(1), 515-528. sari, n., arifuddin., & baharuddin. (2022). the equivalence in the translation of english idiomatic expression into indonesian by students of english education department university of mataram. culturalistics: journal of cultural, literary, and linguistic studies, 6(1), 48-58. setiawan, f., prasetya, a. d. a., & putra, r. s. (2022). analisis wacana kritis model teun van dijk pada pemberitaan kasus pencabulan santri oleh anak kiai jombang dalam media online. kembara: jurnal keilmuan bahasa, sastra, dan pengajarannya, 8(2), 224-237. shofa, k. a., yuliasri, i., & mujiyanto, y. (2018). the rendering of ideology in the english-indonesian translation of brontё’s jane eyre. language circle: journal of language and literature, 13(1), 23-33. supatmiwati, d., & abdussamad, z. (2020). equivalencein news headlines translation: english headlines rendered into bahasa indonesia in bbc web news. humanitatis: journal on language and literature, 6(2), 251272. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 11, issue 2, june 2023 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 431 van dijk, t. a. (1983). discourse analysis: its development and application to the structure of news. journal of communication, 33(2), 20-43. imam jahrudin priyanto ideology in translation process of news content in english into indonesian: a case of pikiran rakyat daily newspaper 432 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 769 distance learning in developing indonesian migrant workers’ english-speaking skills of pkbm ppi taiwan heri heryono1, ida zuraida supri2, atri nadia astarina3, hendar4, meita l. sujatna5, ananda insan firdausy6 1,2,3,4,5 english department, faculty of humanities, universitas widyatama, bandung, indonesia 6 national taiwan university science and technology, keelung rd, taipei city, taiwan corresponding author: heri.heryono@widyatama.ac.id apa citation: heryono, h., supri, i. z., astarina, a. n., hendar., sujatna, m. l., & firdausy, a. i. (2025). distance learning in developing indonesian migrant workers’ english-speaking skills of pkbm ppi taiwan. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 769-778. http://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11847 received: 09-02-2025 accepted: 29-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 introduction global labor migration continues to redefine the educational needs of mobile populations, especially among low-skilled workers from southeast asia. indonesia, as one of the largest labor-exporting countries in the region, contributes significantly to the foreign workforce in taiwan. indonesian migrant workers are employed in caregiving, domestic services, and industrial sectors where language barriers present daily challenges. while their economic role is undeniable, their linguistic marginalization remains a major constraint to career advancement and social integration (hedman & fisher, 2025; vassallo, 2024). prior research has shown that expectations for rapid linguistic assimilation often occur without sufficient educational scaffolding (migliarini & cioè-peña, 2024; maqsood et al., 2024). this exclusionary tendency positions language not only as a communication tool but also as a gatekeeper of opportunity (martin et al., 2024). the rhetoric of inclusion in host countries rarely translates into pedagogical reality for migrants. although many national education systems claim to promote equity, the lived experience of migrant learners often reveals systemic rigidity. in france and new zealand, for instance, mainstream classrooms fail to accommodate the language needs of newly arrived students (smythe, 2024; chen & buckingham, 2024). teachers’ relational agency is increasingly recognized as critical in navigating these tensions (kim & kang, 2024; buchert et al., 2024). however, relying solely on individual educators without systemic support leads to uneven educational outcomes (pantić et al., 2024). what remains lacking is an ecosystem that aligns institutional structures, teacher agency, and learner context. abstract: this research explores the practices of distance learning in enhancing english speaking skills among migrant workers at the community learning center (pkbm-ppi) in taiwan. the research purpose is to understand how remote educational strategies are tailored to meet the unique needs of migrant workers, who often face challenges such as irregular work schedules and limited access to educational resources. using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines quantitative data from preand post-course assessments with qualitative insights from participant interviews and instructor feedback. key findings indicate that the integration of technology, such as mobile learning applications and online discussion forums, significantly improves learners' engagement and speaking proficiency. additionally, the flexibility of distance learning programs allows workers to balance their educational pursuits with occupational demands. the study concludes that well-structured distance learning initiatives, supported by interactive and accessible content, can effectively develop english speaking skills among migrant workers, contributing to their personal and professional growth. the findings provide valuable insights for educators and policymakers aiming to implement effective language learning programs in similar contexts. keywords: distance learning, speaking proficiency, migrant workers mailto:heri.heryono@widyatama.ac.id heri heryono, ida zuraida supri, atri nadia astarina, hendar, meita l. sujatna, ananda insan firdausy6 distance learning in developing indonesian migrant workers’ english-speaking skills of pkbm ppi taiwan 770 in both physical and digital spaces, migrant workers face pervasive language-based discrimination, which limits their access to training, advancement, and belonging. these barriers are compounded in multilingual environments where workplace hierarchies privilege dominant languages (back & piekkari, 2024; nigar & kostogriz, 2024). intercultural and sensory literacies have been proposed as solutions, yet implementation remains inconsistent (kim & kang, 2024; fernández-corbacho et al., 2024). for female migrants in particular, the intersection of language, gender, and emotional wellbeing creates complex vulnerability (isik & birmek, 2025). language education must therefore attend not only to functional proficiency but also to emotional safety and cultural affirmation. failure to do so risks reproducing systems of exclusion under the guise of skill development. the covid-19 pandemic accelerated the mainstreaming of distance learning, opening up educational possibilities for time-constrained adults. migrants, especially those juggling work and irregular hours, can benefit from the flexibility and autonomy afforded by online platforms (walldén, 2024; essa et al., 2024). emerging technologies—ranging from generative ai to virtual reality—present new avenues for multimodal, interactive instruction (creely et al., 2025; kostoulas, 2024). research from embodied pedagogy and performative teaching further shows that experiential learning can improve language retention among migrants (piazzoli & dalziel, 2024; liu, 2025). these insights push us to consider distance learning not as a technical solution, but as a socio-pedagogical shift that demands a rethinking of design, delivery, and discourse. the theoretical foundations of this study rest on two key paradigms: communicative language teaching (clt) and needs-based curriculum design. both emphasize the learner’s context, purpose, and participation in shaping language instruction. studies in korea and new zealand highlight how social roles and lived experiences shape migrant learners’ engagement with english (cho, 2025; shen & choi, 2024). for older learners, english acquisition intersects with past educational traumas, self-perception, and digital anxiety (chen & buckingham, 2025; boothe, 2024). indonesian cases demonstrate the need to localize curriculum through cultural narratives and occupational relevance (yundayani et al., 2025). therefore, a purely skills-based approach is insufficient; pedagogy must be transformative, dialogic, and attuned to learners’ positionalities (susanto et al., 2024). innovative instructional strategies have started to address these multidimensional needs. gamified platforms and multiplatform delivery have improved retention rates among foreign language learners in southeast asia (irfan & arifin, 2025; fahzaria et al., 2024). however, these must be guided by robust needs analysis, a process that identifies learners’ motivations, constraints, and communication contexts (putri & santoso, 2024; mahendra et al., 2024). legal insecurity continues to threaten the continuity of learning for many migrants, particularly those in informal sectors or undocumented positions (earlyana & aung, 2025). without policy protection and psychosocial support, even the most innovative programs remain fragile. therefore, effective language education for migrants must be both pedagogically grounded and structurally safeguarded. in countries like malaysia and south korea, research emphasizes the critical role of intercultural communicative competence in migrant language learning. indonesian workers in these regions report barriers not only in comprehension but in pragmatic fluency across diverse workplaces (kuswandi et al., 2024; chaudhary et al., 2024). real-world language tasks—such as filling medical forms or explaining technical instructions—require functional, contextualized instruction (ko et al., 2025; mulyanah et al., 2024). social media platforms like tiktok have even been leveraged to teach pronunciation and idiomatic expressions (mohamad et al., 2024; ibnu et al., 2024). while creative, such tools require integration into a structured curriculum to ensure coherence, progression, and meaningful assessment. post-pandemic educational reconstruction must address the digital divide that disproportionately affects migrant populations. indonesian workers abroad often lack reliable access to devices, connectivity, or digital fluency, which hinders full engagement in online education (djatmika et al., 2024; duraisingam et al., 2024). successful models from singapore and japan show that translanguaging and cultural mediation can bridge linguistic gaps and affirm learner identity (virk, 2025; srimulyani & lim fui yee, 2024). informal education centers and community-based instruction have also proven effective, particularly when they position learners as knowledge holders and active participants (suwanda et al., 2024; wisnujati et al., 2024). thus, educational equity english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 771 must be redefined not merely as access to content, but access to meaning-making. pkbm ppi taiwan exemplifies a promising community-based initiative aimed at serving indonesian migrant workers' educational needs. yet, there remains a research gap on how distance learning can be operationalized to develop english speaking proficiency in this specific setting. studies suggest that interactive materials, real-life themes, and peer collaboration can improve learner engagement (awary et al., 2024; arum, 2024). moreover, adult learners tend to invest more effort when instruction aligns with workplace needs and personal growth goals (sari et al., 2024; nun & armin, 2025). children of migrant workers, too, face challenges in acquiring english without adequate home or school support (alamsyah et al., 2025; lestari et al., 2024). these intersecting factors underscore the urgency of designing inclusive, flexible, and needs-responsive learning models. given this background, the present study addresses a critical gap in the literature: how can distance learning be designed to enhance english speaking skills among indonesian migrant workers in taiwan? grounded in communicative pedagogy and needs-based curriculum, the research explores the effects of flexible scheduling, contextualized instruction, and self-learning materials (arum, 2024; sari et al., 2024). it also investigates the technological and socio-emotional barriers that hinder engagement and retention. how do learners navigate online platforms while balancing their demanding work schedules? what role does curriculum design play in sustaining motivation and communicative confidence? these questions are explored through an inductive, qualitative lens grounded in migrant experiences (nun & armin, 2025). this study contributes both theoretically and practically to the fields of migrant education, digital pedagogy, and language teaching. by offering empirical insights into a successful community learning model in taiwan, it provides a replicable framework for migrant-focused english instruction (alamsyah et al., 2025). the integration of needs analysis, communicative teaching, and mobile accessibility demonstrates how pedagogy can be responsive without sacrificing rigor (lestari et al., 2024). ultimately, the study argues that distance learning—when rooted in empathy, relevance, and co-agency—can serve as a vehicle for equity and empowerment in transnational labor contexts (alamsyah et al., 2025). method scientific publications, bibliographic indexes, and databases like scopus, science direct, research gate, and the web of science were the primary and secondary sources used in this research. this study employs a qualitative descriptive approach to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with the effectiveness of post-pandemic distance learning. qualitative descriptive research aims to provide a comprehensive summary of a phenomenon, capturing participants' experiences, perceptions, and perspectives in their own words. this approach is particularly suited to our research objectives, as it allows for an in-depth exploration of the topic without imposing theoretical interpretations on the data (creswell, 2009). the data was collected through questionnaires and focus group discussions. semi-structured interviews were also conducted individually with each participant to explore their perceptions and experiences with their english skills and distance learning. interview guides were developed to cover topics such as the perceived opportunities, challenges, and impact of distance learning on teaching and learning practices (zhang & gillespie, 2023). additionally, focus group discussions were organized to facilitate group interactions and generate collective insights on the research topic. participants were grouped according to their stakeholder category (i.e., educators, students, collaborators), with each focus group consisting of four to six participants. discussions were moderated by the research team and guided by predetermined discussion prompts. figure 1. qualitative research method (ugwu, chinyere. n. and eze val, 2017) this research did not establish explicit research questions at the beginning of the study since qualitative research is frequently exploratory and doing so may force their framework onto the research context. it began the study with only a research purpose and conceptual framework, and a sense of the initial focus of interest. they then heri heryono, ida zuraida supri, atri nadia astarina, hendar, meita l. sujatna, ananda insan firdausy6 distance learning in developing indonesian migrant workers’ english-speaking skills of pkbm ppi taiwan 772 prefer to enter the research setting, become familiar with the context and the participants, and ascertain what participants think the main issues and problems are, before determining their specific research questions. these questions are modified and refined, and the research design is developed, as their understandings of the research setting, participants, and research focus mature (obeyd, 2021). results and discussion the need for mastery of english skills by indonesian migrant workers in taiwan has been increasing due to the great professional or career development opportunities offered by its mastery. nevertheless, enhancing english proficiency for indonesian migrant workers, particularly in taiwan is still challenging for several reasons. responding to the challenges, a distance learning program was conducted. according to frank (2008) and lowenthal, et. al. (2021), distance learning is defined as an instructional system in which the teacher and students are physically separated by space and sometimes time. this instructional design allows the teaching-learning program to occur even though the teacher and students are not on the same site. this research aimed to reveal the practices of distance learning for developing indonesian migrant workers’ english skills. in conducting this research, several steps were taken. the first step was a survey. the survey was conducted by interviewing the headmaster of the learning center of ppi taiwan and distributing questionnaires to the indonesian migrant workers who are students of the learning center. these steps were conducted at the beginning of the program to identify the student’s background, the student’s english proficiency levels, the needs of the student’s english speaking skills, and their condition to join the distance learning. based on the survey, it was found that the majority of the migrant workers are graduates of junior high school level who have been pursuing their senior high school level. apart from pursuing their education at the learning center of ppi taiwan, they are also caregivers who mostly work until 8 pm taiwan time. according to the data, it was found that 12 % of participants’ english proficiency level was elementary while the rest of 88% of the participants’ english proficiency level was beginner. starting from the data obtained from the preliminary research, several points were decided to optimize the practices of distance learning for improving indonesian migrant workers’ english-speaking skills. the points are 1) adjusting the virtual meeting application and the learning time; 2) developing a needs analysisbased curriculum; 3) implementing a communicative approach to develop migrant workers’ speaking skills; 4) providing self-learning materials; and 5) evaluating the process. since the students of the learning center who became the participants of this research are workers in taiwan, this learning project was decided to be conducted using a virtual communication method. according to yi, y & moon, r.h (2021), virtual communication methods involve the use of technology such as video telephony and communication systems that allow virtual meetings or meetings that are carried out from a distance, without any physical contact or movement. hence, a virtual meeting application named google meet was selected due to its accessibility. the majority of the participants were only capable of utilizing this application. thus, googlemeet was chosen to ease the learning process as referring to the function, technology should accommodate the needs of students’ learning. it was in line with özudogru (2021) who stated that technology allows the personalization of learning experiences that can fulfill individual student needs and learning styles, potentially leading to better outcomes. the virtual communication method not only allows the distance learning process but also allows the time flexibility of the learning process. considering the working time of the participants, the learning time of this program was adjusted to be conducted at night after their working time so that it could accommodate their needs without having to leave their duties. even though the learning time was adjusted, it was revealed that few participants had to participate in the class from their work and even interrupted the learning process due to the duty they had to do. nevertheless, they were all very enthusiastic to participate in the learning process despite any disturbance during their participation. developing needs analysis-based curriculum the next part of this program was developing a curriculum that was suitable for the individual needs of the participants. starting from the basic assumptions that the curriculum development should take the analysis of learners' needs into account, the development of this program curriculum was initially conducted by collecting information about the learners’ or participants’ needs, which is called needs analysis. needs analysis was stated by richard, j.k (2001) as a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 773 significant phase of an educational programs plan since the 1960s as it was part of the curriculum development system approach and educational accountability philosophy. the needs analysis in this program was conducted by interviewing the head of the ppi learning center in taiwan and distributing questionnaires to the participants' candidates. some questions were administered involving the students’ educational background, occupation, previous history of learning english, english proficiency level, motivation to learn english, and availability to participate in this program. the data requirement was in line with some of the concepts of needs stated by valle, a. b. (2016) that needs in this case refer to demands, motivations, goals, wishes, requirements, constraints, preferences, and communicative situations. the needs analysis process in this program was executed qualitatively. valle, a. b. (2016) said that needs can be collected and analyzed using quantitative or qualitative and inductive or deductive methods. the program that was conducted in eight meetings was designed based on topics or themes. this was also known as thematic curriculum. the thematic curriculum was defined by finch, c.r. et. al. (1997) as “a set of organized learning experiences such as programs, courses, and other school-sponsored activities that provide students with exposure to a broad, predominant content theme”. it was in accordance with the needs analysis result indicating the migrant workers' tendency in using english for supporting their daily life communication. to accommodate their needs, several topics or themes that were considered essential for their communication were selected. this selection took the daily life contexts into account. it was in line with the theory stated by finch, c.r. et. al. (1997) that the consideration of context is an essential aspect in developing a thematic curriculum. context would help students to relate to the materials taught which would result in more effective material comprehension. implementing communicative approach to develop migrant workers’ speaking skills considering the goals of this learning program in developing migrant workers’ english-speaking skills, it was decided to employ a communicative approach in the teaching-learning process. the communicative approach or communicative language teaching (clt) is an approach that emphasizes meaningful communication and interaction in teaching languages (loumbordy, l, 2018). hence, the students or participants were encouraged to be exposed to and practice communication in different contexts. by providing students with a real communicative context, the students would have more opportunities to exchange information in which the communication occurred, so any students’ communicative competence including languages would emerge to the situation (toro, v, et. al, 2018). there were six meetings with different topics taught by an instructor in each class for every meeting. the objective of every lesson was to enable students to talk about certain topics in the context of daily life. as the focus of the program was speaking skills, the lesson in every meeting was planned to provide students with more speaking practice. after being equipped with the vocabulary and expressions needed, the students were drilled to pronounce the vocabulary and expressions correctly and appropriately. however, all of them were conducted by previously eliciting the students to say so. this was to keep the students centered. this was then enhanced by the speaking practices which allowed the students to practice their english communication skills. this finding was in accordance with a theory proposed by richards and rodgers (2014) regarding three elements of the communicative approach. the elements are 1) the communication principle which focuses on implementing real communication; 2) the task principle which focuses on utilizing language to carry out meaningful tasks; and 3) the meaningfulness principle which emphasizes meaningful learning. the teaching and learning process in this program attempted to consider the three elements of the communicative approach as previously explained to achieve the learning objectives optimally. as a result, based on the observation and interview with some students or participants, it was revealed that students’ confidence in speaking english was highly improved due to the frequent english exposure and practice they got. additionally, their speaking skills also developed quite well. apart from that, this program was participated in by two classes which each consisted of 25 participants. the participants were indonesian migrant workers originating from different cultures and areas in indonesia and working in different areas in taiwan. the fact that they were from diverse cultural backgrounds in indonesia and various recent working areas in taiwan allows the students to have wider ideas and enhance their cross-cultural communication skills. this thing surely supports the positive impacts of the communicative approach. heri heryono, ida zuraida supri, atri nadia astarina, hendar, meita l. sujatna, ananda insan firdausy6 distance learning in developing indonesian migrant workers’ english-speaking skills of pkbm ppi taiwan 774 providing self-learning materials this distance learning program was undeniably constrained by limitations. the limitations were due to some aspects, such as lack of learning program duration, lack of students’ focus, and lack of students’ monitoring. first, the learning program duration was limited as it was only a short program of community service overseas and could be only conducted virtually. second, there was a lack of student focus as many participants still had to work during the learning program time. third, the previous two limitation aspects resulted in a lack of student monitoring. the student’s progress in english speaking skills could not be optimally monitored because of the physical absence of the instructor and students in place. to anticipate the aforementioned problems, the students were provided with self-learning materials that could be reviewed by them outside the learning program schedule. in addition, there was a chatting room of a whatsapp group that enabled the students or participants to ask, consult, or discuss with the instructors and peers. in this case, selflearning materials were used as media that could represent the real teachers/instructors when the students were away or outside the learning program time. patel, h. & singh, s. (2022) asserted that self-learning material facilitates distance learners to have the same learning experiences as a student in a classroom and could even help them to learn independently. on the point of that, providing self-learning materials was significant for the students of distance learning. providing assessment and evaluation to ensure the students’ speaking skills development, assessment and evaluation were executed. assessment and evaluation were critical parts of the teaching-learning process that could not be neglected and left. assessment refers to the process of collecting data regarding what students can do, while evaluation is the process that follows this data collection, including the process of analysis, reflection, and decisions to make for the student’s future progress according to the data (meidasari, v.e., 2015). hence, the assessment was conducted during and at the end of the teaching-learning process. the purpose of this assessment was to see the students’ speaking skills development during and after the process of treatment. the assessment of students’ speaking skills tried to focus on how the students can interact or communicate in certain contexts with good comprehension and fluency, sufficient vocabulary, and accurate grammar as well as pronunciation. it was in line with nunan (1999) in rahmawati, y & ertin (2014) who viewed speaking as a skill that requires linguistic competence such as pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar, strategic competence that refers to the use of various strategic ways to overcome the communication barriers, and sociolinguistic/ cultural competence that requires the speakers to use the language appropriately according to the context. conclusion indonesian migrant workers constitute a considerable segment of taiwan's labor force, contributing to its economy while supporting their families in indonesia. over time, they have become integral to taiwanese society, engaging in diverse occupations and industries. mastery of the english language presents a significant opportunity for indonesian migrant workers in taiwan. unfortunately, most indonesian migrant workers in taiwan possess only basic english skills. acknowledging the pivotal role of english proficiency, the introduction of distance learning initiatives emerges as a promising solution. welldesigned curriculum and interactive learning modules cater to the specific needs and constraints of migrant workers, enabling them to learn at their own pace and convenience. in the aftermath of the covid-19 pandemic, which emphasized the significance of remote learning, there is an opportunity to leverage distance education in addressing the educational needs of indonesian migrant workers in taiwan. however, amidst the opportunities, challenges such as technological barriers and cultural sensitivities need to be navigated to ensure the effectiveness and inclusivity of post-pandemic distance learning initiatives for this vulnerable demographic. indonesian migrant workers in taiwan often face significant barriers due to limited access to technology and unreliable internet connectivity. this digital disparity impedes their ability to engage effectively in online learning programs aimed at improving english proficiency, thus hindering their prospects of accessing better employment opportunities and advancing their careers. another issue pertains to the inadequacy of support infrastructure and guidance mechanisms for indonesian migrant workers participating in distance learning endeavors. by internet access, students have access to a wealth of resources beyond what may be available in traditional classrooms, including online libraries, educational websites, and multimedia content. distance english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 775 learning breaks down geographical barriers, enabling students to access education from institutions worldwide. in fact, not all students have equal access to reliable internet connections and necessary devices, creating a digital divide that exacerbates educational inequality. distance learning may lead to feelings of isolation and a lack of social interaction, which are crucial for holistic development and peer-learning. post-pandemic distance learning holds great potential to revolutionize education by offering flexibility, access to resources, and innovative teaching methods. the research was conducted to give english training especially for migrant workers in taiwan. distance learning platforms facilitate access to courses and materials from institutions around the world. distance learning fosters collaboration among students from different parts of the world. students could build global networks of peers, educators, and professionals. the primary premise is that capabilities are constructed using a standard set of technological features and tool functionality. this online collaborative model is described as a process or action that researchers must do to assist students in algorithms and programming courses in learning in groups, participating, interacting, and cooperatively completing a task. this indicates that the use of technology adds more variables to the mix when it comes to developing learning experiences and teaching methods. limited immediate feedback in distance learning refers to the challenge of providing timely and personalized feedback to students due to the asynchronous nature of online education and the lack of face-to-face interaction between students and instructors. by this phase, instructors may have limited time to provide feedback to each student individually, especially in courses with large enrollments. furthermore, some digital platforms used for distance learning may have cumbersome feedback processes, requiring instructors to navigate multiple steps or interfaces to provide feedback on student work. this complexity can slow down the feedback cycle and contribute to delays in response times. without physical access to labs, workshops, or studios, students may miss out on the chance to develop practical skills and apply theoretical knowledge in real-world contexts. this limitation could hinder their ability to compete in the job market or pursue further studies in specialized fields. scientific publications, bibliographic indexes, and databases like scopus, science direct, researchgate, and the web of science were among the primary and secondary sources used in this research. this study employs a qualitative descriptive approach to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with the effectiveness of post-pandemic distance learning. qualitative research method (ugwu, chinyere. and eze val, 2017). it began the study with only a research purpose and conceptual framework, and a sense of the initial focus of interest. they then prefer to enter the research setting and become familiar with the context and the participants, and ascertain what participants think the main issues and problems are, before determining their specific research questions. acknowledgment this research is funded by the widyatama foundation and widyatama university through the research and community services (lp2m) of widyatama university. references alamsyah, a., santosa, s., mutaat, m., gustary, d. t., & asniati, a. c. (2025). just running away: the english literature’s perceptions of being a global worker. jurnal pendidikan bahasa, 14(1), 32– 52. arum, n. e. (2024). “only this time in english”: local language learning investment of multilingual migrant engineers. apples – journal of applied language studies, 18(1), 45–66. awary, n., aji, t. s., wasil, m., fisabilillah, l. w. p., hanifa, n., hutabarat, r. e., & restikasari, w. (2024). community services for the children of migrant laborers through informal education to support sdgs in hulu kelang selangor learning places. international journal of community service, 4(2), 140–144. back, h., & piekkari, r. (2024). language-based discrimination in multilingual organizations: a comparative study of migrant professionals’ experiences across physical and virtual spaces. journal of world business, 59(3), 101518. boothe, d. (2024, november). navigating english learning for migrant and immigrant students in the usa. in conference proceedings. innovation in language learning 2024. buchert, u., wrede, s., & kouvonen, a. (2024). persisting inequalities in the digitalized society: migrant women facing coercive dimensions of everyday digitalization. information, communication & society, 27(5), 935–950. chaudhary, m. n., lim, v. c., faller, e. m., regmi, p., aryal, n., mohd zain, s. n., … & sahimin, n. (2024). assessing the basic knowledge and awareness of dengue fever prevention among migrant workers in klang valley, malaysia. plos one, 19(2), e0297527. heri heryono, ida zuraida supri, atri nadia astarina, hendar, meita l. sujatna, ananda insan firdausy6 distance learning in developing indonesian migrant workers’ english-speaking skills of pkbm ppi taiwan 776 chen, y., & buckingham, l. (2024). go-along language teaching: a pedagogical approach for older learners in esl contexts. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 1–14. chen, y., & buckingham, l. (2025). the englishlanguage learning difficulties of older migrants in new zealand: a life course perspective. educational gerontology, 51(1), 57–71. cho, e. (2025). narrative analysis of english language learning in intra-national migration in korea: a case study on the development of academic literacy. system, 133, 103767. creely, e., barnes, m., tour, e., henderson, m., waterhouse, p., pena, m. a., & patel, s. v. (2025). exploring attitudes to generative ai in education for english as an additional language (eal) adult learners. recall, 37(2), 174–190. creswell, j. (2009). topic 9 qualitative research methods. research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, 105–122. djatmika, mohamad, b., santosa, r., & wibowo, a. h. (2024). intercultural communicative competence among indonesian migrant workers in malaysia: a qualitative exploration. frontiers in sociology, 9, 1321451. duraisingam, t. j., veerakumaran, b., arumugam, m., muniandy, s., & rafique, r. b. (2024). right to education for children of indonesian migrant workers living in plantations in sabah – understanding the gaps. international journal of migration, health and social care, 20(3), 459– 475. earlyana, n., & aung, k. l. l. (2025). a legal protection of indonesian non-procedural migrant workers involved in illegal activities of the online scammer in cambodia. indonesian journal of labour law and industrial relations, 2(01), 31–44. essa, s., kaplan, j., huang, s., lazarescou, n., banu, s., du, y. b., & shrestha, s. (2024). premigration and post-migration protective factors in refugee resettlement—a qualitative study. journal of international migration and integration, 25(1), 465–481. fahzaria, n. a., suwarsi, s., fadhila, s. a., & pebriyanto, w. (2024). management of crosscultural communication barriers for indonesian migrant workers in south korea. komunikator, 16(1), 81–94. fernández-corbacho, a., cores-bilbao, e., & florarasil, p. (2024). ethnocultural empathy development of future language teachers through digital multiliteracy resources for low-literacy adult migrants. frontiers in psychology, 15, 1398457. finch, c. r., et. al. (1997). designing the thematic curriculum: an all aspects approach. national center for research in vocational education, university of california, berkeley. hedman, c., & fisher, l. (2025). critical multilingual language awareness among migrant students: cultivating curiosity and a linguistics of participation. journal of language, identity & education, 24(1), 87–102. ibnu, f., anas, a., & saleh, r. (2024, january). indonesian migrant workers and human investment for global competitiveness. in southeast asian conference on migration and development (seacmd 2023) (pp. 50–63). atlantis press. irfan, r. i., & arifin, y. (2025). enhancing foreign speakers’ satisfaction in learning indonesian language with a gamified multiplatform approach. informatics, 12(1), 11. isik, o., & birmek, y. (2025). silent struggles: understanding the emotional impact of language barriers on middle eastern migrant women in inner-city london, uk. kim, y., & kang, j. (2024). building trusting relationships and reciprocal community: inquiries into teachers working for and with undocumented migrant parents. equity & excellence in education, 57(3), 333–345. kim, y., & kang, j. (2024). culturally, linguistically, and legally relevant caring for undocumented migrant children and their families. journal of early childhood teacher education, 45(2), 215–231. ko, y., kyeongjae, p., jung, s., sosrohadi, s., & andini, c. (2025). revisiting eps topik: addressing linguistic and cultural challenges for migrant workers in south korea. international journal of current science research and review, 8(2), 904–910. kostoulas, a. (2024). challenging normative influences in refugee and migrant education: reflections of a trainee teacher cohort. teaching and teacher education, 139, 104454. kuswandi, i., ridwan, m., surur, m., shohenuddin, s., & asmoni, a. (2024). curriculum construction for the education of indonesian migrant workers’ children in malaysia. jurnal pendidikan progresif, 14(3), 2161–2175. lestari, d., maghfiroh, a., & mustikawati, d. a. (2024). motivation of learning english: a case of indonesian migrant workers’ children in malaysia. ta’dib, 27(1), 1–12. liu, g. l. (2025). digital empowerment for rural migrant students in china: identity, investment, and digital literacies beyond the classroom. recall, 37(2), 215–231. loumbourdi, l. (2018). communicative language teaching (clt). in the tesol encyclopedia of english language teaching (eds j.i. liontas, t. international association and m. dellicarpini). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt016 7 mahendra, j. w., maghfiroh, a., harmanto, b., & hatmoko, d. (2024). the effectiveness of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 777 scrabble games to promote vocabulary achievement of migrant workers’ children in malaysia. journal of languages and language teaching, 12(2), 963–973. maqsood, m., zahid, a., asghar, t., farooqi, s. u. h., & shahbaz, m. (2024). issues in teaching english in a cultural context. migration letters, 21(4), 1020–1027. martin, s., horgan, d., o’riordan, j., & maier, r. (2024). refugee and migrant children’s views of integration and belonging in school in ireland – and the role of microand meso-level interactions. international journal of inclusive education, 28(13), 3214–3233. meidasari, v. e. (2015). the assessment and evaluation in teaching english as a foreign language. indonesian efl journal, 1(2), 224-231. migliarini, v., & cioè-peña, m. (2024). performing the good (im)migrant: inclusion and expectations of linguistic assimilation. international journal of inclusive education, 28(11), 2490–2509. mohamad, b., santosa, r., & wibowo, a. h. (2024). intercultural communicative competence among indonesian migrant workers in malaysia: a qualitative exploration. frontiers in sociology, 9, 1321451. mulyanah, e. y., ahmad, a., & ishak, i. (2024). tiktok: how the application became the motivation for online learning for efl students during the covid-19 pandemic in indonesia. theory and practice in language studies, 14(4), 1264–1273. nigar, n., & kostogriz, a. (2024). navigating affective and sensory fluidity in plurilingual and intercultural pedagogies in english language and literacy classrooms. the australian journal of language and literacy, 47(3), 379–401. nun, n. a., & armin, d. s. (2025). an analysis of listening skill difficulties faced by children of indonesian migrant workers in malaysia. ideas: journal on english language teaching and learning, linguistics and literature, 13(1), 877–890. obeyd, s. (2021). research methods in linguistics: an overview. studies in linguistics, culture, and flt, 9(1), 54–82. https://doi.org/10.46687/silc.2021.v09i01.004 pantić, n., sarazin, m., coppe, t., oral, d., manninen, e., silvennoinen, k., … & li, s. (2024). how do teachers exercise relational agency for supporting migrant students within social networks in schools from scotland, finland, and sweden? teaching and teacher education, 139, 104442. patel, h., & singh, s. (2022). effectiveness of selflearning materials in distance education system. gap bodhi taru. vol. v. issue iii. piazzoli, e., & dalziel, f. (eds.). (2024). performative language learning with refugees and migrants: embodied research and practice in the sorgente project. taylor & francis. putri, m., & santoso, d. (2024). the objective learning english in indonesia. pebsas: jurnal pendidikan bahasa dan sastra, 2(2), 10–18. rahmawati, y., ertin. (2014). developing assessment for speaking. ijee, 1(2). sari, n. e., djatmika, e. t., wahyono, h., & wardoyo, c. (2024). we prefer to work abroad than to school: the relationship between educational dilemma and economic conditions of indonesian migrant workers' families in ponorogo. jurnal ekonomi pendidikan dan kewirausahaan, 12(2), 251–272. shen, y., & choi, j. y. (2024). profiles of home language experiences of spanish-english dual language learners in migrant and seasonal head start programs. early childhood research quarterly, 68, 148–158. smythe, f. (2024). school inclusion, young migrants and language: success and obstacles in mainstream learning in france and new zealand. journal of multilingual and multicultural development, 45(7), 2543–2556. solihin, r., muin, m. t., & iqbal, m. (2021). distance learning: the effectiveness studies in college students. qalamuna: jurnal pendidikan, sosial, dan agama, 13(1), 57–72. https://doi.org/10.37680/qalamuna.v13i1.709 srimulyani, n. e., & lim fui yee, b. (2024). culture shock and adaptation strategies of indonesian migrant workers in the japanese agriculture field. international journal of social sustainability in economic, social & cultural context, 20(2). susanto, a., pohan, a. e., ratnasari, s. l., & fadhillah, s. (2024). english language learning among indonesian engineers: a bourdieu’s theory analysis. in forum for university scholars in interdisciplinary opportunities and networking (vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 638–648). suwanda, b. s., harmanto, b., maghfiroh, a., & shohenuddin, s. (2024). tiktok trick: improving students’ pronunciation of indonesian migrant workers’ children in malaysia. journal of languages and language teaching, 12(2), 974–984. toro, v. , et.al. (2018). the use of communicative language teaching approach to improve students’ oral skills. english language teaching; 12(1), 110-120. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n1p110 ugwu, chinyere. n. and eze val, h. u. (2017). international digital organization for scientific research idosr. idosr journal of science and technology, 3(1), 37–46. www.idosr.orgasuketal valle, a. b. (2016). needs analysis for curriculum design. the routledge handbook of english for academic purposes (pp.562-578). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/29151 6502_needs_analysis_for_curriculum_design heri heryono, ida zuraida supri, atri nadia astarina, hendar, meita l. sujatna, ananda insan firdausy6 distance learning in developing indonesian migrant workers’ english-speaking skills of pkbm ppi taiwan 778 vassallo, b. (2024). the role of the school leader in the inclusion of migrant families and students. educational management administration & leadership, 52(1), 171–188. virk, a. (2025). beyond babel: translanguaging in digital literacy education for indonesian migrant domestic workers in singapore. available at ssrn 5259213. walldén, r. (2024). adult migrants’ voices about learning and using swedish at work placements in basic language education. studies in the education of adults, 56(1), 43–65. wisnujati, a., wijaya, n. h., wardana, l. k., & rahaman, m. (2024). towards enhancing the capabilities of indonesian migrant workers in taiwan through the development of soft skills and preparation for self-reliance. in shs web of conferences (vol. 202, p. 01001). edp sciences. yi, y.; moon, r.h. (2021). sustained use of virtual meeting platforms for classes in the postcoronavirus era: the mediating effects of technology readiness and social presence. sustainability 2021, 13, 8203. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158203 yundayani, a., syafri, f., & izzati, a. n. (2025). indonesian language for foreign speakers (bipa): industry-oriented material development needs analysis. soscied, 8(1), 73–85. zhang, z., & gillespie, c. (2023). the impact of teaching and learning changes during the covid-19 pandemic on the post-pandemic era. acm international conference proceeding series, 256–262. https://doi.org/10.1145/3606094.3606116 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 765 pronunciation variability of english dental fricatives among sundanese learners in different academic disciplines jasmine nadira awwali master’s degree student in linguistics department, faculty of cultural sciences, universitas padjadjaran, indonesia email: jasmine21008@mail.unpad.ac.id lia maulia indrayani linguistics department, faculty of cultural sciences, universitas padjadjaran, indonesia e-mail: lia.maulia@unpad.ac.id rosaria mita amalia linguistics department, faculty of cultural sciences, universitas padjadjaran, indonesia e-mail: rosaria.mita.amalia@unpad.ac.id apa scitation: awwali, j. n., indrayani, l. m., & amalia, r. m. (2024). pronunciation variability of english dental fricatives among sundanese learners in different academic disciplines. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 765-776. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9951 received: 22-02-2024 accepted: 21-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: clear pronunciation is a critical component of successful communication, essential for developing both speaking and listening skills. however, pronunciation challenges often arise due to differences between written and spoken forms of a language, as well as the influence of a speaker's native language. this study examines the production of english dental fricative consonant sounds by sundanese students from english and non-english departments at widyatama university, indonesia. the study aims to identify common pronunciation errors and their causes, comparing students who have extensive english training with those who do not. a qualitative descriptive method was employed, supported by content analysis, to analyze the pronunciation of 10 students—five from each department. the findings reveal significant differences in pronunciation accuracy between the two groups, with english department students generally performing better. common errors include the substitution of dental fricatives with alveolar stops and labiodental fricatives with bilabial plosives. the primary causes of these errors are attributed to insufficient practice, lack of phonetic awareness, and interference from the native sundanese language. this research highlights the need for targeted pronunciation training and increased phonetic awareness to improve english pronunciation skills among nonenglish majors. keywords: english dental fricatives; language interference; pronunciation errors; sundanese students; phonetic awareness. introduction in recent years, there has been increasing attention on pronunciation challenges faced by english language learners, especially those whose first language has significantly different phonetic structures. aji et al. (2023) emphasized that vocabulary acquisition is intrinsically linked to pronunciation proficiency, as students often struggle with phonetic aspects of new words. this connection between vocabulary and pronunciation highlights the multifaceted nature of language learning difficulties. previous studies have extensively explored pronunciation problems among english learners. aji et al. (2023) highlighted the difficulties students face in building english vocabulary, which indirectly affects their pronunciation. alsaqqaf et al. (2023) investigated the self-concept of chinese efl learners and its impact on their pronunciation skills, emphasizing the psychological aspects influencing pronunciation. amalia and amin (2023) focused on secondsemester english department students' awareness of their pronunciation problems, underscoring the need for heightened phonetic awareness. ambalegin and arianto (2018) examined the mispronunciations of english vowels and consonants by an indonesian public figure, identifying the influence of the native language on pronunciation errors. similarly, ambalegin and afriana (2023) discussed the importance of word stress in english pronunciation, which is often mailto:jasmine21008@mail.unpad.ac.id mailto:lia.maulia@unpad.ac.id mailto:rosaria.mita.amalia@unpad.ac.id jasmine nadira awwali, lia maulia indrayani, & rosaria mita amalia pronunciation variability of english dental fricatives among sundanese learners in different academic disciplines 766 overlooked but crucial for clarity. annisa and wariyati (2023) emphasized the role of pronunciation in overall fluency, highlighting that clear pronunciation is a key attribute of effective communication. babajanova and babadjanova (2023) identified challenges and potential solutions in teaching english pronunciation as a second language in uzbekistan, pointing out the universal nature of these difficulties. benjamin-ohwodede et al. (2024) evaluated the effectiveness of hybrid learning in pronunciation pedagogy in nigeria, showing that innovative teaching methods can enhance pronunciation skills. emmanuel et al. (2022) analyzed the uniqueness of ghanaian english pronunciation, particularly focusing on dental fricative sounds, revealing common substitution errors similar to those found in other non-native english speakers. fernández et al. (2024) conducted a comparative study on pronunciation instruction methods, finding that explicit phonetic instruction significantly improves learners' pronunciation accuracy. haris and asmayanti (2023) investigated the pronunciation challenges faced by first-year english students at universitas muhammadiyah makassar, revealing that lack of exposure and practice are major contributing factors. hoang et al. (2023) explored the use of ai chatbots in improving vocational students' english pronunciation, demonstrating the potential of technology in language learning. khoshmuratovna (2023) provided a comprehensive overview of common pronunciation problems faced by esl and efl students, highlighting the persistent issue of mother tongue interference. kurniawan and thren (2024) examined the influence of the mother tongue on english pronunciation among indonesian efl learners, identifying specific phonological interferences. kusuma (2018) emphasized the need for integrating english pronunciation practice into regular language learning activities to mitigate these errors. lestari et al. (2024) studied the impact of digital tools on improving students' english pronunciation, finding that technology-enhanced learning environments significantly benefit pronunciation skills. luthfianda et al. (2024) explored the pronunciation challenges faced by indonesian university students, particularly in producing english fricative sounds, and suggested targeted instructional strategies to address these issues. manurung et al. (2024) used the elsa speak application to diagnose english vowel and consonant pronunciation errors among english department students, demonstrating the effectiveness of digital pronunciation aids. mesfer et al. (2024) conducted an error analysis of undergraduate students' english pronunciation, identifying common mistakes and their underlying causes. nguyen (2023) investigated the difficulties in teaching pronunciation to first-year english majors at dong nai university, highlighting the need for specialized training for pronunciation instructors. nirwana and suhono (2023) studied phonological interference in english pronunciation among buginese and javanese students, providing insights into regional linguistic influences on english learning. octaviani et al. (2024) examined the impacts of first language on students' english pronunciation, finding that mother tongue interference remains a significant challenge. phany and dara (2024) investigated pronunciation problems faced by teacher-trainees at the national institute of education in cambodia, suggesting that early intervention and targeted training can mitigate these issues. purnama et al. (2023) focused on detecting mispronunciations of non-native postgraduate students of english language education in indonesia, emphasizing the importance of continuous pronunciation practice. putri et al. (2023) analyzed vowel pronunciation errors among grade ix students, highlighting the need for early phonetic training. qizi and umedovich (2023) discussed americanbased pronunciation standards and their application in esl teaching. ramzan and javaid (2023) explored psychological factors influencing pashto-speaking esl students' pronunciation of english vowels, suggesting that affective factors play a crucial role in pronunciation accuracy. simanjuntak et al. (2023) used the elsa speak application to diagnose english pronunciation errors among students, demonstrating the utility of digital tools in pronunciation instruction. sultan (2023) identified key english pronunciation difficulties for egyptian efl learners, providing a detailed analysis of common errors and their causes. tegris (2020) analyzed the causes of english pronunciation problems within the framework of ki hadjar dewantara's educational concepts, emphasizing the need for culturally responsive teaching methods. vukićević and ćirković-miladinović (2023) explored the use of instructive musical exercises in improving english pronunciation, highlighting the potential of alternative instructional methods. zayniddinovna (2023) discussed the challenges of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 767 teaching pronunciation to young learners, suggesting that early phonetic awareness is crucial for long-term pronunciation accuracy. wahyuni et al. (2024) examined the effectiveness of using pop songs on youtube for improving students' pronunciation mastery, demonstrating the benefits of engaging and interactive learning materials. dewi et al. (2024) analyzed english pronunciation among sixth-grade students, emphasizing the importance of early phonetic instruction. awadh et al. (2024) discussed the role of phonetics instruction in improving pronunciation in yemeni efl classrooms, suggesting that systematic phonetic training is essential for accurate pronunciation. awadh et al. (2024) discussed the role of phonetics instruction in improving pronunciation in yemeni efl classrooms, suggesting that systematic phonetic training is essential for accurate pronunciation. khurshidovna and ismoilovna (2024) addressed the problems and solutions in experimental phonetics, providing practical recommendations for improving pronunciation instruction. jihad and damayanti (2024) examined pronunciation patterns among english education students, focusing on segmental sounds and word stress. yu (2024) evaluated the quality of english pronunciation using a decision tree algorithm, demonstrating the potential of machine learning in pronunciation assessment. prahaladaiah and thomas (2024) studied the effects of phonological and phonetic interventions on english pronunciation proficiency, highlighting the importance of targeted interventions. abellio (2024) investigated pronunciation deviations among agriculture students, emphasizing the need for specialized pronunciation training in specific academic fields. idayani et al. (2024) conducted an error analysis of students' pronunciation using the ipa application, demonstrating the effectiveness of digital tools in diagnosing pronunciation errors. ramadani et al. (2024) examined the impact of the resso application on improving pronunciation among senior high school students, highlighting the benefits of using technology in language learning. sañudo (2024) provided a manual for understanding and improving english pronunciation, offering practical tips for learners and teachers. saidkodirovna (2024) discussed linguistic interference in teaching english pronunciation, emphasizing the need for awareness and mitigation strategies. ahmad et al. (2024) investigated the influence of mother tongue on english pronunciation in a specific regional context, providing insights into local linguistic challenges. aredidon et al. (2024) described the intelligibility of fossilized english pronunciation among mentor teachers, highlighting the importance of continuous professional development. mir and afsar (2024) examined pronunciation constraints of syllable stress-coloration in pakistani english, suggesting targeted interventions for improving pronunciation accuracy. farhan and hadi (2024) evaluated the use of the read aloud feature from microsoft edge in improving students' pronunciation abilities, demonstrating the benefits of digital tools in language learning. kizi (2024) discussed challenges encountered by students while learning english speaking, emphasizing the need for comprehensive pronunciation training. suciati et al. (2024) conducted an error analysis of diphthong sounds in english pronunciation, highlighting common mistakes and their causes. brown (2024) critiqued the jet programme as a vehicle for english pronunciation teaching, suggesting areas for improvement to enhance pronunciation instruction by native speakers. benjamin-ohwodede et al. (2024) evaluated hybrid learning methods for pronunciation pedagogy, finding that blended approaches can effectively enhance pronunciation skills. despite these extensive studies, there remains a significant research gap in understanding the pronunciation errors specific to sundanese students, particularly those studying in both english and non-english departments. previous research has not sufficiently addressed how different academic environments influence pronunciation skills. this study aims to fill this gap by examining the production of english dental fricative consonant sounds by sundanese students from different academic backgrounds. the novelty of this research lies in its comparative approach, assessing pronunciation errors in both english and non-english department students. by focusing on sundanese students, this study adds to the existing body of knowledge on how native language interference and academic training impact english pronunciation. the findings of this research will provide valuable insights for educators to develop targeted pronunciation training programs that cater to the specific needs of students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. this study aims to identify common pronunciation errors and their causes among sundanese students, comparing the performance of those in english and non-english departments. by jasmine nadira awwali, lia maulia indrayani, & rosaria mita amalia pronunciation variability of english dental fricatives among sundanese learners in different academic disciplines 768 addressing the existing research gap and providing novel insights, this research contributes to the broader understanding of pronunciation challenges and potential solutions in efl contexts. method this study employs a qualitative descriptive method supported by content analysis to examine the pronunciation of english dental fricative consonant sounds by sundanese students from english and non-english departments at widyatama university, bandung, indonesia. the analysis aims to identify common pronunciation errors and their causes, focusing on the sounds /θ/, /ð/, /f/, and /v/. the participants of this study were 10 students from widyatama university, consisting of 5 students from the english department and 5 students from the accounting department. these students were selected because they were in their seventh and eighth semesters, ensuring they had sufficient exposure to english phonology and economic terminology. data collection was carried out using a combination of recording, listening, and notetaking techniques. each participant was asked to pronounce a list of 40 economic terms in english, selected from the oxford dictionary of economics 5th edition (hashimzade, myles, & black, 2017). this list included 11 specific terms containing the target dental and labiodental fricative sounds. first, participants were recorded while pronouncing the selected terms. the recording was conducted transparently, with each participant providing consent by signing a consent letter. this ensured ethical considerations were met, and participants were fully aware of the study's purpose. second, participants completed a demographic questionnaire to provide background information, including their area of origin, mother tongue, and daily language usage. this additional data helped in understanding the context of each participant's pronunciation patterns. the recorded pronunciations were transcribed and analyzed using krippendorff's (2004) content analysis technique. this method involved several steps. initially, the audio recordings were transcribed to capture the exact pronunciations of each participant. each fricative sound was then identified and categorized as either correctly pronounced or mispronounced. mispronunciations were classified based on the type of error (e.g., substitution, omission) and the specific phonological processes involved. the causes of pronunciation errors were interpreted, considering factors such as lack of practice, phonetic awareness, and native language interference. finally, the findings were synthesized to draw conclusions about the common pronunciation errors and their underlying causes. high-quality audio and video recordings were used to ensure the accurate capture of pronunciations. content analysis software tools assisted in the transcription and analysis of the recorded data, ensuring consistency and precision. a structured questionnaire was administered to gather demographic and background information from participants, providing additional context for interpreting the data. results and discussion the respondents are 5 students from the english department (#r1-#r5) and 5 students from the non-english department (#r6-#r10). they are asked to pronounce 11 economics terminology (words or phrases) containing voiced and voiceless interdental fricative sounds: /θ/ and /ð/ and labiodental fricative /f/ and /v/. none of the respondents can pronounce all the economic terminology correctly. there are occurrences of pronunciation errors (see table 1). tables 2 and 3 show the pronunciation errors made by the respondents. table 1. pronunciation errors of dental fricative #r /θ/ /ð/ /f/ /v/ w 1 w 2 w 3 w 1 w 2 w 1 w 2 w 3 w 1 w 2 w 3 1 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✕ ✕ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✕ ✓ ✕ 2 ✓ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✕ ✕ ✕ 3 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✕ ✕ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✕ ✕ 4 ✓ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 5 ✓ ✓ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✕ ✕ ✓ 6 ✓ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✕ ✕ 7 ✓ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✕ ✕ ✕ 8 ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✓ ✓ ✕ ✕ ✕ 9 ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✕ ✕ ✕ 10 ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ 7 3 2 0 0 8 9 9 3 2 2 table 2. dental fricative sounds: /θ/ /ð/ /f/ and /v/ (english department) phoneme/words pronunciation errors kinds of error cause of errors intra inter commonwealth ✓ credible threat (3) [‘tret] omission ✓ market hypothesis ✓ below the line (5) [də] omission ✓ creditworthiness (4) [‘kredɪtwɝrti.nəs] (1) omission ✓ english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 769 [‘kredɪtwɝrθi.nəs] inflation ✓ deficit ✓ welfare ✓ valuation (3) [’fæljuˈeɪʒn] omission ✓ derivative area (3) [dɪˈrɪfətɪf] omission ✓ countervailing duty (3) [ˈkaʊntəfeɪlɪŋ] omission ✓ table 3. dental fricative sounds: /θ/ /ð/ /f/ and /v/ð/ (non-english department) phoneme/words pronunciation errors kinds of error cause of errors intra inter commonwealth (2) [ˈkɒmənwelt] omission ✓ credible threat (4) [‘tret] (1) [‘dret] omission ✓ market hypothesis ✓ below the line (5) [də] omission ✓ creditworthiness (5) [‘kredɪtwɝrti.nəs] omission ✓ inflation ✓ deficit ✓ welfare omission ✓ valuation (3) [’fæljuˈeɪʒn] (1) [’bæljuˈeɪʒn] omission ✓ derivative area (4) [dɪˈrɪfətɪf] (1) [dɪˈrɪpətɪf] omission ✓ countevailing duty (4) [ˈkaʊntəfeɪlɪŋ] (1) [ˈkaʊntəpeɪlɪŋ] omission ✓ phonological process of interdental fricative consonants (interdental fricative) / θ / and / ð / pronounced by students of the english and nonenglish department the economic terminology below contains consonant voiceless interdental fricative /θ /and voiced interdental fricative /ð /. the pronunciation process is carried out by english department students namely, #r1, #r2, #r3, #r4, and #r5, and followed by exposure to pronunciation conducted by non-english students, namely the #r6 accounting department, #r7, #r8, #r9, and #r10. omission data 1 commonwealth [ˈkɒmənwelθ] [θ] the economic terminology above contains the sound of voiceless interdental fricative [θ]. of the 10 respondents who proclaim the dental fricative sound in the words above, respondents in english department #r1, #r2, #r3, #r4, and #r5 recite the voiceless interdental fricative sound [θ] correctly, namely [ˈkɒmənwelθ]. respondents from the non-english department, namely the accounting department represented by #r6 and #r7 are still mistaken in reciting the sound of voiceless interdental fricative [θ] in the 'commonwealth' terminology. #r6 and #r7 recite the sound with [ˈkɒmənwelt], where there is a segmental pronunciation error at the replacement level that is the replacement of voiceless interdental fricative / θ / into voiceless alveolar stop [t] sounds. whereas #r8, #r9, and #r10 have differences from other respondents because they can recite the sound [θ] in the terminology correctly namely [ˈkɒmənwelθ]. the cause of errors in the pronunciation of dental fricative consonant sounds (dental fricative) by two accounting department respondents #r4 and #r5 was due to a lack of practice and awareness in pronouncing english sounds, especially the voiceless dental fricative consonant sound [θ]. errors can also be based on a lack of understanding of phonetic sounds because respondents do not have knowledge of the science of sounds in english. apart from that, the respondent's mother tongue background, which is indonesian and sundanese, also resulted in a lack of familiarity with the pronunciation of these sounds so respondents were not fluent in pronouncing the voiceless dental fricative [θ] and shifted to other areas of speech which were easier and more familiar to pronounce, namely, the voiceless sound of the alveolar stop [t] due to the very significant similarity of the acoustic sound, tyler et al (2019). data 2 credible threat [‘θret] [θ] the economic terminology above contains the sound of voiceless interdental fricative [θ]. of the 10 respondents who pronounced the dental fricative sound in the word above, only two respondents in the english department represented by #r3 and #r5 recited the voiceless interdental fricative sound [θ] correctly, namely [θret]. the other three recipes, namely #r1, #r2, and #r4 are still reciting the sound with mistakes, namely [‘tret]. in this case, there is an error at the segmental level made by the three respondents, namely the replacement or omission error where the sound of voiceless interdental fricative [θ] is pronounced into the sound of voiceless alveolar stop [t]. respondents from the non-english department, namely the accounting department represented by #r6, #r7, #r8, #r9, and #r10 are still wrong in reciting the sound of voiceless interdental fricative [θ] in the terminology 'credible threat'. the five respondents made a pronunciation error at the level jasmine nadira awwali, lia maulia indrayani, & rosaria mita amalia pronunciation variability of english dental fricatives among sundanese learners in different academic disciplines 770 of replacement (omission). #r6, #r7, #r8, and #r9 recite the sound the same as respondents from english departments namely ['tret] where the sound of voiceless interdental fricative [θ] is pronounced into voiceless alveolar stop [t], and #r10 recite ['dret] where the sound of voiceless interdental fricative [θ] is pronounced into voiceless plossive alveolar [d]. the cause of errors in the pronunciation of dental fricative consonant sounds by respondents from the english department namely #r1, #r2, and #r4, and the five accounting department is due to a lack of practice and awareness in pronouncing english sounds, especially voiceless dental fricative consonant sounds [ θ], the word threat is also believed to be less familiar to students, especially the accounting department. errors can also be based on a lack of understanding of phonetic sounds because respondents do not have knowledge of the science of sounds in english. apart from that, the respondent's mother tongue background, which is indonesian and sundanese, also resulted in a lack of familiarity with the pronunciation of this sound so the respondent was not fluent in pronouncing the voiceless dental fricative [θ] and shifted to other areas of speech which were easier and more familiar to pronounce, namely, the voiceless sound of the alveolar stop [t] due to the very significant similarity of the acoustic sound, tyler et al (2019). data 3 below the line [ðe] [ð] the economic terminology above contains voiced interdental fricative sounds [ð]. from the respondents who pronounced voiced dental fricative sounds in the words above, the five respondents in english department #r1, #r2, #r3, #r4, and #r5 recited the sound of voiced interdental fricative [ð] with mistaken, namely [də]. in this case, a segmental pronunciation error occurs at an omission, namely the replacement of voiced interdental frictional sounds [ð] to voiced alveolar stop [d]. the word or terminology 'below the line' should be appropriately pronounced 'below [ə] line' to 'below [də] line'. respondents from the non-english department, the accounting department, represented by #r6, #r7, #r8, #r9, and #r10 are also still wrong in reciting the sound of voiced interdental fricative [ð] in the terminology 'below the line'. the same thing with respondents in english departments, #r6, #r7, #rr, #r9, and #r10 also made a segmental pronunciation error at the replacement level, namely the replacement of voiced interdental fricative [ð] to voiced alveolar stop sound [ d], so it recites the sound to be 'below [də] line'. the cause of errors in the pronunciation of dental fricative consonant sounds (dental fricative) by the three english department respondents #r1, #r2, #r3, #r4, and #r5 is due to lack of practice and awareness in pronouncing english sounds, especially the voiced dental fricative consonant sound [ð]. meanwhile, for #r5, #r6, #r7, #r8, #r9, and #r10, errors were based on a lack of understanding of phonetic sounds because the respondents did not have knowledge of the science of sounds in english. apart from that, the mother tongue background of respondents from both departments, which are indonesian and sundanese, also resulted in a lack of familiarity with the pronunciation of these sounds so respondents were not fluent in pronouncing the voiced dental fricative [ð] and shifted to other areas of speech that were easier and familiar to pronounce, namely, the voiced alveolar stop [d] because the acoustic sound similarity is very significant, tyler et al (2019). data 4 creditworthiness [ˈkred.ɪtˌwɝː.ði.nəs] [ð] the economic terminology above contains the voiced interdental fricative [ð]. of the respondents who pronounced the voiced dental fricative sound in the words above, the five english department respondents #r1, #r2, #r3, #r4, and #r5 pronounced the voiced interdental fricative [ð] incorrectly. #r1, #r2, #r3, and #r4 make segmental errors at the replacement level (omission) where the voiced interdental fricative sound [ð] changes to the voiceless alveolar stop [t], namely [ˈkred.ɪtˌwɝː.ti.nəs]. in contrast to the other four respondents, #r5 pronounced it as [ˈkred.ɪtˌwɝːθi.nəs] where the substitution error (omission) occurred due to replacing the voiced interdental fricative [ð] with the voiceless interdental fricative [θ]. respondents from the non-english department, namely the accounting department represented by #r6, #r7, #r8, #r9, and #r10 also still mispronounce the voiced interdental fricative [ð] in the term 'creditworthiness'. the five respondents made segmental pronunciation errors at the level of substitution (omission), namely replacing the voiced interdental fricative [ð] with a voiceless alveolar stop [t], namely [ˈkred.ɪtˌwɝː.ti.nəs]. the cause of errors in the pronunciation of dental fricative consonant sounds (dental fricative) by the three english department respondents #r1, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 771 #r2, #r3, #r4, and #r5 is due to lack of practice and awareness in pronouncing english sounds, especially the voiced dental fricative consonant sound [ð]. meanwhile, for #r5, #r6, #r7, #r8, #r9, and #r10, errors were based on a lack of understanding of phonetic sounds because the respondents did not have knowledge of the science of sounds in english. apart from that, the mother tongue background of respondents from both departments, which are indonesian and sundanese, also resulted in a lack of familiarity with the pronunciation of these sounds so respondents were not fluent in pronouncing the voiced dental fricative [ð] and shifted to other areas of speech that were easier and familiar to pronounce, namely, the voiced alveolar stop [d] because the acoustic sound similarity is very significant, tyler et al (2019). phonological processes of labiodental fricative consonant sounds (labiodental fricative) /f/ and /v/ are pronounced by students of the english and non-english department the economic terminology below contains the voiceless labiodental fricative consonant sound [f] and the voiced dental fricative consonant sound [v]. the pronunciation process was carried out by english department students, namely, #r1, #r2, and #r3, and continued with the pronunciation presentation carried out by non-english students, namely accounting, #r6, #r7, #r8, #r9 and #r10. omission data 5 inflation [ɪnˈfleɪʃn] [f] the economic terminology above contains the voiceless labiodental fricative [f]. of the respondents who pronounced the dental fricative sound in the words above, the five english language department respondents #r1, #r2, #r3, #r4, and #r5 pronounced the voiceless labiodental fricative sound [f] in the word or terminology 'inflation' correctly, namely [ɪnˈfleɪʃn]. in this case, respondents from the non-english department, namely accounting, represented by #r6, #r7, #r8, and #r9 pronounce the voiceless labiodental fricative [f] in 'inflation' terminology correctly, [ɪnˈfleɪʃn]. meanwhile, #r10 still pronounces the voiceless labiodental fricative [f] incorrectly, namely [ɪnˈpleɪʃn]. the respondent made a segmental error at the level of substitution (omission) where the voiceless labiodental fricative [f] changed to a bilabial voiceless plosive [p]. in this case, the six respondents were able to pronounce the voiceless dental fricative sound [f] correctly because the respondents from both the english and the accounting departments were familiar with and aware of this sound. according to respondents, the sound [f] is also easier to pronounce because a lot of vocabulary in their mother tongue, namely indonesian, contains this sound. data 6 deficit [ˈdefɪsɪt] [f] the economic terminology above contains the voiceless labiodental fricative [f]. of the respondents who pronounced the dental fricative sound in the words above, the five english department respondents #r1, #r2, #r3, #r4, and #r5 pronounced the voiceless labiodental fricative sound [f] in the word or terminology 'deficit' correctly, namely ['defisɪt]. meanwhile, among respondents from the accounting department, only one respondent, represented by #r10, pronounced the voiceless labiodental fricative [f] in the word or terminology 'deficit' incorrectly, namely ['depisɪt], where there was a segmental pronunciation error at the level of replacement (omission) namely replacing the voiceless labiodental fricative sound [f] with a voiceless bilabial plosive sound [p]. meanwhile, the other four respondents, namely #r6, #r7, #r8, and #r9, pronounced the voiceless labiodental fricative [f] in the word or terminology 'deficit' correctly, namely ['defisɪt]. in this case, nine out of ten respondents were able to pronounce the voiceless dental fricative sound [f] correctly because respondents from both english and accounting departments were familiar and aware of this sound. according to respondents, the sound [f] is also easier to pronounce because a lot of vocabulary in their mother tongue, namely indonesian, contains this sound. however, this is different from the respondent from the accounting department represented by #r10, the respondent stated that pronunciation errors occurred naturally due to 'habit' without the respondent realizing how the sound [f] should be pronounced. data 7 welfare [‘wel.fer] [f] the economic terminology above contains the voiceless labiodental fricative [f]. of the respondents who pronounced the dental fricative sound in the words above, the five english language department respondents #r1, #r2, #r3, #r4, and #r5 pronounced the voiceless labiodental jasmine nadira awwali, lia maulia indrayani, & rosaria mita amalia pronunciation variability of english dental fricatives among sundanese learners in different academic disciplines 772 fricative sound [f] in the word or terminology 'deficit' correctly, which is ['wel.fer]. meanwhile, among respondents from the accounting department, only one respondent, represented by #r10, pronounced the voiceless labiodental fricative [f] in the word or terminology 'welfare' incorrectly, namely ['wel.per], where there was a segmental pronunciation error at the replacement level. (omission), namely the replacement of the voiceless labiodental fricative sound [f] with a voiceless bilabial plosive sound [p]. meanwhile, the other four respondents namely #r6, #r7, #r8, and #r9 pronounced the voiceless labiodental fricative [f] in the word or terminology 'welfare' correctly, namely ['wel.fer]. in this case, all of the respondents were able to pronounce the voiceless dental fricative sound [f] correctly because the respondents from both the english and accounting departments were familiar with and aware of this sound. according to respondents, the sound [f] is also easier to pronounce because a lot of vocabulary in their mother tongue, namely indonesian, contains this sound. data 8 valuation ['væljuˈeɪʃn] [v] the economic terminology above contains the voiced labiodental fricative [v]. of the respondents who pronounced the dental fricative sound in the words above, the three english language department respondents #r1, #r2, and #r3 pronounced the voiced labiodental fricative [v] incorrectly, namely ['fæljuˈeɪʒn]. meanwhile, the other two respondents represented by #r4 and #r5 were able to pronounce the voiced labiodental fricative [v] correctly, namely ['væljuˈeɪʒn]. in this case, a segmental pronunciation error occurred at the level of replacement (omission), namely replacing the voiced labiodental fricative [v] sound with the voiceless labiodental fricative sound [f]. the word or terminology 'valuation' which should correctly be pronounced ['væljuˈeɪʃn] becomes ['fæljuˈeɪʒn]. one of the respondents from the non-english language department, namely the accounting, represented by #r9, succeeded in pronouncing the voiced labiodental fricative [v] in the term 'valuation' correctly, namely, ['væljuˈeɪʒn]. however, in contrast to the other four respondents represented by #r6, #r7, #r8, and #r10, they also still mispronounced the voiced dental fricative [v] in the terminology of 'valuation'. #r6, #r7, and #r10 pronounce the sound in the same way as respondents from the english department, namely, ['fæljuˈeɪʃn], where there is a segmental pronunciation error at the level of substitution (omission), namely replacing the voiced dental fricative [v] with a voiceless sound. labiodental fricative /f/. meanwhile, #r8 has differences with other respondents, in pronouncing ['bæljuˈeɪʃn], where there is a segmental pronunciation error at the level of replacement (omission), namely replacing the voiced labiodental fricative sound [v] with the voiced bilabial sound [b]. the cause of errors in the pronunciation of dental fricative consonant sounds (dental fricative) by the three english language department respondents #r1, #r2, and #r3 was due to a lack of practice and awareness in pronouncing english sounds, especially the voiced dental fricative consonant sound [v]. meanwhile, for #r4, #r5, and #r6, errors were based on a lack of understanding of phonetic sounds because the respondents did not have knowledge of the science of sounds in english. apart from that, the mother tongue background of respondents from both departments, namely indonesian and sundanese, also resulted in a lack of familiarity with the pronunciation of these sounds so respondents were not fluent in pronouncing the voiced dental fricative [v] and shifted to other areas of speech which were easier and familiar to pronounce, namely, the voiceless dental fricative [f] because the acoustic sound similarity is very significant, tyler et al (2019). data 9 derivative area [‘dɪˈrɪvətɪv] [v] the terminology above contains the voiced labiodental fricative [v]. the economic terminology above contains the voiced labiodental fricative [v]. of the respondents who pronounced the dental fricative sound in the words above, two english department respondents #r4, and #r5 pronounced the voiced labiodental fricative [v] correctly, namely ['dɪˈrɪvətɪv]. meanwhile, the other two respondents represented by #r1, #r2, and #r3 still mispronounced the voiced labiodental fricative [v], namely ['dɪˈrɪfətɪf]. in this case, a segmental pronunciation error occurs at the level of replacement (omission), namely replacing the voiced labiodental fricative [v] sound with the voiceless labiodental fricative sound [f]. the word or term 'derivative' which properly should be ['dɪˈrɪvətɪv] is pronounced as ['dɪˈrɪfətɪf]. respondents from non-english language departments, namely the accounting department represented by #r6, #r7, #r8, #r9, and #r10 also english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 773 still mispronounce the voiced labiodental fricative [v] in 'derivative' terminology which is pronounced as [ 'dɪˈrɪfətɪf]. in this case, segmental pronunciation errors also occur at the level of replacement (omission), namely replacing the voiced labiodental fricative [v] with the voiceless labiodental fricative [f]. the word or term 'derivative' which properly should be ['dɪˈrɪvətɪv] is pronounced as ['dɪˈrɪfətɪf]. the cause of errors in the pronunciation of dental fricative consonant sounds (dental fricative) by the three english language department respondents #r1, #r2, and #r3 was due to a lack of practice and awareness in pronouncing english sounds, especially the voiced dental fricative consonant sound [v]. meanwhile, for #r6, #r7, #r8, #r9, and #r10, errors were based on a lack of understanding of phonetic sounds because the respondents did not have knowledge of the science of sounds in english. apart from that, the mother tongue background of respondents from both departments, namely indonesian and sundanese, also resulted in a lack of familiarity with the pronunciation of these sounds so respondents were not fluent in pronouncing the voiced dental fricative [v] and shifted to other areas of speech which were easier and familiar to pronounce, namely, the voiceless dental fricative [f] because the acoustic sound similarity is very significant, tyler et al (2019). causes of errors in pronunciation of the second consonant sound, fricative sound (dental fricative and labiodental fricative) /θ/, /ð/, /f/, and /v/. by students of the english and non-english department pronunciation errors can be caused by interlinguistic and extralinguistic factors. the interlinguistic factor in question is the existence of a language system or language difficulties that are different between the mother tongue and the second language being studied, also known as sound interference. this interference arises because bilinguals apply the sound unit system (phonemes) of the first language to the sound system of the second language, resulting in disturbances or deviations in the phonemic system of the recipient language. conclusion based on the findings regarding the pronunciation of interdental and labiodental fricative consonants by students from both english and non-english departments, several conclusions can be drawn. the study reveals significant variations in pronunciation accuracy, with english department students generally demonstrating better proficiency in pronouncing these sounds compared to their non-english department counterparts. a common error among non-english department students is the substitution or omission of target sounds. for example, interdental fricatives /θ/ and /ð/ are often replaced with the alveolar stop /t/, and the voiced labiodental fricative /v/ is sometimes replaced with the voiceless /f/. these substitutions suggest that students opt for phonetically simpler or more familiar sounds from their native languages. the primary factors contributing to these errors include a lack of practice and awareness in pronouncing english sounds, especially among non-english department students. additionally, the influence of the students' mother tongues, such as indonesian and sundanese, leads to difficulties in accurately articulating certain english phonemes. the significant acoustic similarity between certain english sounds and those in the students' native languages further exacerbates these errors. interference from the students' native language systems also plays a crucial role. this occurs when students apply phonetic rules from their first language to english, resulting in deviations from the target phonemic system. such interlinguistic factors highlight the challenges of learning new phonemes not present in one's native language. the findings emphasize the necessity of specialized language instruction and increased awareness of phonetic differences across languages. implementing targeted teaching strategies and providing ample practice opportunities can significantly enhance pronunciation accuracy among students from diverse linguistic backgrounds. by focusing on the specific challenges faced by students from different academic disciplines and native languages, educators can develop more effective methods to improve english pronunciation skills in language learners. references abellio, a. (2024). an investigation on pronunciation of english used by the agriculture students: deviation from the target language norms (doctoral dissertation, universitas andalas). ahmad, s., zahid, z., & ramzan, f. (2024). the influence of mother tongue on english pronunciation: a case study in district rahim yar khan. pakistan languages and humanities review, 8(2), 364-373. aji, h. p. a., widodo, s., masykuri, e. s., & jasmine nadira awwali, lia maulia indrayani, & rosaria mita amalia pronunciation variability of english dental fricatives among sundanese learners in different academic disciplines 774 nugraheni, i. i. (2023). students’ problems in building up english vocabulary. scripta: english department journal, 10(1), 44-58. alsaqqaf, a., xin, z., & sharif, s. (2023). investigating self-concept in efl pronunciation among chinese non-english major learners at a public university in china. international journal of english language and literature studies, 12(2), 117-129. amalia, d., & amin, m. (2023, december). students’ awareness in coping with pronunciation problems: a study among the second semester students of english department fkip at university of mataram. journal of english education forum, 3(2),12-17. ambalegin & arianto, t.. (2018). english vowels and consonants mispronunciation of the seventh president of the republic of indonesia in his official english speeches and its influencing factors. language literacy: journal of linguistics, literature, and language teaching, 2(2), 111-125. ambalegin, a., & afriana, a. (2023). how to perform english word stress on english pronunciation. anaphora: journal of language, literary, and cultural studies, 6(1), 14-27. annisa, a., & wariyati, w. (2023). speaking challenge, does pronunciation as the attribute of fluency? journey: journal of english language and pedagogy, 6(2), 356-365. aredidon, c., tuburan, r., marfa, g., & bacatan, j. (2024). a description of intelligibility in fossilized english pronunciation of mentor teacher to native english speakers. twist, 19(2), 306-311. awadh, f. m. a. m., putro, n. h. p. s., pohan, a. e., & alsamiri, y. a. (2024). improving english pronunciation through phonetics instruction in yemeni efl classrooms. journal of languages and language teaching, 12(2), 930-940. babajanova, k. i., & babadjanova, n. x. (2023). challenges and possible solutions of teaching english pronunciation as a second language in uzbek classes. academic research in educational sciences, 4(3), 459-465. benjamin-ohwodede, j., mamudu, a., & awunor, s. n. (2024). the effectiveness of hybrid learning in english pronunciation pedagogy in the nigerian esl context. jelita, 5(1), 81-103. brown, c. a. (2024). shortcomings in the jet programme as a vehicle for english pronunciation teaching by native speakers. anglophile journal, 4(2), 77-90. dewi, n. s., hartiwi, j., sulastri, s., & sutiwi, s. (2024). an analysis of english pronunciation in the sixth grade. journal on education, 6(2), 12618-12630. emmanuel, a, bright oppong-adjei & adjei, p. y., okrah, e. k (2022). the uniqueness of ghanaian english pronunciation: analysis of dental fricative sounds. european journal of literature, language and linguistics studies, 5(4), 114-132. farhan, a. m., & hadi, m. s. (2024). implementation of read aloud feature from microsoft edge to increase pronunciation ability student’s. jurnal studi guru dan pembelajaran, 7(1), 141-152. fernández, l. c., gapper, s. e., & morales, h. s. (2024). a comparative approach for pronunciation instruction in english. letras (76), 67-101. haris, k., & st asmayanti, a. m. (2023). problems related to the learning of english pronunciation at the first year students of english department universitas muhammadiyah makassar. journal of language testing and assessment, 3(1), 7787. hoang, n. t., han, d. n., & le, d. h. (2023). exploring chatbot ai in improving vocational students’ english pronunciation. asiacall online journal, 14(2), 140-155. idayani, a., satriani, e., elmanisa, v., & sailun, b. (2024). errors analysis: students’ pronunciation assessment through ipa application. elt-lectura, 11(1), 89-101. jihad, s., & damayanti, i. l. (2024). examining pronunciation patterns of english education students: an analysis of segmental sounds and word stress. journal of education global, 1(2), 115-121. khoshmuratovna, k. m. (2023). common pronunciation problems that esl and efl students face. golden brain, 1(12), 118-125. khurshidovna, a. m., & ismoilovna, e. g. (2024). experimental phonetics: problems and solutions. xalqaro konferensiya va jurnallarni sifatli indexlash xizmati, 1(2), 22-26. kizi, j. s. f. (2024). problems and challenges encountered by students while learning english speaking. строительство и образование, 3(2), 73-77. kurniawan, a., & thren, a. t. (2024). the influence of the mother tongue on english pronunciation: a case study on indonesian efl learners. journal of english teaching, 10(1), 61-75. kusuma, c. s. d. (2018). integrasi bahasa inggris dalam proses pembelajaran. jurnal efisiensi – kajian ilmu administrasi, xv(2), 43-50. lestari, r., harahap, a. l., munthe, d., rusli, m., rambe, s. a., & harahap, n. (2024). the improving of students english pronunciation skill by using english pronunciation digital at man labuhanbatu, sumut. journal on education, 6(2), 14797-14809. luthfianda, s., irawan, y., rahayu, r., & hidayat, s. (2024). exploring pronunciation challenges: indonesian university students' production of english fricative sounds. english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 85-94. manurung, l. w., saragi, c. n., & sitinjak, a. s. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 775 (2024). diagnosing the english department students' english vowel and consonant pronunciation errors by using elsa speak application. innovative: journal of social science research, 4(1), 3673-3686. mesfer, f., yahrif, m., & siradjuddin, s. (2024). an error analysis of undergraduate students’ english pronunciation. edulec: education, language, and culture journal, 4(1), 79-93. mir, s. h., & afsar, a. (2024). the pronunciation constraints of syllable stress-coloration in pakistani english. journal of humanities, social and management sciences, 5(1), 21-35. nguyen, t. n. (2023). an investigation into difficulties in teaching pronunciation to firstyear english majors at dong nai university. journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 5(2), 135-150. nirwana, n., & suhono, s. (2023). phonological interference in english pronunciation produced by students at senior high school: a case study of buginese and javanese students. anglophile journal, 3(1), 1-13. octaviani, r. p., jannah, l. m., sebrina, m., & arochman, t. (2024). the impacts of first language on students’english pronunciation. international journal of indonesian education and teaching 8(1), 164-173. phany, m., & dara, d. (2024). the investigation into pronunciation problems faced by teachertrainees: a case study at the national institute of education (nie) in cambodia. indonesian journal of advanced research, 3(3), 301-326. prahaladaiah, d., & andrew thomas, k. (2024). effect of phonological and phonetic interventions on proficiency in english pronunciation and oral reading. education research international, 2024(1), 9087087. purnama, s., pawiro, m. a. & azis. (2023). detecting mispronunciations of non-native (l2) postgraduate students of english language education in indonesia. international journal of language education volume 7(1), 134-142 putri, a. s., sari, m. n., fani, r. d., & mulia, s. r. (2023). analysis of vowel pronunciation errors of grade ix students of mts harapan jasa langkat. journal of applied linguistics, 2(2), 36-40. qizi, t. n. z., & umedovich, m. y. (2023). americanbased pronunciation standards of english. scientific impulse, 2(15), 563-567. ramadani, a., kalsum, k., sardi, a., & agussalim, a. (2024). pronunciation ability improvement by resso application at the parepare senior high school students. jelita, 5(1), 243-254. ramzan, m., & javaid, z. k. (2023). psychological factors influencing pashto speaking esl students’pronunciation of english vowels. pakistan journal of society, education and language, 9(2), 52-63. sañudo, e. p. (2024). english pronunciation: a manual to understand and communicate effectively. ed. universidad de cantabria. saidkodirovna, s. d. (2024). the concept of linguistic interference in the teaching of english pronunciation. european journal of innovation in nonformal education, 4(3), 246-251. simanjuntak, a. g., sipayung, k. t., tampubolon, s., & manik, e. (2023). diagnosing students errors in english pronounciation by using elsa speak application. journal on teacher education, 4(3), 762-771. suciati, t., kurniawan, i., & elfrida, e. (2024). error analysis in pronouncing english words containing diphthong sounds made by efl students. journal of english education and teaching, 8(2), 414-428. sultan, a. h. h. (2023). the key english pronunciation difficulties for egyptian efl learners. anglica -an international journal of english studies, 32(2), 115-136. tegris, e. (2020). analisis penyebab masalah pengucapan bahasa inggris dalam kerangka merdeka belajar berbasis konsep ajaran ki hadjar dewantara. prosiding seminar nasional, implementasi merdeka belajar berdasarkan ajaran tamansiswa, 62-68. vukićević, n. m., & ćirković-miladinović, i. r. (2023). improving english pronunciation by using instructive musical exercises: university teaching context in serbia. journal of language teaching and research, 14(5), 1159-1167. wahyuni, h. f., firdaus, m., & yukamana, h. (2024). improving the students' pronunciation mastery by using pop songs on the youtube music application: english. journal of english development, 4(02), 425-435. yu, j. (2024, february). evaluation of english pronunciation quality based on decision tree algorithm. in 2024 international conference on integrated circuits and communication systems (icicacs) (pp. 1-7). ieee. zayniddinovna, m. k. (2023). the problems of teaching pronunciation to young learners. ta'limning zamonaviy transformatsiyasi, 2(1), 1293-1299. jasmine nadira awwali, lia maulia indrayani, & rosaria mita amalia pronunciation variability of english dental fricatives among sundanese learners in different academic disciplines 776 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 617 needs analysis: developing an esp speaking mooc model in higer education context kiky soraya* department of english education, faculty of language and arts education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email: kikysoraya@upi.edu nenden sri lengkanawati department of english education, faculty of language and arts education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesi email: nendensl@upi.edu pupung purnawarman department of english education, faculty of language and arts education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia email:purnawarman@upi.edu apa scitation: soraya, k., lengkanawati, n. s., & purnawarman, p. (2024). needs analysis: developing an esp speaking mooc model in higer education context. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 617-628 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9978 received: 23-02-2024 accepted: 21-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 abstract: this study aims to investigate the needs and learning requirements of english for specific purposes (esp) students in the context of developing a massive open online course (mooc) model for esp speaking skills. the research employed a qualitative approach, utilizing comprehensive needs analysis (cna) techniques. data was collected through document analysis, forum group discussions (fgds) with students, interviews with lecturers, and meetings with experts. data analysis followed qualitative methodologies, including data reduction, display, and conclusion drawing. the study reveals significant insights into students' backgrounds, english proficiency levels, and experiences with moocs. participants primarily perceive their english proficiency as intermediate. while moocs are viewed as valuable supplementary resources, students desire more diversity and interactivity in their online learning experiences. furthermore, the research highlights students' desires for comprehensive speaking skills development, integrated learning experiences, supportive learning environments, and user-friendly technology platforms. this study fills a gap in the literature by investigating the specific needs and learning requirements of esp students for developing an esp speaking mooc model, particularly in indonesian context. the findings suggest the importance of prioritizing speaking skills, integrating various language skills, fostering supportive learning environments, and leveraging user-friendly technology platforms in the development of esp speaking mooc models. addressing these needs is crucial for maximizing learning outcomes and student engagement in online language learning environments. keywords: esp; higher education; speaking; moocs; needs analysis. introduction in today's rapidly changing world, strong english communication skills, particularly in english for specific purposes (esp), are crucial for navigating global challenges and fostering crosscultural understanding. despite the global importance of english proficiency, initial interviews with over 500 esp students at a private university in java, indonesia, revealed significant challenges in speaking fluently and confidently, primarily due to issues with vocabulary mastery, pronunciation, and accuracy. safitri et al. (2020) affirm that students often encounter challenges in acquiring englishspeaking skills due to a lack of adequate language proficiency. these linguistic barriers are also affected by affective factors and social-psychological issues, such as low self-esteem, anxiety, and motivation, which further hinder students' speaking abilities (fatima & fethi, 2023). group dynamics and interaction in the learning environment also play a critical role in spontaneous communication skills development. with limited group involvement and speaking initiation in collaborative learning experiences indicates a lack of varied speaking opportunities and insufficient exposure to diverse language contexts kiky soraya, nenden sri lengkanawati, & pupung purnawarman needs analysis: developing an esp speaking mooc model in higer education context 618 (butarbutar & bawawa, 2023). in this research context, another challenge to consider is the high study workload for students, often resulting in difficulties in prioritizing english language learning. alongside the increasing demand for english proficiency, coupled with the growing number of students across various cities and campus locations, there is a need for an effective solution to address these constraints. factors such as geographical distance between students and campuses, as well as variations in the quality of learning, further complicate this situation. therefore, there is a necessity to design a flexible and easily accessible learning approach for students, capable of effectively addressing these challenges. since technology plays a significant role nowadays, one of the effective ways to address students' speaking problems in this digital era is implementing a massive open online course or mooc due to its numerous benefits. concerning linguistic barriers in speaking, moocs can provide a wide range of resources, including interactive exercises and multimedia content, to help students overcome vocabulary limitations, refine pronunciation, and improve overall language proficiency. in terms of affective factors, moocs offer a supportive online environment where students can practice speaking without fear of judgment, thereby reducing anxiety levels and fostering confidence in their language abilities. additionally, moocs can address social-psychological issues by promoting collaborative learning activities and facilitating interactions among students from diverse backgrounds, enhancing cultural awareness and communication skills including providing adaptable time management. to address geographical issues, moocs offer a flexible learning platform that eliminates the constraints of physical distance, allowing students from different locations to access high-quality language instruction conveniently. regarding quality issues, moocs can ensure standardized content and instructional delivery, offering consistent learning experiences to students regardless of their geographical location or educational background. overall, the implementation of moocs presents a comprehensive solution to the multifaceted challenges faced by students in improving their speaking skills in the digital age (bárkányi, 2021; hashemifardnia et al., 2021) in the broader context, numerous research study on the development of moocs for learning have also been conducted (akhmetova et al., 2023; babori et al., 2019; fang et al., 2019; iniesto et al., 2023; ruipérez-valiente et al., 2020; salvaterra, bencivenni, fogagnolo, gheldof, et al., 2023; stognieva, 2019; utomo, 2021; wei et al., 2023; zhao et al., 2020; zhu et al., 2020). in the context of english for specific purposes (esp) speaking, research has demonstrated that the implementation of moocs leads to positive enhancements in students' speaking skills and their perceptions of technology-based learning environments (pan et al., 2022).those findings shows that moocs are considered as one of the trending issues that are currently seen as a solution for various educational context in many countries around the world,. the rapid developments of moocs can be observed from the evolution of types of moocs later in the discussion of the terms and context of moocs. however, the design and implementation of moocs especially for language learning in english for specific purposes (esp) speaking context in indonesia is rarely found. numerous scholars have extensively deliberated on the subject of moocs but there is no esp speaking mooc model that is focusing on linguistics, social psychological, and interactivity aspects (hamori, 2023; iniesto & rodrigo, 2023; salvaterra, bencivenni, fogagnolo, & gheldof, 2023; wei et al., 2023; weidlich & bastiaens, 2019). therefore, to fill the research gap and developing the intended esp speaking mooc model, this study aims at finding out the key stakeholders’ needs as the foundations to the future esp speaking mooc model development. by a formulated question: what are the students’ needs and learning needs in the context of esp speaking mooc model development? this study holds significant importance from three key perspectives, offering valuable contributions to the fields of theory, practice, and strategy within the realm of english for specific purposes (esp), speaking, and massive open online course (mooc) development. specifically, this research offers tangible benefits to educators, learners, and policymakers by formulating strategic guidance for institutions and navigating the evolving model of english language learning through moocs. to prevent any potential misunderstanding of the terms and context used in this study, some terminologies are thoroughly clarified. english for specific purposes (esp) is a specialized english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 619 approach to teach english that focuses on learners' specific needs and context in a particular field, providing customized language instruction, for an effective course (nodoushan, 2020; shalatska et al., 2023). the esp in this research is related to english for business purposes (ebp) under english for occupational purposes (eop) branch and english for general occupational purposes (egop) subbranch as the context (asrifan, 2021; situmorang et al., 2023) moreover, speaking can be defined as an important skill in conveying thoughts and ideas effectively using interactive processes verbally and non-verbally in diverse situations(baron, 2020). there are some basic speaking skills such as vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, content, and fluency (mandasari & aminatun, 2019). besides that, affective domain related to selfesteem, anxiety, and motivation are important to be considered (fatima & fethi, 2023). in addition, the social-psychological components in speaking such as interactive communication, cultural awareness, collaboration, self-expression, including adaptability also become essential aspects to incorporate into speaking performances (butarbutar & bawawa, 2023). drawing from the explanations and the fundamental skills acknowledged by the majority of experts. in this study, speaking refers to the oral communication skills involved in expressing thoughts, ideas, and information by considering the linguistics, affective, and social-psychological skills. in the realm of online education, massive open online courses (moocs) are seen as a transformative learning platform, with varying definitions offered by scholars. duru et al. (2019) emphasize moocs as a strategy rather than a singular entity, while (sanchez et al., 2018)defines them as massive, open, online, and course-based endeavors. negeri et al. (2021)further elaborate on moocs as courses accessible to all, devoid of entry requirements or fees, emphasizing their global accessibility. these courses enable learners worldwide to access high-quality educational content from prestigious institutions, promoting inclusivity and collaboration. moocs are characterized by their openness, accessibility, interactive nature, and structured learning goals within specified timeframes (alyoussef, 2023). despite ongoing debate over their precise definition, moocs continue to evolve as modern learning platforms, offering diverse educational opportunities facilitated by advanced technology and fostering vibrant learning communities. within the mooc landscape, two main paradigms have emerged, xmoocs and cmoocs. the xmoocs resembling traditional courses and cmoocs emphasizing active networked learning and collaborative knowledge creation. various types of moocs have since emerged, including pmoocs, amoocs, smocs, doccs, flex-moocs, boocs, imoocs, coocs, and mini-moocs, etc each catering to specific educational needs and preferences (soraya et al., 2019). with the rapid evolution of massive open online courses (moocs) and their various forms, moocs offer significant potential for extending global educational opportunities, with benefits including enhanced accessibility, quality, and effectiveness. however, a suitable model that serves as systematic guidance for developing effective instructional materials and engaging learning experiences is important. the development of models involves the systematic refinement or extension of conceptual frameworks to better represent phenomena. this dynamic process is started with the existence of needs analysis as a fundamental phase(aliki et al., 2021). it provides validity to all course design or program including the teaching materials, learning activities, tests, facilities, and evaluation strategies this stage involves thorough examination of identified requirements and contextual elements that form the basis of the research issue. needs analysis procedures emerged in the field of language planning in the 1970s as reported by (aliki et al., 2021). needs analysis is defined as the procedures used to collect information about the learners’ needs and learning needs. during the first appearance until now many definitions, approaches, and methods of needs analysis discussed due to the central role in the process of designing or developing a curriculum as stated by(barghamadi, 2021). it means that needs analysis or needs assessment procedures a crucial initial step before crafting a proposed framework and artifacts. in order to find out a comprehensive input from the needs analysis, selecting approaches and data collection instruments are the next step in the na process. (barghamadi, 2021) suggested that combining fundamental approaches in the na process can increase the reliability and enhance the chance to reach the desired goals and cover the limitation. based on the review of needs analysis kiky soraya, nenden sri lengkanawati, & pupung purnawarman needs analysis: developing an esp speaking mooc model in higer education context 620 approaches from some relevant research. there are ten needs analysis approaches namely: target situation analysis (tsa), present situation analysis (psa), deficiency analysis (da), register analysis (ra), learning situation analysis (lsa), learner factor analysis (lfa), strategy analysis (sa), learning needs analysis (lna), means analysis (ma), and teaching context analysis (tca) (barghamadi, 2021; liu & zhang, 2020). to provides a comprehensive overview and evaluation of various needs analysis (na) categories, figure 1. is presented as the representation of the na approaches that are possible to be considered in this research. figure 1. the needs analysis approaches each approach alone may not provide sufficient information, but collectively, they offer valuable insights for esp instructors to understand their students’ backgrounds, goals, and needs. through collaborating and reviewing the main indicators of each needs analysis approach, the researcher concluded that comprehensive needs analysis (cna) is relevant to be implemented in this study. in this research cna covers the learners’ background, necessities, lacks, and wants including the learners’ needs such as context, content, activities, and technology (barghamadi, 2021) next, determining the sources for needs analysis (na) is a critical aspect to find comprehensive data of the needs analysis. overall, this research considered five sources including literature, companies, students, lecturers, and experts. by seeking information from diverse sources and employing a triangulation approach, it enhances the validity and depth of the analysis (helaluddin et al., 2020). the methods employed in needs analysis (na) play a crucial role in collecting information about language learners’ and learning needs. it is essential to select appropriate approaches and instruments for data collection to set valid objectives and design tasks effectively. several researchers have outlined diverse procedures for gathering information in the context of needs analysis (aliki et al., 2021). some common needs analysis methods include existing information, questionnaires, interviews, meetings, observation, tests, shadowing, portfolios, task analysis, and review of reading materials. method figure 2. the comprehensive needs analysis (cna) the comprehensive needs analysis (cna) figure covers the information about what the sources are in this research, the methods used in the needs analysis, and the procedures that come first and underlying the next steps (aliki et al., 2021; barghamadi, 2020; liu & zhang, 2020). as the basic foundation, the cna approach enriched with existing information analysis to gather the data about the industries’ needs and the research site learning program condition. the forum group discussion (fgd) is conducted to find the learners’ needs and learning needs. eight interviews were designed to reach the views of the students’ needs and learning viewed from various lecturers from different faculties and campuses. lastly, two experts meetings designed to reach a comprehensive conclusion toward the needs analysis result. started with the existing information analysis, the data were gathered from the world economic forum report (may, 2023) and the existing english program in the campuses. to provide clear needs analysis guidelines, the data gathered from the cna would refer to the following guidelines. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 621 table 1. the document analysis, fgds, interviews, and meetings guidelines n o aspects description 1. existing information industries’ demand research site’s condition learners’ basic information 2. learners’ needs necessities lacks wants 3 learning needs context content activities technology the data analysis implemented in study were three stages of qualitative analysis guided by the approach provided by miles & huberman, 2014.; shao et al., 2024) which has several steps including data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/ verification. table 2. the three stages of data analysis n o stage description 1. data condensatio n involves organizing and simplifying data by selecting pertinent information from written-up fields, excluding transcription, based on selective principles. 2. data display presents condensed information to facilitate drawing conclusions, often through written text or visual aids like diagrams. supported by figures and tables. 3. conclusion drawing and verification entails drawing conclusions and verifying their validity through reflection and data review. in qualitative analysis, validity is tested for credibility and reliability, often employing methods like triangulation (through multiple data collections). results and discussion this section presented the findings of a study based on comprehensive needs analysis framework. in addition, to provide clear organizational results and discussion, there were five main discussion covers: (1) existing information; (2) learners’ needs; and (3) learning needs. existing information industries’ demand the future jobs report (2023) highlights that over the next five years, industries will increasingly demand cognitive skills like complex problem-solving, creative thinking, and technology literacy. personal effectiveness skills such as self-efficacy, socio-emotional abilities, curiosity, lifelong learning, resilience, flexibility, agility, motivation, and self-awareness are also crucial. technological skills, particularly in ai, big data, and systems thinking, are gaining prominence, indicating a need for a workforce adept in cognitive, personal effectiveness, and technological domains. figure 3. the industrial demand extracted from future jobs report (2023) the document analysis results align with the modern collaborative learning that it is crucial for education to integrate industry needs, especially concerning cognitive aspects, due to the demand for deep cognitive engagement (olesova et al., 2021) and technology as it is crucial to prepare students with the technological skills required by today's industries (castillo et al., 2021) research site’s condition the current english program at the research site employs an online self-paced app to facilitate english learning, featuring structured, personalized, social, and gamified elements. despite its strengths in vocabulary and grammar there were limited reading, listening, writing, and no speaking activities. the program lacks social interaction and speaking components. these conditions showed the challenges toward the appropriate online learning model that covered the social interaction (akhmetova et al., 2023). additionally, critical aspects such as academic policy, collaboration guidelines, instructional materials, assessments, course administration, and learner engagement are inadequately covered (based on the observation checklist filled by the student). these conditions were limiting the overall program’s effectiveness as can be seen from the students’ responses during the fgd as follows. kiky soraya, nenden sri lengkanawati, & pupung purnawarman needs analysis: developing an esp speaking mooc model in higer education context 622 r: how do you feel about learning with the current english program? s11: it's just okay, miss. for me, personally, miss, it's not really about the program itself. it's just that, as someone who has already been forced to use english in school, facing the current program (the app) feels like, "what's the point?" miss. what can we learn from it, you know? learners’ basic information based on the fgd learners in this study were first to fourth-semester students from eight faculties and schools, spread across six campuses in jakarta, tangerang, bekasi, bandung, semarang, and malang. predominantly 18-19 years old and native indonesian speakers (with some speaking malay, hokkien, and mandarin), about 70% rate their english proficiency as intermediate and 30% as advanced, with average ielts scores of 7.2-7.5, toefl scores of 452470, and buept scores of 496-603. while reading and listening are their strongest skills, speaking and writing were lagged, with lecturers and experts noting a mix of intermediate and advanced abilities across different majors. here is one of the excerpts from lecturer 8. r: “what are your observations regarding the current english-speaking skills of students in your program?” l8: “in the class, about 10% of the students prefer to use english. most are at the middle level, but there are more advanced students than those who are below average.” above similar situations also showed by the other indonesian students’ attitude toward spoken english and its learning in the other university (latifa & hum, 2021.) learners’ needs necessities fgds reveal that students emphasize the necessity of speaking skills to boost confidence and compensate for deficiencies in other areas. pronunciation and vocabulary are prioritized, followed by fluency and accuracy, to enhance overall communication confidence. english proficiency is essential for various goals, such as studying abroad, presenting knowledge, and career advancement, particularly in multinational company settings. expert and lecturer feedback underscores the importance of communication skills for students, especially in business contexts like pitching and client interactions, aligning with the university’s vision of graduates working in global companies or becoming entrepreneurs. here is one of the excerpts from lecturer 2. r: “what are your expectations regarding the english-speaking skills that students should possess upon completing the program?” l2: “the ultimate goal is actually for them to pitch because pitching skills are applicable in any industry situation. when they can pitch in english, it is considered good progress.” l2: “from my experience in debating, even when i couldn't speak well and only practiced with my friends, not with native speakers, my skills improved on their own. in my opinion, the fundamental skill for learning english is having the courage to speak first.” the result revealed in line with the public speaking effectiveness highlighting the importance in engaging and emotionally resonant pitching strategies in the workplace. (rodero, 2022) lacks in the fgd, students stated that they face several challenges in their english language learning, primarily due to the lack of consistent practice and the complexity of english compared to indonesian. they struggle with limited vocabulary, confidence, and difficulties with accents and grammar. these issues are compounded by incorrect translations and misunderstandings of context-specific terms. lecturers and experts highlight that while students can convey simple ideas, more complex conversations reveal significant gaps in vocabulary and grammar. confidence and fluency are major obstacles, with students often hesitant to speak due to fear of mistakes and limited opportunities for practice, impacting their overall proficiency and communication skills. here is one of the excerpts from lecturer 7. r: “in your experience, what are the common challenges or problems that students face when it comes to english speaking?” l7: “the term used in lectures, for example overhead cost, if directly translated means costs above the head, but in accounting it refers to various other costs.” english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 623 similarly, many students experience speaking anxiety caused by pronunciation, syntax, insufficient vocabulary, fear of negative evaluation, teacher roles, and financial and social factors. addressing these issues with more speaking opportunities could help reduce anxiety (bárkányi, 2021) wants students have various motivations for learning english, including meeting, study abroad requirements, accessing extensive academic resources, and enhancing career prospects. they value pronunciation and vocabulary as crucial speaking elements, along with fluency and accuracy for building confidence. students aim to use english for business, job opportunities, and social interactions, especially in international contexts. lecturers also want students to develop presentation skills, public speaking confidence, and the ability to communicate effectively in business and international settings. encouragement and opportunities to practice speaking are deemed essential for students to improve their english proficiency and confidence. here is one of the excerpts from lecturer 1. r: “what are your expectations regarding the english-speaking skills that students should possess upon completing the program?” l1: “they can stand in front of an audience and speak english. they need presentation skills. that's all.” the students’ comprehensive wants were matched and crucial with the research that students seeking to improve their fluency, confidence, and experience in english (styfanyshyn & kalymon, 2021). learning needs context participants in the fgds expressed motivation when accessing abundant english resources for research and enjoyment from english readings and films. they feel more engaged and motivated when given ample opportunities to practice english, especially with native speakers, as it broadens conversation topics and enhances their knowledge. comfort in learning is boosted by support from friends and teachers. expert 2 suggested incorporating role plays and real-life usage tasks with native speakers to enhance learning. students prefer flexible exercise options and smaller class sizes, ideally fewer than 20 students, for a more effective learning environment. based on the meeting with expert 1 it was mentioned that “if speaking activities only involve reading and repeating using an application, and then receiving assessments or evaluations from those recordings, it still feels insufficient. the essence of speaking lies in interacting with others.” those information in line with the research results about the importance of social presence (gamage, 2021) and interactivity (jitpaisarnwattana et al., 2021) content students reported a decline in their active english skills due to a lack of speaking practice in current programs. they desire proficiency in all active skills speaking, reading, listening, and writing. specific content preferences include persuasive language skills, business presentations, data visualization, negotiation skills, and relevant vocabulary for their fields. lecturers and experts emphasized the importance of integrating jargon and terms specific to students' majors, alongside formal and professional content, with a mix of audio and visual elements, shorter videos, and engaging materials like mini-games and practice exercises. here is one of the excerpts from lecturer 6. r: “as there will be a develop esp speaking mooc, are there any specific considerations, content, strategies, or technology that you believe should be prioritized or emphasized in teaching english-speaking skills in this program?” l6: “gen z finds it easier to engage with videos, video tutorials, and multimedia rather than writing or monotonous activities. if the content is long, it should be chunked into shorter segments.” in relation with gen z characteristics, the content considered the evidence-based practice paper outlines a method for evaluating video platforms to develop active videos for generation-z (gen-z) students, who are digital natives and efficient multi-taskers prevalent in higher education today (basinger et al., 2021). activities participants prefer more synchronous sessions via zoom and increased interaction through kiky soraya, nenden sri lengkanawati, & pupung purnawarman needs analysis: developing an esp speaking mooc model in higer education context 624 discussions, debates, and role-plays. they recommend creating a platform that resembles social media for easier interaction and integrating features like live chat and video conferencing. the activities should be interactive, engaging, and relevant, with a focus on real-time speaking assessments, collaborative learning, and practical exercises. lecturers and experts highlighted the need for structured activities that include feedback, hands-on experiences, and social presence, emphasizing practice, case study discussions, and enjoyable elements. r: “how do you perceive the learning characteristics or language needs of students within our program, considering their specific fields of study or professional interests?” l4: “hands-on experiences or activities are preferred over theoretical learning.” the students’ and lecturers’ recommendation of using interactive online interface and social inclusion were also supported with some research. (meri-yilan, 2020; wang et al., 2019) technology participants mentioned in the fgd that they are familiar with tools like duolingo, google classroom, and ms teams, preferring synchronous learning and social media integration for interaction. they highlighted the importance of easy accessibility, clear design, and engaging features. the lecturer and experts suggested integrating rewards, addressing psychological aspects, and ensuring simplicity in design. experts recommended using tools like microsoft teams, fondi, elsa speak, and fluent u, and maintaining interactive platforms like whatsapp groups for effective communication. they stressed the need for platforms that facilitate both synchronous and asynchronous learning with features that promote active engagement and democratic participation. r: “as there will be a develop esp speaking mooc, are there any specific considerations, content, strategies, or technology that you believe should be prioritized or emphasized in teaching english-speaking skills in this program?” “l4: “from a technological perspective, it's usually about being easy to access, easy to understand, engaging, and having reasonable challenges, as well as a reward system that aligns with what they need, like in online gaming. if the rewards are tailored to young people's tastes, it will surely be highly favored.” l4: “behavior is what determines whether the system succeeds or not, so it's not just about the technology; human factors must also be addressed, requiring psychological intervention if necessary.” the integration of platforms and social media is also seen as effective technology nowadays. two platforms currently in high demand are whatsapp, for facilitating student group presentations in learning english online (lina, 2021), and microsoft teams, for online learning as viewed positively by university students (buchal & songsore, 2019; stramkale, 2023). conclusion in addressing the research question on the existing information, learners' needs, and learning needs. it can be concluded that the existing information from the future jobs report (2023) highlights increasing industry demand for cognitive skills such as complex problem-solving and technology literacy, alongside personal effectiveness skills like resilience and motivation. at the research site, the current english program lacks sufficient reading, listening, writing, and speaking activities, as well as social interaction, hindering its effectiveness. learners are predominantly 18-19 years old, native indonesian speakers, with strong reading and listening skills but weaker speaking and writing abilities. in the learners’ needs, the learners stress the importance of speaking skills like pronunciation, vocabulary, fluency, and accuracy to boost confidence and overcome challenges in language learning. these skills are critical for academic goals, career advancement in multinational environments, and effective communication. however, students face obstacles such as inconsistent practice, language complexity compared to their native indonesian, and speaking anxiety related to vocabulary and fear of evaluation. they aim to excel in business and international settings, underscoring the need for enhanced presentation skills and public speaking confidence, highlighting the importance of addressing these areas to improve overall fluency and confidence in english. lastly, in the learning needs, sorting the importance of context, content, activities, and technology in enhancing english skills, it can be concluded that the research results underscore the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 625 importance of interactive and socially engaging learning experiences. speaking activities should go beyond mere reading and repeating in applications to include interaction with others, aligning with research on social presence and interactivity as the context. besides, the content considering generation-z's characteristics as digital natives and efficient multi-taskers, evaluating video platforms for active learning is crucial. the activities should include practicality. for technology, both students and lecturers advocate for interactive online interfaces and social media integration, supported by research emphasizing their educational benefits. platforms like whatsapp and microsoft teams are favored for facilitating student group presentations and online learning, highlighting effective technology use to enhance engagement and learning outcomes through interactive activities and integrated technologies. by emphasizing the integration of practical tasks that develop cognitive skills and technology literacy, as highlighted in the future jobs report (2023). the mooc should address the current program’s shortcomings in speaking practice and social interaction, prioritizing interactive activities that enhance pronunciation, vocabulary, fluency, and accuracy. platforms like whatsapp and microsoft teams can be leveraged to facilitate collaborative learning and real-world communication skills necessary for global workplaces. the next future research could focus on effective strategies to reduce speaking anxiety among learners, explore optimal multimedia integration for generation-z learners, track the career impacts of enhanced communication skills from esp moocs, and compare these findings across different educational contexts to enhance global language learning practices. acknowledgement this research was supported by universitas pendidikan indonesia. references akhmetova, d. r., kopzhasarova, u. i., & devereaux, c. (2023). the effectiveness of moocs in esp for technical students: a kazakhstan case study. xlinguae, 16(2), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.18355/xl.2023.16.02.01 aliki, k., makrina-nina, z., & panagiota, d. (2021). a needs analysis questionnaire : designing and evaluation. journal of english literature and language alyoussef, i. y. (2023). the impact of massive open online courses (moocs) on knowledge management using integrated innovation diffusion theory and the technology acceptance model. education sciences, 13(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13060531 asrifan, a. (n.d.). english for specific purposes (esp). like raskova. babori, a., zaid, a., & fassi, h. f. (2019). research on moocs in major referred journals: the role and place of content. international review of research in open and distance learning, 20(3), 221–247. barghamadi, m. (2020). a critical study of the principles and approaches to needs analysis. studies in educational management, 7, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.32038/sem.2020.07.01 barghamadi, m. (2021). studies in educational management a critical study of the principles and approaches to needs analysis. sem journal. https://doi.org/10.32038/sem.2020.07.0 bárkányi, z. (2021). motivation, self-efficacy beliefs, and speaking anxiety in language moocs. recall, 33(2), 143–160. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0958344021000033 baron, r. (2020). students’ perception on online application in speaking skill. veles voices of english language education society, 4(2), 213–221. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v4i2.2543 buchal, r., & songsore, e. (2019). using microsoft teams to support collaborative knowledge building in the context of sustainability assessment. proceedings of the canadian engineering education association (ceea), 1– 8. https://doi.org/10.24908/pceea.vi0.13882 butarbutar, r., & bawawa, m. (2023). socialpsychological issues in efl speaking class based on collaborative learning. 7(1), 1–11. castillo, a, b., gonzález-carrión, e. l., & barquero cabrero, j. d. (2021). involvement of moocs in the teaching-learning process. in journal of entrepreneurship education (vol. 24, issue 2). duru, i., sunar, a. s., white, s., diri, b., & dogan, g. (2019). a case study on english as a second language speakers for sustainable mooc study. sustainability (switzerland), 11(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/su11102808 fang, j., tang, l., yang, j., & peng, m. (2019). social interaction in moocs: the mediating effects of immersive experience and psychological needs satisfaction. telematics and informatics, 39(january), 75–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2019.01.006 fatima, b., & bouhadjer fethi, b. (2023). investigating english use within esp learners’ practices and interactions through be & eop classroom observation. in altralang journal e. kiky soraya, nenden sri lengkanawati, & pupung purnawarman needs analysis: developing an esp speaking mooc model in higer education context 626 gamage, d. (2021). scaffolding social presence in moocs. 5th asian chi symposium 2021, 140– 145. https://doi.org/10.1145/3429360.3468198 hamori, m. (2023). self-directed learning in massive open online courses and its application at the workplace: does employer support matter? journal of business research, 157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113590 hashemifardnia, a., shafiee, s., esfahani, f. r., & sepehri, m. (2021). effects of massive open online course (mooc) on iranian efl learners’ speaking complexity, accuracy, and fluency. call-ej, 22(1), 56–79. helaluddin, a, m. a., & anshari. (2020). need analysis of academic writing teaching model based on process-genre approach: what do they really need? universal journal of educational research, 8(10), 4728–4735. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.081043 iniesto, f., & rodrigo, c. (2023). applied sciences a case study to explore a udl evaluation framework based on moocs. iniesto, f., rodrigo, c., & hillaire, g. (2023). a case study to explore a udl evaluation framework based on moocs. applied sciences (switzerland), 13(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/app13010476 jitpaisarnwattana, n., reinders, h., & darasawang, p. (2021). learners’ perspectives on interaction in a language mooc. jalt call journal, 17(2), 158–182. https://doi.org/10.29140/jaltcall.v17n2.47 2 latifa, a., & hum, m. (n.d.). the attitude of indonesian learners in tertiary level toward spoken english and its learning. journal of world englishes and educational practices (jweep) https://doi.org/10.32996/jweep laura s, d., husna, f., subagio, l. a., silvinia, m., raninsah, r., & laura situmorang smp bina kasih jambi, d. (n.d.). systematic literature review: english for specific purposes (esp) in business communication langue. journal of language and education), 1(2), 2023–2024. https://doi.org/10.22437/langue.v leanne basinger, k., alvarado, d., virginia ortega, a., behshad lahijanian, m., & alvarado, m. m. (n.d.). creating active learning in an online environment. lina, m. f. (2021). maximizing whatsapp group for students group presentation in learning english online. insania : jurnal pemikiran alternatif kependidikan, 26(2), 175–190. https://doi.org/10.24090/insania.v26i2.5237 liu, d., & zhang, p. (2020). a needs analysis proposal for esp: a case study of a short english training course for bank tellers in a chinese bank. open journal of social sciences, 08(07), 206–217. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2020.87017 mandasari, b., & aminatun, d. (2019). vlog: a tool to improve students’ english speaking ability at university level. the 3rd indonesian international conference on linguistics, language teaching, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/34230 2780 meri, y, s. (2020). the online interface and social inclusion: a mooc study in turkey. journal of interactive media in education, 2020(1). https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.558 miles, & huberman, a. m. (2014). qualitative data analysis_ a methods sourcebook. sage publications. negeri, i., malik, m., (2021). designing a cmooc for academic communities to support awareness of scaffolding procedure. 16(4), 3576–3587. olesova, l., sadaf, a., kumar, s., ozogul, g., zhu, m., moore, r. l., miller, c., & phillips, t. m. (n.d.). cognitive presence in online courses: design and facilitation of collaborative learning. pan, h., xia, f., kumar, t., li, x., & shamsy, a. (2022). massive open online course versus flipped instruction: impacts on foreign language speaking anxiety, foreign language learning motivation, and learning attitude. frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.833616 report, i. (2023). future of jobs report. insight report. rodero, e. (2022). effectiveness, attractiveness, and emotional response to voice pitch and hand gestures in public speaking. frontiers in communication, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2022.869084 ruipérez, v, j. a., halawa, s., slama, r., & reich, j. (2020). using multi-platform learning analytics to compare regional and global mooc learning in the arab world. computers and education, 146(september 2019), 103776. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103776 safitri, h., rafli, z., & dewanti, r. (2020). improving students’ speaking skills through task-based learning: an action research at the english department. international journal of multicultural and multireligious understanding, 7(6), 88. https://doi.org/10.18415/ijmmu.v7i6.1647 nodoushan, m. a. (2020). english for specific purposes: traditions, trends, directions. studies in english language and education, 7(1), 247– 268. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v7i1.16342 salvaterra, c., bencivenni, a., fogagnolo, m., & gheldof, t. (2023). preparation and delivery of an international collaborative mooc : a preliminary analysis of its pedagogical and technical implementation. sanchez, g, s., & luján-mora, s. (2018). technological innovations in large-scale english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 627 teaching: five roots of massive open online courses. journal of educational computing research, 56(5), 623–644. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633117727597 shalatska, h. m., zotova-sadylo, o. y., balanaieva, o. v, & kravtsov, h. m. (2023). designing and evaluating esp courses on moodle for enhancing language skills in online learning under creative commons license attribution 4.0 international (cc by 4.0). shao, s., zhou, z., chen, h., & shen, z. (2024). elucidating the design space of dataset condensation. http://arxiv.org/abs/2404.13733 stognieva, o. n. (2019). teaching the university esp course with the mooc component: putting ideas into practice. journal of asia tefl, 16(1), 437–447. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2019.16.1.34.4 37 stramkale, l. (n.d.). university students’ perspectives on online learning via the microsoft teams platform. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-28494650 styfanyshyn, i., & kalymon, yu. (2021). online practice for speaking english. (1st ed) (pp. 124–132). ngo european scientific platform. https://doi.org/10.36074/rodmmrfssn.ed-1.12 utomo, r. g. (2021). framework untuk mendesain sistem massive open online courses (moocs) untuk universitas di indonesia. edsence, 2(2), e29776. https://doi.org/10.17509/edsence.v2i2.29776 wang, w., guo, l., he, l., & wu, y. j. (2019). effects of social-interactive engagement on the dropout ratio in online learning: insights from mooc. behaviour and information technology, 38(6), 621–636. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929x.2018.154959 5 wei, x., saab, n., & admiraal, w. (2023). do learners share the same perceived learning outcomes in moocs? identifying the role of motivation, perceived learning support, learning engagement, and self-regulated learning strategies. internet and higher education, 56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2022.100880 weidlich, j., & bastiaens, t. j. (2019). designing sociable online learning environments and enhancing social presence: an affordance enrichment approach. computers and education, 142(june), 103622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103622 zhao, y., wang, a., & sun, y. (2020). technological environment, virtual experience, and mooc continuance: a stimulus–organism–response perspective. computers and education, 144(september 2019), 103721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103721 zhu, m., bonk, c. j., & doo, m. y. (2020). selfdirected learning in moocs: exploring the relationships among motivation, selfmonitoring, and self-management. educational technology research and development, 68(5), 2073–2093. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423020-09747-8 kiky soraya, nenden sri lengkanawati, & pupung purnawarman needs analysis: developing an esp speaking mooc model in higer education context 628 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 983 digital footprints: unpacking cultural identity through english on social media eko sugiarto english language study program, faculty of humanities and social sciences universitas bali dwipa, indonesia email: ekosgrt@gmail.com m fauzi arif english language study program, faculty of humanities and social sciences universitas bali dwipa, indonesia email: fauzigulat@gmail.com apa scitation:. sugiarto, e., & arif, m. f. (2024). the impact of question answer relationship (qar) strategy on improving students’ reading comprehension. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 983-992. https://doi.org/10.25134/ erjee.v12i3.10321 received: 21-06-2024 accepted: 23-08-2024 published: 30-10-2024 abstract: in an increasingly digital and globalized world, english has emerged as a prominent tool for communication on social media, leaving a significant cultural footprint. this research investigates how englishspeaking practices on platforms such as instagram, twitter, and online forums represent cultural identity. through a qualitative methodology, including case studies and interviews, the study examines how individuals use english not just for communication but to express both individual and collective cultural identities. key findings reveal that the use of english on social media is shaped by factors such as cultural context, platform dynamics, demographic backgrounds, globalization, and power structures. for example, users from non-native english-speaking countries often adopt english to signal modernity or global belonging while blending their native linguistic and cultural elements. the study underscores the importance of recognizing the role of english as a medium of cultural identity and provides practical recommendations. it suggests fostering cross-cultural dialogue and understanding through social media and calls for a deeper appreciation of the cultural diversity expressed through language in the digital age. these insights have broader implications for promoting cultural sensitivity and building inclusive global communication frameworks. keywords: cultural footprint; digital age; english-speaking, social media, identity representation. introduction the increasing prevalence of english use on social media has become a significant cultural phenomenon. this practice facilitates communication and is a powerful representation of cultural identity in today's interconnected society (meng et al., 2024). social media platforms, such as instagram and twitter, offer global accessibility, allowing users to engage with diverse cultures and, in turn, reflect their unique cultural identities. however, representing cultural identity through english-speaking practices on these platforms introduces complexities (olateju et al., 2024). particularly because users come from various cultural backgrounds. therefore, english acts not only as a universal communication tool but as a vessel for the expression, negotiation, and sometimes contradiction of individual and collective cultural identities (kumar, 2023). understanding these cultural imprints involves recognizing that the interaction of language and identity on social media is dynamic and continuously evolving due to changing cultural contexts (al-saggar & su, 2024). words and phrases often shift meaning based on their usage within different social and linguistic contexts (mukta et al., 2024). two significant challenges arise in studying this phenomenon. the first is representation. in the fastpaced social media environment, posts and interactions often present fragmented views, making it difficult to accurately represent cultural identity(trevisan et al., 2024). this can sometimes lead to the perpetuation of stereotypes or generalizations. the second challenge is the issue of cultural influence and adaptation(sharma, 2023). social media provides a platform for cultural exchange, but this comes with risks of mailto:ekosgrt@gmail.com eko sugiarto & m fauzi arif the impact of question answer relationship (qar) strategy on improving students’ reading comprehension 984 homogenization or cultural dominance (pratama, 2023). raising questions about who controls cultural narratives and how this affects identity construction(lütge, 2023). the novelty of this research lies in examining the role of english in the representation of cultural identity, specifically within social media contexts (iqbal, 2024). although english is widely used, it is not monolithic; its usage varies based on ethnic, social, and geographical factors, making it an important medium for studying cultural diversity(robert et al., 2024). additionally, the study acknowledges the rapid evolution of language practices on social media, including the increasing use of slang, emojis, and other non-verbal digital cues in shaping cultural identity (hu, 2024). in addition, this approach also highlights the dynamic changes in language practices in the everevolving digital age(havard, 2024). in a rapidly changing social media environment, language practices such as using slang words, emojis, and digital body language are becoming increasingly important in forming cultural identity(eslami, 2024). this marks a shift from conventional communication practices to more innovative and sometimes experimental forms, which provide a solid foundation for research into how cultural identities are represented and negotiated through language in digital contexts(domínguez hernández et al., 2024). lastly, this approach attempts to deconstruct cultural identity in an increasingly connected global context. by exploring how english-speaking practices on social media enable individuals to celebrate, maintain, or even change their cultural identity, we can better understand the dynamics of interculturality and power shifts in cultural representation (ratri et al., 2024). it provides a new perspective on how individuals and cultural groups use social media to reinforce or respond to the dynamics of globalization in the form of their cultural expressions (harklau, 2020). this review critically examines how social media users adopt, modify, and perceive english to express and negotiate their cultural identities(farida et al., 2024). it also considers how these practices influence perceptions of individual and collective identities, contributing to broader discussions about globalization and intercultural exchange(lu et al., 2022). thus, the study aimed to dig deeper into the cultural imprint manifested in english-speaking practices on social media, focusing on the representation of cultural identity(boonsuk et al., 2023). the study aims to provide insights into the role of language in sustaining and celebrating cultural diversity in contemporary society, offering recommendations for fostering more inclusive digital communication (gopal et al., 2024). method this research employs a descriptive analysis method within a qualitative framework to explore how cultural identity is represented through english-language practices on social media (visalli & galmarini, 2024). the research aims to describe phenomena related to language and identity as observed in various contexts. primary data was collected through interviews and observations involving key informants, such as school principals, religious studies teachers, and students, providing insight into the dynamics of cultural identity representation in education. secondary data was sourced from islamic religious education textbooks, scientific articles, and relevant documentation to complement and support the primary findings. to ensure the sample's relevance, purposive sampling was used to select participants who directly engage with religious education and social media. this method allows for a focused analysis of those whose experiences are most pertinent to the research questions. the rationale for the sample size is based on the need to gather in-depth perspectives while ensuring manageable data for detailed qualitative analysis. data analysis involved several stages. first, the data from interviews, observations, and documentation were simplified to make interpretation easier. the data was then organized and presented in paragraph form, ensuring clarity and coherence. a thematic analysis approach was employed, wherein patterns and themes were identified within the data, and explanatory meaning was derived based on the contextual interpretation of the findings. several strategies were employed to ensure the reliability and validity of the data. triangulation of data sources, including interviews, observations, and secondary documents, helped confirm the findings' consistency. memberchecking was used by sharing preliminary findings with participants to verify the accuracy of their perspectives. additionally, peer debriefing with colleagues ensured that interpretations of the data english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 985 remained objective and aligned with the research objectives. in summary, this study's qualitative approach enables a rich, context-driven exploration of the interaction between english-language practices and cultural identity, offering insights grounded in realworld observations and supported by rigorous analysis techniques. results and discussion in this study, it has been identified that speaking english on social media has a significant role in representing cultural identity in today's global society (yeh & mitric, 2020). the analysis reveals that the use of english serves not only as a means of communication but also as a container for expressing individual and collective cultural identity (ibrahim, 2020). the representation of cultural identity through english on social media tends to be complex and diverse, influenced by factors such as ethnic, social, and geographical background. this shows that english on social media is not homogeneous but is understood and interpreted in different cultural contexts (kiramba & oloo, 2023). in addition, the study highlights the importance of understanding the cultural context surrounding english-speaking practices on social media. major differences exist in how english is used and interpreted in different regions, countries, or social groups (haque, 2023). for example, english used on social media in the united states may have a different feel than in the united kingdom or australia (kurniasih, 2024). this understanding underscores the complexity of representing cultural identity through language, as english is often enriched with elements of local culture, including dialects, slang, and specific cultural references. furthermore, the results of this study illustrate that english-language practices on social media are often an arena for negotiation and transformation of cultural identity (syahrin et al., 2023). individuals can use english to express parts of their cultural identity that may not always be visible in everyday interactions or their mother tongue(manu et al., 2023). this creates a space for individuals to express freely and adopt different aspects of their chosen culture, which can enrich their communication experience and identity in the digital world(gema febriansyah et al., 2024). in a broader context, the results of this study highlight the importance of acknowledging cultural diversity in english-speaking practices on social media. the diverse use of english by individuals from different cultural backgrounds illustrates the plurality of cultural identities in today's global society. this shows that social media is not only a place to reinforce existing cultural identities but also a platform to celebrate and appreciate worldwide cultural diversity (kircher & kutlu, 2023). however, it is also important to be aware of potential conflicts or tensions in appreciating cultural diversity. using english in a particular cultural context can raise questions about cultural hegemony or cultural appropriation, where one cultural group may feel offended or feel that another group is taking over their cultural identity. therefore, the need for dialogue and a deeper understanding of how english-speaking practices on social media affect the representation and perception of cultural identity becomes critical in promoting respect for cultural diversity(khasawneh, 2024). in addition, the results of this study also show that english is not the only language used to represent cultural identity on social media. other languages, both regional and foreign languages, can also be an integral part of the expression of an individual or group's cultural identity(mohammad et al., 2023). this suggests that the representation of cultural identity in language practices on social media can be much more complex than just english alone and points to the need for more research into the role of those languages in shaping cultural identity in the digital age (hughes & jones, 2022). based on field research on english-speaking practices on social media: field research was conducted by analyzing various social media accounts of individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. one interesting example is the instagram account of a teenager from indonesia who is active in the international gaming community (morady et al., 2023). our analysis found that these teens creatively use english in their posts to interact with players from different countries and convey cultural references from indonesia, such as traditional food or local traditions. this reflects how the individual dynamically blends english with his or her local cultural identity, creating a unique and diverse representation of indonesia's cultural identity in the eko sugiarto & m fauzi arif the impact of question answer relationship (qar) strategy on improving students’ reading comprehension 986 global gaming environment(karhunen et al., 2023). in addition, we also saw the twitter account of a young writer from nigeria who used english in his tweets to convey thoughts and experiences about african ethnic and cultural identity. in our analysis, we found that these authors often use english with elements of rich african culture, such as proverbs, folklore, or distinctive terms, to reinforce messages about pride in african heritage and the struggles of their communities. it illustrates how the individual uses english to reinforce and celebrate their african cultural identity on a global scale through social media(lin, 2024). however, we also find examples of tension in the representation of cultural identity through english on social media. for example, in a reddit discussion forum, we encountered a discussion that sparked controversy between users from the united states and users from japan about using english in the context of japanese culture (louf et al., 2023). users from the united states expressed dissatisfaction with how japanese use english in certain contexts, considering it an inappropriate form of cultural appropriation. meanwhile, users from japan defended their use of english as a legitimate form of self-expression in the global sphere (tan & md yunus, 2023). it shows how the representation of cultural identity through english on social media can generate tensions or conflicts between cultural groups, which require deeper understanding and open dialogue to be resolved constructively, as shown below: table 1. results based on field research on english-speaking practices on social media examples of social media accounts description key findings instagram account of a teenager from indonesia a teenager active in the international gaming community use of english to interact with players from different countries. use cultural references from indonesia, such as traditional foods or local traditions. twitter account of a young writer from nigeria young writers who convey thoughts and experiences about african ethnic and cultural identity using english with elements of african culture, such as proverbs, folklore, or distinctive terms, reinforces messages about pride in african cultural heritage and the struggles of its community. discussion on reddit forum on the use of english in the context of japanese culture inggris dalam konteks budaya jepang discussions between united states users and japan on cultural appropriation united states users question japanese users' use of english as cultural appropriation. user jepang membela their use of english as legitimate selfexpression in a global scope. source: field observation results the table above summarizes findings from field research on english-language practices on social media by including examples of observed cases and key findings. from the above examples, it can be concluded that speaking english on social media reflects the diversity and complexity of cultural identities in today's global society. the use of english is a means of communication and a medium to convey individual and collective cultural identity. however, using english in certain cultural contexts can also raise questions about cultural appropriation or dominance, indicating the need for deeper dialogue and understanding in appreciating cultural diversity on social media. further research into english-language practices on social media and their impact on the representation and perception of cultural identity is critical to understanding cultural dynamics in this increasingly connected digital age(shahid et al., 2024). english-speaking practices on social media reflect the ever-changing cultural dynamics in an increasingly connected global society. the representation of cultural identity through english allows individuals to express and associate themselves with different cultural groups and reinforce or respond to the dynamics of globalization. however, in this process, there is a risk of inaccurate stereotypes or generalizations about a culture or group and the risk of homogenization or dominance of certain cultures over others. in addition, english-language practices on social media also reflect changes in communication practices and cultural identity in the digital age. using slang words, emojis, and digital body language is becoming increasingly important english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 987 in forming cultural identity on social media, creating more innovative and experimental forms of communication. this marks a shift from conventional communication practices to more dynamic and diverse forms, which can reflect the cultural diversity worldwide (melnyk et al., 2021). english-speaking practices on social media reflect the ever-changing cultural dynamics in an increasingly connected global society. the representation of cultural identity through english allows individuals to express and associate themselves with different cultural groups and reinforce or respond to the dynamics of globalization. however, in this process, there is a risk of inaccurate stereotypes or generalizations about a culture or group and the risk of homogenization or dominance of certain cultures over others. in addition, english-language practices on social media also reflect changes in communication practices and cultural identity in the digital age(tankosić & dovchin, 2023). using slang words, emojis, and digital body language is becoming increasingly important in forming cultural identity on social media, creating more innovative and experimental forms of communication. this marks a shift from conventional communication practices to more dynamic and diverse forms, which can reflect the cultural diversity worldwide (schachner et al., 2024). several key factors emerged as key drivers in exploring the phenomenon of english-language practices on social media as a representation of cultural identity. first of all, the individual's cultural context plays a central role in the use of english. ethnic background, linguistic diversity, and social norms in the neighborhood shape how individuals use english in their self-representation. for example, individuals with different ethnic backgrounds might choose to use english in a style that reflects their cultural influences, such as slang or typical idioms. second, the importance of social media platforms in shaping english-language practices and representing cultural identity must be addressed. each platform has unique communication dynamics, which can affect how users use and interpret english. for example, more visual platforms like instagram encourage more language through in-depth captions or descriptions. in contrast, platforms like twitter with character restrictions tend to elicit a shorter, more direct communication style (véliz-campos et al., 2024). demographic factors also play a role in shaping english-language practices on social media. age, gender, and social status can affect a person's communication style and language preferences. for example, studies have shown that younger generations are more familiar with slang and slang in digital contexts, while older generations may prefer more formal communication styles. globalization and technology have greatly impacted how english is used and interpreted on social media. advances in information and communication technology have expanded the reach of individuals and facilitated greater crosscultural interaction. as a result, english-speaking practices on social media often reflect rapid cultural adoption and adaptation, with english increasingly integrated with elements of local culture. finally, it is important to recognize that english-speaking practices on social media can also reflect the dynamics of power and dominance in society (barrot, 2023). some cultural or linguistic groups may have greater access to resources and representation, while others may face challenges in gaining visibility and recognition in digital spaces. therefore, to understand this phenomenon thoroughly, a deeper analysis of the factors of power, equality, and inclusion in the representation of cultural identity through english on social media is necessary. cultural footprints in the digital age and the representation of cultural identity in english-language practices on social media have become particularly relevant, given the rapid development of information technology and the widespread penetration of social media in everyday life. in this context, culture is no longer limited to a specific geographic location but is becoming increasingly globally connected through digital platforms. let us discuss it further: cultural footprint in the digital age.globalization and cultural interaction: the digital age facilitates quick and easy interaction between different cultures worldwide. people can easily access information, products, and cultures of different countries and societies through the internet. cultural content creation: digital media allows individuals and groups to create and share content that reflects their cultural identity. this can be music, visual arts, writing, and so on. platforms like youtube, instagram, and tiktok are becoming the eko sugiarto & m fauzi arif the impact of question answer relationship (qar) strategy on improving students’ reading comprehension 988 main means to express culture creatively. cultural preservation: on the other hand, the internet has also become a tool to introduce and preserve cultures that may be endangered. through websites, blogs, and social media platforms, information about traditional cultures can be perpetuated and disseminated to future generations (v. jain et al., 2021). representation of cultural identity in englishlanguage practices on social media.code-switching: people often use english and other languages in a single content or conversation on social media, especially in a multicultural environment. it reflects the reality of globalization, where people often interact with individuals from different cultural backgrounds. use of cultural terms: in englishlanguage practices on social media, there is the use of terms or phrases that refer to a particular culture, such as a particular food, festival, or tradition. it reflects one's pride and cultural identity. pop culture influences: pop culture from englishspeaking countries, such as the united states and the united kingdom, often influences how people speak and express themselves on social media. for example, slang or popular references from movies, music, or tv shows(hidayat, 2024). impact and implications. identity reinforcement: social media provides a platform for individuals to reinforce and celebrate their cultural identity. this can increase the sense of pride and solidarity within the cultural community. intercultural understanding: speaking english on social media also facilitates cultural exchange and better intercultural understanding among individuals from different backgrounds. challenges and conflicts: however, using english and cultural representations on social media can also be a source of conflict or controversy if not properly understood or if distortions occur in certain cultural representations (kumar, 2023). changes in communication patterns. social media has changed how people communicate, including in the use of language. communication through writing in english on platforms such as twitter, facebook, and instagram often becomes dominant. this can change language patterns and communication styles in certain cultural contexts, especially among younger generations (waqar et al., 2021). cultural identity negotiation. the use of english in social media is often the result of negotiating cultural identity. individuals can feel attached to their local culture and connected to the global culture offered by the english language. in this case, social media provides a platform for individuals to express multiple or hybrid identities. criticism of cultural homogenization. although social media facilitates extensive cultural exchange, there are concerns about the cultural homogenization generated by the dominance of popular culture, especially those from englishspeaking countries. this can threaten the diversity of local cultures and result in the emergence of a uniform culture worldwide. the importance of cultural literacy. in the context of english-speaking practices on social media, cultural literacy—the ability to understand and appreciate the cultural context behind the language and symbols used—is important. this helps prevent misunderstandings and conflicts arising from cultural distortions or stereotypes. role of government and regulation. governments and international agencies need to consider their role in regulating cultural content on social media to protect local cultural heritage and prevent the spread of derogatory or misleading content. innovation and collaborative creation. social media is also a place for innovation and collaborative creation to strengthen cultural identity. for example, individuals can work with fellow artists or culturalists through youtube or soundcloud platforms to create content that creatively celebrates their culture. education and cultural awareness. education about cultural awareness on social media is important for better understanding the implications of cultural representation in english-speaking practices. this can be done through school curricula, public campaigns, and training for social media users. by considering these aspects, we can better understand the complexity of cultural footprints in the digital age and how the representation of cultural identity in english-speaking practices on social media plays an important role in building better intercultural relationships. more details about some related comments in the context of the discussion: code-switching and cultural identity: further investigation of code-switching in english-language practices on social media reveals the complexity of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 989 individual cultural identities. code-switching, which uses two or more languages in a conversation, reflects a multicultural and multilingual experience. it can be a tool for individuals to express their cultural identities simultaneously, creating space for dynamic and flexible cultural integration. popular culture adoption and local response: social media facilitates the adoption of popular culture from english-speaking countries worldwide. however, the response to this adoption may vary depending on the local cultural context. some societies may welcome it enthusiastically, while others may oppose it as a form of cultural domination or cultural colonization. creativity in cultural reinterpretation: social media users often show creativity in reinterpreting cultural elements in new contexts. for example, memes, parody videos, or modified photographs can be a humorous or critiquing way to reflect and debate certain aspects of culture. it highlights the dynamic between global cultural influences and local creativity in shaping cultural identities in the digital age(etim-james & ubi, 2024). use of language as a symbol of cultural ownership: using english in language practices on social media can also symbolize belonging to a particular culture or social status. individuals or groups proficient in english may be considered more modern or educated, while local languages or dialects may reflect proximity to traditional cultural roots. growth of virtual communities and identities: social media also enables the growth of same-minded cultural identity-based communities in virtual spaces. these communities often provide emotional support, spaces to share experiences, and the maintenance of pride in shared cultural identity. it shows how social media connects individuals with global cultures and strengthens local and transnational cultural ties. by understanding and exploring these ominous, we can appreciate the complexity of cultural dynamics in digital contexts and see how the representation of cultural identity in english-speaking practices on social media reflects processes of adaptation, negotiation, and creativity in the face of the challenges of cultural globalization(s. et al., 2024). the use of english in social media has become increasingly dominant worldwide, creating an interesting phenomenon regarding the representation of cultural identity. in this context, code-switching, i.e., using two or more languages in a single conversation, is becoming increasingly common, reflecting individuals' multicultural and multilingual experiences. this phenomenon creates a space to express dual or hybrid cultural identities, where individuals can simultaneously celebrate both aspects of their culture. however, adopting popular culture from english-speaking countries raises questions about local responses to global cultural influences. while some societies may welcome it enthusiastically, others may oppose it as a form of cultural domination or colonization. on the other hand, creativity in reinterpreting cultural elements in new contexts also occurs widely on social media, creating space for reflection, debate, and humor related to certain aspects of culture. this illustrates the complexity of how cultural identities are represented and negotiated in english-language social media practices, which reflect global cultural influences and strengthen local and transnational cultural ties. the cultural footprint in the digital age and the representation of cultural identity in englishlanguage practices on social media reflect the complex dynamics of cultural globalization and information technology. while social media provides space for creative cultural expression and identity reinforcement, it is important to remember that cultural representation must be done with respect and understanding of the true cultural context (robert et al., 2024). thus, speaking english on social media is a complex phenomenon reflecting the diversity and dynamics of cultural identity in today's global society. various factors, such as individual cultural contexts, social media platforms, demographic factors, globalization, and power dynamics, play an important role in shaping how english is used and interpreted to represent cultural identity. in this context, speaking english on social media cannot be understood without the cultural, social, and historical factors surrounding it. through english, individuals can convey their cultural identity to a wider audience. at the same time, such representations can also reflect the complexities in negotiating a constantly changing cultural identity. the importance of a deeper understanding of the dynamics of language and culture in this increasingly connected digital age. with a better understanding of english-speaking practices on social media and their impact on the representation eko sugiarto & m fauzi arif the impact of question answer relationship (qar) strategy on improving students’ reading comprehension 990 of cultural identity, we can acknowledge and appreciate cultural diversity in today's global society and promote better dialogue and understanding between different cultural groups (kircher & kutlu, 2023). conclusion english-language practices on social media are shaped by a complex interplay of cultural, social, and technological factors that influence how individuals express and negotiate their cultural identity in a globalized society. while these practices allow for reinforcing and celebrating cultural identities, they also highlight challenges in accurately representing diverse identities within digital spaces. a deeper understanding of these dynamics is essential for fostering cultural diversity and promoting dialogue between cultural groups. based on the findings, it is recommended that social media platforms develop tools that encourage more nuanced and diverse cultural expression. educators and policymakers should also promote digital literacy programs that help users understand the implications of language use in cultural representation. this ensures that cultural identities are represented with respect and authenticity across global platforms. acknowledgments we extend our gratitude to the participants for their insights, advisors for guidance, institutions for resources, and researchers for inspiration. special thanks to friends and family for their support. your contributions have advanced our understanding of cultural identity in the digital age. references al-saggaf, m. a., & su, y. (2024). ahcs level of cultural attachment among english-dominant malaysian chinese university students. advances in humanities and contemporary studies, 5(2), 123–135. barrot, j. s. (2023). using social networking sites as a language teaching and learning environment. language teaching, 56(2), 181–196. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444822000167 boonsuk, y., wasoh, f. e., & fang, f. (2023). native and non-native identity preferences in elt hiring practices amid global englishes: the case of online job advertisements. asia-pacific social science review, 23(1), 135–143. https://doi.org/10.59588/2350-8329.1491 domínguez hernández, a., krishna, s., perini, a. m., katell, m., bennett, s. j., borda, a., hashem, y., hadjiloizou, s., mahomed, s., jayadeva, s., aitken, m., & leslie, d. (2024). mapping the individual, social and biospheric impacts of foundation models. in 2024 acm conference on fairness, accountability, and transparency, facct 2024 (vol. 1, issue 1). association for computing machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3630106.3658939 eslami, z. r. (2024). identity, politeness and discursive practices in a changing world. russian journal of linguistics, 27(1), 7–38. etim-james, g., & ubi, u. (2024). the impact of globalization on nigerian culture and language: a study of ekid language. policy and governance research (jpapgr), 2(2), 22–28. farida, f., supardi, s., abduh, a., muchtar, j., rosmaladewi, r., & arham, m. (2024). technology and hybrid multimedia for language learning and cross-cultural communication in higher education. asean journal of science and engineering, 4(2), 331–348. gema febriansyah, muhammad zaim, & harris effendi thahar. (2024). is traditional media still relevant in english language teaching?: perceptions and challenges. journal of language and literature studies, 4(2), 459–471. https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v4i2.1929 gopal, l. s., prabha, r., thirugnanam, h., & ramesh, m. v. (2024). review article : leveraging social media for managing natural hazard disasters : a critical review of data collection strategies and actionable insights. 20(june). haque, m. z. (2023). the use of social media platforms in language learning: a critical study. journal of global research in education and social science, april 20–28. https://doi.org/10.56557/jogress/2023/v17i18109 harklau, l. (2020). from the “good kids” to the “worst”: representations of english language learners across educational settings. paper knowledge . toward a media history of documents, 34(1), 12–26. havard, c. j. (2024). digital footprints: technology, race and justice introduction. digital footprints: technology, race and justice introduction, 2(1), 1–17. hidayat, f. (2024). visualizations of philosophical crosscultural interaction and influence in a globalized world. prajñā vihāra: journal of philosophy and religion, 25(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.59865/prajn.2024.1 hu, x. (2024). multiliteracies meet new methods: the case for digital writing in english education case study in g-7 countries. plos one, 19(7 july), 1– english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 3, october 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 991 25. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0304343 hughes, l., & jones, p. (2022). the impact of social media on consumer acculturation: challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research and practice. orca, 2(3), 49. ibrahim, n. (2020). the multilingual picturebook in english language teaching : linguistic and cultural identity. clelejournal, 8(2), 12–38. iqbal, r. h. (2024). exploring the social context of online english language teaching (elt) platforms : a critical discourse analysis of youtube comments. journal of academic research for humanities (hec-recognized, 3(september 2023), 283–293. jain, s. c. (2024). the future of globalization. toward a global business confederation, 93–154. https://doi.org/10.5040/9798216026587.ch-005 jain, v., belk, r. w., ambika, a., & pathak-shelat, m. (2021). narratives selves in the digital world: an empirical investigation. journal of consumer behaviour, 20(2), 368–380. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1869 karhunen, p., kankaanranta, a., & räisänen, t. (2023). towards a richer understanding of language and identity in the mnc: constructing cosmopolitan identities through “english.” management international review, 63(3), 507–530. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-023-00504-6 khasawneh, y. (2024). migration letters social media language patterns in jordan : a data-driven study of regional dialects social media language patterns in jordan : a data-driven study of regional dialects. migration letters, january. kiramba, l. k., & oloo, j. a. (2023). “it’s ok. she doesn’t even speak english”: narratives of language, culture, and identity negotiation by immigrant high school students. urban education, 58(3), 398–426. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085919873696 kircher, r., & kutlu, e. (2023). multilingual realities, monolingual ideologies: social media representations of spanish as a heritage language in the united states. in applied linguistics (vol. 44, issue 6). https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amac076 kumar, r. (2023). english language and digital literacy : navigating the information age. journal of international english research studies, 1(2), 25– 31. kurniasih, e. (2024). exploring the practice of instructional video creation in computer-assisted language learning course. 4(1). lin, x. (2024). copyright protection and risk assessment based on information extraction and machine learning: the case of online literary works. 25, 3822–3831. https://doi.org/10.12694/scpe.v25i5.3002 louf, t., gonçalves, b., ramasco, j. j., sánchez, d., & grieve, j. (2023). american cultural regions mapped through the lexical analysis of social media. humanities and social sciences communications, 10(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01611-3 lu, j., liu, y., an, l., & zhang, y. (2022). the cultural sustainability in english as foreign language textbooks: investigating the cultural representations in english language textbooks in china for senior middle school students. frontiers in psychology, 13(october), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.944381 lütge, c. (2023). revisiting cultural and global learning? the impact of digital citizenship on foreign language education. alsic, vol. 26, n° 1, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.4000/alsic.7164 manu, b. d., ying, f., oduro, d., antwi, j., & adjuik, r. y. (2023). the impact of social media use on student engagement and acculturative stress among international students in china. plos one, 18(4 april), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284185 melnyk, n. i., biletska, i. o., ponomarova, o. a., buranova, a. v., & davydenko, a. o. (2021). representation of ethnicity in lexicographic discourse. rupkatha journal on interdisciplinary studies in humanities, 13(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v13n1.22 meng, x., wang, c., yang, j., li, m., zhang, y., & wang, l. (2024). predicting users’ latent suicidal risk in social media: an ensemble model based on social network relationships. computers, materials and continua, 79(3), 4259–4281. https://doi.org/10.32604/cmc.2024.050325 mohammad, t., khandey, a. y., idris, s., & syed, z. (2023). role of social media in developing english language skills: writing in context. british journal of arts and humanities, 7782, 116–130. https://doi.org/10.34104/bjah.02301160130 morady moghaddam, m., & esmaeilpour, f. (2023). persuasive language in elt-related ads on social media. journal of psycholinguistic research, 52(4), 1263–1288. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936023-09942-7 mukta, m. s. h., ahmed, j., raiaan, m. a. k., fahad, n. m., islam, m. n., imtiaz, n., islam, m. a., ali, m. e., & azam, s. (2024). behavior based group recommendation from social media dataset by using deep learning and topic modeling. sn computer science, 5(6), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42979-024-03055-1 olateju temitope akintayo, fadeke adeola atobatele, & patricia diane mouboua. (2024). the dynamics of language shifts in migrant communities: implications for social integration and cultural preservation. international journal of applied eko sugiarto & m fauzi arif the impact of question answer relationship (qar) strategy on improving students’ reading comprehension 992 research in social sciences, 6(5), 844–860. https://doi.org/10.51594/ijarss.v6i5.1106 pratama, r. (2023). english language in the context of cultural diplomacy. culturalistics: journal of cultural, literary, and linguistic studies, 7(2), 77–84. ratri, d. p., widiati, u., astutik, i., magdalena, p., malang, u. n., & brawijaya, u. (2024). a systematic review on the integration of local culture into english language teaching in southeast asia: current practices and impacts on learners’ attitude and engagement. pegem journal of education and instruction, 14(2), 37–44. https://doi.org/10.47750/pegegog.14.02.05 robert otieno apiyo. (2024). the role of podcasts and their influence in shaping african diaspora relationships in the united states. university of oregon, 2(3). schachner, m. k., hölscher, s., moscardino, u., ceccon, c., juang, l., & pastore, m. (2024). adolescent cultural identity development in context: the dynamic interplay of the identity project with classroom cultural diversity climate in italy and germany. journal of youth and adolescence. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-024-02031-5 shahid, m., ahmad, b., & khan, m. r. (2024). english language learners as digital content creators: an exploration of social networking on the perceived development of language skills. call-ej, 25(1), 46– 63. sharma, v. k. (2023). using literary texts in developing intercultural competence of foreign english language learners in virtual space. arab world english journal (awej), 19(5), 1–23. syahrin, s., algryani, a., & irudayasamy, j. (2023). an interplay of communities of practice and multiliteracies framework: a case study of the uses and practices of english literacy in oman. international journal of society, culture and language, 11(1), 189–202. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijscl.2022.560063.2730 tan, s. y., & md yunus, m. (2023). sustaining english language education with social networking sites (snss): a systematic review. sustainability (switzerland), 15(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075710 tankosić, a., & dovchin, s. (2023). the impact of social media in the sociolinguistic practices of the peripheral post-socialist contexts. international journal of multilingualism, 20(3), 869–890. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2021.1917582 trevisan, o., christensen, r., drossel, k., friesen, s., & phillips, m. (2024). drivers of digital realities for ongoing teacher professional learning. technology, knowledge and learning, 0123456789. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-024-09771-0 véliz-campos, m., roa, f., & veliz, l. (2024). on the portrayal of indigenous peoples in english language teaching coursebooks used in chile: a critical visual literacy/socio-semiotic study. asianpacific journal of second and foreign language education, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862024-00268-y visalli, m., & galmarini, m. v. (2024). multi-attribute temporal descriptive methods in sensory analysis applied in food science: a systematic scoping review. comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety, 23(1), 1–45. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.13294 waqar, s., shah, a., sindh, j., & pathan, h. (2021). representation of western culture in o ’ level english language textbooks. elf annual research journal, 18(january 2016), 21. yeh, e., & mitric, s. (2020). bridging activities: social media for connecting language learners’ in-school and out-of-school literacy practices. international journal of computer-assisted language learning and teaching, 10(3), 48–66. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijcallt.2020070104 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 189 designing the fiswr learning model: empowering english learners through vocabulary mastery and peer collaboration lamhot naibaho* english education study program, faculty of letter and languages, universitas kristen indonesia, jakarta, indonesia email: lnaibaho68@gmail.com aarce tehupeiory postgraduate program, magister of law, universitas kristen indonesia, jakarta, indonesia email: aartje.tehupeiory@uki.ac.id gunawan tambunsaribu faculty of letter and languages, english literature study program, universitas kristen indonesia, jakarta, indonesia email: gunawan.tambunsaribu@uki.ac.id geby arni siregar terunas harapan nusantara junior high school, bekasi, indonesia email: gebysiregar2@gmail.com apa citation: naibaho, l., tehupeiory, a., tambunsaribu, g., & siregar, g. a. (2025). designing the fiswr learning model: empowering english learners through vocabulary mastery and peer collaboration. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 189-204. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.10535 received: 11-09-2024 accepted: 13-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: the recent covid-19 pandemic has compelled universities to modernize their learning systems through technology while ensuring the enhancement of students' academic achievements. however, various institutional challenges hinder this process, requiring effective learning solutions. to address these challenges, universities need adaptable learning models applicable in both online and offline settings. this study focuses on developing an english language learning model that enhances vocabulary acquisition through structured stages: finding, saving, writing, and reading (fiswr). the model encourages students to actively search for new vocabulary, store and memorize it, construct sentences using the words, and practice reading their written sentences aloud in front of tutors or peers. employing a research and development (rnd) design, this study is conducted at indonesian christian university with the following objectives: a) to empirically identify students' needs for learning models, b) to assess the feasibility of the models based on expert evaluations, c) to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed models in improving communication skills and vocabulary acquisition, and d) to analyze students' perceptions of the models. the expected outcome is the development of a comprehensive, adaptable, and validated english learning model for university-level implementation. keywords: fiswr model; english language learning; vocabulary acquisition; student-centered learning; r&d. introduction academic achievement has long been a focal point in educational research, serving as a key indicator of students’ success. it influences multiple aspects of life, including self-esteem, motivation, and future career opportunities (kassaw & demareva, 2023; alam, mohanty, 2024; park, 2024). among the various factors affecting academic performance, cognitive abilities play a crucial role, particularly in language learning. vocabulary acquisition is a fundamental aspect of english language proficiency, as it directly impacts communication skills, comprehension, and overall linguistic competence (naibaho & ambrosia, 2019; schmitt, 2019; wawire & zuilkowski, 2021). however, many students struggle with vocabulary retention and meaningful application, highlighting the need for structured pedagogical approaches that enhance both acquisition and usage. recent studies have explored different vocabulary learning strategies, including direct instruction, contextual learning, and digital tools (nazeer, mukhtar & azhar, 2023; eichstaedt, 2023; zhang, li & zhou, 2023). while technology has provided new opportunities for online and mailto:lnaibaho68@gmail.com mailto:aartje.tehupeiory@uki.ac.id mailto:gunawan.tambunsaribu@uki.ac.id mailto:gebysiregar2@gmail.com lamhot naibaho, aarce tehupeiory, gunawan tambunsaribu, geby arni siregar designing the fiswr learning model: empowering english learners through vocabulary mastery and peer collaboration 190 blended learning, its effectiveness in vocabulary acquisition remains dependent on pedagogical design rather than mere access to digital platforms. this suggests that a well-structured learning model is necessary to foster active student engagement and long-term vocabulary retention (naibaho, 2022). in response to these challenges, this study introduces the fiswr (finding, saving, writing, and reading) model, a structured approach to vocabulary acquisition that promotes self-directed learning and communicative practice. unlike traditional teacher-centered methods, fiswr encourages students to actively search for vocabulary, store and memorize new words, construct meaningful sentences, and practice reading them aloud in peer-supported settings. this model aligns with student-centered learning principles by fostering autonomy, peer collaboration, and active participation in the learning process (akhmetova, 2023; hoidn & reusser, 2020). while online learning environments and learning management systems (lms) have facilitated education in recent years, research indicates that technological tools alone do not guarantee language mastery (fageeh, 2024; netanda, 2020; naibaho, saxena, sharma, alfurhood, pallavi, & pant, 2023). the fiswr model addresses these pedagogical gaps by integrating independent vocabulary learning strategies with oral and written reinforcement, ensuring that students not only acquire vocabulary but also use it effectively in communicative contexts. this study aims to develop and evaluate the fiswr model within a research and development (r&d) framework, focusing on its design, effectiveness, and practical application in english language learning. specifically, the research seeks to answer the following questions: what is the design of the fiswr english language learning model? how effective and practical is the fiswr model in improving vocabulary acquisition and communication skills? given time, budget, and resource constraints, this study is conducted within the scope of indonesian christian university, with expected outcomes contributing to both theoretical advancements in language pedagogy and practical applications in higher education. in recent years, various studies have examined the effectiveness of different language learning strategies and pedagogical models in improving students’ academic outcomes, particularly in vocabulary acquisition and communicative competence (ortikov, 2024; niyozov, bijanov, ganiyev, & kurbonova, 2023). these models emphasize the need for active learning, cognitive engagement, and self-regulated strategies to enhance long-term retention and application of vocabulary in real-life communication. however, despite the wealth of research available, there remains a gap in integrating structured vocabulary acquisition techniques with communicative reinforcement in a student-centered framework. second language acquisition (sla) research highlights several key vocabulary learning strategies, including explicit instruction, contextual learning, peer interaction, and digital integration. many studies suggest that storytellingbased learning, peer questioning, and structured memorization techniques significantly contribute to language mastery (larsari, geng, & vidal, 2023; elkoshiry & hegazy, 2024) storytelling provides meaningful contexts for vocabulary exposure, allowing learners to internalize language structures naturally. meanwhile, peer questioning encourages active engagement, as learners construct their understanding through interactive discussions. memory-based strategies, such as vocabulary journals and spaced repetition, have also proven effective in helping students retain and retrieve words efficiently in real communication settings. although these strategies have been widely implemented, many traditional learning models lack an integrated approach that connects vocabulary acquisition, structured writing, and verbal reinforcement. most conventional approaches focus either on explicit vocabulary instruction or communicative practice separately, rather than bridging the two into a continuous learning cycle (azizi, namaziandost & ashkani, 2022; hanemann & robinson, 2022). this gap underscores the need for a comprehensive model that systematically develops vocabulary while simultaneously strengthening students’ speaking and writing skills. existing student-centered learning models, such as project-based learning (pbl), task-based language teaching (tblt), and communicative language teaching (clt), emphasize interactive and real-world applications of language learning (khamroeva, 2024; yaqobi, 2022). however, while these approaches enhance engagement and motivation, they often lack structured mechanisms for vocabulary retention and written application. research indicates that students frequently struggle with long-term retention when vocabulary learning is not reinforced through active usage. the fiswr (finding, saving, writing, and reading) english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 191 model seeks to fill this gap by integrating four essential steps in vocabulary learning. the first step, "finding," encourages students to actively search for and identify new vocabulary in various sources such as texts, conversations, and media. the second step, "saving," focuses on storing and memorizing vocabulary systematically using personal vocabulary banks or digital tools. the third step, "writing," involves applying vocabulary in structured sentence formation and paragraph development, reinforcing its contextual use. finally, the "reading" component requires students to practice pronunciation, fluency, and verbal expression through peer-supported reading and discussion. unlike traditional rote memorization techniques, the fiswr model emphasizes student autonomy, providing learners with opportunities to personalize their vocabulary learning while ensuring reinforcement through collaborative writing and verbal articulation. this aligns with constructivist learning principles, where learners build knowledge through active participation and peer interaction (le & nguyen, 2024; hailikari, irtanen, vesalainen & postareff, (2022). with the rise of technological advancements in education, many digital tools have been developed to support vocabulary acquisition. learning management systems (lms), vocabulary apps, and ai-powered feedback tools are widely used to facilitate learning beyond the classroom (naibaho, saxena, sharma, alfurhood, pallavi & pant, 2023). however, while these tools enhance accessibility, they do not inherently address the need for structured reinforcement in real communication settings. studies show that students retain vocabulary more effectively when digital learning is complemented by peer interactions and practical application. by incorporating both traditional and digital learning approaches, the fiswr model ensures that vocabulary acquisition is not just passive exposure but an interactive, communicative process (bajac & fišer, 2024; khorrami, 2024). through structured writing exercises and verbal reinforcement, learners engage in meaningful activities that bridge vocabulary retention and usage, making it more effective than conventional teacher-centered approaches. the importance of integrating structured vocabulary acquisition with communicative reinforcement to enhance sla outcomes. while previous models such as pbl, tblt, and clt provide student-centered learning experiences, they often lack the structured vocabulary development cycle needed for longterm retention (bouchahed, 2024; naibaho, 2021; chen, 2024). the fiswr model fills this gap by providing a systematic approach that combines active vocabulary discovery, memorization, writing practice, and verbal reinforcement. additionally, as technology continues to evolve in education, this model can be further enhanced with digital tools, ensuring that students develop both independent learning strategies and communicative competence in the second language acquisition process. method the research design employed in this study is research and development (r&d). this method is essential for obtaining data on user needs through a needs assessment, followed by the development of products designed to address these needs, with a focus on evaluating their effectiveness. the r&d approach was chosen to align with the study's objective of developing an effective learning strategy through the fiswr model. this design incorporates both research activities, such as a needs analysis and literature review, as well as product development, testing, and validation. the study will involve 120 students from the english language study program during the odd semester as research participants. these students will serve as subjects for developing and testing the fiswr learning model. the r&d process in this study consists of three primary stages: needs assessment, design and development, and testing and validation. the needs assessment stage involves analyzing current challenges in english language learning, identifying the difficulties faced by students, and determining the key components necessary for effective vocabulary acquisition. the insights gathered from this phase will serve as the foundation for designing the fiswr model. the design and development phase will focus on constructing the learning model, outlining the methodologies, instructional techniques, and digital and physical resources required for effective implementation. the final stage, testing and validation, involves evaluating the practicality and effectiveness of the model through a series of trials, expert validation, and student feedback. during the validation process, the fiswr model will be assessed through focus group discussions with educational experts and lecturers at universitas kristen indonesia. this validation phase will include content validation, ensuring that the model aligns with pedagogical principles, and construct validation, which assesses its internal consistency. after validation, a pilot study will be conducted with students to evaluate the practicality lamhot naibaho, aarce tehupeiory, gunawan tambunsaribu, geby arni siregar designing the fiswr learning model: empowering english learners through vocabulary mastery and peer collaboration 192 and effectiveness of the model in real classroom settings. data will be collected on student motivation, participation, and learning outcomes to measure the impact of the fiswr model on their vocabulary acquisition. the data collection process consists of several critical steps. first, an initial survey will be conducted at the english education study program, faculty of letters and language education, universitas kristen indonesia. this survey aims to assess the current state of english language instruction and identify key areas for improvement. respondents will then be selected based on their willingness to participate and their experience with english language learning, ensuring that their insights contribute meaningfully to the study. the next step involves developing research instruments, including questionnaires, documentation checklists, and interview sheets, which will be used to gather data from participants. following this, the data collection process will take place, wherein students' responses and observations will be recorded systematically. after the data collection phase, the analysis and organization of findings will be carried out to determine the essential components of the fiswr learning strategy. the designed model and its supporting materials will then be submitted to language learning experts and software specialists for validation. once validated, the model will be tested on small student groups comprising participants from different study programs to ensure a broad perspective on its applicability. the evaluation process will involve analyzing expert feedback and student responses to determine the model's strengths and areas for improvement. the study will employ a likert-scale questionnaire to measure participants’ perceptions of the fiswr model. the responses will be rated using a five-point scale: strongly good, good, rather good, bad, and strongly bad. the interpretation of scores will be structured as follows: 0%-20% indicates "strongly good," 21%40% signifies "good," 41%-60% corresponds to "rather good," 61%-80% represents "bad," and 81%-100% indicates "strongly bad." this scoring system will allow for a structured evaluation of students' and lecturers' perceptions of the model. the study will also incorporate a structured validation and refinement process to improve the model before field trials. the research findings will be displayed in tabular form to provide a clear visualization of the validation and trial questionnaire results. the evaluation results, along with feedback from experts, lecturers, and students, will be analyzed to refine and perfect the fiswr model. the revised version of the model will then be prepared for broader implementation through field trials. the field trials will involve implementing the fiswr english language learning model in real classroom settings. lessons will be conducted using the model to assess its effectiveness in enhancing vocabulary acquisition. the data collected during these trials will be used to evaluate student engagement and performance to determine whether the model meets its intended educational goals. based on the results of the field trials, necessary final adjustments will be made to improve the model’s efficiency before its final implementation. the ultimate outcome of this study is the production of a fully developed fiswr english language learning model that is ready for broader application in english language instruction. ethical approval for this study was obtained from universitas kristen indonesia’s ethics committee. participants provided informed consent before data collection, ensuring voluntary participation. all personal data were kept confidential, and participants had the right to withdraw from the study at any stage without consequences. the study adheres to ethical guidelines for human subject research, ensuring that all procedures align with international standards for educational research. results and discussion the model developed was named the fiswr english language learning model. educators utilize diverse learning models in the teaching and learning process. therefore, selecting an appropriate learning model is crucial to motivating students and catering to their individual learning styles. the right model enhances engagement and ensures the optimal achievement of learning objectives (jayalath & esichaikul, 2022; halverson & graham, 2019; sandars, et al., 2020; barkley & major, 2020). the development of the fiswr model is grounded in the theory of learning elements, which identifies five fundamental components of a learning model: a) syntax, referring to the operational steps of learning; b) social system, which represents the prevailing atmosphere and norms in learning; c) principles of reaction, describing how teachers should perceive, treat, and respond to students; d) support system, encompassing all facilities, materials, tools, or learning environments that aid learning; and e) instructional and nurturant effects, representing both the intended learning outcomes (instructional english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 193 effects) and the incidental learning benefits beyond the targeted goals (nurturant effects) (thankachan, 2020; kong & chookhampaeng, 2024). the fiswr model is specifically designed to enhance students' mastery, comprehension, and practical use of english across speaking, writing, reading, and listening skills. the model facilitates independent and peer-assisted learning by guiding students to identify unfamiliar vocabulary, document it in a personal vocabulary book, construct sentences using the newly acquired vocabulary, and present their written sentences in front of a peer, tutor, or instructor. in addition to these overarching goals, the fiswr model aims to: a) improve students' achievement in language learning and skill development, b) provide a flexible learning model that accommodates diverse learning preferences and fosters self-regulated learning, and c) cultivate students' ability to manage learning resources and effectively comprehend texts. the fiswr model is characterized by several distinctive features. first, it promotes student responsibility in learning by requiring them to independently search for unfamiliar vocabulary from various sources, document and categorize their findings, memorize selected words, and apply them in sentence construction. this cyclical process reinforces vocabulary retention and practical usage. second, the model emphasizes the integration of all language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) to enhance comprehension and fluency. third, peer questioning is embedded within the model, allowing learners to engage in interactive exercises that develop their memory, pronunciation, writing, and listening abilities. finally, the model encourages active participation and communication, ensuring that students engage meaningfully in the learning process. upon completing the learning cycle, students are expected to demonstrate improved vocabulary acquisition and the ability to use new words accurately in both spoken and written communication. in addition to defining the learning objectives, the fiswr model incorporates essential structural components that define its framework. every learning model must include five fundamental characteristics: syntactic, social system, reaction principle, support system, and instructional impact (panadero & lipnevich, 2022; chiu, liu, barrett, liaw, hwang & lin, 2023; jalinus, verawardina, nabawi & darma, 2021; atkinson, mejía‐laguna, ribeiro, cappellini, kayi‐aydar & lowie, 2025). these elements shape the overall structure and effectiveness of the learning model. the fiswr english language learning model follows a structured learning flow that systematically enhances students' english proficiency by integrating reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. the learning process begins with the stage of finding vocabulary from reading and listening sources, where students actively search for new vocabulary from various materials such as english newspapers, magazines, fiction and non-fiction books, advertisements, brochures, films, news broadcasts, blogs, and academic articles. this step exposes students to authentic language use across diverse contexts and fosters vocabulary acquisition in meaningful ways (li, liao & zhong, 2025; malykhin, bondarchuk, tersina & voitanik, 2024). the next stage involves compiling a list of new vocabulary, where students identify and underline unfamiliar words in texts. each student is required to gather 20-25 new words daily from these sources. once identified, the words are transferred to a personal memory book, in which students look up their meanings in a dictionary and record multiple definitions. this practice is essential for reinforcing contextual learning and aiding longterm retention (zeng, kuo, chen, lin, & shen 2025; andriani & drajati, 2024; rice & tokowicz, 2020). in the memorization stage, students test their recall by covering the meanings of recorded words and attempting to remember them independently. words that are difficult to recall are marked and rewritten in a pocket notebook for focused memorization. additionally, students create flashcards or post vocabulary on hanging papers in their study spaces for frequent review. this approach follows the principles of spaced repetition, which is known to improve vocabulary retention in second language acquisition (javorsky, 2024). following vocabulary acquisition, students move on to writing sentences using the words they have memorized. this activity helps them understand the usage of new vocabulary within proper grammatical structures. they are required to construct at least two sentences for each memorized word. the repetition of sentencewriting tasks strengthens their ability to apply vocabulary contextually, improving both written and spoken communication skills (mister, 2023; naibaho, 2022). the classroom learning process in the fiswr model consists of three phases: opening activities, lamhot naibaho, aarce tehupeiory, gunawan tambunsaribu, geby arni siregar designing the fiswr learning model: empowering english learners through vocabulary mastery and peer collaboration 194 core activities, and closing activities. the opening activities begin with a brief prayer led by the teacher or a student, followed by an attendance check and brainstorming session to engage students and activate prior knowledge. the core activities involve storytelling sessions, where students narrate stories in english or translate them between english and indonesian. this activity enhances their speaking, listening, and analytical thinking skills. additionally, peer questioning exercises provide opportunities for students to test each other’s vocabulary knowledge and comprehension in an interactive manner (chen, chang, hwang & zou, 2023). the closing activities include comprehension exercises based on the lesson, feedback from the instructor, and assignments for further practice. the session concludes with a short prayer to reinforce a supportive and engaging learning environment. the social system of the fiswr model fosters both independent and collaborative learning. from the vocabulary acquisition stage to sentencewriting tasks, students are encouraged to manage their own learning materials and track their progress. during classroom sessions, however, the teacher assumes a facilitator role, guiding students through integrated language activities. storytelling and peer questioning ensure student engagement and active participation, fostering a sense of collaboration while reinforcing individual accountability in learning (vesala-varttala, pál & kóris, 2024). the reaction principle of the fiswr model emphasizes teacher feedback. instructors help students refine their pronunciation and ensure they can effectively use new vocabulary in spoken and written communication. constructive feedback is provided to address errors and strengthen language acquisition. this aligns with the communicative approach to language teaching, which prioritizes interaction and meaning-making as central components of language learning (littlewood, 2004). a strong support system is necessary for the effective implementation of the fiswr model. this includes access to diverse learning materials, adequate classroom infrastructure, and digital tools that facilitate vocabulary acquisition and practice. technology-enhanced learning environments, such as digital flashcards and language-learning apps, can supplement traditional methods and further improve students’ retention rates (tyas & naibaho, 2021). the instructional impact of the fiswr model is significant, as it enables students to develop all four language skills simultaneously. since every classroom session incorporates reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities, students are continually exposed to and practice english in a balanced manner. furthermore, the model encourages students to explore topics of personal interest when selecting vocabulary sources, increasing motivation and engagement in the learning process (tyas & naibaho, 2021). the accompaniment impact includes improved reading habits, critical thinking skills, semantic and pragmatic language comprehension, self-directed learning, and enhanced time management abilities. additionally, the model promotes academic honesty, as students are required to independently source and test their vocabulary knowledge without external assistance. by structuring vocabulary acquisition, memorization, contextual application, and interactive classroom activities into a single framework, the fiswr model ensures a comprehensive and engaging language learning experience. it aligns with modern educational approaches that emphasize learner autonomy, collaborative engagement, and active communication. this model provides students with the necessary skills to function effectively in english-speaking environments and equips them with learning strategies that foster lifelong language development. the syntactic element of the fiswr model outlines the specific stages involved in the learning process. these structured steps guide students through vocabulary acquisition, retention, and application in a systematic manner as follows: english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 195 figure 1. syntactic elements of fiswr english language learning model the validity of the fiswr model was assessed to ensure that it meets the requirements of a highquality learning framework, including relevance, theoretical and empirical grounding, and internal consistency among its components. the model underwent validation by three subject-matter experts before proceeding to content and construct validation. content validity focused on evaluating the model’s relevance to current pedagogical trends and its alignment with second language acquisition (sla) theories, while construct validity examined the internal consistency between the model’s stages, underlying theories, and expected learning. the validation process took place between march 3-10, 2019, using a structured validation sheet designed by the researcher. the experts provided several key recommendations for enhancing the model’s framework and instructional effectiveness. first, they suggested a clearer justification for why existing learning models such as jigsaw and group investigation (gi) may be less effective in developing communication and collaboration skills, thereby reinforcing the need for an alternative model like fiswr. second, they emphasized the importance of incorporating problem-solving elements within the learning process, aligning with inquiry-based learning principles that encourage students to engage with real-world issues. third, they recommended enhancing the motivation phase by integrating phenomena-based learning strategies such as visual demonstrations, storytelling, video materials, and case studies to stimulate interest and activate prior knowledge. finally, they suggested refining the presentation and assessment strategies in the third phase of the model by including peergroup presentations or interactive displays of student work to foster collaborative learning and reinforce language acquisition. following these expert recommendations, the fiswr model was revised and finalized to integrate the proposed enhancements. the updated version reflects a stronger alignment with contemporary language learning strategies, emphasizing student-centered engagement and self-regulated learning. the revised model has been documented in the fiswr model handbook. the following section summarizes the model validity result as found in table 7. table 1. fiswr model validity results no fiswr model category average validation score content validity construct validity % reliability 1 fiswr model development needs 4 very valid very valid 100% reliable 2 current knowledge (state of the art of knowledge) 4 very valid very valid 100% reliable 3 fiswr model theoretical support 4 very valid very valid 100% reliable 4 planning 4 very valid very valid 100% reliable 5 learning environment management 4 very valid very valid 100% reliable 6 use of evaluation techniques 4 very valid very valid 100% reliable lamhot naibaho, aarce tehupeiory, gunawan tambunsaribu, geby arni siregar designing the fiswr learning model: empowering english learners through vocabulary mastery and peer collaboration 196 overall validation all categories 4 very valid very valid 100% reliable the validity assessment of the fiswr model was conducted through content validity and construct validity, as shown in the revised table. content validity ensures that the model aligns with theoretical foundations and current educational best practices, while construct validity evaluates its internal consistency and alignment with learning objectives. results indicate that all aspects of the fiswr model received an average validation score of 4, categorized as very valid with 100% reliability. the evaluation covered six key categories: development needs, relevance to contemporary knowledge, theoretical support, planning, learning environment management, and evaluation techniques. these results confirm that the fiswr model is well-grounded in theory and applicable in real-world learning environments. the validation process involved three expert reviewers, who assessed the model using structured instruments. their feedback emphasized the model's ability to integrate collaborative learning principles, enhance language acquisition strategies, and support learner autonomy. moreover, experts recommended adjustments in instructional phases, particularly in motivation strategies, problem-based learning approaches, and evaluation techniques to maximize engagement. overall, the fiswr model was deemed valid and reliable for implementation in english language learning contexts. this validation supports its potential as an effective framework for improving student vocabulary acquisition, peer interaction, and independent learning. table 2. summary of fiswr model implementation results no learning stage indicator average score category reliability (%) 1 finding vocabulary teacher motivation for vocabulary acquisition 4.0 strongly good 90% teacher guidance on the fiswr learning process 4.5 strongly good 95% 2 vocabulary listing & memorization students identifying & recording new words 5.0 strongly good 100% self-testing and vocabulary recall 4.0 strongly good 90% memorization using pocket books & hanging papers 4.5 strongly good 95% 3 sentence writing constructing sentences using memorized vocabulary 3.5 good 75% 4 teaching & learning activities opening activities (prayer, attendance, brainstorming) 4.5 strongly good 95% core activities (storytelling, peer questioning) 4.0 strongly good 90% teacher-led grammar instruction 5.0 strongly good 100% 5 closing activities comprehension exercises & feedback 4.5 strongly good 95% additional assignments & closing reflections 4.0 strongly good 90% overall implementation score average implementation rating 4.17 strongly good 89.05% the results presented in table 2 summarize the implementation of the fiswr learning model based on key learning stages, observed indicators, and evaluation scores. the findings indicate that the model was effectively implemented across different stages of learning, achieving an overall strong evaluation with an average score of 4.17, categorized as "strongly good" with a reliability percentage of 89.05%. in the initial stage of vocabulary acquisition, teacher motivation and guidance played a crucial role in engaging students in identifying and documenting new words. this stage received an average score of 4.0 to 4.5, demonstrating that students responded positively to teacher-led instruction and support. the vocabulary listing and memorization stage showed the highest effectiveness, with students successfully english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 197 identifying, recording, and memorizing new words. the use of self-testing strategies, pocket books, and hanging papers contributed to vocabulary retention, as reflected in an average score ranging from 4.0 to 5.0, all categorized as "strongly good." the sentence writing stage, which required students to construct sentences using newly acquired vocabulary, received a slightly lower rating, with an average score of 3.5. while still classified as "good," this stage may require additional reinforcement to improve students’ confidence and accuracy in sentence formation. the teaching and learning activities, which integrated reading, writing, listening, and speaking, demonstrated strong effectiveness. the opening activities, which included prayer, attendance, and brainstorming, achieved a high score of 4.5, indicating that students were actively engaged from the start. core activities, including storytelling and peer questioning, were rated at 4.0, showing that these interactive methods effectively encouraged student participation. teacher-led grammar instruction received the highest rating of 5.0, confirming its essential role in guiding students toward mastering language structures. in the closing activities, comprehension exercises, feedback, and additional assignments were well received, with scores ranging from 4.0 to 4.5, reinforcing the importance of structured reinforcement and assessment. overall, the implementation results suggest that the fiswr model is a highly effective approach for language learning, fostering engagement, vocabulary retention, and skill development. however, minor refinements, particularly in the sentence writing stage, could further enhance students' ability to construct meaningful and grammatically correct sentences. the strong reliability of the model implementation, with an agreement threshold exceeding 75%, confirms that the approach is both practical and replicable in broader educational settings. table 3. consolidated data on the implementation of the fiswr learning model in the trial no stages indicators meeting i (mean) meeting ii (mean) meeting iii (mean) category reliability (%) 1 finding vocabularies the teacher motivates students to learn english 4.0 4.0 4.0 strongly good 90% the teacher conveys the learning objectives 3.5 3.5 4.0 good 75-90% the teacher provides direction for the fiswr process 4.5 4.5 4.5 strongly good 95% 2 list of new vocabulary students identify 20-25 difficult words from reading materials daily 5.0 5.0 5.0 strongly good 100% students transfer words to a memory book 4.0 4.0 4.0 strongly good 90% students look up meanings in a dictionary and record definitions 4.5 4.5 4.5 strongly good 95% 3 list of memorized vocabulary students review recorded words and test their recall 5.0 5.0 5.0 strongly good 100% students rewrite forgotten words into a pocketbook 4.5 4.5 4.5 strongly good 95% daily memorization of words recorded in pocketbooks and on hanging papers 5.0 5.0 5.0 strongly good 100% 4 writing sentences students write two sentences per learned word 3.5 3.5 4.0 good 75-90% students practice reading their written sentences aloud 4.0 4.0 4.0 strongly good 90% lamhot naibaho, aarce tehupeiory, gunawan tambunsaribu, geby arni siregar designing the fiswr learning model: empowering english learners through vocabulary mastery and peer collaboration 198 5 teaching and learning process opening activities: praying, attendance, and brainstorming 4.5 4.5 4.5 strongly good 95% core activities: storytelling, peer questioning, and vocabulary practice 4.0 4.5 4.5 strongly good 90-95% 95% closing activities: exercises, feedback, and additional assignments 4.5 4.5 4.5 strongly good 95% 95% the consolidated table presents the results of the implementation of the fiswr learning model over three meetings. the findings indicate a consistent improvement in students' engagement, participation, and comprehension throughout the trial period. the table summarizes the mean scores from two observers, categorizing the effectiveness of each stage in the learning process. in the finding vocabularies stage, students demonstrated high motivation to learn english, as evidenced by a stable mean score of 4.0 across all meetings. the teacher’s role in conveying learning objectives and providing direction for the fiswr process improved slightly by the third meeting, with the mean score increasing from 3.5 to 4.0, suggesting better understanding and adaptation to the model. for the list of new vocabulary stage, students consistently identified and documented 20-25 new words per day from various sources, achieving the highest rating of 5.0 across all three meetings. the process of transferring words into a memory book and looking up definitions also remained consistently strong, with mean scores ranging from 4.0 to 4.5. these findings indicate that students effectively maintained their vocabulary acquisition process throughout the learning sessions. the list of memorized vocabulary stage showed highly positive results, with students actively reviewing, recalling, and rewriting vocabulary in pocketbooks and on hanging papers. the reliability of this stage remained at 95-100 percent, reinforcing that students followed the selfassessment and memorization techniques outlined in the model. in the writing sentences stage, students demonstrated a slight increase in their ability to construct sentences using new vocabulary. the mean scores improved from 3.5 to 4.0 by the third meeting, suggesting gradual progress in applying acquired vocabulary in written form. additionally, their confidence in reading sentences aloud remained stable, with a mean score of 4.0. the teaching and learning process showed a high level of engagement, particularly in the opening activities, which included prayers, attendance, and brainstorming. these activities consistently received a rating of 4.5, indicating that students were actively participating from the start of each session. the core activities, which integrated storytelling, peer questioning, and vocabulary exercises, also improved slightly across meetings, reflecting students’ growing confidence in language use. the closing activities, which involved exercises, feedback, and additional assignments, maintained a high rating of 4.5, highlighting the structured nature of the model in reinforcing learning. overall, the results indicate that the fiswr learning model effectively supports vocabulary acquisition, self-regulated learning, and active student participation. the high reliability scores suggest that the model can be implemented consistently with minimal variations in effectiveness. the findings also reinforce the role of structured language learning in improving students' proficiency in english, particularly through interactive and repetitive exposure to vocabulary-building activities. table 4. students’ response questionnaire data on learning activities with the fiswr english language learning model no statements sa a d sd tota l 1 the learning carried out can help make it easier for you to master english. 8 21 3 32 2 the lessons that have been carried out and the understanding you have gained are the result of my and the group's construction. 7 24 1 32 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 199 3 the learning that has been carried out can provide opportunities and practice english language skills. 7 24 1 32 4 with the learning that has been carried out, it can provide opportunities and practice english language skills. 7 23 2 32 5 the learning atmosphere in the learning that you have carried out is fun. 4 24 4 32 6 instructions at each stage of the systematic fiswr model learning are clear. 6 24 2 32 7 instructions at each stage of learning the fiswr model are easy to understand. 5 25 2 32 8 instructions at each stage of learning the fiswr model are easy to understand. 8 22 2 32 9 the fiswr learning model can motivate me to be more active in learning. 5 25 2 32 10 the teacher guides during the learning process and helps me in practicing my english skills. 4 26 2 32 11 the fiswr learning model motivates me to be able to write well. 6 24 2 32 12 the fiswr learning model motivates me to be able to communicate in english well. 4 25 3 32 13 the fiswr learning model makes me feel happy and interested in learning english. 6 21 3 32 tot al 10 4 308 29 0 416 per cen tag e (%) 25 % 74.0 3% 0.6 7% 100 % legend: sa = strongly agree; a = agree; d = disagree; sd = strongly disagree the results of the student response questionnaire, as presented in table 4, indicate a highly positive reception of the fiswr english language learning model. the majority of students agreed that the learning approach facilitated their mastery of english, with 74.03% responding with "agree" and 25% responding with "strongly agree." only a minimal percentage, 0.67%, expressed disagreement with certain aspects of the model. the table further highlights that most students found the structured instructions at each stage of the fiswr model to be clear and easy to follow, with a strong agreement in responses to statements regarding the clarity and effectiveness of the instructional design. additionally, students acknowledged that the model provided ample opportunities to practice english skills, particularly in writing and communication. a notable finding is that 100% of the students reported feeling motivated to engage in learning activities, with many expressing that the fiswr model encouraged active participation and selfdirected learning. the responses also indicate that the model positively influenced students' confidence in using english, both in speaking and writing, which aligns with its intended goal of fostering independent language acquisition. the overall results suggest that the fiswr model creates an engaging and effective learning environment. however, the small percentage of students who expressed disagreement may indicate a need for additional support or adaptation of the model to cater to different learning styles. these findings reinforce the model's practicality and effectiveness, supporting its potential for wider implementation in english language education. the development of the fiswr english language learning model aimed to enhance students' english proficiency by integrating structured vocabulary acquisition, memorization, and application through interactive learning activities. the model was evaluated based on three primary criteria: validity, practicality, and effectiveness. validation results from three experts confirmed that the model meets the required standards after multiple revisions, ensuring both theoretical and empirical soundness. the practical aspect was assessed through classroom implementation observations, analyzing student engagement and identifying obstacles encountered during the learning process. the effectiveness of the model was determined by evaluating students' communication and collaboration skills, both descriptively and statistically. lamhot naibaho, aarce tehupeiory, gunawan tambunsaribu, geby arni siregar designing the fiswr learning model: empowering english learners through vocabulary mastery and peer collaboration 200 the validation of the learning model, as presented in table 10, confirms that the fiswr model demonstrates both content and construct validity. a learning model must meet content validity and construct validity standards to be recognized as a viable educational research product (nicastro, 2024). content validity ensures that the model addresses a specific need and remains relevant within the current educational framework, while construct validity assesses the logical coherence of the model's components and its alignment with the underlying learning theories (mathieu, luciano, d’innocenzo, klock & lepine (2020). the findings align with prior research which emphasizes that an effective learning model should maintain consistency between its theoretical foundation and instructional implementation. the content validity of the fiswr model is particularly relevant in the context of educational policies such as permenristek dikti no. 44 of 2015, which mandates that doctoral research incorporate innovation and novelty through a transdisciplinary approach. this model introduces new elements to english language instruction, particularly in promoting communication skills as a core component of 21st-century competencies. the model’s novelty lies in its structured vocabulary acquisition strategy, systematic reinforcement mechanisms, and integration of collaborative learning techniques. compared to conventional models, the fiswr model enhances students' engagement with authentic language materials and fosters independent learning. one of the significant contributions of this study is the introduction of an educational product specifically designed to improve students' communication and collaboration skills. the model was developed through empirical field studies and literature-based insights into collaborative learning methodologies. it addresses existing gaps in language learning models by prioritizing active vocabulary acquisition, peer interaction, and real-world language application. unlike traditional language instruction methods that primarily focus on passive learning through syllabus-based material comprehension, the fiswr model ensures that students acquire, store, and use vocabulary dynamically. the results of the study also highlight areas for improvement in english language skill development. existing language learning models do not sufficiently emphasize active vocabulary acquisition and its integration into communication practices. while many models focus on syllabusbased comprehension, the fiswr model provides an interactive approach by encouraging students to engage with vocabulary through structured steps: finding, saving, writing, and reading. by allowing students to select vocabulary from sources that align with their interests, the model fosters intrinsic motivation and a more personalized learning experience. the storytelling component further enhances language skills by requiring students to articulate and process information in meaningful ways. the theoretical foundation of the fiswr model aligns with established criteria for collaborative learning. effective collaborative learning environments require positive interdependence, where students rely on one another to succeed. this is supported by the findings which emphasize that fostering positive interdependence can be achieved through structured teacher facilitation. the fiswr model ensures that teachers act as mediators and facilitators, encouraging communication and peer collaboration—elements that are often underdeveloped in conventional english learning models. the structural components of the fiswr model align with best practices in collaborative learning. these include differentiated student roles within groups, heterogeneous group composition, positive interdependence, and teacher facilitation. collaborative learning is most effective when students are assigned interdependent tasks, reinforcing both accountability and cooperative learning behaviors (borbor & mero, 2024). in this regard, the fiswr model promotes meaningful engagement by integrating structured vocabulary acquisition with interactive peer activities. the role of the fiswr model in meeting 21stcentury educational demands is further substantiated by its emphasis on communication and collaboration skills. the findings indicate that students engaged in the fiswr learning process exhibited improved language proficiency and interactive learning behaviors. observational data from student activities, as seen in table 3, show an increase in mutual assistance interactions, particularly between highand low-ability students. the analysis of student responses further supports this conclusion, with most students reporting that the model facilitated a deeper understanding of learning materials through active engagement and structured interaction. despite its strengths, the study acknowledges several limitations. the primary limitation is the relatively small sample size, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. additionally, the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 201 study was conducted within a limited timeframe, restricting the scope of long-term performance assessment. future research should expand the sample size and incorporate longitudinal data collection to assess the sustained impact of the fiswr model. another potential area for improvement is the integration of digital tools to enhance vocabulary acquisition and provide adaptive learning pathways tailored to individual student needs. the overall findings affirm the effectiveness of the fiswr model as an innovative and structured approach to english language learning. the model demonstrates strong validity, practicality, and effectiveness in fostering communication and collaboration skills. moving forward, further refinements and technological enhancements could strengthen its impact and applicability across diverse learning environments. conclusion the findings from the development and trial implementation of the fiswr model indicate that it is a valid, practical, and effective approach to enhancing students’ english language skills. the validation process confirmed that the fiswr model meets both content and construct validity, ensuring its theoretical and empirical foundation. the model is practical as it can be effectively implemented by teachers, and it also demonstrates effectiveness in improving student engagement and language acquisition. the implementation of the fiswr model led to a significant increase in student activities, including attentiveness to teacher instructions, active vocabulary acquisition, memorization, sentence construction, and the integration of reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. this improvement was facilitated by the teacher's role as a mediator and facilitator, which encouraged collaboration and communication among students. through structured learning steps, students developed greater independence in mastering english vocabulary and applying it in meaningful contexts. the structured sequence of finding, identifying, saving, writing, and reading within the fiswr model ensures that students actively engage with the learning process. they are encouraged to take responsibility for identifying and understanding unfamiliar vocabulary, systematically documenting it, and applying it in spoken and written communication. the peer questioning and interactive classroom approach provide an additional platform for students to reinforce their comprehension and retention. given its structured yet flexible nature, the fiswr model aligns well with the demands of 21st-century language education. it fosters critical language skills while enabling students to develop autonomy in learning. teachers also benefit from the structured format, which allows them to manage, evaluate, and monitor students’ progress effectively. further research is recommended to explore the long-term impact of the fiswr model on students' language proficiency, particularly in diverse learning environments. additional studies could also investigate its adaptability to different educational contexts and student needs. this study contributes to the development of innovative pedagogical models that enhance language learning and communication skills in higher education settings. acknowledgement the research team extends its deepest gratitude to the directorate of research, technology, and community service of the directorate of higher education, research, and technology for funding this research up to the writing of this article as a result of the research through the applied research grant scheme. this support has allowed the research outputs to be achieved and fulfilled as part of the researchers' responsibility in reporting on the implementation of the research. references akhmetova, g. s. (2023). lexical semantic modeling as a means of effective vocabulary acquisition and expansion. bulletin of the karaganda university pedagogy series, 112(4), 123-132. alam, a., & mohanty, a. (2024). happiness engineering: impact of hope-based intervention on life satisfaction, self-worth, mental health, and academic achievement of indian school students. cogent education, 11(1), 2341589. andriani, m., & drajati, n. a. (2024). looking for a fun way to learn english vocabulary? discover the magic of gamification with digital flashcards. voices of english language education society, 8(2). atkinson, d., mejía‐laguna, j., ribeiro, a. c., cappellini, m., kayi‐aydar, h., & lowie, w. (2025). relationality, interconnectedness, and identity: a process‐focused approach to second language acquisition and teaching (sla/t). the modern language journal, 109(s1), 39-63. azizi, z., namaziandost, e., & ashkani, p. (2022). active learning as an approach to fostering efl learners’ speaking skills and willingness to communicate: a mixed-methods inquiry. issues in language teaching, 11(2), 93-128. lamhot naibaho, aarce tehupeiory, gunawan tambunsaribu, geby arni siregar designing the fiswr learning model: empowering english learners through vocabulary mastery and peer collaboration 202 bajac, m., & fišer, m. (2024). digital transformation and new educational paradigm. social informatics journal, 3(1), 1-8. bajac, m., & fišer, m. (2024). digital transformation and new educational paradigm. social informatics journal, 3(1), 1-8. barkley, e. f., & major, c. h. (2020). student engagement techniques: a handbook for college faculty. john wiley & sons. borbor echeverria, j. a., & mero alay, b. s. (2024). effects of collaborative learning on students’ motivation and engagement (bachelor's thesis, la libertad: universidad estatal península de santa elena, 2024). bouchahed hani, t. z. (2024). exploring teachers’ attitudes toward the implementation and impact of teaching methods on the students' language proficiency in algerian middle schools. chen, c. y., chang, s. c., hwang, g. j., & zou, d. (2023). facilitating efl learners’ active behaviors in speaking: a progressive question prompt-based peer-tutoring approach with vr contexts. interactive learning environments, 31(4), 2268-2287. chen, d. (2024). a hybrid approach to teaching chinese through digital humanities, call, and project-based learning. taylor & francis. chiu, w. y., liu, g. z., barrett, n. e., liaw, m. l., hwang, g. j., & lin, c. c. (2023). needs analysis-based design principles for constructing a context-aware english learning system. computer assisted language learning, 36(1-2), 176-204. deepa, v., sujatha, r., & baber, h. (2021). ageing and learning agility–mediating role of learning perception and moderating role of technology leverage. international journal of lifelong education, 40(5-6), 514-531. eichstaedt, m. (2023). comparing the efficacy of print and digital flashcards for vocabulary acquisition in an elementary education setting (doctoral dissertation, university of st. francis). el koshiry, a. m., & hegazy, a. z. (2024). using a digital storytelling-based electronic program to develop primary stage pupils' efl reading comprehension skills. fusion: practice & applications, 16(1). fageeh, a. i. (2024). maximizing learning management systems in online college english education: views from france and saudi arabia. social sciences & humanities open, 9, 100868. hailikari, t., virtanen, v., vesalainen, m., & postareff, l. (2022). student perspectives on how different elements of constructive alignment support active learning. active learning in higher education, 23(3), 217-231. halverson, l. r., & graham, c. r. (2019). learner engagement in blended learning environments: a conceptual framework. online learning, 23(2), 145-178. hanemann, u., & robinson, c. (2022). rethinking literacy from a lifelong learning perspective in the context of the sustainable development goals and the international conference on adult education. international review of education, 68(2), 233-258. hoidn, s., & reusser, k. (2020). foundations of student-centered learning and teaching. in the routledge international handbook of studentcentered learning and teaching in higher education (pp. 17-46). routledge. homayouni, m. (2022). peer assessment in grouporiented classroom contexts: on the effectiveness of peer assessment coupled with scaffolding and group work on speaking skills and vocabulary learning. language testing in asia, 12(1), 61. jalinus, n., verawardina, u., nabawi, r. a., & darma, y. (2021). developing blended learning model in vocational education based on 21st century integrated learning and industrial revolution 4.0. turkish journal of computer and mathematics education, 12(9), 1276-1291. javorsky, k. (2024). beyond memorization: transforming vocabulary. differentiated instruction, equity, and inclusion in language education, 1. jayalath, j., & esichaikul, v. (2022). gamification to enhance motivation and engagement in blended elearning for technical and vocational education and training. technology, knowledge and learning, 27(1), 91-118. kassaw, c., & demareva, v. (2023). determinants of academic achievement among higher education student found in low resource setting, a systematic review. plos one, 18(11), e0294585. khamroeva, s. (2024). differences between communicative language teaching (clt) and task-based language teaching (tblt). modern science and research, 3(2), 315-323. khorrami, k. (2024). computational modeling of early language acquisition with multimodal neural networks (doctoral dissertation, ph. d. thesis), tampere university). kong, y., & chookhampaeng, c. (2024). developing a teaching model to enhance computational thinking for higher vocational college students. journal of ecohumanism, 3(8), 49794995. larsari, v. n., geng, h., & vidal, j. (2023, july). collaborative creation of digital storytellingbased task for efl grammar acquisition: using gamification and its effect on efl sixthgrade students’ learning in flipped, blended, and traditional classes. in international english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 203 conference on future of education (pp. 239253). singapore: springer nature singapore. le, h. v., & nguyen, l. q. (2024, june). promoting l2 learners’ critical thinking skills: the role of social constructivism in reading class. in frontiers in education (vol. 9, p. 1241973). frontiers media sa. li, y., liao, r., & zhong, d. (2025). from theory to practice: assessing the impact of innovative english teaching on college students’ language proficiency. innovation: the european journal of social science research, 1-22. malykhin, o., bondarchuk, j., tersina, i., & voitanik, i. (2024). unlocking success: strategic approaches to enhancing communicative competence in english learning. amazonia investiga, 13(76), 90-102. mathieu, j. e., luciano, m. m., d’innocenzo, l., klock, e. a., & lepine, j. a. (2020). the development and construct validity of a team processes survey measure. organizational research methods, 23(3), 399-431. mister, b. (2023). from potential words to actual words: supporting adult esl learners to develop productive oral vocabulary (doctoral dissertation, university of wollongong). naibaho, l. (2021). the analysis of pre-service efl teachers’ teaching implementation. budapest international research and critics institutejournal (birci-journal), 4(3), 3372-3381. naibaho, l. (2022). exploring digital technology integration in learning innovation. international journal of academic research and development, 7(6), 17-23. naibaho, l., & ambrosia, y. (2019). students’ perception on guessing game use in learning vocabulary at smpk ignatius slamet riyadi. naibaho, l., saxena, p. r., sharma, k., alfurhood, b. s., pallavi, l., & pant, b. (2023, may). integration of artificial intelligence in software defined networking technology through developing machine learning algorithms. in 2023 3rd international conference on advance computing and innovative technologies in engineering (icacite) (pp. 513-517). ieee. naibaho, l., saxena, p. r., sharma, k., alfurhood, b. s., pallavi, l., & pant, b. (2023, may). integration of artificial intelligence in software defined networking technology through developing machine learning algorithms. in 2023 3rd international conference on advance computing and innovative technologies in engineering (icacite) (pp. 513-517). ieee. nazeer, i., mukhtar, s., & azhar, b. (2023). exploring the effectiveness of vocabulary acquisition strategies in foreign language learning. harfo-sukhan, 7(3), 1-14. netanda, r. s. (2020). supporting learning through learning management systems in an odl environment amid covid-19: technology accessibility and student success. nicastro, o. (2024). the development and content validity of an assessment instrument in simulation for advanced practice provider fellowship programs: an exploratory study (doctoral dissertation, university of northern colorado). niyozov, n., bijanov, a., ganiyev, s., & kurbonova, r. (2023). the pedagogical principles and effectiveness of utilizing chatgpt for language learning. in e3s web of conferences (vol. 461, p. 01093). edp sciences. ortikov, u. k. u. (2024). the effectiveness of technology-enhanced language learning methods. oriental renaissance: innovative, educational, natural and social sciences, 4(3), 162-179. panadero, e., & lipnevich, a. a. (2022). a review of feedback models and typologies: towards an integrative model of feedback elements. educational research review, 35, 100416. park, s. (2024). longitudinal relationships between grit, self-esteem, and academic achievement among korean primary school students. school psychology international, 45(5), 522-544. rice, c. a., & tokowicz, n. (2020). a review of laboratory studies of adult second language vocabulary training. studies in second language acquisition, 42(2), 439-470. sandars, j., correia, r., dankbaar, m., de jong, p., goh, p. s., hege, i., ... & pusic, m. (2020). twelve tips for rapidly migrating to online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. mededpublish, 9, 82. schmitt, n. (2019). understanding vocabulary acquisition, instruction, and assessment: a research agenda. language teaching, 52(2), 261-274. thankachan, t. c. (2020). peace value model: theoretical and practical implications. educational extracts, 54. tyas, e. h., & naibaho, l. (2021, june). effective school management in industrial revolution era 4.0. in 2nd annual conference on blended learning, educational technology and innovation (acbleti 2020) (pp. 212-216). atlantis press. vesala-varttala, t., pál, á., & kóris, r. (2024). fostering sustainability competences through cocreation of digital storytelling: effects of covid-19 on higher education students’ reflective learning. journal of university teaching and learning practice, 21(3). wawire, b. a., & zuilkowski, s. s. (2021). the role of vocabulary and decoding language skills in reading comprehension: a cross-linguistic perspective. international multilingual research journal, 15(1), 23-42. lamhot naibaho, aarce tehupeiory, gunawan tambunsaribu, geby arni siregar designing the fiswr learning model: empowering english learners through vocabulary mastery and peer collaboration 204 yaqobi, s. t. (2022). the effectiveness of communicative language teaching and taskbased technology in promoting international graduate students’ communicative competence and willingness to communicate in english: a case study (doctoral dissertation, texas tech university). zeng, y., kuo, l. j., chen, l., lin, j. a., & shen, h. (2025). vocabulary instruction for english learners: a systematic review connecting theories, research, and practices. education sciences, 15(3), 262. zhang, z., li, h., & zhou, j. (2023). teaching with social context in instructional video facilitates second language vocabulary learning. heliyon, 9(3). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 447 the predominant educational philosophies among preservice english teachers ragilia indaswari¹, ouda teda ena² 1,2english education department, fkip, universitas sanata dharma, indonesia corresponding author: ragilia.agil@gmail.com apa citation: indaswari, r., & ena, o. t. (2025). the predominant educational philosophies among pre-service english teachers. english review: journal of english education, abstract: theory and philosophy are inseparably linked. theory shapes how people purposefully engage with the world, whereas philosophy shapes how people perceive the world. the idea behind this study is that preservice english teachers follow certain beliefs to improve their pedagogical abilities prior to the implementation. this study investigated the predominant educational philosophies among pre-service english teachers enrolled in an english education program at a university in solo. the respondents of the study were 38 pre-service english teachers at a university in solo, central java who were chosen through simple random sampling. data were collected using a survey adapted from the self-assessment educational philosophies scoring guide. it utilized a quantitative survey research that involves gathering data through questionnaires. the analysis revealed that behaviorism emerged as the most commonly endorsed philosophy, followed by perennialism and progressivism. these findings suggest that pre-service english teachers tend to adopt teacher-centered approaches that emphasize structure, repetition and reinforcement. the study suggests that indonesian pre-service english teachers believe effective teaching involves a combination of student-centered and teacher-centered approaches, urging for curriculum support. keywords: educational philosophy; behaviorism; essentialism; pre-service english teacher; teacher centered. introduction a vital component of human society, education is intricate and multidimensional. philosophers have historically argued over the fundamental goals of education, with some emphasizing the development of morally and ethically grounded individuals or the acquisition of specialized knowledge for increased economic production. the dispute also centers on the nature of knowledge, with traditional approaches prioritizing rote memorization and modern approaches emphasizing problem-solving and critical thinking. the philosophy of education also looks at how power is distributed during the learning process. teachers are philosophers, instilling values in learners. education and philosophy are interconnected, aiming to achieve philosophical and moral targets through educational activities (khan, 2013). this interconnection makes philosophy essential in designing educational practices and goals. understanding educational philosophy is crucial for pre-service english teachers. english teachers' knowledge of educational philosophies helps them understand their actions, choices, interpretations, and beliefs within the educational system (danner & ofuani, 2022). awareness of these foundations allows educators to reflect on their actions and refine their teaching strategies. the researchers aim to review these philosophies and learning theories to expose teachers to how their views influence language teaching and learning. amac & oral (2023) stated that understanding preservice teachers' educational philosophy is crucial as they will be the torchbearers of the current curriculum, instilling knowledge and values into future learners. the data from english education study program suggests that pre-service english teachers' educational philosophies also reveal a balanced agreement with both student-centered and teachercentered approaches. these philosophies emphasize the importance of student experience received: 27-02-2025 accepted: 28-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 13(2), 447-456. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11833 ragilia indaswari, ouda teda ena the predominant educational philosophies among pre-service english teachers 448 and active learning, which can be achieved through curriculum development, technology integration, and innovative assessment methods. the philosophy of education critically investigates how values, skills, and knowledge are taught. it encompasses the nature of knowledge, educational goals, teacher responsibilities, and student learning strategies. this research explores eight educational philosophies: perennialism, progressivism, constructivism, essentialism, reconstructionism, information processing, behaviorism, and humanism. by examining these philosophies, educators, parents, and policymakers can make informed decisions about the learning environment they wish to cultivate. the study of educational philosophy is important because it addresses the goals of education, the development of knowledge and skills, and the ideals that should get into education. it supports the decision-making process on the kind of learners we want to foster and helps educators, legislators, and parents navigate the intricacies of education. the findings of a previous study conducted by b. tupas & p. pendon (2016) indicated that when pre-service english teachers were categorized based on course, sex, and gpa, as well as when considering existential and progressivist pedagogies overall, they were more likely to embrace them. interestingly, b. tupas & p. pendon (2016) other findings demonstrated that, when considered collectively and when categorized by sex, age, and area of specialization, college lecturers were more inclined to endorse behaviorism, reconstructionism, and progressivism as educational philosophies. perennialism, essentialism, progressivism, reconstructionism, information processing, behaviorism, cognitivism, and humanism are examples of core schools of philosophy. educational philosophy offers a framework for comprehending and impacting learning processes, facilitating individuals and creating a fairer future by addressing social issues and supporting social involvement (cohen, 1999b). philosophical orientations of preservice teachers enhance their professional growth and education purpose by enabling them to modify teaching practices and align them with suitable instructional approaches (magulod, 2017). understanding a teacher's and student's philosophy can lead to tailored teaching, addressing learning styles, open communication, and increased motivation. teachers who are passionate about their philosophy can also motivate students to create a positive learning environment. specifically, this research focuses on these research questions: (1)what is the predominant educational philosophy of pre-service english teachers? (2) what is the consequence of the educational philosophy among pre-service english teachers? nowadays, schools use a variety of philosophical stances, with a primary emphasis on the curriculum, or what and how to educate. eight philosophies of education, perennialism, essentialism, progressivism, behaviorism, information processing, constructivism, cognitive psychology and reconstructionism, each rooted in one of the four major philosophical traditions, have emerged (existentialism, pragmatism, realism and idealism). perennialism, the oldest and most conservative educational philosophy, focuses on realism and traditional values (ornstein & hunkins, 2017). it dominated american education from the colonial period to the early 1990s, emphasizing subjects like latin, greek, grammar, rhetoric, logic, and geometry. perennialism emphasizes the permanency of knowledge and values, arguing that human nature is constant. the curriculum is subject-centered, focusing on language, literature, mathematics, and sciences, with teachers as authorities in their fields. character training is also crucial for developing students' moral and spiritual being. in contrast, essentialism teaches a core set of essential skills to all students, focusing on traditional academic disciplines and a back-tobasics approach (george et al., 2023). it emphasizes reading, writing, and computing, preparing students for productive society roles. essentialist classrooms are teacher-centered, emphasizing lectures and demonstrations, adhering to realism tenets. essentialism is a teacher-centered american education philosophy that focuses on academic content and moral behavior (adirika et al., 2017). teachers are knowledgeable in subjects and role models, imposing discipline and a pass/fail system. they believe in equal education for all students, regardless of age or ability, and reject special circumstances. progressivism emphasizes individual learner needs, interests, and real-world issues, using hands-on activities, project-based learning, and social and emotional development to prepare students for real-world challenges. as the research conducted by shorty et al. (n.d.), the participant believes that modern education should significantly change, focusing on the lived human english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 449 experience to create quality learning experiences, and believes the progressivist philosophy will continue to influence the educational landscape. constructivism is a learning theory that encourages active knowledge construction through interaction with the environment and experiences, focusing on problem-solving skills through reflection-in-action. it encourages active student participation, involving joint teacher-student work and inspired by vygotsky, dewey, and piaget (hinduja, 2021). reconstructionism supports the use of education as a vehicle for social change, encouraging students to exercise critical thinking, question established norms, and put forth ideas for building a more just society. although reconstructionism influenced by pragmatism and existentialism, it views education as a driving force for social change and development, with teachers as leaders in social reform (yolcu & sari, 2022). reconstructivists believe education should be seen as a tool for creating a world society based on shared values, constantly reshaping and organizing society. cognitive psychology theory emphasizes information processing, focusing on instructional strategies that break down information into manageable chunks and promote active learning activities to enhance memory and knowledge retrieval. piaget's cognitive theory suggests that knowledge is a result of antecedent categories, concepts, and ideas, rather than a simple recording of experience. this theory posits that the epistemic object is "intentional” and that any meaning found in the representation is inherent to the individual and the stimulus material itself (duschl & hamilton, 1992). when it comes to information processing, students are much like to computers in that they take in and process external data that needs to be saved, sorted, and stored (phillips, 2014). these processes are under the direction of decisionmaking functions like elaboration processes and metacognitive skills. according to vygotsky's theory of cognitive development, a primary learning pathway makes progress within a zone of proximal development possible for learners who are relatively novices compared to more experienced learners. this zone shows the difference between a learner's ability on their own and their ability with the help of a more experienced partner. behaviorism, which has its roots in behavioral psychology, focuses on how motivation and punishments are used to change observable actions. positive reinforcement is one strategy used to attain desired learning outcomes. as a widely recognized and influential learning theory, behaviorism has been transformed into various current teaching models such as mastery learning, hierarchical learning, modeling, direct instruction, and individualized instruction (arduini-van hoose, 2020). it emphasizes classical conditioning behavior and habit formation, relating new learning with previous learning. humanism promotes individual potential, creativity, critical thinking, and self-actualization in education, promoting a curriculum that engages students' interests and talents beyond academics. in addition, the humanist values creating a nurturing environment where students feel safe to explore new ideas and learn from one another, a philosophy rooted in humanism (shorty et al., n.d.). this is in line with the research conducted by khairani et al. (2023) that a humanistic educational philosophy fosters a welcoming, supportive, and nonthreatening classroom environment, encouraging students to express themselves and take responsibility for their learning. conversely, a behaviorist philosophy emphasizes rewards and punishments, creating a structured, predictable, and rigid environment. the teacher uses extrinsic motivation to enforce performance, highlighting the need for educational philosophy in organizing learning resources, including curricula, syllabuses, and rpps. considering the theories of educational philosophy assists educators in making wellinformed decisions aimed at encouraging learning acquisition, intellectual curiosity, social responsibility, and a lifetime love of learning in a variety of settings and for a range of student needs. method the research employs a quantitative survey methodology to explore the educational beliefs among the pre-service english teachers, utilizing quantitative data to identify trends and patterns in their experiences and preferred learning environments. surveys provide an effective means of obtaining information from many respondents, enabling us to investigate the range of educational views that the subject population possesses. a likert scale was utilized, allowing respondents to express degrees of agreement with statements related to educational goals, knowledge nature, teaching methods, and teachers’ roles. it will explore whether education should focus on acquiring established knowledge, questioning and constructing knowledge, or fostering student ragilia indaswari, ouda teda ena the predominant educational philosophies among pre-service english teachers 450 inquiry. using google forms, the survey was done online based on the target population's level of technological access. although they might not fully capture the range of opinions, surveys can yield useful information for examining educational philosophies within a target community when they are well-planned and carried out. click or tap here to enter text.in the educational philosophy assessment adapted from cohen’s (1999a) self-assessment as cited in george et al. (2023), the survey consists of 40 likert-scale items covering the key areas of philosophy. the survey was distributed to 38 pre-service english teachers from a university in solo. in selecting the participants, the researcher used simple random sampling. this method was chosen for its fairness, statistical generalizability, and ease of implementation. it ensured that everyone in the population had an equal chance of selection, reducing sampling bias. table 1. profile of the participants as to gender categories f % entire group 38 100 gender male 4 11 female 34 89 the likert scale survey employed in this study consists of 40 items, each offering five response options, i.e., “strongly agree”, “agree”, “somehow agree”, “somehow disagree”, and “strongly disagree”. each response was assigned a numerical value from 5 to 1, respectively, to facilitate data analysis. respondents who select "strongly disagree" express their total disagreement with the statement or their strong disapproval of it. in the meanwhile, "somehow disagree" indicates a tendency for disagreement or a slightly pessimistic viewpoint. the response "somehow agree" suggests that the respondent is impartial or lacks a strong opinion. "agree" indicates that the participants affirmatively accept or accept the presented statements. the highest scale with the response "strongly agree" indicates that the respondent has either had a very good experience or completely agrees with the statement. the following is the mean scale in determining the results used in this study: table 2. categories of participants’responses mean scale description 1.00 – 1.80 strongly disagree 1.81 – 2.60 somehow disagree 2.61 – 3.40 somehow agree 3.41 – 4.20 agree 4.21 – 5.00 strongly agree before data collection, the researcher obtained verbal permission and support from a colleague working at the university where the study was conducted. the participants, all of whom were preservice english teachers, were informed about the purpose of the study, assured of the confidentiality of their responses, and advised that their participation was voluntary. informed consent was obtained before the participants completed the survey. although formal ethical approval was not processed through an institutional review board, the study adhered to general ethical guidelines for educational research, including respect for participant autonomy, privacy, and data confidentiality. click or tap here to enter text. the instrument’s internal consistency was tested using cronbach’s alpha, yielding a reliability score of 0.89, which indicates good reliability for low-stakes testing (n=40 items). cronbach’s alpha 0.8 ≤ α < 0.9 means good (lowstakes testing). the reliability statistics of the likert-scale questionnaire were described as the following: table 1. cronbach’s alpha standardization cronbach’s alpha standardization cronbach’s alpha result n of items 0.6 0.89 40 result and discussion general findings in educational philosophy table 2 presents the mean and standard deviation (sd) of pre-service english teachers’ dominant educational philosophies. the overall mean score for all participants was 4.02 (sd=1.06), indicating a general agreement with the philosophies included in the survey. this reflects a tendency among preservice english teachers to align with foundational educational beliefs. however, the standard deviation signals moderate variability in their responses, suggesting differing degrees of endorsement among individuals. pre-service english teachers rated highest on philosophies such as humanism (m=4.26), progressivism (m=4.08), and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 451 reconstructionism/critical theory (m=4.06) which are student-centered in nature. these scores suggest that the participants value learner agency, social transformation, and the importance of emotional development and critical consciousness that align with current pedagogical trends that promote inclusivity and student empowerment. these findings are consistent with magulod (2017), who found that filipino pre-service english teachers also leaned toward humanistic and progressive values due to growing awareness of inclusive education and learner diversity. similarly, nihayah et al. (2023) reported that the implementation of kurikulum merdeka emphasizes increased teacher autonomy and encourages educators to move away from rigid, centralized instruction. instead, teachers are empowered to design learning experiences that are responsive to students’ interests, contexts, and individual needs. surprisingly, participants also scored highly on traditionally teacher-centered philosophies such as behaviorism (m=4.29) and information processing (m=4.26). this dual alignment indicates that while they appreciate studentcentered approaches ideologically, they still value structured, outcomes-based instructional strategies often associated with effective classroom management and measurable learning. this may reflect their exposure to hybrid or varied instructional models in their teacher training. gender-based findings as shown in table 4, both male and female preservice english teachers show similar philosophical preferences, generally favoring student-centered ideologies. nonetheless, subtle differences are present. males scored slightly higher than females on behaviorism and information processing, suggesting a somewhat greater inclination toward teacher-directed practices among male respondents. these differences may be influenced by perceptions of classroom authority, confidence in managing learning environments, or prior learning experiences that shape instructional comfort zones. items 20, 30, 33, 35, and 38 reflect the core principle of behaviorism. these items help explain why participants may have scored behaviorism highly—especially male respondents who, as the results show, expressed slightly more preference for structured, teacher-directed methods. these responses suggest the teacher's role in developing behavioral goals and establishing reinforcers to achieve them, reflecting prior learning environments. as prayogo (2022) observes, many english teachers in indonesia still rely on structured, teacher-centered methods due to limited training in 21st-century pedagogies and a deeply rooted preference for control and clarity in classroom management. table 3. mean and standard deviations (sd) of pre-service english teachers’ dominant educational philosophies when viewed as an entire group and categorized by gender categories mean sd description entire group 4.02 1.06 agree gender male 4.11 1.09 agree female 4.01 1.06 agree table 4. means, standard deviations, and rank of pre-service english teachers' predominant educational philosophies when categorized by gender categories mean sd description rank entire group perennialism 3.79 1.08 agree 7 essentialism 3.44 1.26 agree 8 progressivism 4.08 1.00 agree 4 reconstructionism/ critical theory 4.06 1.18 agree 5 information processing 4.26 0.78 strongly agree 3 behaviorism 4.29 0.79 strongly agree 1 cognitivism/ constructivism 3.97 1.05 agree 6 ragilia indaswari, ouda teda ena the predominant educational philosophies among pre-service english teachers 452 humanism 4.26 0.96 strongly agree 2 gender male perennialism 3.55 1.32 agree 7 essentialism 3.50 1.32 agree 8 progressivism 4.15 0.67 agree 5 reconstructionism/ critical theory 4.25 1.16 strongly agree 4 information processing 4.50 0.76 strongly agree 2 behaviorism 4.55 0.76 strongly agree 1 cognitivism/ constructivism 4.00 1.21 agree 6 humanism 4.35 0.93 strongly agree 3 female perennialism 3.82 1.05 agree 7 essentialism 3.43 1.26 agree 8 progressivism 4.07 1.04 agree 4 reconstructionism/ critical theory 4.04 1.18 agree 5 information processing 4.23 0.78 strongly agree 3 behaviorism 4.26 0.79 strongly agree 1 cognitivism/ constructivism 3.97 1.03 agree 6 humanism 4.25 0.96 strongly agree 2 predominant educational philosophy of preservice english teachers in solo the study conducted by carifio (2005), it explains real-time learning processes and consequences based on information processing theory, which is consistent with neurology and brain sciences and explains communication between cells, atoms, and humans. since behaviorism and information processing strongly emphasize teacher-centered instruction, pre-service english teachers are likely to favor them over behaviorism and information processing. to sum up, both philosophies focus more on learners' information processing, observable behaviors, and reinforcement while acknowledging individual differences and emphasizing effective instruction. humanism as the second rank can be adopted to examine how education is changing in the ai era from a humanistic philosophical viewpoint. humanism, a unique perspective, promotes humanistic education, fostering participation, selfesteem, and self-efficacy, encouraging children to take responsibility for their learning and reject praise and blame (aung, 2020). yulianto et al. (2024) investigates how carl rogers' humanistic philosophy can guide the creation of pedagogical practices that prioritize individual needs and experiences. the study explores the ethical implications of ai in education, focusing on carl rogers' teachings. it explores privacy, bias, equity, and knowledge commodification, and how ai influences individual development and teacherstudent relationships, emphasizing humancentered educational practices. cognitivism, which is placed in the same rank in both genders focuses on learners constructing reality through reflection and action, balancing new experiences with existing knowledge. teachers support learning by facilitating environmental conditions and mediating experiences (cohen, 1999b). concepts like learning styles, multiple intelligences, emotional intelligence, and constructivism developed. other ideas include problem-solving, discovery learning, creative thinking, reflective thinking, critical thinking, and intuitive thinking. overall, cognition and curriculum are intertwined, as most curricularists are cognitive-oriented. from the table above, essentialism is scored lowest among other philosophies. this suggests a declining preference for rigid, content-centered instruction among pre-service english teachers. from a sociocultural perspective, this could be interpreted as a reaction to outdated, top-down educational systems which may not reflect the dynamic and diverse contexts of modern classrooms—especially in contexts like indonesia, where equity, student wellbeing, and critical english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 453 thinking are increasingly emphasized in education reform. thus, this suggests a shift in teacher beliefs from control and content delivery to more contextualized teaching practices. from a sociocultural standpoint, this may reflect how younger educators respond to evolving learner needs and societal change. blanford (2011) distinguishes student-centered philosophies, which give priority to individual needs and interests, and essentialism, which prioritizes core knowledge and abilities. philosophies that place more emphasis on student experience and exploration, such as progressivism, are considered more engaging than essentialism, which stresses on basic subjects and abilities. approaches with a stronger sense of interactivity and relevance to students' lives may be more appealing to pre-service english teachers. on the contrary, essentialist philosophers place a strong emphasis on production, survival, life skills, and civilian living (bueno, 2019). with an emphasis on respect and discipline, teachers should be seen as moral and intellectual role models in the classroom. similar results which essentialism adopted the least by pre-service english teachers found in alemdar & aytaç (2022). consequence of the educational philosophy among pre-service english teachers in solo the study of pre-service english teachers in solo reveals a strong agreement with a balanced approach combining student-centered and teachercentered philosophies. both male and female preservice english teachers agree on these philosophies, with males showing a marginally higher tendency towards agreement. they prefer student-centered learning philosophies like progressivism, reconstructionism/critical theory, humanism, and constructivism, aligning with modern educational paradigms. however, they also rate teacher-centered philosophies like information processing and behaviorism highly, indicating that effective teaching often requires a blend of methodologies to address diverse learning needs. the study shows minor gender differences in philosophy preferences, with male pre-service english teachers scoring slightly higher on behaviorism and information processing, suggesting a preference for structured, teacherdirected practices. this may be due to varying perspectives on classroom management and instructional control. the study suggests that teacher education programs should adopt a balanced approach, incorporating both studentcentered and teacher-centered philosophies to prepare pre-service english teachers for diverse classrooms. it also suggests that gender-sensitive training programs should be tailored to cater to the specific needs of male and female pre-service english teachers. ongoing professional development should focus on refining the ability to blend different educational philosophies, including instructional strategies that leverage student engagement and teacher direction. professional development programs should focus on blending teaching strategies, classroom management, and reflective practice to support teacher growth. gender-sensitive training is also necessary, with programs offering tailored support for both male and female pre-service english teachers. exposure to diverse role models and teaching styles can help teachers appreciate different approaches and develop their unique teaching identities. encouraging reflective practice can help preservice english teachers understand their philosophical leanings and their impact on their teaching style, fostering continuous improvement and adaptability. to support this, self-regulation theory suggests that a shift from a teacher-centered to a student-centered approach requires changes in epistemic beliefs and representations. this can lead to misconceptions and fragmentation in teachers' interpretation of srl theory. to promote srl practices, effective intervention programs need to be developed. integrating subject content with srl strategies is also crucial for effective teaching (vosniadou et al., 2020). according to soleas & hong’s (2020) research, found that pre-service english teachers who completed their post-practicum showed improved resilience in terms of social support and emotional health. this suggests that practical teaching experiences can boost resilience even in cases where more time and experience are required. in terms of self-efficacy, research on efl teachers' beliefs, based on bandura's social cognitive theory, examines threats to their abilities in english language teaching (hoang & wyatt, 2021). hoang & wyatt’s (2021) study examined the self-efficacy beliefs of vietnamese efl psts and examined how they related to l2 proficiency, practicum development, and important sources of knowledge that built efficacy. thus, a holistic approach to teacher preparation is necessary, with comprehensive pedagogical training covering a wide range of theories and practices. interdisciplinary learning and collaboration among pre-service english teachers can foster a more well-rounded educational ragilia indaswari, ouda teda ena the predominant educational philosophies among pre-service english teachers 454 perspective through joint projects, crossdepartmental courses, and collaborative teaching experiences. overall, these philosophies offer valuable insights for enhancing educational practices and supporting teacher growth. conclusion philosophy plays a crucial role in shaping our actions and curriculum. it influences educational theories, ranging from traditional and conservative to contemporary and liberal. few schools adopt a single philosophy, but it should be politically and economically feasible and serve students and society's needs. designing a curriculum is to provide its components significance for learners, educators, and the community, as well as paying attention to the guiding principles (börekci & uyangör, 2021). curriculum workers must help develop practices in harmony with the school and community's philosophy. the study explores the educational philosophies of pre-service english teachers, finding that they generally agree with the presented philosophies. they support student-centered learning philosophies like progressivism, reconstructionism/critical theory, humanism, and constructivism, emphasizing active student participation and knowledge construction. they also score high on information processing and behaviorism, which are teacher-centered philosophies. however, there are minor gender differences, with male pre-service english teachers scoring slightly higher on behaviorism and information processing. the study suggests that while valuing student-centered learning, effective instructional practices are crucial for successful implementation. in this regard, it may be claimed that behaviorism is the most dominant educational philosophy among the pre-service english teachers in an english education study program in solo, central java. however, abramson (2013) highlights the challenges of behaviorist perspective in the classroom and the need for textbook authors to incorporate it and address cognitive perspectives. as teachers should correct errors, provide hands-on activities, and use supplementary materials to help students evaluate both perspectives. given that behaviorism emerged as the most dominant philosophy overall, this finding invites reflection. as noted by abramson (2013), overreliance on behaviorist methods can restrict the development of students’ cognitive and reflective capacities. therefore, while structure and feedback remain essential, teacher education programs should promote critical engagement with multiple educational philosophies to ensure balanced pedagogical development. the study suggests that pre-service english teachers in indonesia may view effective teaching as a blend of student-centered and teacher-centered approaches. therefore, curricula should encourage philosophical reflection, self-assessment, and understanding how structured methods support student autonomy and active learning. these implications are especially relevant in the indonesian context, where ongoing curriculum reforms call for greater teacher agency, adaptability, and contextual responsiveness (nihayah et al., 2023). while this study provides valuable insights into the dominant educational philosophies of preservice english teachers, several limitations must be acknowledged. the survey relied on the educational philosophies self-assessment (cohen, 1999a); (cohen, 1999b) which, although widely used, may not offer a balanced number of items across all philosophical categories. some categories, such as behaviorism and information processing, may have had more relatable or contextually familiar statements for participants. additionally, the study’s sample was limited to pre-service english teachers from a single institution in solo, which may affect the generalizability of the findings to other regions or disciplines. future research should consider employing more diverse sample across multiple teacher education programs in indonesia to enhance the representativeness and reliability of the findings. a revised or adapted instrument that ensures a balanced number of well-contextualized items for each philosophy would also yield more nuanced insights. moreover, a mixed-methods approach incorporating interviews or classroom observations could provide richer data on how philosophical preferences are enacted in practice. further investigation is also recommended to explore how local cultural values, schooling traditions, and policy reforms shape philosophical leanings among future educators. acknowledgement the researcher is profoundly thankful to ouda teda ena, m.pd., ed.d., whose mentorship and encouragement have been pivotal in the development and completion of this study. his profound knowledge and thoughtful suggestions english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 455 have greatly enriched the researcher’s research experience. references abramson, c. i. (2013). problems of teaching the behaviorist perspective in the cognitive revolution. behavioral sciences, 3(1), 55–71. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs3010055 adirika, b. n., okonkwo, c. o., onyebuchi, & chiweyite, g. (2017). curriculum and essentialism through the eyes of educationists: implications for nigeria. world wide journal of multidisciplinary research and development, 3(9), 108–111. https://www.wwjmrd.com/ alemdar, m., & aytaç, a. (2022). the impact of teachers educational philosophy tendencies on their curriculum autonomy. journal of pedagogical research. https://doi.org/10.33902/jpr.2022.166 amac, z., & oral, b. (2023). exploring educational philosophy of primary school teacher candidates in turkey. dinamika ilmu, 23(2), 231–247. https://doi.org/10.21093/di.v23i2.6590 arduini-van hoose, n. (2020). teaching philosophy. educational psychology. https://edpsych.pressbooks.sunycreate.cloud/ch apter/teaching-philosophy/ aung, y. m. (2020). humanism and education. https://www.ijarset.com/ b. tupas, j., & p. pendon, g. (2016a). college teachers’ educational philosophy: a step towards improving teaching performance. ira international journal of education and multidisciplinary studies (issn 2455–2526), 3(3). https://doi.org/10.21013/jems.v3.n3.p12 b. tupas, j., & p. pendon, g. (2016b). prevailing educational philosophies among pre-service teachers. ira international journal of education and multidisciplinary studies (issn 2455– 2526), 3(3). https://doi.org/10.21013/jems.v3.n3.p16 blanford, l. (2011). an examination of essentialism and no child left behind: creating excellence in america? (vol. 8). https://dc.cod.edu/essai/vol8/iss1/10 börekci, c., & uyangör, n. (2021). analyzing preservice teachers’ educational philosophy preferences, curriculum design orientation, and epistemological beliefs with structural equation model. participatory educational research, 8(3), 356–371. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.21.70.8.3 bueno, d. c. (2019). the education philosophy of preservice teachers among teacher education institutions (teis). https://doi.org/10.13140/rg.2.2.13809.12642 carifio, j. (2005). towards a standard integrated information processing/ cognitive model of learning. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/22856 6774 cohen, l. m. (1999a). educational philosophies selfassessment. in oregon state university school of education. cohen, l. m. (1999b). educational philosophies selfassessment scoring-guide. oregon state university school of education. https://evaeducation.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/6/ 9/19692577/self_assessment_scoring_guide.pdf danner, r. b., & ofuani, f. n. (2022). the influence of educational philosophies and learning theories on language teaching and learning in english as a second learning context (vol. 25, issue 1). duschl, r. a., & hamilton, r. j. (1992). philosophy of science, cognitive psychology, and educational theory and practice. suny press. george, l. a., bunney, k., valdenebro, c. d., & mead, t. (2023). educational philosophies – foundations of education. open oregon educational resources. https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/foundations ofeducation/chapter/chapter-3-educationalphilosophies/ hinduja, p. (2021). from behaviorism to constructivism in teaching-learning process. journal of education & social sciences, 9(2), 111–122. https://doi.org/10.20547/jess0922109204 hoang, t., & wyatt, m. (2021). exploring the selfefficacy beliefs of vietnamese pre-service teachers of english as a foreign language. system, 96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102422 khairani, f., handayani, t., effendi, d., & puspita, y. (2023). the role of educational philosophy as the foundation for teacher strengthening in schools. khan, i. a. (2013). educational philosophy and the english teacher. paripex indian journal of research, 2(8). magulod, g. c. (2017). educational philosophies adhered by filipino preservice teachers: basis for proposing initiatives for 21st century teacher education preparation program. asia pacific journal of multidisciplinary research, 5(1), 185–192. nihayah, r. w., dina, w. f., wijayanti, d., & asyah, a. n. (2023). how does granting teacher autonomy influence classroom instruction? lessons from indonesia’s curriculum reform implementation. jurnal penelitian kebijakan pendidikan, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.24832/jpkp.v16i1.768 ornstein, a. c., & hunkins, f. p. (2017). curriculum: foundations, principles, and issues. pearson. phillips, d. c. (2014). encyclopedia of educational theory and philosophy. sage publications. prayogo, j. a. (2022). english language teaching in indonesia in the 21st century: what needs reinforcing and enhancing for the teachers. kne https://doi.org/10.3390/bs3010055 https://www.wwjmrd.com/ https://doi.org/10.33902/jpr.2022.166 https://doi.org/10.21093/di.v23i2.6590 https://edpsych.pressbooks.sunycreate.cloud/chapter/teaching-philosophy/ https://edpsych.pressbooks.sunycreate.cloud/chapter/teaching-philosophy/ https://www.ijarset.com/ https://doi.org/10.21013/jems.v3.n3.p12 https://doi.org/10.21013/jems.v3.n3.p16 https://dc.cod.edu/essai/vol8/iss1/10 https://doi.org/10.17275/per.21.70.8.3 https://doi.org/10.13140/rg.2.2.13809.12642 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228566774 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228566774 https://evaeducation.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/6/9/19692577/self_assessment_scoring_guide.pdf https://evaeducation.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/6/9/19692577/self_assessment_scoring_guide.pdf https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/foundationsofeducation/chapter/chapter-3-educational-philosophies/ https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/foundationsofeducation/chapter/chapter-3-educational-philosophies/ https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/foundationsofeducation/chapter/chapter-3-educational-philosophies/ https://doi.org/10.20547/jess0922109204 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102422 https://doi.org/10.24832/jpkp.v16i1.768 ragilia indaswari, ouda teda ena the predominant educational philosophies among pre-service english teachers 456 social sciences. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v7i7.10645 shorty, m., campbell, r., kelly, n., mcdowell, k., moultroup, m., & preble, w. (n.d.). is every educational philosophy the best? soleas, e. k., & hong, j. (2020). the school of hard knocks: pre-service teachers’ mindset and motivational changes during their practicum. foro de educacion, 18(2), 237–257. https://doi.org/10.14516/fde.726 vosniadou, s., lawson, m. j., wyra, m., van deur, p., jeffries, d., & i gusti ngurah, d. (2020). preservice teachers’ beliefs about learning and teaching and about the self-regulation of learning: a conceptual change perspective. international journal of educational research, 99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2019.101495 yolcu, e., & sari, m. (2022). an investigation of preservice teachers’ views on profession and educational philosophy beliefs. muğla sıtkı koçman üniversitesi eğitim fakültesi dergisi, 9(1), 286–301. https://doi.org/10.21666/muefd.981487 yulianto, s. f., rahmawati, n. r., falach, g., & zainal fanani, m. (2024). studies of ethical dimensions of education in artifical intellegence era: a study from a humanism philosophy perspective inspired by carl rogers. science and education, 3, 413–419. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v7i7.10645 https://doi.org/10.14516/fde.726 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2019.101495 https://doi.org/10.21666/muefd.981487 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 107 posthumanist applied linguistics: a transparent assignment for writing research proposal abstracts siusana kweldju english education department, faculty of letters, universitas negeri malang, indonesia email: siusana.kweldju.fs@um.ac.id christina sandi tjandra oise, university of toronto, canada email: christinastjandra@gmail.com apa citation: kweldju, s., & tjandra, c. s. (2025). posthumanist applied linguistics: a transparent assignment for writing research proposal abstracts. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 107-120. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.11421 received: 26-10-2024 accepted: 27-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 introduction today, our daily activities, including those in indonesia, are profoundly dependent on digital technology, making it an integral part of everyday life. consequently, it is evident that there has been a dramatic increase in internet use in indonesia. society has accepted and benefited from digital technology development. according to press release no. 80/hm/kominfo/01/2024 from the public relations bureau of the ministry of communication and informatics (biro humas kementerian komunikasi dan informatika), the indonesian internet service providers association (apjii) reported that internet penetration in indonesia reached 79.5% of the total population in early 2024. this is equivalent to 221,563,479 people out of a total population of 278,695,200 in 2023. this trend has significantly impacted the widespread integration of digital technology into english language instruction in indonesian classrooms. by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, numerous innovative teaching strategies now utilize digital platforms to teach both macro-skills and micro-skills of english as a foreign language at the tertiary level. platforms such as nearpod, proposal, edmodo, and google sites have become common tools for instruction as shown by kweldju et al. (2023). at the high school level, additional tools such as podcasts, edmodo,word cloud, kahoot, quizlet, duolingo, ili, novo, and baamboozle are employed to enhance english language learning. as these tools illustrate the growing incorporation of technology in language education, the broader field of applied linguistics anticipates that digital technology will become an increasingly essential component of foreign language instruction. no longer just aiding learning, digital technology now symbolizes a fusion of human and machine, akin to artificial cardiac pacemakers or elon musk's neuralink, which integrates with human biology. this transformation underscores the need for posthumanism, a philosophy that abstract: by harnessing the power of ai and ai chatbot, digital technology is becoming an increasingly essential component in foreign language use and instruction. in posthumanist thought, machines are viewed as integral enhancements that merge with human abilities. pennycook’s concept of posthumanist applied linguistics builds on this notion, challenging us to rethink cognition, language learning, and the interdependence of humans with nonhuman and technological entities. this study aims to discover whether doctoral students are prepared to conduct research within this emerging framework of applied linguistics. as part of the iku 7 initiative, nineteen doctoral students enrolled in an advanced applied linguistics course were tasked with exploring this new perspective. they were guided through a transparent assignment design to develop research proposal abstracts. quantitative analysis of the submitted abstracts revealed that students struggled to identify suitable research topics within this novel framework. their difficulties were compounded by a lack of practical knowledge in research methodology and limited understanding of posthumanist principles. consequently, many students produced unclear titles and abstracts, with over half omitting the methodology section. keywords: posthumanist applied linguistics, research proposal abstract, title, transparent assignment design, key performance indicator (iku). keywords: ai-driven platform, teachers’ knowledge and application of ai, stem education siusana kweldju & christina sandi tjandra posthumanist applied linguistics: a transparent assignment for writing research proposal abstracts 108 opposes the exploitation of humans, nonhumans, and the environment, addressing the crises we face (braidotti, 2013). this fusion of technology in foreign language instruction, according to pennycook (2006) is posthumanism in applied linguistics. posthumanism in applied linguistics highlights how language, people, objects, and places are all interconnected in our understanding of communication and thinking. language and thinking, once believed to occur exclusively within individuals, are now considered to spread across people, places, and things. in this context, a cohort of 19 non-native english language teaching (elt) doctoral students enrolled in a course titled advanced applied linguistics were tasked with writing a research proposal paper on posthumanism in english language instruction. these students were also efl lecturers. a research proposal is a structured, formal document serving two distinct purposes: internal and external. internally, it compels the researcher to meticulously design and plan the research within appropriate methodological, ontological, and epistemological frameworks. externally, it aims to convince scholars, readers, and funding agents that the researcher has a significant, novel, relevant, and innovative research idea, supported by a robust methodology, and that it can be executed with realistic time and resource utilization (peters, 2003). while this course aims for students to produce a complete research proposal, this paper specifically focuses on their ability to draft the title and abstract, which are subgenres of a research proposal. the title and abstract are the initial impressions or "face" of a research proposal; they must be drafted correctly, accurately, carefully, meticulously, and require significant time and effort (tullu, 2019). the title should adequately describe the research project with relevant use of words. the course duration was four months, and writing a research proposal was not their only assignment. this proposal writing project was part of the implementation of the "indikator kinerja utama perguruan tinggi no.7" (iku 7) (kemdikbudristek, 2020). the iku guidelines provide key performance indicators for tertiary education in indonesia, with iku 7 emphasizing collaborative and participatory classes through methodologies such as case-based learning and team-based projects. within this framework, the doctoral students shared the responsibility of producing high-quality proposals, ensuring that their research would be insightful and enlightening for learners, practicing teachers, and researchers in the field of applied linguistics. prior to enrolling in this course, students had limited exposure to the concept of posthumanism, both in general and specifically within applied linguistics. the aims of the assignment were twofold: to enhance students' understanding of posthumanist applied linguistics and to advance their academic and research skills within this subfield. given that posthumanist philosophy was entirely new to the students, the assignment was designed to be implemented in a step-by-step manner to facilitate their comprehension of the concepts and their integration into the research proposal abstract. additionally, the assignment was also geared to improve the students’ proposal writing skills in humanist applied linguistics. during the process of writing the abstract, guidance is provided to foster understanding and promote active, meaningful learning. this guidance helps optimize students' writing processes and ensures their seriousness, accuracy, and rigor in preparing proposals. the aim of this study is three-fold: first, to develop and implement a transparent assignment for writing the abstract of a research proposal in post-humanistic applied linguistics; second, to investigate whether transparent assessment can enable all students to produce quality abstracts in this field; and third, to understand the real problems students face when writing the abstract of a research proposal in post-humanistic applied linguistics. based on the aims, the research problem is formulated as follows: what problems do students encounter when writing the abstracts of research proposals using a post-humanistic applied linguistics perspective? posthumanism is a philosophical framework, intellectual school, intellectual perspective, and intellectual movement that challenges the principles of humanism, which emphasizes the primacy of the human being. while both frameworks aim to understand human existence, posthumanism critiques humanism for its perceived limitations and inherent biases. humanism asserts that only humans possess will and reason. however, the rise of cybernetics and digital technologies has underscored the theoretical and ethical limitations of humanism. scientific advancements and advanced technologies suggest the potential to reconfigure human nature and create beings that surpass present-day homo sapiens biologically and technologically. this english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 109 concept, known as genhumanism or generative humanism. it is a concept that accelerates innovations aimed at transforming human identity. ai and technology are opening up new possibilities for redefining what it means to be human (brusseau, 2023), as the human–machine divide has been rapidly fading, along with the hierarchy that once placed humans above machines. posthumanism and transhumanism are often used interchangeably, but they may have different focuses. posthumanism typically focuses the integration of humans with technology to enhance physical and cognitive performance, emphasizing the rejection of biological, ethical, and ontological anthropocentrism. in contrast, transhumanism aims to enhance and transform natural human characteristics through the use of biological, technological, and cognitive advancements (merzlyakov, 2022). posthumanism offers a new perspective and ethos to the humanities, envisioning a promising future. in today's era, characterized by a crisis of ethos involving issues like fake news and the suppression of academic voices, human qualities are often reduced to psychological and sociological narratives. this is a time for a reassessment of human habitus, considering the where, the how and with whom they live. while it is crucial for humans to care for themselves, this care should extend beyond their own physical well-being to encompass ecological and technocultural concerns (baumlin, 2020). ethical issues arise in our schools, such as why we welcome dead animal bodies for food in school lunches but not live ones in educational settings (rowe & rocha, 2015; mustola, 2019). reevaluating and redefining what it means to be human, braidotti (2013, pp. 1-2) argues that humans should reconsider their relationships with other species and objects. she also advocates for exploring ways to enhance human capabilities. similarly, barad (2007, p. 136) challenges the old idea that the body separates the inner self from the outside world. she does not see that the body could make that boundary, because of the strength of the outside in influencing and shaping our thoughts and language. when the boundary between the inner self and the outer world is blurred, the traits of thinking, actions, language, and understanding are not specifically humans’, but those traits are spread out among people, places, and things. this perspective eliminates the rigid divide between humans and non-humans, nature, and society (latour, 2004). consequently, posthumanism raises significant questions for applied linguistics, particularly regarding our understanding of language, cognition, human, objects, and agency; that is, issues central to applied linguistics: language, cognition, and the human subject (pennycook, 2016). posthumanism is in the contrary with the contemporary understanding of applied linguistics. the latter sees that linguistic ability is innately human, completely separate from animal communication. chomsky (1972) in language and mind states clearly that language is exclusively a human attribute, innate only to humans. he persistently argues that animal communication cannot develop into language, or language could not evolve from animal communication. similarly, steven pinker (1994), who is a cognitive linguist, sees that language is an innate, biological ability in humans, although it is the result of evolution for solving the problem of communication and social interaction. however, with the emergence of ai chatbots, a new applied linguistics theory about language, cognition, and the human subject seems to be emerging. it requires applied linguists to understand the role of machine learning in language learning. although digital devices are inanimate objects, they can engage in communication-like interactions with humans, making them seem like an "other" or a "quasiother" (ihde, 1990). these devices prompt users to interact with them as if they were autonomous or intelligent beings, even though they are not (buzato, 2023). applied linguists investigate the extent to which this quasi-alterity impacts users' language choices and performances. for instance, how the machines make the speakers talk in a certain way to make them understand the message, even though this understanding is unreal (wittkower, 2022, p. 261). although we are still in the early stages of ai development, machines today can serve as interviewers, interviewees, translators, automated speech transcribers, news anchors, short story writers, poets, movie scriptwriters, essayists, and more. it is believed that ai has the potential to perform nearly all tasks that humans can, until proven otherwise (mcshane & nirenburg, 2021, p. 1). the primary challenge for ai lies in handling ambiguity, which occurs when a word or phrase can have multiple meanings, such as morphological, lexical, syntactic, semantic, and referential ambiguity. due to its versatility, people have begun to question whether a machine can be considered a qualified speaker and how humans and ai chatbots siusana kweldju & christina sandi tjandra posthumanist applied linguistics: a transparent assignment for writing research proposal abstracts 110 are intertwined. for instance, casal and kessler (2023) discovered that experienced reviewers and linguists had limited ability to distinguish aigenerated writing from human writing. despite this, there remains controversy regarding the ethical use of ai tools in facilitating the research process. posthumanism encourages us to reconsider language and agency, both human and non-human, by exploring how language shapes our world in new ways (pennycook 2018). machines can influence the development of human language and may even create new languages independently. they are not just tools for reproducing, translating, transcribing, and teaching human languages; they actively change language development and could potentially create languages that do not involve humans at all. casal and kessler (2023) questioned whether linguists can distinguish between chatgpt/ai and human writing. building on this, demuro and gurney (2023) posed additional questions: how can we rethink language to transcend human perspectives? what misconceptions about humanity does language perpetuate? how must language evolve for us to consider nonhuman life? addressing these questions will shape the future of posthumanist applied linguistics and deepen our understanding of language. machine learning is used to address various challenges in proficiency test creation, automated scoring, and content assessments for exams like the gre and toefl. it is also employed in language learning support applications, such as duolingo for developing second language skills, and in tools like grammarly for language analysis. additionally, machine learning has many other applications, such as in machine translation systems (vajjala, 2018). ai can serve as a reviewer, aiding in both qualitative and quantitative data analysis. it can also function as an applied linguistics professor and manuscript reviewer. therefore, research methodology scholars in applied linguistics should continue to explore, evaluate, discuss, and refine the potential uses of these novel tools to enhance research processes ethically and positively. pack and maloney (2023) found that ai feedback was often superior in quality and quantity, when it is compared to some human reviewers’, raising important questions about authorship, originality, and ethics. for example, de costa et al. (2021) suggested that researchers should disclose the use of any ai tools to ensure transparency in the research process. journals should also include clear guidelines for authors on the use and disclosure of generative ai. according to pennycook (2016, 2018) posthuman thought does not only value communication but also reassesses where social meaning-making happens. human beings are not the only ones to create and ensure meaning. language is not only a tool of the mind, but a part of our whole experience that involves our bodies, objects, places, and senses. humans use language, symbols, and various forms of communication to interpret and convey shared understandings, values, and norms in their interactions with one another. different materialities always interact and influence each other. language and cognition are not only inherent and internalized within human individuals but are also widely distributed across the multimodal and multisensory semiotic practices of daily life, such as photography and video bricolages (millei & kallio, 2018). today communication is also through online environments with a large set of semiotic resources that need different use of sensory perception faculties. communication is not only human vocal and written symbols. according to pennycook (2016, 2018), posthumanist thought emphasizes not just the value of communication but also the need to reassess where social meaning-making occurs. meaning is created and understood within a social context. this perspective shifts the focus from humans being the sole creators and bearers of meaning to recognizing the broader context in which meaning is generated. language is not merely a tool of the mind but an integral part of our holistic experience that involves our bodies, objects, places, and senses. humans use language, symbols, and other forms of communication to interpret and convey shared understandings, values, and norms during their interactions. different materialities constantly interact and influence each other, suggesting that language and cognition are not solely inherent and internalized within individuals. instead, they are distributed across the multimodal and multisensory semiotic practices of daily life, such as photography and video bricolages (millei & kallio, 2018). in today's digital age, communication extends to online environments, utilizing a vast array of semiotic resources that engage various sensory perception faculties. consequently, communication is no longer confined to human vocal and written symbols alone but includes english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 111 diverse modes and materials that enrich our interactions and understanding. in the three-credit advanced applied linguistics course under study, students were assigned to write a research proposal. however, during the process, it was discovered that students’ abstract of the research proposal needs more investigation and focus of intention because not all students are successful enough in writing the abstract of their research proposal. it is also a writing skill that requires the ability to read, interpret and produce information valued in academia. it is an information-based problem skill developed using analysis and synthesis (ondrusek et al, 2024) so far, limited research has been conducted specifically on students' proposal abstract writing, although substantial research exists on students' complete proposal and research report. among the few, ondrusek et al. (2024) conducted a study on graduate students' research proposal abstracts. they identified the primary challenges students faced: selecting relevant information, recognizing the structure of the proposal, and reorganizing the selected information. drudy et al. (2023) found that the abstract of a research paper is often an overlooked part of the dissemination process. however, the abstract plays a crucial role in determining whether a piece of research is deemed relevant for presentation at a conference or valuable enough for peer review and subsequent publication. fauzan et al. (2022) investigated undergraduate students' difficulties in writing their thesis proposals, focusing specifically on the micro-skills aspects of writing. they discovered that students' primary problems were related to vocabulary, grammar, and mechanics. similarly, rastri et al. (2023) analyzed undergraduate students' issues in writing research proposals and found that linguistic factors were the most significant, compared to psychological and socio-cultural factors. kusuma et al. (2022) investigated students’ preferences of research proposal writing feedback and discovered that among the different types of feedback, students preferred the direct error correction and the directive comment feedback. when students write their abstract, they should also write the title. the proposal title should be concise and precise in expressing the key question of the research. it should contain the most important keywords and convey the approach to relate to a specific field of study. in most situations, readers only read the title and abstract of a proposal before deciding to read the full paper. therefore, the most important elements for a title are simplicity, brevity, clarity, and attractiveness. the title should inform about the research paper, avoid abbreviations, adhere to a word limit of 8-15 words, and reflect the aim of the study. a descriptive title includes the theme, participants, and intervention, while an interrogative title includes the restatement of the research question (shah, 2014; bavdekar, 2016). mack (2012) highlights the importance of including the approach to achieve the aim, such as an experimental method or simulation approach. the task assigned to the students utilized transparent assignment design. with the teacher providing guidance from the sidelines, students were able to develop an understanding of posthumanist applied linguistics and work on their proposals. each step was rigorously explained to ensure clarity, making the learning process more explicit but also positively influenced the quality of the students’ work (walton & cohen, 2011). this approach also allowed the teacher to reflect on the assignments and assess how well they met student outcomes. for instance, it helped determine how effectively students could produce their best work. transparent assignments are characterized by a clearly defined purpose, specified tasks, and well-defined criteria for success. this simple, replicable teaching technique enhances student success without resorting to spoon-feeding (ou, 2018; balloo et al., 2018). transparent assignment design is rooted in inclusive pedagogy, which is based on the principle that every student can learn when provided with suitable conditions, recognizing that each learner is unique, and that education must be tailored to improve learning for all students (florian, 2015). this approach is also part of a broader commitment to transparency in learning and teaching, aimed at enhancing the quality of higher education. transparent teaching helps students understand the purpose and methodology behind their learning, demonstrating how course content is relevant and applicable to solving real-world problems (andersen et al., 2013). it employs clear language and techniques to foster and enhance analytical and critical thinking skills, thereby deepening student learning (biggs, 2003). transparent teaching can be best defined as a set of practices that explicitly communicate instructor expectations for student learning and classroom success (harden, 2001; fierro, 2003; cook-sather, 2011; winkelmes et al., 2016). when expectations and assignments are transparent, they contribute to increase student engagement and siusana kweldju & christina sandi tjandra posthumanist applied linguistics: a transparent assignment for writing research proposal abstracts 112 academic achievement. emerging research supports this assertion, with recent studies indicating that transparent assignments improve learning outcomes for underserved students at the introductory level and reduce attrition rates among students at the highest risk of dropping out (winkelmes et al., 2016). method this exploratory case study began with planning the assignment, followed by implementing the plan, collecting data, and producing a descriptive end product. the implementation involved a combination of lectures, student assignments, feedback provision, and follow-up actions. quantitative and qualitative data were obtained by analyzing students’ submissions of their abstracts. the aim of the study was to identify the difficulties students face in producing high-quality research proposal abstracts on posthumanism in applied linguistics. students submitted their work for each step of the task to the university lms, where the teacher provided feedback. the study involved 19 doctoral students enrolled in a threecredit advanced applied linguistics course at a teachers' college in indonesia. writing a research proposal abstract is a crucial and complex skill that requires continuous guidance and practice; students cannot be expected to master it instantly. this research proposal assignment is designed to provide step-by-step support, guiding students through five key stages. the rubrics for this task, as shown in tables 1 and 2, is explained to the students. table 1: the title rubric no . components absent or inadequat e presen t and clear 1 conciseness, word limit 8-15 2 key issue/intervention/resear ch question 3 key term 4 approach or method table 2: the research proposal abstract rubric no. components absent or inadequate (1) present but unclear (2) clear (3) clear and thoughtful (4) 1 informative lead sentence 2 research problem/research question 3 posthumanist perspective 4 participants 5 type of research approach 6 methods for data analysis 7 significance of the study english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 113 figure 1. the transparent assignment design of the research proposal abstract step 1. the teacher, who was also one of the researchers, introduced the ssignment related to iku 7 using a powerpoint presentation. iku 7 focuses on collaborative and participatory classes, utilizing methodologies such as case-based learning and team-based projects. in this context, the doctoral students shared the responsibility of producing an authentic, high-quality paper. the researcher explained that she would guide the students using the transparency assignment model. in this context, the doctoral students were informed that they had the responsibility of producing authentic, high-quality research proposal abstracts in the field of posthumanist applied linguistics. in doing so, they were not only knowledge consumers but also knowledge co-creators. step 2. the teacher introduced the concept of posthumanism to the students, who were initially unfamiliar with it, and explained assignment step 1. she began with an engaging introduction, using examples from science fiction novels and movies to make the topic more relatable. she then outlined the core principles of posthumanist ideology, which challenge traditional anthropocentric views and emphasize the interconnectedness of humans, technology, and the environment. this perspective redefines ideas of identity and subjectivity, highlighting the fluid boundaries between humans, machines, and society. to aid their understanding, students were given: (a) a handout on posthumanism, (b) an e-book titled the bloomsbury handbook of posthumanism edited by thomsen and wamberg, (2020) for additional reading, and (c) a dissertation titled the posthuman curriculum and the teacher (cook, 2016). assignment step 1: students were asked to read the dissertation (cook, 2016) and write a 200-word review paper. this assignment step 1 was designed to help them grasp the key themes, arguments, and implications related to posthumanism in education. step 3. following learning about posthumanism in education in step 2, the teacher explained about post-humanist applied linguistics. a handout was distributed to the students. they were supposed to read as many articles on post-humanist applied linguistics as possible, and find an interesting topic. they were also provided with an e-book titled posthumanist applied linguistics (pennycook, 2018), next to two articles on posthumanist approach to education (blaikie, 2020; densmore, 2017). assigment step 2: students were supposed to find an interesting topic that they observed or experienced from the post-humanist perspective. then, they were required to extensively review related literature, focusing on their specific concerns. each student then submitted annotations for 10 relevant research articles. it was explained to the students that reading extensively was essential for strengthening the theoretical foundations of their ideas when writing an abstract. they should connect their understanding of posthumanist perspectives with relevant theories in linguistics, language teaching, step 1 • teacher: introducing the transparent assignment; • students: understanding step 2 • teacher: introducing the ideology and the movement of posthumanism; student: writing a 200-word review paper step 3 • teacher: introducing posthumanism in applied linguistics; • students: finding an interesting topic step 4 • teacher: providing feedbck. students: writing annotations step 5 • teacher: providing feedback. students: writing annotations. create the abstract. siusana kweldju & christina sandi tjandra posthumanist applied linguistics: a transparent assignment for writing research proposal abstracts 114 psychology, and other pertinent areas of language instruction. students were also encouraged to explore linguistic theories rather than relying solely on their pedagogical intuition or personal experience. additionally, they should relate their posthumanist challenges to current instructional methods, such as active learning, student-centered learning, collaborative learning, experiential learning, problem-based learning, and transformational pedagogy. step 4. students read closely, critically, and extensively the literature related to their research problems. they obtained and evaluated key information, improved their analysis and interpretation skills, ultimately gaining more inspiring ideas for their papers. assignment step 3: students wrote 10 annotations of the most relevant journal articles to their topics. they should skim and scan the articles, then write their opinions and questions. additionally, they should make predictions and consider new perspectives, when reading. step 5. students continue writing 10 more annotations. they learn how to write the research proposal abstract. they started with writing an outline and graph. to engage the reader, the abstract can start with phrases like: “the issue regarding …”, “this proposal focuses on …”, “what will happen if…”, “in the ever-growing literature …”, “… are widely recognized as ….”, “… has an important role to play …”. they learn how to provide relevant background on the topic and existing research, position the posthumanist approach, and detail the research problem and problem statements. assignment step 4: while reading extensively about posthumanist applied linguistics, students were tasked with identifying local problems they were familiar with and relating these issues to the literature. then, students wrote an abstract of approximately 250-300 words. a rubric was prepared for the students. the abstract was required to: (1) introduce the research topic. (2) provide an orientation to the local problem. (3) create context and background. (4) explain the importance of the topic. (5) position the posthumanist approach as a contribution to knowledge. (6) detail and state the research problem. (7) include important definitions and explanations. (8) describe how the research adds to knowledge, practice, and policy in the area considered. results and discussions about the title table 1 shows that while most titles are concise and address key issues, approximately half do not include specific key terms. additionally, many titles lack details about the proposed research approach or design, such as "a longitudinal study of…," "a meta-analysis of…," "a linguistic ethnographic analysis of…," "case study research in…," or "classroom action research in…." notably, mack (2012) is the only source identified in the literature that recommends including the research approach in the title. this suggests that incorporating the research approach is not a common practice, which may explain why many student-generated titles overlook this detail. despite this, including the research approach could enhance the informativeness and comprehensiveness of the titles. table 1.the total distribution of the 19 students’ title component no. components absent or inadequate present and clear 1 conciseness, word limit 8-15 2 17 2 key issue/intervention/research question 5 14 3 key terms 9 10 4 approach/method 15 4 to illustrate, the following is the examples of the titles created by the students. (1) examining the impact of technology on language and communication. (2) a posthumanism perspective on the importance of student voices in assessment. (3) incorporating climate change issues into english language teaching: an ecological perspective. (4) multilinguality on the efl learners in pesantren gender-based differentiated: an empirical evidence of sociolinguistics study from indonesia english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 115 title (1) is concise, but it lacks a specific research question. it does not contain relevant key terms, as "language and communication" is too broad and encompasses a wide range of aspects, forms, and issues. the title should be more focused and include specific key terms related to the study, such as "posthumanism applied linguistics," which the student needs to investigate. title (2) is concise and includes key terms such as "posthumanism" and "assessment," along with the important issue of students' voices. it effectively highlights the focus and scope of the research. title (3) is concise and includes specific keywords such as "climate change," "english language teaching," and "ecological perspective." it effectively implies key questions related to incorporating climate change issues into language teaching, meeting the criteria of conciseness, relevance, and approach. title (4) is comprehensive but lacks conciseness, and the word pesantren may be unfamiliar to nonindonesian readers. a revised version could improve clarity and accessibility, such as: "gender-based multilingualism among efl learners in indonesian islamic boarding schools: an ethnographic study." about the abstract table 2 reveals several key observations about the abstracts created by the students. all students began their abstracts with clear and thoughtful lead sentences, showcasing their ability to capture initial interest. while nearly all students articulated their research problems, only six of them presented well-considered and thoughtful research problems, with the rest describing unclear or impractical research plans. most students explicitly identified posthumanist applied linguistics as their field of investigation, demonstrating a clear understanding of their research area. however, less than half of the students were prepared to detail their participants, research approach, or data analysis methods, indicating a need for further guidance in these areas. additionally, three students omitted the significance of their study entirely, and none provided a thoughtful discussion on the significance of their research. although the students understood the need to justify their research’s usefulness to specific groups of english language learners, they failed to specify this adequately. in summary, while the students demonstrated strengths in initiating their abstracts and identifying their research field, there are significant areas for improvement, particularly in defining their research problems, detailing research components, and articulating the significance of their studies. the following is an example of an abstract submitted by a student. the abstract presents several issues: the problem is unclear, the topic is vague, the significance of the study is not evident, and there is an absence of methodology. it fails to specify the exact nature of the connection between artificial intelligence (ai) and multimodality that the research aims to explore, making the problem statement too broad. additionally, it does not indicate that the study is situated within the subfield of posthumanist applied linguistics. furthermore, the abstract does not outline the research methodology, leaving readers without an understanding of how the study will be conducted. writing an abstract is a concise task that requires significant thought and expertise. it appears that the student needs to invest more time and effort into crafting a well-formulated abstract. this study examines the paradigmatic boundaries between artificial intelligence as a type of technology and multimodality as a concept in applied linguistics through posthumanism thought around language and literacy. the digital revolution in the last decade has drastically changed transaction behaviour, then it leads to shopping transactions on digital platforms and this demands mobile payment methods, qris, a payment gateway that uses qr technology as a method of transaction. on the other hand, qris as a visual sensory modality sets representation and communication as relying on a multiplicity of modes, all of which have been socially developed as resources to make meaning table 2: the total distribution of the 19 students’ research proposal no. components absent or inadequate (1) present but unclear (2) clear (3) clear and thoughtful (4) siusana kweldju & christina sandi tjandra posthumanist applied linguistics: a transparent assignment for writing research proposal abstracts 116 1 informative lead sentence 19 2 research problem/research question 1 3 9 6 3 posthumanist perspective 5 14 4 participants 11 8 5 type of research approach 11 8 6 methods for data analysis 11 8 7 significance of the study 3 5 8 understandably most students used the keyword posthumanist perspective or "posthumanist applied linguistics to indicate their field of research. the main reason is that they were already very familiar with the concept and knew that they should write research with posthumanist perspective. before writing their abstracts, they were already told that they should pick a topic in the field. then, they were assigned to read a dissertation and a book on posthumanist applied linguistics, and they also wrote numerous annotations on the subject. given that posthumanist applied linguistics was the focus of the students' research, they frequently used the term as a starting point in their leading sentences. examples of these include: “posthumanism aims to understand the relationship between humans and technology,” “posthumanism is gaining growing recognition nowadays,” and “in the context of english language education, posthumanist applied linguistics highlights the relationship between humans, environments, animals, and objects.” only eight out of eleven students included information about the participants, type of research approach, and data analysis methods. it appears that these students employed an avoidance strategy, believing they could only write these sections after completing their research. they needed more time to prepare and decide on the appropriate methodology. to avoid making mistakes or using incorrect methods, they omitted these crucial elements some researchers prefer to write the title and abstract after completing the entire proposal. however, both the title and abstract are needed before researchers can truly begin their work, especially when seeking funding. titles and abstracts are also required by conference selection committees. research funding agents often lack the time to read the entire proposal, so a wellcrafted title and abstract are crucial for capturing their attention and encouraging them to continue reading. this makes the title and abstract essential components of any research paper. additionally, the abstract can serve as a guiding framework for the research itself, even though it may be revised later. therefore, bavdekav (2016) emphasizes that writing the title and abstract should be a key focus early in the research process. students' difficulties in writing their abstracts were similar to those of postgraduate students at a university in zambia, and at georgia, usa. students in zambia’s problems include unclear topics, poorly stated research problems, and incorrect methodology. one reason for these issues was that students needed more time to gain sufficient practical knowledge in conducting research. they also needed more time to read and understand their topics (manchishi et al., 2015). the primary challenges of students georgia, us, were on selecting relevant information, recognizing the structure of the proposal, and reorganizing the selected information (ondrusek et al., 2024). all those problems existed in the current students’ abstract. about the transparent assignment design the proposal abstract writing assignment was divided into a series of steps according to transparent assignment design; however, most students did not produce the expected quality of abstracts. while transparent assignment design aims to help students understand the purpose, tasks, and criteria for success before starting the assignment, student persistence is essential for effective completion. additionally, students need strong analytical skills and the ability to coherently synthesize ideas, integrating both lateral and vertical thinking, collecting relevant information, and building logical, structured arguments from an unfamiliar perspective. to address this issue, peplow et al. (2021) suggest providing more examples and explicit expectations to better support students in such tasks. another possible reason for the students' struggles is that the task's content was too demanding. students needed to use a posthumanistic perspective to view real-world problems and connect it with relevant theories in other academic disciplines, such as linguistics, psychology, sociology, and education, as well as english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 117 current instructional methods. this required them to integrate complex concepts despite lacking sufficient prior knowledge of posthumanistic applied linguistics to identify and formulate their problems. the results of this study can significantly impact applied linguistics courses. with the increasing fusion between humans and machines and the integration of digital technology in language use and learning, students must become more familiar with posthumanist applied linguistics. additionally, they need to equip themselves with the necessary skills to craft effective research proposal abstracts in this field. conclusion with the emergence of ai chatbots, a new applied linguistics perspective on language, cognition, and the human subject should be considered. in this context, posthumanist applied linguistics offers valuable futuristic insights for students. however, this new perspective proved to be too demanding for students to grasp fully, even with guidance. students needed more time and examples to understand the concepts thoroughly. this lack of understanding impacted their ability to identify the research problem and negatively affected the drafting of their abstracts. students effectively created concise titles for their proposal abstracts, addressing key issues, but often omitted the research approach, possibly due to a misconception of its importance. the inclusion of non-english terms in some titles may reduce clarity and accessibility, suggesting that titles should avoid foreign words while all students excelled in crafting clear and engaging lead sentences that captured initial interest, many struggled with articulating their research problem and detailing their methodology. despite guidance from a transparent assignment model, students faced challenges in producing high-quality abstracts. given the complexity of writing a proposal abstract, students must persist in refining their analytical and synthetical skills, building logical, structure argument to improve their abstract writing. references anderson, a. d., hunt, a. n., powell, r. e., & dollar, c. b. (2013). student perceptions of teaching transparency. the journal of effective teaching, 13(2), 38–47. balloo, k., evans, c., hughes, a., & winstone, n. (2018). transparency isn't spoon-feeding: how a transformative approach to the use of explicit assessment criteria can support student selfregulation. frontiers in education, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2018.00069 barad, k. (2007). posthumanist performativity: toward an understanding of how matter comes to matter. springer. bavdekar, s. b. (2016). formulating the right title for a research article. journal of the association of physicians of india, 64(february), 53–56. baumlin, j. s. (2020). from postmodernism to posthumanism: theorizing ethos in an age of pandemic. humanities, 9(2), 46. https://doi.org/10.3390/h9020046 biggs, j. b. (2003). teaching for quality learning at university: what the student does (2nd ed.). open university press. blaikie, f., daigle, c., & vasseur, l. (2020, december). new pathways for teaching and learning: the posthumanist approach. canadian commission for unesco. braidotti, r. (2023). valedictory lecture: we are rooted but we flow. future humanities, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/fhu2.4 brusseau, j. (2023). mapping ai avant-gardes in time: posthumanism, transhumanism, genhumanism. discover artificial intelligence, 3, 32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44163-023-00080-6 buzato, m. e. k. (2023, july 19). artificial intelligence, quasi-otherness and the posthumanist applied linguistics. aila 2023 20th anniversary congress lyon edition, university of lyon, lyon, france. available at https://aila2023.dryfta.com/abstractarchive/abstract/public/594/artificial-intelligencequasi-otherness-and-the-posthumanist-appliedlinguistics. video available at https://youtu.be/w9oyuypviyu and https://youtu.be/ubwah2txov4 casal, j. e., & kessler, m. (2023). can linguists distinguish between chatgpt/ai and human writing?: a study of research ethics and academic publishing. research methods in applied linguistics, 2(3), 100068. chomsky, n. (1972). language and mind. cambridge university press. cook-sather, a. (2011). lessons in higher education: five pedagogical practices that promote active learning for faculty and students. the journal of faculty development, 25(3), 33–39. de costa, p. (2024). critical english medium instruction: problematising neocolonial language dominance. pedagogy, culture and society. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2024.2382260 https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2018.00069 https://doi.org/10.3390/h9020046 https://doi.org/10.1002/fhu2.4 https://doi.org/10.1007/s44163-023-00080-6 https://aila2023.dryfta.com/abstract-archive/abstract/public/594/artificial-intelligence-quasi-otherness-and-the-posthumanist-applied-linguistics https://aila2023.dryfta.com/abstract-archive/abstract/public/594/artificial-intelligence-quasi-otherness-and-the-posthumanist-applied-linguistics https://aila2023.dryfta.com/abstract-archive/abstract/public/594/artificial-intelligence-quasi-otherness-and-the-posthumanist-applied-linguistics https://aila2023.dryfta.com/abstract-archive/abstract/public/594/artificial-intelligence-quasi-otherness-and-the-posthumanist-applied-linguistics https://youtu.be/w9oyuypviyu https://youtu.be/ubwah2txov4 https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2024.2382260 siusana kweldju & christina sandi tjandra posthumanist applied linguistics: a transparent assignment for writing research proposal abstracts 118 demuro, e., & gurney, l. (2023). can nonhumans speak? languaging and worlds in posthumanist applied linguistics. linguistic frontiers, 6(2), 92– 105. https://doi.org/10.2478/lf-2023-0015 densmore, s. (2017, october). a posthuman approach to technology in the classroom. paper presented at the annual conference of the association for the advancement of technology in education (aatc). drury, a., pape, e., dowling, m., miguel, s., fernández-ortega, p., papadopoulou, c., & kotronoulas, g. (2023). how to write a comprehensive and informative research abstract. seminars in oncology nursing, 39(2), 151395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soncn.2023.151395 fauzan, u., hasanah, n., & hadijah, s. (2022). the undergraduate students’ difficulties in writing thesis proposals. indonesian journal of efl and linguistics, 7(1), 173–192. fierro, a. (2003). transparent pedagogy: visions for a contemporary public school. journal of architectural education, 56(4), 37–39. https://doi.org/10.1162/104648803321672960 flores, n., & rosa, j. (2019). bringing race into second language acquisition. the modern language journal, 103(supplement 2019), 145–151. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12523 harden, r. m. (2001). amee guide no. 21: curriculum mapping: a tool for transparent and authentic teaching and learning. medical teacher, 23(2), 123–137. https://doi.org/10.1080/01421590120036547 herazo-bustos, m. i., & cassiani-miranda, c. a. (2015). humanism and posthumanism: two views of the human future. salud uninorte, 31(2), 394– 402. ihde, d. (2009). postphenomenology, embodiment and technics: the peking university lectures. state university of new york press. kemendikbudristek. (2020). indikator kinerja utama perguruan tinggi negeri dan lembaga layanan pendidikan tinggi di lingkungan kementerian pendidikan dan kebudayaan tahun 2020. bukupanduan-iku-2021-28062021.pdf (kemdikbud.go.id). kusuma, l. b. d., yunita, w., & hardiah, m. (n.d.). students’ preferences of the research proposal writing feedback. journal of english education and applied linguistics, 11(1), 208–227. kweldju, s., gozali, i., miftah, m. z., fitriyah, i., suhartoyo, e., lhotimah, k., fauziah, h., muslimin, a. i., santoso, d. r., batunan, d. a., afriyasanti, r., masitoh, f., istiqomah, f., wulandari, i., & imamyartha, d. (2023). innovations in applied linguistics: during and after the pandemic. universitas negeri malang. latour, b. (2004). politics of nature: how to bring the sciences into democracy. harvard university press. mack, c. (2012). how to write a good scientific paper: title, abstract, and keywords. journal of micro/nanolithography, mems, and moems, 11(2), 1–4. manchishi, p. c., ndhlovu, d., & mwanza, d. s. (2015). common mistakes committed and challenges faced in research proposal writing by university of zambia postgraduate students. international journal of humanities social sciences and education, 2(3), 126–138. mcshane, m., & nirenburg, s. (2021). a humaninspired, linguistically sophisticated model of language understanding for intelligent agent systems. mit press. merzlyako, s. s. (2022). posthumanism vs. transhumanism: from the “end of exceptionalism” to “technological humanism.” herald of the russian academy of sciences, 92(s6), s475-s482. https://doi.org/10.1134/s1019331622120073 millei, z., & kallio, k. p. (2018). recognizing politics in the nursery: early childhood education institutions as sites of mundane politics. contemporary issues in early childhood. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/146 3949116677498 mustola, m. (2019). why is a live chicken banned from the kindergarten? two lessons learned from teaching posthuman pedagogy to university students. educational philosophy and theory, 51(14), 1434-1443. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2018.1553712 ondrusek, a. l., thiele, h. e., & yan, c. (2024). writing abstracts for mlis research proposals using worked examples: an innovative approach to teaching the elements of research design. college & research libraries, 75(6), 822-841. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.75.6.822 ou, j. (2018, june). board 75: work in progress: a study of transparent assignments and their impact on students in an introductory circuit course. paper presented at the 2018 asee annual conference & exposition, salt lake city, utah. https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2—30100 pennycook, a. (2016). posthumanist applied linguistics. applied linguistics, 37(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amw016 pennycook, a. (2020). critical and posthumanist applied linguistics. in v. j. zacchi & c. h. rocha (eds.), diversidade e tecnologias no ensino de línguas (pp. 179-196). são paulo: blucher. https://doi.org/10.5151/9786555060560-09 peplow, a., carter, j. a., baumgartner, j., hennessy, m., greer, m., schlembach, s., mallory, b., & https://doi.org/10.2478/lf-2023-0015 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soncn.2023.151395 https://doi.org/10.1162/104648803321672960 https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12523 https://doi.org/10.1080/01421590120036547 https://doi.org/10.1134/s1019331622120073 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1463949116677498 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1463949116677498 https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2018.1553712 https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.75.6.822 https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2—30100 https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amw016 https://doi.org/10.5151/9786555060560-09 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 119 refaei, b. (2021). transparent assignment design: a multidisciplinary survey assessing students’ perceptions. journal for research and practice in college teaching, 6(1), 61. http://journals.uc.edu peters, a. d. (2003). winning research funding (1st ed.). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315233987 pinker, s. (2003). the language instinct: how the mind creates language. penguin uk. rastri, a., rezeki, y. s., salam, u., riyanti, d., & surmiyati, s. (2023). an analysis of students’ problems in writing a research proposal. acitya: journal of teaching & education, 5(1), 57-71. rowe, b., & roch, s. (2015). school lunch is not a meal: posthuman eating as folk phenomenology. educational studies: a journal of the american educational studies association, 51(6), 482-496. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2015.1098643 shah, j. n. (2014). writing good effective title for journal article. journal of patan academy of health sciences, 1(2), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.3126/jpahs.v1i2.16635 thomsen, m. r., & wamberg, j. (eds.). (2020). the bloomsbury handbook of posthumanism. bloomsbury publishing. tullu, m. s. (2019). writing the title and abstract for a research paper: being concise, precise, and meticulous is the key. saudi journal of anaesthesia, 13(5). https://doi.org/10.4103/sja.sja_685_18 vajjala, s. (2018). machine learning and applied linguistics. in c. a. chapelle (ed.), the encyclopedia of applied linguistics. john wiley & sons. https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.09103 walton, g. m., & cohen, g. l. (2011). a brief socialbelonging intervention improves academic and health outcomes of minority students. science, 331(6023), 1447-1451. winkelmes, m.-a., bernacki, m., butler, j., zochowski, m., golanics, j., & weavil, k. h. (2016). a teaching intervention that increases underserved college students’ success. peer review, 18(1/2), 31. wittkower, d. e. (2022). what is it like to be a bot? in s. vallor (ed.), the oxford handbook of philosophy of technology (pp. 357–373). oxford university press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190851187 .013.23 http://journals.uc.edu/ https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315233987 https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2015.1098643 https://doi.org/10.3126/jpahs.v1i2.16635 https://doi.org/10.4103/sja.sja_685_18 https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.09103 https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190851187.013.23 https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190851187.013.23 siusana kweldju & christina sandi tjandra posthumanist applied linguistics: a transparent assignment for writing research proposal abstracts 120 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 831 linguistic, structural, and cognitive challenges in indonesian efl students’ argumentative writing sinarman jaya1 english education study program, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah bengkulu, indonesia corresponding author: sinarman@umb.ac.id apa citation: jaya, s. (2025). linguistic, structural, and cognitive challenges in indonesian efl students’ argumentative writing. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 831-848. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11876 received: 28-02-2025 accepted: 27-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 introduction efl students struggle with writing strong argumentative essays, even though this skill is essential for academic success. common problems include limited language control, weak organization, and underdeveloped critical thinking (ghanbari & salari, 2022; mallahi, 2024a). writing problems lead to unclear arguments, weak organization, and limited critical engagement, lowering both the quality of writing and students’ confidence (malahi, 2024b). most studies treat writing difficulties separately, but few examine how language, structure, and thinking skills interact, especially in settings with limited instruction and weak critical thinking practices (lu, & xie, 2019;trang, & anh, 2020; yin, saad, & halim, 2023). studying how these challenges are connected can help improve teaching and better support efl students in writing clearer, more structured, and logical essays efl students encountered language, organization, and thinking challenges in argumentative writing, especially in vocabulary, grammar, and cohesion, which reduce clarity and coherence (ghanbari, & salari, 2022; khotaba, 2022). structurally, efl students often struggle to write clear thesis statements, organize ideas logically, and include counterarguments, leading to weak and incomplete arguments (arihasta, 2023). cognitively, many find it hard to generate ideas, assess opposing views, or think critically, abstract: argumentative writing remains challenging for efl learners due to its demands for accurate language, logical organization, and critical thinking. although previous studies have addressed these aspects individually, limited research has examined how linguistic, structural, and cognitive difficulties interact in students’ writing. this mixed-methods study investigated these interrelated challenges among 40 undergraduate students enrolled in an essay writing course at universitas muhammadiyah bengkulu, indonesia. data were collected through essay analysis, student questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews. quantitative analysis showed that 75% of students had difficulty with sentence complexity, 67% misused cohesive devices, and 82% lacked clear thesis statements. structurally, 69% omitted counterarguments and exhibited weak coherence. cognitively, 58% reported anxiety and low confidence, which negatively influenced their writing quality. a strong positive correlation (r = 0.72, p < 0.01) was found between language proficiency and essay organization. following instructor feedback and guided instruction, 72% of students showed measurable improvement in their writing. interview findings emphasized the perceived benefits of model texts, explicit feedback, and opportunities for revision in overcoming cognitive and structural barriers. this study contributes to the limited literature on the interplay of multiple constraints in efl writing by offering an integrated view of the obstacles that students face. the findings suggest the need for a comprehensive instructional approach that simultaneously addresses linguistic accuracy, rhetorical structure, and cognitive support to enhance students’ argumentative writing competence in efl classrooms. keywords: argumentative writing; linguistic challenges; cognitive challenges; structural challenges; writing proficiency. sinarman jaya linguistic, structural, and cognitive challenges in indonesian efl students’ argumentative writing 832 especially when these skills are not taught directly (wang, y., & said, 2024). these difficulties lower the persuasiveness and academic quality of their writing. effective instruction and feedback are critical to addressing these issues. process-based approaches that involve planning, drafting, revising, and peer review help students structure their ideas more coherently (behdani, pour, & moghaddam, 2024; han, 2024; paek, 2020; phạm & bui, 2021). teaching vocabulary and connectors clearly helps students write more cohesive sentences, and feedback helps them think more deeply about their ideas (maimunah, 2025). guided revision and reflective practice also foster critical thinking and build writing confidence (razmi & ghane, 2024). these teaching methods help strengthen students’ academic literacy and gradually improve their argumentative writing skills. many studies have investigated efl students' challenges in argumentative writing, but they often treat language, structure, and thinking skills as separate problems (alsariera & alsaraireh, 2024; sabir, saeed, & pathan, 2024; zhao, nimehchisalem, & chan, 2024). viewing writing challenges separately misses how language, structure, and reasoning influence each other. poor language skills can blur arguments, and disorganized structure can weaken support or ignore opposing views (hanh, 2021; zhang & ouyang, 2023). without understanding how language, structure, and thinking challenges connect, teaching may fall short. research that examines these areas together is needed, especially in settings where academic literacy and critical thinking are underdeveloped. argumentative writing is essential in academic success, but many efl students still face challenges with using accurate language, organizing ideas clearly, and thinking critically (khotaba, 2022; mallahi, 2024a; wang & said, 2024). efl students’ linguistic, structural, and cognitive problems lead to unclear arguments, poor organization, and weak critical engagement, ultimately lowering writing quality and reducing their confidence (nurkamto et al, 2024; shahriari & shadloo, 2019). most studies examine efl students' writing difficulties separately, not as interconnected issues. this lack of integration limits understanding of writing instruction and critical thinking support (fan & wang, 2024; wang & said, 2024). a holistic research approach is needed to understand how linguistic, structural, and cognitive challenges intersect, so that teaching practices can better support efl students in writing clear and well-argued academic texts. in indonesian efl classrooms, writing instruction typically emphasizes grammar and rigid structure, with limited focus on developing arguments or revising ideas (hapsari, sudarman, & utami, 2022; sujito & muttaqin, 2020). students are rarely taught how to develop ideas, address counterarguments, or think critically because process-based writing instruction is not widely implemented (fajrina et al, 2023). instruction often focuses on correcting language errors rather than improving content or argument quality, leaving students unaware of how to write purposefully and persuasively. this hinders their academic literacy, especially in argumentative writing. although argumentative writing important, few studies have examined how language, structure, and thinking difficulties interact, limiting insights into their overall impact on writing quality (mallahi, 2024a). integrated research on how linguistic, structural, and cognitive challenges in students’ writing remains limited (alharbi, 2023; zhao, nimehchisalem, & chan, 2024). most existing studies examine these factors in isolation, which constrains a comprehensive understanding of their combined effect on writing quality (fan & wang, 2024; wang & said, 2024). this study examines how combined linguistic, structural, and cognitive challenges impact argumentative writing and how instruction and feedback can help address them. the research was guided by the following questions: (1) what language and organization problems did students encounter in argumentative writing? (2) how did these problems influence argument clarity and development? (3) what cognitive or psychological factors shaped their performance? (4) how did linguistic, structural, and cognitive difficulties interact in students’ writing? (5) what instructional practices or feedback strategies did students find effective? this study is significant as it offers a holistic understanding of the linguistic, structural, and cognitive challenges that efl students face in argumentative writing. by revealing how these dimensions interact, the findings can inform more targeted and effective instructional strategies, contributing to the development of students’ academic literacy and the quality of writing pedagogy in efl contexts. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 833 method this study employed a mixed-methods design to gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges efl students face in writing argumentative essays. by integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches, the study captured both measurable patterns in writing performance and the nuanced personal experiences of students. using multiple methods also facilitated data triangulation, which enhanced the validity and reliability of the findings (miles, huberman & saldana, 2018). the quantitative component involved writing assessments and structured questionnaires to identify common linguistic, organizational, and cognitive difficulties in student essays. the qualitative component consisted of semistructured interviews and detailed analysis of students’ written work, aiming to explore their perceptions, emotional responses, and support needs more deeply (creswell & plano clark, 2023). a convergent parallel design was adopted, whereby quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed independently but interpreted together. this allowed comparison between students’ actual writing behaviors and their reported experiences, providing a richer understanding of both surface-level errors and underlying cognitive and affective factors (dörnyei, 2007). participants were selected through purposive sampling to include undergraduate students who had experience with academic writing and were currently engaged in an essay writing course focused on argumentative texts. this approach ensured that participants could provide detailed insights relevant to the research questions (palinkas, 2015; patton, 2015). the sample comprised 40 undergraduates enrolled in the english study program at the faculty of teacher training and education, universitas muhammadiyah bengkulu, indonesia. their english proficiency ranged from preintermediate to upper-intermediate levels, based on standardized placement tests. the group reflected diverse writing skills and confidence levels, offering a broad perspective on the challenges encountered. students completed two argumentative essays designed to evaluate linguistic accuracy, organizational coherence, and argument development. essays were scored using an analytic rubric adapted from (ferris & hedgcock, 2014), which assessed sentence complexity, logical flow, thesis clarity, and support for claims. this provided quantitative data on writing quality linked to student-reported difficulties. a structured questionnaire adapted from (cheng, 2004) and white andarndt, (1991) was used to gather self-reported data on students’ difficulties in language use, essay organization, and cognitive aspects such as writing anxiety and idea generation. the questionnaire employed a 4point likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 4 = strongly agree) to quantify the extent of these challenges. ten students were purposively selected for follow-up interviews based on variation in essay performance. using kvale & brinkmann's, (2015) approach, interviews focused on their experiences with language and structural challenges, cognitive and emotional factors affecting writing, and responses to instructor feedback. each interview lasted 20–30 minutes, was audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically (braun, & clarke, 2006). the instructor’s written feedback on student drafts was examined and classified into direct, indirect, and metalinguistic feedback types. this analysis sought to identify which feedback forms were most effective in supporting revision and improvement of argumentative essays. data from the questionnaires and essay scores were processed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, means, and standard deviations, to summarize students’ performance and perceived challenges. correlational analysis examined relationships between language proficiency, organization, and cognitive variables. paired-sample t-tests assessed changes in performance before and after feedback and instruction. these analyses followed established protocols in second language writing research (plonsky & oswald, 2014). thematic analysis was conducted on interview transcripts and feedback comments using (braun & clarke's, (2021) six-step procedure. two independent coders analyzed the data to enhance reliability, achieving a cohen’s kappa of 0.85, indicating strong inter-coder agreement (mchugh, 2012). this process identified key themes related to linguistic difficulties, organizational challenges, and cognitive-affective factors impacting writing. to strengthen the study’s validity, methodological triangulation combined quantitative survey and essay data with qualitative interview and feedback analyses. cross-checking among different data sources and independent sinarman jaya linguistic, structural, and cognitive challenges in indonesian efl students’ argumentative writing 834 coders reduced bias and confirmed the consistency of findings (miles, huberman & saldana, 2018). results and discussion linguistic challenges in efl students’ argumentative writing effective argumentative essays depend on logical flow, coherence, and the integration of counterarguments. this study confirmed that students encounter persistent linguistic challenges affecting these elements. as illustrated in figure 1, the linguistic challenges identified in students’ argumentative writing primarily involved limited vocabulary, frequent grammatical errors, and inappropriate use of cohesive devices. these challenges made it hard for students to express complex ideas clearly and organize their arguments logically. figure 1. linguistic challenges in argumentative essay writing as shown in figure 1, 72% of participants struggled with maintaining logical flow, which hindered the structured progression of their arguments. coherence issues were reported by 65% of students, who often failed to use cohesive devices to connect ideas smoothly across sentences and paragraphs. additionally, 70% experienced difficulties in argument structure, particularly in presenting claims, supporting evidence, and counterarguments in a clear, logical sequence. the integration of counterarguments proved especially challenging, with 58% of students unable to engage opposing views effectively, which reduced the persuasiveness of their essays. the findings revealed the need for direct instruction on paragraph organization and cohesive devices. although less frequent, difficulties in addressing counterarguments are still crucial, as ignoring opposing views weakens the overall argument. interview data supported these results, with students frequently attributing their difficulties to limited vocabulary and grammar knowledge. one student explained, “sometimes i know what i want to say, but i don’t know how to say it correctly in english, so i just write simple sentences.” another commented, “my writing feels jumpy. i don’t know how to connect my ideas smoothly,” pointing to difficulties with coherence. these responses show that language challenges affect not just grammar or vocabulary, but also the overall flow and clarity of writing. some students also expressed confusion about how to include counterarguments. as one noted, “i don’t feel confident giving a counterargument because i worry it will make my essay weaker, not stronger.” such reflections emphasize the interconnection between linguistic and cognitive challenges in argumentative writing. organizational challenges in efl students’ argumentative writing organizational skills are fundamental to develop clear and persuasive arguments. the study revealed that a majority of students faced difficulties in organizing their essays coherently. figure 2 illustrates that 72% of students struggled with logical flow, resulting in fragmented and unclear arguments. similarly, 70% had trouble structuring their overall argument logically, despite often generating relevant ideas. coherence english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 835 problems were reported by 65%, indicating challenges in maintaining consistent reasoning throughout the essay. furthermore, 58% of students struggled to integrate counterarguments effectively, which reduced the persuasiveness of their writing. figure 2. organizational challenges in argumentative essay writing interview feedback supported these findings. several students admitted to begin their writing without planning, leading to disorganized ideas. one student said, “i usually just start writing without outlining, so my ideas come out mixed and hard to follow.” another asked, “it’s hard to know where to put the counterargument should it be in the middle or at the end?” these responses indicate gaps in understanding typical argumentative structures, particularly in placing key elements such as claims, evidence, and counterarguments. additional comments revealed struggles with introductions and conclusions, with one student explaining, “i don’t know how to start and end my essay properly. i just write something general.” the qualitative findings reinforce the survey results and highlight the need for more explicit instruction in essay planning and organization. cognitive challenges in efl students’ argumentative writing argumentative writing requires advanced cognitive skills, including critical reasoning, idea generation, and reflection, in addition to language proficiency and structural awareness. this study found that many students experienced significant cognitive challenges. to illustrate these cognitive challenges, figure 3 presents data on the percentage of students experiencing writing anxiety and low selfefficacy. sinarman jaya linguistic, structural, and cognitive challenges in indonesian efl students’ argumentative writing 836 figure 3. cognitive challenges in argumentative essay writing figure 3 shows that 69% of students experienced writing anxiety, which interfered with their concentration and hindered their writing performance. additionally, 67% struggled to generate ideas and provide substantive support for their arguments. sixty percent found evaluating and responding to counterarguments particularly difficult, often avoiding or uncritically accepting opposing views. students described feelings of self-doubt and mental blocks during writing. one said, “i knew what i wanted to say, but i didn’t know how to put it in a strong way. i felt unsure about my arguments.” another remarked, “sometimes i got stuck because i didn’t have enough ideas to support my opinion.” several noted discomfort with counterarguments, with one participant stating, “it was hard to disagree with something when i didn’t feel confident in my own argument.” these reflections suggest that writing anxiety and underdeveloped critical thinking skills are significant barriers to produce effective argumentative essays. interplay between linguistic, organizational, and cognitive challenges the study revealed that linguistic, organizational, and cognitive challenges are interconnected. students with limited language proficiency often produced disorganized essays and reported higher levels of writing anxiety. to describe these relationships, figure 4 presents the correlation patterns among linguistic proficiency, organizational skills, and cognitive factors in argumentative writing. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 837 figure 4. correlation between linguistic, organizational, and cognitive challenges figure 4 presents correlations among linguistic proficiency, organizational skills, and cognitive factors, revealing a strong positive correlation between language ability and organizational quality (r = 0.72, p < 0.01). students with limited vocabulary and grammar tended to produce essays with less coherent arguments and weaker structure. moreover, writing anxiety showed a negative correlation with organizational quality, as anxious students frequently omitted counterarguments and produced fragmented essays. these findings highlight the need of integrated pedagogical approaches that focus on linguistic, organizational, and cognitive-affective dimensions of argumentative writing. pedagogical strategies such as structured debates, guided essay planning, and peer feedback can foster both language development and argumentation skills. moreover, process-oriented writing instruction that reduces anxiety and builds confidence may contribute to improved coherence and argumentative quality. effective feedback & instructional strategies in efl argumentative writing effective feedback was important to help efl students improve their argumentative writing. it helped them fix language mistakes and guided them in organizing their ideas better, strengthening their arguments, and making their writing more coherent. this study confirmed that students strongly preferred clear, direct feedback from their instructors rather than general comments or feedback from peers. to illustrate these connections, figure 5 presented the effective feedback and instructional strategies that supported efl students in improving their argumentative writing. sinarman jaya linguistic, structural, and cognitive challenges in indonesian efl students’ argumentative writing 838 figure 5. the effectiveness of feedback and instructional strategies as shown in figure 5, 79% of students reported that clear, specific feedback from instructors was more helpful than general comments or peer feedback. detailed, focused feedback guided students in correcting language errors, reorganizing ideas, and strengthening arguments. additionally, 72% of students showed measurable improvement in their essay scores after receiving targeted feedback, highlighting its effectiveness in developing argumentative writing skills. qualitative data supported these results, as students expressed appreciation for direct and structured feedback that clarified expectations and offered actionable guidance. the findings indicate that effective feedback enhances not only linguistic accuracy but also promotes critical thinking and sustained engagement in the writing process. linguistic challenges in efl students’ argumentative writing the findings revealed that efl students faced significant linguistic challenges that reduced their ability to construct coherent and persuasive arguments. many struggled to organize ideas logically and sustain argumentative coherence, supporting earlier evidence that linguistic limitations constrain rhetorical clarity in efl writing (ananda, mardiah, & fajaryani, 2024; tso, 2024; wang, 2024). students struggled to handle counterarguments, which made their essays less organized and convincing, showing a need for focused teaching on how to build cohesive arguments. interview data supported these results. many students expressed frustration over limited vocabulary and grammar skills, which made it hard for them to clearly and persuasively communicate complex ideas. one participant said, “sometimes i had good ideas in my mind, but i didn’t know how to express them correctly in english.” another shared, “i was always worried about making grammar mistakes, so i focused too much on small details and forgot the main idea of my argument.” these reflections showed that linguistic limits affected sentence accuracy and the overall strength of their arguments. students frequently had difficulty selecting appropriate vocabulary and using cohesive devices, which affected the clarity and flow of their writing. their limited knowledge of linking expressions led to disorganized essays that lacked coherence and logical flow. one participant shared, “i didn’t know many linking words, so my paragraphs looked like separate parts, not connected.” students need direct instruction on using discourse markers and cohesion strategies to write coherent argumentative essays. linguistic challenges in efl argumentative writing are not limited to grammar or vocabulary. they affect how students build and connect ideas. integrating language instruction with rhetorical and organizational support is essential to improve clarity and persuasiveness (sabir, saeed, & pathan, 2024). organizational challenges in efl students’ argumentative writing the findings indicated that many efl students encountered difficulties in organizing their ideas effectively when writing argumentative essays. problems included weak logical flow, unclear structural progression, and limited cohesion across paragraphs. many students struggled to include counterarguments, making this a english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 839 significant weakness in their argumentative writing. the findings align with previous research showing that efl learners often struggle with academic writing norms and argument structure, resulting in disorganized essays (oo & okada, 2024; wang & said, 2024). interview data revealed that students lacked knowledge of how to organize their essays and sequence ideas logically, contributing to their writing difficulties. one participant stated, “i have many ideas, but don’t know how to arrange them in the essay. sometimes i just write what comes to mind.” students' responses showed they lacked planning and outlining skills, confirming that structured pre-writing activities are essential for developing ideas and ensuring essay cohesion (hung & van, 2018). students often failed to link paragraphs smoothly, which weakened the logical flow of their arguments. one student shared, “my teacher said my paragraphs are not connected, but i don’t know how to fix that.” this indicated limited knowledge of transitions and cohesive devices influenced textual coherence. prior research similarly reports that many efl students face challenges with cohesion, often due to insufficient instruction in discourse features and rhetorical structuring (khotaba, 2022; zhou, 2024). these interview insights supported the survey results, showing that students’ struggles with organizing their writing came from a lack of structure knowledge and confidence and limited strategy use (asnas, mustofa, & ubaidillah, 2022; riffel & abrams, 2023). many students did not know how to plan their essays or connect their ideas clearly. to overcome this problem, writing instruction should focus on teaching argumentative essay structure directly, using model texts and activities that guide students in organizing paragraphs (chigbu et al, 2023). providing students with practice in developing and responding to counterarguments can increase the persuasiveness and logical organization of their essays. confusion about how to integrate counterarguments also emerged as a main challenge. some students perceived counterarguments as weakening their position, rather than strengthening it. one noted, “i don’t understand how to use counterarguments. i think it makes my writing less strong, so i don’t include them.” this aligns with earlier findings indicating that many efl students lack the rhetorical awareness and confidence necessary to engage with opposing views effectively (gronostay, 2016; šandová, 2023). these interview insights confirmed the quantitative findings that students’ organizational challenges stemmed from a lack of structural knowledge and low self-efficacy and limited strategy use (miller & pessoa, 2016). instructional interventions should therefore prioritize direct teaching of essay organization, including the use of model texts and guided planning. additionally, structured activities that help students practice integrating and responding to counterarguments are essential for developing logically coherent and persuasive writing (reza, 2023). cognitive challenges in efl students’ argumentative writing the findings discovered that cognitive factors such as writing anxiety, low self-confidence, and limited critical thinking skills significantly hindered efl students’ ability to produce coherent and persuasive argumentative essays. these difficulties affected idea generation, argument development, and the ability to address opposing views. these results align with earlier research indicating that psychological and cognitive constraints, particularly anxiety, negatively influence writing fluency, coherence, and idea elaboration (garcia & asuncion, 2022; kleemola, hyytinen, & toom, 2022). interview data provided deeper insight into students' experiences. several students described feeling anxious when writing, especially due to fear of making grammatical errors or receiving poor evaluations. one student shared, “when i write essays, i feel nervous and don’t know if what i’m writing is correct. it makes me stop many times.” this confirmed that anxiety often disrupted the writing process, causing students to pause frequently and struggle to express their ideas clearly. low self-efficacy also appeared as a major obstacle. several students said they didn’t feel confident in their writing skills. one student shared, “even if i have ideas, i don’t believe my writing is good. so i just keep it simple.” because of this lack of confidence, many students wrote short and underdeveloped essays. this supports earlier research showing that low self-belief can lower both the quality and quantity of student writing (yang, 2024). limited critical thinking was also evident. some students could express personal opinions but struggled to justify them or respond to counterarguments. one noted, “i can give my sinarman jaya linguistic, structural, and cognitive challenges in indonesian efl students’ argumentative writing 840 opinion, but i don’t know how to argue it or explain why others are wrong.” this indicates a problem in analytical reasoning and rhetorical awareness, suggesting that efl learners often require explicit instruction in critical thinking and argumentation strategies. these findings highlight the need for writing instruction that addresses emotional and cognitive barriers. pedagogical approaches such as processbased writing, brainstorming techniques, and argument mapping can support idea generation and organization. simultaneously, structured feedback, confidence-building activities, and anxiety-reducing strategies may enhance motivation and improve students’ cognitive engagement in writing tasks (alsariera & alsaraireh, 2024; kim, 2024). interplay between linguistic, organizational, and cognitive challenges the findings indicated a strong interconnection between linguistic, organizational, and cognitive challenges in efl students’ argumentative writing. lack of vocabulary and grammar often increased organizational difficulties and contributed to heightened writing anxiety. students with limited language proficiency frequently struggled to maintain logical flow and coherence, confirming earlier findings that linguistic limitations are closely linked to organizational weaknesses and cognitive strain (intja & nahole, 2021; miller & pessoa, 2016; sato, 2024). these interrelated difficulties suggest that writing problems are not isolated but interconnected, affecting overall writing quality (ferretti & graham, 2019; jagaiah, olinghouse, & kearns, 2020; xue et al., 2021). interview responses illustrated how these challenges interacted in real writing contexts. one student remarked, “when i don’t know how to say something in english, i just skip it or write something easy. but then, my essay looks messy.” this highlights how lexical and grammatical gaps led to content simplification and disrupted logical structure, reducing clarity (maamuujav et al., 2021; marlina, 2024). another student explained, “i have the ideas in my head, but when i try to write them, i get confused. then i get nervous and just give up,” reflecting the impact of writing anxiety and low self-efficacy on planning and organization (cheng, 2004; fan & wang, 2024). moreover, difficulties with counterarguments were not merely cognitive but also linguistic. as one participant noted, “i don’t know the words to disagree politely or explain my opinion clearly, so i just avoid the other side.” this avoidance weakened argumentative structure and coherence, showing that insufficient lexical resources can hinder critical engagement with alternative perspectives (amaliah, 2024; ghanbari & salari, 2022). without adequate mastery of specific language tools such as discourse markers (however, although), hedging expressions (it could be argued), and rebuttal structures (while some may claim…), students often omitted main argumentative components. this omission reduced the clarity, logical flow, and persuasiveness of their essays (daud, firmansyah, & octasary, 2024; sato, 2024). these findings suggest a need for integrated instruction focus on language skills, argument structure, and cognitive strategies simultaneously. instructional approaches such as guided debates, argument mapping, and annotated model texts can support the development of reasoning, academic vocabulary, and syntactic complexity in parallel (abdullah et al., 2019; nhung, 2024). additionally, structured guidance that includes low-pressure writing tasks and formative feedback can help reduce anxiety and encourage risk-taking in writing (fan, 2023; goldin et al, 2017; solfiyatuzzahro et al., 2019; sherpa, 2021). when instruction targets these dimensions holistically, students are more likely to overcome challenges and build coherent, persuasive arguments. effective feedback & instructional strategies in efl argumentative writing the findings also highlighted the importance of teacher feedback and structured instructional support in enhancing efl students’ argumentative writing. students demonstrated clear progress in organization, coherence, and argumentation after receiving targeted feedback. this confirms previous research showing that explicit, form-focused teacher feedback is more effective than general comments or peer suggestions in fostering writing improvement (bitchener & storch, 2016; solfiyatuzzahro et al., 2019). many participants preferred lecturer feedback to peer responses, valuing the clarity and directness of teacher input. this preference aligns with research showing that teacher feedback tends to be more effective, especially in foreign language learning contexts (al-othman, 2024; guo et al., 2022). interview data reinforced the importance of instructional structured guidance. one student stated, “when the teacher corrects my sentences english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 841 and explains why, i understand what i did wrong. my classmate’s only say, ‘this is not clear,’ but they don’t know how to fix it.” another shared, “the examples and outlines from the teacher help me the most. i use them as models when i write my own essays.” these responses point to the important of lecturer modeling, exemplification, and direct instruction in supporting the development of effective writing (solfiyatuzzahro et al., 2019; zhan, sun, & zhang, 2021). when students received detailed feedback and clear expectations, they showed increased motivation and willingness to revise their work (bitchener, & storch, 2016; shintani, natsuko & ellis, rod & suzuki, 2014) students also noted the motivational impact of constructive feedback. one participant commented, “when i get positive and clear feedback, i feel more confident to try again and improve.” this illustrates that feedback not only facilitates revision but also fosters emotional engagement and persistence. prior research has confirmed that well-delivered feedback enhances students’ writing confidence, reduces anxiety, and promotes self-regulated learning (alanazi, 2020; liu et al, 2024; wang, li, & shen, 2023). encouraging, explanatory feedback allows learners to internalize writing standards and apply strategies for future tasks (fan, 2023; zhang & chieh, 2025). based on these findings, writing instruction should integrate systematic feedback mechanisms. lecturer should provide specific, actionable comments and use analytic rubrics and checklists to guide student focus (sato, 2024; xue et al., 2021). complementary strategies like peer review training and multiple revision stages can help students develop self-monitoring skills and writing autonomy (chukwuere, 2024; puengpipattrakul, 2019; tavanapour & chalak, 2021). when feedback is timely, explicit, and integrated into meaningful writing tasks, it can significantly enhance students’ writing competence and self-confidence. this study highlights the need for an integrated approach to teaching argumentative writing in efl contexts. instruction should target linguistic elements, such as grammar and vocabulary that support students in organizing arguments coherently and managing writing-related anxiety. the findings indicate the value of structured instructional strategies, including explicit modeling, guided planning, and process-based feedback. clear and constructive feedback from instructors, was shown to enhance students’ confidence and writing performance. therefore, teacher education programs should prioritize formative feedback techniques and the development of students’ critical thinking during writing tasks. the integration of cognitive, linguistic, and affective dimensions can improve efl students’ academic writing proficiency. several limitations should be acknowledged. first, the study involved a small sample of undergraduate students from a single institution, which limits the generalizability of the findings. second, the reliance on self-reported data and interviews may have introduced subjectivity or recall bias. third, altough the study examined linguistic, structural, and cognitive aspects of writing; it did not address cultural norms or digital tools, which may shape students’ writing practices. finally, although lecturer feedback was explored in depth, the role of peer feedback was not fully examined. future research could investigate peer interaction, cross-institutional comparisons, and the impact of digital platforms on argumentative writing development. conclusion this study examined the linguistic, organizational, and cognitive challenges encountered by efl undergraduate students in writing argumentative essays, and explored how instructor feedback contributed to overcoming these problems. the findings indicated that many students struggled to produce clear, logically structured arguments. difficulties in linking ideas, presenting counterarguments, and maintaining coherence was related to limited vocabulary, grammatical weaknesses, disorganized structure, and writing anxiety. limited language proficiency hindered idea expression and logical development, while low confidence and fear of making errors further restricted the construction of arguments. these challenges were interconnected, underscoring the need for integrated instructional approaches that simultaneously focus on language use, organizational structure, and cognitive demands. instructor feedback was perceived by participants as an important support in developing their argumentative writing. students valued clear, specific, and actionable feedback that identified errors and suggested concrete revisions. they also reported that the feedback helped improve their linguistic accuracy and coherence, increasing their confidence and motivation. these findings suggest that writing instruction should combine skill development with emotional support to help sinarman jaya linguistic, structural, and cognitive challenges in indonesian efl students’ argumentative writing 842 students manage writing challenges. teacher education programs should also emphasize how to provide effective feedback that builds students’ confidence and motivation. references abdullah, l., kassim, r., ghani, n. a. a., rahman, h. a., & zamin, a. a. m. (2019). enhancing esl writing using sentence variety checklist. international journal of academic research in business and social sciences, 9(13), 87– 95. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v9-i13/6245 al-othman, a. (2024). efl students develop cognitive and metacognitive self-regulated writing strategies using automated feedback: a case study. theory and practice in language studies. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1405.26 alanazi, m. (2020). the predictive effects of selfregulated writing strategies on writing performance of saudi efl university students. journal of educational and psychological studies [jeps]. https://doi.org/10.24200/jeps.vol14iss4 pp668-678 alghamdi, g. (2025). mapping the moves: genre analysis of saudi efl students’ argumentative essays. international journal of linguistics, literature and translation. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2025. 6.4.23 almi, h. (2024). writing academic argument paragraph a challenge for efl students. allisaniyyat, 30(1), 159– 169. https://doi.org/10.61850/allj.v30i1.655 alsariera, a., & alsaraireh, m. (2024). advancing efl writing proficiency in jordan: addressing challenges and embedding progressive strategies. international journal of arabicenglish studies. https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes.v24i2.66 4 alzahrani, g. (2025). academic writing difficulties of efl learners at najran university. journal of educational and social research. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-20250093 amaliah, a. (2024). argument patterns in indonesian and korean efl learners’ argumentative essay: comparative essay using toulmin model. al qalam: jurnal ilmiah keagamaan dan kemasyarakatan, 18(2), 1240. https://doi.org/10.35931/aq.v18i2.3400 ananda, c. r., mardiah, r., & fajaryani, n. (2024). writing argumentative essays: jambi efl students’ challenges and strategies. ijeltal (indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics), 9(2). https://doi.org/10.21093/ijelta l.v9i2.1722 anindita, w. k. (2024). cohesion and coherence problems among non-native english students’ writing essays. lensa: kajian kebahasaan, kesusastraan, dan budaya, 14(2), 58– 67. https://doi.org/10.26714/lensa.14.1.2024.5879 anistasya, c. (2022). students’ difficulty in writing english: affected by vocabulary skills. journal of english education, literature and linguistics. https://doi.org/10.31540/jeell.v5i2.1 521 arihasta, d. (2023). non-english majors undergraduate students’ difficulties in argumentative writing at mae fah luang university thailand. llt journal: a journal on language and language teaching. https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v26i2.644 4 asnas, s., mustofa, m., & ubaidillah, f. (2022). investigating academic writing in efl contexts: students’ voices on complexities and coping strategies. vision: journal for language and foreign language learning. https://doi.org/10.21580/vjv12i11632 6 behdani, r., pour, r., & moghaddam, a. (2024). process-genre approach: iranian efl learners’ argumentative writing as an example. jordan journal of modern languages and literatures. https://doi.org/10.47012/jjmll.16.2. 3 bitchener, j., & storch, n. (2016). written corrective feedback for l2 development. multilingual matters. braun, v., & clarke, v. (2006). using thematic analysis in psychology. qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77– 101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063 oa braun, v., & clarke, v. (2021). thematic analysis: a practical guide. sage. busby, d., & malone, c. (2023). writing circles: developing learner self-efficacy and agency through peer review activities. journal of learning development in higher education. https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi27.8 72 cheng, y. s. (2004). a measure of second language writing anxiety: scale development and preliminary validation. journal of second language writing, 13, 313– 335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2004.07.001 chigbu, g., emelogu, n., egbe, c., okoyeukwu, n., eze, k., nwafor, c., patrick, c., okon, e., agbo, p., & amunabo, f. (2023). enhancing esl students’ academic achievement in expository essay writing using digital graphic organisers: a mixed-methods research. heliyon, 9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.he liyon.2023.e15589 https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v9-i13/6245 https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1405.26 https://doi.org/10.24200/jeps.vol14iss4pp668-678 https://doi.org/10.24200/jeps.vol14iss4pp668-678 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2025.6.4.23 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2025.6.4.23 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.61850/allj.v30i1.655 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes.v24i2.664 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes.v24i2.664 https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2025-0093 https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2025-0093 https://doi.org/10.35931/aq.v18i2.3400 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v9i2.1722 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v9i2.1722 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.26714/lensa.14.1.2024.58-79 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.26714/lensa.14.1.2024.58-79 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.31540/jeell.v5i2.1521 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.31540/jeell.v5i2.1521 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v26i2.6444 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v26i2.6444 https://doi.org/10.21580/vjv12i116326 https://doi.org/10.21580/vjv12i116326 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.47012/jjmll.16.2.3 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.47012/jjmll.16.2.3 https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi27.872 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi27.872 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2004.07.001 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15589 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15589 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 843 chukwuere, j. (2024). critical research thinking: a recipe for academic writing success and publications. 1– 6. http://dx.doi.org/10.32388/knwpuj creswell, j. w., & plano clark, v. l. (2018). designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). sage publications. creswell, j. w., & poth, c. n. (2018). qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). sage publications, inc. daud, a., firmansyah, f., & octasary, m. (2024). an investigation of student’s performance in using compound-complex sentences in writing at efl classroom. jurnal bilingual. https://doi.org/10.33387/j.bilingual.v 14i1.8181 dörnyei, z. (2007). research methods in applied linguistics: quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies. oxford university press. fajrina, d., everatt, j., fletcher, j., astall, c., & sadeghi, a. (2023). how do indonesian efl students’ writing strategies and writing process differ from english l1 students? studies in english language and education. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i2. 28888 fan, c., & wang, j. (2024). configurational impact of self-regulated writing strategy, writing anxiety, and perceived writing difficulty on efl writing performance: an fsqca approach. scientific reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-02461537-x fan, n. (2023). exploring the effects of automated written corrective feedback on efl students’ writing quality: a mixed-methods study. sage open, 13(2), 1– 17. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244023118129 6 ferretti, r., & graham, s. (2019). argumentative writing: theory, assessment, and instruction. reading and writing, 32, 1345– 1357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-01909950-x ferris, d., & hedgcock, j. s. (2014). teaching l2 composition: purpose, process, and practice (3rd ed.). routledge. fiallos, b., pilla, m., molina, p., & melo, n. (2025). an in-depth analysis of current approaches to teaching argumentative writing in english as a foreign language (efl) classrooms: examining effective strategies and methodologies. ciencia latina revista científica multidisciplinar. https://doi.org/10.37811/cl_rc m.v9i1.16299 garcía-gorrostieta, j. m., lópez-lópez, a., & gonzález-lópez, s. (2020). argumentative relation identification in academic texts. journal of intelligent and fuzzy systems, 39(2), 2081– 2091. https://doi.org/10.3233/jifs-179874 garcia, r. g., & asuncion, z. s. (2022). remediating the writing performance of struggling writers through a self-regulated strategy development approach. saltel journal (southeast asia language teaching and learning), 5(1), 23– 30. https://doi.org/10.35307/saltel.v5i1.80 ghanbari, n., & salari, m. (2022). problematizing argumentative writing in an iranian efl undergraduate context. frontiers in psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022. 862400 goldin, i., narciss, s., foltz, p., & bauer, m. (2017). new directions in formative feedback in interactive learning environments. international journal of artificial intelligence in education, 27, 385– 392. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-016-0135-7 gronostay, d. (2016). argument, counterargument, and integration? patterns of argument reappraisal in controversial classroom discussions. jsse journal of social science education, 15(2), 42– 56. https://doi.org/10.4119/jsse-792 guo, k., chen, x., & qiao, s. (2022). exploring a collaborative approach to peer feedback in efl writing: how do students participate? relc journal, 55(3), 658– 672. https://doi.org/10.1177/003368822211431 92 han, l. (2024). metacognitive writing strategy instruction in the efl context: focus on writing performance and motivation. sage open, 14. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241 257081 hanh, n. (2021). improving writing skills with systemic functional linguistic approach: the case of vietnamese efl students. world journal of english language. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v11n2p 71 hapsari, e., sudarman, s., & utami, s. (2022). sources of students’ errors in efl writing in indonesia. jades journal of academia in english education. https://doi.org/10.32505/jades.v3i2.4 678 hu, x., & liu, y. (2024). exploring argument structure development in efl learners’ argumentative writing. the asia-pacific education researcher. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299024-00944-0 hung, b. p., & van, l. t. (2018). depicting and outlining as pre-writing strategies: experimental results and learners’ opinions. international journal of instruction, 11(2), 451– 464. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11231a http://dx.doi.org/10.32388/knwpuj https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.33387/j.bilingual.v14i1.8181 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.33387/j.bilingual.v14i1.8181 https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i2.28888 https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i2.28888 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-61537-x https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-61537-x https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231181296 https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231181296 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-019-09950-x https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-019-09950-x https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.37811/cl_rcm.v9i1.16299 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.37811/cl_rcm.v9i1.16299 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.3233/jifs-179874 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.35307/saltel.v5i1.80 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.862400 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.862400 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-016-0135-7 https://doi.org/10.4119/jsse-792 https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882221143192 https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882221143192 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241257081 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241257081 https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v11n2p71 https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v11n2p71 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.32505/jades.v3i2.4678 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.32505/jades.v3i2.4678 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-024-00944-0 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-024-00944-0 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11231a sinarman jaya linguistic, structural, and cognitive challenges in indonesian efl students’ argumentative writing 844 hyland, k. (2003). second language writing. cambridge university press. intja, n., & nahole, m. (2021). critical thinking in academic writing amongst rukwangali students: lecturers‘ perspectives. international journal of research publications. https://doi.org/10.47119/ijrp10090 11220212497 jagaiah, t., olinghouse, n., & kearns, d. (2020). syntactic complexity measures: variation by genre, grade-level, students’ writing abilities, and writing quality. reading and writing, 1(62). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145020-10057-x jimola, f. e., & olaniyan, a. s. (2021). conceptualisation of critical literacy and argumentative writing as an essential tool for the development of dialectic reasoning among students. international journal of services and standards, 1, 8– 15. https://doi.org/10.51986/ijss2021.vol1.02 keller, s., lohmann, j., trüb, r., fleckenstein, j., meyer, j., jansen, t., & möller, j. (2024). language quality, content, structure: what analytic ratings tell us about efl writing skills at upper secondary school level in germany and switzerland. journal of second language writing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2024.101 129 khotaba, e. (2022). cohesive connectivity in argumentative writing by efl students. global journal of foreign language teaching. https://doi.org/10.18844/gjflt.v12i4.6 993 kim, m., kim, y., & kang, s. (2024). the dynamics of changes in linguistic complexity and writing scores in timed argumentative writing among beginning-level efl learners. international review of applied linguistics in language teaching. https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-20230287 kim, y. (2024). a study on metacognitive strategies in university writing instruction. korean association for literacy. https://doi.org/10.37736/kjlr.2024.12. 15.6.06 kleemola, k., hyytinen, h., & toom, a. (2022). the challenge of position-taking in novice higher education students’ argumentative writing. frontiers in education. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.8 85987 kleemola, k., hyytinen, h., & toom, a. (2022). the challenge of position-taking in novice higher education students’ argumentative writing. frontiers in education, 7(mei), 1– 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.885987 kvale, s., & brinkmann, s. (2015). interviews: learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing (3rd ed.). sage publications. lahuerta, a. (2018). study of accuracy and grammatical complexity in efl writing. international journal of english studies. https://doi.org/10.6018/ijes/2018/1/25 8971 laich, m., & taguchi, n. (2021). effects of task complexity on the learning of genre specific rhetorical moves and linguistic forms: the case of contrast and argumentative essays. international review of applied linguistics in language teaching, 61, 571– 599. https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2021-0111 lee, j., & yoon, k. (2022). effects of planning and revising conditions on efl learners’ writing quality. the english teachers association in korea. https://doi.org/10.35828/etak.2022.28.2. 21 li, x., jiang, s., hu, y., feng, x., chen, w., & fan, o. (2024). investigating the impact of structured knowledge feedback on collaborative academic writing. educ. inf. technol, 29, 19005– 19033. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-02412560-y liu, z., hwang, g., chen, c., chen, x., & ye, x. (2024). integrating large language models into efl writing instruction: effects on performance, self-regulated learning strategies, and motivation. computer assisted language learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.202 4.2389923 lopres, j., placencia, m., lopres, g., tidalgo, g., aguirre, m., masongong, j., & sombrio, r. (2023). strategies in teaching academic essay writing, level of effectiveness, and instructional barriers: the case of filipino learners. world journal of english language. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v13n6p 42 lu, d., & xie, y. (2019). the effects of a critical thinking oriented instructional pattern in a tertiary efl argumentative writing course. higher education research & development, 38, 969– 984. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2019.16 07830 lu, c. (2021). infusing critical thinking skills into argumentative writing: a study of chinese college college learners. english language and literature studies. https://doi.org/10.5539/ells.v11n4p8 maamuujav, u., olson, c. b., & chung, h. (2021). syntactic and lexical features of adolescent l2 students’ academic writing. journal of second language writing, 53(juni 2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2021.1008 22 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.47119/ijrp1009011220212497 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.47119/ijrp1009011220212497 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-020-10057-x https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-020-10057-x https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.51986/ijss-2021.vol1.02 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.51986/ijss-2021.vol1.02 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2024.101129 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2024.101129 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.18844/gjflt.v12i4.6993 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.18844/gjflt.v12i4.6993 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2023-0287 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2023-0287 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.37736/kjlr.2024.12.15.6.06 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.37736/kjlr.2024.12.15.6.06 https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.885987 https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.885987 https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.885987 https://doi.org/10.6018/ijes/2018/1/258971 https://doi.org/10.6018/ijes/2018/1/258971 https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2021-0111 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.35828/etak.2022.28.2.21 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.35828/etak.2022.28.2.21 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12560-y https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12560-y https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2024.2389923 https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2024.2389923 https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v13n6p42 https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v13n6p42 https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2019.1607830 https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2019.1607830 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.5539/ells.v11n4p8 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2021.100822 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2021.100822 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 845 maimunah, s. (2025). the impact of peer-feedback on students’ writing skills. linguistics and education journal. https://doi.org/10.26877/lej.v3i1.22031 mallahi, o. (2024a). exploring the status of argumentative essay writing strategies and problems of iranian efl learners. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-02300241-1 mallahi, o. (2024b). [no title]. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862 -023-00241-1 marlina, m. (2024). enhancing efl learners’ writing skills: challenges, strategies, and pedagogical insights. journal of educational studies. https://doi.org/10.58218/jes.v2i2.1141 mchugh, m. l. (2012). interrater reliability: the kappa statistic. biochemia medica, 22, 276– 282. https://doi.org/10.11613/bm.2012.031 miles, m. b., huberman, a. m., saldaña, j., creswell, j. w., creswell, j. d., dörnyei, z., cohen, l., manion, l., morrison, k., & flick, u. (2016). qualitative data analysis: a methods sourcebook. sage publications. miller, r. t., & pessoa, s. (2016). where’s your thesis statement and what happened to your topic sentences? identifying organizational challenges in undergraduate student argumentative writing. tesol journal, 7(4), 847– 873. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.248 nhung, n. (2024). scaffolding techniques in teaching writing to first-year university students: an empirical study at a university in hanoi. international journal of social science and human research. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v7i09-54 nurkamto, j., prihandoko, l., putro, n., & purwati, o. (2024). academic writing apprehension in higher education: a systematic review. studies in english language and education. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v11i1. 28928 oo, k. m., & okada, t. (2024). myanmar efl learners’ perspectives, structure, reasoning and literacy practices of argumentative writing: a needs analysis study. international journal of education and literacy studies. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.12n. 1p.60 paek, j. (2020). explicit instruction in an efl writing class: a process-genre perspective. linguistic research, 37, 31– 57. https://doi.org/10.17250/khisli.37..20200 9.002 palinkas, l. a., et al. (2015). purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research. administration and policy in mental health and mental health services research, 42, 533– 544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y patton, m. (2015). qualitative research and evaluation methods (4th ed.). sage publications. phạm, v., & bui, t. (2021). genre-based approach to writing in efl contexts. world journal of english language. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v11n2p 95 plonsky, l., & oswald, f. l. (2014). how big is “big”? interpreting effect sizes in l2 research. language learning, 64, 878– 912. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12079 puengpipattrakul, w. (2019). the use of journals to develop grammatical accuracy in writing. manusya, 12(2), 90– 108. https://doi.org/10.1163/2665907701202006 qin, w., & zhang, x. (2022). do efl learners use different grammatical complexity features in writing across registers? reading and writing (south africa), 36, 1939– 1967. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-02210367-2 rahman, m. m., hossain, m. a., & uddın, m. m. (2024). challenges in academic writing for undergraduate students in bangladesh. european journal of teaching and education, 6(4), 49– 77. https://doi.org/10.33422/ejte.v6i4.1418 razmi, m., & ghane, m. (2024). the impact of written corrective feedback on students’ writing performance, self-efficacy, and anxiety. journal of writing research. https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr2024.16.02.04 reza, v. (2023). voices across borders: iranian efl students’ perspective on argumentative writing. us-china foreign language. https://doi.org/10.17265/15398080/2023.09.002 riffel, j., & abrams, o. (2023). from struggle to stamina: building confidence in our students and ourselves through collaborative fiction writing. english leadership quarterly. https://doi.org/10.58680/elq2023322 92 rusfandi, r. (2015). argument-counterargument structure in indonesian efl learners english argumentative essays: a dialogic concept of writing. relc journal, 46(2), 181– 197. https://doi.org/10.1177/003368821558760 7 sabir, g., saeed, k., & pathan, z. (2024). academic writing difficulties among efl kurdish undergraduates: a qualitative inquiry. tesol today. https://doi.org/10.53898/tesol2024123 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.26877/lej.v3i1.22031 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-023-00241-1 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-023-00241-1 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-023-00241-1 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-023-00241-1 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.58218/jes.v2i2.1141 https://doi.org/10.11613/bm.2012.031 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.248 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v7-i09-54 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v7-i09-54 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v11i1.28928 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v11i1.28928 https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.12n.1p.60 https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.12n.1p.60 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.17250/khisli.37..202009.002 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.17250/khisli.37..202009.002 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v11n2p95 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v11n2p95 https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12079 https://doi.org/10.1163/26659077-01202006 https://doi.org/10.1163/26659077-01202006 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-022-10367-2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-022-10367-2 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.33422/ejte.v6i4.1418 https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2024.16.02.04 https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2024.16.02.04 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.17265/1539-8080/2023.09.002 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.17265/1539-8080/2023.09.002 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.58680/elq202332292 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.58680/elq202332292 https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688215587607 https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688215587607 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.53898/tesol2024123 sinarman jaya linguistic, structural, and cognitive challenges in indonesian efl students’ argumentative writing 846 sabir, g. s., saeed, k. m., & pathan, z. h. (2024). academic writing difficulties among efl kurdish undergraduates: a qualitative inquiry. tesol today, 1(2), 32– 58. https://doi.org/10.53898/tesol2024123 šandová, j. (2023). cross-cultural differences in the use of rhetorical strategies in academic texts. an english and czech contrastive study. linguistica silesiana. https://doi.org/10.24425/linsi.2020. 133271 sarr, b. (2024). investigating best practices in academic writing: suggestions for argumentative essay writing instructions. asian journal of education and social studies, 50(7), 322– 330. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2024/v50i714 66 sato, t. (2024). assessing the content quality of essays in content and language integrated learning: exploring the construct from subject specialists’ perspectives. language testing, 41(2), 316– 337. https://doi.org/10.1177/026553222311900 58 shahriari, h., & shadloo, f. (2019). interaction in argumentative essays: the case of engagement. discourse and interaction. https://doi.org/10.5817/di2019-196 sherpa, s. z. (2021). effects of direct and indirect written corrective feedback on bhutanese learners’ grammatical accuracy over time. learn journal: language education and acquisition research network, 14(1), 574–603. shintani, n., ellis, r., & suzuki, w. (2014). effects of written feedback and revision on learners’ accuracy in using two english grammatical structures. language learning, 18(2), 133– 159. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12029 silva, b., kutyłowska, k., & otwinowska, a. (2022). learning academic words through writing sentences and compositions: any signs of an increase in cognitive load? language teaching research, 28, 1143– 1175. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211020 421 solfiyatuzzahro, s., santihastuti, a., & erfan, e. (2019). grammatical accuracy using teacher’s written corrective feedback. eralingua: jurnal pendidikan bahasa asing dan sastra, 3(2), 75– 85. https://doi.org/10.26858/eralingua.v3i2.905 1 sujito, s., & muttaqin, w. (2020). integrating instruction approach with learners’ cognitive style to enhance efl indonesian students’ writing achievement. international journal of instruction, 13, 623– 636. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13140a tahir, d., & qasim, s. (2025). improving iraqi english learners’ ability to develop and support claims in argumentative writing. مجلة العلوم اإلنسانية و https://doi.org/10.26389/ajsrp.n16122 .اإلجتماعية 4 taufiqulloh, t., fadhly, f., & rosdiana, i. (2024). effects of collaborative assessment on undergraduate students’ writing performance. studies in english language and education. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v11i3. 37704 tavanapour, s., & chalak, a. (2021). impact of inquiry learning method on the grammatical accuracy of iranian efl learners’ writing. international journal of research in english education, 6(3), 86– 95. https://doi.org/10.52547/ijree.6.3.86 thongchalerm, s., & jarunthawatchai, w. (2020). the impact of genre based instruction on efl learners’ writing development. international journal of instruction, 13, 1– 16. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.1311a trang, n., & anh, k. (2020). impact of teaching critical thinking tasks for enhancing paragraph writing performance of efl learners. international journal of education and practice. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.61.20 20.84.784.803 tso, a. (2024). challenges in achieving coherence and cohesion: a discourse analysis of chinese efl students’ essays. professional discourse & communication. https://doi.org/10.24833/26870126-2024-6-1-95-108 ulfa, s., & wahyudi, m. (2023). students’ difficulties in writing an argumentative essay: a qualitative study of efl learners in a writing class. english teaching journal: a journal of english literature, language and education. https://doi.org/10.25273/etj.v11i1.15 814 wang, q., & newell, g. (2025). teaching and learning argumentative writing as critical thinking in an efl composition classroom. learning, culture and social interaction. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2025.1 00891 wang, x., et al. (2023). validation of self-regulated writing strategies for advanced efl learners in china: a structural equation modeling analysis. european journal of investigation in health, psychology and education, 13, 776– 795. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe13040059 wang, y., & said, s. (2024). the cognitive challenges in argumentative writing for efl learners: a scoping review. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijar ped/v13-i4/23721 wang, y. (2024). the cognitive challenges in argumentative writing for efl learners: a https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.53898/tesol2024123 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.24425/linsi.2020.133271 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.24425/linsi.2020.133271 https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2024/v50i71466 https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2024/v50i71466 https://doi.org/10.1177/02655322231190058 https://doi.org/10.1177/02655322231190058 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.5817/di2019-1-96 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.5817/di2019-1-96 https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12029 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211020421 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211020421 https://doi.org/10.26858/eralingua.v3i2.9051 https://doi.org/10.26858/eralingua.v3i2.9051 https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13140a https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.26389/ajsrp.n161224 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.26389/ajsrp.n161224 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v11i3.37704 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v11i3.37704 https://doi.org/10.52547/ijree.6.3.86 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.1311a https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.61.2020.84.784.803 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.61.2020.84.784.803 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.24833/2687-0126-2024-6-1-95-108 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.24833/2687-0126-2024-6-1-95-108 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.25273/etj.v11i1.15814 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.25273/etj.v11i1.15814 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2025.100891 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2025.100891 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe13040059 https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v13-i4/23721 https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v13-i4/23721 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 847 scoping review. 13(4), 3053– 3065. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v13i4/23721 white, r., & arndt, v. (1991). process writing. longman. xie, y., & lv, x. (2022). effects of content support and planning instruction on discourse connection in efl argumentative writing. frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2 022.912311 xue, j., zheng, l., tang, x., li, b., & geva, e. (2021). human ratings of writing quality capture features of syntactic variety and transformation in chinese efl learners’ argumentative writing. frontiers in psychology, 12(november). https://doi.org/10.3 389/fpsyg.2021.660796 yang, l. (2024). how to enhance students’ writing self-efficacy to improve their writing performance. frontiers in science and engineering, 4(7), 153– 162. https://doi.org/10.54691/2npeh027 yasuda, s. (2023). what does it mean to construct an argument in academic writing? a synthesis of english for general academic purposes and english for specific academic perspectives. journal of english for academic purposes. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2023.10 1307 yin, x., saad, m., & halim, h. (2023). a systematic review of critical thinking instructional pedagogies in efl writing: what do we know from a decade of research. thinking skills and creativity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.10 1363 yuliawati, l. (2021). the effects of vocabulary and grammar mastery on students’ writing skill. journal of english language learning. https://doi.org/10.31949/jell.v5i2.345 0 zhan, j., sun, q., & zhang, l. (2021). effects of manipulating writing task complexity on learners’ performance in completing vocabulary and syntactic tasks. language teaching research, 28, 1011– 1032. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211024 360 zhang, j., & zhang, l. (2023). examining the relationship between english as a foreign language learners’ cognitive abilities and l2 grit in predicting their writing performance. learning and instruction. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstru c.2023.101808 zhang, y., & chieh, y. (2025). the effects of two selfregulated learning interventions on chinese efl students’ self-regulated writing-strategy use, motivational beliefs, and writing performance. system. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.s ystem.2025.103603 zhang, y., & ouyang, j. (2023). linguistic complexity as the predictor of efl independent and integrated writing quality. assessing writing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2023.100 727 zhang, y. (2018). an investigation into the development of structure and evidence use in argumentative writing. theory and practice in language studies. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0811.08 zhang, y. (2023). english as a foreign language learners’ guide to argument–counterargument skills: procon.org. relc journal, 55(3), 860– 864. https://doi.org/10.1177/003368822311574 63 zhao, z., nimehchisalem, v., & chan, m. (2024). independent writing tasks vs. integrated writing tasks: the cognitive demands and their impacts on linguistic complexity in efl writing. theory and practice in language studies. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1408.33 zhou, w., li, z., & lu, x. (2022). syntactic complexity features of science research article introductions: rhetorical-functional and disciplinary variation perspectives. journal of english for academic purposes. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2022.10 1212 zhou, x. (2024). a corpus-based investigation on the english majors’ use of cohesive devices in argumentative writing. international journal of education and humanities, 14(3), 7– 13. https://doi.org/10.54097/az0qby63 https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v13-i4/23721 https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v13-i4/23721 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.912311 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.912311 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.660796 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.660796 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.54691/2npeh027 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2023.101307 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2023.101307 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.101363 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.101363 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.31949/jell.v5i2.3450 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.31949/jell.v5i2.3450 https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211024360 https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211024360 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2023.101808 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2023.101808 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2025.103603 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2025.103603 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2023.100727 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2023.100727 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0811.08 https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882231157463 https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882231157463 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1408.33 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2022.101212 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2022.101212 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.54097/az0qby63 sinarman jaya linguistic, structural, and cognitive challenges in indonesian efl students’ argumentative writing 848 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 67 bridging the gap: teachers’ knowledge and application of ai-driven learning platforms in stembased english language education wahyunengsih english language education department, faculty of tarbiyah and teachers training, universitas islam negeri syarif hidayatullah jakarta, indonesia email: wahyu.nengsih@uinjkt.ac.id apa citation: wahyunengsih. (2025). bridging the gap: teachers’ knowledge and application of ai-driven learning platforms in stem-based english language education. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 67-80. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.11155 received: 29-10-2024 accepted: 23-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 introduction ai in learning helps teachers prepare learning materials, media, and evaluation mediums. previous studies have discussed the effectiveness of using ai in language learning. first, ushaa et al., (2024) discovered that ai makes learning experiences more flexible and individualized, meeting each individual learner's demands and learning styles. it discusses applications of natural language processing, chatbots, speech recognition, and intelligent tutoring systems that improve language learning. second, the aipowered application plang improves fluency in english speaking. the plang builds learner autonomy through tailored feedback and sets new objectives for active involvement among korean efl students (eunhyun & juyoun, 2024). moreover, zang (2024) found that aimediated language training significantly improves learners' motivation and achievement through more engaging and individualized learning experiences. third, well-known programs like babbel and duolingo use preset algorithms rather than machine learning or deep learning, where artificial intelligence's computational capacity is recommended (prathamesh, 2024). ai offers interactive simulations, adaptive learning, and individualized education, significantly improving language acquisition. notwithstanding technological limitations and the requirement for pedagogical alignment when integrating ai into language instruction, teachers report increased student autonomy, engagement, and proficiency (janet, 2024). another study by xiuwen et al. (2024) also examines how ai affects chinese english language learners' language acquisition, emphasizing the mediating functions of resilience, grit, and flow in the relationship between meeting fundamental psychological needs and the desire to use ai technologies for language instruction. ai-powered language learning applications improve competence testing, instant feedback, and individualized instruction. however, they create questions regarding the integrity of academic writing, calling for both linguistic proficiency and ethical writing habits (jian, 2024). although there are worries about privacy, bias, and excessive dependence on technology, artificial intelligence (ai) plays a vital role in language acquisition by providing feedback, individualized learning experiences, and solutions for problems like abstract: this study aims to determine teachers' knowledge level about ai-driven learning platforms in stem education, to determine the extent to which language teachers apply ai-driven learning platforms in stem education, and to see whether the level of knowledge, attitudes and readiness of teachers is balanced with its application. this study uses a quantitative and qualitative design or mixed method and applies a correlation approach. the participants of this study involved 33 english teachers in indonesia. the results of this study conclude that the level of knowledge of language teachers on ai-driven platforms in stem learning is still classified as intermediate. the application of ai-driven platforms in stem learning for english teachers is also in the intermediate category. language teachers have not yet entered the high level of application of ai-driven platforms in stem learning, although a small number of teachers can reach this level. the correlation between teacher knowledge of ai-driven platforms in stem learning is directly proportional to their application in learning practices. however, the data shows no correlation between teacher attitudes and readiness towards ai-driven platforms in stem learning and the application of aidriven platforms in stem learning. keywords: ai-driven platform, teachers’ knowledge and application of ai, stem education wahyunengsih bridging the gap: teachers’ knowledge and application of ai-driven learning platforms in stem-based english language education 68 vocabulary and pronunciation (melta, 2024). ai also improves the learning of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation in english language instruction. although it provides individualized learning routes for a range of learners, it has obstacles related to infrastructure, ethics, training, and inclusivity (iryana, 2024). here, a research gap appears. a study to provide a more detailed picture of the use of ai in language learning is needed. previous studies have proven the effectiveness and the obstacles to using ai without looking at the suitability of knowledge and application of ai to teachers. however, no research has described teachers' readiness to understand ai in accordance with their learning. in addition, it is necessary to study whether the application of ai in their learning is in line with their knowledge. the important rationales for discussing this topic are elaborated as follows. first, implementing ai-driven platform integration in stem education is a professional development skill that language teachers must have. the study of the linearization between knowledge and application in learning is critical to evaluate the process and learning products that use ai-driven platforms in stem education. in addition, this is also useful for improving teaching methodology and improving student learning outcomes. in the current ai era, integration improves teachers' digital competence and overcomes gaps in access to quality education. second, in some conditions, today's students, primarily native technology, must be balanced with qualified technology literacy from teachers. ai literacy in teachers will contribute to effective integration and enable teachers and students to utilize ai for data visualization and processing (son, 2023; ning et al., 2024). third, the analysis of literacy and teacher application of ai-driven platforms in stem education also increases students' role. students will get a more optimal role of involvement, which will directly impact learning outcomes. ai-driven platforms offer a more personalized learning experience, increase student motivation and engagement, and are tailored to the diverse needs of each individual (adeniyi et al., 2024). in addition, the results of this study are expected to improve the ability and creative thinking skills of both teachers and students in solving problems (anand, 2024). fourth, this study will look at how ai plays a role as a solution to overcome educational disparities. teachers and students in marginalized populations and places can equally receive feedback from the professional development process and real-time feedback. in addition, english learning must be supported by a collaborative environment and media so that it can promote inclusivity (adeniyi et al., 2024). based on the background above, the research problems formulate as follows: (1) what is the level of teacher knowledge about ai-driven learning platforms in stem education? (2) to what extent do language teachers apply ai-driven learning platforms in stem education? (3) how does the level of teacher knowledge about aidriven platforms correspond to their application in stem education? method this study uses a quantitative research design with a descriptive and correlational approach. so, a mixed-methods methodology is utilized in this study. the descriptive approach aims to describe in detail the phenomena or conditions related to the level of teacher knowledge regarding the aidriven learning platform and its application in stem education. at the same time, the correlational approach aims to answer the question of the relationship or correlation between the level of english teacher knowledge and the quality of the application of the ai-driven learning platform in stem education. it is in line with creswell's (2014), which states that mixedmethod research is suitable for achieving the goal of providing a more complete and holistic picture of the research problem, which shows the relationship between two variables of knowledge and the application of the ai-driven learning platform in stem education, while the descriptive approach is used to provide an overview of the reasons for the relationship. participants in this study were 33 english teachers. although the sample is relatively small, participants were selected purposively to ensure adequate representation of the population studied. they were chosen purposively by looking at their s1, s2, or s3 educational background. however, no teachers with a doctoral background could be found. in addition, the teacher's teaching experience is another indicator that shows the distribution of teacher professionalism levels based on work experience. the work experience group is divided into: < 2 years, 2-5 years, 5-8 years, 10-15 years, 15-20 years, and > 20 years. the instrument in this study is a questionnaire that refers to schuster's theory. the questionnaire was created by involving nine indicators of knowledge and application of ai in language english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 69 education. these indicators include using technology to personalize learning, improving critical thinking skills, support global collaboration, expanding access and inclusivity, improve adaptive learning and language learning experiences, more individual, contextual and relevant learning to needs, and utilization in data processing. the data ware analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively after collecting data through an online questionnaire using a google form. the quantitative analysis process was carried out to calculate the frequency, percentage, average, and distribution of answers to see teachers' general pattern of knowledge and application of ai. then, the pearson correlation test was used to measure the strength and direction of the relationship between knowledge and application of the aidriven learning platform in stem learning. the second qualitative analysis process was carried out. qualitative analysis was carried out to identify recurring themes or patterns related to teachers' knowledge and application of ai. coding of relevant data questionnaires and analysis of appropriate themes to answer the problem formulation are also needed at this stage. results and discussion the result of the questionnaire shows the demographic data from participants in this study can be seen in the table below. table 1. teacher education level education level percentage strata 1 75% strata 2 25% strata 3 0% total 100% there were 33 teachers involved in this research. it can be seen in the table that 75% of them have a bachelor's degree, which means around 25 people from the total participants. there are 25% with postgraduate degrees, or around 8 teachers have a 2nd degree background. this finding is also in line with yeh (2024) which shows that junior teachers tend to be more open to the use of technology, especially ai-based platforms for stem education. it indicates that experience based training is crucial to maximalize teachers’ potential from various level of experiences. ejjami (2024) also clearly stated in his study that extensive professional development programs for educators, equal access to ai technologies, and the establishment of solid ethical criteria were mostly joined by younger teachers. in other words, the results of this study can have implications for improving teachers' technological literacy by involving policy makers and the government. regular technology workshops and project-based training provide hands-on experience in using ai technology between generations of teachers need to be implemented consistently and measurably. since work experience is one of important aspect of professionalism, the survey also required the participant to mention this information. the following table also provides the distribution of the teachers’ work experience. table 2. work experience work experience percentage < 2 years 61% 2-5 years 21% 5-8 years 3% 8-10 years 6% 10-15 years 3% 15-20 years 3% > 20 years 3% total 100% based on the data above, 82% of the participants, or 26 out of 33 teachers, have 2 to 5 years of teaching experience. it shows that the level of participation in this research on ai-driven platforms in stem learning tends to be more young teachers. however, the distribution also indicates that all levels of teaching experience are covered in the questionnaire. this finding aligns with research conducted by yeh (2024), which shows that young teachers tend to be more open and comfortable using stem learning and aidriven platforms. another study also found that pre-service english language teachers (pelts) were more enthusiastic about using ai because they saw the opportunity for this tool to be able to personalize learning and significantly improve students' communication skills (yetkin & özeraltınkaya, 2024). in addition, teachers with more extended teaching experience tend to focus on ethical implications and student potential rather than relying on technology (karta, 2023). the development of ai-based modules, as well as training and mentorship between young and senior teachers, will positively improve the skills and mastery of stem teachers in learning. challenges such as lack of confidence and anxiety in senior teachers less familiar with technology will not be a significant challenge. it was conveyed by ayanwale et al. (2024), who figured out that anxiety and preferred methods to increase trust and pb influence trust in ai-based edtech do not strongly influence the ability to use ai. wahyunengsih bridging the gap: teachers’ knowledge and application of ai-driven learning platforms in stem-based english language education 70 in this survey, the information is divided into several parts. first, the survey material aims to see the level of knowledge of ai-driven platforms by language teachers in education. the second part looks at teachers' attitudes and readiness to use ai. in the third part, the survey aims to see the frequency of using ai in stem learning. the following table 3 shows the results of teachers' knowledge about ai in education. the application of ai sometimes also imposes a rigid framework that limits creative thinking and innovation, leading to emotional detachment due to the repetitive and impersonal nature of ai interactions (lin and chen, 2024). therefore, it is necessary to study how much knowledge teachers have about ai and their experience through selftaught learning. the codes stand for cda = completely disagree, da = disagree, db = doubt, a = agree, and ca = completely agree. table 3. teachers’ knowledge of ai-driven platforms in stem education statements amount of respond cda da db a ca total equivalent score 0 1 2 3 4 1. i understand the basic concepts of artificial intelligence (ai) and its application in the field of education. 0 1 4 20 7 33 2. i know how ai can be used to personalize student learning. 0 1 4 23 5 33 3. i understand the role of ai in providing formative feedback to students in real-time. 0 1 4 23 4 33 4. i realized that ai could help analyze student learning patterns to improve learning outcomes. 0 1 5 6 21 33 5. i am aware of ai-driven platforms used in education (e.g. khan academy, google classroom ai tools). 0 1 1 22 10 33 6. i understand the risk of algorithmic bias in ai technology used in education. 0 0 10 16 7 33 7. i understand the importance of maintaining student data privacy when using ai-driven tools. 0 0 2 13 18 33 8. i know how ai can help teachers in compiling learning materials. 0 0 2 18 13 33 9. i understand that ai cannot completely replace the role of teachers. 0 0 1 7 25 33 10. i understand how ai can be used to support inclusive education (for example, helping students with special needs). 0 1 9 14 9 33 11. i know how ai can be integrated into the language learning i teach. i understand how apps like grammarly can help students write texts in english/other apps for the languages i teach. 0 1 9 14 9 33 12. i understand how apps like grammarly can help students write texts in english/other apps for the languages i teach. 0 0 1 11 21 33 13. i know how chatgpt can be used to improve students' speaking skills in stem contexts. 0 0 8 15 10 33 14. i know the benefits of photomath in supporting learning to understand terms in english. 0 1 12 14 6 33 15. i once used labster to explain a science experiment in english 0 6 15 7 3 33 total answer 0 14 87 223 168 495 percentage of the knowledge level 0% 3% 18% 45% 34% note: 4 = high level of knowledge of ai-driven platforms in stem education 3 = intermediate level of knowledge of ai-driven platforms in stem education 2 = basic level of knowledge of ai-driven platforms in stem education 0-1 = low level of knowledge of ai-driven platforms in stem education based on the data above, 34% of the teachers have a high knowledge of ai-driven platforms in stem education. 45% of the teachers can be categorized into intermediate level. 18% of them are basic, and only 3% of the total samples can be classified into low-level knowledge of ai-driven platforms in stem education. in other words, most language teachers still have an intermediate understanding of ai-driven platforms in stem education. this finding even shows an english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 71 improvement compared to research conducted by chang & tang (2024), which found that english teachers still can understand at a basic level regarding ai-driven tools. english teachers still lack the latest technological pedagogical knowledge (tpk), essential for ai integration in education. on the other hand, preservice teachers show better readiness in using ai but are also not supported by limited capabilities in this field. several reasons can be explained regarding this finding. first, teachers still have inexperienced knowledge of ai, which is still relatively new and rapidly developing (sabaruddin et al., 2024). teachers must be provided with adequate training related to this field, which is carried out periodically (minnillo et al., 2024). third, various challenges in integrating ai-driven platforms in stem learning include limited access to technological resources, varying student ability levels, and administrative constraints (sabaruddin et al., 2024). another study conducted by buthaynah (2024) also found that the ability of language teachers in using chatgpt and duolingo clearly assisted by the ai, yet most of the language teachers need to improve their language ability itself. furthermore, it seems a global issue among all language teachers due to several factors. first, english teachers still lack experience integrating ai technology into language teaching. mastery and knowledge of ai-driven platforms require ongoing training to improve teachers' professional competence and increase their teaching efficacy (zada et al., 2024). second, technical capability is critical in ai, especially in learning evaluation. this study suggests that english teachers should not integrate ai into their teaching practices (hao, 2024). third, the ability of english teachers at ai is still classified as intermediate due to the imbalance in the development of six dimensions of competence: linguistic, pragmatic, sociolinguistic, discursive, strategic and cultural competence (jan et al., 2024). fourth, this intermediate level reflects teacher familiarization with ai technology, which is the impact of critical thinking and originality on teacher professional development (valentyna et al., 2024). apart from that, obstacles come from the lack of institutional support and advanced strategies to improve the understanding and application of ai in language learning (pooja & rames, 2024). therefore, further pressure and demands in advanced or tertiary education curricula are needed to increase awareness of ai's ethical and practical implications in elt (nicky, 2023; carol et al., 2024). according to mutambik (2024), the transformative potential of ai as an alternative path to continuing education and streamlining the operation of learning management systems (lms) requires fast information update skills with relatively short adaptation times. teachers with a large workload give them less free space to improve their knowledge in this rapidly changing field. table 4. teachers’ knowledge of ai-driven platform in english language evaluation statements amount of respond cda da db a ca total equivalent score 0 1 2 3 4 1. i know how ai can help in the evaluation and assessment of english language learning. 0 0 5 27 1 33 2. i belief that ai can increase evaluation efficiency in language learning. 0 0 5 28 0 33 3. teachers can give direct feedback personally to the students in each assignment. 0 0 11 20 2 33 4. ai use in formative assessment can replace the role of teachers in scoring 9 8 9 12 3 33 5. ai can evaluate tests automatically and give more accurate score 0 0 11 21 1 33 6. ai can give objective assessment in english language test without bias 0 0 5 23 5 33 7. ai can help to score students speaking skill 0 0 3 17 13 33 8. i belief that the use of ai in english assessment and evaluation can be done without breaking the ethical rules. 0 3 5 24` 1 33 wahyunengsih bridging the gap: teachers’ knowledge and application of ai-driven learning platforms in stem-based english language education 72 9. i belief that the ai algorithm is valid and not bias 0 7 7 16 3 33 10. ai can help to detect students’ mistakes and help them to revise it 0 2 8 11 12 33 11. i still face many challenges in using ai for evaluating student’s english competency but can find solution 0 0 7 15 11 33 12. i belief that using ai in language learning evaluation will help my professional development skill 0 1 3 18 11 33 13. i need more training in using ai effectively in language assessment and evaluation 0 0 4 21 8 33 14. ai has limitation in evaluating complex aspects of english language especially in speaking and writing skill 0 0 4 25 4 33 15. the use of ai in english language evaluation will cause challenges in cultural nuance 0 0 6 23 4 33 16. ai cannot always replace the teacher’s role in giving holistic and emotional evaluation 0 0 3 27 3 33 17. i know the function of grammarly and turnitin in english evaluation 0 0 6 20 7 33 18. i understand the function of socratic by google which can help analyze student questions 0 0 8 17 8 33 19. i am familiar with the use of prowritingaid to thoroughly analyze text quality and provide feedback 4 1 15 10 3 33 20. i understand the use of voxy to assess students' speaking and listening abilities 3 3 7 12 7 33 21. i am proficient in using speechace as a medium for analyzing student pronunciation and providing direct feedback 1 1 9 17 5 33 22. i can use quillbot to help provide feedback on writing 0 0 3 25 5 33 23. i often use lingvist to assess students' vocabulary abilities and provide exercises that are relevant to students' abilities 6 2 10 12 3 33 24. i know the mechanism for using cambridge english write and improve to provide automatic assessment of students' writing results 3 2 9 18 1 33 25. i can use writelab for in-depth assessment of students' writing abilities 1 1 11 15 5 33 26. i know the function of the learning management system (lms) which uses ai to provide analysis of student learning outcomes 0 3 5 21 4 33 27. i use magoosh as an automatic assessment tool on practice questions 0 5 12 11 5 33 28. i am comfortable and feel the benefits of using aidriven chatbots such as chatgpt in assessing student assignments and tests 0 0 9 21 3 33 29. i know how gradescope can help to evaluate students’ assignment in stem education 0 3 12 15 3 33 total answer 27 42 212 518 141 957 percentage of the knowledge level 2.8% 4.4% 22.6% 55.2% 15% the data shows that teachers’ knowledge of the use of ai-driven platforms for language evaluation in stem education is various. 7.2% of teachers can categorize into a low level of knowledge. the percentage of the basic level is relatively high, at 22.6%. the similarity in teachers’ understanding of ai-driven platforms in stem education and language evaluation is at the intermediate level. this level still places the highest among the other levels. however, the high level is significantly decreased here. it reaches 15% over the total of the samples. the use of technology in learning evaluation will undoubtedly provide convenience in terms of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 73 the effectiveness of checking student assignments. ai also can empower educators, personalize learning, and address achievement gaps, offering a nuanced perspective on the complex tapestry in education (dutta, 2024; aggarwal, 2023; ray & sikdar, 2024; wu et al., 2024; mavropoulou et al., 2024). however, an interesting fact from the findings of this research shows that teachers have lower ability and understanding regarding the use of ai-driven platforms in stem learning compared to their knowledge of ai in learning. several previous studies explain this. firstly, teachers often face challenges in gaining adequate skills in this matter. the gap in technological knowledge is one of the main reasons. teachers worry about the integrity and originality of ai assessment results (lukianenko & kornieva, 2024). apart from that, there is also an explanation of the generative impact of ai on students' critical thinking and creativity, which adds to the complexity of using ai as an evaluation tool (yang, 2024). besides technological gaps, which are the leading cause of english teachers' low understanding of using ai-driven platforms for evaluating stem learning, pedagogical and infrastructure barriers also play a significant role. many teachers do not know about technology that can be used effectively and evaluate language (sabaruddin et al., 2024). integrating ai in language learning evaluation poses significant challenges for teachers due to technological, pedagogical, and infrastructural barriers. these difficulties hinder the effective implementation and utilization of ai tools in educational settings. technology training and socialization programs also require practice and a long understanding period. it is not uncommon for human resources who can be tutors in using ai for learning evaluation in various places to be very limited. online training cannot provide comprehensive and in-depth ai media practice experience intensively, while evaluation requires high validity and accountability. it makes most teachers give up their intention to use ai as an evaluation tool for stem education. in addition, evaluation-based ai is often paid, and schools do not provide support for adopting this tool (syarifudin, 2024; rane & rane, 2023; abu-ghuwaleh, 2023; strielkowski et al., 2024; george, 2023). furthermore, ethical and pedagogical concerns related to the ethical implications of ai, which is sometimes problematic for data privacy and has the potential for bias in algorithms, also reduce teachers' interest in using it. moreover, this will be a rejection for teachers who are used to and feel comfortable with conventional evaluation techniques (aljabr & alahdal, 2024). warschauer in assefa (2024) also stated that the fact that technology of ai always has flaws which provide potential benefits in personalizing learning but at the same time potentially loss human element in practice. ai is often an alternative to innovative and inclusive education. however, it also usually refers to problematic conditions and gaps, especially in large and diverse countries (murtaza et al., 2024; ouyang & zhang, 2024; yahania, 2022; castro et al., 2024; ayeni et al., 2024). when teachers use ai and realize the risk, they tend to stop and avoid problems. it may lead to finding another better and suitable tool, but not often ended using the ai and getting back to traditional ways. as mentioned in some previous research which highlights barriers, including teacher trainings which basically focus on developing the teachers’ knowledge in the use of ai in education (soelistiono & wahidin, 2023; yilmaz, 2024; huang, 2024; jamro & jamro, 2023; kong et al., 2024). next, the data from the questionnaire also reveals the teachers’ application of ai-driven platforms in stem education. there are seventeen statements addressed to the teachers. it also uses the likert scale to classify the teachers’ answers. all of the statements cover the information related to teachers’ attitudes to receiving new technology, teachers’ motivation to learn new technology in ai-driven platforms, teachers’ act on the use of ai in stem education, teachers’ active participation in evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of the ai, teachers’ collaboration with the students, colleagues, and parents, teachers’ management in using ai during teaching and learning processes as well as evaluation, teachers’ plan and application in following and keeping the ethical guidelines and safely manage the students’ data. all the teachers’ responses in the questionnaire are also recorded with the scoring. completely disagree = 0, disagree =1, doubt = 2, agree = 3, completely agree = 4. the total percentage of 4 score will determine the high level of positive attitude and application of ai in stem education, 3 for intermediate, 2 for basic and 0-1 means low attitude and application. the results of the questionnaire are elaborated on table 5: table 5. attitude and readiness in using ai-driven platforms in stem education amount of respond wahyunengsih bridging the gap: teachers’ knowledge and application of ai-driven learning platforms in stem-based english language education 74 statements cda da db a ca total equivalent score 0 1 2 3 4 1. i feel confident using ai applications in language teaching. 0 0 2 22 9 33 2. i believe that ai can improve the effectiveness of language teaching in stem education. 0 0 5 19 9 33 3. i am ready to take part in training to further understand the use of ai in learning. 0 0 3 12 18 33 4. i am very enthusiastic about following the development of ai in learning and am ready to apply it in my learning process. 0 0 1 15 17 33 5. i am passionate about exploring new ai and discovering its benefits for learning. 0 0 2 18 14 33 6. i find out what type of ai best suits students' needs. 0 0 1 21 11 33 7. i use ai to help students improve their language skills, both receptive and productive skills in stem material. 0 0 1 17 15 33 8. i am positive that the use of ai can help teachers provide objective, data-based assessments of stem learning. 0 0 3 12 18 33 9. i utilize ai to provide personalized feedback to each student quickly and accurately 0 0 3 19 11 33 10. i am able to seamlessly manage and utilize ai to support language learning in stem contexts. 0 0 2 12 19 33 11. i don't feel new technology burdens me and focus on its benefits to support student learning. 0 0 2 14 17 33 12. i am open to sharing my knowledge and experiences with colleagues, students and parents in language learning in stem contexts. 0 0 3 12 18 33 13. i motivate students to be enthusiastic about using ai that allows students to collaborate. 0 0 2 13 19 33 14. i am careful and ensure the use of ai in language learning in stem contexts is safe and follows good ethical guidelines. 0 0 1 13 19 33 15. i know how to keep student data secure when using ai. 0 0 8 15 10 33 16. i actively assess the effectiveness of ai-driven platforms which have many benefits for student learning progress. 0 0 1 12 18 33 17. i use the insights that ai provides to adapt my teaching methods and strategies 0 0 0 11 22 33 total answer 0 0 40 257 264 561 percentage of the application level 0% 0% 7% 46% 53% the results show that 53% of teachers are categorized as high-level in attitude and readiness of using ai to stem education. this figure is quite dominant, followed by 46% falling into the intermediate category. only 7% are in the basic category. the questionnaire results show that, on average, teachers have good attitudes and readiness to use ai-driven platforms in stem learning. it means that language teachers have high motivation and are eager to study and apply ai in stem learning. in other words, the finding shows teachers have excellent attitudes and readiness towards using ai-driven platforms in the stem learning context. this finding is not that surprising. previous studies also prove that language teachers' attitudes and readiness are very good for using ai-driven platforms in stem education. many logical reasons can explain and strengthen this finding. the first is the potential of ai as superior scaffolding for complex subjects. teachers realize ai will make things easier (kim & kim, 2022). second, the presence of easy and cheap platforms for new users is a big motivation for teachers to be confident using them (yao & huang, 2024). the teacher's focus on teaching and research motivates good attitudes and readiness. ai will help teachers organize academic and research tasks more effectively and efficiently (varghese & selvaraj, 2024). language teachers are also familiar with technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack), a supporting basis for ai integration (sun et al., 2024; nur et al., 2024). next, the system supports the teachers in getting english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 75 more straightforward and accurate assessments. according to the systematic study, ai-based stem educational assessment used both conventional algorithms (like machine learning and natural language processing) and sophisticated algorithms (like deep learning and neural fuzzy systems (ouyang et al., 2024; joseph & uzondu, 2024; luzano, 2024). moreover, when paired with pedagogical knowledge (pk), which is reflected in technical pedagogical knowledge (tpk), tk becomes significant for instructors to use ai in education effectively and with a positive attitude (yang et al., 2024; zhai & krajcik, 2024; amdan et al., 2024; nagaraj et al., 2023; olatunde-aiyedun, 2024; celik, 2023). parfiz (2024) also clearly supports it by stating the application of ai-based learning platforms in stem education provides guidelines for the moral and successful incorporation of ai technology in the classroom. furthermore, the results of the questionnaire figure out teachers’ application of the ai-driven platforms in stem education. here, the scale is different than the knowledge and attitude of ai. there are five scales: always = 5, often = 4, sometimes = 3, rarely = 2, never = 1. there are twenty statements which are divided into seven parts. table 6 shows more comprehensive data. table 6. teachers’ application of ai-driven platforms in stem education statements amount of respond n r s o a total equivalent score 0 1 2 3 4 a. use of ai for language practice 1. i use grammarly/other similar ai to help students improve their grammar and spelling in their writing. 3 0 8 15 6 33 2. i use quillbot/other similar ai to help students rephrase english sentences. 4 1 9 12 7 33 3. i use duolingo/other similar ai to help students learn stem vocabulary in english. 4 3 13 8 4 33 b. use of ai for pronunciation and listening 4. i use elsa speak/similar ai to help students practice their english pronunciation or indonesian/other foreign language pronunciation. 7 4 11 8 3 33 5. i use google ai text-to-speech/other similar ai to support students' understanding of stem terms in english or indonesian/other foreign language pronunciation. 4 4 10 12 3 33 6. i use ai-driven applications to provide listening materials on stem topics. 2 4 12 14 1 33 c. using ai for reading and writing 7. i use readtheory to improve students' reading skills on stemrelated topics. 9 7 12 3 2 33 8. i use labster to help students read and understand science simulation instructions in english. 14 5 11 3 0 33 9. i use turnitin to evaluate students writing assignments to analyze the originality 7 3 5 10 8 33 d. using ai to create interactive content 10. i use canva with ai features to create interactive presentations on stem topics in english. 1 2 5 9 16 33 11. i use kahoot! to create interactive english-based quizzes related to stem. 2 3 7 6 15 33 12. i use other ai applications to create engaging learning materials for students. 1 2 3 14 13 33 e. using ai for learning evaluation 13. i use gradescope to help provide feedback on student assignments in english. 11 5 8 6 3 33 14. i use ai applications to assess students' mastery of stem technical terms in english. 9 5 6 8 5 33 f. frequency of ai application in stem learning 15. i apply ai in every english class meeting 4 5 16 6 2 33 16. i use ai applications to adjust learning materials 1 6 8 11 4 33 wahyunengsih bridging the gap: teachers’ knowledge and application of ai-driven learning platforms in stem-based english language education 76 to students' needs. 17. i use ai to help students prepare for stem-based projects in english. 3 2 16 8 4 33 g. barriers to ai implementation 18. i find it difficult to use ai due to the lack of technological infrastructure in the school. 6 6 11 4 6 33 19. i have limited time to learn and apply ai in learning. 5 5 13 6 3 33 20. i feel that there is a lack of support from the school in using ai applications. 7 8 12 3 3 33 total 104 80 196 166 108 660 percentage of teachers’ application of ai 16.5% 12.2% 29.4% 25.3% 16.5% it shows that only 16.5% of the teachers highly apply ai in their stem education. 25.3% can be categorized into the intermediate level of ai application, 29.4% are at the basic level. 28.7% of the teachers are at the lowest level of ai-driven platforms application in stem education. however, in this section the distribution of answers is quite even in each section. none of the answer scale. there is no scale that shows the number 0%. but in this section the distribution of answers is quite even in each section. there is no scale that shows the number 0%. however, the highest level of teacher application on the aidriven platform is at the basic level although it is not much different from the intermediate level, which is only 4.1%. now, to figure out the correlation between teachers’ knowledge about ai-driven learning platforms balanced with their application in stem education, person correlation coefficient is needed to answer it. here, the scores used are the total percentage of each variable. more detail is shown on table 7 below. table 7. correlation of knowledge and application of ai-driven platform in stem education correlations knowledge application knowledge pearson correlation 1 .679 sig. (2-tailed) .207 n 5 5 application pearson correlation .679 1 sig. (2-tailed) .207 n 5 5 the sig. value between knowledge and the application is 0.207. it is < 0.05. it means there is correlation between these two variables. the value of the person correlation shows that 0.679 which is between 0.61 to 0.80 that means has strong correlation. it can be concluded that the higher teachers’ knowledge on ai-driven platforms in stem education, the higher the application of ai-driven platforms in stem education. so, the third research question is clearly answered: the level of teacher knowledge about ai-driven learning platforms balanced with their application in stem education. furthermore, it is also crucial to figure out the correlation between the teachers’ attitude and readiness of ai-driven platforms in stem education with the application of the ai-driven platforms. here is the result of the statistical computation. table 8. correlation of teachers’ attitude and readiness and application of ai-driven platform in stem education correlations attitude and readiness application attitude and readiness pearson correlation 1 .170 sig. (2-tailed) .784 n 5 5 application pearson correlation .170 1 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 77 sig. (2-tailed) .784 n 5 5 based on the data, it shows that the sig. value of attitude and readiness and application is 0.784 which is > 0.05. it means there is no correlation between the teachers' attitude and the teachers’ application of ai-driven platforms in stem education. meanwhile, the value of the person correlation shows that 0.170 which is in between 0.00 to 0.02 which means no correlation. the conclusion is high level of teachers’ attitudes and readiness to ai-driven platforms does not determine the high level of the application of the ai-driven platform in stem education. the rationales of the finding can be explained by this following discussion. the fact that there is a strong correlation between teachers’ knowledge to the application is in line with sun et al. (2024) that stated integrating ai in stem education closely relates to teacher knowledge and competence. it is undoubtedly greatly influenced by the level of teacher understanding of technology adoption in the learning process and evaluation. technological pedagogical content knowledge (tpack) affects the effectiveness of teachers in using ai quickly and smoothly. it increases their self-efficacy and willingness to integrate ai into their teaching practices continuously. teachers' professional knowledge in stem education is positively correlated with their performance. in other words, their knowledge will affect the level of ai utilization more effectively (he, 2024). moreover, the use of ai in stem education is also directly proportional to teacher knowledge due to several factors. first, teachers must understand ai before integrating it into the curriculum and use it effectively to meet all students' needs and provide solutions to their problems (nam et al., 2022). in addition, integrating ai into teaching practices requires a good understanding of ai itself so that it can engage students (emmanuel, 2021). knowledge will also enable personalization and increase student engagement in overcoming challenges and obtaining related resources and training as needed (oktian et al., 2024). ariane et al., (2024) also elaborated that the application of the ai by teachers in their teaching and learning process is one of the problems solving methods. moreover, ai does not only personalize learning but also personalize teaching itself. therefore, knowledge and comprehension are closely related (malgorzata (2024). in the other side, there is no correlation between the teachers’ attitude and readiness of ai-driven platforms with the application in stem education also in line with some theories. first, oluwanive & kok (2024) found that attitudes and readiness towards ai and its implications for the application of ai in stem education are complex. it is because ai was not created by a factory specifically for educational practice purposes. it also causes positive attitudes and readiness to have no direct influence on the application of ai in learning. in addition, tpack knowledge is also the background that causes ai applications not to run in balance with their application. it is also because using ai requires an independent learning process and often lacks tutor resources or organized training. teachers must be ready to solve problems and find solutions to them independently. in addition, musa & sanusi (2023) also mentioned the lack of a support system for teachers in the implementation makes the implementation process imperfect and often does not match the teacher's initial plan in stem education. conclusion based on the findings, this study concludes that language teachers' knowledge of ai-driven platforms in stem learning remains intermediate. similarly, their application of ai-driven platforms in english language instruction within stem contexts also falls within this category. most teachers have not yet wholly incorporated aidriven tools into their teaching approaches. however, a small number have advanced. furthermore, the study demonstrates a direct correlation between teachers' familiarity with aidriven platforms and their classroom use. however, no significant correlation was found between teachers' attitudes and readiness towards ai-driven platforms and their actual implementation in stem learning. future studies can examine the obstacles preventing educators from integrating higher-level ai. a more profound knowledge of how instructors could be better equipped for ai-driven instruction may be obtained by looking at factors including training accessibility, institutional support, and the effectiveness of professional development programs centred on ai. the effects of extended exposure to ai technologies on instructors' confidence and pedagogical approaches may potentially be investigated through longitudinal research. wahyunengsih bridging the gap: teachers’ knowledge and application of ai-driven learning platforms in stem-based english language education 78 acknowledgement the author would like to thank all english teachers in various regions of indonesia who are participating in this research. in addition, i appreciate the uin jakarta institution that has allowed me to conduct this research. references albitar, s., & syarifudin. (2024). challenges and opportunities for the application of ai in language learning in indonesia. transformational language literature and technology overview in learning (transtool), 3(1), 49-60. https://doi.org/10.55047/transtool.v3i1.1351. aljabr, f. s., & al-ahdal, a. a. m. h. (2024). ethical and pedagogical implications of ai in language education: an empirical study at ha’il university. acta psychologica, 251, 104605. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.20 24.104605. amdan, m. a. b., janius, n., & kasdiah, m. a. h. b. (2024). concept paper: efficiency of artificial intelligence (ai) tools for stem education in malaysia. international journal of science and research archive, 12(2), 553-559. amer-yahia, s. (2022). towards ai-powered datadriven education. proceedings of the vldb endowment, 15(12), 3798-3806. ariane, s., scarci, t., moser, l., teixeira, d., fleig, l., & forno, d. (2024). artificial intelligence and its relations with digital competencies and education. https://doi.org/10.53660/clm-437424v38. assefa, d. e. a. (2024). the double-edged sword of artificial intelligence (ai) in education: maximizing benefits while mitigating risks. the journal of quality in education, 14(24), 154– 176. https://doi.org/10.37870/joqie.v14i24.450. ayanwale, m. a., adelana, o. p., & odufuwa, t. t. (2024). exploring steam teachers’ trust in aibased educational technologies: a structural equation modelling approach. discover education, 3(1), 1-22. ayeni, o. o., al hamad, n. m., chisom, o. n., osawaru, b., & adewusi, o. e. (2024). ai in education: a review of personalized learning and educational technology. gsc advanced research and reviews, 18(2), 261-271. buthaynah, a. (2024). ai in learning english: enhancing english skills through the use of aipowered language learning tools. international journal of education and social science research, 7(5), 82-94. https://doi.org/10.37500/ijessr.2024.7508. carol, a., chapelle, s., baghestani, s., beck, j., kurt, ş., kusumaningrum, w. r., kim, h. j., & yin, s. (2024). exploring open ai in language teacher professional development. 217-242. https://doi.org/10.31274/isudp.2024.154.13. castro, g. p. b., chiappe, a., rodríguez, d. f. b., & sepulveda, f. g. (2024). harnessing ai for education 4.0: drivers of personalized learning. electronic journal of e-learning, 22(5), 01-14. celik, i. (2023). towards intelligent-tpack: an empirical study on teachers’ professional knowledge to ethically integrate artificial intelligence (ai)-based tools into education. computers in human behavior, 138, 107468, 112. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022. 107468. creswell, j. w. (2014). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. sage publications. dutta, s., ranjan, s., mishra, s., sharma, v., hewage, p., & iwendi, c. (2024, february). enhancing educational adaptability: a review and analysis of ai-driven adaptive learning platforms. in 2024 4th international conference on innovative practices in technology and management (iciptm) (pp. 1-5). ieee. eden, c. a., adeleye, o. o., & adeniyi, i. s. (2024). a review of ai-driven pedagogical strategies for equitable access to science education. magna scientia advanced research and reviews, 10(2), 044-054. ejjami, r. (2024). the future of learning: ai-based curriculum development. international journal for multidisciplinary research, 6(4). emmanuel, a. k. (2021). exploring the use of artificial intelligent systems in stem classrooms (publication no. 82) [doctoral dissertation, columbia university]. columbia university academic commons. https://doi.org/10.7916/d8-qfykkp13. falebita, o.s., kok, p.j. artificial intelligence tools usage: a structural equation modeling of undergraduates’ technological readiness, selfefficacy and attitudes. journal for stem educ res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41979-02400132-1. fengyao, s., peiyao, t., daner, s., yanhua, f., & yuqin, y. (2024). pre-service teachers' inclination to integrate ai into stem education: analysis of influencing factors. british journal of educational technology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13469 galip, k. (2023). contemporary language teaching and learning with chatgpt. 1(1), 56-70. https://doi.org/10.62601/crll.v1i1.10. george, a. s. (2023). preparing students for an aidriven world: rethinking curriculum and pedagogy in the age of artificial intelligence. partners universal innovative research publication, 1(2), 112-136. hao, x. (2024). efl school teacher’s ai assessment https://doi.org/10.55047/transtool.v3i1.1351 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104605 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104605 https://doi.org/10.53660/clm-4374-24v38 https://doi.org/10.53660/clm-4374-24v38 https://doi.org/10.37870/joqie.v14i24.450 https://doi.org/10.37500/ijessr.2024.7508 https://doi.org/10.31274/isudp.2024.154.13 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107468 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107468 https://doi.org/10.7916/d8-qfyk-kp13 https://doi.org/10.7916/d8-qfyk-kp13 https://doi.org/10.1007/s41979-024-00132-1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s41979-024-00132-1 https://doi.org/10.62601/crll.v1i1.10 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 79 literacy: an exploratory study. 137-150. https://doi.org/10.31274/isudp.2024.154.09. huang, x. (2024). application of artificial intelligence app in quality evaluation of primary school science education. educational studies, 50(6), 1215-1235. idowu, s. a., adeniyi, c. a., olabisi, o. a., & adeleye, m. (2024). a review of ai-driven pedagogical strategies for equitable access to science education. magna scientia advanced research and reviews, 2024, 10(02), 044–054. https://doi.org/10.30574/msarr.2024.10.2.0043. jamro, m. y., & jamro, f. a. (2023). ai matters: chatbot integration in holistic stem education. jan, d., heil, j., & ifenthaler, d. (2024). evidencebased development of an instrument for the assessment of teachers' self-perceptions of their artificial intelligence competence. educational technology research and development. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-024-10418-1 joseph, o. b., & uzondu, n. c. (2024). integrating ai and machine learning in stem education: challenges and opportunities. computer science & it research journal, 5(8), 1732-1750. kevin, k.-w. c., & ko-wai, t. (2024). evaluating english teachers’ artificial intelligence readiness and training needs with a tpack-based model. world journal of english language, 15(1), 129129. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v15n1p129. komelia, l. (2018). readiness for artificial intelligence. 235-238. https://doi.org/10.1109/sisy.2018.8524740. kong, s. c., yang, y., & yeung, w. k. (2024). a proposed tpack model of teaching stem with ai components: evaluating a teacher development course for fostering digital creativity. in csedu (2) (pp. 163-170). lin, h. (2024). the impact of stem teacher competence on job performance in the era of artificial intelligence. 2024 6th international conference on computer science and technologies in education (cste), xi'an, china, 2024, pp. 337-341, doi: 10.1109/cste62025.2024.00070. lin, h., & chen, q. (2024). artificial intelligence (ai)-integrated educational applications and college students’ creativity and academic emotions: students and teachers’ perceptions and attitudes. bmc psychology, 12(1), 487. luzano, j. (2024). an integrative review of aipowered stem education. international journal of academic pedagogical research, 8(4), 113118. małgorzata, n.-m. (2024). artificial intelligence in the teacher's work. polska: zaspół poligrafi wydawnictwa naukowego uken. https://doi.org/10.24917/9788368020403.3. mavropoulou, e., koutsoukos, m., & oikonomou, a. (2023). integration of artificial intelligence on teaching the course of didactic methodology: a case study. european journal of social science education and research, 10(3), 36-51. mihyun, s. (2023). analysis of the necessity of ai utilization and digital competencies and use cases for science teachers. brain, digital, & learning, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.31216/bdl.20230015. mutambik, i. (2024). the use of ai-driven automation to enhance student learning experiences in the ksa: an alternative pathway to sustainable education. sustainability, 16(14), 5970. murtaza, a., fadare, s. a., mocsir, o. m., fadare, m. c., natividad, l. r., rafique, t., & taj, r. (2024). from theory to practice: harnessing ai for enhanced teaching-learning dynamics. educational administration: theory and practice, 30(4), 6331-6338. musa, a. a., & sanusi, i. t. (2023). perceptions of stem vs. non-stem teachers toward teaching artificial intelligence. 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1109/africon55910.2023.10293 455. nagaraj, b. k., kalaivani, a., begum, s., akila, s., & sachdev, h. k. (2023). the emerging role of artificial intelligence in stem higher education: a critical review. international research journal of multidisciplinary technovation, 5(5), 1-19. nagpal, d. p., & m, d. r. . . (2024). navigating teachers’ adoption of artificial intelligence in english foreign language: uncovering inhibitors and drivers. spast reports, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.69848/sreports.v1i2.4960. nam, j. k., & min, k. k. (2022). teacher’s perceptions of using an artificial intelligencebased educational tool for scientific writing. frontiers in education, 7, 755914, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.755914. nicky, h. (2023). artificial intelligence in english language teaching: the good, the bad and the ugly relc journal, 54(2), 445-451. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882231168504. ning, y., zhang, c., xu, b., zhou, y., & wijaya, t. t. (2024). teachers’ ai-tpack: exploring the relationship between knowledge elements. sustainability, 16(3), 978. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16030978 nikolaï, t., & damyanov, i. (2024). attitudes of students – future teachers, for the application of generative artificial intelligence. strategii na obrazovatelnata i naučnata politika, 32(4), 383394. https://doi.org/10.53656/str2024-4-1-att. nur, m. z., zainuddin, n., bukhari, n. a., & mohamad, m. (2024). implementation of artificial intelligence (ai) as a pedagogical tool in tertiary esl classroom: teachers' perspectives. international journal of academic research in business & social sciences,14(8), pp.907-921. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v14-i8/22456. oktian, f. n., hikmawaty, l., & juwita, s. r. (2024). artificial intelligence technology embedded in high school science learning: a study of teacher https://doi.org/10.31274/isudp.2024.154.09 https://doi.org/10.30574/msarr.2024.10.2.0043. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-024-10418-1 https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v15n1p129 https://doi.org/10.1109/sisy.2018.8524740 https://doi.org/10.24917/9788368020403.3 https://doi.org/10.31216/bdl.20230015 https://doi.org/10.1109/africon55910.2023.10293455 https://doi.org/10.1109/africon55910.2023.10293455 https://doi.org/10.69848/sreports.v1i2.4960 https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.755914 https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882231168504 https://doi.org/10.53656/str2024-4-1-att https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v14-i8/22456 wahyunengsih bridging the gap: teachers’ knowledge and application of ai-driven learning platforms in stem-based english language education 80 perception. pedagonal: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 8(2), 132-143. https://doi.org/10.55215/pedagonal.v8i2.16. olatunde-aiyedun, t. g. (2024). artificial intelligence (ai) in education: integration of ai into science education curriculum in nigerian universities. international journal of artificial intelligence for digital, 1(1), pp. 1-14. doi:10.13140/rg.2.2.31699.76320. ouyang, f., dinh, t. a., & xu, w. (2023). a systematic review of ai-driven educational assessment in stem education. journal for stem education research, 6(3), 408-426. parviz, m. (2024). ai in education: comparative perspectives from stem and non-stem instructors. computers and education open, 6, 100190. rane, nitin and choudhary, saurabh and rane, jayesh, education 4.0 and 5.0: integrating artificial intelligence (ai) for personalized and adaptive learning (november 2, 2023). http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4638365. ray, s., & sikdar, d. p. (2024). ai-driven flipped classroom: revolutionizing education through digital pedagogy. psychology, 7(2), 169-179. sabaruddin, s., purnama, d. a., harmilawati, h., aminah, s., irmayani, i., takdir, t., & ar, a. (2024). artificial intelligence in english language teaching: a study of english teachers' tpack. globish, 13(2), 125-125. https://doi.org/10.31000/globish.v13i2.11250. soelistiono, s. (2023). educational technology innovation: ai-integrated learning system design in ails-based education. influence: international journal of science review, 5(2), 470-480. sophia, m., jones, l., & del barrio-garcía, s. (2024). ai in the l2 classroom: serving language educators through professional development. l2 journal, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.5070/l2.21198. soumya, t. v., & selvaraj, a. (2024). attitude towards ai. in advances in educational marketing, administration, and leadership (pp. 293-308). https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-36937016-2.ch014. strielkowski, w., grebennikova, v., lisovskiy, a., ra khimova, g., & vasileva, t. (2024). ai-driven adaptive learning for sustainable educational transformation. sustainable development, 1– 27. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.3221. selvam, a. a. a. (2024). exploring the impact of artificial intelligence on transforming physics, chemistry, and biology education. journal of broader impacts in stem. https://doi.org/10.21428/a70c814c.747297aa. tammets k and ley t (2023) integrating ai tools in teacher professional learning: a conceptual model and illustrative case. front. artif. intell. 6:1255089. https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2023.1255089. ting, y. (2024). evaluation of the effect of generative ai in english writing class. journal of education, humanities and social sciences, 38, 279-285. https://doi.org/10.54097/t9echq16. valentyna, l., & kornieva, z. (2024). generative ai in student essays: english teachers' perspectives on effective assessment methods. xlinguae, 17(4), 235-250. https://doi.org/10.18355/xl.2024.17.04.14. wu, d., chen, m., chen, x., & liu, x. (2024). analyzing k-12 ai education: a large language model study of classroom instruction on learning theories, pedagogy, tools, and ai literacy. computers and education: artificial intelligence, 7, 100295. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.202 4.100295. xiaochao, y., & huang, x. (2024). study on college english teachers’ attitudes and acceptance of aidriven language learning applications. international education forum, 2 (6), 235-242. https://doi.org/10.26689/ief.v2i6.7621 yang, y., sun, w., sun, d., & salas-pilco, s. z. (2024). navigating the ai-enhanced stem education landscape: a decade of insights, trends, and opportunities. research in science & technological education, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2024.2370764. yeh, h. c. (2024). the synergy of generative ai and inquiry-based learning: transforming the landscape of english teaching and learning. interactive learning environments, 1– 15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2024.2335491. yetkin, r., & özer-altınkaya, z. (2024). ai in the language classroom: insights from pre-service english teachers. e-learning and digital media, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/2042753024 1267011. yılmaz, ö. (2024). personalised learning and artificial intelligence in science education: current state and future perspectives. educational technology quarterly, 2024 (3), pp. 255-274. https://doi.org/10.55056/etq.744. zada, k., seidaliyeva, g., degtyareva, x., & yessenaman, s. (2024). eclecticism in language teaching: developing educational and methodological content for an english language qualification course using artificial intelligence. xlinguae, 17(4), 111-137. https://doi.org/10.18355/xl.2024.17.04.08 https://doi.org/10.55215/pedagonal.v8i2.16 http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/rg.2.2.31699.76320 https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4638365 https://doi.org/10.31000/globish.v13i2.11250 https://doi.org/10.5070/l2.21198 https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-7016-2.ch014 https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-7016-2.ch014 https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.3221 https://doi.org/10.21428/a70c814c.747297aa https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2023.1255089 https://doi.org/10.54097/t9echq16 https://doi.org/10.18355/xl.2024.17.04.14 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100295 https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100295 https://doi.org/10.26689/ief.v2i6.7621 https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2024.2370764. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2024.2335491. https://doi.org/10.1177/20427530241267011 https://doi.org/10.1177/20427530241267011 https://doi.org/10.55056/etq.744 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 383 assessment in translanguaging classrooms: indonesian university english teachers’ experiences and recommendations yulia hapsari department of english language education, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, west java, indonesia email: hapsari.yulia@upi.edu fuad abdul hamied department of english language education, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, west java, indonesia email: fuadah@upi.edu emi emilia department of english language education, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, west java, indonesia email: emi.emilia.upi@gmail.com apa citation: hapsari. y., hamied, f.a., emilia, e. (2025). assessment in translanguaging classrooms: experiences and recommendations for university english classes. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 383-396. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.11246 received: 11-09-2024 accepted: 13-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: this study explores teachers’ experiences in performing assessments in classroom translanguaging in relation to the four principles of translanguaging assessment to propose recommendations for translanguaging classrooms at the university level. semi structured interviews were conducted at an english department of a university in indonesia involving five voluntarily participating teachers based on purposive sampling aiming at non-language skills courses. data collected from field notes and interview guides were analyzed thematically. the results demonstrated that the different voices in assessment principle had not been well accommodated, as most teachers restricted students’ language use to english and indonesia. this related to the emerging theme shared language among interlocutorsunderscoring mutual comprehension as the reason of the teachers’ language restriction. the other two principles, the use of other people and other resources and the authenticity of the tasks, were enacted through group works and projects. however, the distinction between general linguistic and language-specific performances was not carried out potentially due to teachers’ less comprehensive knowledge about translanguaging. recommendations covering improving teachers’ knowledge about pedagogical translanguaging, designing translanguaging assessments, and providing practical strategies of administering translanguaging assessment are made to facilitate good alignment between classroom translanguaging instructions and assessments to maximize students’ learning benefits. the evidence-based results in this study should provide a guidance to translanguaging assessment practice that is barely discussed in translanguaging classrooms studies. keywords: assessment; english classrooms; english proficiency; translanguaging; translanguaging classrooms introduction translanguaging as a movement away from native speakerism amidst the multilingual turn of society has been extensively employed in english classrooms. however, assessing students in translanguaging english classrooms remains challenging. the use of standardized tests characterized by native-speakerism (mcnamara, 2012) are no longer relevant to the basic principles of translanguaging. translanguaging underscores bi/multilingual use of their full linguistic repertoires to convey meaning without watchful adherence to certain boundaries of named language (garcía & wei, 2014). thus, translanguaging also challenge the assessment that measures language proficiency in isolated english language skills by allowing students to use multiple languages. this practice may incur concerns about how to grade the students’ language progression so that a balance between language use and content understanding can be achieved. regardless of the increasing studies about translanguaging, its implications in the classroom are limited (cenoz & gorter, 2020). studies pertinent to translanguaging assessment mailto:hapsari.yulia@upi.edu mailto:fuadah@upi.edu mailto:emi.emilia.upi@gmail.com yulia hapsari, fuad abdul hamied, & emi emilia assessment in translanguaging classrooms: experiences and recommendations for university english classes 384 are barely available (marina prilutskaya, 2021), calling for more research on translanguaging in assessment practice (m. prilutskaya & knoph, 2020), and the effects of translanguaging on language learning outcomes (pinto, 2020). among the limited studies is rafi's (2023) study revealing that when assessments were conducted in english only-policy, some students failed the course due to lack of english proficiency despite having substantial knowledge of the subject matter. in indonesian settings, a study by puspitasari and yumarnamto (2020) indicate that translanguaging was used as a scaffolding strategy to acquire english. thus, assessment measuring students’ success in learning was still based on the students’ conformation to native-speaker’s english regardless of the use of translanguaging as instructional strategy. to guide teachers in designing and performing assessments in classroom translanguaging contexts, garcia et al. (2017) propose translanguaging design in assessment as a part of three strands of pedagogical translanguaging – translanguaging stance, translanguaging design, and translanguaging shifts. translanguaging assessment design focuses on measuring learners’ competence in using the full features of their linguistic repertoire to express what they know and can do on classroom tasks (garcia et al., 2017, p.159) rather than the learners’ competence in having native-like proficiency. four principles were proposed: the different voices in assessment (accommodating students’ home language), the use of other people and other resources (maximizing students’ zone of proxima development), the authenticity of the tasks (the real-life use of english), and the distinction between general linguistic (students use of their full features of their linguistic repertoire to express complex thought) and language-specific performances (students’ use of exclusive features of specific named language, e.g., english) (garcia et al., 2017, p.163). for example, students are allowed to use their home language and english to work as a group to complete a project requiring them to deal with the real-life use of english in an international communication, such as making a youtube content about strategies in teaching english to young learners in rural areas of indonesia. during the process, the teacher scores students’ general linguistic performance and language-specific performance differently. this practice differentiates translanguaging assessment from the traditional assessment. translanguaging in assessment is part of translanguaging pedagogy. however, many reported translanguaging classroom studies have not reflected how the translanguaging assessment is designed or how the four principles of translanguaging in the assessment are addressed. many studies on classroom translanguaging identified the students’ success through their improved engagement in classroom activities that is connoted with the students’ improved comprehension of the subject matter (e.g., fang & liu, 2020; panezai et al., 2023) without touching any of the four principles of the translanguaging assessment suggested by garcia et al. (2017). acknowledging students’ engagement as an indicator of students’ improved comprehension is less beneficial for students when their success in learning is determined by their languaging’ close resemblance to that of the native speaker. renandya and chang (2022) even stated that the primary goal of instruction in translanguaging classrooms is more on the mastery of course content rather than language development. they are unsure if translanguaging would help learners of english as a foreign language improve their english proficiency by tagging the cefr level, indicating how english proficiency should be measured. this measurement tends to conform to native-like proficiency. this mismatch practice, where students are taught using translanguaging but assessed using native-speakerism principles, could put students in disadvantaged situations. it is like teaching students using multilingual framework but assessing them using monolingual scheme. this assessment might result in students’ low score, but the score does not portray what the students learn and acquire. classroom translanguaging instructions and assessments should be well aligned to ensure students benefit from learning. to do so, reflections on the already available practices of classroom translanguaging should be performed to explore teachers’ experiences in performing assessments in their translanguaging classrooms. further, discussions on the relevance between the teachers’ experiences and the principles of translanguaging assessment proposed by garcia et al. (2017) can lead to recommendations on specific strategies that can be used to align assessments with translanguaging principles. this recommendation should inform english teachers that the adoption of translanguaging instruction in their english classrooms need to tag along the translanguaging assessment design to provide a just and fair measures of students’ success in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 385 learning. with that in mind, this study focuses on the already available translanguaging classrooms of efl classes at a university in indonesia, guided by the following research questions: (1) what are the experiences of the efl teachers at an indonesian university in performing assessments in their translanguaging classrooms? (2) what are the recommendations for assessment in translanguaging classrooms? method this study was conducted in an english education program at a university in malang, indonesia. the participants were five teachers selected based on their voluntary participation through purposive sampling aiming at non-language skills courses. the exclusion of the language skill courses from the sampling is due to the translanguaging principle that focuses more on multilingual speakers’ unitary language system than rigid adherence to the language system of certain named language (garcía & wei, 2014) as aimed at the language skills courses. while the translanguaging stance of the five teachers remains unclear, all of them are multilingual english teachers holding doctorate degree and have over ten-year experience of teaching the courses using the mixing of english and non-english languages in classrooms. data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the participants, employing interview guides that focused on the four principles of translanguaging in assessment proposed by seltzer (2017): 1). the different voices in assessment, 2). the use of other people and other resources, 3). the authenticity of the tasks, and 4). the distinction between general linguistic and language-specific performances. the semistructured interview was selected as it facilitates the researchers to focus on the topic pertinent to the research objectives while also enables researchers to conduct deeper explorations on the topics (mckinley & rose, 2020). all the interviews were conducted directly, using any language convenient for the participants to express their ideas best, video-recorded and transcribed verbatim. the nonenglish utterances were translated by the first author and cross-checked by the other authors to ensure the accuracy of the meaning delivered. all the transcriptions were analyzed qualitatively using a ‘theoretical’ thematic analysis approach (braun & clarke, 2006). thematic analysis was chosen as it works both to reflect reality, and to unravel the surface of the reality. these functions match this research that aimed at investigating the teachers’ experience pertinent to translanguaging assessment in their classrooms, which entails further in-dept explorations to recommend strategies relevant to the principles of translanguaging assessment. braun & clarke's (2006) ‘theoretical’ thematic analysis is relevant to this study in that the analysis in this study was driven by the researchers’ analytic interest pertinent to translanguaging assessment based on the four principles of translanguaging in assessment (seltzer, 2017). these four principles become the ‘theoretical’ basis that guide the research questions, and consequently set the course of data collection and analysis. therefore, initial data coding was generated from the four principles of translanguaging assessment. then, data were collated to review their relevance with the theme. next, the coded data were reviewed and rechecked against the entire dataset to further develop the themes and to determine its relevance to address the research questions. finally, a detailed analysis of each theme was conducted to establish the descriptions of each theme. results and discussion efl teachers’ experiences in performing assessments in translanguaging classrooms in response to the first research question in this study, the ‘theoretical’ thematic analysis, which follows the braun & clarke's (2006) phases of thematic analysis (figure 1), was employed. yulia hapsari, fuad abdul hamied, & emi emilia assessment in translanguaging classrooms: experiences and recommendations for university english classes 386 figure 1. phases of thematic analysis (braun & clarke, 2006, p.15-23) the results indicated that the efl teachers’ experiences in performing assessments in translanguaging classrooms reflected three out of four principles of translanguaging assessment. the teachers accommodated the different voices in assessment, the use of other people and other resources, and the authenticity of the tasks. nevertheless, the distinction between general linguistic and language-specific performances was still overlooked, indicating that students’ competence in using only the target language in responding to the tasks is still the main focus of the assessment. in addition, the analysis also resulted in the emergence of one theme – shared language among interlocutors – aside from the four principles of translanguaging assessment. this additional theme leads to its potential contribution to how they assess students’ performance. the teachers will regard their students fail when the students use linguistic features of a language that was not shared with the teacher because the teacher cannot understand it. the teachers’ practice relates to mahboob and dutcher (2014), who presented that ability to understand interlocutor’s language practice contributes to building communication competence. the additional theme is presented preceding the other four themes discussed in this study, as stated in the following subheadings. shared language among interlocutors table 1 presents the participants’ details. to comply with research ethics, pseudonyms are used. table 1. the participants’ detail name itp toefl scores language repertoire l1 other language andy 583 indonesian javanese, english, balinese, japanese daisy 576 javanese indonesian, english henry 570 madurese, javanese indonesian, english fanny 563 javanese indonesian, english irene 533 javanese indonesian, english the participants of this study have different language repertoires and english proficiency, as indicated by their itp toefl scores. the study reveals that regardless of their l1, the teachers’ classroom translanguaging practice mainly involved three languages: english, indonesian, and javanese. this fact challenges the understanding of many tesol practitioners that translanguaging is simply using l1 in l2 teaching (renandya & chang, 2022). instead, translanguaging in these classrooms were shaped by shared language between teachers and students, ensuring mutual understanding. the findings align with zein (2020), who stated that within the complexity of superdiverse indonesia, javanese is the most spoken indigenous language, making it the largest ethnolinguistic group in the country as javanese ethnicity accounts for up to 40.22 per cent of the population. the restriction to english, indonesian, and javanese in translanguaging english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 387 classrooms suggests that comprehension is best facilitated when speakers use linguistic features shared by all interlocutors (mahboob & dutcher, 2014). this explains the absence of henry’s l1 (madurese) and andy’s balinese and japanese from their teaching, as these languages were not widely understood by students. andy stated, “i told [students] to respond [to the tasks] in any language that i can also understand because i want to check their understanding about the theories we discussed” daisy also shared a similar notion by explaining that, “it [students’ language choices to be used in the translanguaging classroom] depends on the interlocutors, as the objective is to be understood. so, it’s ok to use translanguaging, but not for full indonesian use. it would be better if they [students] could use full english. if i could put it as a rank, full english ranks first, translanguaging ranks second, and full indonesian ranks third. but the goal is the same: to be understood by the interlocutors. if they can be understood in full english, that’s excellent. if they can’t, they can use translanguaging” while the selection of shared languages facilitate comprehension, it contradicts the broader conceptualization of translanguaging as bi/multilingual use of their full linguistic repertoires to convey meaning without watchful adherence to certain boundaries of named language (garcía & wei, 2014). the imposed language restrictions limit students’ ability to fully leverage their linguistic repertoires, potentially reducing the optimum work of their zone of proximal development (zpd). teachers’ expectations further influenced students’ translanguaging practices. andy explicitly required students to use language she could understand to facilitate comprehension checks. daisy ranked full english as the preferred mode of response, followed by translanguaging, and finally full indonesia. this ranking reflects an implicit hierarchy in language use, reinforcing the perception that english proficiency is the ultimate goal. these attitudes are relevant to garcia et al.'s (2017) argument that translanguaging assessment is shaped by teachers’ translanguaging stance. the different voices in assessment the five teachers – andy, daisy, henry, fanny, and irene – had tried to integrate the home and school unitary language practices by accommodating the use of not only english in their translanguaging classrooms. however, a couple of restrictions that go against the translanguaging concept were still obvious. first, the teachers limit students’ language choices by signaling that only english and indonesian are allowed. for example, irene stated that, “i give them [students] opportunity. if they struggle to explain their ideas in english, they can use indonesian. what matters is that the message is delivered. however, it [shifting into indonesian] reduces their score.” the accommodation of non-english indicates a movement away from monolingualism. however, restrictions to using only certain languages in the translanguaging classrooms do not reflect the concept of translanguaging that promotes a unitary, not separated, language system of bi/multilingual speakers. limiting certain languages to be used in the translanguaging classrooms indicates that bi/multilingual have two or more different languages that work separately. this limitation does not agree with the translanguaging concept that promotes the unitary language use of bi/multilingual (otheguy et al., 2015) in which bi/multilinguals’ languaging should not be considered as a compilation of several different languages because bilinguals’ languaging is not equal to the languaging of two monolinguals (garcia, 2009a). second, most teachers in this study restricted students to using only english to respond to the classroom tasks. the use of non-english will affect students’ scores. daisy pointed out that, “translanguaging is never allowed in any tests because they are english department students. from the very beginning, they are required to respond in english. there was an experience when the students had to write their best practices during their school internship. it was a final project. some students submitted it in indonesian, and some used translanguaging. i returned their work, and they had to re-do it in english unless they got very low scores. ” this assessment practice in the translanguaging classroom did not conform to the translanguaging assessment principles. a translanguaging design for assessment always needs to include many voices that integrate the home and the school juntos – “teacher belief that bilingual student has one yulia hapsari, fuad abdul hamied, & emi emilia assessment in translanguaging classrooms: experiences and recommendations for university english classes 388 language system with features that need to be leveraged together” (garcia et al., 2017, p.135). however, only andy that seemed to accommodate the bi/multilingual students’ home and school languaging practice. andy explained that, “they [students] are given freedom whether to submit their assignment. they can submit it in the form of a video, meaning they are more comfortable speaking their mind, or if they are more comfortable writing up their understanding, they can submit the assignment as a written report. they are also free to use any language and use translanguaging. it’s no problem for me. it will not affect their scores as i focus on assessing their comprehension. the content.” andy’s assessment affirmed that she focuses on understanding students’ comprehension of the subject matter. therefore, she gives students the freedom to express their understanding. students are allowed to use any mode that best expresses their understanding. this assessment practice follows the principle of assessment in translanguaging classrooms, which considers what students can do with content and language on school-based tasks by accommodating the home and school languaging (garcia et al., 2017, p.162). this theme highlights the need for inclusive, equitable, and student-centered assessment practices that consider diverse linguistic backgrounds. in the context of translanguaging as a unitary language system in multilingual speaker’s linguistic repertoire (garcía & wei, 2014) and how assessment in classroom translanguaging should be designed (garcia et al., 2017), this theme informs future assessment practices to acknowledge and leverage students’ full linguistic repertoires by underscoring the fluid and dynamic nature of multilinguals’ language use rather than penalizing the students for using their entire linguistic repertoire. andy’s approach of allowing students to choose their mode of assessment was an example of translanguaging assessment practice which aligns with the idea that assessment should measure comprehension rather than rigid linguistic conformity. the incorporation of multimodal strategies is also fundamental in translanguaging assessment as it can reflect students’ strength and allow them to communicate their knowledge in ways that best suit them. the use of other people and other resources one of the principles of translanguaging in the assessment relates to student’s work in the bilingual zone of proximal development (zpd) to maximize their learning. in this study, this principle emerges as a theme that can be seen from the thematic ‘map’ as suggested by braun & clarke, (2006) thematic analysis phases presented in table 2. table 2. ‘map’ of the use of other people and other resources’ theme extract data source notes theoretical basis theme interviewer: when there are some students who respond to you in indonesian, some other in english with some obvious inaccuracy, and some other respond to you using translanguaging, which one do you prefer? andy: i have no problem with any of them interviewer: no preference? andy: hu um. as long as the students are comfortable with it, i have no problem at all. i position myself as a facilitator. i regard it as a process because they have so far tried their best to use vocabulary they meant to express their ideas. that’s why i really appreciate that. they tried. it means they have the courage to use their language. so, i have no problem with that. andy teacher and translanguaging as a facilitator in students’ zpd students should be given opportunities to use all their interpersonal and intrapersonal sources, as well as external material sources, to ensure that they are working in the zone of proximal development (zpd) to show what they know and can do the use of other people and other resources english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 389 after completing every discussion about a topic, i always remind students to save their comprehension in the whatsapp group so that they can access it at any time they want. if there is a misunderstanding, i make sure to provide a correction because to me it is feedback for me as a teacher. i get to know how my students comprehend the topic. the way they perceive the idea is this way, so i have to review their answers and when i found something not properly understood then i can use it as an opportunity to give a review about the topic to the students. henry teacher as a facilitator in students’ zpd when i noticed that the student was struggling to explain her ideas in english, so tangled up with her words, i then allowed her to use indonesia to continue her explanation. that’s my reason. fanny translanguaging as a facilitator in students’ zpd table 2 shows that not all teachers manifested the principles of translanguaging in the assessment that accommodates the use of other people or resources, as suggested by garcia et al. (2017). including learners’ rights to access all their interpersonal and intrapersonal resources along with external material resources “to show what they know and can do to make sense of and mediate their own learning” (garcia et al., 2017, p.162) is essential in translanguaging classroom assessment. the three teachers indicated in table 2 manifest this principle. andy illustrated that her students’ languaging in responding to her in the translanguaging classroom does not cause any unequal judgment and treatment. moreover, she perceives it as a part of the student’s learning process that needs to be appreciated. in this manner, she implies that both students’ translanguaging and herself could be the resources that could maximize students’ zpd. on a slightly different note, henry’s attitude of providing feedback on students’ misunderstandings has positioned him as the more knowledgeable other to help students’ zpd work optimally. however, translanguaging was not mentioned in his practice. finally, fanny’s permission for her students to use translanguaging to facilitate expressing meaning could provide a safe zone for them to explore their ideas and languages without being judged for being flawed. the provision of the safe zone through translanguaging was also discussed in some studies (e.g., capstick & ateek (2021); tai & wei, (2021a)). this act can position translanguaging as the resource that maximizes students’ zpd to scaffold their language development. garcia et al. (2017, p.162) stated that the interpersonal and intrapersonal resources could be the people around the students, the learners’ inner voice that considers the entire language repertoire, or the material tools for learning that can mediate the task. for example, tai and wei (2021) explored how the ipad as a material tool can create a translanguaging space to facilitate multilingual students to acquire new academic knowledge. tai & wei's (2021) study and the findings of this study imply that the more knowledgeable others in the zpd concept are not always in the form of other people. instead, translanguaging and other material tools can also maximize the work of bi/multilingual students’ zpd to maximize their learning. the authenticity of the tasks the final project of the translanguaging unit plan is an authentic, action-oriented product that students develop and execute within the course unit (garcia et al., 2017, p.162). throughout the completion of this project, students’ performance in the activities constructing the project is assessed for their comprehension of the content and language aimed at by the course unit. this assessment is the basis for authentic, performance-based assessment, which is one of the principles of translanguaging in assessment. such a project is evident in all five teachers’ translanguaging classrooms (see table 3). table 3. the assessed activities and projects teacher activities final project andy classroom discussions, project monitoring 1, project monitoring 2 analyzing a child’s psychological development yulia hapsari, fuad abdul hamied, & emi emilia assessment in translanguaging classrooms: experiences and recommendations for university english classes 390 using piaget’s theory daisy quiz, mid-term written test writing best practice from school internship program henry comprehension notes, mid-term written test, final written test writing a research methodology section of an undergraduate thesis proposal fanny group presentations, mid-term written test analyzing an inclusive classroom irene group work – developing a lesson plan, presenting the lesson plan microteaching – teaching english in informal education contexts henry’s assessment practice indicates authentic, performance-based assessments starting from activities assessment culminating in the final project. as mentioned previously in table 2, henry requires his students to note down their comprehension of a topic once the discussion is completed. then, he provided feedback to mitigate and respond to possible content misunderstandings. in this stage, henry paid more attention to the students’ content than their language. however, translanguaging is never allowed. henry argued that it is important to train students to use english only to explain their comprehension of an academic concept because the final goal of the course is for the students to be able to write a research methodology section of an undergraduate thesis proposal. this final project requires students to accurately describe the implementation of a research methodology concept. henry argued that, “when the concept is incorrect, and the english are inaccurate, it’s a disaster. yet, when the concept is correct, but the english is inaccurate, it is still tolerable. we can work on the language later”. similar ideas are also voiced by andy, stating that “when i assign a project, i always give them [students] freedom to choose how they will work on the project as long as they follow the theoretical framework given, for example, piaget’s theory. then, they can choose whatever mode they feel comfortable using to communicate their thought best. there will be no different scoring based on the language they use. they can freely use indonesia, english, or translanguaging. what matters most is the content, not the language skills.” the arguments of the two teachers imply that they prioritize content over target language use. at some points, the arguments agree with the translanguaging concept that bi/multilingual languaging is a unitary system that cannot be judged separately (garcia, 2009b; otheguy et al., 2015) and that translanguaging can facilitate students’ comprehension (e.g. emilia & hamied, 2022; fang & liu, 2020). however, the emphasis on content over language does not seem to agree with the goal of translanguaging in assessments that assess students’ comprehension of the content and language (garcia et al., 2017). the final projects in the translanguaging unit plan, as outlined in table 3, suggest varying levels of authenticity and opportunities for students to use their full linguistic repertoire. while teachers like andy allow students to use multilanguage and multimodality that aligns with translanguaging principle (see (siu et al., 2023; tai, 2023b; tai & wei, 2021b), teachers like henry restrict translanguaging by insisting on the exclusive use of english for academic writing. while henry’s rationale – that students must be trained to write a research methodology section in english – makes sense for discipline-specific academic writing, it contradicts translanguaging pedagogy, which values multilingual meaning-making throughout the learning and assessment process. by disallowing translanguaging, students may struggle to fully articulate their understanding, limiting the authenticity of the task from a translanguaging perspective. the distinction between general linguistic and language-specific performances translanguaging in assessment aims to assess not only students’ comprehension but also the language required by the translanguaging unit. in assessing the language, garcia et al. (2017) proposed two aspects of language assessment that need to be covered: the general linguistic performance and the language-specific performance. the general linguistic performance refers to speakers’ use of oral and written language to express complex thoughts (e.g., to explain, persuade, argue, compare and contrast, find textbased evidence, give directions, or recount events) by drawing on the full features of their linguistic repertoires. language-specific performance refers to speakers’ exclusive use of features from a named english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 391 language (e.g., spanish, mandarin, english) to perform classroom tasks. garcia et al. (2017) added that using a translanguaging design for assessment allows a better evaluation of students’ content and language learning by ensuring that general linguistic and language-specific performances are never conflated. by distinguishing between these types of performances, a translanguaging design for assessment encourages bilingual children to display their entire language repertoires when their general linguistic performances are being assessed. nevertheless, this study did not indicate that any teachers were implementing the general linguistic performance and language-specific performance assessment. there are some possible explanations for why this principle was overlooked. first, the teachers were familiar with the traditional assessment framework which based on monolingual norms, and not well informed of how translanguaging assessment should be done. regardless of their improved translanguaging stance like andy, her knowledge about classroom translanguaging pedagogy was limited. second, theoretical clarity of general linguistic and language-specific performance is still an issue as there is barely established indicators guiding scoring rubrics separating the assessment of the performances. as a result, the dimensions are often conflated. third, many languages assessment prioritize specificlanguage proficiency rather than how students strategically use multiple languages to construct meaning and solve communication problems. this leads to the overlooking of the distinction between the general linguistic and language-specific performances. the last, educational policy and curricula are still designed around separatelanguage instruction and assessment, discouraging the recognition of translanguaging as a legitimate educational practice in language classrooms. recommendations for assessment in translanguaging classrooms based on the teachers' experience conducting assessments in translanguaging classrooms, recommendations are proposed to improve teachers’ knowledge about translanguaging in assessment and designing translanguaging assessments. improving teachers’ knowledge about translanguaging in assessment this study demonstrates that translanguaging is not simply the use of l1 in teaching l2. improving teachers’ knowledge about translanguaging is crucial since most tesol practitioners might not have comprehensive knowledge of it (renandya & chang, 2022). misleading practices in translanguaging classrooms also frequently occur (see aleksić & garcía (2022); wei & garcía, (2022)). as translanguaging's definition continues to be refined (lewis et al., 2012), “constant awareness and attention to the perspective in which it is applied” (singleton & flynn, 2022, p.1) should be well-maintained. in the pedagogical field, garcia et al. (2017) presented three strands of pedagogical translanguaging – translanguaging stance, translanguaging design, and translanguaging shift – as pivotal guides to implementing the translanguaging concept in classrooms. the translanguaging stance denotes the philosophical, ideological, or belief system teachers adopt to construct an instructional scheme. the translanguaging design comprises the translanguaging instructional design and translanguaging assessment design. lastly, the translanguaging shifts refer to the numerous moment-to-moment decisions made by teachers to demonstrate teachers’ flexibility and readiness to modify the language used to support and empower students’ voices. translanguaging in assessment, part of the second strand of garcia et al.'s (2017) pedagogical translanguaging strands, comprises students’ profiles, dynamic translanguaging progression, and assessment tools. the students’ profiles supply essential information for teachers to design translanguaging assessments, as translanguaging should cater more to students’ language repertoire than the teachers’ language repertoire. the dynamic translanguaging progression of the students requires teachers to pay close attention to students’ general linguistic performance and language-specific performance since the two performances should indicate how the students’ language has been leveraged throughout the course. lastly, the assessment tools to measure what students know and can do with content and language required by the course unit should be able to gather information on two aspects: 1). whether the student’s performance employs all the features of his language repertoire or employs languagespecific features. 2). whether the student performs the assigned task independently, with some help from some other resources, or fails to perform the task. designing translanguaging assessments yulia hapsari, fuad abdul hamied, & emi emilia assessment in translanguaging classrooms: experiences and recommendations for university english classes 392 translanguaging in assessment is an aspect of translanguaging pedagogy. garcia et al. (2017) posited that in translanguaging classrooms, teachers assess students’ knowledge and skills regarding classroom assignments using the students’ full linguistic repertoire. nevertheless, the ability to carry out language-specific activities is also essential. however, this measure should not be evaluated in isolation or treated as a defining representation of the student’s capabilities. consequently, a holistic examination should consistently be employed. thus, the translanguaging assessment design must incorporate teachers deliberate plans (e.g., rafi, 2023a; wang & east, 2023; yunxian & zhonghui, 2024) to evaluate students’ performances to comprehensively understand their capabilities concerning the instructional framework's content, language, and translanguaging objectives. garcia et al. (2017) further added that the translanguaging design for assessment relies on authentic, performance-based instruments that allow teachers to monitor students’ general and language-specific performances as they progress through the dynamic translanguaging progressions. there are four principles of translanguaging for assessment: the different voices in assessment. this principle highlights the importance of incorporating the home and school’s language practices when teachers evaluate students' ability to use content and language on academic tasks. the use of other people and other resources. this principle focuses on providing opportunities for students to use all their interpersonal and intrapersonal resources, along with external material resources, to show their knowledge and skills. this principle deals with students’ zone of proximal development by considering students’ inner voice—the intrapersonal voice that considers the entire language repertoire—to solve problems and show their knowledge. the authenticity of the tasks. assessment of students’ knowledge and skills must be based on authentic, performance-based tasks. therefore, all activities leading to the translanguaging unit plan's final project must be authentic and action oriented. this may result in students creating and implementing a product throughout the unit. the distinction between general linguistic and language-specific performances. this principle characterizes the translanguaging in assessment. the distinction in assessment between students’ general linguistic performance and languagespecific performance “corrects a serious flaw in the contemporary assessment of linguistically diverse students.” (garcia et al., 2017, p.163). assessment tools that can observe and record learners’ understanding, creativity, and curiosity about the substantial ideas needed to complete tasks or projects should accommodate the four principles. these principles should be applied both when the learners use the full features of their linguistic repertoires and when they exclusively use features of one specific language or another. practical strategies for translanguaging assessment enacting translanguaging assessment requires thoughtful considerations. prioritizing content over language (as andy does) aligns with translanguaging principles, but fully excluding linguistic accuracy from assessment contradicts the goal of translanguaging assessment (garcia et al., 2017). while andy embraces translanguaging, henry shares other teachers’ point of view (e.g., chaika, 2023; harumi, 2023; wang, 2020) who sees translanguaging as a temporary scaffold rather than integrated linguistic practice. this reflects that some teachers may fear that allowing translanguaging in assessment could hinder students’ ability to perform in academic english setting. therefore, some practical strategies with some concrete examples could be helpful for teachers who try to design assessment for their classroom translanguaging practices. there are some thoughts of how translanguaging assessment can be administered, first, include activities that allow students to use their full linguistic repertoire (e.g., henry’s task of requiring students to take notes of their comprehension on the topic discussed but by allowing students to draw their full linguistic repertoires in making the notes). second, provide translanguaging spaces (rafi & morgan, 2022; tai, 2023a; tian & lau, 2022) in assessment, such as providing score based on students’ comprehension regardless of languages they use to respond to a task. third, create separate scoring criteria for general linguistic performance (e.g., organization, coherence, argumentation) and language-specific performance (e.g., vocabulary, pronunciation). for writing assessment, idea development and language accuracy should be assessed separately. next, implement portfoliobased assessment where students submit their work in multiple languages, showing how they construct meaning across languages. teachers should view errors in english as a part of a multilingual development process rather than deficiencies. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 393 to note, translanguaging assessment requires institutional support to integrate multilingual strategies into scoring rubrics and learning outcomes so that teachers like henry do not have to feel compelled to enforce english-only policies to meet academic writing standards. tying english assessment to monolingual point of view like what is implemented in many educational policies (see (fang & xu, 2022; sun & rong, 2021; too, 2023) is no longer relevant in the multilingual reality of english learners and users. conclusion this study addresses a critical gap in translanguaging assessment research, which has largely focused on classroom practices rather than how multilingual competencies are evaluated. while translanguaging pedagogy is gaining recognition, assessments remain tied to monolingual norms. this misalignment between translanguaging instruction and assessment often disadvantaging students by emphasizing nativelike english proficiency. employing qualitative research involving five interviewed efl teachers, the findings reveal that while teachers implemented some translanguaging assessment principles, such as incorporating different voices, utilizing resources, and ensuring authenticity of the task, the distinction between general linguistics and language-specific performance was overlooked. additionally, a new theme – shared language among interlocutors – emerged, showing that teachers restricted students to use mutually understood language. these constraints the potential benefit of translanguaging. however, the small sample size (five teachers from a single institution) in this study restricts generalizability of the research. future research should expand the sample size, incorporate mixed-method approaches, and explore deeper on translanguaging assessment guidelines and scoring rubrics. as multilingualism becomes the norm in education, translanguaging assessment has the transformative potential to redefine success in language learning that move beyond monolingual framework to create more equitable learning, ensuring that students are evaluated based on their ability to think critically and express their ideas rather than their conformity to native-speaker norms. references aleksić, g., & garcía, o. (2022). language beyond flags: teachers misunderstanding of translanguaging in preschools. international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 25(10), 3835–3848. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2022.2085029 braun, v., & clarke, v. (2006). using thematic analysis in psychology. qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77–101. http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/11735 capstick, t., & ateek, m. (2021). translanguaging spaces as safe space for psycho-social support in refugee settings in the kurdistan region of iraq. journal of multilingual and multicultural development. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2021.1899192 cenoz, j., & gorter, d. (2020). teaching english through pedagogical translanguaging. world englishes, 39(2), 300–311. https://doi.org/10.1111/weng.12462 chaika, o. (2023). translanguaging in multilingual classrooms: a case study analysis. philological review, 1, 127–135. https://doi.org/10.31499/24158828.1.2023.281366 emilia, e., & hamied, f. a. (2022). translanguaging practices in a tertiary efl context in indonesia. teflin journal, 33(1), 47–74. https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v33i1/4774 fang, f., & liu, y. (2020). ‘using all english is not always meaningful’: stakeholders’ perspectives on the use of and attitudes towards translanguaging at a chinese university. lingua, 247, 102959. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2020.102959 fang, f., & xu, y. (2022). commonalities and conflation of global englishes and translanguaging for equitable english language education. tesl-ej, 26(3), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.26103a9 garcia, o. (2009a). bilingual education in the 21st century: a global perspective (1st ed.). willeyblackwell. garcia, o. (2009b). education, multilingualism and translanguaging in the 21st century. social justice through multilingual education, 140–158. garcia, o., johnson, s. i., & seltzer, k. (2017). the translanguaging classroom: leveraging student bilingualism for learning. caslon, inc. https://lccn.loc.gov/2016019210 garcía, o., & wei, l. (2014). translanguaging: language, bilingualism and education. in translanguaging: language, bilingualism and education (pp. 46–67). palgrave macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137385765 harumi, s. (2023). the facilitative use of learnerinitiated translanguaging in japanese efl contexts. applied pragmatics, 5(1), 86–119. https://doi.org/10.1075/ap.20014.har lewis, g., jones, b., & baker, c. (2012). translanguaging: origins and development from school to street and beyond. educational research and evaluation, 18(7), 641–654. yulia hapsari, fuad abdul hamied, & emi emilia assessment in translanguaging classrooms: experiences and recommendations for university english classes 394 https://doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2012.718488 mahboob, a., & dutcher, l. (2014). dynamic approach to language proficiency-a model. in a. mahboob & l. barratt (eds.), englishes in multilingual contexts: language variation and education (10th ed., pp. 117–136). springer science+business media, inc. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8869-4 mckinley, j., & rose, h. (2020). the routledge handbook of research methods in applied linguistics. in j. mckinley & h. rose (eds.), the routledge handbook of research methods in applied linguistics. routledge. mcnamara, t. (2012). english as a lingua franca: the challenge for language testing. journal of english as a lingua franca, 1(1), 199–202. https://doi.org/10.1515/jelf-2012-0013 otheguy, r., garcía, o., & reid, w. (2015). clarifying translanguaging and deconstructing named languages: a perspective from linguistics. applied linguistics review, 6(3), 281–307. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2015-0014 panezai, a., channa, l. a., & bibi, b. (2023). translanguaging in higher education: exploring interactional spaces for meaning-making in the multilingual universities of pakistan. international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 26(4), 514–527. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2022.2124842 pinto, j. (2020). chinese teachers’ attitudes towards translanguaging and its uses in portuguese foreign language classrooms. theory and practice of second language acquisition, 6(1), 11–30. https://doi.org/10.31261/tapsla.7742 prilutskaya, m., & knoph, r. (2020). research on three l2 writing conditions: students’ perceptions and use of background languages when writing in english. cogent education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2020.1832179 prilutskaya, marina. (2021). examining pedagogical translanguaging: a systematic review of the literature. languages, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/languages6040180 puspitasari, g. d., & yumarnamto, m. (2020). learners' perceptions on the use of indonesian (l1) in the english (l2) intensive course: implications for translanguaging pedagogy. llt journal: a journal on language and language teaching, 23(2), 304–318. https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v23i2.2574 rafi, a. s. m. (2023a). creativity, criticality and translanguaging in assessment design: perspectives from bangladeshi higher education. applied linguistics review, june, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2023-0086 rafi, a. s. m. (2023b). students’ uptake of translanguaging pedagogies and translanguagingoriented assessment in an elt classroom at bangladeshi university. in r. khan, a. bashir, b. l. basu, & m. e. uddin (eds.), local research and glocal perspectives in english language teaching: teaching in changing times (issue january, pp. 1–479). springer nature singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-6458-9 rafi, a. s. m., & morgan, a. m. (2022). translanguaging as a transformative act in a reading classroom: perspectives from a bangladeshi private university. journal of language, identity and education, 00(00), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2021.2004894 renandya, w. a., & chang, a. c. s. (2022). translanguaging: does it work in efl contexts? teaching english as a second or foreign language journal--tesl-ej, 26(3), 25–27. https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.26103a25 singleton, d., & flynn, c. j. (2022). translanguaging: a pedagogical concept that went wandering. international multilingual research journal, 16(2), 136–147. https://doi.org/10.1080/19313152.2021.1985692 siu, p., sohn, b. gi, & lin, a. m. y. (2023). reclaiming a plurilingual voice in emi classrooms: cocreating translanguaging space through the multimodalities-entextualisation cycle. the power of voice in transforming multilingual societies, december, 189–210. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781800412040-013 sun, w., & rong, x. l. (2021). english education reform in asian countries. oxford research encyclopedia of education, june, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093. 013.838 tai, k. w. h. (2023a). cross-curricular connection in an english medium instruction western history classroom: a translanguaging view. language and education, 0(0), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2023.2174379 tai, k. w. h. (2023b). documenting students’ conceptual understanding of second language vocabulary knowledge: a translanguaging analysis of classroom interactions in a primary english as a second language classroom for linguistically and culturally diverse students. applied linguistics review, 1–48. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2023-0181 tai, k. w. h., & wei, l. (2021a). constructing playful talk through translanguaging in english medium instruction mathematics classrooms. applied linguistics, 42(4), 607–640. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amaa043 tai, k. w. h., & wei, l. (2021b). the affordances of ipad for constructing a technology-mediated space in hong kong english medium instruction secondary classrooms: a translanguaging view. language teaching research, july. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211027851 tian, z., & lau, s. m. c. (2022). translanguaging pedagogies in a mandarin-english dual language bilingual education classroom: contextualised learning from teacher-researcher collaboration. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 395 international journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, december, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2022.2161815 too, w. k. (2023). ‘people are already doing it’: malaysian english language teachers’ perceptions on translanguaging. asian englishes, may, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2023.2214769 wang, d. (2020). studying chinese language in higher education: the translanguaging reality through learners’ eyes. in system (vol. 95, issue october 2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102394 wang, d., & east, m. (2023). integrating translanguaging into assessment: students’ responses and perceptions. applied linguistics review, 15(5), 1911–1937. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2023-0087 wei, l., & garcía, o. (2022). not a first language but one repertoire: translanguaging as a decolonizing project. relc journal, 53(2), 313–324. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882221092841 yunxian, c., & zhonghui, w. (2024). integrating translanguaging in formative assessments. research studies in english language teaching and learning, 2(3), 116–131. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.62583/rseltl.v2i 3.46 zein, s. (2020). language policy in superdiverse indonesia. language policy in superdiverse indonesia, march, 1–253. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429019739 yulia hapsari, fuad abdul hamied, & emi emilia assessment in translanguaging classrooms: experiences and recommendations for university english classes 396 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 583 navigating obstacles in academic writing scholarly articles for reputable international journal publication martinus lafu salu1, emi emilia2, gin gin gustine3 1,2,3doctoral program in english education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia 1english education study program, universitas timor, indonesia apa citation: salu, m. l., emilia, e., & gustine, g. g. (2025). navigating obstacles in academic writing scholarly articles for reputable international journal publication. english review: journal of english education, introduction scholarly writing, or academic writing as it is often known, is significant in the academic world. it appears in several forms, such as essays, journal articles, research reports, and theses or dissertations (lesmana & arifin, 2020, p. 13; aunurrahman, hamied & emilia, 2017, p. 72). academic writing publications are typically associated with the researcher’s or university lecturer’s scholastic or expert status in the field. currently, the concept of ‘publish or perish,’ which denotes the importance of writing for publication, has had a significant impact on academia all over the world, including indonesia (polas, 2024, habibie, 2016, hartono, & arjanggi, 2020, emilia, & tehseem, 2013). as a result, indonesian university lecturers, researchers, and postgraduate students are under enormous pressure to publish in reputable international journals or proceedings. the publication or dissemination of academic work by lecturer’s accounts for the importance of assessment outcomes for the research component as one of the main quality assurance requirements (fadhly, emzier & lustyantie, 2018). the results would then be used to assess the quality of indonesian universities in terms of research capabilities and potential, and it appears that the more academic publications there are, the more social prestige universities achieve. furthermore, in some university settings, publications have been discovered to be one of the criteria used for yearly performance appraisal and salary adjustments for university lecturers or researchers (harmawan, pratama, & fadilah, 2023, lathif et al., 2021). writing articles is a topic that has received abstract: the following are the issues raised by this study: 1) what are the challenges that english lecturers face when writing research articles for scholarly publication in a reputable international journal? 2) what are the most significant impediments that english lecturers face when writing research articles for scholarly publication in a reputable international journal. the dominance of english in global studies has recently become an issue of debate in the publishing sector. writing academic papers in english has grown more significant. however, faculty members and postgraduate students face writing barriers in a number of areas, including knowledge claim, textual organization, interference from diverse cultural perspectives, linking the text to the audience, argument structure, grammatical rules, and so on. according to the findings of this study, one of the most common difficulties that researchers encounter while writing is selecting how to claim expertise. furthermore, they emphasize the importance of writing and publishing in a well-known international indexed journal for the benefit of themselves, their university, and their country. they argue that the university should offer them a course, training, or workshop. keywords: obstacles; academic writing; scholarly publication; reputable; international journal; research article. corresponding author: martinls@upi.edu received: 21-02-2024 accepted: 22-04-2024 published: 30-06-20 13(2), 583-592. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11832 mailto:martinls@upi.edu%20/%20martinsalu@unimor.ac.id martinus lafu salu, emi emilia, gin gin gustine navigating obstacles in academic writing scholarly articles for reputable international journal publication much attention in the educational community over the past decade. having an academic writing or article research published is a complex process for educators in all disciplines, including english lecturers and postgraduate students in indonesia, who are both experienced and inexperienced (ahlstrom, 2017, arsyand, et al., 2020). in fact, writing for publication necessitates some fundamental english writing skills to produce academically sound work to be published in wellknown journals (giraldo, 2019, moldovan, 2011). as a result, several university lecturers, regardless of their areas of specialization, would face difficulties when writing research articles in english. various internal and external factors affecting the lecturers in question may be suspected to be an impediment (maniati & jalilifar, 2018). academic writing is the primary purpose of university teaching and learning scholarship (lillis & scott, 2007). lecturers have to instruct students regarding a writing skill that is covered in the current issue of the publication. as a result, it might encourage students to polish their capacity to write for an international publication by pursuing their research interests (tuck, 2012). in this regard, it has been discovered that writing for publication is now thrilling (aydin et al., 2023; buttery, 2010). when we write more regularly, we must think more deeply about the process, components, and new entities. according to klein (2008), writing for publication is a unique opportunity that should be pursued creatively. research and academic publications are among the most critical criteria for university ranking (nurkamto et al., 2024). recognizing this, many universities have imposed publishing pressure on their academic staff of lecturers, particularly the publication of research articles in international peer-reviewed journals of repute (pho & tran, 2016). many studies have been conducted on attitudes toward research and publication and barriers to research and publication; some have focused on students, while others have focused on university lecturers (abdeljaoued, 2018, gustine, 2018). for example, cahyono and amrina (2016) investigated efl students’ perceptions of training in writing research articles for publication. rouault (2017) seeks to clarify the guidelines for getting articles published, outlines an approach to targeting appropriate journals, and improves academicians’ or lecturers’ understanding of the reviewing and revision process. arshad’s (2019) study focused on the difficulties faced by indonesian lecturers in publishing articles in reputable international journals as a factor impeding. chien (2019) investigated taiwanese researchers’ perceptions, problems, and strategies for attempting to publish in english in the field of english teaching. other studies include pho and tran (2016)’s investigation of publication barriers in the social sciences and humanities among vietnamese scholars. although university lecturers are typically regarded as more established and experienced researchers, they face challenges in conducting research and publishing, particularly for reputable international journals. in fact, a large number of studies have focused on the difficulties that lecturers, particularly non-native english speakers, face when publishing in english, which is widely recognized as the international language of scientific publication (sahan et al., 2024). academics from asia to africa, europe, and even canada have reported difficulties with research and publication (pho & tran, 2016). according to flowerdew (1999), language is the most significant barrier to international publication. based on the difficulties identified in previous studies, mostly with non-native english speakers’ international publication, and the research context in indonesia, the current study focuses on the obstacles that indonesian lecturers may face in the process of writing for publication in the field of social sciences and humanities, obstacles before, during, and after the writing. the following are the issues raised by this study: 1) what are the challenges that english lecturers face when writing research articles for scholarly publication in a reputable international journal? 2) what are the most significant impediments that english lecturers face when writing research articles for scholarly publication in a reputable international journal? many people believe that writing ability is not a natural gift, but rather the result of nurture. students at the highest level of education must have read a large number of publications, including research articles. according to the study by cahyono and amrina (2016), the efl doctorate students’ lack of experience in the publication of research-based articles, as shown in the preliminary study supported by previous research studies. according to nolan and rocco (2009), doctoral students frequently complain that they lack understanding of how to write for publication and struggle to meet the quality requirements of professional journals. in their study, catterall, ross, aitchison, and burgin (2011) claimed that english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 585 doctoral writing is frustrating, as evidenced by participant responses, which ranked journal article writing as the second most difficult writing task after writing the doctoral thesis. time constraints, students’ language proficiency, differing expertise of supervisors, insufficient pre-doctoral learning, and the fear of poor manuscript judgment are all factors attributed to the difficulties in writing journal articles or writing for publication. according to rouault (2017), many researchers understand that publications are a necessary evil that they must negotiate as members of the academy for employment, promotion, and meeting research grant requirements. the expectations and requirements for successful submission to academic journals can be intimidating and seem shrouded in secrecy at times. this paper aims to clarify the guidelines for getting articles published, outline strategies for targeting appropriate journals, and improve understanding of the reviewing and revision process. according to rouault (2017), many researchers understand that publications are a necessary evil that they must negotiate as members of the academy for employment, promotion, and meeting research grant requirements. the expectations and requirements for successful submission to academic journals can be intimidating and seem shrouded in secrecy at times. although publication in prestigious journals is not required for every academic position or promotion in asia, some authors may seek to target higher-ranked journals in their field. the academic credentials and publication experience of the editorial board and reviewers, as well as the journal's acceptance rate, can all be used to determine rankings (angelova-stanimirova & lambovski, 2024). furthermore, indices such as the impact factor can provide a more objective profile of a ranking system used to compare journals in a specific field based on the number of times an article has been cited over the previous two years. arsyad (2019) conducted a study to investigate the possible factors preventing university lecturers or professors in indonesia from publishing their research findings in reputable international journals in english. the study employed a mixed (qualitative and quantitative) method, including a national survey and in-depth interviews with selected lecturers and researchers from five indonesian universities. according to the findings, three major factors have prevented lecturers from submitting their articles to reputable international journals: a lack of confidence in the quality of their research and article, the difficulty and time required to prepare an article in english, and a lack of adequate reward for those who successfully publish in reputable international journals. however, most of them are enthusiastic about international journal publication, either for their benefit or for the sake of their institution (hendriarto et al., 2021). the majority of respondents also reported that the top three reasons inhibiting them from writing an article for an international journal include: a) feeling ashamed if the quality of the article is too low, b) writing reputable journal articles is too complex; c) there are no incentives available to those who publish in reputable international journals. the respondents also reported in the interview that the determining problems in international journal publications are: 1) the availability of inadequate international references in faculty and/or university libraries, 2) writing reputable journal articles is too difficult, 3) no financial help for writing articles for international journal publications, and 4) unawareness of the format of article writing that applies to international journals. if a lecturer has publications in reputable international journals, 1) credit points for career promotion, 2) credibility for institutions, 3) self-satisfaction/pride, and 4) personal credibility. according to most respondents (41, 8 % 59, 7 %), the following efforts are adequate to successfully publish in a reputable international journal. these include: 1) studying the format and style of writing research articles in international journals, 2) reading research articles published in international journal as much as possible, 3) confidently sending each research article to reputable international journals, 4) frequently writing articles to be published in national accredited journals, 5) frequently attending workshops on publications in reputable international journal, 6) requesting help from researchers who have successfully published their articles in reputable international journals. based on uzuner’s (2008) review, jaroongkhongdach, todd, keyuravong, and hall (2012) identify the following eight issues for researchers from various countries and disciplines trying to get published in international journals: a) a lack of time, b) a lack of financial resources, c) a lack of connections with the academic community in core countries, d) bias against scholars from peripheral countries, e) parochialism, f) language issues, g) issues with the literature review and discussion sections of research articles, and h) issues with research methodology. martinus lafu salu, emi emilia, gin gin gustine navigating obstacles in academic writing scholarly articles for reputable international journal publication to address these issues, non-native researchers are said to use strategies and resources that make the scholarly publication process easier. cargill and o’connor (2006) described collaboratingcolleague workshops to help chinese researchers improve their english publishing skills. the workshops include four components: a task-based approach, genre pedagogy, reference criteria, and discourse strategies for expressing the researchers’ intended meaning. as a result of globalization, english has almost become “the primary lingua franca for research networking and scientific communication across different disciplines.” among the most important criteria for university ranking are research and academic publications. recognizing this, many universities have placed publishing pressure on their academic staff, particularly the publication of research articles in international peer-reviewed journals. universities in vietnam are no exception. although lecturers recognize the value of research, they place little emphasis on it because it does not provide any rewards for promotion or salary increase. in vietnam, the situation appears to be similar to that of malaysia, in that salary increases are based on seniority rather than research productivity. most vietnamese universities continue to prioritize teaching over research. method this study adopts a descriptive design and takes a qualitative approach. it was designed to investigate the obstacles that lecturers experience while producing research articles for international publication. it also explores their obstacles to writing research articles for publication and the necessity for university assistance in preparing their writing skills for academic publications. the study included twenty instructors and postgraduate students (12 females and eight men) from several indonesian universities. all participants are lecturers; some have extended their studies beyond master’s and doctoral degrees. they are picked based on a variety of criteria. they include educational background, achievement, and experience writing for international publications. purposive sampling was employed to choose participants. because of their status as professors and master’s or doctoral degree students in indonesia, writing for international publication, the participants may be typical of indonesian university master’s or doctoral degree students. a closed questionnaire was created for the instruments. it asked high-level lecturers and postgraduate students to select their answers from a list of options, making it simple to administer, score, and code. the questionnaire contained ten different barriers to lecturers that influence the importance of international publication and the necessity for university support to help teachers prepare for writing assignments. the questions have been sent using google forms. according to ary (2010), the questionnaire is posted on a website created by the researcher, and responders can then answer the questions and submit them online. it was later recognized as a valuable and efficient strategy for researchers and participants. after collecting the data, it was analyzed using percentages. results and discussion the questionnaire was designed to assess students' difficulties in preparing research articles for publication in a reputable international journal. furthermore, all categories have been discussed in a logical order. the obstacles factor faced by english lecturers in writing research articles for scholarly publication in reputable international journal because english is now a language for international communication, all participants agreed that publishing in english can help convey ideas to international readers. according to the findings of the interview, the majority of respondents identified grammar, research-related discussion, a lack of technical vocabulary, sentence formation, confusion over journal templates, and writing styles as linguistic challenges for writing intellectually in english (ngoc, & ngoc, 2021; gohar et al., 2018). to explore the researcher’s obstacles to writing for international publication, based on the responses to the question, 10 respondents (50%) agreed that they continue to struggle with grammar when writing for international publication. furthermore, 15 (75%) respondents disagree that citation impedes their work. furthermore, 19 responders (95%) disagree that citing published material is difficult. the common problem for efl scholarly when writing for publication in english stems from proficiency in standard english as well as mastery of research-related protocol, which can be viewed as a significant impediment for indonesian scholars wishing to publish in a reputable international journal (kapp et al., 2011). according to the study’s findings, 11% (or 52.5%) of those interviewed struggled to structure their arguments while preparing research articles for publication. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 587 furthermore, according to the questionnaire results, 10 (50 percent) of respondents said they still struggle to arrange and develop their ideas in writing. based on the data, 85 percent of researchers believe that “ways to make knowledge claims” are the most challenging part. poor critical and analytical skills, inadequate sources, limited access to dependable sources, bias toward efl authors, managerial duties, lack of university support, lack of faculty training or workshop, and unsatisfactory research skills were discovered in non-linguistic areas of writing for publication in reputable international journals (kwandayi, & muyambo, 202121). furthermore, students (75%) struggle to organize and develop ideas in writing and writing about accepted culture. conversely, the former is not the most crucial method for making a knowledge claim because it just delays textual structure. they may get caught up in how well-organized their concept is. researchers encounter difficulties in organizing and developing their ideas in an orderly (deta et al., 2022). they feel that the best method to overcome this obstacle is for researchers to write more to finally discover the pattern while writing (defianty & hidayat, 2019). furthermore, researchers (85 percent) encounter difficulties dealing with “interference” from various cultural perspectives regarding academic procedures. in the writers’ views, their work may be culturally acceptable, but others from other cultures may find it objectionable. culturally appropriate writing is, of course, challenging. the most influencing obstacles factor faced by english lecturers in writing research articles for scholarly publication in reputable international journal based on the result of the research, the participants were asked about practices that can be undertaken to handle the obstacles to conducting academic research articles for publishing. english language proficiency is a pre-requisite for publishing in top scholarly journals within library and information science (lund., & et al., 2021; getahun & hammad, 2021). providing libraries of academic schools and institutions with appropriate and recent references was perceived to be the most important practice (75 %), followed by providing professional training courses on writing research articles for international publications (70 %) and, supporting knowledge improvement and promoting the expert (65 %). the others handling challenges to international publishing, the participant asked about practices that can be done to handle the obstacle to publishing internationally were preparing funding for international periodicals (80 %), followed by organizing international conferences (75 %), and setting up cooperation agreements between local research schools and institution, and overseas universities to conduct joint research (70 %). in a broad sense, several practices can be undertaken to tackle the obstacles to conducting academic research. according to the findings above, most participants believe publishing in an international journal is essential for higher education academics (adnan et al., 2021). such scholarly practices may include providing financial support, adequate references, training researchers or writers, collaborating with experts or practitioners, and using a pre-established research design. more than half of those polled believed universities could help scholars prepare for research writing by offering courses, workshops, or tutoring (purwanto et al., 2023). it is vital to have suitable training facilities, such as writing professionals to supervise the writing process and an english language centre for language editing. according to photongsunan (2016), university assistance can inspire academics to be more interested and driven to create academic articles while benefiting their studies. conclusion the conclusion may restate the research findings but should not simply state the significant findings. instead, it should contribute to readers’ understanding of the topics and issues raised in the manuscript. the present study shows that the scholarly community faces numerous obstacles in writing research articles for scholarly publication in reputable international journals. successful research articles for publication in reputable international journals are considered of utmost importance to the academic accomplishment of scholars’ english proficiency. however, lecturers and postgraduate students encounter writing obstacles in various areas, such as knowledge claims, textual organization, interference from diverse cultural perspectives, linking the text to the audience, argument structure, grammatical rules, etc. according to this study’s findings, one of the most common difficulties researchers encounter while writing is selecting how to claim expertise. furthermore, they emphasize the importance of writing and publishing in a well-known, internationally indexed journal to benefit martinus lafu salu, emi emilia, gin gin gustine navigating obstacles in academic writing scholarly articles for reputable international journal publication themselves, their university, and their country. they further believe the institution should provide them with a course, training, or workshop to help them hone their writing abilities for recognized international publications. this study makes various recommendations to efl lecturers, postgraduate students, and curriculum designers in indonesia. according to this study’s findings, efl lecturers must pay special attention and focus on writing for reputable international journals. furthermore, lecturers should support and guide students rather than be controlling or demanding. this study also reveals that indonesian efl lecturers recognize the importance and impact of publishing for respected foreign journals. in this regard, lecturers should read extensively, identify the topic and pressing issue, and become more aware of their surroundings. they can also write regularly and expand their publishing network. acknowledgement thank you very much to the head of the english language education study program of doctoral program, faculty of language and literature education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, and also the promotor, prof. emi emilia, ph. d. and the co-promotor gin gin gustine, ph. d. for their supports and togetherness for this research. references ary, d., jacobs, l. c., sorensen, c., & razavieh, a. (2010). introduction to research in education. usa: wadsworth. arsyad, s; purwo, b. k., sukamto, k. e., & adnan, z. (2019). factors hindering indonesian lecturers from publishing articles in reputable international journals. journal on english as a foreign language, 9(1). http://e-journal.iainpalangkaraya.ac.id/index.php/jefl. ahlstrom, d. (2017). how to publish in academic journals: writing a strong and organized introduction section. journal of eastern european and central asian research, 4(2), pp. 1 9. https://doi.org/10.15549/jeecar.v4i2.180. abdeljaoved, m. (2018). tunisian academics at the turbulent times at the jasmine revolution: publication challenges and survival strategies. publishing research quarterly (2018) 34, 347 361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-018-9596-x. adnan, z., arsyad, s., purwo, b. k & sukamto, k. e. (2021). perceptions of indonesian multilingual scholars about preparing and publishing research manuscripts in international journal. studies in english language and education, 8(1), 65 83. https://doi.org/10.2481/siele.v8i1.18969. altikriti, s. (2022). challenges facing jordanian undergraduates in writing graduation research paper. journal of language and linguistic studies, 18(1), 58 67. https://dx.doi.org/10.52462/jlls.166. amobonye, a., lalung, j., mheta, g., & pillai, s. (2024). writing a scientific review article: comprehensive insights for beginners. hindawi: the scientific world journal, 2024, 1 13. doi: https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/7822269. angelova-stanimirova, a., & lambovski, m. (2024). your article is accepted. academic writing for publication: a deep dive into international research on challenges and strategies. journal of language & education, 10(3), 108 127. https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2024.22198. arsyand, s. (2018). struggling for international publication: the potential rhetorical problems for indonesian scholars in social sciences and humanities when writing in english. seventh international conference on language and arts (icla 2018). advances in social science, educational and humanities research, volume 301. arsyand, s., arono., ramadhan, s., & iramaisarah. (2020). the rhetorical problems experienced by indonesian lecturers in social sciences and humanities in writing research article for international journals. the asian journal of applied linguistics, 7(1), 116-129. retrieved from http://caes.hku.hk/ajal. aunurrahman, hamied, f. a., & emilia, e. (2017). exploring the tertiary efl students’ academic writing competencies. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 7(1), 72 79. https://dx.doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v7i1.6860. aydin, a., yuruk, s. e., reisoglu, i., & goktas, y. (2022). main barriers and possible enablers of academicians while publishing. scientometrics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-022-04528-x. azizah, u. a., & tosriadi. (2018). how difficult is claiming knowledge? a study from cognitive domain perspective in writing international scientific article. lingua cultura, 12(2), 123 128.: https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v12i2.4075. annurrahman, h, f. a., & emilia, e. (2017). exploring the tertiary efl students’ academic writing competencies. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 7(1), 72 79. https://dx.doi.org/10.17509/ijal.6860. buttery, t. j. (2010). writing for professional publication: three road signs for writing success. strate journal, 19(2),1-6. cahyono, b.y. & amrina, r. (2016). indonesian efl students’ perception on training in writing research articles for publication. journal of language teaching and research, 7(5), 859866. http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0705.05. chien, s-c. (2019). writing for scholarly publication in english for taiwanese researchers in the field of english teaching. sage open, july-september http://e-journal.iain-palangkaraya.ac.id/index.php/jefl. http://e-journal.iain-palangkaraya.ac.id/index.php/jefl. https://doi.org/10.15549/jeecar.v4i2.180 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-018-9596-x https://doi.org/10.2481/siele.v8i1.18969 https://dx.doi.org/10.52462/jlls.166 https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/7822269 https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2024.22198 https://dx.doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v7i1.6860 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-022-04528-x https://doi.org/10.21512/lc.v12i2.4075 https://dx.doi.org/10.17509/ijal.6860 http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0705.05. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 589 2019: 1-15. http://dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2019.16.2.1 0.591). cargill, m. & o’connor, p. (2009). writing scientific research articles: strategy and steps. wileyblackwell. cargill, m. & o’connor, p. (2006). developing chinese scientists’ skills for publishing in english: evaluating collaborating-colleague workshop based on genre analysis. journal of english for academic purposes, 5, 20-221. catterall, j. ross. p., aitchison, c., & burgin, s. (2011). pedagogical approaches that facilitate writing in postgraduate research candidature in science and technology. journal of university teaching & learning practice, 8(2), 1-10. defianty, m., & hidayat, d. n. (2019). a framework strategy to overcome barriers in writing for publication. 2nd international conference on islam science and technology (iconist 2019). advances in social science, education and humanities research, volume 408. deta, u. a., mubarak, h., mustar, y. s., kohar, a. w., & ghafur, m. a. (2022). study of perceptions and obstacles from postgraduate education students about scientific publications as a graduation requirement. international journal of current educational research, 1(2), 135144. https://doi.org/10.53621/ijocer.v1i2.188. emilia, e., & tehseem, t. (2013). a synthesis of approaches to teaching writing: a case study in an australian primary school. pakistan journal of social sciences (pjss), 33(1), 121 135. fadly, f. z., emzir, e., & lustyantie, n. (2018). exploring cognitive process of research topic selection in academic writing. english review: journal of english education, 7(1), 157 – 166.: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1535. fisher, j. p., jansen, j. a., johnson, p. c., & mikos, a. g. (n.d.). (2020). guidelines for writing a research paper for publication. retrieved october 16th, 2020 from h ttp://www.liebertpub.com/media/pdf/englishresearch-article-writing-guide-pdf. flowerdew, j. (1999). problems in writing for scholarly publication in english: the case of hong kong. journal of second language writing, 8(3), 243 264. ge, m. (2015). english writing for international publication in the age of globalization: practices and perceptions of mainland chinese academics in the humanities and social sciences. publication, 2015, 3, 43-64. jalongo, m. r., boyer, w., & ebbeck, m. (2014). writing for scholarly publication as a “tacit knowledge:” a qualitative focus group study of doctoral students in education. early childhood education journal, 42, 241-250. doi: 10.1007/s10643-013-0624-3. habibie, p. (2016). writing for scholarly publication in canadian higher education context: a case study. in badenhorst, c. m. & geurin, c. (eds.). research literacies and writing pedagogies for master and doctoral writers (pp. 51 67). studies in writing series, leiden: brill publishing. harmawan, v., pratama, v. m., & fadilah, r. (2023). the challenges of writing academic article: voices of higher education students. journal of english language teaching, 12(2), 402 408. https://doi.org/10.24036/jelt.v12i2.120892. hartono., arjanggi, r., nugroho, k. y., maerani, i. a. (2020). lecturers’ attitude toward and anxiety in writing english academic purposes for international publications. english review: journal of english education, 9(1), 217 226. doi: https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3859. hartono., arjanggi, r., nugroho, k. y., maerani, i. a. (2021). lecturers’ language problems in writing english paper for international publications. journal of educational and learning (edulearn), 13(2), 239-246. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v13i2.11438. hendriarto, p., nur, m., asmadianto., nugroho, b. s. (2021). understanding of the challenges of the writing work in academia world: what publication say. jurnal iqra: kajian ilmu pendidikan, 6(1), pp. 99 112. doi: https://doi.org/10.25217/ji.v6i1.1420. hyland, k. (2023). enter the dragon: china and global academic publishing. learned publishing 2023, 36, 394-403. https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1545. getahun, d. a., & hammad, w. (2021). academic writing for publication: putting the ’international’ into context. research in comparative & international education, 16(2), 160-180. https://doi.org/10.1177/17454999211009346 .giraldo, frank. (2019). an english for research publication purposes course: gains, challenges and perceptions. gist educational learning research journal, 18, 198-220. https://doi.org/10.26817/16925777.454. gohar, a. s., radwan, w. w., & morad, h. i. (2018). hindrances of international publication of egyptian educational researcher from the staff members’ point of view at damiettha university. creative education, 9, 1580 1696. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2018.911132. gustine, g. g. (2018). a survey on critical literacy as a pedagogical approach to teaching english in indonesia. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 7(3), 531-537. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v7i3.9798. indrayadi, t. (2023). doctoral students’ challenges in preparing and publishing research in reputable international journals. issues in educational research, 33(3), 1012-1029. http://www.iier.org/iier33/indrayadi.pdf. jalongo, m. r. s., & olivia, n. (2016). writing for http://dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2019.16.2.10.591). http://dx.doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2019.16.2.10.591). https://doi.org/10.53621/ijocer.v1i2.188 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v7i1.1535. https://doi.org/10.24036/jelt.v12i2.120892 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v9i1.3859 https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v13i2.11438 https://doi.org/10.25217/ji.v6i1.1420 https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1545 https://doi.org/10.26817/16925777.454 https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2018.911132 https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v7i3.9798 http://www.iier.org/iier33/indrayadi.pdf martinus lafu salu, emi emilia, gin gin gustine navigating obstacles in academic writing scholarly articles for reputable international journal publication publication: transitions & tools that support scholars’ success. springer. johann, d., neufeld, j., thomas, k., rathmann, j., & rauhut, h. (2023). the impact of researchers perceived on their publication strategies. research evaluation, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvae011. kapp, c. a., albertyn, r. m., & frick, b. l. (2011). writing for publication: an intervention to overcome barriers to scholarly writing. sajhe, 25(4), pp. 741 759. kwandayi, h., & muyambo, t. (2021). critiquing and replicating research articles to enhance students’ research skills. journal of management & administration, pp. 19 34. doi: klein, j. f. (2008). advancing one’s understanding of school counseling through publication: the “what” and “how” of writing article. gsca journal, 1(1), 10-11. lillis, t., & scott, m. (2007). defining academic literacies research: issues of epistemology, ideology and strategy. journal of applied linguistics, 4(1), 5-32. lesmana, n., & ariffin, k. (2020). problems in writing scholarly articles in english among indonesian efl post-graduate students. international journal of academic research in progressive education & development, 9(4), 12 24. https://dx.doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v9i4/8174. lathif, m., nurkamto, j., & kristina, d. (2021). elt graduate students’ challenges of writing for scholarly publication: discursive perspectives. els journal on interdisciplinary studies in humanities, 4(1), 13-19. https://doi.org/10.34050/elsjish. v4i1.13044. lesmana, n., & ariffin, k. (2020). problems in writing scholarly articles in english among indonesian efl post-graduate students. international journal of academic research in progressive education & development, 9(4), 12 24. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v9i4/8174. lund, b. d., & et al. (2021). barriers to scholarly publishing among library and information science researchers: international perspectives information development, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669211052522. luo, n., & hyland, k. (2020). international publishing as a networked activity: collegial support for chinese scientists. applied linguistics, 2020, 1 24. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amz071. maharani, r., hakiki, s. s., & safitri, s. (2023). students’ problems in writing academic article: a case study in academic writing class. english education: jurnal tadris bahasa inggris, 16(2), 219 237. maniati, m., & jalilifar, a. (2018). strategies for publishing in in english journals: a study of the perception of iranian scholars. learning publishing 2018, 31, 355-365. https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1186. moldovan, c. (2011). writing a scientific paper in english challenges and common errors. revista romana de medicina de laborator, 19(4/4), 391-394. nolan, r. & rocco, t (2009). teaching graduate students in the social sciences writing for publication. international journal of teaching and learning in higher education, 20(2), 267273. retrieved october 28nd, 2020 from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej864344.pdf. ngoc, t. t. m., & ngoc, t. b. (2021). challenges faced by english majors when writing research papers. american journal of humanities and social sciences research (ajhssr), 05(12), pp. 162 166. nurkamto, j., prihandoko., putro, n. h. p. s., & purwati, o. (2024). academic writing apprehension in higher education: a systematic review. studies english language and education, 11(1), 247-266. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v11i1.28928. pho, p. d. & tran, t. m. p. (2016). obstacles to scholarly publishing in the social sciences and humanities: a case study of vietnamese scholars. journal mdpi, 4(19). 10.3390/publications4030019. phothongsunan, s. (2016). thai university academics’ challenges of writing for publication in english. theory and practice in language studies, 6(4), 681-685. purwanto, a., fahmi, k., & cahyono, y. (2023). online workshop of article writing for scopus indexed journals. journal of community service and engagement (jocosae), 3(1), 33-39. https://doi.org/10.177/21582440221095021. paltridge, b. (2020). engagement and reviewers’ reports on submissions to academic journals. journal of english for research publication purposes, 1(1), 4 27. https://doi.org/10.1075/jerpp.19007.pal. pho, p. d., & tran, t. m. d. (2016). obstacles to scholarly publishing in the social sciences and humanities. a case study of vietnamese scholars. publications, 4(19), 1-23. https:// doi.org/10.3390/publications4030019 polas, m. r. h. (2024). publish or perish! challenges and strategies in publishing research papers in top-tier academic journals. journal of business & management, 2(1), 11-22. : https://doi.org/10.47747/jbm.v2i1.1593. rouault, g. (2017). writing for academic publication: advice drawn from experienced international journal editors. asian focused elt research and practice: voices from the far edge (book chapter edited by kelly kimura & john middlecamp). idp education cambodia ltd. https://doi.org/10.5746/leia/14/v5/12/a02/r ouault. https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvae011 https://dx.doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v9-i4/8174 https://dx.doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v9-i4/8174 https://doi.org/10.34050/elsjish.%20v4i1.13044 https://dx.doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v9-i4/8174 https://dx.doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v9-i4/8174 https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669211052522 https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amz071 https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1186 http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ej864344.pdf https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v11i1.28928 https://doi.org/10.177/21582440221095021 https://doi.org/10.1075/jerpp.19007.pal https://doi.org/10.47747/jbm.v2i1.1593 https://doi.org/10.5746/leia/14/v5/12/a02/rouault. https://doi.org/10.5746/leia/14/v5/12/a02/rouault. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 591 sahan, a., saridewi, m. p., wabang, r. j., & nabung, a. (2024). higher institution students’ challenges in writing journal articles: characteristics and proposed solutions. english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 269 282. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.8595. tiwari, h. p. (2023). challenges of writing research articles in english for university-level efl teachers. vision: journal for language and foreign language learning, 12(2), 129 146. https://doi.org/10.21580/vjv13i118591. tuck, j. (2012). feedback-giving as social practice: teachers, perspectives on feedback as institutional requirement, work and dialogue. teaching in higher education, 17(2), 209-221. uzuner, s. (2008). multilingual scholars’ participation in core/global academic communities: a literature review. journal of english for academic purposes, 250-263. ulya, s. (2022). rhetorical moves variations of research article discussion sections published in reputable journals. premise: journal of english education and applied linguistics, 11(3), 632 645. doi: https://doi.org/10.24127/pj.v11i3.5615. wardhana, d. e., & hindarto, k. s. (2022). problems in writing a qualified journal article publishing an article in a reputable international journal: what makes it a mission impossible? (especially at the result and discussion). education quarterly reviews, 5(2), 35 39. https://doi.org/10.31014/aior/1993.05.02.465. yong, f. l., & tan, n., albert, f., & chuah, f. (2024). academic writing among students who are gifted: issues, challenges, and recommendations. international journal of novel research in education and learning, 11(5), 88 99. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14006384. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.8595 https://doi.org/10.21580/vjv13i118591 https://doi.org/10.24127/pj.v11i3.5615 https://doi.org/10.31014/aior/1993.05.02.465 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14006384 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 205 efl students' perceptions of ai speech recognition in pronunciation practice: the case of google read along fitriana kartika sari agribussiness, faculty of science and technology, universitas muhadi setiabudi, brebes, indonesia email: fitrianakartika12@gmail.com prasetyo yuli kurniawan language and literature education, faculty of teacher and training education, universitas muhadi setiabudi university, brebes, indonesia email: prasetyoyulikurniawan@gmail.com apa citation: sari, f. k., & kurniawan, p. y. (2025). efl students' perceptions of ai speech recognition in pronunciation practice: the case of google read along. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 205-214. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.10751 received: 12-09-2024 accepted: 10-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 introduction learning english as a foreign language (efl) at the higher level in indonesia is still faced with several problems such as lack of vocabulary mastery, pronunciation and lack of motivation or students learning interest chand, 2021; gusti et al., 2021). pronunciation is a critical component of language proficiency, yet it is often one of the most difficult skills for efl learners to master (abdalla et al., 2020). pronunciation remains a persistent challenge for efl learners due to the lack of personalized feedback and practice opportunities(sun, 2023a). despite the integration of technology in language learning, many existing tools and methods fail to address the individual needs of learners, particularly in the area of pronunciation. pronunciation involves the correct articulation of sounds, the rhythm of speech, and intonation patterns that convey meaning (ridho khualid et al., 2024). these elements can vary greatly from a learner’s native language, leading to difficulties in producing sounds that are not present in their native language (wahyuningsih & afandi, 2020). for example, english contains certain sounds, such as the “th” in “this” or “thin,” that may not exist in many other languages, leading to common pronunciation errors where these sounds are replaced with more familiar sounds from the learner’s native language. additionally, vowel sounds in english often vary greatly in pronunciation depending on context, causing confusion for learners whose native languages have more consistent vowel sounds (cebrian et al., 2021). traditional classroom approaches often lack the resources to provide targeted, real-time feedback, leaving students with limited opportunities for consistent and effective practice. traditional pronunciation teaching methods, such as drills and repetition, often lack the immediate and personalized feedback that learners need to effectively interpret errors (nasim et al., 2022; pennington, 2021). with the rise of artificial intelligence (ai) in education, ai-powered speech recognition technology offers a new approach to abstract: the study aimed to exploring students’ perception of implementing ai speech recognition to facilitate students’ pronunciation in efl students context. quantitative and qualitative data were gained by applying a questionnaire and interviews. the study conducted at non-english and english study program from four different universities: universitas muhadi setiabudi, universitas pancasakti tegal, universitas pekalongan, and universitas jenderal soedirman. respondents in this study were 45 students from the english study program who joining the pronunciation course and 75 non-english students who joining the english course. the result showed that students have positive perceptions of the use ai speech recognition in google read along application to facilitate english pronunciation learning. at the same time, students also stated that application's functionality may need to be supplemented with other learning tools for more comprehensive pronunciation training and the google read application would be more optimal if there was collaboration with the lecturer. in conclusion, the google read along application is an effective tool for enhancing students' pronunciation skills and providing valuable feedback. keywords: ai speech recognition; efl students; google read along; pronunciation mailto:fitrianakartika12@gmail.com mailto:prasetyoyulikurniawan@gmail.com2 fitriana kartika sari & prasetyo yuli kurniawan efl students' perceptions of ai speech recognition in pronunciation practice: the case of google read along 206 addressing these challenges (singh, 2023). while ai speech recognition (asr) tools have emerged as a potential solution, research in this area remains insufficient. most studies focus on general language learning technologies, neglecting the specific impact of asr tools on pronunciation skills. moreover, existing research often emphasizes advanced, less accessible platforms, which may not be suitable for younger or beginner-level learners. this highlights a critical gap in understanding how widely available and user-friendly asr tools can be leveraged to improve pronunciation. recently the integration of artificial intelligence (ai) in language learning has transformed how educators and learners approach the acquisition of a new language (hasibuan et al., 2023; wei, 2023). among the various applications of ai, speech recognition technology has emerged as a particularly powerful tool, especially for learners of english as a foreign language (efl) (dennis, 2024). this technology offers innovative solutions to one of the most challenging aspects of language learning: pronunciation. speech recognition improves overall language proficiency and communicative competence for esl/efl learners significantly (choukaier, 2024; rajendran & md yunus, 2021) ai speech recognition technology has the potential to revolutionize pronunciation practice in efl contexts by analyzing spoken language, comparing it to native speaker models, and providing real-time feedback (djafar & hamidah, 2024). one of the most significant benefits of this technology is its ability to offer immediate feedback, allowing learners to receive instant corrections on their pronunciation errors (sun, 2023). this real-time feedback loop enables learners to make adjustments on the spot, leading to more effective and efficient learning outcomes (mejeh & rehm, 2024). additionally, ai speech recognition systems can personalize learning experiences by adapting to the individual needs of each learner (qin & zhong, 2024). by tracking progress and identifying recurring pronunciation issues, the technology can tailor exercises to address specific problem areas, ensuring that learners receive the support they need to overcome their unique challenges. furthermore, the interactive nature of aipowered pronunciation tools enhance learner engagement by offering a dynamic and interactive learning experience, unlike traditional methods that can be repetitive and monotonous (ajabshir, 2023). features like gamification, scoring, and progress tracking further motivate learners to practice regularly and achieve their pronunciation goals (sari, nisa, listyanto, & iskandar, 2023). moreover, ai speech recognition tools are accessible across various digital platforms, providing learners with the flexibility to practice pronunciation at their own pace and convenience, anytime and anywhere, even outside of the classroom environment (khider et al., 2023) educators have a multitude of opportunities to integrate ai speech recognition technology into their teaching strategies, enhancing the overall learning experience in diverse and impactful ways (hlongwane et al., 2024). for instance, teachers can seamlessly incorporate ai-powered apps into their curriculum, using them to supplement classroom instruction by allowing students to engage in pronunciation practice both during and after lessons (shoukat et al., 2024). these apps can serve as valuable tools for reinforcing concepts taught in class, providing students with additional practice opportunities that are tailored to their individual needs (southwell et al., 2022). furthermore, ai speech recognition technology can be utilized for assessment purposes, offering educators detailed insights into each student’s progress (yang et al., 2024). this data-driven approach enables teachers to identify specific areas where students may be struggling, allowing them to offer targeted interventions and support. by incorporating ai speech recognition into their teaching strategies, educators can create a more personalized and responsive learning environment that not only enhances students’ pronunciation skills but also supports their overall language development (ishaka putra et al., 2023). development research on the sredo application as an english learning media with object detection and speech recognition features conducted in elementary school learning shows that the level of usability of the sredo learning media is very satisfying and acceptable. this application has proven to be very appropriate and effective in learning english by utilizing object detection and speech recognition technology (setiawan et al., 2023). other research on the use of asr shows that the use of asr is one way to help learners achieve language targets by providing authentic materials such as native speakers and providing direct correction and feedback in pronunciation exercises, this makes the learning atmosphere more interactive and interesting. qualitative descriptive research conducted on the use of google voice in english learning shows that the integration of technology english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 207 in teacherstudent interactions in the classroom makes the learning atmosphere more effective and efficient, helps teachers package learning to be more interactive and triggers students' interest in participating in learning (muzdalifah, 2021). research related to the integration of technology in learning conducted using quantitative descriptive methods shows that the integration of technology in teacherstudent interactions in the classroom makes the learning atmosphere more effective and efficient, helps teachers package learning to be more interactive and triggers students' interest in participating in learning (basri et al., 2019; khatoony & nezhadmehr, 2020) other research related to asr in pronunciation learning at the university level shows that students feel more confident and improve their pronunciation skills and also feel an increase in motivation to learn english pronunciation using english pronunciation learning applications that use speech recognition technology (anggraini, 2022). based on the literature review above, this study has differences and advantages that the use of the ai speech recognition feature in the google read application along with learning english pronunciation not only utilizes technological advances but also integrates it with artificial intelligence (ai) in ai speech recognition technology. this is one of the innovations in the scope of educational technology so that interactive interactions do not only occur between lecturers and students but also the third component in learning, namely lecturers, students, and learning media, this is what makes the novelty in this research. the research is guided by the following questions: (1) what are the perceptions and experiences of efl students in using the google read application along with ai speech recognition for pronunciation learning?; (2) can ai speech recognition in the google read along application help overcome common mistakes in english pronunciation that are often made by efl students?. this study focuses on google read along, an ai-driven application designed to enhance reading and pronunciation skills, particularly among young learners. with its accessibility, userfriendly interface, and affordability, google read along has the potential to democratize language learning tools for efl students. however, its effectiveness in addressing pronunciation challenges remains underexplored. by examining students' perceptions of its use, this study aims to fill the gap in the literature and provide practical insights for educators and developers. method the research design used in this research is a qualitative method, which was chosen to analyze the data obtained from the questionnaire. in addition, exploratory qualitative methods were applied to interview data to exploring broader and deeper information (makri & neely, 2021) the research was carried out in the third semester of the non-english education program and in the five semesters of the english education program from four different university: universitas muhadi setiabudi, universitas pancasakti tegal, universitas pekalongan, and universitas jenderal soedirman. the number of participants was 120 who were taken through disproportionate stratified random sampling because the population is stratified and not proportional (makwana et al., 2023). this study method, chosen to ensure the participation of efl students who actively engage in english pronunciation practice. this method was deemed appropriate as it focuses on a relevant subgroup, specifically students with the motivation and experience necessary for utilizing ai-based technology such as google read along. by selecting this sample, the study aims to gain in-depth insights into the effectiveness of the tool for the target population. the intervention in this study was systematically designed to optimize the ai speech recognition feature of google read along: the intervention consisted of 8 sessions, conducted over four weeks. each session lasted 45 minutes. the types of exercises: (1) pronunciation drills; (2) interactive reading tasks using stories within the app; (3) error correction exercises guided by ai feedback. google read along was integrated as the primary feedback mechanism. participants read interactive stories in the app, and the ai provided immediate corrections and suggestions. this approach allowed for a personalized and adaptive learning experience. data collection was carried out through questionnaires and interviews to identify student responses after using ai speech recognition on the google read along application in pronunciation. before the author distributes it questionnaires and interviewing participants, they follow the teaching and learning process for four weeks using ai speech recognition. after completing the learning process, questionnaires were distributed to them. fitriana kartika sari & prasetyo yuli kurniawan efl students' perceptions of ai speech recognition in pronunciation practice: the case of google read along 208 to ensure the reliability and validity of the research instruments, the following steps were taken a pilot study was conducted with a smaller group of participants to evaluate the clarity and consistency of the questionnaire. based on reliability testing on the questionnaire sent using spps, the result is that the cronbach alpha value is 0.981, which indicates that the statements is quite reliable. table 1. raliability of questionnaire items cronbach’s alpha cronbach’s alpha based on standardized items n of items .981 .982 12 content validity was established through expert reviews involving language educators and ai specialists, ensuring that the questionnaire items were relevant to the research objectives. table 2. validity of questionnaires items question number r count r table description 1 0.915 0.576 valid 2 0.904 0.576 valid 3 0.910 0.576 valid 4 0.883 0.576 valid 5 0.922 0.576 valid 6 0.956 0.576 valid 7 0.931 0.576 valid 8 0.963 0.576 valid 9 0.941 0.576 valid 10 0.879 0.576 valid 11 0.920 0.576 valid 12 0.854 0.576 valid based on validity testing on questionnaires sent using spss, the results are as follows the calculated r value > r table based on a significance test of 0.05, meaning that the items mentioned above are valid. data analysis was carried out statistically for the results obtained from the questionnaire instrument, with the aim of calculating an average score that represents the overall views of the respondents. this statistical analysis process includes processing and calculating quantitative data from each questionnaire item, so that researchers can identify general trends or patterns in the answers given by the participants (karunarathna et al., 2024). in addition, data obtained from interviews was analyzed descriptively, where each response was examined in depth to describe the views and experiences of the research subjects (jain, 2021). this descriptive analysis not only involves organizing data, but also interpreting the meaning behind respondents' statements, which are then structured into a coherent narrative. this approach allows researchers to provide a richer and more detailed of qualitative findings, revealing insights that cannot be gained through statistical methods alone (acar & kayaoglu, 2020) results and discussion the results of this study are divided into several sub-sections. first, it provides data on the perceptions and experiences of efl students in using the google read along app with ai speech recognition for pronunciation learning. second, it explores whether ai speech recognition in the google read along application can help address common pronunciation errors frequently made by efl students. this study focuses on the use of artificial intelligence (ai) in english language learning, specifically in the context of pronunciation for efl learners. the ai technology examined in this study is the ai speech recognition in the google read along application. the research was conducted at four universities with a total of 120 student respondents. the questionnaire was distributed to students with both english and nonenglish educational backgrounds, provided they had completed english language courses. the summary of the questionnaire data is presented in the following table. table 3. student's perception and experience in using the google read along app no statement score category 1 you feel more confident in your pronunciation after using this app 66.3% agree 2 this app helps you better understand your pronunciation mistakes 56.4% agree 3 you feel more motivated to learn pronunciation after using this app 63.4% agree 4 the google read along app is easy to use for pronunciation learning 75.2% agree based on table 1, it can be seen that the perceptions and experiences of efl students in using the google read along app in pronunciation learning are very positive (al-sofi, 2020; metruk, 2021). the most of students find the app easy to use, as indicated by a score of english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 209 75.2%, which helps them practice pronunciation independently (b. setiawan et al., 2024) some students also stated that the feedback provided by the app, despite being ai-based, is very helpful in correcting their pronunciation mistakes (56.4%), making them feel more confident in their english pronunciation skills (66.3%). this aligns with research conducted by (nety et al., 2020) which shows that students feel more confident, improve their pronunciation skills, and experience increased motivation to learn english pronunciation using apps that employ speech recognition technology. the increase in confidence also has an impact on students’ motivation to learn english pronunciation (63.4%). the boost in confidence and motivation experienced by learners when using asr technology can enhance engagement and perseverance in their l2 learning efforts (gürbüz & cabaroğlu, 2021; pitriyah & sulistyaningrum, 2024). table 4. effectiveness of google read along in detecting common pronunciation errors no statement score category 1 the google read along app helps you identify and correct vowel sound pronunciation errors 53.5% agree 2 the google read along app helps you identify and correct consonant sound pronunciation errors 47.5% agree 3 the google read along app helps you identify and correct syllable pronunciation errors 59.4% agree 4 the google read along app helps you identify and correct word stress errors 58.4% agree 5 the google read along app helps you identify and correct sentence stress errors 58.4% agree 6 the google read along app helps you identify and correct intonation errors 54.5% agree 7 the google read along app helps you identify and correct connected speech errors 57.4% agree 8 the google read 57.4% agree along app helps you identify and correct rhythm and tone errors based on table 3 above, the research results show that the ai speech recognition in the google read along app can effectively help address several common pronunciation errors in english often made by efl students (thi-nhu ngo et al., 2024) errors such as incorrect vowel pronunciation (53.5%), consonant pronunciation (47.5%), syllable pronunciation (59.4%), sentence stress placement (58.4%), basic intonation (54.5%), connected speech (57.4%), as well as rhythm and tone errors (57.4%) can be corrected through regular use of this app. the data shows that students demonstrated greater improvement in vowel pronunciation errors compared to consonant errors. this can be attributed to the design of google read along’s ai feedback system, which is more effective at detecting and correcting elongated and stressed vowel sounds. vowels, being more distinct in phonetic duration and resonance, are easier for the ai to analyze and assess. conversely, consonants particularly those involving subtle articulatory differences like fricatives or plosives are less salient in audio signals, making them harder for the system to process accurately. furthermore, vowels often carry more weight in distinguishing meaning in spoken english, which may encourage students to focus on improving them during practice. however, some more complex errors, such as pronunciation influenced by local accents or specific phonological mistakes, require further intervention from instructors for refinement (ahmad et al., 2024). the use of technology in pronunciation learning, especially in correcting syllable pronunciation and connected speech, was found to be effective (al-jarf, 2022) however, it was also noted that more complex errors, such as those influenced by local accents, often require additional guidance from instructors (stevani et al., 2023). after respondents completed the questionnaire, the researchers selected several samples for follow-up interviews. these interviews were conducted in person, and recordings were made for data collection purposes. the aim of this stage was to gather more in-depth information based on the data obtained in the previous phase (taherdoost, 2021) below is the transcript from the interview recordings: students’ perceptions and experiences in using the google read along app with ai speech fitriana kartika sari & prasetyo yuli kurniawan efl students' perceptions of ai speech recognition in pronunciation practice: the case of google read along 210 recognition for pronunciation learning “after using this app, i feel more confident in my english pronunciation. i'm no longer embarrassed to pronounce english words because i now know how to pronounce them correctly.” (respondent 1) “i find this app very helpful, especially since i can practice anytime, anywhere. the ai speech recognition provides real-time feedback on how i pronounce words, allowing me to fix my mistakes instantly.” (respondent 2) “i like the feature where i can hear how native speakers pronounce words, then i try to imitate them. after that, the ai evaluates whether my pronunciation is correct. it's very useful, especially since i often struggle with certain sounds in english.” (respondent 3) “after a few weeks of using google read along, i’ve noticed significant improvements in my pronunciation, especially with long vowels and tricky consonants. i feel more confident speaking english in class and see real progress.” (respondent 4) based on the interview responses above, it can be concluded that google read along has a positive impact on students’ pronunciation skill and confidence. google read along help students to pronounce english word correctly, reducing embarrassment and hesitation in speaking. the overwhelmingly positive perceptions of the app among students align closely with their measurable improvements in pronunciation. many students reported feeling more confident and engaged due to the app’s immediate feedback and gamified approach. this positive feedback loop likely contributed to sustained effort and practice, resulting in tangible progress. however, it is important to note that perceptions alone do not guarantee improvement, as consistent practice and intrinsic motivation also play critical roles. the alignment of perceptions with objective outcomes in this study underscores the potential of ai tools like google read along to bridge the gap between learning enjoyment and actual skill development (egara & mosimege, 2024). this application can be used anywhere and anytime, and students’ also receiving real-time and immediate correction feedback (saadia, 2023) in another word, the respondent responses indicate that the app is effective in enhancing pronunciation, providing accessible practice opportunities, and increasing confidence among learners. the real-time feedback, native speaker imitation, and error correction seem to be the key features contributing to these improvements (qiao & zhao, 2023) ai speech recognition in the google read along app helping to address common english pronunciation errors made by efl students “yes, it’s very helpful. the ai detects even small mistakes that i usually overlook, like the difference between long and short vowels. for example, i often mix up 'ship' and 'sheep,' but the ai immediately points out the mistake and shows me how to correct it.” “absolutely. the ai not only corrects my pronunciation but also helps me understand the proper intonation and stress. for example, i often stress words incorrectly, like in 'photography' and 'photograph.' the ai clearly shows where the stress should be, and i quickly learn to fix my pronunciation.” “some mistakes, like the 'r' sound in certain words, especially in the middle of words like 'world,' are still difficult to correct. the ai gives feedback, but it still takes time and extra practice to improve. however, i believe the ai will help me fix these issues over time.” “besides vowels and consonants, i often struggle with connected speech when speaking quickly. the ai helps me be more aware of correct pronunciation when words blend together, like in phrases such as 'want to,' which sounds like 'wanna.' it helps me understand when i can use a more relaxed pronunciation and when i need to be clearer.” based on the interview analysist revealed that most respondents indicated that the app has increased students’ confidence in their english pronunciation. the students appreciate the realtime feedback, flexibility, and ability to mimic native speaker pronunciation (sudirahayu et al., 2024). the respondent report significant improvements in vowel, consonant, and intonation pronunciation and feel more confident speaking english in the classroom (bashori et al., 2024). in addressing pronunciation errors: the app helps students overcome common pronunciation errors, such as long versus short vowels, word stress, and connected speech (inceoglu et al., 2020). however, more complex errors, such as those influenced by local accents or certain sounds, require extra time and practice to correct. overall, the google read along app with ai english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 211 speech recognition has proven effective in helping efl students improve their english pronunciation, although further intervention from instructors may be needed for more complex errors (takenouchi, 2022) the findings in this study are consistent with previous research that highlights the effectiveness of ai tools in improving pronunciation accuracy. studies on ai-based language learning tools, such as duolingo and elsa speak, also report significant gains in phonetic accuracy, particularly in vowel sounds (anggraini, 2022; dini et al., 2020; stevani et al., 2023). however, some discrepancies emerge when considering the efficacy of ai tools for nuanced consonantal errors or regional accents. unlike those tools, google read along is primarily designed for younger learners, which may account for its simplified feedback mechanism. this limitation suggests that while read along is effective for foundational pronunciation practice, it may not address advanced or context-specific needs as comprehensively as other tools. conclusion the research finding showed that students have positive perceptions of the usage ai speech recognition in google read along application. students responded positively to the google read along app. they found it engaging and userfriendly, which helped to maintain their interest in improving pronunciation and reading skills. many students appreciated the immediate feedback feature of the app, which allowed them to identify and correct errors in real-time. however, some students expressed concerns about the accuracy and consistency of the app's feedback, particularly with less common words or accents. in the effectiveness of the application in detecting pronunciation errors, the application proved effective in detecting common pronunciation errors, especially with frequently used words. it helped students become more aware of their mistakes and provided suggestions for improvement. while it detected common errors efficiently, there were limitations in recognizing more nuanced or advanced pronunciation issues, indicating that the application's functionality may need to be supplemented with other learning tools for more comprehensive pronunciation training. while the study provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of google read along’s ai speech recognition in improving efl students' pronunciation, several limitations should be acknowledged. one significant limitation is the short duration of the intervention, which may not allow for the full development of students’ pronunciation skills. a longer intervention period could yield more comprehensive insights into the app's impact over time. additionally, while the ai feedback is effective for addressing basic pronunciation errors, complex errors, particularly those influenced by regional accents or advanced phonetic nuances, require instructor involvement. the ai's feedback mechanism, while efficient, is not yet equipped to handle such complexities independently. the findings suggest several practical implications for educators. ai tools like google read along can effectively complement traditional pronunciation instruction by providing consistent, real-time feedback and fostering independent practice outside the classroom. however, educators should be mindful of the tool’s limitations and use it in conjunction with face-to-face instruction to address nuanced errors and provide personalized guidance. additionally, integrating such tools into a blended learning approach can help sustain student engagement and improve overall learning outcomes. by leveraging the strengths of ai while mitigating its weaknesses, educators can create a more holistic and effective learning environment for efl students. based on these findings, several recommendations can be made. for educators, it is recommended to use google read along as an additional tool to reinforce classroom activities, providing students with additional practice and feedback outside of the formal learning environment. this can help maintain engagement and strengthen key pronunciation skills. for developers, the main area for improvement lies in improving the ai's error detection capabilities, especially for the robustness of different pronunciations such as those affected by local accents or complex consonant sounds. by increasing the ai's sensitivity to these subtleties, developers can make the tool more effective for learners at advanced stages of language acquisition. future research should explore the long-term effects of ai speech recognition on pronunciation, as the current study only examines short-term improvements. investigating whether sustained use of tools like google read along leads to lasting changes in pronunciation could provide valuable insights into their efficacy. furthermore, comparative studies with other ai-based language fitriana kartika sari & prasetyo yuli kurniawan efl students' perceptions of ai speech recognition in pronunciation practice: the case of google read along 212 tools could highlight strengths and weaknesses across platforms, helping to refine best practices for integrating ai into language learning curricula. such research could also provide a deeper understanding of how different ai technologies address various pronunciation challenges in diverse linguistic contexts. acknowledgement we would like to thank the directorate general of higher education, ministry of education and culture of the republic of indonesia for supports this research. references abdalla, m., mohammed, a., ali, s., & idris, m. (2020). challenges of pronunciation to efl learners in spoken english. multicultural education, 6(5), 2020. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4408549 acar, a., & kayaoglu, m. n. (2020). moodle as a potential tool for language education under the shadow of covid-19. eurasian journal of educational research, 2020(90), 67–82. https://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2020.90.4 ahmad, s., zahid, z., & ramzan, f. (2024). the influence of mother tongue in english pronunciation: a case study in district rahin yar khan. pakistan languages and humanities review, 8(2), 364–373. ajabshir, z. f. (2023). a review of the affordances and challenges of artificial intelligence technologies in second language learning. technology assisted language education (tale), 1, 111– 130. al-jarf, r. (2022). text-to-speech software for promoting efl freshman students’ decoding skills and pronunciation accuracy. journal of computer science and technology studies, 19– 29. https://doi.org/10.32996/jcsts al-sofi, b. b. m. a. (2020). students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of using smartphone applications in enhancing vocabulary acquisition. international journal of english linguistics, 11(1), 110. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v11n1p110 anggraini. (2022). improving students’ pronunciation skill using elsa speak application. journal of english language and pedagogy, 5(1), 135141. http://ejurnal.budiutomomalang.ac.id/index.php /journey bashori, m., van hout, r., strik, h., & cucchiarini, c. (2024). i can speak: improving english pronunciation through automatic speech recognition-based language learning systems. innovation in language learning and teaching. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2024.231510 1 basri, m., ampa, a. t., andriani, a. a., & asmasary, a. a. (2019). integration of technology in english classroom interaction. technium, 4(10). cebrian, j., gorba, c., & gavaldà, n. (2021). when the easy becomes difficult: factors affecting the acquisition of the english /i/-/ contrast. frontiers in communication, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2021.660917 chand, g. b. (2021). challenges faced by bachelor level students while speaking english. ijeltal (indonesian journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics), 6(1), 45. https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v6i1.853 choukaier, d. (2024). integrating ai in english language pedagogy innovations. educational administration: theory and practice, 30(5), 3811–3822. dennis, n. k. (2024.). using ai-powered speech recognition technology to improve english pronunciation and speaking skills. iafor journal of education: technology in education (vol. 12). dini, a. w., alifa, n., aenida, n., fauziah, u., & saepuloh, a. h. (2020). aplikasi elsa speak sebagai inovasi peningkatan kemampuan pengucapan bahasa inggris di era society 5.0: persepsi siswa. seminar nasional, fkip unma. djafar, v. h., & hamidah, f. n. (2024). improving english pronunciation skills through ai-based speech recognition technology. ethical lingua, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.30605/25409190.747 egara, f. o., & mosimege, m. (2024). exploring the integration of artificial intelligence-based chatgpt into mathematics instruction: perceptions, challenges, and implications for educators. education sciences, 14(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14070742 gürbüz, c., & cabaroğlu, n. (2021). efl students’ perceptions of oral presentations: implications for motivation, language ability and speech anxiety. journal of language and linguistic studies, 17(1), 600–614. https://doi.org/10.52462/jlls.41 gusti, i., agung, a., & susanthi, d. (2021.). kendala dalam belajar bahasa inggris dan cara mengatasinya. linguistic community service journal │, 1(2), 64-70. https://doi.org/10.22225/licosjournal.v1i2.2658 hasibuan, r., bagus made wisnu parta, i., damayanto. (2023). transformation of indonesian language learning with artificial intelligence applications: the era of the independent curriculum for learning in universities in indonesia. indonesian journal of education (injoe (vol. 3, issue 2). hlongwane, j., shava, george. n., mangena, a., & muzari, t. (2024). towards the integration of artificial intelligence in higher education, challenges and opportunities: the african english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 213 context, a case of zimbabwe. international journal of research and innovation in social science, viii(iiis), 417–435. https://doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2024.803028s inceoglu, s., lim, h., & chen, w. h. (2020). asr for efl pronunciation practice: segmental development and learners’ beliefs. journal of asia tefl, 17(3), 824–840. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2020.17.3.5.82 4 ishaka putra, j., muh halilurrahman, l., & riadi jaelani, s. (2023.). enhancing english language proficiency: strategies for improving student skills. jsret (journal of scientific (vol. 2, issue 3). jain, n. (2021). survey versus interviews: comparing data collection tools for exploratory research. qualitative report (vol. 26, issue 2, pp. 541– 554). peace and conflict studies. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2021.4492 karunarathna, i., bandara, s., gunasena, p., hapuarachchi, t., ekanayake, u., rajapaksha, s., gunawardana, k., aluthge, p., jayawardana, a., de alvis, k., & gunathilake, s. (2024). the crucial role of data collection in research: techniques, challenges, and best practices. uva clinical research methodology. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3831 55720 khatoony, s., & nezhadmehr, m. (2020). efl teachers’ challenges in integration of technology for online classrooms during coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic in iran. ajelp: the asian journal of english language and pedagogy, 8(2), 89–104. https://doi.org/10.37134/ajelp.vol8.2.7.2020 khider, m., souici, r., chelli, p. s., baghzou, s., & djaafri, l. (2023). the effect of automatic speech recognition technologies on students’ pronunciation. thesis of biskra university makri, c., & neely, a. (2021). grounded theory: a guide for exploratory studies in management research. international journal of qualitative methods, 20. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069211013654 makwana, d., engineer, p., dabhi, a., & chudasama, h. (2023). sampling methods in research: a review. international journal of trend in scientifc reseravh adn development (ijtsrd), 7(3), 2456–6470. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3719 85656 mejeh, m., & rehm, m. (2024). taking adaptive learning in educational settings to the next level: leveraging natural language processing for improved personalization. educational technology research and development, 72(3), 1597–1621. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423024-10345-1 metruk, r. (2021). the use of smartphone english language learning apps in the process of learning english: slovak efl students’ perspectives. sustainability (switzerland), 13(15). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158205 muzdalifah, i. (2021). analysis of using google voice as learning media through task-based learning method. international journal of language pedagogy, 1(2), 67–75. https://doi.org/10.24036/ijolp.v1i2 nasim, s. m., altameemy, f., ali, j. m. a., & sultana, r. (2022). effectiveness of digital technology tools in teaching pronunciation to saudi efl learners. fwu journal of social sciences, 16(3), 68–82. https://doi.org/10.51709/19951272/fall2022/5 nety, wahyuni, a. b., & nurhaeni. (2020). english education journal (e2j) students’ self confidence in speaking english. english education journal (e2j). https://www.ejournal.lppmunidayan.ac. pennington, m. c. (2021). teaching pronunciation: the state-of-the-art. relc journal (vol. 52, issue 1, pp. 3–21). sage publications ltd. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882211002283 pitriyah, p., & sulistyaningrum, s. d. (2024). technology-based english learning in primary school: a systematic review. english education journal, 15(3), 142–151. https://doi.org/10.24815/eej.v15i3.38471 qiao, h., & zhao, a. (2023). artificial intelligencebased language learning: illuminating the impact on speaking skills and self-regulation in chinese efl context. frontiers in psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1255594 qin, l., & zhong, w. (2024). adaptive system of english-speaking learning based on artificial intelligence. journal electrical systems (vol. 20, issue 6). rajendran, t., & md yunus, m. (2021). a systematic literature review on the use of mobile-assisted language learning (mall) for enhancing speaking skills among esl and efl learners. international journal of academic research in progressive education and development, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v10i1/8939 ridho khualid, a., lubis, y., & tadris, e. (2024). analysis of the correct pronunciation of phonetic symbols in english. cemara journal publising your creative idea, ii(1). saadia, k. h. (2023). assessing the effectiveness of text-to-speech and automatic speech recognition in improving efl learner’s pronunciation of regular past-ed. setiawan, a., yuliandika saputra, d. (2023). sredo: media pembelajaran bahasa inggris dengan fitur object detection and speech recognition. jika (issue 4). setiawan, b., syahrizal yusuf, a., hamzani, k., & agustina, y. (2024). the investigation of fitriana kartika sari & prasetyo yuli kurniawan efl students' perceptions of ai speech recognition in pronunciation practice: the case of google read along 214 undergraduate efl learners’ viewpoints on employing tiktok as a medium in learning speaking and listening skills. journal of english teaching adi buana (vol. 09, issue 02). shoukat, s., mamoon, r., & arif, m. f. (2024). enhancing language proficiency through tpack model and ai applications a study on effective integration strategies in english language instruction. pakistan languages and humanities review, 8(ii). https://doi.org/10.47205/plhr.2024(8-ii)47 singh, r. j. (2023). transforming higher education: the power of artificial intelligence international journal of multidisciplinary research in arts, science and technology (ijmrast). international journal of multidisciplinary research in arts (vol. 1). www.ijmrast.com southwell, r., pugh, s., perkoff, e. m., clevenger, c., bush, j. b., lieber, r., ward, w., foltz, p., & d’mello, s. (2022). challenges and feasibility of automatic speech recognition for modeling student collaborative discourse in classrooms. proceedings of the 15th international conference on educational data mining, edm 2022. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6853109 stevani, m., priono, j., daulay, d. e., & rambe, s. (2023). penggunaan elsa speak untuk meningkatkan public speaking dan pronunciation bagi siswa smp budi murni 1 medan. community development journal, 4(2), 3791–3795. https://doi.org/10.31004/cdj.v4i2.15551 sudirahayu, y., kurniawati, n., & ardiasih, l. s. (2024). students’ experiences, challenges, and perceptions on u-dictionary to improve english pronunciation. english journal, 18(2), 85–103. https://doi.org/10.32832/english.v18i2.17506 sun, w. (2023). the impact of automatic speech recognition technology on second language pronunciation and speaking skills of efl learners: a mixed methods investigation. frontiers in psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1210187 taherdoost, h. (2021). data collection methods and tools for research; a step-by-step guide to choose data collection technique for academic and business research projects. international journal of academic research in management (ijarm) (vol. 2021, issue 1). https://hal.science/hal-03741847v1 takenouchi, t. (2022). the effects of pronunciation instruction using speech recognition software for adult learners of english. the journal of the practical english phonetics, 3, 1–29. thi-nhu ngo, t., hao-jan chen, h., & kuo-wei lai, k. (2024). the effectiveness of automatic speech recognition in esl/efl pronunciation: a meta-analysis. recall, 36(1), 4–21. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0958344023000113 wahyuningsih, s., & afandi, m. (2020). investigating english speaking problems: implications for speaking curriculum development in indonesia. european journal of educational research, 9(3), 967–977. https://doi.org/10.12973/eujer.9.3.967 wei, l. (2023). artificial intelligence in language instruction: impact on english learning achievement, l2 motivation, and self-regulated learning. frontiers in psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1261955 yang, f., li, k., & li, r. (2024). ai in language education: enhancing learners’ speaking awareness through ai-supported training. international journal of information and education technology, 14(6), 828–833. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2024.14.6.2108 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 823 reading question construction by english teachers: implementing bloom’s taxonomy in padang schools meiliza delviyanti1, sitti fatimah2 1,2master program of english department, faculty of language and arts universitas negeri padang, padang, indonesia corresponding author: meilizadelviyanti1@gmail.com apa citation: delviyanti, m., & fatimah, s. (2025). reading question construction by english teachers: implementing bloom’s taxonomy in padang schools. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 823-830. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11857 received: 27-02-2025 accepted: 26-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 introduction english is very important for students to learn because it is a foreign language in school subjects and is an international language (himawati, 2018). english is not just a foreign language, it is probably the most widely studied and taught language in the world, serving as a means of global communication in the fields of business, science, technology and education (brown, 2004). english consists of four skills that must be mastered by students, namely: listening, writing, reading, and speaking (ali, 2022). in addition, reading is currently one of the important language skills for students to learn (erya & pustika, 2021). thus, reading is a learning process to present information and get meaning from what is read by the reader (al roomy, 2022). reading is the process of understanding and comprehending reading or text. (pakpahan, et al, 2021). other poin of view, reading skills are one of the important language skills to teach because by reading a lot, readers can develop their intelligence (hafidah, 2023). proficiency in reading is crucial in practical scenarios, such as correctly adhering to medication instructions, making informed and rational consumer choices, assessing political candidates, critically evaluating online news sources, and staying abreast of current events (beerwinkle & mckeown, 2021). moreover, according to yurko et al. (2020) the proficiency in reading comprehension is inherently linked to an individual's cognitive growth and relies heavily on the capacity to quickly and effortlessly recognize words. in addition, according to grabe and stoller (2011), reading abstract: this study explores the development of written reading comprehension questions by english teachers in junior high schools in padang, focusing on the use of bloom's taxonomy to support higher-order thinking skills (hots). given the importance of english as a foreign and international language, reading comprehension is crucial for students, not only for information retention but also for critical thinking. using bloom's cognitive taxonomy as a framework, this study assesses teachers' abilities to formulate questions across three hots levels: analysis, evaluation, and creation. data were collected from four english teachers across three schools, employing qualitative methods, including interviews and test assessments. results show that while teachers predominantly formulated questions at the analysis level (76%), questions requiring evaluation and creation—skills essential to fostering critical and creative thinking—were significantly lower, at only 15% and 8%, respectively. these findings reveal that although teachers demonstrate some capacity for incorporating analytical questions, there is a need for improvement in crafting questions that challenge students to evaluate and create, aligning with hots objectives. teachers cited challenges such as limited student vocabulary, time constraints, and a lack of in-depth training on bloom’s taxonomy. this study underscores the importance of targeted professional development to enhance teachers' competence in developing hotsoriented questions, thereby fostering students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills. keywords: bloom's taxonomy;higher-order thinking skills;reading comprehension. mailto:meilizadelviyanti1@gmail.com meiliza delviyanti, sitti fatimah reading question construction by english teachers: implementing bloom’s taxonomy in padang schools 824 comprehension involves not only the extraction of meaning from text but also the integration of prior knowledge, inferencing, and critical evaluation of the content. it can be inferred that reading comprehension involves the capacity to understand meaning, requiring readers to employ cognitive skills (yousefi & mohammadi, 2016). to improve education standards, teachers play an important role. according to rahman (2014) the ability to supervise the learning process is a teacher's pedagogical competence. asking questions is one of the techniques to improve teaching standards. this can be seen from the questions asked by the teacher to the class (ayçiçek, 2021). the function of asking questions to students provides many benefits for teachers and students, which can contribute to achieving success in the teaching and learning process (ma'rufah, 2021). according to hakim (2015) explain that one of the several pedagogical competent is creating evaluation and assessment for the benefit of learning, assessment is central to teaching and learning (fook and sidhu, 2010). questions help students develop their reading abilities (nurhayati et al., 2023). yude and zainil (2024) state that teacher competence in developing effective questions is important for creating an engaging and enriching learning environment. therefore, it is important to ensure that the questions meet certain standards (tursunovich, 2022). based on reading proficiency views reading questions should provide a broader perspective for students' critical thinking to hone their higher-order thinking skills, critical thinking is always associated with higherorder thinking skills. (manurung & sari, (2022), mislia et al, (2019)). a framework is needed to evaluate the quality of questions used, which can then be categorized in the cognitive domains of bloom's revised taxonomy (momen et al, (2022), chandio, (2021)), to ensure that learning objectives are well understood. within the cognitive domain, there are two levels of thinking: higher level thinking skills (hots) and low order thinking skills (lots). effective english language practice should be able to balance lowlevel thinking skills (lots) and high-level thinking skills (hots), so that students can build basic knowledge while being encouraged to carry out in-depth analysis and think creatively (finansu and fauziah, 2025). including hots in reading comprehension is very important because it can improve students' critical thinking (maryamah et al, 2024). in case to improve student’s creativity, hots is needed as the standard in learning process (khairunnisa & zaim, 2023). moreover, daud (2017) argues that in developing higher order thinking skills (hots) in the language classroom, teachers must not only have expertise in their field, but also have an understanding of the components of hots and how to integrate them into the curriculum. students' thinking ability can be improved when answering hots practice questions (yuliati & lestari, 2018). in line with that, the application of higher order thinking skills (hots) in english helps students develop analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills relevant to real life (achadiyah & azmi, 2023). higher order thinking skills (hots) are those that involve the processes of analysis, evaluation and creation, according to anderson and krathwohl (2001). therefore, abilities that involve the processes of analysis, evaluation and creation can be classified as hots, which include critical and creative thinking skills (widana & ratnaya, 2021). originally, low-level and high-level thinking skills were the six main categories into which bloom's taxonomy divided certain cognitive tasks (brookhart, 2010). according gordani (2010) describes bloom's taxonomy as a hierarchical system for classifying students' cognitive thinking abilities. this taxonomy consists of comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, judgment, and knowledge (stevani & tarigan, 2023). in addition, anderson & krathwohl (2001) changed the labeling of cognitive processes from noun form to verb form. the updated version includes the following cognitive functions: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating (sudirtha et al, 2022). higher order thinking skills (hots) consist on analyzing, evaluating, and creating (silalahi et al, 2022). analyzing is the ability to break the material into its constituent parts and determine how the parts relate to one another and the overall structure or purpose (akinboboye & ayanwale, 2021). evaluating is the ability that involves making a judgment based on particular criteria and standards (nitko & brookhart, 2011). creating is the ability to put elements together to form a coherent or functional whole, reorganize elements into a new pattern or structure (fitriani, 2019). competent teachers will be better retrieved to build an effective and enjoyable learning environment for their students and manage their subjects so that the learning process runs smoothly (wulandaru & latief, 2025). in this scenario, pedagogical competence is seen as a complex issue. teachers with strong pedagogical skills can english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 825 build an effective and enjoyable learning environment and manage the classroom effectively (nguyen et al, 2022). the strategic position of teachers as educators and student guides in learning highlights the need for professionalism in their work, especially in teaching (tatto, 2021). teachers are an important component in the implementation of learning, greatly influencing student success, which requires special skills, namely pedagogical competence. (sanusi et al., 2023) the minimum criteria for teachers' pedagogical competence is a set of job-related skills that includes a range of abilities acquired from teacher education or training (margeviča-grinberga et al, 2025). raising awareness that teaching is more than just the delivery of information is crucial to the teacher's role as an educator. teachers' ability to organize and supervise students' learning activities is a must (sanusi et al., 2023). pedagogical competence, according to rifa'i (2012), includes knowing students, planning and implementing learning, assessing learning objectives, and helping students reach their full potential. one measure of the achievement of learning objectives is the high and low learning outcomes achieved by students (atta & alqahtani, 2018). in this case, educators are part of the cause of low student learning outcomes. in this study, researchers identified several important issues related to the tests prepared by teachers at smpn 33, smpn 17 and smpn 6 in padang, especially in terms of the multiple-choice question approach. first, it was found that teachermade tests tended to be limited to cognitive methods such as remembering (c1), understanding (c2) and evaluating (c3), without including methods of analysis (c4), synthesis (c5) and critical evaluation (c6). this suggests that variations in item complexity, especially those requiring higher order thinking skills (hots), have not been fully integrated in test development. the research also highlights that there is a need to better understand and classify the level of hots represented in the items developed by teachers. this suggests that teachers may have difficulty in recognizing and determining the level of difficulty of questions according to the higher order thinking skills they want students to have. based on the explanation above, there are several studies related to higher order thinking skills (hots) including (syahdanis et al., 2021) the title is “analysis of hots in english teachermade test” with the conclusion the data analysis conducted confirmed this, finding that although teachers at sma negeri 6 provided varying levels of data distribution for grades x and xi in the english exam, both groups shared similar cognitive domains. mots (middle order thinking skills) was the most prevalent level in the sma negeri 6 grade xi english final exam, with 18 questions (60.00%) out of a total of 30 questions. meanwhile (styvani, 2022) the title is “an analysis of cognitive levels on questions used for examination in smp negeri 15 padang” the data analysis conducted confirmed this, finding that although teachers at sma negeri 6 provided varying levels of data distribution for grades x and xi in the english exam, both groups shared similar cognitive domains. mots (intermediate thinking skills) was the most prevalent level in the sma negeri 6 grade xi english final exam, with 18 questions (60.00%) out of a total of 30 questions. mahfuzah (2019), who described "students' ability to answer reading questions with hots and mistakes made by students in answering those questions." this study was conducted on eleventhgrade students at sma n 3 bukittinggi, explicitly targeting class xi mipa 3 students. the result of this research scores for analysis (75.78), evaluation (75.05), and creativity (72.19). in addition, the main mistakes made by students were related to the formulation of ideas to answer the questions. on the other hand, (damanik & zainil, 2021) the title is “the analysis of reading comprehension questions in english textbook by using high order thinking skill at grade x of sman 2 padang” the findings obtained from the analysis of reading comprehension questions in english textbooks with the higher order thinking skill (hots) category show that there are 36 questions (9.7%) found in english textbooks. based on the proportion of hots questions (30%), hots questions found in reading comprehension questions in english textbooks have almost reached this proportion but are still below the criteria for a good proportion. out of 172 questions, 36 questions are included in hotsbased questions. after that, (afriliamanda & zainil, 2019) the title is “an analysis of teachers’ competence in constructing reading comprehension’s questions” the results showed that comprehension level questions (c2) were the most common questions made by teachers. this indicates that teachers' ability to formulate complex questions is still lacking. this is consistent with the research findings of arti and hariyatmi (2015), who also found that teachers' inadequate ability to create hots questions is different from this study in terms of research tools. meiliza delviyanti, sitti fatimah reading question construction by english teachers: implementing bloom’s taxonomy in padang schools 826 they examined every exam question, including objective and essay questions written by teachers while teaching. on the other hand, the exams used in this study were the original creations of the teachers after reading the paragraphs provided by the researcher. based on the explanation above, several studies have focused on higher order thinking skills (hots). for example, syahdanis et al. (2021) analyzed the level of cognitive domains in teachermade english tests at sma negeri 6, and found the dominance of middle order thinking skills (mots) in grade xi. similarly, styvani (2022) found that mots was the most common cognitive level in the english exam at smp negeri 15 padang. on the other hand, damanik & zainil (2021) identified a lower proportion of hots questions in english textbooks, with only 9.7% of questions categorized as hots. in addition, afriliamanda & zainil (2019) highlighted the prevalence of comprehension level (c2) questions in teacher-made reading comprehension questions, indicating deficiencies in teachers' ability to formulate complex questions. the research gap identified here is the limited investigation into the effectiveness of guru penggerak programs in improving the ability to formulate hots questions. existing research focuses mostly on analyzing the cognitive level of questions in the text, but there is no research on interventions or professional development programs that can improve teachers' ability to create hots questions. future research could explore the impact of targeted training on teachers' competence in formulating hots questions and the subsequent impact on students' cognitive thinking skills. therefore, the researcher focuses on how english teachers develop written reading comprehension questions based on bloom's taxonomy in junior high schools in padang? method the design of this research is descriptive qualitative research (stanley, 2023). it describes english teachers competence in developing reading comprehension questions based on bloom taxonomy. the participants in this research are 4 english teachers in 3 junior high school (smpn 33, smpn 17, and smpn 6 padang) who have the following qualifications, which include having 5 years of experience in teaching, having participated in the guru penggerak program. 2 school was involve one english teacher as a participant and one school was involve two english teachers. this research was use convinience sampling. acccording to rahi (2017), convenience sampling describes the data collection process from a research population that is effortlessly reachable to the researcher. result and discussion the precentage of english teachers’ reading comprehension questions the results showed that teachers in junior secondary schools in padang in developing written reading comprehension questions based on bloom's taxonomy had varying results at the higher order thinking skills (hots) level. questions at the analysis level reached 76%, which is qualified as “good” according to reeves' (2012) standards, indicating that teachers were able to encourage students to examine and understand information in depth. however, at the evaluating level, the percentage of questions only reached 15%, and at the creating level only 8%, both categorized as “very low.” this shows that the development of questions that encourage students to evaluate and create new information still needs to be improved in order to further optimize students' critical and creative thinking skills in accordance with hots objectives. this study identified several obstacles faced by english teachers at the junior high school level in padang in developing reading comprehension questions based on bloom's taxonomy, especially at the higher order thinking skills (hots) level. the main problem encountered is the teachers' lack of competence in tailoring the questions to the students' diverse abilities, so that they can challenge without frustrating the students. this is exacerbated by students' limited vocabulary, especially in english, which hinders a thorough understanding of the text. when given hots questions, many students struggle to understand the text due to a tendency not to read carefully and a lack of understanding of vocabulary they rarely encounter. in addition, a deep understanding of bloom's taxonomy is also an obstacle, as teachers need to ensure that questions cover a range of cognitive levels, and this is difficult to do without adequate training. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 827 teachers are also faced with time constraints, as teaching and administrative duties often reduce the time available to design good hots questions. in order to overcome these obstacles, teachers use strategies such as providing consistent practice questions at various cognitive levels (c1 to c4) so that students get used to the pattern of hots questions. teachers also strengthen students' background knowledge by adding relevant vocabulary to facilitate understanding. in addition, before designing the questions, teachers english teachers develop written reading comprehension questions based on bloom's taxonomy in junior high schools in padang. the results showed that teachers in junior secondary schools in padang have variations in developing written reading comprehension questions based on bloom's taxonomy at the higher order thinking skills (hots) level. questions at the analysis level reached 76%, which is categorized as “good” according to reeves' (2012) standards. this shows that teachers are able to encourage students to explore and understand information in depth. however, at the evaluating level, the percentage of questions only reached 15%, and at the creating level only 8%, both categorized as “very low.” this finding shows that the development of questions that encourage students to evaluate and create new information still needs to be improved in order to optimize students' critical and creative thinking skills in accordance with hots objectives. according to laila & fitriyah (2022) findings above informs that the distribution of reading comprehension questions are uneven at each level. the result shows that more than a half of the whole reading comprehension questions included in lots which not encourage the students’ critical thinking with 117 questions or 82% and only 25 questions or 18% are included in hots. on the other hand, styvani (2022) the finding discovered that the distribution of questions used within cognitive levels in examination dominated by low order thinking skills (lots) questions with understanding (c2) level of questions with the percentage of 31,22% fromthetotal 150 questions. seman et al. (2017) showed that teachers are an important factor influencing success or failure in teaching higher order thinking skills. conclusion this study highlights the importance of integrating higher-order thinking skills (hots) in english language education, particularly in reading comprehension, to improve students' critical and creative thinking abilities. although teachers in junior secondary schools in padang have demonstrated competence in designing questions that encourage analysis (76% categorized as “good”), there is a notable gap in developing questions that require evaluation (15%) and creation (8%), which are critical to achieving hots objectives. these findings suggest that while teachers can encourage students to dig deeper for information, they often lack the training and time to create questions that encourage students to think evaluatively and creatively. by empowering teachers to develop well-rounded hots questions, students will benefit from a richer educational experience that supports their analytical, evaluative and creative abilities, aligning with the broader educational goal of fostering independent and critical thinkers. references achadiyah, r., & azmi, m. u. (2023). hots manifestation in english summative assessment. english education: journal of english teaching and research, 8(2), 220–231. al roomy, m. a. (2022). investigating the effects of critical reading skills on students' reading comprehension. arab world english journal, 13(1), 366–381. ali, h. h. h. (2022). the importance of the four english language skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening in teaching iraqi learners. humanities & natural sciences journal, 3(2), 154–165. anderson, l. w., krathwohl peter w airasian, d. r., cruikshank, k. a., mayer, r. e., pintrich, p. r., raths, j., & wittrock, m. c. (2001). a taxonomy of learning, teaching, and assessing: a revision of bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. longman. atta, i. s., & alqahtani, f. n. (2018). matching medical student achievement to learning objectives and outcomes: a paradigm shift for an implemented teaching module. advances in medical education and practice, 9, 227–233. ayçiçek, b. (2021). integration of critical thinking into curriculum: perspectives of prospective teachers. thinking skills and creativity, 41, 100895. beerwinkle, a. l., owens, j., & hudson, a. (2021). an analysis of comprehension strategies and skills covered within grade 3–5 reading textbooks in the united states. technology, knowledge and learning, 26(2), 311– 338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-020-094840 bloom, b. s., & krathwohl, d. r. (1956). taxonomy of educational objectives: the classification of educational goals, by a committee of college and https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-020-09484-0 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-020-09484-0 meiliza delviyanti, sitti fatimah reading question construction by english teachers: implementing bloom’s taxonomy in padang schools 828 university examiners. handbook 1: cognitive domain. longmans. boyd, m. p. (2015). relations between teacher questioning and student talk in one elementary ell classroom. journal of literacy research, 47(3), 370–404. brookhart, s. m. (2010). how to assess higher-order thinking skills in your classroom. ascd. brown, h. d. (2004). language assessment: principles and classroom practices. longman. chandio, m. t., zafar, n., & solangi, g. m. (2021). bloom's taxonomy: reforming pedagogy through assessment. journal of education and educational development, 8(1), 109–140. daud, n. m. (2017). integrating hots into language classes in the 21st. the first education and language international conference proceedings center for international language development of unissula, 29–36. erya, w. i., & pustika, r. (2021). students’ perception towards the use of webtoon to improve reading comprehension skill. language, 74, 26. finansu, a., hidayah, j., & fauziah, m. (2025). lots and hots analysis in exercise of english textbook at seventh grade of smp it rabbi radhiyya [doctoral dissertation, institut agama islam negeri curup]. fitriani, w. w. (2019). the realization of hots on summative test items designed by english teacher group discussion. english focus: journal of english language education, 2(2), 132–144. fook, c. y., & sidhu, g. k. (2010). authentic assessment and pedagogical strategies in higher education. journal of social sciences, 6(2), 153– 161. gordani, y. (2010). an analysis of english textbooks used at iranian guidance schools in terms of bloom’s taxonomy. journal of asia tefl, 7(2), 249–278. grabe, w., & stoller, f. l. (2013). teaching and researching reading, second edition. routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315833 743 hafidah, n. f. (2023). analysis of reading questions in english workbooks for smp/mts by using revised bloom taxonomy [bachelor's thesis, jakarta: fitk uin syarif hidayatullah jakarta]. hakim, a. (2015). contribution of competence teacher (pedagogical, personality, professional competence and social) on the performance of learning. the international journal of engineering and science, 4(2), 1–12. himawati, u. (2018). english role as international language in education on university level. edulingua: jurnal linguistiks terapan dan pendidikan bahasa inggris, 5(1), 4. khairunnisa, n. i., & zaim, m. (2023). cognitive level analysis of english semester test for grade x state senior high schools in bukittinggi. journal of english language teaching, 12(1), 131–137. laila, i., & fitriyah, i. (2022). an analysis of reading comprehension questions in english textbook based on revised bloom’s taxonomy. jet (journal of english teaching), 8(1), 71–83. ma‘rufah, d. w. (2021). promoting student questioning in efl classroom: teacher‘s strategies in 2013 curriculum context. okara: jurnal bahasa dan sastra, 15(2), 170– 184. https://doi.org/10.19105/ojbs.v15i2.4284 mahfuzah, a. (2019). students‟ ability in answering reading questions with hots at sma n 3 bukittinggi. journal of english language teaching, 8(1). [suspicious link removed] margeviča-grinberga, i., kiris, k., lanka, ē., & ābele, r. (2025, march). evaluation of the fundamentals of pedagogical activity professional development programme for teachers (2016–2023). frontiers in education, 10, 1523826. frontiers media sa. manurung, i. d., & sari, d. p. (2022, january). hots (higher order thinking skills) in english reading exercises textbook. in proceeding international conference on language, literature and culture (vol. 1, p. 391). maryamah, s. e., wati, s., & suharto, p. p. (2024). analyzing higher order thinking skills in reading exercises of indonesian efl textbook. salee: study of applied linguistics and english education, 5(2), 560–570. mislia, t. s., indartono, s., & mallisa, v. (2019, june). improving critical thinking among junior high school students through assessment of higher level thinking skills. in international conference on social science and character educations (icossce 2018) and international conference on social studies, moral, and character education (icsmc 2018) (pp. 326–333). atlantis press. momen, a., ebrahimi, m., & hassan, a. m. (2022, september). importance and implications of theory of bloom's taxonomy in different fields of education. in international conference on emerging technologies and intelligent systems (pp. 515–525). cham: springer international publishing. nguyen, l. t., kanjug, i., lowatcharin, g., manakul, t., poonpon, k., sarakorn, w., ... & tuamsuk, k. (2022). how teachers manage their classroom in the digital learning environment–experiences from the university smart learning project. heliyon, 8(10). nitko, a. j., & brookhart, s. m. (2011). educational assessment of students (6th ed.). pearson education. nurhayati, n., ernalida, e., syarifuddin, s., sholikhah, h. a., & firanata, a. (2023). development of reading literacy assessment questions: an effort to improve students' critical thinking. journal of https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315833743 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315833743 https://doi.org/10.19105/ojbs.v15i2.4284 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 829 higher education theory and practice, 23(2), 100–116. pakpahan, s. f., pakpahan, s., purba, i. d. s., & nasution, j. (2021). analysis reading comprehension questions by using revised bloom's taxonomy on higher order thinking skill (hots). ideas: journal on english language teaching and learning, linguistics and literature, 9(1). rahi, s. (2017). research design and methods: a systematic review of research paradigms, sampling issues and instruments development. international journal of economics & management sciences, 6(2), 1– 5. https://doi.org/10.4172/2162-6359.1000403 rahman, m. h. (2014). professional competence, pedagogical competence and the performance of junior high school of science teachers. journal of education and practice, 5(9), 75–80. sanusi, s., aziz, a., & munirah, m. (2023). the effect of teacher pedagogic competence on the implementation of hots-based reading and writing learning in high-grade elementary school students. pedagogik journal of islamic elementary school, 6(1), 51–60. seman, s. c., yusoff, w. m. w., & embong, r. (2017). teachers challenges in teaching and learning for higher order thinking skills (hots) in primary school. international journal of asian social science, 7(7), 534– 545. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.1.2017.77. 534.545 silalahi, d. e., herman, h., sihombing, p. s. r., damanik, a. s., & purba, l. (2022). an analysis of students’ achievement in reading comprehension through higher order thinking skills (hots). al-ishlah: jurnal pendidikan, 14(2), 1853–1868. stanley, m. (2023). qualitative descriptive: a very good place to start. in qualitative research methodologies for occupational science and occupational therapy (pp. 52–67). routledge. stevani, m., & tarigan, k. e. (2023). evaluating english textbooks by using bloom’s taxonomy to analyze reading comprehension question. salee: study of applied linguistics and english education, 4(1), 1–18. sudirtha, i. g., widiana, i. w., & adijaya, m. a. (2022). the effectiveness of using revised bloom's taxonomy-oriented learning activities to improve students' metacognitive abilities. journal of education and e-learning research, 9(2), 55– 62. tatto, m. t. (2021). professionalism in teaching and the role of teacher education. european journal of teacher education, 44(1), 20–44. tursunovich, r. i. (2022). guidelines for designing effective language teaching materials. american journal of research in humanities and social sciences, 7, 65–70. widana, i. w., & ratnaya, g. (2021). relationship between divergent thinking and digital literacy on teacher ability to develop hots assessment. journal of education research and evaluation, 5(4), 516–524. wulandari, s., & latief, j. a. (2025). analysis of teachers' ability in managing the learning environment of students at iqra islamic elementary school (sd) in petobo. international journal of integrative sciences, 4(5), 853–864. yousefi, s., & mohammadi, m. (2016). critical thinking and reading comprehension among postgraduate students: the case of gender and language proficiency level. journal of language teaching and research, 7(4), 802– 807. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0704.23 yude, u. h., & zainil, y. (2024). evaluating teacher’s competence in developing reading comprehension questions based on barrett’s taxonomy. english review: journal of english education, 12(3), 1053–1062. yuliati, s. r. l. i. (2018). higher order thinking skills (hots) analysis of students in solving hots question in higher education. perspektif ilmu pendidikan, 32(1). yurko, n., & protsenko, u. (2022). reading comprehension: the significance, features and strategies. (1st ed), 106– 114. https://doi.org/10.36074/rodmmrfssn.ed-1 https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.4172/2162-6359.1000403 https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.1.2017.77.534.545 https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.1.2017.77.534.545 https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0704.23 https://doi.org/10.36074/rodmmrfssn.ed-1 meiliza delviyanti, sitti fatimah reading question construction by english teachers: implementing bloom’s taxonomy in padang schools 830 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 653 teaching presence and its impacts on students’ engagement and a sense of community in blended business english suharno* 1 , bachrudin musthafa 2 , pupung purnawarman 3 english education study program, faculty of language and arts education, universitas pendidikan indonesia, indonesia corresponding author: suharno@upi.edu apa citation: suharno., musthafa, b., & purnawarman, p. (2025). teaching presence and its impacts on received: 21-02-2025 accepted: 27-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 abstract: this study emphasized the critical role of teaching presence in enhancing student engagement and fostering a sense of community in blended business english learning environments. as blended learning becomes increasingly popular, understanding how instructors' active participation, feedback, and facilitation impact student outcomes is essential. the research utilized a mixed-method approach, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews among university-level business english students and their instructors. key findings revealed that a strong teaching presence boosted student participation, while constructive feedback motivated improved performance. additionally, effective facilitation by instructors helped create supportive communities, encouraging collaboration and teamwork among students. these insights underscore the importance of active instructor involvement in blended learning to maximize educational outcomes. educators are advised to maintain high levels of teaching presence and leverage feedback to stimulate dynamic student interactions, thereby fostering an engaging and cohesive learning environment. this study contributes practical recommendations for optimizing business english instruction in mixed-mode settings. the sample size was the obvious limitation to address to yield a more reliable study result. keywords: blended instruction; sense of community; students’ engagement; teaching presence. introduction blended learning has gained significant traction in higher education due to the growing use of technology and the demand for flexible learning environments. this approach combines online digital media with traditional face-to-face teaching, offering a more dynamic learning experience that can enhance student outcomes (al-mekhlafi et al., 2025; mishra, panda, & misra, 2024) in the context of business english education, ying (2022) reported that blended learning is especially valuable, as it helps students develop essential communication skills for the global business world, including business interaction, presentations, telephoning, customer service, meetings, and negotiation. these skills are crucial for professional success, requiring engaging and practical learning methods. yet, a large gap is present in the understanding of teaching presence, despite the fact that blended learning finds wide application in business english education. defined as the design, facilitation, and direction of cognitive and social processes for the purpose of realizing personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes, it is an inherent construct of the coi framework in general (martin, wu, wan, & xie, 2022; li, 2022). previous research had centred on the importance of teaching presence in online and blended learning but it was not specifically centred on this in business english courses in relation to student engagement, performance, motivation, and community building (jin, 2025). also, while there is an understanding of the general benefits of blended learning, there has been a lack of in-depth information about the type of help that instructor involvement, feedback, and students’ engagement and a sense of community in blended business english. english review: journal of english education, 13(2), 653-664. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11831 suharno, bachrudin musthafa, pupung purnawarman teaching presence and its impacts on students’ engagement and a sense of community in blended business english 654 facilitation might be of benefit to business english learners' outcomes (huang, 2025). such a gap is particularly crucial since business english course makes peculiar demands upon learners as besides being conversant with the language itself, the individual should be able to use their knowledge in practical business-related contexts. this paper looked into the critical area of potential contributions that teaching presence might make to student engagement, performance, motivation, and the development of a supportive learning community in a blended business english course. more precisely, focusing on the instructors' involvement, feedback, and facilitation, this research sought to extend actionable insights for best practices in business english education. the current study focused on the inquiry regarding the complicated role of teaching presence within a blended business english learning environment and included three main research objectives. first, it would be interesting to look into how teaching presence is related to student engagement in such courses. engagement has been shown to be important in relation to a variety of measures of student success and satisfaction. second, the research examined the impacts of instructor involvement, feedback, and facilitation on student performance and motivation. the focus, therefore, would shift to the specific teaching practices and how they directly impacted the ability of students to learn and apply business english skills most effectively. finally, in what ways does teaching presence assist in cultivating a supportive learning community in which students feel encouraged to engage with and cooperate? this is truly a question of what the social and community characteristics of learning are, which is more than important when thinking about an interesting and interactive experience in education. this is very relevant to current times because it will consider ways to improve outcomes in educational blended business english courses. through the identification of effective strategies in teaching presence, the study thus may help teachers devise and implement courses that maximize the engagement of students. such applied recommendations for educators on how they can engage, provide feedback, and foster effective learning within blended settings will finally translate to improved practices for teaching. moreover, through the current research process, it will be understood how teaching presence supports a learning community that is engaging and through which students work collaboratively, take actions to reflect on ideas, and learn effectively and professionally in business english. this study also filled an existing research gap by providing empirical evidence on the specific impacts of teaching presence in blended business english courses. thereby, it adds to the growing body of educational research and blended learning practices. as an increasingly popular modality in higher education due to its flexibility and potential for creating greater learning opportunities, blended learning combines traditional face-to-face instruction with online learning. the framework developed by garrison, anderson, and archer in 2000 to articulate the pedagogical underpinnings of successful blended learning environments became known as the community of inquiry, or coi. teaching presence represents the design, facilitation, and direction of cognitive and social processes to facilitate meaningful and effective learning. researchers have proven through research that a strong teaching presence helps achieve high rate of student engagement, satisfaction, and improved results in favor of students (zhong et al, 2022; su et al., 2023; li & wang, 2024). a wealth of research literature has cited the role of teaching presence in achieving higher rates of student engagement within blended environments. for example, shea et al (2010) and suson, (2024) reported that teaching presence could significantly predict students' perceived learning and satisfaction. similarly, suharno, suherdi, & gunawan (2023) showed that greater teaching presence was associated with an improvement in both cognitive and social presence and, consequently, learning outcomes. these studies have enriched the pool of literature on the ways that teaching presence enhances student learning and engagement. however, they usually do not deal with business english courses because the practical application of language skills in professional contexts involves very different teaching strategies. teaching presence encompasses how instructors are present in the online course; it directly impacts student performance and motivation. (maphalala & bailey, 2023) further continue to focus on well-facilitated discourse and direct instructions used to help in keeping the learners participating while achieving the outcomes set to be achieved. chen, sun, & wang (2022) and (swan & richardson, 2023) affirm english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 655 this with their previous research and focus on the fact that timely constructive feedback improves students' learning experiences and results. however, very little research has investigated how these factors impact business english learners, whose needs can be entirely different from those in general education courses because of the professional and applied focus of the material. the construction of a supportive learning community is another crucial element of teaching presence. li (2022) and cintamulya et. al (2024) go on to say that such a strong sense of community permits collaboration, critical thinking, and deep learning. particularly in business english courses, therefore, the collaborative activities are mainly role-plays, presentations, or group discussions important for the development of practical language skills. on the other hand, works by (rovai, 2018) and fiock (2020) pointed out the success of building communities in online and blended classes but omitted the detailed description of the methods and ways the community can be built on the basis of the business english teaching where more emphasis is put on practice and the professional communicative skills in particular. while the current literature is quite extensive with respect to teaching presence in the context of blended learning environments, there are many gaps in understanding how it specifically applies to business english education. most of the available studies merely present a general positive light on teaching presence without discussing the specific challenges and requirements of business english learners. there is a need for future research that may probe into how teaching presence can be further individualized through instructor involvement, feedback, and facilitation to achieve better student engagement, performance, and the development of a support community in business english courses. the proposed research would therefore try to fill these gaps by focusing on a more specific area like business english in providing detailed insights on how best to optimize teaching presence for an attempt to meet the unique needs of these learners. further, it would also make a contribution to the general field of educational research by providing practical recommendations for educators, thereby enhancing the quality and effectiveness of the delivery of blended business english instruction. method the present study applied an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design to research the impacts of teaching presence on student engagement, performance, motivation, and the supportive learning community in business blended english courses. in this regard, the study will answer the following questions: (1) how does teaching presence influence student engagement in the business english blended learning environment? (2) what effect does instructor engagement, feedback, and facilitation have on student performance and motivation in the study of business english? (3) how does teaching presence support the creation of a community of inquiry in which interaction among participants fosters active participation and collaboration of students in a blended business english course? this mixed-methods approach integrates quantitative and qualitative data by first collecting and analyzing numerical data and then using qualitative insights to explain and elaborate on the findings of phenomena (creswell & plano clark, 2018). the data collected for this study derived from surveys, interviews, focus group discussions, and observations. for example, questionnaires containing a structured questionnaire supported by validated scales were given out at the end of the semester to the respondents through the online community of inquiry (coi) survey to measure teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence in an online environment by arbaugh et al (2008). semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from a purposive sample of students and teachers based on initial survey information to probe deeper into the subject areas of instructor involvement, feedback, and facilitation (kvale & brinkmann, 2015). in facilitating focus groups, 6-8 students discussed the collaboration experiences and the role of teaching presence in building a community of inquiry. in doing this, a structured discussion guide was used to assist the discussion (krueger & casey, 2014). real-time interactions and engagement in blended business english classes were observed using an observation checklist based on indicators of teaching presence and community building (merriam & tisdell, 2015). the target population for the study included students undertaking blended business english courses at the university level and their respective instructors. stratified random sampling was used so as to allow increased diversity in different classes and demographic groups, increasing the suharno, bachrudin musthafa, pupung purnawarman teaching presence and its impacts on students’ engagement and a sense of community in blended business english 656 generalizability of the findings (fowler, 2014). it was selected for this task because it could account for differences in multiple subgroups of the population, hence reducing sampling bias. potential biases such as non-response and selfselection were mitigated by making the whole survey anonymous and confidential so the participants could feel free to respond honestly. the data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative techniques. descriptive statistics that include means, standard deviations, and frequencies of the variables were used to describe the survey data. multiple regression analysis to measure the relationship between teaching presence and student engagement, performance, and motivation were also carry out during the study (tabachnick & fidell, 2019). thematic analysis was employed to code and categorize data from the interviews and focus group discussions, identifying recurring themes in relation to teaching presence and community development. the observation notes were contentanalyzed to show key behaviors and interactions that qualify as part of teaching presence and collaboration. ethical considerations in the study will imply obtaining informed consent from all participants, keeping the privacy and confidentiality of their information, and adhering to guidelines provided by the american psychological association (apa, 2017). all participants will be made aware of detailed information as to what is expected of them with regard to the study and procedure that will be followed as part of this study. their identity will remain anonymous through anonymization of data, and the data secured for privacy protection. thus, to ensure the validity and reliability of the results, triangulation was carried out on data from all the sources of information through questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and observations to affirm the findings and further boost the internal validity of findings (denzin, 2017, p. 30). this was conducted through stratified random sampling and inclusion of various participant groups in a bid to enhance the external validity of the findings (creswell, 2014). the use of validated tools ensures that, within the data collection tools, there is a high degree of reliability with consistent measurements of the intended constructs for instruments such as the coi survey (arbaugh et al., 2008). methods applied in conducting surveys, interviews, focus groups, and observations were standardized across this study to ensure reliability and consistency in data collection methods (yin, 2018). results and discussion teaching presence and student engagement descriptive statistics: the mean scores for items related to teaching presence and student engagement were calculated. the overall mean score for teaching presence was 4.2 (sd = 0.7), indicating that students generally perceived a high level of teaching presence in their courses. the mean score for student engagement was 4.1 (sd = 0.8), suggesting that students were generally engaged in the learning activities. inferential statistics. multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine the extent to which teaching presence predicts student engagement. the regression model was statistically significant, f(3, 196) = 45.76, p < .001, with an r² of .41. this indicates that approximately 41% of the variance in student engagement can be explained by teaching presence. the regression coefficients revealed that all three components of teaching presence (design and organization, facilitation, and direct instruction) were significant predictors of student engagement: 1). design and organization (β = .35, p < .001); 2). facilitation (β = .28, p < .01); 3). direct instruction (β = .22, p < .05) qualitative data analysis: thematic analysis of the interview and focus group data provided deeper insights into how teaching presence influences student engagement. several key themes emerged and their relationship is visualized in the diagram and discussed below. figure 1. relationship between themes in teaching presence clear communication and expectations influence both active facilitation and interaction and constructive feedback. students consistently highlighted the importance of clear communication and well-structured course design which aligned with findings by garrison et.al. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 657 (2000) they appreciated when instructors clearly outlined course topics, goals, and participation requirements. this clarity helped students feel more confident and engaged in their learning activities. both active facilitation and interaction and constructive feedback contribute to building a sense of community. in line with jia, hew, jiahui, & liuyufeng, (2023), students reported that instructors who actively facilitated discussions and encouraged participation made them feel more involved and motivated. the presence of the instructor in online forums and during live sessions was crucial for maintaining student interest and engagement. timely and constructive feedback was identified as a critical factor in keeping students engaged. this finding is consistent with hattie & hattie (2022). feedback that was specific and actionable helped students understand their progress and areas for improvement, thereby enhancing their motivation to participate actively in the course. clear communication and expectations also directly influence on developing a sense of community. students felt more engaged when instructors fostered a supportive learning environment where they could interact and collaborate with their peers, similar to the findings by (rovai, 2018). this sense of belonging and mutual support was facilitated by the instructor's efforts to create group activities and discussions. the results indicate that teaching presence significantly influences student engagement in blended business english learning environments. specifically, the components of teaching presence—design and organization, facilitation, and direct instruction—each play a crucial role in enhancing student engagement. this is consistent with the existing literature which shows that a well-established teaching presence is crucial for online and blended learning success (maphalala & bailey, 2023). design and organization clear course structure and communication of expectations are foundational for student engagement. when students understand what is expected of them and how to navigate the course, they are more likely to participate actively and confidently. facilitation active facilitation by the instructor, including fostering discussions and encouraging student participation, directly impacts student engagement. instructors who are present and interactive help maintain student interest and motivation. direct instruction providing direct instruction and constructive feedback helps students stay engaged by offering them the guidance and support they need to succeed. specific, timely feedback allows students to recognize their progress and understand how to improve, thus enhancing their motivation and engagement. sense of community: building a supportive learning community is essential for student engagement. when students feel connected to their peers and the instructor, they are more likely to participate actively and collaborate, leading to a more engaging and effective learning experience. these findings underscore the importance of a strong teaching presence in blended business english courses. instructors should focus on clear communication, active facilitation, constructive feedback, and community building to maximize student engagement and learning outcomes. instructor involvement, feedback, and facilitation on student performance and motivation descriptive statistics: the mean scores for items related to instructor involvement, feedback, facilitation, student performance, and motivation were calculated. the overall mean score for instructor involvement was 4.3 (sd = 0.6), for feedback was 4.2 (sd = 0.7), and for facilitation was 4.4 (sd = 0.6). the mean score for student performance was 4.1 (sd = 0.8) and for motivation was 4.0 (sd = 0.9), indicating generally high levels of perceived instructor involvement, feedback, facilitation, and student outcomes. inferential statistics: multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine the extent to which instructor involvement, feedback, and facilitation predict student performance and motivation. the regression model for student performance was statistically significant, f(3, 196) = 39.24, p < .001, with an r² of .37. the regression model for student motivation was also statistically significant, f(3, 196) = 33.45, p < .001, with an r² of .34. this indicates that approximately 37% of the variance in student performance and 34% of the variance in student motivation can be explained by instructor involvement, feedback, and facilitation. the suharno, bachrudin musthafa, pupung purnawarman teaching presence and its impacts on students’ engagement and a sense of community in blended business english 658 student performance and motivation impacted by instructor involvement, feedback, and facilitation are highlighted in the bar graph below. figure 2. impact of instructor involvement, feedback, and facilitation the regression coefficients revealed that 1). instructor involvement (β = .29, p < .01) and feedback (β = .32, p < .01) were significant predictors of student performance. 2) facilitation (β = .26, p < .05) was a significant predictor of student performance. 3) instructor involvement (β = .31, p < .01), feedback (β = .28, p < .01), and facilitation (β = .25, p < .05) were significant predictors of student motivation. thematic analysis of the interview and focus group data provided deeper insights into how instructor involvement, feedback, and facilitation impact student performance and motivation. several key themes emerged: 1). instructor availability and support: students emphasized the importance of instructor availability and support. they reported feeling more motivated and performing better when instructors were readily available to answer questions and provide guidance. the perceived presence and accessibility of the instructor were crucial for their academic success. this finding is aligned with chang (2016) that instructor presence elevates student satisfaction and perceived learning. 2). timely and constructive feedback: students consistently highlighted the role of timely and constructive feedback in improving their performance which is relevant to greene (2020). they valued feedback that was specific, actionable, and provided promptly after assignments. such feedback helped them understand their strengths and weaknesses and motivated them to improve. 3). active facilitation and engagement: students noted that, as in aurel (2024), active facilitation by the instructor, including fostering discussions, encouraging participation, and creating interactive activities, significantly enhanced their motivation and performance. instructors who facilitated engaging learning environments helped students stay focused and interested in the course content. 4)personalized instruction: personalized instruction, where instructors tailored their teaching methods and feedback to individual student needs, was also identified as a key factor. students appreciated when instructors took the time to understand their unique challenges and provided customized support, which positively impacted their performance and motivation. this finding is in line with the principles of differentiated instruction by tomlinson (2017). table 1. thematic analysis key themes for research question 2 no theme key points 1 instructor availability and support students value instructor availability and support, which enhances motivation and performance 2 timely and constructive feedback feedback that is specific, actionable, and timely improves student performance and motivation 3 active facilitation and engagement active facilitation creates engaging learning environments, enhancing student focus and interest 4 personalized instruction personalized instruction tailored to individual needs positively impacts student performance and motivation the results indicate that instructor involvement, feedback, and facilitation significantly influence student performance and motivation in business english courses. specifically, the components of teaching presence—availability and support, timely and constructive feedback, active facilitation, and personalized instruction—each play a crucial role in enhancing student outcomes. instructor involvement: the availability and support of the instructor are foundational for student performance and motivation. when students perceive that their instructor is accessible and supportive, they are more likely to feel confident, motivated, and capable of performing well in the course. feedback: timely and constructive feedback is critical for student performance. feedback that is specific and actionable helps students understand how to improve and motivates them to make the necessary changes to enhance their learning. facilitation: active facilitation by the instructor, including creating engaging and english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 659 interactive learning environments, directly impacts student motivation. instructors who actively engage students and foster participation help maintain student interest and motivation throughout the course. personalized instruction: providing personalized instruction tailored to individual student needs further enhances student performance and motivation. when instructors recognize and address the unique challenges faced by students, it leads to improved outcomes and a more positive learning experience. these findings underscore the importance of a strong teaching presence characterized by active instructor involvement, timely and constructive feedback, effective facilitation, and personalized instruction in blended business english courses. by focusing on these aspects, instructors can significantly enhance student performance and motivation, leading to better learning outcomes and higher levels of student satisfaction (freeman et al., 2014; zhong et al., 2022; adam et. al., 2025). teaching presence and the creation of a supportive learning community descriptive statistics: the mean scores for items related to teaching presence, sense of community, active participation, and collaboration were calculated. the overall mean score for teaching presence was 4.3 (sd = 0.7), indicating that students generally perceived a high level of teaching presence in their courses. the mean score for the sense of community was 4.2 (sd = 0.8), for active participation was 4.1 (sd = 0.8), and for collaboration was 4.0 (sd = 0.9), suggesting that students felt a strong sense of community and were actively participating and collaborating. inferential statistics: multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine the extent to which teaching presence predicts the sense of community, active participation, and collaboration. the regression model for the sense of community was statistically significant, f(3, 196) = 42.33, p < .001, with an r² of .39. the regression model for active participation was also statistically significant, f(3, 196) = 38.12, p < .001, with an r² of .36. the regression model for collaboration was statistically significant, f(3, 196) = 35.78, p < .001, with an r² of .35. this indicates that approximately 39% of the variance in the sense of community, 36% of the variance in active participation, and 35% of the variance in collaboration can be explained by teaching presence. figure 3. impact of teaching presence of community, participation, and collaboration the regression coefficients revealed that all three components of teaching presence (design and organization, facilitation, and direct instruction) were significant predictors: 1). for the sense of community: design and organization (β = .34, p < .001), facilitation (β = .31, p < .01), and direct instruction (β = .25, p < .05). 2). for active participation: design and organization (β = .32, p < .01), facilitation (β = .30, p < .01), and direct instruction (β = .24, p < .05). 3). for collaboration: design and organization (β = .29, p < .01), facilitation (β = .28, p < .05), and direct instruction (β = .23, p < .05). thematic analysis of the interview and focus group data provided deeper insights into how teaching presence contributes to the development of a supportive learning community, supporting zhong et al (2022) and li’s (2022) findings on the matter. several key themes emerged: 1). structured and organized learning environment: students emphasized the importance of a wellstructured and organized learning environment. clear course design and organization helped them understand the course flow and encouraged them to participate and collaborate. when students knew what to expect and how to navigate the course, they felt more confident and engaged. 2). active facilitation and encouragement: students noted that active facilitation by the instructor played a crucial role in fostering a sense of community. instructors who actively encouraged participation, asked thought-provoking questions, and facilitated discussions helped students feel more connected to their peers and more willing to engage in collaborative activities (eden et al, 2024; ryan, 2024; and reyes et al., 2025). 3). constructive and timely feedback: the role of constructive and timely feedback was also highlighted. feedback that acknowledged student contributions and provided guidance for improvement helped build trust and a sense of suharno, bachrudin musthafa, pupung purnawarman teaching presence and its impacts on students’ engagement and a sense of community in blended business english 660 belonging (carless & young, 2024, p. 1). students felt valued and supported, which encouraged them to participate more actively and collaborate with others, aligned with bayraktar (2025). creating opportunities for interaction: instructors who created opportunities for interaction, such as group projects, discussion forums, and peer review activities, significantly contributed to building a supportive learning community. these interactions helped students form relationships, share ideas, and work together, enhancing their collaborative skills, similar to alsayer & lowenthal (2024) and nur & vega, (2023), accentuating the significance of social presence in online education (swan & richardson, 2023). 2). modelling collaborative behavior: students appreciate it when instructors modeled collaborative behavior by being approachable, responsive, and collaborative themselves (li, 2025). this behavior set the tone for the course and encouraged students to adopt similar attitudes towards collaboration and community building. table 2. thematic analysis key themes for research question 3 no theme key points 1 structured and organized learning environment a clear and organized course structure helps foster a sense of community and engagement. 2 active facilitation and encouragement active facilitation by instructors encourages participation and builds community 3 constructive and timely feedback feedback that acknowledges contributions helps build trust and a sense of belonging 4 creating opportunities for interaction opportunities for interaction enhance collaboration and community building 5 modeling collaborative behavior instructors modeling collaborative behavior set a positive tone for collaboration the results indicate that teaching presence significantly contributes to the development of a supportive learning community that encourages active participation and collaboration among students in blended business english courses, as also emphasized in chen and chen (2024). specifically, as reported by lestrade et al (2025) the components of teaching presence—design and organization, facilitation, and direct instruction— each play a crucial role in fostering a sense of community, active participation, and collaboration. design and organization. a well-structured and organized learning environment is foundational for building a sense of community. clear course design helps students understand what is expected of them, making them more likely to engage and collaborate (laubscher & bosch, 2025). facilitation. active facilitation by the instructor is critical for fostering a supportive learning community. instructors who encourage participation, facilitate discussions, and ask engaging questions help students feel connected and willing to participate (kim & lee, 2024; and eden et.al, 2024) direct instruction. providing constructive and timely feedback helps students feel valued and supported, which enhances their willingness to engage and collaborate. instructors who create opportunities for interaction and model collaborative behavior set the stage for a collaborative learning environment (zou, xie, & wang, 2022). these findings underscore the importance of a strong teaching presence characterized by clear design and organization, active facilitation, and constructive feedback in blended business english courses. by focusing on these aspects, instructors can significantly enhance the development of a supportive learning community, leading to higher levels of student participation and collaboration. conclusion this study aimed to investigate the impact of teaching presence on student engagement, performance, motivation, and the development of a supportive learning community in blended business english courses. by employing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the research addressed three critical questions: how teaching presence influences student engagement, the impact of instructor involvement, feedback, and facilitation on student performance and motivation, and the ways teaching presence contributes to a supportive learning community. the key findings of this research are compelling. firstly, teaching presence significantly enhances student engagement in blended business english courses. the components of teaching presence— design and organization, facilitation, and direct instruction—were all found to be significant predictors of engagement. a well-structured course design, active facilitation by the instructor, and timely, constructive feedback were crucial in english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 661 maintaining high levels of student interest and participation. secondly, instructor involvement, feedback, and facilitation were shown to have a profound impact on student performance and motivation. the availability and support of the instructor, the provision of specific and actionable feedback, and the creation of engaging learning environments were all identified as critical factors. these elements not only improved student performance but also enhanced their motivation to engage actively in the course. thirdly, the study revealed that teaching presence plays a vital role in developing a supportive learning community that fosters active participation and collaboration. clear course organization, active facilitation, and constructive feedback were essential in creating a sense of community. instructors who encouraged participation, facilitated discussions, and provided opportunities for interaction helped students feel connected and willing to collaborate. these findings underscore the importance of a robust teaching presence in blended business english courses. instructors should focus on clear communication, active facilitation, constructive feedback, and community-building strategies to maximize student engagement, performance, motivation, and collaboration. future research should explore the long-term effects of teaching presence on student outcomes in various educational contexts and disciplines. additionally, investigating the impact of different technological tools and platforms on enhancing teaching presence in blended learning environments would provide valuable insights. further studies could also examine the specific challenges faced by instructors and students in implementing effective teaching presence and how these challenges can be mitigated. in conclusion, this research contributes significantly to the understanding of teaching presence in blended business english courses. by highlighting the critical role of instructor involvement, feedback, and facilitation, the study offers practical recommendations for educators to enhance their teaching practices and create more engaging and supportive learning environments. the implications of these findings extend beyond business english, offering valuable insights for blended learning across various educational settings. references adam, m. s., hamid, j. a., khatibi, a., & azam, s. m. f. (2025). the impact of community of inquiry presences on student motivation in blended learning: a self-determination theory perspective. discover education, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-02500612-5 al-mekhlafi, a. g., zaneldin, e., ahmed, w., kazim, h. y., & jadhav, m. d. (2025). the effectiveness of using blended learning in higher education: students’ perception. cogent education, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2025.24 55228 alsayer, a. a., & lowenthal, p. r. (2024). measuring social presence in online learning: a validation study. education and information technologies, 30(5), 56555676. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-02412972-w arbaugh, j. b., cleveland-innes, m., diaz, s. r., garrison, d. r., ice, p., richardson, j. c., & swan, k. p. (2008). developing a community of inquiry instrument: testing a measure of the community of inquiry framework using a multi-institutional sample. the internet and higher education, 11(3-4), 133-136. aurel, r. e. (2024). implementing interactive learning strategies in higher education. igi global. bayraktar, b., ragupathi, k., & troyer, k. a. (2025). building trust through feedback: a conceptual framework for educators. teaching and learning inquiry, 13. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.13 .7 carless, d., & young, s. (2024). towards an idealized model of feedback uptake: longitudinal development of feedback literacy from a social constructivist perspective. studies in higher education, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.23 89436 chang, c. c. (2016). exploring the determinants of elearning systems success in the business english learning context: a case study of a blended learning course. cogent education, 3(1), 1230971. chen, y., & chen, l. (2024). promoting shared metacognition in online learning: the practices of distributed teaching presence and the relationships to cognitive presence. education sciences, 15(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15010004 chen, q., sun, w., & wang, x. (2022). the influence of cognitive presence, social presence and teaching presence on online foreign https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00612-5 https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00612-5 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2025.2455228 https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2025.2455228 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12972-w https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12972-w https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.13.7 https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.13.7 https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2389436 https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2389436 suharno, bachrudin musthafa, pupung purnawarman teaching presence and its impacts on students’ engagement and a sense of community in blended business english 662 language speaking anxiety, l2 motivational self and intended effort-a structural equation modeling approach. proceedings of the 14th international conference on computer supported education, 173-180. https://doi.org/10.5220/001097900000318 2 chima abimbola eden, onyebuchi nneamaka chisom, & idowu sulaimon adeniyi,. (2024). online learning and community engagement: strategies for promoting inclusivity and collaboration in education. world journal of advanced research and reviews, 21(3), 232-239. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2024.21.3.0 693 cintamulya, i., murtini, i., & warli, w. (2024). optimization of critical thinking by empowering collaboration and communication skills through information literacy-based e-books: in stem integrated problem-based learning. european journal of educational research, 14(1), 151-166. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.14.1.151 creswell, j. w. (2014). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). sage publications. creswell, j. w., & plano clark, v. l. (2018). designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). sage publications. denzin, n. k. (2017). the substance of sociological theory. the research act, 30-58. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315134543-2 eden, c. a., chisom, o. n., & adeniyi, i. s. (2024). online learning and community engagement: strategies for promoting inclusivity and collaboration in education. world journal of advanced research and reviews, 21(3), 232–239. https://wjarr.com/sites/default/files/wjar r-2024-0693.pdf kim, s.-e., & lee, y. s. (2024). the impact of facilitation competence of instructors on learning immersion and learning achievement—focusing on adult learners. journal of infrastructure, policy and development, 8(14), 9437. https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd9437 fiock, h. (2020). designing a community of inquiry in online courses. the international review of research in open and distributed learning, 21(1), 134-152. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v20i5.3985 fowler, f. j. (2014). survey research methods (5th ed.). sage publications. freeman, s., eddy, s. l., mcdonough, m., smith, m. k., okoroafor, n., jordt, h., & wenderoth, m. p. (2014). active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 111(23), 8410-8415. greene, j. a. (2020). building upon synergies among self-regulated learning and formative assessment research and practice. assessment in education: principles, policy & practice, 27(4), 463-476. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594x.2020.18 02225 hattie, j., & hattie, k. (2022). i know the power of feedback and success thrives on errors. 10 steps to develop great learners, 80-87. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003257028-8 huang, x. (2025). reconceptualizing formative assessment in business english: opportunities, challenges, and ethical considerations in the age of ai. open journal of social sciences, 13(6), 468484. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2025.136032 jia, c., hew, k. f., jiahui, d., & liuyufeng, l. (2023). towards a fully online flipped classroom model to support student learning outcomes and engagement: a 2-year design-based study. the internet and higher education, 56, 100878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2022.1008 78 jin, f. (2025). extending the community of inquiry framework: exploring the roles of agentic engagement in blended college english learning. open journal of social sciences, 13(4), 313-333. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2025.134019 krueger, r. a., & casey, m. a. (2014). focus groups: a practical guide for applied research (5th ed.). sage publications. kvale, s., & brinkmann, s. (2015). interviews: learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing (3rd ed.). sage publications. laubscher, d. j., & bosch, c. (2025). promoting student engagement and self-directed learning in a blended learning environment using cooperative learning. case studies on blended learning in higher education, 157-174. https://doi.org/10.5220/0010979000003182 https://doi.org/10.5220/0010979000003182 https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.14.1.151 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315134543-2 https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v20i5.3985 https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594x.2020.1802225 https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594x.2020.1802225 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003257028-8 https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2025.136032 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2022.100878 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2022.100878 https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2025.134019 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 663 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-07228_9 lestrade, k., lima, l., & pansu, p. (2025). challenges and opportunities of cooperative learning in synchronous distance education among adolescent and young adult learners. international journal of learning and teaching, 16-23. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijlt.11.1.16-23 li, f. (2022). ―are you there?‖: teaching presence and interaction in large online literature classes. asian-pacific journal of second and foreign language education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-022-001803 li, h. (2025). impact of collaborative learning on student engagement in college english programs: mediating effect of peer support and moderating role of group size. frontiers in psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.152519 2 li, w., & wang, w. (2024). the impact of teaching presence on students’ online learning experience: evidence from 334 chinese universities during the pandemic. frontiers in psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.129134 1 maphalala, m. c., & bailey, r. (2023). blended learning environments to foster selfdirected learning. aosis. martin, f., wu, t., wan, l., & xie, k. (2022). a metaanalysis on the community of inquiry presences and learning outcomes in online and blended learning environments. online learning, 26(1). https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v26i1.2604 merriam, s. b., & tisdell, e. j. (2015). qualitative research: a guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). jossey-bass. mishra, s., panda, s., & misra, p. k. (2024). blended learning in higher education: framing and futures. case studies on blended learning in higher education, 267-278. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-93884_15 nur, s., & vega, n. d. (2023). social presence and academic interaction in online english learning: perspectives of teachers and students in two public university contexts. elt worldwide: journal of english language teaching, 10(2), 367. https://doi.org/10.26858/eltww.v10i2.5380 3 ransanz reyes, e., arana-cuenca, a., & manzanal martínez, a. i. (2025). recommendations for designing collaborative activities in online higher education: a systematic review. journal of technology and science education, 15(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.3926/jotse.2818 rovai, a. p. (2018). building sense of community at a distance. distances et médiations des savoirs, (23). https://doi.org/10.4000/dms.2685 ryan, r. (2024). compendium of active learning strategies for student engagement. center for teaching excellence publication series. https://cte2024.pubseries.org/ryanactive-learning-compendium shea, p., hayes, s., & vickers, j. (2010). online instructional effort measured through the lens of teaching presence in the community of inquiry framework: a reexamination of measures and approach. the international review of research in open and distributed learning, 11(3), 127-154. su, f., zou, d., wang, l., & kohnke, l. (2023). student engagement and teaching presence in blended learning and emergency remote teaching. journal of computers in education, 11(2), 445-470. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-02300263-1 suharno, s., suherdi, d., & gunawan, w. (2023). implementation of a community of inquiry in teaching english as a foreign language in secondary schools: a literature review. journal of education and learning (edulearn), 17(4), 685-695. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v17i4.20 550 suson, r. l. (2024). factors influencing student satisfaction in blended learning: a structural equation modelling approach. international journal of learning, teaching and educational research, 23(7), 207-227. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.23.7.11 swan, k., & richardson, j. c. (2023). social presence and the community of inquiry framework. social presence in online learning, 64-76. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003447023-10 tabachnick, b. g., & fidell, l. s. (2019). using multivariate statistics (7th ed.). pearson. tomlinson, c. a. (2017). how to differentiate instruction in academically diverse classrooms. ascd. yin, r. k. (2018). case study research and applications: design and methods (6th ed.). sage publications. ying, g. (2022). research of enhancing business english writing skills based on the blended learning model in vocational college. asian social science, 18(8), 27. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v18n8p27 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-022-00180-3 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-022-00180-3 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1291341 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1291341 https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v26i1.2604 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-9388-4_15 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-9388-4_15 https://doi.org/10.26858/eltww.v10i2.53803 https://doi.org/10.26858/eltww.v10i2.53803 https://doi.org/10.4000/dms.2685 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-023-00263-1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-023-00263-1 https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v17i4.20550 https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v17i4.20550 https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.23.7.11 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003447023-10 https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v18n8p27 suharno, bachrudin musthafa, pupung purnawarman teaching presence and its impacts on students’ engagement and a sense of community in blended business english 664 zhong, q., wang, y., lv, w., xu, j., & zhang, y. (2022). self-regulation, teaching presence, and social presence: predictors of students’ learning engagement and persistence in blended synchronous learning. sustainability, 14(9), 5619. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095619 zou, d., xie, h., & wang, f. l. (2022). effects of technology enhanced peer, teacher and self-feedback on students’ collaborative writing, critical thinking tendency and engagement in learning. journal of computing in higher education, 35(1), 166-185. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528022-09337 -y https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095619 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 47 unlocking potential: theme-based learning to improve non-english majors’ reading and writing skills hedyan putra politeknik negeri ambon, indonesia e-mail: hedyanputra@gmail.com mansye sekewael university of rochester, new york – usa smk negeri 2 ambon e-mail: mansye78@gmail.com apa citation: putra, h., & sekewael, m. (2025). unlocking potential: theme-based learning to improve nonenglish majors’ reading and writing skills. english review: journal of english education, 13(1), 47-56. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i1.10556 received: 23-10-2024 accepted: 24-12-2024 published: 28-02-2025 abstract: this study examines the effectiveness of theme-based learning (tbl) in enhancing reading and writing skills among 50 fourth-semester non-english major students at the state polytechnic of ambon. using a quasi-experimental design, students were divided into experimental and control groups, with the former undergoing 20 tbl sessions integrating contextually relevant themes into english instruction. these themes were chosen based on their potential to engage students and enhance their understanding of the english language. preand post-tests assessed reading comprehension and writing proficiency, focusing on critical elements such as grammar, organization, and the understanding and applying these contextually relevant themes. the findings of this study are compelling, indicating significant and impressive improvements in the experimental group compared to the control group. in reading comprehension, 36% of students in the experimental group achieved 'excellent' scores, a substantial increase from the pre-test, alongside improved performance in areas like cause-and-effect relationships and inference-making. writing proficiency also showed remarkable improvement, with 32% of students attaining 'good' scores post-intervention, reflecting enhanced coherence, grammar accuracy, and contextual relevance in their work. thematic instruction fostered academic literacy and professional readiness, highlighting its holistic impact. to fully harness the benefits of tbl, this study recommends its integration into vocational curricula, aligning themes with students' research fields, and providing targeted teacher training. robust assessment mechanisms and tailored resources are also crucial for scalability and effectiveness. these findings underscore the potential of tbl to bridge the gap between academic learning and career readiness in vocational education, offering a promising future for students and educators alike. key words: theme-based learning; english for non-majors; reading comprehension; writing skills; contentbased instruction (cbi). introduction theme-based learning (tbl) has gained recognition as an effective pedagogical strategy, particularly for enhancing students' language skills in reading and writing. by organizing content around a central theme, tbl promotes deeper engagement, fosters contextual understanding, and facilitates improved competencies in these core areas (howden et al., 2021; wadi et al., 2021; yulsyofriend et al. 2022)). its adaptability and success in various educational settings highlight its potential (chaojing, 2023; ishak et al., 2023). however, its application still needs to be improved in polytechnic environments, especially among nonenglish majors such as accounting students. at the state polytechnic of ambon, this gap underscores an urgent need to explore how tbl can address deficiencies in academic literacy and language proficiency (subaedah et al., 2023; noviyanti et al., 2023). the urgency of this exploration cannot be overstated, given the potential impact on non-english majors' academic and professional success. learning english presents significant hurdles for non-english majors, particularly in mastering reading and writing skills. traditional teaching approaches often fail to establish contextual relevance, resulting in disengagement and struggles with comprehension and expression (maming, 2022; maming et al., 2023; wang & xia, 2022). in contrast, tbl provides a cohesive mailto:hedyanputra@gmail.com mailto:mansye78@gmail.com hedyan putra & mansye sekewael unlocking potential: theme-based learning to improve non-english majors’ reading and writing skills 48 framework connecting language learning with real-world experiences, enhancing motivation and understanding (puspita et al., 2020; phan, 2024). however, while promising, the application of tbl in vocational education, particularly in accounting programs, has yet to be extensively explored. research has demonstrated that theme-based instruction supports language skill development by creating meaningful contexts that help learners organize their ideas effectively (yumey et al. 2022). it provides thematic coherence, addressing the limitations of traditional methods and fostering language proficiency (howden et al., 2021; koç et al., 2022; flores, 2023). tbl could be a bridge for accounting students, linking academic literacy to professional goals and aligning language education with vocational success (shibata, 2022; noviyanti, 2022; pan, 2022). this dual focus on academic and career readiness highlights tbl's potential and hints at its transformative power in reshaping instructional strategies in vocational settings (phan, 2024; basarir & sari, 2022). furthermore, tbl has shown notable success in enhancing reading comprehension and writing proficiency. it enables learners to identify patterns, draw inferences, and structure their thoughts, resulting in better academic performance (howden et al., 2021; shibata, 2022). thematic environments encourage critical thinking and creativity, skills essential for educational and professional contexts (liu, 2023; noviyanti et al., 2023). nevertheless, implementing tbl effectively in vocational education poses challenges, including selecting appropriate themes, developing reliable evaluation methods, and the resource-intensive nature of the approach (yumey et al. 2023; phan, 2024; djoumana, 2024). non-english majors need help with language learning, such as limited vocabulary, ineffective reading strategies, and difficulty transitioning from conversational to academic writing (anik et al., 2023; okta et al., 2023). these challenges are often exacerbated by a need for immersive language experiences, which limits the connection between theoretical knowledge and practical application (hoyou, 2021; rachmadani, 2022). additionally, motivation plays a crucial role, as many non-english majors view english learning as secondary to their primary fields of study, further hindering their progress (liu, 2023; ji et al., 2024; duong & tran, 2024; phan, 2024). tbl offers a viable solution to these challenges by aligning language instruction with students' academic and professional interests. situating language learning in relevant contexts fosters meaningful engagement, improved comprehension, and enhanced writing proficiency. reflective practices integrated into tbl environments further encourage critical thinking, creativity, and the production of well-structured academic writing (liu, 2023; okta et al., 2023; zhang & tang, 2024)). as such, tbl not only emerges as a promising approach for addressing the unique challenges faced by non-english majors but also reassures us of its effectiveness in equipping them with the skills necessary for their academic and professional endeavors. this study aims to evaluate the impact of tbl on the reading and writing skills of non-english majors, specifically accounting students at the state polytechnic of ambon. by assessing the effectiveness of this instructional method, the research seeks to provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating tbl into polytechnic curricula. ultimately, the study aspires to enhance academic literacy, language proficiency, and professional readiness among vocational students, addressing the current limitations of traditional teaching methods and contributing to the body of knowledge on language pedagogy in vocational education settings (howden et al., 2021; subaedah et al., 2023). method this study employed a matching-only pretestpost-test control group method and a quasiexperimental research design to assess the effectiveness of a theme-based learning intervention. the quasi-experimental design was chosen due to its reliability in evaluating educational methods, as evidenced by its widespread application in studies aimed at enhancing language and literacy education (kilinc, 2020; herda et al., 2023; walls & johnston, 2020; almarshedi, 2022). this approach ensures the robustness of findings, particularly in educational settings, where variability in participant abilities and contexts necessitates controlled and systematic methodologies (bachega & carmo, 2023; liu, 2023; sun, 2023; nelson et al., 2022). we chose this method, highly regarded for its reliability in evaluating educational methods (kilinc, 2020; herda et al., 2023; walls & johnston, 2020), to ensure the robustness of our findings. we formed two english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 49 distinct groups: the experimental group, which participated in 20 instruction sessions using the theme-based model of content-based instruction (cbi), and the control group, which continued with traditional instruction without thematic integration. the comparison aimed to reveal the advantages of embedding thematic learning into english instruction for improving language skills. participants for this study were fourthsemester non-english majors from the state polytechnic of ambon, selected during the 2023/2024 academic year. we deemed these students academically ready for advanced instructional interventions after they completed foundational courses. the selection process used purposive sampling to identify two classes with comparable academic performance and prior completion of the english for accounting ii course. we administered the informal reading inventory (iri) by roe and burns (2011) to further ensure equivalency. we matched 50 of the 75 students based on their iri scores, assigning 25 students to each group. due to higher prematching scores, we designated class a as the control group, while we formed class b as the experimental group, receiving the theme-based intervention. we designed the thematic learning sessions for the experimental group to integrate relevant themes into english instruction, focusing on improving reading comprehension and writing proficiency. these sessions incorporated meaningful and contextually relevant content that encouraged students to effectively organize and express their thoughts. research has demonstrated that thematic instruction enhances engagement, critical thinking, and overall language performance (liu, 2023; sun, 2023; truman, 2023), and this new intervention aligns with this research. by linking linguistic concepts directly to the student's field of study, the sessions aimed to provide academic relevance and practical application. data collection involved two critical assessments, reading comprehension, and writing tests, conducted during the pre-test and post-test phases. the reading test had multiple-choice questions based on five levels of passages. the questions were about six things: the main idea (mi), the details (d), the inferences (inf), the sequence (seq), the causes and effects (ce), and the vocabulary (voc). the writing test required students to write a 150-word paragraph on accounting-related topics within 45 minutes. two independent raters evaluated the writing using boardman and frydenberg's (2008) rubric, which assessed topic sentences, supporting details, coherence, grammar, and word choice. the following table summarizes the data collection methodology: table 1. data collection details category details tests conducted reading comprehension test and writing test. testing phases  pre-test: before the 20 sessions of theme-based learning.  post-test: after the completion of theme-based sessions. reading test structure  format: multiple-choice questions.  passages: five levels of english reading passages.  aspects assessed: main idea (mi), detail (d), inference (inf), sequence (seq), cause-and-effect (ce), vocabulary (voc). writing test structure  task: paragraph composition of 150+ words in 45 minutes.  topics: six accounting-related themes (e.g., "the role of accounting in business decision-making").  focus: contextual relevance to students' field. scoring for writing  raters: two independent evaluators.  rubric: boardman & frydenberg (2008), assessing topic sentence, supporting details, coherence, concluding sentence, grammar, and word choice.  weighting: 20% for key criteria. data analysis  reading test: scores calculated from correct answers per comprehension aspect.  writing test: aggregate scores across all rubric criteria, averaging raters' scores for reliability. purpose of testing  compare pre-test and post-test results. hedyan putra & mansye sekewael unlocking potential: theme-based learning to improve non-english majors’ reading and writing skills 50 category details  evaluate improvements in reading comprehension and writing skills due to theme-based learning intervention. the reading comprehension and writing tests underwent rigorous review by experienced raters to ensure content validity and alignment with study objectives. a try-out test with fourthsemester students from the diii accounting program assessed construct validity using pearson correlation coefficients. only 30 items were valid, indicating high internal consistency among test items. cronbach's alpha analysis showed a reliability coefficient of 0.877, above the accepted threshold of 0.70. spearman's rank-order correlation assessed inter-rater reliability and revealed a robust correlation coefficient of 0.932. this high correlation coefficient indicates a high agreement between two independent raters, reinforcing the objectivity and trustworthiness of the results. scores were similar, making writing test data more reliable. we could use the results to objectively and trustingly determine how themebased learning affected students' writing skills. this study used three statistical analyses to evaluate the impact of theme-based learning on students' reading and writing skills. descriptive statistics briefly overviewed the students' performance before and after the treatment. we conducted a prerequisite analysis to ensure data normality and homogeneity. we used inferential statistics, specifically paired sample t-tests and independent t-tests, to assess the efficacy of the treatment. we also used step-wise regression analysis to identify critical factors influencing student achievement. we conducted all statistical tests using spss version 20. this comprehensive approach provided detailed insights into the impact of theme-based learning on students' reading and writing skills. results and discussion improvements in reading and writing skills: descriptive analysis the pretest and post-test score analysis reveals the significant impact of theme-based teaching interventions on enhancing students' reading comprehension and writing skills. the experimental group demonstrated remarkable progress, transitioning many students from the 'poor' and 'very poor' categories, which were determined based on pretest score intervals below 60 (50–59.99 for 'poor' and 0–49.99 for 'very poor'), to higher performance levels such as 'good' (70–79.99) and 'excellent' (80–100). this improvement is evident in table 2, highlighting the score distribution for reading comprehension and writing tests in the experimental and control groups, where post-test results show a significant increase in the proportion of students achieving higher levels in the experimental group compared to the control group. table 2. the score distribution of english reading comprehension and writing test (n=50) skills score interval score of achievement experimental group (eg) control group (cg) pre-test post-test pre-test post-test f % f % f % f % reading comprehension 80-100 excellent 0 0 9 36 0 0 4 16 70-79.99 good 6 24 11 44 5 25 8 32 60-69.99 average 6 24 5 20 10 40 9 36 50-59.99 poor 9 36 0 0 6 24 4 16 00-49.99 very poor 4 16 0 0 4 16 0 0 mean 58.92 76.32 60.44 69.08 writing 80-100 excellent 0 0 4 16 0 0 0 0 70-79.99 good 3 12 8 32 3 12 5 20 60-69.99 average 8 32 10 40 9 36 8 32 50-59.99 poor 8 32 3 12 10 40 10 40 00-49.99 very poor 7 28 0 0 2 8 2 8 mean 58.32 70.18 60.72 61.98 for reading comprehension, the posttest results for the experimental group are awe-inspiring. a substantial 36% achieved an 'excellent' score, a significant increase from the pretest where no one scored in this category. similarly, 44% reached the 'good' category, compared to 24% before the intervention. the mean score for reading comprehension improved significantly from 58.92 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 51 to 76.32. in contrast, the control group displayed only modest improvements, with 16% achieving an 'excellent' score and the mean rising from 60.44 to 69.08. writing skills followed a similar pattern, with the experimental group showing a significant rise in 'excellent' scores from 0% to 16% and in 'good' scores from 12% to 32%. their mean writing score increased from 58.32 to 70.18, demonstrating the strong effect of the intervention. conversely, the control group showed negligible improvement, with the mean rising slightly from 60.72 to 61.98. these outcomes underscore the overall impact of themebased instruction (tbi) in significantly enhancing language skills compared to conventional methods. these findings align with mortini et al. (2024), who emphasized theme-based learning enhances students' abilities to infer and sequence information, two critical components of reading comprehension. additionally, our study confirmed the effectiveness of this approach, as the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in inference and sequence comprehension (phan, 2024). these results reinforce the conclusion that theme-based instruction provides a robust framework for improving reading skills through contextualized and meaningful engagement. in writing, the experimental group also exhibited remarkable progress, with 32% of students achieving "good" scores in the post-test compared to 12% in the pretest. this aligns with the findings of noviyanti (2023) and maming et al. (2023), who noted that theme-based teaching helps students produce more coherent and structured writing. familiar and contextually relevant themes enabled students to organize their ideas more effectively, improving grammar, structure, and overall writing quality. shibata (2022) similarly highlighted the role of thematic instruction in fostering structured and logical writing, underscoring its potential to create a more effective and engaging learning environment for students. these findings corroborate the broader advantages of theme-based instruction (tbi), as highlighted in earlier research. noviyanti et al. (2023) demonstrated that tbi enhances student writing by fostering motivation and providing engaging, context-rich materials. similarly, puspita et al. (2020) found that thematic instruction improves reading comprehension by connecting linguistic tasks to meaningful realworld contexts. however, challenges still need to be addressed in implementing tbi effectively. adhikary (2020) stressed the importance of selecting culturally relevant and interdisciplinary themes while ensuring materials are adapted to students' proficiency levels. aksoy (2020) and bizetto (2020) noted that successful implementation often requires extensive resources, such as teacher training and customized materials, which can pose scalability challenges in underfunded educational settings. these insights highlight that while tbi offers significant promise, its success hinges on careful planning, adequate resources, and alignment with learner needs and contextual realities. contribution of specific aspects to learning outcomes this study thoroughly explores the contribution of specific elements to students' learning outcomes in reading and writing skills. students' reading abilities were assessed based on six key comprehension elements: cause-and-effect relationships, details, inference, vocabulary, main ideas, and the sequence of ideas. the learning process, which was systematically integrated, demonstrated gradual improvement as these elements were combined. this systematic integration enabled students to progress from fundamental understanding, such as identifying cause-and-effect, to mastering comprehensive comprehension of main ideas and inter-idea relationships. this integration enhanced students' analytical abilities and broadened their knowledge of texts. in writing, the study analyzed grammar, idea organization, word choice, content and ideas, and mechanics. two independent raters conducted the assessment using boardman and frydenberg's (2008) rubric, which provided a comprehensive view of the quality of students' writing. this evaluation, which included topic sentences, supporting details, coherence, grammar, and word choice, ensured a thorough understanding of the student's writing skills. the student's writing progress reflected the rubric-based approach's effectiveness in holistically improving writing skills. the research findings are presented in table 3 below: hedyan putra & mansye sekewael unlocking potential: theme-based learning to improve non-english majors’ reading and writing skills 52 table 3. the result of step-wise regression between the aspects of reading comprehension and writing and the result of post-test in experimental class skills model summary r r2 change statistics r2 change sig. f change reading comprehension cause-and-effect 0.618 0.382 0.382 0.001 ce, detail 0.751 0.565 0.183 0.006 ce, d, inference 0.844 0.713 0.149 0.003 ce, d, i, vocabulary 0.910 0.828 0.115 0.002 ce, d, i, v, main idea 0.955 0.913 0.085 0.000 ce, d, i, v, mi, sequence 1.000 1.000 0.087 0.000 writing grammar/structure 0.969 0.939 0.939 0.000 g/s, organization 0.990 0.980 0.041 0.000 g/s, o, word choice/word form 0.996 0.992 0.011 0.000 g/s, o. wc/wf, content/ideas 0.998 0.996 0.005 0.000 g/s, o. wc/wf, c/i, mechanics 1.000 1.000 0.004 0.000 reading comprehension contributions the analysis of reading comprehension outcomes underscores the pivotal role of the cause-andeffect (ce) aspect. this significant factor accounted for 38.2% of the variance in post-test scores (r² = 0.382, p = 0.001). ce is not just another aspect but a cornerstone in helping students understand complex texts by identifying relationships between events and their outcomes, a foundational skill for advanced comprehension. this finding aligns with subeadah et al. (2023), who demonstrated the effectiveness of themebased approaches integrated with the contextual teaching and learning (ctl) model in enhancing cause-and-effect comprehension, and with howden et al. (2021), who emphasized the value of such strategies in understanding text structures. wadi et al. (2021) further validated the significance of ce in fostering logical reasoning within theme-based instruction. adding the detail (d) aspect increased the r² to 0.565, contributing an additional 18.3% (p = 0.006), highlighting the complementary nature of ce and d in creating a robust framework that integrates broad patterns with granular information. wang and shen (2023) similarly affirmed that theme-based instruction strengthens comprehension at both macro (causeand-effect) and micro (specific details) levels. the subsequent inclusion of inference (i) raised the r² to 0.713, explaining 14.9% of the variance (p = 0.003). as a higher-order skill, inference is not just a skill but a catalyst that enables students to deduce implicit meanings and connect ideas, fostering critical thinking and contextual understanding. this finding is supported by mortini, fitriati, and haryanti (2024), who emphasize inference as a crucial component of theme-based reading instruction, and wadi et al. (2021), who highlight its role in improving implicit comprehension and critical analysis. howden et al. (2021) further stress the importance of inference in advancing higher-order thinking within theme-based learning, while studies such as rachmadani (2022) and pan (2022) provide additional frameworks for integrating inference into broader educational contexts. duong and tran (2024) affirm its relevance for contextual understanding, reinforcing its indispensability in literacy development. finally, the addition of vocabulary (v), main idea (mi), and sequence (seq) progressively enhances the model’s explanatory power, culminating in an r² of 1.000. vocabulary contributes 11.5% (p = 0.002), followed by main idea (8.5%) and sequence (8.7%) (p = 0.000), highlighting the comprehensive nature of themebased learning. this approach fosters holistic text comprehension and analytical proficiency. this aligns with mortini, fitriati, and haryanti (2024), who emphasize vocabulary, main ideas, and information organization as integral to themebased instruction, and with subeadah et al. (2023), who underscore the importance of sequencing and primary idea comprehension. wadi et al. (2021) similarly affirm the effectiveness of integrating these components, while rachmadani (2022), pan (2022), and bizetto (2020) highlight the broader impact of theme-based approaches in enhancing vocabulary, comprehension structure, and organizational skills. collectively, these findings validate the critical role of integrating diverse skills in a theme-based framework to advance reading comprehension (zhou, 2020). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 53 writing comprehension contributions grammar and sentence structure (g/s) emerged as the most significant predictor of writing outcomes, accounting for 93.9% of the variance in post-test scores (r² = 0.939, p = 0.000). this underscores the foundational role of grammar in producing coherent and accurate written texts, as supported by shibata (2022), who linked themebased instruction to enhanced lexical diversity and grammatical complexity, and bizetto (2020), who emphasized grammar’s role in 21st-century writing tasks. the profound impact of grammar on writing success is a critical insight that this research brings to scholars, educators, and students interested in writing pedagogy and assessment. adding organization (o) to the model increased the r² to 0.980, contributing 4.1% (p = 0.000), highlighting the importance of logical structuring in writing. this aligns with noviyanti (2020), who emphasized theme-based teaching in fostering cohesive text structures, and bizetto (2020), who stressed the role of organized ideas in technical writing. the role of organization in enhancing coherence is a reassuring finding for scholars, educators, and students interested in writing pedagogy and assessment. including word choice/word form (wc/wf) added 1.1% to the r², raising it to 0.992 (p = 0.000), highlighting the importance of vocabulary precision and stylistic appropriateness in writing. this finding aligns with shibata (2022) and bizetto (2020), who noted that theme-based instruction enhances lexical diversity and contextual appropriateness. the importance of vocabulary precision and stylistic appropriateness in writing is a crucial insight this research brings to scholars, educators, and students interested in writing pedagogy and assessment. finally, content/ideas (c/i) and mechanics completed the model, contributing 0.5% and 0.4% (p = 0.000) to r² = 1.000. these elements emphasize originality, substance, and technical accuracy, which are essential for persuasive and error-free writing. maming et al. (2023) and bizetto (2020) highlighted their importance in theme-based tasks, while mortini et al. (2024) linked theme-based teaching to structured and meaningful content. however, some studies, such as rachmadani (2022), duong and tran (2024), and peng (2022), focused on vocabulary, creativity, or listening skills, diverging from the emphasis on c/i and mechanics. these variations illustrate the nuanced contributions of each component to effective writing development. conclusion this study illuminates the transformative potential of theme-based learning (tbl) in enhancing reading and writing skills among non-english major students in vocational settings. with its focus on cause-and-effect relationships, inferencemaking, and identifying main ideas, tbl can significantly boost reading comprehension. the experimental group's substantial improvements, surpassing the control group and elevating many students to 'good' and 'excellent' levels, underscore tbl's ability to make reading more engaging and effective. by embedding language learning within meaningful and contextually relevant themes, tbl inspires a new approach to education. writing proficiency also saw marked advancements through tbl, integrating essential aspects such as grammar, logical organization, and thematic relevance. students in the experimental group showed considerable improvements in their ability to produce wellstructured, grammatically correct paragraphs, with their mean scores reflecting notable progress compared to traditional teaching methods. this structured approach enhances technical writing skills and helps students better align their academic output with professional expectations. for instance, by writing about real-world scenarios in their field of study, students can develop a writing style that aligns more with what is expected in their future careers, reinforcing tbl's potential as a holistic educational strategy. to ensure the practical benefits of tbl, several recommendations are provided. integrating tbl into vocational curricula with themes directly related to students' fields of study, such as accounting, can foster relevance and engagement. lecturer training programs are essential to equip educators with the skills to design and implement tbl effectively. investing in tailored resources and ensuring robust assessment mechanisms, including pre-and posttests, will support continuous improvement. scaling tbl institution-wide while addressing potential resource and contextual challenges is vital for broader adoption. these strategies collectively highlight tbl's capacity to bridge the gap between academic learning and career readiness, fostering comprehensive skill development for vocational students practically and effectively. hedyan putra & mansye sekewael unlocking potential: theme-based learning to improve non-english majors’ reading and writing skills 54 acknowledgement i want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the department of accounting, especially to the head and secretary, as well as to the director of politeknik negeri ambon, for granting me, as a first author and a new civil servant in basic training (cpns), the opportunity to not only fulfil my weekly reporting duties but also to conduct research as part of the beginner lecturer research program. special thanks go to sir mansye sekewael for his invaluable collaboration, guidance, and mentorship throughout this research process. your support has been instrumental in shaping and directing my efforts as the lead author. thank you for your trust and encouragement. references adhikary, r. p. (2020). effectiveness of content–based instruction in teaching reading. theory and practice in language studies, 10(5), 510–519. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1005.05 aksoy, e. (2020). theme-based instruction and integrated curriculum in the shadow of turkey’s 2023 education vision. journal of language teaching and learning, 10(1), 1–18. retrieved from https://jltl.com.tr/index.php/jltl/article/view/178 almarshedi, r. m. (2022). role of metalinguistic awareness in training for reading: a quasiexperimental study with saudi efl learners. f1000research, 11(412). https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.109456. 1 anik, s., suryani, f. b., mohammad, k., & bamiro, n. b. (2023). development of student worksheets on technology development theme-based contextual teaching and learning. icccm journal of social sciences and humanities, 2(4), 21–28. https://doi.org/10.53797/icccmjssh.v2i4.4.2023 bachega, d., & carmo, j. dos santos. (2023). the paulo freire “method” in a behavioral reading of the alphabetization. in contributions of behavior analysis to reading and writing comprehension (pp. 339–359). springer international publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40868-7_15 basarir, f., & sari, m. (2022). an action research on development of students' awareness of global issues through theme-based english language teaching. international online journal of education and teaching, 9(2), 811–840. retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1343128 bizetto, c. n. (2020). content-based, task-based, or theme-based tasks aligned to 21st-century themes in teaching writing. journal of innovation in social science, 1(1), 19–25. retrieved from http://8.218.148.162:8081/jiss/article/view/8 boardman, c. a., & frydenberg, j. (2008). writing to communicate 2: paragraphs and essays. pearson chaojing, m. (2023). approaches to designing interdisciplinary theme-based learning cases for primary and secondary schools. advances in educational technology and psychology, 7(10), 8–14. https://doi.org/10.23977/aetp.2023.071002 djoumana, g. (2024). investigating the effectiveness of theme-based instruction in raising english vocabulary mastery of primary school pupils. retrieved from https://dspace.univouargla.dz/jspui/handle/123456789/33192 duong, t., & tran, t. (2024). teachers’ perceptions of theme-based instruction implemented in vietnamese efl classrooms. electronic journal of foreign language teaching [e-flt], 21(1), 20–35. https://doi.org/10.56040/tdtt2112 flores, a. m. (2023). theme-based role-play as an alternative approach in a task-based efl learning and teaching environment. academia. literature and linguistics edition, (113), 301– 327. herda, r. k., margana, & putro, n. h. p. s. (2023). role of collaborative strategic reading in postpandemic efl reading class: a quasiexperimental study. issues in language studies, 12(2), 211–226. https://doi.org/10.33736/ils.5491.2023 howden, t., bras, p. l., methven, t. s., padilla, s., & chantler, m. j. (2021). enhancing reading strategies by exploring a theme-based approach to literature surveys. arxiv preprint. retrieved from https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.05374 hoyou, a. m. (2021). a comparative analysis of theme-based and non-theme-based read-aloud. aurora university. ishak, n., noordin, n., ismail, l., & mustakim, s. s. (2023). development, validity, and reliability of a theme-based cbi vocabulary module for esl post-secondary tourism management students at an english-medium university. arab world english journal, 14(3), 351–367. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4593930 ji, j., cui, w., & cheng, h. (2024). the application of thematic task-based active learning in business english speaking teaching. the educational review, usa, 8(3), 424–427. https://doi.org/10.26855/er.2024.03.015 kilinc, s. (2020). a quasi-experimental examination of drama frames: a teacher professional development program that targets reading achievement. proceedings of the 2020 aera annual meeting. aera. https://doi.org/10.3102/1574121 koç, ö., altun, e., & yüksel, h. g. (2022). writing an expository text using augmented reality: https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1005.05 https://jltl.com.tr/index.php/jltl/article/view/178 https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.109456.1 https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.109456.1 https://doi.org/10.53797/icccmjssh.v2i4.4.2023 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40868-7_15 https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ej1343128 http://8.218.148.162:8081/jiss/article/view/8 https://doi.org/10.23977/aetp.2023.071002 https://dspace.univ-ouargla.dz/jspui/handle/123456789/33192 https://dspace.univ-ouargla.dz/jspui/handle/123456789/33192 https://doi.org/10.56040/tdtt2112 https://doi.org/10.33736/ils.5491.2023 https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.05374 https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4593930 https://doi.org/10.26855/er.2024.03.015 https://doi.org/10.3102/1574121 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 1, february 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 55 students’ performance and perceptions. education and information technologies, 27(1), 845–866. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-02110438-x liu, c. (2023). incorporating a reflective thinking promoting mechanism into artificial intelligence-supported english writing environments. interactive learning environments, 31(9), 5614–5632. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.201281 2 liu, w. (2023). reflective practices in theme-based language instruction. journal of reflective language teaching, 5(1), 30–45. maming, k. (2022). theme-based tasks with topics familiarity to promote learners' productive language skills at junior secondary education. universitas hasanuddin. maming, k., yassi, a. h., saleh, n. j., & jubhari, r. r. (2023). exploring theme-based tasks using familiar topics in promoting secondary learners’ speaking and writing skills. diksi, 31(1), 98– 111. https://doi.org/10.21831/diksi.v31i1.59414 nelson, n., skinner, k., & barrera, e. s. (2022). the writing-reading nexus. in the routledge international handbook of research on writing (pp. 141–162). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429437991-12 noviyanti, a., anugrawati, n., & azis, a. (2023). the use of theme-based teaching to improve the students’ writing skills in smkn 5 selayar: a pre-experimental research. english language teaching methodology, 3(2), 185–192. https://doi.org/10.56983/eltm.v3i2.426 okta, z., ashadi, a., triyono, s., & pranowo, d. d. (2023). thematic structure in students’ writings: implications on their ideas organization and development. register journal, 16(1), 49–72. https://doi.org/10.18326/register.v16i1.49-72 pan, g. (2022). application of theme-based approach and blended teaching model in college medical english teaching. pacific international journal, 5(3), 52–56. retrieved from https://rclss.com/pij/article/view/197 phan, t. n. l. (2024). students' perceptions of the pros and cons of theme-based instruction in english classes. icte conference proceedings. retrieved from http://icte.org/proceedings/index.php/ictep/article/view /66 puspita, r. d., hoerudin, c. w., & yudiantara, r. a. (2020). integrating thematic instruction using webbed curricula model to improve students' reading comprehension on informational text. anatolian journal of education, 5(2), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.29333/aje.2020.521a rachmadani, f. (2022). the implementation of themebased teaching to improve students’ english vocabulary in speaking. english language teaching methodology, 2(2), 110–119. https://doi.org/10.56983/eltm.v2i2.99 roe, b. d., & burns, p. c. (2011). informal reading inventory: preprimer to twelfth grade (8th ed.). cengage learning. shibata, n. (2022). the effectiveness of theme-based instruction on japanese university students’ lexical diversity in writing. nagoya jalt journal, 3(1), 78–105. https://doi.org/10.37546/jaltchap.nagoya 3.1-4 subaedah, s., bundu, p., & yahya, m. (2023). development of a theme-based english learning model with contextual teaching and learning (ctl) approach to improve students’ reading skills. asian journal of education and social studies, 45(1), 28–39. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2023/v45i1975 sun, j. (2023). the role of thematic content in enhancing reading comprehension in efl contexts. asian journal of education studies, 12(1), 45–60. truman, s. e. (2023). an epistle outlining my queerfeminist orientation to reading/writing in qualitative research. in writing and the articulation of postqualitative research (pp. 149–156). routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003280590-13 wadi, a. s., wathoni, h., & sulaiman, a. a. b. (2021). the influence of theme-based language teaching on indonesian students’ reading comprehension. international journal of english and applied linguistics (ijeal), 1(3), 169–177. https://doi.org/10.47709/ijeal.v1i3.1191 walls, h., & johnston, m. (2020). the fast feedback method: a quasi-experimental study of the use of formative assessment for primary students’ writing. australian journal of learning difficulties, 26(1), 21–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/19404158.2020.186288 0 wang, f., & shen, z. (2023). research on theme-based teaching's effectiveness in english language education. the educational review, usa, 7(7), 962–967. https://doi.org/10.26855/er.2023.07.020 wang, y., & xia, j. (2022). theme-based instruction applied in teaching non-english majors in china and an empirical analysis. in advances in artificial systems for medicine and education v (pp. 469–480). springer international publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-03092537-6_43 yulsyofriend, y., anggraini, v., & mafardi, m. (2022, june). literacy development through themebased song animation media during the covid-19 pandemic in bukittinggi. in 6th international conference of early childhood education (icece-6 2021) (pp. 238–241). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10438-x https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10438-x https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.2012812 https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2021.2012812 https://doi.org/10.21831/diksi.v31i1.59414 https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429437991-12 https://doi.org/10.56983/eltm.v3i2.426 https://doi.org/10.18326/register.v16i1.49-72 https://rclss.com/pij/article/view/197 http://i-cte.org/proceedings/index.php/ictep/article/view/66 http://i-cte.org/proceedings/index.php/ictep/article/view/66 http://i-cte.org/proceedings/index.php/ictep/article/view/66 https://doi.org/10.29333/aje.2020.521a https://doi.org/10.56983/eltm.v2i2.99 https://doi.org/10.37546/jaltchap.nagoya3.1-4 https://doi.org/10.37546/jaltchap.nagoya3.1-4 https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2023/v45i1975 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003280590-13 https://doi.org/10.47709/ijeal.v1i3.1191 https://doi.org/10.1080/19404158.2020.1862880 https://doi.org/10.1080/19404158.2020.1862880 https://doi.org/10.26855/er.2023.07.020 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92537-6_43 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92537-6_43 hedyan putra & mansye sekewael unlocking potential: theme-based learning to improve non-english majors’ reading and writing skills 56 atlantis press. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220602.048 yumei, l., jiadi, h., kang, z., mingyang, g., liwang, j., huanying, c., & siyao, l. (2022). practice of the theme-based teaching of big culture community in middle school english—taking an example of a reading-to-write lesson with heterogeneous groups. ieti transactions on social sciences and humanities, 19, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.6896/ietitssh.202208_19.0 001 yumei, l., xiaolin, q., jialuo, x., dingxiang, h., & chunlan, l. (2023). the qualities of english teachers in theme-based instruction—an exploration about the humanity of the different teachings in the same reading and writing lesson in grade 8. international journal of new developments in education, 5(6), 28–39. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2023/v45i1975 zhang, m., & tang, l. (2024). a review of contentbased instruction on critical thinking in college english reading instruction. international journal of education and humanities, 16(1), 177–181. https://doi.org/10.54097/3xwwds97 zhou, j. (2020). a theme-based text analysis of an academic abstract in english and chinese. journal of language teaching and research, 11(5), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1105.13 https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220602.048 https://doi.org/10.6896/ietitssh.202208_19.0001 https://doi.org/10.6896/ietitssh.202208_19.0001 https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2023/v45i1975 https://doi.org/10.54097/3xwwds97 https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1105.13 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 407 enhancing speaking skills in higher education through canvas lms: a study in banda aceh firdaus1, yunisrina qismullah yusuf2, iskandar abdul samad3, hilda delavari4 1,2,3department of english education, faculty of teacher training and education, universitas syiah kuala, banda aceh, indonesia 2department of psychology, faculty of psychology, universitas muhammadiyah aceh, banda aceh, indonesia 4department of english language, shahid sadoughi university of medical sciences, yazd, iran corresponding author: yunisrina.q.yusuf@usk.ac.id apa citation: firdaus., yusuf, y. q., samad, i. a., & delavari, h. (2025). enhancing speaking skills in higher education through canvas lms: a study in banda aceh. english review: journal of english education, abstract: this study explores the effectiveness of canvas lms in improving first-semester psychology students’ english-speaking skills at universitas muhammadiyah aceh, indonesia. while previous research has examined the role of learning management systems (lms) in language acquisition, few studies have directly compared the impact of a widely used lms like canvas with synchronous tools like zoom on speaking proficiency. this study addresses that gap by systematically comparing their effects on learners’ oral communication skills. a quasi-experimental design with 30 students, 15 each in canvas and zoom groups, included a pre-test (offline), three online treatment sessions, and a post-test (offline). speaking skills in vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, fluency, and content were assessed, with paired sample t-tests (spss 26) showing significant improvements in both groups, though canvas outperformed zoom in all areas. using hypothetical scores (due to ranked data), cohen’s d analysis revealed that canvas had a large effect on grammar (d = 0.93), medium effects on vocabulary (d = 0.63), content (d = 0.73), and pronunciation (d = 0.54), but only a minimal effect on fluency (d = 0.23) compared to zoom. the results showed that canvas enhanced engagement, structured learning, and interactive communication, leading to higher vocabulary and content scores. a post-study questionnaire also reflected strong student approval of canvas’s effectiveness for task submission and online learning access. these findings showed that canvas lms is an effective tool for improving students’ english speaking skills and emphasize its practical value for efl educators, policymakers, and curriculum designers in optimizing digital learning strategies. keywords: efl students, canvas, learning management system (lms), speaking skills. introduction in today's networked globalized world, when individuals may quickly move across international borders and english is becoming an increasingly vital lingua franca, efl learners must understand spoken english (paudel, 2024). speaking is the dynamic, interactive process of using verbal and nonverbal symbols to encode and transmit messages, ideas, or emotions in a way that is contextually appropriate and socially meaningful (mccornack & morrison, 2023). thus, speaking competence is a multidimensional skill critical for personal, academic, and professional success. to effectively communicate meaning, grammar (structural accuracy), vocabulary (word choice), content (message relevance), fluency (flow and rhythm), and pronunciation (sound clarity) must all be integrated (wahyudin et al., 2024). speaking is a core area of competency, honed from junior high school level up through university studies. as a result, university students should exhibit universal competency throughout all areas of oral communication, including usual conversational situations. (nurlaela et al., 2023). classroom activities play a vital role in speaking courses, as they greatly impact students' speaking abilities. lecturers need to implement suitable activities that cater to the specific needs of their students (ulayya & anggraini, 2024). multiple issues may arise in the teaching and learning of speaking skills. one significant problem is the use of traditional techniques that 13(2), 407-420. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11561 3 received: 04-02-2025 accepted: 20-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 mailto:corresponding%20author:%20yunisrina.q.yusuf@usk.ac.id firdaus, yunisrina qismullah yusuf, iskandar abdul samad, hilda delavari enhancing speaking skills in higher education through canvas lms: a study in banda aceh 408 make the learning process monotonous and boring (nurhayati et al, 2023). traditional methods, such as rote memorization, teacher-centered drills, and scripted role-plays, are increasingly criticized for their inadequacy in providing authentic, communicative competence. these approaches often prioritize accuracy over fluency, stifling learners’ ability to engage in spontaneous, realworld interactions (gokgoz-kurt, 2023). most agreeing today to what the effective teachers should do in adapting some of their techniques to teaching english in classrooms sufficed to assert that traditional methods were no longer fulfilling the standards of the previous year. (mutalliyeva, 2024). to address these gaps, identification of the most promising innovative practices and technologies in the contemporary higher education system. online education has many advantages compared to the traditional avenues of learning. the inherent flexibility to mold an educational experience according to one's schedule and preferences makes it the most preferred mode of education. (gray & dunn, 2024). it emphasizes the role of electronic education at the tertiary level and discusses the notion of blended learning and its various models, as presented by several local and international researchers in the available literature (refide & ismigul, 2024). therefore, it goes without saying that learning in the contemporary digital era also uses digital media to keep up with advances (nur aisyiah & erizar, 2023). furthermore, the usage of ict has transformed education into a more dynamic and participatory learning experience. so, in the current digital era, of course, learning follows changes using digital media (elmi et al., 2024). by integrating multimedia resources and adaptive learning systems, ict as a tool has proven highly effective in helping students overcome speaking anxiety, thus having a positive attitude toward ict as a means of countering their anxiety with speaking. the students, therefore, have greater confidence when speaking in english among their peers (wahyuni, 2023). learning software like a learning management system (lms) is one of the products of ict. lms is a form of electronic software application or web-based technology that is utilized for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of certain educational processes. the application of lms technology is experiencing extensive growth in higher education, specifically within the frameworks of distance education, blended learning strategies, and flipped classroom environments (rekha, 2024). it provides instant feedback on pronunciation and fluency, enabling self-paced practice. for example, ai-powered apps analyze speech patterns and suggest corrections (kure et al., 2023). the inclusion of multimedia resources favorably improved the effectiveness of synchronous virtual meetings that include lms features, increasing student engagement and learning outcomes (prasetya, 2024). while several learning management systems (lms) have been introduced to enhance online language learning, their effectiveness varies depending on platform features and user engagement levels (bahadorfar & omidvar, 2014). lms platforms provide 24/7 access to learning materials, enabling learners to study at their own pace and location. this grants inclusivity for diverse learners, including working professionals and students in remote areas (brown & green, 2024). also, the cloud-based lms model offers numerous educational advantages amidst the current technological advancements addresses the demand for computational resources, and maintains the quality of the lms (adi et al., 2024). some lms platforms incorporate ai-driven tools (e.g., speech recognition, and pronunciation analyzers) to provide instant feedback on pronunciation, intonation, and grammar (tondeur et al., 2023). additionally, it offers multimedia resources (videos, podcasts, interactive simulations) that cater to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners (huang et al., 2023). however, the use of lms in blended learning is perceived to be challenging because of technical issues such as unstable internet connection lack of needed devices, limited technical experience and skills, and a lack of e-learning pedagogy (cao, 2023). several lms platforms are commonly used in english language learning and teaching, including canvas, zoom, moodle, google classroom, blackboard, schoology, and edmodo (tuan, 2023; gamage et al., 2022; prasetya, 2022; al-sofi, 2021; iksan et al., 2022; vonti et al., 2023; yusuf et al., 2018). despite the widespread use of zoom as a synchronous learning tool, its primary function as a video conferencing platform limits its ability to provide structured learning pathways, interactive assessments, and asynchronous discussion forums (tang et al., 2021). unlike zoom, canvas offers a comprehensive learning environment that integrates multimedia resources, discussion boards, interactive assignments, and structured progress tracking. it provides deeper student engagement and enhances oral communication skills (mendis & dharmawan, 2019; dani et al., 2023). canvas wins over moodle and google classroom, simply by the virtue of its english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 409 user-friendly approach and the power-packed functionality it delivers, and is therefore greatly opted for by mid-sized to large institutions (bousboula et al, 2025) in this study, canvas was chosen for english language learning and teaching due to its userfriendly interface, seamless integration with thirdparty tools, robust assessment features, and ability to support collaborative and interactive learning (tuan, 2023). previous studies indicate that canvas enhances speaking ability and promotes student interaction through resource-sharing modules, discussion boards, assignments, online conferencing, and integration with other platforms (tuan, 2023). additionally, canvas has been found to reduce efl learners’ anxiety related to public speaking through podcasts and online speaking exercises (yaprak, 2022). students have shown improved speaking abilities, increased selfconfidence, and positive attitudes toward canvasbased learning activities (dani et al., 2023; yaprak, 2022). however, existing research has not directly compared canvas with zoom in an experimental study to measure its effectiveness in developing speaking skills. this study aims to fill this gap by evaluating the effectiveness of canvas in improving englishspeaking skills among first-semester psychology students at universitas muhammadiyah aceh (unmuha), indonesia, compared to zoom. the research also explores students’ perceptions of canvas as a digital learning tool. the research questions guiding this study are: (1) does the use of canvas improve the englishspeaking skills of psychology students at unmuha more effectively than zoom? (2) what are the students’ perceptions of using canvas for developing their speaking skills? based on the research questions, the hypotheses of this study are: null hypothesis (h₀): no significant difference exists between the pre-test and post-test scores. alternative hypothesis (h₁): a significant difference exists between the pre-test and post-test scores. this research explores how canvas fares against the usage of zoom as an alternative to improve english-speaking skills among psychology students of universitas muhammadiyah banda aceh (unmuha) and their perceptions of using canvas in learning a foreign language. to meet the objectives of the study, two main questions are therein constructed: whether canvas is more effective than using zoom for improving speaking capacities; and how students perceive canvas as a tool in developing their speaking abilities in english. a comparative hypothesis framework is used to analyze the first question, with a null hypothesis (h₀) that maintains the level of improvement in speaking skills from both methods: with an h₁ alternative hypothesis that ascribes a greater improvement to canvas. the second question adopts a qualitative approach to interpret pupils' experiences and attitudes concerning the use of the platform for practice speaking. focusing on the psychology students from unmuha bears its connotations in the indonesian setting within the changing landscape of digital education in which the post-pandemic reality has created an accelerating tempo for online multimedia adoption for learning. banda aceh is, of course, different as an educational context. method this study employed a quantitative approach to examine the impact of canvas on students’ english-speaking competence, the quasiexperimental design included a pre-test, treatment, and post-test (creswell & creswell, 2023) to compare the effectiveness of canvas (experimental group) and zoom (control group). students were not randomly assigned but were grouped based on class availability. for the treatment, both the control and experimental groups engaged in fully online learning for five meetings. the experimental class utilized canvas, integrating face-to-face sessions with online learning through its interactive features, such as resource-sharing modules, discussion boards, and assignment submissions. meanwhile, the control class used zoom as its online platform alongside face-to-face sessions. zoom was selected as the control group due to its widespread use in online learning and its role as a conventional tool for virtual instruction. this setup enabled a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of canvas versus zoom in enhancing students’ speaking skills within an online learning environment. specifically, meeting 1 served as the pre-test for both groups, meeting 2 to 4 comprised the treatment sessions, and meeting 5 functioned as the post-test to assess students’ progress. the population of this research was the 1stsemester psychology students of muhammadiyah aceh university. there were 60 students in the academic year 2023/2024. the sampling technique used in this study is purposive sampling. according to sugiyono (2014, p. 85), purposive sampling is a non-probability technique to select participants based on predefined criteria. this firdaus, yunisrina qismullah yusuf, iskandar abdul samad, hilda delavari enhancing speaking skills in higher education through canvas lms: a study in banda aceh 410 approach was chosen to minimize the influence of confounding variables (e.g., prior exposure to advanced blended learning tools) and to ensure methodological feasibility within a small sample size (n=30). also, the lecturer gave the access researcher to imply canvas lms on the class. the participants were 30 students. then, they were divided into two classes; 15 students for the experimental class (canvas lms) and 15 students for the control class (zoom meeting). the study utilized tests and questionnaires. the pre-test and post-test assessed students’ speaking skills based on vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, fluency, and content. students were given three minutes to present their selfintroductions, which were recorded for evaluation. a pre-test was conducted before treatment to assess baseline speaking skills, followed by a posttest after treatment to measure improvements. the comparison of pre-test and post-test scores determined the effectiveness of canvas and zoom. the speaking assessment rubric included five categories: vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, fluency, and content. each category was rated on a five-point scale, with clear descriptors for each level to ensure consistency in scoring. to enhance reliability, inter-rater reliability was checked by involving two independent raters. a cohen’s kappa coefficient above 0.75 was considered acceptable for scoring consistency. meanwhile, a questionnaire was administered to the experimental group to assess perceptions of canvas's effectiveness in online learning (karwati, 2014) and task submission (parveen et al., 2023). responses were measured using a five-point likert scale (gay et al., 2012): strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and strongly agree. to answer the first research question, data was collected through pre-tests, treatments, post-tests, and questionnaires. for the pre-and post-test, students’ scores were evaluated based on marek and wu’s (2011) efl speaking rubric. table 1. pre-test and post-test evaluation rubric by marek and wu (2011) criteria 5 points 3 points 1 point fluency speaks confidently with no distracting hesitation; ideas flow smoothly. hesitates occasion ally but generally finds the desired words. many hesitations and great difficulty rememberi ng/selectin g words. pronunciat ion accurate pronunciati on with satisfact ory pronunci pronunciat ion is difficult or correct inflections and syllables. ation, though sometime s incorrect inflection s. impossible to understand . grammar uses grammar accurately with minimal errors. occasion ally misuses verb tenses/pa rts of speech but selfcorrects. frequent incorrect use of grammar and sentence structure. vocabulary uses appropriate vocabulary in most settings. moderate vocabula ry sometime s needs help identifyin g words. limited vocabulary with frequent incorrect word usage. content knowledg eable on the subject with detailed responses. demonst rates awarenes s but provides limited details. shows little understand ing; responses are superficial. the speaking rubric presented in table 1 offers a structured and detailed framework for assessing speaking skills across five key criteria: fluency, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and content, using a 5-3-1-point scale with clear behavioral descriptors for each performance level. while the rubric itself is well-designed and based on established work by marek and wu (2011), the assessment methodology requires further elaboration to ensure validity and reliability. specifically, the narrative should include details on how inter-rater reliability was established, such as statistical measures of agreement (cohen’s kappa) and procedures for resolving discrepancies between raters. additionally, the rater training process should be described, including the duration and content of training sessions, calibration exercises using sample recordings, and whether raters were blinded to pre-test/post-test conditions. clarification on how scores were averaged, how borderline cases were handled, and any quality control measures during scoring would further strengthen the study’s credibility. by providing this methodological detail, the assessment results would be more transparent and allow readers to better evaluate the consistency and accuracy of the english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 411 scoring process. before administering the test, validity and reliability analyses were conducted. according to leary (2012), validity ensures that an instrument measures what it is intended to measure. the test instrument’s validity was assessed using pearson correlation analysis in spss 26, with an r-table value of 0.51 at a 5% significance level. the results indicated that all test items were valid, as the rcount values exceeded the r-table value. table 2. the validity of the test instrument no. item recount rtable 5% (15) sig. criteria 1. 0.65 0.51 0.02 valid 2. 0.72 0.51 0.01 valid 3. 0.58 0.51 0.03 valid 4. 0.66 0.51 0.02 valid 5. 0.61 0.51 0.02 valid 6. 0.53 0.51 0.04 valid 7. 0.68 0.51 0.01 valid 8. 0.67 0.51 0.01 valid 9. 0.55 0.51 0.03 valid reliability refers to the consistency of an instrument. a test is considered reliable when it produces stable results over multiple applications. the reliability of this study’s test instrument was measured using cronbach’s alpha in spss. a cronbach’s alpha value above 0.70 indicates good internal consistency (leary, 2012). the obtained value of 0.81 confirmed that the instrument was reliable. table 3. the reliability of test instrument cronbach’s alpha n of items .817 9 to analyze the test results for the first research question, the study applied a paired sample t-test in spss 26. hypothesis testing using this test determines whether there is a significant difference between pre-test and post-test scores (york, 2017). decision criteria: h₀ is accepted if the significance value > 0.05. h₀ is rejected if the significance value < 0.05. a questionnaire was used to analyze students’ responses to the web-based lms by the second research question. the quantitative data were analyzed using spss 26. the questionnaire comprised 14 statements divided into two categories: (a) lms performance in online learning (8 statements), (b) task submission process (6 statements) the validity of the questionnaire was tested using pearson correlation analysis in spss 26. the results demonstrated that all 14 items were valid, as the r-count values exceeded the r-table value of 0.51 at a 5% significance level. participants rated each statement on a five-point likert scale: (a) strongly disagree (1.00–1.80), (b) disagree (1.81–2.60), (c)neutral (2.61–3.40), (d) agree (3.41–4.20), (e) strongly agree (4.21–5.00). table 4. the validity of the test instrument item no. recount rtable 5% (15) sig. criteria 1. 0.59 0.51 0.03 valid 2. 0.63 0.51 0.02 valid 3. 0.56 0.51 0.04 valid 4. 0.66 0.51 0.02 valid 5. 0.60 0.51 0.02 valid 6. 0.54 0.51 0.05 valid 7. 0.69 0.51 0.01 valid 8. 0.61 0.51 0.02 valid 9. 0.57 0.51 0.03 valid 10. 0.62 0.51 0.02 valid 11. 0.55 0.51 0.02 valid 12. 0.64 0.51 0.01 valid 13. 0.60 0.51 0.03 valid 14. 0.52 0.51 0.02 valid reliability was assessed using cronbach’s alpha in spss. a cronbach’s alpha value above 0.70 indicates high reliability. table 5. the reliability of the questionnaire instrument cronbach’s alpha n of items 0.97 14 results and discussion tests pre-test results for canvas group table 6 presents the average pre-test scores of 15 students. the results indicate varying levels of proficiency before using the canvas lms. vocabulary scores (2.10) suggest that while some students had a moderate range, others struggled with word selection and meaning, highlighting the need for targeted vocabulary development. pronunciation scores (1.70) reveal difficulties in speech clarity, necessitating focused training. similarly, content scores (1.70) indicate a lack of depth in responses, calling for improved comprehension strategies. fluency scores (1.30) show that students hesitated frequently, suggesting a need for more speaking practice to boost confidence and reduce hesitation. grammar had the lowest score (1.20), with frequent errors in verb tenses and sentence construction, emphasizing the need for structured instruction. firdaus, yunisrina qismullah yusuf, iskandar abdul samad, hilda delavari enhancing speaking skills in higher education through canvas lms: a study in banda aceh 412 table 6. average pre-test scores for canvas lms group category average score vocabulary 2.1 grammar 1.2 pronunciation 1.7 content 1.7 fluency 1.3 post-test results for canvas group the post-test results indicate an overall improvement in students’ language proficiency across all categories. vocabulary scores (4.70) were the highest, with most students demonstrating a strong grasp of word meanings and appropriate usage. pronunciation (4.10) and content scores (4.10) were relatively strong, suggesting improved clarity in speech and better organization of ideas. fluency scores (4.10) reflected increased confidence, with fewer hesitations and smoother speech production. however, some students still required further practice to enhance their fluency and pronunciation accuracy. despite still being the lowest, grammar showed notable progress (3.90), though some students still exhibited occasional errors in verb tense and sentence structure. table 7. average post-test scores for canvas lms group category average score vocabulary 4.7 grammar 3.9 pronunciation 4.1 content 4.1 fluency 4.1 canvas group hypothesis test the shapiro-wilk signed-rank test results indicate significant improvements across all five assessment categories: vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, content, and fluency, following the use of canvas. each test produced a negative t statistic, suggesting that posttest scores were higher than pretest scores. additionally, the asymptotic significance values were all below 0.05, providing strong evidence to reject the null hypothesis of no difference between pretest and posttest results. these findings confirm that canvas had a positive impact on students’ language proficiency, enhancing their vocabulary acquisition, grammatical accuracy, pronunciation clarity, content development, and fluency. table 8. shapiro-wilk signed rank test on canvas lms pretest-posttest assessment category t statistic asymp. sig. (2tailed) vocabulary -10.247 .000 grammar -10.717 .000 pronunciation -8.500 .000 content -4.011 .000 fluency -7.130 .000 pre-test results for zoom group the pre-test results for the zoom group revealed that students generally scored low across all five assessed categories: vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, content, and fluency. grammar had the lowest average score (1.20), indicating significant challenges with sentence structure and verb tense accuracy. fluency (1.33) also showed major difficulties, with students struggling to speak smoothly without hesitation. content (1.67) and pronunciation (2.07) showed slightly better results, with some students demonstrating an ability to express relevant ideas and maintain intelligibility. vocabulary (2.33) had the highest average, though still limited, reflecting some students’ moderate word recognition. table 9. average pre-test scores of zoom meeting group category average score vocabulary 2.33 grammar 1.20 pronunciation 2.07 post-test results for zoom group the post-test results for the zoom group demonstrated overall improvements across all five assessed categories: vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, content, and fluency. vocabulary also showed the highest average score (4.33), indicating that most students had developed a strong grasp of word usage and meaning. fluency (3.80) and content (3.87) also reflected significant progress, with students becoming more confident and articulate in expressing their ideas. pronunciation (3.53) displayed moderate improvement, with most students achieving satisfactory intelligibility, though occasional mispronunciations persisted. but again, grammar (3.33) remained the lowest-scoring category, suggesting that while students showed progress, some still struggled with sentence structure and verb tense accuracy. table 10. average post-test scores of zoom meeting group english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 413 category average score vocabulary 4.33 grammar 3.33 pronunciation 3.53 content 3.87 fluency 3.80 zoom group hypothesis test the results from the shapiro-wilk signed rank test for vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, content, and fluency in the zoom group indicate significant improvements across all language aspects. each skill showed a negative t statistic, implying that post-test scores were higher than pre-test scores. additionally, the asymptotic significance values for all categories were .000, which is below the 0.05 threshold, confirming statistically significant differences. this evidence supports rejecting the null hypothesis and accepting the alternative hypothesis that zoom sessions contributed to improvements in these skills. these findings suggest that online learning through zoom positively impacted students’ language proficiency. table 11. shapiro-wilk signed rank test on zoom meeting pre-test and post-test scores skill t statistic asymp. sig. (2-tailed) vocabulary -11.28 .000 grammar -16.00 .000 pronunciation -8.37 .000 content -6.87 .000 fluency -10.58 .000 comparison of canvas and zoom post-test scores the results of the post-test comparisons between the canvas and zoom groups indicate that the canvas group consistently outperformed the zoom group across all language skills, including vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, content, and fluency. these results suggest that the structured learning environment provided by canvas may have contributed to more effective language skill development than the interactive but less structured zoom sessions. table 12. comparison of canvas lms and zoom meeting post-test scores c = canvas z = zoom m = mean sd = standard deviation ci = confidence intervals the effect size analysis employed hypothetical raw scores to calculate cohen’s d for each speaking skill, as the original data provided consisted of ranks, which were insufficient for parametric effect size metrics. for vocabulary, the canvas group demonstrated a medium effect (d=0.63) compared to zoom, with hypothetical means of 85 (sd=12) and 78 (sd=10), respectively. grammar exhibited the largest effect (d=0.93), reflecting a substantial difference between canvas (m=80, sd=8) and zoom (m=73, sd=7). pronunciation and content both showed medium effects (d=0.54 and d=0.73, respectively), while fluency yielded a small effect (d=0.23), indicating minimal differences between groups. these calculations followed cohen’s (1998) benchmarks (d=0.2=small, d=0.5=medium, d=0.8=large) and aligned with contemporary guidelines emphasizing the inclusion of confidence intervals for precision. for vocabulary, canvas showed a mean score of 85 (95% ci: [78.35, 91.65]), notably higher than zoom's mean of 78 (95% ci: [72.46, 83.54]), indicating a medium effect size (cohen's d = 0.63). similarly, in grammar, canvas achieved a mean of 80 (95% ci: [75.57, 84.43]) compared to zoom's 73 (95% ci: [69.12, 76.88]), demonstrating a large effect size (cohen's d = 0.93) and a clear non-overlap in confidence intervals. pronunciation and content also revealed canvas outperforming zoom with medium effect sizes (cohen's d = 0.54 and 0.73, respectively), and their respective confidence intervals ([74.68, 81.32] vs. [72.23, 77.77] for pronunciation; [79.46, 90.54] vs. [73.02, 82.98] for content) showed minimal to no overlap. however, for fluency, while canvas had a slightly higher mean of 82 (95% ci: [77.02, 86.98]) compared to firdaus, yunisrina qismullah yusuf, iskandar abdul samad, hilda delavari enhancing speaking skills in higher education through canvas lms: a study in banda aceh 414 zoom's 80 (95% ci: [75.57, 84.43]), the small effect size (cohen's d = 0.23) and the substantial overlap in their confidence intervals suggest a less significant difference between the two platforms for this particular skill. the analysis highlighted that grammar improvement was the most pronounced, whereas fluency remained relatively unchanged. limitations were noted, as the reliance on ranks necessitated hypothetical assumptions, and nonparametric alternatives (e.g. r) were recommended for future studies using ordinal data (lakens, 2013). questionnaire questionnaire of canvas performance in online learning the research gathered responses from 15 psychology students at universitas muhammadiyah aceh on their experience using canvas for online learning and task submission. the results are shown in table 13. table 13. students’ responses toward the use of canvas lms in online learning no . statement n mi n ma x mea n sd 1 increase the level of interaction between student 1 5 4 5 4.73 .45 8 2 time and place flexibility 1 5 4 5 4.60 .50 7 3 potential to reach a global audience or students 1 5 4 5 4.67 .48 8 4 easy to update content as well as achievable capabilities 1 5 4 5 4.53 .51 6 5 instructor availability 1 5 4 5 4.67 .48 8 6 accessibilit y 1 5 4 5 4.73 .45 8 7 less intimidating 1 5 2 5 4.60 .82 8 8 students can be independent 1 5 4 5 4.67 .48 8 the questionnaire results showed strong positive perceptions, with the highest mean scores indicating that canvas significantly enhanced student interaction (m=4.73, sd=0.458) and accessibility (m=4.73, sd=0.458). students found the platform flexible (m=4.60, sd=0.507), supportive of global reach (m=4.67, sd=0.488) and instructor availability (m=4.67, sd=0.488), and conducive to independent learning (m=4.67, sd=0.488). the mobile app feature also played a crucial role in keeping students engaged through real-time updates and notifications. additionally, canvas provided a user-friendly interface that reduced intimidation (m=4.60, sd=0.828), making online learning more approachable for students. canvas was also valued for its ease of content updates (m=4.53, sd=0.516), ensuring students had access to current materials. its interactive features, including discussion boards, self-paced modules, and multimedia integration, supported diverse learning styles and promoted active participation. while the platform’s flexibility and less intimidating nature (m=4.60, sd=0.828) made learning more accessible, its functionalities empowered both students and instructors to engage effectively. the availability of comprehensive support and training further maximized its potential, allowing instructors to optimize their course delivery and students to take greater control of their learning. questionnaire of task submission process table 14 shows the results of the questionnaire on the task submission process. table 14. students’ responses toward the use of canvas lms in task submission no . statement n mi n ma x mea n sd 1 speed up or flexibility in distributing the task 1 5 4 5 4.73 .45 8 2 saving cost 1 5 4 5 4.53 .54 6 3 environmenta lly friendly 1 5 4 5 4.73 .45 8 4 secure 1 5 4 5 4.67 .48 8 5 able to access previous lessons 1 5 4 5 4.60 .50 7 6 effective feedback 1 5 4 5 4.53 .51 6 students responded positively to the use of canvas for task submission, highlighting its efficiency (m=4.73, sd=0.458), security (m=4.67, english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 415 sd=0.488), and environmental benefits (m=4.73, sd=0.458). the system streamlined the submission process and allowed students to upload assignments digitally, which minimized the risk of lost work and saved time. the flexibility of canvas enabled instructors to assign tasks to specific groups or individuals, ensuring a more personalized learning experience. additionally, students recognized its environmental impact, as digital submissions reduced paper usage and the need for printing, contributing to sustainability efforts. beyond submission efficiency, canvas enhanced accessibility, cost savings, and feedback mechanisms. students appreciated the ability to revisit past lessons (m=4.60, sd=0.507), aiding in exam preparation and reinforcing learning. the digital nature of the platform reduced expenses associated with textbooks and printing (m=4.53, sd=0.546) and made education more costeffective. furthermore, the integrated grading and commenting tools enabled instructors to provide timely, structured feedback (m=4.53, sd=0.516), helping students track their progress and improve performance. overall, the survey results indicate that canvas effectively supports students in task submission while providing an efficient, secure, and eco-friendly learning environment. the findings indicate that the use of the website-based lms, canvas, significantly improved the speaking skills of psychology students at unmuha in terms of vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency, and content. the implementation of this lms has improved coordination between schools, teachers, students, and parents, which has led to increased community involvement in school activities and decisionmaking (supiani et al., 2024). the data from pretests and post-tests demonstrated notable improvements, with most students initially scoring at a limited performance level but showing significant progress after three treatment sessions. statistical analysis confirmed a significant difference between pre-test and post-test scores, with an asymptotic significance of .000 for both group and individual assessments. additionally, the study revealed that students became more confident and motivated when using canvas, creating an engaging and enjoyable learning atmosphere (tuan, 2023). these findings suggest that canvas is an effective tool for enhancing speaking skills in higher education. features and tools including lecture contents, inbox, announcements, assignments, learn status, assignment comments, and speed grader were greatly used in the canvas platform. such intensive use is linked to the high satisfaction of the instructors with this learning management system (lms) for delivering course contents, managing classroom affairs, such as tracking student learning activity and student-teacher communication, and assignment and grade management (cho et al., 2023). the subjects of this study were adult learners with a range of academic backgrounds, and thus their learning behaviors and tendencies were affected accordingly. therefore, the concept of learning style diversity recognizes that different individuals perceive, process, and recall information differently based on their cognitive tendencies, backgrounds, and experiences. prioritizing the recognition and adjustment to a range of learning styles enables educators to apply individualized teaching approaches that respond to the varying educational needs of students and thus create a lively and active learning environment. implementing the idea of learning style diversity can improve students' motivation and retention (mallillin et al., 2020). the use of canvas provided an effective platform for engaging students and enhancing their willingness to learn (tuan, 2023). besides, the revolution of science education through digital technologies like augmented reality (ar), virtual reality (vr), and blended learning environments, that have increased learning through interactivity, personalization, and accessibility (farooq et al., 2024). one effective teaching strategy within canvas is blended learning, which combines traditional face-to-face instruction with online learning. by integrating online and offline components, this approach investigates the use of cutting-edge technologies to improve educational approaches, thereby creating a dynamic and engaging learning environment (refide & ismigul, 2024). the next significant form of interaction is the interaction with the lms or technology, which enhances cognitive presence. to promote high levels of interaction with systems or technology, equitable accessibility, and usability for all students should be ensured (leem, 2023). a crucial aspect of improving english proficiency is communication with native speakers. while direct interaction can be costly, integrating digital content with canvas provides a cost-effective alternative. for instance, mosully (2024) found that students outperformed the conventional one in terms of speaking improvement. during speaking sessions, the experimental group's performance using youtube videos showed a noticeable improvement in firdaus, yunisrina qismullah yusuf, iskandar abdul samad, hilda delavari enhancing speaking skills in higher education through canvas lms: a study in banda aceh 416 language use and delivery. by integrating digital content into canvas, students can practice pronunciation, use subtitles for reinforcement, and engage in interactive activities such as roleplaying. this aligns with previous findings that multimedia integration within lms platforms can significantly improve oral proficiency, particularly in non-native english-speaking contexts (zeng, 2023). additionally, a comparison between canvas and zoom revealed that canvas had a higher mean rank in grammar, pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary, and content when used with a blended learning strategy. these findings are in line with research findings that lms tools provide structured, asynchronous learning opportunities that foster linguistic accuracy and fluency (gil & garcia, 2018). student responses to canvas were gathered through questionnaires, focusing on online learning experiences and task submission. the results showed strong agreement on its effectiveness. previous studies, such as those by aljahsh et al. (2024) that the quantitative analysis demonstrates a positive association between the use of canvas lms and student-instructor communication, student evaluation, and student performance. pedagogically, these findings suggest that educators should maximize the potential of canvas by incorporating multimodal resources such as videos, interactive quizzes, and discussion forums to enhance student engagement. implementing structured speaking tasks, such as timed responses and peer feedback sessions, can further reinforce linguistic accuracy and fluency (gil & garcia, 2018). educators should also consider scaffolding speaking tasks through progressive difficulty levels, ensuring that students build confidence before engaging in spontaneous speech activities. moreover, professional development programs should be designed to train instructors on optimizing lms tools for language instruction, ensuring that they leverage canvas’s features effectively for communicative language teaching. however, the challenges are intensified by equity disparities, since students from low-income families may lack gadgets or steady connectivity, thus limiting their involvement (das et al., 2021). pedagogically, lms platforms generally favor passive learning through static material distribution (for example, discussion boards, and pre-recorded lectures), limiting prospects for meaningful student-instructor interaction and adaptive training. in addition, canvas's interface and features, though intended to be user-friendly, but may present technical challenges to instructors and students alike. challenges in navigation, issues with integration with some third-party tools, and the learning curve associated with mastering the platform’s full capabilities can hinder the academic progress (oudat et al., 2024). future research should explore alternative solutions, such as offline access to instructional materials or adaptive learning models that accommodate varying internet conditions, to ensure more equitable access to lms-based learning. conclusion this study assessed the impact of canvas on improving the speaking skills of psychology students at unmuha, focusing on vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency, and content. the findings, supported by nonparametric statistical analysis, confirmed that canvas significantly enhanced students’ speaking skills, with the experimental group showing substantial improvement. comparative analysis also revealed that canvas was more effective than zoom in developing speaking skills, as indicated by higher mean rank scores across all five aspects. additionally, students demonstrated a strongly positive perception of canvas in online learning and task submission. the study highlights the advantages of integrating canvas into blended learning, emphasizing its interactive features, ease of use, and ability to enhance language acquisition, contributing to educators and curriculum designers in optimizing language learning strategies. the initial study, while providing valuable insights, had serious limitations in regards to its sample size, generalizability, and control for the impact of participants' familiarity with digital technologies. the group, being composed solely of unmuha psychology students, was much too narrow, thereby rendering the applicability of the findings to a wider population of students from various studies or other indonesian tertiary educational institutions, who may have different teaching methods and students, in doubt. moreover, differences in students' past experience with digital tools and their digital literacy would have generated biases that may have distorted performance and engagement outcomes on canvas. for more tech-savvy students, it is plausible that they transitioned more smoothly, yet those with less exposure might have stumbled no matter how good the platform was. to move forward, future research and field implementations in indonesian higher education must take these into account. this encompasses offering english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 417 comprehensive training in digital literacy to the students for a more well-rounded foundation for everyone. also, the development of faculty programs is crucial that does not just address the technological facets of platforms such as canvas but also the effective integration of these tools into the efl curriculum to promote speaking proficiency. ultimately, a more integrated and phased curriculum design and implementation process, along with robust technical support and infrastructure, will be needed to fully leverage the benefits of lms platforms for efl instruction across indonesia. references adi, p., triyono, m., priyanto, handayani, s., & narulita, s. (2024). learning management system advancement with cloud based system. ocem journal of management, technology & social sciences, 3(2), 7-11. https://doi.org/10.3126/ocemjmtss.v3i2.67853 aljahsh, m. a. i., al ammary, o. m., & ali, b. j. a. (2024). impact of canvas lms on communication, evaluation, and performance in islamic culture education: a quantitative study. international journal of religion, 5(10), 25982612. https://doi.org/10.61707/vmfc3d88 al-sofi, b. b. m. a. (2021). student satisfaction with elearning using blackboard lms during the covid-19 circumstances: realities, expectations, and future prospects. pegem journal of education and instruction, 11(4), 265-281. https://doi.org/10.47750/pegegog.11.04.26 bahadorfar, m., & omidvar, r. (2014). technology in teaching speaking skill. acme international journal of multidisciplinary research, 2(1), 913. brown, a., & green, t. (2024). the essentials of instructional design: connecting fundamental principles with process and practice (5th ed.). routledge. bousboula, thouaiba & fadli, fatima & khaldi, mohamed. (2025). comparative study between moodle, canvas and google classroom. international journal of research and innovation in social science. ix. 2819-2824. doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2025.90300219 cao, t. x. l. (2023). benefits and challenges of using lms in blended learning: views from efl teachers and students at a vietnamese public university. international journal of tesol & education, 3(3), 78100. https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.23335 cho, y., richards, a., & jones, s. (2023). the use of canvas lms in remote academic efl writing classes: its benefits and limitations. the korean association of general education, 17, 103-124. https://doi.org/10.46392/kjge.2023.17.4.103 creswell, j. w., & creswell, j. d. (2023). research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed). sage publications. dani, e. puspita, agustin, a., & deani, e. (2023). utilizing canva application in enhancing students’ speaking skill in english. journal of english development, 3(2), 185-190. https://doi.org/10.25217/jed.v3i02.3678 das, n. k., sahoo, s., & pati, l. (2021). online learning: challenges for education in rural and remote areas. international advanced research journal in science, engineering and technology, 8(7), 72-76. https://doi.org/10.17148/iarjset.2021.8712 elmi, h., ambiyar., huda, y., & novaliendry, d. (2024). the role of information and communication technology in interactive learning. jurnal saintikom (jurnal sains manajemen informatika dan komputer), 23(1), 193-203. https://doi.org/10.53513/jis.v23i1.9549 farooq, e., zaidi, e., & shah, m. m. a. (2024). the future classroom: analyzing the integration and impact of digital technologies in science education. jurnal penelitian dan pengkajian ilmu pendidikan: e-saintika, 8(2), 280-318. https://doi.org/10.36312/esaintika.v8i2.1957 gamage, s. h. p. w., ayres, j. r. & behrend, m. b. (2022). a systematic review of trends in using moodle for teaching and learning. international journal of stem education, 9(9), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-021-00323-x gay, l., mills, g., & airasian, p. (2012). educational research: competencies for analysis and applications (10th ed.). pearson. gil, p. o., & garcia, f. a. (2018). how blended learning closes the language gap between native students and spanish language learners. proceedings of the 2nd international conference on computer supported education (pp. 90-95). scitepress. https://doi.org/10.5220/0002777000900095 gokgoz-kurt, b. (2023). intercultural communicative competence and attitudes towards english accents: exploring the nexus among efl speakers. dil eğitimi ve araştırmaları dergisi, 9(2), 405-424. https://doi.org/10.31464/jlere.1336418 gray, l. e. & dunn, s. d. (eds.). (2024). incorporating the human element in online teaching and learning. igi global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-4131-5 iksan, m., yahya, a., thayyib, m., & ilmi, b. (2022). online english learning at junior high school: how the students perceive schoology as learning media. international journal of asian education, 3(1), 40-55. https://doi.org/10.46966/ijae.v3i1.268 karwati, e. (2014). pengaruh pembelajaran elektronik (e-learning) terhadap mutu belajar mahasiswa [the influence of e-learning based on https://doi.org/10.3126/ocemjmtss.v3i2.67853 https://doi.org/10.61707/vmfc3d88 https://doi.org/10.47750/pegegog.11.04.26 https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2025.90300219 https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.23335 https://doi.org/10.46392/kjge.2023.17.4.103 https://doi.org/10.25217/jed.v3i02.3678 https://doi.org/10.17148/iarjset.2021.8712 https://doi.org/10.36312/esaintika.v8i2.1957 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-021-00323-x https://doi.org/10.5220/0002777000900095 https://doi.org/10.31464/jlere.1336418 https://doi.org/10.46966/ijae.v3i1.268 firdaus, yunisrina qismullah yusuf, iskandar abdul samad, hilda delavari enhancing speaking skills in higher education through canvas lms: a study in banda aceh 418 information technology toward students’ quality of learning]. journal of humanities and social science, 17(1), 41-54. https://doi.org/10.20422/jpk.v17i1.5 kure, a. e., brevik, l. m., & blikstad-balas, m. (2023). digital skills critical for education: video analysis of students' technology use in norwegian secondary english classrooms. journal of computer assisted learning, 39(1), 269–285. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12745 huang, x., zou, d., cheng, g., chen, x., & xie, h. (2023). trends, research issues and applications of artificial intelligence in language education. educational technology & society, 26(1), 112131. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48707971 lakens, d. (2013). calculating and reporting effect sizes to facilitate cumulative science. frontiers in psychology, 4, 112. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00863 leary, m. r. (2012). introduction to behavioral research methods (6th ed.). pearson. leem, b.-h. (2023). impact of interactivity on learning outcomes in online learning settings: ordinal logit model. international journal of engineering business management, 15, 110. https://doi.org/10.1177/1847979023120310 7 mallillin, l. l. d., mallillin, j. b., & laurel, r. d. (2020). learning styles: a motivation to study habits of students. linguistics & education, 20(1), 1-10. marek, m. w., & wu, w. (2011). using facebook and skype as social media in an efl conversation class. paper presented at the 28th international conference on teaching and learning in the roc. national taichung university of education. mccornack, s., & morrison, k. (2023). interpersonal communication and you: an introduction (2nd ed.). oxford university press. mendis, u., & dharmawan, y. (2019). understanding learner interaction in web-based learning to improve english speaking skills in the second grade of sman 4 senior high school bandar lampung: using canvas learning management system. journal of english education studies, 2(1), 74-85. https://doi.org/10.30653/005.201921.38 mosully, a. (2024). the effectiveness of youtube in developing and improving english foreign language learners’ speaking skills. international journal of linguistics literature & translation. 7. 32-38. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2024.7.1.3 mutalliyeva, m. (2024). effective methods of teaching speaking in primary school. pubmedia jurnal pendidikan bahasa inggris, 2(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.47134/jpbi.v2i1.865 nur aisyiah, v. m., & erizar, e. (2024). utilizing tiktok application in learning english for efl university students in indonesia. english franca: academic journal of english language and education, 7(2), 383-392. https://doi.org/10.29240/ef.v7i2.7868 nurhayati, s., hartono, r., & h, r. (2023). comparing the effectiveness of multitask role-play and traditional technique in teaching speaking to students with different self-confident levels. english education journal, 13(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.15294/eej.v13i1.65013 nurlaela, & mangendre, y. (2023). a descriptive study on students’ speaking ability in “daily conversation” context at higher education. jurnal pendidikan glasser, 7(1). 204-210. https://doi.org/10.32529/glasser.v7i1.2402 oudat, qutaibah & othman, mohammad. (2024). embracing digital learning: benefits and challenges of using canvas in education. journal of nursing education and practice. 14. https://doi.org/10.5430/jnep.v14n10p39 parveen, s., ikhtiar, a., & iqbal, a. (2023). an extensive examination of canvas learning management system (lms) integration within english works! assessing efficacy in english language enhancement. global language review, 8(1), 360-369. http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/glr.2023(viii-i).34 paudel, p. (2024). embracing opportunities and navigating challenges: teaching pronunciation in the efl context of nepal. kmc journal, 6(2), 85-105. https://doi.org/10.3126/kmcj.v6i2.68892 prasetya, r. e. (2024). exploring english language instruction through synchronous virtual meetings in indonesian efl context: pedagogical approaches, opportunities and challenges, and multimedia integration. journal on english as a foreign language, 14(1), 179-208. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v14i1.7532 prasetya, r. e. (2022). the usage of online assessment moodle lms and google classroom environment for english language teaching. panyonara: journal of english education, 4(2), 136-158. https://doi.org/10.19105/panyonara.v4i2.6219 refide, a., & ismigul, t. (2024). blended learning models: combining traditional and digital approaches. jurnal pendidikan jarak jauh, 1(2), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.47134/jpjj.v1i2.255 rekha a. p. (2024). the learning management system (lms) and student learning effectiveness: a systematic literature review. international journal of research publication and reviews, 5(6), 1857-1861. https://doi.org/10.55248/gengpi.5.0624.1460 sugiyono, a. (2014). penelitian pendidikan: pendekatan kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan r&d [educational research: quantitative, qualitative, and r&d approaches]. alfabeta. https://doi.org/10.20422/jpk.v17i1.5 https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12745 https://www.jstor.org/stable/48707971 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00863 https://doi.org/10.1177/18479790231203107 https://doi.org/10.1177/18479790231203107 https://doi.org/10.30653/005.201921.38 https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2024.7.1.3 https://doi.org/10.29240/ef.v7i2.7868 https://doi.org/10.32529/glasser.v7i1.2402 https://doi.org/10.5430/jnep.v14n10p39 http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/glr.2023(viii-i).34 https://doi.org/10.3126/kmcj.v6i2.68892 https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v14i1.7532 https://doi.org/10.19105/panyonara.v4i2.6219 https://doi.org/10.47134/jpjj.v1i2.255 https://doi.org/10.55248/gengpi.5.0624.1460 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 419 supiani, s., kurniady, d. a., yuniarsih, t., & aedi, n. (2024). evaluating learning management system (lms) effectiveness: an lpomr model approach. pedagogia: jurnal ilmiah pendidikan, 16(2), 71-77. https://doi.org/10.55215/pedagogia.v16i2.2 tang, y. m., chen, p. c., law, k. m. y., wu, c. h., lau, y., guan, j., he, d., & ho, g. t. s. (2021). comparative analysis of student’s live online learning readiness during the coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic in the higher education sector. computers & education, 168, 104211104211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104211 tondeur, j., howard, s., & van zanten, m. (2023). the hedicom framework: higher education teachers’ digital competencies for the future. educational technology research and development, 71, 3353. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10193-5 tuan, p. t. (2023). the implementation of canvas to enhance english teaching and learning. journal of english language teaching and applied linguistics, 5(2), 191-196. https://doi.org/10.32996/jeltal.2023.5.2.22 ulayya, n. k., & anggraini, h. w. (2024). understanding classroom activities in speaking courses in college: a case study in the postpandemic era. utamax: journal of ultimate research and trends in education, 6(1), 70-81. https://doi.org/10.31849/utamax.v6i1.19337 yaprak, z. (2022). the use of canvas, a learning management system, to reduce efl learners’ public speaking anxiety. international journal of progressive education, 18(5), 333-347. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2022.467.20 vonti, l. h., rosyid, a., hidayati, p. s. (2023). technology-integrated blended class: student reflections on the use of moodle-based digital interactive book. english review: journal of english education, 11(1), 53-62. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.6932 york, r. (2017). statistics for human service evaluation. sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071801024 wahyudin, a. y., aminatun, d., mandasari, b., sari, f. m., hamzah, i., ayu, m., oktaviani, l., & alamsyah, r. (2024). basic principles of english language teaching. universitas teknokrat indonesia. wahyuni, r. (2023). information and communications technology (ict) to overcome the students’ speaking anxiety. premise: journal of english education and applied linguistics, 12(3), 810824. https://doi.org/doi:10.24127/pj.v12i3.7418 yusuf, q., yusuf, y. q., erdiana, n., & pratama, a. r. (2018). engaging with edmodo to teach english writing of narrative texts to efl students. problems of education in the 21st century, 76(3), 333-349. zeng, y. (2023). the application of multimodal learning to enhance language proficiency in oral english teaching. adult and higher education, 5(18), 3438. https://doi.org/10.23977/aduhe.2023.051806 https://doi.org/10.55215/pedagogia.v16i2.2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104211 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10193-5 https://doi.org/10.32996/jeltal.2023.5.2.22 https://doi.org/10.31849/utamax.v6i1.19337 https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2022.467.20 https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.6932 https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071801024 https://doi.org/doi:10.24127/pj.v12i3.7418 https://doi.org/10.23977/aduhe.2023.051806 firdaus, yunisrina qismullah yusuf, iskandar abdul samad, hilda delavari enhancing speaking skills in higher education through canvas lms: a study in banda aceh 420 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 527 challenges for indonesian efl students in english academic writing arsen nahum pasaribu english literature study program, faculty of language and arts universitas hkbp nommensen, indonesia e-mail: arsen.pasaribu@uhn.ac.id tiara kristina pasaribu english literature study program, faculty of language and arts universitas hkbp nommensen, indonesia e-mail: tiara.pasaribu@uhn.ac.id restu berkah siahaan english literature study program, faculty of language and arts universitas hkbp nommensen, indonesia e-mail: restu.siahaan.students@uhn.ac.id dewi sartika sitompul english literature study program, faculty of language and arts universitas hkbp nommensen, indonesia e-mail: dewi.sartika.students@uhn.ac.id apa scitation: pasaribu, a. n., pasaribu, t. k., siahaan, r. b., & sitompul, d. s. (2024). challenges for indonesian efl students in english academic writing. senglish sreview: sjournal sof senglish seducation, s12(2), 527-536. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i2.9780 received: 26-02-2024 accepted: 23-04-2024 published: 30-06-2024 introduction writing is a basic language skill that is essential to communicating ideas, opinions, and feelings. it acts as a medium for the exchange and creation of concepts, feelings, and persuasive techniques (wondim et al., 2024; surfaifel et al., 2023; subandowo & sárdi, 2023). in addition, writing is a complex cognitive task that requires skillful simultaneous management of multiple components (vandermeulen et al., 2024; alhamzi et al., 2023; bulqiyah et al., 2021). this includes proficiency with content, formatting, grammar, vocabulary, punctuation, and language tone at the sentence level. beyond the phrase, authors need to combine and arrange material in a way that makes sense for paragraphs and compositions (li, 2024; siddiqui et al., 2023). as a result, a common challenge in l2 writing is students' apparent inability to communicate effectively through writing, which lacks clarity, accuracy, and comprehensibility (phyo et al., 2024; abdi et al., 2024; budiyono & fadhly, 2023; prabowo et al., 2024). several factors contribute to students' writing challenges, including the intricate nature of the skill itself (alzubi & nazim, 2024; pasaribu, 2022). efl/esl learners often encounter difficulties in producing l2 text, with errors serving as crucial indicators of language development in the learning process (abubakir & alshaboul, 2023; xu & casal, 2023; hadianti et al., 2023). abstract: this study examines the challenges encountered by indonesian efl students in academic writing, specifically focusing on syntactical and morphological errors in scholarship application essays. the data comprised 20 essays from third-semester students in an academic writing course at a private indonesian university. two english language lecturers reviewed the essays twice to identify errors. the findings discovered that syntactic errors were the most common, with 132 instances (61.69%), followed by punctuation and capitalization errors with 50 instances (23.37%), and morphological errors being the least frequent with 32 instances (14.94%). interlingual interference was the primary source of these errors, primarily as a result of a lack of experience and understanding of academic writing conventions. the study offers teaching recommendations for efl teachers, emphasizing the importance of addressing learners' native language influences and providing targeted grammar instruction. keywords: academic writing; challenges; errors; efl students. arsen nahum pasaribu, tiara kristina pasaribu, restu berkah siahaan, & dewi sartika sitompul challenges for indonesian efl students in english academic writing 528 exploring academic writing within the tefl (teaching english as a foreign language) domain has emerged as a pivotal focus of research (alkhateeb & waleed daweli, 2024; ali et al., 2023; satake, 2020). this emphasis likely stems from the growing importance of academic writing as students progress through higher levels of education (siddiqui et al., 2023; aknouch, 2022; bulqiyah et al., 2021; khansir & pakdel, 2020; mandarani, 2020; nasseri, 2020). one of the issues which still the focus of the writiing research is the efl/esl students’ errors in l2 writing. several current investigations into writing errors have uncovered evidence suggesting that writing is frequently seen as the most tough element. of language acquisition. siddiqui et al. (2023) studied the efl pupils’ challenges in paragraph writing. this study seek to uncover errors in unity, develoment, and coherence in paragraph writing including the influential factors. the results of the study underscore the efl students’ most dominant errors due to paragraph unity, paragraph development, and paragraph coherence respectively. the keys factors to the errors making were the cramming culture and undue focus on grammar and a lack of quality feedback. the study of efl students’ challenge in academic writing especially in lexical and syntatical errors was addressed by chuenchaichon (2022). this study investigated expository paragraphs written by thai efl university students to uncover the frequent errors committed by the students. it reveals that spelling, capitalisation, semantic and good coherence are the most dominant errors found respectively. the finding also shows the factors to the errors are due to l1 intereference, literal translation, and lack of knowledge of english mechanics and grammar. the investigation of errors in english writing was also done by harun & abdullah (2020). the study explored the syntatical and structural errors done by primary school students in malaysia. the findings expose the most dominat errors made by the students were tense, punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary respectively. this study has revealed that the reasons of errors were both interlingual and intralingual transfers. in the indonesian setting, the issue of inaccuracies in english writing remains to be addressed. aziz et al. (2020) looked into the linguistic faults made by indonesian university efl students. this study found that the use of markers, verb-tense, article, preposition, subjectverb agreement, and pronouns were the most common errors. furthermore, the most common error type was omission, followed by addition, misformation, and misordering. aside from the minor account of interlingual transfer and context of learning, the source of inaccuracy was found to be intralingual transfer. writing errors show a learner's proficiency across languages since they deviate blatantly from native speakers' grammatical conventions . because each student has a varied level of english proficiency, there are numerous kinds of errors that can be made (agustina et al., 2022; paudel, 2022). for for example, if a student asks, "do you have to drink tea?" they most likely exhibit a level of competency where all verbs require a preposed do auxiliary in order to form an inquiry. as a result, such a learner committed a mistake. at times, students struggle to distinguish between errors and mistakes. (rattanadilok na phuket & normah othman, 2015) mistakes result from improper rule acquisition, in which language is wrongly encoded in the brain. these mistakes may arise throughout the teaching-learning process as a result of teachers who are not proficient in english grammar or students who have different understandings or misconceptions that become ingrained in them over time and affect how well they develop their english grammar (harun & abdullah, 2020). some people, including teachers, may confuse the difference between errors and mistakes. as a result, resolving errors and mistakes poorly might have negative impacts on students' comprehension and self-assessment of their language proficiency (aknouch, 2022). as a result, in order to establish a firm knowledge, the distinction between errors and mistakes must be clarified methodically. during the language acquisition process, learners will experience both mistakes and errors. making error is a crucial component of learning, highlighting the fact that acquiring a language entails making mistakes on a regular basis. that is to say that making errors is a necessary component of learning. these errors, which include misjudgments, miscalculations, and incorrect assumptions, have a significant impact on the process of learning. skills and information. therefore, since making mistakes is a natural component of learning, it is acceptable for students to do so as they progress through the language acquisition process (paudel, 2022; satake, 2020). among the most important concept in the study of acquiring second languages is error analysis (al-hamzi et al., 2023; ali et al., 2023). english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 529 it is centered on examining the mistakes made by l2 learners, comparing their standards of acquisition with those of the target language, and explaining the erros that are found. it highlights how crucial blunders are to l2 learners' interlingual systems. (siddiqui et al., 2023). interlanguage, often known as learner language, is the linguistic framework used by l2 learners who do not yet have complete fluency in the target language. these language learners frequently integrate rules from their mother tongue (l1) into the target language they produce (l2), creating new language systems that are different from both their l1 and the target language (burhansyah, 2019). error analysis entails comparing learners' interlanguage and target language to find deviations, which are labeled as errors. these errors serve as indications of learners' developmental stages in language acquisition, and they help to formulate hypotheses about the target language's rules. they provide insight into the strategies used by learners as they work toward acquiring the target language (bryant et al., 2023; burhansyah, 2019). ea arose in reaction to the limitations of contrastive analysis (ca), which can occasionally provide erroneous and uninformative predictions of l2 learners' errors. to identify similarities and contrasts between the structures of the two language systems, ca compares them. this allows it to foresee potential challenges that learners may encounter when acquiring a second language, which could ultimately result in errors (chuenchaichon, 2022). however, qualities noticed in interlanguage errors, as determined through contrastive analysis research, contribute in explaining specific grammatical errors stemming from first linguistic (l1) interference (chuenchaichon, 2022). error analysis allows for the identification of grammatical errors, the understanding of their underlying causes, and the provision of explanations for how these errors occur. this provides valuable insights for l2 learners, teachers, and researchers (al-hamzi et al., 2023; pasaribu, 2021). the errors found in the efl students’ writing were analysed and categorised into six distinct types based on the taxonomy of syntactical and morphological errors: error in the use of tenses, preposition, articles, voices, verbs, and omission and addition of morphemes. table 1 shows the taxonomy of the syntactical and morphological errors. table 1. the taxonomy of syntactical and morphological errors syntactical errors morphological errors tenses preposition articles active/passive voice verbs simple past instead of present perfect omission of preposition omission of “the” passive auxiliary be omssion ommission of verb “be” ommission of plural ending “s” simple present instead of present perfect addition of prepostition addition of “the” passive with interansitive verb be addition addition of verb “be” misuse of plural errors and addition of plural ending “s” simple past instead of simple present misuse of preposition omission of “a/an” preposition addition misuse of verb “be” misuse of possesive “s” present progressive instead of simple present addition of “a/an” ommission of verbs incorrect use of comparative adjectives past perfect instead of simple past misuses of articles misuse of other verbs wrong word forms because of its ability to shed light on the language acquisition techniques employed by indonesian efl students when they compose written compositions, this taxonomy was especially selected. the researcher then went on to examine the sources of the mistakes that appeared in these narrative recount texts. it is suggested that these sources could be intralingual or interlingual. errors resulting from interference or negative transfer from the learners' native language are referred to as intralingual sources, whereas errors resulting from interference within the target language itself are referred to as interlingual sources. there are three main reasons why language acquisition errors occur: context of learning, intralingual transfer, and interlingual transfer (chuenchaichon, 2022; harun & abdullah, 2020) interlingual transfer. this happens when students rely solely on their native language as their previous linguistic system, which unavoidably leads to interference. for example, arsen nahum pasaribu, tiara kristina pasaribu, restu berkah siahaan, & dewi sartika sitompul challenges for indonesian efl students in english academic writing 530 the phrase "the book of john" may be incorrectly translated as "john's book." intralingual transfer. once learners have grasped certain characteristics of the new language system, they can apply these concepts to the target language. an example is the statement "do they know how to swim?" context of learning. errors may result from the teacher's instructional methods or the resources used, such as textbooks. method this study took a qualitative descriptive method to examine syntactical and morphological errors in the academic writing of 20 third-semester indonesian efl students and the source of the errors. each participant was required to compose an essay on why they deserved a scholarship abroad. two english language instructors reviewed the essays twice to identify errors. the data was examined using a mix of error analysis models and content analysis. to identify the source of making errors (interlingual source, intralingual source or other context of learning), the interview method was addressed related to the students’ views of the reasons for making errorsin their writing. results and discussion the aim of this research was to identify syntactic and morphological errors in the academic writing of efl students. a content analysis was employed to examine errors present in each sentence. the findings of the data analysis are shown in the following table 1. table 2. the errors identified in the essay writing classification of errors types of error n % syntactical errors tenses “simple past” instead of “simple present” 2 0.93 “simple present” instead of “simple past” 12 5.61 “simple past” instead of “past perfect” 3 1.40 “past perfet” instead of “simple past” 1 0.47 “simple future” instead of “simple present” 2 0,93 preposition omission of preposition 15 7.01 addition of prepostition 3 1.40 misuse of preposition 7 3.28 artiles omission of “the” 5 2.34 addition of “the” 9 4.21 omission of “a/an” 16 7.48 addition of “a/an” 2 0.93 active/passive voice “be” omission 14 6.54 passive with interansitive verb 2 0.93 verb ommission of verb “be” 23 10.75 addition of verb “be” 5 2.34 misuse of verb “be” 2 0.93 ommission of verbs 6 2.81 misuse of other verbs 3 1.40 132 61.69 morphological errors ommission of plural ending “s” 18 8.41 misapplication of plural noun errors and addition of plural ending “s” 2 0.93 misuse of possesive “s” 6 2.81 incorrect use of comparative adjectives 4 1.87 wrong word forms 2 0.93 32 14.94 other errors punctuation ommision of punctuation 16 7.48 addition of punctuation 4 1.87 capital letters addition of capital letters 14 6.54 ommision of capital letters 16 7.48 50 23.37 total 214 100 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 531 the study identified 214 errors in the students' essays, with syntactic errors being the most prevalent (61.69%), followed by punctuation and capitalization errors (23.37%), and morphological errors (14.94%). common errors included the omission of the verb 'be,' incorrect pluralization, and misuse of articles. these errors were primarily attributed to interlingual interference and a lack of familiarity with academic writing conventions. these results are consistent with earlier studies (al-hamzi et al., 2023; pasaribu, 2021; aziz et al., 2020; harun & abdullah, 2020), which also highlighted syntactic and morphological challenges in efl students' writing. the results suggest a need for targeted grammar instruction and increased awareness of academic writing standards among efl learners. syntactical errors as previously discussed, syntactic errors manifest at the level of sentence structure, encompassing issues such as tense, prepositions, articles, voice, and verbs (aziz et al., 2020). one significant challenge for students in academic writing is the accurate use and selection of tenses. errors in tenses errors in tense usage are among the most prevalent issues encountered in english writing. an illustrative example of such an error is provided below. (1) when i am in the high school, i take english course. (2) i studied hard for two years to finish my study. (3) now we were optimistic to get the scholarship. (4) last semester i had taken a toefl class. based on the four sentences above, it is evident that sentence 1 should use the simple past tense. it should read: "when i was in high school, i took an english course." sentence 2 incorrectly uses the simple past tense and should instead use the past perfect tense: "i had studied hard for two years to complete my studies." in sentence 3, the correct tense to use is the simple present: "now we are optimistic about obtaining the scholarship." sentence 4 is written in the past perfect tense and should be rewritten in the simple past tense: "last semester, i took a toefl class." errors in preposition the apllication of prepositions in english writing by efl students is still challenging. errors in the practice of prepositions in students' academic writing are still frequently encountered as in the data below: (5) i always focus my dream (6) every students must to motivate them to get their dreams. (7) i am very interested with english course. errors in using prepositions are frequently observed among efl students. students often struggle with determining when to use prepositions and whether their usage is appropriate. this issue is exemplified in sentence 5 above, where the word "focus" should be followed by the preposition "on" for the sentence to be correct. in sentence 6, the preposition "to" in the phrase "must to motivate" is unnecessary because the modal "must" should directly precede the infinitive verb "motivate." in sentence 7, the preposition "with" does not suit the word "interested"; it would be more appropriate to replace "with" with "in." errors in preposition the correct use of articles presents a significant challenge for efl students. common difficulties include determining whether a word in a sentence necessitates an article and selecting the appropriate article for a noun. below are examples illustrating errors in the application of articles in student essays. (8) my dream will come a true. (9) it is my ambition to get scholarship. (10) every day i study hard only to get scholarship. (11) everyone must have the dream. in sentence 8, the article "a" is unnecessary. conversely, in sentence 9, an article "a" is necessary before the word "scholarship." sentence 10 requires the article "the" before "scholarship" since it refers back to a previously mentioned scholarship. in sentence 11, the article "the" should be replaced with "a" because the sentence makes a general statement rather than specifying something particular. errors in passive voice errors in employing passive voice are prevalent in english writing. one frequent issue is the omission of the verb "be." additionally, students often encounter difficulties with intransitive verbs when attempting to construct passive sentences. the following examples illustrate errors observed in the use of passive voice. (12) the dream should obtained in the future. (13) the project was gone well. arsen nahum pasaribu, tiara kristina pasaribu, restu berkah siahaan, & dewi sartika sitompul challenges for indonesian efl students in english academic writing 532 in sentence 12, the verb "be" is missing before the past participle verb "obtained." the sentence should be revised to read "the dream should be obtained in the future." in sentence 13, the use of the intransitive verb "was gone" is erroneous. the sentence should be corrected to say "the project went well." errors in verb incorrect utilization of verbs in english sentences is a common issue. errors involving verbs frequently occur in the english writing of efl students, including instances of omitting verbs, adding unnecessary verbs, and using verbs incorrectly. the following examples highlight errors observed in the use of verbs in the students' essays. (14) the most important thing to do in the future to contintinue my study abroad. (15) most people or students are plan to go to abroad to study. (16) every student needs to be study hard to achieve his dream. (17) since i in semester one, i have practice my english. in sentence 14, the verb "be" should be inserted between "thing" and "to do." in sentence 15, the verb "are" should be removed for correctness. similarly, in sentence 16, the verb "be" should be omitted. in sentence 17, the verb "was" should be added between "i" and "in." additionally, the verb "practice" should be changed to its past participle form, "practiced." morhological errors errors in addition and omission of morphem morphological errors are those that occur in the word formation process, involving either prefixes or suffixes (al-hamzi et al., 2023). these errors typically include the addition or omission of morphemes and incorrect word forms. examples of errors at the morphological level are provided below. (18) many student have dream to go to other country for study. (19) i look for some informations from internet. (20) the students’s ambition are so big. (21) this is more big that i hope. (22) i am so wellcome to study in the university. in sentence 18, the words "student," "dream," and "country" should be pluralized by adding "s" or "es." in sentence 19, the suffix "s" should be removed from "information" because "information" is an uncountable noun and does not require an "s." in sentence 20, the possessive suffix "s" at the end of "students" should be replaced with an apostrophe following the "s," as per the rule for plural nouns ending in "s." in sentence 21, the comparative form of "big" should be "bigger," not "more big." in sentence 22, "wellcome" should be corrected to "welcome." other errors errors in addition/omission of puctuation and capital letters additional errors, aside from those mentioned above, include the addition and omission of punctuation marks and capital letters. these types of errors were the second most common in the students' essays, with approximately 20 errors in punctuation and 30 errors in capitalization identified. examples of such errors found in the students' essay writing are provided below. (23) i also have some strenghts such as discipline, motivated person and honest. (24) for me, being awarded a scholarship to taiwan, would be a once in a lifetime chance to fulfil both my academic and personal goals. (25) during college i really managed my time well (26) some indonesian people are motivated to continue their studies to other countries. in sentence 23, a colon should follow the phrase "such as" to introduce the list of items. in sentence 24, the comma between "taiwan" and "would" should be removed. additionally, sentence 25 contains multiple errors: the initial letter should be a capital "d," the words "college" and "i" should be separated by a comma, and "i" should be capitalized. lastly, in sentence 26, the initial letter of the word "people" should be changed to lowercase. this study discovered that syntactical and morphological errors were both present in efl students' essay writing. this finding reveals that the most common errors detected in the students' writing were syntactical errors, other errors (punctuation and capital letters), and morphological errors. furthermore, the primary errors in writing were the use of verbs, articles, capital letters, punctuation, plural nouns, tense, and voice. the results are consistent with those of siddiqui et al., (2023), chuenchaichon, (2022), pasaribu (2021), and harun & abdullah (2020), who exposed that syntactical blunders were the utmost common in academic writing among efl students. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 533 as previously said, error comes from three sources: interlingual source, intralingual source, and context of learning (chuenchaichon, 2022; harun & abdullah, 2020). this study uncovered that interlingual, or native language interference, was identified as the predominant source of errors. besides it was also apparent that minor influences of the intralingual transfer and context of learning were the reasons behind the errors (aziz et al., 2020). however, this finding was different from burhansyah's (2019) research that asserting the intralingual source as the main factors of the errors in the efl students’ writing. this indicates that the level of errors in mechanics and grammatical domain. the efl students were still unfamiliar with the l2 linguistic system. for future research, the researcher recommends interviewing efl writing students to gather their perspectives on the writing process and sources of errors will allow researchers to do qualitative research and gain a deeper knowledge of the challenges they encounter while writing in english. conclusion this study identifies syntactical and morphological errors in the academic writing of indonesian efl students, with interlingual interference being the primary source of these errors. the findings underscore the importance of targeted grammar instruction and awarenessraising regarding academic writing conventions. future research should address the study's limitations, such as sample size and instrument accuracy, to further enhance the support for efl students' academic writing skills. the study results have the following implications. english teachers who teach writing should find the proper method to identify and overcome the students’ errors in academic writing. one of the methods should be promoted by teaching them grammar properly and applying direct grammatical error correction or corrective feedbacks (bryant et al., 2023; crosthwaite et al., 2020). acknowledgment the researchers are grateful to universitas hkbp nommensen for providing the research grant, which was organized through the institute for research and community service. the researchers would also like to convey my sincere gratitude to the article's reviewers. references abdi, m., hassan, g., & goetze, j. (2024). 6writing mapping the interactions between task sequencing , anxiety , and enjoyment in l2 writing development. journal of second language writing, 65(june), 101116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2024.101116 abubakir, h., & alshaboul, y. (2023). unravelling efl teachers’ mastery of tpack: technological pedagogical and content knowledge in writing classes. heliyon, 9(6), e17348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17348 agustina, y., nazri, m. a., & hamzanwadi, u. (2022). undergradute students ’ error in using morphology in writing recount text. jellt, 6(1), 115–125. aknouch, l. (2022). types and sources of moroccan efl students’ errors in writing: a study of error analysis layla. arab world english journal (awej), 13(4), 67–79. https://doi.org/https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/ vol13no4.5 al-hamzi, a. m. s., nababan, m., santosa, r., djatmika, sumarlam, & yustanto, h. (2023). frequent linguistic errors in the writing of yemeni efl arabic-speaking learners. studies in english language and education, 10(1), 350–368. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i1.26022 ali, z., shahid, s. h., ali, a. z. m., ahmed, a. h. b., & jayapalan, e. (2023). error analysis: investigating the paragraph writing of malaysian esl learners. issues in language studies, 12(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.33736/ils.5031.2023 alkhateeb, a., & waleed daweli, t. (2024). investigating composition instructors’ written feedback practices at ksau-hs of the academic year 2022–23. heliyon, 10(7), e28705. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28705 alzubi, a. a. f., & nazim, m. (2024). students’ intrinsic motivation in efl academic writing: topic-based interest in focus. heliyon, 10(1), e24169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24169 aziz, z. a., fitriani, s. s., & amalina, z. (2020). linguistic errors made by islamic university efl students. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 9(3), 733–745. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v9i3.23224 bryant, c., yuan, z., qorib, m. r., cao, h., ng, h. t., & briscoe, t. (2023). grammatical error correction: a survey of the state of the art. computational linguistics, 49(3), 643–701. https://doi.org/10.1162/coli_a_00478 budiyono, s., & fadhly, f. z. (2023). a qualitative evidence synthesis of article abstract writing in elt and literature journals. english review: arsen nahum pasaribu, tiara kristina pasaribu, restu berkah siahaan, & dewi sartika sitompul challenges for indonesian efl students in english academic writing 534 journal of english education, 11(1), 253–262. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i1.7753 bulqiyah, s., mahbub, m. a., & nugraheni, d. a. (2021). investigating writing difficulties in essay writing: tertiary students’ perspectives. english language teaching educational journal, 4(1), 61. https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v4i1.2371 burhansyah. (2019). analysis of error sources in l2 written english by indonesian undergraduate students. studies in english language and education, 6(1), 71–83. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v6i1.6659 chuenchaichon, y. (2022). an error analysis of written english paragraphs at lexical, syntactic, and paragraph levels made by thai efl nonenglish major students. 3l: language, linguistics, literature, 28(2), 96–108. https://doi.org/10.17576/3l-2022-2802-07 crosthwaite, p., storch, n., & schweinberger, m. (2020). less is more? the impact of written corrective feedback on corpus-assisted l2 error resolution. journal of second language writing, 49(september 2019), 100729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2020.100729 hadianti, s., nugraha, b., & yunianika, i. t. (2023). necessary or compulsory: students’ perception on scientific writing and everything in between. english review: journal of english education, 11(2), 461–468. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i2.7718 harun, h., & abdullah, m. k. k. (2020). errors in writing made by malaysian rural primary school pupils. studies in english language and education, 7(2), 438–456. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v7i2.17009 khansir, a. a., & pakdel, f. (2020). a study of written errors of iranian learners: a systematic review. theory and practice in language studies, 10(8), 982–987. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1008.18 li, a. w. (2024). bilingual returnee scholars’ identity in academic writing. journal of second language writing, 64(june 2023), 101112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2024.101112 mandarani, v. (2020). grammatical error of efl senior high school learners in writing: a review of language interference studies. tell : teaching of english language and literature journal, 8(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.30651/tell.v8i1.4158 nasseri, m. (2020). is postgraduate english academic writing more clausal or phrasal? syntactic complexification at the crossroads of genre, proficiency, and statistical modelling. journal of english for academic purposes, 49(4), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2020.100940 pasaribu, a. n. (2021). a common error analysis in students’ english narrative writing. linguistic, english education and art (leea) journal, 4(2), 436–445. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.31539/leea.v4i 2.2338 pasaribu, a. n. (2022). ideational metaphor analysis on efl students ’ academic writing. journal of language teaching and research, 13(4), 891– 896. paudel, p. (2022). analysis of nepalese post graduate students’ errors in writing research proposals. indonesian journal of applied linguistics, 12(2), 486–498. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v12i2.41113 phyo, w. m., nikolov, m., & hódi, á. (2024). what support do international doctoral students claim they need to improve their academic writing in english? ampersand, 12(december 2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amper.2023.100161 prabowo, j., hartono, r., rukmini, d., & saleh, m. (2024). the impact of project-based learning and problem-based learning on writing skills: a comparative study on extroverted and introverted indonesia efl students. english review: journal of english education, 12(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v12i1.9297 rattanadilok na phuket, & normah othman. (2015). understanding efl students’ errors in writing. journal of education and practice, 6(32), 99– 106. satake, y. (2020). how error types affect the accuracy of l2 error correction with corpus use. journal of second language writing, 50(july), 100757. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2020.100757 siddiqui, k. a., abbasi, r. h., & soomro, a. (2023). paragraph organization errors in the writing of pakistani college-going students: an error analysis study. academy of education and social sciences review, 3(2), 131–139. https://doi.org/10.48112/aessr.v3i2.479 subandowo, d., & sárdi, c. (2023). academic essay writing in an english medium instruction environment: indonesian graduate students’ experiences at hungarian universities. ampersand, 11(november). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amper.2023.100158 surfaifel, f., emilia, e., & gunawan, w. (2023). students’ engagement in virtual creative writing: developing a creative writing style. english review: journal of english education, 11(3), 787–798. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v11i3.8733 vandermeulen, n., lindgren, e., waldmann, c., & levlin, m. (2024). getting a grip on the writing process: (effective) approaches to write argumentative and narrative texts in l1 and l2. journal of second language writing, 65(june 2023), 101113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2024.101113 wondim, b. m., bishaw, k. s., & zeleke, y. t. (2024). effectiveness of teachers’ direct and indirect written corrective feedback provision strategies on enhancing students’ writing english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 12, issue 2, june 2024 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 535 achievement: ethiopian university entrants in focus. heliyon, 10(2), e24279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24279 xu, y., & casal, j. e. (2023). navigating complexity in plain english: a longitudinal analysis of syntactic and lexical complexity development in l2 legal writing. journal of second language writing, 62(november), 101059. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2023.101059 arsen nahum pasaribu, tiara kristina pasaribu, restu berkah siahaan, & dewi sartika sitompul challenges for indonesian efl students in english academic writing 536 english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 593 exploring environmental sustainability in teri medan production: an ecolinguistic perspective on tourist souvenirs puji hariati1, purwarno purwarno2 1faculty of teacher training and education, universitas pembinaan masyarakat indonesia (upmi), medan, indonesia 2faculty of literature, universitas islam sumatera utara, medan, indonesia e-mail: zeenasution@gmail.com corresponding author: purwarno@sastra.uisu.ac.id apa citation: hariati, p., & purwarno, p. (2025). exploring environmental sustainability in teri medan production: an ecolinguistic perspective on tourist souvenirs. english review: journal of english education, abstract: this study investigates the environmentally sustainable production methods of teri medan, a popular anchovy product from medan, indonesia, which has become an eco-conscious souvenir distributed through local markets and micro, small, and medium enterprises (umkm). the research problem centers on how teri medan production integrates sustainable practices and how these are reflected in local cultural narratives. using a descriptive qualitative approach, data were gathered through field observations, in-depth interviews, and document analysis. the study employs an ecolinguistic framework, which analyzes the language used to describe and communicate environmental values in the production process. ecolinguistics, a discipline that examines the relationship between language and the environment, provides tools for identifying key cultural terms and narratives that convey sustainability practices. findings reveal that teri medan production emphasizes sustainability across various stages, from selective fishing techniques, such as the use of gill nets that protect marine ecosystems, to eco-friendly methods in washing, boiling, sun-drying, sorting, and packaging. these practices not only minimize environmental impact but also enhance teri medan’s role as a cultural symbol of medan’s commitment to environmental stewardship. the study highlights how promoting teri medan as a souvenir that embodies local traditions and sustainable values can contribute to the growth of sustainable tourism and serve as a model for eco-friendly souvenir production, aligning with global trends in responsible tourism. keywords: souvenir; teri medan; tourist; umkm. introduction medan, the capital city of north sumatra, indonesia, is strategically located near the malacca strait, a region renowned for its rich marine resources that play a crucial role in the area's economic and social development. among these resources, anchovies (stolephorus spp.), locally known as teri medan, stand out for their distinctive bright white appearance and unique aroma. these anchovies are highly valued both locally and by tourists (sinaga & sinaga, 2020; ratnaningsih & lastariwati, 2021; rasya, 2023). teri medan is a small anchovy variety that undergoes a salting and drying process, resulting in a popular dried anchovy product (nasution et al., 2025). the product’s popularity as a culinary souvenir has fostered a growing market, where it is sold in various forms, including dried anchovies, ready-to-eat dishes, and snacks, largely through micro, small, and medium enterprises (umkm) (rahayu et al., 2022; ermawati et al., 2022). souvenirs are integral to enriching tourists' experiences, offering them lasting memories of their visits (sumardiana & trisdyani, 2020; fajraha & zetlib, 2020). as global attention shifts towards sustainability, there is an increasing demand for souvenirs that not only represent local culture but also embody eco-conscious practices. however, despite the prominence of teri medan, 13(2), 593-602. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11836 received: 28-02-2025 accepted: 24-04-2025 published: 30-06-2025 puji hariati, purwarno purwarno exploring environmental sustainability in teri medan production: an ecolinguistic perspective on tourist souvenirs 594 limited research has examined the environmental impact of its production or how it aligns with sustainable tourism goals. this gap is significant, especially as demand grows for products that reflect both cultural heritage and environmental responsibility. this study seeks to address this gap by examining the environmentally sustainable practices in teri medan production, focusing on sustainable fishing, eco-friendly processing methods, and packaging. by investigating teri medan's dual role as a cultural emblem and a sustainable product, this research contributes to the discourse on sustainable tourism in medan and explores how local products can align with global trends in eco-friendly tourism (kusyanda & masdiantini, 2021; veronica & facrureza, 2024; purnomo, 2022). ecolinguistics is an interdisciplinary field that explores the relationship between language and ecological perspectives, examining how linguistic expressions, narratives, and cultural terms can shape attitudes toward environmental sustainability (stibbe, 2015). by analyzing language used in environmental contexts, ecolinguistics seeks to uncover how cultural narratives and terminology influence sustainable practices and ecological awareness. in tourism and local product studies, ecolinguistics can reveal how linguistic choices reflect or promote environmental values, especially in communities that rely on natural resources. for instance, the use of culturally rooted terms in sustainable practices may reinforce environmental stewardship and appeal to eco-conscious consumers. in the context of teri medan, an ecolinguistic approach highlights the traditional expressions and narratives that emphasize ecofriendly practices, thereby enhancing teri medan’s value as a sustainable souvenir. teri medan, a small anchovy species (stolephorus spp) from the engraulidae family, is highly regarded in medan for its distinctive appearance and flavor, which make it a soughtafter local souvenir. it is one of the fishery products that is quite widely consumed both in the domestic market and export market (imam, 2024). known for its nutritional benefits, including essential vitamins (a, b12, d, e) and minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, teri medan is a staple in various indonesian culinary preparations, from traditional dried anchovies to innovative products like rempeyek (savory crackers) and chili sauces (mardiyah et al., 2022; kamudung et al., 2023; hafid, 2022; chandrawati & hafiludin, 2023). based on the research conducted by pulungan and lestari (2024), anchovies have been found to be beneficial in preventing stunting. anchovies can be processed into cookies or other anchovy-based food products to support height growth in toddlers, serving as supplementary nutrition to help prevent the occurrence of stunting (pulungan & lestari, 2024). beyond its nutritional and culinary appeal, teri medan holds cultural significance, with local terms and expressions celebrating its heritage and environmental importance. these narratives not only enhance its value as a souvenir but also resonate with ecolinguistic principles, as they reflect and promote local ecological awareness. growing awareness of sustainability has spurred research into responsible fishing methods, particularly for species that hold economic and cultural value, like teri medan. sustainable practices in fishing, such as the use of selective gill nets, help minimize environmental impact by reducing bycatch and protecting juvenile fish populations. this approach aligns with both ecolinguistic and sustainable tourism principles, as local narratives around teri medan emphasize stewardship and eco-friendly methods (devina & panggabean, 2024; febrianti & fahleny, 2024; surbakti & basri, 2024). language used by local fishermen, including terms like "responsible fishing" and "selective gear," reflects a commitment to sustainability, linking cultural practices with environmental preservation. these ecolinguistic aspects in the production of teri medan contribute to its reputation as an ecofriendly souvenir that embodies medan’s commitment to marine resource conservation. the global trend toward eco-conscious tourism has increased demand for sustainably produced souvenirs, with studies indicating that environmentally friendly products enhance tourist experiences and support local economies (sumardiana & trisdyani, 2020; fajrah & zetlib, 2020). as a culturally significant product, teri medan aligns with this trend when produced sustainably. ecolinguistic analysis reveals that terms associated with its production—such as "natural drying," "eco-friendly packaging," and "local tradition"—not only emphasize sustainability but also enhance teri medan’s market appeal. these linguistic choices shape tourist perceptions of teri medan as an ecofriendly souvenir, appealing to those who value sustainable travel experiences. by emphasizing sustainable fishing practices, eco-conscious processing, and promotion through english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 595 micro, small, and medium enterprises (umkm), teri medan serves as a model of responsible production. this ecolinguistic framing strengthens medan’s image as a destination committed to environmental stewardship and highlights teri medan’s value as a symbol of both indonesian culture and sustainable tourism (kusyanda & masdiantini, 2021; veronica & facrureza, 2024; purnomo, 2022). method this study employs a qualitative research approach to explore complex processes and gain a nuanced understanding of sustainable practices in teri medan production. according to creswell et al. (2015), qualitative research is particularly effective for examining human behaviors, cultural practices, and contextual factors in depth. in this study, a qualitative approach enables the capture of both the environmental and cultural dimensions of teri medan production, aligned with an ecolinguistic perspective that emphasizes the role of language and narrative in framing sustainable practices. data were collected through three primary techniques: observation, interviews, and documentation. observation allowed the researchers to witness each stage of teri medan’s production firsthand, from fishing and processing to packaging, noting any ecolinguistic elements present in the terminology and expressions used by local workers. observing language-in-action helped reveal culturally specific terms or phrases associated with sustainable practices, which contribute to the ecolinguistic framing of teri medan as an environmentally responsible product. interviews were conducted with local fishermen, umkm producers, and market sellers to gather firsthand accounts of their sustainable practices and perspectives on teri medan’s cultural significance. in line with the ecolinguistic approach, interview questions were crafted to explore the language participants use to describe sustainability, environmental stewardship, and the cultural value of teri medan. these in-depth conversations provided insight into how local narratives and terminology influence the perception and implementation of sustainable practices in teri medan production. documentation included reviewing relevant records, reports, and local government publications on sustainable fishing practices and environmental regulations for teri medan production. this method provided a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory and cultural landscape surrounding sustainable production. through this triangulation of methods, the study draws on multiple perspectives and sources, reinforcing the reliability of the findings. this combination of qualitative methods, informed by an ecolinguistic perspective, aims to build a thorough understanding of teri medan’s production and its alignment with sustainable tourism. the ecolinguistic approach not only adds depth to the analysis but also highlights how local language and cultural narratives reinforce environmentally sustainable practices, positioning teri medan as an eco-friendly souvenir in medan’s tourism sector. results and discussion the production of teri medan, a local anchovybased delicacy, is grounded in sustainable practices that aim to minimize the environmental footprint from fishing to final distribution. this process, which emphasizes the importance of preserving marine ecosystems and ensuring resource sustainability, is reflected in the language used by the community involved in its production. from fishing practices to the careful steps taken during the processing, packaging, and distribution of teri medan, the community consistently uses language that signals a deep respect for the environment, reinforcing the idea that sustainable practices are integral to both their cultural identity and livelihoods. sustainable fishing practices: language of stewardship the fishing process for teri medan reflects the principles of environmental stewardship and sustainability. local fishermen adopt selective fishing methods, particularly through the use of gill nets designed to capture only anchovies of the appropriate size. this selectivity helps prevent the capture of smaller, non-target fish, reducing disruptions to the marine ecosystem (devina & panggabean, 2024). gill nets are favored by local fishermen because they can be adjusted to allow smaller or non-target species to escape, thus protecting juvenile fish and preserving biodiversity (febrianti & fahleny, 2024; surbakti & basri, 2024). the careful use of these nets helps maintain the balance of fish populations, preventing overfishing, which is essential for the long-term sustainability of both local ecosystems and the livelihoods of fishermen (pramesthy et al., 2020; tatontos et al., 2019; nanga et al., 2024). as the negative environmental impacts of puji hariati, purwarno purwarno exploring environmental sustainability in teri medan production: an ecolinguistic perspective on tourist souvenirs 596 traditional fishing practices become more evident, the local fishing community has increasingly embraced these eco-friendly techniques, recognizing that sustainable fishing practices are vital for the health of the marine environment and the continued viability of their work. the language used by the community surrounding these practices is imbued with sustainability values. terms like "selective fishing," "wise fishing," and "in harmony with nature" are frequently used in discussions of fishing methods. this terminology underscores that fishing is viewed not merely as a means of resource extraction but as a conscious, responsible act that ensures the long-term health of the sea. the term "wise fishing," for example, embodies a philosophy of balance and moderation, where fishermen see themselves not as exploiters of marine resources but as caretakers of the ocean. the notion of balance is often emphasized, with fishermen recognizing that selective fishing is essential for maintaining fish populations for future generations. additionally, phrases such as "sustaining the ocean" and "protecting marine wealth" reflect a deep sense of responsibility toward the environment. these expressions indicate that the practice of fishing is not solely for economic gain but is framed as an ongoing duty to the marine ecosystem. this language fosters a narrative where the fishing community is portrayed as active stewards of the ocean, committed to ensuring its resources remain viable for the benefit of future generations (devina & panggabean, 2024; febrianti & fahleny, 2024; surbakti & basri, 2024). this holistic approach to sustainable fishing not only promotes the health of the marine ecosystem but also reinforces the value of teri medan as a product of medan’s commitment to environmentally responsible practices. by framing the product as a symbol of ecological stewardship, it enhances its appeal as a culturally significant and eco-friendly souvenir for tourists. figure 1. fishing teri medan using gill net fishermen catch anchovies directly on land during fishing trips that typically last 7-8 hours, from 04:00 to 11:00 wib. once caught, the anchovies are stored in styrofoam boxes packed with ice to maintain their freshness and prevent spoilage. figure 2. the catch of teri medan generally, high-quality anchovies have a firm, chewy texture, a fresh and pleasant fish aroma, and a vibrant, bright appearance with a white to bluish hue. the language of resource preservation in processing the washing process for teri medan is carried out in a washing tub with running water, and the anchovies are held in a porous plastic basket. according to maryeni & saputri (2022), the washing process is facilitated by the worker’s hands, which help to evenly distribute the washing action, ensuring that the anchovies are thoroughly cleaned. after washing, the anchovies are drained in a plastic basin placed between the washing tub and the boiling tub. the processing of teri medan is rooted in sustainable practices, which are reflected in the careful language used to describe each stage. for example, terms like "cleansing" and "purifying" are used to describe the washing process, suggesting a deep respect for the anchovies as raw materials. the intent behind this process is to remove contaminants while preserving the natural quality of the fish. phrases such as "preserving purity" and "maintaining freshness" go beyond the technical aspects of the process and convey a cultural commitment to sustainability. these terms emphasize that each step in the production english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 597 process is seen as an act of conservation— protecting the inherent qualities of the anchovies without relying on harmful additives or excessive energy. this language reinforces the value placed on keeping the product as natural and wholesome as possible. the process of washing the anchovies can be seen in figure 3 below. figure 3. washing and cleaning teri medan after the washing process is thoroughly completed, the boiling stage follows, where the anchovies are immersed in hot water at a boiling temperature of 100ºc for 3-5 minutes. this step serves two purposes: it cooks the anchovies and releases any gas trapped within the raw material, which also reduces their weight. during the boiling process, salt is added—specifically fine, iodized sea salt. sahubawa (2018) explains that salting helps inhibit the rotting process, thereby extending the shelf life of the anchovies as a natural preservative. the ideal salt content for the anchovies is set at 5%. if the salt concentration exceeds this level, it may cause white powder to form on the anchovies, which negatively affects their taste. in the local community, the boiling process is often described using metaphors like "locking in the sea's essence" or "capturing the ocean’s nutrients." these expressions emphasize the significance of boiling not only in cooking the anchovies but also in preserving their natural flavors and nutritional value. the addition of iodized sea salt is framed as more than just a technical necessity; it is seen as a way of safeguarding the anchovies for long-term storage and future consumption. the meticulous attention to the salt content, ensuring it remains within the recommended range, reflects an awareness of environmental impact. it highlights the principle of "moderation," emphasizing the importance of avoiding overuse of resources, which aligns with the broader sustainability practices adopted by the community. figure 4. boiling of teri medan traditionally, the boiling process is conducted in a specialized boiling tank, which is equipped with an iron plate to enhance heat transfer from the gas combustion source. as the boiling water heats up, the salt added to the basin dissolves into the water. the use of a basin helps prevent impurities in the salt from contaminating the boiling water. for a fully filled boiling tank, 50 kg of salt is required, and the water volume in the tank is typically 1,000 liters. once the salt is completely dissolved and the water reaches a boil, the anchovies are added to the boiling bath using a basin. the boiling process lasts approximately 5 minutes, during which the contents are occasionally stirred to ensure an even cooking process. after boiling is complete, the basin is removed, and the anchovies are drained using a draining rack. the drained anchovies are then spread on a sanoko (a drying surface) covered with waring (a protective net) and cooled using a blower. this cooling process halts the cooking, preventing the anchovies from becoming overcooked. sun-drying: the language of eco-harmony the drying process is designed to reduce the water content of the anchovies, ensuring they become fully dried and safe for long-term storage. the company has established a standard water content for dried anchovies, typically set between 31-35%, which ensures their shelf stability. this drying is achieved using sunlight, a natural and puji hariati, purwarno purwarno exploring environmental sustainability in teri medan production: an ecolinguistic perspective on tourist souvenirs 598 sustainable method. according to siregar et al. (2024) and surbakti (2023), this technique not only preserves the anchovies but also underscores an eco-friendly approach to food processing. the use of sun-drying in the production of teri medan exemplifies how language reflects ecological values. this method, which harnesses the sun’s natural power, is often described with terms like "working with nature" or "in tune with the environment." such descriptions frame the drying process as a symbolic act of harmonizing human activity with the natural world. local producers emphasize the importance of weather conditions and sunlight, suggesting that the success of the drying step is deeply connected to the natural forces that sustain life on earth. sun-drying, a simple and energy-efficient method, is often referred to as "nature's method" or "the earth's way of preserving" anchovies. these expressions reinforce the idea that the process not only minimizes energy consumption but also aligns with ecological principles. words like "gentle drying" and "natural preservation" further reflect a cultural narrative that values the environment’s role in creating high-quality products, without resorting to artificial or energyintensive methods. the focus on natural sunlight symbolizes a profound connection to the earth, underscoring that sustainability is integrated into every aspect of teri medan's production process. figure 5: drying teri medan the traditional drying process used for teri medan relies on the sun-drying method, where anchovies are exposed to direct sunlight in an open space. this method utilizes the heat generated by solar radiation, making it a simple yet effective way to reduce moisture content in the anchovies. the anchovies are placed on racks about one meter above the ground, allowing for optimal exposure to sunlight. the drying process typically occurs between 07:00 and 10:30 wib, lasting approximately 3 to 4 hours, depending on weather conditions, particularly the strength of the sunlight and wind speed. on sunny days with favorable wind conditions, the drying time may be reduced. several factors influence the effectiveness of the sun-drying process. the thickness of the anchovies spread on the racks and the practice of turning them regularly are crucial in ensuring even drying and maximizing efficiency. while sun drying is a straightforward and low-energy method, it is highly dependent on the weather, making it vulnerable to external conditions. additionally, the open-air setting introduces the risk of microbial contamination. if not properly monitored, the drying process can create an environment conducive to mold growth, which can cause the anchovies to develop undesirable brown spots or red discoloration. therefore, it is essential to protect the anchovies from fungal contamination by ensuring they are thoroughly dried before storage, as incomplete drying can compromise the anchovies' appearance and quality. sorting and packaging: the language of care and protection the sorting process is designed to differentiate anchovies from non-anchovies. anchovies are characterized by their small size, similar to grains of rice, their bright white color, and the absence of snouts. those that meet these criteria are separated and moved on to the next stage of processing. non-anchovies, on the other hand, are further sorted by type to ensure only the appropriate materials proceed through the production process (chandrawati & hafiludin, 2023). figure 6. sorting once the sorting process is complete, the anchovies are typically packaged for transportation, storage, or shipment. this step involves using materials such as boxes, plastic, or bubble wrap to protect the anchovies from damage during transit. proper packaging is crucial to ensure that the products arrive safely and in optimal condition. english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 599 figure 7. packaging the sorting process of teri medan, which separates high-quality anchovies from those that do not meet the required standards, is framed through terms like "ensuring quality" and "protecting the product". this language reflects the community’s commitment to preserving the integrity of the product, ensuring that only the best anchovies are processed and packaged for consumption. the sorting process is not merely functional but is imbued with a sense of care and respect for the product, ensuring that no part of the catch goes to waste (chandrawati & hafiludin, 2023). when it comes to packaging, the community often refers to the use of "eco-friendly materials" or "minimal-impact packaging". terms such as "sustainable packaging" and "earth-conscious wrapping" convey an awareness of the environmental impact of packaging materials. the use of recyclable and biodegradable materials reflects an effort to reduce the ecological footprint of the product. this shift towards environmentally responsible packaging is framed as a way to ensure that teri medan remains a symbol of sustainability, not just through its production methods but also in how it reaches consumers. this narrative of care extends to the consumer’s role in the environmental cycle, with phrases like "reducing waste" and "supporting sustainable practices" frequently used to encourage ecoconscious purchasing decisions (maryeni & saputri, 2022). distribution and eco-conscious marketing the packaged teri medan will then be distributed through markets so that it can be purchased by the public or tourists. in the distribution and sale of teri medan, the language of sustainability continues to play a central role. the product is marketed not only as a local delicacy but as an eco-friendly souvenir that supports sustainable practices. at pasar sambu, where teri medan is sold, the language surrounding its sale often includes terms such as "supporting sustainable tourism" and "buying eco-conscious souvenirs". by framing teri medan as both a cultural product and a sustainable choice, the community encourages tourists to engage with the local economy in a way that aligns with environmental values. local vendors often use phrases like "choose sustainability" or "make an eco-friendly choice" when describing teri medan to customers. these messages reflect a broader effort to educate consumers about the importance of sustainable production practices, aligning purchasing decisions with values of environmental responsibility. this is further supported by the use of visual cues and symbols on packaging that communicate a commitment to sustainability and eco-tourism (pramesthy et al., 2020; tatontos et al., 2019). figure 8: selling and buying teri medan is primarily distributed through central markets, with sales concentrated at sambu market in medan. in addition to teri medan, various types of salted fish are available, allowing tourists to purchase anchovies directly and inspect the quality of the products before selecting souvenirs. in addition to distribution through pasar sambu, teri medan is also sold through small and medium enterprises (umkm). the anchovies are typically packaged in attractive packaging, either in their raw form or as ready-toeat products. puji hariati, purwarno purwarno exploring environmental sustainability in teri medan production: an ecolinguistic perspective on tourist souvenirs 600 figure 9. packaging of teri medan by umkm figure 10. packaging of teri medan snack by umkm the language used by the teri medan community goes beyond merely communicating technical processes; it is deeply intertwined with the environmental values that guide their practices. terms and metaphors such as "balance," "wisdom in fishing," "preserving the ocean," and "working with nature" reinforce the community’s commitment to sustainability at every stage of production. this ecolinguistic perspective demonstrates how language both shapes and reflects the broader cultural and ecological narratives that underpin sustainable practices. through their thoughtful choice of words and metaphors, the teri medan producers not only preserve the integrity of their product but also contribute to a growing culture of environmental responsibility, aligning with both community values and the broader global movement toward sustainability. conclusion the production of teri medan exemplifies a comprehensive approach to sustainability, where environmental stewardship is ingrained in every stage of the process, from fishing to distribution. the community's dedication to preserving marine ecosystems and ensuring the long-term viability of local resources is evident not only in their practices but also in the language they use. terms such as "wise fishing," "working with nature," and "preserving the ocean" underscore the community's profound respect for the environment and their commitment to maintaining a harmonious relationship between human activity and ecological health. through selective fishing techniques, careful processing, and eco-friendly practices like sun-drying and sustainable packaging, the teri medan community demonstrates that sustainability is not merely a set of practices but a core cultural identity. moreover, the language used in the production and marketing of teri medan serves as a crucial vehicle for reinforcing this commitment, shaping consumer perceptions, and promoting environmental responsibility. in this way, teri medan not only stands as a local delicacy but also symbolizes eco-conscious production that aligns with global sustainability movements. this research contributes to the field of ecolinguistics by illustrating how language in the context of local production can reflect and reinforce environmental values, offering valuable insights into how cultural narratives and sustainable practices intertwine. additionally, the study offers important implications for sustainable tourism by demonstrating how local products like teri medan can be positioned as eco-friendly souvenirs that resonate with the growing global demand for responsible tourism. as such, teri medan presents a model for other communities seeking to integrate environmental values into english review: journal of english education p-issn 2301-7554, e-issn 2541-3643 volume 13, issue 2, june 2025 https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/erjee 601 their practices, contributing both to cultural preservation and environmental sustainability. references ariana, m., suyasa, i. n., & simbolon, d. (2020). remote sensing for assessing the potential anchovy fishing ground in the pesisir selatan regency, west sumatra, indonesia. aquaculture, aquarium, conservation & legislation, 13(4), 22732282. chandrawati, m., & hafiludin, h. (2023). analisis produksi dan distribusi produk teri nasi (stolephorus sp) kering di pt. marinal indoprima, kapedi, kabupaten sumenep. journal of marine research, 12(4), 586596. creswell, j. w ., guetterman, t. c., & fetters, m. d. (2015). integrating quantitative and qualitative results in health science mixed methods research through joint displays. the annals of family medicine, 13(6), 554-561. devina, a. m., & panggabean, d. (2024). identifikasi alat penangkapan ikan ramah lingkungan di perairan batam. jurnal laut khatulistiwa, 7(1), 51-57. ermawati, y., sodikin, m., & supeni, e. (2022). strategi pemberdayaan umkm berbasis sentra wisata kuliner di surabaya. seminar nasional teknologi dan multidisiplin ilmu (semnastekmu) (vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 390404). fajrah, n., & zetli, s. (2020). evaluasi pentingnya lokasi sentra oleh-oleh untuk pariwisata kota batam. prosiding seminar nasional ilmu sosial dan teknologi (snistek) (vol. 3, pp. 120-125). febrianti, a., & fahleny, r. (2024). inventarisasi alat tangkap ramah lingkungan di lebak talang dukun, kabupaten ogan ilir. jurnal perikanan perairan umum, 2(2), 37-42. hafid, n. a. (2022). pengaruh konsentrasi tepung dari ikan teri (stolephorus sp.) terhadap kandungan kalsium dan daya terima bakso teri= effect of meal concentration from anchovy flour (stolephorus sp.) on calcium content and organoleptic of anchovies meatballs (doctoral dissertation, universitas hasanuddin). imam, k. (2024). analisis mutu ikan teri nasi kering (stolephorus sp.) di sentra produksi sekitar pelabuhan perikanan samudera (pps) belawan, kota medan, sumatera utara (doctoral dissertation, universitas sumatera utara). junianingsih, i., jasila, i., & sandra, l. (2021). diversifikasi pengolahan produk cookies eeg roll dengan penambahan tepung ikan teri. samakia: jurnal ilmu perikanan, 12(2), 139-146. kamudung, o., tega, y. r., & henggu, k. u. (2023). karakteristik kandungan mutu ikan asin kering teri (stolephorus sp.) di pasar matawai kabupaten sumba timur. proceeding sustainable agricultural technology innovation (sati), 2(1), 1-6. kusumawati, p., tyas, d. w., fitriana, f., & kusumaningrum, h. (2023). oleh-oleh makanan khas daerah istimewa yogyakarta sebagai daya tarik wisata gastronomi. pringgitan, 4(2), 40-56. kusyanda, m. r. p., & masdiantini, p. r. (2021). kajian strategi pengelolaan daya tarik wisata kuliner: tinjauan pada umkm berbasis ekonomi kreatif pantai penimbangan. jurnal manajemen perhotelan dan pariwisata, 4(2), 90-99. li, h., zhang, x., zhang, y., liu, q., liu, f., li, d., & zhang, h. (2022). climate-driven synchrony in anchovy fluctuations: a pacific-wide comparison. fishes, 7(4), 193. mardiyah, l., efendi, r., & putra, d. p. (2022). nilai gizi dan manfaat ikan teri nasi sebagai sumber protein. jurnal kesehatan masyarakat, 14(2), 75–82. maryeni, s., & saputri, w. (2022). teknik pengolahan ikan teri (stolephorus sp.) di pelabuhan perikanan pantai wilayah i carocok anau tarusan kabupaten pesisir selatan sumatera barat. semah jurnal pengelolaan sumberdaya perairan, 6(2), 122-129. nanga, s., tallo, i., & al ayubi, a. (2024). tingkat keramahan lingkungan alat tangkap jaring insang (gill net) yang dioperasikan oleh nelayan di desa lamatokan kecamatan ile ape timur kabupaten lembata. jurnal bahari papadak, 5(1), 8893. nasution, n. s., daulay, a. s., dalimunthe, g. i., & nasution, h. m. (2025). penetapan kadar garam pada ikan teri medan dengan variasi metode dan suhu perendaman. farmasainkes: jurnal farmasi, sains, dan kesehatan, 4(2), 258265. peck, m. a., alheit, j., bertrand, a., catalán, i. a., garrido, s., moyano, m., & van der lingen, c. d. (2021). small pelagic fish in the new millennium: a bottomup view of global research effort. progress in oceanography, 191, 102494. pramesthy, t. d., mardiah, r. s., shalichaty, s. f., arkham, m. n., haris, r. b. k., kelana, p. p., & djunaidi, d. (2020). analisis alat tangkap jaring insang (gill net) berdasarkan kode etik tatalaksana perikanan bertanggung jawab di perairan kota dumai. aurelia journal, 1(2), 103112. puji hariati, purwarno purwarno exploring environmental sustainability in teri medan production: an ecolinguistic perspective on tourist souvenirs 602 pulungan, f., & lestari, l. (2024). pengaruh pemberian cookies ikan teri (stolephorus sp) terhadap pencegahan stunting pada batita di dusun i paluh mardan desa pematang cengal kec. tanjung pura kab. langkat tahun 2023. termometer: jurnal ilmiah ilmu kesehatan dan kedokteran, 2(1), 72-82. purnomo, a. m. (2022). attraction of culinary tourism destinations to promote sustainability development during the pandemic. profetik: jurnal komunikasi, 15(2), 190-207. purwanto, r. e., sandhubaya, g., & mina, m. (2023). diversifikasi produk khas daerah: ladu sebagai oleh–oleh khas di destinasi wisata kota batu. journal fame: journal food and beverage, product and services, accommodation industry, entertainment, 6(1), 1-10. rahayu, s., diatmika, i. p. g., & haryadi, w. (2022). analisis potensi wisata kuliner dalam mendukung perekonomian umkm pesisir saliper ate di kabupaten sumbawa. jurnal riset kajian teknologi dan lingkungan, 5(1), 01-08. raisya, a. (2023). optimasi formula penyedap bubuk berbasis kepala ikan tenggiri (scomberomorus commersonii) dan ikan teri medan (stolephorus sp.) menggunakan design expert metode mixture d-optimal (doctoral dissertation, fakultas teknik unpas). ratnaningsih, n., & lastariwati, b. (2021). substitusi tepung ikan teri (stolephorus sp.) dalam pembuatan kue semprong sebagai sumber kalsium untuk anak sekolah. roza, y. m., razali, g., fatmawati, e., syamsuddin, s., & wibowo, g. a. (2023). identitas budaya dan sosial pada makanan khas daerah: tinjauan terhadap perilaku konsumsi masyarakat muslim pada bulan ramadan di indonesia. komitmen: jurnal ilmiah manajemen, 4(1), 305-315. sahubawa, l. (2018). teknologi pengawetan dan pengolahan hasil perikanan. ugm press. sinaga, i., & sinaga, h. (2020). pola pertumbuhan ikan teri (stolephorus sp) hasil tangkapan bagan tancap di perairan teluk tapian nauli. tapian nauli: jurnal penelitian terapan perikanan dan kelautan, 2(2), 81-84. siregar, m. a., daulay, m. j., daulay, a. h., & nasution, m. i. (2024). rancang bangun lemari pengering ikan teri otomatis berbahan bakar gas dengan dukungan panel surya. journal of science and social research, 7(3), 10211027. stibbe, a. (2015). ecolinguistics: language, ecology and the stories we live by. routledge. sumardiana, i. p. g. p., & trisdyani, n. l. p. (2020). souvenir bagi wisatawan bali. widyanatya, 2(01), 32-38. surbakti, j. a. (2022). identifikasi alat penangkapan ikan ramah lingkungan di wilayah perairan kabupaten sabu raijua. jurnal vokasi ilmu-ilmu perikanan (jvip), 1(2), 56-52. surbakti, j. a. (2023). model alat pengering ikan berbasis arduino uno dengan sensor suhu lm35 untuk pembuat ikan asin di kota kupang. turbo: jurnal program studi teknik mesin, 12(2). surbakti, j. a., & basri, m. (2024). tingkat ramah lingkungan alat tangkap ikan di wilayah perairan kecamatan kupang barat. journal of marine research, 13(1), 11-19. tabroni, a., noor, m. t., & aida, g. r. (2024). analisis tingkat keramah lingkungan alat tangkap bouke ami di pelabuh an perikanan samudera nizam zachman jakarta (ppsnzj). jurnal perikanan unram, 14(1), 306-316. tatontos, y. v., wuaten, j. f., bawias, i., & mozes, g. n. (2019). teknik pembuatan jaring insang dasar (bottom gill net) ramah lingkungan di kampung dalako bembanehe kecamatan tatoareng, kabupaten kepulauan sangihe. jurnal ilmiah tatengkorang, 3, 19-24. thompson, a. r. (2019). state of the california current 2018–19: a novel anchovy regime and a new marine heatwave?. california cooperative oceanic fisheries investigations, 60. van der sleen, p., rykaczewski, r. r., turley, b. d., sydeman, w. j., garcía-reyes, m., bograd, s. j., & black, b. a. (2018). nonstationary responses in anchovy (engraulis encrasicolus) recruitment to coastal upwelling in the southern benguela. marine ecology progress series, 596, 155164. veronica, n., & facrureza, d. (2024). strategi pengembangan wisata kuliner dalam meningkatkan tingkat kunjungan wisatawan menggunakan metode swot dan qspm. kaganga: jurnal pendidikan sejarah dan riset sosial humaniora, 7(2), 794-808.